A/N: A very pleasant Martin Luther King Jr. Day to all of you from the Lone Star State. Welcome to the main event of the Project Phoenix series. As a disclaimer, this series is inspired by Kctimes2's The Adoption (one of the best stories I've ever read here). Before reading this, you should read The Crane's Destructive Path and its accompanying one shot, Granted Wishes.

A/N 2: This is the story of when Jayden leads Rangers old and new into a fight for Earth's survival...with his corrupted mother. This chapter continues an arc that is as described...havoc on Halloween. A new Ninjetti comes into the fold as well.

A/N 3: Couples featured are Jayden/Mia, Memily, Lantonio, Jason/Kat, Adam/Tanya and a slew of other old-school pairings. You'll have to read on to see if there is Tommy/Kim at the end...hehe.

A/N 4: Usual disclaimer. Power Rangers doesn't belong to me.

Chapter 25: Halloween Havoc II The New Ninjetti

Wednesday, October 24, 2012, early evening

Rangers Chamber of Command

Angel Grove, CA

They'd done their job again and saved many of those they loved, but still, no one was celebrating in the Chamber of Command.

The words that the Wizard of Deception had left them with hung heavily in the building, even as business went on as normal.

The good news was that no one had suffered major injury in the last skirmish, and those who maybe still weren't 100 percent were getting to that point. Kat, in fact, was ahead of schedule with her rehab and the rumor was that she might be able to rejoin the Rangers in the next fight.

It was after dinner, and the Rangers were all sitting together watching a rewind of the last fight. The most surprising thing that came out of that fight was the Mia/Scorpina exchange. When they'd first met in August, the veteran lead general of Flammia's army and longtime Ranger nemesis had beat Mia to a pulp.

This time, Mia was holding her own against Scorpina and sometimes, even bested her.

Granted, everyone knew that Mia had worked hard since this whole thing started. But she was actually exceeding what many Rangers thought she could accomplish.

Everyone looked at Jayden, who was replaying the battle in his own mind and thinking about something. No one knew what he was thinking until he gave his next command.

"All Ninjetti Rangers and Mia, you guys stay here. The rest of you may take your leave. Be ready for when we get called again," Jayden said.

By this point, no Ranger dared go against Jayden's orders as he'd become the overall leader of this mission. They all left in a hurry, leaving Jayden alone with his girlfriend and the rest of the Ninjetti.

"Impressive job, Mia," Jayden said as he embraced his girlfriend. "Scorpina is not easy to beat. You handled her wonderfully."

"Thanks, I've worked really hard," Mia said, trying her best to downplay what had just happened. But she had a feeling her attempts were not going to work.

She was right.

"Yeah, I'm not sure I buy that," Jayden said.

"Me either. No one beats Scorpina like that unless you're really good. I mean really good," Billy said. "There's something else afoot here."

"Have you ever thought about being a Ninjetti, Mia?" Jayden suddenly asked. Mia couldn't hide her surprise. She'd never really thought about that kind of thing.

"Can't say I have," Mia said. "I must tell you though, I think those powers are incredible. Those are powers I could only dream of attaining."

"I don't know, Mia. I sort of think you have the stuff for it," Jayden said. "In fact, I kind of think a trip to Phaedos might be in order for you."

"Me, a Ninjetti. Just...no," Mia said.

"Actually, Mia, I think I agree," Aisha said. "Yes, the Ninjetti is the greatest power you could ever hope to attain. It's not easy. Only a select few have ever done it. But I think you deserve a chance. We could all vouch on your behalf as well."

"I agree with them too, Mia," another voice said. The Rangers turned in surprise to see Ninjor walking into the room.

"Come on," Mia said. "I mean, I'm just doing my job."

"You really don't give yourself enough credit, do you?" Ninjor said.

"Between what's going on with Jayden trying to get his family back, my broken relationship with my mother, etc. there are times when I feel like the worst person ever," Mia said, tears forming in her eyes. Every one of the veteran Rangers looked at her in sorrow; they knew that when she and Jayden became close, she never asked for this.

"I know, it's hard," Kat said. "You have no idea how much bloody shit I've had to put up with over the years. I feel for you. It's heartbreaking."

"Just...at least try it, Mia," Ninjor said. "I see something in you that makes me think you could do it."

"And if it somehow doesn't work, you can still continue your duties as a Samurai Ranger. Either way, the team benefits because we have you," Adam said. "I can't lie to you, I'd love to see you become one of us though."

"Tell you what, I'll go to Dulcea tomorrow and vouch for you, and we'll see what she says," Ninjor said.

"There is no need, Rangers," a haunting voice suddenly echoed through the room.

Moments later, the ethereal form of Dulcea appeared in the room.

"Dulcea, aren't you supposed to be on the plateau?" Billy said.

"Normally, yes, but there are times when I choose to use this form for important situations, like this one right here. I can stay in this form for a few minutes without it affecting my age," Dulcea said.

"And Mia," Dulcea said, "I agree with them. I don't know if you would acquire the Great Power, but I too see something in you that makes me think you should at least travel here and try."

Mia nodded her head numbly. If the Master Warrior herself thought she had a shot, there was no reason to not try for it.

"OK, in a couple days, we'll go," Mia said. "I think Jayden should come with, but the rest of you should stay here. Defend Angel Grove from an attack," Mia said.

"That seems fair," Tommy said.

"I'll do it, Dulcea," Mia said.

"Very good, Mia. I will see you soon. May the Power protect you," Dulcea said as her form faded out.

"Congratulations, Mia," Jayden said.

"Yeah, but there's only one problem," Mia said. "Who gets my Samuraizer if I get the Ninjetti powers?"

Unbeknownst to everyone in the room, they would all find that answer very soon.

Thursday, Oct. 25, 2012, about mid-morning

Angel Grove Park

Angel Grove, CA

It was well known amongst the Ranger teams that Mentor Ji, the erstwhile mentor to the Samurai team, liked to go out for fresh air in the mornings.

California had a lot of places where you could do that. But Angel Grove in the morning hours was particularly nice. He still preferred Panorama City, of course, but Angel Grove Park in the mornings was something he enjoyed going to especially since he didn't cook breakfast much anymore.

Today was a little different though, as he had mixed emotions. The rumors were running rampant that the current Pink Samurai Ranger, Mia, was possibly good enough to be a Ninjetti.

Which was great for her, as had been evidenced by Jayden's performance so far since he'd gotten his freakishly awesome powers. But it would leave the Samurai team at a disadvantage.

He was in the middle of his thoughts when he suddenly heard something - it sounded like someone crying. Curiosity got the better of Mentor Ji so he decided to investigate. His path took him past several benches, around a playground set, until about five minutes later he found the source...a most familiar source.

There, in front of him was Makiko Watanabe, Mia's mother. And she was visibly upset about something...what he knew not. It was really sad though. He had mentored Makiko many years ago just like he had mentored her daughter Mia. Both were very similar, yet theirs was a family torn apart.

He knew that he was going to have to have this talk with Makiko some day but by the looks of things, it was going to be a lot different from how he anticipated.

"Funny finding you here," Mentor said, deciding to take the bull by the horns so to speak. "You seem quite upset."

Lifting her head up ever so slightly, Makiko's Asian features went from sadness, to confusion, to surprise all in a few seconds.

"Mentor, is that..." she said.

"Yes, it's me," Mentor Ji responded. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt, you know I wouldn't. What seems to be the trouble?"

"I..I've hurt everyone I love..." Makiko said, barely able to spit out the words through choked tears. "The world is in danger and it's my fault that Mia has to go through this...I was wrong, so wrong..."

Mentor Ji could only guess that Makiko had been one of those stuck in captivity until the Rangers got them out yesterday. What Makiko said next only confirmed it.

"After what they did yesterday...I'm doing making any accusations. Jayden is a real leader, unlike what I thought of him...he should never have gone through that..."

Mentor Ji's heart was breaking for the older Pink Ranger who he'd once mentored, but at the same time was very happy his team wouldn't have to go through any sort of dissension.

"Makiko, you're as strong a woman as I've ever known," Mentor said. "We all make mistakes, but at least you figured it out on your own..."

"Yes, but I feel like I need to do something. I need to help in some way. I just don't know how to repair things...Jayden is upset with me, and has every right to be..."

"I heard my name called," a voice suddenly said from behind both individuals. Both turned in surprise to see Jayden standing behind them.

"I thought you were studying for the GED?" Mentor Ji said.

"Been at it three hours or so. Taking a break. Atsila told me to come here," Jayden responded. To Makiko's surprise, Jayden put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I forgive you," he said, much to her shock. "No really, I do. I know how much you miss my adopted mother and father, and I know how much they meant to you. I also know how hard it is to fathom that your baby girl is in love. I understand. In 20 or 25 years from now, if I live that long, I'd probably feel the same way about my child being in love."

"Being in that dimension was one of the most scary things I've ever felt in my life. I felt trapped like a rat, like I was never going to get out. Thank you," Makiko said. "And thank you for never complaining about any of my ridiculous outbursts. You may be a Ninjetti but you've proven you're just as much a part of my family as much as anyone else. You're a true hero. I just wish there was something I could do rather than just say all these things..."

"Actually, yes, there is something you can do for me," Jayden said. "We've determined there's a chance Mia could get an upgrade in her powers, become Ninjetti. We might possibly need a Pink Samurai Ranger in the near future..."

"As a matter of fact, Mia has a younger sister who has been training her whole life for this very moment," Makiko said. "I will speak to her and see how she feels about this..."

"Thank you, and I know how much you must be going through after being trapped," Jayden said. "I was trapped up on the Moon and tortured not long ago. I know how it feels to be staring right in the face of the Angel of Death and survive. It's not easy. You're a strong woman and I'll continue to make you proud."

Saturday, Oct. 27, 2012, early in the morning

Rangers Chamber of Command

Angel Grove, CA

Two days later, the stage was set for possibly another big moment in this war.

Jayden had been in the spotlight pretty much from the outset of this mission, but today was Mia's day.

It floored her to see, as she was getting ready to be teleported to Phaedos on this Saturday, how much support she had. The Samurai team, once they'd heard of the recent developments, were especially proud. The Samurai were loyal to their own but also realistic; they'd seen what Jayden could do with his powers. The thought of Mia with Ninjetti powers was almost too good to be true.

But what really floored Mia was the renewed support she'd got from her mother, who had come to the Chamber of Command on Thursday night, and mother and daughter had patched things up very, very quickly. A very heavy burden had been lifted from Mia's shoulders at that point, knowing she had her mother's support again...and very possibly a solution to her potential Samurai Ranger problem.

"You ready to go?" Jayden asked her as the two prepared to teleport, with all the Ranger teams watching.

"Very much so," Mia said. Unveiling a black box given to her by Makiko, she took her Samuraizer, and folding Turtle Zord, and put them both in the box.

"That's for just in case I'm successful with my quest," Mia said. "We have the next in line ready to go in case my quest is successful."

"Good luck, Mia," Mentor Ji said.

"Billy, teleport us," Jayden said.

"Got it," Billy said, and in two columns of crimson and white light, Jayden and Mia vanished.

"I hope Mia knows what she's getting into," Rocky said.

"She does, you know she's strong," Aisha said, squeezing her husband's hand in assurance. "She'll be fine."

Their departure, however, did not go unnoticed.

Phaedos

Moments later, both Jayden and Mia landed in nearly the same place that Jayden had landed before.

"Geez, how do you guys get used to that?" Mia said. "That was the weirdest feeling."

"Yeah, I get it. Teleporting is a bitch the first time you do it," Jayden said. "After a while you get used to it but after the first time."

"You're also going to get used to your destruction," a voice said from behind Jayden and Mia. Jayden whipped his head around lightning fast and groaned inwardly.

Scorpina and 30 Tengas.

Somehow, he doubted this was one of Dulcea's tests.

"I mean this sincerely, Scorpina, I've got no time for your bullshit today. Get lost," Jayden snapped.

"Too bad for you that we're not going to let you get another Ninjetti in your ranks, much less your girlfriend. We've got too much planned for you to let this get in the way. I'm going to gut her before she can even get to the Temple," Scorpina retorted.

"That's what you think," another voice, highly accented, echoed through the canyon as a small owl appeared on a nearby perch, then started to transform into the Master Warrior herself and immediately stepped up next to Jayden and Mia.

"Not one of your tests, Dulcea?" Jayden said.

"Nope. This time it's an actual attack; they're trying to stop Mia from reaching the Monolith."

"Get behind me, young Mia," Dulcea said, turning to her next. "Try as best you can to stay out of harm's way."

"It's going to be a pleasure ending your life too, Dulcea," Scorpina said.

"That's what you've always said, yet here I stand," Dulcea said.

"Ninja powers," she told Jayden. "Don't go full morph unless necessary."

Jayden nodded back and said, "Ninja Ranger Power, now!"

This transformed Jayden into his Ninja robes, colored in crimson.

"Phoenix Fire Sword," he said as he and Dulcea readied themselves.

"Get them!" Scorpina ordered.

The fight was quick and decisive; between the two of them, they kept Scorpina and her goons away from Mia enough and then finally, went on the offensive enough to end Scorpina's hope of derailing Mia's quest.

"You win this day, Rangers, but will soon meet your defeat. Enjoy," Scorpina said as she vanished with the beaten Tengas.

Creeping out from behind a rock, where she hid at one point during the battle, Mia walked up to Jayden and embraced him, then next shook hands with the Master Warrior.

"It's a pleasure to finally see you, Mia," Dulcea said. "I've been hoping for this day ever since Jayden received his powers, but didn't dream it would come."

"It's an honor to meet you too, Dulcea," Mia said. "What happened to this place?"

"At one point this planet was lively and bustling. Wars and tragedies have hindered this planet so much over the years," Dulcea said. "Let's go see about those possible powers of yours, shall we?"

About 15 minutes later, the three walked up to the ancient temple ruins. Mia was in awe...and still, so was Jayden even though he'd been here. It was breathtaking every time.

As Dulcea prepared for the ceremony and Mia's moment of truth, Jayden looked hard at his girlfriend.

"Mia, for this to work, you're really going to need to concentrate. There's an animal spirit in every one of us that is waiting to be released. You need to close your eyes and find it, so it can be released," Jayden said.

For Mia though, this was nothing new. Inner spirit and meditating was a large part of the Samurai life, so she knew how to handle introspective thinking.

Sure enough, right as Dulcea was ready, Mia found the spot she needed to get to inside herself, and the flames shot up high into the sky.

When the flames died down, Jayden looked at his girlfriend and thought, 'yep, told ya.'

She was dressed like all the rest of the Ninjetti, only this time the color of her robe was turquoise.

"Mia Watanabe, it is as Jayden and I both suspected," Dulcea said. "You are the Dove, peaceful and gentle."

"Dulcea," Mia said, "what is my quest? I know there probably is one, but is it at all like Jayden's?"

"No, it is not at all like his, because no power has ever been like his. Yours will simply be like the first six Earth Ninjetti had; you will have to journey to the Monolith to claim your powers in full."

"You should probably go back," Dulcea told Jayden. "I will handle this from here."

Jayden, to be honest, hated going back, he wanted to stay by his girlfriend's side, but he knew as great as he was he was under Dulcea as far as taking orders.

But, to be honest, if anyone could get there and fight her way through hell and high water it was his girlfriend.

"I guess this is goodbye for now," Jayden said as he embraced Mia. "You gonna be OK?"

"You know I will," Mia said, though to be honest she was more hopeful with that statement than anything because she didn't know what she'd be facing on the way.

As he hit the teleportation button to go back home, he hoped to the high heavens that this wasn't the last time he'd see his girlfriend.

Ever.

Rangers Chamber of Command, about two hours later

In a way, it was fortunate that Lauren had been turned evil for a short period of time.

In that time, she'd acquired some powers that, even though she'd come back to the side of good, had stuck with her.

One of these was the art of projection. She'd used it against Jayden in the dungeon up on the Moon, which he hated back then.

Now, he loved it, because it allowed him to keep in touch with Mia's quest. Lauren, of course, was happy to oblige not just because it was her brother, but Mia was her teammate, even though the Samurai powers had been transferred seamlessly.

Jayden had already met Mia's younger sister, Myakka, who was only about a year or two younger than Mia...and she was even more of a firebrand than Mia was if that was possible.

Myakka was uber-talented though, and Jayden after meeting her about an hour or so ago knew that the Pink Samuraizer would be in good hands.

As for Mia, currently she was at the point of the quest that Adam had once called "Jurassic Park" back in the day. Jayden had read about that in one of the books in the Chamber of Command's library.

"Your senses are bristling," Lauren said, but she soon realized Jayden wasn't even listening. He was deep in thought; his senses were bristling and he was busy trying to talk to Mia over a connection which was even stronger than before.

Sure enough, when the same bag of dino bones tried to ambush Mia as it had the Rangers 17 years ago, she was ready, as if she knew what was coming.

Jayden could already see what the plan was, make that bag of bones chase Mia and her speed until he got tired a bit, then pluck that bone his father did years ago.

Jayden could see early on though that Mia would have to change plans. Mr. Bag of Bones was quick himself, and had come close to ending Mia about three or four times.

At some point in the battle, he saw Mia scoot up a tree. Jayden gasped.

'No, please, no, don't do this, Mia,' he thought. The way he saw it, if she attempted a kamikaze dive, she'd get ate up.

"What is she thinking?" Lauren said. Finally, Jayden turned to Lauren and said, "I don't know, Lauren. This seems pretty risky."

Jayden then gasped as he saw Mia fly out of the trees, literally, wings spread from her back just like he had.

Using her newfound Power of Air, she furtively flew around the dinosaur, making his head spin every which way. Finally, she flew over his back one last time and grabbed the bone, causing the monster to fall apart instantly.

'That girlfriend of yours is pretty awesome, kiddo,' a voice suddenly sounded in his head.

'Mom, is that you?' Jayden thought.

'Hey, kiddo, yeah it's me. You enjoying the show?'

'Sure am, that was pretty neat. You guys do anything like that when you went up against that guy?'

Your Uncle Rocky ran up a tree, but none of us ever flew out of a tree. Your girlfriend is extremely impressive and she's only had those powers a few hours.'

'You're watching this...you mean to tell me your evil spawn's not 100 percent yet?'

'No, remember you gave it a pretty good beating. My Flammia side will be out of commission I think at least another week or so.'

From that point forward, Jayden, in mind and spirit, and his mother's good half, watched closely as Mia continued on through the Neola Jungle to the Monolith.

'How did you feel standing in front of the Monolith all those years ago?' Jayden asked Kimberly through his connection.

'Intimidated. By the way, you need to tell Mia not to get too close, like now!' his mother's good half responded.

Quickly, Jayden refocused on his connection with his girlfriend. The warning had come not a second too soon because at that point, the guardians of the Monolith had been activated.

'How hard are they to beat?' Jayden asked Kimberly.

'Intimidating but they're dumb. Mia can outsmart them,' Kimberly said.

Quickly, Jayden sent another mental message to his girlfriend, who suddenly changed tactics. Using her speed, she eventually flew off a tree and used a powerful kick to send two of the five guardians tumbling into a lake below, taking them out of the fight immediately.

Angry about the demise of two of his friends, another guardian charged Mia. Bad mistake, she was ready.

"Turquoise Dove Crossbow," she called, and a weapon similar to the Power Bow formed n her hands. "Fire Mode."

Jayden watched in pure amazement as Mia loaded an arrow suddenly tinged with crimson Phoenix fire. When Mia pulled the string, the arrow careened right towards the guardian, who wasn't able to get out of the way, and his body lit on fire until it burnt to ash. Another guardian tried to sneak up behind her and impale her, but Mia sensed it all the way and flipped him over her head.

"Turquoise Dove Wind Storm," Mia called. Much like Jayden, her wings began flapping, creating a massive wind storm which the guardian could not get out of the way of. He crashed into the wall, disintegrating into a million pieces.

There was one guardian left, who came at her with weapon held high ready to chop her head off. But this time, Mia let her wings pick her up off the ground and careened towards the last guardian. One kick sent his weapon out of his hand, the next kick sent him, too, flying into the wall.

"Just like Dr. Oliver said, Eight ball, corner pocket," Jayden heard Mia say. Jayden groaned; he knew his father was gonna tease Mia to no end for stealing his lines.

Suddenly, the Monolith began to shake and open, and suddenly a haunting voice could be heard by all watching.

'Congratulations, young Mia,' the voice, distinctly female, said. 'What happens should worst come to worst? Would you be willing to save the life of your boyfriend, even if it costs you yours?'

"Absolutely," he heard Mia say. "The Samurai are a selfless people. We care for others almost more than we do ourselves. Whatever it takes to keep Jayden alive, is what I will do."

'The apple doesn't fall far from the tree with how close you and Jayden are; the Falcon and Crane were once that close years ago. I pray that we will bring them home.'

'Excellent answer, and congratulations. I am Chenoa, your spirit animal. Chenoa, literally means dove in Native American. Come to me, young Mia.'

What happened next floored Jayden, and made his mother simply smile because she'd been through this. A brilliant light surrounded Mia, and when it was over, she stood in full Ranger uniform.

'This is huge, Jayden,' Kimberly suddenly told him. 'Your chances of freeing me from this hell just went up exponentially and my Flammia half is too beat up to even know it. This is awesome.'

'Yeah, but you shouldn't be revealing much,' Jayden said. 'Besides, we have a dangerous test to get through Monday night.'

'Indeed. It will take all of your intelligence to defeat what's coming, and it will most likely take Mia's new powers too. Good luck, kiddo. May the Power protect you.'

The Phoenix knew there was still a long way to go in this war, and that they could lose it all Monday night and through Halloween. But one thing was sure. He'd never felt as pumped up as he was now...maybe ever.

"Bring it on, boys," Jayden muttered to himself. "Bring it on."

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