It had been a few weeks since Kaylee had returned home. Tori and Kira had to head back to their home towns, seeing as they were entering their eighth and a half month of pregnancy.
That left only the Jungle Rangers and Fran to work the shop. They had to work hard to make up for the lack of employees during the busy time of year. School was starting soon, which meant more and more kids would come to the shop at lunch.
Theo was ready for this. He was multi-tasking, filling the cheese shakers while stamping turtle pictures onto the napkins, all while reading up on Pai Zhuq history.
Lily walked up to him and smiled, "Hey Theo, how's it going?"
"Couldn't be better!" Theo smiled. "I've just got one more cheese shaker to fill before I stamp this last napkin and finish this last chapter on the Beast War! Not only will I know all about history, but I just might possibly be the employee of the month!"
"Well, you might wanna read the history of cheese shakers," Lily laughed, grabbing one of the shakers in her hand. She dumped some out and licked it, before her face scrunched up, "This is salt."
"EW!" everyone in the restaurant yelled, confusing Fran and Kaylee as they tried to figure out what was wrong.
"Theo, what have I told you about doing too much at the same time?" Lily shook her head as she smiled.
"I think I'll read upstairs," Theo nodded, taking his book and running to the loft.
When he got to the loft, he saw RJ, Casey and Engel sitting on benches with their eyes closed... well for the most part. Engel was sitting on a bench with one eye closed. The other was open every once in a while so she could steal some of Casey's fries. She couldn't believe potatoes could taste so good.
"What are you doing?" Theo asked, laughing at his three friends.
"Meditating," Casey answered, reaching for one of his fries, only to find the container was empty. "It helps the mind to stay focused and on task."
"Yes it does," Engel nodded, grinning wildly as Casey searched for his fries. "So on task, you lose your surroundings."
Engel already knew of Theo's multi-tasking issues from the few short weeks she was living with the Rangers and looked over at the boy, "You should try it."
"I don't need it," Theo smiled, "My mind is a well oiled machine..."
Theo noticed the lost look on Engel's face. The down side to being ten thousand years old and living in an isolated world: she had no idea what machines were.
"I can juggle two jobs, read a book and save the world all before the lunch rush!" Theo explained.
"Yeah, about the lunch rush," RJ frowned, getting up and following Theo to the fridge in the loft kitchen, "Apparently when you restocked the kitchen last night, you forgot to close the fridge..."
"Oh... so that means all the perishables..."
"Perished," RJ nodded.
Engel looked down at the milk in her hand and spit it back in the glass. Casey nodded, taking the glass from her.
"Well, you see, I was working on my inverted battle technique," Theo smiled, hoping to explain his mistake. "So I did the whole job walking on my hands. It was a technique Master Engel used to teach her students."
"Yeah, but not while they were stocking the cold box," Engel smirked.
"Fridge," Casey whispered to her.
"That."
RJ took a deep breath, "I know you guys have a lot on your plate, but I need you to stay focused on what you're doing, when you're doing it.
The alarm went off, and the two boys left. Engel and RJ looked to each other.
"You think it's time to call in Theo's master?"
"Swoop, Kit or Finn?" Engel teased, holding up what looked to be business cards. RJ frowned at her.
"Okay, Finn it is," Engel smirked.
"Master Engel..."
"I know... I know," Engel sighed. "But one day you have to face him."
"Not today," RJ frowned.
-----Jungle-Fury-----
"Birds... we're attacking a bunch of birds?" Kaylee asked, arriving on scene with the other Rangers.
"Charge!" the white bird yelled before he and his brother attacked the Rangers.
Theo and Casey took the white one, while Kaylee and Lily attacked the black.
Theo and Casey were fairing well against their bird, blocking the shots he was throwing, all while landing a few of their own.
The black bird, however, was giving Lily and Kaylee a run for their money.
"Here, kitty, kitty, kitty!" he taunted, waving to the two girls as he flew around in the air.
"Come and fight on the ground!" Kaylee called.
The black bird flew down, swiping at the birds with his sword.
Theo noticed the girls were struggling and figured Casey could handle the bird on his own. He jumped up and ran off.
"Theo, where are you going?" Casey asked. "Help me with this freak!"
"I'll help them first, then come back!" Theo called.
"No! Theo!" Lily yelled, spotting her friend running back to her. This gave the white bird the chance to knock Casey down, before helping his brother defeat the yellow and green Ranger.
"Let's show them what we can do!" the white bird, Carden, laughed; putting his hands together, as did his brother, Bai Lai.
"Totally should have called that," Kaylee shook her head as the monsters grew tall.
"Animal Spirits, unite as one!" Theo and the others called, summoning the Megazord. The birds flew off, causing Lily to groan.
"I got this guys," she smirked, "Watch."
She closed her eyes and smiled, "Spirit of the Elephant!"
And elephant Zord emerged from the Megazord before attaching itself. Its trunk became a mace, that by now Lily had mastered.
Camille appeared on the ground, with Flit by her side.
"I can't believe I'm saying this... but I actually hope the Rangers win this time."
Ever since Carnisoar had been unleashed, Dustin and Camille had been an item. Everything was going great, except for one little detail.
Dustin had begun ignoring her. He was too busy training to pay attention to her. Carnisoar had summoned these two monsters to distract the Rangers and give him and Dustin more time to train, which also meant Camille had to be kicked out of the temple to monitor the fight.
The Rangers threw the Mace into the air, coming short of hitting the two birds. The Rangers threw the mace once more, but Carden crossed his swords, blocking the attack. The mace flew back, hitting the Megazord in the stomach.
The two birds flew in a circle, before charging towards the Rangers. They knocked them down and laughed.
"The Rangers are defeated," Bai Dai announced.
"Let's get some more power to open the vortex," Carden added.
-----Jungle-Fury-----
"Okay, what the hell were those things?" Casey asked, entering the loft with the Rangers.
"And more importantly, how do we beat them?" Lily added.
"Bai Lai and Carden," Engel explained, pointing to the monitors, where a picture of both monsters was frozen. "They are very powerfully creatures..."
"Do you guys want to figure this out up here," Theo cut the Angel off as he turned away. "I'll think about this downstairs... I gotta make some pizza sauce!"
"Pizza sauce?" Lily asked. "Theo, we need you to focus on defeating these beasts!"
"You're right... sorry," Theo nodded. "Let me think..."
His reflexes kicked in, and as he thought, he looked up, where he saw a man, hanging upside down from one of the support beams on the roof. The man looked down at him and smiled, before swooping down.
"Whoa!" the Rangers yelled, jumping out of the way. The man landed before them, and the Rangers dropped into a fighting stance.
"NO!" RJ called, stepping in front of the Rangers. He turned to the man and smiled. "Master Swoop, glad you could make it on such short notice."
"You know this guy?" Theo asked.
"Swoop was my favourite Master," RJ grinned. "Engel and I called him up... well... I did... Engel has to learn how to use a phone."
"Master Swoop teaches his students the Swoop technique: fighting without eyesight," Engel explained.
"She knows everything about all the masters on planet earth, and yet she doesn't know how to work a doorknob," Kaylee whispered to Lily, and both girls snickered.
"I heard that!" Engel called, glaring at her daughter and the cheetah.
Theo walked up to the Master and began waving his hand in front of his face. Master Swoop turned to the cub and frowned.
"Yes, Theo, I am blind... but that doesn't mean I enjoy when you wave your hand in front of my face."
"Swoop, Bai Lai and Carden have returned," Engel told the blind Master, "and Theo needs your help."
"She's a snapping Angel," Theo growled.
"He's not focused, Swoop," Engel explained. "He needs your guidance."
"I've noticed, Master," Swoop nodded. "Theo's mind is scattered... he will be of no use to Kaylee, Casey and Lily."
"Especially with those flying freaks on the loose," RJ added.
"I think I know how to help him," Swoop smiled.
Before the Bat Master walked off, he turned to Engel and nodded, "Welcome back to the land of the living."
"Unless you can change Theo in a matter of hours," Engel frowned, holding her stomach as she felt the sour milk coming back up. "I might not be here long enough for a welcome."
RJ winced, watching as the Master ran to the bathroom.
-----Jungle-Fury-----
"Alright, let's do it!" Theo smiled, playing with a fan Master Swoop gave him as they walked through a forest. "You're going to teach me how to fly with my eyes closed, right? Don't be surprised if I pick it up right away... I'm a master at doing three things at once."
"Even a man with sight still needs to focus," Swoop spoke, confusing Theo.
"What do you mean? I'm totally focused."
"Look around, tell me what you see," Swoop told the boy. Theo thought this was a pointless exercise. As long as he included the words forest or tree in his description, he could fool the blind master.
"I see trees," he said, rolling his eyes.
"I see harmony," Swoop said, "Dirt, trees, the sun... all focused on one goal. Like an orchestra of life, perfectly in tune. It is this type of focus you will need to defeat Bai Lai and Carden."
"I know that," Theo nodded. "I'm focused on everything."
"Yes, and that is why you will fail," Swoop commented. Theo winced.
"Is it bag-on-Theo day?" he asked.
-----Jungle-Fury-----
"The birds are back in town?" Casey asked as he and the girls ran over to the monitors. Bai Lai and Carden were at it again.
"Where's Theo?" Lily frowned.
"He's off training with Master Swoop," RJ answered. "Until he gets back, it's up to you three."
"I hope he trains fast, Kaylee groaned, grabbing her jungle vine and swinging out.
-----Jungle-Fury-----
"That is one fat ass vortex!" Kaylee called, pushing past the scared civilians as she looked up to the sky, where a giant, black vortex was floating.
The two birds noticed the Rangers and jumped down from the building, landing before the colourful heroes.
"Ready for another bird bugle, Rangers?" Carden laughed, charging at the red Ranger. Bai Lai smirked, attacking the girls.
Bai Lai jumped up on a roof, mocking the girls. Lily growled, jumping up to attack him, but Bai Lai sent out an energy blast, knocking her down.
When Lily was down, he jumped from the roof, slashing at her before she could get to her feet. Lily groaned as Kaylee caught her in her arms, looking up at Bai Lai.
"What kind of warrior hits a girl when she's down?"
"The kind of warrior who wins!" Bai Lai grinned, running and charging the girls. Kaylee stepped in front of Lily, pulling out her Sais to counter Bai Lai's attack. Bai Lai managed to pulled her Sais out of her arms and flip her over, knocking her down.
-----Jungle-Fury-----
"Master Swoop, I can't fail," Theo assured the tall Master. "I can't let down Lily, Casey and Kaylee..."
"But you are letting them down," Swoop told the cub. "They are battling Bai Lai and Carden as we speak, and they need your help."
"The I have to help them..."
"NO!" Swoop yelled, turning to Theo as the two reached the training grounds. "In your state of mind, you're of no use..."
"Look, enough Master talk, what do you want me to do?" Theo asked. "Do you want me to stare at the tree? Whatever it is, I'll do it! I'll do anything."
"Good, if you really want to help Casey and Lily, do this," Master Swoop pulled out a fan before being lifted in the air. Theo watched as he hovered over the lake, and come back. He then levitated over the water, hanging in mid air.
"Whoa..."
-----Jungle-Fury-----
"I am going to feel this tomorrow," Kaylee groaned, landing in a heap on the ground with her two friends. Bai Lai and Carden laughed, running over to them. The three picked themselves up and ran back into battle.
-----Jungle-Fury-----
"I can do this," Theo nodded. "I can do anything."
He grabbed a fan and opened it, but nothing happened. Maybe bending his knees and pushing off would help.
Nada.
"What?"
"Clear your mind," Swoop instructed, still hovering over the water. "Only when you're truly focused can the impossible become possible."
Theo tried everything he could to get his feet off the ground for more than a split second. He even went as far as imitating a bird by waving his arms in the air.
"It's not working," he told the master, but by the smirk on Swoop's face, Theo knew he could tell.
"This isn't fair," Theo frowned. "You have the spirit of the bat! Jaguars can't levitate."
"Master Engel used to teach students to levitate all the time," Swoop smirked. "The spirit of the bat came from levitation. If a leopard can teach a bat to fly, a bat can teach a jaguar. Manage your mind, release your anxieties, and focus on a single goal."
Theo cleared his mind, thinking only of levitation. Suddenly, his feet were lifted off the ground and Theo was flying over the water.
"See, I can do it!" Theo smiled, looking at the master. "Now I have to he- WHOA!"
Theo found himself in the water as soon as he lost his focus.
"Well, at least I know he can do it," Swoop laughed.
-----Jungle-Fury-----
"Not bad for a first attempt," Swoop nodded as Theo dried off. The blue boy sat in the grass, in the sun, and sighed.
"I know what you want from me," he said, "and I can't do it."
"You're giving up so quickly? That's not like you, Theo."
"It's not just the levitating," Theo sighed. "You want me to focus on a single task, and block everything else out! All my life I've had to juggle everything at the same time... It's what everyone expected... my parents... my teachers... my masters... It's what I've always done..."
As Theo took a deep breath, Master Engel appeared beside Swoop and placed her hand on his shoulder. Swoop turned his gaze down on her and smiled.
"I can't just change who I am overnight," Theo growled, before turning to look at his master, and spotting Engel.
"I'm not asking you to, Theo," Engel smiled.
"I just... I don't think I'm cut out to be a superhero..."
"You are a superhero," Swoop nodded. "You don't need to change who you are inside. Your abilities and work ethic are not in question, you just have to learn to be present, and in the moment."
"So you can remember," Engel smiled.
"Remember?" Theo frowned. "Remember what?"
"Remember the truth," Engel said. "Remember who you are, remember who you're fighting, and why."
"I'm fighting Dustin!"
"Why?" Engel asked. "Why are you fighting Dustin?"
"He's a cold..."
"Think, Theo," Engel interrupted him. "Clear your mind and think about the battle before you, behind you. Focus your mind on this one task: The battle to victory."
"Master... I..."
"Theo," Swoop said. "The truth is inside you... focus... find it."
Theo nodded, closing his eyes as he started to levitated. He crossed his legs, sitting in the air as he searched for the truth the masters were telling him about.
"What do you see?" Engel asked.
"I see Kaylee and Dustin," Theo said, keeping his eyes closed. "Sitting in a bush... watching Lily, Jarrod and I fight for our titles of guardians... they're having fun... they love each other."
They love each other," Engel repeated, smiling.
"It's fading," Theo frowned. "It's... Dustin... he's tied to a chair... Dai Shi's buried deep in his mind."
"What happens next?" Engel asked.
"Camille's walking in with... Carnisoar... the overlord of the sky? He's reaching out to Dustin... He's screaming! NO! Dustin... Engel!"
Theo dropped as he opened his eyes. Swoop and Engel were by his side.
"He's under a spell," Theo whispered, looking up at his masters. "The truth..."
"Yes, Theo?"
"He loves Kaylee... Carnisoar... Camille... they've done something to him... I have to-"
"No," Swoop shook his head, grabbing Theo's shoulder. "The truth cannot be taught, it must be understood."
"Who else knows?" Theo asked. "Is it just me?"
"Master Phant, Swoop and I know," Engel nodded, smiling at Swoop, "Lily knows as well. I'm afraid Casey and Kaylee have yet to understand..."
"What about RJ?" Theo asked. "And Tori and Kira..."
"They will remember on their own," Engel assured the young cub. "But until the truth comes out, you must focus on the task at hand... saving Dustin."
"I will Master," Theo nodded, bowing to the Angel. "I promise."
Master Swoop bowed to Theo and smiled, "Congratulations," he said. "My Bat Spirit will be with you now. Use it wisely."
Theo nodded, before getting permission from Engel to help his friends.
When he was gone, Swoop turned to Engel. The old Master looked up at him and smiled.
"You knew I was back, didn't you?" she laughed, playfully punching his shoulder.
"I sensed your spirit dropping from the spirit world," Swoop smiled. "You're strong... and yet... young."
"Yeah... I know," Engel nodded. "I signed up for the school early... along with my sister and friends..."
"The Rangers are much like you," he said. "I can see why you've bonded with them... especially Kaylee. Legend has it, you were just like her. Hyper, bubbly... tortured..."
"She is my daughter," Engel nodded, feeling her muscles becoming tense at the mention of Kaylee.
"You're protective," Swoop smiled.
"I'm her mother... I should be."
"Engel, you can't get too involved in this... it's not healthy for you or Kaylee."
"I can't help it," Engel frowned. "I've been watching Kaylee for a while now... she doesn't deserve this."
"No one does, Master," Swoop smiled. "Unfortunately, it happens to everyone."
"You know... I think we would have been able to kick Dai Shi's ass if you had been around during the Beast War," Engel smirked. "You may be blind, but you kick ass..."
"I'll assist in this war," Swoop laughed, "but only after you learn how to use modern technology."
"Hey, you don't know how hard it is!" Engel frowned, "You were born in this time."
"Okay..." Swoop laughed, raising his eyebrow.
"Shut-up... I'm all-knowing about spirits... machines have me stumped."
-----Jungle-Fury-----
"AH!" Casey, Lily and Kaylee screamed as they flew across the battlefield and landed on the ground, in pain from the brutal abuse they had taken from the two birds. Bai Lai and Carden laughed maniacally as they looked up at the vortex.
"When the city is gone, Carnisoar will rule this land!" Carden laughed.
"HEY!" Theo yelled, throwing his Jungle Fan in the air, knocking the two birds away from the vortex. They landed with a thump on the ground.
The stood protectively in front of his friends, waving the fan around. Kaylee tried as hard as she could, but she could not hold back her laughter.
"I'm sorry, T," she giggled, putting her hand on her helmet, where he mouth was, "but Lily gets a deadly mace, and you get a fan?"
"Watch what this fan can do," Theo smirked, running towards the birds.
The fan served as a valuable tool. Not only could Theo block attacks from the birds, but he could also slash at them with the ends of the fan, which were pointed.
With his mind on task at defeating the birds, Theo found it much easier to take them out. He swung his fan, in mid air, at Bai Lai, knocking the bird down to the ground as he landed on his feet, smirking.
Carden ran over to the blue Ranger, swinging his sword around. Theo grinned, bringing his fan up to block the attack, before spinning around, hitting the bird with the sharp end of the fan.
"Okay... so it's deadly... but it's still a fan!" Kaylee laughed, running over to Theo with the rest of the team. Theo rolled his eyes. At least she was happy.
"I'm had enough of this!" Carden squawked as he and his brother grew to monster size.
"Shit! I wanted to call this one..." Kaylee frowned.
"AMINAL SPIRITS, UNITE AS ONE!"
Inside the Megazord, the Rangers could get a better view of the vortex Bai Lai and Carden were desperately trying to save.
"That vortex is creating massive suction!" Theo yelled.
"Now what?" Casey frowned. "We can't stop it from down here."
"Do as I do," Theo grinned, "Calling the spirit of the Bat!"
A bat Zord emerged from the Megazord, flying towards the two birds and opening its mouth to shot lasers. The beams flew past the birds, hitting the vortex. The extra energy was too much for the vortex to handle and it exploded.
"NO!" Carden frowned.
The Bat attached itself to the Megazord, giving it a new helmet and wings to fly. Now that the Rangers could fly in the clouds, the playing field was even.
Swooping around the clouds, the Rangers flew after the two birds, nailing them with sharp slashes with the pointed end of the wings.
Both birds fell from the sky, landing in a pile of rubble. Carden made it out, but Bai Lai was gone.
The white bird growled, slamming its fist into the dirt as he looked up to the sky.
"I will avenge you, brother."
-----Jungle-Fury-----
"Have you seen Theo?" Lily asked the two masters as she, Kaylee and Casey walked into the loft, with Master Swoop behind them.
"I would like to say goodbye," the Master smiled.
RJ and Engel exchanged glances before pointing to the ceiling. Master Swoop heard their fingers move and smirked.
"Theo, are you training?" he asked.
"Meditation, actually," Theo smirked. "It helps the mind to stay focused and on task."
"I'm proud of you," Swoop smiled, "You are an excellent student, and I will miss you."
Theo bowed to his master, beaming with pride.
"But don't forget," Swoop continued, "you have to sweep out the stock room, roll some dough and focus on saving the world."
Theo's smile dropped as he turned away. A few steps in, he realised something and turned back to his master, who was smirking madly.
"Gotcha," he said.
Theo laughed, shaking his head as he continued his path to JKP. He did have some work to do, but he was going to focus on one task at a time.
The others, including RJ, followed.
Swoop walked over to Master Engel and bowed.
"It was nice meeting you, Master," he said. "But I'm afraid I have to go."
"Swoop, I meant it when I said it would be easier defeating Dai Shi with your help," Engel said, placing a hand on his shoulder (having to reach up because she was barely taller than Kaylee, and he was much taller than RJ), "Stay in touch."
"I will, Master."
"And, call me Engel," Engel laughed. "I may be one of the four Greats, but I'm still human. I'm not better than the rest of you Masters."
"Especially when you still have to learn the art of opening doors," Swoop teased.
Engel glared, growling at the Master.
"Read a book."
"I have," Swoop smiled, holding up a book, "volume four. It's an interesting read."
"Are you really blind?" Engel asked, examining the book. It was not Braille, meaning Swoop must have had a trick to seeing the words.
Swoop smiled, pulling out a CD from his jacket. He handed it to Engel and laughed.
"When you learn how to work a stereo, you'll understand the joys of not having see to be able to read books."
"Huh?" Engel frowned, looking at the CD in her hand. It read Read-Along, but she had no idea what that meant, never mind what a stereo was.
She went to look up at Swoop, but he was gone.
"Damn blind Masters... they think they're so much better than all of us," she cursed playfully, tossing the CD onto the couch before joining her friends in the kitchen.