Chapter 5: Worlds Clash: Cynthia vs Chouka.
"...Say what...?" The Houndour questioned. After rescuing him from Chouka, the girl declared she was going to beat the reptilian monster.
"Sssso you've come for revenge?" Chouka guessed calmly. "My apologies for using you as bait. Once I deal with the demon behind you, I'll leave you out of your hair."
Despite his intimidating size and aura, Cynthia's hateful glare didn't waver. She had no clue what was going on between the two of them, or if they're involved with Eneru or the Shandians.
Nevertheless, that didn't matter to her right now. She was saved by the small dog, dubbed Blaze Inferno, from the same fate as Satori and cost him to be used as a punching bag by this guy. It wouldn't be right for her to just run away and forget him.
"If you want to kill him, then you'll have to though me!" Cynthia announced determinedly. "And just as a warning, I'm known for being unkillable."
Chouka chuckled as he became excited by her fire in her eyes. "That's fine with me... SHOW ME WHAT YOU'RE CAPABLE!"
Thus the battle between the human snake and the small girl begins.
The two rush towards each other. Chouka aimed his poison covered arm towards her. With quick timing, Cynthia swerved her body to the right barely avoiding his fist by an inch.
'Time to unleash a new move I've been wanting to try out, courtesy of the captain,' Cynthia thought to herself. Dark flames coated around her hands as she pulled her arms back.
"Omega Fire Dragon: Impact Cannon!" Cynthia thrust both of her palms at Chouka's guts. The force caused the heartless to cough off some black substance. Dark flames burst out from behind his back, launching him right a few meters away and crashing into the ground.
"..." Blaze's jaw cartoonishly dropped. '...Holy cow…!'
Chouka slowly recovered from the attack he received. 'Her flames are much more powerful than I anticipated...This might become an interesting fight.'
Not giving him any room to breathe, Cynthia leaped into the air and raised her arms above her head. "Omega Fire Dragon: Wing Attack!" She shouted before lowering her arm down, unleashing multiple waves of flames down at Chouka.
As the incoming flames approached, Chouka bounced in the air by coiling his tail like a spring in order to avoid them. He then grabbed the tree trunk and swung himself around hurling downward towards Cynthia with incredible speed with his arm pulled back. Cynthia quickly crossed her arms as his fist connected. The force launched her across the field, and crashed into a tree. Blaze winced when Cynthia landed, assuming she was severely injured. But to his surprise, Cynthia leaped to her feet looking a bit dazed from the attack.
Clicking his teeth, Chouka locked his hands together with a tightened fist and lifted it over his head as he fell down towards her. Once he got close, he swung them down at the girl. Cynthia quickly brought her arms over her head and successfully blocked the powerful strike. Under her feet, the ground caved in.
"Grr…" Cynthia gritted her teeth, giving all her strength to push him back. A magic circle appeared below her feet causing a huge amount of flames to erupt from above it. "Omega Fire Dragon: Eruption!"
Chouka was hurled in the air while being engulfed by the pillar of flames. Despite that, however, he had a sinister grin on his face. "Yes, yes! YES! I haven't had a fierce battle ever since Zenith left!"
'Zenith?' Blaze repeated oddly. 'That name sounds familiar.'
Cynthia charged at her falling opponent with her feet flaring up. This caused her to leap high in the air above Chouka. She somersaults in the air, before performing a powerful flaming ax kick to his guts. "Omega Fire Dragon: Twin Talons!"
Chouka coughed up some black substances before plowing into the ground with a huge dust cloud covering it up. Grinning Cynthia landed a few feet away from where he landed. "I think I got him that time…?"
Cynthia suddenly felt light-headed as her legs wobbled a bit. She almost fell but caught herself. "...What the…?"
Blaze's eyes widened when he recognized some faint black marks on Cynthia's leg. 'Is that heartless energy?'
"You shouldn't underestimate a general of NOVAH little firecracker," Chouka eerily taunted beyond the dust cloud. His serpent red eyes glimmering out. "I discovered this when I killed that round fellow last night. Apparently, my energy issss much more destructive in this world compared to the others."
"Energy? What do you mean by that...?" Cynthia questioned a bit confused.
"You saw how the body looked," He responded. Blaze and Cynthia flinch in horror remembering the state he was in. "...All it took was one bite, and I just watched him twitching and gasping in agony as hisss skins melted until he was reduced to a skeleton."
"You...monster," Cynthia muttered in anger. Even after what Satori did to Luffy's team yesterday, he didn't deserve that kind of brutality.
"Oh? Do you really think I'm a monster?" Chouka chuckled. He suddenly launches a string of green sticky fluid out of his mouth which quickly latches onto her arm. "The true monster is the one who you're trying to protect!"
Before she knew it, Cynthia was lured towards Chouka with quick speed and struck in the gut by his massive fist. This caused her to cough up some saliva as she was launched back. He then grabbed the string and swung her across the clearing, crashing her into a tree. "He may appear innocent and kind at first, but sooner or later he'll bring you into the depths of hell!"
Blaze winced as Chouka swung her into another tree. He tried to get up but the sharp pain all in his body made him collapse. The only thing he could do was watch helplessly as Cynthia was being swung around. The sound of her screeching in pain, made the Houndour look down growling. "Dang it...I can't just stand back and let him kill another person.'
Feeling satisfied with his actions, Chouka reel back Cynthia's motionless body like a fisherman would do to a dead fish.
"...E-Even If I was f-framed, t-they're not wrong...
Once he was a meter apart, her leg suddenly erupted in dark flames and shifted her body to perform a devastating kick connecting under Chouka's chin, causing him to grunt in pain.
"If you want to put the blame on someone, put the blame on the kid! After all, he's a plague~!...
"I'm sick and tired of people like you…" Cynthia freed herself from the sticky substance by increasing the heat in her arm.
...Whether be pirates, marines, or innocent civilians. Everyone who aids this boy will lose their lives! He's nothing but a pathetic monster under human skin~!"
"...Who labels others as monsters…!" The dark flames on her right arm intensified and spread wildly as she tightened her fist.
...Naru was r-right, I am a p-plague,"
"...WHEN YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S THE REAL MONSTER!" Cynthia roared while landing a heavy blow in the serpent's chest, generating a massive explosion launching Chouka into a tree. Cynthia landed on her feet, but gritted her teeth as the energy was spreading up her legs.
"You… are such a naive girl," Chouka chuckled, despite the injuries he got. Blaze and Cynthia can tell by the sound of his voice that he felt the pain physically and to their surprise emotionally. "...You got yourself involved in a situation that doesn't concern you. Even if you're able to beat me, your body won't handle the energy. You're going to die...yet you continue to fight...?"
"Of course I'll keep fighting," Cynthia declared glaring at him. "...Do you think I'll just abandon him after he saved my life?"
'I thought you would,' Blaze dryly said in his head.
"Even though we just met today, I trust Skully more than you!" Cynthia continued.
"...Skully?..." Blaze sweatdropped by the nickname.
"I see...that's why you fight for this monster...blind faith…" Despite the burn marks on his body, Chouka still stood tall. The two can notice now that black steam was seeping out of its body. "That...makes me very…very...
…
…
...THRILLED!"
"...Thrilled?" Blaze and Cynthia questioned while a sweatdrop poured down their heads.
"GYAYAYAYHAHAHA~!" Chouka laughed maniacally. "CONGRATULATION~! YOU AND BLAZE ARE THE ONLY ONES WHO CAN DO SO MUCH DAMAGE TO ME! YOU TWO ARE WORTHY OPPONENTS TO END MY LIFE!"
"He's gone full psycho," Blaze deadpanned.
"W-What are you talking about?" Cynthia asked, looking startled.
"...Grrrr," Chouka grunted as he suddenly felt his whole body pulsing dangerously. 'This is bad. She damaged my body so much that I can't control NOVAH's energy anymore…I guess I have no choice...'
Each time Chouka's body pulsed, his arms and body grew even larger than half the trees. His arms were now bulked up with muscle to the point of his veins being visible. His face was turning more snake-like with a long snout, and his fangs grew more visible to the two. His eyes were rolled back and the Heartless logo on his chest was glowing.
"RRRRAAH~!" His loud voice booms throughout the entire forest, acting more like a monster than a human. Cynthia and Blaze had to cover their ears to soften the blaring sound.
"S-So loud!" Cynthia gritted her teeth with her eyes closed making herself vulnerable. Chouka viciously swung his long tail which connected into Cynthia's stomach and sent her flying straight into a tree, leaving a crater in the bark where she landed.
Cynthia coughed a bit, feeling winded by the sudden attack. However, she didn't get the chance to catch her breath as the craze serpent lunged at her with his vicious mouth open revealing his long sharp fangs.
"Yipe~!" She yelped. Luckily, the young girl quickly jumped out of the way just in time for Chouka to bite the area where she was standing. Cynthia rolled across the ground but quickly got on her feet breathing heavily. "What the heck is up with him!?"
"The energy…" Blaze whispered dreadfully. He recalled what Kyogre said back on Earth about the Heartless energy-consuming the host due to emotions. 'The Octillery heartless would've acted like that if I hadn't defeated it fast enough?'
Chouka reattached his fangs out of the tree bark, leaving two puncture holes on the bark. His no pupils glared daggers at the Omega Dragon Slayer, letting out another blood-curdling roar.
"Omega Fire Dragon Roar!" Cynthia unleashed a funnel of dark flames hurtling towards Chouka. The flames consumed the deranged creature, however at the same time, Chouka's tail whipped Cynthia's stomach again, causing her to crash into a tree.
Chouka fired a powerful stream of acid at the girl, who quickly rolled out of the way. The acid melted much deeper into the trunk. The young dragon slayer didn't get a chance to counter-attack as another acid stream headed in her direction. Luckily she leaped out of the way just in the nick of time.
"HISS~!" Chouka bellowed in rage and fired streams of acid randomly around the clearing. One of the streams headed towards Blaze who quickly jumped out of the way before it could hit him.
By taking advantage of the serpents wild attacks, Cynthia let dark flames surround her forming into a dragon claw, and leaped at him. "Omega Fire Dragon: Claw Strike!"
The girl slashes at him on the chest, leaving a crimson burn mark. However, Chouka swatted her back with his large arms, causing her to tumble a bit before landing on her feet glaring at Chouka. She leaps in the air clicking her feet together causing dark flames to appear on her feet and begins to spin her body around like a drill. "Omega Fire Dragon: Drill~!"
Despite going berserk, Chouka's instincts kicked in and brought his right arm, blocking Cynthia's attack. Cynthia's feet sank into his buffed up arm, but Couka wasn't phased by it and bounced her away from him.
Once she landed, Cynthia engulfed her body in flames and charged headfirst towards him. "Omega Fire Dragon: Sword Horn~!"
Blaze watches in awed as Chouka's body lurches forward by Cynthia's ramming her flaming body in his guts. Despite the hit, the serpent's abs cause her to sink her head deeper.
"Mmmphmm~!" Cynthia muffled from inside. With one push, Chouka launches her off of his stomach. He then puffs his cheeks unleashing a massive thick stream of purple gunk towards her.
"...!" While in the air, Cynthia brought her arms above her head. "Omega Fire Dragon: Wing Attack~!" She lowered it down leaving a trail of flames towards the stream. The two attacks canceled each other out causing an explosion. Cynthia landed on the ground, breathing heavily, by so much magic consumption.
"Time...to finish this," Cynthia declared. Her entire right arm erupted in flames. Chouka reacted to her movement and coated his arm with thick purple sludge.
With a battle cry, they lunged and swung at each other, resulting in a stalemate. After their collision, trees surrounding them lean back as a result of the powerful shockwave. Blaze had to hold his ground as the shockwave almost blew him away.
"Man, this is intense...It's like those Pokemon Battles back home," Blaze mumbled in surprise yet looked concerned for Cynthia. He then noticed that Cynthia was slowly losing the stalemate due to the ground under her feet caving in and her arm pushing back. Chouka was slowly trying to crush her to the ground while her upper body was leaning back down.
"Damn it, I'm not going to die here!" Cynthia gritted her teeth, but was still feeling like her arm was going to snap as NOVAH general's poison was overcoming her flames.
"I-I can't just stand here and do nothing!" Blaze growled to himself. He stood up looking a lot better than before but his legs were still shaking. He took a deep breath as he prepared to fire at Chouka.
"Flamethrower!" Blaze unleashed his signature stream of flames out of his mouth which wasn't as big as Cynthia's roar. However, due to his injured ankle, he collapses causing the flames to miss his target and head towards Cynthia who didn't get the chance to react or move.
Blaze's eyes widen in horror as he watches his attack consume Cynthia with an explosion. This allowed Chouka to overpower the girl easily. Blaze cringed when he heard the sound of bones crunching beneath Chouka's fist.
"...I-I killed her," Blaze whispered with a horrified expression on his face. "I was trying to help, and I only made things worse…Am I really...a mo-"
SLURRP~!
He was cut off by a sudden slurping noise in the area, which confused him and Chouka. Dark red flames suddenly engulfed the area under Chouka's fist. The serpent general felt his arm being slowly pushed back up.
"...Thanks for the meal, Skully," Cynthia whispered with a grin on her face. She stood up slowly, winning the stalemate as her fist sunk through Chouka's knuckles. Blaze stared astonishedly by the young girl's strength. Chouka growled trying to push her down. However, Cynthia's flames were heating up as steam was emitting out from inside his massive arms which were radiant red.
"RAHHHH!" With one final push, Chouka's arm explodes by Cynthia's flames. Blaze jaws dropped comically as he noticed that the serpent's arm was completely blown out. No blood or bones seeped out, only black ashes like she popped a balloon full of confetti.
"GAHHH~!" For the first time during their fight, Chouka shouted in alarming pain, somehow snapping him out of his berserk mode. 'She controls the flames into one place inside my arm...She couldn't have done that if...that mutt didn't fuel her up with his fire!'
"Secret Art..." With flames blazing wildly around her arms, Cynthia spun around in a clockwise motion. She viciously swung her arms forward, unleashing a powerful tornado of dark red fire toward Chouka. "Crimson Slash of the Omega Fire Dragon!" The flames consumed the large snake heartless, launching him high into the air above the Upper Yard.
Chouka, who was inside the tornado, was slowly losing consciousness, but a sudden scene triggered his mind.
"You're leaving?" A young Chouka who was a small purple snake Pokemon: Ekans stared in disbelief. He and a man with white fur around his body and black scythe above his head. "B-But we need you! We don't know if the Heartless General will strike again!"
"I know...I honestly don't want to leave," The man answered. "However, I have to...Whoever's causing the Houndours and Houndooms to be targeted and hunted down involves another mastermind in the other dimension."
"You don't think it's Kanori?" Chouka asked, a bit puzzled.
"If it was then she would've killed those girls off after they massacred every single one of Blaze's species," The man answered. "I feel that there's something sinister happening in the ANIME Dimension...Someone knows about the Houndooms, and persuaded a bunch of magical girls to follow their plan without a second thought…"
"Well at least let me come with you!" Ekans announced.
"No, you have to stay here and help with the evacuation," The man said. "Kanori might attack them and we want strong fighters like you to be ready if one of my friends is down."
The man knelt down and pat Chouka on his head. "I trust you to take care of the others while I'm gone."
'I'm such an idiot,' Chouka cursed to himself while he was still in the air consumed by the tornado. His eyes returned to normal, looking regretful. "I was hoping to use the Heartless energy to fight against Kanori...I thought I could control it but...I only ended up being her pawn."
Chouka noticed that his tail was disintegrating into ashes. "I guess this is bad karma for relying on the enemy's power, and for turning against the others…"
Despite his body disintegrating, he chuckled while emitting a small smile of regret. The last thing he mumbled to himself before Chouka's body turned into black dust and vanished in the wind.
'Zenith...please forgive my actions…'
The sun light shone above Cynthia as she stood tall panting deeply after that final attack. She then raised her arm up, pointing at the sky. Blaze stared at the girl in awe at her victory pose. He then glances around the area around it is a complete mess. Scorched marks, craters, steam from the acid spread across the forest clearing, and Cynthia was in the center of massive destruction.
"She..did it," Blaze mumbled in shock. "She was able to beat Chouka...and looked dang cool doing so. I should be grateful for her help, but…"
He looked down with a frown. "I need to pull my weight here...I fought him twice, and even after giving it my all and knowing his techniques ...Chouka still managed to beat me."
Suddenly, an oval-shaped portal emerged from the ground in the center of the clearing. The portal wasn't to fit Chouka inside, but was about the same height as Cynthia.
"What the heck is that?" Cynthia exclaimed. She glances at the portal memorized by the swirly light green pattern in the center. She slowly walked towards it with her arm extended out about to touch it.
"I wouldn't touch that if I were you," Blaze warned while he limped towards her. "You might be sent to who knows where."
"R-Really?" Cynthia reattracted her hand back, frightened.
"Thanks for helping me out back there, and sorry that I involved you in the whole mess," Blaze bowed, looking a bit guilty.
"Hey don't worry about it," Cynthia answered with a grin on her face. "I'm sorta used to getting involved in situations like this."
"...Is that a good thing?" Blaze questioned with a deadpan look on his face.
"Also, you saved my life not once, but twice!" Cynthia added. "I would've died if you didn't fire your flames at me!"
"...To be frank, I was trying to hit him, not you. But I'm glad that worked out," Blaze responded with a sweatdropped. "Anyway, I better leave before the portal disappears."
"Wait~! You're going inside that thing?" Cynthia astonished. "But you're injured."
"So are you," Blaze replied, staring at her injuries she got from fighting Chouka. "You're in much worse shape than I am, and I've fought him twice."
"T-That's true," Cynthia acknowledged, scratching the back of her head. "But you still need to be healed up. My friend Wendy can use healing magic. She can get you on your feet in no time!"
Blaze chuckled by her enthusiasm. "That's would be great, but I can't." He glances at the portal. "The portal might not be here if I stay any longer, and I have to get back to my world to save my family."
"O-Oh," Cynthia frowned but nodded at his reason. "Well, I wish you the best of luck."
"You too," Blaze nodded. He slowly limps towards the portal, ignoring the injuries. He was just about to touch it but froze as Chouka's words filled his head. 'I couldn't win against Chouka, how am I going to deal with the heartless up ahead?'
"Hey~!" Cynthia called out, getting his attention. "Don't let scaly creep's words stop you protecting your loved ones, got it?"
Letting her words sink in, Blaze shook off those bad thoughts and turned towards her. "Loud and clear Omega Dragon Girl."
"My name is Cynthia…" She corrected him, flashing a smile. "Cynthia Rose."
"...Cynthia huh?" He said, before giving her a smile of his own. "The names Bla-AHHHH~!"
The Houndour didn't even get the chance to introduce himself as he was quickly sucked into the portal like a vacuum. Cynthia just watched as the portal collapsed on itself, vanishing into thin air. The girl stood tall, thinking about the experience she witnessed, but before she could take a step, she felt all the tiredness coming at her as she collapsed on her stomach, passed out.
Unaware that a black lined heart logo formed on her left arm.
The end of the first crossroad.
...and more to come…
Next Chapter: Carnage.