Kali rolled her eyes as she led the way into the loft. She and the others had just triumphed against another Rinshi general sent by Dai Shi, and the others were starting to drive her crazy with their upbeat and enthusiastic attitude.

Sure, she thought, it's good to have a little confidence, but the last time a Ranger team got ahead of themselves it almost cost the world everything.

"We rule!" said Casey

"Yeah, we're not afraid of anything," Theo laughed.

"You said it!" Lily agreed.

"Hey, you're not happy," said Theo, nudging Kali. "Why not? We kicked ass. You should be happy."

"Yeah, we're one step closer to destroyed Dai Shi," said Casey. "As the Hellhound, you should be jumping for joy."

Kali bit back a growl. "I'm just not overly enthusiastic to see the consequence of your new found attitudes," she said

"Consequences?" Lily echoed. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about that not everything ends on a good note," said Kali. "You're getting ahead of yourselves. Yes, well done for destroying another Rinshi, but we're not out of the woods yet. Dai Shi is getting more and more powerful by the day, it's going to take more than what we have now to defeat him."

Casey scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Please, Dai Shi doesn't stand a chance against us," he said.

Kali shook her head. "Try to remember that you're not the first team of Rangers to take on an evil entity like Dai Shi, alright," she said. "I did it two years ago with the Master, and guess what? There was a time where even I got overconfident, and you know what happened? Darkness took advantage of it. I almost lost everything."

"That's not going to happen to us," said Theo, grinning. "Because, we're Pai Zhuq and we're awesome! Plus, we have a veteran on our side."

"Even this veteran is prone to mistakes," said Kali. "I'm still learning my craft, and even the Hellhound changes every day. I have less control over it with every new ability I learn. So, don't get ahead of yourself if you think I'll be able to bail you out of trouble all the time."

Theo cocked his head to the side, his lips parting as if to say more. He broke off and swung around to face RJ. The Wolf Master was sitting in his kitchen with Rylie.

"Did you see that frog whooping, RJ?" Casey asked.

"He didn't stand a chance!" Theo grinned.

"When do we get our master's stripes?" Lily asked, eagerly.

Kali scoffed.

"What?" Casey asked, frowning at her.

"Master's Stripes?" Kali asked. "You three? I wouldn't trust you with a guardianship at this point, much less a master's stripe."

Lily furrowed her brow. "Isn't a guardianship higher than a Master Stripe?" she asked.

"Yep. But, if you're ready for your master's stripes then you, technically, automatically become a guardian," said Kali. "You three are more likely to wreck the Mystic Realm than protect it in this state."

Theo opened his mouth to argue but was cut off as RJ spoke. "Kali's right. You're no were ready for the master's test," he said.

"What do you mean? We're fearless fighting machines, we're unstoppable!" Casey argued.

Kali shook her head. "Answer me this hypothetical," she said. "It's the final battle against Dai Shi, his army is astronomical, tens of thousands against you, the odds are not in your favour. There is a chance, if you fail that you don't make it back alive, and the end of the world is upon you. How do you feel?"

"Terrified," said Casey, without hesitation.

"Then you're not a fearless fighting machine," said Kali. "To be a Guardian of my world, you have to be willing to put your life on the line every time there is a call out. I'm not afraid to die for my home or my family.

"Which is why we're going back to basics," said RJ.

Casey, Theo, and Lily stared wide-eyed at their mentor; their mouths open as they tried to process what he had just said.

"Basics?" they screeched.

"But we've come so far!" Theo argued.

RJ nodded. "Yes, you have. Practice your stances," he said, waving them away.

Theo, Casey, and Lily shared horrified looks and then stalked off to the training area. Kali looked up at RJ and Rylie, offered them a small smile, and headed for the door.

~X~

"There was disturbance in the skies and water a few days ago," said Leanbow, setting a large leather tomb on the table. He opened it and skipped over several pages, before spinning it around and shoving it towards Kali. "I checked in on a few dimensions, and the all confirmed the same thing - Carnisoar and Jellica have been awoken."

"Carnisoar and Jellica?" Kali repeated. She looked up and met Leanbow's gaze. "You act like I know who these are? Where are you getting these books, I've read everything in the root core library, I don't remember these."

"These are from the Elemental academy in Summer Cove," said Leanbow.

Kali licked her lips and nodded. "Okay. So, what am I looking at?" she asked, staring at the page. An image on one was that of a large griffin, he stood at 6 feet and was thick like a tree. His beak was sharp and curved, and he had talons on both feet and at the end of his wings. "Carnisoar. Overlord of the Skies."

"Ten thousand years ago, he fought in the final fury alongside Dai Shi and two other Overlords - Jellica," he pointed to the second page where a tall jellyfish was drawn, "and Grizzaka," he turned the page to point at a bear. "They were overthrown by the Pai Zhuq, Mystic Guardians, and Phantom Beasts."

"Phantom Beasts?"

"We'll get to that later," said Leanbow. "But, Carnisoar is brutal in his training regime."

Kali quirked an eyebrow. "So, Dai Shi get his ass kicked by his new trainer, big deal?" she asked. "If he didn't want to be so hard pressed he should've chosen to not resurrect a dead overlord."

"He also as the ability to erase every good deed from someone's past."

"Wait, you're telling me Dai Shi has good in his past?" Kali asked. "He's a creature of the Oblivion, I hardly believe he knows what goodness is like."

"Dai Shi may not but his vessel does."

Kali scoffed. "From what I have been told, Jarrod wasn't exactly a good guy before he was chosen to Dai Shi's vessel," she said. "He was as much of a bully then as he is now."

"If you remember correctly, you thought the same about LeeLee," Leanbow reminded her. "And look how that turned out. No one is ever just black and white, Kali, you will do well to remember that."

Kali sighed. "I know, I'm sorry," she said, shaking her head. "What about Jellica? You said both Sky and Ocean had a disturbance, I'm guessing Jellica is the Water Overlord?"

Leanbow nodded. "Jellica has the ability to neutralise her opponents' physical attacks," he explained. "Your Darkness Wave or Hells fire Wall won't be much good against her, unfortunately, being a Jellyfish, she can just phase straight through them."

"Great," Kali whined, rubbing the side of her nose. "So, how do I fight her if my two primary attacks don't work?"

"We don't know," said Leanbow. "The Hellhound of that time didn't have your abilities, so he was no match for her. Plus, he only had one head, so he was unevenly matched against her. You have all three. "

Kali paused and looked up. "No one has actually explained that to me," she said. "Alpha mentioned it when I met him in San Angeles, but no one took the time to physically explain the Heads to me. I just know there were three guardians - Mom, Halwyn, and Blu - and somehow, over time, I acquired them."

"That's pretty much all there is to say," said Leanbow. "It's a rare phenomenon where one individual is able to withstands three Heads of the Hellhound in one physical being. The power is usually too much for one person, and they're prone to going insane."

"Explains why I am a little crazy," Kali joked.

Leanbow cracked a smile. "There will never be another like you, Kali," he said, shaking his head. "You are the equivalent to once on a Blue Moon."

"Gee, aren't I special?"

"The last of the Overlords is Grizzaka," said Leanbow, turning the page and bringing the conversation back to the subject at hand. "We haven't received word that there has been disturbance in the Earth element yet, but if the other two are revived, then it is only a matter of time before he is, too. Grizzaka holds the spirit of the Grizzly bear, and he is probably the most ruthless of them all. He is short tempered, and not a fan of Dai Shi."

Kali rose her eyebrows. "So, if he is an enemy of Dai Shi, does that make him a friend to the Rangers?" she asked.

"No," said Leanbow. "Grizzaka does not care for anyone but himself. When he is revived, he will pledge allegiance to Dai Shi, but he will do it simply to overthrow him. Hear me when I say, Kali, you must not underestimate Grizzaka. He is not only physically powerful, but he has access to an old an ancient dark magic called Zokado - it grants him several special abilities."

"Chest Zokado Beam, Enlargement, Zokado Ball, Transformation, Zokado Wave," said Kali, reading the list. "Something tells me he is going to see me as a mighty opponent."

Leanbow nodded. "It is also believed, being a Hellhound, you can access the Zokado power, too, but it's never been attempted," he said. "Zocato is highly dangerous and consuming. No other Hellhound has been able to control it."

"But I have three heads," said Kali.

"Yes. One could be linked to Zokado. It would be a case of Trial and Error, but are you willing to take that risk?"

Kali shrugged. "If it means stopping Dai Shi and saving the Magical Realm, then yes," she said. "Like I told the others. I'm not afraid to die."

"Maybe you should be," said Leanbow.

Kali frowned at him, but before she could ask what he meant, her morpher beeped from her pocket. Removing the glasses, she slid them onto her face, and tapped the side, a small mic slid down her cheek and Casey appeared through one lens. "What's up?" she asked.

"Dai Shi's in the quarry."

"I'm on my way."

~X~

Appearing in the quarry, Kali turned in a 180 circle and spotted her friends nearby. She jogged over, gasping as she saw what had their attention - Dai Shi, Camille, Jellica, and Carnisoar was standing atop a ledge, looking down at them.

Dai Shi sneered as Kali met his gaze. "You actually had the audacity to show," he said.

"Heh, what can I say," said Kali, shrugging. "I'm a sucker for punishment."

"You and your buddies are going down!" Casey warned.

Dai Shi laughed. "I highly doubt that," he said as he reached across his chest, gripped his cloak and ripped it off. He kicked off from the ledge, and landed with a smash on the ground level, opposite them. He growled and spread his arms, summoning his Lion armour and then roared as his Shadow Guards appeared either side of him.

"On your knees, Rangers!" Dai Shi bellowed, firing a large black energy ball at them. Without hesitating, Kali launched herself in front of her team and doubled over as the energy ball collided with her. She fell to her knees, her chest aching as she gasped for breath.

Casey, Lily, and Theo surrounded Kali while Dai Shi laughed.

"I'm okay," said Kali, waving her friends aside. She wobbled slightly as they helped her stand and then backed off at her request.

"Are you sure you can fight?" Casey asked, reaching for his morpher.

Kali nodded. "I've had worse hits than that," she said, reassuringly. "Besides, it'll come in handy later."

"If you're sure…"

"I am." Kali reached into her pocket for her morpher and slid them onto her face. "Ready?"

Casey, Theo, and Lily shared a look, and then fell into formation alongside her. "Ready!" they confirmed.

"Jungle Beast, Spirit Unleashed!"

"With the Strength of a Tiger, Red Ranger!"

"With the Speed of a Cheetah, Yellow Ranger!"

"With the Stealth of a Jaguar, Blue Ranger!"

"With the Fury of a Hellhound, Black Ranger!"

"We summoned the Animal Spirits from within, Power Rangers Jungle Fury!"

Clenching her fist, Kali launched herself across the quarry, summoning her Jungle Blades as she met Dai Shi in a head-on collision.

"It's over, Black Ranger," said Dai Shi, blocking Kali's strike. "It won't be long now and you're era will be ending. You'll have a choice - survive and serve me or die with your precious Mystic Realm."

Kali grit her teeth and jumped up, planting her feet into Dai Shi's chest and kicking off. She propelled herself back, landing on one knee and crossing her swords over, above her head. "Darkness Wave!" she called, pushing into the air and slashing the swords towards Dai Shi.

Dai Shi laughed as he cut through the wave.

"You're spirit is weak compared to my Lion," Dai Shi growled, his eyes alight in anger. "Just give up while you can."

"Funny, because the only creature missing from the Oblivion was the Dragon," Kali said. "You're just using Jarrod and his Lion as a means to an end. Maybe you should give up?"

Dai Shi barked out a laugh.

"Release the Hellhound!" Kali called, jumping into the air. A shimmer of black burst from her chest, materialised into a giant hound and charged towards Dai Shi.

With a snarl, Dai Shi cut through the Hellhound spirit with ease.

"No!" Kali cried, watching as her spirit disappeared.

"Pathetic!" Dai Shi laughed. He cupped his hands together, drew them back to his hip, and then pushed them out towards Kali, blasting her again with a ball of black energy.

Kali hissed as the energy ball collided with her, knocking her off her feet.

"Kali!"

Dai Shi looked up as Theo raced forward. "Theo, always looking for the next challenge," he said. "To bad your bat friend can't help you now."

"Oh yeah?" Theo asked, blocking a punch with his fan. "Swoop technique!"

"Hey, you okay?"

Kali looked around as Lily knelt beside her. The young cheetah was soft in tone and gently touching her shoulder. "I think so," she said, nodding.

"Useless," Dai Shi roared. He kicked off from the ground, struck Theo across the stomach, and send him crashing to the ground in front of Kali. "You fool, I have reached a who new level of evil, you and your pathetic friends are doomed. My evil is unmatched, and I am now your master."

"Hang on, buddy," said Casey, racing towards Theo.

Breathing heavily, Kali turned to Lily. "Go help Casey," she said. "I'll cover you with the Shadow Guards."

"Are you sure?" Lily asked, concerned.

Kali nodded and summoned her Jungle Blades. "This won't take me long," she said. "Dai Shi may be able to cut through a Darkness Wave, but something tells me they can't.

"Be careful."

Kali squeezed Lily's arm and leaned closer. "Watch your back with Dai Shi," she warned.

As Lily run off to help Casey, Kali turned her attention to the Shadow Guards. She tightened her hands around the hilts of her swords and then run, leaping into the air has she reached them. "Darkness Wave!" she cried, slashing through the air and down onto the Rinshi guards. Her swords criss-crossed, and blazed black tendrils of magic in their path.

The Shadow Guards scoffed and blocked the attack, sending it straight back at Kali.

Kali groaned and hit the ground, withering in pain. Is this what it felt like when she used her powers against others? For a split second she was thankful that she had never turned against any of her friends, the only possible reason she was still breathing right now was because of her power of absorption, but even then, it still hurt.

"Kali!"

Struggling to her feet, Kali turned at the sound of Lily's voice and staggered over to where she and the boys lay.

"Now, I shall finish this," said Dai Shi, walking towards the fallen team.

"We're not done yet!" said Kali, grasping Lily's arm and hauling her up. "Claw Cannon!"

Theo and Casey stumbled to their feet.

"Engaged!"

Dai Shi scoffed. Why couldn't they just admit defeat? They could barely stand, but still they fought. If they weren't so annoying, he'd have been impressed with their resilience.

"FIRE!"

The cannon exploded and an energy ball soared towards Dai Shi. The lion laughed, caught it, and swung it around. He let the ball go and laughed as it slammed into the quartet.

She was airborne, her body aching from a massive drop in strength and adrenaline, and as she landed back on the quarry floor, she felt the last spark of magic disappear. Her suit disappeared, and she lay, unmorphed, amongst her friends, each of them in a similar state of pain as herself.

"Victory!" Dai Shi rejoiced, powering down from his battle suit and standing over the Rangers. "Say hi to Master Mao," he added, holding up his hand as another energy ball appeared.

Kali tried to push herself up, tried to get in front of the others in order to absorb the blast. She wasn't sure what it would do to her, probably render her unconscious, but at least it would give her friends, her team, more of a chance to get out. But, the last of her energy had been depleted, and she could barely hold herself up, much less stand.

"No," Kali moaned, her arms giving out and she collapsed back onto the ground. She'd never felt so powerless before, even when she was first learning her craft, she had the desire to keep fighting, the passion to win, and the stubbornness to not give up. As a Ninja, she drew on her more magic than she had ever dreamt of in order to protect her friends, and now, here she lay, pitiful and pathetic, at the feet of an outcasted Oblivion.

Dai Shi laughed and, nudging his foot into Kali's side, rolled her over on to her back. "You had your choice, Hellhound," he said, flexing his fingers as the energy ball grew bigger. "Now you shall die like a dog."

Kali watched as Dai Shi launched the energy ball into the air. It hovered for a few moments, contrasted against the white fluffy clouds in the sky, and then plummeted down towards the Rangers. Lily, Casey, and Theo shielded their faces from their final destruction, but Kali was able to make out a fast moving figure coming from the direction of the entrance.

The figure jumped over the team and kicked the energy ball aside. It smashed into the cliff, shattering the bedrock and sending debris flying in different directions.

"So, the Wolf Master returns," said Dai Shi, laughing as RJ landed in front of his students.

"Why fight warriors when you can fight a master?" RJ asked.

"Why indeed. But your skills are no match for my powers."

Clutching her stomach, Kali braced her hand against the quarry floor and pushed herself into a sitting position. "RJ, don't," she warned.

"Seize him," Dai Shi ordered.

Camille laughed as the Shadow Guards apprehended RJ and hauled him away. The lot of them disappearing into the void of nothingness.

"RJ," Lily whimpered.

Kali winced as she pushed herself up, her gaze still fixed on the place RJ had disappeared, his last words ringing in her mind.

You know what to do.

TO BE CONTINUED…