"Here's your mail Gil," Hope said as she joined the group in the human house's common room.
"What is it?" Gil didn't look at it.
"I don't know what it is but it looks important," Hope answered. "If I'm not mistaken this is the president's seal on it." That grabbed everyone's attention.
"Read it for me." Gil nonchalantly handed the paper to Lizzie who was sitting next to him in the windowsill.
"Dear Mr. Uchiha-Saltzman…yada yada yada…urgent information? Woah Gil you've been summoned to the white house! They want to talk to you about a matter of national security!"
"First you know Noraa Black, now this? Who are you guys really?" Landon asked nearly choking on his cereal. "The Power Rangers?"
"The president is the nation's half king right?" Hercules asked lying down taking up a whole couch.
"You could say that, Herc. The president has high diplomatic and military responsibilities, but they aren't the only power in America's government" Josie explained sitting on a nearby armchair.
"Politics have become quite complicated here…" Hercules sighed.
"Tell me about it." Lizzie said, but she was surprised again as she kept reading "actually this says they want to see a few of us. Gil, Herc, me, Josie, Hope, Landon, and Kelly are all supposed to go."
"Wait they called for everyone here but me!?" Raphael was upset.
"I didn't get an invite either" Ilpyo added from his corner.
"Sorry, Raf but it doesn't mention you, and I don't think they know you're here Ilpyo" Lizzie answered.
"He came with Noraa Black, everyone knows he's here," Kelly said.
"Why are you even here?" Lizzie asked Kelly.
"Unlike you, some of us have friends" Kelly shot back "I'm hanging out with Josie and Hope."
"You little bi-"
":Does the letter say anything else, Lizzie? What do they want." Gil interrupted.
"Not much explanation about why us either... that's not weird at all..."
"(They move faster than I thought, I didn't think I'd have to deal with her so soon.)" Gil thought
"So when is the meeting?"
"In three days."
"We're going to meet royalty!" Hercules shouted "how exciting!"
"We're going on business Herc you have to behave" Josie warned him.
"Of course Jojo, HAHAHAHA!" His excitement didn't dwindle in the least.
"That's not reassuring in the slightest Herc," Gil said before his phone rang. It was Dr. Saltzman informing them of the two new disturbances in town they would go check out. Though both had already proven themselves hostile one seemed far more dangerous. He'd handle that one himself, and everyone else went to deal with the weaker one.
...….
At the scene of the first crime Lizzie, Josie, Herc, Raphael, Landon, Kelly, and Ilpyo found a bus that was overturned and bathed in flames. There were a few burned corpses in the bus who failed to get out of harm's way in time. Several valuable or just shiny items were dropped as if the perpetrator dropped them a hasty retreat. Inspecting the scene the students were dumbfounded at what could do such destruction and disappear leaving large claw marks on the bus.
"What do you think happened here?" Lizzie said getting closer.
"What has claws that big? Definitely not a bear." Landon joked looking at Hercules.
"Definitely not…whatever it is we have to take this seriously," Raphael said.
"HAHAHAHAAA! Finally a worthy adversary!" Hercules exclaimed.
"Herc you already know what it is?" Josie turned surprised.
"Fire? Large claws? What else can it be? COME AT ME DRAGON!" His voice thundered out.
"Dragon!?" Everyone was startled to hear Hercules's declaration as he tore a stop sign from the ground. On cue, the bloodcurdling roar could be heard as an answer to his challenge. An actual dragon emerged from the nearby forest. Everyone braced themselves for the fight of their lives.
"Fret not friends! Let me have this one by myself!"
"Herc! That's a dragon!" Josie shouted. "It's too dangerous for you to fight by yourself!"
"He should be fine, that dragon looks pretty low level…maybe a wyvern I think," Ilpyo said reclining on the roadside. "(I knew I should've gone with Gil and Hope. They don't need me babysitting here.)"
"Yeah let's watch the show. If it kills him the wolves can rest easy at school and we come back badasses, or he could win without us lifting a finger." Kelly said sitting down next to him. "Win-win in my book."
"You guys are jerks." Lizzie, Josie, Landon, and Raphael stepped forward but Hercules held his sign out.
"I shall be fine friends."
"But-"
"You all should take a few steps back." The dragon opened its mouth and let a huge jettison of flames that would've reduced them all to ashes. Did he plan to counter all that with a stop sign? Is he stupid? It'll definitely melt along with them. "HAHAHAHA! Let's go!" Hercules swung the sign with such force it created an air torrent canceling the flames out. A second swing's force disoriented the dragon mid-air allowing Hercules an opening to close the gap. The dragon swung its claw and Hercules deflected it with his sign but after two more swings, the sign gave out under the pressure and snapped. "I did not expect that…" Hercules said dumbfounded looking at his broken pole. The dragon swung its thick tail and sent Hercules flying into the burning bus and followed with an even larger blast of fire.
"Hercules!"
"Herc!"
"Herc you alive?!"
"HAHAHAHAHA! This is the most fun I've had since I came to this town!" The shock of great clap cleared the fire away as he stepped out of the debris steaming with burnt patches on his clothes. "Now let me get a little serious!" Hercules clenched all his muscles tight and took off faster than his friends and foe could perceive. A monster uppercut sent the dragon's next blast of fire straight up, and then he let loose countless punches, one could hear the crushing of the dragon's scales and bones before a final punch put a hole straight through its torso, sending it flying down the road. "Hmmm perhaps that was too much…" Hercules didn't notice how startled his classmates were by that display of strength. They figured he was strong, but how much does he really hold back at school? "What?"
"(Interesting… there was someone like him here? Is this what Gil wanted me to see? Salvatore might really help me grow faster.)" Ilpyo was the only one not stunned by Hercules's immense show of power.
...….
Across town deep in the forest, a storm seemed to center on one particular area, that's where Gil and Hope headed. Immediately upon entering the storm's bounds they felt a deep and condescending aura bare down on them. Whatever sat at the center of the storm regarded all below as ants and callously struck anyone who failed to escape its domain with lightning.
"What do you think we're up against?" Hope asked.
"I don't know but it seems pretty powerful to command the weather like this" Gil answered.
"Whatever it is, is hidden in the center of that big storm cloud." Hope pointed out.
"I was thinking the same thing," Gil said as an ornate bow appeared in his hand. He uncovered his Sharingan to take aim.
"(It's rare to see Gil take initiative like this…I guess that's why he only wanted me to come with him. Still…)I won't let you have all the action!"
"(Aww she's so cute when she looks determined)" Gil thought hiding his smile.
"FOOLISH MORTALS! YOU DARE TO BARE YOUR FANGS AT ME?" A thunderous voice sounded from the clouds. "I AM HEI-ZHAO THE MIGHTY DARK AZURE DRAGON! NONE OF YOU CAN HOPE TO EVEN HARM ME!" In the clouds above the silhouette of a large serpentine dragon could be seen flying around.
Gil didn't offer any answer other than a greatsword fired from his bow. Sensing some form of deference to the blade the dragon dodged, but even still it was grazed causing excruciating pain. The dragon howled in pain shaking the very earth they stood on. "Balmung the dragon slayer's sword."
"HOW DARE YOU, PEON!" The Azure dragon's head emerged from the clouds mouth wide open preparing to fire a blast of lighting,
"Hope dodge!" The ensuing blast illuminated the whole area as they narrowly dodged incineration. Hope leaped at the dragon and threw a strong kick."
"PATHETIC!" Hei-Zhao prepared another blast for Hope but he canceled when another Balmung flew by his face. "(That one is the most troubleso-) he couldn't even finish his thought when Hope's foot smashed into his face. With a roar of irritation, Hei-Zhao shook her away and called down a twister on Hope. As she was sent to the ground Gil used his Rho Aias shield to give hope the stepping-stone needed to dodge mid-air. The dragon fired several fireballs to stop her but Gil kept creating more footholds for her to continue to dodge. Hope lunged at him and with a mighty roar it unleashed an inferno at Hope point-blank. Gil couldn't back her up because of the columns of lightning called down on him.
From inside the flames, Hope's voice rang out "Renewal taekwondo triple kick!" Her first two kicks created a shockwave that dispersed Hei-Zhao's fire, and the third smashed into his face. Hope fell and landed on a shield as Gil prepared his next attack.
"Amaterasu!" Black flames coated the great sword knocked on Gil's bow.
The blazing sword erupted into Hei-Zhao doing great damage, but he held strong among the black flames that wouldn't go out. "MERE CHILDREN SHALL NOT DEFEAT ME!" The azure dragon began to inhale a great breath; lightning crackled around it, and flames welled up in its mouth. It let loose a massive burst of fire and lighting which was met by Rho Aias' seven layers of flower-shaped shields, barely stopping at the last. "PERISH!" As the last shield held strong a root grew up and impaled Gil's abdomen dispelling his shield and the blast washed over him.
"GIL!" Hope yelled.
"HAHAHAHA, DID YOU THINK YOU HAD SEEN ALL MY ABILITIES?" The dragon laughed.
"Did you think you had seen all mine?" Gil's voice came from above as he flipped down from above "Renewal taekwondo ax!" A devastating heel drop sent Hei-Zhao crashing to the ground.
"(What a powerful kick) He opened his eyes to see both of them lined in front of him in the same stance.
"JIN!" They shouted together. The dragon drew up the last of its strength to fire another lighting flame blast. "HOECHOOK!" Two simultaneous kicks created a shockwave so great that the blast was blown away and Hei-Zhao was sent smashing through a large group of trees in front of them.
"That settles that," Gil said sliding his mask back down.
"But an actual Azure dragon? Where did that come from?" Hope said looking at the dragon. "Isn't that like a Chinese myth?"
"Hahahaha *cough*" the dragon laughed weakly. Hope jumped back cautiously and Gil readied his bow. "One with blood such as yours would call me a myth?"
"What about my blood?" questions Hope
"So I was defeated by the key who is unaware of its own existence…heh how shameful. Boy, you are of the Uchiha are you not?"
"I am. What of it?"
"Our clans were once allies, however, I could not control my earlier actions. My true name is Seiryu" the dragon explained.
"WAIT! One of the four saint beasts Seiryu!?" Gil asks as his inner nerd comes out. "You're really that Seiryu!?"
"Yes… *cough cough* I will perish soon, as my last free willed action I want you to take my son and form a blood pact like in the days of old." The dragon then spits up a large egg and Gil grabbed it. Biting his thumb he put his blood on it. A light emerged from inside as the egg cracked open, and soon a 2-foot little dragon emerged as Seiryu faded with a smile on his face. Being aware of how hard the Uchiha loved, he knew his offspring was in good hands.