Disclaimer: The Power Rangers and all characters, Zords and trademarks are owned by Saban, and used without permission. I am not being paid for this in any way, shape or form""I'm writing this simply for the sheer joy of writing. Eddie and Eke are owned by me (indeed, Eddie is me), so please don't use them without permission. If you ask nicely, most of the time I'll be more than happy to grant that permission, as long as they're not used in a way detrimental to the characters.
This story is rated PG for violence and mild language.
[Historian's Note: This story takes place shortly after the events depicted in the MMPR second-season episode "Return of the Green Ranger, Part 3". From that point on, I'm writing my own stories as if post-RGR3 episodes never took place.]
Dragon Dreams
By Ekedolphin
Eddie Hawn sighed in frustration as he took his first steps into Angel Grove High School. Why did his family have to move to California, anyway? And mid-semester, at that? Eddie had spent almost his entire life in Indianapolis, Indiana, and before moving to Angel Grove he hadn't even been west of the Mississippi in his entire life. But his father David, a very successful businessman
had been offered a promotion to become his company's Head of West Coast Operations, and that was certainly an opportunity that came but once in a lifetime.
But why did it have to happen now, when everything had been going so well for Eddie? He'd found love in his life for the very first time, or so he'd thought. But when Eddie had told Kristen that he had to move to Angel Grove, Kristen had promptly broken off their relationship. What had been her exact words? "I've loved across great distances before, Eddie, but I could never do so again""it nearly tore me apart."
As poetic as her words had been, Eddie found them tremendously ironic. Kristen had broken off their relationship because the last time she'd been in a distance relationship, it had "torn her apart". But by breaking it off, Kristen was the one who ended up tearing someone else apart. Eddie sighed again as he made his way through Angel Grove High School's promenade. Women.
Enough, he reprimanded himself. Stay positive. Think of this as a fresh start. Eddie forced a relaxed demeanor as he made his way to his locker, but his fidgeting with the coin-shaped medallion necklace around his neck betrayed his nervousness. Suddenly realizing what he was doing, he tucked the necklace back underneath his dark green T-shirt.
He opened his locker and put a few books into it, but a loud commotion down the hallway alerted him that a fight was going on. Cursing, Eddie slammed his locker shut and went over to see what the matter was.
Two large muscle-heads were shoving around another teenage boy. The boy wore a blue-and-white striped shirt and glasses, and Eddie's initial impression of him was that he was kind of a whiz kid. Hey, Eddie thought, nothing wrong with that. But I wonder what this guy did to deserve this kind of treatment.
As he approached from behind the two muscle-heads, he was finally able to make out what they were saying.
The taller of the two muscle-heads wore sunglasses and looked very much like a skinhead. "Look at this dweeb, Donnie. What's the matter, science boy? Afraid to fight back?"
The shorter one, Donnie, laughed as he pushed their victim back into a locker. "Yeah, Charlie, what's the deal with this guy? Probably spends too much time inhis lab, and not enough time learning how to fight." Donnie and Charlie took turns pushing the kid backwards. Enough of this.
"Hey, lay off him, jerks!" Eddie stepped between the two big guys and the whiz kid. He'd be damned if he let this thing continue any further. And besides, if it came to fisticuffs, Eddie preferred a fair fight to one-on-two. If the other guy's gonna even bother helping me out, that is.
"Well, look what we've got here, Donnie," Charlie said with a sneer, "a new chew toy for my dog to play with."
"Are you two looking to have fun?" Eddie asked in a low, dangerous tone. "Come on... let's have fun." The teen resolutely stared down both bullies, his eyes betraying no fear. He was bluffing, of course""in reality, he had a feeling that he stood little chance against both of them. Eddie was willing to stand up for himself and others, but truthfully he wasn't much of a fighter, more of a negotiator.
But thankfully, Donnie and Charlie didn't know that. "Since you're new here, "Donnie said, "I'm gonna cut you a break. This time. Come on, Charlie," he said, tapping his friend on the shoulder. Eddie waited until Donnie and Charlie were out of sight before allowing himself to breathe a sigh of relief.
"You all right, man?" Eddie turned his attention back to the guy they'd been bullying. The guy nodded and replied "Affirmative", and Eddie had to fight the temptation to roll his eyes. Nerds were usually nice enough, but Eddie just wished they'd speak plain English for once.
"Those two guys were big," the recently-bullied teen continued. "How'd you get them to back off like that?"
Eddie leaned in closer so that he wouldn't be overheard. "Honestly? I was acting like I could kick both of their butts no problem, but I was lying through my teeth. I guess if someone thinks you can beat them up, that's enough if it gets 'em to back off."
"A most admirable strategy. I'm Billy. Nice to meet you." Billy offered his hand, and Eddie shook it.
"Eddie. Just moved here from Indianapolis. This is my first day of school here. "Eddie found himself liking Billy right from the start""he seemed to have an earnestness and charisma about him that you couldn't help but like.
"Indianapolis, huh? What brings your family all the way out here to Angel Grove?"
Eddie tried unsuccessfully to sound enthusiastic as he spoke. "My father got promoted to the top West Coast head honcho at his company. Their West Coast operations are based here, and it was the opportunity of a lifetime for him, so..."Eddie allowed his voice to trail off.
Billy saw right through his pretense. "Do you miss Indianapolis?" Eddie nodded. "I understand""being away from friends, having to go to a new school, living in a city where it doesn't ever snow... I can only imagine what you're going through. "At Eddie's peculiar look, Billy asked, "What?"
"You envy Indianapolis their snow?" Eddie was barely able to stop from laughing out loud. "Believe me, Billy; you're not missing a thing. It's cold, wet, piles up in a hurry, causes accidents, slows traffic, gets in your boots, and turns streets into small lakes when it's done melting. No, my friend, you should feel blessed that it never snows in Angel Grove. If I never saw another snowflake the rest of my life, I'd die a happy man."
Billy laughed. "It's that bad, huh?"
"Ohh, yeah. It's the one thing I won't miss. I'm already missing my friends, though""although it looks like I may have already made a new one here. "Eddie smiled.
Billy smiled back. "You bet. Hey, a few of us are going to the park after school, at about three-thirty. Would you like to come along and meet a few new friends?"
Eddie nervously fingered his necklace, and his briefly lowered eyes didn't see Billy's eyes widening in surprise and alarm. Eddie re-focused on Billy's face and said, "Sure. That sounds like fun. Three-thirty, then. The park."
"Hope to see you there." The first bell rang, and Eddie started off in the opposite direction as Billy. But as Billy watched his new friend leave, he said to himself, "The guys are never going to believe this..."
"The Green Power Coin? Are you sure?" Tommy was careful to keep his voice down as he sat at a table in the juice bar with five of his friends. Tommy, Billy, Kimberly, Rocky, Adam and Aisha formed the most formidable superhero team ever assembled""the Power Rangers, formed by Zordon to prevent the forces of Rita Repulsa and, later, Lord Zedd, from taking over the planet Earth. Tommy, White Ranger and leader of the team, was at the moment having trouble hiding his incredulity. While he believed that Billy was speaking the truth, that didn't explain how or why the Green Power Coin had come into Eddie's possession.
"Affirmative," Billy replied. "He had it on a necklace, and he fidgeted with it for a moment as he was talking to me. I don't think he realizes what it is""it's probably just a necklace to him."
"But how could he have gotten the Green Power Coin?" Adam asked Tommy. "Didn't your clone keep it in the 1890s?"
"Yeah," Tommy said, "and it must have survived up until the present, and come into Eddie's possession at some time. This is a fully functional Power Coin, guys""my clone had all the powers of the Green Ranger, and the attitude to back it up."
"If we can get him to join the team," Kimberly said thoughtfully, "it'd help us out so much."
"Seven Rangers would be a tremendous advantage," Rocky agreed.
"We've got to let Zordon know," Tommy decided, "and we've got to get to him before Lord Zedd does." Tommy motioned the other Rangers to follow him into the hallway, and once they were out of sight, they teleported away in six Ranger-colored streaks of light.
From the balcony of his headquarters on the Moon, Lord Zedd listened to the teens' conversation with the utmost of attention.
"So, they think they can keep a secret like this from me, do they?" Lord Zedd's evil voice was practically cheerful for him. A plan this cunning simply didn't appear out of thin air.
Goldar, Zedd's faithful gold-armored, winged servant, had listened in on the conversation as well. "Let me go down there and destroy that pathetic Eddie, my master," he pleaded.
"Silence, you fool! No, you fit into a different aspect of my master plan. First, I will summon the Green Meanie and a group of Putties to ambush Eddie in the park. He may have the Green Power Coin, but he has no idea how to use it. Without the knowledge of how to be a Power Ranger, he has no chance against us. He'll be defeated easily, and we will reclaim the Green Power Coin!" Zedd raised his staff high as it began to sparkle with electricity. "So be it!"
A bolt of lightning streaked from Zedd's staff and touched down in the park in Angel Grove. At its point of impact, a monster appeared. It was green and distinctly bird-like in its appearance, with fearsome claws on its fingers and toes. As the monster breathed its first breath, it squawked, "I will reclaim the Green Ranger's powers for you, oh evil one!" It disappeared in a green feather trail to find Eddie.
The teens re-materialized inside the Command Center and were greeted by their loyal robotic friend, Alpha Five. "Good to see you, Rangers!" Alpha remarked cheerfully, as if he hadn't seen them in a week.
"Good to see you too, Alpha," Tommy replied.
"What seems to be the trouble, Rangers?" Zordon asked from his inter-dimensional time warp tube. Zordon was the Power Rangers' mentor, a wise Eltarian sage who appeared as a giant head, having been trapped in his present state for some ten thousand years.
"Zordon, I think we may have found the Green Power Coin again," Billy said. "The new kid at school, Eddie, wore it as a necklace. It must have survived the last hundred years and come into his possession somehow."
"That is correct, Rangers," Zordon confirmed. "Eddie Hawn is a direct descendant of the clone that Tommy left in the past. Tommy's clone chose never to use the Green Ranger powers again, and kept the Power Coin's true purpose a secret from all. It was passed down in his family from generation to generation as a family heirloom, and last year it was given to Eddie by his mother. Rangers, adding Eddie to our team can only strengthen our cause against Lord Zedd. A team of seven Rangers may be too formidable for Lord Zedd to handle, no matter what obstacles he might throw in your path."
As Zordon finished his sentence, the Command Center's klaxon blared wildly. "Ay-yi-yi-yi-yi!" Alpha exclaimed. "Lord Zedd has sent a monster into Angel Grove Park!"
Without having to be told, the Rangers stepped over to the viewing globe, where they saw Zedd's newest creation terrorizing citizens in the park. "It is as I feared, Rangers," Zordon stated. "Lord Zedd has sent down the Green Meanie to steal Eddie's Power Coin and harness its energy. Without the knowledge of how to call upon the Green Ranger powers, and without any formidable fighting skills, Eddie will be in grave danger once he's found. Rangers, you cannot allow Lord Zedd to steal the Green Power Coin," Zordon said emphatically. "If he does, he can use the Green Meanie to harness the Power Coin's energy into Serpentera. With access to an almost unlimited supply of energy, there will be nothing to stand in the way of Lord Zedd taking over""or destroying""the entire planet, and indeed, anyone who dares to stand in the way of his dreams of galactic conquest."
The Rangers had already witnessed Serpentera, Zedd's gigantic serpent robot, destroy an entire planet galaxies away where the Rangers had gone to retrieve the Sword of Light. The planet had been otherwise deserted, thankfully, but some of the Rangers still had nightmares about the day that Zedd had destroyed an entire world just in an attempt to rid himself of the Power Rangers. The only
reason Earth wasn't a cloud of free-floating atoms was because Serpentera had used so much energy to destroy the Deserted Planet that it took the remainder of its energy just to reach Earth. And then, of course, Serpentera had no means of destroying it, having used the very last of its energy.
Energy problems were the only reason Serpentera wasn't yet the ultimate doomsday machine. The vehicle was like a gas-guzzling sport utility vehicle""it was so gargantuan that it took enormous amounts of energy just to fly and to shoot its lower-powered energy beams. So by the time Zedd was ready to utilize his planet-buster weapon (which required virtually all of Serpentera's energy in any case), Serpentera invariably ran out of power altogether.
But with a power source as near-limitless as a Power Coin, energy consumption would no longer be an issue. Zedd could destroy Earth, Aquitar, Edenoi, Triforia and all other rebelling planets if need be. He wouldn't necessarily have to, of course""Earth's destruction could serve as an example to get the remaining rebelling planets under Zedd's control.
"We've got to stop him right now, or it's all over for us," Aisha said, showing that she fully understood the gravity of this situation.
"Go now, Rangers, and may the Power protect you," Zordon said""his traditional pre-fight blessing.
Tommy nodded. "Right. It's morphin' time!" At those words, the six teens pulled their Power Morphers out from behind their backs, held the morphers out in front of them and spoke the names of their animal spirits.
"Tigerzord!" Tommy exclaimed, as he transformed into the White Ranger.
"Mastodon!" Adam called out, becoming the Black Ranger.
"Pterodactyl!" Kim said, transforming into the Pink Ranger.
"Triceratops!" Billy spoke, as he became the Blue Ranger.
"Saber-Toothed Tiger!" Aisha called, as a surge of yellow energy enveloped her and she became the Yellow Ranger.
"Tyrannosaurus!" Rocky called out, becoming the Red Ranger.
In an instant, the six Power Rangers appeared just above Angel Grove Park and somersault-jumped onto the ground.
"Power Rangers!"
"About time you arrived, Power Brats," Green Meanie squawked. "I was beginning to think you weren't coming."
"Your game's over!" White Ranger shouted, leaving no doubt that the Rangers were prepared for this fight. "You're not getting Eddie's Power Coin, Green Meanie!"
"We'll see about that. But meanwhile... Putties, attack!"
A squadron of Putties, Lord Zedd's loyal foot soldiers, appeared before the Rangers in flashes of gray light. They were all gray, made from a special kind of clay, but trained in the martial arts. They were generally no match for fully morphed and trained Power Rangers, but their purpose was almost never to destroy the Rangers, anyway. They were utilized to make the Rangers expend energy defeating them, to soften them up before a fight with a "real" monster, or as a distraction. In this instance, they were ordered to accomplish all three objectives.
White Ranger drew his sword, Saba, and began going after some Putties with martial-arts kicks and swipes of his sword. Blue Ranger utilized cartwheels and roundhouse kicks to dispatch his opponents. The Black and Red Rangers stood facing each other so that if they reached their arms out, their fingertips would barely touch. Using this strategy, they played Ping-Pong with several Putties. And the Yellow and Pink Rangers, best friends, stood back-to-back, attacking whoever engaged them.
In the midst of his heated battle with the Putties, Blue Ranger suddenly realized something was amiss. "Tommy! Green Meanie disappeared!"
Between punches, White Ranger replied, "He left the Putties here as a distraction while he goes after Eddie!"
Just south of the Rangers' fight with the Putties, Eddie sat on a bench and set his backpack down on the ground. He sighed""he seemed to have been doing that a lot recently. Finally, he gave voice to his thoughts: "It's three forty-five. Where are Billy and his friends, anyway?"
As he finished speaking, Green Meanie appeared directly in front of him. "There you are, Eddie." Eddie rose to his feet instantly, assuming a defensive position even as he knew that this bluff wouldn't work this time.
"Who are you?" he asked. As if this guy really cares about my questions.
"Quiet, you, now you just hand over your necklace to me immediately!" the monster squawked in its annoyingly shrill voice. As Eddie un-tucked his necklace from underneath his T-shirt, the Power Coin glowed green in his hands. Well, that should make up my mind for me.
"No way, creep! If someone like you wants it so badly, then I'm definitely not giving it to you." And I probably just signed my own death certificate with those words, but hey... better to die fighting than to meekly surrender.
"Very well." And with that the Green Meanie leaped high into the air, dropkicking Eddie into the bench and over top of it to the ground. Eddie got up, hoping that the pain he felt wasn't expressed on his face. Hell of a way to die, kid... killed for refusing to give up something when I'm not even sure what it is. The necklace had been a family heirloom since his great-grandfather, Tyler Oliver, bought it from a general store for $2.80""but Eddie had never seen it glow before, or do anything extraordinary at all.
Eddie's instincts took over in this dangerous situation. He knew he had no chance against this monster, so he had to stall for time. "I know who you are," Eddie began.
"Oh, do you? Tell me, pathetic human... who am I?" The bird actually looked amused by Eddie's audacity.
"Your cruelty reveals everything. You're the Dread Pirate Roberts, admit it!" Eddie kept his mirth completely on the inside""he'd just quoted a line from one of his favorite movies, The Princess Bride. His mother had always said that his brain was crammed full of movie quotes. Best that he use one as an opportunity to confuse his enemy.
"The who? What are you talking about, kid""ahh." Green Meanie smiled wickedly. "Very clever, kid. You're trying to play mind games with me, to distract me away from my goals. Very cute. A shame that that nonsensical line will be your last words."
With that, Green Meanie reached into the feathers of his right arm and pulled out a sword made seemingly from his own body. He laughed manically as he made his way towards Eddie...
With the last of the Putties dispatched, Zordon contacted the Rangers via their wrist communicators, which beeped the familiar Power Rangers tune. White Ranger raised his right wrist close to his face and answered. "We read you, Zordon."
"Tommy, Eddie is being confronted by the Green Meanie less than a mile south of your location. Without the knowledge of his rightful Green Ranger powers, he
stands no chance against him. I am teleporting you to his location."
"Right," Tommy replied. The six Rangers disappeared in their Ranger-colored flashes of light, and Tommy's last thought as he dematerialized was, I just hope we're not already too late.
No chance of escape. Very little chance of surviving a fight. Eddie's remaining life span appeared to be measured in minutes, if not seconds. His only chance was to somehow hold his own against Green Meanie until the Power Rangers arrived. Duck. A voice from within Eddie's mind""yet not his own""implored Eddie to follow its instructions, and Eddie was willing to accept help from just about any quarter at this point. He ducked just in time to avoid an overhead swipe of Green Meanie's sword. Had that sword connected, Eddie would have been decapitated. Whomever had spoken to him, he""she?""it? had saved Eddie's life.
Roll to your left. Eddie sideways-somersaulted to his left as Green Meanie's sword sliced through where Eddie's right shoulder had been a moment before. Eddie forced any "this can't be happening" thoughts from his mind and just focused on the voice inside his head. Maybe he was truly going mad, but going mad was a far sight better than the alternative.
"You can't avoid me forever, Eddie. That Power Coin has partially tied itself to your spirit somehow, so I must destroy you in order to retrieve it." Green Meanie's smile remained merciless, but Eddie thought he detected a slight hint of desperation in his voice. "Surrender and accept your fate like a man."
Kick him straight in the chest. Eddie once again followed the voice's instructions without hesitation, and the solid kick sent Green Meanie staggering backward. That one had hurt, Eddie could tell. "The answer's no, Green," Eddie said with increasingly sincere bravado.
"No?"
"What, are you deaf and stupid, I said no!" Another movie quote, this one from Back to the Future Part II. It seemed Eddie just couldn't help himself, yet he smiled. If his mother were here, she'd be rolling her eyes. Worse were the times Eddie was with his sister Laura""together, they could quote entire movies verbatim, and had on occasion brought the house down with a hilarious re-enactment of the Black Knight sequence from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Enough, the voice implored. You have to focus on the here and now. Sound advice, Eddie decided. He'd have plenty of time to reminisce later, assuming he survived this fight. Where are the Power Rangers, anyway? he asked himself. And then, he thought with amusement, speak of the devil.
The six Power Rangers appeared somersault-jumping to the ground, and White Ranger called out, "You're through, Green Meanie!"
Eddie smiled and said wryly, "It's about time you guys got here. I nearly had to take him out myself."
White Ranger led the charge as the Rangers attacked Green Meanie "black ninja-style"""that is to say, one after another. White Ranger's kicks and punches were blocked by Green Meanie, who sent him sprawling in the opposite direction. Black Ranger tried his luck next, grabbing hold of the monster's beak. Green Meanie struggled for a moment before drawing his sword and slicing at Black Ranger. Sparks flew against Black Ranger's suit as he flipped over backwards.
Never let it be said the Rangers were incapable of taking a hint. The next two Rangers to attack were the Blue and Red Rangers, and this time they attacked in tandem. Blue Ranger tried to grab the Meanie's sword out of his hand while Red Ranger attacked the monster with kicks to his left side. The Meanie had a hard time extricating himself from this position, but eventually he responded by head butting Blue Ranger onto his back while kicking Red Ranger with his right foot""toe claws extended. Red Ranger's suit sparked as he spiraled backwards away from the action.
During those fights, the Pink and Yellow Rangers had made sure Eddie was all right. He assured them that he was uninjured""thus far""and when the female Rangers saw what had happened to their teammates, they quickly devised an attack plan of their own. With the simultaneous movement that could only come from best friends or twin sisters, they launched themselves into the air in somersault jumps, then came out of the somersaults in midair and prepared for a double dropkick.
Both of the Rangers ended up hitting nothing but the steel of Green Meanie's sword. He connected with an upward slice, and the two teenage girl Rangers flew over him as a result, landing on the ground right in front of Green Meanie. The pain that shot through them stopped them from being able to move much.
In one swift movement, Green Meanie turned around and shot an energy beam from his sword, destroying a tree directly behind Eddie. Eddie was blown forward, falling flat on his face as he narrowly escaped the explosion. But now with Eddie down, Green Meanie had the advantage.
"Good-bye, wanna-be Ranger." Green Meanie lifted his sword...
"NO!" the Rangers screamed in unison, even as they knew there was nothing they could do.
"NO!" Eddie screamed, holding his left hand, fingers outstretched, in front of his face.
Just then a surge of green energy shot out of Eddie's hand, sending Green Meanie flying backwards. And there was something else, too""Eddie swore he could've seen the form of a green dolphin inside the energy beam. The monster hit a tree hard with the back of his head, and Eddie called out, "Rangers, if you're gonna do something, now's the time!"
The Rangers were just starting to get up, and Red Ranger called out, "Right! Rangers, let's bring "'em together!"
"Right!" replied the Yellow, Black, Pink and Blue Rangers. Assorted weapons appeared in the hands of each of them.
"Power Axe!" called out Black Ranger, holding up the same. He shifted an upper section of the Power Axe's handle down towards the base of the weapon, forming a small cannon. Then he threw it up into the air where it stayed, defying gravity." Power Bow!" the Pink Ranger cried, as she threw her weapon towards the Power Axe. The Power Bow connected to the top of the Power Axe, facing the same direction.
"Power Daggers!" shouted the Yellow Ranger, flipping them around in her hands and throwing them towards the rapidly-assembling weapon. The daggers connected to the bottom of the Power Bow, forming a cannon on symmetrical sides of the weapon.
"Power Lance!" said the Blue Ranger, as he threw his lances up in the air. The Power Lances connected to the Power Bow in much the same way the daggers had.
"Power Sword!" yelled the Red Ranger, as he jumped up into the air and connected his sword to the very top of the weapon. He came down with the completed weapons as the other four Rangers (sans White Ranger) came to his side.
"Power Blaster!" The five Rangers participating in the creation of this weapon called out. The weapon was aimed directly at Green Meanie, Eddie saw, and surely he had no defense against that. Goodbye, Green Meanie, farewell, parting is such... sweet sorrow.
The Rangers called out, "Fire!" and multi-colored streaks of energy shot out of the Power Blaster. They hit the Green Meanie dead-center""
–and bounced back, hitting the five Rangers who'd been holding the Power Blaster. All five of them flew backwards as sparks exploded against their chests. The Rangers were going to have a hard time getting up from that.
"I don't understand," grumbled White Ranger in frustration. "What in the world do we have to do to beat this guy?" Just then, as if in response, White Ranger's communicator beeped. "I read you, Zordon."
"Tommy, I believe Alpha and I have found a way to defeat Green Meanie. You, the other Rangers and Eddie must teleport here at once."
"Understood." Now speaking to the other Rangers, "Rangers, full retreat!"
Full retreat? "Wait," Eddie shouted out, "what about me?"
"You're coming with us," Black Ranger explained. The Rangers got up and all stood very close to Eddie. In a moment, the Rangers disappeared in their respective-colored teleport sequences, while Eddie disappeared in a flash of green.
"No! Now that they've got Eddie with them, they'll waste no time in making him their new Green Ranger!" Lord Zedd had been watching the preceding battle with growing impatience. Green Meanie had been ordered to destroy Eddie, but instead Eddie had gotten the best of him until the Power Rangers arrived to help. "This is all your fault, Goldar!" Zedd exclaimed, even though Goldar had been standing next to Zedd the entire time.
"What shall we do next, master?" Goldar asked.
"So they're going to get their new Green Ranger, so what?" Zedd decided. "It won't help them once I make my Green Meanie grow and destroy their entire city!" With those words, a Grow Bomb appeared in Zedd's hand, and he flung it to earth.
In the park, Green Meanie caught the Grow Bomb, said a quick "Thanks!" and pulled the pin out, throwing the bomb on the ground. An explosion followed, after which Green Meanie stood, roughly sixty stories high, towering over Angel Grove.
"Let's see, what building should I destroy first?" he asked rhetorically.
The de-morphed Rangers and Eddie re-materialized inside the Command Center. Before any of them had a chance to speak, Zordon said, "Hurry, Rangers. There is very little time. I must fully infuse Eddie with the power of the Green Ranger. Because Green Meanie was created explicitly to harness Green Ranger's power, only with Green Ranger's power can he be defeated."
"What is this place?" Eddie asked. The Command Center's entire layout looked quite futuristic to Eddie. Billy smiled as he remembered the first time he'd seen the inside of the Command Center, and how insane it all seemed. Now it was a little mundane, as much a part of everyday life as his house was.
"This is the Command Center," Zordon replied. "Welcome, Eddie. I am Zordon, an inter-dimensional being caught in a time warp many centuries ago. I am also the mentor to the Power Rangers in their quest against evil."
"And I'm Alpha Five, Command Center prototype." Alpha extended a hand to Eddie, who shook it, but looked as if he didn't believe what his eyes were telling him.
Eddie turned around at that moment, and saw his unmorphed teammates standing there. They introduced themselves in order from left to right. "Hi, I'm Tommy... White Ranger." "I'm Kimberly, the Pink Ranger." "Aisha, Yellow Ranger." "I'm Adam, the Black Ranger." "Rocky, the Red Ranger, at your service." Eddie chuckled. And then he saw his last teammate and couldn't believe it.
"Billy? You're the Blue Ranger?"
Billy thought for a moment for an appropriate reply, and then said simply, "Affirmative." Eddie grinned, and he and Billy clapped hands.
"Rangers, there is little time," boomed the voice of Zordon. "We must endow Eddie with the power of the Green Ranger now. Lord Zedd has made Green Meanie grow, and he's beginning his rampage on the city." As Zordon was talking, Alpha gently removed Eddie's necklace, removed the Green Power Coin from the necklace and placed it in Eddie's hand. "Eddie, loyal, fiercely protective and true," Zordon continued, "do you accept the power of the Green Ranger and all the responsibilities that come with the power?"
"I do." With those two simple words""the most dangerous words in the universe""a surge of green energy coursed throughout Eddie's body, and within seconds it was over.
Zordon continued. "Eddie, now that you have become a Power Ranger, you must follow three basic rules or lose the protection of the power. First, never use your power for personal gain. Second, never escalate a battle unless Lord Zedd forces you. And finally, keep your identity secret; no one must know that you are a Power Ranger."
"I understand, Zordon," Eddie said with more confidence than he'd felt in a long time.
"Eddie, as Green Ranger, you will pilot the Dragonzord, which can be converted into the Green Dolphin Thunderzord. At the appropriate time, call out "'Dragonzord/Dolphin Thunderzord power!' and your zord will come to your aid. To morph into the Green Ranger, hold your Power Morpher"""Alpha handed Eddie a Morpher"""in front of you and call out, "'Dragonzord!'
"Now, Rangers, you must morph and use your Thunderzords to confront Green Meanie. The other Thunderzords can damage Green Meanie, but only Eddie's Dolphin Thunderzord can put an end to him. Eddie, your Dragonzord is the only Dinozord powerful enough to weaken him. When the time is right, convert the Dragonzord into the new Dolphin Thunderzord. Rangers, go now, and let the Power protect you."
Tommy took his place in front of the group. "Guys""it's morphin' time!"
"Tigerzord!"
"Dragonzord!"
"Mastodon!"
"Pterodactyl!"
"Triceratops!"
"Saber-Toothed Tiger!"
"Tyrannosaurus!"
The Rangers instantly teleported from the Command Center, heading for downtown Angel Grove.
Since their only opponent was the same size as Angel Grove's tallest skyscrapers, the Rangers didn't bother with their somersault jump entrance. Instead, they all appeared together on the roof of one of the smaller skyscrapers, the United Light Company Building. Immediately the first five Rangers""Red, Blue, Black, Pink and Yellow""reached out to the sky and shouted, "We need Thunderzord power, now!"
"Mastodon/Lion Thunderzord Power!" called out Black Ranger.
"Pterodactyl/Firebird Thunderzord Power!" announced Pink Ranger.
"Triceratops/Unicorn Thunderzord Power!" Blue Ranger cried.
"Saber-Toothed Tiger/Griffin Thunderzord Power!" called out Yellow Ranger.
"Tyrannosaurus/Red Dragon Thunderzord Power!" shouted Red Ranger.
As each Ranger called out their Zord, their original, robotic-looking Dinozord appeared. In turn, each of them was struck with an energy beam of the appropriate color, and the Dinozord morphed into a Thunderzord version of itself. The Thunderzords looked far more "real" than the Dinozords""looking less like a robot and much more like a living creature.
When all five Thunderzords had converged at around the same spot, Red Ranger called out, "Time for Thunder Megazord power, now!" Within fifteen seconds, the five original Thunderzords had locked together, forming the enormous, sword-wielding Thunder Megazord. The Thunder Megazord resembled nothing if not an enormous samurai, with its helmet, sword and traditional samurai "wear" testifying to the incredible life-likeness of the Thunderzords.
In an instant, the five participating Rangers had teleported inside the Thunder Megazord's cockpit, represented by a large green circle in the middle of its chest. The five Rangers exclaimed as one, "Thunder Megazord, powered up!" and the machine was ready for battle.
As the Megazord prepared to face off against the Green Meanie, Green Ranger pulled his Dragon Dagger out from its scabbard, but White Ranger placed a hand on his wrist before Green Ranger could call the Dragonzord.
"Wait a minute, Eddie," White Ranger requested.
"What's up, Tommy?" inquired Green Ranger, sounding very confused.
"Let's let the other guys weaken Green Meanie first, and then I'll call the Tigerzord. When you feel the time's right, call the Dragonzord, and all three of us will take him on until it's time to switch to Dolphin power!"
"Right!" Eddie had already noticed, in his short time with the Rangers, that the rest of the team treated White Ranger with great respect""even more so than teammates would usually give their leader. After that magnificently planned strategy, he was beginning to understand why.
With the freedom to look away from the battle for just a moment, Green Ranger touched his hand to the Dragon Shield on his chest and exclaimed, "Wow, this thing is cool."
Beneath his helmet, Tommy just smiled.
"You're no match for me, you puny Power Brats!" exclaimed Green Meanie.
"We'll see about that," Red Ranger retorted. The Green Meanie, sword in hand, charged towards Megazord and sliced it dead-center before it could react to the charge. A second strike followed, but Megazord quickly drew its Thunder Saber and blocked the swipe.
"Ah, care to try your hand at sword fighting, eh?" Green Meanie seemed pleased at this turn of events. "En garde!" Green Meanie swung a midlevel attack that was expertly blocked by Rocky's deft timing. Megazord pushed forward, staggering Green Meanie, and Megazord took advantage with a left-handed punch to Green Meanie's torso. Green Meanie yelped and fell, spinning, onto his back.
"Good move, Rangers," Meanie said as he started to get to his feet, "but this fight belongs to me!" Green Meanie's sword charged with energy, and he flung the sword through the air. The energy lanced off of the sword and struck the Megazord hard in the chest, spark-damaging it and knocking it down.
The instant the Thunder Megazord went down, White Ranger was ready. He pulled out his sword, Saba, an enchanted saber with the head of a tiger at his hilt. Saba was fully sentient, and advised Tommy in battle. He was also responsible for calling forth the Tigerzord, which is what Tommy needed him to do now.
"Ready, Saba?" White Ranger asked. Saba knew what he meant without being told. "Let's do it, White Ranger," Saba confirmed.
"All right. Tigerzord, power up!" With no preamble, the Tigerzord suddenly was there. It stood on its four feet and roared, rapidly moving towards Green Meanie. With a sudden dive, Tigerzord scored a hit on Meanie with its front claws; Meanie flailed to his left and just barely kept his footing.
"You caught me off-guard with that one," Meanie admitted, "but I'd like to see you try it again!" White Ranger was too smart for that tactic. With a tremendous leap, he landed atop the head of the Tigerzord and stepped inside. Secure inside his cockpit, White Ranger said to Saba, "All right""Tigerzord, warrior mode, now!"
He inserted Saba into a port to his left-hand side. The warrior mode's legs unfolded, the tiger's front section moved down to form the warrior mode's torso, and the warrior mode's head folded out of the inside of the zord. With an easy movement, the newly-transformed Tigerzord landed on its feet.
The Thunder Megazord slowly got up, and with a look at Tigerzord, stood side-by-side with it. Green Meanie looked back and forth between the zords,looking a little concerned. "Ah, so you're gonna gang up on me, then?" Another surge of energy went through Meanie's sword, and struck Tigerzord. Tigerzord staggered backwards but didn't fall.
White Ranger made a brief "Gwah" sound, and then said, "My turn. White Tiger Thunderbolt, now!" He pulled out a sphere and inserted it into a spot on his front console. The zord's tiger head flashed with a red symbol, and then launched several fireballs at Green Meanie. Two of them hit him dead-center in the chest, and one in the right shoulder. He fell down with trails of smoke rising from where he'd been hit.
"Whew, the smell of roasted bird," Black Ranger said inside the Thunder Megazord. The other Rangers in the Megazord laughed.
White Ranger called down to Green Ranger. "Eddie, time for Dragonzord power!"
"Right!" Green Ranger pulled out the Dragon Dagger, and was amazed that somehow he knew how to call the Dragonzord without being told. He played the Dragon Dagger like a flute, playing a fanfare. He repeated it, and heard the crash of parting waves from somewhere near Angel Grove's industrial district. The mighty Dragonzord was rising from the waters.
Green Ranger played a different fanfare, and Dragonzord roared in a very... well, dragon-like way. It levitated high in the air, and landed in front of Green Meanie, who'd just turned around. Green Meanie now had Dragonzord in front of him, and Thunder Megazord and Tigerzord behind him.
He seemed to realize it, too. "Hey... what's going on here?" Green Meanie asked. As if in response, Dragonzord swung its tail, and Green Meanie was swept off his feet. Immediately, Dragonzord prepared missiles from each finger, and launched them at Green Meanie. He'd just struggled to his feet, and when the missiles hit him, he fell again.
"Time to finish this!" Green Ranger decided. "Dragonzord/Dolphin Thunderzord Power!" A bolt of green lightning struck Dragonzord, and it transformed into the sleek Dolphin Thunderzord. It looked just like a regular dolphin, except it was green, and it rode on a harmless wave of green energy. When it moved, it moved with the graceful movements of the dolphin, swimming up and down. The Thunderzord was stunningly beautiful to behold.
Green Ranger teleported inside the zord's cockpit, and took a moment to get used to piloting it. He smiled. "All right! Surrender, Green Meanie!"
"Never!" Green Meanie summoned the last of his strength to power up his energy sword for one last attack. But the bolts landed wide left and wide right of the Dolphin.
Green Ranger shrugged. "Very well. Dolphin Thunderzord tail wave, now!"
The Dolphin's tail dipped beneath the surface of the green wave for a moment, and as its tail lifted, some of the energy stayed on the tail like water. The energy charged, turning bright green, and with a flick of its tail, the Dolphin hurled the energy at Green Meanie.
The effect was dramatic and instantaneous. With a final hawk-like, ear-shattering scream, Green Meanie fell to the ground and exploded. The Rangers celebrated in their zords, and White Ranger said, "Way to go, Eddie!"
"Thanks, Tommy." After the long day he'd had, praise from the leader of the Power Rangers about brought tears to Eddie's eyes.
Lord Zedd angrily screamed as he watched the Power Rangers' latest victory. Goldar, Squatt and Baboo kneeled before his rage."I... am... surrounded... by... idiots!" he exclaimed, punctuating each word by hitting one of his minions with his staff. "Now there are seven of them! GAAA!" His voice turned a little hopeful, and even more menacing. "You may have won this battle, Power Rangers, but you will not win the war. Next time I'll get all of you, and your little robot, too!"
Back in the Command Center, all seven Rangers, helmets off, to talk to Zordon. The joy Zordon was feeling at the birth of a new Power Ranger was evident in his voice.
"Congratulations, Power Rangers," he said. "You have all proven yourselves once again as the premier force against evil in the universe. Now that Green Meanie has been destroyed, Lord Zedd can never again create a monster that can take away Eddie's powers.
"Eddie, you've proven yourself to be cunning and intelligent. We are all proud to have you as the newest member of the power team."
"Congratulations, Eddie," Billy said, clapping Eddie on the shoulder. "All right, Eddie," Rocky said. The other Rangers offered various congratulations.
"Thanks, guys," Eddie replied. "Zordon, I have a question, though. During my battle with Green Meanie""the one before I became a Ranger, that is""I heard someone inside my voice, speaking to me."
"Yes." Zordon knew precisely whom he was talking about. "That was the voice of your dolphin spirit guide, Eke. He was one of the greatest peacekeepers in the history of the planet Delphinia. Thousands of years ago, Eke was once a Power Ranger like yourselves."
"There were Rangers before us?" Kimberly asked.
"Yes, Kimberly. The Power Coins""the first five of them, anyway""came into my possession about 12,000 years ago. Rita made off with the Green Power Coin. At that time, I had teenagers helping me fight Rita just as you fight Lord Zedd now. But they were only teenagers in the sense that they had most of their lives ahead of them""each of them were hundreds, or thousands, of years old.
"Eke had been helping me fight evil since nearly the beginning of my struggle against Rita. When I obtained the Power Coins, I selected Eke as the Blue Ranger." This remark caused Billy's head to perk up. "As the Blue Ranger, Eke fought Rita for two thousand years. But one of Rita's schemes, for a change, worked very well. Minions of Rita, including Goldar and her evil Green Ranger, had trapped Eke inside a cave surrounded by an anti-morphing shield. Unable to morph, Eke knew escape was impossible. And the teleportation system was almost completely out of energy""there was only enough energy to teleport a small, hand-sized object."
"My God," Adam spoke up. "He teleported his Power Coin and Power Morpher out."
Zordon was pleased at Adam's deductive reasoning. "That is correct, Adam. He knew that the Blue Power Coin must not be allowed to fall into evil hands. Before confronting Goldar and the evil Green Ranger, Eke teleported his Power Coin and Morpher out of the cave. He then fought valiantly against Goldar and the evil Green Ranger, but he was slain with one slice of the Dragon Dagger."
Eddie winced. Someone that had my coin did that. The thought was sobering.
"Eke's spirit was imprisoned inside the Green Power Coin, awaiting a Green Ranger with the spirit of the dolphin inside him to awaken his spirit. Tommy, you are noble and true, but the spirit of the dolphin was not in you." At Tommy's downcast gaze, Zordon smiled. "That wasn't meant as a personal insult... it's just simply the truth. There's nothing wrong with who you are.
"The Green Power Coin was given to Tommy's clone, who later ended up in 1890s Angel Grove. He married, and his wife gave birth to a daughter. Tommy's clone eventually passed the Green Power Coin to her. She married and gave birth to a daughter, and passed the coin to her daughter""Eddie's mother, Patricia. She married David Hawn and gave birth to Eddie, passing the Power Coin to him. Eddie is the first descendant of Tommy's clone to have the spirit of the dolphin""the full potential of the dolphin's knowledge, wisdom and skills""within him. And when he was given the Green Power Coin, Eke's spirit began guiding Eddie towards his destiny."
Eddie shook his head in amazement. "Wow. So what happens now?"
"Hopefully, you'll decide to remain a Power Ranger, and help your teammates defend the Earth. However, if you choose you no longer wish to be a Power Ranger, you may give the Green Power Coin to us, and we'll select someone else. The choice is yours."
Eddie smiled. "I'd love to stay onboard as the Green Ranger. Together we can make this world safe again!"
"I'm glad you feel that way, Eddie. As time goes by, Eke will speak to you more and more, sharing his wisdom. But he will guide you""not take over your life. As long as you maintain the Ranger code, the power will always protect you."
"Guys." Tommy extended his hand, palm down, in front of him. Adam joined him immediately, followed by Billy, Rocky, Kimberly and Aisha. After a moment, Eddie joined them, too.
Together they jumped in the air, exclaiming, "Power Rangers!" A new day had begun.
The End
Stay tuned for Episode II in the "Dragon Dreams" series– Liberation.
Acknowledgements
This story would not have been possible without the wonderful support of Capri and her enthusiasm for my story ideas. I also owe a great deal of thanks to my mother Patricia and sister Laura Hawn, who read the story as I was writing it and gave me a thumbs-up. Finally, this level of detailed information would never have happened without the incredible Writer's Guide to the PR Universe, a site that re-defines the term "exhaustive research".