Unicorncob

"Well, I personally believe you deserve to be cared about," Oliver assured her, looking at her with a smile for a moment. "I can tell that you have a good heart. You've just been through a tough time and done what you had to so you could survive."

Oliver thanked the staff as well and headed outside with Jenna. He looked around, frowning at how quiet it was. "Yeah, it shouldn't be this quiet during the day." He bit his lip. "You don't think something's happened, do you?"

Despite herself, a chill ran up Jade's spine hearing just what kind of pony Rokata was. That was to be her opponent in the coming hours. Quite the character, isn't he. "That makes no sense," she finally said. "Onyx would fight alongside the one who murdered his kin?"

"I wish I did," Jade sighed, looking down at her hooves. "All I know is Draco is somewhere in the forest." She looked back up at Shining Armour. "Anything I can learn about Rokata will help." You're not starting to doubt that our power can defeat him, are you? No, but the more advantages we have, the better. Good point.

Oliver smirked and gave Jenna's hair a gentle rub. "You'd better get used to it then. Especially with what we're about to go through, apparently." He looked ahead at the upcoming city. "Of course I'd worry about you. I care about you after all."

"Oh, yeah I'm done too," said Oliver, finishing the last slice on his side. He got up and stretched, before looking around. He smiled at Jenna. "Walking around sounds fun. Maybe we'll find out something?"

Jade looked at Quill Weave, not sure what to think about her refusal to speak. Nonetheless, she was curious about this information regarding Team Rokata. "Any help is better than none," she said, hovering onto the bed and sitting down to look at the ponies. "What have you learned?"

"Well still," Oliver said, "don't make a habit of it. There's only so much you can take, dragon or not." He smiled at Jenna for a moment. "Besides, like I said, I don't really wanna see you get hurt."

Oliver nodded, grinning at the idea of weapons. He didn't really think much about fighting before, but Jenna made it look really fun. He saw what she could do with a weapon, and he couldn't wait to learn to do that too.

Jade finished off her physical training, panting as she properly stood back up. She had done all she could to prepare herself for her upcoming fight. She knew she would need Shao's assistance, and she was happy he was willing to help. For the most part. She left the arena and returned to her room, walking inside to see the two ponies. "Shining Armour," she greeted her team's benefactor, then looked at the mare. "And you are...?"

Oliver frowned. "Well, I'd prefer if neither of us got hurt at all. Don't go hurting yourself for my sake, I don't really like seeing you in pain like this." He smiled at Jenna. "I know you're tough enough to take it, but still."

Oliver grinned, liking the idea of getting to try even more things with Jenna. He wondered how far the basics went, then how many new things there would be to learn after that. "What's it like?" he asked.

"Looks like we're nearly there," Oliver said, seeing the city coming into view ahead. "Hopefully the place isn't too hard to find." He looked at Jenna. "How are you feeling? Does your leg feel any better?"

Oliver blushed and smiled a little, feeling proud that Jenna was so pleased with him. He hadn't thought about the lessons being difficult, he just did them. He nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense. Training with you is really fun though."

Jade left Draco to his own devices and travelled back toward the arena. She had figured that Tricis needed time alone to recover, and with the fights over for the day, there would be nopony to disturb her. She flew up over the walls and landed in the centre of the ring. She was the only one there as far as she knew, and she preferred it. She took a deep breath and sat down, closing her eyes and dipping her head. Her thoughts fogging her mind slowly cleared... She was in a grassy plain, surrounded by tall mountains. The sky was dotted with white clouds. A gentle breeze brushed her mane and fur. "So," began the dragon, and she opened her eyes to see the creature looming over her, "this is where you go to clear your head? Your 'happy place', as mortals like to call it?" Jade kept sat down as she looked him in the eyes. "I suppose you could call it that, yes. I wanted us to get a firm understanding of where we stand." "Did we not agree on this earlier? I provide strength, you provide control." "That was surface-level at best. I wish to be more thorough." "Hm, interesting. Very well, pony, tell me your thoughts." "I thought we could start by referring to each other by name, instead of just 'pony' and 'dragon'. My name is Jade Lotus." "I know your name, I was not using it so we were on equal terms. I am not a spirit you summoned from the Beyond Realm. I am pure power taken from the dragons there, given form and thought." "Then, what would you prefer I call you?" Jade blinked, as she could swear she saw a smirk on the dragon's face. "Surprise me." She looked at her hooves, biting her lip. She was not good with naming things. "Um... how about Shao?" The dragon tilted his narrow head. "Hmm... short, but easy to say quickly. I accept this name." Jade nodded slowly. "Now, are you able to read my mind?" Shao shook his head. "Only your emotions. We share a body, but our thoughts are our own, unless one permits the other to do so. I suddenly sense a firm relief." He added, a teasing tone to his voice. Jade tried to hide the blush on her face. "S-so, I can call upon your strength whenever I wish?" "No," the dragon said firmly. "Not yet, at least. You seem of noble heart and strong body, but I am not completely convinced that I may trust you with my strength without asking my permission. However, this battle with Rokata shall determine for me if you are truly worthy. Prove to me that you can be trusted with my power on your own, and I will grant you the privilege." "A test, is it?" Jade summarised. "Very well. But I do not want for you to take over my body again." "That was a test as well," Shao explained. "Many call upon the strength of the dragons, but few have the mind and body to control that power. You were able to bring yourself back, so you have proven you are capable of wielding my strength. I only wish to see now if you deserve such power." "So you want me to prove myself because we need each other to survive?" "You're at least quick on the uptake. I have your best interests in mind, I trust the feeling is mutual?" Jade nodded without hesitation. "As I said before, we will only survive tomorrow's battle if we cooperate. I will not misuse your power, and you will not misuse my body." "Agreed. Your mind and body are still your own, I am simply an emergency power source." "And perhaps a friend?" "Perhaps." Jade nodded. "Very well. Perhaps, now that we are both mentally ready for this battle, we should start on the physical side?" "That is not an unwise idea." Shao began to fade into the air, and the plains and mountains dissipating into black... Jade opened her eyes. Her vision was blurred for a moment, but she was back in the ring. How much time had passed? She was unsure, but that was trivial. Her time was limited. She stood up and stretched out her limbs, before starting to practice. She used a mental image of Rokata in attempt to predict and counter what moves she thought he would use, to prepare for the real thing. Master Tricis will not leave this world feeling regret. I will not allow it.

"Good point," Oliver snickered and kept driving, smirking at Jenna. "Maybe when we next stop then?" He looked ahead at the road, yawning. "Well, hopefully it's nice and calm when we stop, so you don't have to worry about it."

Oliver blushed at Jenna's praise, not expecting to hear it. It was pretty sudden, at least to him. "A fast learner?" he repeated, tilting his had. "You think so? I was just trying to do what you told me."

"I hope so," Oliver said, smiling shyly at Jenna, then nodded. "Yeah, you really gave her a challenge. It was awesome." His heart fluttered as he remembered it, as well as watching Jenna fight earlier. He loved watching her.

"Humans have trouble controlling their emotions too," Oliver pointed out, "but I see what you mean. I have faith in you though." He smiled at Jenna. "It's a shame, your dragon eyes are really pretty."

Jade took a deep breath. Yes, meditation. That was a good idea. A chance to get herself and the Dragon on the same page. So, what? Are we done here? I assume so, yes. A shame, I was just getting into this battle. But I suppose this Rokata will give us plenty of entertainment come the morrow. The flames diminished, and Jade was back to her normal look. "Yes, I need some meditation after all that has happened," she said. "And... I will consider your offer."

Oliver blushed. He hadn't thought that he'd be physically stronger than Jenna, but he didn't hate the idea. "Imagine if you were stronger and I could fight as well as you," he said, grinning. "That'd be awesome."

"Well, of course there's a difference between real fear and fake fear," Oliver pointed out. "I'm sure you're smart enough to tell when it's genuine. Maybe you can even fool them too." He smiled at her.

"Well, that'll be useful for finding allies," Oliver pointed out, grinning as he took a turn. "If they smell like fear, then they should be friendly, right And if they're hostile or angry or something they're likely Talon?"

"I guess that makes sense," Oliver muttered, taking another piece. "I just never thought I'd be that strong. I mean, I'm kinda strong in my other form, but I always figured you'd be the tougher one of us."

"Oh yeah," Oliver said, "I heard animals can smell fear. I figure dragons can too." He blinked. "Would that mean they're scared of you? Or at least to fight you? You'd think they'd be pretty confident."