by Neo Edmund
In the Angel Grove Youth Center Juice Bar, Kimberly sat at a table with Sarah and some of the students from the Center for the Hearing Impaired. They were celebrating Kimberly’s success in the tournament.
Kimberly was having a tough time enjoying the moment. Her strange encounter with Goldar had left her feeling worried and confused. How could she have seen him so clearly but nobody else had?
“Congratulations,” Sarah signed. “That was a very unusual routine.”
Ernie, the jolly owner of the Juice Bar, walked up and put a tray of fruity drinks on the table. “I’ll second that. It was really cool how you mixed all of those martial arts moves into your routine. Where did you ever come up with the idea?”
Kimberly shrugged. “It just kinda came to me in the moment.”
Ernie noticed Sarah and the other students were looking at him with blank stares. “Sorry, my mistake.” He then started speaking in sign language, but it was clear to all that he was a newbie. “I said I think it is cool how Kimberly used martial arts in her routine.”
Sarah and the others looked at one another and giggled.
“Did I do it wrong?” Ernie nervously asked.
Kimberly signed to Ernie, “They know what you meant to say and are grateful you’re trying to learn sign language.”
Sarah and the students all smiled and nodded in agreement.
Ernie gave a half-hearted wave and walked away, worried he had made a fool of himself.
Kimberly took a sip of her fruity drink. The sweet flavor brought a calming smile to her face. For the next few minutes, she chatted with Sarah and the other students. They had all been taking sign language lessons from Kimberly and were grateful for the time she volunteered at the Center.
Sarah was grateful for Kimberly’s help. She and the other kids in the program had only recently lost their hearing and were having a tough time adjusting. “Will you use martial arts in your balance beam routine tomorrow?” she signed to Kimberly.
“I sure hope not,” Kimberly replied, quivering at the thought of fighting Goldar while on the balance beam.
Bulk, a pudgy punk, strutted up to the table. “How about you do some of that screwy sign-lingo in your next routine?” He began to make random hand gestures mixed with ridiculous martial arts–style movements.
Skull, a tall and slender punk, stepped up and made similarly annoying hand gestures. “Yeah, you could call it talking-hand fu?”
Sarah began to weep at Bulk and Skull mocking her. She made a frantic dash for the door.
“What’s her problem?” Bulk asked.
Kimberly stood up to follow Sarah, but Bulk and Skull got in her way. “You two really are the biggest pair of jerks I’ve ever laid eyes on,” she said. “Now, out of my way.”
“Get out of your way or what?” Bulk smugly asked.
“Yeah, or what?” Skull asked.
Kimberly gave them a sneering glare. “Do you really want to find out?”
Bulk and Skull looked at one another and cringed. They were bullies, but they knew better than to mess with Kimberly.
“Okay, okay, just take it easy,” said Bulk, nervously backing away.
“Yeah, no need to get so serious,” said Skull, backing away with him.
“Yes, Pink Ranger. Don’t be so serious,” Goldar said from behind.
Kimberly spun around and was terrified to see Goldar standing only a few steps away from her. “This can’t be real. I must be having a nightmare,” she said.
“Is that any way to greet your new best friend?” Goldar said.
Kimberly raised her fists, ready for a fight. “You’re no friend of mine.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. We’re going to be seeing a lot of each other from now on,” Goldar replied.
“Who the heck is she talking to?” Bulk whispered to Skull.
“I think all that talking-hand stuff got her brain all mixed up,” Skull replied.
Confused, Kimberly looked to Bulk and Skull. “You really don’t see anyone?”
Bulk and Skull just shrugged.
Kimberly noticed everyone in the room was staring at her. She could also tell they were confused by her actions. She looked back to Goldar. “Why can’t anybody else see you?” she asked.
“I’ll make you a deal.” Goldar stepped closer to Kimberly and held out a hand to her. “Take me to the Command Center and I’ll explain everything.”
“I would never in my entire life take you there,” Kimberly insisted.
“You say that now, but you’ll change your mind soon enough,” Goldar replied.
“Don’t count on it,” Kimberly said. She walloped Goldar with a powerful side kick. As he stumbled backward, Kimberly noticed Ernie walking by, carrying a large tray of fruity drinks. “Ernie, look out,” she yelped.
It was too late. Goldar crashed into Ernie, knocking him down onto a table. Ernie’s tray of drinks splashed all over a group of people sitting nearby.
Goldar vanished in a blink.
“Oh no,” Kimberly whimpered. She dashed over to help Ernie stand up.
“Nothing to worry about. I’m fine,” Ernie said as he stumbled to his feet. He used his shirtsleeve to wipe his face clean. “I’m just a little confused. What happened?”
“I wish I could explain,” Kimberly said. She looked around for Goldar, but it seemed he was gone.
Kimberly hurried out the front door of the Youth Center. She took a quick look around the area to see where Sarah had gone, but there was no sign of her. Suddenly, a glimmering gold light nearby caught her eye. She snapped a look toward the street, worried that Goldar had returned. She then let out a big sigh of relief when she saw it was just a passing car.
While searching for Sarah, Kimberly thought about the oddity of the situation with Goldar. It just didn’t make any sense to her. How could she have seen and felt Goldar so clearly, but nobody else had?
Kimberly then heard a faint whimpering that sounded like Sarah crying, but she couldn’t figure out where it was coming from. She continued her search of the area, looking behind the bushes along the building and around the cars in the parking lot.
She thought about calling Alpha 5 to help in the search, but then noticed a pair of pink shoes dangling down from a tree. She cautiously walked over and was surprised to see Sarah sitting on a high branch.
It had been a few years since Kimberly had climbed a tree, but she zipped right up and sat down beside Sarah. “Bulk and Skull are big jerks,” Kimberly signed.
Sarah wiped the tears from her eyes. She signed, “You’re right. I don’t care about them. It’s just that—” She stopped short.
“What is it then? You can tell me anything,” Kimberly signed.
Sarah hesitated for a moment, and then she finally signed, “My father said the Center for the Hearing Impaired has run out of money and will have to close. I am sad I will not see you anymore.”
“I didn’t know about that,” Kimberly signed. She felt sad because she cared so much for the students at the Center. “That doesn’t mean we can’t still be friends,” she signed.
Sarah smiled and hugged Kimberly.
Kimberly noticed a man frantically dashing around the parking lot. She recognized him as Sarah’s father, Jack Robins. “I think your dad is worried about you. We should let him know we’re here,” she signed to Sarah.
Sarah nodded in agreement.
“Hey, Mr. Robins,” Kimberly called out as she and Sarah climbed down the tree.
Jack let out a huge sigh of relief and dashed over. “Sarah, I was so worried. I told you to meet me at the entrance,” he signed.
“Don’t be too mad, Mr. Robins,” Kimberly signed. “Sarah was just telling me how she’s sad that the Center has to close.”
“Oh, I see,” Jack replied. He put an arm around Sarah to comfort her. “Sadly,
our funding got cut. Don’t get me started on why. But don’t be too gloomy about it just yet. There may still be a way to save the Center.”
Jack gave Kimberly a flyer, which said:
DO YOU GOT WHAT IT TAKES TO BE
THE TOUGHEST WARRIOR???
FIND OUT THIS SATURDAY AT ANGEL GROVE PARK.
WIN HUGE CASH PRIZES.
Kimberly recognized Toughest Warrior as the title of a popular TV game show where contestants ran extremely perilous obstacle courses.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Jack signed, and then rubbed his pudgy belly. “I’m a bit out of shape, and my chances of winning are next to nothing.”
Kimberly carefully considered her response, not wanting to sound rude. “Wow, I thought you had to almost be a pro athlete to make it through that course!”
“You don’t have to tell me,” Jack said. “But if there’s a chance to save the Center, I have to take it.”
Kimberly thought about this and realized he was right. “Then maybe I should enter, too. That would double our chances of winning,” she said.
“More than double,” Jack said gleefully. “With your gymnastics skills, you would be sure to go all the way.”
Sarah shook her head in disagreement. “Kimberly, you can’t do it. The contest is tomorrow, and it’s at the same time as the gymnastics tournament. That’s too important for you to miss.”
Kimberly slumped in disappointment. “But the Center is important to me too,” she signed.
“Don’t you worry. I’ve got it covered,” Jack said. “Besides, you already volunteer so much of your time to the Center. It’s not fair to ask you to give up your dream.”
Kimberly shrugged in half-hearted agreement. “If only there was a way I could do both.”
“Unless you have a jet plane, I don’t see how that’s possible. The events are on opposite ends of Angel Grove,” Jack said.
“I guess you’re right,” Kimberly reluctantly admitted. “I should get going. I’ll see you later.”
“Would you like a ride?” Jack offered. “We’re heading your way.”
Kimberly needed time to think things over, so she thanked Jack for the offer, and instead decided to walk home.
Kimberly walked briskly along a busy boulevard in Downtown Angel Grove. While waiting for a crossing light to turn white, she pulled the flyer for the Toughest Warrior contest from her pocket. She looked at the words WIN HUGE CASH PRIZES and couldn’t help but feel a little guilty. If there was a chance to save the Center then she should go for it, she thought.
She recalled how Jack said she would need a jet plane to be able to do the contest and the gymnastics tournament on the same day. “I may not have a jet, but I can use my communicator to teleport from one event to the other,” she said to herself.
When the light turned white, Kimberly started to cross the street. She was halfway across when she saw Goldar standing on the other side.
“Did you miss me, Pink Ranger?” Goldar asked, pointing his sword at her.
Startled, Kimberly stopped in her tracks, uncertain what to do. Drivers began to honk their horns. The crossing light had turned red, and she was now blocking traffic.
In a dash, Kimberly hurried back to the corner from where she had started. Once she was safely on the sidewalk, she looked back, but Goldar was gone. As she raced along in the opposite direction, she repeatedly looked over her shoulder to make sure he wasn’t following.
She rounded a street corner and was startled to see Goldar standing in the middle of a crowd. People casually walked by him as if he wasn’t there. “Can’t get away from me that easily,” Goldar taunted.
Kimberly dashed away, but only made it half a block before she again saw Goldar. He was stalking toward her through a busy crowd.
“Goldar, how are you doing this?” Kimberly asked.
Goldar laughed and held out his hand. “I already told you—take me to your Command Center, and I’ll explain everything.”
“Never!” Kimberly shouted. People walking by looked at her oddly. This is getting out of control, she thought, wishing she could teleport to the Command Center. But that just wasn’t an option with so many people around.
Goldar was now only a few steps away from her. “Last chance to make this easy on yourself,” he said.
Kimberly noticed a city bus pulling to a stop on the opposite side of the street. She checked to make sure it was safe to cross and then quickly dashed for the bus. When she got there, the boarding door was already closing. She called out to the driver, begging him to wait.
The elderly driver just caught a glimpse of Kimberly waving for him to stop. He grumbled and then pulled the lever to open the door. “Consider yourself lucky, young lady,” he said, and then checked the time on his wristwatch. “I’m already four minutes behind schedule.”
“You’re a real lifesaver,” Kimberly said, and hurried up the steps to board the bus. The driver glared at her in impatience while she reached into her pocket and searched for coins to pay the fare. She then checked in her backpack, but the only coin she could find was her Power Coin. There’s no way I’m using that, she thought.
“Young lady, I can’t let you ride if you don’t have the fare,” the bus driver insisted.
Kimberly was startled when she looked out the window and saw Goldar stomping toward the bus. She frantically continued to search around in her backpack. Finally, she found a wadded-up five-dollar bill.
“Any chance you have change?” she asked the driver.
He grumbled and shook his head to say no.
Through the side window, Kimberly saw Goldar was only steps away from the open boarding door. With no other choice, she shoved the five-dollar bill into the fare collector.
“Fine, let’s just go,” Kimberly said.
“Thought you’d never ask,” the bus driver said with a sarcastic grunt. He pulled the lever to close the door and stepped on the gas. Goldar roared furiously as the bus pulled away.
Kimberly walked down the aisle and found an empty seat near the back of the crowded bus. She sat down and took a deep breath of relief. She hoped that Goldar couldn’t follow her now.
The bus started heading into a part of town that Kimberly didn’t recognize. She felt anxious when the area became so unfamiliar that she couldn’t say for sure if they were still in Angel Grove.
“Excuse me. Where does this bus go?” Kimberly called out to the driver.
The bus driver didn’t answer. Instead, he made a hard right and drove down a street in a business district.
“Can you at least tell me if this bus will go back toward Angel Grove?” Kimberly asked. Again, she received no response from the driver.
Kimberly decided this had gone on long enough. Her best bet now would be to get off the bus and teleport to the Command Center. As she walked down the aisle toward the driver, she noticed the other passengers were all wearing hoodies and looking away, as if they were trying to conceal their faces.
When Kimberly approached the driver, she felt a nervous flutter in her stomach. He was much larger and far more muscular than she remembered.
“I’d like to get off at the next stop, please,” Kimberly said with a gulp.
“If you want off my bus, you’re going to have to pay the fare,” the bus driver replied in a deep and rumbly tone.
“But I already paid,” Kimberly said in protest. “And a lot more than I needed to, remember?”
“I’m not talking about money,” the bus driver said with a wicked cackle. “Your toll is to take me to the Command Center.” He then looked back, revealing himself. It was Goldar, wearing a bus driver’s uniform.
Kimberly screeched with fright and stumbled backward. Six of the other passengers now blocked the aisle. She saw they all had clumpy gray faces. “Putty Patrollers,” she groaned. “I really hate these guys.”
Goldar hit the brakes, causing the bus to skid to a stop. “Putty Patrollers, seize the Pink Ranger,” he ordered.
The Putty Patrollers grabbed Kimberly’s arms to restrain her. “Let go of me,” she demanded, and struggled to pull away, but their grip was too strong.
Goldar stood up and leaned in close to Kimberly. She recoiled from the foul stink of his breath. “I’m giving you one last chance, Pink Ranger,” he bellowed. “Take me to the Command Center, or my Putty Patrollers will tear you to pieces.”
“I would never, ever do that, even if my life depended on it,” Kimberly replied.
Goldar laughed. “If you haven’t noticed, your life does depend on it.”
Kimberly knew Goldar was deadly serious. Still, there was no way she would willingly betray Zordon. “I guess I have no choice,” she said. Then, still being held by the Putty Patrollers, she raised both legs and double-kicked Goldar in the chest, knocking him backward. His arm smacked into the boarding door control lever as he tumbled to the floor.
The door swung open.
Kimberly flipped backward and rolled over the heads of the Putty Patrollers. When her feet hit the floor, she kicked the nearest Putty in the back, knocking him forward. Two Putty Patrollers turned to attack, but Kimberly punched them both, causing them to flicker and then vanish.
She shoved past the remaining four Putty Patrollers and dashed for the door. Goldar was just ambling to his feet, so Kimberly kicked him again, knocking him into the driver’s seat. Then she raced out the door and into the street.
“You’ll never escape me, Pink Ranger,” Goldar yelled. “You’ll see me again soon.”
Kimberly knew Goldar was telling the truth. She also knew it was time to figure out what was going on. To do that, she would need the help of Zordon and Alpha 5. She looked around to make sure nobody was watching and then pressed a button on her communicator watch.
In a glimmering flash of pink light, she teleported away.