The Trouble with a team

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Following their first success against Lothor's army the four new rangers came back to the base of which their operations were being run out of. At first it was all happy celebrations around as the wider team acknowledged that the first trial run of the rangers had gone incredibly well. That they had not suffered a large loss and had in fact come out of the battle victorious. 

Yet despite this, and Sensei's warning that things were only going to progress as the attempts of invasion continued until Lothor was eventually stopped the group seemed to move on quickly. And as Tori, Shane and Dustin prepared to head back home after a long afternoon and relax Ellie stuck about for just a little while longer. She needed to stop in order to get answers to the questions that had been spiralling around in her mind all afternoon. She needed to know if Sensei Wantanabe knew anything about Sensei Morai. 

"Ellie, you coming?" Tori questioned from the top of the stairs noticing her sister was stood in the middle of the operations room looking into the distance. Making no effort to follow her friends out. 

"You guys go on ahead I need to talk to Sensei." Ellie waved her sister off trying to seem nonchalant about what she intended to discuss with the ninja master. 

"We'll wait for you in the van. Take your time. I'm sure the boys are still too excited about being rangers to really care much about anything else." Tori gave Ellie one last smile of encouragement before heading up and out of the operations room. And upon turning around from where she had been looking at her sister, Ellie was met with the Guinea Pig Sensei waiting for her to talk to him in his little house like enclosure. 

"Elizabeth I can tell there is much on your mind." The 'man' spoke and despite him looking like a small animal children usually had for their first pets, Ellie could seriously tell the man inside was still the same. 

"I was wondering if you had any news on Sensei Morai. I looked everywhere for her outside in all the rubble, but there was no sign." Ellie sighed as the worry she felt for the woman became evident. Sensei Morai was more than just her ninjitsu teacher, the woman had been involved in Ellie's life for many years now. Ever since she had joined the school when she was a young teen who was searching for any link to her birthparents. The woman had almost instantly recognised her and from the moment they had begun their 1:1 lessons, she realised that the teacher soon became a close confident. And from that a close friend. 

"I am afraid my dear that it would seem Sensei Morai was captured by Lothor whilst trying to protect the students of the school." And Ellie found herself slowly nodding her head at his words. Despite it making the most sense it did not hurt any less. After all, it would be the first time in her ninja training where something big would happen and she would not have the familiar black haired sensei by her side. 

"I understand Sensei, I hope we will get her back soon." Ellie's head hung low with the news she should have been expecting but was still not happy to have heard. 

"I know that we will return her and our missing students back. I have faith in you as our team. But for now I will take over as your main Sensei and will consult the scrolls to see what I can do to help aid in your training." And with a final thank you, Ellie left to walk down the path of which took her out of the now ruined grounds of the school and towards where Tori had left her van parked. 

The walk this time seemed very different. Ellie knew she should have felt some joy considering that she had experienced something amazing during that day, but her mind was so focused on what had lead to that moment. Sure being a ranger seemed pretty cool in that moment in time it was nice, but she was too focused on what had led her to donning the spandex suit. And when she finally reached the edge of the forest and into the clearing where the van had been left earlier that afternoon, which could have only been so many hours ago but felt like a year ago. 

Tori stood waiting outside the van, leaning against the baby blue vehicle with her mobile phone in hand texting away to somebody as she waited on her sister. Neither of the boys could be seen but even from the distance Ellie was at she could hear them inside. Her older sister turned to her to sling an arm over her shoulder and pull her close. 

"Things suck right now, but there's nobody I'd rather step into this shit show with than you." Tori's grip on her sister was tight at these words and Ellie smiled back at her. 

"We've been at this since we were five. I'm not letting you dive head first into stupidity without me." And with a laugh the two Hanson sisters bundled into the front of the blue camper van setting out in the direction of returning back to their home for a much needed shower and a good night worth of sleep. 

When Ellie's alarm went off the following morning, it had only felt like minutes had passed since she laid her head down for some rest. Her body ached more than it had ever done following a normal training session. Her head hurt more than it did when she was cramming for her exams. All in all, as she dragged herself from her bed, aware she now had to juggle her schooling around 'fighting to protect the earth' Ellie wondered just what she had done to live this life. Especially in her early adult years. But she had little time of which to think on it more as she was more than aware that Sensei Wantanabe had plans for the newly developed team. After all, it was not like any of them were top of their class unless like Ellie it was by default. 

Spending her day off from University handcuffed to both Shane and her sister was not the way Ellie had imagined her day going.   But here she was being pulled rather roughly via the handcuff to speed up their walk through the desert land that they had been sent upon. 

"Come on you guys." Shane grumbled, pulling even more at the handcuffs attaching him to the team he was supposed to be leader of. Not that he had adapted quite to the new roll he had been forced into. Shane had never exactly been what would have been considered the leader of the friendship group, that had always been Tori she had been the one to bring everyone together whilst they were still in high school. 

"Shane." Tori announced as she felt the shock of Shane pulling Ellie and then pulling her sister forwards.

"This could take all day." Shane ignored Tori as the man clearly had somewhere else he would rather be in that moment. 

"Shane can you stop pulling. My wrist is totally tweaked." Tori commented once again, wanting to get a response this time from the man clad in red.

"Shane please just slow down for a moment." Ellie attempted to back her sister up.

"Sorry Tori it would just be so much faster if we could split up." Shane finally acknowledge earning a scoff from Ellie who seemed to have been forgotten in the apology "Sorry Els." he tagged on last minute.

"Not to mention less painful."

"You know the scroll of three thing better be worth it man, these cuffs are brutal." Dustin finally seemed to join in the conversation head no longer in the clouds. 

"Sensei would not have sent us if it weren't important. It's gotta be here somewhere." Shane rebutted eyes darting around the vast environment in an attempt to see what he could find. Though the vast desert surrounding them seemed to be giving very little away.

"What kind of scroll are we talking about anyway?" Dustin stopped in his tracks turning to the three others around him, obviously confused as to why they were even out searching. Ellie could not blame him, the information they had been given was scarce at best.

"I'm thinking, that if we see a scroll anywhere around here that's probably it." Tori answered taking in their surroundings and coming to her most logical conclusion. 

"Okay, well there's one." Dustin pointed out the vert clear floating scroll a few feet in front of the four ninja students. It was much more obvious than first thought and considering just how in the face it was, Ellie wondered just how they had not seen it sooner. It would have completely saved her wrist from the horrible bruising it would have developed by the next morning, if it even took that long to come out. And she had no clue how she would explain the bruise that did form, considering it would be clear it was most likely from handcuffs. 

"That's got to be it." Ellie responded. Though before anyone could say anything else Shane had begun sprinting in the direction of the scroll, completely forgetting the three people attached forcefully to his side. 

"Wait it says something." Tori noted

"Stronger than one is three." Shane translated and Ellie looked around her. There was four of them to begin with, and she was unsure what the scroll was directly hinting at.

"Wait, that's it?" Dustin shrugged clearly disappointed considering the travelling they had done. "We'd be better off buying fortune cookies." He lamented.

"Let's just grab it and bail." Tori concluded and Ellie realised she must have been the only one focused on the number three. 

"I'll get it." Shane exclaimed surging forward once again to collect the scroll. Pulling the collective four people to the ground. It was a heap as they landed with Tori landing completing on top of her sister, Ellie smashed into Shane's side and Dustin at the bottom of the heap with Shane stuck across his feet.

"Who's on my foot?" Dustin started before continuing on after answering his own question "Shane." He whined knowing it was the other man's fault they were in this predicament. 

"That was so not effective." Tori groaned out, and Ellie only let out a whine of her own her sister's weight being a little too much. "Sorry Els." Tori commented before rolling slightly with as much space as the handcuffs would allow them until she was no longer upon her sister.

"I'll do this myself." Shane grumbled yet before any of them could successfully bring themselves off the ground and back onto their feet a shriek shout could be heard as multiple new figures joined them in the sand. Ellie looked up to take in the figure of the kelzak minions that had surrounded them and wanted to sigh out. It was obvious that this would happen after all the scroll just floating in the air unprotected like that, of course it would draw in the other side to their battle. 

"Uh Kelzak party at 10."

"We must be going to some very different parties Dustin." Ellie answered as she tried her hardest to get herself into a defensive position despite having both of her arms handcuffed to other people. Yet before she could do anything she found herself being pulled left and right by the others in her team. Finding herself unable to actually provide any hits without being tossed onto the floor. It was another way of which she wanted to sigh it was clearly not working. 

And as the kelzaks circled around them bringing their weapons closer she watched as the swords came down upon the chains effectively cutting them off. Finding herself able to finally move without someone else tugging or shouting at her for doing so. Ellie felt relief. Yet she watched on as Shane tore ahead back towards the scroll leaving the other three behind to fight the Kelzaks. Her eyes immediately went in the direction of her sister who was surrounded and struggling and she rushed to help. The number however, was too much and soon Ellie also felt herself being overwhelmed by the sheer number of Kelzaks surrounding her, as they gripped tightly onto her arms pinning her in place. 

"Ah yeah." Shane's voice took Ellie's attention away from where she had been focused on trying to break free and to where he had moved. Shane had managed to break away from the kelzaks and was in direct contention for the scroll. 

"Hey Shane wait?" Tori would shout before she was tossed onto the ground, Ellie soon landing beside her sister. The hard ground slamming into her back as she looked over to see the yellow earth ninja also in a pile on the floor. 

"Aw man." Shane sighed and Ellie noted they were heading down a very familiar path yet again, as she heard the others shout to him for help. She looked up to see the blades heading towards her. Until there was nothing. 

The desert she was surrounded by soon enough materialised back into the headquarters they had started out in hours beforehand. She resigned to just not getting up this time around, fed up of being thrown about and always ending like it had once again, with her on the floor and the team arguing. They really didn't do so well as an actual team. 

"Simulation over." Cam's voice would bring Ellie to at least a sitting up position on the floor. She knew that they would have to keep at the simulation until they passed it, but that wouldn't be for a very long time she was sure of that fact. "Well that was below average." Cam added on to rub salt in the wound, watching as the four new rangers slowly got to their feet around him. 

"Rangers you are lucky this was only a simulation." Sensei Watanabe spoke and Ellie could clearly feel his disappointment that was becoming ever so clear. 

"Sensei why can we not get this right? Why do we keep failing"

"That is for you to figure out, tomorrow we will try again." 

"Come on Tor, Lizbet." Dustin was close to dragging the two girls out with him considering they were his ride. The man yawning as he spoke, ready to climb into his bed. 

"Man I love it when he does his little hamster flips." Ellie chuckled as Tori threw her arm over the other girls shoulder, the pair ready to head home and into the showers.

"Where are you guys going?" Shane interrupted the three, a look of disbelief on his face.

"Home man." Dustin spoke like it was the most obvious thing.

"No way not until we get this right." Shane was contesting the idea of heading home no evidence of tire on his face unlike the three stood before him.

"Sensei said we'd try again tomorrow." Tori added on and Ellie rolled her eyes clearly seeing the argument of which was about to break out before her. The argument she really could do without in that moment. 

"Yeah I have some school work I really need to get done." Ellie sighed, she had spent a lot longer training that evening than she had initially intended and knew she would be up very late into the morning to get the work she needed for the next day completed. 

"And dude if I don't sleep, tomorrow is just going to be a repeat of today." Dustin yawned again to add onto his point.

"Look that's why we need to keep practising, until you guys get it right." Shane fought, not ready to step down from the argument, despite the originally uninterested counter parts. He had got their attention now at least. 

"Until we get it right?" Tori snapped, the first to take the bait, ready to stand up for her friends even if it was against one.

"Look that's not what I meant." Shane tried to double back on his words, but it had the intended effect he had wanted and Ellie rolled her eyes at him again. Definitely not interested in hearing what the others had to say. 

"Oh we know what you meant." The three turned on Tori's words heading back to the exit with the intent to just leave this time around. They would not get very far before Shane had chased after them, making an effort to try and grab all three at once, though struggling. Yet still making it so he had stopped them once again from leaving. 

"This is not ninja school anymore. This is the real deal and if you're not willing to focus on what's important" Shane's voice was low and back to the nasty tone Ellie had heard him use on other people before that he did not like. The tone he had used when he used to be a bully back at high school. 

"Dude look if you think you can do a better job by yourself, then just go for it man." Dustin was quick to step up close to Shane creating a barrier between the man and the two girls as he spit out his own response, tone mirroring the one Shane had just used upon them. 

"Well maybe I will."

"Fine. "Later dude." Whilst the other two spoke Ellie only scoffed she wanted to waste no words on Shane knowing that he was being a bit overdramatic at the time, and wanting more than anything to just get home. Rather she allowed her sister to pull her up the steps and out of the headquarters and in the direction of where they had left the camper van. 

The journey back was rather silent. Ellie looked over to note that Dustin had fallen asleep and upon pointing it out to her sister, Tori only turned the radio up a bit more. The three of them having decided to leave Shane behind to find his own way home that evening out of spite.