The duel is here, yes? I wanted this chapter to be a lot longer, but it ended up being so short (originally intended to be nine thousand sooo...). So yeah...Anyway, thanks for all of those that have read up until now and please enjoy this chapter!
Special thanks to Heleentje who read over the draft and pointed out mistakes and things that needed work.
Disclaimer: O RLY? Don't own anything here.
The next morning Johan was far too tired to so much as twitch, but he pushed himself out of bed anyway. If they were here, they were going to make the best of it, and of that he was sure. No way was he going to bethe reason for any setbacks. So Johan persevered and pulled himself through his morning rituals. He was just emerging from his bathroom when Juudai entered his room and approached him, looking him directly in the eye. Johan smiled at Juudai, but there was no humor to be exchanged.
"You're exhausted. Go lie down," Juudai said evenly.
"No, I'm fine, Juudai. Let's go," Johan said as he made a move towards the door.
Juudai did not move, only continued staring at Johan. "No, you're not. You need to rest."
Johan titled his head sideways like a berated child. "Juudai, I'm fine. Come on, let's get breakfast."
"You're not fine."
"No, really, I am!"
"How much longer do you plan on lying to me?"
"Ahh, Juudai...I...No, I don't mean it as a lie," Johan replied, his voice slightly wavering. He gazed meaningfully at Juudai. "Really, I did not mean to...Thank you for your concern..."
"Then go lie down. I'll bring you something later," Juudai said as he made his way to the door. He did not look back as he exited.
"Right...See ya." There was a moment of silence in the room, Johan only looking at the closed door. Then he wandered over to his bed and considered lying down. It was not as though he was upset with Juudai, but rather concerned and a bit peeved at himself. He wondered how he could have better dissuaded Juudai without lying to him. But because it had been one of those situations, he ended up with nothing more than a throbbing head. No matter what he had done the outcome would be unfavourable for him.
Dispirited, Johan crawled underneath the covers and curled up without bothering to change his clothes. He allowed his eyes to drift about the room, taking in the couches and various decorations on the wall. A particular painting caught his attention. Against a chaotic scene of people rushing, an older man and a young woman stood together, tranquil and their hands clasped in prayer, both detached from the discord around them. Johan considered the painting a bit longer, crossing his arms over his chest beneath the covers, taking in as many details as he could. He noted that the man had a white beard of a considerable length, a common symptom of Renaissance anthropomorphism. When he was sure that he could recall every detail of the oil painting, Johan closed his eyes and rested his head back in the pillows. Afterimages danced in the darkness. One blob of light shaped like Ruby darted across the private stage of his eyelids.
He then opened his eyes slightly and observed the textured ceiling. After staring for long enough, he began to see patterns in the blotches. He tried counting them, but ended up losing his place some time after twenty-seven. All of these idle activities brought him to the edge of sleep, so he closed his eyes and yawned.
Juudai would be coming back soon, he thought. Maybe thirty minutes at the most, and that would be enough time for him to rest...So he drifted...
--
Juudai had been accosted by the child the moment he stepped out of the elevator. The boy had nearly blind-sided him in his enthusiasm of encountering such a legendary duellist. When Juudai regained his balance the boy gave a flourish to his black bangs and flashed a gapped grin.
"Juudai Yuuki! May I get your autograph? Please?" broached the boy. Despite his shyness his tone brimmed with excitement.
Juudai smiled at the boy, but looked stupidly at him for a moment. With a great effort Juudai opened his mouth and then closed it, looking like a fish taken out of water and left to die on a table. "Do you have paper and pen?" Juudai asked, his best effort resulting in a sentence he knew was broken somehow, spoken English not being his forte.
"Mmm, right here!" the boy offered up a notepad and pen he had stolen from his hotel room to doodle with during breakfast.
While Juudai struggled with scribbling the unfamiliar letters of the English alphabet, he glanced up continuously to see the boy grinning so very earnestly at him. Admiration and childish glee shone in his expressive and watery eyes.
"Mr.Yuuki, how do I become a better duellist?" the boy asked as he reached out to retrieve his autograph, which he held to his chest when he received it.
The brunet took a few moments to think. "You do that by not much doubting your cards or self." Juudai touched his left breast. "Love your cards very much," Juudai concluded, nodding.
"Love my cards?"
"Yes. They love you back."
"All right." The boy nodded and then looked over his shoulder and down the white hallway. "Haha, I'm actually suppose to be going to the bathroom! Thanks! I'll be watching all your duels!
Yubel appeared near Juudai, and they both watched the retreating boy until he rounded a corner and disappeared from their sight.. "You have connected another soul with the spirits," Yubel observed. "Even if he never will see them."
Juudai shrugged. "Maybe. I was just doing what needed to be done." He turned on his heel and began heading towards the lobby.
Yubel could not help but smile at her Juudai's brilliance. "Of course. It comes natural for the prince."
Juudai just shrugged.
--
...And then there were people in the darkness. Words were exchanged in a language he did not know, and which he doubted was spoken in the modern world, but he knew that they were talking. Some time passed, and the people became more defined, though they were not moving, but instead looked like a surreal still life. He could make out two children and one man. They spoke again, though this time in a tongue he knew.
Full was all that he felt. Content could have been another word, but he knew that he was whole. He knew it was strange, but in feeling full he felt...simple; he knew that, beyond a doubt, he was simply loved.
Johan awoke with a slight start. He sat up rubbing his eyes and, when the world resolved, looked around the room with a vague sense of vertigo. To his left sat a covered plate from which effused the noisome stench of aging Western breakfast. Wondering how long he had slept, he looked to the clock to see that it was currently ten a.m., though it did not feel that early at all. Still, he had slept for nearly three hours, sleeping through Juudai dropping off breakfast and probably sitting around while waiting for him to wake up.
The wafting smell of the food knocked him out of thoughts and forced him to turn his attention to it for, unattended, the meal would surely stink up the whole room. As he ate, Johan ruminated over the tournament. Surely people he knew would be there: old friends, enemies, and classmates. Perhaps people from North School would be there too, which would lead to some interesting, if not tense, encounters. Though he had not had too many friends at North School, the whole of the student body had begun to revere and cherish him as their personal messiah for his Gem Beasts. Before finding them he had just been another student following beneath Yuri Edogawa, though he had been more content than the others, for he preferred the hierarchy of power to resolve itself without him having to get involved. Johan was indeed simple in that aspect: one who could get along regardless of what government reigned over him, but would step up if the situation needed him to.
Thinking of North School brought a familiar uneasiness to his chest. He had an urgent need to set something in motion, or to just be in motion himself. For a quick release, he patted the duvet of his bed. Ruby appeared on his shoulder, looked at him for a moment, and then ran down his arm. She sat down on his hand and peered up at Johan, her pupiless eyes alive with a stray dapple from the window.
"I'm fine, Ruby," Johan said with the faint lilt of one who has just woken up from a very deep sleep, despite his mind being plenty active. "Just a bit tired."
"Ruuu."
"I'm not sure what I'll do today...I want to go out, but we'll have to see what Juudai wants, and where he is." Johan looked towards his cell phone, which lay charging on the cherrywood table besides his deck. "I'll wait for him to call...Or if it gets too late—because he probably thinks I'm still sleeping—I'll call him." His poignant sloth stung him when he recounted it, so that he twitched slightly. "I'm sorry for making you worry, Ruby. I ought to be more careful so I don't keep burdening everyone like this."
Ruby crooked her head. "Ruuubi-ru."
"Right...Take better care of myself, in a way," Johan crooned.
Ruby looked briefly at Johan before running back up his arm and resettling herself on his shoulder. Pushing herself up against his cheek, she mewled her response.
Johan smiled to himself. Family was such a beautiful thing, he thought, with all the cocooning layers of affection and deeply-rooted nuances. A family—his family—would always care, no matter what, so he had to definitely be more careful in the future, and by being careful both his family and himself benefited. Worry was its own exquisite form of affection, no matter how negative and grating.
When he had his fill he gathered the plate and cutlery and moved across the room. He set them down outside in the hallway near his door, careful that they were not placed in the way of anyone walking by or the closing door. Johan returned to his bed and snuggled beneath the sheets. Shrouded in cool linen, Johan closed his eyes and smiled, once again forgetting about still being clad in his day clothes. Warmth soon spread around him, enveloping him. He sighed, and then thought about things until his mind found a silent and still rut.
Time passed.
Johan was awoken by distant chattering. Sitting up slowly, he was overwhelmed by a rolling nausea and a heavy headache. His crumpled shirt clung to his skin, and a film of moisture was present beneath his clothes. Lazily, he noted that the television had been turned on and was being watched by Juudai, who had pulled up a chair next to his bed. Juudai, however, had fallen asleep; his head was inclined and his chin rested on his chest. His hands were lain in his lap.
With a quick sideways glance at the clock, Johan pulled himself out of bed and walked the short distance over to Juudai. His muscles protested at the movement, but carried him anyway. He watched Juudai sleeping for a moment, smiling.
"Thanks a lot, Juudai. Sorry for sleeping all day," he murmured, a heavy hazy lingering in his mind as he shuffled back to his bed. Johan sat down and stared absently at Juudai. Eventually his mind settled enough so he was able to form a coherent thought, but he felt sleep begin to beckon him back. Standing up, he figured that he may as well go back to sleep, but after he showered and changed out of his day clothing.
By the time he had prepared himself for bed his drowsiness had cleared and left him feeling renewed, if not a bit tired.
Johan returned and sat on the edge of his bed, pulling at his damp hair, teasing it upwards lazily in an effort to preserve some of the spikes. He saved his bangs, but the back portion of his hair hung limp around his neck, momentarily tickling him at any movement of his head.. As he played with his back tresses, Yubel materialised, leaning over the back of Juudai's chair, touching his cheek gently with her hand. He watched her for a while. Then, reasoning that she was not going to start a conversation, smiled invariably and said, "good evening, Yubel."
She stood and up and cast him a spectacularly stern look, which made Johan flinch slightly. Easing up, she turned her body towards him and sat on the back of Juudai's chair.
"Johan," she said mildly.
"Mmm. It's good to see you out," Johan replied.
"It's good to be out." She considered him for a bit. "It's nothing personal, but I hope you know what it means."
Johan was not at all thrown by the sudden shift topic, instead nodded his understanding. "I do."
"It's my duty to protect Juudai. By entering this tournament you have become his enemy. Regardless of what happens, I must be true to my promise."
Johan reclined his head, his smile dazzling. "And I can't blame you at all for that. Promises are such beautiful, precious things. I could never hold it against you, Yubel."
She paused a secret moment to marvel. "Good. We have an understanding."
"Right. No mercy. I've got my own desires, though they are much more selfish." Johan straightened his head, though still smiled. "I'm glad that you'll protect Juudai from me and the world."
"Mmm."
Here Johan smiled at her amiably before stretching his hands up and falling dramatically backwards on the bed. He made no sound, until he began quietly snoring, which was more of a nasally breathing than anything.
Yubel was still a bit unnerved by the boy, though she was experiencing a mounting respect that was just a bit uncomfortable. For him she had a certain regard that could not be placed well with words. He was something else with his replies and serenity, almost inhuman, for she doubted that a mere mortal could hold so much peace—because peace really was a measurable thing with him—in his soul. To say that he was reminiscent of Juudai was indeed an understatement, but he held a profound satisfaction with the world that was all his own. She wondered if perhaps she had felt like that too once, able to know for sure that the world was grand and wonderful, and so easily accept others and let go of their faults. Maybe, once, in her years with Haou. Also, to be so free of grudges truly would have helped her back then, maybe even changed the fate of many people.
--
The next day passed unremarkably, with only one more meeting with their sponsors and managers, which only Juudai attended. Johan spent those particular hours roaming around the various shops of Time Square, and even stopped to have a salad and Dasani water from the infamous McDonalds with the luxuriantly lighted entrance that resembled an Elvis suit studded with thousands of electric sequins. As he walked, several of his Gem Beasts materialised and kept pace with him. They took in the sights as well, and were more bothered by the people passing through them than the urban cacophony that left a terrible ringing in Johan's ears that remained when he returned to his hotel. Juudai met up with him later that evening and had nothing to say about the meeting save that the first duel of the tournament would involve them. Johan needed to hear no more, and only nodded his understanding while Juudai rambled about card strategies.
On the following day they watched a movie about an American comic book hero who ran so fast he ended up going faster than light, effectively expelling himself from the time stream so that he was stuck drifting between two dimensions known as the past and the future. Juudai was perceivably disturbed by this. Johan was tactful, not bothering to point out what was so painfully obvious. After the movie Johan flicked Skittles across his table as Juudai worked on his deck. They had lunch brought up by room service, watched several more hero movies, and skipped dinner.
The rest of the day passed in a busy blur; each day had had its own adventure and lessons and wonders, but Johan found that it all became a noisy mess. He was upset that he had not been able to remember all of it, but consoled himself with the fact that the time had not been wasted for it had been spent with Juudai, no matter how lost he got in the lingering language barrier.
The eve of the tournament had both Johan and Juudai unsettled and anxious and each showed it in his own way. Juudai was more pensive that usual, taking spans of ten to twenty minutes to work on his deck without saying anything to either Yubel or Johan. Johan had his tacit spans, spending more time gazing around the room at various paintings than on his deck. A few times he peered out of the window. It was he who finally suggested they go out for dinner, preferably somewhere near Rockefeller plaza. So they left, wandered, ate, and returned to Johan's room around eleven, where they watched a horribly cheesy horror movie until Juudai dozed off.
Johan sat Indian-style on the floor while Juudai sat in a cushioned chair pulled up beside him. He leaned against a leg of the chair and sighed noisily, only daring to a chance to expel his stress when he was certain Juudai could not hear him. Between the throbbing in his head and the throbbing in his feet he was at a loss as to what hurt more at the moment, but was sure which one would still be aching in the morning.
Then a presence to his right caught his divided attention. Johan tilted his head sideways without lifting it to see Gem Beast Amethyst Cat and Ruby lying next to him. They looked at him like they were expecting him to say something, but did not react when he remained silent. He closed his eyes and blocked out the din of the television. Calm rose around him, only to be disturbed by a third presence he felt materialise and loom above him. With one eye open and head reclined, Johan peered absently at Yubel. He offered a stupid smile before yawning.
"Tomorrow," she said simply.
"Family versus guardian," Johan said. He closed his eyes and smiled more. "Love versus love—bond versus bond."
Yubel considered the sleeping boy, ignoring the stares of Amethyst Cat and Ruby, taking in the familiar peace as displayed by the smoothness of his brow and the faint lines etched around his mouth. If she had not known better she would have believed his relaxed countenance to reflect his true state of mind. She was sure he was troubled, if even only slightly, and that he did not mean to hide his worry—he was just that type of person, that type who holds their problems like distant dreams.
"I'm ready, you know," Johan breathed. "To face you— to fight you."
She wondered if it was at all strange to face off against to an entity that had once sealed away his soul and possessed his body. Coming up with a grim answer, she dismissed the topic.
"You have accepted my duty--my promise--for what it is. Thank you."
"You're welcome," Johan said. He wanted to say more, but found the prospect of sleep too inviting, so he departed.
Yubel accepted his silence for what it was, not taking any offense. Instead she leaned against Juudai's chair, stroking his hair and waited as the hours passed.
--
The atrium of the stadium left Johan with an acute dizziness as he tried craning his neck in an attempt take in all the details of the room. The ceiling was some thirty metres up and decorated with nothing but glimmering lights. Five walls painted grey and hung with scores of painting blended easily with the stamped concrete floor. Large windows opened up on an indoor, pseudo-modern zen garden, shot with paths of stepping stones and concrete walkways, both lined with bamboo and trimmed, lush ferns that could be anywhere from five to fifty years old.
Gem Beasts Sapphire Pegasus and Topaz Tiger took the opportunity to materialise in a place where there would be no awkward spatial situations. They settled beside Johan, not minding if anyone passed through them, and observed the courtyard with him. Johan passed the time by playing with the ferns and gravel, trying to count the leaves and make out patterns and shapes. Though he said nothing to Sapphire Pegasus or Topaz Tiger, they knew he was not ignoring them. Finally, he broke his attention from the garden and regarded the empty air to his left.
"It's kind of pretty, isn't it?" he asked.
Several people passed by and through his duel spirits. Not even one bothered to acknowledge the blue-haired ghost who appeared to be talking to himself.
"There are only a few like it back in Europe. It's too cold and mechanical to be pretty," observed Sapphire Pegasus.
Johan looked closely at the dangling bamboo branches which should have been swaying peacefully in the wind, but hung dead in the closed-off environment. Aside from the green of the ferns and bamboo, which contrasted violently against their surroundings, there was only black, white, and grey, like a snapshot tinted with greyscale. He was no gardener, but he figured that the plants forced to dwell in such a world—to be robbed of even the simple splendour of the sun—must have had a profound melancholy.
"Do you think you will be ready?" asked Topaz Tiger.
Johan looked away from the window and ran a hand over the deck holster secured to his belt.
"Yeah. This darkness festering my soul makes it hard not to be." Johan brought a hand to rest on his left breast. "If it wells any longer I may have to drop Duel Monsters and find another outlet for this darkness," Johan breathed, hoping the dark jest would lighten the mood. The duel spirits thought nothing of it.
The next moment Juudai approached with their managers in tow. He looked slightly peeved, but held his countenance as neutral as he could. They talked about a few special arrangements that had been made and what exactly they meant. Johan translated for Juudai when the managers spoke to one another in English. When they noted his fluency in both Japanese and English as better than they had acknowledged, they ceased their conversation and glared at Johan so quickly that he was not sure if their plastered smiles really had twisted.
"So we have talked with the group and have gotten you this opportunity—to be the opening match of the tournament, the first duel, almost immediately after the opening ceremony. This is great publicity, and should take care of and difficulties in the later rounds."
"Later rounds?" Juudai asked.
"It's hard to say what would be more epic—have more pizazz—to have a blazing showdown to open up for the other duels and be a sparkling memory that keeps their attention divided, or to have it towards the end when the crowds are already bordering on feral."
Johan tilted his head. "But isn't the match-up process random?"
One of the two managers simpered. "There are many random selections, yes."
Juudai stepped forward and Yubel materialised behind him, glaring at the men who would never be able to see her. "This is normal?" he asked flatly.
"As much as the Pope is Catholic," offered one of them while tittering. "Or as normal as your relationship--but that doesn't matter. You were pulled out of the pool of candidates for this particular and rare angle, as you know, so keep doing what you do."
"Yes, just do as you do. Resolve this one duel--put on a grand show, as we are sure you will--and the contract is yours," said the other manager, as if he they had figured on holding the contract above their head would motivate them, that they somehow regretted the decision to make just a bit longer before signing away their respective life. Here they both left, only calling back to Johan and Juudai to both meet them again in the competitors' lobby before the duel.
A silence tried to settle, but Johan quickly brushed aside its efforts. "Our relationship?"
"Friends make intense rivals," Juudai offered, his tone carrying a hint of sarcasm that Johan took for granted.
"Mmm. You're my rival, then."
Yubel looked curiously at Johan, waiting to see what he would say next; she reminded herself to not hold her breath.
"We're enemies, then. Take this!" Johan balled a fist and reached out for Juudai's arm, stopping only a millimetre away. "Pow!" And, finally, he smiled sheepishly.
Juudai glanced at the fist hovering near his arm and then at Johan's, vaguely aware of the smell of clean human, the smell he had come to associate with him."Enemies at last."
"It's a promise, then?"
"Right. A promise to give my best in this duel," Juudai confirmed.
"As for me, I promise to be the best challenge I can be."
--
An evocative grin had spread across Fubuki's face while he read the glossy pamphlet handed to him by a wandering member of security. He and Asuka sat in a secluded area reserved for affluent people of interest three rows up from the stage's periphery. Around them seats had been filled up with restless crowds that carried a rumbling tenor with them. Asuka was currently pacing around the carpeted box, listening to someone admonishing her from their line of the call, with deeply furrowed brows, saying an occasional "hai" to let the other party know that she was still on the line.
"Come check this out," he said.
She waved her free hand vehemently at him and mouthed for him to be quiet until she was done.
Fubuki dog-eared the page and continued reading. Ten minutes later Asuka collapsed into the seat next to his and shut her eyes while mumbling, not minding when her phone slipped from her lap to the floor.
"The school?" Fubuki asked, guessing at the cause of her distress.
"Yes—well, no. They don't need me to observe duels today."
"Oh, do we have to leave?"
"No."
"Then what's the problem?"
Asuka opened one eye and looked directly into her brother's eyes. "I don't appreciate their last-minute flippancy."
"How dare they ditch my sister! We'll get them back somehow."
"I'd rather not, Fubuki. I don't need to be fired because of your antics."
"Fine," Fubuki whined, affecting hurt. After a dramatically deft flip of his hair he picked up his pamphlet and rolled it up. He failed to suppress his contagious grin. "Just let me know if you need anything."
"I will." Asuka smiled, even if the only thing she really needed from her brother was his company and his keeping out of her problems. She appreciated his heartfelt involvement, but she had to deal with her own issues now. At the very least he would respect that, even if he needed to be told off (and sometimes multiple times at that). This time with him now she regarded as precious for her brother, known to have roots anchored no where, was liable to up one day and leave her to join Ryo and Shou. Being associated with this league was admittedly not her favorite choice, but it had been her only option provided by this time in her career to gain experience she needed in foreign duel strategy. All of this was for her future students, she told herself, but was unable to find as much comfort in this thought as she would have liked.
Despite herself Asuka looked wistfully at Fubuki for a moment; no matter how crazy he was, he was her brother through and through.
Slapping the list of the day's duels against his knee, Fubuki sighed nosily. "There's a lot of action promised in these pages—let's see it already!"
"Who's in the first duel?" Asuka asked absently. She was aware of Fubuki regarding her strangely. "What?"
"You don't know?
"No, I don't. Just tell me."
"It's Juudai."
"Really? Against who?"
"Johan," Fubuki replied simply.
Asuka sat up in her seat, her back perfectly parallel with the back of the mauve cushioned chair. Her face was perfectly neutral while an unfocused wonder stilled her thoughts.
"Wow, what're the chances of that?"
Her eyes darted from her brother's face to the dias of the stage where the obnoxious master of ceremony stood yelling lines of encouragement, prompting the crowd to break into a renewed frenzy of yelling and bellowing and chaos.
"Who can say?" asked Fubuki rhetorically. Then he added, as though an afterthought, " I think I have a pretty good idea of who to ask."
--
It was not the deafening ululations of the crowds that shattered his concentration as much as the overwhelming mixture of elation and anxiety that crawled in his skin as he and Juudai (followed closely by Yubel) approached the centre of the duel field. They met in the middle and shook hands before exchanging decks so that each could shuffle his opponent's deck. Johan's hand grazed Juudai's as he accepted his deck back and turned to approach his end of the field. When he reached his spot and turned around once more, he and Juudai were enemies.
The explosion of sound that followed their simultaneous cry of "Duel" was enough to make Johan jump. He easily drew his five cards, fanning them out between thumb and pointer finger.
"My turn!" he announced in flawless English. A commentator made a quip as he drew his first card and added it to his hand. "C'mon!" he said as he summoned Gem Beast Mammoth, instantaneously having a living hologram of the large beast emerge from a chunk of amber on his side of the field. The mammoth looked back at Johan and said something that was swallowed up by noise before it reached the crowd. Johan smiled encouragingly and said something too. He set up one card and looked at Juudai. "My turn is over."
"My turn!" Juudai announced, his words dressed heavily in his thick accent. He drew his card with his characteristic flourish and added it to his hand. Yubel looked over his shoulder, reading his cards and formulating possible moves. Without a word to her Juudai picked one card from the six in his hand and slipped it into a slot in his duel disk. "I play magic card Angel's Charity! I draw three cards, then discard two." Juudai drew and then discarded E-Hero Neos and Contact Out. He immediately followed by playing another card, announcing, "I play magic card O - Over Soul to bring back E-Hero Neos!"
On Juudai's field materialised a rather tall humanoid. Its body was silver and stripped vertically with red on both of its sides.
"Next I summon N-Groun Mole!" A mole-like monster appeared beside Neos. "Neos, N-Groun Mole, contact fusion!" Juudai announced as the holograms of his monsters condensed into two balls of white light before shooting back into his deck. In their place appeared a humanoid, reminiscent of extraterrestrial life, with a drill as a substitute for one hand. "E-Hero Grand Neos! Activate effect!" Juudai pointed a finger at Johan's towering beast. "Return Amber Mammoth to Johan's hand!"
The mammoth shrunk in a flash of light and sped back to Johan's hand. Johan scowled.
"Finally, I play the field magic Neo Space!" As soon as Juudai had placed the card in a special slot at the end of his duel disk and said slot had snapped shut, their surroundings began to writhe and pulse in a phantasmagoric array of color.
"Reverse card open!" Johan announced. "At this moment I play Last Resort, bringing out Rainbow Ancient City - Rainbow Ruin in favor of Neo Space!"
Juudai frowned slightly as he drew a card as per Last Resort's effect, getting Attack Nullification. "Direct attack, E-Hero Grand Neos!" The humanoid leaped across the duel field, planting his drill-hand squarely in Johan's solar plexus, much to the horror and delight of the crowd. When the smoke settled Johan was staggering, 2500 Life Points lost.
"I set one card and end my turn! E-Hero Grand Neos is returned to my deck now according to his effect."
"Well played, Juudai," Yubel offered as the turned passed to Johan.
Juudai inclined his head subtly, so as to not draw unneeded attention to his communication with the air around him.
"My turn. I draw." Johan picked up the top card from his deck and immediately played it. "C'mon! I summon Gem Beast Sapphire Pegasus!" A refined sapphire appeared on his field, and from it burst a white pegasus. The beast looked back at Johan and then to the opponent.
"Is it time, finally, for you to indulge your darkness? I will do my very best, Johan."
Johan nodded seriously. It was his time indeed, but he could help but feel that this all was somehow wrong. Yet here it was: his stage, his opponent, the whole world watching...
"I activate Sapphire Pegasus' effect to place Ruby Carbuncle in my Magic and Trap zone!" A chunk of unrefined ruby appeared near him. "Now, Sapphire Pegasus, attack! Sapphire Tornado!"Just as the beast was to collide with Juudai, he activated Attack Nullification, pushing back Sapphire Pegasus' attack and forcing Johan's Battle Phase to end.
Johan appeared unfazed as he placed three cards face-down. "My turn is done."
"My turn!" Juudai proclaimed. Drawing one card and adding to his hand, he selected one card and held it above his head. "I play magic card E - Emergency Call!"
Johan bit his lip. "Reverse card open! Mine Blasting!"
"Magic card activate!" Juudai shouted, holding up a second magic card "Quick Summon!"
When the chain had resolved Juudai had E-Hero Neos back on his field and Johan had selected five cards—Gem Beasts Emerald Tortoise, Topaz Tiger, Amethyst Cat, and Amber Mammoth, and the trap The One Worth Protecting—from his deck and discarded them, taking a moment to thank each of his family members for its sacrifice.
Gazing at Sapphire Peagaus, Juudai pointed towards it and ordered "Neos, attack Sapphire Pegasus!"
"Reverse card open! Gem Split! This allows me to halve Neos' attack points." Johan announced, his arms held up and his elbows bent. He sent one card—a copy of Gem Beast Amber Mammoth—from his deck directly to his graveyard as he watched Neos shatter and dissipate. Juudai drew one card.
"Juudai, do you know what he is doing? All of his beasts are on the field now," said Yubel from over Juudai's shoulder.
"Yeah, I have a pretty good idea. And I probably know what his face-down is, too."
"Will you play that card, then?"
"Yeah, I think I will." He smiled wistfully. "I set up two cards and end my turn."
"At this moment I play activate my trap--Rainbow's Gravity!" Johan announced as the last holographic card on his field stood up to reveal itself. He felt a suspension of gravity as the volume of the crowd grew to dangerous heights at the prospect of seeing the legendary Ultimate Gem God Rainbow Dragon. Before him manifested the Rainbow Dragon in all its resplendent splendor, its gold-lined body glinting and its wings outstretched. Its cry was terrible, only adding to the chaos ruling the stadium. Johan did his best to ignore the surrounding crowd, gazing at Juudai and Yubel.
"I skip my Draw Phase according to the effect of Mine Blasting," Johan announced. "Right, Sapphire Pegasus..."
They all cheered even louder. Only five turns into the duel and already a certain legendary deity had been revealed for the first time on a televised duel, an intense rivalry had unfolded, and a clear winner was determined. It was only a simple matter now.
Sapphire Pegasus, who stood at the base of great dragon, looked back at him and, appearing truly concerned. "Johan, are you—"
"At this moment I activate Kuriboh's Calling Flute!" Juudai announced. Both duellists watched as Hane Kuriboh popped onto Juudai's field and looked around, as if in a daze. Gathering herself, she then looked resolutely at Johan's Rainbow Dragon and cried kuri kuri.
"This is it, then?" Yubel asked, hovering over Juudai's shoulder. She could not help but feel that it should be her winning this duel for him, but if fate wanted it this way than she would just have to accept it because, unlike her pursuing Juudai and pulling him into alternate dimensions in an attempt to waken to himself and secure the love that was rightly hers, there really was nothing she could do about all of this.
"Magic card activate! Transcendent Wings!"
Detached, Yubel watched the tiny Hane Kuriboh's wings rapidly grow and expand, so that each one was larger than her body, even now that it was partially encased in gold armor. A dazzling white light engulfed the entire stadium, burning the retinas of those who were foolish enough to try and see through it. She stood calm and composed as she watched the light resolve to reveal Johan on his knees, staring at the ground and vaguely aware of the world. She was demure when Juudai, unable to fight back his urge to stay grounded and avoid any awkward situations, walked over to Johan and offered a hand to help him up.
Johan accepted, and allowed himself to be hoisted up. The master of ceremonies caught up with them and congratulated Juudai on being the first victory in the NAC and asked Johan (who he truly was sorry for, really) how it felt to have the first loss of the NAC.
Johan considered the question for a moment.
How he felt...The darkness had receded now, probably would be for a while to come for it had been satisfied. The issue with the contract still stood, but he had a feeling that would resolve itself easily. Beyond that he felt utterly dysphoric. Something had been strained, of that he was sure, but it was still lingering and...almost completely untouched in the end.
"I'm a bit more aware now, I suppose. It was an experience." He offered a radiant smile to the camera, stealing a glance at Juudai before turning to walk away. And he said nothing else to any reporter, master of ceremony, or fan.