Chapter 7 Battling Hydrax

Fang took some deep breaths to calm himself before entering the dojo. "Don't worry too much, " he thought. " It's not like I will get killed."

Every dragon had regenerative abilities that would quickly heal their body parts in case of injury. Only two organs known as the untreatable organs , the heart and the brain could be permanently injured and cause death.

He entered the Asian styled building to find three circular shields nailed to the wall. One had the portrait of Crystal which represented the Hydrocrystal race , the second depicted a white dragon in a desert background where the Kongqis or wind wielders were placed while the last one was completely transparent signifying the stealth of the camouflagists. 

Unfortunately since Fang was a Pyronova he had no shield to represent himself by. He was expecting to get teased like the principal said but most of the students were sympathetic to him .

Some of the students grew up or had friends who once lived in racist backgrounds.

Regardless, the exam had to start. Several matches occurred over the three hours and both Fang and Neo were able to beat several students. 

Once the names Shino of Japan and Jamilia of Saudi Arabia were called, two girls in their early teens stepped onto the mattress. 

One wore a kimono while the other wore a hijab , clothing unique to both cultures. Both of them had been friends since they arrived. 

The gong sounded signifying that the fight had started. Shino sent the first attack by blowing a dust cloud to Jamilia. Jamilia immediately turned invisible and dodged the attack. Shino gritted her teeth realising she was unable to spot her. Unable to smell , feel or hear her , Jamilia took this to her advantage and attacked her from all sides.

Every time Shino tried to counter her attacks she would disappear. Over time Shino became impatient and also proud about how far Jamilia had come. She then sent a shockwave of dust to cover the entire floor forcing Jamilia to climb up to the ceiling. Once she reached the top Shino then created a vortex to pull her down. Fortunately the dust helped to break the fall.

The fight was over and Shino had won. Both of them took a bow and hugged each other before leaving for the next fight. The combat instructor then went to open the windows and used his hands to blow the dust out of the dojo.

Neo had made it to the semi finals before being beaten by Shino who was then beaten by Hydrax. Now Fang and Hydrax were the only contestants left.

All the students sat down in anticipation for the final fight. Fang took this chance to get a good glimpse of her although Hydrax had no human parents she still looked the same race as him.

The combat instructor reached for his mallet placing it in the best position to strike the gong. Both of the opponents took their fighting stances with the smell of dust still present in the room. Neo watched eagerly with the rest of the crowd knowing if Hydrax won he and the rest would now know how to defeat a Pyronova in combat.

The mallet had struck and at that moment Hydrax launched an array of ice shards. Fang then blocked it with his fire causing the ice to melt. Both opponents' pupils instinctively became more narrow the more they used their powers. 

Fang noticed the puddle below him and evaporated it before Hydrax could freeze it again. He soon found himself surrounded by a ring of steam and before he could react the stream had tightened itself around him.

Fang fell in pain, his arms felt as though they were being boiled. He could hear his skin sizzling and the smell of burning flesh. For once he knew the pain his adversaries would go through if they were ever set on fire. The steam quickly retreated from his body before becoming a levitating water sphere.

Fang once again tried to sit up only to fall back down. Hydrax walked towards him; he was expecting to hear her boasting about her first victory over a Pyronova. However she slowly rubbed the liquid shere against his arms. It stung at first but the cool sensation helped his body to heal quicker.

"Why are you helping me?" asked Fang 

"It's not right to leave you suffering." she answered in a soft voice.

"But remember this, don't ever fight me again." she then said a smile

She left the dojo as the academy's champion once again. Neo had arrived to help him back up; Fang had been so close to becoming the school's champion and proving his worth. 

Now that he knew the pain of burning this would make him more reluctant from using the pyro ability.