They were just walking at this point. The look of glee on Maddox 's face was the tell tale sign that this was all worth it. Emma couldn't understand why this senior pupil was so happy to indulge him, but finally decided to just let it go. Especially since she was able to capture a river crab shuffling along the riverside.

"Why would you want two water types right from the start?" He had inquired.

"Water types?" The look of confusion on both their faces reminded him that the people of this world didn't seem to take into account type advancement when battling.

'Even Sha'Carri was surprised when I used it.'

"Oh yeah, you like to focus on a Chidi beast's element. I remember that giving you some success during your trial of combat." Rebecca recalled.

"Wait, you've already attempted the trial of Combat?" Emma asked with stars in her eyes.

"Yeah," he began to answer with a smug look on his face before he frowned. "I only made it to the fifth trial though before Sha'Carri sabotaged me."

"Oh yeah, that Fury wolverine would've hurt your Chidi beasts pretty badly If you had decided to continue."

"Nothings, wrong with a 'tactical retreat'." Maddox gave a stern nod. "Only a fool fights a losing battle."

Both girls gave him a look with an eyebrow raised. Maddox being a little embarrassed decided not to let the awkward silence build. "Why do you want that crab anyway?"

Both Emma and Rebecca have him a knowing smirk, but decided to let him change the subject.

"Sha'Carri's Chidi beast was so majestic. I would love to have one some day."

With another nod Maddox relented. 'Yeah that giant crab was very majestic.'

"I agree with you on that Emma, but to get it to where it is now probably took a hundred years or more." Rebecca chimed in, "Besides you might not end up with the same beast as Sha'Carri. A Chidi beast's evolution is an uncanny thing after all."

"Wait. The same two Chidi beasts don't evolve in the same way each time?" Maddox asked while walking alongside them. The group made their way back towards the clearing where all the students had split up.

"No, of course not. The type of spiritual energy in the area, cultivation method, even if alchemy pills or powered were used to help the Chidi beast. All these things can be factored in determining how the Chidi Beasts evolve. Not to mention Sha'Carri's Chidi beast was probably a Cataclysm level beast. How many Chidi was could even make it to that evolution."

"Exactly that!" Maddox shouted, pointing at Rebecca like a mad man. "What does that mean?"

"How are you even at the Ignition realm when you don't even know about Chidi beast rankings!" Emma was so confused by this fact. No matter how smart she thought she was, the reasoning behind this always escaped her.

"Like I keep telling you Emma, get lost in the forest--this one to be exact--and then make some stupid choices!"

A loud roar reverberated through the nearby woods. The boisterous sound stifling their argument.

"What was that?" Maddox asked wearily.

"Just be quiet and hopefully we won't have to find out." Rebecca answered after shushing them. They all ran towards a downed trees a few feet away. There they ducked down and waited. It seemed like they were in the clear. Both Maddox and Emma let out a sigh of relief when suddenly something came shuffling out of the woods. Out ran a tiny brown bear cub. Small embers ablaze upon its fur.

'Is that baby bear on fire?' He wondered.

He had very little time to contemplate it as two of their fellow students ran out of the woods behind the bear cub. One of the students was the chubby one who kept interrupting Instructor Von'Pebble. The pupil running in front of him was a slender boy who looked a little bit like a fat with his beast eyes and bucked teeth.

"What did those idiots do!" Rebecca screamed. The sound of the ferocious roar getting even closer.

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""Help us!"" Both pupils screamed while running past them. The bear cub had stopped running after finally hearing the roar.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Emma said, looking back at the two pupils that ran past their hiding spot behind the downed tree.

"Get ready to use one of those 'tactical retreats' you're so find of." Rebecca said to Maddox, hopping over the downed tree. She was twenty feet away from the bear cub.

"Rebecca, get back here!" Maddox spoke with a stern whisper, but it was either to late or she didn't hear him because with a roar out came what Maddox could only describe as a large grizzly bear with fire coming off certain parts of its fur.

"I knew it! Those idiots tried messing with a Blaze bear." Rebecca whispered. The woods it stood near caught fire, and looking behind the large spirit beast Maddox saw smile coming from the top of the trees.

"We don't need to be a genius to know what's going on here." Maddox muttered, pulling out his Chidi beads.

" Maddox, what are you doing! " Emma tried pulling him back down behind the tree.

"Emma we need to put out that fire, but before that we should backup Rebecca. That thing looks to onset for just her to take on."

"This isn't how this was supposed to go!" Emma lamented. She stood near Maddox who was behind Rebecca. The bubble turtle he had just caught appeared right in front of him, and the river crab Emma had gotten soon followed.

"I'm going to hold this angry Blaze bear off while you guys run. Don't antagonize the Spirit beast." Rebecca never took her eyes off of the ferociously roaring mama bear.

"Well that's not going to hap so let's come up with a new plan." Maddox grinned at her. Him and Emma both stood beside her. Their tiny Chidi beasts looking at the larger spirit beast with unease but still listening to their trainers.

"We need to calm this bear down before we can even think of dealing with that fire." Rebecca said. A yellow glow coming out of her right hand and with a flash of light out came a frog the size of a house cat. "Let's hope you element strategy can give us the edge we needed to pull through this."

"We don't have to win or stop it. We just have to stall it long enough until the instructors get here." Maddox smiled at the two girls.

"Do able." Rebecca shrugged.

"You guys make this crazy plan sound so simple. That's obviously a Hazard level spirit beast staring down our tiny Chidi beasts."

" well we're not gonna succeed with that attitude Emma! " Maddox scolded her and she simply rolled her eyes.

The mama bear was standing in front of the baby bear. It looked like a bonfire was attached to its back.

"I think it just wants to protect its baby." Maddox suggested.

"Maybe if we just walk backwards, putting some distance between them and us, it'll leave." Emma added.

The three Chidi trainer's started to walk backwards along with the Chidi beasts in front of them. The bear growled, launching a volley of fire balls from its back. They all scattered to avoid the attack.

"Well that plan didn't work. Hit that bear with all the water you can!" He shouted from the muddy ground of the river bank. His turtle shot a stream of bubbles from its back. While the crab released a strong stream of water from one of its claws along with the frog that did the same with its mouth. All three attacks struck the Blaze bear in its face, causing it to stumble back. The bear roared again, causing the fire on its back to grow brighter. It raised its front paw now engulfed in flames and slammed it down on the ground sending the flames to rush across the ground towards Maddox and his turtle. Luckily the mud that covered the river bank slowed and weakened the Blaze bear's attack long enough for Maddox to fill out of the way with his turtle in his arms. Two strong streams of water struck the bear in front paws. Smoke rising as the flames on its paws slowly died down. Maddox took a moment to look around the river bank. Small fires were littered every where. Plumes of smoke starting to form a cloud over head.

"This is really dangerous."

"I told you both this was crazy!" Emma screamed. She was stomping on a small fire after tossing mud on top of it. Her river crab still spraying water at the bear.

"Is there a way to put the fire out on its back? I think that's what's powering its attacks!" Maddox suggested.

Rebecca made a few hand seals in quick succession. Maddox wasn't sure but some of her hand movements looked like the ones used for the {Tornado Cage} incantation. Now due to months of not only building his body but also honing his senses he saw the spiritual energy around Rebecca and her frog changed. A swift breeze begin to blow towards Rebecca, bringing heaps of mud towards the palm of her hand stretched out in front of her. The blaze bear weary of the spiritual energy coming from Rebecca and her frog started to charge. Her eyes went wide upon seeing the large beast picking up speed to ram right in to her. Her focus nearly wavered, but out of the corner of her eye she saw Maddox sprinting towards the Blaze bear. He was shouting;

"This is dumb, this is dumb!"

As soon as the bear saw him coming it tried to change its target to him. It's momentum causing it to skid in the mud. Once Maddox even thought the bear was looking in his direction he started to slide in the mud.

"Tactical retreat!" He screamed. His hands coming at the muddy ground to get some traction.

It was the previous few moments Rebecca needed to finish her incantation. A ball of mud the size of a beach ball floated near her palm. "This isn't how this Chidi art is suppose to be used but things are desperate." She said right as the large ball of mud few out of her palm and struck the Blaze bear in its side. Between the bear altering its direction in the mud and the force of Rebecca's attack knocked it over into the mud.

There covered in mud Maddox got to his feet. He looked at the downed mama bear and with glee in his voice shouted; "Let's Fucking Go!"

"Maddy, language!" Rebecca yelled while wiping mud from her hands.