Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: How It Should've Been: Passing the Lantern

Adam grinned. Man, this family reunion's been a blast, he thought to himself. And the fact that Zedd and Rita hadn't sent down a monster was pretty sweet too. Just then, Adam was approached by his father and the rest of his family.
"Hey, Dad. Whatcha got there?" he asked.
"Son, I know you want to visit with your friends, but before you go, we want to give this," John Park answered, handing his son an orange cylinder-shaped lantern.
"The lantern," Adam said in surprise as he took the object. Wow. I can't believe I'm getting this, he thought to himself.
"This is a very special lantern and holds very powerful properties. It's been in our family for generations and you have to take very good care of it," Mr. Park told him.
"I won't let anything happen to it. I promise," Adam said. Then, he was bombarded by hugs and congratulations. Stammering, the boy managed to disentangle himself from his relatives. Then, he headed out with his dad.
"Hey, Dad, I've always wondered: what kind of properties does this lantern hold?" Adam questioned. The man laughed.
"I asked the same question when I got the lantern and I'll give you the same answer my father gave me: you're going to have to discover that on your own," he replied.
"Okay," Adam nodded, and then he got into his car and drove away. In Ernie's Gym and Juice Bar, Billy, Aisha, Rocky, and Trini were sitting at a table.
"So, what were you saying?" Billy questioned.
"I hope Adam had a good time at his family reunion. He sure was excited," Aisha stated.
"Yeah, it was a big chance to get in touch with his roots," Billy commented.
"That's always been very important to him," Rocky commented. "He doesn't want to ignore his culture," he continued.
"That makes sense," Billy mused.
"Hey, there he is," Trini noted. "Adam, over here!" she called. The boy walked up to them.
"Hey, guys," he greeted, walking up to them.
"Hey, Adam," Billy, Trini, Rocky, and Aisha chorused.
"Where'd you get that cool lantern?" Aisha wondered.
"They presented it to me at the reunion," Adam answered, sitting down. "It's been in my family for years. Apparently, it has great powers."
"Wow. That sounds like quite an honor," Billy commented, taking the lantern and looking at it.
"It is," Adam confirmed. "You see, a lantern keeper is chosen for each generation. So it's a big responsibility," he continued.
"Hey, what does this inscription say?" Billy wondered.
"I wish I knew," Adam replied.
"You mean they didn't tell you?" Trini asked in confusion.
"I'm supposed to discover it myself," Adam replied, gaining the attention of Bulk, Skull, and Jason. Help? They need help with something? I can help, Bulk thought to himself.
"So, you really don't know what this says?" Skull asked.
"Nope," Adam confirmed.
"Hey, no worries. We'll help you discover it," Bulk stated, grabbing the lantern.
"Hey! Be careful with that! It's a family heirloom!" Adam told him.
"Sorry," he apologized.
"Bulkie, you don't even know Korean," Skull pointed out as the boy looked at the inscription.
"Yeah, Skull's right, man," Jason agreed. Bulk looked at the symbols in confusion.
"Yeah, you're both right," he stated, giving it to Jason.
"Hey Jase, didn't you learn Korean when you were younger?" Trini asked.
"Only enough so I can follow my Sensei's instructions. I have no clue what this says," Jason answered, handing the lantern back to Adam. Then, "Hey, come on, guys. Lt. Stone said he wanted to talk to us."
"Oh, yeah," Skull remembered and they took off.
"I just wish I could understand the lantern's powers," Adam said glumly. On the moon, Zedd and Rita had seen the whole thing.
"THIS IS PERFECT! With that lantern, I can bring forth the evil Lanterra!" Rita screeched.
"Yes! What a brilliant idea, Empress!" Goldar enthused.
"Lanterra can trap the Silver Ranger and some of his friends in his dimensional maze, and then we can destroy the others!" Scorpina added.
"Wowee! Lanterra! We haven't seen him for centuries!" Squatt exclaimed.
"Yes, those Power Punks are in for it now. No one has ever escaped Lanterra's maze," Baboo agreed.
"It does have promise, My Pet. But how will you manage to call forth Lanterra without the lantern?" Zedd asked.
"Just leave it to me, Zeddy!" Rita exclaimed and began chanting in a foreign language.
Billy, Trini, and Adam walked through a garden.
"Ko said he'd meet us at the end of this walk way," Billy told him.
"I can't believe he takes care of this whole place by himself," Adam commented, looking around.
"Yeah, he's really an amazing guy. He's been running the place since we were ten," Trini answered.
"Yeah, my parents met him years ago when he was living in the Orient," Billy added.
"It'd be great if he could translate this inscription," Adam said.
"Well, if anyone can do it, it's Ko. He knows several different languages," Trini assured. The trio approached the man, who was adjusting a lantern.
"Master Ko," Trini greeted, as she and Billy bowed from the waist.
"Trini, Billy. Good to see you. It has been much too long," Ko told them, repeating the gesture.
"Yeah, we know. We're sorry," Trini apologized.
"This is our friend, Adam," Billy introduced.
"Hi," Adam said, imitating Billy and Trini's greeting. Ko took the lantern.
"Billy and Trini were right. This is a very special lantern you have here," he stated.
"You've got quite a collection," Adam said in admiration.
"I see you appreciate things of beauty," Ko stated. He looked around and then gestured to a blue lantern. "My father presented this to me on my fourth birthday. The inscription explains courage." He looked at the lantern again. "'The dragon you fear is only as potent as your imagination'," he read.
"What does it mean?" Adam wondered.
"What does it mean to you?" Ko responded. The boy frowned thoughtfully. "Well, I guess that fear is only as powerful as you make it in your mind," he answered. "Is that right?" he asked.
"If you believe it, then it is so," the man replied. They looked at the lanterns and sighed. Meanwhile, Tommy, Rocky, Aisha, and Zack walked through the Angel Grove Botanical Gardens.
"Man, this place is awesome," Tommy stated.
"We should be able to find a great plant for Kimberly to put in her new garden," Aisha commented.
"It was really nice of the Kwans to let her start one at their house," Rocky commented.
"Well they know that it helps her to de-stress," Zack responded. "Well, that and gymnastics.
"She's been practicing so hard lately for the upcoming meet that I just hope that she has time to work in the garden," Tommy said. Just then, they came upon Bulk, Skull, and Jason.
"Hey, Bulk," Aisha greeted.
"Hey," he grinned.
"What are you guys doing here?" Rocky wondered.
"We've been assigned to patrol this area. Apparently, there's been some vandalism on some of the walls," Bulk answered.
"Bulk, what about your allergies?" Tommy asked in concern.
"Yeah, how can you work if you're sneezing and have itchy eyes?" Zack added.
"I took some meds. I'll be fine," Bulk assured.
"Okay, cool," Zack and Tommy nodded. While this was going on, Kimberly was at the youth center, practicing on the balance Beam, while Katherine spotted her.
"Come on, Kimberly. You can do it!" the blonde-haired girl encouraged. Hilary, Justin, Tina, Chris, and Zane were drinking smoothies, while Richie was working, and Angela, Curtis, and Rocky were on some of the exercise machines.
" Wow. Kim's doing really well," Rocky noted.
"Yeah, she is pumped for the meet," Curtis agreed. Kimberly back-flipped off of the balance beam.
"Yeah! You're lookin' good, girl!" Justin called.
"Thanks, guys," Kimberly answered as she and Kat walked up to the counter.
"Hey, Kim. Try this. Tell me what you think," Richie requested, handing her a cup. She took the drink and took a gulp.
"Hey, this is really good. What is it? Another exotic fruit shake?" Kim asked. He shook his head.
"Pink Strawberry and Banana," he answered.
"It's really good," Kim said and began to pull out some cash.
"Don't worry about it, Kim! You were the trial run!" Ernie told her.
"Cool," Kimberly responded. Back at Ko's place, Ko had finished showing the trio his lanterns.
"Ko, we were hoping you could tell us what the inscription said," Billy told him.
"My family told me that I had to find out the meaning for myself, but…I don't know where to look," Adam confessed. Ko took the lantern and gazed at it.
"'The lamp may light the path, but the soul must light the way," the man translated.
"What does that mean?" Adam wondered.
"These are wise words, Adam. But like all others, they are only words," Ko told him. Adam looked at the inscription.
"I don't understand," he confessed.
"As before, you must discover what this means to you," Ko continued.
"And if you believe-" Billy started.
"Then it is so," Trini finished. Adam looked glum.
"Be patient. Ancient words do not always reveal themselves right away," Ko stated. "Now…I must tend to the rest of my garden." They bowed to each other and the man walked off.
"I guess we should've warned you that sometimes the advise that Ko gives doesn't make sense until a day or two later," Trini chuckled.
"That's good. 'Cause it sure doesn't now," Adam admitted. They headed out and were presently met by in the middle of the walkway to the Botanical Gardens by Zack, Aisha, Rocky, and Tommy
"There they are!" Aisha exclaimed.
"Hey, Billy, Adam, Trini!" Rocky shouted. The trio waved at their friends. Suddenly, Rita's Putties appeared.
"Oh, man! Not now," Adam sighed. They all spread out and began to fight. As this was going on, Rita continued to chant over the skull. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled as her evil magic began to work. Suddenly, there was a roar. They all turned around to see a tall, orange creature with shining, yellow sockets where his eyes would be.
"Oh, great! How am I supposed to explain that to my dad?" Adam wondered. The monster laughed.
"I am Lanterra, and you're mine, Rangers!"
"It's morph-" A blast from Lanterra cut off Tommy's call. Rocky, Trini, Zack, Adam, Aisha, Tommy, and Billy all yelled in surprise as they were caught in a vortex. When they landed, they were all surprised to find themselves in a dimension that was pitch black except for bright gray walls that surrounded them all.
"Where are we?" Adam wondered, looking at the walls.
"Other than some other dimension, I have no clue," Tommy answered.
"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi! Adam, Rocky, Aisha, Tommy, Trini, Billy, and Zack have been transported to Lanterra's dimensional maze!" Alpha exclaimed.
"Contact the other Rangers at once," Zordon instructed, pressing a few buttons on the console. Hearing the summons, Kimberly and Katherine went to a secluded corner of the youth center.
"We read you, Zordon. Come in," Kimberly said. At the Angel Grove Botanical Garden, Jason answered his communicator.
"I'm here, Zordon. What's going on?" he asked.
"Rita has brought forth the Lanterra by using Adam's heirloom lantern. He has sent the other Rangers to his dimensional maze and you must stop him from advancing any further on Angel Grove," Zordon told them. Jason hesitated. He was on assignment. He couldn't just leave. He still had to talk to Lt. Stone.
"Go for it. If anyone comes by and asks, we'll say you found a lead and went to check it out," Bulk told Jason.
"All right," Jason said. "Tyrannosaurus!"
"Raptor!" Katherine summoned.
"Pterodactyl!" Kimberly called. The Brown and Pink Rangers met the Red Ranger in the Botanical Gardens and immediately, the three pulled out their weapons. The Brown Ranger twirled her Bo Staff around, disorienting Lanterra with the staff's whistling sound, giving the Red and Pink Rangers the chance to attack with their Power Sword and Power Bow respectively. Lanterra roared and charged at them. On the moon, Zedd and Rita laughed in delight.
"YES! While Lanterra destroys the Red, Pink, and Brown Rangers, their friends are wandering around in the dimensional maze, lost for eternity!" Rita celebrated.
"Empress, may Scorpina and I go toy with them?" Goldar queried.
"Yes, Empress, may we?" Scorpina added.
"Of course you can. Let those little Power Twerps know that they'll never escape," Rita cackled. The two warriors disappeared and headed for Lanterra's dimension. Meanwhile, in the dimension, Tommy, Zack, Billy, Trini, Rocky, Adam, and Aisha had started walking around, trying to reach a light that they had noticed. However, after what seemed to be several minutes of trying to reach the light and getting nowhere, Aisha stopped and slumped against a wall.
"Guys, this is pointless. We're just going around in circles and we're no closer to the exit than when we first started," she told them.
"Come on, Aisha. Don't give up. We'll find a way out of here," Zack encouraged.
"I don't know, Zack. This place is like a maze," Aisha responded.
"That's exactly what this." At the new voice, the Rangers turned to see Goldar and Scorpina.
"It's morphin' time!" Tommy called. Their Morphers made a whirring noise, and then died down. Goldar and Scorpina laughed.
"Your powers don't work in Lanterra's dimensional maze," Scorpina mocked. The two titans lunged at the group who kicked and punched them. Aisha grunted as she was knocked to the floor. Rocky quickly pulled her up and together, they kicked Goldar back. Suddenly, Putties materialized all around them.
"Circle! Now!" Tommy shouted. Immediately, the group put their backs to each other. The Putties, Scorpina, and Goldar attacked, but couldn't break the wall that the Rangers had created for each other. Meanwhile, back on Earth, the Brown, Pink, and Red Rangers continued to fight Lanterra. Light flew from his sockets and hit the Rangers, knocking them to the ground.
"Man, this dude is tough!" the Red Ranger commented.
"I think we're going to need some help here," the Brown Ranger said. Hearing the commotion, Bulk and Skull looked at each other nervously. That didn't sound good. Concerned, they headed for the sound. When they saw the scene, their jaws dropped.
"Bulkie, they're getting creamed!" Skull whispered.
"I know," Bulk said. Someone cleared their throat and the two turned to see Lt. Stone.
"Hi, Lieutenant," Bulk greeted.
"Where's Jason?" Lt. Stone asked.
"He's out checking a lead he discovered on the vandals," Skull answered.
"Oh, yeah?" Lt. Stone asked. "What lead?" The boys stammered and the man closed his eyes briefly before reopening them. He didn't understand what was going on. Jason had seemed to be dedicated to the Junior Police Patrol, while he was training, but now he was constantly shirking his responsibilities. In the youth center, Richie cleaned the counter nervously as he looked at his friends. Justin and Zane were sparring, Hilary was working with Chris on a punching bag, and Tina, Zane, Curtis, and Angela were on some of the workout machines. Despite their normal appearance, he could tell that like himself, they were all worried about their friends. Presently, Ernie came up.
"Richie, you okay?" he queried.
"Yeah, I'm fine, Ernie," Richie answered. Then, Angela got off of her workout machine and walked up to them.
"What can I get for you?" Richie asked.
"Lemonade please," Angela replied.
"Coming right up," Richie promised. Ernie watched as he then got the drink and brought it back.
"Thanks," she said.
"Hey, Angela, you all right?" Ernie questioned.
"Yeah, I'm fine, Ernie," Angela answered. He stared at her as if unconvinced, but let it drop. If she didn't want to confide in him, he wasn't going to press her. He then went out to the rest of the juice bar to check on customers and checked his outdoor café.
"So, how you doing really?" Richie asked.
"I'm worried about Zack. He was supposed to meet me fifteen minutes ago, and he's been good about letting me know if he's gonna be late because of a monster," Angela answered. Richie leaned over and squeezed her shoulder.
"Don't worry. He'll be okay," he assured as the others came over just in time to hear the last part of the conversation.
"Yeah. I'm sure they're fine," Justin agreed.
"I don't know," Angela said with a sigh. Oh, Zack. Wherever you are. Please be careful, she thought to herself. Back in the dimensional maze, the Rangers had managed to defeat the Putties, but were still fighting Goldar and Scorpina. Goldar knocked Trini to the ground. As he started to kick her, she grabbed his leg with her legs and then twisted sideways, knocking him to the ground. Then, she jumped to her feet. Goldar roared and lunged at Tommy, who quickly dodged out of the way.
"There's gotta be a way to get out of here!" Adam shouted.
"Forget it, humans! No one's ever escaped Lanterra's dimensional maze!" Goldar cackled. He then turned to Rocky.
"Rocky, watch it!" Before the Gold Ranger knew what was happening, the White Ranger had jumped over Goldar just as his sword came down. Tommy grabbed his shoulder as Rocky and Zack kicked Goldar away. Then, as one, Rocky, Adam, Aisha, Trini, Billy, and Zack bombarded Goldar and Scorpina with a volley of kicks and punches until the two warriors disappeared.
"Well, that''s' taken care of," Rocky commented.
"Yeah, but we still don't have a way to get out of here," Zack commented. Adam frowned thoughtfully. Then, Ko's words came back to him: "'The lamp may light the path, but the soul must light the way," the man translated.
"The lamp may light the path, but the soul must light the way," he said out loud.
"Huh?" the others asked.
"The lantern's just a symbol as is that light," Adam responded, pointing.
"So, how do we get out?" Aisha wondered.
"I'm not a hundred percent sure, but I think we just follow our hearts," Adam answered.
"It's worth a try," Tommy agreed.
"So, you're saying we just focus on getting out and going home?" Trini queried. Adam nodded.
"Well, let's try it out," Zack said. They stared at the light and then focused on it, each of them thinking of Angel Grove and their friends. Suddenly, they all found themselves at the Angel Grove Botanical Gardens.
"NOOOO! IT'S IMPOSSIBLE! THEY'VE MANAGED TO ESCAPE THE MAZE DIMENSION!" Rita shrieked. Lanterra turned to face the newcomers who tensed.
"By the power and force of lightning, make our monster grow!" Lanterra roared and the Rangers watched as he grew in height.
"I call on the Power of Thunder!"
"Drago-Tigerzord!"
"Raptor Thunderzord Power!"
"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!" The Rangers leaped into their zords and attacked Lanterra. Beams shot out of the Raptor Zord's mouth and it hit Lanterra. The Blue Ranger grabbed Lanterra with his grappling hooks. The Yellow Ranger was about to take a shot when the monster broke free and attacked them.
"Bring 'em together!" the Red Ranger ordered, and the zords combined to form the Thundermegazord. Lanterra shot beams out of his sockets, knocking the zords back. The Rangers groaned.
"Adam, I know the lantern is important to you, but we might have to destroy it. Sometimes objects don't make it out of a fight intact," the Red Ranger stated. "You going to be okay with that?" The Silver Ranger hesitated. He had been given an important duty: take of the lantern. But right now, the lantern was trying to kill them, which he was pretty sure never crossed his family's mind.
"Yeah. I hate it, but we gotta do what we gotta do," he finally replied.
"All right, then. Let's get this thing!" The two zords approached Lanterra. The creature laughed and punched the Thundermegazord. Then, he turned around and kicked the Drago-Tigerzord. Zedd laughed.
"Yes! Yes! We've got them!" he cheered.
"Yes, we do," his wife grinned. She looked through Repulsa-scope and watched as Lanterra continually shot lights from its sockets at the zords. Yes, how wonderful. The Rangers are finished, she celebrated as her features curved into a grin. Then she'd be able to destroy Zedd and take over the world. She watched as the Rangers continued to fight her monster.
"Thunder Saber now!" she heard them call. Huh? Uh-oh, she thought. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled as the sword came crashing through the sky. Lanterra let out an agonized cry as he exploded.
"NOOOOOOO!" She banged a fist on the balcony. "I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY BEAT US AGAIN!"
"OOOOOH! YOU MISERABLE MINIONS! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Squatt, Baboo, Finster, Goldar, and Scorpina trembled as Zedd fired his staff at them. On Earth, the Rangers left their zords. For a moment, the Silver Ranger stared blankly into space. He couldn't believe it. He had just destroyed the one thing that he had promised in front of his entire family to protect. Man, what am I going to tell Dad? he wondered.
"Adam, I'm so sorry," the Purple Ranger said, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"It's okay, Kat. I'll just-" the Silver Ranger started to say.
"Hey! What's this?" the Blue Ranger interrupted. They turned to where he was looking.
"Your lantern!" the Gold Ranger cried as they all ran up to it.
"Morphinominal!" the Silver Ranger exclaimed, picking it up.
"Congratulations Rangers on a job well done," Zordon told them as they demorphed.
"Thanks, Zordon, but I gotta get back to my post," Jason said, and then teleported out.
"Come on, let's go to Ernie's," Kimberly said, and they ran off. In the youth center, Justin, Hilary, Zane, Tina, Chris, Angela, Curtis, and Richie were at a table talking. Presently, the Rangers, except for Jason, came in.
"Hey, Angela," Zack said, coming to sit beside her.
"Oh, Zack," Angela gasped in relief. She kissed his cheek. "I was so worried," she admitted softly.
"Sorry. We got a field trip courtesy of Zedd and Rita," he told her in the same tone.
"What?" Angela asked.
"Yeah. Adam was morphinominal. He figured out a way to get us out," Zack said.
"Hey, I'm just glad that I didn't end up destroying this," Adam stated, holding his lantern.
"Yeah, what a relief," Katherine added. Meanwhile, Jason had just reached the Angel Grove Botanical Gardens to see Bulk and Skull talking with Lt. Stone.
"Okay, boys. Explain to me how it's taking Jason so long to track down one lead," he said angrily as the boy came up.
"Guys, it's okay," he said. The man whirled around.
"Mr. Scott, where have you been?" he demanded.
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about, Lieutenant," he told him.
"What do you mean?" the man asked.
"Lieutenant, I would love to tell you that I won't bail on assignment again, but the truth is, I'll probably have to," Jason said.
"What do you mean 'have to'?" Lt. Stone barked. What's gotten into him? He wasn't like this during training, he thought.
"Lt. Stone, I'm the Red Ranger," Jason told him.
"What?" Lt Stone asked in disbelief.
"Yeah," Jason confirmed as he unbuckled his Morpher and showed it the commanding officer. "Now, obviously I would hate to leave Bulk and Skull or any other person I'm partnered with in a bind, but when duty calls, I haveto go," he continued, re-clasping the Morpher onto his jeans.
"And is that where you were just now?"
"Yep." Lt. Stone nodded.
"We can work around it." Then, he walked off.
"Thanks, guys. Sorry," Jason apologized.
"Hey, no problem, man. After all you and the others do for Angel Grove, what's a little cover story between friends?" Bulk queried.
"Yeah, that's right," Skull added. Jason smiled and the three banged their fists down, then up, and then clasped hands.
Category:Fan Fiction