Bully for Ethan

The school day was about to start. Ethan was hanging out with his computer club friends, "Ha! With the Platinum Sword of Tryos I can enter the locked chamber and you will stand no chance!" He happily chuckled and kissed his laptop, "Read 'em and weep, suckers!" He and his buddies got up and began to walk to class.

On the nearby soccer field, Derrick, one of Conner's soccer pals, was practicing. Derrick kicked the ball, but completely overshot his kick. The soccer ball flew past the net.

Derrick groaned in frustration. Conner went ahead and placed another ball down, "Missed again, Derrick."

Derrick groaned and gave Conner a look, "Oh, oh, great. Thanks. I appreciate your support, man."

Conner gave a small smirk and told his friend the truth, "You don't need support, dude. You need game."

Derrick kicked the ball again, and again, his shot went wild. Conner warned, "Heads up!" but the ball ended up knocking Ethan's laptop out of his hands.

Ethan groaned as his laptop crashed to the ground. Derrick just smirked, causing Ethan to get angry.

Ethan yelled, "Hey!" and went to confront Derrick. Derrick just laughed, "What are you complaining about geek?!"

Ethan growled, "First of all, my name is Ethan, not geek. And out of this whole field, you had to kick the ball over there? You really do need practice."

Derrick replied, "Well, look, Ethan, this is my field. And I kick the ball where I want to kick it."

Ethan shot back, "Obviously, everywhere except the net."

Derrick got offended at that, "That's it" and attempted to hit Ethan.

Conner quickly grabbed Derrick to protect Ethan, "Hey! What's the big deal? Come on, party's over."

Conner kept a grip on Derrick, but Derrick warned, "You watch yourself, dweeb."

Conner replied, "Derrick, chill!" Conner got Derrick to walk away, but Conner gave Ethan a concerned look and whispered to him, "Cool it." Ethan let out a sigh; it was tough being a ranger and high school student, and now he had a bully to deal with.

Back at the Dino Lab, Kimberly and Kira were still helping Tommy get the lab organized.

Kira put down a stack of files, "No offense, Dr. O, but you need some serious improvement when it comes to organization."

Kimberly laughed, "I tried to warn you, Kira. If it hadn't been for me, the main house would still be in disarray."

Tommy rolled his eyes a bit, "That's why you both of you are here. Thanks for helping me out."

Kira was curious about all the files, "What is all this stuff, anyway?"

Tommy answered, "Odds and Ends. Mostly from before I joined up with Mercer. I thought, as long as I'm stuck in my ranger form, I may as well put the time to good use."

Kira looked in the files and found a picture of the original Power Rangers, "Wow! Nice hair!" She handed the photo over to Tommy and Kimberly.

Kimberly laughed as she saw the photo, "Oh, my god. Tommy, I can't believe you kept this. We were so young!"

Tommy quipped, "Hey, it was in style back then… and a certain pink ranger didn't mind my hair." Kimberly blushed and playfully smacked Tommy for that.

Kira found another picture with Tommy and two others at a dig site. One of the men looked familiar, "Is this who I think it is?"

Tommy looked at the photo, "Man, that seems like a lifetime ago. This picture was taken at our first dig."

Kira recognized Tommy and Anton, but wondered who the third man was, "Who's that guy?"

Tommy replied, "His name is Terrance Smith. Everyone called him Smitty." Tommy looked a bit crestfallen as he remembered his old college rival.

That left Kira curious, "What happened to him?"

Tommy answered, "It's kind of sad, really. He and I were up for the same job at Anton Mercer Industries. Anton chose me… he worked under me for a little while, but Smitty couldn't stand that I got the job he wanted and went to work for another company. Then, there was this accident."

Kimberly gently grabbed Tommy's hand and revealed, "Unfortunately, from what Tommy told me, Smitty passed away in the accident. Tommy and Smitty had been rivals in college and at work, and it always bothered Tommy that they were never able to make amends."

Kira could tell this brought back painful memories for Tommy, "Not really a happy family memento?"

Tommy replied, "I'm not even sure where it came from. Just put it over there in that trash pile." He then handed the photo over to Kira.

Kira shrugged, "Okay" and went ahead and tossed the photo away as instructed.

At Mesogog's fortress, Zeltrax was meeting with his master. Zeltrax said, "My lord, if we stop the Black Ranger once and for all, the others will be at our mercy."

Mesogog circled around the cyborg, "Zeltrax, I appreciate your commitment to revenge… but your obsession with destroying Dr. Oliver is getting in the way of my goal. To capture the White Ranger."

Zeltrax questioned, "But, sir, what if I have a plan that will accomplish both of our goals."

Mesogog replied, "I am not concerned with your goals. But… if you should happen to destroy Dr. Oliver in the course of serving mine, so be it."

Zeltrax agreed, "Yes, master." Mesogog walked away, ending the discussion, "Now get back to work" and exited the lab.

Zeltrax was left alone and was not pleased that he couldn't go after Tommy like he wanted. Suddenly Trent appeared out of nowhere… he had used his camouflage powers to hide and overheard the entire conversation.

Trent sauntered in like he owned the place, "So, Zeltrax doesn't like Dr. Oliver."

Zeltrax was shocked seeing Trent in the lab, "You, How'd you-"

Trent looked around the lab and continued, "Can't say I like him much, either. Gives way too much homework."

Zeltrax pulled out his sword, "Surrender at once."

Trent simply pushed Zeltrax's sword away, "What good's that gonna do? Do you think my father's gonna let you continue your quest for vengeance once I'm out of the picture?"

Zeltrax was not expecting Trent to know the truth about his father, "How do you know about-"

Trent just smirked as he continued, "I know lots of interesting things- like where Tommy Oliver's most vulnerable."

Zeltrax questioned, "What game are you playing?"

Trent offered a proposition, "No game. A simple exchange. I'll help you get Tommy. You help me get Mesogog."

Zeltrax was shocked, "Impossible! I would never betray my master."

Trent simply shrugged, "That's fine. Nice knowing ya." Trent began to walk away, but then Zeltrax used his sword to stop Trent in his tracks, "Wait…" Trent turned and gave Zeltrax an expectant look as the cyborg considered, "Perhaps we should talk."

Back at school, Conner was talking with Derrick and his other soccer friends before class started.

Ethan spotted Conner and friendly asked, "Hey, Conner. Did you get the question to number 5 on Mercer's homework? It's got to be a trick question."

Derrick was surprised that Ethan and Conner were friends, "Do you know this guy?"

Ethan just gave Derrick a look, "What's that got to do with you?"

Derrick replied, "Look, geek boy, isn't there some sci-fi convention you need to go to?"

Ethan rolled his eyes and shot back, "Oh, you really are cliché, aren't you? Your parents must be so proud."

Derrick was furious at Ethan's comeback, "What did you just call me?" He then turned to Conner, "What did he just call me?"

Ethan quipped, "Why are you asking him? Can't you figure it out for yourself?"

Derrick snapped his pencil in frustration and stalked toward Ethan, "That is it. You are in need of a serious lesson."

Ethan didn't back down and began to pull off his backpack, "Ohh… fine. Bring it."

Conner gave Ethan a look to calm down and warned, "Ethan, are you sure you want to do this?"

Derrick turned towards Conner, "Look, stay out of this, McKnight. This is between me and the geek."

Suddenly the first bell rang. Conner quipped, "You know what? For the first time in my life, I actually want to go to class." He grabbed Derrick's shoulder and led him away, "So, come on, guys."

As Conner walked away, Derrick loomed over Ethan's shoulder, "You and me- after school. Your friend won't be there to protect you." Derrick clapped Ethan's shoulder and walked away.

Ethan picked up his backpack but heard strange noises outside. He groaned, "What now?" as he went to look outside.

Ethan spotted Zeltrax and Termitetron stalking around the school grounds, "Great. Like I don't have enough to think about."

Ethan rushed outside and confronted the two villains, "The School for the Misguided Machines is down the road."

Zeltrax replied, "Very funny, but it's this school we're after."

Ethan scoffed, "Get real, Zeltrax." Like he and the other rangers wouldn't defend their school.

Zeltrax answered, "This is very real. Termitetron can destroy whole cities in a matter of moments. Turn over Dr. Oliver, or I will release him on your fellow students."

Ethan growled, "Not if I can exterminate him first."

Zetltrax shook his head, "Stubborn as always."

Ethan summoned his morpher and went into his morph stance, "Dino Thunder-" but was interrupted by Cassidy and other students arriving on the scene, "Ethan!"

Ethan groaned as he couldn't morph in front of the whole school. Zeltrax smugly replied, "Perfect timing."

Cassidy was determined to get this scoop, "Now those are what I call bullies. Roll the camera, Devin."

Ethan warned, "No, stay back!" Termitetron then fired at the students… Ethan could only glare as Termitetron laughed.

The students ran for cover; Devin and Cassidy managed to take cover in some bushes and began to record the fight.

Termitetron fired at Ethan, but the blue ranger managed to duck and roll away from the blasts.

Ethan was angry and was about to try to morph again. But then he saw Devin recording, "Great action!"

Ethan groaned and realized he was going to have to fight unmorphed for now. Ethan began to fight hand-to-hand with Termitetron. But without his ranger suit, Termitetron quickly got a hold on Ethan's shoulder.

Kira finally arrived at school and saw Ethan fighting alone, "Great… like I'm not late enough." She quickly hid behind a pillar and got into her morph sequence, "Dino Thunder, Power Up!"

Ethan groaned as Termitetron tossed him like a rag doll. Ethan crashed to the ground… Kira then arrived, fully morphed, and spun her body as she fired her blaster at the monster, "Hey! Back off!"

Termitetron and Zeltrax were surprised at the yellow ranger's arrival. Kira rushed to Ethan's side, "You okay?"

Devin and Cassidy were amazed at seeing the Yellow Ranger. Kira realized they were being watched and hinted to Ethan to go for cover so he could morph, "Little boy, why don't you step aside?"

Ethan gave Kira a look, "Little boy?!" Kira whispered loud enough for Ethan to hear, "Come on, Ethan. Go."

Ethan nodded, "Right" and went for cover so he could rejoin the fight in his ranger suit.

Derrick and Conner watched as Ethan ran for cover. Derrick bragged to Conner, "Check out your loser friend now. I'm so going to kick his butt after school."

Conner knew his friends needed help, "I'm gonna go take a look." But before Conner could leave, Anton grabbed Conner's shoulder and stopped him, "Stay back."

Kira began to fight Zeltrax and Termitetron. She matched blows with them, but then Termitetron landed a kick onto Kira's back.

Kira was shoved backwards and groaned from the hit. Termitetron leaped at Kira but was stopped in mid-air by a now morphed Ethan.

Devin gasped at the Blue Ranger's arrival and had caught it on tape. Ethan knocked Termitetron to the ground, and rolled up on his feet, "This guy bugs me!"

Kira was now fighting Zeltrax… she ended up rolling up on the nearby benches. She cartwheeled away, avoiding Zeltrax's sword. Zeltrax tried again, but Kira was able to lift her leg and pinned Zeltrax's sword against the bench with her boot.

Cassidy was more than determined to get this scoop and told Devin, "Come on… we need a close-up." The two ran from the bushes to get closer to the action.

Kira back-flipped away from Zeltrax, but Zeltrax sent a kick that had Kira stumbling backwards.

Kira had to catch her breath when Cassidy and Devin walked up to her. Cassidy was thrilled, "Oh! A girlie ranger" and tried to talk to Kira. But then Zeltrax swung at Kira… Kira pulled Cassidy down, and the two nosey friends had to duck and move out of the way,

Ethan was fighting with Termitetron. They exchanged blows, but Termitetron shoved Ethan backwards.

Ethan landed between Cassidy and Devin. Cassidy asked, "Okay, if you could just be still for one second…" She and Devin got into Ethan's face, "cause I'm like trying to conduct an interview here."

Ethan ignored the nosey friends and quickly got back into the fight… Cassidy groaned as the Blue Ranger walked away from her, "Whatever."

Ethan went back to fighting the monster. Termitetron kicked at Ethan and landed a hard blow onto Ethan's shoulder.

Ethan went spinning backwards and crashed hard on the ground. Ethan rose to his feet and grabbed his blaster.

Just as Ethan was about to fire, he gasped as he found Devin's camera in his way. Cassidy was still trying to get an interview, "Can you tell exactly what's happening here?"

Ethan ground out, "Maybe later!" He rushed away, accidentally shoving Devin to the ground. Cassidy could only groan at Devin, "Devin! Get up!"

Ethan finally had a clear shot and fired his blaster at the monster, "Lasers!" Termitetron groaned as the blasts hit him.

Termitetron was barely fazed; he cried, "I got one too" and fired his laser gun at Ethan. Ethan groaned from the impact.

Kira cartwheeled and backflipped to avoid Zeltrax's attacks. Kira spun around and kicked at Zeltrax. The cyborg tried to side-sweep Kira's legs, but she leaped up, only to be met by a swift kick to her stomach.

Kira was knocked backwards and groaned, "He always gets me with that one!"

Zeltrax growled, "How about this one?!" He summoned his lasers from his hands and fired at Kira.

Kira groaned as the lasers hit her and went flying backwards. Kira ended up landing hard on her back.

Ethan rushed to his friend's side, "Kira!" Kira managed to sit up, "I'm okay."

Termitetron went to Zeltrax's side, "Nice shot." Zeltrax then addressed the rangers, "I want you to give a message to the Black Ranger."

Ethan clenched his fist, "You ever heard of e-mail?!" as Kira clutched her shoulder.

Zeltrax continued, "Tell him to surrender to me at the old warehouse before sunset or I will turn Termitetron loose on the city." He quickly summoned an invisi-portal, and he and Termitetron disappeared from the scene. Ethan could only groan, "Great" as the villains left the scene.

Because of the fight, Ethan and Kira were now very late for their science class. Ethan apologized, "Uh, sorry we're late. Did we miss anything?"

Anton gave Ethan and Kira a stern look, "Well, nothing that you can't make up in detention. After school today."

Kira quipped, "Why does this feel really familiar?" as she and Ethan went to take their seats.

Derrick stuck his foot out, causing Ethan to trip and fall to the ground. Ethan turned to see who tripped him… Derrick just smirked, "My bad."

Kira went to help Ethan, but unfortunately for Derrick, Anton had seen what he did.

Anton admonished, "Derrick. I believe there are rules in the student handbook about treating your fellow students with courtesy and respect. Why don't you join us in detention today to review them?"

Ethan and Derrick glared at each other as Anton continued class, "Now… let's open our textbooks to chapter 8." Derrick mouthed at Ethan, "After school" Conner saw that, and became concerned for Ethan.

After class ended, Kira asked Conner, "You're going to tell Dr. O about Zeltrax, right?"

Conner nodded, "Yeah. Okay, but what about you, Ethan?"

Ethan looked at his friends, "What about me?"

Conner gave Ethan an obvious look, "The fight", as Kira said, "The whole school knows about it."

Cassidy and Devin were talking and spotted the trio… Cassidy quickly said, "Oh, Ethan, hello. Okay, good luck for today. And if you happen to fall over, fall towards the camera. That'll be really good for me."

Ethan rolled his eyes as the nosey duo walked away, "I'll be fine."

Kira was still concerned, "Look, unlike some people, we're your friends. And we're not going to let you do something stupid. So, Derrick is a bully who can kick your butt? Who cares? Wait, you're not going to use your dino power on him, right?"

Ethan replied, "No, I'm not going to use my dino power."

Conner was honest, "Dude, no offense, but without it-"

Ethan countered, "There's other ways to deal with a bully." Ethan walked away, leaving his friends concerned and wondering what Ethan was going to do.

Since Kira and Ethan were stuck in detention, Conner went to the lab and let Tommy know about Zeltrax's message. Conner was stunned that Tommy decided to face Zeltrax, "You're going? Isn't that waking right into his hands?"

Tommy had his arms crossed, but replied, "Maybe. But he's not going to stop pushing us around until someone stands up to him."

Conner knew Tommy was right. Tommy said, "Let's go see what Zeltrax is up to. Come on." Conner nodded and the two headed out to face the cyborg.

Back at Mesogog's fortress, Zeltrax was alone and bragged, "I will destroy Oliver. Then I will have Elsa all to myself!"

Trent appeared from the shadows, "Do I smell a love triangle? I don't think you have to worry… word around school is that Dr. Oliver is now dating Coach Hart. Can't say I blame the man… Coach Hart is rather pretty."

Zeltrax was surprised at Trent's arrival, but growled, "Quiet! All that concerns you is the destruction of Dr. Oliver!"

Trent chuckled, "Hey, I was just asking. You stick with the plan, and Oliver's history. And when you do succeed, I will expect you to contribute to the overthrow of Mesogog… as we agreed."

Trent extended his hand and Zeltrax took it in agreement, "As we agreed."

Tommy and Conner arrived at the warehouse. The warehouse was empty causing Conner to say, "Where is that hunk of junk?"

Tommy replied, "Stay focused. I have a bad feeling about this."

Conner and Tommy continued to search the place, when Termitetron showed up.

The monster laughed, "You really are suckers for punishment." Tommy and Conner quickly got into defensive poses.

Termitetron continued to laugh and charged at the red and black ranger; Tommy and Conner looked at each other and charged at the monster as well.

Back at school Ethan, Kira, and Derrick were anxiously waiting for detention to be over.

Anton looked up at the clock and it was finally 4 PM, "You may leave." He went ahead and left the classroom first.

Kira quipped, "That was fun" as Ethan sighed in relief. Suddenly Ethan's bracelet went off.

Ethan knew that could only mean there was trouble and turned to Derrick, "We may have to reschedule."

Derrick scoffed, "I knew you'd try to get out of it."

Ethan replied, "Believe me, I want this over with as much as you, but something just came up."

Kira nodded, "He's not lying… it's important."

Ethan said, "As soon as I'm done, I'll be back. I'll meet you on the soccer field."

Derrick agreed, "One hour, and if you don't come back, I'm coming looking for you. And you won't like it when I find you."

Ethan didn't say anything; he and Kira had more important matters to deal with, and they rushed off to help Conner and Tommy.

Back at the warehouse, Tommy and Conner were still fighting Termitetron. Termitetron managed to land a kick on Tommy and hit Conner's shoulder. Both went tumbling to the ground.

Ethan and Kira arrived to see their teammates on the floor. Ethan cried, "Guys!" as he and Kira rushed to Tommy and Conner's side. They quickly helped Tommy and Conner to their feet.

Kira quipped, "I thought you were supposed to meet Zeltrax."

Tommy gave Kira a look, "I guess he was afraid to face me in person."

Termitetron said, "He'll be here. I'm just the welcoming party."

Conner glared, "I guess we better change into our costumes then." He gave his friends a look and got into his morph stance, "Ready?"

Kira and Ethan nodded, "Ready!" and got into their morph stances as well. The trio moved together and hollered, "Dino Thunder, Power Up!" and quickly got into their ranger suits.

Once fully morphed, Conner leaped at the monster and landed a hard kick on Termitetron.

Termitetron went backwards; he groaned but managed to stay upright. He cried, "You posers are no match for me! Bug bombs!"

The monster shot the bug bombs towards the rangers. The rangers groaned as the bug bombs swarmed and attacked them.

Conner managed to roll away… he quickly leaped into the air and fired his blaster at the bug bombs.

Conner quickly destroyed the bug bombs leading Termitetron to cry, "Hey! Those are my babies!"

Conner cried, "Feel this baby!" and struck Termitetron with his Tyranno staff.

Termitetron groaned as Conner landed several powerful blows. Conner cried, "Tyranno Staff!" and anchored his staff to the ground. Conner grabbed his staff and did his signature spin on Termitetron's body.

Termitetron groaned and fell to the floor. Conner hollered, "Let's put 'em together!"

The rangers combined their primary weapons together, "Z-Rex Blaster!"

Termitetron gasped as that. Ethan quipped, "Time to bug out!" as Conner ordered, "Fire!"

The Z-Rex Blaster fired; Termitetron groaned and exploded into pieces. Tommy cried, "Good work!" as the rangers stood victorious.

Zeltrax and Trent saw everything on the monitors. Zeltrax glared at Trent, "Your plan has failed."

Trent rolled his eyes, "It ain't over till the fat monster sings. Now make him grow. Keep the other rangers busy, and Oliver's yours."

Zeltrax growled, "This better work" and activated the Hydro Regenerator.

Termitetron grew through the warehouse and laughed, "I'm a big, bad bug!"

The rangers went outside and saw the giant monster. Tommy cried, "You guys ready?"

But before the rangers could summon their zords, they were surprised by Zeltrax's arrival.

Zeltrax replied, "Rangers" as Tommy quipped, "Better late than never!"

Zeltrax said, "I'd say my timing is perfect. Give up, and I call him off, or take your chances with me."

Tommy answered, "You know what I choose, guys!"

The rangers nodded, "Right!" and knew what was happening next. Tommy spoke into his morpher, "Brachio!"

Brachio arrived and brought the main Dino Zords to the scene. The rangers quickly joined their zords and formed the Megazord.

Termitetron quipped, "Nice hardware! I think I'll eat it!" The monster flew and grabbed at the Megazord's center, causing sparks to fly.

Conner cried, "We could use some bug spray!"

Kira agreed, "This annoying pest needs a good swipe!"

The Megazord grabbed Termitetron and tossed the monster away from it. Termitetron landed on his feet, "My turn!"

Meanwhile, Tommy faced off against Zeltrax. He summoned, "Brachio Staff!" as he and Zeltrax leaped at each other.

The two rivals began to exchange blows in mid-air. They landed back on the ground and continued to match each other blow per blow.

The two went airborne again but remained evenly matched. Tommy spun his body around and managed to get his feet back on the ground.

Tommy demanded, "I'm getting pretty sick of meeting like this. I'd wish you just tell me what it is you have against me."

Zeltrax replied, "Does the name Terrance Smith mean anything to you?"

Tommy was shocked as he realized who Zeltrax really was, "Smitty?"

Zeltrax used the distraction and began to brutally attack Tommy with his sword. Tommy quickly used his staff to block but could barely keep up with the attack.

Zeltrax landed two powerful strikes onto Tommy's chest and sent Tommy crashing into the nearby barrels and to the ground.

Tommy groaned as he rose to his feet; he still couldn't believe Zeltrax had been his college rival, "Smitty? But you were lost… in that accident."

Zeltrax revealed, "I was on the verge of a breakthrough… when it all went wrong." Smitty had been working with a volatile liquid in his lab… he hadn't been as careful as he should have and had dropped his sample, causing a massive explosion in his lab. He had been clinging to life when Mesogog discovered him, "Mesogog found me and put me back together again. He's a genius with cyberkinetic reconstruction."

Tommy felt awful, "Oh, man… Smitty." He had never expected this… now he understood Zeltrax's hatred.

Tommy and Zeltrax began to exchange blows again. Tommy managed to get Zeltrax into a hold, "Genius or not, he's the enemy. You shouldn't be fighting for him."

Zeltrax retorted, "He gave me life- life you stole from me. And now, you will repay it with yours!"

Tommy spun as he countered Zeltrax's moves, "Don't do this, Smitty! Revenge is never the answer!"

Zeltrax cried, 'It is all that has kept me going!" He lifted his leg and landed a powerful kick that sent Tommy flying backwards.

Tommy groaned as he crashed into several nearby boxes. Zeltrax cried, "Revenge is mine!"

Tommy rose to his feet, "My advice- find another hobby!" He grabbed his staff and charged towards Zeltrax.

Zeltrax charged up his sword and fired several energy blasts at Tommy. Tommy simply used his staff to block the blasts away from him.

Tommy leaped into the air, brought his legs to his chest, and landed a hard kick on Zeltrax's center. Zeltrax went flying and crashed into some barrels.

Tommy hollered, "Give it up Zeltrax!" as the cyborg slowly rose to his feet, "Never!"

Tommy cried, "I hate to do this, Smitty. Dino energy orb!" He spun his staff around and created a huge energy orb, "Fire!" and launched the orb at Zeltrax.

Zeltrax groaned as the energy orb shocked him and crashed to the floor.

Tommy quipped, "Had enough?" as Zeltrax struggled to his feet, "I'll be back, I promise you that."

Zeltrax summoned an invisi-portal and retreated from the scene. Tommy was still in disbelief, "Smitty… man."

The Megazord pushed Termitetron forward… Conner cried, "Let's dino-might this termite!"

Termitetron groaned as the Megazord pulled him off and sent him flying backwards. Conner then summoned, "Tyranno Drill!"

The Megazord leaped into the air and the Tyranno Drill began to speed up. The Tyranno Drill struck Termitetron right in the center. The monster groaned and exploded. The Megazord stood victorious… the Power Rangers had won another battle.

Back at Mesogog's fortress, Trent said to Zeltrax, "So, we didn't win. That doesn't mean we still can't be friends."

Zeltrax growled, "That's precisely what it means."

Trent replied, "Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you." Suddenly Trent was hit by Mesogog's psionic powers… he grabbed his head in pain.

Mesogog declared, "It's never easy for a father to punish his son."

Trent groaned as Mesogog slowly released his grip, "You know?"

Mesogog replied, "As do you. So… now we're all in on it." He stalked toward his troublesome son, "The only question remaining is, whose side are you on?"

Trent was shocked as Mesogog revealed, "Yes, Trent. Zeltrax told me of your agreement from the start. Loyalty is a most valued asset in this regime. An asset you have yet to demonstrate."

Trent got defensive, "You can't take the word of a stranger over the word of your son. I'm with you, Dad… all the way."

Mesogog warned his son, "You had better be. Family or not, no one gets in my way." Trent realized his days as a free agent were over… he had to work for his father or be destroyed.

Conner and Ethan arrived at the soccer field… there was already a huge crowd waiting to see the fight.

Conner pleaded, "Are you sure you want to do this? I mean the guy's a jerk."

Ethan replied, "Would you just trust me, for once?"

Derrick headed straight for Ethan. Conner still stood protectively over Ethan causing Derrick to say, "Out of my way, McKnight. This is between me and the geek here."

Conner glared at Derrick, but seeing the determined look Ethan's face, he moved away.

Ethan said, "Okay, here's the deal. I could fight you, but what would that prove? Instead, I'd like to make you a proposition."

Derrick scoffed, "You're bailing?"

Ethan explained, "I think I can improve your game. If I do, you promise to back off me and my friends." Derrick was intrigued by that.

Ethan called, "My L.T, please?" One of his computer club friends brought in Ethan's laptop.

Ethan quickly brought up his slideshow, "This is a computer image of your kicking. I super-imposed it against the image of a pro player from Manchester."

Derrick was amazed seeing the comparisons on Ethan's laptop, "How'd you do that?"

Ethan quipped, "I'm a computer geek, remember?" Derrick chuckled, "Oh, yeah."

Ethan replayed the comparisons, "Look, see where you're booting it? It's just that one little hitch in your kick."

Derrick pondered and decided to try Ethan's advice. They quickly got Derrick's goalie buddy to go to the net. Ethan placed the soccer ball in front of Derrick.

This time Derrick kicked the ball and used Ethan's correction. The goalie lunged, but the ball spun and hit the back of the net.

The crowd was amazed. Ethan grinned that his advice worked. Derrick smiled, happy that he had successfully scored a goal.

Derrick was amazed, "I can't believe it worked." Ethan replied, "I told ya!"

Derrick asked, "Where'd you learn how to do that?" Ethan answered, "The net- well, the internet, that is."

Derrick replied, "That's pretty cool." He apologized, "And I'm sorry- about before. I just thought, you know, a guy like you, you know, so smart and all, wouldn't want to talk to a guy like me. I guess I was wrong."

Ethan held no grudges, "It's a brave, new world out there my friend."

Conner and Kira were proud of Ethan… the trio walked away from the field together, showing how close they've become as friends. Ethan had used his smarts to defeat his bully without having to resort to violence. He made Derrick realize he could learn from people different from him and didn't have to be a bully.

Kimberly saw the whole thing and was very proud of Ethan. It gave her a great idea of how to deal with Randall.

Randall heard a knock on her door, "Enter" She was surprised to see Kimberly enter her office, "Oh, Coach Hart. I didn't have a meeting scheduled with you today."

Kimberly nodded, "I know, Principal Randall, but I had an idea for the gymnastics program and wanted to run it by you."

Randall replied, "Now, Coach Hart, I haven't given my approval for your upcoming competition."

Kimberly answered, "I know… and I know why you're doing it. Listen carefully, I know you don't like me, but don't take it out on my girls. They've worked hard for this and deserve to go to their competition."

Randall gave Kimberly a look, "I don't like what you're insinuating Coach Hart."

Kimberly stood her ground, "I'm not afraid to go to the school board and tell them you are not allowing a group of fine athletes compete just because you have a problem with their coach. I have a proposition for you."

Randall was intrigued, "Oh, what kind of proposition?"

Kimberly said, "How about we let the girls do some fundraising for their trip? They come up with half the funds, and the school can cover the rest. The girls learn the value of hard work, and I keep your reputation spotless with the school board. You stop messing with my gymnastics program, and I promise to be respectful and not undermine your authority."

Randall liked the idea and agreed to Kimberly's terms, "The idea has merit. Very well, I accept your terms Coach Hart. I approve of the gymnastic team participating in the competition. Please have your girls work hard and win medals for the school; I would hate for them not to accomplish anything."

Kimberly smiled as she shook Randall's hand, "You bet we will. We will make Reefside High proud."

As Kimberly walked away, Randall had to admire Kimberly's tenacity. She had to concede that Kimberly won this fight… she could always think of other ways to make Kimberly miserable at work.

Kimberly was proud of herself on how she dealt with Randall. She proved to Randall she was no pushover… she knew Randall would probably find other ways to mess with her, but she won the battle fair and square.

The Power Rangers had stood up to their bullies and won. Mesogog and his forces would continue to throw challenges at the rangers, but the friendship and teamwork among the rangers would always help them win their battles.

I bet you weren't expecting this quick of an update. I had some free time from work and was finally able to work more on this story. I'll try to update when I can... up next will be "It's a Mad Mad Mackerel". While I liked "Lost and Found in Translation", its one episode I can cut for now. See ya on the next update!