After days of training and finally getting a decent handle on the "Flame of the Dawn" or at least, not burning herself in the process Yukari was feeling pretty proud of herself. Sure, she wasn't exactly a walking inferno yet, but at least she could produce something bigger than a ping pong ball. Small victories, right?
But of course, Hinote, being the eternal flame-jerk that he was, didn't think so. "Well, you've been throwing around sparks for long enough. Time to see if you can do something useful with that fire of yours."
Yukari shot him a glare. "You call learning magic sparks? Do you know how hard I've been working?!"
Hinote rolled his eyes, his fiery feathers ruffling in amusement. "Oh, boo-hoo, fire sprout. You've been flicking flames at me, and half of them couldn't even warm a cup of tea. Let's see how you do in the real world."
"What do you mean by that?" Yukari crossed her arms, suspicious. "You better not be throwing me into some crazy situation again."
The phoenix gave her a toothy grin. "Crazy? Nah. More like... educational."
"I hate you," Yukari muttered, already dreading whatever Hinote was planning.
He flapped his wings, his flames swirling around him, and gestured for her to climb on his back. "Let's go, kid. Time to hunt."
Yukari blinked. "Wait, what?"
"We're hunting magic beasts today. You want to master fire magic, right? Well, no better way to learn than on some actual targets," Hinote said, his tone completely nonchalant, as if he was suggesting they go for a walk in the park.
She blinked again. "Are you insane? I just learned how to not burn my own face off, and you want me to go fight monsters?"
Hinote gave her a dry look. "What, are you scared?"
Yukari bristled. "No! I just… I think this is a terrible idea!"
"Then stop whining and get on," Hinote replied, turning away from her. "Unless you're too scared to do that too."
Yukari bit her lip but reluctantly climbed onto his back. "Fine. But if I get eaten, I'm haunting you forever."
"Can't haunt a phoenix, kid," Hinote snickered before taking off into the sky.
The flight was, as usual, exhilarating, and before long, they landed in an open, deserted area. The landscape was rocky and barren, a far cry from the village Yukari had grown up in. It was the kind of place that screamed, danger lives here.
"So, where's the 'educational' monster?" Yukari asked, hopping off his back.
"Patience, flame sprout. You'll hear them before you see them," Hinote said, his eyes scanning the horizon.
Yukari was about to protest when the ground started to tremble. She froze. The sound of heavy footsteps lots of heavy footsteps reverberated through the ground, growing louder with each second.
Then they appeared.
A herd of creatures emerged from the rocky outcrops, their massive forms lumbering into view. They were bipedal lizard-like monsters with spiked scales that glistened in the sunlight. Each one was at least three times Yukari's size, with muscular bodies and long, whip-like tails. Their heads were covered in a beak-like visor, and their manes of light-colored fur made them look even more imposing.
"Those are Lizardmen?" Yukari squeaked, her eyes wide as she watched them stomp toward them.
Hinote nodded, looking almost bored. "Yup. Perfect for a warm-up."
"A warm-up?" Yukari hissed. "You've got to be kidding me! They look like they could squish me with one foot!"
"You'll be fine," Hinote said with a shrug. "Their scales are tough, but you can burn through them if you focus. Besides, I'm not helping you."
Yukari's jaw dropped. "WHAT?!"
Hinote smirked, his feathers glowing slightly. "This is your test, kid. Let's see how far you've come. You handle them, and I'll just sit back and watch."
"You're not helping because you want to watch?!" Yukari's voice rose in disbelief. "What kind of teacher are you?!"
"The kind that doesn't coddle," Hinote said simply, his fiery form shifting to a nearby rock. "Go on. Show me what you've got."
Yukari clenched her fists, a spark of anger fueling her determination. "Fine! I'll show you!"
The first of the Lizardmen let out a guttural roar and charged toward her, its claws outstretched. Yukari swallowed hard but quickly summoned the flame inside her. The golden fire flickered in her hand, and she threw it toward the monster. The flame hit the Lizardman square in the chest, but to her horror, it barely singed its scales.
"Seriously?!" Yukari groaned as the Lizardman shook off the fire like it was nothing.
"Gonna need more than that, flame sprout," Hinote called out, clearly enjoying this.
Yukari gritted her teeth and summoned another flame, this one slightly bigger, but again, it barely left a mark on the Lizardman's tough scales. She could hear Hinote's chuckle in the background, which only made her more frustrated.
The Lizardman snarled, swiping at her with its massive claws. Yukari yelped and ducked just in time, the sharp talons missing her by inches. "Okay, maybe this wasn't the best idea!" she muttered.
She backed up, her mind racing. The Lizardmen were durable, their scales acting like natural armor. She couldn't brute force her way through. She needed to be smarter.
"Think, Yukari, think!" she muttered to herself. "What did Hinote say? Control… not just size, but intensity!"
She took a deep breath and focused. Instead of trying to make a bigger flame, she concentrated on making it hotter. She pictured the fire in her mind, small but intense, like the sun condensed into a single point.
Another Lizardman roared and charged at her. This time, Yukari didn't panic. She summoned the flame, but instead of throwing it, she let it grow in her palm until it was a brilliant, white-hot ember. Then, at the last second, she ducked beneath the Lizardman's swipe and slammed the flame directly into its side.
There was a loud hiss, followed by the smell of burning scales. The Lizardman let out a screech of pain, stumbling back as the flames ate away at its tough hide.
Yukari grinned triumphantly. "Gotcha!"
"Not bad," Hinote's voice called from behind her. "But you've got more to deal with."
Yukari turned just in time to see the rest of the Lizardmen advancing, their beady eyes locked onto her. "Oh, come on!" she groaned.
The herd was larger than she thought, and now, they were all focused on her. Yukari could feel her heart racing, but she wasn't going to back down now. She had to prove herself. She had to show Hinote that she could handle this.
Summoning more flames, she dodged another Lizardman's attack and launched a volley of fireballs at the group. Some of the flames bounced off their scales, but a few hit their mark, chipping away at the beasts' tough hides.
It wasn't enough to take them down, but it slowed them, and that was enough for Yukari to gain some confidence. She danced around their attacks, using her size and speed to her advantage, all while focusing on making her flames hotter and more precise.
From his perch, Hinote watched with a satisfied smirk. "You've got potential, kid," he murmured to himself. "Now, let's see if you can survive the rest of them.