An Island Somewhere off the Pacific Coast, 2003

Nine black clad figures were split into three teams in order to be the first to find a cave which held a treasure which would bring honor to one of three Ninja Academies. It was a competition and a test for the trio from each Academy. To show that they were worthy to be Power Rangers.

The point was not only to get to the cave but also avoid the other teams. Getting separated from your team was not exactly how it was supposed to go. Miranda Jo Scott fell into a hidden ravine before her teammates could catch her. "Randi! Are you okay?"

Getting to her feet, she winced and dusted off her butt. That wasn't very graceful for a ninja. She looked up and saw her two teammates looking down at her from far above her head. "No problem," she said. She looked around. She could easily climb out but there was something curious about where she'd fallen. "Keep looking for the scroll up there. I'm going to check something out down here," she called up.

"You sure?" called the voice of Hunter Bradley.

"Yeah, isn't this a team exercise?" Blake Bradley asked.

"No better team than the Bradley Boys. I'm just checking this out. I'll catch up to you guys in a few!" she assured them.

"Be careful down there!"

"Catch up soon!"

She saw movement as the two of them left the hole she'd fallen through. When she looked closer, she saw that it wasn't a ravine she'd fallen into. It was a tunnel. She pushed down her mask and hood. She held a hand out in front of her and electricity crackled around her fingers, lighting her way.

She continued inland following the tunnel. She occasionally came to a fork or a dip and soon realized she was getting further and further underground. She paused when she came to a circular cavern just as three other black clad teenagers came into it as well. There were other entrances along one side of the perimeter, but opposite them, was a larger opening. The other ninja spotted her and the opening at the same time.

They all bolted across the cavern together, thinking that perhaps this is what they were looking for. Randi just barely made it inside before the other three. But inside the cave wasn't anything like a scroll room. Once all four of them were inside, the entrance behind them closed up.

One of the other ninja ran back to where it was and felt around, but the room they were now in was completely smooth and featureless. The only thing inside was a small pedestal in the middle. There was an insignia in the middle of it that lit up in a steady blinking.

"What is this doing all the way out here?" Randi wondered as she approached it.

A ninja in orange piping dropped her hood and pulled away her mask. She was a blond with blue eyes, fair skin, and cute freckles. "Do you know what this is? What's going on here?" she asked.

A ninja in purple piping dropped her hood as well, revealing an Asian girl with dark eyes, and dark wavy hair. "This probably isn't part of the test, right?" she said looking around.

The ninja by the wall in teal piping banged a fist against the seamless surface. He lowered his hood, revealing a tanned boy with shaggy hair and thick black glasses. "I would think not," he agreed.

Suddenly Randi had the eyes of all three fire ninjas on her. She held up her hands. "No, I just meant that. It's Ninjor's insignia," she said, gesturing to the center of the pedestal.

"What's a Ninjor?" the girl in purple asked.

Randi ran a hand through her short brown hair and didn't answer. "How did you guys get down here?" she asked.

"We fell. The ground just kind of opened and we wound up in the tunnels. We thought it was part of the test," the blonde answered.

"Not our finest moment of ninja-ing," the other girl said.

The young man slipped past them and studied the pedestal. "Ninjor isn't a what. It's a who. He's an ancient alien ninja warrior who has helped the Power Rangers in the past. I'm Donny, by the way," he said without looking at Randi. He was still studying the pedestal.

"Randi. Randi Scott," she said.

"Mai Li Yeoh," the dark-haired girl said with a faint smile.

"Mikey Hanson," the blonde said. "What are you thinking, Donny?" she asked.

"I think it's a signal. Maybe a distress beacon, but I agree with the question. Why is it all the way out here?" Donny answered finally.

Mai-Li looked down at it. "Well, you know what they say; when in doubt start pushing buttons," she declared.

"Don't!" Mikey and Randi both tried to stop her from pressing the insignia, but it was too late. A bright burst of light blinded them moments before they were thrown off their feet. They landed in soft, dry sand.

Randi blinked and looked around as she sat up. Under a blaring sun, they were grouped around a pedestal like the one that they'd just seen, but it was older, more weathered. Randi blinked again. They weren't under a blaring sun. They were under two suns. One was yellow, the other was smaller and blue and very near the yellow one.

"Oh, my," Mai Li said.

"That's an understatement," Mikey said as they scrambled to their feet.

"Instantaneous inter-stellar travel. Amazing," Donny said.

"Yeah, okay. We're on another planet. Awesome. But, has anyone noticed we're in the middle of nowhere on this other planet?" Randi asked.

"Good point," Mai-Li agreed. She shaded her eyes and scanned the horizon in every direction.

"Surely, if this was a beacon of some sort, it wasn't activated for no reason. Someone must be nearby if they were hoping for someone to show up," Mikey said. She was a very reasonable person, seemingly at odds with her fiery capabilities.

"Okay, so we can either sit around and wait or what?" Mai-Li wondered. Reasonable wasn't really in her wheelhouse. She was action oriented and impulsive.

"We could each pick a direction, scout ahead for an hour or so before regrouping here," Donny suggested.

"I don't like the thought of splitting up," Randi said.

Mikey was about to agree but she held a hand up, calling for silence. She could hear something. Like the sound of shifting sands. The others heard it now. Other sounds came to them. It was the unmistakable sounds of a fight. They covered their faces again and crept toward the sounds. It wasn't long before they came upon a scene. They hid behind a sand dune and checked it out.

Amid a group of blue creatures with faces floating over their bodies, was a young man clad in black and blue, and a creature, a gray smudgy-swirly creature. The young man was fighting against the blue creatures while the gray smudgy-swirly creature gloated.

"What help do you hope to gain, Ninjetti? Your own tribe can barely police itself. What hope do you have against the Youkaitto and the Royal Family?" he goaded.

The young man, who appeared to be Asian featured, had long narrow eyes, and dark, messy hair. He was tall, slim, and delicately featured, but he fought with a skill and precision that was impressive. He dropped low and swept the feet out from under an enemy, and in the same motion, come up lashing out at two more.

Dex Ro was lithe and agile, and stronger than the Youkai expected. Even if he was a troublemaker, they expected to end him easily. They were mistaken. Grabbing one of the grunts by the arm, Dex practically threw the creature at the Youkai. "The Youkai will never rule Shogunatta," he vowed in a voice that was rougher than expected.

From their hiding spot, the four Earth Ninja observed. "What should we do?" Donny wondered.

"I'm not going to sit and debate. I'm going to help," Mai Li said. "Then I'm going to eat that cute little dumpling up," she added and was on the move before Mikey could stop her.

Randi was right behind her. Donny and Mikey shared a brief look but could not stay hidden either.

The Youkai was caught off guard by the sudden appearance of four others in the fight he thought was going to be a breeze. They filtered into the fight.

Randi ducked in, striking out with both hands, hitting a creature square in the middle. She jumped when two others tried to come at her from behind. She flipped mid-air, landed behind them. Electricity crackled, and she slammed her hands into their backs. They exploded in a crackling blast that seemed to release their floating ghostly faces.

Donny landed a couple of heavy kicks to the creatures. They tried to swarm him, push him down into the sand. He unzipped his leather tunic and pulled out of it, effectively slipping away. He made a series of hand movements, a fire started within them. He lashed out, fists on fire and ignited several in a series of almost too quick to see strikes.

Mikey was swift and agile. She slipped into the fight. She bounced around, kicking and spinning, only using her arms for blocking for the most part. She pulled down her mask, took a deep breath and blew a plume of flames that out a wide berth of the enemy creatures.

Dex Ro was slightly taken aback by his sudden reinforcements. One moment he was valiantly trying to fight off an overwhelming amount of Kagers. Then four strangers came along. A small compact one, flew over his head and stomped their heads, flipped, and landed gracefully. Mai-Li turned slightly, winked at him, summoned a burst of fire, and took out several of them out.

The Youkai, suddenly finding himself with a lot less back up, scrambled backwards. "This isn't fair! Where did they come from? Other Ninjetti are pathetic weaklings!" he screamed.

Dex looked around. "I think this is the help you said wouldn't come, Youkai," he stated.

The Youkai laughed. "Not that it's going to make a difference. Daimou and the Royal Family will rule Shogunatta!" His whole body suddenly began swirling and he launched a volley of choppy wind energy that blew them all off their feet. They crashed into the sand and skidded several yards.

Randi got to her feet and dusted her butt off yet again. "This isn't exactly how I expected my day to go," she declared. she took a stance. "Good thing I'm always prepared," she held up an arm with a device attached to it. On it was a Power Disc with an emblem that was somewhat swirly. "Thunder Storm, Ninja Form, ha!" She used two fingers and set the Disc spinning. Electricity crackled around her Morpher. Her insignia appeared briefly, and she was enveloped in blue-violet energy.

Around herself formed a skirted power suit of a dark blue-violet color. Her insignia appeared in gold on the chest. Gold shoulder guards and belt formed. Black legs and indigo boots formed just before silver arms and gold-and-indigo gloves. Last to form was an indigo helmet with gold around the visor and two swirly prongs mimicking the markings of a lady beetle.

The three fire ninjas got to their feet and took up similar stances. Mikey's Power Disc resembled a dragonfly. Donny's Disc resembled a hornet. Mai-Li's Disc resembled a Moth. "Fire Storm, Ninja Form, ha!" they said as one and spun their Discs. Fires ignited.

An orange ghost image of the dragonfly wrapped around Mikey forming a skirted power suit of mostly orange, with black arms and legs and gold accents. The helmet that formed was reminiscent of a dragonfly.

A teal ghost of the hornet emblem wrapped around Donny forming a power suit of mostly teal, with black arms and legs and gold accents. The helmet that formed was teal with gold that tried to look like wings and antennae.

A violet ghost image of the moth emblem wrapped around Mai-Li forming a skirted power suit of mostly purple with black arms and legs. The helmet that formed was violet with gold around the visor that were graceful like butterfly wings.

Dex Ro watched in some amazement as the four Power Rangers charged forward. The Fire Rangers drew swords from their backs, and the Thunder Ranger had a staff. A faint smile touched his face.

Indigo moved in close to the Youkai. Electricity crackled along her thunder staff as she hit. The Fire Rangers each had two swords. Cyclo, the Youkai, was fast but outnumbered. His last-ditch move was to start swirling again.

The Rangers were able to withstand the attack, but they were still blown back again.

Dex removed the N emblem from his belt and attached it to a device on his wrist. He spun it. "Desert Storm, Shinobi Form, ha!" A ghost image of the N insignia wrapped around him. It formed a sleek blue-ish power suit with silver arms. Over that formed pieces of blue, sleek armor with gold accents. A blue helmet formed that was trimmed in gold and had an N on it. The same N appeared on his chest. A blue handled sword formed on his back. He drew it as he jumped. He slashed into the swirling Youkai.

The Youkai cried out and stumbled back, smoking and sparking. "You won't win, Shinobi! Daimou will see to it!" he said. He made to escape but the Shinobi Ranger seemed to slide along the sand and blocked his way, slashing with his sword again.

"Okay, let's finish it," Orange suggested. "Orange Zipper!" She summoned a weapon that resembled a blowgun.

"Teal Stinger!" A crossbow that resembled a wasp formed on Teal's wrist.

"Violet Flyer!" A gun-like weapon equipped with shuriken shaped like moth wings appeared in Violet's hands.

"Indigo Slinger!" Indigo summoned a pair of morning stars on a chain. She spun them, and they crackled with electricity. She tossed them at the Youkai, and they wrapped around his ankles. Electricity crackled, stiffening his body.

In a triangle formation, the Fire Rangers fired their weapons on the Youkai. The Orange Zipper fired dragonfly shaped flames in rapid succession that exploded on when Orange's helmet popped open, and she blew into it. The Teal Stinger fired small bolts that were shaped like large stingers attached to small hornets. The Violet Flyer fired the shuriken.

The attacks hit the Youkai, and he exploded, kicking up a spray of sand that showered over them and left a crater instead. Indigo dropped her morph and pushed back her hood. "You called for help?" she asked Shinobi. The Fire Rangers dropped their morphs and revealed their faces as well.

Shinobi dropped his morph. He gave them polite bows. "Yes. I did. My name is Dex Ro," he said.

Mai-Li smile widely, a dimple popped out in her cheek. "Hi! I'm Mai-Li," she said. "So very nice to meet you," she said. The other three introduced themselves as well.

"So, what is this about?" Mikey asked.

"We're too close to Youkai Mountain. Come with me to Lotus Village and I'll explain everything," Dex said. He began running in a westerly direction. A streak of blue was left in his wake. The Earth ninjas ran behind him.

~~~~~~~

Lotus Village looked like a dusty Old West town met traditional Far East architecture. Even the clothing the villagers wore were the same sort of odd mishmash. Most folks seemed to know Dex Ro by sight and often called out to him. Lotus Village was at a higher elevation than the desert beacon. The travelers could now see an ominous looking mountain in the distance to the south. To the north there was another landmark, a lone, solitary temple.

Dex led them to a large, run-down house a little past town. It was square and gated resembling any number of older grand manors in the East. It looked like it had once been elegant and grand, but it had seen better days. Still, inside was clean and it looked like repairs have been underway. Dex removed his boots before entering the main building. The others did the same.

"You must all be quite confused. Where did you come from?" he asked, leading them to a kitchen where he began to prepare a pot of tea. They sat around a low table. "Earth? Probably Earth," he surmised, answering his own question.

"Good guess," Randi said.

"Mind filling us in on the rest?" Mikey asked.

Dex brought a pot of hot water, and five small cups to the table. He politely poured each of them some tea before filling his own cup. "This is my family home. If the story is to be believed, we're descended from a man named Watanabe Ryou, the leader of the first settlers of Shogunatta. True or not, we were a large, well-respected family, not only in Lotus Village but all Ninjetti Tribe. Lots of aunts and uncles and cousins. My mother and father just had me.

"Now there's only me left, and half of Lotus Village. Twelve years ago, the Youkaitto attacked us when Daimou and the Youkai Royal family were awakened from under Youkai Mountain," he said.

"Can you rewind some more? I get the feeling that this didn't start twelve years ago," Donny said.

"No, it's been ongoing since the beginning. When humans came to Shogunatta, instead of one community, they split into two. The Youkai Royal family has been buried under Youkai Mountain since times forgotten. They began influencing the humans who came here. Eventually two factions formed. The Youkaitto and the Ninjetti. We've warred for as long as we've been here. But, about five hundred years ago, the Ninjetti won. Or at least subdued.

"The Youkaitto retreated to Youkai Mountain, and the Ninjetti flourished. We grew; we progressed. We became lazy. Aside from a few pacifistic sects deep in the Great West Mountains, no one continued learning martial arts. We were unprepared for when the Youkaitto managed to awaken the Youkai Royal family and attacked. From then on, the Ninjetti basically works for them. Occasional rebel bands are formed and quickly put down."

"And yet, here you are, fighting the good fight, very well I might add, with Morphing technology to boot," Mai-Li said.

Dex nodded. "The survivors of Lotus Village raised me. They tried to tell me to just accept fate. That everyone lost someone and stirring up trouble was not going to be a good for anyone. For a long time, that's what I tried to do. But the Youkaitto keep getting stronger. Their technologies are advancing at a rate the Ninjetti can't keep up with. They regularly make patrols through villages to take people to do labor in the mountain. Mostly boys and men.

"My when I was eleven, the labor squad came though Lotus Village. They tried to take me and my friend, so we ran. We didn't have a goal, direction, or anything. Just get away. So, we headed north, deeper in into No Man's Land. They came for us. I'm not sure why. Maybe they were after me, the last of my family. I don't know. My friend hurt his leg and I helped him as much as I could, for days, but he urged me to go on without him."

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Dex took a deep breath and drank his tea. "And to my everlasting shame, I did so. I left him and continued until the Temple," he said, staring at the teacup.

"That's the Temple of Power, right?" Randi asked.

Dex inclined his head. "For as long as we can remember, it was dormant. People have traveled to it. No one was ever allowed in. That night not only was I allowed in, but the Youkai and Kagers that were following me were dealt with. I was offered food, water, and a place to stay for the night." He gave a wan smile. "My benefactor is a bit surly and reluctant, but with enough persuasion, he agreed to help, only because the Youkai Royal Family makes it no longer a 'human problem'," he said, remembering his first encounter with his reluctant mentor.

"The Royal Family isn't strong enough to completely take over. But they're getting closer, their Youkai are getting stronger. I was no longer enough, and I was afraid they'd know I was in Lotus Village again. So, after consulting with my master, I activated the beacon and waited. And you appeared," he added. He was becoming increasingly aware, rather than participating in the conversation, Mai-Li was propping her chin on her hand, watching him with a wide, dimple-popping smile. He cleared his throat and got up to brew more tea.

"So, instead of a test, we end up transported to another planet to join a one-man revolution against evil alien oppression. Yeah, that sounds about right," Randi said. "Any food? I'm famished," she declared.

"You're taking this whole thing rather in stride," Donny noted.

Randi blinked then shrugged. "I spent a few years in Angel Grove. And my brothers may or may not have also worn shiny suits in the past, but they will neither confirm nor deny," she said with a wry smile.

"That explains a lot," Mikey said with a friendly smile.

Dex was rattling around, trying to find some food. "I have rice. I haven't had a chance to go hunting," he said, running his hands through his hair. "I guess I wasn't really expecting help to arrive," he said. "Ah, Grannies to the rescue," he said moments before someone knocked on the door.

The visitors got to their feet as Dex let in a troop of little old women began bringing in things like food, clothing, bedding, and other goods. They clucked and fussed. They told stories about Dex as child that Mai-Li couldn't get enough of. Apparently only old people and children, with only a few adults remained in Lotus Village. The ones who didn't die in the initial attack by the Youkaitto were slowly whittled down by being taken for labor or ran away in fright.

After filling their bellies with simple rice and side dishes, they changed clothes and found rooms to sleep in for the night. It seemed that instantaneously traveling across space and jumping straight into a battle between good and evil then trekking countless miles across a dessert was kind of exhausting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Youkai Mountain

High on Youkai Mountain, there was Skull Castle, a fortress made of the bones of ancient creatures that used to live on the planet long before even the dinosaurs of Earth lived. The Youkai Royal Family have long been ruling over this planet. Even the almighty Ninjor had only been able to force them into sleep. He hadn't counted on the presence of humans to be the key to awakening them.

The anger, resentment, and violence of humans, especially their beloved Youkaitto tribe, over centuries even millennia slowly brought them from their slumber. They planned secretly plotted and planned. They struck quickly and subjugated not only the Youkaitto who worshiped them, but also the Ninjetti who'd defied them and flourished as they slept.

Now, the Youkai Royal Family, headed by Daimou, the Demon King, ruled over the planet. He did not fear anyone, let alone Ninjor, who was now alone. Whatever allies he'd had thousands of years before were long gone. Whatever rebellions the Ninjetti tried to stir up were quickly quashed.

The only thorn in his side had been the son of the Chieftain of the Ninjetti Tribe. The boy had escaped his attempts to capture or be rid of him for over a decade. Daimou had been somewhat impressed that he'd even managed to get Ninjor involved. But it was no matter. Even with the ninja master, a single human boy was no match for the Youkai.

Daimou was a large creature, in a dark robe. He was half gold and half silver with a long wide head. He also seemed to be wearing spectacles. For convenience, he and his younger siblings, often appeared as humans, though there was no denying that they weren't. Even in his human form, one of his eyes was metallic silver, and the other metallic gold, framed by his spectacles.

Daimou had hordes or minions, the Youkai who slept beneath the Mountain and the Kagers that did the grunt work. His closest subordinates, however, were his younger siblings. Karouno, the Demon Princess, and Otono, the Demon Prince. He also had a recent disciple in the form of Dr. Suritto. He was a human whom Daimou had personally fished out of the mines. Seemingly young, but white haired with a scar that bisected his face. He'd shown an aptitude for chemicals and concoctions that the Demon King wished to exploit.

His current quest was to find ways to increase demon powers. Suritto was one avenue he was exploring. Daimou was touring Dr. Suritto's rather impressive lab, listening to the man ramble on about his latest concoction when a Kager burst in, going to its knees in a supplicating bow. It remained crouched while it waited to be acknowledged.

"Are you certain it will work?" Daimou inquired of the Doctor.

"I'm uncertain about what reaction the test subject will have to the serum, and It will need some sort of massive energy spike to activate, but one thing I'm certain of, the subject's power will expound exponentially," Suritto assured him.

"Hmm." Daimou turned toward the waiting Kager. "What is it?" he asked. The creature answered not in words but a sort of keening moan.

Daimou tilted his head. "Interesting. You may go," he dismissed. The Kager bowed and exited the room backwards. "My dear Doctor, I may have discovered your catalyzing agent. Prepare a subject with this...what did you call it again?" he asked.

"Serum 16, my lord," Suritto answered, swirling a bit of dark liquid in a vial.

"Indeed. Serum 16. Prepare a subject. He will lead a raid on Lotus Village tomorrow. We need a few more laborers for the mines," he said. He started to leave the lab but paused. "Ah, my sister has returned from seclusion," he said. "Do please try not to scare her away again. I'd hate to lose a talent like you."

Suritto gave the Demon King a deep bow. "Your graciousness knows no bounds, my lord." Daimou continued on his way.

Suritto clenched his teeth and went back to dabbling with his serum, curbing the urge to seek out the princess.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lotus Village

Dex Wasn't used to having so many people around. After the Village Grannies had left, the off-world visitors retired to their respective rooms, but they were awake early, doing morning exercises. He'd never seen ninjutsu quite like theirs. Nor were their own ninjutsu the same. The tall girl called Randi had ninjutsu that was completely different than the other trio. She stayed to herself until Mai Li engaged her.

He'd gone into the mountains to find them some meat. When he returned with a few rodents, Randi and Mai Li took them. Randi easily saw to cleaning them, while Mai Li seemed to know her way around a kitchen. Donny and Mikey were clueless.

"You guys are impressive," Mikey said, giving props where they were due.

"My Dad takes me and my brothers on extended camping adventures every summer. If you didn't learn how to clean a squirrel, a bird, or a fish you didn't eat. Until he took pity on you," Randi said with a fond smile. She scrunched up her nose when she realized it'd been a while since their last trip and now, she was stuck on a planet far from home.

Mai Li just smiled slightly. "I'm the oldest in our home. A lot of the time, if I didn't cook, we only had cereal to eat," she said. "Okay! Everything is ready," she declared. Since they couldn’t contribute to the meal, Donny and Mikey handled the clean-up.

"You're all a long way from home. I apologize for taking you away from your families," Dex apologized.

It was really beginning to sink in for them they were indeed away from their families and would be for an undefined length of time. They didn't really respond to his apology. He hadn't expected them to.

Randi shook herself. "We are where we're meant to be," she declared.

Mai-Li smiled. "Exactly," she said. Though she felt sorry to the other kids in her home, unlike the other three, she wasn't sad to be there. "Let's go explore Lotus Village," she suggested. She gazed at Dex. "Will you be out guide or leave us to our own devices?" she asked.

Dex nodded. "I'll guide you. There isn't much to see. There's still a lot of damage," he said.

"We're young and healthy. If there's anything we can help with, we'll try," Donny said. He tended not to speak much, Dex noted.

Mikey nodded to agree.

Dex nodded and they left the manor to explore the Village. It was bigger than they first thought. The dust Old West feel was only on the outskirts of the village. Going deeper in, it was more of a mid-twentieth century vibe. The technology was even up to par with around then, though something besides electricity powered everything. But there were nearly deserted areas, areas without power, areas without people.

Yet the people eagerly welcomed and greeted them wherever they went. They farmed in small patches, hidden within ruined parts of the city. Dex explained they'd had to adapt to survive because the Youkaitto had taken over any farm that was productive and all the crops went to them instead of the Ninjetti.

Lotus Village was so devastated because it'd been the capital of the Ninjetti. It was hit fast and crushed so that other Ninjetti villages wouldn't put up much of a fight and were occupied instead. Aside from the labor raids, Lotus Village was left alone to serve as a reminder that the situation was helpless and even their young Chieftain was powerless.

The group eventually split up to explore on their own. Mai Li stayed with Dex. Her dimple had disappeared a while ago and hadn't even been hinted at. "Are you upset?" he asked her.

"Hmm?" she glanced at him. "Not really. Just thinking about how terrible it all is and that I'm glad I'm here to help," she said and smiled at him over her shoulder. Without realizing it, he ended up smiling back at her. "See, you're glad I'm here, too," she added with a giggle, before turning away and continuing down the street they were walking on.

Dex caught up with her. "Is that not all right?" he asked.

"Nope. I'm glad," she said. They stopped short when they heard screaming. They started running toward the sound.

They came upon a scene. A Youkai and a group of Kagers were dragging a young man down the street while a woman who appeared to be his mother continuously begged them not take him. The young man was struggling to get away, but he was helpless against the strength of the Kagers detaining him.

"Ugh, lady, your voice is grating on my nerves," said the crab-like Crustavore. He waved a pincer-like arm at her and a bubble enveloped her, effectively silencing her. The young man screamed and fought harder.

Before Dex could, Mai Li jumped into it, drawing a sword and fighting off the Kagers holding the young man. Once freed, the youth ran to his entrapped mother.

"Who dares interfere with the Youkai's rightful enlistment of laborers?" the crusty crab demanded.

"You mean the enslavement of my people?" Dex demanded.

The crab scoffed. "You. Do you know why Daimou lets a mutt like you do as you please? Because you have no teeth," he snarled. He jumped forward to snap at the young man. But Dex flipped out of the way, drawing a sword to deflect.

"Who needs teeth when you have swords?" Mikey said as she came upon the scene.

"I've seen scarier monsters in kiddie movies. Do we even need five swords for this?" Randi asked, gesturing at the monster listlessly.

"He looks like he'd feed us for a while. Assuming no one has a shellfish allergy," Donny said, sizing him up.

"I wouldn't eat him if you paid me," Mai Li declared, making a face.

Crustavore found himself surrounded by the five ninjas. He scoffed again. "What's this? A rebellion? Again? We all know what happens to rebels, don't we, Chief?" he said to Dex. "The Ninjetti are soft, pathetic, weaklings, like him," he thrust a claw toward the young man who was rolling his mother to safety.

"I suppose it's a good thing we aren't Ninjetti," Randi declared. She charged forward. The other ninjas charged toward him as well. He threw bubbles at them. They had to use their swords to avoid getting caught, and when they did, more Kagers appeared to keep them away from the monster.

Mai Li was thrown back, and Dex moved to catch her, they both landed hard, rolling for a moment. "Thanks for the assist," she said.

"My pleasure," he said.

"Now's not the time," she said but shot him a wink as they came to their feet.

"It's time to take this to the next level," Mikey declared, holding up her wrist.

Crustavore was already surprised at the kind of resistance they were putting up, but still, he was confident in winning. "Oh, what next level is that, little yellow girl?" he asked

Mikey smirked. She spun her Power Disc. The others spun theirs as well.

"Fire Storm, Ninja Form, ha!"

"Thunder Storm, Ninja Form, ha!"

"Desert Storm, Ninja Form, ha!"

The Rangers Morphed and converged on the monster. They found his shell to be rather tough. The double swords of the Fire Ninjas clanged off him quite ineffectually. Indigo's Thunder Staff wasn't having much luck either. His armored pinchers were also quick. Even Shinobi couldn’t get the upper hand.

He produced bubbles and flung them at the Rangers. "Shinobi Shielder!" Shinobi sprang forward, activating his wrist piece. Sand collected in front of them, and an electric discharge hardened it into glass. That the bubbles bounced off, but each hit cracked the shield.

Crustavore laughed maliciously. "So much for all your big talk," he said.

"There's only one thing to do in this situation," Indigo stated.

"What would that be?" Orange questioned.

"We form a powerful combination," Teal said suddenly.

"Huh?" Violet asked.

"This shield won't last much longer!" Shinobi warned them.

"Indigo Slinger!"

"Teal Stinger!"

"Orange Zipper!"

"Violet Flyer!"

Teal, Indigo, and Violet gathered and put their weapons together. Zipper became the barrel, Stinger the body and trigger, the Flyer the firing mechanism, and Slinger the charging mechanism. "FireStorm Cannon!" they announced.

The glass shield shattered, and Shinobi rolled out of the way. Crustavore had to admit to being surprised when the shield shattered, he faced a formation of Rangers around a wicked looking cannon. "Fire!" Orange pulled the trigger, and a powerful blast of electricity and fire exploded through the crustaceous creature.

Before the Rangers could celebrate their victory, the Youkai began to bubble and swell up, growing to massive proportions. "Ah! Thank you, dear Doctor! I can feel so POWERFUL!" he shouted gloatingly.

"Well, that's never happened before," Shinobi declared.

"Any brilliant ideas this time? Seriously doubt our Zords magically transported with us," Orange declared.

"We've got that covered," Shinobi Said. He tossed them each a small computer chip. He plugged one into his Morpher. "Sand Dweller!" He summoned and flickered away. The dessert began to undulate as something massive moved underneath it like a giant snake. A blue and tan train burst through a sand dune and fired on the massive monster with missiles. The monster roared with outrage and tried to stomp the train, but it was already underground again.

The other Rangers found where to plug in their chips.

"Storm Chopper!" Orange summoned.

"Storm Jet!" Teal summoned.

"Storm Glider!" Violet summoned.

"Storm Tanker!" Indigo summoned.

The Rangers flickered and appeared in the cockpits of their Zords. The orange Chopper was helicopter-like and fired missiles and hovered with ease. Crustavore crashed into it as it tried to swat it away. Orange yelped as she tried to regain control.

The stealthy, streamlined Jet zoomed past him, unleashing a barrage of missiles, distracting the monster from Orange. Triangular and aerodynamic, the violet Glider was incredibly maneuverable. Violet zoomed around, firing missiles at him, and he couldn't catch her.

The domed, circular indigo Tanker rumble toward the monster. Seeing that it moved slower than the flying machine, and didn't slip underground, Crustavore tried to concentrate on it by throwing bubbles at it, but they bounced off the impenetrable armor. A barrel suddenly rose up out of the top of it. Indigo aimed at his middle and fired.

Crustavore roared and kicked at it. "Don't get happy Rangers!" he snarled. He threw his arms up and summoned a barrage of exploding bubbles from the sky. Indigo hunkered down in her Tanker, and Shinobi was safe underground, but the flying Zords didn't fare quite as well.

"Everyone, all right?" Shinobi asked.

"A-Okay," Orange assured shakily.

"No serious damage," Teal reported.

"I'm just kind of mad. How do we level up?" Violet demanded.

Shinobi activated something on his console. "Activating Megazord mode," he announced.

The five Zords came together, shifting and attaching. Tanker formed the body, Dweller formed the legs, Glider forms the left arm with a shield, Jet formed the right arm with a sword, and Chopper forms the helmet and a set of wings. They appeared in a shared cockpit. "FireStorm Megazord!""

Eh? What's this now?" Crustavore scoffed. "Fancy, but useless!" He said and shot bubbles at them.

The Megazord threw up the shield. It dashed through toward him and slashed with the sword. Crustavore, deflected and countered. The massive entities traded blows for a time, but Crustavore's shell was even tougher that this size.

"This is getting irritating," Indigo declared.

"I agree," Shinobi said. "Hang on!" He gritted his teeth under his helmet and flipped some toggles on his console. Thrusters under the orange wings ignited and Megazord took flight. "FireStorm Flash!" The Megazord's sword came alive with fire and lighting.

"Eh?" Crustavore didn't have time to say more as the Megazord dove toward him and slashed through him with the sword. It landed a distance away as he exploded.

All right, yes!" Violet and Orange high fived each other.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The mother and son that the Rangers had saved came out to greet and thank them. Dex, however, seemed less than pleased. "How many more young men people are hidden in the Village?" he demanded.

The small family had the good sense to look abashed. Before they answer, there was a sudden burst of power that not only knocked the ninjas of their feet but crumbled several buildings.

Four beings had appeared. They all wore human form. Daimou, tall, aloof, silver-haired and lovely, dressed in elegant black robes was accompanied by Dr. Suritto and his two younger siblings.

Karouno, the Demon princess, barely wore a short yukata and tall boots. Her eyes were both metallic gold and her dark hair was worn long. Otono, the Demon Prince, was stout and brutish, his eyes flat metallic silver. He dressed like an ancient warrior. He was mostly bald except for a patch of long dark hair.

Dex coughed and got to his knees. "What is this?" demanded.

"Otono, our slave," Daimou gestured to the young man, who was now separated from his unconscious mother. Otono grunted and slung the youth over his shoulder.

"Well, Doctor. It seems Serum Sixteen needs to go back to drawing board," Daimou said casually. The doctor bowed.

Karouno was surveying the humans with some interest. "Are these the champions of Ninjor?" she asked. She giggled. "How funny," she said.

"Who are you people?" Randi demanded.

Daimou smirked. "Ninjor's standards really have dropped after all this time," he declared. He walked toward Dex and knelt so that they were on the same level. "Have you realized yet, young Chieftain of the Ninjetti? There is nothing you or your decrepit master can do. That was only a small fraction of my power," he said.

"You're Daimou?" Dex demanded.

"It's good that you've recognized your King. You may get to live thanks to that," he said, standing. He walked over to Mai Li. "How lovely. I may keep this one, for entertainment," he said, grabbing her chin, and surveying her face.

She jerked away. "In your dreams," she growled.

Daimou's unsettling grin only widened. "I don't mind a challenge," he said. "I'm in a good mood today. I'll let you have your lives and your freedom for a while longer. I haven't been do entertained in quite some time," he said.

"You're really just going to let them be?" Karouno asked.

"I'm old. I'll get my entertainment where I can. Next, we meet, Ninjetti, I do hope you'll at least be a challenge," he called to Dex as they disappeared again.

Mikey clenched her fists. "Where do they get off?" she demanded.

Donny sighed. "They have a point. Our current power is nothing compared to theirs," he said.

"Then we'll just have to get more powerful," Mai Li said.

Randi finally got to her feet. "And not just us," she declared.

"What do you mean?" Mikey asked.

Dex got to his feet and helped Mai Li to hers. "It's time for the Ninjetti clan to come together and fight back. We can no longer hide in the shadows and hope that the Youkai leave us alone. That's not going happen," he said.

"And now that we're here, you're no longer alone," Mai Li said, smiling at him.

"We'll all work together to train you an army," Randi declared.

"That's what it's going to take," Mikey said.

"You said there were more Ninjetti than Youkaitto. It's time to remember what strength in numbers means," Donny said.

Dex looked at their determined faces, then around at what was left of his home. He nodded. "We have a lot of work to do. We'd better get started," he said and started to lead them back toward his house. Mai Li caught up to him and grabbed his hand, settling in beside him. Mikey and Donny followed. Randi took up the rear.

She paused and looked around. She'd never more alone, without her brothers or her teammates there. AT the same time, she'd never felt she belonged anywhere else, more than she did on this planet far away from home that needed her. She realized she was being left behind and quickly caught up with them.

It was going to be a long journey to free this planet, and five young ninjas didn't seem like much help. But a small boat in the ocean could create big waves.

~~~End~~~