Chapter Two – The Spectre
Hazel's eyes refused to open as her alarm for 6:30 went off. Shuffling around the empty bed, she reached over groggily and switched the phone alarm off before letting the arm sag down from the bedside table, her body going limp. Her legs were splayed diagonally under the sheets, taking up the rest of the bed. With Daniel gone for the day, she had all the bed to herself, and it made getting out of it even harder. Why are these damn things always so much comfier in the morning…
After an hour of watching videos on her phone and generally being lazy, Hazel got out of bed, dressed, and was soon sipping on a cup of coffee with the television blaring in the background. She wasn't expected at the office until 11 today, with the woman she was interning for, Christine, doing their channel's coverage of the press conference that was scheduled to occur shortly. It was rather early for a press conference to be held, but Reiji was supposedly heading to Heartland later in the today to commemorate the official opening of the new You Show Duel School there. Yusho too. It's nice to see Heartland is almost back to how it was before the war, Hazel thought to herself. The scars may live on, but psychically, at least, it's almost back to its former glory.
"And now we cross live to Reiji Akaba's press conference, where he will be discussing the vigilante known as the Spectre with the media," the male reporter said. "Let's hear what he has to say."
Calm and collected as usual, Reiji took to the podium that was set out in front of the awaiting mass of media. Looking on, Hazel thought she could make out Christine in the crowd, but it was too difficult to tell from the sparing shots that were shown. Instead, she prepared herself for whatever Reiji had to say. It'll be interesting to see what information he reveals, Hazel thought.
"The Spectre has been a topic of discussion amongst LDS, news agencies and social media ever since their first appearance a number of weeks ago," Reiji began, his voice and mannerisms giving away nothing. "They first came to our attention after an alarm was triggered in the main LDS building here in Maiami City, and four of our top guards were found unconscious, defeated by the Spectre. Since then, several other attempts have been made by this individual at infiltrating the building, to various success."
"Or no success," Hazel muttered to herself, now crunching down on cereal. "Never once got a hand on the databases."
"The Spectre has been confronted by our staff on a number of those occasions, but has escaped each time. LDS has been looking into tracking the individual, but has so far made no ground on identifying who the Spectre is," Reiji continued. "Additionally, the Spectre has worn carefully hidden their identity, appearing only in baggy attire and showing no identifiable features."
"I wonder if he's telling the truth or just satisfying the media," Hazel whispered.
"Since identifying the Spectre is proving to be tough, we at LDS have instead decided to focus our attention on defending the building," Reiji said. "More guardsmen and women have been hired to watch the building at night, and more security cameras have been installed throughout the building to ensure the safety of LDS' assets. We are confident that the Spectre will not be able to get past these defences, and hope that these new upgrades will dissuade any further visits."
He's challenging me, Hazel realised as she began to wash up her dishes. He wants me to try again, daring me even. It put her in a difficult position. She knew that Reiji was the only one who knew anything about Yuya and Yuzu's disappearance. Even the other Lancers knew nothing. Finding out what happened to them a year ago and where they went would be a once in a lifetime scoop, and she wasn't about to let that chance slip through her fingers.
"Now, are there any questions?" Reiji asked the awaiting reporters.
"Yes, Mr. Akaba!" came a male voice from the front row. He continued once he had Reiji's attention. "Mr. Akaba, a lot of people are wondering how the Spectre is able to defeat members of LDS. No information has been released yet about whether they are a duelist or not, but surely that is the case?"
"All that can be confirmed is that Duel Disks were active on the unconscious members of LDS found during the assaults," Reiji answered. "The Spectre has been smart enough not to duel within sight of our cameras, and none of the opponents they have fought have any recollection of the duels themselves."
"Liar," Hazel huffed.
"Is there any clue as to how the Spectre is doing this?" another reporter asked.
Reiji shook his head. "We do not know," he replied. "That is all the information we currently have on the Spectre and investigations are ongoing."
"Do you think the Spectre will try and infiltrate the Maiami Championship?" asked another reporter.
Reiji shook his head. "Doing so would put the individual at risk of being discovered," Reiji answered. "It would be an uncharacteristic move. Now, if there are no more questions, I am due in Heartland within two hours."
Despite the flood of questions that came his way, Reiji ignored them as his made his way to the exit, accompanied by three bodyguards. The screen flickered back to the news station, but by this point Hazel was already reaching for the remote. She had all the information she needed. More patrols, and yet Reiji will not be returning to Maiami until tomorrow. Time to pay LDS another visit.
After finishing her work with Christine, night fell as Hazel found herself outfitted in the familiar clothing of the Spectre. Duel disk strapped reassuringly to her right arm, she ran silently through alleyways in a sporadic direction from where she had changed to ensure that no-one could trace her. The location of her gear was marked on her duel disk, and it meant that she could return to it at any time. Approaching LDS Tower from the north, she could see its gleaming walls towering high above the buildings surrounding it, watching over the city like a sentry against the blackness of the night. A symbol of the success of the Lancers in foiling Leo Akaba's plan… and stopping Zarc.
As she began to draw closer to LDS Tower, Hazel headed for a fire escape on an apartment building close to the tower and began to climb it. Fortunately, there was no rain tonight, and the air was actually rather pleasant as she made her way to the top, calves burning slightly from the effort. After recovering the slight amount of breath that she had lost from the dozen-storey climb, she laid herself down against the roof of the building and pulled out a telescope from its pouch on her back. Extending it fully, she looked down upon the tower and began to analyse the new guard layout.
Where are the guards? Her blood began to run cold as Hazel quickly realised that there were no guards positioned at the bottom of the tower. She searched the nearby streets for guards that may have been hiding, but found nothing. Looking at the building itself, the lights were all turned off par the ones at the bottom, but there seemed to be no one in the building either. Reiji… are you trying to get me to enter? If what she was seeing was true, then it meant that she would be able to enter the tower uncontested. However, all that did was give her a terrible sense of foreboding. A trap. There's no way its anything but a trap, she reasoned.
It was a perfect opportunity for her to find the information she was looking for, but Hazel knew that this scenario had definitely been orchestrated by Reiji himself. He wanted me to come tonight, and he wants me to enter the building. But… she shook her head in frustration. She wasn't about to entertain the idea of walking into a trap so blindly. I've waited a year to get this information. I can wait a little bit longer. Returning the telescope to its pouch, she began to make her way down from the roof. Although the pull to investigate the tower was strong, she wasn't about to give Reiji the satisfaction of being right once again.
Heading back through the streets of Maiami City, her thoughts began to turn to the following few days. I can't afford to go out again soon, otherwise I'm going to start getting fatigued and Daniel might get suspicious. Hopefully I can use that to my advantage and play Reiji for time. It was something she had done in the past, but she also didn't want Daniel to get suspicious about her being out late on the same nights as the Spectre's appearances. Fortunately, he wasn't very attentive of these things, and that was something that Hazel was, for once, grateful for.
As she reached the spot where her gear was, in between two ten-storey buildings and away from the major roads, Hazel began to take in her surroundings in case someone had followed her. Looking at the top of building and peering through nearby alleyways, she found no one, and so breathed a sigh of relief and turned back towards her gear. However, standing next to the bin where she had hidden her stuff was a male figure, one that appeared to be wearing a white suit.
"Do it now," she heard the man say.
Almost immediately, she felt something shimmer to life behind her. Turning around, Hazel saw that a metal wall had been erected behind her, along with one above them and one behind the mysterious suited figure. Lights hung from the top of the two walls, and after illuminating the alleyway, Hazel was able to get a good look at her assailant. With pale purple hair, green eyes and a piercing in his left ear, she quickly realised who he was.
"We're alone in here, Spectre," the man said. "The outside world sees only an empty alleyway, and those lights? They're doubling as cameras. Don't forget to smile."
Hazel straightened her stance. "Yu Sakuragi," she stated. "Former LDS student, member of the original Lancers, and current 6th seed of the Bronze League Dimensional Action Duel Pro Circuit. One of the only pro duelists from the Pendulum Dimension to not use Pendulum cards, if I recall correctly."
"You are well-informed," Yu replied. "Reiji asked for my help dealing with you. Shall we then?"
Straight to the point, I see. "I know you're watching, Reiji!" Hazel shouted to the cameras as she readied her duel disk. "I don't know how you found me, but I won't go down without a fight!"
DUEL!
Hazel knew what deck Yu was playing. Although he had broken into the Silver League a number of times over the past couple of years, he had never been able to reach higher because of the cards that he played. Yu had said in multiple interviews that he would never give up on his deck despite the trend towards Pendulum-based archetypes, but that had earned him good reputation as someone who respected his cards, and it had won him favour amongst the fans. Still, the archetype is not without good cards. If he opens with that spell…
"I'll start things off," Yu said. "I activate the Quick-Play spell card Spellbook of Judgment!"
Shit.
"This means that, at the end of my turn, I get to add Spellbook spell cards from my deck to my hand up to the number of Spellbook spells I play this turn, and then special summon a Spellcaster-type monster whose level is less than or equal to the number of spells I play!" Yu declared. "And now, I activate Spellbook Star Hall! This means that every time I activate a Spellbook spell card, it gains a counter, and for each counter, Spellcaster-type monsters on my field gain 100 ATK!"
He's all set up to go off now, Hazel realised. I mean, what else can you expect from a pro, even one from the Bronze League… I'm going to have to be at my best, especially with Reiji Akaba undoubtedly in his ear. I wonder how you found this location, Reiji…
"I then normal summon Spellbook Magician of Prophecy (Lvl:2/ATK:500/DEF:400) and add Spellbook of the Master to my hand via his effect!" Yu proclaimed. "Then, I play Spellbook of Secrets, which allows me to add one Spellbook spell to my hand, and I choose Spellbook Organisation!"
He's deck-thinning, Hazel realised. Most of his spells can only be activated once a turn, but by adding cards like that to his hand and playing them, he's simply fuelling Spellbook of Judgment and that Star Hall…
"After Star Hall gains a counter, I activate Spellbook of the Master!" Yu continued. "I reveal Spellbook of Power in my hand in order to copy the effect of Spellbook of Secrets in my graveyard and apply it via Master's effect! Therefore, I add Spellbook Library of the Heliosphere to my hand!"
"And Star Hall gains another counter," Hazel murmured.
"I then play Spellbook Organisation, allowing me to look at the top 3 cards of my deck and return them in any order," Yu said, glancing at the cards before returning them to the deck as Star Hall ticked over to 3 counters. "I then activate yet another spell in Spellbook of Power, which increases Magician of Prophecy ATK by 1000! And since Star Hall now has 4 counters, he has 1900 ATK!"
He could've saved it, but he will probably just add another with Judgment, Hazel reasoned. How am I going to get past this?
"Finally, since I have 5 Spellbook spells in my graveyard, I can activate Spellbook Library of the Heliosphere!" Yu said. "Not only does Star Hall now have 5 counters, but Magician of Prophecy now has 2000 ATK! Also, Heliosphere lets me look at the top 2 cards of my deck, and if any are Spellbooks, add them to my hand. But since neither of them are, they are returned to my deck and shuffled."
"You played it just to add another counter to Star Hall and fuel Judgment," Hazel noted. "You knew you wouldn't draw any Spellbooks."
"That is correct," Yu said with a slight smirk. "And now I end my turn, meaning that Spellbook of Judgment activates! I add the Spellbooks of Power, Secrets, Wisdom, Fate, Eternity and the Master from my deck to my hand!"
"A full replenishment…" Hazel muttered.
"And then, I special summon the Level 6 Reaper of Prophecy (ATK:2000/DEF:1600) from my deck, triggering its effects!" Yu proclaimed as the monster, clad in a black robe and wielding a huge, presumably enchanted black scythe appeared on his side of the field. "I activate all three of his effects in sequence as I have 6 Spellbook spells in my graveyard. Firstly, he gains 600 ATK, meaning that it combined with the bonus of Star Hall gives him 3100 ATK. Then, I add Spellbook Library of the Crescent to my hand. And finally, I can special summon a Level 5 or higher DARK Spellcaster from my deck! Appear, Level 8! Wheel of Prophecy! (ATK:2700/DEF:1700)."
As the humanoid lion clad in dark, roman-esque armour appeared on Yu's field bearing a shield of similar design to the armour, Hazel assessed the situation. Not only did Yu have two monsters with over 3000 ATK thanks to Star Hall, but he would have a full hand to use come his next turn. I have to try and break his board on my next turn, otherwise there's just no way that I can get past him and get out of here.
"And now, my turn finally ends," Yu said. "Magician of Prophecy's ATK returns to 1000, while Wheel and Reaper remain at 3200 and 3100 respectively. And now, since I have 7 cards in hand, I must discard one."
"You mean Crescent, don't you?" Hazel asked rhetorically. "That's why you added it. Otherwise you could draw into it later on when it's already useless."
Yu smiled slightly. "You appear to know my deck pretty well, Spectre," Yu commented as he sent the card to the graveyard. "Turn over."
Yu – 4000 LP/Hand – 6/Field – Wheel of Prophecy, Reaper of Prophecy, Spellbook Magician of Prophecy, Spellbook Star Hall (5)
Hazel – 4000 LP/Hand – 5/Field – nil
Time to find a way out of this mess. "My turn!" Hazel said, drawing a card. "I activate the spell card Ember Call, allowing me to add one Level 4 or lower Ember monster from my deck to my hand, and I choose Ember Viper! Then, using the Scale 1 Ember Lizard and the Scale 8 Ember Mammoth, I set the Pendulum Scale! This means I can summon monsters whose Level is 2 to 7 simultaneously! Pendulum Summon! Appear, Ember Viper (Lvl:3/ATK:1400/DEF:1000), Ember Soldier (Lvl:4/ATK:1300/DEF:1300), and Ember Eagle! (Lvl:2/ATK:800/DEF:800)."
"A triple Pendulum on the first turn? Impressive," Yu conceded.
"Ember Mammoth's Pendulum effect means that all Ember monster I control gain 200 ATK for each one present, meaning they each now have an additional 600 ATK," Hazel explained. "Additionally, if Ember Soldier is summoned, I can add one Ember monster from my deck to my hand, and I choose Flare-Eyes Ember Dragon! I now tribute Ember Soldier and Ember Eagle! Appear, dragon with eyes of the eternal blaze! Flare-Eyes Ember Dragon! (Lvl:7/ATK:2500/DEF:2000)."
The behemoth made its presence felt immediately. As the soldier and eagle disappeared from the field, the four-legged, two-winged black dragon appeared, eyes and veins glowing with a thick red glow. Hazel could see the Yu was eyeing the beast off with caution, indicating that he had been told of the beast's capabilities. I suppose it only natural…
"Due to Mammoth's effect, Flare-Eyes now has 2900 ATK, while Viper goes from 1400 to 1800 via the effect, then gains an additional 200 via its own since there is another Ember monster on the field, meaning it now has 2000 ATK!"
"That still cannot defeat my two stronger monsters, Spectre!" Yu reminded her.
"Ember Lizard's Pendulum effect activates!" Hazel continued. "Since I have another Ember monster in my other Pendulum Zone, I can destroy and inflict 200 damage to you!"
"Is that it?" Yu asked as he brushed off the damage, his Life Points now at 3800.
"Since you took effect damage, Flare-Eyes gains ATK equal to the damage, giving it 3100 ATK!" Hazel said. "Battle! Flare-Eyes Ember Dragon, attack Spellbook Magician of Prophecy! Blaze Reckoning!"
Yu's eyes grew wide of the huge blast of fire engulfed his monster, destroying it in a single blow and sending him flying backwards into the Real Solid Vision wall that had been erected behind him. The man was dazed, but returned to his feet his Life Points dropped to 1700 and Hazel prepared for her next attack.
"Ember Viper's effect activates!" she pressed. "During either player's turn, if I inflict damage to my opponent, I can have all monster they control lose ATK and DEF equal to the damage taken until the end of the turn!"
Yu's eyes went wide. "But that means…"
"Both of your monsters lose 2300 ATK and DEF!" Hazel finished. "Ember Viper, attack Wheel of Prophecy! Flame Constriction!"
The viper slithered toward the lion before expanding its width and ensnaring the beast within its coiled body. The lion struggled briefly against the constricting bind, but the viper's eyes flashed red and its body suddenly burst into flame along with its prey. The lion crumbled to dust as the viper turned back to its blackened, coal-like skin, and as it returned to Hazel's side, Yu's Life Points had now been reduced to a measly 800.
"I set one card face-down," Hazel declared. "Turn over."
Yu – 800 LP/Hand – 6/Field – Reaper of Prophecy, Spellbook Star Hall (5)
Hazel – 4000 LP/Hand – 0/Field – Flare-Eyes Ember Dragon, Ember Viper, one face-down/PZ – Ember Lizard (SC:1), Ember Mammoth (SC:8)
"You'll pay for that," Yu vowed. "My turn! I activate the Quick-Play spell Spellbook of Fate! I banish Spellbooks Organisation, Helio and Crescent from my graveyard in order to banish Flare-Eyes Ember Dragon!"
"Not going to happen! I reveal the trap card Ember Backlash!" Hazel countered. "This card can only be activated is one Ember monster would leave the field. Instead of being banished, I destroy Flare-Eyes in order to destroy two of your cards. Say goodbye to Reaper of Prophecy and Spellbook Star Hall!"
"Dammit…" she heard Yu whisper as the cards were destroyed.
"I won't go down that easily," Hazel said. "You'll have to do better than that, Yu! You too, Reiji!"
"I activate the effect of High Priestess of Prophecy in my hand!" Yu continued. "By revealing the Spellbooks of Power, Wisdom, and the Master, I can special summon her! Appear, High Priestess! (Lvl:7/ATK:2500/DEF:2100)."
As the pink-haired, white-robed priestess appeared on Yu's field, Hazel couldn't help but feel as if something was off about this duel. Yu is a professional duelist. He knows his deck inside and out. So why would he not search using Star Hall's effect? Hazel's nose crinkled slightly. Reiji had to have been involved in this. There was no other reason for him not to.
"I activate the effect of the High Priestess!" Yu continued. "I banish Spellbook of Judgment in order to destroy a card on your side of the field! Be gone, Viper!"
I'm wide open, Hazel thought as the Pendulum monster was destroyed.
"I now activate Spellbook of Power, giving High Priestess an additional 1000 ATK!" Yu declared, a tinge of anger in his voice. "I then activate a second copy of Spellbook of the Master, revealing Secrets in order to copy Power and give my monster another 1000 ATK!"
"4500 ATK…" Hazel whispered.
"This duel is over, Spectre!" Yu proclaimed. "High Priestess of Prophecy, attack the Spectre directly! Wrath of Knowledge!"
Hazel gritted her teeth. "The second Pendulum effect of Ember Mammoth activates!" he declared. "If I would take a direct attack, I can special summon it from the Pendulum Zone in ATK position and have it take the attack instead! Save me, Ember Mammoth! (Lvl:6/ATK:2400/DEF:1800)."
The black woolly mammoth appeared at the last moment, taking the blast of white energy to the face, holding its ground for a moment before imploding under the pressure. The blast knocked Hazel backwards, but she landed on her feet as her Life Points were cut by more than half all the way to 1900. No cards in hand or on my field… this is not looking good…
"So, you survived," Yu said with slight admiration. "I use the power of Spellbook of Secrets in order to add another copy of Spellbook of Fate from my deck to my hand. I then set two cards face-down. Turn over."
Yu – 800 LP/Hand – 1/Field – High Priestess of Prophecy, two face-downs
Hazel – 1900 LP/Hand – 0/Field – nil
He didn't use the searching power of Spellbook of Power during the End Phase, Hazel noted as the ATK of High Priestess returned to 2500. There's no doubting it. Reiji must be ordering Yu to hold back slightly, but why? What's he trying to achieve? No matter. I just need to focus on winning this duel. Looking down at her deck, she could only hope that it gave her something good. The Tuner, maybe…
"My turn!" Hazel declared, drawing a card and allowing a slight smile to grow over her face as she saw it. That works too. Those top-decking classes paid off after all…
"You can't win, Spectre," Yu declared.
"I disagree. I activate the spell card Ember Rebirth!" Hazel countered. "With this, since I control no cards, I can set two face-up Ember monsters from my Extra Deck to the Pendulum Zone, and in this turn, they cannot be destroyed nor banished!"
Yu grunted angrily. "You dare to…"
"Using the Scale 1 Ember Lizard and the Scale 8 Ember Mammoth, I set the Pendulum Scale! This means I can summon monsters whose Level is 2 to 7 simultaneously!" Hazel chanted. "Pendulum Summon! Appear, Ember Soldier (Lvl:4/ATK:1300/DEF:1300), Ember Viper (Lvl:3/ATK:1400/DEF:1000), Ember Eagle (Lvl:2/ATK:800/DEF:800), and finally, the dragon with eyes of the eternal blaze, Flare-Eyes Ember Dragon! (Lvl:7/ATK:2500/DEF:2000)."
"I activate the Quick-Play spell Spellbook of Fate!" Yu cut in. "I banish the Spellbooks Star Hall, the Master and Secrets in order to banish Flare-Eyes Ember Dragon!"
"You're still going to lose, Yu! I don't need Flare-Eyes to defeat you!" Hazel declared as her dragon faded into nothing. "With Ember Soldier's effect, I add Ember Tiger to my hand, which I then summon to the field! (Lvl:4/ATK:1500/DEF:1200)."
As the tiger was black fur and glowing red-orange lines covering its body appeared on the field next to the similarly-designed Eagle, Soldier and Viper, Hazel glanced up at the cameras. Is this what you were after, Reiji? she wondered to herself. Is this what you were after? You already know my deck pretty well, though…
"Battle! Ember Tiger, attack High Priestess of Prophecy! Flaming Pounce!"
"But my monster has higher ATK?!"
Hazel said nothing as the attack struck and bounced off harmlessly, the tiger's claws not even making a dent in the robes of the priestess. The woman glanced down, and after aiming her hand at the beast, blasted it away into nothingness, dropping Hazel's Life Points to 900.
"Tiger's monster effect activates," Hazel said. "If it battles, the monster it battled is destroyed after damage calculation."
As the priestess disappeared, Yu's eyes grew wide. "But that means…"
"Ember Soldier, end this," Hazel ordered. "Incendiary Bolt!"
Hazel's duel disk flicked off and her monsters disappeared once the damage was done. As the Life Point counter on Yu's duel disk reached 0, the barriers that had been erected around them disappeared, and as Hazel went over and picked up Yu by the scruff of his collar, a droplet of water landed on his suit.
"I know you can hear me, Reiji," Hazel said, more to the earpiece she could now see in Yu's ear than the man himself. "I know the tournament is a lure set for me. I know you're trying to draw me out. I have but one thing to say to you, Reiji Akaba. I'll see you at the Maiami Championship."