MMPR Revisited

Green with Evil Missing Part 1

Somber. It was the word that unmistakably defined the countenance of each of the Rangers in the wake of the Green Ranger's attack. Billy's second home had become the command center, where he tirelessly worked to piece it back together, though Zordon's return still remained elusive. While Kimberly had eventually recovered from the electrical assault, it came at the cost of missing gymnastics practice for a couple of weeks. Trini and Jason continued to clash, their opposing views unyielding, and Zack found himself uncomfortably caught in the middle of their dispute.

During lunchtime, Jason poured his pent-up frustration into the Youth Center's punching bag, with Zack reluctantly serving as his sparring partner. "Calm down, man," Zack repeated, each punch from Jason's powerful blows making the bag shudder. Jason's fixation on hunting down the Green Ranger consumed him, leaving little room for anything else.

"I wanna get that Green dude so bad!" Jason growled between clenched teeth. Zack could only nod in response, watching his best friend unravel like never before.

"I know you do, but we shouldn't be spending our lunch breaks obsessing over it. We should, you know, be eating," Zack tried to inject some humor, but it fell flat. "We'll catch him," he reassured Jason, but the words seemed to fall on deaf ears. Jason wanted results, not reassurances.

"Another round?" Jason asked, panting heavily.

"I think you should chill for a bit, man," Zack replied, genuinely needing a break himself. Jason rolled his eyes and shook his head, but eventually followed Zack to a nearby table. Just before they reached it, Jason spotted Tommy.

"I think I should go talk to him," Jason muttered to Zack. "After the tournament a few days ago and the attack, he went missing. We tied, and we both won the prize money. I don't think he knows."

Zack nodded in agreement, "Go for it, man."

Approaching Tommy, Jason greeted him with forced enthusiasm, "Hey, man!"

Tommy responded with a cold, "Hi."

"Yeah, I just wanted to let you know that after that crazy attack interrupted the tournament, we couldn't find you. So they declared the fight a draw, and we got to split the money."

Tommy's expression turned narrow and skeptical, "I don't understand."

"Well, since it was no one's fault that it got canceled, they decided…" Jason began before Tommy abruptly cut him off.

"No, what I don't understand is why they called it a draw when you didn't beat me," Tommy retorted, catching Jason off guard. He was taken aback by Tommy's rudeness.

"Okay…" Jason hesitated, "It wasn't my call, dude," he said, arms folded.

"Could've fooled me. I say we have a rematch for it. Unless you don't think you can beat me," Tommy challenged, leaving Jason stunned and at a loss for words. He hadn't expected this reaction from Tommy, and he wasn't in the mood for such hostility.

"If that's how you want it," Jason finally responded.

"It is. You think you're some hotshot; someone's gotta knock you down a peg," Tommy added, further surprising Jason. He agreed to the rematch, feeling a mix of annoyance and bewilderment. As Tommy turned his attention back to the punching bag, Jason rejoined Zack at their table, slamming his fists onto it.

"What did the table do to you?" Zack asked, attempting to inject some levity into the situation.

"I can't believe that guy," Jason grumbled, avoiding Zack's humor. "If a fight is a fight, then that's what he'll get."

Zack's eyes widened as he observed Tommy in the distance. "And you're picking fights with the new kid, why?" he inquired, tilting his head in curiosity.

"You know what, I'm not even gonna talk about it. I need to go for a walk or something," Jason declared, downing his drink, setting the cup down, and promptly leaving the table.

Billy, Trini, and Zack were still struggling to navigate the tensions within the team. Jason and Trini rarely communicated, Zack couldn't handle being in the middle by himself, and Billy took it upon himself to try and mediate.

"Neither of you are wrong," Billy stated, trying to bring some semblance of harmony to their discussions. However, Trini was not in a mood to compromise.

"Look," she sighed, "I know he's not wrong. This Green Ranger needs to be stopped. But Daniel...his death is still fresh for me, too fresh. Rita has gone too far, taking humans and turning them against their own kind against their will. This is another person, Billy. Not a monster. Isn't it more important to save an innocent than to win?"

Billy recognized the validity of her point but countered, "I see your point, but he's hurt a lot of people in the name of Rita. If we hadn't gotten Kimberly medical attention right away, who knows what could have happened."

Trini couldn't deny this point, and she exhaled deeply, finally relenting, "I know you're right. I just... somewhere out there, the Green Ranger could be a Daniel to someone else. The idea of hurting another person in general... that's my big dilemma."

"I know," Billy agreed. However, their conversation was abruptly interrupted as Brent approached them.

"What's wrong?" Trini asked, noticing Billy's anxious expression.

"I haven't really spoken to him much the last couple of days. I've been busy with the command center, and I've had to focus on keeping up with school," Billy explained, his mood shifting from serious to anxious.

Brent greeted them with a friendly smile, "Hi Billy. Hi Trini."

"Hi, Brent," Trini replied, but Brent seemed more focused on Billy.

"Billy, is there any way you could stop by after school? I need some help studying," Brent asked. "Studying" was their code word for their clandestine relationship, a secret they had successfully kept hidden so far. Billy was willing to meet after school, but his circumstances were becoming increasingly complex.

"I can't," Billy stammered, leaving Brent looking confused, disappointed, and concerned. "I'd love to help, but I...uh..." Billy faltered, at a loss for words.

"He's helping me tonight, Brent. I've been having a rough couple of days, and Daniel's birthday is soon..." Trini quickly chimed in, offering a convincing excuse. Brent's expression shifted slightly, and he nodded in understanding.

"Yeah, sure. I understand. I'll call you later, though, Billy, so we can go over it when you're available," Brent said, his disappointment palpable. Billy sighed with relief as Brent walked away.

"Thank you," Billy whispered to Trini. "I didn't know Daniel's birthday was soon."

"It's not," Trini admitted, "You were just doing a not great job coming up with an excuse, which I'm not sure why you are in the first place."

Billy confessed, "I have no idea. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do or how I'm supposed to act. I also just don't do emotions. I never have. They're useless and blinding. And because of what happened with Daniel, Jason doesn't think we should be in relationships. It'd make us easy targets. But also... Jason and Zack have been my friends my entire life. I don't know how they would handle me being in a relationship with... someone who isn't a female."

Trini reassured him, "I don't think Jason and Zack would think any less of you. You're still their friend; that hasn't changed. I know what Jason said, but it's important for us to separate ourselves from being Power Rangers. We're still only teenagers. We're people first, heroes second. And this thing with you and Brent, whatever you want to call it, it's a good thing, Billy. Or it could be. There's not enough good things in this world sometimes."

Their conversation was cut short by Kimberly's excited interruption. "You guys!" she yelled, rushing over with a banner that read "Halloween Bash." She set it down and gushed, "The Halloween Bash has just been announced. It's going to be amazing."

Billy, unenthusiastic about the prospect of a dance, grumbled, "You could just gouge my eyes out. With anything."

Kimberly playfully smacked him over the head with the banner. "It could be a lot of fun," Trini conceded. "So, it's in two weeks then?"

"Yes, two weeks from today," Kimberly confirmed, still smiling despite the grim circumstances. Billy couldn't help but admire her ability to find joy even in troubled times.

"It's a dance? Who are you going to go with?" Billy inquired, and Kimberly's smile faded, she sat down with a heavy sigh.

"I'm not sure. A part of me wants to go with Jason," Kimberly admitted cautiously, well aware of the tension between Trini and Jason. Trini responded with a surprised expression, prompting Kimberly to continue, "I mean, I thought so. Things got a little weird after Homecoming. But I – I don't know. And then there's the new kid, Tommy. I really think he's a nice guy."

"Didn't he blow you off?" Billy interjected, dampening Kimberly's optimism.

"Thank you for that," she responded with a hint of sarcasm. "Yeah, I'm sure there was a good reason." Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Tommy entering the cafeteria with his athletic bag. "I'll go find out right now!" With determination, Kimberly headed towards Tommy, who had found an empty table to sit at during the remaining minutes of lunch. "Hi, Tommy."

"Hi," he replied without looking up, taking Kimberly off guard and denting her confidence.

"How are you?" she pressed, but Tommy seemed uninterested.

"I'm fine. Need something?" he asked, his tone cold and annoyed.

"Yeah, the other day we agreed to meet, and you never showed up," Kimberly said, but Tommy didn't immediately respond – no gesture or indication of remorse. "Are you okay?" she finally blurted out impatiently.

"Yes, I'm fine, Kimberly – more than fine. I didn't show up because something came up. Life happens. You're not the center of my universe, Kimberly," Tommy retorted, shocking her to her core. Nearby students ceased their conversations, their attention drawn to the unfolding scene.

"Well, excuse me for living!" Kimberly retorted before turning on her heel and rushing out of the cafeteria. She couldn't escape fast enough, her face flushed with embarrassment and tears welling up in her eyes. She turned a corner out of the cafeteria and collided with Jason.

"Hey – whoa, whoa, are you okay?" Jason asked, noticing Kimberly's distressed demeanor.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Kimberly replied, avoiding eye contact and wiping a tear from her cheek. "Just got something in my eye. I need to go to the restroom." She passed by Jason and hurried away.

The rest of the day passed without any of the Rangers having a particularly good day. Trini and Kimberly left math class hastily to meet up with the others. Billy didn't have a last-period class, and he usually spent this time taking the Rad-Bug to the command center while the teleportation system was still unreliable. They met up with Jason and Zack outside in the parking lot, but Billy was conspicuously absent.

"This is odd," Kimberly observed, looking around and not seeing the Rad-Bug. "Billy's not here?"

"He's always on time," Trini added with concern.

"Yeah, maybe he's just lost track of time?" Zack suggested, a plausible explanation. But it was still worrying; Billy was never late without giving some notice. Jason glanced around to ensure no one was watching and then raised his communicator to his face.

"Command center, come in? Billy, can you read me?" There was no response, not even the usual static they had grown accustomed to over the past few days.

"I think we should check on it, you guys…" Trini suggested, her concern growing. "What if the Green Ranger is there again?"

"I think we're okay on that. Billy made sure the first thing he fixed was the Command Center's shields, but we can never be too careful," Jason agreed. He then stopped talking as he noticed Tommy heading back into the school. The rematch – Jason had completely forgotten about it. He didn't want to fight Tommy in the first place, but he couldn't allow Tommy to think he was a flake. "You guys go on ahead; I'll be right behind you." Jason then hurried after Tommy.

"Okay, that's weird," Kimberly remarked, puzzled by Jason's sudden change of direction. "Where is he going?"

"He'll be fine; let's get to the command center," Trini suggested. The three of them moved from the parking lot to a more secluded area, activated the teleportation sequence on their communicators, and were engulfed in bright lights of black, yellow, and pink.

Meanwhile, Jason raced through the school's halls, which were oddly empty for just having dismissed classes. Dismissing it as a coincidence, he searched for Tommy, finally finding him at his locker.

"Hey, Tommy," Jason greeted with relief that he had located him.

"What?" Tommy replied with disinterest.

"Look, something came up today. I can't participate in our rematch right now," Jason explained. As he spoke, Tommy's eyes rolled nearly to the back of his head.

"Well, that's convenient," Tommy retorted. "You could just forfeit," he suggested, eliciting a clenching of Jason's fist.

"Look, I don't have time for this. You want a rematch? You got one, but not today," Jason's voice grew louder, echoing in the empty hallway.

"Sure. Fine. I understand," Tommy said with dripping sarcasm. Jason nodded and turned to leave. Tommy produced the Dragon Coin, and it glowed green in his hand. Extending his hand forward, he unleashed a beam of green energy that struck Jason from behind, causing him to vanish.

"Our rematch will be sooner than you think, Red Ranger," Tommy proclaimed with a wicked grin and green lights gleaming in his eyes.