The thick iron gate ground open slowly, its hinges shrieking in a way that punished the ears.
TANK stepped out.
This time, Johnny could see him clearly. Tank wasn't just a giant. He was a failed experiment. His skin was a sickly, pale gray, resembling a walking corpse. The veins in his neck and arms pulsed a violent purple, forcibly pumped by glowing green fluid from a canister embedded directly into his spine—likely a high dose of illegal Mako Stimulant.
Tank carried no weapons. He didn't need them. He wore spiked Iron Gauntlets on both hands.
"Grrr... Fresh meat..." Tank grunted. Green steam hissed from his nostrils. His eyes were entirely red, pupils pinpoint small. He had sacrificed most of his humanity for power.
Johnny stepped into the ring. His gaze was sharp behind the wolf mask. Inside, he grinned.
"It's been a long time since I put down a human who looks this much like an Apostle," Johnny thought.
Johnny's eyes scanned his opponent rapidly. "Hitting the body is useless. His skin is like concrete. I have to destroy his joints or sever that tube. But if I use the Berserker State here, I'll kill him."
Johnny got a crazy idea.
"Oi, Puck," Johnny whispered softly.
"Ready, Boss! Orders?" Puck poked his head slightly out of the pants pocket.
"Today, you're going to join the fight. You'll lead your new friends," Johnny said, a hint of amusement in his voice. "I won't be using the Berserker State. The stage is yours."
Puck's eyes sparkled so hard they almost popped out. "For real, Boss?! I can join?! I'm bored of being a spectator in this smelly pocket!"
"Wait until the Summon call appears..." Johnny commanded.
The referee swallowed hard, terrified by the murderous aura radiating from the two monsters in the arena.
"FINAL MATCH! NO TIME LIMIT! FIGHT!"
Tank roared. He didn't run. He leaped high into the air, intending to crush Johnny with a double-handed hammer blow from above.
Johnny watched the massive shadow falling toward him.
"Heavy," Johnny analyzed instantly. "If I block that directly, my arms will go numb."
Johnny rolled to the side at the very last second.
BLAAAM!
Tank's fists slammed into the spot where Johnny had just been standing. The sand floor exploded, leaving a crater ankle-deep. The shockwave made Johnny, who was mid-roll, stumble slightly.
"Fast!" Johnny muttered, immediately scrambling up and settling into a stance. "But this is fun."
Tank had already turned. He lunged with a deadly right hook.
Johnny raised the flat side of the Dragon Slayer to block.
CLANG!
Johnny was dragged back two meters. The heels of his boots plowed deep furrows in the sand. Tank's strength was far above Big Bro's. This was Superhuman strength.
"HAHAHA! WEAK! PULP! I'LL MAKE YOU PULP!" Tank laughed manically, launching a barrage of punches against Johnny's defense.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Johnny was forced into total defense. Every one of Tank's punches felt like being hit by a car. The muscles in Johnny's arms screamed. His bones vibrated down to his teeth. If he were using a normal sword, it would have snapped in two by now. But the Dragon Slayer—that legendary black iron—held without a scratch.
"Hahaha... it's been a long time since I felt pure physical pressure like this. The last time I felt a hit this heavy was against Grunbeld," Johnny thought, adrenaline pumping through his veins.
Johnny didn't panic. He was a veteran fighter. He needed an opening.
And that opening appeared when Tank got too greedy with a wide Uppercut.
Johnny saw Tank's ribs exposed.
Instead of slashing (which required a wind-up), Johnny released his left hand from the hilt and kicked Tank's knee with the sole of his iron boot as hard as he could.
CRACK!
Tank's knee bent the wrong way.
"RAAAHH!" Tank roared—not in pain, but in rage. His balance wavered.
In that split second, Johnny spun his massive sword. He didn't use the sharp edge (he didn't want to decapitate Tank in public). He used the Flat Side of the blade again, but this time with a full 360-degree waist rotation. "Whirlwind Strike"
Target: The Green Tube on Tank's back.
WHOOSH...CRASH!!!
The impact of 100 kg of iron landed squarely on Tank's back. The glass tube containing the stimulant cracked, though not completely. Tank's rage peaked, and he backhanded Johnny, sending him flying back two meters.
In that second, Johnny felt the energy inside his Red Materia surge. The Summon Limit was ready.
Johnny, alias Black Wolf, shouted loudly, his voice echoing from behind the mask.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! I WILL MAKE THIS SHOW EVEN MORE INTERESTING!"
Johnny raised the Dragon Slayer high with one hand, letting the red "Chocobo & Moogle" Materia at the base of his blade shine blindingly bright.
"COME OUT! MY SPECIAL FORCES!"
Red light exploded. A magic circle appeared on the arena sand.
From within the light emerged a fat yellow Chocobo trotting about, ridden by a floating white Moogle with soft fur.
And right in the middle of them, Puck shot out of Johnny's pocket, flying dramatically into the center of the formation. He landed on the Moogle's head.
"KWEH!" "KUPO....!"
Puck spread his tiny arms with immense pride. "I AM PUCK! THE LEGENDARY HIGH-CLASS ELF! KING OF ALL FAIRIES!"
Then his wing got caught in the Moogle's fur. "Eh, ow, stuck..."
The audience went silent. They were confused. One second it was a brutal life-or-death battle, now it was a parade of cute animals.
Puck fixed his wing, then pointed at Tank with a heroic flair.
"AND I WILL USE GOD-TIER FAIRY POWERS TO DEFEAT THIS UGLY ENEMY! ATTACK!"
The silence broke. The audience cheered with adoration and excitement.
"WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
MC Kotch screamed, almost crying with joy. "UNBELIEVABLE! BLACK WOLF HAS CAST A SUMMON! LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE CHOCOBO, THE MOOGLE, AND... WHAT IS THAT?! A PEACH-HEADED FAIRY?!"
Female spectators shrieked hysterically. "KYAAA SO CUTE!! LOOK AT THAT LITTLE FAIRY!" "DESTROY HIM, CHOCO! MOG! PUCK!"
The atmosphere flipped 180 degrees. A bloody brawl turned into a lively circus show. The support now belonged entirely to Team Black Wolf.
Tank, whose brain was already fried by drugs, began to panic. His eyes darted wildly. "THIS IS CHEATING.... HE BROUGHT FRIENDS! TINY ONES!"
Kotch boomed over the loudspeaker. "THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS CHEATING IN CORNEO COLOSSEUM! AS LONG AS IT'S ENTERTAINING!"
Tank roared in frustration and began attacking the Chocobo blindly. But the Chocobo was far more agile.
"KWEH!" The Chocobo hopped, dodging Tank's deadly fist with a zigzag motion.
Puck, acting as field commander, shouted. "Chocobo! Use Chocobo Kick on the tube! Aim for his back!"
The Chocobo jumped, spun in the air, and kicked the green tube on Tank's back with its strong talons. CLACK! The tube cracked further.
Tank grew more brutal, swinging his fists in every direction like a madman swatting flies.
"Moogle, my friend! Use Moogle Blast!" Puck commanded.
The Chocobo ran back to create distance.
"Kupo! Alright, Puck!" The Moogle on the Chocobo's back pulled colorful glowing balls from its small satchel and threw them at Tank's face.
Tank caught one, confused. "A toy ball?"
BOOOOM!
The ball exploded into colorful smoke and confetti. Tank coughed, his vision obscured.
The audience shouted in unison with the rhythm. "KUPOOOOOO! KUPOOO!" Some even mimicked the Chocobo sound. "KWAAKKK!"
Puck flew over the head of the confused Tank.
"BY THE POWER OF MY FAIRY DUST! FAIRY SLEEP!"
Puck sprinkled glittering gold dust from his wings right into Tank's nose. Tank sneezed violently, then his eyelids grew heavy. His movements slowed drastically.
"NOW!" Puck screamed. "TEAM PUCK ULTIMATE... STAMPEDE!!!"
A herd of Chocobos appeared out of nowhere, thundering toward the drowsy Tank. They trampled him en masse with hundreds of small feet.
And the final strike: The real Chocobo jumped and kicked the green tube on Tank's back with both feet using all its might.
CRASH!!!
The glass tube shattered into pieces. Green fluid sprayed everywhere. The sound of Tank's spine cracking was audible.
The impact was so severe that Tank was thrown forward, crashing into the iron bars of the arena barrier until the bars bent outward.
THUD!
Tank fell face down. His body convulsed briefly due to sudden withdrawal and physical trauma, then went still. Totally unconscious.
A moment of silence.
Johnny, alias Black Wolf, who had been standing with his arms crossed leaning on his sword watching the spectacle, finally raised his fist into the air.
He shouted loudly. "CHOCOBO! MOOGLE! AND PUCK!"
"WOOOOOOAAAAHHHH!!!!"
The audience exploded. They stood up, clapping, and laughing with joy. It was the best show they had ever seen. Brutal yet cute. Terrifying yet entertaining.
The referee ran over, checking Tank who was out cold.
"K.O.! THE WINNER... AND THE NEW ROOKIE CRUSHER TOURNAMENT CHAMPION... BLACK WOLF AND HIS TEAM!!!"
Johnny—Guts the Black Swordsman, accustomed to a life of silence and hatred—had never received cheers this festive. Not cheers of fear, but cheers of joy.
He looked at his small team. The Chocobo and Moogle hopped around happily. And Puck... Puck flew in circles in the air, waving his hands to the audience as if he had just won a presidential election.
Slowly, the bodies of the Chocobo and Moogle began to fade into light. The Summon Materia time was up.
Puck immediately used his fairy dust to turn invisible again, then zipped back into Johnny's pocket before people realized he wasn't part of the Summon illusion.
Inside the pocket, Puck's voice sounded breathless but incredibly satisfied.
"BOSS! That was so fun! I was awesome, right?! Did you see how I led the troops?! I want to play with them again tomorrow!"
Johnny smiled behind his mask. A genuine smile.
"Good work, Buddy," Johnny whispered softly, patting his pocket. "I guess you do deserve the stage once in a while. Turns out, the three of you are pretty amazing."
Johnny raised the Dragon Slayer, welcoming his new champion title amidst a rain of confetti and the crowd chanting "PUCK! PUCK! PUCK!" (which the audience thought was the Chocobo's name).