Something to Fight For

Team Work

Riley grumbled as Chase slurped at his drink, the scratching against the bottom of the cardboard cup echoing loudly around the room. He had come to the base to practice, not to be annoyed. This had been the only place he could think of where he could train alone where the others, especially Chase or Adelaide, wouldn't annoy him. Alas, he had to tempt fate.

Chase sat at one of the tables, his feet elevated on the metal surface, slightly slouched in his chair, headphones cover his ears and plugged into his phone. He was totally immersed into the video he was watching that he wasn't even aware of how annoying he was being.

"Hello?" Riley called, missing the last tennis ball for the fourth time. He had let the annoyingness slide up until now, but he needed to practice if he were to ever beat Fury in their next fight. When Chase didn't answer, Riley whipped around and stormed over to the table, shouting, "Chase!"

Chase blinked and looked up. "Um...?" he asked, lowering his headphones.

"I'm trying to focus here," Riley said, arms spread wide to emphasise his point. "You should know how hard that can be."

"But, bro, you just keep practicing the same sword move over and over," Chase stated, pointing out the obvious.

"I have my reasons, okay?" Riley said, hanging his towel around his neck and shoulders.

"Which is?" Chase probed further.

Riley hesitated. He wasn't sure Chase would understand, and even if he did, would he judge him? Finally, he caved. Chase wasn't going to let him focus unless he knew the truth. "Look," he sighed. "When Fury attacked me to get the green energem... I wasn't able to keep up. That's why I practice, so next time I'm ready."

As Riley turned away, Chase set down the pad he had been watching videos on, grabbed his skateboard and stood up. Following the green ranger towards the doors.

"Look, we both want to defeat Fury," said Chase, "but the next attack could be different. If I was you, I'd use your instinct and adapt? So you're ready for any situation."

Riley scoffed. "Okay. You, giving me training advice?" he laughed. "Right. I've never seen you train. Not once." He stalked off, back to his tennis balls.

"Just because I don't train the same way as you, doesn't mean I don't train," Chase called after him, annoyed. He had offered his advice and it had been thrown back at him. He stomped forward, called for his energem from the crystal beds, and stomped towards the door. "I'm going out!" he said, childishly.

"Have fun!" Riley replied, still annoyed. He turned to face the doors as the whooshed shut and ended up being hit in the head with a tennis ball.

~X~

"I sure hope Kendall's right about the Gold Energem," Tyler said, approaching Adelaide, Sasha, and Chase at a nearby table. They were pouring over dig maps, trying to locate where to dig next. "She says we should check the southwest creek beds," he pointed at the specific location.

"We're looking for Pterodactyl fossils," Riley reminded the team. "That's the dinosaur that bonded with the Gold Energem."

"Free samples," Shelby said, sliding up to the table carrying a tray of paper plates. "Chef's trying a new recipe."

"Ooh! Cake!" Adelaide gushed, grabbing a plate and scooping a slice onto the fork. She lifted the utensil to her mouth and frowned as Riley knocked it from her hand. "Hey!" she whined.

"Don't eat it," Riley said.

"Why not?" Adelaide asked, still pouting.

Chase rolled his eyes. "Chill, bro, a little cake never hurt anyone," he said.