Dragon
Wars
Episode 4: Course & the Cometrident
Act One
Near the end of summer, on August 25th. At the north end of Gatineau, Vanessa rides with Drake on Shadow, who is flying urgently to go somewhere.
Drake: That's it! Low-level evasive maneuvers! Come on, bud!
Vanessa: Please, hurry! We're running late!
Narrator: When you're riding a dragon, communication is key. You almost have to read each other's minds. And you have to have an open mind, because sometimes, your dragon knows better than you.
Shadow makes it to Les Promenades Gatineau, where a few soldiers, including Tyler and Stanley, investigate a damaged truck that has a giant hole in the container.
Narrator: Most of all, when you're living in the military, it's always one way: the Army Way. Since the dragons came and the war broke out, that has become, well… the Hard Way. Unfortunately some people, like the General, still refuse to change.
Vanessa: Augh! We missed it, didn't we?
Tyler: Yeah. It's those rogue dragons again. That's the second truck this week they've destroyed.
Stanley: Well, this is another load of shit. We just lost another shipment of food, just when we were this close. [to a soldier] Jameson, scanned the area for any working cameras. We need to see how this happened, and how we can calculate their schedule.
Jameson: Yes, sir.
As the soldiers take their leave, Stanley walks over to the other three.
Stanley: Speaking of schedule Dalloway, we're gonna have to work the Alpha Team's assembly.
Drake: Yes, sir. We could have saved it if we'd gotten there sooner.
Vanessa: Well, I know how you could have gotten there sooner. If I'd flown on my own dragon, we could've all been there in five minutes instead of ten. And we might've been able to chase away-
Stanley: Vanessa, remember when you turned sixteen and you wanted to drive?
Vanessa: Yeah?
Stanley: And then the time you smashed the car into a lamppost?
Vanessa: [gasps; bluffing] Oh, uh… that was because it was dark, and I… couldn't see that light.
Tyler: [to Drake; whispers] This is like watching a seven-year-old wanting his first dog.
Drake: [whispers] Yeah, I know what you mean.
Vanessa: Anyway, General, this will be different, I swear. Because it's about-
Stanley: My answer is… negatory. Because as the General of the Canadian Forces, I do things the Army way, not the dragon way. Most of all, you were in danger, twice this year.
Drake: Okay. Well, the Army way has been costing us a lot of food, and almost as many containers.
Tyler: He does have a point. If Vanessa was on a dragon, she would be protected from a lot of things. Even Hunter.
Drake: Right! That's what I was going to-
Stanley: You're right, Jones. Hunter knows we have dragons. He'll be back.
Tyler: You saw what those dragons did. They had Hunter on the run.
Tyler turns around to see Shadow, who is standing by at the scene.
Tyler: But most of all, if your daughter learns how to train a dragon, that means you could learn as well. Imagine if you were commanding them.
Stanley: [interested] Hmmm…. I'm listening.
Drake: [to himself] Clearly not to me.
Tyler: I can see it now. The Dragon King, the famous war hero of the Ultimate War, who stands side by side with a proud military commander, guarding the country astride another fearsome fire-breathing reptile. [shivers] That gave me goosebumps.
Stanley: Now I see your point. [to Vanessa] Tell you what, I will think about these things. But in the meantime, the Alpha Team must investigate the Gatineau territories for those rogues, starting with the Gatineau Hills. See if they have a nest there.
Drake: I don't see why not. But does Tyler know what rogues we're up against?
Tyler: No telling yet. But once we get those cameras working, we'll inform you when we can.
Later, the Alpha Team is out in Gatineau Park, looking for leads and clues to find the rogue dragons, wherever they are. With Michael on his dragon, Surfboard intentionally flies through a bunch of tree branches.
Michael: Hey! Are you trying to kill me?! I think you missed a branch!
Surfboard flies into more branches, getting covered in twigs and leaves.
Michael: [dazed] Got it!
Ethan: Clover, up!
Clover disobeys Ethan's command to fly between trees, because she flings him up to go under before he lands on her back.
Ethan: Okay, maybe down instead. Aiyah, I almost died.
Michael: Almost died? I would've died! And look at my face! My pretty face, probably invested.
Ethan: Maybe or maybe not. It's not like nothing a good medicine can do.
Done with the searching, Drake motions the team to land in a clearing, and they all gather together, minus Quinton and Helios for some reason.
Dusty: We've checked. But we can't find any nests anywhere.
Rocky: Yeah. I think they're nesting somewhere else.
Vanessa: Well, they can't be in town. My dad would've known it by now.
Michael: But how can we find dragons when we don't even know what they were?
Drake: So far, not yet. But Gatineau Park has nested many breeds before. The least we can do is look around until we…. Wait a minute. Where's Quinton?
Rocky: Last time I saw him, he was flying ahead, and he did this. AAAHHH-AAAAHHHHHH! Does that count?
Drake: Okay. Vanessa and I will go looking, the rest of you head up north.
Drake rides on Shadow to go find Quinton, Vanessa sits behind him to talk to him.
Vanessa: Listen, Drake? About what I said today….
Drake: No, no, I'm with you on that. You're interning to the Dragon Shelters, learning how to train dragons, and so far… you're getting the picture. But if he sees you riding one, there's no telling what might happen. If Ironfist finds out, she'll make me run fifty laps.
Vanessa: Luckily for you, SC Reg is gone on patrol for the rest of August. And let me worry about my old man. Whatever he's got to say, I can manage it. I'm his daughter after all.
Drake: Okay, but what I'm trying to say is-
Vanessa: There he is!
They both find Quinton and Helios caught in the trees, and Drake walks over to Quinton on a lower branch.
Quinton: Guys. You actually came.
Drake: Well, why wouldn't we?
Vanessa: Hey, did you crash?
Quinton: [awkwardly] Who, me? No, no! I, uh… just thought of resting and watching the clouds for a few minutes. [beat] Okay, I crashed.
Drake: Alright, hold still. I'll get you down.
Drake tries to pull Quinton from the tree, but he ends up pulling off his pants instead, which Vanessa quickly looks away from.
Quinton: And there goes my dignity.
Drake: Yeah, you're pretty stuck. I think I know how to get you down, but you have to stay perfectly still.
Quinton: Why? What are you going to do?
Drake: [to Shadow] Careful, bro, he's not wearing clean underwear.
Quinton: [worried] Wait a second, what does my lack of pants have to do-
Then, Shadow shoots the branch, and Quinton falls off the tree, but the Dark Saber catches him. Quinton takes his pants back from Drake before putting them back on.
Quinton: Thanks.
Vanessa: [looking away] Does he have his pants on?
Drake: Yeah. Now, what are we going to do about-
Suddenly, Helios crashes down to the ground, breaking the tree. He gets up, shaking the bits and splinters off him like a dog.
Quinton: Can you do me a solid and… not anyone Helios broke the tree? He's sensitive about her weight.
Vanessa: How did this happen?
Quinton: Well, I was just flying along, taking notes on the flora and fauna… typical guy stuff. And something weird jumped out of the bushes. It was like a… flying snake.
Drake: [looking skeptical] A flying snake? In Canada?
Quinton: Or a lizard. Or some other flying reptile.
Drake: We have dragons.
Quinton: I don't know Drake, but it scared the hell out of us. Isn't that enough for you? Anyway, we're off.
Quinton mounts on Helios and flies off, leaving the other three alone.
[Shadow snickers]
Drake: I know, right? A flying snake.
Vanessa: But Drake, maybe that's what-
Drake: Whatever he saw, it's gone now. We don't even have-
Suddenly, something on fire zooms straight across his path. Vanessa stifles a scream in surprise. Shadow pounces on her and Drake to the ground, protecting them both from what it was.
Vanessa: Whoa! You saw that, right?
Drake: I did. But, uh…. It looked like it was on fire.
Act Two
Following the way where the object zoomed into, Drake crawls his way out from underneath Shadow, and he sees a creature in a rock. It sticks out its head, revealing to look like a red snake with a pattern of holed, purple diamonds running down the back of its neck.
Drake: There it is.
Vanessa comes out from hiding, seeing what Drake is seeing.
Vanessa: It is a snake. But… doesn't look like any serpent I've seen.
Drake: Let's go check him out.
However, when Shadow sees the creature, he stares at it and hisses at it.
Drake: You're not helping. Let's see if we can-
Shadow grabs Drake by the shirt and pulls him back away from the serpent.
Drake: Whoa, hey, Shadow! What's gotten into you?
Vanessa: Okay, let's see if I can do it.
Vanessa walks over to where the snake is cowering in the rock. She stretches out her hands, but the serpent gets aggressive and nearly snaps at her. Then, she gets an idea as Vanessa takes out a Mr. Big bar.
Vanessa: Here. It's okay. It's just chocolate.
Slowly, the snake warms up to her, and it walks out, revealing itself to be a little dragon with two wings, two legs, and an armored tail with spiked tip.
Drake: It's a dragon. A new species.
But the dragon gets startled by Shadow snarling, and it jumps on Vanessa, then she gets in pain when he opens up his claws. Drake rushes over and pulls the little dragon off of her arm.
Vanessa: Little dragon, big claws!
Drake: Okay. Now we know Quinton was telling the truth. So we can bring him along and see if-
[Shadow barks]
Drake: Hey, be nice to him.
As Drake strokes on the little dragon's spine, the latter stares at him, flicking his tongue, then he warms up to him too.
Afterwards, Drake and Vanessa have brought the dragon home to the Shelters, showing him to the team and Gilbert. Tyler is working on the furnace for the facility.
Gilbert: Blimey, this is a bit of a cock out, but I've never seen anything like him.
Rocky: Doesn't look like a flying snake to me.
Quinton: This is actually very exciting! A whole new species! We have no idea what it's capable of! There's no telling what it might do.
Rocky gets in the dragon's face and gives him an order.
Rocky: Flame! Do it!
But the dragon jumps on his face and chews on his nose, while Dusty laughs at him.
Rocky: AH! Get it off, get it off, get it off!
The dragon jumps to Dusty next and bites her nose too.
Rocky: Ha, now that's funny.
Gilbert: Anyway, Drake, I'd doubt you think this little guy could be responsible for those truck disasters.
Drake: Maybe not this guy alone. I think that maybe he's been hibernating underground until the war's aftermath, and he's gotten so hungry that he and others would've… attacked those trucks for food.
Gilbert: But that wouldn't work either. The last truck was in Promenade, and he's found in Gatineau Park. That's too far for something as small as him to just do such a thing.
Drake: We still have to figure out what to do with him. He's just really scared, so he'll have to settle down.
Quinton: Um, new species, remember? There's no telling what he could actually do. So… somebody's got to take him home.
All the team members step away, leaving Drake holding the little guy.
Tyler: No way! We're not taking him to my house. I've got a one-dragon limit.
Drake: Oh, come on! He's not a very big dragon! Think of him more like… a flying snake.
Tyler: Don't want one of those either. Shadow, light 'em up.
Shadow opens mouth to light fire in the furnace, but the little dragon shoots first and lights it, much to everyone's shock.
Tyler: Heh, looks like you burst.
[Shadow hisses]
Tyler: Oh, that's his name, by the way. Burst.
Vanessa: [disturbed] "Burst"?
Tyler: You have a better name?
Vanessa: Well, I was thinking, maybe, Sebastian. Or maybe Flounder.
Michael: Are you kidding? He's not a fish.
Vanessa: Anyway, I think I should take him. I want to prove to my dad that I can train a dragon, so that's what I'm gonna do.
The little dragon, now named Burst, begins running around the team on all fours, checking them out one by one. When he walks too close to Shadow, he hissed at him to scare the little dragon off, and Burst bumps into the wall.
Drake: I suppose… Vanessa should do something about him. But maybe she shouldn't bring her home.
Ethan: Sounds good to me. But Drake, Shadow seems irritated by him for some reason. Any ideas?
Drake: It might be because he's too strange to him. Maybe Dark Sabers aren't used to… whatever Burst is called.
Vanessa: That can wait. Maybe when I train him, Shadow would have a change of heart for Burst. I'm gonna teach him to flip through the air and catch frisbees upside-down. But right now, I'm just house-training him.
During the conversation, Burst begins to walk away out of the room, but nobody is noticing it.
Gilbert: That's too much wishful thinking, Vanessa. Because depending on what we're dealing with here, it could be a disaster. Because my father had a dog that he couldn't train, and he had to put him down.
Vanessa: Really?
Quinton: And we need to keep him out of trouble. I had a kitten who was in so much trouble, my mom gave it away while I was at school.
Tyler: Either way, a wild animal can be a troubling animal, and they should be put down if they don't cooperate. That's the law.
Drake: We're not putting down anyone. He may be little, but I'm the Dragon King. He'll have to….
Then, Drake realizes that Burst is nowhere to be found in the room.
Michael: Where'd he go?
Tyler: Search the building. He can't be too far.
Now the Alpha Team runs around the Shelters, looking for Burst everywhere.
Dusty: Yeah, I agree with Michael. Naming him after a fish is bad. We should call him Houdini.
Ethan and Quinton are both in the locker room, checking the floor and inside the lockers.
Ethan: Burst? Come here, boy.
Quinton: [worried] Please don't be too far off. You heard what Gilbert said.
Rocky: Hey, I think he's down the drain.
Rocky reaches his hand into an opened drain, looking for Burst.
Rocky: Come back up, dude!
Dusty: He wouldn't fit down there!
While everyone else searches around, Burst actually runs outside the building, and scurries across Exhibition Way to go up a building, entering an apartment room. A toddler boy is lying on his bed, looking at a comic book, but he doesn't see the curious Burst walking over to him. He sniffs at his foot, and didn't like what he smelled, so Burst bites on it.
Drake is outside with Shadow to look for Burst, until they hear a scream that startled them. They quickly rush inside to the source of the screaming, as the boy's parents hear it as well. The boy is doing tug-o-war with his shoe and Burst.
Mother: What's going on?!
Boy: Gimme back my shoe! Give it back!
Drake: Burst, put it down!
Burst snatches the shoe and throws it across the room, leading to a lamp breaking and the parents gasp.
Act Three
Later, Tyler checks on the boy's foot with the worried parents standing by.
Tyler: No puncture marks or venomous liquids. Not even an inch of spit. I'd say your son is okay.
Mother: Thank heavens. I thought I was gonna have a heart attack.
Father: He's safe now, honey. But how did that thing get inside?
Tyler: We're taking control of it now, sir. But if his foot starts acting up, come to my office at 10 in the morning. Have a nice day.
In the Shelters, Burst is now wearing a collar and tied to a leash with Vanessa holding it.
Gilbert: This should do it. I've put a microchip into his collar, so we'll be able to find the little bugger wherever he goes.
Burst sniffs, looks annoyed, then he starts chewing his leash. But Vanessa gives him a soft smack on the head to stop him.
Vanessa: Burst, sit.
She makes Burst sit down, but he keeps standing up.
Vanessa: No, sit. [sternly] Sit!
Drake: Vanessa, that's not going to work. If you just force him like that, he'll keep disappointing you.
Vanessa: I just want to show him who's boss.
Drake: Okay, but this will be better. I've bought some KFC.
Drake brings out a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken, which Shadow gets excited over. He sits down on a chair to eat a leg, while his dragon lays down and begs to have some, but he ignores him.
Drake: I'm eating first, which is how Shadow understands who's boss. If I want to feed him, he has to be-
But he gets distracted when Shadow taps on his shoulder with his tail, and he swipes some chicken pieces from the bucket, eating them as Vanessa giggles.
Drake: Well… it barely works with the likes of him.
[Shadow snickers]
Vanessa: Well, I should try.
Vanessa is given the bucket to eat some chicken, and Burst begins to scurry around, hopping and begging for chicken pieces like a dog. Shadow growls at the little guy, but Drake shoves him back. Relaxing now, Burst sits down, waiting to be fed, and Vanessa gives him a piece.
Vanessa: That's how you sit.
Gilbert: Not bad. Not bad at all. But this is only the tip of the iceberg. You've got a long day ahead of you.
Meanwhile in the General's office, Stanley is pacing around as the technician working the footage of Les Promenades, and he watches the news on TV.
Anchorman: In related news, with the end of summer vacation on the way, Gatineau has had yet another grocery truck attack by the work of unidentified, rogue dragons. Thus far, it's marked the second attack in one week, while many of the citizens are ranting for all the delays for groceries to make end's meet, and some had to re-schedule birthday parties in the process.
Stanley: Anything so far?
Technician: Not quite yet, General. The camera is badly damaged, and will take time to repair it, as well as the bugs on the video.
Stanley: Until we know what we're dealing with here, we're gonna have to tell all the truck drivers to stay at home.
Technician: Understood. Hey, wait. I think I got it.
The technician is showing the video on screen, it's showing only when the trucks are being attacked, before it goes static.
Technician: That must be during the attack this morning. It'll take hours, but I'll manage.
Stanley: Keep at it, soldier. We need to know what we're dealing with here and fast. Otherwise… we might have starving citizens this year.
At sunset, Vanessa carries Burst into the lounge room, where Drake is on the chair, Gilbert and Tyler are on the sofa, and Shadow is on the floor.
Vanessa: Everybody, I want you to see this. He learnt it in only two hours.
She puts Burst down on the coffee table to give him demands.
Vanessa: Burst, speak!
[Burst roars]
Vanessa: Good boy! Burst, sit.
Burst doesn't sit and keeps roaring, while the others look at him with blank expressions and Vanessa shrugs.
Vanessa: He did it a minute ago. Burst, come.
Burst keeps roaring and doesn't come.
Vanessa: Well, he learned one. Burst, speak.
But Burst goes quiet and everyone loses interest, while Shadow shakes his head. Then, Tyler's phone rings and he answers it.
Tyler: Hello? [beat] Really? Understood. [hangs up] Gilbert, that's the General; he wants to see us.
Gilbert: Alright, we're out. You two watch the place until closing hours.
Tyler and Gilbert both take their leave out of the room. But as they left, Vanessa exhaustedly walked over to the sofa and flops over to lie on it.
Vanessa: [sighs] I'm beat. This is more difficult than I thought.
Drake: It's not at all that bad. It's almost like taking care of a dog or a cat.
Vanessa: Easy for you to say. I never had a pet. Actually, I think nobody in our generation's ever had one. Not since the war broke out.
Drake: Well, Burst is still new here, and he's just learning. Let's just feed the dragons. It's already ten past seven.
As Vanessa takes a quick nap, Drake walks over to the fridge and takes out a roasted turkey on a platter. He pulls the wings off, puts them on another plate, and he gives them to both Shadow and Burst.
Drake: Okay, a turkey for you, and two wings for you. There you go, boys, your first supper together.
While Shadow is distracted for a brief moment, his entire meal is devoured and he sees Burst has devoured his own fish too, who then burps. He grows angrily at Burst, scaring him back up to the coffee table. Drake doesn't see this when he walks back.
Drake: Whoa, Shadow! You're sure hungry tonight, aren't you, bro?
Later, Vanessa is putting Burst to bed in the storage room in the basement.
Vanessa: Here you go, Burst. You look good as new on your bed.
However, Burst jumps out of bed, and hides in between Vanessa's legs, whimpering. She puts him back, but he has a hangdog expression.
Vanessa: What's wrong, boy? Are you scared?
Vanessa looks around the basement, seeing how scary it is when it is pretty dark. The lawnmower looks like a monster, and a tree branch hits the window. When Drake enters, Vanessa screams in fright, but she quickly realizes it is only him.
Drake: Oh, sorry. Are you tucking him in for the night?
Vanessa: Should we find him some other place to sleep? He's scared.
Afterwards, Burst's room is moved to a corner of the lounge room, where he is in a cage, and the little guy is now asleep.
Drake: This cage is big enough to fit a rhino, so he'll have enough space.
Vanessa: Shh! See, he's perfect. He went right to sleep. Goodnight, Burst. See you in the morning.
And so, the two of them are taking their leave, but Burst wakes up and makes a little roar.
Vanessa: Burst, go to sleep. We'll be back.
But Burst roars again, only to be shushed when Shadow growls at him.
Drake: Shadow, down! [to Vanessa] How about this? You go home, and I'll stay here with him.
Vanessa: Are you sure?
Drake: I'll be fine. The couch is more comfortable than my bed, anyway.
Vanessa: Well… alright. I have to go home, though. My father would worry if I came home late.
Vanessa takes her leave, and Drake rests on the couch, while Shadow lies down on the floor next to him.
Shadow: Goodnight, Shadow. Hopefully you'll… warm up to him in the morning.
But Shadow glares at Burst through the bars of the cage, where he rolls around on his bed to make himself comfortable. For a while he stares at the little dragon angrily, but he lowers his head down and goes to sleep slowly.
In the meantime, Tyler and Gilbert are both looking at the nearly-fixed video, where it shows the truck being attacked, and the screen shows that it was done by a larger dragon yet to be revealed.
Gilbert: This is as much as they can get I'm afraid. But Tyler, what do you think this could mean?
Tyler: Something big, Gilbert. That's all I could think of. Something… big.
Far away from Ottawa to Gatineau Park, the rock where Burst hid under remains there until two large shadows loom over it. They look inside to find nothing. Furious, the dragons burst fire and roar loudly, which Shadow hears so far away, waking him up. He quietly walks away, hops through an opened window and flies off to land on a skyscraper. Shadow watches the catastrophe happening at the other side of the Gatineau hills, worried about what's to come.
Act Four
The next morning, Vanessa wakes up and gets out of bed. She looks at the timing on her watch, gets dressed right away, and walks down the stairs to go past the living room where her father is having toast. But before she could get out the door, Stanley calls to her.
Stanley: Vanessa?
Vanessa: Oh. Uh…. Yes, dad?
Stanley: I need to speak with you for a moment.
Vanessa walks away from the door to the living room in order for Stanley to speak with him.
Vanessa: What is it?
Stanley: I've been thinking about what you said to me. And just last night, Jones told me that you've been… training a little dragon?
Vanessa: Yeah, I, uh…. I have been, but he's just… being a little too difficult for me to manage, so I thought.
Stanley: Yes, well… you've done some things that I never even taught you to do, and I was astounded. I mean, you haven't ridden your own dragon yet, but you knew what were you doing and you listened to Dalloway's advice. And for that, I'd say…. [pauses] You can have a dragon.
Overjoyed, Vanessa hugs her father to thank him, and he hugs back.
Vanessa: Thank you, dad.
Stanley: However… I have to see how well you do it.
In the lounge room, Drake is still sleeping on the couch until he hears birds chirping, which is enough to wake him up yawning. Then, Shadow's face is sticking up to his, and it causes him to freak out.
Drake: Shadow! What's the matter with you?
[Shadow barking]
Drake: Bro, you're gonna have to realize something. I don't speak dragon.
Drake looks at the cage, and he sees that Burst is wide awake.
Drake: I hope you slept overnight. Because you were too noisy. Anyway, how about some breakfast, you guys?
He gets up to the cupboard to take out a box of oatmeal. He pours it on a big bowl, and he gives it to Shadow, but he does seem to be interested in eating it, much to Drake's confusion.
Drake: What's the matter? You love oatmeal.
Voice: Attention! General on deck!
Right on cue, Drake salutes and Shadow stands up straight, as Stanley walks into the room with Vanessa.
Stanley: At ease! Dalloway, I hope you've had a good snooze.
Drake: Without a doubt, sir. Just to keep our noisy guest from whining.
Stanley: So… where is he?
Vanessa gestures to the cage, where Stanley stares through the bars, and Burst walks over to eye him.
Stanley: Well, I'll be damned. He really is a little guy. Any idea on what breed he is?
Vanessa: No clue yet. Drake thinks it's a kind that's been… sleeping through most times of the war until today.
Stanley: That wouldn't seem right. All the dragons would have to wake up after Goliath rose from underground. But anyway, I'm here to see how Vanessa can fly. When will you start the lessons?
Drake: Well, I was going to wait until you authorized it. So I guess… the others would have to document Burst for me, while I give Vanessa some flying lessons.
Vanessa: Great! Dad, you're not going to regret this.
Later, the trio are at Hog's Back Parking Lot. Drake is showing Vanessa Shadow's saddle controls.
Drake: Here, you have the handles with bike brakes. Just simply push one to indicate where you want him to go, and to stop you push them all at the same time. That way, anyone would be able to control Shadow.
Stanley: [to Shadow] You hear that? One of us has the power of controlling you.
Drake: Whoa, whoa, sir, uh…. Before you get on a dragon, you've got to show him he can trust you.
Stewart: He should trust me. I'm his commanding officer!
Vanessa: No, dad. It's not like riding an actual bike. Shadow is a living being; he has a will of his own. Just approach him carefully and let him see if he can bond you.
To demonstrate it, Vanessa extends her arm out, letting Shadow to sniff her hand, and he allows her to touch his snout.
Vanessa: Like that.
Stanley: [impatient] Okay, save it for Disney. Can you get on him now?
Vanessa mounts on Shadow, Drake mounts on him as well behind her, and he puts the seat belt around them both.
Drake: Now, just start out nice and slowly. Just give him a little nudge when you wanna-
But Vanessa kicks Shadow in the side, causing them to shoot off the ground.
Drake: I SAID NUDGE!
Vanessa: That was my nudge!
As Drake is sharing instructions, Shadow flies around over Ottawa's suburban area.
Drake: Just remember, he can't read your mind. Use the brakes to tell him where you want to go.
Vanessa: I know that.
Drake: Then why are you heading for that building?!
Vanessa: Because you're distracting me!
Drake: Just watch out for that-
Vanessa: BUILDING! LEFT!
Vanessa hits a brake, and Shadow banks left to evade the building, but he begins flying erratically all over the sky.
Drake: Hey, what is this?!
Vanessa: Dragon's fault.
Shadow flies straight through some trees, getting twigs and leaves all over the riders.
Vanessa: This time it's my fault.
Drake: Augh! My me?!
Act Five
Tyler and Gilbert are on the Shelters' field with the Alpha Team to start documenting Burst.
Tyler: Alright, Burst. Let's begin with your physical.
Quinton: Oh! This is so exciting! Documenting a whole new species… learning all about it!
Rocky: Wait, learning?
Dusty: No thanks.
Gilbert: There's nothing in the Dragon Journal that looks anything like him. So he's definitely a new species.
Ethan: So we get to name it? I don't know if I'm ready for that.
Michael: I am! I'm gonna name the shit out of it!
Tyler puts Burst on a scale on the table to measure his weight. When the scale beeps, he writes them down on his clipboard.
Tyler: Fifteen pounds and thirty-two ounces. A good weight. Next, the size.
Gilbert lifts Burst off the scale and measures him with a measuring tape.
Gilbert: Nine inches to the hips, twenty inches in length and twenty-five for the wings. That's the size of a common raven.
Michael: Raven-Viper. No, uh…. Winged Serpent!
Gilbert: Let's check on his mouth, shall we?
Tyler opens Burst's mouth up with his cybernetic hand, and he uses a mini flashlight to illuminate inside of it.
Tyler: Black teeth; carnivore. No cavities or venom glands, so he's not poisonous. And his eyes are blue, based on movements like Sharktails and Peckers.
Ethan: How about we do a claw-test?
Ethan holds out a piece of paper in front of Burst, who slices it up.
Quinton: Look at these talons. They're razor-like.
Michael: Claw-Wing! Razor-Feet! Razor-Sharp-Claw-Talon-Feet!
Rocky: Hold on. Is he serious?
Tyler: I think we've covered most of what we need to know. Does anyone have any suggestions on what else we could add in?
Quinton: Well… I may have an idea. Only the single most important test to determine a dragon's reaction to arachnids. So I'd say… the spider-detector.
Quinton pulls up a glass container with a tarantula in it, and he releases it onto the table. The other dragons fly away in terror of the spider. But Burst stays as he sniffs it, then he eats it whole.
Quinton: [shocked] He ate it! He actually ate a spider! [laughs]
Michael: Spidernator! Come on, that's a good one.
Tyler: I think we've pretty covered most of what we need to know. But with him being a carnivore, we need to see what kind of meat he enjoys.
Tyler takes out a fish from a bag, showing it to the little dragon. Burst sniffs it, then he begins to eat, but he spat it out in disgust.
Tyler: I guess he doesn't like fish.
Gilbert: This could be a problem. If his breed feeds on land animals, my grandpa will flip his wig if he hears about a dragon preying on his cows, and they're getting used to being around them.
Tyler: We'll get to that later. Right now, let's see if he can fly. Quinton?
Quinton: Yes, sir. Helios!
Helios walks over, and Quinton mounts on him before he takes flight, grabbing Burst's attention. As soon as Helios comes back, Burst gets on the ground, wagging his tail back and forth.
Dusty: What's he doing?
Ethan: I think something's wrong.
Rocky: Aw man, we broke him!
Gilbert: Maybe he can't fly.
But Burst's tail sparks and the team backs away. He quickly flies up with his tail on fire, and he flies around all over the field, until he dives with his head and wing pointing downward. He lands on the table before the flames go out. It also reveals after that flight, it creates a burn mark that looks like his tail, leaving everyone amazed.
Gilbert: By George. You… are one incredible little dragon!
Quinton: Did you see how he flew? His tail was on fire like a comet!
Ethan: And when he dove, he was shaped like a trident!
Michael: Hot-Tail! Flaming-Cobra! Come on, that's awesome.
Quinton: No… this is better: Cometrident.
Michael: Cometrident? I don't get it.
Back in Hog's Back, Vanessa's riding skills prove an unsuccessful flight as with her doing so properly, causing them to crash-land on a beach. Drake groans as he tries to get up, but Shadow picks him up to his face and makes an irritated expression.
Drake: [whispers] I am so sorry.
Vanessa: My bad, Drake. Let's just have another go. This time I will-
Stanley: Denied. You're only learning to train, but that and riding are two different things, and you can't do both without getting excited.
Vanessa: But dad, I just had to-
Stanley: Not now. It's lunch break. Get in the Jeep.
Stanley is walking over to his Jeep, but he can see that there is a heavy traffic on the highway, which makes him let out a sigh in defeat.
Stanley: Corporal? We'll need a ride.
Hiding in the bushes, there are two men who look like robbers, spying on the unsuspecting trio.
Robber 1: You see them?
Robber 2: Yeah, I do. Aren't we going to catch the Dark Saber?
Robber 1: Not now. We still have to wait for our generator to go on, in order for us to hide ourselves from being detected. When that's done, we'll contact a buyer, and catch what we can from the Shelters. Ooooh, I can count the money already.
Shadow takes flight again, with Drake and the General on his back, but Vanessa is being carried by the arms.
Vanessa: Drake, this is no uncalled for.
Drake: Yeah, but you did some crashing on Shadow, so just watch what I do up here.
Vanessa: Well, get another backseat or something. I look like he hunted me.
However, Stanley is noticing that Shadow is flying away from town.
Stanley: Dalloway, you're heading out of town.
Drake: Just sit back and enjoy the ride! We are taking the scenic route!
Stanley: I don't mind a scenic route, but my stomach would take it into my brains.
Drake: Sir, just think about how much easier it can be on the back of a dragon.
Stanley: Well, I prefer to be down on the- Wait. Down there.
Stanley sees a bunch of cows on their sides in a field. Vanessa sees someone sneaking his way behind a haystack.
Vanessa: Drop me off there.
Shadow drops her, and she lands on the haystack before she corners the boy, who did the cow-tipping, to the cart. The dragon makes a landing as Stanley scolds him.
Boy: What? I was just having fun.
Stanley: You want fun? Here's something fun! I want all of those cows back on their feet! [to Drake] Is this what you meant?
Drake: In a way. Let's see what else we can do.
Next, they ward off some raccoons who are eating from garbage cans. Before they can finally head back, Drake takes Vanessa and Stanley high up into the clouds and gets a majestic view of Ottawa. As they land on top of a skyscraper, Stanley is utterly stunned to see the city from this perspective.
Stanley: You know, I made the downtown area my stomping ground when I was your age. I trailed the roads, explored the parks, swam the pools. I've traveled every inch, but I never thought I'd see it like this.
Drake: It's beautiful, isn't it?
Stanley: No, it's more than that, son. Look at them. All of my people. Everyone is safe. That's a good feeling every patriot wants to see and feel. And… perhaps you can teach her some more. But first, she has to learn how to ride on solid ground first.
Drake: Affirmative.
Vanessa: [pleased] Thanks, dad.
With a smile, Stanley hugs Vanessa under his arm.
Stanley: But more importantly, be sure that I would learn too. I'm starting to get the hang of riding. Maybe I could've been a Mountie instead. [laughs]
However, he sees a big veil of smoke coming from the Gatineau hills.
Vanessa: Is that a fire?
Stanley: Maybe those rogue dragons again. You two move on, and I'll get Jones to take a look at it. [pauses] Um…. I'll need another ride.
Act Six
Afterwards, Vanessa is riding Shadow erratically all over Old Ottawa, but she is getting the hang of it.
Vanessa: Whoa, Shadow. Steady there. I almost got it.
Eventually, she continues flying on Shadow, now having him fly straight and still. They scare a pack of wild dogs into a dogcatcher's truck.
Dogcatcher: Thank you, miss!
Next, Vanessa and Shadow stop a few barrels rolling down the hill. When Vanessa hits the brakes, Shadow hovers in mid-air, and blasts the river, throwing fish into the air which she then catches in a net. She rides him away back to the Shelters, and lands on a target as Drake presses the time on his watch.
Drake: Time! Two minutes and four seconds. That's a new record.
Vanessa: Great, huh? I'm getting better and better.
[Shadow chirps]
Vanessa: Yeah. He totally gets it.
Shadow gets petted on the back of his head, which makes him purr. But he goes back to his angry attitude when Burst walks over to Drake, sniffing around him. When Drake sees him, he takes out his phone to snap a picture.
Drake: You're next, Burst. I'm gonna snap a picture of you.
Shadow hears a growling in the distance, and charges up to Drake trying to tell him something. But at the same time, Vanessa falls off and Drake's phone breaks on the ground.
Drake: Shadow! That was my phone! You just broke it, and Vanessa was on you!
[Shadow barks]
Drake: Hey, that's enough! Vanessa?
Vanessa: I'm fine. Here, let's get another phone. Mine should be done charging by now.
Drake and Vanessa both take their leave. But for Shadow, he picks up Burst before he walks off with him, until Burst flung his spiked tail at his face, forcing him to drop him back down. When the little dragon runs off, Shadow chases him into the Shelters. They run into the locker room, hit everything around, run around, and Shadow tackles him, then he looks worried because of the damages he made. Then, Drake and Vanessa spots them and they look worried, as they shove Shadow off before Vanessa picks him up.
Drake: Shadow! What the hell's gotten into?!
Vanessa: [to Burst; motherly] Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?
[Burst roars]
Then, the rest of the team, minus Tyler, arrive in the hallway to notice what just happened.
Dusty: Forget calling him Houdini. How about Jinx?
Vanessa: Whatever Burst did, I can clean it up.
Quinton: Then, you'll need this.
Quinton holds a pooper-scooper in one hand and Rocky holds a shovel.
Rocky: No way, you'll need this!
Michael: [stunned] Holy shit! They were in the locker room too!
Inside, the walls are scratched and several items have been knocked over, as everyone gasps at the sight of it.
Ethan: Aiyah!
Gilbert: By Jove, this looks really bad.
Michael: My deodorant collection! [walks over]
Drake: Shadow, bad dragon!
[Shadow whimpers]
Dusty: You still think he's so smart?
Later, Gilbert has a talk with Drake and Vanessa with Burst tied to his leash.
Gilbert: Miss Falcon, I think Burst should stay outdoors until he's house-trained, okay?
Vanessa: He'll be trained in no time, I promise.
Gilbert: When he is, he can come inside again. Now let me know if you need help moving anything.
Afterwards, Burst's cage is moved to the field as his new home. As Drake is bringing in a red wagon of old newspapers, Vanessa sets up the little dragon's bed for him.
Vanessa: I hope those papers will be enough.
Drake: [worried] I don't know what to do with Shadow. Why's he acting up like this?
Vanessa: Let him cooperate. If he is smart, he'll have the heart to just be nicer to Burst.
Drake: That's ironic, because… he has half of his own, while I have the other.
Vanessa: Look, let's just go home, okay? I'm getting tired already.
Drake: Alright. Shadow, come.
But Shadow doesn't come as he just stays away from Drake. When he walks closer, he walks further away.
Drake: Shadow!
Vanessa: How about I ride him? He'll drop me off at home, and he'll fly back.
Drake: Okay. Maybe he's… worried I would punish him or something. I'll just ask Gilbert to drop me off at home.
Vanessa mounts on Shadow, and he takes off into the sky to drop her off home, while Drake stands by looking worried and rejected.
Act Seven
At night, Tyler drives a Jeep across Gatineau Park before he makes a stop before the soldier Jameson in front of him, and he jumps out to greet him.
Jameson: Sergeant, sir!
Tyler: What happened here?
Jameson: No idea. Sometimes a fire would catch when the weather is bad, or when there's a little accident.
Tyler and Jameson walk through the trees to a field beyond utterly devastated. The trees are burned and fallen. Small fires still flicker across a landscape in Hell. They stumble through the dark wasteland, with sparks and ash swirling around.
Jameson: But for something like that…? It's got me beat. We think it was attacked by some enormous beast.
Tyler: I can see it might be. Maybe it's those rogue dragons, only not raiding the trucks this time.
Jameson: But we still don't know what made this. Do you think it could be another C-Rex?
Tyler: Not it's style. If it was anything like a Calamitous Rex, the whole park would've been burned into a crater. Even Goliath wouldn't be interested in doing this. Not when he'd have to get food. I'd estimate it had to be another Pyro-Class dragon. Fire-breather, fast, doesn't leave much behind…. What about casualties?
Jameson: Negative. There were no cottages around, and the nearest pathway is only two kliks to the northeast. So there were no casualties. However, we did find this.
Tyler follows Jameson to his truck across the burnt field. Jameson opens his trunk of the vehicle and takes out what's left of a license plate, which Tyler examines in his cyborg hand.
Jameson: That plate belonged to the first truck that was raided. So, true to your words, this is the work of your rogue dragons.
Tyler: This cannot help, Jameson. The General is desperate to identify the species of the culprits, and the sooner I fill out my report, the sooner I can get back to them.
Tyler walks away with the plate and he enters his Jeep, but he sits down there, deep in thought.
Tyler: "Enormous beast." But what… and why? Well, whatever it is, it's not like the famous Dragon King couldn't worry.
He starts the engines, and turns on the headlights, which showed a huge pile of food.
Tyler: Oh MY GOD!
Shocked, he jumps out of the Jeep, falling into the floor. Jameson rushes over when he hears the scream, staring at the food pile.
Jameson: Holy Christ. That's the missing food! They're all here!
Tyler regains himself and stares at the pile as well.
Tyler: Everything but… beef, pork and chicken. [pauses; realizing] Hey, hold the….
Jameson: What's that supposed to mean, Jones?
Tyler: I may have an idea of what we're dealing with here, and it looks like… a lot as what it seems to me.
Then, Tyler finds a piece of skin near the food, and he picks it up.
Tyler: I want you to snap a picture of everything a hundred yards around, and send them to the General's quarters, pronto.
Jameson: Yes, sir. [salutes; leaves]
Back in Ottawa, Shadow stands on the roof and lets Vanessa dismount him, but she pets on his head for something.
Vanessa: Please try to go easy on him. He's new, but he's still little.
[Shadow chirping]
Vanessa: Seeya tomorrow.
Vanessa slides down the roof, and opens the bedroom window before going through it. Now that she is home, Shadow takes flight to head back home. He reaches Tyler's house in Rockcliffe Park, climbs down a tree like a cat, and enters through a garage side door where Drake is sleeping in bed. Without making a sound, Shadow walks over, and prepares to sleep with him, but he picks up a scent of something.
Shadow flies up to stand on the roof, listening to what he just heard. As it is getting clearer to him, he takes flight again and crosses over the Ottawa River to Gatineau. He goes farther and farther away, all the way to Champlain Lookout, which had scorched trees. He makes a landing in a clearing, and Shadow begins sniffing the ground.
[creature roars]
From hearing that roar, Shadow gets a little terrified, so he hides inside a cave in the trees to avoid being discovered. He hears the ground shaking twice, as if there are two big creatures out there. As Shadow watches, he sees a car fly across, rolling. As the car goes over the cliff, there is a very loud bang when it hits the ground.
[Shadow whimpers]
Then, a wing slams in front of the cave, but the unknown creature can see it before it lets out a fierce roar, followed by another, and it departs elsewhere, leaving Shadow alone in the cave.
Act Eight
The next morning, Gilbert is visiting Drake and Tyler at home with Burst checking the backyard. While Tyler is staring at the skin he found in thought, the other two are having breakfast, but Drake isn't eating as he looks concerned.
Gilbert: You've hardly touched your food. Is something the matter?
Drake: Shadow's not behaving well. He's not even eating right. He was fine until we brought Burst home.
Tyler: I've heard. The whole locker-room massacre. But do you think the little guy was being mean to Shadow?
Drake: No, I'm saying he's acting like he's jealous. Which is great, so… my first girlfriend is a dragon.
Tyler: Well, he should be. He may be your half-brother and guardian angel, but he's still an animal. They can be so emotional when their owner is around another, even at a different species.
Gilbert: One of the details you never thought of knowing. Something must be going on under the surface. Dragons are complex creatures, Drake. They operate on many emotional levels.
Tyler: Speaking of dragons, I think we're close to identifying the rogues we're looking for. I've found this piece of skin, and we've found the missing food. At least… most of them. The only things missing are red and white meats. Basically the flesh from farm animals, minus the fish. The skin matches with Burst's scale colour, and that's when I made the conclusion: Cometridents. We're dealing with more Cometridents, maybe ten, or a hundred, maybe even a thousand.
Gilbert: Oh, balderdash, Tyler. A thousand would be too much. It's not like we're dealing with Solarrats, and they've been extinct since '43.
Then Shadow runs up, very agitated and trying to tell Drake something with his barks and chirps.
Drake: Whoa! Shadow! [to Gilbert] You see? This is what I've been talking about. Bro, settle down!
Burst jumps in, and Shadow quickly grabs him with his mouth before he runs away with him into the backyard.
Drake: Wha- Hey! Shadow, put him down!
But before Shadow can take off, Tyler steps right out and blocks his way, ready to battle.
Tyler: You wanna dance, Godzilla? Because I've got my dancing shoes on!
Burst's tail suddenly sparks up and flies away from Shadow. Shadow follows him and Tyler grabs his tail, unable to stop him. Burst lures Shadow into the house and Gobber gets hit from a few obstacles on the way, even Gilbert's bowl of Froot Loops.
Gilbert: AH! My Froot Loops cereal!
Drake: Shadow, no!
With so much crashing, Tyler finally lets go after hitting one of the shelves, but he finds a ukulele, much to his joy.
Tyler: Gilbert! I've found you ukulele!
Gilbert: You did?! Now I can get the band back together!
Just as Shadow is close enough to catch Burst again, Drake steps in front of him.
Drake: Shadow! STAND! DOWN!
Growling, the two of them face each other eye to eye, while Gilbert makes unhelpful music.
Drake: Not. Helping.
Gilbert: Sorry.
Drake: That's it! I've had it! Get into the garage right now!
Shadow barks in protest, but Drake stomps on his own foot, causing him to feel the pain on his own.
Drake: I mean it! Now!
In angry defeat, Shadow walks into the garage door and Drake closes it shut with force.
Tyler: Drake, if those two keep fighting each other, I don't know how we can keep this up.
[doorbell rings]
Drake: It's Vanessa! She can't see all this!
Tyler: Go on ahead. We've got this.
As Tyler and Gilbert begin to clean up the mess, Drake rushes over and opens the door to find Vanessa there, but he quickly comes out before closing the door behind him.
Vanessa: Drake, what's all the rush?
Drake: Shadow tried to snatch away Burst, and he trashed the place.
Vanessa: No way!
Drake: Yeah, way. Anyway, we're gonna have to postpone the flying lessons, because Shadow is grounded until he calms down.
Vanessa: Actually, Drake, that's what I wanted to tell you. You know how much I'm getting used to when I'm riding on Shadow, but at the same time, I feel pretty bad about it, because he's your dragon.
Drake: Yeah. That seems fair.
Vanessa: So, find me one.
Drake: Uh, sorry?
Vanessa: Find me a dragon as good as Shadow. That shouldn't be so hard for you, right? I haven't told my father about it, because he'll just… deny me.
Drake: Well… I'll see what I can do when we get to work.
Later in the day, Drake and Vanessa are both in the field with the Alpha Team and their dragons assembled.
Drake: The finest dragon species found throughout Canada and the United States. They're all represented at the Shelters.
Michael: Let me showcase to you Surfboard. The Monstrous Nightmare is the only one with the prestige for anyone of our stature. Since he's charming, people think he's not tough. But he is the sharpest tool in the shed, so you should never underestimate him.
Vanessa: Well, he is a beauty.
Vanessa pats Surfboard firmly on the nose. Alarmed, Surfboard swings his sharp tail around, nearly missing her.
Vanessa: Michael!
Michael: Yeah, I, uh…. I guess you should've been careful with the nose.
Drake: Next.
Drake looks at the Stilwells, as well as Fin and Flip, squabbling amongst themselves.
Drake: Next!
Ethan: Clover has the number-one trait all steeds should have: loyalty. A dragon who will be there for you no matter what. The last face you see at night and the first face you see in the morning. Warming your bed when it's cold outside, a shoulder to cry on when the world has turned its back on you. How could you not love a Waspo? [sniffles] Sorry, that one was emotional for me.
Vanessa: Sorry, Ethan. I'm looking for a dragon. Not a mother. [to Drake] All that's left now is… Quinton.
Drake: I don't know. Helios is a Diablo Sharktail. They have a habit of unleashing fire at will.
Quinton: Only when they're agitated, yes. But Helios is great with girls. Surely with someone like him, you can never go wrong. He is brave, bold and daring towards anything life can throw at you.
Vanessa: Hmmm. So far, I'm going with a Sharktail.
Suddenly, Drake's walkie-talkie goes off and he presses on it to let it speak up like a police scanner.
Walkie-talkie: All available units: we've got reports of a Furious Phantom pack on the rampage at Island Park. Requesting air support.
Drake: Furious Phantoms? Shadow, let's- [realizing] Oh, yeah. Quinton, I'm gonna need to borrow Helios for now.
Quinton: Sure thing, Drake. Just make sure he doesn't crap on the way.
Vanessa: I'm driving. Lemme show you how I work this out.
Drake is about to get on, but he concedes to Vanessa, and mounts up behind her.
Drake: At least she blocks the wind.
On Island Park, a couple of citizens are grabbing their picnic and they are encircled by a trio of Furious Phantoms, some of them spraying acid to corner them. Helios is almost at the scene, where Drake and Vanessa witness the pack's assault.
Drake: Look at that. This is what Gilbert thought Phantoms would never do: hunting in packs.
Vanessa: Fire a warning shot. Let them know we mean business.
Drake: Shadow- I mean, Helios, liquid fire!
When Helios fires a few blasts of liquid fire at the island, it grabs the Phantom's attention. They take off and fight Helios in the air, and when Helios unleashes his fiery coat, Vanessa jumps off to tackle one of them. She puts up a brutal fight against the dragon when they land, but the dragon matches her strength also.
Vanessa: Oh, she's a fighter!
Vanessa delivers one punch on the Phantom's snout, forcing her away, but she swings her spike tail to strike back, and the former jumps over it like a skip rope.
Vanessa: She's got spunk!
While the other dragons fly away, Drake dismounts Helios when he landed, and Vanessa captures the one left behind with a net.
Drake: Vanessa, what are you…?
Vanessa: This is the one, Drake! I've found my dragon! Now all you have to do is train her for me.
Drake: [stunned] What?!
Meanwhile, Shadow is still in the garage, sulking about being locked in there for punishment. He feels like he has to do something, but he isn't sure how to get out as he stares at the side door out of the garage. He looks at it, and when he eyes his front paw in thought, it gives him an idea, so he reaches out to hold the knob. He turns it, and the door opens, much to Shadow's relief, before he takes flight back into the air.
Act Nine
At the Dragon Shelters, the female Phantom is caged with a muzzle on.
Drake: Sorry about the muzzle. [to Vanessa] Now look, this is a first. We've learned how to train dragons from a Dark Saber to a Diablo Sharktail.
Vanessa: Which means… you'd have no problems with this one either.
Drake: Vanessa, this is a Furious Phantom we're talking about here. They spit acid and it melts through anything. Are you sure you want this?
Vanessa: I do. She's big enough for me to ride on, and when I looked at her, I felt like I saw myself in her. It's like I….
Drake: Well, you're not wrong there. You were pretty rough when we first met.
Vanessa: What are you talking about? I wasn't that bad.
Drake: Anyway, what's really important is that you let him know that he can trust you. You have to make eye contact.
When Vanessa nods his head in agreement, Drake opens the cage, allowing the muzzled Phantom to walk over, and she growls at her.
Drake: Now let her come to you. She'll check you out, whether or not she'll let you touch her.
Vanessa: Okay. I'll just… take one step closer.
Vanessa walks a little further, and the Phantom walks over as well, still being aggressive. But she reached the end of her chains attached to the end of the cage, close enough to Vanessa's face. Slowly calming down, the Phantom sniffs around Vanessa to check her, and she has little interest in her, she huffs and kicks some dirt before walking back into the cage.
Vanessa: What was that?
Drake: Just give her time. She doesn't know you yet. Come on, let's see if we can find some chocolate she can eat.
The two of them walk off to go somewhere, leaving the Phantom alone in her cage, but Burst walks in to check on her. Instead of getting aggressive, the dragon checks on Burst, who crawls all over her and slides down her tail, before cuddling on her cheek. Burst walks out the cage, hopping around so happily. Suddenly, a metal net catches him, which belongs to one of the two robbers from earlier sneaking into the field, and he ties it up.
Robber 1: Gotcha! Hehehehe. Hey, I think it's a new species. This will be worth a fortune in the black market.
Robber 2: Oh yeah, and that Phantom would make a fine leather suit.
As the other robber takes his leave, his partner advances on the Phantom, who is now defenseless with her muzzle on her. Then, Vanessa arrives at the scene and fights the robber, disarming him of his knife. But the robber draws a pistol at her face, then the Phantom whacks him away with her tail to save Vanessa, and Drake arrives to pin him down.
Drake: Who do you think you are?!
Robber 2: Take it easy, man. I wasn't gonna-
Vanessa: Don't lie to us! You never lie to the military. Tell us where your partner is or your dead.
Robber 2: Are you kidding me? I'm not telling you where he went, and there's no way you're gonna make me.
But Vanessa gets an idea when she looks at the Phantom, who is closer than she was before. She reaches out her hand, and finally, the Phantom lets her touch her snout, and Vanessa takes off her muzzle. The Phantom growls at the robber, dripping drool of acid.
Vanessa: [smugly] Furious Phantoms have acid spit. They say acid melts through anything. Should we see how fast it can… melt a skull?
Robber 2: [panicked] AAAAHHHH! ALRIGHT! I'LL TALK! HE WENT TO OUR HIDEOUT IN SOUTH KEYS! I SWEAR!
Drake: We'll have to hurry. I'll get the team to-
[Shadow barks]
Drake: Shadow?
Shadow flies over the field and lands right next to Drake, holding the robber down with his paw.
Drake: [stunned] How the hell did you…?
Vanessa: No time for that. Burst is in trouble.
Inside the Shelters, Gilbert is commiserating with Tyler, while Tyler is removing a tooth from a Waspo. They are already informed of what's happened.
Gilbert: By Jove. A break-in from robbers, stealing from the Army, and they attempted to flail a Furious Phantom? The last one was a risky task.
Tyler: But however this happened? We're gonna have to install some security systems all over the arena.
Tyler pulls a bad tooth out of the Waspo, and its owner pays him cash before leaving.
Tyler: Have a good day. [to Gilbert] Also, we'll inform the General about this, in case the Alpha Team may need some assistance.
Gilbert: I agree. I can go with it.
Then, the laptop on the counter begins to beep wildly, and Tyler walks over to check on it. It shows the video of the truck attack in Promenade. With all the static gone, he and Gilbert can see it more clearly than ever. Like before, it shows the drivers running for their lives from whatever's chasing them. A roar is heard, almost like the one Burst makes, and a big foot stomps on the truck to pin it down. Tyler and Gilbert are both concerned for what that is, then they see pictures of the scorched woodlands, and a familiar burn mark but bigger than what they have seen earlier.
Tyler: [stunned] Good God. You're seeing what I'm seeing… right?
Gilbert: Yes. I was right. For once, I was right. We're dealing with something big, and… more dangerous than we thought. With a bigger burn mark like this, that means….
Tyler: A bigger… Cometrident.
On Island Park, a huge dragon which is a Cometrident but bigger lands there to pick up a scent, with another one on the bridge. Picking up a scent, which can be Burst since he's a baby, the Cometrident roar loudly, and their tales unleash fire before they fly over to the only city in their way: Ottawa.
Meanwhile, the other robber is driving his truck into South Keys, and it parks into the garage of a house. He walks in with the caged Burst, talking on his phone.
Robber 1: Yeah, yeah, I know what I said. I have a good memory of what I told people. At least, all the good ones in a few days or so. Anyway, I have a picture of what I've captured, and it's a new one too.
He puts the caged Burst on the sofa, and continues his talk with his buyer, but he sends a picture of the little dragon.
Robber 1: You got it? Good. Pretty cool, huh? I'm not sure yet about it, but my former partner overheard those Army dogs calling it a Cometrident, which is a stupid name, if you ask me. And speaking of which, imagine we added another zero to the price, huh?
Buyer: I don't care. Just gimme.
Robber 1: What?
Buyer: I'll pay anything you want. Just hand it to me.
Robber 1: Yes! Yes! You got a deal! I'll be on the next flight to Japan! Seeya!
He hangs up before turning his attention to Burst, who is now scared.
Robber 1: [snickers] You should get comfortable in there. Where you're going is where they'll… make a big meal out of you, while I'm getting all the big bucks.
Suddenly, a roaring is heard from outside, and the robber pulls out his gun, ready to fire. He cautiously walks over to the door, but when he opens it, Clover is standing there.
Robber 1: [scared] AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!
In vain, he closes the door and locks it. But the door is smashed through and the whole house falls apart. Burst cowers within his cage as some of the debris falls on top of it. When everything is cleared out, the robber is exposed as the Alpha Team and their dragons glare down at him.
Robber 1: [scared] I was just… cleaning and leaving.
He is about to leave, but Helios grabs him with his mouth, and wags him around to arrest him. During that, Vanessa rushes over to follow the whimpers from Burst's buried cage, she moves the debris off and tries to break the lock, but it remains intact, so she picks it up.
Vanessa: It's okay, Burst. I got you. You're okay.
Rocky: Well, this was a short mission. I'd prefer if something would make things explode.
Then the dragons pick up a scent, causing them to be worried. Suddenly, a gust of fire flies over and burns down parts of South Keys, as the team ducks down for cover. Looking up, they saw one of the adult Cometrident flying in the sky, burning things.
Rocky: Hey, I got my wish! Finally!
Ethan: Aiyah. Is that…?
Drake: Cometrident? Yeah. And… Burst's mother.
Vanessa: [shocked] Burst is a baby?!
Drake: That's what Shadow was trying to tell me.
Quinton: [petrified] Whoever gets between that mother and this baby… is gonna get fried!
Michael: Quinton, let's just get on our dragons and bail out.
The mother looks down, and when she spots Burst in Vanessa's arms, she roars as she flies towards her.
Drake: Everyone, mount up!
The Alpha Team mounts on their dragons and fly away, being chased by the mother, who is snapping her jaws to try catching them.
[Cometrident roars]
Ethan: Drake, she's too fast for most of us!
Drake: Split up now! She wants her baby, and that's it!
But Burst's slips out of Vanessa's hands to go downward.
Vanessa: Burst, no!
Michael: I got him!
Michael rides Surfboard down after him, while the mother is on his tail.
Michael: [to the mother] Hey babe, uh…. Can we talk about this? I've always wanted girls chasing me, but this may be too-
Then, Michael gets hit by a tree branch, and this time he falls off of Surfboard, before landing into the Rideau Canal.
On land, Stanley, Tyler, Gilbert and a handful of men stand on guard at Nepean, where they see the mother flying towards them.
Stanley: Target in sight. All units, open fire!
The troops fire their guns, which draws the frightened mother away, and she goes somewhere else. But Shadow arrives at the scene with Drake warding them off.
Drake: No, hold your fire! Stop shooting!
Tyler: Drake, stand down. We got this-
Drake: You can't shoot her. She's only looking for her baby, and it's Burst. You gotta tell them off.
Stanley: Stand down, Corporal. You've had your chance to-
Vanessa: He's telling the truth. The baby's in the cage, but I can-
Stanley: You can't see this clearly, but I've got a-
Vanessa: [annoyed] Would you shut up and listen! You gotta trust me. I just need to find the baby, while Drake can ward off the mother. Please.
[five second silence]
Stanley: I'll take care of him.
Vanessa mounts off to find Vanessa, and Drake rides away on Shadow back into the air. Stanley speaks to Tyler and Gilbert.
Stanley: You really think the target's a mother.
Tyler: It's the only hypothesis we have, sir. This may be one of the rogue dragons we're looking for, and the big one's been taking those groceries to feed her family.
Gilbert: But before we do anything, we should barricade all highways to isolate the dragon.
Stanley: [to the soldiers] You heard Hackett! Barricade the highways and await further commands! Go, go, go! [beat] And get me a motorcycle!
Vanessa runs around to look for Burst's cage. She hears his little roar, calling for help, and sees him floating away in the canal.
Vanessa: Burst! Hang on, I'm coming!
She runs over to jump into the water, swims away with strokes, and catches the cage before swimming back to shore.
Act Ten
In the air, Shadow flies farther away from Nepean with the mother closing in on her. Then, the Stilwells fly in between to stop the mother, and their Ironback sprays boiling hot water at her to the ground.
Dusty: Say it, don't spray it! [laughs]
But the mother remains unharmed as she regains her bearings, and she swiped the Stilwells with her tail, sending them off into the trees.
Rocky: That could've gone worse.
Dusty: Shut up and kick yourself!
Now Drake has to once again evade the Cometrident, using their evasive maneuvers to shake off the dragon.
Drake: We have to lead her back into the forest away from town.
[Shadow barks]
Shadow is pointing with his head at a forest not too far ahead, which Drake quickly understands now.
Drake: Oh, yeah. Now I understand you. Alright, let's go fly!
With a plan to stop the dragon, Drake and Shadow fly upwards and quickly dive to the ground and fly straight ahead. Due to the Cometrident's size, she is unable to make a sharp turn and crashes into the ground. Then, a tree falls down to hit her on the head.
Shadow lands on the ground next to the fallen Cometrident, and the General arrives on a motorcycle.
Drake: I hope she's okay.
Stanley: Not bad, son. Maybe I should've asked you a long time ago.
Drake: But she will wake up. We gotta find Vanessa before-
Then, the other Cometrident arrives at the scene, roaring at the humans.
Stanley: [alarmed] Christ! Another one!
The mother wakes up, regaining her bearings, and stands side by side with the other Cometrident, perhaps her mate. Shadow growls, protecting the two humans, while Stanley takes out his pistol.
Stanley: Drake, stay behind me. I'll shoot if I have to.
Drake: That won't work. They can withstand boiling water.
Stanley stands guard, preparing to shoot at the advancing and growling Cometridents. Then, Vanessa comes running to the scene, with the cage in her arms.
Vanessa: Wait! WAIT!
She stops in front of the parents, and when she finally breaks open the cage, she brings out Burst.
Vanessa: Here he is.
The mother looks at him in shock, then she lowers down her head to lick her infant. Burst jumps off of Vanessa's hand, cuddles on his mother's head, and the father cuddles with him too, all happily reunited.
Stanley: Well, I'll be…. They really are a family.
Drake: Shadow, we did it. Everybody's back where they belong.
However, the parents look back down at the humans, and they are still ticked because they had to go through so much trouble to find their baby, so they prepare to attack them. But before anything can happen, Burst communicates them with clicks and squeals, like explaining something to them. When they understood, the adults withdrew their heads back. Burst flies down to Vanessa's arms, cuddling with her, and she hugs him.
Vanessa: You should go, Burst. You have your parents now. But… goodbye.
Burst gets on his mother's back, and the entire family ignites their tails before flying off into the sky.
Vanessa: [ashamed] Dad, this is my fault.
Stanley: Don't be ashamed. They did what any parent would do. Making sure their kid is safe and sound. To be honest, I'm not impressed the way you snapped at me, but… you're showing me that you're not a kid anymore. [smiles] I just need to realize that.
As Stanley and Vanessa hug each other, Drake looks at Shadow to say something to him as well.
Drake: I'm sorry too, Shadow. I guess I'm… still not good at communication like everyone else. I always wanted a brother, but I never dreamed it would be like you. You're better than any brother I could ever hope for.
Now that he accepts the apology, Shadow licks Drake in the face and cuddles with him, purring. Vanessa walks over to scratch under the dragon's chin.
Vanessa: You know, this has been one crazy summer so far. And it's not over yet for me.
A few days later, on the last day of August, Vanessa is giving a presentation to the Alpha Team on the Shelters' field, and Stanley sits among them.
Vanessa: Welcome everyone to my presentation! What you're about to see will astound and amaze you! And now, introducing my new dragon… Ariel!
Right on cue, Gilbert plays a tune with his ukulele and the female Furious Phantom walks out of the cage, standing beside Vanessa.
Dusty: "Ariel"? She named her Ariel?
Quinton: Well, it sounds like a cute name for a dragon.
Ethan: [praying] Lord, please tell me this won't be a disaster.
Vanessa: [to Ariel; whispers] It's now or never. Show them you can do it. [clears throat] Ariel, speak.
[Ariel neighs]
Rocky: [bored] Been there, done that.
Vanessa: Stay.
Vanessa walks off, and Ariel stays put on her spot.
Stanley: Huh?!
Vanessa: Come.
Ariel walks over to Vanessa, and sits down, much to Stanley's amazement.
Vanessa: And… salute!
She salutes with her wing, and Vanessa does the same. Everyone stands up and claps to applause.
Quinton: Way to go, Vanessa!
Gilbert: Very good!
Vanessa: She can fetch too.
Stanley: Alright, you had me there. I owe you, Drake. Starting tomorrow, I'll be needing a report on how you all trained your dragons sent to my office, and we'll see if I can train my own sometime.
Drake: Roger that, sir.
Then, Shadow vomits half a chocolate bar into Drake's hand, gesturing him to eat it.
Drake: Uh… yeah. I owe you.
Vanessa: You know, Drake, you're right. Ariel is like me. She can be rough sometimes, but she does have a soft side.
Narrator: Communication between dragon and rider goes both ways. Not only must the dragon follow the rider's lead, but the rider must listen to the dragon as well. Because sometimes, what the dragon is trying to say is what you really need to hear. We just do things the Army way. Fortunately, Vanessa showed her father that the Army way can also be the dragon way.
Hours later with Vanessa on Ariel, they take a stroll throughout Ottawa with Drake and Shadow following also. Vanessa steals a kiss on Drake's cheek as a way of thanking him, and both of them fly into the horizon with their own dragon.
The End