“So.....when do we get our pointers?” Gazelle asked Fulgore.
Pico looked up. “Silly Gazelle! If you wanted pointers, you should’ve asked for them.” “I’m asking for them now, and I didn’t ask you!” Gazelle shouted. “What is going on?” Jenny asked. “Pico, what could have possibly happened to you that turned you into such a sour puss?” Pico only concentrated on the floor. “Pico, you can keep as many secrets as you want, but they will come out eventually,” the Cryptkeeper said. “Yeah. Jenny tried to keep her marriage a secret once, but it came out,” Spinal said. “Yes, it did,” Jenny said. “I don’t want secrets; I want basic pointers,” Gazelle interrupted. “Okay, here goes......” Jenny began to give them the basic pattern of fighting in the Spice Club.....
Hanim flipped through the air and landed skillfully on her feet. Arbin sailed through the air and hit the ground face-first. Hanim laughed as she ran over to him. She got on her hands and knees to get down to his level.
“Are you okay?” she asked. Arbin started to rise, but his bottom jaw fell out. He gasped and quickly reinserted it where it belongs. Hanim gasped, too. “Oh my gosh!” “Well, there goes a part of me again,” Arbin said. “I’m always falling apart.” “Does it hurt?” Hanim asked. “No; I just pick it up and put it back in again.” The two Spices sat down on a bench. “So, what’s the Spice Club like?” Arbin asked. “Well, it’s pretty much the same pattern,” Hanim said. “Astronema and Scorpius attack Terra Venture, the Power Rangers and Spice Club fight the monster and kill it. Then we come back home.” “Astronema?” “Oh, she joined forces with Scorpius recently. She’s Jenny’s mother.” “What a pity. So, that’s how all the fights are, huh?” “Well, the battle that you guys joined was one of the more intense ones. But we all pulled through.” Arbin held his hand out in front of him. “That’s just dandy. I’m sure I’ll be able to lend a hand.” As soon as he said it, his hand dropped from his wrist. It rolled off his lap and stopped next to Hanim. She picked it up. “Yeah, I’m sure you can, also,” she giggled. Arbin reclaimed his hand and stuck it back on his wrist. “Does that happen often?” Hanim asked. “Unfortunately, yes,” Arbin replied. “Interesting that it doesn’t happen during battle,” Hanim commented. “A good warrior knows how to keep himself together during battle.” “I’ll tell you something else about our enemies. They’ll attack when you least expect it, but we know them now. They’ll either attack when someone’s feeling down, or they’ll attack when you’re alone......and they’ll especially attack when two lovers are on a date.” “So you’re saying that the Stingwingers could attack at any moment?” Arbin asked. Hanim paused. “Um.....technically yes.” There was a moment of silence as the wind strengthened a little. “Arbin......tell me about yourself.” “I used to be a grand prix racer in my past life. In fact, I’m still a racer.....but I was considering to retire anyway.” “A racer? What kind of racing?” Hanim asked. “We drove these vehicles.....they had no wheels; they just hovered about a foot off the ground,” Arbin explained. “In fact, Gazelle, Pico, and Bio Rex were racers, too. In my past life, the tracks were normal. But after I was resurrected, the tracks weren’t just roads either. These were tracks that were hovering thousands of feet above the ground. They were about as high as a normal airplane goes. Do you have any idea how many times I fell off?” Hanim giggled. “I have no idea.” “I fell off 1,356 times,” Arbin told her. Hanim giggled again. “You weren’t a very good racer, were you?” “On the contrary, I was very good. Everyone else fell off, too.” “They must have been some dangerous races.” “They were only relatively dangerous. Most of the tracks had borders to keep the vehicles from falling off, but there were areas where there were no borders to add to the challenge and excitement.” “It does sound exciting,” Hanim said. “It was exciting. The vehicles also traveled at approximately 2000 kilometers per hour.” “So....which track was the most challenging?” “Definitely the track called the Big Hand,” Arbin said. “If you fly around it and look at it from a distance, it’s actually shaped like the outline of a hand. So.....tell me about you.” “Well, I’m a cheerleader.” “Yes, I noticed. You wore your cheerleading uniform in battle, did you not?” “Yes, I did. My Spice name is Jungle Spice. I use a pair of hunting daggers. I have the ability to stun my opponents and shrink them down to the size of a pea. So.....was this Big Hand that challenging?” “It was. The road itself wasn’t all that wide, and there were portions with no borders, and it had this ice-like obstacle that blocked the gravitational pull on the vehicle, causing it to lose control. Out of the 1,356 times I’ve fallen off a track, 1,355 was off the Big Hand. The only other track I’ve fallen off of was at a place called White Land.” “So you really are a good racer?” Hanim asked. “Yeah. Everybody falls off occasionally. But at least I survived all my falls......not like Gazelle,” Arbin said. “What happened to Gazelle?” “He was critically injured, and they had to upgrade him into a cyborg.” “You mean he was human?” “Correct.” Suddenly, the Stingwingers appeared, surrounding the bench. Hanim started to rise and face the insects, but Arbin grabbed her shoulder and sat her back down. “There is no cause for alarm. These insects are going down.” Arbin drew his blade, which was shaped like an archery bow. Without getting up from his seat, he threw the blade at them. It spun around like a boomerang, striking each of the Stingwingers, knocking them down. The Stingwingers stood up and flew away. Hanim stared at Arbin in awe. “So, if you’re a racer, how did you learn to fight?” she asked. “We had to know how to fight,” Arbin told her. “Many of the other racers were not all that friendly. They were all very poor sports and many cheated. Take Pico for instance; he likes to bump his opponents off the track. He’s aggressive in battle, too. He will move in, and he will kill.” “That doesn’t surprise me one bit,” Hanim said. “Well, let’s go back before something else attacks us. Stingwingers are usually followed by a monster of some sort.” “Splendid idea.” Then Hanim’s ring began to flash. Hanim opened it and answered. “Hanim, we need you and Arbin to meet us at the west wing of Terra Venture,” Jenny said. “I think that Leo is about to save his brother.” “You think?” Hanim questioned. “Well, anything could happen.” Jenny closed her communication. “Well, let’s go,” Hanim said. “Just press your ring to teleport.” With that she teleported out. Arbin stared at his ring for a moment, then pressed it, causing him to teleport as well.
Hanim and Arbin joined the Rangers, as well as Jenny, Gazelle, and Pico. They looked on as Trakeena seized Mike, who was chained to a tree. He stared at her defiantly.
“This time we’ll finish those Rangers once and for all,” Trakeena growled. “And your little brother will lead them all straight to their doom just to save you.” “My brother will succeed,” Mike told her. “He and his friends will defeat you.” “I wouldn’t count on it.” With that, Mike passed out. “Son of a.....” Pico gasped. “It’s Trakeena!” “You know her?” Arbin asked. “Yes......unfortunately.” “Okay, Pico, you draw them away,” Jenny said. “Then Leo and I will free Mike.” “What!?” Pico cried. “No way! Not with Trakeena out there!” Jenny looked at him sweetly. “Pico......is there something going on between you and Trakeena?” “No,” Pico lied. “I think that Pico is scared of ladybugs,” Gazelle said. “I am not!” “Then go!” Jenny ordered. “Fine, but you owe me one.” “Ugh! What is taking them so long?” Furio growled. Pico stepped out into the open. “Hey Stingwingers! Scorpius is so ugly that he has to tie a pork chop around his neck just to get the dog to play with him!” The villains turned to him in surprise. Trakeena gasped. “Pico.....is it really you? I thought I’d never see you again!” “You would have been correct if it wasn’t for the Spice Club,” Pico told her. “Now I’ve got to run; I’ve got to meet Gazelle at the studio. He took off suddenly. “Pico, come back!” Trakeena pleaded. “Pico!” “Get him!” Furio demanded. Pico ran through the forest with Furio, Trakeena, and the Stingwingers on his tail. He especially couldn’t let Trakeena get him. After a while, Pico jumped, pulled his head and limbs inside his shell, and flew away. The Stingwingers produced their wings and took off after him. Furio and Trakeena paused. “You know that turtle?” Furio asked. “Who is he?” “His name is Pico,” Trakeena told him. “He and I were in love.” “He doesn’t appear to be in love with you anymore,” Furio said. “Besides, he’s a Spice Club member now.” “No.....he can’t be.....” Trakeena sighed, tears forming in her eyes. “Not Pico!” Meanwhile, Leo used his Quasar Saber to free Mike, but couldn’t do anything else as the Stingwingers got in his way. As Leo battled with them, Jenny picked up Mike and ran off, carrying him across her shoulders. A pirate monster appeared to attack the others. “I am Pirate Chain!” he announced. “Why do they call you that?” Hanim asked. “Take a good look, girl.” The monster looked like a rat pirate wearing a red uniform. He also wore metal armor and chains wrapped around him. He pulled out his chain and lashed it out at the ground, sending them all to the ground. Fulgore sat up and narrowed his eyes. “Pirate Chain? Ha, ha, ha.....you geek!” “Oh what’s in a name?” the monster complained. Suddenly, the group heard Astronema’s voice. “Pirate Chain! You must dispose of the new Spices first, before they become one with the demonic spirit.” “I hear you, Astronema, and I obey!” Pirate Chain replied. He fired a massive energy blast from his eyes directly at Gazelle. The cyborg hit the ground, his body trembling. “Gazelle!!” Fulgore screamed. “Are you okay?” Gazelle sat up. “Hey.....that’s exactly why they brought me back like this.....so that I could withstand obstacles that would kill me.” Arbin stepped forward in front of the group. “Even without the spirit, we cannot be terminated that easily!” Pirate Chain chuckled. “You’re all talk, skullhead!” “That’s THE Skull to you! Prepare to die!” Arbin raced at Pirate Chain holding one arm out to the side and keeping the other arm flexed. His first move was a straightforward punch. Pirate Chain easily blocked it. “I like his style,” Hanim said. Arbin maintained pressure, then attempted a roundhouse. Pirate Chain grabbed his ankle and hurled him into the air, then leaped up to attack him. As Arbin sailed through the air, Pirate Chain kicked him in the stomach. Arbin landed in a heap while the monster landed nimbly on his feet. Arbin stood up quickly, but the monster threw its chain out, catching Arbin’s wrist. Pirate Chain gave a jerk, causing the zombie to drop to his knees. Again, Arbin stood up and tried to pull his wrist free, but this his forearm came off. Arbin fell to the ground again as Pirate Chain pulled the amputated arm to him. “Arbin....” Hanim began. Arbin held out his only hand to shush her. “It’s all right. With all due respect, I will retrieve my arm with my favorite weapon so that it will be in my possession once more.” He pulled out his archery bow-shaped blade and threw it at the monster. It struck Pirate Chain’s wrist, causing him to lose Arbin’s arm. The amputated arm caught the blade, then Arbin caught his arm. “There we go,” he said. “Hanim, will you please roll up my sleeve so that I may reinsert my arm?” “Sure,” Hanim replied, rolling up Arbin’s sleeve. “Now where was I? Oh yes....” Arbin threw his blade again. This time, Pirate Chain intercepted it with his sword, sending it back. As the weapon spun back towards Arbin, Pirate Chain rushed at him, ready for a sword attack. His intent was to stab Arbin in the face, but Arbin caught his blade and parried the sword downward. Pirate Chain only succeeded in stabbing Arbin’s abdomen. Arbin groaned in pain as the monster plunged the sword deeper into him. The Rangers and Spices watched in horror, just waiting for Pirate Chain’s blade to protrude from Arbin’s back. Amazingly, it never did. Instead, the blade protruded from the monster’s back. Still groaning, Arbin grinned. Pirate Chain pulled his sword out of Arbin’s body, and the blade protruding from the monster’s back also came out. The others were puzzled. “Arbin.....are you all right?” Hanim asked. Arbin staggered back to his friends. “I’m all right.....but he’s not.” Pirate Chain collapsed to the ground and died. “What happened?” Spinal asked. “Arbin has the ability to twist space around him,” Gazelle explained. “So when that monster stabbed him, it stabbed itself as well.” “That’s incredible!” Ashley exclaimed. “I’m sure glad he’s on our side,” T.J. added. “I thank you all,” Arbin said. Then Leo approached them looking confused. “Did anyone see what happened to Mike?” Everyone looked around. “For that matter, did anyone see what happened to Jenny?” the Cryptkeeper asked. He opened his ring. “Jenny! Where you at, girl?” “I’m okay,” Jenny replied, gasping. “You sound tired. None of us are that tired.” “Well, you’re not the one with a 200 lb. man on your back!” “So you’ve got Mike?” Leo asked. “Yes, I have Mike,” Jenny told him. “Don’t worry, Leo. I lost a family member once; do you think I’d let a friend suffer the same fate?” “Just be careful,” Kendrix said. “We’ll be fine!” Jenny cried, a little annoyed. Jenny still jogged through the forest with Mike’s unconscious body across her back. After a while, she tripped, and Mike’s body rolled over her head and stopped in front of her. As Jenny crawled over to him, he regained consciousness. “Mike.....” Jenny called. Mike looked up at her, scared and confused. “Who are you? How did you know my name?” he asked. “Um.....my name is Jenny. I’m a friend of your brother’s.” “You know Leo?” “Yeah. Come on, we gotta go before we get caught.” Jenny helped Mike to his feet and they teleported away.
While Leo visited with Mike, Hanim wanted to finish her date with Arbin.
“Jenny, can you take us to that one planet?” she asked. Jenny looked confused. “What one planet?” “You know.....that planet with all the monsters.” “You really want to go there?” “Yeah, come on!” Hanim pleaded. “Well, okay,” Jenny sighed. “By the way, Pico got a job at the saloon down there.” The others gasped. “Are you serious!?” Arbin asked. “Yes. His grumpy attitude was perfect. Now excuse me while I go change.” Jenny walked out of the bridge. “Change?” Arbin asked. “Yeah. She always wears her Night Prowler costume when she goes to that evil planet. It makes her look like Astronema.” Jenny returned a minute later wearing the black costume. “I’m ready.” So the three Spices took the galaxy gliders to the planet called Oblivious. They went straight to the saloon to check on Pico. But when they walked in, Jenny noticed Darkonda playing poker with his buddies. So the Spices approached that table. “Greetings, Tonfa Spice,” Darkonda said. “These are my two new friends, Mutantrum and Wisewizard. Monsters, this is my wife Tonfa Spice.” “She’s your wife?” Mutantrum asked. “You’ll have to be careful with her. It is said that Scorpius wants her for his own.” “Well, Scorpius will never have her,” Darkonda said. “I’m sorry, but I have already officially claimed her. Then we have Jungle Spice and a zombie guy.” “This is Skull Spice,” Hanim told him. “Hey, are we going to finish this game or what?” Wisewizard asked impatiently. “Mind if I sit in?” Arbin asked. “Please do,” Darkonda told him. “In fact, you can deal.” “Very well. Winner takes all!” Arbin dealt the cards to himself and the monsters. Then they all placed their bets at the center of the table. “Have anything of value, Skull Spice?” Darkonda asked. Arbin paused. “I guess I’ll just throw in my hand.” He extended his arm forward only to watch his hand fall off on top of the bets. Everyone laughed as Arbin gazed nervously at the rest of his arm. “Well.....I really don’t have anything up my sleeve now,” he mumbled. “I win,” Darkonda announced cruelly as he scooped the loot over to him. Arbin stood up and marched over to the bounty hunter. “We weren’t playing for keeps, were we!?” he demanded, snatching his hand from Darkonda’s prize. He returned to his seat and screwed his hand back on. “Okay......one last hand. I’ll deal.” The monsters made their bets again while Arbin shuffled the cards. Then he placed the deck face down on the table and pushed it toward the middle. “Care to cut the cards?” he asked. “Gladly!” Darkonda stood up, pulled out his sword, and sliced the deck of cards cleanly in half. The monsters laughed as well as Jenny and Hanim. Arbin’s face soured. “Very funny. I hope one of you has a spare pack of cards.” “Don’t worry; I always carry a spare,” Darkonda said, pulling out another deck. Arbin sighed. “All right. Forget everything else. Whoever has the biggest hand wins.” He dealt the cards one more time. The monsters all stared at their cards. After a minute, Arbin raised his arm. He had a huge fist-shaped fireball over his hand. “I win!!!” he screamed, bringing the fire fist down onto the table, smashing it to bits. Jenny, Hanim, and the monsters were all thrown backwards. “Well, that was fun,” Hanim commented. Jenny stood up and brushed herself off. “I think you’re going to fit in just fine, Arbin.” “Hey, there’s Pico!” Hanim cried, pointing to the bar. The three Spices walked over to the bar. Of course, Darkonda followed. “Hello, Pico,” Arbin said. Pico paused. “What are you doing here?” “We just wanted to hang,” Jenny said. “I see. Can I get you anything?” “No thanks, we’re okay.” “Who do I have to turn into a snake to get some service around here!?” a female voice demanded. Pico turned to the owner. “Oh no!” Trakeena looked up from her menu with a huge grin on her face. “Guess who, Pico! It’s the doggie-hagging, chowhound hagging Trakeena! I’m so hungry I could eat a horse. Do you serve stuffed oysters here?” “We serve anybody,” Pico said flatly. “What would you like?” Trakeena smiled again. “How about a new waiter?” Pico paused, standing ready to jot down the order. “Well?” Trakeena scoffed. “You’re the waiter, so wait!” “I do have other customers!” Pico hissed. He rushed into the kitchen and came out with a huge silver platter. It was so big, it had to be placed on the floor. “What is it?” Trakeena asked anxiously. “Catch of the day.” Pico slowly lifted the lid. A huge green pincher shot out, grabbed Trakeena by the neck, and pulled her inside. “You!” The Spices watched as Trakeena and the thing in the platter wrestled inside. “Well, Pico, do you like working here?” Jenny asked. “Not really. This is the only day I’m working here,” Pico replied. “After that, I’m quitting.” “Probably a good idea,” Hanim said. “It’s not like they’re going to pay you anyway.” “So Pico.....what is going on between you and Trakeena?” Jenny asked. “I heard her tell Furio that you two had a relationship.” “We had no relationship!” Pico snapped. “She may say that we did, but I never loved her. I’ve always hated her!” “Kind of like Spinal and Astronema,” Hanim noted. Jenny nodded. “What’s going on between Spinal and Astronema?” Arbin asked. “The same thing that’s going on between Trakeena and Pico,” Jenny told him. “She loves him, he hates her. But that’s all right, Pico. You’ll learn that it’s only a Spice thing.” “Uh-huh,” Pico mumbled sarcastically. “Looks like Trakeena got her just desserts, huh?” Hanim asked. Pico smiled. “I’ll bet. I wonder if she’s feeling the pinch?” The platter was now silent. Pico lifted the lid to see Trakeena lying across it smiling. She had eaten the creature inside. “Got any mints?” she asked. “How about an espresso?” Pico suggested. “Make it double, bubble, toil, and decaf.” Pico growled as he slammed the lid back over her. Then he picked up a couple of bones from the nearest table. “Bone appetit, Trakeena!” Pico tapped the lid repeatedly with the bones. The Spices laughed. “Cut it out, Pico, or you’ll be trying the frogs’ legs!” Trakeena screamed. “PICO!!!!”
Later, Trakeena returned to the Scorpion Stinger, both happy that Pico was back in her life, but humiliated by what he had done.
“He’s back in my life, I can’t believe it!” she squealed. “What are you talking about?” Scorpius asked. “Pico! Oh, how I love him, Father!” “Didn’t this....Pico look a little grumpy to you?” Furio asked. “Of course! That’s why I like him!” Trakeena said. “Please, Father, can’t I have Pico!?” “Very well, my sweet,” Scorpius said. “We’ll get him the next time we meet the Spices in battle.....” “You have to remember that Pico is your enemy,” Astronema said. “You can’t have him.” “Spinal is your enemy, too,” Trakeena told her. “Obviously, that doesn’t stop you from pursuing him.” “There’s just so much love going on.....” Elgar sighed.
So it looks like the four new Spices have already made themselves at home? Their antics were very amusing to the Spices, and again the Rangers were just stunned. Arbin Gordon has proven to be a formidable fighter. Now, if he could just do something about his body parts falling off......