Fire and Wind

Surprisingly, the element themed titles worked out well. I didn't think much about it til now.

Just to note, for those of you who checked out the Map of Popstar in my Deviant Art scraps, I forgot to mention something when I first posted it. Ocil came up with Mirror Lake. I came up with Druid Chasm. Forest of Illusion comes from Super Mario World,

Draco Castle

"And who are you?" Donlan asked, getting into a battle position.

'Damn it, I'm already seriously tired from those two fights... I haven't trained fighting a Dragovian... This can't end well. I shoulda brought Brujaa.'

The Dragovian seemed to contemplate the question for a moment.

"I am Duak. Do you recognize the name?" he asked.

"Duak...? You were Bahamut's advisor... and his greatest friend? Weren't you a Dragon?" Donlan wondered aloud for the second time that day.

"You got me. I am indeed a Dragon," Duak said.

His form shifted and began to glow, and then it liquefied. Donlan gagged. Then the substance began to lift up and take shape, expanding as it did so. It grew into a bronze Dragon, though its size was not that grand.

"After Bahamut became a Trapped Soul, the Dragons demanded a king, since his son had been spirited away, by Bahamut's consent. So, I lied to them about Bahamut's disappearance. I told them he had gone on a spiritual journey, as he felt he had failed on multiple occasions. Afterwards, I spent hard work learning the Forbidden Arts, and I attained Bahamut. Once I explained my cause, he agreed to help. Ever since, I have been comfortably ruling the Dragon World," Duak said.

"So, wait, what does that have to do with me?" Donlan asked.

"Stupid boy... It has everything to do with you!" Duak shouted.

With the shout, Duak charged at Donlan, wings extended and ready to fly. The room flashed with light, and became completely black with blue lights throughout.

"What is this place?" Donlan asked, transforming.

He became a Dragonite and flew above the charging Duak.

"A pocket dimension!"

Duak had been tampering with some serious magic, it seemed to Donlan. He saw Duak again, then pumped his wings hard enough to send out massive winds that slammed into Duak, knocking him off balance. Donlan shot out a fireball, which slammed Duak again. The Soul-Voking Dragon reared up his head in disgust.

"Fool! You would fight a Dragon with false fire?"

Duak took off towards him, shooting one fireball after another. Donlan tried harder and harder to dodge, but as his feats of agility and speed grew in number, his stamina dropped. After a few moments, the fireball slammed into him. Donlan screeched in pain as he was knocked back. Duak flew by him, grabbing him around his torso, then tossed him through the air.

Donlan tried to right himself, but Duak was too quick. He belted him several times, then shoved his claw into Donlan's gut. Donlan gasped, then transformed into his normal form. The hole continued to bleed profusely.

"I observed you, boy. I know your morphing ability allowed you to heal fatal injuries when you transform, so long as you don't return to that form for a while. So, I countered. Styx poison worked well enough," Duak said, answering his questioning face.

"Why...?" Donlan gasped, coughing up blood.

"Well, of course, I tracked the child of Bahamut. I had interest in him. I was not allied to Draak Rei, however I managed to fake such. Duak is a disguise," Duak said.

Donlan stared.

"I am Tiamat, Draconic Fiend of Wind!" Duak shouted.

Instantly, he transformed again. He became a behemoth of a Dragon, all green and silver, with floating rings around his limbs.

"The egg continued through the universe, far out of my reach. It crashed with another egg on Popstar. It was released a human, or that's what it seemed. The Star Sage had manipulated the son to ensure he wouldn't stick out. Of course, he messed up. At the time, Pokémorphs were common. They quickly died out after the half ghosts arrived."

Donlan's eyes widened.

"You! Donlan, member of the Hunter Base, are the son of the last Draak Rei! You are the Prince of Dragons!"

It couldn't be true. It was ridiculous. It was stupid.

It made so much sense.

Donlan found himself consumed by light.

Higher Realm

Two figures stood in the realm, until Donlan appeared.

"Hello, Donlan," Jericho the Dragon Sage said.

The Star Sage nodded to him.

"You two... knew?" Donlan asked.

They nodded. Donlan sighed.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Well, you needed to lay low for as long as possible. Unfortunately, Tiamat was a spy. You being known as the Prince of Dragons instead of the practitioner of a lost art would be bad," Jericho said.

"Indeed. I would have fixed your powers if I could have. However, seeing that you know you are now... Well, I suppose you deserve your true form," Ben said, twirling his Star Staff.

"I will warn you though. Your Pokémorphing abilities were placed upon you to disguise your true abilities. If we give you your Draconic heritage back... you'll never reattain those abilities," Jericho said.

"Will I be healed?" Donlan asked.

"Either way you pick, yes," Ben said.

"Well... Tiamat... is a disgrace to Draconian kind. I want to fight him as I truly am. I want to put him down as a Dragon," Donlan answered.

Jericho held up his Dragon Staff, and the two crossed. Energy branched out towards Donlan. After a moment, he found himself gone from the realm of the Sages.

Draco Castle

Tiamat watched as his opponent twitched on the ground. He growled in satisfaction, continuing to observe as the poison crept through his system. Then something odd happened. The black ooze known as Styx poison began to pour out of Donlan's body from the wound. Then it sealed up. Donlan stood up. That was the final straw. Tiamat bellowed, sending hurricane force winds towards him.

Donlan stood his ground against the storm.

"Boy! I will end you!" Tiamat roared.

Wings extended from Donlan's back. Red, glittering wings shone in the dark pocket dimension. He bulked up, and his body frame changed. He wasn't a hulking mass of muscle, but he was not a stick figure. Spikes emerged down his back along with three long horns on his head.

"Screw you, Season Two Jake Long. I actually look like a Dragon," Donlan said.

Tiamat roared in rage, charging. Donlan grabbed the horn on his nose, swung up onto his face using it, then opened his maw wide. Tiamat howled his displeasure as a series of fireballs cannoned into his face.

"How you like that fireface? Here's a claw neck to go with it!"

Donlan made good on his word. Tiamat's scales were pierced, along with his neck. He roared, then the rings around his limbs began to glow. Energy spears surrounded Donlan.

"Oh snap."

Donlan was sent hurtling through the space by the energy spears. He furled his wings around his person, forming an effective shield. Tiamat sent more spears of energy towards him. Donlan was fortunate that the spears mostly missed.

Tiamat had become more distracted at the moment. A white and gray figure with blue flames on his head appeared. He held up a large sword, and black energy swarmed around Tiamat.

"Lich! What is this trickery?!" he demanded.

Lich laughed.

"Trickery? Of what sort? Our goal is to remove all obstacles to destroying the universe. You haven't been willing to remove one of the obstacles, so I'm doing it for you," Lich replied.

"What obstacle, you bastard!"

"The Wind Orb. You've held onto it for centuries. It's passed time to give it back, so I'm taking interest with it."

Tiamat crumpled as Lich's Bone Sword cleaved his head from his body. The Wind Orb emerged in a flash of green energy, and Lich warped away.

Donlan was unaware of this, but he didn't really mind that his opponent had died somehow. He preferred it, really.

A few moments after Tiamat's passing, the pocket dimension began to ripple and fade away, leaving Donlan in the middle of the throne room. Before him was an orb glowng with blue and silver energies. He picked it up.

"Thank you, son," Bahamut's voice rang in his head.

Donlan nodded.

"Tell your people of what has occurred."

"My people?"

"You are Draak Rei, now."

"What?"

"You are the ruler of Dragon World, son."

"...No, dad. I'm not ready. And I won't be for a long time. I have friends on Popstar. I don't know how to rule. I'm sure you could teach me, but I don't think I can be helpful here, dad. I'd be better off on Popstar. I will return one day."

There was a laugh in his head.

"You'll be a grand ruler, son."

Donlan nodded, and Bahamut spoke again.

"Now, son... stare deeply into the orb."

Donlan did as he was told. Deeper and deeper his gaze went, until he finally locked eyes with his father. Donlan was entranced. He felt power rippling through his body. He felt a grand high, something that lifted his spirits so high he thought he'd begun to float for a moment. Then he came out of his trance, shaking slightly.

"Son, you have completed the Ritual of Dracosis. It is an ancient tradition. The son takes the power of the father and makes it their own when in dire need. Please, accept it as a gift for the countless birthdays I missed. I apologize."

"What about mom?"

"Your mother... she's dead. Dear Ferryt did not enjoy palace life. She left after you were layed, promising to come back in a week or two. She was reportedly taken down by a group of bandits."

"Oh."

"The fault is with me. I should have sent guards with her. But... enough of the past. If you would, son, put my orb in the pedestal before the throne. There, I will have a sufficient power source to emerge and regain my sentience, no longer having a master. Until you return as king, I will rule Dragon World in your stead."

"Thanks, dad."

Donlan placed the orb in the throne, and, like a ghost for a moment, Bahamut appeared upon his throne, wings extended. It was magnificence in its purest form.

"Thank you son," Bahamut replied.

"Listen, dad... I need to get home," Donlan said.

"I understand."

"I promise to call. I'll probably come visit, too."

Bahamut nodded, smiling. Donlan walked through the open doors. He was thankful that the ship inspection guards had changed shifts when he re-entered the room.

Space

Donlan sat in the ship, headed for Popstar, wondering how to tell Brujaa about his latest adventure. Of course, video games sounded like more fun and less work.

"But what if Brujaa asks how I'm all Dragony when I transform?" Donlan wondered aloud for the third time, "...meh. I'll just tell him a wizard did it."

Hunter Base

Brujaa, Donlan, and Amy Rose were currently staring at rolling credits.

"Can 17.5 million viewers be wrong?" Amy asked.

"In a word: yes," Brujaa and Donlan replied.

Amy tsked.

"High School Musical 2 is a great movie!" she shot back.

"The hell it is!"

Again with the unison. Amy was starting to get a little creeped out by it.

"Okay, Brujaa, no more betting with Sonic in a chili dog eating contest," Donlan said.

"Agreed."

Shadow's Lab

Shadow paced around his lab, thinking, before finally sitting down again. The keys clacked and clicked as his fingers raced across them.

PASSWORD?

MARIA.

ACCESS TO GIZOID FILES GRANTED.

Shadow sighed.

"What is this thing, Gerald?" he asked no one.

His gaze shifted over to a puppet-like device. It was yellow in general color scheme, though it did have orangish browns and green eyes. A Gizoid.