Maple High School Academy Year 1
The Dragon in Gingko Forest - Don’t You Dare Leaving Me This Way!

Don’t You Dare Leaving Me This Way!

Along the way, Shal and Malachite chatted inwardly. It has been approximately 15 minutes they walk down the river and it seems still far from the point of picking up moss. Shal started to worry, Thann had already lost a lot of energy or blood by the time he got to the point of picking up the moss later.

Now it's your turn.

Shal asks Malachite to tell him about himself before meeting Shal. However, the girl stopped her steps and looked tense. He saw the dragon Porsche lying by the river. Maybe they drank water and rested there. The dragon children also appeared to be sleeping in peace. Who would have thought that they were ferociously spitting out a breath of fire in any direction?

Shal looked at Malachite for consideration.

We need to get to the point of picking up the moss and asking for help. However, in front was the dragon Porsesa. Thann ...he seemed to need the moss on the dragon's back to treat his illness. What are we supposed to do?

Malachite seemed to think. She faintly heard the voice of her friend on the tree. He got the idea.

I'll talk to my friend, the tree lizard. Hope they help.

Shal nodded. Malachite climbed one of the trees there and disappeared in the leafy grove. While waiting, Shal noticed the four dragons of Porsesa. Shal felt today a lot of things happened. The Prof's saying that we never know what's going to happen out there is true. Martial and fighting skills are indispensable. Shal knew what he had to train when he returned to Maple Academy, if he could still make it out safely from Gingko Forest.

During this time, he was daunted by facing all the enemies present in the Battle Arena for fear of injuring or killing. On the other hand, he also had to protect himself. For almost a year of being in Maple Academy, those thoughts continued to contradict in his heart. However, today he learned one thing from Thann. When facing the mother pig, Thann did not injure and killed her. He just crippled the pig. Why was such a genius thing unthinkable before? All he needed to know was to find the opponent's weak point and temporarily disable it. Shal doesn't have to make any injuries or take their lives.

True said the Mentor. It's not just about fighting, winning, or losing. It's also about learning to understand ourselves and what we really need.

Soon, Shal senses Malachite has crept onto his shoulder.

Tree lizards are afraid of dragon children. This morning, it spread all over Gingko Forest. They refused to help pick up the moss on the dragon's back.

Shal looks very disappointed. What should he do now?

Relax, Shal. They volunteered to contact the pingai bird that was nesting on top of the tree. If the pingai is willing, he'll fly to find your team members and direct them here. I have also passed on the characteristics of your Herbologist teacher to them.

How lucky he is to have Malachite! Thann was wrong to say that tying the mind with a lizard only brings bad luck!

Don't praise me, Shal. Friends should protect and help each other.

Shal stroked Malachite fondly. Already kind, Malachite is not arrogant.

If you keep praising me, I can be arrogant for a long time!

Malachite laughed hearing Shal who constantly praised him in his heart.

While waiting for news from the tree lizard, how about we take the moss on the dragon's back? I will go up to his back and go back and forth to pick up the moss little by little.

Once again Shal agreed with Malachite's suggestion. His best friend had a sincere heart, so the dragon of Porsisa should not be angry. What must be taken care of is not to let the children wake up and act again. However, even if they wake up, they may not be aware of Malachite's presence on their mother's back.

Shal hid in one of the big rocks on the river bank. Malachite climbed to the feet of the dragon master and stayed for a while there. After which he crept up onto the dragon's back. It was then that Shal saw several pingai birds flying together from the top of the tree. Hopefully it's a sign they've agreed to help him find The Prof and the rest of the team.

A few minutes later Malachite had already descended from the dragon's back and carried a pinch of Porsesa moss. The dragon's body was huge. The journey to pick up a pinch of moss is quite time and effort consuming. Shal put the moss into the place where Amara was given the medicine.

I don't think this is a good idea, Mala. You must be tired.

Shal was about to prevent Malachite from climbing back onto the dragon's back.

I'm it's okay. The dragon master knew as I climbed onto his back. However, he allowed me to go up and take the moss. You said the moss was nutritious. If I was tired, I would try to eat it. Who knows if my stamina will recover.

Shal is unsure of the choice, but Malachite continues to convince him not to worry. Malachite went back up on the dragon's back and continued to go back and forth to get moss for Shal. After some time, the moss collected almost filled the ivory tube. However, Malachite did not return from the dragon's back. Shal waited anxiously. He was afraid something might happen to Malachite.

The malachite!

Shal called Malachite once more. Finally something stuck behind the dragon's back. Shal was relieved. He asked Malachite to come down immediately. However, how surprised he was once he saw a huge lizard about 3 meters in size descending from the dragon's back. The color of his skin was gleaming green with some red patches. Shal knew it was Malachite, but he looked mutated already.

Whahuh?

Malachite seemed surprised when he heard Inner Shal talking about his body. He tried to eat a little moss on the dragon's back due to exhaustion and curiosity. The moss tasted delicious on his tongue and he kept eating it. It did not feel like he had finished off all the moss on the dragon's back and only realized that Shal was constantly calling out to him. He also did not realize that the more he ate the moss of the Porsesa, the more his body changed.

Suddenly a dragon child woke up and immediately wailed as soon as he saw there was a big lizard not far from them. All the dragon children woke up in shock. They did not have time to exhale the flames as the hunt avoided the barrage of smoke bombs that suddenly floated towards them. Unfortunately, even though they managed to avoid the bomb, they could not avoid the smoke that emerged from the bomb. Malachite used the opportunity to immediately run towards Shal.

The dragon mother screamed into the sky and exhaled a huge fireball from her mouth towards one of the rocks in the river. That's where the three smoke bombs came from. Maybe someone who threw the bomb is hiding in there. The dragon master did not attempt to scorch the stone, he merely gave a warning. After which, the dragon mother immediately inhaled the river water and spouted it towards the smoke bomb and her three cubs. The three dragon children were wet and coughed. When they were about to let out a breath of fire, only black smoke came out. They were very surprised and slowly lay down on the river rocks.

The dragon master again exhaled a ball of fire towards the rock in the river. After which, he immediately flew over while carrying the limp-looking dragon children in his grip. They flew high into the sky until they disappeared in the clouds.

Malachite and Shalima looked at each other. Malachite seems to be able to see his true self through the projections in Shalima's mind.

You look like a giant komodo dragon.

Suddenly a man came out from the rocks that had been the target of the dragon master fireball. He was one of the zoologists who was in the moss pick-up this morning. Suddenly the man looked at her and Shal knew the man was now after her.

Up, Shal!

Malachite gave orders to Shalima to go up to his back. Shalima immediately jumped onto Malachite's back and tightened her hands around the lizard's neck. They also leave immediately. There was a smoke bomb streaking beside Malachite. However, unexpectedly, Malachite ran very fast with his nimble legs. They escaped the smoke bomb attack.

Not long after, they were already in front of the sharp stalagmite cave. Malachite directly broke through the stalagmites and did not feel any pain at all. Shal still pressed his hands around Malachite's neck. He could feel his hands being scratched several times by stalagmites, but a few seconds later the wounds had healed on their own.

Shal jumped down from Malachite's back as he arrived before Thann. He immediately clasped Thann's hand to examine her body. Thann's body cells were still trying to deal with the wound on his thigh, but they started to get tired. Thann's energy has also been reduced. Shal shouted in frustration. He was confused about what to do.

Shal took out the Portessa moss that was in his medicine tube. He took a little and ate it. Suddenly Shal hallucinated again, just like when he inhaled the moss earlier this afternoon. It was like he was in a volcanic crater. However, when his entire body had already entered into the magma, he felt that it was in a different place. He's in the ocean. Shal swam upwards, but was confined by the sea-level ice.

Shalimu!

Malachite's voice called out to him again, along with his head pounding the ground of the cave. Shal nodded and immediately got up. Shal felt his body absorb the moss's juices and there was a strange feeling that was hard to explain when it happened.

“Thann ...” Shalima whispered softly waking Thann. The boy's eyes opened and he looked at Shal.

“There was a little bit of the Porsesa moss that Malachite had taken. I don't know for sure if this moss can actually cure you or not. However, my body feels that this moss does have properties and does not have any adverse effects other than hallucinations. I hope, this moss can really help you.”

Shal gave half the moss in a tube to Thann's mouth to see his reaction. Thann chewed and swallowed the moss slowly. Moments later, Thann felt pain in his chest and seemed to have trouble breathing. Shal panicked to see Thann roaring in pain. He tried to keep Thann from rolling on the ground, but he was unsuccessful. Shal himself was panicked and frightened.

Suddenly Thann was unconscious and drooped on the ground.

“Thann!” Shal panicked not a bitch. He checked Thann's pulse and breathing. Shal sculpts because he feels Thann's body is not responding. He didn't even feel Thann's breath and heartbeat.

Shal screamed while crying. That incident shook his soul. Shal squeezed the ground in front of him and shouted in frustration. Shal regulated his breathing, trying to restore his sanity to think clearly.

“No! No! No! Thann! Don’t you dare leaving me this way!” shal quickly wiped his tears and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Shal pressed on Thann's chest and gave an artificial breath. Shal continued to do so without stopping for a second. He's focused on saving Thann.

You must survive, Thann!

Shal screamed in his heart.

Suddenly Thann coughed. Shal looked at Thann. Through the grip of his hand, Shal felt that everything in Thann's body was returning to carry out their respective functions slowly. It's like a reset process.

“Thann ... Thann ...” Shal called out Thann's name, trying to make the man sober. Slowly, Thann opened her eyes. Shal immediately hugged Thann while crying hysterically.