Chapter One

My name is Jason.

I can't tell you my last name. But you know what it is. There isn't any way that you don't. I'm not saying that to have an ego. It's the truth. I do martial arts, they like to put the names in newspapers…it was fun the first time. To see my name in print. Then it became, sort of, embarrassing.

Now it's a curse.

Because they know my last name. And because they know my last name, it means everyone around me is in danger. They could find me, my friends, my family…and…well, I don't want them to find me. What's happened to people and things around me…what's happened to me….

I don't think I can adequately explain. But I'm going to try.

I told you my name, you know my last name, you probably even know where I live.

Angel Grove.

If you pay attention to the news at all, you've heard of my hometown. Yeah, the name is sort of out there. But I promise everything that has happened here is real. Everything. But I have a duty to make sure the people I love are safe, and that everyone knows what happened to us.

It's my duty.

I'm writing this done so everyone knows the truth. Maybe then, everyone will know the sacrifice I and the others made. Maybe they'll be happy for us. Maybe grateful. Maybe they'll feel sad for us. For life we gave up doing it. I don't know.

I don't even know how I truly feel about it all.

All I know is everyone needs to know. So, the same mistake won't be made in the future. Maybe it was us that made the mistake. Of thinking it was something we could handle.

But I'll go back to the beginning,

Back to the very first day that it all started. I was at the Youth Center, where I usually hang out. Ernie runs it, it's his place, and he's always had it open to anyone who wants to be there, for something to do when school let out. For kids and teens to have a place to be normal.

That's what we used to be. Normal.

And it was a normal day. I was in the gym. It also has a juice bar.

I was there with my best friend Zack, practicing my karate. Zack is awesome. He's a jokester and wants nothing more than to have a good time. He's always cracking jokes and doing things to put a smile on people's faces. He's tall and black and is one of the best athletes I know, but, most of all, he's an amazing dancer! And he's thrown it into his martial arts into something he invented called hip hop kido and I love what he's done with it!

I wish I was that inventive. I wish I could be more open and emotional like him. But I guess that's why I'm the leader…the lead of my friends. I have a means of being levelheaded and serious when the time comes. Or, maybe, I'm just not comfortable with it.

My other friends were there, too. Kimberly was on the balance beam. She's a gymnast, so she managed to do everything with grace. Even fall down, I swear I've practically seen her float to the ground when she trips. She's cute, I guess. I know guys really like her. I have to step in and keep them away from her sometimes. She has brown hair and brown eyes and has an amazing smile. She's always so open and friendly, she has an amazingly big heart.

Trini was in the corner practicing her own sense of martial arts, praying mantis style. More like Tai Chi. Trini's always been cool like that. It runs in her family. She's Vietnamese, she's pretty, and she's always learning new things from her uncle and he likes to teach me about it, too. She's Kim's best friend, and her total opposite. Quieter, more peaceful, like she understands everything life has to offer in a way the rest of us could only ever hope to do.

That's where we all were that day. In the Youth Center. I had just finished sparring with Zack, watching in awe as he landed on his feet after a hard flip I executed on him. Like I said, he almost always manages to land on his feet. Must be the dancer in him.

Nevertheless, I congratulated him, "Nice recovery, Zack," with a clap on the shoulder.

He just grinned in that easygoing way of his and said, "Thanks for teaching me, Jason."

"Yeah, no prob."

Then our friend Billy came over. "Hey fellas," he greeted us in that peculiar way he does. Well, I don't mean peculiar, just different. I don't think I've ever heard him call me 'budy' or 'bro' or 'man'. It's always 'fellas'. And, now that I think about it, he calls Kimberly and Trini that as well. 'Fellas', doesn't' even call them girls or anything.

Which, I think Kimberly would verbally blast him with something about feminism if he did. Jokingly, teasingly, of course, but it'd still send him into a tailspin, blinking rapidly as he worked out what he'd done wrong with a greeting he thought was so polite.

"Yo, Billy, what's up?" Zack greeted, tossing his head in a smile.

Billy smiled a little. He adjusted his sweat band and the belt tied around the waist of his white gi. "Well, I think I'm mentally and physically prepared for my first karate class," he said with just a hint of hesitation.

I was going to respond but then I saw Bulk and Skull walk in. And without even having to turn my head, I knew where they were headed. To harass Kimberly and Trini. The only thing you really need to know about Bulk and Skull is that they can't take 'no' for an answer. And…sometimes I think they just want friends, but don't know how to go about it.

Sure, they have each other, but it's not like people are lining up to hang out with them. I watched as they tried to hit on Kimberly and Trini, smiling a little. It was funny to me, there's no way they would ever be interested in them.

Kim is sassy and Trini is…Trini's Trini.

She's a pacifist, peaceful.

But that didn't stop the girls from flipping the two bullies head over heels when they charged the girls. Okay, I'll admit it, I laughed a little with the rest of those that witnessed their fall. Bulk and Skull aren't totally bad guys, but they're funny all the same.

"You guys should totally join Jason's karate class," Kimberly said.

See what I mean? Sassy.

Still, I watched Bulk and Skull closely as I started my beginner karate class later. They were signed up for it and I needed to be sure they weren't going to get up to their antics while I tried to work. It's a class I always enjoyed teaching, but this time I enjoyed it more because my friend Billy was trying it out. He'd asked me, a little shyly, a few days ago if he could join in and I was glad to do it.

You see, Billy's a real sweet guy. He's really smart. The smartest guy I know. But he's also shy and doesn't have confidence in himself. He's a bit of a nerd, I would never call him that, but other people do. He's incredibly smart and will probably be bigger than Bill Gates in the future, with some of the things he comes up with. He's a little smaller in stature than some of the guys in school, and his blonde hair, blue eyes, and sharp jaw make him handsome. But he doesn't see it, he thinks his glasses keep people away, he turns in on himself. I want him to be more confident. But he's always there to help me out when I'm in a jam with school.

I try to keep up with him when he speaks but a lot of the time it goes over my head. But he's one of the greatest people I know. I guess that's why I'm protective of him…I look out for him more than other people. I can admit that. I want him to live up to the potential I know he has deep within him.

He just needs to see it for himself.

And that's why I was glad to have him join my class. Throughout the class, I noticed him struggling a little and decided to show him some more attention, to help him get the stances exactly. He got it, fundamentally, but his confidence still wasn't there.

I watched as he followed the class for the most part…then lowered his arms with a defeated shrug. "I'm just not good at this."

I shook my head, resting my hands on my belt. "Billy don't' worry. I mean, even I was a beginner once." I patted him on the shoulder in a way to ensure he keeps his chin up. Then moved to the front of the class again. Maybe I could help him a little bit. "Alright class, what is it that martial arts helps us develop?" His hand immediately shot in the air. I had to do my best not to smile at it, visibly seeing his confidence soar. When it comes to knowledge and learning, that's Billy's expertise. "Billy?"

"Courage, kindness, integrity, fitness, loyalty, and discipline," he rattled off confidently. Even his eyes shone with the pride he felt in it.

I chuckled through my nose, keeping my face as stoic as I could. "That's good, you memorized that quickly." I knew he would. There wasn't a question I could ask him he didn't know the answer to.

But, of course, things had to be ruined again when Bulk and Skull finally decided to show up for my class. "Hey, geek!" Bulk said, pushing through my students, really knocking Billy aside to set a smug smirk at me. "Teach us how to beat people up." Skull forever at his side simply nodded and repeated Bulk's sentiments while obnoxiously chewing gum.

We're not supposed to have gum in the gym in general, Ernie's rule. It sticks everywhere. But they don't care, Skull puts it on whatever surface is nearest him most of the time. We always go around and clean it up, so Ernie doesn't have to. But he does it anyway. Bulk and Skull are disrespectful, but they signed up for the class and I plan on giving them the best teaching I can.

So, I mustered up as much patience as I could and said evenly, "Martial arts was not developed to hurt others." It's true, it wasn't. But I really wanted to drive that point home with Bulk.

Still, he rolled his eyes and reached out, thumping me hard on the shoulder. I noticed irritation flash across his face when I didn't move. "We didn't sign up for a geeky karate class," he growled. And that was Bulk, the guy who tried to throw his weight around as much as he could…and he did have the weight to throw around.

"Okay, Bulk," I said as evenly as possible. If that's what he wanted, I'd make things a little bit harder for him. "Maybe you're ready for some advanced training techniques. Like…" I leaned back and did a simply kick then turned back to him. Waiting. I'm sure that was a challenging glint in my eye. "A side kick."

Bulk chuckled under his breath, his bravado increasing. "Anything you can do, I can do better, baby!" He declared then did a side-kick. I had to admit it was a pretty good side kick. But if he wanted to try something harder, then I would give him that, too.

I then did a tornado kick.

He followed…and promptly fell on his face.

That time, I couldn't help but burst out laughing. I caught Billy's eye, and he brought up a hand to cover his mouth before he lowered his head to hide his laugh. I thought that was enough, so I quickly ended the class and went over to Billy, who had stopped laughing. I placed my hand on his shoulder and nudged him in the direction of the lockers. We changed and went back to the sitting area of the juice bar where our friends were.

I could see Billy still worrying over the class. I saw his head dip down, stewing quietly as the seconds passed. Finally, I said, "Billy, I'm telling you. For your first lesson, you did well," I reassured him. Like I said, I wanted to ensure he has some confidence.

"I did?" He must have finally believed me because I watched him sit up and start to smile a little. His eyes darted around at Zack, Kimberly, and Trini before coming to me once more.

"Yeah!" Kimberly piped up, practically bouncing with excitement. "We were watching." A light flush came to Billy's cheeks as he lowered his head. That was Kimberly, always able to make people feel like their best selves. It's a natural talent of hers.

Still, Billy wans't entirely sure. Just I thought he wouldn't be, it's not something you immediately learn how to do, be confident. It takes time. "I don't know if I have what it takes," Billy mumbled.

"It's all a state of mind, Billy," Trini said reassuringly. And that was Trini, the other side of genuine reassurance. But more calm than perky. She reached out and patted Billy's hand. "You don't need to be strong for martial arts."

"Yeah man, it's all up here," Zack agreed, tapping his temple.

That was the last time everything was normal for us.

"Hey guys. Who ordered the spinach juice?"

Ernie was barely able to get the words out before the ground and everything else started to shake. It practically threw Ernie off his feet, making him drop a tray of juice all over the place…and on Bulk. Within seconds, people were running and screaming. We're used to earthquakes, so the city's evacuation plan immediately went into place.

I immediately leapt to my feet and started to help people out to the nearest exits. I wasn't going to leave until I knew everyone was safe. Once we got people out, I glanced around at my friends, knowing they were helping me evacuate as well.

It was our turn, but by that point the earthquake was too strong. It practically knocked me off my feet, sending me desperately grasping for the railing of the stairs behind me. Kimberly, Zack, Trini, and Billy flung themselves around me and we came together, trying to hold ourselves up.

"Oh man, this must be the big one," Zack declared, grabbing onto Billy before he fell over.

Billy fumbled for his glasses, frantic to keep them on his face and to keep from falling on his butt on the floor. "Something tells me this is no earth quake."

It was then I realized what he meant. There was something going on with me. Through me. I felt a tingling through my feet that reached all the way to my head and back again. A strange tingle that turned into a pulling sensation. I released my hands from the railing of the stairs, noticing a red, electric looking glow that swirled over my hands and up my arms.

"Oh my gosh," Kimberly gasped. I looked over at her and saw the same was happening to her, but pink. Black for Zack. Yellow for Trini. Blue for Billy. "What's happening?"

"This is too weird," Trini said. I barely heard her murmur over the sound of the continued screaming and stretching of the building around us.

Finally, the pulling became too hard and something, I don't know, pulled too hard. I knew we were going somewhere. "Hold on!"

Everything flashed around us, moving at warp speed. I think I may have seen the desert, I definitely saw sky, suddenly miles above the Youth Center. Then dusty desert then images and flashes of things whizzing by. Then, next thing I knew, we were falling in a pile on the floor of the strangest…but most important place I'd ever been to.

I can't tell you where it is. But I can tell you…it's become home to us.

The most important place we'd ever been.

A/N: For those wondering if Av and Bay will be in this…I don't know. Right now it's set in season one and they don't appear until season two. Even then, I may do some easter eggs/hints towards them every now and again. Right now it's focusing on the core five.

Not to mention, I'm an OC writer, plain and simple. I almost never write fics that only have canon characters other than one-shots and To Tommy, With Love (which I actually have to go back and edit Av and Bay out of because I thought of a different story to do that plot in). So for right now, no, but it may change in the future.

~Av