Here's the final chapter! Thank you all so much for reading! Please review and let me know what you think!
Zordon gazed upon each of the people he cared for as his own children. He smiled as they all seemed to straighten into a solid line, looking upon him and not saying anything. He felt as if he had watched each of these people grow up before his very eyes. Zordon looked at the end of the line, at the newest ranger of the group, Tanya Sloan.
Tanya probably had the hardest time of all the rangers. She was uprooted from the only home that she had ever known and essentially was turned into a teenager overnight in a new town, new country, with new friends. Zordon smiled at Tanya as he approached her slowly. Tanya looked up at him and grinned before throwing her arms around him.
"Aisha, do you have the crystal in your possession?" Zordon asked, appearing to a young Aisha standing next to another young girl. He was almost translucent in the African sunlight.
"Is that...Zordon?" the other girl asked.
"Zordon," said Aisha, "this is Tanya. I'm sending her back with my crystal. I have to stay here. With my knowledge of animals and my experience as a Power Ranger, I know I can help find a cure for this plight."
"My instincts told me this would happen with one of you. We shall miss you greatly, Aisha. We are all proud of your accomplishments," boomed Zordon.
"I'm not going to say goodbye, you guys," she said, almost defiantly. "I love you and being a part of you has meant everything to me."
"We all feel the same about you. Aisha, your decision to remain has altered the course of your family's history. You will find that they have joined you when the world is returned to future."
"Yes, I knew I was making the right choice," she proclaimed. "Somehow, I feel this is where I belong. This was the answer to my quest." She looked at Tanya and held up the crystal. "Are you ready?" she asked.
"I'm a little nervous," Tanya said. She took hold of the crystal and a beam of yellow light traveled through.
"Yeah, me too," said Aisha.
"You need not be frightened, Tanya," Zordon said. "Know that the Power will protect you."
"Bye," said Tanya. "I'll make you proud."
Zordon then moved in front of Katherine Hillard. He smiled at her before embracing her, as well. Zordon reflected upon Katherine's beginnings with the ranger team. She and Tanya, the two newest rangers of the group, were the only two that were not hand-chosen by him. But he was glad and proud of how well they assimilated to the team and stayed true to the Power. He remembered how evil the spell Katherine was placed under and how strong it was. It nearly caused Katherine to seriously harm and destroy, nearly kill, Kimberly. But Katherine turned out to be a fine ranger and Zordon was extremely happy to have had her on his team.
"Zordon," Kim said. "There is somebody out there that can take my place. Somebody who would make an amazing Power Ranger!" She looked at Alpha. "Alpha?"
"Ay-yi-yi!" said Alpha, pressing some buttons. "This is so emotional!"
Katherine appeared in a beam of light, grinning at the rangers. "Hi everyone!" she said, with a smile.
Kim immediately went to Katherine's side and looked up at Zordon. "Zordon, I hope it's okay. I asked Alpha and Kat to be ready just in case you guys got me to change my mind."
"Kimberly," boomed Zordon. "Once again, you have demonstrated wisdom beyond your years."
"Thanks Zordon."
"Katherine, I agree with Kimberly. Your selfless bravery under extraordinary circumstances has gives me every confidence that you will be a fine addition to our team.
"I promise, Kimberly, from the bottom of my heart, that I will continue to carry on as you would."
Kim nodded, smiling at her. "I know you will, Katherine," she said, almost in a whisper. She wrapped her arms around Katherine before handing over her power coin. "The Power is all yours now."
Zordon then moved on to the three rangers that had accidently found out about the Power Rangers. He recalled how even when they weren't rangers, they were all still willing to place themselves in harm's way to save Angel Grove and the world from Lord Zedd, Rita Repulsa, and whatever monsters they came across. There were no others in mind to become rangers other than Adam Park, Rocky DeSantos, and Aisha Campbell. When Zordon first heard about the rangers' opportunity to go to the Peace Conference, he was sad. He knew that the teenagers that served on the team were among the best of Angel Grove, even without powers. It was inevitable that three of them would be picked. But the three that stepped in turned out to be among the greatest of rangers.
He looked at Adam and gave him a tight hug. He was ever so proud of Adam. He knew that Adam even returned to the Power after being away from it for more than 10 years because the world needed his help again. Zordon knew that Adam, being so shy, often felt like he was fading into the background. But Zordon noticed him. And Zordon noticed how he never needed the spotlight. He never needed to be the number one fighter, to be the leader. Those things came naturally to him and it was those natural abilities that made Adam shine.
Zordon also hugged Aisha tightly. Even as a child, Aisha knew that she wanted to help those that are more helpless than herself. She chose to up and leave to a new country to help and save the world in her own way. He loved that Aisha was always optimistic and always had a smile on her face. Even in the worst of times, Aisha would always be the one to root the other members on. She was the perfect teammate and an even better friend.
He gazed upon Rocky before embracing him into a tight hug. In many ways, Zordon felt a bit sorry and sympathetic for Rocky. He knew that it could not have been easy being in Jason's shadow, taking the red ranger powers after him, and most especially after Jason returned to the team. But Rocky served admirably and he was extremely loyal and was always there for the team. Zordon regretted that Rocky was not able to have a better send off from the team, only being able to barely move after throwing out his back. He wished that Rocky had chosen to leave the team instead of being forced to leave the team due to injury. He knew that Rocky didn't regret anything about the way he left, but Zordon always felt like Rocky deserved may be a little bit better.
The time had come to say goodbye to the three departing rangers. They had been able to retrieve the Sword of Light and were ready to perform the power transfer ceremony. Tommy, Billy, and Kim wondered who they would be fighting alongside while Jason, Zack, and Trini wondered who would be taking their place as Power Rangers.
A beam of light teleported three people into the Command Center.
"Rocky! Adam!" exclaimed Tommy. "Aisha!"
"Isn't this incredible?" said Aisha, with a grin.
"Tommy," boomed Zordon. "Hold the Sword of Light high above your head."
Tommy nodded and carefully placed his helmet over his head as the other rangers followed suit.
"We will now start the ceremony to transfer power from Jason, Zack, and Trini to Rocky, Adam, and Aisha. Raise the sword."
Tommy held the sword above his head with both his hands supporting it on both ends. Zordon beamed his energy force into the sword, making it more powerful than it was before. He turned around when it was fully charged and held it by its handle between the two groups of red, black, and yellow rangers. The energy emitted more sparks and transformed Rocky, Adam, and Aisha into the new red, black, and yellow rangers.
"Whoa!" exclaimed Aisha, carefully examining her new yellow suit.
"Departing rangers, you have served with courage. I thank you," boomed Zordon. "I know that in your new life, you will serve with dignity, humility, and strength. Go now and make the world a better place. The Power will always be with you and will protect you." Zordon watched his three original rangers departed in three beams of light.
"This is like a whole new beginning," Kim said to Tommy.
"New members of the Power Rangers, always remember: you are now part of a team," said Zordon. "Watch out for the others as you would watch out for yourselves. Rocky, with your strength and knowledge, you will command the power of the red dragon thunderzord. Aisha, you are spirited and clever. You will command the power of the griffin thunderzord. And Adam, you are watchful and intelligent. You will command the power of the lion thunderzord."
Adam stepped forward, eagerly accepting his new responsibility. "Thank you, Zordon. I won't let you down."
The six rangers carefully took off their helmets. They gathered in a circle. "All right," Tommy said. The six rangers balled up their fists and crossed them over their chests to their hearts. "One." They pointed it toward the center of the circle. "Two." They held their fists up in front of them as a power sparked between the six and emitted in the center. "Three."
"Rangers, you possess powers so that you may protect the Earth. Use them to defend, never to attack. To ensure justice, never for vengeance. To preserve righteousness, never for selfish glory. Remember this and they will protect you forever."
"I'm so excited!" said Alpha. "Brand new rangers! Welcome aboard, Rocky, Adam, Aisha!"
Zordon then moved on to Tommy Oliver, the longest-serving of all his rangers. Of Tommy, he expected the least and received the most. Zordon remembered Tommy's origins. As a child, he was adopted and the journey he took to finding his family and himself was done as he served as the red Zeo ranger 5. Tommy moved to Angel Grove and immediately caught the eye of the rangers, especially Kimberly, and also, of Rita Repulsa, who turned Tommy into the evil green ranger. After all that he had done-destroying the Command Center and essentially, almost killing the Power Rangers-Tommy, whom Zordon always believed to have the truest and most honorable intentions at heart, was willing to fight alongside the rangers and help them in their quest to fight evil. Little did Zordon know, Tommy would emerge to become one of the greatest leaders of the Power Rangers. And even one of the greatest mentors the Power has ever known. Zordon always knew that Tommy would, in some way, return to the Power. It was only fitting that he did it in the way where he could help a new generation of rangers find their own way. Zordon smirked, giving Tommy a tight hug. And it was most especially only fitting that Tommy even took up the new powers-and new color, to boot.
Jason, Zack, Kim, Trini, and Billy were standing alongside Tommy, the newly formed white ranger. Zordon knew that his rangers were worried about who the new ranger was going to be-that it would be an outsider-but there was nobody else that Zordon could have ever imagined to be the white ranger, other than Tommy Oliver.
"Tommy has proven himself to be worthy and true," Zordon boomed. He gazed upon each of the six rangers standing before him as he reintroduced the former green ranger to the fold. "His courage, strength, and honor allowed us to choose him to be the new white ranger. This time, his powers have been created by the light of goodness and can never be taken away by the forces of evil."
"The new ranger," interjected Alpha, "will control the white Tigerzord. A zord of strength and fierceness. He will carry an enchanted white saber, known as Saba. Saba will assist the white ranger in battle as well as control the new zord."
"Extend your hand, white ranger. And accept all that has been granted to you."
Tommy held out his hand and Saba appeared.
"Congratulations, Tommy," boomed Zordon. "You are now the leader of the Power Rangers."
"Aw man, it's good to be back," he said, smiling and grinning at his fellow rangers.
Zordon carefully and slowly approached his five original rangers. These were the former teenagers that he and Alpha had chosen to pave the way for generations of other rangers to follow and serve. He looked upon each of them with wonder and amazement. All of five of these rangers had grown before his very eyes. He was grateful and happy to have known each one of them and was glad that they have, essentially, become his children. Zordon remembered how, at first, the five teenagers-well, adults now, were wary and even a bit unwilling to partake of the power. But, each one of them, in their own way, fully embraced the power and were the best people he could have known to be the first Earth rangers. The ones that everyone else would have to live up to.
Billy Cranston was the last to leave of his original five. And he was, perhaps, also the one to grow the most. Zordon recalled how Billy was when he first chose him to be the blue Triceratops ranger. He was shy, uncoordinated, and in all accounts, a nerd. But a lovable one who had four friends-best friends- that deeply cared about him. He had seen Billy grow from his techno-babble speak and while he still broke it out at times, he was, in many ways, more understandable and sympathetic to his peers. Zordon felt deep admiration and pride for Billy when he remembered that it was Billy who had led the rangers in searching for the Zeo crystal. And it was he who helped the rangers from other planets. And most of all, Zordon was so proud of Billy for willingly giving up the Power to Tanya when he knew that his services would better be served as a technical advisor, using all the knowledge that he had learned from the Aquitan rangers. Zordon was sad to see Billy leave to Aquitar, but always knew that they would be reunited one day. He gave Billy a tight hug and smiled at him.
Trini Kwan was probably the most compassionate of any ranger that he had ever known. She was very intelligent and wise and always knew how to keep her composure, no matter what situation she and her friends found themselves in. Before his very eyes, Trini overcame her greatest fear of heights. She was soft-spoken, but never hesitated to let her thoughts be heard. He thought back to the many things that she fought for-outside of the rangers. In Angel Grove, he recalled Trini trying to save a statue and remembered how she tried to close a local landfill that was contaminating the city. She was always prepared to push herself above and beyond the call of duty and would even place herself in danger to be an honorable opponent and friend. Zordon gave Trini a tight hug.
Zack Taylor was another young ranger that Zordon had watched grow before his very eyes and overcome his own fears. He knew that Zack was probably the closest of his five original rangers who wanted to leave the team on different occasions, but Zordon was glad that above all, Zack remained a ranger until his last days in Angel Grove. And he remained a loving and caring person to his friends and always used his brain to help get him out of a jam. Zordon leaned into Zack and gave him a tight hug.
Kimberly Hart, Zordon felt, was truly the "heart" of the team. She was, out of all the rangers whom he had mentored, the one who was probably the closest to him. She was the one who he felt needed him the most since her actual father was absent from her life. And Zordon gladly filled that role for her, feeling like Kim filled a void in his own heart. He was truly heartbroken when she left the team, but he knew that he and the team could not hold her back from continuing on to fulfill her dreams. Zordon remembered how Kim once used to be a sarcastic person, who just cared about herself and her friends. She was the most caring and loyal, but she grew to be even more caring of not just those who she was close to, but to everyone and anyone who needed it.. Kimberly was the subject of many of Lord Zedd's captives, but she always managed to find a way to get herself out of captivity, either by herself or with the help of her fellow rangers. Zordon wrapped his arms around Kim's small body and gave her a tight hug.
Jason Scott, the original red ranger. In many ways, he set the tone for how a red ranger, how a leader of the Power Rangers should be. Loyal, strong, fearless-all qualities that one would expect out of a leader, out of a red ranger. But Jason was so much more than that. He cared about his friends-deeply. Zordon remembered how hurt and guilty Jason felt after Tommy lost his green ranger powers. He had tried everything to help Jason be strong as the red Power Ranger and knew that Jason felt a little hurt at being demoted to second-in-command after Tommy became the white ranger and Zordon appointed him to be leader. But Zordon had an instinct, and his instincts were usually correct, that Jason would be leaving the team soon. Zordon didn't imagine it being the Peace Conference and he was happy that Jason had left the team to do even more good in the world. He hoped, with all his heart, that Jason knew how much of a great leader he was to the team. Zordon remembered how Jason willingly returned to the team to take on powers that essentially drained his life force. He knew how much Jason loved being a ranger and was glad to see that Jason had grown as a person in his time away, even helping Tommy with some leadership decisions when they had the Zeo powers. He smiled at Jason, looking at him eye-to-eye before hugging him.
"Great job, red ranger," Zordon whispered.
"Congratulations, Power Rangers," Zordon boomed. Jason, Kim, Trini, Billy, and Zack beamed as they looked up at him. They had just rescued the citizens of Angel Grove from Rita's dimension after the city had put on a special celebration honoring the Power Rangers. "Victory is yours. You have dealt Rita a serious blow and have proven yourselves to be the mightiest heroes on Earth." Everyone briefly glanced at each other before smiling up at Zordon.
"Thanks, Zordon," Jason said, grinning.
"Rangers," Zordon continued. "The time has come for you to choose again."
"What do you mean?" asked Kim, with a worried look in her eyes. She looked confused.
"You have gone far beyond the call of duty and saved your world from a terrible thing," Zordon continued. "And although the danger has not passed completely, you may choose if you wish to remain Power Rangers or return to your regular lives. The decision is yours."
The rangers all gave each other knowing looks.
"There's no decision to be made," said Jason, confidently. He briefly glanced at his fellow rangers. "I think we all feel the same way."
"Yeah," agreed Kim, nodding her head. "We're the Power Rangers."
"To the end!" Trini raised her hand and grinned.
"The reason you chose us was to stop Rita," said Zack. "And it doesn't end there."
"And there are other villains," said Billy. "There are other crimes to protect the city from."
"Zordon, you taught us what truth, honor, and real courage are all about," said Trini. "We don't want to abandon that now."
"So, in other words," said Zack. "You can't get rid of us!" They all laughed.
"I am very pleased to hear you say those things," boomed Zordon. "The world is very lucky to have you. And so am I. May the Power protect you-always."
Zordon took a step back from Jason and gazed upon the eleven former rangers standing before him. "Come, we must go." A bright light appeared behind Zordon and he walked toward it.
The eleven rangers took one last look around the Power Chamber. This was the place that they spent most of their teenage years, the most developing time of their lives. They had learned so many things here and all of them looked at this place and thought about it as their home. They felt like they spent more of their time at the Command Center or the Power Chamber than their own homes. Sometimes, they even saw each other and Zordon and Alpha more than they saw their own parents.
Adam shielded his eyes before blindly following Zordon toward the light. He looked around at the Power Chamber and thought about how he looked at this place like his own home. Sometimes, he didn't even want to go home. "When I think of home, I think of a place where there's love overflowing." This was the only place that Adam ever felt like he was loved. Of course, he knew and felt the love from his parents, but there was something about saving the world together bonded a group like no other.
Rocky hurried forward, trying to catch up to his friend. He looked around and felt like this was the only home that he had ever known, just like his friend. "I wish I was home. I wish I was back there with the things I've been knowing." After leaving the team, Rocky learned a lot and grew as a person. He learned a lot about himself and felt like he could have done more when he was a ranger. He felt like he could have given a bit more power, given a bit more of himself. Sometimes, he wished that he was back to being a ranger.
Tanya followed the two, shielding her eyes from the light. "Wind that makes the tall trees bend into leaning. Suddenly the snowflakes that fall have a meaning. Sprinklin' the scene, makes it all clean." After Tanya became a ranger, she saw the world differently. Suddenly, she could see the wind blow through the trees. She had never seen snowflakes before, but each one of them seemed important. It didn't snow in Angel Grove, but after leaving Africa, Tanya was introduced to snow. Each snowflake, big or small, laid on the ground and made the world look like a better place. It was what Tanya envisioned after a life of fighting evil.
Aisha slowly walked after them. "Maybe there's a chance for me to go back there. Now that I have some direction." Sometimes Aisha wished she didn't leave the rangers. She didn't want to leave the rangers, but she didn't have the heart to turn her back on the animals that needed her help in Africa. She had found her purpose in life-helping animals and wished desperately that she could go back home. And now that she was here, she loved every second of it.
Kat smiled at the others as she slowly followed them. "It would sure be nice to be back home where there's love and affection." Whenever Katherine thought about her first few days in Angel Grove, sometimes she just felt so embarrassed. She hated being under Rita's spell, although she was glad that it had introduced her to so many great people. She loved each one of them and was glad to have each of them in her life.
Kim winked at her friends as she followed the group. "And just maybe I can convince time to slow up, giving me enough time in my life to grow up. Time, be my friend. Let me start again." Kim was glad that Zordon and the others convinced her to follow her dream to Florida. Her time away from Angel Grove helped her grow even more as a person and even though she regretted writing the letter to Tommy, she was glad that they had gotten past it and ended up with each other anyway. Sometimes, Kim even wished to go back in time and not even have the chance to go to Florida. But she knew that she had made the right choice and was glad with the direction that her life had taken.
Trini followed her friends toward the bright light. "Suddenly my world has changed its face, but I still know where I'm going." Trini remembered how nervous and scared she was when she was chosen to go to the Peace Conference. She didn't want to leave the rangers, but she wanted to go to Switzerland because it was a fantastic opportunity. She felt like she was leaving the rangers at the worse time and was afraid that her friends would be in even more danger because they were leaving. But once Trini landed in Switzerland, she felt like had done the right thing. She knew the Power was safe and her friends wouldn't be in danger, and she would be helping the world in her own way.
Billy slowly followed everyone. He nodded to Zack, Tommy, and Jason as he walked toward the bright light. "I have had my mind spun around in space and yet I've watched it growing." There were times when Billy spent nights in the Power Chamber, helping Alpha and Zordon come up with some new ranger technologies. This place had truly been a home for him. He was grateful and happy that he had been chosen by Zordon because at the time, Billy didn't think that he could ever be a ranger. There were times after he received the Power when he didn't think he should've been a ranger. His martial arts abilities seemed so much lesser than the others and he was afraid that he could not keep up. But his friends-no, his family, never gave up on him. And even though he missed each of his childhood friends as they left Angel Grove and the Power, he was happy for them.
Zack fist bumped Tommy and Jason and grinned as he walked after them. "If you're listening God, please don't make it hard to know if we should believe in the things that we see." Zack remembered not really believing in the Power when Zordon had first given it to them. He always felt like didn't deserve to be a ranger since he was afraid of so many things that had come up with him while he was a Power Ranger. He knew that he always felt like giving up and he didn't really like that about himself. But his friends were always there to pick him up and encourage him to keep on going. He even felt like he got over some of his own fears while he was a Power Ranger. He remembered being afraid of that rubber spider that Tommy had played a joke on him with, but even he was able to get past that.
Tommy fist bumped Jason before walking after the rest of his friends. "Tell us, should we run away? Should we try and stay? Or would it be better just to let things be?" Tommy thought back to when he first became a ranger. He deeply regretted all the evil he caused when he was the evil green ranger and wished, in some ways, that he could have run away from his problems. He knew he sort of did when he lost his green ranger powers, but he didn't know what he should do. Tommy figured that he would just let things run its course and in the end, Tommy greatly enjoyed his life. He married the only woman that he had ever known and he lived out his life doing things that he loved to do-teach...and continue to be a Power Ranger. Tommy was glad to say that he had hung up his morpher for good after he and the other Dino rangers were able to defeat Mesagog, but he enjoyed it all the same. It was a different experience, being the older ranger, mentor-type for the kids and was just amazed that he and his own friends were their same ages when they had begun to fight evil.
Jason exhaled and smiled as he followed the rest of his friends toward the bright light. "Living here, in this brand new world might be a fantasy. But it taught me to love, so it's real, real to me." Jason was so happy to be a Power Ranger. He was the only one of his friends to truly accept it right off the bat and always felt as if he was living in some sort of fantasy. But, being a Power Ranger, Jason learned so much more about himself and his friends. He never imagined that he would be willing to die for his friends as a teenager, but Jason would take a bullet or one of Rita's monsters for any of his friends any day. He was still hurt that he couldn't save Tommy in time, but he knew that Tommy didn't blame him. Being a ranger taught him to care even more for his friends and for the world. His experience at the Peace Conference helped him even more when he returned to the rangers as the gold ranger. And everything that he had done, he didn't regret and would live out his life the same way every time, if he could.
He approached the bright light and saw his friends standing together in front of the bright light. He joined them and they all waved at Zordon who disappeared into the bright light. Jason lightly pushed his way into the circle of people and put his arms around the two he was next to: Katherine and Tommy. Jason looked around at each of his friends' faces and smiled at them. "And I've learned that we must look inside our hearts to find a world full of love, like yours, like mine, like home." He hugged them tightly and saw them place their arms around the next set of friends they were next to. Everyone gave each other a big group hug before dropping their arms. Jason, once more, grinned at each of his friends and gave them a knowing smile.
"One more time, guys?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.
He stuck his hand in the center of the circle. Tommy smiled as he put his hand on top of Jason's. Kim followed Tommy's and Trini, Zack, Billy, Tanya, Katherine, Adam, Aisha, and Rocky all laid their hands on top of the pile in the center of the group. They all grinned at each other as they leaned in and in one moment, they all jumped, throwing their hands in the air, and yelled for one last time:
"Power Rangers!"
Thanks for reading! I hope you all enjoyed this. The song in bold and italics is "Home" from The Wiz.