Blaze the Cat: Monster Outbreak

Chapter15: Magma Island

Kathy felt like she couldn't remember when she had finally got out of the cold rain and into her room, but she was most likely in a daze at the time. By now, she was already fast asleep. Hours and hours went by on Blaze's and Kathy's last sleepover together. It was rather sad that their last night together would be very disappointing. For Blaze to be mad at Kathy for deceiving her to Kathy who Blaze hadn't forgiven her for her mistake. It's quite a sad truth to be said. How did their friendship take such a sour turn?

It was around 10 AM that Blaze got up from sleep. It might the longest time that she overslept. However, at this time, she didn't care. She already had a hard night to fall asleep from last night. She wondered if she had finally fallen asleep at midnight. It would make sense for her to have overslept that time. She struggled to get up from her slumber. She rubbed her eyes to try to get herself awake. Even if she had a tough time falling asleep last night, she is going to do her job and do it right. She looked at her left side to see Kathy still asleep. Although she seemed to be shivering a bit as she had completely covered herself in her wings and arms. Did she stay out in the rain for a long time? Perhaps Kathy could use a bit of Blaze's fire powers to warm her a little? …..Nah. Blaze then shook her head. She had no reason to worry for Kathy, especially for what she had done to her. Blaze then got up from her hammock and climbed the stairs to the main cave junction. She then walked to the Sacred Springs to eat some more fruit there. She'll had to admit that it was good that she is eating healthy in her diet this past week. Although she would love to eat some cereal, toast, bacon, sandwiches, salads, steaks, hamburgers, or anything meat related by now. She would be very grateful to have a more regular diet again when she gets her kingdom back.

When Blaze looked around the room inside the Sacred Springs, she noticed that here was a lot water dripping from the trees and other greenery in the area. She wondered why that is until she had looked up and saw the big gaping hole in the ceiling of the room. Of coarse, it made sense now how the plants in this spring got its nutrients from a water source besides the spring and the waterfall itself. Blaze quirked an eyebrow at the ceiling. Huh. No wonder Kathy had her hammocks in her room. It was most likely the only place in the island that is secluded from the outside. Now, I am grateful that I had slept in that cramped, little room all this time. Hmm...wait. Marine and her crew had slept here last night, didn't they? Oh, I hope that they had found a good place to stay to sleep when it did rain last night. Blaze pondered as she walked even further into the room.

She could see that Marine and her crew were nowhere in sight. They must have gone to another room where it was safe to sleep in without being soaked to the bone in rain. She decided to cast aside those thoughts for now so that she could focus on eating her breakfast. After eating her meal, she heard footsteps from behind her. Blaze was sitting under a tree at the time. Blaze turned her head as she saw Marine step out of the Secret Cave at the back of the Sacred Springs. Apparently, she wasn't the only one who got out of there. Her entire crew left the Secret Cave with her. Hmmm...I suppose that cave didn't have a hole in the ceiling since there was nothing but rocks in there. I guess it could make sense that Marine and her crew had slept in there for the night. Although it is a little disturbing considering that there was a grave there where Kathy's mother rests at. Maybe Marine didn't know about it and decided to sleep in there anyways. Blaze speculated as she stared at Marine while gets her food.

After Marine and her crew got their food, they went on their way to join Blaze at the tree she was sitting near at. Marine smiled at Blaze while she chomped on a banana, "Good morning, Blaze! Did you sleep well?".

"Well, I tried at least. However, I think you and your crew had a hard time sleeping last night since it had rained in this part of the cave," Blaze replied with a gentle smile.

Marine's smile turned sheepish as she recalled last night. However, she responded with a cheerful attitude, "Hehehe, you're telling me! When the rain fell onto the Sacred Springs, the rain was so cold that it shocked me out of my sleep! I was having a wonderful dream about being a strong, courageous captain saving the day from my pirate rivals! It was so nice until SUDDENLY I GOT SOAKED TO THE BONE BY THAT BLIMEY RAIN!".

Blaze chuckled a little as Marine exclaimed in a silly nature to tell a part in her story. "Well, I'm sorry that the rain disagrees with your dream. Maybe it is Mother Nature's way of saying that your dream will never happen in real life," Blaze teased with a smirk.

"Blaze! Don't jinx it! You don't know that! I will be the best adventurer that you will ever see!" Marine exclaimed with an annoyed face.

"Hahahaha, maybe you're right, Marine. Maybe you're right," Blaze laughed a bit while shaking her head. It felt good to laugh a bit after such a hard time she had last night. Blaze was glad that Marine was cheering her up unintentionally. Marine might be the only light she has in this dark time she's going through. However, Blaze was determined to survive. Kathy or not, Blaze will get through with this alone with Marine, of coarse.

"Hey, Blaze? Is Kathy up yet? Will she sleep in again? I haven't been able to get into contact with her in a while," Marine asked with a frown.

Blaze frowned as she closed her eyes. But of coarse, Marine still cares for Kathy more than Blaze. What is she going to do?

Blaze answered, "Kathy said that she wants to stay home today. I'll need to go on to your ship again, Marine. It is possible for you and your crew to bring me to Magma Island. Maybe you'll be able to help me out today".

Marine gasped loudly. She then beamed as she exclaimed, "You want my help, Blaze?! Ooooh! What do you want me to do?!".

Blaze smiled as she said, "Well, there is only one Sol Heart left on the island. Since you have a lot of crew mates, Marine, I suggest that you and your crew go look for it while I destroy the robots and monsters on the island. You had tried to help before, but maybe you can be a good help this time".

"Yes! I got a mission! I got a mission! Don't worry, Blaze! My crew and I will work extra hard to find that last Sol Heart for you! I'll make you proud, Blaze! I'm sure that Kathy would be proud of me too!" Marine exclaimed loudly in excitement.

"Ah...uh...yes, quite," Blaze replied awkwardly as she looked away from Marine when she said that. Blaze was a bit irked when Marine had mentioned Kathy. She isn't surprised that Marine would also feel excited to do the mission for Kathy's sake, not just for her own. Blaze still felt hurt that she had been replaced by Kathy.

Marine still felt excited as she then said, "Alright! What are we waiting for? Let's eat quickly so that we could leave early!".

Blaze smiled a little as she then nodded to her. She was grateful that Marine provided a distraction for her to use. Blaze then decided to keep on eating with Marine and her crew. It was about around 11 AM that all of them had finished eating their meals. Blaze had told the Coconut Crew where Magma Island was located. They all saluted to her and said that it would be no trouble for them to get her there. Blaze nodded to them and said her thanks. They all soon went to the shore of the island to get to their ship. Once onboard, the crew started to get to work by lifting up the anchor and steered the ship toward their destination. They had left at 11: 15 AM. It will take an hour to get to their next destination.

Meanwhile, Kathy was still sleeping in her room. She was tossing and turning in her dream.

-Kathy's Dream-

She couldn't understand it. In her dream, there were robots trying to catch her. However, she destroyed them to protect herself. She was then seen flying away from the robots and went inside a building. She had reached an area where there was a huge glass tube containing some weird, floating aliens inside of it. She had figured that they were trapped, so she had released them by pushing a button. This had summoned more robots. She looked back and saw that the aliens were scared of the robots. She then took initiative and destroyed more robots to defend the aliens. The aliens were soon happy that they were saved. Kathy was then seen destroying a wall so that the aliens would have an opportunity to escape. In a later part of her dream, Kathy was then seen destroying a bit more of the building as she made her escape. Soon, Kathy was then seen flying through the night sky while being chased by supersonic jets. She was then seen destroying all of the jets and then flew farther way in the sky. Later in her dream, she was flying over a futuristic city. There were tall buildings and casinos that show bright, colorful lights in the night atmosphere. Kathy was admiring the view of this strange city. She was then seen flying through the dark clouds in the night sky. She couldn't see where she was heading as she was flying. In another part of her dream, she was then electrocuted in the sky by a powerful lightning strike. She thought it was from the clouds, but it appears that the lightning attack came from below the clouds. Kathy screeched in pain as she was electrocuted. She soon released some sort of strong energy that she had before the electrical attack knocked her out from the sky. With sparks coming from her back and wings as she fell down in the sky, she had a rough landing as she crashed into the branches of trees before she bounced on the ground a few times and rolled over a bit until she landed face first into the ground. She then slowly slipped into unconsciousness for a bit as she put her face on the ground out of exhaustion. And then...the last part of her dream that she saw was concerned, handsome, purple eyes looking deeply into her innocent, light-blue eyes. Lightning and thunder soon came after their eyes had met.

BABOOM!

-End of Kathy's Dream-

BABOOM!

Kathy soon woke up with a bit of a fright. She gasped again and panted for breath. She put a hand over her chest as she tried to calm down. She heard more thunder booming from outside. The thunder was probably what had woken her up from her dream. She had a bit of sweat forming on her head while she panted. She quickly checked the time on her Sol Gems. It was around 1 PM. She had really overslept this time.

Oh no, Blaze is going to kill me. …..Wait. Oh, yeah, right. I told her that I would be staying here today. Sigh. She must be at Magma Island by now. Kathy pondered as she remembered what she told Blaze yesterday. With a sigh of relief, Kathy then looked on her lap for a bit.

Kathy soon looked pensive. She frowned and bit her lip a little. For some strange reason, Kathy figured that her dream isn't any ordinary dream. But...something special. Kathy can't describe it, but somehow, she had a gut feeling that today...something big is going to take place. Perhaps...sometime...at...night...just like in her...dream. Kathy's eyes closed halfway as she pondered this strange feeling she's having.

Is it just me...or is someone out there having the exact same thoughts as me? Maybe...Maybe I'm not alone in this world after all. Maybe there is someone out there who is also thinking that something big is going to happen today. If only we knew what it is though...

Kathy then closed her eyes and smiled a bit fondly. Hehe, I hope that it's something nice. It would be a great change of pace to my crummy life. And maybe...that person would be happy too. I bet whoever they are would want a change in their lives that bring life to their own sucky life too. I hope for the best for them.

Once Kathy had stopped pondering, she then got out of her hammock and went upstairs to the main cave junction. She felt ready to eat some fruit and stay here to do nothing all day. She went to the Sacred Springs. She could see that it was raining heavily there. She shrugged it off and walked in there anyway. She was used to the rain as was proven yesterday as she stayed for a few hours in the rain. She had lived with the rain her entire life while living on this island. It didn't affect her as much. In fact, she loves the rain. She mostly likes the dark clouds and the sheet of rain because it looked so beautiful to her. She somehow had a fondness for the dark, gloomy atmosphere. She doesn't know why that is, but she loved it nevertheless. She soon picked out some fruit and ate while standing under a tree for some protection of the rain. She was drenched, but she's content. She can handle the weather just fine with a smile on her face. Also...the rain calms her when she's stressed.

More thunder and lightning showed in the sky.

BABOOOOOOM!

She ate her fruit in silence as she listened to the thunder booming. She pondered some more. Hmm...I wonder if another person is tolerable with the rain as much as I do. I wonder sometimes if they also ate fruit while hiding under trees. …...Yeah, that sounds ridiculous. No one is like that. Whoever that person is must be an outdoorsman. It's the only thing that would make logical sense. But heck, I doubt that I'll ever find someone like that. I guess that I'm better off staying in my daydreams and spend time with my...dream friend...than find someone in real life. Kathy smiled a lot as she blushed when she thought about her dream companion. She'll never understand why a boy like that could make her heart flutter in happiness. It's so silly and crazy that she must at least sound like a person in an insane asylum. She took a deep sigh and then continued eating her meal in peace.

After that, she then walked back into the main cave junction. Even she had a bit of a limit on how much rain had poured onto her. She then went back to her room to get back to her hammock. She won't sleep but just meditate a bit. As she laid down onto her hammock, she rubbed her arms to warm herself from the cold rain.

Boy, would I do anything for Blaze's fire powers right now. I love the rain, but it could be quite cold sometimes. Hmmm...specking of which, I wonder how Blaze is doing right now as she is on Magma Island with possibly Marine and her crew. If only I knew what kind of progress she's making right now.

-Meanwhile At Magma Island-

When Blaze got to Magma Island at around 12:15 PM, it had already started raining. What she saw at the shore of the island was a strange sight. She saw robots running around in a panic while some are sitting on the ground covering their heads in fear. She has no idea why they are in such a panicked state. She could only suspect either Battra or Dr. Eggman Nega to be the cause of their distress. However, she isn't going to show any mercy to these robots by allowing them to roam free on the island. So, once the ship reached the shore, Blaze jumped out of the ship and started to boost into the robots to destroy them. Marine and the Coconut Crew watched Blaze mercilessly destroy each and every robot with her abilities. They can tell that Blaze is even more ruthless than before on how quickly she destroyed the robots. Not only that, they also saw Blaze blow up the base with the last huge airship docked there. She used her hands to send the base into a raging inferno. Many explosions came from the base and the airship as they were caught on fire. Pieces of metal from the robots were scattered throughout the beach and a bit on the mainland of the island. Marine and her crew were stunned into silence as they saw Blaze standing in front of the burning base with a stone, cold expression on her face.

Boy, whatever had gotten into Blaze to make her seem more fierce today must've have been pretty bad. I hadn't even seen Blaze display this much fierce fighting like that before. Is Blaze...okay? Marine pondered with wide, stunned eyes.

Blaze soon lowered her head as she calmed down a bit. It seemed that she is letting her anger control her fighting today. It's no big deal. It won't backfire on me today. I'll swear it. Blaze brooded as she took a few deep breaths.

Marine and her crew looked at each other for a few moments. They all shrugged and went down to the beach to join Blaze.

"So...um...Miss Blaze? Where shall we go first?" said a nervous koala bear.

Blaze looked to her right to see the group standing near her. She then looked to her left and saw the red, rocky road that leads further into the island that are surrounded by volcanoes. "We should start by heading that way. Now, I think it would be for the best for us to stick close together this time. Let's not split up. I don't know what kind of monsters that are lurking in this island. So, stick close to me, and we'll be safe," Blaze said confidently while pointing at the barren road ahead of her.

The group looked at where Blaze pointed at. They see nothing but a narrow road that is surrounded by walls of the mountains and volcanoes there. It looked a bit intimidating. It didn't help that lightning and thunder came while they watched the road. Some of the members of the crew gulped.

"Uh...Um...Are you sure that w-we should go there, M-Miss Blaze? Isn't there an easier path?" said another scared koala bear.

Blaze snapped her head back at the crew and frowned at them in annoyance. She yelled, "Don't tell me that you're scared to go! We had come this far in this journey, and we're going to finish it! There is no reason to go back now! Either you stay at the ship or come with me then! What do you guys say, you cowards?!".

The crew jumped in shock over Blaze's anger. Meanwhile, Marine also felt determined like Blaze as she turned towards the group and yelled with her fist up, "Yeah! Come on, guys! This isn't the kind of spirit that adventurers have! You guys are supposed to be brave! Now, are you guys with me and Blaze or are you guys chicken and want to stay back?!".

The whole crew looked at each other nervously. They really don't want to have another incident with any monster they come across. They kind of want this to be over with so that they don't have to deal with monsters ever again. As ashamed as it to admit it, they all are feeling cowardly today. One of the crew members spoke up for the group.

"S-Sorry Miss Blaze and Miss Marine. Unfortunately, we...we...we can't do it. We value our lives. We want to be safe already. If you guys want to go on ahead of us into the island, then please do. We feel safe being on the ship while you guys go. Please forgive our cowardice. Also, please protect Miss Marine, Miss Blaze," said the koala with the straw hat. All of the crew embers bowed before Blaze and said their apologies.

"Aw man! You guys really are chickens! Hmph! I guess that means you guys need more training then!" Marine yelled while crossing her arms and frowned in disappointment.

Blaze sighed and shook her head. It can't be helped it seems. Blaze thought as she nodded to the crew members as her way to say "I forgive you".

"Alright then. Head back to the ship. Marine and I will go on ahead. I'll protect her. You can count on me for her safety," Blaze said calmly as she closed her eyes.

"Thank you, Miss Blaze. Please be safe. You too, Miss Marine," said a different koala bear.

"Hmph! Crybabies!" Marine exclaimed with a pouty face.

"Marine, behave yourself," Blaze corrected Marine with a stern look.

Marine looked at Blaze and frowned. "...Yes, Blaze," Marine replied quietly as she looked down on her shoes.

The crew members all saluted Blaze until they decided to retreat back to the ship. Marine then looked at Blaze and said, "Sooo...we're going alone together?".

"Well, it appears so. Just please stay by my side and don't run off unless it is an emergency. Got it?" Blaze said with a calm yet firm tone.

Marine nodded her head as she looked serious. She put up her fists as she said, "Got it! Let's go find ourselves a heart!".

"Agreed. Let's go," Blaze said with a nod.

Blaze then turned around and started walking toward the road ahead of her. Marine soon followed behind her as they walked into the valley. Rain kept on falling hard on the island. The girls were soaked, but they pressed onward. They traversed carefully through the narrow valley. They could see hot magma bubbling on top of some volcanoes. They tried to not be too phased by it as they kept on walking forward. Once they got out to a wide, open area, they were surprised on how much they were surrounded by mountains and volcanoes. Blaze did her best to look for the Sol Heart or any monsters around, however, she couldn't find either of them. Marine tried to look for the Sol Heart too, but she kept on only finding more rocks under some other rocks. They kept on walking through the island for about an hour before they decided to find some shelter from the rain. Blaze grabbed Marine's hand and ran towards a little cave that was in a mountain. They went inside the cave and sat down on the ground to dry themselves off and to rest from walking.

"Brrrrr...I-I-I'm s-s-so c-cold, B-Blaze. C-Can you help m-me warm up?" Marine said as her teeth chattered as she huddled herself together.

Blaze nodded. She then wrapped Marine in her arms and used her fire powers to warm her own body up. Soon, they were warmed up. Blaze kept on holding Marine while Marine cuddles her with her own arms. Thunder kept on booming outside and lightning can be seen from outside the cave. Marine could see the lightning and flinched a bit once she heard the thunder.

"B-Blaze?" Marine stuttered a bit.

"Yeah?" Blaze asked.

"P-Please don't tell the guys this, but...I'm a little scared," Marine said quietly.

"...It's okay to feel scared, Marine. I'm a little scared too. I just don't know what kind of monsters are out there. Who knows how powerful they can be? I...I don't want to lose you to them, Marine," Blaze said gently with a sad look on her face. I had already lost my father by them. Even if he didn't love me, he deserved a chance to change himself. I can't afford to lose another loved one now. Marine, please be safe. Blaze brooded as she closed her eyes.

"Blaze..." Marine said softly.

They stayed in the cave for a while.

-Meanwhile Back On Infant Island-

Rain kept on pouring onto the island, and Kathy was still staring at the ceiling in her room while resting on her hammock. She had a contemplative expression on her face. She had her hands folded on her stomach as she was lost in her brooding.

...Would my mom really allow me to do this? Had she ever expected me to do this? That I would be the one abandoning this dimension and not protect it like I had promised her to? …...Would my mom...ever forgive me?

Kathy frowned deeper as she felt the guilt of leaving Blaze to do all of the work alone. She kept on turning in her hammock as she brooded some more.

If my mom had ever seen me devolve into such a depressing state, I...I wouldn't bear to see the disappointment on her face. I...I wish that I was a more wiser person like my mom. I wish that was at least half as dedicated as she was in protecting this dimension. Just where...where had I gone wrong? What am I missing here? What would my mom do if she was in my situation? If only she could understand my situation, she would forgive me for leaving this place. Just how...how did she do it? How did she went out of her way to protect these hurtful, spiteful people from destruction and tyranny? I...I just don't understand. They deserved to be punished! What other reason would she...

At that moment, Kathy's eyes went wide as she had an empiphany. She now understood why here mom did what she did as a Guardian of The Sol Pendant.

O-Of coarse...she did it because...I was involved in this dimension too. She sacrificed herself to protect this dimension and its people from Battra all because that I'm alive, wasn't it? My life...My life was worth just as much as this entire dimension. Mother...I finally understood the true meaning to the two rules about being a Guardian to The Sol Pendant. Two vital rules about being a guardian in general...

-Flashback At Some Point In Kathy's Childhood-

"Mother? Why do you have to follow the rules that the Sol Pendant requires? I thought that you were the one in charge of the pendant," Kathy, the young larva, said curiously. She looked up at her mother with wide, innocent light-blue eyes.

Klara, Kathy's mother, smiled gently at her daughter as she wisely answered, "Of coarse I am in charge of the pendant. However, these rules...are like a part of my convictions as a guardian in general".

Kathy titled her head to the side as she repeated in confusion, "Con-vic-tions?".

"Why yes, Kathy. Having convictions, or values that you believe passionately about, are very vital into becoming a guardian. You need know yourself, Kathy, before you could hold any strong beliefs in your heart. You need to know what and who you are as a person before you can protect others properly. Like these two rules I made for the duty of guardianship of the Sol Pendant for example..." Klara replied calmly yet soberly.

Kathy then became quiet as she listened attentively at her mother's wise instruction. She felt very curious as to why her mother did what she did as a guardian.

"'Protect those whom you've had promised to protect' and 'Love those whom you've sworn to protect' are the two, important rules that I intend to follow no matter how difficult things may be going for me personally. Whether I feel stressed, depressed, frustrated, or scared, I will always fulfill these rules because I believe that it is important to take care of others that I love very deeply about. I will never give up just because I feel exhausted or weak due to oppositional forces or rejection from others. My unconditional love for others is what keeps me being a guardian. Their lives matter to me. That is why I am willing to protect them. Even if I won't be accepted by everyone or loved, it is better to focus your efforts in protecting those who do care about you and rely on you. Those types of people deserve to live. So, it will be an unjust thing to abandon them and let them to die just like the ones who did deserve it. I must always remind myself that those people need to live just like the ones in whom that I care about the most. It's not always easy, Kathy. It's not an easy thing to do. Forgiving others only because their lives are interconnected to those to whom you love isn't always an easy thing to do. I'll admit it. I did think it over about a few times if it was better to leave this place and take you out of this place to live in a better place. However, I didn't go through with it. My conscious couldn't let me do it. But I will say this though. Once you've grown up and become a guardian on your own...the decision to leave rests on your shoulders, Kathy..." Klara spoke gently as she knelt down onto Kathy's level and held onto her shoulder's as she spoke her little speech with such assuredness and wisdom.

"...!" Kathy gasped as she looked at her mother with wide eyes.

"Y-You can't be serious, Mother! W-Why would I ever want to leave this place?! I...I want promise to protect this dimension with you! I...I won't let you down, Mother!" Kathy exclaimed fervently with determined eyes.

Klara's eyes softened as she stared lovingly at her daughter. She smiled gently at her as she rubbed Kathy's shoulders. "Kathy...whatever you do and whatever choices you make...you'll never let me down. I...I love you, Kathy, and I'll protect you to the very end of my days as a guardian. Protecting your life is more valuable and meaningful to me than protecting this powerful pendant. It gives me a purpose. A purpose to protect this planet from any evil being you dares to harm you. I don't care about being a good guardian or not. The only thing I care about is doing my best in protecting you. That is the secret to my strength as I control the Sol Pendant. My thoughts were only about you and you only. As long as you exist, I'll do my job as a guardian faithfully. That is what a true guardian's spirit is like, Kathy. Do you understand, sweetheart?" Klara replied softly and tenderly.

Kathy was stunned at her mother's caring words. She said that she is only doing her job because of her. Her life matters in her mother's eyes. She...is someone who is worth fighting for.

"M-M-Mother..." Kathy mumbled before she hugged her mother and cried quietly as she felt moved by her mother's words. Her mother hugged her back gently.

"Don't worry, Kathy. You might not understand everything I'm telling you yet, however, someday...you will. I promise you that it will make sense when you're older. You're a smart girl, Kathy. You will figure it out eventually. I can guarantee it," Klara whispered to Kathy while hugging her still.

Mother...Kathy thought as she held onto her mother for a long time.

-Back To Present Day-

Kathy was now staring at the ceiling again with an open mouth. She still felt stunned that she had remembered that memory from her childhood. She finally understood what her mother had meant. And sadly...she was right. Kathy couldn't abandon her new friends despite the mistakes she had made against them. In truth, she loved her friends, Blaze and Marine. They mean so much to her these past few days. So much so that she is beginning to question if completely abandoning them as she leaves to another dimension is really fair to them. She is starting to wonder if there should be at least some middle ground here. A compromise as it were. Hmm...maybe I should talk to Blaze about it. I'm sure that Blaze would want me to come and visit her while I'm away in my new home. I think it is fair to my friend to have some kind of connection to me while being apart. I...I want her to be happy as well as Marine. Those girls deserve to be treated well. …...Well then, that settles it. I've made up my mind!

Kathy smiled as she stopped brooding. She then got up from her hammock and got off of it. She then stood proudly in the lowly lit room with her hands on her hips. She knows what she must do now.

She must go to Magma Island and protect Blaze and her friends.

-Meanwhile On Magma Island-

A few more minutes later, the girls soon heard some noises outside of the cave. It was still raining hard outside as more thunder and lightning went by. Blaze focused on hearing these loud noises. She felt a little alarmed since the sounds sounded like monster noises.

W-What kind of noises are these? Blaze pondered as she felt worried. She held Marine closer to her as she kept listening to these strange noises.

RRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGHHHHH! REEEEEEEEEEUUUUGGGGGHHHH!

Blaze and Marine were sitting very still as they heard these noises coming near the cave. Suddenly, their expressions were one of shock once they saw the monsters running pass the cave that they're in. These monsters were Destroyah monsters. They were ten feet tall, but they looked very bulky. They are black with red and yellow colors on their backs. This type of the Destroyah monster is its Juvenile form. They are crawling around the area outside of the cave. The Juvenile form of these Destroyah monsters have crab-like legs, spikes on their shoulders, circular openings on their chests, and frilled heads with red eyes instead of orange eyes since they were Battra's minions. The monsters were scanning the area while roaring to each other as a way to communicate.

RRRREEEEEEEEEEEEUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGHHHH! RRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEUUUUUUUGGGGHHH!

They soon went to the northern side of the mountainous region of the island. Blaze watched those monsters leave the area with wide eyes. Marine felt even more afraid after she saw those monsters.

"B-Blaze?" Marine asked Blaze nervously.

"Yes?" Blaze asked as she was still stunned.

"C-Can we just hide here? I...I don't want to go out there anymore," Marine replied while looking scared.

Blaze looked at Marine with sympathy in her eyes. She understood why Marine wants to stay in the cave, however, she has a mission to do.

"I'm sorry, Marine. But we have to get out of this cave. I know that you're scared, but we need to get Sol Heart from this island. Please come with me. I'll protect you, Marine. Don't worry," Blaze replied in a comforting tone.

Marine looked at Blaze with wide eyes. She felt scared, but she decided to trust Blaze on this. "O-Oh, uh, okay. L-Let's go then," Marine replied while stuttering a little.

Poor thing. She's so scared yet trying to be brave for me. How admirable. Blaze pondered with a concerned look on her face. She stood up and pulled Marine too. She then held onto Marine's hand as they left the cave and braced the rain outside.

The girls continued their travel through the island by going through more valleys. They were careful into not running into the monsters as they kept on walking through the rocky valleys. They soon reached another rocky, wide area where they could see some huge batches of magma hotspots around a few places of the area. They could feel the heat coming from those hotspots as the magma bubble on the surface. Even with the rain, the magma would still continue on bubbling in the hotspot. Blaze and Marine were careful in getting through the area without getting near those hotspots. Blaze may be able to control fire, however, it doesn't mean she is immune to lava or magma. She also wouldn't want to risk Marine to getting hurt by magma or lava. So, she is doing her best to guide Marine out of the area. After they walked past the area, they soon kept on walking on the rocky road ahead of them. It took five more minutes of walking until the girls found something.

"Hey! Is that what I think it is?" Marine said as she spotted a red thing on the ground a head of her. She lets go Blaze's hand to run towards that red object.

"Wait! Marine! It could be a trap!" Blaze exclaimed in shock as she put forth her hand to Marine.

"Huh?" Marine asked as she looked back to Blaze while running. Before Blaze or Marine could react fast enough, the ground in front of the red object started to break apart as a Destroyah monster came out of it.

REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Marine screamed as she jumped backwards in surprise and fell onto her bottom.

"AH! Marine!" Blaze yelled as she quickly ran to her to pick her up and ran away from the monster before it had started to attack. The Juvenile Destroyah monster attacked by firing its white Micro-Oxygen laser out of its mouth onto the ground which caused some sparks to come out of it. The monster tried to attack Blaze and Marine with its laser, but the monster only missed by attacking the path that Blaze was on as she runs away to escape the monster. The monster roared again to summon the other Destroyah monsters to help him attack the girls.

REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!

Blaze soon saw that other Destroyah monsters began to come out of the ground or crawl from the small mountains surrounding her. She stopped running once she saw more Destroyah monsters blocking her path.

"Oh, shoot! We're trapped!" Blaze said in alarm as she skidded in her tracks. Marine was still holding onto Blaze out of fear.

"Blaze! Do something! They're getting closer!" Marine yelled in fear as the Destroyah monsters crawled closer to them and started roaring again.

REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH! REEEEEEEEEEEUUUUGGGGHHHH!

The monsters were ready to fire their lasers from their mouths. Blaze's eyes widened in surprise as she saw their heads and mouths flash some white and purple electricity on them. She recognized that they are charging their attacks. Blaze immediately stood in front of Marine as she prepared her own attack. Not on my watch! Blaze thought as she summoned fire from under the monsters' positions to ready her attack. Before the monsters fired their lasers, Blaze immediately attacked first.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Blaze shouted as she clenched her fists tightly to summon fire pillars under the monsters' feet. The fire burst out from the ground like an explosion and burned the monsters in seconds. The Destroyah monsters were on fire and their skin melted from the fire. They couldn't do anything while being in fire. So, they cried in pain and called for help from their brethren to avenge them.

REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHHH! REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEUUUUUUUUUGGGHHHHHHH!

Blaze kept on burning the monsters. The girls were basically in the middle of a literal fire ring since the monsters had surrounded them in a circle. Eventually, the monsters soon exploded into dark particles since the fire destroyed their skin. Blaze soon made the flames disappear once she saw that the monsters were gone. Marine breathed a sigh of relief.

"Whew! For a second there, I thought that we were toasted! That sure was scary!" Marine exclaimed with a relieved smile as she placed a hand over her chest.

"Yeah...it sure was close. But we're safe now...I think," Blaze replied quietly as she wiped her brow. She is still on guard though. She knew better than to drop your guard after an easy battle. She kept on looking around the area to see if more monsters are coming. Marine then turned her head around to see the red object still lying on the ground right next to the hole beside it. Marine smiled.

"Hey! Let's go check out that red object now!" Marine exclaimed as she walked over to that object now.

"Marine! Wait! I...(Sigh)….What does it even matter anymore?" Blaze called out to her before she sighed and gave up. Blaze followed Marine to the object as well.

"Now what is this?...Aha! I know what this is! It's a heart! Hey, Blaze! Is this that the last Sol Heart you've been talking about?! Because I found it!" Marine exclaimed excitedly while holding the red Sol Heart in her hand.

"Ah! Yes, that's right! That is the last Sol Heart that we need! Good job, Marine! We found the last one!" Blaze exclaimed with a smile as she approached Marine.

"Hehe!" Marine giggled with a proud smile.

Blaze smiled some more before she and Marine heard another roar in the distance.

REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

The two of them felt goosebumps as they heard that familiar roar. It seemed that another Destroyah monster is nearby. Blaze grimaced as she quickly turned around and positioned herself into a fighting stance as she looked around for more monsters. Marine held the red heart while shivering in fear. They heard another roar that sounds closer to them.

REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!

A few seconds later, both Blaze and Marine saw another Destroyah monster in front of their view. But this time, this Destroyah monster is bigger than the previous ones since it is the Aggregate form of the same monster. This form is similar to its previous form of the monster except now the monster has two crab-like claws on its chest and two long appendages from its back. The monster still has black, red, and yellow colors on its skin as usual like the other Battra monsters. This version of the monster is about fifteen feet tall which shows how huge it is compared to the smaller versions of the monsters before it.

The monster crawled slowly towards the girls while roaring. Blaze and Marine felt frozen in shock and fear of this bigger and more menacing opponent. Blaze turned her head to look at Marine.

"Marine," Blaze said in quiet yet firm tone despite her feelings of anxiety.

"Y-Yes?" Marine asked in a nervous tone.

"I need you to run as far away as possible and find a hiding spot. Go. Now," Blaze replied with a serious tone.

"B-But Blaze what about-" Marine replied nervously as she held onto the heart.

"I said go, Marine! Now! Right now!" Blaze yelled as she felt slightly annoyed. The monster roared again after that.

REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!

"Okay! Okay! I'm leaving now!" Marine yelled after that scary roar and after she saw the monster crawled faster to her and Blaze. Marine turned around and made a mad dash out of the area out of fear. She kept the Sol Heart close to her as she ran as fast as she can. She looked back to see Blaze still in her fighting stance as prepared to fight the huge Destroyah monster by herself.

Boy, Blaze sure is brave sometimes. I hope she will be safe. Oooooh, Kathy, where are you? We could really use your help right now. I...I feel so scared. I need you, Kathy. I need you just as much as I need Blaze. Please...I beg of you to come and rescue us. Please...Marine pondered as she ran further into the dark, volcano valley in front of her while holding the red Sol Heart to her chest. A few tears went down from her eyes as she felt scared of being cornered by one of the monsters here. The rain still went on as well as some thunder and lightning. Marine pondered one word in her mind again.

Please...

-Meanwhile Somewhere In The Sky-

Kathy is flying through the rain in the sky. She is flying as fast as she could to Magma Island. She is doing her best to avoid the lightning in the sky as she flies through. She is more determined to help her friends now since she had that epiphany earlier. She just hoped that she isn't too late in helping Blaze and Marine in their travels through Magma Island. She is nearing the island now. She could see the island in the distance. She smiled as she realized that she is getting closer and closer to the island.

Almost there now. Just a little more, and then I will be able to assist Blaze and Ma- Kathy pondered with a smile before something interrupted her thoughts.

"Going somewhere, Kathy?" said a low, gruff voice nearby.

Ah! Battra! Kathy thought in a panic as she looked around for Battra.

POW!

"OW!" Kathy yelped in pain as she felt her left side being punched very hard by Battra. Kathy quickly flew down to avoid more of Battra's punches. She quickly grabbed her Sol Gems and looked back up at Battra. Battra flew downwards too to attack Kathy with his Sol Gems. Kathy then quickly shot her energy beams at Battra to attack him. Battra dodged a bit, but he did sustain some damage as his body was hit by the laser beams and sparks had come out from his body because of it. Battra retaliated by firing his purple eye lasers at Kathy. Kathy was hit by the lasers and sparks came out from her body and wings. Kathy winced at the attack but soon flew backwards as she was ready for Battra to attack her again. Battra roared before he swooped down and started to punch her with his Sol Gems. Kathy also punched back with her Sol Gems in self-defense. Punches were thrown and blocked by each other as they flew together in the sky. Kathy did land some hard hits at Battra's face, however, Battra kept on attacking despite this. They both had gritted their teeth and grunted as they punched and flew back and forth to attack each other.

"Just why are you here, Battra?!" Kathy yelled in irritation as she tried to punch Battra some more.

"Isn't it obvious? Trying to prevent you into finding the last Sol Heart! I'm not letting my kingdom to get overthrown by the likes of a naïve greenhorn such as yourself, Kathy! That Sol Heart is mine, and I'll still win this war, Kathy! Whether you like it or not!" Battra yelled back as he threw some more hard punches at Kathy. Kathy dodged them and kept on punching back in defense.

"Not on my watch! If my mother can beat you, then I could beat you too!" Kathy yelled as she was able to get more punches at Battra. She then fired her energy beams at Battra's face. Sparks came out of Battra's face from that attack. The attacked did knock Battra back a bit. He grunted as he closed his eyes in pain. While Battra was distracted, Kathy punched him hard again.

BAM!

"OOF!" Battra yelped as he felt his stomach being punched very hard. He was knocked back up into the air. Kathy soon flew up and punched him again downwards. As Battra was falling from the sky, Kathy flew down quickly to give him one more hard punch to the stomach to send him hurling down towards the ocean.

SPLASH!

Battra splashed down into the sea below Kathy. Kathy gasped for air for bit to see if Battra is going to fly up to her. But after two minutes had passed, she gave up and decided to keep on flying towards Magma Island. She turned around and flew towards the island ahead of her. She put her Sol Gems away as she saw that she didn't have to use them now.

Hmmm...something tells me that Battra isn't done yet. He can't give up that easily. I should keep an eye out for him if he does recover from that little skirmish we just had. Kathy pondered as she frowned. She flew even more faster than usual as felt nervous about what Battra is planning to do.

Meanwhile, Battra was soon swam up to the top of the ocean. He gasped for air and coughed a little as he looked around. His eyes soon looked up at the sky and at Magma Island. Curses...that blasted moth is really going to get all of the Sol Hearts, isn't she? Grrrr. How irritating. But I can't give up yet. I'll still fight her to get it, but if that doesn't work, then I'll have no choice but to resort to Plan B. Hmmm...although I will admit that Plan B is really tempting to do now. Heh heh heh.

Battra smirked as he watched at Kathy flying into Magma Island's territory.

-Meanwhile With Blaze-

Blaze was ready to fight the Aggregate Form of the Destroyah monster. The monster roared again at her.

REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHH!

Blaze clenched her fists as she was ready to run forward towards the monster. I'll run until that monster attacks first. Blaze thought as she glared at her huge opponent. The monster crawled a few feet more until it stopped and started to charge its attack. Here it comes. Blaze thought as she was ready to run to the northwest side of the rocky area. The Destroyah monster soon fired its Micro-Oxygen laser beam at of its mouth. The monster attacked the ground in a line towards Blaze. The ground burst into flames and sparks as the laser beam had hit the ground. Blaze then immediately ran forward and then left to avoid the attack. The laser beam missed her since Blaze ran pretty fast to avoid it. She was boosting toward the monster on the left side of the battle arena. The monster roared again before it tried to attack again from the left side. Blaze quickly dodged again as she ran towards her right side. The laser beam had hit the ground again and made sparks and fire to come out from the ground. Blaze then did a risky move as she then jumped very high to do an Air Boost attack. She then rammed her body into the large monster's stomach with her Air Boost attack. The fire surrounding Blaze's body and the force of her boosting attack had knocked the monster a few feet back with some of its skin melted off. While feeling stunned, the Destroyah monster tried to attack again with its laser beam. Blaze soon ran around the monster toward the monster's left side to avoid the attack. The monster had made more fire and sparks to come up from the ground by the attack. The monster then became confused as to why its little opponent had disappeared from sight. The monster decided to crawl forward to find its opponent. Meanwhile, Blaze was quickly thinking as she is coming up with a plan to defeat this huge monster.

Well, despite how big they are, they move pretty slow in their movements. At least that makes it easier to dodge and run away from them. However, how will I beat this monster? I can see that these monsters are weak to my fire. Won't they become weak to another source of fire?...Wait a minute! Duh! These magma hotspots, of coarse! They are perfect for being a useful trap for these monsters.

Blaze smirked as she could see the monster crawling near a huge magma hotspot. She then prepared herself to make another Air Boost attack. After taking a few breaths, Blaze soon ran as fast as she could towards the Destroyah monster. The monster heard footsteps from behind. So, it turned around to see its attacker. But before the monster could attack in self-defense, Blaze had already jumped high again and used her Air Boost to ram into the monster's chest this time. The attack was strong enough to make the monster topple over backwards into the magma hotspot. The monster roared as it was being knocked backwards into the hotspot.

REEEEEEEEEEEEEEUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHH!

SPLASH!

Magma was splashed around the area of the hotspot once the monster went down into it. The monster was roaring in pain as the high heat of the magma was too much for its skin armor. Within seconds, the Destroyah monster burst into dark particles after sustaining to much damage from the hot magma. Blaze was staring at the hotspot for a few moments before sighing in relief. Boy, fighting these monsters sure gets tiring sometimes. But I must keep on going then. Hmm...I wonder where Marine went off to? I should go look for her. Who knows if there are more monsters on the loose in this island? These monsters do look like the type that would kill anything that moves. Ooooh, Maine, please be safe and alive. Please.

After pondering for a bit, Blaze then ran towards the road in front of her. The same road that Marine ran off to. She soon stated to boost to cover more ground on the island. She had a serous expression on her face as she ran as fast as she could. She then had the same thought she had when she started searching for Marine for the first time.

Please be okay, Marine. If not then, I won't forgive myself if you die to these monsters.

Before she could think some more, she felt her heart stop once she heard Marine's scream.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH! SOMEONE SAVE ME! AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Marine screamed in the sky.

"Oh no! Marine!" Blaze yelled in panic as she ran even faster. She felt like her whole body is going to explode out of nervousness. She hoped that it isn't what she is thinking. Blaze was now running through a cliffside. She could see more volcanoes down below on her left side. She could see that she was apparently high up near the side of a mountain on the edge of the cliffside. She then stopped running to look out from the high view on her left. She slowly walked to the cliff and looked around in the sky. Blaze thought as she was sweating.

Please don't be in the sky. Please don't be in the sky. Please don't be in the sky.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH! HEEEEEEEELP MEEEEEEEE! AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Marine screamed again.

NO! Blaze thought as her face looked completely shocked at what she saw. She couldn't feel her body. It became numb because the sight was very startling. Her heart is pounding in fear, and her eyes and mouth were completely open wide in shock. She blinked a few times as what she saw, she couldn't believe it.

Marine was being carried through the sky by the Flying Destroyah's mouth. The monster was flying over the canyon below where a lot of volcanoes are at. Blaze couldn't even imagine how Marine got into this predicament.

-Few Minutes Prior-

Marine was hiding behind a huge rock while holding the Sol Heart to her chest with her arms. The rain is slowly letting up a bit, but it is still sprinkling. Marine took a lot of deep breaths as she looked right and left. She was sitting on the ground behind the rock as she does this. Marine pondered for a little bit as she kept on looking left and right in her hiding spot.

Oh, crikey! I hope there aren't any monsters around to scare the pants off of me. Blaze...please come back soon. Quickly now. I don't know how long I can last while being alone, fending for myself.

Marine gulped as she still felt nervous. She doesn't want to move or leave her hiding spot, but she also felt a little curious if Blaze is coming or not. She then bravely stood up and looked behind her rock to see if anyone is there or not.

Nothing.

"Whew. Maybe the coast is clear then," Marine said out loud as she wiped her brow with her hand. She slowly yet carefully walked out of her hiding place while holding the Sol Heart in her hands and looked around the area she's in. She is near the entrance to the cliffside of the mountain. She is standing in the middle of the road while looking around her rocky surroundings. She then flinched in fright once she heard a familiar roar.

REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEUUUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!

Her eyes went wide as she frantically looked around for more Destroyah monsters. Unfortunately for her, she couldn't find any Juvenile or Aggregate forms of the Destroyah monsters anywhere. She started to sweat in fear. If she can't find any of the monsters, then where are they? Before she could think where the monsters were, she noticed a huge shadow over her. Her eyes went wide in shock.

It...It's...IT'S FLYING?! Marine thought in a panic. She quickly looked up behind her and immediately ran as fast as she could while screaming in fear. The monster is flying downwards toward her.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Marine screamed as she ran as fast as her legs could carry her out of an adrenaline rush. The Flying Destroyah monster looked more like a dragon since it has giant wings along with its previous Aggregate form. It is even bigger than the previous form since its 20 feet tall instead of fifteen feet. The monster's mouth now has a full set of sharp teeth. Its head also has an orange horn on top of it. The monster's skin still had black, yellow, and red colors since it is also one of Battra's minions. The monster easily flew down to the ground near Marine and roared again before snatching her up with its mouth.

"OUCH!" Marine yelped loudly as she felt her body being bitten hard by the monster's teeth. The monster then flew up to the sky while carrying Marine in its mouth.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH! SOMEONE SAVE ME! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Marine screamed loudly. The monster kept flying above the island as it is trying to find a place to kill the little creature in its mouth. A few seconds later, the monster was flying over a canyon that has volcanoes within the canyon. Marine screamed again.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH! HEEEEEEEELP MEEEEEEEEE! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Marine screamed in fear. Blaze! Kathy! Anyone! Save me! Please! I beg of you! Help me! Marine thought in panic. Before her prayers were answered, the monster then mercilessly dropped Marine out of its mouth over one of the volcanoes of the area.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Marine screamed loudly as she was falling down in the sky while holding the Sol Heart in her arms.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Blaze screamed in fear as she watched Marine fall to her doom. Her worst fears are being unfolded right in front of her, and there was nothing she can do about it. She thought as she grimaced.

Is...Is this it? Will no one save her? Is she...Is she going to die because I wasn't able to protect her? Am I going to...lose my friend?

Suddenly! As she thought that, she then saw a flash of colors flying across the sky and swooped Marine up to the sky again before she fell down into the volcano.

AH!...K...K...KATHY?! Blaze thought in shock as she saw the flying, colorful object in the sky flying north from where she's at.

Meanwhile, Marine couldn't be more relieved or thankful in her life that someone had come in to save her in time.

"Kathy! I knew you would come!" Marine yelled happily as she was being carried in Kathy's arms.

"Sorry, Marine," Kathy apologized with a guilty look on her face. Marine just beamed at Kathy. Kathy then gave a sad smile at Marine. Thank goodness that I had made it here in time. I thought that it would be too late for me to redeem myself. If I had stayed in my home a little longer, I don't think that I would be able to save Marine in time. Kathy had pondered with a relieved expression on her face. Kathy then flew towards the north side of the island to find a safe place for Marine to hide at.

Blaze breathed a sigh of relief and had a smile on her face as she saw that Kathy is here and had saved Marine from danger. Kathy...as much as I am still angry at you...thank you for saving Marine for me. I don't know what your motive is for coming here, Kathy. But I'm still grateful for your assistance at least.

Blaze sighed again after that thought. She frowned a little. If only I understand your motives, Kathy, then maybe I wouldn't feel so...so...

Before Blaze could finish her brooding, she heard another Destroyah monster roaring in the distance. She grimaced as she quickly got away from the cliff and got back on the road. Oh, nevermind that! This place is still crawling with these heartless monsters! If they are still here, then Marine is still in danger! I've got to hurry! Marine needs me, and I need to make sure she's safe! Kathy, please protect her for now! As much as it pains me to admit this, I...I really do need your help. Please help me, Kathy.

With that thought, Blaze boosted toward the rocky path in front of her and ran towards the northern direction.

-Meanwhile With Kathy And Marine-

Kathy was still flying through the sky while searching for a good hiding place for Marine. She then spotted two huge rocky walls down below that separates from the land area to the mountainous region behind it. She smiled as she figured that it would be the best place to hide Marine. Kathy then flew down to that area below. Once she had reached the ground level, she then descended to the ground by flapping her wings slowly for a graceful landing. When she had her feet to the ground, she then walked over to walls and looked behind one of them.

"Ah. Perfect. It's small enough so that no monster could fit through it. Here, Marine. Hide in here. You'll be safe here," Kathy said quietly as she stood at the small opening between the walls.

"Okay! Thanks for coming here, Kathy! I missed you!" Marine exclaimed happily as she smiled widely at Kathy.

Kathy smiled back as she replied, "Heheheh, I missed you too, Marine. Now, stay here until I say that it's safe to come out. Understood?".

"Yeah, I understand, Kathy. Still, that was terrifying! I thought that I was a goner for second there!" Marine replied with a nod until she looked shocked as she recalled that horrifying memory of falling from the sky and to the volcano earlier.

"I can understand how terrifying it would be for you after that near-death experience. It's okay to admit that you were scared through it all, Marine. I can tell you that no one would be able to go through that without being afraid once," Kathy replied gently with a comforting smile.

"Hmmmm...yes, I admit it. I felt absolutely terrified when that monster chomped on me and carried me through the sky. I thought that I was gonna die for a second there when that monster dropped me. I'm so, so grateful for you saving me, Kathy! Thanks a lot!" Marine admitted humbly with a frown until she beamed at Kathy as she thanked her.

"It's no problem, Marine. I'll always be there to protect you and Blaze. You can count on that," Kathy replied with a gentle expression. Marine giggled after that. Kathy nodded and gently put Marine down. Marine touched the ground with her feet and quickly squeezed into the small space between the rocks.

"Boy, this is very tight! Please don't long, Kathy! I don't like feeling cramped into a small space for so long," Marine replied with a frown.

"Oh! Um...are you saying that because you are claustrophobic? If that's the case, then I could try to find a better spot for you to hide in," Kathy replied with raised eyebrows and with a concerned expression. She does want Marine to be safe, but she doesn't want her to feel scared or uncomfortable while doing so.

"No. No. It's not that. I'm actually fine. Honest. It's just feels too tight for me. It doesn't hurt at least. So, I'll be fine for a while. I just don't to get any back pain because of this," Marine replied with a sheepish smile.

"Ah. I see then. Well, that's a relief. Don't worry. I'll try to be quick into getting rid of the rest of the monsters while I'm here. Oh, by the way, can I have that Sol Heart, please?" Kathy replied with a smile as she stretched out her hand at Marine.

"Oh! Yeah! Here you go, Kathy! This is the last Sol Heart that Blaze and I had found!" Marine exclaimed happily as she gave the red Sol Heart to Kathy. Kathy took it and held onto it.

"Ah. There it is. The Heart of Fire. This is last Sol Heart it seems. I know that Battra would love to get this to prevent me into going into my super form. Battra is definitely going to come and fight me again soon on this island. I've got to keep my eyes on him for now," Kathy said to herself as she looked at the heart in her hands.

"Wait. Battra? You mean the guy who took Blaze's throne from her?" Marine asked in slight confusion.

"Yes. That's right. I've just confronted him not too long ago. I may have sent him down to the ocean, but I know that he is still willing to fight back. I just know it. It won't be long until I have a proper rematch with him soon. But enough about that. Just stay here and don't move. I'll be getting rid of the monsters in this island so that you're safe, Marine. Okay?" Kathy explained with a serious look on her face.

"Okay. Be careful out there, Kathy! I'll be rooting for you in my hiding spot! Go get them, my trusty crewmate!" Marine exclaimed enthusiastically with a bright smile as she pumped her fists into the air.

Kathy smiled at that. "Yes, I will, Marine. Thank you. I'll be right back. I promise," Kathy replied with a determined smile as she felt ready to kick some monster butt. Marine beamed at Kathy. With a nod, Kathy turned around and flew up into the sky again while carrying the Sol Heart in her hands. Marine then slid down in her hiding spot and sat down. If she is going to hide, she might as well be a little more comfortable.

You can do it, Kathy! I believe in you and Blaze to save the day! Marine thought optimistically.

Kathy was now flying around the sky while looking for some monsters to fight. She figured that she should start searching for that Flying Destroyah first since that monster deserved to die after trying to kill Marine as Kathy thought in her mind. Kathy then used her Sol Gems to create a gold necklace on her new Sol Heart. Once the gold necklace had appeared on the red heart, Kathy put the necklace over her head to wear it as she prepares herself for battle with the Destroyah monsters. She then hears one of the Destroyah monsters from behind.

REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!

She looked back and saw the huge Flying Destroyah monster flying behind her. The flying monster then started attacking by firing its purple Micro-Oxygen Beam from its mouth at Kathy. The beam did hit Kathy. Sparks came from Kathy's body and wings from that attack. Kathy grunted at the pain, but she flew faster to avoid any more hits from it. The monster kept firing its beam at Kathy, but this time she dodged the attacks by flying side to side and even in a vertically by turning her body to her side. Kathy then flew a bit faster until she turned around and faced the Destroyah monster. She then used her new Sol Heart by spewing fire from her Sol Gems. She hit the monster's face by her fire attack. The monster's face was covered in flames. Kathy could feel her energy draining ever since she was hit by Destroyah's attack earlier. So, she must be quick into killing this monster before she could use her Sol Gems to regain her health energy. Kathy then fired her energy beams along with her fire blasts from her Sol Gems to attack the Destroyah monster. The Destroyah monster retaliated by firing its purple beam at her. Kathy dodged the attacks while flying backwards. As Kathy flew backwards while attacking the monster, the monster was slowing down its flight since the monster kept getting its body hit by the energy beams and fire blasts. The monster roared in pain as it flew to it right direction to avoid the attacks. Kathy then took her advantage to fly behind the monster and made a fire punch attack with her Sol Gems. She punched through one of the monster's wings, and tore through the middle the wing while its on fire. Kathy flew around the monster and punched through the other wing. With the wings gone, the Flying Destroyah monster fell down from the sky. The monster roared again for the last time.

REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!

SPLASH!

The monster then fell into one of the volcanoes and splashed into the hot magma below. Magma was slashed around the volcano top as the monster fell in. The monster then burst into dark particles after its skin was mortally wounded by the high temperature of the magma. Kathy was breathing heavily as she watched the monster get disintegrated by the magma. She was not only feeling tired from the fighting but from her energy being drained by the Micro-Oxygen that her body took. She then quickly placed her Sol Gems over her chest and closed her eyes. She then commanded the Sol Gems to heal her body by using the Healing Technique that the Sol Pendant has. Her body was surrounded in a bright yellow light as she was healing and recovering energy from that deadly attack. While she was healing herself, she pondered to herself.

Thank goodness that my clan was made by the Sol Emeralds' energy because otherwise I wouldn't last two seconds if I was hit by any of those attacks! I just hope that Blaze and Marine don't get hit by any of those attacks because if they did...then...Ugh. I don't even want to think about it!

Kathy cringed as she thought of their reactions to getting hit by those deadly attacks. She didn't want to think of them dying to those attacks by these fiendish minions of Battra. Grrrrr. "Heartless" is the right word to describe them, and it's not because they literally have no hearts. Those types of monsters are the worst. The way they derive pleasure into harming others is sickening to me. No wonder Battra had created them as a part of his monster army. Not only are they tough, but they are cruel.

Kathy then finished her musings once she felt completely healed from her Sol Gems. She still held her gems as she looked around for more monsters.

Hmmm...no sign of any monsters now. Maybe the rest are on the ground level. Kathy pondered after looking around for a minute. She then flew around the area to see if there are monsters around.

-Meanwhile With Blaze-

Blaze is running through the cliffside and running through the dangerous, rocky bridges. She hadn't found any monsters in her path for a while. However, once she thought that she should head to a different direction, she then heard another roar and saw a huge shadow hovering over her. She quickly looked up and gasped by how gigantic this Destroyah monster is. The last type of the Destroyah monsters is the Perfect Form one. This version of the monster is 25 feet tall, making this monster the largest one of all of the Destroyah monsters and quite possibly the tallest monster Blaze had ever faced. The Perfect Form of the monster still had its orange horn as the Flying version had. This version also had its two big wings from its previous version plus two smaller wings on the sides. This Perfect Form is similar to the previous form by how its face and body is designed. The Perfect Form also now has small arms with three spikes for claws as well as huge legs with large spikes on the knees and feet. The Perfect Form also has a long tail with a pincher appendage. The colors on the body are black, red, and yellow as usual. There are red and yellow stripes on the monster's wings just like how Battra's wings were. The big monster was flying through the sky and had landed in the middle of a barren area up north to where Blaze was going. Blaze frowned and closed her eyes as she stood in the middle of the road.

Hoo boy. It seems like I'm going to deal with this huge monster all by myself. I shouldn't cower in fear. I should face off this monster! Still...it will be very difficult dealing with that monster considering how small I am compared to it. If only I had my Sol Emeralds with me, then this monster wouldn't be an issue with me. But I shouldn't give up! No matter what!

Blaze then boosted forward after that motivating thought. It was a minute later that he had finally arrived at the barren wasteland with the huge monster. The Destroyah monster noticed Blaze running into the area from the south and roared at her to try to intimidate her.

REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!

Blaze soon stopped in her tracks and readied her body for battle. The monster saw that Blaze wasn't moving or running away. So, the monster attacked Blaze to kill her. The monster fired its Micro-Oxygen Beam at the ground and where Blaze is at. The ground exploded with sparks and fire upon contact of the attack. Blaze immediately ran to the right to avoid the attack. The monster walked forward and toward its left to try to block Blaze's path. Blaze saw what the monster was doing and boosted toward her left. It was then the monster attacked again by using its long tail to try grapple her. Blaze saw the tail and immediately jumped high to avoid it. She used her hover ability to not only to get some distance away from the attack but also as a way to counterattack by using the fire under her heels to burn the tail. The tail caught on fire, and the monster whipped his tail around to try to put it out. The monster roared in pain as it tried to put the fire out. Blaze didn't expect this and got knocked away by the large tail as a result. Blaze soon skidded on the rocky terrain on her back after she landed hard on the ground. Blaze rubbed the back of her head as she awkwardly stood up. She winced a little in pain, but she then focused again at her large opponent. Some of the monster's tail was melted off by that fire. The Destroyah monster felt enraged that it had been attacked. So, the monster then fired its purple beam at Blaze again. Blaze then ran away again to avoid getting hit by the beam. More sparks and fire came out from the ground as the beam hit the ground. Blaze still ran in the left side of the area towards the north. She was able to get behind the giant monster very fast enough to make her attack. She then used her fire powers to summon fire out of her hands and burn the monster's feet. She needed to distract the monster first before she could actually do some real damage to it. She made a huge fire rectangle under the monster's feet to cover a lot of ground. The monster roared as it had tried to walk away, but Blaze kept on burning the ground every time the monster takes a step. The monster then decided to turn around to try to attack Blaze again despite having its feet burned. However, Blaze was ready as she then boosted towards the monster, jumped as high as she could, and air boosted into the monster's stomach as hard as she could. Like a bullet to the stomach, the monster suddenly fell down backwards after being hit very hard in the stomach. As the monster fell down, it had roared again.

REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!

Blaze was on top of the monster's stomach. She made no hesitation to burn its stomach with her body. She decided to jump on the stomach to stab it with her heels. She jumped on the stomach as fast as she could while having her whole body being on fire. The stomach was burning in flames, and it was apparently effective since the monster vomited out its dark particles as if it was blood. Blaze cringed in disgust as she saw that, but she still kept on jumping on the monster. While the monster struggled to get up, Blaze took her chance to burn the monster's big wings by shooting out two fire bursts from her hands onto the wings while still jumping on the monster's stomach. The monster's wings were caught on fire, and its skin armor keep melting off. She kept on burning the wings until they have melted holes in them. The monster cried in pain as it felt its wings being melted off.

So far so good. Now the monster won't be able to fly away. All that is left is to burn the monster whole. This going to require a lot of energy to do it, but I will succeed into doing so! Blaze thought as she stopped burning the wings for a bit. She then stopped jumping on the monster to cool off for a bit. The monster still struggled to get up but failed to get up. It also didn't help that its wings are melted off and are still on fire from both the wings and the stomach. More of its skin armor is also coming off from the stomach. More dark particles are coming out of the monster. Blaze is quickly focusing her energy to burn her own body as well as the monster's body. As she was on fire, the fire under the entire monster also started to burn the monster. Flames kept on rising from under the monster, burning it in the process. Within seconds, Blaze was able to engulf the monster in a sea of her own flames. The monster's legs, body, and face were burning very hotly in the roaring flames. The Destroyah monster stared at Blaze with a fierce gaze. Blaze glared at the monster with a fierce gaze of her own. The monster roared again in anger and in pain as it realized that it was dying.

REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!

The monster then attempted to fire its purple beam from its mouth, and Blaze was ready jump away from the attack. However, all the monster did instead was spewing out more dark particles from its mouth. Few more seconds went by and eventually, the giant monster burst into dark particles since the fire had melted off the skin to its core.

Blaze soon landed on the ground after the monster was defeated. The fire was still burning the ground around Blaze. Blaze soon summoned the fire to vanish. Smoke was left after the fire went away. Blaze took a few deep breaths to calm herself. It was still hard to believe that she managed to destroy a huge monster like that without her Sol Emeralds. I guess the old saying "The bigger they are, the harder they fall" applies here. Even if that monster was huge and bulky, that monster can still be defeated by a small person like me. Hmmm...Heh. More like a fast, pyrokinetic cat to be precise. If there are two things that I can gather from these monsters is that their weaknesses are fire and speed. They are big, but they can't move or dodge to save their life. Then again that could be said for the other monsters too. So, I don't know. But regardless, I still hadn't got a name for them. I had completely forgotten that Kathy had always known the names of these monsters. If only she was here, then I would know what they are called. But if there was a name that I could call them, then it only be fitting to call them "Destroyer" because they almost killed Marine. Hmmmm...yes. That sounds about right.

Blaze soon finished her musings and turned around to the northern direction. She wondered whether she will encounter even more Destroyah monsters along the way. There is only one answer to that, and that is to move forward in the northern path into the mountain region. Blaze then looked solemn as she then boosted forward to the northern path to continue her journey.

-Meanwhile With Kathy-

Kathy was flying around the island to find some more monsters. Once she didn't find any, she then landed down onto one of the barren regions of the island. She walked a little bit and looked around on the ground level. Hmmm...I can't seem to find any monsters anywhere. Did Blaze manage to get them all?

As she thought that, she then felt the ground under her cracking. She immediately ran away from it before the ground crumbled downwards. Another Juvenile Destroyah monster came out of the ground and roared at Kathy.

REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEUUUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHH!

"I knew that there are still more monsters here! And seems that I have to deal with you!" Kathy exclaimed as she then pointed to the Destroyah monster. The monster roared again.

REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHHH!

"I guess that there is nothing else left to do but to fight you!" Kathy exclaimed before she flew towards the monster and punched it with her Sol Gems.

She punched the monster right in the chest, and the punch was strong enough to knock the monster towards the rocky wall. The monster cried out for help before Kathy used her Sol Gems to summon a big fire blast at the monster to burn it. The monster melted in the fire attack and burst into dark particles soon after. She then heard more roars of the Destroyah monsters behind her. She turned around and was surprised to see that there was a dozen of Juvenile Destroyah monsters ready to attack her. The monsters quickly crawled to her and started to attack by firing whitish Micro Oxygen out of their mouths. Kathy quickly flew upward before the beams hit her. The beams hit the ground instead which caused sparks and fire to come out of the ground. Kathy flew above the monsters and then flew down at them to quickly punch each of the monsters at their sides to knock them down to the ground. She was punching them fast enough so that the monsters couldn't fire their beams again at her. One the monsters fell down to the ground, Kathy landed down in the middle of them and used her Sol Gems to summon the fire above her hands. With a simple throwing motion of her hand, Kathy was able to control a fireball and make the fire extend into a line. This action made the fire to go towards one of the Destroyah monsters and pass through it. The fire line went through the monsters that are on the ground and burned them. There was soon a fire a circle on the ground since Kathy was standing in the middle of the group of the fallen Destroyah monsters. The monsters cried in pain as the fire burned them, melting their skin in the process. Then, the monsters combusted into dark particles once they had been damaged enough by the fire attack. Kathy soon controlled the Sol Gems to put out the fire. The fire had disappeared. Kathy looked around to see if more Destroyah monsters are coming to fight her, but she didn't see any.

Kathy relaxed her posture once she realized that there are no monsters in the area. Kathy pondered while placing one hand on one of her cheeks and the other hand holding her elbow. You know, considering how strong and bulky these Destroyah, or should I say Batstroyah, monsters are supposed to be, they really were taken down pretty easily. Then again, these monsters are basically mutant crustaceans. So, it would make sense that they were slow in attacking me. But then again...I'm a fast moth, and I have both the Sol Heart and my energy beams to burn them. So, it's no surprise that I had the advantage here. They probably be more of a threat if I had neither of those things on me.

"Hmm..." Kathy mused as she crossed her arms and closed her eyes. A few moments later, a voice was heard in the air above.

"Are you having fun playing with your new toy, Kathy?" a low, gruff voice said in the distance above Kathy.

Kathy turned around and frowned as she looked up at the sky. Her eyebrows are furrowed once she saw Battra flying in the sky with his arms crossed while wearing a smirk on his face.

"Battra..." Kathy said with vehemence in her tone.

"Oh, don't mind me, Kathy. I just wondering whether or not I should try to take that heart from you. It's not nice to play with little toys that didn't belong to you in the first place," Battra replied with a devious smirk.

"This heart is mine, Battra. I won't let you have it," Kathy replied solemnly.

"Well, if you are going to be that way, then perhaps I shall take it from you...the hard way!" Battra replied with an evil smile as he then flew down to fight Kathy.

Kathy was ready for Battra as she used her Sol Gems to summon a fire burst out of them to attack Battra. Battra quickly dodged by flying backwards and away from the fire. Kathy moved her arms so that she would follow Battra's movements. Kathy then tried to fire her energy beams at Battra since he was busy dodging the fire. Her energy beams had hit Battra. Battra grunted at the attack as sparks came from his body and head. He shook his head and then fired his purple eye beams at Kathy. Kathy dodged by flying away from Battra's attacks. She flew backwards, left, and right as Battra turned his head to follow Kathy and tried to shoot her with his laser beams. Since he saw that Kathy was now the one being distracted, he used his Sol Gems to teleport behind Kathy. After Kathy dodged the last set of laser beams, she was slightly confused as to why Battra had disappeared. Until suddenly...

"Surprise!" Battra exclaimed as he punched Kathy very hard on her back.

KIIIIIIIIIOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Kathy roared in her native tongue after she felt that painful attack. She was then falling from the sky and crashed into the ground below face-first. "Oof!" Kathy yelped once her body hit the ground hard. Kathy weakly pushed her hands from the ground and looked around. She then saw a shadow over her body. She turned around and saw Battra diving down towards her with two glowing fists in front of him. Her eyes widened at the sight of that.

"Cannonball!" Battra joked with a devious smirk as he flew down towards Kathy as fast as he could for his next attack.

Kathy quickly defended herself by giving Battra a strong fire punch from her Sol Gems. Battra was knocked away in the western direction from Kathy's point of view. Battra hit some rocks on the ground. He grunted again, but he soon got up and flew towards Kathy again. He was about to punch her again. However, Kathy ducked before Battra hit her, and, in a comical fashion, she had punched him hard again but in the eastern direction this time. Battra had hit a rocky wall this time face-first. As he fell down onto his back, Kathy then took the opportunity to stand back up and dust her body off. She then flew up in the sky and decided to seize her opportunity to fire her energy beams at the fallen Battra. Battra winced once he felt the energy beams hitting him on his body and his wings. More sparks came from his body due to the attacks. He quickly used his Sol Gems to summon a dark shield around himself to protect his body from Kathy's attacks. The energy beams are now hitting the shield instead of Battra. Kathy stopped attacking Battra with her energy beams for a bit since she knew she isn't hurting Battra now.

Battra soon stood up, however, he didn't put down the shield though. He then taunted Kathy, "Go ahead, Kathy. Hit me. Hit my shield. You certainly won't defeat me if I keep standing here now, will you? Hahahahahahahahaha!".

Kathy growled as she glared at Battra. She still didn't say anything. "What's the matter, Kathy?" Battra said as he continued to taunt, "Can't hit me now because of my shield? Are you afraid that I will hit you the moment you break my shield? Because I can be a gentleman and give you a free punch at me if you break the shield. Come on, Kathy. Let's play nice. You're only just a kid, you know".

Kathy growled louder as she can't take hearing that over and over again anymore by Battra, the people in this dimension, and especially...especially...Blaze.

"I AM NOT A CHILD!" Kathy shouted in fury as she flew down as fast as she could as she prepared to punch that shield so hard that she would bust right through it and hit Battra too. Battra smirked as he quickly commanded his Sol Gems to make his shield go away, and then...he deviously used his gems to teleport in time before Kathy hit him. Kathy's eyes widened in shock once he saw Battra disappear in front of her. Also...she was shocked that there is no way in stopping herself from hitting the rocky wall very, very hard.

CRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSHHHH!

Kathy smashed through the hard wall with her punch attack and was hit very hard by the rocks falling on top of her once she crashed into the wall. The rocks had buried her after that crash. Kathy cringed a lot as she kept getting her whole body hurt by the rocks. She groaned in pain under that pile of rocks. Kathy tried to get up, but the pain was too much. So, she flopped back down to the ground in defeat. Apparently, she did too good of a good job to make her attack a powerful one.

Battra then reappeared next to the pile of rocks while crossing his arms. "Can you hear me from under those rocks, Kathy?" Battra said with a victorious smirk. Kathy groaned again. However, she muttered the words "Screw you" while under those rocks.

"Well, that's nice. Because I want you to hear me clearly when I say this. Like I had just said when we had reunited again last time 'You're still just a child. Always had been and always will be'," Battra replied with an evil grin. Kathy groaned in response.

Battra continued, "You know Kathy. I was originally going to take that Sol Heart away from you since clearly I had won this little battle. But I'm going to be nice and let you have it because I feel so bad for you, Kathy. I mean come on! That fight was just pathetic! It's not even worth obtaining that Sol Heart since that wasn't even a good fight! You had all the power in your possession, and yet, you just let me beat you even though you had the red Sol Heart in your hands! No, over your neck! I mean if it was...oh, I don't know...your mother for example...she would have floored me with her fighting skills while using that Sol Heart in her sleep!".

Kathy growled lowly after that comment.

"But look at you. You can't even fight me no matter how much power you have over me! That is why I am not worried at all if you do turn into your super form because you are so incompetent that you would let Blaze down in less than a minute when you and her try to confront me together! Ahahahahahahahahahaha! It's just so sad. You have all the power in the world, yet you are still powerless to stop me! Hahahahahahahahahaha! I've said it before, and I'll say it again. You're just a greenhorn, Kathy. I may applaud you for trying to play as the hero, but just give up, Kathy. No one will remember you if you did save the day, and no one will care if you did. You're not a hero, Kathy. You have been and always will be a monster. Now, farewell, Kathy. Good luck trying to stop me because you can't and won't. Hahahahahahaha!" Battra finished while laughing during his speech. He turned around and flew away into the sky. He soon went into a different direction towards another part of the island. Meanwhile, Kathy just groaned as she laid on the round under a pile of rocks. Both her body and soul were literally crushed under the pile of rocks. She had the chance to redeem herself in this rematch, yet she just blew it by letting her emotions get the best of her.

She hadn't felt more ashamed of herself in her life than this moment right now.

-Meanwhile With Blaze-

Blaze was still running through the mountainous region. She hadn't found any Destroyah monsters for some time now. Blaze was in her thoughts while she ran. Hmm...perhaps all those monsters are defeated. If that's the case, then I should go take Marine and leave this place then. If only I knew where she is, then it would be easier to go back to the ship.

Before she could think any further, she heard some wings flapping in the air. She stopped in her tracks and looked up in the sky to see if more Destroyah monsters are present. However, she was surprised to see Battra flying above her instead.

"B-Battra?!" Blaze yelled as her eyes and mouth went wide in shock.

"Why hello there," Battra greeted with a polite tone and with a mischievous smirk. He had his hands behind his back as he flew in place in the air.

"Why are you here, Battra?" Blaze replied with a frown.

"Oh, I just came by to try to get the red Sol Heart from here. But alas, I decided to give up on it. I wanted to let you and Kathy to try to stop me fair and square. Sounds reasonable, is it not?" Battra replied calmly as he closed his eyes for a moment.

Blaze grimaced. She doesn't like the sound of it. Her gut is telling her that this must be a trap. So, she put her guard up. She asked carefully and sternly, "What's the catch?".

"Oh, there's no catch to this. I just want you two to try to stop me with all the power that you have. Because in the end, it'll all be pointless since you'll fail even when you're at max power," Battra answered honestly while holding his hands up to show that he isn't double-crossing or anything.

Blaze was still not satisfied with it as she frowned further. "What are you planning from this? Why are you not trying to stop us from obtaining all of the Sol Hearts? I know how much you want them! So, why aren't you-" Blaze replied before Battra cut her off.

"Hold up, now! Don't get me wrong. I do want the Sol Hearts but not right now. Let's just say that I feel more confident in knowing that you and Kathy would fail at stopping me. There is just one reason for that...that reason is Kathy herself," Battra interjected by holding a hand up to stop her from talking while he smirked at her.

"What?! Huh?! Kathy?! Wh-What are you talking about?!" Blaze yelled in shock.

Battra smirked as he realized that bringing Kathy up got her full attention. He then took his chance to put Plan B and made sure to succeed in his dastardly plan.

He then continued while crossing his arms and closed his eyes in a haughty way, "Why yes, Blaze. Kathy herself is the problem here. Just think about it. If she was so confident that she will defeat me and my plan, wouldn't she be the one coming up with the plans to stop me?".

"Huh?" Blaze asked in confusion.

Battra elaborated while asking more questions, "Or how about her stopping me before I had reached your island? If she was so intent in protecting this world, wouldn't she just search for me and stop me before I had even attacked your island?".

"Ummm...uhhh...well..." Blaze muttered while feeling confused.

"Ha! Some hero! She couldn't even protect you from getting beaten up by me or by my monsters! Just face it, Blaze. Kathy is only trying to play the hero. It's just a ruse, Blaze. You're the true hero here. Look at you. You've been busting your butt trying to save these islands and your own kingdom from my own monsters! Had Kathy made any effort to want to save your kingdom as much as you do?" Battra continued while smiling evilly and while shrugging his shoulders.

"..." Blaze didn't say anything this time. She just listened to what Battra was saying.

"You know, Blaze. If Kathy really was your friend, then she would've saved those islands twice as fast if you were asleep. So then that way, you would have gotten all of the seven Sol Hearts in about two days instead of a week. Your people could've been saved if she was half as persistent as you are, Blaze," Battra replied again with a devious look on his face.

Blaze was silent as she slowly looked down. What he was saying was exactly what her dark thoughts were last night. She knows he's playing her, but he's right about that. She knows that she shouldn't be allowing herself to listen to this, but her heart won out. All of her negative feelings she had for Kathy are at their breaking point, and they're ready to pour out. Blaze had the biggest scowl on her face. She felt enraged. She brooded while her anger rises. Grrrrrrrr...Battra is right. If Kathy did care for this world, then why did she let my kingdom get taken over?! Why didn't find those Sol Hearts when I was asleep?! If...If...If she really did care for me then why didn't she...

"Continue," Blaze replied through gritted teeth.

Battra smirked widely as he simply replied, "Glady!".

-Meanwhile With Marine-

Uggghh...When will Kathy get back? I know that I should be staying here, but I can't wait much longer. I got to know where she is. I also want to know if Blaze is okay. I think that it's safe to go outside now. I didn't hear any monsters for like thirty minutes. So maybe Kathy and Blaze had gotten all of the monsters destroyed! Yeah! Maybe it is safe to go out now! Marine pondered as she looked out from her hiding spot. She smiled in determination as she stood up and squeezed out from her spot and walked outside. She walked a bit around the area to see where she should go. While putting her hand over her head, she looked right to left to see which path she should go to first.

"Hmmm...if only there was a way to find either of them without getting lost. But how am I going to do that?" Marine said out loud.

"KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTHHHHHHHYYYYY!" Blaze screamed loudly as she boosted through the area past Marine and went to left path.

"B-B-Blaze?!" Marine yelled as she jumped back in surprise. She was very startled by that. Wh-Wh-What is going on?! What has gotten Blaze in such a furious state?! D-Did Kathy do something wrong? No! It couldn't be! It isn't possible! Kathy didn't do anything wrong! I...I got to go stop Blaze!

Marine ran towards the left path too after that thought. She has no idea why Blaze is so angry, but she knows that Kathy is innocent. She isn't going to let Blaze hurt her if she is too furious with her. Marine believes in Kathy, and she needs to help Blaze into believing in her too.

It was a courageous task to do, but it is still a stupid one.

-Meanwhile With Kathy-

"Argh! Ugh! Grah! Huuuuuugh!...haa...haaaa...haaaaa," Kathy grunted and panted while she lifted the rocks away in order to get out. She finally freed herself from that pile of rocks. She is now standing in the middle of the heap of rocks while panting. She had a lot of bruises and cuts on her body. She then shook her body for a bit before walking out into the barren wasteland area gain.

Ugh. I still can't believe that I failed to defeat Battra again. Could this day get any worse? Kathy brooded as she looked around with a tired expression on her face. The rain started to pick up again and thunder and lightning came back. In the distance, Kathy could hear someone at her right.

"KAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTHHHHHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYY!" Blaze screamed in fury.

That...That doesn't sound good. Oh no... Kathy thought as she grimaced and had a sweat drop over her head.

Blaze then ran towards the same barren area that Kathy is standing at. She could see Kathy standing in the middle of the place. She then skidded towards a stop a few feet away from Kathy. Kathy raised her eyebrows once she saw how enraged Blaze looks right now. Blaze had her teeth gritted, her eyebrows furrowed deeply, and had her fists clenched tightly. She looked ready to kill Kathy, and Kathy gulped in nervousness. This isn't going to end well. Kathy thought as she stared at Blaze in anxiousness. Kathy knew that this isn't one fight she couldn't win at, and it doesn't look like she could escape it either.

It's all downhill from here.

OOOOOOOOOKAY! I'm back everyone! So sorry for the short hiatus! I was working on Turnabout Spring Break for my Phoenix Wright short story, and it took more time than I thought to make it. But don't worry! I'm back on this story, and I'm ready to finish it! Only three more chapters to go! And we're already at the climax of my story! My does time flies by! Thank you for your patience and support on this story! Please R&R as always and enjoy the last few chapters when I post them!

So, what will happen when this story is over? Well, let's just say that we're having "game night" as our next story. It doesn't make sense now, but it will later on. By the way, I had to research on Destroyah on Wikizilla for the descriptions of his appearance and for the names his attacks were. I'm just trying to be accurate here. Also, here's some more fun facts on that website: Destroyah's ally does include Battra in some continuity. Mothra was Destroyah's enemy in two comics called "Godzilla: Rulers of Earth" and "Godzilla: Cataclysm". So, it is pretty fitting that Destroyah is Battra's minion. Battra clearly made Destroyah because he obviously wanted to kill Kathy in this story. So, there's your fun facts for the day! See you guys next chapter!