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Chapter 17: Bad To The Bone

Jungle Karma Pizza was busy as always, and the group were working hard. As Ari came in with some dishes, Fran followed with another order.

"Hey RJ, I totally forgot to ask," Ari called to the chef, who looked up. "Mr. Hartford wants me to enter a tournament this weekend, mind if I go?" she asked with a smile.

"Oh, I can cover her shift!" Lily offered from the corner where she was making pizza sauce.

"You sure?" Ari smiled and her, and Lily nodded with an equally bright smile.

"You've been going off skating a lot lately," Theo commented. "Just make sure you don't neglect your training," he warned her, and Ari's smile dropped. She scowled at him, hurt that he would say such a thing.

"Oh lay off Theo," Lily rolled her eyes. "Ari's better than any of us. And she'd never skip practice for it," she said. Ari shot her a grateful smile.

"Ah, coming through! Hot!" Casey yelped as he pulled a pizza from the oven and spun to drop it onto a wooden board. As he did, he knocked over a tub of sauce, spilling it everywhere.

"No problem, I can make more sauce," Lily smiled as Casey groaned.

"Uh Theo," RJ frowned, checking the order. "You were supposed to put on extra sausage, not pepperoni," he pointed out. Theo sighed heavily.

"Come on, I'll help you make a new one," Lily offered. Casey chuckled quietly as he cleaned up the sauce with a pink rag.

"Lily's even more chipper than usual today," Ari grinned to him.

"Hey!" Fran yelled, grabbing the rag from Casey and pulled it out to reveal that it was a cardigan. "I just bought this!" she complained irritably.

"Oh...sorry..." Casey gulped as she scowled at him. "I was wondering why a rag would have buttons on it," he admitted. Both Theo and Ari tried to hide their laughter.

"Give it here, it'll wash out," Ari chuckled, taking it from her.

"I think you guys need to be a little more considerate," Fran turned to Theo to ensure he knew she was including him. "Like Lily and Ari?" she raised an eyebrow.

"No we don't!" Theo shook his head, putting an arm around Lily's shoulders. "Lily's considerate enough for all of us," he told Fran. As Lily laughed and Casey rolled his eyes, the phone rang. Fran went over to answer it, and Ari started up the stairs.

"Guys, this order to go was meant to be a delivery," Fran told them in irritation after apologising to the customer on the other end of the phone.

"Don't worry, I'll take it," Lily offered.

"No, no, let me," Casey smiled at her. "I want to be considerate too," he said. Lily smiled, and Theo scowled as Ari rolled her eyes at their behaviour. As Casey went to leave with the pizza, RJ cried out in pain, and the remaining staff looked at him quickly.

"RJ? You okay?" Theo asked him worriedly.

"Uh, yeah, I pulled a muscle yesterday so..." RJ breathed heavily, a hand still to his shoulder. "I'm going to go upstairs and take a break," he decided.

"Want me to heal it?" Ari offered, a bad feeling settling in her stomach. RJ shook his head.

"It's fine, thanks," he told her with a pained smile, and walked on past her up the stairs. Ari frowned, worried for their Master.

"Lunch rush!" Fran called as she walked into the kitchen. However, as Lily, Theo and Ari went to go out, their Morphers beeped loudly.

"Casey's in trouble!" Theo realised.

"Better go. Sorry Fran!" Ari called, dropping the pizza onto the counter as Lily and Theo bundled their own into Fran's arms. The young woman immediately overbalanced with a scream as they ran off.

Lily, Theo and Ari reached the warehouse where Casey was fighting alone, and reached him just after he was tossed into multiple cannisters, falling to the ground.

"Casey!" Lily called to him as they ran over, helping him up.

"We got your back!" Theo told him.

"Ew...a pig fighting with sausages? Gross!" Ari complained as she pointed at the pig.

"A pretty gnarly pig guys! Let's tighten things up!" Casey told his team, who nodded.

"JUNGLE MASTER MODE!" the four called on their powered up forms.

"Spirit of the Tiger, Full Fury! Jungle Master Red Ranger!"

"Spirit of the Jaguar, Full Fury! Jungle Master Blue Ranger!"

"Spirit of the Cheetah, Full Fury! Jungle Master Yellow Ranger!"

"Spirit of the Sparrow, Full Fury! Jungle Master Gold Ranger!"

The four leapt into action as the pig ran at them, and they flew into the air. As the Rinshi stopped, snorting loudly, they all flew back down, striking him. The pig crashed into a crate, and Casey stood in front of him.

"Need a push?" he shoved the crate, which went flying backwards as the pig shrieked in alarm. "Come on swine!" the four attacked him again, and Casey threw him into the others. They knocked the Rinshi flying, and stood together again. "Claw Cannon!" they summoned the Claw Cannon, and Theo and Lily began to charge it. "Let's smoke this ham!" Casey yelled.

"Enough with the pig puns already dude!" Ari laughed, and they fired the cannon. The pig shrieked again, but as soon as the blast hit him, he began to grow. "Oh great, just what we needed. Let's go guys!" Ari turned to the other three, and they nodded.

"Animal Spirits Unite!"

"Gorilla Spirit!"

"Penguin Spirit!"

"Antelope Spirit!"

"Squirrel Spirit!" the four merged their Zords to form the Jungle Master Megazord.

"Spirit of the Shark!" Casey then called on another Zord, combining it with the Megazord. With powerful slashes, they destroyed the Rinshi.

Camille approached Dai Shi with another Rinshi at her side. Minos, who was leaning against a pillar, eyed them suspiciously.

"Oh, still smells like smoked ham," Camille commented, wafting a hand in front of her nose. "But don't worry Dai Shi, Rinshi Porcupine has quills with special powers," she smirked. Minos frowned. He knew that Rinshi. His power didn't impress Minos in the slightest.

"Let's hope he's got a good aim," Dai Shi commented as he studied the Rinshi. "Go," he ordered.

"Yes," Porcupine bowed, before leaving, dodging Carnisoar and Jellica as they walked in. Dai Shi leaned forwards.

"So?" he asked expectantly. He blamed them for his inability to defeat the Power Rangers. Minos sighed, shaking his head. Dai Shi had always looked to blame others for his failures.

"We must call the last Overlord," Carnisoar declared as he stood before Dai Shi.

"Grizzaka?!" Dai Shi growled in disbelief. Minos and Camille looked alarmed at the idea. "Bad idea, I don't trust him," Dai Shi shook his head.

"We have no choice!" Jellica told him irritably. "Perhaps if we bring him back to life, he'll be grateful," she suggested. Minos resisted a snort. He seriously doubted it. Grizzaka was powerful and deadly, and even more power hungry than Dai Shi. He was a bully.

"Take the bracelet. It will guide you to the cave of darkness," Carnisoar ordered, handing over the bracelet to Camille. "There, the life talon will bring him back to life," he held out the talon stolen from Naja. As Camille went to take it, Carnisoar, suddenly closed his hand, making her jump. "Be careful, or this will be the last thing you do," he warned her gravely.

"Let me do it," Minos stepped forwards.

"No!" Jellica snapped at him. "The lizard must prove her worth!" she told him. Camille glanced to Dai Shi, who nodded. Camille took a breath, and walked off to do her task. Minos watched, worried for his sister. Worried for them all.

"No use wasting good pizza on a bad delivery," Casey grinned as he finished off the last of the pizza. He tossed the crust over his shoulder, making Lily frown.

"I call that littering," she lifted the crust from the ground.

"And I call that feeding the birds," Casey smirked at her as Lily threw it in the bin.

"I call that..."

"Considerate," Theo and Casey chimed together.

"Guys, don't take advantage of Lily's considerate nature, it's not cool," Ari scolded them. Lily ran over, grabbing the pizza box from Casey and hitting the two boys with it. Suddenly, a scream rang out, making them look around.

"For reals?" Ari groaned, but ran off, quickly followed by the other three.

"Things are about to get a little prickly!" the Rinshi laughed as he walked towards a fleeing crowd.

"Hold it right there!" Casey yelled to him, and he looked around to see the four Rangers, already Morphed and running at him. They immediately began to fight, and the Rinshi transformed into his true form. "Ouch! A porcupine!" Casey gulped.

"Yep! With plenty of spikes with your names on them!" he began to fire quills at the four, and Ari raised a shield. They bounced off harmlessly, hitting the ground and exploding, shattering the shield.

"Man! I'm not going to be considerate to this quill-bag!" Lily growled.

"Lil! You don't have to prove anything!" Casey warned her, but Lily didn't listen. She ran at the Rinshi, fighting him one-on-one. However, he tossed her to the ground, and leapt at her. She dodged his moves, until he leapt into the air. "Look out!" Casey yelled, but it was too late. The Rinshi struck Lily multiple times, causing a purple smoke to rise from her suit, before he struck her hard enough to flip the Yellow Ranger and toss her backwards.

"Lily!" Theo yelled as the three ran towards their fallen friend.

"One down, three to go!" the Rinshi laughed. "I hope you others are a little tougher!" he taunted, and cried out as Ari's whip struck him in the face.

"Let's see, will we?" she challenged, but the Rinshi just laughed as he got back up.

"Maybe later!" he decided, running off before Ari could stop him. Frowning, Ari turned back to Lily, who was on the ground whimpering in pain.

Lily cried out in pain as RJ yanked another quill from Lily's back, using a magnifying glass to find them. He looked up as Fran brought over a sandwich.

"Oh, rare?" he asked her as he took the plate from her.

"Practically raw," Fran told him, frowning as he took it and bit into it. "Just like the last one," she muttered. Ari hid her disgust at the idea as RJ devoured his sandwich.

"Can you wait till you're done with me before you eat another sandwich," RJ's eyes widened in surprise as Lily growled at him impatiently.

"Sorry, I'm starving," RJ apologised as he set down the plate, his mouth still full. He lifted the pliers, and returned his attention to the grumpy Yellow Ranger. He pulled out another quill, and she cried out again. "That's all I can see. Do you feel any more in there? Those things are poisonous, we need to get them all," he warned her.

"No, you're done. I feel fine," Lily told him, standing abruptly.

"Chill Lily," Theo told her as he stood as well. "He's just making sure," he pointed out as Lily scowled at him. She glared, walking over to him.

"Don't tell me how to act, Blue Boy," she growled in a low voice.

"Okay..." Ari raised an eyebrow. "Well at least let me heal you," Ari said, gesturing to the bloody wounds where RJ had pulled the quills from.

"Fine. Make it quick," Lily rolled her eyes. Frowning, a little hurt by her attitude, Ari walked over to her and began to glow. The others winced, averting their gaze as Ari put her hands to Lily's back. The girl winced, before the wounds began to close over, knitting back together. "Okay, you can stop touching me," Lily pulled away from Ari.

"You're welcome," Ari rolled her eyes.

"What was that?" Lily growled at her suddenly.

"Okay," RJ stood quickly, frowning at Lily's attitude as well. Ari had taken a step back in alarm. "I have some work to do. I need the three of you to help Fran," he instructed. Casey, Theo and Ari nodded, and Lily turned her glare on him.

"There you go telling me what to do again," RJ blinked in surprise at her hostility. "I have had enough of your grief today. Me? I'm outta here!" she turned on her heel and stormed out.

"What's up with her?" Theo asked, baffled. The others shrugged, before RJ cried out in pain again. "You sure that's just a pulled muscle?" Theo asked as the three students turned to their Master.

"After school rush!" before RJ could answer, Fran's voice echoed up to them.

"Yeah, I'm-I'm alright," RJ stumbled over his words as he stepped away from them quickly. "You go on," he instructed.

"Come on Blue Boy," Casey sighed. The three Rangers headed downstairs, and Ari glanced over her shoulder at RJ, who had his back turned. Her bad feeling returned, settling in the pit of her stomach as she went downstairs to help Fran.

As the three Rangers and Fran served the customers and worked without Lily or RJ, Ari found herself distracted with worry for both. Lily had been acting strange since she had fought the Rinshi, while RJ had been acting even stranger for longer. He was constantly in pain, and had been acting distant, and now was craving practically raw meat. She needed to figure out what was going on with both of them, before it was too late.

Ari was snapped from her thoughts by the low roar of a motorbike engine, and looked up just in time to see Lily walk in. Her eyes widened, and she almost dropped the plates in her arms. Their kind Yellow Ranger had gone through a severe makeover, wearing dark eye-makeup with her hair loose. She wore a leather jacket and black skinny jeans, complete with a pair of knee-high boots.

"Is that..."

"Lily?" Fran and Ari breathed in shock as Lily ran a hand through her hair.

"She looks so...so..."

"So whoa...not Lily," Casey finished for Theo, the two of them gaping at her.

"Oi, guys?" Ari rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers loudly. The two snapped to attention as Lily walked over to a table and grabbed the pepper, emptying half the shaker onto their pizza.

"It'll put hairs on your chest!" she snarled as the customers stared at her in alarm. They then got up quickly, leaving as Lily took a seat at their table. She then put her feet on the table, making it shake as she studied her reflection in a fork.

"Guys, go check on RJ. I'll take care of Lily," Ari told the two, who didn't move. "Now?" she raised her voice when they didn't move, still staring at Lily. They quickly left, and Ari sighed, walking over to Lily. "Excuse me Lils, but if you're looking food, get your feet off the table," Ari said as she approached the Yellow Ranger. Lily looked up at her, glaring, but didn't move. Ari frowned back, and shoved her feet off the table.

"Hey!" Lily yelled.

"Hey yourself, did you not hear what I just said?" Ari scowled back. "I don't exactly know what's going on with you Lily, but you don't act like this in here," she told the girl.

"And what are you going to do about it?" Lily stood up, towering over the girl in her heeled boots. Ari glared back at her, but didn't move. Lily smirked. "Thought so. Get me wings," she ordered, taking a seat again. Ari turned on her heel, and stormed into the kitchen.

"Lily's not normally this much of a jerk. Don't use magic on her...don't use magic on her," Ari repeated her mantra as she willed herself to calm down.

Lily finished the large stack of wings that Ari had brought her, and tossed the last one over her shoulder.

"Seriously?" Ari groaned as she caught it, wiping her hand on her apron as she set the bone down on the plate. Their Morphers began to beep, and Ari groaned. "Lily, that's Theo and Casey, we need to help them," she told the girl. Lily frowned, lifting the sunglasses from her pocket. She then put them on, and began to check out her reflection again. "And I thought Xander was bad..." Ari groaned. "Lily, come on!" she told the girl.

"Nah. They're big boys. They can handle themselves," Lily pulled the sunglasses off. When Ari stared at her, Lily glared back. "More wings!" she ordered.

"Fran," Ari went over to the other girl, who looked up. "Can you keep an eye on Lily? I need to go help Theo and Casey, and she's not about to help any time soon," she told Fran.

"But..." Fran hesitated, looking nervously over at the foul tempered Yellow Ranger.

"Don't be afraid to stand up to her," Ari smiled at her. "She's all bark and no bite," she told Fran, who nodded slowly. She watched as Ari turned and ran out, hurrying to help her team.

"Hey!" the Porcupine Rinshi looked up from where he had floored Casey and Theo, and cried out as an energy-ball slammed into his face. "Back off dude, I am not up for playing right now," Ari warned.

"Ari!" the two male Rangers grinned from the ground. Ari nodded, grabbing her Solar Morpher.

"JUNGLE BEAST, SPIRIT UNLEASHED!" she Morphed into her golden suit. "With the Agility of a Sparrow! Jungle Fury Gold Ranger!" Ari grabbed her Jungle Whip, and leapt at the Rinshi.

"Where's Lily?" Casey called to Ari as she leapt out of the way of the Rinshi's attack and struck him across the head again.

"Still eating wings back at JKP. She can put away a lot," Ari replied, just before the Porcupine managed to catch her. Ari cried out, tossed into the crates. The Rinshi then began to spin, striking Theo and Casey and knocking them back to the ground.

"We're getting tired of this!" Casey groaned. The Rinshi laughed loudly, but it stopped abruptly as they heard a motorbike speeding towards them. It flew through the air, and its rider kicked the Rinshi out of the way.

"Lily!" Ari grinned as they got to their feet and ran over to Lily as she skidded to a stop. She pulled off the bike helmet and gloves, glaring at the Rinshi. "You're back to normal!" Lily smiled at them.

"Looks like you guys could use a little help," she nodded.

"Y'think?" Casey grinned. As the Rinshi got back, Lily put her Morpher on.

"JUNGLE BEAST, SPIRIT UNLEASHED!" she Morphed, and called on her Master Mode. "Spirit of the Cheetah, Full Fury!" Lily then turned to her friends. "Guys, I'm sorry," she apologised.

"Wanna forgive her?" Casey glanced to the other two with a grin.

"You bet!" Theo nodded.

"Always!" Ari laughed.

"Thanks! Now let's get him!" Lily turned back to the Rinshi.

"We're with you! Jungle Master Mode!" the three called on their enhanced powers as well, and ran at the Rinshi. Using their weapons to deflect his quills, they allowed Lily to get close enough to strike him. When he pushed himself back up, they combined their attacks and threw him backwards with powerful punches.

"Had enough Spiky?" Lily taunted.

"Are you kidding?!" the Rinshi demanded as he got to his feet. "You've just made me mad!" he declared, growing much bigger.

"Let's show him guys!" Lily grinned.

"Animal Spirits unite!" the Rangers called on their Jungle Master Megazord, and Lily called on her Elephant spirit to help. The Rinshi screamed, blasting them with more quills, but they blocked it easily. He spun, rushing at them, but with the powerful Jungle Mace, they destroyed him easily.

"Well," Jellica commented as Dai Shi paced. "The Rangers have learned to use their new power quite effectively," she said. Minos rolled his eyes. Porcupine was a weakling and a coward who poisoned his enemies with evil using his quills.

"Where is Camille?" Dai Shi didn't seem to hear his Jellyfish teacher. "She should be back by now," he muttered.

"You know Grizzaka blames you for losing the Beast War," Jellica reminded him. "He detests humans. He says they're weak. You are now human Dai Shi," she pointed out. Dai Shi glared at them.

"Then why revive him?" Minos turned away as he whispered, hoping his sister would be spared from the Earth Overlord's wrath. "He'll be the end of us all."

"See you guys later," Fran smiled tiredly at the last customers to leave.

"Have you guys seen RJ? He disappeared earlier and I'm still worried about him," Ari commented as she lifted the last plates.

"Not lately, no," Fran shook her head. Lily shook her head too. Ari frowned. "Cool jacket!" Fran smiled as she spotted Lily's discarded leather jacket, and pulled it on. "Kinda...hot and squeaky," she complained, making Lily and Ari laugh.

"Yeah well...my head was a little crazy when I got it," Lily laughed.

"You got whammied hard," Ari agreed.

"Whammied?" Fran glanced to the Gold Ranger, before shaking her head. She was quickly learning not to question the strange girl. "A 'little' crazy?" Fran pulled her hair down from its pigtails. "Lily, you were the Queen of Mean," she laughed. "Bring me more chicken wings! Hey, I don't do diet soda!" she mimicked, making both girls laugh.

"That was me?" Lily giggled, having no recollection of what had happened. Ari walked over to the quill stuck in the wall, which had been stuck in Lily's shoulder until a fight with Fran knocked it loose.

"Totally!" Fran grinned as Ari snapped her fingers. The quill shattered into dust. "This pizza is too cold! How do I get service around here?!" she continued to impersonate Lily, before the doors to the kitchen opened and Casey and Theo walked out.

"I said 'Hey, we don't have burgers!'," Theo told Casey, both of them laughing.

"You're not done!" they stopped, looking over at Fran as she called over to them. "Have you finished the dishes? Grated the cheese? Sliced the pepperoni?" she demanded as the two boys exchanged nervous looks.

"Well uh...we..." the two chorused nervously as Theo pointed to his watch.

"Well get back in there! And scrub the floor while you're at it!" Fran ordered, and the two ran back into the kitchen. As the door swung shut, both Ari and Lily burst out laughing. "Guys, I'm just kiddi-"

"Fran," Ari stopped her quickly.

"Let them work a little bit," Lily whispered, her eyes lit up with mischief. "I'm thinking we should keep this outfit around," she laughed, and both Fran and Ari joined in laughing.

I hope you guys liked it!

I've only five chapters left to write then Jungle Fury is officially finished! And next chapter, RJ's mysterious injury will finally come to light (in probably my second favourite chapter of this fic to write) so I'll update soon!

Please review!