Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers. Someone else does. I don't know whom because it keeps changing. Please don't get offended if I insult your favorite character. Some pairings are easy to write a story for while others are really tough. So please realize that some of my stories will be better than others. Hi to all my fellow AFPR's including my fellow female Psychos :). And I really appreciate the reviews :).
Ok, this is the fourth of requested pairings. This one was requested by Cynthia, Ruby of the Rose. Oh, and I'm sure my lack of knowledge of both kung fu and cheerleading will show in this :)
Trini and AshleyBy
Eileen (Psycho Tangerine)
"Ok class, that's enough for today," said Trini Kwan as she dismissed her Preying Mantis Kung Fu students. "I am pleased that most of you have been diligent in your practice. For your homework, I want another 100-word essay on the meaning of honor. Uh, this time base it on the Stone Age era." As they left, the seventh and eighth grade students grumbled at having to do this pointless assignment for the twelfth week in a row.
Trini eyed the one remaining student critically. The thirteen-year-old auburn-haired girl had been flirting with one of the football players rather than attending to her throughout the class. She was so distracted that she hadn't even noticed that the class had been dismissed.
"Ahem, Miss Hammond? This is a Preying Mantis Kung Fu class, not the Dating Game. And anyway, Tommy is already taken. Maybe I should tell a certain best friend about this." With that, Tommy slunk out of the building.
Ashley turned around quickly. "Well, it's not like his girlfriend is here right now, is it? Now who am I supposed to flirt with?" Bulk ran up to take Tommy's place, but slipped on a malted Skull had spilt earlier, causing everyone to laugh uproariously as he moaned about his now-broken leg.
Trini, who was already used to such commotions, ignored the pleading hulk and stepped over him to confront Ashley. "Look, Miss Hammond, I have allowed you to join my exclusive class because I thought you had the potential to perform karate with a sense of fair play and HONOR." The last word came out of Trini's mouth as if it were the be all and end all of her life. Which it was.
"Ha!" Ashley exploded derisively. "The only reason you 'allowed' me to join was because my mom bribed you to keep me out of her hair every Saturday. And now she and her new boyfriend, Jean-Luc force me into the car every week so that I can do these stupid exercises."
"Well," said Trini, "if you hadn't insisted on constantly flirting with your mom's boyfriend, maybe she…" Trini paused as she realized what Ashley had just said. "Hey, wait just a second. What do you mean 'stupid exercises?' What can be better than learning to move with peace…with serenity…with a sense of fair play…with HONOR?"
"Cheerleading's better," declared Ashley. "You get to jump around in short skirts and date athletes." With that, she began to do a series of cheerleader-type moves and ended in a split. Three foreign exchange jai alai players ran up to her and helped her to her feet. After she had exchanged phone numbers with them, she turned to a now annoyed Trini. "See what I mean?"
"Miss Hammond…"
"And stop with the 'Miss' thing already. You're only three years older than me. Stop acting like an old geezer."
"As I was saying, MISS HAMMOND," continued Trini who was not willing to give up any sign of maturity, "cheering is fine and all. But what good is it besides getting boys to look at you? There is no discipline in it, there's no sweat, no peace, no serenity, no sense of fair play, no HONOR."
"WHAT?!" exclaimed Ashley in indignation. "I sweat…er, I mean glisten plenty. Cheerleading's hard work. Have you ever had to practice being the bottom of a pyramid for three hours straight while some three hundred pound oaf gets to be on top just because she's the team captain's best friend?" She then crossed her arms and looked inquisitively at Trini. "Besides what's so good about this stupid Mantis thing you're insisting on shoving down our throats?"
"Well," began Trini.
"And don't give me that HONOR crap again." Ashley sneered as she leaned closer to the sixteen-year-old girl. "I saw you putting Tabasco sauce in that Laura's soda last week just so she'd get mad at that cute guy and leave him."
Trini hung her head in shame. It was true. She had also crafted some badly spelled study notes to make Billy think Marge wasn't as smart as he thought so he'd dump her as well. And now this Violet girl was starting to show an interest in him. Trini growled as she mentally planned how to get her stuck in plaster of Paris.
Ashley's voice interrupted her reverie. "Ha, I was right, wasn't I? You're no more honorable than the rest of us. So stop shoving it down our throats."
Trini, now even more ashamed of her newest dishonorable thoughts became agitated. "You're right!" she wailed, "I have no HONOR…no HONOR at all!" She ran and grabbed a plastic knife from a nearby table. "I must appease the gods and the spirits of my ancestors for this disgrace!" With that, she pressed the plastic utensil against her stomach.
Ashley looked at her strangely. "Uh, shouldn't you try to commit Hara-Kiri with something sharper?"
Trini looked up as she examined the tiny scratch she had given herself. "ARE YOU NUTS??!!" she asked in disbelief. "That would be very painful and deadly." She tossed the plastic knife aside. "Well, that should appease them for now at least."
"Well?" asked Ashley.
"Well what?"
Ashley sighed impatiently. "You never answered my question. What's so good about Preying Mantis Kung Fu?"
"Hmmm…" said Trini stalling. Ashley had just taken away her main reason. "Well, it could help you in defending yourself against muggers and…"
"Strange looking aliens, Yellow Ranger?" whispered Ashley.
Trini jumped back in shock. "What? How?"
Ashley sniggered. "Are you kidding? Most of us kids know who you guys are. It's just the grown-ups who are too stupid to notice a color coded group of teenagers who constantly disappear whenever monsters appear."
"Oh, great," Trini mumbled. "Zordon's going to have a conniption when he hears about this."
"Wait a second." Ashley looked down in disgust at her white gi. "I always wear yellow. I even have on yellow underwear. That must mean…I'm going to be the next Yellow Ranger!" She began to dance around excitedly.
"No you're not, I am!!!!" came the cry from all the other patrons, including Ernie, who were also wearing yellow.
Ashley stopped dancing. "Oh, I guess not then, huh?" She then remembered what they had been arguing about. "Anyway, I bet cheerleading could be just as useful as kung fu in self-defense." Ashley just couldn't resist defending her favorite discipline.
"Oh, sure," retorted Trini who was recovering from the shock of having been found out. "I guess you could just jump around like an idiot and cause the monsters to die of laughter."
Ashley's eyes brightened as a thought occurred to her. "You can't cheer, can you?"
Trini was indignant. "Of course I can. It's just too simplistic for me."
"No you can't."
"Yes I can."
"No you can't"
"Yes I can."
"Oh, yeah?" taunted Ashley, "then do this." She executed a very simple cheerleading move.
"Easy." Trini began to imitate the move…and ended up on her butt.
"I knew it," smirked Ashley.
Trini suddenly burst into tears. "You're right, I can't do cheerleading. I try out for the team every year, and I always fail."
Ashley paused in thought. "Well, then, welcome to the Ashley Hammond School of Cheerleading."
Trini stopped crying. "You, you mean you'll teach me how to cheer?"
"Why not? After all, you're teaching me kung fu."
Trini paused in thought.
"What?" asked Ashley. "Are you going to give me another stupid lecture about the inferiority of cheerleading?"
"No," replied Trini. "I was just wondering. Would you be able to teach me how to attract cute athletes as well? I'm really getting tired of waiting for a certain Blue Ranger to make his move."