Disclaimer: I don't own the Power Rangers. So don't try to buy them from me. Please don't get all offended because I mocked your favorite Ranger. I try to mock them all. Besides, it's just for fun. I really do enjoy the show :). 'Hi" to all from AFPR…especially my fellow Psychos. Please let me know if I make any errors. I have no difficulty with receiving constructive criticism. Thanks to Joe Rovang and SirStack for their Writer's Guide to the Power Rangers Universe which I rely on a lot.

If you haven't done so, please read the first fifty stories in "When Rangers Meet." Thanks.

This is story number forty. Please read the four stories I submitted just before this one. (Yes, I actually did five this week!)

By the way, 'delicious' and 'fish' are not two words I would normally use together.

Cole and Chad

by

Eileen (Psycho Tangerine)

Cole whistled tunelessly as he held the fishing rod. The other Rangers were not around. Taylor and Alyssa, having gotten sick and tired of Danny and Max constantly saying "never give up," even in their sleep, had trussed them up and were currently dragging them to the furthest cave on the Animarium. Merrick and Shayla had hit a bad note while singing to the deer zord and were currently running from a pair of sharp antlers. So, with everyone else preoccupied, Cole decided to pursue one of his secret activities, fishing. He knew he'd never live it down if the others knew 'nature boy' liked to catch and eat fish. But he figured anything dumb enough to put its mouth on a hook wasn't worth communicating with. Besides, he liked fish.

Splush a head popped out of the Animarium's pool. "Hey!" said the man in the scuba gear. "Do you know the way to Mariner Bay? I'm a bit lost."

Cole yanked his pole out of the pool. That was another reason he had decided to fish while the others were gone. Shayla had told them not to play with the magic pool. Something about dangerous magic or something like that. But Cole figured there had to be really delicious fish there. "What the? How'd you get in there? Who are you?"

Chad grabbed the edge of the pool and pulled himself onto the rim. "I'm Chad, Chad Lee. I was going for a world record, swimming underwater from Mariner Bay to Blue Bay Harbor and back, when I got off track." He didn't want to admit that he had actually gone underwater to hide from his furious friend who was trying to dive bomb him with his airplane. All because Ms. Fair...uh...Mrs. Robinson had given him a peck on the cheek for fishing her favorite microscope out of the bay after she had accidentally dropped it in while examining algae.

"Off track?" said Cole incredulously. "You're in the Animarium, nowhere near either of those place. I mean, sheesh, we're floating on an island in the sky."

Chad blinked. "Oh, I read about the Animarium. It's supposed to be in Turtle Cove." He grew excited. "Oh wait until Kelsey hears about this. She'll be thrilled and I'll finally be able to dominate the conversation. And Marina. Maybe I'll get second base with her. Oh, and Joel...no wait, I'd better wait until he's not so mad. Ooh and I've gotta tell Dana and Ryan. Of course their dad'll be interested..."

"Do you always babble this much?" queried Cole. "Who the hell are these people you're yammering about?"

"Uh, no, I guess I got a bit excited there," Chad replied in a subdued voice. "But, I heard rumors that the current Rangers live on the Animarium. I think they call themselves the Wide Fort or Wise Food Rangers."

"Wild Force," grumbled Cole defensively. "And no, we...uh I mean they're not living here. I'm just up here because I..uh..landed here by mistake while sky diving." He laughed inwardly at his own creativity. No way was this guy going to figure out he was a Ranger. At that moment, the Eagle Zord flew overhead and the Gorilla Zord swang past through some trees.

"Yeah, and I suppose those are the newest car models and not Zords," snickered Chad. He looked at the man in Red who was seemed to be pondering a new excuse. "Oh, don't even bother, Cole. Carter described you to a tee."

Cole looked open-mouthed at Chad. "You, you know Carter? Carter Greyson?" He suddenly grew angry. "That jerk! He wasn't supposed to go blabbing about the Rangers to just anyone. I mean, no offense, but what if he tells someone who would blab to the media, or worse yet, kidnap one of us for the money. I mean the only people who he should even mention me to are the other Rangers on his team. And I thought he was the most sensible of those Red Rangers. What a complete dork, what an utter dimbulb, what a...a...," he paused at the sight of Chad suddenly cracking up. Then the lightbulb finally flickered on over his head. Cole smacked himself on the head. "Let me guess, you're a Power Ranger, too?"

"Who...who...who's the blabber here?" laughed Chad. "Yeah, I'm the Blue Lightspeed Ranger."

Cole, who had resumed his fishing, looked at Chad. "Ah, I see. So, are those other people you mention Rangers as well? Jojo and Kelpy and whoever else you said?"

"Well, yeah," replied Chad who was resting against a tree. "Joel's the Green Ranger, Kelsey's Yellow, Dana's Pink, and Ryan is our Titanium Ranger. And Marina is my mermaid girlfriend. Although, Kelsey doesn't know that because she's insanely jealous of anyone who dates me."

Cole almost dropped his pole. "A mer...a mermaid?" This time, he was the one to crack up. "Car...Carter never mentioned having a kook on his team."

Chad mentally smacked himself. He always forgot that it was better not to mention his girlfriend's species. He had already spent three months in a mental hospital after some disc jockey from Angel Grove had sicced the authorities on him. "Hey, over the years there has been a giant floating head, evil aliens, demons, mutants from the future, orgs, and gigantic Zords. What's so difficult about believing in mermaids?"

But Cole continued to laugh. "Oh, come on, I bet no one but you have even seen that so-called mermaid."

"Actually, the rest of my team have met her..."

"What...what...else do you fantasize about? Bigfoot? Leprechauns?" Cole laughed so hard that he almost missed the tug on his pole. He yanked on it, hard, and up popped a woman, chewing on the bait. Her tail stuck a bit out of the water.

"Oh, there you are, Chad," said Marina. "I've been looking all over for you. Are you trying to get out of that dance in my Father's Palace?"

"Marina," Chad scolded. "How many times do I have to tell you NOT to eat stuff off the hooks? I don't need to see you hanging on some fisherman's wall. Oh," he continued, "by the way, this is my new friend Cole."

"Oh, hello, I'm pleased to meet you," said Marina smiling at the other young man who was opening and closing his mouth. "Hey, you know you look just like a guppy when you do that?"

"You...you...but...but..."

"Well, Marina can show me the way back," inwardly Chad sniggered at the other Ranger's current demeanor. "It was nice meeting you," with that, he dove back into the pool. Two seconds later, Chad and Marina were gone.

"But...but...but..."

"COLE EVANS!" screamed an angry Princess Shayla. "What the hell do you think you're doing with that fishing pole in MY magic pool?"