"I swear to the Masters, if you eat one more - Kali!" Theo scolded, slapping her hand away from the mushrooms. "I'm using those."

Kali rolled her eyes as she bit into the raw mushroom piece. "You're making a pizza," she said, "not decorating a Picasso painting."

"Appearance is everything," said Theo. "The customer isn't going to be happy with a pizza that looks like it was made in a half-assed way. I have a system, which means all ingredients go on in a certain order, in a certain way, and with exact precision."

Kali yawned and reached for another slice of mushroom. "It all goes down into the same organ, and I'm sure they're not going to pick it apart with 'exact precision'," she said. "They're just going to scoff it into mush and swallow. All your hard work down the drain, or oesophagus." She shrugged.

"You're insufferable," Theo groaned. He turned away and reached for the olives, adding a few to the pizza and then adding the load of mozzarella cheese on top.

Kali watched and waited until his back was turned, as he slid the pizza into the stone oven, and then grabbed a fresh mushroom, biting into it like an apple.

"You bite that thing any harder and it'll bite you back," said Rylie, chuckling.

"I'm hungry," said Kali. "I feel like I haven't eaten all day."

"Have you?" Rylie asked.

Kali looked thoughtful and then shook her head. "I had breakfast, does that count?" she asked.

"That was six hours ago," said Rylie. She turned and rummaged around in a small cubby hole, pulling out a square box. She passed it across the table and Kali opened it to find a large pepperoni pizza inside.

"Wasn't this supposed to go earlier?" Kali asked.

"Wrong order," said Rylie. "Either eat it, or it goes in the trash."

Kali shrugged and lifted a slice out of the box. "Where's Lily?" she asked, tearing off a chunk.

"Upstairs with Master Phant's granddaughter," said Theo. "She agreed to mentor her in dancing. I hope they're done soon; we need more hands."

Fran rushed in, looking rattled. "Table of eleven just walked in," she said. "I could use some help meeting, greeting, and ringing up."

"I'm on it," said Casey, disappearing out onto the floor.

Fran handed over seven more orders and Theo sighed, staring at them. He looked to Kali. "Do you know how to make a pizza?" he asked.

"You put ingredients on a circular piece of dough along with sauce and cheese," said Kali, rolling her eyes. "How hard can it be?"

"It's not that easy," said Theo, stressfully. "Every ingredient has to be put in on a very specific order. If someone asks for Pepperoni and Mushroom, you can't put Mushrooms first - besides, you'd probably eat the mushrooms."

Kali grinned. "You're a control freak, you know that?" she asked.

"I'm serious!"

"…and I'm going to get Lily," said Kali. She grabbed her pizza box and headed upstairs.

"You can't hide up there forever," Theo called.

"Yes, I can," Kali called back.

Rylie snorted.

"What?" Theo asked, shrugging.

"She really gets under your skin, doesn't she?"

Theo glanced upstairs. "No," he grumbled, going back to his station.

Rylie laughed.

~X~

Dai Shi's eyes snapped open at the faint pounding. He could feel it all over the temple, despite it being more concentrated outside of the double doors at the back of the room; he spun around in his chair and caught sight of Camille from the corner of his eye.

They had retaken control of the temple after returning from the Nexus, and with the Rangers having destroyed both Carnosaur and Grizzaka, he only had Jellica to contend with. He had been searching for her since his return, but being a Jellyfish meant that she wasn't easily trapped.

He knew she had to be still in the castle, but where?

"What is that?" Camille asked, nervously. She looked towards the back doors. They moved inwards and then slammed backwards once…twice… three times, before the doors burst open and Jellica walked in, flanked behind her by a trio of menacing monsters.

Dai Shi growled as he stood from his throne, his gaze sweeping across each monster before returning to Jellica. "The Phantom Beasts," he said.

"Correction," said Jellica, amusedly. "My Phantom Beasts. I've been loyal to you for centuries, taught you all I know. My training made you stronger, and how do you repay me? By hunting me down, determined to destroy me? Well, mighty Dai Shi, it is you who is finished." Jellica turned to the Phantom beasts. "Destroy him," she ordered. "Oh, and the lizard, too," she added, nodding at Camille.

Camille fell back, her armour snapping into place as Dai Shi reached her side. Each one prepared to fight.

"Get her!" the middle beast roared.

The trio leapt into the air and landed behind Dai Shi and Camille.

Jellica gasped and looked around at them. "Traitors!" she hissed.

Raising their weapons, the three Phantom Beasts swung them down, each one ripping through a part of Jellica. She crumpled to the ground and exploded.

Camille half-glanced at Dai Shi as she powered down.

"We are the Phantom Beast Generals, served by eight Phantom Beast Warriors," said the middle monster. "I am General Scorch, with the Spirit of the Avalon Dragon."

"General Whiger," said a second Beast, stepping forward. "Spirit of the White Tiger!"

"General Snapper," said the third. "Spirit of the Snapping Turtle."

Scorch stepped between Dai Shi and Camille, he held out his hand and in a flash of gold, eight monsters appeared in the room.

"Sonimax!"

"Dynamere!"

"Unidoom!"

"Rammer!"

"Bedrat!"

"Grinder!"

"Osiris!"

"Leapus!"

Camille arched an eyebrow.

"Our ancient power of Rinzin is even greater than Zokado," said Scorch, turning his attention back to Dai Shi. "It is our lifeblood."

Snapper bowed at the waist. "We ask that you, great Dai Shi, become our Phantom Beast King."

"Me, your king?" Dai Shi echoed. "For years, you tried to destroy me. Why should I trust you now?"

"In the ancient war, we'd have won if we'd followed you, Dai Shi," said Scorch. He, Snapper, and Whiger knelt before the steps leading to the throne as Dai Shi retook it.

Dai Shi smirked, swung his cloak behind him, and sat down. "You want my trust?" he asked. "You'll have to earn it."

"Together, with our warrior Sonimax," said Scorch, rising. He snapped his fingers and a heavily built monster stepped forward. "We shall prove our loyalty. Tell us what to do."

Dai Shi rubbed his chin in thought. "Bring me the three Masters," he ordered.

~X~

With a gasp, Kali opened her eyes and jumped to her feet. She had been sitting in the Root core library, reading when she had decided to take a small break to rest her eyes. It had been a long, quiet few days since Dai Shi's last attack on Ocean Bluff, and she had decided to use the time off to spend time with her old friends.

"You can feel it, too?" Eithne asked, looking around as Kali rushed down the stairs.

Kali nodded.

"Feel what?" Claire asked. She was standing at the potions table, grinding up ingredients.

"Something's wrong," said Kali. She knelt on her stool at the round table and leaned forward, bracing herself against her elbows and reaching for the crystal ball.

The door leading to the Dragon's mouth opened and the Mystic's tumbled inside.

"What's going on?" Xander asked, noticing Kali and Eithne around the table. "Is there an attack?"

"I don't know," said Kali, shaking her head. "I can't see anything in the immediate area."

"I don't think it's in Briarwood," said Eithne. She took over control of the Crystal ball, zooming out and then back in. She nodded, murmured to herself, and then glanced at her daughter. "As I thought, it's in Ocean Bluff."

Kali perked up. "What's in Ocean Bluff?" she asked. "An attack? Is it Dai Shi?"

"I don't think so," said Eithne, shaking her head. "The radiation is definitely dark magic, but it's not Zokado. Actually, I don't know what it is."

Kali slid from her stool and rounded the table, so she was standing next to her mother. The whole coast of Ocean Bluff was surrounded in, not a black mass of energy, but a golden one. "What the hell?" she asked, her brow furrowed.

"It's Rinzin," said Leanbow, arriving with Udonna. "It's a very old, very ancient kind of magic. During the Great Beast War, 10,000 years ago, a select few warriors were created using Rinzin. They were the Phantom Beast Warriors."

Kali sucked in a breath. "He succeeded," she said. She looked up Leanbow, Udonna, and her mother. "Dai Shi. He lost five Crystal Eyes to Casey, but there were still three that were already missing. RJ wondered if Dai Shi already had them, guess he was right."

"He used the Starlight," said Udonna. "He must have."

"How dangerous are these Phantom Beasts?" Kali asked.

"I guess that depends on which ones he revived," said Eithne. "Do you have the five Casey managed to save?"

Kali nodded and headed upstairs to her room, she returned a few minutes later with a large square box which she set on the table. She flipped the latch and opened the lid, revealing five apple-sized crystal balls inside.

"Oh, cool," said Chip, reaching for the nearest one.

Kali batted his hand away. "Sorry, Chip, but we made a promise to protect these at all costs," she said. "Jennings won't be impressed if we return them, and one is missing."

"Fair point," said Chip.

Nick looked to his father. "Can you tell what creatures they are?" he asked.

"I know this one is a Mastodon," said Kali, touching the centre eye. "But the others…" she shrugged.

"This one is a Basilisk," said Eithne, plucking an eye from the case. She turned it so that the dark slit was tilted towards the light. "See, you can see the different colours on the iris. They're an indicator to what animal is inside. Graphite is a Basilisk."

As Eithne set the Basilisk eye back in the case, Kali picked up the Mastodon and checked the rim of the iris. It was totally black, like the pupil was completely blown.

"Mastodon's had brown, almost black fur," said Eithne, noting her daughter's look of confusion. "The brown must be so dark it's reflecting as black."

Knowing better than to argue, Kali nodded and returned the eye to the case. "There's still three more," she said, looking at her mother expectantly.

"This one's a Glyptodont," said Udonna, lifting an eye carefully from the box. "You can just make out the faint honey colour around the edges." She passed the eye to Kali.

"Glyptodont?" Vida echoed.

"Armadillos," Kali and Udonna corrected.

Vida blinked and turned to stare at Kali. "How did you -?" she broke off, stunned.

Kali shrugged. "You learn a lot from Pai Zhuq," she said.

"The Glyptodont isn't actually an armadillo, though," said Leanbow. "It is a relation."

Vida nodded.

"What about those two?" Maddie asked, pointing at the last eyes.

Leanbow lifted them both out of the case. "These are proper ancient ones," he said. "And extremely powerful. Be glad they're still trapped, Kali -" he held up one, showing a red tinge around the iris, "Tyrannosaur," he held up the second, a light green hue in the iris, "and Spinosaurus."

"Dinosaurs?" the Mystics asked.

"Animal spirits come in all shapes and sizes," said Kali. "They're not just limited to present day animals. Some of them are dinosaurs. I mean, they're harder to predict, obviously, and RJ says that you could train for years and years before even learning what you're spirit is if it's a prehistoric reptile, but it is possible."

Chip looked at the three mentors. "So, we have a Mastodon, a Glyptodont, a Basilisk, a Tyrannosaur, and a Spinosaurus. What are we missing?"

"Avalon Dragon, Snapping Turtle, and White Tiger," said Ethine. She turned to her daughter, "it would seem that Dai Shi is now aided by Scorch, Whiger, and Snapper. You must be very careful with them, Kali, they may not be as powerful as Generals Tyranno and Spino, but they are equally as dangerous."

"They are aided by eight of their own warriors," added Leanbow. "I wouldn't be surprised if -" he broke off as Kali's morpher beeped, and she removed the glasses from her pocket.

"Kali, are you still in Briarwood?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, what's up?"

"I need a favour."

~X~

Kali grumbled as she and the other Mystics made their way over the hill that stood between them and Master Phant's home. She was complaining about the Cimmerian forest becoming the bane of her existence, when they heard a commotion ahead - fighting and explosions, to be exact. Breaking into a run, Kali breached the top of the hill first, her eyes widening as she saw Master Phant get thrown aside by a weird looking beast-like creature.

"Call to the Beast Inside! Unleash the Hellhound!"

With a roar, the large black mass that was Kali's animal spirit dashed towards the fighting. It positioned itself between Master Phant and the creature, swiping at it with its large paws.

"You're Hellhound seems bigger than last time," said Chip, cocking his head. "Did it always have three heads?"

Kali shrugged. "I can't remember, to be fair," she said. "It's been a while since I used it for more than just an attack."

"Can we learn to do that?" Xander asked. "Releasing my Minotaur during a fight would be cool."

Kali smiled and dashed across the garden to where Master Phant lay. She knelt and helped him stand, checking him over for any injuries.

"I'm alright," Phant panted. He waved Kali away.

"Watch him," Kali told Maddie and Vida.

The three nodded and Kali turned to the creature.

"You dare attack interfere with a Phantom Beast General?" the creature hissed.

"Dude, she interferes with everyone, regardless of their status," said Xander.

Kali shot him a glare and turned her attention back to the Phantom Beast. She noted his appearance looked to be that of a turtle.

"Turtle. Snapping Turtle. General Snapper!" said Kali, piecing together the puzzle.

"We are at a disadvantage," said Snapper. "Who are you?"

"If you have to ask that then you're clearly not as well-versed as I expected," said Kali. "Hellhound, return!" The black mass that was her Animal spirit dissolved and rushed back to her. "Let's see if we can jog your memory, shall we?" She slipped her sunglasses onto her face. "Jungle Beast, Spirit Unleashed!"

Nick turned to Xander and Chip, as they each snapped open their Mystic Morphers. "Ready?" he asked.

"Ready!"

"Magical Source, Mystic Force!"

Snapper looked between the four Rangers. His beady eyes narrowing in recognition. "Mystic Defenders!" he growled. "You won't stop us again."

"I'm sure that's what you thought last time, too," said Kali. "Jungle Blades!" She launched forward, twisting one sword over in her hand while raising the other and striking it down onto Snapper's shoulder plate. It bounced off, and she thrust upwards with the second blade.

Snapper blocked, caught her wrist and tossed her aside into a wooden fence with pots hanging from it.

Rolling his Mystic Staff in his hand, Nick dashed forward and raised it above his head. A blade extended from the tip, and he struck down, but Snapper held up his arm, blocking the attack. He punched his fist forward and hit Nick in the stomach, knocking him backward.

Leaping over Snapper's head, Chip landed beside him and raised his Crossbow into the air. A stroke of lightning hit the tip, and Chip unleashed the arrow. It hit Snapper in the back, but his armour protected him.

"You shouldn't play with me," said Snapper, blocking Xander's axe and swinging the Green Ranger around. He let him go, watching as he collided with Chip.

Shaking her head, Kali jumped to her feet and rushed at Snapper, swinging a punch at his head. He blocked and Kali rolled her wrist, catching his forearm in her grasp; she pulled herself up, kicking him in the stomach and pushing herself backward, out his grasp.

Snapper hissed and stalked towards her. He stopped as two new Mystics - blue and pink - cut across his path. "Stand down!" he ordered.

"How about no?" Vida asked. "Whirlwind!" she kicked one foot up and spun on the tip of her other. The faster she went, the more wind she picked up, until a whirlwind whipped towards the Phantom Beast.

Snapper sneered and cut through the whirlwind, knocking Vida out of the air.

"V!" Chip called, rushing to her side.

"Tidal Wave!" Maddie called.

Snapper laughed and merely walked through the water. She caught Maddie's cape, spun her around, and kicked her in the back, knocking her into Kali's arms.

"Elephant Mace!" Phant called, dashing forward. He swung the mace into the air and lassoed it towards Snapper.

Snapper turned and caught the metal chain. With a tug, he pulled Phant towards him and flipped him over his shoulder.

Phant groaned as he landed before Kali and Maddie.

"Are you okay?" Kali asked, helping him up again.

Phant groaned, clutching his arm.

Kali looked up at Maddie. "Don't leave him," she warned.

Maddie nodded.

Turning back to Snapper, Kali held up her claw booster and hit the top. "Jungle Master Mode!" she called, feeling the surge of power flood her body.

Snapper scoffed and raised his arm, blocking a punch from Kali. He twisted at the hip, blocking her second kick with his armour.

Kali growled and kicked off from the ground, she double kicked and used his armour to propel herself backward.

Snapper tugged his arms in tight, his whole body glowing golden, before he thrust his hands out toward Kali.

"Look out!" Nick called, colliding with Kali. He wrapped his arms around her and knocked her out of the path. The attack hit the side of Master Phant's house, bringing the whole East Wall crumbling down.

Snapper laughed and turned to the other Mystics, all of whom were gathered around the Elephant Master. "I told you not to play with me," he said, tugging his arms in again. He blasted another round of Rinzin power at them, watching triumphantly as they were all knocked backward.

Rearing up from behind a hay bale, Kali pushed herself up and dashed toward Snapper and Master Phant.

Snapper blasted her backward once more with a ball of Rinzin, and then hauled Phant to his feet. "You're coming with me!" he said.

"Master Phant!" Kali called, desperately.

The pair disappeared.

"No!"

~X~

"Your power is no match for mine," Sonimax taunted, standing over the fallen Rangers. He looked up, his eyes widening in surprise as a sixth Ranger soared towards him, her arms spread eagle and her leg outstretched. It slammed into him, knocking backward.

Kali pushed off Sonimax's chest and drew her knees into her chest. She fired the jets on her belly and hips, and flipped backwards, landing before her team. Her gaze trained on the Phantom Beast.

"With the Fury of the Hellhound! Jungle Fury, Black Ranger!" Kali said.

Struggling to their feet, the others crowded around Kali.

"Did you find Master Phant?" Lily asked. "Is he okay?"

"Sorry, Lil," said Kali, shaking her head. "Phantom Beast General Snapper got there first. The other Mystics and I held him off as long as we could, but he's using magic that is stronger than anything I've ever faced before. He took Master Phant."

Lily gasped.

"They must've got Master Swoop, too," said Theo. "I found his fans. They were destroyed, badly."

RJ and Casey turned to one another.

"I hope Dad is okay," said RJ.

Lily clenched her hand into a fist. "Let's finish Sonimax and go find our Masters," she said, determinedly.

"Yeah!" the others agreed.

Sonimax staggered to his feet. His beady eyes found Kali, and he growled. "Who are you?" he asked, pointing at her.

"I'm the Ranger you're going to wish you never met!" said Kali.

Stamping his feet, Sonimax roared and charged forward. The team met him half way, with Kali raising both arms and blocking his punches. She jumped back as Casey and Theo jetted forward, each one dragging their Claw Boosters across his sides. Spinning around, Sonimax raised his arms to block Dom and RJ, but grunted as they held him fast, kneeing him in his exposed stomach.

Nudging Lily, Kali indicated for the Cheetah to follow her. Lily did, ducking around RJ as Kali did the same to Dom, and the two punched forward knocking Sonimax backward into Theo and Casey.

The two jumped up and planted kicks into Sonimax's back, knocking him forward again.

"Go for it, Lil!" said Kali, pulling back.

"Cheetah Jabs!" Lily called, punching Sonimax multiple times in the chest and stomach.

Sonimax groaned as hit rolled across the ground. "You can't get rid of me that easily!" he said, getting back to his feet. "Sonic att - argh!" he roared as a wall of black flames slammed into him, causing him to disintegrate upon impact.

Kali rolled her Magic Staff between her fingers and then lowered it back onto her belt. She turned to the others. "You think they know who I am now?" she asked.

The others chuckled.

"Kali!"

Kali looked over RJ's shoulder as the other Mystics arrived. They looked frazzled as they burst out of the warehouse doors and made a beeline for her and the others. "Did you find him?" she asked.

"No," said Nick, shaking his head. "When we got there it looked like a fight and broke out. Master Finn was gone."

RJ and Casey gasped and stepped forward.

Kali turned to them. "I had the Mystics check on Master Finn while I came to help you," she told them. "I had a feeling that the other Phantom Beast Generals would go after Finn and Swoop," she glanced at Theo, "and I was right. They've taken the Masters."

"But why?" Theo asked. "What could they possibly want with them?"

"I don't know," said Kali, shaking her head.

"How can you not know?" Casey asked, angrily. "You're the Mystic Force! Aren't you supposed to know everything that goes on in the Mystic Realm?!"

Kali sighed. She couldn't argue with Casey because he had a point. But she also couldn't know everything that was going to happen before it did. She was powerful, but she wasn't that powerful.

"We'll get them back," said RJ, reassuringly. "All of them. But blaming one person isn't the way to go about it."

Casey sighed. "You're right, RJ," he agreed. "I'm sorry, Kali, I didn't mean -"

"It's okay," said Kali, shaking her head. "I understand." She took a deep breath.

Casey nodded slowly.

"So, what do we do now?" Theo asked. "How do we get them back?"

"How do we find them, first," said Lily. "I mean, where could they have taken them?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Theo asked. "They're at Dai Shi's temple. Where else would they be? We should go there now and get them back."

Casey looked startled. "And do what?" he asked. "Fight Dai Shi and the Phantom Beasts? That's crazy."

"We're not alone," Theo argued. He indicated to the Mystic Force.

"We don't even know if the masters are there," interrupted Dom. "We could go all the way there and it be for nothing."

Theo relented.

Kali tensed.

"What is it?" Lily asked, glancing sideways. "Do you feel something?"

Turning away, Kali directed her attention into the warehouse district, as three strands of electricity crashed down onto the floor. "Everyone be ready," she said. "This is going to be bad."

A single strand of electricity hit the ground between the Rangers, knocking them into the air and drawing back to the ground with a crash

With a groan, Kali rolled onto her knees and pushed herself partially up, her gaze focusing on the disturbance ahead. As the smoke cleared, a gasp broke through Kali's lips and her eyes widened at the sight before her.

"No way…" Kali breathed. "They're…"

"Power Rangers," said Casey, recovering next. "But how?" He glanced at Kali.

Kali shook her head, her gaze drifting from Ranger to the other. Their suits heavily resembled hers and the others - the three clawed emblem of Pai Zhuq rested on their chests, while their helmets mirrored the motif of the animal spirit they possessed.

Elephant.

Shark.

Bat.