Chapter Text
The rangers' newfound excitement led them to delve deeper into the Amber Beach Dinosaur Zoo - what was once the Amber Beach Dinosaur Museum. At first, they only cared for herbivorous dinosaurs such as the Triceratops or Titanosaurus, as they feared the world would go "Jurassic Park" if they strayed towards the carnivorous Velociraptor or Tyrannosaurus. Despite their worries, they contradicted their own thoughts by paying a visit to Victor the Velociraptor; who was much more friendly than they anticipated. It appeared as if it was trying to hug Riley.........or just eat him. No one really knows. Chase met him by the exhibit where he spotted a plethora of creatures waiting to be seen. His hand fell onto the railing where Riley's hand also coincidentally rested. The two stared at each other up and down before retracting their hands and chuckling at the embarrassing moment. Riley's focus shifted onto Chase, and his gorgeous eyes fixated on the carnage below. His sleek, brown hair and chiseled face made him more irresistible. When Chase returned to look at Riley, his eyes closed and jerked his head.
- "This is incredible," Riley said, casually trying to pretend he wasn't just drooling over Chase.
- "You're telling me, bro. I'm surprised this place hasn't been taken over yet."
- "I think you're watching too many movies, Chase."
- "Think about it, at any moment - of any day - all it takes is one power outage before *CHOMP! We're all eaten alive by a T-Rex."
- "Hmm"
- "If not by Rexy then the raptors."
- "You think that's why the Carnivore Paddocks are below ground instead of ground level? So we're not, and I quote "Eaten alive"?"
- "Do you always have to ruin my moments, baby raptor?"
- "You know it, hotshot."
Suddenly Chase's expression shifts to a look of sadness almost.
- "Right. We...we're not rangers anymore."
- "That doesn't mean we have to erase that part of our lives forever. I can still call you hotshot, can't I?"
Riley himself was still adjusting to the change from ranger to human. He was too, going to miss smashing Vivix and defeating bad guys from Sledge and Snide. He was going to miss morphing alongside the others, and living in the base below the museum with his friends. He was going to miss Ivan and Koda, and Heckyl too. Most of all, he was going to miss Chase, but he had to say he was going to miss everyone equally so he wouldn't catch on.
- "Sure you can." Chase now smiled back.
- "Remember, you can go back to New Zealand. See Chloe and maybe...take Kaylee with you like you said." Riley felt like raising his friend's spirits, even if it hurt saying Kaylee's name. All it was, was a constant reminder of how he could never be with Chase.
- "Oh, yeah. I need to start planning my trip. I've got so much I've wanted Kaylee and me to do together."
- "You should probably, text or call her first. You wouldn't want a last minute argument before you leave if she doesn't want to go."
- "Smart idea. I'll be right back" Chase said as he disappeared into the crowd.
Riley leaned back onto the railing, staring down into the pen of luscious, green ferns. The more Riley gazed into oblivion, a tear fell from his eye down to the raptors below. His knuckles turned white from how hard he was clutching his own hands and soon headed off to find Shelby and Tyler.
Outside, the crowd was more manageable in terms of navigation. Chase reached into his pocket to retrieve his phone, scrolling through trying to find Kaylee's contact. Almost instantly, he collided with what felt like two people. He looked up to meet Kaylee and some other man face to face.
- "Chase! Oh my god, it's been so long. How have you been?" Kaylee exclaimed hugging him.
- "I'm good Kaylee...what do you mean by "long time no see"?"
- "Don't you remember? Burt was taking me to the Greece these past few months?"
- "Oh...y-yeah. Totally..."
Kaylee glanced over to the man next to her. "Burt, this is Chase. Chase, this is Burt. My boyfriend."
Chase looked both dumbfounded and hurt. He opened his mouth as if to say, "But you're my girlfriend." but he didn't. He just waited for Kaylee to try and correct herself, but when she just repeated what she said, he knew she meant what she said. All he could muster was a handshake extended to Burt, who took it in return.
_ "Well...glad to see you're back safely. You headed anywhere else?"
- "Actually, Burt was planning on taking me to New Zealand in a few months."
All Chase could do was smile. "Sounds like you two will have fun. New Zealand is a very cool place."
- "It figures you'd say that."
Kaylee and Burt waved goodbye to Chase and walked away holding hands. Chase just...stood there. In the same place where Kaylee introduced him to Burt. The man who stole his girlfriend. Perhaps he didn't. This was another universe, so maybe Kaylee and him never dated. Who's to say for certain. After a few moments of sulking, he headed back to the zoo at the rendezvous point.
When Chase arrived at the Cafe, he sat at a table next to Shelby, Tyler, Riley, James, and Kendall. Immediately they knew something was wrong, so naturally, they badgered an answer out of him; to which he responded with "Kaylee and I aren't together here." crossing his arms.
The group seemed sympathetic on the outside, including Riley who was actually having a silent victory. Chase stared down at the tablecloth as Riley put his hand on his shoulder, to which Chase responded by patting his hand. Kendall broke the silence by suggesting that they investigate the base, see if it was still there. The group agreed and guided a heartbroken Chase to where the secret entrance still remained.
When Riley walked ahead of Chase, he for once looked happy from his friend's presence, even if it was just a grin he showed.