"Morning," Lily greeted Dominic as she scooped a laden of pancake batter into a skillet. The mixture sizzled and the smell filled the room.
Kali's stomach grumbled as she looked up from her book. "If you're making bacon with those pancakes, I'll take a stack," she said.
Lily smiled.
"Thanks," said Dominic, taking the glass of orange juice that Casey handed him. He took a mouthful, swallowed, and then looked around at his team. "I dreamt of Master Mao last night."
Laying on the sofa, Theo sat up and swung his legs around, resting his feet on the cool kitchen floor. "Master Mao?" he echoed.
"What did he say?" Lily asked.
"It was more of a memory," said Dominic. "Of the day I left Pai Zhuq. He came be a Control Dagger."
Kali furrowed her brow. "A what dagger?" she asked.
"A control dagger," Dominic repeated. "It's about yay-big," he indicated 6-7 inches with his fingers. "All he said was someday it'll help guide me on my path."
"Maybe it's not just a legend," said RJ. He was sitting cross-legged in the loft with Rylie, both of them had been meditating.
"What's not a legend?" Dominic asked.
"The Control Dagger," Rylie answered, getting to her feet. She wandered over to the bookshelf and removed a thick black tomb from the third shelf, when she returned, she opened it to the page she needed and revealed it to the team.
Dominic nodded. "That's it!" he gasped. "That's the Control Dagger."
"The Dagger is the key to the Rhino Nexus," RJ explained.
"Rhino Nexus?" Kali asked, looking confused.
RJ nodded.
"I've heard of that," said Cam, wandering in with Tori in tow. They had decided to stay a few days, and either cancelled or delegated their lessons back at the academy to Shane and Dustin.
Kali raised an eyebrow. "Okay. Is someone going to explain to us what it is?" she asked.
Cam smirked. "In the Jungle of Spirits, there is this tree, and at the top is the powers of the Rhino," he answered. "But without the Control Dagger, no one can get through. If you have the Dagger, then you just walk on in. At least, that's what the legend says."
"And I possess the spirit of the Rhino," said Dominic, turning back to his friends. "So, maybe, unlocking the powers of the Rhino is my destiny."
Kali looked around at Dominic. "Tell me you have the dagger," she said, closing her book.
"I stashed it somewhere safe," Dominic said, reassuringly. "I'll go get it, be back in a flash!" He grabbed his jacket and took off.
Theo sighed as everyone looked at him. "Hey, Dom, wait up!" he called, taking off after him.
Kali turned back to Rylie and RJ. "Does that book say where the Jungle of Spirits is?" she asked. "Or at least where this tree is located?"
"Well, yes, but you're not going to like it," said Tori.
"Please don't tell me," Kali groaned, closing her book, and pinching the bridge of her nose.
Tori offered her a sympathetic smile. "Cimmerian Forest," she said, nodding.
"Oh, come on!" Kali whined.
~X~
Kali slid to a halt as the latest monster swooped down from destroying a building. He landed a few feet away, gearing up for another attack when Casey's shout of 'stop' caused him to turn.
"One, two, three, four," the monster counted. "Where are the other Rangers?"
"Four is enough against your!" Lily yelled.
"Ha! I'll destroy you first and then I'll find your friends," the monster promised.
"Good luck with that!" said Kali.
The monster laughed and snapped his fingers, summoning a small army of Rinshi. "Attack!" he ordered, pointing at the foursome.
Swing her fist forward, Kali punched a Rinshi in the chest and knocked it out of her path. She leapt forward, flipped over another Rinshi, and sprinted towards the monster. The bird spread it's wing and flew backward into the air, narrowly missing Kali's punch.
"Come back and fight on the ground, coward!" Kali yelled.
The monster laughed and swooped forward again, grabbing at Kali with his claws.
"Ha!" another voice yelled.
Kali turned and jumped back as Camille, in her chameleon armour, landed just behind her. The chameleon swung her Sais around, causing Kali to duck and jump up, kicking once with her left foot and next with her right, before flipping over backward.
"Your time is up, Ranger," said Camille, catching Kali's hand as she rushed back in. She held fast, and then caught the second fist, forcing it towards the ground. "We have the Control Dagger."
Kali shoved forward, hard, throwing Camille off her and spinning out of reach. "Course you do!" she hissed. "If you did then you would be half way to the Nexus by now."
"Dai Shi is on his way now," Camille laughed.
"I'd like to see him try and find it," said Kali, laughing. "I may not like the Forest he has to go through, but I can guarantee that he won't make it through alive."
Camille gripped her Sai's tighter. "He knows enough about the Cimmerian Forest," she said. "Maybe even more than you do."
"Doesn't matter. Without the Control Dagger he won't access the Nexus," said Kali. "It's safe and away from you."
Camille laughed. "Safe and away from me? That means it's with one of your friends," she said. "Thanks for the tip." She raised her Sais and slashed them sideways, unleashing a wave of energy that collided with Kali, and knocking her backwards.
Kali rolled to a stop and looked up, watching as Camille disappeared, leaping away from building to building. "Cam, Tori," she called, pressing a finger to her helmet. "You've got to warn Theo and Dom. Tell them that Camille is on her way, and to get that Dagger home. Now!"
"You got it," Cam replied.
Jumping into the air, the monster slammed both its feet into Casey and knocked him backward. "I can't believe my eyes!" he whooped. "I'm about to beat the Rangers!
"Not a chance!" Kali yelled, jumping over the monster and landing in front of her friends. She raised her hand, summoning a reflective shield as the monster threw an all-powerful blast at them.
"Hey, no fair!" the monster howled. He spread his wings again and flew backward, and then swooped in, claws extended. He collided with the shield, but it held fast. "You're cheating!"
"We aren't getting anywhere with this dude," said Casey, shaking his head. "We can't hide behind the shield forever."
"Have you called the others?" Kali asked.
Casey nodded.
"Call them again."
Again, Casey nodded, and tapped the side of his helmet. "Theo!" he called. "We need you."
"I have an idea," said Lily.
RJ and Kali turned to her.
"Do tell," said RJ.
"I've been thinking about how this guy fights, and we keep trying to attack him one at a time," said Lily. "Maybe if we change our tactics and attack all together…" she shrugged.
RJ nodded and clapped his hand on her shoulder. "Great plan, Lily," he agreed. "Combining our powers could be the answer."
"Yeah, there's no way that he can manage all of us at once," said Kali.
"Especially if you unleash the powers you've absorbed," Casey added to Kali.
Kali nodded and created a mini black fireball in her hand. "Let's do it!" she agreed.
The team of four turned to the monster, watching as he laughed at their futile attempt to beat him. "They get up and I knock them back down!" he crowed.
"Ready?" Casey asked.
Kali and Lily nodded, each one holding up their Claw Boosters.
"Jungle Master Mode!" the trio echoed.
"Wolf Beam!" RJ howled, firing multiple blasts from his morpher.
Leaping into the air, Casey, Lily, and Kali swooped down, slicing, and slashing at the monster from all sides with their Jungle Claws.
"Powers Unite!" the four yelled.
Flipping over the monster, the team landed and turned their back on the monster as he struggled to remain standing. He groaned and then tilted backwards, exploding before he hit the ground.
"I don't understand why you cheer after a battle," said Kali. "You know they're not always done."
On cue, the monster roared as he returned, bigger and badder than before. He raised a foot, hovered it over the team, and stepped down.
"We need the Megazord!" Casey said, rolling to his feet.
"Without Theo?" Lily asked.
"Let's see what I can whip up," said RJ, stepping forward. "Calling on the Animal Spirits! Wolf, Tiger, Jaguar!"
Kali turned to Casey and Lily. "Call Theo for an update," she said, before turning back to the battle. "Calling on Animal Spirits! Hellhound!"
"What the -?" the monster squawked, stepping back as the Hellhound towered over him.
"Ready, Kali?" RJ asked.
"As I'll ever be," Kali replied.
"Let's give it to him!"
The two Megazord's pulled back with their fists and then swung forward, hitting the bird in the chest, and knocking him backwards. He spread his wings, both of which now cast a blanket of darkness over the city and flew into the air.
Kali looked up, the eyes of her Megazord reflecting the birds entire form as he grew smaller and smaller the higher he went. He then dropped, swooping down with his talons outstretched.
The Hellhound turned, raising its flank, and allowing the claws to skim across the metal. It screeched, the sound echoing all over the city.
Jumping over Kali, RJ run at the bird and tried to tackle him, but the bird pulled back into the air again. He laughed and swooped down, knocking RJ back into Kali.
"Whoa!" Kali said, stumbling.
"You're not so tough without your friends!" the monster laughed. He hovered in the air before the two Megazord's, his talons glinting the sunlight. "It's over, Ran -" he broke off as the head of an antelope collided with him.
Kali nudged the Wolf Pride megazord forward as she stood. "Great timing, Theo," she called.
"I'm all over it!" Theo said. "Guys?" he added, looking down at Casey and Lily. "You want in?"
Casey and Lily cheered and called on the powers of their Gorilla and Penguin and combined with the Antelope. "Jungle Master Megazord!" they commanded.
"Spin Fury, Launch!" said RJ, spinning around and kicking out at the bird. The silver blade sliced through the bird, knocking him out of the sky.
The monster reared back again. "I'm out of here!" he said, eyeing the three Megazord's with distaste.
"Spirit of the Bat!" Casey, Theo, and Lily called.
Kali and RJ watched as the Jungle Master Megazord took to the skies, swinging it's fists wildly and hitting the bird several times.
With a crash, the bird landed on all fours in the city. He groaned as he glowed purple, causing Kali to frown and cock her head to the side. This wasn't normal.
He then exploded.
~X~
Theo led the others into the loft. "Dom," he called, looking around for their missing teammate. The plan had been that while he aided the others in battle, Dominic would return the Control Dagger to the base for safe keeping.
"Cam? Tori?" Kali called, noticing that her friends were also missing. She had sent them with a message for Theo and Dom to get the dagger home, and fast, but they should've been back by now.
"Dom? Dom!" Theo called.
"What's up?" Rylie asked, appearing from the bedrooms. She was carrying an armful of washing.
"Were the others?" Kali asked. "Dom, Tori, and Cam? Aren't they back yet?"
Rylie shook her head.
"They must've run into trouble," said Theo, panicking. "Come on!" He rushed past them, back up the stairs, and out the door.
Kali shared a look with Lily, Casey, and RJ before chasing after him.
They found Dom not that far away from the restaurant. He was fighting Camille for possession of the dagger, while Tori and Cam easily took out the Rinshi soldiers.
Dom groaned as he hit the ground, the dagger clattering away from him. "No!" he cried.
"It's mine!" Camille yelled, dashing forward.
"Hellhound Fury!"
Camille growled as a wave of darkness cut her off. When it cleared, Kali stood on the opposite side, the dagger in hand.
"I had that under control," said Dom, regaining his footing and meeting his friends. He took the dagger from Kali.
"Yeah, looked like it, too," said Kali, folding her arms.
"I'll let you know if I need any more help," said Dom.
"You would've lost it if we hadn't have shown up," said Casey.
Dom nodded. "And I thank you for the assistance," he said, holding the dagger in the air. "But I've got everything under - hey!" he whipped around as he felt the dagger slid from his grasp.
"Yes!" Camille hissed, running her finger up and down the dagger's blade. "Why didn't you just gift wrap it for me, Rhino Ranger?" She laughed and disappeared, melting into the background.
"No!" Dom yelled.
Casey scoffed and clapped Dom on the shoulder. "Good to know you've got it all under control," he said.
"Cam, Tori!" Kali called, running over to her friends. "You okay?"
The two nodded.
"I didn't think it was possible," said Tori. "But those Rinshi were stronger than Kelzaks."
Kali nodded.
"Camille is going to take the dagger straight to Dai Shi," said Lily. "What do we -?" she broke off as the ground shook.
RJ looked around as Kali, Cam, and Tori jogged over to them. "Looks like we've got more trouble," he said.
"We should check it out," said Casey.
The others nodded.
"Let's go!" said RJ, leading the way.
Kali turned to Tori and Cam. "Head back to the loft, I'll catch you up later," she said.
"Be careful!" Tori called.
~X~
Returning to the scene of the last attack, the Rangers arrived just in time to see a red egg burst from the ground and explode open. An exact copy of the last monster faced them, but with one minor difference - this one was more powerful.
"You have got to be joking me!" Kali said, clenching her fist. "Two monsters - one small, one big - is enough. When did they start replicating into three? Not even the demons did that, and they had magic!"
"I'm not just more powerful," the chick said. "I have new weapons, too. Want to see them?"
"Not really," said Kali, shaking her head.
"To bad!" The chick threw its arms behind him as several tail-like wings exploded from his back. He laughed and raced forward, slicing through the team like a knife through butter.
He knocked RJ, Kali, and Casey to the ground, before turning on a dime and slicing through Theo, Lily, and Dominic.
Regaining their footing, Kali and RJ dashed forward and attacked. The bird laughed, caught their punches, and flipped them both over his shoulders. He turned and blocked Casey and Theo's punches, kicking their feet out from under them and then punched Lily in the stomach.
"Get away from her!" Dominic yelled, blocking the birds next attack on Lily. He raised his Rhino blade and slashed across the birds stomach.
Annoyed, the bird spread its arms and threw its head down, firing several feather blasts at Dominic. He pushed himself into the air, missing the attack and landed mere feet from the bird.
"This bird can't handle my power," said Dominic. "Check this out! Rhino Morpher, stampede!" He hit the bottom of his morpher and aimed it at the bird, unleashing several blasts which knocked the bird into the air.
Shaking its feathers as he got back to his feet, the bird looked around, his beady eyes scanning the area for the Rangers.
"Hey, heads up!" Casey called.
"Hey!" the bird cawed as he found his quarry on the overhang, looking down at him.
"With the Strength of the Tiger!" Casey called, morphin' into his Master mode.
"With the Speed of a Cheetah!"
"With the Stealth of a Jaguar!"
"With the Fury of a Hellhound!"
"With the Courage of a Wolf!"
"With the Power of a Rhino!"
"Six Animal Spirits Unite as One! Power Rangers Jungle Fury!"
The team leapt into the air, flipping over, and striking the monster one after the other. As they landed, their dashed forward again, dragging their claws across his stomach and torso.
"Firing Jets!"
"Rhino Morpher, Super Blade attack!" Dom yelled, leaping over their heads. He sliced and slashed at the monster, several times, as the others dashed forward, ripping through him again with their claws.
The bird cawed and then exploded.
"That feather is dusted!" said Dom, shouldering his Rhino Blade.
Kali rolled her eyes as, seconds later, a flicker of darkness surrounded the destroyed bird, and he returned, towering over them and the city. "Here we go again," she muttered, looking up.
"We'll take it from here," said Casey to Dom.
Dom nodded and stepped back.
"Ready?" Kali asked.
"Ready!" the others replied. "Animal Spirits Unite!"
Watching as the younger Rangers took a beating, Kali turned to RJ and nodded. "Spirit of the Chimera!" she called, feeling her body flood with energy and magic. She took a deep breath, clenched her fists, as she looked down at the bird.
"What?" the bird screeched, realising that this new Megazord was a lot bigger than the last one the Black Ranger occupied. Plus, she too, had wings.
"Give it your best shot!" Kali goaded.
The bird screeched and launched himself in to the air. "Are you as slow as your friends?" he challenged, soaring towards her.
Kali raised her hands and caught him under the arms. She smirked and pushed off from the ground, soaring high in to the air. The bird struggling in her clutches.
"Let me go!" the bird screeched.
"Okay!" said Kali, releasing him. He plummeted towards the ground, his wings flapping uselessly. Inches above the ground, Kali caught him again and rose back up in the air.
The bird seemed to sigh in relief.
"Ready for round two?" Kali asked, tossing him up and kicking him towards the Jungle Master Megazord. "Over to you!"
The Jungle Master caught the bird around the legs and spun him in a circle, releasing him when they were at top speed and sending him soaring through the air.
Kali landed beside her team. "Let's finish him!" she said.
"You got it," Casey called.
"Jungle Master Fury fists!" the three teens called, spinning their arms around as they stomped forward. The arms of the Megazord punching the bird several times before launching him into the air.
With a snarl, the Chimera spun around, throwing out the snake tail at its rear and sinking the fangs into the birds neck. He tensed up, his whole body cracking as it turned to stone, before exploding into dust.
"Whoo! Yes!" the team cheered.
~X~
Kali huffed and clapped Casey on the shoulder, motioning for him to follow her into the kitchen of JKP.
"Where are we going?" Casey asked, stealing himself a slice of a pizza from the table. The restaurant had long since closed, and this pizza had been a mistaken order, so it was left out for the team to eat at their leisure.
"To find Dom," said Kali. "As much as I hate to admit it, he didn't lose the Dagger on purpose today. He deserves to know that we don't blame him for one mistake."
Casey considered her and then nodded. The pair headed upstairs, spotting Dom sitting with RJ and Rylie in the kitchen, he looked disappointed.
"Come to shout at me some more?" Dom asked spotting the pair.
"Actually, we're here to apologise," said Kali. "We didn't mean to be so hard on you earlier."
"Yeah, I mean, if Theo can lose something then it can happen to anyone," said Casey.
Dom smiled lightly.
"There is only one reason that Dai Shi would send Camille after the Control Dagger," said Rylie, setting a cup of hot tea in front of Dom. "And that's to gain access to the Nexus and get the Rhino power."
Kali folded her arms over her stomach as she leant against the metal grating separating the kitchen from the court. "What would Dai Shi want with Rhino power?" she asked. "He's a Dragon, and correct me if I am wrong, but Jarrod has the spirit of the Lion, right?"
Rylie nodded.
"Then why the Rhino?"
"It doesn't matter what animal spirit you have," said Cam. "The Rhino Nexus isn't just limited to those with Rhino abilities. It can be harnessed by anyone with the Control Dagger."
"Well, that's stupid," said Kali.
"I didn't make the rules," said Cam. "That would be your ancestors."
Kali rolled her eyes and looked around as Theo and Lily entered the loft. "Don't get comfy," she called, drawing their attention.
"Why, what's going on?" Theo asked.
"Are we going somewhere?" Lily asked.
Kali nodded as she pulled out her phone, dialling and all-too familiar number. She waited three rings before someone finally answered.
"Hey, you okay?"
"I need you to gather the team," said Kali.
"Why? What's up?"
"We're going on a field trip… and you're not going to like where."