The End of Days
Title: The End of Days, Chapter 9
Author: Griddlebone/eggplantlady
Prompt: #088 - A Realistic Demonstration
Fandom: Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers
Genre: Divergence/AU/Post-Apocalyptic
Word Count: 2400
Rating: T
Summary: Tommy takes the Ranger test.
Previous installments are here.
A Ranger, Tommy was informed, was many things. A Ranger was a guardian of civilization. From their stronghold bases, strung out along the edges of the great desert, the Rangers patrolled the wastelands and destroyed monsters before they could reach the human cities and wreak havoc. They were innovators, making use of technology that was new to the people of this world, such as radio and powered flight. They were also warriors, trained in combat and ready to defend civilians at a moment's notice should the need arise.
They were also, for the most part, orphans and children from poor families who had been selected as Rangers in order to give them a chance at a better life. Most were raised in the stronghold from a young age, usually from the time they were between the ages of seven and nine. A few came later, of their own choice.
Even the youngest were subject to strict rules of conduct, but there was a certain pride in being chosen to work as a Ranger. After all, the strongholds could only employ as many Rangers as they could house and provide for, so the number of available positions was generally small.
Rangers, it was impressed upon him in stern tones, were very, very rare.
Tommy was lucky. There was an open bed in the 'Hold right now. That meant he could take the Ranger test and, if he was found worthy, be allowed to remain at the 'Hold until death, injury, or other circumstances forced his retirement.
Maybe lucky was the wrong word.
When all of this had been explained to him, in the bored manner of a long-memorized, often-repeated speech, by the elders of the Stronghold, Tommy asked, "So what does this test involve?"
"It's basically an aptitude test to see if you'd make a good Ranger," Kimberly piped up, earning displeased looks from her superiors.
"The test is in three parts. In the first you will be asked to demonstrate that you are capable of thinking clearly and quickly, and that you can solve problems for which there is no easy solution. In the second part your skill with machinery will be tested. The third trial is a combat test in which you will face one of our veteran Rangers, in a realistic demonstration of what a Ranger may face on a day-to-day basis," explained the elder woman who looked like Ms. Appleby.
Tommy wished he knew any of the elders' names. It would have made addressing them, and responding to them, a lot easier. "Sounds easy enough," he said, hoping he didn't sound overly confident.
When the elders exchanged knowing looks among themselves, he hoped he wasn't being overly confident. But at the same time, since they seemed so convinced that he would be unable to pass the test, he became determined to prove them wrong.
The first two trials were simple, at least for someone who had served as leader of the Power Rangers team. He might not know a lot about this world, but many of the basics of leadership and quick thinking remained the same no matter what. And he had piloted enough zords in addition to more mundane mechanical tinkering to be able to guess his way around machines, even the bizarre ones they used here in the Stronghold.
While the elders who were serving as judges did not seem particularly impressed with the results of his first trial, he did catch them murmuring excitedly amongst themselves after his mechanical test. He had picked up on the ins and outs of their theoretical machinery with a speed that had actually surprised them.
By the time he was ready to head into the third trial, a small crowd of onlookers had joined Kimberly and Trini. Unsure of exactly what he would be facing in the final, combat-based trial, Tommy felt a bit of foreboding. He had faced plenty of dangers as a Power Ranger, and gotten himself and his teammates out of more than their share of sticky situations, but he knew it was never a good idea to go into a fight assuming that victory was assured. He needed to be ready for whatever they were going to throw at him.
Unfortunately, the 'whatever' the elders were going to throw at him turned out to be Jason Lee Scott. Or his equivalent from this world, if the two were really all that different.
Somehow, the fact that he was going to face Jason for this test made him feel better. Jason was one of his best friends. He knew Jason's personality and his fighting style, and he knew how to beat Jason in a fight, even if such a feat was often easier said than done.
And he had even more incentive to win when he heard Kimberly mutter, "Oh, that's so not fair, putting him up against Jason like that."
The training ring was set up outdoors in front of the Stronghold. It was really just a square marked out in the sand, but that was all part of the test; the objective was to score as many points as possible within the time limit, and points were scored by knocking one's opponent to the ground or pushing him out of the ring. It would have been much easier if the opponent was not also trying to score as many points as possible. Still, Tommy thought it all sounded reasonable.
Kimberly, accompanied by a pair of younger girls who might have been ten or so, brought him some lightweight padded armor and a makeshift club. Jason was outfitted in much the same way, although Tommy was annoyed to see that most of the young people who had turned out to watch the match seemed to be there to support Jason. Well, he would show them.
One of the elders reiterated the rules for all to hear. While this was being done, Jason and Tommy stepped into the ring. Tommy bowed respectfully; Jason did not bow, but regarded Tommy with dark, intense eyes.
Tommy tried not to let that bother him. The Jason he knew had always been somewhat intimidating. This was no different.
Except that it was.
The elder finished his recitation of the rules and all bets were off.
Much to Tommy's surprise, Jason fought dirty. He had been expecting a pretty straightforward fight, but this was anything but.
Rather than engaging him directly, Jason stayed determinedly out of range and attempted to use the environment to his advantage. First he used any sticks and large rocks he could find as projectiles, aiming for any vulnerable point; when that failed, he kicked sand at Tommy, hoping to get it in the other man's eyes, and used the distraction this provided to rush forward and pitch Tommy to the ground.
As he hauled himself back up for round two, Tommy realized he'd been thinking of this trial all wrong. Jason wasn't participating in this test to act like a Ranger or a sparring partner. He was there to fight like the Rangers' enemies. Of course he wasn't going to fight fair. Their enemies were ruffians and animalistic monsters, neither of which could be counted on not to exploit an unfair advantage in battle.
Tommy needed to stop thinking of his opponent as Jason, his friend, and start thinking of him as one of the men Trini had called raider lords: one of the bad guys.
This time, when the signal to start was given, Tommy did not give Jason time to find an advantage. Instead he charged forward, putting the fight on his terms. After a few failed attempts at getting past Jason's defenses, Tommy ditched his club altogether in favor of fighting barehanded. This seemed to take Jason a bit by surprise, but Tommy considered unarmed fighting to be his forte. If nothing else, it felt more comfortable than using a foreign weapon like a club.
He pushed the advantage Jason's momentary surprise had given him. He was able to block the next few attacks from Jason and eventually succeeded in disarming him. When Jason inevitably tried to reassert control over the fight, Tommy was ready for him and met his next attack with a flurry of jumping kicks. Jason blocked these easily and seized the very first possible opening he saw, lunging past Tommy's guard with a powerful punch.
Unfortunately for him, this was what Tommy had hoped he would do. Rather than being struck, Tommy dodged quickly to one side and quickly executed a low spinning kick that caught Jason by surprise and sent him tumbling to the ground.
The score was now tied, one to one, with not much time left. Tommy was not sure whether a tie would be considered good enough, and hoped for a miracle victory. It wasn't going to be easy to beat Jason, especially now that Jason knew to be more careful going into this final round.
This time, Jason seemed to have forgotten his orders to act like the Rangers' enemies. This time was more like fighting the Jason he knew from back in Angel Grove. They fought each other with lightning quick moves, dodging or blocking at the last second, flowing across and around the ring.
The timer chimed, but although that was the official signal for the test to be over, no one paid any attention to it.
By now Tommy was sweating profusely in the heat of the afternoon, wishing that the test had not required him to wear the padded armor, and hoping to find a way to end it quickly. Preferably in a way that did not involve losing or otherwise throwing the match.
It turned out that Jason was really good when he wasn't trying to act like the elders' idea of a bad guy. Tommy found it really challenging, almost thrilling, to compete against him. Almost before he knew it, Jason had him backed up against one of the boundary lines... but not for long.
Tommy hurriedly flipped out of the way before Jason could push him out of bounds. It would have been easier, and less showy, to simply roll or dive out of the way, but he did not want to take any chances. He wasn't sure if a deliberate roll across the ground would count as a point against him or not, but figured it was better not to risk it. Not when his future depended on winning this fight.
He was not sure when he had started feeling as if his life depended on the outcome of this one fight, and decided not to worry about that now. He would have plenty of time to ponder the weirdness of his current situation after he won this fight.
With that in mind, he returned his attention to the fight with renewed effort. His flip had put him in a good position, if he could manage to be quick and strong enough to get past Jason's defenses. And with any luck that wouldn't be as difficult as it sounded.
They were both moving a little slower than normal, because it was damn hot fighting in the sun like this and they had been going at it for a while now. And Tommy had a secret trump card: he knew all, or at least most, of Jason's basic moves and favorite strategies. He knew Jason's finishing moves. And he knew how to beat and avoid them.
He almost felt bad doing it, because it really wasn't fair. He did it anyway, because this was important.
He let his guard down.
But this time Jason didn't go for the obvious opening. He waited a moment, let Tommy appear to regain his composure, and then went for a more straightforward series of attacks.
Tommy put up little resistance. He evaded and parried what he could, only throwing in enough attacks of his own to make Jason believe he was wearing down, but still in it to win the fight. Every time he avoided a kick or strike from Jason, he made sure to move backward. It was a calculated risk, letting Jason back him into a corner again, hoping he was judging the distance to the boundary line behind him correctly. But it paid off.
As they drew closer to the corner, with one boundary line to his left and another just behind him, Jason knew there would only be one way for Tommy to go, and he wasn't about to let him escape so easily. And that was what Tommy was counting on.
As Jason blocked the more obvious escape route to his right, Tommy slipped past him on the other side, skirting carefully past the boundary line. There was enough room, but only just barely. He made it past Jason without stepping out of bounds. Jason pivoted to follow his movements, but Tommy was already halfway around him again. This time it was Jason between Tommy and the out of bounds line. A well-timed push sent him reeling. He recovered quickly, but it was too late.
There was a collective gasp from the small audience as the match was suddenly called in Tommy's favor. Jason stared in disbelief, but could not deny the obvious: he had stepped out of bounds.
Tommy turned to Jason with a grin. "Good match," he said appreciatively. "We should do that again sometime."
"Yeah," Jason replied vaguely.
It was a bit unnerving to see Jason being so openly wary and unfriendly, but then again he supposed that coming in out of nowhere and beating him in a fight wasn't a very good way to make friends with someone like Jason. The Jason he knew back in Angel Grove would've simply given him a high five and laughingly sworn vengeance for next time. This one seemed more inclined to remain aloof and glare at him suspiciously.
At least, Tommy reflected, he had one person on his side, even if that person was Kimberly. She was waiting for him just outside the ring, all smiles in the face of his surprise victory.
"You won!" she cheered, exuberant, as she handed him a towel and a canteen of water that she had been hanging onto since they headed outside for the combat trial.
"Yeah, I did," Tommy commented more soberly, looking over to where the elders were once again debating furiously amongst themselves. "But they don't look very happy about it."
"They're not," Kimberly said with a sigh. When he met her gaze, she looked a little worried and explained, "You just beat their best fighter."
Author: Griddlebone/eggplantlady
Prompt: #088 - A Realistic Demonstration
Fandom: Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers
Genre: Divergence/AU/Post-Apocalyptic
Word Count: 2400
Rating: T
Summary: Tommy takes the Ranger test.
Previous installments are here.
A Ranger, Tommy was informed, was many things. A Ranger was a guardian of civilization. From their stronghold bases, strung out along the edges of the great desert, the Rangers patrolled the wastelands and destroyed monsters before they could reach the human cities and wreak havoc. They were innovators, making use of technology that was new to the people of this world, such as radio and powered flight. They were also warriors, trained in combat and ready to defend civilians at a moment's notice should the need arise.
They were also, for the most part, orphans and children from poor families who had been selected as Rangers in order to give them a chance at a better life. Most were raised in the stronghold from a young age, usually from the time they were between the ages of seven and nine. A few came later, of their own choice.
Even the youngest were subject to strict rules of conduct, but there was a certain pride in being chosen to work as a Ranger. After all, the strongholds could only employ as many Rangers as they could house and provide for, so the number of available positions was generally small.
Rangers, it was impressed upon him in stern tones, were very, very rare.
Tommy was lucky. There was an open bed in the 'Hold right now. That meant he could take the Ranger test and, if he was found worthy, be allowed to remain at the 'Hold until death, injury, or other circumstances forced his retirement.
Maybe lucky was the wrong word.
When all of this had been explained to him, in the bored manner of a long-memorized, often-repeated speech, by the elders of the Stronghold, Tommy asked, "So what does this test involve?"
"It's basically an aptitude test to see if you'd make a good Ranger," Kimberly piped up, earning displeased looks from her superiors.
"The test is in three parts. In the first you will be asked to demonstrate that you are capable of thinking clearly and quickly, and that you can solve problems for which there is no easy solution. In the second part your skill with machinery will be tested. The third trial is a combat test in which you will face one of our veteran Rangers, in a realistic demonstration of what a Ranger may face on a day-to-day basis," explained the elder woman who looked like Ms. Appleby.
Tommy wished he knew any of the elders' names. It would have made addressing them, and responding to them, a lot easier. "Sounds easy enough," he said, hoping he didn't sound overly confident.
When the elders exchanged knowing looks among themselves, he hoped he wasn't being overly confident. But at the same time, since they seemed so convinced that he would be unable to pass the test, he became determined to prove them wrong.
The first two trials were simple, at least for someone who had served as leader of the Power Rangers team. He might not know a lot about this world, but many of the basics of leadership and quick thinking remained the same no matter what. And he had piloted enough zords in addition to more mundane mechanical tinkering to be able to guess his way around machines, even the bizarre ones they used here in the Stronghold.
While the elders who were serving as judges did not seem particularly impressed with the results of his first trial, he did catch them murmuring excitedly amongst themselves after his mechanical test. He had picked up on the ins and outs of their theoretical machinery with a speed that had actually surprised them.
By the time he was ready to head into the third trial, a small crowd of onlookers had joined Kimberly and Trini. Unsure of exactly what he would be facing in the final, combat-based trial, Tommy felt a bit of foreboding. He had faced plenty of dangers as a Power Ranger, and gotten himself and his teammates out of more than their share of sticky situations, but he knew it was never a good idea to go into a fight assuming that victory was assured. He needed to be ready for whatever they were going to throw at him.
Unfortunately, the 'whatever' the elders were going to throw at him turned out to be Jason Lee Scott. Or his equivalent from this world, if the two were really all that different.
Somehow, the fact that he was going to face Jason for this test made him feel better. Jason was one of his best friends. He knew Jason's personality and his fighting style, and he knew how to beat Jason in a fight, even if such a feat was often easier said than done.
And he had even more incentive to win when he heard Kimberly mutter, "Oh, that's so not fair, putting him up against Jason like that."
The training ring was set up outdoors in front of the Stronghold. It was really just a square marked out in the sand, but that was all part of the test; the objective was to score as many points as possible within the time limit, and points were scored by knocking one's opponent to the ground or pushing him out of the ring. It would have been much easier if the opponent was not also trying to score as many points as possible. Still, Tommy thought it all sounded reasonable.
Kimberly, accompanied by a pair of younger girls who might have been ten or so, brought him some lightweight padded armor and a makeshift club. Jason was outfitted in much the same way, although Tommy was annoyed to see that most of the young people who had turned out to watch the match seemed to be there to support Jason. Well, he would show them.
One of the elders reiterated the rules for all to hear. While this was being done, Jason and Tommy stepped into the ring. Tommy bowed respectfully; Jason did not bow, but regarded Tommy with dark, intense eyes.
Tommy tried not to let that bother him. The Jason he knew had always been somewhat intimidating. This was no different.
Except that it was.
The elder finished his recitation of the rules and all bets were off.
Much to Tommy's surprise, Jason fought dirty. He had been expecting a pretty straightforward fight, but this was anything but.
Rather than engaging him directly, Jason stayed determinedly out of range and attempted to use the environment to his advantage. First he used any sticks and large rocks he could find as projectiles, aiming for any vulnerable point; when that failed, he kicked sand at Tommy, hoping to get it in the other man's eyes, and used the distraction this provided to rush forward and pitch Tommy to the ground.
As he hauled himself back up for round two, Tommy realized he'd been thinking of this trial all wrong. Jason wasn't participating in this test to act like a Ranger or a sparring partner. He was there to fight like the Rangers' enemies. Of course he wasn't going to fight fair. Their enemies were ruffians and animalistic monsters, neither of which could be counted on not to exploit an unfair advantage in battle.
Tommy needed to stop thinking of his opponent as Jason, his friend, and start thinking of him as one of the men Trini had called raider lords: one of the bad guys.
This time, when the signal to start was given, Tommy did not give Jason time to find an advantage. Instead he charged forward, putting the fight on his terms. After a few failed attempts at getting past Jason's defenses, Tommy ditched his club altogether in favor of fighting barehanded. This seemed to take Jason a bit by surprise, but Tommy considered unarmed fighting to be his forte. If nothing else, it felt more comfortable than using a foreign weapon like a club.
He pushed the advantage Jason's momentary surprise had given him. He was able to block the next few attacks from Jason and eventually succeeded in disarming him. When Jason inevitably tried to reassert control over the fight, Tommy was ready for him and met his next attack with a flurry of jumping kicks. Jason blocked these easily and seized the very first possible opening he saw, lunging past Tommy's guard with a powerful punch.
Unfortunately for him, this was what Tommy had hoped he would do. Rather than being struck, Tommy dodged quickly to one side and quickly executed a low spinning kick that caught Jason by surprise and sent him tumbling to the ground.
The score was now tied, one to one, with not much time left. Tommy was not sure whether a tie would be considered good enough, and hoped for a miracle victory. It wasn't going to be easy to beat Jason, especially now that Jason knew to be more careful going into this final round.
This time, Jason seemed to have forgotten his orders to act like the Rangers' enemies. This time was more like fighting the Jason he knew from back in Angel Grove. They fought each other with lightning quick moves, dodging or blocking at the last second, flowing across and around the ring.
The timer chimed, but although that was the official signal for the test to be over, no one paid any attention to it.
By now Tommy was sweating profusely in the heat of the afternoon, wishing that the test had not required him to wear the padded armor, and hoping to find a way to end it quickly. Preferably in a way that did not involve losing or otherwise throwing the match.
It turned out that Jason was really good when he wasn't trying to act like the elders' idea of a bad guy. Tommy found it really challenging, almost thrilling, to compete against him. Almost before he knew it, Jason had him backed up against one of the boundary lines... but not for long.
Tommy hurriedly flipped out of the way before Jason could push him out of bounds. It would have been easier, and less showy, to simply roll or dive out of the way, but he did not want to take any chances. He wasn't sure if a deliberate roll across the ground would count as a point against him or not, but figured it was better not to risk it. Not when his future depended on winning this fight.
He was not sure when he had started feeling as if his life depended on the outcome of this one fight, and decided not to worry about that now. He would have plenty of time to ponder the weirdness of his current situation after he won this fight.
With that in mind, he returned his attention to the fight with renewed effort. His flip had put him in a good position, if he could manage to be quick and strong enough to get past Jason's defenses. And with any luck that wouldn't be as difficult as it sounded.
They were both moving a little slower than normal, because it was damn hot fighting in the sun like this and they had been going at it for a while now. And Tommy had a secret trump card: he knew all, or at least most, of Jason's basic moves and favorite strategies. He knew Jason's finishing moves. And he knew how to beat and avoid them.
He almost felt bad doing it, because it really wasn't fair. He did it anyway, because this was important.
He let his guard down.
But this time Jason didn't go for the obvious opening. He waited a moment, let Tommy appear to regain his composure, and then went for a more straightforward series of attacks.
Tommy put up little resistance. He evaded and parried what he could, only throwing in enough attacks of his own to make Jason believe he was wearing down, but still in it to win the fight. Every time he avoided a kick or strike from Jason, he made sure to move backward. It was a calculated risk, letting Jason back him into a corner again, hoping he was judging the distance to the boundary line behind him correctly. But it paid off.
As they drew closer to the corner, with one boundary line to his left and another just behind him, Jason knew there would only be one way for Tommy to go, and he wasn't about to let him escape so easily. And that was what Tommy was counting on.
As Jason blocked the more obvious escape route to his right, Tommy slipped past him on the other side, skirting carefully past the boundary line. There was enough room, but only just barely. He made it past Jason without stepping out of bounds. Jason pivoted to follow his movements, but Tommy was already halfway around him again. This time it was Jason between Tommy and the out of bounds line. A well-timed push sent him reeling. He recovered quickly, but it was too late.
There was a collective gasp from the small audience as the match was suddenly called in Tommy's favor. Jason stared in disbelief, but could not deny the obvious: he had stepped out of bounds.
Tommy turned to Jason with a grin. "Good match," he said appreciatively. "We should do that again sometime."
"Yeah," Jason replied vaguely.
It was a bit unnerving to see Jason being so openly wary and unfriendly, but then again he supposed that coming in out of nowhere and beating him in a fight wasn't a very good way to make friends with someone like Jason. The Jason he knew back in Angel Grove would've simply given him a high five and laughingly sworn vengeance for next time. This one seemed more inclined to remain aloof and glare at him suspiciously.
At least, Tommy reflected, he had one person on his side, even if that person was Kimberly. She was waiting for him just outside the ring, all smiles in the face of his surprise victory.
"You won!" she cheered, exuberant, as she handed him a towel and a canteen of water that she had been hanging onto since they headed outside for the combat trial.
"Yeah, I did," Tommy commented more soberly, looking over to where the elders were once again debating furiously amongst themselves. "But they don't look very happy about it."
"They're not," Kimberly said with a sigh. When he met her gaze, she looked a little worried and explained, "You just beat their best fighter."