The Oncoming Storm - D. Brooks

Four

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.