"Rose!" Johnny called out, invoking his Duel Disk. The girl stopped in her tracks, clenching her fists tightly as she turned to look at him with her icy-cold, striking Johnny's soul with the stare of her navy-blue orbs. Johnny panted, catching his breath from all the running he had to do in order to catch up with her.
"What do you want? Can't you see I have my own agenda, or are you too ignorant to comprehend that?" Rose spat coldly. Everything about Johnny just boiled her blood. His brightly-colored clothing, his happy-go-lucky expression, even that voice that seemed excited to do practically anything for his newfound friends.
"I know… but…" Johnny stood up straight, catching his breath finally. The air between the two remained cold, and she seemed to be losing interest in what he was going to say. "Why won't you help us?" he demanded to know, stepping forward to her.
"I have no need for others to drag me down, you weakling…" Rose answered back, crossing her arms. "Weaklings like you are what irritate me" she stepped forward, raising a fist at him. "I dare you to stand in my way again, one more time" she warned, putting her fist down, and turning away.
"Wait!" Johnny reached out to her shoulder, but she grabbed his arm, and flipped him over her shoulder as if he were a lightweight!
"I told you, fool… don't you ever stand in my way" Rose replied coldly as she twisted Johnny's arm for almost a second, and release her grip on his arm. "If you have a death wish, continue pursuing me… I'll do worse than just twisting your arm" she threatened him once more.
Johnny leaped back onto his feet, walking behind her once more. "Come on, Rose… We need you, but you keep acting like you can do it on your own…" he said, trying to break through to her. I know my words can't break through to her… but I need to do it, somehow!
"You and your friends are all weaklings. If I carry you under my wings, I'll fall back down to weakness once again" Rose answered back, clenching her fists tighter than ever. She was truly considering giving Johnny a good right-hook to the face.
"But… The Crimson Dragon chose us for a reason! Why can't we at least all work together, for now? I mean… Arianna came to us wi-"
"Weaklings will always gather around other weaklings. Then, they chase the strong, but can never touch them, just like the monkey and the moon's reflection" Rose answered with an icy voice. She turned to Johnny, staring him dead-on in the eyes. "It's people like you that I hate… You're the monkey, and you think you can reach the moon in the water's reflection…" but then she smirked at him. "However… the monkey doesn't reach it, and falls into the water, drowning over a foolish goal… Your pitiful attempts at making me join the Signers will be to no avail. Now get away from me" she shoved him hard, and then gave him one solid punch to his chest.
Johnny gasped, he lost his breath that moment that she delivered him that punch, and he staggered back. "But… this mark…" Johnny revealed his Wings Birthmark, "it bound us all together, to a journey that'll unite us" he said, but she was already walking away from him.
"This so-called 'birthmark'… is nothing more than my symbol of anger. A mark that has cursed me, and will not go away until I've finally gotten my revenge… That man, Yusei… he wasn't enough!" her birthmark glowed a furious red. "My boiling blood is asking for someone else… That Levis… he was wrong…" she whispered, smirking once more.
"What're you talking about?" Johnny raised an eyebrow, confused. She seems… scary right now…
"Johnny… how about a Duel? You win, and I'll accept your offer to join you…" Rose grinned. Her grin showed deceptive playfulness, however, her eyes showed something completely different: bloodlust.
"If I lose…?" Johnny asked, gulping. Something heavy had to come with the burden of his loss, so he was bracing himself to hear it.
"If you lose…" Rose chuckled to herself. "It won't matter what'll happen by then…" she implied, laughing malevolently.
"I-I see…" Johnny muttered, biting his bottom lip. I'm… I'm way in over my head… I should just back-down… maybe Crow should've done this… He doubted himself, and shivered slightly in fear.
"What's the matter? Afraid? Is the little baby scared of a little challenge?" Rose egged on, and then spat. "Weaklings like you never have spines, no wonder you're shivering like a leaf" she commented, about to turn and walk.
No! I can't… I can't let Yusei down! I… Johnny closed his eyes tightly, imagining the image of her Hellfire Dragon. He saw it take down Yusei in just a single fell-swoop. He knew nothing of it's effect from Yusei's Duel, since he wasn't there until the very end of it. I can't just let Yusei down by doing nothing… I have a duty as a Signer… As much as I might regret this decision… "I…" he opened his eyes suddenly, feeling his flames of justice surge through his body. Johnny stomped his foot, and suddenly stopped his shivering, which particularly caught Rose's attention as a surprise. "I…" he raised his Duel Disk, and his Deck was then shuffled immediately. "I accept your challenge!"
"Hmph, looks like weaklings indeed do have a spine…" Rose shook her head, laughing. "Now, let's see if you can survive my flames of hatred… Since you've found a new courage… I'll willingly let you have 8000 Life Points as a starting point" she added on to her conditions.
"8000 Life Points? Why would you want your opponent to have the advantage over you…?" Johnny asked, raising an eyebrow. No, this is too strange… no one gives his or her opponent a shot at having double the original start…
"You've seen my Soul, you've seen the ferocity of my hate… Giving someone the chance at starting off with 8000 Life Points is practically a gift from someone like me…" Rose said in a cold, eerie voice. That voice left Johnny standing dumbfounded for almost half a second.
He shook his head, and readied his Duel Disk, "Fine then. I'll accept to that condition as well!"
"Then let's begin this Duel, Johnny! It's about time you've been rid of from my line of sight… I'll make sure it hurts bad!" Rose drew her opening hand, as well as Johnny. The two declared "Duel!" automatically.
Arianna was done bandaging and treating Yusei's wounds. She sighed with relief, and looked at Crow. "We're lucky. All he had was just flesh-wounds… Any worse and he might have…" she drifted off for a second. She couldn't bring herself to say that word.
"So long as Yusei's fine…" Crow sighed in relief, and looked at Yusei's unconscious body. "We're pretty lucky that you're with us right now, otherwise we would've been screwed sideways."
"Well, I guess the Crimson Dragon picked me for the purpose of fixing wounds…?" Arianna sweat dropped at that moment. Sheesh, I'm only a Signer so I can treat wounds from any upcoming battles? Still… that Rose girl worries me…
"You know something?" Crow looked off into the distance, in the direction where Johnny followed behind Rose.
"What is it?" Arianna looked at him.
"It's weird… I look at Johnny, and I constantly see a piece of Jack inside of him… I look at Rose, and I see what used to be me when Blackfeather Dragon was lost…" Crow muttered, crossing his arms. "Could it be that our past selves still course through those birthmarks?"
Turn 1
Johnny: 8000
Rose: 4000
"The first turn's mine, draw!" Johnny drew his new card, and looked at it. "Alrighty, I'll set two cards face-down…" two horizontal face-down cards appeared in front of him. "Next, I Summon my Jurrac Velo!" he commanded as a rainbow-colored raptor appeared on the field. The raptor roared at Rose, who couldn't help but shake her head at him.
Jurrac Velo: 1700 Attack / 1000 Defense | Level 4
"So you picked a colorful weakling? How pitiful…" she then gave a cold glare to Johnny. "Is that all you've got for that turn?" she crossed her arms. "If so, then you're going to die on my next turn" she smirked.
"Dunno about that, we'll see when it happens! Turn End!" Johnny declared the End Phase of his turn.
Turn 2
"My turn then. Draw!" Rose drew her new card, and began to laugh. "Now, you're done with! I activate the Spell Card called Charge of the Light Brigade!" she commanded as the hologram projected the card's image, showing a white wolf charging through a pulse of light.
Darn, that's the card she used when she was Dueling Yusei! I might run into some big trouble if that card dishes out what she wants in there… Johnny bit his bottom lip, watching her pick up the top three cards from her deck.
"Oh?" Rose spoke, watching Johnny's expression. "Afraid of what I might have gained in the graveyard? How pathetic…" she shook her head. "I was once as pathetic as you are… but now, I'm strong. I don't need you, or any of those Signers you claim will be my 'friend'. I don't need friends though, so why won't you get that through to your thick head?" she threw the cards into the grave, and swiped a single card from the middle of her deck. "With Charge of the Light Brigade's effect, I lose three cards on the top of my deck to the grave, and then I can retrieve a single monster in my deck with "Lightsworn" written in it's name" she explained, revealing her card. "I decided to add Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress to my hand. Or is your brain too tiny to understand that she's a "Lightsworn" Monster?" she asked.
"Hey, now that's just a personal attack!" Johnny argued back.
"Oh well" Rose didn't even bat an eye at Johnny's attempt to make her laugh. "Now, I'll activate the effect of my grave-bound Fabled Kushano!" she effortlessly commanded. "Now, I discard a single "Fabled" monster in my hand to add him back to my hand…" she placed a card into the discard pile and picked up her Kushano once again. Light shone from her discard pile, and the discarded card spat back out. "I discarded The Fabled Cerburrel! His effect only activates when discarded!" she commanded, and flames circled in the middle of her field, creating the three-headed puppy.
Fabled Cerburrel: 1000 Attack / 400 Defense | Level 2
"Wait, that Tuner Monster…!" Johnny was taken aback, remembering his Duel against Gerardo who summoned the very same creature. "Dude, no, Gerardo's the only person that ever got that card, why the heck do you have it?" he stuttered in surprise.
"Hmph, that fool simply found one by luck… I was the very first to find this Monster" Rose narrowed her eyes as the Cerburrel barked. "Now, I'll send two cards in my hand to the graveyard…" she swiped two cards and threw them into the discard pile.
"Again?" Johnny raised an eyebrow.
"Now, I'll lose those cards to bring your ultimate doom to life… Be Reborn, Fabled Soulkius!" she commanded as light burst from her Duel Disk once more, releasing the tall, muscular demon that had that signature grin on his face like her other "Fabled" creatures.
Fabled Soulkius: 2200 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level 6
"I'll tune my Level 6, Fabled Soulkius, to my Level 2, The Fabled Cerburrel!" she commanded as two rings scattered around the six orbs of light. "My flames of hate arise here before us! Wipe out those who stand in my way with your creation-shaking flames!" the rings and orbs then immediately darkened, exploding into a black light!
"Synchro Summon?" Johnny was now alarmed. Darn she's summoning her ace monster already? Dammit!
"Escape, Hellfire Dragon!" a black aura appeared around Rose as black flames shot from the ground. The black flames slowly faded, revealing her dark-gray dragon in all of its might, with wings that appeared to be rotting. Its tail was long, with an axe-like formation at the very tip. Its claws were long, and black like its owner's aura. Its eyes were a dark crimson that stared into Johnny the very same way that Rose did all the time.
"So this… is her soul…" Johnny felt a wave of nothing but despair and coldness. He shivered at the feel of the intensity of that wave. I don't think there's anything else that'll convince her… I'll have to take that thing down… He looked at the section of his Duel Disk that retained his Extra Deck. Meteo-Rage Dragon… help me out here… I need you to help me light a fire in her soul of darkness…
Hellfire Dragon: 2700 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level 8
"Afraid, Johnny? Too bad, you were the one that accepted to this Duel, and now, you'll be just another number, and another mess on the floor to clean up…" Rose said coldly as she then pointed at Johnny. "I now activate the effect of my Fabled Kushano…" her graveyard shone once more. "I'll take him to my hand by discarding a single "Fabled" Monster in my hand…" she revealed the monster that she discarded. "Through his effect, I'll discard my Fabled Krus" she threw it into her discard pile, and then added her Fabled Kushano to her hand.
"Aw no, not that monster!" Johnny's eyes widened. He knew where this was going, and it wasn't going to be pretty.
"Fabled Krus' monster effect now activates in the graveyard! I Special Summon one "Fabled" monster in my graveyard… I think I'll pick my Fabled Raven!" she commanded as the miniature fiend formed on the field from the light of her discard pile. It grinned as it roared loudly.
Fabled Raven: 1300 Attack / 1000 Defense | Level 2
"What the? Wait, he's a Tuner Monster… right?" Johnny pointed at Fabled Raven.
"Yes, but that doesn't matter at this very moment!" Rose's black aura flared, as if it were reaching outwards, burning the ground around her! She then pointed at her Hellfire Dragon, a smug smirk on her face as "Now, his effect activates!" she barked in command as the dragon's eyes glowed fiercely. "When a Fiend-Type Monster is Special Summoned out of my Graveyard… My creature gains 200 Attack Points!" the creature roared mightily as black flames created an aura around Hellfire Dragon!
"Whoa, th-that's a powerful ability!" Johnny's eyes widened in surprise, watching as the Dragon's power increased from such a move. This… this is her mighty soul, her creation-shaking hatred…
Hellfire Dragon: 2900 Attack / 2000 Defense
"Now I activate the effect of my Fabled Raven!" she commanded as the very last two cards in her hand entered the discard pile, and her demon roared with might as it's claws began to glow a malevolent crimson. "With every card that I lose thanks to his effect… he gains 400 Attack Points, and he grows a Level" she explained as she couldn't help but to laugh at Johnny.
Fabled Raven: 2100 Attack / 1000 Defense | Level 4
Her discard pile shone brightly once more. "The effect of my discarded Fabled Lurrie activates now!" she barked in ruthless command as the light released a small demon with the same grin as Fabled Raven's grin.
Fabled Lurrie: 200 Attack / 400 Defense
Hellfire Dragon: 3100 Attack / 2000 Defense
"Now, to continue with my turn, fool…" Rose said coldly as she then snapped her fingers. "Level 1, Fabled Lurrie and Level 4, Fabled Raven Tuning!" she commanded as four rings exploded, circling around the one orb of light.
"Wait… Two Synchro Summons? Damnit!" Johnny cursed under his breath. Her strategy is beyond amazing… This is the power that defeated Yusei, it seems…
"Oh greedy one, rise from the depths of the earth! Synchro Summon! Arise, Fabled Ragin!" Rose commanded as a vortex formed on the ground, and a golden being slowly arose from the earth. He roared as he unfolded his black wings, and miniature demons fluttered all around him as if he were king.
Fabled Ragin: 2300 Attack / 1800 Defense
"Man…" Johnny whistled, watching the being glint against the light of the sun. It looked down on him with a crimson stare, as if it identified its next target.
"I activate the effect of my Fabled Ragin! When he's Synchro Summoned, and I have 1 or Less cards in my hand…" she swiped two cards from the top of her deck, "I get to draw two new cards!" "Don't forget about my Hellfire Dragon now, Johnny, otherwise you'll lose this Duel quick!" she added, and her dragon roared loudly, making Jurrac Velo shiver in slight fear of that dragon's presence.
Hellfire Dragon: 3300 Attack / 2000 Defense
"Jeez!" Johnny's eyes shot open. Two new cards? If she doesn't need them… wouldn't that feed Soulkius…?
"I activate the effect of my grave-bound Fabled Soulkius!" she commanded as she ditched the newly drawn cards, and added them to her graveyard. "Now, I Special Summon him! You know what happens!" she laughed at Johnny's reaction, watching the despair cross his face as the large, muscular demon arose from the light of her discard pile. As it ascended from the discard pile, it roared mightily.
Fabled Soulkius: 2200 Attack / 2000 Defense
"Hellfire Dragon's Monster effect now!" Rose relentlessly commanded, and her dragon roared mightily as the aura of black flames flared once more!
Hellfire Dragon: 3500 Attack / 2000 Defense
"Darn it…" Johnny cursed, and looked at the dragon. He had to find a way to annihilate it, otherwise it'd be the cause of his loss!
"Now then, Johnny… can you avoid my attack? Battle!" Rose commanded with great authority, and then pointed at the Jurrac Velo. "Hellfire Dragon, attack that pathetic worm he calls a Monster! Burning Revenge!" she angrily commanded as the dragon roared, launching flames of darkness at Jurrac Velo!
"Sorry, ain't lettin' that happen! Face-Down activate!" Johnny flipped his card up. "Book of Moon activates! With this card's effect, your dragon gets flipped the bird…!" he commanded as a blue book appeared on the field, opening its pages to the black-scaled dragon. It roared and slashed the book into two with its ferocious claws! "Whoa, whoa, what the heck?" Johnny was surprised as the dragon shot itself back on course to Jurrac Velo.
"Hmph, you idiot…" Rose crossed her arms, staring at Johnny with a look of nothing but pure rage. "My dragon cannot be touched by your tomfoolery… he is rendered unaffected by simple tricks like that! This is why you can't stop me… I will have my sweet revenge, and I'll continue taking down fools like you!" she clenched her fist tightly as her Mark of the Dragon's Tail shone bright, along with Johnny's Mark of the Dragon's Wings. "It's always fools like you that don't know when to leave well-enough alone… I will kill all who stand in my way… I will…" her dragon slashed Jurrac Velo in half, making it roar loudly with pain as it burst into pixels.
"AHHH!" Johnny yelled as the shockwave from the explosion made his knees wobble a little bit. Darn… so this is what real damage feels like, huh?
Johnny: 6200
"I will reap vengeance for Keith… This stupid world can burn in hell!" Rose yelled, without remorse for her remark.
"Why are you so hell-bent on vengeance for Keith? Don't you know that he won't rest in peace if you keep this thing up? We don't want you doing something stupid!" Johnny argued back as the field around them simulated the sound of a dinosaur's roars. "When you destroy Jurrac Velo by battle, and he was in Attack Position… I Special Summon a "Jurrac" straight out from my Deck! Come on out, Jurrac Ptera!" he commanded as he swiped the card from his Deck, and summoned it horizontally. A flying dinosaur formed on the field, lit ablaze by flames as it was then shaded in blue.
Jurrac Ptera: 1500 Defense / 800 Attack | Level 3
"Then why are you so hell-bent on stopping me? What does it matter to you if I do something 'stupid'? Stay out of my way!" she barked at Johnny with her voice full of fury. "It doesn't matter! Fabled Soulkius, attack his Jurrac Ptera!" Rose commanded as the muscular demon growled and attack the Jurrac Ptera!
"Bad move!" Johnny grinned. My trick worked! Looks like Rose here ain't the only one with tricks up her sleeve! "Jurrac Ptera's Monster effect, when you attack him… the Monster gets bounced back into your hand!" he detailed as the Soulkius' claws ripped right through the pterodactyl. The flames left behind by the pterodactyl immediately attacked Fabled Soulkius, swallowing him as he was then transferred back to Rose's hand.
"Now you're wide open!" Rose punched the air in Johnny's direction.
"Oh really?" Johnny smirked at his response. "Sorry, but I've got tricks up my sleeve too! I activate the effect of my Jurrac Herra in my hand!" he revealed the Monster card. "Because you destroyed a Jurrac by battle when it was in Defense Position, I get to Special Summon him!" Johnny commanded as flames arose from where Jurrac Ptera once existed, giving birth to a large, yellow-skinned dinosaur with two cannon-like formations on its shoulder blades. It spat fire as it roared viciously, causing the ground to shatter beneath his might!
Jurrac Herra: 2300 Attack / 1500 Defense | Level 6
"Tch…" Rose looked at her Fabled Ragin, and then Johnny's Jurrac Herra. "Doesn't matter! My Fabled Ragin will attack your Jurrac Herra!" she commanded.
"Wait, but they've got the same number of Attack Points! Why would you attack with those conditions?" Johnny was taken aback by her ruthless fighting.
"I don't care!" Rose yelled as she then pointed at the Jurrac Herra. "I'll shatter and destroy all hopes you have… I'll crush you and your pathetic creatures into the dust! I'll make sure you never see the light of day, never again!" she then pointed at the Jurrac Herra. "Fabled Ragin, attack his Jurrac Herra! Golden Cut!" she commanded as the monster obeyed her command, running towards Jurrac Herra ruthlessly. The two engaged in battle, Jurrac Herra launching several fire blasts at Fabled Ragin while the golden demon's minions all attacked Jurrac Herra relentlessly!
"Rose, what're you doing? Do you have no respect for your own Monsters?" Johnny yelled at her.
"I don't care… these creatures are nothing more than servants who obey me… They're nothing more than things that will lead me to my destiny!" Rose argued back at Johnny, voice shrill with more fury than before.
"But if they're helping you get your revenge… you should at least appreciate what they're doing for you!" Johnny tried to argue back.
"Silence! I won't tolerate anymore of the shit coming out of your mouth!" Rose yelled, watching her golden demon roar as both it and Jurrac Herra shattered into pixels. "I End my turn!"
"…" Johnny clenched his fists. "A Duelist who has no respect for their own cards…" he muttered as he activated his face-down card. "Those kind of Duelists…" he looked at her with his green eyes full of passion, "don't deserve to Duel!" Johnny said as the trap flipped up. "I activate Fossil Excavation during your End Phase! By discarding a card in my hand…" red flames burst from his Duel Disk's discard pile, forming Jurrac Herra on his Field once more.
Jurrac Herra: 2300 Attack / 1500 Defense | Level 6
"I then get to Special Summon a Dinosaur-Type Monster that's been buried in the graveyard" he looked at Jurrac Herra, and nodded his head.
"Doesn't matter what you do, your attempts at defeating me are futile! Your creature pale in comparison to my Hellfire Dragon!" Rose barked at Johnny.
"Is that so?" Johnny drew his new card.
Turn 3
Rose: 4000
Johnny: 6200
"I'll prove it to you… I'll prove that bonds aren't weak! The Jurrac Tribe is all about bonds, when one is in trouble, the others come to help in their own ways, so now… The Field's all set!" Johnny revealed a Monster in his hand. "I'll Normal Summon myJurrac Gallim!" he said as a miniature, red-skinned baby dinosaur formed on the field, roaring cutely.
Jurrac Gallim: 1200 Attack / 0 Defense | Level 2
"All you've done is prove that there are far more pathetic Monsters still residing in your Deck…" Rose spat with disgust. "Oh well" she couldn't help but laugh at him.
"Pathetic? Okay, I'll admit it, he's got low power…" Jurrac Gallim turned to Johnny and roared in argument. "But he's still got an awesome thing to do right now… He's gonna be one of the keys to bringing me my victory!" he smiled and nodded at Jurrac Gallim. "Level 6, Jurrac Herra and Level 2, Jurrac Gallim Tuning!" he commanded as two green rings encircled six orbs of light, which lined up straight. The two rings turned a furious red and blue while the orbs became yellow. "Your mighty flames of rage, awaken now! Bring about the greatest impact! Synchro Summon! Break, Meteo-Rage Dragon!" he commanded with might and red flames swirled around in the middle of the field, giving birth to a mighty dragon of red scales and a yellow eye. The dragon's wing's unfolded as it mightily growled and gave Hellfire Dragon a stare.
Meteo-Rage Dragon: 2600 Attack / 2000 Defense
"Hmph, what good will it do you to Summon something as pathetic as your own Dragon? You may as well have quit if that's the farthest your dragon can reach!" Rose said, feeling nothing more than irritated at Johnny's attempts at victory.
"That's what you say… but let's see what you say when I do this!" Johnny revealed a Spell in his hand. "I activate the Field Spell called Molten Destruction!" a volcano suddenly shot up from the ground, and it unleashed an explosion! The fire scattered everywhere, making Hellfire Dragon growl a little as he ascended into the air to avoid a few fireballs.
"And this is supposed to do what? Make the field look nicer when I wipe your existence from the world?" Rose said with disgust, crossing her arms.
"Nope…" Meteo-Rage Dragon roared as the flames swirled around him, making him roar louder and louder as his yellow eyes glowed fiercely. "Now, all FIRE-Attribute Monsters get a hefty 500 Point Boost! Didn't see that comin', now did'ya?" Jonny grinned.
Meteo-Rage Dragon: 3100 Attack / 1600 Defense
"Hmph, it doesn't matter what you do, can't you see it? Your creature will never stand on par with mine, my flames of hatred won't allow such an impossible thing!" Rose barked at him as Hellfire Dragon's black flames swirled around it, batting back the flames of the volcano.
Johnny sighed, and looked at Rose more seriously. "Rose… I'm going to prove to you, through this Duel, that bonds are stronger than loneliness…" he said as he watched his dragon roar at Hellfire Dragon, who simply roared louder. Now… that thing has 3300 Attack Points right now… If I can just… Wait… He looked at the two cards in his hand. "I'll set one card face-down, and end my turn!"
"Hmph, and you said you were going to prove the strength of pointless bonds? People don't need to be together to accomplish something they can simply do on their own, realize that, Johnny! Look what you're doing right now, you're fighting me on your own, with your own fists!"
"I ain't fighting alone, you better stop comparing me to you! I'm with my friends, I've got Yusei, Crow, Jack, and Arianna… We're all bound together by our bonds!" Johnny argued back.
"They're not with you, so why even bother declaring their names? Jack's dead, Yusei's already close to it, and you never knew that Arianna person before, so why would you call them friends, or even dare say that they're with you?" Rose answered, glaring coldly at Johnny harder than ever before with her pristine, yet murderous blue eyes.
"That's because residing in these flames… are my friends! My friends are all speaking to me through these flames… I won't lose to someone with flames of solitude!" Johnny raised his marked arm. "I'll convince ya that I'm not alone!"
Turn 4
"Shut up with this talk of friends! I don't need friends, I'm not weak like you! I refuse to be that way, not ever again!" Rose yelled as light shone from her Discard Pile. "I activate the effect of my grave-bound Fabled Kushano! I discard my Fabled Soulkius to add him to my hand!" she swapped the two cards, and then clenched her fists tightly as another light shone. "I have two Fabled Kushano in the graveyard… so why not? I'll discard my second Fabled Krus in order to add Kushano to my hand!" the Kushano giggled as he swapped places with Krus. A brighter light shone from the graveyard.
Johnny watched Rose as if she were an animal, but he didn't treat her like an animal in his eyes. He watched her, feeling sorry for her.
"What's with that look of defeat, Johnny? I thought you were gonna win this Duel, didn't you say that?" Rose laughed as her Fabled Raven growled, appearing from the Discard Pile in it's might.
Fabled Raven: 1300 Attack / 1000 Defense
"I'll then take these two cards in my hand and lose them in order for my Fabled Soulkius to arise again!" the muscular demon roared, appearing from the graveyard.
Fabled Soulkius: 2200 Attack / 2000 Defense
"Hellfire Dragon, power up!" she commanded fiercely as her Hellfire Dragon roared, it's pitch-black flames continually reaching outward, effectively making the red flames around it futile!
Hellfire Dragon: 3900 Attack / 2000 Defense
"I'll now Tune my Level 6 Fabled Soulkius with my Level 2 Fabled Raven!" she barked in command as two rings surrounded six orbs of light. "Hatred, arise here in the form of a demon! Become the servant of the devil! Synchro Summon!" a vortex appeared within the burst of light. "Appear before us, Fabled Valkyrus!" Rose commanded as the tall, black-armored demon appeared on the Field, grinning like his previous comrades. His height outmatched Meteo-Rage Dragon's! He scratched his goatee, laughing at Johnny.
Fabled Valkyrus: 2900 Attack / 1700 Defense
"Power up, my flames of hatred!" Rose fiercely commanded as the black aura around her grew darker and darker with each passing second! Her psychic abilities finally lashed out, creating shockwaves that literally pushed Johnny back and created large cracks in the ground!
"Whoa!" Johnny stood his ground as best as possible, feeling the shockwaves from all of her anger and hate! This wave of despair was nothing but cold, but it was indeed powerful! "Dude, now this is just crazy!" he yelled, but the waves so suddenly stopped. Did she run out of juice? He looked up, and his eyes widened at the sight of his Meteo-Rage Dragon! It stood in front of him as if it were taking the hits from the violent waves! "Meteo-Rage Dragon… so, you too, huh…?" he smiled as the dragon roared with might.
Hellfire Dragon: 4100 Attack / 2000 Defense
"Oh, how lovely… your pathetic creature decided to protect you. Fine, then you can be the first one to burn in hell!" Rose pointed at the opposing dragon with anger! "Hellfire Dragon, attack his Meteo-Rage Dragon! Burning Revenge!" she yelled in command as the dragon launched black flames at Meteo-Rage Dragon!
"Heh, it's about time I showed ya the ability of my Meteo-Rage Dragon!" Johnny smiled as the black flames overtook Meteo-Rage Dragon, making it roar in pain. "I activate the effect of my Meteo-Rage Dragon! When he's about to be destroyed, I ditch a Tuner Monster in my hand" the dragon roared as it completely shrugged off the flames, roaring loudly. "Now, I'll ditch my Jurrac Aeolo" he placed it into his discard pile.
"But you still take the Damage, Johnny!" Rose laughed loudly as the black flames skipped past Meteo-Rage Dragon, and all attacked him!
"Jeez!" Johnny yelled in utter pain as the flames engulfed him, but then vanished a few seconds later, leaving nothing but a few burns on his skin.
Johnny: 5200
"Why do you try, Johnny? Why? You know you're weak, you've lost this fight no matter what you try!" Rose clenched her fists with even more anger. "I end my turn!"
"Because I don't want you to do something stupid!" Jonny argued back, preparing to swipe his new card from the top of his deck.
"You keep saying that, but what do you care! I'm just someone who almost killed your friend, I'm just another enemy standing in your way!" Rose stomped her foot, her psychic waves unleashing themselves, but Meteo-Rage Dragon took the hits, roaring in slight pain.
"Meteo-Rage Dragon… don't worry about me, I'll take the hits now…" Johnny said, stepping forth in front of his dragon, taking a shockwave to the shoulder! "Ugh!" he staggered as he felt his shoulder crack, and bleed a little bit. "I'll… I'll take all of your hate! I'll do it!" Johnny swiped the new card from the top of his deck.
Turn 5
"It's your own problem if you die, you should've just let your precious dragon take the hits for you!" Rose said without remorse, glaring at Johnny with a dark, hateful stare.
"Battle! Meteo-Rage Dragon will attack your Fabled Valkyus!" Johnny commanded as his creature roared with might, launching crimson flames at the Fabled Valkyrus!
"Tch" was all Rose said in response to Johnny's action.
Rose: 3800
"My Meteo-Rage Dragon's Monster Effect now activates!" Johnny smiled as Meteo-Rage Dragon roared mightily! "Assist Call is his effect… When he destroys an opponent's Monster by battle, I get to add a Monster from my Deck to my hand so long as it has a lower Level than the destroyed Monster… I'll be picking up my Jurrac Aeolo from my Deck to my hand!" a card immediately shot out from his Deck, and he added it to his hand.
"Hmph, a futile attempt at winning! Your monster will fall beneath the might of my Hellfire Dragon!" Rose said with confidence.
"Let's see about that!" Johnny grinned. "I end my turn!"
Turn 6
Rose swiped the new card from the top of her deck, and smirked. "I'll play my Pot of Avarice!" she commanded as a giant pot appeared, grinning and laughing. "Now… I'll take my Fabled Krus, another Fabled Krus, a Fabled Raven, my Fabled Ragin, and my Fabled Valkyrus… and add them back into my deck!" she placed the cards into their proper places. "I'll shuffle, and draw two new cards!" she drew them, and laughed at Johnny. "Now, I'll activate the effect of my Fabled Kushano!" she commanded as the Kushano appeared once more from the light, giggling as it swapped places with a card in her hand. "I'll discard my Fabled Lurrie!" the light did not end as a miniature demon came from it.
Fabled Lurrie: 200 Attack / 400 Defense
"Power up, my loyal creature!" Rose commanded as her Hellfire Dragon roared with might, it's flames growing stronger and stronger with each and every passing second!
Hellfire Dragon: 4300 Attack / 2000 Defense
"I activate the effect of Fabled Grimro! I'll discard her in order to add…" Rose revealed her newly added Fabled Krus. "I'll activate the effect of my other grave-bound Fabled Kushano!" she commanded as the light shone once more, and the same demon swapped places with Krus. "Krus' Monster effect will Special Summon my Fabled Grimro from the graveyard!" she commanded as a female demon was born from the light of the graveyard. She roared as her wings unfolded and her black dress fluttered.
Fabled Grimro: 1700 Attack / 1000 Defense
"Now, I'll send these two cards in my hand…" she threw her two Kushano into the graveyard, and her Fabled Soulkius arose again from the graveyard!
Fabled Soulkius: 2200 Attack / 2000 Defense
"Now my Hellfire Dragon, power up! Power up infinitely!" she commanded as the black flames of her dragon suddenly flared once more, and the black aura around herself somehow darkened even further!
Hellfire Dragon: 4700 Attack / 2000 Defense
"Battle! Hellfire Dragon attacks your pathetic Meteo-Rage Dragon! Burning Revenge!" she commanded and a large orb of black flames shot out from her dragon's mouth! The black flames exploded on contact with Meteo-Rage Dragon, and Johnny yelled in pain as the damage continued hurting him for real!
Johnny: 3600
"I'll discard my Jurrac Aeolo in order to protect him from destruction!" Johnny shouted from within the flames as the spirit of a dinosaur hatchling appeared on the Field, negating the flames' existence!
"Hmph, you're still taking damage, Johnny!" Rose laughed at him. "You think you can take my hate, and yet your Life Points are dropping faster than a dead fly! You should surrender this foolish agenda of yours, you have no chance!"
"We'll see about that, Rose!" Johnny panted, his burn wounds inflicting pain on him, but he continued to stand. No matter how much it hurt, he needed to stay standing to take all of her rage and anger.
"I end my turn!"
Turn 7
"Alrighty, my move!" Johnny drew his new card, panting deeply. "I'll set this card face-down, and activate my Jurassic Soul Spell Card! Now, I select a Dinosaur on my side of the Field, and he's rendered unable to attack…"
"Get some glasses, idiot, your monster's a Dragon, not a Dinosaur!"
"Oh really now?" Johnny smirked as he pointed at Meteo-Rage Dragon. "I guess you never knew… Because his effect treats him as both a Dragon and a Dinosaur-type Monster!"
"What?" Rose's eyes shot open in surprise.
"Now… he can't attack, but I get to select and destroy two of my opponent's monsters by destroying two Spell/Trap Cards on the Field… I'll destroy two of my face-downs! Now, I'll stomp on your Fabled Lurrie and Fabled Grimro!" Johnny commanded as his Meteo-Rage Dragon roared and stomped on them both, completely annihilating them! "And, because they both had lower Attack than him, I get to draw one card!" he swiped the new card off the top of his deck.
"Hmph, a futile attempt! You know you can't target my Monster with any kind of effects!" she pointed at her soul, her Hellfire Dragon.
"I know that! Dude, I didn't aim at that thing for that exact reason!" Johnny exclaimed, and a horizontal card appeared before him. "I'll end by setting this face-down!"
"During the End Phase…" she began to laugh wickedly as her Hellfire Dragon roared mightily once more.
"Aw no, not another effect!" Johnny complained.
"Because you destroyed two monsters by a card effect when it wasn't my turn… I get to draw one card to replace them!" Rose swiped the top two cards of her deck into her hand.
Turn 8
"Sheesh, that's some Deck you've got there… You easily swarm the Field, pressuring the opponent into kicking the crack outta your monsters with effects, and then you let that Hellfire Dragon keep on adding stuff to your hand, and infinite power-boosts? Yikes, I'm a little jealous of your Deck" Johnny grinned.
"Whatever…" Rose drew her new card, and looked at the three cards in her hand, smirking. "First, I'll discard my Fabled Raven in order to add Kushano back to my hand…" Rose explained as the Kushano giggled from the light of the discard pile. The two cards swapped their locations, and both Kushano and Raven giggled. "Know what? I'll use the effect of my second Fabled Kushano! I'll discard my Fabled Krus for this effect!" she commanded as the two monsters swapped their locations. "Krus' effect now activates! I'll Special Summon my Third Fabled Kushano from the Graveyard!" from the Graveyard!"
Fabled Kushano: 1100 Attack / 800 Defense | Level 3
"Power up, my flames of hatred!" Rose yelled in command as her dragon's flames continued to increase in intensity, but it seemed as if Rose was unaffected by the flames that made Johnny pant heavily.
Hellfire Dragon: 4900 Attack / 2000 Defense
"Next, I'll send these two cards in my hand to the graveyard to Special Summon my grave-bound Fabled Soulkius! Come back servant of the black flames!" she commanded mightily as the ground erupted with light, revealing the muscular demon that roared mightily upon its appearance.
Fabled Soulkius: 2200 Attack / 2000 Defense
Hellfire Dragon: 5100 Attack / 2000 Defense
"I activate the effect of my Level Eater! I'll steal a Level from my Fabled Soulkius to Special Summon it! I won't stop there, there are two in my graveyard!" she commanded as two ladybugs flew through the Fabled Soulkius, and it grunted as the insects drained him of his Level.
Fabled Soulkius: Level 4
Level Eater: 600 Attack / 0 Defense | Level 1
"Ugh…" Johnny cursed under his breath. She was getting the advantage over him, and he needed a miracle at this point, otherwise Rose was going to overtake him with just her Hellfire Dragon!
"I'll be Tuning the Level 1 Level Eaters with my Level 3 Fabled Kushano!" Rose commanded authoritatively, watching the two orbs of light be encircled by the three green rings. "Rise again, Fabled Ragin!" a portal opened, revealing the golden demon once more!
"Again!" Johnny's eyes shot open in surprise.
Fabled Ragin: 2300 Attack / 1800 Defense
Hellfire Dragon: 5300 Attack / 2000 Defense
"The effect of Fabled Ragin now activates! When he's Synchro Summoned while I have one or less cards in my arsenal… I get to draw two new weapons from the top of my deck!" she swiped the two cards from her deck to her hand. "First, I'll use the effect of a Fabled Kushano in my hand! I'll discard the Tuner Monster The Fabled Catsith!" she revealed the card, swapping it with Fabled Kushano.
"Tch…" Johnny was helpless. He couldn't do much, and this turn was longer than he hoped it would be.
"Don't think that your torment ends here! The effect of my discarded The Fabled Catsith activates! I get to destroy a Face-Up card on your Field! Say goodbye to that puny Field Spell!" she laughed as lightning struck from the sky, annihilating the volcano entirely! "Now your pathetic power-boost can't save you now, Johnny! You're as good as dead now!"
Meteo-Rage Dragon: 2600 Attack / 2000 Defense
"Yeesh, you'd think you were PMS'ing at this point…" Johnny muttered as he took his Field Spell and placed it into his discard pile.
"Don't think that this is over with! I'll activate the effect of a Level Eater in the graveyard!" she commanded as another insect rose from the ground, nibbling on Fabled Ragin. "Now, I'll let him swallow a Level out of my Fabled Ragin to Special Summon himself from the graveyard!"
Level Eater: 600 Attack / 0 Defense
"Yeesh, you keep on spamming monsters like there's no tomorrow…" Johnny commented, biting his bottom lip. And the more she keeps Summoning these fiends… the stronger her monster gets… I've only got this guy in my hand left… and then this face-down…
"I now Normal Summon my Fabled Kushano!" the book-wielding demon appeared on the field, giggling as he pushed his glasses up his face.
Fabled Kushano: 1100 Attack / 800 Defense
"Now…" Rose pointed at her creatures. "Level 4, Fabled Soulkius and Level 1 Level Eater will be Tuned to my Level 3 Fabled Kushano!" a burst of light immediately occurred, revealing a black-armored demon whose grin was unmatched. He stroked his goatee as he laughed at Johnny's fearful flinch.
Fabled Valkyrus: 2900 Attack / 1700 Defense
"Power up, my hatred!" she screamed as her Hellfire Dragon roared mightily once more, it's flames of darkness enshrouding the entire field nothing but shadows at this point!
Hellfire Dragon: 5500 Attack / 2000 Defense
"I activate the Monster effect of my Fabled Valkyrus! Once per turn… I discard one Fiend-Type Monster in my hand and draw a new card!" she discarded the card, and picked up her new one from the top of the deck. She smirked as light shone from her graveyard once more. "I discarded a Fabled Krus! Now her effect allows me to Special Summon a "Fabled" monster of Level 4 or Lower in the graveyard… I'm in the mood for my Fabled Kushano!" she commanded as the glasses-wearing demon appeared again, grunting and giggling.
Fabled Kushano: 1100 Attack / 800 Defense
"Now, my flames of hatred… grow even further! Blot out all hope and dreams! Make my enemy suffer the pain I've had to endure!" Rose commanded and the shadows surrounding the two had begun to dance, dancing like the flames that lined against her aura so perfectly. It was almost as if she were becoming a demon herself, yet still maintained the shape of a human.
Hellfire Dragon: 5700 Attack / 2000 Defense
"Dude, 5700 Attack? That's off the charts!" Johnny backed away, watching the flames slowly come closer to him. That thing's got more points than the Life Points I've got left to spare! If this keeps up… I'm screwed!
"I activate the effect of the Fabled Kushano that rests in my graveyard! I'll discard my Fabled Cerburrel!" she commanded as the Kushano and three-headed puppy switched places once more. "The effect of Cerburrel activates! Come to me, servant of demise!" she commanded as the three-headed puppy formed on the field, growling fiercely in the presence of Hellfire Dragon.
The Fabled Cerburrel: 1000 Attack / 800 Defense
"Battle! It's over for you, Johnny!" she barked as her Hellfire Dragon roared, black flames gathering in it's mouth! "Attack his Meteo-Rage Dragon! Burning Revenge!" she commanded her dragon, and it indeed obeyed her. The flames of darkness shot forth like a nuclear bomb!
"Holy!" Johnny tried to stand his ground as the explosion connected with his dragon. He felt the flames burning his skin, some of it charring pitch-black because of the high-degree burns that he was feeling from it, and he screamed loudly. His dragon roared in great pain as the flames were swallowing it!
"Burn! Suffer and burn, Johnny! Learn what I've been through… all of that pain, accept it! You think you can take the burden of my pain on your shoulders? You're dead wrong! No one will ever know… No one… will ever know!" she screamed in pure rage as the flames continued attacking Johnny relentlessly!
"Gah! I'll activate the Monster Effect of my Meteo-Rage Dragon! Once per turn, when he's about to be destroyed, I get to discard a Tuner Monster to protect him!" Johnny revealed the monster in his hand. "I'll discard my third, and final, Jurrac Aeolo!" the flames around him then turned crimson, and completely neutralized the black flames!
"You still take the damage Johnny, doesn't matter what you do!" Rose said in her shrill voice, unable to control her anger. Suddenly, shockwaves emitted from her body as she clenched her fists tighter, and the aura around her devastatingly began to shift as if it were another life-form!
Johnny: 500
"Ugh…" Johnny grunted. My body hurts… He panted heavily, his line of sight slowly becoming hazy. He couldn't see Rose very well, but he knew she was there, as well as her Hellfire Dragon. I can't… give up…
"It's still my turn, and I've got three more monsters waiting to tear you down! Fabled Valkyrus, take down his Meteo-Rage Dragon!" she commanded and the fiend obeyed, roaring as he slashed Meteo-Rage Dragon in half, and Johnny yelled in intense pain. The dragon roared in agony as it began to shatter into tiny pixels.
Johnny: 200
"No…" Johnny grunted, trying his hardest to keep himself standing as he clicked a button on his Spell/Trap Zone. "Trap Card… activate! Urgent Desynchro…" he panted heavily as his Meteo-Rage Dragon roared to life once more, reforming in its almighty original form.
"You fool, you can't stop me!" Rose barked.
"Through this card's effect… When a Level 8 or Higher Synchro Monster is destroyed by battle… I send it back to the Extra Deck and Special Summon, in Defense Position, the Synchro Material I used for that Synchro Monster… however, their effects are negated and their Defense Points are reduced to Zero…" Johnny pointed at the field of swirling crimson flames. "Be reborn… Jurrac Herra and Jurrac Gallim!" two dinosaurs formed on the field in Defense Position.
Jurrac Herra: 0 Defense / 2300 Attack
Jurrac Gallim: 0 Defense / 1200 Attack
"Hmph, all your efforts have done is delay the inevitable! My creatures will annihilate your weak obstructions!" she commanded as the Fabled Kushano and Fabled Ragin both shattered the creatures that Johnny had left on his Field.
"Heh…" Johnny staggered, trying to remain standing straight, looking dead-straight into Rose's cold, dead-looking eyes. "The effect of my Jurrac Gallim activates in the graveyard… when he's destroyed by battle… the monster that destroyed him is also destroyed…" he panted heavily as flames enshrouded Fabled Kushano, making it scream in agony as it shattered into pixels.
"Hmph, doesn't matter, I still have one more atta-"
"You wanna know something about me…?" Johnny coughed, holding his wounded shoulder as the blood continued to spill out from the large wound.
"I don't need to know anything about you, weakling!" Rose declared as her Cerburrel immediately went in for the attack!
"I'll activate the effect of my Jurrac Stego! By sending this card from my hand to the graveyard, I can negate the opponent's Monster's Direct Attack!" Johnny commanded as a stego jumped out from his hand, blocking Fabled Cerburrel's attack strongly. "Afterwards, I regain 300 Life Points..." he panted as his Life Points increased slightly.
Johnny: 500
"I can… relate to ya…" Johnny coughed, trying to keep himself on balance. He jolted slightly in pain, and coughed hard, still trying to keep himself on balance.
"You liar! Don't you dare say that you can relate to me! You don't know what it's like losing someone you love, someone you care for! You don't know what it's like to watch them burn to death!" Rose yelled in shrill anger, her body releasing psychic shockwaves once again!
"As much as I hate to break it to ya… I can relate to ya… no matter how much you wanna deny it…" Johnny coughed hard. His body was beaten, battered and bleeding. He was reaching his limit at this point, the point where no normal human would've survived the abuse his body took. "Rose… I can't let ya do something stupid like I almost did…" he said, chuckling a little bit to himself as he could see his memory come back to him. "Heh, yeah… that was so long ago…" his line of sight faded to white, and his mind was slowly falling back into the memory.
"So long ago… I lost my dad in a tragic accident…" he began, and to him, his voice seemed to echo as he was falling into that memory.
"Mommy…?" a little boy walked into the living room, watching his mother cry into her hands with a stranger sitting next to her. "Mommy… where's Daddy…?" the boy asked, tilting his head as he finally noticed the man. "Aren't you one of Daddy's friends…?" the boy questioned curiously. The young Johnny could only watch his mother's tears trickle down her face, but he couldn't understand. He was too young to possibly understand what his mother meant. "Mommy, I wanna know… tell me where Daddy is! He promised he'd play with me today!" the young boy demanded. He grew impatient, he wanted his father right there with him.
"Now Johnny…" Bradley sighed, looking at the young boy with a painful look in his eyes. He just couldn't say it, no matter how much he needed to say it.
"I can't hear you! Tell me, tell me where Daddy is!" the little boy demanded, stomping his foot.
"Well…" Bradley looked at Johnny's mother, hoping that she would save him the trouble of telling Johnny the news.
"Johnny… Daddy moved away…" she could only tell him that. "Your Daddy moved away, and he's going to stay there for a very long time…"
"That's not fair! Daddy said he'd play with me, he promised me!" Johnny stomped his foot as he was about to cry too, but in disappointment. "He promised me that he'd play with me, so why did Daddy leave?" he pointed at his mother accusingly. "What did you do mommy, hide Daddy away from me so we can't play?" he raised his voice.
"Johnny, relax… I'll play with you, if that's what you nee—"
"Nuh-uh! I want Daddy, not mommy! Daddy promised me that he'd play with me!" the young Johnny demanded for his father once more. 'No' would no longer suffice in this matter.
Bradley clenched his fists, trying to hold himself back.
"Johnny…" Johnny's mother whispered, and her amber-brown eyes darkened a little bit. Her eyes were now stained with despair. She wanted him to know the truth, but there was still a problem. Is he mature enough… to know what the truth is…?
"Tell me now! I wanna know! I wanna know! I wanna know!" Johnny screamed demandingly once more.
"That's enough, Johnny! Your father died in an accident, okay?" Bradley shouted, but then covered his mouth in sudden realization of what his annoyance led him to say.
Johnny's eyes were wide with surprise, not at the fact that Bradley yelled at him, but for the truth. "D-Daddy… no… he can't be dead! No! He said he had to go to work, and then he'd come back to play with me! No!" he screamed in denial, banging his fist against the table. "No!" he began to cry once more. "That's a lie, you liar!"
Bradley swallowed hard, and averted his gaze from Johnny, unable to maintain eye contact with the boy's green eyes. In his eyes, there was nothing left of his childish innocence, there was only hurt and agony. The two resided in his eyes, and most likely resonated within his heart and soul at this very moment.
"I'm sorry, Johnny…" his mother sobbed once again, covering her face with her hands. "I'm sorry… your father… he… he died…" she sobbed as those words came out horribly, but Johnny heard it very well.
"N-no… you guys are all liars… You're all liars!" Johnny stomped into his room, slamming the door behind him.
"It's all for the best…" Bradley tried to calm her, but nothing would work at this point. It hurt to lose her husband, but now it was worse with her son now calling her a liar.
"I'm such a horrible mother…" she couldn't help but to sniffle and sob once more into her hands, where she felt a little safe, even though it only hid her puffy, red eyes.
"A few years later…" Johnny smiled, almost as if he were regretting the mistakes of his past. "This is where I was at my peak, my hatred almost overtook my soul… but…"
"Outta my way…" Johnny muttered to an older man, looking at him with an empty stare. The man looked at the boy carefully, and frowned at him.
"You lousy brat!" the older man yelled at Johnny, but he didn't flinch. He didn't even bat an eye, and the old man clenched his fists in annoyance at him.
"Move it or lose it, old man! I don't have all day for your shit!" the older Johnny barked at him. This friggin' old man… This friggin' world… They can all just burn in hell at this point…
"You better say sorry, kid! Kids these days, they just don't learn what respect is" the man grumbled, crossing his arms patiently in front of Johnny. He stared at Johnny with angry eyes, but Johnny looked back at him with a look of emptiness, as if something were missing from within him. "Stop looking at me like you're hollow or something, the depressed act isn't cutting it for you" the man was now losing patience as his apology never came through.
"I'm giving you a few seconds to move before I move you myself" Johnny responded, unaffected by the man's growing temper. Stupid adult… If I could care any less than I do right now, I definitely would…
"Learn some manners, brat!" the man threw a punch at Johnny, but all he did was take a step to the side, and then land a clean punch to the man's guts. He gasped in horror at the 10-year old boy that gave him a solid punch. "You…"
"Shut up" was all Johnny said before kicking the man's gut, and fully knocking him out. "Stupid man… stupid world… stupid everything…" he grumbled as he continued walking down the street. He kept his head down, and put on his headsets. As if he were shutting the world away, he played some extremely loud music that silenced the sounds of the world around him. No human could say anything to him, nor could he know of their existence at this point. If the world could burn away… I'd let it happen… Dad, why'd they let you just die like that…?
"Hey, kid…" another boy of similar age walked over to Johnny, lightly tapping him on the shoulder.
Johnny ignored the boy, playing louder music and the sour look on his face became worse. He didn't like others touching him, or the fact that someone even bothered trying to talk to him.
"You" the boy tried once again, this time shaking Johnny by his shoulder.
Johnny turned to look at the boy with his emerald eyes full of anger. They glinted with wicked hate for the world, and he clenched his fist at the sight of the other boy. He wore a white trench coat, wore rectangular glasses and wore a weird smile on his face. He carried books the size of Texas and wore brown pants with black shoes to match his entire outfit. This look gave him the true appearance of a scientist.
"Hey, do you know which way the nearest deli is?" the boy asked.
"…" Johnny didn't hear a word the boy said, his loud music was still playing. All he did was scoff and turn away. "Not worth the waste of time" he spat as he took a step forward.
"Okay, come on, at least help me out!" the boy yelled, making Johnny turn once more because the boy tapped him on the shoulder again. He pulled his headsets away from his ears and frowned, "Don't you ever touch me again, hear me?"
"Or what?" the boy asked back, raising his textbooks over Johnny's head. "The pen beats the sword, so just tell me where it is, and I'll be on my way" the kid responded to Johnny's threat without a problem.
"…Hmph!" Johnny scoffed and pointed to the right. "Just get the hell outta my sight. I don't need others…" he said sourly.
"Sheesh, someone's got an attitude. What, your dad died or something?" the boy sighed and shook his head.
"…" Johnny flinched at the mention of his father. "You… get away from me, now!" he demanded, swinging a fist at him, but the boy dropped his books over Johnny's head, making him fall hard onto the floor.
"Told you, pen's mightier than the sword… I'll bite, your dad died, so you hate the world, eh?" the boy raised an eyebrow, looking deeply at Johnny's eyes with his calculating brown eyes. "I see, very well then…" the boy pushed his glasses up. "My name's Alan Juno, and what's yours?" he extended his hand out to Johnny, patting him on the head.
Johnny growled, wanting to leap at him if it weren't for the heavy books on his back. This punk's surprisingly strong if he can lift books that are this heavy…
"Alright, look, I know we don't know each other… but why not talk to me about it? I mean, you're picking fights only 'cause you've got a personal vendetta against the world that's not really valid" Alan frowned and shrugged. "Sorry, had to tell ya that."
"I don't care… just get these damned books off my back so I can kick your ass!" Johnny demanded, squirming under the heavy books.
"That's not kosher" that was Alan's only answer to Johnny's outburst. "You've seriously got to find a different way to let that anger out. Not on people, but at least indirectly…" he sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Hey… ever heard of Duel Monsters?" Alan asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Duel Monsters? Who the hell cares, that's the question" Johnny spat in remark. "If anything, the game sounds completely stupid," he said, squirming underneath the heavy textbooks.
Alan sighed, and shook his head. "Come on, the game's actually really fun. If you give it a try, you might come to enjoy it! It's a game where you summon amazing monsters, activate some awesome spells, and unleash your traps on the opponent. All you need to do, as the player, is strategize and beat down the opponent's Life Points to 0. I'm sure that'll vent out your anger if you make a Deck" he tried to convince him using the slightly enticing details as a way to bring him in.
"That's the game? If I say yes, will you let me the hell go?" Johnny barked, squirming once more underneath the textbooks.
"Yes, indeed. You have to make a Deck yourself, alright?" Alan smiled, watching Johnny's attempts to escape. He doesn't like admitting to his real thoughts, that's what it looks like. He's interested in the game, but his pride won't let him do what seems interesting.
"Fine then! I'll play the damn game, okay?"
"Alrighty then. Swing by here tomorrow, and I'll loan you a spare Deck of mine!" Alan picked up his textbooks with ease, and extended his arm out to Johnny.
Johnny scoffed and shook Alan's hand, looking away from him. "After tomorrow, that's it. Alright?"
"That's enough time" Alan smiled and turned away, walking off. "We'll be good friends, Johnny Alvarez."
"Friends? Pft, I don't need stupid things like those…" Johnny looked away, clenching his fists tightly as he started heading home.
"Heh... Alan told me that that game would probably ease me out… and heck, it did! I swear, it was like all of my animosity just vanished!" Johnny spoke calmly, smiling at the memory that replayed in his mind again, like a movie he was watching all over again. His eyes almost slowly welled up with tears as the memories continued to roll.
Rose watched Johnny with utter disgust. He thinks he can relate to me this shit of a story? I don't see any relations between our pasts, other than that he's a pathetic man... "Stop your crying!" Rose commanded.
"You just don't know what it's like to remember these kind of things, and hold them back... You bottled your pain up, and now look what you've become, a shadow of the person you probably were when Keith was right beside you..." Johnny responded to her, still smiling as he wiped tears away.
"... How... how dare you!" Rose growled, the flames dancing around her stronger.
"On the next day, yeah, I went to the same spot I met Alan..."
"I'm here, now what?" Johnny frowned, crossing his arms. He obviously didn't want to be here, but there was no other choice. He wasn't one to go back on his word, even if it was something he was forced into.
"Now, to give you a practice Deck to work with…" Alan muttered, shuffling through several boxes that appeared to contain stacks of cards.
"Just gimme a damn deck" Johnny swiped one that seemed to be in a Red Box labeled "Fire".
"Ooh, Fire, huh? I guess that'll help you with your burning temper…" Alan shuffled through the boxes, and picked a blue one labeled "Water". "Alrighty, looks like I'll be dousing out your anger with this" he grinned.
"Whatever…" Johnny sighed, and took a look at the instruction manual. "What the hell is Normal Summon? What the hell is all this crap?" he gasped at half the rules, almost ready to throw the manual at Alan's face.
"Dude, relax bro. Trust me, you'll understand half of this when you actually play" Alan explained with a smile as he then sat down on the table, shuffling the deck of cards. "Firstly, we'll be rolling a die to see who goes fi—"
"I'll take the first turn! Screw dice!" Johnny sat down, shuffling the Deck he swiped out of Alan's hands. He drew one card, and grinned, revealing an orange-framed card. "I drew a Monster, looks like I got the hang of t—"
"Wrong!" Alan said as if he were a buzzer for a game show. "Nope, that's not how the game works."
"…Screw you!" Johnny shouted. He sighed, and put the card back, waiting for Alan to instruct him on what to do next. Alan chuckled and stood next to him, giving him instructions in his ear on how the game usually worked. All he needed to say was "You can crush your opponents in one turn when you have the right cards in your hand…" to really spark Johnny's intrigues. The two stuck with each other for hours and hours on end, Alan helping Johnny to learn the ways of Duel Monsters, and then he set Johnny off to Duel a random kid sitting on his own.
Alan crossed his fingers with a grin, wishing Johnny some luck after all that teaching he had to do in order to get him to understand the laws of the game. Move by move, he noticed Johnny was losing at first, but then, Johnny had a smug look on his face, as if he could see the very ending of the Duel. "Heh, looks like you've learned…" he chuckled to himself, watching Johnny pull off the finishing comeback move!
Johnny got up off his chair, laughing and smiling out of nowhere as he shook the kid's hand. "Damn man, good game!"
"You too!" the kid replied, walking away from the table with a smile across his face as well.
"See what I told ya? You're smiling" Alan pointed out, which Johnny immediately changed into a false frown. "Too late, bro, you smiled!"
"… Meh, I was happy at the end 'cause I beat him, alright?" Johnny said as if it were embarrassing to admit that he was happy after such a long time. Dad, guess ya wanted me to move on somehow… and you sent me this guy, didn't you? Maybe… maybe there is an afterlife after all… I'll meet ya there, when it's my time. For now, I've gotta keep in living, that's what ya wanted me to learn… didn't ya, pops?
"Uh… Johnny?" Alan waved a hand in front of his face.
"Before I go home today… let's get in one last Duel!" Johnny demanded with a grin.
"Hmph, just 'cause you beat that kid doesn't mean you're beating me!" Alan laughed alongside with Johnny. The two were friends that seemingly couldn't be separated by much, seeing as they had so much fun together only in the course of one day.
"Man, those were some good memories..." Johnny breathed in deeply, and then exhaled, looking at Rose with a new resolve within him. If I'm going to win this Duel, I'm going to have to do something that I thought I'd never do for someone that's committed the crimes she's done...
"Regardless, Johnny, all the shit spewing from your mouth isn't convincing me how much we are the same" Rose spat at Johnny, crossing her arms.
"See, we've both lost a loved one… Alan tried to reach out to me, and befriend me despite how much I wanted to kill him for touching me that first time I met him" Johnny chuckled, painfully staggering. "Through and through… we became best friends, and I eventually loved this game for what it is…" Johnny struggled to take the top card of his Deck.
"Hmph, talk is over with, Johnny! Make your pathetic move, I'll blow you away like the speck of dirt you are!" Rose commanded him.
Turn 9
"It's… my move!" Johnny swiped the new card from the top of his Deck, and he smiled at it. "Thanks you guys. I know y'all never let me down…" he looked at Rose, struggling to maintain a grin on his face.
"And just what the hell are you smiling about? Did you draw something to stall me? I'll break your defenses Johnny, so give up!" Rose spat, her unruly flames dancing around Johnny.
"This ain't a defense… It's time I made this move count!" Johnny revealed a Monster in his hand. "First off, I'll Summon my Babycerasaurus!" he commanded as a hatchling triceratops formed on the field, growling cutely.
Babycerasaurus: 500 Attack / 500 Defense | Level 2
"So you're betting your Life Points on that pathetic creature? Please! I've made better moves than that in my dreams!" Rose crossed her arms, feeling angered by seeing the cute creature on the field. She always hated things that were cute.
"That ain't how this Turn ends, Rose… This turn's gonna end with me winning this Duel!" Johnny revealed a Spell card in his hand, and a red aura surrounded his entire body. "Now, I'll activate the key card to my victory: Rekindling!" he commanded as his discard pile was set ablaze.
"Rekindling?"
"This Spell Card lets me Special Summon as many FIRE-Attribute Monsters with 200 Defense… And I've got three perfect targets in mind! Come on out, my three Jurrac Aeolo!" Johnny commanded as the flames gave birth to three baby hatchlings, all cooing next to the other hatchling.
Jurrac Aeolo: 200 Attack / 200 Defense | Level 1
"You guys ready?" the three hatchling Aeolo all nodded their heads as they burst into flames. "Transcend Evolution!" he commanded the name of their ability as they all grew into larger dinosaurs, one looking like a red-headed, green-bodied velociraptor, another looking like a smaller, red-skinned dinosaur. Finally, the third one, appeared to evolve into a yellow-skinned, savage dinosaur that roared mightily. "Heh… Jurrac Velo, Jurrac Gallim, and Jurrac Guaiba will all be Summoned!"
Jurrac Velo: 1700 Attack / 1000 Defense | Level 4
Jurrac Guaiba: 1700 Attack / 600 Defense | Level 4
Jurrac Gallim: 1200 Attack / 0 Defense | Level 2
"Hmph, doesn't matter how many pathetic creatures you drag onto your Field, it doesn't change the fact that I've won this Duel!"
"Oh really now?" Johnny raised an eyebrow as the red aura around him didn't cease to fade, and his Wings of the Crimson Dragon birthmark glowed brightly once again. "I'm givin' it everything I've got this turn to break through to you, and let you know that I don't feel like seein' ya do something stupid… ya got me!"
"I don't care, Johnny! Why won't you see that I don't need you, or anyone else!" Rose shrilly yelled at him.
"What happened in the past, I dunno what happened to ya… but… I can't let my friends down! I can't let myself see someone else turn out like me!" Johnny reached out to Rose, and then clenched his fist as crimson flames shot from his body, pushing the darkness away from his body. Amongst the flames were images of his monsters, all of them roaring loudly with Meteo-Rage Dragon all the way in back, roaring louder than the rest!
This will… this resolve… No… I won't… I won't be overtaken! "Beat me if you think you can, Johnny!" Rose yelled out in confidence.
"I know I can win, Rose! I'll Tune this Level 4 Jurrac Velo, my Level 4 Jurrac Guaiba and the Level 2 Jurrac Gallim!" Johnny commanded as the red flames around him scattered into the air, creating ten orbs of crimson light that shot into the sky suddenly. "Falling from the heavens like a shooting star! Flames of victory strike the earth!" the clouds tore in half as the sky was then colored red.
"A Level 10 Synchro Summon!" Rose's eyes widened at the mere thought of it. This wasn't anywhere in her calculations!
"Synchro Summon! Rain, Jurrac Meteor!" Johnny commanded as a crystallized rock-formation shot down from the sky, it's impact coming closer and closer to being imminent!
Jurrac Meteor: 2800 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level 10
"Jurrac Meteor's Monster Effect activates immediately! When he's Synchro Summoned… he destroys the entire Field!"
"Th-the entire Field?" Rose repeated as the crystallized rock descended upon their battlefield, closer and closer. The blazing intensity of the rock could be felt, making all the monsters on the field groan with displeasure.
"Yeah… Just like what I needed to do to ya, I need to give ya a clean slate… To take someone in, you've gotta forgive the stuff they've done…" Johnny smiled at Rose.
"… Forgiveness, huh?" Rose watched as the meteor impacted the battlefield, releasing a large wave of flames that made all of her monsters scream with agony as they all shattered into tiny pixels.
Babycerasaurus and Johnny's face-down card were both immediately annihilated in the blast as well, completely erasing what the field originally looked like. All that was left was the cracks on the ground, and the wounds that Johnny suffered through the Duel. "Now, the effect of my Jurrac Meteor then lets me Special Summon a "Jurrac" Tuner Monster from the graveyard… Come on back, Jurrac Aeolo!" he explained as a small spark of flames formed, giving birth to a new Jurrac Aeolo.
Jurrac Aeolo: 200 Attack / 200 Defense
"Wait… that thing's effect…" Rose gasped.
"The effect of my Babycerasaurus also activates in the grave! When he's destroyed by a card effect… I Special Summon a Dinosaur-Type in my Deck! Come on out, Jurrac Plessie!" Johnny roared in command as a very long-necked, finned dinosaur with a sleek blue skin color and flame-like design on its sides.
Jurrac Plessie: 1000 Attack / 1000 Defense | Level 4
"Now, the effect of my Jurrac Aeolo activates in the graveyard! I'll evolve him into my Jurrac Velo!" Johnny commanded as the baby suddenly burst into flames, transcending into the rainbow-skinned velociraptor!
Jurrac Velo: 1700 Attack / 1000 Defense | Level 4
"Those two… they fill the conditions for…"
"The last Synchro Summon for this turn… I'll Tune the Level 4 Jurrac Velo to my Level 4 Jurrac Plessie!" Johnny commanded as four rings encircled four orbs of light. "Your mighty flames of rage, awaken now! Bring about the greatest impact! Synchro Summon! Break, Meteo-Rage Dragon!" red flames formed in the middle of the field as it then gave birth to the creation of Johnny's Signer Dragon once more! It took flight again, unfolding its wings as it roared mightily.
Meteo-Rage Dragon: 2600 Attack / 2000 Defense.
"Now, the effect of my Jurrac Plessie goes off in the graveyard! When she's used for a Synchro Summon, and that monster happens to be a Dinosaur-Type and FIRE-Attribute… I pay 400 Life Points to give it a 400 Point Boost!" Johnny commanded as flames encircled his dragon, and it roared with awesome strength!
Meteo-Rage Dragon: 3000 Attack / 2000 Defense
Johnny: 100
"Johnny, that's not enough to take me down… When your turn's done… when your turn's done, I'll make you pay for what you did to my soul!" Rose barked with her fists clenched a little loosely now.
"I wouldn't be betting on that any time soon... I'll activate this Trap Card in my graveyard!" Johnny commanded as a vortex opened, revealing a purple card. "Skill Successor… I blew it up in my last turn when I was getting rid of your monsters" he grinned slyly. "Looks like you ain't the only one with an ace-in-the-hole!"
"Wait… with Skill Successor…" Rose's eyes widened in disbelief and disgust! No other word could describe how she felt at that moment.
"Now, I remove it from play… and my Meteo-Rage Dragon here powers up by 800 Points!" the flames around Meteo-Rage Dragon intensified as it soared into the heavens, it's flames forming an aura around it!
Meteo-Rage Dragon: 3800 Attack / 2000 Defense
"This is it Rose, the finishing move! My flames of hope will vanquish your flames of despair!" Johnny threw an air punch at her. "I kept my end of the bet, so it looks like… you're sidin' with the Signers! Meteo-Rage Dragon, direct attack! Meteor Blaze!" the dragon heeded his command, ascending at great speeds as it then spun around. Quickly, the dragon took a nose-dive towards Rose with a charge of flames gathering in its mouth. The blast of flames then shot forth directly at her, with nothing to stop it!
"…" Rose accepted it. It was her defeat, no matter how hard she'd have to swallow it. The flames completely covered her entirely, and the sounds of her Duel Disk decreasing her Life Points echoed to her.
Rose: 0
Johnny: 100
"Looks like that's… the end of that!" Johnny raised the peace sign with a grin across his face. "Looks like now… you're with us" he walked over to her, his dragon roaring behind him as it then suddenly vanished alongside the rest of the solid vision system. It was over. That fight, their dispute, it ended. The dark clouds, they vanished, unveiling the sun in its majestic form, the light overcoming the dark clouds.
Within the dark alley, Levis began to chuckle a little as the very top card of his Tarot Card Deck began to shine, piercing through the darkness. He swiped the card from the top of the deck, not looking at it for a few moments as he closed his gold and blue eyes. Fate seems to be telling me something... Perhaps... Levis opened his eyes, looking at his tarot card as his lips curled into a smirk while his gold and blue eye both glowed with some sort of strange excitement. "Looks like the games are about to finally begin…" he whispered to himself as his eye reflected the image of a creature's wings unfolding. "And this time… no survivors if either side's to win… Hehehe…. Hahahaha!" a single black feather soared into the sky. "This war… has only just begun!" his voice echoed mysteriously into the day as the feathers danced with intent.
Author's Note: Phew, I was finally able to decide whether or not to upload this chapter early, and in the full 13,000+ Word majesty. ^^ Well, I hope you enjoy the season finale of this fiction! ^^
Disclaimer: You already know the drill, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's at all! If I did, you'd probably be seeing the awesomeness of Johnny's Jurracs... IN 3-D! XD
And you'd see Dinosaurs on frickin' Motorcycles... Yeah... that'll be epic!