Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: How It Should've Been: Kung Fu Fighting

It was typical day in Ernie's Gym And Juice Bar with chattering, Bulk and Skull doing fake karate moves at one end of the juice bar, and other noise, but Trini barely heard it. Instead, she was completely focused on the moves she was performing. What she didn't know was that she had earned the attention of one the newest members of the team. Adam was sitting at a table and staring at Trini in fascination as she went through her routine. When she finally paused, he stood up and walked over to her.
"Was that Mantis Kung Fu?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied. "You recognized it?"
"My sensei taught me using concepts from all of the main animals, but I'm kinda partial to the Tiger and Snake styles," he replied with a nod.
"Wow. That's really cool," she said. "Would you mind showing me some moves?" she asked.
"Not at all," he answered. He bowed to her and then started a kata as she watched. Wow. This is really cool. I thought I was the only one of us who was into Kung Fu, she thought to herself.
"You try it," he said after a while and Trini began to mimic what she had seen, with Adam once in a while correcting her stance or re-showing her a move. Richie Lopez walked into the youth center and up to the counter.
"Hey, Ernie," he greeted.
"Hey, Richie. What can I get you?" the man asked.
"Diet coke," came the answer. Then, "You need any help today?"
"Nah. Enjoy your day off." Richie nodded as he received his drink, gave Ernie some money, and then turned around. Seeing Bulk and Skull doing their version of karate, he shook his head. Then, exhausted, they walked up.
"What were you guys doing?" Richie asked.
"We gotta keep up with the Rangers, man. By working on different moves, we'll learn then and then be able to recognize who the Rangers are the next time they fight," Bulk answered.
"Yeah," Skull added. Man, don't those guys ever give up trying to figure out who the Power Rangers are? he wondered, shaking his head. Then, to his surprise, he realized that Trini was doing some sort of kata with the new boy, Adam Park.
"How long have they been doing that?" he asked.
"They just started," the older man replied. Richie nodded and stared at them. As he watched them, a strange feeling came over him. He couldn't believe that she was with him again. Ever since the boy had transferred in from Stone Canyon a few weeks ago, he and Trini had been inseparable. Adam said something to Trini who laughed. Richie's eyes flashed. Man, I don't believe this. Who does he think he is? he thought to himself. He had been starting something with Trini and then this guy came in and suddenly, she had no time for him. It wasn't fair! He began to approach them.
"Hey, Trini," he greeted as he got closer. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her and risk her getting injured. Adam and Trini stopped what they were doing and Trini embraced Richie happily.
"Hey, did you just get here?" she asked.
"Yeah," he answered.
"Adam knows Kung Fu as well and he was showing me a few of his moves," she said to him.
"Yeah, I saw," came the curt reply. "You were really good," he continued and Trini giggled.
"Thanks. You're sweet. I'll admit, Adam had some pretty good moves," she told him.
"As long as the only moves he uses on you are martial arts," he stated. Trini pulled away slightly and looked at him in confusion.
"What?" she asked, stepping out of the embrace.
"Come on, Trini. He was all over you," came the response.
"Whoa. I think we got some wires crossed here, man," Adam interjected, stepping closer to the two. Richie stared at him through narrowed eyes. What? He doesn't think I can tell when someone's making eyes at my girl? What does he take me for, an idiot? he thought.
"Richie, there's nothing going on between me and Adam. We're just friends," Trini added.
"Good. Keep it that way, Park," Richie said. Then, he walked to the other side of the juice bar.
"Someone sounds jealous," Bulk muttered.
"Uh-huh," Skull agreed. Trini and Adam looked at each other.
"What was that all about?" Trini wondered in confusion.
"I think he thought that I liked you as more than a friend," Adam replied.
"But…you don't…do you?" Trini queried.
"No," Adam answered, shaking his head.
"Wow. Maybe I should talk to him," Trini suggested.
"Why don't you let him cool down, first? With the way he's feeling, you guys might start fighting and then say something you'd both regret," Adam suggested.
"Good idea," Trini agreed. Then, "Come on. I wanna spar some more." With that, they started again. On the moon, Zedd had seen the whole thing.
"Awwww...so, Trini's human friend is jealous of her friendship with the Silver Ranger, is he? Well, I can use that to my advantage," he stated.
"How Master? Are you going to place him under a spell?" Goldar asked. Whatever he does, I'm sure it'll be brilliant, he thought to himself.
"No. There's no need." Zedd answered. "The boy doesn't realize it, but his jealousy will bring dissension to the Power Rangers leaving me free to destroy them," he added and then broke into maniacal laughter.
Zedd let out cruel smile, though it couldn't be seen underneath his chrome mask as he watched the Yellow and Silver Rangers spar. They both have similar fighting styles. Say, this gives me an idea, he thought. With that, he sent out a communications to a planet next to the Tri-Gamma System.
"Zedd, how unpleasant to hear from you," a being greeted. He was a tall creature covered by a black and red cloak.
"Master Triton, I require your assistance to take out the Power Rangers," Zedd stated.
"Of course. It would be an honor to help you to get rid of such pests," Master Triton answered.
"Excellent. I want you to go down to Earth at once and lure them out," Zedd instructed.
"As you command," Master Triton responded, and then teleported himself to Earth. In the Command Center, the alarm blared shrilly.
"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi!" Alpha exclaimed.
"Contact the Rangers at once," Zordon instructed. Alpha did as he was told and one-by-one, the Rangers answered the summons. "Rangers, there is trouble in downtown Angel Grove. You must go there immediately," the sage told them." The Rangers morphed and were instantly at the location.
"Who's that?" the Red Ranger wondered. With a roar, Master Triton lunged at them. He turned to the Yellow Ranger and began to attack her, only to result in the girl dodging a fair amount of his blows. Finally, he was able to subdue her. The other Rangers immediately started for them, only to be knocked back by a ball of energy. The White Ranger moaned. Man. This dude packs a punch, he thought. As the Yellow Ranger struggled under the monster's weight, the Pink Ranger pulled out her Power Bow and fired. With a cry of surprise, he toppled off of the Yellow Ranger who quickly rolled out of the way.
"We need to regroup. Everyone back to the Command Center," the Red Ranger ordered and everyone teleported out.
"Zordon, who was that?" Jason wondered.
"Whoever he was, he had some serious moves," Kimberly commented.
"It looked like a form of Kung Fu," Trini stated.
"I can't be sure, but I think it was the Dragon style," Adam chimed in.
"Great. That's outta my league. I didn't learn Kung Fu," Zack griped.
"We were taught it," Aisha said, gesturing to herself, Rocky, and Adam.
"Yeah, Master Kahn used concepts from all of the different animals," Rocky added.
"But I like I told Trini, I favor the Tiger and Snake styles," Adam continued.
"But you know the style, right?" Jason asked.
"Yes, I know the style," Adam confirmed.
"Hey! This is weird! This is really weird!" Alpha exclaimed.
"What is it, Alpha?" Jason asked.
"Triton just disappeared and sensors state that he's back on the moon," Alpha answered.
"I don't get it. Why would Zedd call him back?" Kimberly asked.
"He must have a greater stratagem in mind and has called Master Triton back until it's time to implement it," Billy surmised.
"That's not good," Jason muttered. Even if he didn't know exactly what Billy had said, he got the gist: Zedd was up to something. The Rangers looked at each other worriedly.
"Jason, what do we do?" Trini questioned.
"I'm not sure," Jason replied and the Rangers fell silent and looked at each other, each one mirroring the other's look of unease.
"Master, why did you call Master Triton back? Now that he's defeated the Rangers, he can easily destroy Angel Grove," Goldar pointed out.
"Because the time is not right, Goldar. I want to keep those Power Brats guessing," Zedd responded. Goldar nodded, but didn't say anything. Back in the Command Center, the Rangers were talking amongst themselves.
"Okay, what is Zedd planning? I mean, he obviously has something bigger planned," Aisha stated.
"Rangers, for now, I would advise you to return to your normal routines. You can do nothing further," Zordon said.
"But-" Jason and Tommy started to protest.
"He's right, you guys. There's nothing more we can do right now," Trini agreed.
"I don't like this," Jason muttered.
"Me neither," Tommy murmured.
"I understand and share your concern, Rangers. However, we cannot make a move until Zedd does," Zordon reminded them. Reluctantly, they all teleported out and then went to the youth center. Almost as if they were thinking as one, the nine teens broke off into groups of three and began sparring. Presently, people came up to watch as Tommy, Kimberly, and Jason sparred in one corner, Trini, Adam, and Zack sparred in another corner, and Billy, Rocky, and Aisha sparred in a third corner.
"What's going on?" a boy asked.
"I have no clue. They all just started sparring," a girl answered. Then, the teens switched partners and continued their practice, seemingly unaware of the growing audience. While this was going on, Richie glanced at Trini and her friends. He sighed, remembering what he had said to Trini and Adam earlier. I can't believe I acted that way. She probably hates me now, he thought.
"Hey Richie, why so down?" Ernie wondered.
"I totally messed up with Trini, earlier," Richie answered with a sigh.
"It couldn't have been that bad. What happened?" Ernie prompted.
"She was sparring with Adam earlier, and I got jealous because she's been spending so much time with him, this past for few weeks and that lead to me acting like a jerk to Adam," Richie continued.
"Don't worry about it. I'm sure it'll all work out," Ernie assured. Then, they both turned to look at the nine teens who were still sparring with one another. After several minutes, they switched partners again and continued. When they were finally done, they all went over to the counter, where they ordered various flavors of smoothies as the crowd that had gathered went back to doing their own thing. As they chatted, the other Rangers noticed the Yellow Ranger's bummed out mood.
"Trini, what's wrong?" Kimberly asked and the girl sighed.
"It's Richie," she answered.
"Richie?" the others asked.
"Yeah, he got really jealous when Adam and I were sparring earlier," she answered.
"I guess he thought I was making a move on her, but I just noticed that she knew Preying Mantis Kung Fu and asked her about it," Adam continued.
"It's not really like him to act like that," Trini said. Kimberly looked around furtively.
"You think it's one of Zedd's spells?" she asked quietly.
"No, I don't think so. I mean, I remember when you got placed under the jealousy spell, you were snapping at everyone, but Richie's anger was just directed at Adam," came the response. She blew out a worried breath and Kimberly placed a comforting hand on the other girl's arm.
"Don't worry. Everything will be okay," she assured. "I mean, being jealous is human. I mean, even I got jealous when your volleyball club got a big turn out. The spell just amplified it," she continued. "Besides, I don't blame Richie for feeling threatened. Adam is pretty cute."
"Hey!" Tommy protested amidst their friends' laughter and Adam ducked his head in embarrassment. Just then, their communicators beeped.
"Guess who's back?" Zack asked grimly. Jason pointed to the exit and the others took off, only pausing long enough to put money down on the counter for Ernie. Then, they went to entrance hallway.
"We're here, Zordon," Jason said quietly.
"Master Triton is back in Downtown Angel Grove. You must stop him at once," Zordon told them.
"We're on it," Jason assured and once again, the teens morphed and then teleported to the site. On the moon, Zedd gave a thunderous laugh.
"Perfect!" he approved. Then, he threw down a grenade. "Grow, Triton! Grow!" With a roar, the monster rose up until he was looming over the Rangers.
"I call on the Power of Thunder!" the Red Ranger shouted.
"Tigerzord!"
"Mastodon-Lion Thunderzord Power!"
"Pterodactyl-Firebird Thunderzord Power!"
"Drago Thunderzord Power!"
"Stega Thunderzord Power!"
"Brachio Thunderzord Power!"
"Triceratops-Unicorn Thunderzord Power!"
"Saber-toothed Tiger-Griffin Thunderzord Power!"
"Tyrannosaurus-Red Dragon Thunderzord Power!" As soon as the zords came, the Rangers jumped into the machines and immediately used their attacks against the monster.
"Convert to Thundermegazord!" the Red Ranger instructed and the Rangers did as they were told.
"That won't stop me," Master Triton spat out.
"Watch his footwork-especially if he goes into Mantis Kung Fu," the Yellow Ranger warned and the others nodded that they understood. The Rangers studied the monster, who went into several intricate moves. When he finally made an attack, the Rangers did their best to dodge it, but to no avail. Then, in a flurry of kicks and punches, both zords were taken down.
"Man! This dude is tough!" the Red Ranger shouted.
"But we're tougher. We just gotta figure out a way to beat him," the Black Ranger reminded. Laughing evilly, Master Triton conjured up a long sword.
"Look out! He's got a Katana!" the Silver Ranger warned. The monster laughed as he brandished the weapon over the zords.
"We need the Thunder Saber now!" the Red Ranger shouted. Just as the Katana was about to make contact with the Thundermegazord, the Thunder Saber fell from the sky and landed in the zord's hands. The weapons clanged as the Katana hit the sword. Grunting with effort, the Rangers pulled the zords to their feet. Then, the Red Ranger frowned thoughtfully as the monster began circling them. This isn't working. I'm still not all that good with a sword, he thought to himself.
"Tommy, we need to combine the Thunder Megazord and the Tigerzord!" the Red Ranger said.
"But we've never tried that before," the White Ranger protested. Has he lost it or something? he wondered.
"I know, but this guy's way outta my league. I need you to control the Thunder Saber," the Red Ranger answered.
"Okay, here we go," the White Ranger muttered. Just how in the heck were they supposed to manage this?
"Rangers, you needn't worry. When I created the Tigerzord, we equipped it with the ability to combine with the Thunder Megazord if the need ever arose. All you need to do is call for Thunder Mega-Tigerzord Power," Zordon assured.
"Thunder Mega-Tigerzord Power now!" everyone cried and the zords shifted so that the Tigerzord could slide into place. Once inside the zord, the White Ranger took the Red Ranger's place in the middle of the zord. At least it's spacious, he thought to himself. He'd be able to handle the closed space for a bit. Master Triton stepped back in surprise when he saw the new combination of zords.
"Nice trick, Rangers, but even that won't stop me!" he shouted and then lunged at the zord, brandishing his sword. The White Ranger successfully blocked the attack and then powered up the Saber. Then, he stuck it through the monster's torso. With a scream, Master Triton fell to the ground and exploded.
"BLAST! BLAST! AND BLAST AGAIN!" Zedd fumed, shooting bolts of electricity from his staff at his minions. "Mark my words, Rangers…your time is coming." A few minutes later, Jason, Zack, Kimberly, Billy, Trini, Tommy, Rocky, Adam, and Aisha walked into the youth center.
"You guys, I still don't know what to do about Richie," Trini said as they all walked up to the counter. Seeing the girl, Richie walked up to her.
"Trini, can I talk to you and Adam in private?" he requested.
"Sure, man. Come on," Adam invited and the three went to a secluded corner of the juice bar.
"Adam, I'm really sorry. I got really jealous when I saw you with Trini. I-I mean, I-really like her and-"
"Hey, it's cool," Adam assured.
"And Trini, I have to apologize to you too. I mean, even if Adam is interested in you-or you're interested in him-that's not really my business. I mean, it's not like we're dating," Richie continued.
"Richie, it's okay. We all get jealous sometimes," Trini told him.
"Yeah, man. That's what makes us human," Adam added. "But for the record, Trini and I are not interested in each other," he continued.
"So Trini, can I buy you a smoothie?" Richie asked.
"Yeah, I'd like that," Trini answered and they walked up to the counter where the other Rangers were.
"And I've lost them," Adam muttered as he followed them to join their friends.
"Hey Ernie, could I get a Banana Smoothie?" Richie requested.
"You got it," Ernie answered and went to make the concoction.
"So everything's all sorted out?" Kimberly asked.
"Yep," Trini, Richie, and Adam chorused. The trio looked at each other and then started laughing. A few minutes later, Ernie came out with the smoothie and handed it to Trini. Richie reached into his pocket, got out his wallet, opened it, got out a few dollars and then handed it to Ernie. Immediately, the others let out teasing whoops.
"Hey, Richie. Where's my smoothie?" Zack asked playfully.
"Forget it, Zack. You ain't pretty enough," Jason shot back.
"Shut up," Richie muttered. Trini just rolled her eyes and took a drink from her smoothie.
Category:Fan Fiction
Category:Power Rangers