Shout out to ScarletNova. She chose option 2 back at the start of Ninja Storm: the Hellhound's Secret and chose to make an appearance at some point Jungle Fury, and if I am honest, she has become one of my favourite characters to write about. I hope you enjoy her as much as I do.
"Now there's nobody to watch your back."
Racing forward, Kali jumped over the Red Ranger and swung her sword at the insect. They jumped back, narrowly avoiding being sliced and growled.
"Who are you?" the insect asked, and Kali was surprised to hear that it was a female voice.
"Huh. That's a new one," Kali murmured, raking her eyes over the females body. What she had assumed was a monster was in fact a woman in green armour.
"Who are you?" the Red Ranger asked, echoing the green-armoured woman's question.
Kali ignored him, too. She wasn't morphed but had merely intervened after arriving in Ocean Bluff during the attack. She figured she could've morphed, but why deny the enemy a chance to see that she was no pushover, regardless of her status, was to good an opportunity to pass over. Besides, Koragg had learned she was a threat in civilian form as opposed to morphed, too.
"Don't make me ask again," said the insect. "Who are you?"
"Who are you?" Kali asked, removing her helmet. Her brown hair falling down around her shoulders.
The insect gasped and took a step back. "No… you can't be here," she whispered, crossing one arm over her chest and tightening her fingers around the middle prong of her Sai.
Kali's brow furrowed. "I take it from your reaction that you've heard of me," she said. "Good. Tell your master it won't be long now, and he'll be back in his box, snug as a bug."
The insect snarled, turned, and took off. Leaping up onto a nearby rooftop and streaking away.
Kali turned back to the Red Ranger and held out her hand.
Taking her hand, the red ranger gasped as he stood and could finally get a good look at his helper. His eyes widened as he recognised her, immediately. "Holy crap, you're -" he gasped.
"Kali Briar," nodded Kali.
"Black Mystic."
Kali suppressed a groan and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Why was she still surprised when people recognised her? The whole of Blue Bay Harbour had been surprised when she turned up, albeit out of the blue, and everyone she came in contact with were starstruck, like she was some big celebrity and didn't bother to hide the fact that they were fawning all over her.
She hated it.
"What are you doing here?" the Red Ranger asked.
"What does it look like?" Kali asked. "I'm here to help. Since you know who I am, I'm guessing you know what I can do?"
The Red Ranger nodded. "Yeah. We were taught about you at the academy," he said. "My new master has also mentioned you, but I never expected you to show up unannounced."
"I was actually invited here," said Kali. "But, that's enough about me. I have to go. I'm looking for someone in particular. I'll see you around, Red Ranger."
"Wait, who are you -?" the Red Ranger broke off as Kali disappeared. He sighed and, holding his arm tightly to his side, he turned and went in search of the others.
~X~
Arriving back at her bike, Kali perched herself on the seat and took out her Mystic Morpher. She snapped it open and held it to her hear. "Hey, I'm just checking in," she said. "You were right. There are Rangers here. I only seen the Red one, but I also met, who I am guessing is one of Dai Shi's generals - she looked like an insect. Could you ask Nikki if she has any information on Generals for me? I'd like to know more when I face her again. Call me when you get it. I'll check in again later."
She snapped the morpher closed and slid it into her pocket. Pushing her from the bike, Kali turned to the building she had parked outside and looked up. The name on the front said Jungle Karma Pizzeria in colourful letters. Her stomach grumbled and she tucked her helmet under her arm as she strode to the door.
Inside was manic. A woman in a green t-shirt, black pants, an orange cap and an orange apron was being run rampant by a horde of screaming children, all of whom seemed to be attending the same birthday party - the birthday boy sat at the back of the restaurant surrounded by presents and balloons - while adults, Kali couldn't only guess were parents, sat in groups chatting to one another. She rose an eyebrow at them, as they paid very little attention to her or their annoying brats.
Kali gasped as a child sucked a gulp of orange juice into a straw and then spat it back out into the face of an employee. "Hey," she snapped, wheeling him around. "Where are you parents?"
"MOM!" the kid yelled, running away.
Kali turned back to the employee. "Are you okay?" she asked.
"Yeah," said the girl. She had short, bobbed red hair that was tucked under her cap. Her glasses, which she was drying on a towel were smudged with flour and juice, were square and thick around the edges. "Thank you, but you didn't have to do that."
Kali shrugged and glanced around at the boy. She could see him pointing in her general direction while crying to his mother. Bracing herself for a confrontation, Kali turned her attention back to the girl she had helped. "Uh, if you're too busy, I can find someplace else to eat," she said.
"No. No, it's okay," said the girl. "I'm Fran, by the way. What can I get you?"
"I'll take a small ham and mushroom," said Kali. Normally she would've ordered extra-large pepperoni, but given Fran was already run off her feet, she didn't want to impose on her and cause more work. "Also, I was wondering if you could help me, Fran. I'm looking for someone they call the Wolf Master."
Fran furrowed her brow as she added Kali's order to the stack on the window sill overlooking the kitchen. "Wolf Master?" she echoed.
Kali smiled and waved her hand. The look of confusion on Fran's face was enough to let her know that she had made a mistake. While Fran lived in a city that resided in the Mystic Realm, didn't mean that she knew about it.
"Uh, just a second," said Fran. She leaned across the window sill, peering into the kitchen, and called out to whoever was working the ovens. "Hey, Rylie, do you know a Wolf Master?"
There was a clang and Kali looked up as the door to the kitchen flew open. A girl, around her age, maybe a little older, wandered out covered from head-to-toe in flour and pizza sauce. She had long red hair that curled at the tips around her face, grey eyes, and was wearing the same getup as Fran.
This had to be the Rylie.
"Who's looking for the Wolf Master?" Rylie asked, wiping the pizza sauce from her face with her apron.
Fran pointed at Kali.
Rylie's eyes widened as she met Kali's gaze. "Holy shit, you're… you're…" she stammered. "Wow. Um…" she shook her head, finally pulling herself together enough to string more than two words in a sentence. "You're looking for the Wolf Master? I can help you there. Fran, could you man the kitchen for a sec."
Fran nodded and headed into the kitchen.
Rylie turned back to Kali. "Sorry. Fran's not part of the Mystic Realm, at least, not in the sense that she knows about it," she said. "Come with me. I'll take you to the person you're looking for."
She led Kali into the kitchen and up the metal staircase.
"Just give a shout when Kali's pizza is ready, Fran," said Rylie. "I'll be straight back down."
Fran nodded as she spread pizza sauce around the dough and sprinkled cheese on top.
~X~
Casey groaned as he finished fixing RJ's chair. He had made it back from the battle with Camille and told his friends about the encounter he had had with Kali Briar, to say Theo had been disbelieving would've been an understatement; Lily, on the other hand, had been excited to learn that the Black Mystic Ranger was roaming around Ocean Bluff somewhere.
"Are you sure it was her?" RJ asked. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of his chair. "Kali Briar, I mean?"
"I think I would recognise the girl I had a crush on two years ago," said Casey. "That crush may have dwindled down to a small admiration now, but it was her. She looked exactly the same as she did two years ago."
"The Hellhound spirit in her will change her ageing abilities," said RJ. "It comes with the territory of being a Mystic Defender."
Casey gave a small nod. "Well," he said, clapping his hands together to disperse the dust that had collected on them. "I finished your chair. Now, maybe we could get some one-on-one training?" he asked, hopefully.
"Yeah," said RJ. He stood and picked up the mat he had been sitting on. "Wash this for me." He tossed the mat at Casey. "I think there is something growing on it."
Casey heaved and tossed the mat onto the floor. "Why am I washing your yoga mat?" he asked. "I asked for you to train me, not treat me like your dog's body."
"Uh-huh," said RJ. "Anything I say, remember?"
Casey huffed and stalked off.
"Hey, RJ," Rylie called, leading Kali into the loft. "Meet -"
"Hellhound," RJ said, smiling. He grasped Kali's hand in both of his own and shook them.
"I prefer Kali."
"Of course," said RJ. He was still smiling. "My cub told me that he had seen you in the city. I'm guessing you're here about the Dai Shi problem?"
Kali nodded. "Master Mao sought me out. Granted he wanted help to cross over, but he also told me about the issues here, we're also not going to ignore the fact that the Hellhound could sense that something was wrong, we just didn't know what until Mao."
RJ and Rylie nodded.
"I was told to ask for the Wolf Master when I got here," said Kali. "I'm guessing you're him?"
Again, RJ nodded.
"Good. Maybe we could discuss what it is you need from me in order to stop Dai Shi?" Kali asked.
"Straight to the point," said RJ. His smile morphing into a grin. "I like it."
Kali shrugged. "I don't see the point in beating around the bush, we both know why I am here," she said. "You need assistance, and I have the power that you need."
"Great. When can you start?" RJ asked.
Rylie smiled and patted Kali's shoulder. "It be nice to have another female around here," she said. "Although, right now, I need to get back to Fran. I'll see you later."
As Rylie headed back downstairs, Kali looked around the loft. "Nice place," she said.
"Thanks," said RJ. He was rummaging around inside a cupboard beneath the windows.
Kali dropped her helmet onto the seat in front of the TVs and unzipped her leather jacket, placing it on top of the helmet. "When do I meet the rest of the team?" she asked.
"Soon," said RJ. He withdrew from the cupboard and closed it with his elbow. "Here," he added, handing a pile of clothes to Kali. There were black in colour and had a set of glasses on top.
Kali frowned at them.
"They're traditional Pai Zhuq wear," said RJ. "If you're going to be helping us, then you should at least look the part. The sunglasses are morpher's. They'll morph you into your ranger suit. I'm guessing Black is your speed?"
Kali raised an eyebrow at him. He was kidding, right?
RJ laughed. "Inside humour," he said. "Ignore it. Anyway, the glasses are linked to the morphin' grid, but will also tap into your animal spirit - in your case, the Hellhound. I hope you're on good terms with it?"
"More inside humour?" Kali asked.
RJ chuckled.
Kali shook her head. "Everything will do just fine," she said, folding the glasses up and sliding one arm down the front of her shirt. It hung, nestled snugly against her breast bone. She looped the uniform pants over her arm and held the shirt out in front of her. It was just a basic black uniform with red accents around the collar, down the front, and along the hems.
"This is disgusting, R - it's you!"
Looking around, Kali rose an eyebrow at the kid that had just walked in. He was wearing a black t shirt under a red one, along with black pants and shoes. His hair was short, and blonde, and he was carrying a bucket of hot water and a yoga mat.
"Red Ranger," said Kali, sensing the tiger spirit inside.
The kid nodded. "Sorry. I didn't get a chance to introduce myself earlier," he said. "I'm Casey."
"Pleasure."
"RJ, Fran's got everything - holy shit, you weren't kidding, Case."
Another two kids had walked in. Both wearing the same uniform that Fran and Rylie had been. One was an Asian boy, with short black hair and dark eyes, while the other was a young girl with long blonde hair. Kali recognised her instantly from the image Tori had shown her two years ago.
"Lily Hanson," said Kali.
The girl looked surprised. "You know me?" she asked.
"I know your sister," said Kali.
"Tori?"
Kali nodded.
"How?"
"Long story," said Kali, shaking her head. "I'll tell you about it some other time."
"Why are you here?" the second boy interrupted.
"Theo!" Lily hissed.
"What?" Theo asked. "You can't tell me you're not the least bit curious why the Hellhound is standing in the loft?"
Kali chuckled. Theo reminded her a lot of Cam. She wondered if he was as smart as him, too? "To answer your question," she said. "I'm here to help. I'm sure being from Pai Zhuq you know of how close your academy is with the Mystic Realm, I mean, you wouldn't exist if it weren't for my ancestors?"
Lily nodded, eagerly. "I remember the story from my first year," she said. "You're here to help us with the Dai Shi, aren't you?"
Kali nodded.
"Yes!"
Kali smiled.
"But who summoned you?" Theo asked. Lily dug her elbow into his side.
"Master Mao."
There was a heavy silence.
"You've seen him?" Lily asked. "Where? Is he okay?"
Kali nodded. She could sense the sadness for a lost Master radiating strongly from Lily. "He's safe, don't worry," she promised.
Lily forced a smile.
"There'll be time for more later," said Kali, as a shiver run down her spine. Seconds later, the alarms blared around the room and the TV's flickered to life, showing people running scared through the downtown area as hordes of Rinshi and a General stalked the streets.
Casey huffed in annoyance and tossed the yoga mat onto the floor, splashing water into the air. "See, RJ! We've been wasting time," he grumbled. "Come on, guys!"
Theo followed Casey out and Lily turned to Kali.
"Come on," said Kali, smiling at the support she was already getting. So far, Lily did remind her a lot of her older sister.
~X~
"Welcome, Rangers!" the General greeted.
"That thing looks really angry," said Lily.
"You're going down," said Casey. Kali half-glanced at Casey, she could feel the anger radiating off him from where she stood and made a mental note to keep an eye on him during the fight.
"Attack!" the general ordered.
The Rinshi swarmed forward and, breaking away from her new team, Kali leapt over their heads, run across the side of a building, and flipped sideways, landing among the masses. As she landed in a crouch, one knee pressed against the floor, she unsheathed double blades from behind her back. "Jungle Swords!" she called, swinging her arms up and criss-crossing them as she spun the double-edged blades between her hands.
The Rinshi backed up as Kali pushed off from the ground, raised the sword up over her shoulders and slashed down as she landed. The Rinshi closest, screeched as they disintegrated immediately.
"Let's give this a whirl," said Kali. "Call to the beast inside, unleash the Hellhound!"
There was a howl and black mass enveloped Kali before shooting forward. She watched as the shimmer of black merged, a great big paw attached to a leg the size of a tree trunk slammed into the ground, followed by an overly large and broad body and three heads attached to long, thick necks.
"What is that?" the general asked, stumbling back and looking up. The Hellhound spirit was a lot bigger than any other animal spirit and seeing three heads glaring and growling at him was enough to make him consider his next move.
"Whoa," Lily gasped, regrouping with Theo and Casey as they looked upon Kali and her animal spirit. "That thing is huge!"
Ignoring her teammates, Kali narrowed her eyes at the Rinshi general. "Make your move!" she challenged.
The General growled and pressed his palm to his chest. His body then started to expand, as if he had pressed a concealed button inside his tunic. His body bulked out, and horns appeared on either side of his head. "I am Buffalord!" he announced. "The Rinshi are strong, but I am more powerful."
"We'll see about tha - hey, what are you doing?" Kali called as Casey raced past her. He bent low, slamming into Buffalord. There was a split second and then Casey was launched into the air. Kali winced as Casey crumpled into a heap as he hit the ground.
"Jungle Tonfa!" Theo called, racing past Kali and knocking Buffalord back with ease.
Producing her bo, Lily joined Theo, hitting Buffalord in any and every available spot that she could reach.
Meanwhile Kali approached Casey and helped him stand. She wanted to shake him and ask him what the hell he thought he had been trying to do, but instead she held back, the last place for a scolding was the middle of the battlefield, she'd learned that the hard way, way too many times.
"Wow, Lily's amazing," Casey breathed, watching as the yellow ranger danced her way around Buffalord, side-stepping attacks and returning the gesture whenever she had the chance.
Staggering back, Buffalord shook his massive body and growled under his breath as the Rangers regrouped. He clearly wasn't at full strength to take on four Rangers alone - why hadn't Dai Shi warned him about a fourth? - "I need more time to harness the true power of the buffalo," he declared. "I will return."
He disappeared.
"Stop! Come back," Casey called, shouldering his way past Kali. He stopped when Theo and Lily caught him by each shoulder and held him back.
"He's gone," said Theo.
"But I'm not done with him."
Kali rolled her eyes and demorphed, wiping her hands on her pants. The pyjamas here soft as silk, and her hands slid over them with ease. "Something tells me you were done as soon you slammed into him," she said. "What were you thinking, anyway? Are you really that much of a rookie that you don't know that going it alone is a bad idea?"
Casey grit his teeth. "You seemed to fair well enough alone," he barked back, although as he said it, he knew it was stupid. Kali was a veteran when it came to being a Ranger, plus she was a Mystic Defender and the Hellhound. She knew a lot more about defending the innocent against evil than he did.
"The look on your face tells me I don't need to reply to that," said Kali. "But, whatever," she shrugged. "Let's just get you back to base before you do anything more stupid. Like, oh, I don't know, storm Dai Shi's temple."
She turned and walked away.
The others paused for a minute, and then followed. Casey huffing with every step.
~X~
"Faster," RJ encouraged Casey.
Kali furrowed her brow as she entered the loft, surprised to find Casey rushing around the floor, his knees bending with each step he took as his back arched over, his arms locked in straight and his hands grasping the red cloth. Every step he took was watched by RJ.
"Faster! Faster! Come on, Casey, faster!"
"Out of context, that sounds so wrong," said Kali.
Lily snorted as she appeared with Theo. They all stopped at the stop of the stairs, overlooking the scene between RJ and Casey.
"What's he doing?" Kali asked.
Theo shrugged. "I don't know, but he has some nerve calling me a neat freak," he said.
Kali cracked a small smile.
At the end of the court, Casey breathed in and then collapsed. His arms shaking with exertion and unable to hold himself up anymore. He rolled onto his butt, and almost flopped down onto the wooden floor, too tired to move.
Then, Kali stiffened, and Lily cast her a confused look.
"Are you -" Lily started, cutting off as the monitors flickered to life, showing the return of Buffalord, and the alarms blared loudly. A small siren-like light, which was sitting on top of the main monitor, spun around and around, a red light lapping the loft and casting a red glow around the place.
RJ slid into his chair and leaned forward, consulting the monitors.
"No rest for the weary, I guess," said Theo. "Come on, Case," he added, waving his leader over.
RJ stood up, his chair snapping into an upright position as he did. "Uh, no, Casey has to stay with me," he said.
"That's not how things work," said Kali. "Yes, he has a job in the restaurant, but he's a Ranger first."
"This isn't about the restaurant," said RJ, shaking his head. "I need him to finish cleaning the loft."
"You're not serious right?" Kali scoffed.
RJ offered her a pointed look.
"What the f-" Kali started, but Casey interrupted.
"RJ, she's right," Casey said. "As much as I know Kali can handle whatever is out there, if, on the off chance she can't, they could all be destroyed."
"Then they're destroyed," said RJ, in a matter-of-fact tone.
Kali quirked an eyebrow. Okay, RJ had to be kidding at this point? Right?
Staring blankly at his mentor, Casey turned and faced Kali. Surely there was something she could do. Being the Hellhound outranked RJ's master status, right? It had too.
"Um, I actually don't know what the protocol is here," said Kali, reading Casey's unasked question on his face. She wanted to say yes, her status trumped RJ's, but she wasn't sure if it did. She'd never met a mentor that had prevented a Ranger from leaving for battle before, and definitely not one that was so vague about the status of his team while they were one ranger down.
"Your protocol is that you should be in the city," said RJ. "Casey will join you when I am finished with him."
Kali held Casey's gaze and then turned to Lily and Theo. "I don't know exactly what's happening here," she said. "But, he's right about one thing, we're needed in the city." She paused at the door and turned back to RJ. "If this has nothing to do with cleaning, which I am hoping it doesn't, we will need him sooner rather than later. So, hurry up."
RJ saluted and Kali left.
Casey huffed as he turned back to RJ. What kind of game was he playing?
~X~
Sliding her sunglasses onto her face, Kali followed Theo and Lily through the city. Usually, she led the charge, but Ocean Bluff was a lot harder to navigate. She hoped that the longer she was here, the easier it would be to find her way through the mazes they called streets, but only time would tell.
"Rangers," Buffalord snarled, spotting three out of four of the pesky annoyances.
"Ready?" Theo asked.
Lily and Kali nodded, each one raising two fingers and tapping the sides of their glasses.
"Jungle Beast, Spirit Unleashed!"
Kali felt the familiar surge of power that came with the morphin' sequence. It wasn't a foreign feeling anymore, even though her last big battle on a Ranger team was two years ago. Every time there was a disturbance on the Mystic Realm, she and the others would run out to investigate, taking their mystic morpher's with them in case they needed the extra boost.
Rushing forward, Lily and Theo attacked but were easily caught by Buffalord.
"Hey!" Kali called, flipping over the trio and slicing through Buffalord's rear with her sword. He howled, released her teammates, and turned on her.
"Kali!" Lily called. She scrambled to her feet but was blocked off from her new friend by the appearance of Rinshi. She struggled as they held her at bay, forcing her and Theo into a close-knit circle while Buffalord stamped the ground and charged.
Kali side-stepped and rolled her sword between her hands. "Deal with the Rinshi," she called to Lily. "Buffalord is a lot stronger than last time."
"But -" Theo tried to argue.
"I'll be fine," Kali called. From what she could sense, her power was only half the match for Buffalord, but she wasn't one to back down when challenged. She may not have had the power to defeat him, but maybe she could hold him off long enough for Theo and Lily to fight their way back to her. Or, hopefully, RJ would release Casey in time.
Buffalord huffed. Steam puffed out of his nostrils, and he stamped his foot against the ground. He then charged, ramming headfirst into a stone wall as Kali side-stepped again.
Kali laughed. "Talk about the definition of a hard head," she said.
"Nothing can stop me," said Buffalord, reeling around and charging again. He bent his head low, targeting Kali with his horns.
Raising her swords, Kali slashed them down as Buffalord grew closer. They struck his head, but bounced straight off, the impact and momentum sending her stumbling, and her eyes widening in shock. She bit back a scream as Buffalord collided with her stomach, sending her skidding backward in a stone pole.
Kali coughed. She pushed herself up, using her sword as a means of support. She was winded, and her chest hurt, but she refused to give up. She hadn't come this far, fought on two teams and however many other small battles, to be taken out by a General that resembled a Buffalo.
"Hey, freak, ready for round two?"
Both Kali and Buffalord turned. Casey was pounding the pavement as he run flat out towards them. He slid his glasses onto his face and tapped the side with two fingers.
"Jungle Beast, Spirit Unleashed!" Casey called, morphin' mid-sprint. He summoned his Jungle Chucks, swinging them around above his head, before throwing them at Buffalord. They landed against his hide with a loud, resounding Thwack.
Buffalord howled in anger and pain.
"YOU AGAIN!" Buffalord raged. He stamped the ground and charged at Casey.
Kali struggled to her feet; her arm wrapped around her waist as she breathed in heavily. Each breath hurt, and she wouldn't have been surprised if she had bruised her ribs after Buffalord had slammed into her, but she was to enthralled with watching Casey to even notice her own injuries.
"Look at him go!" said Theo.
Kali startled and glanced to her left. Both Casey and Lily flanked her, each one watching how Casey easily manoeuvred Buffalord, overwhelming him and cutting his power down to half by keeping low and rolling under his arm to avoid a punch, or blocking a hit and twisting his arms around to overthrow Buffalord.
The Buffalo huffed and puffed and staggered to one knee after Casey managed to floor him to many times.
"Jungle Chuck!" Casey called, re-summoning his weapon. He swiftly rolled them over his shoulders, catching them under his arms and swinging them high above his head.
Buffalord watched, his head spinning as he tried to keep the chucks in clear view. But they were moving too fast for him to keep up.
Swinging down, Casey crashed the Jungle Chucks onto Buffalord's head, stunning him and, ultimately, destroying him.
Bouncing on the balls of her feet, Lily raced over. Theo in tow.
"Wow, you did it, Casey!" Lily beamed.
"I guess you learned something after all," said Theo, patting Casey's shoulder.
Casey laughed, breathlessly. He then straightened and looked at Kali. "Hey, I'm sorry about earlier," he apologised. "I didn't mean to take your head off, I was just -"
"Frustrated?" Kali asked. "Yeah. I get it. Don't worry about it. What you did earlier was foolish, but now? Coming back and facing the creature that made you lose it, that was brave, Casey, really brave. You should be proud of yourself."
Casey flushed. "Thanks," he said.
"But it's not over," said Kali, as a familiar shiver run down her spine. She looked up as a shadow fell over them and found a thirty-foot Buffalord towering over the city. His eyes narrowed at them, and he blew out puffs of hot air from his nostrils.
"You have proven you have power, Rangers," Buffalord bellowed. "But that isn't enough to save you from me. I have summoned the full power of the Buffalo, you're finished."
Kali scoffed. "He doesn't know the definition of finished," she said.
"Do you think you can control your animal spirit long enough for a Megazord battle?" Theo asked.
Kali raised an eyebrow as she turned to the boy in blue. "Are you for real?" she asked.
"How are we going to do this with four?" Casey asked.
"We're not," said Kali, shaking her head. She remembered back to when she was on the Mystic team, she had never combined with the Titan Megazord, simply because her Hellhound was too large to combine with the others, instead it formed its own Megazord to fight.
Cocking his head to the side, Casey frowned and opened his mouth to retort. He cut off as Kali summoned her animal spirit and merged with it, growing to heights that were disproportional to anything he had seen before. Her Megazord outgrew Buffalord, and almost blotted out the sun.
"What the -?" Buffalord gasped, looking up at the growling Hellhound. "That's not fair!"
"No one said anything about this needing to be fair," said Kali. "But, you said that nothing could stop you, I wonder if you still feel that way?"
Glancing to her left, Kali watched as the Jungle Pride Megazord appeared. He met her gaze and then nodded. Bouncing from side to side, the Jungle Pride Megazord easily evaded Buffalord's attacks, it was as nimble and agile as the Wind Megazord in Lightning form.
With a grunt, Buffalord pounded the pavement with his hoof and charged forward, his head bent. Bracing themselves for impact, the Rangers were stunned when Buffalord veered off to the left and zipped around them in a tight circle.
"What's he doing?" Casey asked.
"Whatever it is, he's making me dizzy!" Kali said.
Eventually, Buffalord made it back on track, and slammed the tips of his horns into the Jungle Pride. He lifted them into the air and then, with a shake of his head, tossed them into the Hellhound's flank.
Kali grunted and stumbled but didn't fall. "Are you guys okay?" she asked.
"Yeah," said Lily, breathlessly.
"We have to get back in the fight," Theo yelled. "Kali, are you going to do more than just stand here?"
Kali grit her teeth. So far, Theo was pissing her off. "What exactly would you like me to do?" she asked. "I can't openly attack a moving target. What if I miss?"
Theo seethed. He knew she was right and scolded himself for his stupid comments.
"What if we use all of our spirit energy?" Casey asked.
"Do you think it could work?" Lily asked.
"Only one way to find out," said Kali. She nudged her flank forward, pushing the Jungle Pride back to its feet, and then pushed herself up onto all fours. In her standing position, she did blot out the sun.
Buffalord eyed her carefully. No one had told him that the Hellhound was bigger than anything he had ever considered, and even though she was still that much more powerful than her, she could easily have squashed him if she decided to just pick up her paw and stand on him.
"Let's do it!" said Lily, eagerly.
Buffalord roared and charged, and the Jungle Pride ran to meet him.
"Super Kick!" Theo called. The Jungle Pride leapt into the air, their legs glowing as they began to spin.
"SPIN ATTACK!"
The Jungle Pride hurtled through the air, their legs spread and striking Buffalord as he tried to get past them. He howled as he was thrown back through the air.
"Hellhound Fury!" Kali called, leaning back on her hind legs. She stomped forward, her jaw opening and unleashing a spiral of dark flames at Buffalord. He howled as they encased him, causing him to implode.
~X~
Fran slumped against the counter, exhausted from the day's events. She could still hear the screams of children as they celebrated their friends birthday, and was vaguely aware of how icky she looked, much less felt.
"You okay, Fran?" Rylie asked, wandering out of the kitchen with a bucket and mop. The warm water sloshed up the sides of the bucket, and the heat was inviting that Fran just wanted to dunk her hands into it and start cleaning herself off.
"That was… horrendous," said Fran.
Rylie smiled. She, unlike Fran, was used to the business of running the pizzeria. She had been here enough years to navigate when a party is getting out of control, granted today had been hectic, and she was still annoyed that the parents hadn't stepped into corral their children. The complaint about Kali man-handling a child still sat on her desk in the side office, but she wasn't about to file it away.
"Think of it as a crash course in parenthood," said Rylie.
Fran's eyes widened. "After today, I don't want kids," she said.
Rylie laughed.
"What about you and RJ?" Fran asked, taking an additional mop from Rylie. "Do you plan on having any?"
Rylie shrugged. She and RJ had been dating for a few years now, but they had never really discussed any possibilities of becoming parents in the near nor distant future.
"How is it possible that I have more food on me than the floor?" Fran asked, scooping spaghetti off of her hat.
"I kind of happens when a food fight ensues," said Rylie. "You should've taken refuge in the kitchen."
Fran grimaced and tossed the spaghetti onto the floor. It defeated the purpose of cleaning, she knew, but she could just wipe it up along with the rest of the leftovers.
"Whoa, what happened here?"
Fran and Rylie looked around as Casey, Theo, Lily, and Kali filed inside.
"Oh, so now you show up," said Fran. "Convenient."
Kali furrowed her brow and turned to Lily and Theo. "I thought you said that Fran had everything under control?" she asked.
The pair blanched.
"Under control?" Rylie asked, gesturing around her. "Does this look like everything was under control?"
Lily and Theo stammered for words.
"We're sorry, Fran, but we had to run out," said Casey, interrupting.
"Yeah. Things have been a little… busy, today," said Theo.
Lily smiled, sheepishly.
"Not so busy that you pair couldn't have lent a hand, I'm sure," said Rylie.
"You'd be right, little wolf," said RJ, appearing behind them all. He placed an arm around Rylie's waist and leaned forward to kiss her forehead, pausing as he finally noticed her food-covered appearance. He offered her a questioning look.
Rylie flushed and shook her head. "Crash course," she said. "Put it this way, I know two thinks about kids. (1) they are the future and should be cherished, and (2) they're little bastards."
Fran cracked a small smile.
Kali nudged Lily and nodded at Fran. "This would be where you apologise," she said.
Lily nodded and stepped closer to Fran. "Kali's right. I'm sorry, Fran, I shouldn't have bailed on you and Rylie today," she apologised.
"Same," said Theo. "Can you forgive us?"
"It's alright," said Fran. "I needed some crash course training anyway."
Rylie shook her head. Fran was too pure for her own good. "However, Fran may have forgiven you," she added. "I, on the other hand, have not. As punishment, you get to clean up this mess."
"What?" Theo and Lily exclaimed, looking around with wide eyes.
"And while they're doing that," added RJ. "I'll be taking Rylie, Casey, Fran, and Kali out for ice cream."
Fran's eyes widened. "I love Ice Cream!" she grinned. She clapped her hands together and headed for the door.
"Uh, Fran, aren't you forgetting something?" Kali asked.
Fran paused and looked down. "Oh, yeah, I should probably get cleaned up first, huh?" she asked.
The others chuckled.
"Come with me," said Rylie, waving Fran over. "We'll get cleaned up in the back. Be right out."
As Rylie led Fran away, Kali turned to RJ. "I appreciate the offer for Ice Cream," she said. "But I have to clock out."
"Figured as much," said RJ, nodding. "Places to be?"
"Something like that," said Kali. She looked around at them all, smiled, and then left through the door she had just entered.