Sorry this took so long! Been busy with work and home. Joy. Well, without further ado...here's the next chapter!
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Chapter 35: Punishments and Explanations
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Faster...faster...faster. That was the mantra Alli kept chanting in her mind while she was literally running for her life. She'd sprinted out of Rock Porium after her plot to spy on Daggeron and Jazz was uncovered and plowed straight into the nearest tree, not caring if anyone saw her disappear into it. Now, she was in a mad dash through the forest as if she were a convict that just escaped from prison. She wasn't just running away form Daggeron and Jazz; she was also running away from Sky. The emotions that were churning deep within her were feelings that she'd honestly never felt before. She was falling for the blue S.P.D. ranger-hard. And that was something she didn't want to happen. Her heart had been broken too many times before and she wasn't about to give it to someone who was going to be leaving as soon as her friends found a way to send the futuristic rangers home. The more she dwelled on that fact, the faster she ran. At the pace she was going, she would have made it to the border of Angel Grove by nightfall.
"It can't happen! No matter how badly I may want it to, it just can't be." She thought to herself in denial.
After what seemed like an eternity, Alli slowed down a bit as she reached the entrance to her secret spot. Laying a hand on the rough bark of the tree in front of her, she took a couple of slow, deep breaths before phasing through. The moment she stepped inside, she felt refreshed by the perpetual darkness. Her eyes became fixated on the log she and Jazz shared the day the black mystic invited the redhead into her most guarded secret. Walking slowly due to the extreme fatigue in her legs and burning sensation in her lungs form all that running, she reached the fallen tree trunk and collapsed onto it. Laying along it, she let her mind drift through all the memories of the past couple of days. And she would have been content to stay there and reminisce if not for the person who took a seat on the log next to her slumped form.
"I though I'd find you out here." Jazz quipped softly.
Alli immediately jumped at Jazz's words and fell off the log she was laying on and met the ground with a thud.
"Hmmph. I guess what they say is true. It is easy." She thought as she rubbed her backside. Once the pain subsided, she looked up from her spot and saw her friend smirking down at her with her chin on her hand.
"Godzilla?" The redhead asked while trying to stifle a giggle.
Alli grimaced stupidly as she picked herself up off the ground and got back on the log next to the purple ranger.
"Well...it worked." She giggled before turning remorseful. "Look, I'm really sorry about what happened back there. I didn't want to spy on you; I really didn't. But I was curious and I just want you to be happy."
Jazz had to smile. Even though she wanted to wring Alli's neck for even thinking about going on another spy mission, she did it for the right reasons.
"Thanks, Alli. You're the best friend I ever had and I forgive you." She replied with a smile before continuing. "Daggeron...now that's another story."
Alli's shoulders slumped at the mere notion of her teacher being upset with her...again. She remembered how he exploded after the last time Alli and her friends spied on the two would-be lovers-the expression on his face, how his brown eyes seemed to glow red with anger...and now she had the dark cloud of a pending punishment from the Solaris Knight looming over her. From what Nick and the others told her about his 'corrections', she felt that walking through Antarctica in nothing but a dental floss bikini would be better than going through anything the golden knight had in store for her.
"I am so fuckin' screwed!" She thought as her face crumpled in dread. "Wonderful. Now I'm gonna get yelled at and punished. And I don't mean 'slap on the wrist' punished; I'm talking 'being made to run the entire MXC course with no padding' punished! Not what I needed today." Alli groaned as her head hung down.
The purple ranger looked upon her friend with unwavering sympathy. She didn't get the chance to see Daggeron's expression that day she revealed her painful secret to him because she bolted away from him and their eavesdroppers, but judging from Alli's doom and gloom posture, she assumed that it wasn't pretty. Feeling remorse, she placed a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder.
"Hey, maybe it won't be as bad as you think. He could just want to give you a stern lecture." The purple ranger suggested hopefully.
That hope was quickly dashed when she saw Alli slowly turn her head up to look at the naive redhead.
"Or...not?" Jazz queried.
"Jazz, I mean this in the nicest possible way. And to take a page from your Southern vernacular handbook..." She cleared her throat before finishing her question. "Have you lost your cotton pickin' mind?!" She asked in a high pitched voice.
Jazz just raised an eyebrow at her friend. Maybe it was the fact that black ranger chose that particular phrase to express her utter disbelief in the redhead's naivety...or perhaps it was the fact that it just didn't sound right without the drawl to deliver it properly. Either way, Jazz was surprised that her friend even went there. After taking a moment to calm down, Alli spoke again.
"I appreciate the effort, Jazz, but not even a double decker Philly cheesesteak with fries can help me cheer up." Alli replied giving a weak smile to her friend.
"Well, can't say I didn't try." The redhead shrugged with a smirk.
The two women shared a chuckle as they momentarily forgot about the fiasco back at Rock Porium and concentrated on another event that was kept away from prying eyes.
"So...just what is up with between and Daggeron, missy?" Alli smiled mischievously as she looked at her friend.
"I'm not saying a word." Jazz smirked while folding her arms in defiance. "Especially after hearing you plotting to spy on us...again."
"Oh, come on, Jazz! You know I was only kidding about that! This is so not fair!" Alli whined as her face crinkled.
"It's your own fault. Besides, what happened between me and Daggeron, stays between me and Daggeron." Jazz replied as she turned her back playfully on her new friend. She really was gonna tell her; she just wanted to see how long it too for the black mystic to crack.
"Fine, If you don't wanna tell me, that's just fine. I didn't wanna know anyway." The brunette mystic replied in an attempt to use reverse psychology on her buddy. Unfortunately, with Jazz being a member of a futuristic law enforcement team, psychology is used almost as much as their blasters.
"Okay. Glad we're on the same page." The cadet rebutted simply.
One minute passed, then another, and another. A total of five minutes had passed before Alli started to think to herself.
"I can't believe she won't tell me what happened. Me! Her best friend! How rude! It must not have been too important anyway." She thought logically.
She prided herself on her self control in battle and her job...but this was gossip and when it's this good, self control gets thrown out the window. She held out for another minute until...
"Okay, I can't stand this anymore! Tell me, tell me, tell me!" Alli pleaded frantically making her redheaded friend giggle.
"I knew she'd crack." The redhead chuckled inwardly. "You'd never be able to survive an interrogation with one of us." Jazz grinned as she turned to face Alli.
The black mystic just shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly and smiled.
"So, I'm weak. Bite me!" She laughed before continuing. "Now, back to my original question. What were you and Daggeron doing in the lounge after you ran away from us?"
The green-eyed ranger's mind drifted back to that moment in time where things felt like one of her fairy tales come to life. It was one moment she wished would last forever.
"Well...we danced to that cool old song..." Jazz began wistfully before her friend interrupted her.
"Old? But it just came out...oh, yeah. Future. Duh!" Alli replied, pulling a 'Chip' move.
Jazz shook her head and resumed. "Anyway, we talked about what was going to happen when you find the way to send me and my friends back home and how we'd never see each other again." Her freckled face fell a bit as she remembered but it was soon replaced with a smile and a slight tinge of blush. "But he said he didn't care. And then..."
Alli held her breath when the ruby haired ranger stalled. She had an inkling of what she was going to say next but she just wanted to hear it from Jazz.
"And then?" She asked breathlessly.
Jazz looked up and with a bright smile, she said the three most wonderful words that ever came out her mouth. "He kissed me!"
Alli's ebony eyes widened at the statement and she could see how happy the purple ranger was. As if the smile she sported when she first met Daggeron wasn't huge, this one was gargantuan. In response, she jumped up from the log and pulled up Jazz with her before enveloping her in a warm hug.
"Oh, Jazz, that's so awesome! I'm so happy for you both!" The mystic squealed as both girls jumped up and down happily.
"Thanks, Alli. We both decided to just enjoy this while it lasts."
Jazz was on cloud nine. She never thought that this would happen in her wildest dreams. And she's had some wild dreams in her day. But that soon took a back seat as another thought entered her mind.
"Okay, since we're on the subject of romance, wanna explain that little exchange going on with you and Sky back at the store?" Jazz asked with a raised eyebrow. "Most people use scalpels to perform a tonsillectomy."
"Ha ha. That's cute!" Alli grimaced. "And for your information, it was nothing. Like I told the others, that kiss was just a way to get him out of that bitch's clutches. A decoy; nothing more."
Jazz stared at her friend. She knew she wasn't telling the whole truth and she was fully prepared to use her skills to get to the bottom of this mystery if she had to.
"A decoy, huh? That explanation is about as fake as the Jamaican accent that Miss Cleo chick used years ago." Jazz thought to herself. "Alli, you're not fooling anyone. There's more to this story, isn't there?" Jazz asked seriously as she folded her arms in front of her chest. "I saw it in his eyes and in yours. That was much more than just a kiss. You both wanted more; you both wanted each other."
Alli's face froze as she slowly sat back down on the log. Her expression was slightly blank as Jazz's words echoed over and over. Was she right? Did she want more from Sky than just a kiss?
"Has anyone ever told you that they hate when you're right?" She thought in jest. "Jazz?" She began in a whisper. "What if I said that you were right? What would you say if I told you that the moment in Rock Porium wasn't the first time we kissed?"
Jazz's honeydew eyes grew to the size of watermelons the second her magical friend posed the question. Without a moment's hesitation, she scooted so fast across the log, she nearly ended up with splinters in her backside.
"I'd say you better keep talking, girl! This is getting juicy!" The redhead answered, her southern drawl becoming more evident.
The mystic ranger chuckled at her friend's enthusiasm.
"Nice to know she's just like the rest of us. A girl who enjoys good gossip." She thought bemused. "Umm...well...last night we...uhh...ended up making out...a lot!" She finally replied with a crinkle of her nose.
The redhead, as inexperienced in the subject of love as she is, raised an eyebrow at her friend's comment. Her curiosity was even more piqued than when everyone watched Bridge and Z's makeout after their party. And that was an understatement.
"Um, answer me this. Exactly how much is...'a lot'?" The S.P.D. cadet asked.
"First, answer me this. What, exactly, is your definition of 'a lot'?" Alli rebutted.
Jazz didn't really know how to answer her. The fact that Alli and Sky actually made out was news for the redhead so for her to make a comparison was like asking her to explain quantum physics in less than a minute.
"I mean, 'a lot' as in...lots of short kisses or 'a lot' as in you were going for the world's record for longest kiss without coming up for air? Because I think Bridge and Z are practicing for that one." Jazz joked.
Alli stifled a laugh and then a shudder as she remembered the uncomfortable viewing of the futuristic rangers' swapping spit.
"How about kissing so much we almost ended up doing something heavier than that?" Alli asked as she nervously bit her lip.
Jazz's green orbs almost popped out of their sockets when she heard this bit of news. She knew they had feelings for each other but this was way more than she expected.
"No way! I mean no freakin' way!! Are you serious?!" The purple ranger shrieked.
The black mystic's face turned about five shades of red at the memory.
"Oh, yeah...we almost..." She further expressed her inability to explain what almost happened by using a few hand gestures. "You know."
"But, you didn't?" The purple ranger asked seriously.
Alli breathed a sigh before answering. It wasn't like she hadn't thought about it.
"No, but the fact still remains that we almost did. And, I never thought I'd be admitting this, I liked it." She replied whispering the last three words.
"Really?" The redhead asked surprised. "This coming from the girl who turned my teammate into a frog." She reminisced.
"Yeah, I did. I liked everything about it-being held in his strong arms, kissing him-it felt so right to me. But it can never be." The black mystic looked at the ground sadly. It was as if the two girls had reversed roles with Alli acting dour like Jazz usually was about love which made Jazz even more confused.
"What!? Why not? I think you two would make a great couple!" Jazz exclaimed. "You really shouldn't say those things; if it felt right, then it was right."
Alli looked to be on the verge of bursting into tears. Of course she had feelings for Sky; she couldn't deny that. But she also couldn't deny what happened whenever she gave her heart to someone.
"Look, Jazz; you don't understand. I can't fall for him." The black magician wiped away a stray tear that ran down her cheek before resuming. "I can't put my heart through so much pain again. We both agreed that what happened last night can never happen again and it won't." "It can't." Alli mused. "I'm asking you as a friend. Please, don't push the issue."
Jazz just shook her head in disbelief. She was normally the one so despondent about love and to hear her friend deny herself of such an opportunity was unbelievable. If anyone deserved to be happy, it was Alli. At least, that's what Jazz though. But the redhead ranger felt that this was something Alli had to realize on her own. Things happened for a reason and considering the things that already happened on this journey, she was confident that Alli would come to her senses...Sky, too.
"Alright, Alli, I won't push anymore." Jazz relented finally. "Even though I think you're wrong." She thought before speaking again. "We should probably head back to the store now; the others will think we've been ambushed by Godzilla or something." The S.P.D. cadet smirked, emphasizing the name of the movie monster.
"You're never gonna let me live that down, are you?" Alli joked back.
"Not in this lifetime, cookie." Jazz chuckled.
Both girls shared another laughing fit before getting up off of the log.
"Okay, let's head back. I might as well get my punishment over with." Alli stretched for a few minutes before turning back to her friend. "And Jazz, you won't say anything about our conversation to anyone, will you?"
"Of course not. What we talked about doesn't leave this spot. Ranger's honor." Jazz replied doing the Girl Scout salute.
"Um...you know that's the Girl Scout salute, right?" Alli asked with a chuckle.
"It was the best I could do. Nobody came up with a ranger's honor salute yet." Jazz shrugged.
Sharing another giggle, both girls left the darkness-filled dimension and headed back to Rock Porium. Neither girl was in a hurry to get back so they took their time and went the scenic route through the forest before reaching the tree that took them back to the reality they didn't want to face.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
As both newbie rangers headed back inside the music store, the first thing that caught the mystic's eye was a very unhappy mentor who looked ready to yell...specifically at her.
"Um...hey, guys." Alli greeted meekly as she waved to the group.
The other rangers all muttered a quick 'hi' back and quickly retreated to any place in the store that wasn't near Alli, Jazz or the very pissed looking Daggeron.
"Allison." He greeted sternly.
Alli felt so small. She never realized that her teacher cut such an intimidating figure when he was mad.
"I knew I should have paid attention when Udonna taught us the shrinking spell." She groaned in thought. "Daggeron, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about what happened earlier. I honestly don't know what came over me back there."
"I am glad to see that you are apologizing and taking responsibility for your actions but that still does not change the fact that you have now disobeyed me twice. You do realize what this means, don't you?" The golden knight asked as he folded his arms, his expression etched in stone.
"That you'll look the other way and pretend this never happened?" Alli asked giving her best 'Clare' grin. But when she sees that it was having no effect whatsoever on her mentor, she let out an audible gulp. "Or...not?" She squeaked.
"I'm sorry, Allison; but you know that is not the way. You will have to be put through some sort of test. This way, you learn that your actions have consequences." Daggeron explained to a remorseful black ranger.
"Why did I have a feeling you were going to say that?" Alli grumbled. "Alright, what time in the forest?"
"Now would be sufficient." The Solaris Knight ordered.
Alli's eyes widened at his order.
"He has the worst timing!" The mystic balked in her mind. "Daggeron, I can't right now. I've got two dance classes to teach in a half an hour and I'll be at the studio for the next two hours." Alli replied.
Sighing, Daggeron took her plea into account.
"Very well. You will come to the forest after you finish with your classes, understood?" Daggeron asked.
"Understood." Alli replied grimly.
Daggeron then left the Rock Porium and headed towards the forest where he could prepare Alli's punishment. Jazz decided to go with Daggeron leaving the other rangers at the store to give Alli words of encouragement and looks of sympathy. Remembering what she and Jazz talked about in the darkness dimension, Alli completely understood why the purple ranger chose to leave with Daggeron.
"Well, I'm screwed like there's no tomorrow." Alli grimaced.
The mystic rangers all nodded. They didn't mean to agree with Alli so quickly, but each one had the displeasure of experiencing Daggeron's punishments and could relate. The S.P.D. rangers only knew what they learned about Daggeron from their books. Seeing him in the flesh, and angry flesh at that, was either a treat or a curse. Either way, Jack and his friends were thankful that Alli and her friends had to deal with the Solaris Knight on a daily basis and not them.
"He did look pretty angry." Z observed with shudder.
"Tell me about it. He makes Commander Cruger look like a Teacup Yorkie puppy." Syd compared before speaking again. "What's he going to make you do, Alli.?"
Alli was starting to feel pain in her shoulders and legs and she hadn't even gone through her punishment yet. The power of suggestion can be very influential. She started to rub her mysteriously sore muscles as she answered the blonde ranger.
"I'm not entirely sure, but I do know one thing. All of you will probably get to watch me." The black mystic surmised as she rubbed her neck.
"Hang on, you mean he might make us watch you go through whatever obstacle course he's gonna put you through?" Jack asked in shock.
"Not exactly. He won't make us watch, but we will anyway." Nick replied seriously.
"That way if anything gets out of hand, we can jump in and help her." The elder Rocca sister added.
The cadets still grumbled with uncertainty. They still didn't agree with how the Solaris Knight was handling the situation..If Daggeron was half as brutal as Cruger when he was pissed, Alli was in deep trouble.
"That's sounds like a good plan, V. Something tells me you had to implement it a few times." Syd replied.
"Thanks, and yeah, we have." Maddie added with a cringe.
"And if it's as bad as we think, we may have to this go around. Just don't let Daggeron find out." The Mystic Force rangers laughed at that before Alli stood up slowly. The dread of facing her punishment weighed her down as if she was walking with Fire Heart on her back.
"Well, I guess I'll see you guys in a couple hours. Dance class awaits." Alli voiced with fake enthusiasm. "And after that, I face the firing squad." The black mystic thought grimly.
Muttering a quick goodbye to her friends and Toby, the black mystic headed out of the record store and made her way towards her beloved Rust Bucket that would transport her to her second job.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Two and a half hours later, Alli was making her way through the enchanted forest to face the music. The two dance classes she taught that afternoon were the hardest to date and they left her completely exhausted. It also didn't help that she was surviving on a limited amount of sleep. Normally, she had the opportunity to crash in her apartment afterwards, but not on this day. She was sure that whatever Daggeron was going put her through was going to completely drain what little energy she had left in her already fatigued body. As she stood at the mouth of Root Core, she saw that everyone else was already there and coupled off with the exception of Jack, Syd, Sky, and Jazz who was there waiting for Daggeron to return. Alli smiled but that was short lived; the black mystic inwardly groaned as she thought of her teacher and remembered exactly why she was here in the first place. Nick and Maddie were sitting on their couch in the upper level of the room with Chip and Clare cuddling together by the Xenotome. Bridge and Z were nowhere to be found and Xander and V were sitting at the big table talking and smiling at each other. He ranger of the night grinned as she saw that everyone was looking relatively happy. Taking a deep breath, she addressed the group.
"Hey, guys."
Everyone in the room greeted Alli back and Maddie was the first to ask about her friend's state of mind.
"Hey, how are you holding up and how did your classes go?"
Alli stretched and massaged her tired muscles before answering.
"They went really well. The girls are doing great with their routines. Me? Give me a Swedish masseuse and a jacuzzi and then ask me how I'm doing." Alli chuckled.
"I could go for one of those myself." Syd smirked as her friends looked at her weirdly. "What? A girl can dream. But back to you, Alli. We can't wait to see the new dance your teaching them."
Alli grinned to herself. Aside from being a ranger, she loved teaching dance class. That was her true passion. If anything happened to the point where she could never be a ranger again, she wouldn't feel empty because her dancing always made her feel better.
"I can't wait to show you guys, but I've got to finish tweaking it before I show you all anything." The black mystic replied with a smile.
She'd brought her dance bag, her guitar and her CD case with her from her dance class and each of the items had started to weigh her arms down. She quickly placed her dance bag down on the ground and brought her guitar and CD case to the corner or Root Core by the bookcase. She was far too exhausted to carry everything so she opted to make two trips. As she reached the corner and placed her stuff down, she felt the radiating warmth of someone standing beside her. She looked up to see who it was and to her shock, it was none other than Sky holding her dance bag out towards her with a smile on his face.
"I figured you could use a little help." The tall ranger offered.
The gesture alone made her heart skip a beat. This was the first time she saw the blue cadet act like a gentleman.
"Thanks, Sky. You didn't have to do that." She replied with a slight tinge of pink in her cheeks.
Sky flashed a sincere smile that made Alli's knees nearly turn to Jello and considering that she was already close to keeling over, it was more of a curse rather than a blessing.
"It's no problem at all. It's the least I can do after you saved me from LeeLee earlier. Besides you look exhausted." Sky observed with concern etching his face.
"That obvious, huh?" Alli retorted sarcastically.
Sky grabbed a chair from the table that V and Xander were occupying and helped Alli to it before someone was tempted to yell 'timber!'
"I'm afraid so. You look like you're about to collapse on the spot."
Alli gratefully sat down on the chair and hung her head. She was so lacking in energy that she barely had enough to hold her head up.
"Probably because I am. I'm exhausted; those dance classes really wiped me out. Plus, the lack of sleep last night isn't helping me much." Alli explained as she used her hand to support her head.
"I'm really sorry about that." The blue ranger apologized.
That made the black mystic look up quickly, which was probably not the best thing to do because she soon felt dizzy.
"Whoa, head rush." She said to herself in her mind. "Hey, it's not your fault. I have to take some blame, too. And now, I'm paying for it." "Man, am I paying for it!" She thought to herself as she held her temples with her hands.
Everyone in the room grew more concerned for their friend as they watched her energy seemingly deplete in front of their eyes and all had the same notion-that Alli should not go through her punishment.
"Maybe you shouldn't do whatever Daggeron has planned for you today. I'm sure he'd let you do it tomorrow after you had a chance to regain your energy." Sky figured. "He can't be that strict, can he? I mean she's about to faint." He thought with worry.
Alli laughed bitterly at that. There was no way in Hell Daggeron was going to let her make this little "challenge" up tomorrow. He was a great teacher, but he was strict, which meant that this had to get done today.
"Thanks for the concern, Sky, but I'll be fine. I'll probably need life support after this, but I'll be okay." Alli said convincingly, thought it was more to convince herself rather than Sky.
She gave the blue-eyed cadet a weak smile before gettign up from the chair and walking to the spot where Jack, Syd and Jazz were having a discussion. After everyone fell back into their own conversations, Daggeron walked into the middle of Rootcore and spoke to Alli.
"Allison, it is time."
The black mystic audibly gulped as she made her way to her teacher.
"Okay. What exactly do I have to do?" Alli asked just a little bit frightened.
"Follow me outside and you shall see." With that he walked outside and Alli followed, walking as if she was being led to the gallows. She and the other rangers followed the golden knight until they reached a clearing. He turned to face the others and held up a hand to stop their progression.
"This is where the rest of you must stop. Alli and I will continue on from here."
As the others murmured, Daggeron pulled out his Solar morpher and a card with a picture of a train on it. Using the morpher to punch a hole in the card, the S.P.D. rangers were startled into attention when they heard the booming sounds of a train growing louder. To the futuristic ranger's amazement, a set of golden tracks materialized in front of them and then an immense blue and gold train chugged along until it stopped in front of a stunned group of rangers. The mystic rangers experienced this before so it was nothing new for them.
"When I return, I will join all of you as we wait for Allison to complete her task." He explained before he turned to face his student. "Allison, if you please?"
With that, he allowed Alli to board the train first before going on after her. In a flsh of golden light, the train vanished leaving the other rangers with nothing to do except return to Root Core and wait.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
After zooming through a star-studded gateway, the train stopped in a dimension that was a cross between untamed wilderness and a jungle. When Alli stepped off of the train, she almost gasped at what she saw. The terrain was unfamiliar to the new mystic, but not to the seasoned knight. She felt Daggeron stand beside her and looked up at him waiting for him to explain what she was supposed to do.
"Where are we?" She whispered.
"Allison, we are in the dimension of Shalifar." Daggeron replied.
The fledgling mystic scanned the area and her fears were multiplied when she saw the scene in front of her.
"Allison, do you see the course ahead of you?" Daggeron asked seriously. When he noticed Alli nodding, he continued. "This is what you would call a gauntlet. As your punishment, you must complete the course within 2 hours without your powers. Do you understand?"
Alli grimaced and gave her answer. "Yes, a gauntlet with no powers. I got it." "I'm so past boned!" She thought.
"Very well, then. Hand over your morpher, please." Alli quickly reached into her holster, grabbed her morpher and reluctantly handed it to her mentor.
"Is there any chance this course was modeled with nice, soft fluffy bunnies and cotton candy in mind?" Alli asked hopefully.
The Solaris Knight gave a soft chuckle. He admired her for keeping her sense of humor.
"You will do fine. There is nothing in this course that you have not faced before." He replied giving her shoulder a soft squeeze. "Good luck; your time starts now." After he spoke, Daggeron boarded the train and vanished, leaving Alli alone to fend for herself.
"This is gonna be so much fun. Yippee." She said with sarcastic and lackluster enthusiasm.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Meanwhile, as Alli was about to start her torture course in Shalifar, the other rangers were standing around Root Core impatiently waiting for their friends to return. Bridge and Z were still suspiciously absent and the others were just chatting up a storm. Each one worried.
"Do any of you think that we should try and find Bridge and Z?" Syd asked.
After taking a moment to think, all of the rangers answered...
"Um...no."
"Trust me. We don't want to know what they're doing." Sky interjected with a visible shudder.
"Well, whatever those two are doing, at least they aren't doing it right in front of us like last night." The other rangers quickly agreed with his statement and then Jack took his turn to speak.
"Okay, before I need to use a laser to surgically remove the images that are threatening to be burned into my grey matter, can we stop talking about whatever the Hell Bridge and Z are doing and talk about something else? Anything else?" Jack pleaded.
Everyone shuddered in agreement and quickly changed the subject.
"Like what?" Syd asked as she twirled her hair around her finger as she does when she's bored.
"How about Sky and Alli?" Jack suggested. The other rangers quickly turned their heads towards Sky as Jazz just shook her head when no one was looking. Sky choked on the air he was breathing and gasped.
"Excuse me?" Sky squeaked.
Jazz breathed a sigh and rolled her eyes. She knew of their feelings for each other and, seeing as how they were now getting along, decided to throw him a bone and help him out.
"Guys, it was just a fake kiss to ward off Leelee. Let it go." The purple ranger convinced.
"Yeah, Jazz is right. That's all it was." Sky reiterated with a silly grin.
None of the mystics really believed Jazz's explanation. Least of all Maddie.
"Well, then, maybe you could explain why you've suddenly become so nice around each other." The blue mermaid posed. Again, all the rangers looked to Sky for his take on it and again, Jazz opted to bail him out.
"You so owe me!" She thought. "Probably his way of thanking her for getting that bleached blonde bimbo to back off." Jazz further explained.
"Exactly. Alli and I came to an agreement last night that we would tolerate one another while we're here." Sky agreed.
"See, they're actually friends now. Got it? Now, can we please change the subject?" Jazz asked as she leaned back against the wall. After she spoke, all of the rangers fell into a rather uncomfortable silence...except, of course, for Xander who had a mischievous glint in his eyes. For some strange reason, he had a feeling that she knew more than she was telling and he intended to find out what. He got up from his spot at the table and sauntered over to the female redhead.
"Alright. If we can't talk about Sky and Alli, why don't we talk about Jazz and Daggeron?" He asked with a smirk. But if he thought he'd get her to break, he was sadly mistaken.
"Go right ahead." She replied sipping a glass of lemonade.
Xander and the other rangers' eyes widened when they saw Jazz. A moment ago, she was empty handed and now she was enjoying a tall glass of lemonade.
"Hang on. Where did you get the lemonade?" Xander asked as he pointed to her glass.
"I conjured it up." The redhead replied simply with a slurp.
The others didn't know whether to be more surprised at the fact that Jazz could perform magic or the fact that she was so nonchalant about it.
"Wait...you can do magic now?" Nick asked rubbing his hand through his dark hair.
"A little." The redhead shrugged. "Daggeron's been teaching me a few basic spells. I can even levitate without using my civilian powers!"
"Really? That's awesome, Jazz." Jack praised.
"Thanks. It is pretty cool." The purple ranger smiled.
Xander, who just didn't know when to leave sleeping dogs lie, ignored the current discussion and decided to return to their previous issue.
"Alright. Let's get back to the matter at hand. Namely, what exactly were you and Daggeron doing in the lounge earlier today?" The Aussie asked smirking.
"We were talking." Jazz answered stoically. "Anything else is none of your damn business!" She thought.
Xander couldn't put his finger on it, but he could tell that she was keeping tight-lipped about something.
"Sure you were; is that all you guys were..."
Xander's voice left him when he saw the imposing figure of his mentor standing behind Jazz protectively.
"Xander, would you like to join Allison on her run through my gauntlet? Finish that sentence and it can be arranged." Daggeron warned with a raised eyebrow.
Jazz had a satisfied smirk on her face the moment she heard the knight's voice come from above her. Xnader immediately shut up and looked away from the two rangers as Daggeron stood beside Jazz. The redhead gave him a sweet smile and waved her hand producing another glass.
"Lemonade?" She offered.
"Don't mind if I do." Daggeron replied with a grin as he accepted the glass. He was about to take his first sip when Sky interrupted him.
"Um, Daggeron, exactly how long do you expect us to be here?"
"Until we find the counter spell to get you and your team home." The Solaris Knight replied taking a sip.
Syd had a look of confusion on her face as she spoke up.
"I...don't think that's what he meant."
"Then what did he mean, Syd?" Jazz wondered aloud.
"What I meant was how long are we going to be here waiting for Alli?" Sky rephrased his question.
Daggeron walked to the table and pulled out a chair for Jazz. After the two took their seats, the knight answered Sky.
"Well, Sky, I gave her a two hour time limit to finish the obstacle course."
Jazz remembered the courses she had to run back at the academy and she never remembered them taking that long to complete. In fact, she held the record for the fastest time-15 minutes and 32 seconds. Sky was four minutes behind her.
"Are they usually that long?" The purple ranger asked.
"Normally, no. But seeing as she's running it with no powers, I gave her some extra time." The knight explained.
The cadets knew about not being able to use their powers on the course, unless it was allowed. But they still wondered just exactly what kind of course took two hours.
"What exactly does she have to do?" The pink S.P.D. ranger asked. By now, Jazz had conjured lemonade for the entire group.
"I set up a gauntlet of sorts. She will have to dodge flaming arrows, spiked logs and various other pitfalls. Near the end, she will face a group of hideacs and finally she will have to navigate through and escape a room of light." Daggeron explained. At the words "room of light", the Mystic Force team gasped and all started speaking at once.
"Room of light!?" Maddie shouted as she leapt from her seat on the couch.
"That doesn't seem safe!" Chip added. His own worry mirroring his mermaid friend.
"What if she gets hurt?" Vida asked shocked.
All of the mystics' questions were overlapping each other as they worried even more and the ruckus left the S.P.D. rangers more than a little confused. After a minute of enduring their protests, Daggeron held his hand up and immediately silenced his charges.
"Silence!" Daggeron shouted making everyone calm down. The cadets still looked lost althought Jazz appeared a little less confused than her teammates. The silence lasted for about another 3 seconds before Daggeron, unlike the rest of his team, spoke rationally. "I am happy to see all of you are concerned for your teammate, but you have nothing to worry about. I left a small patch of shadow in the room." At his words, the Mystic Force team let out the breath that each of them had been holding in, but the SPD team was still very befuddled. Not enjoying being left out of the loop, Jack waved his hands making everyone look his way.
"Ummm could someone tell us what's going on?" He asked motioning to him and his team. "What's the big deal about a room of light?"
Before anyone from the Mystic side could answer, Jazz took the reins.
"It's simple if you think about it."
Everyone turned to face Jazz as she spoke up. Apparently she picked up on something the other cadets missed.
"Then, maybe, you could explain it to us?" Syd asked as her attention, as everyone else's, was focused on the usually quiet redhead.
Jazz cleared her throat and began what she felt was a clear enough explanation.
"Well, I think it works like this. Each of the Mystic Force Rangers gains their power and strength from their specific element. If they were out of their element, they would grow weaker. For example, Maddie's power would grow stronger if she were standing in the middle of the ocean, but Nick wouldn't be able to make a spark if he were standing in that same ocean because there's no source of fire for him to draw power from." Nick and Maddie smiled at each other and held hands as Jazz continued.
"In Alli's case, she draws her power from the night, or darkness. Since light is the darkness' natural opposite, a room of light would drain her. But Daggeron made sure there was a spot of night in the room where she could recharge enough to complete the course; get it?" Jazz asked as she finished.
Daggeron listened as the redhead he'd grown fond of gave a clear explanation of his students' powers.
"She's been here one day and she is already well-versed about our powers." Daggeron thought proudly before speaking. "Jasmine is absolutely correct, do all of you understand?"
The remaining members of Jazz's team all nodded as what she said started to sink in.
"Yeah, it makes sense." Sky answered.
"I get it now." Syd added.
"Yeah, I'm not so confused anymore." Jack answered.
After Jack voiced his opinion, another familiar voice echoed from behind the purple S.P.D.
"There's still one question, though. Just how did you know all that?" Bridge asked as he and his girlfriend finally made an appearance
XXXXXXXXXXXX
End of Chapter 35
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Well, in walks Bridge-come-lately. Just where has he and Z been? Um, never mind, I don't wanna know. Well FINALLY, another chapter is put to bed. Just wait till Jazz's buds see her work her magic...literally. And in the next few chapters, things start to get heavy. And, also, the baddies will make an appearance. So...as usual, read, review, review, review...oh, and did I say review? LOL. Well, enjoy! :)