Five teenagers were laying on the ground, head-to-head, fanned out in a star shape. Each of them had had some sort of training. But none of them were prepared for Dex Ro. They'd assembled upon his request, every day for over a week. He'd outfitted them with form-fitting black suits and chest covering with a hood that was a dark version of their Ranger colors. Then he began the training.

  At first it hadn't been so bad. A few basic katas to assess them. He slowly ramped things up a notch at a time. All their styles were different but were rooted in the same basic principles of Karate. Even Van's unorthodox style was mainly a mixture of whatever his dad had picked up along the way and Kovarian martial arts he'd learned from his uncle. Misty's S.P.D. training had used karate as its basic hand-to-hand combat. Galen had been a student at the Stone Canyon Scott Karate Dojo. Bianca's Master Park had also used karate as the basis for his fight choreography. As for Brenden, he never said where he'd acquired his early training, and no one pressed him to divulge, but it was apparent to Dex that he was out of practice.

  Finally, Dex had noted that Galen and Bianca were the two who were in the best shape, which had surprised them. Galen never competed in Karate, and hadn't trained much since moving to Ferrant Heights. He wouldn't have thought himself that way. Bianca was a bit proud, but also surprised. She only did the basic katas she was taught to stay in shape for the show. She only utilized the choreography she was taught.

  "You do it well. You have a natural aptitude, and you learn what you're taught. Same goes for Galen," Dex had told them. "As long as he doesn't try to freestyle too much," he added with a slight smile.

  Galen grinned, "That's my thing, though," he said.

  "Maybe for fun, but not in this dojo," Dex declared. Galen nodded. A stern sensei wasn't anything new to him.

  Van, he'd said, was strong and fast. "Maybe too strong, and too fast. Undisciplined. Your style is all over the place." Van could see that. Maybe the way he fought worked for his dad, but he was young, inexperienced, didn't have the edge to make it work. "But, your swordsmanship is some of the best I've ever seen," Dex had added. Van was proud of that. His uncle was one of the best swordsmen in the world. He'd also spent more than one stay in Angel Grove learning from another of the greatest swordsmen in the world.

  Misty was the least experienced. She was only really taught some basic self-defense and very little offense. "The suit will help, but it's still just a suit. You learn quickly. You should catch up with the others with the right training regimen." Misty hadn't been sure about that one, but she was committed and she didn't like lagging behind when she committed herself to learning something.

  Brenden was out of practice. "When did you stop training?" It had been Mai Li who asked him this question.

  "When I was eleven or so," Brenden answered. "I didn't want to learn anymore," he added.

  "And that's also part of your problem. Part of you still doesn't want to," Mai Li said. "Sometimes kindling just refuses to burn," she added a bit mysteriously.

  "We'll work on that," Dex had assured him.

  Which brought the five teens to an exhausted state they were in on a Friday afternoon. Aside from the regimen Dex had designed for them, they were also given practical exercises for building strength and stamina. They'd come back from a seven-mile trek through rocky terrain, underbrush, and scraggly animal trails, all with backpacks full of rocks. There was a weird moment when they realized that only Van didn't have rocks. He had iron weights. He didn't explain as he started jogging. Figuring he would when he was ready, the rest of them had set out behind him. Matters were made worse when Miru and Milo had caught up with and passed them and didn't seem to be anywhere as exhausted as they were.

  Van rubbed his stomach as he stared up at the sky. "Man, I'm starving," he complained.

  Misty and Bianca snickered. "Dude, you're always hungry," Galen told him.

  "I'm a growing boy," Van stated with a grin.

  "Where are you from, Van?" Bianca asked him, realizing they didn't know much about him. He just kind of showed up to practice and disappeared afterwards. He didn't go to school, which Bianca had just started. He didn't even seem to come into town.

  "Briarwood," Van answered.

  "The place where people dress up as fairy-tale creatures?" Misty asked, coming into a sitting position.

  "Who wants lemonade?" Mai Li popped out of kitchen before Van could clarify her statement. She wasn't the first person to think that the creatures in Briarwood were a hoax. In fact, most people seemed to think so outside of the city. "I also have apple slices for everyone except Van," Mai Li added. She sat a tray on the picnic table. She transferred a large pitcher of lemonade, several glasses, a plate of cut-up apple slices, and a small plate with a cut-up reddish fruit from the tray.

  "Why don't I get apples?" Van asked curiously and he and the others got to their feet. Miru and Milo stopped doing katas in tandem and ran over the picnic table.

  "You'd eat them all," Brenden stated.

  Mai Li chuckled. "I have something else for him. It's called a fire apple," she said.

  Van was stunned. "Where did you get a fire apple?" he asked as he approached the table. He took the fruit and bit into it.

  "Your mother. Somehow, she had a whole box of them delivered. Along with a letter explaining some things. I also had Dex retrieve your belongings from your campsite while you were on your jog. You'll be staying here with us," Mai Li stated.

  "What exactly is a fire fruit?" Galen asked, eyeballing the fruit the blonde kid was wolfing down.

  "Dragons eat them. They're one of the few things I can eat in moderation. Packed with proteins, nutrients, carbs. If anyone else tried to eat them, their metabolisms wouldn't be able to keep up," Van said. He wasn't surprised his mom had found him and arranged things for him. She was his mom after all. "Thank you, for allowing me to stay with you guys," he added.

  "We tend to take in strays," Dex declared, coming out of a room. "Your room is ready," he said.

  Galen was still trying to make sense of the dragon thing. He didn't think Van was joking about that.

  "She also signed you up for school so that you can be with your team mates more. You'll start Monday," Mai Li explained.

  Van rubbed his forehead. "Man," he said. "I've never been to school before," he said.

  "Never?" Misty asked, shocked.

  "I was home schooled," he said. Somehow, he was more nervous about the prospect of going to high school than he was about fighting an evil clan of space ninjas.

  "I have something for each of you. When you all go home tonight, I want you to study how you think it should work. Meditate on it. We'll see how well you use it in the morning," Dex said, he passed out five more shuriken. They were identical but there was one for each of them. They had five blades, each representing a different element; water, fire, earth, wood, and metal. "Elemental Stars will allow you to harness the power of nature," he explained.

  They took the Stars and looked at them.

  "Without having to devote your entire discipline to a particular one?" Brenden asked.

  "There are many types of ninja styles. Elemental arts are just one subsection. These stars won't replace years of learning and devotion, but they'll allow you to tap into nature for a short time. Still, you must master it," Mai Li explained.

  "Can we try?" Miru asked excitedly.

  "Sorry, puss. They're made to work with the Star Blades and only the Rangers can use those," Dex explained.

  "Told you," Milo muttered at her as she pouted.

  Mai Li smiled. "Now that you've got your new toy and your assignments, it's probably time to start heading home. It's getting late, and it's almost dinner time. Besides, it's Friday night. I remember Friday nights when I was teenager even as a ninja cadet," she said.

  "We should help you clean up," Misty said.

  "Don't worry about that. I'm a mom. It's what we do," Mai Li said.

  "If you're sure," Brenden said. He straightened his body, placed a fist against the palm of his other hand and bowed first to her, then Dex. The others copied the gestured. The elders returned the bows. Four of the teens activated their Starters. The limited teleports were defaulted to take them home if there wasn't an attack.

  "I'll help. Least I can do since you're allowing me to stay," Van said, and began to gather up dirty glasses and take them to the kitchen. Mai Li didn't object or complain.

  Dex looked at her a for a moment. "What were you doing on a Friday night as a teenager on Earth?" he asked her suspiciously.

  She grinned at him. "Not realizing my soulmate was on a planet far, far away," she said. She kissed his cheek. She gathered up her two rug rats so that they she could get them to clean themselves before she started supper.

  "I'll remember you said that later," he called after to before retiring to the workshop to the sound of her laughing at him.

  *****

  Van followed behind Bianca as she led him through the streets of Ferrant Heights while she continually checked her phone for directions. "I thought we were supposed to be meditating on our Elemental Stars," he said. She'd called him earlier to meet up in town.

  "And Mai Li said it was Friday night. C'mon, Misty said it should be nearby. Besides, if you're starting school Monday, you should at least show up to a party at least once and show your pretty face around," she said.

  "If you say so," he said, trying not to show how nervous he was. He usually just hung out with his cousin at the Rockporium, a local record store, if he didn't have anything else to do. A party with a bunch of strangers...just the thought made him queasy.

  Bianca giggled at him. "Stop being nervous. It'll be fine. Not only are you cute as a button, but you're hanging out with a celebrity. Besides, Misty, Galen, and Brenden will be there," she said. She sighed and looked at her phone. "If can ever find it," she groused.

  Van smiled. "This way," he said. He could hear the music, voices of teenagers, and smell the acrid scent of a fire. She followed him since he seemed to have confidence he knew where he was going. Before too much longer, they arrived at an empty lot where lights had been set up, a fire was roaring in the middle, music was blaring, but they were far enough away from any homes or apartments to be bothering anyone.

  When Van hesitated approaching, Bianca grabbed his arm and pulled him along. Misty bustled over to them with a big grin. "You guys are just in time," she said excitedly.

  "Just in time for what?" Van asked.

  "Galen issued an open challenge," Brenden answered.

  "Open challenge?" Bianca asked.

  There were several pieces of cardboard on the ground, and an old fashioned-looking boombox. It only looked old school, it was quite modern and digital. "Step up and take on the undefeated, if you dare," he said loudly.

  "Break-dancing," Misty said. "He's amazing. I think. I honestly don't know for sure, but it looks impressive," she admitted.

  Galen had one challenger. Someone who was always trying to take him on. He did well, but when Galen's turn came, the music suddenly changed. From the energic mix he was using to a Michael Jackson compilation.

  Without missing a beat, Galen spun in a circle and began dancing like MJ. "Cheater," he mouthed to Brenden, who was behind the sudden change in music, holding on to Galen's phone which was connected to the boombox. But the mood of the party was lightened greatly and practically everyone began to dance along with their own best moves. Bianca even managed to drag Van into it. But hey, Van knew MJ. Eventually his nerves melted away and the strangers he met weren't as intimidating as he feared.

  At some point in the evening, while drinking a cup of iced cola, something caught his eye on the outskirts of the party. He turned his head but even he didn't see anything else. This happened a few times. Finally, he decided that he wasn't imagining things and headed away from the lot.

  "Where you off to?" Brenden asked, noticing him slipping away.

  "I'll be back," Van said. "Don't worry," he added. He slipped into the darkness. Brenden tried to keep an eye on him, figuring it wasn't the call of nature that had him slipping away, but he hadn't seemed particularly worried either.

  "What's that about?" Bianca asked as she approached him.

  "Not sure," Brenden said with a frown.

  Bianca sighed. "If he needs help, he'll call," she said. "This is my jam, come dance with me, handsome," she said and pulled him back into the throng.

  Van wandered into the darkness. He was sure there was something out there, somewhere. He sucked in a deep breath and jerked to the side, narrowly avoiding being pounced on. Gumi quickly adjusted, rolling to a crouch with fangs bared. The sliver of moon made the creature's white fur gleam. That's what Van had been seeing.

  "What are you up to?" Van demanded.

  "I don't answer to you, Goldsmith," Gumi snarled. "I just really don't like you."

  "Feeling is mutual," Van said. "You caught me off guard last time, but you really don't want to tangle with me," he warned.

  The fox-demon growled and charged forward. Van dodged again, but a hand tipped in sharp claws managed to make four horizontal tears in his shirt. Gumi slid around. "Aren't you going to put on your shiny suit?"

  "I don't need to do that, my furry little friend," Van said. He cracked his neck and then transformed. His alien form was mostly an anthropomorphic wolf, with a pair of cold blue eyes, black feathered wings, and a sectioned scorpion tail. He was also a bit larger than the fox. He bared his own large white fangs.

  Gumi hadn't expected that. Not at all. Strategic retreat was best in this situation. "This is not fear." The demon threw something on the ground. Green smoke obscured Van's vision briefly, and the fox demon was gone. Van sighed and transformed back into his human form. It felt good to stretch all his muscles sometimes. He picked at his shirt. He couldn't go back to the party looking like that. He fished his phone out of his pants, and sent a group text that he was heading back to the Ro house. He privately thanked Bianca for dragging him out. He decided to walk back instead of spell-porting.

  Oddly enough, his encounter with the fox put him in a pretty good mood. He whistled as he walked.

  *****

  The laird and master of the Strange Clan was rubbing his pregnant wife’s feet when Gumi skulked back into their base. "Where have you, been, poodle?" Aradne called out.

  "Getting some air," Gumi answered and skulked down to where the fox-demon had made a place to sleep.

  Ryzo made a scornful sound. "Why do we keep that mangy thing around? It sheds. Everywhere," he said, and sneezed.

  Juno kicked him in the shoulder. "Can you use the Ogre Summoning Hammer?" she demanded.

  "No," he grumbled, and sneezed again.

  Aradne pouted. "Love dumplin', don't let them be mean to my precious widdle poodle," she told her husband.

  Gennus growled. "Both of you, quit prattling. We haven't gathered any fear for the master's revival. Juno, prepare another youkaiza tomorrow," he commanded. He stood, scooped his wife into his arms, and left his siblings. They glared at each other and began fighting again.

  *****

  After a series of exercises, Dex led the five teenagers into the woods. They lined up in front of a straw dummy. Dex stood in front of them. "Did you all do your homework?"

  "Yes, sensei," they answered in unison, though some were less certain than others.

  "Very well. Present arms," he said. The teens drew their Star Blades from their backs and produced the Elemental Stars. They attached the Stars to the Blades. He very pointedly marked the straw dummies with different colors saying an element as he placed the markers. "Good luck," he stated. He threw something on the ground, and he and the dummies all disappeared in a puff of smoke.

  The five dark clad youths ran for it, looking for their targets. Galen jumped, flipping through the air and landed in front of his when it sprang up in front of him. He twisted the Elemental Star until "wood" was at the stop. "Wood Technique!" he said and pointed the blade at the dummy. A root under his foot undulated and sent him flipping backwards. "Augh!"

  Misty calmly came to a halt when her target appeared. She twisted her star and pointed at it. "Earth Technique!" Nothing happened at first, then the ground seemed to spit up the dummy, and continued to crack under it opened under her feet. "Eek!" she scrambled back.

  Brenden thought he had some experience at directing his inner energy. When his target dummy appeared, he twisted the Star to "metal". "Metal technique!" He pointed at the dummy. His sword vibrated and a small metal pail landed on his head. "Ow!" he danced around, rubbing his sore spot. "How did that even happen?" he complained.

  Bianca was too focused on her task to laugh at him. When her dummy sprang up, she rolled sideways, twisted the Star to "water" and pointed. "Water technique!" Water exploded as if a firehouse just burst, soaking her and sent her crashing into Brenden. He hastened to dampen her fall, but they both hit the ground. "Sorry," she said.

  Van had a little more luck. He twisted his Star to "fire" as he ran. He stopped and spun around when the dummy popped up behind him. "Fire technique!" he thrust forward. There should have just been a small fire ball that set the dummy ablaze, instead, the dummy exploded in a glorious blaze that sent the others scrambling for safety.

  The fire seemed to snuff itself out. "Ooh, sweetie. More self-control," Mai Li said as she came out of a stance. "Just a little," she said and patted him on the cheek. "But, all in all, not bad. Trust me, it could have been worse," she assured the slightly worse for wear Rangers.

  "That's, um...good?" Brenden said as he helped Bianca to her feet. She smiled and rung out her wet braid.

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  "That's why I'm in charge of your training. Perhaps, 'not bad' but assuredly nowhere near 'good'," Dex declared. His wife was definitely too soft on them. "I hope no one had any plans for the afternoon," he said.

  "No, sensei," the dejected group said as one and assembled again.

  He smiled. "Good. Again," he said, once again marking five dummies with different colors and calling out an element before making the them and himself disappear.

  *****

  After a grueling afternoon of practicing with their Elemental Stars, the ninjas-in-training were allowed to leave. They were in Quarks, chowing down on food. Aunt Frizz fluttered over and alighted next to them. "My dear nephew, where have you been keeping yourself lately?" she queried.

  Brenden had an answer for her, and it wasn't even a fib. He didn't like to fib to his aunt. "I'm taking karate lessons from Dex Ro. The one you met the other day?" he said.

  "Oh, yes. How marvelous. The rest of you as well?" she asked, blinking at them with her magnified eyes.

  "Yes, ma'am. I'd been looking for a new dojo since comin' to Ferrant Heights," Galen answered.

  "Splendid. I always was jealous that the boys got to go off and play ninja warrior when we were younger. As long as you're all having fun together," she said. She looked up when door chimed and some new customers came in.

  The kids watched her go. Van swallowed a bite of the hamburger he was eating. "Your aunt is human, right?" he asked.

  Brenden raised a brow. "Pretty sure, why?" he asked.

  "Just thought she might've been a fairy. Maybe a Mothran. Wasn't sure," he said.

  Before Brenden could decide how to react, their hands beeped. His Starter appeared and he pressed a button. "Brenden here," he said, while eyeballing Van.

  "A youkaiza has appeared," Dex told them.

  "On our way," Brenden said. The five of them got up from their table and slipped out of the eatery while Aunt Frizz was distracted. They teleported as soon as they were sure nobody could see them do so.

  *****

  An odd creature had appeared at a picturesque area by Ironside Springs where a walking bridge connected the two banks. It looked like a turtle in a helmet that was also part fire-extinguisher. "Fear me, baby!" Extinctortoise crowed at the people. He ran up one side of the bridge, throwing people over his shoulder and into the water. Onizaks were running around, poking people with spears and generally creating panic and fear.

  "This should be fun," Juno declared from where she watched, hidden.

  Gumi hunched and bared its teeth. That Goldsmith thing would show up soon. There was no question about that.

  As if just by the thought of them, they appeared. Darkly clad ninja. One with splashes of red jumped through and slashed one of the onizaks with his Blade and the creature disappeared. One splashed with yellow sprang through a series of Onizaks and landed feet first on one's shoulders and threw him as he rolled. He also slashed as he rolled by. One splashed in pink elegantly slipped into the fray, slashing with her sword, freeing tormented people. The one in blue slid on his knees in front of a child. He held up his sword to block a menacing jab. He pushed her to her mother's waiting arms and rolled to his feet, slashing the onizak. The one in gray and white, back flipped in and slashed at several onizaks when she came to her feet.

  Even if their hoods came down, the quintet still wore dark masks around their eyes to hide their identities. They were ninja after all. They gathered under an arch nearby, blocking off Extinctortoise.

  "This is where your brief reign of terror stops," Brenden said. He spun out his Power Star and clicked it. He held up his other fist. "Shinobi Start!" He placed the star on top of his hand and spun it. The others mimicked his actions.

  "Ninja Fury Power!"

  Stars spun all around them, some shooting out to attack onizaks before coming back to them and forming their power suits and weapons. They ran into their enemies and attacked. Red went for the youkaiza. They grappled.

  "I'll teach you fear!" he snarled. He grabbed Red by the belt and threw him over his shoulder with a mighty grunt. Red rolled to his feet and attacked the monster with his Blade. The monster lost ground, and retreated to an area near the edge of the water. He beckoned the Red Ranger tauntingly. "Come, little boy," he goaded.

  Red struck out again. The youkaiza used his armored arms to deflect. He spun, butting him with his back. "Shell shock!" he cackled. He completed his spin and grabbed the Red Ranger and tossed him through the air toward the water.

  "Whoa!" He went with his momentum, and managed to right himself mid-air to land on top of the water. Dex's lessons in action. He turned, gripping his sword. He started forward and jumped back onto the bank. He slashed at the creature. He tried to keep his distance. Getting too close to it wasn't a good idea.

  They attacked at the same time and bounced off each other. Red slid back, braced his foot, and raised his Blade. "Not bad, red guy. Not good either," Extinctortoise said. He took a deep breath and blew a blast of freezing energy at him. Red went down cold.

  Yellow sprang into help, sword raised jumped at the youkaiza. White went to Red. "Are you okay?" she asked, but he signaled he was. She and Pink joined Yellow in attacking the monster.

  "Ha-ha!" Extinctortoise cackled. He spun around, blowing them with his freezing energy, sending them flying in all directions.

  Blue rushed up, having gotten further away than he intended. He spun out his Elemental Star. He clicked it into his Blade. "That looks cold. Let me warm you up a bit!" he twisted the Star. "Fire technique!" he pointed the Blade at the monster.

  "Eh?" Extinctortoise turned just in time to get enveloped in a plume of flames produce by the Blue ninja's sword. "Ayayayay! Hot! Hot!" he danced around. "I can't handle this heat. I'm gettin' out the kitchen!" he shouted, and jumped, still aflame, splashed into the water, and disappeared.

  Juno's faced tightened. "Where did it go?" she snarled. "Guess I'll have to go find it," she spat scathingly. She also ninja'ed away.

  Gumi stayed behind watching the Rangers assemble from their near defeat.

  "We owe you one," Yellow told Blue as they dropped their Morphs.

  "Maybe you should have blown him up," Bianca teased.

  "Yeah, at this rate he'll be back," Brenden said, not teasing at all.

  Misty didn't comment, her eyes had gone wide as the creature with nine-tails slunk toward them. "Guys," she said quietly.

  They all started and turned to look at the fox-demon and took up defensive stances. It just propped the hammer on its shoulder, and slumped casually. It looked them over dismissively and concentrated on Van. It bared its fangs at him. "Good save, Goldsmith. Wouldn't want anything to happen to your human pets, would you?" it taunted.

  Van clenched his fists. "What's that supposed to mean, flea bag?" Bianca demanded.

  Gumi snarled and snapped its jaws at her. Then it laughed. "Oh, I see. They don't know you're not even human. That's just too sad," it said. It threw its head back and guffawed. It shook its head, and threw something on the ground. A puff of smoke erupted and the fox disappeared.

  There was silence and Van felt heat creeping up his neck. Oh, that scraggly little demon so had it coming.

  "Dude. Are you, like, an alien?" Galen asked, finally breaking the taut silence.

  Van closed his eyes briefly. He cleared his throat. "No. I am a second generation, non-human terrestrial," he stated tightly. He cleared his throat again. He checked his watched, not really considering the time. "I have some things to take care of, I'll check you guys later," he said, and he was off before anyone could really say anything to stop him.

  *****

  Van didn't have anything to take care of. He just sat on a bench in the park and fed the squirrels some peanuts. He wasn't even sure you were supposed to feed squirrels peanuts, but he had some in his pocket.

  "I knew you were acting a bit squirrelly." Van was startled when Bianca appeared and sat next to him the bench. She was grinning at her clever pun. He had to chuckle at that one. "So, do you really think we care that you're a second-generation non-human terrestrial?" she asked him. She crossed her legs, and stacked her folded hands on top of her knee and looked at him patiently.

  He shook his head. "No," he said. "I was going to tell you guys. I mean, obviously the Ro's know. But I wanted to tell the rest of you myself, but there hasn't been an opportunity to say 'Hey, guys, I'm an alien,'" he stated and gave some sarcastic jazz hands with his statement.

  Bianca giggled. "Well, it does explain a few things. Any more secrets you're keeping from us?" she asked.

  "I have really sucky magical powers," he said. He cleared his throat, held out a hand, muttered an arcane word and a fragrant white flower appeared in his hand. She gasped and took it gladly when he handed it to her. "My mom blames my dad. He has really sucky magic powers, too," he said.

  Bianca sniffed the fragrant bloom. "Well, everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. I don't even have sucky magic powers," she pointed out.

  Van smiled and tilted his face toward the sun. "My aunt says that she thinks everyone, human and non-human alike, has their own sort of magic. It may not be showy spells, but something as simple as a smile brightening someone's day," he said.

  "Wow. Does your aunt write corny greeting cards?"

  Van chuckled. "Maybe she should. She probably read it in a manga." He slowly sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees, propping his chin on his hands. "We need to regroup. It won't be long before that youkaiza comes back," he said.

  She nodded. "We can talk about the kitsune some other time," she said as she got to her feet. Van stood as well. Her phone rang and she excused herself to take care it. She had to take the call. Van decided to wait on her and give her privacy by wandering off the ways. The hair on the back of his neck stood up. "Catch up to me?" he shouted at her, and began running.

  Bianca frowned and clenched her fist, but couldn't follow. Her dad was on the phone, and she couldn't just say she had to go fight a monster. At least she knew Van could take care of himself.

  *****

  Extinctortoise slowly raised his head out the pool of a water feature in the park. A young couple snuggling on a bench was a prime target to exact a little fear. He jumped out of the water. "Rawr!" he shouted.

  They turned and screamed when they saw what was behind them. He grabbed them by their clothes and tossed them into the water behind him. "Ahaha! That was fun. Onizaks, get to it!" he said as the blue creatures began appearing to terrorize other park goers.

  "I knew I smelled something fishy."

  "Eh?" Extinctortoise looked up to see the blue ninja standing on a decorative wall. "You again?

  "Shinobi Start!" Van morphed as he jumped off the wall, landing, with his Blade drawn. He slashed at the youkaiza and the onizaks. He threw several blue stars that took care of the other onizaks and concentrated his attack on the monster. The creature was quick, and strong, and managed to parry each attack. It fell on its back and kicked up with its feet.

  Blue stumbled back. Extinctortoise sprang to his feet. "Take this!" He sucked in a deep breath.

  "Trying that again, huh?" Blue spun out his Elemental Star and placed it on his Blade. "Fire Technique!" The monster blew out it's freezing energy but met a plume of fire.

  The monster held up one of its arms, and from a nozzle, another blast joined the first. Blue felt himself sliding back, but put more energy into the fire. It burned brighter.

  The monster made an enraged sound and brought up his other arm, and more energy met him. The extra burst of power exploded. Blue crashed backwards, and lost his morph. He rolled. Frost covered his skin, chilled to his bone.

  "All that big talk for nothing," Extinctortoise scoffed. "Nice meeting you, Blue Ranger," he took in another breath, preparing to finish him off.

  "Fire technique!" Four other plumes of fire from four different directions engulfed the creature.

  "Aahh! Hot! Hot! Hot!" He cried, running around in circles.

  Van looked up as his team mates joined them. "Thanks, you guys," he said.

  Brenden held a hand down. "Alien, second generation non-human terrestrial, whatever. We're a team," he declared.

  "I'm from New Tech City, so..." Misty shrugged.

  "My bad, dude. I didn't mean to sound like a jerk," Galen declared.

  Van took Brenden's hand and the other guy helped him to his feet. "Not a problem. I'm not mad or anything. At you guys anyway," he said. He shook himself, the frost covering his skin was finally beginning to melt. "You know, for a fire extinguisher monster, he's kinda flammable," he stated, nodding toward the youkaiza that had finally stopped, dropped, and rolled.

  Extinctortoise got to his feet. "I'll make you all pay that!" he shouted. Onizaks began appearing.

  "Oh, it's on," Bianca declared.

  They spun out their Power Stars and took up a stance facing the monster. "Shinobi Start!" Brenden shouted.

  "Ninja Fury Power!" Stars flew out and crashed into the monster, making him stumble back each time before spinning back to the dark clad ninjas. The Stars formed powersuits, weapons, and helmets.

  "The roaring brilliance, Red Shinobi Ranger!"

  "The wavering haze, Pink Shinobi Ranger!"

  "The shimmering calm, Yellow Shinobi Ranger!"

  "The flower in the wind, White Shinobi Ranger!"

  "The soaring clouds, Blue Shinobi Ranger!"

  They threw smoke bombs on the ground in front of themselves and disappeared. The monster and the onizaks looked around. "Where did they go?" Extinctortoise demanded. "Augh!" Red sprang up from behind a rock feature and, slashed at him.

  Yellow, White, Pink, and Blue appeared and began fighting with onizaks. Several of them converged on Blue. He quickly slashed and jabbed, and kicked. More came at him. He took a spear from one of them. He tossed it in the air. When they looked up, a single sweeping slash took them out.

  White was surrounded, but she was kicking at them. An onizak got behind her and slashed her across the back, but what fell over wasn't her, it was a straw dummy. Confused, and irritated they didn't noticed her sitting on a ledge nearby. She calmly placed her Power Star on the back of her Star Shooter. "Furious Strike!" The frog-like mouth opened wide, and a tongue-like blast out energy shot forward and took out her would-be attackers.

  Yellow was fighting with a spear in one hand and his Blade in the other. He was also dancing out of the way when he needed to. He grinned under his helmet. He jumped, stuck the spear into the ground, and pun around it, with one hand, running on the onizaks sideways, and slashing others.

  Pink found herself also on a ledge. "Transtarter Bow!" She aimed into the sky and let lose the energy bolt. Energy rained down on the onizaks, especially ones sneaking up behind White. They exploded in ghostly blue bursts.

  Red fought with Extinctortoise. He kicked out with two feet to knock the monster back. He threw some red stars into the ground at the monster's feet that made the monster dance and spin. He spun the Elemental Star on his sword. "Fire Technique!" The stars explode in bursts of flame. Leaving him soot covered. Extinctortoise coughed.

  "Water technique!" A gush of water sparkling with ice crystals crashes into the youkaiza as Red scrambles out of the way.

  "Argh! So cold!"

  Red jogs over to where Blue points his weapon at the monster. "Guess we've both about had it with this guy," he said.

  "Yep. Let's put an end to him," Blue ran forward, turned a flip and slashed at the monster. Red came behind him, flipping and slashing the monster as well. They double-teamed him. Taking turns, kicking and slashing at him. Red got behind him, and Blue kicked. The monster stumbled back and Red knelt so that the monster would fall over him.

  Extinctortoise scrambled to his feet. Blue and Red stood side by side and twisted their Stars. "Elemental Star Power!"

  "I'm not falling for that again!"

  "Metal Technique!" The Rangers slashed forward.

  The monster was braced for fire, possibly water, but iron weights crashing into his head was unexpected. He fell over, his helmeted head cracked. His legs twitched. "Didn't see that coming," he admitted weakly.

  Red and Blue replaced their Elemental Stars with their individual Power Stars. "Ninja Fury Power!" They spun their stars. Energy glowed around their blades. "Furious Ninja Slash!" They slashed at the monster several times in blurs of speed that left the monster crisscrossed with red and blue energy. They jumped free as the energy exploded.

  The other three Rangers joined them. "Good work. That was awesome," White told them.

  Gumi snarled quietly from where the fox-demon watched. It didn't have to get close to the monster to use the Hammer, and it decided not to risk another confrontation with the Goldsmith. The fox demon put a star on the hammer and twisted it. Without saying anything, the creature hit the air. Energy exploded outward around the youkaiza and it grew to enormous proportions.

  "Alright. Zord time," Red stated. They nodded and placed their Zord Stars on their Blades and spun them. "Hidden Shinobi Zord!" he summoned, spinning the Star. As if appearing from nowhere, a red and silver humanoid Zord came running through the city.

  "Hidden Express Zord!"

  "Hidden Wolf Zord!"

  A shimmer in the sky preceded the appearance of a pink and black bullet train. A white wolf Zord with a black head and golden throwing knife in its mouth jumped out of the back compartment with a howl.

  "Hidden Drago Zord!" A blue dragon glowed into existence with a proud spread of its wings and an arrogant roar.

  "Hidden Dumper Zord!" A large yellow dump truck shimmered into existence and rolled down the street.

  Red gave his Star another spin. "Shinobi Star Megazord!" The Zords began to transform and come together to create a giant robot with Shinobi Zord using Dumper Zord like a throne holding a sword made of Drago's tail. The Rangers appeared in a shared cockpit where they all stood in front of podiums that they inserted their swords into.

  "Let's teach this turtle how to ninja," Red suggested. He pushed the Megazord forward. Using the Drago Sword, it slashed the giant youkaiza.

  "Ha! I'll be the one doing the schooling," Extinctortoise declared and tried to blow his freezing energy at them.

  "Drago Shield!" Blue jerked his Blade, and the Drago Zord's wing shield blocked the attack.

  The youkaiza scoffed. "I'm out of your league!" he said. Nozzles appeared out of his shell, and his freezing energy shot him into the sky. "And outta your reach!"

  "Now that's straight up cheating," Pink declared.

  "Since when do turtles fly?" White demanded.

  "Since when do fire extinguishers?" Yellow pointed out.

  Red left the cockpit and the Shinobi Zord jumped out of the Megazord in an attempt to jump and reach the flying monster. "Hahaha," Extinctortoise had the advantage and kicked and held on the Zord.

  "Maybe this wasn't a good idea," Red complained as he was jerked around.

  "I'll help!" Blue said. He left the Megazord and the Drago Zord disconnected. It flew toward the monster and blasted him with a plume of flames. It lost the grip on the Shinobi Zord, but the Zord was falling and flailing. Drago swooped in and caught him.

  White let out a breath she was holding. Pink slumped. "Man, that was intense," Yellow muttered.

  "I have an idea," Blue said. He spun his Zord Star. "Drago Star Megazord!" The Shinobi Zord became the left arm of the Megazord, and the Drago Zord took Shinobi's place on front, but it's wings, tail and head attached to the back and top of the Megazord. It roared. Blue and Red appeared back in the cockpit.

  "Thanks for the save," Red said.

  "No sweat. Now, let's finish this once and for all," Blue stated and pushed on his Blade. The now winged Megazord took to the sky.

  "Oh, ho! That's not good," Extinctortoise tried to speed away, but the new and improved Megazord was fasters. It began spinning around the monster, using its wings as blades. The monster sparked, crackled, and crashed into the ground a good distance from the city.

  The Megazord landed and roared as Extinctortoise got to his feet. The Megazord whipped around and crashed into it with its tail. "It's done!” Blue said. He and the others drew their Blades. The mouth of Drago Zord began to glow. "Drago Burst!" They slashed with their Blades.

  The mouth opened and roared as a bright burst of blue energy shot out. It hit the monster and he exploded. "Shinobi End!" Blue declared as the Megazord triumphantly turned away from the explosion.

  *****

  Gennus Strange saw the trickle of fear stop. He growled.

  "What's wrong, dumplin'?" Aradne asked. She waddled over, and stood on her toes to peer at the bowl. "Not bad. A little more and it'll spill over into the next bowl," she stated.

  "In other words, Juno screwed up again, huh?" Ryzo drawled. "Let me go next time, laird. I'll teach those Rangers who they're messin' with," he said.

  "I'll think about it," Gennus said as he ushered Aradne to sit back and rest her feet. She was carrying precious cargo after all.

  Grinning to himself, Ryzo took out his blade and began to sharpen it, looking forward to matching blades with a worthy opponent.

  *****

  The five ninjas lay in a circle in the Ro's courtyard again. They'd finished their days exercises, and were resting.

  "The iron weights suddenly make sense," Galen declared suddenly.

  "So does the fire apple,” Misty stated.

  "Yep. It's cuz I'm an alien," Van said.

  Misty suddenly sat up, and looked over at him. "Wait, you said dragons ate those," she said.

  Van chuckled. "Briarwood isn't a hoax any more than New Tech City is," he stated.

  "But...aliens are science...fairy tales are...fairy tales," Misty said helplessly.

  Bianca laughed and stood up. "I think Misty's brain just exploded," she said.

  "I definitely see smoke," Galen stated. He got up and bounced on his toes. "I'm hungry," he said.

  Brenden sat up. "That means Van's starving. Let's head to Quarks," he said.

  Van groaned. "As a matter of fact...I am starving. Quarks sounds good." He popped to his feet.

  Bianca helped drag Misty to her feet. "Eat my dust, guys," she said, and suddenly took off running, eventually disappearing in a long white streak. The three boys took off behind her. Misty groaned. She was an intellectual, not an athlete, but she began running along behind them.

  Mai Li smiled to herself as she watched them go. Her smile slipped a little. If only Mika were there, things would be perfect. Shaking herself out of her funk, she headed to her husband's workshop where he was bent over a work bench. Miru colored in a coloring book at his feet, and Milo was handing him tools before he could ask for them. She stood in the door, smiling as she watched. Yes, the picture was incomplete, but it was still a nice one.

  *****

  End 02

  *****