"I could have died, and no one helped !" Chloe screeched at the group, who stood there, staring at her, dumbfounded.
"Oh, and don’t tell it was for my own good," she continued, her anger rising like steam from a boiling kettle.
"In fact, it was for your own good. Look, I even made notes on what you could improve," Josh said, holding up his notepad with an awkward smile.
"Ah, really? Let’s see what the great sage has written for ." Chloe snatched the notepad, her eyes scanning the scribbled notes. 'Breathe fire, don’t roll around so much.' Her face twisted with fury. "Thank you so much for this life-changing advice!" she yelled, tearing the notepad into tiny pieces and letting them flutter to the ground like confetti.
Josh sighed, undeterred. "But the fight could’ve been so much easier. Why is that so hard to understand? Just fly up and breathe fire on them."
"Of course, I could have done things differently! That’s not the point. The point is that no one helped at all out there. What if I’d been seriously wounded?" Chloe snapped, her tirade showing no signs of slowing down.
"Calm down," Josh replied, raising his hands defensively. "It’s just a few scratches and a little bit of your tail missing. Okay, maybe so bite marks too. But it wasn’t for nothing—you learned sothing important today."
Chloe crossed her arms, her expression darkening further. "Oh, really? Please, enlighten . It better be very good."
Josh nodded, as if delivering ancient wisdom. "That even small beasts can be very dangerous."
Before Chloe could explode, Jack chid in with a chuckle. "You should definitely listen to Josh. Rember the last ti I underestimated those little beasts? I ended up with crabs stuck in my tentacles. Not a fun experience, I can assure you. Honestly, I think you’ve made good progress. You should get back out there and try again. Now you know: fly up, breathe fire. Strike while the iron’s hot, or sothing like that."
Chloe stared, montarily stunned, and surprisingly, so was Josh.
"So, you’re finally admitting that I’m the better teacher," Josh said triumphantly, puffing out his chest. "I’ll admit, you were a strong rival."
Jack rolled his eyes. "Oh no, you’re still the worst teacher I’ve ever seen. I’m just trying to save your student and spark the fire that fuels her desire for strength."
Chloe, now back in her human form, looked like she might actually burst into flas. Her face had flushed so deeply it was almost purple.
Evelyn, ever the peacemaker, stepped in. "I think we should stick together for a while and do so group hunts. It’ll give us a chance to teach Eddie and Chloe a few things without constantly risking their lives."
"Oh yes! Another glorious hunt! This’ll be great!" Kargul roared, pumping his fist in the air.
"No," Chloe snapped, crossing her arms stubbornly. "I’m done. I’m not going anywhere until I’ve regenerated."
"Don’t worry, Chloe," Kargul said, grinning ear to ear. "Vorlok will carry you. His shell’s a bit hard, but Eve likes it. Plus, he’s a smooth flyer." Without waiting for her consent, he hoisted Chloe up and plopped her onto Vorlok’s back, where Evelyn was already seated, ready for takeoff.
Vorlok didn’t look particularly thrilled, but he held back his complaints—for now.
Jack, clearly eager to escape the brewing tension, muttered, "I don’t know… I really think we should just teleport already. Eddie’s definitely ready after my training."
"Just transform into that stupid squid and find sothing big," Josh shot back instantly.
"I want to reach the fifth stage soon, too," Evelyn added. "So, at least two more hunts."
Vorlok, unwilling to wait any longer, launched into the sky with such force that Chloe nearly fell off, clinging for dear life as they soared in search of their next al.
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