"Fine, yes! Holy Catnip, let's get started already!"
I dread how long I will be forced to survive my time here.
****
Whoosh!
A dragon-shaped mass of fire shot through the sky at a high speed!
Bo-Bo-Boom!
The heat it radiated ignited the air, causing massive explosions to go off wherever it passed!
No cloud could form anywhere near where this cataclysmic phenomenon appeared. The high temperatures rendered any such process a virtual impossibility.
At this moment, this draconic blazing entity was barrelling towards a dragon that hovered aloft in the distance a few miles away.
The blazing figure closed that distance in no time at all and released its power the instant it rammed into the opposing dragon!
Boom!
An explosion of flames spread out in the skies above!
The rocky terrain below became red hot, and the lakes for miles went into a boiling frenzy!
"Sloppy!"
Bam!
A scolding followed by a massive blow sent the fire-wreathed figure flying towards the ground in a crash!
When the dust cleared, the flames that were present were gone, revealing a young-looking dragon covered in crimson scales that were cracked in several places.
Blood flowed from it in rivulets that stained the ground below it.
It struggled to stand as that last blow took from it a great deal of its strength. However, it had a goal to accomplish, and nothing could keep it from achieving it!
Fwap! Fwap!
A powerful wind assaulted it as it looked above to see a dragon with red-coloured scales staring at it with calm indifference. The powerful beats of its wings were like a quiet storm waiting to be unleashed. The name of this dragon was Long Zhe, the same dragon tasked to train Pebbles The Wondercat.
The dragon that was cornered on the ground stared at the one aflight with a rebellious glint in its eyes. Who else could it be but Pebbles the Wondercat, the infamous prince of the prideful dragon race?
"Have you had enough?" Long Zhe asked the young dragon.
"Meow."
"You…!" Long Zhe's fury ignited in an instant when he heard the sound that haunted his dreams!
"Void Searing Strike!"
Long Zhe's claws glowed bright red and gave off a heat that seemed as if he wished the void itself to erupt in flames!
Shu!
He shot toward this rebellious junior!
A black scar was left in the air wherever his claws passed!
Pebbles covered his body in flames the instant before the claws arrived. Yet this provided little to no defence as the claws tore through the veil of flames and landed on Pebbles the Wondercat's Body!
Vwoosh!
A heatwave spread out from the point of impact that set the air around it aflame!
…
"Hhrrmm…" A low hum escaped Pebbles as he opened his eyes to reveal the roof of the cave he stayed in for the duration of his training.
"Meów…?"
"Do you want another Void Searing Strike!?" A booming voice dripping with anger shook the cave where Pebbles was recovering.
"And in response to your question, yes! I have to be heavy-handed with my blows so that you are able to properly see how the Divine Tablet's techniques are executed!"
Long Zhe hated Pebbles's meowing to the core! This dragon prince refused to roar and instead meowed most of the time!
The worst part was that he, Long Zhe, was beginning to understand this infernal feline dialect!
Sure, there were intricacies involved that he had to admit put even the universal tongue of the human language to shame, but he would never admit it out loud, nor would he lower himself to entertain such a thing!
"Are you sure that you only wanted me to learn the techniques? Because it seemed to me that you only really started to act like an uncle I used to know after I meowed that last time."
Long Zhe snorted at Pebbles' accusation (even though it was true). "Trust me, the Void Searing Strike's true power wouldn't have left a corpse if I was even remotely serious."
"You don't say," Pebbles replied. He then started to reflect on the mock battle they just had. "Why didn't my Infernal Wreathe damage you in any way?"
"Your infernal wreathe is superficial and shallow, as it—"
"That's hurtful."
"Listen to me, you cat dragon devil!"
"Still hurtful."
"All of my hate! You have it! ALL OF IT!"
"..."
Pebbles could see veins appearing on Long Zhe's head, which was impressive, considering that with there being scales everywhere, this should have been a biological impossibility.
Long Zhe, on the other hand, was fuming—in every meaning of the word, he was fuming.
His anger rose to new heights, while smoke continuously spewed from his nostrils.
The only reason he didn't explode at the last minute was because Pebbles had mercy on his blood pressure and went quiet.
"Now, as I was saying." Long Zhe picked up from just before this conversation derailed into madness. "Your Infernal Wreathe is simply breathing flames and covering your body with it. However, you fail to grasp the true profundity of this move."
"And that would be?"
"Infernal Wreathe, much like the other techniques from the Royal Dragon Family's Divine Tablet, was created by your father, the Dragon King." As Long Zhe spoke of Pebble's father, his eyes turned to one of pride.
Pebble's father was an existence that all dragons respected from the bottom of their hearts. Dragons had always been a proud race. They were arrogant and overbearing, and they refused to submit to anyone, even if that person's strength clearly outclassed theirs.
However, the King was an existence that stood apart from the rest. His strength was in a different dimension, yet he never requested any dragon to bow to him or to pledge their loyalty towards him, even though his very presence sought fealty.
This showed that he, even as a King, valued a dragon's inherent pride and refusal to submit to anyone, more than the ancient customs of the one who rules standing above the ones who follow. This act of his won him the title of Dragon King, something that no ruling power within the history of dragons ever held.
Whenever a dragon bowed to another, it was not an act of submission, but of supreme respect, and there was none who received it as much as the Dragon King.
"These techniques are profound in their execution, and very few dragons are able to master even one." Long Zhe advised. "Your mother, the Dragon Queen, has only mastered four of the nine techniques herself. Of course, she is a genius, and no other dragon has even come close to mastering so many." Long Zhe started to sweat when he mentioned Pebble's mother, so he quickly moved on.
"I cannot explain the profundity hidden within each technique to you, as each person possesses their own unique interpretation of them. I can show you my interpretation of the move if you wish, but you mustn't try to imitate it, as that would mark the end of your progress on that path. Of course, we would need to wait until you're fully healed," explained Long Zhe as he eyed the young dragon's injuries.
Maybe he was a bit too heavy-handed with his attack, but the meowing really drove him up a wall.
"What about the Void Searing Strike? Is that the second move? There doesn't seem to be much profundity there. Can't you teach me that one?" asked Pebbles.
Long Zhe chuckled when he heard this, "Execute the Infernal Wreathe properly first. Then maybe I'll consider—"
Suddenly, Long Zhe's eyes widened in shock, then horror. The words he wanted to say were caught in his throat.
He quickly left Pebbles The Wondercat's side and went to the mouth of the cave where he could see a massive dragon flying toward him. The aura he felt from this dragon was both awe-inducing and terrifying!
He was frozen with fear when he saw the dragon that closed in on him. Long Zhe was known as the second most powerful active dragon in the Dragon's Domain. Few could garner this sort of reaction from him, but it didn't mean they didn't exist; and this dragon, this was one of the few who could!
Boom!
The dragon landed with a crash, shaking both the cave and the mountain it stood atop. Long Zhe just stood there looking ahead as if he was petrified.
However, the new arrival didn't spare him a glance, it just entered the cave without a word.
Barring the greeting, the next few words echoed from within the confines of the cave caused Long Zhe to sweat in panic for his life!
"Hello, Long Tian Yan."
"How many times have I told you to call me Pebbles The Wondercat, mom!?"