The Introduction of the Cy-Rangers

A Lifeguard's Life

Max Goof sat on top of his watch tower in Spoonerville Water Park. It was placed near the giant wave pool and he checked that the customers were having fun yet being safe in it. He was tired as his shift had begun since nine o'clock in the morning, which was when the water park always opened. Not to mention it was the sixth day of summer vacation so it would be very busy, but he was still sharp and alert. Probably because he had nothing else to do.

Max didn't really want to be a lifeguard in the first place, but it was the only job he could get. Besides, he and his dad Goofy needed the money since the latter got fired from his last job. And Goofy's college degree that he got at the same college he attended with his son didn't help him get a new one. After failing to get every other job he applied to, Max discovered that there were some lifeguard trainings classes available, so he decided to give that a try. Luckily, they accepted him and he became top of his class and his trainer highly recommended him to the Spoonerville Water Park owner, Mr. Pendon, who was glad he hired him when he did.

Max had to admit that there were a few good things to come out of this job for his benefit as well as the water park's. The first one was that he was the most popular lifeguard with all the other lifeguards, especially the female ones, and the chief lifeguard Mr. Surfup, the customers, Mr. Pendon and every other staff member of the water park. The second good thing was because he was working when most people in Spoonerville didn't have a job at all and he worked very hard to get it. The third good thing was that this water park, though only built three years ago, was a very awesome place to work at. It had the world's coolest water slides, the world's largest lazy river, the world's vastest wave pool, the world's most colossal splash pads, the world's most massive food stalls with the world's most delicious food, the world's comfiest sun loungers and everything anyone could want at a water park. Even Max admitted that he wished he visited something like this when he was younger. And last but not least (in fact, the most important of all) the fourth good thing was if he didn't have this job, Max would be stuck in the house with his dad's antics all day and nothing would help him take his mind of his failed attempts to be an athlete or what his ex-girlfriend did to him.

After breaking his foot during an accident while training for his eighth College X game championship, he couldn't continue in that championship or even participate in future championships, so he decided to look for a job while he finished college. His dream job was to become an athlete and, while he was applying for jobs, he tried to apply to play for a few sports teams. Despite his record of holding the most sports trophies and records in Spoonerville High School and his record of being the winner of the most College X games in the history of Spoonerville College, even beating the star champions before him, the Gammas, even before they got disgraced and disqualified since they were found out for cheating, those records didn't help. For no explained reason, no sports team wanted him at all.

It had been two years since Max last had a girlfriend, who was a lady called Mona. His breakup with her had scarred him so much and so deeply that he decided to give up completely on starting a brand-new relationship with another lady at all and remain single for the rest of his life. Though many (if not all of them, even the ones who were married) of the female lifeguards tried to flirt with him such as saying how sexy he looked in his red swim shorts and what awesome rescues he did when he did it, he pretended he didn't notice and acted cool with them. Though, when it came to Christmas parties and other special occasions every year which he attended to them ever since he started work, he did danced with each and every one of them. He just viewed them as friends and treated them fairly. Just like he did with his fellow classmates when he became the most popular and coolest kid at his high school after his Powerline stunt and then dancing with the real Powerline a week later.

Max tried to work out why Mona didn't want to be with him anymore, but he couldn't find the answer. They met at college after he won his third College X game championship and had been dating for almost two years. They were a happy couple or so he thought. On the day he graduated from his lifeguard school and got a job at the water park, Max went to find Mona at her work to tell her the good news, only for him to learn that she had been cheating on him with a guy called Lewis, who was the spoiled rich son of the CEO at her work.

Max never forgot what Mona said to him when he asked her why he was never good enough for her. Mona said that Lewis was everything Max was, only ten times better at everything in life, especially having more money and was more attractive. She even said that Lewis could be a better Max than Max could be. She said to him that now she was with Lewis she never wanted to see or hear of Max ever again as long as she breathed. She didn't even want to remain friends on social media. That scarred Max so deeply that he didn't think he would ever recover from that awful relationship or try a brand new one ever again. And because he couldn't even afford to live in the apartment on his own, he had nowhere else to live except back with his dad in Spoonerville.

When he looked back at his time with her, he spent his time wondering what he did wrong. He did try his hardest to get a job and he did pull his weight in the relationship like cooking, cleaning the apartment they lived in Cleveland since they graduated from Spoonerville College, helping her with the shopping, getting her presents for her birthdays, Christmas and Valentine's Day and visiting her family occasionally. He wondered if Mona changed ever since she worked at her work or if he didn't ever know the real Mona. No matter how many times he pondered it, he could never find the answer.

"Uncle Max! Uncle Max!"

Max snapped out of his self-pitting thoughts and looked down. He saw a young tanned blonde five-year-old dog wearing a pink bikini standing at the bottom of his watch tower. It was Alicia, one of the regular customers at the water park and his goddaughter. He climbed down from his tower and approached her. "What's up, Alicia?"

"It's Bennie!" Alicia cried, sounding very worried.

Not Bennie again! Max snapped in his head. He knew that every twin in the world had similarities and differences like all siblings did, but he couldn't work out how Alicia and Bennie could be so different from each other. Alicia was the quiet, shy, friendly one while Bennie was the loud, rough, tough one.

"He's not trying to cut in line for the Waterfall Slide by climbing on the outside again, is he?"

"No, he's trapped in the Lazy River and there isn't a lifeguard there or close by!"

Max got out his radio. "Fred, are you at the lazy river?" Fred, come in." He got no reply. "Johnny, can you get over here ASAP?"

"I'm on my way, Max, dude!"

Half a minute later, Johnny approached them. He was an African American dog with braided black hair and wearing sunglasses.

"Johnny, I got to take care of something at the lazy river," Max said. "Can you watch the tower?"

"No problem, Max, dude," Johnny said, as he climbed the tower.

"Come on, Alicia," Max said, picking her up and putting her on his back. "Now, hold on tight." Then they hurried to the lazy river.