AN: There we go. Newest chapter done. But before I get to that, let's get two things out of the way. First, I have watched volume 9. It was long overdue for Ruby to finally crack. Still, it was nice seeing that the volume in question ended on a hopeful note. For Ruby, Jaune, even Neo. That being said, I'm afraid I have to scrap Everafter from my fic. Why? My reasons are my own.
Secondly, I will probably be busy with Future Redeemed, and I will not appreciate anyone spoiling me.
Hunts and Crafts
Yang was staring at the tent that Dragunov occupied. She really wanted to see what he was doing in there, after returning from the mission to find the materials needed for the Wind Dragunite. After that, it should have been easy to remake the green diamond, but of course it wasn't. The dragon Blade had already made multiple failures, as he calls them. Personally, Yang didn't see the problem. They were diamonds, and they were green, although the colors were sometimes highly uneven. That and some of them shattered too easily to be called diamonds.
"Stingy jerk." Yang muttered under her breath. She really wanted to see how Dragunov actually makes gems. But the first time she tried to spy on him, Dragunov yelled at her to get lost. The second time he grabbed her by the back of her neck and pants and tossed her into the pond where the large tree in Garfront grew. And the third time, he tried to punch her. Tried, because Yang was able to dodge it. Strangely, it was only after the last part that Yang decided not to push her luck.
"Is he still there?" Mythra asked, causing Yang to jump a little.
"Yeah... Still there, last I saw him." Yang sighed wearily.
"...Does this mean you're giving up on your pet project?" Mythra then asked before smirking, "I mean, I would love to see him on his knees, but don't they say that the secret ingredient is love? I'm not sure either of us are capable of associating such feelings with him."
"No, I'm not giving up yet. But I'm not exactly... motivated right now." Yang looked tired, but still managed to find the idea of loving Dragunov hilarious in its absurdity.
"Okay, what's going on with you and him?" Mythra asked, "Ever since your last spying attempt, you've been depressed."
"Hey! I am not depressed." Yang protested with an annoyed look, "I just don't understand why he doesn't want anyone seeing how he makes gems."
"Trust me, Yang. You're not alone there." Mythra said, crossing her arms beneath her breasts. "But while we're on the subject, I really hope he finishes the thing fast so that I can get my hands on that..." Mythra then brought out her hands in a strangling motion.
"You mad because Ryuko tried to kill your man?" Yang asked teasingly.
"Yes!" Mythra yelled out with her cheeks turning red. Which in turn shocked Yang. The blonde brawler did not expect Mythra to admit it just like that, let alone so passionately. "After the destruction of Torna, I was ready to sleep for all eternity after creating Pyra. Then Rex comes along and ruins it. Then, when I finally thought I could stop being a burden to him, Rex came back and made me want to live. He better take responsibility for that." Mythra sounded angry at the start, but her tone turned fond towards the end.
"You know, usually that phrase is used when a guy gets the girl pregnant." Yang teased again. Then she looked thoughtful. "Come to think of it... I don't think I've ever heard if Blades can actually have babies or not."
"We are NOT having this conversation!" Mythra said with a warning look.
"Okay, okay, chill out. It's weird that you're the hothead and not Pyra." Yang said.
"Yang, from what I have heard from Ruby, you have no right to say that." Mythra shot back.
"What has Ruby said about me?" Yang asked with a suspicious look.
"That you blew up a night club for no reason." Mythra replied with a smug look.
"Hey! They started it!" Yang complained. "And the guy running it was a criminal, it doesn't count."
Now Mythra raised an eyebrow, "Okay. New question, why were you in a place like that?"
"None of your business, light bulb." Yang gave her most stern look.
"Light bulb?" Mythra stared at Yang like she was crazy. "I don't know if you're-he's out!"
Yang instantly turned to the direction of the tent to see Dragunov stomping away angrily. "What's up with him?" the blonde Driver muttered before following him. Mythra looked annoyed still at being called a light bulb but followed Yang anyway.
Dragunov had moved to the edge of the pond that had the large tree and sat down on the ground with a weary sigh.
"How badly did it go this time?" Yang asked, staying out of the range of her Blade's fists, just in case.
Dragunov looked over his shoulder. "...I think I have the formula down now." Dragunov said, visibly slumping and looking down on the ground.
Yang almost cheered at hearing that, but considering how Dragunov was sulking there must be a catch. "What's the catch?"
"...I can't get the crystallization process down." Dragunov said, "I just... I can't catch the essence of wind."
"Uhh... What?" Yang asked, looking at her Blade like he was crazy.
Mythra was also staring, but then she moved next to Yang to whisper in her ear. "I think I remember Dragunov saying something similar back when he was working on the Water Dragunite."
That jogged Yang's memory, there was an entry in Thauron's journal where he mentioned Dragunov's project hitting a dead end when he couldn't catch the "essence of water". Whatever that means. "Any idea what that means?" Yang whispered back to Mythra.
"How should I know?" Mythra replied back, "I just thought he was talking nonsense."
"I heard that, light bulb!" Dragunov growled, earning a laugh out of Yang and an annoyed look from Mythra.
"Yang is nicer to you than you deserve." Mythra said, before stomping off, not wanting to go off right now.
Dragunov turned around in his sitting spot to look at the retreating Aegis before then looking to Yang curiously, "What was Mythra talking about?"
"Nothing you need to know, Draggie." Yang said with a conspiratory look before walking in front of him and plopping down herself. "You said you can't catch the essence of wind, what does that mean?"
"Exactly what it sounds like." Dragunov said like it was the most obvious thing in the world and Yang was stupid for not realizing it.
"Sounds like gibberish to me." Yang said staring directly into her Blade's eyes. Currently dull lilac met warm yellow.
"Well, that's not my problem, now is it?" Dragunov said, the warm yellow turning burning hot.
"No, but it makes me curious." Yang said not backing down. "Does it have something to do with the elements the Dragunites represent? Maybe something about how light shows each of the elements that they represent?" Dragunov looked surprised at the guessing. "I asked about them." Yang answered the unasked question. "Was I right?"
"...Yes... That's exactly the problem. I haven't been able to get that effect from my experiments." Dragunov said, now looking impressed. "You've finally started appreciating art."
Yang nodded along. She was honestly just guessing, but if Dragunov thought she was appreciating his so called "art" then who was she to correct him? "I'd like to see the complete set of Dragunites, but now I also want to get down to catching those two." Yang struck her palm with her fist at the last part.
Dragunov knew what Yang was talking about and scowled, "I'm starting to wonder why they want the Dragunites."
Yang shrugged," Maybe they just like collecting pretty things?"
Dragunov resisted a chuckle before replying, "Maybe... But now that I know that the one who wants the Dragunites is the one who tried to kill Rex and get Pyra and Mythra, I can't help but feel...uneasy."
"Do I have some competition?" Yang teased.
"What?"
"Would you like to have Rex as your Driver, or do you have a secret crush on-Ow!" Yang was too caught up in her teasing to avoid Dragunov flicking her forehead with a half-lidded stare. "Do you have to flick me?" Yang asked, rubbing her forehead.
"Yes. Because telling you to stop is just asking you to continue." Dragunov said like it was obvious. Which of course earned him a small glare. "Oh, don't you pout at me. You know it's true." Dragunov argued, now looking amused.
"Excuse me, pout?" Now Yang was a little offended.
"What else do you call that?" Dragunov said before getting up. "Thanks for the talk. I'm ready to try again." Then the dragon walked off.
"Hey! We're not done here!" Yang yelled out, getting back up herself. She almost went after him but decided against it. It was better to face him with her head cool and collected instead of boiling with rage. With that, Yang decided to walk around once again. She was starting to really hope that Perceval, or even just the team they sent to gather information on Arrogant Behemoth would get back here already. She was also annoyed that Dragunov wouldn't even let her come on the job to retrieve the necessary materials for the Wind Dragunite. Then again, he did say that the most action that job entailed was bringing the materials all the way here.
Yang had barely made it back from the pond before Roc had found her. "Good news Yang, the people that were sent to find information on Arrogant Behemoth have returned." Roc said.
"Finally! Some action!" Yang cheered, but then her mood dropped, "Wait. Did they find anything on the beast?"
"Yes as a matter of fact." Roc said, and Yang got the impression that the bird Blade was smiling if he had a mouth capable of that. "First they managed to find more information on what the monster actually looks like, then they found out that a monster with that description was spotted at Temperantia."
"Wait, wasn't that the place where we were at?" Yang asked, "I thought Rex and the others already asked there."
"Funny, Nia said the same thing." Roc said, sounding amused, "The monster was spotted the day after you left. Speaking of which, Nia blames you for it."
"Excuse me?" Yang said baffled, "How was I supposed to know that the monster would appear again?"
"Tell that to Nia." Roc said, letting out a cow that sounded like laughing. "On another note, is Dragunov going to join us?"
"I don't know, I think I'll ask him." Yang said, "Tell Rex that I'll meet him at the canteen." Without even waiting for reply, Yang moved off to the tent where Dragunov was working.
Roc shrugged and went to find Rex to tell him that Yang would be joining them.
But when Rex and the others see Yang returning, they noticed that the blonde brawler was not happy. "Guys... I'm gonna need some help." Yang said through gritted teeth.
"Yang, what's wrong?" Pyra asked, looking concerned.
"Dragunov didn't want to go, so we're going to kidnap him." Yang said with an evil smile.
"Because he said no?" Nia asked with a quirked eyebrow.
"If only it was that simple." Yang replied, "Anyway, that doesn't matter. Drag is so wrong if he thinks I'm just gonna leave it."
The Aegis team looked between each other with bewildered looks. Until Mythra decided to break the silence, "You do know that he will not go down without a fight? And more importantly, what's stopping him from getting revenge later?"
"Don't worry, I have a plan." Yang said, rubbing her hands together for an effect.
"Oh dear." Azurda said from Rex's helmet. Judging by the looks on most of the other's faces, they agreed with the tiny Titan's sentiment.
In his tent, Dragunov threw his latest failure across the tent in anger. What is it going to take to get it right? The Dragunites are the size of human fists, but for the purpose of testing, he's only making small pebbles. Even so, the color was right, but he couldn't get the effect of even a small gale inside it... Maybe he should try the fully sized one. Then again, while the materials are plentiful, he can't exactly waste them too much.
"Oh Draggieee." Yang's sing song voice then rang out of the closed entrance of the tent. "Ready to move out to get some of your stress out of your system?"
"Get lost! I'm busy!" Dragunov yelled back.
"Aww. Make me." Yang's mocking tone made Dragunov's cracks glow.
"Okay then! Maybe a few days of not being able to sit will teach you that no means no." Dragunov growled as he stomped to the entrance and moved the flap aside.
"Now!" Next thing Dragunov knew several buckets of water were unloaded on him.
"Hey!" Dragunov yelled out just before his right foot failed and he fell on a knee.
"Sorry!" Pyra said quickly even as she also held a bucket in hand. Mythra on the other hand had a satisfied smile.
"What is this?!" Dragunov roared as he fell on his hands too, which even now were trembling with the effort of carrying his weight. Having enough strength to look, Dragunov saw that Yang, Rex, Pyra, Mythra and Nia each had a bucket in hand which explained how the dragon got soaked.
"If you had just said no, I would have gone, but you had to go there." Yang said with a smug smile.
"Why you... When I recover, not only will I frizz your hair, but I will also make sure that you won't be able to sit for a week!" Dragunov yelled as his limbs failed him and he fell on his front, panting from the exhaustion that being doused did to him.
"What?!" Nia and Mythra let out as one.
But Yang paid them no mind and instead turned to Wulfric, "Wulfric, if you would."
With that, the beastly Blade moved to Dragunov who did his best to glare at the monstrous Blade. "You wouldn't dare." Dragunov growled lowly, seemingly understanding what was about to happen. In response, Wulfric picked the Dragon and slung him across his shoulder like a sack. "Two weeks!" Dragunov roared, weakly struggling in the grip. Even his tail could only manage a slight twitch.
"It's not fun, is it?" Yang said smugly, "Being carried off like that."
As the gang moved off with Wulfric carrying Dragunov, with Yang walking right behind Wulfric so that the blonde Driver could bask in her victory at the humiliation her Blade was receiving. Meanwhile, everyone else who then remembered how Yang was once being carried off like this by Dragunov, had to wonder if she was holding a grudge about that this whole time.
With tremendous effort, Dragunov uprighted himself just enough to look Yang in the eye. "Keep smiling, blondie." Dragunov said in a low voice so charged with fury that his cracks would probably be glowing if he wasn't so powerless right now. "I'm going to burn it off your face once I recover. Just you wait." And then he fell back down, earning a small laugh from Yang which probably wasn't helping her case.
"We'll see about that." Yang said, not looking the least bit threatened.
"I really hope whatever Yang planned will work." Pyra whispered to Mythra.
The rest of the way to an open enough area for Azurda to transform was mostly uneventful. Except they had to take a scenic route through all of Garfront where everyone saw Wulfric carrying Dragunov. Yang insisted. And when she grabbed Dragunov's head by the horn and forced him to look at her, his reddish tan face was much more red than usual. And then he growled, "One month. And I will shave you bald and have a scarf made out of your hair.". This caused everyone to worry for Yang who looked all too happy to see Dragunov's humiliation. Had she no sense of danger of literally playing with fire?
Anyway, once everyone was on Azurda and on their way to Temperantia once again, the wind that came with Azurda's flying was drying Dragunov up. Slowly but surely. All the while the fire Blade was grumbling about stuff he would do to Yang once he recovered. Some of which made Pyra cover her rear on instinct, while Mythra hugged her own hair. Nia also hid behind Dromarch like a child hiding behind their parent.
"If you would accept suggestions, I say you should put her in a chastity belt and throw away the key." Dagas suspected.
"Excuse me?! Are you trying to say something?" Yang demanded with an appalled look.
"Dagas, I may have feelings of revenge directed at my Driver, but as far as I know her chastity is intact. Which means that wouldn't be much of a punishment." Dragunov grumbled.
"Okay, new question, how do you know about that?" Yang asked, looking a little freaked out.
"Because you just said it now." Dragunov said with a grin at this tiny victory, but then he scowled again. "And don't think I'm lowering the sentence."
Yang still looked a little weirded out, but then she shifted it to a smile. "Sure thing... Draggie." Yang said in a tone no one recognized.
Except apparently Dromarch and Azurda, because the white tiger's eyes widened in alarm with hiss ears shooting up while Azurda turned his head towards his passengers with an equally alarmed look.
"Uhh... Gramps?" Rex asked in worry.
"...I'm afraid you're not ready for this conversation Rex." Azurda said before facing forward again.
"Dromarch?" Nia asked with a suspicious look.
"My lady, I'm not sure you wish to-" "Just tell me." Nia all but demanded.
"...Very well." Dromarch said before leaning in and whispering into Nia's cat ear. Nia's suspicious look shifted to one of bewilderment as she glanced between Yang and Dragunov.
"No way. Not possible." Nia said shaking her head.
Wulfric tilted his head at this reaction. "What are they talking about?"
"I have a feeling that we should revel in our ignorance." Roc shook his head.
The rest of the trip was spent in awkward silence.
As everyone feared, by the time they reached the Ardainian camp, Dragunov had dried up and was once again at full strength. Which also meant that Yang could say goodbye to sitting for three months and her hair if Dragunov went through with his threat.
"You guys ask about the monster, I'll get my punishment from Draggie." Yang once again used a weird tone on Dragunov's nickname, something that made even the dragon Blade quirk an eyebrow. "Let's do that somewhere around there." Yang said and already walked off behind multiple tents with her Blade flexing and cracking his fingers in preparation.
"...Didn't she say she had a plan to avoid that?" Nia asked.
"Let's hope it works, otherwise Yang is going to be a deadweight." Mythra said.
With that everyone moved to find the soldier who had supposedly seen the monster that matched the description of Arrogant Behemoth. All the while wondering why they weren't hearing Yang screaming in pain.
Soon enough, they found the soldier who apparently saw the beast.
"Well, yes, I did see a large shadowy thing in the water." The soldier named Carchal said, "Actually, it was so out there that nobody believes me when I tell 'em."
"Interesting," Dagas commented, "Could you perhaps provide details?"
"It was early morning when I saw it. 5 o'clock or thereabouts." Carchal explained. "Over on the hill near Triedge Isle. There was this crazy huge shadowy thing moving in the water. Honestly, I thought I was seeing things too at first, because I've never heard of a monster that big." The soldier visibly shivered at the last part. "At any rate, if you're planning to check it out, you should be careful. I don't know if even a Titan battleship would be able to take down that behemoth."
"You have my thanks." Dagas said. "Now, let us go my retainers! We shall find the beast and vanquish it."
"Heck, yeah!" Yang cheered, causing everyone to turn to her in shock.
"Yang?" Rex was the first to let out, "Wasn't Dragunov supposed to... What is up with him?" Rex's question was shifted as he looked to Dragunov who had a look of disgust aimed at his Driver. Not to mention he was standing away from the blonde brawler.
"My Driver is a freak!" Dragunov exclaimed with his arms crossed.
Now everyone else was staring between the two with expressions ranging from confusion to downright weirded out. Although halfway, Mythra's cheeks turned red and Nia's jaw would have dropped to the ground if it actually could.
"Yeah, yeah." Yang said dismissively, though to the others it looked like she had a very hard time not laughing. Then Yang mouthed to everyone something that may have been, "He bought it.". But then the blonde Driver steeled herself to stay calm before talking again, "So, are we gonna go down and clean the monster's clock?" Yang bumped her fists together eagerly.
"We hope to, but first we need to wait for the beast to appear." Dagas said, seemingly unaffected by whatever was going on. "And for that, we shall move out to the hill near Triedge Isle."
"Sounds fun." Yang said eagerly, still earning weirded out looks at her being so happy and Dragunov somehow in worse mood than the last time they saw him.
As the gang moved to their destination, deciding to go on foot this time, Mythra moved next to Yang to ask her next piece. "Okay, you have to tell me what you did, because I'm pretty sure Dragunov wouldn't give up on any punishment if his life depended on it."
Yang briefly looked to Dragunov who was lagging behind, still sour looking. And more importantly, his eyes were on the ground. Still Yang leaned down to speak quietly, "I'd rather not go into details because it's embarrassing, but... let's just say that he now thinks that I like getting spanked." Despite her smile and non-chalant tone, Yang's cheeks still tried to match Pyra's hair color.
"...And that's all I need to know." Mythra said, now stepping away from Yang.
"You're the one who asked," Yang shrugged, acting like her face wasn't flushed. Most importantly, Dragunov couldn't see it from where he was walking, which meant that he won't figure out her little ploy anytime soon... Hopefully by the time he does figure it out, he won't feel like finishing the job... It was hard enough to pretend with the first three strikes. Not to mention if she hadn't gotten to a secluded enough spot... Yang resisted a shiver. As much as she had no shame with her little act, she didn't need anyone else to fall for it and thinking she was a...what was the word Weiss used? Deviant?
The rest of the way was spent in silence as they reached the hill. Although they did encounter a band of local Ignas and had to fight them off. During which Dragunov refused to form an affinity link with Yang. Showing that the blonde brawlers plan has backfired.
Now, the gang was standing atop the hill, looking to the shore where the Arrogant Behemoth supposedly showed itself.
"So, is this really the place?" Nia asked after waiting for some time.
"Well, from what that soldier said, it should be around here somewhere." Mythra shrugged.
"I'm starting to wonder if some kind of great demon would show up in a deserted place like this." Roc said ruffling his feathers a little.
"What do you mean, starting to." Dragunov muttered, still in a foul mood.
"Drag, if this thing shows up and it lives up to its legend then we might have to go Sun Dragon." Yang said, all amusement from her success now gone.
"No." Dragunov said, refusing to look at his Driver.
"Drag, seriously!" Yang complained, "You need to forget your own opinions during the fight. I am not dying because of your stupid stubbornness! And I'm not letting you go Sun Dragon on your own!"
The fire Blade replied by growling.
"Hey! I think I see something!" Roc cawed, pointing out to sea. When everyone squinted their eyes, they saw an enormous shadow in the water. Soon, two large fins broke the surface Which were soon followed by a large bluish back. Then a head with two large horns broke out of the surface. The said head had small eyes and a mouth full of blocky teeth, except for large tusks that grew out of its lower jaw. Soon the monster walked out of the water on its strong legs with hooves for feet. Once the beast had walked fully out of the water, it let out a loud roar.
"Is that the demon?!" Mythra let out in surprise.
"It's huge!" Rex said in awe.
"...That thing is bigger than a Goliath." Yang said, turning to Dragunov, "Drag, we definitely have to go Sun Dragon."
But it seemed like the dragon Blade wasn't listening, instead he was looking at the monster with narrowed eyes.
"How are we supposed to defeat something that massive?" Dromarch questioned his hairs standing at the sight of the massive monster.
Suddenly Dagas started to walk towards the monster without a care in the world. "Dagas!" Rex yelled out at the Royal Blade.
"Stop, you bloody idiot!" Nia cried out too.
Soon, Dagas reached the monster, looking it straight in the eyes. "So, you are the foul demon?" Dagas inquired from the beast that was simply staring back down at the small creature. "Hmph. You are insolent indeed to look down on my personage." Dagas continued as everyone else reached him, "But no matter. Not all can be as versed in proper conduct as I. I will grant you an audience."
"Hold on- What are you, stupid! You're just gonna go and face that thing!?" Mythra demanded from Dagas.
"Seriously! You'll be crushed to pieces!" Rex agreed.
Dagas didn't seem to hear the two as he continued conversing, "Do you hear my voice, demon? I am king of a land named Regideria! I know you are the beast that caused my kingdom's downfall. As King, I must avenge my people who you wronged long ago." During his monologue, the monster tilted its head sideways and let out a low rumble.
"...That thing is confused." Dragunov said with a bewildered look.
"Confused? About what?" Yang asked, not daring to take her eyes off the giant monster.
"How should I know?! It's not like I can read its mind." Dragunov shot back.
"If you are truly as terrible as the legends say, then show me the extent of your strength! Show me the power that felled a kingdom!" Dagas taunted the monster that merely tilted its head to the other side.
"Quit provoking that thing already, Dagas!" Nia hissed.
"Actually, does that creature even understand human speech?" Pyra then asked, seeing as the monster made no signs of acknowledgment of having heard anything they said.
"Why so shy, demon?" Dagas asked the monster that was still just staring at them all, sniffing the air as it did."Do you not wish to do battle?" Dagas then flaunted his cloak and summoned his Great Axe. "Then let's see how you like this!" And with a swing of his axe, Dagas sent a wave of his oddly colored flames right at the monster's face.
"You idiot!" Nia cried out in horror as the monster recoiled from the flames before stomping the ground and bellowing at the team.
(Play Xenoblade Chronicles 2 OST: Over our sinful entreaty)
Dagas laughed at this, "So, demon. At last you recognize your foe."
"'At last you recognize your foe'?! You moron Dagas!" Mythra yelled. "Now you've gone and really made it mad!"
"Why would you provoke it!?" Nia demanded even as the Arrogant Behemoth shook its head.
Dagas turned towards Nia before replying, "You ask strange questions, girl. For what purpose did we come here if not to fell this foul beast?"
"That's no reason to get it all worked up!" Mythra ranted, "Haven't you heard of careful strategy?!"
"Dear me..." Dagas sighed, "Can you truly be so afraid of a mere animal? And you call yourselves my retainers."
"No one is calling themselves your retainers." Dragunov growled at the royal Blade.
"Besides, that's not the issue here anyway, moron!" Mythra continued.
"Now we've really got ourselves in trouble here, Rex." Roc said, shaking his head.
"What now?" The salvager said in worry.
"I say we fall back and perhaps enlist help of a Titan Warship to help destroy the beast." Dromarch suggested.
"Hopeless... Every one of you." Dagas said, sounding disappointed, before taking a combat stance, "Wait here awhile my retainers. I shall slay the demon myself."
"You could die, you know." Pyra said in worry.
"What do you mean could?" Mythra asked, looking at Pyra like she was stupid.
"I will not." Dagas said resolutely, "Nay, I cannot! For the people of Regideria, I must prevail."
Rex's face mirrored Dagas' voice, "Okay, I'm convinced. Let's do this."
"Rex, are you really sure about this?" Mythra asked, looking at her Driver like he was crazy. Rex answered with a nod. "Alright then... I guess there's no point arguing with you." Mythra conceded as she prepared herself for a fight.
"I think I should point out that the beast is now on guard." Wulfric said, preparing his Megalance. "If we attack now, there's no turning back."
"I don't think it's going to let us run anyway." Dragunov added in, preparing his talons.
"Drag! Seriously!" Yang let out, eyes turning red.
(Song change: A Monster Surprised you)
Dragunov immediately charged the beast, going after its leg. But the monster replied by winding up its head and smacking the dragon Blade away with its horn, sending him flying.
"Good job, moron." Yang muttered as she prepared Ember Celica and charged in herself.
The monster saw Yang coming and tried the same trick on her. Except Yang used a shot from her gauntlets to propel herself over the horn, which then passed beneath her harmlessly.
As this happened, Rex, Pyra, Mythra and Wulfric ran towards one of the monster's legs. Nia and Dromarch did the same thing for the other, while Dagas was intent on facing this monster head on. Then there was Roc who had taken to the skies and was harassing the beast's back.
Rex opened up with Sword Bash against the monster's leg with Pyra's sword. Which of course, earned the monster's attention. The beast lifted its leg and tried to stomp on them, but Wulfric got in the way and pointed his two-pronged Megalance right at the hoof and braced himself. Of course, since the hoof was made of hard matter, the lance didn't penetrate too deep. Fortunately, Wulfric himself was able to withstand the force behind the stomp, but his feet were sinking under the cracking ground. Meanwhile, Nia took this opportunity to deliver a couple slashes on the monster's other leg. Though it didn't seem to have much of an effect. The monster was more interested in Yang who had managed to get on top of its head and was hitting anywhere she could, sometimes using a shotgun blast for good measure. The blonde brawler had a hard time staying up there because the monster was shaking its head violently. Finally, Yang lost her balance and fell down the beast's snout. The Arrogant Behemoth then got the bright idea of trying to chomp down the tiny nuisance. Yang wasn't sure what she was doing when she landed on one of the front teeth and was able to stop the upper teeth that came down on her with great force. Still, the blonde brawler was able to hold the jaw open with one arm while wounding up her fist.
"I! Hope! You're! Hungry!" Yang shouted out with each blast she unloaded from Ember Celica straight into the Behemoth's mouth. They seemed to be doing something as the monster was flailing around while everyone else was trying to avoid getting stomped on. Then the monster swung its head again and opened its mouth fully, tossing Yang away.
"Yang!" Rex yelled out as he stabbed the monster's leg again, this time with Mythra's sword.
But Rex's concerns were in vain, as Yang was able to upright herself and blast both gauntlets once to stop her momentum just enough to land safely.
"Okay, that's troublesome." Yang said, seeing as it looked like that so far, they've only managed to annoy the monster.
"Tell me about it." Dragunov growled, having managed to return.
"Perfect timing, Drag. I need your talons for this." Yang said, offering her arms for the weapons.
"No." Dragunov said before running off again.
Yang gritted her teeth at Dragunov refusing her again. "I lied!" Yang yelled out, causing Dragunov to stop in his tracks.
"What?" Dragunov let out with a confused look.
"I was acting. I thought that if you thought I liked being spanked then you would give up on it." Yang admitted. "I didn't think it would make you act like this."
"...How do I know you're telling the truth now?" Dragunov asked, looking suspicious.
"There's only one way to find out." Yang shrugged, "Now give me those talons!"
Dragunov looked at his Driver before turning to look at Arrogant Behemoth that now jumped impossibly high for a monster of its size. The resulting impact caused the entire area to shake enough to cause everyone on the ground to stumble. "Okay, fine." Dragunov released the talons from his wrists as he threw them to Yang who slipped her hands through as the weapons shrunk to her size again. As soon as that happened, the affinity link formed, and with it, the truth came out. "...We are talking about this later." Dragunov said, looking both angry and embarrassed. And thanks to the affinity link, Yang knew it was because he fell for such an obvious lie.
"Let's do this!" Yang said with an eager grin and a bump of her fists. And she could also tell that her Blade had a hard time holding onto his anger at her. With that out of the way, the two rejoined the fight.
"This isn't going well!" Mythra cried out as she used a barrier to block another swing from the beast's horn.
"Put more effort into it!" Dagas yelled out as he released another flame at the monster's face.
"How am I supposed to do that!?" Mythra demanded even as she and Rex moved to avoid the monster.
In Rex's helmet, Azurda looked like he was in pain. "Rex, I can't sit by anymore." And then the small Titan flew out of the helmet and took to the skies.
"Gramps!" Rex called out after the tiny Titan. But soon, in a burst of light, Azurda was in his fully grown form.
"Everyone, back away!" Azurda called out just before unleashing a volley of fire from his mouth at the Arrogant Behemoth.
It looked like the blasts had more effect than anything they had tried so far, judging by how the monster was screaming. "Come and get me, if you can." Azurda taunted the monster as he flapped his wings in place out of the monster's reach.
The Behemoth seemed to glare at its new foe before taking a deep breath. Then it spat blackish green gas towards Azurda. The Titan was able to fly out of the way, all the while spitting fireballs at the foe. But the Arrogant Behemoth also understood to move out of the way before trying again with its breath attack.
"Rex, that's poison!" Nia yelled out to the Aegis Driver.
"That's not good." Rex said in worry, "Nia, come here!"
"Okay!" Nia ran towards Rex and entered her Blade form as she threw her Catalyst Scimitar to him. Rex easily caught it and threw Mythra's sword back.
"Pyra!" Rex yelled out and the red Aegis passed her sword to Rex.
"All together!" Rex shouted, holding both swords in hand as his affinity with Pyra and Nia reached maximum.
"Yes." Pyra and Nia said as one as they each grabbed their respective swords alongside Rex. Neither of them noticed how their Core Crystals started glowing brightly, while a green X appeared on Rex's chest.
"Nexus Force!" All three called out in unison as Rex swung the sword in a medley of water and fire. The attacks caused deep gashes to the monster's side as it bellowed in outrage.
"We're not done with you!" Yang roared out as she had been launched at the Behemoth's head and her dazzling semblance was active. Which with a quick glance everyone confirmed that Dragunov had gone Sun Dragon. Then she unloaded a Nova Crash on its head, once again, earning cries of pain.
Once Yang landed, the Behemoth once again breathed poison at her, but Dragunov countered it by breathing white fire from the dragon heads. With that, the poison couldn't reach Yang.
"Blast him away, Drag!" Yang commanded as she tossed the golden talons back to her Blade, undoing her dazzling semblance in the process.
"Oh, I will." Dragunov growled with an evil smile as he rooted himself in place and charged the two heads. "Solar Flare in your face!" Dragunov roared and the two heads released their beamlike attack on the Behemoth's face. "I think I burned its eyes!" Dragunov roared as he tossed the talons back to Yang.
The beast then charged at the two, who were more than ready to give the beast hell. But the Behemoth was intercepted by Dagas who swung his Great Axe upwards with all his might. Actually, causing a gash on the monster's chin and tossing it backwards.
"What?!" The Sun Dragon duo let out in unison.
"Have you forgotten, beast? I'm your opponent!" Dagas bellowed as he sent another blast of fire at the monster. In response, the monster bellowed again and charged, only to then be stopped when Azurda swooped in against the Behemoth's side, horn first. The beast bellowed one last time before collapsing. Then Azurda pulled his horn out of Arrogant Behemoth's carcass, no doubt he must have pierced a lung and/or heart.
(Song End)
Azurda then shook his head. and looked down towards everyone. "I didn't expect to be involved in a battle like this." Azurda commented with a small smile.
"Are you okay, gramps?" Rex asked the Titan.
"Oh, don't worry, Rex. I am alright." Azurda said before looking at the carcass that used to be Arrogant Behemoth. "Still, I'm surprised this monster fell as easily as it did."
"...The beast was old." Wulfric said, inspecting the corpse. "It was most likely at the end of its lifespan regardless."
"Whoa!" Came out of Yang who was trying to support Dragunov who had changed back to normal. At least he wasn't knocked out this time. "You okay, Drag?"
"I'll recover." Dragunov said, being on his knees and the only thing keeping him upright was his Driver. "And then we'll talk." At the last part, Dragunov's pupils narrowed into vertical slits as he glared at Yang.
In response, Yang scowled and let him fall over. "Wulfric, would you be so nice as to carry him." Yang then asked the beastly Blade nicely even as Dragunov was grumbling something incoherent.
Wulfric grunted and moved towards the fire Blade. "No. No! I am not being treated like a sack again!" Dragunov protested just when Wulfric took one of the fire Blade's arms over his shoulders and a firm grip on his side and lifted him up. "Okay, this I can handle." Dragunov said in relief.
"But seriously, I don't think we could have actually won if the old man hadn't helped us." Nia then said, deciding to not comment on Yang's and Dragunov's quarrel.
"Honestly... Have you no pride," Dagas said, sounding exasperated as he looked at the corpse. "How could we fail to overcome such a trifling foe?" The Royal Blade then crossed his arms, "Honestly, you should be ashamed that you did not slay it more swiftly. And you especially should be ashamed of needing to be supported after such a short battle."
Dragunov's face hardened, "Wulfric, get me closer to Dagas so I can hit him." Wulfric responded with a grunt but didn't make a move. "No? What do you mean no?" Dragunov then demanded in disbelief.
Wulfric didn't answer, but instead turned his own attention to the pompous Blade, "I saw that you stopped holding back with your last strike. I was never sure how much you hid your true power."
"Yeah, I can now say I'm glad we met you as an ally and not an enemy." Nia admitted too.
Dagas uncrossed his arms but didn't answer anyone.
"What's wrong?" Rex asked, "Still worried about your kingdom?"
"It is as you see." Dagas said, "We may have felled the demon, but the kingdom remains lost. There is no way for us to be certain it was even the land I once ruled."
Everyone was surprised that Dagas even acknowledged that last part.
"Hey, if you're such a great king, then can't you just make yourself a new kingdom or something?" Yang asked, earning alarmed looks from Nia and Mythra.
"Yeah! Yang's right. If you try your hardest, anything's possible." Rex added in.
"Interesting." Dagas said after turning to face everyone. "There is a certain wisdom in your council. Now that my nemesis is slain, it is not good for a king to dwell on the past forever. I will be the man who will rule this entire world!" And then Dagas began laughing megalomaniacally.
"Yang, Rex, what have you done!" Mythra cried out as everyone else just looked at the Royal Blade's episode.
"Well...at least he seems motivated now." Rex said weakly.
"But his attitude still bugs me." Nia grumbled as she looked on.
"At least he's cheerful now, and we got an adventure out of this, right?" Yang said, trying to look at the positives. Although, judging by her awkward smile it didn't look like even she believed herself.
"If we are all done here, then I would like to get back to work which you heartless monsters dragged me from." Dragunov then growled, although the last part of his sentence was directed at Yang.
"Sheesh, can't you just consider this a creative break?" Yang countered.
Dragunov gave a blanched stare even as Wulfric was already guiding him to Azurda, "Yang, I'm not sure what your definition of 'creative break' is, but my idea is brainstorming ideas or doing anything that might help finish my job. This little excursion was neither!" Dragunov's tail slammed the ground at the last part.
"Don't struggle." Wulfric said as he adjusted his grip.
"Sorry, but I'm lecturing my idiot Driver." Dragunov said in annoyance.
"Fine, let's get back to Garfront and let you get back to gemcrafting." Yang sighed in defeat.
"By the way, Yang. What happened to your hair?" Mythra then asked, causing Yang to freeze. The blonde Driver tried her hair and only now seemed to realize that it wasn't in it's ponytail anymore. Which also made everyone see a large chunk of it missing.
"...I don't want to talk about it." Yang said, sounding depressed and then she glared at Dragunov.
"Dragunov, why did you do that to Yang?" Pyra asked, coming to her own conclusions from the look.
"Hey! I didn't cut her hair." Dragunov protested, but it didn't look like Pyra or Mythra believed him, "Seriously, I had nothing to do with that!"
"The first part is true." Yang said tensely, "Now everyone drop it, and let's get out of here."
With that, everyone climbed on Azurda and flew back to Garfront. Although, during the trip, Dragunov seemed to be enjoying the wind that came from Azurda's flying as he was recovering from the use of Sun Dragon form. Which reminded Yang that she still doesn't know the exact limits of that power still. She and Dragunov had already gone through the Special Arts up to level 3, but what about level 4? The possibility honestly terrified Yang a little. She had already resolved to use the Sun Dragon as a last resort. The fight against Arrogant Behemoth notwithstanding. Anyway, she had a feeling that Sun Dragon's level 4 would have to be saved as a very last resort... Then again, depending on how much of his Special Arts are used, Dragunov could be tired or knocked out if used excessively. But what would level 4 do to him? The blonde Driver almost laughed at herself for worrying about Dragunov, considering he might now go through with his threat on making her unable to sit for months.
But the first thing Dragunov demanded upon them all reaching Garfront surprised everyone.
"Rex, spar with me."
"What?" Rex said, not expecting to be asked that.
"You, me, spar, right now!" Dragunov said, pointing at himself and Rex for emphasis.
"Whoa, whoa! Why do you want to spar with Rex all of a sudden?" Mythra demanded with a highly suspicious look.
"No time to explain! I need it, right now!" Dragunov stomped his feet impatiently.
"If you want to spar with Rex, then you realize you will have to face me too." Mythra said, already preparing her sword.
"No, Mythra. I want Rex to only use Roc's weapons." Dragunov said, now shifting his attention to the avian Blade.
"Me? Why do you want me to-" "LIke I said, no time to explain! I need it right now!" Dragunov started to sound desperate.
"Drag, what's up with you?" Yang asked, now wondering what was wrong with him.
"Well... Umm... I don't mind, but I'm kinda hungry right now, so I wanted to grab something to eat at least." Rex said awkwardly, scratching his cheek as he did. Then, as if to affirm his statement, Rex's stomach growled loudly.
"Now that you say it, I could use some food too." Yang said, now realizing that she was also hungry.
Dragunov glared at the Aegis Driver like the boy had personally offended him, "Fine. We get a quick meal, then the spar. But make it fast."
"Dragunov, stop being mean to Rex." Pyra commanded, putting her hands on her hips.
"Pyra, I don't want to snap at you, so please get off my back." Dragunov said, somehow sounding more impatient.
"Drag, do I need to get a bucket?" Yang asked, earning an appalled look from him, "Or are you going to chill out, and let us eat in peace?"
"...Fine." Dragunov growled in defeat.
Yang took her win with a beaming smile.
Once everyone had gotten something to eat, they moved to the practice field. And to Yang's surprise, Dragunov said that he wanted to do this alone. This was getting weirder and weirder for the blonde Driver who had now taken a seat at the edge of the field. Every mercenary who had also been practicing already made some space, because who wouldn't want to see the technical leader of Garfront and more importantly the Driver of Aegis fight.
"So, how do you want to do this again?" Rex asked, awkwardly holding Roc's Dual Scythes.
"You come at me and hit me as hard as you can." Dragunov said, taking a combat stance with his talons out.
"Huh? But that doesn't-" "I said, come at me!" Dragunov roared, cracks glowing red, "Or do I have to get over there?" The dragon Blade had barely even finished the sentence before charging at Rex.
(Play Xenoblade Chronicles 2 OST: Driver Vs)
"Ah, crap!" Rex yelled out when Dragunov's fist was about to hit him square in the face. "Wild Scythe!" But he swiftly dodged the attack and made a few strikes to Dragunov's side.
"That's more like it!" Dragunov said, swiping his fists at the Aegis Driver again. This time Rex was keeping his distance waiting for an opening to strike.
And then Rex found it when Dragunov raised both fists high to smash them on him. "Cyclone Smash!" And then he combined the scythes and gave two quick slashes across the fleshy part of Dragunov's chest, which caused the Dragon to stumble back and yell out. Rex then went for a follow up attack but was intercepted when Dragunov stumbled around and hit the boy with his tail, smacking Rex against Roc who was able to catch him.
Rex had to gasp for air that the tail swipe knocked out of him. "You okay there, Rex?" Roc asked as he lowered his Driver on his feet.
"I'm fine, Roc." Rex said, rubbing his chest which didn't really hurt thanks to his Aura.
"Was that the best you got, boy?" Dragunov asked as he got back into a proper stance with a mocking look, "Because if it wasn't, then I'm insulted. And if it was, then I think beating the man out of you is long overdue."
"Are you going to let him talk to you like that?" Roc asked his Driver.
"No, but I'm not going to just charge in and let him hit me." Rex said, sounding just a little annoyed. And then he got a small smile, "Roc, I have a plan."
"Oh? I'm all ears." Roc said, leaning down enough for Rex to whisper it.
"What are you whispering about?" Dragunov demanded before sending a large gout of flame from his palm at the two. Fortunately, Roc put a barrier just in time to block it. The flames had barely dispersed before Rex charged out from behind the barrier and right at Dragunov. "Oh? Charging at me head on? Bold, but stupid!" Dragunov roared the last part as he went for a straight punch to Rex's head.
But once again, Rex used Wild Scythe to avoid the fist and get a few more strikes into him, as he moved past him. Although he had to roll over the tail that tried to hit him again. Dragunov growled at his opponent and charged at him again, but this time Rex ran away. "What? Get back here, you coward!" the enraged dragon roared as he chased Rex against the cliff wall at the back of the practice arena. Then, once again, Rex charged in and this time the boy smirked a little as the Dual Scythes were glowing brightly in his hands, few moments before a golden glow enveloped him.
"You wanted my best, then I'll give you my best." Rex said challengingly just before he struck Dragunov in the chest again, leaving deep gashes that bled Ether. "Now, Roc!" Rex called out before throwing the Scythes to the avian Blade who was right behind the dragon.
"You asked for it, buster!" Roc boasted as he rose on his wings, "Now feel the air's fury!" And then he threw the scythes at Dragunov. The spinning weapons being enveloped by a stormwind.
To Yang's surprise, Dragunov smirked and prepared to guard. With the way Dragunov was smirking, Yang expected him somehow shrug off the attack and laugh. But instead, the fire Blade's guard was easily broken by the charged weapons. Then the weapons found themselves in their combined form in Rex's hands who spun them above his head, gathering more wind ether around them.
"Crimson Storm!" Rex called out as he finished the level 4 by throwing the weapons one last time at Dragunov who was flung against the cliff wall that was now behind him.
Roc then landed next to Rex and looked down on the mighty fire Blade who was brought so low now. "Had enough, hothead?"
Dragunov got on his hands and knees from the ground with a dazed look. But soon he was grinning from ear to ear, "Yes."
(End Song)
"What?" Came out of both Roc and Rex.
"Yes... Yes... Yes! This is it!" Dragunov said, now getting back on his feet with some trouble. His slight limp that came as a result of the attack was getting better by the second. Soon enough, he was practically running out of the practice field, and everyone gave him way.
All the while complaints about the fight ending too soon rained after him.
"Hmph. I guess he just got scared, after he got the wind knocked out of him." Mythra said, laughing a little at the joke she just made in Dragunov's expense.
Yang also laughed a little, until something hit her, "Wait, wind... That's what he wanted!"
"What?" Mythra looked confused.
"Yang, do you know what's going on?" Nia asked, right before Yang ran off. Presumably after Dragunov. "Hey, wait! Urgh, Dromarch! After her." Nia commanded as she climbed on her Blade's back.
"Very well." Dromarch complied and started running with his Driver on his back.
"Okay, now I'm curious." Mythra said, running off after the two herself.
In the end, everyone followed Yang's lead and tried following Dragunov. Tried, because Yang lost him. Apparently Dragunov was running faster than his Driver had ever seen him run. Which was why the gang had to split up and find Dragunov. Although before doing that, Yang explained that Dragunov probably gained some sort of revelation about how to complete the Wind Dragunite. Unfortunately, the last Yang saw of him was him running off with a leather sack, a large bowl and a bucket. Which leads the gang to check the last area Yang saw him at. And with Wulfric's and Dromarch's assistance they were able to track down where Dragunov went. Strangely, it seemed that he ran towards Uraya's head, but then again, that end of the Titan was now attached to the land, so if Dragunov wanted to get out of the Titan, then running to the head was the fastest way. Although when they got to Uraya's mouth, Rex couldn't help remembering the time how he, Pyra, Nia and Tora first ended up here.
Nia of course had to put in a jab at Pyra spooking Rex by accident. Mythra also wished she could have seen it, since she wasn't awake back then. Although unlike last time, the small body of water near the mouth was gone and the mouth itself led to a short tunnel that led above ground.
"That jerk better succeed with the way he's running us." Yang said as she entered the tunnel, ready to give her Blade a piece of her mind if he made her run all this way for nothing.
Soon enough, the gang made it out of the tunnel and into the outside air. Speaking of which, it seemed to be quite windy right now.
"Over there!" Pyra called and pointed to the direction she was looking at. Some ways away, Dragunov was sitting down, facing a cliffside with wind blowing against his face, which meant that the gang was downwind, and he couldn't smell them.
"I thought he was making the new Dragunite, not sitting around." Yang complained and stomped towards her Blade. Her newly tied hair billowing in the wind. As they got closer, Yang noticed a little something. The cross section where the dragon heads split across Dragunov's shoulder was glowing with golden heat. Then, Dragunov's tail was slapping the ground every which way. Lastly, it seemed like the fire Blade's torso was... twitching oddly. His head was also moving in a strange rhythmic pattern. Yang slowed down and motioned everyone else to be quiet as they now began to sneak. Soon, Dragunov arched his back and the glowing spot on the cross-section was moving up the left section towards the left dragon head. The glow slowly shifted from gold to orange, and then red. By the time the glow was reaching over Dragunov's shoulder it faded completely.
"-ere -t- mes!" Yang barely made out something Dragunov said before the left dragon head raised up from Dragunov's chest and did some movement that Yang wasn't sure what it was. Then they heard a sizzling sound, and a burst of steam came from somewhere in front of Dragunov. With that, Yang quickly moved to the side to get a better view of what was happening. But all she saw was the bucket that was filled with boiling water. At least it looked to be boiling because it wasn't over a fire or anything. Dragunov then put his hand into the boiling water and pulled out a large green stone. Still moving closer, ever so slowly, Yang saw Dragunov inspecting the newest product and then he placed the thing between his face and the lowering sun. The gem was turned every which way in Dragunov's hands. Finally, Yang got close enough to hear her Blade's awed words. "It's...perfect. I did it! I have remade the Wind Dragunite!" To Yang's and everyone else's shock, Dragunov was actually jumping for joy.
"Good for you, Drag." Yang said with a smile, causing Dragunov to stumble and nearly drop the Wind Dragunite.
"How long have you been there?!" Dragunov demanded with an accusing look. And then he seemed to notice that everyone else was there too, which caused his face to lose color.
"Hey, it's alright. You actually managed to make the Wind Dragunite. That's no small feat." Rex attempted to cheer the Dragon.
"You... you saw it?!" Dragunov looked to be on the verge of a panic attack.
"We only saw you pick up the stone from the bucket. Chill out, dude." Yang immediately said, which seemed to calm him down. But then her eyes drifted to the bucket of water that was still steaming, but it wasn't boiling anymore, "Speaking of which, how was the water boiling when it's not over fire or anything?"
Dragunov didn't reply, but then he suddenly gave an evil smile to Mythra, "Think fast." And then he threw the Wind Dragunite to the blonde Aegis.
"Whoa! Hey!" Mythra barely caught the stone, but suddenly she started tossing it around in her hands. "Ow! Ow! Ow! It burns!" Mythra screamed and threw the stone away and started rubbing her gloved hands. Once again, Dragunov caught it and twirled it around his hand.
"The stone hasn't cooled yet." Dragunov said with a smile, "After the successful crystallization process, I have to dip the stones into a bucket of water to cool them off. But the Wind Dragunite is a little bigger than most gems I have made, so it made the water boil."
"But since you're a fire Blade, you can touch it safely." Yang surmised with a small smile while Mythra was glaring at the dragon Blade.
"Exactly!" Dragunov said with a smile before rubbing the green diamond against his face, "I just can't believe I managed to make another Dragunite."
"Well, he's certainly happy." Nia said, thinking that a happy Dragunov was a weird Dragunov.
"Let him have this." Yang said with a smile, "This is a huge achievement for him." And if Yang was being completely honest, seeing Dragunov this happy made her feel a bit warm and fuzzy inside. Especially if this meant that Dragunov will forget about making her unable sit for a month or shaving her head bald. Yang resisted a shiver at the last part.
"Yang." Dragunov then said. "Technically I still owe you at least making you unable to sit for amonth, but considering the end results, I forgive you."
"Nice to hear." Yang said with a smile, refusing to sigh in relief.
"As for you two." Dragunov shifted his attention to Rex and Roc. "Come here!" And before anyone could react Dragunov swiped the two with each arm into bone crushing hugs.
"Ugh!" Rex sounded out, desperately trying to breathe while Roc was trying to caw in protest.
Fortunately, Dragunov put the two down before Rex's face had a chance to turn blue. "Thanks to you blasting me with Roc's Special Art, I was literally struck with the inspiration I needed."
"Uuhh... You're welcome." Rex said between gasps of precious air.
But then Dragunov's look soured, "Honestly, now I'm having second thoughts about using my precious Dragunites as bait."
"Drag, we're not handing over something like the Dragunites over. Not really. It's not like someone who wanted to kidnap Pyra and Mythra could appreciate them anyway." Yang said again non-chalantly.
"You're not wrong about that." Dragunov said, grasping the green diamond tightly in his hand, "If all goes well... Well depending on what they wanted to do with them, I might break their faces."
"Get in line, Dragunov." Mythra said, having stopped rubbing her hands.
"Sounds to me like we're ready to hatch a plan." Roc said, "But first, I think we need the rest of Yang's friends in on it."
"Fair enough." Yang shrugged and took out her Scroll, ready to call her friends and get them in on the plan.
AN: There we go, the Arrogant Behemoth is slain, Dragunov created the Wind Dragunite. Which for Yang luckily meant that she will be able to sit normally after all. But now it's time to hatch a plan to hopefully catch Ryuko's and Satsuki's Driver.