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Posted by: Ranma Aug 22 2007, 1:14 AM

(Sorry if there isn't a lot of detail. I don't have much time to write, so I can only put in the core material. Once I finish the full story I may go back and make it even better than what I hope it already is.)
((I'm trying to make each chapter into an 'episode'. There will be an opening and ending theme song for each 'season', and Lance will grow as the story goes on. This is an alternate universe. Things will be a bit different than in the actual Winx Club show becuause of Lance's presence in the story, but I hope you like it anyway ^_^))

((Themesongs subject to change))

Theme song:(Subject to change.) Wondering - Good Charlotte. http://youtube.com/watch?v=fjdo6UBuh4g

Episode 1: Here's the specialists.

Lance. Lance was a normal, human, earth-born child. He had friends, he went to school, and he had a little sister, a mother, and a father. Lance was a bit bored though. He always made make-believe and daydreamed often during his classes. His head was always up in the clouds, and nothing excited him more than video games, comics, and movies about adventure, fighting, and heroics; and of course, the guy always had to get the girl at the end. That was just the way Lance was, just an average, ordinary teenager.

"SCREAAAAAAAACH!" went the car as it tried so desperately to stop before it rammed straight into the fifteen year old Lance Hawkings. Unfortunately, for the boy, he wasn't paying attention to where he was going and the driver was also in a similar state of consciousness. The sports car smacked right into the young boy and sent him flying quite a few feet as he skid on the paved road. The last thing the boy remembered was the sound of footsteps and car horns before he blacked out.

The poor boy looked so young. He had light brown hair, brown eyes, and he had a slender build. He was in shape, but he didn't seem to have much muscle on him at all. The chance of him and his five foot eight inch body surviving such a car crash was close to nothing.

*Fade Out*
*Fade In*

Lance awoke. He was in a hospital bed; that much was certain. He was wearing a hospital gown with bandages wrapped around his head. The poor boy felt like a truck had hit him... He wasn’t too far from the truth. It wasn't too long before his parents rushed into the room. His little sister of thirteen years was there as well, but she was a bit more silent than her over emotional mother.
"MY BABY!" His mother cried. "YOU'RE FINALLY AWAKE! TH-THE DOC-DOCTORS SAID YOU M-MIGHT NEVER WAKE UP!"

"Mom?" Lance coughed. He was extremely groggy, and he wasn't quite sure what was going on. "What happened?"

"HE HAS AMNESIA!" His mother bellowed.

"No, honey, I'm sure he just doesn't remember getting hit by a car,” Lance’s, much more calm, father replied. “Especially since eye witnesses said that he wasn't paying attention."

"Yeah! Way to go dork!" His sister shouted. In truth, she was initially worried about her older brother. However, Lance woke up and she reverted to her usual, sisterly, self.

"Hey, shut up. I'm in a hospital bed here. Show some compassion will ya?" Lance said as he rubbed his head. He winced in pain for a bit, but for someone who was hit by a car he wasn't doing too bad. "How long was I out?"

"Honey, you've been out for three months." His mother answered; finally calm enough to speak properly. "I'm just so glad you're alright? I prayed every day..."

"I'm sorry." Lance said as he bowed his head in shame. He didn't like making his mother worry. It wasn’t long, however, until what his mother told him had sunk in. “Th-three months!” he shouted. He clutched his head in pain as his voice called forth his headache once more.

“Honey, don’t panic,” His mother tried to calm him.

"Wh-what about school, isn't that starting soon? I don't even have my books, or my schedule, or...or..."

"We're just glad that you’re safe Lance." His father said. "We can take care of that later."

"Aw, I wanted his room!" His sister whined.

"Be quiet Meagan. Don't mind her Lance, she was worried too," his father chuckled.

"WAS NOT!" Meagan shouted.

Lance laughed a bit and let himself lay back down. He was still worried about school and his run-in with the car, but it was comforting to know that he had parents that loved him. "So, I guess I'm sixteen now..."

*Fade Out*
*Fade In*

A group of boys sat in a park eating food they had purchased from a nearby vendor. One was a well built, blonde boy that could easily pass off as a prince; the other was a brown haired boy that seemed to stick pretty close to the before mentioned blonde; next to him was a red haired youth that seemed to be a bit rough around the edges; and next to him was a boy that seemed to be somewhat nerdy, but well built all the same.

"Okay, Sky, Explain to me why we're here again?" The redhead complained.

"I just wanted to check out where Bloom's from. I may get to know more about her if I know more about her home realm." The blonde answered.

"Yeah, but isn't she from some place called Gardenia or something like that? This place is called New York!" The redhead spat back.

"Come on Riven," The brown haired boy said. "This place is kind of cool, and Sky was probably referring to the people of the realm and their circumstances."

"Shut up Brandon! He just made a mistake with the coordinates and is too proud to admit it!"

The nerdy boy’s shoulders sagged as he sighed. "Come on guys, can't we all just...get along."

Sky laughed a bit at the boy’s comment. "Timmy's right." he said. "Let’s just enjoy this park while we still can. School starts up again soon, and we won't be able to visit places like this very often."

"Yeah," Riven groaned. "I guess you’re right."

Suddenly, off to the right of the group, the boys heard a yell. "Prince Sky! I finally found you!" and with that declaration, needless to say, much screaming ensued via the masses. A giant ogre was right smack dab in the middle of the park, and people tend not to like ogres very much. They tend to be afraid of them, actually. The park was cleared in less than a minute.

"A-and who are you?" Sky asked a bit flustered.

"I was sent to take you and use you for ransom. Your parents will pay a lot of money to get you back!" The ogre happily answered.

Sky smiled. "Oh? I'll have to warn you. I attend red fountain."

"Yeah, we're trained to fight monsters like you." Riven smirked.

"And it is four against one, to fight us would be illogical." Timmy stated as he adjusted his glasses.

"Face it; you’re out of your league buddy." Brandon taunted.

"Ah, but I have magic armor given to me by powerful sorcerer! Nobody can stop Grukash!" Grukash, the ogre, charged the four teens with beastly rage and lashed out at the closest specialist in training. This ogre would be tough to beat.

*Fade Out*
*Fade In*

Lance decided to take a walk to clear his head and eventually came to the area around the park. "That's weird..." He said to himself. "I don't remember walking this far...I feel like I just left the hospital..." To him, time was passing by at an irregular rate. However, that could be due to his head injury, or maybe he was just too deep in thought to notice how far he had actually walked. Nevertheless, the clashing of swords and the battle cries of an ogre fighting four young specialists quickly put those thoughts to rest. "What's that noise?" he asked as he tried to pinpoint where the sounds were coming from.
What he saw when he finally pinpointed the source of the commotion amazed him. "I-I've got to be dreaming this!" He thought to himself. Ogres were supposed to be a myth, but he could not deny that a very large one was standing just a few feet in front of him. "What's going on?"

The ogre knocked Timmy to the ground. He found his gun annoying, and when Riven attacked from behind the armor that the ogre was wearing quickly shocked him. "Come on guys, we need to regroup!" Brandon yelled.

"Right!...uh-oh!" Sky said as the ogre came rushing towards him. Sky would have dodged, but his foot landed and became stuck in a small hole in the park that could have been dug by any number of the creatures that inhabited the area. None of that mattered, however, when a giant ogre was barreling towards you at full throttle.

"W-watch out!" Lance yelled as he found himself running towards the ogre. He jumped and delivered a kick into its side, which did close to nothing in terms of actual damage, but it did cause him to get distracted and lose balance.

"Who are you?" Sky asked.

"Um, I'm Lance, but I don't think that's important now!" Lance said as he jumped back to dodge a rock that the downed ogre tossed at him. "What is that thing?"

"It's an ogre." Timmy answered. "They usually aren't too bright, but they're strong, and they have a lot of brute force. This one is equipped with magic armor."

"Th-this is too much..." Lance said as he felt a dizzy spell coming on. He just got out of the hospital; he was in no condition to take on an ogre. Heck, even when he was in top condition he was in no condition to take on an ogre!

“I get you now!” The ogre charged again, but this time at Lance. He was angry for that kick that prevented him from capturing his prey.

"Not good!" Lance yelled as he jumped out of the way. He took a sloppy fighting stance that he learned in kung-fu. The only problem was that he had not practiced or attended a single martial arts class in two years.

The ogre charged again, but this time, now that the stupid creature was only attacking Lance the specialists were able to do their job. Brandon quickly threw a bola; a rope with two weights attached on each end, and tripped up the ogre as the hunting tool wrapped itself around its legs. After that, the specialists were able to subdue Grukash with a net and a good old-fashioned beating. "G-Grukash...not...lose..." He said as he struggled to get up. Fortunately, before he was able to accomplish anything, Riven placed special cuffs around his forearms that subdued his strength.

"Wh-...I'm...confused." Lance muttered. He fell backwards because of a dizzy spell and decided to sit on the ground for a while.

"I guess we've got some explaining to do," Timmy said.

"Yeah, I guess so," Sky agreed. "Where should we start? Oh, I know. We're not from earth!"

"WHAT!" Lance yelled. His mind was a mess. “Well, that’s an interesting start!”

"Wait, let me explain," Sky said. "We come from another realm, an alternate one... kind of. We attend a school called Redfountain, and it's an all boys school that trains specialists and heroes. Sometimes we go on missions to fight people like Grukash here."

"That... that's amazing." Lance was barely able to stutter. He would usually think such a story was untrue, but with an ogre standing right in front of him, he didn't have any choice but to believe what sky had to say.

"I'm Sky, and these are my friends Brandon, Timmy, and Riven. Those were some pretty awesome moves back there. You seem out of practice, but I can tell that you've had some training."

"Yeah, I used to take kung-fu when I was little."

"Kung-fu?" Riven asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"It’s an ancient Chinese fighting style here on earth,” Lance explained. “It’s good for teaching people how to fight bullies bigger than they are.”

"Oh," Riven said, accepting the answer.

"Wow, that's pretty cool though. Too bad there aren't any schools around here that teach heroes. I'd love to attend one like that." Lance said, half joking.

"Well..." Sky began. "Maybe you can..."

"What!" Came the collective screams of Brandon, Riven, Timmy, and Lance.

"Hear me out guys. This Lance guy is pretty cool, and I think he has what it takes. Bloom came from earth and she got into Alfea. Why can’t we try something similar? Besides, unlike Alfea where you need winx, the specialists have no power requirements. He could get in easily with the skills he has. He'll just have to train a bit harder than everyone else once he gets in and..."

"With us as his tutors..." Timmy interjected.

"It would be a walk in the park!" Brandon finished.

"Whatever. What if Saladine doesn't let Lance in because the people from earth aren't supposed to know about magical creatures." Riven said, trying to think realistically.

"Well, it’s kind of late for that now." Timmy joked.

"Wait, you’re telling me that I can attend Redfountain... a school for heroes and specialists?" Lance asked.

"Yeah, if everything goes well," Sky said.

"Where do I sign?" Lance said enthusiastically.

*Fade Out*

End of episode 1
Ending theme song: This day and age - Second place victory http://youtube.com/watch?v=YivbujnAo5g

Posted by: Ranma Aug 23 2007, 1:50 AM

((Oh yeah, reviews are welcome. I would like to know your thoughts on the story, and maybe some suggestions.))

Posted by: Anime Princess Aug 23 2007, 6:43 AM

wow awsome story i realy think it great way better then any of the stories i've ever writen although i prefer to stick to my poetry at the moment ^_^

Posted by: Ranma Aug 24 2007, 1:48 AM

Theme song:(Subject to change.) Wondering - Good Charlotte. http://youtube.com/watch?v=fjdo6UBuh4g

Episode 2: Redfountain

*Fade in*

Lance walked into his family's hotel room alongside his newfound friends. Of course, his mother, father, and sister were present, and he was glad they were. He was so excited he wanted to cut straight to the chase. However, he had to keep that excitement in check, for he was about to tell his family that he wanted to travel to another realm and attend a hero school. They may put him back in the hospital if they heard that!

His mother was the first to notice her son's presence. "Lance, who are your friends?" She asked. She didn't recognize them at all, and she knew all of Lance's friends.

"Hey, mom," Lance began. "I just met these guys at the park."

"Hello ma'am." Sky said cheerfully with a slight bow.

"The park? I want to go!" Meagan whined.

"Next time bring your sister," his father scolded as he got up from the chair he was sitting in to greet Lance’s new friends. "Hello, I'm Mark, Lance's father. It's nice to meet you."

"Hellos sir," Sky greeted. "I'm Sky." He then pointed to his companions. "Starting from left to right, this is Riven, Timmy, and Brandon."

"It's nice to meet you," Lance's mother greeted. "I'm Lance's mother as you might have guessed. My name's Mary and this is Lance's sister, Meagan."

"Hi," Meagan smiled. Her eyes darted between Riven and Sky. It would seem that she had taken a liking to the two.

"Hello," Timmy said with a wave, trying to be friendly.

"Um, now that you know my friends here, I wanted to ask you about something," Lance said with a sheepish smile. He didn’t want to waste any time getting to the point.

"What, do you want them to spend the night?" Mary asked.

"No mom, um, they go to an interesting school, and I wanted to know if I could attend. You know...considering that school hasn't started yet, and I'm not really enrolled yet."

"Where is this school? I hope it isn't far away from home," Mary said. "I hope it isn't a long drive. I doubt your sister wants to switch schools and it may take a while to drive both of you since we only have one car."

Riven chuckled at her 'I hope it isn't far away from home.' comment. Sky tried answering the question as well as he could without giving out too much information at one time. He knew that 'he' would sound crazy if he didn't approach this properly, "It is an all boys school, and it is quite far away. That's okay though, you wouldn't have to drive him. It's something of a boarding school, and he would live there."

"What!” Mary practically yelled. She didn’t want her son to live so far away from home. “ I don't know..."

"Please mom, I really want to go," Lance whined.

"Where is this school?"

"It’s in another dimension," Riven said with a grin. He really wanted to see the look on Mary's face when she heard 'that!'

Silence. One would be able to hear a cricket chirping.

"E-excuse me?" She asked, quite stunned. Mary wasn’t quite sure that she heard him correctly.

"Lance's new friend is crazy..." Meagan mumbled to herself.

"Um, yeah," Lance said sheepishly. "It's in a world called Magix they said. It’s a school for specialists and heroes."

"You're kidding," Lance's dad frowned. Any way you look at it, there’s no way that’s possible.

"No sir," Sky smiled. "It's the best school in all the realms. Your son showed a lot of potential today when he helped us fight an ogre. I'd like..." Sky couldn't finish his sentence.

"WHAT!" came the collective yell in the room.

"MY baby fought a what?" Mary squeaked.

"Ogre's don't exist." Meagan said with a sigh.

"Our son just got out of the hospital, and you’re making up stories about him fighting ogres? I'm sorry, but this isn't funny," Mark said with a stern voice.

Sky sighed. He knew that they might not believe him, but it was still annoying. "Timmy, you have the footage we asked you to take right?"

"Yeah, right here," Timmy said as he took a small disk out from his pocket. He pressed a button and a hologram of the ogre they had defeated earlier appeared. "This is the ogre we fought. His name is Grukash. We don't know who sent him, but he said he was after Sky."

"Why would he be after a young boy?" Mary asked.

"I am the prince of a planet called Araklyon. They probably wanted money," Sky explained.

"Oh...” Mary said as her voice trailed off. Anyone could tell that she was having a bad case of information overload. “I'd like ... to...see this school..."

"You've got to be kidding?" Meagan asked. "You believe this stuff?"

"We prepared for that. Will you come out side please? The trip should take no longer than a few minutes if we hurry." Brandon said.

"O-okay," Mary said as she followed Sky, Lance, and the specialists outside. Mark and Meagan followed in silence, they were too busy thinking about the story they were told. Once they came outside, one of Redfountain's ships lowered and the panel door hatch opened.

"This ship is owned by our school, but we're allowed to take it out from time to time," Brandon explained. "Timmy rigged it with a remote control so we can hide it from realms that don't have knowledge of worlds other than their own."

"Watch your step." Riven grinned with a mock bow as he gestured for everyone to enter the ship. He was loving the looks on Lance's family’s faces. After everyone boarded, the ship took to the air and entered the Magix realm portal.

"Man, I wish Stella was here," Brandon said.

"Oh boy," Riven said with a sigh. "Not this again."

"No, I mean she could have just teleported us with her ring," Brandon embellished, trying to save himself from Riven's constant mockery.

"Riiiiight," Sky mocked in Riven's place.

"Oh, and you don't wish Bloom was here? Come on!" Brandon snapped.

"Hey hey, just kidding man," Sky chuckled.

"Who's Bloom and Stella?" Meagan asked. She really only wanted to know whom Bloom was, but she didn't want to be obvious.

"Stella is Brandon's girlfriend and Bloom is Sky's girlfriend," Riven explained. "The fairy school's really close to Redfountain."

"Fairy school?" Mary asked.

"Yeah, it's called Alfea," Timmy explained. "Like Redfountain, Alfea is the best school for fairies and young girls who want to master their winx."

"Winx?" Meagan questioned. "What's that?"

"Winx is a fairy’s source of power I guess you could say," Brandon explained. "Stella is the princess of Solaria, and she tends to use sun power. Winx is unique to each person."

"Do you have winx?" Mark asked.

"No," Sky answered with his usual smile. "Winx is particular to magic users and the like. We specialists only use our skill, tools, and wits to accomplish our missions. We actually accompany the Alfea girls on many of their missions to aid them in their quests. We don't rely on winx, and quite frankly, we're better trained for combat."

"Okay, one more question," Mary asked. "We aren't the richest family in the world. We aren't royalty, and we are middle class at best. How are we going to afford this, and do other realms accept American currency?"

"No need to worry ma'am," Sky said with a smile. "My father, the king of Araklyon, is extremely influential at Redfountain, and he offers scholarships to gifted young men who don't have the money to afford Redfountain’s expensive tuition but have the skill to excel. I can get Lance here a scholarship with a simple phone call."

"Sweet!" Lance cheered.

"He will be learning subjects other than combat right? What about math, English, history..." Mark trailed of as he tried to think of more subjects.

"Redfountain teaches those as well, but I'll warn you, we don't teach earth's history," Timmy laughed. "But Redfountain trains well-rounded specialists, and we learn all of the important subjects."

"Oh...I see."

*Fade Out*
*Fade In*

The group arrived at Redfountain and got off the ship. Saladine was already there, ironically, and that saved everyone a lot of time. Saladine walked up to the group and immediately began to talk in his sage like voice.

"Sky, Brandon, Timmy, and Riven. We received the ogre you sent to us today. I am sorry to report that we do not yet know who sent him, but we are investigating. He is being held in captivity, and he will be sent to be tried in two days...who are they?" He asked, finally noticing Lance and his family.

"This is Lance, Mark, Mary, and Meagan. We...kind of picked them up from earth..." Sky said as he pointed to each member of Lance’s family as he stated their names. He didn't think this part through.

"Excuse me? Are you trying to tell me that you went to earth realm and took some of its inhabitants to the realm of Magix? You do know that is taboo don't you? This is very serious," Saladine lectured. "Your punishment can be extreme, expulsion even!"

"Wait," Sky said as he put his hands up in front of him as though to ward off Saladine. "Let me explain. Lance here already saw the ogre!"

"...Then...I guess it can't be helped,” Saladine sighed as he turned around to head towards Redfountain. “It's not like you had the proper equipment to mind wipe them..."

"Mind wipe!" Mary shrieked.

"Wait, Saladine, Lance helped us beat the ogre!" Sky spoke up in a hurry.

"Excuse me?" Saladine asked as he stopped mid-step.

"The guy's got talent," Riven said as he gestured to himself with his thumb. "He's not as strong as we are, but hey, we're the top specialists in our class, not too many are."

"Right...anyway," Brandon said, brushing off Riven's gloating. "Lance here has skill, and he seems to have the intuition required to be a specialist."

"And the courage," Sky said.

"He's pretty strong for someone of his slender frame, and he just got out of the hospital too," Riven added.

"He has a good head on his shoulders," Timmy added.

"What are you trying to propose?" Saladine asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"Lance should attend Redfountain!" Sky exclaimed.

"I was afraid that was what you were getting at. I don’t know... It is taboo to allow people from realms like earth into our realm...and I doubt he could pay. I hate to bring money into this, but..." Saladine began. It wasn't that he didn't like Lance, but he was frightened that the rest of Magix wouldn't allow it.

"Alfea allowed Bloom to attend their school, and I can hook him up with a scholarship," Sky explained.

Mark was silent up to this point. He was in awe, and he really didn't want Lance to be so far away from home. However, he did not want to deny his son anything, and he didn't like it when other people denied his son. "Why don't you talk to my son? Shouldn't you meet him before you pass judgment?"

"D-dad!" Lance shouted. He couldn't believe that his father was trying to argue with the headmaster of Redfountain.

Saladine looked at Mark, and then he looked at Lance. He hesitated for a bit and finally said, "Do you want to attend Redfountain boy?" he asked.

Lance was intimidated, but he really wanted to go to a school that taught specialists and heroes. He wanted to go on missions, fight evil, and do things he only dreamed about before. "Yes sir," he answered.

"It's hard. It is extremely dangerous as well."

"Oh, my baby!" Mary shouted as she tried to move forward. Mark grabbed her arm and signaled for her to wait with a shake of his head.

"I want to attend Redfountain. I'll do my best...sir," Lance responded.

"You have a weak frame."

"I used to study a fighting style from my realm, sir. I'll train my body back into proper fighting condition," Lance said as he tried to build confidence. His eyes began to show his determination.

"It's hard," Saladine repeated.

"I know, sir, you already told me that," Lance said.

Saladine smiled. "Okay, Lance, you’re in. However, we will monitor you, and we will be watching you closely. Keep your nose clean."

"Y-yes sir!" Lance smiled as he shook his head excitedly.

"YES!" Riven exclaimed as he threw his fist into the air.

Everyone looked at him with amused gazes. "Kind of excited there, aren'tcha Riven," Brandon said with a smirk.

"Shut up," Riven muttered as he crossed his arms and looked away from the group in defiance and embarrassment.

"MY BABY!" Mary cried.

"Do your best Lance," Mark congratulated.

"Hey, can I have your room?" Meagan asked, seemingly happy to get rid of her older brother.

"No," Lance deadpanned.

"Awe!"

*Fade Out*

End of Episode: 2

Ending theme song: This day and age - Second place victory http://youtube.com/watch?v=YivbujnAo5g

Posted by: Anime Princess Aug 28 2007, 4:40 AM

awsome story so far i was reading the last episode while i was supost to be cleaning my room lol ^_^

Posted by: Ranma Aug 28 2007, 5:25 AM

((LOL, I wrote this when I was supposed to be listening to my teachers lecture. But he's teaching stuff that I already know! I'm an acro employed contracted QA tester for THQ. I know how the testers, programers and devs work together, lol.

Also, thanks for posting, it really helps out. Your the only one that posts, lol. Anyway, any suggestions? ))

Posted by: Anime Princess Aug 28 2007, 5:36 AM

i wonder if anyone else has actualy read it ^_^ and sorry i dont have any sugestions ^_^ (i like this smily now lol ^_^)

Posted by: Ranma Aug 28 2007, 5:48 AM

((^_^
lol. Well tell them to read it, lol.

Anyway. The story will get even more interesting later on. This story starts at the beginning of season 2.))

Posted by: Anime Princess Aug 28 2007, 5:52 AM

(^_^ i look forward to reading it oh yea you should check out my poetry if you havent and tell me what you think ^_^)

Posted by: Ranma Aug 28 2007, 6:06 AM

((I read it. I like it, some times it is sad, but it is well written and catchy.))

Posted by: Anime Princess Aug 28 2007, 6:08 AM

(^_^ i've still got a fair bit more poetry lol i think i've writen over 20 poems most of them i write when i'm sad)

Posted by: darkar Aug 28 2007, 8:42 AM

i read it. so far its going good. no suggestions you are doing fine

Posted by: Ranma Aug 29 2007, 2:11 AM

Theme song:(Subject to change.) Wondering - Good Charlotte. http://youtube.com/watch?v=fjdo6UBuh4g

Episode 3: Dances with fairies.

*Fade in*

Lance already said goodbye to his parents and it was his first day of class. He felt a bit uncomfortable wearing the Redfountain uniform. He wasn't used to wearing such things and he felt that it was hugging his less-than-impressive form a little too tightly. It freaked him out; everyone that attended Redfountain was in perfect shape. Lance knew that, with training, he would eventually get the figure the other guys had, but right now he felt extremely self conscious about his physical appearance. It seemed as though he was the odd man out. The cape was kind of cool though.

"Hey Lance, what's up?" Brandon asked. He just came from the dorms and jogged a bit to catch up with his new friend.

"Hey Brandon...I...I'm lost," Lance laughed as he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Don't worry about that. This place is pretty big," Brandon comforted Lance. "Our first class is homeroom, so you can come with me. Stay close to me, Sky, or Timmy for a while until you learn this place."

"What about Riven?"

"Ha! Good one...oh, you’re serious. I guess you could follow him around, but I have a feeling he'd get annoyed after a while."

"R-right..." Lance hadn't known Riven for long, but he knew him enough to understand that he had a short fuse.

"Anyway, let’s go." Brandon said as he headed towards homeroom.

"Okay," Lance nodded as he followed Brandon.

*Fade Out*
*Fade In*

Lance stood in class. Homeroom had ended and he was attending his very first physical education class. In front of him stood an obstacle course from hell, seriously, Lance had never seen such a dangerous death trap before in his life. There were traps upon traps, ledges, pitfalls, and he could have sworn that he saw some sort of exploding device somewhere in the distance. His teacher was really intimidating as well. He originally thought the students had great body builds, but this teacher put them all to shame.

"I am Professor Codatorta. I am here to whip you pups into shape! This here is a light workout obstacle course of my own design that I created to find out how much you remember from last year! New students don't let your guard down. I can't guarantee your safety!" The man said with bravo. After his last comment, he began to laugh.

"L-light workout," Lance thought to himself in disbelief. He was really beginning to feel a sinking feeling in his stomach. Not to mention that every alarm in his head was warning him that the obstacle course ahead was extremely dangerous and that he should run away at full throttle!

"Who wants to go first?" Codatorta asked as he puffed out his chest. Lance could tell that this guy was very proud of his physical form.

"I'll go," Riven said with a grin. "Someone's gotta show these ladies how it's done."

"Right, show us how it’s done Riven," Brandon said with mock sarcasm. "That way we can learn what 'not' to do."

"Whatever man, I'm gonna have the best time here," Raven sneered. It seemed that Brandon always knew what buttons to press with Riven. If it weren’t for Sky acting as the groups mediator Riven probably would have jumped him by now.

"Then please step up Riven! Show the rest of the lot how it's done!" Codatorta shouted.

Riven stepped up to the beginning of the course, and on his teacher's mark took off down the obstacle course. Lance was right; the course was a giant death trap! He didn't notice, but his mouth was hanging wide open as he watched Riven bob and weave in-between the traps as though it were child’s play. It was something out of a video game or an action movie! When he reached a certain point of the course lasers started firing at him! One tagged him on the shoulder, but it would seem that Riven was strong enough to brush it off and finish the course.

Lance noticed that every specialist found a different way through the course. Riven had a brash 'fight your way through,' style to get to the end. Sky relied more on pure skill and he seemed to move a bit more gracefully than Riven. Brandon was a mix between the two before him. Timmy... well, Timmy gave Lance hope. It would seem that physical might and endurance was not the only way to get through the course. Timmy somehow found a way to tap into the courses programming and force the lasers to misfire. That isn't to say that Timmy didn't display any strength or endurance, but he tended to think his way out of most of the situations instead of taking them head on like the other guys did.

"You’re up!" Codatorta yelled as he pointed to Lance.

"Huh, me sir?" Lance asked, hoping that his voice didn’t crack. He was still quite afraid of the obstacle course that he oh-so-lovingly named 'The Death Trap.'

"Yes, you, Hurry it up! We have plenty more students to test today. I don't want an earth-born pup to slow things down!" Codatorta yelled like a drill sergeant and poked Lance’s chest with his index finger.

"Y-yes sir!" Lance shouted as he stood in attention. It was his turn to take on 'The Death Trap.'

"Ready?" Codatorta asked.

"Yes sir!" Lance shouted.

"GO!" The scary teacher man yelled.

Lance ran headstrong into the fray as he prepared himself mentally for the first obstacle. It should be easy enough; all he had to do was climb a rope. He used to do that all the time when he was taking the martial arts. Unfortunately, he wasn't as strong as he used to be, and his arms felt like they were on fire before he even reached the top. Through hard work and pure strength of will, he made it though. As he dropped to the bottom, he flinched as his feet made contact with the solid ground. It may not have been a good idea to jump from that height, but after he saw a laser beam fly where he stood just a moment ago, he was grateful he jumped when he did.

After the rope, there were many logs swinging back and forth. Lance, with his small frame was able to weave in and out pretty easily, but his stamina was beginning to run out on him. He was having trouble regulating his breathing patterns and he was practically sprinting to dodge all of the logs. Regrettably, for him, the lasers came next... and that was the end. Lance was fried. He was a crispy critter; he had no more energy left and was zapped until he couldn't even stand anymore. Sky and the others cringed as they watched their friend fall to the ground in pain and anguish. Codatorta quickly stopped the lasers and waved down some of the students to carry Lance to the sidelines. Lance looked at his teacher as he passed by and caught a glimpse of Codatorta shaking his head in shame. Lance also lowered his head in embarrassment. He was beginning to think that he wouldn't make it at his new school.

The boys placed Lance onto a bench against a wall so that he could sit the rest of gym class out. They felt bad for him that he was in such a pathetic state, but what little respect they once had for the new earth-boy all but vanished. Lance kept his head lowered as the boys walked off to take their places in gym class once again. Lance was so depressed that he almost didn't notice that they had placed him next to another boy. This boy sported long, black hair that he kept in a ponytail hung over his shoulder. The boy was sketching something in a sketchpad, and Lance had gotten a glimpse at what he was drawing. It was just a simple landscape, but the drawing looked so real Lance felt as though he could jump into the picture.

"Wow," Lance said as he leaned over a bit to get a better look. A burning pain enveloped his entire body so that was all he could muster. "That's awesome. I thought I was good, but you're at a completely different level!"

The boy that was silent up until now glanced at Lance and then looked back at his drawing. He didn't stop sketching but he asked, "You have an interest in art?"

"Yeah," Lance answered, trying not to move too much. "I always took art as an elective in the school I used to attend."

"Really?" The boy asked as he continued to work on his sketch. "It's good to have someone I can talk to. I don't really fit in here. Not my type of crowd."

"Oh?" Lance asked.

"Yeah, my grandfather wants me to come here, but I'm something of a pacifist. I don't like fighting," Helia said. He definitely had a look of disdain on his face when he mentioned fighting.

"Oh...heh, I guess we are a bit different then," Lance laughed. He immediately stopped once he realized that laughter was, in fact, ‘not’ the best medicine when laser burns were involved. The boy stopped drawing and looked at Lance in confusion.

"I like fighting," Lance said to answer the boy’s unspoken question.

"Oh." The boy frowned in response.

"Hey, don't get the wrong impression. I love fighting, but I hate hurting people."

"It goes hand in hand," the boy continued to frown.

"Not necessarily,” Lance tried to explain. “I used to spar with my friends back home. Sometimes there would be accidents, but for the most part no one ever got hurt. I like fighting because of the art."

"Art? Fighting is barbaric. If people just talked things out..."

"Back home there's a martial art called Shaolin kung-fu.” Lance said to cut the boy off. He had already heard that argument before. It was the most common argument used by any self respecting pacifist. “Originally it began as a dance, but became a fighting style after the Shaolin Monks were being attacked by bandits. They were able to protect themselves with their art form."

"Really? Hmm...a fighting style that originated as a dance," The boy said hesitantly as he stroked his chin in thought.

"The Shaolin Monks were peaceful, and they didn't want to hurt anyone. They preferred to fight with staves because they are non-lethal weapons. They were pacifists as well," Lance said with a smile.

"Hmm. Heh, you're an interesting person,” The boy smiled for the first time. “I'll believe in what you say for now, you don't seem to be a bad person. I'm Helia."

"Hi, Helia. I'm Lance.” Lance tried to nod as some sort of a short bow but his body rejected him. He pretty much decided to give up on moving at this point.

"Oh, so you're the one my grandfather was talking about!" Helia exclaimed as his smile grew larger.

"Huh, grandfather?"

"Saladine," Helia stated simply.

"..." Lance was silent. Saladine and Helia were completely different. Helia was a pacifist and Saladine was the headmaster of a school that trained young men how to fight. It took him a while to wrap his mind around the thought of the two and their relationship with each other.

"Hello?" Helia said, trying to get a reaction out of Lance.

"Oh, sorry, kind of spaced out there for a second,” Lance said as he snapped back to reality. “You don't seem to be anything like your grandfather."

"We aren't anything alike. He wants me to follow in his footsteps, but I'm not too into it,” Helia said as he stood up to walk away. “Anyway, class is over. I'll see you later Lance. It was a pleasure meeting you."

"Likewise," Lance said in response to Helia's goodbye. Lance was rather thrown back by Helia's comment about fighting, but he figured Helia was a good person at heart. They just saw things from two different perspectives.

"Hey Lance!" Timmy called as he ran to the earth-born specialist.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Phys. ed. is over. Saladine is calling everyone to the mess hall. He has an announcement," Timmy answered as he extended his hand to help Lance up from his seated position. Lance was more than happy for the help.

"Oh, okay. Let's go," Lance nodded as he and Timmy left in the direction of the main school building.

*Fade Out*
*Fade In*

The students of Redfountain gathered in the mess hall just as Timmy said, and Saladine was standing in front of everyone on top of something that resembled a stage so that everyone could see him. Codatorta stood next to Saladine, and other members of the faculty were on stage as well. Saladine cleared his voice to get everyone’s attention, and then he spoke.

"Students of Redfountain!” he said with pride and vigor. “It would seem that Ms. Faragonda has invited us back to Alfea for their ‘back-to-school dance.’ Let's show them the chivalry of Redfountain and present them with gifts that will make all of the students returning to Alfea completely forget about last year's gifts!"

"Of course," Codatorta added. "That means you boys will be on your best behavior. Anyone that acts out will have to answer to me!"

"Yes, thank you Codatorta. I'm sure that we won't have to worry about that,” Saladine said as he waved his hand to calm down the overzealous instructor. “Now will we boys?"

"NO SIR!" They replied in unison.

Lance and his friends stood amongst the group and they began talking amongst themselves. In fact, the entire student body was bustling with excited conversation. The students of Redfountain enjoyed the back-to-school dance just as much as the students of Alfea did!

"Alright!" Sky cheered. "A chance to see Bloom again!"

"I wonder if Tecna will want to dance," Timmy squirmed as he thought aloud.

"I think I'll sit this one out," Lance said with a sigh as he turned a downward gaze to the floor.

"What? No way man!" Brandon argued. "You have to go! It isn't exactly like we get a chance to socialize with Alfea’s students every day!"

"But, all I have are my casual clothes." Lance explained, trying to get out of the whole shindig.

"Heh, don't worry. We’re required to wear our uniforms." Riven said with a sly grin.

"You're going too?” Lance asked in bewilderment. “Dances don't seem like your thing."

"Well, you know...I just feel like it," Riven said as he looked away from Lance.

"He just wants to hang out with Musa," Brandon teased. "Seriously though, you should really go. You never know. You might meet someone!"

Lance continued to stare at the floor and suddenly found his feet to be extremely interesting. "Icndnce," he mumbled.

"What was that?" Brandon asked as he cupped his hand behind his ear so that he could hear better..

"I...can't dance." Lance repeated in a quiet yet barely audible voice.

"Heh, so you're just shy then," Riven snickered as he patted Lance on the back. Lance cringed in pain and let out a small yelp as soon as his palm made contact. “Uh, sorry dude.”

"Shut up!” Lance yelled as he rubbed his back. “I never really talked to girls back home, and dancing was never my thing..."

"Hey, come on. You don't have to dance," Sky stated as he gently placed his hand on Lance’s shoulder. He was a bit more mindful of Lance’s burn wounds. "Just go and make your presence known. Get yourself out there and have a good time!"

"Besides, we could introduce you to a few girls," Brandon said. "Coincidentally, Sky, Riven, Timmy and yours truly are sent on more co-op missions with Alfea than any other group here."

"Well, we get paired up with one group of girls in particular," Sky added with a smile.

"Heh, yeah! You could say that we have good chemistry with each other." Timmy added.

"Really?" Lance asked. "I didn't realize that Redfountain was that close with Alfea. It is called Alfea right?"

"Yeah, It's called Alfea," Riven said. "Look, just go. If anything else, standing next to you will make me look that much better."

"Wow." Lance said. "You're a jerk."

"Heh," Riven chuckled. "Just kidding man... Okay, not really, but still..."

Lance laughed a bit. "Fine, fine, I'll go."

"Hey, Saladine's naming the group that's going to be presenting the gifts," Sky said.

"Gifts?" Lance asked quizzically.

"We give the girls little presents every year. Last year we presented the gifts,” Sky explained as he motioned to Brandon, Riven, Timmy, and himself. “They were enchanted eggs. When they opened, magic butterflies of light flew around for a little while."

"Cool..." Lance said as he tried to imagine what that must have looked like. He was really in a world of magic now, and he would have to get used to it.

Saladine cleared his voice. "Okay. That’s enough talking amongst yourselves. I know everyone is excited, but now I will announce who will be presenting the gifts. We're going to let some of the younger students do it this year. Therefore, this year Kraven, Derek, Kyousuke, and Demitri will be presenting the gifts. Please come to the gym for preparations. We'll leave later tonight, so meet back here at eighteen hundred ours. That is all."

"Okay, let’s go back to the dorm," Sky suggested.

"Yeah, there's nothing left to do here," Riven agreed.

"Right," Brandon stated.

"Sure thing," Sky added.

"...sure..." Lance sulked as he and his group turned around to leave for the dorms. He was in deep thought, he was nervous, he was extremely shy around girls, he was already self-conscious about himself in his new uniform, and to make matters worse he was thoroughly embarrassed earlier during physical education. That day was beginning to turn into a nightmare, and he just wanted to crawl into bed and fall asleep. He trusted his newfound friends, however, and he wanted to make as many new friends as possible. Maybe he would have a good time...or maybe he would completely embarrass himself and have to wear a paper bag over his face for the rest of his life. Either way, he would have to face the Alfea girls eventually, especially if Redfountain ever decided to assign him a co-op mission.

*Fade Out*
*Fade In*

Lance got ready for the dance. Of course, he showered and changed his uniform. After he was lasered to kingdom come, he was not in the appropriate formal dance cleanliness condition. Actually, after being lasered he didn't feel like going to the dance at all. He still felt like his body was on fire. Sky told him that the pain would go away after a good night's rest, but instead of resting, he caved and decided to go to the dance. Lance’s mind meditated heavily on these facts as the as the Redfountain boys were on their way to Alfea and let out a long, drawn out sigh.

"What's wrong?" Sky asked.

"I just feel so out of it. I don't want to whine, but my body aches all over," Lance answered, truthfully.

"Don't worry, just take it easy and you'll be fine," Brandon said in an attempt to comfort Lance.

"Besides, it isn't like you're going to dance much," Riven said. "You said it yourself, you can't dance. That means that you probably won't be put into a position where you would have to move around."

"Wow that almost seemed as if you were trying to comfort me," Lance smiled.

"I have my moments," Riven beamed with a huge grin.

"Anyway, let’s just have a good time!" Timmy cheered. He was far more excited about this year’s dance than he was last year’s. In fact, he had Lance’s mindset last year and he didn’t look forward to the dance at all.

"Hey, wait, isn't that guy coming?" Lance asked as he turned his head to look for someone in the crowd that marched to Alfea.

"What guy?" asked Sky.

"Helia. I met him after I had to sit out of class," Lance answered as he continued his investigation.

"Oh, him," Riven said in disdain. "That guy is so anti-social! He thinks he's better than us, I just know it."

"Wow, he didn't seem too bad to me," Lance said in disbelief.

"Riven, he's just a little out of place. I don't even think he wants to be a specialist," Sky said. "Anyway, he isn't coming. Unfortunately, he ‘is’ a bit anti-social. He's a great artist though."

"Yeah, the landscape he was drawing was awesome. It made me want to start drawing more," Lance said enthusiastically.

"I didn't know you could draw," Brandon stated.

"Yeah, a little. I'm nowhere near his level though."

"Hey guys, we’re almost there." Timmy said, alerting the boys that they were arriving at their destination.

*Fade Out*
*Fade In*

Lance tagged along with Sky and the others as they entered the girls' school. Music was playing full blast and they were obviously prepared for the boys' arrival. It wasn't long before a group of girls approached the Lance’s group. Lance tried his best not to blush and cursed his natural shy nature. Their dresses all complimented their natural beauty, and they seemed to be somewhat color coordinated in their outfits. Lance didn't know why he felt that way, but that's the way he felt, as though those colors represented those girls in some way... and he was right. They were all, in his eyes, quite beautiful. Once he thought about it logically though, legends always described fairies as beautiful girls, so this made sense to him. However, that didn't make him feel any less uncomfortable.

"Hey Sky, what's up?" A red haired girl asked enthusiastically.

"Hello Bloom, you look absolutely beautiful today." Sky greeted. Bloom smiled and thanked him for his compliment. Lance watched as the boys greeted their girlfriends. He was somewhat lost in thought, and he was beginning to worry that Sky and the others would soon leave him alone. Hearing one of the girls mention him quickly snapped him out of his depressing state of mind, however.

"Who's your friend?" A girl with tanned skin, caramel colored hair, and emerald eyes asked. Lance couldn't help but blush when he felt that all eyes were on him. He mentally winced and swore to fix that shy nature of his as soon as possible.

Sky put his hand on Lance's shoulder and said, "This here is Lance Hawkings. He just joined Redfountain this year and... get this, he's from earth!"

"What? That is so cool! I'm from earth too Lance," Bloom said with a lot of enthusiasm. She was quite excited that there was someone from earth in Magix other than her.

"Yeah, that's really cool, but how'd someone from earth find his way to Magix?" A black haired girl with pigtails asked.

"The same way Bloom got here Musa, we brought him," Riven said as he puffed out his chest in an obvious attempt to show off.

"Hey, isn't it against the rules to let people from earth know about the other realms?" A girl with long blonde haire asked. Lance didn't know why, but everyone was giving her some pretty intense stares.

"What?" She asked, genuinely curious.

"Stella, didn't Bloom get here because you let ‘her’ know about Alfea?" A girl with short, maroon hair asked.

"Yeah, but that was totally different Tecna! The girl had Winx!" Stella retorted as she threw her hands into the air.

"Hey, don't let his looks fool you," Brandon said. "This guy took on an Ogre!"

“Wow, that's really amazing," The tanned girl praised. Lance tried his best to keep eye contact. He was so shy he had a lot of trouble looking girls in the eye, but it would be rude not to, and Lance was brought up to be polite.

"He's over exaggerating. I only helped to distract the ogre. Sky and the others are the ones who really took it down," Lance said with a sheepish smile.

"You kicked it man!" Riven said as he crossed his arms. "Not too many people have the guts to kick an ogre."

"Someone of his body frame shouldn't be able to do much to an ogre." Tecna said as she mentally analyzed Lance.

"He kicked the ogre," Timmy said. "He didn't hurt it much. However, due to the forward momentum of the ogre and the angle of Lance's jump kick combined with earth's normal gravity; he ‘was’ able to throw the ogre completely off balance."

"Oh, I see," Tecna said in realization. "I didn't take that into account."

"That was very courageous," The tanned girl said. "I don't think too many people would try to fight an ogre."

Sky looked at Lance, then at the tanned girl, and then back at Lance. It was then that a little devious plan began to formulate in his head. "Hey Flora, will you keep Lance company. He doesn't know anyone here and..."

"Hey Sky, I don't want her to have to baby sit me all day,” Lance interrupted in an attempt to stop Sky’s evil plan. He knew exactly what his friend was trying to do. “I'm sure she would want to enjoy the dance and not take care of me."

"Oh, I don't mind at all," Flora said with a smile.

"A-are you sure?" Lance asked. "I mean, I'm sure you would have more fun hanging out with your friends."

"All of my friends will be hanging out with their boyfriends,” Flora explained. “I wouldn't mind having someone to talk too."

"You heard her Lance," Brandon said, patting Lance's shoulder.

"Don't try to make up any more excuses," Riven added.

"There is no logical reason for you to not accept Flora's company," Timmy said as he grinned and adjusted his glasses.

"Just have fun!" Sky said, patting Lance's other shoulder.

"R-right," Lance said with a weak smile. It wasn't that he didn't want to hang out with Flora, he was just too shy.
"Wow," He thought to himself. "I'm pathetic. How did I survive for this long without talking to girls...?” Lance couldn't think for too long though, Sky and the others had already left. Soon, only Flora was standing next to him. "Wow, I really need to stop zoning out," He continued his mental dialogue. "When did they leave...? I have absolutely nothing to say... wait! ...Nope, nothing."

"Do you want to get something to drink?" Flora asked. It was a simple question, but Lance ran a million different answers through his brain before choosing.

"Uh...sure," He finally decided on.

"Okay, follow me," Flora smiled. Lance did as he was told and followed her in silence.

To tell everyone the truth, this entire scenario is an embarrassing endeavor that most young teenagers have probably been through in some form or the other. Flora was naturally introverted and Lance was extremely shy. Not much conversation went on between the two of them. Everything Lance thought of saying he was too scared to say, and Flora didn't want to talk too much. She didn't know Lance at all.

"So, why did you decide to go to Redfountain?" Flora asked, trying to break the ice.

"I...was bored, I think..." Lance said, trying to put his thoughts into tangible sentences.

"Bored?" Flora asked, quite confused.

"Yeah, earth is boring. I guess if anyone was given the choice to live in a world of magic or a world of... I don’t know... plain, every day, living. I guess they would naturally take the most exciting route," Lance said. "I just wanted to break free from my every day routine I guess."

"Oh, I see. Do you like it here?" Flora asked.

"Y-yeah." Lance semi-lied. He felt like the odd man out since he came to Magix, and that meant that he was constantly at a state of unease.

"That's good. Have you been to Magix yet?" She asked.

"I thought we were in Magix..." Lance answered, suddenly unsure of the information that Sky and the others gave him.

"Well, the planet we're on is called Magix, but there is a city of Magix as well. Have you been to the city?"

"No, not yet," Lance said as he scratched the back of his head. He was feeling uneasy again. He didn't like talking about himself too much, it made him feel like he was self centered. "I actually just came here a few days ago...what about you. When did you start coming to Alfea?"

"I've been here since my freshman year," Flora answered. "That's also when I met Bloom, Stella, and the others."

"Oh, that's nice..."

Silence; Yeah, they had a conversation going...but they lost it. Lance wanted to keep the focus on Flora. This may be a bit selfish, but he much rather learn more about her then talk about himself.

"Sky told me that each fairy had her own Winx,” Lance started in a weak attempt to get the conversation going again. “And that Winx was something specific to a fairy and reflected her personality in a way. If you don't mind me asking, what's your Winx?"

Flora smiled. If there was one thing any fairy worth her salt could talk about, that was her Winx. Winx is unique to its master, and only its master can fully understand it.

"My specialty is plant life," Flora answered.

"Plant life?" Lance asked.

"Yes. From a fighting standpoint, I prefer to use my Winx to ask nature to defend my friends and myself. From a less threatening stand point, I can hear the voice of nature and nature, in turn, responds to my Winx."

"The voice of nature?" Lance asked, intrigued.

"Oh yes, nature is alive, and for those that listen it has a lot of things to say," Flora said with a smile and a nod.

"Wow...I was always told that plants were living things, but I guess I never looked at it that way. The voice of nature huh, can anyone pick that up or is it unique to your Winx?"

"Oh, anybody can hear it, but it’s a lot more than just using your ears. Sometimes it is a feeling you get in your heart. So most people become desensitized to nature's voice. Tecna especially had a hard time learning how to communicate with nature...she still does actually,” Flora said as she brought her hand up to her mouth to hide her small chuckle.

"That's really cool. I'm from the city, so I don't know much about wild life. I've never even been camping before," Lance smiled, somewhat embarrassed. He always wanted to go camping, but his family wasn't the camping type. They needed technology like a fish needs water.

"Really? The city is fun to visit every now and again, but the nature is my home. My realm is a very green place."

"I..." Lance started to speak, finally enjoying the conversation. However, another Redfountain student cut him off.

"Hey, want to dance?" A random Redfountain student that Lance didn’t recognize asked Flora. It was bound to happen eventually, Flora was a very pretty girl.

"No thank you, I'm talking to my friend," Flora answered, politely. Lance smiled a bit without even realizing it. He had made a new friend. When he considered someone a friend, it was always easier to talk, girl or not.

"What? Laser Magnet Lance?" The boy laughed. "You've got to be kidding me?" Lance flinched at his new nickname.

"Laser Magnet Lance?" Flora asked in confusion.

"Yeah, today in gym class Codatorta had us run through an obstacle course. Laser Magnet here was the only one who couldn't complete it, and he got pelted with so many lasers it was painful to watch! I mean, look at him. He's really skinny, he's only about five-eight in height, and he has no clue as to how things work around here,” the Redfountain student continued to laugh. "If I were you I wouldn't hang out with him, you may get a bad rep."

Lance’s eyes narrowed in anger. He would have retaliated, but he knew that the guy was right. Flora frowned. "I'm sorry, but I much rather spend my time with him than you. Physical appearance doesn't matter. It's what's on the inside that counts, and from what you just showed me he's a much better individual than you."

"Wow, she's a nice girl," Lance thought as his anger subsided.

"You've got to be kidding me?" The bully of a student practically yelled.

"No, please leave me alone," Flora said as she turned away to make her point.

"After what you just said?" The bully cracked as he took a step forward.

"HEY!" Lance snapped, tired of being silent up until that point. His anger made him forget his shy nature as he stepped forward to get in between him and Flora.

"Can it Laser Magnet!"

"You aren't that smart are you? Saladine told us to treat these girls with respect!" Lance hissed in a hushed voice.

"What, you're going to snitch on me?" The boy asked.

"No, I won't have to. Codatorta can see you from here," Lance said, pointing in Codatorta's position in the crowd.

In fact, Codatorta just happened to look in their general direction, but he wasn't really looking at anything in particular. Lance knew that, but he had succeeded in making the bully paranoid. "I'll see you in combat class," The bully said in a hushed, but angry tone before storming off. Lance had been holding his breath the entire ten seconds it took for the bully to leave. In reality that wasn't a very long time, but to Lance it seemed like forever.

"Thank you," He heard Flora say.

"Huh? For what?" Lance asked. He didn't think that he did anything worth being thanked for.

"He was getting a little too close, and I don't like fighting too much. Especially, since it would have spoiled the dance for everyone,” Flora explained. “But you got him to leave, so thank you. I think you'll do just fine at Redfountain Lance. I think you have a very good heart."

"T-thank you," Lance stuttered. That was probably the greatest compliment he had ever received...he wasn't used to getting compliments though; not since coming to Magix anyway.

"So, do you want to dance?” Flora asked. “It would be a shame if we didn't dance at least once tonight. That is what the back-to-school dance is for after all."

"Um, no...I'm not really good at that kind of thing," Lance said. He only spoke the truth.

"Oh..." Flora said. Lance could clearly hear the disappointment in her voice. Now he felt like a jerk. She really wanted to dance and he was letting his selfishness get in the way. Who cares if he embarrassed himself, as long as he made someone else happy right?

"What's with girls and wanting to dance anyway?" Lance thought to himself.

"It isn't that I don't want to dance," He began. "I've never danced before, and I really... don't know how..."

Flora smiled. "It's easy, I could teach you.”

"O-okay," Lance blushed. Luckily for him it went unnoticed.

And so, Flora attempted to teach Lance how to dance. Since this particular gathering had a ballroom theme, Lance had to dance as such. It was definitely more elegant than what he was accustomed.

"You hold my hand in yours, and you place your hand on my waist like this," She said as she helped Lance get into the proper formal dance position. "Then from there it's easy..."

Lance was shy, and he was trying his best not to show it. He was way too close to Flora for comfort, but if him trying to dance made her happy, he'd try his best. "I'm a sap," Lance thought to himself. "But...I guess I was worrying over nothing."

"So, you were shot by lasers today?" Flora asked.

This time Lance's blush was visible. Flora giggled a bit at his reaction. She felt a little bad at bringing up the subject if it got to him that much, but she didn't expect him to blush like that.

"Yeah," Was the only answer he could think up.

"Did it hurt?" Flora asked. She knew it was a stupid question, but she didn't like awkward silences.

"A lot," Lance said with a sloppy grin. Hey, if you can't laugh at yourself...

From that point on, they danced...or attempted to dance. Lance really needed to practice, but he did pretty good for his first attempt. He made two new friends in one day, learned how to dance, and got shot by Lasers. Lance would say that he had a pretty interesting day, but he was too busy trying not to step on Flora's feet.

*Fade Out*

End of Episode 3

Ending theme song: This day and age - Second place victory http://youtube.com/watch?v=YivbujnAo5g

Posted by: *Stella* Aug 29 2007, 8:14 PM

lol^^ im still at your first post but i like it!!!!

Posted by: Ranma Aug 31 2007, 8:52 AM

((I just want to warn people. I know that Layla came in the first episode of season 2 and that it was the first day of class.
Just keep an open mind that this is an alternate reality due to Lance's presence in the story. Layla will be appearing soon, don't worry ^_^ In, pretty much the same way she did in the series so that the character's origins are kept secure))

Posted by: Ranma Sep 3 2007, 6:08 AM

((NOTE: The spelling of Maya/Maia has changed to "Mya" to match the original spelling of the name.))

Theme song:(Subject to change.) Wondering - Good Charlotte. http://youtube.com/watch?v=fjdo6UBuh4g

Episode 4: Sharpen the Lance.

*Fade in*

Lance was alone in the gym at Redfountain training his martial arts. He started training since his first day at the specialist school, and though no improvement to his muscle structure seemed apparent, his body was shaping up quite nicely. His body became more flexible, and his stamina was building slowly but surely. He still couldn't hold a candle to the other student, but Lance was beginning to see the fruits of his labor and he didn't feel so useless anymore. However, something bothered him.

*Begin Flash back*

Lance was hanging out with his friends, lounging around and doing nothing, when a knock came to the door. Sky answered and Saladine wasted no time getting to the point of his unexpected visit. "Excuse me boys, I need a few moments of your time."

"What is it Saladine?" Sky asked.

"Yeah, it's kind of early isn't it?" Riven asked as he brought his hand up to his mouth to suppress a yawn. He was leaning up against the wall closest to the door that Saladine used to enter the room.

"Not too early for this, boys," He replied. Everyone gathered around the old hero and listened to what he had to say. "I have a mission for you. Two of Alfea's students, and one other, are going to Shadowhaunt in the Under Realm on a rescue mission. I need Sky and Brandon to accompany them."

"Alright!" Sky and Brandon seemed to yell in Unison, happy to receive a new mission.

"Wait a second! What about me?" Riven asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Those two got the best scores in the class on surviving unexplored terrain. Timmy will fly them there, and you may accompany them if you wish, but only Sky and Brandon will set foot in the Under Realm."

"Yes!" Timmy cheered, feeling useful.

"Fine, but I'd be a much better choice than Brandon," Riven pouted.

"As if!" Brandon challenged.

"You want to start something?" Riven asked as he stepped forward to face Brandon.

"Enough you two," Saladine intervened. "We are leaving soon. Save your energy for the mission."

"Yes sir!" The boys answered as they snapped to attention.

"Um, Saladine, can I go? Just tag along like Riven?" Lance asked. He didn't want to be left out.

"I'm sorry Lance, but I can't take that risk. I hate to say this, but you are not yet ready to take on even the simplest of missions. That's the price one pays for starting late with no previous specialist training."

"I...I understand." Lance said with his head hung low.

*End Flashback*

Lance finished practicing all of the memorized forms that he could remember and went straight into pushups. After he completed a few sets he went straight into Sit-ups, then jumping jacks, followed by pull-ups, jogging, sprinting, and then...boy did he feel dizzy. He nearly passed out and allowed himself to lie down on the floor. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't feel the fatigue of his training, and the second he relaxed himself it washed over him in one huge wave.

"You're working yourself too hard boy, but I do admire your spirit!" Lance heard from behind him. It was Codatorta. Lance didn't know how long he was watching him, but he was a bit embarrassed at the situation he found himself in.

"I... I need to catch... up!" Lance choked out between his heavy breathing.

"Heh, looks like I underestimated the brat," Codatorta thought to himself as he smiled and stroked his beard. "He may have some hero in him after all."

"I don't... want to be... left out... of every mission. I don't want... to be a... hindrance." Lance continued as he struggled to get up to no avail. His arms and legs felt like wet noodles. He was going to stay on the floor for a little while longer.

"Aye, but you'll need a weapon, won't you?" Codatorta asked.

"Excuse me?”

"You still haven't received yours yet. That's actually why I'm here. We supply every student with the necessary tools to complete every mission. Those crystal blades you saw your friends sportin' around aren't jus’ for show!"

"So, I get one too?" Lance asked.

"Yes, you do. This will be the weapon that you will train with from this point on, so choose wisely." Codatorta said as he handed Lance a digital clipboard that had all of the available weapons listed on it. Lance sat up as best he could and looked at each one. He liked the design of many, but none of them seemed to fit his previous experience or fighting style.

"Is there any way to get one custom made?" Lance asked. He knew he probably shouldn't, but he decided to give it a shot.

"How custom? Nothing too fancy pup," Codatorta remarked.

"I was just wondering if you could have one fashioned like a sword from my planet," Lance asked.

"Hmm...I don't see why not. The swords on the clipboard are pretty basic. It isn't unheard of for the company we order these things from to add a bit of customization to the design. What does it look like?" Codatorta asked as he stroked his beard.

Lance trudged over to his backpack that was leaning up against a wall, took out a sketch pad and made his way back to Codatorta. He flipped a few pages and came to a picture of a Japanese blade with a slight curve. "This is called a Katana. It's my favorite weapon on earth," Lance explained. “I’ve actually trained with the Shaolin broadsword and the Tai Chi straight sword as well and I’m fairly decent with them. Normally my martial art doesn’t teach its practitioners how to use the Katana since my school is Chinese and not Japanese. Every now and again they’d have seminars to teach weapons from different schools though, and I really took to the Katana. It can be used as either a single-handed sword or a two-handed sword depending on one’s personal fighting style. The Shaolin broadsword and the Tai Chi straight sword, on the other hand, are both traditionally single-handed weapons and I think that may put me at a...”

"You don’t need to give me a history lesson!” Codatorta cut Lance off as he took the sketchpad into his hand. “Hey, this design is pretty simple. I don't see why we can't make it. I'll have the order placed right away. It should be here in about a week or two. It ‘is’ custom so that ain't too bad."

"Thank you," Lance said in gratitude.

"And keep training. You're getting better," Codatorta said as he walked off. Before he left, he turned to Lance and said, "Come meet me at the front of the school in an hour. If you want, I'll give you training crash course. DON'T TELL ANYONE, GOT THAT?" He yelled the last part to put extra emphasis on it.

"Y-yes sir!" Lance yelled as he stood in attention.

*Fade Out*
*Fade In*

Lance arrived at the front of the School just as Codatorta instructed. Codatorta was already waiting there, and he looked angry... but he always looked angry so Lance didn't pay any attention to that. "I'm here," Lance said to get Codatorta’s attention.

"Good, you came," Codatorta said. "Follow me."

Codatorta took Lance to his own personal ship. They boarded and Codatorta was the pilot. Lance didn’t think anything of it, but it was obvious that Codatorta was keeping this little field trip a secret from the higher ups.

"Where are we going?" Lance asked.

"The Island of Dragons," Codatorta answered.

"What? Dragons? That's awesome!" Lance yelled, practically jumping out of his seat in joy. The dragon was his favorite mythological creature.

"This isn't something to be taken lightly. Saladine would have my head on a silver platter if he knew I was taking you there."

"Huh, why?" Lance asked.

"This place is dangerous, extremely dangerous in fact. I'm going to be your escort, but that doesn't make this safe."

"Why are you doing this then?"

"I've been watching you. Others might not see it, but I'm a teacher for a reason. You're weak, you lack stamina, and you don't have a clue about anything in the magic realms.” Codatorta listed all of Lance’s shortcomings, and Lance winced quite visibly in response. “But you haven't given up yet, and the way I saw you training back there..."

"Reminded you of yourself when you were my age?" Lance interrupted.

"NO!" Codatorta yelled. "I was never that weak in my life! It just got me thinking, ‘Maybe this pup's got what it takes.’ I want to give you a bit of a shortcut in your studies. But remember, just because it’s short doesn't mean that it is easy. This is extremely dangerous for both you and me."

"Oh..." Lance said, getting a bit more serious. "What will we be doing there?"

"This and that; though, the focus of this little field trip is to have you tame a dragon. All the boys at Redfountain can do it. It takes an entire course to learn how to control a dragon's mind efficiently enough to tame it, but this place can give you a bit of an edge. This will train your body, your mind, and it will put a lot of stress on your fragile body. But after this, I think the other classes will come a bit easier."

"Really? Th-thank you, this is just what I need!" Lance said as he clutched his hands into fists in excitement.

"So, let’s stop going at this turtle's pace and get there quick!" Codatorta yelled as he sped up.

*Fade out*
*Fade In*

They arrived on Pyros, Island of the dragons. The last place Lance should be at, but Codatorta was with him, so he should be safe..."Should" and "be" are the key words here. Codatorta himself said that it was dangerous to be there, even with an escort.

"I come here all the time to get tamable dragons," Codatorta explained. "This place is full of 'em, and I think you may learn a thing or two here."

"Right," Lance nodded. He looked up and saw a dragon fly overhead. He tried his best to hide his excitement. He was visibly shaking in anticipation of the adventure he was about to have.

"Well, let’s get going. We need to find a dragon for you to tame. Here, catch!" Codatorta said as he threw a sword hilt to Lance.

"What's this?" Lance asked as he caught the hilt with his right hand. Codatorta raised an eyebrow when he noticed how easily Lance caught the object. It would seem that the pup had good hand-eye coordination after all.

"It's a sword. Not a katana, but it will come in handy. Just press the trigger and the blade will come out," Codatorta explained.

"Thanks," Lance said with a nod as he accepted the gift.

And they were off! Lance had no idea what he was supposed to do and decided to follow Codatorta in silence. It wasn’t long before they came to an area with a lot of greenery and vegetation. The specialist and the trainee stood at the ready and Lance wore a look of determination on his face.

"Cut through it,” Codatorta commanded. “I want to see you work a little."

"R-right," Lance said as he pressed the trigger on his hilt and activated his blade, a simple short sword. He began to cut a path for Codatorta and himself, but it was hot and Pyros, and Lance was beginning to sweat. He occasionally wiped the sweat from his brow and continued to cut his way through the vegetation. Codatorta just followed behind Lance with his arms crossed over his chest. It wasn't very thrilling, but Codatorta hadn't planned a day of excitement, he planned a day of hardships... for Lance.

They continued for some time in silence, but every now and again Codatorta would bark out an order or two for Lance to follow. For the most part the day was pretty boring, but Lance remained hopeful. Eventually, the ground began to shake with loud, systematic, rumbling sounds. Lance stopped dead in his tracks and made a complete 360 degree turn in an attempt to find the source of the sound, but Codatorta just stood where he was and kept his arms crossed. "Sounds like a dragon," The specialist said.

"Awesome!" Lance said in delight.

"Yeah, awesome,” Codatorta mocked with sarcastic sincerity. “Time to show me what you've got, pup."

"What?"

"It takes a lot of mind control to keep a dragon under your command. Practice on this one. By the sound of it, it isn't too dangerous, but still a good dragon," Codatorta said as he slowly backed away from Lance.

"You can tell from the sound of its footsteps?" Lance whispered.

"Yeah, I can," Codatorta answered. "You've studied up on the dragon pamphlet we gave you on your first day right? You should know the basics of controlling dragons."

"Y-yeah, but I didn't know that I would be doing it so soon...I thought that was a specialized class or something." Lance wanted to yell every word that he had just said, but he didn’t want to alert the dragon to his presence.

"You would have started last year, but of course, you didn’t. So take the basics of what you learned and try to make a link with that dragon."

"B-but I don't have any psychic abilities or anything," Lance argued.

"It isn’t about bein' psychic Lance. It's about exerting your will onto the dragon. Show the dragon who's boss and take control of it. Make it think that it ‘has’ to obey you no matter what! Force it to respect you! ...oh, here it comes." Codatorta said as he picked up a rock and threw it at the dragon. "HEY YOU BIG DUMB LIZARD! OVER HERE!"

The dragon was big to say the least. It was a run of the mill, green scaled, long necked, fire-breathing dragon. It wasn't fully grown, but Lance had no doubt in his mind that it could squash him like a bug. It looked straight at Lance and Codatorta and let out a ferocious roar that shook the ground. Then it came charging...

"Wh-why did you do that?" Lance said in disbelief.

"You're up pup." Codatorta said as he hid in the foliage.

Lance held out his hand and closed his eyes. "Stop," He said, trying to make a link with the dragon. The footsteps got closer and grew louder. "Stop." and they got even closer. "Please stop..." the ground shook even more violently.”NOT GOOD!" Lance yelled.

Lance turned in the exact opposite direction of the dragon and began to run as quickly as he could. Of course, he couldn't outrun the stampeding dragon, but he had to try. Lance just barely ducked as the dragon came at him, and he scarcely jumped out of the way as the dragon's tail whipped out and struck at him.

"Mr. Codatorta where are you?" Lance yelled as he dodged the angry lizard. Codatorta was actually close by, watching Lance, but he wouldn't help him...not yet.

"Maybe I should have given him a shield too," He whispered. It was then that the dragon whipped its tail at Lance again. The tail would have knocked his head clean off if Lance didn’t ducked in just a nick of time. "Nah..."

Lance ran as fast as his legs could carry him. He weaved in between the trees in hopes that they would slow the dragon down a bit. It didn't work; the dragon came barreling through, ignoring the trees and knocking them down as though they weren't even there. It made a swipe at Lance with one of his claws and the specialist-in-training jumped to avoid the sinister blow, but Lance couldn't land right and hit the ground pretty hard. He kept rolling though, he didn't want to stop moving forward, and he quickly got up as soon as he could. He came to a cliff and knew that he was cornered.

The dragon took that chance to catch up with Lance. The overgrown lizard was angry and fire spewed from its nostrils. Lance looked at it up close, face to face. He was scared, extremely frightened at what this beast could do to him. In desperation he looked down the cliff, there was a large lake down below but he didn't know if the water was shallow, if there were other dangerous creatures waiting for him, or any other horror scenario that raced through his mind. The dragon reeled back its head and breathed in deep. The creature’s chest puffed out as it took in the world's oxygen. Lance knew exactly what was going to happen next and watched in horror as the dragon blew a stream of fire right at him. If it touched him, he knew it would burn him to ash.
Lance had no choice and jumped off the cliff. He yelled at the top of his lungs all the way down. It was a long drop. In truth, that fall could have killed him whether he hit the water or not, but luckily for him he hit the water just right and was only slightly hurt from the fall. Lance swam to the surface as fast as he could and looked up at the cliff side. The dragon was still there, but he didn't know if it had seen him yet. The poor boy slowly swam to the lake's edge and got out of the water. He tip-toed his way back into the forest so that the dragon wouldn't hear him, and when he felt that he was at a sufficiently safe distance away from the dragon, he sat down against a tree and let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Dragons in comics, books, and movies are way cooler than in real life!" He said to himself as he gasped for breath. He didn't realize how far he had ran, he had no idea where Codatorta was, and in truth, he was a bit angry that Codatorta put him in that situation. What kind of teacher gets a dragon to chase his student? That is wrong on more levels than one.

When Lance got his breath back, he decided to look for missing instructor. He was Lance's only way off Pyros, and Lance wanted off ‘now.’ Too bad Lance had never gone camping a day in his life. That experience surely would have helped him in his current situation. However, Lance had a natural survival instinct. He was born with it, though most would not consider his instinct anything great... commonsense. You would be surprised how uncommon commonsense was these days, and Lance had it in spades.

"Okay," Lance said aloud just so that he could have a voice to hear. "I'm lost, but that's okay, I can get through this!"

It was time to find a way back to the ship. Lance had a feeling that Codatorta wouldn’t be helping him, so staying put was useless. He stood up straight, but soon after leaned on a tree to regain his footing. He felt dizzy when he stood up, and his legs were aching. Running, jumping, ducking and swimming took a lot out of a guy. He shook the cobwebs out of his head, and when he found his center of gravity again, he pushed off to find his way off the island.

*Fade Out*
*Fade In*

It was beginning to get dark, and Lance knew that he had to find shelter. He found a cave and decided that he would have to make do with that. He smelt a sweet aroma emanating from inside, and before he knew it he was drawn in. To his surprise, someone was already in the cave. It was an elderly woman with white hair, red skin, and she carried a staff with a dragon shaped head on it.

"Who are you?" She asked. Her tone sounded friendly and kind.

"I-I'm Lance," He said. "Lance Hawkings. I'm sorry if I intruded. I'm kind of lost, and it’s getting dark out..."

"Please, have a seat. I am Mya," The woman said. "I'm sure I can help you find your way, but like you said, it is dark out. It should wait until the morning."

"Y-yes ma'am," Lance said with a quick nod. "Thank you."

"And you're so polite too. I wouldn't mind having more guests like you, but hardly anyone comes to Pyros. Why are you here, exactly?" She asked.

"I came here with my teacher,” Lance explained. “I'm a student at Redfountain... it's a school that..."

"I know what Redfountain is," She smiled. "It is a well known school for specialists and heroes. I get some visitors from Redfountain occasionally. This is a dangerous place though, Lance, and you don't look to be well trained at all. What teacher would bring you here?"

"My teacher, Codatorta,” Lance answered, truthfully.

"Oh, ‘him.’ He comes here every year to capture dragons," Mya said with a bit of an edge in her voice. "We don't get along very well."

"I'm sorry," Lance said with his head hung low.

"You have nothing to apologize for. Lance, you have done nothing wrong, and I can sense that you are a kind soul."

Lance smiled as he raised his head. Usually people mistook his kindness as naivety and weakness. He was happy to see that someone actually noticed that he just wanted to do right in the world.

"So you came here to take a dragon, I imagine."

Lance hung his head low once again. "Yes, I did. Mr. Codatorta told me that it would be a good lesson, and that it would be a shortcut in catching up with my classmates. I'm from a planet called earth, and they don't know anything about the magical realms. I just stumbled across the magical realms by mistake, and now I'm in Redfountain. Like you said, I'm not as well trained as the other Redfountain students because this is my first year and I just started."

Mya smiled. "Lance, there are no shortcuts when it comes to strength, but I think I know what Codatorta was trying to do. Hold still, I want to see something."

Lance obeyed, and Mya touched his forehead. She saw things...she saw Lance's strength, his emotions... she saw everything at once. Love, pain, sorrow, happiness, and anger... rage! Pure, unadulterated rage harnessed within Lance that would forever leave its mark on his very soul. She saw many dragons... omi-dragons, as she liked to call them. She saw a destiny the Lance that sat before her could never achieve. How could a young boy such as Lance survive all that she had seen? She delved deeper. She saw a more intense form of rage, anger, sorrow, and pain... she saw love, joy, and happiness once again... then she saw an unknown force tear Lance asunder. Afterwards there was nothing. Mya fell back, startled and shaken by what she had seen.

"Wh-what's wrong?" Lance asked as he caught her, alarmed by her sudden collapse.

"I've seen one of your possible destinies Lance," She said, her voice cracking.

"What is it?"

"I cannot say, for just telling you may alter it beyond any of our control,” Mya warned as she found the strength to stand up again. “I can only prepare you for what is to come... and please Lance, choose the right paths in life; for you may end up... you may end up without a destiny at all."

"What...what do you mean?" Lance asked as his face grew pale. That definitely seemed like something that he should be concerned about.

"You don't have Winx, Lance...but you have another power, two if you want to break it down to the nitty-gritty, but one will amplify the other. I cannot teach you these powers; they are outside my domain. Your will power will aid you. That will be your armor as you face life's trials, and once your resolve reaches its peak, you will unlock one of your greatest powers. However, beware your second power, for this force is too dangerous for anyone to control. This force is a dangerous weapon, a double-edged blade. Be careful!"

"What is it? If you can answer I mean," Lance gulped.

"I... you bottle up your emotions don't you? Your anger in particular..."

"I'm not a very angry guy," Lance laughed as he scratched the back of his head.

"When was the last time you got angry?" Mya delved.

"I don't remember really. I kind of blacked out and woke up at home. I think I hit my head or my sister was getting bullied... something like that,” Lance sighed. “All I remember about it is that I was grounded for a month because I beat some kid up or something.”

Mya sighed. She feared that what Lance had described would be the case, but there was still no proof that her assumptions were correct. "Lance, there is someone that I want you to meet. She is a very strong woman, and I think her aid will be valuable in the future. She lives in another cave not far from here. I want you to go there in the morning and confront her. Tell her 'I am he who shall claim you'."

"Um...that sounds rather rude," Lance said with a sloppy smile. It just didn't seem like something that he would say.

"It is necessary. She will react to that. Do not be afraid, your 'will power' and ‘resolve’ will keep you safe. Never falter."

"R-right," Lance said. He was really confused, so he just went along with whatever Mya had to say.

"Lance, you may not know this, but just by stepping foot on Pyros and living as long as you have, you are already stronger than you were yesterday. I have faith in you, but you need to be careful."

"Yes ma'am."

"Please, sleep here for the night. Go see her tomorrow."

"Yes ma'am,” Lance repeated.

Therefore, Lance slept, and Mya watched over him the entire night.

*Fade Out*
*Fade In*

Lance was outside the cave that Mya told him to explore. "Stay safe, Lance," he remembered hearing her say. He wished that she could tell him his destiny, but he understood that sometimes there are things that people should never know.

"Well, here it goes," he thought to himself. He entered the cave, and he was surprised when his feet led him to a very large lair with a pit that was too deep for him to see the bottom. He really didn’t have to explore much to find his destination. "I am he who shall claim you!" he yelled. He felt somewhat dumb yelling that, but he was just following orders.

From out of the pit flew a massively large white dragon. The dragon was, for the most part, white. However, it did have some gold and black designs on it, and yellow eyes with black slits. "You shall never claim me, human!"

"Oh... crud," Lance said, gripping his sword in his hand.

The dragon lashed out at Lance with its right claw, and struck him with a blow that sent him flying into the wall of the cave. He let out a gasp as he lost his breath and dropped his sword. “That hurt, a lot,” Lance thought to himself as he dropped to the ground, picked up his sword, and jumped to the side to dodge the next claw swipe.

"Why am I always getting knocked around?" Lance screamed inside his mind. He would have said it, but the air still hadn’t returned to his lungs. The young specialist-in-training continued to dodge the dragon’s attacks as best he could until a tail swipe struck him and sent him flying into the wall again. He surely thought that it was the end as the dragon picked him up with one of its massive claws and held him against the wall, fire spewing from its nostrils and mouth opened wide.

At that moment, Codatorta came rushing into the cave and attempted to strike the dragon. The hit connected, but it didn't do any damage. The white monster was angry. It grabbed Codatorta with its free claw and slammed him against the wall next to Lance.

"NO!" Lance yelled. He forgot about his anger at Codatorta and his rage-filled emotion replaced itself with concern.

The dragon pushed Lance into the cavern wall harder, forcing the air out of his lungs like the air out of a balloon. The dragon smacked Codatorta onto the ground.

"Pup, you're in over your head!" He yelled just before his body made contact with the ground.

Lance couldn't answer his teacher. He was too busy waiting for his ribs to crack under the pressure of the dragon’s claw. Codatorta kicked the dragon's claw off himself and stabbed its wrist...the wrist connected to the claw that was crushing Lance that is. The dragon yelped in pain as it dropped the young teenager.

"RUN!" Codatorta yelled. "I'll take care of the dragon!"

Lance did as Codatorta ordered and got out of the cave. He walked a little ways as he gripped his shoulder. The dragon had slammed it into the wall and it ached like crazy. His walk slowed down a bit. He felt like such a coward. How could he let Codatorta take that dragon on by himself? If something happened to his teacher, he would never be able to forgive himself. Lance walked back into the cave.

He walked back in, but to his horror, it was now Codatorta that the dragon crushed in its claw. "G-get out o-of---here-L-Lance!" he struggled to yell.

"NO!" Lance yelled back. "Dragon, please, I'm sorry. Just...just let my teacher go!"

"All you humans are the same!" The dragon roared. "You think you can control us, but I am a superior being! I saw you run and leave this human behind! You betrayed your own kind!"

"Please, let him go! I'll do anything! P-please, I'll take his place. I...can't just leave him."

"No," The dragon said.

"Th-then I'll fight you for him!" Lance proclaimed, pulling out his sword.

"You still think you can beat me?"

"No, I know I'll lose, but if you let my teacher go... it will be worth it."

The dragon put its face close to Lance's, and then it let out the loudest roar it could muster. The wind caused by such a roar nearly knocked Lance off his feet. However, he did not falter, and he stood his ground unshaken, even though he was very afraid.

"You, run! Get out of here and I will spare you!"

"No... I won't," Lance said.

"You would die for this human?"

"Yes!" Lance yelled, on the verge of tears.

"Get out Lance, run!" Codatorta yelled.

"I won’t!" Lance shouted.

"Human, you... are unique," the dragon said. It let Codatorta go, and the specialist quickly grabbed his sword and went to Lance's side.

"W-what?" Lance asked. He didn’t expect the dragon to let his mentor go.

"You acknowledged that you cannot defeat me, yet you would still fight for your friend. That is incredibly stupid."

"U-ummmm...” Lance had no idea how to respond.

"Ha ha ha! You are interesting. You aren't like the other humans that came here in hopes of capturing me. Your name's Lance, right?"

"Y-yes, it is," Lance replied.

"I like you kid. I won't let you take me though," The dragon snorted.

"I u-understand," Lance said. At this point, he really didn’t expect to leave the island with a dragon. "Thank you for letting my teacher go, I-I'm really grateful."

"I won't let you take me as a capture dragon. I can't be tamed... But how about you take me... as a friend?"

"Wh-what?" Lance asked.

"You're unique, and I think if I hang around you I can have some fun. I'm what you'd call an omni-dragon. There aren't many who would stand up to me."

"That's why it was so strong!" Codatorta shouted. "To think, I fought with an omni-dragon!"

"Yes, you should be honored," the dragon chuckled.

"Wait... you want to be friends?" Lance asked.

"I do. I want to form a mental link with you similar to the link that a tamer would have with a dragon, but this is different. I could be on the other end of the magical universe, and I will hear your thoughts if you call for me. Our friendship will be greater than any other, and you will have the honor of calling an omni-dragon your friend."

"Awesome!" Lance cheered. It looked like he was going to be leaving the island with a dragon after all. "Will I get cool powers and stuff?"

"Um... No, but 'I' have cool powers and stuff," The dragon said.

Lance kind of laughed a bit. He loved dragons, and he much rather have a dragon as a friend than an enemy. "I would love to be your friend!"

"Excellent, hold still." The dragon touched its head to Lance's forehead, and there was a flash of light. Afterwards, the dragon said, "It is done. We are now linked forever... You and I."

"Wow," was all Lance could think to say.

"My name is Krystal. Lance, you are an interesting kid. Call me anytime you need me... and I just may call you from time to time when I get bored," Krystal winked.

"Lance, you've gotten stronger," Codatorta said. In reality, Lance hadn't changed that much at all, but Codatorta could tell that Lance was heading down the right path. The path of a hero; he had the courage to stand up against a dragon even though he knew he would lose. That made Lance, just as the dragon said, unique.

"Umm..." Lance said. He wanted to ask something.

"What is it?" Krystal questioned.

"Do you think I could...?”

"LET me guess, you want to go flying," Krystal sighed.

"Yeah," Lance said as he scratched the back of his head.

"Sure."

As soon as they left the cave, Krystal tossed Lance onto her back and took to the sky. They soared through the clouds, and Lance had a blast.

"This is awesome!" Lance yelled. He felt like he was on a roller coaster.

"Heh, Wanna go faster, Lance?"

"Heck, yeah!" Lance yelled. Krystal answered his excitement by accelerating a bit. If she flew at full speed, the poor kid might not be able to take it. "You know, Krystal sounds like a girl’s name."

"That's because I 'am' a girl."

"Oh..."

Krystal laughed as she showed off to Lance. She made loops in the air, performed a barrel roll, and basically tried to make Lance fall off. She was actually quite surprised that he didn't. She would catch him of course, but she wanted to scare him a little. They both had a blast.

"Mya told you about me, didn't she?" Krystal asked. It wasn't really a question, but she wanted Lance to confirm her suspicion.

"Yeah, she did. She said that meeting you would aid me in my destiny or something like that."

"Destiny... Heh, destiny is what you make of it. Lance, I can sense that there is somewhere you wish to be. We are linked now you know..."

"I'd be a hindrance as I am right now, but I would like to hang out with Riven and Timmy on their mission..."

"Anyone else?" Krystal grinned.

"No...why?"

"No reason." The grin got bigger. After Krystal felt that she, and Lance, had enough fun she returned to the cave and landed next to Codatorta. "Hey, I'm taking Lance home. You can find your own way off Pyros."

"W-Wait!" He yelled.

"I'm not asking for permission," Krystal scoffed; and with that, Krystal took to the sky. A portal opened and she flew in as though it was the natural thing to do.

"I-I can't believe this," Codatorta said in mild disbelief... and then he made begrudgingly his way back to the ship.

*Fade Out*

End of episode 4

Ending theme song: This day and age - Second place victory http://youtube.com/watch?v=YivbujnAo5g

Posted by: darkar Sep 4 2007, 5:33 PM

its good everything but i dont understand krystal role.
can you help?

Posted by: Ranma Sep 5 2007, 1:00 AM

((She will be a focus point later on. She is what I have called an omni dragon. Basically an intelligent dragon that is more powerful than the rest. They refuse to be tamed like the other redfountain dragons. Lance will not gain powers from her, but he will gain experience. As the first season spreads out Lance will learn what true strength is, and he will have to come face to face with his destiny. Maiya saw Lance's destiny, and she wanted Krystal to help Lance...Right now lance is pretty weak, but he has a big heart, and there is something Lance will have to face that will shake the realms, and if Krystal is with Lance up until that point, Maiya thinks he might stand a chance.))

((Unlike other stories where the main character has the dragon fire, or something like that. I want Lance to be a truly normal boy who becomes strong on his own power. A power that anyone with enough will power and determination can achieve.))

((Edit 2012 X_X : Destiny is probably the wrong word to use. Let's say "potential." Destiny would suggest a predetermined end point. This isn't really the case.))

Posted by: Anime Princess Sep 5 2007, 5:43 AM

wow awsome story i'm soooo looking forward to reading the rest of it ^_^

Posted by: Ranma Sep 6 2007, 3:05 AM

Theme song:(Subject to change.) Wondering - Good Charlotte. http://youtube.com/watch?v=fjdo6UBuh4g

Episode 5: Faith.

*Fade In*


Lance flew on Krystal's back as he traveled through the portal that Krystal had created. It was an amazing feeling. "How are you doing this?" Lance asked, amazed.

"I'M AN OMNI DRAGON LANCE, DON'T DOUBT WHAT 'I' CAN DO!" Krystal said, boosting her ego.

"I won't, not ever!." Lance said.

"TELL ME, WHERE IN MAGIX ARE YOU HEADED LANCE? OUR LINK IS NEW AND I HAVE NOT YET ADJUSTED..."

Lance just realized that he didn't even tell Krystal that they were going to Magix. "W-wait...how'd you know that we were going to Magix?"

"WE ARE LINKED NOW. WHAT'S THE USE OF FORMING A LINK IF NO ONE BENEFITS FROM IT. BEING A HUMAN IT MAY TAKE YOU LONGER TO ADAPT TO THE LINK, BUT IN TIME YOU WILL BE ABLE TO TELL WHAT I'M THINKING UNLESS I PURPOSELY BLOCK MY THOUGHTS FROM YOU, BUT THAT TAKES A CONSCIOUS EFFORT."

"I thought you said I wouldn't get cool power!" Lance said.

"LET ME REPHRASE THAT THEN. YOU WON'T GET POWERS BENEFICIAL FOR COMBAT...UNLESS I'M WITH YOU THAT IS. OUR LINK IS A SPECIAL BOND BETWEEN ME AND YOU."

"O-oh...I think I understand." Lance said.

"I ALSO THINK THAT THE REASON YOU ARE ABLE TO FLY AT SUCH ALTITUDES AND SPEEDS IS BECAUSE OF OUR LINK, AND IT MAY ALSO BE THE REASON WHY YOU HAVEN'T FALLEN OFF YET..."

"What!" Lance yelled at the 'falling off' comment.

"NOTHING." Krystal quickly said. "SO...WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO AGAIN? HEH HEH...HEH..."

"...I think Timmy and Riven are at Alfea. Do you know where that is?" Lance asked.

"IF YOU KNOW, I KNOW!" Krystal said as they came out of the portal and into magix. People stopped what they were doing and gazed in wonder as a huge dragon flew over head. Some panicked and ran, and others just stood still as stone.

Krystal landed just outside of Alfea and in the forest. She knew that being seen was unavoidable, but she did it anyway. Lance dismounted Krystal and plopped on the ground. He slowly stood up, he hadn't expected this, but he got so used to flying that he almost forgot how to stand.

"I'M GOING TO REDFOUNTAIN...I DON'T LIKE CROWDS TOO MUCH, AND I MAY BE ABLE TO FIND A GOOD PLACE AROUND THAT AREA."

"You aren't going back to Pyros?" Lance asked.

"PYROS IS TOO FAR AWAY FROM YOU." Krystal said. "MAIYA WANTED US TO BE TOGETHER, I DON'T KNOW WHY, BUT I TRUST HER JUDGEMENT. BESIDES, I LIKE YOU...YOU'RE BRAVE FOR A WEAKLING."

"H-hey, I'm not weak." Lance argued. Krystal just smiled a draconic, toothy grin. "I'm going to get stronger..."

"HEH, YOU GET FLUSTERED TOO EASILY. ACT MORE LIKE A DRAGON, BE PROUD!"

"R-right..." Lance said.

"ANYWAY, I'M OFF...WAIT, YOU HAVE A RIDE BACK RIGHT? JUST CALL OR WHISTLE...I DON'T CARE. I'LL BE ABLE TO HEAR YOU." Krystal said, worried that she was leaving him stranded.

"Timmy and Riven here...my friends. I'm sure that they can give me a ride."

"GREAT! SEE YOU LATER LANCE." Krystal said as she took to the sky. Off in the direction of Redfountain.

Lance headed out of the forest and towars the school. He had been there once before due to the dance he attended. He blushed a bit, he wondered if Flora was there, or if she went on the same mission as Sky and Brandon. He wondered when the mission would be over. He had never seen them go on a mission before, and he wondered how long they usually took to complete. He realized that missions probably varied, and the time it took to complete a mission probably depended on the mission itself, but he couldn't wait to hear what happened from Sky and Brandon. Lance some times hated being by himself, he always day dreamed...actually that's how he got hit by the car...he was day dreaming.

Lance eventually got into the school. He was looking for Riven and Timmy... he noticed that he got a lot of odd stares from the Alfea girls. He did look a bit out of place there... and he hardly looked like a Redfountain student even though he was wearing the Redfountain uniform. He just tried not to make eye contact with anyone and hoped that he would run into a familiar face soon. Finally he heard Riven yelling.

"It's probably not you know!"

Lance followed the voice and saw Riven storming out of a balcony area. He obviously looked angry about something, but it was Riven so Lance didn't think it was too unusual.

"Hey Riven, what's wrong?"

"Nothing!...wait, what are you doing here? You look like a mess!" Riven said.

"Oh...umm...I just got done with training...Codatora was involved." Lance said. He remembered that Codatora told him not to tell anyone that he was to meet with him, and he figured that Pyros was not a place that teachers were supposed to take students. He didn't want to get Codatora in trouble so he tried keeping Pyros a secret. He'd ask Codatora about it later.

Riven winced. "Boy do I not envy you. Codatora's pretty strict man."

Lance laughed a bit. "Yeah, I thought I was gonna die." It was true. Lance really did think he was going to get eaten by a dragon. It wasn't fun.

"Heh, sounds like fun. Well, I gotta get goin', seeya around."

"Wait, where are you going?"

"Uh...it's... a secret."

"Awe, now I really want to know." Lance wined.

"Sh-shut up! Anyway, Flora's on that balcony, you should go talk to her." Riven said, trying to keep the attention off him. Riven didn't want Lance to know that he was going to comfort Musa, he wasn't good with emotions.

"Wh-what...I can't...I look like a mess..." Lance stuttered.

"Ohhhh...why would you care if you look like a mess. Do you like her?" Riven teased.

"N-no...that's not what I'm saying. I just..." Lance couldn't finish his rambling. Riven grabbed Lance by the shoulders, turned him around and quite literally kicked him onto the balcony.

"Then get going!" Riven said as he kicked Lance.

Lance went flying and nearly fell over the balcony. Flora jumped pretty high when Lance came barging in. Poor girl, Lance nearly scared her to death.

"Wh-what...Lance?" Flora asked a bit shaky. Poor Flora was caught up in worrying about her friends that she didn't know if she was being attacked or not when Lance came barging in!"

"Y-yeah...sorry about that...I tripped." Lance said. He really wished that he asked Krystal to take him to Redfountain. His hair was a mess, he was sweaty, and he was pretty sure that he smelled like dragon breath...which by the way, does not smell good.

"You startled me." She said quietly, almost a whisper. She really didn't know how to react towards Lance right now...his entrance was very odd.

"I'm really sorry."

"It's okay. I was just...thinking, and I didn't notice you come in." Flora said, forcing a smile.

"She probably thinks I'm an idiot." Lance thought. "A clumsy, smelly idiot...Wait, that isn't the same cheerful face that I saw at the dance, startled or not."

"Is something wrong?" Lance asked. "If you don't mind me asking, I mean..."

"Oh, d-does it show?" Flora asked.

"Y-yeah. I've only just met you once before, but you seemed a bit more cheerful then than you do now... I'm sorry if I'm prying."

Flora smiled. She thought it was sweet of Lance to worry about her. "I'm just...I'm just a worried about my friends. Stella, Bloom, and Layla went on a mission..."

"Oh, the one that Sky and Brandon went on?" Lance asked. Flora nodded. "Wait a sec, who's Layla?"

"She's new. We found her out side the school and..."

Fora went on to tell Lance the story about how Layla came to Alfea and why everyone went on the mission.

*Fade Out*
*Fade In*

Krystal landed at Redfountain. The boys of Redfountain were quite startled at the dragon's entrance and grabbed their weapons and held them at the ready.

"A dragon!" One yelled.

"Be on guard guys!" yelled another.

"GREAT. THIS IS WHY I HATE CROWDS...AND PEOPLE WONDER WHY I LIVED IN A CAVE!" Krystal sighed. "UM..I'M NOT HERE TO FIGHT..."

"I'll get the nets!" One boy yelled.

"Great idea, I'll get the tranquelizers."

"UM...HELLO?"

"Should we use the delta formation?" one boy asked.

"No, don't you remember anything in dragon slaying class?" Krystal's eye twitched when she heard this comment. "Omega formation would work much better!"

"HEY!" Krystal yelled. They boys stopped what they were doing and looked at Krystal. Fear showed in all of their eyes. "I'M NOT HERE TO FIGHT."

"Oh, it's not here to fight guys."

"Why didn't it say so earlier?"

"Wait, are dragons supposed to talk?"

"Beats me. I think I read something about talking dragons somewhere in mystic creatures class."

"Oh, I haven't taken that class yet, I'm a freshman."

Krystal sighed. She was glad that Lance wasn't as thick headed as these guys. She could, however, sense his discomfort. "THAT BOY IS REALLY TOO SHY..." she thought to herself.

A ship landed next to Krystal and out stepped Codatora. He looked a bit angry, but hey, it's Codatora. Who cares.

"How did you get here before me?" He asked. His voice was a bit strained.

"I'M AN OMNI DRAGON. O-M-N-I DRAGON."

"And that's supposed to explain everything?"

"YES." She answered.

"Oy...you're causing a scene. When are you going back to Pyros?"

"I FEEL LIKE STAYING HERE FOR A WHILE. I WANT TO STAY NEXT TO LANCE."

"I hope you don't mind staying in the dragon stables..."

"HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE AROUND THE STABLES?"

"Not many...usually it's just me and a few people we get to clean every now and again. Take it or leave it."

"HMMM...I'LL TAKE IT FOR NOW, BUT YOU BETTER MAKE SURE IT IS UP TO STANDARDS FOR AN OMNI DRAGON."

"We have the best stables in all of Magix!" Codatora said proudly.

"WE'LL SEE."

*Fade Out*
*Fade In*

"And now I'm just worried about their safe return." Flora said, finishing her story.

"Really? I'm not worried at all." Lance said as he leaned up against the wall.

"What? You aren't worried about your friends at all?" Flora said in shock. She thought Lance was a thoughtful person, but perhaps her original impression of him was wrong.

"Well, I can see why you might be worried, and I can't blame you." Lance said scratching the back of his head. That seemed to be his favorite gesture when he became shy or nervous about something. "But...I never took into consideration that they could fail."

"W-what?" Flora asked.

"Heh, I just have a lot of faith in my friends. I don't know Bloom or Stella very well, and I've never met Layla before... but I know Sky and Brandond and they are both really strong."

"Yes but..."

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I just trust in my friends. I won't think about them getting hurt because I have no doubt in my mind that they will complete their mission, and I have believe in their strength. I could only hope to become as strong as them some day..."

Flora didn't say anything. She thought about what Lance said, and she wanted to believe in it.

"I...I..." Flora began, trying to find the right words to say.

"Flora...you don't have to say anything at all." Lance said. Flora looked at him in bewilderment. "I understand how you feel. Maybe I just don't worry right now because I really look up to Sky and Brandon, but I've been in situations where I've worried about my friends before...so don't worry. Okay, I know it isn't that easy, but...well... I know what you're going through."

Flora tried to force a smile. She knew that Lance was trying to cheer her up. "My powers wouldn't work at all..." She said. She said it extremely quietly though, almost to her self.

"Excuse me?" Lance asked. He couldn't hear what she said.

Flora, being shy and introverted herself, had trouble telling Lance much about the way she felt, but since he seemed to be willing to listen; she thought that she might as well spit it out.

"My powers wouldn't work at all. We went into a simulation to decide who would get to go on the mission. My powers didn't work at all in the simulation. I couldn't even use my simplest spell!" Flora said. She looked like she was on the brink of tears. Lance wasn't prepared for that at all.

"But it was a simulation, those aren't always correct...." Lance said.

"Maybe on earth they aren't, but this was a simulation created by magic to replicate the exact place we would be going too... I was always so confident in my power...but now...am I really that weak?" Flora asked.

"Woah, woah, woah!" Lance said in disbelief. "Hold up! What about Musa and Tecna? They can't go either."

"Tecna's powers didn't work either, but Musa's powers became too strong so they thought it would be dangerous for everyone. At least Musa could use her power."

"But Tecna couldn't use hers, do you think she's weak?"

"Not at all! I just..."

"I'm sorry Flora. I've never seen you use your power, but you said that your power was nature right?" Lance asked. Flora nodded. "Are you good at it? Using it I mean."

"I thought so..."

"Then that's amazing!" Lance said. "I couldn't begin to imagine all the things I could do with nature!"

"Wh-what?"

"And you can even hear the voice of nature you said. Really, I don't know wny you think that you are weak. Nature is a powerful force!"

"I know, but... my powers wouldn't work."

"But that isn't your fault." Lance said. "It seems like this place has different effects on everyone. So I don't think the problem is your powers, but the place itself."

"Maybe..." Flora said. She was beginning to see things from Lance's point of view.

"I wasn't even considered when they were choosing people to go. Timmy was chosen to fly Brandon and Sky, and Riven was allowed to tag along...Saladine wouldn't even allow me to tag along like Riven." Lance sighed. "Heh, if anyone's weak it's me. Heck, I bet you if we had a sparring match you'd beat me hands down." He wasn't lieing.

Flora blushed a little. "But I wouldn't..." said Floar a bit flustered.

"I know!" Lance smiled. "I'm just saying!"

"Thank you." Flora said.

"But I didn't do anything..." Lance said.

"You should really start taking credit for the kind things you do." Flora smiled.

"I just think you give me too much credit. I'm just doing what feels right." Lance said as he scratched the back of his head.

"Then keep doing what feels right." Flora said. "And I think you'll be allowed to go on missions soon."

"I hope so. You know, you're kind too...kinder than me..." Lance blushed.

Flora blushed a bit as well. "I...I'm not." She said trying to be modest.

"No, you are." Lance said as a matter of fact. "I'm glad that I got to meet you, Flora; really glad."

"I'm glad that I got to meet you too." Flora smiled. "You're a good friend."

Lance smiled. He didn't say anything. He was far too shy to say anything, and he couldn't think of anything 'to' say. All he thought was, "Wow, I'm really lucky. Why is someone as pretty and kind as her wasting her time on someone as plain as me? She really is too kind."

*Fade Out*
*Fade In*

Krystal was currently sitting in the Dragon stables. It was rather large and she did have 'some' room to herself, but she didn't like sharing a room very much. All the same she tried being a good guest.

"SO, UH, WHAT'S UP?" She asked her new room mates.

Silence. No one said a thing.

"EXCUSE ME..." The omni dragon said, trying to get their attention.

Again, silence.

"I HATE DRAGONS BREAD IN CAPTIVITY...THEY AREN'T VERY GOOD CONVERSATIONALISTS."

Saladine decided to inspect the dragons that day. He did that quite often because he just so happened to like dragons. It allowed him to remember the days of his youth when he went out doing heroic deeds and taming young dragons. He, however, did not expect an omni dragon to reside in his dragon stable.

"HOLY HAND GRENADES!" he yelled as he found Krystal. He nearly dropped his staff and his mouth was hanging wide open.

"UH...HI." Krystal said. "COULD YOU PLEASE STOP STARING AT ME LIKE THAT...YOU'RE MAKING ME FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE. DOES THIS STABLE MAKE ME LOOK BIG?"

Saladine nodded. A large dragon cramped in such a...okay, it wasn't a small stable, but still, it was a stable built for ordinary dragons and not the omni variety.

"I KNEW IT..." She sighed.

"H...how did a dragon, such as your self, make it to my stable?" Saladine asked.

"OH, I'M LANCE'S FRIEND, I BELIEVE HE ATTENDS THIS SCHOOL."

"Lance's friend?" Saladine asked.

"YES, WE JUST MET TODAY. I DECIDED TO HANG OUT WITH HIM FOR A WHILE SO CODATORA WAS KIND ENOUGH TO LET ME STAY HERE...I'D LIKE TO GET A BIGGER ROOM THOUGH. THIS ONE'S GETTING KIND OF CRAMPED."

"I'll see what I can do..." Saladine said still in partial disbelief.

"THANK YOU." Krystal said, happily.

"You're welcome." Saladine said. He was beginning to calm himself down. "How did a student such as Lance meet up with a dragon such as yourself? I thought he was still on campus, and I heard reports of a large dragon landing in the front of the school, but I thought it was just a dragon that broke out of the stable..."

"WE MET ON PYROS."

"Pyros?!" Saladine yelled. "How did Lance make it to such a dangerous place?"

"I IMAGINE THAT CODATORA BROUGHT HIM. LANCE STUMBLED ACROSS MY CAVE AND MADE CLAIM THAT HE WAS GOING TO TAME ME. AFTER THAT...I KIND OF GOT ANGRY AND ATTACKED HIM..."

"And he survived?" Saladine asked.

"CODATORA CAME IN TO RESCUE HIM...BUT THEN I KIND OF HURT HIM." Said Krystal. If she could blush she would.

"I...how did Lance become your friend?" Saladine asked. He just wanted to find out how Krystal went from trying to kill Lance to being his friend.

"CODATORA TOLD LANCE TO RUN WHEN HE WAS FIGHTING ME. WHEN LANCE SAW THAT CODATORA WAS IN MY GRASP HE STOOD UP TO ME. I...WAS TOUHED. A HUMAN THAT COURAGEOUS WHEN GOING UP AGAINST A DRAGON, AN OMNI DRAGON NONE THE LESS, IS WORTHY OF RESPECT. HE WAS SO CUTE! YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN HIM. HE WAS OBVIOUSLY SCARED BUT HE WOULDN'T BACK DOWN."

"He didn't give up..." Saladine said to himself. "I'm Saladine, head master of this school. You're welcome to stay here as long as you like. I'll look into getting you some better accomodations."

"OH, HOW RUDE OF ME. I'M SO USED TO LIVING BY MY SELF I FORGOT MY MANNERS. I'M KRYSTAL. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HOSPITALITY." Krystal said, bowing her head in thanks. She didn't like humans too much, but at least this one wasn't treating her like one of those whiped dragons she was currently sharing a stable with.

"Krystal, may I ask you one more thing?" Saladine asked.

"YES."

"Where is Lance now?"

"I DROPPED HIM OFF AT ALFEA. HE WANTED TO HANG OUT WITH HIS FRIENDS."

"I see. I'll have to speak with him when he gets back. Thank you, I'll be going now." Saladine said as he walked out of the stables.

"BYE." Krystal said, waving her claw.

*Fade Out*
*Fade In*

A small rabbit made its way to where Flora and Lance were talking. It seemed sad and lonely, and it walked as if it had the weight of the world on its shoulders. Lance saw it, stared at it for a few seconds, then quickly snatched it into his arms. It made a small yelp, it wasn't paying attention and didn't expect to be lifted so quickly.

"Awe, it's a bunny" Lance said, holding it tightly, but not so tightly that it would hurt the rabbit. "I wonder if its lost!"

Yeah, Lance has one weakness. He loves furry animals. The animal doesn't necessarily have to be furry, but the furry ones seemed to be his favorite. Lance was an animal lover, and if an animal would allow him, he would always take the time to pet it. I think it is safe to say that every animal in Lance's neighborhood has been pet by him at least once. Whether it be a stray animal, or someone's pet, Lance would always take the time to play with the animal.

"That's Kiko." Flora said smiling. She didn't expect Lance to react the way he did. She was actually quite surprised. "He probably misses Bloom."

Kiko nodded in Lance's arms and he looked like he was about to cry.

"I...it's a smart bunny." Lance said in surprise. "But it's so cute!" Lance said rubbing his face against Kiko's fur. "Don't worry Kiko, Bloom will come back safe!"

"Yes, don't be sad. She'll be back soon, I'm sure of it." Flora said, trying to make Kiko feel better.

Kiko nodded, squirmed his way out of Lance's grasp, and jumped onto Flora's shoulder.

"Awe..." Lance said, wishing that the rabbit had jumped on his shoulder. Flora giggled a bit at his reaction.

"Do you like rabbits, Lance?" Flora asked.

"Yeah, I love all animals. I lived in an apartment that didn't allow pets though, so I could never get a dog or a cat, or anything." Lance said. He reached his hand out to pet Kiko. Kiko allowed Lance to pet him, but he looked obviously annoyed. Perhaps Kiko didn't like being picked up so quickly, he was really startled.

Timmy walked up to Flora and Lance. "Hey, Lance, we're heading back to Red Fountain."

"Huh?" Lance asked. He didn't want to go back just yet.

"They just radioed in, they're coming home. The mission was a success!" Timmy said.

"That's great! Told ya, Flora." Lance smiled.

"Yes, you did." FLora smiled in return. She was just happy that her friends were safe.

"We'll be on our way now, I'm sure we'll be seeing you girls soon though." Timmy said. "Redfountain has an event coming up, and you girls are invited. I'm sure you'll hear all about it soon."

"Really?" FLora asked.

"Yeah. Anway, we should head back. See ya Flora." Timmy said as he turned around to leave.

"Bye Flora, seeya around." Lance said. Then he pet Kiko one last time. "Bye Kiko." Lance smiled.

Flora laughed a bit at Kiko's obvious annoyance. She waved as Lance left.

*Fade Out*
*Fade In*

"So, Lance." Riven began. "How did you get to Alfea anyway? Don't tell me you crossed the forest."

"Yeah, I was wondering about that myself." Timmy said.

"I flew." Lance smiled.

"Flew?" They asked in unison.

"My friend brought me. Her name is Krystal."

"Uh, who's Krystal? There aren't any girls at Redfountain man." Riven said.

"She's a dragon."

"...Does Saladine know that you took one of the dragons from the stable?" Riven asked.

"I didn't. Codatora took me to some place called Pyros, and I met Krystal there."

"Pyros?" Timmy practically yelled.

"What's that?" Riven asked.

"It's the island of dragons! It's far too dangerous for someone like lance. Heck, it's dangerous for us!" Timmy answered.

"Codatora was with me...for the most part."

"Lance, you're something else. How is it that someone as clumsy as you made it out of Pyros with a dragon friend?" Riven asked.

"Hey, I'm not clumsy!" Lance said standing up from his chair. He stood up too fast and tripped over his own two feet and landed on his face. "Owwwww..." Lance moaned.

Riven and Timmy just laughed. That was Lance for ya.

*Fade Out*

End of Episode 5

Ending theme song: This day and age - Second place victory http://youtube.com/watch?v=YivbujnAo5g

Posted by: sanya_bloom Sep 11 2007, 1:11 AM

Awesome! I like your story Ranma! I couldn't reply here earlier, even though i was following is because of password problems. But now i can come on once in a while if i get time from school but anyway GOOD JOB!

Posted by: Ranma Sep 11 2007, 1:16 AM

Thank you ^_^
I hope that I can write more tonight ^_^

Posted by: Ranma Sep 18 2007, 5:21 AM

Theme song:(Subject to change.) Wondering - Good Charlotte. http://youtube.com/watch?v=fjdo6UBuh4g

Episode 6: SERIOUS!

*Fade In*

Lance shoveled. An interesting beginning don't you think? Why was Lance shoveling, and what was he shoveling? Seriously, do you really want to know? It doesn't matter, you're about to find out. Lance was currently shoveling fertilizer...of the dragon type. Yes, Lance was currently traveling dragon manure into wheel barrels and transfering them to another location to be disposed of. Dragons are big, so you can imagine how Lance may have felt as he hauled dragon feces from the dragon stables to where ever dragon feces may go.

"LANCE." Krystal said, trying to get the young hero-in-training's attention.

Lance didn't respond. His mind was on other things, and quite frankly, the smell was beginning to get to him.

"HEY, LANCE..." Krystal repeated. She was amazed that Lance could ignore a dragon's voice.

"HEY, LANCE!" Krystal yelled.

Poor Lance was finally snapped back to reality and nearly fell into the wheel barrel filled with the smelly substance that would most likely haunt his dreams for nights to come. He dropped his shovel.

"What!" Lance snapped back, startled.

"WHEN AM I GOING TO GET MY OWN STABLE?" She asked, calmly.

"I don't know, you should ask Codatora or Saladine or someone." Lance said as he picked his shovel back up and began shoveling dragon poop again.

"IT'S CRAMPED IN HERE...AND, WHY ARE YOU SHOVELING THAT? IT'S KIND OF DISGUSTING, AND I'M NOT ENTIRELY COMFORTABLE WITH YOU HANDLING MY...WELL...YOU KNOW..." Krystal said, trying to figure out the best way to express her thoughts without being crude.

"Well, Saladine wasn't too happy with me leaving Redfountain when he 'specifically' told me not to follow Sky and the others." Lance said as he wiped the sweat off his brow.

"THAT'S KIND OF...HARSH." Krystal said, sympathizing with the young boy.

"Yeah, but I got a new friend out of it so I guess I don't mind. It's not like this punishment will last forever." Lance said.

"AWWW HOW SWEET." Krystal said, mocking the boy. She loved seeing him blush.

"Hey, come on, give me a break. I don't feel like being mocked today."

"SORRY, IT'S JUST FUN WATCHING YOU SQUIRM." Krystal laughed. Dragon laughs were scary... "HEY, YOU'VE GOTTEN A TAD BIT STRONGER SINCE THE TIME WE FIRST MET, CHIN UP!"

"I met you two days ago. I haven't gotten any stronger." Lance mumbled.

"I'M NOT LOOKING AT YOUR PHYSICAL MIGHT LANCE." Krystal said, her eyes narrowing. It was as if her gaze could pierce his soul.

"Then what are you looking at?" Lance asked. He stopped shoveling so that he could listen to her coming reply.

"YOU'RE INTERNAL ENERGY. THE ENERGY THAT ALL LIVING THINGS POSSESS." Krystal answered.

"My internal energy?" Lance inquired.

"IT IS A BIT STRONGER TODAY THAN WHAT IT WAS TWO DAYS AGO...NOT BY TOO MUCH, BUT A DRAGON CAN TELL...AND FOR A HUMAN THAT KIND OF GROWTH IS PRETTY GOOD." Krystal said.

"Wait, like Winx?" Lance asked.

"NOPE, COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. IF IT WERE WINX YOU'D BE ABLE TO SHOOT OFF FIRE ATTACKS AND WATER SPELLS. THIS ISN'T MAGIC, IT IS YOU'RE VERY LIFE FORCE."

"Life force? I'm confused. You said that I've gotten stronger, but how does this make me any stronger than what I was two days ago?" Lance asked.

"IT DOESN'T" Krystal stated.

"Oh..." Lance said as he went back to shoveling the dragon dookey.

"AT LEAST, NOT WITHOUT PROPER TRAINING." Krystal smiled. Dragon smiles were scary.

"Training? I can learn how to use my life force to make me stronger?"

"YES, BUT TO ACTUALLY USE IT YOU WOULD HAVE TO TRAIN FOR YEARS MOST LIKELY, BUT HUMANS THAT MASTER THEIR LIFE FORCE CAN GO TOE TO TOE WITH SOURCERERS WITH NOTHING BUT WILL POWER ALONE!" Krystal said.

"...I think I was told about this before. I used to take kung-fu, and my instructor kept talking about chi or something. He kept saying something like 'lets get the chi flowing!' before we started our daily work out...and I believe in karate they had something called ki." Lance said, trying to remember what his instructor told him many years ago. He hadn't stept foot in a dojo or training hall for so long that he forgot a lot of what his teacher used to say.

"IT IS NOT ENTIRELY IMPOSSIBLE. HUMANS HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO MASTER CHI BEFORE, BUT NOW DAYS IT IS RARE. THEY RELY ON TECHNOLOGY TOO MUCH. EVERY NOW AND AGAIN A SPECIALIST MAY DEVELOP A SPECIAL ATTACK THAT USES...CHI...BUT SINCE THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO MANIPULATE THEIR INTERNAL ENERGY COMPLETELY OR EVEN WHERE THE SOURCE IS LOCATED, THEY ARE LIMITED TO THAT ONE ATTACK."

"How do you know so much about this? I know you said you could see it, or sense it or whatever, but how do you know so much?" Lance asked.

"BECAUSE DRAGONS HAVE MORE INTERNAL ENERGY THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE." Krystal said with a glint in her eye. She was obviously proud of that fact.

"C-could you teach me how to use my internal energy? My chi?" Lance asked nervously. If he could learn how to use chi his slim body frame wouldn't matter any more.

"HMM..." Krystal thought out loud. "A HUMAN WOULD TAKE FOREVER TO TRAIN...AND I'M NOT REALLY EXPERIENCED IN TEACHING."

"Please!" Lance pleaded. "I'll do anything!"

"IT WON'T BE EASY..."

"Anything!" Lance repeated excitedly. His body was practically shaking with excitement.

"OKAY, FINISH UP HERE AND I'LL SEE WHAT I CAN DO." Krystal said, giving in.

"Great! Thanks Krystal, you rock!" Lance said as he grabbed hold of the wheel barrel and exited the stable to find a place to dump it.

"HE HE, I ROCK." Krystal said to herself with glee after Lance was out of ear shot.

Lance rushed to where he was dumping the dragon manure and came across Brandon and Sky storming off as if they were heading out for battle. Brandon looked like he normally did, but Sky looked dead serious, almost as if his life were on the line.

"What's up guys, another mission?" Lance asked. He was pretty curious and he didn't like being left out of the loop.

"You could call it that." Brandon said. "Sky here can't get a hold of Bloom and now we're going to spy on her."

"...what?" Lance asked. Spying seemed harsh.

"Something's up! I know it! She isn't answering her phone!" Sky said, almost desperate.

"Maybe she forgot it in her room or something." Lance suggested. "Bloom doesn't seem like the girl that would ignore you or anything..."

"That's why I'm worried!" Sky said.

"O-okay. Sorry, man. Good luck!" Lance said, waving as he continued to finish off his punishment chores.

"Wait, you wanna come?" Sky asked.

Lance stopped. He really wanted to train with Krystal, but he also wanted to help his friend out. Right now he wanted to train more; mainly because he thought Sky was overreacting and that Bloom was perfectly fine. However, he didn't want to just brush his friend off. Sky was a great friend, he couldn't do that.

"Um, are you sure man?" Lance asked. "I mean, I will if you want me too, but I kind of had something planned. I'll totally cancel though if you want!" Lance said waving his arms to emphasize that he was more than willing to cancel his plans.

"Come one Sky, Lance is probably really tired after cleaning the stables, lets give him a break." Brandon said.

"You're...right. If too many people were around we might get caught too..." Sky said.

"I'll come if you want me too though, I don't let my friends down." Lance said. He wanted to make sure that Sky didn't need him.

"Nah, I think two is all that's needed, thanks though man." Sky said as he turned to leave.

"No prob. Tell me how everything goes when you get back." Lance said as he also turned to finish his work.

"Seeya." Brandeon said, waving a bit before turning to leave as well.

Once they were gone Lance gave a sigh of relief. He really didn't want to go.

*FADE OUT*
*FADE IN*

"OKAY LANCE. GIVE ME FIFTY." Krystal ordered. Lance was finished with his chores and he was ready for training.

"Push ups?" Lance asked.

"NO, DOLLARS. YES, PUSH UPS." Krystal said, sarcastically.

"I do pushups all the time... How will this build my chi?" Lance asked, skeptically.

"CHI, YOUR INTERNAL ENERGY, CAN ONLY BE MASTERED ONCE YOU HAVE MASTERED BOTH YOUR BODY AND YOUR MIND. YOU MUST BE AT PEAK PHYSICAL AND MENTAL PERFORMANCE."

"O...okay." Lance said as he got on his stomach and prepared to do his fifty pushups. However, he suddenly felt a great weight on his body; it was almost crushing him, actually.

"Wh-what's going on?" Lance said as he tried to get up, but the new weight he felt on his body was keeping him from pushing up with his arms.

"OH, THAT'S MY TAIL." Krystal said, matter of factly.

"What?!" Lance gasped as he continued to try and push up.

"YEP, MY BEAUTIFUL TAIL IS CURRENTLY RESTING ITSELF ON YOUR BACK. IT IS QUITE COMFORTABLE. YOU MAKE FOR A GREAT TAIL REST."

"H-heavy!"

"ARE YOU SAYING THAT YOU DON'T LIKE MY TAIL?" Krystal asked.

"No, I think you have a lovely tail, but could you please REMOVE IT FROM MY BACK!" Lance yelled. He started out calmly, but he got loud towards the end.

"NO CAN DO. WHAT KIND OF TEACHER WOULD I BE IF I WENT EASY ON YOU? HEY LOOK THERE'S ONE." Krystal said as Lance was finally able to push up off the ground, but he promptly fell back flat on his stomach. "OOPS, YOU LOST IT. AH WELL, FOURTY NINE MORE TO GO."

"What kind of training is this?" Lance asked. He was already sweating.

"YOU SAID THAT YOU'D DO ANYTHING. DO YOU WANT TO QUIT?"

Lance hesitated for a moment, and he thought as long as he could. He didn't know what to say. This was the hardest thing he had ever done when it came to exercise, and quite frankly, he didn't know if he could do it. Krystal's tail was insanely heavy, and no human of Lance's build should be able to lift it, let alone do pushups with it resting on his back. Krystal frowned as she looked at Lance, she took his silence as a sign that he wanted to quit.

"No." He said.

"WHAT?" Krystal asked, a bit surprised.

"I'M NOT GOING TO GIVE UP! IT'S JUST NOT MY STYLE!" Lance yelled as he tried pushing up again. Tried is the key word here, he couldn't do it.

"A-ARE YOU SURE?" Krystal asked. She kind of felt bad putting Lance through so much harship.

"Yeah, I want to become stronger!"

"WHY?" Krystal asked.

"I...I guess I'm just tired of being weak." Lance said. He couldn't come up with a real reason as to why he wanted to become stronger. "I used to train in the martial arts, but I stopped. When I heard about Redfountain, a school for heroes, I guess I just jumped at the chance. I could get so much stronger at this school, and I would see so many cool things, and...ah!" Lance yelled as Krystal's tail began to crush him. She quickly lifted her tail back to the position it was in before it started to crush him.

"SORRY, YOU'RE STORY DISTRACTED ME FROM MY TAIL." Krystal said apologetically.

"N-no problem." Lance said, his voice rhasping.

*Fade Out*
*Fade In*

Lance couldn't finish the work out. He got to about four pushups and he was physically drained. Krystal was surprised that he lasted for two, let alone four. She was a bit dissappointed in his answer when she asked him why he desired strength. She expected something more noble, but Lance was only human, and as far as humans go he was a rare breed. He had a good heart, but it was only natural to have a selfish desire every once in a while.

"I..think...I'm going...to die!" Lance panted. His whole body felt numb. He was under that tail for hours.

"NOW FOR THE NEXT PART OF YOUR TRAINING!" Krystal smiled.

"I thought you said we were done!" Lance almost cried.

"THAT WAS THE FIRST PART. DON'T WORRY THIS ISN'T NEARLY AS PHYSICALLY TRAINING, BUT INSTEAD DEALS WITH YOUR MIND."

"Huh, like medatating or something?" Lance asked.

"EXACTLY."

"So...sit down and clear my head?" Lance asked.

"NO." Krystal said. "THAT'S THE DUMBEST THING I EVER HEARD. WHAT WOULD THAT OCCOMPLISH?"

"Um, not much?"

"GOOD BOY. NOW SIT DOWN AND CLEAR YOUR HEAD."

"Um..." Lance hesitated.

"JUST KIDDING!" Krystal laughed. "JUST SIT DOWN, I'LL LEAD YOU INTO IT."

"Right." Lance said as he sat down indian style.

Krystal picked Lance up and placed him infront of her. It wasn't hard, she is extremely large. "NOW...PRETEND YOUR BODY IS A LARGE DARK ROOM, AND YOU ARE EXPLORING THAT HOUSE."

"R-right." Lance said, trying to do as he was told.

"SHH...NO TALKING. OKAY, NOW PRETEND YOU ARE FLOATING, YOU NEED TO FIND YOUR CENTER OF GRAVITY AND LAND FOOT ON SOLID GROUND."

Krystal used a small amount of power to aid Lance in his meditation. She used their bond to give him images to help him along. She could tell that he was trying really hard to find his way. He was having trouble imagining and applying everything that she was telling him, but she didn't expect him to get it his first time. He concentrated, focused his mind, and tried his best. He was concentrating so hard that he was no longer paying attention to what was going on in the world around him.

"HE'S TRYING SO HARD..." Krystal said in admiration of Lance's determination. She was interrupted by a new presence entering the stable. "WHO'S THERE?" She asked, lifting her head to look at the newcomer.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I'm Helia." Helia said as he walked into Krystal's line of view.

"HELIA...WHY ARE YOU HERE?" Krystal asked.

"I was wondering if I could draw you." Helia said as he lifted up a sketch pad and a pencil. I heard that Lance had brought a magnificent dragon to the stables and I wanted to see for my self."

"DRAW ME?" Krystal asked. "HMMM...THAT DEPENDS. ARE YOU GOOD?"

Helia chuckled a bit as he said. "I'd like to think that I am. Lance likes my drawings."

"SINCE LANCE LIKES YOUR ART, I'LL TRUST YOU TO PORTRAY ME PROPERLY." Krystal said as she raised her head in pride.

"Dragons are proud creatures aren't they?" Helia asked.

"THAT IS OUR RIGHT." Krystal smiled.

"What about everyone else?" Helia asked as he sat down so that he could begin drawing. "Other races? Are there any that dragons respect?"

"NO."

"That hardly seems right." Helia scoffed.

"THEY SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT THAT BEFORE THEY WERE BORN." Krystal laughed.

"W-was that a joke?" Helia stuttered.

"YES."

"Phew, you scared me there. That sounded really...bad." Helia said as he finally began his sketch.

"I'M NOT THAT CONCEITED." Krystal said. "SO, DO YOU WANT ME IN ANY SPECIFIC POSE?"

"Actually, you're perfect just as you are. Please try to keep your head still for now. You can talk, but the position needs to stay in tact for now."

"RIGHT..."

"So...what's Lance doing?" Helia asked. He noticed that Lance was meditating when he walked in. He didn't want to disturb him, otherwise he would have said hello. "I didn't know that he was the meditating type."

"HE ISN'T REALLY, BUT I'M HELPING HIM OUT WITH SOME SPECIAL TRAINING." Krystal said.

"Special training? What kind?" Helia asked.

"THAT'S A SECRET. IF YOU WANT TO KNOW YOU'LL HAVE TO ASK LANCE." Krystal grinned.

"That's quite alright. I have a feeling that it is for fighting, and I'm not too interested in such things."

"THEN WHY DID YOU ASK?"

"Just curious. I meditate every now and again, but I don't do it for training."

"JUST TO CLEAR YOUR HEAD, RIGHT." Krystal said, her gring growing larger.

"It's relaxing." Helia said. "Could you not talk for a short while, I'm drawing your...mouth now."

"OKAY." Krystal said before shutting her mouth. Helia made quick work, he knew that most people didn't like to sit still and keep silent for long periods of time.

"Okay, I'm finished with your head now. You can move that if you want, but please keep your body as still as possible."

"YOU'LL LET ME SEE IT WHEN YOU'RE DONE, RIGHT?"

"Of course." Helia smiled. "I'm also adding Lance to the picture. He's meditating right infront of you and in a perfect stance at that, he makes for a good decoration."

"HEH, THAT'S MEAN."

"I didn't mean it as an insult. I was just implying that his presence would add more character to the picture once it is finished. That's just my opinion though." Helia said.

"WHAT IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH LANCE ANYWAY?" krystal asked.

"He's my friend." Helia said.

"YET YOU SEEM SO DISTANT."

"Excuse me?" Helia asked. He wanted Krystal to clarify.

"WHEN YOU SPEAK OF HIM YOU SEEM KIND OF...STUFFY. LIKE YOU ARE PURPOSELY DISTANCING YOURSELF FROM HIM."

"Oh...That. I don't do it on purpose. I really do think of Lance as my friend, but I still don't know him very well, and I do plan on leaving this school soon."

"WHY? LANCE LOVES IT HERE..."

"Lance likes fighting. I hate it."

"OH, SO YOU'RE A PACIFIST." Krystal said. It wasn't a question, just a declaration.

"Yes, I am. Do you dislike pacifists?" Helia asked as he continued to draw.

"NO, I DON'T CARE. YOU BEING A PACIFIST WON'T AFFECT ME IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM." Krystal said.

"I'm glad. People should just be themselves."

"AGREED." Krystal nodded.

*Fade out*
*Fade in*

Sky and Brandon sat in the branches of a large tree. They did not want to be seen, and the tree also gave them a great view of Alfea. It was dark out, and people would hardly notice two boys hiding in a random tree. Music blasted from within the school for they were celebrating the arrival of their newest teacher, Avalon.

"You hear that, dude?" Sky asked Brandon in disbelief. "It sounds like they're having a party!"

As they waited in the tree Sky got out some of his reconnaissance equipment. He withdrew a small eyeglass that covered one eye. It acts like a telescope of sorts and it allowed him to get a better look at what was going on in Alfea. After putting it on he rested on his stomach and propped himself up with one arm. Gazing through the telescope Sky saw a silhouette of a young girl chasing an older man around a room in one of the many windows of Alfea.

"I think that's Bloom!" Sky said.

"Uh, what were you saying about not being the jealous type?" Brandon asked Sky, sarcastically.

"Wait a minute, what's going on here?" Sky practically yelled as he placed his hand on another branch so that he could get up. "Who is that guy?!" After he tried pushing up Sky realized that the branch could not take his weight and it snapped off the tree. The branch fell and landed right on top of a magibeave.

"Careful!" Brandon warned as he looked at the small animal that the branch had hit and noticed that it was with a friend. "You don't want to get the magibeaves mad!"

"Just give me a sec." Sky said as he continued to watch the window.

Suddenly the tree began to wobble a bit and Brandon heard loud chomping sounds. "Huh?" he said, trying to find the source of the sound. "Huh? Uh-oh!" He said after noticing the source of the noise. The magibeaves were eating out the bottom of the tree, causing the tree to become unstable. Poor Brandon watched the whole thing happen, and Sky didn't notice until the tree gave out and the two boys were sent falling to the ground.

"Dude!" Brandon yelled. His voice showed that he was half annoyed and half in pain. "Can we please go home now!"

*Fade out*
*Fade in*

Helia continued to draw, his hands poetry in motion. Even someone who knew nothing of art could tell that Helia was a master of the brush, or at least the pencil in this case. His hand moved swiftfully but skillfully, and he interchanged between long and short strokes. He was imbuing his very soul into the pencil, and Krystal could only sit and stare in bewilderment as she wached this master at work. Of course, Lance was still in the same position that he had been in for quite some time now, and was oblivious to the world around him. Otherwise he would probably be just as fascinated with Helia's skill as Krystal was at that very moment. Helia looked up and noticed Krystal's dragon eyes gazing at him and decided to comment on it.

"Not used to people staring at you?" he asked.

"NO, I'M USED TO PEOPLE STARING, BUT NOT SO CRITICALLY AS YOU." Krystal said in response to his question.

"Ah, I see. I'm terribly sorry about that." Helia smiled. "I tend to get lost in my work when I'm drawing beautiful creatures such as yourself."

If Dragons could blush, Krystal would be crymson red. She was not used to such compliments, and the only human she was comfortable around was Lance. "COMPLIMENTS WILL GET YOU NOWHERE."

"I only speak the truth." Helia smiled. "I have never seen a dragon as fascinatingly beautiful as you are."

"YEAH, I GUESS YOU'RE RIGHT." Krystal smiled.

"And modest too!" Helia chuckled. He let the chuckle out of his system and went back to his work. After a few moments of silence he asked Krystal. "I do have a question though. Why did you decide to stay with Lance?"

"PROBABLY THAT STUBBORN HEART OF HIS." Krystal answered after a short moment of thought.

"Could you explain? I don't quite understand what you mean." Helia asked.

"CERTAINLY. WHEN I FIRST MET LANCE HE CHALLENGED ME, AN OMNI DRAGON, TO A FIGHT. I THOUGHT HE WAS AN IDIOT. BUT, HE KNEW THAT HE WAS IN OVER HIS HEAD. CODATORA, A TEACHER OF HIS, MADE AN ATTEMPT TO RESCUE HIM, AND I TURNED MY ATTENTION TO THE BRUTE AND PINNED HIM IN THE PLACE OF LANCE. HE TOLD LANCE TO RUN, BUT LANCE REFUSED. THAT IS WHAT ATTRACTED ME TO THE BOY, HIS STUBBORN HEART."

Helia stopped drawing for a few seconds to think. "Yes, Lance does strike me as the type that has trouble giving up. When I first met him we were taking our physical education class. Codatroa had set up an obstacle course for his students to go through, and Lance got hurt trying to get through it. There was a section that involved a lot of lasers...he got fried." Helia went back to drawing Krystal.

"THAT'S HALARIOUS. I CAN JUST IMAGINE A CRISPY LANCE TRYING TO WALK TO THE SIDE LINES!" Krystal laughed.

"You seem to take delight in his pain." Helia said.

"NOT REALLY, BUT LANCE IS THE KIND OF BOY THAT DOESN'T TAKE TOO MUCH OFFENSE TO MY MOCKERY. HE KNOWS THAT I MEAN HIM NO HARM."

"How?" Helia asked. "You just met recently haven't you?"

"TRUST ME." Krystal said, her eyes narrowing a bit as if to say 'I know something you don't know.' "I KNOW."

"Okay, good enough for me." Helia said. "I am of the belief that arguing with dragons is bad for my health, and since I tend to refrain from doing things that are unhealthy for me, I'll trust you on this one. He has earned a nickname because of that though. They call him Laser Lance."

"OH, I BELIEVE THAT HE HAS MENTIONED THAT TOO ME ONCE BEFORE. HE DOESN'T LIKE THAT NAME." Krystal said.

"Nope...he doesn't. Ah, almost done. Now I just need to work on Lance." Helia commented.

Time passed in silence as Helia drew Lance. He was actually easier to draw than Krystal. Not because she was a dragon, but because he was much smaller and he didn't have to go into nearly as much detail as he had when he drew Krystal. Not to mention that he was sitting in such a way that Helia couldn't have asked for a better pose to compliment his drawing of Krystal. He just hoped that Lance didn't get tired of meditation and call it quits. Finally, in less than half the time it took to draw Krystal, Lance was added to the picture.

"I'm finished!" Helia said, looking over the picture for any flaws or errors. He spotted a few and made a mental note of them, but they were flaws that only he would be able to notice.

"REALLY? LET ME SEE!" Krystal said in excitement.

Helia brouth the picture close to Krystal and flipped it around to face her so that she could see it better. It was an excellent portrait, really. He captured Krystal's likeness perfectly, and adding Lance, who was deep in concentration, was a nice touch.

"HEY LANCE, YOU CAN STOP MEDITATING NOW! CHECK THIS PICTURE OUT!" Krystal said. She heard no reply. "LANCE!" Still nothing. "HEY, LANCE!"

She nudged Lance with her tail to get a response over him but he just fell over on his side, unconscious on the floor.

"He was asleep the entire time!" Helia exclaimed!

"HEY, LANCE!!!" Krystal yelled. Lance snapped awake and shot to his feet, and then he promptly fell back down.

"What's going on?" He mumbled.

"MEDITATION LANCE, HELLO!" Krystal said, trying to remind him what he was supposed to be doing.

"Oh, I guess I fell asleep. I was really tired."

"I bet." Helia said. "Uncle Saladine had you cleaning out the dragon stables. That's hard work."

"Oh, hi Helia, what's up." Lance said after noticing that Helia was in the stables with him.

"Nothing much. However, while you were asleep I was able to draw a picture of you and Krystal."

"IT'S REALLY GOOD." Krystal said.

Helia showed the picture to Lance. "Wow, that's awesome man!" Lance complimented. "That must have taken for ever, drawing a picture of me with Krystal in the background."

"RIGHT, IT TOOK FOR...WAIT, LANCE! HE DREW A PICTURE OF ME AND ADDED YOU IN AS THE AFTER THOUGHT!" Krystal said, trying to make very clear to Lance that Helia was trying to draw her and not him.

"Oh, don't worry Krystal, I'm glad he added you into the picture. It would be boring otherwise!"

Helia chuckled to himself as Krystal fumed. She knew that Lance was just joking wither her, but she was a very proud creature.

"I 'WAS' GOING TO GO EASY ON YOU FOR FALLING ASLEEP DURING TRAINING. 'HE'S JUST TIRED FROM ALL OF THE PHYSICAL LABOR' I TOLD MYSELF. 'HE'S JUST A WEAK MINDED HUMAN' I TOLD MY SELF!"

"Hey!" Lance said.

"I THOUGHT YOU WERE SERIOUS!" Krystal yelled.

"I am serious!" Lance yelled back.

"THEN ADMIT THAT THE PICTURE IS ABOUT ME!"

"What? Um, okay...The picture is about you...standing behind me." Lance mocked.

"WHY YOU!" Krystal yelled.

"Heh." Lance chuckled.

*Fade out*
*Fade in*

Lance walked outside tbe barn with Helia.

"So, you called that an apology?" Helia asked.

"Yeah, she knows I'm kidding." Lance smiled.

"How?"

"It's kind of hard to explain, I don't quite understand everything about it myself."

"That's pretty much what she said..." Helia said.

"huh?" Lance asked.

"Nah, forget it. It isn't important."

"So, have you decided to stay at Redfountain?" Lance asked.

"No, I'm probably leaving in a week. I just don't like it here." Helia answered.

"Awe, come on man. I really wish you'd stay." Lance said.

"It would take a lot to get me to stay Lance. I just don't like the atmosphere here."

"Maybe if you hung out with people more you may enjoy it here. You're always alone when I'm not around you."

"Ouch, you make it sound like I can't make any friends." Helia grinned.

"Sorry, that isn't what I meant."

"I know, Lance. Don't worry about it. It isn't like we'll never see eachother again. I'll just be going back to the school that I really wanted to attend from the beginning." Helia explained.

"Then I guess I should be happy for you." Lance said.

"Yes, I suppsoe you should be happy for me."

"Then, I guess I'm happy..." Lance said. He was interrupted by the sight of Sky and Brandon limping back towards the dorms.

"What happened to them?" Helia asked.

"I dunno...Hey Sky! What happened?!" Lance asked, yelling from across the campus to get Sky and Brandon's attention. Sky and brandon stopped and limped their way towards Lance and Helia so that they wouldn't have to yell back.

"Don't ask..." Brandon said.

"The spying didn't go well?" Lance asked.

"Shutup..." Sky muttered.

"Hey, what's wrong man?" Lance asked.

"Nothing, I'm just tired. I'll see you tomorrow." Sky said as he limped towards the dorms.

"What happened, Brandon?" Lance asked.

"Well, magibeaves cut down the tree we were sitting in and we fell down...hard!" Brandon said.

"Magibeaves? Nevermind, I meant to Sky!" Lance said.

"Oh, well, he saw a girl that looked like Bloom through one of the windows. She was hanging around another guy, and that's got Sky worried."

"Oh..." Lance said. "That...you don't think she'd cheat on him do you?"

"Honestly, no, but that is what it looked like she was doing. But who knows! That probably wasn't even Bloom!" Brandon said.

"I hope it wasn't." Lance said.

"Anyway, I'll see you in the morning man. Codatora is picking who's fit enough to participate in the games tomorrow, so you should rest up too."

"Do you think I may get picked?" Lance asked.

"Dunno, but you could at least try." Brandon said before limping back to the dorms. "Goodnight Lance, Helia. See you two in the morning."

"Goodnight." Lance and Helia said in unison.

"They seemed pretty beat up." Helia said.

"Yeah, they invited me to come along, but I didn't want to go..." Lance said.

"I don't blame you."

"Well, tomorrows a big day!" Lance exclaimed. "I'm deffinitely getting into the games!"

"Really now? Even though you've never completed Codatora's obstacle course?" Helia asked.

"I'll complete it, and anything else he wants me to do. I'm serious!" Lance yelled, Psyching himself up. He really wanted to catch up with the other Redfountaing guys. If he could participate in the games in the special event that Redfountain was holding, then he would certainly be able to accompany Sky and the others on missions. He just knew it!

*Fade out*

End of Episode 6

Ending theme song: This day and age - Second place victory http://youtube.com/watch?v=YivbujnAo5g

Posted by: sanya_bloom Oct 30 2007, 3:53 AM

AWESOME! Keep it up and keep writing! I can actually imagine the scenes taking place! The lanky lance the playfully, blushing, and fuming KRYSTAL, the annoyed and worried sky, Helia sketching. Keep going!

Posted by: Anime Princess Oct 30 2007, 5:12 AM

*YAY* good story actualy no its agreat story ^_^ i too can imagin these sceans taking place i think your a real good writer way better then me i got one bad coment on one of my stories and stoped writing > < keep up the good
^ work ^_^

Posted by: sanya_bloom Oct 31 2007, 12:31 AM

don't stop writing because someone sadi something! For all you know there are others who will appreciate it! I write too, thoguh i haven't posted anything yet, its a harry potter fic i can't post it here can i ? But yeah, don't let ANYONE put you down, leave space for improvement ( if you need any, i can't tell because i haven't read your story yet)!

Posted by: Anime Princess Oct 31 2007, 12:37 AM

i have a hp winx crossover on here its called ellas secret however i stoped writing insted i'm focusing on my sailor moon one on http://www.fanlib.com and also my poetry

Posted by: sanya_bloom Oct 31 2007, 1:39 AM

I'll post mine up on quizilla but i currently don't have an account, should we be typing this here?! Sorry Ranma

Posted by: Ranma Nov 5 2007, 10:12 AM

Theme song:(Subject to change.) Wondering - Good Charlotte. http://youtube.com/watch?v=fjdo6UBuh4g

Episode 7: Party Monster!

*Fade In*

Lance slept soundly. He had trained a lot the day before with Krystal, and he was seriously in need of some rest. He didn't realize it, but he had trained all the way up to four in the morning. Since it was seven in the morning, he probably wasn't going anywhere for a long time, but it was a weekend, and there was no school that day. Unfortunately for him, he forgot something extremely important, but he had a group of friends that would absolutely refuse to let him sleep in. Lucky him.

"Wakey, Wakey!" Riven said with a sly grin as he splashed poor Lance with a bucket of water. Brandon actually wanted to be the one to splash him, but Riven got the bucket first. Poor Brandon.

"COLD! Wh-what's happening? What's going on?!" Lance yelled as he shot out of bed with a look of pure fear across his face. He looked around the room to see Sky, Riven, Brandon, and Timmy laughing their heads off, and then he saw the empty bucket in Riven's hand. "Why would you do that?" He asked, shivering from the cold.

"Ha ha, today's Codatorta's test man. You should get ready!" Riven chuckled.

"Test?" Lance asked, still shivering. He was rubbing his arms to try and stay warm.

"Yeah." Brandon said. "To see who gets to participate in the competitions to celebrate the reconstruction of the school and stadium."

"That's today?" Lance asked, shocked that he had forgotten something so important. He could have sworn that someone told him about that just the other day.

"Yeah, you should have been here last year. The three witches took over Cloud Tower and destroyed Redfountain! All three schools made one last stand against them at Alfea, and we pulled through!" Sky said, excited at the memory.

"Well, more like Bloom pulled through." Timmy said, readjusting his glasses.

"Bloom?" Lance asked.

"Yeah," Sky said. "Bloom used her dragon fire and kicked Icy's butt!"

"Wow. I had no idea she had that kind of power...actually, to tell you the truth. None of those girls look very strong or battle ready." Lance said. "But I guess when magic's involved you don't need big muscles."

"Exactly." Riven said. "However, since we can't use magic, we make up for it with pure skill. I could take Bloom on with one arm tied behind my back."

"Right." Sky said sarcastically as he rolled his eyes. "Anyway, lets get over to the gym. Codatorta wanted us there at eight."

"Okay." Lance yawned. "Just give me a few minutes to get ready."

Lance walked over to his dresser, pulled out a Redfountain uniform, and headed towards the bathroom. He opened the door, walked in, and shut the door behind him. A few seconds later the door opened once more. "Oh yeah, next time you guys wake me up. Please nudge my shoulder or something. I hate the cold!"

*Fade out*
*Fade in*


"Okay class!" Codatorta began. "It seems that everyone wants to participate in the events tomorrow! Though I don't like saying this, we don't have enough time to watch every Redfountain boy compete. Saladine wants to hold a party, and if we are to have this party the stadium events may only last for a set amount of time. With these time restraints in mind, I've been asked to narrow down the roster a bit and kick a few students out of the competition!"

Shortly after the instructor's declaration the students of Redfountain that had gathered started to complain. Codatorta knew that this would happen, and sighed before speaking again. He was just as disappointed as the students were.

"So, in light of this news, I am going to have you boys run an obstacle course! The best times will make it into the Competition, agreed?" Codatorta asked. It really wasn't a real question at all. He would continue on with what he planned regardless of what his answer was. Luckily for him though the students agreed. "Good, now, please step right up. This isn't the same obstacle course as last time! I've upgraded it and added a few more traps, so be careful!"

"Sir!" One boy asked, raising his hand.

"Yes, what is it?" Codatorta answered.

"Will the lasers still be in the obstacle course?"

"Yes."

"Thank you, sir!" The boy said as he lowerd his hand. Codatorta looked at the boy for a bit. He was confused as to why the boy was happy that the lasers were still in the obstacle course.

"Hey," One boy whispered to another. "I wonder how bad Laser Lance is going to get thrashed this time. There's no way he's competing."

"Yeah," another boy whispered back. "He's deffinitely the weakest one at the school. I wonder why they even let him in."

"Yeah, I know!"

Unfortunately, Lance and the others were standing directly behind those two. Lance just scowled as he crossed his arms over his chest and stood as tall as he could. What the boys said obviously got to him, but only because Lance thought the same thing. The boys continued to talk about Lance, but he did not do anything about it. He just stood there and listened. His face showed his obvious anger.

"Hey," Sky said as he placed his hand on Lance's shoulder. "Don't listen to them. You've improved a lot since the last obstacle course that Codatorta ran us through. You've been training every day."

"Yeah man." Brandon added. "You don't even look the same anymore. You may not have the bulk that most of the guys here have, but you have the muscle. I can see the difference."

"Yes." Timmy said. "You've grown much stronger in such a short amount of time. It's mind boggling really."

"Heh, I bet ya that you'll beat those punks' times without breaking a sweat!" Riven added.

"Wow, thanks guys." Lance said. "But, I really don't know. I don't think I'll get the chance to compete."

"So you're just giving up?" Riven asked. He seemed angry.

"What? No way! I'm still going to give it my all!" Lance said, dramatically. Afterwards he let out a long yawn. "If I can just wake up that is..."

"OKAY!" Codatorta yelled. "Adam is first!"

"Piece o' cake!" Adam said as he made a confident stride towards the new obstacle course.

Lance watched as his classmate ran through the obstacle course. The beginning was much like the last one, and Lance was starting to feel confident that he might be able to pass it, but out of seemingly nowhere a giant log swooped down to strike the poor Redfountain student. Adam saw the log and was able to duck just in time to keep from getting hurt. Unfortunately for Adam, there was a net gun waiting for him right after he cleared the log trap and he was caught before he even got to the half-way mark of the obstacle course.

"Okay, sorry Adam, but you'll have to watch the competition from the bleachers. Next up is Andrew!"

Lance watched everyone run the course. Brandon was eventually call, and he passed with flying colors. He noticed that Brandon, Sky, and the others were deffinitely at the top of their class. It was almost as if they were born strong, but Lance knew theat they worked hard for their strength. It would seem that Codatorta wanted to make things more challenging for the students though. The traps were random, and it was nearly impossible to figure out their pattern. It was his time though, and Codatorta finally called his name.

"Lance, before you go..." Codatorta said.

"Hmm? What is it?" Lance asked.

Codatorta took a blade hilt out from a large pouch on his belt and handed it to Lance. "You're sword finally came in. You may want it for the obstacle course!"

Lance took out the sword that Codatorta had given him earlier and happily exchanged it for the new blade. He was much more comfortable with a katana in his hands. "Thanks! I really appreciate it!"

"You better. I heard that it was hard to make. Now get going and show me what you've got!"

Lance gulped but nodded anyway as he ran to the beginning of the course. He yawned a bit as he waited for for his instructor to give him the signal to begin the obstacle course, he was still tired.

"BEGIN!" Codatorta yelled, and like a bullet, Lance was off.

It started simple. Lance had to get around a random assortment of bars that had been put in his way. He was running quickly, but it wasn't an all out sprint. He didn't want to be caught off guard. It would seem that the log favored him and just like it did Adam. Fortunately, Lance was able to get out of the way in the same fashion that Adam did.

"Oh no!" Timmy yelled as he watched Lance. "If the log's there then that means the net might be too!"

Timmy was right. Just like when Adam ran head strong into the net, Lance was making the exact same mistake. The net was fired. Lance's friends watched with dread as if the entire scene were happening in slow motion. Then net inched its way towards the young boy at incredible speeds. There was no way that Lance would be able to react fast enough to dodge. *CHINK* was the sound that rung through out the area as Lance did the only thing he could think of. Students' eyes were as big as dinner saucers and their jaws nearly touched the ground as the watched Lance grab his sword, activate it, and cut the net vertically straight down the center, causing the two pieces to pass him by. Not only did that take a great deal of speed, it also took quite a bit of strength and determination on Lance's part.

"W...wow..." Brandon said in disbelief.

"Did he just...?" Sky asked.

"Yeah...he did." Riven answered.

"Go, Lance, go!" Timmy yelled to cheer his friend on. Lance couldn't hear him of course. He was too caught up in his own world.

"Okay. From here on out I have no idea what could happen..." Lance thought to himself. "But...I'm not giving up!"

Lance ran, adrenaline filled his body as he made a mad dash towards the exit. He wasn't to the half-way point yet, but he was close, and he was determined to finish. At this point he didn't care about competing. He just wanted to finish the obstacle course. It would prove that his training was working and that he was catching up to Sky and the others.

Lance ducked, dodged, and weaved in and out of the little traps that came his way. A wall hindered his path and he climbed a rope that had been present at break neck speeds. He dodged the ball that made an attempt to knock him back down to the ground by mere inches and safely jumped to the other side. He was breathing heavily, but he didn't care, he was past the half way mark. The exit was almost in view.

As he ran towards the exit laser turrets and guns made themselves known as Lance was bombarded with a full frontal laser assault. He ran straight forward towards the exit. He weaved in and out of the laser fire. The lasers were moving too quickly for most people to keep up with, but Lance was just moving on pure instinct now. He was nearly hit as he heard a laser whizz by him just to the side, and he literally backflipped out of the way of another oncoming laser that would have certainly put him out of commission. He didn't land on his feet though. He purposely landed on all fours in the same ready position a track runner takes before the start of a race. He used his arms and the position of his legs to get a strong burst of speed and made an attempt to make a mad dash to the end of the course.

He finally made it past the lasers and...began to fall. Codatorta had installed a pit! Lance's trusty sword aided him once more as Lance activated it and rammed it into the side of the pit as he fell, keeping him from falling and failing the obstacle course. He climbed up a bit slowly, but as quickly as his body would allow, and detatched his sword from the side of the pit. Lance was quite certain that Saladine would not approve of the next trap. A giant wrecking ball came at him as soon he exited the pit, and all that was infront of him, other than the giant ball, was a narrow corridor. Codatorta set it up so that any student that fell through the pit would have to fall if he wanted to make it out of the course in one piece! Lance though, was not good at giving up, and he quickly surveyed his surroundings. The ball was too large for him to just jump on, and he couldn't run forward. Behind him was the pit, and to both his sides a wall.

"Not good!" Lance yelled to himself as he realized just how bad a predicament he had just found himself in. Lance jumped as high as he could and rammed his sword into the wall. Codatorta, luckily, made the wall out of wood, and the crystal blade had very little trouble cutting through such material. Afterwards, as the ball swung closer to him, he flipped up onto his blade, and then he jumped as high as he could one last time. The large wrecking ball swung underneath him, and he grabbed on to the rope so that he would swing with the wrecking ball instead of landing on the other side of it. He knew that it would just come back behind him if he did.

Lance nearly yelled when he reached the height of the balls ascent, and he felt a bit queazy during those three seconds of weightlessness that he felt just before the ball swung back down once again. He held it in though, and when he descended he grabbed his sword which was still stuck in the wall, yanked it out, and gripped it tight. He could see infront of him, Codatorta was insane. There were still traps that he had to get through before reaching the exit!

"No way, forget that!" Lance said as he used his sword to cut the wire that held the wrecking ball up, and since it was no longer attatched to its wire half way past the mid way point of the ball's descent it did not arc up. Instead, it was hurled forward, and luckily for Lance, it did not spin. It plowed through the traps and made a giant hole in the wall, forming a 'new' exit. It touched the ground, skid a bit, and just before it began to roll Lance jumped off the ball, straight into the air. The bottom of his feet stung as he touched the ground after jumping so high, and he opted to land in more of a kneeling position. The pain subsided and he stood up a bit slowly, wiping the sweat from his brow as he panted for air. He completed the obstacle course. Maybe not in the way that Codatorta had intended, but he finished. It wasn't long before he heard someone applaud him.

"Everyone, give a hand to Lance!" Codatorta said, clapping. "He just demonstrated for you today, a level of ingenuity that all heroes and specialists should strive to achieve! In mere seconds he evaluated a situation and instead of giving up, chose a path that may not be fool proof, but if pulled off correctly could lead to victory! Not only that, just weeks ago he could not pass the most basic of obstacle courses! Good work, Lance! You've earned your spot in the competion!"

Some applauded, some were awe struck and remained silent. Some were angry that 'laser' Lance could pass the obstacle course and they couldn't. Some were just angry that Lance succeeded. However, a small group ran up to Lance and practically tackled him to the ground. Riven and Bandon were playfully digging their fists into his head, much like an older brother would do to a younger brother. Timmy stood close by smiling with his arms crossed, and Sky was infront of Riven and Brandon cheering him on.

"Hey, looks like we got another hero on the way!" Brandon cheered.

"Who would have guessed that it would be Lance though!" Riven joked.

"That was amazing! I thought you were a goner!" Sky said.

"Three cheers for Lance!" Timmy said, raising his fist into the air in triumph.

"So, what's up Lance? What'cha gonna do now?" Sky asked.

"Heh, heh..." Lance chuckled as he detatched himself from Brandon and Riven. "I'm going to bed. I'm dead tired..."

The boys laughed at Lance's response. It was so anti-climatic that it was funny.

*Fade out*
*Fade in*

It was the next day, and Lance was psyched about the competition. He was nervous, but excited. To be quite honest, he was trembling. He didn't know if it was because he was afraid, or if he just couldn't wait to compete, but it would seem that nothing he did could calm his shaking. He sat in the stands next to Helia. Helia was drawing a picture of some doves that had landed in front of them.

"You really need to calm down Lance. Your shaking will scare the doves away." Helia said. He didn't say it in a mean way, it was more of a joke than anything else.

"I know, I've been trying for the last half hour." Lance said.

"Really? Have you tried meditating?" Helia asked as he continued to draw.

"I can't concentrate." Lance said as he looked over Helia's shoulder.

"Well, good luck in the competition. I seriously hope you don't get hurt, Lance."

"Uh...thanks." Lance said. He didn't know if Helia was implying that he was a bad fighter, or if he was just genuinely worried about his friend.

It was at that moment he heaerd a familiar voice say, "From my calculations, this is the best angle to watch the event!" He looked up and noticed that the girls had arrived. He would have greeted them at the entrance, but he was so wrapped up in his excitement that he forgot what time they were supposed to arrive.

"Hey! Over here!" Lance shouted as he waved to get their attention. The doves flew away at the sudden outburst. Lance noticed that Helia was glaring at him a bit and said, "Sorry man." Helia just sighed and shook his head.

"Hey, who's your friend?" Flora asked Lance as the group walked over to Lance's location.

"Oh," Lance said as he stood up. "Allow me to introduce, Helia. Helia, these are my friends. This is Flora..." Lance said, obviously picking Flora to introduce first. "And that's Tecna." He said, going down the line. However, before he could get to Stella, she interrupted.

"And I'm princess Stella of Solaria!" She said. "And I'm a great supporter of art!" Lance noticed that Flora seemed upset when Stella interrupted him. However, he got the feeling that it wasn't because he was interrupted. Luckily for him though, the arrival of his friends took his mind off the competition, and he was finally able to stop shaking.

Helia stood up and bowed as he said, "I'm honored to meet you."

"With all due respect, Helia. Why are you painting with antiques?" Tecna asked, pointing at his pencil and paper.

"You can simulate any kind of art with a digit-sketch! From goblin cave paintings to contemporary realism!" Digit said as she flew in closer to Helia. "My cousin sells them! He can get you a deal!"

"Some times simulations just don't stack up to the real thing." Lance said with a smile. He was a bit of an artist himself, and he preferred a good ol' pencil and paper over a computer any day.

"Let me see your work!" Stella said as she took Helia's sketch pad. "Wow! You're perfect to do my royal portrait! I'll have my people call your people!"

Flora managed to get ahold of the sketch pad before Stella finished her last sentence, and was able to take a good look at Helia's work herself. "Your brush strokes capture the doves' movements so beautifully! It's like its wings hug the clouds, and the sky and the dove become one!" She said as she handed his sketch pad back to him.

"That's what I had in mind, I love that you got that!" Helia said, impressed with Flora's analyses. Flora laughed shyly at his response.

"Wow, you should be a poet!" Lance said. That was a beautiful description of Helia's sketch.

"Yeah, that's Flora for ya!" Brandon said.

"I knew she would meet someone!" Chatta said. Luckily, Lance and the others could not hear her. "I just knew it!"

Amore heard her though, and normally should would be gushing with happiness at the situation. However, her heart was torn. She sensed seeds of love being planted in the hearts of Flora and Helia, but from Lance she sensed a seed that had been planted quite some time ago. He already seemed to have strong feelings for the fairy girl that he was trying desperately to supress. She looked inbetween Helia and Lance with a worried expression on her face.

"It's really nice to meet you Helia. Are you competing today?" Flora asked.

"No, I don't believe in fighting, and I prefer to avoid it at all cost." Helia said.

"Oh? Then why are you at Redfountain? I thought that you might be a transfer student or something." Layla asked.

"Uncle Saladine wants me to attend his school. I want to go to art school though."

"Saladine's your uncle?" Stella asked. "Wow!"

"Hey, girls, girls. Helia might not be fighting in the competition, but I know one specialist that cleared the entrance exam with flying colors!" Sky said.

"Who?" Flora asked, genuinely curious.

"Probably Brandon." Stella said with confidence. "He's just naturally good at that sort of thing."

"Uh, thanks Stella. but Sky's referring to Lance." Brandon said.

"What? Lance?" Layla said in disbelief. "He doesn't look like much..."

"Wow..." Lance said, pretty much speachless after Layla's blatant insult.

"Seriously though." Riven said. "Lance practically destroyed the obstacle course. It was awesome."

"What did he do?" Flora asked.

"Yeah! I'm curious as to how laser Lance can cause that kind of damage!" Stella said.

"They know that nick-name at Alfea too?!" Lance asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, all the guys at the dance were talking about it." Stella said. "It really is a catchy nick-name though! It's better than Frizztella!"

"Stella, stop it. He doesn't like it." Flora said.

"No, no, it's okay. I've gotten used to it." Lance said, his shoulders drooping low.

*Fade out*
*Fade in*

Some time had passed, Saladine introduced the new stadium to the public, and everyone was waiting for the competition to begin. The boys were getting ready, and the girls were outside sitting in the grass, talking to eachother.

"I hope Helia's going to be at the post party." Flora said.

"We should find him and make sure he's planning on going!" Bloom responded. "Judging by the way he was crushing on you earlier, I'm sure he'll be at the party if we tell him you're going!"

"Don't mean to interrupt." Brandon said as he walked up to the girls with Timmy. "But Lance is up next, and right after his match Riven and Sky are going."

"I'm up after Brandon!" Timmy said.

"So you're competing too?" Bloom asked.

"Timmy's in the squad ship parade!" Brandon answered.

"I can't wait to see that!" Chatta responded, energetically.

"I'll meet you over there!" Tecna said, playing a game with Digit. "Okay Digit, five thousand thirty four!"

Poor Brandon walked away with the others feeling ignored. He wanted to hear what Tecna had to say about him being in the parade.

*Fade out*
*Fade in*

Lance walked into the stadium. It turns out that the match pretty much starts as soon as the the two competitors are in the ring. He kept his sword on his belt, but he did not take it out. He felt more comfortable using his hands, but he wanted to keep it at the ready just in case he really did need it. His opponent was much bigger than he was, and he was fighting a senior. He felt butterflies in his stomach, and the roar of the crowd was not doing anything to ease his nerves.

"I can't believe that Lance isn't using his sword!" Stella said in shock.

"I guess he's just trying to act cool and win without a weapon." Layla said is disdain.

"Hey Layla, Lance doesn't seem like the type that would do that." Bloom said.

"He isn't. Lance is...unique." Flora said. "Maybe he doesn't like using weapons."

"Kind of like that Helia guy that doesn't like fighting?" Layla asked.

"No, I think this is a bit different." Musa said. "Lance doesn't seem to have any problems with fighting."

"Oh..."

The boy launched himself towards Lance. Of course, I say boy, but Lance thought that this guy looked like a full grown man to him. Even his muscles had muscles. Lance ducked just in time to dodge a horizontal sword strike to his upper torso. Missing the way that he had the boy was thrown off balance and Lance took that opportunity to send a kick to the boy's side. The boy stumbled a bit and flinched, but he regained his balance and charged again.

Lance could no longer hear the roar of the crowd. If anything, it sounded like he was under water and the crowd was above surface. Their cheers and roars were drowned out by the excitement that he was feeling at that moment. All he could hear was the footsteps of his opponent, and the strikes and blows that they interchanged.

The boy made another swing towards Lance that he just ducked under once again, but this time the boy was expecting it and brought up his knee to strike lance square in the middle of his face. The strike was so strong that Lance was forced to jump upward to eleviate some of the pain from the ferocious blow. Lance's opponent smiled after scoring such a solid strike. He rushed in again and punched Lance in the stomach, and made another attempted to slash at Lance, but Lance regained his composure and jumped backward to avoid the strike.

"Come on Laser Lance. You're out matched. I don't know how you passed the obstacle course, but you can't get passed me."

"I'm not good at giving up." Lance said. "Sorry 'bout that."

Lance got into a fighting position. He was much more confident in himself once a fight got started. He was almost like a new person all together. He was by all means losing, but he wasn't about to throw the match. The boy made another strike, and just as he predicted, Lance ducked. Just as the boy went in to knee Lance once more, Lance swung his back leg around and towards the left, and with that motion's momentum, he hurled his enitre body in that direction, winding up right to the side of the boy. Lance delivered a strong punch to the boys ribs, causing the larger boy to flinch in pain. The boy attempted to swing his sword, but Lance stopped it by closing the gap between his opponent and himself and blocking the swing by stopping the boy at his elbow.

The boy's eyes widened as he realized that Lance was too close for him to use his sword effectively, and he could do nothing as Lance delivered a fierce blow to his side once more, and he followed it up by delivering another blow with his left. After that he turned his back to his opponent's front so that his right side was matched up with his opponent's right side. He placed his right leg behind his opponent, and his right arm infront of his opponent's chest. With one fluent motion Lance pushed on arm against his opponent's chest and his leg against his opponent's legs, tripping him backwards onto the ground. The boy could do nothing as he flew backwards and landed on his back. he cringed as he heard the sickening sound of 'thud', as his body connected with the ground, signifying that he was defeated, and that Lance was the victor.

"Congratulations Lance!" Flora yelled to cheer on her friend. Lance would have been happy, if he could actually hear her over the roar of the crowd.

"Hey, Sky's up next!" Bloom said.

"Yeah, and so is Riven!" Musa commented.

Lance breathed in deep. That match was intense, and he was seriously close to losing. He saw Sky and Riven enter the ring, so it was about time he left.

"Hey, good fight man." Lance said as he extended a hand to his fallen opponent.

The boy hesitated for a moment but accepted Lance's help. "Yeah...good fight."

"Congrats on your match." Sky said, walking up to the two boys.

"Yeah, thanks. Hey, good luck you two." Lance said as he walked away. He really didn't know who to cheer for.

"Heh, thanks, but I don't need luck." Riven said.

"Riiiiight." Sky said, sarcastically. "We'll see about that!"

And with that, the two were off.

Lance walked back into the waiting area and cringed a bit as he sat down.

"Wow man. How is it that you look more beat up than your opponent when you're the one that won the match?" Brandon said as he walked up to lance with a first aid kit.

"That guy was tough! Oh, I don't need that. I'm not bleeding or anything." Lance said. Almost on que, his nose began to bleed.

"That guy hit ya square in the face man. With his knee too!" Brandon said as he opened the first aid kit and took out a cloth to give to Lance. He handed Lance the cloth and so that he could stop the nose bleed.

"That's weird. At first I thought that I had a nose bleed, but I didn't. It was just my nose going numb from the hit."

"Well, now you do have a nose bleed. Be more careful out there. Congratulations though. No offense, but I thought that guy was out of your league." Brandon said, admitting that he thought that Lance was going to lose.

"I thought so too. I guess I was just faster."

"Yeah, faster, and you're stronger than when you first came here too." Brandon said, keeping an eye on Sky and Riven's fight. "Oh, looks like Sky won. I'm up next! Wish me luck, I'm fighting a senior!"

"Good luck man." Lance said, giving him a thumbs up. Brandon smiled, nodded, and then walked out into the arean. A few moments later, sky entered the ready area.

"Congrats, Sky!" Lance said, he was still holding the cloth to his nose.

"Thanks man, but Riven sure seemed angry about it."

"Well yeah! It's Riven. He's always angry!" Lance said.

"Yeah, I guess your right." Sky smiled. "Nose bleed, huh?"

"Yeah, it must have happened when I got hit in the face. I'm pretty sure that I've got a big red mark on my stomach too!"

"Yeah, that guy's a hard hitter. I'm impressed!"

"Really?" Lance asked enthusiastically.

"Ha ha!" Sky laughed. He actually couldn't stop himself from laughing.

"What?"

"Dude, you sound so weird with that thing over your nose. Don't squeeze so tight."

"I didn't notice. My nose is so numb I can't feel anything." Lance said, removing the cloth from his nose. There was quite a bit of blood in the cloth, so he rubbed his nose a bit. It would seem that the blood had stopped.

"Yeah, that doesn't look too bad. He must have hit you just right or something."

"Yeah, I guess. Heh, I wonder what Krystal's gonna say when she sees me. She's close by. I think Codatorta wants her in the parade or something."

"Oh? Yeah, Codatorta is into dragons, and Krystal's as big as they get."

((I can't seem to access the episode, so I'm going off of the rest of this chapter by memory. I had written this chapter before and it ran along side the episode, but that was deleted T_T ...So the ending t o this chapter may be shorter than it was originally meant to be. But that's okay! Once this chapter is done the story will continue!))

Just then screams and cries sounded from the arena stands as well as in the arena itself. Sky and Lance rushed out as quickly as their legs could carry them only to be greeted by a lion, dragon, chimera like monster. The beast's tail was a head in itself! This creature, or whatever it was, was not a pretty sight. Luckily the arena was filled with magical creatures and specialists in training. Bloom, Stella, and the other winx girls had already taken action and were locked in magical combat with the beast from hades.

"I've seen this monster before!" Flora yelled to the others. "It's called a Leodragerus!"

"But aren't those supposed to be extinct?!" Stella yelled.

"Come on!" Sky yelled to Lance as he ran towards the frey. "We need to join in!"

"Yeah, but..." he couldn't finish his sentence, Sky was already fighting. Lance withdrew his sword, but he didn't run in head strong like Sky did. It wasn't that he was frightened of the creature. Facing Krystal when they had first met had effectively erased most of the fear that he would normally feel when locked in mortal combat with such a creature. In all honesty, he just didn't know what to do. He wanted to run in like the 'cool' Sky, and he wanted to form battle strategies liky the 'wiz' Timmy, but for some unknown reason he just stayed where he stood. He didn't know how to approach this stiuation. He watched as the others fought the demon. They all knew their place and they fought in sync with eachother, he didn't want to get in their way.

In awe Lance watched. Despite his friends' best efforts, they could not defeat the Leodragerus. Flora and her friends were huddled in the air forming some kind of battle strategy as the specialists encircled and tried to trap the mighty creature. Lance followed Flora with his eyes as she broke away from the other girls. It seemed like she was going to try and get its attention while the other girls attacked it from behind. Unfortunately, that head on its tail wasn't just for show. The leodragerus turned around spit a mucus like saliva.

"Flora, get out of there!" He heard one of the girls say. He didn't pay attention to who it was.

"I...I can't see!" Flora yelled in panic.

"I read about this, they spit that stuff on you so that it's easier to eat you!" Bloom yelled.

and then the creature lunged. One could almost hear the 'snap' sound that Lance's brain made. He certainly felt it. It was like a static shock that went off inside his skull, and then his entire head went numb, and then his chest, and then his legs. Afterwards his vision started to weaken as he started to see in tunnel vision.

"KRYSTAL!!!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, a battle cry that resounded in the dragon's ears. At that moment the dragon appeared behind the young boy at that split second. "Launch me!" Lance commanded as he jumped backwards onto Krystal's tail.

"WHAT?!" Krystal asked to make sure that she had heard Lance right. If so, he was clearly not in a sane state of mind.

"Do it!" He yelled as the beast got closer to its meal. Time had deffinitely slowed down for Lance. He could barely see due to the tunnel vision, but that just meant that he had to keep his eyes on the target. Krystal did as she was told and launched lance towards the monster that had been so brave as to attack his friend. He slammed into the leodragerus' head with a powerful double kick from both feet as the monster staggered to the side. The beast had lost its balance.

"Lance!" Flora yelled as he hit the ground with a loud 'thud!' Initially she was worried that the fall had injured him, but there was another, more pressing matter at hand. The creature was not seriously hurt, but he was extremely angry at the young boy that took it upon himself to interrupt his dinner. He turned his attention on Lance, and before Flora or anyone else could react the Leodragerus lunged at the downed youth. "No!"

"Lance!" Brandon yelled. He was close by, but just out of reach! There was nothing he could do as he rain in vain to try and save the young specialist in training.

"LANCE!" Krystal yelled, trying to make it there in time as well.

However, at that moment, the beast found itself stuck and unable to move. He was tied up with a vine like laser whip. Multiple whips entangled the creature and kept it from moving.

"But who!" Riven yelled.

"Over there!" Said Flora, pointing to the top of the stadium. There stood, Helia, upright and shrowded by the setting sun he held the monster in place!

"Looks like we got another hero!" Sky cheered.

"Lance, Flora, are you two okay?" Helia asked.

Flora tried to say that she was fine but she found that her face was getting hot and her throat had become dry. She blushed shyly as she nodded. She tried not to make eye contact for she feared that Helia would notice her blush.

"They're okay!" Sky said. "Lance might need some help though!"

Helia nodded and smiled as he removed the whips that entangled the monster.

"What?!" Riven yelled.

"I don't get it!" Stella said. "He'll fight to save Flora and Lance but noone else!"

"If he doesn't believe in fighting he shouldn't fight at all!" Tecna scoffed.

Helia was about to leave, but he looked over at Lance. He used his whip to entangle Lance and pulled him up to where he was standing. Afterwards he jumped off the other side of the arena holding Lance and walked to the closest infirmary at Red Fountain.

"BE CAREFUL WITH HIM HELIA! I'LL TAKE CARE OF THE MONSTER HERE! SO HELP ME IF HE'S HURT EVEN MORE BECAUSE OF THAT STUNT!" Krystal yelled.


"That hurt." Lance whined as his head bobbed up and down in pace with Helia's footsteps.

"Sorry. I just thought it would be best to get you out of there. You shouldn't have done that you know. I was just about to help her." Helia said.

"All I remember is that Flora was in trouble." Lance said. "I kind of blacked out after that."

"You kicked the leodragerus in the face!" Helia exclaimed.

"I remember that part...It's everything after that that I don't remember."

"Hey, Lance..." Helia said.

"Hm?" Lance asked. He ached all over, and his legs felt like they were all locked up.

"Do you like Flora?"

Lance blushed as he tried to think of a way to avoid the question. He was shy and embarrassed about revealing his crush.

"I do." Helia said.

"Wha..."

"She's amazing, isn't she?" Helia asked.

"Didn't you just meet her today?" Lance asked. Even though he thought the same thing when he first met her.

"Yes, but I just felt so...so...inspired when I met her!" Helia exclaimed. "I'm going to stay in Red Fountain!"

"I'm glad to hear it man. It gives us more chances to hang out together!"

"So..."

"So, what?" Lance asked.

"You haven't answered my question. Do you like Flora? I wouldn't take you for the type that would kick a leodragerus in the face for his own amusement." Helia joked.

Lance blushed again, but since Helia was so honest he felt more comfortable about saying it. "Yeah. I was scared that she was going to get hurt...and then before I knew it I was kicking a monster in the face."

"Thought so. I guess that makes us rivals then." Helia said. "I'd like to say good luck, but..."

"I know." Lance said to cut Helia off.

"Well here we are!" Helia said as he opened the door to the infirmary.

"What happened to him?" The school nurse on standby asked when she saw that a student was carrying in a patient.

"He kicked a giant monster in the face after being flung by a dragon. And then he hit the ground." Helia added, wanting to be as thorough in his description as possible.

"Oh..."

"Will I be okay, doc?" Lance joked. He tried to laugh but winced in pain. He could feel in his ribs how he had landed.

"Let's have a look. Please place him on the bed." the nurse ordered. Helia did as he was told.

"Get well soon, Lance. I'm going to my room to sign the paper work my uncle gave me to become a student here. I'll drop by later to visit." Helia said with a smile.

"Thanks." Lance grinned sheepishly.

"So..." Lance thought to himself. "I don't think that I can go on the way I have been. I wonder if she'd go out with me if I asked her." Lance began to blush after he thought of asking Flora out on a date.

"Oh no! He's burning up!" The nurse yelled. "Check to see if there are any more doctors on hand!"

*Fade out*

End of Episode 7

Ending theme song: This day and age - Second place victory http://youtube.com/watch?v=YivbujnAo5g

Posted by: sapphire Nov 28 2007, 10:52 AM

it's really nice... will helia and flora end up together? i really hope so!

Posted by: Ranma Nov 28 2007, 12:13 PM

((Wow, no love for Lance? lol. You'll have to wait and see. I have up to four seasons planned and we are currently in season 1. Season 1 of my story obviously takes place during season 2 of the winx club story line. There will be a love triangle between Flora, Lance, and Helia...but as to who Flora chooses at the end of those four seasons is a secret ^_^ ))

Posted by: sapphire Nov 29 2007, 9:25 AM

oh hehe poor lance(i don't really care)... but i really like your story... write more!

Posted by: Jahnavi Apr 4 2008, 4:55 AM

Okay, nobody's posted here since November, but I hope you will continue, this story's amazing!

Posted by: Ranma Jun 2 2008, 10:34 AM

Don't worry. I still plan on writing way more. I actually have [4] seasons planned out. The current season, the next one, The time jump season, and then the closing season. In the next season Lance faces a LOT of hardships in his relationship. I'll give you a few hints.

Edit: 2012 X_X *Spoilers taken out*

((Also, the theme songs change depending on the seasons))...((I might post the intro and ending theme songs...))

((They kind of reflect the theme or the mood of the season))

Posted by: Jahnavi Jun 2 2008, 1:27 PM

Okay, I'm glad you're going to continue. *Waits patiently for hidden spoilers to be revealed.*

(BTW, the spelling is Linphea.)

Posted by: Ranma Jun 4 2008, 10:00 AM

((These MIGHT be the opening and ending theme songs for the other seasons))

season 2 opening: [Bet on it] http://youtube.com/watch?v=rL37snqMJx8
season 2 ending [over my head] http://youtube.com/watch?v=mpiEEl_5pmA

season 3 opening: [don't remember the name of the song for now] http://youtube.com/watch?v=MWwaDJGvdtk&feature=related
season 3 ending: [I know you're out there somewhere] http://youtube.com/watch?v=MSyRFLlYnWI

season 4 opening: [front line] http://youtube.com/watch?v=p-3gmRslIks
Season 4 ending: [if you're not the one] http://youtube.com/watch?v=6b9Vn6WkjPs

Epilogue [I'll dance with cinderella] http://youtube.com/watch?v=ot0ZaPUB9NA
<I bet you're wondering what the epilogues about now ^_^ >

Posted by: MorriganAensland Jun 4 2008, 1:34 PM

Does it involve http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnttxh7cz50&feature=related

Posted by: Ranma Jun 4 2008, 9:36 PM

((No, it doesn't. And though it is funny seeing Shinji blow up, please don't spam my story with useless videos that don't have anything to do with the story...such videos are of better use in other threads.))

Posted by: MorriganAensland Jun 4 2008, 10:30 PM

I understand. Previous post was edited. And my next post here will be a long-overdue review of this work.

Posted by: Ranma Jun 4 2008, 10:42 PM

((Thank you ^_^ ))

Posted by: Ranma Jun 10 2008, 9:33 AM

((For those that are keeping up with this. I have just finished the last part of "chapter 7: party monster" .... It is posted in the same post as chapter 7 of course, and can be found page 2. Chapter 8 should be out soon hopefully. Thanks for being patient ^_^ ))

Posted by: MorriganAensland Jun 11 2008, 4:25 AM

Okay. Having hacked through this at long last while looking up more stuff on Youtube about Kinnikuman Muscle Fight and Wikipedia information about Super Robot Wars, I can commence with my previously-promised review. Keep in mind I like to follow in the footsteps of Yahtzee Croshaw and be utterly subjective, since that's what a review it supposed to be: someone's opinion.

My greatest fear right now is Lance will turn into a Gary Stu. He has enough of the ingredients of one that it's setting off warnings in my head... or at least enough to make me think wish fulfillment is going on.
1. A katana as a weapon. Not a good sign. Yes, they are sharp and they cut well and people idolize them, but that's not the problem per-se. I could understand it better if there was a justification with a little more meat on it than just "Lance likes them and asked for one." If he had past experience with using one, that'd be okay. But please, do not over-glorify the katana, because there are plenty of sword designs out there just as deadly. Like the zweihander.
2. Destiny. I dislike any story where the protagonist has some wonderfully vague destiny they will accomplish, regardless of what it is. Fate is simply a way of stripping someone of free will, and it is disappointing from a reader's standpoint since they're thinking "It's predefined already. Everything will work out." And early on, Lance gets such a vague destiny.
3. Villifying anger during said destiny-reading session. People get angry in different ways, and going berserk is the most overused one. Plenty of other people just get very quiet, very serious, and very cruel. And there are such times when said anger is perfectly justified and displaying it is to be expected, because it's something someone who is mentally healthy ought to display in a situation.
4. Dragons. Oh, my loathing of the overusage of dragons can be traced so very much to this series... and the Eragon series, which incidentally ALSO has a Gary Stu-protagonist. Krystal, at least to me, has some inspiration from Sapphira, and she certainly displays a lot of arrogance and intelligence, while at the same time being moved by Lance's iron-clad determination, and you made sure to capture the Eragon-esque element by whipping up a class of dragons capable of higher-level thought and speech and whatnot. I pray later chapters will not have him dueling villains atop their own dragons.

In regards to the actual pacing, I'm at a loss. Sometimes the pacing goes by too fast, especially in conversations, and I feel that more time ought to be spent dealing with Lance's reactions to things. So far he's been able to roll with the punches well, arguably too well. Other times, like when Helia was sketching the picture, things seemed to drag on too much. The narrative also seems too informal, and I feel that's also a problem.

Lance's magical (no pun intended) growth also leaves me dissatisfied. Yes, he is out of shape, but that is a problem that can be remedied given enough time, and his buildup of Chi will eventually override that. And where will that leave him? A guy with the dreaded and over-glorified sword, and a talking dragon. Plus, all that wonderful Chi he'll have. I can sympathize a little, after all, you're trying to write a Winx story where a young man is something more than cannon fodder; he needs to have something that gives him an edge over others. But the growth is too fast for my liking.

His love-triangle with Helia is a decent plot device, and I currently have no serious qualms with it. However, if you start making them quarrel, and Helia starts acting like a total jerkass, then I'm going to get worried.

And lastly, I dread the possibility of over-the-top Wangst in the next "season". Yes, a melancholy atmosphere helps ferment and improve many a story, but many more a story go overboard... and it just gets Narmy.

What I have written in this post is a far cry from other responses you've gotten, and I understand that. However, I've done a lot of writing, and it's a policy of mine to strive to constantly surpass myself and help others do the same. A bunch of good reviews is nowhere near as beneficial as a single one dripping with constructive criticism from every pore. It would be fair for me to admit I also frequent TVtropes.org, and to an extent, it HAS spoiled my life (a warning listed on the homepage). I'm not saying this story is utter crap; after all, I felt no desire to rip my eyes out and sacrifice them to the heathen gods so as to remove the memories of this story and the grammar was usually correct except for the occasional unfixed typo, a vice of mine as well... so I'm not going to judge you for that.

In my opinion, is salvaging this going to be hard? Maybe. Depends on how hard you want to. It's not perfect, but then again... who is? Well, except for Columbo and Elzam Braunstein.

Posted by: Ranma Jun 11 2008, 5:01 AM

((Yo, Morrigan, thanks for the input. I don't mind your honest review at all. I want to explain a few things that you mentioned. Because a lot of it seemed to be fear for future plot devices and not things that are happening yet.

Lance will not become a cliche Gary Stu character. I'm doing my best to make him 'not perfect.' He will always have character flaws, and though he will become strong by the end of the series, I always give my characters weaknesses...real weaknesses, not the green rock weaknesses that DC seems to enjoy over using.

1. A katana as a weapon. Not a good sign. Yes, they are sharp and they cut well and people idolize them, but that's not the problem per-se. I could understand it better if there was a justification with a little more meat on it than just "Lance likes them and asked for one." If he had past experience with using one, that'd be okay. But please, do not over-glorify the katana, because there are plenty of sword designs out there just as deadly. Like the zweihander.
Lance does have experience with the Katana. He has taken martial arts in the past before going to Red Fountain. Actually, most of his growth is due to his past experience with the martial arts. Basically he was in shape, got out of shape, and is getting back in shape at a fast rate because he knows how to train himself.

2. Destiny. I dislike any story where the protagonist has some wonderfully vague destiny they will accomplish, regardless of what it is. Fate is simply a way of stripping someone of free will, and it is disappointing from a reader's standpoint since they're thinking "It's predefined already. Everything will work out." And early on, Lance gets such a vague destiny.
This story is actually about making your own path in life. Other people will speak of destiny, but Lance isn't Bloom. He isn't some special ruler of a dead kingdom with hidden power locked away. Everything Lance gets he earns.

3. Villifying anger during said destiny-reading session. People get angry in different ways, and going berserk is the most overused one. Plenty of other people just get very quiet, very serious, and very cruel. And there are such times when said anger is perfectly justified and displaying it is to be expected, because it's something someone who is mentally healthy ought to display in a situation.
Anger and Lance goes hand in hand. It hasn't been stated yet, but Lance does have an anger problem. He's usually docile, but some times the stupidest things will set him off. This will become important later on. Especially in season 3.

4. Dragons. Oh, my loathing of the overusage of dragons can be traced so very much to this series...
Krystal is an important character required for Lance to grow. However, he doesn't rely on her that much. She's not even in season 3.

As for the pacing of the story. I know you haven't read my other works, so you only have this to go by...but this is my first time writing something like this in this style. I'm trying to make it semi-novel semi-episode. So I agree with you fully on this aspect of the story. I guess you can say that I haven't found the proper pace for this writing style yet.

Lance's magical (no pun intended) growth also leaves me dissatisfied. Yes, he is out of shape, but that is a problem that can be remedied given enough time, and his buildup of Chi will eventually override that. And where will that leave him? A guy with the dreaded and over-glorified sword, and a talking dragon. Plus, all that wonderful Chi he'll have. I can sympathize a little, after all, you're trying to write a Winx story where a young man is something more than cannon fodder; he needs to have something that gives him an edge over others. But the growth is too fast for my liking.

Like I said before, his magical growth is due to his past in martial arts. He's about to hit a wall in his training. Also, Lance won't gain the ability to use his chi for quite some time. I'm trying to pace his training to be a bit believable. Lance is an adaptable person, that is his strength. However, unlike characters like Bloom, he won't gain a new power if he is losing a fight.

As for the Lance/Helia rivalry. I don't intend to change Helia's personality for my fanfic. I'm trying to keep the original characters in tact.

As for the typos...I write these chapters very quickly, usually when I'm in class. If you wish I can give you something that I've actually taken my time on. I'd hate for this story to be the gauge for my writing talent ^_^
I like this story, but I don't have the time to write it like a novel, thus the novel/episode format.

Anyway, thanks for the review, and I'll take your worries into consideration when writing my next chapter. I'll try to fix the pacing, but since I write these in class most of the time...yeah... ^_^ ))

Posted by: Ranma Jun 11 2008, 12:15 PM

Theme song:(Subject to change.) Wondering - Good Charlotte. http://youtube.com/watch?v=fjdo6UBuh4g

Episode 8: Ouch

*Fade In*

Today's episode starts some time after the attack on the school. Lance was healed and ready to take on whatever challenges Redfountain gave him. He was locked in deadly combat with a foe that no one expected him to beat. The name of the game: chess, the foe: Timmy. Oh, how Lance was wracking his brain trying to figure out how in the magical realms he was going to defeat the giant brain that sat across with him. Timmy was usually a quiet fellow, shy and kind of nerdy, but now...now Timmy was large and in charge! He sported a grin fiercer than anything Riven could muster, and Lance knew that Timmy was going to decimate him.

"Check." Timmy said, moving his queen in a position, parallel to Lance's king.

"Redo!" Lance whined.

"No redos. Make your move." Timmy commanded.

Lance looked at the entire bored. He only had four pongs, one knight, a rook, and his king left on the board. Timmy mercilessly murdered his queen and had his bishops assassinated. Timmy was a cruel tactician indeed. Lance picked up his knight and began to move it in a position that would block Timmy's queen. Lance quickly moved the piece back into its previous position after he saw Timmy's grin grow larger. Afterwards he quickly took the king and moved it backwards. Timmy moved his rook up to meet Lance's king.

"Checkmate!" Timmy cheered.

"This game has lasted two hours. My brain is mush!" Lance complained.

"That's why I don't play with him anymore." Riven said. "He drags it out on purpose so he can play longer!"

"But it gets boring when the games only last two minutes." Timmy stated. It was true, nobody in the group could match Timmy's wit and intellect.

"So I guess drinks are on me." Lance said. "I should have known that I couldn't beat him."

"Forget that for now." Riven said, changing the subject. "Did you catch Sky the other day? He got stuck in the elevator. It was hilarious!"

"Really? That sucks! How'd he get out?" Lance asked.

"It just started working again. It was just a minor malfunction." Timmy said as he adjusted his glasses while leaning back in his chair.

"He's been on edge lately. He seems to be worried about his relationship with Bloom. Is having a girl friend really that difficult?" Lance asked.

"Nah, it's easy. Sky's just a nerd that's too scared to tell the girl he likes that he likes her!" Riven mocked. "What a loser! What? ..."

Riven was thrown off by Lance and Timmy's cold stares. They suffered from the same problem and often envied Sky for even having a girlfriend. Sure, Timmy had Tecna, but it still wasn't official, and at the rate Timmy was moving in the relationship he would be an old man before he confessed his feelings.

"I was just kidding." Riven said. "He's not a nerd."

The stares intensified.

*Fade Out*
*Fade In*

Some time later, Krystal watched lance work out in the dragon stables. He usually came there to train himself. He found it soothing to be around Krystal. As much as she enjoyed making him feel uneasy, he could always openly talk to her about anything. He didn't know if it was because of their mental bond, or if it was because she was a dragon and didn't feel shy telling someone of another species his secrets. Either way, Krystal was always there for him.

"CRY ME A RIVER LANCE." Krystal said. She was always there for him, but sometimes she was rather harsh. "OH, LOOK AT ME. I HAVE A CRUSH ON A GIRL THAT'S WAY OUT OF MY LEAGUE AND I CAN'T CONFESS. MY BETTER LOOKING FRIEND HAS A CRUSH ON THE SAME GIRL AND ISN'T NEARLY AS SHY AS ME. OH, WOE AS ME, WOE AS ME!"

"Wow. A little support would be nice!" Lance yelled. He was in the middle of doing his one hundredth sit-up.

"SORRY, WAS THAT TOO OVER THE TOP?" Krystal asked with mock sincerity.

"Just a little..."

"I'M SERIOUS THOUGH. WHY ARE YOU SO SCARED? ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS SAY 'FLORA, I LIKE YOU,' OR 'FLORA, BE MY WOMAN!' TAKE YOUR PICK."

"I couldn't say that! And could you please keep your voice down! What if somebody hears you?" Lance asked in a hushed tone.

"I CAN HELP YOU PRACTICE IF YOU WANT." Krystal offered. "I'LL PLAY THE ROLE OF FLORA, AND YOU CAN BE YOU!"

"No, that would be weird." Lance said. He finished with his sit ups and reached over for a bottle of water that he had brought with him to the stables.

"I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU'RE SO SCARED THOUGH. YOU KICKED AN EXTINCT BEAST FROM THE NEATHER REALM IN THE FACE TO SAVE HER! IF THAT DOESN'T GET YOU A DATE I DON'T KNOW WHAT WILL!"

"Ah, but after kicking the stupid thing in the face I, in a very unmanly fashion, fell to the ground in pain and agony only to have Helia pull me out of the fight and hoist me over his shoulders like a spoiled sack of potatoes." Lance argued.

"THAT WAS FUNNY." Krystal chuckled.

"Yeah, I bet it was." Lance sighed.

"And I believe you'd win that bet. It was hilarious!" Helia said as he entered the stables.

"How long have you been there?" Lance asked. He didn't want Helia to hear him talking about his feelings for Flora. It would feel weird.

"Since about 'after kicking the stupid thing in the face..." Helia answered.

"Yeah, looking back I'm sure I could have done something smarter." Lance said.

"There were a lot of things you could have done, but your reputation in the school has deffinitely gone up since that day. To quote a random freshman, 'that is the manliest thing I have ever seen.'"

"Heh, I guess you could consider..." Lance was cut off by a loud "boom" sound followed by an equally loud "crash!"

"What was that?" Helia asked.

"IT SOUNDS LIKE WE'RE UNDER ATTACK. I JUST HEARD A WHISTLING SOUND BEFORE THE CRASH. LIKE A LASER WAS FIRED OR SOMETHING..." Krystal explained.

"Let's check it out." Lance said.

Just as the boys left the stable Codatorta explained on a loud speaker that the school was being attacked by a mayhem globe.

*Fade Out*
*Fade In*

Bloom, Flora, and Tecna were making their way towards Redfountain. They had seen the mayhem globe firing on the school and they wanted to know if there was anything they could do to help.

"Tecna, how does a mayhem globe work?" Bloom asked. She had heard Tecna call the magic floating ball by that name.

"It's basically a ball of distorted magical energy. It attacks at random to try and find holes in a structure's defense, and once it finds one it enters the structure and self destructs!" Tecna answered.

"That's really bad! How long does it usually take." Flora asked, worried that the mayhem ball was close to the self destruction stage.

"It depends. The Redfountain boys should be able to hold it off long enough for us to get there." Tecna replied. That was her way of saying that she didn't know.

"Hey, it's Lance and Helia." Flora said, pointing to the two boys running towards Redfountain's control tower.

"Hey!" Bloom yelled, trying to get their attention. "Over here!"

At first it seemed as thought the two boys didn't hear them, but Helia stopped Lance and pointed in the direction he heard Bloom calling from. Upon realization on who it was, the two boys ran to the girls right away.

"What are you three doing here?" Lance asked.

"I was asked to come here by Sky yesterday. What's going on?" Bloom answered.

"We don't know yet." Helia responded. "We were just hanging out in the dragon stables, and then the next thing we knew we were attacked."

"Codatorta said on the loud speaker that it was a mayhem globe." Lance added, though he wasn't quite sure what a mayhem globe was. "We were headed to the control tower to see if there was anything we could do to help. Wanna come?"

The girls nodded. "Sure!" Bloom said.

*Fade Out*
*Fade In*

As soon as Lance and the others made it out of the elevator to the top of the control tower Helia stepped out and made the introduction.

"Codatorta. Bloom, Flora, and Tecna are here. I thought they could help." He said.

"Yeah, for sure!" Timmy exclaimed as he looked back to face Helia and the others.

"Here's the situation!" Codatorta began. "We don't know who sent this thing, but we have to keep it away from the school!"

"Codatorta!" A message sounded through the intercom. "The globe is leaving the immediate area! Should we follow it?"

"Yes!" Codatorta commanded. "Go after it! Junior squad go get that globe!"

Shortly after that command was sent through, Timmy saw a blip on his screen.

"Hey, someone's broken into the north wing!" He said.

"There is a direct path from there to the baratoss chamber! We can't let them get to the codex!" Codatorta declared.

The group immediately turned around to leave. Tecna stopped and said. "I'll see you later. Be careful okay..." in hopes of getting a heart felt response back from Timmy.

Timmy responded with. "You too, Tecna. Be careful." He was too busy with his work to give a heart felt confession at the time, and Tecna seemed a bit dissapointed.

Just as Sky entered the command center. Lance took note of Bloom and Sky's uneasiness when they saw eachother, but Riven snapped them out of it.

"We've got to go and protect the codex." He said.

"I'll go with you guys." Sky said.

And with that, they went down the elevator to head towards the Baratoss chamber. Lance was once again amazed with his groups team work. Usually Riven and Brandon were at eachother's throats, but when in combat they were perfectly in sync! Brandon tossed Riven his sword, and Riven caught it without even questioning as to why Brandon had his sword in the first place! The witches Icy, Darcey, and Stormy were spotted and Riven broke away from the group with another Redfountain student to chase after them. Everything was happening so fast, but he knew that if he kept his head in the game he could keep up. He's been training more than anyone else since the beginning of the school year. He wouldn't let that training go to waste.

"Oh, no!" Lance yelled when he saw Riven's unconscious body. Sky stopped immediately and contacted Brandon using a communicator.

"Brandon, the witches are heading towards the Baratoss chamber, you have to get there!" He yelled.

"I'm on it!" Lance heard through the communicator.

"Who are those witches?" Lance asked.

"Come on!" Sky said as he started to run towards the Baratoss chamber. "I'll explain on the way there!"

Lance caught up with the group as they made their way to the chamber. "So, who are they?"

"Those witches have been trying to get us since the beginning of last year!" Bloom answered. "They want to rule the universe!"

"They tried stealing Blooms power last year, and rose an evil army. They completely destroyed Redfountain! That's why we got that new arena and everything." Sky added.

"We made our last stand at Alfea." Flora said.

"And we defeated them at Alfea! They were banished to another realm but somehow made their way back!" Tecna finished.

"I see, so this is a grudge thing." Lance concluded.

"More or less." Bloom said.

They finally arrived at the Baratoss chamber, and Brandon was doing his best to hold them off. Considering that it was three against one he was doing well.

"Stop!" Sky commanded as the group ran in.

"Awe, it's my favorite fairy." Icy mocked.

"Come on girls!" Bloom yelled. "Lets go get'em!" And on command the girls transformed into their fairy forms.

"Alright, Stormy." Icy said as she and Darcey headed to another location. "Go ahead and show them your new powers!"

Lance and the group prepared for the worst, and Tecna took the initiative to attack Stormy with a magic attack that looked like green electricity being shot out from her hands. Stormy dodged and retaliated with another attack as she said, "Watch and learn!" The attack missed everyone, but the shock-wave knocked everyone to the ground.

Helia was the first one to his feet and made an attempt to entangle the witch with his laser whip, but the evil witch dodged and followed her friends. "Nice try! Ha ha!"

"Guys, she's heading to the basement!" Helia yelled running towards the downed Tecna. Even though the attack technically missed, she took a hard hit. "Are you okay?" he asked as he helped her up.

"Come on!" Sky ordered as they took chase.

"Hey, does Helia go to Redfountain now?" Flora asked.

"Yeah, Saladine got him to transfer in!" Lance answered. He knew that he really transferred because of Flora, but he didn't know if he should reveal that or not.

the group ran a short distance before coming to an elevator. "Here we are!" Sky said as he pried the door open. The elevator wasn't there, it was just an empty shaft. "This is my shortcut."

The group slid down the wire holding the elevator to reach the basement floor. The guys did anyway, the girls just flew down. Lance had to admit, he wished that he had a pair of wings to make his life a bit easier.

"She's down there!" Sky yelled as Stormy made her way through the Baratoss chamber.

"Come on, lets get her!" Flora said as she charged up a magic spell. "Venus blast!" She yelled as she fired the attack.

"Lightning rage!" Stormy shouted as she fired a lightning attack that completely decimated Flora's and made its way towards the nature loving fairy.

"Watch out!" Lance yelled as he jumped in front of the attack. With a grunt he was flung into the wall. When everyone's attention was on Lance Stormy ran away.

"Are you okay?" Bloom asked.

"Yeah, just go after her! I'll catch up!" Lance yelled. He didn't want to slow down the group. If he could help Flora he was happy.

"Alright, lets go and stop them!" Bloom said. The group left Lance behind as they headed towards the witches.

"Do you really think that Lance is okay?" Flora asked. She felt guilty that Lance got hurt to help her.

"Lance takes more hits and punishment than anyone at Redfountain. He'll be fine!" Sky said. He winced after saying it though. He meant to make Lance look good, but instead he kind of brought about the opposite effect.

Lance struggled to get up. Everyone had left, but he could still catch up if he hurried. That attack hurt, but if there was one thing he was accustomed to, it was pain.

*Fade Out*
*Fade In*

Lance ran towards the group as quickly as he could. Timmy must have taken a different route to the room, because when Lance arrived Timmy was there. However, whether or not Timmy was there didn't matter. Lance saw Sky get hit by one of Icy's attacks as she yelled "Full force blast!" and Sky was out like a light.

"Icy, you just put that boy in a hundred year sleep." Darcy said.

"Minimum." Icy bragged.

"What?" Lance shouted. "No way!"

"You're still awake?" Darcey asked.

Lance didn't answer though. He ran towards the witches and attempted to deliver a fierce jump side kick into Icy's face. Usually Lance didn't like hitting girls, but he was angry. With a loud battle cry he fed his fury and prepared to make contact. However, he was blind sided by Stormy who pelted him with another electric shock. He smashed into another wall and slumped to the ground, barely keeping consciousness in his disoriented state.

"That kid doesn't know when to give up." Stormy said.

Icy turned and looked at a scale in the room. "Hmmmm, this is going to take some figuring out." she said. It obviously had a riddle on it. "Put a non-aggression spell on them Darcey. I don't want them disturbing my concentration."

Darcey did as she was told and cast the spell as Icy continued to look at the scale.

When Lance was finally conscious enough to understand what was going on Bloom was trying to wake up Sky, Tecna was still having trouble standing, and Timmy had a gun pulled on the witches.

"Don't bother." Icy said as she walked up a staircase that wasn't there the last time Lance checked. "We put a non-aggression spell on you."

"Don't listen to them!" Tecna yelled.

"I'm trying Tec!" Timmy yelled. He was afraid. He couldn't pull the trigger and Icy and the others were getting close.

"You can't fire that thing. Try it, try to pull the trigger!" Icy continued as she prepared to pelt Timmy with an ice blast.

Timmy shakily lowered his gun as Icy laughed at him.

"Hehe, pathetic. Oh, and thanks for the codex. Bloom, you might as well dump Sky. He's going to be asleep for a hundred years at-AH!" Icy was cut off as Lance delivered a powerful kick into the side of Icy's head. She dropped the codex at Lance's feet, but he didn't pay it any attention.

"Shut-up!" Lance said in a firm tone. His eyes were locked on the witches.

"But how? You're under my non-aggression spell!" Darcey shouted.

"Really? 'Cause I'm feeling pretty aggressive right now!" Lance yelled as he clenched his hands into tight fists. His knuckles turned white his fists were clenched so hard.

"Stormy, grab Icy! We're getting out of here!" Darcey yelled.

"Right!" Stormy said as she picked up the downed Icy.

Lance ran towards Darcey, but just as he was about to punch she split herself into two people. One continued to fight the enraged Lance and the other one grabbed the codex. Lance continued to fight for a short while before he was pelted by one of Darcey's magic attacks and they escaped.

"Darn it!" He yelled. "Bloom, how's Sky!"

"He doesn't have a pulse!" Flora answered for her.

"This cannot be happening! I am not going to let him go!" Bloom said, determined to keep Sky in the land of the living. Sky's head was resting in her lap as she held his face. "Wake up Sky! I need you, I really, really do!"

Bloom began to cry. She was at a complete loss at what to do. Lance's anger continued to build. He felt completely and utterly useless. What was the use of getting stronger if he couldn't protect his friends?

"Please Sky..." Bloom cried as her power enveloped him. Her hair began to float upwards in resonance with her power. "Come back to me."

Sky gasped as his eyes snapped open.

"You saved him Bloom!" Timmy cheered.

"Thank goodness Sky, we thought we lost you!" Flora said.

"Man, don't worry me like that." Lance said as the anger left him. Unfortunately, so did the adrenaline that kept him standing and he slumped to the ground, exhausted. Bloom was also exhausted due to using her power in such a unique way and slumped to the ground as well.

"Bloom!" Sky said, worried for his love's health. She shakily got up and threw herself on him wrapping him in a loving hug. "You're awesome! Will you be my girlfriend?" He asked.

"Of course I will." Bloom answered, relieved that Sky was alright.

"Well, at least one of us gets a happy ending." Lance thought as he lay flat on his back, staring at the ceiling.

"Lance?" Flora asked, trying to get his attention.

"Hm?" He responded. He was too tired to form full words at the moment.

"Are you alright. You were initially hurt because of me..." Flora said, feeling guilty that he might have been able to come out of this in less of a beat up condition if it weren't for her.

"Nah, don't worry about it. The first hit just knocked the air out of me for a bit. It was that long haired one that did this to me, not the one with the frizzy hair..." Lance said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'll be okay. It isn't your fault." Lance reassured her.

"I'm glad! If you want I can make you a potion that will speed up your healing. It's made with all natural ingredients!" Flora smiled.

"Thank you, I'd like that." Lance said with a smile. At least, he thought he was smiling. He was so drained, he didn't know what kind of face he was making.

*Fade Out*
*Fade In*

Darcey and Stormy flew away from Redfountain and Icy finally woke up.

"What hit me?" Icy asked.

"It was that kid from before!" Stormy answered.

"What's the deal Darcey? I thought he was under your non-aggression spell!"

"Hey, don't look at me! I cast the spell! It just didn't work on him for some reason!" Darcey shot back.

"Hmph, why didn't the spell work?" Icy asked no one in particular.

"Maybe he was wearing a charm or something." Stormy suggested.

"One things for sure. Next time I see him, I'm going to kill him!" Icy said with venom dripping from her voice.

*Fade Out*

End of episode 8
Ending theme song: This day and age - Second place victory http://youtube.com/watch?v=YivbujnAo5g



((Looks up. I'm sorry, I reread your post [the part about the dragon]. And I do want to make one thing perfectly clear. I hate Eragon with a passion. Yes, I saw the movie, no I did not like it. So no inspiration from Krystal was taken from any character in that book or movie (I haven't read the book). I don't even remember the characters' names... So please, don't worry about links to Eragon. I didn't like the movie, I thought it was cliche to the highest degree with no amount of true imagination put into it.))

Posted by: Jahnavi Jun 14 2008, 10:08 AM

Great chapter! You wrote out the fighting scenes pretty well (that's a skill I'm yet to master).

Oh, if you're interested, check out this URL:

http://magixclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1375&st=300&#entry130508

That's a page of the topic Winx Club Season 4. If you want to, view the video that I put up in post #302. It's the RAI English version of the end of the episode you based Chapter 8 on. A few of the scenarios are a bit different in that version, and I just thought you might like to view it.

Posted by: Ranma Jun 14 2008, 10:58 AM

((I looked up the vid. 4kids' ability to hack a scene to pieces and make it look like it was supposed to be that way never ceases to amaze me.))

Posted by: angel123 Apr 23 2009, 3:54 AM

(lol, i love this thing, when are you gonna make another one, i spent almost all day reading this thing, they are long but very exelent,)

Posted by: Jahnavi Apr 23 2009, 8:12 AM

Yay, welcome to the Dreamer fan-club, Angel! ^^

Posted by: Ranma Jun 1 2009, 10:13 PM

((I actually plan on continuing it very very soon. ^_^ Thanks for the support guys. It makes me want to work faster! ))

Posted by: Jahnavi Jun 2 2009, 3:49 PM

*Blinkblink* Dreamer's going to be continued again soon...?

ZOMG! Dreamer's going to be continued again soon! (It took a sec for that to kick in, hehe...)

I'm so glad you're going to continue; I can't wait to read more! ^^

Posted by: Anna Maria Jun 2 2009, 5:09 PM

Hey, I read it all today; it's great. Can't wait for the next part.

Posted by: Hyourinmaru Jul 8 2009, 4:04 AM

This is a nice story. Please continue!

Posted by: Ranma Mar 1 2010, 9:32 AM

Theme song:(Subject to change.) Wondering - Good Charlotte. http://youtube.com/watch?v=fjdo6UBuh4g

Episode 8: Mortification

*Fade In*

It has been two weeks since the last attack on Redfountain. Lance had not seen much excitement since then and took his time to heal up. The potion that Flora had made him did an amazing job, and he was actually enjoying having a bit of down time. Life was good for the most part, and it was somewhat nice getting some attention from Flora. However, his wounds healed and he no long had any need for her all-natural healing potions.

To make matters worse, he finally hit a wall with his training. From the time he entered Redfountain all the way up to the point where the witches attacked he made steady progress when it came to improving himself. Every day he could just feel himself getting stronger. Not only stronger, but he had gotten faster as well. Getting help from Krystal definitely gave him an advantage over the other students, but to be honest, not many other than his closest friends trained outside of class.

“What am I going to do now? I’m not getting any stronger.” Lance thought aloud when he was hanging out in Krystal’s stable. He was beginning to get worried. No matter how much he trained, he just did not see any improvement anymore. Albeit, at this point and time, he was ranked pretty high in his class. However, he still felt that he needed a bit of a push if he wanted to consider himself to be in the same league as Sky and the others. He still wanted to know how a bookworm like Timmy got all of those muscles. In that respect, he still looked rather skinny.

“MAYBE YOU SHOULD TRAIN.” Krystal answered.

“And I haven’t really made any progress with Flora.” Lance thought aloud once more. Shortly after his face turned bright red and he formed something of a quirky smile on his face. It would seem that the boy was nothing more than a walking ball of stress. Whether he was doing it on purpose or not, Krystal did not know, but Lance was forcing her to listen to all of his worries as he sighed and mumbled to himself.

“MAYBE…YOU SHOULD TRAIN.” Krystal answered again. This time she sighed as well. Helping Lance get stronger was one thing, but helping him with his love life was a completely different story. She wanted to give Lance encouragement, but it was not as if she had a studly dragon fawning over her or anything. Actually, she wasn’t interested in dating at all. Perhaps it was just a human thing that she would never understand.

“I’m sorry, did you say something?” Lance asked. Again, Krystal didn’t know if he was doing it on purpose or not. Ignoring a dragon was hard. Perhaps he was just getting too used to her. That saddened poor Krystal a bit.

“YES, I DID.” Krystal said with another sigh.

“Sorry, I wasn’t really paying attention.” Lance laughed. His face was still quite red from whatever it was he was daydreaming about earlier on. “Can you repeat it again?”

“TRAIN. WHEN YOU FEEL THAT YOU ARE NOT STRONG ENOUGH, TRAIN. WHEN YOU FEEL THAT YOU DON’T HAVE THE COURAGE TO FACE A LOVED ONE, TRAIN.” Krystal said with full confidence. It would have been quite inspiring if it were not for the fact that she had completely lost Lance with her last sentence.

“What does training have to do with dating?” Lance asked. Day by day, his feelings for Flora grew stronger. Even though he was able to run into any battle headstrong, he still shied away from telling her how he really felt.

“WELL, IF YOU DON’T HAVE THE COURAGE TO TELL HER HOW YOU FEEL IN PERSON,” Krystal started. In truth, she had absolutely no idea what she was talking about, but she was a dragon and Lance was an idiot. “THEN YOU SHOULD FIND A REALLY TALL MOUNTAIN OR SOMETHING AND SCREAM YOUR TRUE FEELINGS FROM THE TOP OF YOUR LUNGS. AT THE VERY LEAST IT’S A STRESS RELIEVER.”

“Do you really think it would work?” Lance asked.

“AT THE VERY LEAST YOU’LL GET SOME TRAINING IN. YOU’LL BE KILLING TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE.” Krystal answered with a nod. “AND TAKE ME WITH YOU. IT’S GETTING CRAMPED IN HERE.”

“Well, I do think that I need to up the intensity in my training, so it couldn’t hurt.” Lance thought aloud. “I’ll probably have to ask Codatorta for permission though, and that’s a hassle.”

“WOMEN DON’T LIKE LAZY BUMS!” Krystal humphed. It was actually quite a cute gesture. At least as cute as a dragon could get. She let out a pout and turned her head away from Lance, but she managed to look at him out of the corner of her eyes now and then to see if he was reacting.

“Fine.” Lance laughed. “I’ll ask.”

“GOOD.”

*Fade Out*
*Fade In*

“Oh, darn.” Flora said in a somewhat upset tone as she rummaged through her cabinet of herbs and potions. “I’m out of kiku root.”

“Kiku root?” Bloom asked. “Isn’t that used in a lot of healing potions? I’m surprised; I’d think that you’d have a lot in storage.”

“I did.” Flora said. “But I used up my entire supply making healing potions. Lance seems to be in the habit of getting himself injured. I seriously think he’s accident-prone.”

Bloom chuckled a bit. For some reason it seemed odd to hear Flora complain about someone being accident-prone. Especially since Flora also seemed to suffer from being accident-prone. Perhaps it was something that Flora wasn’t exactly aware of.

“What’s so funny?” Flora asked. “I feel bad for him.”


“No, it’s nothing.” Bloom chuckled out. Flora’s response made it even funnier. “Don’t worry about it. So, how do you usually go about getting your kiku root?”

“I usually go to the forest and get it myself. It’s better fresh.” Flora smiled. “And it is such a nice day out today.”

“So you’re going to go today?” Bloom asked.

“Sure, No time like the present! Do you want to come with me?” Flora asked. She would love the company. Usually she went on her little hiking trips by herself.

“I’m sorry. I kind of need to study. My grades are…lacking.” Bloom lied. In truth, she just didn't want to go with Flora. Flora may have fun hiking through the woods hours on end, but she did not.

“That’s a shame. It’s really fun.” Flora smiled as she left to get her hiking gear out of the closet.

*Fade Out*
*Fade In*

Lance finally arrived at the forest that Krystal chose for his training session. Krystal, however, did not believe that it would do him any good to start at the beginning of the forest and work his way in, so she flew somewhere over the thick of the forest, spun around, and shook Lance off. Lance, to his dismay, plummeted to his doom. Fortunately, for him, he landed atop a large, bushy tree.

“What the heck was that for?” Lance yelled as he shook his fist at Krystal. “That hurt you know! I got a scratch on my elbow thanks to you!”

“A SCRATCH ON YOUR ARM?” Krystal chuckled. “IN THAT CASE YOU SHOULD THANK ME! NOW YOU CAN ASK FLORA TO PATCH YOU UP AGAIN!”

“Sh-shut up!” Lance stuttered. “A-any way, what’s today’s goal?”

“I COULD HAVE SWORN THAT I EXPLAINED THAT ALREADY!” Krystal said. “IN THIS FOREST THERE’S A MOUNTAIN. FIND THAT MOUNTAIN AND SHOUT OUT YOUR TRUE FEELINGS AT THE TOP OF YOUR LUNGS! IT WON’T BE EASY! THERE ARE MONSTERS OUT THERE!”

“Figures,” Lance muttered. “Now I gotta get down from this tree.”

“I’LL MEET YOU THERE. IT WON’T BE TRAINING IF YOU HAVE A DRAGON HELPING YOU!” Krystal said before flying off towards the mountain.

Lance sighed. It was hard enough getting Codatorta’s permission to go into the forest, but it was even harder to get permission for Krystal. Lance silently wondered if Krystal realized how much he did for her. It was not easy keeping a dragon at Redfountain. He had to do many extra chores around the school so that he could earn Krystal’s keep. Krystal may be an all-powerful omni-dragon, but she was extremely lazy, and work bored her.

“I guess I should find a way to get down from here.” Lance said as he started to make his way down the tree. Lance had to admit, for all of his complaining, the tree was extremely easy to climb. It had branches extending all of the way to about halfway up the tree’s trunk. Once Lance made his way to the final branch, it was more than easy enough to jump down the rest of the way from that point. Well, it was more than easy enough to jump at this point in his life; if he tried to jump a month ago, he would probably break both his legs.

“Okay, that wasn’t so bad.” Lance said to himself. “I really need to stop talking to myself. I wonder why I do that…Oh, yeah, I hate uncomfortable silences.”

Lance grinned sheepishly as he walked off in the direction that he saw Krystal fly. It would seem, however, that the forest hated him, and a wild plant of some sort attacked him as soon as he took three steps away from the tree. Our young hero was now upside down and found himself dangled by his legs.

“This sucks.” He yelled as he reached for his sword and cut himself free. As soon as his body hit the ground, he sprung back to his feet to see if there were any more threats in the immediate area. Unfortunately, for Lance, the plant that had grabbed him earlier was a man-eating plant. Lance was actually tempted to run, but he remembered that this was supposed to be training, and if he spent his entire time running, he would only get better at retreating from the battlefield. Therefore, Lance tightened his grip on his sword and ran headstrong into battle.

The battle lasted all but ten seconds. The plant made an attempt to stop Lance’s rush, but in the end it was hard to stand up against his sword. Lance cut the poor plant up like a weed whacker cuts through foliage. Lance had to laugh a little. He was actually going to run away from the thing. He actually felt somewhat bad for killing it. That was until he found himself upside down again.

“This…sucks…”

*Fade Out*
*Fade In*

Sky leaned back in his chair as he gazed at a picture of Bloom. For the most part the days were quiet, and with Lance gone for the day, things were even quieter. He did not mind, it was nice to have some peace and quiet for a change. At least, things were quiet until he heard a knock at his door.

“Come in!” He called. “It’s unlocked.”

“Hey, how are you doing today?” Helia asked as he entered the room. He was getting quite comfortable around Sky and the others. He saw them often enough since Lance was always hanging around them, and whenever something interesting happened around the school Sky and his gang seemed to be at the center of it.

“I’m doing okay. I’m enjoying the R&R” Sky said as he sat up straight in his chair. He still didn’t know Helia well enough to show his slob-ish side in front of him. “So, what brings you here today?”

“I’m looking for Lance.” Helia said as he crossed his arms. “I wanted to know if he would like to hang out today, but he hasn’t been answering his phone.”

“Ah, that’s probably because his phone is on silence and sitting on his bed.” Sky said as he looked to Lance’s bed and pointed to emphasize his point. “Getting a hold of him isn’t going to be easy.”

“So you don’t know where he is?” Helia asked.

“Nope.” Sky answered. “I just know that he went with Krystal to train. She told him that phones were annoying so he left it.”

“Do you know when he’s going to get back?” Helia asked as he uncrossed his arms. It wasn’t as though he was starving for attention or anything, but Helia didn't have much to do around Redfountain aside from draw and write love poems for Flora. He had already done both and was running out of things to do.

“Sorry Helia, but I don’t have a clue.” Sky said with a somewhat apologetic look in his eyes. “Lance is…well, Lance is an odd one. Sometimes he’ll disappear for hours on end and come back whenever he’s too tired to move. We were actually pretty relieved when he was forced to take it easy after he got injured. He’s going to burn his body out if he keeps going at the rate that he has been training at lately. He seems pretty determined to catch up with us.”

“From what I’ve seen he already has.” Helia said as he cocked one of his eyebrows. Helia liked Lance; he was the first friend that Helia made at Redfountain and he had a high impression of him.

“I know.” Sky said. “At least, physically he is, but he’s not used to the whole ‘specialist’ thing yet. Brandon, Riven, Timmy, and I have been fighting alongside each other for a long time. He shouldn’t expect to catch on to our wavelength in such a short time. He also seems pretty self conscious about his body’s build.”

Helia sighed a bit when he heard that Lance was self-conscious of his sleek body frame. It was true that most of the Redfountain students had extremely well built bodies, but some people just had bodies that were more…compact. Helia brought his palm up to his face and pinched the bridge of his nose as he imagined his friend training hours on end for a body he would never have through natural means.

“I think we need to have a serious talk with Lance when he gets back.” Helia said. “That isn’t healthy.”

“Yeah, I know. We’ve been doing our best to keep him from training too much, and he seems to listen to Krystal, but she’s a slave driver when it comes to his training. I think it’s her fault!” Sky practically yelled. To be honest, he was worried about Lance. However, it was not as though he had the authority to tell Lance how much he could train.

“And that’s not the only problem that guy has. He’s so got it bad for that Flora chick.” Riven said as he entered the room. It would seem that he knew what Helia and Sky were talking about, and decided to interject himself into the conversation.

“Riven!” Sky yelled. Sky purposely did not mention Lance’s interest in Flora because he was trying to be mindful of both Lance’s and Helia’s position. It was obvious that Helia had feelings for Flora, and he did not want to put any unneeded strain on Lance and Helia’s friendship.

“What?” Riven asked. “It’s obvious that he’s head over heels for the girl! I mean he…oh…” Riven stopped mid sentence when he realized what he had done. He only meant to poke a little fun at Lance, but it would seem that his foot-in-mouth syndrome got the best of him again.

“Don’t worry about it.” Helia said in a surprisingly calm tone. “Lance and I are fully aware of our feelings for Flora. We’ve decided to remain friends regardless.”

“You say that now.” Riven said. “But countries have gone to war over girls pal. I know you’re supposed to be a pacifist, but…”

“I assure you. I don’t plan to lose to Lance.” Helia grinned. “But if Flora does wind up with him I’ll continue to be his friend, and I’ll support him just the same.”

“Wow, I’ve got to say that I respect that.” Sky said. “I don’t think I’d be so calm about it if someone tried going after Bloom.”

“Like I said, I don’t plan to lose.” Helia shrugged. “Don’t get me wrong. Lance is a great person, but he’s too shy. I don’t want to be mean, but I don’t think he’ll ever be able to confess to her.”

Riven and Sky nodded in unison after Helia commented on Lance’s shyness. It was painfully obvious that confidence in himself was not one of Lance’s strong points. He was painfully shy, and to make matters worse, he was in love with a girl that he himself considered to be out of his league. Even Timmy had better luck carrying out a full conversation with Tecna than Lance had with Flora.

“We won’t argue with you there.” Riven said to break the small silence that started after Helia mentioned Lance’s fatal flaw.

“But all the same,” Helia began with a full-blown smile. “I don’t think he’s without hope. He does show his love in his own way. I write poems, he kicks giant monsters in the face.”

“Yeah,” Sky laughed. “I wonder what hurt more. Kicking the monster or hitting the ground after gravity took effect.” All three boys began to laugh at poor Lance’s expense. They all considered Lance an irreplaceable friend, and they all admired his determination in some way, shape, or form.

*Fade Out*
*Fade In*

“Grr, why are we here again?” Stormy yelled at the top of her lungs. She was hot, sweaty, and in serious need of a shower. She was not happy.

“Because Darkar wants us to brush up on our recon skills.” Icy answered. She was in the same situation as Stormy, and just as unhappy.

“At least that’s what he told us.” Darcy sighed. “I just think he’s angry at us again. Explain to me why we follow that guy again?”

“Because he’s strong.” Icy growled. “I mean, why else would we…wait, do you hear that?” Icy stopped mid sentence so that she could alert the other Trix to a sound she heard off in the distance.

“Well, we are in a forest.” Stormy said. “It would be weird if there weren’t any sounds.”

“No, this seems a little out of the ordinary.” Icy said as she cupped her hand next to her ear in an attempt to better hear what she knew was probably something more interesting than whatever it was they were supposed to be doing at the given moment.

“Wait, I hear it too!” Stormy exclaimed.

“Shh!” Darcy hushed. “Let’s check it out. We’re supposed to be working on our recon work right? Well, this sounds like recon to me.”

“Right.” Icy agreed with an evil grin. “Let’s check it out.”

On Icy’s command, the group decided to investigate the origin of the sound that they heard. They flew high into the sky and scanned the area. It was not long before they found Lance fighting against some random plant that lived in the forest. They could barely contain their laughter when they saw a new plant string him up repeatedly after each successful attempt at freeing himself. In all honesty, they probably could not pay to see comedy that hilarious in Magix.

“Hey, isn’t that, that guy?” Darcy asked.

“Yes, it is.” Icy nodded with a firm frown. “He wasn’t affected by that spell at all.”

“If anything I think it made him even more aggressive.” Stormy said with a bit of a cringe at the memory of their last run-in with the specialist-in-training. “Hey, are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Oh yeah, and it looks like he’s all alone. There’s no way that a lone specialist could take on all three of us by himself.” Icy said with a wicked smile as she allowed her ice magic to build up in her hands. After a bit of preparation she released a spell that would freeze, and kill, Lance in an instant.

Lance finally finished cutting his way free for the final time. It would seem that the plants in the area stopped attacking him. He silently said sorry to the plants that he cut down since he arrived in the forest. He knew that Flora would scold him if she saw such a sight, but he did not have much choice in the matter. He straightened up, and was about to let out a sigh in relief, but the hairs on his neck stood up straight and alerted him to a new danger that was closing in on him, and fast. Lance quickly jumped forward and took cover behind the tree that he had landed on top of when he first made it to the forest.

“What the heck was that?” He asked with his eyes opened wide. He did not yet realize it, but he was shaking uncontrollably and he was rubbing his arms with his hands in a pathetic attempt to warm himself. “Brrrrr, it’s cold all of a sudden.”

Before Lance could get his bearings straight, a gust of wind came from seemingly nowhere and flung him into another large tree in the forest. That one knocked the air out of him and he cringed as he slid back to the ground. He silently thought about calling out for Krystal. No matter how strong those witches were they were no match for an angry dragon. However, Lance resisted the urge to take the easy way out. Sure, he would call her as a last resort, but his goal was to reach Krystal. That meant that he had to get to her.

“Okay, let’s try this again!” Lance said to himself as he got back to his feet. He barely had enough time to jump to the side before a dark wave of energy split the tree he had crashed into earlier in two.

As soon as the tree became splinters, Lance made a dash towards the mountain. He knew, by the look of things, that his opponents used magic. He also had a hunch that he was up against at least three witches. At least, he hoped there were three. If one witch could use three different types of magic then he was in a lot of trouble. Well, he was in a lot of trouble to begin with, but he felt more comfortable dealing with three witches that had their own special magic rather than one witch that mastered multiple types.

“Hey, he’s running.” Stormy commented with a menacing scowl, “Coward!”

“Hey, this makes it more fun.” Darcy smiled. “Now it’s a game of cat and mouse.”

“Yeah, but we’re three cats, and he’s just one mouse.” Icy laughed as she gave chase. She tossed her ice magic here and there, as she laughed wickedly. She was having fun cornering Lance, and her sisters were almost frightened by their sister’s zeal.

The Trix laughed as they chased the poor boy through the forest. Of course, they had already forgotten about their original mission given to them by Dakar. They were having way too much fun chasing down weaker prey. Furthermore, they could care less about the forest, and they were casting magic spells like there was no tomorrow. To say that the forest was taking damage was an understatement.

“I…I think…those are the same…witches from… last time.” Lance panted as he dodged and weaved in between the dark explosions Darcy tossed at him. He was good at dodging the dark blasts, but the gusts of wind always seemed to knock him down. He could tell that the witches were not taking time to cast their spells. They were far too weak to kill him on impact. At least, the gusts of wind were, he didn't want to test the ice spikes and the waves of dark magic that always missed him by mere inches every time he successfully dodged an attack.

It was not long before the witches became bored with attacking Lance directly. They made a game out of it. They began to attack the trees in front of him in an attempt to knock them down on top of the Redfountain student. A huge tree landed right in front of Lance and forced him to stop suddenly. He fell on his butt and watched in horror as an ice spell zoomed over his head and froze the fallen tree solid. Soon after that, a dark wave spell struck him and knocked him into the frozen tree. The frozen tree shattered and Lance skid across the ground and rolled down a steep hill until a thorny bush stopped him.

“Ouch!” Stormy winced. However, she wore an evil grin all the same. “That one’s gotta hurt!”

“Hey, he’s not getting up.” Darcy pointed out to her sisters.

“I’d be worried if he did.” Icy said in a haughty tone. “By the way, nice shot Darcy. That one hit him real good.”

“You think he’s dead?” Darcy asked, not so much out of worry, but out of genuine curiosity. She did not expect that dark wave to send him flying so far, and he did plow through a tree. Albeit a tree made brittle due to Icy’s magic, but ice was still hard, and if he hit it wrong he could have snapped his neck, his spinal cord could have sustained damage or he could have broken a leg. Either way, he was not getting up any time soon. At least, that is what Darcy thought until she saw Lance’s body twitch. “N-no way!”

“What’s he made out of?” Stormy yelled, “Rubber?”

Lance, just as the Trix had witnessed, survived the attack. Luckily, for him, because he was always running, the Trix had to concentrate more on the speed and quantity of their spells rather than their spells’ power. Of course, he was far from Okay, but he was not out of the count just yet. If Lance had one good quality that he could brag about, it was his body’s endurance. He did meet the Redfountain boys after surviving a car crashing into him after all.

“Heh, like that’s going to stop me!” Lance yelled as he struggled to get back onto his feet. He regretted it soon after due to the splitting headache that suddenly made itself known to alert him that he was, in fact, not okay.

Lance wobbly walked to the nearest upright tree and used it for support. He noticed that, despite his initial gripe with the Redfountain uniform, the cape did serve to protect him from small ice shards and most of the thorns. Of course, his cape did not cover all of him, and he had many scrapes and nicks all over his body to show that he had taken quite a bit of damage. He also bled quite a bit, but he suffered no fatal wounds, at least as much as he could tell.

The Trix finally decided to give up their aerial pursuit and landed on the ground in front of Lance. Lance was still a bit shaken from that last attack, and he knew that he could not withstand another like the one he had just miraculously survived. He faced the Trix as he rested his sore back against the trunk of the tree he used for support. He breathed heavily, and he did not look at them or meet eye contact. Instead, he looked to the sky and gasped for air. The environment, due to Icy’s magic, had become quite cold, and his lungs were frozen.

“So, have you given up yet?” Icy asked as she took a few steps towards Lance. She still wanted him to pay for the kick to the head that he gave her last time they met. She had a headache for days after that, and Darkar instructed her to stay awake because she had a concussion. She learned that if you went to sleep when you have a concussion, you might not wake up!

“Not on your life!” Lance yelled back. Afterwards he immediately winced due to his headache and the sudden realization that his clever comeback was as cliché as cliché got.

“No! On your life!” Stormy yelled in response to Lance’s comeback. She thought for sure that her sisters would praise her for her quick wit. Unfortunately, they just shook their heads in shame. Sometimes their younger sister brought them so much shame it was downright embarrassing.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Icy said in an attempt to brush away her sister’s failed attempt at a comeback. “I’ve still got a score to settle with you.”

“Oh? I’d say we’re pretty even.” Lance said as he glanced behind him. He did not think that he was far from the meeting spot with Krystal. His original goal was to climb the mountain, but if he could just make it to the mountain’s base, that would be good enough. He knew he couldn't beat the Trix at his current level. In fact, he was surprised that he was still alive. “You knocked my friend out so I knocked you out. That’s fair right?”

“Not even close!” Icy yelled as she brought up her hands in rage. From underneath Lance a giant ice spike formed and rose from the ground. If Lance had not jumped to the side just in a nick of time, the ice spike would have surely killed him.

Unfortunately, for Lance, he was not fighting one witch. The same scenario that comforted him before was now his downfall. Stormy quickly shot out a gust of wind and knocked Lance onto his butt once again. Darcy followed up and sent a dark wave of magic Lance’s way; a dark wave that he hardly had enough time to bring up his arms and barely block the treacherous blow. Of course, the term block is a loose term. Poor Lance still went flying, but his face was still intact.

Lance, though his body rebelled, jumped back to his feet and took off running towards the mountain where he knew Krystal was waiting for him. Each step sent a bolt of pain through his legs, up his spine, and into his skull. Lance panted and wheezed uncontrollably as he made a desperate attempt to make it through the forest. He paid no mind to the thorns and tree branches that impeded his path. He was already hurt; there was no use in keeping his body in pristine condition as he pushed his body to work through the pain.

“Don’t let up.” Darcy told her sisters. “He won’t last much longer! This way we torture him to death!”

*Flash to Krystal*

Krystal spent most of the day asleep. It was rare for her to get the chance to spread her wings and enjoy herself, so after flying around a bit she perched herself atop the mountain that she told Lance to reach. Afterwards she just plopped down and fell asleep under the warm sun. She finally woke from her slumber when a nightmare she had been dreaming became too great for her to handle. In her dream, three extremely bitter witches chased Lance through the forest, and he was desperately trying to get to the mountain so that Krystal could save him.

To her surprise, when she awoke, she heard loud battle like noises and could see a trail of destruction make its way to the mountain. She looked down in horror when she realized that three angry witches had been chasing Lance all the way to the finish line and resisted the urge to fly down and save him right that second. So far, too her knowledge, Lance was trying to fight the Trix on his own. She refused to help him unless it was absolutely necessary.

*Flash to Lance*

Lance tried his best to pick routes through the forest that were hard to travel. He thought that he had the advantage when it came to forcing his way through the painful thorns and needles that this forest had to offer. However, the Trix hovered off the ground and minimized any danger that may come their way by destroying the forest with magic. In the end, Lance was hurting himself more than he was helping. It was only a matter of time before he wore himself out.

“Come on! Don’t you…girls…ever…quit!” He yelled while running. He jumped to the left to dodge another wave of darkness sent his way by Darcy, and then he ducked a bit to keep himself from getting his head taken off by an ice spike. At this point in time, Lance’s cape was torn and he was in need of a new uniform. Lance’s uniform, however, was the least of his worries. Due to the cold weather, constant running, and blood loss, Lance’s vision began to wane. “Come on…almost…there.”

The Trix were delighted to find that they had finally cornered the, soon to be, dead specialist. They had come to a mountain, and Lance had backed himself into a corner. Lance, upon reaching the mountain, turned around and sat down to face the Trix. He was tired, and he reached his goal. The Trix landed on the ground and approached him with victorious smiles worn on their faces.

“Any last words before I send you to the afterlife.” Icy said with an evil smirk. In her eyes, Lance was as good as dead. All that she had to do was strut her way up to the downed specialist and deliver the final blow.

“Just one.” Lance said. He would have given her a grin to match her smirk, but his face hurt too much. All he could do was gather the last of his strength and yell “KRYSTAL!” before he slumped to the ground in unconsciousness.

“Well,” Icy scoffed. “That was anticlimactic.”

Just as he called out for her Krystal leaped from the top of the mountain and landed right above the downed Lance. Afterward, she let out a roar that would scare any human, animal, or monster that found itself facing such a frightening foe. Her fearsome shout held within all the anger and hatred she felt towards the Trix, and they trembled in fear.

“R-r-run.” Icy stammered in a quiet voice. However, she did not attempt to turn around. She was far too frightened to risk making sudden movements that might aggravate the dragon in front of her.

“What was that?” Darcy asked as she prepared a dark magic spell and slowly backed away from the dragon.

“RUN!” Icy yelled as she flew backwards and pelted Krystal with as many icicles that she could muster. “Let’s get the heck away from this thing!”

“NO YOU DON’T!” Krystal yelled as she followed the witches.

They flew away for their dear lives, but they were no match in the air for an omni-dragon. Darcy flew backwards and threw her dark spells at the giant reptile that chased her and her sisters, but Krystal barely flinched when the attack struck her. However, though barely, Krystal did flinch, and if the Trix were better prepared to fight her they would actually put up quite the fight. Krystal had the element of surprise on her side, and the sudden appearance of such a huge dragon frightened them so badly that they could not summon up their more powerful spells.

“Why is the dragon chasing us?” Stormy practically cried as she sent the strongest twisters and gusts of wind that she could summon at the oncoming creature. Krystal weaved in and out of the spells so elegantly and skillfully that one would hardly believe that she were a dragon at all. Luckily, for the Trix, this kept Krystal from reaching them at full speed, but she was still gaining on them.

“I think its protecting the Redfountain kid!” Darcy yelled. “It left him alone!”

“Are you saying that THIS is Krystal?” Icy yelled in disbelief. However, with this new information at hand she began to summon up one last ice spike. “Why the heck does that Redfountain brat have a dragon?”

“Beats me!” Darcy yelled back as she continued to throw dark wave after dark wave towards Krystal. She was beginning to grow tired because of all the spells that she used during the day. She had fun chasing Lance, but at the time she was the cat and not the mouse.

“Hold up, I’ve got a plan.” Icy said as she launched an ice spike that she created at full speed. However, Krystal was not her intended target. The attack flew through the air, passed Krystal, and headed straight for Lance.

“LANCE!” Krystal yelled as she made a quick U-turn and chased after the spike. They had flown quite a bit, so she was able to gain on the attack and catch it with her teeth before it impaled the sleeping Lance. Krystal heaved a sigh of relief as she landed in front of Lance and watched the Trix fly away. She would not chase them at this point. Lance was safe, and that was all that mattered to her.

The Trix continued to fly away at full speed. They barely escaped the day’s battle with their lives. It was not often that they feared for their lives. Even when they fought the Winx, they knew that a bunch of goody two-shoes made up the group and that the likely hood of anyone from that group finishing them off after a fight was next to nothing. However, a dragon was different. If angered, there was no way to stop a dragon. They were just too strong for their own good.

“Darn it!” Icy yelled. “We shouldn’t have toyed around with him! We should have just killed him when we had the chance!”

“Hey, it was your idea to get revenge.” Darcy said. In truth, she didn't remember who decided it was a good idea to play cat and mouse with Lance, but as long as she didn’t have to blame herself she did not care.

“Shut it Darcy!” Icy shot back. “That kid’s on my hit list. If we see him again, he is so dead.”

“He’s just a specialist. It’s not like they’re a threat or anything.” Stormy laughed. She thought that Icy was taking Lance a bit too seriously. Their real enemy was Alfea and the Winx.

“He humiliated me! It’s so mortifying losing to a specialist!” Icy snapped. Icy did not understand why her sisters failed to comprehend the seriousness of the issue at hand. If word got out that the Trix were getting soft that would be the end of them.

“We didn’t lose to the kid.” Stormy said in an attempt to try and reason with Icy. “We lost to the freaking dragon!”

“It’s the same thing!” Icy grumbled.

*Fade Out*
*Fade In*

Some time went by since the Trix attacked Lance. The poor Redfountain student finally opened his eyes to the world around him. The sun was beginning to go down, but it still was not dark yet. Not that it mattered, he could just fly back with Krystal and everything would end up just fine. However, two things bothered him. The first of which would be his location. It would seem that Krystal flew him to the top of the mountain when he was unconscious. The second would be his wounds. He didn't know how Krystal did it, but he was no longer bleeding. Albeit, the bandages she used were pieces of his nonexistent cape, and Krystal tied the bandages so sloppily one could hardly call her work first-aid. However, Lance was grateful that Krystal had saved him, and it was only right to thank her.

“Thanks Krystal. I owe you one.” He said as he slowly sat up. His head was still pounding, but he would manage.

“SO YOU’RE AWAKE!” Krystal exclaimed. “I’M GLAD. I WAS BEGINNING TO WORRY.”

“So, I guess I pass this little training test right?” Lance said with a big smile. In his eyes, he had done a good job. He didn't intend to fight a group of insane witches during his training expedition.

“NO! YOU FAIL! F MINUS!” Krystal said. She put emphasis on the word, ‘minus.’ “YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO CLIMB THE MOUNTAIN. YOU BARELY MADE IT TO THE BASE. I HAD TO DRAG YOUR SORRY BUTT ALL THE WAY UP HERE. YOU’RE LUCKY THERE HAPPENED TO BE A LOT OF MEDICINAL HERBS UP HERE. OTHERWISE, YOUR CUTS MIGHT HAVE BEEN A LOT WORSE THAN THEY ACTUALLY ARE!”

“Oh, come on! Don’t you think you’re being harsh? I mean, I did get attacked you know?” Lance complained in his defense. He knew that Krystal was probably joking, but sometimes he could barely tell.

“YOU FAIL.” Krystal said. “BUT IT WOULD BE A SHAME IF YOU CAME ALL THE WAY HERE AND DIDN’T DO WHAT YOU SET OUT TO DO.”

“I-is that why you flew me up here?” Lance asked. Krystal did not answer. She just nodded.

“Thanks. I really owe you one.” Lance said as he bowed his head. Krystal really was a good friend. “Well, I better get to it then!”

Lance stood up. His legs were a bit wobbly at first, but he finally stood firm. He faced what would soon be the setting sun. The entire situation seemed like an old movie cliché, but Lance did not mind a single bit. In fact, he loved it. It was finally time to get something off his chest that he had kept bottled for a long time.

“Flora!” Lance yelled towards the setting sun as he cupped his hands in front of his mouth to make his voice travel further. No one would hear him no matter how loud he yelled. “I LOVE YOU!”

Krystal would have blushed if she could. She had to admit, she was not really into the mushy romance thing, but if it helped Lance relieve some stress she would put up with it. She slowly turned around to walk away, but she stopped dead in her tracks. Her body became stiff as she dropped her mouth open wide in shock.

“You were right. I do feel better getting that off my chest.” Lance said as he stretched a bit. Lance turned around just as Krystal had, and he had the exact same reaction. He stood, dumbfounded, with his mouth wide open. ‘How do I always find myself in these mortifying situations?’ Lance thought to himself. ‘I want to die.’

That look seemed to have become popular. In front of Krystal and Lance stood Flora, also dumbfounded, and she too had her mouth hanging wide open. The red hue of the sunset did little to hide the blushes forming on Lance's and Flora’s faces. They just stood in place, awestruck, both feared to break the silence.

*Fade Out*

End of episode 9
Ending theme song: This day and age - Second place victory http://youtube.com/watch?v=YivbujnAo5g

Posted by: P-girl Mar 1 2010, 4:39 PM

Nicely written. Good, in-character characters.... well, no complaints. (My apologies, I suck at reviewing.I can really only say if I like it or not.... well, I liked this.

Posted by: Ranma Mar 2 2010, 8:56 PM

Thanks for the comment. Unfortunately I don't know if anyone else has read it yet. If I get a few more comments I'll try and get the next chapter out sooner.

Posted by: Ranma Apr 30 2010, 12:55 AM

((Just out of curiosity, what happened to my chapter? There are weird symbols...It kind of ruins it...))

((EDIT: Fixed.))

Posted by: P-girl Apr 30 2010, 8:26 AM

Oh that, for as far as I know, it's a side-effect of the forum migration.

Posted by: MorriganAensland May 1 2010, 1:43 PM

Yargh.

Finally clawed through this. And I have to say the characters did stay true to their canon selves as far as I can tell. Pacing could be better though and you could probably make due with a tad less exposition. For instance, just having Krystal come down and attacking the Trix, without that whole segment talking about Krystal sleeping would have felt more natural.

Posted by: Ranma May 2 2010, 8:29 AM

((Thanks for the input Morrigan. I think you have a problem with the pacing because you want to read it like a novel. I designed it to be like an episode in the series. That's why there's so much exposition. I may stop doing that in the future though, it's actually a pain to write it that way because it goes against the flow of my usual writing style. I will try to tweak the pacing though.))

Posted by: MorriganAensland May 2 2010, 1:41 PM

Well, if you want to write it like an episode, there's nothing necessarily wrong with script-style writing provided you do it right.

Now considering the amount of dialogue in your story I'd actually think if you did it that way and if you did it the way script-style's supposed to be it might turn out really, really well. Like http://mikepriest83.deviantart.com/gallery/#The-Typical-Gundam-Seed-Destiny. The guy who wrote it does a really good job with script-format, and in all honesty, the more I reread sections of your past chapter, I think script format might work out really well.

Posted by: Ranma May 2 2010, 7:21 PM

((I'll consider it. But for now I'd like to write in this style. I'll try to find a good way to pace the story. Maybe I'll make it less like an episode and more like a novel. That might help.))

-I had a great teacher in college. I wrote two movie length scripts and I'm working on a script right now for a game I'm working on. I'm good at them, but I'd like to try something new.-

Posted by: MorriganAensland May 2 2010, 8:34 PM

Well, good luck to you on that. And I'll be here if you ever need any advice or just someone to bounce ideas or chapters off of.

Posted by: Ranma May 4 2010, 11:58 PM

Thanks, I really appreciate it. ^_^

Posted by: sytycd_enchantix Jan 1 2012, 4:06 PM

Loving this story! Please continue!

Posted by: Ranma Jan 18 2012, 3:35 AM

((For those who actually follow this story. I proof read the last chapter I released and I changed a little bit with Krystal towards the end. I kind of took Morrigan's advice and tried to find a way to make her appearance at the end of the story feel more natural. I'm going to be coming out with a new chapter soon. I'll probably proof read and correct one of my old chapters every time I'm about to come out with a new chapter... Yeah, that's about all I want to say... ^_^))

EDIT: ((Just proof read chapters 1 and 2. I guess I'll proof read the story first after all.))

Posted by: Kaylin Jan 22 2012, 8:56 PM

Hello! I've just finished critiquing Dreamer. I send it to you in a message, I hope that's alright. ^^

Posted by: Ranma Jan 22 2012, 9:07 PM

That's just fine. Did you read it before or after the proof read?

Posted by: Kaylin Jan 22 2012, 10:19 PM

Did you edit it on the 19th? If so, then I read it afterwards.

Posted by: Ranma Jan 22 2012, 11:06 PM

((On the twentieth.))