Chapter 4 – Cynder vs. Ash

Cynder looked on in shock and she was outraged at what Ash had done to her teacher. She was just about to rush in to help when she saw Tails flying down to the arena.

"Hang on, Blaze!" he called. "I'm coming to help!"

As Tails landed on the arena next to his downed wife, Cynder approached them in time. The announcer pondered deeply since originally he was going to summon some stretchers to aid her to the nurse room.

"Ah, ow!" exclaimed Blaze, feeling badly hurt from the damage inflicted. Fortunately, she was not crippled.

"Relax, Blaze," said Cynder. "Tails and I are here to help you get better."

"Shall I call in a stretcher?" the announcer asked.

"That won't be necessary," said Tails. "I got it covered. She'll be much better in my hands."

"Please let me come with you," said Cynder. "My match can wait for the time being."

"I appreciate you wanting to help, but it will be better that you stay here and have your match with Ash right now," said Tails. "Blaze will be alright as I'll get her fixed up in the nurse room."

"Tails, really, I insist," said Cynder. "She's just as important to me as she is to you."

"Cynder, no," croaked Blaze.

"Huh, Blaze?" asked Cynder. "Are you absolutely sure you don't need me."

"Yes, I do," continued Blaze. "Listen, I'm not saying this because I want you to avenge me, but all I can tell you is to be careful and win the match. Ash is not to be underestimated, Cynder, so keep your wits about yourself."

"I understand, Blaze," said Cynder.

"Do not worry about me," said Blaze. "I'm in good hands, and I shall be back in time for the remainder of the final match."

"Alright, then," said Cynder, feeling a sudden burst of determination. "I promise, Blaze, I won't let you down."

Blaze smiled. "Good luck on your match, Cynder. Trounce Ash and become the winner!"

"What a pity," said Ash as Tails moved out with Blaze on his arms. "I was hoping she was going to last long for me to carry out my plan to humiliate her."

"You, I will make you pay for that!" Cynder spluttered as she seethed with rage. "Blaze was my mentor, and you hurt her!"

"It's her own fault," said Ash. "She should have picked me as her student all those years ago."

"That gave you no excuse for what you did over there," hissed Cynder. "You absolutely have no shred of honour, and your actions back when we first met and now really showed how much of a disgrace you really are!"

Ash smirked. "So I guess we are going to get our fight started now?"

"You bet, and I'm going to make you sorry you ever crossed me!" declared Cynder.

"Oh, I am so scared," said Ash sarcastically.

"Alright, that's it!" growled Cynder. "Announcer, we want to get the final round underway right now, please!"

"As you wish, Cynder," said the announcer, and he turned around to grab the spectators' attention. "Ladies and gentlemen, the final match is about to start! Who will be the victor and earn the title of champion? It will be a spectacular fight between Cynder and Ash!"

"This is it," said Draco as all the other spectators around him and his friends cheered on. "The fight many of us have been waiting for."

"Do you think Ash is going to fly off if she beats Cynder again?" asked Jeremy.

"I highly doubt that," said Jakkin. "This is a very important match, so there's no way either of the two dragonesses will quit the match, especially when it's apparent that Ash must have something planned."

"What sort of plan?" asked Lily.

"I don't know, Lily," said Draco. "All I can say is that I have bad feeling about this. Cynder has grown strong since her last encounter, but Ash doesn't seem to be concerned at all. It's like if she's hiding some kind of secret or something, being so eerily calm and cool about it."

"You know, I'm getting same vibe from Ash as well," said Percival. "There's something about her that seems so dark and mysterious. Still, I'm sure she could be trusted as I don't think she's completely evil and just wants to prove that she's a very strong dragon."

"Come to your senses, Percival!" said Jakkin with disapproval. "That girl is nothin' but trouble, and if you let your feelings cloud your judgement, you'll be a liability as she is a danger to all of us!"

"He's right, you know," agreed Torden. "As much as she may not seem like much, she could still turn against us."

Percival could only watch the fight with the rest of his friends. As much as he wanted to believe that there may be good in Ash, he could only take the words of his friends with much thought, especially when he was already given the pep talk by Blaze earlier on.

"Now, let the match begin!" declared the announcer as Cynder and Ash positioned themselves, and with that the two charged towards each other in a really intense fight.

Cynder and Ash fought all around the arena, exchanging blow after blow in the hopes of winning the match. They even took flight for an aerial clash, and they unleashed a barrage of Plasma Bursts against each other. Both of them seemed evenly matched, and neither one of the dragons were willing to give up.

"I must say, Cynder, you have grown much stronger since our last encounter," said Ash. "I'm very impressed, but that's still not enough to beat me."

"You seem to have been doing some training yourself since you're a bit tougher yourself," said Cynder. "Even so, I'm going to win this match so that you won't attempt any funny stuff at all."

"Funny stuff?" snorted Ash. "Oh, please! I was just getting warmed up to show you my true power, if you're so curious to witness it for yourself."

"You're bluffing, I know that," said Cynder. "I can hardly imagine that you would have some sort of hidden power within you, especially when you don't even have an Elemental Brooch like I do."

Ash smirked as Cynder charged towards her again and they both continued their fight in the air. Everyone watched with amazement as the battle intensified. The dragons could tell that things are about to get serious between the two Twilight Storms.

Cynder delivered a devastating Dive Bomb on Ash, causing the two to crash down to the arena, shaking the entire stadium. Ash was lying face down on the ring, while Cynder stood proudly.

"It's all over, Ash!" she declared. "I have you by the ropes, so you better give it up!"

At first, Ash remained silent as she lied down, then all of a sudden, she started sniggering. Confused, Cynder could only wonder what Ash found amusing.

"My dear princess," she began. "You just don't get it, do you? I am really unstoppable!"

"What are you talking about?" scoffed Cynder. "And don't call me 'princess!'"

"Why shouldn't I? You are the princess of the Shadow Dragons, right?" continued Ash, flashing her famous sinister grin. "Just like how I'm a princess in my own right, for you see, I'm about to let you in on a little secret."

"Oh, that certainly does sound ominous," said Cynder. "What could you possibly be hiding that could really intimidate me?"

"Can you really handle the truth once it's out?" asked Ash. "I think it's about time I show you the real me. You may be familiar with the Dark Queen, the leader of the Obsidian Devourers, right?"

"Yes, I do since my group and I have defeated her months ago," said Cynder. "What is it about her?"

Ash looked at Cynder, who was starting to feel worried. This was the moment she had been waiting for. "Cynder, you are facing none other than the daughter of the Dark Queen herself!" she declared.

"You are what?!" exclaimed Cynder.

"That's right!" continued Ash. "The Dark Queen is my mother, and you killed her!"

"No, that can't be right!" spluttered Cynder, but when she looked into Ash's eyes, she noticed that they looked very similar to Queen Vildouleur. "Wait a minute, now it all makes sense! I do see a bit of a resemblance, but you're an albino Twilight Storm!"

"My skin colour is not the important issue," said Ash and her expression changed into an ugly snarl all of a sudden. "The important issue is that you're going to pay for what did to my mother!"

"But she was an evil dragon, and she had to be stopped!" hissed Cynder.

"You seem to be forgetting that I am an evil dragon myself," said Ash. "As they say, like mother, like daughter, and I intend to carry on her legacy, even without those lowly Obsidian Devourers."

"And just how are you going to do that?" asked Cynder.

Ash smirked. "I was about to tell you that I don't need a stupid brooch to unleash my full power, I can harness it on my own will, and you're about to find out just how powerful I really am! Oh, yes, I can see the fear in your face, and it's making me all the more pleased."

Cynder stood frozen, feeling both bewildered and nervous from Ash's words as the albino Twilight Storm assumed a fighting stance, ready to let out her hidden power.

"NOW YOU SHALL COWER AT THE FURY OF ASH, THE PRINCESS OF DARKNESS!" she suddenly screamed.

With that, Ash started glowing brightly. As the crowd watched with awe, Tails and a now fully recovered Blaze arrived at the scene, and together with the dragons, they could tell that trouble is afoot. Cynder could only watch in horror as Ash let off a shrill roar, feeling her strength increasing by the second as she began her transformation.

Author's Note: Oh, boy, this match is going to be pretty brutal, and we got a couple more chapters to go!