*Note: This is based on Taismo-89's Wild Kratts: Power of Nature, but I don't take credit for her idea. Wild Kratts and its original characters belong to PBS, 9 Story, and Kratt Brothers Company.

It's was a another normal day in the Tortuga HQ in the north. The Kratt Brothers, Martin and Chris, came in looking tired.

"Phew, I'm beat. We just stopped Zach from making an army of bullfrogs, and stopped Gourmand from cooking some bison," sighed Martin.

"Not to mention that we stopped Donita tried to use see scarlet macaws as headdresses for her fashion line," added Chris. As they were going in, Aviva was sitting at her station, but her hair was all frazzled and she had bags under her eyes.

"Sheesh, you're telling me. I worked on twenty Creature Power Suits, fixed the Buzz Bikes, and tuned up the Createrra VX."

You may be asking yourself two questions. One: why are there only three Wild Kratts? Two: where are Jimmy and Koki? Well, sadly they left. Jimmy has gone off to culinary school to better his skills, and Koki went to a computer software company as an intern. Yep, things have been slow.

"Man, things haven't been the same ever Jimmy and Koki left," said Martin.

"Yah, I'm all about following your dreams, but I can't take it anymore," said Aviva

"You said it, We need help, but where are we going to help at a time like this?" asked Chris.

Then, Martin had an idea. "Hey, I've got it. We can just put an ad out in the town, and hopefully, we might find some more team members," said Martin.

"You might be onto something, bro," said Chris.

"TIME TO FIND SOME NEW MEMBERS!" they both said as they high fived in confirmation.


The next day, Chris and Martin were handing out flyers.

"Hey, Aviva. Find anyone yet?" asked Chris. He was talking to Aviva on his CreaturePod.

"No, not yet. None of the people that I interviewed met the requirements. Sorry," replied Aviva.

"Hmm, this is harder than I thought. We been putting up these flyers all across town. Why aren't people responding?" said Chris.

As they were walking, they bumped into two people. "Oops! I'm sorry about that. I didn't see you there. Here let us help you," said one of the teens.

The teen that picked up the flyers looked to be sixteen, Latino, had brown hair with a golden blonde top, and was wearing a red tank top with two black stripes on the sides. He wore white knee high joggers, and blue high tops.

The other one was a light skinned African-American girl with wavy black hair in a ponytail with gold highlighted tips. She wore a blue jacket on the outside and a orange top on the inside, and a yellow skirt and leggings and yellow sandals, looked to be fifteen.

"Here you go...wait a minute! Aren't you Martin and Chris Kratt?" asked the Latino.

"Y-yeah." said Chris, nervously.

"Oh my gosh! I'm like your biggest fan. Shira Hart's the name," she exclaimed.

"You'll have to excuse her. She gets muy loco about you. My name's Rico Martinez," he said.

"Well, it's nice to see fans of us," said Martin.

"So, what are big shots like you doing here?" asked Shira.

"Well we're looking for new teammates since our old ones left," explained Martin.

Shira went wide-eyed, "Well, that's a coincidence because we're looking some jobs to apply for," she replied.

"We were?! Because you just said a minute ago that…" questioned Rico. Shira elbowed him in the chest.

"Well, I hope you two find some. If you're ever interested in doing some field work, why don't you contact us," Martin said as he handed them a flyer, "We'll see you later." They walked off.

"Bye," replied Shira.

"Shira, what was that about?" asked Rico, while rubbing his chest.

"Did you not hear, Rico?! They're looking for new members of the Wild Kratts! This could be our chance to become somebody!" she whispered.

"Yeah, I don't know. Those are some experienced people. How can a couple of teens like us come close to their standards?" he said.

"We'll just have to make the best of it!" she replied, fiercely.

"Okay, but just for the record, this was your idea," he complained.

"Just come on!" she yelled as she dragged Rico.


The two teens walked up on to the door of the Tortuga.

"Okay Rico, remember to stick to the plan," reminded Shira. She knocked on the door. There was no answer. She knocked louder.

They both held their ears on the door. "Do you hear anything?" asked Rico.

"Nope," replied Shira.

Then the door opened, and both teens fell face first onto the floor.

"Hello, can I help you?" asked Aviva.

The teens looked up. "Uhhhhh…well, we, er, I..." stammered Rico.

"Rico! Shira! What are you doing here?" asked Martin.

"You know these two?" asked Aviva.

"We met in the park," he replied.

"Well, were, uh, interested in the job positions," Shira explained.

"But we totally understand if you've already filled the positions!" exclaimed Rico with bullets of sweat on his face.

"Oh no, the positions are still open," said Aviva.

"That's what I was afraid of," Rico muttered through his teeth.

"Oh, well come on in, we'll start the interview right away," said Aviva.

We're so dead! thought Rico.

Fifteen minutes later..

"Well, you two seem like pretty good people. I think we can benefit from you two," said Aviva.

"I say we hire them," added Martin.

"Well Chris, it needs to unanimous," declared Aviva.

Chris thought for a minute. "Hmm, listen, you two look like two exceptional and hardworking teens. But, in order to be true members of the Wild Kratts, you must be able to exert yourself in the toughest situations, and you must believe that animals all over the world must live free and in the wild," explained Chris.

"Yes sir, Mr. Kratt! Can do!" exclaimed Rico.

"Believe us, we have read a lot about you guys, and we're are like your biggest fans. This will be an exceptional experience to have," added Shira.

Chris smiled at them and then said, "Okay, I think we can give them a shot."

"Thank you so much. You will not be disappointed!" they both said.


Later on that week, Rico was in the garage looking at the Buzz Bikes.

Martin came in and said, "Like the Buzz Bikes, huh?"

"Definitely, these things look like they could go up to hundreds of miles," replied Rico.

"Well they are fast, but it would be nice if they could go faster. Aviva always heckle me when I mess with her inventions," explained Martin.

"Hmm, I think I tune these babies up. Where's your tool kit?"

"Umm, I don't know about that man. I don't think Aviva would like you tampering with her inventions," cautioned Martin.

"Relax, once Aviva sees what I did to her inventions, she'll thank me for it," coaxed Rico. Rico then went to work in Martin's Buzz Bike. Twenty minutes later he was done.

"Okay Martin, your bike is now equipped with fuel injector rockets, and now it's running on 150cc," explained Rico.

"Cool, let's see how this baby runs!" He started the ignition on the bike, but as soon as it came on, Martin took off at record speed! Martin screamed as he tried to hold on for dear life.

"Okay, maybe I added a little too much juice in the bike," realized Rico.

Then, Aviva came out and was shocked to see what was going on. "*gasp* What is going on?!" asked Aviva.

"Umm, well. I decided to tune up your Buzz Bike. I thought I could help," explained Rico.

"SOMEONE GET ME OFF THIS CRAZY THING!" yelled Martin.

Aviva grabbed her Extendo Arm, and used it to grab Martin's Buzz Bike. But when she grabbed it, Martin flew off of it and landed in a tree.

"Ooh, that had to hurt," said Rico.

"*sigh* Rico, I know you were trying to help, but next time, do not touch any of my inventions. ANY OF THEM!" she sternly said.

"Y-Yes, ma'am," he replied. Rico held his head down in shame as Aviva went to help Martin.

Good job, Rico. You really did it this time, he thought.

"I think it's time, that we show you how to drive the Tortuga," said Aviva.

"Hey, I already got my driver's license, so it should be easy," replied Rico.

"Hmm, as long as you don't break anything," muttered Aviva.

"What was that?"

"Umm, nothing! Let's get you in the cockpit!" Aviva sheepishly said.


The next day, Zach, Donita, and Gourmand were all sitting Zach's mansion, complaining on how they were defeated by the Wild Kratts.

"Those Wild Rats think their so smart. I tired of it!" yelled Zach.

"You're right. When will they learn that using animals is a good thing," said Donita.

"There's got to be a way to stop those Kratt croutons," said Gourmand.

"Sometimes, I wish those Wild Kratts would...OWWW!" he said as he stepped a black crystal, about the size of his palm.

"DONITA, DID YOU PUT THIS THING HERE?!" asked Zach.

"No, Zach, I never seen such a thing, but it is a wonder of beauty," said Donita.

"With a crystal like that, I can be the fanciest gourmet chef in the world," added Gourmand.

"Are you kidding? I'm the fashionista, honey. I deserve that crystal," replied Donita.

"No, I deserve it!"

"No, I do!"

They started to argue and this was enough to make Zach mad and snatch the crystal out of Donita's hand. "THAT'S IT I HAD IT! YOU THINK YOU HAVE HAVE THE PROBLEM?! I'M THE ONE IN PAIN. THE WILD KRATTS RUINING MY PLANS, YOU TWO AND YOUR FIGHTING! I'M JUST TIRED OF IT! ONE DAY, EVERYONE WILL FEAR THE NAME OF ZACH VARMITECH!" yelled Zach.

His anger and rage was so powerful that the crystal started to glow and absorb it.

"What's happening?!" asked Donita.

"I don't know, but I don't want to stay and find out." said Gourmand. They both got onto their jets and left Zach in his glowing mansion.


In a dark place, someone was meditating. Then all of a sudden, he opened his eyes.

"Oh no. The Forbidden One! Here?! I can feel it's dark energy seeping through into the human world. I must find it," said the person. He teleported out the place.


Two days later, Shira entered another room, and in that room she saw Rico.

"Hey, what are you doing in here?" she asked.

"Wondering where my life went so horribly wrong," he replied.

"Why, what happened?"

"Everything! I tried tuning up the Buzz Bikes, that failed. Then, I tried making lunch. Ended up burning everything! And driving the Tortuga? So not like driving a car! I almost ran into a cat. A CAT!"

"Well, you're not alone. Earlier, we got a call about a from down south about a missing dog. Well, let's just I sent way down South. By that, I mean South America. In a mosquito infested pond!" She then started to cry.

"Whoa, why are you upset? You were practically putty in their hands," he replied.

"Oh Rico, I was nervous just like you were! I just didn't want to look nervous," she yelled.

"So what you're saying is…'you were right, Rico'?" he teased.

"Okay, I'm sorry!" Then, they heard something, like someone talking.

"Guys, did we do the right thing in hiring those two?" asked Aviva.

Chris was scratching himself. "I don't know. They seemed confident about themselves during the interview, but now…"

"Guys, you're being ridiculous. Yes, they messed up. But, it was their first day. Not everyone has a good first day on the job," Martin asserted, as he was rubbing his back.

"I don't know. Maybe we can find some replacements," suggested Aviva.

Rico and Shira was listening on their conversation. "Oh great, we're getting the boot!" whispered Rico.

"I think you maybe right," she replied.

Then the door opened, and they fell on the floor...again.

"Rico? Shira? Were you listening to our conversation?" asked Aviva.

Rico was now on his knees. "Please don't fire us! Please don't kick us to the road!" he begged.

"*sigh*Wow, what a way to crack under pressure, Rico. What he means is...don't fire us! We'll do better!" she begged Shira. Rico narrowed his eyes at Shira.

"What? I got caught in the moment!"

"What?! What makes you think that we were…" Chris started, but then something beeped on the computer.

"I'm picking up some strange weather activity up ahead. Either a tornado or a thunderstorm," said Aviva.

"Should we start running?" asked Rico.

"Not now, this looks serious," answered Shira.

"That's weird. The forecast didn't call for something like that." said Chris.

Suddenly, lightning started to strike down. "Whoa, that was intense." said Chris.

"Uh guys, LOOK!" cried Rico. What they saw was horrifying: a big tornado that was about to suck them in.

"Oh no! It's "Prairie Who?" all over again," said Martin.

"EVERYBODY HANG ON!" shouted Chris. They all held on as tight as they could, but the tornado suck them in and spun them around.

They all screamed for their lives as they were holding onto things.

But then, something grabbed them out of the tornado.

"Huh? We stopped spinning. Let me open the hatch," said Aviva.

Then, something shook them out of the Tortuga.

"WHOA!" they all said as they as they landed on the ground and saw who was controlling the Tortuga.

"ZACH?!" said Chris in a surprised way.

"Hello, Wild Rats." said Zach.

"THAT'S WILD KRATTS!" they all shouted.

"Whatever. So as you can see, I've gotten, shall I say, POWERFUL! You want to see what else I can do? OBSERVE!" he said. He held out the crystal he found and held it up high. The area was surrounded by black energy. The Wild Kratts shielded their eyes. In a flash of purple, they were shocked with what they saw: Zach in a black cloak, with a helmet on his head with horns sticking out on the sides. Around his neck was the crystal, but now it was a totem like structure with a purple crystalize skull on top.

"NOW, YOU SEE! YOU'LL ALL SEE! EVERYONE WILL SURRENDER TO ME, THE SHADOW!" he said distorted and manically.

"Uh-oh! This doesn't look good!" said Chris. He pointed to the crew and readied a powerful blast.

"PREPARE TO DISAPPEAR...FOREVER!" said Shadow.

Everyone looked in horror at what Zach had became.

To be continued...