Reefside High School 2005
Tommy had set there in his classroom listening to Billy tell his story from his traveling through time from place to another. He was still somewhat shocked.
"So you're from the year we got our ninja power coins?"
Billy nodded.
"Traveling two years into the past when we first got started, to the year nineteen ninety seven when I had left and appointed TJ as the new red turbo ranger and now here as well."
Billy nodded again. "And I'm not the Billy that is indicative of this time period. I'm assuming he is still on Aquitar."
Tommy had a sorrowful look to him when Billy mentioned the real one was still out there. "I'm sure he is, if he ever communicated with me. Fact is, no one knows where he is or if he's still on Aquitar."
Billy noticed talking about his other self seemed to leave a bad taste in Tommy's mind. Billy thought it was strange and sad at the same time his other self did not communicate with his friends. Like what Billy thought of before, if he ever got this traveling through time business taken care of, he would make some changes.
"Have you mentioned this to anyone else?" Tommy inquired.
"Zordon and Alpha in ninety three, in ninety five, and Dimitria and Alpha Six in ninety seven."
"Man, I would love to see all of them again," Tommy thought of the good times of being under the wing of Zordon and Dimitria along with the friendship he had with Alpha Five and the short time he got to new the New York jive talking Alpha Six.
"But they're not around anymore."
"Well I knew in the turbo rangers time Zordon and Alpha had left, but I'm surprised I'm not at the Power Chamber in this time period," Billy did not know of the full story of how Divatox and her army managed to blow up the Power Chamber.
But Tommy did from what Justin told him after the kid ranger sought him out after the former turbo rangers went into space to find Divatox.
Billy decided to move on to another conversation. "So, science teacher huh?" Billy looked around the room and saw some skeletons of dinosaurs, the periodic table, books, and other school related items.
Billy smirked back at Tommy. "Never figured you as a man of science. Thought that was my department."
Tommy shrugged his shoulders.
"Thought you would open up a karate school or go pro with your karate," Billy added to the conversation.
"Well, there was a time I actually considered in being a professional fighter but decided to do something less physical and one where I wouldn't have to see hospital bills," Tommy laughed at the thought of being a professional fighter. He actually thought about that for a short time.
Billy was some what amused at the sheer thought of him fighting professionally. Certainly he didn't see that coming from Tommy.
Billy looked at a wall behind Tommy's desk. He studied the diploma that was inside the picture frame. "Doctor of Paleontology?" The blue ranger was flabbergasted. "You. Have. A. Doctorate. Degree." He paused. "In paleontology?"
Tommy's expression turned to more of an annoying look. "Yea. Why? You don't think I was capable of doing something like that?"
Billy looked at the man candidly. "I actually never knew what other interests you had, besides martial arts and being late all the time." He gave Tommy a sarcastic grin.
Tommy shook his head playfully at Billy's banter.
"But it's good that you have a doctorate's degree and are teaching kids," Billy said as a matter of factly. "I'm sure you're a good science teacher."
Billy knew Tommy did not like too much praise given to him, so he decided to change the subject.
"You married? Have any kids?"
Tommy shook his head. "No, never been married and no kids." There was no time for those with Tommy's current lifestyle of still being an active power ranger and mentor to the new group of rangers.
Billy pressed on with more questions. "You talk to any of the others?"
"Uh, I saw Jason a few years ago," Tommy mentioned. The last time Tommy saw Jason was when ten red rangers battled the remains of the Machine Empire and stopping them from taking Lord Zedd's zord and using it to destroy the planet.
"But, I haven't seen the others in years," Tommy added.
Billy gave Tommy with a matter of fact look. "That's too bad. I'm sure they would like to know what's going on with you."
"Yea, truth be told with my time in school, obtaining my degrees, and teaching, I haven't had that much time for anything," Tommy was right that he had kept busy, but he also knew he used that as an excuse to shove his former friends away from him.
Truth be told some of the others did try to reconnect with Tommy, mainly Katherine, years after they left being turbo rangers. But Tommy never did try to formally reconnect with her. He just distanced himself from the others as he was wrapped up with his school work. He also had not seen Kimberly since the last time she and Jason were turned evil by Maligore, Divatox's husband to be, whom was destroyed by the turbo megazord.
After Billy had looked around the room, he turned his attention back to Tommy. "But the million dollar question I need to find the answer to is why am I here in this time period and in this city instead of Angel Grove." Billy paused. "I also heard one of the kids mention power rangers here. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?
Tommy hesitated for a brief moment before he forgot he was talking to the original blue ranger.
"Well," Tommy began. "I not only know of them, but.." He trailed off.
Billy looked at his friend wondering what he was hiding since he was hesitant in telling Billy anything about the power rangers.
Tommy raised his left arm and showed an arm band. "I'm one of them."
Billy wasn't too surprised when Tommy mentioned he was still a power ranger. Somehow he figured it would be Jason or him that would not know how to put away the mantel and move on to other things.
"Well," began Billy. "Which one are you? One of the civilians mentioned the team consisting of red, black, yellow, blue, and white rangers. I'm assuming you're white?"
"Nope."
"Red then," Billy continued on.
"Not this time."
Billy looked suspiciously at him now. "Blue? Don't tell me blue?"
Tommy shook his head. "Black."
Billy rolled his eyes a little and was taken a back. "Black?" He let out a sigh. "You planning on being a ranger forever?"
Tommy's glowing stature suddenly turned to a puddle of goo. "Uh, I mean…."
Billy got straight to the point. "When I was in the time period with the turbo rangers, I read that it was time for you and the others to go out and live your lives. Make something of yourselves. Now I don't know what is going on with my other self that is here on that planet, but it seems to me he and the others have done just that."
Tommy somewhat bristled after he heard Billy's speech.
"But you know what, this is your life," Billy eyed his friend. "So who are the other rangers, teachers at this school?"
"Actually, they're four students here that I have in my class. Seniors."
Billy understood and nodded. "So how did you get your powers?"
Tommy began the story of the dino gems. "Dino gems that crash landed in the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs. These gems specifically seek out certain people and will bond with them. So it's not like I could have bond with the white dino gem. That was for someone else."
Billy was absorbing the information.
"Oh yea, and they allow the person to use its powers when bonded," Tommy added. "I can disappear at random when I want to."
"Zordon never told us anything about these dino gems," Billy was surprised about the dino gems.
"Zordon didn't tell us about a lot of things," Tommy's remark was spot on even if it was somewhat salty. "Certainly did not tell us about Lord Zedd when we were just battling Rita, or that there were other villains out there including demons that were trapped here on Earth."
"Demons?" Billy gave an inquisitive look.
Tommy brushed off Billy's remark. "A story for a later time." The black ranger moved over to the door after he gathered his bag he planned on taking home for the evening.
"Is Zordon still around?" Billy asked a very hard question, one that Tommy did not like to talk about.
"Long story on that one," Tommy began. "I'll tell you about it and the villain we're currently fighting while I take you to the Cyber Café."
Billy began to move out of the room along with Tommy. "Café? We plan on getting some coffee?"
Tommy smiled. "Not quite. It's a hangout for the kids, kind of like the Juice Bar. That's where the other rangers, my students are. I'll let you meet them."
Tommy turned off the lights in the room and shut the door as he and Billy left.
"Billy look out!"
Billy heard a voice, turned around, and saw a putty fly through the air at him.
The blue ranger ducked and the putty landed on the ground.
"Good job, man," Jason said as he gave the blue ranger a thumbs up.
The blue ranger realized he was back in the past in the year nineteen ninety three. He looked around. He was in the park along with the Jason, Trini, Kim, and Zach fighting putties, the ones Zordon said that were attacking people. He was no longer in the year two thousand and five. He had time shifted again.