Chapter 6 – Kyoto Celebration

As the earthquake continued, Tails looked down the mountain and noticed the horrifying truth.

"Oh no, look at that, everyone!" he exclaimed. "The island is sinking!"

"We better hurry!" shouted Bowser. "We haven't seen Draco and Cynder since they've defeated the Dark Queen."

"Yeah," said Torden. "They were up at the sky as they delivered the finishing blow, and then Cynder fell behind the mountain while Draco disappeared in the explosion after his attack struck the Dark Queen. We better start looking for them."

"You're not going anywhere, losers!" called a familiar voice. The group saw the Pyre Squad arriving to block the way down the mountain.

"Not you three again!" growled Torden. "Don't you ever give up?"

"I think it's pretty obvious that we don't," said Ciara. "We're the Pyre Squad! The highest ranking officials of the Obsidian Devourers! We're going to make sure you don't escape this sinking island!"

"You're wastin' your time, dirtbags!" snorted Jakkin. "We've put an end to the Obsidian Devourers since we have taken down the Dark Queen!"

"Just how gullible can you fools get?" laughed Scorcher. "You may have defeated the Dark Queen, but that doesn't mean the Obsidian Devourers have been beaten!"

"You may have forgotten that there are other supreme commanders in charge," said Cronk. "As a matter of fact, one has already been nominated to lead our organisation."

"I don't believe you," said Percival.

"Well, you better believe it!" said Ciara. "And to prove our point, we're going to make sure you will meet your watery graves here!"

"Fat chance!" snarled Bowser. "You should know that my friends here have the ability to fly, and now that I'm no longer controlled by your queen, I shall return the favour by giving you a beatdown you will never forget!"

Bowser cracked his knuckles as he advanced on the Pyre Squad. The terrible trio gulped, realising that they had make a mistake. They turned back to escape, but then Cynder appeared climbing her way up the mountain. Despite being back in her normal form after delivering the supercharged Dive Bomb to Queen Vildouleur, she still had enough strength left to take on the Pyre Squad.

"I see you three are still causing trouble," she hissed as she spotted them.

"That's torn it," groaned Scorcher. "We're surrounded."

"I don't know how we're going to get out of this jam," said Cronk as Cynder and Bowser drew closer to them.

"You guys want me to help out getting rid of those troublemakers?" asked Cynder.

"That won't be necessary, Cynder," replied Bowser. "You've done enough as it is, and I've got it covered."

With that, Bowser lunges at the Pyre Squad and beats them up as promised. After pounding them with his fists and tail, he delivered a powerful punch which sent them sailing into the sky yet again. Tails, Blaze and the dragons watched as the Pyre Squad disappeared into the horizon.

"That will shut them up for a while," said Bowser as he dusted off his claws.

"Where did you go, Cynder?" asked Torden.

"After I slammed against the Dark Queen, I was recoiled and collapsed to the shores behind," said Cynder. "Luckily, I didn't get knocked out after I landed, so I was able to recover and then I noticed the island was sinking."

"Speaking of which, there's no time to waste," said Tails. "We must find Draco and get the heck out of here!"

"Now that you mention it, where is Draco?" asked Cynder.

"I don't know," said Lily. "That's what we were wondering as well."

"He could be anywhere on the island," said Bowser. "I'd say we stop the chatting and hurry right now before the island completely submerges."

The group hurried down the path and reached the bottom, where they noticed that the shores up ahead now sunk into the sea. Tails and Bowser raced for the Tornado, which was partly in the water, while Blaze, Cynder, Jakkin, Lily, Torden, Percival and Darky searched for Draco. Soon, they found the Charizard lying unconsciously on a stone slab and back to his normal self. It seemed as if he was worn out from the fight.

"Please, not right now," groaned Jakkin. He and Cynder hurried to check on Draco. Although he showed no signs of any injury, he was clearly knocked out cold due to using up all of his power to destroy Queen Vildouleur.

"Come on, Draco!" urged Jakkin as he pushed on Draco's body. "Wake up! Don't do this! The island is sinking and it's only a matter of time until you drown if you don't come back!"

"It's no use, Jakkin," said Cynder. "It will take some time until he regains consciousness. We're going to have to carry him back home."

"Guess you are right," said Jakkin.

Suddenly, there was another earthquake, and the island sunk even faster.

"Uh-oh, it's sinking more," said Torden. "We really need to get flying!"

Jakkin carried Draco on his back while Darky climbed on Cynder's. Then they, along with the other dragons, took off just in time before the island completely disappeared into the ocean, and they followed Tails' Tornado as they made their way back to Japan.

"Draco? Are you feeling better now? Please, say something!"

Draco groaned as he opened his eyes. When he woke up, he noticed that he was back in the safety of his hut, resting on the bed. The last thing he remembered was delivering his Blast Burn to Queen Vildouleur, and then when the smoke from the explosion occurred, he was overwhelmed by it along with feeling his strength disappearing after unleashing his final attack before seeing everything black out as he fell to rest. Groggily, he looked around the room to see all of his friends, still feeling puzzled at how he ended up back home.

"Oh, Draco, you're back!" exclaimed Bowser as he hugged the Charizard. "We almost thought that we had lost you!"

Feeling somewhat happy, yet confused, Draco slowly attempted to get up.

"Take it easy there, Draco," said Tails. "You really had a trying day after that fight, so just lie back down and relax."

"What just happened, guys?" Draco asked his friends.

"I believe you had a bit of a nasty fall after destroying the Dark Queen with your Blast Burn attack," replied Cynder. "It must have drained a lot of your energy since we found you unconscious and back to your normal Charizard self."

"The way you dealt with that evil dragon was simply awesome!" exclaimed Torden. "I never imagined that you, shy, timid, gentle and easily scared Charizard could have pulled it off quite well!"

"Don't forget that it was thanks to me that Draco had advantage," said Cynder. "The both of us managed to defeat the Dark Queen with just two fully charged attacks."

"That couldn't have been possible if we didn't share our Elemental Brooches' energy to you," reminded Percival. "I think we all did it together."

"All of you were brilliant back there," smiled Blaze. "And for that I am very proud of you."

"Thanks, Cynder," said Jakkin. "It may have been the most difficult fight we had ever faced, but at least all our efforts have paid off, and we've put an end to the Obsidian Devourers for good."

"Now that you mention it," said Tails. "I have some really wonderful news for all of you. The Anthro League will be hosting a ceremony where they'll be celebrating their victory over the Obsidian Devourers! All of you have to come tonight, as the six of you will be rewarded with medals for your valiant efforts in defeating the Dark Queen."

"Wow, that really is some great news," said Percival. "I'll be happy to take part of it."

"Yay, a celebration!" cheered Lily. "This must be very exciting! I just love parties of any kind!"

"We better get going to get things prepared for the ceremony," said Tails. "Draco, you should come too once you're feeling much better."

"In that case, I'm going to stay to keep Draco some company," said Cynder. "After all, he has been through a lot, and we've just started something wonderful together."

"I most certainly have seen it," said Blaze. "The both of you, along with your friends, have come of age, and I really wish you two the best of luck."

"Since big sis is staying here with big bro, I'll be doing the same," said Darky.

"Me too," said Bowser.

"How about you, Blaze?" asked Tails. "Aren't you coming along with us?"

"I think I'll be staying in the hut with Cynder, Darky, and Bowser," said Blaze. "There's something really important I wanted to tell Draco about his Elemental Brooch, since I'm sure he's rather curious about it."

"Oh, alright then," said Tails.

"I'll be stayin' here as well until Draco's ready," said Jakkin. "I just wanted to tell him somethin' too."

"What are you all talking about?" asked Draco. "What is it about my Elemental Brooch that you wanted to tell me, Blaze?"

"Relax, Draco," said Cynder. "Blaze will tell you in a minute once the others have left to go to the Anthro League."

Draco sighed. He really wanted to know, because now he remembered that when he used his brooch, it enabled him to become a Mega Charizard, and he wondered how and why.

"Okay, Tails, you can head off now with the other dragons," said Blaze.

"Understood, Blaze," nodded Tails. "Are you ready, dragons?"

"You bet we are!" answered Lily, Torden and Percival.

So the three dragons went outside with Tails, leaving Cynder, Jakkin, Darky, Bowser, and Blaze looking after Draco. Once they were gone, Blaze found that it was the time to reveal the secret of his Elemental Brooch.

"Right, then," began Blaze. "Draco, I'm sure you have noticed that thanks to your Elemental Brooch, you have managed to transform into a stronger form, the Mega Charizard."

"Yes, I have," replied Draco. "I have two questions regarding that, Blaze. How did my brooch give me that ability? Why did it have that?"

"I have a feeling that you'll be pleasantly surprised once I tell you the answer," said Blaze. "You see, the Fire Brooch has shards of a very magical stone that is concentrated inside the jewel. It is a stone called Charizardite."

"Charizardite?" asked Draco. "I think I have heard about that type of stone before, but never have I imagined that it could be real."

"Believe it or not, it is real, Draco," said Blaze. "Charizardite belongs to a group of stones that are known as Mega Stones. Nobody really knows where they came from or what they look like, but from what I can tell you is that it possesses some very extraordinary characteristics. It allows a full-grown adult Charizard to be able to become much stronger than normal, and they even undergo changes in appearances and skills."

"I had a feeling that my brooch will have some traces of that magical stone somewhere," said Draco. He took out his Fire Brooch and examined it curiously. He could remember seeing the strange sparkles that emitted inside of the jewel. At the moment, the jewel seemed inactive.

"There is actually a catch to that," continued Blaze. "The Charizardite is at its most responsive whenever you're in a battle, and once the battle is over, it ceases, restoring you back to your normal self."

"So you're saying that this brooch, since it has some Charizardite in it, will only respond to me when it is necessary and knows when I no longer need to be in the Mega Charizard form?"

"Exactly," said Blaze. "And there's another thing, which I'm surely you probably know already, there are two varieties of the Mega Charizard form. I do not know exactly which variation you assumed, but I do know that it's one of the two forms, and that's because there are two versions of the Charizardite."

"I knew that there were two versions of the Mega Charizard," said Draco. "The version I assumed had me appearing more sleek and spiky with jagged edges on my wings."

"Yes, you have assumed that form," said Blaze. "The second version, if I recall from certain sources in my books on dino-dragons, gives Charizards a different colour scheme, black, I believe, they also form flames in their mouths, and speaking of which, their colours are different too, most likely blue, and finally, they have different strengths, weaknesses, and abilities."

"This all sounds very fascinating, Blaze," said Cynder. "I wish my books had something more about the dino-dragon breeds, especially Draco's."

"I'll be happy to let you borrow some of my books, Cynder," said Blaze. "I got so much on the kinds of dragons you find in this world, and possibly beyond the far reaches of space to other dimensions."

"That would be wonderful," said Cynder. "I really appreciate all of that, Blaze. After all, and as you know me, I am such a bookworm and love reading all kinds of stuff on my kind and other creatures. I do remember knowing how there's dragons in other dimensions, some of which are quite different from those on this planet."

"What a bunch of dorks," muttered Jakkin.

"So there are only two known kinds of the Mega Charizard," said Draco. "Nevertheless, I'm very satisfied with the one I have assumed. I feel it fits me perfectly."

"I'm very glad to hear that Draco," said Blaze. "Keep this in mind, though, and this goes to the rest of you in the group. You should only use your Elemental Brooches when it calls for it. Fortunately, they give an indication of when it is the appropriate time to use them."

"We understand, Blaze," said Cynder, Draco, and Jakkin.

"I wish I had my own Elemental Brooch," said Darky.

"I know you do, Darky," said Blaze. "But even so, you're still pretty young. You're like the Daring Dragon Dynamos, being so eager to help out others and fight bad guys just so that they can have Elemental Brooches of their own. They still have much to learn."

"You can say that again," laughed Cynder. "Starfire always had a knack for wanting to do things to prove her worth, even though it tends to lead her into trouble. She has been like that since she was a kid, and she still has that streak to this day."

"Well, I can only hope that she and her posse are doing fine," said Blaze.

Jakkin cleared his throat. "If you don't mind," he said. "There are a few words I wanted to say to Draco now."

"Go right ahead," said Blaze.

With that, Jakkin came closer to Draco's bed and sat down next to the Charizard. He never thought he would be more accepting of Draco after seeing how easily scared he tends to get for a Charizard, but those times he spent with him and having even learnt something from Percival made him now have a different perspective.

"Draco, I know there had been times where I've been a pain in the patootie for both you and Percival," he began. "But you guys have really shown me what it means to have true friends who will always be there whenever I need 'em."

"There's no need to mention it, Jakkin," said Draco. "I'm glad that you stood up for me and believed that I have potential even if it seemed as if I'm not aware of that. Still, I will admit that I have some catching up to do."

Jakkin nodded respectfully. "Oh, and Draco," he continued. "I also want to say that I'm very sorry for my harshness and for the past instances in which I have called ya a pansy."

"Don't beat yourself up for that, Jakkin," said Draco. "Even though you may have been a bit on me and even Percival, I know that you are a well-meaning dragon with a good heart and a head on your shoulder."

"Shapeshifter, to be exact," corrected Jakkin. "Aside from being a dragon, I do have other forms, not just the Charizard one you have seen me for the first time."

"When are we ever going to see those other forms of yours?" asked Cynder.

"Oh, you will soon, eventually," smiled Jakkin. "I might even change to a different form just for the heck of it."

Draco, Darky, Blaze, and Bowser chuckled with Jakkin. Draco was especially happy that after many weeks, his friendship with Jakkin has become stronger than ever before. Jakkin also felt pleased that he felt much closer with the teammates now, especially with Torden, Percival, and finally Draco. While everyone was enjoying their chat, Cynder looked out the window, deeply in thought about everything that has transpired today. Even though Queen Vildouleur has been defeated, she could sense that evil is still out and about.

"Is there something wrong, Cynder?" asked Blaze as she had stopped laughing.

Cynder came back to her senses. "Oh, no, nothing at all," she replied, quickly.

"You just seemed a little bit worried by your expression as you were looking outside," said Bowser.

"Maybe I'm just feeling tired," said Cynder. "After all, this has been the longest day we ever had, battling the Dark Queen and all."

"I can understand that," said Blaze. "But at least we made it, and later at night you and your group will be given special rewards for all your hard work, determination and bravery."

"You can sit down and relax, if you want, big sis," said Darky. "I mean, Draco's doing the same thing after that big battle, and he should be a lot better soon enough."

Cynder smiled for a little bit in agreement, but as she took her seat, she was also remembering something the Pyre Squad said the group during their most recent encounter. Although she wanted to believe that the Obsidian Devourers were defeated since the fall of Queen Vildouleur, she wondered if they may be right that they're still out there with another leader. Regardless, she knew that it would be better to focus on the positives of their victory against the Dark Queen and not tell her friends about her worries as the Obsidian Devourers were not a major threat, for now.

It was a time for celebration as the Kyoto Anthro League hosted their ceremony that night. Everyone was excited that the world was free from Queen Vildouleur's reign of terror and that peace has been restored. Empress Celeste was preparing to make her speech and give out the medals to Cynder's group for their efforts in destroying Queen Vildouleur and bringing an end to the Obsidian Devourers' machinations.

Cynder and her friends were waiting anxiously for their cue. After Draco was fully recovered, they were able to head to Kyoto where they met up with Tails and the rest of their group. Tails had given everyone formal attire so they would look their best. Even though Cynder and Blaze were uncomfortable at the thought of wearing dresses, they knew that it was for the occasion they were attending. Bowser joined to at the suggestion of Draco and Cynder, since they believed that the Anthro League might have something special for him, to which Tails and Blaze promised that there would be since he did his best to help out his friends.

While they were waiting, Cynder had the biggest surprise of her life when she saw the Daring Dragon Dynamos at the lobby.

"Starfire, Salem, and Zippy?" she asked. "What brings you three to the Anthro League?"

"Hey, Cynder," said Starfire. "A two-tailed fox named Tails brought us here. When he told us about how your group took out an evil dragon and sent the Obsidian Devourers packing, we were really that amazed that we wanted to congratulate you for your efforts."

"Well, it makes me feel happy that you came all the way here to give me your support, sis," smiled Cynder.

"I have heard all about how you transformed into a Mega Charizard, Draco," said Salem. "That is very impressive."

"Thanks for the compliment, Salem," smiled Draco.

"Someday when I grow up to be a Charizard, I want to find a way to reach my Mega form," continued Salem.

"I think the best way to go is to find one of those elusive Charizardites," said Draco. "I mean, there's a good chance you might be able to if there is a brooch for you, but in case there isn't, it's better to just wait until you grow up into a Charizard, and then find a Charizardite. Who knows, you could either have the form I assumed, or maybe the other one."

"That all sounds good to me," said Salem. "It will happen eventually."

"Good to see that you have such spirit," said Draco as he patted the little Charmander on the head. Salem smiled as he thought deeply about what the future could possibly bring.

"You guys seem like an awesome bunch!" exclaimed Zippy. "I hope Starfire, Salem and I would someday fight bad guys and become heroes like you! That would make me one of the coolest Yoshis ever!"

"You're still young, Zippy," said Torden. "But we appreciate it very much that you admire what we managed to pull off. It was quite a fight, but we made it through and saved the world from falling into the hands of tyranny."

"We'll be cheering you on once you are collecting your medals," said Starfire as she and her group went upstairs to enter the terrace with the other spectators.

"Thank you very much for coming, Starfire," called Cynder.

Just then, Jimmy Lionheart appeared, and he greeted the dragons warmly.

"Cynder, you and your group must proceed to the back room," he said. "Be quick, now! The ceremony is about to start!"

"Ooooooh, this is going to be great!" exclaimed Lily. "I just love ceremonies!"

While Cynder's group, Blaze and Bowser followed Jimmy Lionheart to the back room of the stadium, Darky stayed with Tails, who led him to the terrace.

Inside the main arena, everything was soon ready. Empress Celeste took her position and began her speech while Cynder's group waited in the back room.

"Welcome back, everyone," she started. "Tonight is a night a lot of us anthros will never forget. It is a night where we can finally live in peace and freedom and continue. It is thanks to many of our troops that we have finally conquered the Obsidian Devourers."

The audience applauded, and Empress Celeste raised her hand to quiet everyone down.

"The world is finally safe, now that the Obsidian Devourers have disappeared and the Dark Queen has been destroyed," continued Empress Celeste. "I have every one of the troops who have survived to thank, but most importantly, a group of six dragons who emerged as unlikely heroes."

As most of the audience wondered what Empress Celeste was talking about, the horse turned her head and nodded for Cynder and her friends to come to the arena.

"Ladies and gentlemen," said Empress Celeste. "I present to you the six dragons! We may not know where most of them came from, but from what I have heard, they've started journey only a couple of months ago, and throughout their exploits, they've encountered and foiled the Obsidian Devourers multiple times! They saved a Dragon Monastery in the United States from hostile takeover, saved a family of Night Furies, prevented a squad of Obsidian Devourer members from disrupting a fighting tournament in China, rescued two young dino-dragons, saved Narita City from a blackout crisis, prevented a possible threat by the Obsidian Devourers of opening a portal to unleash nasty creatures into the world, and of course, helped our former Obsidian Devourer member Hero in completing Commander Jimmy Lionheart's mission to deliver the map we needed in locating the Obsidian Tower. Today, they have destroyed the Dark Queen in a battle of epic proportions!"

With that, the audience applauded yet again. Cynder and her friends smiled modestly, yet feeling content that they have been acknowledged has being part in bringing down the Obsidian Devourers.

"We have some special rewards for your efforts," Empress Celeste told the six dragons. "And we shall begin with Princess Cynder, a Norwegian Twilight Storm who moved to England to study with one of our finest Dragon Masters, Blaze Prower, and then settled in Australia to continue on being under her tutelage at the Sydney Dragon Academy."

Cynder approached Empress Celeste and shook her hand as she offered her a shiny golden medal. The audience cheered, and Cynder bowed respectfully and proudly.

"Next up in line is a Charizard from Australia by the name of Draco," went on Empress Celeste. This was Draco's cue to step forward and receive his medal from her. The process repeated itself for Jakkin, Lily, Torden, and finally Percival. Once the six dragons had collected their medals, Blaze stepped on the podium to make her speech.

"I am pleased to say that I am very proud of my pupil Cynder," she began. "She has certainly come of age, and throughout her journey with her new friends, with the exception of Draco as he was her friend for a very long time, she has learned what it meant to lead a group and the importance of teamwork and friendship. Most importantly, she has begun to discover even more about herself, which she will continue in doing as there are more for her and her friends to learn. I have known Cynder since she was a thirteen-year-old dragon, and when I found that she has reminded me of myself in my youth, I took it upon myself to be her teacher, and the both of us learned from each other very much."

"Yes, it is true," said Cynder, even though she tried her best to stay humble.

"As for her friends, I was introduced to Draco just not too long after I became the headmistress of the Dragon Academy in Sydney," continued Blaze. "He's a rising star, that's for sure, and he was still a Charmeleon when I first saw him, though it wasn't long until he grew up into a Charizard a couple of years later. I really enjoyed giving him a bit of training during his time at the Dragon Academy until he graduated."

Draco smiled at Blaze's kind words. He remembered his time at the Dragon Academy, and it was there when he first met Cynder and Blaze. Now, after many years of being friends with Cynder, he was in a relationship with her.

"Jakkin was a pretty stubborn Surian who worked at a farm back in Texas, if I recall," said Blaze. "It was a good thing that he became one of the most valued members of Cynder's group. The same can be said for the two Norwegian dragons Lily and Torden as they proved to be such loyal and dependable members. Percival was a very intriguing one as he was trained at the Dragon Monastery in the United States, and he also shown that he was worth being part of the circle of friends as well. Thank you all for everything you've done on your journey. We wouldn't have succeeded without you."

The audience applauded once more. Blaze cleared her throat as she had more to talk.

"Now, lastly," she said. "I have something very special for someone unexpected here. He once was bad many years ago, until Draco helped him to see the inner goodness within himself, changing him for the better. Although he had been under the spell of the Dark Queen recently, he helped out a bit after he was freed from her control. For that, his attempt at heroism should be acknowledged. King Bowser Koopa, would you please come this way?"

Bowser was shocked. He had never imagined that the ceremony would have a reward for him of all people, but he came to Blaze as requested, and when she gave him a medal commending his spirit and determination, he could not help but smile.

"Let's give it a big round of applause for these dragons who are now honorary members of the Anthro League!" declared Empress Celeste.

And with that, the audience applauded even louder as the seven dragons held their medals proudly for all to see. It was a spectacular celebration. Draco and Cynder looked at each other as the audience continued to clap and cheer, and they exchanged smiles as they held onto each other's paw. This was the beginning of a relationship for them, and this was the first time they had truly been hailed as heroes along with their friends. They also looked their Elemental Brooches and understood that the true power within comes from believing in themselves and relying on their friends whenever it is needed. With new adventures, challenges, friends, enemies, and rivals that are yet to come, Draco and Cynder knew that nothing can go wrong as they have their friends, and above all, each other.

Next Time... A New Beginning!

So now, its the end of the series. I hope many of you have enjoyed reading these set of stories. But don't go away! There's more to come as I'm planning to another batch of thirteen stories to this series! More adventures, more challenges, more danger, more excitement, and new characters will coming! I'll be coming with more stories this July!

Thank you all for reading the Dragon Heroes series. I'm glad I've been getting likes and follows (though not a single review just yet), as it has encouraged me to continue on with the series, and that's what you'll getting soon! It has been quite a journey, and I had a long of fun with this. Thanks again for your support!

Have a Happy Easter, everyone, and see you all later! Cheers!

-DracoCharizard87