The Puppet Blaster
The Youth Center was packed with young children as they watched a live performance of Captain Pete and his robot friend, Puppetman. Emma stood off to the side, holding a bin of dirty glasses under her arm. "Thanks again for helping me set this up you guys." she smiled to Rocky and Tommy as she walked towards the back area of the juice bar.
"Anytime Em." Rocky shrugged, carrying a bin of used plates and silverware, following the blonde.
"Besides, this was all for the kids anyway." Tommy pointed out, setting the cleaning supplies down by the utility door. "We were more than happy to help you and Ernie."
Emma set the dishes in the stainless steel washer and poured in the soap, closing it up and starting it. "Well, I appreciate it." she sighed, flipping her ponytail off her shoulder. "And I know Ernie does too." The three teens went back to the juice bar, sitting back and watching the kids enjoy the show.
"Hey Captain Pete, do you know what today's secret word is?" Puppetman asked in a giddy, child-like voice.
"Is it...pastrami?" Captain Pete replied. The robot shook his head in response. The Captain thought for another moment, "Is it...artichoke?" Again, Puppetman shook his head. "Is it...Power Rangers?"
A bell dinged in the background, "Yes." Puppetmand confirmed. "You said the secret word." He picked up a large, yellow bucket and splashed Captain Pete with its contents, soaking him.
Emma covered her mouth to suppress her giggle, "Better him getting soaked than me." she chuckled, earning small nods from the boys on either side of her.
Ernie walked behind the juice bar and set three smoothies in front of the teens. "Here ya go guys, on the house." he offered with a smile. "As a thanks for helping me set this up."
Rocky returned the smile and took his blueberry smoothie, "Thanks Ernie. And, like we were telling Emma, we enjoyed helping out."
Tommy nodded in agreement, "Yeah, besides, it was all for the kids."
"Yeah, it feels great to give back to the community." Ernie noted.
"It sure does." Emma agreed, clinking her glass with Rocky's and Tommy's.
Captain Pete finished up a juggling act and motioned for Ernie to come over and join him. "Say kids, lets give a hand for the person who made this all possible." He led the audience in an applause as the cafe owner stood next to the performer. Along with the kids, the three Ranger teens applauded too.
Captain Pete whispered something in Ernie's ear, and he gave a nod. "Hey boys and girls." Ernie addressed. "Who's your favorite superhero?"
"The Power Rangers!" the kids yelled.
Puppetman ran the bell and tossed a bucket of confetti onto the audience, "You said the secret word." he laughed, as the children all giggled excitedly, which in turn made the three Rangers smile to themselves.
Up on the Machine Sky Base, however, King Mondo was not pleased with all the happiness going around on Earth. "If there's anything that grinds my gears, it's the irksome laughter of human children." huffed King Mondo.
"Yes." agreed his wife, Queen Machina. "It simply makes my oil boil."
"They say down on Earth that children shape the future." Mondo informed. "If we can get those children on our side, we could rule supreme."
"But lok at them, my love bot." Machina switched on the bases viewing mirror. "The little children are so well-behaved."
"Not for long, my dearest." Mondo corrected. "It's time I pulled the strings down on Earth." The two mechanical monarchs laughed as their newest plan came together.
Down on Earth, Adam was teaching Tanya some basic martial arts moves to help her in her future Ranger battles. "Thanks again Adam for helping me with this." the yellow-clad female smiled. "I know you have to train for the competition next weekend."
The green-clad male placed his hand on her shoulder, "It's fine, Tanya." he replied. "Helping you with your training will actually help me practice for my match." Adam prepped his stance, his legs shoulder-length apart and back straight. "In martial arts, footwork is the key." He instructed as Tanya moved into a similar stance. "Watch my footwork."
Adam demonstrated a series of movements while Tanya stood back and observed. Afterwards, he broke the movements down to help her learn them. Tanya picked up the moves rather quickly, and when she put them all together, managed to knock Adam off balance.
"Perfect." he praised, giving her a thumbs up. "You got the move Tanya."
Tanya helped Adam up to his feet, "You've been so incredibly patient." she sighed, taking a swig of water from her sports bottle. "I mean, you're a pro, and I'm just-"
"-still learning." Adam finished, rubbing her shoulder. "Like I said earlier, helping you helps me too."
"That's sweet Adam." Tanya chuckled dryly, taking another drink of water. "But I don't believe a word of it."
Adam grabbed a pair of padded gloves from his sports duffle, "I'm not kidding." he assured. "Okay, let's work on your jabs and kicks."
"Right." Tanya nodded, slipping on a pair of red boxing gloves.
Back at the Youth Center, the kids were enjoying more of Captain Pete and Puppetman. Lieutenant Stone, along with Bulk and Skull, and his nephew walked in on the show. "Fellas, I'd consider it a personal favor if you'd keep an eye on my nephew, Arnie, while I'm out on patrol."
"Our pleasure sir." Bulk agreed. "We love kids."
Skull nodded along. He leaned closer to his friend and whispered, "Since when?"
"Since now." Bulk whispered back. He grinned down at the ten-year-old kid. "What a cute little dickens he is too."
Lieutenant Stone patted his nephew's shoulders, "Now Arnie, will you listen to Bulkmeire and Skullovich while I'm on patrol?"
Arnie put on a sincere smile, "Yes, Uncle Jerome." he answered sweetly.
With that verification, Lieutenant Stone left the Youth Center. "So..." Bulk cleared his throat. "...are you excited to see Captain Pete and Puppetman, Arnie?"
The kid's innocent smile vanished, turning into an annoyed scowl as he kicked the heavier-set teen in the shin. "I'm so outta here." he huffed and tried to run off, only to be grabbed by the collar of his jean jacket by Skull.
"And we just love kids, don't we Bulky." the skinnier teen said through gritted teeth. The two junior patrolmen lifted the struggling kid by his arms. "And what a cute dickens he is too." Skull snickered.
The Captain Pete and Puppetman show continued on. Emma came back from the utility room, leaning against the bar, standing beside Tommy. "You're missing parts of the show." noted the blue-clad teen.
"Hey, you guys can sit back and enjoy the show. Me, I'm still on the clock." the pink-clad teen replied.
While Captain Pete was juggling some plastic rings, a small squadron of Cogs appearing out of a portal. Seeing the footsoliders, Rocky moved to get out of his seat, "What are they doing here?"
Tommy reached out and grabbed Rocky by the sleeve of his shirt. "We have to wait for them to make the first move." he reminded. "If we act now, the kids could get hurt."
"Tommy's right, Rocky." Emma agreed. The Cogs danced and flipped around, appearing to the kids like they were just a part of the act. "What do you think they want?" Emma asked, glancing to Tommy.
The team leader just shrugged, "I'm not sure." he answered. "They're not attacking."
After doing a few more flips and landing in a group, the Cogs disappeared back through a portal, but not before verbally issuing a warning to the Rangers. However, as soon the mechanical footsoliders vanished, the Puppetman robot changed from happy and fun loving to almost maniacal. He zapped the children in the audience and they all went silent for a moment. Then, like a switch had been flipped, the children started screaming and yelling and tore apart the stage.
"What the hell?" Rocky cursed under his breath as the three Ranger teens jumped to their feet. "Think Mondo has something to do with this?"
"I'd safely say..." Emma started to reply, before letting out a gasp as a child threw a bucket of water on her. Knowing she only had mere seconds before her transformation, Emma rushed to the back storage room with Rocky and Tommy right behind her.
As soon as the door opened, the blonde's body turned to rippling water with a subtle pink glow for a second before she toppled over. Tommy reached out to catch the falling mermaid, and the two ended up on the floor. Rocky lifted the end of Emma's tailfin and moved it to the side so it wouldn't get caught in the door as he closed it. "You alright, Em?" he asked, leaning against the door.
"Yeah." the mermaid replied, pushing herself up. She glanced down at the brunette male under her and a slight blush rose to her cheeks when she realized how close they were. "Thanks for the save, Tommy." Emma cleared her throat as she rolled to the side, keeping her weight on her hands.
"Don't mention it." the red-clad teen grunted, sitting upright. "We need to contact Zordon about this mess."
"I hear ya." Rocky agreed, kneeling down in front of Tommy and Emma. He clicked on his communicator, contacting their mentor. "Zordon, you read us?"
"I read you, Rocky." Zordon replied.
"Aye-yi-yi." Alpha shrieked. "Is there a problem?"
"Something's happening to the kids here at the Youth Center." Tommy informed. "They're outta control." The Viewing Globe switched to show the chaos going on at the Youth Center.
Billy entered the Power Chamber, watching the Viewing Globe. "It's possible they're been put under some kind of hypnotic spell." he suggested, punching a few buttons on the console, trying to pinpoint the source. "Yeah, I'm tracing the signal back to a large robot of some kind in the area."
Emma rolled her eyes, "I have a pretty good idea which robot." she muttered, leaning against a stack of boxes, her damp two-toned hair falling over her shoulders. "But what would King Mondo want with the Puppetman anyway?"
"I don't know, but let's pull the plug before someone gets hurt." Rocky voted.
"I'll call Adam and Tanya and have 'em teleport to your location." Billy told them.
The aforementioned two Rangers were taking a short break from training when their communicators went off. "Guys." Billy hailed them.
"We read you, Billy." Adam replied.
"What's goin on?" Tanya asked.
"There's an emergency at the Youth Center." the former Ranger informed. "Tommy, Emma, and Rocky need your help."
Adam and Tanya looked to eachother and nodded. "We're on the way." Adam said as he and Tanya teleported away.
In flashes of green and yellow lights, the pair materialized in the storage room, and Adam nearly tripped over the mermaid's tailfin. "Sorry Em." he apologized.
"It's fine." Emma brushed off.
Rocky opened the door ever so slightly, and the sounds of the kids' screaming was enough to make the five teens wince. They also heard the deep laughter of Puppetman. "Alright, time to pull the curtain down on this clown." Tommy voted, the other four nodding in agreement as they all activated their Zeonizers. "It's Morphin Time."
"Zeo Ranger I, Pink."
"Zeo Ranger II, Yellow."
"Zeo Ranger III, Blue."
"Zeo Ranger IV, Green."
"Zeo Ranger V, Red."
The five Rangers jumped into the chaos, standing opposite Puppetman. "Alright Puppetman, whatever you're doing with these kids ends now." ordered the Red Ranger. "You understand me?"
The robotic puppet just laughed, "You can try to take me on." he threatened. "But first, you'll have to get through my army." The children grouped together and started to march towards Puppetman, eventually moving to stand between him and the Zeo Rangers.
"Oh man, he's controlling the kids." groaned Zeo Ranger V.
"And he's using them as a human shield." noted Zeo Ranger II.
"We have to try and find a way to break Puppetman's spell." suggested Zeo Ranger III.
"But we can't risk hurting the children." reminded Zeo Ranger I.
"She's right." agreed Zeo Ranger IV.
The hypnotized army continued to advance on the Ranger's forcing them on the defensive, while Puppetman just laughed manically. "With these mindless brats as my army, I'll take control of Angel Grove." he boasted. "And then the world!"
In the Power Chamber, Billy and Alpha-5 were watching the events on the Viewing Globe. "Aye-yi-yi-yi." Alpha whined. "The Rangers can't strike back against those children."
Billy carefully observed what was going on, "Puppetman has to be controlling their minds somehow." he concluded.
"Billy..." Zordon addressed. "...try to find the Puppetman's energy source. He must be shut down if the Ranger's have any hope of defeating him."
The former ranger nodded and worked with Alpha to try and track the source of the evil robot's mind control power.
Up on the moon, Mondo and Machina were watching the events unfold on their Viewing Mirror, pleased with how their latest plan was turning out, with the Rangers powerless to stop them. . "Let's play an interesting game, Power Rangers." he chuckled deviously. "What will you do when the children attack you?"
"Now these are my kind of kids." Mondo stated. "I think our star is ready for a much bigger audience. Wouldn't you agree, my Queen?"
"Oh yes, my King." Machina agreed. "Let's send him to the satellite center, where he can broadcast his beam to all the kids of Angel Grove."
"Outstanding idea, my dear Machina." Mondo praised. "On his way, he can recruit more children to our side."
Back down at the Youth Center, the Zeo Rangers were trying to talk down the advancing children and were having no luck. The brainwashed kids just kept marching on, forcing the Rangers to keep backing down. "See ya later, Power Rangers." Puppetman snickered. "It's time for me to take this show on the road." On that note, he teleported away.
"Where's he going?" questioned Zeo Ranger I.
"Who knows." answered Zeo Ranger V. "We'd better get to the Power Chamber and find out." The rest of the Rangers nodded in agreement with their leader's suggestion and teleported away.
In flashes of multi-colored lights, the Zeo Rangers appeared in their Power Chamber, removing their helmets and holding them under their left arms. All they could do was watch on the Viewing Globe as Puppetman attacked some kids in the park, making them fight their friends and siblings.
"Rangers." Zordon addressed, getting the five teens' attention. "It appears that Puppetman is heading towards the satellite broadcast center."
"Of course." Billy realized. "King Mondo's planning to infuse the Puppetman with a more powerful energy source."
"If he succeeds, he'll be able to reach brainwash every child in Angel Grove." Tanya noted.
"Not to mention the whole world." Adam added.
"We have to stop his transmission." voted Rocky.
"Brilliant idea, but how?" questioned Emma.
A small smile crossed Billy's face. "I'm glad you asked that, cuz." he chuckled lightly. "Alpha and I have been working on something that just might help you guys out."
"Yes." Alpha piped up as Billy inputted some information on the main chamber console. "The Defender Wheel is designed to spin at a certain RPM that should be able to disrupt the frequency of the Puppetman."
Emma blinked her wide, blue eyes. "Wow Billy, you really do think of everything." she smiled and placed her hand on her cousin's shoulder.
"Well, we are dealing with machines here." the former ranger shrugged his shoulders. "Something like this was bound to come in handy sooner or later." He punched in a few more codes. "Alright, the Defender Wheel's loaded into Zeo Zord V."
"Thanks Billy." Tommy gave his friend a nod and a low-five, turning to the rest of the Rangers. "We've got to intercept that robot before he gets to the broadcast station." The Zeo Rangers stood together, their hands on their belts as they shouted, "Back to action!"
The Zeo Rangers landed in front of the broadcast center, just in time to meet up with Puppetman. They quickly charged into battle, while Klank and Orbus watched from the nearby bushes. Using his various weapons, Puppetman fought against the Zeo Rangers, knocking them off balance and blasting them to the ground. After knocking around the Yellow and Green Rangers, he set his sights on the Pink Ranger, who narrowly avoided an energy beam shot from his fingertips. The Pink Ranger blocked the next attack, catching the Puppetman's fist in her hand, which she then froze with her mermaid powers.
Puppetman jumped back at the icy sensation coming from his hand, and was then knocked back by Zeo Rangers III and V. All five Rangers pulled out their Power Pod Swords and attacked the Puppetman together, before regrouping and switching to their Zeo Laser Pistols, which sent Puppetman flying back a ways.
"Alright, time to try out that new Defender Wheel." the Red Ranger summoned the newest addition to their weapon's arsenal, which was delivered by his Zord. He stepped inside while the other four stood on either side. "Engaing Defender Wheel...now!" The weapon glowed bright red as it struck it's target, destroying Puppetman.
Zeo Ranger V materialized in a red light, standing in the center of his team as they regrouped. "Yeah, we broke his transmission." cheered Zeo Ranger III.
The effects of Puppetman's spell wore off and the kids at the Youth Center returned to normal, much to the relief of their parents. Although Arnie still pretended to be under the spell, just to freak out Bulk and Skull.
After being zapped by Orbus' power, Puppetman grew to over three times his original size, prompting the Rangers to summon their Zords. "Puppetman's more feroucious than ever, eh Orbus?" Klank chuckled, patting the smaller machine's head. "Look at the Rangers scurry to their Zords."
The Rangers wasted no time and brought their Zords together to form the Zeo Megazord. The two large robots continued their fight, trading blows with their fists. Puppetman amped up the fight by firing two buzzsaws from his shoulders, which exploded upon impact with the Megazord.
"Time for the Zeo II Battle Helmet." said the Yellow Ranger as she took the main seat in the cockpit. She used the helmets twin cannons to destroy the second set of saw blades Puppetman fired their way.
"Zeo IV Battle Helmet, activate." shouted the Green Ranger as he swapped places with the Yellow Ranger.
"Come on!" taunted Puppetman. "Toro! Toro!" He danced around and jumped aside at the last second when the Zeo Megazord charged forward.
In the Power Chamber, Alpha and Billy were watching the fight on the Viewing Globe. "Oh, that Puppetman is a real pain on a string." huffed Alpha-5.
Billy analyzed the data coming in from the fight, pinpointing a weak spot. "That's it." he grinned, tapping into the communication frequency. "Guys, I've analyzed the monster and pinpointed his power source from the Machine Empire." he relayed. "Destroy Puppetman's nose and he'll be powerless."
Inside the Megazord cockpit, the Rangers all slapped high-fives, "Thanks Billy." replied Zeo Ranger I. "You're the best."
The Rangers activated the Zeo Megazord Saber and sliced off Puppetman's nose with one swipe, causing him to cry out in pain. "My nose! You'll pay for that!" he growled.
"Sorry Puppetman, but your show has just been cancelled." stated Zeo Ranger V as he powered up the Megazord Saber for another strike. With one swipe, Puppetman went down for the count, much to the annoyance of the Machine Empire.
"Those blasted Zeo Zeroes have once again defied and shamed the Royal House of Gadgetry." King Mondo huffed as he paced back and forth along the balcony. "Next time they shall not be so fortunate."
After some reassembly by Billy and Alpha, Puppetman was back to his kid-friendly self and ready for another show with Captain Pete. The kids in the audience laughed along with Captain Pete and Puppetman, while the six teens cleaned up the Youth Center.
"It's nice that everything's back to normal again." Rocky sighed with a smile, duping another pan full of food crumbs into the trashcan.
Tanya nodded in agreement, sweeping up another pile of trash. "Well, it's good that Alpha and Billy had time to reassemble Puppetman before the next show." she noted, leaning against the broom.
"And this time with a deflector signal to prevent King Mondo from trying to take control of him again." Adam added, scrubbing up some dried smoothie off the floor.
"You said it Adam." Emma groaned, wiping down the Juice Bar counter, brushing her bangs from her face with the back of her hand. "Thanks again for helping me with the clean-up."
"Not a problem, Em." Billy patted his cousin's shoulder before pulling her to his side in a one-armed hug.
"Yeah." Tommy agreed, cleaning up behind the Juice Bar. "After all, that's what friends are for, right?"
"Right." Emma smiled and bumped his outstretched fist.
A/N: I know it's been a couple months since my last update, but I take my time with these chapters because I want to make them the best they can be. It's crazy that I first published this story back in 2017 and it's already 2020. I'll try to be better consistent with updates on this series since I've got so much planned! Anyway, hope ya'll enjoyed it. Reviews are appreciated!
Next time on Zeo Mermaid Ranger: Invasion of the Ranger Snatchers.
Now for comments and/or questions:
RHatch88: Thanks for being patient with the updates and sticking with the story. Hope you liked this chapter and are looking forward to more.
DemonGirl123: I've missed this story too, and I'll try to update more often. I try to add little parts of Emma using her powers, even if it's just a small part during the big fight scenes. I know you love the Tommy/Emma moments and I plan on adding more in the coming chapters. And don't worry, ya'll will see the other mermaids soon. Thanks again for all your support sis! This series would not exist without you! Love you so much!
grapejuice101: Thanks for sticking with the story and I hope you liked this chapter. Keep up with the story and you'll see more mermaid moments and lots more Tommy/Emma.
Star-The-Writer: Thanks for sticking with the story! I do have a few plans involving the Full Moon and it's influence over Emma. Keep up to see what I've got planned.