In the Dragon Lair, the Dragon Riders were testing the shield, having Thunder, Plowhorn, and Blade blasted with their breath attacks.
"Fire!" Jun ordered as they attacked the shield, and she even threw a few rocks at it.
Once they were finished, she went to examine the shield and saw there was even a single scratch on it.
"Not a scratch," she said, holding it out to the others. "So far, it seems like this will hold off any dragon attack."
She then tossed the shield over to D'Angelo.
"Pretty cool," he said and rolled it over to Tom.
Tom tossed it into the air with his foot and grabbed it.
"Come to think of it, we could all use something to defend ourselves against those Flamethrowers," he said. "What do you think? Am I a shield guy?" He then took up several fighting stances to show off. "Check it out. Or like that! Ka-chow!"
"Sweet moves, Kullersen," said Jun.
"I'm unstoppable," said Tom.
Then suddenly, something hit him, and he was now hanging upside down, attached to a massive web. It didn't take them long to figure out what happened as all eyes fell upon Eugene, who was laughing, and Webmaster, who was sniggering.
"Oh, man. That was priceless," said Eugene. "Did you see the look on his face? It was all 'ooh, huh, what.'"
He then noticed that the others were not amused, and neither were their dragons.
"Come on, lighten up," said Eugene. "It's just a joke."
"Jokes are supposed to be funny," James pointed out, folding his arms. "And none of us are laughing."
"You want to get off Provisional Rider's staters, but then you act this way," said Jun.
"Someone could have been hurt," said D'Angelo.
"Like me," said Tom, still hanging upside down.
The dragons growled disapprovingly at Webmaster and walked away from him.
"Don't sweat them, Webmaster," said Eugene. "They don't understand our awesomeness."
Tom finally managed to get right side up and detached from the web. He then bent down and picked up the shield to give back to Jun.
"Thanks, Jun. Maybe the shield isn't my thing," he said.
"What about that lightning rod you have?" Jun asked, gesturing to the silver rod.
"It's kinda clunky," he said as he grabbed it.
"Not to mention you ended up burning your hand when using it," James added.
"It would be nice to have something cooler like a sword," said Tom, raising the rod high. "Yeah."
"You could turn it into one," Jun offered.
"Or you can make a lightning battleaxe," said D'Angelo excitedly. "Or a lightning mace or a lightning helmet where lightning shoots out of the eyes and the mouth. Oh, yeah!"
He then saw everyone giving him strange looks.
"Or, you know, a lightning sort sounds good," he said.
"Great idea. Let's just scroll on down to the local forge," said Alex.
"Well, we might not need a forge," said Tom. "All we need is heat. Lots of it, and I think I know someone that can help us out."
They then journeyed into the Crystal Realm to where the Magma Breather slept.
"Not exactly a forge, but I think he blows out enough red-hot magma to get the job done," said Tom.
"You want this guy's help?" said D'Angelo incredulously. "No! Nope. No, thanks. Last time we saw him, I got used as bait. He looked at me the way my dad looks at a double bacon cheeseburger."
"Aww. He's just hungry, and you're the biggest meal," Alex teased.
D'Angelo groaned as they landed next to the Magma Breather. Then they made their way over to the dragon, but something seemed off about him.
"That dude's going to help you make a sword?" said Eugene sceptically. "Ha-ha. Not likely."
"Something's off with him," Jun noted.
Tom nodded. "Yeah. Last time we were here, this dude wouldn't stop belching up lava, and now…"
"Nothing," said Alex.
"Good," said D'Angelo. "Less ammo for him to barbecue my flanks."
The Magma Breather gave a small growl, and he quickly hit behind Alex.
"Something's definitely not right with him," said Tom.
"He looks as if he's sick," said James.
Jun looked at D'Angelo. "What do you think, D?"
D'Angelo looked at the Magma Breather, and he could tell that it looked rather weak. "Can't believe I'm saying this, but I better look him over."
He reached into his backpack, pulled a thermometer, and carefully approached the dragon. "Easy, boy. Just a quick exam."
"You're good," said Tom. "I doubt he even remembers you."
Sadly, that theory fell apart when the Magma Breather looked at D'Angelo and growled at him fiercely.
"It definitely remembers me," said D'Angelo.
"You want me to do it?" Eugene asked. "I've got the golden touch."
"No, Eugene, this is too important," said Jun.
"Urgh. How am I supposed to get off provisional status if you never let me do anything?" Eugene asked frustratingly.
"Guys, come on," said Tom. "We've got to help the dragon."
"Urgh, I'll do it," Alex groaned, grabbing the thermometer from D'Angelo.
"Place the thermometer under his tongue," D'Angelo instructed. "More in the centre if you can."
Alex narrowed her eyes at him.
"Medical science requires precision," he said, smiling.
Alex then approached the Magma Breather, who growled at her. "Don't worry. This won't hurt." She then placed the thermometer in its mouth, but seconds later, it became red-hot, causing her to drop it. "Argh! Whoa. He's hot. Real hot."
The Magma Breather looked like it tried to gag, but nothing came out of its mouth, not even a drop of lava.
"That sounds like a blockage," said D'Angelo. "Could be preventing him from expelling his magma. That might be causing him to overheat."
"What do we do?" Tom asked.
"I'd have to see inside him."
"Well, we can't just look at a dragon's insides," said Eugene. "Unless we cut him open. Yo, that would be gnarly. But, seriously, don't do that. I faint at the sight of guts."
"Eugene's right. Unfortunately," said Jun.
"Totally nailed it," he smiled and then made a popping sound with his tongue.
"Wait, there's an ultrasound machine in the infirmary," said D'Angelo. "If I had that down here, I could see inside of him."
"Great idea," said Alex. "We'll just plug the machine into… oh, wait. The dragon world doesn't have power outlets."
"Or electricity full stop," James added.
"Guys, what if we took the Magma Breather to the infirmary?" Tom suggested everyone stared at him dumbfounded. "I'm serious."
"How would we get him up there unseen, Tom?" Jun asked. "He's huge and sick and…"
The Magma Breather snarled at D'Angelo viciously, who quickly hit behind Alex again.
"…constantly trying to eat me," D'Angelo finished.
Eugene laughed.
"And if we leave in here, one of the chances he'll get better?" Tom asked.
"Probably not good," D'Angelo admitted.
"So, the infirmary is our only option."
With that agreed, the Dragon Riders began pushing the Magma Breather with all their strength, all except Eugene, who was watching them as he ate some cheesy loops. They could move the dragon, but only about 5 feet and that exhausted them.
"All right, Riders, let's take a break," said Tom. "Good progress on that last push."
Eugene then clapped. "Wow. We've got a whole 5 feet." He then blew a raspberry at them. "Epic fail."
"Why do I let him on the team again?" Jun asked.
"Extortion," said Alex.
"Unfortunately, Eugene does have a point," said James reluctantly. "We're never going to get into the infirmary like this."
"Okay. Okay," said Tom, looking at D'Angelo and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Um, D, it might be time to try the only thing that worked with this dragon."
"Oh, man," D'Angelo groaned.
D'Angelo then stepped in front of the Magma Breather, and the moment it saw him, it charged at him.
"I guess I smell like a double bacon cheeseburger," said D'Angelo as he ran for his life.
"Not too fast," Tom called out. "We need to keep him on your scent."
Eventually, they managed to reach the entrance to the fissure, and D'Angelo was completely exhausted. However, the Dragon Riders now had a new problem getting the Magam Breather out of the fissure.
"Here we are," said Tom.
"So, does anyone have any idea how to get a dragon this big all the way up out of the fissure?" Jun asked.
"Yep," said Eugene. "Leave it to me and Webs. We got this."
"Or, how about you to fly up and scout the surface instead," Tom suggested.
"Like recon?" Eugene asked, looking somewhat excited.
"Actually, I just disable the security systems, so Eugene doesn't need to…" Alex stopped when she saw Tom and Jun's faces and realised what they originally intended. "Oh. Sorry. I'm so good at my job."
"Maybe next time, Eugene, when you're off provisional status," said Tom, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Eugene didn't look too happy as they made their way over to James and D'Angelo.
"Think he can fly?" Tom asked D'Angelo.
"In his current state? I don't know," he said honestly.
"Uh, I think he may not have a choice," said James, pointing.
They turned around and saw Thunder, Blade, Wu and Wei pushing the Magma Breather off the edge.
"No. No, no, no, no, no," Jun panicked.
The dragons then successfully pushed the Magma Breather off the edge, and they gasped in horror. They quickly rushed towards the ledge, and to their relief, they saw the Magma Breather hovering.
They sighed in relief.
"Looks like he can fly," said Tom high-fiving D'Angelo. "Problem solved."
Then they saw the Magma Breather losing altitude.
"Somebody catch him!" D'Angelo yelled.
Jun quickly mounted Wu, and they, along with Wei, flew down towards the Magma Breather.
Moments later, they began lifting the Magma Breather up the fissure. Sadly, he only had enough strength to hover briefly, so the Dragon Riders had to help him up the cliff face. They had to lift him from ledge to ledge, positioning themselves underneath the dragon.
"We got him," D'Angelo groaned as he and Plowhorn lifted him onto a ledge.
Once he got his footing, he hovered to the nearest ledge and began climbing up the cliff face.
Eugene was at the top of the cliff, ensuring no one showed up. "Huh. Look at them. But they wish they had our help now. Hey, dorks. Coast is clear up top."
"Thanks for the update, but we're kind of busy," said Jun.
"Like I said, nobody appreciates our awesomeness," he said, looking at Webmaster.
Then suddenly, the ledge that the Magma Breather began to crack underneath his weight, and he began slipping off of it.
"We have a problem here," said Tom.
He and Thunder quickly flew in and caught the Magma Breather, who looked just as heavy as he looked.
"Get underneath him," he said to the others.
The other Riders immediately positioned themselves and helped him lift Magma Breather onto the ledge.
"One more leap, and you're there," said D'Angelo.
The Magma Breather jumped up with the Dragon Riders' assistance towards the cliff's top.
"Going… going… yes!" Tom cheered as the dragon met the top of the cliff.
With that obstacle now over, the Dragon Riders made their way to the top of the cliff and took a well-deserved breather.
"Phew! We did it," said Tom.
"What took you so long?" Eugene asked as he sat there eating some cheesy loops. "Cheesy loop?"
Everyone just narrowed their eyes at him.
The Magma Breather may have managed to reach the top of the cliff, but now he was completely exhausted. The only bit of good news they had was the sun was setting.
"All right," said Tom. "Look. By now, most personnel have gone home. We should be enough to sneak the Magma Breather into the infirmary without any trouble."
"What if our parents come looking for us?" Jun asked.
"That is why our parents just got an email reminding them we have a class stargazing project tonight," Alex smiled as she had just sent the emails. "No need to thank me. I'm just saving us one butt at a time."
James bent down and examined the Magma Breather. "That climb took a lot out of him; I don't think we can push any further."
"We've got to move," said Tom.
"Time to take command," said Eugene, smiling at Webmaster. "All right, listen up, wranglers."
"Riders," Jun corrected.
"Alex, you flank the perimeter," said Eugene ignoring her. "Jun, you're going to run interference. Jimmy, you provide backup. Clarence…"
"D'Angelo," D'Angelo corrected.
"Whatever. You watched the lava face," said Eugene.
"Magama Breather," James corrected.
Tom and Jun looked at one another and smiled as they got an idea.
"Uh, Eugene. Why don't you hang back and guard the dragons," Tom suggested.
"You mean babysit? Come on," said Eugene, folding his arms. "You're just blowing me off again."
"No way," said D'Angelo. "It's a really important job."
"Important enough to get off provisional status," Alex added.
"If you don't want to do it, I'll be more than happy to do this important task," James offered.
"So, I'll would be in charge of the dragons," said Eugene slowly.
"Yep. That's a great way to think of it," said Tom. "You have to make sure that nobody sees them. We're entrusting the secret of the entire dragon world with you."
Eugene smiled, completely sold on the idea and quickly turned to Webmaster. "Told you they'd come around."
Tom then approached the other dragons. "We'll be back soon, but until then, you do what Eugene says." He then gave them a small wink. "Got it?"
"Hear that," said Eugene. "Gene man's in charge." He then remembered Webmaster beside him. "Uh-huh. And Webmaster, too."
The dragons didn't look particularly pleased with that arrangement.
Tom could only give them an awkward smile. "We're just going to go. Let's move."
He and the others then began pushing the Magma Breather towards ICARUS Station.
D'Angelo then turned to the dragons. "Best get your acts together."
The dragons decided the best course of action was to lie on the ground and sleep until their Riders returned.
It was night by the time the Dragon Riders had reached Rakke Town, and they began making their way to the infirmary, careful to avoid all the patrols.
Jun quickly opened the doors. "Hurry. The infirmary's just inside."
"All right. Move it," said D'Angelo.
They quickly guided the Magma Breather inside.
"Shh!" Tom whispered as he made growling noises.
Once inside, Jun closed the door behind them.
They made their way to the infirmary, but unfortunately, the dragon was to break to get through the doors. No matter how hard they pushed, they couldn't get him through the doorway.
"Seriously. He doesn't fit," said Jun.
"how did I not see this coming," Tom groaned. "Any ideas?"
"We could widen the doorway?" Jun suggested.
"Or abandon all hope," said Alex.
"Anyone got any good or positive ideas?" James asked.
Tom thought for a moment and got an idea. He immediately ran into the convenience store and returned with some sticks of butter.
"Got them!" he said.
"Sticks of butter?" D'Angelo frowned.
"It's time to grease up a dragon," Tom smiled, handing him one of the sticks of butter.
Tom's plan was straightforward: rub the butter all over the dragon's body and hope it made him slippery enough to push him through the doorway.
"Don't worry," said Alex to the dragon. "It's unsalted."
"All right, Riders. Push," said Tom.
They pushed with all their might, and this time, they were able to push the Magma Breather through the doorway. He skidded across the floor until he came to a stop.
"Yeah! Awesome," Tom cried, attempting to high-five D'Angelo, only to slip on the butter-covered floor.
"Ha! Nice one, Kullersen," D'Angelo laughed, but when he bent down to help him up, he slipped on the floor as well.
"Here, let me help you," said James as he went to assist, but he slipped on the floor like the others.
They then smiled at the girls awkwardly.
Meanwhile, the dragons were still resting, waiting for their Riders to return, but Eugene seemed to be spending most of his time playing with his phone and taking photos of himself. Webmaster approached the other dragons, but none were particularly friendly towards him.
Webmaster then approached Eugene, looking slightly upset.
"Sit tight, Webs. I got your back," said Eugene as he hopped onto his feet and approached the dragons. "As your boss and authority figure, I find this lying around on a mission unacceptable. Let's put you to work, shall we?"
He then pointed directly at Plowhorn. "You. Light a fire to keep me warm." He then pointed at Feathers. "And you, feathery one, you look softish. Come over here and be my couch."
Feathers reluctantly made her way towards him.
"And you, Webmaster, you are awesome," said Eugene, looking at him. "Just keep being that."
Feathers then sat down and cloaked just as Eugene was about to sit. This caused him to miss her and hit the ground.
"Ow!" he said.
Feathers then reappeared, snarling at him.
While this was happening, Thunder suddenly heard noises and saw the flash of a torch nearby.
The Dragon Riders had somehow lifted the Magma Breather and one of the medical beds.
"You sure you're good?" Tom asked D'Angelo.
"He's pretty out of it," he said, looking at the dragon. "Should be safe to examine him."
"I'll stay and help, just in case," said Jun.
"Hey. So I know we've had our differences," said D'Angelo as he set up the ultrasound machine. "But, I am going to do whatever it takes to fix you. Okay?"
He then turned the machine on, but the Magma Breather panicked upon hearing it sound in the light it was admitting.
"It's okay. It's okay," said D'Angelo gently.
He then began thrashing around frantically.
Tom, James and Alex were watching outside the infirmary when they heard the noises.
"Not okay! Not okay!" D'Angelo screamed.
The three turned towards the door as D'Angelo stuck his head out. "Can you give me a hand? Mine are…" He was then suddenly dragged back inside.
Tom looked at Alex. "You stay here and keep watch."
He gestured to James, and they dashed into the infirmary to assist.
Meanwhile, Eugene saw the torchlight and quickly turned to the dragons.
"You guys have got a hide. Someone's coming," he said, turning to Plowhorn and Feathers. "Hide Horn Face, and you, do that invisible thing."
Feathers then cloaked in the other dragons hidden within the bushes and trees. The only dragon that was still out in the open was Webmaster.
"Webmaster, you've got to hide from people except me and the team," Eugene told him. "Okay, it is confusing. But, just go."
Webmaster hit behind the bushes just as the torch owner stepped into the clearing. Eugene was temporarily blinded by the torchlight until the owner of it switched off, and it turned out it was Buzzsaw.
"You!" he said.
"Buzzsaw, hey!" said Eugene.
"You're that weird kid who thought the lightning bird was a dragon," he said. "What are you doing out here?"
"Oh, uh, you know, it's just a beautiful evening for a stroll," he said, rubbing the back of his head. "I assume you're out doing the same."
"Buzzsaw doesn't stroll. He stalks," he said, advancing towards him and looking at him suspiciously. "Heard some non-human type sounds. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"
"Me? Uh, no," said Eugene, a little terrified.
Buzzsaw turned off the torch and looked immensely disappointed. "I've been out here so long, nobody to talk to but myself. Nothing to think about my thirst for revenge." Eugene then saw Thunder sticking his head out of the bushes. "No matter how keen and perceptive my eyes are, I haven't found the thing." Then, to Eugene's relief, Thunder ducked back into the bushes. "No, lightning bird, no, nothing!"
"Erm, sounds like you need to talk to somebody besides yourself," said Eugene.
Buzzsaw looked at him, and Eugene couldn't quite tell whether he was about to lose his top.
"I'd like that," he said, smiling.
Eugene just gave an awkward smile.
Back at the infirmary, Alex could hear the screams coming from inside.
"I'm sure they're fine," she said, but the screams didn't stop. "Maybe I should take a peek."
Alex opened the doors and found that the others were wrestling with the Magma Breather. Jun and D'Angelo were beneath it, while Tom and James were on top.
"Look," said Eugene, pointing to the ultrasound machine.
Tom immediately examined it and saw a crystal embedded in his stomach.
"There's a crystal blocking his… magma maker?" he said. "Yeah, makes sense. He doesn't belong in the Crystal Realm in the first place."
"Now, can you unplug the machine?" D'Angelo asked, gasping for breath.
Tom quickly unplugged the machine, and the moment he did, the Magma Breather calmed down enough for D'Angelo and Jun to free themselves.
"Okay, now that we know the problem, how do we fix it?" James asked.
"There's only one way," said D'Angelo as he picked himself up. "I need you to hold his mouth open."
"You're sure about this?" Tom asked.
"I'm the doc. Comes with the territory."
Tom looked to James, and he nodded, and the two of them opened the dragon's mouth so Eugene could reach inside it.
Eugene was now entertaining Buzzsaw while trying to make sure he didn't spot any of the dragons.
"All of this obsessive searching alone in the woods is not good for the psyche, you know," said Buzzsaw, standing directly behind Plowhorn.
"Prolonged solitude can have lasting effects," said Eugene, quickly pulling him away from Plowhorn. He only released him when he saw Plowhorn's horn sticking out of the bushes. "You're not mad. You're complex, which tells me it's deeper than that. Isn't it?"
"For years, I've been toiling to build this logging company to make my mother proud. But, just when I started to make real progress in this isolated stump land, that lightning bird came along and ruined it. Argh!"
He tossed his hatchet at a tree where Feathers had been hiding behind. She panicked so much that she became visible. Eugene gestured for her to cloak again.
"Ahem. I'm sensing some deep-rooted anger, Buzzy," said Eugene.
Buzzsaw sighed, and Eugene saw Thunder sticking his head out of the bushes again.
"So, um?" said Eugene, pushing Thunder's head back down. "I'm hearing that you're searching for your mother's approval. I have some experience with that."
"Your mother dressed you head-to-toe in a cashmere jumper on the first day of school?" said Buzzsaw, surprised.
"No," Eugene laughed, then remembered he was dealing with a slightly deranged man. "I mean, yeah. And here I thought I was the only one. I get you, man."
"And I've always prided myself on being wildly misunderstood," said Buzzsaw as Webmaster stepped out into the open behind him. Eugene quickly had to wave him away, and thankfully, Buzzsaw was none the wiser. "Oh, what a breakthrough."
"What can I say? I'm a pro," said Eugene.
In the infirmary, D'Angelo had his hand inside the dragon's mouth, reaching for the crystal in his windpipe.
"No," said D'Angelo, but then managed to grab the crystal and pull it out. "Oh, there. That ought to do it. Alex?"
Alex placed her hand on the Magma Breather and felt his temperature drop. "Feels like his temperature's dropping."
"That's good," said Tom.
However, the Magma Breather still looked very sick.
"So, why does he seem to be getting worse?" D'Angelo frowned.
"Wait. Now, he's actually starting to feel cold," said Alex.
Jun opened his mouth and looked inside. "I'm not seeing any magma."
"The crystal didn't just block the magma; it also stopped him from producing it," said D'Angelo. "Dragons are cold-blooded like lizards, so without producing more magma, he can't keep himself warm, which means…"
"He's freezing to death," Tom finished.
"Greatly we solve one disaster, and another one appears," said James.
"We need to increase his body temperature, and fast," said D'Angelo. "Blankets—anything!"
Immediately, he began looking around, grabbing every blanket they could find and putting it on the Magma Breather, but he had very little effect.
"Come on, come on," said Jun pleadingly.
"It's not working," said Alex.
"He needs to be heated up, not just kept warm," said Tom.
"We can't even hear either; every second he's here brings us dangerously close to revealing the dragon's secret to everyone," said James.
"We've got to get him to the Fire Realm; it's our only hope," said D'Angelo.
"How do we keep them hot enough to make it back there?" Tom asked.
"I got it," said Jun. "But we have to hurry."
Eugene was still playing therapist to Buzzsaw.
"You're not searching for lightning bird," he said to Buzzsaw. "You're searching for yourself. Boom!"
"Wow," said Buzzsaw. "So that untamed life of a wild stallion is really just me trying to tame me."
"Buzzsaw has been to every square inch of this forest, but Buzzsaw has never been to Buzzsaw."
"To think I was about to waste my youth searching for some lightning, but that probably doesn't even exist."
"Yes," said Eugene, smiling. "And today is the day, Buzzman, you forget about that search and begin a new search, the search for the real Leonard."
"Buzzsaw," he said. "It took me years to establish that nickname."
"Now, you can build the greatest logging company of all time," said Eugene and gave him back his hatchet.
"Yes! Buzzsaw's empire!" he said, folding his hatchet up high.
He then immediately ran towards the nearest tree where, unfortunately, Thunder was hiding behind. With one good swing, he chopped it down, revealing the dragon directly behind it.
"Lightning—" Eugene knocked him on the head with a branch, knocking him out cold. "—bird."
Eugene covered him with leaves and looked at the dragons, who had gathered around.
"So, I know this seems like the kind of thing we should tell the others, but considering my provisional Dragon Riders status, this never happened," he said.
The others showed up, wheeling the Magma Breather in on the medical bed.
"Oh, hi. How did it go?" Eugene asked, smiling.
"Did something happen here?" Tom frowned.
"Nope," he said, and Buzzsaw gave a small groan.
"Something definitely happened, but we don't have time for this," said Jun. "Wei, bringing the heat. Steam blast him."
Wei then unleashed his steam blast upon the Magma Breather, temporarily warming his body.
"Good thinking, Jun," said Tom.
"We've got to get the Magma Breather down the fissure," said Jun.
They quickly pushed the Magma Breather towards the fissure.
"Stay with us, big guy," said D'Angelo.
Once they reached the ledge, Wei blasted the Magma Breather with another steam blast. Unfortunately, he was still far too weak to fly.
"The Magma Breather's not just heavy; he's unconscious," said Tom.
"And he's slippery and covered in butter," Alex added.
"Point is we're going to need all the dragons to pull this off," said Tom.
"Ready and willing," said Eugene.
"And the provisional team can watch our six," said D'Angelo.
Eugene looked rather disappointed with that with that.
Soon Thunder, Wu, Feather and Blade were balancing the Magma Breather on their heads as they slowly descended into the fissure. D'Angelo was riding on top of the Magma Breather to help guide them while Plowhorn followed behind, and Wei continued his steam blast to keep his body warm.
"Wei, keep those steam blasts coming," Jun ordered.
Wei then fired another steam blast, and the others were doing quite the balancing act to keep the dragon from falling.
Eugene, meanwhile, was observing from above. "I don't know, Webs. We're watching their six, and I don't want to mess them up."
The Magma Breather was getting weaker, and Wei was running out of steam.
"We've got to descend faster," said Jun. "Wei is running out of steam."
"We can't go any faster and balance him," said Tom.
"Is already dangerous going this speed," James added.
Things got worse as the dragons had difficulty holding him up due to his weight, and the butter wasn't making things any easier.
"He's crashing," said D'Angelo.
"We've got to study him," said Tom.
"We're trying," said Alex.
"I don't think we can hold!" James panicked.
The dragons then lost their hold on the Magma Breather, and he and D'Angelo began falling into the fissure. Plowhorn quickly flew in and grabbed D'Angelo while Tom, Alex and James dived down to grab the Magma Breather.
The dragons were able to grab hold of him, but he was slipping out of their claws.
"Pull him up," said Tom.
"He's too slippery!" James yelled.
"Stupid buttery dragon," said Alex.
The Magma Breather slipped out of their dragons and fell into the fissure.
"No!" everyone screamed.
Then, to their surprise, Eugene shot right past them.
"Eugene?" they gasped.
"Just bringing up the rear," he said.
Webmaster then fired a fire web, which immediately expanded, creating a net around the canyon face. The Magma Breather landed in the net and remained perfectly stable.
"Totally nailed it," said Eugene, looking at the others. "Everyone spread out. Grab a tether."
The Dragon Riders were still shocked by what they witnessed but quickly snapped out of it.
"Listen to Eugene," said Tom.
The Dragon Riders then swooped in, and they each grabbed a tether.
"Hear that? They're listening to us," said Eugene, looking at Webmaster. He then looked at the riders once they each grabbed a tether. "Back it up. Further. Further. Looking good. That should do it. Come on."
Eugene then led them as they carried the Magama Breather back into the Hidden World.
"Fire Realm, here we come!" D'Angelo cheered.
Once they were at the mouth of the Fire Realm, the dragons began carrying the Magma Breather inside, leaving the Riders alone with Eugene and Webmaster.
"Oh, we totally trust it, Webs," said Eugene, stroking his dragon.
Tom then cleared his throat, gaining his attention.
"Good work back there," he said, holding his fist out.
Eugene smiled and bumped fists with him and then looked back at Webmaster. "See. Told you we were awesome."
"I think he was talking to Webmaster," said Jun and Eugene looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Just kidding. You are both great. Even I was impressed."
"Well, am I off provisional status?" Eugene asked.
Tom looked at Jun, who nodded. "Yeah, you're in."
Eugene then began dancing and yelling triumphantly.
The Dragon Riders, minus Eugene, entered the Fire Realm, so Tom forged his new sword.
"I guess I now have to build Eugene a fire suit," said Alex.
"Feel free to take your time," said Jun.
Tom then approached James and D'Angelo as they observed the Magma Breather, who was now feeling much better, making himself at home.
"He is doing better already," he said. "Nice work, doc."
"So, are you and me going to be friends now?" D'Angelo asked as he approached the Magma Breather.
The Magma Breather snarled at him, making him jump back.
"I guess not!" said D'Angelo.
"At least he's not chasing you around any more, baby steps," James smiled, patting him on the shoulder.
"At least he's feeling better," said D'Angelo.
"Now, for some unfinished business," said Tom. He then inserted the silver rod into the pool of lava. "One silver lightning sword coming up."