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-five. It was requested by Jenna Summers. I'm not too crazy about the ending, but it was the best I could do.

Dustin and Conner

by

Eileen (Psycho Tangerine)

"Like, this is so unfair, dude," Dustin mumbled to himself as he straightened out the back room of Storm Chargers. He had already worked the past two weekends, and now he had to work this weekend as well...for no pay. As if it were his fault that his attempt to 'freestyle' off the roof had caused some expensive structural damage to the store. "I thought Kelly was supposed to encourage my skills or something." He shoved aside the unopened box of motorbike safety manuals, coughing as the dust on it floated up.

The bells of the store door jingled. "Oh, this is so excellent," commented Conner as he looked around the store. "Totally excellent." He looked around at the skateboards, bikes and surfboards that covered the whole store.

"Dude, can I help you?" asked Dustin as he stepped out of the back room. "We have some excellent rides here." He indicated all the motorbikes and motorcycles. "Or, if you are into such 'snort' things," we also have these skateboard and surfboards.

"Whoa, dude," replied Conner sarcastically. "You must really sell a lot of stuff with that awesome sales pitch. NOT."

"Well, Kelly did say I was in for a 'salesperson of the year' award," boasted Dustin who had missed the sarcasm in both Conner's and Kelly's comments. It still didn't occur to him that the fact that he never even got to use the cash register when he was in charge of the store was a bad thing. Nor did he realize that Kelly was planning to secretly pack up Storm Chargers and move it to some other place where Dustin was unlikely to go. She had been strongly considering New Tech City.

"Whatever," yawned Conner. "I'm not really here to buy anything. I'm just killing time while my twin brother goes to check out the secret Ninja Academy around here."

"Like, how'd you find out about the Wind Ninja Academy?" queried Dustin who was now lovingly polishing one of the motorbikes. "It's supposed to be a secret."

"Eric found this ad among all his e-mail spam," Conner handed the yellow clad man the print-out. "Don't ask me why he even bothers to read spam. Dad always says I've got more brains than him."

"Whoa, that poor dude. I've never known anyone with less than zero percent brains." He studied the paper Conner had handed him. "I knew Cam was bored last year with all us students training and him just staring at that computer of his because Sensei wouldn't let him be a ninja because of his completely overprotective mother and he hadn't yet begun sending out the power disks to us Rangers as we fight. But Sensei is not going to like..." He stopped blathering as he realized Conner was gaping at him. "What? Is my hair out of place?" he asked as he reached towards his already tousled hair.

"Whoa, man...a Power Ranger? You are a real live Power Ranger?" He reached towards Dustin's arm. "Awesome! Can I touch your shirt?"

"Dude," yelped Dustin as he jumped back. "That's a bit too much hero worship, even for me." He wasn't at all fazed that Conner had found out his secret. After all, he was positive that Shane was selling his autograph at the skateboarding contests. How else could he explain the large crowd that always gathered there? "Not like anyone actually wants to watch that boring stuff," mused Dustin.

"Aw, come on," whined the teenager. "Just one little touch. I just want to bask in your Ranger glory." He got on his knees. "Please, oh, please let me touch your yell...ow..." He suddenly doubled over in hysterics. "Wai..wait...you...you're the Yellow Ranger?

Dustin glared at Conner. "Yeah, Dude, is that a problem?" He was getting sick and tired of all the teasing about his color. Only last week he had received a skirt and breast molds in the mail from some smart asses who called themselves 'Jason Oliver' and 'Tommy Scott.'

But Conner couldn't stop laughing and rolling all over the floor.

"Look, guys wear yellow all the time. Just because it's mostly the dudette Rangers who get it, doesn't mean..."

Conner rolled into a display of skateboards, causing it to topple onto a row of surfboards causing those to fall over and nick the very edge of one of the motorbikes.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" cried Dustin as he ran past the smashed skateboards and surfboards. He examined the minuscule scratch on the bike in tears. "You...you heathen! How could you do this to such a grand piece of equipment?"

Conner, shaken out of his mirth, stared in awe at the damage he had caused. "Whoa, now that's how I want my frat parties to be like when I get to college."

Dustin, having finally taken notice of the damage to the rest of the store, glared at Conner.

"Oh great, as if I don't already owe Kelly my first born child. You'd better have the money to pay for this junk, Dude."

Conner rolled his eyes. "Uh, yeah, I'll just dig into my my multi-million dollar paycheck and buy a whole new store."

"Really?" asked Dustin enthusiastically. "This is so wickedly awesome!" He began to hop around the room. "We could use a bigger display area for the bikes. And we so need more shelves. And maybe we could have a really big sign out front, and..."

Conner flicked a piece of splintered surfboard at the slightly older man. "And you think I'm stupid? I'm the star player on Reefside High's soccer team...well, I'm going to be the star player. I don't have time for a stupid job or anything else." He looked at Dustin who was now picking splinters from his left shoulder. "Besides, why don't you just use the trust funds you guys get after your stint as Power Rangers."

Dustin frowned. "Dude, we don't get paid for being Power Rangers. We serve because it is an honor and a privilege and..."

Conner stared at him in disbelief. "You do all that for nothing?" He shook his head. "Wow, you guys are real patsies. You sure as hell wouldn't catch me risking my life for less than a million a year."

Dustin stared back at Conner. "Dude, you are soooo right. What the hell were we thinking taking on this job without demanding partial ownership of the Wind Ninja Academy." He ran over to the phone and began tapping in some numbers.

"Who are you calling?" asked Conner.

"I'm letting all the past Rangers know that they've been had and organizing demonstrations outside the homes of the different Ranger mentors. Though, I'm not yet sure where they buried Zordon's head." He heard a voice on the other side of the line. "Hello? Adam? Adam Park?"

Conner sidled his way out of the door as Dustin continued to make his way through the alphabet. As he slipped out the door, he bumped into a slightly older woman. "Hey, hey, are you Kelly? The owner of this store?" He smiled as she nodded. "Well, let me just suggest that when you redo this store that you add soccer supplies to your display." He then walked away whistling, ignoring the screams and curses that emanated from Kelly when she entered her wrecked store.