Tyler had always known in his heart it was true, but to hear it coming from someone else, it seemed unbelievable. If he hadn't known Kendall as well as he did, he would have sworn she was pulling his leg.

"You're sure my dad's alive?"

"Not sure," Kendall corrected. She didn't want to give Tyler the wrong idea. She was already hesitant about sharing the news with him. She was worried she would build his hopes up over nothing. Still, he deserved to know. This information was his to do as he pleased with. "But I have a theory. Do you know a man who goes by the name Rusty?"

"Uh, kind of," Tyler nodded, rubbing the back of his neck as he tried to think. "Dad used to go on some expeditions with Rusty. They may have been best friends but I didn't know him well."

"I was able to contact Rusty through a colleague of mine," Kendall explained. "Rusty was on the expedition with your father when he disappeared."

"That's great!" Tyler said. "We we'll get in touch with Rusty..."

"He came by the museum," Kendall explained. "He and I sat down and talked for a bit. I didn't get the sense that Rusty would be able to tell us where you dad is now."

"You talked to him without me?"

"He showed up while you were out," Kendall defended herself, before Tyler got the wrong idea. She wasn't trying to hide anything from him. Indeed, she was coming out with this information in spite of her reservations about her theory because she wanted to be as transparent with her research into his father as possible. Tyler deserved to know the truth before anyone else. "I do know what happened to him, though. If that's something you want to hear."

"As long as he's still alive," Tyler said and took a seat, eager to hear more. Shelby, who was clearing out their picnic basket of the garbage and leftovers made her way over, intrigued to hear more as well. She had invested a couple months of her life trying to help Tyler find his father. If there was a new lead, she wanted to be a part of it. She sat next to the red Ranger and took his hand in hers.

Kendall took a seat as well and tried to recall, to the best of her abilities, the exact words Rusty said when he had spoken with her.

"As you know, your father was on an expedition when he disappeared. Rusty said they were in a network of caves, not too far from the city, doing some searching. It was after hours, the crew was gone, but Rusty and your father continued to travel deeper. He didn't tell me what they were looking for, or what they had found that convinced them it was a good idea to keep working, but I get the feeling something drew them in. Rusty then said the caves started to collapse in on itself. Your father and Rusty tried to get out but when Rusty fell, it didn't look good."

"Dad went back to help him, didn't he?" Tyler asked. Kendall nodded her head.

"He did. He managed to help Rusty back to his feet and get him out, but Rusty said he was buried by the rocks by doing so. Rusty never saw your father escape."

"But it's possible he did?" Tyler asked.

"Just as I did," Kendall nodded and looked to her energem, remembering the first time she had bonded with it in the cave. It was because of Fury she had lost it, and the cave in he caused nearly killed her, but against the odds she had come out of it with nothing more than a broken leg. She couldn't deny there was a chance Tyler's father had escaped. "But, if he did manage to escape, I don't think it was by accident."

"What does that mean?" Shelby asked.

"Rusty saw my energem. He was intrigued by it, but not as much as a geologist or even a layman should. I got the impression he had seen one before."

"You think Rusty's got an energem?" Tyler frowned. Shelby shook her head.

"I think she means your father."

"Koda bonded to his energem when he protected his brother. Ivan bonded to his defending Prince Collin. Chase bonded with his when he rescued Moana's cat, Riley fought to protect his dog. Tyler, you bonded to the energem when you defended Shelby and Shelby bonded with hers when she protected it from Ice-Age. In his story, Rusty made it clear that your father saved him from that cave in. Rusty's alive today because without concern for his own life, your father turned back and tried to help a friend. If, by some chance, your father was holding onto an energem when he did that, it's possible he bonded with it."

"And you think dad might have an energem because of a look on Rusty's face?" Tyler asked, a little skeptical about it. He wanted it to be true, just so he could hang on to hope that his father was still alive and still doing well. He wanted it to be true so that his father had a good excuse for leaving. However, it seemed like a bit of a stretch. His father was holding onto an energem all this time?

"Do you think it could be aqua?" Shelby asked, leaning a little more on the side of belief. It did seem like a fantasy to her, but if a year ago someone told her she would have bonded to an energem, she would have thought they were crazy.

"We know the aqua energem has bonded with someone," Kendall nodded. "We don't know who."

"That would explain the pictures of Fury in your father's journal," Shelby said to Tyler. "Didn't your dad write about how Fury was following him around. Kind of stalking him?"

"You think that might be because of an energem?"

"What other reason could Fury have?" Shelby asked him.

"But if dad is bonded to an energem, why hasn't he found us, yet?"

"Perhaps he can't," Kendall answered him, moving over to her laptop to begin work. "I can send out a signal. I can't guarantee your father will have the means to pick up on it, but on the off chance he is looking for you or the other Rangers, he can use it to track down the museum. I'll have the staff keep an eye out for him over the next few days. If he shows up, we'll know."

"You really think my dad's still out there?" Tyler asked her, looking to Kendall in a way that suggested he wanted the honest, painful truth. "That the aqua Ranger could be him? That I might actually get to see him again soon?"

"I hope so," Kendall nodded her head. "But I make no guarantees. My theory is based off my interpretation of a look and my own theory about the energem bonding process. Neither of which is immune to error."

"But if you think there's a chance that means it's pretty good, right?" Tyler asked and a little smirk appeared on his lips. Clearly he was getting over the shock and finding his hopeful, optimistic self once more. "I really could see my dad soon?"

"Like I said, I hope that's the case," Kendall said before walking over to the transmuter and picking up her latest Charger. She held it out to Tyler. "In the meantime, though, I've completed work on this. It will unlock Dino Super Charge Mode. We'll need to test it out before taking it into battle, just to be certain you know how to handle the power."

"Dino Super Charge?" Tyler asked.

"If it works, it should give us the edge we need over Heckyl and Snide," Kendall nodded. "I assure you, once this is in play, they won't know what hit them."

Tyler looked to the Charger, then back to Kendall and it was his turn to work up a theory based on her expression. She was promising him that the Charger would give them the advantage over Snide and his monsters, but he had a feeling she was trying to convince herself she was doing all she could. Cammy was feeling better after being attacked, but the fear was still there, especially for Kendall.

"I'll get it right," he promised her. "Heckyl will think twice before he messes with us again once I show him what you're capable of."

"I hope so."

"Ms. Morgan, I know we're going to beat him," Tyler assured her. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Trust me with this. Trust me that I'll be able to keep Heckyl and Snide from hurting us and Cammy again, and I'll trust you to track down my father. Deal?"

Kendall gave a little nod before she gestured to the door, "Come on. I'll call the others. We'll head out to train."