Welcome to Reefside (editing in progress)

Wait, I'm A Power Ranger? Part 2

Dr. Oliver gets up from his chair, walks over to Tracy, and rests a steady hand on her shoulder. He can tell she's still trying to process everything he just told her.

"Tracy, you okay?" he asks again.

"Yeah... just give me a minute," she mutters, rubbing her face.

"I know this isn't what you expected when you moved out here," he says gently.

"You can say that again." She blows out a breath. "But... do you need another Ranger?"

"We could always use help fighting Mesogog."

"I'm guessing he's the freak trying to take over the world?"

"He wants to return Earth to the age of dinosaurs," Dr. Oliver answers. "And I hate to tell you this, but the Dino Gems don't work like regular tech. You don't pick them. They pick you."

"Great. Well, can it unpick me? I thought you needed superpowers to be a Ranger."

"You will soon enough."

She groans. "Come on, Dr. Oliver."

"I'm serious."

Tracy pushes back from the table and starts pacing.

"Even if the gem did give me powers, I don't feel different, and I can't be a Power Ranger. I don't have what it takes."

Frustration rises hard, and she pulls out the gem.

"I don't even know why it picked—"

She slams the gem down onto the table.

The table splits clean in half.

CRACK.

Both halves drop to the floor.

Tracy freezes, eyes huge.

"...Okay—nope. Nope. I did NOT just break a whole table. With my hand."

She backs up fast, heel hitting the cabinet behind her.

"Tracy—" Dr. Oliver starts.

"No, you don't get it!" she blurts. "I've trained for YEARS to get stronger. My mom signed me up for karate in sixth grade to help me build my self-confidence. I'm about to test for my black belt, and I STILL can't break demo boards without psyching myself up, and now I'm breaking furniture?!"

She stares down at her shaking hands.

"Dr. Oliver... what is happening to me?"

"Deep breaths," he says gently. "Nothing's wrong with you. The gem's power is bonding to you. And it wouldn't choose someone who couldn't handle it."

She huffs, half panicked, half annoyed.
"So I got super strength. Great. I guess all the cooler powers were taken."

Dr. Oliver raises an eyebrow. "Pretty sure you just out-punched a piece of furniture. I'd call that pretty cool."

She tries not to smile. She fails a little.

"...Okay, maybe it's kinda cool. But also terrifying."

"That's normal," he says. "Power doesn't erase who you already are. You earned your skills. This adds to them."

She takes a shaky breath. "Okay... okay."

"Come on," he says. "There's someone I'd like you to meet."

He picks up the gem from the floor and heads toward the hallway. Tracy follows, still staring warily at her hands.

They pass the small room near the entrance. Tracy stops short when she notices the mini T. rex skull on the counter.

Dr. Oliver steps up to it, touches the jaw—

CHNK.

A trapdoor opens beneath them.

Tracy jumps back. "Dr. Oliver... are you a science teacher or Batman?"

He chuckles. "Follow me."

They descend the staircase into the hidden command center. Tracy turns in a slow circle, jaw practically on the floor.

"What is this place?"

"It's the command center."

"So who did you want me to meet?"

She turns—and nearly bumps into a woman holding a small box.

"Tracy, this is Hayley," Dr. Oliver says.

"Hi, Hayley. It's nice to meet you," Tracy says, shaking her hand.

"The feeling's mutual," Hayley replies warmly.

"So... what's in the box?" Tracy asks.

"Open it and find out."

Tracy lifts the lid. Inside is a sleek morpher with a dinosaur emblem she doesn't recognize.

"Um... what dinosaur is this?"

"That's a Giganotosaurus," Dr. Oliver explains.

She blinks. "...A what now?"

Hayley grins. "It's like a T. rex, but bigger."

"OH, good," Tracy mutters. "More pressure."

"Let me see your gem and the morpher," Dr. Oliver says.

She hands both over. He touches the gem to the morpher, and the glow sinks into the device. He returns it to her, and Tracy clips it onto her right wrist.

"Okay," she says nervously. "Here goes nothing. Dino Thunder—POWER UP!"

The energy hits instantly, flipping her backward in a clean, automatic backflip. She lands in a pink Ranger suit she never imagined herself wearing.

Hayley whistles. "How do you feel?"

"I can't even explain it," Tracy says, stunned.

"It'll take some getting used to," Dr. Oliver tells her.

"Okay... then how do I go back to normal?"

"Just say 'power down.'"

"Power down," she says quickly.

The suit dissolves. She removes the morpher and hands it back.

"You can probably find another Pink Ranger," she mumbles. "I'll just mess things up."

"How do you know?" he asks. "You haven't even stepped on the battlefield yet."

"Trust me, I'm no hero. The monsters will take one look at me and call me small, weak, and a perfect punching bag."

"Tracy," he says softly, "that's not what I see."

She wipes her eyes. "Then what do you see?"

"I see a strong-willed young woman who wants the world to stop judging her by the outside, and someone braver than she realizes."

Tears spill fast. She takes off her glasses and wipes her face.

Hayley steps closer. "Tracy, why are you crying?"

"No one's ever said anything like that to me," Tracy whispers. "People always judge me before they know me. Dr. Oliver... did you mean what you said?"

"I did," he says gently.

He wipes her remaining tears, and she manages a fragile smile.

Hayley steps back. "I'd stay longer, but I need to open the Cyberspace Café."

"Cyberspace?" Tracy asks.

"It's the biggest teen spot in Reefside," Hayley says proudly. "Want to come check it out?"

Tracy nods quickly.

"Great. See you soon," Hayley calls as she heads up the stairs.

Before they leave, Dr. Oliver places the morpher into a sleek case. The device transforms into a simple bracelet, matching his own.

"Why don't you hold onto this for now?" he says.

Tracy slides it onto her wrist. "So... I'm officially a Power Ranger now?"

"Yes," Dr. Oliver says with a warm smile. "Welcome to the team."