Chapter 10 - Elastic Sleeping Beauty

Akatski, dashing through several rooftops and moving away from the heroes' momentary base, stopped running and gave a look at his hostage; Mindy was still asleep, but she was moaning now. The villainous ninja took a vial out, and made her sniff it, the elastic female going limp and deeply asleep a few moments later.

"You'll need the head band after all." Akatski frowned. He used a very powerful sleeping potion to knock her out, but, obviously, her superpowered metabolism resisted the potion's effects much better than a normal human's. He took out one of his special headbands, placing it on Mindy's forehead; he didn't want to use it because, again, he had to take into account that her body had rubber-like properties and would probably resist the band's effects, so Akatski had to increase the band's voltage, plus combining it with the sleeping potion to ensure Mindy wouldn't wake up.

One of Akatski's minions moved next to him, waiting for instructions.

"We'll take her to the secondary base. You drop the note at any alley around that building; the Gaijin Mutt might be a huge moron, but he's still smart enough to find the note."

Meanwhile, back at the penthouse apartment, Blitz got a shiver down his spine and he knew that Akatsuki called him a moron.

"Oh, Akatski's a dead man, now." Blitz growled. "Well, he'll be one once I get my paws on him, but you know what I mean."

"Yeah, we know." Candace, in her muscular form, moved apart some of the debris covering the vault's room's door. "Hey, Colleen, just one large piece of wall left; you mind giving me a hand with it."

"Got it." Colleen, still in her huge werewolf form, reduced the remaining debris to dust with a quick yet powerful punch, she and Temari exiting the room a moment later. "Okay, the good news is that we still have the Stone."

"The bad news is that this Akatski guy got Mindy." Vanessa groaned.

"Obviously, he plans to use her as a bargaining chip." Blitz frowned while Shag tried to comfort a still upset and worried Derek.

"Jeez, Blitz, why'd you sound so vindictive all of a sudden?" Jeremy asked.

"Aside from the obvious part of 'one of my teammates got captured'? How about 'one of my teammates got captured by a psycho ninja who totally hates me and anyone related to me'?" Blitz groaned.

"Okay, as bad as that sounds, I have the impression it's not the only reason." Candace arched an eyebrow. Vanessa sighed and morphed her tail into a stool to sit down.

"Hope he doesn't rant as much as Dad." Vanessa thought while Blitz started.

"You wanna know why I'm so vindictive; well, it's because I hate Akatsuki so much; he's just like those street dogs that used to chase me after I found food. When I first came to the temple all he ever did to me was treat me like a nobody, like I was inferior to him, so throughout my entire stay at the temple I tried to show him up just to prove to him I can be just as good as he was, but after I saw the way he treated the other students I vowed that I would be the only one to stand up to him. Besides, throughout my entire training, I was the only to take him on… but after that night he tried to steal the Ryu Oni Stone, well, all I have to say is that I'm glad I got him kicked out of the temple, because the only thing he proved to anybody was that he was nothing but a spoiled crybaby."

"Whoa… are you sure you're not related to my family somehow?" Vanessa commented, getting arched eyebrows from everyone. "If you knew about ALL the issues my dad had with my grandparents and my uncle Roger, you'd know what I'm talking about."

"Speaking of parents… Derek, where's your father?" Colleen, back to her normal shape, asked her son.

"He took Uncle Exile, Monty and Muzzle to look around the building, in case they'd find a clue or something. Anything that can help us find Akatski and rescue Mindy." Derek replied, still looking down.

"Not very likely; ninja training, remember? Unless Hunter and the others are extremely good trackers, there's no way they'll find Akatski…" Temari was interrupted by Hunter and company returning.

"... unless he wants us to find him." Hunter said before handing Blitz a note. "We found this in a back alley; hidden, yes, but not that well hidden."

"Yeah, you're right. This is more than a clue; it's a ransom note." Blitz read it now. "He wants the Ryu Oni Stone in exchange for Mindy; he also left an address."

"And let me guess; he only wants you there. If he sees anyone else…" Temari frowned.

"Mmm… no, he doesn't mention that, but knowing him, it's an implicit thing." Blitz groaned. "If we arrive in large numbers, I'm pretty sure he'll hurt Mindy or use some other dirty trick to ensure our cooperation."

"That man's heart is colder than Siberian winter." Exile growled softly. "So, how are we rescuing our young comrade?"

"Well, obviously, not all of us can go there. And we're not giving him the Stone; I'll go rescue Mindy while the rest of you stays here to protect the Stone, not to mention calling OWCA and Professor Shephard so they can handle the unconscious criminals all over the building… and since Akatski will surely not like it at all when I arrive without his prize, I'll need someone to come with me to save Mindy and take her out of there while I handle Akatski." Blitz commented.

"Okay, before that, maybe we can use a decoy; a fake stone, so you can trick him and get close enough before trying to rescue Mindy." Candace pointed out.

"But nobody can create a convincing duplicate of a magical stone." Temari said, getting amused looks from Vanessa and Candace; the redhead then took out her cellphone.

"Hello? Phineas? Ferb? I know what you're going to do today."

"Trust me, they can." Vanessa said to Temari before turning back at Blitz. "And who are you going with for this mission?"

"I'm in." Hunter pointed at himself while looking at Blitz. "If we need a quick retreat, you'll need the fastest one."

"Alright then; with your speed and my ninja skills, we only need to add…"

"Raw power." Derek frowned, interrupting Blitz. "That's my thing."

"Derek, you're not…"

"I know, Uncle Blitz; I'm very angry right now, and that might be a problem when doing a rescue mission. I promise I'll obey Dad and your instructions at all times; I don't want to risk Mindy's life either." Derek sighed before smiling a bit. "Besides, I have experience working with the both of you, so I can follow your instructions without questioning, and you both know my capacities."

"He got us there." Hunter said to the doberman. "You hadn't seen how good he had become since you left."

"Well, I don't doubt he…" Blitz stopped talking when he saw Derek engulfed in a blue aura and summoning two huge energy swords. He was even more impressed when a large blue wolf appeared in front of Derek, ready for combat.

"Yeah, don't doubt." Derek smirked.

"Alright then; save something for Akatski." Blitz smirked. "Okay, time to plan a rescue mission."

Meanwhile, Akatski and his remaining minions/thugs arrived at their lair; it was an old fortress on top of a mountain, with a nearby village that served as Akatski's minions/thugs' living quarters, plus being filled up with traps that served as the fortress' first line of defense. The fortress used to belong to a rich, ancient family protected by Akatski's clan many centuries ago, and only a handful of people outside of the clan knew of its existence, or at least it used to be like this until Akatski decided to make it his base of operations, meaning there were now a few hundred thugs and maintenance staff working here.

Akatski, still carrying Mindy, handed her to a few of his men. While he took a very large group to attack the penthouse, Akatski still had several experienced fighters at the fortress and the village, plus even the maintenance staff had, at least, basic battle skills, so even after losing so many men in the previous attack, Akatski still counted with a sizeable army.

"Put her in the containment cell. Also, apply her a dose of anesthetic gas every hour; even with the headband, I'm taking no risks. These abominations aren't human, and we can't tell for how long she'll stay asleep if using only the headband or a single dose of the sleeping potion."

The men bowed respectfully at their employer, and then took the sleeping Mindy to the cell; unlike the 'dungeon cells' at the fortress' basement, the containment one was pretty much in the middle of the fortress, so anyone kept in there would be under continuous surveillance by pretty much everyone at the building, not to mention it worked very well for hostages kept as live bait. Akatski also made a mental note about giving incentives to his men, since he was pretty much expecting a big battle coming up when Blitz arrived, and after losing so many men in the penthouse attack, he was sure the remaining ones would probably demand a bigger payment, and as much as Akatski hated that, he knew he couldn't do this alone, and pretty much everyone here was a mercenary, loyal only to the money Akatski gave them.

"I had to become a simple burglar just to pay for these peoples' not-so-reliable help. Another thing that stupid Gaijin Mutt must pay for." Akatski thought bitterly; of course, his definition of 'simple burglar' meant several high-stakes crimes, from bank robberies to special works for the mafia, but he still hated it, not out of moral issues but because he saw himself as a lord rather than an 'inferior worker'.

"Triple the security; also, check out all the alarms and traps. The Gaijin Mutt is stupid, but even he wouldn't be stupid enough to come here alone; we need to be prepared for at least a small group of so-called-heroes trying to rescue this Female Mutt." Akatski said to his security staff's chief.

"We're on it, Master. Also…"

"The. Paycheck. Is. Ready." Akatski growled, silencing the man, who just nodded and left to do his work. Akatski grunted and rubbed his temples; he'd have loved to just beat up or eliminate any minion disrespecting him, but that wasn't a good solution when the men had no real loyalty and would leave him immediately if he became 'a bad employer'.

While Akatski growled over his staff's issues, Mindy was carried inside the cell. One of the minions carrying her noticed she was moaning, meaning she was slowly overcoming the headband's effects, so he used some sleeping gas on her. Mindy got the full dosage, and got back to a deep sleep; on the bright side, she was having a very nice dream.

Mindy looked around, finding herself in a very nice, flowery prairie. Mindy took a deep breath, smiling at the scent; she also got another, very nice scent, and followed after it. Mindy then looked at herself, realizing she was bigger and with a very attractive body, plus her hair was much longer, getting to the middle of her back. Also, her outfit was slightly different, with the blue parts being a much darker shade; she still kept the white collar and gloves, with some minor changes like white pants and light blue boots, plus having a nice blue mini-skirt.

"Heh, I grew up nicely." Mindy chuckled as she continued following the scent. She grinned when looking at a small mountain of bacon and sausages next to a pool of gravy. "Heh, of course. I'm a Cano Sapien now; my dreams are filled with stuff a dog would love. Wonder what's next; chasing squirrels?"

"We can do that later."

Mindy turned when recognizing Derek's voice and grinned; he was there, slightly older and bigger, shirtless, showing his muscular torso, and wearing short pants. He was also giving her a sly grin.

"Wow. Yummy. And the bacon and sausages look good too." Mindy smirked slyly.

"Glad you're enjoying the view. So do I." Derek held her hand and then they embraced tenderly.

"I'm not complaining… I'm DEFINITELY not complaining… but this is just a dream, right? I mean, the last thing I remember…"

"Yes, you're right. You and Darek… the non-dream one… were in the middle of a battle. However, since you're dreaming, that means you're still alive; but it also means you're unconscious and unable to do anything at this time."

"Wow, even in my subconscious, you're pretty smart."

"Heh, well, you have a huge respect for Real Darek and his experience and abilities; so it's logical your subconscious would use me, Dream Darek, to help you understand these things." Darek smiled. "So, while you're dreaming, why not enjoy it?"

"I kinda like that idea." Mindy smiled as they kissed again. When breaking the kiss, they felt several small furry bodies running around them and touching their legs. The two canines grinned before starting a playful chase.

"SQUIRRELS!"

Back in the real world, Mindy smiled in her sleep. The guards looking over her frowned at this before shrugging.

"Well, at least she's having a good dream."

"Yeah, specially compared with what the boss will do to her if that doberman guy doesn't bring the rocky stuff." The other guard nodded before securing Mindy's restraints. Even if she was heavily sedated and wearing the special headband, Akatski told his men not to take any risks, so they were now restraining her with some chains and lassos in case she woke up despite everything.

At that moment, Mindy's body started trembling, and the guards stood back, aiming their weapons at her, thinking she was about to wake up. However, Mindy remained asleep, but her body started morphing; after a few seconds, her sleeping form resembled her dream one, looking more mature and considerably more attractive.

"Wow… now I wish I was a dog." One of the guards grinned while the other whistled slightly.

"Hey, the mutt gal is waking up?" Another guard, who had been checking the cell's monitors, asked his companions.

"No, but she changed her form… looks much better now." The first guard chuckled slightly. "Lucky her; I just talk and roll in my sleep."

"Well, you guys aren't getting paid to look at the animals; this is a fortress, not a zoo." The monitor's guard frowned and got back to check the screens while his companions shrugged and added a few more restraints, adapting them to Mindy's new shape.

A couple hours later, one of the monitor duty's guards alerted Akatski, as his sensors detected a very specific energy wave.

"It's similar to that Stone's signature energy, Sir… it's not EXACTLY the same, but then again, it's still very far from here to get a completely precise lecture."

"Mmm… yes, I see that. Still, the Ryu-Oni Stone's power is unique, and can't get falsified by any way." Akatski frowned slightly before grinning. "It seems the Gaijin Mutt is coming, and he brought the Stone, as I ordered him. Get everything ready at the village; I doubt he's coming alone… so, we must get rid of any companions of his when they arrive to the village; that way he'll be completely alone when facing us here at the fortress."

As Akatski was saying this, Hunter, Blitz and Darek were approaching the village; Blitz and Darek found a hideout in a warehouse, while Hunter made a high-speed exploring around town. The doberman opened a little sack and smirked while looking at their decoy.

"Phineas and Ferb are as smart as everyone says. This fake stone is… almost identical to the original. The only reason I can tell the difference is because I've touched the real Stone and I know its energy first-hand." Blitz commented before frowning a bit. "Meaning Akatski will be able to tell the difference as well, when he gets close enough."

"Hopefully, by then, we'll be saving Mindy and escaping before he realizes this is a phony." Darek commented. "I hope Dad is fine…"

"Oh, don't worry; I've been in enough missions with Hunter to know that he's very hard to catch. And if Akatski's men actually spot him, they'll be making such a scandal we'll hear it all, and in that case we'll go help him." Blitz stopped talking when hearing some small explosions. "Like right now."

Blitz and Darek jumped out of the warehouse and followed the explosions' sound. On their way there, they saw multiple unconscious guards and broken traps (ropes, nets, security cameras, weapons and the like); obviously Hunter managed to damage a lot of the village's surveillance before the guards finally found him. Unknown to them, a guard spotted them from a distance but, instead of attacking them, he ran to the fortress.

Hunter was now dealing with no less than 20 enemies at this moment; he had no problem with the hand-to-hand combat, but he was having troubles with some thugs shooting at him from the nearby rooftops. Hunter tried to get closer and climb at super speed to take them down, but he accidentally stepped on a hidden land mine (another of the village's traps); the explosion didn't hit him full force since he barely touched the mine thanks to his speed, but Hunter still got stunned and fell down, making himself an easy target.

The snipers aimed at Hunter's fallen body but didn't get to shoot because Darek's lion aura knocked them down. Another group of attackers emerged from a nearby alley and tried to get Hunter as well, but Blitz jumped at them from above and knocked them out with some quick punches and kicks.

"Thanks for the rescue… nnngh…" Hunter stood up. "I found a way to the fortress; it's a bit long but it has the less guards."

"Sounds like a plan. Let's go." Blitz nodded before summoning some Shadow Clones. "You go ahead of us, and clear the path."

The clones nodded and obeyed, running ahead of the trio and taking down the guards that tried to stop them on their way to the fortress. Unknown to the trio, many other guards, who would have chased after them, were unconscious at the moment, taken down by someone else.

As this happened, the guard that had originally spotted Darek and Blitz arrived at the fortress in a hurry.

"They're coming… they destroyed my weapons and my communicator…"

"Okay, come in." Another guard let him in, and Akatski joined a moment later.

"How many?"

"I saw two of them, the doberman and one of the youngsters… but there might be more. The doberman is creating many duplicates of himself, so we can't tell how many of that group are clones and how many are the real deal."

Akatski frowned slightly. He knew Blitz wouldn't come alone but he was counting on the guards to tell him how many of Blitz's friends were coming with him; still, apparently, it was a small group, and the village's guards were already battling them.

"How well are our forces doing?"

"Not so well; I think… most of our guys are already out of the fight…"

"It's true, Sir." Another guard approached. "I tried to contact them… but most aren't responding. And most of our cameras and sensors are no longer working."

"Then, let's get ready for them." Akatski nodded while the 'running guard' turned at another one.

"I was on monitor duty at the village… I'm not that good at combat; I'll rather help with the monitors here."

"Eager to work, uh? You must be new." The other guard rolled his eyes yet lead the newcomer to the monitors' room.

As this happened, Blitz, Hunter and Darek were about to arrive to the fortress, the Shadow Clones no longer around since the remaining village guards managed to take them down before the trio defeated them.

"I'll take the front door. Hunter, Darek, you two climb that wall." Blitz instructed his teammates. "I'll try to attract all their attention so you two can look for Mindy."

"Got it." Hunter grabbed his son, and then climbed up the wall by running at super speed, hoping the fortress' sensors or cameras wouldn't get them.

Blitz charged at the door, charging an attack. When he was at less than 50 feet, he used an Earth Jutsu, making an earth/mud dragon head to emerge from the ground; the dragon then shot some huge burning, fire-engulfed mud balls at the door, making it to explode and knocking out over a dozen guards that were waiting behind the door. Blitz then jumped in and dodged the shots from two guards that avoided the attack; the doberman then jumped at the duo and punched one's chin, knocking him out; he grabbed the other and snarled at him, getting sure the man could see each and every tooth.

"Your boss is waiting for me. So, unless you want to be known as 'No-Nose Guy', you're gonna do what I tell you. Got it?" Blitz waited for the terrified guy to nod. "Good; now, like movie aliens say… Take me to your leader."

Akatski, looking through some security cameras, saw the whole exchange, and how the guard was leading Blitz now. The evil ninja frowned yet smirked a moment later, realizing that Blitz was now bringing the Stone to him.

"We'll be ready for him. Any news about his companions?"

"None, Sir." One of the monitor guards groaned. "Many of our cameras and sensors are failing now. One of the doberman's friends must be a tech-guy or someone carrying a device that can mess up with our electronics."

"I'm trying to repair the damage now, Sir." The 'running guard' said while checking on the monitors' cables and systems. "But this is gonna take a while… Oh, and we also lost the cable and wi-fi signals."

Akatski rolled his eyes at the collective groan from pretty much all the men.

"Just… do your job, and stop complaining!" Akatski growled before looking back at the 'running guard'. "And you, hurry up and repair it now."

"The cameras, the sensors, the cable or the wi-fi?" The guard grinned nervously at Akatski's frown. "Cameras and sensors. Got it."

Akatski got his most dangerous minions ready, knowing Blitz woud arrive soon; he positioned most of them around the containment cell, keeping a close eye on Mindy. The 'running guard' stopped working on the sensors and moved next to them.

"That system is fried. I'm not doing a thing with the monitors, at least not without two hours of hard work. Better stay here so I can justify the paycheck." The guard shrugged while positioning himself behind the cell, along with other two guards.

"I'd say you're crazy for trying to work overtime… but then again, the boss doesn't like to see us doing nothing, so suit yourself." Another guard nodded while getting his weapons ready, then noticing the 'running guard' was taking a bacon strip out of his pocket. "Bacon?"

"To distract the dogs. If it doesn't work… well, I'm hungry."

Blitz and the guard leading him arrived soon enough; Blitz noticed the containment cell with Mindy inside, and that, besides Akatski in front of him, and the many guards around the cell, there were several men around the room, some of them positioned in catwalks and aiming at him with machine guns and pistols from above, unlike most of the guards at the village who mixed regular weapons with high tech laser-beams.

"These must be old-style, more experienced thugs; that's why they use 'rough weaponry' instead of the modern ones." Blitz frowned yet smiled slightly on the inside, realizing Mindy seemed to be unharmed even if still sleeping and, somehow, with an elastic full-body makeover… and somehow, the place smelled like bacon. "Let her go, Akatski."

"You're a bit eager, Gaijin Mutt." Akatski frowned. "Now, give it to me."

Blitz grabbed the 'leading guard' by the collar, and threw him at Akatski's feet. The evil ninja just glared intensely at him.

"What? You said 'it'; you have to be more specific." Blitz smirked.

"Give me the Ryu Oni Stone, or I'll use the headband's full energy; that will melt your sleeping friend's brains. And with her powers, the melting will be quite literal." Akatski took out a remote. "Specific enough?"

Blitz growled and threw his little sack at Akatski. The evil ninja opened it, greedily grabbing the stone… and then getting a hateful expression.

"This. Is. Fake." Akatski growled and crushed the stone. Blitz smirked a bit.

"And crushing it… Was. Very. Stupid."

Before Akatski could react, the crushed stone liberated an allergen dust, and a few moments later he started coughing, sneezing, and scratching his face. Blitz lost no time and, while all the men were distracted by watching their boss having a massive allergic reaction, summoned his Shadow Clones to attack them en masse.

"SHOOT HIM, YOU FOOLS!" Akatski regained enough composure to yell an order. The guards on the catwalks started shooting but their bullets were intercepted by a huge orange energy creature; a dragon.

"Not on our watch. INCOMING!" Hunter dashed at the guards in the catwalks, knocking them down at super speed, while Darek's battle aura helped Blitz's clones and approached the cell.

"Hey, good timing." Blitz commented at Darek.

"Believe it or not, we found this place by following a bacon scent." Darek admitted, gasping when seeing the guards around the cell about to attack Mindy. However, the guards got then knocked around by one of their own; the 'running guard', who now had huge, muscular, and stretching arms.

"You took your time, guys." The guard spoke with a female, very recognizable voice.

"Candace?" Blitz gasped. "You were supposed to…"

"Hey, I had to bust these guys; that's my thing." The 'running guard' deactivated the holographic disguise, revealing Candace in her muscular, large form. "And you guys needed someone to help you with the traps, the monitors, the misinformation… and of course, to bring home the bacon." Candace grinned and ate the bacon before joining the fight again. "Get Mindy out of here!"

"Right!" Darek, who through the whole exchange had been using the dragon aura to cover them from the shots, nodded at Candace and offered his hand to her, Darek now summoning his red aura. "You gave us a hand; let me give you one too!"

Candace nodded and held Darek's hand for a few moments, engulfing her in the red aura. The girl then morphed herself again, this time into a huge, incredibly muscular and fierce-looking quadrupedal canine, while still keeping her usual hairdo. She'd have looked like a female Cerberus if she had two extra heads.

"Now… TIME TO GET BUSTED!" Candace pretty much roared and charged at the guards; most of them even forgot they carried weapons and just ran away, completely terrified of the monstrous canine.

Akatski finally recovered well enough from the allergen dust attack while making a mental note about developing a similar weapon later; he took out his katana and tried to slice Blitz, who blocked with a sword of his own while Darek used his dragon aura to tear apart the cell's door.

"I'm helping you now, Mindy… wow, you look great… Head in the game, Darek, head in the game…" Darek thought out loud before carefully removing the headband, and then infusing her with his blue aura, effectively waking her up.

"Nnngh… Darek? And… my body…" Mindy looked at herself when waking up. "Oh. I'm still dreaming, right?"

"No, you're fully awake." Darek helped her stand up, and Mindy touched at herself, realizing she was fully solid.

"Whoa… you're right! And… you came to save me, right?" Mindy smiled at him.

"Yeah, I'm trying." Darek smiled back… before they both heard a machine gun's fire.

"You guys can chat later, when we're not under enemy fire!" Hunter said while dodging the machine gun's shots. Mindy reacted and, out of instinct, unleashed the blue aura's battle beast, the wolf, sending it against the shooting guard and taking him down almost instantly. "Thanks for the help!"

"You're welcome… and these powers are great!" Mindy chuckled.

"Wanna use them a bit more?" Darek grinned while sending his still active dragon aura against another guard. Mindy then morphed into a werewolf form, again, by mere instinct, probably because of the blue aura's influence; she then charged at another guard, smacking him the other side of the room, while Darek still covered her back with the dragon aura.

As this happened, Akatski was increasing his attack, enhancing his speed with his own Stone-based energy, and Blitz was barely holding his own. The doberman was also having some troubles since he had to block the occasional attacks from Akatski's minions, but, luckily, Blitz's friends own battles helped him a lot, since they were getting rid of the extra attackers, so Blitz now could focus mostly on Akatski. Before they realized it, they were no longer battling in the main chamber but at the palace's corridors; Blitz frowned a bit since this limited some of his own jutsus but, on the bright side, it also limited whatever assistance Akatski could get.

"I'll destroy you, Gaijin Mutt! And I'll cut off your head and keep it as a trophy!"

"First of all, not a chance. And second… ew, that's just gruesome." Blitz growled while blocking a katana strike. Akatski then focused more energy on his blade, making it glow with intense heat.

"A lightsaber? And here I thought you hated movies." Blitz jumped back to avoid another attack. "What's next; asking me to join the dark side?"

"Stop making jokes to me, you don't deserve it, not after what you did to me!"

"That's the only song you know?" Blitz groaned in annoyance. "What did I do to you exactly, Akatski; save the temple from your selfishness which would have unleashed the very demon that you and every other ninja clan swore to protect the world from? Or protect your father from your potential betrayal?"

"I never betrayed my father; he betrayed our clan when he made you his pupil!" Akatski roared and charged at Blitz, who jumped aside and used his Earth Dragon Jutsu on the stone floor; while it wasn't as effective as using it on solid ground, the jutsu still worked partially, shooting small yet quite hard rock balls at Akatski.

The evil ninja sliced/destroyed the balls with his blade, but the balls were considerably cold, so they cooled down the katana, plus forcing Akastki on the defensive. Blitz then threw a smoke bomb at the floor, covering himself for a moment; Akastki dissipated the smoke with a wind jutsu, but then gasped when finding himself surrounded by dozens of Shadow Clones.

"I hate you. All of you." Akatski attacked the clones, that fought back, and while Akatski started destroying them all, he still was receiving some strong kicks, punches and even a few bites. By the time Akatski got rid of all the clones, his clothes were almost completely destroyed and he was covered in bruises and some light cuts.

"FACE ME NOW, YOU GAIJIN MUTT!"

"I'M GETTING SICK AND TIRED OF YOU CALLING ME THAT!"

Akatski turned and tried to strike again, but Blitz, who had now positioned himself right behind his enemy, caught his wrist and made a hard, quick twist on it, forcing Akatski to drop the blade. Akatski growled in pain, and yelped when Blitz took out his claws out, injuring his waist even more. Akatski then tried to elbow Blitz's body with his free arm, but Blitz caught it with his other hand/paw, and repeated the 'clawing hold' on Akatski's arm; the doberman then lifted Akatski over his head and threw him against a nearby wall. Akatski grunted, partially stunned by the impact, and still tried to fight back, but his arms were no longer working properly, and besides the obvious problem of punching an enemy or holding a weapon with an injured wrist and a damaged elbow, Akatski no longer could perform the complex hand moves needed to do most jutsus.

"You dirty little…"

"Little what, Akatsuki Yoshida? What were you going to call me, a Gaijin Mutt again? Cause I've been tired of you calling me that word, what does it even mean anyway?"

Akatski was about to spat at him when Blitz stopped him with a smirk.

"Yeah, I know, 'Gaijin' is 'Foreigner'; you didn't think I wouldn't know what that means after living in Japan for so long." Blitz grinned. "But seriously, it's getting old; and don't call me 'Little' either. Last time I checked, I'm a Doberman, not a Pekinese or a Chihuahua."

Akatski, now furious, threw a kick at Blitz's head, regretting it immediately because the doberman caught his leg with his jaws; Akatski yelled in pain as Bitz gave him a very powerful bite, and grunted again when Blitz shook his head and threw Akatsuki to the other side of the corridor.

"Offering me a bone? Nice gift, Akatski; should I bury it later?"

Akatski glared hatefully at Blitz while holding his injured leg; now he wouldn't be able to jump or kick, or even to walk without limping. Blitz, noticing Akatski couldn't attack him, at least for now, approached his fallen enemy.

"You have no idea how good you had it, Akatsuki Yoshida; you had a father who loved you, who treated you like you were meant to be a hero, a saviour, and you just spat in it, like you did to your father the day you were kicked out of the temple. I would've killed to have the life you had; my mother died trying to fend for me, my father left me and my mother to suffer; and as I grew older, I had no one to comfort me, no one to tell me that everything was going to be alright; I had to learn to do everything myself."

Akatski, despite the pain, tried to take out a shuriken, but Blitz stepped on his injured waist, hurting him even more, stopping him.

"You already made me hear you, your villainous rants and ego-driven accusations, Akatski; the least you can do is hear me now." Blitz smirked before continuing. "Every night I cried myself to sleep, and dream about the family I could've had. I lived in fear everyday; first, as a pup, from all the times the street dogs chased me through the streets every time I found food, and, as an adult, because I thought I had to keep a bravado image at all times so others wouldn't abuse me! And when I joined the Road Rovers I thought my life would recover from that horrible puppyhood I had, but no, it got worst; I thought Colleen would fall for me but instead she fell for some beach bum dog who, I can admit now, was still a great guy who'd make her happier than I'd ever be capable of."

Blitz then stepped slightly harder on Akatski's wrist before continuing.

"And when their wedding day came I felt like they were rubbing their marriage in my face; so yes, Akatski, you're not the only person who was rejected by a girl who chose another over you… but you don't see me using that as an excuse to be a jerk to everyone around me, and I never wanted to be the narcissistic jerk they saw in me… the image I gave to everyone. So I only ran away, because I couldn't take the pain anymore, and after I meet your father I felt that I found someone who could help me get rid of this pain in my heart I had since I was a pup, but you, you took him from me when you sent General Parvo to steal the stone for yourself. That's right Akatski, your father is dead and not just because of Parvo, but because of you, and now to avenge him, I'm going to treat you like the rabid animal you really are… And since you like 'mutts' so much, I'm sure you know the only way to deal with a rabid mutt."

Blitz extended his claws again, and growled softly at Akatski, who now was honestly scared of the doberman. At this moment, Akatski was no longer an enemy to Blitz, but a wounded prey, and Blitz was the alpha predator ready to eliminate him for good.

Akatski regained enough self-control to whistle loudly; then, a pair of his own Shadow Clones emerged from the other side of the corridor, charging at Blitz. The doberman, while mentally giving his enemy a little 'congratulations' due to his planning skills, was still in his near-feral state, and made a quick job on both clones, slashing their heads off in a split second. Blitz then saw a third clone carrying Akatski and jumping through a window; the doberman jumped after them and slashed the clone's legs at mid-jump, so Akatski fell down and out of the palace. Due to his ninja training, he managed to land on his feet, but having an injured leg, and both arms damaged as well, his landing was less than graceful, and he broke his other leg's ankle in the process.

Akatski growled in pain and then yelped in fear when Blitz landed right on top of him, two of Akatski's ribs cracking when the doberman slammed him against the ground. Blitz, growling, started slashing his arms, to get completely sure Akatski wouldn't be able to use another jutsu or weapon, and then punched his face several times, the doberman on top of the fallen ninja the whole time. When Akatski, out of desperation, managed to move one of his arms to (weakly) try to stop Blitz, he replied with a powerful bite that broke most of Akatski's left arm's bones. Blitz then bite his left shoulder and stood up, still holding the ninja, and started shaking him like a normal dog would do with an old shoe, Akatski now yelling and crying in pain, and begging for mercy. Blitz stopped shaking him but only so he could grab him by the collar with his hands/paws, and be able to talk again.

"You kill your father, disgrace your clan and now you have the audacity to beg for mercy; YOU DON'T DESERVE IT." Blitz growled while lifting Akatski with his left hand, and readying his right fist for a good punch. Akatski eyed the fist with terror, and it increased even more when Blitz changed his mind and opened his hand to extend his claws again, obviously ready for a lethal strike now.

"BLITZ, NO!"

Blitz stopped, yet didn't turn back to look at Hunter. The Rovers' leader was now out of the palace, along with Mindy, Darek and Candace; they had already finished defeating all of Akatski's men, and secured them in the palace's old dungeons. Blitz, still focusing on Akatski, talked back at Hunter.

"Hunter, I barely listened to you when you were my team leader; why do you think I'm gonna listen to you now?"

"Because you're a much better dog now, Blitz. You're far more responsible and stronger than before. You already won; no need to kill him."

"He's a killer, Hunter. He's not a regular crook, or even a super villain like Parvo. If I don't finish him, he'll return over and over again until he finally get's what he wants, even if he has to kill every one of us or some innocent people to do it. He's a monster; you don't reason with it, you destroy it for good."

Hunter was now slowly approaching Blitz while motioning the youngsters to stay back. Candace and Mindy were more than mildly shocked, and Darek could barely believe that the dog in front of him was the same Blitz he knew and loved like an uncle. Blitz, back to growling, continued talking.

"Hunter, he had Parvo murder my master, the only person how ever treated me like I was wanted; he took away all the pain I had suffered through as a pup, and this little punk took him from me. I just want him back." Blitz yelled as tears began welling up in his eyes.

"But you know killing Akatski won't bring him back."

"I know, but… I have to do this…"

"No, Blitz. You don't have to. You already won. This fight's over. No need to go overboard."

"Open your eyes, you, deluded idiot; who else would want to love me, a wimpy little doberman who barely survived his puppyhood on the streets, a coward who couldn't even fight back…"

"You said it, Blitz; all that is past tense! If you look back, you'll see three young heroes who admire and respect you." Hunter pointed out. "Not to mention all those guys and girls at the temple who look up at you. Please, Blitz, don't turn their hero into a monster."

Blitz actually softened his features at this; he realized he was doing very similar to Akatski now, looking for excuses to kill, even if, in this case, he knew everyone would understand his reasons.

"But... Hunter, you don't think Muzzle is a monster when he does this to our enemies, so…"

"Yeah, I don't, but you are not Muzzle; he has no options. He fights the only way he can. The process that gave him his abilities turned him into a… well, a mini-monster, who depends on us to keep him under control." Hunter sighed. "Muzzle knows no other way. Do you?"

"My dad's right, Uncle Blitz." Now Darek was the one approaching him.

"Darek… I… I'm not much better than Muzzle… yes, I don't need to be restrained 24/7, but I still have my own anger issues." Blitz sighed, lowering Akatski yet still keeping a hold on him. "You know that… one of the reasons I left… was because I feared that someday, my resentment towards your parents would be so much that I'd end up hurting you?"

"No. I didn't know." Darek touched Blitz's shoulder now. "And thanks for telling me; because a monster doesn't care about his potential victims. You're a hero, Uncle Blitz; you have made an effort to overcome your flaws, and, well, Dad said it, there are many people and dogs who think very highly on you. I've seen how Temari looks at you; I'm sure she doesn't care about your past, and only looks forward to a future of you both together."

"Temari?"

"Yeah, Temari; I don't think she considers you a monster or a wimp. But if you kill this guy… you're letting him win; you'd become something he'd be justified to fear and hate. He's the monster here, Uncle Blitz; don't let him create another one."

"And if you still feel angry about your sensei… and I fully understand that… just think what would he say in this situation." Hunter talked again, correctly guessing that a martial arts master like Blitz's sensei would have some advice for this.

"Remember, young doberman, strength is about having power and choosing not to use it." Blitz closed his eyes, repeating one of his sensei's teachings.

"And you have real strength, something this joker wouldn't recognize if it bit him… literally." Hunter half-joked.

Blitz now turned slightly to see Hunter and Darek smiling at him, and then at Candace and Mindy, still at a distance, giving him an encouraging look each. The doberman sighed and then looked back at Akatski, lifting him again, and talking in a firm tone.

"If your eyes are still working, take a look at these dogs, Akatski; because they're the only reason I'm not turning you into dogfood. They're right; you're the only monster in this place, and I won't lower myself down to your level… but if you ever attack them, or any of my friends… in fact, if you even touch an innocent being again, there will be no place on Earth where you can hide from me."

Blitz then dropped Akatski, who fell unconscious the moment he touched the ground. Blitz then gave the group an apologetic look, but Hunter stopped him before he could talk.

"It's okay, Blitz. If anyone had injured Professor Shepherd, I'd have needed you to stop me from hurting that person." Hunter grinned. "Come on, let's call the OWCA guys so they can clean up our mess."

Blitz chuckled slightly and nodded, happy that this whole ordeal was over, and eager to see Temari again. Mindy and Darek smiled at each other and embraced slightly, while Candace just smirked at the fallen Akatski.

"I know it's a bit too much right now, but…" Candace grinned. "You got BUSTED!"