Power Rangers GPX SIU, Episode 2: Murphysboro
:-:-:-:We're the best chance for humanity, Power Rangers G-P-X, let's go!:-:-:-:
It's a Friday night in Carbondale and the city is alive. Despite being a relatively small city, the place is filled with bars frequented by college students. It's caused trouble in the past (Halloween 2000 riot, which caused the bars to be restricted for Halloween), but for the most part it's not real bad, but SIU does have a reputation as a party school. An unofficial student motto is "We pregame harder than you party" (Pregaming is having a few drinks before actually going out).
So tonight, Sean, Aaron and Maria are meeting outside Wall & Grand and getting ready to go to Pinch Penny Pub, the most popular place in Carbondale, and it's just east of them on Grand. "So, the gang's all here," Sean said, rubbing his hands in the cold, "Except for Kevin."
"He couldn't come," said Maria. "He said it was because he didn't want to turn unprofessional and become friendly with his students."
"You are 21, right?" asked Sean.
"Of course I am," said Maria.
"Good," said Sean. "We don't want to get in trouble now, do we?"
"No," said Aaron. "Let's go."
"Fine," said Sean. "To Pinch!"
It was a short walk, the only intersection being Wall & Grand. While on the way, they discussed what they were going to drink; either get the easy stuff or get stuff that beer enthusiasts like. Unfortunately, they didn't really get far when they reached Pinch. It looked swamped there was a cover charge involved.
"Forget it," said Sean. "Let's wait a few minutes and go back to the apartment."
"No," said Maria. "Let's stay."
"And do what?" asked Sean.
"Let's discuss our strategy," said Maria. "Over there." She pointed to what looked like a quiet spot.
"Fine," said Sean.
"So what do you want to talk about?" asked Maria. "About what we were trained in since we were kids so that we could fight all threats alien and human, about how SWORD brought us here to fight these guys and gave us our morphers on the Sunday before school started and begged and begged us to take them?"
"No," said Aaron. "I was thinking about how we should figure out just what they're up to."
"We already dealt with their transmutation circle last month," said Sean. "But from what Ronald was talking about, I'm guessing they have something else up their sleeve if they've been stewing in their juices for a month."
"But they said last semester they had a plan," said Maria. "What plan is that?"
"Whatever it is, it's probably a long-term one," said Sean. "And Ronald said this last attack was a warning. Whatever it is, let's hope they don't attack us during Da Bears game."
"Sean!" Maria shouted. "We're dealing with the potential fate of over 25,000 people plus 15,000 undergrad students, and your concern is football!?"
"It's the NFC Championship Game!" Sean explained, "Against the fucking Packers, of course it's important!"
"You're hopeless," said Maria.
"Can we get back to the plan?" said Aaron. "Oh, wait, we can't because it looks like Officer Brother-in-Law is here." Sean groaned as Rob pulled up to them in his SIU police car.
"Hello Sean," he said.
"Hey Rob," said Sean. "What's up?"
"Are you planning on driving tonight?" Sean looked around and pointed in the direction of Wall & Grand.
"My apartment is in walking distance!" he said. "Does it look like I'm gonna be driving?"
"Okay!" said Rob. "I just don't want any problems from you."
"Rob, I'm 21, I can handle myself!"
"You've only been 21 for a few months!" said Rob. "I don't know how you're going to handle your liquor!"
"What are you, my mother?"
"Look, Bridge asked me to do this, okay?" said Rob. "Don't get angry at me!"
"Okay, fine!" said Sean. "By the way, why didn't you show up on Tuesday?"
"I was in the middle of the police barricade!" said Rob. "I couldn't just sneak off!"
"How is he the Silver Ranger again?" Maria asked.
"SWORD accidentally sent him the Silver Morpher," said Aaron.
"I meant that as a rhetorical question," said Maria.
"… Rob, look, we're not going to get into trouble!" said Sean. "We're just going to have a few drinks and if any of my friends are there, invite them to watch the Bears game on Sunday, okay? Relax!"
"Okay, okay!" said Rob. "I'll leave you alone, just please don't—"
"Rob!"
"Okay, I have to get back on duty, just give me a call if you need anything," Rob said as he rolled his window up and drove away, leaving the trio behind.
"I thought he'd never leave," said Sean. "Come on, it looks like the line is shorter."
The place was too packed, so they took their business to the next door place, Cali's, but since Sean hated clubs, they stuck around in the Irish pub part of the building, called Callahan's.
"Caley!" Some Irish-looking guy shouted as Sean, Maria and Aaron entered the pub.
"Marty!" Sean replied, giving the guy a bro-hug. Maria and Aaron watched in confusion while the two seemingly old friends got reacquainted until Maria cleared her throat.
"Hey Caley, who are these guys?" he asked in a Chicago accent not much different from Sean's.
"Oh, sorry," said Sean. "Guys, this is my old buddy from Beverly Marty McAuliffe. Marty, this is Maria Aparicio and my roommate Aaron Ndebele."
"Nice to meet you," said Maria.
"So you watchin' the Bears game this Sunday?"
"You fuckin' know it!" said Sean. "Hey, wanna watch it at my apartment?"
"Sounds good," said Marty. "You gonna go crazy again?"
"Oh come on, that was one time!" said Sean.
"Do you know him from high school?" asked Maria.
"Nah, we I stopped going to the same school as him in 8th grade," said Sean. "I went to Naperville Central, he went to St. Rita."
"Why?" asked Aaron.
"His parents have been divorced since he was a kid," said Maria. "His mom lives in Naperville, his dad lives in Chicago."
"How do you know this?" asked Aaron.
"He told me!" Maria said as Sean and Marty ignored the conversation, just talking about old times.
"Dude, there's a punching machine," said Marty. "Wanna give it a couple punches?" Maria and Aaron wore a collective 'Oh Crap' expression on their faces. Even worse was Sean's response.
"You're on!"
"NO!" Maria said, getting in between the two. "I mean, why don't we get some drinks first?"
"Now that you mention it," said Sean. "Let's get some brewskis."
They ordered their drinks and sat down at a booth across from the bar. After a couple of minutes, they started to actually act like old friends. Also, they learned Sean and Marty were once teammates on the ice. "So, you guys all know karate, right?" asked Marty.
"I'm the one who knows karate," said Sean.
"Then what do you two know?" asked Marty.
"Taekwondo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu," said Maria.
"Muay Thai, and Jeet Kun Do," said Aaron.
"So is there a difference between all of those?"
"YES!" they all replied.
"Okay, okay, sorry!" said Marty. "Do you ever use that stuff on jagovs?"
"Martial arts are only meant to be used in self-defense and even then, it's non-lethal," said Sean. "They're not meant to hurt people."
"And yet you beat the crap out of so many players," said Marty.
"I was usually in a bad mood," said Sean. "Although considering you were the worst fighter on the team—"
"I was not, you jagov!" Marty replied. "I won just as many fights as you!"
"This guy thinks he's the baddest enforcer on the ice," said Sean. "He was just a winger!"
"What was that!?" said Marty. "You wanna go?"
"Um, let's go try out that punching machine!" Maria said in desperation.
"I forgot about that," said Marty. "Let's go!"
"You're on!" said Sean.
"Why?" asked Aaron.
"Must be the alcohol," said Maria.
The punching machine was a money-operated machine with an old-fashioned punching bag that supposedly could tell you how much you punched, even though it is clearly not scientific and is only intended to entertain bar patrons. "I'll go first!" said Marty. He wound up and gave it a good punch. "Seven hundred PSI!" he said. "Beat that!"
Apparently it riled something up in Maria and she shoved Marty out of the way. She fed a dollar into the machine and cracked her knuckles before giving it… a light jab.
"Holy shit!" said Marty, his jaw on the floor and eyes bugging out, "Six hundred!?" Then Aaron stepped up and gave it a little jab. "Seven hundred!?" A small crowd had gathered and they were just as bug-eyed as Marty was. Now it was Sean's turn and he gave it a jab. "Eight hundred!? Dude, you know what this means?"
"Yeah, the machine's broken!" said Sean. "Let's get outta here, I wanna go to Pinch."
"Puck Finch!"
"Shaddap!" Sean replied.
"You're coming with us," said Maria, grabbing Marty by the collar and dragging him with her.
"Agreed!" said Aaron. "Sean, what's the word I'm looking for?"
"Sucks," said Sean.
"This place sucks!"
"Now you're talking," said Sean.
Once they were out in the cold, Maria let Marty go. "Dude, what the fuck was that?"
"That machine's broken!" said Sean. "You must have broken it!"
"But—you guys—you—"
"Drop it," said Sean. His face showed he wasn't kidding around. He hated to threaten a friend, but he had to in this case. There was indeed a good reason that Maria initially refused to punch that thing. "Let's just go to Pinch and forget about it. Maybe we'll find some damn cheeseheads we can taunt."
"Okay," said Marty.
Pinch was a little more uneventful, save for the times, Sean and Marty spotted anyone wearing green and gold, the reaction was usually, "GREEN BAY SUCKS!" or some vulgar name-calling. Maria and Aaron just watched, refusing to take part in what they viewed as vulgar behavior. No matter how much Sean tried to explain that Bears-Packers is a matter of life and death they just didn't understand. Eventually Sean decided they'd never learn. Maria blamed it on the alcohol.
"Okay, you two have had enough!" Maria said, getting out of her seat and then nearly fell to the floor.
"And so have you," said Sean. "And it's almost closing time, let's get out of here."
When they came out into the parking lot, Maria stumbled and fell into Sean's body. He caught her, blushing madly. She blushed too, noticing how close she was to him. And despite his inebriation, he could tell she was in no shape to walk to the west side of campus. "Um, w—why d-don't you crash at our place?"
"Hey, I-I can handle myself!" she said drunkenly. She swung a lazy punch at him. "M-maybe I will."
"Hey, O.C., man," said Marty. "I-I'll see you on Sunday, okay?"
"Fine," said Sean. "Jerk."
"Prick." Marty said as he stumbled away. They were about to walk back to Sean and Aaron's apartment when Sean noticed a figure over near Cali's. The figure was familiar and Sean decided to go talk to them. But first,
"Marty!" said Sean. "Why don't you, Maria and Ndebele get some Winston's?" he pointed to Winston's bagel cart across the street. It had a considerable line.
"Okay," said Marty. "What about you?"
"I have something to take care of," Sean said as he walked away. When he was sure they weren't looking, he walked as tall and straight as he could, although he wasn't walking straight most of the time.
"Hello Red Ranger," said the polite male voice outside of the streetlamp.
"Drake," said Sean. The man stepped forward and removed the hood of his cloak. His hair was gold and his green eyes tried to bore in Sean. His white cloak had an Ouroboros symbol on it and it covered his entire body save for the head. "What does the leader of the Ouroboros Society want with me?" asked Sean.
"Is it impossible for me to congratulate you without being treated so rudely?" said Drake.
"You lost any respect I had for you last semester," said Sean. "And we already took out your transmutation circle around the city last month."
"So you did," said Drake. "But I must say you are not considering the 'big picture'."
"Why, what've you got planned?" asked Sean.
"That is for us to know," said Drake, "And for you to discover."
"Are you taunting me or something?" asked Sean.
"Of course not," said Drake. "I simply wished to warn you."
"Thanks a lot," said Sean. "But whatever you and your group have planned, we'll put a stop to it."
"That is what I wanted to hear," said Drake. "And I understand you did a number of Ronald."
"Next time you want to tell us you're still here," said Sean. "Come see us in person instead of sending one of your damn flunkies."
"Now, there's no need for that," said Drake.
"Cut the bullshit, you patronizing asshole," said Sean. "You turned the last Green Ranger against me last semester with your bullshit."
"I sincerely apologize," said Drake. "But it was only business. I must say, you have been the best adversary our small society has had since the French Revolution tried to have us dissolved."
"Glad to hear it," said Sean.
"It's nothing our ancient—"
"You're not ancient," said Sean. "Ancient would be if you dated back to Assyria. You date back to the Renaissance. You're nothing but a bunch of Ren Faire rejects; you and your fake science."
"Only to primitive minds such as—"
"Invoke Clarke's Third Law again and I'll rip your fucking tongue out," said Sean.
"Now, there is no need for such coarse language," said Drake.
"I got tired of hearing that last semester," said Sean.
"I understand," said Drake. "I shall tell my associates to refrain from saying that in the future."
"You'd better," said Sean.
"Is there anything else you wish to tell me?" said Drake.
"Yeah," said Sean. "Like I said, whatever plan you've got up your sleeve, we'll put a stop to it."
"Really now?" said Drake.
"Yeah, we will, wanna know why? We're Power Rangers," Sean said threateningly. "We don't quit, we don't surrender, and most importantly, we don't fucking lose."
"I am glad to hear that," said Drake. "You are indeed a fine adversary."
"And by the way, I'm wondering," said Sean. "I'm unarmed and unmorphed. I'm right here in the middle of the night talking to you. Why don't you just kill me here and right now?"
"Because killing an opponent when he is unarmed and unprepared is truly despicable," said Drake. "That is not how the Ouroboros Society does battle. And besides… you are inebriated."
"Hey, I'm not as think as you drunk I am!" said Sean.
"Yes you are," said Drake. Sean didn't get a word in edgewise as Drake turned around and left. "Adieu, Red Ranger! May we meet again on the field of battle!"
:-:-:-:PRGPX:-:-:-:
Maria woke up the next morning with a slight hangover. It wasn't the worst hangover she ever had though, and she found herself getting out of bed pretty easily. Then she found out it was Sean's bed! She screamed a little bit before she noticed Sean sleeping on the floor.
"Keep it down!" he said, shielding his face. Well this made the situation even worse. Maria screamed again and fell over the bed and landed on Sean, just inches from his face. Both of their faces were bright red and although they actually secretly liked it, screamed and Maria jumped off of him.
"Will you two be quiet!?" Aaron shouted from outside the door. "It's 10 in the morning!"
"Don't scream like that, are you crazy!?" said Sean.
"Don't scream like that, either!" said Maria.
"Neither of you scream like that!" Aaron shouted.
"Hey, shaddap, Ndebele!" said Sean.
"I know you two have hangovers," said Aaron, "But please don't scream like that again!"
"Shut up," said Sean. "And why does it have to be so bright?" The sun was shining off the snow, only making the situation worse.
"Godammit," said Maria.
"You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you enjoy—"
"SHUT UP, NDEBELE!" they shouted.
:-:-:-:Power Rangers GPX:-:-:-:
The Ouroboros Society's headquarters are secret. But they're not a dark, dingy dungeon as you'd expect. The main transmutation hall is well lit and evidence of past transmutations could be seen, mostly in the form of spent circles. Into this setting came Drake, followed by a man wearing a blue cloak and wearing goggles that obscured his eyes. He was missing an eyebrow, presumably from a failed transmutation. "All the preparations are set in order," said Drake. "Do you have what you need, Neville?"
"Of course I do," said Neville. "I have my materials; all I am required to do is transmute them.
"Excellent," said Drake. He watched Neville draw a transmutation circle in the floor and place his items—a teddy bear and other trinkets—into the circle. He watched as Neville activated the circle in a flash of blue lightning. "Magnificent!" Drake said as he beheld the monster. It was a bear, but not a bulky bear; one more anthropomorphic and sleek, less relying on brute strength.
"Thank you, Drake!" said Neville. "Where shall we send our monster—what is his name; oh yes, Ursalear!"
"Murphysboro," said Drake. "I want to throw the Rangers off our scent."
"At once, leader!" said Neville.
:-:-:-:PRGPX:-:-:-
Beep, beep, be-bee-beep, beep, beep!
"What the hell!?" Sean got up from the couch and looked for his morpher/communicator. He found it and said, "Yes?"
"We have a monster attacking downtown Murphysboro!" said the SWORD agent on the other line.
"Murphysboro? Are you fucking kidding me?" said Sean. "You know how far that is?"
"No."
"Well, neither do I!" said Sean. "And why there, there's—"
"Just get out there, that's an order!" said the Agent. Sean grumbled as he turned the morpher off.
"Damn," said Sean. He got up, stumbling and Maria and Aaron knew things were gonna be bad.
"At least two of us won't have a hangover," said Aaron.
"We're gonna need the Indys," said Sean. "We can't drive there on our own, it will take too long."
"I hate this," said Maria, "And what about Rob?"
"I'll try to call him," said Sean. "But I don't like our chances."
:-:-:-:Power Rangers GPX:-:-:-:
Murphysboro is literally just down the road (Main Street which turned into Walnut Street) from Carbondale. It was once a thriving town, but the Tri-State Tornado of 1925 leveled the town and it has not recovered since. Despite that, even with a population of less than 8,000, it is still the seat of Jackson County, Illinois. Murphysboro has also been a center of coal mining in the state of Illinois while its more prosperous (comparatively) neighbor Carbondale has the university. And it just so happens that the author's dad was born and raised in Murphysboro (nothing against the author's dad! I swear!).
Anyway, this small town came under attack on a Saturday morning in January. Ursalear and several upgraded Mannequins appeared out of nowhere and frightened the small town residents and sent them running for their lives. "ATTACK!" Ursalear shouted as the Mannequins fanned out and assaulted the main drag, Walnut Street.
It didn't take too long for the Rangers to arrive, fully morphed and driving colored Indy Car-shaped Indys (hence their name). Sean, Maria and Aaron stumbled out of their cars while Hitomi and Kevin got out just fine. "Alright, let's get these guys!" said Sean, "And make it quick, my head hurts!"
"Right!" they said and they too fanned out to fight.
Kevin did not gout drinking last night, so he wasn't hung over. He punched a Mannequin, grabbed its neck and drove it into a horde of them, their armor scraping all over the place. He ducked, blocked, punched another one, and then kicked it in the chin. The MMA middleweight rolled under several Mannequins and jumped up, kicking several in the plate armor that they wore. One swung its sword at him; he blocked it, then pulled it into him and elbowed it right in the jaw.
Hitomi flipped over several of the upgraded Mannequins—armed with sword and fitted with armor—and landed on the shoulders of one and covered its eye. Even if this Mannequin is less zombie-like than the original, it still can't see. The Mannequins attacked, Hitomi jumped off and they killed the Mannequin she jumped on. Then she jumped all over the place, kicking at Mannequins as if she was on a pommel horse and took out as many Mannequins as she could.
Sean, on the other hand, well, the effects of the hangover had gotten worse and he had a hard time fighting. The sun shone off a Mannequin's helmet. "Fuck, not so bright!" The Mannequin threw a punch at him. He blocked it and countered with a jab to the jaw. He spun around and kicked several Mannequins in the head. He stumbled and kicked another one, then punched it in the jaw and bashed it in the head. Then, when he had enough, he pulled out his Octane Blaster and started shooting.
Maria had it just as bad, as her headache was making it hard to fight. She threw an errant punch at a Mannequin that was blocked and returned. She stumbled backwards when her in-helmet HUD alerted her to one coming from behind. She jumped, flipped and landed as the Mannequin collided with her first opponent. Then she gave one a swift kick in the chin, grabbed one and tossed into a pile of Mannequins. He felt one bit her arm but she spun the tire on her glove and sent the Mannequin flying.
A Mannequin threw a punch right at Aaron. He bent over backwards Matrix-style and retaliated with a headbutt. His hangover wasn't as bad as Sean and Maria's so he was fighting better. He got on his hands and started spin-kicking at the Mannequins like he was break-dancing. He hopped on a mailbox like a parkour and jumped off to kick on in the face. He ducked at a Mannequin's punch and kicked it in the stomach, then got down and swept several Mannequins off their feet.
"You do realize bears aren't native to these parts, right?" Sean asked, ignoring his own love for the Chicago Bears as he charged Ursalear. He punch, spun and reverse roundhouse kicked Ursalear. Ursalear dodged the punch and blocked the kick, then countered with a swipe of his paw. Sean ducked and countered with an uppercut. He could tell he was smarter and more agile than the average bear (apologies to Yogi).
Ursalear punched as Sean. He blocked it and jabbed him back. The punch hit! Ursalear didn't react much and kneed him in the stomach. Sean doubled over, the wind knocked out of him and his headache got even worse now. Then Ursalear elbowed him in the back.
:-:-:-:PRGPX:-:-:-:
The Strategic Worldwide Organization for Reconnaissance and Defense (SWORD) is headquartered in a highly classified location and they are the ones behind Project Ranger; a Project with origins in the Korean War to train kids since they were kids until they could be called on to defend Earth from threats both foreign and domestic, terrestrial and extraterrestrial. Right now, the Project Ranger control room is going crazy as they monitor the situation.
"What's wrong with O'Callahan?" asked Tom Maelstrom, the Samuel L. Jackson-as-Nick Fury-look-a-like who leads SWORD, "And Aparicio and Ndebele?"
"I'm not sure, I'm running an in-suit diagnosis," said one agent. "Symptoms include photosensitivity, phonophobia, headaches, and… nausea."
"Oh dear," said Maelstrom. "Anything else?"
"Analysis of their breath indicates traces amounts of… alcohol."
"DAMMIT!" Maelstrom shouted. "Can you believe this?"
"Calm down, it's not as bad as it looks," said another voice. An African-American colonel stepped into the light; Col. Alan Greene, the liaison between SWORD and the Pentagon for Project Ranger. "They're college students, what do you expect? In fact, part of the whole idea was that we would let them grow into normal people and they seem to have done that."
"I don't want alcoholic Rangers," said Maelstrom. "This has got to stop now."
"It's only the first time," said Col. Greene. "I don't see this becoming a problem. But just in case, we should tell them not to get hangovers again."
"They'd better not," said Maelstrom. "And where the hell is Jackson?"
"He's making a traffic stop!" said one agent.
:-:-:-:Power Rangers GPX:-:-:-:
"Maria, are you okay?" Hitomi asked after Maria stumbled after hitting a Mannequin in the jaw.
"I'm fine chica," said Maria. "I'm just a little tired from last night."
"At least you're not hungover!" Kevin said while throwing a Mannequin to the ground. Maria growled and went back to fighting Mannequins.
Aaron was helping Kevin take out some of the armored/armed Mannequins. He had a Mannequin by the throat and Kevin finished it off, punching it in the jaw. At the same time, Maria and Hitomi started working together as they usually do. Maria punched a Mannequin and left it up to Hitomi. She twirled and kicked it in the jaw.
Aaron was helping some civilians get to safety when he noticed Sean was still fighting Ursalear. "Kevin!" he shouted, pointing at the Red Ranger. Kevin stopped punching a Mannequin and made a break for Sean, only to be stopped by more Mannequins. He cursed and started fighting them.
Ursalear threw a punch that Sean blocked. Then he kicked Sean out of the way and drew a circle on a street lamp post. Sean tried to rush him but he transmuted a sword with the post, giving him an evil smile. Sean just smiled and pressed the button on his belt buckle. The insignia on his chest projected a sword in front of him and Sean grabbed it out of the air. "Looks good, huh?" he said. "I asked them to make it look exactly like the Master Sword from Twilight Princess… The 'Zelda' game! Well, save for the red color and the uh, wing thingies."
"No, I just think the author's unoriginal and can't design his own sword!" Ursalear shouted, thrusting his blade at Sean. Sean parried and took a swipe at Ursalear. Then he swung downwards and their blades met. Ursalear threw Sean off, but Sean attacked again. He thrust the sword at Ursalear, just grazing the bear's left arm. "I thought you had a hangover!" said the bear.
"I do!" said Sean. "It's just not as bad as you think!"
Maria summoned her main weapons, the Haz Daggers. She took one and tossed it at a Mannequin, hitting it right in the throat. She jumped up, pulled the dagger out of the throat and jumped in the air. When she came down, she thrust the daggers into the eyes of two Mannequins. "Hitomi!"
Hitomi drew the arrow of her Am Bow and let it loose. The bow hit the Mannequin in the throat. Then she drew another arrow and with the opening, fired at Ursalear.
Ursalear had Sean on the pavement when Hitomi's arrow struck. The bear monster (which, by the way, is not even a real flesh-and-blood creature) screamed in pain. Then Maria jumped up and thrust her dagger into the bear's back. "Get off of me!" growled Ursalear.
Now Sean had a chance. He got up and threw a hard left hook at Ursalear's face and then wound up his leg, and gave Ursalear a mighty roundhouse kick to the gut. "NOW I'm feeling better!" he said.
Of course, the others were not going to let him fight alone. Kevin summoned his weapon, the Touring Rifle and shot Ursalear a couple of times. "Oh, yeah, now you guys come and help me!"
"Shut up, Sean!" said Kevin. He whacked Ursalear in the head with the butt of his rifle.
"Not this again," Sean muttered. He looked up and saw Aaron jumping over his head and kicking Ursalear in the face.
"Are you sure this thing is another Mannequin?" asked Maria as she helped him up.
"They said they couldn't create flesh-and-blood living things or something like that," said Sean. "That's all I'm aware of."
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that," said Maria. "They said alchemy can't create living things and it's taboo among alchemists." The author might as well establish some rules for this story's alchemy (even if it is inspired by the alchemy system in Fullmetal Alchemist). "I didn't think they had morals."
"I think they're lying," said Sean. He charged Ursalear and gave the bear a slash. Sparks flew from the bear and Sean punched it in the face again. Then Maria threw her dagger at Ursalear. Ursalear caught the dagger and threw it back. Maria dodged it and let it hit a mailbox.
Hitomi jumped onto the Jackson County Courthouse steps. Ursalear found her and charged her. She kicked him in the forehead. He stumbled backwards, and Aaron grabbed him, turned him around and socked him in the jaw. The he noticed Sean charging up his sword. "GT STRIKE!" He sped forward and slashed Ursalear, sending sparks flying. However, Ursalear was not done yet, and that only meant one thing. "Time to finish this!" said Sean. "Get your AcceleKeys out!"
They got their keys out and pressed small, unnoticeable buttons on their weapons. A key hole opened up in those weapons. "Supercharge!" he said. They jammed the keys in, gave them a twist. Their weapons began to glow and readied their attack. "FIRE!"
"Lightning Throw!" Maria shouted, throwing her daggers.
"Turbo Blast!" Kevin shouted, shooting his rifle.
Aaron just pulled the trigger on his Octane Blaster, the Rangers' fuel pump nozzle-shaped standard issue blaster.
"Energy Shot!" Hitomi shouted, firing her bow.
Sean lifted his sword in the air (purely for dramatic effect) and shouted, "GT STRIKE!" and swung his sword. All their attacks hit, sending sparks flying and Ursalear fell to the ground and exploded.
In the fiery remains, they found stuffing and other materials; hardened clay, the material required to make a Mannequin. "Look at this," Sean said holding something up.
"A teddy bear?" asked Hitomi. In Sean's hands was the partially-charred teddy bear head. "That's so sad. Do you think some child might be able to use it?"
"Its body is strewn about," said Maria. "It doesn't look like it can be saved.
"That teddy bear was able to use alchemy," said Sean. "The other monsters couldn't."
"What does that mean?" asked Kevin.
"It means things are going to get tougher," said Sean.
"I think we need a seventh Ranger," said Kevin. Sean looked at him.
"We already have six," said Sean.
"But Rob couldn't show up," said Kevin. "We need someone else."
"We'll see," said Sean. "Let's get out of here before the cops show up."
:-:-:-:Power Rangers GPX:-:-:-:
Sean, Maria and Aaron got a talking to about fighting with a hangover later on. They agreed to do so, but couldn't promise anything. Later that night, Sean went to Pinch Penny Pub where he found Marty sitting at the island bar, watching WSIL news. Sean got in right in time to see a story about his fight.
"You see this?" asked Marty.
"Yeah," said Sean, "Pretty crazy."
"What do you think?" asked Marty.
"I don't know," said Sean. "What do you think?"
"I think they're awesome dude," he said. Sean laughed and toasted to the Rangers with Marty.
:-:-:-:PRGPX:-:-:-:
End chapter
So how was that? I got some good complaints about the last chapter, specifically how they became Rangers, so I alluded to that in the chapter, and I mentioned how they became Rangers and I'll allude to their origins more in the following chapters, and I got a complaint about how the fight scene was underwhelming. I hope this fight scene was good, I got my fingers crossed!
Anyway, the story was partially inspired by Fullmetal Alchemist, although it's not a "Take That" (as TV Tropes puts it) against the show, as I will gladly admit, I love that anime. So the alchemy system is inspired by the system in FMA and I'll try to stick to it as much as possible.
And no, when I had Ursalear attacking my dad's hometown, it was not a slight against my dad, I swear!
Also, I'm still trying to finalize the Ouroboros Society's plan, but I might need a little help and I'm open to suggestions. If you have any ideas/suggestions, either tell me in your review or PM me and I'll consider it.
Feedback is appreciated!