Three years had passed since Johnny first stepped onto the dusty soil of Midgar.
Now sixteen years old, Johnny was no longer the awkward outsider fumbling through this world. His body was sturdy, forged in iron and blood. The same was true for Aerith; the flower of Sector 5 had bloomed to perfection. Her radiance amidst the squalor of the market often attracted the wandering eyes of men—both reckless teenagers and bold adults. However, none dared to take a step further. One sharp glance from Johnny standing behind her—a gaze as cold as ice—was enough to make anyone's courage wither and retreat.
Johnny's routine was cleaved into two contrasting worlds.
Under the plate-blocked sun, he was Garrick's dutiful son, wrestling with oil and engines, repairing whatever was broken. But the driving force of his nightmares—the visions of Meteor and Sephiroth—had transformed him into a war machine. Johnny pushed his physique beyond human limits. He had stopped counting after his 3,000th monster. With an average of ten executions a day—ranging from vermin like Wererats, Drakes, Grashstrikes, and Blugus in the lower sectors, to malfunctioning military Sweepers—his killing aura had become so dense that even wild animals refused to approach him.
Behind the scenes, under the cover of night, he was "The Guardian."
Sector 7 was now in the palm of his hand. Beck and his gang, once merely petty thugs, along with dozens of other delinquents who used to plague the sector, had been tamed. They now worked as Johnny's eyes and ears; managing the illegal spare parts market, securing smuggling routes for stolen Mako electricity and Shinra pharmaceuticals between sectors, and distributing monster hunting flyers. Johnny was the unwritten law of the region.
However, he buried this dark side deep.
To Aerith and Elmyra, he was simply a responsible fiancé. A large portion of the profits from his underground dealings and monster hunts flowed into the Gainsborough household. He ensured Elmyra never had to worry about the cost of basic necessities skyrocketing due to Shinra's suffocating inflation. To Johnny, blood-soaked hands were a fair price to pay, as long as Aerith's hands remained clean and soft.
Despite being busy building his underground kingdom, Johnny maintained one routine that connected him to the world above the plate.
Occasionally, Zack would contact him for a duel in Sector 8, on the training grounds of Loveless Avenue. However, their recent meetings felt different. Zack was no longer the explosive youth full of laughter. On his back, he now carried the Buster Sword—the massive blade inherited from Angeal, a silent witness to the tragedy at Modeoheim.
When Johnny unsheathed his Dragon Slayer, he could see that his friend's eyes no longer held the pure cheerfulness of a dreamer, but the bitter calm of a soldier forced to grow up by destiny.
Amidst the clash of steel that sent sparks flying onto the asphalt of Sector 8, Zack finally poured everything out. Breathing heavily between bouts, he recounted the biting cold of the snow in Modeoheim. He spoke of how he had to end Angeal's suffering with his own hands, and how he had subdued the madness of Genesis—a victory that felt entirely hollow.
They paused for a moment, sitting on the curb under the buzzing neon lights.
"This sword is heavy, Johnny," Zack murmured, staring at his weary reflection in the blade of the Buster Sword. "Not because of the steel... but because of the dreams, the honor, and the sorrow it carries. Now, I'm the one who has to carry it."
Johnny looked at his friend intently, then slapped the soldier's shoulder hard.
"You have to carry the dreams Angeal never could, Zack. Only you can do that," Johnny said firmly.
Zack lifted his face. His signature grin returned, though it looked more mature and tinged with sadness. He gripped the hilt of his sword tightly.
"I have to... Yeah, Johnny. That's what I have to do."
Zack pressed his forehead against the flat of the Buster Sword, whispering the words that would become his creed. "Embrace your dreams. And whatever happens, protect your honor as a SOLDIER."
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Aside from his physical training, over the last year, Johnny had developed an obsession with dissecting the magical logic of this world. He stripped down his Dragon Slayer, modified Aerith's Guard Stick, and redesigned their protective Bracers from scratch. He had become a self-taught Techno-Mage.
His goal was singular: To ensure Aerith felt no pain.
In this world, Materia slots usually connected only in pairs. Magic met Support. Fire met Elemental. But for Johnny, that wasn't enough to protect Aerith from a threat on the level of Sephiroth.
"Why does it have to be two?" he thought, his brow furrowed under the light of his workbench lamp. "Why not three? If I can create a resonance bridge... if 'Fire' sits in the middle, flanked by 'Elemental' and 'Magnify'... is it possible for the energy to flow two ways?"
Johnny closed his eyes. He was no longer an ordinary human; his Cetra blood hummed. He channeled a small amount of Lifestream into the metal circuits of Aerith's Guard Stick. The metal vibrated, resisting at first, before slowly humming in harmony.
"This is it..." he whispered.
He had succeeded. Johnny created a Triple-Link Circuit—a technological anomaly. This allowed Aerith to not only absorb enemy magic (like a Level 3 Elemental Materia granting Absorb) but to simultaneously magnify her counter-attacks. Enemy fire would not burn his beloved; it would heal her.
Johnny had acquired bulk quantities of two specific Support Materia through illegal channels in Wall Market—items rarely found even there: Elemental Materia and Magnify Materia.
Through relentless research, he confirmed their properties:
Elemental Materia: Increases elemental damage dealt while simultaneously absorbing incoming elemental attacks, converting them into healing energy at the highest level.Magnify Materia: Possesses the rare ability to expand the range of any magic paired with it.
There were countless other Materia out there that Johnny didn't know yet, but after weighing the options, these two were far more valuable for their ability to amplify magic.
Johnny designed that special Guard Stick and Bracer exclusively for Aerith. A masterpiece of absolute protection.
Meanwhile, his own Dragon Slayer had transformed into a different beast entirely. Even the legendary forger Izo would have shaken his head in disbelief. The massive sword, which originally held only six slots, had been drilled and modified by Johnny to hold ten active Materia.
The Materia configuration on the Dragon Slayer was now both a shield and a spear of elements:
Fire & Elemental (Absorb/Nullify Fire)Ice & Elemental (Absorb/Nullify Ice)Wind & Elemental (Absorb/Nullify Wind)Lightning & Elemental (Absorb/Nullify Lightning)Cover & Assess (Protect allies & analyze enemies)
Johnny smiled bitterly at the Assess Materia. "For two years I fought blind like a fool. It turns out information is the deadliest weapon."
For his own defense, Johnny's Bracer was built on a solid physical foundation:
HP Up, MP Up, Vitality Up, Spirit UpFirst Strike (For initiative)Steadfast Block & Precision Defense Focus (To withstand any physical bombardment)
However, his finest work remained with Aerith. Johnny wanted to ensure the girl felt not even a scratch.
Guard Stick (Aerith Custom):
Triple-Link Fire Circuit: Fire - Magnify - ElementalTriple-Link Ice Circuit: Ice - Magnify - ElementalTriple-Link Wind Circuit: Wind - Magnify - ElementalPrayer Materia (For mass healing without MP cost)
Bracer (Aerith Custom):
Triple-Link Lightning Circuit: Lightning - Magnify - ElementalGravity, Time, Enervation (To control the battlefield)MP Up
Johnny still stared at his workbench with dissatisfaction. He wanted to add immunity to Poison and Petrify for Aerith. He had even tried the crazy idea of wearing multiple bracers at once, like a wealthy dowager flaunting gold bangles.
But the result was nil.
When he wore more than one bracer, the Materia flows collided, creating an energy vortex that drained the user's own mana.
"One pair of arms, one pair of guards," Johnny sighed, setting down his screwdriver. "I haven't been able to break that law of nature yet. But at least... with this, Aerith won't be hurt."
There was one final preparation. He had never forgotten the Red Summon Materia: Bahamut Fury and Chocobo & Moogle. Johnny insisted that the Bahamut Materia be given to Aerith—he was convinced such immense power belonged in her hands.
But Aerith refused. Instead of being interested in the earth-shattering power of the dragon, she smiled a small, amused smile and chose the Chocobo & Moogle Materia, as if its cuteness meant far more to her than raw destruction.