A faint green light flared through the forest, piercing the darkness for a brief moment before vanishing without a trace.
Swampfire's figure was tall and lean, his deep-green skin radiating a pungent swamp gas.
"It actually turned into Swampfire. Now this'll be worth watching," Grandpa Max said, holding a bowl of white rice worms as he sat nearby. "Both of them use fire—let's see who comes out on top."
Gwen smiled softly. "I think Lucian has the better odds."
"That's not a sure thing. Everyone's got their specialty... heh heh."
With that, Grandpa picked up a wriggling rice worm and popped it into his mouth. The sight made Gwen break into a cold sweat, and she quickly turned her eyes back to the fight.
At that moment, Heatblast scratched his head as he looked across at Swampfire.
"Cuz, isn't Swampfire a plant?" he asked, hot steam puffing from his mouth with each word. "Fighting me doesn't seem all that fair."
Fire beats wood—Ben knew that much.
Swampfire waved his hand. "It doesn't matter. Fight with everything you've got. Don't hold back because of that."
"Besides," he added calmly, "on a real battlefield, enemies won't care about type advantages. They won't spare me because of one."
Heatblast nodded in understanding.
"Alright then, Cuz—let's get started!"
"Just what I was thinking." Swampfire raised his palm, aiming it straight at Heatblast.
In response, Heatblast's body erupted in a blinding blaze, flames roaring violently around him. He thrust out his hand, releasing a torrent of fire that surged forward like a raging dragon, crashing toward Swampfire with terrifying force.
"What powerful flames."
Feeling the intense heat pressing down on him, Swampfire realized taking that head-on wouldn't end well. He leapt aside, dodging the blast, and fired several massive fireballs from his palms.
"I know that move too!"
Heatblast pushed both palms forward, launching a stream of crimson fireballs to meet Swampfire's attack head-on.
Boom!
Brilliant flashes filled the forest, followed by deafening explosions as both attacks collided and canceled each other out midair.
Waves of heat swept through the area, bending the trees violently as if they might snap at any moment. Within seconds, thick smoke and dust filled the air, cloaking the forest in shadow and reducing visibility to almost nothing.
Heatblast stood his ground, his body shining like a beacon in the dark, the only clear point in the smoky haze.
He glanced around cautiously, scanning every direction, but there was no sign of Swampfire.
Enemy hidden, self exposed—one of the biggest mistakes in combat. Ben knew that well.
Realizing the danger, Heatblast quickly traced a ring of fire around himself, the flames rising in a protective circle to guard against surprise attacks.
"Oh, Ben, that's a clever move," Grandpa Max said, freezing mid-bite, the rice worm halfway to his mouth.
For someone who didn't know his opponent's position, using heat and fire defensively like that was a smart call. It was Ben's first time as Heatblast, and this display of instinct impressed him deeply.
Gwen's eyes widened in surprise. "This doofus... who knew he could think so fast? Guess all those hours of Sumo Slammers weren't for nothing."
"Looks like I should start playing more games too!" Grandpa Max chuckled heartily, tossing another rice worm into his mouth with a loud crunch.
Meanwhile, Heatblast stood alert within his flaming circle, watching for any sign of movement.
Suddenly, a strong gust of wind rushed from behind him.
He spun around just in time to see a blazing red fireball flying straight for his face, the heat radiating with frightening intensity.
Without hesitation, Heatblast unleashed a powerful pillar of fire, shattering the oncoming fireball. It burst apart into wisps of white smoke that quickly faded into the night air.
Whoosh!
A dark green figure darted forward like lightning.
Before Heatblast could react, a tremendous force slammed into him, sending him tumbling out of the fire circle.
"You fell for it, Ben! That fireball was just a decoy!"
Swampfire lunged, locking his arms tightly around Heatblast. Both crashed to the ground, rolling through dirt and leaves.
But the leaves that stuck to Heatblast's body instantly turned to ash, drifting away in the wind.
"My entire body's made of fire, Cuz. If you do that, you'll only end up hurting yourself!"
Heatblast slowly pushed himself up, locking eyes with Swampfire across from him.
Swampfire spread his hands and pointed to his body. "I've already coated myself in wet mud. It won't completely block the fire's damage, but it's within what I can handle."
Heatblast's jaw dropped. "Wait... you can do that?"
"Just adapting," Swampfire replied with a shrug. "If you hadn't made that fire circle earlier, I wouldn't have thought of it."
"Oh, come on~" Heatblast lowered his eyes for a moment, then straightened. "But the fight's not over yet. I haven't lost!"
He lifted his blazing hand and unleashed a roaring stream of fire.
Swampfire's body flickered, vanishing and reappearing in front of him in an instant. His vine-like fist clenched tight, he swung hard into Heatblast's chest.
Caught off guard, Heatblast barely managed to cross his arms to block before he was sent flying, crashing into a massive boulder. Sparks scattered through the air.
"Be careful!"
Swampfire pressed the attack, his aura flaring as he charged forward with incredible speed.
Facing his relentless opponent, Heatblast shook his head to clear it and narrowly dodged the next heavy blow. He retaliated with a fierce kick toward Swampfire's waist—only for his leg to be caught mid-swing. Swampfire slammed him hard into the ground, the impact leaving Heatblast dazed and seeing stars.
"Looks like Swampfire's got the edge in close combat," Grandpa Max remarked.
Struggling up from the dirt, Heatblast flared with anger, his body igniting into an intense blaze.
A scorching wave of heat burst outward, forcing Swampfire to leap back.
Heatblast brought his hands together and unleashed a massive pillar of fire that roared forward, carrying a wave of overwhelming heat straight toward Swampfire.
Despite the terrifying flames rushing his way, Swampfire remained calm. He raised his palms and fired a burst of crimson flame to meet the attack.
Whoosh!
The two torrents of fire collided violently, sending waves of burning energy exploding through the air. The heat distorted everything around them, the ground trembling under the pressure.
"I didn't think Heatblast's flames could be this strong..."
Swampfire's brow furrowed as waves of searing heat surged over him. His swamp-gas flames were being pushed back, overwhelmed by the sheer power of the attack.
In the blink of an eye, Heatblast poured every ounce of energy into his flames, intensifying the inferno.
Boom!
A deafening explosion followed as Swampfire was swallowed by the roaring fire. The ground where he had stood was blasted barren—rocks shattered, the soil scorched black.
Staring at the raging flames, Heatblast froze, a sudden pang of regret tightening his chest.
"Cuz!" he shouted, sprinting toward the inferno.
Suddenly, a dark green sprout burst from the ground beside his feet...