Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers.
Chapter 26 – To Earn Your Stripes
Everyone was thrilled that Kira and Connor had returned to being humans, least of all Kimberly and Tommy, even if they knew what it signified. Nothing was said on that matter by anyone, whether because they had similar thoughts as Kira, that while she was still quite young she wasn't a child, or because they simply steadfastly refused to acknowledge it. Either way, Kira and Connor were happy with the outcome. Two months passed, April melted into May and then into June, with no more crises on either a personal or Ranger front. Connor's twenty-second birthday was celebrated at JKP, RJ even came up with a special new pizza in his student's honour, and Connor even forced down a slice before the others took pity on him and told RJ that bananas and anchovies should not be on a pizza together. Connor and Kira had discovered that with their return to being human their bond had settled down and allowed them to be apart for longer periods of time, though not to the extent that they used to be able to and so Connor remained in Ocean Bluff; he just didn't have to follow Kira into battle or risk their bond going haywire. RJ had stuck to his promise and trained Connor, the two getting along quite well as Master and student, just like Kira and Master Phant, and Casey and Theo and Masters Finn and Swoop. Not that the others didn't see RJ as one of their Masters, but his free spirit and quirky ways made him more of a friend and mentor then Master, though for Connor the two just clicked, and so though all four Masters taught all five students, they would often split up for more individual training, Dom joining Casey and Master Finn, reuniting with his old Master.
Dai Shi was still causing them problems and had come up with a few more grand schemes to destroy the Rangers. Most notably was his use of the Crystal Eyes, which were thought to simply be artefacts from the museum where Dai Shi stole them from, to re-awaken the Phantom Beasts. Scorch, Snapper, and Whiger were the three Phantom Beast Generals had had the Spirits of the Avalon Dragon, Snapping Turtle, and White Tiger and were certainly a force to be reckoned with. Scorch was their leader and wanted to make Dai Shi the Phantom Beast King, though he held no love for Jarrod, what with him being a human, which is where the Rangers' next big problem come into play. Scorch, along with Snapper and Whiger, wanted to get rid of Jarrod and had decided that the best way to do that would be through destroying Lily. Whether it was through ignorance or stupidity, they thought that with his mate gone Jarrod would merely cease to exist, leaving his body under Dai Shi's control until he could regain his own body. How wrong they were.
Scorch led the attack on Lily but was stopped by Camille who had overheard their plans. However, the Phantom Beast Generals wouldn't allow an insignificant Chameleon to stand in their way and a fight broke out. Lily called for Jarrod through their bond while helping Camille fight and within seconds her mate appeared at her side. Seeing his mate in danger, nothing could stop Jarrod from overtaking Dai Shi and pushing his spirit down to allow Jarrod to take control. His Lion Spirit was called on and it saw to the Phantom Beasts' retreat, for in his anger Jarrod looked and sounded no different then he did as Dai Shi and so the Phantom Beasts' thought it was their King putting a stop to the attack and retreated in fear, knowing Dai Shi to be far more powerful then they were. With them gone, Jarrod rushed to Lily's side, thankful to see she wasn't really injured, though there was one who was.
"Camille!" Lily cried, pushing away from Jarrod and rushing to the Chameleon's side, Jarrod close behind her. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Camille muttered, though with an arm wrapped around her middle and her laboured breathing no one believed that for a moment.
"No you're not. We need to get you some help."
"We'll have to get her that help somewhere else. It isn't safe here." Said Jarrod. "And I don't have long until Dai Shi takes over again. We have to figure out somewhere we can-"
"I know where we can go." Lily interrupted. Jarrod saw through their bond where she was talking about and agreed wholeheartedly. Grabbing on to both of them he disappeared in a beam of black energy, reappearing in the middle of the loft. Everyone was there either training or relaxing for it was night and JKP had closed, but all jumped up and fell into fighting stances when they saw Dai Shi.
"Wait!" Lily called.
"Lil!" Theo called back, happy to see her again after two months.
"What's going on here?" Casey asked, not dropping his guard.
"The Phantom Beasts tried to destroy Lily." Jarrod explained getting right to the point for he could feel Dai Shi's spirit getting stronger. "They thought that by destroying my mate they'd destroy me and Dai Shi could rule my body without interference. Camille helped her but was injured, and now needs help herself. It isn't safe there for either of them. We need-" Suddenly Jarrod grabbed his head and fell to his knees groaning in pain as he fought Dai Shi, hoping for just a couple more minutes.
"Jarrod!" Lily cried, bending to her mate's level with tears in her eyes knowing she was going to lose him again, even if he was only suppressed.
"It's alright." Jarrod assured her, cupping her face gently. "I'll be fine, and I'll find a way back to you." He then stood and turned to the Rangers with pleading eyes. "Please, help them." He begged before disappearing, leaving the two women behind. Kira didn't waste time then and ran to Camille's side checking out her injury.
"I don't need your help!" Camille snapped at her enemy.
"Yes you do." Kira insisted seeing how deep the wound was and how much blood she'd lost. "This isn't going to heal by itself and it looks deep enough for there to be internal injuries. Now either you co-operate or I'll knock you unconscious, I don't care which." Camille stared at the Yellow Ranger with narrowed eyes for a time and was all set to refuse her again and return to Dai Shi when Lily stepped in.
"You can't go back." She said. "They'll destroy you. And I'm not going to let that happen." Camille said nothing but her eyes weren't quite so narrow so they took that as a good sign. At Kira's word, Connor came over and lifted Camille up, taking her back to Kira's room and laying her on the bed while Kira teleported to the Command Centre, returning with some of Billy and Alpha's gadgets that were kept in the Med Bay and instructions from the robot on how to use them. Luckily you didn't have to be a doctor, or even really have any medical training, to heal severe injuries with the gadgets and so with Alpha's instructions Kira was more then able to help Camille.
"Why are you helping me?" Camille asked finally and Kira was impressed that she'd held out this long, having known she'd wanted to ask that question for awhile.
"Because you need help." She said simply.
"But after everything I've done to you…"
"We're Power Rangers, helping people is what we do. Both of my parents are Rangers, I grew up in this universe and learned pretty quick that very little in life is black and white. It doesn't matter what you've done in your past, what matters is your future. And you're not evil Camille." The woman in question scoffed at the younger girl. Evil is all she'd known for thousands of years.
"You're not." Kira repeated. "You're human, you weren't born evil. It's just that for whatever reason you learned to be evil. But I can see that's not who you are, and you're already becoming your true self again." Finished with her treatment, Kira sent a small smile Camille's way and left her alone. Seeing her come back into the loft, Lily went back in to see Camille and both women once again began the same speech they'd given the others, Kira telling the other Rangers that Camille wasn't really evil and Lily trying to convince Camille of that fact. Over the next few days everyone got used to having both Lily and Camille staying with them. Welcoming Lily was easy, especially when you saw her with Theo, the two quite obviously having been best friends for a long time, and Lily lightening Theo up. Camille was a different story, and although everyone, Camille included, accepted she was there to stay for the time being, and while there was no open hostility, there was certainly tension whenever she was in the room. Though it waned quite a bit when Jefferson took a liking to the Chameleon, for they all knew he'd never take a liking to someone who he thought was a threat to Kira, so if the cat decided Camille wasn't a threat to Kira, then they knew there was a very good chance she wasn't a threat to them either. Camille healed pretty fast and after much coaxing from RJ, who aside from Kira and Connor welcomed Camille almost instantly, began training with the Rangers. She told them everything she knew of Dai Shi's plans, a lot of which they could have guessed for themselves, but brought one piece of news that had them all on edge.
"He's getting very powerful, very fast." She admitted. "The only reason Jarrod was able to push him down was because Lily was in danger."
"And there's nothing stronger then a mating bond, especially a true mate bond. With Lily in trouble Dai Shi didn't stand a chance." Connor said, knowing this from experience. Camille nodded her agreement.
"The Phantom Beasts are getting impatient, which is only strengthening him that much more. It won't be long until he has his own body."
"And then Jarrod's expendable." Lily breathed, not liking this bit of news. Again Camille nodded, though it now had a tone of finality to it.
-C/K-
The following week everyone was preparing for the lunch rush when RJ came in, not in his chef's whites but his purple Jungle Fury jacket, and called the Rangers to him.
"And you Connor." He added.
"What's going on RJ?" Casey asked.
"We're going on a little trip today." He answered.
"Is this one of your 'it's not about the destination it's about the journey' kind of trips?" Theo asked. RJ thought about it for a second before responding.
"No. This time it's about the destination."
"Where are we going?" Kira asked.
"You'll find out when we get there." The Rangers sighed but nodded, knowing they wouldn't get more out of RJ. "Fran, you, Camille and Lily ok to run things here?"
"Yeah, we make a great team." Fran responded. Lily was very easy to like and so she and Fran had become fast friends. But she'd also taken to Camille quickly and easily, not caring that she'd been evil at one point and still wasn't sure about things now. She'd shown Camille the ropes at JKP and, dare she say, had become a friend. Camille smiled softly and nodded to RJ who smiled brightly in return and headed back up to the loft, the Rangers trailing behind him. They had enough time to change out of their JKP uniforms and into their jackets, though Connor simply changed into comfortable clothes, before RJ led them out the back. Awhile later, as they walked into the jungle surrounding the Academy, it become clear where they were going.
"The Academy? RJ what's going on?" Dom asked.
"Today is a very special day." He answered. Three figures emerged from the abandoned temple ahead of them, coming into the sunlight to reveal their Masters.
"Masters." They all murmured, bowing out of respect. They'd given up doing this every time the Masters came over, but today was apparently a special day, and seemed quite formal if nothing else.
"Today is the day all Pai Zhuq students work hard to reach. Your Master's test." Said Master Phant.
"Yeah!" Theo said, looking to Kira who was just as excited, though the other three weren't as excited. "We're finally gonna get our Master's Stripes!"
"Only if you pass the test, Theo." Master Swoop chided his charge.
"Then what are we waiting for?" He countered.
"Hey, time out here." Said Casey. "Are we ready for this?"
"That's what we're here to find out." Said Master Finn.
"Yeah…but all of us?" Connor questioned. "Even me?"
"I would not have brought you here, Connor, if I expected you to fail." Said RJ. "It is up to a Master's discretion to decide when their student is ready for their test, and as your Master, I believe you are ready." Connor nodded but said no more.
"You've waited for this day for a long time, haven't you Master Finn?" Dom asked, knowing his Master wasn't far from having him take the Master's test when he'd gone off in search of his path, never finishing his training.
"I swore years ago that I would see you to the level of Master and I will." He responded. "Whether that day is today, though, remains to be seen."
"Take a few moments to mentally prepare yourselves." Said Master Swoop. "Then we will begin with Connor and Dominick." Theo, Kira, Connor and Dom all sunk to the ground and began meditating, Casey though didn't follow suit.
"RJ you've gotta help me. What do I have to do to pass?"
"I'm sorry Casey, I've taken you as far as I can, all of you."
"But they have years of training on me-"
"Not true." RJ interrupted. "You began your training only about a month after Kira, and Connor has only truly been training for a few months, though apparently he spent a couple weeks working with Jarrod before Dai Shi was released. Anyways, the point is, your readiness isn't a result of how long you've been training. You all have your strengths and weaknesses. It is what you do with them that will determine whether or not you succeed." Casey sighed and went to sit down with the others. Kira, and Connor, never meditated, it was their one big flaw as Pai Zhuq, and so both had heard the exchange between Casey and RJ and were both thinking the same thing: that Casey had the strength inside of him, but wouldn't succeed if he let his insecurities get the best of him. Instead of believing he's not ready and hasn't trained enough, he needed to start believing in himself.
After a few minutes, Dom and Connor were called up and the two squared off against RJ and Master Finn. The Master's test appeared to quite simply be that you had to defeat your Master in combat using your Animal Spirit's Technique. While this was simple in theory, it wasn't always in practice. The good news though, was that every Technique was different, even for those with the same Animal Spirit. Jarrod's Lion Technique and Connor's weren't the same, though there were similarities. A Technique wasn't about learning a series of moves and putting them to the best use, it was about tapping into your Spirit and letting it guide you, to fight as one with your Animal Spirit. As the Wolf, RJ's moves were very quick and accurate while Connor's were less accurate but had more strength behind them. Master Finn fought with fluidity, always on the go and changing directions, while Dom moved less but had great power behind his attacks. In the end, the Master's test ended like all Pai Zhuq battles, or sparring matches, with the summoning of the Animal Spirits. The Rhino charged the Shark, lowering his head and catching the Shark's underbelly with his horn, flinging the Shark upwards and away where he went back inside Master Finn, while the Rhino stood triumphant. RJ's Wolf appeared half a second before Connor's Lion and was preparing to charge, except the Lion never gave him a chance. He appeared so large and bright, letting out a roar with enough power behind it to make the Wolf hesitate for just a second, but it was enough for the Lion to lead the charge, the Wolf putting up resistance, but one that was futile and saw him quickly returning to RJ.
"I swear I didn't use my power." Said Connor, knowing the size and brightness of his Spirit wasn't normal and so had to be a product of his power granted to him through the prophecy. "At least, I didn't realize I was."
"I do not doubt that were not using your power as one of the prophecy." Said RJ with a smile.
"But my Spirit-"
"Is your Spirit. And yes, I will not deny that the prophecy plays a part in your Spirit's strength, but it is not something you can control. For whatever reason your Spirit merely is that strong."
"It's still an unfair advantage."
"An advantage I agree." Said RJ. "But I would not say unfair if it is something you cannot help." Dom then came to stand beside Connor, while Master Finn stood next to his son.
"Your test is over." Said Master Finn. "Dominick, I have fulfilled my vow to see you become a Pai Zhuq Master." Dom felt a tingling in his right arm and lifted his sleeve in time for a light to radiated across the inside of his forearm, dissipating to reveal his Master's Stripes. Dom smiled brightly, showing the tattoo to RJ who returned his friend's happy smile before turning his attention to Connor.
"Connor, if my calculations are correct, you will be the first Lion Master for over two hundred years. Congratulations." Like with Dom, Connor raised his sleeve and saw his Stripes appear. When it was clear that the test was fully over, Kira couldn't hold her exuberance in any longer and ran to Connor, jumping into his arms and crashing her lips down on his. The two were oblivious to the shock around them. While their first kiss almost three months ago had not been their last, the two had been subtle and discreet, never telling the others of their kiss, nor letting them see any subsequent ones; though the two had to admit that there wouldn't really have been anything to see for their kisses had never been heated or near 'make out' territory. This was the first time they'd truly deepened the kiss, and both blamed it on their Animal Spirits, though whether that was fair was up for debate.
"Ok enough." Master Phant called out when the kiss lasted a moment too long. Kira and Connor pulled apart, both looking quite sheepish, much to the amusement of their friends, and apparent annoyance of their Masters.
"I see you two sorted some things out." Said Theo with a smirk.
"Shut up Theo." Kira growled, getting Connor to let her down.
"If we could move on please." Said Master Swoop. "Theo, Kira, Casey, it is time for your test." The three went to stand in front of their Masters, bowing before falling into their fighting stances as the test began. Theo moved with the Jaguar's stealth and cunning, always making his opponent guess where he would go next. Master Swoop's heightened senses, however, allowed him to know where Theo would be half a second before he was there, making it an interesting battle to watch. For the Cheetah, speed was her best friend and Kira was nearly a blur as she sent punch after punch and kick after kick at Master Phant at speeds the Elephant could not match. Though what he lacked in agility he made up for in resilience. An Elephant's hide was tough and for all the hits Kira got in they did little damage, and all it took to off centre the Cheetah was one powerful stomp of the Elephant's foot. Master Finn's Shark Technique was the same it had been when he'd fought Dom a few minutes ago, though he used it slightly differently against Casey for he was not dealing with a slow but powerful opponent, but rather one that had speed as well as a strength all of its own. Casey's Tiger Technique combined agility and power and had the Red Ranger stuck with it, perhaps he would have seen the outcome he wanted. As it was, every hit Master Finn got on Casey saw a piece of his confidence shatter. Casey was always on the defense and knew he was not going to win this fight. But instead of trusting in his Spirit, Casey looked around him and saw the success Theo and Kira were having with their Techniques and so decided to use those instead.
Eventually, their tests led them exactly where it had for Connor and Dom. Theo called on the Jaguar to meet Master Swoop's Bat. The Bat flew circles around the Jaguar but the feline had patience and waited for the opportune moment, when it jumped up and sent the Bat hurtling to the ground before going back into Master Swoop. When Kira called on her Spirit to meet Master Phant's Elephant a similar thing happened with her Spirit as with Connor's, it's size and strength visibly bigger then normal. While the Cheetah could have certainly stood there and defeated the Elephant with a blast of power granted to it as the Spirit of The Child of Power, it instead took off at a sprint, weaving its way in and out and around the Elephant before launching its final attack and sending the Elephant back to Master Phant. When Casey saw his friends call on their Spirits, he determined that that is what he must do as well and so he called on his Tiger. It's strength saw to the defeat of the Shark, but Master Finn looked far from proud as the other Masters did. Coming back to stand in front of each other, the six bowed to one another once again, signalling the end of the test, with only the results to come.
"Theo, I'm very pleased to tell you that you have reached the level of Pai Zhuq Master." Said Master Swoop. Theo smiled and raised his arm as his Master's Stripes appeared before thanking Master Swoop for all his tutelage.
"Kira, I have the honour to be the first one to address you as Cheetah Master." Kira smiled brightly as looked down to see her own Master's stripes appear. She briefly wondered what her parents would think of her having a tattoo before brushing the thought aside and unable to help herself, she went to hug Master Phant. The old Master had gotten used to this over the last nine or so months and happily reciprocated the gesture.
"I knew you could do it." He said when they pulled apart.
"Casey." Master Finn called, gaining the Tiger's attention. "I'm afraid you haven't passed." He said solemnly.
"What?" Kira cried.
"But he did everything we did." Theo added. And therein laid the problem, Kira suddenly realized.
"I'm sorry but the decision is final." He then softened a bit and clasped a hand on his student's shoulder. "Come find me when you realize why you have failed." The three Masters said their goodbyes and left, the others following suit and heading back to JKP. The lunch rush was over when they returned but preparations for the dinner rush had to begin and so they all went upstairs to change into their uniforms, not saying a word to Lily, Camille or Fran as they went by, though Dom whispered to Fran that they'd talk later. The two had grown close over the last few months but were still dancing around each other, refusing to acknowledge any deeper feelings in fear that it would ruin their friendship. When the Rangers returned, they had on an extra shirt underneath their JKP t-shirts, something that did not go unnoticed by Casey.
"What's with the long sleeves?" He asked.
"Oh, you know, it's always kinda chilly in here." Said Kira as nonchalantly as possible.
"Yeah…brr." Added Theo, earning a glare from those around him; his lie was pathetic.
"Yeah it's real cold with all these pizza ovens." Said Casey. "Listen, you don't have to hide your Master's Stripes from me. You should be proud. You earned them." No one said anything, but then, no one had to. The rest of the night, and the following morning, were spent somewhat awkwardly. Everyone felt bad for Casey, Camille, Lily and Fran included, who'd been told what had happened, and didn't want to make him feel worse. They all had realized at some point that Casey failing had nothing to do with his skill or strength, but his confidence. In anything, but especially in this line of work, confidence was key. If you didn't have it, if you didn't believe you would succeed, then chances are you would fail, and for them that could be deadly.
-C/K-
The afternoon of the day after the majority of them had earned their Stripes was when things began to come to a head. Dai Shi had been relatively quiet since Lily and Camille had come to live at JKP but they knew it was only a matter of time until he launched his final attack, which was apparently today. It started with the Phantom Beasts attacking JKP. Luckily, the Rangers were able to get everyone to safety before morphing into action. They drew the Phantom Beasts away from the pizza parlour and into a more open area allowing them to fight properly. When the Beasts separated, hoping that fewer Rangers would make them easier to pick off, Casey, Theo and Kira called on the Spirit Rangers to help. RJ and Dom took on the swarm of Rin Shi while the other three went off with their Master's Spirit Ranger, chasing down one of the Phantom Beasts. Casey and the Shark ended up following Whiger back in the direction of JKP though thankfully not to the parlour itself. They fought for a bit until Whiger's sensitive nose picked up another familiar scent that wasn't far away. He turned and ran off in its direction, the Rangers following, seeing that he'd led them to Camille. The Chameleon fought the White Tiger, having no choice but to do so, but quickly found herself overwhelmed.
"Camille!" Casey cried, rushing to her side and jumping into the fray. Camille backed down when Casey and Finn arrived, glad for some backup for she stood no chance against a Phantom Beast and she knew that.
"I will destroy you!" Whiger directed to Camille. "Special orders from Dai Shi." He fought with a vengeance knocking the two Rangers back time and time again. Like during his Master test, Casey began to lose confidence in himself and when he got knocked back one too many times he stayed down.
"You alright?" Camille asked him, coming to his side. He hadn't de-morphed, which she'd learned was a sign of a Ranger being in serious trouble, and so was confident he wasn't hurt, but he had stopped fighting which worried her.
"It's no use." Casey muttered. "No matter how hard I fight I can't win. I'm not strong enough."
"What are you talking about?" Camille demanded. "Are you not the same Red Ranger who led your team for months, defeating me time and time again? Get back in there!"
"What's the point? I'll just lose." Camille was silent for a moment as she contemplated the man before her. As time passed and she proved that she wasn't here on Dai Shi's orders, Casey and the others had warmed up to her and they'd formed a tentative friendship. Camille had seen that the Rangers' friendship ran deep and that they truly cared for one another. Although she was still uncertain about her past and where her future was going, Camille had concluded that she wanted what they had, she wanted people to care for her and to care for them in return. Though while she had decided that, she didn't change overnight, or even over a couple weeks, and so she hadn't really opened up to anyone or truly allowed herself to get involved. But maybe now was the time.
"Look." She said, knowing the Rangers liked speeches from the heart, but having no idea where to begin one. "If there's one thing I've learned, long before I came to live with you guys, it's that you never give up. You keep fighting no matter the odds, and your idiocy and stubbornness, which I guess could also be called strength and determination, help you win. You're not weak, Casey, far from it, but you need to see that for yourself. A tattoo on your arm isn't proof that you're a stubborn idiot, it's what's inside that does that, or so I've been told. So don't give up. Find the strength and believe in yourself." Not knowing what else to say, or if she was saying the right thing or just making things worse, she stopped there, waiting for Casey to do something. When a few moments passed and he did nothing, she stood up and turned away from him.
"Fine. I guess I'll have to help Master Finn." She called on her Chameleon armour and charged the Phantom Beast. Along with the Shark Ranger, she managed to gain some headway, but not much. Whiger was powerful and the Chameleon was weakening fast under his attacks. Finally when she was knocked down, her armour disappearing, Whiger pushed Master Finn aside and set his sights on Camille.
"Say bye bye." He taunted launching a blast towards the fallen woman. Camille wrapped her arms around her head and closed her eyes, waiting for the blast to hit her, but it never came. When she opened her eyes she saw Casey standing in front of her having taken the blast.
"Casey!" She cried as he fell to his knees.
"You're right." He said, trying to catch his breath. "I am being a stubborn idiot, not in the way you meant, but a real one. But that ends here." Casey forced himself to his feet and faced Whiger straight on. "I won't let you hurt anyone else!"
"Try an stop me!"
"Gladly." Casey launched on the attack but this time he let his Tiger Spirit to the front, allowing it to guide him.
"Your Tiger Spirit is no match for mine! You cannot win!" Whiger sneered. "And now that Dai Shi has his body back humans shall soon be extinct!" Casey didn't reply but allowed Whiger's words to add more fuel to his fire. The fight wasn't short, but with Casey's new attitude, it wasn't one sided. Eventually, when he was able to push Whiger back, Casey called on his Spirit.
"Call to the beast inside, free the Tiger!" Casey's Spirit came forward and charged Whiger. The White Tiger put up a fight but it was no match for Casey who's Spirit alone was enough to see to Whiger's end. When the Phantom Beast was gone, thankfully he didn't grow big, Casey turned back to Camille and helped her up, de-morphing in the process.
"Thanks." She murmured.
"No, thank you Camille." He replied smiling down at her. "Thanks to you I finally figured it out. A Pai Zhuq Master doesn't ask, he knows. And if I believe in myself, I know I can do anything." Camille let out of small laugh at his cheesiness but didn't comment on it. Instead she chose to comment on the light that was emanating from under Casey's sleeve. When she made him aware of it, Casey lifted his sleeve in time to see the light fade into his Master's Stripes.
"But how?" He asked confused. "I failed the test."
"There is a higher power, which the Ninjetti call The Great Power, that governs over everything, though especially those with Animal Spirits." Came Master Finn's voice as the Shark Ranger approached the duo. "You may not have passed my test, but The Great Power has since seen something inside of you that embodies a Pai Zhuq Master, and has granted you your Stripes. You earned them Casey." Master Finn could not have been prouder of Casey in this moment, and it shone through in his voice. Casey smiled at his Master and bowed his head in thanks before snapping it back up, remembering something Whiger had said.
"Dai Shi has his body back." Casey murmured.
"What?!" Camille and Master Finn cried together.
"Whiger told me. He said Dai Shi had his body back. Oh my god, Jarrod! If Dai Shi has his body he doesn't need Jarrod anymore. We have to find him before Dai Shi destroys him!"
"That must be why Lily ran out of Jungle Karma." Said Camille. "She gasped loudly and took off. That's why I was out here, I was looking for her."
"Alright, both Jarrod and Lily could be in trouble. Camille go back to JKP, please stay safe. And keep Fran safe too." Camille nodded and on a whim gave Casey a hug, her first in over three thousand years, before running off. "Master Finn we have to get to the others and find Jarrod and Lily!"
A/N - Yes, they are ALL Pai Zhuq Masters, even Dom who didn't become one in the show, and Connor, who was never in Jungle Fury to begin with. Well Kira wasn't either, but she's an OC that's replacing Lily so...you get my point. I know I'm leaving you with a cliff hanger and I won't do it for long, hopefully I'll have 'Now The Final Fury' up by tomorrow. And yes that's the chapter title, the same as the final episode of Jungle Fury.
Review please!