Rise of Destiny

Chapter 9

Prelude to the Grudge Match: The Story of Gavon's Past

Jounouchi stepped into a dark corridor. Suddenly, 6 bright, yellow lights flashed on. Jounouchi squinted for a moment; getting used to the light. When he could see clearly, he saw a hulking figure standing only a few feet away.

"Hello, Jounouchi Katsuya." A hearty, but cold, voice said.

"No...it can't be..." Jounouchi muttered.

Gavon stepped out of the shadows. His snake tatoo was gleaming under the light, and his muscles were more defined then ever. The light cast an eerie shadow on his face.

"Did you miss me?" He said, smirking.

"You?" Jounouchi exclaimed. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"That's not the way to greet death." Gavon said grimly. "I am here to show you the light, or should I say, the Darkness."

"Whatever." Jounouchi said, scowling. "All I know is, I'm gonna pay you back for my loss last time!"

"You think so?" Gavon asked.

"Quit with your little mind games, and let's duel! So, is this our arena?" Jounouchi asked.

"No." Gavon said. "Follow me."

The muscle-man lead Jounouchi to a rusty elevator.

"At the top of this tower is our Duelling arena." Gavon said shortly. He and Jounouchi walked into the elevator. Gavon punched a few buttons, and the elevator lifted off.

"So, Gavon," Jounouchi started. "Why did you join these slimeballs anyway?"

"Hmmm...it started when I was only 15 years old, not much younger then you are now..." Gavon started. "I had nightmares as a child. Terrible nightmares. Nightmares of the very demons in my Duel Monsters deck. Despair from the Dark haunted me every night. My parents took me to see a psychiatrist a few weeks after they started. It didn't work very well, and only made things worse after kids from my school got word that big bad Gavon had nightmares that made him sweat. The only thing I could do was to learn to fight; to teach those no-good punks to fear me as much as I feared Despair from the Dark."

FLASHBACK

A young boy of 15 runs through the alleyways, chasing two boys of about the same age. The first boy stops. He is wearing a black jacket with the sleeves rolled up, black jeans, and a white T-shirt. He has spiky black hair and cold black eyes. This is Gavon as a teenager.

"Why are ya runnin', punk? You were so brave back there with all your pals insulting me!" He said mockingly.

One of the boys he was chasing, a thin boy with neat brown hair and a white jacket, cowers in fear. Gavon grabs him by the scruff of his shirt, and punches him in the face. He proceeds to pummel the boy, as the latter howls in pain.

/FLASHBACK

"The only good thing was the nightmares finally stopped after I started fighting. I gained confidence. Anyway, I was sent to jail for that. My parents didn't even bail me out of jail. 'You should learn a lesson' they said. So they left me there for the 9 months I had been sentenced. Until he showed up..."

FLASHBACK

Gavon sat in a jail cell, his hands handcuffed, and his head down.

A guard hurried over to his cell, opened it, and said, "Gavon, you have a visitor."

A tall man with long dark hair, cold black eyes, a blue trenchcoat, which was buttoned up at the chest, black pants, and black boots stood at the doorway with the guard.

"Who are you?" Gavon asked.

"I am a friend." The cloaked man said. He turned to the guard. "May I speak to him outside, at lunch area?"

The guard looked thoughtful. "Okay." He said. "There are too many guards out there for him to escape."

"Do you know how to play Duel Monsters?" The man asked.

Gavon nodded, pulling a deck of cards out of his pocket. "One of the few things they let me keep. These cards aren't the best, but they're all I've got."

"Good. I challenge you to a Duel." The man said.

"A Duel?"

"Yes. We'll use this table..."

DUELSTART

Gavon: I summon White Magical Hat(1000/700), and end my turn.

Auros: I pass.

Gavon: I attack with White Magical Hat! And I'll discard one card from your hand.

He picks a card.

Auros: chuckles Sorry, but you've discarded my Despair from the Dark(2800/3000)! And when that card is discarded from my hand, it is automatically summoned to the field!

This is the creature from my nightmares! Gavon thought worriedly.

Auros: Despair from the Dark, attack his White Magical Hat!

Gavon: No!

Auros/4000 Gavon/2200

Auros: And my turn is not over, for I activate Hell Designator! Activate from your deck, Card Destruction!

Gavon: But why would you do that?

Auros: discards his hand. Black mist flows out of his Graveyard. Two more Despair from the Dark appear on the field.

Gavon: Aah!

Auros: Make your move.

Gavon: shakily I pass my turn.

Auros: Despair from the Dark, attack his Life Points!

Gavon: No, I can't lose!

Auros: Looks like you did.

DUEL END

/FLASHBACK

"I went to bed that night. The nightmares started again. I had a hard night." Gavon said shortly. But all of my troubles would end soon..."

FLASHBACK

The guard walked to Gavon's cell, opened it, sighed, and said. "Gavon?"

"Yes?"

"You've been bailed."

"By who?"

"Why don't you follow me and see?"

Gavon did so. The man in the blue trench-coat stood there in the lobby.

"Gavon, my boy! I've come to bail you out." He said, a false smile on his face. Gavon looked puzzled, but shook it off.

Gavon stood outside, in his old clothes again, with the cloaked man.

"Okay, what's the deal?" Gavon asked angrily. "I barely know you, and you bail me outta jail?"

"My name is Bartholomew Auros, and I know about your nightmares."

"So what?" Gavon asked, getting angrier.

"I can help you. I can take away all your fears. All you have to do is take my deck of cards, the deck of your nightmares. And all your fears will eventually disappear."

"Are you...kidding?" Gavon asked, nearly speechless.

"Use it well." Auros said, pressing the deck into Gavon's hand.

"I...I will." Gavon said.

/FLASHBACK

"I used this deck well, and eventually went on to help Auros in his quest. With this deck, I became the Fearless Man!" Gavon exclaimed.

"You have no fears?" Jounouchi asked.

"That's right." He said, breathing the air as the elevator stopped and he stepped out. "And, that's the story of how my Nightmare Deck was born!"

Jounouchi looked at his surroundings. It was built like a wreckage site. The Duelling field was caked with mud, and there were scrap heaps of metal surrounding them. Jounouchi turned once more to see a cross, with a hook protruding a few inches from the top. With her wrists and ankles tied together, Shizuka was hanging from the hook by the ropes around her wrists, her eyes closed.

"Shizuka!" Jounouchi exclaimed, moving to rush to his sister. Her eyes snapped open.

"Katsuya!" She shouted.

Gavon stepped in front of Jounouchi, completely blocking his path.

"If you want her, Jounouchi Katsuya, we'll have a little duel first. It's why you came here, right?" Gavon said, chuckling.

Jounouchi muttered obscenities under his breath, then loaded his deck into his Duel Disk, and set it into Duel Mode.

"You want a Duel, Gavon?" Jounouchi asked. "Well then, you're sure as hell to get one!"

To Be Continued

NEXT: Grudge Match Part 1