Awkward Reunion

Tommy felt as if he was at the butt of some cosmic joke as he stared the woman standing in front of him, just as shocked to see him if not more. Seriously, why was all this happening now? First, the warning from Billy, then this?

"You are the science teacher here?" Kim gawked at him disbelievingly as she handed him the books he had dropped.

"I am?" Tommy said slowly, a little bit offended at Kim's shock. "What are you doing here?"

"I am the new gymnastics coach, started today actually." She said quickly. "Principal Randall said that there was someone else from Angel Grove in the faculty but I didn't expect it would be someone I knew, let alone you!"

"Okay…" He said slowly, still trying to process that the one person he hadn't talked to in years, despite thinking about her often, was standing in front of him.

"Not that I am not happy to see you. I am! But I didn't think you would be here. Last I heard, you were trying to start your own dojo in San Angeles?"

"That was six years ago…" He murmured, realising how much he had fallen out of touch with his friends. "That didn't work out as well as I had hoped. I got back to college, got my doctorate-"

"You have a doctorate!" Kim's eyes almost popped out.

"I mean I am no Billy but I know stuff now." He said promptly. "Speaking of Billy…"

Just then, someone cleared their throat behind him. He turned around to see Principal Randall watching them with a speculative gleam in her eyes.

"You two know each other." She said and Tommy frowned. She was not asking, merely pointing out an observation. As always, it irked him that the principal was as always too eager to know more about his private life when he didn't even know her first name. "Angel Grove must be a smaller place than I thought. What are the chances that two of my most illustrious faculty are not only from the same city but also know each other?"

Kim looked to him, just as uncomfortable as him as Randall laughed forcefully. Tommy forced a smile as he nodded. "Yeah, we went to High School together."

"So, you two are close?"

"Excuse me?" Kim asked instantly, shocked by her crudeness.

"Oh, don't mind me, you two seemed awfully lost in each other's eyes to miss the fact that lunchtime is almost over. I came here to hunt students loitering around the courtyard, imagine my surprise, when I saw two of my teachers." She drawled. "Since it's your first day, I will let this slide. But do try catching up in your free time outside of school hours."

Tommy took a deep breath, trying to keep himself calm. From the corner of his eye, he saw Kim's eye twitch as the principal walked past them.

"What's her damage?" Kim asked exasperatedly once she was out of earshot.

"That's Randall for you. I don't know how she became the principal to be honest." Tommy admitted.

"I have been asking myself the same question from morning. She is like a real life Trunchbull." Kim rolled her eyes.

"Ain't that the truth." Tommy smiled.

"Hey what were you about to say before?" Kim asked just as the bell rang, signalling the end of lunchtime and students rushed back into the courtyard, rushing towards their classrooms, afraid of getting caught by Randall. Tommy was about to reply when he saw Cassidy looking at them speculatively and signalling Devin to start shooting. Teenagers.

"Why don't we meet up after classes? There's a place nearby. Hayley's Cyber Café. We can talk over there." Tommy said and Kim nodded. They shared a brief smile before they headed towards their classes.

Principal Randall closed the door as she returned to her office. She knew that look on Tommy Oliver's eyes… affection. Whoever this Kimberly was, she was close to him and that meant she was a weakness to be exploited!

She shed her disguise, turning into her true form – the villainous femme fatale, Elsa, general of Mesagog's mutant armies.

Oh, her master was going to be so pleased to hear this!

As the school hours ended, Kimberly waited for Tommy near the parking lot. Just then, a green portal opened up near her and she staggered back on reflex.

A group of fifteen creepy lizard looking things with stingers on their arms, dressed in black leapt from the portal, lunging for her.

"What the-" Kim cursed, narrowly dodging the attack. Figures, that's what she gets for moving into a city with an active ranger team.

Old instincts kicked in as she grabbed hold of one of the creatures' arms and pushing it back with a well-placed punch.

She looked at the three other cronies converging on her.

Just then, a red blur tore through them, causing them to explode. The blur slowed down beside her, revealing an athletic boy with sandy hair in a red soccer uniform.

"You okay?" he asked and she nodded. Kim nodded. She had no idea who this kid was but he seemed to be on her side.

"Cover your ears." He said quickly as a girl rushed in the parking lot… the same girl she had seen singing earlier.

Kim did so without question and just in time as the girl opened her mouth and let loose a scream that would have put banshees to shame. Sonic waves tore through the lizard things, slamming them against the wall as sparks tore through them and wires burst out. Though they were robots, they sure acted as rabid animals.

A snarl came from behind them as the portal opened up again to reveal a woman in a tight black outfit and fishnets and a monster apparently based on a snake. The monster bared it's fangs and sped at them only for a boy in blue to jump in front of them.

"No!" Kim screamed as the monster bit down on the boy's hand only for the boy to smirk as his skin became covered with blue scales that the fangs couldn't pierce.

"Hand over that woman!" The woman demanded as the boy shoved the monster back at her.

"Not a chance, Elsa!" The girl snorted, joining them.

"Then you will be destroyed!" Elsa screamed, whipping out her sword from the scabbard at her waist and shooting a bolt of lightning from it towards them.

"Energy Shield!" An eerily familiar voice said as a golden shield appeared before them. They turned around to see a black ranger with gold accents in his suit walk up to them, a white ranger with a red visor following him.

"Ready to suit up, guys?" The black ranger asked the three teens. They nodded as the bracelets on their wrists turned to morphers.

"Dino Thunder, Power UP!" They shouted, transforming into the red, blue and yellow rangers.

"Get to safety, Kimberly. We will handle this." The black ranger told her. Kimberly's eyes widened on recognising the voice.

"Tommy?" She asked. "You are a ranger AGAIN?"

"How… I will explain later Kim. Go now. Hide!"

Kim wanted to protest but she knew she wouldn't be any help unmorphed. She nodded as she ran and hid behind a car as the rangers battled the henchwoman and the monster.

Hope you liked this chapter and please review.