Thanks to everyone for your amazing reviews, as well as to everyone who favourited and followed! You guys rock!

I did intend on updating sooner, but I've hit a bit of a block, so taking a small break to try and get over it. I tried to get some written today, but it's been more forced than I like. I'll aim to update soon anyway!

Let me know what you think!

Chapter 2: Power Inherited

"Hey Krista?" Joe called to his daughter as he stood in Rootcore, holding a book in his hand. "Can you grab me more of those berries please?" he asked.

"Sure," the blonde girl who was now seven years old, ran over to the shelves.

"Oh Joe, don't you have work?" Udonna asked with a smile as she walked in, almost bumping into Krista.

"Not today, no," he shook his head as she approached. "I hope you don't mind me being here," the man added.

"Of course not," Udonna told him. "You're always welcome here, you've been a great help. And it keeps this place from feeling empty," she added. Joe looked around Rootcore, which had become even more quiet lately.

"Where is everyone?" he wondered aloud.

"Out living their own lives now outside of being Mystics," Udonna's smile was a little sad. "And Daggeron and Althea have gone to check on the River Village, they've had a recent problem with some trolls," she added.

"What about Diana and Apollo?" Joe asked, looking around for the twins who weren't much younger than Krista.

"With Claire in the Woodland Village collecting supplies," Joe grinned slightly, knowing that he was partially to blame for dwindling stock. Ever since he had come to learn of the Magical Realm, he had become increasingly involved, finding that he had a knack for potions. He continuously experimented, finding the best healing potions and remedies he could that would benefit not only those in the magical realm, but also those in the human world. At least, as much as possible without drawing attention to Briarwood that they had managed to avoid. While magical creatures and humans lived in harmony, they didn't want to advertise it too much.

"I am glad to see your skill flourishing," Udonna commented as Joe added the berries that Krista brought to him.

"Me too. I can only handle so many exploding in my face," he commented, making her chuckle.

"Hey guys," they looked around as Xander walked in, his usual grin a little tired.

"Hey man. Where's Ari?" Joe asked curiously. Xander had barely left Ari alone since they had discovered she was pregnant.

"Throwing up outside," Xander shrugged. "Which is kinda why we're here mate," Xander walked over, ruffling Krista's hair as she smiled at him, revealing a few missing teeth.

"She still isn't feeling better?" Udonna asked in surprise.

"Not a bit. The only food she's able to keep down is RJ's pizza," the Wolf Master had visited not long ago to congratulate them, while also inviting them to his upcoming wedding. "And peaches," Xander sighed. Joe frowned.

"Ari hates peaches," he pointed out.

"Yeah well, the baby loves them," Xander leaned against the railings.

"It would help if they didn't taste nasty," Ari spoke as she walked in, pale and clammy. Her stomach was swollen; an odd look for the normally slender young woman, but didn't give off the impression that she was five months pregnant. "Hi Udonna, how are you?" she smiled to the woman who had been her mentor.

"Much better than you, it would seem," Udonna walked over and touched her hand to Ari's cheek.

"Wouldn't be difficult," Ari smiled back weakly, appreciating the cool touch that the Snow Witch gave off naturally. "It was RJ's idea to check and see if you had anything that might be able to help. Nothing the doctor is prescribing is helping in the slightest," Ari groaned, taking a seat as another wave of nausea hit.

"As a matter of fact..." Joe nodded, walking over to the notebook on the table that contained each potion he had come up with. "Chip and I came up with one, a little while ago, that helps with nausea and sickness," he flicked through the book. "Vida had really bad morning sickness too, but nothing like yours," Joe commented.

"Vida's was very similar to when I was expecting Bowen," Udonna recalled. "And when your mother was expecting you," she added.

"Guess I'm just unlucky," Ari sighed.

"Could be, but even Vida's morning sickness was worse than normal," Joe commented as he thought of the Wind Mystic. "Though I chalked that down to her having twins," he mused, tapping a pencil to his mouth as he flipped through the notebook and found the recipe. "Here it is," he held out the book, and Udonna took it, scanning the list of ingredients.

"Excellent, we have all we need," she smiled, before hearing a chair squeak. They looked around to see Ari darting back outside, a hand to her mouth.

"Better get started then," Joe looked to her with a grim smile.

Ari stared doubtfully at the potion sitting in front of her. A sort of muddy brown in colour, Ari had no desire to drink it, even if it did smell pretty good. She stared at it, and her nausea grew, as if preparing her for the worst. Ari had a sudden vision of drinking it, and as soon as she finished what was in the cup, throwing it straight back up.

"You know, I think I'm good," Ari got up, but Joe pushed her back into the seat.

"It's not that bad," he rolled his eyes.

"You couldn't make it look a little more appealing? It looks like you got it from a puddle outside," Ari muttered. "It's not going to stay down," she warned her brother.

"You'll be fine. Quite whining and drink it," Joe nudged it closer to her, and Ari took it. The cup was warm in her grip. She grimaced, and lifted it.

"If this makes me puke, I'm aiming for you," she warned.

"Everything is making you puke," Joe sighed, and Ari downed the contents of the cup. Joe braced himself to move if she did throw it back up, and Ari pulled a face, before slowly relaxing.

"Disgusting...but I do kinda feel better already," she admitted. "What was in that?" Ari asked curiously.

"Uh...better you don't ask if you don't want to get sick again," Joe chuckled. Ari's face scrunched up at the thought, before she sighed.

"Man, I haven't felt this good since before I got pregnant," she rested her hands on her swollen stomach. "That's far too long to be that sick," Ari grumbled.

"You don't look like you're as far along as you are," Joe commented. "It could be because you've not been well..." he mused.

"The doc said that the baby is healthy, I'm just not showing as much as I could do," Ari shrugged. Some colour was already returning to her face, and she didn't look as uncomfortable. Joe internally considered selling the potion to pregnant women, but dismissed it quickly. "It happens. Maybe I'm just gonna have a small baby," she mused.

"Maybe. But for now, I think you should get home and rest," Joe suggested. Ari pouted.

"All I've done for five months is rest. I'm bored of resting," she whined. Joe chuckled.

"Actually, you've done four months of resting. You didn't find out you were pregnant until you were about a month and a half gone," he reminded her. Ari went red. "Either way, you could do with something to eat that isn't peaches or pizza," Joe decided, grabbing his coat.

"How dare you. I practically lived off RJ's pizza while I was in Ocean Bluff," Ari looked insulted.

"Mighty Pai Zhuq Masters, living off pizza," Joe rolled his eyes. "Come on, we'll go find Xander and Krista, say goodbye to Udonna, and then go get food. Here," he handed Ari a large tub of the potion he had made. "Keep it refrigerated and take it twice a day. The batch will last a month, so give me a heads up and I'll prepare more for you," Joe told her in his 'doctor' voice as both Ari and Hannah had dubbed it.

"Thanks Joe," Ari slipped it into her bag. Joe ruffled her hair with a smile, and they headed out to find the others.

Ari couldn't believe the change in herself over the last week. While it wasn't completely gone, her morning sickness - which lasted all day, seriously, who called it that? - had faded a lot, and she was now able to keep more down than just peaches and very specific pizza. She was now able to do things without fearing she'd throw up at the slightest provocation.

She was in the middle of painting the nursery - after taking two breaks since the smell was making her sick after a while - when her phone rang. Wiping paint on her jeans, which were already streaked with green and yellow paint, Ari fished her phone from her pocket and checked the caller id before answering.

"Hey Rose, what's up?" she answered with a smile.

"Hey Ari, I've been compiling some information here-"

"What else is new," Ari chuckled as she dipped the brush in paint and continued running it down the wall.

"Well I've been wondering...you said your morning sickness was really bad, right?" the Pink Overdrive Ranger asked slowly, making Ari frown.

"Yeah, it's been non-stop. My brother's potion has really helped though," Ari stopped what she was doing, finding the question strange. "Are you researching it?" she asked curiously.

"Well...sort of," Rose admitted, and there was a barely concealed smile in her voice. "I'm pregnant," she admitted.

"Really?" Ari squealed. "That's awesome! Congratulations!" she told her friend happily.

"Thanks, I think. I've been getting really bad morning sickness the last month as well, and since you said you'd been really bad as well...I thought...it could be linked to our DNA," Rose explained, and Ari set down her brush.

"Only you could find out you're pregnant, and realise that getting sick is connected to our DNA," Ari teased.

"Trust me, Mack's already been teasing me about it," Rose sighed. "But I really think I'm onto something here. Our DNA has been changed a lot; yours even more," she pointed out. Ari frowned.

"True...and V, she has magic. Udonna said that her and my mother both had bad morning sickness when they were pregnant, just like V did," Ari nodded.

"That's only furthering my belief," Rose hummed, and Ari giggled as she heard the mother-to-be typing away. "Anyone else you know?" she asked.

"Well Zoe and Tori said they had it pretty bad. Maybe their Ninja Powers being passed down?" Ari suggested. Rose hummed, and Ari heard more typing.

"It could be the body passing on Ninja Powers...Magic and our Genetic Enhancements...since they're such big changes to a normal human body, it could be straining us," Rose suggested. Ari groaned.

"How did I not think of that? Rose, anyone ever tell you that you're a genius?" she grinned.

"Oh, a few have mentioned it," Rose giggled back. Ari looked down at her hand, lighting up an energy ball.

"That probably means my Dino Powers and maybe my Animal Spirit will affect it too. I'll give the others a head up on that," Ari mused, before an idea came to mind. "Hey, Rose, are you free this afternoon? I have an idea," she grinned.

"So what's this great idea?" Rose asked as she walked over to Ari, who was standing at the outskirts of the forest.

"Mack isn't with you?" Ari turned to her, mildly surprised.

"He's off with Andrew on another search for something," Rose shrugged. Ari giggled.

"You're the only one who calls him Andrew," she pointed out. Rose rolled her eyes. Ari loved pointing that out. The rest of the Overdrive Team - excluding Mack, of course - still called Mr. Hartford, no matter how many times he tried to stop them. Rose had a suspicion that it had been Ari's idea to continue the formality.

"I'd say it was out of respect, but this is Ari we're talking about," Ari smiled widely as they were approached by another figure.

"Spence!" she threw her arms around the butler.

"Careful, Ari," he commented. "I am not quite as tough as I was when I had to brace myself for insanity every day with you Rangers," Spencer told her firmly, but was smiling fondly at the girl.

"Yeah right," Ari scoffed. "You're tougher than the lot of us," she told him, and Rose nodded in agreement.

"Nonsense. Regardless, Master Mack requested that I accompany his dear wife and ensure she is not 'dragged into the madness that Ari is sure to create'," Spencer repeated.

"Your husband sucks," Ari complained to Rose, who laughed. "So yeah, my idea," Ari remembered why she had called Rose out to Briarwood. "It's like when I get sun sickness. I'd use my Dino Powers to help feel better, so I was thinking..."

"If we use our powers, we might feel better?" Rose caught on, and Ari nodded. "Sounds plausible," she agreed, and gestured for Ari to go first as she stepped back. Taking a breath, Ari closed her eyes, and Rose and Spencer shielded their own as Ari began to glow. "It's brighter than normal," Rose commented, half in a complaint as the light shone brightly and stung at the Pink Overdrive Ranger's eyes.

"I was right, this is better," Ari commented with a smile as she held her arms out. She then let the glowing fade, and opened a hand to light up an energy ball. "You try it," she suggested. Rose nodded, and immediately vanished from sight as she let her invisibility take over.

"Wow, you're right," Rose smiled as she felt her own discomfort fading. However, a strange sensation filled her stomach, and she put a hand to it, curious as she became visible again.

"What's wrong?" Ari asked as she hit a tree with an energy ball. A large branch fell down with a crash, and Ari made an 'oops' face.

"I don't really know," Rose admitted, as the strange feeling spread from her stomach, through her body. Her brow furrowed, and she walked over to the large branch. Ari and Spencer watched, confused, as she bent down. Both let out cries of alarm as she lifted it effortlessly over her head.

"Uh...since when do you have super strength?" Ari asked with wide eyes. Rose looked just as surprised.

"Since just now I guess..." Rose gulped, and dropped the branch with a loud thudding noise. "It must be the baby," she realised with a smile, putting a hand to her stomach, which only had the tiniest bump to reveal that anything was different about the genius.

"That is awesome!" Ari laughed.

"Master Mack will be pleased to know the baby is just as strong as he is," Spencer mused.

"That's a terrifying thought," Rose muttered. "Please don't kick me," she muttered to her stomach. Ari giggled. "Will we keep going?" Rose then looked up at the other young woman with a smile. "This will make excellent research," she said as Ari lit up another energy ball.

"And it's a lot of fun!" Ari hurled the ball into the air, and it exploded in a shower of sparks.

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