CHAPTER TEN
Yes! The next morning, and the final demon! I was so excited, that I woke everyone else up in about a split second. I couldn't help it... I was ready to stop this threat and get Tigress back. I had a plan to get her back, the perfect deal. It was risky. VERY risky. But, It would work.
Basically, just like every morning, I have too cook. Everyone uses my awesome cooking skills as an excuse. It would be nice, if someone else tried it for once, but, no... I have to do it.
" That was awesome, Po." Crane told me. I smiled, knowing that he would say that. Considering he always does. I turned and replied, " Yeah... now lets go."
My friends knew why I was so eager to get the day started. So, without question, we headed off toward the north... toward the fire demon.
. . .
We saw the same old thing... Mephisto and the fire demon. Johnny and I prepared for battle. "SO... WHO IS THIS GUY?" I asked.
"I DON'T KNOW, I'VE NEVER CAME INTO CONTACT WITH THIS GUY BEFORE." Ghost Rider told me. Oh great. I thought, If Johnny has never fought this guy, then he's going to be tough.
" You are starting to become a thorne in my side, riders." Mephisto told us. " I shall not have it. Round four begins. Rikor, take care of him."
And with that, Mephisto was gone. Time to face the demon, or Rikor, as Mephisto called him. I threw my chain at Rikor, it wrapped around his stomach, and I pulled him toward us. I used a uppercut on him, and man, did he go flying. Ghost Rider threw his chain up at him, wrapped around him, and Ghost Rider threw him over his shoulder. The chain fell and then BOOM! Rikor hit the ground. I pulled out my shotgun, and fired as Rikor got up.
Rikor just grabbed the hellfire, and threw it back at me. I was so stunned I couldn't move. The hellfire hit me, and I went flying back. As I hit the ground a thought occured to me. Wait... hellfire beats anything. And Rikor is made of hellfire. How are we suppossed to beat him? I watched as Rikor sent Ghost Rider flying back toward my direction. He landed on the ground next to me.
As we got up, I asked, "HOW ARE WE SUPPOSSED TO BEAT HIM? HE'S MADE OF HELLFIRE, NOTHING BEATS HELLFIRE!" I could tell I got him there. He couldn't answer, instead he just told me to keep fighting.
I ran up to Rikor, punched him in the jaw, and tried to punch him again. But, he grabbed my fist, and kicked me back. It wasn't a fun landing, expecially when you land face first. Ghost Rider regrouped with me. He had an idea.
"YOU'RE RIGHT PO, HELLFIRE CAN BEAT ANYTHING. BUT, HELLFIRE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO BEAT VENGEANCE HELLFIRE." He told me. I was confused. I didn't know what that was.
"WHAT IS VENGEANCE HELLFIRE?" I asked.
"IT IS A MORE POWERFULL VERSION OF HELLFIRE, INSTEAD OF ORANGE, THE FIRE IS PURE BLUE. I NEED YOU TO DISTRACT HIM, WHILE I CONCENTRATE ON BUILDING UP MY ENERGY, TO HAVE VENGEANCE HELLFIRE. GOT IT?" He asked. You didn't have too tell me twice. I nodded, and ran toward Rikor, as Ghost Rider began to concentrate.
I jumped in the air, and raised one hand in the air. Rikor moved as my fist hit the ground, causing a huge crater. I saw the dust as a chance, Rikor couldn't see, so I flung my chain at him, it wrapped around him, and I pulled him closer. I beat the living tar out of him in the dust. Once the dust cleared, he pinned me to the ground. He was about to deliver a menacing blow, when Ghost Rider's chain wrapped around him. Except, it had blue fire.
YES! He did it! I thought as Rikor was pulled off of me. Ghost Rider swung him in the air a few times, and slammed him into the ground. Ghost Rider got his shotgun, and fired. As the hellfire was flying toward Rikor, the fire turned from orange to blue. The blast hit Rikor, it did some damage. Ghost Rider kept on doing it, until finally, pulling Rikor toward him. Ghost Rider had him by the throat now.
Well, let's just say, it wasn't very fun for Rikor. Ghost Rider had used the Penance Stare, except it was twice as more powerfull, when he had vengeance hellfire. Rikor was nothing more than ashes.
The others and I went over to congratulate Johnny for defeating the most challenging one of them all. After that was over, we set up camp there, it was getting really late. I was tired, so after dinner, I fell right asleep. I was hoping that I would either have a good dream or no dream, but, I had a nightmare... again.
I was in Hell's Palace... it was an arena, much like the other one, except different. Tigress wasn't there... instead, it was Mephisto, Tai Lung, Lord Shen, and some other demon. I didn't know who the demon was, but, I knew he was going down.
" Hello Po, enjoying your stay." Mephisto told me.
" Where's Tigress!" I shouted. I could tell he was getting pleasure out of this, which only made me even madder.
" She is fine... for now." He said, with a cold smile. He snapped his fingers and a door opened. I saw Tigress there, she was chained up to two posts, but, not hurt.
I ran over to her, but, hit some kind of invisible wall, or something. I couldn't get to her. I heard Mephisto laugh.
" That's not how the game works, Po." He said. " You see, you may have defeated the first four rounds. But, you still have more." I turned to him.
" What do you want?" I asked. He smiled and said, " You still have three more rounds... if you win, I will leave, and you can have Tigress back. If you loose, you will remain the Dragon Rider, and if you mess up one mission... she dies." He pointed toward Tigress.
Tigress looked at me with pleading eyes and said, " No, Po. Don't do it." I didn't listen. I turned to him and said, " Bring it on!"
" Round five." Mephisto said. Then before I could do anything... Mephisto, Tai Lung, Lord Shen, and the demon charged at me. Let's just say... I was beaten pretty fast. I was on the ground, breathing hard. Scars where everywhere, blood coming out of them. Mephisto smiled.
" You have failed... you are now the Dragon Rider. Since you have failed... she will be punished for every round you failed." Mephisto told me as he started to walk toward Tigress. Tigress knew what was going to happen.
" But... you said... that she... wouldn't get... hurt." I told him.
" True, but, I never said, she wouldn't get hurt if you failed." Mephisto said. As he pulled out a knife and stabbed Tigress in her stomach. Tigress yelled in pain.
" No! You son of a..." Before I could finish, he stabbed Tigress in the stomach again. Mephisto smiled and said, " One more."
Tigress looked up at him with pleading eyes. " Please... don't do this." She begged. But, Mephisto just stabbed her again. Mephisto pulled the dagger out of her, and she looked at me with tears in her eyes. Then she went limp. No movements. Eyes closed. She was dead.
" I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU WOULDN'T KILL HER!" I shouted in rage. Mephisto smiled and dissapeared. So did Tai Lung, Lord Shen, and the demon, who were laughing. A ring of fire started to come around me, changing me back into the Dragon Rider, and putting all the memories of Tigress in my mind.
I awoke and shot up pretty fast. I could feel sweat everywhere on my body and I was breathing pretty hard. I just sat there, thank the Lord I didn't wake anyone else. I couldn't get the images out of my mind. The image of the bandit killing Tigress. And all the dreams I've had on this adventure. It was going to be a long night.