"A Drive to Win"
Original Airdate: 05-19-1997
Down at the soccer field, Adam is coaching a Latino guy with spectacular soccer skills. His name is Carlos, and he's gunning for Adam's job. Adam calls him over and asks him to pass the ball to Barry, a kid dressed in safety goggles and knee pads. Carlos is skeptical of this plan. Adam has bet a lot of money on Stone Canyon to win the game, so he insists that Carlos learn the lesson of team work. Carlos is dismissive of teamwork. At the edge of the field, the Angel Grove cheerleaders are practicing, and they are headed up by a girl named Ashley. The other girls are tired of practicing, but Ashley is insistent. The reason for this subplot will soon become all too clear. Elsewhere, Divatox decides to disrupt the soccer game. Seriously? A high school soccer game? Credits!
Back at practice, Carlos can't quite bring himself to giving the ball to the most awkward man alive, and gets reprimanded by Adam for it. Carlos explains that he is practicing teamwork, because "He's helping the team win." Adam is displeased that he's about to be replaced by this asshole. At the juice bar, Tanya, Tommy, and Kat chat about the upcoming soccer game. Tommy comes up with an excuse not to go. Can't say I blame him. ChimpBulk and ChimpSkull decide that there has to be something they can do at the soccer game to convince people of their humanity. You know, as far running subplots go, ChimpBulk and ChimpSkull's repeated failure at being noticed as human is kind of a bummer. Tommy, Kat and Tanya discuss how it's been quiet lately. Tommy is worried Divatox is up to something big.
Down at the space-sub, it's clear she isn't. She deploys the Piranhatrons and orders them not to fail her. Back at soccer practice, Carlos is about to score when the Piranhatrons show up. The surprisingly high number of people at the practice start to flee as Adam saunters over to his 100th aniversary mook beatdown. Ashley and Carlos are also there for reasons that will become clear and help out with the fight. That is never a good sign for incumbent Rangers. They win, and then Adam sends Carlos and Ashley home and contacts the other Rangers.
Carlos walks Ashley home as he considers where the hell he's going to get an entire wardrobe of green clothes. He also attempts to use his Latin charms, to mixed results. At the Power Chamber, the Rangers wonder what's going on this time. Tommy manages to get out of going to the soccer game again. Deep below the sea, Divatox is upset that the Piranhatrons are still mired in their ten episode losing streak and calls for a monster. Porto offer Electrovolt. Divatox decides to use him as a distraction while she plants a bomb at the soccer game. Divatox obviously doesn't understand the finer points of American culture, as she assumes that such an event will draw a large crowd.
The long-awaited soccer match begins. Kat, Tanya and Justin are there to cheer on Adam and make sure the place doesn't get bombed to hell. In a stunning display of comptence, Justin actually remembers to bring their bomb tracker, but immediately walks it back as a Pirhantron manages to plant the bomb without anyone noticing. Divatox explains that she's set the bomb to go off when Angel Grove scores four goals, which is higher than most teams score in soccer. But she has faith the Carlos is that awesome, presumably because he's the only Latino in town.
Carlos score a goal less than two minutes into the game, and Divatox may be onto something. The game continues and Carlos score another goal. Elsewhere, Electrovolt gets himself and Elgar motorcycles to aid in their distraction. Divatox is watching the game on a big screen TV and cheers on Carlos, as does a rainbow bewigged Rygog and some Piranhatrons wearing foam fingers. Carlos score goal number three. Ashley disapproves of Carlos' hot doggery and accuses him of not knowing the meaning of teamwork. Adam is coaching the team, but has to take off when his communicator goes off. The Rangers san Tommy morph and head to the quarry to fight the monster of the week. Tommy meets them at the quarry, and Electrovolt and Elgar get on their bikes and ride, which somehow manages to injure the Rangers. The Blue Senturion shows up and is as unhelpful as usual.
Adam somehow breaks through and beats up Elgar. Back at the game, Stone Canyon equalizes at 3 all. Adam continues his desperate bid to not be replaced by catching Electrovolts bicycle in midair with his bare hands. Electrovolt is displease and absorbs his and Elgar's motorcycles, which causes him to grow to giant-size....somehow. The Blue Senturion busts out the Robo Racer and tussles with him. Electrovolt fends him off but doesn't see the Turbo Megazord coming up on his blind side. The two zords team up to wipe Electrovolt from this world. Everyone except Tommy arrives back at the game, and the bomb detector starts working, despite the bomb being there all game long, actually it had been working all game long, Justin just couldn't hear it over the sounds of the game. Attaboy, Justin! The Rangers find the bomb, just as Carlos learns the meaning of teamwork as he passes to an open teammate. Justin reaches for the bomb...the loser kid is about to score the fourth goal of the game for Angel Grove...and Justin gets the bomb, and then hits the conveniently located 'off'' switch. Wait, who puts an 'off' switch on a bomb? The hell?
Anyway, Angel Grove wins and nothing gets blown up. Divatox is depressed. Back at the game, ChimpBulk and ChimpSkull have decided to dress as cheerleaders. You know, every time I look at those chimps, I think about that chimp they used in TV shows who ended up ripping that woman's face off. Carlos' teamwork impresses Adam and Ashley. Divatox vows to never "let that millennium message come to pass." Oh, yeah, that subplot about the ambiguous message from the future is really cooking now. Show Over!
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