After being out for a while, Blaze's eyes gradually fluttered open. His body was throbbing in pain from the fight against Chouka. It took him a while for his eyes to adjust to his surroundings as the Houndour found himself sprawled out on a large branch staring at the ground...

...which was 200 feet below ground level.

"...!" Blaze quickly clung onto the trunk of the tree. His heart literally pounding out of his chest by how high he was. "Where the heck am I?"

Blaze scanned the forest filled with massive trees that were taller than the one he was on. Another thing he realized was that everything around him was different yet familiar.

"Am I...back home?" The Houndour asked. He realized that he was puffing more often. "The air in this place is a bit thinner than normal. Am I on top of a mountain or something?"

He shook his head. "Focus, first...I need to figure out how to get do-"

BOOM!

Blaze subconsciously jumped from the blaring sound of an explosion in the distance. He sighed in relief not realizing that he's suspended in the air until he looked down. "...I didn't mean it like...THHHHHAAAAAATTTTTTT!"

His voice drained out after he plummets down at 32 feet per second.


Chapter 4: The Fate that Saved a Life


After recovering from his fall, Blaze decided to explore the area a bit. During his explorations, the Houndour discovered several interesting details. There was a long canal made entirely of cloud stretches across the forest. Another section he saw looked like giants battling each other. Debris and craters were everywhere, and he even felt his skin crawl to find one of those giant trees uprooted from the ground.

After a few hours of walking, he noticed that it was getting dark and quickly tried to locate a place to stay for the night. He was ambushed by a pack of white wolves but one good flamethrower caused them to flee the terror.

He was able to spot a small empty den under a tree and decided to call it a day. He hoped to get some rest after his beatdown he got from Chouka and ending up through a weird and dangerous forest. However, Blaze was generally worried about Ericha and the others on Earth.

"It's all my fault..." Blaze mumbled sadly to himself. "...Ericha and her family are being tortured by the FBI, and that heartless must be terrorizing them…

...all because of me…"


The first thing the Houndour heard, after a long night's rest, were people shouting outside above the den. He slowly stood up and staggered out of his den to find the entire area covered in thick mist.

"Fog?" Blaze questioned oddly while scanning the area. Thanks to Mizella's antiques of getting rid of him, he had a sixth sense to figure out any weather changes by sniffing the air. "No, it's mist. The density feels pretty low and it's much more opaque than a fo-"

"Hello!...Anyone?!"

Alarmed that he wasn't alone, Blaze quickly scurried back into the den. He peeked his head out to find a silhouette of a person through the mist wandering past his hideout.

"Hmm," Blaze muttered to himself quietly. "She might be able to lead me out of the forest if I follow her."

Blaze emerged out of his den again and stared at the direction the figure went to. 'I shouldn't let her spot me though. I don't want to frighten her.'

Sneaky and quietly, Blaze ran ahead until he spotted the figure and changed his pace to walking. The mist was a good cover for him, until it suddenly got cleared.

Blaze was able to catch a glimpse of the figure, which turned out to be a young girl with long black hair tied into a ponytail. She wore a black sleeveless green shirt and purple pants.

"Oh crud," Blaze cursed suddenly. He panickily zipped behind a nearby tree stump, just as the girl turned around with her hands erupted in dark flames.

"Show yourself!" The girl shouted, readying her fist to attack. After a long minute of silence, the girl slowly turned around and continued on her way.

Blaze peeked his head out from the bushes with a sigh escaping his lips. 'Okay, I should not be spotted unless I want to get pummeled again.'


The Houndour continued to follow the girl while using the tree, bushes, and giant roots kept him hidden from her line of sight.

BOOM~!

"AH~!" The two cried out, startled by the sound of the explosion. Luckily Blaze's voice was drained out by the blast. "T-Things are already starting to escalate quickly on this island! This is turning into a war-zone!"

'Well that's just dandy. First world I end up in is already at war,' Blaze groaned in his head. 'I'll have to be extra careful around her-...'

Blaze along with the girl stared at a gruesome scene on the left side of the path. Leaning on the tree were fresh bones of a man. The foul odor of the corpse caused swarms of flies to hover around which resulted in him being dead recently.

He could hear the girl gagging a bit as she took a step back. "W-Who would do such a thing?"

'You and me both,' Blaze agreed with her. An unfamiliar scent suddenly pricks his nose. Looking around, he wondered where it could be coming from, until he looked up.

Dangling above the bones a few feet above was Chouka. His long body was wrapped around the branches and his arms gripping onto the tree trunk, like he was hugging it upside down. He was waiting patiently as he glanced downward at the corpse. What made it more frightened to the Houndour was that the heartless looked twice as big than before and terrifying with his new fanned out cobra hood with an eye pattern on the back

'"Please don't go near him, please don't go near him," Blaze pleaded quietly. Hoping the girl would have some common sense not to come any closer to Chouka's eyesight.

Unfortunately, the young girl's curiosity got the better of her as she subconsciously walked towards the corpse. His body wanted to run at her and warn her about Chouka's trap, however, his mind felt unsure. 'I couldn't beat Chouka once. What can I do when he's this big?'

The girl wasn't even that close to the corpse until she suddenly froze into place. The Houndour could hear a gasping sound coming from her. "...What…? Why..can't I...move?"

That was the second warning Blaze sensed. He knew it would be a matter of seconds until Chouka would attack her. The final sign was when he noticed Chouka slowly creeping downward, preparing to sink his fangs into her head.

"LOOK OUT~!" Blaze shouted. Revealing his hiding spot, he made a mad dash towards the girl.

Time slowed down between the three of them. While Blaze sprung into action, Chouka lunged down at his victim who, despite being paralyzed, was able to slowly turn her upper body towards Blaze.

Luckily, the Houndour's speed made it invisible in the girl's eyes and delivered a massive headbutt straight into her stomach.

"PFT~!" The girl coughs up saliva from the impact of the headbutt, while Blaze grunted in pain. It was enough though to keep her away from Chouka's path as he lunged right into the ground, engulfing himself in a dust cloud.

Meanwhile, Blaze and the girl were comically tumbling across the forest floor until they landed to a halt. The girl landed on her stomach with her arms and legs sprawled out like a starfish. while Blaze was on her back, slowly staggering up.

"I keep forgetting a headbutt goes both ways," Blaze groaned while rubbing his head.

The Houndour got off of her and quickly rolled her body like a log to the side of the pathway right behind a tree. Once he thought it was a safe distance, Blaze turned to the girl again who was now face up but her arms were still above her head and her legs were straight. Her eyes had two black swirls, which was similar to Pokemon fainting in battles.

"Sorry, but it's better than being eaten," Blaze apologized quietly. He was prepared to leave when his nose detected an alluring aroma emanating from her tiny green bag. He was looking at it intently, slobber streaming from his mouth. "Speaking of eating…"

After cleaning out the girl's lunchbox, Blaze rushed back on the path with cheeks puffed up like a hamster and was still chewing. He froze when he met Chouka's menacing glowing eyes glimmering in the dust cloud.

The snake man was about to lunge at him but stopped when Blaze raised his right paw a bit, signaling him to wait. The Houndour continued chewing for a good few seconds before swallowing everything in the mouth in one big gulp, his cheeks returning to normal. "Okay, now I'm ready."

The hunt began the moment Blaze finished his sentence.

The Houndour ran through the large trees with Chouka slithering behind him in hot pursuit. Blaze would maneuver through the visible roots by leaping over or running under them, and would always look back hoping that Chouka was chasing him and not the girl. After running through the forest, Blaze came to a clearing. While looking back, Chouka emerged from the forest.

"Ssso, it seems as though you risk your life to save a complete stranger," Chouka summarized. "It sseems is that you alwaysss caussse trouble for otherss around you."

"What was I supposed to do, just stand by and let you swallow her whole?" Blaze retorted, glaring at him. "Now that there are no bystanders for you to use, I'm ready for round two!"

Chouka responded, while glancing at Blaze for a second until he broke the silence with a chuckle. "...I can sssee the fire of determination in your eyes mutt…That motivatess me more to snuff your pathetic flames out!"

Chouka instantly fires off a stream of purple gunk from his mouth. The Houndour dashed to the left, causing the deadly acid to strike the trunk, making a sizzling sound as purple substance melted the bark. Not giving him the chance to attack, Blaze adjusted his head at Chouka unleashing a massive stream of flame out of his mouth. Chouka gracefully dove out of the way of the incoming flames.

Still, on the offensive, Blaze dashed forward and jumped while somersaulting. His body covered in flames like a wheel and zoomed towards the heartless, who reacted by swinging his fist forward. Intensive sparks were flying as the Houndour collided with Chouka's fists. However, the heartless general overpowered him by launching him back.

Blaze bounced once in his wheel form and quickly unraveled himself. He then fired off his own Poison attack; Sludge Bomb. The brown blob of sludge managed to make contact with the Chouka's chest. It wasn't fatal due to Chouka being a Poison Type, but that doesn't stop him from seething in pain.

"I see you're a bit stronger now that you're determined to beat me..." Chouka grinned maniacally at him. "You better not disappoint me Blaze Inferno."


The Last Hound~~~~~DELTA


Cynthia Rose groaned silently as she stirred from her slumber. Her eyes slowly fluttered open, only to find herself in a vulnerable and awkward position. She was lying face-up staring at the sky, with her arms above her head. She slowly lifts her upper body only to feel a jolt of pain in her head.

"Ugh...what just hit me?" She asked herself as she clenched her stomach a bit. Cynthia was known for being resilient, but still felt the throbbing pain in her forehead and stomach. 'Whoever attacked me, didn't hold back at all.'

Once she got to her feet, Cynthia sluggishly walked back to the path and noticed a big crater in front of the corpse. She scratched the back of her head with a clueless expression. "W-What the heck? Did someone try to ambush me?"

BOOM~!

Her mind was interrupted by an explosion far in front of the path she was on. Without a word, she ran towards the explosion. While running, Cynthia tried to recall what she knew before she passed out.

"The last thing I remember before I was knocked out was a voice," Cynthia thought out loud, before shaking her head. "I don't know who's responsible for all this, but I'm going to make them pay."

After a few minutes, she noticed a clearing up ahead. An explosion got louder indicating that she was getting closer. Curiously, Cynthia picked up speed, making it to the clearing the forest. Once she got there, she witnessed a shocking revelation.

In the middle of an open area was a massive half-human, half-cobra creature with straight, black hair reaching down to his shoulders. Its tail had a colorful linear of black and dark purple, with a black rattle at the end. What made it odd for Cynthia's case was a black and red heart logo on the back of its hood.

The serpent was towering over a small canine with short black fur and a red muzzle. There were white bands on its ankles and the style of a skull on its forehead. Compared to the snake monster the dog looked bruised and beaten and yet it still was able to stand on his legs.

'W-What's going on here?' Cynthia asked, confused. She quickly hid behind a tree, peeking out to watch the two from a safe distance. "Are those two creatures part of the Upper Yard?"'

"It seems for the second time, I tower over you, Blaze Inferno," The serpent declared. His calm yet sinister voice made Cynthia's skin crawl with goosebumps.

"..." The dog known as Blaze only responded with a low growl, glaring at the creature with a determined look.

"Dessspite being in a different league you still want to fight me," The serpent questioned, intrigued by the dog's determination. "I admire a prey that has a ssstrong willed mind. However, you still haven't made a dent in my ssscales...Which is a bit disappointed."

"Before you finish me off…" The dog spoke in an irritated yet quiet tone. "...Why did you have to kill that guy and get that girl involved?"

Hearing this made Cynthia stiffed by the dog's words as the snake man answered. "To be honessst, that guy was already unconscious when I entered the section of the forest filled with floating ball clouds and I was hungry. Let's just say, he was delicious and nourishing for my body."

Cynthia covered her mouth, trying to hold back her gasp. 'That monster was the one who killed Satori...and tried to lure me to his trap?'

"That's quite morbid for a heartless, don't you think?" The dog asked blandly.

The serpent chuckled tautly. "Aren't your species skilled in this kind of thing? I recall learning about how your species massacred thousands of innocent lives a long time ago."

"…" Cynthia can tell by the silence that the dog was taken aback by his response.

"Believe it or not that's your label," The serpent continued. "Houndours and Houndooms exist solely to create despair for everyone. Although you act with goodwill, your paws are stained with the blood of innocents."

The young dragon slayer felt her heart beating fast, panicking. 'Houndours? Heartless?... I get the feeling that this is an entirely different situation I've gotten involved in…"

Cynthia's thoughts were interrupted when the dog spoke. "...If you think I should just drop dead because of that, then you're an even bigger idiot Chouka."

Both Cynthia and the serpent were surprised by his response. Blaze's lips turn into a small smile. "I already can tell by how the others shunned me out back in my world due to my origin story. When I heard the FBI threatening Ericha during the schoolyard, I felt like I've been a burden to Ericha and others back on earth. Had I not existed, she would have not had to face those kinds of threats."

While some of the stuff like the FBI, or schoolyard flew over her head, Cynthia clenched her fist. Painful memories flooded her head of how her father would use her emotions to hurt her best friend and her family in Fairy Tail.

"...But that doesn't mean that I'll just ignore you taking another life!" Blaze declared while glaring at him with a smirk. "Once I deal with you, I'll come after Kanori and roast her on an open fire on the dance floor~!"

'...

..What?' Cynthia sweatdropped by the end of his speech.

Blaze's eyes widened when he realized how terrible his catchphrase was. '...That sounded a lot better in my head and the song "Fire Burning on the Dance Floor" was catchy.'

"Well...if you're serious about your determination," Chouka softly chuckled. It then got louder as he was laughing maniacally. "THEN COME AT ME LIKE YOU'RE ABOUT TAKE MY LIFE BLAZE INFERNO!"

Cynthia peeks her head and notices the dog begin to charge towards the beast. 'He's still going to fight despite his odds? Not gonna lie, part of me wants to stay and watch the puppy kick his ass but…' Cynthia turned around and quietly walked away. 'Wendy and the others are still out there and with so many enemi-."

Her body froze when she heard a thud. Cautiously, she returns to her hiding spot to find the dog collapsed on his side, breathing heavily while holding his head in pain.

"Ah...no wonder you were only using long-ranged attacks during our second match. A headbutt is powerful yet a double-edged sword,'' Chouka said, realizing. The creature swallowed his right arm and brought it out. His arm was covered in a green slime. "Granted you would've had a chance to beat me if you didn't ssssave that girl."

"It hurts, but I don't regret it!" Blaze called out.

One drop of saliva landed on the ground causing it to sizzle, eating the ground underneath. This caused Blaze to gulp in fear. Chouka raised his acidic covered arms. "It's such a shame, I was hoping for an intensssse battle. Oh well…Farewell Blaze Inferno."

Defeated, Blaze closed his eyes as the Chouka swung down his fist above him. Time slowed down as Blaze's past flashed before his eyes:

Resting beside his mother who died protecting him.

Spending time with his new adopted family.

Meeting Ericha and her family.

Defeating Mizella and the Heartless Octillery.

And finally, watching Ericha and the other students' graduation ceremony.

'...Maybe it would be better if I cease to exist...I only bring despair and pain to everyone I come across…'

CRUNCH!

"…

…?"

After a few minutes of silence, the Houndour leisurely opened his eyes to find himself a few meters away from where he stood. 'Wait, I'm alive? But...how, I couldn't even move...?'

He took a few minutes to realize that he was in someone's arms. Upon looking up he recognized the figure with black long hair and was staring at him with her sky-blue eyes.

"It's...you…" Blaze acknowledged softly. Without a word, the girl walked towards a tree and gently set the Blaze down. "What are you…?"

"Thank you for saving me back there," Cynthia beamed at the puppy with a gentle smile. The girl got onto her feet and glared intensively at Chouka.

"You again…" Chouka wasn't phased by the girl's murderous and glared right back at her. He raised his fist from the large crater he created.

"Let me return the favor…" Cynthia declared pounding her fist together while smirking. "By pounding this guy's scaly butt!"


Next Chapter: Worlds Clash; Cynthia vs Chouka!