MMPR Revisited

Homecoming Part 1

"Move it a bit to the left," Kimberly said, her head tilted as she examined the placement of the homecoming banner. One eye closed, hands extended, she aimed for perfection. "A tad more to the left," she instructed, prompting two students to grunt in protest. "Stop complaining, you knew what you were getting yourselves into when you signed up."

"Yes, your majesty..." one of the helpers mumbled.

"Exactly. I will be Queen tonight," Kimberly said with a half-grin. "And perfect!" She dropped her hands to her sides and surveyed the entire venue. "This is just wonderful."

"Kimberly, I think you've outdone yourself," Trini remarked as she tied the final balloon and released it to float to the ceiling. "I don't think anyone will believe this was done on a high school budget."

"A little over budget won't hurt. Mr. Kaplan won't mind," Kimberly chuckled. "Are you ready to go? We still have a lot to do to get ready."

"Yeah, why are we going to Billy's again?" Trini inquired.

"For one, Billy's parents are out of town again, and his mother's bathroom is ridiculous. She has four body-length mirrors in there, and she's offered to let us use it as long as we clean up after ourselves," Kimberly explained.

"You're crazy sometimes, you know that?" Trini laughed.

"No, crazy is trying to fit both of us into my home bathroom," Kimberly replied. "Besides, we should try to be there for Billy right now," she added unexpectedly, catching Trini off guard. "You know, about the whole Brent thing?"

"Kimberly, I don't think he wants to talk about it. He hasn't really spoken much about it since the other day..." Trini said.

"He hasn't even talked to Jason or Zack about it?" Kimberly asked in a hushed voice.

"No," Trini shook her head. "And we won't say anything. I don't even think he knows what's going on with him. We're not going to let that cat out of the bag," Trini asserted firmly.

"I agree," Kimberly said. "I just hope he knows that we're his friends... we don't care either way."

"Unfortunately, we don't live in a world where that's true for everyone," Trini remarked.

"Fair enough, I won't bring it up until he does," Kimberly concluded, extending her hand to Trini, who shook it in agreement.

"Agreed," Trini nodded. "I bet Zack and Jason are at the Youth Center. Jason's been taking on so many more karate classes, I don't know how he's managing."

"What do you mean?" Kimberly asked.

"It's just a lot. He's tripled his classes in the last few weeks. I know the money is good, but why on earth would he be spreading himself so thin? We all need all the rest we can get," Trini expressed her concern.

"I'm sure it's only temporary. Maybe he's saving up for something? Jason knows what he's doing," Kimberly replied confidently, easing Trini's concerns for the moment. "Plus, maybe we'll see Daniel there," she added with a smile.

"Right," Trini tried to match her enthusiasm, but her suspicions about Daniel's behavior weighed on her mind. Something didn't seem right. He shouldn't be able to walk, given his injury.

"Is everything alright between you two?" Kimberly asked, noticing Trini's dramatic mood change when Daniel was mentioned.

"Yeah, we're fine," Trini replied without making eye contact, as she didn't want to divulge her thoughts and apprehensions. She had no concrete proof, and Kimberly had invested weeks planning these events.

Jason, addressing his karate class, reiterated, "Remember, Martial Arts is for self-defense, not for inflicting pain or controlling others."

"Yes, sensei!" the children replied in unison.

"Class dismissed!" Jason bowed his head, and his students reciprocated before dispersing to different parts of the Youth Center.

"Are you done yet? This has to be your third class today, right?" Zack approached Jason and tossed him a towel. Jason caught it and wiped his face.

"Yeah, I'm done for the day," Jason sighed with relief.

"Good," Zack agreed. "Why are you working so much? Saving up for a car or something?"

"No, nothing like that," Jason laughed.

"Oh, I see. Kimberly emptying your wallet? That girl is too high maintenance," Zack teased, making Jason burst into laughter even more, though he just shook his head.

"No, she's great. I just need the money is all," Jason said vaguely, knowing Zack was suspicious but unwilling to share the real reason. Opening up about his family struggles and potential eviction seemed too burdensome.

"Fair enough," Zack conceded, sensing that Jason wouldn't discuss it further. He respected his friend's privacy.

"Hey, boys," Kimberly and Trini approached them. "Are you ready?"

"For what?" Jason asked, prompting a playful punch from Kimberly.

"I'm just kidding!" Jason grinned widely. Kimberly playfully punched his shoulder.

"This is no joking matter," she admonished.

"We know, Kim, we know. So, is the plan still the same? Jason and I get ready, pick up the limo, get Daniel and Felicia, swing by Billy's house to pick you two up, and then head to dinner?" Zack confirmed.

"Good, I'm glad someone is on track today!" Kimberly said proudly.

"Well, shouldn't Daniel just come with us? He's over there. Should we ask him?" Zack suggested. Trini's face paled.

"What do you mean? He's here?" she asked in disbelief. "He should be at physical therapy..."

"No, he's lifting weights. Seriously, that guy is a tank. If I had been shot, I'd be making everyone push me around in a wheelchair for at least a month," Zack laughed, but Trini didn't join in.

"I'll be right back," Trini said as she walked over to the other side of the Youth Center and spotted Daniel lifting weights. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Lifting weights?" Daniel responded with a confused inflection after completing a set.

"Daniel, you're still recovering. You shouldn't even be attempting this," Trini said.

"Clearly, Trini, I'm fine. Will you come off it already? You're worse than my mother," Daniel retorted venomously, leaving Trini taken aback.

"I... I'm just concerned—" Trini began.

"Stop. Thank you for your concern, but I have a mom for that. I don't need my girlfriend doing this, too," Daniel snapped, surprising Trini with his words. The ambiguity of their relationship had never been addressed, but she didn't feel the need to correct him either. "I've got to go, but I'll see you a little later, okay?" With that, he leaned forward to kiss her forehead and walked away.

Trini turned on her heel and rejoined the others.

"Where is he going?" Jason asked.

"I don't know..." Trini replied, her suspicions not quelled. Daniel's mood swings, unusual recovery, and the scar on his neck all pointed to something she didn't want to admit.

"The last one is... Plutonium?" Brent winced, reluctant to meet Billy's eyes if he were wrong.

"You got it!" Billy exclaimed, closing his Chemistry book. "Memorizing the Periodic Table of Elements isn't an easy task. Ms. Appleby rewards students with a lot of extra credit if you get it correctly."

"Aw man, I'm super stoked to get back to swimming. I can take my sling off next week, just in time for season practice," Brent said, falling back onto Billy's bed. "Damn, my brain hurts. I think we should call it a day."

"I concur. You've covered a lot today. Any more would be excessive," Billy said, placing the book on his dresser and tidying up his notebooks. "Besides, you'll probably want to go to Homecoming, won't you?"

"Nah. I haven't really thought about that. Dances and stuff," Brent turned his head to face Billy, who was still packing up. "Are you going?"

"No, I don't do that stuff either," Billy replied.

"Do you wanna hang out tonight?" Brent's question gave Billy pause, and he didn't answer immediately. "Or not?" Brent laughed at Billy's awkward silence.

"No, it's just... I – Ugh – I don't think you'd have much fun hanging out with me. I'm pretty boring," Billy admitted.

"We can have a movie night? Or a video game night? Nothing boring about that. You know, I've never actually seen all of Star Wars," Billy's statement shocked Brent.

"Blasphemy!" Billy said with a serious tone, making Brent burst into laughter.

"No, I'm serious. That could be fun, right?" Brent asked.

"I have the special editions of them all. Y-yes, you should watch them," Billy replied, his hesitation stemming from genuine surprise that Brent was willing to skip the Homecoming dance to watch Star Wars with him.

"Cool, I need to go help my brother with something, but I'll be back here around seven? I'll bring the popcorn?" Brent suggested with a warm smile.

"Sure," Billy replied apprehensively, though Brent didn't seem to notice. Billy couldn't help but wonder if he was reading too much into things. After all, he had limited experience in getting close to other people, aside from Trini.

"Knock, knock!" Kimberly's voice echoed from the entrance of the house. "Billy?"

Just as Billy was about to respond to Brent, his friends arrived, as if on cue. "Wow," Brent chuckled and shook his head. "You and your friends must be really close."

"You have no idea," Billy replied, recognizing it as quite the understatement. "In my room!" he called out.

"Alright, well, I'll see you later, man!" Brent got up from Billy's bed and left the room.

"Billy!" Zack greeted, holding onto the last syllable of Billy's name as he initiated a high-five. "How's it going, man?"

"It's going," Billy started cleaning up his books and putting them away as the others piled into the room.

"Bye, Brent!" Kimberly called out before entering. "Such a nice guy," she remarked, and Billy gave her a quizzical look.

"Man, we shouldn't be going to Homecoming; we should be partying it up over here tonight!" Zack laughed and made whooping sounds.

"No," both Billy and Kimberly said in unison.

"I've worked too hard on Homecoming. We're all going, and we're all going to have an amazing time!" Kimberly insisted.

"Yeah, what she said," Billy agreed. "But I'm still not going."

"Don't remind me," Kimberly rolled her eyes. "One day you'll look back on this and wish you listened to me."

Trini entered the room last, appearing unenthusiastic. Billy also noticed that she chose a seat on the other side of the room, furthest away from everyone, which was unusual for her.

"Trini, are you okay?" Billy approached her and knelt down to face her. Initially, she stared at the ground, but eventually, she lifted her face to meet his gaze.

"Yeah, I think so," she replied.

"I'm not convinced. You haven't been yourself the last couple of days. What's bothering you?" For a moment, it seemed like Trini was about to open up, like all her worries were about to spill out. But before she could, she blinked, abruptly ending the thought.

"I'm just tired, Billy," she lied, not wanting to discuss her feelings, mostly because she hoped she was wrong. "You know if something were wrong, you'd be the first to know," Trini grinned, trying to make it convincing.

"Alright..." Billy said, still not entirely convinced. Trini stood up and forced an even bigger smile to avoid further suspicion.

Rita had been smiling a lot lately. Despite not winning as often as she'd like, her plan was proceeding smoothly. Finster approached her at her throne and bowed respectfully.

"My Queen, the time is almost upon us," he said, holding up a cushion with the Dragon Power Coin, emitting a dark green glow, at its center.

"Yes," Rita's grin widened, and she reached out to touch it, receiving a mild shock of green energy. "Not nearly as bad as the last time. Finster, this spell is working brilliantly. The pure spirit of my Dark Warrior is feeding this coin's darkness."

"It truly is nearly time," Goldar added, stepping out from the darkness. His gold armor gleamed gloriously. "But we still need to gather some pieces of the puzzle. The final remnant of Scorpina resides with the Rangers. We should use the remaining strength of the Dark Warrior to retrieve it."

"Exactly what I was thinking. This could potentially be his last battle. As soon as all the purity from his spirit is used up, the Dark Armor will become obsolete, and he will surely perish," Finster explained.

"Then he should go out with a bang!" Rita laughed maniacally, joined by her minions. "Here we go, then. Finster, send down a legion of Putties to Angel Grove, the best ones you've got. Goldar, lead the charge. I will be sending the Dark Warrior to join you shortly."

"Yes, my Queen," they both said in unison before departing. Rita stood up from her throne and reached for her magic wand. "Dark Warrior, arise!" she commanded, releasing a red beam of light from the red jewel on her scepter. Seconds later, Daniel appeared, without his armor.

"Yes, my queen?" He bowed respectfully and approached her, though he seemed to struggle with each step. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, and his breaths were shorter than usual. He was weaker; he was dying.

"My Dark Warrior, today is the day we take back one of our own. As you know, the Rangers narrowly escaped with the final remnant of my savage warrior, Scorpina. I entrust you with retrieving it by any means necessary!" Daniel nodded, his expression grim.

"My queen…" He began, clearing his throat. "I know what's been going on. I know my purpose. Is this last battle to be my last?" He asked boldly, surprising Rita. She reached out to caress his cheek and looked into his eyes firmly.

"Yes," she answered without hesitation, her resolve unwavering. It was what he needed to hear. Another red beam of light shot from her staff, and he was fully clad in his armor, becoming the Dark Warrior once more. "Go, my Dark Warrior. Go with vengeance. End in glory!" Daniel nodded and disappeared in a flash of light.

When he reappeared, it was in the center of Angel Grove Central Square. Putties ran amok, and Goldar terrorized innocent bystanders.

"Dark Warrior!" Goldar called, and Daniel joined him. "This is our playground today. Let's not give those Rangers anything to be happy about!" Daniel was overwhelmed with emotions that other monsters under Rita's command didn't experience. Remorse for his heinous acts, disappointment, sadness, anger, and, most of all, worry for Trini. Would she ever discover his terrible deeds? Fortunately, he knew he wouldn't be around much longer to find out.

The Dark Warrior let out a war cry and charged forward, summoning his sword and cutting down a police officer who had opened fire on him. His sword was now stained with its first kill of the day. A reporter and his cameraman tried to flee, but Daniel intercepted them immediately.

"No, don't run," he said maliciously. "I want to send a message to the Power Rangers! You have something I want. Bring it to me, or I will personally kill every man, woman, and child in Angel Grove!" He swung his sword again, drawing blood from the terrified cameraman, his crimson blood staining the camera's lens.

"Come and get me, Power Rangers. Only you can stop me..."