Disclaimer: I do not own "Hareluya II Boy" or "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers." Both belong to their respective owners. No profit is being made from this story.
Author's Note: This story takes place after episode 25 of Hareluya II Boy and soon after the MMPR two-part episode "Return of an Old Friend."
I apologise for using caps lock for Zordon's dialogue. I just find it the best way to convey that booming quality his voice has.
The Kanemitsu Corporation mentioned here is named after the organisation in "Robocop 3."
It was a regular Saturday morning in Angel Grove, with no sign of any monsters or Putties. Everyone was making the most of the quiet, including the Power Rangers.
At Ernie's Gym and Juice Bar Jason was leading a karate class through a kata, Kimberly was practising her gymnastics on a balance beam, Zack was showing off his hip-hop-kido moves and Trini was sparring with Tommy.
After a while they all finished their different activities and sat together at a table. Right away they all noticed that one of their group was missing.
"Hey has anyone seen Billy?" Kimberly asked.
The others all shook their heads. Before anyone could reply they all heard a familiar voice.
"Hi guys."
"Yo my main brain, what's up?" Zack asked with a grin as Billy walked up and took a seat.
"We were just wondering where you were" said Trini. She noticed that Billy's blue eyes were shining with excitement.
"Sorry I'm late" he said. He leaned forwards and said, "this morning I received a truly exhilarating piece of news. I was in such a state of heightened emotional stimulation that I needed time to mentally compose myself before I came to tell you all."
"So what is it?" Jason asked curiously.
"You remember that engineering contest I entered?"
"Yes, you built a robot that could help rescue workers find people buried in earthquakes or cave-ins" said Trini.
"That's it. I just got a letter today that I came first place and won the top prize, an all-expenses paid trip to Tokyo."
"Morphinominal!" Kimberly exclaimed.
"That's great!" Jason agreed.
"Well done Billy!" Trini congratulated him with a delighted smile.
"Thanks guys." His smile faded and he leaned forwards, lowering his voice as he said "but I'm not sure travelling to another country would be an optimal course of action. What if Rita attacks in my absence?"
"Don't sweat it man" Zack replied. "If Rita makes a move you can just teleport right back here."
"Yeah it's a great opportunity. You should take it" said Tommy.
"I appreciate what you're all saying but…"
He was interrupted by the sound of their communicators beeping. The Rangers checked that no-one was looking and then Jason answered, "Zordon we read you."
"DO NOT WORRY RANGERS. I MERELY WISH TO OFFER BILLY MY CONGRATULATIONS. HIS INVENTION WILL BE A GREAT HELP IN SAVING LIVES" said their mentor. "AND WHILE I ADMIRE YOUR DEDICATION TO YOUR RANGER DUTIES BILLY, IT WAS NEVER MY INTENTION TO DEPRIVE YOU OF YOUR NORMAL LIVES. ENJOY YOUR TRIP. WE WILL CONTACT YOU IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY."
"Thanks Zordon" Billy replied. The other Rangers all grinned.
In her lunar palace on the Moon Rita Repulsa was standing on the balcony spying on the Rangers with her Repulsa-scope. She cackled wickedly as she observed the conversation.
"This is perfect" she said as she turned to her gathered minions. "When the Blue Ranger is away from the others we'll capture him!"
"But your nastiness, won't the other Rangers just teleport in to save him?" Baboo asked. He immediately flinched, expecting Rita to bash him in the head with her wand for questioning her plan, but the blow never came. Instead her evil smile only widened.
"Not if we create a diversion to keep them busy. Goldar will go down and attack Angel Grove. While the Rangers are fighting him we'll send a monster to get Billy!"
"It's a brilliant plan your evilness" said Goldar.
"Yes" said Rita. "Finster, I want you to re-create the Samurai Fan Man! It can trap Billy in its jar just like it did with Kimberly."
"At once my queen" the monster-maker replied as he scurried off to his workshop.
Rita turned back to the balcony. "This time you're finished Power Rangers!" she exclaimed with an evil laugh.
The airport was furnished in a very basic international style, not too different from the one Billy had taken off from back at Angel Grove (where the other Rangers had seen him off of course).
That sense of familiarity immediately disappeared when he arrived in Tokyo. The pace and intensity of the city, plus the sheer number of people present was overwhelming. Everywhere he looked there seemed to be huge electronic billboards and garish signs, many of which he couldn't understand at all. If it hadn't been for the confidence he'd gained from his friendship with the other Rangers Billy was sure he would have frozen up completely. Silently he thanked his friends for how much they'd helped him grow.
Fortunately after a while he left the bustling commercial district and wandered into a quiet suburb. Here it was far more tranquil. He could almost pretend he was back in Angel Grove.
This is more like it he thought as he enjoyed a leisurely stroll down the street. He stopped as he noticed something interesting.
Standing in front of a row of bushes and trees was a beautiful Japanese girl with light brown eyes, a lean, slender figure and gold-brown hair that came to her shoulder blades. She wore a pink jacket over an orange t-shirt, red sneakers and knee-length red shorts with a white stripe at either side. Around her neck was a silver cross necklace.
At her feet was a black blanket. Carefully arranged in neat rows on the blanket were various types of jewellery, including rings, necklaces, bracelets and earrings.
Right now she was talking with another girl. He watched curiously as the customer bought a necklace and walked off. The girl watched her go with a bright smile.
Intrigued, Billy walked over to her.
Yamana Michiru smiled as she handed a silver necklace over to the girl in front of her. "Thank you. Come back soon" she said.
"I will Yamana-san" the girl replied happily. "You make such awesome stuff."
Pleased with her purchase she walked away. Yamana watched her go, delighted to see another happy customer, before returning her attention to the people walking across the street. She wanted to be ready to welcome the next person to approach the blanket on which the various items of silver jewellery she had made were displayed with an immediate smile to let them know that she appreciated their patronage.
Several months ago she had won a competition to have her designs featured in a jewellery show. Furthermore thanks to Hibino and Ichijou, Okamoto had been able to attend.
Her lips curled up into a fond smile at the thought of Okamoto. Even though he had had to leave again a few days later she knew that he would keep his promise to come back to her for good once he'd achieved his dream.
Despite an attempted robbery (which Hibino, Ichijou, Okamoto and her had foiled), the show had gone as planned and she had even gotten to model her work to the audience. She laughed softly to herself as she recalled the look on Okamoto's face when he had seen her on the catwalk.
Since then the number of people buying and wearing her silver-crafts had greatly increased. As happy as this made her, she was determined that she would not let success go to her head and start taking the people that supported her for granted.
Her thoughts returned to the present as she saw someone walking up. He was a Westerner with light brown hair and blue eyes behind a pair of wire-frame glasses. He wore bulky blue overalls over a blue t-shirt and white sneakers.
"Hello" he said. Despite his accent his Japanese was perfectly understandable. He sounded very nervous though.
"Hello" she repeated. She gave him a friendly smile to try and put him at ease.
"Um, may I um…" he gestured at the jewellery on the blanket.
"Sure go ahead" she replied. "Feel free to pick them up if you like."
"Thanks. Oh uh, I'm Billy."
"I'm Yamana Michiru. Nice to meet you Billy-san."
"Nice to meet you too Yamana-san."
He crouched down and began studying the items of jewellery in fascination. He was no expert but even he could tell that the items were all fine quality. These were no cheap trinkets. They had been made with loving care and a meticulous attention to detail.
"These are morphinominal."
"They're what?" Yamana asked.
"Oh uh, sorry" Billy apologised. "It's an expression my friend Kimberly likes to use. I mean these are truly remarkable displays of craftsmanship. You must be a very talented artisan to have made them."
"Thank you" she said, touched by his words. She could tell that he was sincere about what he said.
Billy resumed examining the jewellery. In just a few moments he had chosen a teddy bear necklace for Trini, a pair of flower earrings for Kimberly, two yin-yang necklaces, one for Jason and one for Tommy, and a pair of musical note cufflinks for Zack. For himself he chose a simple blue bracelet.
"That's quite a selection you've got there Billy-san" Yamana commented as he paid for them.
"Oh, only this one is for me" he replied, holding up the bracelet. "The others are for my friends back home."
"You must have a lot of friends" she said. "I can see why."
"Yes, they're the best. Without them I wouldn't be here."
Just then someone exclaimed, "Oi!"
Startled, Billy turned to see two teenage guys. Both were tall, strongly built and dressed in blue school uniforms. One had red shoulder-length hair and blue eyes while the other had spiky black hair and brown eyes.
The black-haired one frowned at Billy for a second before turning to Yamana. "Is this guy bothering you?"
She giggled and shook her head. "No Hibino, we're just talking."
Hibino nodded and his frown faded. He now regarded Billy with a look of idle curiosity.
Billy sighed in relief. I wouldn't want this guy as an enemy. He looks tough enough to handle himself against Jason or Tommy he thought.
"Billy-san, this is Hibino Hareluya and Makoto Ichijou" Yamana introduced the newcomers. "Hibino, Ichijou, this is Billy-san."
"A pleasure to meet you both" said Billy.
"Likewise" said Ichijou. "So what brings you here Billy-san?"
"I won a competition held by the Kanemitsu Corporation. The first prize was a trip to Tokyo" he explained.
"What kind of competition?"
"I designed a robot to…"
"Yes, yes, very nice" Hibino cut him off with a wave of his hand. "Can this wait? Ore-sama is hungry!"
Ore-sama? Billy thought with a frown. He knew the pronoun was a very boastful way of saying "I" or "me." Normally he wouldn't want to hang around with anyone who addressed themselves like that. Not to mention Hibino interrupting him like that was very rude.
But on the other hand Yamana-san is nice and she must consider him a good friend as she didn't use a suffix when addressing him. Plus he showed concern for her so he can't be that bad.
"We're on our way to get some ramen" said Ichijou. "Would you like to come too Yamana?"
"Thanks Ichijou but I'm not finished here yet" she replied. "Maybe you'd like to go with them Billy-san?"
"Affirmative. I would really like to sample some of the indigenous cuisine" he replied.
"What?" Hibino said with a puzzled look.
"He'd like to try the food here" Yamana translated.
"Um, if it's all right with you?" Billy said nervously.
"Sure why not?" Ichijou replied casually.
"Fine with Ore-sama" Hibino said.
"Thanks guys" Billy said. He smiled, pleased to be making new friends.
"See you later Yamana" said Ichijou as they started to walk off.
"See you" she called back cheerfully.
"So, Ore-sama heard you say something about a robot" Hibino said.
"Yes, I…"
"How about making a robot for Ore-sama?"
"Uh, well I…"
Yamana laughed softly as she watched them go.
The next day Billy got up from his hotel room bright and early, eager for another day of sightseeing now that he'd had time to adjust. After a call to his family to assure them he was okay he set out to explore the city.
After some general sightseeing he visited the National Museum of Nature and Science. He spent many hours staring in awe at the displays, especially those focusing on scientific advances such as on space exploration, transport and robotics, although he did not neglect the natural history and Japanese cultural history exhibits either.
This is so amazing. I really wish the other Rangers were here to see this he thought. Speaking of friends I think I'll go and see the new ones I've made later. Yamana-san and Makoto-san are friendly and despite his rough edges Hibino-san is clearly a good guy at his core.
And so that afternoon Billy made his way to the area where he'd first met them. Unfortunately his taxi driver dropped him off a little further than he'd intended. By the time Billy realised his mistake the taxi was gone.
"Oh well no big deal" he mused. "I'll just take a shortcut down this alleyway."
He was unaware that even as he spoke Rita was watching him on her Repulsa-scope.
"Yes! Now's the perfect time" she exclaimed. "Finster, send down my monster!"
"Yes my queen" Finster replied. He pulled the Monster-Matic's lever and the clay model went in. After the familiar clunks and whistles of steam a cloud of white smoke emerged from the exit hose. The newly-made monster immediately teleported down in a ball of yellow light.
"Goldar, what are you waiting for? Get down to Angel Grove!" Rita yelled.
"As you command your evilness" he replied before teleporting to Earth.
"Magic wand! Make my Goldar grow!"
She threw the wand like a javelin. It hurtled through space, through Earth's atmosphere and into the soil of Angel Grove. Red energy arced from the wand across the ground which then split open. A cloud of steam engulfed Goldar and he immediately grew to giant size.
"Come face me Power Rangers or your precious city will be destroyed" he bellowed.
The Rangers were gathered around a table in the Juice Bar when their communicators beeped. They nodded at each other and quickly went into the corridor.
"Zordon we read you" said Jason.
"POWER RANGERS, GOLDAR IS ATTACKING THE ANGEL GROVE BUSINESS DISTRICT. YOU MUST STOP HIM!"
"What about me?" Tommy asked.
"TOMMY, YOU KNOW YOU MUST CONSERVE YOUR REMAINING POWERS. REMAIN IN RESERVE IN CASE THE FIGHT GOES BADLY."
"I understand" he said ruefully.
"Don't worry Tommy, we can handle Goldar" Kimberly assured him.
"BE CAREFUL RANGERS. REMEMBER THAT WITHOUT BILLY YOU ARE UNABLE TO FORM MEGAZORD" said Zordon.
"Got it. It's Morphin time" said Jason.
"Mastodon!"
"Pterodactyl!"
"Sabre-toothed tiger!"
"Tyrannosaurus!"
Goldar laughed evilly as he prepared to demolish another building. Before he could swing his sword he was knocked sprawling by a blow from the Tyrannosaurus Dinozord's tail.
He scrambled to his feet. "Power Rangers! You think you can defeat me, especially with two missing?"
"Even four Rangers are enough to take you on!" Jason exclaimed.
"We'll see."
The Tyrannosaurus snapped at Goldar with its powerful jaws but he dodged and retaliated with a sword slash that sent the Zord reeling backwards. Before he could press his advantage the Sabre-toothed tiger Zord pounced and slashed him with its claws, driving him away from the Tyrannosaurus.
"Thanks Trini" said Jason.
"No problem" she replied.
Aboard the Pterodactyl Zord Kimberly tried to swoop in and blast Goldar but he recovered quicker than she expected and fired an energy bolt, scoring a direct hit and sending her into a spinning dive.
"Kimberly!" Trini cried.
Thankfully the Pterodactyl Zord pulled up and flew back up into the sky. Kimberly's voice came over the comm.
"I'm okay guys. That hit really knocked me for a loop."
"We're glad to hear it Kim" said Jason. He renewed his attack on Goldar. They needed to drive him off before any innocent people were killed. Despite his earlier claim he knew that wouldn't be easy without Megazord.
Unaware of the battle the other Rangers were engaged in Billy continued down the alleyway. Without warning a group of Putties materialised in front of him, uttering their odd gurgling noises.
Startled he sprang back. He could tell right away that there were too many for him to fight alone. Immediately he raised his communicator but before he could contact Zordon he heard a voice behind him.
"Hello again Billy."
I know that voice.
Momentarily forgetting the Putties he spun around. Sure enough standing just a few metres away was the Samurai Fan Man. The armoured monster regarded him with an evil grin, its fangs and helmet spikes glinting in the darkened alleyway.
In that brief moment of surprise and dismay Billy found himself seized by two Putties who each took hold of one of his arms. He struggled but the creatures held firm and he couldn't get loose.
"Remember this?" the Fan Man asked as it held up its jug. "You won't be as lucky as Kimberly was. You're doomed."
"No!" Billy cried. He struggled harder but he still couldn't break the Putties grip.
"Hold it!"
Everyone looked over at the entrance to the alleyway to see Hibino, Ichijou and Yamana standing there. Hibino and Ichijou both wore their uniforms while Yamana was now wearing her school uniform, consisting of a maroon top and grey skirt. Hibino was grinning broadly while the other two had firm, determined expressions.
"What a surprise Ichijou. You weren't just hearing things after all" said Hibino.
Oh no Billy thought. Aloud he yelled, "run! Get away!"
"Don't worry, leave this to us" said Ichijou. Next to him Yamana nodded.
"That's it, you brats are coming too" snarled the Fan Man.
Before it could uncork the jug Hibino jumped onto a nearby crate and then leaped off of it. He sailed through the air and landed a flying knee strike to the monster's face. The jug dropped to the ground and broke into pieces as it staggered back.
"AARGH! You'll pay for that! Putties attack!"
Ichijou charged in and engaged the clay creatures directly. He dropped one with a head-butt and then another with a knee strike. They tried to counter-attack but he easily dodged everything they threw at him.
Yamana ran over to Billy and punched one of the Putties holding him in the jaw. It lost its grip and stumbled away. With one arm now loose, Billy seized the other one and flipped it over with a throw Jason had taught him. He then finished it off with a chop.
Who are these people? Billy thought. He couldn't help staring in amazement as Ichijou lifted a Putty up and threw it into a wall while Yamana dropped another one with a solid punch.
Coming to his senses he joined the fray. A flying side kick sent a Putty crashing to the ground. Another one threw a punch at his head but he dropped low and took the Putty out with a leg sweep. He sprang to his feet just as a third charged him. He sidestepped and landed a back kick that propelled it into a wall.
Not bad at all if I say so myself. Jason's training is really paying off.
Meanwhile Hibino was facing off against the Samurai Fan Man.
"Let's see how handle my Samurai Lance" the monster growled. Its staff appeared in its hand and it spun the weapon around.
Hibino just laughed and said, "Ore-sama can do that too." With a flash of light he pulled his baseball bat from behind his back.
The Fan Man came at him with a flurry of blows but Hibino blocked each one. He then countered with powerful swings of his bat. The Fan Man wasn't quick enough to block and sparks exploded from it as the blows connected, sending the monster reeling.
"Sparks? That's new" Hibino commented. He then swung his bat in a big arc aimed at the Fan Man's head. It managed to step back in time but the bat still hit one end of the Samurai Lance.
CRACK! The tip of the weapon broke off and went flying through the air. It collided with the back of a Putty's head and knocked it out cold.
"Hey watch it!" Ichijou yelled as he punched out another Putty.
"ARRGH, that's it" the Fan Man exclaimed. "Now I'm going to blow you away!"
The monster summoned its giant fan but before it could wave it Hibino darted forwards, seized the fan and wrestled it away.
"That's mine! Give it back!" the Fan Man yelled.
"Sure" Hibino replied with a grin. He leaped into the air and swung the fan down with all his might. A burst of sparks launched the Samurai Fan Man backwards through the air to crash down on the ground. With a loud BUH-WHOOM, it exploded in a ball of flames!
"Ha! Ore-sama wins again" Hibino said with a grin. Just then the fan in his hands faded away and disappeared.
"Damn it! That would have made a good souvenir."
The Putties teleported away as Billy knocked down the last one. Ichijou and Yamana hurried over to him.
"Are you okay Billy-san?" she asked.
"I'm fine, thank you all for saving me" he replied. "Uh, not that I don't appreciate it but weren't you guys afraid of those things?"
"Hell no" said Hibino as he joined them. "Ore-sama has already beaten samurai monsters with fans."
"It was one samurai monster Hibino" Ichijou pointed out.
"Well now it's two."
"Wait, you've fought monsters before?" Now Billy was really confused.
Yamana smiled gently. "Why don't you come with us Billy-san? We'll tell you all about it."
"Sure."
Back in Angel Grove the battle was not going well for Goldar. The Rangers had managed to manoeuvre their Zords into positions that allowed them to co-ordinate their attacks from different angles without damaging any of the buildings. As he recoiled from a spray of Mastodon's freezing mist, a tail swipe from Tyrannosaurus hit him directly and sent him rolling across the ground.
Enough of this he thought. By now the Samurai Fan Man will have captured the Blue Ranger.
"Another time Rangers" he growled before teleporting away.
"Yeah! We did it!" Jason exclaimed.
"Morphinomenal! Yeah!" Zack agreed.
Up on the Moon Rita was not pleased.
"You idiot!" she howled at Finster. "That useless monster couldn't even beat one teenage moron! How was it supposed to defeat the Power Rangers?"
"B, but my queen…" Finster stammered nervously.
Goldar's amusement at the monster-maker's fear instantly disappeared as Rita whirled to look at him. "And you! There were only four Rangers and you still couldn't win!"
"But my queen, your orders were just to distract them…"
"Silence!" With that Rita stormed out onto the balcony and glared furiously at Earth. "I'll get you yet, Power Rangers!"
In the okonomiyaki restaurant Billy listened in fascination as the group told him about their previous exploits.
These people are prodigious. They've fought evil just like we have, except they don't have powers. It really shows the courage and strength regular people are capable of.
"That's amazing. You've all done so much good for the people here" he said.
"Thanks" Yamana said with a modest smile.
"It's nothing really" said Ichijou. "We just happened to be in the right place and time."
"Besides, it's not like it was any bother" Hibino added. "Ore-sama is invincible! No-one can defeat him!"
Oh well, at least two out of three are humble.
One week later Billy's return flight touched down in Angel Grove. The other Rangers welcomed him home with a big group hug.
"Good to see you again man" said Jason as they all drew back from the hug.
"Good to be back" he replied. "Oh I brought gifts for everyone."
"Yay!" Kimberly squealed in delight as he handed over the earrings he'd bought for her. All of the Rangers were pleased with their gifts too.
"Did you have a good time Billy?" Trini asked.
"Affirmative. I met some truly remarkable people" he replied.
Jason grinned. "Tell us all about it back at the Juice Bar. I'm paying."
A few days later Hibino, Ichijou and Yamana were in an otherwise empty classroom. Ichijou was reading out a letter Billy had sent them.
"I told my friends about you guys and they were most interested. Everyone loved your jewellery Yamana-san, especially Kimberly and Trini."
He nodded at her and she smiled in delight.
He went on, "Zack is very interested in your music Ichijou-san. He says that when you release an album he'll be sure to buy it." Now he also smiled.
"Yes, yes very nice" said Hibino impatiently. "What about Ore-sama? Exactly how awestruck were they?"
"I'm getting to that… Ah yes, there was one more person but he was so boring I can't remember his name…"
"WHAT?" Hibino made a grab at the letter but Ichijou dodged. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. It says "Everyone was amazed when I told them about your strength Hibino-san. Jason and Tommy are interested in a sparring match with you. They think it would really test them." Here see for yourself."
He handed the letter over. Hibino read it and his annoyance was replaced by amusement.
"Ha, as if they'd stand a chance against Ore-sama. Still at least they must really want to become great fighters if they are setting their sights so high."
"Now wasn't it nice of Billy-san to send us this letter Hibino?" Yamana asked.
"It was" he admitted. "Still Ore-sama must question just how good a scientist he really is if he wasn't able to make me a giant robot."
Ichijou rolled his eyes while Yamana giggled. Hibino leaned back in his chair and daydreamed about having his own giant robot.