Power Ranger Punks

by Shadow Ranger

Disclaimer: The following story is a work of fiction and for entertainment purposes only.
Author's Note: Originally posted in 1998.

Power Ranger Punks

"Nice spike!" Jason called as Kimberly sent the ball flying over the net.

"You're just saying that because you missed it," she smirked, flipping her hair.

Zack dove for the save, almost face-planting. "We call that a tactical roll where I come from."

Trini laughed and passed the ball back. Billy, sitting under a tree fiddling with a handheld gadget, looked up just long enough to say, "Statistically, that move had a 14% success rate. You beat the odds."

Zack gave him a thumbs up. "That's what I do."

Eventually, the game fizzled into snacks and lounging. They dropped into the grass, grabbing their drinks from a cooler, unaware or uncaring that they were being watched by jealous eyes.

Rita Repulsa stood hunched over her telescope, glaring down at Earth like it owed her money.

"Look at them," she spat. "All that teamwork. All that friendship. Bleh. Makes me sick. Let's see what happens when I twist their brains into something... nastier."

She turned to Baboo, who was hovering nearby with a tray of spell ingredients.

"You! Mix me something vile. Something that'll make them act like the punks they really are inside!"

Baboo's ears twitched slightly, but he bowed low. "Of course, my queen."

He shuffled off to his brewing bench, already thinking through the blend. Potion work was something Baboo knew intimately—far better than most gave him credit for. Long before he'd ever served Rita, before he'd fled to the fringes of the universe, Baboo had been something else entirely.

Once, on his home planet, he had been Baboonicus of the Sky Garden—a world-renowned alchemist whose brews were used to heal the sick, strengthen soldiers, and even lengthen the lifespans of nobles. His name had been sung in royal courts, toasted at banquets. Kings had called him "the Gentle Flame." Queens had entrusted him with the health of their heirs.

And none of them ever saw it coming.

The potion he gave them had been exquisite—sweet, clear, and scented like jasmine. It had also been laced with a paralytic toxin and a dark-world viral strain he'd engineered in secret. Within days, the entire royal family was dead. By the time the planet's military realised what had happened, Rita's forces were already arriving. The palace was burning. His people were enslaved. The Sky Garden fell.

Some said Baboo cried as his world was consumed. Others said he laughed.

Now, standing in the shadow of the Moon Palace's cauldron, Baboo stirred the Punk Potion with the same steady hand he'd used back then. A fizz of corrupted sugar. A dash of etherfruit venom. A ripple of psychic oil to scramble their moral compass.

Perfect.

He capped the vial, smiled faintly to himself, and whispered, "You never forget your first rebellion."

Then he vanished in a shimmer of light—off to spike a couple of juice bottles and ruin a friendship or two.

Back on Earth, the Rangers were too busy laughing to notice the faint shimmer in their juice bottles.

Kimberly took a long sip. So did Billy.

Then something changed.

Kimberly blinked. Her smile faded. She glanced around like everything suddenly bored her. "This picnic's lame."

Billy stood up, kicked over the cooler, and muttered, "You're all wasting my time."

Trini frowned. "Guys... what?"

But they were already walking off, Kimberly elbowing past a confused Zack, Billy trailing behind her like a storm cloud in sunglasses.

Jason narrowed his eyes. "That wasn't just bad vibes. That was... Rita."

By the time Monday rolled around, things had gotten way weirder.

Kimberly strutted into school like she'd walked out of a biker movie—leather jacket, studded boots, streak of pink in her hair that was somehow scarier than cute. She stuck gum under Mr Caplan's desk and didn't even blink when he shouted at her.

Billy—well, "Billy" wasn't even going by Billy anymore. He was calling himself The Brain Basher. He spray-painted a lightning bolt on his locker and shoved a freshman into a trash bin.

The worst part? They were hanging out with Bulk and Skull like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"I think I just threw up a little," Zack said, watching them high-five the two school clowns.

Jason nodded grimly. "Yeah. This is definitely Rita's work."

>At the Command Center, Zordon confirmed it: a dark potion had taken over Kimberly and Billy. The only antidote? A plant called the Singing Squash, found in a warped dimension full of monsters and traps.

Alpha 5 volunteered to go. "Aye-yi-yi! Dangerous herbs? My circuits are trembling!"

Zordon nodded. "Be quick. The others may not have much time."

But while Alpha searched, Rita made her next move. Down on Earth, the sky darkened, and the ground trembled. From a crack in the pavement slithered one of the ugliest things the Rangers had ever seen—a huge, slimy, wart-covered frog-monster with a mouth like a garbage disposal.

"Terror Toad," Rita announced proudly. "He eats Power Rangers for breakfast!"

Jason, Zack, and Trini morphed and rushed in. They hit hard. The Toad hit harder.

Its tongue lashed out and snagged Trini first. One gulp, and she was gone. Her helmet appeared as a grotesque wart on its belly.

Zack went down next, then Jason. One by one, the Rangers vanished inside the beast.

Back at the Command Center, Alpha returned, dented and smoking, clutching the Singing Squash. "Got it!" he wheezed.

He ground it into a pulp, added water, and splash!—drenched the two corrupted Rangers with it.

Billy gasped like he'd just woken up from a bad dream. "What... am I wearing? Why is my hair spiked?"

Kimberly blinked. "Why do I feel like I tried to beat up the janitor?"

Zordon brought them up to speed. "You must hurry. Your friends are trapped inside the Terror Toad."

"No time for guilt trips," Kimberly said, already pulling out her Morpher. "It's Ranger time."

Moments later, Pink and Blue landed on the battlefield. The Terror Toad laughed—until an arrow hit him straight in the throat.

"Guess who's back," Kimberly said.

Billy charged forward, swinging his lance like he meant it. The monster staggered, coughed—and spat out Zack. Then Jason. Then Trini.

"Ugh," Zack groaned. "I am never eating anything green again."

The full team assembled. Jason raised his Power Sword. "Together!"

One massive hit later, the Terror Toad exploded in a rain of green slime and smoke. Kimberly barely dodged the splatter.

Back at the Youth Center, Kimberly and Billy stood awkwardly in front of the others.

"So," Kimberly said, "we good?"

"You did join Bulk and Skull," Trini teased, crossing her arms.

"Temporarily!" Kimberly protested. "And under magic!"

Billy adjusted his glasses. "For the record, I deeply regret threatening to melt the vending machine."

Jason just laughed. "You're both good. Just maybe no more mystery drinks, okay?"

"Deal," Kimberly said. "Also... someone please burn that outfit I was wearing."

End