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Ryugi was caught off guard by Ryudo's right hand, and was now locked into the clench. Ryudo's power increased and Ryugi could feel his energy weakening. A plan then took shape in his mind.

I don't care how many times we fight Ryudo, but I will never allow myself to stop protecting those that I love! I will NEVER stop trying!

He then let lose with another, more powerful Limiter Release that at the close range would toss Ryudo once more. The cost of the attack would be a bit of exhaustion for Ryugi as he pulled even more power from the fire realm than was his normal limit for one attack. It drained him a small ammount, but he couldn't keep it up forever.

After the Limiter Release he would then charge towards the flying Ryudo and unleash the next phase of his combo, the flames still burning around him, melting the ice on the ground.

Ryugi wasn't going to let up. If he lost now while so close to his goal... He didn't want to think about it. As Ryudo flew back he once more supercharged his body with the flame energy, compacting three turns of charge into a single turn. He could feel himself physically tire, his stamina falling to around 60% now. If he kept this up, he might be able to out power Ryudo.

Dragon Fireball!

As he charged towards the flying Ryudo he let lose with his supercharged attack in the form of a supercondensed fireball. The ball itself was about the size of a basketball, but had enough power to blow up a car. He had to keep going. If he let Ryudo catch up now and gave him a chance to attack, he would surly lose. He couldn't let up. Not now.

Sixty percent stamina left. Ryudo just brought Lethe onto the field. That was two against one, and Ryugi wouldn't be able to handle that with only 60% strength. He then decided on the move that would finish this. With grim determination, he once more supercharged his body with energy, sacrificing fifty of his remaining sixty percent stamina to charge his body with five turns of energy.

With a powerful burst of energy, Ryugi jumped into the air, his legs flexing at their maximum strength. He ascended high into the sky, nearly a hundred feet up, and flames ungulfed him as he rose higher and higher. The flames shot around him with blazing fury, and began to be forced into a shape as their power flowed within his being. Ryugi could feel the energy flowing through him, across his body, and down his arms into a single powerful sphere about the size of a car. This energy was compacted into a smaller area, much like the tiny fireball that Ryugi had used many times before, however, on a much larger scale.

The air around Ryugi began to swirl as the heat from the flames caused a massive expansion among the atmosphere as the air around him got hotter from the flames. At the same time, the flames craved more oxygen to remain lit, and the air was sucked in as well, causing a spinning vortext of wind around Ryugi as his eyes glowed with frightening white flames. As he climbed, the ball of flames grew behind him, following him as if it was a part of his very being.

Then, without warning, Ryugi reached the height of his jump, glaring down at his opponent as pure determination and confidence in his abilities rang out with his battle cry.



He then threw his arms back and off to the sides, the ball of flames pulsing with powerful energy as if it echoed his call with its own language as Ryugi began to fall.



He thrust his arms foreward, hands open as his wrists touched eachother pointed towards the shocked Ryudo and Lethe.



With his final words, the ball of flames erupted behind Ryugi, racing ahead of him, and pushing him forewards as Ryugi's form disapeared within the ball of fire. The blast rocketed towards at the pair at a terrible speed.



The ball of flames would slam into the ground directly on top of Ryudo and Lethe, the range boosting the power of the attack. Just like the tiny fireball, the larger version would detonate apon contact, however, this attack would detonate with far more force. Enough force to toss a tanker truck nearly one hundred feet. The sheer heat from the explosion would be enough to light clothing on fire, burn away hair, as well as give up to second degree burns across Ryudo's body. One thing was certain though. If this attack didn't finish off Ryudo, Ryugi was going to have plenty of trouble continueing the match. . .

Ryugi shook his head, his face tired, and oddly saddened.

Are you really that much of an idiot? I could never kill you... You're my brother, my own flesh and blood...and although you and I have had our disagreements and fights over the years, it doesn't change the fact that I still care about you. You're the only family I've got left Ryudo.

He dropped his gaze to the ground as he spoke, his eyes covered in shadow.

I've long since forgiven you for what you did to Mom, Dad and the others back in Angara those many years ago. It still hurts deep down inside me somewhere, and I miss them every day, but not nearly as much as it hurts seeing you going around like you are. One day you'll face someone you can't beat, and they won't think twice about killing you when they're done fighting you.

You aren't invincible Ryudo, and neither am I. It's never the wounds of the body that hurt me the most, it's the wounds in the heart, and having to fight you again and again, seeing the pain on your face, just cuts a little deeper into me.

I was fighting you to protect you Ryudo... To protect you from yourself. If I didn't stop you, somone else might, and that someone might have killed you. Better you fight me, than someone who would take you away like that. Your anger for humans was always so strong, but what you fail to realize is that the actions of a few individuals do not count for the actions of an entire race. Almost all of the humans in recent times have come to accept that not all dragons are evil, just like not all demons are evil, or not all shadow elementals are evil.

They've learned to forgive and forget Ryudo, as have I. Nothing can be gained by remaining locked in the past when the world is in constant change. Nothing stays the same, people change. Things live and die and the cycle goes on. I've come to realize that the deaths of my friends weren't all my fault. It's true I COULD have been there, that I COULD have done something, but at the time, I was simply unable to do so. I can try to be mad at myself, but in the end, not even they were sad. They told me to live on for them, and I have. I live to protect the ones that I love, and I live to protect those close to me. I learn to fight so that I am better prepared to protect them if they come to harm.

He looked up to Ryudo, his eyes teary with heartfelt emotion. Vargus could only stare with tears in her eyes as well. He was so pure even after everything he'd been through. It was hard for her to watch without getting emotional herself.

Ryugi smiled, tears in his warm red eyes, and grasped his brother's hand by the wrist, shaking it in a good firm grip. As he shook hands with his brother, the sun rose above the mountains, covering the three individuals in warm sunlight. As Vargus watched the pair of brothers shake hands, she sighed happily. Maybe today would be a good day afterall.

"Sh sh sh one two one one two!" $Tommy jogged across the deserted plans with the dim sun to his back. as he ran he punched out at an imaginary foe. this place was so empty he though he was seeing things. He began to casually walk as he though he passed a small group of people doing something with a the grounds cracked and upturned. He didn't know if they were real or not but he just kept walking.$