Plan: scare the next dragon with mechanical eel heads built onto the back of the mecha, then force it back into its holding cell.
* * *
The next day in the battle dome, the students were divided into three groups of two: Alice and Rachel, Scott and Travis, and Henry with Fernando. Each of their mechas carried a water tank and a fire hose.
When the countdown hit zero the doors exploded open, letting out a greenish fog that fills the dome.
["For today's lesson #3: TEAMWORK. A wet dragon cannot light its fire. But the Zippleback is VERY tricky. One head breathes gas, the other head ignites it. Your job for today its to find which is which, wet the head and fight it. Oh, and the fumes are slightly toxic when inhaled. So place your helmets on and close off your ventilators."] Gideon explained from above while watching the events from a safe height.
Each pair had their backs facing the other as the smoke became thicker, separating the mechas from the others and obscuring the dragon.
Henry and Fernando were darting their eyes at their surroundings, Fernando being the most nervous before rambling prayers to God about helping him escape from "La Llorona" if it was here in the done on the radio. ["Oh Dios mio, santificado sea tu nombre. Porfavor, no dejes que La Llorona me lleve a la muerte y—"] Fernando was praying when Henry, on the edge, hissed "Would you PLEASE SHUT UP!" to Fernando on the radio so that he could stop freaking out.
Meanwhile the girl pair was being as quiet as possible, surveying their surroundings for any noise or movement of the dragon.
Both Scott and Travis looked around before the latter spoke, ["If that dragon shows either of its heads, I'm gonna spray them with extra pressurized— Gotcha!!"]
Scott pointed at a silhouette, thinking it was the dragon, before he and Travis sprayed water with their hoses. The smoke cleared, revealing the drenched figures of Alice and Rachel's mechas.
["Hey! It's us, morons!"] Rachel shouted, making the dragon alerted about their whereabouts.
["Oops, we thought you were a dragon with that fat head of yours."] Travis snickered.
["Not that there is anything wrong with a beautiful— OW! SON OF A—!"] Scott said, but was cut off by Alice's mecha punching his' in the visor, while Rachel drop-kicked his twin brother, making both mechas fall down.
Suddenly, Travis's mecha was dragged into the thick fog with a shout of surprise. Rachel tried to go after her brother but was stopped when Alice put her arm up and readied the hose with the other.
After a moment of screaming and the sound of metal being ripped off, Travis's mecha emerged from the mist with the visor head missing, knocking over the mechas of the girls while screaming, ["OOOHHHH!!! MY HEAD!!! MY HEEEEAAAAADDD!!!"]. Travis passed both Henry and Fernando's mechas, who surveyed the thinking fog ahead of them as the growls of the dragon came closer. ["We're definitely screwed."] Fernando said nervously.
One of the Zippleback head emerged from the mist, and Fernando immediately sprayed water on it. The dragon angrily spewed a large stream of green gas, making Fernando run off screaming. Then the head turned its attention to Henry's mecha and the other head comes into view, spiting out electrical sparks as an intimidating threat.
["Henry! Do it!"] Gideon's voice shouted from above.
Henry sprayed water at the Zippleback, but then the water amount on his tank ran out as it missed the head. "Oh, you've GOT to be kidding." Henry muttered in exasperation.
The Zippleback pounced, making Henry's mecha fall backwards as both heads snarl at the robot. ["Henry!"] Gideon yelled in fear.
As the sergeant was about to electrocute the dragon with the hanging robot's arm, Henry's mecha suddenly stood up and activated something. From the back of the mecha sprouted what looked like yellow-striped snakes, coming out to hang halfway above.
The robotic eels opened their mouths and hissed at the Zippleback, snapping at the dragon with intense aggression. The Zippleback started to back away from the mecha in fear. The others only watched in disbelief as Henry's mecha stepped forward.
"Get back! Now! Do not dare to come close!" Henry ordered. Each step he took, the Zippleback backed up towards its holding cell. "Yeah, that's right! Go back to your cell!" Henry reprimanded as he got the dragon back into its cell.
"I shall spare you this time, but I'll let you think about what you've done with this." Henry said as he opened the cockpit of his mecha, took out a real eel and threw it into the cage. This made the Zippleback cower in the corner with terror. As he shut the door, Henry turned around to see the other classmates watching him in shock and disbelief. The robotic eels on the back of Henry's mecha look at each other(a priceless act), then shrunk back into place.
"Ok! So are we done? 'Cause I've got some things to finish up at home, so...uh...Yeah. I'll see you guys tomorrow!" Henry said before he exited the battle dome as the others do nothing but watch.
——
Plan: Success.
[Score: 25
———————————————————————————
Up in the dome windows, Dr. Elias watched the whole scene unfold before his very eyes.
'Amazing...how did he know what dragons disliked? I'd better visit him, now that I know where to find and meet him.' Elias thought as he pulled up Henry's profile to review it.
YOU ARE READING
How To Train Your Dragon 4: Near Horizon
Fanfiction"There were dragons when I was a boy. Some say they crawled back into the sea leaving not a bone or a fang to remember them. Others say they were nothing but folk tales to begin with. But maybe one day, a time may come where the dragons will return...
