Three chapters left until the end!
The Manticore creaked as it struggled to maintain a firm grip on the closing portal. Kali could hear her friends panting with exertion. If this portal closed then they would be trapped in the Underworld and Hekatoid would be loose in the city with Udonna still as his captive.
They needed to do something.
She needed to do something.
She knew better than anyone what it was like to lose someone you loved, not knowing if the were alive or dead. But Udonna was alive, and many people were waiting for her to come home.
"I can't hold it much longer!" said Maddie, falling against her podium.
"Me too," said Chip.
Kali felt an unfamiliar burn deep inside her body, she felt it rise and spread down her arms and into her fingertips. She clenched her eyes shut and grit her teeth, as a growl rumbled from the back of her throat and she forced the portal open wide.
"Woah," Xander and Vida murmured, each one stealing a glance at Kali.
"How did you do that?" Nick asked.
"It doesn't matter," Kali said, feeling a lot weaker than she had. "Let's just get out of here."
The others nodded and stepped through the portal, and looked around the area for any sign of Hekatoid. They had stepped through into the countryside, and the sea extended into the horizon behind them.
"Where'd he go?" Chip asked.
Hekatoid burst out of the sea and slammed his hammer down onto the Manticore. "Right here!" he laughed. He held up the cage that had Udonna inside, and taunting held her out to the Rangers. "I have Udonna!" he chanted.
Kali shook her head as she forced the Megazord back to its feet. "I hated it when Joe did that to me as a kid, and I still hate it now," she said, forming a fist and punching out. The Megazord copied her actions and smashed its fist into Hekatoid.
"You can't have her!" Hekatoid wailed as the Manticore forced his hand against a ledge, loosening his fingers around the cage.
"Let go!" Chip yelled.
"I won't give her up," Hekatoid yelled. "She's my prize!"
The cage dropped from his hands and the team gasped as it tumbled towards the floor.
"Grab it!" Vida called.
Maddie reached out to grab the cage with the Manticore's free hand but missed as Hekatoid's tongue got there first. The blue ranger recoiled in disgust and Hekatoid tossed the cage into the air.
"No!" Kali yelled, swinging her arm wildly and knocking the cage from Hekatoid's grasp. "Oh shit!" she added, as it arched through the air.
Releasing Hekatoid the Manticore dove for the cage but missed as a blob of black tar surrounded it, causing it to disappear. The Rangers groaned as they, instead, smashed into the side of a mountain.
"I've got her back!" Hekatoid laughed.
"He's working my last nerve," Kali grumbled.
"And I'll also take something else," Hekatoid added, disappearing.
Vida looked around as ripples crashed through the cockpit. "What's happening?" she asked.
"Energy levels are critical!" said Chip.
"We're being ejected!" said Kali. "Everyone hold on!"
As the last of the Manticore's energy fizzled out, the Rangers were thrown from their seats and hit the ground, demorphin' on impact. They panted and slowly got back to their feet, checking on the others and helping them if needed.
"I can't believe we let him get away with her," said Nick, running a hand over his face.
"Nick, as long as we're still breathing, we're not stopping," said Vida.
Chip nodded. "Even if I stop breathing, I'm not stopping," he said.
"That's not exactly comforting, Chip," Kali muttered. "If you stop breathing then we got to worry about you, too."
"Point taken," said Chip.
Kali smiled lightly and squeezed his shoulder. She then turned to Nick. "We'll get her back," she promised.
Nick took a deep breath and nodded.
"All right," said Xander. "Let's Ranger up."
The others reached for their morphers and snapped them open, punching in the familiar digits and flooding the Morpher with magic.
"Magical Source, Mystic Force!"
The Morpher chimed dimly and the team looked around at one another. This was new.
"He stole our powers," said Nick.
"Oh, come on! Not again!" Kali whined, pressing the digits on her Morpher'. Still, nothing happened.
"We're not Power Rangers anymore," Nick sighed. "I can't help Mom."
Instinctively, Kali reached for his hand and squeezed it. Despite everything that was going on in their personal lives, he was still her best friend and she felt obligated to offer comfort when it was needed.
~X~
"We got to find LeeLee and get her to help us," said Nick, jogging down the steps outside the Rock Porium. Behind him were Xander and Kali, both had volunteered to help him check the store, although he wasn't sure if it was such a good idea in the long run.
"If she's not here, the others - closed?" Xander asked, sharing a confused look with the other two. "At two in the afternoon?"
Reaching over Nick, Kali plucked a single piece of paper from the window, and read aloud. It was a note from Toby.
"All my employees disappeared. I went skating. Rock on in 30. Toby 'Exercise and eat healthy' Slambrook."
"What does he mean 'All my employees disappeared'?" Xander asked, taking the note and re-reading it.
"He probably means LeeLee's not here," said Kali, sighing heavily.
"I hope not," Nick muttered, using his key to unlock the front door. He swung it open and headed directly for the back office, calling out LeeLee's name.
Kali headed for the kitchen. "I'll check out back," she called, disappearing through the door into the alley. She checked everywhere that she could think of, even the street leading towards the part, but found nothing. With a sigh, Kali headed around to the front of the store, and back down the steps, stopping as she heard Nick's raised voice.
"You're Mr Personality, you're always surrounded by people," Nick said. "Even my best friend is charmed by you."
Kali lay her head against the wall and closed her eyes. She didn't want to hear this but also found that she didn't want to interrupt. She'd had a feeling this talk was a long-time coming between these two, but she had also hoped she wouldn't have been around to witness it.
"I haven't always been Mr Personality," said Xander, "When I first came to this country, I didn't know anyone. No one wanted to know me. I was the new guy with the silly accent, picked last on the school teams. I was teased mercilessly. Takes time to find your place. I understand loneliness. I understand leaving your friends behind. But you're not alone, Nick. You got us. We're your friends. We're your mates, your family."
Kali smiled.
"Yeah. I'm sorry," Nick sighed. "You're right."
"'Course I am," Xander replied, and Kali didn't need to see his face to know he was smirking. She could hear it in his voice. "As for Kali, I may have her attention, but I don't have her heart." He sounded closer now and when Kali looked up she found him staring at her from the doorway. He didn't say, just stared at her. "Do I?"
Kali held his gaze for a split second and then looked away. The familiar feelings of guilt bubbled in her chest and she felt tears in her eyes; she squeezed them shut, willing them not to fall as she took a deep breath. She'd always prided herself on being able to hide her emotions, had she become that easy to read?
"Wait, what?" Nick asked, confused.
Kali sighed and pushed away from the wall. "LeeLee isn't outback," she said, jumping up onto the front counter. She refused to meet Nick's gaze or Xander's, for the matter. The idea of being caught eavesdropping was humiliating enough, to be called out on her feelings when she didn't fully understand them herself, was worse.
"Maybe the others have had a better chance?" Xander asked, firing off a text to Vida. It didn't long for her to reply, but the message was anything but uplifting. They hadn't found anything either and were returning to the Rock Porium to regroup.
Nick shook his head. "Now what are we going to do?" he asked.
Kali finally met Nick's gaze. "You know I don't make promises lightly," she said. "But I meant what I said at the park. We'll get her back. Whatever it takes."
Even though he knew she was right, Nick couldn't bring himself to smile or even nod.
No less than five minutes later, Vida, Chip, and Maddie entered the shop, closely followed by Toby. He was panting and sweating from his run, but that didn't stop him from jogging on the spot as he met them. "Oh. You're here," he said, surprised. "I was beginning to wonder if you worked here or not."
"Yeah, sorry, Toby, we've had a few things going on," said Kali, shifting aside to let Vida brace herself against the counter.
"Boy, this diet and exercise - it sure makes the world of difference," said Toby, jogging through the team, his skates on his hands. "I feel fantastic!"
"Glad you're feeling better, Toby," said Nick.
Toby stopped jogging and skated across the floor on his hands. He looked around at his employees, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper as he took in their appearances. "Why the long faces?" he asked. "You want some water? Maybe some fruit?"
"You know not all fruit is good for you, right?" Kali asked. "There's a lot of natural sugars in some fruits, and that's bad for you."
Toby cocked his head to the side and blinked. He looked like he wanted to say something, but decided against it at the last second and tried to fold his arms instead, almost hitting himself in the face with his blade skates in the process.
"Look, I know something's wrong," said Toby, shaking his blades from his hands. "You come, you go. You come back, you go away again. You might as well tell me. It will make you feel better."
The team shared rejected looks and then slowly nodded as they turned to Nick. They did owe Toby an explanation on all the times they had abandoned him during a shift.
Nick sighed and jumped down from the records table he had been sitting on. "You're right," he said. "It's time you knew the truth. Um..." he hesitated, glancing one last time at his friends, making sure that this was 100% a group decision. When they didn't argue, he turned back to Toby. "We're the Power Rangers."
"That's why we're always running off all the time," said Kali. "We were chosen to protect the world from evil."
Toby laughed, nervously. "Uh... no, you tried that one on me before," he said. "Now - now, what's the real truth?"
"That is the real truth!" the team said, simultaneously.
"Okay, uh, well, why don't you prove it to me?" Toby asked. "Let me see you, uh... morph!"
Kali looked down.
"We can't," said Chip. "We had our powers stole by an overweight, sloppy frog."
"Convenient. But the real Power Rangers would figure out a way to get their powers back," said Toby, thinking out loud. "The fate of the world rests in their hands."
Maddie nodded.
"See, the real Power Rangers would realise that the frog was overweight and use their agility," Toby jumped behind a record stand. He popped back up and leaned against it, falling sideways as it moved. "They're in such great shape. If he goes left, well, they'd tumble right. If he came forward, well, they'd flip over the top."
Kali glanced at Xander as he pushed away from the front counter.
"The real Power Rangers are as healthy as they come," Toby continued, spurring the team on with every word.
"You're right, Toby."
"Let's do it," said Maddie, heading for the door.
Kali grinned and hopped down from the counter. "Thanks, Tobs, see you later!" she called, chasing after her friends.
~X~
Reaching the scene, the team found Daggeron and Hekatoid facing off against one another. The knight was unmorphed, and Hekatoid looked pleasantly happy with himself.
"Fall, my babies! Take over this land!" Hekatoid shouted, waving his hands through the air as he looked towards the clouds. His tadpoles, despite Solaris Knight's interference, had grown into full-size frogs and were ready to fall.
"Not on our watch!" said Nick, catching Hekatoid's attention.
Hekatoid held up a jar that glittered vibrantly in the late afternoon sun. "I have your powers," he said. "You can't do anything."
"Don't count on it," said Kali, clenching her hands into fists. She raced forward and jumped over a blob of tar that Hekatoid fired at the team, as the others ducked aside.
"Hey, that's not fair!" Hekatoid wailed, raising his arm to block a black energy ball that Kali threw at him. He may have taken her morphin' abilities, but just like when she'd lost her magic due to the Dark Wish, she still could conjure energy balls.
As Hekatoid recovered from her surprise attack, Kali ducked behind several stone steps and glanced at Daggeron and Jenji as they joined her. "We have to get that jar," she said.
"I can distract him," said Jenji, even though he did sound so enthusiastic.
"No," said Kali, shaking her head. "Stay here." She peered out from behind the wall and met Nick's gaze, glanced at Hekatoid and made an energy ball in her hand.
Nick nodded, catching her train of thought and then withdrew.
"Hey, frog face!" Kali called, racing out from behind the wall and throwing another energy ball at Hekatoid. He howled as it collided with his back.
"How do you still have powers?!" Hekatoid whined. "I stole them from you."
"Trust me, I'm wondering the same thing," said Kali. She jumped backwards as Hekatoid fired a blob of tar at her, and retaliated with an energy ball of her own. The two collided in mid-air causing the energy ball to disappear and the black tar to fizzle out.
Kali blinked and then shook her head. That was weird.
"You won't stop me," said Hekatoid. "When my babies fall -"
"Anyone ever told you that you shouldn't make promises you can't keep?" Kali asked. She indicated with her head to something behind Hekatoid, and he turned just in time for Nick to kick the jar with their powers from his grasp.
Nick plucked it from mid-air and landed beside his best friend. "Got it!" he announced as the others regrouped around him. Without waiting, Nick opened the lid and their powers returned, flooding them with the familiar warmth and energy.
"It doesn't matter!" Hekatoid yelled.
Maddie shrieked as a frog landed on her shoulder, and she hastily brushed it aside.
Looking up, the Rangers gasped as thousands of frogs rained down from the clouds.
"Fall, my children!" Hekatoid bellowed.
Suddenly, the frogs froze and shattered as they hit the ground.
"What?" Hekatoid yelled. "What happened?!"
"They froze," Daggeron murmured.
"That's right."
The team spun around and found the White Ranger standing behind them, her snow staff in hand. "I thought you could use some Snow power," she said.
"Aw shucks!" Hekatoid whined.
"Udonna!" Kali gasped.
Nick laughed and run to his mother's side. "You're back," he said, smiling.
Udonna merely nodded. "Ready?" she asked.
"Oh yeah!" the team agreed.
"Legendary Source, Mystic Force!"
Galwit Mysto Neramax!
Despite his obvious fear, Hekatoid growled and glared at the team. "You won't stop me! I'm a terror!" he bellowed. He puffed out his cheeks and fired more blobs of tar at the team.
The rangers blocked them easily using their magic and Lion Staffs, while Udonna leapt into the air and fired her icicles at the Hekatoid.
"Rangers," Udonna said, landing and turning to her students. "We need to combine all our powers."
"Not a problem," the team agreed. They held up their staffs and spun the dial from code two, before joining them at the tips. "Legend Warrior, United Formation!"
Hekatoid howled as the combination of seven rangers powers hit him full in the chest, causing him to implode.
The team cheered at his defeat as Udonna snapped her fingers in victory.
"Mystic Force!"
~X~
Upon the return to Root core, Kali spotted a familiar face near the Dragon's head and broke away from the group as they grew closer. "Claire!" she called, pulling the young apprentice into a fierce hug. It was no secret that Kali had been worried about Claire since she had initially left to find Udonna, and the call that morning had only made things worse.
Claire pulled out of the hug. "I thought you'd be mad at me for leaving," she admitted.
"You scared me," said Kali. "But I'm also really proud of you. It takes courage to do what you did, and not many people would have done that."
Claire smiled and Kali hugged her again. When they parted a second time the others had finally arrived and took their chance to congratulate Claire and welcome her home. Meanwhile, Kali drifted over to Udonna, Daggeron, and Nick.
"Welcome back, Udonna," said Kali, hugging the white sorceress. "It's been tough without you."
"So I have heard," Udonna said. "But, you still managed to pull together and work as a team."
Kali nodded and cast a glance at Nick. "It's like my brother Joe used to say - 'what happens off the battlefield, stays off the battlefield. If you let it interfere with your teamwork then you deserve to lose'." she said.
"Wise words," said Udonna, smiling.
"What's she doing here?" Nick asked, causing Kali's attention to turn to him. He was staring over at Phineas as the Troblin laughed and joked with LeeLee.
A flicker of fear crossed LeeLee's face and she stepped back as Nick approached her.
"She's with me," said Phineas, grasping LeeLee's wrist.
"And me, too," Claire agreed, taking LeeLee's other hand.
"She's trustworthy now, Nick," said Udonna, calmly placing her hands on her son's shoulders. "She's one of us. It's because of her I was rescued."
"Don't worry," said LeeLee, sadly. "I understand."
Kali looked from Claire to Phineas and then finally settled her gaze on LeeLee. "That's why we couldn't find you today," she said. "Why Toby closed the store. Because while we were off losing our powers, you were out there saving Udonna."
LeeLee nodded.
"What are you thinking?" Nick asked.
Kali met his gaze and shrugged. "I'm thinking that she did a better job than we did in getting Udonna back," she said, making the others chuckle. She smiled and looked up, meeting LeeLee's gaze. "But, at the end of the day, I trust Claire, Phineas, and Udonna, and if they say that you're trustworthy then who am I to disagree?"
LeeLee smiled, but it faltered slightly as Nick looked back at her.
"Come here then," said Nick, sliding an arm around Kali and drawing her to him. "Can't have a group hug without the whole group."
Kali smiled and slipped her hand over Nick's shoulder, resting her head on it as the others joined them. She watched as LeeLee slipped her arms behind Phineas and Claire, and glanced up at Nick as he pressed a small kiss to her hairline.
There were still a few things they needed to get out in the open and discuss fully, but right now all that mattered was being with their friends.
Their family.
