>>58245673
>The hound hunched back in preparation.
>Preparing for another pounce, you adjusted your stance by millimeters.
>Widening your paws.
>Lowering your center of gravity.
>It was a complete mistake.
>A noise like a howl and a belch preceded a roaring fireball erupting from the hellhound’s mouth.
>Your stance was off enough to delay your escape.
>Chemical flame, foul smelling and hot enough to blacken pavement, caught a foot.
>Whirling through the air was enough to cool the burn, but the damage was done.
>It was like stepping into a hot, bubbling oil fryer.
>You shrieked.
>The pads of your paws, singed and raw, pulsed with pain.
>By the time you refocused, the hellhound hacked another glob of fiery spit.
>It wasn’t as potent as the first.
>Success emboldened the dark-type.
>That was a feeling you could exploit.
>It went wide, landing close enough to the teenager to make him scurry behind his truck.
>The boy and his dog were hopeful.
>They were confident.
>Smug.
>Dashing that confidence was a delicious confidence boost.
>It drove you through the pain.
>Rearing back to hack another fireball, you thrashed the leash.
>Closing the distance gave you all the bigger target.
>The metal chain lashed the side of its orange sound.
>The fireball building in its throat died the instant it struck true.
>The houndoom shrilled, coughing toxic smoke in the air.
>Dare pawed at his snout, and it came away bloody.
>The attack could not have gone better.
>The canine hadn’t realized the chain wound itself around an aged, ivory-gray horn.
>Gleefully, you yanked the chain toward you with excessive force.
>Your plan to end the fight with a will-placed palm strike was not to be.
>The houndoom, fast on its feet, turned an ungainly stumble into a dead sprint.
>Using the momentum you gifted it.
>Dropping the whip, and using both hands, you again barely kept the infernal, flaming jaws away from your neck.