CHAPTER 1: Jason

I know what you're wondering: how is it that five high school kids got chosen over literally anyone else to save the world from an evil space witch?

I will be 100% honest with you: I have no clue. And I'm thinking about that right now.

"Okay, does anyone know how to pilot this thing?" I shout to my teammates, rather panicked. The controls in the T-Rex Zord were a lot more simple than the controls here.

"You're leader. Shouldn't you know how to pilot it?" Zack asks in his snarky manner. I ignore him.

"Billy, you know a lot about robotics, right?"

"A high school robotics course is very different than alien dino robots, Jason!"

Okay, so even Billy doesn't know. I guess we're all screwed.

We hear a giant, monstrous roar from outside the Megazord cockpit. All of us go into a hysteria.

"Can you not call Alpha?!" Kimberly is practically screaming.

I can't believe I hadn't thought of that. I mess with the communicator on my wrist, try to find the call button.

"Do you not know how to call him?" Billy says, judging my inability to comprehend alien technology.

"Excuse me for being a high school student trying to work cosmic tech!"

I start pressing buttons randomly. I finally hear a digital voice speak: Hello?

"Call Alpha!" I shout into it.

Calling Alpha now.

I wait a few seconds, and hear the quirky robotic voice. "What is it?" He sounds bored.

"Alpha, we need your help with the Zords!"

"You just woke me up from a nap, so this better be good."

Zack interjects. "Wait, you're a robot, and you're taking naps?"

"I don't tell you how to live your life!" Alpha yells back. "What do you need, Jason?"

"The Megazord. We managed to put it together, but we don't know how to pilot it."

"Okay. What do you want my to do?"

I'm amazed at how incompitent he can be sometimes. "What do you think? Help us pilot this thing!"

"Did you not read the instruction manual?"

I'm confused. "There was an instruction manuel?"

Alpha pauses before speaking again. "Oh. Uh…. did I forget to tell you all about that?"

"Just tell us how to pilot it!"

"Well, how did you pilot the Zords individually?"

I stop to think about that. I'm honestly not sure. "We just figured it out, I guess."

"Good. Now think about how you piloted them individually, and do it together. Goodbye!"

"WAIT! Can you not tell us anything else?"

"No. Sorry. Zordon wants you all to learn the value of teamwork and self-discipline or something like that."

"But there's a giant Sphinx monster outside, and if we don't figure out how to pilot this thing, we're all screwed!"

Alpha pauses. "Well, sorry kid."

"WAIT, ALPHA, PLEASE DON'T-"

Alpha hung up. Our AI assistant bot, designed specifically to help us with technical problems, hung up on us.

Zack breaks the awkward silence. "Man, Zordon must REALLY hate us."

It's right now that I start to regret signing on to this job.

"Guys, we're all going to die," I say blankly.

Trini, who's been quiet and calm this whole time, finally speaks. "Does anyone want to make any confessions before we die?"

Nobody says anything, until Billy speaks. "Kim, I've secretly had a minor crush on you since sixth grade."

I see Kimberly stop and look at him. I can't really tell what her expression is under her helmet, but I'm pretty sure it's a mixture of feelings.

After a few minutes of tearing up the city, the Sphinx monster finally stops and turns to look at us. It is this moment where I self-reflect on my life choices.

"It's been good knowing you."

The Sphinx roars, and the charges at us.

We all scream, ready to meet our demise.

To put a long story short, we didn't die. Apparently when you start pushing buttons randomly you begin to get a feel for what everything does.

So yeah. There is now a few million dollars worth of property lost, a giant dead Sphinx in the middle of the freeway, and five emotionally scarred teenagers.

And I can't help but blame myself for it.

It was what happened today, i.e. five kids who didn't know what they were doing, that lead to us agreeing to make the official "How to be a Power Ranger" guidebook for any future Rangers who might end up in our situation.

We weren't really filled in on the job when we took it, and that's what ultimately lead to what happened today. (Along with many other embarrassing scenarios that happened over the summer.) So whoever ends up taking the job after us, we want them to know what to expect.

I get out my phone, and write my down the first rule in the notes app.

JASON'S RULE #1: If you're team leader, try and keep your stress low. The last thing the team needs is a leader who's panicking.

And yes, that panicking leader was me. Today and many other days since we became Rangers.

I would question why Zordon chose to give us superpowers over an athlete, or soldier, or cop, or medic, or literally anyone else, but at this point I'm pretty sure basic logic doesn't even exist anymore. So I haven't ever bothered asking him about it. (He also kind of creeps me out, so I'm scared to ask him anything.)

My phone buzzes, and I see a text from Billy to the group. Are you guys ready for the first year of sophomore year tomorrow?

Billy has this weird obsession with school and academics to the point where I sometimes worry about him. It also doesn't help that he's a bit awkward around people, but he's a nice kid. Just a bit undersocialized.

I reply Yes, because if I don't reply he's going to keep texting us until we say something back.

While we're on the subject of school, I might as well give my second rule.

JASON'S RULE #2: Don't stress too much over school.

Seems pretty obvious, but I feel its pretty valuable.

I look back at my phone, and I'm the only one that responded to Billy's text. As per usual.

So yeah. Now I'm just laying in my bed, hoping the road isn't blocked off tomorrow.

That is assuming the road wasn't destroyed earlier today.