Food Fight

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belog to Saban Entertainment. All other properties belong to their respective copyright owners. This is a piece of fanfiction and I would thank Cynthia for allowing me to post it here.
Author's Note: This story was originally posted at the Command Center Archives back in 1998. It has been changed slightly to reflect the current version of Conquest of Evil.

The Angel Grove Youth Center buzzed with energy as the Cultural Food Festival got underway. Tables piled high with dishes from around the world filled the room, their delicious aromas mingling in the air. Families laughed, friends chatted, and Ernie, the Youth Center's ever-cheerful owner, beamed as he ladled out bowls of chili for a long line of hungry visitors.

At one end of the room, Jason, Kimberly, Zack, Trini, and Billy were busy helping run the event. Jason worked the grill with his usual confidence, flipping burgers with a practiced ease. Kimberly balanced plates while chatting with kids, her bright smile putting everyone at ease. Zack, ever the entertainer, taught a group of children some cool dance moves. Trini helped decorate tables with flowers, while Billy managed the donation tally with his ever-reliable efficiency. Everything was going perfectly.

Then Bulk and Skull showed up.

The pair of troublemakers made a beeline for the buffet table, piling their plates impossibly high with food. Zack spotted them and elbowed Jason, whispering, "They're up to something, I can feel it."

"Let's just hope they behave," Jason replied, though he didn't sound convinced.

For a while, Bulk and Skull seemed content to gorge themselves on the festival's offerings. But soon, their antics began. Bulk, with a mischievous grin, grabbed a pie and hurled it across the room, hitting an unsuspecting kid square in the face. Skull erupted in laughter and followed suit with a scoop of mashed potatoes. Within seconds, the festival descended into chaos as food flew through the air.

"FOOD FIGHT!" Bulk yelled, dodging a glob of spaghetti.

Jason groaned. "We've got to stop this before it gets completely out of hand!"

The Rangers sprang into action, trying to restore order, but the food fight had taken on a life of its own. Kimberly ducked under a flying meatball while Trini wrestled a giant bowl of salad out of Skull's hands. Billy tried reasoning with the crowd, but his logical explanations were drowned out by the chaos.

Finally, a loud, authoritative voice cut through the noise. "ENOUGH!"

Mr. Caplan, the Youth Center's no-nonsense principal, stood at the entrance, his face red with frustration. Everyone froze, food mid-air, as he stormed into the room.

"This is a disaster!" he bellowed. "Jason, Kimberly, Zack, Trini, Billy—you're in charge of cleaning this up. I don't care who started it!"

The Rangers tried to protest, but Mr. Caplan was already marching away, muttering about "ungrateful hooligans." As the crowd dispersed, Zack sighed. "Great. We save the day, and we're the ones stuck cleaning."

Far above the Earth on her moon base, Rita Repulsa stared down at the chaos of the Youth Center through her telescope. The image of food flying through the air made her laugh, but her laugh quickly turned into a sneeze. Bundled in a mismatched assortment of scarves, Rita growled, annoyed by her lingering cold.

"Finster!" she snapped, her voice scratchy. "Come here this instant!"

Her loyal monster-maker shuffled into the room, holding a tray of steaming soup. "Yes, my queen?" he said, bowing slightly. "I brought you something to soothe your throat."

Rita swatted the tray away. "Forget the soup! I've got an idea. The humans are already wasting food like fools. Let's make a monster that'll take it all—a gluttonous beast that will leave them starving!"

Finster hesitated. "I do have a design for a food-obsessed pig creature, but…"

"But what?" Rita demanded.

"Well, it's not one of my finest creations," Finster admitted. "It's… rather simple."

Rita sneered. "I don't care! Just make it and send it down. We'll show those Rangers who's boss!"

Finster sighed and trudged back to his workshop. Moments later, he returned with a glowing clay model of the Pudgy Pig. "Here it is, my queen," he said, placing it into the Monster-Matic.

With a flash of light and a burst of smoke, the Pudgy Pig came to life, snorting and snapping its jaws. Rita cackled. "Go down there and devour everything in sight! Leave nothing behind!"

The Pudgy Pig snorted in agreement and disappeared in a burst of dark energy, heading straight for Angel Grove.

Before they could begin tidying, their communicators beeped. Jason tapped his wrist. "We're here, Zordon."

Zordon's calm voice came through. "Rangers, report to the Command Center immediately. Rita has unleashed a new monster."

Jason glanced at his friends. "Let's go."

In the Command Center, Zordon's glowing tube loomed over the Rangers as Alpha 5 buzzed around nervously. A screen displayed a hulking pig-like creature devouring everything in sight.

"Rangers," Zordon began, "this is the Pudgy Pig, one of Rita's creations. Its mission is to consume all the food on Earth, leaving humanity in chaos."

Billy studied the screen. "It's consuming food at an alarming rate. If we don't stop it soon, it could wipe out entire supplies."

"Then we need to act fast," Jason said. "Let's morph and take it down."

"Be cautious," Zordon warned. "The Pudgy Pig is more dangerous than it appears."

The Rangers teleported to the monster's location, materialising in a flash of coloured light. The Pudgy Pig stood in the middle of a market, shoving entire crates of food into its mouth. Shoppers screamed and scattered as the Rangers arrived.

Jason took charge. "Let's go, Rangers!"

They charged at the monster, their Power Weapons drawn. Kimberly leapt into the air, firing arrows from her Power Bow, while Zack darted around, landing punches with his Power Axe. Trini's Power Daggers flashed as she slashed at the monster's sides, and Billy used his Power Lance to block its attempts to grab more food.

Jason swung his Power Sword in a wide arc, landing a direct hit on the Pudgy Pig's shoulder. But the monster barely flinched.

"You call that a hit?" Pudgy Pig taunted, its voice deep and mocking. With surprising speed, it lunged forward, opening its massive mouth. Before the Rangers could react, it swallowed their Power Weapons whole.

"No way!" Zack yelled as the weapons disappeared.

The monster snorted with laughter. "Tasty!" It spun in a wild circle, creating a vortex that sent the Rangers flying. They landed in Angel Grove Park, dazed and weaponless.

"What just happened?" Kimberly groaned, sitting up.

"It's stronger than we thought," Billy said grimly. "And now it has our weapons."

Jason stood, brushing himself off. "We'll figure something out. Let's regroup."

Meanwhile, the Pudgy Pig made its way to the Youth Center, much to the horror of those still cleaning up. It tore through the remaining food, gobbling everything in sight. But when it reached a table labeled "HOT," the monster sniffed the spicy dishes and recoiled.

"Bleh! Disgusting!" it grunted, tossing the food aside.

Moments later, the Rangers arrived, surveying the chaos.

"This thing's unstoppable," Zack muttered.

"Not quite," Trini said, pointing to the untouched spicy foods. "It avoided those. Maybe that's its weakness."

Jason nodded. "It's worth a shot. Let's lure it into a trap."

The Rangers morphed and teleported to the local food packing plant, where they set their plan in motion. Billy rigged a pile of food with a hidden spicy radish at its center. As they waited, they heard the Pudgy Pig's snorts growing louder.

"Here it comes," Kimberly whispered.

The Pudgy Pig burst into the plant, eyes gleaming as it spotted the food. It charged forward, swallowing the pile in one gulp. A second later, it froze, its eyes bulging.

"Too… spicy!" it choked, gagging. The monster vomited, expelling the Rangers' Power Weapons in the process.

"Got 'em!" Zack cheered, grabbing his axe.

With their weapons back, the Rangers combined them into the Power Blaster. Jason called the shot. "Power Blaster, ready! Fire!"

A beam of multicoloured energy shot forward, striking the Pudgy Pig and engulfing it in a massive explosion. When the smoke cleared, the monster was gone.

As the Pudgy Pig's explosion echoed across the battlefield, Rita screamed in frustration, pacing back and forth on her moon base.

"I can't believe this!" she shrieked, clutching her staff. "All that food, all that effort… wasted! Finster, you imbecile, this is all your fault!"

Finster flinched, wringing his hands. "But my queen, you're the one who insisted on using the pig. I did warn you…"

"Silence!" Rita snapped, pointing her staff at him. "You're lucky I don't turn you into moon dust! Next time, I want a monster that's actually competent!"

Goldar, standing nearby, growled. "The Rangers were lucky, my queen. Next time, they won't escape our wrath."

Rita glared at the Earth below. "Next time, those Rangers will regret ever crossing me. Mark my words, I will have my revenge!"

Back at the Youth Center, the Rangers helped clean up the mess left behind. Mr. Caplan approached them, his expression softer than before.

"I owe you an apology," he said. "You didn't start the food fight, and you've done more than your share to fix everything. Thank you."

Ernie appeared with a tray of sandwiches. "On the house," he said with a grin.

Trini handed one to Mr. Caplan. "Careful, this one's got a kick."

Ignoring her warning, he took a big bite… and immediately turned red. "Water!" he croaked.

As Kimberly handed him a pitcher, everyone burst into laughter. It had been a wild day, but Angel Grove was safe once again.

End