Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter twenty-two of "Just Away." Zedd and Rita will meet Count Dregon and his minions face-to-face in the next chapter. There will be Ranger and Masked Rider action very soon. Stay tuned for chapter twenty-three.
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Chapter 22: Waiting Around
Rita looked through her Repulsascope on the Lunar Palace's balcony an hour later. She made an adjustment to it. Zedd was seated in his chair. He had his staff across his lap. He tapped his fingers on the arm as he propped up his head with his elbow. He glanced down at the sack of food Rito gave him. Squatt, Baboo, and Scorpina played Go Fish while sitting on the stairs. They moved their cards around.
"Do you have any threes, Squatt?" Baboo wondered.
"I am sorry. Go Fish," Squatt responded.
Baboo grunted annoyingly and drew a card from the deck. He nestled it among his cards. Scorpina moved one from the middle to the end. She narrowed her eyes at them before turning to Squatt.
"Do you have any fours, Squatt?" Scorpina wondered.
"Oh, man! I don't want to give my fours up?" Squatt whined and punched the floor in frustration.
"Don't be such a card hog, Squatt," Baboo said while shaking his finger at him disapprovingly. "The rules say you must hand them over."
"You better do it right now," Scorpina said and held out her hand. She flared her nostrils. "I haven't got all night."
Squatt growled and handed his two fours to Scorpina, who laid them and her fours down. She glanced at her other three matches. She crossed her arms before looking at him with a big smirk on her face.
"I made yet another match," Scorpina said with much proudness.
"Do you always have to announce you made a match?" Squatt grumbled and rolled his eyes while throwing his cards down.
"You shouldn't be so bitter after losing, Squatt," Baboo scolded and poked him in the shoulder with his finger. "It's only a game."
"Baboo is right. Winning isn't everything," Scorpina commented truthfully and uncrossed her arms. "No one likes to lose, but no one can win all the time."
"Whatever," Squatt said as he waved her off. He stood up with a loud grunt and emitted a long yawn. "Go kiss a frog."
Squatt went over to Rita as Baboo gathered the cards and proceeded to straighten them out. She adjusted the Repulsascope a little bit. He clasped his hands together. He felt his heart skip a beat or two. She narrowed her eyes at whatever she saw.
"What do you see, my queen?" Squatt wondered.
"I just saw a garter snake swallow a frog alive," Rita said, looking at him and forming a big smile on her face.
Squatt chuckled. "That's cool. It is well known many predators begin to consume their prey while it is still alive."
"Lions are a perfect example. I remember watching a pride hunting down an African buffalo during the first invasion of Earth. It consisted of eight lions. Four jumped on its back and bit into spine. They used their weight to bring it down. They started to consume it almost immediately. It groaned in great pain, but it could do nothing to stop what was coming," Rita explained gleefully.
"I remember seeing a saber-toothed tiger going after a mammoth that got stuck in a tar pit. It became a victim of the pit itself. It could not get free, no matter how much it tried," Squatt said.
Baboo stood up and went to his best friend's side. "Elephants are one of the few animals that can get itself out of deep mud wallows. Their large size and thick long legs give them a huge advantage. Lions can use their claws and strong legs to get themselves out. Of course, the mud may be too thick for them to get out."
"Let's throw Scorpina into a deep pit and challenge her to get out without using her weapons or powers," Squatt whispered, leaning toward him with a chuckle.
"Let's throw Goldar into the same pit and issue the same challenge," Baboo added, giving him a thumbs-up.
Scorpina glared at the duo. "I heard that!"
Squatt and Baboo looked away while putting their hands behind their backs. They began whistling. They, Scorpina, and Rita heard an impatient grunt. They looked toward Zedd, who picked up his staff and planted it into the floor. He curled his hand into a fist.
"Damn it. I wish Count Dregon and his army would get here. I am dying for Globbor, Motha, the Tengas, and the Cogwarts to carry out the attack on the Power Rangers and the Masked Rider," Zedd complained.
"Stop griping, dear," Rita said, turning around along with Squatt and Baboo as Scorpina stood up. "Count Dregon will be here soon. Father's suggestion we feed that food to the Cogwarts is a great one. It will make things even more difficult for our enemies."
"I can never forget listening to the Tengas fight over that stuff," Squatt said in a bit of fear.
"Me neither," Baboo agreed and covered his face with his hands. "They were really eager to eat it."
"To be fair, they hadn't had dinner yet," Squatt pointed out truthfully.
"That is right," Scorpina agreed while nodding slowly. She picked up her sword and gripped it with both hands. "Most people aren't very good-tempered when they are hungry."
"Some people get so hungry that they start eating every single type of food in sight," Squatt commented.
"Yeah," Scorpina said and emitted a relieved sigh. "Anyway, I am glad Rito is not here. His stench becomes too unbearable sometimes."
"I have to admit I felt like gagging when he said he just took a shower the month before we took Kimberly's Power Coin. Anyone who has gone that long without showering would stink really bad," Squatt mumbled and made a retching sound.
"There are times I feel like punching Rito out because he makes fun of my looks," Scorpina hissed in much irritation.
"You are not the only one whose looks he has made fun of," Squatt said honestly. "He gave some of us stupid nicknames due to them."
"He has called me Batty because I look like a bat," Baboo said, rolling his eyes and shaking his head in disbelief.
"He has called me Blueberry because I am big and blue," Squatt said and mumbled obscenities. "I just want to throw something at him."
"He has called Goldar by Goldie due to his golden armor," Scorpina said and put her hand over her face. She groaned to herself. "Goldar has gotten mad at him over it."
"Yeah," Squatt mumbled.
"There are times where I just want to throw him off the palace balcony and listen to him scream as he plummets toward the ground," Scorpina admitted and blew softly.
Squatt and Baboo looked at each other and gave shrugs. They cupped their chins in their hands. They tapped their feet three times. The former emitted a long yawn. The latter suppressed one.
"I can say it is funny how Rito makes fun of our looks when he doesn't look so good himself," Squatt said.
"It is kind of hypocritical. Then again, we poke fun at his looks too," Baboo pointed out.
Scorpina snorted. "That makes us hypocrites. Most people are hypocritical by accident. Others are that way on purpose."
"Some people defend their hypocrisy by saying what they do is their business," Squatt said with a shake of his head. "You should try your hardest not to be a hypocrite."
"Speaking of hypocrites, do you remember Johnny Dakota from the Saved by the Bell episode called 'No Hope with Dope'?" Baboo wondered.
Squatt nodded fast. "Boy, do I ever! Johnny found Bayside to be the perfect location for an anti-drug commercial. Zack, Kelly, Slater, Jessie, Screech, and Lisa were excited about it. Unfortunately, Zack found out he did drugs when he attempted to get Kelly to smoke a joint. He told the others. He tried to talk sense into Johnny, but he would not listen."
"How can anyone claim to be against drugs while doing them in private?" Baboo asked with a huff. "Of course, I have heard pot can ease anxiety. Stars will smoke it because it can be stressful filming and singing all the time."
"That can apply to stars all across the galaxy. They will do drugs similar to pot in order to ease their anxiety," Scorpina commented.
Baboo sighed. "Too much of the stuff can be bad."
Rita looked into the Repulsascope. She spotted the garter snake she mentioned slithering very slowly on the ground. She could see a big bugle in its stomach. She smiled in a wide way.
"It is so neat seeing snakes after they have swallowed their meals," Rita said, glancing at the trio.
"A snake can sustain itself for months on a single meal," Squatt said while holding up his finger.
"Because snakes have unhinged jaws, they can swallow things many times larger than their heads," Rita said, giggling to herself.
"I have to say you have a big head, Rita," Squatt joked and snickered under his breath.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha. That was so funny that I died laughing," Rita hissed sarcastically.
"Be careful, Rita. You know you can die from laughing so hard," Zedd commented seriously.
Rita shot a dirty look at her husband. She returned her attention to the Repulsascope. She moved it in the direction of space. She looked into it and spotted the Spiderbase coming toward the moon. She squealed in much excitement.
"Zeddy, you won't believe this!" Rita shouted and looked toward Zedd. "Count Dregon is approaching the moon!"
"Finally!" Zedd said, jumping to his feet. "I was beginning to grow roots from all that waiting!"
"We need to go out and greet Dregon and his buddies!" Squatt suggested and clapped three times.
"Yes, we must!" Rita said, going down the stairs along with the trio. They came up to Zedd. "Don't forget the sack of food."
"Of course not," Zedd answered and grabbed the sack. He emitted a soft growl while tightening his grip on his staff. "Let's go."
The villains disappeared from sight. The fog rose from the floor in a thick mass. It settled back down very quickly.