Out on an open field, Toothless blasted a bolder out of the sky that was heading right towards him. Hachiman launched more large rocks. They flew at the dragon like cannonballs.
"Without your rider, you are grounded. You must fend for yourself!"
The scaled beast leaped over two, swiped another into chunks with its bare claws, and quickly blasted away the remaining few with precise shots.
The deity smiled, impressed, "But clearly you have no trouble with that, my friend."
The dragon smiled back with its adorable toothless smile, and frantically wagged tail.
"Now how's your strength?"
He bent a giant bolder out of the ground and sent it the dragon's way. It tore through the field, leaving behind a messy trail. The massive bolder took Toothless away in an instant. But suddenly, with a grunt and a puff, he began pushing it back. His hind legs dug into the dirt with every step as he moved the heavy object with his pure, physical strength.
Hachiman never ceased to be amazed by that phenomenal creature.
When night shrouded the sky, the Warrior God stood in the middle of a clearing surrounded by dense foliage. He was not alone.
"It is perfectly alright, my friend!" He shouted out.
A low, worried whimper echoed from the hidden dragon. The Warrior God took a defensive stance. "I've been regaining all my lost strength! I need to train as well. So go on! Do your worst."
After a brief silence, a deep, menacing growl now echoed throughout the clearing. The Night Fury lurked around, completely unseen under the shadows of the night. Hachiman closed his eyes to listen. The rustling of leaves attempted to distract him, but he waited…and waited…until!
A blue fireball came at him from the darkness. He quickly bent out a plate of rock to protect himself and used it to block another blast that come from a different angle. He split the piece of earth into two, ready for the next attack.
He heard running through the outskirts of the clearing, and a ferocious roar from the other side. Several more fireballs propelled out of the trees. The god bent his hardened pieces of earth to block the flames. Though he was manipulating such a stubbornly rigid element, his movements flowed like water.
Then came a deafening silence with the occasional rustling of foliage and claws scrapping against tree bark to throw him off. This dragon was definitely not just a mere pet; he was a true apex predator.
The suspense built within the god. Upon focused concentration, Hachiman felt the earth around him. Being one with the land, he was able to pinpoint the dragon's position no matter how swift and silent. "I can feel you treading lightly against the earth, Night Fury."
A gulf of flame prevented any action of Hachiman's. It did not aim for him directly, but rather set the ground beneath him aflame. At taking steps back, a roaring neon blue blast came at him from the side. He stomped his foot down to bend a thick wall of stone out of the ground, blocking the side attack. These were all immense distractions to keep him from sensing the dragon. Through the flames, the creature pounced at him, knocking him down and quickly disappeared into the fire again. The heat was irritating to Hachiman, but the god could manage.
Then another blue fireball pierced through the flames. The deity blocked it just in time by crashing two chunks of stone together before him. But from behind, the Night Fury made a great leap into the sky. Hachiman turned around to catch a glimpse of the dragon expanding its wings before the stars of the night. He erected a pillar from the earth but the large reptile blasted through it. Hachiman got taken down again, this time with the dragon positioned on top of him, snarling into his face.
The god laughed out. "Ha Hah! You got me, my friend."
Toothless's fangs retracted and he smiled proudly, then began to lick Hachiman's face without stop.
The following afternoon in the same clearing, Hachiman and Hiccup faced each other with their swords in hand. Haddock wore his armor for this one. The pupil gave his teacher a nod, informing him that he was ready. They stepped into their stances.
The Warrior God lunged at the Viking. The duel started off with Hiccup more on the defensive side. He performed the firm blocking maneuvers he was taught. The attacks were fierce, yet the young student noticed that his instructor was holding back. Taking advantage, he performed a solid counterattack as he was also taught by Hachiman.
The samurai unloaded a quicker flurry of strikes. Hiccup was pushed further and further back. He decided to turn things around. The clever boy led the deity into the trees. Hachiman subtly formed a half smile but said nothing.
Taking the fight to a denser part of the forest, Hiccup began using the environment to his advantage. He pulls down on branches so that they would slingshot into the master swordsman. The seasoned warrior sliced through everything the Viking sent his way.
Progressing with their intense duel throughout the heavy foliage, Hiccup came across two closely paralleled trees. He purposely let himself wide open for an attack. Hachiman took the bait, jamming his blade in between the tight gap. The young Viking then kicked the god's hand away, disarming him of his weapon.
"Got you," The boy smiled, pointing the end of his sword into his opponent's neck.
"Do you now? Finish it then." The deity suggested confidently.
Hiccup took a swing, only for Hachiman to effortlessly clap his hands together, catching the steel within his rough palms. The Viking cockily put a lot of force behind that attack, thus he stumbled forward when his master tossed him aside.
To rebound, the spry young man jumped onto the trunk of a tree and bounced off of it, about to bring his sword down for a final blow. But with the raise of a hand, Hachiman's blade flew back to him. He horizontally blocked the downward strike at the last split second.
The boy's face filled with shock in midair as the samurai brought his leg up, kneeing Hiccup right in the ribs. The Viking fell through some bushes beside them.
The Warrior God twirled his sword about, "Worthy attempt, but you will have to do better than that," and approached the bushes.
He then felt Hiccup moving across the earth. Stepping through the crinkled foliage, he followed the boy's movements. He stopped by a large, grey rock and turned at the sound of rustling leaves. A small canister rolled to his feet, fuming out a spicy stench of green gas. It was one of the tiny packets that Hiccup loaded into the handle of his fire sword.
Hachiman coughed at the flammable gas shrouded all around him. The Viking rushed out from the bushes with a roaring battle cry and brought down his steel onto the large grey stone beside Hachiman. The spark created, engulfed the gas in an explosive fire. The immortal Warrior God was blasted right out of the forest.
Hiccup moved out of the dense wilderness to the sight of his teacher flat on the ground. The deity's face was covered in soot and his hair was all blown out.
Hiccup restated victoriously. "Got you,"
Hachiman coughed out some black dust and chuckled amusingly as he patted his hair down. "That you did, boy. That you did…"
He stood and sheathed his sword, bringing his hands together. Hiccup did the same. They respectively bowed to each other, concluding the duel.
The god then cracked a smile. "Now for your next opponent…"
"What?" Hiccup questioned as his master just walked away.
Merida jumped down from the trees with her sword in hand.
Hiccup's initial expression of confusion now washed over in fear for his life. "Y-you were there the whole time?"
She did not utter a word. The warrior princess simply made her way to him with piercing eyes and a diabolical smile.
"Oh no…"
He raised his sword but it mattered naught. In three to four simple moves Merida disarmed Hiccup and beat him to the ground.
The defeated young man painfully groaned out with his face to the dirt. "Oowwww!"
The sun began an early rise the next morning. Strutting out of the tower, Jack stretched his arms and swung his staff around. "So what's on the agenda for today?"
Hachiman stood before him with his hands folded behind his back. He made Jack get up bright and early for this special exercise. "We will be pushing your speed and also enhancing your ability to think quickly under pressure."
"Under pressure? Alright cool, bring it on." Jack aimed his staff at his teacher. "You gonna chuck some more rocks at me or what?"
The god chuckled, "Oh no, I will not be your instructor for this exercise."
Over by the trees, the two princesses found themselves a comfortable seat to observe the show that was about to commence. Rapunzel set a plaid cloth over the grass, and Merida handed her a piece of the fruit out of the several that she was carrying. They made themselves a neat little picnic. "This is goin' ta be quite a treat." The Scottish young woman was eager for the training exercise as she bit down on a mango.
The Guardian lowered his staff, "Then who is?"
The terrifying roar of a Night Fury ruptured the skies. Jack darted up at the sight of the Dragon Rider flying out from behind the top of the tower and diving straight for him.
He jumped out of the way just in time, but Hiccup chased after him all over the clear, blue sky.
"Whoa! Hiccup, buddy, pal, let's talk about this!"
He was met with a ball of flame that he barely deflected with the twirl of his frosty weapon. "You too, Toothless!? I thought I was your favorite?" He spun out of the way of another fiery attack.
The princesses watched their friends zigzag through the air. Merida slapped her knee in a loud cackle as Rapunzel cheered. "Go get him Hiccup and Toothless! Or wait…you can do it Jack!" She had no idea which of her friends to root for. The Scottish maiden on the other hand did not care, she was just enjoying the wild show.
Jack swooped in low across the open field, but the dragon was right behind him. Soaring back up to greater heights, he looked to the treetops.
There we go.
He headed for them, hoping to lose the Dragon Rider within the forest. But a thin flame shot right passed him, setting the trees in front of him on fire.
"We knew you'd try that! Can't be so predictable, Jack!"
"How about you give me a moment to think straight!" He flew away.
Hachiman shouted out to Jack. "Susano will not even grant you a moment to catch your breath! Out on the battlefield you must be able to think your way out of hectic situations such as these!"
Frost sped passed his teacher and headed for the waterfall behind the tower. He dipped his staff into the rushing stream and swiped it out at the dragon. Hiccup was met with a large, spiky splash of frozen ice, but Toothless shattered right through it with a fiery blast.
Both Hiccup and his dragon rolled their eyes. "Oh boy, ice, we didn't see that coming." He said with such blunt sarcasm.
The panicking Guardian whizzed by the princesses. "THIS IS SO NOT COOL!"
They both giggled. Then Hiccup flew by, causing the strong wind to push Rapunzel into Merida. They both just laughed into each other's embrace.
Jack tried to come up with something while the Rider was in hot pursuit.
Think, think…don't be so predictable…think my way out…
He looked back at the duo. After some sharp turns, he realized how they flew together, how they had to fly together. He evaded another fire blast, and zeroed in on Hiccup's metal foot. The foot that locked into the mechanized petal of Toothless's saddle in order to control the dragon's artificial tail. That was how he drove his Night Fury.
Jack launched a streak of ice to grant him some space. Hiccup dived under the attack and swooped back up to continue his relentless chase.
Frost dove to the tower to slingshot around it. Now he headed straight for the duo. Toothless's mouth lit up, about to fire a blazing hot attack. In the very last moment, Jack spun to the side, avoiding the blast. As he swooshed passed the dragon, he taped the curved end of his staff onto Hiccup's metal foot, freezing it to the petal.
Once they passed each other, the Guardian floated high in the sky, watching the Dragon Rider keep heading straight down.
Hiccup could not steer away and his dragon started to panic. He looked over, noticing his foot frozen solid to the saddle. "Oh that's just great-" They crashed into the grassy field below with a loud thud!
Frost descended beside Hachiman, flipping his staff onto his shoulder. "Well, how was that?" He grinned proudly.
"You pinpointed their only weakness and exploited it." He laid a hand on his shoulder with a soft smile. "Nice work, Guardian."