Chapter Text
It wasn't the conversation that Tommy had wanted to have with the teens, but it was one that was important. He was certain that Zordon would have hated doing the same with the first Rangers, if he had realized what was going on. As it was, Jason had pulled Tommy aside to talk to him, relieved when he found out that Rita had noticed the differences in her Green Ranger and had already given him the same lecture, albeit with far more threats. Zordon had, of course, eventually noticed and hadn't scolded them for doing it in the past, but certainly had once he knew what was going on. Any other time, it had been the entire team letting the newer Rangers know, only getting somewhat uncomfortable when they had to break the news to Justin. Fortunately, Justin may have been younger but he was also one of the most well-behaved pre-teens in the world and hadn't been difficult about it. Tommy wasn't going to get that same nicety this time.
He went over everything else he could think of before he finally gave up and simply began. "There is one more thing, guys."
He ignored their groans. Conner just looked at him. "How many 'one more things' are there?"
He ignored that too. "Power Rangers cannot ingest normal drugs. I don't mean you shouldn't. I mean the Power literally will not let you. The smell of anything with caffeine will make you feel sick and that's the easiest one. You won't be able to pick up the glass of alcohol. You'll toss the box of cigarettes away without even trying one. If it's medical, you can have drugs but not for recreation. None of it."
"Are you just telling us this to make sure we won't?" Ethan asked. "But we weren't..."
"No," Tommy said quickly. "It's just a fact. It's also a fact that the Power will help keep you up and less tired. Sometimes it helps if you still drink something, tea or decaf, in the morning to trick your brain into letting the Power work. And then there's the subject of substitute drugs because different things are going to have new effects on you. Smoothies and shakes will help calm you down if you have one. You may have exactly one a day. I'm not joking. No more."
"What happens if we have more than that?" Conner asked. Tommy gave him a look.
"You won't," he emphasized, remembering at least a couple of times that his friends and him had done it. Those had been bad mornings. "Lollipops are a substitute cigarette. If I catch you with them, I'm going to be mad."
"About lollipops," Kira said.
"They're addictive," Tommy told her.
"They're lollipops!" All three teens argued. His look quieted them down again.
"Listen, I'm not saying you can't have some sugary food but just in moderation. Except Pixie Stix. Never, I mean never, have a pixie stix," he told them sternly. They all just nodded. He hoped they listened.
***
The first thing that the teens had learned once they learned Hayley was part of the team was that she took the smoothie thing seriously. She gave them sterner looks than Tommy did when they tried and none of them really bothered to push it. It was more out of curiosity than anything that they wanted to do. Instead, they continually pushed Tommy to tell them why he steadfastly refused. Tommy just groaned as he made a call.
"The kids are driving me nuts," he grumbled. The person on the other line was just quiet for a minute.
"Most people start with 'Hi Kim. I miss you. How are you doing?' before they start complaining," she informed him.
"When you have kids, you'll understand," he muttered. He ignored the fact that she was laughing at him. "They keep asking me to tell them more about the substitute drugs. And Hayley won't let me have more than one smoothie either."
"Smart woman," Kim muttered.
"Kim!" Tommy whined.
"For goodness sake, Tommy! You've been doing this for how long? The last time you and Jason had three, we were grateful that Aurico had a different metabolism."
"It wasn't that bad!" Tommy said. He winced. "Though the next morning..."
"Billy says it's the Power's way of giving us something to work with while also making sure that we don't overdo the unhealthy intake," she told him.
"I know, I know," Tommy said. "I owe Zordon an apology. And Rita now that I think about it."
"I want to be there for that phone call," she said sardonically.
"No," Tommy grumbled. "You're supposed to make me feel better."
"If they're asking, they haven't done it yet," she offered. That did make him feel better. "And have you thought about just telling them? They're kids. They're curious. They're going to do it eventually."
"Hayley knows," Tommy said.
"You can't see it, but I'm rolling my eyes. Just because 'Mom' and 'Dad' don't give it to them, doesn't mean they can't get it somewhere else," she warned.
"It will encourage them," Tommy argued stubbornly.
"Okay, but if you call me because they get trashed off homemade smoothies, I'm laughing at you," she told him.
He hung up on her.