Hello and welcome to my sixth one shot story in the Horyus Universe and the fourth one staring one of the Horyus' love interests (five total if you include the one with Sakura Haruno). Now for this one, it will focus on my OC character, Tasha. Now for the previous one shot stories and the ones following after this one, it was always an already established character from an already existing franchise learning new abilities either invented by me, alterations of already existing abilities from their respective universes, or even improving their skills. But for this one, the character is an OC character so what you'll see is something completely original, relatively speaking. In addition, this will also show what Spiro and the Elemental Darts are doing to prepare for the battle with the Gotei 13.
AN: This OVA will have references to other franchises. Also since this stars one of my OC characters in one of my OC worlds, this story is more like an original story than a fanfiction.
Horyus OVA
The Immortal Phoenix
In Draco Santuary, the Elemental Darts returned to the destroyed temple of the Elemental Darts. They did not attempt to enter the temple itself, but they did land in the open grass field on the south side, with one half housing a lake. Upon landing on the grassy field, the group got to work on what this transformation was all about.
"This should do nicely," Mole told them.
"Indeed," Frostina agreed. "This has been the training ground for the Elemental Darts for generations. It only makes sense that it would be used by us in order to unlock our new forms."
"But how do we do that," Zack questioned.
"Well according to the scroll, the Elemental Crystals we have on our chest plates are needed," Bronze pointed out. "That much should be obvious, but that's just the easy part. The hard part is becoming one with them."
"How do we do that," Serpentina asked.
"We each must synchronize our energies with those of our respective crystals," Bronze explained. "I don't know what that means, but likely it means thinking and feeling the crystals as if they were part of our bodies."
"That sounds farfetched," Jason pointed out.
"Perhaps, but then again so is the idea of other worlds besides our own," Saika reminded him.
"We may have to ask Lady Sapphira about this," Mei Ling mentioned.
"What about Tasha," Spiro questioned. "She was the leader for a while, so could she unlock this new form?"
"It is possible," Bronze told Spiro. "She also had the legendary Fire Crystal, but it is now in your possession, Spiro. She relinquished it after she stepped down as leader."
"I'll find a way," Tasha pointed out. "My main concerns right now are those Soul Reapers, especially the one who almost beat Syaoran to death and tried to kill Sakura."
"Yes, Alopheya spoke to the Lamassu about this," Maya pointed out. "According to her, Soul Reapers of one of several groups of guardians of the dead who keep balance in the universe by helping those who have died move on to the afterlife."
"Most of them have a human form and all of them have a special katana known as a Zanpakuto," Bronze added. "According to the Lamassu, the Zanpakuto has three forms, its sealed form and two released forms. The first released form is Shikai and the second released form is called Bankai. But let's get back on track."
"Okay, what was this form called again," Mole asked.
"Elemental Mode," Tasha answered. "It's a heightened state that the Elemental Darts are able to enter. Doing so changes your skin color to match your respective elements and enable your respective elemental attacks to become more powerful."
"But how much more powerful will they become," Bronze questioned.
"Only one way to find out," Jason pointed out.
"While you all practice Elemental Mode, I will be seeing Lady Sapphira," Tasha informed the. "I'm not one of the Elemental Darts, well not anymore, but I still wish to contribute to the upcoming battle with those Soul Reapers."
Tasha then took to the air and went off the see Lady Sapphira.
"Good luck Tasha," Spiro said as he saw his mate fly off. "Alright, let's begin."
A while later while the Elemental Darts were training to unlock Elemental Mode, Tasha arrived at Lake Camelot and landed on the temple island in Excalibur Bay. Once she landed she walked up to the water's edge and waited for Lady Sapphira to appear. "Lady Sapphira, it is I, Tasha, former leader of the Elemental Darts."
Moments later, Lady Sapphira rose up from the lake and swam up towards the island where Tasha was waiting for her. "It has been some time, Tasha, since the Xehanort incident, I believe. What would you have of me?"
"I seek knowledge on how to become stronger," Tasha explained.
"And will you do with that power," Lady Sapphira questioned.
"I wish to fight alongside my mate, Spiro, currently leader of the Elemental Darts," Tasha answered. "He and the others are currently training in order to unlock an empowered state known as Elemental Mode. I wish to learn it two, but it would seem that one must fuse with the Elemental Crystals in order to take on that form."
"Only in order to unlock it and grasp the concept," Lady Sapphira explained, catching Tasha's attention. "While it is true that the Elemental Darts must merge with the Elemental Crystals in order to unlock Elemental Mode, that process is only the first step. The crystals are merely tools in order to help them grasp the concept, but in time they must learn to enter Elemental Mode without the crystals."
"I see," said Tasha, realizing that once Spiro masters Elemental Mode, she could try her luck as a former Elemental Dart of Fire. "Is it possible for me to unlock Elemental Mode, even if I'm no longer the Elemental Dart of Fire?"
"It is possible," Lady Sapphira informed her. "However, the Fire Crystal will have to determine if you are still worthy."
"I understand," Tasha nodded her head.
"There are other forms in which one can unlock to become stronger," Lady Sapphira explained. "You and Spiro already know one of those forms, Phoenix Dragon Mode, or simply Phoenix Mode. As you know, it enables one to engulf themselves in flames, taking on the form of a phoenix and giving all of one's fire attacks a significant power boost. However, the form also provides with new abilities that would make the user almost unstoppable."
"Where can I learn these new abilities," Tasha questioned.
"You must go to Fenikkusu and train under the Immortal Phoenix," Lady Sapphira explained. "But I warn you, the Immortal Phoenix will run you through trials to determine if you are worthy."
"And if I'm not," Tasha asked.
Back at the training ground, Bronze took another look at the scroll and saw something he and the others overlooked. "What is this?"
"What is it Bronze," said Maya.
"It would appear that we overlooked something about Elemental Mode," Bronze explained. "The scroll seems to say that the Elemental Crystals are merely tools to help us grasp the concept of entering Elemental Mode, not the source of that power. It says that once we have mastered entering Elemental Mode with the help of the crystals, we must then learn how to enter that form without their help at all. This could mean that Tasha could enter Elemental Mode as well."
"I see," Spiro nodded his head. "However, let's not get ahead of ourselves. We still must get started on learning how to enter Elemental Mode with the help of our crystals. Once we master that, we can then focus on trying to enter it without our crystals."
"Agreed," said Frostina.
The Elemental Darts then continued training to master Elemental Mode.
Sometime later, Tasha was seen flying to Fenikkusu, with Alopheya occupying her and guiding her. Tasha explained what she was up to and Alopheya was more than eager to help out her friend. However, she was also concerned for her. She had heard of the tales of all those who had taken the Immortal Phoenix's trials in the past but were unsuccessful. At the same time though, she also knew that time was of the essence and the threat of the Soul Reapers was not to be ignored.
Soon, they arrived at Fenikkusu and landed. Right in front of them was a massive tree that was on fire and yet it was not burning (think of an oversized version of the burning bush from the story of Moses). All around were phoenixes of different ages and species and what appeared to be homes and other places in and around the tree (think of the Great Ga'hoole Tree from the Guardians of Ga'Hoole book series and their film adaptation, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, but replace the owls with phoenixes). After landing, Tasha and Alopheya made their way to meet up with Zhuque, the leader of Fenikkusu, in order to get permission and knowledge to meet with the Immortal Phoenix.
"Lord Zhuque," said Alopheya telepathically.
"Ah, Alopheya, you're back," said Lord Zhuque telepathically. "And I see you've brought your friend, Tasha, former leader of the Elemental Darts. Actually it's more accurate to say temporary leader as she was only the leader while Spiro was in a coma and relinquished the position after the Nash Fern Incident."
"Perhaps we should save that for another day, Sir," said Alopheya. "Right now, Tasha is here for a special reason."
"Is that so," said Lord Zhuque before saying verbally, "What brings you here to our sanctuary, Tasha?"
"I came here to see the Immortal Phoenix," Tasha answered. "Lady Sapphira mentioned that Phoenix Mode had several abilities that can only be taught by the Immortal Phoenix and I wish to learn those abilities."
This news caught Zhuque's attention. He knew about the dangers of training under the Immortal Phoenix. It was so dangerous that even other phoenixes have tried and failed. "You do realize just how dangerous this training could be, do you not?"
"I do," Tasha answered. "But I still wish to learn."
"And for what reason," Zhuque questioned in order to test the young dragon.
"I wish to fight alongside my mate, Spiro," Tasha answered. "Days ago, a group of humanoid beings known as Soul Reapers came in and threatened to kill Spiro and his new team, the Horyus. I know Spiro can defend himself, but I wish to fight alongside him rather than watch from the sidelines."
"I see," said Lord Zhuque. "If that is so, then I will allow you to meet the Immortal Phoenix. But Tasha, you realize that, whatever happens, I will not be responsible for you, and once you start this, there's no going back."
"I understand," Tasha bowed.
There was a moment of silence.
"Very well," said Lord Zhuque. "You may proceed to the chamber of the Immortal Phoenix."
With that, Lord Zhuque then relayed information of the location of the Immortal Phoenix's chamber to Tasha, via Alopheya's telepathy. Once she had the information, the young firedrake made her way to the chamber to receive training from the Immortal Phoenix, leaving Alopheya and Lord Zhuque behind.
Upon reaching the chamber, located at the top of the tree, Tasha landed and encountered a phoenix that looked young.
"Welcome, young Tasha," said the phoenix.
"You know who I am," Tasha questioned.
"I've been around for a long time," said the phoenix, revealing that it was older than it appeared to be. "I am Mavelus, but others know me as the Immortal Phoenix."
"I see," said Tasha. "Then you know why I've come here."
"Indeed," said Mavelus. "But be warned, this training will test your nerve and your resolve, and will likely kill you if you are not careful. Though first, why do you wish to learn the abilities of Phoenix Mode?"
Knowing that this was part of the test, Tasha answered, "I wish to fight alongside my mate, Spiro, the current leader of the Elemental Darts. I suppose you witnessed the battle with Xehanort?"
"Everyone saw that battle," Mavelus answered. "But why fight with Spiro? As you said, he is the leader of the Elemental Darts, and as such, he's more than capable of defending himself, especially with that new team of his, the Horyus."
"I know," Tasha acknowledged. "Even so, I wish to fight alongside my mate."
Mavelus then tested Tasha by questioning, "But are you doing this for that reason, or are you doing this to prove that you can fight as well?"
Tasha thought about this for a moment before taking a deep breath and answering, "I am doing this to fight alongside my mate and my friends."
There was a moment of silence.
"Very well," said Mavelus. "You have passed the first test, but know that there will be others."
"I understand, Master," Tasha acknowledged.
"Good, then let's get started," Mavelus then guided Tasha to her special training ground where she would train the young dragon in.
At the Elemental Darts' training ground, the Elemental Darts were busily trying to figure out how to synchronize with their respective Elemental Crystals. Unfortunately, none of them had a clue of what to do, much to their embarrassment. Realizing that they had little choice, they all agreed to seek out Lady Sapphira for her help.
Upon arrival at Lake Camelot, they all called out to Lady Sapphira and she appeared.
"I have been expecting you," said Lady Sapphira.
"I suppose Tasha was here earlier," Spiro correctly deduced.
"She was," Lady Sapphira confirmed. "She was seeking a way to become stronger to help out in the upcoming battles and I gave her advice. She also informed me as to what you were up to."
"Then that saves us the trouble of explaining ourselves," said Frostina.
"How do we unlock Elemental Mode," said Bronze. "The scroll said that we must become one with our Elemental Crystals through the use of synchronizing our energies with those of the crystals'. Unfortunately, and we're embarrassed to admit it, we don't have a clue how to do that."
Lady Sapphira giggled a bit before explaining, "You're not the first generation of Elemental Darts to face this problem. I may not have been there, but the first generation of Elemental Darts also had this problem when they faced off against Kagura. They discovered this form by accident shortly after Kagura first came into our world. Long story short, they were defeated by Kagura in their first encounter and realized that they had to become stronger if they wanted to drive her off. In their search for this power, they learned to synchronize their energies with their respective element, first through their crystals, and then without their crystals. Once they had mastered Elemental Mode, they were able to drive away Kagura."
"I see," said Bronze.
"But what does this mean in terms of our training," said Maya.
"What it means is… you must let the energy from the crystals flow into and out of your bodies and let the energy from your bodies flow into and out of the crystals simultaneously," Lady Sapphira explained. "Doing so will enable you to synchronize your energies and the crystals' energies, thus resulting in you becoming one with your crystals and unlocking Elemental Mode. In time, you will learn to enter that form on your own without the use of your crystals, but for now, focus on unlocking it."
Spiro then bowed and said, "Thank you for your help, Lady Sapphira."
"Your welcome," said Lady Sapphira.
The Elemental Darts then few back to their training grounds.
Meanwhile Tasha and Mavelus arrived at her special training ground. It was a large temple with multiple chambers. In one of them was a circle of candles of different sizes and shapes and there was an empty space right in the middle.
"Your first step is to light all of these candles at the same time using only the flames provided by Phoenix Mode," Mavelus explained. "The conditions are that you must light all of them without ever touching them and you must light only the wicks. For this, you must apply just the right amount of heat. If you don't use enough, only some of the candles will light up, and yet if you use too much, the candles will burn out straight away. Keep in mind though that these candles are of different sizes and shapes so you must apply just the right amount for each type of candle. This training will help you learn how to focus the flames of Phoenix Mode."
Tasha nodded while also being intimidated.
"One other thing, all of these candles are infused with a spell that puts out the lit ones instantly unless all of them are lit at the same time," Mavelus explained. "I must be honest, only a select few individuals have ever fully mastered Phoenix Mode and all of its abilities. While many were able to unlock Phoenix Mode, most were not able to use the full extent of its abilities for various reasons, most commonly because they just couldn't physically handle it. I even taught this to the first Elemental Dart of Fire and even he struggled to master this."
Tosha nodded her head before taking to the air and flying to the center of the candles to begin her training. While shocked to hear that she even taught the first Elemental Dart of Fire to use Phoenix Mode, she quickly dismissed it as she figured that was why Mavelus was called the Immortal Phoenix. Upon landing, the former Elemental Dart of Fire instantly took on Phoenix Mode and attempted to light the candles. While she was able to light the candles closest to her, all of the others remained untouched, showing that she used too little. Moments later, the spell kicked in and put out the lit candles. As soon as all the candles were put out, Tasha attempted to light them again, this time putting in more firepower into it. Unfortunately, she overdid it and the candles were engulfed in the flames, showing that she used too much. Once again, the spell kicked in and put out the flames, saving the candles. It was then that it hit her of just how hard it was to get just the right amount of energy to light every single candle without accidentally engulfing them.
"This IS hard," Tasha thought. "This training requires exact balance and precision to get it right. This is going to take a while for sure. But still, I want to help Spiro in the upcoming battle with the Soul Reapers, so I'll do whatever it takes."
Suddenly, Tasha remembered something.
Flashback:
On Dragonhead Island, Spiro was practicing the Firebeam with his brother, Spentor, when Tasha showed up.
"Okay, here it goes," Spiro shot a firebeam directly into a rock.
Once the attack was fired, went right through the rock and penetrated the cliff wall right behind it.
"Hey boys," said Tasha.
"Tasha, what are you doing here," Spiro asked.
"Just hanging around," Tasha told them. "What are you boys doing?"
"We're practicing a new technique called the firebeam," Spiro explained.
"Can I try it," Tasha asked.
"I don't see any harm," Spentor said indifferently.
Spiro explained, "The key is to have absolute control over your fire."
"Okay," Tashan then got into position. "Alright you guys, here it goes."
Tasha instantly began breathing fire. But instead of unleashing her fire into random waves of flames, she concentrated the flames into a powerful sphere. Within the sphere, the fire was spinning very rapidly in many different directions and as Tasha added more and more fire into the sphere, the swirling flames started spinning faster and faster. Once she added enough flames to the sphere, she compressed the sphere, making it smaller and smaller. In doing so, she made the fire within the sphere spin faster and faster and the sphere itself glowed brighter and brighter. As she did all of this, she arched her neck with her mouth wide open. This continued on until Tasha started redirecting the flames within the sphere in only one direction. When she did, she whipped her neck strait forward and released all the energy in the form of a powerful, fiery, narrow beam. The beam went straight for a large bolder on the side of the mountain, destroying it on impact.
"Well done, Tasha," said Spiro. "You got it on your first try."
"Well, I saw you guys doing it," Tasha blushed.
"Alright you guys," Spentor said like a show off. "It's my turn."
End of Flashback:
"Absolute control," Tasha echoed Spiro's advice, but then it hit her. "That's it…!"
At the Elemental Darts training ground, the Elemental Darts returned and began their training to unlock Elemental Mode.
"Alright everyone, it's time for us to synchronize our energies with those of our crystals," Spiro announced.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Spiro," Serpentina pointed out. "Remember, we don't know how to have our energies flow into and out of the crystals or have the crystals' energies flow into and out of our bodies yet, let alone do both at the same time. I know that those Soul Reapers are after you and your other team, but we must be patient."
Mole then remembered something. "Perhaps it's like synchronizing our energies with each other."
Everyone looked at Mole.
"Remember," Mole reminded them. "When we fought Killaflendor, we had to synchronize our energies together in order to seal her away. Perhaps this is the same process, but this time with our cyrstals instead of each other's."
There was a moment of silence.
(To the Sky from Legend of the Guardians starts playing)
"You know what, I think Mole is right," said Mei Ling. "If we do it like that, then perhaps the process will become easier."
"Perhaps," said Maya.
"I suppose it's true what they say," said Jason. "Two heads are better than one."
"That sounds redundant, coming from you," said Saika.
Everyone laughed.
"Alright, let's try that," Spiro suggested.
Hours later, Tasha was still at Mavelus' training ground, trying to light all of the candles with her Phoenix Mode. With the threat of the Soul Reapers looming over her, she knew that she did not have much time and needed to learn as much as possible while she could. Fortunately thanks to her experience with the firebeam, she was able to make progress quickly by applying what she learned from there to this. Multiple times she attempted to light all of the candles around her at the same time and, though each time it failed, each time she got better and better at focusing Phoenix Mode's power. Mavelus watched her progress every step of the way. It was difficult, but after countless attempts, she was finally able to successfully light all of the candles with Phoenix Mode and Mavelus allowed her to rest before moving on to the next step.
Her next step was to light a series of torches surrounded by vegetation using Phoenix Mode without igniting the vegetation. This was far more difficult for the young dragon than lighting the candles was, especially this required greater precision. Eventually however, she got the hang of it and was able to light the torches without igniting the vegetation.
Once that was taken care of, Mavelus began teaching Tasha some of the techniques that could only be utilized in Phoenix Mode once one had mastered the use of its power. Some of these included the ability to block any and all projectile and energy based attacks, the ability to slice or pierce right through opponents by flying right into them and setting them ablaze as a result, and most importantly, the ability to heal herself in case one manages to penetrate the form's defenses. The two even sparred so Mavelus could teach her how to fight another individual using this form or a similar ability.
At the same time, Spiro and the other Elemental Darts were busily trying to unlock Elemental Mode. Sitting in a circle, they used what Mole suggested and began the process of synchronizing their energies with those of their Elemental Crystals. To help in this process, they each extended their wings to the point of touching each other with them. Even with this, the process was slow and tedious, but they eventually managed to get the hang of it and it wasn't too long before they began taking on new forms.
Spiro, Zack, and Frostina were the first to enter these new forms. Spiro's skin turned yellow while his spines, wings, and tail were rimmed with orange and red flames, Zack's skin also turned yellow with black stripes on the rim of his wings, and Frostina's down feathers turned sky blue while her tail and wing feathers turned navy blue with a patch of white on her chest and underbelly. These new forms impressed the others and it wasn't long before they also took on new forms.
(To the Sky from Legend of the Guardians ends)
On the last day, the Elemental Darts were all training together to master their new power ups. At the moment, it was Spiro, the Elemental Dart of Fire, vs Frostina, the Elemental Dart of Ice.
"GOLDEN BLAZER…!"
"FROZEN CANNON…!"
Spiro fired his Golden Blazer while Frostina fired her Frozen Cannon. The two attacks collided and created a thick cloud of steam. The other Elemental Darts watched with interest as the cloud dissipated.
"You've improved in your attacks, Frostina," Spiro admitted.
"So have you, Spiro," Frostina commented.
"Elemental Mode is not easy to master, but I believe we've all made progress," Bronze told the others.
Suddenly, Spiro got a call on his Gummiphone and answered it.
"Hello," Spiro answered.
"Spiro," Tomoyo called.
"Tomoyo, what's wrong Lass," Spiro questioned, able to tell that Tomoyo was in destress.
Tomoyo explained the situation.
"I see," said Spiro. "I'm on my way."
"What's wrong," Zack asked.
"Sakura Kinomoto has been captured by a group known as Hydra," Spiro told them.
"Hydra," Jason gasped. "How dare they use my kind's name as the name for their organization…!"
"Let it go Jason, let it go," Saika sighed.
"You still wish to go with those humans," Frostina grunted.
"Frostina, we've been through this before," Spiro sighed. "If not for help of the others, Xehanort would have won, and you really should let go of your prejudice against humans as a species."
"Whatever," Frostina sighed.
Moments later, the Gummi Ship arrived and Spiro got on board.
Sometime later in Fenikkusu, Tasha was done training for the day and was resting up when she picked up some familiar scents.
"Tasha…!"
"Hm," Tasha looked and saw who they belonged to. "Hinata, Sakura, Kairi, and who might these two be?"
"I'm Namine," Namine identified herself.
"And I'm Xion," Xion identified herself.
"What's going on," Tasha questioned.
"Naruto, Sora, Spiro, and the others are in trouble," Sakura explained.
And that's the end of this one shot story. Now, as with the previous one shots staring one of the love interests, this takes place after chapters 9 of Horyus: Agents of S.H.I.E.D.. Now admittedly, I was going to do one for Kairi, but I decided on Tasha first because Tasha is one character I really wanted to establish ASAP. Next I'll do Kairi, and maybe one for Toph, but Syaoran's one shot will come last, no matter what.
Anyway, the new form the Elemental Darts have taken on is Elemental Mode in which they basically become one with their respective elements, their crystals are just tools to help them grasp the concept similar to how Mount Myōboku's toad oil was a tool to help Naruto grasp the concept of how to take in natural energy. As for their looks, each Elemental Dart takes on a form that makes them look like a draconic version of certain Mythical and Legendary Pokémon. In case it wasn't already obvious, the forms that Spiro, Zack, and Frostina take on make them resemble the three Legendary Birds, Spiro representing Moltress, Zack representing Zapdos, and Frostina representing Articuno.
As for Tasha, she has worked on Phoenix Mode, which by the way is comparable to the Winged Dragon of Ra's Phoenix Mode, only on a physically smaller scale. In fact, the title of this one shot is a reference to The Winged Dragon of Ra, Immortal Phoenix. Also, the training she underwent to fully master Phoenix Mode is similar to the training Rin Okumura from Blue Exorcist went through to control his powers. As for the flashback that she had, it's an actual scene from one of my original stories, Land of Dragons, which I'm still working on as of the time I've posted this one shot.
Next I'll work on a short story for Kairi, and perhaps Toph, but Syaoran will be the last of the Horyus' love interests to receive a short story like this. I'll also be doing on for the rivals some time in the future. But for now, I'll be focusing my attention back to The Slayer's Weird Backup and Digimon Adventure: Six Paths since I've neglected them a bit too much and I can't keep the readers as well as Menatron the Angel of Ideas and Aclux waiting. They all want the next chapter of those two stories out asap and so do I.
A.N.: Just to let everyone know, the world of Draco Sanctuary is like if you take Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, Dragonology, and Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real (aka The Last Dragon), and put them all into a blender. However, the concept of the Elemental Darts is a blend between the Knights of the Round Table from the King Arthur legends and the Ten Legendary Warriors from Digimon. One thing I forgot to mention on the Draconium OVA story is that Draconium's ability to resist all elemental attacks is a reference to Pokemon in how dragon types are resistant to fire, water, grass, and electric-type attacks, minus the weakness to ice.