Once a ranger always a ranger

Chapter 72 the vison stops

We were talking in the car. "Do you know what else I put in the pancakes besides bananas? Walnuts. Now you can make them for John." Michael said. "Dad, are you sure you're okay with me and John?" I asked. "Well, if you're happy, so am I." Michael said. A week or so later I was back at college with my friends and I went to go see Ryan. We went out for a walk. We were following a cardinal. "Ariel, I really don't think chasing a bird is an effective form of therapy." Ryan said as he followed me. "Last time, he took me to Katherine while she was outside. He'll do it again. She knows what's going on with my visions." I said. "She says she knows, but I can actually help you." Ryan said. "This is not dream interpretation." I said. Ryan stopped me. "Ariel, this is the opposite of how therapy is supposed to work. I mean, we're making progress." Ryan said. "Well, I don't see it. My hands are still shaking and the visions are still haunting me, despite all the hours on the couch. So no more talking. Today we do something." I said. I heard footsteps behind me. I looked behind me and saw someone running. "Stop!" I said as I chased after him. He finally tripped and fell onto the ground. I got over to him. He looked at me and I thought I recognized him. We took him to our old headquarters. "I guess Zarnax was after more than an education." John said. "If that's even his real name. Let's go find out." I said. Jason and I walked up to him. "So, let's talk. Who are you really? What are you doing here? Let us help you. Tell us who you are." I said calmly. I'm usually the soft-spoken one of the group. "I can't tell you. I've had to keep my true self secret for many years. The half human half nighlok, Decker... he could use this against me." Dawson said. I looked at Jason because I wasn't sure how to react to that. "Decker is dead." Jason said. "Really?" Dawson said. "Yeah, he's gone. You don't have to be afraid of him." I said. "I'm Dawson. And I swear to you, I am innocent of this crime." Dawson said. "I believe you." I said. "Really?" Dawson said. I nodded. A few days later my family came to visit me. We met in the dorm lounge. "I have a secret to tell you." I said. "What is it?" Michael asked. "I've been having visions of what I think is my future. I've been shaking. In the vision... I die. All power rangers go into battle, knowing that they might not survive." I said. "So, you lied to us?" John asked. "Do you not trust us?" Anna asked. "We're your family." Michael said. "Ariel, you don't keep secrets from your family." Calvin said. My dad and my brother went out to get something and John went to go hang out with one of his other friends. "You should have been honest." Anna said. "I didn't lie. I just got scared." I said. "Which is exactly when you should talk to your stepmother." Anna said. "Can you forgive me?" I asked. "Of course I forgive you. "Your father, your brother, and I all forgive you. But what about John?" Anna said. "He would." I said. "Look, we may not be perfect, but we don't keep secrets from each other." Anna said. Later that night I got the vision again. John came up behind me. "Ariel. I'm so sorry." John said. "What?" I asked. "This is all my fault." John said. "What are you saying?" I asked. "If I never have told you to keep the ranger team together, none of this would be happening. I forced you to become a power ranger." John said. "You didn't force me to do anything. It was my choice. I have you, Jason, Kaitlyn, and all of my friends and my family, even if they're not power rangers. If I could go back, I wouldn't change a thing." I said.

The others met with us in the annex. "You guys know that a power ranger is what I am, but I am also part of a team, a legacy." I said. "We can protect you, and we can protect this town." Jason said. "If that's what you want, I'm with you Ariel." John said. A few days later I was studying in the dorm lounge when John came to the dorm lounge. I looked up from my pre-vet textbook and saw him. "Hey." I said. "Hey." John said. "You're up awfully early this morning. What are you doing in the dorm lounge?" I asked. "Just came here to study." John said. "Really? I had no idea that you wanted to study too." I said. A few hours later we were hanging out with everyone and my hand started to shake again. "Are you okay?" Kaitlyn said. "No, but I have an excuse. Haven't you heard? The nighloks could be rising again." I said. "You said we were alive and well in your vision of the future." Conner said. "Yeah, well, things can change as we go along. The only thing that was certain was that I died." I said. "You know, you can overcome these visions. You can overcome anything. We all saw that you can overcome anything. And remember who you are." Jason said. "Thanks for saying that Jason. That's exactly what I needed to hear." I said. I had to hear something like that for a long time. I knew that someone believed in me and that means that I'm not alone. The truth is, I was never alone. Not now, not ever. The next day Jason decided to take matters into his own hands. He started to walk out when I stopped him. "Jason, where the hell are you going?" I asked. "To stop Master Xandred." Jason said. "No. I am not letting you sacrifice yourself." I said. "I'm not asking for permission." Jason said. "Did you forget what's about to happen to me? I have a death sentence." I said. "You can fight that future Ariel. I know you. You will fight it." Jason said. "That doesn't mean I will win, and the only thing that makes that bearable is knowing that you will be there for John and Kaitlyn if I can't." I said. Some time later Jason and I both got trapped in the netherworld. The only thing is, I know multiple ways out, and I know just how to get out of there. We can't go through a gap like the nighloks do, but if we could disrupt the balance of a gap we can get out of there. "The gaps, that was our way out. Any ideas?" I asked. "We don't have powers here, but the nighloks do. If we can get them to a gap..." Jason said before I cut him off. "Can we disrupt the balance of the gap?" I asked. "It's worth a shot. One of us should stay here, just in case." Jason said. "Right. In case the other one gets fried. I'll go." I said. "No. I've got this." Jason said. "Why do you keep trying to murder yourself? I'm the one with a death sentence, remember?" I asked. "Ariel, listen. I'm afraid to lead them alone." Jason said. "What? You've done great." I said. "Yeah, when I was a teenager, but I'm not a teenager anymore." Jason said. "I know, I'm no longer a teenager either. But we always saved the world. So you're not sacrificing yourself, and neither am I." I said. Jason looked at me. "So, we do this together?" Jason asked. "You're damn right." I said. "Alright, follow my lead." Jason said. We faced out to where Master Xandred's ship would be. "Hey nighloks! Come and get us!" Jason said. All of the nighloks came towards us. We jumped out of the way as they all launched an attack at us. It hit the gap disrupting the balance of it, getting Jason and I out. The next day Jason went to go talk to Hayley about something. She had some kind of power that she uses to choke people.