A Loyal Mutt

Inferno

Chi hadn't return since the afternoon and it was worrying them. Evening came and they had dinner, still wondering where she went. It wasn't until an hour after that she came back, taking a seat on the bench in front of the house.

She seemed to be looking through some kind of device.

"Ah!" Madoka, who had been watching her from the window, heard Maru yell out in surprise. "That's my computer! So you had it all this time!"

Chi closed it and held it out for the pink haired girl to take. "Sorry. I needed it."

"You should've asked first." Madoka said, already by her student's side. "I'm sure Maru would've lent it to you. Or you could've borrowed mine if she needed it too."

Chi nodded, her face blank. She clearly wasn't too keen on doing so, in which the other brunette sighed to. She sat down beside her as Maru ran off to find the other kids. "Just know that it's not right to take someone else's belongings without permission. That should be common sense, you know."

"You sound like Da Xian." She said.

"Oh? You met team Wang Hu Zhong?"

"China was one of the first countries I visited on my journey." She explained. "Every time I pass by, Da Xian always lectures me about something, along with Bao... Same goes to Julian. And Toby and Zeo. And Nile, that one time. Dynamis... Yuki, once... Aleksei... Chris... Helios too at one point..."

As the list goes on, Madoka grew wary for her friend's lack of common sense. She was raised differently from them, sure, but to be scolded by so many people even as an adult... On second thought, she can now clearly see why Chi and Ryuga would get along.

"And if I come to Japan, then it's usually Kyoya or Hikaru." She finally finished.

Madoka blinked at that. "Wait, so you... You came to Japan before this?!"

"Yeah... A few times actually. This is my... fifth, I think?"

"Why didn't you visit until now?!"

"Because going back to that city means giving up." She stated bluntly. "You remember a couple of days ago, when I said I originally came to let you guys know I'm calling quits. That's exactly what I was meant. Ryuga wouldn't come back to Metal Bey City if he had a choice, he hates that place."

"What? Why?"

"Because the Dark Nebula used to be there. He's always talked trash about it even while we were in it." Chi shrugged.

"He does hate Doji more than any of us ever did." Madoka nodded. She shook her head to get back on track. "What did you use Maru's computer for anyway?"

"I sent the file to yours already." As she opened her monitor, Chi continued to explain. "I mapped out the island and went around the volcano- Don't give me that look, I didn't go pass the gate. I stayed in the forest areas and just surveyed the place. Scans show several air pockets from inside and out. If Sir Ryuga isn't at the peak of the mountain, he's bound to be in one of those caves."

"That's... a lot of caves." Madoka said, going through her monitor.

"Try eliminating the smaller ones. There should only be a few of them that can fit adult-sized humans and a dragon."

"Hmm... It's going to take a while, but this could really help us, Chi. Great job!" Madoka smiled as she stood up. "Come on then. You should eat."

"Hm?"

"You haven't eaten anything since lumch, right? You must be starving. We can talk more about this with the others while you fill your stomach."

With Maru and Madoka working together on their computers, and Sala and her father's knowledge on the volcano, they were able to narrow it down to three caves.

They decided to go seperately. Group one is Ginga, Zyro, Shinobu, and Maru. Group two is Kenta, Kite, Eight, and Ren. Group three is Chi, Sakyo, Takanosuke, and Sala. Madoka and Sala's father would stay at the base of the mountain to warn them of the volcanic activity and keep out the other villagers.

They went to get the village chief's permission the next day, and after convincing him of their purpose, he left them off with a warning to not disturb the volcano. With that promise, they set out to find the dragon blader.

~~~~~

Ginga had his Samurai Pegasus ready on his launcher. He needed to be ready, seeing as this is Ryuga of all people. He made sure the children stayed behind him.

Maru was between Zyro and Shinobu, that being the safest place for her. Zyro took the front and Shinobu watched the back. They'll be able to protect her this way.

"Wow, surprisingly, the heat isn't so bad." Zyro commented.

"We're nowhere near the center, so it's still pretty cool out here." Shinobu stated.

"Still, keep a look out for lava streams." Ginga warned. "If Ryuga's in here, prepare for sudden geysers."

Maru seemed to somehow grew smaller at that. "Yikes..."

~~~~~

Kenta was a lot calmer than Ginga, knowing that, as long as Ryuga could recognize him, they wouldn't get hurt. Well, that's what he hoped for.

Kite had his own gadget with him, scanning the area. "I'm not getting any shocks or disturbances. It's a pretty stable volcano."

"Will he really be here, big bro?" Eight asked.

"He should be, based on the stories Ginga told us last night." Ren stated.

"He might be resting so just keep an eye out." Kenta warned.

~~~~~

Chi walked through the cave without a care. It wasn't too hot, but it wasn't that cool either. She fastened the strap of the jacket and took her arms out of the sleeves. She was wearing it the same way Ryuga used to.

As they got deeper, Takanosuke and Sala began to fall behind. They simply stopped to catch their breath and told her and Sakyo to keep going. Eventually, the two reached the end of the tunnel.

Its mouth revealed a large cavern full of boiling magma. Chi felt a tingle and took Sirius out. It was glowing.

Sakyo looked up and saw a shadow in front of them. He got ahead of her and pointed his launcher at it, but before he could launch, the shadow reacted.

It launched its own bey and a tornado of fire circled them. Chi's bey glowed even brighter and the fire dissipated, revealing a beautiful red dragon.

It flew back to its owner's hand. A tall man with white hair and fierce golden eyes was glaring down at them, and Chi felt all the tension in her body give way at once.

"Sir Ryuga!"

~~~~~~~~~~

I felt like updating 5 at once so :)