Power Rangers GPX Episode 18: Rashon's Warning

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"TO VICTORY!" Three champagne flutes, a sake saucer and a glass of apple juice clinked together before the arms holding them retracted and downed the drinks.

"Victory champagne always tastes best!" Sean said as he slammed his flute on the table.

"How do we know it was victory though?" Daisuke asked as he put his sakesaucer down.

"Are you kidding me?" Sean asked. "We sent them running with their tail between their legs! I doubt they're gonna treat us lightly now!"

"We showed them how we do it on Earth!" said Kevin. "Even Godai-san knew they weren't going to mess with us!"

A few hours earlier, the Rangers pulled up to Godai-san's inn in the Grand Prix Cruiser to the cheers of Godai-san and Hikari. It turns out as Sean, Kevin and Maria were leaving to save Daisuke and Hitomi, Hikari had found out they were the Power Rangers and let them go to do their duty. There was a big group hug and reunion, especially for Hitomi, Godai-san and Hikari. Little Shingo was brought out and greeted warmly by Hikari and promised some food and a nice bed. It made the kid feel better and more relaxed after the terror he felt earlier. And now the Rangers were celebrating their defeat of Phaedos (in their yukatas) and just enjoying themselves after a stressful week. Sean, Kevin and Maria were drinking champagne, Daisuke some sake, and Hitomi, since she was underage, some apple juice.

"That arrogant prick sure got what was coming to him!" Maria added, "Another good fight and a fantastic plan by Sean!"

"Plan?" Daisuke asked. "Actually, now that she says that, how did you get a hold of Toji-san?"

"Hitomi left her cell phone behind," said Sean. He handed Hitomi's phone over to her, leaving the girl embarrassed. "We had Godai-san read the kanjifor us and we were able to get a hold of him. We were surprised to find out he lives in this area not too far from the inn."

"So your plan was to distract Phaedos and have Toji save the boy?" Daisuke asked. "I'm… actually impressed."

"I'm good and you know it," Sean said as he took a sip of his champagne. "And by the way, we found you because we were able to lock on to your morphers on GPS and followed them to your location."

"I suppose that I owe you all an apology for my behavior," Daisuke said in an apologetic tone.

"Obviously!" said Kevin. "You insulted us at the shrine, you refused to acknowledge ethnic issues in Japan, you acted like a jerk and you nearly got us all killed. It's not 'suppose' you owe us an apology, you doowe us an apology!"

"Then I am truly—" He got up and bowed before Sean, Kevin, Maria and Hitomi. "Sorry for my behavior. It was wrong and I realize this. I hope you all forgive me."

"I don't forgive you," said Sean. Daisuke looked at him with a shocked look on his face. In Japan, saying that an act is 'unforgivable' is pretty much the equivalent of throwing down the gauntlet in the West. But, Sean was not done. "However, because you mean what you say then I will accept your apology."

"Thank you," Daisuke said as he sat down.

"I still don't like you, you know," Sean said.

"I know that," Daisuke replied.

"Well, looks like you two are on the way to making up," said Maria. "Sort of."

"But Phaedos said you were 'broken'." Daisuke said. "What did he mean?"

Sean put down his champagne flute and gulped the liquid down. "We were emotionally broken," he said. "You already know we were beaten severely by Phaedos after you mutinied, so we don't have to go over that. But he crushed our spirits and we felt like we couldn't do anything. The fire was out and it wasn't coming back."

"Until someone gave us a pep talk," said Kevin.

"Who? Godai-san?" Hitomi asked.

"He tried," said Sean. "But someone else did." Daisuke and Hitomi looked at each other. Sean got up and walked over to a closet. "What I'm about to show you will change your perceptions of reality. Also, you must nevertalk about this. Am I clear?"

"Perfectly," said Daisuke. "Now what is it?"

"The Zordonians proved we're not alone in the universe," Sean said, grabbing the door. "But we're not alone period." He opened the closet and exposed a rock.

"A rock?" Daisuke asked. "That's it?"

"No," said Sean. "Tommy!" He said to the rock. Suddenly, the rock began to glow a blinding light filled the room. The Rangers shielded their eyes before the light faded. When they light was gone they looked to the area of the closet and what they saw made their jaws drop.

Standing in front of them was a man close to his 30s with Dark, spiky hair. He was dressed in green, and wearing glasses. The fact that he came out of nowhere was surprising itself, but when he spoke, everything changed. "Good evening," he said.

"Who are you?" Hitomi asked.

"My name is Dr. Tommy Oliver," the mystery man said. "And I am a Power Ranger."

Daisuke and Hitomi looked on in shock. "A Power Ranger?" Daisuke asked, still trying to wrap his head around the situation. "You're a Power Ranger? But Power Rangers didn't exist in this world until we came along!"

"Exactly," Tommy said. "In thisworld."

"So, you mean…"

"Correct," Tommy said. "There are countless alternate universes out there. The one I come from has multiple Power Ranger teams across hundreds of years. I was one of the first on my Earth."

"Okay, my head hurts," said Daisuke. "So, you gave these Rangers a pep talk."

"Pretty much, yeah," said Tommy. "I actually met Sean a few weeks ago after you fought the scorpion monster." That's Episode 9, for those of you who don't remember. "I've been monitoring your situation for some time now. I became concerned after Phaedos beat Sean, Kevin and Maria, so I contacted them through the stone, or should I say, the Morphing Grid."

"MORPHING GRID?"Hitomi and Daisuke shouted in unison.

"It's how you're able to morph," said Tommy. "All Power Rangers are connected to it and it gives you your powers. It also allows us to look at other Ranger teams and see across the multiverse to see other Ranger teams."

"So you encouraged them?" Daisuke asked.

"Yeah," Tommy replied. "I even told them the phrase you used earlier."

"Power Rangers don't quit," Sean said. "Neither do they surrender and most importantly, they don't lose. Because if we do, then we all die." Guys, we're better than the best of the best. We're Earth's first, last, and onlyline of defense against the Zordonians. This is what we were trained for. This is out destiny. I say we not only embrace it, we have hot, sweaty sex with it." The other Rangers—Tomy included—at first snickered, but broke out laughing.

"That's an… interesting analogy," said Kevin.

"But it's still an important one," said Tommy. "You have to embrace this. It won't be easy, but the world needs you. You haveto defeat the Zordonians. It may take a while, but the job has to be done."

"You can count on us Tommy," said Sean. Tommy nodded and the rock began to glow again until he disappeared, heading back to his own universe. "Alright, let's PARTY!"

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A while later, Sean relaxed in the hot springs. The adrenaline that flowed through his system earlier in the day had gotten him jazzed up and a bath in the hot water was what he needed to relax. It was a nice June night, close to around 10:00, since it was fully dark out, except for the lights illuminating the spring. His bandages had to be taken off so they wouldn't get wet. He would have to have them re-applied by Hikari once he got out. The water also helped dull the pain he was still feeling. After some examinations by Hikari, she diagnosed that his rib wasn't in danger of puncturing his lung and he simply aggravated the rib.

"Mind if I join you?" A voice jolted him out of his thoughts. Just like a few days earlier, Maria had walked in.

"Oh great, did I get into the mixed spring again?" He asked.

"Yep," she replied. "Do you mind if I…" she pointed to her towel. Sean shook his head but averted his eyes as he heard her take the towel off and step in the water. "You can look now," she said. He looked and immediately blushed when he noticed she was sitting right next to him.

"How did you get into that stuff, anyway?" Sean asked.

"During my time in Brazil my friends would take me to some beaches and resorts," she said. "I was reluctant at first, but I found I actually liked it."

"Oh right," he said. "I forgot you've lived in Brazil for three years. Did you bring beer this time?"

"Brought two," she said, handing a bottle to him. "So how long have you been in here for?"

"Three minutes before you showed up," he replied. He twisted the cap off of the beer bottle and took a sip. "I'm going to miss this country once we leave," he said. "I can't speak or read Japanese, but I feel like I've come to like it."

"Yeah," said Maria. "The people here are fantastic, Daisuke aside. His type is probably a minority."

"A pretty vocal one though," said Sean.

"Do you think the Zordonians will come after us in the new place?" Maria asked.

"They'll probably have to regroup but I can guess they're going to try and hit us again," he replied.

"Do you think our new home will love us?" She asked.

"Hopefully," he replied. "I can't make assumptions or guarantees about that."

"I suppose you're right," she said. "I never asked, were the Steel actually successful?"

He chuckled for a second. "We won the Clark Cup in 2009, which is the USHL's championship. I had to leave after that season because I was going to turn 21 in a few months so I signed with a semi-pro team in Chicago. I didn't sign with any NHL teams because my dad wants me to finish college. But with this situation we're in, I'm not sure what's going to happen. I just want to get into the NHL!"

"But you don't look like a hockey player," she said. "Aren't they supposed to be big?"

"You should see Patrick Kane," said Sean. "He's about as big as I am."

"You sounded stressed about being in the NHL," she said.

"I want to play pro hockey," he said. "It's been my dream. I mean, I'm embracing being a Power Ranger but…"

"You had dreams before becoming one." He nodded his head. He then took a sip of his beer and reclined on the rocks, looking at the stars above. "Then I guess winning this war would be a good incentive for you to get back to pursuing your dream."

At first he was confused, but then he began laughing. "I guess so!" He said. "Let's beat those guys so we can pursue our dreams." He held up his bottle as a toast. She clinked the bottle as well.

"To dreams," she said. "I guess my dream is to go back home."

"Must suck being in your position," said Sean.

"It does," she replied. "Kiss me."

"PSSSSHHHTTT! WHAT!" The randomness of that request or demand so flustered him that he not only spat his drink out he almost spilled the beer. His face was red as a cherry.

"I said 'kiss me'," she said again. He figured it must have been the alcohol they'd been drinking all night because she hadn't asked for that before. "Just do it!"

"A little demanding, aren't we?" He said.

"Okay then," she replied. "Can you please kiss me?" Not that it helped much, anyway. Sean was still pretty flustered.

"Hoo boy," he said, trying to get out of kissing her.

"It won't hurt," she said. "I just want to see how good you are… you have kissed someone, haven't you?"

"… No."

Maria instantly burst our laughing. "And some say men are not virgins! HA!"

"Except for you!"

"That one didn't count!"

"So…" Sean desperately searched for a way to change the subject. He found it with the events of earlier in the evening. "Hitomi and Rich Boy certainly looked surprised when they saw Tommy."

"They would be, too," she replied. "So was I when he first appeared to us. 'Get your ass in gear! You're Power Rangers, not Marines!' Classic. Anyway, about that kiss."

"There's no way you're going to forget about that, is there?" Sean asked.

"Nope," she replied.

Sean mentally decided to do it. Might as well get it over with. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and leaned in. Maria also closed her eyes and leaned in as well and the two met somewhere in the middle.

Surprisingly, it felt nice and Sean was able to relax a little bit. Despite her athletic build and muscles, she still had soft lips, which were kind of surprising. He never really got an idea of that last time. They deepened the kiss, slipping their tongues in their mouth and it seemed to be getting more heated.

"UGH!" Until they broke up. "Your breath smells like alcohol!" Sean said, quickly breaking away.

"So does yours!" Maria replied.

"Oy vey,the heat's starting to get to me," he said, rising out of the water. "Let's get out of here."

"I'm with you," she replied, grabbing her towel and wrapping it around herself. "Oh, by the way, let's not tell anyone about that kiss."

"Gladly."

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"So how's Shingo doing?" Kevin asked. He, Sean, Hitomi and Maria were watching TV after the American and Venezuelan got out of the hot spring. Daisuke was meditating off somewhere.

"Hikari put him to bed," said Sean. "She called his mom earlier and told her he was safe. And I think he likes it here."

"Yeah, Hikari's been spoiling him," said Maria. "I hope he doesn't start thinking she's his mama."

"Probably not," said Hitomi. "He sounded really happy to talk to his mom."

"That's good," said Kevin. "The kid's been through a lot these past few days. He needs some spoiling."

"Just wait till he's older," said Sean. "Then the therapy bills will start coming."

"Sean, that's not nice," said Maria.

"Fine then," he said. "He'll probably be fine."

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They stayed for two more days. The Rangers finally got the chance to (at least partially) climb Mt. Fuji, getting pretty high up the mountain before coming back down. Little Shingo seemed fine, despite the traumatic experience of the earlier kidnapping. The trip culminated with a great dinner that Hikari cooked up the night before the Rangers and Shingo would head back to Tokyo. It was probably the best dinner they had their entire time in Japan (for Sean, Kevin and Maria, that is).

The next day, they packed up the Grand Prix Cruiser to leave for Tokyo. It was difficult, but they managed to find a way to get Shingo into the Hummer. Godai-san, Hikari and Toji-san would stay at the inn. Toji-san would leave for Kyoto a while later. It was a heartfelt good-bye for Hitomi.

"Good bye Godai-san," she said as she gave the man a big hug.

"Good-bye Hitomi-chan," he replied back. The two broke off their hug and Sean came over and shook his hand.

"Thanks for letting us stay here," he said. "It's a fantastic place, I want to come back sometime."

"You're welcome to anytime," Godai-san said with his infectious smile. Naturally it spread to Sean. Kevin, too walked up and shook Godai-san's hand, as did Maria.

"Muchos gracias, señor," she said. Godai-san was at first confused until Sean whispered in his ear what it meant. Then he had a good idea what she said.

"You're welcome," he replied.

"Now then," Hikari said to Shingo. "You and your mommy can come over any time you want. Do you like that?"

Shingo enthusiastically nodded his head. "Yeah!"

"Okay then," Hikari said. "Go on now, you need to get home to your mommy."

"Okay. Thanks Mrs. Godai!" He said as he ran away.

"What do you think they were saying?" Sean asked as he got into the drivers' seat.

"They were just saying good bye," said Daisuke.

"Oh, okay," said Sean. "All right, see you later!" He called out to Hikari and Godai-san.

"Take care!" Hikari called out. Sean started the engine while everyone else bade her and Godai-san goodbye. Sean then drove out of the parking lot and bound for Tokyo.

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Returning to the metropolis that is Tokyo after spending over a week in the Japanese countryside was a bit of a shock. Granted, it was a pretty hectic week, but it was still relocating from the country to the city. Hell, it was hard for them just to find their townhouse, but little Shingo was able to help, since his house was right next to theirs.

That was their first stop. Sean led Shingo up to the door and let Shingo ring the bell. Then his mother opened the door. Her face looked shocked at first, but then she began to cry; not tears of sadness, but tears of pure joy and relief that her son was alive. Instantly, she grabbed Shingo and gave him the biggest hug imaginable. Sean could not help but smile as the two reunited.

"Thank you," she said in English. "I was so worried about him, I'm glad he's okay."

"Don't mention it," Sean replied. "It's my job to be the hero."

"If there's anyway I can repay you," she said. "Just tell me."

"There's nothing you need to do," Sean replied. "It's fine. Hey, can you give me a high five?" He asked to Shingo. The boy gave him the high-five and Sean ruffled his hair before walking back to the townhouse.

But just before walking in, he noticed a white envelope in the mailbox. As he walked in the townhouse, he opened the envelope and took a look.

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"Teeennn… HUT!" The base staff instantly stood at attention, the Rangers included. Col. Greene walked in the room, his head held high. "PRESENT ARMS!" The base staff saluted the Colonel as he walked in, which the Colonel returned. He walked up to the Rangers and saluted back to Sean.

"At ease," he said. The base staff shifted their stance to a more relaxed stance. He stayed silent for a few moments before speaking. "I just want to say how proud I am of all of you. You fought with heart, with intensity, and most importantly, as a team. You showed our enemy what Earth is made of and now they know they're in for a much tougher fight than they anticipated.

However, your mission is not done. They will come after you. They now recognize you for the threat you are and will come after you with everything they have. But, I have confidence that you can meet them like you did this past month."

"Thank you sir," Sean replied.

"By the way, how are you feeling?" Col. Greene pointed at the bandages on Sean, Kevin and Maria's arms and faces.

"Not too bad," Sean replied. "Rib still hurts, though."

"I see," said Col. Greene. "Well, like I said, job well done. Tokyo is safe thanks to you and will be safe."

"Actually sir," Sean said. "About that."

"What is it?" Col. Greene asked.

"We don't intend to stay in Tokyo any longer." Col. Greene looked shocked at Sean. Sean, meanwhile, stayed firm.

"You're leaving?" Col. Greene asked. "When were you going to tell me?"

"Just now," he replied. Col. Greene let out a breath.

"All right then," said Col. Greene. "Where are you going?"

"Orlando, Florida," said Sean.

"And how did you decide on that?" asked Col. Greene.

"Remember when you came in on Maria displaying her knife-throwing skills?" Col. Greene nodded. "We were actually deciding where to go. We had a map up on a board and had Maria throw a knife at the map to decide where we're going. The knife hit Orlando."

"And I can't convince you to stay," he said without asking. It was as if he knew the answer.

"Yep," said Sean. "Kevin, Maria, Rich Boy and Hitomi have already gotten their visas."

"I see," said Col. Greene. "What else?"

"We want partial separation from the UN," said Sean. "But I guess that's probably not going to happen."

"No," said Col. Greene. "Well, I must say that I won't be staying either. I have to return to Washington to report back to my superiors."

"Gothca," said Sean.

"Do you have anything to say to the other Rangers?" Col. Greene asked.

"I do have something to say to Rich Boy," said Sean. He turned around and faced Daisuke, his face not waivered. "Rich Boy, you're an asshole."

"I was expecting that," Daisuke said.

"Okay," said Sean.

"But I won't be a Ranger anymore."

"WHAT?" Sean turned around and looked shocked at Daisuke.

"Brother, what are you saying?" Hitomi asked, grabbing Daisuke's sleeve.

"I said I'm not continuing as Green Ranger," he said.

"But you're one of our best fighters!" said Sean. "I must admit, you're a hell of our fighter, and this came right the fuck out of nowhere!"

"My behavior this past week has told me that I have failed as a Ranger," he said. "I put myself ahead of the team, and I was only thinking about my own status instead of focusing on the real threat. As a Ranger, I'm a failure. I have to give up my position." The other Rangers were silent and completely shocked. This was not something they were expecting.

Col. Greene, however, simply nodded his head. "Very well. You made an honorable decision. It's not popular, but what's done is done. We'll find a replacement for you as soon as possible."

"Thank you," Daisuke said as he bowed to Col. Greene. Then, he removed his AcceleMorpher and handed it to Col. Greene, as well as the AcceleKey. Col. Greene accepted the two and Daisuke saluted him.

"There's still one more thing," said Sean. "You said you were promised the Red Ranger position. Why am I Red Ranger?"

"Because I had no idea about the deal between the Miyazawas and Project Ranger," said Col. Greene. This earned a quick look from the other Rangers. "I've only been military commander for a short time. The Miyazawa-Project Ranger deal happened before I got here and thus I had no idea about the deal and no one bothered to tell me. So when Miyazawa told me he was promised a position in leadership, I just played along."

"I see," said Daisuke. "So this was your decision?"

"From the first time I saw O' Callahan fight," said Col. Greene. "Watching some of his hockey games was also a factor." Daisuke sighed in exasperation while Sean had a smug look on his face. "O' Callahan came across as a natural leader and I felt that he would be a great choice for Red Ranger, and by extension, leader of the team. It seems I was right."

"So Sean's staying Red Ranger?" Maria asked.

"The morphers have bonded to your DNA," he said. "There's no going back, unless you give the powers up like Miyazawa."

"Okay," said Kevin.

"Well," said Col. Greene. "I guess I must say good luck to all of you in Orlando. I assume Miyazawa's going too?"

"My family wants to make a deal with the Disney Company," said Daisuke. "I might as well get into the family business."

"Okay then," said Col. Greene. "Anything else?"

"Yeah," said Sean. "My sword broke and I need a new one."

"Very well," said Col. Greene. "Any ideas as to the design?"

"I have a pretty good idea," Sean said with a grin on his face.

"Very well then," said Col. Greene. "I suppose I'll also have your other weapons redesigned. Any other questions?" None of the Rangers replied, so he left it there. "Then I wish all of you the best of luck. Dismissed!" He walked out was the base staff saluted.

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"Should we take Mei?" Hitomi asked. The Rangers were packing their things up to leave for Orlando. Most of the stuff in the houses was packed into boxes and ready to be shipped to Florida. The UN would handle the shipping under the guise of the US Postal Service. Other than that, the Rangers would take their stuff themselves. Hitomi was referring to Mei, the robot the UN had given them.

"Probably not," said Kevin. "It's pretty much a giveaway—"

"Of what?" Maria asked. "I say we bring her."

"Well, my sister and her husband live in Orlando," said Sean. "They'll probably help us out."

"There is that," said Kevin. "So we won't need the robot."

"The Haro is coming with us," said Hitomi, much to Sean's displeasure.

"That thing may have helped us find you but I still don't like it," he said. "We shoul—what the?" The room was suddenly engulfed in a bright light that blinded them for a moment. When the light faded they looked to see what just happened. And what they saw was not something they wanted to see.

"RASHON!"The Zordonian Emperor himself was standing in their living room, staring them down. His white cape fluttered slightly, as there was a breeze. He stared down the Rangers, and they stared him down too.

"I have to congratulate you Terrans," he said. "You defeated one of my generals."

"Save it!" Sean shouted. "I'm going to kick your ass!" Sean launched himself at Rashon, ready to give him a nasty punch. Unfortunately, he was unmorphed and headed right for Rashon. Rashon just held out his hand and using some telekinesis or something like that forced Sean back like he was nothing. Sean crashed among his teammates. He was daved as they helped him up.

"I thought you were smart," he said. "Anyway, I must congratulate all of you for—where's the Green Ranger?" Daisuke had already moved out, which is why the other four Rangers were packing up.

"He left the team," said Maria. "But that's not the point, what the hell are you doing in our house and why didn't you attack us earlier?"

"That is none of your concern!" Rashon shot back. "As for why we didn't attack you, Zordonian rules of engagement forbid us from attacking a foe in their own home."

"Well, he's honorable you got to give him that," said Kevin. "So what do you want?"

"I want to congratulate you on defeating Phaedos," he said.

"Defeated?" Sean asked. "He's not coming back?"

"No," said Rashon. "He's a little cold right now." Hitomi, who watches Sailor Moon,knew what Rashon was talking about.

"Just like Jadeite," she said under her breath.

"So now what?" Sean asked. The other Rangers helped him up and he held onto his right side, where his injured rib was.

"Now you'll have to face one of our other generals," said Rashon. "There are four of our generals, three more to defeat."

"In order?" Sean asked in dismay. "Why can't we just kill you right now and get it over with?"

"Because if you try that I'll kill you before you even transform," he replied. Kevin gulped in fear.

"Fair enough," said Sean. "We'll kill them just like we sorta killed Phaedos."

"We shall see," said Rashon. "I'd like to—" Suddenly, he paused and he took a look at the boxes the Rangers had packed already. "What's going on here?"

"We're cleaning up," Sean lied. "This place is a mess; we need to straighten it up."

"No you're not!" Rashon replied, seeing right through his ruse. "You're moving! Where are you going?"

"Like we're going to tell you!" Kevin said.

"You're going to have to find us," said Sean. "Are you up for a wild goose chase? There are 6 billion humans on this planet. Good luck."

"We shall see," Rashon said as he teleported out. Again, the Rangers were blinded by the light before it faded. The festive mood of the Rangers had dimmed slightly. Three more generals; this ought to be fun.

"Sean?" Maria asked. He turned around and looked at them.

"We're in for a tough fight," he said. "But I think we can take them. Want to know why?" They stayed silent, allowing Sean to finish.

"We're Power Rangers."

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End chapter, end of Part 1.

And Part 1 is finally over! One year, that's how long I've been working on this story. And to be honest, I don't regret it. I've had fun doing this, and there's more to come in Part 2. In Part 2, the Rangers face Kalderon, the second Zordonian General (based on Nephrite of Sailor Moon), gain a new Ranger and find a new ally… or something like that.

As for the name GPX, here's what it stands for: Grand PriX. It comes from anime series like IGPX(Immortal Grand Prix) and Future GPX Cyber Formula(Future Grand Prix Cyber Formula). But, the name Grand Prix Megazord should have given that away.

As for the Morphing Grid, since it's my story I decided to expand the powers of the Morphing Grid, allowing Rangers across the multiverse to talk to each other and even teleport to other universes. If you don't like that, then too bad, it's my story.

I'll try to get Part 2 up ASAP. Until then, thanks for reading!

PS: Be on the look-out for a story collection called "Tokyo Days". These are just one-shots of the Rangers being civilians in Tokyo after beating Phaedos and before moving to Orlando. But since I have a lot of stories to do otherwise, they'll probably be few and far between.