| Legend of the Kokoro Episode 9-Wildfire's Weakness |
| "Nice job at practice, Sandra," Ryo admitted as he, Sandra, and Rita left Han`a High School. "Thanks, Ryo," Sandra replied as she spun a soccer ball around on her finger. "You weren't so bad yourself, ya know." "Do the soccer coaches normally do that? Do they always have a match between the boys' and girls' teams?" Rita asked curiously. "Not always, Rita. Coach Zettler and Coach Zettler only do it once in a while to make practice a little more interesting," Ryo explained. "Wait a minute. Both of the coaches are named Zettler?" Rita asked. "Of course, they have the same name. They're married," Sandra revealed. "Really?" Rita asked. "They sure are, Rita. Every year, Mr. and Mrs. Zettler always tell us the same old story about how they met in high school when they played on their school's soccer team," Ryo remarked. "That sounds very romantic," Rita admitted as they continued walking down the main road. "Yeah, I guess so. Anyway, I can't wait 'til our first game next Monday!" Sandra admitted. "We are totally gonna dominate! Right, Ryo?" Ryo nodded his head in approval. "What school are you playing against?" Rita asked curiously. "I think it's called...Tacoma High," Sandra replied unsurely. Ryo chuckled a little bit. "It's called Takaoka High, Sandra." "Sorry, but I don't know how to pronounce all these Japanese names," Sandra revealed as they reached the first street corner. "Here's me stop. See ya tomorrow!" "Good night, Sandra!" Rita shouted as the redhead girl headed down the street to her house. "We better get going, Rita. It's starting to get dark," Ryo pointed out. "All right, then. Let's go," Rita replied. The two friends walked down the main road in silence for a few minutes. "Umm...Rita?" Ryo asked a bit hesitantly. "Yes, Ryo?" Rita asked. "I was kinda wondering, are you doing anything tomorrow?" Ryo asked curiously. "Actually, yes. I need to do some yard work for my grandfather," Rita replied. "It'll probably take me all day to get everything done." "What about your grandfather? Isn't he going to help you?" Ryo asked curiously. "My grandfather's not as strong as he used to be, Ryo. He has a bad back, so he can't do any heavy lifting," Rita revealed. "My grandfather also plans on visiting an old friend of his tomorrow in Okaya." "Well, if you want, Rita, I can come by tomorrow and help you out," Ryo offered. "That's nice of you, Ryo," Rita admitted with a small smile. "I'll have to ask my grandfather first, so I'll call you later tonight and let you know, okay?" "Sure, no problem," Ryo replied. "Good night, Ryo," Rita replied before she headed down the street leading to her house. "Good night, Rita," Ryo replied before he continued heading down the road to his house... Meanwhile, up in Dulcea's mysterious spaceship, Wildfire was standing by himself in the Dark Crystal room. His sinister red eyes were fixed on the five Dark Crystals that were fully charged with Black Chi energy. "What's the matter, Wildfire? Are you jealous?" a familiar voice asked. Wildfire turned around and saw Devaki standing in the doorway. "Jealous of what, Devaki?" Wildfire asked suspiciously with his eyes narrowed. "I saw you staring at the Dark Crystals that Halo charged up with the Black Chi he has stolen from Sage of Halo," Devaki confessed. "Are you envious of his success, Wildfire?" "I am jealous of no one, Devaki," Wildfire muttered sternly as he crossed his arms. "Then what are you doing here?" Devaki asked. "I was looking for you," Wildfire revealed. "I have a plan that will harness a great deal of Black Chi from Ryo of Wildfire, but in order for my plan to succeed, I'll need to borrow something from you." "And what do you need from me, pray tell?" Devaki asked curiously. "I need to use the necrophidius," Wildfire announced. "My necrophidius? What for?" Devaki asked. "Ryo of Wildfire has a great weakness that we can use to our advantage," Wildfire explained. "He tends to get incredibly angry whenever one of his friends is injured or is in some sort of danger. I've seen it for myself in our previous battles." "And how do you plan on using my necrophidius, Wildfire?" Devaki asked curiously. "My plan is to allow the necrophidius to attack someone that Ryo truly cares about," Wildfire explained. "When Ryo finds out that his friend will not recover from the necrophidius' bite, he will become extremely furious, which will build up a great deal of concentrated Black Chi within him." "This plan of yours sounds very promising," Devaki admitted. "Come with me, Wildfire." Devaki turned around and hobbled down the dark hallway, followed by Wildfire. "Tell me, do you have someone in mind to target with my necrophidius?" Devaki asked curiously. "Indeed, I do. I plan to use the necrophidius on Ryo of Wildfire's pet tiger," Wildfire revealed as they entered a dark room that looked much like a mad scientist's laboratory. "Ryo of Wildfire seems to care a great deal for that beast." "Perhaps you are right, Wildfire," Devaki admitted as he reached for a large box on a shelf that had holes cut through the lid. "I'm trusting you to be very careful with my necrophidius, Wildfire," Devaki announced as he held out the box to Wildfire. "The necrophidius is a very rare creature from a distant planet in another galaxy. It's taken me several years t find this specimen. I won't be able to find another." "There's no need to worry your head over it, Devaki. I'll be careful with it," Wildfire assured Devaki as he took the box from him. "You'll also need to take this with you," Devaki added as he handed a small vial holding a dark red-orange liquid, which was attached to a gold chain, to Wildfire. "What is this?" Wildfire asked curiously. "This is an anti-venom that I developed," Devaki explained. "As you know, the necrophidius, which is more commonly known as the death worm, has a very lethal bite that can kill almost instantly. If necessary, you can use this antidote as a bargaining chip in your favor, Wildfire." Wildfire held up the vial and stared at the fluid contained within it. "Thank you, Devaki. This will definitely help me out," Wildfire admitted sinisterly. "You better not fail in your task, Wildfire," Devaki warned him. "Don't worry, Devaki. I won't," Wildfire stated coldly as he left Devaki's lab with the box and the anti-venom... "Okay, it's ten o'clock now," Ryo muttered to himself as he checked his watch. "It's now or never." Ryo looked up and started walking down the driveway leading to Rita's house. He followed the path leading from the driveway to the front door. As soon as he reached the front door, Ryo pressed the doorbell with his finger. "Hold on a minute! I'll be right there!" Ryo heard Rita shout from inside the house. A few moments later, Rita opened the front door. She was dressed in a red T-shirt, black stretch pants, red socks, and black sneakers. "You're right on time, Ryo. Why don't you come in?" Rita asked. "Sure. Thanks, Rita," Ryo replied as he entered the house. As the two walked into the living room, they saw Rita's grandfather sitting on the couch, tying his shoes on. "Grandpa, Ryo's here," Rita announced. "You remember him, don't you?" "Of course, I do. Good morning, Ryo," Mr. Niitsu greeted as he stood up from the couch and grabbed his jacket. "Hey, Mr. Niitsu," Ryo greeted. "I would stay and supervise you two, but a good friend of mine has recently come out of the hospital and I promised to come visit him," Mr. Niitsu revealed. "There's no need for that, Grandpa," Rita admitted. "Fine, then," Mr. Niitsu replied as he put on his jacket and looked up at Ryo. "Now listen carefully, Ryo. Rita will explain to you everything that needs to be done," Mr. Niitsu explained. "Also, I don't want to find out that you've been making moves on my granddaughter while I was gone." "Grandpa!" Rita complained as her face became flustered. "Ryo's not like that!" "I was just joking, Rita," Mr. Niitsu confessed as he headed to the front door. "Goodbye." "Goodbye, Grandpa! See you later!" Rita shouted as she waved to her grandfather. Mr. Niitsu waved back to her before he got into his car and pulled out of the driveway. "We should get started now, Ryo," Rita suggested as she tied her long black hair up in a ponytail. "All right, Rita. What do we do first?" Ryo asked. "I'll show you. Follow me," Rita instructed as she led Ryo out of the house. After closing the door behind them, Rita walked towards a small shed next to the house, followed by Ryo. She opened the door to the shed, walked inside, and pushed out a small gas-powered lawnmower. Rita went back in the shed and came back with two pairs of work gloves. "Here, Ryo, put these on. They should fit you," Rita instructed as she handed a pair of work gloves to Ryo. "Thanks, Rita," Ryo replied. As Ryo put on his work gloves, Rita, who had already hers on, brought out two rakes and a box of black garbage bags from the shed. "Huh?" Ryo gasped as he turned around and stared suspiciously at some large bushes bordering the front yard. "What is it, Ryo? What's wrong?" Rita asked curiously when she noticed Ryo staring at the bushes. "I heard something moving from those bushes," Ryo whispered as he kept his eyes on the bushes. Both Ryo and Rita gasped when they suddenly heard a twig snap. "Stay, here," Ryo instructed Rita as he slowly walked over to the bushes. "Be careful, Ryo," Rita whispered with concern as she watched Ryo cautiously approach the bushes. Ryo stopped walking when he saw something big moving behind the bushes. "Come out and show yourself!" Ryo shouted as he stood ready to face whatever was hiding behind the bushes. He was surprised to hear a familiar growl as a large white tiger passed through the bushes. "White Blaze!" Ryo exclaimed out of surprise as he brought down his fists. "Phew! That's a relief!" Rita admitted as she let out a big sigh of relief. "He must have followed me here," Ryo told Rita before he looked back at his pet tiger. "White Blaze, I told you to stay home," Ryo scolded White Blaze. "Now, go back!" White Blaze roared a bit as he shook his head in protest. "Come on, White Blaze!" Ryo muttered a bit impatiently. "Ryo, you don't need to send White Blaze home," Rita announced as she approached Ryo and White Blaze. "I don't mind if he stays here with us. I'm sure White Blaze won't get in the way of our work." "Well...okay," Ryo reluctantly agreed. White Blaze purred loudly as he rubbed his head against Rita's legs. Rita giggled a bit as she knelt down and petted White Blaze on the head. I'm glad that those two get along so well, Ryo thought to himself. Rita's the first girl I ever met that didn't run away screaming when she first saw White Blaze! Ryo chuckled softly to himself. "What's so funny, Ryo?" Rita asked curiously as she stood up. "It's nothing, Rita," Ryo replied. "So, what do we need to do?" "First, we have to mow both the front and back lawn," Rita explained. "After that, we have to rake up all the clippings, bag them in the garbage bags, and put them next to the shed for now. The garbage trucks don't come by until Monday, so I'll take care of those bags tomorrow night." "Okay, if you say so," Ryo replied as he approached the lawnmower that Rita brought out of the shed. He pulled the handle out, which instantly brought the engine roaring to life... "I can't believe that we're almost done," Rita admitted as she raked the remaining grass clippings into a pile. "Yeah. Three hours went by really fast," Ryo added as he shoved one last handful of grass clippings in the garbage bag he was holding. He packed the grass clippings down with his hands until he couldn't push them down any further. "I think we have room in here for that last pile, Rita," Ryo announced. "That's good. Bring the bag over here, Ryo," Rita instructed as she laid the rake down on the ground. "You got it," Ryo replied as he picked up the garbage bag and carried it over to where Rita was standing. As Ryo and Rita picked up the grass clippings and shoved them into the bag, Rita confessed, "Thanks again, Ryo, for helping me out today." "No problem, Rita," Ryo replied. "It wasn't like I had any plans today." "That's a bit of a surprise," Rita admitted. "You're usually doing something with one of your friends during the weekend." "I am doing something with one of my friends right now," Ryo pointed out. "You know what I mean, Ryo," Rita remarked with a quick laugh. "You could be hanging out with Sage, Cye, Kento, and Rowen instead of helping me do yard work." "Well, first of all, the guys all have plans this weekend," Ryo explained. "Sage has to help his father teach classes at the dojo, Cye already made plans with Clara, Kento's cramming for a Spanish test on Monday, and Rowen's finishing up his Criminal Justice project. And second, I'd rather be doing yard work with you any day." Rita felt her face growing hot with embarrassment as she stared down at the ground. "What are you embarrassed about, Rita? I'm just telling you the truth. I like being around you," Ryo confessed openly. "Thanks, Ryo," Rita whispered as she looked back up at Ryo. For a moment, Ryo found himself staring into Rita's bright brown eyes, but he soon shook it off. "We should get back to work," Ryo mumbled out loud. "Yeah, we should," Rita reluctantly agreed. The two continued picking up the grass clippings in complete silence for a few minutes. "Rita, can I ask you something?" Ryo asked, breaking the awkward silence. "Yes, Ryo?" Rita asked curiously. "Do you, umm...have any plans tomorrow?" Ryo asked a bit hesitantly. "Other than putting out the garbage tomorrow night...no, I don't," Rita replied. "Do you think that maybe, if you're interested, you and I could go see a movie or something?" Ryo asked. Rita sat there in complete silence for a few moments, which made Ryo feel a bit nervous. "Ryo, are you asking me out on a date?" Rita asked with a hint of excitement in her voice. Ryo found himself at a loss for words as he once again looked into Rita's eyes, as though he was searching for the answer to her question in them. Before he could say anything, Ryo and Rita were startled when White Blaze suddenly ran past them, knocking the open bag of grass clippings over. Ryo and Rita quickly covered their heads with their arms as some of the grass clippings rained on top of them. "White Blaze!" Ryo shouted angrily as he turned around to see what caused his pet tiger to act like that. He shook his head in disappointment when he saw the large brown rabbit in the yard, which was practically taunting White Blaze to chase it. "Rita, are you okay?" Ryo asked, turning his attention back to Rita. "Yeah, I'm okay," Rita replied as she brought down her arms. "What's up with White Blaze?" "He's just chasing some rabbit," Ryo replied. When he looked at Rita, Ryo laughed a little bit. "What's so funny?" Rita asked curiously. "You got some grass in your hair," Ryo remarked. "So do you, Ryo," Rita pointed out. Ryo took off his gloves and patted the top of his head with his bare hands. He could feel the blades of grass poking out through his thick black hair. "Yeah, I guess I do," Ryo admitted. He quickly shook out his hair with his hands, knocking out all the grass that got caught in it. Rita undid her ponytail and shook her head back and forth, letting her long black hair loose. "Ryo, did I get all of the grass out of my hair?" Rita asked as she bowed her head down slightly. Ryo looked up and carefully examined Rita's hair. "Looks like you got a few more pieces stuck in your bangs," Ryo revealed. "I'll get them," Rita replied as she took off her work gloves. "Don't worry about it, Rita. I'll get them out for you," Ryo insisted. "Thanks, Ryo," Rita admitted as she kept her head bowed down. Ryo carefully ran his fingers through Rita's bangs, picking out the blades of grass one by one. He soon found himself running his fingers through Rita's hair and gently sliding his hand down her cheek. "Ryo, what are you doing?" Rita asked, bringing Ryo back to reality. "Oh, umm...I'm sorry, Rita," Ryo stuttered as he started to pull his hand away from Rita's face. To Ryo's surprise, Rita took his hand into her own. She edged closer to Ryo and kissed him square on the lips. Ryo was a bit startled at first, but he soon participated in the kiss. When Rita pulled away from him, Ryo slowly opened his eyes and asked curiously, "What was that for, Rita?" "I'm sorry about that, Ryo. It's just...it's just that I've been wanting to do that ever since I met you," Rita reluctantly admitted as her cheeks turned red from embarrassment. "You don't need to say that, Rita," Ryo replied with a small smile. "Truth is, I feel the same way about you." "Really? You do?" Rita asked out of surprise. Ryo nodded his head in approval. "Even when I was blind?" Rita prodded. "Of course," Ryo whispered as he gently slid his hand up the side of Rita's face into her long black hair. "It's like I told you before, Rita: I think you're a beautiful girl, both inside and outside." Rita giggled slightly as she looked into Ryo's blue eyes. Ryo leaned in closer to Rita and kissed her passionately on the lips. Rita responded by kissing Ryo back and sliding her hands around his neck. A few yards away from them, White Blaze was lying on the freshly cut grass, his large brown eyes gazing at the couple. Suddenly, White Blaze's ears perked up when he heard some rustling noises from behind the bushes. The massive white tiger let out a loud roar as he quickly got up and turned toward the bushes. Startled by White Blaze's unexpected roar, Ryo and Rita pulled away from each other and looked up at Ryo's pet tiger. "What is White Blaze doing?" Rita asked curiously. "He's probably trying to scare that rabbit out of hiding," Ryo suggested. "I don't know about this, Ryo. Something doesn't feel right," Rita hesitantly revealed. "I'll check it out," Ryo announced as he stood up and walked over to White Blaze, who was still facing the bushes. "What is it, White Blaze?" Ryo asked. White Blaze let out a low growl from deep within his throat as he stared at something moving within the bushes. "What the heck is that?" Ryo asked himself when he saw the strange creature slithering towards him and White Blaze. Its long snake-like body was completely made out of bleached white bones. The creature's head was a bleached human skull with a pair of long fangs and milky white eyes. As the snake-like creature slithered closer to Ryo and White Blaze, it surprisingly made no noise at all. "Ahh! What is that thing, Ryo?" Rita gasped loudly when she saw the strange creature. "Rita, stay back!" Ryo warned her. Suddenly, the snake-like creature lunged towards White Blaze, who managed to jump out of the way. "White Blaze! Whoa!" Ryo shouted when the creature quickly turned around and struck at him. Ryo jumped out of the way of the attacking creature, but when he landed on the ground, his foot slipped on a rock and Ryo fell on his back. As Ryo struggled to sit up, he heard Rita shout, "Ryo, look out!" Ryo looked up and gasped when he saw the snake-like creature a few feet away from him, curled up in an attack position. Without warning, the snake-like creature lunged at Ryo, its long fangs glistening in the sunlight. "RYO!" Rita shouted loudly. Knowing that he couldn't do anything to save himself in time, Ryo closed his eyes, soon expecting to feel the creature's fangs penetrating through his flesh. After a few agonizing moments passed and nothing happened, Ryo opened his eyes and gasped loudly at the sight in front of him. Rita was standing in front of him, crying out of pain as the creature's long fangs sank deeper into her arm. "Rita!" Ryo shouted as he quickly stood up and grabbed the snake-like creature by the head. As carefully and as quickly as he could, Ryo pulled the creature off of Rita's arm and threw it into the woods on the opposite side of the street. "Ryo, I don't feel so good," Rita whispered a bit weakly as she struggled to stand up. Unfortunately, Rita lost feeling in both of her legs and started to sway. "I got you, Rita!" Ryo shouted as he caught Rita before she could hit the ground. "Why did you do that?" Ryo asked. "I had to do it, Ryo. I had to save you," Rita whispered. "But why?" Ryo prodded, trying to fight back the tears starting to form in his eyes. "Because I love you, Ryo," Rita whispered as tears started to slowly trickle down her face. "I love you, too, Rita," Ryo whispered. "I'm not going to lose you, not now, not ever!" Suddenly, an evil snicker broke the silence. "Who's there?" Ryo demanded as he looked around. "That's a touching little speech you made there, Ryo of Wildfire, but that won't save your kokoro friend!" a familiar voice admitted sinisterly. "Wildfire!" Ryo gasped loudly. As though on cue, Wildfire, who was wearing his red and dark gray sub-armor, jumped out from behind the bushes and landed a few feet away from Ryo, Rita, and White Blaze. "I should have known it was you, Wildfire!" Ryo muttered angrily. "Only you would do something so twisted." "Why, thank you for noticing!" Wildfire admitted with a smirk, who had one arm concealed behind his back. "I see that the necrophidius has done its job." "What are you talking about?" Ryo asked. "Does this look familiar, Ryo of Wildfire?" Wildfire asked as he held out his hand that was hidden behind his back earlier. Ryo gasped when he recognized the bony snake-like creature, which was squirming about as it dangled from Wildfire's hand. "That's the same thing that attacked Rita!" "Of course, it is," Wildfire boasted as he put the necrophidius in a box next to him and covered it with the lid. As soon as Wildfire put on the lid, the box mysteriously vanished without a trace. "The necrophidius has a deadly bite, Ryo of Wildfire. I doubt that your friend will survive," Wildfire continued. "Why should I believe you, Wildfire?" Ryo asked suspiciously. "I guess you have a good point there, Ryo of Wildfire," Wildfire admitted. "If you don't believe what you hear from me, then believe what you see with your own eyes!" Ryo looked down and gasped when he saw that Rita was getting worse. The color had drained from her face and body, and the area around the bite was swelling up and turning black, blue, and green. "Oh, no! Rita!" Ryo shouted. "As you can see for yourself, Ryo of Wildfire, the necrophidius' poison is already taking effect," Wildfire explained with a sinister smirk. "If that girl didn't possess the kokoro's spirit, she would already be dead. Now do you believe me, Ryo of Wildfire?" "Looks like I don't have a choice," Ryo muttered angrily through clenched teeth. "You do have a chance to save her," Wildfire revealed as he took out a gold chain with a small vial attached to it. "This vial contains the only antidote to the necrophidius' venom. If you want it, you'll have to fight me for it." "Bring it on!" Ryo shouted. "Not here, Ryo of Wildfire. We shall battle in Mt. Fuji," Wildfire announced before he teleported away. "I would hurry if I were you!" Wildfire's voice echoed. "At the rate the venom is traveling through that girl's body, she won't live beyond sunset! I'll be waiting for you! Ha, ha, ha, ha!" White Blaze let out a loud roar as he looked up at Ryo. "I know, White Blaze, but I have no choice but to believe that Wildfire's telling the truth about that antidote," Ryo muttered out loud as he looked down at Rita, who was now unconscious as a result of the venom in her body. "I have to get it for Rita, or she'll die. But I can't bring her with me. What I need now is someone to keep an eye on Rita until I get back with the antidote, someone that I can trust. Come on, White Blaze." Ryo gently scooped up the unconscious girl in his arms and carried her to the house, followed by White Blaze... "You're going to be okay, Rita," Ryo whispered as he wiped the sweat off of Rita's forehead with a damp washcloth. "Just hang in there." Suddenly, there was a loud knock at the door. Ryo quickly got up, ran to the door, and opened it. "Thanks for coming so quickly, Cye," Ryo admitted as he let his friend inside. "No problem, Ryo," Cye replied as he walked over to the couch, where Rita was lying unconscious. He gasped slightly when he saw Rita's condition. Her skin was very pale, almost pale gray in color, the swelling on her arm was getting worse, and her entire body was drenched with sweat. "What happened to her, Ryo?" Cye asked curiously. "You didn't say much over the phone except that Rita got hurt and Wildfire had something to do with it." "He sure did, Cye," Ryo muttered angrily. "Wildfire had some creature with him that bit Rita. He said that I have to fight him at Mt. Fuji for the antidote, or Rita's going to die." "How can you be sure that Wildfire does possess this antidote?" Cye asked. "What else can I do, Cye?" Ryo asked. "That creature that bit Rita, it's definitely not from this world." You do realize that Wildfire is setting up a trap for you, and this so-called antidote is just bait to lure you in," Cye pointed out. "That's just a risk I'll have to take, Cye," Ryo replied. "There's no way I'm going to let Rita die because of me." "I know I can't stop you from going after Wildfire, so good luck to you, Ryo, and be careful," Cye warned Ryo. "No telling what dirty tricks he has planned for you." "You got it, Cye," Ryo replied as he headed for the door, followed by White Blaze. "Take care of Rita for me until I get back with that antidote." "Don't worry about Rita. She's in good hands," Cye admitted. Ryo nodded as he and White Blaze left the house. Ryo quickly transformed into his sub-armor and ran down the street, followed by his loyal pet tiger... "That's right, Ryo of Wildfire. Come right into my trap," Wildfire muttered sinisterly to himself as he paced back and forth inside of Mt. Fuji, wearing his full battle armor. He chuckled evilly to himself as he pulled out his katanas in anticipation of the upcoming battle. "Wildfire, has he arrived yet?" he heard Dulcea ask telepathically. "Not yet, Lady Dulcea, but don't worry. Ryo of Wildfire will show," Wildfire reassured Dulcea telepathically. "How can you be so certain that he'll even show up?" "Because Ryo of Wildfire needs this antidote I have to save his kokoro friend. The only way he can get it is through me." "He better show, Wildfire, or you will pay dearly for the failure of your plan," Dulcea warned Wildfire. "I won't fail, Lady Dulcea," Wildfire proclaimed. "Hey, ugly! Up here!" Wildfire heard a familiar voice shout. He looked up at the top of the volcano and smiled evilly when he saw Ryo and White Blaze standing on the rim of Mt. Fuji. "We have some unfinished business to settle!" Ryo shouted as he jumped into the volcano, followed by his pet tiger. "It's about time you showed up, Ryo of Wildfire!" Wildfire admitted as Ryo and White Blaze landed a few yards away from him. "You might as well give me that antidote now, 'cause you're gonna lose!" Ryo proclaimed. "We'll just see about that, Ryo of Wildfire," Wildfire remarked. "Just one little thing, Ryo of Wildfire. If that pet tiger of yours interferes, you can kiss this antidote goodbye! Agreed?" "Agreed," Ryo replied. "Armor of Wildfire! DAO JIN!" As soon as Ryo finished transforming into his full armor, he withdrew his katanas and charged towards Wildfire. As Ryo swung both of his swords at him, Wildfire quickly held up his own katanas and blocked Ryo's attack. Wildfire then took one of his katanas, while holding back Ryo's swords with the other, and quickly swung it at Ryo. "Whoa!" Ryo gasped as he instinctively jumped over Wildfire's katana. When Ryo landed back on the ground, he swung his katanas at Wildfire once again. This time, Ryo succeeded in knocking Wildfire down to the ground. Wildfire used his swords to black Ryo's swords from cutting his neck. "You're gonna pay for what you did to Rita!" Ryo vowed as he pushed down on his katanas. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were angry at me, Ryo of Wildfire," Wildfire remarked nonchalantly. "You bet I am," Ryo muttered angrily. "I was counting on that!" Wildfire admitted. To Ryo's surprise, Wildfire kicked him hard in the stomach, pushing him off of his evil clone. When Ryo stood back up, he saw Wildfire take out a chain necklace with a fragment of a black crystal dangling from it and hold it out towards Ryo, which started to glow with an eerie dark purple light. Ryo screamed loudly out of pain as bolts of black energy waves left his body and became absorbed into the Dark Crystal fragment. "What's going on?" Ryo asked himself as he struggled to lift up his head. He gasped when he saw the Black Chi energy waves leaving his body, which were being absorbed into Wildfire's Dark Crystal fragment. "It's like what Sage warned us about. Wildfire intended to get me angry to build up my Black Chi so he could steal it from me. I have to do something to stop him, or Wildfire's going to get away with my Black Chi and the antidote that Rita needs." Ryo's thoughts went to Rita and his expression became grim. I have to fight this, for Rita! Ryo thought to himself as he started to slowly stand up. "What's this?" Wildfire asked when he saw Ryo slowly getting up. "That can't be! Ryo of Wildfire shouldn't be able to get up at all!" Wildfire looked down at his Dark Crystal fragment and gasped when the crystal suddenly stopped glowing. "What's wrong with this stupid thing?" Wildfire asked as he tapped the crystal repeatedly with his finger. He looked up at Ryo, who was now standing up and withdrawing his katanas. "So, you managed to channel your anger, Ryo of Wildfire!" Wildfire realized. "Yeah, that's right, ugly!" Ryo admitted as he joined his katanas together. "You're going down, Wildfire! FLARE UP NOW!" Wildfire quickly held up his swords in an attempt to block the blast of white light heading towards him. Unfortunately, for him, Ryo's powerful attack collided with him hard, causing Wildfire to drop his katanas. the powerful blast of white energy knocked Wildfire against the inner wall of Mt. Fuji, leaving a large indentation in the rock wall. When the white energy eventually faded away, Wildfire slid down the wall and landed on the ground in an exhausted pile. "You lost this battle, Wildfire!" Ryo announced as he cautiously approached his evil clone. "Hand over that antidote now!" Wildfire narrowed his sinister red eyes at Ryo as he pulled out the small vial by its gold chain. "If you want it so badly, Ryo of Wildfire, then go catch it!" Wildfire shouted as he threw the vial high over Ryo's head. "NO!" Ryo shouted as he ran after the vial, which was plummeting into the lava pit. Before the vial could land into the boiling hot lava, White Blaze jumped across the pool of liquid rock and caught the vial by its gold chain in his mouth. "Nice catch, White Blaze!" Ryo cheered as his pet tiger joined him on the rocky ledge with the vial dangling from his mouth. "Now to take care of..." Ryo started as he turned around to face Wildfire. "What?" Ryo gasped when he saw no one standing behind him. "I could have sworn he was right there," Ryo muttered thoughtfully as he looked around the volcano for any sign of his evil clone. "That coward! Wildfire threw the vial into the lava pool just so he could escape!" White Blaze growled a little bit as he nudged his owner. "Guess there's nothing we can do about it now," Ryo reluctantly admitted as he put away his katanas. "Come on, White Blaze. We better get back to Rita." White Blaze roared in agreement as he and Ryo made their way out of Mt. Fuji... "What could be taking him so long?" Dulcea asked a bit impatiently. She was standing in the Dark Crystal room, along with her assistant, Devaki. "Do not worry, Lady Dulcea," Devaki replied. "Wildfire will come. Just be patient." At that very moment, Wildfire, who was back in his sub-armor, teleported into the Dark Crystal room. "Sorry about the delay, Lady Dulcea," Wildfire apologized as he handed his necklace over to Devaki. Devaki quickly inserted the Dark Crystal fragment into his small black device and pressed the button, which released the Black Chi that Wildfire collected. The black energy waves were instantly absorbed into four Dark Crystals. "Excellent job, Wildfire," Dulcea admitted. "You've done very well." "Thank you, Lady Dulcea," Wildfire replied as he bowed to Dulcea. "I had a chance to get rid of Ryo of Wildfire and the kokoro of fire once and for all, but I failed." "That's not important at the moment, Wildfire," Dulcea revealed. "Our main concern now is to collect the Black Chi energy we need." "But what about the Ronin Warriors, Lady Dulcea?" Devaki asked curiously. "They will do anything they can to stop us, along with their kokoro allies." "Let them try and stop us, Devaki! When I have enough Black Chi to take over this miserable planet, not even the Ronin Warriors and the kokoro will be able to stop me!" Dulcea proclaimed... "I hope Ryo gets back soon with that antidote," Cye muttered to himself as he wiped the sweat off of Rita's forehead and arms with the washcloth. As Cye rung the sweat from the washcloth into a bowl, he heard a rapid knocking at the door. "Cye, open up! It's me, Ryo!" Ryo shouted from outside. Cye quickly got up and opened the door, letting Ryo, who was back in his normal clothes, and White Blaze in the house. "How's Rita doing, Cye?" Ryo asked as he ran over to the couch, where Rita was still lying unconscious. "Not good, Ryo. I don't know how much longer she'll last," Cye reluctantly revealed. "Did you get the antidote?" "Right here," Ryo replied as he pulled out the vial and chain from his pocket. "We better hurry and give it to her," Cye suggested as he knelt down next to the couch and gently lifted Rita's head. Ryo pulled the cork out of the vial and poured some of the dark red-orange liquid into Rita's mouth. "Let's just hope this works," Cye whispered as he laid Rita's head back down. The two teenage boys and White Blaze waited patiently with their eyes focused on Rita, hoping to see any sign that the antidote was working. After a couple of minutes passed with no reaction from Rita, Cye reluctantly admitted, "I think we're too late, Ryo. Rita might be dead." "No!" Ryo whispered sadly as he closed his eyes. "What?" Cye gasped slightly when he noticed something happening with Rita's arm. "Ryo, look at this! I think the antidote's working!" Ryo quicckly opened his eyes and looked up at Rita's arm. He gasped when he saw that the swelling was steadily shrinking and the unnatural colors were fading away. Ryo and Cye watched as the bite mark on Rita's arm completely disappeared and color returned to her face and body. A few moments later, Rita slowly opened her eyes and looked up at Ryo and Cye. "Rita! How are you feeling?" Ryo asked curiously. "All right, I think," Rita whispered as she slowly sat up on the couch. "What are you doing here, Cye?" "Ryo had to go run a little errand and he asked me to watch you until he came back," Cye replied. "Don't you remember what happened to you, Rita?" Ryo asked. "Yeah, I do. That weird-looking creature bit me on my arm and...What happened?" Rita asked as she looked at her arm in surprise. "The bite mark, it's gone!" "Looks like that antidote did more than flush the venom out of your system," Cye pointed out. "It completely healed you." "I guess that's kind of a good thing. I have no idea how I could have explained that bite mark to my grandfather," Rita admitted. "Thanks a lot, Cye, for coming here," Ryo told Cye. "There's no need to thank me, Ryo. I would have helped out in a heartbeat. Excuse me, but I have to be going now. Clara's waiting for me," Cye announced as he stood up. "This didn't interrupt anything going on between you and Clara, did it?" Rita asked curiously. "No, not at all. Clara understands why I was going to be late for our date. Besides, dating can wait, especially when one of my friends' life is on the line," Cye pointed out. "Goodbye, Cye, and thanks again for your help," Ryo admitted. "Goodbye, Ryo. Hope you're feeling better soon, Rita," Cye added before he left Rita's house. "You better go, too, Ryo," Rita reluctantly replied as she stood up from the couch. "If my grandfather comes home and sees that you're still here, he'll make sure that the only times we'll see each other is at school." "You sure you don't want me to stay for a while, Rita?" Ryo asked curiously as he stood up as well. "Don't worry about me, Ryo. I'm fine, just a little lightheaded," Rita tried to convince him. "Well...okay," Ryo hesitantly replied as he started to head for the door, followed by White Blaze. Before he could open the door, Rita shouted, "Wait, Ryo!" "What is it, Rita?" Ryo asked as he turned around to face Rita. "I was wondering...are we still going out tomorrow?" Rita asked curiously. "Sure, definitely!" Ryo admitted. "That is, if you're still up to it, Rita." "No question about that, Ryo," Rita replied with a small smile. "Okay, great. I'll pick you up around eleven. That sound good?" Ryo asked. "Works for me," Rita admitted. "All right. I'll see you tomorrow, Rita. Goodbye," Ryo replied. "Goodbye, Ryo," Rita replied. She stepped up to Ryo and gave him a quick kiss on the lips before she headed back inside and closed the door. "Come on, boy. Let's go home," Ryo told White Blaze. Ryo smiled a bit to himself as he and his pet tiger walked down the driveway...TO BE CONTINUED |