The Gathering:01
Something was about to happen.
The space colony of Arturus had been quiet and peaceful
for some time.There hasn’t been a battle between the Spice Club and the
evil Black Shadow in quite a while.But this could only be the calm before
the storm.
Jenny has been able to relax better, now that she
was sure that Black Shadow wasn’t her father.She and some of the other
Spice decided to take a small vacation and go exploring.
Jenny, Hallie, Fulgore, Spinal, Pico, and Jeice
flew through space on their galaxy gliders.Jeice was able to fly on his
own, so he didn’t need a galaxy glider.
“Boy, it sure is nice not to have to worry about
Black Shadow for a while,” Jenny commented.
“You said it!” Spinal agreed.“I was ready for a
vacation myself.”
“Now we can get to know each other in a social light,”
Jeice said.“Oh, I wonder how your Ranger friends are doing against Astronema
and Scorpius?”
“I’m sure they’re doing just fine,” Jenny told him.“Especially
with the rest of the Spices helping them.”
“You mean there are more Spice members!?” Jeice
asked.
“Yeah, lots more!” Hallie said.“The team was getting
so big that we couldn’t keep track of everyone.So when we heard about Black
Shadow, we split up.”
“Sometimes I wonder if we’ll ever see the Rangers
again,” Spinal said.“They were normal people who actually understood us.”
“Hey, check out that little planet!” Fulgore called
out of nowhere.
He pointed to a tiny planet with nothing but
grass, a sidewalk, a house, a red car, and a few trees.
“Man, even my backyard is bigger than that
planet!” Pico exclaimed.
“Let’s see who lives there,” Jenny suggested.
So the Spices swerved down to the planet.The
first thing they discovered was that for such a small planet, there was
a lot of gravity.They dropped off their gliders heavily.
“I don’t see anything,” Jeice said.
“Come on,” Jenny said.
They began to walk, taking slow, small steps.
“I feel like I’ve gained a hundred pounds!”
Spinal exclaimed.
“That’s because of the denser gravity on this
planet,” Fulgore said.
“Well, it doesn’t look like we’re going to
find anything here.”Suddenly, Spinal fell to the ground.
“Spinal, are you all right?” Fulgore asked,
helping him up.
“Yeah; I just lost my footing,” Spinal replied.
“Hello there,” a jolly voice called.“Did you
have a nice trip?”
“He sure did,” Fulgore replied.
The Spices looked up to see the owner of the
voice.It was a chubby man with a black coat and red sleeves.He wore a black
hat with long, thin antennas.His skin was light blue, and he wore a pair
of round sunglasses.
“You must be the person who lives here,” Jenny
said.
“That’s right,” the man replied.“You must
be here for training.”
“Uh, no.We were just exploring,” Jenny said.“We
were just leaving.”
But as soon as she said it, a tall young man
came out of the house.He wore an orange outfit just like Yamcha’s.His black
hair stuck out in several directions.
“On second thought,” Jenny said upon seeing
the young man.“It wouldn’t hurt to stay for a while.”
“Hey, King Kai,” the young man said.“Who are
these people?”
“We’re from the Spice Club,” Jenny said.
“And this is King Kai,” the young man said.
Jeice looked carefully at the young man.“That’s
him!That’s the lost Saiyan, Kakarot!”
“Kakarot?” The young man looked confused.“You
must be mistaken.My name is Goku.”
“Can I ask you a question?” King Kai asked.“Can
you make me laugh?”
“Sure!” Hallie exclaimed.“How many demons
does it take to screw in a light bulb?”
“Hallie, that’s the worst joke of all!” Jenny
cried.“I’ve got a better one.I always hated school.My grades were always
underwater.Wanna know why?Because they were always below ‘C’ level.”
Goku broke out laughing.“That’s a good one!‘C’
level.....”
King Kai tried to hold in his laughter, but
it was futile.He laughed so hard, he was shedding tears.
“Wow, that was easy,” Jenny said.
“My turn,” Fulgore declared, grabbing Spinal.“Why
can’t this little guy cross the road?Because he doesn’t have the guts!”
King Kai and Goku broke laughed again.The
Spices waited for them to stop before telling the next joke.
“Okay, Spinal, your turn,” Fulgore said.
“Um.....okay,” Spinal said.“What’s the difference
between a rooster, a politician, and an old maid?The first one says ‘cock-a-doodle-doo,’
the second one says ‘Yankee-Doodle-doo,’ and the third one says ‘Any dude’ll
do.”
That joke worked as well as the others.
“Hey Pico, I’d like to see you with a good
joke,” Jenny said.
“Yeah right,” Pico grumbled.“Throw a bunch
of ducks in a crate and get a box of quackers.”
To his surprise, King Kai laughed another
time.
“I got one!” Hallie cried.“What’s the difference
between a teacher and a train?A train says ‘Chew chew,’ and the teacher
says ‘Spit out your gum.’“
“I can’t think of a good joke!” Jeice complained
after King Kai laughed again.
“Try this one,” Jenny said.She whispered into
Jeice’s ear.
“Okay.”Jeice stepped forward.“Why is six afraid
of seven?Because seven ate nine!”
For the final time, King Kai laughed.
“Congratulations!” he said.“You all have a
wonderful sense of humor.”
Hallie tapped Goku’s wrist.“Hey, who’s that
guy over there?”
She pointed to a tall green creature who hovered
in front of a tree in a sitting position with his arms crossed.He wore
a thick, white cape with a matching turban.Under the cape, he wore a dark
purple outfit with a blue belt.
“Oh, that’s Piccolo,” Goku said.“Don’t mind
him; he’s an old sour puss.”
Fulgore and Spinal hadn’t paid attention to
the introduction.Fulgore had been too busy picking on Spinal again.
“It wouldn’t matter, Goku,” Jenny said.“Hallie
has a thing for sour pusses.”
“Piccolo....” Hallie sighed.
With a scream, Spinal broke free from Fulgore
and ran off.Fulgore chased him around the planet.The others were surprised
to see them orbit the planet in less than a minute.
“Wow,” Jenny muttered.“Around the world in
thirty seconds.That’s too weird.”
“Man, I’d better see this for myself.”Jeice
began jogging laps around the planet.
Goku turned to Jenny.“Say, lunch is almost
ready.Care to join me?”
“Uh, sure.”Jenny walked over to the picnic
table with Goku.
Meanwhile, Hallie approached Piccolo, who
was still in a deep meditation.
“Hello!” she called.
Piccolo didn’t move.
“I said hello!” Hallie said.
Still nothing.
“Hmm....maybe you cannot talk,” Hallie assumed.“Or
maybe you can’t hear me.Maybe you’re deaf.Is that what it is?Huh?Huh??
Piccolo didn’t seem to even notice that she
was there.Hallie gave up and went to Jenny.
“What’s the matter?” Jenny asked.
“Piccolo’s not answering me,” Hallie whined.
“Oh, I’ll fix that.”
The sisters went back to Piccolo, who still
hadn’t moved a muscle.
“So, why don’t you talk?” Jenny asked.
No response from Piccolo.Jenny looked at the
space between him and the ground.
“Hey, if you break the law of gravity, you’ll
have to pay a fine.”
Still no response.Jenny was quickly getting
frustrated.She pulled off Piccolo’s turban and flapped it around.
“Hello, I got your hat!Hello!”
Piccolo still didn’t seem to notice anything.
“Forget it!” Jenny growled, slamming the turban
on the ground.“He’s just a big sissy.”
The sisters walked back towards the house.As
soon as they did, Piccolo opened his eyes and looked up at them.Then he
looked down at his turban on the ground.He stood up, placing both feet
on the ground, picked up his turban, and put it carefully back on his head.Then
he began to walk towards the house.He stopped at the sidewalk, as he saw
Fulgore and Spinal running across his path.Fulgore stopped abruptly.
“Oooh, I’ve got an idea,” he told himself,
turning around and running in the opposite direction.
Once the path was clear, Piccolo resumed his
walk.He had to stop again in order to let Jeice run by.
Spinal continued to run down the sidewalk,
but screamed when he saw Fulgore up ahead.He tried to stop, but still collided
with the cyborg, who grabbed him.
“Gotcha!” Fulgore exclaimed with an evil laugh.
Piccolo finally reached the house.
“Hey Piccolo!” Goku called.“Did you make yourself
sick on the sourballs again?”
“Very funny,” Piccolo grumbled.“Where’s the
old man?”
Now was the perfect time for Hallie to make
her move.She leaped directly into Piccolo’s arms.
“He’s busy,” she told him.“Let’s talk about
us.”
She kissed his cheek repeatedly and rapidly.Piccolo
held her out in front of him and dropped her.Hallie landed on her rear
end.Piccolo turned and began to walk away.
“I’ll just wait.”
Hallie stood up and threw her arms around
Piccolo’s waist.
“No!Let’s stay like this forever!”
Piccolo plucked her off and walked away.Hallie
sighed.
“He touched me!”
“What did I tell you?” Jenny said to Goku.
Piccolo sat against the house and began to
meditate again.Suddenly, he gasped, as Hallie sat a distance from him.She
scooted closer to him and reclined in his lap.
“Trying to go to sleep again?” she asked.
“I was never asleep,” Piccolo told her.“I
was concentrating.”
“Piccolo.....you set my soul on fire.It’s
not just a.....little spark.It is a flame.A big, roaring flame!I can feel
it now....”
“Ah ha!” Fulgore called from a distance.“It
looks like your attempt to elude me has failed again!”
He danced around in circles, holding a squirming
Spinal.Then he stopped when he saw Piccolo.
“Ouch; who’s the pickle?”
“This is Piccolo,” Hallie told him.“Sexy as
hell!”
Piccolo has had it.He forced the little girl
out of his lap, scrambled to his feet, and ran off.Hallie just sighed again.
“I’m gonna marry that man!”
***
Terra Venture
“Let’s Rocket!”
“Go Galactic!”
The two teams of Power Rangers morphed into
their incredible costumes and rushed down to Terra Venture.Treacheron and
the Stingwingers were on a rampage.There was also a bat-like monster.
“You guys take Treacheron and the Stingwingers,”
Leo said to the Astro Rangers.“We’ll take the bat monster.”
“Right,” Andros replied.
The Astro Rangers drew their weapons and battled
with the Stingwingers, just another typical battle.The Galaxy Rangers fought
the bat monster, but it proved to be a little too much for them.
“Hey Rangers, are you deaf?” the monster asked.“Don’t
worry; you will be soon.”
He let out an ear-piercing shriek.Everyone
covered their ears.
“Ugh!How horrible!” Maya cried.“I can’t take
that noise anymore!”
Me neither,” Kai groaned.“We’ve got to stop
it somehow!”
Thankfully, the monster stopped to catch its
breath.
“Hey, he’s catching his breath!” Leo observed.“Now’s
our chance!Ready?”
The Galaxy Rangers slapped a palm to the ground
and held it up, making a fist.“Lights of Orion, activate!”
Gold bands appeared around the Rangers’ wrists,
forearms, and ankles.A larger hilt appeared on the Quasar Sabers, and a
claw weapon appeared on their opposite arms.They rushed at the monster,
transforming into an energy ball.The ball tore right through the monster,
causing it to explode.The Galaxy Rangers reappeared in their normal form.
“Well, that was easy enough,” Damon commented.
“Good job, guys!” Leo called.
“We really showed them who’s boss this time,”
Kendrix added.
“I think we should help the Astro Rangers,”
Maya suggested.
So the Galaxy Rangers jumped into the fray
with the Stingwingers.
“Come on!” Treacheron cried.“Get them, you
miserable insects!”
Tired of watching the Stingwingers fail, he
joined the fight as well.Drawing his sword, he delivered a mighty swipe
to each Ranger’s chest.Leo recovered quickly and jumped to his feet.
“Hey Treacheron!” he called.“Peek-a-boo!”
“Huh?”Treacheron spun around only to be greeted
with a powerful thrust kick from Leo.The kick sent Treacheron flying backwards.The
Stingwingers helped him up.
“This isn’t over!” he promised as they vanished.
The Rangers got together to discuss things.
“So, what do you think that was all about?”
T.J. asked.
“I don’t know,” Ashley replied.“We’d better
get back to the Megaship.”
The Rangers pressed on their watches and teleported
away.
***
Terra Venture
GSA Headquarters
Meanwhile, Leo’s older brother Mike was just
ending another day’s work at the Terra Venture GSA.
“Have a good night, sir,” he said to Commander
Stanton, displaying a military salute.
“You too, Mr. Corbett,” Stanton replied, returning
the salute.“See you tomorrow at 0700 hours.”
Mike nodded.“Yes, sir.”
He walked out of the control room doors.When
they slid shut behind him, he hopped up, tapping his heels together.No
matter how much a person loved his/her job, it was always good to go home.
“Mike, wait up!” Leo called from behind.
Mike stopped and waited for his younger brother
to catch up.Then the brothers resumed their walk down the brightly lit
halls.
“So, where’s the fire?” Mike asked.
“Oh, no fire,” Leo replied.“Wow, you sure
look sparkly today.”
“Well, no matter how much a man loves his
job, it’s always good to go home to their families,” Mike said, patting
Leo’s shoulder.“Even if it’s only a little brother.”
Leo smiled as he patted Mike’s shoulder.
“So, what did you do today?” Mike asked, keeping
the conversation going.
“Not much,” Leo said.“We just had another
run-in with Scorpius.”
“That’s awful.I hope everything turned out
okay.”
“Yeah, everything turned out fine.We drove
them away.”
Leo sighed as he stared at the floor passing
under his feet.Mike looked at him.
“Leo, are you okay?”
“I’m okay.It’s just that.....every time we
battle Astronema or Scorpius, I can’t help thinking about Jenny and the
others.I wonder how they’re doing against Black Shadow?”
“I’m sure they’re just fine,” Mike said.
“How do you know?” Leo asked.“I mean, anything
could happen to them at anytime.”
“Leo, trust me; they’re fine.”Mike smiled
as he held up a sealed envelope.“I got a letter from them today.”
“Wow, what does it say?”
“Haven’t read it yet.I decided to get everyone
together to read it.”
“Well, what’re we waiting for!?”Leo elbowed
Mike.“Last one to the Megaship is a rotten egg!”He ran down the hall.
“Hey, no fair!” Mike cried, taking off after
Leo.
***
Astro Megaship Bridge
When they reached the Megaship, they gathered
all the Rangers together.
“Okay, so what’s the big deal?” T.J. asked.
“We got a letter from the Spices!” Leo told
him.
Ashley sighed with relief.“Well, it’s nice
to know that they’re okay.We haven’t heard from them in a while.I was starting
to get worried.”
Mike pulled out the letter.Damon looked at
the date.
“It sure took its sweet time getting here,”
he said.“What’d it do, make a pit stop?”
“What does it say?” Cassie asked.
“Hmm.....”Mike read it silently to himself.“Basically,
it says that Black Shadow is a tough enemy, but they’re hanging in there.Wow.....it
says that they have five new members!”
The Rangers gasped.
“New members?” Zhane asked.“Who are they?”
“Let’s see.....there’s Yamcha, Chiaotzu, Vegeta,
Jade, and Jeice.”
“Great; five new members, and we can’t even
meet them,” T.J. whined.
“So Yamcha’s a ninja,” Mike continued.“Chiaotzu
is a little mime boy, Vegeta is a Saiyan.He looks human, but he has a tail.
Jade and Jeice are colorful siblings.”
“Wow.....” Maya muttered.“If only we could
meet them.”
“Maybe we will someday,” Kendrix said.“We
just have to be patient.”
“I wonder what Black Shadow is like?” Damon
asked.
“I don’t think I want to know,” T.J. said.
“So what now?” Zhane asked.“We just battled
Scorpius; he’s obviously up to something.Plus, it’s getting late.”
“Go ahead and go to bed, Zhane,” Alpha said.“I’ll
call you if Scorpius tries anything.”
“Well, good night, everyone,” Mike said.
The Rangers bid each other goodnight and went
to bed.
***
Scorpion Stinger
Back on the Scorpion Stinger, Treacheron was
forced to face the music.He bowed down low before an angry Scorpius.
“Failing me once is one time too many,” Scorpius
growled.“But you, Treacheron, have failed me again and again!Why haven’t
you destroyed those meddling Rangers yet?”
“Well, I-” Treacheron began.
“I want an answer!” Scorpius demanded, cutting
him off.“Now!”
“I’m humbly sorry, Scorpius,” Treacheron said.“Those
Rangers are unbelievably strong!”
“That’s no excuse!I want them destroyed, no
matter how strong they are.Besides, the job should have been easier with
the best Spice Club members gone.You’d better have some good ideas, Treacheron.”
“Well, we could collaborate with Astronema
again.We haven’t done that in a while.”
Scorpius growled again.“Get out of my sight
before I eat you for dessert!”
“Yes, Scorpius.”Treacheron backed up and left
the room.
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