Aliyah cocked her head to the side as she watched Jayden and Mia fight nearby. She'd be the first to admit that they both had the skill, but Jayden's technique was by far more advanced than Mia's.
"Great work, Mia," Jayden praised, putting down his training sword. "Hey, Mike, you finished with your symbols?"
Mike looked up from his work as a flurry of leaves whipped around him. "I'd say so," he grinned. "I still need a little work, but it's coming together nicely."
"Practice makes perfect," said Kevin, jogging over. He clapped Mike on the shoulder and grinned. "I know how hard you've been working on all your symbol power, but don't sweat it, alright? It took me years to master mine. If you ever need to talk, I'm here for you."
Mike looked awkward. "Uh, yeah, anything you say, dude," he replied.
Kevin nodded and jogged away, approaching Mia as she now practised by herself.
Aliyah folded her arms and pushed off from the wall she had been leaning against. She had chosen to be an observer this morning, rather than train with her new teammates. Once she had got a taste of their fighting skills, she'd introduce them to her own skill set.
"What's going on with Kevin?" Mike asked, wandering over. Jayden lowered his practice sword and turned to his teammate. "Why is he so worried about everyone?"
"I don't know," Ji said. He too had noticed the blue ranger's strange behaviour. "He's been like this ever since you turned up, Aliyah."
"What, you think this my fault?" Aliyah asked.
"No, of course not," Ji said, shaking his head.
Aliyah turned her attention back to Kevin. He was now pestering Emily about being away from her family. "Maybe he's overcompensating," she said.
"Overcompensating?" Jayden repeated. "For what?"
"Some people just can't express themselves thoroughly," said Aliyah. "Rather than come out and say, 'I miss my old life' Kevin is trying to make sure everyone else feels comfortable with their new duties."
"You think Kevin is feeling homesick?" Mike asked.
Aliyah shrugged. "You're not?" she asked.
Mike turned back to his teammate. "But he's been training for this his whole life," he said. "We all have."
"Training for something and actually doing something are two different things," said Aliyah. "Plus, at the end of the day, you're still human. You still have human emotions, and humans are prone to feelings of homesickness all the time."
"He's never going to admit that," said Mike.
"I'm not expecting him too," said Aliyah. "But you need to let him know that he's not alone."
"How do I do that?"
"Just being there for him is a good place to start."
Mike nodded and wandered away.
Ji smiled and turned to Aliyah. "You're good at this," he said.
"What, giving advice?"
Ji nodded.
Aliyah scoffed. "Sensei will be pleased that I have learned something from him," she said. "Normally, I don't give advice. I get advice given to me."
"Then maybe there is room for improvement with you, too," said Jayden,
"Oh definitely," Aliyah agreed.
~*The Lightning Samurai*~
Richie hesitated and the held up his pinkie finger towards the monster, Doubletone. He had just made him a deal that Richie couldn't refuse.
"Hey!"
Doubletone looked up as the red and white Power Rangers dropped down either side of him and kicked him in the chest, knocking him away from Richie.
"Power Rangers!" Richie grinned. Ever since the Rangers had appeared in Panorama City, he had been a Ranger fan. All his friends had.
"Are you okay?" Mia and Emily running over and kneeling beside Richie.
"Alright, Nighlok, what's your business with the kid?" Aliyah asked, shouldering her Samurai sword.
"Nothing!" Doubletone growled. "We're friends, right?" he turned to look at Richie.
"You're lying!" Mike said. Richie didn't look at all like he was on friendly terms with the monster if anything he looked positively terrified.
Helping Richie to his feet, Emily pushed him gently in the direction of safety. "Run away as fast as you can," she urged him.
Without looking back, Richie did as instructed.
"Why don't you just stay out of my business?" Doubletone growled.
"Why don't you just stay out of our world?!" Aliyah asked, jumping into the air. She slashed down with her sword as the others followed her into business.
Doubletone blocked her hit and tossed her aside, just as Jayden, Kevin and Mike launched an attack against him. "Fighting you Rangers is like a walk in the park for me," he said, easily evading the three boys, and turning his sights onto Mia and Emily. "As you can see I play well with others," he laughed after tossing both yellow and pink rangers aside.
"As you can see, I don't!" Aliyah yelled jumping down from the tree above. She dragged the tip of her sword down Doubletone's stomach and then slashed across his chest.
Doubletone groaned and fell back into the tree's trunk. "This isn't over, Rangers," he warned, placing his hand against a gap. "The fun has just begun!" The gap glowed red and the Nighlok was pulled inside.
Aliyah lowered her stance and turned to the others.
"I think he's planning something really bad," said Mike, stating the obvious.
"I'm worried about that kid," said Mia. "We need to find him."
Jayden nodded. "Right. Let's split up and look for him," he ordered.
The others nodded and took off in pairs.
~*The Lightning Samurai*~
After their failed attempt at fighting the kid, Aliyah and Jayden returned to the Shiba house. Meeting them at the door was Penelope and a black-eared silver cat that mewed as Aliyah approached.
"When did we get a cat?" Jayden asked, confused.
"She's mine," Aliyah said, scooping up both her daughter and the feline. "Meet Cookie. Cam bought her for me on my 20th birthday."
Jayden nodded and followed Aliyah inside. As they breached the inside of the house a foul smell reached their noses and both of them cringed away.
"Is something burning?" Aliyah asked loudly,
"Mia's cooking," Mike said from the hall. He and Emily were peering through the door into the kitchen where the pink ranger was hard at work.
"Cooking?" Aliyah repeated. "This smells worse than when the Mystic's baked a cake for Toby and nearly set the house on fire."
"Mystic's?" Jayden asked.
"Mystic Force team in Briarwood," Aliyah answered. "My third team."
"How many teams have you been on in total?" Emily asked.
"Five - Ninja Storm, Dino Thunder, Mystic Force, Operation Overdrive, and Jungle Fury," Aliyah listed. "Five cities, five different teams."
"So you're a Ranger legend?" Mike asked, grinning.
Aliyah shrugged. "Sure, but I'd prefer it if you didn't call me that," she said.
"Why not?"
"Because I hated every minute of it," said Aliyah. "I didn't want to be a Power Ranger the first time, much less five times."
"So why did you continue to do it?" Emily asked. "Especially if you disliked it so much."
"I didn't have much of a choice. When you have a prophecy looming over your head, and a destiny to fulfil, it doesn't give you many options on how to go forward."
Jayden cast a glance in Aliyah's direction. Her story reminded him so much of his own, or rather of someone's he knew.
Catching his gaze, Aliyah shot him a knowing expression and then looked away.
Jayden hesitated and then walked away. Was there a chance that Aliyah knew the truth about him?
~*The Lightning Samurai*~
Early the next morning, the Shiba house was awoken by the sound of the gap sensor. Aliyah groaned as Penelope let out a wail and quickly shot out of bed to soothe her startled daughter.
"It's okay, P," Aliyah whispered, cradling the four-year-old in her arms. "I'll make sure the nasty monster pays for waking you up."
Penelope clung to her mother tightly and Aliyah carried her out of the bedroom and into the hall, almost running into Jayden as he exited his own room.
"I'm sorry this isn't brilliant living arrangements for her," Jayden apologised.
"I knew what I was getting into when I brought her here," Aliyah said, shaking her head. "You don't need to apologise for that."
Jayden nodded and led the way into the living room. Ji, Mike, and Emily were already there.
"Doubletone is back," Emily said. "Mia's just called. He's targeting Richie again."
Aliyah's hold on Penelope tightened. "I swear, what is it with monsters and little kids?" she asked. "I'm pretty sure they have a death wish."
"The nighloks haven't exactly met you yet, Ali," said Cam, appearing at last and taking Penelope from his wife. "They'll have a death wish once they get used to you."
Aliyah grinned and kissed both her husband and daughter before leaving with the others.
Cam sighed and looked down at Penelope, she was sleepily rubbing her eyes and lying on his shoulder. "Let's see about putting you back to bed, huh?" he asked, kissing her head.
He left the room, leaving Ji to monitor the Rangers alone.
~*The Lightning Ranger*~
Doubletone snarled at Mia and Kevin.
"What are you up too, Nighlok?" Kevin demanded, clenching his fist tightly. This was the second time that Doubletone had come after Richie, and he was determined to find out why.
"Nothing that concerns you, Rangers!" Doubletone growled. "My friend and I have made a deal. So why don't you just buzz off!"
Mia looked behind her at Richie. The kid was staring at the baseball keychain in his hand, a look of desperation on his face.
"Why did you make him throw away his baseball equipment?" Kevin asked as a garbage truck pulled out outside Richie's house.
"Because he loved playing baseball," Doubletone answered. "I got him to give up his dream. Now that he's so sad the Sanzu River will be flooding in no time."
"But you promised if I gave up something special, I'd get some even more special back!" Richie argued. "You promised."
Mia frowned and turned to the kid. "What do you mean by getting something special back?" she asked him.
"Don't say it, kid!" Doubletone warned.
"Well, where is he?" Richie challenged.
"I said you have to be patient," Doubletone told him.
"Liar!" Kevin snapped. "Don't listen to him, Theodore, he's just trying to trick you."
"What did he promise you, Richie?" Mia asked.
Richie sighed and looked up at the garbage truck. It was loading the rubbish bin he had put his baseball equipment in into the trash shoot.
"Oh my, look at that," Doubletone laughed. "That garbage truck just took you out of the ball game. It's a heartbreaking home run. Game over."
Richie looked down at the baseball keychain again. His eyes shimmered with unshed tears and his heart dropped into his stomach. "My father is in the army," he told Mia and Kevin. "He had to go away. He said if I gave up baseball, he would bring back my dad."
Richie took a shuddering breath and unleashed the tears,
Doubletone laughed mercilessly.
"You tried to make him give up his dreams?" Mia asked. She turned to Richie. "I think you better leave," she advised.
Richie nodded and, wiping away his tears, took off.
"How dare you pick on a little kid!" Mia said, turning back to Doubletone. "That's unforgivable!"
"Samuraizer!"
"Go, Go, Samurai!"
Doubletone rolled his staff in his hands. "I think you two deserve to have a blast!" he said, firing the staff at the pair.
Mia and Kevin cried out as they were blasted off of their feet.
"Now that you're in my neck of the woods, your end is near!" Doubletone said, following them. He held up his staff again, ready for a second strike. "Tiger tidal wave!"
"Watch out!" Mia cried as a wave of fire rained down on her and Kevin, knocking them down again.
"See, I'm all kinds of trouble for you, Rangers!" Doubletone laughed.
"He's right," Kevin said, agreeing. He hated agreeing with a monster, but just him and Mia alone was no match for someone of Doubletone's power.
"Call to the beast inside - unleash the White Tigers! Double Tiger Attack!"
Doubletone cried out as he was smashed into by two white tigers, knocking him off of his feet. He struggled back to his knees as the two tigers stood protectively in front of Mia and Kevin. "Where did you come from?!" he growled.
"How about us?" Jayden asked, as he, Emily and Mike rushed in, each one slashing at Doubletone with their blades.
Doubletone hit the ground for the third time.
"Tigers, return!" Aliyah called, landing behind the others. The two tiger spirits disappeared and the team turned to their new teammate.
"What were they?" Mike asked. He sounded impressed.
"They were animal spirits," Aliyah answered. "One of them is mine, the other was given to me by an old friend."
"Wait, animal spirits?" Kevin asked. "You're talking about Pai Zhug!"
Aliyah nodded. "Yep. I'm technically a tiger master," she said. "I just turned down the master stripes when I passed my final tests."
If his body language was anything to go by, Kevin looked aghast at her news.
"Oi, Rangers, I'm not finished!" Doubletone shouted. He scrambled back to his feet and brandished his staff at the team, "Moogers, come out, come out wherever you are!"
All over the forest Nighlok foot soldiers started to appear.
"These guys again?" Aliyah complained. "They're useless!" She reached for her belt and removed the disc that Ji had given to her. "I've had Lightning Sai's, Lightning Sabres, let us see what you give me." She attached the disc to her sword and spun it. "Lightning Bayard!"
Mike snickered as a small arrow-like weapon appeared in Aliyah's hands. "Cute," he commented.
"Yeah," said Aliyah, touching the tip of the Bayard into Mike's side. An electrical current zipped through the arrow and caused Mike to yelp and jump in surprise. "Cute but dangerous."
Mike grumbled and rubbed his side as he summoned his Forest Spear and lunged at the nearest set of Moogers. He threw his spear around, rolled it across his shoulders and fired at the Moogers, cutting them down to size.
"Earth Slicer!" Emily called out. She attached her spin disc to the three-pronged slicer and threw it, as hard as she could, at the Moogers. It dodged and attacked before returning to Emily's hand.
"Now that's cool!" Aliyah grinned.
"Fire Smasher!" Jayden called, summoning his own weapon. He dodged the Moogers and, powering up his smasher, burned several Moogers at once.
"Ouch, and people say I have a fiery personality," Aliyah said, jumping over Jayden. She snapped her wrist and threw her Bayard at the next lot of Moogers. The tip of the Bayard glowed and a white beam of light wrapped around the Moogers. It cracked with electricity and the Moogers shrieked as they were electrocuted.
Doubletone groaned as the Moogers dropped like flies.
"Hydro Bow!"
"Sky Fan!"
Doubletone glared at the two rangers and summoned his double attack. "Tiger Tsunami!" he shouted, hurling a water bomb at Mia and a fiery tiger at Kevin.
The two Rangers cut through the attacks with ease and attacked Doubletone.
The Nighlok fell to one knee as energy rippled through him, "Doubletone has been double teamed!" he cried out as he exploded.
"That's what you get for making Richie so sad," said Mia, turning her back on the explosion.
Kevin nodded and patted Mia's shoulder. "There's nothing worse than a liar," he agreed.
"Lying hurts more than the truth," said Aliyah, running over.
"Yeah, well done, Mia," Emily grinned, hugging her best friend.
"Great teamwork," Jayden praised.
The ground shook, and Mike looked up as Doubletone returned. "Oh, you want some more?" he asked. "Fine. We'll give you another round."
Jayden nodded and reached for his folding zord. "Lion Folding Zord," he called, placing it on the ground. The others followed suit and Aliyah took a step back.
"If he thought being double-teamed was bad," Aliyah said, grinning. "He is in for a right shock!"
"You won't be joining us again?" Mike asked.
Aliyah shook her head. "Maybe next time," she said. "I'm going to find Richie while you guys deal with Doubletone."
"Doubletone promised that he'd bring his dad back from the Army," Mia said. "That's why Richie was giving up his baseball equipment."
"Got it," Aliya nodded before turning to Mike. "You want to see a Ninja trick?" she asked him,
"Yes!" Mike all-but yelled in his excitement.
"Then watch this!" Aliyah turned toe, run a short distance and then kicked into Ninja Streak.
Mike howled with excitement. "Oh, Ninja Streak!" he yelled. "I'm so getting her to teach me that!"
~*The Lightning Samurai*~
Richie sighed as he sat on the bench watching the rest of his teammates warm up for the big game. His equipment was probably at the trash heap by now, and there was no way he was able to get it back in time for the game.
"Hey, Richie."
Richie looked up as his coach stood over him.
"A nice garbageman handed these in to me this morning," Coach said, holding up a bag containing a baseball bat, uniform, ball, and a mitt. "He didn't want to see such nice stuff go to waste. I think they're yours."
Richie grinned and jumped to his feet, stuffing his baseball keychain into his pocket. "Wow! Thanks, Coach!" he said, happily.
"Okay. Now, we got a playoff to win," Coach said, smiling. "You're a great first baseman, Richie, and we need you. Now get out there and hustle."
"You got it, Coach!" Richie said.
"Hey, Coach," said Aliyah, walking over with Mia and Kevin. "You think I could talk to Richie for a sec? I got someone who wants to wish him luck."
Coach hesitated and nodded. "Sure. But make it quick, the games about to start," he said.
"Will do," Aliyah promised. She set her laptop on the bench and punched in her password. "You told my friends that your dad was in the army, huh, Richie?" she asked, looking up the young boy.
Richie nodded.
"You know, my parents were also in the army," said Aliyah. "I didn't get to see them as often as I would've liked, either. But that didn't mean they had forgotten about me. They were fighting for me."
Richie nodded.
Aliyah smiled and clicked on a live feed link. "Anyway, after Mia told me why you were willing to give up your Baseball equipment, I called in a favour at the army base and managed to get this set up for you." She turned the laptop around and hit the spacebar,
Richie's eyes widened as an image flickered to life on the screen. "Dad!" he cried as a familiar face stared back at him.
"Hey, Tiger," Richie's father replied. "You ready?"
"Yeah," Richie nodded.
"Good. Then go get 'em," his father said. "I'm proud of you."
"I love you, Dad."
"I love you, too, Richie."
Richie smiled as the feed cut off. He looked up at Aliyah as she closed the laptop. "Thank you," he said.
"No problem, kid," Aliyah said. "Good luck!"
"Thanks!" Richie called as he run off.
Aliyah grinned and straightened up, tucking the laptop under her arm as she turned to Mia and Kevin.
"How did you manage to pull that off?" Kevin asked, leading the two women back to where the others were sitting in the bleachers.
"I come from a Military family," Aliyah said. "I have connections all over the bases, including the army. It didn't take me long to figure out which section Richie's father was in, and his commanding officer remembers my parents, he was more than happy to set up the feed."
"It was really sweet," said Mia. "I bet Richie's really thankful that you did it."
Aliyah shrugged. "Being a Military kid is hard, especially when you don't know where your parents are being shipped off too," she said. "Fortunately for Richie his father was on a base. My parents weren't so lucky."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Emily said, looking sadly at Aliyah.
Aliyah smiled and took Penelope from Cam as she sat beside him. "It was a long time ago," she said.
"You know, Mia, the two of us make a great team," Kevin said, turning to his partner with a smile. "We're going to fight the Nighlok and make sure that no one else has to give up what they love."
Mia nodded with a smile of her own. "Or their dreams," she agreed.
"Aliyah, don't," Cam whispered, urgently as his wife turned in her seat.
"Do you two want some privacy?" Aliyah teased.
Mia and Kevin blushed a deep red, each one glaring at the White Ranger. Aliyah smirked and turned back to face the field.
"Hey, there is the Richie, now," said Mike, pointing out to the first base.
Theo swung his bat in a practice swing and then lined it up with the pitcher. The other boy served the ball and Richie hit it with an almighty THWACK!
"OUT OF THE PARK!" someone shouted as Richie threw down his bat and raced around the bases, earning himself a home run.
The Rangers jumped to their feet, each one cheering for Richie.
"Yeah! Way to go, Richie!" Aliyah called, bouncing a laughing Penelope on her hip.
