Inner Strength
Several days following Daggeron's return to the world, there had been a change in the Rangers' lifestyle. With Udonna's full-hearted blessing, the Solaris Knight had become the Rangers' new teacher. Through vigorous weekly sessions, Daggeron used his extensive knowledge and experience to train the Rangers in the ways of the mystic arts as well as sword training and hand-to-hand combat, in order to strengthen their abilities.
At that moment, Daggeron and the Rangers were in a miniaturized training room. Up above them were their practice brooms, each one was marked with a thick ribbon matching the Rangers' individual colored uniform. Today they were practicing how to summon moving objects, such as their brooms, if the situation ever arose.
"This training exercise is harder than it looks," said Daggeron, as he paced in front of them. "The goal is to cast the summoning spell on the practice brooms and bring them to you." On paper, it sounded like a simple task, but summoning spells could be tricky if the spell caster didn't focus or didn't practice enough. "The incantation is Provocet Orta. Cast the spell on my command. Ready?" When the Rangers nodded, Daggeron snapped his fingers. Go!"
The Rangers thrust their Magi Staffs up and in unison, they cried out, "Provocet Orat!"
Red, yellow, blue, pink and green beams of light shot into the ceiling and four of the five lights hit their target, causing the brooms to freeze before they descended to their prospective owners. One-by-one, Daggeron walked by and praised each of the Rangers for their success.
"You passed," said Daggeron, as he gave an approving smile and nod to Natalia.
Natalia smiled back. "Thanks."
"Good job, Vida," said Daggeron.
Vida beamed while trying to pretend like it was nothing. "I aim to please."
"Excellent job, Chip," said Daggeron, as he approached the Yellow Ranger.
Chip nearly burst out of his uniform with happiness. "Yes! All right!"
Daggeron chuckled at the Chip's enthusiasm before reaching his son. "Well don, son," he said, as he affectionately patted Mason's shoulder. "Nice work."
Mason beamed under his father's praise. "Thanks. I've been practicing."
"And it clearly shows," said Daggeron, smiling.
Teaching the Rangers had been an unexpected but also rewarding adventure for the Solaris Knight. To teach the next generation, including his son, as Daggeron had once been taught years ago was like a dream come true. Four of the Rangers had been excellent students, working hard every day to improve their magic and they were not only respectful towards Daggeron and eager to learn from him but they were becoming family to the Solaris Knight. However, there was one slight problem to Daggeron's new life as a mentor, one of his students was proving to be a poor one and that student was Xander.
Daggeron's smile was replaced with a frown as he watched the Green Ranger's attempts at the summoning spell.
"Get—down—here!" grunted Xander, as ribbons of green colored magic shot into the sky. Despite Xander aiming his magic everywhere, the broom continued to evade him. Worse, it seemed to be taunting Xander by staying tantalizingly out of reach.
Behind him, Xander's teammates all groaned in disappointment. Xander had blown it in practice, again. It wasn't the first time and odds were, it wasn't going to be the last considering Xander's poor work ethic.
Daggeron shook his head in clear disapproval before coming up beside Xander and extending his hand. "Here, give it to me."
"Fine," whined Xander, as he handed Daggeron the Magi Staff.
"It's like this." Daggeron thrust out the Magi Staff and a ribbon of green colored magic shot into the air and zig-zagged before hitting the broom, causing it to freeze in mid-air before descending down to Xander's outreaching grip. "The trick is to keep your eye on the broom. Once you do that, it's easy. However, I must ask…didn't you practice for this assignment, Xander?"
Xander scowled beneath his helmet and ducked his head away. "I was busy. I didn't have time." It was half-true. Xander had had the time to practice, he just hadn't used it. Instead, he'd filled his time with his usual goofing off, thinking he could just wing the training session and come out on top like he usually did.
Daggeron didn't buy it and folded his arms across his chest. "I'd hoped to avoid having this talk again, Xander." Ever since Daggeron had become the Rangers' teacher, Daggeron had had more than once conversation about the necessity of practice and good work ethics with the Green Ranger. It was a talk that Daggeron was growing sick and tired of having as nothing seemed to get through Xander's thick skull. "You've had plenty of time for practice. Why haven't you done as I've asked?"
Xander didn't reply, which answered Daggeron's question.
The Solaris Knight shook his head in clear disappointment. "You need to work harder, Xander. Slacking off does no one any good, especially not you. Training's over for today. Be sure to practice for tomorrow's session." Daggeron snapped his fingers, causing the spell to break and everyone returned to Rootcore their normal size.
Sensing trouble brewing, Mason and the other Rangers kept their distance as Daggeron walked by Xander and quietly muttered in the Green Ranger's ear, "I expected better from you."
You could practically see the steam blowing out of Xander's ears as the Green Ranger glared daggers at the back of Daggeron's head. Thankfully, the Solaris Knight didn't see it or else there might have been some additional trouble.
"Jerk," said Xander, under his breath as he took Clare's hand and headed for the forest.
Who did Daggeron think he was, just waltzing in and telling Xander how to use his magic? Xander was a chosen Mystic Ranger, not Daggeron! What made Daggeron think that he had any right putting them through these ridiculous training sessions and acting as though he was in charge? Life was just fine before the Solaris Knight came in and completely changed the Rangers' dynamic.
Ever since Daggeron had started teaching the team, the world had gone completely wackadoodle. Suddenly, there wasn't as much free time as there once was and Daggeron was always harping on and on about practice and useless nonsense like that. Xander's charming personality and his usual work ethic didn't do him any favors as it often had with his previous teachers and it seemed (in Xander's mind) that Daggeron had it out for Xander with the Solaris Knight's constant lectures and demanding personality.
Xander didn't know how or when, but he knew that somehow he was going to find a way to get Daggeron out of his life. Or at the very least, find a way to relieve Daggeron of his mentoring duties. And when it happened, life would go back to normal and Xander would be all the better for it. He was used to doing things a certain way and as it had worked well for him all these years. Why should he not carry on as he always had? Why fix what wasn't broken?
XXX
Meanwhile, back in the Underworld, Imperious was up to his usual tricks.
Daggeron's return and Imperious' subsequent humiliating defeat at the Solaris Knight's hand had put Imperious in a foul mood. Ever the arrogant narcissist, Imperious did not take defeat well, especially not at the hand one of his most despised foes. He was itching for revenge and he knew just how to achieve it, by means of one his more dangerous lackeys.
Imperious thrust out his fan and flipped it over. "I summon the Behemoth! Liberum Adsignatos!"
There was a great flash of dark magic and from it emerged a giant, dark-furred warrior garbed in spiky armor and a helmet made of bone. He carried with him a gigantic hammer and a stake the length of a spear.
Behemoth bowed before Imperious. "What is thy bidding, my lord? Me ready for battle!"
"My spies inform me that the Solaris Knight has been taken up the position of mentor to the Rangers. If he's employing the same methods he used once before, then you are to wait until he's sent his student off to another dimension for training," said Imperious. "Once Daggeron is alone and vulnerable, you will go to the surface world and use your Seismic Stakes to draw him out. Draw him out and destroy him!"
Behemoth eagerly nodded. "As you wish! Me destroy Solaris Knight!"
Imperious smirked to himself, clearly pleased.
From the shadows, Necrolai watched and shook her head as she quietly scoffed. She did not hold Behemoth in much esteem as she usually did with other dark minions as while Behemoth was a powerful warrior with great strength, he lacked sufficient intelligence to do much of anything beyond swinging his hammer and causing earthquakes. He wasn't that great of a fighter in hand-to-hand combat, either. If Solaris Knight destroyed Behemoth in battle, Necrolai would consider it a victory for the dark forces as Behemoth contributed very little to the Master's grand plans.
But as Necrolai sought favor with Imperious, she wisely held her tongue. Biding her time and waiting for the moment to arise where she could watch Solaris Knight destroy the imbecile of a warrior.
XXX
The following day, Daggeron had the Rangers meet him in the forest.
Today's training session was different than their usual ones as today they were out in the field for a special field test for their magical abilities.
"Today, you'll be running an obstacle of sorts. You'll have one hour to complete your objective, which is to find and retrieve five flags from five different regions. Each region's been specifically designed to challenge your individual magical strengths. When you retrieve the flag, you'll be granted passage to the next region," said Daggeron. "Any questions? No? Good. I'll have the portal ready in just a moment. If you'd be so kind as to wait."
Everyone nodded as Daggeron stepped into a clearing to prepare the portal spell. As he left, Daggeron gave Xander a soft smile and said, "Let's hope you do better than you did in the broom training."
Although the Solaris Knight's tone was not unkind and his words were not meant as discouraging or rude, Xander took it as another insult and his brow wrinkled with disgust.
"'Let's hope you do better than you did in the broom training,'" mocked Xander, under his breath. "What a yutz."
Unfortunately, Xander's tone was not quiet enough to prevent that last comment from being heard and it caused Mason to glare at the Green Ranger.
"All right, that's it. I've had it! What the heck is your problem with my father?" demanded Mason, sounding furious. "You've had it out for him since the beginning even though he's a good man who's been nothing but kind and fair to us! What is wrong with you?"
Ever since Daggeron had started training the team, Xander had been butting heads with the Solaris Knight about everything under the sun and frequently complained about Daggeron when the knight wasn't around. It was getting on everyone's nerves, especially Mason's.
"It's not just me, mate. Chip doesn't like him either!" said Xander. He turned to the Yellow Ranger, hoping to have some backup but none came.
"What're you talking about? I think Daggeron's great!" said Chip, excitedly.
Ever since Daggeron's arrival, Chip had thought the Solaris Knight was the coolest thing since becoming a Ranger. To be able to learn magic from an actual knight was everything Chip had ever dreamed of. Not to mention, Chip and Daggeron got along very well as Chip felt that Daggeron was a fair and just teacher and Daggeron considered Chip an exceptional student.
"You're just mad because Daggeron calls you out on your crap instead of giving you a free pass and he embarrassed you yesterday. Get over yourself," said Vida, bluntly.
Xander glared at Vida and did not reply.
"Vida's right. Don't bother looking for help in Daggeron-bashing club. You're the only one who has a problem with Daggeron, Xander. And I want to know why. What is going on between you two? I know this has been an adjustment, but your constant bickering with Daggeron is getting out of control. Why are you and Daggeron always at each other's throats?" asked Natalia.
"Why doesn't anyone else have a problem with him? He may be Mason's father, but he's a lousy teacher! I mean, seriously! Daggeron just showed up one day out of nowhere and suddenly, he's bossing us around all the time. We were doing just fine without him. Why does he think he can just waltz in here and tell us what to do?" complained Xander.
"He doesn't. Daggeron is only training us because I asked him to as a favor. Remember?" said Natalia, exasperatedly. After Daggeron had had some time to adjust to being back in the world, Natalia had spoken with him about being the Rangers' trainer and the Solaris Knight had agreed. Did she really have to recap this? "He's only in charge during training, nothing more. I'm still the leader of the team. I told you this before we started. Remember? We all discussed it together and agreed as a team and then I took it to Daggeron."
Xander shook his head. He most certainly did not remember anything about that. If Natalia had discussed the change in their lives before making it official, it must've been when he was pretending to listen and was focusing instead on his plans for his dates with Clare or when he was reading his favorite magazines.
"I don't recall that."
It was the wrong thing to say as it earned Xander a dark glare from Natalia and it caused him to take a step back in fear.
"Well, regardless of what you choose to remember or acknowledge, the battles against the Master's forces have gotten tougher and are only going to keep doing so from here on out. We need Daggeron's help, both in training and on the battlefield," said Natalia, angrily. "He can help us strengthen our magic and fighting skills in training and supply extra firepower on the battlefield. So, like it or not, Daggeron is staying put. I'm not firing him as our trainer just because you're being a bad student with a poor work ethic!"
Xander glared at Natalia. "I am not!"
Just because Xander favored the old ways and stuck to what he thought was best did not make him a bad student!
"Yes, you are. And you had better shape up, Xander, before you get us all killed or I take your morpher from you and suspend you from field duty for a month!" snapped Natalia, finally losing her patience, as was evident by the small flickering flames emitting from her hair and fingertips. "You're a great Ranger, Xander, and you've come a long way since I first met you. But if you don't keep at it, it will go to waste and be for nothing."
Without waiting for a reply, Natalia stormed off in a huff and joined Daggeron's side as the portal began to appear.
Not wishing to cause a fight or make the situation worse, Mason, Vida and Chip silently joined their leader.
Xander glared daggers on the back of his friends' heads. He couldn't believe how blind they were. How could they not see what an arrogant tyrant Daggeron was? The magics had chosen Xander and the team to be the Mystic Warriors. Didn't the fact that Daggeron hadn't been granted that honor speak volumes about the man? And even if Daggeron was Mason's birth father and a knight, the man had no business butting into the Rangers' lives and bossing them around. And he also had no right to single Xander out all the time. It was completely absurd! Regardless of what Natalia believed, the team had been managing just fine against the Master's forces. They didn't need help and Xander sure as heck didn't want it from Daggeron.
"Xander! It's time!" yelled Natalia, snapping Xander out of his thoughts. The portal was now up and running and everyone else was taking out their morphers. "Let's Ranger up! Ready?" When Xander quickly joined his teammates and took out his morpher, he joined them in shouting out, "Magical Source, Mystic Force!"
After morphing, Daggeron gave Natalia a special pocket watch in the shape of the sun and it was counting down. After Natalia tied the chain to her wrist, she and the other Rangers entered the portal and began the first part of the test.
The first region they entered was a sweltering hot desert with only a single cloud in sky and not a drop of water to be seen. After what seemed like a horribly walk through the scorching heat, a blue flag with gold fringe and Mason's Ranger symbol came into view.
"That flag's got my name on it," said Mason, excitedly.
"How're you going to get it?" asked Xander, curiously. "It's twenty feet in the air and there's no water anywhere." For once, Xander was not questioning Daggeron's teaching methods, he was genuinely curious as to how Mason was going to retrieve the flag.
Mason grinned beneath his helmet as he aimed his Magi Staff at the single dark cloud in the sky. "Oh, ye of little faith. Nubes Pluvia Frigore!"
There was a shimmer of blue light and then the cloud in the sky darkened until rain fell from it. Before it touched the ground, the water droplets froze in a descending pattern like that of a staircase, which Mason used to reach the flag. Quick as a flash before the staircase had a chance to melt, he snatched the blue fabric out of the sky before landing gracefully onto the ground.
Everyone cheered and applauded Mason's success before the portal appeared. At which point, the celebration ceased and the team walked through. They were then transported to an incredibly thick forest with trees neighboring so close to one another that their branches intertwined with each other, making it all but impossible to see the skies above.
After a good twenty minutes, they found what was surely Vida's flag hovering above some tightly woven branches above them.
"Think you can get it, sis?" teased Mason, good-naturedly.
"I don't think I can, I know I can!" said Vida, grinning as she thrust out her Magi Staff. "Papilio Mutatio!" And with that, Vida transformed herself into a small pink butterfly and summoned the winds to give her a speed boost before weaving through the twisting, gnarled branches. Within a few moments, Vida was able to grab the flag and return triumphantly to the team.
After praising Vida's success, the next portal appeared and off they went, this time they were taken to a dimly lit, dank cave. Led by Natalia, who lit her Magi Staff like a torch, the Rangers journeyed down a seemingly endless winding and twisting tunnel until they came across a dead end as well as a gigantic stack of rocks and boulders.
"Guys, we need to hurry it up. We've got only half an hour left," said Natalia, after checking the time. "Does anyone see the next flag?"
After a string of negatives went into the air, everyone began searching the area for the third flag. By either a miracle or a stroke of luck, Chip absentmindedly kicked a loose rock across the cave floor, exposing the bottom of a yellow flag with gold trim.
"Hey, guys, look! I found my flag!" said Chip, excitedly.
"Can you get it free without upsetting the rest of the pile?" asked Mason, eyeing the rocks and boulders warily.
Before answering, Chip gave the flag a tug, only for the rock stack to quiver rather dangerously. Chip shook his head at Mason.
"There's no other choice. I got to blast this like dynamite to get the flag," said Chip. "Everyone stand back and take cover." As soon as the rest of the team had taken shelter behind a boulder, Chip whipped out his Magi Staff. "Fulgar Petram!"
Powerful bolts of lightning shot out of Chip's Magi Staff and engulfed the cave with intense, bright light. When it faded, all that remained of the once intimidating rock stack was powder and a very happy Yellow Ranger as he held up his flag.
With three flags down and two to go in the remaining twenty minutes, the Rangers quickly praised Chip before hurrying through the next portal.
The next region was definitely not a vacation spot of any kind. The temperature was well below zero, snowcapped mountains gleamed in the distance, slick ice and two feet of snow littered the Rangers' path and the icy wind blew the heavily falling snow in every direction.
"Great! The one day I forget to pack my winter gear," complained Vida, as she shivered. "Let's find that flag and get out of here before we all turn into human popsicles."
There was no protest from any of the team and everyone heaved sighs of relief when Natalia's flag came into view. It was bright red with gold trim a phoenix symbol and it was also hovering in a block of ice at least five feet thick.
"Oh, great. Not only are we stuck in a frozen wasteland, but the flag's just about impossible to retrieve. I mean, how're you suppose to get the flag without burning it?" whined Xander, as he frantically rubbed his arms to warm himself.
"Would you shut up? I'm trying to concentrate!" said Natalia, sharply. After Xander fell silent, Natalia did not reach for her Magi Staff. Rather, she crossed her arms in front of her chest and then thrust them out. "Phoenix Volans Ignis!"
There was a flash of light as a phoenix made entirely of fire burst out of Natalia's hands and took flight. The phoenix then enfolded the ice its blazing wings, causing the ice to melt and then the phoenix brought the flag to Natalia before vanishing in a puff of smoke.
"Whoa! Natalia, where'd you learn to do that? That was awesome!" said Mason, amazed.
"Yeah, that was way cool," said Chip.
"Daggeron taught me," said Natalia, proudly. "I've been practicing it all week for the assignment. And speaking of which…" Natalia checked the pocket watch as the portal appeared. "Shoot! Xander, you're up next and be quick about it. There's only ten minutes left."
Xander nodded and followed his teammates through the portal, which took them to a hilltop in Mystic Woods and Xander's flag was in view, hovering at least ten feet above the ground and twenty feet across from the hilltop. Unfortunately, much to Xander's annoyance, Daggeron was waiting for them at the hilltop. No doubt he'd come to watch Xander and find a way to embarrass the Green Ranger yet again.
After taking the pocket watch from Natalia, Daggeron briefly stopped it, putting the test on hold as he examined the work of Xander's teammates, praising and every one of them for their success in retrieving their flag as well as complimenting their creative spells and how hard they must've worked in practicing said spells. The process only took a few moments, but Xander was bored to tears and ready to puke if Daggeron didn't hurry up. Didn't the Solaris Knight realize Xander had other things to do besides waste time on such a useless assignment?
Eventually, Xander's prayers were answered and the test resumed its course.
"All right, Xander. Let's see how well you do here," said Daggeron. "This is the last part of the challenge, which means it won't be easy."
Xander waved a dismissive hand. "Bah! No worries. I've handled worse." Xander grabbed his Magi Staff and aimed it at a nearby tree. Vinea Germinare!"
Green magic sparkled in the afternoon sunlight and then a slender green vine appeared. A bit too slender of a vine to be considered safe, even if conjured by magic. A fact that Daggeron's sharp eyes noticed all too quickly.
"Hold it!" said Daggeron. He stopped the ticking clock as he reached out for the vine. "As a commander of the earth, any flora you grow should hold anyone's weight. Are you sure this can carry you or anyone else here?"
"Uh…" Xander inwardly gulped as he realized that he didn't actually know if the vine could carry anyone's weight. But he wasn't about to say so to Daggeron and give the tyrant more ammo to use against him. But surely it didn't matter. Xander was great at his earth magic and surely any vine he conjured could hold any weight. He was Xander the Great after all. "Sure. Not a problem."
Daggeron didn't look convinced as he pocketed the watch. "May I?"
Thinking no harm would come of it, Xander released his grip on the vine. "Be my guest."
After Daggeron grabbed the vine with both hands and wrapped the end around his leg, he took off swinging. He hadn't gone more than a few feet when the vine snapped like a twig, causing Daggeron to fall into the pond below.
"Whoops," said Xander, wincing as he powered down.
"Dad!" exclaimed Mason, worriedly, as he ran down to his father.
Natalia gave Xander a dark glare. "Way to go, Xander!" she said, sarcastically before joining her boyfriend.
Chip and Vida didn't say a word but the looks on their faces spoke volumes as they followed their leader down at the bottom of the hill. Hoping to fix the situation, Xander wasted no time in running after his teammates.
Mason thrust out his hand and removed all the water from the pond and off of Daggeron's clothes, drying off the Solaris Knight, while Natalia, Chip and Vida helped Daggeron rid himself of the pond's plant life and check if he was hurt.
"Dad, are you all right?" asked Mason.
Daggeron stood up and spat out some pond water that had entered his mouth before replying. "I'm fine, son. Just a little bruised."
Mason sighed in relief.
Xander held out his hand for Daggeron to take and pulled the Solaris Knight out of the muddy pond bed. "Sorry. My bad."
"'My bad'?" echoed Daggeron, sounding both incredulous and stern. "You have no idea how lucky you are, do you? What could've happened if this hadn't been practice and it had been one of your teammates who fell? Do you?" Xander opened his mouth to speak, but Daggeron cut him off as the Solaris Knight's eyes darkened with anger. "You clearly didn't practice for this assignment. Am I correct, Xander?"
"Well…" Xander's voice trailed off. "Not really, no. But I've never needed practice before. This was just an accident."
This did not pacify Daggeron's mood. "Just because it wasn't an issue before doesn't mean it isn't one now, which it clearly is. I don't know how many times I have to tell you this before you finally understand. Without practice, your magic will grow weak. And when your magic weakens, you become a liability on the battlefield and you put your teammates in danger!"
Xander couldn't believe the words coming out of Daggeron's mouth. A liability? Me?! He's out of his mind! How could Daggeron accuse Xander of being a liability when all he'd ever done was put a hundred and ten percent to the team and his powers? Practice or not, Xander was a hero and his powers had never failed him before. Why should practice or lack of change that? And even so, what did it matter how well he did in training or not? That's all it was, training.
"I'm not endangering anyone. It's just practice," said Xander, weakly.
Daggeron took a deep breath before replying. "Next time, it might not be practice. Next time, it could be the real thing. As a matter of fact, it officially is the real thing." Daggeron picked up an acorn from off the ground and placed it in Xander's hand. "Since you failed the assignment, you have a new one. You're to stay here and grow this acorn into a tree."
Xander snorted. This was his punishment? What a joke! He could do that spell in his sleep and had even done so once or twice. "Not a problem."
"Without your wand," said Daggeron, sternly. Quicker than Xander could blink, Daggeron took Xander's morpher as soon as the Green Ranger had removed it from its holster. "You're to perform wandless magic and your wand will be waiting for you at Rootcore when you've finished your task."
"But I'm not as good with wandless magic like Natalia or Mason!" protested Xander. Granted, Xander had done powerful wandless magic once before during his first battle with Hidiacs and Styxoids, but that had been months ago and any magic he'd performed since then had been with his wand. Making him rusty in that department. How could Daggeron ask this of him?
"Then it's high time you learned," said Daggeron. "You already have the strength and power inside of you to do it. You need only to find it and unlock it."
"But—!" protested Xander.
"No buts!" interrupted Daggeron, sharply. "I've been lenient with you, but enough is enough. It's high time you learned that there are consequences to your actions. You can rejoin the rest of us at Rootcore after you've done as I've asked. The rest of you, come with me, please."
Xander watched in dismay as the Rangers began following Daggeron.
"But this could take all night!" yelled Xander. When nobody answered, Xander turned to Natalia's retreating form in desperation. "Natalia, can't you—"
"No, Xander. You're staying put until and that's final," said Natalia, firmly. She didn't look over her shoulder to speak with him.
Xander felt utterly abandoned by those he trusted and a surge of anger towards his so-called mentor. He threw the acorn into the mud and furiously muttered, "Uthfus Bethud Arboris!"
But despite Xander's strong emotions and the magic he faintly felt inside, the acorn didn't so much as sprout, much less grow into a tree. Xander ran his fingers through his hair in frustration as he continued trying to make the acorn grow. By the time the sun rose the next morning, Xander had a two foot, skinny little tree that was more fern-like than tree-like and Xander was not only exhausted, he was furious.
This was utterly ridiculous. What right did Daggeron have to make Xander stay in the woods all night to grow the stupid tree? And what on earth was Natalia thinking in following that arrogant tyrant and forcing Xander to comply with Daggeron's wishes? This was a joke! Xander's record as a Ranger spoke for itself, he didn't need anyone else's approval, especially not Daggeron's. Xander had put up with it long enough. The tree was the last straw. If Natalia wouldn't get rid of Daggeron, then Xander would go over Natalia's head and speak with Udonna on the subject. If the Queen herself disapproved of Natalia's choice, then Daggeron would no longer be the Rangers' trainer and things could go back to normal.
XXX
By the time, Xander arrived at Rootcore, he was only too happy to see his morpher waiting for him on the table, which he quickly snatched up before storming off in search of Udonna.
The White Sorceress Queen was by the crystal ball, playing peek-a-boo with Fire Heart. The little dragon was giggling until he saw Xander come in.
"Papa!" squealed Fire Heart.
Fire Heart leapt off the table and into Xander's arms.
"Morning, Fire Heart," said Xander. He felt some of his anger defuse just a little as he cradled the dragon hatchling to his chest. The little baby had a way of making bad days just a bit better, for which Xander was grateful.
"Good morning, Xander," said Udonna, cheerfully.
Xander scowled. "It's that good of a morning."
Udonna frowned in concern. "What's wrong?"
"What's wrong? What's wrong is that Daggeron is getting on my last nerves. He made me waste all night growing this stupid tree!" said Xander, in irritation as he dropped the potted plant and Fire Heart onto the table.
"Well, I've always known Daggeron to be a fair man. I'm sure he had a good reason for making you do it," said Udonna, gently.
Xander bit back an exasperated sigh. Did Udonna understand what the problem was? Couldn't she see that Daggeron had gone overboard and was unfairly persecuting Xander? The Solaris Knight had to lose his mentor job.
"With all due respect, Udonna, Daggeron is arrogant and tyrannical and I really rather he wasn't training us anymore. I've tried talking to Natalia, but she refuses to listen," said Xander. "But you're the Queen. Couldn't you override Natalia's decision?"
"I suppose I could," said Udonna, slowly.
Xander's heart leapt. This was perfect. If Udonna intervened, then Daggeron would have to cease his training regimen and everything would go back to normal.
"But I won't," said Udonna.
Xander's heart sank and his jaw dropped, unable to believe what he was hearing. Udonna was turning him down? She wasn't going to stop Daggeron's madness? How could she do this?
"But—!"
"Daggeron is your teacher and Natalia is your leader. That's all I have to say on the matter," said Udonna, firmly. As she began to leave the room, her gaze flickered to Xander's little plant. "But that is a lovely little tree."
Xander did not reply. It took all his restraint not to yell or unleash his magic. Once again, he'd failed to get rid of Daggeron. The arrogant tyrant of a mentor was staying. At least for now. But maybe once the others saw what Daggeron's punishment had led to, maybe they'd change their minds.
"Achoo!"
Xander spun around and took a few quick steps back as Fire Heart sneezed hot flames that burnt the tree into charcoal.
"Sorry," said Fire Heart, looking abashed.
Under any normal circumstances, Xander might've been upset but in that moment, he could not have cared less. Plus, it was impossible for Xander to get mad at Fire Heart. It was an accident, and besides, the hatchling was too adorable and too young to know any better.
"You know what, little guy? You just earned yourself a snack," said Xander. He put the potted tree onto the floor and stepped back. "Bon appétit."
Fire Heart licked his lips in anticipation before chowing down on the tree.
XXX
Later that day, the rest of the team found Xander not only camped out in an armchair at Rootcore, he was sound asleep and snoring louder than a lawnmower.
"Xander's learned a new spell code: Sonic Disruption," joked Chip, as everyone laughed.
A mischievous glint entered Vida's eyes as she took out an air horn from beneath the counter. "Time for a little payback." Last April Fool's Day, Vida had been working alone in the back room and Xander had decided to pull a prank by sneaking in and pressing the button on an air horn. It had scared Vida half to death and she'd sworn payback when Xander least expected it. Now was that time.
Vida held the air horn with two feet of Xander and pressed the red button as everyone else covered their ears. An ear-drum splitting noise went off, startling Xander and causing him to jump up into a defensive fighting stance as Chip and Vida laughed.
Xander scowled as he rubbed his tired eyes. "Very funny, guys."
Mason gave Xander a concerned look. "You okay? You look awful."
Xander nodded. "Yeah, I'm just tired. I didn't get much sleep last night. Look, guys…" Xander sighed. He'd hoped to have more energy for this conversation but now was as good a time as any to have it. "I know you're all fond of Daggeron, but he really needs to stop being our teacher. I mean, look at me! I'm exhausted because of his stupid tree-growing assignment. And I'm sorry, Mason, but your dad's had it out for me since he started teaching and I'm sick of it. He is a jerk."
In Xander's desire to complain about Daggeron, he failed to notice that Mason, Chip and Vida suddenly looked alarmed and were making gestures for Xander to be quiet.
"He's overbearing, petty, and tyrannical—" continued Xander.
"And he's also standing right behind you," said Natalia, bluntly.
Xander's face fell as he turned around and saw Daggeron standing behind him, wearing a beige suit with a crisp white shirt and a medallion in the shape of the sun. His face was expressionless, which made it impossible for Xander to know how Daggeron felt at that moment.
"Pardon the intrusion, I came by to invite Nehir and Natalia for lunch," said Daggeron, politely. "And to inform you that since tomorrow is your day off from working at this establishment, I'll be sending you all on a special assignment. You'll be going on a field trip to another dimension."
While Natalia, Mason, Chip and Vida looked battle-ready if not a bit excited, Xander inwardly groaned and fought the urge to bury his face in his hands. Another special assignment? And on his day off from work, too? Didn't Daggeron ever get tired of those or was he just the teacher from Hades? Most likely, it was the latter.
XXX
The next day, Xander reluctantly met with Daggeron and his teammates at the tree outside of the Rock Porium. Upon Xander's arrival, Daggeron pulled out his card from his pocket and clipped it. Moments later, a gigantic blue and gold train with a red jewel and a golden sun appeared.
"Welcome to the Solar Streak. This train has been handed down in my family for generations. It is the only vehicle of transportation capable of reaching any dimension in the fastest amount of time," said Daggeron, proudly. "This is how you'll be journeying to the dimension known as Shalifar."
"All aboard!" yelled Chip. He smiled unabashed when everyone stared. "Sorry. Always wanted to say that. How could I pass it up?"
Daggeron chuckled as he gestured to the train. "Everyone, climb aboard. You'll find that you each have your own compartments which will be equipped with the clothing you'll be required to wear as well as your own individual survival kits."
Nothing more needed to be said, as everyone eagerly ran onto the train and took a seat in the dining car so they could better see the passing sights. Everyone, that is, except for Xander, who was being sullen and was quite certain that the so-called "exciting field trip" was going to be a colossal waste of time and another chance for Daggeron to humiliate Xander.
As the train picked up speed and began traveling through the dimensions, Mason became misty-eyed with nostalgia.
"I remember this old girl," said Mason, as he affectionately stroked the window frame. "My parents and I would use this to travel to other worlds for vacations or training. Whenever Dad took me on father-son outings to other worlds, he'd take me up to the engine room and I'd listen to him teach me how to drive. As a matter of fact, I'm going to have my first maiden voyage with her next month after Dad's helped me brush up on my skills."
"Dude, how are you so lucky?" said Chip, enviously.
"He just is," said Vida, affectionately as she ruffled her adopted brother's hair.
Mason smiled. "Thanks, guys."
"So, any idea what Shalifar's like?" asked Natalia.
Mason shook his head. "Not a clue. I've never been there and I've only ever heard the name mentioned once or twice. So, this is a first for me too."
"I'll bet it's terrible," grumbled Xander. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'd rather be at work."
"You don't know that," said Vida, rolling her eyes.
"No, you're right. It's going to be much, much worse. Excuse me. I suddenly feel ill," said Xander, as he went off towards his compartment.
Natalia sighed and shook her head in Xander's direction. Having had multiple self-defense teachers growing up, Natalia knew how difficult it could be to adjust to changing mentors and having a new routine, and what it was like to favor one teacher over the other. But Xander's problem went beyond that. He'd always relied on luck to get himself out of trouble and the Rangers' continued victories in battle had caused him to think they were invincible, which wasn't a good mindset for a Mystic Warrior. If Xander didn't get his head out of the sand, he would never become the great Ranger that he was meant to be. Hopefully, if the field trip went as planned, some sense would finally get knocked through Xander's thick skull. But if it didn't, then they'd have to start over and Natalia prayed it wouldn't come to that.
"We should go to our compartments and get changed," said Natalia, after a moment. The sights had been passing by rather quickly but now they were slowing down. "I think we're almost there."
"I think you're right," said Mason. "C'mon, guys."
Twenty minutes later, everyone was changed into various brown leather outfits and they were standing in a marshy field in an unfamiliar dimension.
"Welcome to the magical dimension of Shalifar," said Daggeron. "This is where your magical as well your survival skills will be put to the test. Which is why you'll be relying on wandless magic, your survival kits and each other. So, morphers, please."
"Are you serious? You're going to leave us here with practically no defenses while we're dressed like this?" whined Xander, gesturing to their absurd clothes as he handed over his morpher. "That's crazy, mate. Crazy."
For once, Daggeron did not become stern at Xander's backtalk. Instead, the older man smiled as he placed the Rangers' morphers into a knapsack.
"You're not defenseless. As I said, you have your inner strengths as well as your kits and each other," said Daggeron. "And how long you are here is up to you." Daggeron plucked out a ticket with the Solar Streak engraved on it. He placed the ticket into the knapsack and then cast a spell that sent the knapsack flying across the dimension like a Frisbee. "Find the ticket and it'll summon the train to take you back home and your morphers will be returned to you. The sooner you find the ticket, the sooner you can return. However, in the unlikely event that things do not go well, you'll find an emergency flare in your survival kits. Light it, and I'll return to fetch. Although, I'd rather that wasn't the case. Any questions? No? Good luck to you then."
And with that, Daggeron returned to the Solar Streak and disappeared through the magic portal without looking back or thinking twice.
"Well, come on, guys. Let's get going. Daylight's burning and the sooner we find the ticket and our morphers, the sooner we can leave," said Natalia, briskly, as she began walking off in the direction of the ticket.
So, having no other choice, Xander grudgingly began following his teammates into the forest in search of the ticket.
After an hour of walking and fruitless searching, the team stopped for a food and water break and Natalia quickly divided up the chores. Xander collected the firewood, Chip set up the campfire, Vida set up the campsite and a warning system in case something nasty came near, and Mason helped Natalia prepare their tinfoil meals of beef, herbs and vegetables after the Red Ranger got the fire going.
"Mmm," said Xander, unable to hold back the delightful moan that entered his throat. "This is great. Where'd you learn how to make this?"
"Do my ears deceive me?" teased Vida, as she cupped her ear. "Did Xander the Pessimist just smile and compliment something?"
The Pink Ranger laughed as Xander scowled and flicked a small potato chunk at her head.
"Knock it off, both of you," said Natalia, warningly. But her tone was light and there was a small smile on her face. "And to answer your question, Xander, Endo taught me."
"Endo? Your favorite martial teacher?" said Chip, surprised.
After Natalia and Mason had had their first kiss, she'd called a group meeting and explained Endo's identity and his relationship with Natalia to the Rangers, clearing up any misunderstandings there might have been about the man. Needless to say, everyone had been very surprised but also quite relieved to know the truth and to also know that Natalia hadn't been unintentionally breaking Mason's heart by favoring another.
Natalia nodded. "To be honest, Endo didn't start out that way, as my favorite teacher, I mean."
"You're kidding," said Mason, surprised.
Natalia shook her head. "No. At first, we were anything but close. When I first started learning with Endo, I was even more closed off than I was when I first came to Briarwood."
"Really? Why?" asked Vida, curiously.
Natalia sighed as she put her now empty tinfoil into her survival kit. Although Natalia trusted her friends and felt ready to tell them more about her past, it was still taking a great deal of courage to come forth and speak of personal, more sensitive events.
"Well, as I'm sure Udonna's told you, I've always had my powers. But unfortunately, until I became a Ranger, I couldn't always control them and the few times I was exposed, it didn't end well. Anyway, my parents still wanted me to know how to protect myself, powers or no, so I was sent to various teachers whenever we moved. I usually did enough to please my teachers, but I always held back because of my fear, because I didn't want to change and mess anything up. By the time, I was Endo's student, I thought I had everything figured out and I could satisfy Endo's class requirements. I was wrong. For the first few weeks, it seemed like no matter what I did, it wasn't enough to please Endo. He wasn't mean about it, but he seemed to be singling me out, which really ticked me off. He even persuaded my parents to put me in his one-on-one sessions, where we practiced breathing and control, which I didn't understand the point of. I didn't know what Endo's deal was and for a while, I hated him and wished he wasn't my teacher. We even had a few heated arguments, let me tell you."
Xander was amazed at what he was hearing. All this time, he'd thought Natalia didn't understand his issues with Daggeron and was just being unsympathetic and bossy. But it turned out, that Natalia did understand more than Xander could have ever imagined. He wouldn't admit it aloud, but now he was curious as to what had changed between Natalia and Endo, because Xander had seen their closeness when Endo had been in town and it was nothing like the story Natalia was currently telling.
"Anyway, one day, I went to class early for some meditation as per Endo's instructions. And when I got there, I found two of the older students trying to steal some of Endo's priceless heirloom swords from his office," continued Natalia.
"You're kidding!" said Chip, shocked. It sounded like something out of a Kung-Fu movie. "What did you do?"
"There wasn't time to call the police, so I did the only thing I could do, I fought them off. Don't get me wrong, I was scared out of my mind, those two were older and more experienced than I was and it was the first time I'd ever had to use my training in a proper fight before. To make a long story short, miraculously, I didn't hold back. I not only managed to subdue them but I also managed to make my fire magic work as I intended for once. When the fight ended, I heard clapping and much to my surprise, Endo was in the doorway and he'd just called the police," said Natalia. "He'd been there in hiding the entire time."
Everyone's jaws dropped. Endo had been there the whole time and hadn't acted? What possible motive could he have had for such inaction?
"But if he'd been there the whole time, why didn't he help you?" asked Mason, puzzled.
"That's what I asked him. And as it turned out, Endo had not only suspected the worst about those two students, but he'd also known that I was holding back and he knew about my powers. He'd seen me trying to control them when I thought I was alone. He'd known and oddly enough, he wasn't afraid of me and he didn't think I was a monster," said Natalia, smiling. "Instead, Endo had seen potential for me to be more than what I was, that I was capable of controlling my magic and being a great fighter, which was why he'd always been pushing me. But when it hadn't worked, he decided that I had to be placed in a real dangerous environment so that I could learn for myself. From that moment on, things changed between the two of us. I had a new respect for Endo and gradually, I became one of his best students. I was still cautious, but I was little less restrained and Endo became family to me. I learned an important lesson from Endo, one that I've never forgotten. You can't not sharpen your sword and not expect it to become dull."
There was a moment's silence as Natalia's audience, especially Xander, contemplated the deeper meaning of her words before Mason broke the silence by declaring it was time to cleanup and move on. After the campsite was cleared away, the Rangers resumed their journey. They hadn't gone far when they heard a terrifying roar, louder than any noise they'd ever heard in their life, causing them to flee into the deeper part of the forest.
"What was that?" demanded Xander, as he struggled to catch his breath.
"I don't know. But whatever it was, obviously it isn't friendly. We need to hurry and find the ticket so we can get out of here," said Natalia. "Mason, what's our E.T.A.?"
Mason pulled out a piece of parchment from his pocket and incanted a spell that turned it into a map of Shalifar. On one part, there were five different colored lights, symbolizing each of the Rangers and not too far from them showed the image of the ticket they were looking for, causing Mason to frown in concern.
"Wait, this can't be right. This shows we should be almost on top of the ticket," said Mason.
"And why's that a bad thing?" asked Vida.
"Because according to my initial calculations, my dad threw it much further away. We shouldn't be that close yet," said Mason, as he rolled up the map and pocketed it. "Something isn't right."
"Well, whatever it is, we'll deal with. In the meantime, can we hurry up and go? I don't want to be here if whatever made that noise shows up!" said Xander, impatiently.
For once, no one argued with Xander and everyone resumed their search for the ticket. As they continued to walk, something or someone began snatching up the Rangers one-by-one from behind before they could so much as scream for help. Within moments, Natalia, Vida and Mason were all snatched away.
"I didn't get a good look at that giant beast, but I'm sure Daggeron could've beaten it," said Chip, in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Maybe he'll teach us when we get back."
In spite of hearing the lesson in Natalia's story, Xander scoffed. "Daggeron?! Mate, we wouldn't be in this mess if Daggeron hadn't sent us to this dump in the first place! How can you still defend him after all this, Chip?" There was a moment's silence, which made Xander's blood turn cold. "Chip? Hello? Anyone there?"
Hesitantly, Xander turned around and to his horror, found that he was utterly and completely alone. Worse, the roaring sound returned and as Xander ducked and hid, he saw the source of the roaring: a balding male giant with missing teeth and said giant was carrying Xander's friends away in a large burlap sack, which was slung over his shoulder.
"Oh, crap," muttered Xander.
His friends were in danger of becoming the giant's lunch and Xander was practically defenseless. What on earth was he going to do to help them?
XXX
Meanwhile, back in Briarwood, the Rangers' absence had not gone unnoticed, making it the perfect time for Imperious' plan to be enacted. Behemoth was sent to the surface world with Necrolai to draw out and destroy Daggeron.
Behemoth plunged Seismic Spike into the ground of the city's square and raised his hammer to strike it and cause a terrible earthquake, only to be confused when a blast of sun fire magic burnt it away into nothing.
"Hey! Where spike go?" asked Behemoth, confused.
Right on cue, Daggeron descended from up above on a magic carpet. He gracefully leapt down and took a defensive stance as he glared at his enemies.
"I've stopped your spike. I'll not let you destroy this city," said Daggeron, angrily. Quickly, he whipped out his morpher. "Magical Source, Mystic Force!" There was a flash of light as warm and bright as the sun as Daggeron morphed into his Solaris Knight armor. "Power of the Sun, Solaris Knight!"
Necrolai just scoffed. "Get him, Behemoth!"
Angry that Solaris Knight had taken away his spike, Behemoth was only too happy to comply. He raised up his hammer and ran towards Daggeron.
"I will trample you!" roared Behemoth. He charged at Daggeron, only to miss when Daggeron leapt out of the way. "Where he go?"
"Up here!" said Daggeron, smugly. He was standing on top of Behemoth's head.
"AUGH!" roared Behemoth. He swung his hammer to try and hit Daggeron, but the Solaris Knight was too quick and when he dodged Behemoth's hammer, the brainless beast knocked himself out and gave himself a concussion instead.
As Daggeron prepared to end the battle, he was caught off-guard when another struck instead.
"Wolf Attack!"
Suddenly, Daggeron was blasted sky high and landed painfully on his back. When he rose up, he saw that he'd been struck by none other than Koragg. Daggeron had heard much about Koragg from Mason, but hadn't fully expected to meet the Knight Wolf after hearing how Koragg had been nearly destroyed during the Gatekeeper incident. But now the Knight Wolf was standing between him and Necrolai and Behemoth and clearly, he was ready for a fight.
"Koragg!" exclaimed Necrolai, shocked. "Where on earth has he been?" The Knight Wolf was not only alive, but had a new weapon and seemed stronger than ever.
Koragg paid no attention to Necrolai or Behemoth. Instead, his attention was focused solely on Daggeron. He drew his blade and his sword met Daggeron's, causing a clashing sound to echo throughout the air as the two knights did battle. They seemed evenly matched as they met or dodged the other's blows and then finally, their swords locked.
"I am Koragg, the Knight Wolf. Who are you?" demanded Koragg.
"Daggeron, the Solaris Knight," he replied. "What's your business, Koragg?"
Koragg growled in anger as they unlocked their blades and encircled each other like wolves. "My business is not with you, Solaris Knight. It is with the Red Witch. Tell me where she is so that we may do battle!"
Daggeron stubbornly shook his head. "Never! I don't know why you're obsessed with her, but I'll not deliver my student to you so that you can destroy her in battle!" Another thing Daggeron knew about was Koragg's insane obsession with Natalia and Daggeron had no intention of allowing Koragg to harm his son's girlfriend. "If it's a fight you want, you'll have to take it up with me!"
This time, Koragg did not growl and nor did he mock Daggeron. Instead, Koragg seemed intrigued by Daggeron's offer.
"Do you think you have what it takes to fight me?" challenged Koragg.
Despite how strong and powerful Koragg was, Daggeron did not tremble in fear and nor did he doubt his own abilities.
"I've been trained well in the art of battle. En garde!" cried Daggeron.
And with that, they launched into battle. It was an amazing fight to watch as both Daggeron and Koragg dueled with great skill and either met or dodged each other's blows. Neither seemed able to gain an advantage over the other, however, and the fight came to a standstill when Necrolai decided to let the two knights fight it out while she and Behemoth went elsewhere to wreck their havoc. Their absence did not go unnoticed by Daggeron, who was forced to play on Koragg's honor as he leapt out of the way of Koragg's sword and powered down.
"Koragg, wait!" said Daggeron, as he held up his hands. "You are a servant of the Master, but you are also a warrior of honor. Would you attack me as I am now?"
Koragg growled as he sheathed his sword. "No. Your battle is with the hag and that brainless oaf. I'll not stop you. But know this, Solaris Knight, you and I will fight again and I will fight with the Red Witch when she returns."
Having expected this, Daggeron nodded. "Very well, then. Adieu, Koragg."
And with that, the two knights went their separate ways.
XXX
Meanwhile, Xander was busy trailing after his friends.
Despite his fear and his lack of confidence about his wandless magic ability, Xander refused to abandon his teammates. It was quite lucky that rain had recently fallen in Shalifar, which left the ground muddy and perfect for maintain footprints, which Xander followed to the giant's cave. When he reached the giant's cave, he ducked down behind a boulder to conceal himself as he carefully peaked around the cold stone to get a good look at the situation.
There was a large fire crackling in the center of the cave and the giant was holding a large, thick rope that was keeping the other Rangers tied up like a stack of straw. Xander guess that the cave was somehow blocking his friends' magic, otherwise they might've freed themselves already, but there was no time to dwell on that as Xander needed to come up with a plan and quickly, if he wanted to rescue his friends. But what could he do?
As if in answer, the giant picked up a handless wicker basket of pomegranates, apples, oranges, peaches and pears and looked upset at their rotted state before tossing the basket aside.
The rotted fruit reeked but oddly enough, the seeds inside seemed healthy enough and the sight of them gave Xander an idea. An insane, desperate idea, but the only one that might work.
With some difficult, Xander dragged the basket out into a nearby field and dumped out the fruit. He then proceeded to pluck out every last seed and scattered them across the field.
Please work, please work. Please, please, please! Xander silently begged. He closed his eyes as he tried to find his inner strength so that his plan could work. "Uthfus Bethud Arboris!"
As great power surged through Xander's body, he inwardly smiled and when he opened his eyes and saw that not only was the once desolate and ruined field was healed and restored to its former glory, but every last seed that Xander had planted had grown into the biggest and healthiest orchard of fruit trees that he'd ever seen in his life. A hysterical, happy laugh escaped Xander's throat as he plucked one of the pomegranates off the tree and ran into the cave just as the giant began pulling his friends towards the blazing fire.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, there big fella!" said Xander, loudly, catching the giant's attention. "Hi there. My name's Xander. What's yours?"
The giant blinked in confusion before replying, "Tiny."
Xander bit back the urge to laugh and instead, put on his most charming smile. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Tiny. Listen, you don't want to eat my friends. You like fruit better, don't you?"
Tiny nodded and winced as his stomach grumbled so loudly, it almost shook the cave. "Yes, I do. But our best growing field was ruined last year and we haven't had any good fruit in months."
"Well, what if I told you that I've not only got a nice piece of freshly picked, juicy fruit for you, but I'd be willing to show you where there's more if you let my friends go?" offered Xander, as he held out the pomegranate.
Tiny raised a suspicious eyebrow but did not speak as he hesitantly reached for the offered fruit. He then sniffed it and when it caused Tiny to smile, the giant proceeded to devour the fruit like there was no tomorrow. When he'd finished, he was smilingly broadly and licking his lips for more.
"That was the best fruit I've ever had in my life! You say there's more?" When Xander nodded, Tiny looked excited. "Show me, please, and I will free your friends."
"Sure. Happy to oblige, mate," said Xander. "Follow me, big guy."
Xander ran out into the blinding sunshine and led Tiny to the fruit orchard, where every single tree branch was heavy with delicious fruit, ripe for the picking.
"Oh, and as added bonus, I also fixed the field. You shouldn't have any more growth problems," said Xander, happily. "So, what do you think? Is this all that I promised."
"And more," said Tiny, happily as he freed Xander's teammates. He knelt down to the Rangers' level. "You may leave and I hope you'll accept my humblest apologies. I was desperate as my people and I have been starving for months. We're actually vegetarians."
Xander laughed as the other Rangers looked agog and aghast at this piece of news.
"Apology accepted, Tiny," said Natalia, as the others nodded in agreement. "Hey, I don't suppose you've seen a small knapsack around here, have you?"
"You mean this?" Tiny reached into his pocket and pulled out the knapsack they were looking for. "It landed in my field earlier today."
Everyone cheered in relief as they thanked Tiny and promised to come visit once in a while before reclaiming their morphers and returning to Briarwood.
It was all just as well that Xander neither knew nor suspected that the team had never been in any real danger, that the entire situation had been set up by Daggeron and the team. Tiny was actually quite benevolent and his field had truly been ruined. He'd been all too happy to have it restored so that Xander would learn a lesson the Green Ranger would never forget.
XXX
When the Rangers returned to Briarwood, they saw Behemoth's last moments at the hands of Daggeron and his Solar Streak Megazord, which was quite a battle to watch. When the battle ended and Daggeron powered down, the Solaris Knight met with the Rangers in the city plaza. Daggeron looked very pleased to see them.
"I see you've learned a valuable lesson from your trip to Shalifar," said Daggeron, approvingly.
Xander nodded and looked genuinely sorry and humble as he held out his hand. "I'm really sorry, Daggeron. You weren't being a bad teacher, I was being a bad student." Xander now understood that he'd let the Rangers' victories go to his head and if he hadn't been practicing the growing spell, they could have all been in real danger in Shalifar. "I promise I'll do better. And if it's okay with you, I'd like to start over."
Daggeron smiled as he shook Xander's offered hand. "It'd be a pleasure. And for what it's worth, I knew you had the inner strength to overcome the obstacles in Shalifar, which was why I sent you there. I'm proud of you, Xander."
Xander smiled.
XXX
Two days later, Daggeron found Xander outside of Rootcore, practicing his summoning spell as well as his control of the broom as it whizzed through the air.
"Don't take your eye off the broom," said Daggeron. "That's the key."
Xander nodded whilst keeping his gaze on the broomstick. "Don't worry. I've practicing a lot. I've got the hang of it now."
Daggeron gave Xander an approving nod. "You've got more lessons today in ten minutes. Are you sure you're ready for them?"
Xander grinned. "I'd better be. I've got a pretty tough teacher."
Daggeron was a tough teacher at times, but he was also fair and some tough love had been exactly what Xander needed. Their relationship had changed since the trip to Shalifar and it had changed all for the better. Xander and Daggeron not only had a new respect for each other as mentor and student, but they were also becoming friends.
Daggeron chuckled and then his eyes became misty with nostalgia from days long passed. "Believe me, my teacher was way tougher with me than I am with you. But I learned to respect him and in time, he became my best friend and godfather to my son."
Xander looked intrigued. Now, that sounded like a story he'd be interested in hearing, but perhaps it was best left for another day. Right now, there was training to be done and after all, the more practice, the better.