Arashi scoured the area as he flew through the evening sky. "The sun is beginning to set. If I don't hurry up, I'll never find Niji." He boosted his speed by surrounding himself in orange flames. "Yeah. Like this, I should be able to catch up to him in no time." Arashi landed in the middle of a city causing all of the civilians to look at him strangely.

Arashi ignored them as he ran through the city. His eyes widened as he spotted two familiar figures in the distance walking out of the city. "Oh no, you don't!" He flipped into the air and landed in front of Niji and Yoshi.

Niji stared at the Fire-Bat, "Where are all your friends?"

Arashi scowled, "First of all, they're my former allies. Not my friends. And second, I left them. I can take you down alone!" Arashi swung his flaming claws at Niji.

Niji easily ducked under them both. The green man grinned, "So then you took my advice, huh? But I have no idea why you're so dead set against killing me. What have I ever done to you?"

"Don't play dumb! You murdered my entire species!" Arashi brought his leg around for a blazing kick at Niji who blocked the attack with his blade.

Niji smirked, "My turn." He lifted his thick black sword skyward and then swung it down rapidly. Arashi quickly jumped out of the way.

"Dam it," Arashi breathed. "He's stronger than I expected." Or was this just his dilemma of not being able to kill again? No, it has to be because he's stronger. He may not be able to kill the majority of people...but he can most definitely kill the man who wiped out his family.

Niji laughed wickedly, "Well of course I am! You don't think you're the only one who's been training do you?" The Warrior Bakemono laughed again. "Face it. You don't stand a chance against me. Unless you go all out." Black aura began to frame around Niji.

"Fine by me!" Arashi surrounded himself in a veil of blue flames, "Niji, I'm going to get my revenge. No matter what!" Arashi rushed across the dirt, leaving a trail of blue flames in his path. He lunged his claws at Niji, "Die!"

Niji's black aura grabbed Arashi and tossed him to the ground. Arashi coughed out some blood. "I have to keep going. If I die, the Fire-Bat Bakemono are finished. I won't die until your dead, Niji!" Arashi released a blast of blue fire from his hands.

The black aura around Niji deflected the blast. Spikes from the aura raced towards Arashi, quickly impaling him in the stomach. Arashi screamed out in pain, "Aaaaaah!" The spikes released Arashi, revealing a huge bloody wound in the middle of his body as he fell to the ground.

Meanwhile, Sato, Sakura, and Ai were running out of the gates of Miriea Kingdom. Sato was a couple feet ahead of the other two. "Come on you guys! We can't let him take on Niji alone!"

"We know!" Sakura yelled. "We're running as fast as we can."

"Well run faster!" Sato shouted back. "If we don't hurry, he's gonna die!" Sato stopped when he saw a frog-like Bakemono with a lizard tongue and bird wings.

"Kill Yamagata Satoshi!" it croaked.

"Damn it," Sato grunted. "Just what we need. A distraction."

A bunch of other Frog Bakemono popped out from the lake and trees in the surrounding area. "Kill Yamagata Satoshi!" they all croaked in unison.

Sakura grumbled, "We're surrounded."

"Sakura," Sato started. "Let's go! Ai watch, our backs!"

Ai nodded, "You got it, big brother!"

Sato and Sakura dashed off in opposite directions. Sakura swung her fist at a handful of Frog Bakemono knocking them into each other. "Alright! Who's next?"

"Illustrate!" Sato yelled as his gleaming silver sword materialized in his hand. He thrust the deadly sharp blade in the spines of several Frog Bakemono. Sato pulled the sword back with their guts dirtying the blade.

The giant leader of the Frog Bakemono wrapped its scaly tongue around Sakura, lifting her off the ground. "Sato!" Sakura cried.

"Sakura!" Sato shouted. "Don't worry. I'll get you down." The purple-haired teenager ran up the giant Frog Bakemono's back while it furiously tried to throw him off. Sato desperately clung onto the Frog's horns.

"Big brother!" Ai cried.

Sato smiled as he struggled to hold on to the frog's horns. "Don't worry Ai. I'm fine." He released one horn and cut off the frog's tongue with his blade, freeing Sakura from its grasp. "Ai! Heads up!"

"I've got you Sakura!" Ai put her hands out in front of her as they began to glow pure white. A magical cushion of the same color broke Sakura's fall.

Sato smiled, "Phew! Now to finish you off, you slimy toad." He stabbed the Frog Bakemono's back with his weapon and jumped off of it and onto Ai's magical cushion. "Let's keep going now. We've wasted too much time here."

"Ruby City is just up ahead," Sakura informed her friends.

Meanwhile, Arashi's fight with Niji was still raging on, "I'll kill you, bastard!" Arashi yelled as he swiped his blue flaming claws at Niji's neck. The black aura deflected the attack once more. Niji swung his blade down at Arashi, slicing his side causing blood to seep out.

"You're getting slower," Niji noticed. "Am I too much for you, young survivor?"

Arashi breathed heavily, "Damn you Niji! If it wasn't for you...I'd still have a family and friends! And I wouldn't be all alone right now!" Black flames began to replace the blue ones that were previously surrounding Arashi. "I will get my vengeance. No matter what!"

Niji grinned, "Finally! It's about time you released your full powers. Yoshi. Go on ahead. It's about to get extremely dangerous for you."

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Yoshi followed Niji's instructions without hesitation. Arashi rushed across the ground, the black flames completely eliminating it leaving no by-product, not even ashes. "I'll make you pay!" Arashi shot out a blast of black fire at Niji's aura, causing it to vanish completely.

Niji grinned like the mad man he was, "I see. I've always wanted to see this power of yours up close and personal. Your Dark Fire. It can burn anything, even water and never leave anything left, not even debris. Although it has far more uses than that. However, this should be enough for a satisfying fight for me."

Arashi's sapphire blue eyes pulsed with anger, "Die!" He shot out multiple blasts of fire at Niji. Niji leaped from left to right dodging them all, having them destroy trees and wildlife instead. A huge crater of nothingness had formed from the fire.

Niji jumped over Arashi and landed behind him, stabbing him in the back with his blade. Niji pushed the blade further causing Arashi to spurt out blood. Niji quickly pulled the blade back. Arashi fell to his knees, his face and body stained in blood.

"You lose," Niji whispered maliciously. "As a consolation prize for managing to release your full power, however. I'll tell you the truth of how your species was massacred. Arashi's eyes widened at this. Niji grinned, "Ah, I can tell you're interested. Well, you know the answer yourself. Just try to remember real hard."

Arashi closed his eyes and flashed back. An orange-haired Fire-Bat Bakemono with a mustache to match was talking to a six-year-old Arashi. "Listen, Arashi. I know you're trying your hardest but your dad was a true prodigy. As are all of your siblings. He wants you to live up to his expectations as well."

Arashi smiled brightly, "You got it, Uncle Kyo! I'll just train even harder until I'm better than dad and all of my siblings combined!"

Kyo laughed, "Now that's what I like to hear! Hey, about we go out for ice cream just you and me?"

Arashi beamed, "Yay! Ice cream!"

"Okay then, it's settled. Let's go." Kyo tossed Arashi onto his back and flew off into the sky.

Arashi pointed down, "Uncle Kyo! It's down there!"

Kyo nodded, "Right. Hold on tight, Arashi."

Kyo zoomed down and landed on in front of the ice cream shack. "Two chocolate ice cream cones, please. Double scoops." Kyo took the ice cream cones and handed one to Arashi. "Eat up."

"Yay, thank you!" Arashi licked the ice cream.

Arashi and Kyo heard a conversation between a male and female Fire-Bat Bakemono. "Hey, isn't that kid over there the youngest son of Ryo, the strongest Fire-Bat Bakemono ever?" The boy whispered.

The girl nodded, "Yeah, and I heard he can't even summon the smallest fire. What a shame."

"Ignore them Arashi," Kyo comforted him. "You're just a late bloomer is all."

Arashi grunted, "No, I'm not. All of my brothers and sisters could summon blue fire when they were my age. But I can't even summon dumb old orange fire!" Arashi ran off hiding his face under his hair.

"Arashi!" Kyo yelled as he chased after his nephew.

Arashi sat down near a tree wiping his tears from his face, "I hate this! Why can't I summon fire!" He was the son of the strongest Fire-Bat Bakemono in the world but he couldn't even use his powers. He wanted...he wanted more than anything to make his passed father proud. But he didn't know how to do that if he couldn't use fire. Everyone else in his family was practically a legend but he was regarded as nothing more than dirt. Why was he so useless?

Kyo landed in front of Arashi, "I told you. You will one day. But today's not that day." Kyo smiled and held out his hand for Arashi, "Now come on, it's getting late. Let's go home."

Arashi sniffled and took Kyo's hand, "Uncle Kyo, one day, I'm gonna be a whole lot stronger. And once I am, I'm gonna challenge you!"

Kyo gave Arashi a warm smile, "Very well. I look forward to it Arashi."

Later on, that night, Niji, Yoshi and a Demon Bakemono stood on a hilltop. "So then, this is the center of the Fire-Bat Bakemono Country, huh? Yoshi, are you sure the Illustrator is here right now?"

Yoshi nodded, "I am certain."

"Very well," Niji turned to the Demon Bakemono. "Find him and kill him. And anyone else who gets in your way."

The Demon Bakemono roared and jumped off the hilltop into the middle of the town. "Where's the Illustrator?" The demon asked using telepathy.

Kyo was patrolling the area, "We don't know. Leave us in peace!"

The Demon Bakemono leered down at Kyo, "I know he's somewhere in this town. So you will either tell me what you know or perish by my hand!"

Kyo scowled, "We are a species of pride! We won't take orders from the likes of you! Everyone, let's fight off this Demon Bakemono together!"

"So be it," The Demon Bakemono growled as the Fire-Bats rushed towards him. He jumped into the air and landed in front of Arashi, "Who are you?" The demon asked curiously.

Arashi backed away in fear. "I'm...I'm Arashi, Fire Bat Bakemono. And the youngest son of Ryo." He was trembling as he stared at the frightening Bakemono. He couldn't do anything to help. Nothing at all to save everyone from this raid. Why was he so useless? Was he going to die? Was this really going to be the end of his life? He wanted to just go home and cry in a corner.

"Ryo?" The demon laughed menacingly. "You don't look like much for being the son of Ryo. Oh, I know who you are now. You're the one who can't even use his powers...how sad. You're no different than a human. I pity you, Arashi. So how about this, I'll give you some of my powers." The demon stared into Arashi's eyes until he collapsed.

The demon ran over knocking every one of the Fire-Bat Bakemono unconscious. When Arashi began to open his eyes he saw all of the bloody bodies lying on the ground. Everyone was dead...everyone was lying dead before him. His whole species slaughtered by the Demon Bakemono. He would never get to see them again. The Demon Bakemono stabbed its claw through Kyo's back. "Uncle Kyo!" Arashi shouted as an eruption of black flames soared out from his body. "Die! Die! Die!" The black flames spread from the whole town until it reached the entire country leaving nothing left but Arashi standing in a void of emptiness. Arashi collapsed again.

When the small Fire-Bat woke up he was in shock, "What happened to everyone? I'm the only one here. Did the Demon Bakemono do this?" Everyone was dead...everyone was lying dead before him. His whole species slaughtered by the Demon Bakemono. He would never get to see them again. He would never get to have ice cream with Uncle Kyo again. He would never get his chance to fight him or his siblings and make them all proud. Tears started to stream down Arashi's face, "I'll find whoever was in charge of this attack. And I'll kill them! I'll get my renege for Uncle Kyo. And all of my people!"

As Arashi's flashback came to an end, Niji spoke, "Now do you remember Arashi. The Demon Bakemono simply knocked out all of them. But it was you who slaughtered your entire species."

Arashi traumatized stared at his wounded trembling hands, "Me...it was me."

Niji laughed, "So what are you going to do now? I mean you very well can't get revenge on yourself."

Arashi stood up, "Who says I can't? All this time, I thought you were the one responsible. But if I'm to blame, I might as well finish what I started. And kill the last remaining Fire-Bat Bakemono." Arashi flew up to the stratosphere. He plummeted down, purposely not using his wings.

"I don't think so!" Arashi's fall was stopped right before he hit the ground. Sato was hanging onto his shirt from a tree branch, "Don't you die on me."

"Well, It looks like it's time for me to leave," Niji disappeared into his black aura.

Sato grunted, "Damn. Niji got away again."

Sato jumped out of the tree branch and carefully set Arashi down. Sakura and Ai came running in. "Sato, what happened to Arashi?" Sakura asked.

"I'm pretty sure he got beat up by Niji. Ai, can you heal him?"

Ai nodded, "Yeah, of course." Ai began to heal Arashi.

"Why did you guys follow me?" Arashi mumbled. "We're not allies anymore."

Sakura sighed, Yeah, but we are still your friends. And you're not going to change that. So deal with it already."

Sato nodded, "What Sakura said. But how come you look so depressed? You can get your revenge next time."

Arashi shook his head, "No...I can't. I can't because Niji isn't the one who killed my species. It was me," Arashi muttered. "It was because of the Dark Fire power the Demon Bakemono gave me. When I saw everyone hurt, I freaked and lost control." Arashi lowered his head, "I'm the reason I will always be alone." A tear dropped onto the ground.

There was a brief moment of silence before Sato and Sakura put their hands on Arashi's shoulders and Ai wrapped her arms around his waist. Sato smiled at Arashi, "You're not alone. Cause you have us, Arashi."

Arashi lifted his head up, "Thanks, Sato. Everyone."