Power Rangers GPX, Episode 34: Victory Lane
:-:-:-: We're the best chance, for humanity, Power Rangers G-P-X, let's go! :-:-:-:
Nothing left Rashon with a deeper feeling of shame like this. Here he was, the ruler of one-tenth of the entire galaxy, the only one who could make the Galactic Alliance tremble in their boots, who had thousands of species and trillions of individuals at his very command, was humiliated and defeated by a backwater planet that should have been easy to conquer.
In the end, however, Eltar was right. The Earth had formidable defenses, mainly in the form of five—make that eleven now—young humans who had no fear whatsoever of him. They did not care if he did rule one-tenth of the galaxy and whatnot. In the end, he suspected it may have been his downfall. The rest of the galaxy had ignored the Earth for so long they hadn't even bothered to make contact in 4.6 billion years of existence.
Even though a few Terrans had made it off their planet (and indeed the Juraian Emperor was rumored to be human) and a few aliens were already on this planet, the galaxy treated Earth like a no man's land.
Or perhaps, that's what proved to be his downfall.
They did not care of the Zordonians originated on Earth and decided to find their planet again and take it back for themselves. It just seemed selfish to them. Of course, demanding that they keep their otherwise meaningless planet must have been good motivation for them.
As Rashon stood in front of his shuttle, he looked up from the ground at Sean O'Callahan, the leader of these humans who resisted the might of the Zordonian Empire. Next to him was Jon, the leader of another group of Rangers that also originated on Earth, but were secretly taken away from their planet and raised on the Flash worlds. Bent on revenge, they followed them back but now they had contributed to his defeated.
The Juraians were going to laugh at him for this.
Sean stepped forward and approached Rashon. "Are you sure about this?" Jon whispered in his ear.
"Yeah, of course I am," said Sean. "I think I know how the Doctor's speech went, let me see if I remember it. Okay, I think I do." He remembered the words from the Doctor Who episode he was thinking about, then he cleared his throat and began to speak.
"By the ancient galactic rites of combat, I forbid you, Rashon III of Zordon, from conquering here for the rest of time," said Sean. Rashon heard those words and immediately he felt the pain of what they meant. Sean continued. "And when you go back to the stars, tell others of this planet. When you tell them of its riches, its people, its potential, when you talk of the Earth, make sure you tell them this:
"It. Is! DEFENDED!"
Rashon sucked in his breath as the Terrans cheered at Sean's words. He had no choice. He was utterly humiliated and defeated, after all. The only way to save face was to leave. He nodded his head. "I, Rashon III of Zordon, agree to your terms," he said. "I shall leave this planet and tell the rest of the galaxy of this planet."
Sean nodded as Rashon turned around. As Emepror, he kept his poise and dignity as he walked aboard the shuttle. Liaria could only weep. Eltar was sullen and downtrodden and Hercuron only seethed. They followed their Emperor onto the shuttle. The landing hatch closed and the Zordonians departed, never to return.
The shuttle returned to the Zordonian ship orbiting Earth, Rashon stepped off, saluting his men and Swabots who had come to greet him. However, he said nothing. Then he saw Tirna standing in the hangar. "What is the meaning of this?"
"I have suffered the humiliation of defeat," said Rashon, "And the Rangers invoked the rites of combat. By their terms, we must depart." Tirna did not respond. Instead, the general watched as Rashon and his inner circle left the hangar for Rashon's throne room.
"Set a course for Zordon," said Rashon. "I suspect the only ones who wish to learn of this planet are the ones who mean them no harm."
"At once, my Emperor," said an aide. No doubt the rest of the galaxy had heard of his defeat. The Juraians knew of the defeat of Phaedos pretty quickly, after all. He sat down in his throne and now that he was alone with his inner circle, he broke down with his head in his hands, finally coming to grips with his defeat.
"I apologize," said Eltar.
"My love—" Liaria said before cutting herself off. Rashon sat back in his throne and sighed. Then, in a big surprise, he smiled.
"Why don't we go back down there?" asked Hercuron. "They didn't even know about the rites of combat, what if they pulled this—"
"The humiliation I just suffered alone is enough," said Rashon. "Even if they did not, what just happened to us made us a laughing stock in the eyes of the galaxy. We had no choice but to leave."
"But Rashon, this is sheer madness—" Liaria began before Rashon politely cut her off,
"Perhaps our conquering days are over," he said. "I will keep my word and tell the galaxy of Earth and I will tell them that the only ones who should approach it are those who mean no harm to them. Otherwise, I fear the worst for them."
"I shall prepare a speech, Brother," said Eltar.
"Do that, Eltar," said Rashon. "Now let's go home." Eltar nodded and Rashon sat back, eager to return to Zordon.
:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:
The anchor looked at the camera. She waited for the floor producer to give the cue. "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six," he stopped counting out loud for the final fix seconds and then cued it up to the anchor. The red light on top of the camera went on, the teleprompter began moving and the anchor started to speak.
"It has been 24 hours since what is now being called the 'Battle of Orlando', where 11 superheroes calling themselves 'Power Rangers' saved the city of Orlando from what is now being called an Extraterrestrial attack. Scientists and officials have been forced to admit that we are not alone in the universe. However, the force that attacked us, the Zordonian Empire, has declared they will not return, and will make sure the only parties who will come into contact with us are parties who mean us no harm.
"One of the bodies recovered from Orlando City Hall, that of the Zordonian general Kalderon, has been noted to resemble the German industrialist and billionaire Marcus Schneider. Schneider's body was discovered in his mansion outside of Munich. Because of the state of decay, it's believed his body had been rotting in his mansion for several weeks, which may have coincided with his appearance in Orlando. The UN is saying it's possible Kalderon was impersonating Schneider.
"Meanwhile, questions are being raised about the Power Rangers; who they are and where they went. Any and all images of their faces have disappeared, and media outlets have no explanation for this. However, that does not mean all feelings towards the Power Rangers are negative.
"Across the globe, tributes and thank-you letters to the Power Rangers are flowing in. Thank-you cards and songs are being dedicated to them, even quotes from the theme song of the 1993 'Mighty Morphin Power Rangers' TV show, which is said to have inspired the Power Rangers name.
"One person who was critical of the Power Rangers, Ben Dreck, has apologized for his criticism, saying that he was unaware of the good deeds they were performing for the people of Ear—" Col Green turned the TV off and looked back at the brass in the Pentagon. The officers remained silent, unwilling to really ask Col. Greene any questions. However, his expression was one that said, 'I told you so."
"So… now what?" asked one of the officers.
"Now, we'll have to see," said Col. Greene. "I doubt the rest of the galaxy is going to come after us, but if any other force does come to conquer us, we have a trick up our sleeves."
"Are they even enough?" asked another general. "We just sent a message to the rest of the galaxy that we're not push overs. Suppose someone takes the Red Ranger's warning as a challenge?"
"We have enough trainees that we could potentially make an army out of them," said Col. Greene. "However, I hope we never have to use them."
"Are you sure?" asked another general. "Are we going to have to discontinue Project Ranger?"
"The risks are too great," said Col. Greene. "Instead, we'll keep it in a sort of hibernation until the situation requires them to act as Power Rangers, whether it's an external or internal threat."
"So where are they now?" asked a general. "Any and all evidence of who they are is in the hands of SWORD, how do we know what they're up to?"
"Leave them alone," said Col. Greene. "They deserve to return to the private life, even if it's temporary in the long run. Besides, I'm sure they're having fun."
:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:
"DISNEY WOAD!" Allie shouted in excitement as Sean carried her under the railroad bridge. Yes, the author did say they weren't going there, but who gives a crap? The Rangers deserve it. As he crossed into the hopping park, he held Maria's hand as an expression of excitement was on their faces.
Hitomi, Aaron, Kevin, Rob, Tommy, Bridget and Cassie followed. Bridget looked back and beckoned someone else to come with them. "Come on!" she said with a smile. "Don't be afraid! It's alright!"
Out came the Flash Rangers, now wearing Earth clothes. They were nervous, naturally, having to wear the GPX Rangers' spare clothes—oh wait, no, they weren't nervous about that, they were nervous about actually getting the chance to be human for once.
They'd grown up on distant planets, far from the joys of being kids. Now they were given a chance to be kids without acting childish. The GPX Rangers rushed over to them and physically encouraged them, shoving them or taking their hands and dragging them into the park.
They ran down Main Street USA, heading for Cinderella Castle. Even though the park was busy, it wasn't busy for the standards of the time of year. Of course, the Orlando region is still recovering from the attack and battle, not everyone has had a chance to really get to Disney World.
That just made this day even better. They had the place almost to themselves!
The GPX Rangers pulled the Flash Rangers in front of Cinderella Castle. Allie and Tommy joined them, and so did Rob. "Alright, everyone look at the camera!" said Bridget. The GPX Rangers posed like college-age young adults would. Hitomi even flashed a pair of peace signs at the camera. The Flash Rangers, well, they weren't sure what to do. They just stood around while Bridget took a couple of pictures.
Then it was the GPX Rangers' turn. This photo would go on Facebook for everyone to see, since showing the Flash Rangers probably wasn't the best idea. Bridget took another photo of the team and then it was down to individual photos.
Hitomi took one, Aaron did too, so did Kevin, Sean, Maria and Rob. They took photos in pairs. Sean carried Maria like a bride and even one where she kissed him. After several of these photos, the O'Callahan/Jackson family took one last photo before they all split up.
First Sean took Jon to Frontierland where he made the other Red Ranger ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. While Sean was having a blast, Jon was begging to get off the ride… until the end, when he demanded to ride again. Sean agreed, but only to ride on Space Mountain.
Kevin took Flash Blue, named Bon, over to Adventureland on the Jungle Cruise line. However, they pretty much regretted it, having to sit through the tour guide's horrendous puns and stupid jokes. Kevin made it better by telling Bon some much funnier, Oscar Wilde-esque jokes that fit the ride.
Aaron ignored that ride, thinking it was too stupid. Instead, he and Flash Green, Kei, went to Splash Mountain. This time it was Kai who had to get Aaron ready for the ride, since he was pretty much scared out of his wits when he dropped all the way down the infernal ride into the water.
Maria did not go on any rides. Instead, she and Flash Yellow, Sara, just walked a round the park, getting to know each other. Sara apparently had a lead on her parents, but she wasn't positive. It took some encouragement from Maria to make her smile and recognize she could find them.
As for Hitomi, well, she's Hitomi. She dragged Flash Pink, Lu, into Fantasyland and took the alien Ranger on a bit of a ride, going to the carousel, and then riding on Dumbo and other rides that made Jul a little nervous, especially the Peter Pan one! Hitomi could only laugh as Jul remarked about how they were flying.
After a while, they started mixing things up. Sean and Maria had a chance to go on an impromptu date while Hitomi tackled her fear of ghosts with a very reluctant Aaron who had to shake his arm out after they got out of the Haunted Mansion. Rob and Bridget, well, they spent the day together, either with Tommy or without. They eventually settled into the Hall of Presidents, one of Rob's favorite attractions.
In the evening, they left the Magic Kingdom for Epcot, where the real party began. Why, you ask? Well, Epcot is the only park on the premises that serves alcohol.
Apparently, Disney isn't so square, after all (fifties slang FTW!)
They went straight for the Germany pavilion, which is where said alcohol is served, at the Biergarten buffet. As Jon saw the liquid being served to him (courtesy of a fake ID on behalf of SWORD), Sean wrapped his arm around his alien counterpart. "This is beer!" he said. "It is a very wonderful drink!"
"One you should be careful while drinking!" said Bridget. Sean said something about Bridget not being very fun and simply chugged some of his beer.
Well now they had some time to get to know each other. Serenaded by oom-pah versions of "Chelsea Dagger" and "Go Go Power Rangers", they sang a few football (soccer) chants as started by Kevin and talked amongst each other. The Flash Rangers sincerely apologized for their behavior and so did the GPX Rangers. Really, blame for their conflict fell on both sides.
When asked about why some alien plague had not spread across the Earth, Jon mentioned it was because by galactic law (which even the Zordonians followed, which is strange), any visiting party had to not only disinfect themselves, but immunize the entire population of a planet via the atmosphere (and better yet, no crazy side effects!). "Great, now we don't have to worry about piggy flu!" said Sean.
"Those vaccines only protect you from alien diseases," said Jon, "Native diseases must be dealt with by the native population."
Sean grunted and shouted "Aliens!" while making a hand gesture that will be made famous by another person proclaiming 'aliens'. But, that was a silly little moment. Sean instead decided to get to know his counterpart better. "So what's your story?" he asked.
"I was 5 when I was taken from my home," said Jon. "I don't remember who took me, though. I only have a vague memory from before my life on Flash, and I recall a language that sounds like the language they were speaking in the France pavilion."
"I take it you're probably French," said Sean. "How long has it been, 15, 20 years?"
Seventeen of your Earth years," said Jon. "Flash was the planet we were left on because they stopped the pirates who kidnapped us. We grew up on five different planets and we took on the abilities of the planets. Flash 5 is low-gravity, which is why Lu is able to jump so high and stay aloft."
"Which technically violates the laws of physics," said Sean.
"We are going to try and find our parents," said Bon. "But we're not sure where to start."
"SWORD should be able to find some leads," said Sean. "Talk to them, they might help you."
"We don't want any help," said Lu. "We—"
"Look, I get it!" said Sean, "But it doesn't have to be a lot, they can just give you some genetic leads and they'll let you find them."
"Do you really think so?" asked Jon.
"Of course," said Kevin.
The Flash Rangers looked at each other, discussing whether or not to accept SWORD's help (whether or not they come to the Flash Rangers). Speaking a language the GPX Rangers could not understand, they looked like they were coming to some kind of consensus… or at least that's what the GPX Rangers could tell. Bridget whispered in Sean's ear and he could only shrug in response. The other GPX Rangers tried to listen, but the language was related to no Earth language and/or linguistic family.
"We'll accept," said Jon.
"GREAT!" said Sean.
"But what are you going to do next?" asked Jon.
"Well, I got accepted to the University of Wisconsin-Madison in March, and well, that was a big motivation yesterday," said Sean, "So I'll be going there to play some hockey. Hell, I'm lucky I was able to take all morning classes I had to register so late!"
"University… oh, we had a similar institution on Flash!" said Jon.
"Well, you probably know what goes on there!" said Sean. "And by the way, all of these idiots are coming with me!"
"Did you say that in case we forgot?" asked Maria.
"And to drive the point home to a certain newbie," Sean said as he glanced over at Aaron (who was awkwardly looking away).
"So am I an idiot?" asked Bridget.
"No, because you went to Northwestern and you're my sister," said Sean.
"That's right, and you'd better not forget it," said Bridge.
"Oh-kaaayyy, let's get down to drinking, again!" said Sean.
Actually, Bridget made them leave after a while because of the concerns about alcohol. On the way out of Epcot, they stopped by the Japan pavilion and got a look at the department store now under Miyazawa management. Hitomi bought kimonos for all the ladies, and Sean bought a katana just for the hell of it with the money he made being a Power Ranger.
They left the Epcot and went back to Magic Kingdom. They spent the rest of the night going on other rides before going back to Main Street USA around midnight. "What is the meaning of this?" asked Jon.
"You'll see," said Sean.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and welcome to the Magic Kingdom's Summer Nightastic Fireworks Spectacular!" said the PA announcer.
"Did he honestly just say that?" asked Sara.
"It's Disney, they milk the hell out of everything," said Sean (what, did you think I wasn't going to send a zinger their way!?)
"We're thankful all of you could join us here today, especially after yesterday, and we're certainly thankful for the POWER RANGERS!" A big roar erupted for the crowd.
"That's us! That's us!" Kevin bragged while everyone else cheered, his voice drowned out by their noise.
"Oh, I'm going to miss this city," said Maria.
"Why?" asked Sean. "There're too many gangs around here."
"I know, but I got used to it," said Maria.
"The people are nice," said Aaron.
"Yeah, that's true," said Sean. "Speaking of which, what happened to your girlfriend, I think her name was Jasmine?"
"She was not my girlfriend!" Aaron corrected. "I found out yesterday. She escaped to Atlanta and she's going to stay there with her aunt and uncle before going to Howard University in the fall."
"Well, I heard it's a nice college," said Sean. "But, sorry about that."
"It's okay," said Aaron. "I'm not that disappointed."
"And speaking of which, Hitomi, what about Pola-Killer? Where'd he come from?" asked Sean.
"He'd made it as far as Gainesville and when he heard about the invasion, he asked someone to drive him here," said Hitomi.
"I thought he was a pacifist now," said Sean.
"He wanted to help!" said Hitomi.
"Okay, okay!" Sean said, putting his hands up to calm Hitomi down. Some fairy lady was talking on the PA system, but Sean was ignoring it. "So what about Rich Boy?"
"What, did you think he was going to be left out of this battle?" asked Hitomi. When she realized what he meant, she said, "Oh, I mean, he couldn't be here because this was our victory. He'll probably join us later."
"Fair enough," said Sean, "And I'm sorry for making you think I liked you in that way and for well, hurting your feelings."
"It's okay!" said Hitomi.
Suddenly, the lights dimmed, causing a cheer rising from the crowd. Then, several fireworks exploded from the direction of Cinderella Castle. The Flash Rangers immediately reacted, reaching for their morphers, but the GPX Rangers held them back. "Just relax," said Sean. "It'll be typical Disney, but this is completely harmless."
"Are you positive?" asked Jon.
"Hey, no one would be here if it was going to be hostile," said Sean. "Just enjoy the show."
Jon swallowed hard and nodded. Sean patted his counterpart on the back and looked back up at the fireworks show, which concerned fairies (for the girls) and pirates (for the boys). "You know who that is, Allie?" Rob asked to his daughter on his shoulders.
"FAIWY GODMOTHA!" she shouted.
"Sean, Maria, they're playing a waltz for you two!" Bridget said. Maria responded, making the reluctant Sean dance with her. When they turned around, Sean gave Bridget the Finger, but she simply laughed it off, thereby negating its effects.
"Did you just give your sister the Finger?" asked Maria.
"… No," Sean replied after a pause. Maria knew he was lying, but she didn't push the matter. When she turned and faced Bridget, she winked at her and mouthed something at her.
"Oh, she's going to make a good sister-in-law," said Bridget.
Maria didn't hear that. Once the waltz was over (it was short, much to Sean's relief) they stopped dancing, but Maria kept his arm on her shoulder.
"How are they telling a story?" asked Kai.
"Like I said, it's Disney," said Sean. "It's just fireworks set to music."
"PIWATES!" Allie shouted.
"See who they're aiming it for?" said Sean. For those of you who might complain, she's three years old and watching a fucking fireworks show! "Okay, that's impressive," he said when fireworks exploded out of the castle.
"TINKABELL!"
"Wow, she's really getting into this!" said Sean. And when he looked at Tommy, "Oh, I'm so gonna blackmail you!"
"HEY!" he shouted back.
"Relax," said Rob.
"HOW DID THEY DO THAT!?" Jon shouted.
"Oh my god, you're from a frickin' planet with technology that surpasses ours, and you're impressed with a light fixture going down a fucking line!?" Kevin shouted.
Fireworks erupted all around, signifying the grand finale. The fireworks appeared to wrap up, but the fairy godmother character on the PA said something about a certain special group.
Suddenly, they could hear a familiar tune being played. While the Flash Rangers looked a little confused, Sean knew instantly what it was. "It's the Power Rangers theme!" said Sean. Right as he said that, fireworks of red, blue, green, yellow, pink and gray lit up the night sky set to the tune of the theme song. The crowd roared again and smiles broke out across the faces of the Power Rangers.
Now they knew just how much they were appreciated. It was something they could be proud of. They'd saved the world from total destruction, having dealt with more than a few bumps on the road. Being a Power Ranger is never easy, of course. But moments like this, especially after the fireworks ended, told them that when it all came together, all the hardships, struggles, pain, anger, grief, blood, sweat, tears and yes, joy, were all worth it.
For that, they could be proud of themselves.
They'd fought hard and earned a major victory. Whatever came their way, they'd rise to face it head-on and will fight until they've won. They never quit, they never surrendered, and most importantly, they won. They've got a power and a force no one had ever seen before. They had the ability to morph and even up their battles. No one could ever take them down; the power lies on their side!
GO, GO POWER RANGERS!
:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:
The End
And that's that! The end of "Power Rangers GPX"… or is it?
No, not really. We've still got Power Rangers GPX SIU underway, so go and read it! It's a little darker, but it's still these same characters (with a different bad guy, of course). So? Was this ending satisfying? Did I make any mistakes? Let me know it the reviews!
Also, stay tuned for author's notes. I've got a few things to say about this and I'm going to have a BIG announcement!