Graduation Blues
Emma and Billy walked side by side through the halls of Angel Grove High, with the latter quizzing his cousin in preparation for their Physics test that day. "Okay, what is a quantity that has both magnitude and direction?" Billy asked, turning to the blonde beside him.
"A vector." Emma answered with a slight nod, clutching the strap of her black satchel bag. She wore simple tan wedges with a jean mini skirt and a light pink tank top. Her blonde hair fell straight down her back with a few strands draped over her shoulders, a portion was pulled back into a small braid, and her silver locket rested against above her chest.
"Correct." the former ranger smiled, wearing a grey long-sleeved shirt with light charcoal colored jeans and light brown boots. "And a vector is the opposite of..." he raised his brow as he watched his cousin.
"A vector is the opposite of a scalar." she added on, holding up her index finger "Which is a quantity that only has magnitude and no direction."
Billy held his palm up and Emma slapped it with a giggle, "Looks like you're ready for that test fourth period." he noted as the pair stopped at their lockers.
Emma sighed in relief as she opened her locker door, the inside having a few photographs pinned up by magnets; one picture was of her with Cleo, and Rikki, another was just of her two mermaid friends, and the rest were pictures of her with the other Rangers. "I sure hope so." she muttered as she organized her binders and books, grabbing what she would need for her first class. "I've been stressing for a few days." The blonde glanced to her relative, "My first recital is this weekend and I'm super nervous."
"There's no need to be nervous." Billy assured, leaning against the locker, holding his Chemistry book and binder. "You'll do great."
A small chuckle escaped the blonde, "You sound like my dad." she noted, brushing her bangs to the side of her face. Billy chuckled as well and nudged his cousin's arm.
"Oh, Mr. Cranston." called the voice of an older woman as she waved and walked over to the two teenagers. "Good morning." she greeted with a smile, before turning to Billy. "Mr. Caplan would like to speak with you."
"Is something wrong?" Emma questioned as she closed her locker.
The office secretary shrugged her shoulders, "He just told me to find Mr. Cranston and inform him that he'd like a word." she answered before walking away.
"Huh." Billy muttered, exchanging a confused look with Emma. "I wonder what it's about?"
Emma shrugged her shoulders, "Yeah." she agreed. "I'll walk with you." she offered, holding her class supplies to her chest. "Since it's on the way to Ms. Appleby's class."
The two cousins shared a smile as they headed towards Principal Caplan's office. Billy took a deep breath to calm his nerves before stepping through the door. Seeing as she had time to spare before the first bell, Emma decided to hang back and wait for Billy. She inched closer to the door so she could try and overhear the conversation between them.
"According to our computers, you've taken more credit hours than any other student at Angel Grove High." Principal Caplan informed. "And maintained a 4.0 GPA."
Billy tapped the spine of his Chemistry book, nervously shifting from one foot to the other. "I'm afraid I don't understand." he spoke up after a minute of silence.
The principal just chuckled, leaning back in his chair. "Billy, you've exceeded Angel Grove High's requirements." he clarified, getting to his feet. "You've graduated."
"But..." Billy protested. "...I still have one more year."
Principal Caplan shook his head, "Not anymore." he corrected, handing Billy his diploma. "Congratulations."
A small smile crept over Emma's lips as she stepped away from the door. She dug out her cell and scrolled through her contacts, before selecting a number and putting her phone to her ear, her smile growing wider.
Over at Angel Grove Park near the beach's shore, Junior Policeman Bulk and Skull were just about to order their flunkies, an amnesiac Goldar and Rito, to pick up garbage from the Police Academy picnic when suddenly the ground began to shake.
A few yards away, near the shoreline, a triangular looking spacecraft landed. "I'm not cleaning that up." Goldar huffed.
"Do I still get to use this trash-poker-stick thingy?" Rito questioned, scratching his skull.
The two junior patrolmen exchanged a glance, ignoring the alien flunkies behind them. "What if someone's inside that thing?" Skull asked.
"If we save them..." Bulk added, "...we'll be heroes." With a nod, the two males approached the spaceship.
The door opened and a stream of water burst out, soaking the two humans. Stepping out of the spacecraft was the Aquitian Cestro. After a minute or two of straight screaming when they all looked upon eachother, Cestro caught his breath. "I am Cestro of Aquitar." he introduced. "And I must find a human named Billy. The fate of our world depends on it."
Bulk and Skull exchanged another confused look.
After school let out for the day, everyone met up at the Youth Center, where a small celebration was held to honor Billy's early graduation. A giant banner hung over the Juice Bar that read 'Congratulations Billy!' in bold, blue letters.
"Ernie, how did you know?" Billy asked the bar's owner as him and the Rangers stood together.
"Emma gave me a heads up." Ernie answered, pointing to the pink-clad blonde.
Billy's eyes shifted to his cousin, "I may have overheard what Principal Caplan told you." she admitted with a smile. "Everyone deserves a small party when they graduate."
"Even if they didn't realize they graduated." Tommy added with a chuckle.
"Well, thanks you guys." Billy smiled at his friends, wrapping an arm around Emma's shoulders. Ernie smiled at the pair and walked behind the bar to whip up some drinks for the six teenagers.
"So what are you going to do with all your spare time?" Tanya asked as her, Emma, Billy and Tommy stood around a long table filled with various finger foods.
Billy shrugged, "I haven't really thought about it." he answered, honestly. "It all happened so fast, you know?"
Emma nodded in agreement, resting her arm on his shoulder, "Well, I'm sure you'll figure something out." she assured.
Skull weaved through the crowd and strolled right up to the foursome. He wore a plastered grin and shook Billy's hand, slowly walking the both of them towards the side door leading out to the cafe.
The pink-clad female blinked in confusion, "Okay, what is up with him?" she asked bluntly, arching her eyebrow.
Tommy sighed and shook his head, "I've been asking myself that question for a few years now."
After stepping outside, Billy yanked his hand free from Skull's. "Can I help you with something?" he asked, getting annoyed with the junior policeman's behavior.
Skull looked around, making sure no one else was there, before shouting for his comrade. "Bulky! I got him!"
Bulk stepped out from the bushes with Cestro. "That's the only Billy we know." he informed the alien ranger, pointing to Billy.
"This is the correct Billy." Cestro confirmed, approaching his ally.
Billy had to blink a couple times before realizing that it really was the Blue Alien Ranger standing before him. "What are you doing here, Cestro?" he questioned.
"Your great intelligence is known on Aquitar." Cestro informed. "Our planet is in terrible trouble."
Billy noticed that Bulk and Skull were still hovering near them, so before he said another word he told them he had things handled. "Don't mention it." Bulk laughed as he slapped Billy hard on the back before him and Skull left. Once the coast was clear, Billy contacted Alpha to teleport him and Cestro to the Power Chamber.
"A race of creatures known as the Hydro Contaminators are at war with Aquitar." Cestro informed. "Hundreds of them are already poisoning the waters of our planet, which has caused our main computer system to shut down. We can not power our Battle Borgs. We can't even teleport. That is the reason I traveled by starship."
"Well, you know the Power Rangers are ready to help at any time." Billy reminded, slipping his hands into his pockets.
Cestro nodded and continued to pace back and forth. "We have been trying to develop a weapon capable of destroying the Hydro Contaminators." he continued. "But our prototype is unreliable. We need your help."
"I'll do everything I can to help." Billy accepted with a smile.
"Then we must hurry." Cestro stated. "Intergalatic travel from your galaxy to ours is dangerous and unpredictable. We have a window of less than two hours to pass through the space portal safely."
The alarm blared to alert the Command Center of the arrival of something on Earth. "Ai-yi-yi-yi." Alpha shrieked. "We've got more trouble. Another spacecraft has landed on the beach."
The Viewing Globe showed a green gear-like creature on two legs step out of the shuttle, muttering to himself about how much water was around him that he couldn't wait to pollute. "Let me guess..." Billy sighed, glancing to Cestro. "...a Hydro Contaminator."
"Affirmative." Cestro confirmed. "It must've been sent to stop me from my mission. If left unchecked, he could destroy the Earth's water supply."
"Alpha, you must contact the Rangers at once." Zordon instructed.
"I'm on it." Alpha replied, activating the communication function.
At the Youth Center, Tommy and Emma were talking by the weightlifting equipment when their wrist communicators went off. They immediately stopped their conversation and looked around, before ducking into the hallway leading to the locker rooms.
"Yeah Zordon." Emma spoke into her communicator. "You've got me and Tommy."
"Rangers, a new threat has arrived on Earth." Zordon informed. "It is called the Hydro Contaminator. He followed our ally Cestro from Aquitar, and has plans to pollute the Earth's water." Emma's eyes went wide. "Gather the others and teleport to Angel Grove Beach immediately."
Tommy and Emma exchanged a glance and nodded to one another. "We're on it, Zordon." the ranger leader told him.
"You grab Adam and Rocky and I'll grab Tanya and we'll meet around back?" Emma met Tommy's eyes.
"Sounds like a plan." Tommy smiled and patted her shoulder as they split up to grab their teammates.
The five teens regrouped around the back of the Youth Center, hidden from view of the public. "Coast is clear." Rocky whispered.
Tommy and Emma glanced at one another, the red-clad male giving a small nod. A smile formed on the blonde female's lips. "It's Morphin Time!" Emma shouted as the five teens activated their Zeonizers.
"Zeo Ranger I, Pink!"
"Zeo Ranger II, Yellow!"
"Zeo Ranger III, Blue!"
"Zeo Ranger IV, Green!"
"Zeo Ranger V, Red!"
As Cestro and Billy retrieved the weapon prototype from Cestro's ship, the Hydro Contaminator spotted them. "Is it true that humans are mostly water?" the monster cackled. "Let's find out!"
The Hydro Contaminator charged ahead, only to be blocked by the Zeo Rangers teleporting and landing in his path. "Stop right there, Hyrdo Contaminator!" ordered the Pink Ranger as she and her four teammates stood ready for a fight.
Up on the Machine Base, the King and Queen were wondering as to why the Rangers were prepped for battle. "What is all the fuss?" huffed King Mondo. "Everyone appears to be frantic and I haven't done a single thing!"
"Who is that creature?" Prince Sprocket asked as he watched the Machine Base's Viewing Mirror.
"Whatever it is, it appears to be very unfriendly." Queen Machina noted, fanning herself.
"Good. Send down the Cogs." King Mondo ordered. "They'll protect it from those costumed commoners."
Back down on Earth, the Hydro Contaminator took a few steps towards the Rangers but was surprised by the arrival of a squadron of Cogs. The mechanical footsoliders made the first move against the Zeo Rangers, who retaliated instantly. "You shiny guys are alright." chuckled the Hydro Contaminator. "Now..." he turned towards the water. "...I've got some water to pollute."
Cestro and Billy watched the battle going on, "We've gotta get back and finish the prototype." the former ranger stated. "Otherwise the Rangers don't stand a chance." Billy contacted the Power Chamber, "Alpha, teleport us back."
"You got it Billy." Alpha replied. Billy and Cestro vanished from the beach in a flash of white and blue light.
The Rangers had their hands full with the Cog squadron, who made sure to keep them away from the extraterrestrial monster. "Man, these Cogs are tough." grunted Zeo Ranger II as she got back on her feet.
Zeo Ranger I spun around and kicked three Cogs to the ground, before slamming her palm into a forth, freezing his chest which short circuited him. She looked out ahead and saw the Hydro Contaminator make his way closer to the water. "The monster's almost to the shore." she alerted, running to catch it before more Cogs blindsided her.
"We've got to stop him." shouted Zeo Ranger IV, as he punched two more Cogs. "But, these guys just won't let up."
The Pink Ranger kicked her legs out and jumped back on her feet, flexing her right hand and extended it towards the trio of footsoldiers advancing on her, sending them flying into the jagged rocks nearby. Two more were sneaking up on her, only to be blasted away by Zeo Ranger V. "You okay?" he asked, placing his hand on her shoulder.
"Yeah." she answered with a nod. "But we've got to stop that monster."
The Red and Pink Rangers charged through the footsoliders, clearing a path towards the contamination monster. Five Cogs jumped in their way, pushing the two rangers back as the alien creature continued towards the water. The Pink Ranger clenched her fist and brought it down on a Cogs' head, and a second later kicked her leg out under another Cogs' legs. The Red Ranger followed suit, knocking away two more Cogs. The two rangers worked together, fighting their way to the Hydro Contaminator.
The monster spun around, facing the two Rangers. "You two can't stop me." he taunted.
"We'll see about that." the Pink Ranger rebuked, clenching her fist. She cast a glance to her team leader, and they both nodded. The two Rangers ran ahead and jumped into the air, "Zeo Flying Power Kick!" both Rangers shouted as their boots made contact with dead center of the Hydro Contaminator.
Zeo Rangers II and IV, grabbed a Cog by its arms and tossed him into the water, which caused him to explode. The two of them, along with Zeo Ranger III, blocked the path to the ocean's shore, surrounding the Hydro Contaminator. "Looks like your protection just fled the scene." noted the Blue Ranger.
"Leave now or we'll make you leave." threatened the Green Ranger.
"Oh, I'll leave all right." cackled the monster. "Right after I contaminate your precious water supply, and I know just where to do that!" In a flash of lightning, the monster vanished.
"Where did he go?" the Yellow Ranger asked.
"I don't know, but we need to find out, before he does any damage." the Red Ranger stated. "Let's teleport to the Power Chamber."
"Right." agreed the other four Rangers. The five heroes placed their hands on their belts and disappeared in a flash of multi-colored lights.
A few seconds later, Lieutenant Stone ran onto the beach, shouting for his two subordinates. Bulk and Skull ran to their superior officer and stood at attention. "Men, we are under alien invasion." Stone informed, standing before the two junior patrolmen.
Bulk and Skull exchanged a quick glance, "What do they look like, sir?" Bulk asked.
"Like a monkey in gold armor, and a bunch of badly stacked bones." Stone answered, pacing in front of them. This time the glance exchanged between the two teens was one of nervousness and slight worry.
The Zeo Rangers stood around a work table in their Power Chamber, their helmets resting in front of them. "I am sorry I brought so much trouble to your world." Cestro apologized, facing his five allies.
"It couldn't have been helped, Cestro." Tommy sympathized.
"All we need to do it find the monster and stop it." Tanya spoke up.
Billy slammed down a component to the weapon he and Cestro were working on, "But I we can't finish this weapon, it won't be that easy." he huffed, gripping the edge of the consol.
Emma walked up and placed her hand around her cousin's shoulder, "If anyone can finish the weapon, it's you, Billy." she assured, resting her chin on his shoulder.
"Yeah, Em's right." Rocky agreed with a small grin. "You are the smartest guy we know."
"But, we have to finish the weapon in time so Cestro can blast off before he misses his launch window." Adam pointed out.
"Alpha, have you located the Hydro Contaminator yet?" Zordon asked.
The small robot punched a few more buttons and turned a couple dials, before an image appeared on the Viewing Globe. "Yes, he's at the Water Treatment Plant."
Cestro stepped forward, but was stopped by Tommy, "Billy needs your help with the device." he reminded. "We can handle the monster."
"Tommy's right." Emma agreed, giving Billy's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "You got this Billy. We all believe in you."
A smile crossed the former ranger's lips, "Thanks Em." he hugged his cousin, patting the back of her suit. The two family members pulled back and kissed eachother on the cheek, then Emma joined the rest of the rangers, grabbing her helmet and holding it under her right arm. She exchanged a glance with Tommy and smiled, "Back to action!" she called out.
"Zeo Rangers!" the five teens stood ready for battle as more Cogs flooded the scene. The Rangers summoned their weapons and fought off the Machine Empire's footsoldiers. After dispatching the Cogs with relative ease, the Rangers set their sights on the Hydro Contaminator, who proved to be a bit more of a challenge.
The alien monster turned itself invisible and came at the Rangers from all sides.
Back in the Power Chamber, Billy was putting the final touches on the weapon. "I'm modifying the power source of your weapon to work in conjunction with the Power Rangers' own individual weapons. If it works, we should have ourselves a Zeo Blaster." he explained to Cestro. "It will needs some additional modifications to work on Aquitar."
"I am uncertain if I will be able to make those modifications myself." Cestro admitted.
Billy sighed heavily as he walked around the table, "I know, that's why I've decided to go back with you." he turned to face Cestro.
"Billy, that is a sacrifice I cannot ask you to make." the Blue Aquitian Ranger replied.
"Look, you and the other Aquitians did the same for us, Cestro." Billy reminded. "I can't turn my back on you now."
Cestro nodded, "The Rangers of both worlds are lucky to have you in their lives." He gave a smile and slapped Billy on the shoulder, similar to how Bulk did earlier, only this time it was a bit harder which caused Billy's contacts to fall out.
The former ranger got down on the ground and felt around for his contact lenses. Alpha tried to help, but ended up stepping on them instead. For the moment it appeared that the Zeo Blaster would go uncompleted, until Billy remembered he had his glasses stashed in his backpack, in the case of an emergency.
Now that he was able to see clearly again, Billy completed the final adjustments to the Zeo Blaster. "Just in time." Alpha noted with a giggle. "The Rangers will be pleased."
"It's in the teleportation case." Billy motioned to the case on the work table. "Go ahead and transport it to the Rangers, Alpha."
The robot nodded his head and began the telportation sequence. Once the case was gone, Cestro moved to stand beside his human ally, "The launch window is diminishing." he informed.
"Cestro is right, Billy." Zordon agreed. "You have done all you can to help the Rangers."
"Yeah." the former Blue Ranger nodded. "I guess I just feel weird leaving them. Especially Emma." He looked down at his feet, feeling the familiar sadness he would feel whenever it was time for his family to leave whenever they visited Emma's family in Australia. She was more than his cousin, she was like a sister to him.
After blasting the Hydro Contaminator with their Zeo Laser Pistols, the Rangers prepped their new Zeo Blaster. Tommy stood at the front, aiming the weapon at the monster, while Emma and Adam stood behind him on his left and Tanya and Rocky on his right. "Ready...fire!" Zeo Ranger V shouted as he activated the weapon, sending a blast of energy right at the Hydro Contaminator, which destroyed it upon impact.
"Yes!" cheered Zeo Rangers II and IV.
"Alright!" yelled Zeo Ranger III.
"It worked! giggled Zeo Ranger I.
"Now let's hope Cestro can make it work on Aquitar." noted Zeo Ranger V.
After packing up some of his belongings, Billy joined Cestro by his spaceship. "Are you sure you want to do this Billy?" Cestro asked.
Billy nodded, "I've dreamed of an opportunity like this since I was a boy." he admitted, gazing in awe at the spaceship. "I can't pass it up."
The Aquitian Ranger nodded and opened the ship's door, stepping inside. Billy cast one last look around, silently hoping his friends would make it in time to see him off, but he saw no sight of them. With a sigh, Billy stepped inside the spacecraft and took a seat next to Cestro, who was finishing up the launch protocols. The door closed and the ship roared to life as the rockets ignited, sending them off the ground.
A few seconds after the initial takeoff, the five Ranger teens ran through the park, stopping near the crater. "I don't get it." Rocky panted. "Wasn't Cestro's ship supposed to be here?"
"Alpha..." Tommy hailed, holding his communicator up to his mouth. "...are you sure this is where the ship is?"
"Yes Tommy." Alpha's voice replied. "I'm positive."
The sounds of the rockets caught everyone's attention and they looked up, seeing Cestro's ship gaining more and more altitude. Emma's long, blonde hair blew in the wind as her eyes went from the ship to the ocean. She broke into a run and dove under the water's surface, going from human to mermaid in a matter of seconds.
"Emma!" Rocky and Adam called after her, but she never resurfaced. "What could she be thinking?" the blue-clad teen shook his head. "Does she think she can catch up with-" The ringing of the buoy in the middle of the ocean forced the male to drop his statement. "Okay, how'd she get there that fast?"
"She can swim up to three-hundred miles an hour, remember?" Tanya reminded, glancing to Rocky.
Out in the ocean, Emma held onto the base of the buoy, looking up at the spacecraft. Seeing out the porthole window, Billy looked down at his mermaid cousin, his lips curling into a smile. "Till next time, cuz." he muttered as the ship blasted off through the Earth's atmosphere.
The recoil of the blast rocked the water, but Emma managed to hold onto the buoy, a small smile forming on her face. "Till next time, cuz." she sighed, a single tear falling down her cheek. She laid her chin on her forearm as she stared off into the sky, her tailfin sparkling just beneath the surface of the water.
A/N: And a new chapter is finished! This was one I was kind of looking forward to, just so I can showcase a little bit of the Billy/Emma family relationship. Anyway, I hope ya'll enjoyed it. As always, I'd love to know what ya'll thought about it. Till next time!
Next time: Instrument of Destruction.
Now for some questions/comments:
Djone246: Actually yes, Emma will return as the Pink Ranger in Dino Thunder. I hope you guys will like what I've got in store for you come that season.
DemonGirl123: Yeah, I know. It is always funny when they accidentally turn into a mermaid. I know you were looking forward to this chapter, so I hope you liked it! Love ya sis!
Guest: I might add some slight jealousy moments on his part in a later (original) chapter. Wait and see.