Chapter 7
The Temple of Power…
As they arrived in Ninjor's temple, he asked them to gather around him in a circle.
"Rangers, you have your powers back but there's more work to be done." He spoke.
"We must save Zordon." Kimberly insisted. "God knows what's happening to him. He helped us save our home countless of times. It's time we save him." The other rangers murmured their approval but Ninjor held up his hand to quieten them.
"There's already a team of rangers scouring space to save him. And worry not, they can't harm or torture Zordon. He's still trapped in his time warp, his real mind and body trapped in another dimension. They have merely sealed him in a particular plasma tube, preventing him from escaping back to the astral plane or relocating to another plasma tube. For now, our priority should be protecting Earth at all costs."
"That's a relief." Kim said. Trini placed a hand on her shoulder. Zordon was a father figure to all of them. His wisdom and advice helped them all to grow past their insecurities and be the people they were today.
"I had a question." Adam raised his hand. "How did Zack, Jason and Trini morph when we still had their old coins?"
"That's simple, Adam." The Sword of Light appeared in his hands. "When the coins were damaged, the morphin energies of the dino and thunder totems were transferred to this sword thanks to the link that was made between the sword and the coins when your powers were transferred. Zordon had no way to suitably channel those powers so he sent you to me for new coins. After you became the zeo rangers, Zordon entrusted the Sword of Light to me for safekeeping and I was able to transfer the energies into new power coins."
"So, you made a new white tiger coin for Aisha too?" Tommy asked. "Why does her suit look different from mine?"
"Not exactly. Don't you remember that the white tiger powers are different from other powers? It comes from the White Light, the manifestation of all the goodness in the universe. Zordon channelled the white light through your old dragon coin to make the white power coin. I did the same with Aisha's old yellow power coin. To be a white ranger, you have to transcend hatred. Aisha was chosen by the White Light when she was able to defeat the Hate Master without any protection spell or device aiding her. Tommy, you were chosen when you showed selflessness and resilience on countless occasions. The reason her suit is different is because every white ranger power is unique to their wielder in more ways than one. For example, your white tiger powers were designed to work with the thunder totems but hers would work with the dino totems. Moreover, when she summons her weapon, it won't be Saba. She will get some other weapon and a totally different spirit guide. Saba rests within the morphin grid. Should a day arise when you become the white ranger again, he will return to aid you in your fight against injustice."
"Cool." He said, smiling at Aisha. "Welcome to the white ranger club, Aisha."
She nodded her head, giving a light smile but her forehead was furrowed.
"Ninjor, as much as I appreciate being a ranger again, I have a responsibility to Zambesi… as the Vixen-"
"Wait, you were the Vixen?" Adam asked. "The mysterious hero from Africa who took out poachers and international crime lords."
"I was. It's kind of a long story but-"
"I know, Aisha. It's your choice. You must find a successor, either for your ranger powers or for the Tantu Totem. However, I sense that you have a strong connection to the Spirit World even without your totem. The war against Dark Spectre is going to be our hardest challenge yet and your help and expertise could be an integral asset."
"I see." She nodded. Beside her, Ran and Tatsu exchanged a worried glance.
"Anyway, the reason why I brought you all here. Dark Spectre and his minions have many tricks up their sleeves including dark magic and technology that can dampen your morphin abilities. Hence, it's necessary that you have access to a secondary power source independent of your morphers. Something that can never be taken away from you… your animal spirits."
"You mean our ninja forms?" Billy asked.
"Yes but not exactly. Your ninja forms were linked to your power coins. I tethered your animal spirits to your coins to enable you to morph. This will be different, more primordial. This is a power that might very well save your lives someday. However, you should only use this as a last resort as unleashing your animal spirits for prolonged periods without a tether to a power coin is dangerous and may cause you to lose your minds. There are those who solely use their animal spirits for battle but it takes years of training however we don't have time for that now."
"I have heard of this." Cestria said. "The Ninjetti warriors of the planet Phaedos."
"Yes, but they were all but destroyed." Ninjor sighed. "Wait, we are missing a few people. I will be right back."
He teleported out leaving the rangers alone in the temple.
"Kat, how are you?" Tommy asked.
"I feel fine, I think. It's difficult to tell."
"You died, Kat. You weren't breathing." He said painfully. "I was scared I'd never see you again."
"Me too, Tommy. But we all knew this when we signed up to be rangers." She turned her head away. "Ooze is a monster and he's still out there somewhere."
"I know. I wish we could hunt him down once and for all but…"
"Never escalate a battle, right?" Kat said scornfully. "How is this fair Tommy? Being back in all this… It made me remember all the times Rita and Zedd played with our lives. Hell, we were just normal people till they brainwashed us to be their evil puppets. How many times have they targeted friends and family? And what was stopping us from taking the battle to the moon and squashing them with the megazord?"
"I know, Kat." Tommy agreed. "I don't know what Zordon was thinking or his rules. But I promise you I will never let anything like this happen to any of us ever again."
"That's something you can't control, Tommy." Kat sighed. "But I appreciate the sentiment."
Just then, Ninjor reappeared with others – the remaining forest ninjas, Sakura and Kagami.
"Guys, you are here!" Aisha smiled, seeing the other ninja rangers, who in the last few months have become family to her.
"Apparently Ninjor is giving all of us a power boost." Sakura said.
"And you don't seem happy about it?" Tatsu probed.
"We already have our elementals to protect us in our unmorphed forms. We don't need animal spirits." She scoffed.
"An extra power is always an asset. It might have saved us from being captured." Ran spoke up. "Besides we must trust in Ninjor's judgement."
"That's not the only reason I brought you four here." Ninjor said. "I have thought of a way to stabilise the link between a person and their animal spirit without tethering it to a coin or a morpher but that involves something else…"
"An elemental spirit." Kagami guessed.
"This ritual has never been done before so there might be side effects. You four are the only ones who have gone through an elemental ritual before so I need your help to summon the nature spirits."
"We are in." Tatsu said, after exchanging a quick glance with her teammates.
"Maybe I can help." Arella said. "The mystics don't use animal spirits and our spirit guides and elementals are tethered to our morphers but I have trained in elemental magic for years."
"All help is appreciated. And Aisha, I need your help in this too." Ninjor said gently as Arella and the four ninjas stepped forwards. Ninjor held a hand out to Aisha, placing her in the centre of the circle with him.
"Aisha, I need you to channel the power of the totem and open the gateway to the Spirit World."
Ninjor and Aisha sat down in a lotus position, their eyes closed, both of them glowing in a blazing white light as golden runes hovered in the air, before slamming to the ground to form three spell circles. The inner circle surrounded Ninjor. The middle circle had Arella and the ninjas while the other circle enclosed the others.
"Close your eyes and focus, all of you. Arella, Kagami, Sakura, Ran and Tatsu, try to channel your elementals. Aisha, Tommy, Kimberly, Rocky, Billy and Adam, focus on your animal spirits. You have felt this before, so just try to welcome them back. Rest of you, relax and embrace the feeling. Don't fight it and maintain the connection to the spirit world."
Just then the light dissipated as a wave of power washed over them.
"It's done." Ninjor said calmly. He turned towards Aisha, who was now in a white ninja robe with gold and yellow stripes. They stood up to see the others also opening their eyes. Every one of them were in a ninja robe of a particular colour with a stripe of a secondary colour along the sides of their suit. A golden emblem depicting their animal spirit was encrusted in their chests while a silver badge symbolising their element was in their left arm.
"Aisha, my mighty bear, you are as powerful and kind as ever. You have surpassed my greatest expectations and become a legendary hero. Your element is the earth. But more importantly, I believe this ritual would have been impossible without you. Not because you are the wielder of the spirit totem, but because like me, you have an innate connection to the spirit world. I realise it now. You are the Master Warrior of Earth and the guardian of the Spirit World."
Aisha's eyes widened. "Thank you but are you sure? Those titles seem to come with a lot of baggage."
"I am certain, Aisha. Your destiny is far greater than you ever imagined. As of now, you are one of the most powerful entities in the universe. With proper training, you can be a Morphin Master like me and forge morphers and power coins, enabling the formation of new ranger teams."
"Wow, that's a lot." She replied, gulping. With her responsibilities as the Vixen, she was already having to think what her future meant and now, she was suddenly supposed to be Ninjor's successor. Zordon had told them about the morphin masters, powerful beings capable of harnessing the cosmic energies of the morphin grid with but a single thought. She didn't know if she wanted that kind of responsibilities and powers that can lead her astray.
"Don't worry, young bear. I will guide you and train you to the best of my abilities." Ninjor promised before heading to those in the second circle.
"Arella, Mystic Knight of the Moon, you have the spirit of the owl, like a dear old friend of mine. Wise and quick to adapt to the adversities of life, the owl spirit will guide you through many challenges." Arella smiled, tracing the golden medallion.
"Sakura, rose ninja of fire, your spirit is the sweet yet protective rabbit."
"Tatsu, orchid ninja of shadows, your spirit is the illusive bat."
"Kagami, iris ninja of water, you have the spirit of the dragon."
"Ran, lily ninja of earth, you are the shy but strong gazelle."
Ninjor joined his hands together as he walked over to the outer circle and rest of the rangers. He started with Tommy.
"Tommy, you have faced the lure of darkness time and time again yet you have always chosen the path of righteousness. Welcome back, my falcon, the winged lord of the skies. You are determined and focused. The fire element will suit you well." Tommy nodded. He was wearing white with red stripes.
"Kimberly, agile and light as a feather, once more you are the crane." Kimberly smiled, feeling comfortable in her pink suit with red and white stripes. "No matter how hopeless life seems, you never stop searching for the silver lining in the clouds. I wish I could have helped you more but remember with every curse, comes a hidden blessing. Maligore's pit may have created your alter ego but remember she is a part of you. Since you have two souls, you can harness two elements – hellfire that can breach through the strongest of defences as well as the element of air."
"Rocky, playful yet powerful, the ape spirit lies strong within you. The earth element will serve you perfectly."
"Billy, my blue wolf, as always silent and sure, you are quite the explorer. You have travelled worlds, helped millions with your technological prowess. Hearing about your achievements make me so proud. Even without magic, you have proven that science and logic can be formidable. I believe you can also be a Morphin Master, like Aisha, even without magic and just by your wit, which is no small feat. You have already created morphers and zords and I believe in future, you will be able to do much more." Billy beamed at the praise as Cestria gripped his hand tightly. He was in blue with black stripes. "Your element is shadow. Strike your opponents when they least expect it."
"Cestria of Aquitar, the spirits of the Grid sing high praise of your wisdom and valour. You have the spirit of the dolphin and the element of the sun." She was in pink with golden highlights.
"Adam, my calm and courageous frog, you have the element of thunder. Your attacks are quick and decisive." He was in black with crimson highlights.
"Katherine, like Tommy, you have overcome great darkness and showed the resilience to break through Rita's spell all by yourself and that is an incredible rare feat and a show of great strength. You are the lioness and your element is the water." Katherine grinned, feeling reassured in her purple suit with aqua highlights. The crane was never hers and she never felt as strong in her time as the pink morphin ranger as she did now. She traced the carving of the lioness in her medallion and felt revitalised.
"Justin, you have shown courage and wisdom beyond your years. You have the spirit of the hound dog, and your sense of loyalty and family is second to none. Your optimism burns through the darkness like the bright sun you are." He was in a navy suit with golden highlights.
"Tanya, you make your melody heard despite the deafening silence like the canary. The element of fire is by your side." She nodded, touching the red highlights of her yellow suit.
"Jason, your destiny had many roads. Like Tommy and Aisha, you are a champion of the white light but moreover you have the spirit of the tiger." He looked back shocked. He could have been a white ranger! That was unexpected, especially considering he was replaced by one. Despite the fact that Zordon told him the only reason he relegated leadership responsibilities to Tommy was to lessen his burdens, he always had his doubts that he wasn't good enough to be a leader or worthy of the White Light… this proved otherwise. He saw the black tiger stripes on his red suit but his suit was different. Two lines, one golden and the other black ran from the centre of his suit bordering the tiger medallion and a third yellow line crossing it. "You have three elementals, one you were born with – the element of sun and blazing fire that incinerates your foes and the other you acquired from Maligore… the element of darkness. The third is the element of earth, symbolising unity, which you got from Trey."
"Zack, you are carefree and lively, like the horse. Your air element symbolises freedom like you do." Zack nodded in his black suit with white stripes.
"And last but not least, Trini, you are calm, disciplined and honest – the perfect warrior. Your element is lightning and your spirit is the scarab, a symbol of purity and justice that have persisted through centuries." The young woman nodded, taking pride in her yellow robe with navy highlights.
"The animal spirits are always going to be a part of you. Even when your ninja coins were destroyed, your animal spirits persisted, hidden deep within your souls. But now, it's time to come back to the light. With the strength of both your animal spirits and your elementals, you are more than just ninjas – All of you are now Ninjetti. These abilities are independent of your ranger powers and will survive the destruction of your morphers, as long as you remain aligned to the light. Given time and training, these powers can surpass that of your ranger forms."
"Dark Spectre won't know what hit him!" Rocky whooped.
"It's good to see you jubilant as ever but we can't predict what his next move will be. I believe he was counting on Ivan Ooze to take us out but now with Earth having active ranger teams again, he may authorise a full-scale invasion." Ninjor cautioned.
"That is worrisome but we have so many rangers, not just five or six of us. We can take on whatever comes next." Jason reassured.
The reason I postponed this chapter for so long was because I was thinking of writing a spirit quest for each and every one of the rangers but then I was like "these kids have faced enough quests and fought countless battles. For once they need to have their powers handed to them because they have proved their worthiness more than a hundred times.
As always, hope you guys liked the chapter and please review.