Summary: With the Akuma Rings nearly completed, the Lotus Ninjas decide to get serious and embrace their ninja heritage.
On an illuminating night, Saldana looked down to the city on top of the tallest building in her white kunoichi attire. She concentrated on her magic and used her clairvoyance eyes to look for the Shadow Clan as she spotted four Shadow Ninjas standing on the rooftop of the apartment warehouse. Saldana jumped off the building and enveloped herself in white magic aura before soaring over to her destination.
As Saldana landed on the rooftop, four incoming missiles knocked the four Shadow Ninjas unconsciously to the ground. Saldana then looked up to see Angel with her mask pull down.
"Sorry, Saldana, but I'm not the type of guy who rather sit on the sidelines!" Angel said with a grin. She jumped down and landed next to Saldana. "Once you told me about this mission, my heart has been pumping with some action."
"Simmer down, Angel." Saldana said. "There's plenty more once we get inside."
Saldana snapped her fingers to conjure up a portal and she and Angel jumped through to it, leading them inside the massive secret room of the apartment warehouse. They sneakily hid behind the large Shadow Clan symbol sculptures and spotted all of ten Akuma Rings set in their place along with the Heart Stone.
"Oh no." Saldana whispered with a gasp. "The Akuma Rings are almost complete."
Saldana and Angel then heard a familiar dark feminine laugh that turned their heads to see Azalea standing in front of the Akuma Rings with Luna and Nova behind her.
"We have finally the Akuma Rings and the Heart Stone. Soon you will possess great power!" Luna said to Azalea.
"Where are the girls?" Saldana asked as she looked around to notice that her daughters are no longer to be found. "They were supposed to be here by now."
"Don't worry, they'll be here. They know how important this mission is." Angel whispered.
In the Crete Fortress, the Lotus Ninjas were playing competitively Dance Dance Revolution. Ellie was getting the highest score with 2003 points, Donna has second place with 1000 points, Ella has third place with 900 points, and Lee has the last place with 740 points.
"Alright, ladies. Game time is over. Today's the day we train for tonight's Shadow Clan mission!" Ella said.
"But today is Thursday." Lee said.
"No, it's Friday." Ellie said. She took out her phone and held it in front of her older sisters. "See? It's Friday."
Ella, Donna, and Lee's eyes widened wide as they stared at the date on Ellie's phone screen.
"Wait a minute!" Ella exclaimed. "If today's Friday, then that means..."
Ella, Donna, Lee, and Ellie immediately rushed to the garage, causing them to crash onto each other in a pile.
Saldana and Angel groaned frustratingly for the Lotus Ninjas' absence.
"This never ends for me." Saldana said with a heavy sigh. "We have no choice but to retreat!"
"No way. I'll stay here to keep an eye on the Akuma Rings while you head home and get the girls." Angel said. "Look, I know what you're thinking, but I'll bounce if things get dangerous."
"Admirable bravery, Angel. I'll be back as soon as we can." Saldana said.
With that, Saldana snapped her fingers and disappeared through the opening portal that appeared underneath her.
Angel then looked back to see Azalea staring at the Akuma Rings and the Heart Stone before walking away.
"Begin sealing up the Akuma Rings and the Heart Stone." Nova called out to her Shadow Ninjas. "We're moving them to its final location for the grand ceremony!"
Angel quietly watched the Shadow Ninjas taking the Akuma Rings and the Heart Stone as they carefully sealed them into glass capsules.
"Grand ceremony?" Angel questioned in alarm.
Saldana jumped through the opening portal into the Crete Fortress and found the Lotus Ninjas falling on the floor in the garage. The Lotus Ninjas noticed their mother's return and quickly stood up like lined soldiers with shameful faces.
"See...what had happened was..." Ellie said with a sheepish smile.
"Enough!" Saldana shouted angrily. "I thought Angel and I could count on you girls for tonight's mission, but all you do is slacking off. Again! I'm getting sick and tired of your constant excuses! Nothing can explain how disappointed I am."
As Saldana walked towards her room, Donna, Ella, Lee, and Ellie looked down at the floor with sad eyes.
Saldana sat on the floor in a meditative position inside her room.
"Oh, my daughters, they're just not ready." Saldana said sadly. "They're not ready to be Dragoness Ninjas! I have failed my family."
Saldana suddenly remembered someone who can help her problem.
"Wait, that's it! My ancestor Carina and the rest of the family!" Saldana exclaimed.
Saldana magically set up a ring of chalices and lighted candles around herself before sitting cross-legged on the floor with a deep breath.
"I need my family's help more than anything." Saldana whispered. She took a deep breath and casted an ancient Dragoness spell. "Korera no kotoba o kiite, watashi no sakebi o kiitekudasai, hantaisoku kara no rei, watashi ni kite, watashi wa anata o shōkan shimasu, ima ōkina jūjika o watatte kudasai."
After Saldana's incantation was completed, a ring of chalices transmuted together into a large Lotus Clan symbol with the Dragoness sorceress at the center. The ghosts of all past Dragonesses appeared through the clan symbol and made a circle around Saldana. One of the spectral Dragonesses floated in front of Saldana. She has a stunningly tall slender figure with fair cream skin, short and curly orange hair, and blue eyes. She wore a lavender bodice over a gold long-sleeved calf-length frock and lighter-gold flat shoes.
"Saldana Rozu, you have summoned the ancient spirits of your Dragoness family of the Lotus Clan. All of us are here to guide you." Calluna spoke. "What wisdom do you seek to carry on your sacred duty?"
"Great-Grandma Calluna, it's a long story." Saldana said with a heavy sigh.
Lee, Ellie, Ella, and Donna gathered together on the couch in the living room with sad, thoughtful faces.
"Normally, I wouldn't be too worried about it, but for once in my life, I am." Donna said.
"We got to do something to make it up to her." Lee said.
"Uh, now?" Ellie asked. "Because saying sorry ain't gonna cut it with mom this time."
"Well, there's one way to do it." Ella said. "Something she wants us to do a long time ago."
Meanwhile, the Shadow Clan arrived at the mystic train station as they were waiting for the next train, which it skidded to a stop right on time. All the Shadow Ninjas walked inside the train in a straight line.
Angel walked forward in his Shadow Clan disguise, but he halted himself when he saw two mystics nearby.
Azalea was standing next to the Shadow Quartet, the mysterious masked mystic, and Magus.
"This train will secretly lead you and your ninja clan to the spire temple." Magus informed.
"And that's what I'm counting on." Azalea grinned sinisterly.
Angel narrowed her eyes at Azalea, Magus, the Shadow Quartet and the masked mystic suspiciously until the Shadow Recruit rudely stepped in front of her.
"Hey, sweetie. Hurry up. You're holding up the line." The Shadow Recruit said.
"Oh, sorry!" Angel apologized.
Angel and the rest of the Shadow Ninjas marched past the Shadow Recruit into the train like actual soldiers.
"I need a mango watermelon smoothie after this." The Shadow Recruit muttered in annoyance.
Saldana opened the door and stepped out of her room until she stopped to see her four guilt-looking daughters kneeling in front of her.
"Mom, we're sorry that we let you and our Dragoness family down." Ella spoke.
"It's time we grew up and accepted our destiny as descendants of the Lotus Clan." Lee said.
"We're ready to become the ultimate Dragonesses." Donna added.
"Starting right now!" Ellie concluded.
Saldana placed a proud smile on her face.
In the living room, Saldana stood in front of the Lotus Ninjas, who were standing like lined soldiers.
"There's a great challenge coming to destroy all human and mystickind." Saldana said. "The Akuma Rings, along with the Heart Stone, are set to completion. By the ancient scrolls of our Dragoness ancestors, you four must learn the ways of the Lotus Clan Ninja."
Saldana gestured her index and middle fingers together that signaled her daughter to strike her. Ella, Donna, Lee, and Ellie jumped forward towards their mother with their magic, but Saldana evaded past them and attacked them in the stomach with her punches and kicks before landing in front of them with a disapproving face.
"This training requires only great focus and sacrifice." Saldana added. "For you all to get serious, you must abandon your childish ways."
Ella placed her gothic plushies in the box. Lee ripped off the Galaxina Starforce poster off her wall and placed it in her closet. Donna sealed off all of her gadgets inside the security closet inside her lab. Ellie saluted to her art kit and action figures as she closed her closet.
"In order to become one, you must become an extension of the clan." Saldana continued. "Ready to sacrifice all."
Ella, Lee, Ellie, and Donna charged at Saldana again with their magic, but Saldana punched and kicked then her magic infused fists and legs. This time, Saldana nodded her head at her daughters for their incoming progress.
Inside her room, Saldana started designing four beautiful dresses with her magic.
The Lotus Ninjas charged forward to attack their mother once again.
Lee twirled her upside-down body to strike Saldana, who zoomed behind her daughter and released a large white magic explosion from her hand. But Lee ducked underneath the attack with a full split that surprised Saldana. Ellie and Donna jumped up in the air to attack Saldana with their magic infused legs, but Saldana quickly evaded them. But Saldana wasn't able to skid into a stop in time when Ella jumped above her and swung her leg around that sent a spinning red psychic disc-like energy to strike Saldana to the ground.
Saldana looked up at them and saw her daughters' dark shadows and white eyes, making her smile proudly at them.
"Only then will you be ready to fight." Saldana concluded.
Saldana walked in front of her serious daughters as she held four dresses in her hands.
"The old versions of you will be gone." Saldana said. "Shed like a skin. You will be remade to the image of our ancestors."
Ellie, Lee, Ella, and Donna nodded their heads with understanding. They gestured their signature magic signals to put on the new dresses. They all wore a white sleeveless qipao dress tied in a golden yellow obi, white stockings, and black combat boots. They also magically conjured golden metal masks covering the left side of their faces.
"Are you ready, my daughters?" Saldana asked.
"Yes, mother." The Lotus Ninjas said in unison.
Several mystics and yokais had entered and took their seats into the mystic train.
"All aboard!" The male-sounding conductor called out. "Everyone must remain on the train."
The mystic train closed off all the doors, windows, and roof to block access from leaving. The mystic train started up and exited out of the station.
Angel quietly snuck inside the room filled with boxes holding mystical treasures and then looked forward to see the golden door up ahead. She took out her phone and began texting an urgent message to Donna.
"Looking for something?"
Angel's eyes widened wide as she turned around to see Nova standing behind her from a distance. Angel quickly put her phone away and took out her mystical katana sword in her fighting stance.
"Where are you moving the Akuma Rings and the Heart Stone?" Angel demanded.
"Somewhere safe." Nova answered. She summoned her mystical tessen fan and got into her fighting stance. "But then again, what more do you wanna know?"
Nova charged forward to strike Angel, who charged to strike black energy waves from her katana sword while being stuck in the mystic train to an unknown destination.
The Lotus Ninjas and Saldana jumped over building rooftops as they landed in front of their mother.
Then, Donna's phone started vibrating and she took it out to read an urgent text message from Casey on the screen.
"Sorry, mother. I received a text message from Angel telling me that he's inside some train." Donna said.
"Angel? Oh no!" Saldana exclaimed in shock. "She found the Akuma Rings and the Heart Stone! Donna, find her coordinates!"
Donna nodded her head and moved her index finger in a circle to point her magic at her phone, projecting a holographic coordinate of Angel's location.
Saldana generated a small white energy orb with her finger and sent it flying into the holographic coordinate, causing the sphere to expand and covering the mystic family before disappearing out of sight.
A white swirly portal opened up on the building rooftop, allowing the Lotus Ninjas and Saldana to jump out of it as it closed itself. They looked around to find themselves near the bay.
"According to the coordinates, Angel should be right there." Donna said as she looked back to the screen of her phone.
Donna pointed her finger to the water as everyone stared to see something invisible streaming across the water. Donna pulled down her high-tech shield sunglasses and scanned the water to see the mystic train.
"Is this some kind of mystic train?" Donna questioned in confusion.
"Of course. That's how the Shadow Clan is transporting the Akuma Rings and the Heart Stone!" Saldana said. "But the train is protected by the shimmer that blocks all mystic powers, even for powerful mystics like us, so we can't portal our way inside. You four must use your training to get Angel and the Akuma Rings and the Heart Stone back."
"How do we get on a train that we can't see?" Ella asked.
"Trust me. I know a magic technique I've been saving on this occasion." Saldana replied. "But I'm gonna need Donna's sunglasses to make it work."
Donna hands her shield sunglasses over to Saldana, who slipped on her face. Saldana magically summoned an enormous white lotus flower above her daughters. The lotus flower then sucked the Lotus Ninjas into the hole at the center.
"Good luck with your mission!" Saldana yelled.
Saldana pointed her finger forward and the lotus flower then hurled the Lotus Ninjas powerful enough to blast off all the way for them to land on the top of the train before going through the invisible portal. As the train moves past the Brooklyn Bridge, the Lotus Ninjas stood up and saw a tunnel up ahead in a yellow flash.
As the train rode through the portal and into the mystic city, Angel kept shooting black energy waves at Nova from her katana sword. But Nova protected herself from the attack with a large pink circular shield. Nova then pulled out a black scallop in her hand and opened the scallop that projected an image of Luna drinking a vanilla milkshake.
"Hey, Luna, we got a problem!" Nova informed. "This kid is after the Akuma Rings!"
"She's just one human kid." Luna said. "You can have fun with her for all I care. This make sure the Akuma Rings and the Heart Stone are secure!"
Nova closed the scallop and looked back to barrage Angel with powerful bolts of pink mystical energy that sent her flying to hit her back on the golden door.
"It's just you and me now, girlie." Nova said with a giggle. "No one can save you now."
Suddenly, a panel fell on the floor that caught Nova and Angel's attention. Then, the Lotus Ninjas landed in front of Angel.
"What the? You Dragoness again! But whoa, nice qipao dresses." Nova complimented. "I can never find one in this city."
Ellie dashed forward and performed a backflipping wide-arced orange magical energized kick that sent Nova flying and falling onto the ground behind the wall.
"Angel, are you okay?" Ella asked as she and her sisters looked at Angel over their shoulders.
"I'm fine. But what's with the new outfits?" Angel asked. She turned her glare at Donna. "Have you been experimenting on their brains again?"
"No, Angel." Donna replied. "We are on a mission to find the Akuma Rings and the Heart Stone as the way of the Lotus Clan. Were you able to locate them?"
"Yeah, it's in the front at the other end of the train." Angel responded.
"Alright. Ladies, let's roll." Ella declared.
As Ella opened the golden door, everyone looked around inside to see the workout gym railcar. They walked past all sweaty mystics and yokais until they stood right in front of another golden door. This time, it has several different colored buttons all over it.
"How do these weird buttons get us to the front?" Angel asked.
"I think these buttons might have correspond to a certain room in this train." Donna said as she examined all the buttons. "But we can't be sure which one would get us to the Heart Stone and the Akuma Rings."
"Let's just try one." Ella said.
Donna, Ellie, Lee, and Angel gathered behind Ella, who pushed one button on the door. They were teleported through the door that landed them into a spa room. Their eyes widened as they watched yokais and mystics getting relaxed massages.
"Uh, this is not the front, Ella." Lee sad..
"Then we have try them all. Donatella, Michelle, you're up!" Ella ordered.
Donna and Ellie started pressing various buttons that teleported them into many different rooms within the railcar in green flashes until they eventually ended up in the drink bar. Luna, Nova, and Shadow Recruit just finished their milkshakes, but they quickly turned around to confront the Lotus Ninjas and Angel that made them summon their mystical weapons.
"The Lotus Dragoness!" Luna exclaimed. She then noticed the white qipao dresses that the Lotus Ninjas are wearing. "Cute qipao dresses, I'm give you girls that. No mall in this city has one in store."
"You two can focus on the fashion later. I'm going to enjoy this fight." Shadow Recruit said with an evil smile.
"How are we supposed to find the rings and the stone now?" Angel questioned.
"Huh?" Ella muttered as she spotted a black button with a yellow line on the golden door. "Oh, this button will definitely lead us to the rings."
But Luna, Nova, and Shadow Recruit stood in front of the Lotus Ninjas and Angel, preventing them from getting anywhere close to the black button.
"It is! And you guys ain't going anywhere near it!" Luna confirmed.
Ellie dashed forward at the Shadow Recruit while swinging orange blades of magical energy in fast succession. But the Shadow Recruit evaded the energy blades and lashed her closed parasol at Ellie in rapid speed. Ellie avoided the parasol with her catlike reflexes, allowing Angel to take action. Angel blasted black energy waves that hit Shadow Recruit in rapid speed. Nova rapidly slashed her tessen fan and released pink crescent-shaped blades of energy at Donna. But Donna dodged the attack in a nick of speed and then performed five spinning kicks from an upside down position before hitting Nova with a flying upward drill kick with both purple magical energized legs. Lee leaped upwards and delivered blue magical energized kicks at Luna while spinning repeatedly. Luna released several green crescent-shaped blades of energy from her tessen fan that made Lee dodge out of the way one by one. Lee rapidly kicked Luna with a flurry of blue magical energized kicks before launching her into the air with the last kick. Ella charged forward and cartwheeled herself through the air to hit Luna with red magical energy emanating from her boots multiple times. Luna sent out several waves of green energy straight at Ella with her tessen fan in rapid speed. Ella spun herself forward like a drill with her red magical energized fists at Luna and then gathered a massive amount of red magical energy in her right hand before firing a red ball of magical energy at Luna in full strike.
As Luna, Nova, and Shadow Recruit gathered to recover their injuries, the Lotus Ninjas then gathered together with their eyes glowing yellow light.
"Yūgō!" Lee, Ella, Donna, and Ellie casted together.
At their spell incantation, the Lotus Ninjas' bodies radiated into bright yellow light that expanded itself to fill them together in a large yellow sphere, causing their enemies to cover their eyes. When the bright yellow light cleared, Anika was standing towards them with a hard glare. Anika was now wearing a yellow sleeveless qipao dress tied in a red, purple, blue, and orange striped obi and a golden yellow metal mask covering her entire face except for her eyes.
Luna, Nova, Angel, and Shadow Recruit stared at the entity fusion in awe and genuine fear.
"Whoa!" Angel and Shadow Recruit cried in utter surprise.
"Since when...?!" Luna and Nova exclaimed in utter shock.
Anika sprang high into the air and infused her hands with blazing magical energy in a corona glow.
"This fight ends now." Anika said.
Anika threw her hand down to take aim and fired a large yellow magical energized beam that turned into a shape of giant roaring serpentine dragon that hit Luna, Nova, and Shadow Recruit in an explosion. That powerful attack have sent Luna, Nova, and Shadow Recruit flying to the golden door. Anika grabbed Angel under her left arm and sprinted past the three Shadow Clan ninjas and pressed a button that directed Luna, Nova, and Shadow Recruit into a room full of frozen meat.
After that, Anika pressed the black button and she and Angel were sent into a different room.
Anika and Angel finally arrived into the room inside the front railcar, where they stared directly at the Akuma Rings and the Heart Stone just as Anika started turning into a mass of light and divided back into the four mystic kunoichis.
"Okay, hold on for a minute! Since when you girls were able to fuse like that?" Angel asked in star-eyed awe.
"We fused Anika back at the museum couple weeks ago." Ella replied.
"Anika?" Angel repeated in confusion.
"My choice of name." Ellie smiled proudly.
"She's an ultra-powerful 'Stone Cold Betty'!" Lee said.
"With extra magic power!" Donna added.
"Very impressive indeed."
The Lotus Ninjas and Angel's eyes widened wide in horror at the sound of that familiar voice. They turned around to watch Azalea, the Shadow Quartet, and the masked mystic stepping out of the shadows.
"My sister's descendants have grown up so fast." Azalea taunted.
As Azalea snapped her fingers, a black magic circle appeared behind Angel and a floating mechanical hand grasped Angel before snatching away between to the masked mystic and the Shadow Quartet.
"Angel!" Ella, Ellie, Lee, and Donna shouted.
Then, four black magic circles appeared from different directions and four floating mechanical hands came flying out towards the Lotus Ninjas. Despite evading away, the Lotus Ninjas ended up getting grabbed and trapped in them.
"It's good thing she's not alive to see how sadly inferior you four really are!" Azalea said.
Azalea laughed evilly as the mystic train left through another tunnel with sudden lightning striking in the dark sky.