Summary: Baku, a dream-eating yokai, trapped Ellie inside her own dream as she must figure out a way how to wake herself up.
On a bright sunny morning, Ellie snored softly in an upside-down position. As her alarm clock rang in her bedroom, she groggily rolled over and reached her hand out from the nightstand, turning it off and hopping out of her bed with a long yawn.
In the dojo, Ellie and her sisters began showing their elemental magic techniques right in front of Saldana. Donna formed a large fist out of rock and launched it at the wall after it was flying past the unmoved Saldana. Ellie summoned a small tornado underneath her feet, lifting her into the air with a satisfied smile. Ella shot out a barrage of small fireballs through her fast flurry of punches, which the fireballs then started shooting out powerful streams of flames one by one at the training dummy. Lee summoned a long tendril of water from her left arm and lashed at the training dummy with it, forming a sphere of water around it and expanding it in an explosion.
"That's it?" Ella asked Lee. "Is that all you got? If you're gonna to impress me, try harder."
"At least, one of us can." Lee retorted, crossing her arms over her chest.
Ella growled. She charged forward and started attacking Lee with swift punches and kicks. Lee was able to dodge each punch and kick by retaliating her own kicks and punches. Donna and Ellie stopped using their magic and watched the fight between their rivaling sisters.
"Here they go again." Donna said with a groan.
"Like over sixty times in a row." Ellie sighed.
Saldana stepped forward between her older daughters.
"Enough!" Saldana shouted.
Lee and Ella immediately stopped attacking each other and turned to face their mother.
"We'll continue training when you return home from school." Saldana said. "Remember, you two are sisters, not enemies."
Lee and Ella stared at the floor with a frown, but they rolled their eyes when they glanced at each other for a minute.
Afterwards, Ellie stood right in front of her locker along with Lee, Donna, and Ella inside Roosevelt High School. They placed their text books inside and closed their lockers just in time for their free period.
"Hey, Donna. Can I copy your chemistry homework?" Ellie asked.
"Stood up reading comic books again?" Donna inquired with a grin.
"Yeah." Ellie replied with a sheepish smile. "It's new issue of Justice Force. I can't say no to that."
"No surprise there, but sure." Donna replied as she rolled her eyes.
"Heading to the gym today?" Ella asked Lee.
"Yup." Lee answered. "I have an idea for a new routine for the tonight's game. And you?"
"Just heading to the library to prepare for my astrology test." Ella replied. She turned to Donna. "What about you, D?"
"I'm heading to chess club today." Donna responded. "I'm working on a new strategy that will beat the rival school for sure." She turned to Ellie. "Are you heading to the gym too?"
"Not this time." Ellie replied. "I'm going to get a snack from the vending machine and join Ella at the library, so I can copy your chemistry homework."
"Because you were reading comic books again last night?" Lee and Ella asked with sideway smiles.
"It was a new issue of Justice Force, so sue me." Ellie said with an irritating tone.
Then, the school bell rang.
"See you girls later." Lee said with a wave.
"See ya." Donna said.
"Peace out." Ellie said.
"Later." Ella said.
With that, the Lotus Ninjas walked off.
Later on, Ellie stood right in front of the vending machine. Her eyes moved to search which delicious snacks and beverages will she choose before heading to the library.
"Let's see. Which one will I have today?" Ellie said with a smile. "I'll have…a chocolate candy bar and a pineapple soda."
Ellie looked around to see if anyone was watching her. She then snapped her fingers and summoned two small tornadoes surrounding a pineapple soda and a chocolate candy bar. With a motion of her fingers, the tornadoes managed to get her snack and beverage out of an open compartment at the bottom. Ellie held her chocolate candy bar and pineapple soda in her hands with a grin.
"You're mine, my pretties." Ellie said.
Ellie turned around and walked away. But she stopped when the sound of the vending machine started shaking and buzzing made her cringe.
"What the? I know my magic have nothing to do with this." Ellie said as she quickly turned around. She looked around to see no one wasn't paying any attention to the malfunctioning vending machine. "How are they not noticing the machine going crazy?"
When the compartment opened, a powerful suction started pulling Ellie in. Luckily, Ellie intuitively lashed a long chain made of solid air and wrapped it to a nearby tree to prevent herself from being close to the vortex.
"I don't know what the heck is going right now, but this is insane!" Ellie yelled. She looked to noticed that once again nobody saw the powerful vortex. "Oh, come on, people! Seriously?!"
But unfortunately, the powerful suction grew stronger with great force, making Ellie lose her grip on her solidified air chain. The strong vacuum pulled the screaming mystic kunoichi into the dark depth.
Ellie continued screaming as she descended into a series of fastening slides in a water slide fashion. After being tossed around in different tunnel pathways, Ellie safely landed on a soft cloud.
"Whoa. I haven't felt that dizzy since that new roller coaster ride back at Coney Island." Ellie spoke slowly.
Ellie sat up on a small, raised cloud. She looked around to find herself inside a large cavern that is mostly made of clouds. The cave grotto contained hollowed out shelves that displayed several collections of human treasures. The grotto also has a small hole in the top, which allows shining sunlight to enter and glisten down inside from the surface.
"Wow...what is this place?" Ellie asked as she looked around with a smile.
Ellie then looked down to find herself wearing chest area clothed in pale orange clouds and a pair of wing-like tail with pale orangish-white feathers that revealed her midriff and her belly button from the waist down.
"Okay. It's official." Ellie smiled widely. "This is so cool!"
Ellie glanced up and stared at the magnificent treasures with a mix of curiosity and amazement. She swayed over to several hanging pocket watches before flying past other treasures. She swam towards a music box that had a small, dancing statue of a ballet woman and turned the figurine around, which produced a gentle melody.
Ellie then spun around in a dance and strolled forward with her hands on her hips before soaring up to the shining light with a smile.
In a dark void, Baku was watching Ellie through a glowing bubble with interest.
"No doubt this one is tied with the other two." Baku spoke. "Let round three begin."
With a wicked smile, Baku blew on the crystal ball, freezing it and dropping it into his hand. He then shook it like a snow globe and crushed it in his fist. When he opened his palm, a strange black blob took form.
Ellie lowered herself and laid her back on the cloudy floor. She buried her winglike tail under the cloud with the biggest smile on her face.
"Why, hello there, dudette."
Ellie gasped sharply. She sat up and looked up to see Mikey hovering above her with a friendly smile on his face.
"Mikey!" Ellie exclaimed.
Ellie soared up and flipped around as she hugged Mikey, who hugged her back.
"You're here!" Ellie smiled. "But…but how…?"
"Forget me. This place is awesome!" Mikey said with a wide smile. He picked Ellie up in his arms with a flirtatious smile. "And since we're alone, how about you and I get little cozy? You. Me. Date."
Ellie giggled with a flushed face.
"Oh, Mikey, you're such a romantic..." Ellie responded.
Suddenly, Ellie stopped for a moment. She flew up out of Mikey's arms and clapped both hands to her forehead while stumbling backward.
"This…this…this is not right." Ellie stammered with a confused face.
"Ellie, take a deep breath. What are you talking about?" Mikey asked.
Ellie slowly descended back to the cloud dune and sat on it.
"This place…is not…what I remember." Ellie said. "The only place I know…is when me and my sisters…were fighting...we were fighting…we were fighting…" Her eyes widened in sudden realization that made her look up at the sunlight. "Baku! We were fighting Baku!"
Mikey narrowed his eyes and descended behind Ellie.
"Don't sweat it, Ellie." Mikey said. He noiselessly withdrew his nunchucks. "But we haven't got into our date yet. Let us finish what we started."
Mikey swung his nunchucks at Ellie, who managed to smack his weapons away with her tail with swiftness.
Mikey's eyes widened in fear when he saw Ellie turning around with orange glowing hands.
"The Mikey I know is cute and very much a gentleman." Ellie said firmly.
Ellie compressed a mass of air between her palms and then released it at the fake Mikey, hitting him and causing him to explode into drips of water. Her air magic also explosively destroyed the entire cloud grotto into nothingness. Ellie's illusion form changed back into her kunoichi outfit.
Ellie then found herself in a throne room that was set up with raised steps and under a canopy. She saw Baku sitting on a dark grey majestical throne chair.
"I'm surprised even you managed to wake up from your dream world." Baku said.
"I hope you're prepared because I'm about to punch your lights out!" Ellie shouted.
Ellie sprinted forward and shot out a powerful horizontal tornado drilling through Baku, who protected himself in a reddish-black force field around himself. Ellie then summoned a large sphere of wind between her hands and launched large blast of concentrated wind streams flying towards Baku at fast speed. But Baku once again protected himself with his reddish-black force field.
"I think not, child." Baku said.
Several reddish-black energy tentacles lashed out of nowhere and wrapped tightly around Ellie's arms and legs. Ellie struggled to break free, trying to prevent herself from getting dragged away. But it was no use. Ellie screamed as she got dragged into the darkness.
"So, Michelle freed herself out of her beloved dream." Baku said. He turned to the last crystal ball. "Three down, one to go."
To Be Continued...
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