Sue & Ben much preferred the training room now, as supposed to hearing nerdy, scientific chatter in the lab downstairs. It was the morning right after New York was spared from excessive destruction by a gargantuan sized grey monster, not to mention the addition of two new residents to the much-feared residences in the Baxter Building. Official introductions between the Fantastic Four & Dr. Ozai & Azula made way for endless conversations yesterday after lunchtime. Quite a few times, even Reed fell short of breath talking so much. The day was eventful & tiring, yet everyone was up & running normally today. Johnny demanded his words "We need a rematch" be marked, & he got his wish. Azula had gotten up at sunrise to freshen up & amp up her energy before the friendly battle ensued between them both.
Regarding the dilemma of trusting Ozai or not (as he could be a potential, power hungry foe), there were mixed feelings in the minds of the FF. Johnny didn't care much apart from proving to Azula he was 'flamin' hotter'. Ben was on the lookout for anything suspicious. He thought, though, that Ozai, or Dr. "O" was a cool guy that talked smooth; he had even given Azula the nickname "Blue Blaze". Sue preserved her 'people person' nature but simultaneously analysed their guests' speech & actions, trying to dig for evil lurking motives but to no avail so far. Reed was glad as always that he'd befriended another scientist but kept his words in check, careful not to give away whatever was confidential & personal. He asked lots of questions which Ozai answered in detail with a constantly calm tone. The FF had a safe assumption that neither Ozai nor Azula posed any threats.
H.E.R.B.I.E. too had an exciting time the previous day; he loved the new guests. Even better, Ozai had his own helper of a computer, powered by artificial intelligence - her name was Light Speed Yottaprocessor , or for short, 'L.Y.' (Ozai's company name which sounded wonderfully feminine) & H.E.R.B.I.E. literally felt a spark in his wiring. "Pleased to meet you..H.E.R.B.I.E.," L.Y. had said politely. H.E.R.B.I.E. was flustered as he'd never experienced this weird feeling before.
Sue was in charge. She warned the two fire 'benders' to make the fight more friendly than fiery, or else H.E.R.B.I.E. would be ready with his arsenal of fire extinguishers. "Three...two...one...go!" she shouted. Johnny flamed on & hovered high enough to avoid close contact with his opponent. He launched an array of fireballs at good speed. "Haha," he teased, "can't get to me now!" To his surprise, Azula made a short sprint in an unusual direction, more away from him than toward him. She suddenly performed a rapid back flip that sent an arc of blue fire rushing upward to him. Her flames were lightning quick & impacted on him to send him a little off balance. Luckily he was still hovering despite his shaky state. He didn't see that move coming. Plus her attack produced quite a concussive force on his chest.
His next move was to try sweeping her off her feet. He stretched both arms outward to the right & swung them downward to the left & then upward, like drawing half a circle. This generated a stream of seemingly solid fire with a strong force of its own. However, Azula jumped in time to dodge his attack. Nuts, Johnny thought. "Come on down, scaredy!" yelled Azula mockingly. Her one-sided smile ticked him off; he was afraid he'd warm up to it sooner. He decided to fly lower & circled her whilst accelerating. "Let's see if you can tackle my tornado.." Still, he was too slow. The tornado wasn't yet big enough when Azula performed an impressive horizontal mid-air spin, unleashing more firepower. This time, the force overwhelmed Johnny. He stumbled & was sent rolling. "That does it," Azula finally said. Sue & Ben applauded, just managing to keep a fraction of bursting laughter in check.
Johnny hadn't been beaten this badly by anyone, not even Ben. Okay, fine, he muttered in his mind. His real so-called 'skills' in unaided combat had after all been, in a way, brought to light. His little bragging eventually showed itself & its pointlessness at that moment. He'd better cut back on parading himself now. He thought momentarily about his big mouth before brushing the thinking off. The first time something like this occurred was years back at Central Park. He was nine, & a girl had lined a toy car & skateboard side by side on the pavement. Before he could notice, both of his feet slipped over each of those objects. He got some nearby kids & even a clown laughing. His memory of the prank was hazy now, though.
"Alright, Blue Blaze!" yelled Ben with a grin. "I'm celebrating with Aunt Petunia's famous ribs tonight. Don't worry, Flame Brain, you're still invited." Azula added, "We can do fusion. I'll top those ribs in sweet & sour sauce of the East." Again, her signature smile curved across her face as she turned to Johnny. He assumed a childish sulk & jutted his lower lip out. "Better luck next time, Johnny," Sue said.