In the yard behind the Shop Class, the Rangers were gathered, as they had every morning before school. While they were all fit, and had handled themselves pretty well in their first battle, the first thing that all of them had acknowledged was that NONE of them were ninjas. Calvin and Hayley had a couple of Martial Arts lessons under their belt, Sarah had learned a few things from her friends in Amber Beach, and Preston...well...he had trained a lot for his tricks, so he had a good foundation, but no, none of them were ninjas. It was determined pretty early on that they'd have to meet up to work on their abilities whenever they could. Before school and after school, they had met for a little time getting a crash course in ninjitsu.
Today, there wasn't too much training getting done though. There was another focus entirely on the time before class.
"These suits are freaking AWESOME!" Calvin yelled, throwing some punches and kicks in his brand new training uniform. Brody and Mick had promised them some training clothing so that they wouldn't have to explain to their parents the sharp increase in their laundry, or the clothes they needed to replace. "I feel...I totally feel like a real ninja now!"
"WOOO HOOOO!" Preston whooped as he back-flipped through the yard, before landing a back-somersault. "This is amazing!"
"I definitely like this!" Hayley agreed. "The material is just so..."
"The material is a composite designed to allow both flexibility of movement, while being robust enough to take heavy physical training." Mick told them. "It's low friction, limiting noise, and it has some padding which SHOULD help with some impact...just don't think you should start walking through swords or anything in it."
"Well, we definitely look the part now." Sarah said, putting up her hood and pulling up her face scarf, having a little bit of a moment as she started rolling around on the ground and hopping around cover, imagining hiding from guards and pursuers. "Now we totally look like..."
"Actually the traditional look of the ninja is pure Hollywood." Brody said as he arrived in his own uniform. "They were primarily spies."
"I...thought they were assassins." Hayley stated. Brody just shook his head.
"That's another misconception. A more accurate description would be that they carried out assassination missions." Brody corrected her. "The Ninja were more like spies. They primarily gathered information and spread dissent among their enemies. While they WOULD carry out assassinations when they were called to do it, propaganda, disrupting supply lines, theft and saboteur work were their main functions. They were mainly gatherers of information."
"So what does that have to do with the outfits?" Calvin asked.
"They would wear whatever was best to make their mission easier in the situation. Most of them were peasants, so they'd often dress that way, but realistically they'd dress in whatever would draw the least attention to what they were doing." Brody continued. "Disguise was definitely well within their skill set."
"So why do people think of the whole...you know...mask and everything?" Hayley asked.
"It's a mix of ideas. It was probably derived from set-dressers in Kabuki Theatre." Brody answered her. "They dressed in full black outfits so they wouldn't draw attention to themselves against a black background as they moved the set around. The audience was basically trained to not see them so they were just ignored during a show. While there's nothing written to confirm it, I guess it's POSSIBLE that ninjas trying to get close to someone in a theatre might take advantage of this and disguise themselves as set-dressers."
"Well, authentic or not, these things ROCK!" Sarah replied, bouncing on the spot. "I feel like I could do anything!"
"Well, I'm glad you feel that way, because Mick and I came up with a little something to boost our arsenal." Brody said, causing them all to pay attention. "The ninja were pragmatists above all else. They'd use any tool or weapon available that would help their mission. A ninja had to be at one with their surroundings."
He took out some Ninja Power Stars, handing them out to the Rangers.
"Water, Air, Forest, Earth, Fire and Metal. These were the basic elements in the ancient world." Brody carried on. "You'll learn to harness these in the form of these new Element Stars. Calvin, would you like to give it a try?"
"Um...yeah, sure I guess!" He answered.
"OK, try a water blast." Brody told him. Calvin just nodded, before locking his Element Star into his sword.
"Ninja Element Star, Water Blast!" He called out, pointing the blade away from the others, picking a pile of hubcaps as his target. He was a little disappointed when nothing happened.
"Brody, are you sure this is working right?" Sarah asked.
"It was earlier." Brody said, looking to the blade. "Are you sure you remembered to..."
"...wait...I think I got it!" Calvin said, realising to his embarrassment he hadn't pressed the button on the blade. As he did though, he was pointing the sword behind him. The jet began unexpectedly and blasted him off his feet. Calvin clutched to the sword for dear life, something that turned out to be a mistake.
"WHOA!" Calvin called out as he flew like a rocket straight across the yard. The Rangers all cringed as they watched him slam into a shelving unit and all the debris stacked there collapse on top of him. "I'm OK!"
"Calvin's channelling his inner Tori Bellechi." Hayley stated. "He always does that."
"I loved Mythbusters." Sarah commented.
"OK Calvin, that's nice work. I'm sure you'll get it next time." Brody stated. "Now, who wants to try out the Fire Blast?"
He looked around, only to find none of the others in sight. Mick also noticed the sudden departure.
"Well, look on the bright side." He stated. "They seem to be getting better at the whole Ninja Vanish trick."
"It seems that way." Brody answered as he went to help dig Calvin out. "I guess we can pick this up again later."
Up on the Warrior Dome, Spinferno was heading for the stage when he found himself running into Galvanax. The champion was standing before him, drawing up to full height.
"You've been making quite a name for yourself lately." Galvanax complimented him. "Word has it Cosmo has chosen you as the next contestant."
"Is this where you try to intimidate me out of..."
Galvanax just gestured to Spinferno to follow him.
"Those Rangers stole the Ninja Power Stars. If you bring them back..."
"If I bring them back, there's only one thing I want!" Spinferno said with a smirk. "I think we BOTH know what that is?"
"The only reason I don't go down myself is because Cosmo and the Network keep turning down my requests, they keep denying me!" Galvanax said in frustration. "If you get those Power Stars, I swear I'll do everything in my power to give you what you want most!"
"You mean...?"
"If you bring back those Power Stars, you will be the most hyped rookie in the Warrior Dome!" Galvanax told him. "Make a formal challenge on camera, and I'll answer it! There's no way the network will be able to deny you that."
"A title shot?" Spinferno asked, smiling. "But I need..."
"I know how the rankings work." Galvanax interrupted him. "I also know how television works. You make that challenge on camera after winning this contest, there's no way Cosmo will be able to ignore the crowd reaction. You'll have your title shot."
"Consider it done." Spinferno answered as he raced onto the stage.
"He's hot, he's fiery, he's...WHOA!"
Cosmo was bowled over as Spinferno came onto the stage, knocking him over. He placed his hands on the stage, at which blasts came out, spelling his own name on the floor. Cosmo got up, looking annoyed.
"Hey buddy, get your own show!" He screeched.
"By the time I'm done, this WILL be my show!" Spinferno assured him, before turning to the crowd. "When it comes to Spinferno, I am on FIRE!"
The crowd cheered, loving the creature's arrogance. Confidence and bluster were popular traits among creatures. Whether people wanted to watch to see if they could back up their words, or simply wanted to watch to see them get their words rammed down their throats, Cosmo didn't care. As long as they paid, he didn't care why the audience wanted to see the monsters. However, as he dusted him off, he looked to Spinferno.
"Let's just hope for your sake you don't burn out!" He remarked.
"It's better to burn out than to fade away!" Spinferno stated. "And when I come back, this place is going to be MINE! This is MY time! Remember the name folks, Spinferno is your next Galaxy Wars Champion!"
Back at the paint room, the Rangers were just getting changed and dressed ready for school. Between them, they had managed to procure some clothing for Brody.
"So, you're sure...?"
"I'm sure Brody, you just need to stop by the desk to sign your name on the register and collect your schedule." Sarah told him, handing him his paperwork. "You're old headmistress 'Mrs Griffin' called to tell them to expect you."
"Mrs Griffin, got it." Brody replied. "Thanks again for this."
"Oh, one more thing, you'll need a back pack for your first day!" Preston said, taking out and handing Brody a backpack. He put his hand into the front pocket, poking his fingers out of a hole in the bottom of it. "My pet rabbit chewed a hole in the front pocket, but it should be good."
"Do you not have another I can use?" He asked.
"You can have my 'My Little Pony' backpack that I used to use in kindergarten." Sarah offered. Brody just took the backpack from Preston.
"I think this will be fine." He answered.
"Well, we should get to class; I want to be there early to get some extra study done." Calvin told them. "We need to practice if we're going to win."
"Yeah, I can NOT put up with Victor bragging about winning again this week!" Hayley groaned.
"You got beaten by Victor?" Sarah asked. "How? He's a moron!"
"He has no common sense, but he's pretty smart. He is on the honour roll you know." Calvin told her. "He also has Monty, and beating him...well...Monty's pretty much a team all by himself!"
"That makes a little more sense." Sarah answered. "You coming Brody?"
"I need to register. I'll catch up." He told them. As they left, Brody's Datacomm started to bleep.
"This is the final call for all technical personnel, all technical personnel to their stations." The Datacomm announced. "The show will begin in eight minutes. Spinferno will attack in Summer Cove Plaza."
"Your Datacomm, it's still hooked up to the ship's warning system." Mick responded. Brody smiled.
"That just means I can get the drop on him." Brody replied.
"Wait, don't you want to contact the others?" Mick asked as Brody headed for the exit. Brody just held up his wrist.
"They need to study." He reminded Mick. "Its fine, I can handle it with my Datacomm."
As Brody ran out, Mick turned his attention to a monitor.
"I really hope you know what you're doing Brody." He stated. "Spinferno is not a guy I'd want to handle alone."
Up on the Warrior Dome, Wrench was at the production station as Cosmo sent Spinferno to Earth.
"The Buzz-cams are all working great, the locations...we might want to get a shot over by the left there, can we fix that?" He asked.
"On it." One of the interns controlling the buzz-cams replied.
"Wider angle, wider...that's PERFECT!" He called out. "Now, maybe some introduction music..."
"Too late, the battle has started." One of them interrupted Wrench.
"WHAT?" Wrench called back. "But...but...how?"
"He does seem to have gotten there rather quickly." Madame Odious answered, causing Wrench to do a double-take.
"Where did YOU come from?" He asked. "I didn't see you in here before."
"Roll back on three." Madame Odious said, completely ignoring Wrench's question. They rolled back the footage, showing Spinferno appearing in a flash of light. He re-started the footage.
"Now I'll just find the Rangers and spring a surprise attack on them!" Spinferno announced to the first camera. "They won't know what..."
He was hit in the face with a flying kick, before he could finish.
"Surprise!" Brody called out as he pulled out his Ninja Sword.
"What? How did you know where I was?" Spinferno complained.
"That's for me to know, and you to never find out!" Brody responded as he rushed to the attack. Spinferno flipped back to his feet, barely able to get out of the way as Brody brought the blade down.
"I don't understand, how could the Red Ranger have gotten there so quickly?" Madame Odious asked. "The only way he could have been there was if he was already at the plaza."
"But he's meant to be at school. Why would he be at the plaza so close to school starting?" Wrench asked as he watched the fight closely.
In the school, Calvin was sitting, massaging his temples as he struggled to find the answer he was looking for.
"78.5 centimetres?" He asked. Sarah face-planted into her book.
"No Calvin, Pi R Squared is the AREA of a circle." She reiterated. "The circumference is the Diameter multiplied by Pi, so it would be..."
"31.4 centimetres." Monty sniggered as he crunched his way through a carrot stick. "Wow Calvin, no wonder that truck of yours keeps breaking down if you get the measurements of your parts that far out!"
"I never get the size of my parts wrong!" Calvin protested grumpily. He looked to Sarah who just shrugged.
"He is right though." She said. "You just used the wrong equation."
"Hey, guys, check this out!" One of the other kids who had come to class early called out. Victor's face lit up.
"Are you looking at YouTube?" He asked, pulling a muscle pose. "Did you see my new workout video? I called it, 'Some people polish their guns, I polish my HOWITZERS'!"
"No, it's...it's one of those new Rangers!" He called out.
"Oh, you mean that battle from last week?" Monty asked. "We've all seen..."
"No, it's streaming LIVE!" The kid clarified. "It's happening RIGHT NOW!"
This got everyone's attention, and now instead of studying, they were all crowding around the one kid with his tablet or pulling out their own to find the video. All that was except for the Rangers, who just looked rather confused.
"I'm not the only one missing the fact that out of five Rangers, there are only four of us here right?" Hayley asked.
"No, which means Brody's out there fighting that monster on his own." Sarah sighed.
"This isn't good is it?" Preston asked.
"No, no it's not." Sarah responded.
Back at the Plaza, Brody was using the forest element to bind Spinferno with vines. The monster was held in place long enough for him to get a couple of attacks off, but with a huge yell, he unleashed a curtain of flame that burned the vines to a cinder. Brody was only just able to get into cover as another fireball came his way.
"Man, this guy is a real pain in the ass!" He commented, pulling out his Datacomm. "Datacomm, what should I do?"
"Lower Spinferno's core temperature." The Datacomm told him. He just nodded his head.
"I think I have just the thing." Brody said, breaking cover. "Ninja Element Star, Water Attack!"
A jet of water surged from his sword, hitting Spinferno. A huge cloud of steam billowed out from him as it hit, cooling him quickly.
"Curse you Red Ranger!" He screamed. "Get me out of here!"
With that, in a flash of light, he disappeared, teleporting back to the Warrior Dome. Brody just put his Ninja Sword away.
"That was easy." He answered. "Damn it, I'm going to be late. Datacomm, what's the quickest way back to the school?"
"If you stay morphed and leap across the rooftops in a straight line, it will take you approximately six minutes to get back to Summer Cove High. You should arrive before the 9AM bell by seven minutes."
"Thanks Datacomm!" Brody said as he sprinted, leaping up off the ground onto the roof of the mall as the crowd cheered in appreciation of the Red Ranger.
In the production room, Wrench was pouring over the footage, trying to find out what had happened.
"I...I don't get it! It's like he had an answer for every move Spinferno made!" Wrench shrieked. "Odious, how did he...?"
He looked around, finding no sign of Madame Odious.
"Did anyone see where she went?" He asked. One of the interns just shrugged. "Damn it, how does she keep doing that?"
As he turned back to the screen, he saw Brody taking cover from one of Spinferno's blasts, right after he freed himself from the vines. He noticed that he seemed to have something in his hand.
"Pause that." He told the intern. "Enhance the image."
He pulled in, and saw that it was some kind of device.
"Move aside." Wrench said, shoving the intern out of the way. "You call that enhancing the footage? I'LL show you how to enhance!"
He pulled in the image closely, and started to filter the sound.
"Man, this guy is a real pain in the ass! Datacomm, what should I do?"
Wrench started to drum his fingers seeing this. He pulled up another image.
"He's too fast! Datacomm, what can I do?"
Wrench immediately pulled out his tablet and started to check on the mysterious inquiries he had been getting. He saw another couple that had been flagged.
"Damn it, I'm going to be late. Datacomm, what's the quickest way back to the school?"
It finally clicked. The random enquiries, so many questions pertaining to the area immediately around Summer Cove...looking around he saw that all of the slaves were wearing Datacomms...they had been called to production by the announcement which went out to ALL the Datacomms! That was it! That was how Brody had known where Spinferno would attack!
"Gotcha!" Wrench said in a satisfied tone.