The conversation at the end of this section is loosely based off the first episode of the Turbo season. I say loosely because I haven't seen it in ages, so I'm forced to take a bit of creative license.

The Aftermath

He woke up feeling...happy. That in itself was strange. He was as far from being a morning person as you could possibly get, and yet he felt like bouncing out of bed and singing in the shower. A bad idea, considering Nate had frequently informed him he sounded like a Harlem Choir boy going through puberty when he tried to sing.

The memories began to filter in. The steering wheel in his hands, gripping the gear shift as he floored it. Fighting on the deck of the Ghost Galleon, the rush of adrenaline as he drove through the flaming wreckage. Morphing for the very first time, the shock of finding himself so much taller.

He scowled. He was really looking forward to that growth spurt. His dad was not short. While his mom hadn't exactly been a giant, she was average height. Genetics all pointed to the idea that he would be tall. Genetics needed to kick in faster.

He blinked. That was a random thought. What brought that on?

It was a great dream, though. He could almost still feel the energy rushing through him. He must have even more issues than he thought; where in the world had the head in the tube, the chick wearing a bikini with a masquerade costume gone horribly wrong, and the talking lava come from? Granted, every kid wanted to be a superhero, and he knew why the whole thing had been centered around cars. Although he was a little surprised at who the Rangers were. Tommy, Adam, Kat, Tanya, and Rocky were preppy enough to be the ultimate good guys, but with the possible exception of Rocky, were not exactly his Power Ranger Dream Team.

How did it go exactly?

His hands moved automatically, ending with his right wrist pointing upwards and his left perpendicular. "It's Morphin' Time!" he whispered.

The object on his right wrist registered in the corner of his eye at the last moment.

There was a rush of blue light and electricity. Energy surged through him. "Mountain Blaster Turbo Power!"

Blue Turbo Ranger lay in a twin-sized bed with his feet hanging over the edge, blinking at the ceiling beneath his visor. "Holy sugar!"

He blinked again. "Holy sugar? Where the heck did that come from?" he asked aloud. He scowled. "Don't tell me this thing as a language sensor! Aw man, it does!" he groaned.

After brooding over that for a few minutes, he stood up, marveling at how easy it was to move in this new, taller body. A few practice moves had him giggling in delight at the sheer power behind his kicks and punches. Standing backflips and roundoffs. There was nothing this new form couldn't do!

That was new, too. He'd always been a pessimist. Losing his family had more than opened his eyes to the harsh realities of life. Not to mention the things he'd seen when spending time in rougher neighborhoods. And yet he suddenly felt like the world was an amazing, spectacular place full of fantastic people just waiting to meet him. It was like the never-ending ultimate sugar high.

Part of him wanted to be cautious, to be wary of anyone hearing him. To tell Zordon he couldn't do it after all. Scientifically, there was no telling what the sudden burst of growth hormones had done to his body, or would do with prolonged use. He couldn't do this. He'd helped the Rangers when they needed him, but now it was time to face reality. He was no superhero.

"Power down." he sighed.

He stared at his Turbo Key. He'd been the one it accepted. What said he shouldn't keep it? He liked saving the world. It was a chance to make up for the things he'd done. A chance to drive without being arrested or accused of destroying public property if he got a little rough practicing his turns.

But he was an twelve year old street-former-street punk, and the Power Rangers were the good guys. They didn't need him. He'd give the morpher back to Rocky, where it belonged.

He went to remove it from his wrist and hesitated. Well...he could wear it until he saw Rocky. Just to make sure it was safe. It wasn't like he was really going to keep it or anything.

Rocky smiled faintly as he listened with half an ear. Adam had already given him the full story of what had happened on Miranthius, so he wasn't really paying attention to what Justin was saying. What he did hear was that Justin was babbling.

Justin didn't babble. In fact, getting him to talk was usually like pulling teeth. And yet here he was, talking excitedly, his words practically running over themselves in his haste to tell him everything. His eyes were bright and excited, his hands gesturing for emphasis. And then, he did the unthinkable.

He giggled.

It wasn't even really funny-just a replay of Adam's 'Hey, your bride's leavin' comment. But Justin, his 'I-don't-give-a-damn-about-anything' friend, was giggling. It wasn't even a laugh; it was too high-pitched for that. It was bizarre.

It was also in that instant that he realized he would never take back the Power from him.

He smiled at Justin's enthusiasm even as he died a little inside. He wasn't ready for this! He didn't want to retire! He loved being a Ranger!

His back hurt a little now and then, yeah, but as soon as he had a morpher again, that wouldn't be a problem. It was his Zeo Crystal that had saved him from any serious injury in the first place; he'd have been a lot worse off otherwise considering the angle he'd landed at. The only real reason his back still hurt was because apparently the Turbo Powers were pulled from a portion of the Zeo Crystal, but enhanced or something. Justin's technobabble at that point had gone mostly over his head, so he'd just smiled and nodded, pretending he understood what he was talking about.

What it boiled down to was that as long as Justin had the Power, he wouldn't fully recover unless it was on his own.

He knew if he asked Justin would give it back to him in a heartbeat. But he could also see the slight fear lurking in the back of the other's eyes: he didn't want to give it back. He liked being a Ranger just as much as Rocky did.

But Justin was a self-conscious, isolated, and bitter kid. He was also a great fighter, smarter than anyone had ever bothered to given him credit for, and as much of a techno-geek as Billy had ever been. If anyone needed the confidence, friendship, and sense of purpose being a Ranger brought, it was Justin. And as much as Rocky wanted it, he didn't need it anymore.

He was already planning out what to say as Justin's story began to come to a close. His parents were always asking for one of the older sibs to take Sib Duty... He tried to beg off as much as he could, but with business picking up for the summer, they'd need as much help as they could get. And there was the fact that now that they were graduating today, he could claim he was getting ready for college. It wasn't like any of the others knew there really wasn't enough money for him to do much more than take a community course or two-not even Adam.

Adam.

He held in a wince. He wouldn't be able to watch over Adam anymore. Not that his friend needed his help, but it made him feel better to be there, just in case. But... Maybe it was better this way. It wasn't as if anything would ever happen between them, and if he pulled away now... Maybe it wouldn't hurt quite so much.

He snorted softly. Yeah. And maybe the United Alliance of Evil would spontaneously convert to the side of good, and swear their alliance to Zordon.

"Rocky?"

He blinked, looking at Justin. The younger boy was already reaching hesitantly for his wrist, biting his lip. His eyes screamed 'stop me!'

And he did.

"No." he said softly, giving him a smile. He placed a hand on Justin's arm. "You keep it."

Justin's eyes went wide. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah." he answered, even as part of him screamed in denial. "I think it's time for me to move on. Besides, you're a great Ranger. Just like I said you would be." he added with a wink.

Justin rolled his eyes, but he was already trying not to grin in delight. "You're really, really sure?"

"You calling me a liar?" he teased back, tickling his friend in retaliation.

"Hey! Stop it!" Justin giggled, squirming to get away.

He ruffled his hair affectionately as he surrendered. "Just promise me one thing." he said seriously.

Justin blinked up at him with unusually wide eyes. "Anything." he answered instantly.

"You'll still come to me if you need to talk to someone. For anything." he stressed.

Slowly, Justin smiled. "I promise." he agreed sincerely. He paused, glancing around swiftly before meeting Rocky's eyes again. "I promise something else, too."

He raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

Justin's gaze was solemn. "I promise to look out for Adam for you."

He froze. After a moment, he swallowed, forcing himself to smile. "Then it's a promise." he agreed.

Despite his smiles and understanding, despite all the teasing, his heart still shattered as he watched Justin run to join the other Rangers.