Power Rangers GPX, Part 2

by DChan87

With the defeat of Phaedos, the GPX Rangers move to Orlando, Florida. There, a new enemy awaits them, as well as new allies... or something like that.

2. The First Battle in Orlando

Power Rangers GPX, Episode 18: The First Battle in Orlando

"Squawk, Where are they?" Parraptor squawked. He and Kalderon had raised hell near Orlando city hall in front of the TV cameras and they still had not seen the Rangers show up yet. The National Guard had shown up, but Parraptor had dispatched them easily. Now he was getting impatient waiting for them "They should have been here a long time ago!"

"Patience!" said Kalderon. "That was Phaedos's downfall, not just against the Rangers, but in general. We need to have patience. We cannot rush into this problem, especially since we've been cordoned off from the rest of the city." He pointed to the police barriers and the National Guardsmen. "If you want to, you can kill them."

"Squawk, that's no fun!" Parraptor replied. "I want the Rangers!"

"Fool," said Kalderon.

"This sucks!" said Parraptor, getting even more irritated with Kalderon. "You said the Rangers would be here!"

"It is possible they're having trouble arriving," said Kalderon.

"That's not an excuse, squawk!" Parraptor shouted back. By now, Kalderon himself was getting irritated with the monster's impatience. He was going to discipline it if it didn't shut up.

"If you don't—well, what do we have here?" The sounds of screeching tires could be heard approaching and a yellow Hummer skidded to a stop nearby.

"GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE WAY!" Sean shouted as he pressed down on the accelerator. The other Rangers held on for dear life while he drove like a madman through downtown Orlando. The National Guardsmen who had gathered to fight Kalderon and Parraptor scattered to avoid the incoming Hummer and Sean hit the brakes. The SUV skidded to a stop right in front of city hall.

"He's mad!" Mandla said as he jumped out of the Hummer and lined up with the other Rangers right in front of Kalderon.

"I was expecting the Power Rangers," he said with a slight tone of disappointment. "Who are you, and why are you covering your faces?"

"You'll find out soon enough," said Sean. "Right now, we're going to teach you a lesson, um… what's your name?"

"My name is Kalderon!" He replied. "I am the second of the Four after that fool Phaedos was defeated by the Power Rangers! I want to fight them, not vigilante fools!" To be clear, the Rangers were still wearing bandanas, hats and sunglasses to cover their faces so Kalderon—who knows what the Rangers look like—didn't recognize them. Hitomi, however, did recognize him… sort of.

"He looks like—" Hitomi was about to say, but Sean cut her off.

"Let me guess, Sailor Moon character?"

"Yep."

"Which one?"

"Nephrite."

"Bueno." He spoke to Kalderon next. "Well, whoever you are, you're going down!"

"Like I said, vigilante idiots will be dealt with. Swabots!" The gray-and-black robots with faces like skulls and red eyes gathered around their commander. "Kill these fools!" The Swabots rushed the Rangers-in-disguise. The Rangers ran forward and the two met in the middle.

Kevin flipped over the first Swabot he met. He blocked the attack of another before grabbing the one he just flipped over. He flipped that Swabot on its back before kicking the other Swabot in the gut. He ducked when another Swabot rushed him. The Swabot slid right over him. He then tackled another Swabot like the rugger he is. He threw the Swabot into several more Swabots. He was hit in the back but he retaliated, grabbing the Swabot's arm and throwing it to the ground, making it break apart instantly.

The Swabot in front of him lunged, thrusting its short sword. Sean ducked and roundhouse kicked the Swabot in response. Sean elbowed another Swabot in the chest. Trying to get to Kalderon, he broke free of the melee but was stopped by other Swabots, forcing him to keep fighting. He ducked to avoid two other Swabots which collided with each other. When he got back up, he blocked a Swabot's punch and punched it right back. With some impressive footwork he avoided more Swabot attacks before kicking one of the Swabots.

Mandla was doing well in his first fight. Well, relatively better. He threw a Swabot into a group of them. He then punched one in the face. He used that Swabot to attack another Swabot. He roundhouse kicked a Swabot that tried to come from behind him. He quickly ducked and sweep-kicked a Swabot off his feet. He finished it off, stomping on its chest. He quickly noticed another Swabot attack him to which he leapt back to avoid the Swabot. Mandla next punched a Swaobt right in the face, literally crushing the robot's face.

Maria danced around, easily avoiding the Swabot attacks. These stupid robots were never a challenge. When she stopped she hook kicked one of the Swabots that she dodged earlier. She rolled forward, again avoiding the Swabots. Then she kicked at a Swabot behind her, then used that same leg to kick a Swabot in the groin. It works, okay? Anyway, she leapt over a pair of Swabots like she was playing Leap Frog. She tumbled when she hit the ground and blocked a Swabot attack with her leg before jumping back up and taking out several more Swabots.

The Swabots she faced were astounded as Hitomi flipped over them. They had never fought a gymnast before, apparently. They had no chance to stop her when she kicked one in the chin. She then cart wheeled to avoid the Swaobts, even kicking them. She round house kicked a Swabot in the chest, knocking it into another Swabot group. She leapt up and grabbed a Swabot and threw it into the ground; quite a bit of strength for the physically weakest of the Rangers. She beat the next Swabot to the parking lot and with some space, twirled around like a ballerina, kicking several Swabots.

"Hm," said Kalderon. "For a bunch of vigilantes, they sure are good."

"Squawk, Really?" Parraptor asked. "What do you think?"

"They must have had several years of Terran martial arts training at least," Kalderon responded. He had a thoughtful look on his face, like he was the Sherlock Holmes of the Zordonians. "They way they fight, they're not people who simply watch movies, they've been trained by a master martial artist. Clearly they—" suddenly, a figure came out of nowhere and crashed into Kalderon, knocking him back. Kalderon replied with an energy ball at the mystery assailant, but said assailant leapt backwards out of the way, landing ten feet away. That move! These were definitely no amateurs. Then he noticed the person's sunglasses had come off and he got a good look at his eyes. They had a fire in them. A fire that—

"I should have known it was you!" Kalderon said. "You had me fooled with those disguises, but it won't work, Red Ranger!"

Sean chuckled. "Well, looks like you figured it out," he said. "I guess the ruse wouldn't last long."

"Your fighting styles betrayed you," said Kalderon. "And the way you slammed into me was like an 'ice hockey' player slamming into another player."

"Figures you would have found out," said Sean. The other Rangers gathered around him as he stood up. "I guess it's time to get down to business, huh?"

"Yes," said Kalderon. "I'll even give you time to transform."

"Fair enough," Sean said as he displayed his AcceleMorpher, "Time to kick into action! You ready, guys?"

"READY!"

"GPX, START IT UP!" They jammed the keys into the morphers and gave them a twist. A flash of light engulfed them. The crowd that had formed shielded their eyes while Kalderon just kept his arms crossed. The light faded and the crowd gasped in either shock, surprise or what-the-hell-ever.

There they were in their Ranger suits. The suits were obviously colored, save for the white torsos, which ended right above the black utility belts. These included silver straps like four-point safety harnesses that were attached to the flat-topped pentagon belt buckle. A series of broken white lines like on a road went down the arms, stopping at the gauntlet. The gauntlets were white, topped by tire-like rings. The boots were colored, though, but also had these black, tire-like rings. The collars were colored. The helmets were sleek, and had a pair of wheel-like features on the side, silver mouth plates with grills. If you read Part 1, you'd know that they were a combination of the Power Rangers Operation Overdrive and Kousoku Sentai Turboranger helmet designs.

The chest symbol was a motion-font number superimposed over a racing tire. The colors were red (#1), blue (#2), green (#3), yellow (#4) and pink (#5).

"Oh my god!" Mandla said, holding his hands in front of his face. He was feeling the euphoria of the suit for the first time, so it was natural. "This is the most incredible feeling in my life!"

"Yeah, you feel that the first time you morph," said Sean. "You get used to it."

"Why don't you do the roll call?" Kalderon asked to taunt them. Sean sighed in exasperation and snarled under his helmet. He really didn't like the roll call.

"Alright!" He said. "But only once! GPX Red!"

"GPX Blue!" Kevin shouted.

"GPX… Green!" Mandla shouted. The new guy had trouble remembering his color and posing, unfortunately.

"GPX Yellow!" Maria shouted.

"GPX Pink!" Hitomi finished.

"POWER RANGERS! GPX!" They posed as a group and some explosions fired behind them.

"What was that?" Mandla asked, referring to the explosions.

"You get used to them," said Kevin.

"Come on Kalderon, let's do this!" Sean shouted, getting into hot-blooded mode. Kalderon, however, wouldn't let him.

"Well now that we're all introduced, I shall leave you to Parraptor," said Kalderon.

"What?" Sean shouted. "You coward! You're supposed to fight us!"

"You will fight me again," said Kalderon. "But for now, I shall leave. Parraptor, I'll leave them to you!" Kalderon teleported away from the scene, leaving Parraptor to handle the Rangers.

"Squawk, Finally!" He reared, ready to fight the Rangers. However, he had something else. "Swabots!" The robots gathered around him. "Attack!"

"Oh, not more Swabots!" Mandla groaned.

"Being a Power Ranger isn't always fair," said Sean. "Now let's get 'em!"

"RIGHT!" The wheels on their boots and gauntlets spun and they sped forwards and met the Swabots in the middle.

Mandla's adrenaline was flowing faster than he had ever felt. And thus he felt like he could take on anything as the new Green Ranger. He pounded one Swabot in the face and kicked back at it. He spun around to avoid a nasty Swabot sword strike and kicked the sword out of the Swabot's hands. He elbowed one in the chest and then wound up his arm. He delivered a powerful blow to the chest of a Swabot that was right in front of him. He kneed another Swabot to take it out right then and there. "I cannot believe this feeling!" he said. Of course, he noticed an attacking Swabot and went back to fighting.

Determined to get to Parraptor, Sean tore through the Swabots he faced. He blocked the sword swing of his current opponent, and then kicked it in the chest. He pulled out his Octane Blaster, which looked like a fuel pump nozzle and shot at a pair of Swabots. Converting the blaster into the GP Sword, he took a big swipe at several Swabots, taking them out in a shower of sparks. "Get the fuck out of my way!" He side-kicked a Swabot and punched another one in front of him. He then punched an incoming Swabot in the gut, sending it flying back several feet, giving him a clear path to Parraptor.

Kevin collided with a Swabot that had tried to attack him. His collision destroyed the robot. Then he kicked a Swabot in the face. The damaged Swabot sparked. This caused some other Swabots to catch fire. Kevin pulled out his Octane blaster and fired two shots at the Swabots that were on fire. He blocked another Swabot's attack and shot another Swabot, making it explode in a shower of sparks and fly backwards into another group of Swabots. He tackled a Swabot and shot two more before throwing one of the Swabots to the ground like a judo fighter.

As she re-adjusted to the adrenaline the suit gave her, Maria fought hard as she could. She kicked at a Swabot and hit it in the chest. She then side kicked one into a group of them, knocking them over like bowling pins. The pavement suddenly exploded in front of her was a Swabot somehow blaster at her feet. She leaped back to avoid the shot, though. She ran forward, jumped and kicked the Swabot in the face with her jump kick. She spun around, avoiding a Swabot's sword. She responded with a hard roundhouse kick to the Swabot's face, decapitating it.

Hitomi fought her enemies with more agility than Maria. She flipped over several of them, all of them unable to fight her on her terms. She landed on the shoulders of one Swabot and jumped off when the other Swabots fired at it. The Swabot exploded and the Swabots were disoriented before Hitomi came back and kicked the Swabots' heads off. When she landed, she cart wheeled away to avoid the Swabot blasts. Next she kicked a Swabot's chin and punched the next one. When she stopped, she roundhouse kicked at a pair of Swabots to finish the job.

"COME HERE, POLLY!" Sean shouted once he got free of the Swabots. Parraptor braced for the Red Ranger's attacks and blocked his furious assault. Sean punched one-two against Parraptor which the parrot-monster blocked both times. Sean roundhouse kicked the parrot, which the monster blocked again. Sean ducked and blocked Parraptor's next attacks. "Polly want a knuckle sandwich?" Sean said as he punched Parraptor right in the beak.

"Squawk, you'll pay for that!" Parraptor squawked as he rushed Sean. However, he didn't get very far.

Kevin slammed into Parraptor and brought him down like a rugger. When Parraptor got back up, Mandla arrived and gave Parraptor a mighty blow to the head. Next, Maria roundhouse kicked the monster, serving him up to Hitomi who kicked him with both feet. "Squawk, now I'm really mad!" Parraptor screeched. The other Rangers gathered around Sean and prepared to fight.

"Any strategies?" Kevin asked.

"Yeah," said Sean. "Circle him and keep him off balance. We'll attack him one after another and then at the same time."

"Got it," said Maria. The other Rangers spread out and circled Parraptor. The parrot twisted around to try and get a read on the Rangers.

Then Sean rushed forward at Parraptor. He unleashed a furious assault on the parrot, punching and kicking in perfect intervals. He gave Parraptor a cross-jab, then a front kick. He blocked Parraptor's punch and elbowed him over to Kevin. Kevin then punched Parraptor like Rampage Jackson, knocking Parraptor back. He kicked and punched at Parraptor and using his foot, shoved him over to Manlda.

Mandla wound his fist up and punched Parraptor hard. The dazed parrot did not see Mandla run up and knee him right to Maria. Maria also got into a little melee with Parraptor, punching, kicking and blocking. Maria next grabbed Parraptor and threw him over to Hitomi. Hitomi spun like a ballet dancer, kicking Parraptor with each swing of her leg. Then she flipped over him and kicked the parrot. Parraptor stumbled backwards and fell down.

"Squawk, Now I'm really really angry!" He said. Suddenly, a weapon materialized in his hand. The Rangers pretty much knew that they needed something extra.

"Polly's got a toy, huh?" Sean asked. "Very well then, let's put the new gear to the test! Grand Prix Weapons!" Sean, Kevin, Maria and Hitomi pressed on their belt buckles and their weapons materialized. Mandla figured this out and also pressed on his belt buckle.

Sean had the GT Sword, resembling the Master Sword from the Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess, Kevin had his Touring Cannon—more like rifle, Mandla his twin-bladed Mountain Axe, Maria had her Haz Daggers and Hitomi had her Am Bow.

"Same strategy," said Sean. "But Hitomi and Kevin can adapt their weapons as best they can."

"Squawk!" Parraptor charged Sean. Sean blocked the parrot's attack with his GT Sword and swung the sword in retaliation. He hit the parrot monster easily, sending sparks flying. Kevin then shot Parraptor twice with his Touring Rifle. That set him up for Mandla to swing his big axe at Parraptor. Parraptor could not defend himself from the axe and Mandla got several big swipes on him. Next, Hitomi shot Parraptor with an arrow, distracting him and making him charge her. However, Maria came in between the two and thrust the dagger in her right hand at him and hacked with her left, which she held in a reverse style. The attacks hit Parraptor and he flew backwards, dazed.

Then he saw Sean charging up for an attack. His blade was glowing red. "GT STRIKE!" He shouted, swinging his sword. The attack struck Parraptor and sparks began to fly from him. He fell backwards as the Rangers gathered around Sean.

"He's not dead yet?" Sean said in frustration. "He's weak, but he's a stubborn bastard!"

"So what do we do now?" Mandla asked.

"We'll have to finish this off," said Sean, "Time to bring in the Big Gun! Col. Greene! We need the Nitro Cannon!"

"Nitro Cannon is on its way!" said an operator, clearly not Col. Greene. It didn't matter, anyway, since the big cannon materialized in front of the Rangers. The cannon was shaped like an engine with the exception of the gun barrel extending out and the pistol trigger extending below. The Rangers grabbed the cannon, two Rangers on each side and Sean holding the trigger.

"Ready!" said Sean. Parraptor began to get up, but still dazed.

"Aim!" said Hitomi. The targeting computer rose up and took aim at Parraptor. The cross-hairs lit up in red, signifying that it was locked-on.

Sean didn't even bother shouting 'fire' since he just pulled the trigger, trying to get this over with. The cannon fired a ball of energy at Parraptor, which he could not dodge or block. The ball struck Parraptor, making him so up in sparks. The parrot fell to the ground and exploded. The Rangers celebrated, thinking they had won.

However, Kalderon had not left the scene, but was watching from another area. He wasn't panicking or getting angry, either. He held up a crystal ball. "It's not over yet Rangers," he said as he threw the ball at where Parraptor once stood. The ball exploded and suddenly, Parraptor grew to a massive size.

"Squawk, now who's laughing, Rangers?" The parrot bellowed in a deep voice.

"Oh, COME ON!" Sean said in frustration. "Now what?"

"We have to call the Grand Prix Zords," said Maria.

"But we're in downtown Orlando," said Sean. "We have to keep property damage at a minimum, we can't fight here!"

"Dammit, he's right," said Kevin. He tapped his helmet, looking for a place to fight. "Found it! There's a spot northwest of downtown that's nothing but trees and grassland on both sides of Route 423. We can fight there! I'll send the coordinates to the base."

"Good job," said Sean. "Now we have to lure Parraptor there." He turned to Parraptor and shouted at him. "Hey ugly! Betcha can't catch us!"

"Squawk, Come here, you tiny little gnats!" Parraptor bellowed as the Rangers climbed into the Grand Prix Cruiser and took off for Route 423.

The Rangers led Parraptor through Orlando, trying to make sure there was little property damage and loss of life. Most of the traffic was cleared, giving them room to speed towards the location. Eventually, they found it and Sean pressed on the brakes, screeching to a stop. The Rangers climbed out…

… Just as Parraptor stepped on the Cruiser. "FUCK!" Sean shouted in frustration.

"Sean, we still have the Zords!" Kevins shouted. "They just materialized, let's go!"

"Hey, I'm the one giving orders around here!" Sean shouted back as he rushed towards the zords. The zords fired some harpoons at Parraptor which kept him in place. He leapt up in the air and landed on the GT Racer. The cockpit was cozy, and two panels glowed red thanks to back lighting. "GT Racer, online!" It was a large, red GT race car.

"Touring Racer, ready to go!" Kevin said when he dropped into his Zord's cockpit. It was a massive blue touring race car.

"Mountian Hauler, looking good!" Mandla said as he dropped in. The Mountain Hauler was a massive green pick-up truck.

"Haz Runner, roll out!" Maria cried. It was a large, yellow hazmat vehicle.

"Am Chaser, let's go!" Hitomi said. Hers was a large, white-with-pink-trimming ambulance.

"Get your AcceleKeys out!" said Sean. The other Rangers did so. "Initiate Grand Prix Megazord sequence, go!" He jammed the AcceleKey into the key slot. The other Rangers did so as well, Mandla included, although he was a little unsure. They gave them a twist, lighting up the dashboards.

Mountain Hauler joined with Touring Racer. The touring car split in two and rolled up to the rear wheels of the Mountain Hauler. A pair of panels adjusted, revealing elbows. At the same time, a pair of fists popped out of the back. The Touring Racer then joined with the Mountain Hauler, forming arms. However, Mandla was still confused. 'Now what?" He asked.

"You see the 'docking sequence' button on your dashboard?" Sean asked.

"Yeah,"

"Press it, now hurry!"

"Okay!" Mandla pressed the button and the docking sequence began. Then the grill on the Mountain Hauler lifted up and the front of the truck split and a pair of extensions popped out. The Hauler then rolled up the rears of the Am Chaser and Haz Runner and joined with them. The Haz Runner and Am Chaser formed legs. Then, the GT Racer rolled up the back of the Mountain Hauler and docked with it. The large lights on the top of the Mountain Hauler rolled back and folded down. Now the Megazord was ready. It was then that several rockets fired, propelling the megazord upright. The cabs of the Am Chaser and Haz Runner stayed put, forming feet. The Haz Runner formed the left leg and the Am Chaser the right. The rear compartment of the GT Racer folded back, revealing a head. The eyes resembled goggles, and the face mask was solid. No mouth piece. A pair of wheel-like panels on the side completed it. Finally, the robot was upright. The Megazord let out some steam, ready to fight.

"Grand Prix Megazord, online!" The Rangers shouted in the cockpit, seated in Indy-car style pods. Parraptor broke free of his restraints and charged the megazord from the other side of the highway. The parrot squawked and crashed into the megazord. The megazord held its ground and wrestled with Parraptor before it threw him to the ground.

Parraptor got back up and found himself on the receiving end of the megazord's massive fist. Parraptor then punched the zord in the head, which the megazord blocked easily. He did kick the megazord, which made it stumble back onto the edge of a residential neighbor hood.

However, the Rangers were able to keep it stable and it retaliated with a mighty punch to Parraptor's beak. The parrot stumbled back across the highway before falling on his backside.

News helicopters circled the two as they fought. A couple news fans and missile Humvees stopped near the wreckage of the Grand Prix Cruiser, although the Haro survived—Sean probably won't like that. The cameras captured the battle between the two. Millions of people in America saw the Rangers for the first time on live TV.

Of course, the Rangers ignored that. They had to focus on Parraptor. "Time to finish this!" said Sean. "Grand Prix Megazord Saber!" The sword materialized in front of the megazord and the megazord picked it up. Its eyes flashed under the visor. "Turbo jets!"

The jets on the soles of the feet of the megazord fired, lifting it off of the ground. Parraptor could only recoil in fear. "Grand Prix Megazord Strike! Go!" The megazord launched itself at Parraptor, its jets propelling it. It swung its sword at Parraptor, striking him. Parraptor erupted in sparks and flailed around. The megazord stopped and posed in confident victory. "Checkered flag!" Parraptor fell to the ground and exploded.

"FUCK YEAH!" Sean shouted as the Rangers celebrated. Their first victory on American soil was a decisive one. Now they had a leg up on the Zordonians.

[][][]

Kalderon teleported back into Emperor Rashon's throne room. He frowned in disappointment, but he felt that it wasn't too much of a big deal. Rashon wouldn't care, anyway. The general had a good standing with the emperor, unlike Phaedos so he had some freedom against the Rangers. He still had more chances to beat them, after all. "You lost," said Rashon, his face showing annoyance.

"I'm sorry," said Kalderon. "I did not expect this."

"Don't be too hard on yourself," said Rashon. "Parraptor was weak, anyway; reliable, but weak. You won't be getting in trouble with me."

"Thank you my emperor," he said, bowing in gratitude. "You are very forgiving."

"And you know," said Rashon. "Anyway, what plans do you have for the future?"

"None yet," said Kalderon. He was interrupted when feminine chuckling could be heard next to him. He turned to see Tirna materialize in a whirlwind of cherry blossom leaves.

"Well, well, Kalderon doesn't have any plans," the general said. "How are you going to beat the Rangers if you don't have a plan?"

"Stay out of this, Tirna," Kalderon said in an annoyed tone of voice. He was in no mood for the feminine general right now.

"Did I hurt your feelings?" Tirna asked. "You need to be able to take criticism."

"You're not part of this discussion so leave now," said Kalderon. Tirna scoffed and disappeared.

"So what do you intend to do?" Rashon asked.

"I will let you know," said Kalderon. "I have no intention of being hasty."

"A wise choice," said Rashon. "Very well, then. You are dismissed." Kalderon bowed before Rashon and teleported out of the room. Rashon was left alone to reflect.

[][][]

"Not bad," said Sean. The Rangers had gotten back to the house and were now back in their civilian forms, relaxing after a tough but good fight. "Maria, you fought well. Hitomi was impressive and Kevin, well, I think you need to tone down the rugby stuff, dude."

"Aw, man!" said Kevin.

"As for Ndeble, I think you did okay. You didn't quite prove yourself, but you did fine in your first fight."

"Thanks," said Mandla. "I guess."

"So now what?" Maria asked.

"We stay vigilant," Sean replied. "The Zordonians will no doubt come after us, but we'll be ready."

"That sounds—" Hitomi was about to talk, but the door opened interrupting her. She turned around and smiled at who it was. "Brother!" She said.

"Well, Rich Boy decided to show up," said Sean as Daisuke entered the kitchen.

"I thought you'd be happy to see me," said Daisuke.

"You know I don't like you," said Sean. "Oh, by the way, could you be more careful with your transactions? I think the Zordonians found us by hacking your credit card files!"

"Oh, no," said Dasiuke. He put his hand on his forehead in disappointment. The former Green Ranger was physically smaller than Sean and one inch shorter. His black hair was also shorter than Sean's. He was wearing a business suit, probably because he was meeting with Disney executives earlier. "I didn't think they'd do that."

"It's okay brother," said Hitomi. "We'll be fine."

"She's right," said Maria. "We'll be able to take them easily." Then, the door opened again and a three-year-old girl ran up to Sean.

"Uncle Sean!" Allie said as she gave him a big hug.

"Hey Allie," Sean said as he hugged back.

"Who's this?" Daisuke asked. He didn't know this girl, so it was natural.

"This is my niece Allie," said Sean. "Say hi to Rich Boy," he said to Allie.

"Hi Rich Boy," the three-year-old said. Maria smiled at how cute the girl was, but Daisuke didn't think it was cute. Eventually, Bridget, Rob and Tommy came in with Cassie.

"Who are these people?" Daisuke asked. Bridget frowned at how rude he sounded, so Daisuke re-worded his question. "I'm sorry, I don't think I've met you," he said. "What's your name?"

"Hi, I'm Bridget," she said. "I'm Sean's older sister. This is my husband Robert Jackson." Rob and Daisuke shook hands. "I see you already met Allie, so I'll introduce you to my baby daughter Cassie."

"How old is she?" Maria asked. "You never told us last time.

"She's six months old," said Bridget. "She's a February baby. And this," she gestured to Tommy. "Is Tommy, me and Sean's brother. Say hi, now."

"Screw you!" Tommy said in response. "I've heard of you, I don't like you." Dasiuke was not happy one bit while Sean stifled his laughter.

"Must run in the family," said Daisuke.

"He's really not that bad," said Rob. "He's just mad about being here, right?"

"Right," Tommy sarcastically said. Rob ignored him and turned to Sean.

"Did you see the news?" he asked.

"What news?" Sean replied. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You mean you didn't see those superheroes fighting downtown?" Rob asked. He went over to the TV and turned on CNN. There was a headline across the screen that said,

"MONSTER FIGHT IN DOWNTOWN ORLANDO, FL; OFFICIALS HAVE NO ANSWERS"

The group crowded around the TV and watched the coverage of the fight earlier. The anchors were talking speculatively, not sure what was going on. There was also shaky hand-held camera footage being shown on the TV that almost resembled Cloverfield. The Rangers and Daisuke watched with interest but covered that up with a worried look. Rob and Bridget were also worried about the images one screen. "Who are these people?" She asked.

"Power Rangers," said Maria. Might as well get one thing out. "We heard of them in Japan. I didn't know they had come here."

"What's with the spandex?" Sean asked, mocking his own suit. "And that pose, it's ridiculous!"

"Sean, there was a monster attack!" Bridget scolded. "And you're thinking about the poses they're doing?"

"Hey, they won, didn't they?" He asked.

"That's not the point," said Rob. "People were injured in this attack."

"Sorry," said Sean.

They watched the news people discuss the battle. They could only speculate as best they could. "The Power Rangers are a children's television show!" said one person. "This has to be a hoax."

"There are eyewitnesses and video footage," said another. "This is not fake!"

Bridget changed the channel to WESH 2. There, an anchor was more believing. "Ladies and gentlemen," she said. "We thought this was just a rumor or something like that. However, the footage from Japan has turned out to be real. We don't know what will happen next, but one thing is clear:

The Power Rangers are real, and they are here in Orlando."

[][][]

End chapter