Roy Vs The Lazy Joker. The Battle Of Effort

Roy stretched his arms, rolling his shoulders as he stood in front of his opponent. Unlike the other Jokers, this one looked… completely unmotivated.

He was slouched, hands stuffed in his pockets, wearing a half-buttoned coat and mismatched shoes. His mask drooped slightly, and he yawned, rubbing his eyes like he just woke up from a nap.

"Man, fighting is such a pain..." Lazy Joker muttered, scratching his head. "Do we really have to do this? Can't we just call it a draw and take a nap?"

Roy smirked. "You don't even want to try?"

Lazy Joker groaned. "Trying is exhausting… Winning is exhausting… Even losing is too much effort."

Roy's brows furrowed. He'd fought plenty of enemies before—brutes, strategists, tricksters. But this? This was new.

He rushed forward.

In an instant, Roy closed the distance, his blade swinging in a precise arc—

But Lazy Joker didn't even move.

Instead, his entire body bent backward in the laziest dodge Roy had ever seen, like he was made of rubber.

Roy's sword missed by inches.

"Whoa—" Roy barely had time to react before the Joker flopped sideways, falling to the ground like a ragdoll.

Then, he rolled away, slowly, like he was too lazy to even stand.

Roy stared. "Are you serious?"

"Ugh," Lazy Joker sighed, still rolling. "Chasing me is gonna take too much energy, right? Just give up."

Roy's eye twitched.

This guy was actually pissing him off.

"Fine," Roy said. "Then I won't waste energy either."

He raised his hand. The air around him shifted.

A moment later–

The ground erupted with energy, and thick vines burst from the earth, twisting toward Lazy Joker.

But—

The vines missed.

Lazy Joker had somehow rolled just far enough to avoid them. Without even trying.

Roy clenched his fists. "Are you just lucky, or are you actually dodging?"

Lazy Joker yawned. "Dunno… Maybe both?"

Roy took a deep breath.

Fine.

If Joker wasn't going to take this seriously—

Then Roy would end it in one move.

His body glowed faintly, and his muscles tensed.

He vanished.

Before Lazy Joker could even react, Roy was behind him.

His fist slammed into Joker's back with enough force to send him flying.

Joker crashed through several trees, rolling across the ground before coming to a stop.

Roy exhaled, lowering his stance.

"…Finally."

But then—

Lazy Joker got up.

Unharmed.

He yawned again.

"…Man, that was kinda annoying." He rubbed his back. "Can we stop now? I'm getting sleepy."

Roy's eyes widened.

"What—"

Before he could react, Lazy Joker lifted a single finger.

And then—

Roy's body felt heavy.

"…What?" Roy's knees buckled. His limbs suddenly felt sluggish, like he was being weighed down by invisible chains.

Lazy Joker grinned sleepily.

"You see… my power isn't just laziness. It's… making others lazy too."

Roy's movements slowed. His vision blurred.

His energy drained.

Lazy Joker walked up, stretching. "Mmm… If I touch you, you'll probably just fall asleep. Want to try?"

Roy gritted his teeth.

He was not losing to a guy like this.

He refused.

With all the willpower he had left—

Roy forced his body to move.

Roy's vision blurred. His muscles felt like lead.

Lazy Joker's power was spreading through his body, making every movement sluggish, like he was sinking into an endless sleep.

"Just give up already," Lazy Joker sighed. "I mean, fighting is exhausting, right? You could just take a nap instead…"

Roy staggered.

His body was failing.

But—

His mind was still fighting.

"No."

He clenched his fist. Tightly.

Lazy Joker raised an eyebrow. "Huh? You still got some energy left?"

Roy gritted his teeth. "You're annoying, you know that?"**

Then—

He moved.

FAST.

Before Lazy Joker could react—

Roy's fist shot upward.

BOOM!

A devastating uppercut connected squarely with Joker's chin.

Lazy Joker's head snapped back. His entire body lifted off the ground from the sheer force of the impact.

For a split second—

Everything froze.

Then—

Lazy Joker's form shattered into dozens of sleeping masks, each one lazily floating down to the ground.

Roy stood there, breathing heavily. His body was still aching, but…

He won.

"...Finally." He cracked his knuckles.

Then, he turned—

The other fights were still going on.

And it was time to move on.