MMPR Revisited

Teamwork Part 2

After completing half a dozen cartwheels on the balance beam, Kimberly came to the disheartening realization that her skills weren't going to improve any further today. She gracefully dismounted and cast her gaze toward the gym floor, where she spotted Jason diligently working out on the bench press. He appeared entirely focused, yet an air of relaxation surrounded him. With measured steps, Kimberly approached the table where they had left their belongings. However, her sense of tranquility was shattered when she heard the persistent beeping of her and Jason's communicators over the blaring music.

"Oh no! This blasted music is drowning out everything!" Kimberly hastily retrieved her communicator and strapped it to her wrist, then snatched Jason's communicator and practically sprinted over to him. "Jason, our communicators! Who knows how long they've been trying to reach us? I don't want to imagine." Jason abandoned the bench press and secured his communicator onto his wrist. Kimberly was hot on his heels as they hurried toward the back hallway of the Youth Center.

"Should've never taken this thing off," Jason muttered, pressing the button to establish a telecommunications link. "This is Jason, come in Zordon."

"Jason, thank goodness you responded!" Alpha's voice chimed in with palpable relief. "We've been attempting to contact you for a while. Is Kimberly with you?"

"Yeah, I'm right here," Kimberly replied.

"Never mind that for now. I'm relieved you're both safe and together. Billy, Trini, and Zack are in dire straits. Trini is clinging to a cliff edge, and Billy is teetering on the brink of disaster," Zordon's words sent a shiver down Jason and Kimberly's spines.

"Where's Zack?" Jason inquired urgently.

"Zack is present, but a couple of Putties have him pinned down. His behavior is...peculiar," Zordon explained, causing Jason's anger to visibly simmer.

"Zordon, get us there immediately. We're ready," Jason declared.

"Stand by for teleportation!" Alpha announced, prompting Jason to lower his wrist.

"Damn it!" Jason slammed his fist against a nearby wall, his frustration evident. Kimberly moved to intervene, attempting to prevent him from striking the wall again.

"Jason, please stop. This isn't helping. We just need to reach them, assist the others, and then we can address whatever else is going on. Right now, our priority is to rescue Billy, Trini, and Zack," Kimberly urged. Jason managed to rein in his emotions just as red and pink lights enveloped them. In the blink of an eye, they found themselves amidst a mountain range, with Zack, Trini, and Billy visible in the distance.

"Oh no, Trini!" Kimberly exclaimed, pointing to the side of the cliff where Trini precariously climbed. "One wrong move, and she'll plummet!" Kimberly swiftly retrieved her morpher, and Jason did the same. "Pterodactyl!"

"Tyrannosaurus!" Once transformed, they descended upon Zack, swiftly dispatching the Putties that had him pinned down. Jason retrieved his blaster and reduced them to dust in an instant.

"We have to reach Billy!" Kimberly urgently declared.

"Yeah, thanks guys, I—" Zack began, but Jason cut him off abruptly.

"Zack, what's going on, man? You couldn't handle two Putties?!" Jason's voice rose in frustration.

"Dude, I'm sorry. I can't focus... I don't know what's happening," Zack explained, his voice filled with confusion. Jason shook his head in disbelief.

"No, it's because you're high as a kite! No wonder you're struggling! If you're not going to help, get out of here before you get hurt," Jason decided. He pressed a button on Zack's communicator, initiating his teleportation to the command center, and within seconds, Zack vanished.

"Power Bow!" Kimberly called out, then turned to Jason, her tone pleading. "Jason, that's enough for now! We must save Billy!" Kimberly sprinted toward the cliff, drawing her bowstring taut. "Teleport!" With a jump and a flash of pink light, she soared through the air, landing just above the Putties surrounding Billy. Her pink arrow materialized and sliced through the air, striking the head of the Putty holding Billy's lance.

"Kim?" Billy's voice was faint. Kimberly drew back her bowstring and sent arrow after arrow into the fray, clearing a path around them. Meanwhile, Jason teleported to the top of the cliff with his Power Sword in hand, ruthlessly cutting down the Putties that encircled them.

"Billy, are you okay?" Kimberly knelt beside Billy, who appeared on the verge of collapse, blood trickling down his arm.

"I've seen better days. Thank you for saving me," he replied weakly. Kimberly supported his arm on her shoulder and began to lift him up. She led him over to a nearby tree and helped him sit down before retrieving his lance and handing it to him.

"Stay here, we've got this, alright?" Kimberly turned her attention back to the battlefield, drawing her bowstring once more and sending arrows flying in all directions.

"Trini, are you alright?" Jason called out, but there was no immediate response. He dashed to the edge of the cliff and saw Trini struggling to climb up.

"Jason!" Trini's voice was filled with relief, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her terror was palpable, and it fueled Jason's determination to rescue her.

"Why don't you use your communicator and teleport out?" Jason asked, concern etched across his face.

"I tried. I th-think my communicator got d-damaged in the fall!" Trini stammered, straining to ascend another inch.

"Trini, here!" Jason extended his sword, offering the hilt for her to grab onto. "Trini, grab on, I'll pull you up!" With the sword lowered to a reachable height, she grasped it with one hand, then the other. Jason exerted his strength to hoist her closer to the cliff's edge before firmly gripping her hand and aiding her ascent. Trini emerged, visibly shaken, her arms and fingers scraped, and her eyes brimming with tears. Jason held her in his arms, comforting her. "Trini, it's okay. It's okay."

"I'm sorry, Jason. I tried to get up there to save Billy," she confessed.

"Calm down, Trini. He's fine. You didn't do anything wrong. I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner. I need you to focus; we still have a lot of Putties to get through. Can you help?" Jason asked. She nodded, wiping away her tears. Her expression shifted from hopelessness to determination.

"My morpher," she pointed to it a few feet away. Jason helped her to her feet, then charged forward, slicing through two Putties and sending another plummeting off the cliff's edge. He retrieved her morpher and handed it to her. "Saber-Toothed Tiger!" A yellow light enveloped her, completing her transformation. "Power Daggers!" Her daggers materialized, and Trini surged ahead. She drove her daggers into the cores of the golems, reducing them to dust or hurling them over the edge to their doom. Kimberly fired several more arrows, clearing the outer edges of the cliff, while Jason concentrated on the front lines.

Kimberly turned to find Billy seemingly unconscious. Alarmed, she dashed over to him, knelt down, and began shaking him.

"Billy, you have to stay awake. Billy, Billy!" She repeated her pleas, shaking him vigorously. Finally, he opened his eyes and let out a groan of distress.

"I'm awake, Kimberly, sort of. The pain – it's too much," he murmured weakly.

"We're almost done, Billy. We'll get you to Alpha; he'll know what to do." Kimberly turned back to the battlefield, blasting a Putty that was approaching Billy.

Meanwhile, at the command center, Zack, Alpha, and Zordon watched the Rangers' battle through the viewing globe. Zack, who was starting to regain his composure, was overwhelmed with guilt.

"Man, I should be out there," he muttered under his breath.

"Zack, why did Jason send you away?" Zordon inquired. Zack hesitated, unsure of how to answer. Part of him felt embarrassed, fearing that Zordon would look down on him, while another part was angry – at himself and at Jason for his actions.

"I made a choice that Jason didn't agree with," Zack replied vaguely. "A choice that I could freely make before becoming a Power Ranger. I'm not resentful or anything, but it's not something I'm willing to give up."

"I understand," Zordon acknowledged. "Zack, when I asked you to become a Power Ranger, it was never my intention to take away the things you enjoy. However, when it comes to saving the world, you never know when your abilities will be needed, and some choices can be dangerous."

"I get it. I do. I didn't mean for this to happen to Billy," Zack said, folding his arms and staring at the ground.

"Of course, Zack. I know that. They all do," Zordon assured him. However, their conversation was interrupted by a familiar set of alarms. "Rita has sent down a monster, a Knight of some kind, the Nasty Knight, just outside the Cliffside, on his way toward the Rangers."

"Nasty?" Zack rolled his eyes. "More like Fugly," he muttered.

"His name is not to be taken lightly. He is a formidable adversary. I'm uncertain if Jason, Trini, and Kimberly will be enough to defeat him."

"Unless I go back," Zack declared, taking a deep breath and retrieving his morpher.

"Ayiyiyiyi! Do you believe you can handle it, Zack?" Alpha asked, shaking his head in doubt.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I won't let Rita hurt any more of my friends on my birthday," Zack affirmed, holding his morpher in front of him. "Mastodon!" he called out, undergoing his transformation. His head cleared, and he started to feel more like himself again. "Alpha, send me back to them; I've got a score to settle."

"Stand by!" Alpha announced as he input the necessary codes into their main systems.

Back at the Cliffside, the Nasty Knight had revealed himself and stood at the very edge of the cliff. Jason, flanked by Kimberly and Trini, stared the monstrous creature down, attempting to anticipate its next move.

"Why do they keep getting uglier?" Kim complained, pulling back her bowstring and releasing an arrow at the creature. The Knight deftly cut the arrow down with a single swipe of his axe. "Oh my god, he's fast!"

"I don't know how we're going to take this one. Okay, Trini, you're with me. Kimberly, stay back and protect Billy, but try to take shots when you can," Jason instructed.

"Got it," Kimberly acknowledged, drawing back her bowstring and taking aim. Jason charged, and Trini followed suit. Jason knocked the Knight's axe away from its body and attempted to slash across its chest. The Knight halted the blade in its tracks, pulling Jason closer and head-butting him, sending him tumbling to the ground. Trini lunged forward, plunging one of her daggers into the Knight's abdomen and delivering a knee strike. The Nasty Knight responded by grabbing Trini by the neck and hoisting her over the cliff's edge. Panic set in as she struggled to break free.

"Let her go!" Zack's voice pierced the tense air as he emerged from behind them. The Nasty Knight turned its head to behold Zack, armed with his shotgun-axe, poised for action. "Did you hear me? I said let her go!"

"Certainly," the Knight growled and released his grip, sending Trini plummeting down the cliff.

"Trini! No!" Zack's anguished cry echoed through the air.

"Zack! You killed Trini!" Jason's voice, filled with anger and disbelief, erupted as he struggled to his feet. Zack, however, seemed to pay no heed to the accusation and unleashed a barrage of shots at the Knight, his aggression evident. The shots appeared to have little effect, as the Knight remained immobile.

Zack charged forward, transforming his axe into battle mode, and leaped into the air, bringing the axe down upon the Knight's head. The Knight emitted a grunt of pain, retaliating with a swing of its axe. Zack managed to block the attack, but when he swung his leg around and struck the creature's side, it landed a direct hit, leaving him vulnerable to a counterattack from the monster's axe. To everyone's surprise, Jason intercepted the blow with his sword, locking the weapons in a fierce struggle.

With their weapons locked, Zack switched his shotgun-axe to shotgun mode and fired directly into the creature's chest. Both Zack and Jason withdrew as the Knight's movements grew increasingly erratic.

"I can't believe you just dropped me off a cliff!" Trini's voice rang out from behind the Knight. She vaulted from the cliff, driving both her daggers into its neck, causing the creature to emit an agonizing growl of pain. "Déjà vu, this is the second time I've been thrown off this cliff today. I'm over it!" An arrow pierced the front of the Knight's neck, prompting another ear-piercing scream.

"Trini! Thank goodness," Jason exclaimed with relief. Trini wrenched her daggers free, leaped over the Knight, and delivered a mid-air kick to its face before landing. She then sprinted toward Jason, Zack, and Kimberly. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine," she replied, panting for breath.

"I'm so glad you're okay. I'm sorry, Trini," Zack admitted.

"No, Zack. It wasn't your fault. You distracted him long enough for me to get my daggers into him, so thank you." Trini patted him on the arm. "Alright, but we need to get rid of this thing quickly."

"How about the Power Weapon Blaster?" Zack suggested.

"But we're missing Billy," Kim reminded them.

"No, you're not," Billy said, staggering forward and leaning on his lance for support. "Let's destroy this thing. I really need to lay down, and I can't do that with all of this going on."

"Don't you need to morph? Can you morph?" Kim inquired.

"No, I can't. And I don't think I need to be morphed; otherwise, I wouldn't still have the weapon," Billy explained.

"Alright, guys, let's bring them together!" Jason commanded.

"Power Axe!"

"Power Bow!"

"Power Daggers!"

"Power Lance!"

"Power Sword!" Jason leaped into the air to complete the weapon, bringing it down in front of the others. The Nasty Knight readied its axe and began charging a golden-colored beam. "Fire!" Jason pulled the trigger, and five beams of energy burst forth, heading straight for the monster.

"I won't go down so easily!" Nasty Knight bellowed, swinging its axe down and releasing a golden ray of energy that initially resisted the Rangers' blasts. However, their combined power ultimately overcame it, delivering a direct hit. The Nasty Knight screamed as it gradually vanished into dust. Exhausted, Billy fell to his knees, and Zack prevented him from collapsing entirely.

"Zordon, we're ready for teleportation. All of us," Jason announced. In a matter of seconds, they arrived in the command center, no longer transformed, and Alpha was waiting with an advanced-looking medical kit. Jason and Zack guided Billy to a cot that Alpha had prepared.

"I need to closely monitor his injuries," Alpha stated. "Can you remove his shirt?" Jason and Zack exchanged an uncomfortable glance.

"You want us to strip Billy?" Zack inquired. "Not the kind of stripping a guy asks for on his birthday." Zack attempted to inject humor into the situation, but it fell flat as the gravity of the circumstances weighed heavily on the group.

"Just his shirt, take off his shirt," Trini clarified. Billy's shirt was already in tatters, so Jason tore it down the middle and removed it. His chest displayed immediate bruising, a deep shade of purple, and his shoulder appeared crooked, with a large gash on the top of his left shoulder. Alpha began scanning Billy with a handheld device.

"Ayiyiyiyi! Billy has two broken ribs and what appears to be a fractured shoulder blade," Alpha reported.

"Oh, Billy," Kimberly gasped. "Alpha, you can help him, right? Or do we need to take him to a hospital?"

"No, I can heal him. I will need to keep him for approximately 16 hours," Alpha assured them.

"How am I going to explain that to my parents?" Billy spoke up, his voice laced with concern.

"I'll just tell them that you're going to stay with me tonight since it's my birthday. I'm sure they won't care," Zack responded, offering a reassuring smile to his injured friend. Billy managed a weak smile before passing out once more.

"Are you also going to tell them how you almost got their son killed by smoking weed?" Jason interjected, his tone cutting through the room's silence like a blade. A heavy pall settled over everyone.

"Jason, that's not fair," Kimberly stepped forward, attempting to defuse the tension. But Jason waved his hand dismissively, his eyes locked onto Zack, who appeared utterly bewildered by Jason's accusation.

"No, I wasn't planning on it. But I didn't almost get Billy killed. When I got there, both he and Trini were already in bad shape," Zack explained, defending himself.

"And because of your condition, you couldn't help them. You didn't help them," Jason retorted, his frustration palpable.

"And where were you? If memory serves, you and Kimberly didn't show up until way after I did. Where were you, our almighty, can-do-no-wrong leader?" Zack's tone grew confrontational, igniting a fiery exchange.

"Not doing drugs. No, I wasn't able to respond immediately, and I have to take responsibility for that. I don't know if I'll ever forgive myself. But I also know that I would never willingly put myself in a position where I wouldn't be able to help my teammates. If you're going to be a part of this team, don't do it again," Jason declared, his face inches from Zack's.

"Rangers, enough!" Zordon's voice thundered, but Zack and Jason refused to break their eye contact. "You had a disagreement, understood. What's done is done, and we can only go up from here. Billy's condition is critical, but he is stable. Trini is also fine. We defeated Rita again, and that's worth celebrating."

"You're right, Zordon. It is worth celebrating. And I'm going to go enjoy the rest of my birthday now. I'm sorry for what happened to Billy and Trini. I'm sorry I couldn't do more. But I'm not sorry for enjoying myself and being a little selfish on my birthday. I'll see you guys later." Zack raised his arm, pressed a button on his communicator, and teleported out.

"Well, that could have gone better," Trini remarked, breaking the tense silence that had settled in the room. Jason said nothing and continued to stare at Billy, guilt etched across his face.

Later that evening, Zack cautiously entered the Youth Center after receiving an anonymous tip. The lights were dim, and an eerie quiet hung in the air, briefly making him hesitate. Rita could be setting another trap. Nevertheless, he mustered the courage to step inside. As the door slammed shut behind him, all the lights suddenly illuminated, and balloons cascaded from the ceiling while voices erupted in unison, yelling, "SURPRISE!"

Startled, Zack found himself surrounded by friends, family, and classmates. Ernie wheeled out a large cake adorned with seventeen lit candles, and with a single exhale, Zack blew them all out.

"Your wish will come true!" Ernie proclaimed, leading to a chorus of cheers. "Alright, I'm going to cut up the cake. Everyone who wants a piece, line up over there." The crowd eagerly moved towards the cake, but Kimberly and Trini approached Zack, enveloping him in warm hugs.

"Surprised?" Kim asked, her smile radiating joy.

"Definitely. After today, I wasn't expecting this. Thank you, guys," Zack replied, genuinely touched.

"Anything for one of our best friends. What did you wish for?" Trini inquired.

"It won't come true if I tell you," Zack chuckled. "Is it farfetched to wonder where Jason is?" Both Kim and Trini exchanged glances, their expressions shifting to somber ones.

"We tried, but..." Kimberly began.

"He's with Billy right now. Couldn't pull him away from his side. He'll come around, Zack. This wasn't your fault," Trini reassured him.

"No, a big part of me feels like it was my fault. I should have listened. But with everything we've given up already, it was just a way for me to feel good again," Zack explained.

"Zack, stop. Like Zordon said, what's done is done. Tonight is about you. Billy is fine. Jason is fine. We're all fine. Let's just have a good night together, okay?" Kimberly wrapped her arm around Zack. "Now, I'm wondering which of us is going to eat the most cake, and all I can say is it better not be me." Laughter filled the air, and the party resumed. Zack cherished the company of his friends but couldn't help but wish that two more of his friends could be there to celebrate with him.