Chapter Nine – Zoey Nozomi Versus Johnny Marco
"I WILL BREAK YOUR BONES!" Johnny charged at Zoey in his bulky devil form, running on all fours. "JUST LIKE WHAT I DID TO YOUR MOTHER! AHA-HAHA!"
Nothing changed ever since she last saw his metamorphosis. He still has that unruly beard and crazy twitching eyes. His pale blue skin had scars of a darker shade like tattoos. Hairs stood all over his body like tendrils. He had those huge and predatory claws that could rip her teenage body with a single swing. His mouth curved open in a frightening way showing an array of outward-pointing teeth. His long snake tongue drooped over the side of his mouth like a tie and he had now fully recovered his twisted broken horn that now grew again backwards reaching his lower back.
And most of all, he still had those sick red eyes always glowing for insatiable carnage.
"Come and get some you ugly fucker!" Zoey suddenly flipped up when they were about to butt heads. She took hold of his horn and rode on his back. "How do you like this ha?!" She pushed her weight down on the back of his shoulder.
The action caught Johnny off guard and the sudden push of her weight got him smothering his own face across the floor. He grunted in agony as his face destroyed cement along the way. Zoey gave him another powerful kick on his back destroying the ground as it hit Johnny's body. Dust clouded over the area.
As the dust slowly settled down Johnny was no longer seen on the ground. Zoey got surprised. She twisted her head looking for him. He was gone. She stood cautiously and kept on looking around. Cheers and screaming of the audiences were distracting her and the blow Will had done on her side still throbbed.
When the dust cleared up, it was then she realized that the kick she did on Johnny created a hole. No, Johnny created the hole. She was too late to realize that and before she could jump off away from the ground where she stood, the ground beneath her erupted and Johnny resurfaced and took hold of her left leg and brought her in midair.
Zoey gasped in pain. His muscular grip crushed her left tibia.
"Not too smart now huh insect?!" Johnny raised her up with his arm and threw her to the ground in brutal speed. "HAHA-AHA-HAHA!"
Zoey sped down like a bullet. She made a piercing cry as her body crashed to the ground. The fall was violent. Zoey's body bounced like a ball after it hit the floor. She coughed up blood and stayed on the ground inanimately.
The cheers of the audiences popped her ears.
Johnny landed with a heavy thud and walked towards her. "What's the matter insect?" His greasy voice asked. "You are an imp devil. Show me your metamorphosis! Where's your devil form?! An imp is useless without his devil form. You'll be just like any other faerie devils. Weaklings!"
She picked Zoey up by the hair. Her white school blouse and skirt were now tattered and torn over her limp half-dead body. She had so much injuries over her body that she could no longer feel it. All she could feel was crippling pain.
"Is this all you got insect?!" He gnarled behind her ear as he lifted her up. "PATHETIC!" He launched consecutive punches on her face. "PATHETIC! PATHETIC! PATHETIC! PATHETIC! PATHETIC!"
Zoey felt each punch clobbering and destroying her jaw line, nose bridge, and whatever else on her face. Her head dripped blood like they were sweat. It traced the frames of her cheeks down to her neck and all the way to her chest and arms. Her white uniform was barely recognizable from the bloody mess. Her consciousness was slipping away and the roar of the audiences and the cries of the caged humans slowly died.
"PATHETIC! PATHETIC! PATHETIC! PATHETIC!"
Johnny kept on pounding mercilessly, laughing in complete hysteria.
"JUST LIKE YOUR MOTHER!"
And with one powerful throw, he casually threw Zoey across the gymnasium. Her body rolled on the ground before banging on the wall. Her body kissed the ground. Her heartbeat was dying.
All she saw was darkness, she wasn't hearing anything and she wasn't feeling anything. It only meant one thing to her – death. And if she was going to die she was dying in a very horrible way. She died because her plan failed. She died because she got overconfident. She died to the monster who killed her mother. She died without getting her revenge. And most of all, she got Dawn in danger and Kenny in danger for a second time. She was too weak and pathetic that it was disgusting.
Johnny was right.
"I..I'm…t-th-the…w-wo-wors-worst..."
Tears dropped from her bloodstained eyes as Zoey's consciousness faded away.
…
"Watch your left!" Will commanded as he launched a kick to her side. Zoey knocked back from the hit but regained balance afterwards.
"We've been over this for a few days already Nozomi." Will reprimanded her. "Never close your eyes during hand to hand combat. You'll lose quickly that way." He scratched his head in an annoyed manner.
"Sorry." Zoey bowed immediately. "Can we practice again?"
Will didn't respond. She looked up and saw his irritated expression.
"Listen. Imp devils are far more capable than faerie devils. Your kind are very skilled at hand to hand combat and mobility. Plus you have your metamorphosis which doubles or triples your attributes!" He raised his hands in exasperation. "But you! We've been practicing for two years and you still don't know your metamorphosis! You can't even fight properly!"
Zoey bowed her head in disdain and bit her lips. She wanted to deny but what Will said was nothing but the truth. All she could do was bitterly absorb it all.
"And you are even supposed to be her daughter." Will murmured as he began walking away from the open grass field where they practiced since morning. "What a disappointment." And as an idea sparked in Will's head, he swiftly turned around and maniacally grinned at Zoey.
"Nozomi." He began as Zoey looked up at him, her tattered shirt and skirt swayed with the late afternoon breeze. "I won't train you again until you have your metamorphosis ready." He added. He cupped his chin as the setting sun behind him made his shadow loomed over Zoey's nine year old body. "Plus, I will tell you something about your mother that I'm very sure she hadn't told you about."
As soon as Will mentioned her mother Zoey sprang from her ground and reached him. "What did you say about mother?! Tell me!" She clung on his purple slacks and begged. "Tell me please!"
Will sighed and felt his head. "You really are such a stubborn girl."
He grunted as flicked her away from his leg. Zoey landed on her back that got her crying out in pain.
"Didn't you hear what I just said?" He menacingly glared at her. "Not until you'll have your metamorphosis." He hissed before walking away. "Until then you'll either be training by yourself or under those four. I don't care. I can't waste more time with a failure like you."
"And oh spoiler." Will quickly turned around and looked at her. "You're nothing like your mother." He laughed haughtily and resumed walking ahead.
Zoey slowly got up. She arced her aching back as she wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "Metamorphosis." She murmured to herself. "And something I didn't know about mother. I must learn it."
"I must learn it, I must learn it, I must learn it!" Zoey pounded the ground in utter frustration. "I must learn it, I must learn it, I must!"
…
The audiences of devils continued cheering for Johnny. They were all shouting for him to rip Zoey apart. At the top-most bench the remaining three henchmen all gave a disappointed look at her. After ten years of excruciating training, Zoey didn't improve greatly.
Will merely let a sigh breeze past his lips. He clapped his gloved hands once as the platform he was on slowly lowered down.
"KILL HER! KILL HER! KILL HER! KILL HER!" The audience cheered.
Johnny looked at Will before Will gave him a look of approval. Johnny sadistically grinned as he launched himself on the air and landed in front of the brutally battered redhead.
"BYE BYE INSECT! HA-AHA-HAHA!"
He picked her up by her hair again.
"DIIIIIIIEEEEE-" Johnny gasped when he saw her face. He was so surprised that he dropped her immediately and backed away a few meters. He suddenly got frightened.
Zoey stood up shakily. She heaved heavy breaths of air.
"You may call me pathetic.." She limped and walked towards him. "But I can never forgive you for ridiculing my mother!" She looked at him with fiery eyes. The pupils of her eyes turned into slits like cat's eyes. Her canine tooth enlarge that they were visible even from Johnny's distance. Her ears got pointy and she grew flaming red fur on both of her forearms and legs including one big red furry tail. She grew two minute horns barely visible by her now shaggy longer red hair. All injuries on her body released smoke and soon she was completely healed. Her face grew fiercer and her expression menacing.
"Take back what you said…" She hissed.
For some unknown reason, Johnny was afraid of her. His body was trembling.
"I see.." She followed. She looked at him with empty and cold merciless eyes. Her slit pupils constricted. "THEN I SHALL RIP YOU TO PIECES!" She snarled as she came running to him at frightening speed.
"N-N-NO! STAY BACK!" Johnny tried to run away but Zoey got hold of his horn. She pulled him back with her two hands and kneed his back. She broke his horns as she bended his spine as well. The crackling of his spine was heard throughout the gymnasium. He screamed in pain. He wailed and writhed on the ground in agony.
"You son of a bitch!" Johnny screamed as he tried to kick her. But Zoey got ahead and crossed her arms as shield. Johnny barely moved her. The scratches on her arms smoked and healed immediately.
"Take back what you said. And maybe, just maybe. I'll think about letting you live."
"Y-y-yo-your mo-mmo-moth-mother.." Johnny trembled as he backed away slowly. "Y-you-your mother wa-wasn-wasn't path-"
A sharp piercing noise stopped Johnny midsentence.
The nail of Zoey's forefinger lengthened and pierced Johnny through his skull. He died immediately. His heavy muscular lifeless body collapsed on the dusty floor.
"Too late. I was never going to let you live anyway." She said as her blood stained nail retracted back to normal size. "That's what you get for killing my mother."
Everyone went silent.
Johnny Marco, Will's henchman. One of the most powerful devils in the school was killed. Everyone was shocked, even the three remaining henchmen.
Then a series of clapping broke the tensioned silence.
"Bravo! Magnificent! Outstanding!" Will laughed and got off the platform. "Excellent performance Nozomi!"
"You condescending bastard!" She charged at him only to be blown back by an invisible force. She flipped in midair and used her tail and cushioned her fall. "Shit. You and your fucking ability."
"Don't get cocky Nozomi. You may have powered up but I am on a complete higher pedestal from the likes of you. But for a half-metamorphosis, you're impressive." He smiled devilishly. "Just like your mother."
"Half-metamorphosis?" She asked.
"Your metamorphosis is still incomplete, a juvenile." He stated casually. "You see, powerful metamorphosis takes time to mature. That is how powers work in devils. The stronger it is the more time it needs to mature and the more sacrifice you have to do to complete it. And you just woke it up. That is the beginning."
"Fuck you and your metamorphosis bullshit!" She followed immediately. Her body was on crazy fire. Blood rushed throughout her body like speeding cars. She wanted to kill in order to stay calm. No, she needed to kill. She thirst blood like never before. She crazed for murder. She was barely controlling herself. Her body gave menacing barbaric seizures.
She breathed noticeably and heavily, clawing the floor beneath her in attempt to control her thirst. Her claws punctured the ground easily like it was made of clay.
"So how does it feel now that you had your revenge?" The edge of Will's mask glinted light from the spotlight above. "Or hadn't you?" He scoffed and laughed like a total lunatic, clutching his abdomen as his hysterical laughter filled the gymnasium.
Zoey's eyebrows creased.
"Say what?" She snarled at his mockery. "What did you fucking say?!"
"Poor Johnny." He wiped a tear and slowly stopped laughing. "Did you see his face? He was pissing himself! Your mother really had done him well."
"What the fuck are you talking about?!" Zoey's breathing got heavier by the second. She was ready any second to pounce and claw Will's eyes out. "Stop laughing you bastard!"
"Remember what I promised you eight years ago?" Will questioned. "I'll tell you."
The gymnasium with over four hundred individuals got silent.
"The dark past your mother hid from you. How we used to work together. How she betrayed the higher council. How she got your poor little village in danger. " Will paused as he mockingly smiled at the look of confusion and disbelief on Zoey's face.
"And how I killed your mother. The feared Marilyn 'Red Nightmare' Nozomi."