A/N: Wow, this episode didn't take that long to write. I'm getting my inspiration back! Yay!

This episode is a bit longer than the last one, but it's kind of a filler episode. The title sucks, but that's because I couldn't think of anything else lol

And now, without further ado, I give you, Power Rangers Element Storm Chapter 12. Enjoy!

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Episode 12: Time To Train

Rufus awoke with a start, his heart pounding and cold sweat streaming down his face. He was panting, and his eyes were open wide with fear. After a few moments, he took a deep breath and calmed down a bit.

'It was only a dream…' he told himself, struggling to control his breathing. 'Only a dream…' And what a terrible dream it had been. He had dreamed that he was fighting with the Rangers again, using his new found Chaos powers. But, he couldn't control them at all, and nothing was working right. He tried to use his lance, but instead he shot out random streams of Dark Fire, hitting everything and everyone in sight. He tried to use Dark Thunder, but instead his lance shot out and flew from his grasp. His powers were going completely out of control, and the Rangers were getting the best of him.

Then, he noticed that Erica was there, standing off to the side, smiling at him. She whispered quietly for him not to worry, that everything would be okay. He smiled back and tried to go to her, needing the comfort and reassurance she offered him. But, when he got near her, he felt his body begin to shake uncontrollably, and then, to his horror, a wave of Dark Water shot out from his body, flowing over with intense pressure and hitting Erica head on. Her scream filled his ears, piercing and full of pain and anguish. Then, when the water cleared, he saw Erica lying on the ground, unconscious.

But, no, he thought. She wasn't unconscious. She was dead. He didn't know how he knew, but somehow he did. She was dead, and it was because he couldn't control his powers. It was his fault. He had killed Erica. He wanted to take her in his arms and hold her, even though he knew it would do no good. But he couldn't move. It was as if his feet were plastered to the ground, and he couldn't move an inch closer to her motionless body. He screamed her name loudly, pain and sorrow evident in his voice.

Suddenly, the menacing form of Will came between him and Erica, blocking her from his view. The face of the Trienith Red Ranger was a horrible sight. He was grinning an evil, sadistic grin, and his eyes glowed with Light Fire.

"Look what you've done now, Oscuro," he said. His voice was deep and dark, and there was an evil quality to it that rivaled that of the voice of Stephen. "You killed her. You killed the one you love. It's all your fault, and you know it. You were too weak to handle the power. Pyric was wrong. You weren't ready. You will never be ready." As Rufus looked on in horror, Will changed before his eyes, turning into Stephen, his body bursting with Dark Fire. "You killed her!" His voice became a mixture of deep evil and shrillness, and it stung his ears with every word he said. "You killed Raine!"

At the sound of her name, Rufus cried out in his dream and sat bolt upright, returning suddenly to the world of wakefulness. He put his hand on his forehead and tried to wipe away some of the sweat that had built up during the stress of his dream. The awful voice of the Stephen of his dream still rang in his ears, and he tried to block it, wishing it would just go away.

He turned to look at the clock next to his bed. It read 4:37am. Rufus sighed. It was so early, yet he knew he wouldn't get back to sleep after this. His dreams would be haunted by that voice for the remainder of the night, no matter what he did. Shuddering at the thought, he reached down into the shelf of his nightstand and pulled out his book, turning on the light and beginning to read. He figured that he might as well do something constructive since he was robbed of sleep.

Sean looked curiously at the envelope in his hand. It was a perfectly ordinary envelope, with a stamp in the corner and his name and address on the front. But, what struck him was the return address in the opposite corner of the stamp. The address itself was normal, but the name stuck out at him. "Jud Matos", it said. He stared at it for a moment as a grin slowly formed on his face. He hadn't heard from Jud in weeks. They had tried to keep in contact after he moved to Northern California, but long distance friendships were hard. They mostly talked via e-mail or instant messenger, and occasionally on the phone. But, they only sent letters when it was something really exciting or important. The fact that he now held a letter from his friend intrigued him, knowing that it must be one of those things.

Flipping it over, he broke the seal on the back and opened the envelope, pulling out a neatly folded piece of paper. He straightened out the folds and his eyes scanned the handwritten words that stretched across the lines. He smiled and stared at the page, hardly believing what he was reading. Laughing happily, he set the letter and envelope on the kitchen table next to him and ran outside to his car. He couldn't wait to tell his friends when he got to the Overclocked Café.

It wasn't long before Sean pulled into the parking lot of the café and into a parking space. He flew out of the car, and ran inside, a smile still spread across his face. As expected, he found his friends at their usual table. Running up quickly and almost panting for breath, he laughed inwardly at the strange faces he was getting from Dan, Peg, Beth, Tiz, Angela, and Jorge.

"Why are you in such a rush?" Dan asked. "Take it easy, man." He laughed a little and the others joined him.

"I can't," the White Ranger said, his face still glowing with excitement as he sat down next to Beth. "I just got the coolest news. My old friend, Jud, is moving here from Northern California. We were friends when we were kids, and he helped me take care of Marie for a while before he had to move. Sure, we've kept in touch, but I haven't actually seen him in years, and now he's moving here. I'm so excited!" He took a deep breath, feeling winded from having said so much so quickly. Beth was the first to respond to this news.

"That's awesome, Sean," she said sincerely, hugging him. Tiz, who was sitting on the other side of Beth, looked at him thoughtfully.

"I think I remember Jud," he said. "We met a few times when we were younger."

Sean nodded. "Yep," he said. "Jud was and still is my best friend. I'm so glad he's coming back here at last."

Peg smiled at him from across the table. "Well, I'm happy for you, Sean," she said. He smiled back and thanked her.

Angela grinned playfully at him from her seat next to Jorge, who had his arms around her. "You didn't have to run all the way here, Sean," she said with a laugh. "We'll still be here all day, you know."

He chucked and blushed a little with embarrassment. "Sorry," he replied. "I'm just really excited now."

Jorge nodded understandingly, gently tightening grip on his girlfriend's waist affectionately. "That makes sense," he said. "You have a right to be. It's not every day something exciting happens."

The five Rangers exchanged looks of suppressed laughter. For them, something exciting did happen almost every day, but their two friends did not know that. They didn't know that they were Rangers, and they could never know.

It had been hours since Stephen and Erica had woken, but neither of them had spoken to Rufus the whole time. He figured that Stephen wanted to give him some time to rest, and he had instructed his younger companion not to bother the new Chaos Ranger for a while. In a way, Rufus was touched by this, as it showed that Stephen cared at least a little bit for his wellbeing. But, in another way, he wished that Erica would come and talk to him. Even though he was still in his room reading, lost in the pages of the book in his hands, he would have appreciated some company right now.

At last, he decided to break the silence that now filled the tower. Placing the bookmark in the proper place, he set his book back on his nightstand and crawled out of bed, still yawning from the lack of sleep that night. He went out into the main room and saw Stephen looking out of the telescope as usual. Erica was standing in front of a different window, gazing out into the world below. Rufus smiled at her, loving the way her hair fell about her face as her brow wrinkled in thought. She was so beautiful, he thought. The horrifying events of his dream came back to him, and he thought of how unbearable life would be if he ever lost her the way he had in the dream…

Shaking the thought away, he cleared his throat loudly, trying to get the attention of his companions, who had not yet noticed his entrance. Both of them turned to him immediately, starting out of their respective thoughts. As they saw him, smiles came to both their faces. But, as Rufus noticed, the smiles were as different as night from day. Erica's smile was warm and happy, and it showed a sincere joy at seeing him awake. Stephen's smile, on the other hand, showed joy mixed with what almost seemed like greed. He was happy that Rufus was alright, but it wasn't because he particularly cared about the boy. It was more because of an interest in what he could do for him with his new found power. The thought was not comforting to Rufus, but he decided that he had to take what he could get from Stephen. A smile from him at all was such a rarity he should just be happy to see it, regardless of what it really meant.

"How are you feeling this morning, Rufus?" His deep, powerful voice broke the other boy's thoughts. "Well rested after your long battle, I trust?"

Rufus paused for a moment before answering. Should he just say yes, or should he be truthful with Stephen? He sighed, deciding upon the latter. The leader of the Chaos Three would certainly know if he was lying to him.

"Kind of," he replied nervously. "I had a terrible nightmare this morning and I couldn't get to sleep again after it."

"Oh?" Stephen looked intrigued by this, and he looked at Rufus questioningly, encouraging him by his expression to continue. Erica came closer to him and watched him as he proceeded to describe his dream. When he came to the part where he killed Erica, the girl shuddered a little and laid her hand on his arm gently, smiling sadly at him. This gave him courage, somehow, as he continued to tell his dream. When he had finished, he looked expectantly at his leader, waiting to hear his thoughts on this dream. Instead, he responded with a question.

"And how does this dream make you feel, Rufus?" he asked softly, looking at the younger boy. Rufus felt slightly uncomfortable under his gaze, feeling as if Stephen was looking right into him and judging what he saw.

"I...I don't know," he stammered, trying to keep calm. "It makes me think, though. What if I really do lose control like that? It might happen. I mean, this power is so new to me, and I don't really know how to use it yet…" His voice trailed off, and he knew that he had just let out his fears to Stephen. He silently wished and hoped that he would understand and not think he was stupid for thinking such things.

Stephen nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, it is new to you. You need some practice with it before you will be ready to fight the Rangers again. And I know just how you're going to get it." Rufus and Erica exchanged confused glances, wondering what he was talking about. He smiled. "You will spar against me and Raine, at different times, of course. We will help you practice and have a chance to use your powers in small quantities, building up to using them to their full extent." He turned to Erica. "Are you ready to fight him?"

After a moment's thought, she nodded, a bit reluctantly. "I suppose," she said. "As long as it will help Rufus and our plan, I'm willing to do whatever it takes."

Stephen smiled again. That was just the answer he was waiting to hear. He laid a hand on her shoulder. "Good," he said. "Then get ready and meet me outside."

Jud Matos stepped off of the airplane and into the airport, his carry-on backpack securely on his back. He looked around the small waiting room, obviously looking for someone. It might be a bit difficult to find him, since he knew that he looked different than he had when he had last seen him. They had been only kids at the time, after all, and now he was 18 and fully grown. Glancing down at a picture he held in his hand to refresh his memory of what his friend looked like, he smiled, happy that he would finally see him again in person after all these years.

Letting his eyes scan the room again, he finally saw who he was looking for. Sean Varsiano was walking towards him quickly, a bright smile spread across his face. Jud barely had time to notice the girl trailing behind his friend before he was captured in a strong hug. He hugged Sean back with a smile.

"Hey, man," he said in a cheerful voice. "It's great to see you again."

"It's great to see you too," Sean replied with a grin. "It's been way too long."

As Jud nodded his agreement with this sentence, the girl who had been following Sean walked up from behind him.

"And who is this, Sean?" Jud asked, glancing at her.

"Jud, this is my friend Beth," the White Ranger said. Beth nodded shyly and held out a hand towards the newcomer.

"Hello," she said in a soft voice as he shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," he agreed. He turned back to his friend and gave him a sly smile. "Is this the girl you were telling me about?" he asked, raising his eyebrows slightly.

Sean simply nodded and blushed a little, but only Jud noticed that. There was an awkward silence for a few moments before the three of them finally left the airport, picking up Jud's bags from baggage claim along the way.

Rufus took a deep breath and stared nervously into the eyes of the girl across from him. He, Erica, and Stephen now stood outside at the base of the tower. The two younger ones were facing each other, preparing to spar. Their leader stood off to the side, watching them with interest. Both Erica and Rufus were a bit unwilling to fight each other, but they knew it had to be done, as the new Chaos Ranger needed the training in order to be able to properly use his powers against their enemies.

Letting his breath out in a sigh, Rufus cleared his mind and allowed himself to focus. But, when he looked at Erica, he found that he couldn't bring himself to attack her. His thoughts drifted back to the dream that had haunted him last night, and he felt his stomach churning. He couldn't hurt Erica the way he had in his dream. Even though he would have control this time, somehow he felt that he couldn't attack her.

Turning to the side, he noticed Stephen glaring at him, impatient for their battle to begin. Cringing a bit at the glare of his leader, he realized that there was no way of getting out of this. If he didn't fight Erica, Stephen would be angry, and Rufus hated to make him angry. He turned back to his soon-to-be adversary and tried to think of a way he could force himself to attack her. Smiling, he came up with a great idea. He would picture Erica as one of the Rangers so that he wouldn't think he was fighting her.

Soon, with his imagination, Erica turned into Peg in his eyes. The Blue Ranger was the one he still hated more than any of the others, and he knew that he would have no problems fighting her. Taking one last deep breath, he prepared to morph.

"Element, Dark!"

With that, Rufus morphed into the Chaos Ranger. He grinned from under his helmet as he felt the still unfamiliar power coursing through his veins. Glancing once more back at Stephen, he turned and ran forward at Erica, attacking her with full force. He threw a punch at her, but she put out her hand and blocked it, pushing him backwards. He stumbled a few feet, but recovered immediately and sent a flying kick at his opponent, hitting her in the chest and causing her to fall over. She stood up in anger and kicked at him as well. Rufus was too quick for her, though, and he grabbed her leg and spun her around, making her fall again.

The Chaos Ranger hovered over his opponent, waiting for her to stand up again. Instead, she kicked up at him from her position on the ground and hit him in the shin, causing him to wince under his helmet. She took the time he spent grabbing his leg in pain to get up and kick at him again, this time hitting him in the chest. He flew backwards and fell on his side, but it took him only a moment to get up again. Before he had a chance to do anything, though, Erica thrust her hands outward and sent a wave of Dark Water at him, hitting him head on and making him fall again.

Now was his chance to use his Dark Element powers. Getting up quickly, he put his hands out in front of him and sent out both Dark Fire and Dark Thunder at the same time, one Element from each hand. They merged together in the air and flew straight towards Erica. The girl leapt to the side and out of the way, though, and the Elements dissipated in the air when they reached the spot where she had just been standing.

Growling a bit in frustration, Rufus let one hand drop to his side as the other shot his own Dark Water at her, hitting her head on. It didn't hurt her much, though, because her Element was Dark Water, and it was useless against her. If it had been normal Water, like Peg used, it would have been a different story. But, as it was, she was unhurt, which wasn't a bad thing. Rufus needed a chance to use his powers, and now he was getting that chance.

Erica absorbed the water that now covered her body and shot a stream of it back at him. He dodged it and threw a ball of Dark Fire at her legs, which made her fall onto her knees. He took the opportunity to shoot electricity at her while she was down, causing her to scream in pain. At that moment, Stephen came and stood in between them, holding out a hand towards Rufus and motioning for him to stop.

"That's enough with her," he said. "Now, it's my turn."

Sean, Beth, and Jud walked into the Overclocked Café, the two boys talking and laughing happily. It would still take a while for Jud to get fully moved in to his new apartment, but they decided to take a break and come here for a while before that. It was Tuesday, and school had been out for hours now. Of course, Sean and Beth had told their friends where they would be that afternoon, and they were surprised to see them come in so suddenly.

They walked over to the table and Sean spoke, introducing his friend to the others. They greeted him warmly as the three newcomers sat down. Although Beth usually sat next to Sean and Tiz, she figured that the White Ranger would be happier sitting with Jud today, so she sat next to Peg on the other side of the table. The others hardly noticed this as they proceeded to bombard Jud with questions.

"So, where exactly are you moving from?" Dan asked.

"San Francisco," Jud answered. "I moved there when my dad's work transferred him."

"And, what possessed you to move back here?" Peg asked with a chuckle.

"Well, I decided to come back here to go to school, partially because of a promise Sean and I made when I moved before. We said that one day, we would go to college together, and that's what I planned to do."

"Wait, aren't you still in high school?" Dan looked at him curiously.

"Technically, I should be, but I tested out early. High school was too boring for me, so I took the test after the end of first semester this year."

Tiz leaned in a bit to look at him over the body of Sean, who was sitting in between them.

"I have a question," he said, smiling. "Do you remember me? I met you a few times when we were kids. I remember you were like joined at the hip with this one," he added, ruffling Sean's hair as he said it. The White Ranger glared at him a little, but he was still smiling.

Jud wrinkled up his face in thought, as if trying to remember. "I think so," he said thoughtfully. "You're Tiz, right?" The Yellow Ranger nodded. "Ah, yeah, I remember you. Never saw too much of you, though."

"Yeah, I didn't know Sean very well at the time, so we didn't hang out much. Plus, I was too busy hanging out with him." He gestured towards Dan, who grinned.

"Yep," he said simply.

Over at the counter, Will stared silently at the table, his lips parted slightly and his eyes open wide. "Cirin?" he whispered. "Is it possible?" He shook his head sadly, trying to get the thought out of it. "No, it's not. It can't be him. It's just a coincidence, like with those two who look so much like Alassea and Feanaro. They're gone, Will," he said softly, closing his eyes and mentally chastising himself. "The world is just playing tricks on you. They're gone and they're never coming back." He shuddered at that thought, opening his eyes again and glancing back at the table.

Frowning, he sighed, knowing that, if this was Sean's friend, he would be seeing a lot more of him, which meant that the memories of the one he looked like would be ever present in his mind. It was the same with Angela and Jorge. They looked too much like his past friends for him to just forget about it.

It was at that moment that Jud happened to glance at the counter. He noticed Will staring at him, but the Trienith Red Ranger turned away quickly, going back to what he had been doing before. Jud turned to Sean, giving him a questioning look.

"Who's the weird dude?" he asked, motioning towards Will.

Sean had to laugh at that. "That's Will," he answered. "He's the owner of this café. He's not weird." He shook his head and the others laughed with him, finding it strangely funny to hear their mentor and fellow Ranger be called weird.

"Then why is he staring at me?" Jud asked. "And why are you all laughing?"

Beth reached across the table and laid a hand on his, a smile still playing on her lips. "Don't worry about it, Jud," she said, laughter evident in her voice. The boy shrugged, wondering what in the world could be so funny.

Stephen faced Rufus, a wicked grin on his face. Erica was now off to the side, sitting and leaning against a tree, trying to recover from her difficult battle with the Chaos Ranger. She couldn't believe the power he had. It was almost scary, and she was just glad he was on their side instead of with their enemies.

"Come on, Rufus," Stephen said, a hint of impatience in his voice. Somehow, Rufus found it a lot easier to fight Stephen. Not in the sense that he was less powerful than Erica by any means, but in the sense that he didn't have to force himself to fight him. Although he had a great deal of respect for his leader, it was different fighting him. He guessed it was because he didn't love Stephen the way he loved Erica…

But, there was no time to think of that now, as the oldest member of the Chaos Three ran forward to strike. He aimed a strong kick at his opponent, hitting him in the chest hard. Rufus keeled over, clutching the place where the kick landed, the breath knocked out of him for a moment. He recovered as quickly as possible and punched at Stephen, getting him smack in the face. Stephen growled in pain and pushed Rufus away. The younger boy stumbled a bit, but he didn't fall. He ran back towards his challenger and jumped over him with a flip, landing on the other side of him, facing away from him. He kicked backwards and hit Stephen, causing him to fall over forwards.

As the older boy stood up, he smiled in a way that showed approval for this move. Rufus mentally beamed, feeling ecstatic that Stephen was impressed with him. But, he didn't have long to think about that as his leader threw a hand out towards him, shooting Dark Fire out. Rufus dodged it and hit him with a strong blast of his own fire. Although it didn't hurt Stephen, seeing as it was his Element, it was still obviously powerful.

"Come on," Stephen said. "Use another Element." Rufus nodded and prepared to obey.

He put both hands out in front of him and shot a stream of Dark Water out, letting Dark Thunder come out of the other hand. The electricity swirled around the water as it flew out towards Stephen. The older boy tried to dodge it, but it was too fast for him and it still scraped against his back. The water mixed with electricity shot through him, causing him to jolt in pain and fall to his knees. He cried out and reached behind him, touching the part that had been hit with the back of his hand.

Rufus faltered, hoping desperately that he hadn't hurt Stephen badly. He demorphed and ran over to him, kneeling beside him and laying a hand on his back gently.

"Stephen, are you okay?" he asked in a concerned tone. Erica came running up as well, and she looked worriedly at her leader.

"I'm fine," he answered, grinning at Rufus. "That was amazing. Your power is immense, Rufus. I just know that next time you fight the Rangers, you're going to do some serious damage, if not defeat them then and there."

Rufus smiled with relief, glad that he had not hurt his companion too badly. He could hardly believe his ears as he received such praise from Stephen. It wasn't like him to say anything good about his team mates, but when he did, it really meant something.

"I hope you're right, Stephen," he said softly, helping him stand.

Angela and Jorge walked into the café, hand in hand, and made their way over to the table where their friends sat. They noticed an extra head there, which meant that there was some new person at the table with their friends. Beth was the first to notice their arrival, and she smiled happily at them.

"Hey, guys!" she said in a cheerful tone.

The two of them returned the greeting with the same cheerfulness.

"Who is this?" Jorge asked, gesturing towards Jud. As he turned to look at them, and the three pairs of eyes met, Beth noticed a strange change on their faces, and what seemed to be a glow in their eyes. It seemed to her that Angela's eyes glowed white for a moment, Jorge's blue, and Jud's green. But, it was so quick and fleeting that Beth figured it had to be her imagination. She shook the thought away as Angela and Jorge pulled up chairs and sat at the end of the table while Sean proceeded to introduce Jud.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Jud," Angela said, smiling warmly and shaking his hand. Jorge did the same.

"It's nice to meet you too," Jud answered with a grin. Before anyone had a chance to say anything else, Del walked up to take their orders.

"Hello, all," he said with a smile and a wave. "It looks like everyone is here now." He looked at Jud curiously. "As well as someone new…" Sean introduced his friend for what seemed like the millionth time today and the two of them shook hands. "So, what can I get for you guys?" Del asked, pulling out his notebook and a pen. They each ordered their respective drinks and Del made his way back to the counter to give the orders to Will.

When he got there, he noticed that his boss had an unusually pensive look on his face. "You look thoughtful," Del said as he handed the orders to him. "What's up?"

Will sighed and inwardly chuckled, realizing that he couldn't hide his emotions or his thoughts from the boy. He seemed to always be able to tell when something was bothering him, or anyone else for that matter. It was one of Del's greatest qualities, Will thought.

"Well, that new guy at the table with the Rangers, he looks familiar," he said, raising his eyebrows. "The same way as Angela and Jorge, if you know what I mean." Del nodded understandingly. "Did you notice anything strange about the way they looked at each other when they first met?" Will asked as he began to make their orders.

"No," Del said, thinking for a moment. "But, then again, I wasn't close enough to see when they first met."

"Hmm, you're right," Will said with a sigh. He paused for a moment before speaking again. "I swear that fate is trying to torture me…"

Erica and Rufus sat on his bed, talking. Stephen was in his own room now, sleeping, still tired from his sparring match with the Chaos Ranger.

Erica smiled at her companion. "I can't believe how powerful you are, Rufus," she said. "You'll be able to defeat the Rangers in no time at all, I'm sure."

He nodded solemnly. "Yes," he sighed. "I probably will." He looked away and said nothing more.

The girl next to him eyed him curiously. "What's wrong?" she asked. He paused for a moment before responding.

"I don't know. It's just that I still kind of wish that you or Stephen could have had the Chaos powers rather than me."

Erica laughed a little. "I'm glad it wasn't me," she said. "I mean, it would be kind of fun to have that power, but it would also be such a big responsibility."

"Yeah, that's the problem," Rufus said, sighing again. "What if I mess up? What if I use the powers wrong? Or, worst of all, what if my dream comes true, and I lose control…" His voice trailed off as he tried not to imagine that possibility.

Erica put her arm around his shoulder gently. "Don't worry, Rufus," she said. "You won't mess up or lose control. You can do it. I believe in you." She kissed his cheek softly and gazed into his eyes. He looked at her, a bit surprised at her current actions. It wasn't like Erica to show affection like this, or emotion. But, it was nice when she did, and he wished she would do it more often.

"Thanks, Erica," he said, smiling at her and brushing a stray hair out of her eyes. "It's good to know that someone believes in me, because I sure don't."

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A/N: I hope you liked it! Leave a review!

lil Cwick: Yay! I'm not going to be stabbed with a pitchfork! lol Sorry that you're sick. Hopefully the Mountain Dew and M&Ms will help (but I doubt itlol). I'm glad you like it!

Sexi Silver: Glad your daily dose is fullfilled lol And yay that my writer's block is gone! I hope yours will leave you soon too lol

Wearer of the Black Hat: Yep. Every PR season needs an evil Ranger, right? hehe And no, the Chaos Three couldn't morph before. They aren't Rangers, but now Rufus is. Glad you like it!