*POV: Third*

The air seemed to freeze around the two Fifth Omni Cavalry Dragons. As they forced themselves back onto their feet, they were at the mercy of Sinblade dragon as it stood before them. Arkaid's body tensed up, for she saw her motionless buddy gouged with the foe's horrifying blade. Alliot tensed up as he watched his comrade getting abused before him. Weak gasps were heard from the dragon warrior. At the moment, what was there to do? To him, the comrade that he just recently congratulated was now near death's door.

It wasn't before long that Sinblade began to abuse his position of power. He gripped onto CJ's head as the Disaster Force flared around the user's body. Sinblade grinned at the sight of such energy; he knew that it was going to serve as a plentiful source for him. At least, the grin was something that was still barely able to be made out; the dragon's face was left in shambles after Alliot's relentless drillings. However, as he began to suck out the Disaster Force from CJ, his wounded body parts began to reform themselves.

Upon stealing the energy, he began to heal.

Such a process, even for Arkaid, was something to be thought as a magical spell to take some time and effort. Healing involves using one's magical powers to accelerate the body's natural healing process while also mending weak bones and cartilages. However, such restrictions appeared to be disregarded from Sinblade Dragon; not only was he healing, but the dragon was recovering from his incredibly-violent wounds in almost no time at all.

While Alliot was left in complete shock, something riled up within the depth of Arkaid's mind. During those moments, she watched as her buddy, because of her and Alliot's overconfidence, was left to Sinblade's mercy. The horrible dragon's sword was still gouged in the buddy's body. Arkaid's buddy stiffened, but it wasn't out of fear. Something clicked within her mind, something that broke her out from her state of warrior regality. She didn't let out a war-cry. However, a stretch of darkness came over her face. Without warning, she leaped forward with her staff charging a spell.

Sinblade, predicting the offensive measure, yanked his sword from CJ's body. Even though he wasn't able to completely recover, he needed to discard the Disaster Force user in hopes of dodging the direct attack. Hauling a body near two-hundred pounds was only going to hold him back. Arkaid muttered her alchemic spell, unleashing a series of arrows towards her enemy. As Sinblade attempted to dodge away, Arkaid made an incredibly foolish move. She made a physically offensive move, stabbing Sinblade with the back end of her staff. Needless to say, it was incredibly risky and foolish for a spellcaster to attempt to physically attack a strong, close-quarters enemy.

However, as Alliot even witnessed, Arkaid didn't seem to care. The darkness that came across her force demanded her to keep going. Using the little bit of physical strength she had, she managed to stab Sinblade towards the stomach. This move left the black dragon stunned and completely confused. He gasped before taking a large leap backward, managing to remove the staff from his torso in the process. Arkaid, with an intense huff, pulled back on her staff and gripped it with an intense fist. Alliot was quick to go to her side, only to see Arkaid kneeling down to her buddy's side.

Alliot felt uneasy as he tried to get a word in. The sudden moves of the spellcaster left him completely shocked. For such a person to engage the way she did just now… it just didn't make sense to him. However, as he watched Arkaid tend to her buddy… as he watched Arkaid attempt to hold back tears so strongly… he understood. Alliot gritted his teeth, glaring at Sinblade as the dragon from hell readied for combat. "How dare you shed blood of a brother!"

With a high-pitched, winding sound from his drills, Alliot rushed towards Sinblade. Even though the enemy dragon managed to recover from taking in the Disaster Force, it was apparent that he wasn't able to take in much. Alliot, using his drill spear, was able to match the opposing dragon blow for blow. Alliot, out of character, was unable to snicker as he managed to land a blow towards the dragon's shoulder. He couldn't find it in himself to be happy at a time like this. To him, a brother had fallen, and it wasn't even because of his lack of skill; it was because he and Arkaid let their guard down, and it was especially because he couldn't land the killing blow when it was so open to him. Guilt drove him forward, and Sinblade soon realized just the kind of situation he was in.

Arkaid was motioning her hand along her buddy's wounds. At first, she managed to retain her regal form as she calmly caressed the injured body part. She placed her right hand on it while her left checked for a pulse. Her main hand began to give off a light green glow. As she watched the wound behind to heal, she monitored her buddy's health. She breathed steadily as she begged for her buddy to open his eyes.

She placed two fingers on the side of CJ's neck. Her breathing began to pick up. The pulse was present, but it was slow and incredibly weak. This made her try and focus her magic even more. The green, pulsing energy around her right hand began to glow even brighter. She began to feel rather weakened as such healing magic demanded a lot of mana. Even so, she kept going. Her breathing picked up, but it wasn't because of her weakening in mana; she was forced to watch as her buddy wasn't waking up.

Around her, she could hear Alliot roaring with rage. Even though the wound was nearly healed, her thoughts were filled with a tremendous amount of guilt. She kept asking her why, and how she left CJ in such a terrible position. It was our duty to make sure he was dead… and our confidence nearly killed him. How could I have done that to him? I'm his buddy, so how was I unable to protect him? How can I protect others if I cannot protect my own buddy?

It was then that a specific thought came to her mind. It was something that even shocked her upon thinking it, considering her position.

Out of everyone, aren't you the one I needed to protect?

The realization of such a question broke her out of the darkening trance. Her reptile-esque ears perked as she looked around her, trying to make sense of all that was happening. She watched as Alliot was struggling against Sinblade despite his rage fueling his movements. Arkaid began to rush to his side but looked back. She saw her buddy lay limp on the sidelines, still lifeless. As she continued to engage the enemy, she could only hope that her buddy would make it. If he didn't ….

Ms. Fridrik had called into some of the other officers outside. Now that the criminals were being dealt with, some had to go in and either bring them outside to be brought to the station or to be watched until properly removed. After two buddy officers secured the two criminals Halia and Ms. Fridrik took care of, the boss and her buddy continued on their way. The two looked into each room after knocking on the door on the off chance that some of the criminals were hoping to give themselves in and simply give up. Unfortunately, she was only greeted with more empty rooms.

Fridrik sighed to herself. "This isn't right. Gale said this was a main place of operations. Why does it feel a bit too empty?"

"Hoshi's death must've played a part," Halia replied. "If what Gale said was true, both he and Hoshi were here."

Fridrik was a bit skeptical about leaving the criminals with the other members of the Buddy Police. She hoped that the officers wouldn't engage in a buddyfight with them if they attempted to escape. If it wasn't obvious to the others, she hated such a concept, and she greatly preferred the methods utilized by the District of Monster/Multiverse Welfare. Human and monster working together to fight and wipe out the criminals before them; it was a style she preferred when it came to raids like this one.

Halia and Fridrik continued to make their way up the next few floors when they came across a peculiar criminal. Unlike the others, he seemed to abstain from any sort of retreat. With a strong grip around his dark core deck case, he tightly held on to the only object giving him any sort of power. Fridrik winced at the sight of the weapon, for CJ instantly came to mind. She had feared that such usage of the deck case, yet she had not witnessed anything to make her wary of the weapon so far.

Even so, the mere sight of the weapon told her that she couldn't engage the criminal properly. Because of the laws of this world, sending in Halia was the only available option to her. The large, armored eagle, without a second thought, flew forward with a proud and strong flap of her wings. Halia managed to grasp onto the opposing buddyfighter with her talons. The foe cried loudly as the eagle rammed him against the wall, hoping to subdue him instantly.

Fridrik, thinking that the battle was won, rushed forward. The man that was subdued appeared to be in his older 20s. Even though he lacked a buddy, the fact that he still held a dark core deck case proved that he was still a threat to keep in mind of. It did not take long before Fridrik pulled out some handcuffs for the defeated fellow. She watched as the man continue to fight against Halia's grip, squirming helplessly as he yelled out at seemingly no one.

"Alright! Alright! You win!"

At first, Fridrik took this as a sign of submission. However, she frowned at the sight of the criminal; he continued to struggle.

"S-STOP! STOP!"

Something wasn't right. Nothing was making any sense. If he was giving up, then why would he continue to struggle against Halia's grip? Fridrik, wanting to see more, urged to her buddy. "Are you killing him? Let him go!"

Halia, not wishing to anger her master, released the criminal. However, they were forced to watch in befuddlement as the criminal continued to writhe in pain. Fridrik was unable to understand the circumstances; the criminal was "freed," so why wasn't he trying to leave? Not only that, but Halia was no longer gripping the enemy. The two of them continued to stare at the struggling criminal as his body violently flailed against the wall.

The only thing they managed to pick up, initially, was that it wasn't a seizure. The criminal still was able to speak, and his body wasn't spazzing. Instead, it looked like his body was reacting to sudden impulses, or that his body was trying to release itself from one's grip. It was then that Fridrik realized what exactly was going on; her fears of the Dark Core Deck Case were beginning to become a reality.

By the time she managed to find that out, she was too late. Dark auras began to envelop to the victim as the flailing began to cease. Suddenly, the cries for mercy were replaced with soft chuckles and laughs. Halia weakly turned to her master as she hoped to find some sort of answer. "A-Alice, what's going on with that freak?!"

Fridrik didn't know. Their charge was too late. The dark energies from the disaster force had already enveloped the poor soul's entire body. Any sort of protest was futile at this rate; there was no hope of stopping the Disaster Force from spreading. The auras spread like a wildfire, yet the criminal felt no pain. Instead, the criminal managed to bring himself back to his feet. Now that he had the time, he managed to materialize a scythe from one of the worlds. As Fridrik feared, the criminal managed to make the card a reality, yet that was not her only fear.

The criminal cackled to himself as the Disaster Force continued to warp the man's mind. He was no longer himself anymore. Any form of contact Fridrik tried to make—whether it be demands for a surrender or a call to a fight—were ignored. Any attempt at vocal contact was replied back with soft chuckles. A grin slithered across the man's face as he directed the scythe towards Fridrik. To him, the edge of the scythe's blade was etched towards Fridrik's neck.

His free hand allowed him to make use of the Disaster Force once more. However, this utilization did not feature a card from Darkness Dragon World. Instead, Fridrik and Halia were first of the DMW to witness the flexible nature of the Disaster Force. The criminal didn't even mutter the name of the card. However, the fiery attack revealed a strong and orange fire to it that the spell just had to originate from either Dragon World or Legend World. However, the offensive bolt struck out quickly, grazing Fridrik as she just barely dodged the attack.

Fridrik and Halia were forced to flee. Alice gritted her teeth as she heard the criminal cackling to himself behind them. His humanity, at least at that moment, appeared to be long gone. The creature the remained continued to bellow and roar as it chased them down the flights of stairs. Fridrik and Halia were barely able to coordinate what to do next.

Fridrik, as she leaped down a flight, just barely managed to land without harming her knees. "That crap can make spells real too?!"

Halia nervously squawked back to her master. "When Tasuku said it makes the cards real, I didn't think spells were included."

"Yeah. We already knew it can't make monsters real, so it making spells real seemed insane!"

Another bolt of fire rushed by Halia. Some of her feathers were scorched as she fled from the insane assailant. She let out a terrified squawk as a sudden burst of adrenaline made her rush upward. Fridrik took this chance to retaliate. Knowing that the attention from the berserker was taken off of her, she knew that now was the time to disarm her enemy. She grasped onto the railing on her left and thrust herself upward. Even the insane criminal was amazed by the athleticism of such an agent. She stepped onto another railing to get her airborne, soon landing on top of the criminal before he had the chance to unleash a strong swing with his scythe.

This sudden attack proved to be good for her, for the criminal, using only his instinct, let go of the scythe and proceeded to grasp onto Fridrik's hair. The agent growled back at him before reeling her head far back. Before the criminal knew what was coming to him, she thrust her head forward, nailing her head against the foe's. One could almost hear a skull crack upon the impact. The head of the criminal bled from the sudden blow as his body went limp. Without a doubt, the criminal went silent.

Panting, Fridrik pulled herself back to her feet. She kept her back straight as she brushed off some of the blood that managed to drip from her forehead. Despite the fact that she wounded the criminal more, a wound still emerged from her forehead. Halia quickly came to her side as Fridrik pulled out a handkerchief. She began to pat at the wound with the piece of cloth, soon pressing on it to apply pressure. "Let's report this to the others. They need to know about this."

They were quick to do so. This information was not something to be taken lightly. Seemingly out of nowhere, a criminal went berserk by what appeared to be due to the Disaster Force. As the duo emerged outside with the unconscious criminal in Fridrik's arms, the other officers on the scene made sure to handle the criminal with care. It was not long before the rest of her team, as well as Tasuku and Jackknife, returned to Fridrik's side. However, she didn't take notice of them. She continued to watch as blood dripped from the criminal's forehead.

She sighed as she continued to let the picture settle in her mind. The boss could still feel her forehead pounding from the pulsing blood as she continued to apply pressure to her forehead. It was incredible that she was able to knock out the criminal with such a brutish tactic, but she didn't feel like celebrating; a power that made buddyfight items real could also make spells real. And not only that, the Disaster Force could unleash itself in the same manner that it did with the criminal. Even though her attention was away from the others, she recalled the situation as best as she could. She hated herself for banging her head against the enemy, especially since it made her mind somewhat fuzzy. From what she managed to easily recall, the man they were trying to arrest was crying out in pain. However, it was not due to their attacks. Over time, the man became some sort of psychotic beast.

Tasuku took initiative, for the others were too solemn to participate. Abigail, Alvis, and their buddies were still feeling aggressive towards their boss's mindset after how she treated them prior to the raid. Fridrik and Halia took no notice of this, however. Halia, worriedly, looked to her master as Tasuku attempted to chime in and speak. Instead of focusing on what Fridrik just stated, Tasuku paid attention to the wound on her forehead. "How are you feeling, Ms. Fridrik? Are you hurt?"

"No," she muttered back. "Not at all. Just tired, I guess."

Abigail, finding her boss's demeanor to be uncharacteristic of her, finally found the courage to speak up. "Boss? You alright?"

"Like I said, I'm tired," Fridrik hastily replied. She finally turned to the others with a weary glare. "You try taking the offensive like I did. Then you'll see just why I'm so tired."

Alvis shook his head. "You act like you don't normally do this sort of thing."

"Today was different," she replied. "… And that's what I wanted to talk about." She looked over to Tasuku. Jackknife, while in his SD form, attempted to fly in front of Tasuku in hopes of protecting the young officer from any form of badgering. Fortunately, Fridrik was not hoping to do so. "The Disaster Force can also make spells real. Is this correct?"

Tasuku, looking rather confused, hesitantly replied. "Y-Yes, and some Impact Cards, but I thought you already knew this."

Alvis interjected. "Now hold on just a sec! You can make spells too?!"

Jack nodded, but it was a slow nod. He found the situation to be a bit too primitive for him. Even Tasuku knew about these sort of things, so it was astounding that the others didn't know. "As I recall, we mentioned that the Disaster Force has the ability to make the cards real. It speaks for itself."

Sitri, with a strong hint of snark, retorted. "Oh yeah? And when were you going to tell us that users can make portals?"

Fridrik was broken out from her tired funk. Her assertive demeanor quickly returned to the dismay of her employees. "Portals? What portals? Are you meaning to tell me that the Disaster Force can make portals too?!"

Tasuku, attempting to be polite, hesitantly replied back in hopes of relaying what he knows. "Yes, that is also the case, but the user has to be quite skilled in order to do so."

Jack groaned. "This is the limit of what the DMW knows?"

Fridrik grunted back. "You didn't tell us anything." And then, almost knowing that Jack was going to reply back to her, she continued on. "And don't even tell me that we're ill-prepared; most of the Disaster Force activity has been happening here in Japan. Last I checked, we're from America, working on a case in your district."

Alvis shrugged his shoulders. "She's got a point."

Finding himself troubled, Tasuku held a concerned finger towards his chin. "With this in mind, it does concern me that the criminals we're dealing with already know how to use portals."

Abigail spoke up. "What?"

"Everyone mentioned portals, so I assume that you were dealing with a criminal who was using a portal of his own."

"Oh, wait… no, not really," Abigail returned. "We only know about the portals because we encountered Liam and Demios."

Jackknife's wings stiffened. "Demios?! He and his buddy were here?"

Alvis nodded back for Abigail. "Yeah. He was doing his own investigation, I guess… and that's when he warped in, but something didn't feel right about him."

Fridrik nodded. "Does it relate to what happened with me?"

"I think so," Alvis returned. "Liam was trembling from the pain. He mentioned something to Demios, but they were just out of earshot. However, I could see the Disaster Force roaring around him. It was like it was trying to take over him, and causing him a great deal of pain."

Fridrik quickly turned to Alvis with a solemn look in her eyes. "What you've just stated… it sounds like my own encounter."

Tasuku took in a nervous gulp. "However, unlike Liam, the criminal went out of control. It seems the Disaster Force comes with a horrible risk after all."

Jack growled under his breath. "I can't believe this…. To think that such a risk would go undetected by me. Am I truly this blind?"

Abigail let out a loud yelp, distracting everyone else from their depressing mindsets. "Wait a second! CJ has the Dark Core Deck Case too!"

Tasuku gasped. "T-That's right! He's been using it this whole time!"

Jack looked away. "I blame myself…. I told him that he was allowed to use it, and I urged you to let him do so…. If anything happens to him, then it is my fault."

Fridrik's silence drew everyone else's attention towards her. She had her arms crossed while Halia nervously shuffled back and forth in her stance. Needless to say, she was greatly worried about CJ. She let off soft, whimpering squawks as she lowered her head. Her eyes closed, possibly imagining the worst case scenario. However, Fridrik turned to her buddy monster and stroked her head. The large eagle turned to her master, eying her with sorrowful while Fridrik smirked with confidence. "I don't think he's in trouble just yet."

Jack roared to her. "How can you say that?!" Everyone turned to him, surprised by his sudden outburst. "… Forgive me, but someone with the courage that rivals Tasuku is now in danger because I gave in to his wishful thinking. How can you stay calm at a time like this?"

"The criminal I fought… he allowed himself to give in, that's why."

"You…I get it." Jackknife slowly replied. "The criminal had a shortsighted mind of a criminal, so he was taken over by the Disaster Force so easily. CJ is someone with a strong mind, telling you that he can repel it. Is that why you have faith in him?"

"Really? You think I have faith in him?" Fridrik replied back. "I'm going to be honest, I have no faith in him at all." This angered Halia. Fridrik turned to her, watching as she saw the eagle nearly snap back at her. "Hold on just a minute, Halia. If you think you should have faith in him, you're wrong. Having faith in him implies that you want to believe in his success, almost like it is an act that you hope he accomplishes. To say that you have faith in him means you are hoping for your success. I don't blame you; Halia and I are the only ones who truly know him."

Alvis recoiled back. Sitri was left to respond on his buddy's behalf. "What do you mean by that?"

"I can't say; he would never forgive me. However, the fact that you don't know shows me that you truly don't know him at all."

"Don't be a bitch about it."

"At least I'm not a pussy, pussycat," Fridrik returned. "And I mean what I say. CJ isn't strong-minded. In fact, out of everyone here, he has the weakest, most dependent mind of all, no matter how strong or smart you think he is."

Abigail gritted her teeth. "What makes you think you can say something like that?!" She turned to Halia, hoping she would team up against her master. "Halia, how can you let her say-…"

She went silent. Halia morosely looked away. In her eyes, she knew CJ quite well. In fact, she viewed CJ as one of the closest people she talked to. However, she remembered one fateful night when she went to confront a nearly comatose CJ, watching as the man was lying on the floor in a small puddle of his own alcohol. She remembered talking to him, and it was then that she heard CJ admit to everything. Having two close friends leave him was hard enough, Halia thought, and for the third to just up and leave… that must have been too much for him. It was not long before his dreadful sadness reached Fridrik. Fridrik was true in her words; she and Halia knew CJ better than anyone else there. The boss sighed. She couldn't bring herself to be proactive at this time. "Open your eyes. What I'm saying is, it's because he's so weak that I know he'll stay sane. The key is Arkaid."

Tasuku reeled back. "Arkaid?"

"She's the reason why he's still going, I just know it," Fridrik continued. "CJ is so dependent, so weak-minded, that he is going to do everything in his power to make sure that he is keeping himself sane around her. He wouldn't want to go berserk and scare away his fourth buddy, now would he?" She turned away, avoiding the new questions from her employees. "You can call it strength if you want. Hell, you can say I'm wrong. Besides, he's not on my mind right now. Now that I know that the Disaster Force can cloud judgment, make people go berserk, and allow people to utilize portals… someone else is on my mind now."

(POV: First)

It was like I had only just awoken from a long, unwanted sleep. Softly, I moaned as my body curled; sharp hits of pain were still pinging at me as I remained uselessly on the ground. I tried moving my head to see my surroundings, but I found myself terribly alone. No noise woke me up. The fight must have been brought to a different area of town. Maybe the fight paused and my comrades were planning a sneak attack. Regardless, at that moment, the sounds of horrid CRACKS filled the air. When I turned around I saw a body rebound off of an impact initially at one of the houses. The warrior must have been struck or thrown with such force that the wooden cabin they were thrown towards was nearly ripped apart. The body of the warrior went limp for a moment as it came over towards me, nearly unconscious.

It was Arkaid. She landed beside me, grunting as her body hit the ground. Her body rolled across the dirt as dust clouds began to cloud my vision. She was still fighting. Hopefully, Alliot was fine too. Even though my mind was muddy, I still remembered what happened. I managed to hold my right hand to where the wound was dealt. Some of the pain was still there, yet the wound was mostly sealed up. As I watched my buddy bring herself back to her feet, I knew that she was the one who helped me.

She was quick to leap back to where she once was. Arkaid must have been so fixated on the fight that she didn't bat an eye at me. For all she knew, I was knocked out anyways. When I watched her rush towards the battle, I noticed the cloth around her armor begin to tear just from small movements. I may not have been able to witness the battle, but I could tell that she was fighting for a long time. Her armor was getting torn and worn down as the battle waged on. I turned my head to see her leap over the house that she was thrown into. Just as she leaped over the remains of the roof, my sight of her was gone.

"Fuck… it's still going?" I muttered to myself. I managed to roll onto my back, allowing me to reach down and properly feel the weapon the sinful dragon was after. The Dark Core Deck Case. Even now, the power of it seemed to be somewhat weaker than before. There was no doubt in my mind that Sinblade Dragon attempted to use it as much as he could. His very aura… it was like that of the Disaster Force itself.

Two options went through my head. The first option warned me that I should stay here, otherwise I could get in the way and make things harder for everyone. The other option, however, urged me to try and join the fight. As my eyes focused on the burning skies above me, I understood that this battle was truly an ongoing, ceaseless fight that we could just not win right now. If my assumptions were right, I allowed him to recover his power, and it was thanks to the Dark Core Deck Case.

Arkaid and Alliot didn't need me. I already knew that. However, something in my gut told me that, if something were to go wrong, our win would still mean the loss of a comrade or two. We were extremely fortunate that none of us met the Grim Reaper just yet. We were fortunate that Sinblade was bad with dealing with multiple enemies at once. I remembered Melanie and Mizaru, both nearly dead upon our entrance. We were quick to assume the worst until we realized that they were just barely alive. But why? It was because of Doble and Rikka. We saw Doble at Sinblade's grip. If he didn't continue to fight, Mizaru and Melanie would've been killed off. Just when he was about to see death's door, we came.

Even though our chances of winning were still good with just Arkaid and Alliot, something was itching at the back of my mind. "What if something goes wrong?" I wondered.

But what could I do? My body was too exhausted to move. My wound, although healed, took away a good amount of blood. I could see some dried up blood in the dirt around me. Even so, I attempted to call upon the Disaster Force one more time. I commanded it so, soon finding relief as I heard the activation of such power. My body became a little lighter, nimbler, stronger, but I still felt too weak to stand.

I find my rapier. Using my right hand, I grasp it tightly. The blade shakes in my weakening hand. Pain forbade and warned my body to stop moving, but I continued to resist such action. It was anger that made me look down at my Dark Core Deck Case. Making a weapon was useless, and I was already utilization the aspect of the Disaster Force that made me feel stronger. Despite all of these positives, the power was extremely useless to me.

I couldn't help but laugh at myself. As the sound of clanging metal began to enter my ears, I found it so ridiculous that I was given such a great power yet I was useless, in the end, because of it. It wasn't even due to physical strength either, I began to think to myself. Arkaid uses magic to her advantage. She is able to attack from the distance while Alliot, speedily, attacks with physical abilities. Someone such as myself is bad at that for now, and I have no way of casting spells.

As soon as that last thought finished in my head, a wave of hatred, self-hatred, cloaked me. My eyes widened as the sudden realization made me utterly, and entirely, angry at myself. It was so goddamn simple that it makes me feel like I am the absolute dumbest person in the world, somehow even dumber than the people around me who never brought this aspect of the Disaster Force up. "Make the cards real," I stated in pure disbelief. I couldn't even laugh, I was so angry. It was an epiphany, really, and I extremely hated it.

I attempted to quickly reach into my deck of cards, hoping to use one to garner an advantage. However, in my position, even offensive spell cards wouldn't work. Not like I was even focused on that, for my deck didn't run too many of them. Even so, my body was so weak that simply using an average offensive spell card would be futile, and that's even if I had them. It was then that I found a card that had saved me once before. It was that buddyfight with Hoshi. Without the spell card, I would not have had enough life points to survive that brutal attack. The spell was called 'Dragoguts.' I had no idea of how it would work in this situation. Even though the spell allowed me to gain three life points in terms of game mechanics, it also dealt one damage to me for a net gain of two life. So, I found myself worried about how this card's effect would translate to reality.

There was only one way to find out.

The Dark Core Deck Case materialized another copy of the card upon my mental command. Wanting to protect the original, I placed the card back into my deck and hid it in the deck case. The materialized copy illuminated with bright blue color. I held it my weak left hand as I raised my left arm up. I uttered the name card, saying it with the last ounce of energy I had left. "Dragoguts!"

The materialized card shattered. The pieces fluttered around me. Soon, I felt like my body was burning. I wasn't being burned alive, though. My body itself… everything seemed to be working overdrive. My body, at first, went stiff with shock as the power coursed through me. It was insane! How could I have avoided using such a source energy?! My body's weariness was thrown and discarded to the side as the ability of 'Dragoguts!' took over.

Without thinking, I grabbed my sword and held my Dark Core Deck Case tightly. I had no idea how long this burst of energy was going to last, and I certainly did not know where the 'take one point of damage' aspect of the card was going to translate to reality. Even so, I decided that I simply just had to make use of the energy given to me while I still had them.

I rushed towards the sounds of battle, soon emerging with my rapier held tightly in my right hand. Sinblade was holding off Alliot fairly well, weakening him to a horrid and pitiful state. Alliot stepped back from the fiend, hoping to take a moment to recover (most likely). Arkaid was preparing another spell to unleash onto the foe. The battle was still going at a snail's pace in terms of progress. With the lack numbers, Arkaid and Alliot must have been making direct encounters less and less throughout the day. The two of them must have been reluctant to make a move that would, fruitlessly, cost one of them their lives. Fortunately, the battle's pace went up the moment I charged forward.

'Dragoguts!' was no longer just an energy boost. I felt a sudden surge of raw power running through me. My muscles pulsed as I readied my sword for an intense thrust. Sinblade eyed me, preparing a counterattack as I rushed in, lunging at the first spot I could reach. My blade managed to weave through his attempt at blocking; Sinblade underestimated the speed that I had only just acquired. My rapier lunged into his stomach. I could feel it completely pierce the enemy. However, I gritted my teeth with dissatisfaction; if he didn't attempt to block, I would've had an easy reach for his heart.

Even though I made direct contact, the dragon did not wince initially. He readied his sword for another attack, making me immediately leap away. As I pulled out my sword, my legs propelled me back much farther than I was ready for. I didn't expect to have so much power in my legs, and the leap back astonished me. I found myself landing next to Arkaid, watching as she stared in confusion as I waddled back and forth, trying to regain my footing. Also, the new burst of energy revived my mental state, discarding my self-hatred from before. "Arkaid, the Disaster Force can make spell cards real too!"

Arkaid was first speechless. Not from the sudden realization, but she was still trying to piece together what brought me back to my feet so seamlessly. "Is that why you're up?"

"Yeah. It's 'Dragoguts!'"

"Regardless, you shouldn't have come," Arkaid returned. Her attention was brought away from me and back towards the enemy. She unleashed another Sand Alchemy: Arrow attack, sending multiple shots of focused, shaped energy towards Sinblade Dragon. At first, it looked like he was going to dodge. However, something caught him. I heard an urk as he froze himself in place. Finally, he was feeling the effects of my intense strike. In that one small moment, that act of pause made him unable to evade. The magical arrows struck him, exploding upon impact as each one was met with a soft groan.

Once the attack was over, Sinblade looked around him. The three of us were fighting together, once again. He was put in the same situation as last time. However, neither one of us were going to fall for his surprise attack, not again. I especially did not want to put the others through that. Just as Alliot readied for his charge, just as Arkaid and I prepared to do the same, a dark aura emanated from Sinblade's red cape. He curled his body, wrapping himself in that cape. Once his entire body was covered, the cape appeared to become smaller. It was then that it became smaller and smaller, yet the dragon was unable to be seen at all. By the time the cape went to its smallest state, to the point that it seemed to leave existence itself, there was no sign of Sinblade.

Alliot cursed as he slammed the back end of his spear into the dirt. "God Damnit!" He roared angrily. "No, no way! We can't let him get away!"

However, there was no chance of chasing him now. His teleportation made him appear to leave existence itself. There was nothing to go on; nothing we could do would tell us where the dragon had fled. Despite Alliot's 'enthusiasm' we were left with our tails between our legs. I felt frustrated like him, but I was much more solemn and silent. Angrily, I let my rapier drop to the ground. "If only I-"

It was then that I saw two thin, light-blue arms grasped my shoulders. I was turned around, soon facing Arkaid as she looked over my body. At first, I was confused, but I remained still for I trusted that she had a reason for this sudden action. She was looking over me, checking me for any other signs of injury. Now that I was fine, and the enemy was gone for now, she could truly check if I was alright. After a thorough viewing, her eyes became less intense. Her body relaxed as the tip of her tail thumped against the ground excitingly. She smiled softly. "Thank goodness you're alright. I…" She looked away for a moment, quickly closing her eyes. It was like she was trying to hold herself back. However, she sighed, soon returning to the way she was before. "I'm sorry for leaving you in such a position. If we were more thorough, we would've taken even more precautionary measures."

"Alliot… drilled into his face, last I recall," I playfully replied. The tenseness from before was gone. I couldn't help but find myself rather relaxed. However, my mind blanked for a moment. Suddenly, my thoughts went back to how I was stabbed. The pain of it… the total helplessness from it. It all came back to me all at once. "… Yeah, um… well, like I said… that's pretty thorough."

I heard Alliot walking over with his spear settled over his right shoulder. "But now we know not to fall for it. Let me tell you, this dragon is one of the most intense fighters we've encountered for a while."

Arkaid nodded back to him. "That is certainly the case. Our last main fight was with Yamigedo, but even then that was merely through buddyfight, not regular combat."

"I find that good. I need to get stronger anyway, and simply being a card for some cardgame isn't going to get me far."

My buddy looked back to me. She raised her right hand and held it against my cheek. "CJ, are you alright? You feel warm, unhealthily so." Before I could say anything else, she motioned her hand to my forehead. Her eyes were filled with worry and she slightly gasped. "This isn't good. Is this from your spell?"

"I… think so," I slowly replied. My mind wasn't focused on it, for I was still thinking back to what happened earlier. That attack… that was the closest I've been to death. After only so little time, everything was just going to be torn away from me. At least, that would have been the case if Arkaid wasn't there. "Erm… My body must be overworking."

"Please, turn off the Disaster Force." I complied, for watching her worry over me left me with a guilty conscience. With an effortless command, the dark aura from the Dark Core Deck Case ceased. However, with that came the complete sapping of all my energy. I coughed as I collapsed onto the ground. Arkaid attempted to hold me upright, but something compelled me to the ground. Arkaid, at the very least, made my fall at least lighter. "CJ! CJ, what happened?!"

I could only groan, but I knew what just happened; the drawback from 'Dragoguts!' did this to me. The spell card acted as a sort of extreme adrenaline boost. With that, not only did I manage to recover my stamina, but my overall output was over what I thought possible for a body like mine. The 'take one point of damage' aspect of 'Dragoguts!' was obvious to me now; as expected from an adrenaline boost, the rebound caused by it would leave the user nothing short of exhausted.

Arkaid quickly knelt to my side. She held her hands close to my face, consoling me as all of the energy that once was within me evaporated in an instant. Fortunately, I soon found myself capable of speaking. Arkaid, however, didn't initially let me do so. Her hands began to envelop in the green aura as she muttered sounds under her breath. "CJ, don't worry, I'll take care of you."

"… No," I told her. Arkaid froze from the oddity of that command. "Arkaid… the others."

Arkaid went stiff. "That's right! I didn't completely heal them from before! Alliot, please look after him!"

She rushed away from the village. I assumed she was able to sense the whereabouts of the others. Knowing them, they probably made sure to conceal themselves to make sure they were able to rest without the risk of any confrontation. I attempted to get up, but my body was, in all honesty, weaker than before. I felt Alliot's hand grasp onto my right shoulder, soon pulling me up. "Hey, CJ, let's get going."

"I don't… think you can carry me," I replied. "You're too small."

Alliot let out a sharp tch! His arms tensed up from the micro-insult. I didn't mean it in a harsh way; it just seemed odd, if not completely unlikely, for a person who is a foot and a half smaller than me to be able to carry me. However, his gritted teeth vanished away, soon replaced with a slight grin. "No, no no no," he muttered to himself. "He didn't say it like that. Now's not the time."

He managed to hoist me up, soon grasping onto my arms to get me onto his back. I had to bend my knees in order to keep them from dragging. Despite the size difference, Alliot was able to carry me with his brutish strength alone. He didn't appear winded at all, yet his movement was rather wobbly and unbalanced. It must be from the fatigue of the battle. He looked back at me, grinning to himself as he observed my dull, tired eyes. His actions were like an invite, so I replied. "Thank you… but what's up?"

His attention to me, in that moment, got me curious. Alliot chuckled to himself. "Y'know, I'd be in a bad mood and just leave ya here, but Arkaid left me in a good mood."

"What do you mean...?"

"I just find it funny, that's all," Alliot chuckled back. "For that one moment, she completely forgot about the others. She was willing to invest a lot of her magic to keep healing you, even though you were fine, just a little tired. She was so worried about you that she forgot about the others."

"Well… they're fine too, right?"

"Not as fine as you, that's for sure," Alliot retorted. "I'm not saying she did a bad thing. I'm just saying that I found her particular mind slip to be funny, that's all."

"You said it like a bad thing," I murmured. "I almost died. I'm her buddy. I put her in that terrible situation. We were in the moment."

"Yeah, I guess that's a good excuse."

"Reason," I corrected.

"Still, it wasn't your fault," Alliot replied. I was actually astounded by such a statement. Because I was curious about how he would keep going, I kept quiet and allowed him to speak. "You fought well, and your presence told that Sinblade that he was in a battle he couldn't win. And after feeling such pain, you still kept going."

"Eh…," I muttered back uselessly. "It still hurts… but not even like a physical pain. It's like… in my mind, I guess."

"That's what happens," Alliot continued. He looked back at me, finding our conversation to be rather good for him, I suppose. My head was essentially buried Alliot's long, purple hair. It definitely was the other thing that made him snicker under his breath. However, he went back to being serious. He appeared to understand my mind in that one moment. "You nearly died. You can't forget that, even if you wanted to. I certainly couldn't."

"… While I was out," I slowly began. "… I thought I heard you call me something."

"I called you 'brother,'" Alliot returned. "I don't care what Doble says. Besides you, he actually gets on my case the most due to my…." He blushed for a moment, quickly turning his head away. "… Shortcomings. Of course, he'd do that; he and I are intense rivals after all"

"Oh, that's why you were mad," I replied slowly. "Well, if being called that word really bothers you, I'm not gonna say it. If it really bothers you enough, I won't press you." Alliot stopped walking. He looked down at himself for a moment before looking back to me. He looked rather surprised. His response made me feel a bit uneasy, making me want to think "Is this really one of the only times he's heard someone say something like this?" It was weird. To think that this bothered him for so long.

"Thanks," Alliot returned slowly. "I appreciate that." As he turned his head away, something told me he appreciated it much more than I originally thoughts. His shoulders buckled, but it was like that of a short twitch. It was involuntary. For a moment, I heard something of a sharp sigh and a huff. After that, he appeared to remain rather silent, holding himself back from showing weakness.