"…One must turn away from a problem to find its solution," said Sensei.

"If you're talking about Zurgane then I agree with your dad," said Kali, wandering over. She was pulling her leather jacket up onto her shoulders and pulled her hair out from under the collar.

Cam frowned as he looked her over. "Where you going?" he asked.

"Storm Chargers. I promised Kelly I would help out while the boys are camping," Kali answered.

"Have you ever worked in an extreme sports store before?"

"Well, no," said Kali, shaking her head. "But I have worked in a record store. How different can it be?"

"What if someone asks you for information on a product, or, you know, for your advice on which products would be better suited for their sport?"

Kali shrugged. "I have participated in extreme sports before, Cam," she said. "I may not be an expert like Kelly or the boys, but I can handle my own."

Cam murmured and raised his head.

"Besides, it's only for a few hours," said Kali. "My only concern is the customers that flirt, or at least try to flirt with me."

"If you can call it flirting," Cam muttered.

Kali laughed. She looked at the screen and then patted Cam's shoulder. "Don't overdo yourself, alright? Tori is at the beach, and I'm at the store, come find one of us if you want a break. I'll see you later."

"Have fun," Cam called.

Kali waved her shoulder and then disappeared above ground.

~X~

Arriving at Storm Chargers, Kali smiled as she spotted Kelly at the front counter. She was reading a sports magazine while a few customers mingled and explored the store.

"Alright, boss?" Kali teased, slapping her hands down onto the counter, making Kelly jump.

"Hey, you're off to a great start," Kelly said. "Putting the boss in the hospital and all that."

"You're tougher than that."

Kelly smiled and closed her magazine. "You sure you want to do this?" she asked. "I can manage until Monday without the boys."

"I got nothing else to do," said Kali. "My boyfriend is camping, my best friends are either surfing or working, and, if I am honest, I could use the extra cash."

"You ever worked under the table before?" Kelly asked.

"A few times, yeah," said Kali. "I had a few odd jobs in Sacramento, growing up, but nothing ever serious until I moved to Briarwood."

"Rock Porium, right?"

Kali nodded. "You know it?" she asked.

"It's one of the stores my guys can get sponsors from."

"That's what those papers were," said Kali, thinking back. "I remember Toby asked me to fill paperwork in once for him, and I noticed that it was sponsor forms. I was curious why a record shop was doing sponsors, seeing as it's, you know, a music store, but I never asked Toby about it."

Kelly smiled. "Yeah, Toby's great, very encouraging," she said. "A little weird, but all the best people are."

Kali rolled her eyes. "I never would've guessed you were an Alice in Wonderland fan," she said.

"Ever since I was a kid," said Kelly, laughing. "So, should we get started?"

"Just point me in the right direction," said Kali, shedding her jacket. She folded it and hid it behind the counter and followed Kelly over to the left side of the store, where a box of Motocross gloves were ready to be unboxed.

"Just give me a shout when you're done," said Kelly.

Kali nodded, scooped up an armful of gloves, and set to work arranging them on the shelves provided.

~X~

An hour later, after putting out the Motocross gloves, stacking the surfboards, and restocking the skateboards, Kali was working the counter while Kelly took her break.

"You should come to the track sometimes," said the customer she was ringing up. He looked to be about nineteen, had a mop of brown hair, piercing blue eyes that contrasted against his dark skin. He had introduced himself as Bradley.

"Yeah? Why should I do that?" Kali asked, playing along. She knew why, and while she wasn't about to indulge his fantasy, she couldn't have a little fun with him.

"So, you can be my cheerleader," said Brad, grinning. His gaze tracing over Kali from head to toe.

Kali forced a smile as she fought the urge to gag. "I'd love to, Brett, but there's just one problem," she said. "I'm not a cheerleader, and I have a boyfriend. One that is very jealous."

"So?" Brad asked. "If you were my girlfriend, I'd love the fact that people flirt with you and ogled you."

"Let me guess, it would give you an ego boost?"

"Obviously."

Kali rolled her eyes, put his purchases into a bag and shoved the bag across the counter. "That'll be $7.50," she said.

Brad held out the notes, and Kali plucked them away without touching him. "So, my offer still stands," he said. "Maybe you could wear a crop top and hot pants. You know, like they do in those music videos of car races?"

"Let me put this as clear as I possibly can," said Kali, shoving the register closed and leaning across the counter so that she was meters from Brad's face. "I wouldn't come be your cheerleader if you paid me."

Brad opened his mouth to protest when Kelly wandered over.

"Is there a problem here?" Kelly asked, looking between Brad and Kali.

"Nah, Brett was just leaving. Weren't you?" Kali asked, her eyes narrowed at the brunette.

Brad scoffed. "Whatever," he said, grabbing his purchases. "You're not even worth it, and it's Brad."

"Oh, I know," said Kali.

With a roll of his eyes, Brad turned and walked out.

Kali heaved a sigh and turned to Kelly. "Thanks," she said, rubbing her temples. "I swear, I was this close to clocking him one."

Kelly laughed. "I'm surprised you didn't," she said.

"I figured the last thing you needed was a lawsuit."

"Thanks for that," said Kelly. "But, if you had taken it outside, away from the cameras, of course, then I could claim plausible deniability."

Kali burst out laughing. "Pretty sure you're not supposed to encourage violence in the workplace," she said.

"What violence?" Kelly teased.

Bleep. Bleep.

Instinctively, Kali reached over and covered her morpher as she met Kelly's gaze. "Do you mind if I take a quick break?" she asked.

"Go ahead. I'll cover until you come back," said Kelly.

"Thanks. I'll only be a few minutes," said Kali. She bypassed Kelly and dashed out the back door into the alley. "What's up, Cam?"

"I thought you'd like to know I figured out what happened with Zurgane."

"What did you find?"

"I kept getting a weird energy reading. I think Zurgane used a power replicator on us."

"By us, you mean the Zords?" Tori asked.

"Oh. Hey, Tor," said Kali. "I thought you were at the beach?"

"I was. But, back to the situation at hand, what does Power Replicator mean?"

"It means we're in trouble."

"What kind of trouble?"

The computer beeped rapidly, and Kali glanced around, even though she was the only one in the alley, she still felt paranoid that someone would overhear her and come to investigate.

"What was that?" Kali asked.

"Zurgane's back."

"Do you need me?"

"No. He's back in a new Zord."

"Guys, be careful!"

The connection disconnected and Kali heaved a sigh. It was at times like this that she questioned her decision to not use her titan mode.

~X~

Looking up from her clipboard, Kelly watched as Kali rung up customer after customer and sent them on their way. She had sold more today than she had done in the many years she had been open, and she found that having Kali around was more efficient than just her and the boys.

"Hey, I have a question," said Kelly. "How do you feel about making this under the table gig a part-time thing?"

Kali furrowed her brow. "What, you mean coming to work here part time?" she asked.

"Yeah. You work well."

"Thanks for the compliment, but I don't know," said Kali, ringing up her last customer. "I mean, I don't know how much longer I'm going to be in Blue Bay Harbour. What are you going to do when I leave?"

"Oh, so being here is only temporary?"

Kali nodded. "You know about me, right?" she asked. "I mean, you know about my history in Briarwood?"

"That you were a Power Ranger, yeah, why, does that have something to do with you being here?" Kelly asked. She was silent for a few minutes and then gasped. "Are you the Black Ninja Ranger?"

Kali pressed a finger to her lips and motioned with her other hand for Kelly to tone it down a notch. "You can't tell anyone," she said. "I'm technically not supposed to be confirming it, but it was only a matter of time before people realised it, and besides, more people will realise it when Lothor is gone, and I return to Briarwood."

"So, wait a minute, you're saying that Lothor and the Rangers here in Blue Bay Harbour are to do with the Mystic Rangers in Briarwood?"

"Yes. You're all a part of the Mystic Realm," said Kali. "As the Black Mystic Ranger, I protect the Mystic Realm and all that fall within it. That's why I am here."

Kelly nodded. "Does this mean you can tell me who the other Rangers are?" she asked. "I mean, I have an idea on who they could be, but can you confirm it?"

"I guess that depends on who you think the others are," said Kali. "Go one, I'll give you one guess for each Ranger."

"Okay. Yellow is Dustin, Blue is Tori, Crimson is Hunter, Navy is Blake, and Red is Shane."

Kali pursed her lips to hide a smile. "What about Green?" she asked.

"I think that's your friend, Cam, I think his name is?" said Kelly. "So, did I get it right?"

"Not even close," said Kali.

Kelly groaned. "Seriously?" she whined. "Then where do they keep running off to all the time? I mean, they take more breaks than a dog that's being house trained."

Kali burst out laughing. "Why do you think it's them?" she asked. "What have they done to warrant your suspicion, other than running off at random parts of the day?"

"Their colour schemes," said Kelly. "They wear the Ranger colours all the time. But then, I stop and actually look at them and think there is no way Dustin could be a Power Ranger. The guy forgets his keys more often than not to the store. Don't get me wrong, he's a loveable guy, but he can be a total airhead at times."

"I often say it's a good thing he is cute," said Kali. "But trust me, Kel, you don't want to go looking into who the other Rangers are, you're going to get into a lot of trouble. Just know that, yes, I am the Black Ranger, but I can't tell you who my teammates are."

Kelly sighed and nodded. "I guess I can live with the mystery just like everyone else," she said. "Although, I'm fairly certain you're lying to me in order to keep me safe."

"I -" Kali started to protest.

"It's okay. I get it," said Kelly. "I know I'm right, and you're only covering your arse. But don't worry, I won't investigate further. Just promise me you're all being careful."

Kali licked her lower lip, remaining silent.

Kelly smiled, squeezed her shoulder. She paused as she turned back to her work, glancing at Kali as her morpher beeped again. "Go," she said. "I can handle the store from here."

"Thanks, Kel," said Kali, taking off out the back door again.

~X~

Rushing into Ops, Kali spotted the others crowded around the super computer and sighed in relief. "You guys are okay," she said, wandering over and leaning into Nick as he wound his arm around her waist.

"For the most part," said Tori.

"And for the rest?"

"Zurgane copied our powers and weapons," said Dustin.

Kali frowned and looked at Cam. "Does this have to do with the power replicator thing?" she asked.

Cam nodded and indicated to the screens. Kali's eyes widened as she noticed Zurgane's new zord terrorising the city with energy blasts that were scarily similar to the magic blast she and the other mystics had used on him.

"We've got to get back out there," said Hunter.

"I need more time to fix the Zords," said Cam.

"How are we supposed to fight that thing without the Zords?" Tori asked.

Kali shared a look with Nick and Xander. "We can call Vida, Maddie and Chip back from Summer Cove and Briarwood and maybe try the Manticore," she said. "It may have enough power to distract Zurgane long enough for you to fix the Ninja Zords, Cam."

"Are you sure?" Cam asked. "I mean, what about -"

"This is more important," said Kali. "Plus, now, Claire has the healing potion on standby. Just call her and ask Rune to bring it here." She turned to Nick and Xander. "We can call Maddie, Chip, and Vida on the way. Ready?"

"Ready," the pair nodded.

"Good luck," said Shane. "We'll try and figure out a way to help you while Cam fixes the Zords."

Kali nodded and turned away from her friends. She snapped open her mystic morpher and inputted the three digits she had used in almost a year. "Legendary Source, Mystic Force!" she called.

~X~

"Whoa, you weren't kidding when you said it was an emergency," said Chip, craning his neck to look at the Megazord terrorising Blue Bay Harbour. He and Maddie had been at the Elemental Academy when they had received a distress call from Root core, calling them back to battle. It had been almost a year since they had seen any form of Ranger action, but a call from Root core wasn't something they would, much less could, ignore.

"It's great to see you both," said Kali. "But we going to have to catch up later. This is Zurgane. General Zurgane. He works for Lothor and has destroyed the Ninja's Zords, which is why I have called you back. I wouldn't have done it if I had any other choice."

"Kali, it's okay," said Maddie, shaking her head. "We're still on call, regardless of where we go. We knew that the minute we agreed to travel and continue our training. Like you said, this is an emergency."

Kali smiled, thankful that they understood.

"So, what are we waiting for?" said Vida. "Let's show Zurgane how it's done in the Magical Realm."

The others laughed and stepped forward.

"Mystic Lion Staff!" they all called, raising their staffs into the air.

"Code Four, Legend of the Jungle, Mystic Lion!" said Xander, Kali, Maddie, Vida, and Chip.

"Code Five, Legend of the skies, Mystic Firebird!" said Nick.

"Manticore Megazord!"

Once combined the Legendary Megazord stood before Zurgane. He stopped dead in his tracks, his gaze looking the new zord over, from head to toe.

"What's the matter, Zurgane?" Kali asked. "Didn't expect this kind of response?"

"It doesn't matter!" Zurgane growled. "I'll destroy you no matter which Zord you're in."

"It does matter!" Kali snapped. "This is what happens when you mess with the Mystic Realm."

Raising his sword, Zurgane slashed it down at the Legendary Megazord, but they merely blocked it with their own staff.

"Manticore Lasers!" Xander called, taking the helm. He held his staff in the air and thrust it at the screens. The Megazord followed his action, pointing its own staff at Zurgane and opening fire.

Zurgane roared and stumbled back. "Is that best you've got?" he asked, raising his fits and sweeping forward with a burst of speed. He smashed his fist into the Manticore's chest, causing the Rangers to cry out and stumble.

"This is it, Rangers," said Zurgane, pleasantly. "First I'll take you out, then I'll go after the Ninja Rangers."

"No!" Kali groaned.

"Yes!" Zurgane laughed. He raised his sword above his head and swung it down, but before it could hit a blast swept over the Manticore Megazord and collided with Zurgane, knocking him back.

Kali whipped around. "You made it!" she cried, spotting the Thunderstorm Megazord as it trudged towards the Manticore.

"You okay?" Tori asked.

"Yeah. Where's Cam?"

"He's on his way," said Shane. "Shall we finish this?"

Kali nodded and raised her Lion Staff. "Code 6! Inferno!" she called. A wall of flame shot out of the Manticore's spear and headed towards Zurgane. He slashed through it with his sword, although it did spark and die the second it connected with the flames.

"What?! No!" Zurgane yelled in annoyance.

"Didn't anyone tell you, Zurgane?" Kali called. "Hells fire burns hotter than any other kind of fire. You're weapons don't stand a chance!"

"We'll see," Zurgane hissed.

"Guys!" Cam called, swooping in overhead. He transformed his Samurai star chopper into the Samurai Star Megazord and landed on the other side of the Manticore.

"Time to call out the Hurricane!" said Shane.

"Yeah!" Hunter and Cam agreed.

Kali watched from the Manticore as the Thunderstorm Megazord combined with the Samurai Star. She had seen it before, but only from the screens of Ninja Ops, this was the first, and probably only time, that she would fight alongside her friends in Megazord form.

"Give it your best shot," said Zurgane.

"We intend to," said Vida. "Lion Staff, Code Three!"

"Right with you, sis," said Maddie. "Code Three!"

"Whirlwind!"

"Tidal Wave!"

The two attacks combined to create a waterspout, but Zurgane merely slashed straight through it.

"No way!" Chip cried. "Lion Staff, Code Three!"

There was a crash of thunder and a single strand of lightning surged out of the skies. It struck Zurgane, but he merely laughed and absorbed the energy, using it to power up his sword. "Full power!" he called, wielding the sword through the air and attacking the two Zords simultaneously.

"It's over for you," Zurgane laughed.

"Not even close," said Cam. "Mammoth Zord."

Kali looked around as the Mammoth zord rolled into view.

"Woah!" Chip grinned. "Check that out!"

"That's awesome!" Maddie said.

Kali grinned at the pair of them. This was the first time they were seeing any of the new power upgrades she was working with, not to mention this was the first time she was meeting the Ninja Rangers, and vice versa.

"Give up!" Zurgane ordered.

"Never!" Kali and Shane yelled.

Rolling forward, the Hurricane Megazord slammed their fist down onto the head of the Mammoth zord, unleashing several power spheres that burst open in mid-air, and attached themselves to the sides of the Mammoth.

"Legend Striker, Spin Attack!" the Mystic's yelled.

They pointed the tip of their staff at Zurgane as it spun rapidly around in a circle. The faster it spun, soon a whirlwind of flames surrounded the head.

"It's over, Zurgane!" said Kali. "You're finished."

Rolling the spear around its arm, the Manticore thrust it at Zurgane as the Mammoth Zord opened fire. The two attacks collided with Zurgane's Zord and, in with a cry of annoyance and anger, Zurgane exploded.

"CHECKMATE!"

~X~

Chip and Maddie smiled as they each hugged Xander, Vida, Nick, and Kali in turn.

"Thank you for dropping everything and coming to help," said Sensei, bowing to each of them. "We owe you a great deal."

"It was nothing," said Chip. "We always knew that we would be on call should anything happen. We're just glad you remembered about us," he teased, turning to Kali.

Kali rolled her eyes. "Are you kidding?" she asked. "Despite the new team and new dangers of this past six months, my life has been quiet without you, Chip. Luckily, I've got Dustin, but compared to you, he's tame."

Chip grinned.

"As for little Miss Mermaid, over there," said Kali, nodding at Maddie. "I've missed waking up to a camera in my face."

Maddie blushed. "You should see the video I have of Summer Cove," she said. "It's amazing! I can't wait to get it all developed. Sadly, I'm not allowed to film inside the Elemental Academy grounds, but the rest of my stuff is stunning."

"I look forward to seeing it when you graduate," said Kali, hugging the brunette.

Maddie smiled and turned to Chip. "We should get going," she said. "Yumi is expecting us."

Chip nodded and turned back to his friends and the new team.

"It was great to finally meet you guys," said Cam. "Kali talks about you all the time. It was nice to put faces to names."

Kali smiled and winked at the pair. "Be careful out there," she said. "Don't forget that being there for each other works both ways. If you need us, just call."

Maddie nodded. "We know," she said. "Thanks. Ready?" she asked Chip.

Chip nodded. The pair took each other's hands and then disappeared in a flicker of blue and yellow magic.

~X~

Not long after Chip and Maddie had left, Kali found the others preparing to leave Ninja Ops. "What are you doing?" she asked, eyeing them suspiciously.

"Our camping weekend is still on," said Xander. "We're getting ready to leave. Do you remember where the Campsite was? Nick and I are going to teleport there, it'll save Tori having to drive us out there again."

"And the Ninja Red Eye is for emergencies only," said Shane. "Besides, we already asked Sensei and he told us no."

Kali looked at Xander. "Remember what happened last time we used magic for personal gain?" she asked.

"You use it all the time to get you around the city," Xander protested.

"To and from battles," Kali argued. "And only because I don't like Ninja Streak. Besides, I can't believe after everything that happened today, you still want to go camping."

"Today just reinforces the desire to desire to relax for the weekend," said Nick. "You sure you don't want to come? It'll be just like when we were kids."

Kali laughed. "This trip is nothing like when we were kids," she said, shaking her head.

"Okay, maybe not, but we're still going to have fun."

"Thanks, but no thanks," said Kali. "I'm actually having fun at the store with Kelly. Oh, that reminds me," she turned to the Ninjas. "We need to be extra vigilant around her, and by we, I mean you."

"Why?" Shane asked.

"She knows you're Rangers."

The silence that followed was deafening.

"She knows - what?" Cam asked. "How? Did any of you tell her?"

As Hunter, Dustin, and Blake clamoured over one another to talk, Kali whistled to catch their attention. "No one told her," she said. "She tried to get me to confirm it, but I told her I couldn't."

"Did you confirm that you were one?" Tori asked.

"Kelly's not stupid," said Kali. "It doesn't take a genius to figure out that the Black Mystic is also the Black Ninja, most people just don't care enough to take notice which is why more people in Blue Bay Harbour don't know, but the minute this role is over, I think more people will notice, but by then it won't matter."

"Is that a yes to confirming?" Cam asked.

"Yes, I confirmed that I was the Black Ninja Ranger," said Kali. "But, like I said, she already knew."

"How did she guess that we were the other Rangers?" Hunter asked. "We've been super careful."

"Like, I said, Kelly's not stupid," Kali repeated. "Our colour schemes are a dead giveaway, and neither of us exactly went out of our way to not broadcast our colours to the world. We go beyond 'wearing our favourite colours' after all."

The Rangers murmured in agreement.

"Look, she already knows that she is right, and while I didn't confirm that she is, I made her promise to not investigate you further because she will end up in trouble. She promised me that she won't, and I believe her."

Dustin nodded. "Me too," he said. "I've known Kelly for a while now, and if she says she won't investigate something, she means it."

"Good," said Sensei. "Your secret identities must be unknown to everyone. If Lothor were to find out, it could put them at serious risk."

Kali turned to Sensei. "I'll put protective charms around Kelly, her house, and her store," she said. "If she is attacked, for whatever reason, Mystic Defenders will intervene, so it doesn't look like we're picking favourites as Rangers."

Sensei nodded and wiggled his nose.

"Okay, now that is out of the way," said Xander. "Shall we get back to camping?"

Kali and Tori shared a look as the boys cheered. Whatever they wanted to call what they were doing, they both knew it was most certainly not camping.