"So there's no delays? You're coming home next month like you promised?" Haruka asked over the telephone, pacing the living room with one finger in his ear to block out any unwanted noise.
"Hai. We're coming home as soon as we possibly can." This was the voice of the Taylor family's patriarch, Fuyuki Taylor. He and his wife, Hinata, were often on business in Japan, and were away from home for long time periods.
"That's good. Oh! By the way, we made a couple pals in the last week."
"Oh? Who?"
"A Dinosaur expert named Chase, and Leon's twin brother Yukio. He came back from his dad's house after a nasty divorce."
"I see. Is Haru okay?" asked Fuyuki.
"He's as jumpy as ever. But he's okay."
"Good. We added money like usual, and extra for that birthday."
"Birthday?" Haruka thought about it. "Umm… Cyrus's birthday, right?"
"Haru told us yesterday."
"Mm… If you say so." Haruka smiled. "Love you, Papa. Aitai yo."
"Love you, son. Sayonara."
Haruka hung up. "...Haru, c'mere!"
Haru soon stumbled into the living room. "Y-yes?" he asked.
"Cyrus' birthday is today?" Haruka asked.
"It's tomorrow, actually…." Haru rubbed his shoulder.
"Oh... How could I have forgotten?" Haruka hit himself in the head. "Did you get Cyrus a present? Do we need to?"
"Well… yeah, but I'm only doing this for Leon." Haru frowned. "Cyrus doesn't like me, remember?"
"I know, but I think it's about time you try to get along with Cyrus. He's a nice kid, after all."
Haru fell silent. "..."
"Leave the gifts to me."
"No... I have a gift."
"Oh... okay."
"I got invited too?" Yukio asked.
Leon nodded. "Yu-huh." He smiled. "I talked about it with Cyrus and he said you should come too."
"That was nice of him, I wanna get him a gift." Yukio smiled, then thought for a second. "Umm… I'm gonna make him something. What does he like?"
"Dragons... but what can you make?"
Yukio chuckled and produced a knife from his pocket. "You'll see."
Chase was at the local game shop.
"Scuse me, I'm looking some specific games," he said.
"Oh?" asked the clerk.
"I'm looking for the League of Legends spin-offs."
"Oh, that's not a problem. Lemme see what we have." The clerk began typing on the computer.
"League of Legends?" Omnisaurus murmured into Chase's ear. "What's that all about? Why do you want these games?"
"It's not for me. It's for Cyrus. Hanging out with him and the others over the week, I learned he's WAY into League of Legends. He's been raving about the game for a while, so I figured, hey, why not get him one or two of the spin-offs?"
"I see… good thinking." Omnisaurus nodded sagely.
"Thank you."
"Looks like we have two of the spin-offs. Curse of the Spear of Vengeance and Quest of the Purifier," the clerk said.
"I'll take both, then." Chase dug out his wallet and paid the required price. He was handed two brand new video games, still in shrink wrap, and smiled a winning smile at the clerk. "Thank you!"
"Sir, I'm gonna need tomorrow off."
"But why, Erika?"
"Tomorrow is my son's birthday, and I refuse to be busy at work when I could be celebrating with my little boy."
"I see... well, the crew's been saying we need a day off. I suppose we can take it tomorrow."
"Thank you, sir!"
"You're welcome, Erika. Wish your kid happy birthday for me."
"Will do."
Elsewhere...
"YES! Carnotus! Finish him!"
A huge, hulking warrior in dark grey armor bedecked with teeth and spines roared in fury. He raised a spear that crackled with lightning and rushed forward, towards the Big Shield Gardna that was standing in Attack Position, defenseless.
CRASH!
The defending Duel Monster shattered into pieces, and a boy in a baseball cap moaned in disappointment as his Life Points were depleted.
(?: 700 - 0)
"HA! I win!" his opponent, a girl in a jacket and sweatpants, cheered. "The Dino-Striker please, my good man."
The boy handed her a card. "As promised…."
The girl accepted the card, then offered the boy a hand up. "Thanks to you, I have a complete Dino-Striker deck," she said with an affected air of haughtiness. "Thank you very much!"
"Whatevs," the boy said. "What's with your dino obsession anyway, sis? You collect dino movies, cards, books…. heck, you're cuddling a Tartarus plushie right now."
"It's called Carnotaurus," she said, hugging said plushie. "Not Tartarus. Jeez, Justin, don't you know anything?"
The boy, Justin, rolled his eyes. "You've been flipping out about dinosaurs for a week now, Sarah. What happened?"
Sarah sighed overdramatically. "It's called being fascinated by something. So leave me be! I won fair and square!" She stroked the plushie on instinct and slid her other hand into her pocket, where the card she had won lay.
Although neither boy nor girl could see it, around the girl were the forms of several frightening-looking warriors, all bedecked in armor with fangs and scales and armed to the teeth. And yet, they were looking gently upon the girl, smiling.
These were her Partners, who watched over her and made sure she was kept safe. They seemed satisfied that she had won the Duel. They even wanted to look at her newly acquired card. One spoke. "She will surely be in good hands. I, for one, will not let her down."
The rest voiced their agreement, and blinked out of existence, returning to the cards that they were kept in.
Haru was busy in his room, painting on a canvas.
"Whatcha doing?" Ariel asked as she sat on the edge of the easel.
"Painting." Haru looked at his composition, frowned, and dipped his paintbrush in a tub of blue paint, watering it down with a dunk in a cup of water before covering a spot on the canvas. "Do you think this shade of blue is okay?"
"Perfect." Ariel nodded. "Why are you painting, though?"
"It's my gift to Cyrus. Don't look at it. I don't want anyone ruining the surprise."
"Artists," Ariel snorted with a roll of her eyes. "Whatever you say, boss man." She floated away, and went back into her card, grumbling all the while.
Kaibaland.
Leon had just told Haruka, over the phone, that they were going to Kaibaland.
His squeal of pure joy could be heard for miles.
"What has you so happy?" asked Firewing.
"KAIBALAND! WE'RE GOING TO KAIBALAAAND!" cheered the teenager.
"Whoa, easy there. You might hurt yourself. And what's Kaibaland?"
"It's the BEST THEME PARK EVER! Better than Dis-"
"Watch it," came Haru's voice from upstairs.
"Sorry. Anyway, it's one of the most popular theme parks in the country." Haruka grinned sheepishly. "I love it."
"Sounds fun." Firewing smiled.
"Yeah, you'll love it!" Haruka beamed.
"Indeed."
"So, that's everyone," Sarah chuckled. "You guys happy?"
"Indeed we are," came a chorus of voices. Sarah made a happy snort, and reclined on her couch.
"Yup… This rocks. Plus, tomorrow we have that gig at Kaibaland. I'm excited!"
"Be careful, those Duel Games have TOUGH opponents."
"Bah, don't worry. How hard can it be when I've got you guys?"
"Dragunity, Fortune Ladies, Laval, Neo-Flamvell, or worse. The Harpie Ladies."
"...Touche."
The next day at ten in the morning, Cyrus was at home, waiting anxiously for Leon, Yukio, and Hunter to come. "Come on guys... please…" The little blonde boy crossed his fingers and kicked his feet as he sat on his living room couch…
Ding-dong!
ZOOM! Cyrus ran straight to the door and answered it. The door creaked open, and sure as sunshine, there stood Leon, Yukio, Hunter… and the Taylor siblings.
Cyrus's expression of joy turned flat. "...Haru?" he said with some revulsion, eye twitching.
"AND Haruka," Haruka said, coming up behind Haru.
"HARUKA!" Cyrus happily brought Haruka in, Haru coming in behind them… only for Cyrus to slam the door in his face..
Haruka frowned. "Let my brother in," he said sternly.
Cyrus groaned. "Do I have to?"
"Yes."
"Fine…" Cyrus opened the door once more, and Haru was let in. He looked away as he entered, shaking somewhat. "You guys like danishes?" he asked.
"Why do you ask?"
"We have extra from breakfast. C'mon, Mom's waiting in the kitchen."
Haruka smiled. "Sure! We could use extra energy before THE BEST DAY OF OUR LIVES!"
Everyone winced at Haruka's shout, before looking at him strangely. Light Dragon popped out of Leon's deck box, and whispered in his ear, "Is he… okay?"
"He's fine," Leon thought. "It's Haru who has the problems."
"So it Chase coming too?" Leon asked.
Ding dong!
"...I'm willing to bet that's him right now!" Cyrus said excitedly. "I'll go get him, make yourselves at home and have some danishes."
"Who is Cyrus's mother anyway?" asked Light Dragon.
"Ah…" Leon shrugged as they walked towards the kitchen. "She's this big shot movie star, actually. Erika Strong is her name. She's the star of this year's big horror flick, River of Lost Souls."
Overhearing this, Haru shuddered. River of Lost Souls was an upcoming adaptation of a Japanese horror film that had scared the pants off him when he was little, a nasty little number called Namidanogawa.
"Honestly, I'm glad that movie's done... it's scary." Cyrus admitted, overhearing the conversation.
"You think that one was scary?" Haru asked. "You should've seen the original… Sheer terror."
"Really?" Cyrus looked at Haru curiously.
"Uh-huh… I watched it when I lived in Japan…" Haru bit his lip. "It was terrifying…"
Cyrus nodded. "Ouch. You like American movies better, then?"
"Uh-huh… I like kids' movies a lot…" Haru cringed. "I know, I'm weird…"
"It's cool. I like kid movies too, actually." Cyrus gave Haru a somewhat awkward smile. "Any, uh, favorites?"
"Um… I like that one… The Book of Life?"
"Oh, cool!" Cyrus smiled.
There came a knock on the door. "Is anyone gonna let me in?" Chase asked outside, annoyed.
"OH! Right!" ZOOM!
Chase was let in, looking miffed. "I even got you a present," he said with a pout, holding up a brightly-colored bag. "Where should I put it?"
"With the other presents in the living room." Cyrus gestured to where everyone else had set their things, and Chase followed suit.
"Welcome to the party," Haruka joked. "Now, about those danishes…"
"Cyrus?" a woman's voice called. "Have the guests arrived?"
From the kitchen emerged a woman. One look, and Chase and Haruka's jaws dropped at the sight of her.
She was a tall woman in her early thirties. Long black hair, gentle blue eyes, tanned skin, and a gorgeous figure... one wonders how SHE was Cyrus' mother when they barely looked alike.
"That's your mom?" Haru murmured to Cyrus. "But she doesn't look a thing like you…"
Cyrus rolled his eyes. "What, like everyone in your family has blue hair?" he snapped under his breath.
"Sorry."
"It's okay. Cyrus has more of his dad." Erika pointed at a small, framed photograph on the mantelpiece, one displaying a baby Cyrus with a blonde, mustachioed man. The man was laughing in the picture, holding Cyrus in his arms. He looked like he wore a military uniform.
"Mooom…" Cyrus blushed. "You don't need to tell my friends thaaaat."
"Your dad looks professional," Leon said. "I can understand now, since you got more from your dad look wise."
Cyrus's blush deepened. "Gaah, just go eat a danish…" he said, embarrassed out of his mind.
"Okay, okay. Then we can go to Kaibaland. The crew's all here, after all." Leon grinned.
After danishes (which were delicious), Erika got everyone in the Strong family's SUV, and drove off.
"MAN! I'm really excited for this!" Haruka shouted cheerfully. "Haru, it's been so long since we've been to Kaibaland in Sapporo! This is gonna be great!"
"Easy, Haruka," Leon said.
Haru groaned. Kaibaland Sapporo had been a decidedly unpleasant experience for him, one that had very nearly ruined his enjoyment of shoyu ramen forever.
"I read they're having Duel Games today," Yukio mentioned. "What exactly are those?"
Cyrus, in the shotgun seat, turned around to gape at Yukio. "They're having DUEL GAMES!?" he all but screeched, green eyes wide. "Are you SERIOUS?"
"You know about them?" asked Haruka.
"Of course!" Cyrus's face became a wide-eyed smile of sheer joy. "I've always wanted to try one!"
"What IS a Duel Game?" Yukio asked, having never been to Kaibaland.
Leon and Cyrus turned towards Yukio with unnerving smiles.
Yukio gulped.
"Uh… Yukio's never been to Kaibaland before. Remember?" Haru said in Yukio's defense.
Cyrus snapped out of it. "Oh yeah…" he murmured. "Sorry. Anyway, the Dueling Games are like big performances!" He closed his eyes and smiled, remembering one he may have been to a long time ago. "They have like a big show of a bad guy attacking, and then the contestant shows up and challenges the actor to a Duel, and it's so awesome! I've wanted to be in one for so long!"
Out of the corner of his eye, Haru noticed Erika hiding a bit of a proud smirk as Cyrus was talking, and not doing the best job. He raised an eyebrow at that.
"Ariel, Water Dragon, you there?" he thought. "Seems like Mrs. Strong is hiding something…"
"Something good, actually. She doesn't have any Parasites or Partners. There's no danger," murmured Water Dragon. "When did you get such an indication?"
"She has this smirk on her face… she's not hiding it very well…"
"When did she start smirking?" Ariel asked.
"Umm... Just as Cyrus started talking about Duel Ga-" Haru stifled a gasp. "She's planning to put Cyrus in one!"
"Don't ruin the surprise!" hissed Ariel, clamping her little hands over Haru's mouth. "I think it's a gift for Cyrus."
"True… I'd better keep my mouth shut." Haru bit his lip and said no more.
"According to the website, this month's Game is celebrating the completion of the new area, Jurassic Valley… whatever that is." Yukio shrugged.
"It's a new dinosaur themed area," Chase said. "I'm excited to see it. I heard they got holograms of dinosaurs set up to give it a better angle, and even robot dinosaurs you can interact with."
"...That sounds… terrifying…" Haru shivered.
"Pff." Chase laughed slightly. "It's not like Five Nights at Freddy's, Ponytail. You were so brave up on stage the other day, what's with you now? Ya look like you'd be scared of your own shadow."
Haru blushed. "I dunno…"
Haruka took over, patting his blue-haired brother's shoulder. "He's kind of like Yugi and Atem. He's all shy in public, but when he's performing he gets more confident."
"That's kinda cool." Cyrus smiled. "Is that why you got so good all of a sudden back at the Challenge, Haru?"
"Guess Dueling brought out the best of me… something like that." Haru smiled back slightly. "Um… I hope you like my present for you. I made it myself…"
"I made mine myself too," Yukio said.
"Really? That's so cool!" Cyrus folded in his arms, fists held up to his chest.
If Ariel had been on Haru's shoulder instead of in her card, Haru would have seen her with her jaw dropped. "I don't believe it. Are you actually getting along with people instead of cowering the minute they say hello?"
"Quiet, Ariel, don't ruin the moment."
Eventually, the SUV wound up in a parking garage, and Cyrus and his friends (and Haru) were strolling through the main area of Kaibaland.
"Wow! This is going to be so much fun!" Cyrus said.
"But before we can go running around, we have to go see someone," Erika said. Everyone looked at her curiously. Who could they possibly need to visit on a day like this? Noticing the expressions on everyone's faces, Erika rolled her eyes good-naturedly and sighed. "I know those looks. It's just a pal I know. He works here."
"Oh, okay!" Cyrus, understanding almost immediately, nodded brightly and held onto his mother's hand.
Leon and Haru exchanged a glance.
"You don't think…" murmured Leon.
"I do very well think," Haru answered as the group headed to the reception area.
"Excuse me, I'm looking for Joe Murray," Erika said, addressing the employee at the reception desk.
The employee, a gangly, acne-scarred young man, blinked lazily. "Joe Murray? Down the hall to the left," he said in a voice that sounded as though he'd been up too late last night, pointing past the desk towards a hallway out of the public view.
"Thank you." Erika pushed through the turnstile that led into the office, led the others down the hallway, and gently knocked on the left door at the end. The door slammed open, making everyone jump back a bit as they saw the culprit- a man with a very bad shave and nasty-looking stubble, an unlit cigarette in his mouth and a lighter in his hand, cursing.
"What d'you want, I'm exhausted and I have no patience for any more whiny brats asking where the bathroom is…" he grumbled.
"Joe. It's me, Erika."
"OH! Erika." The man perked up, and removed the cigarette from his mouth. He coughed a bit awkwardly. "What brings you here?"
Erika gestured to Cyrus and co. "It's my son's birthday party, and I'd like to get him to participate in one of today's Duel Games."
Cyrus's jaw dropped.
"Knew it," thought Haru.
"Calling in that favor from high school?" Joe asked.
"Yeah."
"Alright then, I can make Cyrus and his friends the heroes in the Jurassic Showdown Duel Game…" Joe fiddled with his lighter. "Just lemme get to the computer, and you'll be all set. I think I can squeeze you guys in at two this afternoon."
"Thanks, Joe."
"You got me into the Duel Game?" Cyrus asked.
Erika nodded and ruffled her little boy's hair. "Just for you, Cyrus."
Haru snorted. "And apparently for the rest of us."
Joe did add in one thing. "As such, you should head to Jurassic Valley, so you know where you'll be performing."
"We're going to Jurassic Valley!?" squealed Haruka.
"Let's get going." Erika said.
The group excitedly headed out to see the new area…. well, excitedly save for Haru.
Haru's first impression of Jurassic Valley was… well, that it was pretty weird. On the surface, it looked, strangely enough, like a Wild West town, the kind that one sees in old Western movies about dashing buckaroos with names like Django and Sabata.
But there was more inside, past the entry gate. Now it looked more like a cross of dinosaur times and the Wild West. Bars and buildings had prehistoric themes, and games focused on Dinosaur-type Monsters with a Wild West flavor- for example, Mammoth Hunting, a shooting gallery where the targets were models of the monster Mammoth Graveyard, to be knocked down with toy bullets. In addition to this, there were robots roaming the area designed to look like dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes. Haru looked nervous as he saw a Troodon pacing the dusty pavement near them.
Meanwhile, Chase was in pure bliss. "Dinosaurs! Everywhere! Heeeeeee!" he cheered.
"Chase is in overexcited mode," Cyrus said, as Chase ran to a robotic Saurophaganax.
"Hello there," Chase greeted the dinosaur.
It started chasing him.
"AAAAAAUGH!" Chase screamed as he ran away from it, the robot barrelling down the path after him. The thing pursued him up, down, and all around Jurassic Valley, scaring children, startling adults, and bowling Haru over several times.
"What were you saying about it NOT being like Freddy's?" Haru sniped at Chase as a park employee ended up having to deactivate the robot.
"The kinks haven't been worked out of the robots yet," the park employee admitted. "But we hope to have the dinosaurs be more approachable by the end of the month. The ones in the town square should be okay, though."
"Thanks," Chase said in gratitude. He was on his knees, breathing heavily and sweating bullets after the intense workout.
"So, you the kids playing in the Duel Game for the 'opening' of the valley town?" the lady asked.
"Yeah!" Cyrus pumped a fist in the air. "I'm gonna be the star!"
"I see. Well, you'll need wardrobe." The lady looked a bit smug. "Also, as the leader, you can pick a dinosaur to be with you guys in the event."
"Um…" Cyrus thought for a minute. "I… don't know anything about dinosaurs."
"I got you covered," Chase said, patting Cyrus on the back. "We'll take an Ankylosaurus, please," he said smoothly.
"Okay then. Let's head to the wardrobe to get you decked out, then we'll ready the dinosaur and see if the outlaw character's ready."
"Gotcha!" Cyrus said, as he and the others followed the employee.
Haru picked nervously at a thread on his outfit. He had been forced to abandon his usual scarf-sweater-slacks combo for a frankly ridiculous cowboy costume. "Waaah…" he whimpered. "Why do we have to dress up too? Cyrus is the only one Dueling…"
However, Haru was surprised as Haruka, also in costume, offered him his scarf. "They said we can add our own touch to feel more comfortable." Haruka smiled. "Want me to knot it around your neck like a bandanna?"
"Yes please," Haru said quickly. Haruka nodded, and began to tie the scarf around his neck.
"That good?"
"Mhm…"
"Why's your scarf so important, anyway?" Ariel piped up, popping up on top of Haru's head.
"None of your business," Haru growled under his breath.
Sarah, holding her Carnotaurus plushie, was in a different changing area, putting on a similar cowboy's costume.
"Sarah!" A kid called out.
"Umu?" Sarah turned her head. "What's up?"
"It's me! Justin!"
"Oh, Justin!" Sarah welcomed her brother over with a grin. "What's up?"
"I'm in the Duel Game!"
"...Wha?"
"I'm playing a civilian in the valley. Like the son of the guy running the saloon."
"Ah. Sounds pretty good!" Sarah chuckled. "I'm playing the outlaw!"
Justin looked surprised. "Wait, what? You're the outlaw?"
"A-yup." Sarah wrestled with a leather boot for a minute before finally getting it onto her foot with help from Justin. "I'm gonna be rampaging all over this place. Wait till you see my co-star in the show… Since we've still got a couple hours until we have to go, wanna check out the VR race track?"
"Ooh, sure!" Justin grinned and helped his sister up.
"How 'bout a bet?" Sarah smirked.
Justin looked intrigued. "Name the details," he demanded.
"I wanna bet on who'll win the Duel Game. If I win, you have to buy me lunch. If my opponent wins, I have to buy you lunch."
"You're on!" Justin snickered. "Hope you don't mind having an empty wallet after lunch."
After our heroes got dressed and had some lunch, they whiled away the time until the game began by playing around in Jurassic Valley. Chase convinced the others to come on a roller coaster (Haru puked); Cyrus got everyone to watch a dinosaur-themed short film (Haru screamed); Haruka started a game at the shooting gallery (Haru won).
"You feeling better, Haru?" Cyrus asked as Haru put away the toy rifle from the game.
Haru smiled a bit. "Uh-huh… sorry about freaking out during the movie…"
"It's okay," Cyrus said. "You were pretty good on the shooting gallery, too."
"It's my first time, actually…" Haru murmured, tapping his fingers together. "Um… It's almost time for the game, right?"
"Yep. You guys ready to do this?"
Haruka gave Cyrus a thumbs-up, as did Chase. Leon nodded happily, and Yukio shrugged.
"I guess…" Haru fidgeted with his scarf.
It was a joyous day in Jurassic Valley, as guests and 'townsfolk' all gather for the grand opening on the new saloon, In the town square, 'Mayor' Erika came onstage for the big event. (They insisted that a movie star have this role.)
"Ladies and gentlemen, humans and dinosaurs alike!" Erika pronounced with true theatrical flourish. "We are gathered here today to commemorate the opening of our beloved town's brand new saloon!"
The audience cheered happily- humans clapping and cheering, dinosaur robots roaring in glee.
But all this celebration came to an end very quickly
"Liopleurodon? A rampage, if ya please."
Suddenly, people were panicking as a Liopleurodon leapt into the middle of the crowd and began rampaging, running wildly about and roaring, occasionally lashing out with its tail and claws at people and just barely missing. This frightening display scared dozens of people and dinosaurs, and had people running this way and that to hide.
"That's enough, Liopleurodon. Stand down." Someone new came into view- Sarah, in a dark hat and vest, a Duel Disk strapped onto her arm and a toy gun in a holster on her belt.
The Dinosaur obediently ceased its thrashing, going stock-still. Sarah grinned evilly as she surveyed the terrified populace.
"Well, now!" she said loudly. "I bet ain't none of you pansies have the gumption to stand up to me while I take over this town!"
But then, a sound began to fill the air- the sound of a harmonica being played, pretty well too.
"Who's playin' that thing?" Sarah looked around frantically, trying to pinpoint the source of the sad, slow melody.
Soon, she found the source- An Ankylosaurus trotting casually into the town. On its back was Cyrus, sitting in a saddle and playing the harmonica. The robot stopped, and let Cyrus down.
"I aim to clean this here town up," he said in a rather convincing cowboy accent. "Startin' with the likes of you."
"Just try it!"
"Stand back, pal," Cyrus said to the Ankylosaurus. It complied, and lumbered away. When it was gone, Cyrus raised a Duel Disk. "I challenge you to a Duel, you no-good varmint."
"Varmint, am I?" Sarah asked with a smirk. "Well, you're about to see just what this varmint can do."
"DUEL!"
-DUEL OPEN-
"Ladies first." Sarah drew six cards, looked over her hand, and selected a card. "I'll start with Dino-Striker Euceph!"
She played her first monster, and a totem pole rose on the field behind her.
"Watch as the Euoplocephalus Spirit comes to life!"
The totem began to glow with white-blue light, as something appeared in front of it. It looked like the ghost of a dinosaur- a Euoplocephalus, to be exact. The dinosaur spirit shone brightly for a second, then began to reform into a humanoid shape. It took form, and became a stocky, dark-skinned man in furs and leather, a large shield and a bone club in his hands. He pounded the club on the shield and let out a shout of bestial fury that made everyone watching shiver. (ATK 1300)
"Meet Dino-Striker Euceph!"
"Those are the Dino-Strikers?" asked Chase, who was playing as a deputy to 'Sheriff' Cyrus.
Leon shrugged. "I guess."
"With Euceph's ability, you can't attack any other Dino-Strikers I play except him," Sarah said. "And with a Dino-Striker on the field, I can bring in Dino-Striker Futabus in Attack Position."
The totem pole glowed brightly again, and this time, the dinosaur was a Futabasaurus. It coalesced into the shape of a short old man in blue robes, carrying a long, crooked wooden staff. (ATK 100)
"And with two facedowns, I end my turn."
"Then I draw." Cyrus grabbed a new card, and looked over his deck. He was smiling at his starting hand. "Alright, I play Yosenju Shinchu R!"
"What the?" Sarah was baffled by the card Cyrus held up. It was half orange and half green, looking like someone had fused a Monster and a Spell Card together. Cyrus placed the card in a slot on his Duel Disk unconnected to his five main areas, and something rose on his side of the field.
"Did… someone cut a tori gate in half?" Haru, hiding behind a barrel, asked Haruka.
"Is that a Pendulum card?" asked Haruka.
"...I guess, but… why did they have to make it half of a torii gate?"
The card that had arisen on the field was the right half of a torii gate, the traditional entry gate to a Shinto shrine. It was blue and white in color, and had a carving of a fearsome demon with an angry face on it. It stood there, not doing much.
"What is that thing?" Sarah asked. "How is that a monster?"
"It's a Pendulum Monster," Cyrus said. "They haven't seen much play since around 2014, but they're pretty awesome. See, they can be Monsters or Spells depending on where ya put them."
"Pendulum Monsters," groaned Ariel, lifting Haru's cowboy hat to hide under it. "They think they're all that and a bag of chips just because they get to be Monsters and Spells at the same time. Bunch of jerks."
"I could not agree more," huffed Harvest Angel of Wisdom.
"So what does the monster do?" Sarah asked.
"In the Pendulum Zone, if I have another Yosenju in my Pendulum Zone, I can turn his Pendulum Scale all the way up to Eleven for one turn!"
"But there isn't any." Sarah pointed out.
"Oh, is that so?" Cyrus leveled a smirk at Sarah that made her draw back in surprise. "I play Yosenju Shinchu R's other half, Yosenju Shinchu L!"
Soon, what looked like the other half of the torii gate, displaying a blue demon's face contorted in anguish, arose from the ground, connecting itself to the first half. (Pendulum Scale: 3/3)
"Not so fast! Activate Trap Card! Striker Rampage!" Sarah flipped a card over. "So, these guys count as Spells now, right?"
"Yeah…"
"Then by tributing Futabus, I can destroy them with Striker Rampage!" The elder Dino-Striker exploded into pixels. "Euceph! Rampage and destroy the Yosenju Shinchu!"
Euceph hollered and rushed for both of the Shinchu, swinging his club and shield around wildly. With two strong and forceful swings, the two Pendulum Monsters were smashed into pieces, Euceph then smashed the pieces into small pieces and just kept smashing the remains of the Shinchu monsters, until Sarah ended up having to call him off.
"These guys are kinda violent, aren't they?" Cyrus asked with some disdain.
"Nah, they just love excess. Continue your turn."
"Fine…" Cyrus sent the two cards two cards to the graveyard, and summoned a new monster. "I Normal Summon Kujakujaku."
The monster that was summoned was a large male peacock, its iridescent feathers splendid in the noonday sunlight. Weird, snakelike shadows were cast upon, or within, its elegant tail plumage. It stood silently in front of Cyrus, eyes dark. (ATK 1200)
"That's a pretty bird," Sarah complimented.
"A pretty bird with a powerful effect." Cyrus took Kujakujaku's card off the field and placed it in his Graveyard. "By Tributing him, I can add Level Four or lower Wind Monster to my hand from my deck."
"That all?" Sarah asked.
"Eh, no. I set two cards, and end my turn."
"Then I'm up!" Sarah drew a card and activated a facedown card. "I play my other facedown, Pot of Greed." Sarah drew two more. "And now with Double Summon, I call upon two more Dino-Strikers, the Level Two Iguan and the level four Maiura."
Two more spirits appeared, an Iguanodon and a Maiasaura. They coalesced into a large woman in cloth, looking rather pregnant (ATK 1800) and a nervous-looking young boy hiding behind her (ATK 1000)
"Thanks to Maiura's power, I can special summon another Dino-Striker from my deck with me taking damage equal to the monster's level times 300. I summon the level 5 Carnotus, and the Level four Tritops!"
Two more dinosaur spirits emerged, and transformed into a lean man with sharp tooth decorations on his leather armor and a stocky man holding a shield even larger than Euceph's and carrying a trident. (ATK 1400, 1200)
"...Level Five… Level Four… Nine times three hundred… You're paying twenty-seven hundred life points?!" Cyrus gaped as Sarah felt the damage from Maiura's effect.
(Sarah: 8000 - 5300)
"I have my reasons. Now for their effects: since Carnotus was special summoned via a Dino-Striker's effect, I get one more draw." Sarah drew. "Next, Tritops gains 100 Attack Points for each Dino-Striker on the field."
Tritops smiled a smile of sharp teeth and twirled his trident. (ATK 1200 - 1700)
"Now for our youngest member, Iguan. This young Tuner's Level instantly becomes equal to the level of the Dino-Striker on the field with the highest Level."
Iguan, hiding behind Maiura still, smirked and blew a raspberry at Cyrus as his Level increased to 5.
"Wait... A level five Tuner, and a level five non-Tuner... oh no..."
"That's right! I tune Iguan with Carnotus!"
Carnotus offered Iguan a brotherly fistbump. Iguan took it, grinning, and both of them were consumed by white light.
The lights merged together into a bigger light, and the growl of a wild creature echoed low around the field. Under Haru's hat, Ariel shivered, and so did the Water Duelist himself.
"Synchro Summon! Come out and play! Ancient-Striker Similon!"
(5+5=10)
Something leapt from the light- a huge warrior wearing the skin of a saber-toothed cat, bright fire swirling around his muscular arms. Behind his long, wild beard, he had a snaggle toothed grin, and he had war claws on both hands. (ATK 3600)
"Next, the card I drew thanks to Carnotus will now revive him! Monster Reborn!"
Carnotus came back proudly. (ATK 1400)
Leon's eyes widened, and he began making quick calculations of the ATK of Sarah's monsters in his head to try and figure out how much damage Cyrus was about to take. "Whoa... Similon has 3600, Carnotus has 1400, that's 5000 already…. Plus, Tritops's 1700, Maiura's 1800, and Euceph's 1300, that's... ninety eight hundred…"
Haru and Haruka paled. "Cyrus is toast," Haru said.
"Strikers! Attack Directly! Ancient Stampede!"
The five warriors charged right at Cyrus…
"Go, Hyper Refresh!"
"Hyper Refresh?" Sarah wondered. The five monsters slammed into Cyrus, but he just grinned.
(Cyrus: 8000 - 6200)
"But... how can you have life points?!" Sarah gaped at Cyrus's Life Point display. "You cheated! You had to!"
"Nope, Hyper Refresh works whenever the combined Attack Points of all your monsters is HIGHER than my Life Points. As a result, this card doubled my Life Points before your posse attacked, so my Life Points never came CLOSE to hitting zero."
"B-but.. How? Why? That's just cheating!" Sarah growled, and Haru and Leon shuddered as they felt some sort of malevolent presence in the area.
"Light Dragon... how dangerous can Partners be when angered?" Leon asked his Partner.
"Extremely dangerous. Especially when it comes to savages like the Dino-Strikers."
But Sarah looked at her hand. There were no Spells or Traps to play, and no more moves this turn. "I end."
"My turn!"
Suddenly, the speakers set around the duel location began playing music.
(insert song: Answers)
"What the?" Haru and Leon looked around.
"I draw!" Cyrus drew. "Now… I play my second face down! Dragon's Moon!"
Hearing that name, Haru and Leon went pale.
"He's using a Strife Dragon card!?" hissed Light Dragon.
"Unbelievable!" Water Dragon growled.
The facedown flipped up, as a large, deep red moon began to materialize overhead. All of the Dino-Strikers on the field looked up at the moon, and dropped their weapons, eyes widening in fear. Even Cyrus was unnerved by the moon's appearance.
"Okay…" Cyrus gulped. "Let's see… I take two Dragons with 2500 Attack or more from my deck, and banish them." The Boy took out Armed Dragon LV 10 and LV 7. "Now, every card on the field is banished, no questions asked, and the owners take five hundred damage for each banished card they controlled!"
"W-What kind of power is this!?" Haru gasped.
Then, everyone watched as the moon began break and crack, with red light shining out the cracks, as they grew larger. Pieces of the moon began to crack off, raining down upon the field in small pieces… pieces that began to increase in size.
As the pieces crashed down, people retreated into their hiding places, and even the robots looked in fear. They did not know whether to stay or run.
"The Moon Dragon is coming!" The Light Dragon shouted, tail between his legs.
Water Dragon dove under Haru's hat, where he and Ariel cowered, both shivering.
"I don't wanna die!" Ariel wailed.
"Is the Moon Dragon THAT dangerous?!" Leon asked.
"It has enough power to completely destroy your entire world!"
All Haru and Leon could do was watch, as the moon shattered. The pieces, all alight with dark fire, were crashing all over Jurassic Valley. Some even hit dinosaur robots, utterly destroying them. Giant holographic holes were left in the ground where some impacted…
...and when they were gone, a huge dragon arose on the Dueling field. Twice the size of Light Dragon, towering over the heads of everyone in the park area, it was covered in slimy, sickly white scales and had pale green eyes. Its ugly mouth was filled with teeth like needles, and its whole body was covered in thin, sharp spikes. It threw its head back, and made a hideous screech that pierced everyone's ears like a knife.
"Strife Dragon of the Moon! Send every card on the field into the Void!" Cyrus commanded.
The dragon breathed in, and expelled from its mouth a huge burst of white fire that spread across the whole field, consuming all of the Dino-Strikers. The clan of primitive warriors began to scream as they were devoured whole by the flame, their armor and weapons melting, their hair and skin burning to a crisp, even their bones being roasted black. Not a single one was spared, not even Maiura. Their howls of pain and fear echoed across the park as their bodies were burned in the hungry blaze.
When the dragon stopped breathing fire, all that was left of the Dino-Strikers was a pile of white ash that the wind lifted up and blew away, and a deep, empty silence.
The Moon Dragon then faded away, as the Duel continued.
(Sarah: 5300 - 2800)
"Now for the fun part!"
(insert song: Light the Fire Up in the Night -Dual Mix-)
"I play Card of Demise! Anyone knows how this card works." Cyrus smiled and drew five cards. "Now, get ready for some pain, because I just drew TWO more Yosenju Shinchu, both L and R!"
Both halves of the torii gate arose once more. (Pendulum Scale: 3/5)
"And now… Let's go! Pendulum Summon!"
"Uh… What's a Pendulum Summon?" Haru asked.
"It's this dumb thing Pendulum Monsters can do," Ariel answered, her voice still a bit shaky from the Dragon's Moon card. "When you have two of them in your Pendulum Zones, you can summon Monsters from your hand that fall between the levels of their Pendulum Scales. Since Cyrus has one with Pendulum Scale Three in his left zone and one with Pendulum Scale Five in his right, he can only summon Level Four monsters. You can also summon Pendulum Monsters that have been destroyed and sent to your Extra Deck, but people don't really do that all that often."
"It can be helpful for setting up for something big," Water Dragon said. "I think I know what Cyrus is planning…"
"Alright, let's go! Pendulum Summon! Mist Valley Soldier and Cyber Falcon!"
Soon, two monsters appeared- a robotic avian (ATK 1400), and a rugged, ponytailed man in blue, with huge, pale blue wings, holding two small swords. (ATK 1700)
"Time to tune! My two monsters are gonna Tune together for a Synchro Summon!"
The dark-haired man, Mist Valley Soldier, clashed his swords together and raised them to the sky, a series of bright green and white rings forming around his body. Cyber Falcon burst into four brightly-glowing motes of light, which began to orbit around Mist Valley Soldier at high speeds. As the rings and stars aligned, a large green seal formed, a twister erupting from the center and surrounding the alignment.
"Synchro Summon! Spread your wings, Wind Dragon of the Eons!"
The rings began to change form, transforming into a bright green beam of light passing up into the heavens. As the light faded, a shadow within the beam grew clearer, eventually revealing itself to be another dragon, standing on four strong legs and coated in an armor of silvery scales. The dragon spread its wings behind it, the thin membrane that allowed it to fly shining vibrant emerald. It seemed much more benevolent than the Dragon's Moon, and it roared in pride as it surveyed what was to be its newest conquest. (ATK 2800)
"BROTHER!" Water Dragon and Light Dragon called.
Wind Dragon turned, and saw the two Dragons, who had come out of hiding once the Dragon's Moon had disappeared. A wide smile grew on his face. "My brothers!" he shouted happily. "It is good to see you once more!"
Then, a bemused look grew on his face as he inspected Water Dragon. "My, Water Dragon, you've gotten puny, haven't you? Why are you so scrawny now, brother?"
"...blame the design of my card." Leon chuckled slightly as he saw Water Dragon blush deep red.
"Now to end this. Wind Dragon! Attack directly! Storm of the Ages!" Cyrus commanded, throwing a hand forward. The dragon then took a deep breath, creating a vortex of wind as he gathered all the air he could in his mouth..
...And let it loose. A burst of wind blasted across the Jurassic Valley, blowing away everyone's hats and knocking Sarah back three feet. (Sarah: 2800 - 0)
"That dragon has lungs..." Erika said, impressed by the hologram.
Haru nodded mutely, unable to believe his eyes. "That was amazing…"
- DUEL OVER-
The holofield, and the holograms that came with it, vanished, restoring Jurassic Valley to normal and allowing everyone to come out of hiding. The dinosaur robots had mostly wandered off, not wanting anything to do with the humans for the time being, and Sarah sighed and got down on one knee.
"Y'all are purty good," she grumbled. "You win. I ain't gonna bother with the likes of this town no more. Cowpoke's honor."
"A gal of her word eh?" Cyrus folded his arms and smiled. "Sounds like a plan, missy. Shake on it."
"Deal," Sarah said, offering Cyrus a hand. The Wind Duelist nodded and shook it. He then helped Sarah up.
"Six Shootin' Cyrus is the name," the cowboy-dressed kid said casually. "Today happens to be my eleventh birthday. Your name, missy?"
"Sarah. No cool western name." Sarah blushed. "Ah… happy birthday. You're really good, for a kid."
"Wanna hang out with us?" asked Cyrus.
"Sure thing!"
"Is it over?" Someone poked his head out of a barrel, holding tight to his hat. He brightened when he saw that the holofield was gone. "Phew! That barrel was getting cramped." He popped out of the barrel, revealing himself to be Justin, and grinned as he caught Sarah's attention. "You lost, eh? Well, a bet's a bet."
"Oh, hey there Justin," Sarah said. She sighed. "And now, I owe you lunch. What a bummer…"
"You Sarah's pal?" Cyrus asked.
Justin nodded. "Yup. Justin Harvey at your service, and Sarah here owes me lunch."
"You can hang out with us too! I'm Cyrus!" Cyrus grinned and stuck out a hand. "Let's be friends!"
Erika, watching from a bench, chuckled. "That boy certainly does get along with everyone."
Meanwhile, Leon was looking intensely uncomfortable. Haru thought this was a bit strange- normally, Leon would be ecstatic that his friend had won. Now, he was fidgeting with his hands and looking down towards his feet. Then, all of a sudden, his head snapped up and he looked in Cyrus's direction, and he began walking towards the victorious Duelist.
"Cyrus... Can I ask a favor?" he asked as he approached, rubbing the back of his head..
"What's up, Leon?" Cyrus asked.
"Can you take Dragon's Moon out of your deck?" Leon asked. "That card is just scary… and you know I'm not easy to scare."
Cyrus looked puzzled for a minute, before frowning. "Why should I?" he asked edgily. "It's my deck, so I can do what I want."
"I'm not the only one intimidated by that card.. You scared all the dinosaurs away, and you nearly made Haru pee himself."
Haru flushed red at that comment.
"And I've seen several people look at you like they're afraid you'll bring it out again."
"Nuh-uh," Cyrus said, shaking his head. "My deck, my cards, my business. Just because it's scary doesn't mean I can't use it."
Leon sighed. "Just be careful, okay? That card's a monster."
"Anyway, don't we have a birthday to enjoy?" Sarah reminded.
That caused everyone to brighten almost instantly. "Oh yeah!" Cyrus beamed. "I forgot all about that! Haru! Haruka! Get over here! We have a birthday to celebrate!"
Haru jolted slightly, but obeyed, Haruka trotting behind. As they walked, meeting back up with Cyrus's mother and heading back to the changing rooms to get their normal clothing, Haru noticed something on Cyrus's shoulders. Three dragons.
Duel Spirits. Three Dragon Duel Spirits, to be precise: Baby Dragon, Petit Dragon, and Wind Dragon of the Eons. They were speaking in hushed tones, apparently concerned about Cyrus.
"Are you sure Moon Dragon's not a threat?" Petit Dragon asked.
"Absolutely." Wind Dragon of the Eons nodded solemnly. "I faced the beast in battle ages ago, and destroyed it. The card in Cyrus's deck is nothing more than a crude, if nightmarish, copy."
"Good. The last thing we need is Cy-Cy getting hurt," Baby Dragon said. "Even if he can't see us, we have to protect him. That's what friends do!"
Haru cringed.
Later, it was close to dinner time, and the group was together at the best restaurant in Kaibaland, a classic American-style diner.
Cyrus marveled at the prize he'd won from the Duel Game- a state of the art, fresh from product line Duel Disk, with a dinosaur theme (naturally). Rather than eating his chicken salad, he was holding the Disk to the light, grinning silently.
Chase was marvelling it too; rather, he was practically drooling all over it. "It's so beautiful," he breathed, staring with glee at it like it was Christmas and he had opened his first present.
"Um... You're not a Dinosaur Duelist, though. You're a Wind Duelist," Haru pointed out as he nursed his hamburger.
"It's still super cool," rejoined Cyrus.
"I'll say," added Erika. She took a sip of her lentil soup and chuckled. "That Wind Dragon thing was really something, Cy."
"Yeah! Was that one of those super duper rare Balance Dragons?" asked Justin, who along with Sarah had joined them for dinner..
Cyrus nodded. "Leon and Haru have some too."
"No way! How!? You gotta tell me!" Justin rounded on Haru and Leon, unbelieving.
Leon pulled out Light Dragon. "Luck," he said with a shrug, showing off the card. "Haru actually has more of the Dragon cards than either me or Cyrus."
"You gotta be kidding! Show me, show me!" demanded Justin.
Haru bit his lip. "I, um, uh…" he stuttered. With shaking hands, he pulled out his three Dragon cards: Shining Dragon's Ascension, Dragon's Blade, and Water Dragon. "T-these, right?"
There was silence, as Justin stared at Haru's trio of cards, slack-jawed. You could've heard a pin drop, it was that quiet.
Then…
"WHOAAAAA!" Justin shouted at the top of his lungs, very nearly blowing Haru away. "THAT'S SO AWESOME!"
"In any case, We only have three of each group," Cyrus said.
"For the Balance Dragons, we only have Light Dragon of the Magic Seal, Water Dragon of the Endless Mirror, and Wind Dragon of the Eons."
"For the Strife Dragons, we have..." Leon quickly consulted Haru's cards, and shuddered when he recalled Dragon's Moon. "We have Dragon's Moon from Cyrus, and Haru's Shining Dragon's Ascension and Dragon's Blade."
"The Moon Dragon? The Blade Dragon? The Ascending Dragon?"
"And the Prison Dragon." Chase pulled out his Dragon's Prison Seal.
"Oh yeah… forgot about that one…" Haru actually snickered slightly, remembering how badly it had failed against his Xyz Monster in his Duel with Chase.
"So... You need five more cards! That's pretty cool." Justin beamed.
Sarah, miffed about having to pay for Justin's meal, wasn't as impressed. "And what, may I ask," she said in a rather sour tone as she stabbed a fork into her tri-tip steak, "is so amazing about those things?"
"They're designed to create a deck that, with the right cards added, is basically invincible," said Chase. "Or at least that's what my friend Joshua tells me."
"Plus, look at the designs." Leon showed Sarah the seven cards. She regarded them impassively, picking at her teeth with a wooden toothpick.
"I don't see the appeal," she said flatly.
Leon frowned. "But how can't you?!" he demanded. "They're way too cool! You gotta love 'em!"
"Sorry kid, but I'm not interested."
"Grrrr!" Leon fumed and returned to his chicken, throwing the cards into the center of the table haphazardly.
"Well. Hello again, friends," a voice said.
Haru turned around, and his eyes widened when he saw a very familiar figure with messy brown hair leaning over the side of the booth he was sitting in. It was Joshua, who he hadn't seen once since the day of the Festival. "It's- it's you again!" Haru exclaimed.
"Hmm... Is this a group of friends or a family?" Joshua asked, playfully tilting his head to one side and letting his bangs hang in his face. "With how you all carry on, one could make the argument you were siblings in one big family."
Sarah rolled her eyes. "As if. I have no relation to any of these guys except Justin."
"You know the old saying- Family is formed by blood or by bond. The light of friendship can become a bond of brotherhood, and with a bond like that, no darkness can tear them apart." Joshua tilted his head to the other side, and let out a soft, rapid giggle. "Tell me, have any of you formed such a bond?"
Haru, still staring at Joshua, thought about these words for a moment. A bond of family, formed from… friendship? No, it sounded too good to be true. Haru shook his head and scooted a bit closer to Haruka, focusing once more on his hamburger and the fries that had come with it. However, as he chewed, he couldn't help wondering...
Noticing this, Joshua's smile turned into a small frown. "Hmm.. You're not really bonded in that way. Shame. They say bonds can bring out new things. Be it personality, common interests... or hidden abilities..."
Leon perked up at the mention of that. Hidden abilities? Almost immediately, his mind flashed back to the Xyz Summon Haru had performed in his Duel with Chase.
"As I was saying, I overlay Gishki Emilia and Water Dragon of the Endless Mirror!"
The Water Dragon looked to Emilia, who nodded. She gave him a wink and a thumbs up, before her body dissolved into a blue light that orbited around the Dragon.
"Let's go!" Haru shouted. He took a card out of his deck box, where he kept his Extra Deck, and slammed it onto his Duel Disk with Emilia and Water Dragon stacked under. "I Xyz Summon… ABYSS DWELLER!"
But to Haru's, Chase's, and the audience's shock, it WASN'T a normal Xyz. The blue light surrounded the Water Dragon, forming a sphere around it as a HUGE magic seal appeared beneath it.
"What the?" one kid asked, hiding behind his parents.
"Didn't he say Xyz?" another person asked.
"I'm definitely blogging about this," a girl muttered, snapping a photograph on her phone.
The blue sphere began to revolve, and in Haru's mind, Ariel started to cheer.
"Woohoo!" she whooped. "You've got him now, big boy!"
"Thanks… I guess? But what's going on!?"
"THIS is why Joshua said to use him, hahaha!" Ariel laughed. "He's not just a regular old monster- he has a hidden feature! You might wanna grab some popcorn, cuz here he comes!"
The magic seal flared with blue light, and the sphere grew to gigantic size. The light dissipated…
...and the Water Dragon had transformed. Now, it was easily three times Haru's size, and its scales were midnight blue. Two crystalline horns glowed periwinkle blue on its head, and its body was etched in runes glowing the same color. A long mane of white hair ran down its back, and its eyes shone yellow. Hanging around its neck was a large mirror, the same as the one on Water Dragon's card, but larger and fixed up. It was as if the Water Dragon had somehow fused with the Abyss Dweller Haru had intended to Summon. (ATK 1700 - 2200)
"This Joshua seems to be trying to tell us something," murmured Light Dragon.
"You don't say?" Leon thought. "Thank you, Captain Obvious."
"Still, it would be wise to pay heed to his advice," Light Dragon recommended.
Leon took a cursory glance at Haru, who had retrieved his cards and was tearing into his burger and fries with an unusual fervor and deliberately avoiding the eyes of the others. "Easier said than done," he muttered.
Soon, the group was heading out to go home.
Haru yawned a great big yawn as they exited the park under the lavender sky of twilight, heading back to the garage. "I'm really tired… we did so much today."
"Did you honestly have fun?" Water Dragon asked.
"Well… a bit," Haru admitted.
Erika looked at Haru strangely. "Who are you talking to, Haru?" she asked.
Haru jolted. "Oh... um... I was, uh…" he stammered.
"Haru has imaginary friends." It was Haruka to the rescue, coming in smoothly with a well-oiled excuse to circumvent the truth about Duel Spirits.
"...If… you say so." Erika turned away from Haru, looking uncomfortable.
"It's only because he doesn't have too many friends," Haruka mentioned.
"I'm right here, you know…" mumbled Haru.
Haruka just patted Haru's shoulder. "It's okay, bro. Maybe that'll change with Leon and the rest."
Haru doubted that very much.
Upon their arrival back at the house, someone they knew was waiting there, sitting on the porch. It was a boy about Cyrus's height, with blonde hair of a similar shade to Cyrus's own, though this boy's had pink highlights in it. He was wearing a blue coat with a gold collar, a white shirt, and dark grey slacks, and was holding a gift-wrapped box in his hands.
"Evening," he greeted casually as Cyrus and company approached the front door. This was Nicky Anderson, easily the most enigmatic of the people in Leon's circle of friends.
"Hi Nicky." Cyrus smiled, before noticing the box in his friend's hand. "Oh? Whatcha got there?"
"It's for you." Nicky held the gift out to Cyrus. "You can open it now if you want."
Almost immediately, Cyrus tore into the wrapping paper, revealing a small booster box of Duel Monsters cards, all from the same pack.
"Dragon's Path?" Cyrus asked, looking at the pack title.
"It's a special booster pack that they just released. Go on, open it. You'll like the last one," said Nicky.
Cyrus curiously opened it up. "Huangdi the Supreme Yellow Dragon, Sun Dragon Inti, Stardust Dragon, Ancient Fairy Dragon, Shooting Star Dragon, Blue-Eyes, and... what the..." The little blond boy pulled the last card out of the pack, eyes wide. "Is this…"
Nicky nodded seriously. "It's the new guy."
"Whoa… Purge Dragon..." The card was, for lack of a better term, terrifying. As soon as he took one look at the card art, Cyrus shuddered and pocketed it, not wanting to look at it.
"This seems on par with Dragon's Moon in the creepy factor," Cyrus said.
"Heh, Cyrus keeps getting the creepy cards," chuckled Chase.
"Watch it." Cyrus elbowed Chase slightly. Then, he looked at Nicky. "Hey, Nicky, can I ask you a favor?"
"What kind?" Nicky replied.
"It's... an important one. But can I tell you another time?"
"Alright. Let's go inside, I don't like the dark," Nicky said. Cyrus arched an eyebrow at the request, but nodded. Haruka, still carrying Haru, left for their house, waving goodbye, and Cyrus brought everyone else inside.
Soon the group was gathered in the living room. Cyrus was eager to open his gifts.
Cyrus looked at the gifts. "How about... Yukio's first?"
Yukio perked up. "Mine?" he asked tentatively. "You sure?"
"Sure, I figured you deserved to be first." Cyrus picked up the package that Yukio had gift-wrapped, and tore open the paper to find a little wooden box. "Oh?" Opening it, his eyes widened as he saw what was within: a little wooden sculpture, carved to resemble a coiled-up Eastern dragon, fast asleep. "Wow! This is beautiful! Where'd you get it?"
"I made it myself," Yukio said, blushing. "I've gotten good at wood carving, and Leon told me you like dragons."
"Thanks so much, Yukio! It's really awesome." Cyrus held the little carving close for a moment, before placing it reverently back inside its box.
"You learned to wood carve, Yukio?" Leon asked.
Yukio nodded. "Kept my mind off you-know-what," he said.
"Got it."
"On that note, Leon's can be next!" Cyrus immediately grabbed Leon's gift, wrapped in a nauseatingly bright blue paper, and opened it up. It was a really cool dragon-themed deck box, with a clip to go on any belt.
"Whoa! This is awesome! Where'd this come from?" Cyrus asked.
"It was custom ordered just for you." Leon smiled.
"Wow, thank you Leon." Cyrus said. Leon simply basked in Cyrus's gratitude, smiling.
After Leon's present came Haru's. Cyrus turned to the bag Haru had brought, and Haru began to sweat. What if Cyrus didn't like what he had been given? What if he thought it was bad or stupid or ugly? What if…
Haru felt Haruka's hand on his shoulder, and the teen leaned down to whisper in Haru's ear. "It's fine. You worked hard on it. I'm sure he'll like it."
Cyrus opened the gift, tearing the red paper packed inside the bag to hide its contents. Slowly, he drew forth several card packs, from the newest Duel Monsters release, followed by a card tin with the infamous Felgrand Dragon on the cover.
"Cool! This is great, Haru!" Cyrus cheered. "I'll open them when I get home, okay? I don't want the cards to spill out all over, or get lost or ruined."
"That's alright with me," said Haru, whose palms were practically drenched in cold sweat by now. "But there's one more thing in your bag…"
"Really?" Cyrus looked in the bag curiously, and plunged his hand in once more. He fished around for a few seconds, before- "...huh? What's this..?"
The thing he had grabbed was a canvas stretched over a wooden frame, and as Cyrus pulled it out, his eyes widened at the sight of the painting that Haru had made.
It was a picture of the five friends in Leon's particular circle- Leon, Cyrus, Nicky, Lily, and Zeo- all together in a nice meadow setting, enjoying a wonderful evening as the sky faded from pink to a rich midnight blue. Everyone who looked at it marveled. Even Ariel's own jaw dropped.
"This is beautiful!" said Cyrus. "But... where are you in this?"
"Well... against the tree," Haru said.
"There is no tree."
"Here." Haru pointed to the left edge of the painting, right at the corner. There was a small, dark tree there, with Haru leaning against it, watching the others with an unreadable expression.
"This feels a bit symbolic..." Baby Dragon said as he looked at the painting over Cyrus's shoulder, unseen and unheard by his Partnered human.
"What do you mean, BD?" Petit Dragon asked.
"I dunno… it just sorta feels like a reflection of what's in Haru's heart. He wants to be part of the group... but something keeps him at a distance."
Haru noticed the two of them discussing him, and glowered. "If those two spill anything to Cyrus," he thought savagely, "I'll be having dragon meat for dinner."
Not wanting to bother with them any longer, he directed his attention away from the little creeps and towards Cyrus. "So, Cyrus… you really like it?" he asked.
"Yeah! It's beautiful. You're a great painter!" complimented Cyrus.
Haru blushed. "Shucks… I try. I'm really glad you like it."
"The penultimate is mine," Haruka said, presenting another box wrapped in black with a white ribbon. "It's kinda fancy, so I wrapped it in black."
"I see!" Cyrus said, as he gently took the ribbon off, so not to ruin it, and then opened the gift. Inside was a fancy watch, a soaring dragon engraved around the silver steel edge.
"Whoa... incredible," breathed Cyrus. "It's amazing, Haruka… thank you!"
"No problem, Cy." Haruka ruffled Cyrus's hair gently.
Erika nodded. "Okay, sweetie," she said to Cyrus. 'Mine is th-"
"Hold on, hold on!" interrupted Chase. "What about mine!?"
Erika looked at the pile of presents, and saw that it had been reduced to not one, but two, and promptly felt very embarrassed that she'd forgotten about Chase.
"Oh… oh dear, I'm sorry about that."
"It's cool," Chase smiled, handing Cyrus his gift. Cyrus opened it, and saw that it was the two spinoff games Chase had bought at Gamestop.
"Whoa!" Cyrus's eyes glimmered. "These are the League of Legends spinoffs! This is so cool!"
"You told me you were a League fan, so I got you a couple of the spinoffs." Chase shrugged. "I'm happy you like it!"
"As I was saying, my gift is the final one." Erika gave her gift to her son. It was wrapped in white paper, with a fancy ribbon on top, so Cyrus was very careful to make sure it stayed safe.
Opening the gift, Cyrus was so amazed by what he found, he was in tears. It was another plushie, but of something special to Cyrus: a red dragon his father created based off him. His father, Edrick Strong, was a cartoonist who had created a number of shows that everyone loved in their time. He had passed on last year, but Cyrus still remembered his father dearly. The boy began to cry as he hugged the toy to his chest. "M-mom… how did you find this…?"
"It turns out, your dad had it made last year, planning to give it to you for your 9th birthday. I found it in a hidden place in his closet, and realized he'd want you to have it. Consider it mine and your father's gift," Erika said softly.
Cyrus burst into even louder wailing as this happened. He hugged his mother "Thank you momma! Thank you! I promise to take good care of Cy, for you and for dad!"
"Cy?" Ariel asked, totally clueless.
"It's probably the name of the plushie," Haru murmured.
"It's more than a plushie," Leon said, overhearing. "I remember Cyrus telling me about his dad making a series called Dragon Adventure, and he was planning to put Cyrus in as a guest voice, playing a red dragon named Cy... but then... that happened."
"That" was the illness which had claimed Cyrus's father. It wasn't a common topic around Cyrus, for obvious reasons.
"Well, how do you feel about your tenth birthday?" Erika asked.
Cyrus sniffled and wiped his tears on his sleeve. "Best birthday ever," he said softly.
"Glad you're happy." Erika smiled.
Elsewhere, a girl groaned as she crumpled up a piece of paper. "No, no, no, no, no!" she scowled. "Everything I try ends up being a bust…"
"What's the matter, sweetie?" an eerie, feminine voice asked.
Thinking it was her mother, the girl sighed. "I keep coming up with designs that end up looking terrible. How am I ever going to win the card designing contest in two weeks?" she lamented.
"Do you have your effects, stats, and other info figured out?"
"Well... yeah... just need the Monster and name."
"That's not hard… just let me take over."
The girl sighed again, and rested her head on the desk. Her eyes closed, and it seemed like she was asleep for a second…until her eyes snapped right back open, the irises now bright red.
"I'll make your design," she sneered, "and in return, I'll borrow your body to hunt down that brat and finish him off once and for all."
