Alex was about to melt the stone around him when Z just let it go, seeming to have lost interest. "Dammit," Alex muttered under his breath. "I missed the chance." Sighing heavily, he put his gentle expression on again. He figured it wasn't a good idea to provoke him some more. "How am I ever gonna see which of us is stronger if I can't get him to fight me for real?" He said to himself. "Oh well, maybe next time." He bent down and scooped up a rock. Releasing the flame he had built up, the stone melted into magma almost instantly and flowed over his hands.