A/N: Another collab with Shadgirl2! She's just full of ideas. This one takes place in an alternate universe where duel spirits are real. We don't own Yugioh GX.

WARNING: OC

Oh, boy... Johan thought, looking around. Why do I keep doing things like this? Really, I know that I get lost easy! Why the heck did I decide to go for a walk in the woods!? Without Ruby, of all things!

It was true—Johan Andersen had left his deck with a friend for the day. This friend, Amon, had claimed he needed it for some reason. When the teal-haired boy had asked why, Amon had said it was a surprise. Regardless, Johan had trusted his friend when he said he would return it later. Now, however, he was regretting the decision to part with his Crystal Beast deck—and his guide, Ruby Carbuncle.

"Hey! Are you crazy!?" a female voice asked behind him. "Don't go that way!"

"Huh?" He turned to see a red-haired, red-eyed teenage girl standing there, hands on her hips. She was dressed in brown shorts and a white tank top that showed her midriff, along with brown hiking boots and finger-less gloves. The tank top had an image of a howling wolf on it. With a hiking backpack on, she was clearly a hiker, he assumed. "Why not?" he asked.

"Why not? Well, that's a dumb question. It's dangerous. Seriously, why else would I be trying to stop you?" She giggled, then added, "Silly boy, you're lost, aren't you?"

Johan sweat. "Uh, well..."

"Then it's a good thing I found you! Helping lost strangers is my life!" She giggled again, then, solemnly, she muttered, "Well, that, and saving people from the witch..."

Johan stared at her, wondering about this last comment. Witch? What's she mean?

"'Witch'?" he asked, not entirely sure he wanted to know.

"Oh, wow!" the girl said. "You are lost! The way you're going is home to a terrible witch who attacks anyone who enters her woods! Like, say, a lost city boy like you."

Johan sweat again. "That obvious I'm from the city, huh?"

"GIVE IT BACK RIGHT NOW OR ELSE!"

The girl tensed. "Oh, crap," she muttered.

"Huh?" Johan turned, looking for whoever had screamed.

"Get down!" The girl grabbed him and pulled him into the brush just moments before a two-tone brunette came barreling through the woods, the duel disk on his arm marking him as a duelist. He was closely followed by a duel monster.

It was humanoid, with dual-colored hair—half white and half purple. Its skin was a mesh of purple and black, and its foot and hand were both clawed, like a dragon's. Demonic wings sprouted from its back, and there were black spikes on its arms and thighs. It had extra eyes on its knees and forehead.

"Sorry! No can do!" the boy called in response to the monster's demand.

"ARG! You and your need for more company! GIVE IT, ALREADY!"

"NO!" the brunette answered, fear showing clearly on his face.

"What's going on!?" Johan demanded of the girl with him.

"Shh!" she hissed. "You want caught!? Just stay put. It's okay."

Johan watched for a moment as the monster chased the boy, trying to grab him or whatever he had and constantly cutting him off, forcing him to try to find another way around her.

"Are you crazy!?" Johan asked the red-head. "That guy needs help!"

"No, he's fine. That's just the witch and her servant. They do this all the time. He's actually quite loyal to her."

"Really? He seems scared to me."

"Trust me. It's just an act," the girl said certainly. "I met him when I was 14. He seemed nice at first, wanting to be friends. But, when she showed up, he said I'd fallen for his trap and told that witch she could 'take it away.'"

"Really?" Johan asked.

"I SAID, GIVE IT!" the monster bellowed. "YOU DON'T NEED ANY MORE STUPID HUMAN FRIENDS! YOU'VE GOT ME! REMEMBER!?"

"Yeah, and you've gone nuts!" the boy answered. "No offense!"

The monster blocked his path again, and he turned to run another way. In that moment, he tripped over a tree stump. The monster caught up with him and snatched back whatever it was that he had stolen, holding it up menacingly. Johan couldn't make out anything about said object from this angle.

"Oh, boy, are you in trouble." The monster snickered menacingly.

There was no doubt about it now—that guy was absolutely terrified. "Please! I-I'm sorry! I—"

"Okay, that's enough! Leave him alone! You hear me!?" Johan shouted, jumping out and hurrying to get between the fiend and the boy on the ground. From here, he could make out the eyes on her face—one was green, the other orange, and both were filled with shock at the moment.

"Huh!?" The boy looked up at Johan in confusion.

"It's okay," Johan said, glancing at him. "I've got your back." Turning back to the witch, he said, "As for you, get out of here before I—"

"Whoa, hey! I can handle this! Just get out of here!" the boy said, getting to his feet. He stepped forward as if to stop Johan.

"Are you crazy!? She's dangerous!" Johan said, activating his duel disk and pushing the brunette back.

"Leave her alone!" There was anger in the brunette's tone.

"What!?"

"You don't know what's going on, so just butt out and leave us alone!" he said, placing himself between Johan and the monster.

"Huh!?"

The monster snickered. "Yeah," she said. "Don't you know better than to interrupt us when we're having a tiny dispute? Maybe we should give you a lesson in manners."

Something in the brunette's expression changed. He looked meaner all of a sudden, but there was still fear showing in his eyes.

"You're in trouble now," he told Johan. "You shouldn't have bothered us. Now you have to pay the price."

"Okay, back off!" the red-head said, stepping out of the brush.

Irritation crossed the brunette's face as he glared at the girl.

"Arg. Not you again..."

"I said, back off! He's not even in your territory!"

"So what!?" the monster demanded. "He's interfering with our business! That counts, too, you know! So get lost and let us have this one!"

"Huh!?" Johan asked. He didn't have a clue what was going on, but it didn't sound good for him.

"Yeah! What she said!" the brunette yelled.

"Arg." The girl put a hand to her head. "Judai, don't make me fight you again. I'm not in the mood today!"

"Yeah, well, neither am I!" the boy—apparently Judai—responded, activating his duel disk.

The girl didn't look impressed. "Ugh. Really? Put that thing away. We both know how this is going to end."

"Not this time!" Judai yelled. There's too much at stake! his expression seemed to add.

The girl sighed. "Yubel, call him off, would you?" she said to the monster. "After all, you are in my territory today, and you know what I'm gonna do."

"Not this time's right!" the monster, Yubel, said, agreeing with Judai. "Nobody interrupts us and gets away with it! Just try to stop us, you pest!"

Yubel turned back to Johan, ready to attack. Judai followed his master's lead. The girl just sighed again.

"If that's how it's gonna be..."

She activated her duel disk and summoned Behemoth, the King of All Animals. The purple, four-legged creature looked something like a dog—aside from the reptilian tail, the horns, and the purple fur that only covered its back.

Apparently she used this monster on them often, as looks of annoyance crossed both Yubel's and Judai's faces.

"Oh, come off it!" Judai said, clearly irritated. "Not that thing!"

"Attack," the girl said lamely.

The beast charged at Judai. Johan was pretty sure that wasn't a good idea, but he was too dumbfounded by everything going on to say so.

"Not so fast!" Judai said. "I summon Elemental Hero Tempest!"

"Huh!?" the girl asked, startled.

A man in blue and yellow armor, with a visor over his eyes, green hair, and green and white wings appeared before the boy.

"Like it? It's a new card I just got!" Judai said, looking pretty excited.

The girl stepped back slightly. "It's stronger than my monster!" she said.

Judai grinned. "You're pretty smart! So, Tempest, attack!"

The hero—another thing that was throwing Johan for a major loop—attacked the behemoth—which sounded way more evil than "hero"—and destroyed it.

"Okay," the girl said, "I think it's time we settle this thing right. How about a duel? If I win, you go home. If you win, you can have that guy. 'Kay?"

"We accept!" Yubel said.

As the two prepared to duel, Johan kept watching, still slightly dumbfounded. He looked at Judai.

Something seems off, he thought. I mean, he's obviously annoyed with that girl, and he does look pretty nasty and dangerous, but...there's still that fear in his eyes...

He made up his mind. "Hold on!" Johan ran over to Yubel.

"Huh!?" The red-haired pain stared at Yubel's latest victim.

"Get away from her!" Judai yelled at the boy as he charged at Yubel.

"Alright! That's enough! Let him go!" the boy demanded of the fiend.

Judai blinked. Wait, what's he doing? Did he... He doesn't buy it? And he's ready to do something about it? That's a first.

"What!?" Yubel demanded.

"You can't fool me!" the boy said. "I saw the look in his eyes! You better let him go, or else!"

As he spoke, he pulled a deck out of his deck box.

Amon may have my Crystal Beasts, but that doesn't mean I don't have a deck! Johan thought, inserting his good luck charm into his duel disk.

"Hmph. From the looks of things, you're a duelist." The fiend crossed her arms, looking at him distastefully.

"That's right. So, how about we settle this duelist style!?" Johan said. "If you win, you can kill me. But, if I win, you let him go!" He pointed at Judai. "Sound good?"

Judai looked worried suddenly. "Oh, man... She wouldn't accept that," he muttered. "There's no way... She's not..."

"I accept," Yubel said.

A panicked look crossed Judai's face.

"Oh, boy... You're gonna regret that!" He turned to the girl and, in one breath, asked, "Do you know him how good of a duelist is he what are the odds he's gonna die?"

"No," the red-head said in answer to that first question. "But I know Yubel. She can't be beat, right?"

Judai's eyes widened. "Hey, Yubel!" he called. "Is he really worth your time? I mean, he's human! You don't want to waste your time on one of them, do you? Why don't you let me handle it?"

His tone was desperate, as though he couldn't let this happen, and he sounded more nervous with each word.

"Silence!" Yubel commanded. "This is my fight! Stay out of it!"

"Oh, boy..."

"Alright, then let's duel!"

Johan set up for a duel, knowing that he couldn't afford to lose this one...for more than one reason.