With the holidays coming up, I might as well continue my Karate Forces series with a separate Christmas special. Get your tissue paper ready. It's going to be a heartwarming story, indeed.

DJ's Christmas Carol

"Dad?" DJ called as he descended the stairs. It was the day before Christmas Eve, and the Blue Ranger was all too excited for his favorite holiday of the year. It was one of the very few holidays his father had off, and this was an opportunity for him to spend time with his extended family, as he and his father planned to spend the holidays with DJ's grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins in the city.

"Dad!" DJ yelled out as he entered the living room. Just then, the front door opened. DJ winced as the cold air violated his home. He shivered slightly as his father entered, shutting the door immediately. DJ chuckled as his father took his heavy coat off.

"Brrr...this cold-ass weather, man!" His father acknowledged, shaking some of the snow off of his hat.

DJ shrugged as he chuckled. "Well, I hope this won't affect our trip to see Grandma and Grandpa."

His father then turned to look over at him as he hung his coat up. He scratched the back of his neck as he spoke. "Son, about that, I have some bad news."

DJ frowned worriedly. "What?"

"Your grandparents...they decided to go see your great-aunt in Canada. I don't think we could travel that far, especially since the weather there is way below freezing."

DJ stammered. "B-But this was a chance to see them. I haven't seen Grandma or Grandpa for months!"

His father frowned sadly. "Oh, it's alright, son. There is always next year."

"No, it's not alright!" DJ exclaimed. "I have waited months for this vacation! I have waited months to see everybody!"

"Well, you are not alone." His dad said. "I mean...I'm here. We could watch a movie, or make some eggnog. I know you love eggnog. Or perhaps I could call Maya's mother and have her bake some cookies for us."

"No, Dad! And what's so special about Christmas if I'm spending it with my lonely, single parent who I see every damn day?!"

DJ noticed the power of his words right after he finished his sentence. He had no idea what came over him. It may have been the frustration built up over the years of never being with his ideal family, or perhaps he had been extremely lonely over the years and only relied on his friends for any company outside of his own home. What kind of son would speak so ill of spending quality time with his father, especially since his father was just trying to cheer him up? He saw the looked on his dad's face and instantly felt guilty. He was looking at him with such pain and disappointment.

Before he could speak, his phone pinged. He pulled it up and found out he had received a text from Ellie. It read: DJ, there is a giant Karadrac attacking near the old plaza downtown! Maya's on her way to pick you up!

"Great..." DJ muttered. He looked up and realized his dad had walked past him and into the kitchen. He sighed sadly as he ran up out the front door, grabbing his blue coat and purple trapper hat on the way there.

Donnie and Bonnie were in their living room, helping their aunt decorate their Christmas tree.

"Oh man, I am SO excited for Christmas!" Bonnie spoke with sincere enthusiasm as she entered the living her with a box of decorations in her arms. She set the box between her and her brothers before they began to start decorating the tree that was placed right next to their television, which was playing a black and white version of The Nightmare Before Christmas. "I wonder if we should invite the others and throw our own Christmas party," She suggested, hanging up one of the orbs. "Aren't you excited, bro?"

"Oh, VERY excited!" Donnie said, mocking Bonnie's excitement before rolling his eyes. "About the whole party idea, I don't think so," he said, taking a sip of his carton of eggnog, "Christmas is specifically exclusive to family members when you are a part of Maya's family. And Christmas is a big deal for Max, especially since it's one of the few times a year he can see his grandparents. DJ is not much of a party-goer, as he typically spends some of his holidays with his father."

"Well, enough feeling sorry for those suckers. Aunt Rachel made cookies last night."

"Didn't she tell us not to eat them until Christmas morning?"

Bonnie raised an eyebrow. "Is she going to notice if one or two cookies are missing?"

Donnie rolled his eyes as he continued decorating the tree. Bonnie shrugged her shoulders and bolted into the kitchen. Little did the Green and White Rangers know, their morphers were upstairs in their separate bedroom, blaring repeatedly. Someone was trying to contact them, and considering how rapidly their communicators were beeping, something major was most likely happening.

Maya drove with her friends downtown as soon as they got the alert of an attack that was currently happening. DJ was in the backseat, looking rather glum, as he had just finished roasting chestnuts with his father, and was just about to gulp down a huge carton of eggnog. Now the party had been pooped thanks to a giant Karadrac. Max looked heavily anxious as they neared the plaza where the attack was occurring. The Rangers all dropped their jaws as they witnessed the monster wreak havoc on the buildings.

Once Maya put her car to a halt, the three exited the vehicle as Max yelled through his communicator. "Ellie, we need the Zords!"

"You don't need to remind me!" Ellie responded. Soon enough, the Rangers noticed their Zords speeding through the town toward the monster. The Eagle Zords flew high above the city as its mechanical eyes lit up, shooting lasers at the monster, who had just noticed the three machines. The Karadrac shrieked as it stumbled backward.

Max stood between his friends as he glanced over at Maya. "Are the twins coming?"

Maya looked at her leader and shrugged her shoulders. "I send them the text. I wonder what's taking them so long."

"We don't have time. We need to get rid of this creep fast!" Max said. "Let's morph!"

"Right!" They morphed in synchronization. They immediately hopped into their Zords' cockpits

DJ's Shark Zord was surging the then narrow river near the city as it peeked its head out of the water, its vision focusing on the monster. "Have a taste of my feisty fish! Shark Torpedo!" The Blue Ranger called out, locking onto his target. He shot three torpedoes from the Shark's mouth. The torpedoes made an impact on the monster, who shrieked in pain as it felt its strength crumble with every blow.

As the Red Ranger flew his Eagle Zord through the air, he spoke through one of his speakers that was near the steering wheel. "Maya! DJ! Let's combine!"

"Right!" Maya responded.

"Let's get this over with! I have a nice cup of eggnog waiting for me at home! Let's give this creep that real holiday cheer!" Max exclaimed.

"Great," DJ groaned. The three Zords came together to form their Megazord. Without Donnie's Bat Zord and Bonnie's Bear Zord, the Rangers would need to give it all they got to take the monster down. Once the Great Martial Megazord combination was completed, the three rangers were transferred to their conjoined cockpits. The blue, red, and yellow fluorescent lights illuminated the entire space, as the three Rangers focused on the monster, which was now wielding a dagger at them.

The Megazord blocked it with its right arm. "Not this time!" DJ remarked. "Furious Shark Attack!" With that, the Shark Zord, which was the Megazord's left arm, had its jaws expand to chomp down at the Karadrack's mid-section. Using its teeth, the Shark Zord lifted the Karadrax in midair before launching it through a building. The Foot Soldier shrieked as began furiously kicking in sheer agony on the ground.

"Shark Zord, power up!" DJ commanded as the monster stood up from his feet. The Megazord's lifted its left, preparing its final blow.

"Shark Bite!" All three Rangers yelled as the Shark's razor-sharp and powerful teeth struck the Karadrac. The monster shrieked in pain, sending shockwaves as it erupted.

Maya and Max were elated as they had already defeated the monster. "Feliz Navidad!" Maya cheered as she gave Max a high-five. "My grandma is waiting for me back at home. I can't wait for this holiday to start!"

"Aren't you excited Deej?!" The Red Ranger asked, slapping the moody Blue Ranger on his shoulder.

"Ouch, and for the record, no," DJ said grumpily.

"What's up?" The Yellow Ranger asked.

"Nothing, I'm just not in a jolly mood."

"Why not? It's Christmas!" Max exclaimed.

"I'd rather be at home."

"My parents are throwing a party tomorrow night. Everyone's invited." Max said.

DJ was having none of it. He got up from his seat and used his Morpher to open up and portal out of the Megazord. He was in no mood to speak to anyone. From his perspective, his entire holiday was ruined.

DJ buried his face into his pillow as soon as he stumbled into his room. He was just so hurt and lonely, the latter was something he was used to. Here he was, 16 years old, alone during Christmas, with no family to keep him company besides his grating father, who was in the living room watching football. He would have invited his son to watch it with him, but considering DJ's mood, it would be safe to leave the kid alone.

Then, after being in a deep sleep for about an hour, he awoke with a start. He realized he was not alone in the bedroom as a pale figure hovered over him. "Who are you?!" He demanded, sitting up on his bed.

His covers flew off his bed. As a gesture, the figure yanked DJ to his feet. "What-" The Blue Ranger stammered.

"Come with me." The figure said in a cold, scratchy female voice. She sounded like someone who had been smoking cigarettes every day since they were born.

DJ glared at the figure. "Go away! I swear to God, I will call the cops!"

The figure sneered. "Come with me, we have much to see.

DJ narrowed his eyes as he examed the shadowy face of the figure. "Maya? Is that you?

"Heavens no...I am the Spirit of Christmas Past."

DJ rolled his eyes. "Is this a dream? Are we really about to go through with this? Do I look like Scrooge to you?"

"Come with me, DJ," The Spirit said, and they were suddenly transported elsewhere. DJ was suddenly in his living room. At least, what it used to be. He then saw a younger version of his father watching a young, gloomy-looking boy tear open a present.

The Figure appeared next to DJ. "Does this look familiar?"

"Yeah," DJ answered sadly. "This was my first Christmas without my mother."

"This must have been hard on you."

"Not really," DJ said. "I mean, this was 7 months after she died, so I have gotten used to the fact that she was gone at this point." DJ then watched as his younger self unveiled the present. A black, bulky game system. The latest of its brand. It would have been something any kid would have dreamed of, except...

"I hate it!" His younger self yelled out.

His father frowned. "But son, isn't it was you wanted?"

"I wanted the PS4! Nobody likes Xbox!"

"Son, isn't being here together with me what matters?"

"No, I did not get what I wanted! This is the worst Christmas ever!"

Damn, I was a brat. DJ thought as he watched his younger self stomp out of the living room, leaving his devastated father behind. DJ watched as his father bury his face his in fingers and sobbed quietly. DJ's jaw dropped in shock. He had made his father cry. His father cried on Christmas.

"You were always picky, were you?" The spirit asked.

DJ shut his eyes. "I just never realized how bad it was for him. I had no idea he cried that night."

"Well, he struggled financially to keep the house, especially after your mother passed away. The only reason the bank had not foreclosed on you guys was that your aunt helped your dad pay off the rest of the mortgage."

In a flash, the scene change. They were now in a restaurant. A very stylish, romantic restaurant, with a candle lit at every table. At one particular table, DJ saw his father there with a familiar-looking blond woman.

"Hey, I remember her. That's Cindy!" He then snickered. "I always hated her."

"But your dad loved her. She was kind and nurturing." The spirit said. "Just listen, Deej."

DJ nodded and listened to the conversation.

"I just can't do this. I don't think I'm ready to be a mother, let alone a stepmother to an unruly kid." Cindy said.

DJ's father went to hold her hand. "We could make this work. I know my son can be a bit of a troublemaker, but-"

"A bit? Didn't your son get suspended from school for getting into another fight?"

"Please, Cindy, think about this. His mother passed away, and he is just going through a phase."

"I can't do this anymore, Monroe. Goodbye." With that, she grabbed her purse and left, leaving a heartbroken Mr. Tee behind.

DJ shook his head in disbelief. It was his fault. It was his fault his dad did not have a wife. It was his fault he did not have a mother.

"Your dad did not blame you for that failed relationship. If anything, he blamed himself for not having a mother. He figured he was just bad at relationships."

DJ shut his eyes. "Please take me back home."

The spirit nodded as she snapped her fingers. They were now back in DJ's room. DJ collapsed onto his bed.

"Here I leave you," the spirit said. "You know what's going to happen next, right?"

"Christmas Present," DJ answered, rolling his eyes. He turned to look at the spirit, but the spirit was already gone.

To be continued...

Yeah, sorry I haven't updated my story in a long time. I figured a Christmas special with a connection to Scrooge would make up for my hiatus. Anyway, see you guys in the next chapter.