A/N: Just the usual. Will take time to update so you guys aren't left hanging when I reach the Once a Ranger stuff. Other than that, read and review!
The Rangers returned to camp to drop David off, before getting back into the SHARC. On their way home, they were thinking of ways to help Tyzonn.
"So, if the Fearcats found something in Portugal, that led them to Brazil, where's the jewel and what's the connection?" Mack asked as he sat in the back with Kaylee, Dax and Rose.
"I was picking up very small jewel readings in that jungle. Hardly anything at all though," Kaylee said. "But I still don't think that makes sense."
"Well, the Portuguese colonized Brazil in the 1500s. A jewel could have come across then and left a signature," Rose stated.
"But a lot could happen in five hundred years," Kaylee sighed. "That jewel could be anywhere!"
"Even so, there should be some sort of clue, or trace or something, right?" Mack asked.
"We'll find it," Kaylee smiled. She then turned to Ronny who was in the front seat, piloting the SHARC, with Will sitting beside her. "But first, let's help Tyzonn."
Ronny looked over at the jar that held Tyzonn's mercury and sighed. She knew she should be worried about him, but there was something else on her mind. What really freaked her out was that it wasn't Will. Normally, when he was sitting up there with her, she could barely stay on task and pilot the ship. It normally didn't take much to distract Ronny, but driving was something that could easily keep her attention for hours on end. Before, with Will, driving came second. Now, it was placed third.
The first thing on her mind was David. Though they had officially just met a few hours ago, she had grown to liking him. Their pasts were intertwined and he seemed to really care for her. He risked hurting himself further, just too look out for her.
"What about the Fearcats?" Will asked. "They're still on the loose!"
Ronny remember Will was sitting beside her and started feeling really guilty. David was the first thing on her mind, and normally it was Will, but today, the black ranger was probably the furthest thing from it. Ronny felt horrible about it. In the last few months, she developed a crush on him, and she was ready to admit it. The two had even flirted, though it was nothing big. But now that David walked into her life... it's like she had completely forgotten him.
"Guys, I'm gonna drop you in the city in case they come back," she said to her friends.
"Yeah, good idea," Mack smiled.
"Actually, Ron," Kaylee said. "I'll go with you... we can talk when we get home."
Ronny looked back at her friend and nodded before landing the SHARC in a clearing and letting her friends out. Kaylee took Will's spot in the passenger seat before Ronny took off again.
"I know I said when we get home, but now will do," Kaylee smiled. "You okay?"
Ronny turned to the blonde, keeping one eye on the skies. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" she asked. Kaylee raised her eyebrow and Ronny caved. "No..."
"So?"
"So, what?" Ronny asked.
"Is it Will, or that David guy?" Kaylee smirked. Ronny reached over and punched Kaylee in the arm. "OW! Hey, just trying to help."
"It's confusing," Ronny sighed.
"I was in a love triangle before, and it kinda hurt the guy who was rejected," Kaylee said, remembering how hurt Hunter had been when he had to break up with her. "Just, don't lead him on... okay?"
Ronny nodded as the SHARC landed in the garage of the mansion and the two girls ran to the base.
"Mr. Hartford, do something!" Ronny yelled, holding the jar as she ran up to her mentor.
"When I heard about Tyzonn, I had Spencer bring the stabilizing unit from the plant," Andrew said. He put the jar inside the machine and started fiddling with the controls.
"What's it supposed to stabilize?" Kaylee yelled over the noise of the machine as the two girls watched, afraid of what might happen.
"We use it to stabilize metals and fabricating Zord parts. I hope it might help stabilize Tyzonn's metallic DNA!" Hartford explained.
The alarms sounded as Mig and Benglo appeared in the city.
"Where are you, Power Rangers? Don't you care about this meaningless city?"
"The team will be there soon!" Ronny assured Hartford, before looking back at the loud machine.
"And you need to go as well!" Hartford yelled to the girls.
"No! Just one more second!"
The three gasped as the machine started steaming and the mercury steamed out of a sprout in the bottom. Just as it reached the chair, it took on the shape of a human.
"Tyzonn!" Ronny smiled. She helped the alien sit up in his seat.
"Thank you, Ronny, Kaylee and Mr. Hartford. You saved me!" Tyzonn smiled back.
"Now we gotta go," Kaylee said, pulling on Ronny's arm.
Tyzonn watched the two girls leaved before Hartford helped him stand.
"Seems you've really bonded with the group," Andrew said.
"They are my friends," Tyzonn said.
"Would you reconsider joining us? From what I've heard, and seen, we could use a guy like you," Hartford offered. He then ran to a table and picked up a spare Tracker, handing it to Tyzonn. "I made this... just in case you returned."
"You've got a great team to support you," Hartford added when he saw Tyzonn's uncertainty. Suddenly, the alien handed the Tracker back, with a look of horror on his face.
"No, I'm- I'm sorry. I can't join the team!"
-----Operation-Overdrive-----
"You wanted us!" Mack yelled as he and the Rangers, including Ronny and Kaylee, arrived to fight off the Rangers "You got us."
Tyzonn watched the monitor at the base. Andrew seemed panicked. The alien knew the Fearcats were hard to beat, and his friends needed help. Without a word, he took off for the door.
-----Operation-Overdrive-----
Just before Mig was about to destroy the Rangers, Tyzonn jumped out from nowhere and fought the cat with his staff.
Benglo took on the Rangers and smiled as he set off an explosion just behind the Rangers, knocking all of them off their feet.
"Like this never happened before," Kaylee said under her breath as she tried to stand, only to clutch her stomach in pain before falling back down to the ground.
Frustrated, Ronny did manage to stand back up. Tyzonn saw this as he struggled with Mig. He quickly knocked the staff out of the cat's hand and turned to the yellow Ranger.
"RONNY!" he called, catching her attention before throwing the staff at her. She caught the staff with one hand and turned to the two cats.
"How about a taste of your own medicine?"
Ronny swung the staff, a trail of purple smoke coming out of the ends. Just as she swung it in the Fearcat's direction, a mighty blast destroyed the two cats.
-----Operation-Overdrive-----
Back at the Mansion, the Rangers and Tyzonn met up with Hartford and Spencer on the front porch.
"Nice job team!" Hartford congratulated.
"It was exciting to watch!" Spencer smiled, catching a hyper Kaylee as she jumped into a hug.
"They set 'em up..." Dax started.
"We knock 'em down!" Kaylee finished, hugging the butler.
"Did you have sugar, Kaylee?" Spencer asked, looking the girl in the eyes. Kaylee shook her head rapidly, but Spencer's serious look slowed her shaking, and turned it into a nod.
"Mack gave me candy!" she tattled, pointing to Mack.
"I'm just glad those Fearcats are gone," Will smiled.
"Hey, but we couldn't have done it without Tyzonn!" Ronny smiled, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder as Will mentally cursed himself. "Welcome to the team, buddy!"
"I- I thought I'd feel better, somehow relieved, that the Fearcats are gone, but- but I don't..." Tyzonn sighed, looking away from his friends.
"You are a part of the team, right?" Kaylee asked her foot taping rapidly on the porch.
"No... I'm sorry my friends. My mission is complete. The Fearcats are gone. Now, I must go too."
While all the other Rangers were saddened by the news, Will smiled to himself.
-----Operation-Overdrive-----
Will was sitting in his room, listening to his music when he heard a knock on the door. He turned down the music.
"Come in!" he called. The door opened and Ronny walked inside, frowning.
"You don't like Tyzonn, do you?" she asked, crossing her arms and glaring.
"Ron, it's not that I don't like him," Will smirked. "He just... we don't click..."
"You don't have to date him," Ronny frowned. "You just have to be his friend... hell, you don't even have to be his friend, you just have to be able to work with him? Can you do that? Or did you forget our little trip to Atlantis?"
"Well, I guess you can be friendly enough for the both of us!" Will snapped.
"What?"
"Ever since Tyzonn came here, you've been flirting with him," Will said, trying hard not to let his secret spill.
"Flirting?" Ronny asked, completely lost.
"Hey, but we couldn't have done it without Tyzonn. Welcome to the team, buddy" Will mimicked, using a high squeaky voice.
"You think..." Ronny managed to say before bursting out in laughter. "You think I have a crush on Tyzonn?"
"It was kind of obvious!" Will whispered.
Ronny recomposed herself, seeing Will was hurt. She sat down beside him and grabbed his hand. "I grew up with five brothers," she said. "I've learned how to be just as friendly to guys, like I can be with Rose or Kaylee! It may look like flirting to you, but it's completely innocent!"
"Really?" Will asked, a small smiled escaping his lips.
"Really," Ronny smiled. "I don't have a crush on Ty, I just, see him as a very good friend."
"Do you want me to be honest?" Ronny asked. She figured she could trust Will; after all, he was one of her best friends.
"Please!" Will said.
"I do have a crush on someone..." Ronny whispered, nervous. Will seemed to perk up, until Ronny spoke again. "You know that doctor back in Brazil?"
"The doctor dude with a busted leg?" Will asked, crushed, but he wasn't going to let Ronny see it. Ronny nodded and smiled.
"I dunno what happened. We just... clicked," Ronny said. "Promise you won't tell anyone?"
"I promise," Will smiled, pulling Ronny into a hug. He was crushed that Ronny didn't see him the way he saw her, but he was happy for her.
He was also happy that he used to have an ego bigger than Rose's brain. It was hard to bruise, and he was quick to recover from the pain. It was only a crush after all, and he was Will Aston. He could get any girl he wanted. Except Ronny.
-----Operation-Overdrive-----
Downstairs, the four Rangers, Tyzonn, Spencer and Hartford were in the game room.
"Tyzonn's made his decision. He doesn't want to join us," Hartford sighed.
"I want to join the team. I just- I can't!" Tyzonn explained, though not very well.
"Why not?" Kaylee asked. "There's always the few random add-ons! We can't be the reject team without an add-on Ranger who isn't one of the original? Who else are we going to leave with all the boring jobs like fighting foot soldiers while we fight in the real battles with the monsters?"
-----Operation-Overdrive------
"Many years ago, I was part of an elite team. We were intergalactic emergency responders – best in the galaxy. But then, one day, something terrible happened," Tyzonn explained, sitting on the orange couch in the game room. "We were called to a cave-in. Innocent people were caught in the rubble. I sent my team into the cave on a search and rescue mission. I stayed outside and searched for other injured people. They came out carrying the cavers with them. One was very upset..."
"Help! Save us from the Fearcats! They're blasting the cave from the inside!"
"Now, I'd heard of these evil Fearcats, and they're vicious. They were looking for an energy source to release their army. That's why they were blasting the cave from the inside. But my job was to rescue everybody, not just the innocent, so... so I sent my team back in... assuming that the Fearcats were trapped inside... That's when I saw them."
"They weren't inside, were they?" Kaylee asked.
"They'd escaped somehow," Tyzonn answered. "I shouldn't have sent my team back in! It's my fault they are lost. Rescuing... it was my life. But I will never jeopardize another team. I'm sorry."
Tyzonn stood up, near tears as he walked away. Ronny watched him thoughtfully before running after him, only reaching him once they were out in the yard.
"Tyzonn, wait!" she called, stopping behind him as he turned around. "You can't just leave."
Tyzonn sighed as he smile sadly.
"Thank you, Ronny, for your kind works in the jet earlier. I was worried I wouldn't get my body back."
"Wait a minute..." Ronny frowned. He wasn't supposed to hear her. "You could hear me?"
"Yes, even in mercury form. You have a calm and soothing manner. You'll make a great rescuer."
"Yeah, comforting a little sister will do that to you," Ronny laughed. "But Ty, you're a great rescuer. It's in your blood. It's who you are. I saw that at the camp, and the beach! It's what makes you so special. Nobody can take that away. What we do out there is dangerous, but the world needs up, now more than ever."
She reached out, touching his arm.
"What happened in those caves wasn't your fault," she assured him, but Tyzonn looked away.
"But it was..."
"Look," Ronny started, raising her voice slightly. She wasn't a quitter. She was determined to get him to change his mind, and dammit he was going to change him mind. "We don't always win... sometimes the bad guys do, but we can't let that stop us! That is what makes us heroes!"
Ronny was stopped when her communicator beeped.
"Ronny, we have an emergency situation."
Ronny looked up at Tyzonn one last time before running back to the mansion.
-----Operation-Overdrive-----
"Come on Rangers!" Kaylee called, leading her team down a short flight of steps leading to a courtyard.
"So we meet again," Benglo smirked, stepping in their path.
"Man, them again!" Dax groaned.
"This nine lives thing is ridiculous!" Rose sighed.
"Not the wolfblades... again!" Kaylee yelled.
"We have more power now than ever!" Mig explained as he and Benglo raising their hands, then brought them down, flinging a burst of energy at the Rangers. "Flurious made us stronger!"
"Prepare to be destroyed!" Benglo added.
The rangers got to their feet and attacked the two cats. Mig blocked a couple punches from Ronny and Will, then grabbed Ronny's wrist, throwing the yellow Ranger to Kaylee, who was running to the fight. Both the girls fell to the ground, holding their heads. Will tried moving in, but Mig clawed at his face and knocked him backwards.
Benglo ducked under a kick from Dax and swung at Rose. When he missed, Mack tried kicking him, but Benglo leaped away, using Mack as a push off.
Ronny and Mig were going face to face, until Mig knocked her back. The yellow Ranger landed on her knees, allowing Mig to kick her in the chest, forcing her back.
"Ronny!" Kaylee yelled, running up to Ronny and helping her up. Mig came to both of them and grabbed them by the arm, lifting them in the air and smashing them together. When he was through, the tossed them to the side, like ragdolls. He laughed as he watched them struggle to get up, until he felt something blast him from behind. He turned around and saw Will. Mig growled, leaping into the air and punching him in the stomach.
Benglo had just finished off his set of Rangers and joined Mig. The two cats stood side by side as the Rangers regrouped, holding their injuries.
"And now, you will meet your fate!" Benglo yelled happily.
The Fearcats laughed until a new figured appeared, putting himself between the cats and the Rangers.
"Whoa..." Ronny smiled, seeing it was Tyzonn, dressed in an Operation Overdrive uniform.
"I won't allow you or anyone else to terrorize this planet!" Tyzonn yelled. "I'm a resuer... and a Power Ranger!"
He swung his staff around, sending an energy blast at the cats, knocking them down.
"OVERDRIVE ACCELERATE!" he yelled.
When he was morphed, he jumped into battle, while the other Rangers watched in awe.
"YAY random add on Ranger to fight the foot soldiers!" Kaylee cheered, pumping her fists in the air. "Go TY!"
The Fearcats took a harsh beating from Tyzonn before backing away.
"You may have won this time..." Benglo said. "But we'll be back!"
"Ha!" Tyzonn laughed as the cats disappeared. "I'll be waiting!"
-----Operation-Overdrive-----
Later, the seven Rangers were back in Brazil, walking through the forest.
"There must be a clue to the jewel somewhere in this jungle," Rose smiled, happy the team was complete. She heard about Kaylee's past teams and their add-on Rangers, and was happy they finally had one.
"And we'll find it!" Tyzonn smiled hopefully. "We're heroes, remember?"
"Yeah, we're heroes, all right," Mack laughed.
The Rangers reached a clearing, where Dr. Medford's team was packing up their stuff. Dr. Medford walked up to them, with David at his side.
Tyzonn looked over at Ronny and smiled when he saw her blush. He heard her conversation with Kaylee in the SHARC and knew she liked David.
"Thank you so much for helping up and scaring off those vile beasts," Medford smiled.
"No problem," Kaylee answered, shaking the doctor's hand. "It's what we do. Now, why did you call us back here?"
"Well, we wanted to make sure you were all right," David said, looking over at Ronny.
"Davey here's been asking me about Ronny for hours on end," Medford teasing, tapping David on the back playfully as the younger doctor and Ronny both turned to the color of Mack's uniform.
"Not just Ronny..." David mumbled, pulling away from the older man.
"We're fine," Mack laughed.
"Are you leaving?" Das asked, noticing all the bags, and that David was also holding his own set of bags.
"We are," Medford nodded. "Our expedition has come to an end, but we wanted you to have a small token of our appreciation."
The doctor handed Kaylee something wrapped in cloth. She unwrapped it and saw it was a little statue.
"it's the Yanomami statue," Medford explained. "It's an ancient relic."
Suddenly there was a beep from all the Ranger's trackers. Kaylee pulled hers off her arm and aimed the beam at the statue.
"hey, it's got a strong jewel signature!" she smiled.
"I told you we'd find it!" Tyzonn said.
"You're gonna fit in just fine," Ronny laughed, patted Tyzonn on the shoulder.
The Rangers thanked the doctor and turned to walk away. Medford looked down at David and nodded before the younged doctor ran up to Ronny, grabbed her arm and spinning her around.
"Um, I was just wondering... Dr. Medford's already got a trained doctor on his team, and he doesn't really need me as much as he thought he did," David started, refusing to look Ronny in the eye.
"Yeah..." Ronny smiled.
"And well, I know you have someone at home to help you when you get hurt," David continued. "But I was wondering if I could come as well. Maybe get a little crash course training."
"Never say crash course, and I'll think about it," Ronny said, teasing the doctor. David slapped his forehead, remembering Ronny's accident on the track. He obviously wasn't thinking when he said crash course.
"I promise, I won't," he laughed.
Ronny looked over at Kaylee and gave her leader a puppy dog face.
"Can I keep him?" she asked.
"I don't know, Ronny," Kaylee laughed. "We don't have room for him. Karly's already stolen the couch and the food bowl."
"Please!" Ronny begged, hopping over to Kaylee and putting her hands on Kaylee's shoulder. "Please! I promise I'll feed him, and take him on walks everyday!"
"Promise?"
"Cross my duck and hope to zwip," Ronny assured the blonde. Kaylee smiled, nodding.
"Welcome to the medical team, Doc," she said.
Will groaned. Now the Doc wasn't a temporary obstacle for Ronny's heart. He was coming home. And she was excited about it. He started to wonder if he should just give up.
He looked over and saw Ronny smiling at the Doc. He couldn't help but smile, seeing her so happy.
Maybe... at the end of the day, letting her go was the best thing he could do. After all, he was still going to be one of her best friends. And after hearing the stories about her five older brothers... he decided that maybe the Doc should take that fall. Will was perfectly fine being the boy friend. The one the older brothers liked because he would never even think about making a move on Ronny.