Summary: As the Lotus Ninjas and Saldana continue their assault on Lady Shade's stronghold, they deal with three mystic-enhanced clones in a Shadow genetics lab. Afterwards, when they near their destination, they encounter the powerful Shantress.
Three Lady Shade clones inched menacingly towards the Lotus Ninjas and Saldana. The mystic family enveloped their hands with magic in fighting stances.
"Uh, Donna. Any ideas what we are looking at?" Lee asked.
"It's possible that the Shadow has successfully created genetically engineered clones. And to do that, they would need to require Lady Shade DNA." Donna explained.
"Wow, talk about creepy." Ellie remarked with a disturbed face.
The young adult Lady Shade attacked Saldana, who blocked with a white energy shield.
The childlike Lady Shade charged towards Ella, who leaped high in the air and then released a fireball down at the clone. But the childlike Lady Shade backflipped away to avoid the fireball. She then charged again straight at Ella, but Lee fired a strong blast of water magic at the clone. The childlike Lady Shade bounced upwards with a split and blasted her dark magic at Lee and Ella. Lee and Ella tried to counter the childlike Lady Shade's attacks, but the clone has proven to be very agile.
Donna and Ellie kept firing their earth and air magic at the teenaged Lady Shade. After dodging the elemental blasts, the clone kicked Donna away and then wrapped Ellie in a tentacle out of dark energy before flinging her across the room.
"Hey, Irma, please tell me you found a way out of here yet." Donna said as she pressed a purple flower symbol on her right earbud.
"Working on it." Irma replied as she examined the blueprints of the Shadow Clan headquarters.
"Well, I don't want to rush you. But work faster, please!" Donna replied.
Donna backflipped away from the teenaged Lady Shade, who lashed her dark energized tentacle to hit the purple mystic kunoichi's face. Donna's earbud fell off her ear and smashed into broken pieces on the floor.
"Donna? Donna, can you hear me? What's going on?" Irma cried.
As Donna pulled herself up back on her feet, the teenaged Lady Shade wrapped her dark energized tentacles around her and squeezed her tightly.
Lee and Ella struggled to hold their own against the childlike Lady Shade while Saldana blocked the young adult Lady Shade's attacks with her shield.
Saldana outstretched her hands and began glowing with white magical energy. A circular magic circle expanded across the room under the mystics and the clones. But only the clones stood frozen in place.
"My daughters, attack now." Saldana said.
Lee pointed her hands and released strong streams of water at the young adult and childlike Lady Shade, allowing Ellie to jump high in the air and release a strong gust of wind from her mouth that instantly immobilized the clones. Donna broke free from the teenaged Lady Shade's tentacles and landed away to the ground. She slammed her hand down to the ground, creating a pillar of earth that knocked the clone in the air. Ella then surrounded her leg with blazing flames and delivered a swift kick at the clone, sending her to hit the wall and fall unconscious to the ground.
Then, Donna levitated her broken earbud and magically repaired back in place before putting it back to her ear.
"Donna, are you okay?" Irma asked.
"We're good, Irma." Donna said. "What'cha got?"
"I've located a private elevator in your vicinity." Irma replied.
Donna looked around and found an elevator on the wall.
"Found it." Donna said.
Donna, Ella, Saldana, Lee, and Ellie walked towards the elevator.
Sierra, Mira, and the Shadow Ninjas arrived in the laboratory.
"So, the mystics are alive, after all." Sierra said.
"Not for long." Mira grinned as she warmed up a dark energy sphere in her right hand.
The Shadow Ninjas charged towards the Lotus Ninjas. As Donna kept pressing the up arrow on the elevator, her mother and sisters fired their magic to knock the ninjas away as fast as they can.
Once all the Shadow Ninjas are defeated, the elevator doors finally opened.
"It's open! Let's roll!" Donna called out as she stepped inside the elevator.
Ella, Saldana, Lee, and Ellie ran into the elevator.
"Oh no, you don't!" Sierra shouted.
Sierra fired dark energy blasts while Mira fired dark energy spheres at the Lotus Ninjas. Saldana stood in front of her daughters and deflected the attacks with a white force field. She then fired a strong blast of white electricity that electrocuted Sierra and Mira at the same time, sending them to fall down unconsciously on the floor.
Then, the elevator doors closed and the elevator moved itself upwards.
"That was close." Ellie said, taking a deep breath.
As the elevator reached the top floor to their destination, the Lotus Ninjas and Saldana stepped into a long hallway. They could see a set of doors on the walls and a Shadow symbol on the door at the end of the hallway.
"Hey, Irma. Can you give us a scan on our current location?" Donna said, pressing a purple flower symbol on her right earbud. "We're on the 73rd floor."
"That might be a problem." Irma said.
"And why is that?" Donna asked.
"Because it appears to be a glitch that won't let me scan the 73rd floor in the diagram." Irma replied as she typed on the keyboard. "I've ran a quick diagnostic three times and nothing. I hate to say it. But you girls are on your own this time."
Meanwhile, Sage was monitoring the security systems on her computer inside her lab.
"Hm, looks like we've got a hacker in the system." Sage said. She grew out a menacing smile on her face. "No worries. As long as Lady Shade is distracted, I've cooked up a little something that she will never expect it coming."
The Lotus Ninjas and Saldana traversed the hallway as they looked around for any hidden traps or surprises.
Suddenly, Donna stopped walking. Saldana, Lee, Ellie, and Ella turned to the brainiac mystic. She stomped her right boot on the ground and picked up vibration activities throughout the hallway.
"What is it, Donna?" Lee asked.
"I've detected traps within the floors up ahead." Donna replied.
"Then, we must proceed with caution." Saldana instructed.
"I'm on it." Ellie said.
Ellie outstretched her arms and created a large cloud underneath herself and her family.
"Nice save, Ellie." Lee said with a thumb-up.
Ellie controlled the cloud and directed it over the untouchable floor. She then landed the cloud right in front of the door.
Saldana walked to the double doors and pushed them inwards. She and her daughters entered a massive room under a night sky riddled with stars and galaxies with constellations. They turned their attention to a Japanese two-tiered temple at one end of the room. They moved towards the temple, where they caught the sight of five symbols that are carved into each of the podiums featuring feminine-looking statues on top.
"I recognize these symbols. Just like your magic, each statue represents one of the five elements." Saldana said as she looked up to a statue. "Air, earth, fire, water, and energy."
Suddenly, one of the statues sprang to life.
"Hey, look!" Donna exclaimed.
Then, the other four statues came to life. The mysterious female mystics have floor-length black hair that is styled in a single braid and black mask with glowing lenses. They all wore short length kimono with black obi belt, black tights, and high heels with golden roses on them. The woman representing fire wore a red kimono, the woman representing water wore a blue kimono, the woman representing air wore a cyan kimono, the woman representing earth wore a green kimono, and the woman representing energy wore a pink kimono.
The mysterious mystics surrounded Saldana and the Lotus Ninjas, who summoned their magic from their hands.
"Be prepared for anything, my daughters." Saldana said.
The mysterious mystics conjured tessen in their hands and aimed their weapons at the mystic family, who backflipped away across the room from elemental energy blasts.
"Hey! I'm not sure about the fifth element, but the other four elements are our thing!" Ellie shouted.
The Lotus Ninjas charged at the mysterious mystics.
Ella began unleashing fireballs at the blue-coded mystic, who protected herself with a water force field. Ellie inhaled and exhaled a strong gust of wind at the pink-coded mystic, but the pink-coded mystic swung her tessen and created a pink energy shield for protection. The red-coded mystic released several fireballs at Donna, who backflipped away to avoid getting fried and created a stone pillar for cover. The cyan-coded mystic hovered in the air while drawing the wind towards her body. She then spun herself around into a tornado and rushed towards Lee, who quickly started running away as fast as she can. Saldana's hands glowed with white magic as the green-coded mystic stood towards her. She fired white energy blasts at the green-coded mystic, breaking her body into pieces. But the green-coded mystic's body immediately reformed. The green-coded mystic brought her tessen down to the ground, producing stone pillars coming in Saldana's direction. But Saldana quickly backflipped away.
Then, Saldana watched as her daughters continued fighting with the mysterious mystics with no positive outcome towards victory.
"We've been fighting the wrong opponents." Saldana murmured. She raised her voice loudly to her daughters. "Girls, remember when I switched your magic?"
"Yeah, what about it?" Lee asked.
"You've learned about each other's perspective of your elements!" Saldana said. "Fight your opponents that is the opposite to your magic."
For a moment, Lee, Ella, Donna, and Ellie threw nodding smiles at each other.
"Switch!" Lee, Ella, Donna, and Ellie cried.
Lee, Ella, Donna, and Ellie moved away from the mysterious mystics that they were fighting as they charged to the mystics whose elements are weak against their own. Ella charged a large fireball in her left hand and threw it at the green-coded mystic, who crumbled into pieces to the ground in burning ash. Lee lifted her hands together and fired a strong blast of water that hit the red-coded mystic, causing her to vanish in a puff of smoke. Ellie twirled around and around in rapid speed as she rushed towards the blue-coded mystic and instantly frozen her in place before delivering a swift kick and shattering the frozen mystic into pieces. Donna ensnared the cyan-coded mystic with tight vines and blasted her with a strong blast of earth magic, causing the mysterious mystic to vanish into nothingness. Finally, Saldana leaped over the pink-coded mystic and charged a large ball of white magic between her hands. She aimed it downwards and fired a powerful energy blast that engulfed the pink-coded mystic and made her vanish into nothingness.
"Glad that's over." Ellie said with a relieved expression.
"Hey, Irma. Any luck finding us an exit out of this room?" Donna asked through her earbud.
"I managed to locate a private elevator on the east side of the building." Irma answered. She stared at the screen that showed the elevator going to the top level of the building. "The only information I can tell is that it will lead you girls straight to the top."
Lee walked towards the east side of the room and looked at the giant Shadow clan insignia. She swiped her right arm and fired two scythe-like blades of water that sliced the clan symbol into pieces and discovered the elevator doors.
"Found it." Lee said as she watched the elevators slide open.
"My daughters, no matter what happens today, I'm proud to be your mother and sensei." Saldana said.
The Lotus Ninjas nodded. They and Saldana entered the elevator, which it closed and moved up to their destination.
Once the elevator doors opened, the Lotus Ninjas and Saldana entered Lady Shade's throne room. But the throne room looked empty. The mystic family moved forward, but they halted immediately halfway into the room when four Shadow Elites landed on the floor from the ceiling.
Lee glared silently at the Shadow Elites as she recalled their previous battle.
Then, Sierra and Mira appeared from the entrance doors.
"Looks like we arrived just in time for the fun." Sierra said.
Mira giggled evilly.
Lady Shade stepped out of the shadows and floated in the air in her armored qipao.
"I don't know how you survived from your fate, but I highly doubt you will survive this fight." Lady Shade said. "Elite, attack!"
The Shadow Elite charged forward as the Lotus Ninjas jumped up in the air to face them.
Donna slammed her glowing hands to the ground and created several vines surging towards one Shadow Elite, who evaded the vines and knocked Donna away with an energy blast. Donna got back on her feet and charged forward with more charging vines.
Ella released several fireballs at the second Shadow Elite, who sent out an energy beam at her and pinned her against the wall. Ellie dodged energy blasts from the third Shadow Elite and then knocked her down with two swift, roundhouse kicks.
Sierra and Mira fired rapid short bursts of dark energy at Saldana through their hands, but Saldana blocked the attack with a large white energy shield.
Lee dodged the rapid energy blasts from the final Shadow Elite with a large water ball, but the Shadow Elite managed to knock her down to the ground. The Shadow Elite then levitated above Lee and prepared to aim her hands below.
Lee's eyes grew wide. The memories began to flood her mind, recalling the Shadow Elite attack her with a series of rapid punches, kicks, and energy blasts until she was defeated by their hands. Lee shook her head off from that dreadful recollection and focused at the Shadow Elite above her.
"You took me down once and it won't happen again!" Lee yelled.
Lee unleashed a large water blast that knocked the Shadow Elite away. Ella and Ellie swiftly kicked two Shadow Elites straight to the semi-conscious Shadow Elite. Donna then delivered a fist that knocked the Shadow Elite sliding next to the other three elite kunoichis. As Donna ensnared the Shadow Elites with vines, Lee summoned water from her hand and blasted it all over the elite kunoichis, which allowed Ellie to inhale and exhale a strong gust of cold wind that froze them in solid ice.
Once Saldana dropped her shield, she charged forward and delivered several strong kicks and punches that knocked Sierra and Mira to the floor. She lifted her left arm and fired a strong blast of white magic, encasing Lady Shade's daughter in solid ice.
As Saldana and the Lotus Ninjas turned their attention to Lady Shade, a sleek, feminine-shaping powered exoskeleton erupted from the floor. The Lotus Ninjas and Saldana backed away from the exoskeleton. The hovering exoskeleton was coated in a silverish-white and light teal coloration.
"Wow, Donna. You really step up with your techno magic." Ella said as she, her sisters, and her mother looked at Donna.
"As much as I want to take credit, I didn't make that battle armor." Donna said.
The light teal face mask revealed Sage's face.
"Sage!" Lady Shade exclaimed.
"The one and the only." Sage answered.
"Well then, you're in luck. Destroy the Lotus and you may redeem yourself for giving me that false report of yours." Lady Shade said.
"Oh please!" Sage scoffed. "Do you really think I made this suit to help you? The only reason I made this suit so I can destroy them and you! With this suit, I will make you suffer for every punishment you inflicted upon me!"
"Sage, you'll pay for this!" Lady Shade shouted as she clenched her left fist.
Sage turned around and pointed her finger at the Lotus Ninjas.
"And just like Lady Shade, neither of you are leaving this room alive!" Sage declared. "You'll face my wrath of my technological power!"
Sage laughed evilly.
"Let me guess. We're doomed?" Ellie murmured.
"Yup. Totally doomed." Donna answered.
To be continued...
Shantress - a portmanteaur word of shadow and enchantress.
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