"Do you still want to fight?!"
"Hey! Stop it. What are you even doing? I was just trying to head home!" Jonouchi shouted, raising his hands to stop Kyoko Sakura as she tensed for another attack.
"Tch!" Retracting her stance, Kyoko realized she wasn't in the mood for a pointless brawl. She had more pressing concerns—finding a new contractor. If she didn't, her magical energy would dissipate, and she would simply vanish from the war.
But who could she turn to? Saber's side was out of the question; they were the reason she was in this mess. She didn't know the others—Archer, Rider, Caster, Assassin, or Berserker—well enough to judge their Masters' character.
Wait... something clicked. Caster had said earlier, "Your partner died too? You can't last long either. What a coincidence... Me neither."
Kyoko could feel his Life Points dropping steadily, just like her own. It wouldn't be long before he, too, exited the war due to a lack of mana.
"Did your Master die as well?" Kyoko asked, her eyes narrowing as she looked at the youth in front of her.
"Yeah. When he summoned me, the idiot hit a wall and died," Jonouchi muttered, scratching his hair. "If I hadn't used my cards to buy some time, I would've been gone already. But as it stands, I'm just waiting for the end. It's ridiculous."
"And you don't plan on attacking ordinary humans to extend your life?" Kyoko asked. She knew the instincts instilled in Servants. Seizing blood or essence from humans was a standard, albeit horrific, way to replenish mana when a Master was lost.
"How could I do something like that? I'd rather die right here," Jonouchi retorted without hesitation. "And if you try it, I'll stop you with whatever strength I have left."
"Pfft... you're a strange one," Kyoko laughed, a sense of déjà vu washing over her. She saw a flicker of her old friend, Sayaka Miki, in this man—both so righteous, even when faced with their own end.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing. You just remind me of someone."
Kyoko felt a strange sense of relief at his honesty. "Don't worry, I won't kill ordinary people. Even if I tried, someone would probably haunt me with a lecture about it."
As she spoke, a loud growl erupted from her stomach, making her face turn red. Jonouchi didn't skip a beat, catching an apple and tossing it to her. "Here, fill your stomach with this for now."
"Why?" she asked, holding the fruit in confusion.
"I can't just leave you like that."
Kyoko couldn't wrap her head around his kindness. Why help an enemy he had been fighting so fiercely just moments ago?
"Really... you're so small, why even join a war like this?" Jonouchi asked, watching her eat. "What wish is worth all this?"
"I have my reasons!" she snapped back. "And you? You're barely older than me."
Kyoko had come to save a friend who had been 'Witchified.' Normal methods were useless; she needed the power of the Dragon Balls. Jonouchi sighed and explained his own reason: his friends' souls had been taken, and he had hoped this war would give him a way to bring them back. But now, it seemed hopeless.
He knew that the stronger his cards, the more mana they required. He was already a 'candle in the wind,' unable to summon the power needed to win.
"Wait... you're here to save people too?" Kyoko stopped eating, staring at the delinquent-looking man in front of her.
"'Too'? You mean you are as well?" Jonouchi looked equally stunned. Two people, both without Masters, both facing elimination, and both with such similar goals. It was almost fate.
Kyoko's stomach growled again. She broke her apple—having only eaten a third—and threw half back to him. "Here. I don't want to owe you anything."
"Heh, you're not so bad yourself," Jonouchi said, catching the half-apple. Kyoko blushed and yelled for him to shut up, but the tension had clearly broken.
Jonouchi began to laugh. "I was just thinking... maybe my luck is as good as ever." He pulled out his Duel Disk as Kyoko watched warily.
"Want to try cooperating? If it works, maybe we both get to stay in the game."
"How? We're both about to self-destruct. Is there even a choice?" Kyoko didn't refuse. She didn't hate him anymore, and it was better than begging a stranger for a contract.
"This is the last card I drew," Jonouchi said, pointing to the set card on his disk. "Soul Relay. It has a magical effect. If it works, we might just be the solution to each other's problems."
"That strange card magecraft of yours? I don't even know what kind of hero you're supposed to be. But whatever—there's no going back now. Do it!"
PS: Posting the Anime Effect of Soul Relay: Can only be activated when your own LP becomes 0. Special Summon 1 monster from your hand. Your defeat condition becomes when the monster Special Summoned by this effect is destroyed.