Chapter 25: Eye of the Storm
"See you tomorrow guys," Kelly smiled to her workers, who called out goodbyes as she left. The four stayed behind, waiting for Shane to arrive.
"Where's Shane?" Dustin whined as he leaned on the counter. "Tsunami Cycle training is the one class I never wanna be late for," he complained.
"There he is," Hunter gestured to the door as Shane walked in, a frown on his face.
"Hey man," Dustin greeted him.
"What's up with you?" Ari asked as she jumped down from the counter, walking over to the Red Ranger.
"Yeah, you don't look so good," Dustin nodded.
"Yeah...I just found out my big brother's coming to town," Shane muttered, trying to smile and failing as he played with some replacement skateboard wheels.
"That'd bum me out too," Blake smirked, making the others laugh slightly as Hunter punched him. "No man, for real, what's the matter?" he asked curiously as Shane looked down.
"No, it's just...he's like the perfect son," Shane sighed heavily. "Successful, he's got a great job, nice house...he's not much into skateboarding," he looked away.
"Why doesn't he try motocross?" Dustin suggested with a grin.
"Not the point dude, trust me," Shane shook his head, and they started walking out of Storm Chargers. "It'd take more than big air to mellow out my brother," he muttered, and the others exchanged worried looks.
1-2-3-4-5
Dustin groaned as the Rangers stood together, morphed. Zoe was off training elsewhere. Since she didn't have a bike, nor did she want one, she was exempt from Tsunami Cycle training.
"Cam says our bikes won't be ready for a week," he grumbled, irritated. He'd been looking forward to the training, and now only Hunter and Blake had their bikes.
"Well then training today was kinda pointless," Ari grumbled, folding her arms.
"Not pointless," Shane shook his head. "We can always practice on these," he and Tori walked over to the two Thunder Cycles.
"I'm game," Tori nodded eagerly.
"Are you sure?" Blake asked hesitantly.
"Uh, careful," Hunter warned. Their bikes were much more powerful than the Tsunami Cycles, and while they were perfectly ok on their own bikes, they weren't used to the bigger, faster bikes.
"I can't watch," Dustin turned his back.
"This is going to be seriously ugly," Ari agreed. She was aware of how much more powerful the bikes were. She'd heard Dustin talking to Hunter and Blake about it a lot while they worked.
"Come on Tori!"
"I'm right with you!" the Blue Ranger nodded as they started up their bikes.
"Uh, guys?" Before Hunter could speak, the two revved up the engines, and cried out as they immediately lost control of the bikes. "Careful!" the Crimson Ranger shouted at them.
"They're too powerful!" Blake called as the two attempted to regain control. Dustin turned back around and cried out in horror, and Ari couldn't help but laugh, sinking to the ground as she wrapped her arms around her stomach. After a moment, Shane and Tori fell off their bikes, and the Thunder Rangers groaned.
"Sorry guys!" the two got back to their feet, and bowed apologetically.
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Ari was still laughing as Dustin and Blake rolled the bikes back into the mobile Ninja Ops. Cam was shooting irritable glares at Tori and Shane, now stuck with working on six bikes.
"Well, that was productive," Hunter spoke sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
"Come on Shane, we can't let these guys show us up," Tori called to Shane as he passed. The skateboarder turned around, frowning a little.
"Huh? Sorry Tori, I can't really focus right now," he spoke apologetically.
"Your brother's visit is really messing with you, huh?" Blake asked as he jumped down from the truck and walked over to them.
"Yeah..." Shane sighed as Dustin joined them. Ari had stopped laughing by this point. "Hey look, I gotta go. I gotta meet him at the skatepark. He'll freak if I'm late," he told them softly.
"Just be cool Shane. You haven't seen him in a while. Maybe he's changed," Blake suggested, and the others nodded as Shane forced a smile, and headed off to meet his brother.
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"I wonder just how bad Shane's brother could be," Ari commented as the rest of the group walked through Blue Bay Harbour. "I haven't seen him that unfocused since the whole issue with Skyla and his dreams," the others nodded in agreement.
"Porter's always been serious and focused on his future," Tori spoke as she kicked a stone out of the way. "He's always seen Shane's skateboarding and martial arts as a waste of time," she told them. Ari frowned. She could relate to that.
"And the one thing important thing that Shane's involved in, he can't talk about," Zoe nodded, having joined them when they returned to town. "It's weird thinking about it. I've always been so close to my brothers," she commented.
"All of them," Ari grinned.
"How many brothers do you have?" Hunter frowned, looking down at Zoe.
"Uh...5," she smiled pleasantly up at him.
"Have fun dealing with that when we get them back," Ari laughed as Hunter suddenly looked a bit nervous. "They're definitely going to have fun with you," she taunted, and Zoe reached over to slap her over the head. Ari darted to Dustin's other side, still laughing as she rubbed her head.
"Ignore her," Zoe told Hunter as she took his hand. "Alright then brat, what if it was your brothers who showed up?" she glanced to Ari, who shrugged.
"Depends on the brother. If it was Mal, he'd bring Jessie, and then if Lothor attacked, I'd have a problem because they wouldn't let me leave without an explanation, and 'I have to get to training' would not fly with those two," she replied. Her smile had faded a little at the thought. "If it was Joe, I wouldn't mind so much," Ari shrugged.
"I heard my name," they all stopped as a voice called out, and Ari spun around quickly. A young man in his mid-twenties jogged up to them, grinning. He had blond hair that was spiked up out of his face, and blue eyes. "You miss me?" he smiled.
"Joe!" Ari leapt at her brother, hugging him tightly. Joe laughed, lifting her into the air. "What are you doing here? Dad said you couldn't leave Briarwood since Hannah's due in 2 months!" Ari exclaimed as Joe set her down.
"She said it was alright to visit for a day, as long as I bought some baby stuff while I was in town," he grinned back, and Ari laughed. She introduced him to the other Rangers, who were watching curiously, and as she introduced him to Zoe, he double-took. "Zoe? It's been quite a while," Joe smiled at her, and everyone looked at Zoe quickly. She looked alarmed as she stared at Ari's brother.
"Yeah, it really has," she nodded as she recovered from her surprise.
"Uh...you two know each other?" Ari looked at the two, confused.
"He's my brother's best friend," Zoe told her, and Ari's jaw dropped, hanging open as she stared at her. The other Rangers looked quite surprised too, mostly for the fact that Ari hadn't known. "I never knew you guys were related," she commented.
"What? But we look so similar!" Ari shook her head to clear it, and grinned widely. Joe just rolled his eyes in amusement.
"How is Derek anyway?" Joe asked Zoe. "I haven't heard from him in months. I assume he's off on another trip?" he asked, and Zoe tried to hide the sadness she felt.
"Yeah. He'll be back soon though," she spoke confidently, and Hunter squeezed her hand as the others nodded.
"Good. Ari, are you busy? Or do you fancy spending some time with your favourite brother?" Joe asked, looking down at his sister. Ari glanced to the other Rangers, who just nodded back.
"Sure," Ari grinned back. "I'll catch you guys later," she told them, and the two headed off.
"How'd you not know that your brother's best friend was the older brother of one of the best students in your dad's academy?" Tori asked with a raised eyebrow as she turned to Zoe.
"I always thought the surname was a coincidence," Zoe admitted. "I mean, you saw them, they really aren't alike in the slightest. Then again, that's not surprising," Tori and Dustin nodded.
"Wait, you mean that Ari's adopted?" Blake asked.
"Dude, how could you not tell?" Dustin asked incredulously. While Ari was tanned, with black hair and green eyes, Joe was even taller, blond with blue eyes, and was well toned, unlike Ari and her lanky frame. It was like Blake and Hunter, who were polar opposites in appearance. "Of all people, you guys should have figured it out," he grinned, and the pair rolled their eyes.
"Wait, you guys are adopted brothers?" Zoe asked mockingly.
"Cute," Hunter just wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into him as she laughed. "How'd you guys know?" he asked.
"She told us, in not so many words," Tori shrugged, and Dustin and Zoe nodded.
"Now come on! I wanna get some food!" Dustin cheered, and they grinned at the Yellow Ranger.
1-2-3-4-5
"So are those guys doing the same training as you?" Joe asked as he and Ari sat outside a café. Ari nodded, taking a bite of a piece of cake.
"There's another guy, Shane, he's off with his brother as well today. And Cam, he's the one I'm staying with," Ari smiled brightly. "He's really cool," she told him, and Joe smiled back.
"I'm glad you're having fun. Are there any others, or is it just them?" he asked.
"Nope, just us," Ari spoke, before pausing. She probably should have said there were others, but Joe was someone that Ari couldn't lie to. The thought hadn't crossed her mind to.
"That sounds like fun. It's always more fun when it's just a small group of friends," if Joe found it weird, he wasn't commenting on it. "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself," the 25 year old nodded, and Ari looked up again.
"You're not going to ask when I'm going back to Briarwood?" she asked curiously.
"You'll be home when you're ready," Joe replied, and took a drink of his coffee. "You're young Ari, you shouldn't be stuck at home all the time. You seem to have already matured, being here for a couple of months," he told her, setting the cup down. Ari tilted her head curiously. While Joe had always been more understanding and patient with her, she couldn't help but wonder why he of all people wasn't demanding to know when she'd be going home, considering his daughter was due to be born soon.
"You know, people call me weird. But you're the real weirdo here," she told him after a moment, and he laughed. Ari's morpher suddenly beeped, and his laughter died down as he looked at her, and Ari sighed as she looked down at her wrist. "I have to go. It's uh-"
"Go," Joe told her softly, and Ari looked up in surprise. He grinned at her, and Ari got to her feet.
"I'll meet you back here later, ok?" she suggested, and Joe nodded, getting to his feet as well.
"Sounds good. I can pick up some things for the baby," he decided. Ari turned and started running, before catching his softer words. "Be careful," she stopped instantly and spun around, but Joe was already walking off.
"How..." she muttered, but shook her head and raised her morpher to her mouth. "Go for Ari," she answered, still watching Joe suspiciously.
"There's a monster attacking in the town square," Cam reported, sounding a little irritated.
"I'll meet you guys there," she told him, and ran off to join the others.
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Meeting up with Dustin, Tori, Zoe, Hunter, Blake and Cam in the square, she found that they were just as confused as she was. People ran around screaming, terrified by what seemed like nothing.
"What's the deal?" Tori asked, looking around.
"The dogs! The dogs!" one man ran up to them screaming. When they all looked blank, he screamed again and ran off.
"Do you see any dogs?" Dustin frowned, confused by the man's words.
"Only that dog-faced freak," Blake spotted Motodrone standing beside another monster.
"Oh, that must be Lothor's freakiest looking monster yet," Zoe determined with a shiver.
"Rangers, let me help you face your fears," Motodrone called to them as they were surrounded by Kelzacks. "Eyezik!" he barked to the monster, who roared and fired yellow energy at them. They leapt back, barely able to avoid it.
"What's taking us so long?" Zoe coughed as she swatted the smoke away.
"Ready?" Cam called as they lined up.
"Ready!"
"NINJA STORM!"
"CELESTIAL STORM!"
"THUNDER STORM!"
"SAMURAI STORM!"
"RANGER FORM, HA!"
"Ranger Storm Power!"
The group drew their weapons and got ready to fight. Motodrone tossed his cloak aside, and barked at the Kelzacks to attack. The footsoldiers ran at them, and the Rangers ran to meet them. As they fought them off, Motodrone stepped in and hit Dustin, knocking the Yellow Ranger to the ground. As he got up, several Kelzacks grabbed him and restrained him.
"Do it Eyezik!" Motodrone ordered, and the monster fired another blast, but Dustin ducked, and it hit the Kelzack behind him instead. The Kelzack put its hands to its head staggering away as a collar appeared around its neck.
"What is that thing?" Tori asked as they all noticed it.
"I dunno, but it looks nasty," Dustin gulped, glad that he had ducked when he had.
"Hey, where's our fearless leader?" Ari asked, looking around for any sign of the Red Ranger.
"No idea," Tori asked, before the Kelzacks recovered from the surprise and attacked again. Swinging her sword, Zoe took out one that was coming up at her from behind. She dodged another blast from Eyesik, and a collar attached itself around a Kelzack that was about to hit her.
"Whatever it is that those things do, I say we avoid getting ones of our own," Ari called to the others. She backflipped, and cut across a couple of Kelzacks.
"Gee, ya think?" Zoe shouted, before looking over as Shane finally arrived.
"Glad you could make it!" Hunter yelled over to him as he tossed another Kelzack aside. "Join the party!" he barked, and Shane nodded.
"NINJA STORM, RANGER FORM, HA!" he morphed into his red suit, unaware that his brother was watching from behind a pillar. He helped clear out the Kelzacks, summoning the Battilizer to help speed things up. He activated the flight mode and flew into the air, blasting the Kelzacks and destroying all that remained.
"We're not finished!" Motodrone warned, disappearing with Eyezik. Shane landed, and the others gathered around, congratulating him as he grinned under his helmet.
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Ari took a breath as she walked towards where her brother was sitting, reading a newspaper. He was surrounded by bags, and was completely absorbed in what he was reading as he took a drink of coffee.
"Alright," he jumped, nearly spilling his drink, as Ari sat down opposite him, folding her arms. "What do you know?" she demanded as Joe lowered his paper and smiled.
"What do you mean?" he asked, tilting his head slightly and blinking.
"You are aware that you taught me that move?" Ari couldn't help but grin at the 25 year old's attempt to look innocent.
"Oh yeah...I forgot that," Joe chuckled, resting his head in his hand as he propped his elbow on the table.
"When I bailed earlier, you didn't ask me where I was running off to. And you told me to be careful. Why?" Ari demanded. Joe surveyed Ari's pleading expression, and sighed, straightening up in his chair.
"Alright Ari. I don't like lying to you. Especially when you look like that," Ari straightened up as well, resting her hands in her lap as she watched him. "I know. Not everything, but a lot," Ari frowned, and Joe glanced around before speaking. "I know about the Celestial Ninja Academy on the mountain between Briarwood and Reefside," he told her in a soft voice, and Ari's eyes widened. "Derek told me about it when we were just kids. I figured that's where you were training when you couldn't give me a name for the place," Joe grinned widely, and Ari went red.
"And...do you know anything else?" she asked hesitantly.
"You know I do Ari," Joe's expression turned serious again. "The Gold Ranger showed up just as you moved here. I've seen you training back home, when you figured nobody was paying attention. When the Power Rangers were shown on TV, I recognised the way you fight with swords," Ari went even redder.
"That's why you didn't question when I was coming home," she frowned, and Joe nodded. "I hate how perceptive you are..." Ari grumbled, leaning on the table as Joe laughed.
"I know Xander knows too," Ari let out a groan loud enough to earn several odd looks. Joe was smiling again at this point. "Ari, I'm proud of you," she peeked up at him.
"You're not going to tell me that I'm too young to be trying to save the world?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Nah. I always knew you were mature for your age, right from when mum and dad brought you home," he grinned.
"I was 5 years old and I bit you," Ari rolled her eyes and sat up again. Joe just shrugged. "You know, I stick to my earlier statement. You really are weirder than me," she told him. "But...thanks," she smiled, and he reached over to ruffle her hair. "And be careful. Lothor's monster already went after Xander cause he's my best friend, I don't need him sending his latest creep after you," she warned.
"Lothor?" Joe's smile dropped, and Ari groaned.
"I guess you don't know everything then," she muttered, rolling her eyes. "Well, it started when Sensei Sugiura called me to his office to talk," Ari started, and Joe leaned forwards, listening intently as she told him everything from when she had first been given her morpher.
1-2-3-4-5
"Hey guys!" Ari greeted the other Rangers as she walked into Ninja Ops. "Shane still with his bro?" she asked, and they nodded.
"Speaking of which, why aren't you with yours?" Tori asked her as she walked over to them.
"He had to get back home. Hannah's been pretty worried about being left on her own lately," Ari told them, and they all frowned in confusion, making her roll her eyes. "Hannah is his wife, and she is 7 months pregnant," she explained, and the Rangers nodded in understanding. "Actually, I kinda have to tell you something as well," she bit her lip.
"What's up?" Cam glanced over his shoulder at her.
"Uh...now don't freak out, cause I didn't tell him or anything...but he knows," Ari mumbled.
"And how did he find out?" Hunter asked with a raised eyebrow, folding his arms.
"It wasn't like your friend Xander, was it?" Blake questioned, and Ari went red.
"No!"
"Xander? Your giant Australian friend?" Zoe asked, having heard about him when she had been at the Academy. "He knows? And you guys know him?" Zoe looked blank, and they couldn't help but laugh.
"You missed an interesting day," Dustin giggled.
"Oh yeah, that was when he punched Shane for making Ari cry," Tori remembered with a nod. Cam smirked, and hid it by turning back to the computer. Zoe's expression darkened.
"Shane is lucky that it was only Xander who got hold of him," she muttered.
"Why am I friends with really violent people?" Ari asked Cam, leaning against his seat.
"I've been wondering that myself," he replied.
"Not violent! Just...protective..." Zoe couldn't help but grin. "So how'd Joe find out?" she asked, and Ari glanced to her, grinning.
"You have Derek to thank for it. Apparently he told him all about the Celestial Academy when they were kids," Zoe frowned again as Ari told her this.
"I knew Derek was the idiot of the family, but that's ridiculous," she muttered, pushing her glasses up to pinch the bridge of her nose.
"Anyway, Joe realised that the Gold Ranger showed up at the same time that I came here, and put two and two together," Ari explained, and they nodded. "I didn't morph in front of him or anything," she muttered, making them grin.
"It cannot be helped Ari," Sensei spoke up from his perch in front of Cam. "It was not your fault. Though do try and prevent others from discovering your identity in the future," he suggested, and Ari went red as the others sniggered.
"So what's happening Cam? What are those collar things?" she asked the Samurai, changing the subject quickly.
"I analysed the brainwaves of the people Eyezik attacked," he told them, and they all looked to the screen. "His collar can harness their deepest fears," he explained.
"That's low, even for Lothor," Tori growled.
"We better make the repairs to the Tsunami Cycles, we may need them," Hunter suggested.
"What happened?" Zoe asked with a raised eyebrow. Ari giggled, and covered her mouth as Tori scowled at her, going bright red.
"Someone had a little accident," Blake taunted with a smirk, and Tori bit her lip, trying not to smile.
"We'll go with you. Some of us could use the practice," Dustin told them as they started walking, leaving Zoe and Cam to monitor for Eyezik's inevitable return.
"One little spill, and suddenly you're a road hazard?" Tori whined at them.
"That wasn't a 'little' spill Tor," Ari grinned at her, making the others laugh. They greeted Shane as they walked out, and he glanced over to the three who stayed behind.
"Hey, uh, Sensei? Can I talk to you...alone?" he asked, his eyes darting to Cam and Zoe.
"We're leaving," Zoe grinned, and she and Cam left Ninja Ops.
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After hearing that Eyezik had returned, the Rangers hurried to join Shane, who had rushed off to see his brother. They spotted the Red Ranger, just as he blocked a hit meant for his brother, and a collar attached itself around his neck. They blasted Eyezik and Motodrone, knocking them away from the Red Ranger as he fell to his knees.
"We might be too late," Tori ran over to Shane, who had a hand to his head.
"You ok?" Dustin crouched beside him as well, only for both to be caught by Eyezik, who then collared them both.
"Oh great, that's three down already," Zoe groaned as the two were tossed aside. On their Thunder Cycles, Hunter and Blake rode up to fight Eyezik off as Zoe and Ari crouched beside the two yelling Rangers. Unable to calm them or remove their collars, the pair were forced to dive out of the way as Eyezik blasted at them.
"Solar Blades!" Ari called on her swords and rushed at Eyezik, managing to hit him, but as she turned to strike him again, she was hit from the side by Motodrone. He laughed, yanking her to her feet.
"No!" Zoe summoned her bow and aimed it at Motodrone, but it was too late. Eyezik blasted Ari, and she was thrown to the ground as a collar wrapped around her neck. Zoe fired a Moon Arrow that threw Motodrone into a building, and ran over to Ari as she screamed. "Ari! Ari please, it's not real!" she pleaded as she helped her into a sitting position. Ari just screamed again in response, covering her head and cowering. Zoe stared at her, wondering just what Ari was seeing that terrified her so badly. The Silver Ranger looked up as Hunter and Blake were knocked off their bikes, before Eyezik suddenly grew.
"Enough messing around!" the Thunder Rangers blasted Eyezik, who responded by sucking them in and devouring them.
"No!" Zoe cried out in horror. She had no idea what to do as Eyezik laughed above her. She had no Zord, and those that did were out of commission.
Tears streamed down Ari's face as she cowered, unable to tear her gaze from her hallucination. A storm raged and she watched as a strange, pale gold and blue coloured monster cackled above her, eyes glowing red with large fangs. She could hear fighting and explosions, and thunder boomed, making her flinch.
"Face your fear Ari," Ari blinked as Sensei's voice echoed in her head. "Believe in yourself, and you will have nothing to fear," he told her, and Ari swallowed, before the monster laughed again and roared. Ari flinched, and put her hands over her head again.
"I can't," she spoke in a broken whisper. "I can't beat him..." she whimpered.
"Be strong!" Shane's voice reached her. "Listen to Sensei! You have nothing to fear, but fear itself!" he told her.
"Come on Ari, you're not alone here!" Zoe's voice reached her, and Ari took a ragged breath.
"You're just a dream. Just a nightmare from when I was little," she glared up at the monster through her tears, and the cackling faded. A moment later, the hallucination did as well, and Ari found herself looking up at Zoe. "What's going on?" she asked, and the Silver Ranger breathed out.
"Come on, quit taking a nap. We still have work to do," she told Ari, helping her to her feet.
"Ok guys," Cam spoke up. "You may have broken Eyezik's spell, but the only way to free yourself from the Nightmare Collar completely is to destroy Eyezik. Use the Zords to distract him until I get there," he instructed as they stood together. "Tori, Zoe, ride the bikes into the belly of the beast. It's the only way to get Hunter and Blake," Cam explained, and they nodded.
"Now that, I can do," Zoe spoke confidently as she walked over to Hunter's bike. The others called on their Zords, forming the Storm Megazord as Ari's Swan Zord stood beside it in its fighter form.
"Let's try this again, huh?" Dustin called as the Storm Megazord ran at the monster. Eyesik knocked it back, slamming the Storm Megazord, until Ari's Zord grabbed him from behind.
"Zoe, Tori! Punch it!" Ari yelled as she struggled to keep a strong hold on the thrashing monster.
"Here goes," Zoe gulped, and the two revved up the engines, racing off the roof, and into Eyezik's mouth.
"They're in!" Shane yelled.
"Ew!" Tori cried out as they slowed to a stop and got off the bikes. "What has this guy been eating?" she complained as the powerful smell hit them.
"Thunder Rangers," Zoe responded as she looked around.
"Look!" Tori called as she spotted the two Rangers, choosing to ignore Zoe's words. "There they are!" she gestured to where the two hung limply, supported by strange tubing.
"Come on," Zoe ran over to the pair, with Tori behind her. "Lunar Bow! Moon Arrow!" Zoe fired two arrows, that cut the pair down so they hit the ground hard. The two girls ran over to them, and crouched beside them. "Nap time's over Hunter, come on," she shook him as she pleaded.
"Zoe? What are you..." Hunter groaned as she opened his eyes and looked up.
"Blake, are you alright?" Tori asked as she helped Blake to his feet.
"Yeah...I think so," he mumbled as Zoe helped Hunter up. Eyezik suddenly threw Ari off his back, which rocked his insides and made the Rangers stumble about.
"Guys! Get outta there!" Shane yelled.
"You gotta open his mouth so we can do that!" Zoe yelled back, hoping that he could hear them.
"One exit, coming up!" Dustin called to them. The four inside climbed onto the bikes again, with the Thunder Rangers attempting to hold on, while Shane, Dustin and Ari worked on opening his mouth together. As Ari grabbed him from behind again, the Storm Megazord managed to open his mouth, which allowed the two bikes to fly out. Blasts hit Eyezik from above, and they looked up to see Cam flying towards them in his Zord.
"You're welcome!" the Green Ranger called. Hunter and Blake called on their Zords as Tori joined Shane and Dustin. "Check this out!" Cam called, and new Power Disks appeared for Shane, Hunter and Ari.
"Ohh, a new toy?" Ari asked with a grin, and they inserted the disks to call on the spheres. They opened, and created a large red, black and gold bird Zord. "What is it?" the Gold Ranger asked curiously.
"The Ninja Firebird," Cam explained. "It'll enable us to form one Megazord!" the other Rangers cheered at the thought. "Initiating Hurricane Megazord!" the bird Zord flew higher into the air, and the four Megazords combined, with the bird breaking apart to finish the new look.
"Hurricane Megazord!"
"I'm losing it!" Tori suddenly cried out as Eyezik let out a roar and increased the power in the collars.
"Ah! I'm falling!" Dustin yelled as Ari clamped her eyes shut, hearing the laughter echo in her mind again.
"Believe in yourselves!" Shane yelled to them.
"We're trying man!" Dustin insisted, and Ari managed to open her eyes, her breathing ragged. The Hurricane Megazord ran at Eyezik, and slashed at him. When he recovered and blasted them, they created a shield that repelled the monster's attack, causing it to hit him.
"Let's show him some real power!" Hunter called.
"Typhoon power!" the Rangers called, and the blades on the front began to spin, creating a tornado that caught Eyezik. It lifted him into the air, and destroyed it. The Rangers cheered, and were relieved when the collars disappeared from around their necks.
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"So Ari, I know there's probably some etiquette about the whole collar thing, but..." Zoe trailed off as she, Hunter, Blake and Ari walked into Ninja Ops.
"You want to know about what I saw..." Ari sighed, taking a seat on the table. Cam turned around in his seat, looking curious. "You too?" she couldn't help but look amused when she glanced to Cam.
"Well Shane's afraid of being a disappointment, Tori's scared of getting her hair cut, and Dustin's terrified of falling. And you...?" Blake trailed off.
"Its stupid really," Ari crossed her legs and put her hands on her ankles. "For as long as I can remember, I've had this nightmare. There's a storm, and this...well, monster. He's laughing, and there's loads of fighting, I don't know who with," she told them. "I think when I found out that I've been having this nightmare since I was left at the orphanage as a baby, my fears about it grew. I figured, what if this actually happened?" the Rangers were silent as Ari looked down at her hands. "I've never been able to cope with fear well, since not that much scares me...but this..." she trailed off.
"Hey, if it happened, then it's over and done with, right?" Zoe put a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Yeah, so you got nothing to worry about," Hunter nodded as Ari frowned.
"And hey, you can take care of yourself," Cam spoke up as he leaned back in his chair. "If it ever happened again, you have the skills to fight this monster off," he told her.
"They are right Ari. You must not let your fear rule you," Sensei told her with a nod.
"It's like you said before. If I believe in myself, there's nothing to fear," Ari remembered the words that whispered in her head. Sensei nodded again, smiling softly. Ari then smiled brightly. "Thanks guys, you're right," she nodded.
"Music to my ears," Zoe giggled as she hugged the Gold Ranger.
"Must be foreign to you," Cam teased with a smirk, and Zoe scowled at him as Ari started to laugh.
"Not cool," Zoe grumbled as Hunter and Blake grinned as well, trying to hide their laughter.
Well there's plenty of hints of Ari's true identity in this chapter!
I hope you enjoyed it, this was one of my favourite chapters to write (so far), and parts of it will feature in later stories!
Let me know what you think!