I'm not even gonna say anything so let's just get on with it, shall we? X'D

Chapter 27

Blue Blood Part 1

Several days had passed since the Energy Rangers had discovered Extreme Sports Mode and everyone was feeling different feelings. For one, they felt excited because they had discovered new powers and would now be able to do more cool stuff with them. On the other hand, they felt pretty nervous since they knew that Master Paine would only up his game more because of this. There was also the sense of responsibility since they knew that misusing Extreme Sports Mode could cause some serious damage. Also, there was this new villain Vladimir. What was he like? Would he strike again?

It was good thing that they now had Finian on their side. He was just bursting with patience and wisdom but had the strength and agility to take anyone before him. It would probably be a good idea not to make him mad.

But some Energy Rangers had taken a bigger shine to Finian than to others . . .

And one Ranger in particular was having a very tough time accepting him on the team.

She was in the training room right now, practicing her combat moves on a punching bag. Actually she had been spending a lot of time practicing her moves since Finian had joined the team. Like a lot of time. To the point where the the others would be lucky if they could get at least some food and water down her throat. Come to think of it, the only times Zoe ever really did come out of that training room was either to go to the bathroom or if there was a monster on the loose. And even those times were rare since 1: she was hardly eating or drinking anything and 2: Paine was barely letting out any monsters.

Callum especially was getting anxious about her health. Sure Zoe was fond of her training and all but not this extreme. It was getting a bit much, even for Zoe.

Enough was enough.

He headed over to the training room where sure enough, she was taking out all her strength on the punching bag that looked like it was ready to fall off the chain. She was drenched with sweat, so hot she had taken off her hoodie and belt to reveal a light blue sleevless shirt underneath. She had even put on black fingerless gloves to keep her hands from getting blisters, though her fingers looked pinker than usual.

Zoe didn't even notice Callum approaching her as she leapt up and whacked her feet off the punching bag, backflipping over and landing on all fours like a cat. She then permormed a pretty scary move: she charged up to the bag, leapt up and thrust her arms around it, ripping it off the chain. She twisted over, landing on her side before rolling over onto her back, the punching back still in her arms. Panting heavily, she threw it over and leapt to her feet, wiping her forehead. Only then did she notice Callum who was pratically gaping at her in shock.

"Well," she muttered, dusting off her hands. "Now you know why you shouldn't bother me while training."

Callum raised his eyebrows. "That's a bit much, don't you think?"

"I don't believe in that word." Zoe bent down and hauled up the punching bag, heading over to re-attatch it to the chain.

"Okay, Zoe, you need to tone it down a bit," Callum said sternly, pacing up to her, blocking her path.

"Why?"

"You've been pushing yourself WAY too hard since Finian arrived," said Callum. "It's like you're trying to make yourself better for him or something."

"Wow, you actually noticed!" she replied in an edgy tone.

Callum pulled a face, not sure if she was being sarcastic or not. "Huh?"

"That I don't like that guy."

"You don't like Finian?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot," Zoe said rudely. "He's so busy being so perfect, I forgot he had a name!"

"Zoe, no one's perfect. The same goes for Finian," Callum said.

"Yeah, sure he's not," she snapped. "He's a top-notch fighter, has more solutions to a problem than Dr. Sparks' gadgets and potions and can detect you from a mile away no matter how quiet you are! You should launch a firecracker in front of him and he wouldn't even flinch!"

"So? That's a good thing," said Callum.

Zoe stared at him. "Has Finian hypnotised you? He's so perfect, it's alien! How can you trust him?"

"Why else do you think he's given us powers and helped us through the hardest times?" asked Callum.

"Why didn't he give us more powers then? Or at least make them stronger? Maybe some more weapons! You've seen the amount of weapons he can make with those golden rings of his!"

Callum tightened his lips. "You're just trying to make yourself better than him, aren't you?"

Zoe froze for a second before snapping again "You didn't answer my question!"

"Neither did you. Anyway, maybe he wants to wait until we're ready for more powers." Callum shook his head. "Zoe, seriously, what's with the intense workouts lately?"

"I just like working out," Zoe muttered though they both knew they were lying. She scrunched up her face before quickly shoving Callum out of the way so she could hang up the punching bag again.

"To the point where you're barely eating or drinking anything?"

"Callum, do you want me to use you as my punching bag? Because this one's pretty worn out," Zoe demanded.

Callum backed away a little nervously. When Zoe made threats like that, it was best to leave her be. Sighing a little, he gave her a concerned look before rushing out of the room.

Zoe exhaled loudly, relieved to be alone. Or was she so relieved? For some reason, her hands were shaking, so bad, it was getting difficult to get the punching bag to hang up.

"Come on, hang up!" she murmured, getting frustrated. But the punching bag seemed to have a mind of it's own, slipping out of her fingers and crashing to the ground. She groaned in annoyance and tried to hang it up again but once again, it just wouldn't stay up. Zoe growled and bit her lip and tried to hang it up again but once again, it crashed to the ground, dust flying everywhere.

"Your anger gets you nowhere, Zoe." She didn't have to turn around to know who it was.

"Let me guess. You magically heard me and Callum talking," she muttered. "Considering you're perfection, I'm not surprised!"

"Actually," Finian smiled, not too bothered. "Callum just told me everything."

Zoe's eyes widened in horror. She whipped around and stared at Finian. "HE DID WHAT?!"

"For good reason," said Finian, calmly walking up to her and picking up the punching bag that lay in front of her. "It seems that you've been pushing yourself a little too hard, trying to improve what is already perfect." He raised the punching bag to the chain and attatched it perfectly so this time it stayed in place.

"How did you do that?!" Zoe exclaimed.

Finian chuckled pleasantly. "Think of this punching bag like your body. You've been pushing it and pushing it but it just keeps on falling down. I haven't been as hard on myself and I'm standing fine."

"Oh yeah. You're so perfect, you don't HAVE to push yourself," Zoe snapped. She turned away from him and went to throw a punch at the bag. But Finian grabbed her arm and held it tight. Zoe stared at him and tried to break free from his grip but that man was not letting go.

"What gives?!"

"You're letting your anger control your actions," Finian said, his face turning serious. "And that just makes your fighting impulsive and predictable."

"That's not true!" Zoe cried.

"Then why is it Master Paine knew your every move when you tried to take him on before he drained your energy?"

"You mean when his Ernestine girl kidnapped us? YOU SAW THAT?!" Zoe tried to punch him with her other fist but like before, Finian grabbed that arm and held it down with an iron grip.

"When I was consumed in that chest, I waited years for your team to be formed. I watched your entire journey from when you recieved your Energy Morphers to before you released me. And from watching you, I've seen your aggressive fighting ways," he said sternly. "It does no good, not for your team, not for the world and not for yourself."

Zoe growled and broke free from his grip. "Yeah, that's real nice. And you know what? If I had known you were in that chest and how annoyingly perfect you would be, I would never have opened it in the first place!"

"But you did the right thing, Zoe," said Finian. "By opening the chest and releasing me, you took the next step into becoming a better fighter."

"What, by listening to your lectures? No thanks," Zoe snorted. "Sorry, but I'm not gonna sit back and be one of your rookies. I'm gonna train myself and make myself a better fighter. Heck, I could save the world by myself if you'd just buzz off!"

Finian raised his eyebrows but remained neutral. "You cannot save the world by yourself. But you can become a better fighter. What would you do if I told you I could help you improve your fighting skills?"

Zoe pulled a face. "I'd roll my eyes and tell you what a show off you are and continue training myself!"

"And then you'd get nowhere," said Finian. "You may not be saying anything but Zoe, I know that deep down, you're afraid of appearing weaker than all those around you. You want to do everything in your power to prove that you're the strongest out there. Your actions explain it all. Zoe, I may not be able to make you the best fighter in the world but I can help you get stronger and wiser. You do realize that I've been the Olympian Warrior for over ten years. I've been training for all of these years so I know what to expect. And I know that you want to be a better Ranger. Just think about it. You can stay there getting nowhere or take the first step just by stepping out of this room right now. You make your choice."

With that, Finian turned around and started walking away very slowly, leaving Zoe standing there to think. She couldn't help admitting that he was right. Finian didn't seem like a man to lie. From his behaviour, she could tell he meant every word he said. Which meant . . .

"Finian."

He turned around. Zoe took a deep breath and asked:

"What do I have to do to be a better fighter?"

And I'm gonna leave it there. Mainly cause I have to go to bed now and because I wanna get this updated.

So will Zoe become a better fighter? Will she even let Finian train her?

And how will Master Paine and Vladimir react?

I hope to update soon!

Also, check out Elemental Masters!

See ya! ;D