Summary: Lady Shade is back and recuperated, and she has a new plan global domination; however, the only thing she really wants to do is eliminate the Lotus Ninjas.
Inside the Shadow Clan headquarters, Kage approached the entrance to the secret medical room. The door slid open, allowing him to walk inside the chamber room. He walked and stood in front of the stasis chamber holding Lady Shade. Standing behind him was Sienna and Mira. Kage, Sienna, and Mira then bowed to their mother.
"Mother, did you summon us?" Kage asked.
"Yes, I did." Lady Shade replied. "My recovery is finally completed. It's time for the beginning of my resurrection."
"As you wish, mother." Sienna said with a nod.
Sienna tapped a button on a nearby panel. The stasis chamber drained the water and opened up as Lady Shade stepped out and stretched her limbs. Her entire yokai body has greenish-gray skin, the ends of her hair were turned into pale grayish-white hitodama flames, a jagged black face paint that surrounded her eyes with a swirl below them, and two long tails with pale grayish-white hitodama flames at the ends. With a snap of her fingers, a full-body black armor was covered over Lady Shade's body along with attached high heeled boots.
"At long last, I have been reborn." Lady Shade said. "But we have a lot of work to do. We must be ready for the return of the mystic council and their cursed yokai guardians."
Lady Shade walked out of the medical room and into the main throne room along with her children.
"Unfortunately, that's the problem." Kage informed.
"He's right. Sage and her oni comrades had destroyed most of your followers." Mira added.
"What?!" Lady Shade said angrily.
"It's true." Sienna said. "But we managed to provide a solution to our clan's problems for strength and loyalty. Allow me to show you what we've been working on."
Lady Shade, Kage, and Mira followed Sienna into a large engineering laboratory. The entire room was filled with mystica ghosts. They all have black wispy bodies with arm-like tendrils, black striped, round bluish-purple heads with circular yellow pupil-less eyes, and small black ringed spikes on top of their heads.
"Before Sage's betrayal, she helped us create these artificial ghostly creatures." Sienna said. "Since then, they have proven themselves in this facility. Thanks to Sage's intellectual brain patterns that we secretly copied and installed into them, so we won't have to rely on that useless traitor."
"Interesting." Lady Shade said.
"Now, let me show you our latest and most deadly additions to the Shadow Clan." Sienna said.
Sienna led Lady Shade, Kage, and Mira to a different room, where there was a group of barely finished androids.
"I presented you…the Shadow Droids." Sienna continued. "Unlike their human counterparts, these robots are nimble but deadly with excellent strength and reflexes. Thanks to Sage's advanced technology expertise, we've installed almost every martial arts technique. And on top of that, they will be completely under your control."
"But why are there only six?" Lady Shade questioned.
"I'm glad you asked. When Sage was working with us, she constructed a biochip that was designed to create or replicate anyone. Therefore, she only invented six of them at the time. Once our lovely ghosts finish making more, we will have perfect reproductions. But I think you'll really enjoy this android, mother."
When Sienna pointed her finger to the last android, Lady Shade gasped with wide eyes. She was staring at an android duplicate of Saldana. The Saldana Droid moved fluidly and leapt down as she stood towards the mystic family.
"Let me show a demonstration." Sienna said. "Shadow Droid, take down Kage!"
The Saldana Droid slowly approached and charged forward with swift speed. Kage quickly dodged the Saldana Droid's rapid punches and kicks before shooting dark energy blasts from his hands. But the Saldana Droid grabbed Kage by the right arm and pinned him to the ground.
"Enough." Sienna commanded.
The Saldana Droid released Kage and stepped away. Kage stood up back on his feet just as Mira hovered to check on him.
"Are you alright?" Mira asked.
"I'm fine." Kage replied. "The robot could really finish me off."
"It is perfect." Lady Shade said as she stepped forward towards the Saldana Droid. "Excellent work, Sienna."
"Thank you, mother." Sienna said as she bowed respectfully.
"Send this robot for a test run." Lady Shade said as she turned back to her son and daughters. "Program her to locate the Lotus Ninjas and destroy them all!"
While Lady Shade laughed evilly, Kage's eyes widened in shock. He paid no attention to Sienna and Mira, who noticed his reaction.
Meanwhile, the Lotus Ninjas were surrounded around the arcade machine inside the NYC Arcade Center. Ellie held onto the joystick and pressed buttons rapidly at the fighting game. Lee, Ella, and Donna watched their youngest sister playing the game with amazed smiles. Ellie finished defeating the final boss, earning the highest score on the screen.
"Ellie got the high score." Ella said. "Again."
"For the twelfth time in a row." Ellie grinned as she began typing her name on her new high score. "Now, let's get some pizza. My treat."
Ellie, Lee, Ella, and Donna made their way out of the venue. They strolled down the sidewalk and leaped high onto a building rooftop. They snapped their fingers and altered their clothes into theory ninja attire. Ella then turned her head to see something illuminating coming from behind.
"Hey, girls. check it out over there." Ella said.
Lee, Ellie, and Donna turned their heads to see a slender werecat yokai witch summoning blue sparks with a twirl of her black-colored wand that has a white crescent moon-shaped glass at the tip. She has lilac fur with black stripes on her forehead, legs, and long tail. She has wavy black hair cut into a bob style, bluish-gray eyes with slit pupils, black eyebrows, a dark gray nose, triangle-shaped ears with silver hoop-piercings on them, purplish-black lipstick, and black nail polish on her sharp claws. She wore a cropped leatherette black jacket over a cropped white tank top, a high-waisted purple and black chess skirt with a silver chain belt, and white combat boots with red laces and black soles. She also wore a black choker around her neck and a dark crimson witch hat.
"Is that…a mystic or a yokai?" Ellie questioned.
"It's hard to say." Donna said as she placed her hands on her hips.
The Lotus Ninjas sprinted towards the werecat yokai witch.
"Whoa! That was so cool!" Ellie exclaimed in awe.
The werecat yokai witch turned her head to Lotus Ninjas' presence.
"Hello, fellow witches." The werecat yokai witch greeted casually. "Hold on, you four looked kinda stealthy to be witches."
"We're mystics, actually." Ella replied.
"Mystics?" The werecat yokai repeated in confusion. "How's that different from witches?"
Ellie, Lee, and Ella turned their heads to Donna.
"Allow me to explain. Witches study magic through the arts of spells and magical items, but mystics are born to control and manipulate with pure magic." Donna explained.
"I see." The werecat yokai said. "Thanks for the clarification. The name's Dalila."
"I'm Donna." Donna said. She gestured to her sisters. "And they are my sisters. Ellie, Lee, and Ella."
"So you're a yokai and a witch?" Lee asked.
"Yes, you can say that." Dalila replied. "I was trying to create fireworks, but it's trickier than it looks."
Dalila spun her wand around in a circle, throwing a white wisp of magic in the air. The magic wisp exploded into small sparks.
"See? It's hard." Dalila said with a sigh.
"Allow us to sparkle some razzle-dazzle." Ellie smiled cockily as she stepped forward.
Ellie, Ella, Lee, and Donna placed her glowing hands together and pointed their multicolored magic to the ground in front of them. A medium-sized dragon's head made of magical energy rose from the ground and opened its mouth to shoot out glowing multicolored seeds in the sky. Then, the seeds exploded into fireworks that spelled "Magic Rules".
Dalila stared at the sky with a jaw-dropped expression. Then, she applauded with a large awestruck smile.
"Wow! That was totally wicked!" Dalila cheered.
"Yeah, we know." Ellie said with a proud smile.
"My daughters! Please…help me!"
The Lotus Ninjas and Dalila turned their heads to the sound of that familiar voice. Only the Lotus Ninjas' eyes widened in shock when an injured Saldana began walking towards them.
"Mom!" Donna gasped as she, her sisters, and Dalila ran up to Saldana. "What happened to you?"
"I was attacked by an intruder in our home." Saldana said as she collapsed to her knees. "We must head back and defend our home immediately."
"She's hurt pretty bad." Donna said in worry as she examined her mother's limbs. "But why is she so cold?"
"Ellie, you and Donna carried mother." Lee said. "We're taking her back to the fortress."
"And I'm gonna scorch whoever did this to our mom." Ella said angrily as she cracked her knuckles.
"Uh, girls? If she's your mom, then who's that?" Dalila asked, pointing her wand forward.
Ellie followed Dalila's pointing wand and looked ahead, making her gasp sharply. Ella, Lee, and Donna turned their heads as they also gasped shockingly. Standing towards them was…the real Saldana.
"What the what?!" Ella exclaimed as she looked back and forth at two Saldana.
"Mother?" Lee questioned in confusion.
"Get away from her. Now!" Saldana demanded.
"Mother, what's going on?" Lee asked the real Saldana.
"Don't listen to her. She's the one…who attacked me." The Saldana Droid said.
"No, she is the imposter." Saldana said, pointing her finger to her robotic counterpart. "You must believe me! Get away from her quickly."
"Okay, this is seriously freaking me out." Ellie said.
The Saldana Droid's eyes glowed red. She suddenly delivered swift punches to Ella and Donna's stomachs before kicking Lee onto the edge of the rooftop. She turned around and charged straight for Ellie, but Saldana zoomed in front of her youngest daughter and fired a white energy blast that knocked the Saldana Droid away. When the two Saldana engaged in a magical hand-to-hand combat, the Lotus Ninjas recovered and looked at the battle with deep confusion.
"We've got to help our mother." Ellie said.
"Yeah, but which one is our real mom?" Ella questioned.
Lee closed her eyes and focused on her magic, perceiving living auras around the rooftop. In quick seconds, she finally detected a mystical aura coming from the real Saldana.
"Found it." Lee said. "One's the real mother and the other is a robot.
"Allow me to help." Dalila said as she jumped in between Lee and Ella.
Lee nodded and lifted her right arm forward.
"Ōra o akiraka ni suru." Lee casted.
Lee unleashed a blue wave of magical energy at the two Saldanas, revealing a soft white aura coming from the real Saldana.
"Got it." Dalila nodded.
Dalila formed a white orb of energy from the tip of her wand. She thrusted it forward and fired the orb at the Saldana Droid. Saldana took notice and leapt away. The orb then transformed into the shape of a dragon's head and attacked the Saldana Droid that exploded the android on contact. When the smoke cleared, the Saldana Droid collapsed to the ground.
Saldana, Dalila, and the Lotus Ninjas surrounded the destroyed android.
"Who in the world would send a Robo Saldana to attack us?" Ella asked.
"That I do not know." Saldana answered. "But whoever they are, we must strike back immediately. I will not stand by while someone out there is using my likeness to attack my family!"
"I've never seen mom so heated before. It's terrifying and enjoyable at the same time." Ella said to Lee.
Lee rolled her eyes as she shook her head.
Donna engulfed the destroyed Saldana Droid with purple magical energy as she began to examine the android from top to bottom.
"Let's take it to my lab." Donna said. "That way, I can find a way to trace the signal to the original source."
Meanwhile, Lady Shade and her children looked at the static on the screen. They have been watching the action through the Saldana Droid's eyes.
"Looks like the Lotus Ninjas didn't take the ruse, after all." Mira said.
"And they may have become aware of our presence once they unlocked the circuitry." Sienna added.
"Good. Let them come." Lady Shade said. "It will give me great pleasure to destroy them all."
In the Crete Fortress, Donna was examining the broken Saldana Droid on the desk inside her lab. Lee, Ella, Ellie, Saldana, and Dalila gathered together behind Donna.
Donna lifted her glowing hands in front of the destroyed Saldana Droid.
"Gen no basho ni modoru." Donna casted.
Purple energy surrounded the broken Saldana Droid, making its eyes glow bright purple. The Saldana Droid jumped off the desk and walked past everyone out of the lab.
"This sensory tracking spell will direct the robot back to the location where it was originally created." Donna said.
"Let's roll." Lee said.
The Lotus Ninjas, Saldana, and Dalila ran out of the lab and followed the Saldana Droid.
Under the starry night, Lee parked the Sonicruiser in the dead-end alleyway. The Lotus Ninjas, Saldana, and Dalila climbed out of the vehicle and leaped onto the building rooftop. They stealthily followed the broken Saldana Droid, who already began moving across the building rooftops. Then, the Saldana Droid immediately stopped on a building rooftop near the docks, allowing the Lotus Ninjas, Saldana, and Dalila to catch up with it. They approached the edge and looked down at a freighter ship with a Shadow symbol on it.
"There it is." Donna said, pointing her finger at Lady Shade's freighter. "The android was created from that freighter."
"So, the Shadow was the one who sent that cheap robot after us." Ella exclaimed angrily.
"But that doesn't make any sense." Lee said in an upset tone. "Kage gave us his word. He leads the Shadow Clan now, and the Shadow promised they would leave us alone after we helped them."
"I am sorry, my daughter." Saldana said, putting her hand on Lee's shoulder. "Unfortunately, we must believe what we see."
"I'm with Lee on this one. There has to be an explanation for this." Ellie said.
The Lotus Ninjas, Saldana, and Dalila caught the sight of several Shadow Ninjas carrying around heavy boxes on the dock while some of them were on guard.
"We don't need Lee's aura sense to alert us how outnumbered we are." Donna said.
"At least, we got our witch girl to help even the odds." Ella said, placing her hand on Dalila's shoulder.
Dalila smiled at Ella's words.
Donna handed out headsets to her sisters, her mother, and the yokai witch. She then placed a headset on her head.
"Here's the plan. We'll probe the ship and see what we're up against." Lee ordered. "This mission will require stealth and camouflage." She turned her head to Ellie. "Ellie, you stay here with Dalila and Donna on lookout. We'll contact you as soon as we know what the Shadow are up to."
"Roger." Ellie and Donna nodded.
Saldana outstretched her arms and released white swirling magic all around herself, her daughters, and the yokai witch. That spell instantly turned everyone completely invisible.
Ella, Lee, and Saldana quietly jumped down to the ground. They ran towards the freighter and leaped aboard.
Lee, Ella, and Saldana undetectably dashed past the Shadow Ninjas one by one. Saldana opened both hands and released a white shining powder, knocking every Shadow Ninjas into an instant sleep. Lee quietly opened the door before walking inside with Ella and Saldana that led them straight into the laboratory. The stealthily hid behind a large heavy metal crate, peeking over to see Lady Shade in their sights.
"Lady Shade?" Lee gasped.
"But how?" Ella questioned. "There's no way she could've survived from our attacks last time."
"We can worry about that later. Right now, we have to stop her from manufacturing deadly robotic assassins." Saldana said.
"Donna, we need to blow up the ship all the way to the maximum." Lee spoke to Donna through her headset. "Mother, Ella, and I will get the ship moving and out to open waters away from the city. That way, you, Ellie, and Dalila cast off the mooring lines and meet us on the bridge."
"Sounds like a plan. Especially since this floating lab boat is carrying thousands of gallons of diesel fuel." Donna said. "We'll get right on it."
Donna jumped down to the ground and headed towards the freighter ship.
Mira soared straight into Lady Shade's chamber room. She approached his mother and bowed in front of her.
"Mother, we have a security breach." Mira reported. "We found several of our guards asleep from their post. They were knocked out by sleeping powder."
"Sienna, take Mira and the Elite, and scour the ship. If it is the Lotus, seize them. I want to destroy them myself." Lady Shade said to Sienna.
Sienna, Mira, and the Shadow Elite bowed before exiting the chamber room. Kage, on the other hand, looked down to the floor with hesitation on his face, which was something that Lady Shade took notice of.
"Kage, is there something wrong?" Lady Shade asked.
"No. It's nothing, mother." Kage replied calmly. "Allow me to put the ship on full alert."
On the dock, Dalila magically disintegrated two mooring bollards into crisps with her magic wand.
"Great job, Dalila." Ellie praised.
"Thanks. Now let's move to the front mooring." Dalila said.
Ellie and Dalila sped towards the front mooring as they paid no attention to the Shadow Ninjas dropping onto the dock from behind.
Lee, Ella, and Saldana entered the empty, darkened bridge of the freighter ship. They quietly walked onto the panel.
Suddenly, the lights flashed on. Lee, Ella, and Saldana quickly turned their heads to see Mira and Sienna standing near the door with shocked faces.
"Welcome aboard, ladies." Mira greeted darkly.
"Allow us to provide you…painful entertainment." Sienna added with a dark grin.
When Sienna snapped her fingers, the Shadow Elite emerged from the shadows and made their way towards the three mystics. Saldana, Ella, and Lee summoned their magic in fighting stances.
"Oh. great. The welcoming committee." Ella complained.
"Uh, Ellie, this would possibly be a good time to bring our friend here right about now." Lee called through her headset.
Unfortunately, Ellie and Dalila found themselves surrounded by the Shadow Ninjas.
"I hate to tell you this." Ellie said. "But that's gonna be a problem."
To be continued…
Ōra o akiraka ni suru – Japanese for reveal the aura
Gen no basho ni modoru – Japanese for returning to the original location
Enjoy and review.