This story was done in collaboration between me and DaveMan1000 (both here and on DeviantART), and we own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:
Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel
The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry
Power Rangers (c) Hasbro
Super Sentai (c) Toei
Title: Different Drum
Opening up inside the Youth Center one Saturday morning, Rosie was busy teaching a dance class. A boom box playing music was shown beside her. Also present to watch nearby were Thomas, Emily, Percy, Toby, and Edward. The latter two boys were busy playing a game of checkers at another table.
"And turn! Keep going. Come on, come on! And one more time and turn. How's everybody feeling today?" chanted Rosie.
The entire class, which consisted of mostly eight to up to eleven year old girls, all let out cheers.
"I can't hear you!" smiled Rosie, which caused louder cheers from her class, "I still can't hear you!" The class gave their loudest cheer yet, "And now turn!"
Meanwhile, after making a move, Toby noticed how wonderful Rosie's dance class was turning out and he decided to go try it out himself.
"I'll be right back, Edward," Toby said, standing up.
"Where are you going?" pondered Edward.
"I'm going to see if I can mimic what Rosie and her class are doing," answered Toby, as Thomas, Emily, and Percy watched him leave, "It should be fun."
Edward gave a nod and waited for Toby to return for the rest of their checkers game. Once far enough, Toby began to approach the class, doing the dance moves they were doing—but, rather sadly, he didn't notice that a "Caution: Wet Floor" sign was nearby (judging from someone mopping the floor most recently) and slipped on the wet floor and he went sliding into a nearby cart Victor or Kevin had left for some reason. Well, he hit the cart and went right towards the dance class, which stopped as everyone moved out of the way as Toby zoomed on by, eventually crashing into the wall near the back, stopping the dance class in its tracks. Everyone in the Youth Center, including Thomas, Emily, Percy, and Edward, had overheard the crash and were worried. Rosie immediately turned off the boom box and went over to see if Toby was hurt.
"Toby!" cried Rosie, "Are you okay?"
Toby was dazed and sore, but he was otherwise fine.
"Y-Yeah," replied Toby dizzily, "No injuries."
"Oh, what a relief," sighed Rosie, relieved, but then leaned in and added as a joke, "But I will let you in on a little secret; this isn't how you get the attention of girls—especially Mavis."
Toby let out another groan of dismay as some lighthearted laughs filled the Youth Center.
(Rita's Palace)
Over at the Lunar Palace on the Moon…
"I hate all of that kid music!" The voice of Rita complained.
On the balcony, Rita looked out from her Repulsascope, smiling and snapping fingers before looking back in it.
"Music? Ah ha, yes! I'm going to get back at those Power Brats with music!" gloated Rita.
While that was going on, Squatt and Baboo looked at one another, then at Rita, before Baboo stepped toward her to speak up. And Rita's shrill laughter echoed all across the Lunar Palace on the Moon.
(Youth Center)
Back at the Youth Center. Inside, Rosie was still teaching her class, and Toby joined up. At a nearby table, Thomas, Emily, Percy, and Edward were still watching it. Toby was attempting to mimic the techniques Rosie was showing, but he was tripping on his own feet. Soon, Percy and Edward walk over and help Toby up.
"You gonna be alright?" worried Percy.
"I'll make it," uttered Toby.
Over at Thomas and Emily's table, they were approached by James, Henry, and Gordon. As they began to chat, Percy and Edward brought the exhausted and bemused Toby over.
"Oh man, Toby! What the heck happened to you?" gawked James.
Toby sighed, "Well, I'm intrigued by the rhythmic modulation, yet I'm daunted by the coordinating movements of the appendages."
"Boy, Toby, 'rhythmic modulation'? Those tutoring lessons must be paying off," commented Edward playfully.
"Say what?" blinked Gordon.
"Yeah, what did he say?" added Emily.
"Basically he can't dance," revealed Edward.
"Exactly," confirmed Toby grimly.
"Well, it takes time to learn," Thomas pointed out, "Rome wasn't built in a day, you know."
"What does Rome have anything to do with learning how to dance, little Thomas?" frowned Gordon.
Thomas shook his head, figuring it would be too complicated to explain. Meanwhile, as Rosie's class was ongoing, a boy around their age walked in carrying a small box of supplies. He was a rather lacky boy, with messy dark blue hair and was wearing a simple dark blue shirt with hazard stripes around the cuffs, and jeans. As he walked, he was singing to himself.
"Ha ha ha, he he he, a very special job for me. Going through the front door, to make it to the dance floor!" sang Sidney.
Rosie eventually spotted the boy and waved to him.
"Hey, Sidney! Just stick the box over there by the bench!" she called.
Sidney Darlington, as he was named, did as he was instructed, while Rosie called for a quick break as the class dispersed. Rosie approached Sidney with a grateful smile on her face.
"Thanks for bringing the supplies, Sidney," praised Rosie, "I was just too far behind to get them myself."
"No worries, Rosie," reassured Sidney gleefully, "I know how busy you are, and I wasn't doing anything," He then thought for a second, "Or…was I…? I forget."
Rosie just giggled, and Sidney took notice of all the children from her class, raising his curiosity.
"Hey, is this a dance lesson you're teaching?" he asked curiously.
"Yeah," answered Rosie, "Why? Do you wanna join in?"
"Looks like fun!" beamed Sidney, "Can I?"
"Sure thing!"
That made the dark blue-haired boy very excited. Once the class was all assembled again, Rosie addressed them once more.
"Alright everyone, let's take it from the top!" instructed Rosie.
She then pressed "play" on the nearby boom box, and the class began to dance in unison to the tune. Sidney however was having trouble. While everyone else seemed to move naturally to the beat, he was struggling to keep up; his movements were uncoordinated and out of sync. Seeing everybody twirl backwards, he quickly did the same, only to spin too hard and almost bump into a girl behind him.
"Hey! Be careful!" snapped Young Girl 1.
"Oh, sorry!" apologized Sidney.
He tried again, but once again got his feet crossed the wrong way and tripped over several students beside him. Noticing the chaos, Rosie hastily stopped the music and went to inspect the incident.
"What happened?!" she asked frantically, hoping no one was hurt.
"He fell on top of me!" Young Girl 2 responded, pointing accusingly at Sidney.
"I-I'm sorry," stammered Sidney.
"He almost knocked me down, too!" added Young Girl 1.
"What a great big klutz!" pouted Young Girl 3.
Sidney, feeling embarrassed and upset over what he caused to the dance class, turned and fled from the gym section—or, rather, the Youth Center itself. Rosie, worried for Sidney, addressed her class for a moment.
"Okay, take five, everyone," she instructed, "I'll be right back."
Rosie immediately went after Sidney. Over at the tables, the rest of the gang also saw what had happened and felt sorry for Sidney. Just then, two more boys their age approached them. The first was a somewhat broad young man with dark red hair, and wore a black shirt covered by a dirty red hoodie and black pants. The second boy was more leaner with navy green hair, and sported a dark green sweater and baggy pants. The group recognized them as Norman Ashford and Paxton Derby respectively, both part of the Smelters House along with Sidney. The two observed the messy scene before them before addressing the group.
"Hey, any of you lot seen Sidney anywhere?" pondered Norman.
"We heard he was somewhere around here, but we can't find him," added Paxton.
"I think you'll find him if you follow Rosie," responded Thomas, concerned.
That was all Norman and Paxton needed to hear. Meanwhile, Rosie's search took her outside the building, where she found Sidney sitting on a bench feeling sorry for himself. Smiling slightly, Rosie approached the bench and sat down next to Sidney.
"Sidney?" she asked, "Are you feeling okay?"
"Sorry about the mess back there, Rosie," Sidney replied glumly, "I didn't mean to ruin everything…"
"Sidney, you didn't ruin everything. Everybody was fine," assured Rosie, "But what happened back there?"
Sidney looked apprehensive, as he couldn't seem to figure out what to say in response.
"Um… I don't know…" he admitted, "It was like I couldn't recognize the music like everyone else."
"Huh?" wondered Rosie.
"There you are, Sidney!" The voice of Norman called out, as he and Paxton came running out, "We've been looking all over for you."
"Oh, hey, you guys," waved Sidney, "Had a bit of an accident inside…"
"Yeah, we saw," confirmed Paxton, "You tried dancing."
Rosie turned her attention to the two boys, wanting a little bit of information about Sidney.
"Can you guys help?" requested Rosie, "Sidney doesn't know what happened to him back there. Do you have any idea?"
Norman sighed; this likely not being the first time such an event has happened.
"The thing is… Sid's tone-deaf," explained Norman, feeling uneasy about telling. Seeing Rosie's confused expression, he continued, "What I mean is that he can hear music like everyone else, but can't tell the difference between notes, so that's why he couldn't dance like what the others told us."
"Oh right, that's it," Sidney realized, "I thought it had something to do with that."
"He didn't mean what happened," said Paxton.
"I see," replied Rosie as she put a hand on Sidney's shoulder, "Well, maybe we can find a way to help you overcome that problem," She stood up from the bench and held her right hand out towards her friend, "What do you say?"
Feeling a little better, Sidney accepted the hand from Rosie. Together, they, Paxton, and Norman all returned to the Youth Center.
(Rita's Palace)
Over at the Lunar Palace on the Moon, particularly onto the mid tower…
"Music to get the Power Rangers?" The voice of Squatt pondered curiously.
Inside, Baboo, standing just ahead of Squatt, who reacted, while the blue monkey spoke, glancing to the left briefly.
"It sounds a bit risky," commented Baboo.
Rita soon turned away from her Repulsascope on the balcony…
"Finster! Oh, Finster!" Rita happily called out.
Inside the workshop, Finster was working on a clay mold with a sculpting knife, but he did hear Rita calling for him.
"Yes, O nasty one," responded Finster, not taking his eyes off his work, "I'm working on a marvelous monster that eats cars and smells like a fish."
"Nevermind that," refused Rita, walking into the workshop, "Make me a musical monster that will mesmerize those pathetic Power Rangers and bring them to their knees! Like the Pied Piper, only meaner."
"Oh, my Queen, that idea is absolute brilliance!" praised Finster responsively, but then nervously pointed out a flaw in the plan—which was making Rita mad, "However, musical monsters aren't very reliable. Wouldn't you rather have a nice, fire-breathing hedgehog instead?"
"NOOOOOOO!" screamed Rita furiously.
"I didn't think so," gulped Finster, holding out his arms cautiously.
"Either work on my monster, or I'll turn you into a syphian slug!" threatened Rita.
(Youth Center)
Back at the Youth Center, some people were seen coming out or going inside. In the gym section, Rosie once again resumed teaching her dance class. Sidney had also returned, but decided to just stand by the side and watch.
"Let's do one more song and then we'll call it a day," she advised her class.
And so the music began and the class began to dance. From the sidelines, Sidney observed everyone as they danced in almost perfect unison; all their movements synchronized with the music. Even though he couldn't make out the change in notes, he began to take in the routine, trying to memorize each action. But trouble soon erupted when Diesel, Dennis, 'Arry, and Bert all came walking into the gym area whilst clapping sarcastically.
"Look at all the little rapping ballerinas," snorted Diesel, "This stuff is way too easy."
"Got that right, Diesel," grinned Bert.
Percy was nearby and he spoke sternly to Diesel.
"You think so, huh?" Percy said crossly, "I'd like to see you try it if you think you know so much about dancing."
"You're on!" accepted Diesel.
Percy walked onto the mat and hit "play" on the boom box next to it. After waiting a few seconds for the song to kick in, he began to do some masterful dance techniques. Starting out with some fast twirls, leading to a side flip followed by a backwards somersault. After making a perfect landing, Percy started tapping and snapping to the music, all the while shooting Diesel a smug look, causing Diesel to spit on the floor in disgust. As the music got faster, so did Percy's tapping, to which he matched every beat to a tee, occasionally breaking off for another flip or spin. After about two minutes of dancing, Percy ended it with him kneeling down with his arms opened. Which resulted in cheers from everyone in the Youth Center.
"Think you can do better?" dared Percy.
"Of course!" Diesel huffed, and he walked onto the mat, "Watch and learn, dork."
It was then when Percy turned on the boom box that Diesel started to dance… rather clumsily, but he seemed to do better than anyone initially thought; tapping in tune to the music, and performing adequate somersaults by using his hands to flip himself over. His twirls weren't as fast as Percy's, but he didn't manage to get dizzy or trip over himself. Soon after two minutes of dancing, he ended it with a decent-looking split. And cheers were let out. Diesel came back, dizzy, but victorious, and gave Percy a very smug smile.
"You do good… but I still do better!" mocked Diesel.
Percy was genuinely amazed, and so was the rest of the group, but Emily soon came up with an idea of her own to put Diesel in his place. Looking confident, she stood up from her table while Thomas watched her curiously and walked over to Diesel.
"Alright, wise guy. Try this," suggested Emily.
With that said, she walked over onto the mat, rubbed her hands together, and flipped herself upside down into a handstand. Spreading her legs to balance herself, she started spinning in place; using her legs to build momentum, before vaulting up and flipping forward back onto her feet. When Emily regained her balance, she glanced over to Diesel, who merely looked unimpressed.
"Think you can do it?" teased Emily.
"Are you kidding?" grunted 'Arry, "Sure he can!"
"Move aside, long-legs! I'll show you how it's done!" ordered Diesel.
Emily huffed at Diesel's diss towards her, and stood at the sidelines with folded arms, while he walked back onto the mat and rubbed his hands together before trying to do a handstand, but he kept stumbling and falling. He eventually did it…just as Victor wheeled in a cart of treats he just baked for Rosie and her class, and it was bad timing on his part since Diesel soon lost balance and fell back before crashing into the cart. knocking over the treats. One went into the air and landed on Diesel's head. Everyone present in the Youth Center all started laughing loudly at what transpired, but Victor was furious.
"Diesel!" exclaimed Victor, "You ruined my newly made cakes and cookies!"
"Did I mention I was sorry?" Diesel asked stupidly.
"And did I mention you'll have to pay for them?" replied Victor scornfully.
Realizing he'd have to pay up every bit of money he had—much of it being lunch money he regularly took from other students at school—Diesel groaned and followed Victor to the cash register, with Dennis, 'Arry, and Bert each following. With Rosie and her class, they were finally finished for the day.
"Okay, class dismissed!" declared Rosie.
All the girls and boys began departing, and soon Thomas and the others walked over to greet Rosie.
"That was a great class Rosie," praised Thomas.
"Thanks," beamed Rosie.
"How long have you been taking dance?" wondered Henry.
"Since I was seven," said Rosie, being handed a towel by Emily and wiping her forehead, "My little sister Violet has also been taking classes since she was five."
"That's a good story and all," James spoke up hastily, "But isn't it time for all of us to be at the movies?"
Everyone agreed to it, but Rosie first needed to hit the showers since teaching her class was hard work.
"You guys go on ahead, I'll catch up!" offered Rosie, before grabbing her gym bag and running for the women's locker room, "Don't worry, I won't be long!"
(Rita's Palace)
Over at the Lunar Palace on the Moon…
"Well, do you have my monster yet?" The voice of Rita grouched.
Inside Finster's workshop, Rita watched and talked as Finster finished working on a new monster mold.
"This waiting is putting a strain on my natural beauty," stated Rita vainly.
"Yes, I call it the Gnarly Gnome," introduced Finster, putting the completed mold on the table with the other prior molds, then pointed, gestured and spoke profusely, "He's a wonderfully ugly creature who plays a hypnotic accordion. The plan is to hypnotize a few kids and hold them. When the Power Rangers show up to the rescue, he'll use his music to put them under your power."
"Okay, let's get them!" raged Rita, scowling, as she held her right hand like a claw and poked it out three times.
Despite not running at the moment, the Monster-Matic rumbled and emitted smoke. That all changed when Finster grabbed the lever and pulled it down then back up, causing the Monster-Matic's exhaust pipe to begin spewing smoke. As the machine rumbled, pipe spewing smoke, something was moving towards the shaking exit tube. Rita headed over to the Monster-Matic's exit tube, with Finster behind her, anxiously awaiting.
"This time it better work, Finster," warned Rita.
It was then a burst of fire came spewing out of the exit tube, leaving smoke billowing.
(Youth Center)
Within seconds, the newly created Gnarly Gnome was sent down by Rita. He appeared just outside the Youth Center with his accordion.
"Whoa, what a trip," mused Gnarly Gnome, "Now I gotta get this thing to work right. I think I'll warm it up a bit."
He started to play on his accordion. Inside the Youth Center, everyone who attended Rosie's dance class suddenly stopped in place, their eyes staring straight ahead, as if they were being controlled by some unknown force. Sidney, seemingly completely unaffected, saw both Norman and Paxton stand up beside him, in a trance like everyone else.
"Guys?" wondered Sidney as he ran up in front of them, "Hey, guys! Hello?!"
He tried to wave his hand in front of their faces, but neither Norman or Paxton seemed to acknowledge him. From there, the young girls, including Paxton and Norman, started to leave the building on the double.
"Hey! Where's everyone going?!" hollered Sidney.
Outside, Gnarly Gnome continued to play his accordion as several potential prisoners came walking outside to the beat of his musical instrument.
"Come with me, my pretties!" chanted Gnarly Gnome, "Rita wants to play."
He and the hypnotized children, plus Paxton and Norman, started marching along. Sidney soon came out of the Youth Center, noticing what was going on and decided to follow—but also had to make sure he wasn't caught.
(Middle of Nowhere)
The march eventually took Gnarly Gnome and his prisoners to an unknown, meadowy part of the quarry.
"Come on, you can't resist," sang Gnarly Gnome, "And neither will the Power Rangers!"
Outside a nearby cavern, three Putties were waiting when they saw who was coming. When they knew it was their boss, Gnarly Gnome, they ran inside their new hideout.
"Once the Power Rangers hear my magic tune, they'll be totally in my power," gloated Gnarly Gnome. While he gloated further, he remained unaware that he was being followed by Sidney, "So, come, my beauties, come and dance and wait to seal the Power Rangers' fate!" He and the prisoners entered the cave, "Follow me, follow me. Rita's waiting."
Sidney soon reached the entrance to the cave, but a net dropped and prevented him from going inside to rescue his friends.
"Oh no…" worried Sidney, "What do I do?"
Sidney peaked through the net to see further into the cave. Gnarly Gnome had since vanished from view, but his voice could be heard booming from deep inside.
"Follow me, follow me!" The voice of Gnarly Gnome laughed.
Try as he could, Sidney could not find a way to get into the cavern. He didn't know what to do. He started pacing back and forth, racking his brain to think of something.
"Okay, calm down Sidney," Sidney was saying to himself, "What was the thing Norman said to do when I'm unsure?"
He pondered for a while before he heard his phone ping. Upon pulling it out, he suddenly remembered.
"Oh, of course! Paxton had me save tips here for when I need them!" realized Sidney, as he scrolled through to find his written advice. Opening up the file, he read aloud the text, "If ever you're unsure and need help with something, either call us, or find someone else if we're not there… Well, those two are in trouble… so…" He then recalled his conversation with Rosie back at the Youth Center, "Rosie! She and the others can help!"
Glad to have an idea in his brain, Sidney turned and ran back into town, hoping that Rosie and the likes had returned to the Youth Center from their movie experience.
(Youth Center)
Upon his arrival in the gym section of the Youth Center, Sidney was all out of breath from running all the way there. He looked around, but did not see Rosie nor any of her friends. Desperate, Sidney tried talking to Victor in hopes of finding out when they would be returning.
"V-Victor!" panicked Sidney.
"My goodness, Sidney!" cried Victor, "You look like you've been running a race!" As Kevin brought over a glass of water, Sidney listened tiredly and anxiously to a question he had, "Is something the matter?"
"I'm looking for Rosie and her friends!" blurted Sidney, "I need their help!"
"Last I saw them, they left to go see a movie," said Victor, before smiling, "But don't you worry, they should be back before too long," He then heard some chatter coming from familiar voices, "Well, speak of the devil, they're coming back right now."
He was right about that; entering the juice bar were Thomas, Percy, Emily, Toby, and Rosie, looking cheerful and the likes. They were busy talking about the movie they saw with James, Henry, Gordon, and Edward.
"I swear the stuff these writers come up with astounds me," chuckled Emily.
"Jelly side down equals the Devil himself? Where do they come up with this stuff?" snickered Percy.
"Hard to believe the same guy wrote-" began Toby, just before being cut off.
"ROSIE!" The voice of Sidney yelled out, getting the attention of Thomas and the likes. They saw him running up to them, "Rosie, you must help me, please!"
"Sidney, what's the matter?" soothed Rosie, touching Sidney's upper left arm, "You look really shaken."
"Help! My friends and your dance students are in danger!" begged Sidney, as Emily and Toby became horrified, "I tried to save them, but I couldn't get inside the cave!" He gripped Rosie's shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes, "Please, I can't save them on my own, I need your help!"
"What?!" gasped Rosie.
Thomas and Percy looked at each other, getting an idea that Rita was at it again. Rosie did, too, and what really upset her about it was her own students, being young girls, were among those who were kidnapped. She quickly recovered from her state of shock and smiled at Sidney.
"It's gonna be okay, Sidney," she promised, "You came to the right people."
"Come on, we're gonna get them all back," added Thomas, "We're gonna help you, alright?"
That brought serious relief to Sidney, glad to have found some people who offered to help save Paxton, Norman, and those young girls from that goblin-like monster.
(Cavern)
Somewhere in the cave, Gnarly Gnome was sitting at a table, playing his accordion while Putties danced around it.
"Gwa ha ha ha ha! Dance, everyone!" boomed Gnarly Gnome, laughing merrily as the young girls, Paxton, and Norman were all seen dancing in another corner of the cave, "Let's celebrate our coming victory! Dance for me, my beauties, for tomorrow you dance for our empress, Rita, after I finish off the Power Rangers!" As he played his instrument, he issued an order, "Food! Bring me food!" From another part of the cave, Baboo was seen wearing a chef's hat and apron and turning around to his command, "I grow hungry!"
"Huh! He gets a bit bossy, doesn't he?" huffed Baboo, and then walked over to the stove with a pan of food, placing it on top as Squatt approached and crouched, "I just hope this plan of his works."
"Forget the plan," The voice of Squatt dismissed, opening the stove with tongs, picking up coal, putting in the fire, "This guy knows how to throw a party!"
From the pipe of the stove, smoke was coming out thanks to the extra coal added to the fire. Gnarly Gnome was playing his accordion tighter and more to the left, with Putties still dancing around.
"Dance with the girls and fools, Putties," commanded Gnarly Gnome, as the Putties danced towards the young girls, Paxton, and Normal, "I want to see a show," As the "dance show" proceeded, he threw in a few more cents about it, "You're dancing with Putties now, but soon you'll be dancing with Power Rangers!" Still playing his accordion tighter and more to the left, he started berating Baboo, "Hey, where's the food?!"
"It's cooking, so back off, bucko!" scolded Baboo, taking the pan off the stove before gesturing disapprovingly at Gnarly Gnome. While returning to the preparation area, he uttered something under his breath, "Pfft! Musicians… They think they own the place."
With Putties still dancing around him, Gnarly Gnome was playing his accordion tighter and more to the left so much that he couldn't hear what it was that Baboo said. Speaking of which, Baboo picked up a bowl of superballs and began to pour them into the pan.
"Now I just have to add my secret ingredient," noted Baboo, jumping the bowl of superballs into the hot pan of what seemed to be scrambled eggs, "and presto!"
"Gee, I'm so hungry I could eat a bug," commented Squatt, gesturing his hunger before getting excited over a memory, "Hey, not a bad idea!"
He reached into his sack and pulled out a small red box, opening it to find a little green caterpillar with red stripes.
"I was saving this for a special occasion, but too bad!" chortled Squatt, taking the caterpillar out of the box and stuffing it in his mouth, "Mmm mmm!"
Soon, Gnarly Gnome set an empty plate on the table, stretched out arms, patted his full tummy, and turned to the side.
"Ah yeah, that hit the spot!" smiled Gnarly Gnome, feeling nice and full, "I think it's time for a quick little snooze."
His boot-covered feet slumped apart as he fell fast asleep. Nearby, Squatt and Baboo both slumped over, asleep near the stove.
(Rita's Palace)
Back on the balcony of the Lunar Palace, Rita walked up to her Repulsascope, eager to see how her plan was going.
"They should be ready," commented Rita.
She looked into the Repulsascope, looked out, then looked in again while adjusting it. Through the evil telescope, Rita could see into the cave, noticing the young girls, Paxton, and Norman all still dancing to their heart's content.
"There are the hostages, but where are the others? Sleeping on the job, I suppose," The voice of Rita grumbled, speaking sarcastically at the end. Sure enough, she spotted Gnarly Gnome, Baboo, and Squatt asleep at their posts, "I knew it!"
Back on the balcony, Rita, left eye closed and looking in Repulsascope with her right, ceased touching it, as she grimaced with annoyance at the incompetence of her minions.
"Grrr! I just hate those pathetic pinheads!" whined Rita.
(Cavern)
Back inside the cave…
"Get up!" The voice of Rita barked.
Baboo was awakened by the loud noise by shooting back up to his feet, while Squatt merely fell over.
(Rita's Palace)
Back inside the Lunar Palace…
"Who told you you could rest?" snapped Rita, facing Earth while alone on the balcony as she gestured her arms out repeatedly, with the pendulum swinging behind her, "The Power Rangers could be there any minute…"
(Cavern)
In the cavern, Gnarly Gnome turned from side to table, patting his chest.
"…and you dolts aren't ready!" The voice of Rita went on, as Gnarly Gnome leaned down at his wiggly, un-tied booted feet, gestures his arms, then sat down, adjusting his left boot, pulling it, before turning invisible, moving the chair, "I oughta turn you all into Octavian slime toads! Get to work! NOOOOOOOW!"
Now invisible, Gnarly Gnome started leaving visible boot prints as he walked away, knocking over the accordion and other table items, causing Squatt to clutch head and duck.
"Hey, wait a second," stated Baboo, pointing with both hands, "You're not getting out that easy!"
Invisible Gnarly Gnome stepped backwards over previously made visible bootprints, and the empty chair moved, signifying invisible Gnarly Gnome has sat down.
"Yeah, yeah, keep your wings on," grunted Gnarly Gnome.
Baboo pointed and briefly looked to the left, while Squatt fidgeted and pointed a little.
"Hurry!" urged Baboo.
"Don't worry, I've got it all under control," reassured Gnarly Gnome, moving his chair, then turned visible while adjusting the left boot, pulling it before standing back up and gesturing his arms, "There! I smell Power Rangers coming," He then leaned down to look at his feet, with his boots being wiggly and untied, "Can someone tie my shoes?"
"What?" responded Baboo, as he ceased pointing and fled to the right, with Squatt following, "They're all yours, Gnome. We're out of here!"
Putties were also seen running by the other way and Gnarly Gnome squirmed briefly. Outside, Sidney had finished leading Thomas, Emily, Rosie, Toby, and Percy to where the cave entrance was.
"This is the place!" revealed Sidney, pointing at the entrance, "They went deep inside and blocked the entrance, so I couldn't get any further."
"Not to worry, Sidney, we'll find a way to get them all out," assured Rosie.
"In the meantime though, you'd best get back to town," advised Thomas, "You'll be safe there."
"But don't you guys want some help?" Sidney questioned, a little curious.
"Trust me Sidney, we can handle this," replied Thomas, giving a subtle tap to the Power Morpher on his belt buckle that Percy and the likes noticed and nodded, "I promise you that we'll get Rosie's students, Norman, and Paxton out of there unharmed," He winked, "Are you with me, guys?"
"Absolutely!" confirmed Percy.
"You can count on us!" put in Rosie.
"Scot's honor!" vowed Emily.
"Worry not!" concluded Toby.
Sidney smiled at their words, agreeing to put his trust in Thomas, Rosie, and the likes.
"Alright then, I'll see you back in town then," accepted Sidney, "Good luck!"
With that said, he took off running back down to Knapford City. Once Sidney was out of sight, the Rangers teens all turned to each other knowingly.
"We're in the clear, Rangers!" declared Thomas, before facing ahead and holding up his Power Morpher, "It's Morphin Time!"
(Morphing sequence)
A stylized lightning bolt struck in front of a purple circle, behind was a black background. Crackling around the lightning bolt and circle were blue energy bolts (with some yellow and pink also present). The morphing sequence was as followed; each teenager was seen holding out his/her open Power Morpher inside the image of a giant open Power Morpher, with the teenager being surrounded by Ranger-colored electricity shown within what would have been the Morpher's red inside area.
"Mastodon!" called Percy.
"Pterodactyl!" called Rosie.
"Triceratops!" called Toby.
"Sabertooth Tiger!" called Emily.
"Tyrannosaurus!" called Thomas.
After the morphing calls ended, it zoomed in on Thomas' face, over which appeared to be a fiery red grid; the grid split vertically to reveal the Red Ranger helmet, then it faded into white with a negative color effect.
(End morph)
All five morphed Power Rangers posed with their Power Weapons.
"Power Rangers!" The whole team cried out.
Over at the sealed up cave, Gnarly Gnome cackled evilly as he made his sudden appearance. From there, twirled around a rake-like weapon, charging it up, then fired off a surge of energy and sparkles, causing the five Rangers to be pelted by four sparkly bursts of smoke, which dispersed their assembly. Gnarly Gnome fired another surge of energy from the rake, but Pink Ranger and Yellow Ranger rolled to the side, held up their weapons, then leaped skyward together, firing an arrow from Power Bow and throwing a Power Dagger respectively, causing Gnarly Gnome to get sparkly struck by the arrow and dagger. It was followed by Blue Ranger and Black Ranger leaping forth with their Power Lance and Power Axe prepared to strike, and Gnarly Gnome got struck by both weapons, sparking and smoking as he was shoved by the force of the blows.
"Alright, ugly!" insulted Thomas, as he readied his Power Sword, holding it up and slashing, "Release the prisoners!"
"NEVER!" bellowed Gnarly Gnome, cowering and smoking.
With that refusal, Red Ranger leaped up and forward, holding the Power Sword outward, and Gnarly Gnome burst with sparks and smoke again from the strike, hurling backwards. The combination of attacks threw him to the gravel-based ground, rolling along as he struggled to return to his feet. Suddenly, attacking again, Blue Ranger and Black Ranger leaping forth with their Power Lance and Power Axe prepared to strike, and Gnarly Gnome got struck by both weapons, sparking and smoking as he was shoved by the force of the blows. It was followed by Red Ranger leaping up and forward, holding the Power Sword outward, and Gnarly Gnome burst with sparks and smoke again from the strike, hurling backwards. Finally, Pink Ranger and Yellow Ranger leaped skyward together, firing another arrow from Power Bow and throwing a second Power Dagger, respectively, causing Gnarly Gnome to get sparkly struck by the arrow and dagger. At last, Red Ranger landed, the others gathered around him, all posing with their Power Weapons.
"Let's bring 'em together!" ordered Thomas.
The five core Power Rangers each connected their Power Weapons in a circle and surging with electricity. Black Ranger shifted his Power Axe into Cannon mode before throwing it upward.
"Power Axe!" announced Percy.
The Power Axe floated up and hovered in the air. Pink Ranger crossed her Power Bow to her side, and then flung it upward.
"Power Bow!" announced Rosie.
The Power Bow materialized in a blue flash of energy, connected across the barrel of the Power Axe blaster. Yellow Ranger twirled both of her Power Daggers, crossed her arms, and then threw them upward.
"Power Daggers!" announced Emily.
Both Power Daggers materialized in a blue flash of energy, connected to the bottom side of the Power Bow. Blue Ranger held both ends of his Power Lance in the air, and then threw them upward.
"Power Lance!" announced Toby.
Both Power Lances materialized in a blue flash of energy, connected to the bottom side of the Power Bow next to the Power Daggers. Red Ranger, as he looked upward, gestured both arms while holding his Power Sword before going and leaping up.
"Power Sword!" announced Thomas.
Red Ranger floated up to the combined weapons and prepared to add the Power Sword to them. The Power Sword flashed with red power as it connected with the combined weapons, forming the full Power Blaster in a flash of blue energy. Red Ranger dropped back down from the air with the formed Power Blaster in his hand. After Red Ranger landed, the other four Rangers joined his side, each grabbing onto the Power Blaster or (in the girls' cases) touching his shoulders.
"Power Rangers!" The five Rangers concluded in unison.
Gnarly Gnome was shown cowering and smoking from all of the punishment he sustained.
"Uh-oh!" gulped Gnarly Gnome.
The five Rangers remained together as the Power Blaster began to unleash five beams of power.
"FIRE!" The five Rangers yelled at the same time.
A combined beam (purple at the front, red fire at center, blue edges, yellow and pink spiral outside) blasted across the whole area. Gnarly Gnome was struck by a yellow and red beam of energy, causing him to fall back and burst with a bright yellow light, before surging blue with red electricity. The blue glow that was Gnarly Gnome expanded outward, exploding into shards of blue as the explosion grew. All that was left of the monster was a pile of small stones pouring onto the ground.
(Rita's Palace)
Back on the balcony of the Lunar Palace, Rita, holding her scepter across her chest, was seen standing at the balcony edge
"Think you beat him?" she grunted, hurling the scepter over, "We'll see about that!"
(Space to Earth)
Rita's scepter soared to Earth through outer space, where it passed through the atmosphere staked into the dirt. From there, it unleashed energy from its center orb, and energy rippled into the ground beneath causing a quake to ensue while smoke billowed from the big fault in the ground. Smoke disturbed the pile of stones, blowing them up into the air as a resurrected Gnarly Gnome rose up, growing with his rake, shadowed in smoke. The now giant Gnarly Gnome could be seen towering over the five scrambling Rangers with his rake. Not about to be defeated, Red Ranger turned, raised his right hand to the sky to summon the Zords, then lowered it.
"We need Dinozord power, now!" declared Thomas.
From the middle of nowhere, a crack in the ground spread open, releasing a fireball from within the crack. It was then the head of the Tyrannosaurus Dinozord slowly rose from the molten red ground, followed by its upper body, and finally it was followed by its lower body. Finally, the Tyrannosaurus rose up from above the fiery molten pit before straightening up amid flames and smoke. The Mastodon Dinozord was seen surfacing from its icy domain, where it exhaled an icy breath from its trunk, and its foot pounded down into the misty snow. The Mastodon then started to stomp through the snow until it was then shown fully walking through the arctic. The Triceratops Dinozord appeared within the sands of the desert. Its wheels passed through the desert sands as it continued to drive through the desert, approaching from a distance. Soon enough, the Triceratops raised its head and opened its mouth to roar while driving through the dusty terrain. The Sabertooth Tiger Dinozord, meanwhile, was shown sprinting through the jungle. It then opened its mouth and let out a mighty roar. The Sabertooth Tiger then leaped out of the greenery. A nearby volcano started to erupt, spewing upward magma and smoke. Inside, the Pterodactyl Dinozord soared upwards amid lava lights before flying straight out of the now-active volcano. The Pterodactyl finally flew away from the smoking volcano and headed towards the trees. Back in the quarry, Red Ranger raised a fist.
"Let's do it!" ordered Thomas, before leaping up.
Yellow Ranger and Pink Ranger bent their respective left arms and held out their right arm.
"Right!" Emily and Rosie responded, before leaping up together.
Blue Ranger and Black Ranger raised their respective arms.
"Morphin!" Toby and Percy finished, before leaping up together.
Red Ranger leaped up into the sky, followed by Yellow Ranger and Pink Ranger both leaping up into the sky, and followed by Blue Ranger and Black Ranger both leaping up into the sky.
"Thomas here. You guys all logged on?" called Thomas.
Black Ranger dropped into the cockpit of the Mastodon Dinozord, and he gestured an arm.
"This is Percy. I'm all ready to rock!" confirmed Percy.
Blue Ranger dropped into the cockpit of the Triceratops Dinozord, and he gestured with both arms.
"Toby here. Let's bring down this Gnome!" stated Toby boldly.
Yellow Ranger dropped into the cockpit of the Sabertooth Tiger Dinozord, and she gestured with both arms.
"This is Emily. I'm ready whenever you are!" whooped Emily.
Pink Ranger dropped into the cockpit of the Pterodactyl Dinozord, and she gestured an arm.
"Rosie here. So am I!" finished Rosie.
In the dark Tyrannosaurus cockpit, Red Ranger very quickly raised his left fist to chest then back to controls. He then raised his left fist, then pressed it against the console, looking down at it.
"Let's show that guy some Megazord power!" beamed Thomas, as he slapped his left hand down on the palm activator, "First things first!"
This caused the display of the Red Ranger helmet to lighten up. Then Red Ranger slapped his right hand down on the other palm activator, which caused the console display of the Red Ranger helmet and Red Ranger Zord face to shoot energy to the Tyrannosaurus symbol at the top which began to glow brightly. Red Ranger, still looking downward, resumed looking forward.
"Power up your crystals," commanded Thomas, as he proceeded to pull out his Power Coin from his belt buckle, "we're going to Tank Mode!"
When that was done, Red Ranger held up his Power Coin, which glowed, forming his gleaming Power Crystal as he wiped his hand across from his coin-holding hand. The screen split into four squares (clockwise from top left) as the other four Rangers in their respective Zord cockpit each followed their leader's example by removing their Power Coins from their belt buckles.
"Power up!" The voices of Percy, Rosie, Emily, and Toby all chimed in at the same time.
It was then Black Ranger, Pink Ranger, Yellow Ranger, and Blue Ranger all held up their respective Power Coins, which also glow, forming their gleaming Power Crystals as they wiped their hands across from their respective coin-holding hands. In the Tyrannosaurus cockpit, Red Ranger flipped around his Power Crystal.
"Rangers, sync up!" announced Thomas, preparing to insert the red Power Crystal.
With that said, he inserted his Power Crystal into his control slot with red energy results. The screen split into four squares (clockwise from top left) as each Ranger in their respective cockpits raised their own Power Crystal, preparing to insert them.
"Two, one, mark!" Percy, Rosie, Emily, and Toby all added in.
The screen split into four squares (clockwise from top left) as each Ranger inserted their Power Crystal into their control slots with colored energy results. In the Tyrannosaurus cockpit, Red Ranger moved the controls forth.
"Alright, I feel a rescue coming on!" grinned Thomas.
The Tyrannosaurus and its fellow Dinozords all raced alongside the horizon. The Sabertooth Tiger roared out, just before it suddenly went and locked itself into leg form, while the Triceratops opened its mouth while experiencing the desert breeze. Just then, it went and folded up its tail, and the Tyrannosaurus soon went and connected with the Triceratops and the Sabertooth Tiger legs electrically. The Mastodon floated through the air in its component form. Soon, it went and connected with the Tyrannosaurus, causing a pulse of energy throughout. In the Megazord cockpit, the lights all came on as the Rangers were all seated inside at their stations. The Megazord Tank rolled along the field, as the eyes of all five Zords lightened up. The Triceratops's wheels passed through the desert sands as the Megazord Tank continued to rumble forward into battle. Gnarly Gnome twirled his rake and shivered slightly in fear, watching as the Megazord Tank glowed and fired colored energy from each Zord, causing him to burst with spark. However, he recovered quickly, powered up his rake and fired a beam from it, causing the Megazord Tank to get blasted by multiple explosions. In the Megazord cockpit, everyone around the Rangers got shaken as they flailed their arms briefly, but Red Ranger was able to recover quickly and grab the control stick.
"Let's go, guys!" Thomas said confidently, crossing his left arm over chest and then gripping with both hands, "Switching to Battle Mode, now!"
The circle symbol of all five dinosaurs together glowed brightly with Ranger colors. Fists soon folded out from the Mastodon part of Tank Mode.
"Megazord sequence has been initiated," A computer aboard the Megazord was heard saying.
The bottom back of Tank Mode started to rise up. In the Megazord cockpit, the Rangers watched through the window while Tank Mode folded upward. Pretty soon, Tank Mode finished folding up into the body of the standing Megazord. Suddenly, the Pterodactyl soared downward from the sky and folded into the chest component as it headed to the Megazord's body below. The Tyrannosaurus's head folded down, revealing the Megazord head as the Pterodactyl connected as the chest plate, horns folded out on the head, eyes glowing, and a bright flash ensued.
"Megazord activated!" finished the computer.
And the Megazord posed, fully formed amid lightning. Gnarly Gnome rushed forth with rake, and the Megazord posed with right arm out in battle ready position, then stepped forth to engage. Gnarly Gnome is quickly relieved of his rake by the Megazord, which snagged it out of his attacking hands and shoved him aside while taking it. While Gnarly Gnome was unarmed, the Megazord slammed the rake into his head and caused a burst of sparks and smoke as Gnarly Gnome staggered back, before gesturing arms and summoning his accordion from thin air.
"Listen to my music," mocked Gnarly Gnome, "Fall into my power!"
He began to play a song, and the Megazord became disoriented by surroundings changing from mountains and forest, to the middle of the city, then back and forth, causing it to drop the rake. The Megazord was jerking around in confusion with both arms up, as, in the Megazord cockpit, all five Rangers were grasping the sides of their helmets, covering ears and groaning in pain from that awful music. With that distraction, Gnarly Gnome laughed wickedly as he rushed toward the Megazord in the city, repeatedly switching forms to that of a big moving skyscraper. Once close enough, Gnarly Gnome smashed into the Megazord, causing its lower chest to burst and smoke, making it stagger. Laughing some more, Gnarly Gnome rushed forth again from the mountains, repeatedly switching forms to that of a big rolling boulder. This time, the Megazord blocked Gnarly Gnome's attempted punch, returning the favor by punching him in the head, sparkly. The Megazord then threw not one, but two additional punches, striking Gnarly Gnome and causing some sparks from the pair of combined hits, making him stumble over as he dropped his accordion. The instrument/weapon fell on the ground with the wind knocked out of it, and Gnarly Gnome tumbled but rolled back onto his feet. In the Megazord cockpit, the Rangers were visibly stunned, but Red Ranger, who looked upward and to the right, had a solution to the problem they all faced.
"Alright, let's power up the Mega Sword," requested Thomas.
A sword plummeted from the dark and stormy skies, and the Megazord caught the weapon in the air with its right hand, and whipped it around, the end of the blade surging with a shining prism effect from tip. Not about to suffer defeat, Gnarly Gnome braced down and fired a surge of yellow energy from the horns on his hat, with the Megazord posing with its Mega Sword when a bright blinding flash of sparks burst upon it—it was, however, undamaged. In the Megazord cockpit, all five Rangers raised their respective right arms.
"Strike three, you're out!" The five Rangers declared at the same time.
They all made a slashing downward motion with their raised right arms, and the Megazord motioned its Mega Sword, pulsing with lightning and electricity, powering it up while raising it upward into the sky, which surged with a reddish storm. Gnarly Gnome shuddered as he looked upward, just as, under the reddish sky storm, the Megazord swooped the Mega Sword underhand, slashing upward and diagonally, leaving a visible trail. Gnarly Gnome got slashed by sword, which caused him to leap off the ground, sparks and pulses of energy were released, until he hit the ground and exploded massively, which turned into an added burst of sparks that led to a release of glowing colored balls. The Megazord stood victorious while armed with its Mega Sword as the Rangers were heard cheering from inside. In the Megazord cockpit, the Rangers all looked down and to the left, with Yellow Ranger sitting down as Red Ranger semi-stood in his seat,
"Great job, Power Rangers," praised Thomas, as he gestured his right fist then grabbed the control while looking down in front of him, "Let's go down there, free Paxton, Norman, and the girls, then take 'em home."
(later…)
Once the cave entrance had been cleared, the Rangers were shown escorting everyone out—and the net that was covering it had been disposed of.
"Steady now, everyone stay together," instructed Toby, as the young girls all filed out of the cave.
"Wow… what a crazy day…" remarked Norman.
"I know," agreed Paxton, "I've gotta remember to write about this."
"Is anybody hurt?" asked Emily, addressing the crowd.
"No, Mrs. Yellow Ranger," The young girls all responded in unison, which made Yellow Ranger feel relieved.
"We're glad to hear that," accepted Percy, giving a thumbs up, "Now, what do you say we make our way back to the city?"
A nervous Paxton then approached the Rangers, with a picture in hand.
"Um… thanks for saving us, Power Rangers," Paxton uttered awkwardly.
"Think nothing of it, pal," reassured Thomas, "It's what we do."
"Um… I don't mean to geek out on you, but…" Looking nervous, Paxton then showed the Rangers the picture he was holding, "…could I get your autographs?"
The surprised Rangers saw that the picture was of them battling Mighty Minotaur with their Power Weapons not long ago. They looked at each other and smiled under their helmets in between themselves at the fast recognition they had gained and all turned back to face Paxton.
"Sure, you can," replied Thomas pleasantly, taking the pen Paxton handed to him and scribbled "Mighty Morphin Red Ranger", before passing it to the next Ranger, "Next?"
"Happy to be of service," stated Rosie, after signing "Mighty Morphin Pink Ranger" on the picture.
Yellow Ranger then signed her Ranger title ("Mighty Morphin Yellow Ranger"), allowed Black Ranger to do the same thing (writing "Mighty Morphin Black Ranger" instead), before finally Blue Ranger signed his title ("Mighty Morphin Blue Ranger") and handed the pen and picture back to Paxton, who gazed at the autographed photo in awe.
"Alright, I think that's enough hero worship," interjected Norman, placing a hand on Paxton's shoulder and getting his attention, "Let's just get back home," He turned to the Rangers again, "Paxton and I can escort the girls the rest of the way. Thanks again for saving us."
The Rangers nodded, before bringing their hands to their Power Morphers on their belt buckles and turned into beams of colored light (Thomas: Red, Emily: Yellow, Percy: Black, Rosie: Pink, Toby: Blue), teleporting away in a flash. Norman rubbed his eyes slightly after the bright light, only to see the amount of distance away they were from Knapford City.
"Alright, everybody…" sighed Norman, as he and Paxton led Rosie's students away, "We've got a long walk back to Knapford City, so let's make it quick."
(Rita's Palace)
Over at the Lunar Palace on the Moon, particularly onto the mid tower, all was not well coming from within—if Rita's furious yelling was any indication. Inside, with her back turned on the balcony, Rita was busy yelling at Baboo, who jittered his hands in front of his fearful face.
"Why can't I depend on you nitwits? This is all your fault!" berated Rita, who then then turned to Squatt to yell at him, "And yours too, you overgrown blueberry!"
The terrified Squatt almost seemed to shut down like a robot. Rita then turned away from the frightfully embracing Squatt and Baboo and stepped near the balcony railings, while Finster was seen cowering in the back.
"Why do I keep these fools around?" grumbled Rita, pointing at her head, "They drive me totally nuts!"
(Youth Center)
At the Youth Center the next morning, Rosie was in the midst of another dance session with her class, while everyone else was mingling around the juice bar. At one of the tables, Paxton was showing a few members of Smelter House his autographed picture from the Power Rangers that was displayed inside a frame.
"I still can't believe you got the Power Rangers' autographs!" gasped Mavis.
"That is so cool!" A boy in green, named BoCo Vickers, added.
"Ja! You are very lucky!" A boy dressed in whitish-blue, named Hugo Kruckenberg, commented.
Paxton grinned, "I just never thought I'd actually get to meet them face to face," he beamed, "So I 'had' to ask them there and then while I had the chance."
"I'm guessing you'll be detailing 'that' in your novel?" joked Norman.
From another table, Thomas, Emily, Percy, and Toby overheard the conversation between the Smelter teens and smiled knowingly between themselves. Rosie then joined them, wiping her forehead with her forearm.
"Phew…" she panted, "These routines are a real workout…"
"But definitely worth it," smiled Thomas, "All those girls are rather inspired by you."
"Just a shame Sidney wasn't so lucky," remarked Emily, taking a sip from her milkshake, "Hope he's not hung up about what happened yesterday."
"I doubt it," figured Percy, "This is Sidney we're talking about, he's never one to stay down about anything really."
Dennis then came over holding a tray with a smoothie and a plate of pancakes and hashbrowns, and placed it on the table in front of Rosie.
"Can I get-" began Rosie, before being cut off.
"We're out," cut in Dennis bluntly, before walking away.
Rosie irritatedly called out to Dennis to come back but was ignored, causing her to groan with annoyance. She then took a bite of a hashbrown, before taking a sip from her smoothie, doing a double take.
"The hashbrowns are cold and the smoothie is hot!" she commented, "How in the world is that even possible?!"
The others just laughed, causing Rosie to glare at them before she sighed and decided to drop the subject altogether. She then saw Sidney enter the area, once again singing to himself.
"Ha ha ha, he he he, a very special job for me. All the way to the Youth Center, to meet up with the dance mentor," sang Sidney.
However, Rosie noticed that as he was singing, Sidney was dancing surprisingly rhythmically, despite the music from the food area's speakers being clearly audible across the room. Getting up, she made her way over to him.
"Sidney!" yelled Rosie, causing Sidney to look over and see her approaching, "I just saw you getting the rhythm for your dancing just right."
"I was?" blinked Sidney.
"Totally!" replied Rosie, "That's gotta be your technique! You gotta make your own rhythm!"
"Oh, I was just humming along to my song. It was nothing really," dismissed Sidney.
"Are you kidding? We all saw how good you did," proclaimed Thomas, walking over, "Maybe it's enough for you to…" He motioned his right hand towards Toby, "…help teach Toby a little something."
"It would be nice if you could," chuckled Toby sheepishly.
"Gee, you guys really think so?" uttered Sidney, feeling touched.
"We know so," answered Percy, "Now get in there, and…" As he finished speaking, Sidney started to grin big, "…teach our boy how to dance like the pros."
Eager to prove himself, Sidney silently led Toby to where Rosie's class was taking place in the gym section—as the students all moved out of the way to let the pair go at it. Rosie followed from behind until she reached the boom box and turned it back on. Sidney closed his eyes and began to bop his head up and down slowly, not paying attention to the music. He then started to move in conjunction with his rhythm, shuffling side to side absentmindedly. Toby observed Sidney's technique and attempted to copy as he saw, but tried to time it with the music. He was so busy concentrating that he failed to notice Sidney swerve in his direction, prompting him to quickly dodge out the way, only to once again not notice the nearby "Caution: Wet Floor" sign, and slipped on a wet patch and crashed into Dennis, who was carrying a tray of leftovers, causing the tray to fly into the air and the contents to land all over Dennis. Dennis was not a happy camper as nearly everyone else in the gym and juice bar all began to laugh at him.
"TOBY!" screamed Dennis.
"Oops," gulped Toby.
On the other hand, Sidney was just absentmindedly dancing along as the music from Rosie's boom box continued to play in the background, completely in his zone, not paying any attention to what happened to Toby and Dennis in particular. All in all, he was happy, and that was all that mattered to him.
And here's the adaptation of "Different Drum". The next chapter is going to be an originally written one, and will take some time for us to plan and write out.