The Introduction of the Cy-Rangers

A New Lifeguard

When he and Alicia arrived at the lazy river, Max saw what the problem was immediately. Not only was Bennie, who was a tanned blond five-year-old boy dog wearing blue swim shorts, was in the lazy river without a floating ring, but the speed of the current was going very fast. And Alicia was right about there being no guards at all. Not even a rookie.

Max grabbed his radio. "Attention, everyone. This is Max Goof. I need assistance to help a young boy out of the lazy river, which is currently being unattended. Over."

Max quickly turned to Alicia and told her to stay as he grabbed a pole nearby and stepped down the stairs. He lowered the pole with his right hand and held onto the metal railing with his left as he saw his godson approaching him. He looked terrified.

"HELP, UNCLE MAX!" he cried in panic. "HELP!"

"Grab the pole, Bennie!" Max cried. "I'll pull you out!"

Bennie did his best to swim to the pole and grab it, but the current was too strong and it made him miss it.

"BENNIE!" Alicia cried in horror as she watched her twin brother float away.

"Don't worry, Alicia," Max said, as he picked her up and started to run. "We're going to another set of steps of the lazy river."

They arrived at another set of steps of the lazy river. There they saw Bennie approaching them. Remembering that his pole attempt failed, he decided he had no choice but to go in himself.

Max put Alicia down. "Stay there, Alicia. No matter what happens."

But before he could take a step forward, he and Alicia saw Bennie coming out of the water... by another lifeguard. It was a green crocodile with long black hair wearing a lifeguard's red one-piece suit.

"Thank you, Miss Lifeguard," Alicia said.

"No problem." That crocodile had a welsh accent. She gave Bennie to Max.

"Who are you?" Max asked. She had never seen her at the water park at all during his career, let alone as a lifeguard.

"Oh, I'm new," said the crocodile. "It's my first day. Now, if this problem's been taken care off, I must get back to the Escape The Volcano slide."

As the lifeguard dashed off, Max couldn't help wonder about her. Neither Mr. Pendon nor Mr. Surfup introduced her to him or the other lifeguards before they started worked. And none of them were told a new lifeguard was

"There you two are!"

Max and the kids turned to see an angry tanned blonde dog marching towards them. It was the kids' mother Lisa, who was also one of Max's ex-girlfriends. She was wearing a strapless black bikini top, dark blue briefs and brown sandals.

"Hi, Mommy," Bennie and Alicia said together.

"Don't you two 'Hi, Mommy' me," she said sternly. Then she turned to Max. "What have they been up to, Max?"

Max told the whole story, from when Alicia came to him for help to Lisa showing up right now.

"Alicia, how did Bennie fall into the lazy river?" Lisa asked firmly.

She always asked Alicia because she was always the more honest of the two. She explained that after their swimming lessons which ended half an hour ago, she and Bennie were heading back to their hut where their mother was. Then Benny spotted something and wanted to take a closer look, but as he got closer, he slipped down and fell into the lazy river, which was turned on at maximum speed for some reason. She tried to find the nearest lifeguard, but the closest one she could find was Max.

"GOOF!"

Max turned to face Mr. Pendon and Mr. Surfup, who gestured him to come to them. "Sorry, Lisa, but I have to report to the bosses now."

"Well, thank you so much for saving my son, Max," Lisa said, kissing him on the cheek.

He did his goofy laugh as he watched Lisa firmly take her kids away and tell them off.

Max approached Mr. Pendon, who was a short dog with grey hair and a grey moustache wearing a suit, and Mr. Surfup, who was a tall, muscular, brown-haired tanned dog wearing a lifeguard's jacket and red shorts.

"Tell us what happened, Goof," Mr. Pendon demanded.

Max explained what happened but only until when he and Alicia found Benny in the lazy river and there wasn't a lifeguard on sight. That was when Mr. Pendon stopped him and Max learned why. The lifeguard who was meant to oversee the lazy river came back to him. He was a tall dog with short black hair and wearing dark blue glasses.

"JASON PENDON!" Mr. Pendon roared.

"Hi, Dad," Jason the lifeguard said.

"Don't you 'Hi, Dad' me! Why weren't you at your post?"

Jason explained that another lifeguard need help rescuing somebody on the zig zag slides. He didn't volunteer, that lifeguard came to get him.

"And you didn't think to call a backup?" Mr. Pendon asked.

Jason sighed. "You know my problems with adapting to change, Dad, and also –"

"Do not play the Asperger's Syndrome care or the dyslexic card with me, boy!" Mr. Pendon snapped. "There's no excuse, son! Someone, who was a five-year-old child, could have drowned because you weren't there. You stay where at your position until you get relieved by another lifeguard or call for backup. Didn't they teach you that in lifeguard school?" Then he sighed heavily and walked away.

"Get back to work, you two," Mr. Surfup ordered.

"Yes, sir," Max and Jason said together.

Max wanted to ask Mr. Pendon and Mr. Surfup about this new Welsh crocodile lifeguard, but because they were already stressed out, he decided it was wise not to bring it up now.

Jason sighed as he walked with Max. "I try my best, Max. I really, really, really try to prove myself, but I just keep failing. But I can't quit this job because no one else will give me a chance to try another."

"Don't let it get you down, Jason," Max said, patting him on the shoulder. Jason started work at the water park the very same day Max did. Out of all the lifeguards he worked with, Max viewed Jason as his best friend at the water park and Jason looked up to Max like a big brother. Their other best friend at the water park was Johnny, who he himself viewed them as his best friends as well.

"Keep this up, buddy," Max said, "and you will have the chance to prove yourself to all the world."

Jason smiled. "Thanks for the motivation, Max."

"No problem." Then Max's watched beeped. He looked at it and said it was now one o'clock. "Now, I must take my lunch hour now. Check you in a bit, Jason."

"See you, Max."

Then they went their separate ways.