Shift Steel: Rise of the Machines (S2)

"Then they've already won," Ash said. "If you keep sulking that you're not like the others, you'll never find your place and the Empire will win because you can't see waht the Grid or your friends do." Shaking hsi head, Ash looked at the Yellow Ranger before getting an idea. "I want you to hit me."

Jun looked at Ash, flabbergasted, "What? You want me to hit you? In front of all of these people?" he asked.

I want you to try," Ash said. "Besides, there's like half a dozen people, so seeing a couple of dudes spar in the park ain't really a stretch for thsi town. Think of this as me testing you to see if you're right about being my successor in Yellow. And I promise, no special powers."

Jun swallowed hard and he balled his fists hard. Without holding back, he punches Ash in the face... hard.

Ash took the punch, stepping back and raising an eyebrow. "That's the best you've got?" he asked, leaping forward with a flurry of punches and kicks, spinning and slamming his foot into Jun's arm, knocking him to the side. He crouched and grinned, looking at Jun. "C'mon, Jun. Unleash that inner beast that all of us Yellows have!"

Jun tried to fight Ash. He really put in an effort, but he was too fast. No matter what he tried, he couldn't overcome Ash, "I... I can't...," he said as he began, remembering the fight with Cerebrus, how he taunted him, how he nearly beat him, and how he tried to dirty his younger brother's memory. He could hear Cerebrus' laughter poisoning his mind.

"Still a lot to learn," Tifa said with a small smile. "But how do we help Jun?"

"I've already got a friend working on that," Kida said.

"Oh really." Olivier lights up. "Hopefully they can help Jun regain his confidence in no time."

"Oh really." Olivier lights up. "Hopefully they can help Jun regain his confidence in no time."

"I hope so too," Kida said. "Ash was in the same boat as Jun when the Animal Roar Rangers were active. I hope he can get through to Jun and help him."
______________

Jun looked at Ash and he remained frozen for a while, the laughter still echoing in his mind. "I...," he said, unable to get an answer.

Ash shook his head. "Maybe the Grid did make a mistake. Maybe your first run was a fluke," he said. "If you can't find a reason to fight, maybe you should just give up. Though those friends at that little cafe of yours would be victims of the Empire when they take over. Could you live with those deaths on your conscious if you gave up?"

"No, I wouldn't even let that happen...," Jun protested at Ash, shaking his head.

"Then prove it," Ash said, getting in Jun's face and pushing him. "The longer you wallow in your "I'm not good enough," people are going to die. DO you want blood on your hands because you couldn't sack up and accept that you're teh Yellow Ranger!? Without needing a traumatic backstory, dead friends, dead parents, whatever the fuck Tifa's life histroy is!? You think you're not special because you don't have the "Ranger Connection" like the majority of your team? Newsflash, you idiot, I didn't either! I was a newcomer to it like you! My entire team was! We knew about Rangers, but we didn't know any of them. Least we didn't know we did until the Tok'ra War." He shook his head and stepped back. "you can't even knock me on my ass."

Ash chuckled, rubbing his jaw. "Now we're gettin' somewhere,' he said. "Let me tell you a little secret. The nightmares don't stop, even after you've been out of the game for a while. I bet there's nights you can hear Moze talking and it's like she's right beside you, can't you?" He rubbed his chest and sighed, hands clenched. "Every single night, I see the Tok'Ra war. I hear Casie screaming as she's ripped in half, Maryse and Senzo telling me to run because I was the only one fast enough and forget about them. I hear their screams every single time I close my eyes. I vowed never to let anyone else suffer like that. So, without my powers, I opened a mental health clinic. It doesn't help the nightmares go away, but it keeps them at bay so I can sleep."

He looked at Jun, shaking his head. "you're part of a team that consists of a high-strung tech wizard, a self-absorbed asshat "King", and three veteran Rangers as Silver, Pink, and Gold. I know you don't think you fit in, Jun, but without you, I don't think these guys would have stood a chance. Sometimes it's the outsiders taht hold everyone together."