Dragon Heart

Dragon Heart, episode 9

Episode 9

John stares down Derek and Simon with his dragon eye, letting his newfound gate 4 power rise and prove to them that he's more than worth their time. Confidently stepping toward them as if to challenge everything they've spouted about themselves being superior, John then says, "So then, what are you guys waiting for? I unlocked gate 4 for you mongrels, so are you going to come at me or not?"

Both boys are stunned, so much so that they can't respond. Neither one sure of what to do for the next good couple seconds, the taller brown-haired one then looks to the shorter but leaner black-haired one and says, "I'll take care of this. He just startled us a little, I'm still confident I can beat him." He then steps away from his friend and out into the open with John, looking as cocky and confident as ever now that he's over John's display. "Alright rookie, if you wanna fight so bad then who am I to deny you. Having said that, please do note that this fight won't be a long one."

John's grin grows into a borderline smile as he replies, "Oh I agree, I don't think it'll last very long either. But before we start, I don't know who's Simon and who's Derek. Would you care to tell me which one you are?"

The tall and brown-haired boy then pounds his fist into his hand and smiles back as he says, "I'm Simon, the other one behind me is Derek. You'd do well to remember our names."

John smirks with a small chortle. "Somehow I doubt that."

Being made fun of and seen as lesser again, Simon can't help but upsettingly frown at what John just said. "Enjoy your tough-guy talk while you can because soon all you'll be able to talk to is the dirt right next to her," he says, pointing to Aeris.

Simon then for no reason starts to look distracted and leans to the left like he's trying to get a better look at something directly behind John. Narrowing his eyes, he says, "What the heck is that?"

John turns his head behind him to look then says, "What are you trying to look at?"

Simons frown then steals into a menacing grin and he rushes at John with superhuman gate 4 speed, fist raised and ready to clock him right where he knows it'll hurt.

Without turning back around, John raises his hand and catches Simons fist at the last second with ease, forcing him to a dead halt. The force of such a blow coming to such a sudden complete stop causes a loud thunderclap followed by torrential waves of force which pick up hundred mile per hour winds for a brief second.

Simon is shocked and John then turns his head back around and sarcastically says, "Say, you weren't trying to trick me just now, were you? Because I didn't see anything behind me."

Real fear starting to settle in now, Simon only manages to say, "H—How?"

John ignores him and uses his free hand to pull a green healing crystal from his jacket then looks over at Aeris and shouts, "Hey Aeris, catch!"

He throws the crystal in her direction at the speed of a bullet and she catches it with a growing look of elation on her face. Absorbing its life-giving vibrant energy into her being, she replies, "Thanks John, I needed that."

As Aeris begins to recover, Simon then starts to panic and looks back at his friend, worriedly then yelling, "Derek! I could use some help over here!"

Derek snaps out of his look of awe and fear at the sounding call of his friend and yells back, "Don't worry, I'm coming!" Derek then moves to assist his partner but before he can take even two steps a hand grabs his shoulder from behind.

Fearing who it is, Derek slowly turns around to see Aeris on her feet with the same deadly look in her eyes as before when they laughed at her. The tables now even, she says, "Now where do you think you're going?" Then just like he did to her, she gives no indication or warning and kicks his feet out from under him at near subsonic speed with the aid of magic. While suspended in the air and still trying to process what just happened, Aeris grabs him with both hands and slams him down hard, back-first onto her knee, crushing his back and breaking it like a toothpick. Then letting go of him, Derek rolls right off her and crumples to the ground in agonizing pain, unable to get up.