"It is time," said Zeltrax. His gaze caught on the topmost ridge where three teams of Rangers had just appeared.

"They brought friends," Elsa sneered, recognising the third team as the Mystic Force. "As we expected."

"The Hellhound is getting predictable."

Elsa smirked.

Kali turned to the other Rangers. "Be careful," she warned. "But get it done."

"Anyone ever told you that you're blunt?" Conner asked.

"Every day. What's your point?" Kali asked.

The Mystics and Ninja's smirked.

Conner shook his head and lifted his arm across his chest. His team followed his lead, their morphers appearing over their Dino Gems. "Ready?" he asked.

"Ready!" everyone repeated.

"Dino Thunder, Power Up!"

"White Ranger, Dino Power!"

"Tyranno!"

"Tricera!"

"Ptera!"

"Compy!"

"Brachio!"

"Drago!"

"DINO THUNDER!"

"Ninja Storm, Ranger Form!"

"Magical Storm, Ranger Form!"

"Thunder Storm, Ranger Form!"

"Samurai Storm, Ranger Form!"

"Power of Air!"

"Power of Earth!"

"Power of Water!"

"Power of Darkness!"

"Crimson Thunder!"

"Navy Thunder!"

"Samurai Power!"

"NINJA STORM!"

"Legendary Source, Mystic Force!"

"Element of Earth, Green Legend Warrior!"

"Element of Wind, Pink Legend Warrior!"

"Element of Water, Blue Legend Warrior!"

"Element of Lightning, Yellow Legend Warrior!"

"Element of Fire, Red Legend Warrior!"

"MYSTIC FORCE!"

Kicking off from the ground, the three teams landed in the quarry.

Elsa seethed, drew her sword, and thrust it out in front of her. It was clear she was in charge of this army, and she was not happy by their display of resilence. "Attack!" she ordered, charging forward.

"Kick it!" Conner called. He swung his leg over his Dino Cycle and sped ahead, leaving the others to follow in his wake.

As stated back at the lab, the three teams seemed to know instantly who they were fighting alongside. Being three teams, they split into six small teams of three Rangers - each team contained one Ninja, one Mystic, and one Dino Ranger.

Looking to her own team, Kali wasn't all that surprised to find Hunter nearby. Since their stint as Rangers, and the Hellhound bond the pair never really separated while in battle, the only time she found that she couldn't be near him was when he had hidden the Gem of Souls, or at least part of it, from her and the other Ninjas, and had been attacked by Condortron and Vexacus while retrieving it.

Not knowing that there was still a source of energy out there that could render her useless, Kali had jumped in to help him fight the pair off, and in return the Gem had caused havoc with her Hellhound spirit, causing it to go nuts in an attempt to attack the souls that resided within the Gem.

After that betrayal, Kali had though the bond between them would break, but it hadn't. She still didn't understand why the Hellhound seemed determined for her and Hunter to remain bound, but she had given up searching for answers when Eithne had explained that the Hellhound always did things within reason. There was something it saw in Hunter than made it want to trust him, despite the betrayal.

As for her Dino Thunder partner, Doctor Tommy Oliver fought a little ways away from Hunter. She didn't know much about him, only that he was one of the original Mystic Defenders, and had been a Ranger alongside one of her aunt - Blu Raynes. She also knew that she had asked him to make a video record of all Rangers leading up to the Ranger team, and had only done that because Eithne had informed her that he would have the best chance of getting Ranger information from other teams.

"Kali, behind you!" Hunter yelled, deflecting an attack from Zeltrax. He and Tommy had been keeping the general busy, while Kali scanned the area. Why she did this in the middle of a battle, no one knew, but the fact of the matter was, she did.

Turning on her heels, Kali ducked and jumped backwards as Hekatoid blasted her with the same slime he had done when she had first faced him. Granted, the slime would only have worked once she had powered down, but she didn't feel like being hit with it again.

"At least you aren't Serpentina," said Kali, drawing her Ninja blade from over her shoulder.

"It can be arranged for her to be here," said Hekatoid, laughing. "You aren't getting away from this one, Hellhound."

"Don't be so sure," said Kali. She twirled the sword between her fingers and the rolled it into her palm. Her grip tightened around the hilt as she run at Hekatoid. He raised his arm and her sword bounced off his flesh.

Hekatoid laughed, leaned back, and pressed his stomach again. He belched out a swarm of tadpoles, but Kali cut through them with her blade. "Hey, those are my babies!" he whined.

"So, I've been told," said Kali. She swung her sword up, above her head, and took a running jump at the toad. "Darkness Wave!"

The wall of blackness slammed into Hekatoid, destroying him instantly.

Kali landed and turned, raising her sword and blocking an attack from Zurgane. "You again!" she said. "I thought Vexacus dealt with you for us."

Zurgane roared and shoved his weight into his swords. "Vexacus did what you couldn't," he taunted. "Hardly something to be proud of, Ranger."

"True. He did us a favour," said Kali, nodding. "But, are you really that weak you let a shark take you out?"

Zurgane growled.

"I mean, come on," Kali continued. "You were Lothor's number one General, and you couldn't even take out an intergalactic shark. Is that really something you should be proud of?"

Shoving her back, Zurgane raised his swords above his head and fired a blast of energy at Kali. She took the hit to the chest, feeling her whole body warm with the energy she absorbed.

"Thanks for boost, Zurgane," said Kali. "You'll find, I'm afraid, that I'm not as weak as I was two years ago. My powers have grown, and I have more magic coursing through me."

Again, Zurgane growled.

"Don't worry, you'll find out what I mean soon," said Kali. She turned to Hunter and Tommy as they joined her. "Ready?" she asked.

Tommy stepped forward. "I'll take it from here," he said. He raised his staff above his head, and then whirled it around, drawing a faint circle of energy in the air. "Brachio Staff! Energy Orb!"

Looking around, Kali watched as the others despatched the rest of the Abyss creatures, making short work of Lothor and Mesogog's army. She found her gaze drawn to the Green Dino Ranger, and still found it hard to believe that she was the same teenager that had picked out her dress two years ago. Anabel Brookes', the Mayor of Reefside's daughter, was also a Power Ranger.

Of course, Kali knew all about Anabel. She had been the one to authorise the Protection Detail for both Anabel and the Mayor of Reefside, she had also been the one to choose Circe and Blade to be the two Defenders - Circe, being eighteen, was a perfect match for Anabel, and her older brother Blade was in the right position to assume a role on the Mayor's team.

The protection detail had worked out well, and both Circe and Blade were now back in the Mystic Realm. Their training was still ongoing, but they were still active agents if Anabel or her mother required them again.

Kali watched as Anabel ducked, dodged, and fought flawlessly. It wasn't a surprise to her that the young teenager was fluid and graceful on the battlefield given her background off it. She was a cheerleader, and while Kali usually despised those types of shallow, vindictive, narcissistic type girls, she knew that Anabel was nothing like them.

The young blonde was more down to Earth that any cheerleader Kali had ever met. Add in the fact that she was a LRG - Little Rich Girl - and she personality definitely contrasted with the norm, and still, Kali found herself thinking that Anabel would make a great Mystic Defender one day.

At Zeltrax's yell, Kali turned back to the battle at hand. Tommy's energy orb had encased the general, causing him to twitch as energy rippled through him. He then exploded, and the orb disappeared.

"Isn't it nice when they clean up after themselves," Kali chuckled, high-fiving Hunter and Tommy.

The pair laughed before their attention was drawn away. The others had managed to destroy the rest of the army, leaving only Elsa. She sneered at the team as they regrouped, and then threw her hand into the air, disappearing through an Invisiportal.

"Damn!" Shane swore.

"Don't worry, she'll be back," said Anabel.

"Yeah. We can't seem to get rid of her, despite what we throw at her," said Conner. "But we'll get her one day."

"Unless Mesogog gets too fed up with her failures," said Ethan.

Anabel turned to her teammate. "That's cold," she said.

"The truth is always cold," Ethan defended.

Kali smiled and shook her head. She then stiffened, noting that Anabel did the same.

"Something's coming," the pair commented, drawing attention from the rest of the team, including each other.

Kali cocked her head to the side. She had felt something about Anabel back at the Dino Base, but she wasn't entirely sure what it was. Now she could. There was a faint black aura around the teenager, so faint that it wasn't a surprise to Kali that she had originally missed it.

"What is it?" Shane asked.

"I don't know," said Kali, drawing her attention away from Anabel.

"Anabel?" Conner asked.

Anabel looked up, just as a clash of thunder echoed, and a green and black portal appeared. It was exactly the same as the one Elsa had disappeared through, only this one deposited an older man into the quarry. He was dressed in all black leather, complete with a face mask.

A hushed silence rippled through the teams.

The man's lips pulled back into a smirk, his gaze skimming the Rangers until it landed on Kali. "Hellhound!" he boomed.

"Is that -?" Conner broke off, glancing at Kali.

Kali nodded. "Lothor," she murmured. Her hand clenched into a fist as she stepped forward, sizing the rogue Ninja up. She had never been afraid of the man, and she was even less intimidated by him now. Two years ago, he had radiated a dark power that not even she could've hoped to control, but now he was weak, probably from his time in the Abyss, or maybe it was because she had grown in the two years he had been locked away.

She had more power now - more than she had ever wanted, to be fair - but she also wasn't afraid to wield it.

"What's that he is holding?" Cam asked.

Tucked under his arm was a weirdly shaped pink and black bottle.

Kali shook her head, her gaze sliding from the object and back to Lothor's face. "I don't know," she said. "But, if he has it, it can't be good."

"What do we do?" Conner asked.

"Keep your wits about you," said Kali. "Things are about to get serious."

"Aren't they always?" Anabel asked.

Kali shook her head. "Not like this." She looked down at her hands, knowing what she had to do; but with no time to warn the others of her intentions, she had to hope they could follow instructions.

"What's the matter, Hellhound?" Lothor laughed. "Not what you were expecting?"

"I have no idea how you made it out of the Abyss, Lothor, but you can garauntee that you won't be going back," said Kali.

Lothor chuckled. "Let's just say, I have a friend that thinks your time is at an end," he said. "And not just yours. But all Rangers."

"So you're just the messenger," Kali wondered. "Why doesn't your friend come and face us themselves?"

"He will. Soon," said Lothor. "As for now, you get me."

"Lucky for us," Kali muttered.

Lothor's eyes gleamed and held up the bottle. "However, I have a little incentive," he said. "Similar to last time we fought. I have captured your Ninja students."

Shane, Tori, Dustin, and Cam gasped.

"If you want them back," Lothor continued. "You're going to have to destroy me."

"But, you already did that," said Xander.

"Yeah, what makes him think you can't do it again?" Kira asked.

Kali shrugged.

"I have one request, Hellhound," said Lothor. "If you want the Ninja students back, then you fight me. Alone. No magic, no assistance. Just you and me."

Kali glanced sideways at the others. She would accept the challenge in a heartbeat, but she also knew that they would try to intervene.

"Don't worry about your friends," said Lothor. "They'll be plenty busy."

Another invisiportal crashed open and a horde of Tyrannodrones and Kelzaks landed in the quarry.

"What do you say, Hellhound?" Lothor asked. "Do we have a deal?"

Kali turned to the left as Tommy touched her shoulder. "We got your back," he said. "Whatever you choose. We're here with you."

The others nodded.

"Think you can handle those things?" Kali asked, nodding at the small army of foot soldiers.

"You sure you can handle Lothor alone?" Dustin asked.

Kali smiled. "I've got a few new tricks up my sleeve," she said. "Ones that garauntee me a win."

"But he said no Magic," said Ethan.

"It's not technically magic," said Kali. "At least not in the sense that he thinks." She turned to the Mystics.

"We're on it," said Nick, intercepting her thoughts before she could speak them. "They may not be Hidiacs, but what's the difference?"

"I can create Hidiacs if you want," Kali teased.

Vida laughed and shook her head. "Show off!" she teased.

"Just trying to make you feel at home," Kali replied. "Be careful, you guys."

"Same to you," said Tommy. He turned to the others. "Let's do it!"

As her team mates run off, Kali turned back to Lothor. He was smirking at her.

"You really are a sucker for punishment," Lothor taunted. He set the bottle down on an the lip of stone, extending from the rock wall behind him, and then turned back to Kali. "Shall we?"

Kali clenched her hands into fists. "You're going to wish you hadn't escaped the Abyss," she said.

"Big words, Hellhound," said Lothor. "Let's see if you can live up to them." He drew his hand over his chest and then threw it out at her, blasting her with reddish energy.

The rules were simple - she couldn't use magic, including her shield. But he hadn't said anything about him not using his powers.

Jumping aside, Kali pulled her sword over her shoulder, and drew her finder down the side. "Ninja Sword, Power up!" she called. A black tendril of smoke engulfed her sword and she run at Lothor, swinging it above her head and then slashing down.

Lothor blocked. He swung his arm around, twisted his wrist and grabbed the hilt of the blade, just above Kali's only grasp and tucked.

Knowing better than to hold on, Kali released her sword and watched as it was thrown high up the side of the mountain behind Lothor.

He laughed as she re-met his gaze. "No friends, no powers, no sword," he taunted. "What do are you going to do now?"

"You underestimate me," said Kali. "You said no magic, but you didn't specify what kind. I've changed, Lothor, I no longer just command the dark magic. I can literally, use my Hellhound spirit to attack outside of my body - let's see how you fair, shall we?"

Lothor took a step back as Kali drew her arms across her chest, and then pulled them down to her sides. A black glow overtook her body, and dark mass rolled off her. It accumulated in the space between them, growing bigger and bigger as it took shape. With a roar, a massive corporeal Hellhound towered over the area.

Kali grinned at the look on Lothor's face. "Scared yet?" she asked.

"You wish," Lothor growled.

"That's not all I have," said Kali. She powered down, and took out the sunglasses that RJ had told her to keep. "How about a power up?! Jungle Beast, Spirit Unleashed! JUNGLE MASTER MODE!"

Lothor stepped back in alarm as Kali held out her claw booster, tapped the top and her new Ranger form covered her body. Six slits appeared all along her sides, reaching down from her torso to her hips, and were both front and back.

"Firing Jets!" Kali called, kicking off into the air as the back jets on her hips fired up. She soared towards Lothor, flipped over and planted both her feet into his chest. Bending at the knees, Kali pushed off him with as much strength as she could muster, and flipped backwards, firing the jets on the front of her uniform and soaring backwards.

As the jets switched off, Kali landed beside her Hellhound spirit while Lothor slammed into the rock wall.

"Go help the others," Kali told her spirit. Watching as it turned and thundered towards the other Rangers. Returning her attention to Lothor, Kali watched as he extracted himself from the rock face, and sneered at her.

Kali smirked.

"I said no magic!" Lothor growled.

"I heard you," said Kali. "But, like I said, you didn't specify which magic! What I am using is Pai Zhuq, it's old magic. Even older than you."

Lothor narrowed his eyes. "Just goes to prove that you can't beat me without magic," he taunted.

"You're part of the Mystic Realm," said Kali. "You use magic, too. If you can't stop me without blasting me, then what can you do? It's over, Lothor! ZOKADO!"

Lothor's eyes widened. He had heard of this form of ancient darkness, but he had never seen it until now. When did the Hellhound get her paws on it?

Holding her hands above her head, Kali summoned the flow of magic throughout her body and channelled it into her hands. A huge swirling mass of black and purple grew above her head, and she kicked off from the ground again, firing her jets as she soared higher, before flipping over and shoving the ball of darkness at Lothor.

It slammed into his chest, smashing him once again into the rock face.

Calling on both her swords, Kali raised them above her head and took a running jump forward. "Jungle Blades!" she called. "Hell's Gate Inferno!" She lodged both blades into the ground, watching as a crevice split across the quarry floor, heading straight for Lothor. The area shook, as the ground split, and next second, Lothor disappeared beneath the surface.

Pulling her swords up, Kali demorphed as the ground closed, all signs of Lothor gone along with it.

"Kali!"

Turning on her heels, Kali smiled as her friends circled her.

"What the hell was that?" Dustin asked.

"When did you learn to separate your Spirit from yourself?" Chip asked. "Can you teach me?"

Kali laughed. "Sure, Chip," she said. "When I finish with Dai Shi, I'll teach you."

Chip grinned.

"Here," said Vida, her fingers wrapping around the neck of the bottle that Lothor had left behind. She handed it to Kali.

Uncorking it, Kali and the others watched as reddish-black cloud bloomed from the top, filtered through the air, and materalised behind the teams.

"Our students!" Shane gasped, leading the way over. "Everybody okay?"

Recorking the bottle, Kali held it between her hands and then crushed it with a fireball, the ashes fluttering away on the breeze.

"You going to tell us what just happened?" Vida asked, leaning on Kali's shoulder.

Kali smiled and nodded. "Sure. But it's a long story," she said.

"When are you expected back in Ocean Bluff?" Maddie asked, looping her arm through Kali's and leading the way over to the others.

"Tomorrow morning, at the latest," Kali replied.

"Great. Then you can tell us everything tonight," said Vida.

Kali chuckled and nodded. Her gaze lifting as she watched the others. She spied Anabel and Tommy near the edge of the group, they were close enough that she could see that something other than a friendship was happening between them, but far enough away to not make it obvious to everyone.

"I have something I need to do first," said Kali, untangling herself from Vida and Maddie and approaching the couple. They jumped apart as she reached them. "We need to talk."

"About?" Anabel asked, noticing how Kali's gaze remain fixed on her.

Lowering her gaze, Kali allowed it to roam over Anabel, her other senses also working overtime to find the source of the dark aura. Her eyes then dropped to Anabel's wrist, where her Dino Bracelet lay, the green gem glittering in the mid-morning light.

"That," said Kali, nodding at the gem in question.

Tommy looked down as Anabel held the bracelet close to her chest. "What about it?" he asked.

Kali stared at Anabel. "You have darkness around you," she said, "and it's coming from that Gem."