A/N: You know the drill. Power Rangers belongs to Saban and Disney, and T5RYCB and Brian Kenny belong to ESPN
Ch. 3-Reasons 3 and 2: The Championship Matchup and Zordon of Eltar
(Show returns from commercial break)
"We're counting down the top 5 reasons you can't blame Rita Repulsa for using the the Green Power Coin so early in her conquest," said Brian Kenny
"Welcome back," said Brian Kenny. "You've seen reasons 4 and 5, and now, let's continue our countdown with Reason #3."
(The tape begins as Jason and Tommy are seen fighting in Ranger form)
"The Championship Matchup," said Brian Kenny.
"When we first faced off," said Tommy, "Jase was considered 'Angel Grove's Finest.' No one had been able to match him in martial arts…until I came along. We tied in that first match. Little did we know…we'd face each other again with the stakes at their highest."
"They were…about as evenly matched as you could get," said Trini Kwan. "Every time you thought Jason was going to maybe take command, Tommy would match him. And it turned out…we weren't the only ones watching."
"Indeed, they weren't the only ones watching this championship matchup, and this wouldn't be the last time they faced each other. Rita Repulsa was also watching from her Moon Palace, and Tommy caught her eye in a major way."
"No one else had been able to handle Jason…except…this guy. I felt that maybe what I needed was someone who could take on their leader...that's why I selected him in the first place," said Rita.
"So, a day or two later, she selected Tommy to be her Evil Green Ranger after he had been ambushed by a group of Putty Patrollers in a back alleyway."
"It was a wise choice," said Goldar, trusty sword on his lap. "There's no question he made a fine warror with all of the talent he had, and he almost did defeat them."
"Unkowingly," said Brian Kenny, "the two faced off again in Rita's Dark Dimension after Tommy had warped Jason there. There, Jason faced the challenge of his life, as he was forced to face Tommy without powers."
"He...he totally overpowered me, and nearly killed me," said Jason. "If Billy's even one split second later in his teleportation process, I'm a dead duck. It was one of the few times while a Ranger that I have ever been scared."
"The two then faced each other in the mountains outside Angel Grove, with everything on the line," said Brian Kenny.
"There were no differences between them," said Kimberly. "It took a lucky blast from Jason to decide the battle."
"Rita selected Tommy," said Scorpina, "in part because Tommy was Jason's equal. Rita told me later that no one else, not even Goldar, had been able to handle him."
"It was a wise choice," she continued, "because Tommy actually knew what he was doing. For what it's worth, I've never held anything against Tommy, which is why I never got in his little squibbles with Goldar."
(Picture of Tommy and Jason going at it is shown as tape ends)
"So, three down and two to go," said Brian Kenny. "Here's Reason #2."
(Tape begins as picture of Zordon is shows)
"Zordon of Eltar," droned Brian Kenny.
"I wanted to dis-connect Zordon," said Rita, "and see how those Rangers would handle it without him."
"Indeed, Rita was found to be correct in her logic. In every single previous battle the Rangers had, they had been able to turn to the legendary inter-dimensional being for help."
"Once she took away Zordon," said Kimberly, "she began to give us problems because we couldn't know what she was planning. We had to trust our own instincts. The eclipse battle...was a direct result of Zordon not being there to give us information about that coming battle."
"I could see," said Tommy, "when I was under Rita's control, that when they didn't have Zordon, they had some problems handling things. They were still a bit 'wet behind the ears' so to speak, in battle, and it was a wise decision to try and take out the one of the group who had more experience. In her opinion, that was Zordon."
"With Zordon gone, the Rangers became 'ripe for the picking' so to speak, and Rita found it easy to lure them into battle," said Brian Kenny.
"They were typical do-gooders," said Rita. "It was easy to lure them into the eclipse fight because they were more concerned about saving Angel Grove than they were about protecting their own hides."
"I DID MY RANGERS A GREAT DIS-SERVICE BEFORE THAT BATTLE EVEN BEGAN," said Zordon. "I SHOULD HAVE LET THEM KNOW ABOUT THE GREEN DRAGON POWER COIN, AND THAT RITA HAD THE COIN IN HER HANDS."
"I KNEW THAT RITA WAS GOING TO USE THE COIN, I JUST DIDN'T KNOW WHEN," said Zordon. "HAD I TOLD THEM EARLIER, MAYBE THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HANDLE IT BETTER."
"I could see the Rangers were naive, as Zordon hadn't told them about the Coin," said Goldar. "Rita made the wise choice to select her Green Ranger when she did."
(Tape finishes playing as picture of Zordon is shown)
"Coming up," said Brian Kenny, "you'll see the #1 reason why Rita Repulsa deserves no blame for using the Green Coin so early."
"It was, quite possibly, the longest, hardest, most drawn-out fight in Ranger history," said Kimberly. "I've never been more scared as a Ranger, before or since, than on that week."
(Music plays as segment ends)