Kali stood on the sidelines as she watched Daggeron pace up and down in front of the new Rangers. They had opted to call themselves the 'Ninja Steel Rangers,' a little on the nose, but who was she to complain? Her team was the Mystic Force Rangers, eluding to the fact that they used magic and the mystical arts to fuel their weapons and fighting spirits.
While Daggeron gave the new team their Ranger pep talk, not to mention his usual rundown of what it meant to be a Ranger, and how they were now a part of something much bigger. Mick arrived beside Kali carrying a metal box under his arm.
Redbot was also present.
The robot had come with Brody from space, apparently he was scrap metal that Galvanax had tried to create something useful from - to the space warrior it was an unsuccessful endeavour, but to Brody, and now the Rangers, Redbot was an ally and would be very useful in the near future.
"Did it work?" Kali asked Mick.
The Mechanic nodded. "The legends of the Nexus Prism are very true," he said, excitedly. "I have six prism stars right here." He patted the box.
"Great. Daggeron's almost done with his speech. We can hand them over then."
Mick nodded and turned his attention to the field. Daggeron had been a mystic knight - everyone through space knew about the mystic knights - on other planets they were myths and legends, but here on Earth they were very much a reality.
It was an honour to even meet a knight.
"Kali has asked me to train you," said Daggeron. "We'll do so every day. First in the morning, then in the afternoon. The schedule will be rigorous but fulfilling. However, I won't make the same mistake I did last time. I will allow time for relaxation and for you to just blow off steam. Trust me, I learned that the hard way."
He glanced to where Kali stood. He had learned a lot of different techniques and ways when he had been training her, Nick, and the others. He had learned that the world had changed, and that humans required more than just a vigorous training regime. They needed time to just be teenagers, to unwind and let loose. Something he would have regarded as a waste of time when he was training.
"When do we start?" Hayley asked.
"As soon as possible," said Daggeron. "But, first of all, Kali and Mick have something you're going to need for the first session." He motioned to Kali that he was done.
Kali smiled at the team. They were all so eager to learn. Reminded her a little of her and the others. They were eager to learn the ways of the mystic, too. "After the battle yesterday, Mick and I had an idea," she said. "As you know, I sent for the retrieval of the Ninja Steel last night. We've been melting it down to create new stars for you. Today, we have six basic stars fused with elemental magic."
Mick opened the box and presented the silver and gold stars to the team. Each had a corresponding colour to match with the Ranger it was meant for and had been fused with enough magic to level the entire forest. Where Kali and the Mystic Rangers had one element to master, the Ninja Stars had all six.
"We've decided to call them Element Stars," Mick said. "Galvanax is going to continue to send monsters, and each one is going to be stronger than the last. His goal is still the same - to get the Ninja Stars, the only difference now is he doesn't want them from the Prism. He wants them from you."
"If the stars are anything like the Dino Gems," said Kali, "then the only way he can get them is if he destroys you. We're not about to let that happen. The stars are a little more powerful than your average Ranger equipment. It's going to take a while to master them, so don't be disappointed if you don't get it the first try."
The team nodded.
"Yes, I have asked Daggeron to teach you," Kali added. "But, as you grow as Rangers and progress in your individual elements, I have asked for additional teachers to step in. There are a vast majority of element wielders out there that can teach you to not just harness your individual powers, but master them, too. Okay?"
Again, the team nodded.
"Great. So, normally, elements go to the corresponding colour," Kali continued. "However, I also feel that changing it up will give us the upper hand. Therefore, I am going to do something that, as far as I know, hasn't been done before."
As Kali explained the stars, Mick passed them out amongst the team. He had already got the rundown from Kali, and therefore knew which star belonged to which Ranger.
"Each star is infused with every element, but it does have one main dominant," Kali pointed at Calvin, "Fire," she moved to Hayley, "Water," next was Preston, "Earth," then Nym, "Forest," Aidan, "Lightning," and finally Brody, "Metal."
"Let's give this a go!" Calvin exclaimed. He scurried across the field, clutching his star firmly in his palm.
Kali motioned for the others to back up and the instant they did, a force field erected itself around the training area. "Don't worry," she called to Calvin, seeing the expression on his face. "It's for there as a precaution."
Nodding nervously, Calvin looked back at the star. He twist the edge so that it had water as it's selected element and attached it to the front of his sword. "Elemental Star! Water attack!" he called, pulling the sword up to the side of his head.
Nothing happened.
Calvin furrowed his brow and dropped his defensive pose. He stared at his sword, shaking it as if to loosen the water from the inside.
"What happened?" Nym asked. "Why didn't it work?"
"I didn't give Calvin the star where water is dominant," said Kali. "I gave him the star where fire is first."
"But you said all the stars had all elements," said Hayley.
"They do."
"Then why -" Brody cut off as a torrent of water shot out of Calvin's sword, struck the ground, and propelled him backwards into the force field. He groaned and slumped against the ground as he landed.
With a snap of her fingers, Kali lowered the shield and jogged over to where Calvin lay. She offered him her hand and pulled him back to his feet. "Solid start," she said. "But, how about we start with the dominant element from each star first?"
Calvin's eyes widened. "You want me to try fire after that disaster?" he asked. "No thank you."
Kali chuckled. "You're in a safe environment, Calvin," she said, reassuringly. "The reason the water element didn't instantly work was because, with it being a secondary element to the fire star, it takes time to process. The more you use the stars, the less time it will take to activate."
"I'm confused," said Brody.
"Think of it like a sequence," said Kali, smiling patiently. "The next sequence will unlock when the first one has been completed. Completing fire in the fire star will unlock water. Completing Water in the water star will unlock earth, and so far so forth."
"So, they unlock in the order of the elements?" asked Aidan. "Fire is the main element, after which comes water, Earth, Forest, Metal, and Lightning?"
Kali nodded. "Everything has a structure and hierarchy," she said. "This is no different. As you master each dominant element the next in the sequence will unlock." She turned back to Calvin. "So, fire?" she asked.
Again, Calvin hesitated.
"Okay. Anyone else?" Kali asked, turning to the others.
"I'll do it," said Aidan. He motioned for Calvin to swap swords but Kali's hand on his shoulder stopped him.
"You and Brody have fire in your blood," said Kali. "Mastering the fire element will be easy for you. That's why I made sure to give you elements as far away from the fire sequence as possible."
"But -" Brody started.
Kali shook her head at time. "You're a team," she said. "If you two master your abilities faster than the others it puts you at a serious disadvantage. It could cause disruption within the ranks, or it'll cause you both to be overrun when on the battlefield. Remember, the bigger threat you're perceived to be, the more trouble will be drawn to you. How do you expect your teammates to help if they aren't on your playing field."
Brody grumbled but stepped down. It was obvious he was having issues with Kali, but she was doing what she thought was right and ignoring them. If he had that big of a problem with her, then he was well within his rights to say so. She was a big girl, she could handle whatever backlash she got. Plus, she had never been a mentor to a full team before, she was doing the best she could.
It was a learning curve for all of them.
"I don't …" Calvin looked up from his sword, shaking his head.
"It's okay," said Kali, patting his shoulder. "We'll work on it." She looked around at the others and met Daggeron's gaze.
Daggeron nodded. "Maybe that's enough for today," he suggested. "We can pick up again this afternoon."
Kali checked her watch. "Good idea. It's time for school anyway," she said.
The teens groaned.
~X~
Hayley turned to Nym as they changed from their training gear into their regular clothes in the room Nym occupied at Rootcore. "So, you live in a tree?" she asked, curiously.
Nym laughed. "Yeah. I suppose I do," she answered.
"You don't find that weird?"
Nym shook her head. "Should I?" she asked. "I mean, you live in a house made of stone, that's weird to me."
"Wood is less sturdy than stone, though," said Hayley. "What if there is a fire?"
"We're protected against most things due to the magic nature of Rootcore," said Nym. "If a fire were to break out in the Mystic Realm, Rootcore would unharmed."
Hayley raised an eyebrow. "You can do that?" she asked.
"Magic can pretty much do anything," said Nym. She pulled on her t-shirt and reached for the jacket that lay on the bed. Beside it was her mystic communicator - a cellphone that Kali had conjured. It linked to directly to Rootcore when she was away from the tree. Aidan also had one. She couldn't help but wonder if Kali would create four more for the others now that they were a part of the family.
"We should get going," said Hayley, changing lanes. "We have that test today. If we get to school earlier enough we can practice some more before class starts."
Nym swallowed hard. Her first day at an actual high school was daunting enough, even more so when there was a pop quiz in her first lesson. She had studied as much as she could, despite only hearing about it yesterday, but she was still nervous as hell about being seen as an idiot. She never been exposed to human stuff outside of what Kali had told her, but she was still a magical creature born to another magical creature. How was she supposed to fare in a human quiz against other humans?
"Nym?" Hayley asked, grasping her shoulders. The youngster had started breathing heavily and it looked like she was trembling. "Hey, it's okay."
The door crashed open, and Aidan hurried inside. He spotted Nym and pulled her into his arms. "What happened?" he asked Hayley.
"We were talking about the quiz," said Hayley. "Then… I don't know. What's happening to her?"
"She's having a panic attack," said Preston. He too, along with Calvin and Brody, stood in the doorway.
Aidan shook his head. "Dragonborns don't have panic attacks," he said. "Hey, hey, look at me!" he forced Nym's head up until her gaze met his. The usual blue was replaced with fire, and he could see scales starting to appear over her face. "You're okay. I'm right here."
As Aidan engulfed her in his arms again. Nym stopped trembling. She whined and buried herself deeper into his arms, inhaling his familiar scent until finally, she felt near human again.
"Thank you," said Nym, her voice muffled. She withdrew and stared up at Aidan.
He pressed a kiss to her forehead.
The others shared confused looks.
"Uh, what was that?" Brody asked.
Aidan glanced over at his brother. "Like I said, dragonborns don't have panic attacks," he said. "They're not human and therefore don't feel human emotions. At least not like a normal human would, anyway. If I hadn't have interfered when I did, we would've had a fully grown dragon on our hands."
"She transforms when she has a panic attack?" Preston asked. He became more in awe at the Mystic Realm with each passing second.
"It's not a panic attack," said Nym. She sounded tired. "It's a Dragon's Bane. It's basically where my two selves are at odds with the other. The dragon side is a safe place for my kind, which is why we'll start to transform if our emotions are heightened."
"But you managed to stop it," said Preston.
"Only dragons who are bonded can stop it," said Aidan. "When Nym was born, her mother was killed. The clutch was brought here, and I watched over them. While her brothers and sisters were adopted out to other families, Nym stayed. We bonded and when she shifted for the first time, she only wanted me."
"So, you're partners?" Calvin asked. "Like us." He took Hayley's hand with a smile.
"Not exactly," said Nym, shaking her head. "Some dragonborns can bond romantically with their partners. But we haven't."
"But you can?" Preston asked.
Nym nodded. "If we wanted too, yeah," she said. She glanced up at Aidan. "But I see him as more of a brother than an actual partner."
"Same," said Aidan.
Nym smiled.
"You're going to be late!" Kali called from downstairs.
"We're coming, mum!" Aidan called back. He turned to Nym. "You sure you're okay?"
Nym nodded. "Always am with you," she said.
Aidan smiled. "Okay. Well, let's go." He turned to the others and, let them leave the room ahead of him and Nym before the pair followed.
Kali was waiting for them downstairs. "Brody, I had Nick get this for you in town," she said, handing him a backpack. It was red and black in colour. "I wouldn't recommend using the front pocket. Joe managed to get hold of it and his dad's wand. There's a small hole burned into the bottom."
"Thanks," said Brody, taking the bag. He checked the front pocket and exactly as Kali had said there was a hole. It wasn't a big hole, but enough for something to slip through if wriggled about enough.
"Once we're finished setting up the new connections, we'll take you out and get you everything you need, alright?" Kali said. "Clothes, school equipment, you name it."
Brody furrowed his brow. "I don't need -" he started.
"He can share my room," said Aidan, clapping his brother on the shoulder. "I already made a space for him."
"That's for him to decide," said Kali. "But we'll discuss it later. Go on, you don't want to be late on your first day."
The others nodded and filed out of the dragon's mouth.
~X~
Aidan met Nym's gaze and shook his head. He and the others were sitting in a classroom at Summer Cove high waiting for their first period teacher to show up. "I can't find Brody anywhere," he said, sliding into the seat beside her. He didn't understand how someone could disappear right before their eyes. One minute Brody had been with them leaving Rootcore, the next he had gone.
"I knew we shouldn't have split up going through the tree," said Nym. "Do you think he got lost?"
"How can he?" Preston asked. "Kali was pretty specific when she told us how to tree-port."
Nym and Aidan snorted.
"What?" Preston blinked. He couldn't help but smile as Nym laughed though. "What did I say?" he glanced at Hayley and Calvin.
Aidan shook his head. "It's nothing. Just, tree-porting?" he asked. "You sound like Uncle Chip."
"That's the second time you've told me that," said Preston. "Starting to feel that I should meet this Uncle Chip."
"Stick around Rootcore enough and you will," said Nym. "But Uncle Chip was the yellow ranger on Kali's first team. He controlled lightning. He's pretty eccentric, fun, but eccentric. He'll be disappointed that he didn't produce the term tree-porting. I think he'd like it."
"Oh, he'll definitely like it," Aidan agreed. "As for Brody. The only way he could've got lost was if he didn't come through at all. Like you said, mum was pretty clear in describing how to get through."
"Hey, there's a monster at the plaza," someone shouted. They were sitting at a computer. They turned it around so everyone could see the screen, and there was Brody, in full ranger gear, fighting the monster one-on-one.
The others shared looks.
"At least we know where he is," said Calvin.
"But why didn't he tell us?" Hayley asked. "We could've helped."
"That fight is live," said Preston. "It's happening right now. We could still -" he cut off as the feed disappeared.
Nym glanced at Aidan. "Kali is going to freak if she finds out," she said.
"She may already know," said Aidan. "I can't protect Brody from mum. If he's going to pull stupid stunts like this, she's gonna punish him regardless."
"Like she did you?" Hayley asked. "What is a week in the Underworld like, anyway?"
Aidan smiled. "It's been refurbished since my mother's time as a Ranger," he said. "It's pretty much a training ground now for elite defenders. Itassis and Matoombo, the two tutors mum mentioned, they are what's left of the Ten Terrors. They teach elite darkness classes down there."
"But you're fire and lightning," said Calvin. "Why would she send you to them?"
"Because their training regimes are brutal," said Aidan. "Like I said, they are two of the Ten Terrors. It's all about order and balance with them. If they set you as task then you have to complete it to those specific instructions, or you fail."
"Sounds harsh."
"That's why it's an elites only programme," said Nym, pulling her feet down from the table as Brody rushed into the room. He was puffing and panting, like he had run a marathon.
Aidan jumped up and backhanded his brother's shoulder. "What the hell, bro?" he asked. "You fought a monster and didn't tell us?"
"Don't worry. My datacom and I handled it," Brody replied, tapping the device on his wrist. "Besides, Kali didn't want you to be late, and the rest of you had to study."
"Kali didn't want any of us to be late," said Nym, "and you had to study, too. She's not going to be pleased if she finds out you went up against a monster alone."
Brody resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Right. Because we can't make Kali angry, can we?" he muttered.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Aidan asked, defensively. He wasn't blind. He had seen the way Brody was resisting Kali's help, but he couldn't understand why. She only wanted to help.
Before Brody could reply, Mrs Finch entered the room. "Quiet down everybody," she called, closing the door, and inching her way toward the front of the room. "Good morning. Take your seats. We have a lot to get through so try to, well, keep up!"
Nym swallowed and glanced at Aidan. He squeezed her hand beneath the table and smiled reassuringly. This wasn't just her first day of high school, it was the first day of her assignment, so it was normal for her to be a little antsy.
"First of all," Mrs Finch said, once she was ready. "We have a three new students starting today. Brody Romero, Aidan Briar, and Nym Fireheart… interesting last name."
Nym blushed as several people around the room chuckled.
"So, would either of you like to tell us a little about yourselves?" Mrs Finch asked.
Aidan raised his hand. "People always find it interesting to know that Nym and I are from Briarwood," he said. He was always proud of where his adopted family derived from.
As expected, the class gasped at the recognition of the city's name.
"And Brody?" Mrs Finch asked.
"Well, my name's Brody and I'm -" he broke off as Mrs Finch interrupted him.
Aidan patted his brother's shoulder. After all, they did have a lot to get through today.
"Right. Onto the quick-fire quiz," said Mrs Finch. "Get into your teams. No more than five to a team."
The rangers turned to one another. They were one over the recommended amount.
"Maybe she won't notice?" Nym asked, quietly.
"Nym, why don't you join Victor, Monty, and Muriel?" Mrs Finch asked, pointing at a table across from the groups.
Nym's eyes widened. "Um, but I -" she stammered. Being separated from the others was one thing, but being separated from Aidan was another thing entirely. What if she had a Dragon's Bane again? What if he couldn't get to her in time and she transformed in front of everyone?
"It's okay," Aidan whispered, leaning in. "You're literally on the other side of the room. I'm right here. Think of this has a chance to expand your abilities for undercover. We're not always going to be attached at the hip."
Despite being visibly shaken, Nym nodded. She grabbed her things and stood, making her way toward the table that Mrs Finch had pointed. Monty smiled and waved as she approached, while Victor leaned back in his chair, trying to appear as cool, calm, and collected. He winked when he caught her gaze and Nym couldn't help but smile.
"Hi, I'm Muriel," said the girl at the end of the table.
Nym flashed her a small smile. "Nym," she replied.
"Your… boyfriend?" Muriel asked, glancing at Aidan.
"Partner," said Nym.
Muriel looked confused. Wasn't that the same thing? "Anyway, they said you were from Briarwood?" she asked.
Nym nodded.
"What's that like?" Muriel asked. "Is it really all magic?"
"Not always, no," said Nym, shaking her head. "It used to be, until magic was used for… not so good things. The new protector of the magical realm forbade that magic be used outside of the barrier, to ensure that it wasn't used for nefarious reasons."
"That would be the former Black Ranger, right?" Muriel asked. "Kali?"
Nym nodded.
"Is your… partner," again Muriel glanced at Aidan. "Related to her? He shares her last name."
"She adopted him."
Muriel nodded. "That must be interesting," she said. "Being adopted by a mystical being. I bet he's got a load of stories to share."
Nym shrugged. "Aidan, while proud of his adopted family, doesn't really share much about his life," she said.
"Why, is he forbidden too?"
Nym furrowed her brow at Muriel's tone. "No. He just chooses not to," she said.
"Shame. I always wondered what it would be like to, well, you know," Muriel grinned. "If you two aren't together together, maybe I'll try my hand. You wouldn't mind, would you?"
"Mind what?"
Muriel laughed. She stopped at the confused look on Nym's face. "Oh, you poor sheltered child," she mused. "Don't worry. I'll fill you in on the details as the year goes on. You'll get what I mean." She patted Nym's hand as Mrs Finch started the quiz.
"Question one: if Mark has $6.50 and he gives $1.20 to Liz, and two other friends get a quarter each, how much does he have left?" Mrs Finch asked.
Brody's hand shot into the air. "$4.80," he called.
"Correct," said Mrs Finch, adding a point to the green team.
From the end of the table, Victor scoffed. "Stupid question," he said. "Who gives their friends money?"
"Quiz question two," said Mrs Finch. "If I ran for twenty minutes, skipped for ten minutes, and jumped for three. How long did I work out for?"
Preston shot to his feet. "Ooh! Ah…"
"Thirty-three Earth minutes," Brody interrupted, hand shooting into the air.
Nym furrowed her brow at him. He had been traversing the solar system for ten years, there was no way he got a good education amongst the stars.
"Another point for green," said Mrs Finch, adding it to the board.
"Seems like someone doesn't understand the concept of team work," Muriel muttered.
"Tell me about it," agreed Nym, watching as Brody ducked his head and whispered into his datacom as soon as Mrs Finch asked another question.
The rounds continued. Most of the class had given up even trying, competing against Brody just wasn't fun when you didn't get a word in. Even his team seemed to have thrown in the towel.
"Hold it!" Victor announced loudly. "Mr smarty-pants over there is cheating! Mrs Finch, I saw the new kid use that… thing on his wrist."
"Is that true, Brody?" Mrs Finch asked, marching over. "What is that… uh, thingamajig you have there?"
Brody held up his wrist. "It's my datacom," he answered. "It gives me answers to questions I don't know."
Nym pinched the bridge of her nose. "You've got to be kidding me," she whined.
"Not the brightest bulb on the tree, is he?" Muriel asked.
"Well, I don't know about your last school," said Mrs Finch, hands on hips. "But around here, that is against the rules. I don't want to see it again. Understand?"
"But -" Brody started to protest.
Mrs Finch shook her head. "No buts," she interrupted. "If I see it again, you'll get a weeks' worth of detention. Do you understand?"
Brody sulked in his seat. Mrs Finch's punishment reminded him an awful lot of Kali's punishment for Aidan. And, just like his brother hadn't argued against her, he knew better than to argue with Mrs Finch. "Fine," he grumbled, removing the data com, and sliding it into his backpack.
As Mrs Finch returned to her desk, the bell rung. Nym stood, said her goodbyes to Muriel and hurried off to Aidan's side. He wrapped an arm around her and pressed a kiss to the side of her head.
"I'm proud of you," said Aidan. "You didn't transform once, and actually looked like you made a friend."
Nym glanced back at Muriel. "Yeah, about her," she said, quietly.
~X~
Aidan stared at Nym as she told him what Muriel had said in class. "Please, please, tell me you're joking," he begged.
"I don't even know what it means," Nym replied. "So I don't know."
Aidan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He hadn't even been at Summer Cove a full day yet and he was being propositioned by the female population.
"Is it bad?" Nym asked.
"In a way," said Aidan. He met Nym's gaze. "Don't worry about it. If anything comes of it, I'll handle it."
Nym cocked her head. "You're not going to tell me what it means?" she asked.
"Nope. Sheltered life or not, I'm not having that conversation with you."
"What conversation?" Preston asked, sitting in the vacant seat beside Nym.
Aidan shook his head.
Preston turned to Nym and raised an eyebrow. "What am I missing?" he asked.
"You're missing something?" Calvin asked, arriving with Hayley and Brody.
"No. Aidan just said he's not 'having that conversation' with Nym," Preston answered, "and I'm curious."
Hayley studied Aidan. He looked flustered and a dull blush had risen in his cheeks. "Oh. That conversation. Yeah, that's something best left to, say, Kali."
Preston continued to look confused.
"The birds and the bees conversation," Hayley said.
"Oh. Oh!" Preston gasped, facing turning red. "Yeah. No, that's a conversation best left to the professionals."
Nym furrowed her brow. "What does birds and bees have to do with anything?" she asked.
"I'll let mum know after school, and she can explain it to you," said Aidan. "Just, don't worry about it now."
"Muriel said she'd explain more to me as the year goes on," said Nym. "So, Kali doesn't have to take time out of -"
"Absolutely not!" Aidan and Hayley exclaimed.
Nym shrunk back, away from the loud noise.
"Sorry," Hayley apologised. "Trust me. Kali explaining this to you will be better. Muriel can be a bit…"
"Eccentric?" Calvin suggested.
"Blunt," Hayley said, nudging him.
Preston rolled his eyes down. "That's one way of putting it," he muttered.
Nym frowned at him. Muriel may have seemed brash when she had met her this morning, but she had to believe it was just due to first day jitters and meeting new people.
Hayley reached for Nym's hand. "Believe me," she said. "You don't want Muriel's warped perspective of things like this. Okay?"
"Okay," Nym said, shrugging. "I guess I'll talk to Kali."
Aidan sighed in relief.
As the conversation turned away from Nym and onto Brody, Aidan slunk in his seat. He took out his phone and fired off a quick message to his mother, warning her about the possible mortifying talk she would need to have that evening. Mortifying for Nym, more than anything.
He could remember when Kali had sat him down and had the sex talk, it had been positively humiliating. He understood that she meant well, but that still didn't mean he needed to hear about it from a woman he considered to be his mother.
However, he knew the talk would be worse for Nym. His was the normal "human sex talk," but Nym was a Dragonborn. Dragon's bred differently to humans, it was a lot more complex, and being a shifter - not many Dragonborns went on to develop their shifter abilities - it was a lot more serious.
The only person Nym could have this conversation with was Kali.
His phone chimed and he checked the response.
I'll handle it. Was all it said.
Before he snapped the phone closed, it chimed again, and a second message appeared beneath the first.
Monster in City plaza. Patrol dispatched to clear civilians. Rangers needed on scene.
"Looks like that monster is back for round two," said Aidan, lurching forward in his seat. "Mum just messaged. He's at the city plaza."
Brody looked to Hayley. "Now you'll see just how valuable my datacom really is." He reached into the pocket on his backpack and gasped, withdrawing his hand but no Datacom. "It must've fallen out of the hole. We have to find it."
"We don't need it," said Aidan.
"The Datacom is linked to Galvanax's computers. It has all the information needed to defeat whatever he throws at us," Brody protested.
Aidan shook his head. "Countless teams before us didn't have a datacom," he said. "And they defeated thousands of evil spirits. If they can do it, so can we."
Brody sighed and followed his friends to the door. He hesitated on the threshold and then shook his head. "You guys go on ahead," he said. "I have to find my datacom. We may need it."
"Brody!" Aidan called as his brother run off. He tried to follow, stopping only as Nym grabbed his hand.
"Let him go," said Nym. "He needs to realise this on his own. Come on. We're needed at the plaza."
Aidan sighed but nodded and allowed her to drag him away.
~X~
"So, who is this guy?" Calvin asked. He and the others had morphed as they raced towards the scene.
"Mum says his name is Spinferno," said Aidan. "According to Mick he is a walking, talking, volcano with a penchant for speed. We need to slow him down before we can destroy him."
"Where's the ice Ninja when you need them?" Nym asked.
Aidan glanced her way. "Who needs an Ice Ninja when you have you?" he asked. "Your ice blast should work wonders in this scenario."
"Wait, ice blast?" Preston asked. "Your last two blasts melted and incinerated. You have ice, too?"
Nym smiled. "My dragon form as a connection to a few different elements, Preston," she said. "I'll show you sometime."
A familiar voice stopped the Rangers in their tracks. They were less than several feet from the monster - he had his back to them and was tormenting Victor and Monty.
"What are they doing here?" Hayley hissed.
"Being idiots, by the looks of it," said Aidan. "We need to get them out. How they managed to slip past the patrol, I don't know, but they're going to get hurt."
Without waiting for the others, Nym rushed forward. She pushed off from the ground and flipped over Spinferno's head, landing between him and Victor as he fired off an air attack. The twister whirled towards the three, but Nym cut through it with her sword.
"You need to get out of here!"
Victor and Monty shared a terrified look. They were covered from head to toe in foam but looked relieved at the save. Saluting once, Monty caught Victor's hand and dragged him from the scene.
"Meddlesome fool," said Spinferno. "I was just having a little fun with some new friends."
"Fun with friends is supposed to be entertaining for all parties involved," said Nym. "It seemed only you were being entertained."
The others wrapped around the monster, blocking him in from all sides.
"You need to slow it down," said Calvin.
"Slow?" Spinferno laughed. "I don't know the meaning of the word."
"Then let us give you a demonstration," said Aidan. He summoned his sword and rushed forward, the others following his lead.
Spinferno laughed and slid aside with ease. Is disappearance send Aidan hurdling into Preston, and Calvin and Hayley into Nym. His laugh grew as the five hit the ground in a tangled heap of legs and arms.
"You can't keep up with me," Spinferno chortled, skating around the team. Multiple times they had attempted to fight him, but each time he knocked them down like pins. Their spells had no effect, and none of them - bar Aidan and Nym - were confident enough to try their elemental controls.
"Water wave!" Nym called, jumping up and waving her sword through the air. She held it in a backhanded motion, and with a slash, sent a tidal wave of water pouring over Spinferno. He skated away, stopping just out of reach.
He laughed and rushed forward again, striking Nym in the shoulder.
"Thunderstorm!" Aidan shouted.
A black mass of cloud formed over Spinferno, who merely skated between then lightning bolts. As they disappeared, he skated forward again and threw a series of fireballs at the two standing.
Nym and Aidan cried out as they were blasted backward.
"We can't take much more!" Nym said, rolling onto her stomach.
Spinferno rolled around the area, watching, waiting, and hoping that one or more Rangers would jump to attack. He was having so much fun and didn't understand why anyone would have such trouble defeating these children.
"Red Ninja Blast!"
A series of energy balls collided with Spinferno, knocking back the length of the path.
Aidan turned and sighed in relief. "You made it!" he said, getting to his feet and helping Nym up as Brody joined them.
The others scrambled up and hurried over.
"Did you find your datacom?" Hayley asked.
Brody shook his head. "No. I found something better," he grinned at them. "My team."
The others laughed.
"Lose something?" Spinferno asked, holding up a familiar device. It was the lost datacom.
"How did he get it?" Preston asked.
Nym furrowed her brow, thinking back to the scene she had interrupted between Monty, Victor, and Spinferno. She couldn't be sure, but she was certain that Monty had been holding the datacom when she had arrived. He could've easily dropped it in his haste to get away.
"Keep it," said Brody, shrugging. "I don't need it now. I got all I need… right here." He motioned to his team.
"Pfft!" Spinferno scoffed. "There's not much going on there!"
"It's morphin' time," said Brody. He locked his power star into his morpher. "Ninja Spin!"
Despite his belief in his own abilities, Spinferno slid backward as he faced the now team of six Rangers. He may have been able to run circles around only five, but six had an advantage.
"Power of the Ninja, Ninja Steel Red!"
"Stealth of the Ninja, Ninja Steel Blue!"
"Strength of the Ninja, Ninja Steel Yellow!"
"Spirit of the Ninja, Ninja Steel White!"
"Speed of the Ninja, Ninja Steel Gold!"
"Knowledge of the Ninja, Ninja Steel Pink!"
"Power Rangers Ninja Steel!"
Spinferno scoffed, although he didn't sound as confident has he had before. "Kudabots!" he called.
"These clowns again," Calvin whined.
"Every enemy needs foot soldiers," said Aidan. "Just be glad they aren't Hidiacs. Those things are freaky."
"Freaky, but good in a fight," said Nym. She ducked beneath a spear and wrapped her hands around the pole, using it to leverage herself as she jumped up and jammed her knee into the Kudabots chest.
Aidan rolled his sword between his hands. "Let's get this over with as soon as possible," he said. "Thunderstorm!"
"Whoa!" Nym dodged to the left, rolling between two lightning bolts as they speared down and struck the Kudabots she had been fighting. "A little warning next time?"
"The yell of 'Thunderstorm' and darkening skies wasn't enough warning for you?" Aidan asked. "Come on now. You're supposed to be an elemental dragon."
"Elemental that does not include lightning… or thunder!"
With the Kudabots dealt with, Aidan and Nym re-joined the others. They had been fighting and failing against Spinferno, despite having an advantage with Brody and his skills.
Breathing heavily, the Rangers regrouped.
"We need a new plan," said Preston. "Any ideas?"
"I can use my ice breath," said Nym. "But it would be better if we could hold him in place. If he runs off mid attack, or does anything to make it go screwy, a lot of innocent people could get hurt."
Brody turned to Hayley. "Feel like trying your Earth star?" he asked.
"Uh, sure? I suppose," said Hayley. After this morning's session with Calvin being thrown back by the water attack, she was in no hurry to fail. Winning wasn't the only option for her, but she strived on being good and not failing the first-time round.
Aidan put his hand on her shoulder. "Something my grandmother told my mother and father - to use magic, all you have to do is believe in it," he said. "The same logic applies here. If you believe in your abilities as an Earth Ninja, you'll be one without a doubt."
Hayley smiled. "Thanks, Aidan," she said. She summoned her element star and attached it to the hilt of her sword. "Element Star, Earth Attack!"
The ground cracked and crumbled as vines burst form beneath. They surged forward, wrapping around Spinferno's ankles and preventing him from going anywhere. He tripped and grumbled as he hit the floor but was suddenly lifted into the air as more vines wrapped around his hands, wrists and middle and held him high in the air.
"Now, Nym!" said Aidan.
Nym pulled back and demorphed. She closed her eyes, focusing all of her attention on the white blaze inside. She took a deep breath, feeling her body contort and shift as the molten white light inside her grew in strength and heat.
"Whoa," the team breathed, as a few seconds later, Nym the human had disappeared and standing in her place inside was a magnificent, white Dragon. Her eyes snapped open, revealing a pink hue around her irises.
"Dragon breath! Ice beam attack!" Aidan heard. A blazing torrent of frosted white hit Spinferno, causing him to howl and struggle. Ice shards crinkled and covered every inch of his body, extinguishing his flames, and forming a second skin over his first. Soon, only an ice statue remained.
The vines disappeared, force back by the cold, and the statue fell to the ground. Shattering upon impact.
"Show's over," said Brody, looking towards the skies. He wasn't sure where the spy camera was located, but he knew there had to be one nearby, recording what was happening and sending it back to the ship for viewing privilege.
"Ninja's win!"
~X~
Nym covered her face as she slid into an empty seat beside Aidan. They were back at Rootcore. School had ended, the fight with Spinferno had been won and the Rangers had emerged victorious. Not that there had been any doubt.
"Mum give you the talk?" Aidan asked.
"Don't talk to me."
Aidan laughed. "Why?" he asked.
"You could've warned me."
"Where's the fun in that?"
Nym grumbled about hating him as the others filed in from the Dragon mouth. They had a few things to finish up between school and home - letting their parents know they were safe before, during, and after the attack - before heading through the nearest tree and making it to the Ranger base.
It had been a long time since Rootcore had been used as a Ranger base, now it was headquarters for a much larger scale of defence, but it was still a good place to be as Rangers. The library was still accessible, so that Preston could dive head first into as many books on magic as he wanted, while Daggeron was only a dimension hop away should they want to practice a little one-on-one.
Brody had already asked the Solar Knight for assistance, the pair had agreed to meet up after the debrief with Kali and Mick.
That was the only thing difference now. Whereas in the past, most Ranger teams retired to extracurricular activities to unwind, Kali had made it so that Ninja Rangers informed her of a fight before going off to do what they wanted. When asked about it, Kali simply replied that it was new protocol, and left it at that.
"Who wants to start?" Kali asked, leaning on the Xenotome, and studying the group. "How about you, Brody?"
Brody furrowed his brow at her. Why did it sound like an interrogation rather than a conversation.
"I helped Hayley, Calvin, and Preston deal with Spinferno while Aidan and Nym handled the Kudabots," Brody answered. "Hayley used her Earth star to hold him in place and Nym used her ice breath to crystallise him. He shattered after that."
Kali nodded. She, of course, knew what had happened in the fight. She was hoping that Brody would use this time to explain why he had gone off on his own that morning, and why he had shown up late to the fight this afternoon.
"You're really going to make me ask?" Kali asked him.
Brody shrugged. "I don't know what you mean," he said, nonchalantly.
"Okay," said Kali. She took a deep breath and straightened up. "Because, I have it on good authority, that you had already fought Spinferno this morning."
"Yeah, so?"
"Without your team."
Again, Brody nodded. He still didn't see what the big deal was. "The others had to study, and it was Nym's first day undercover. I didn't want to distract her or them."
"What if you had been hurt?"
"I wasn't."
"What if you had?"
Brody glared at Kali. She was acting like she was his mother, which was wasn't. In his mind, just because she was the Hellhound and a former Ranger, didn't give her the right to treat him as anything more than her student. Granted, he shouldn't have been squaring off against an authority figure, but Kali still had to treat him with respect, right?
"You could have been severely hurt without your team," Kali continued. "Which would have put them at a disadvantage this afternoon. Not to mention, you didn't tell anyone you were going after Spinferno this morning, you could have been hurt to the point where you were unconscious or recaptured, or even both, and none of us would've known."
"I was fine," Brody insisted. "I knew what I was doing. I spent nine years in space, watching how monsters like Spinferno worked. Plus, I had my datacom. I knew what I was doing."
Kali pursed her lips. "Speaking of your datacom," she said, changing the subject. "Mick tells me that it's been destroyed?"
"Yeah, so," said Brody. "Spinferno destroyed it after I told him I didn't need it anymore. That I had something better." He smiled at his friends.
"How did the monster come to get it in the first place?"
Brody swallowed. If, from what Nym had thought she saw, Victor and Monty had found the datacom at school after it had fallen from his bag. They had used it for whatever reasons and ended up facing a monster.
Kali raised an eyebrow. "You not only lost your datacom," she said. "You inadvertently put innocents in danger because of it."
"It fell out of the hole your son made," Brody argued.
"My son doesn't need to check his ego," Kali retorted. She took a deep, calming breath. "Look, I'm not reprimanding you, and I apologise if it sounds like I am. But I just want you to be honest with me. Being a lone Ranger army isn't going to do anything other than get you killed, or worse - and trust me, there is a lot worse things out there than death. But at the end of the day, you are going to face a whole lot of problems and struggles going forward, and the answer to every single one of them is going to be the same. Teamwork."
"Teamwork makes the dream work, is what my father always said," said Hayley,
Kali smiled at her. Her gaze flickered back to Brody. "We retrieved your datacom, and unfortunately it is busted. We can't repair it, even with magic. But, Mick did have an idea on how we can still use it." She snapped her fingers and a metal box appeared on the table. It opened of its own accord to reveal six bulky devices that looked like smaller version of the datacom. "Mick calls them Ninja Coms. They're a means of communication between each other and the base. Keep them with you at all times."
The six teens took one device and attached it to their wrists.
"They're perfect," said Aidan. "And now, they're connected to something a lot more powerful than the Warrior Dome. The Ranger team."
Kali smiled as she watched each of them put their hands forward, clasping their palm onto the hand below.
The communicators chirped, and started to glow as they linked up simultaneously.