Disclaimer: I don't own YGO GX, Striving For Greatness, or the characters except for Tyler Calvin and her deck.
If Only You Knew
Chapter 4
"Students of Duel Academy! Today we will witness a duel between Cameron Alan Nelson and Tyler Anne Calvin!" Sheppard announced over the PA system. "Please report to Obelisk Stadium immediately."
Tyler and Cameron stood in silence while waiting for the stadium to fill up. Each wore their DA duel disks and stared at their shoes. Neither could think of a word to say until it was almost time for the match.
"Well... I guess this is it, Cam." Tyler said, she looked up with her icy green eyes wide.
His dark brown eyes stared into hers, "Yeah, I guess it is." Cameron sighed, "Look, whoever wins doesn't matter. We'll still be friends. No matter what, Ty." A grin formed, "Any chance I can get you to blow me a kiss for good luck?"
A/N: Refer to Chapter 5 of Striving For Greatness.
"If you did so well last time because of me blowing you a kiss, what would happen if I tried something else?" Tyler whispered, a playful smile on her lips.
As fast as she could, Tyler pecked Cameron on the cheek, before walking into the stadium.
Oh boy... Now I'm gonna be thinking about this the entire duel... Did she do that on purpose? Cameron thought as he walked onto the platform. Tyler was already standing at the other end, her duel disk activated, and she was shuffling her deck. He mentally slapped himself, Get your head in the game, Cameron. You have to duel and win. That simple.
"DUEL!" Both cried.
Cameron: 4000
Tyler: 4000
"Ladies first!" Cameron winked, flashing Tyler a grin that caused her to blush.
Tyler drew, rearranging her hand, "I'm gonna start things off by placing one card facedown and summoning Carbuncle (Lv3 Atk/0500 Def/1300) in defense mode!" A small green rabbit-like creature appeared from a hole in the ground. The ruby encrusted in its forehead glowing brightly. Many of the girls sighed at its cuteness. "That'll do for now."
Cameron drew, smiling at Carbuncle. "I just need to play this one card facedown and I end!"
"Forget about my facedown?" Tyler laughed, drawing. "First I summon Siren (Lv4 Atk/1500 Def/1000) to the field! Which increases my Life Points by 500 due to Carbuncles special ability!" A blonde fairy winged woman appeared on the field in attack mode. "But she won't be staying here for long!" Tyler then activated her facedown. "Silence Melody!"
Cameron: 4000
Tyler: 4500
"C'mon. What's it do?" Cameron sighed, knowing he'd probably end up regretting asking.
"Simple. By sacrificing my Siren, it sends all the magic and trap cards on your side of the field and your hand to the graveyard." Cameron let out a cry of alarm as his facedown shattered. He reluctantly put his Monster Reborn in the graveyard as well, grimacing. "I'm not done! Now that your defenses have been shattered, I switch Carbuncle into attack mode and hit you directly!"
Cameron: 3500
Tyler: 4500
"My go!" Cameron drew and smirked. "I place one card facedown and summon Marshmallon (Lv3 Atk/1000 Def/1000) in defense mode! That should do it!"
Tyler twitched as she drew, "You forget about Carbuncle's effect? I get a 500 point boost!"
Cameron: 3500
Tyler: 5000
"Oh, I didn't forget." He smirked, crossing his arms. "Proceed."
"Oh! I sacrifice my Carbuncle in order to play Cerberus (Lv5 Atk/1800 Def/1600)!" She cried, Carbuncle flipped back into his card, which was glowing, and a large three headed black and red dog creature appeared from it in his place. It snapped its jaws and growled. "Attack that Marshmallon! Counter Rockets!"
Cameron gasped as smoke surrounded him and his monster. It cleared and he looked at his life point counter surprised.
Cameron: 2700
Tyler: 5000
"Hey! What's the deal?!" He cried.
"Special ability. The difference between Cerberus' attack and your blob's defense is dealt to you as damage." Tyler smirked, she flipped her raven hair over her shoulder. "I'm gonna place down this facedown and end my turn.
Things aren't lookin' too good. He grimaced, scanning over his hand. He smiled when he saw he had accidentally hidden the card he needed from view. Say hello to my little friend, Tyler. Hehe.
"Duels over." Cameron smirked, "I'm gonna play Dark Snake Syndrome!" Two snake-shadows formed around the two duelists.
"Again with the freaky voodoo magic!" Tyler cried in annoyance. "Okay, just go on with your explaination."
"Okay. On each of our standby phases, we take 200 points of damage to start, and then it multiplies each round. So... one of us is finishing pretty soon. And... on top of all this... I think I'll activate my facedown." Cameron activated a button on his duel disk, revealing the face down card. "Pyramid of Light!"
A fierce wind swept over the two adolescents, Tyler's hair flying around her. Beams of light shooting from the corners of the field, encasing them in a great pyramid. Tyler looked around bewildered. She couldn't see the seats or her friends anymore. Her breathing became shallower. Cameron noticed.
"Everything alright?" He asked.
She weakly nodded, "I'm fine."
"Okay..." Cameron said slowly, unconvinced. "Now I'm gonna sacrifice 1000 life points so I can summon these two. Sphinx Teleia (Lv10 Atk/2500 Def/3000) and Andro Sphinx (Lv10 Atk/3000 Def/2500)!" Tyler let out a small scream when shadows formed a brown lion-man with a dark blonde mane and a grey lioness with a woman's face and long fiery red-violet hair. "Teleia. Attack that overgrown mut!"
Cerberus was pounced on by Sphinx Teleia. She opened her mouth and practically devoured it. Tyler paled, looking ready to throw up.
Cameron: 1700
Tyler: 4300
"I-I activate Call of the Haunted!" She choked out. "To bring back Siren (Lv4 Atk/1500 Def/1000), unfortunately, in attack mode!" Siren rose back on the field.
"Sorry, Ty! Andro! Destory her!" Cameron shouted, pointing at Siren.
Cameron: 1700
Tyler: 2800
Tyler drew, shaking, "I'm activating Holy Resistance! I can summon up to three Guardian Forces, level four or lower, in defense mode as long as their attribute is light!" A large thunder bird appeared on the field. "The only one I got is Quezacotl (Lv4 Atk/1200 Def/1500) though. But then I'll play Monster Reborn and bring back Carbuncle (Lv3 Atk/0500 Def/1300). Which gains me an addition 1500 life points for all three other monsters on the field!"
Cameron: 1700
Tyler: 4300
"Next, I play Phoenix Pinion! This allows me to summon Phoenix (Lv7 Atk/2650 Def/1950) in defense mode for 1000 Life Points in exchange! But technically only have to give up 500, because of Carbuncle's ability!" A large flaming Phoenix appeared next to Carbuncle and Quezacotl.
Cameron: 1700
Tyler: 3800
"But since I haven't technically summoned this turn, I'm gonna sacrifice them in order to summon Bahamut (Lv8 Atk/4000 Def/3600)!" A massive dragon landed beside Tyler, throwing his head back, and roaring. Cameron stared at Bahamut with wide eyes. "And then I'm gonna play this card! Guardian Calling! I can now summon a Guardian Force onto the field from my hand! Rise up, Holy Protector, Alexander (Lv7 Atk/2800 Def/2600)! And thanks to his special ability I can select one card from your hand and remove it from play!" Cameron held his hand out for her to view. Disappoint filled her when she didn't find the card she wanted. "Bye-bye Marshmallon Glasses! Now I end."
"Finally. That was like the longest turn in history." Cameron exclaimed. Tyler gulped at the gleam in his eyes when he drew. "Hehe. I'm gonna play Needle Ceiling." Her eyes widened, "And I believe this was a gift from you. Now all your hard work has been wasted!" A dungeon ceiling formed above Sphinx Teleia, Andro Sphinx, Bahamut, and Alexander. Large spikes appeared from it before slamming down upon all of them, destroying them. "And when my sphinxes are destroyed at the same time, I can pay 500 life points to summon this guy! Theinen the Great Sphinx (Lv10 Atk/3500 Def/3000)!"
Cameron: 1200
Tyler: 3800
I know what's coming... Tyler realized. Unbeknowst to Cameron, she had learned all she could about his Sphinx cards. This was a great duel... And we dueled for what we believed in... Tears filled her eyes. She closed her eyes, a tear slipping down her face, and a smile formed on her lips. I'm proud to accept defeat...
"Now I pay 500 more points to increase his attack by 3000!" Cameron cried. (Lv10 Atk/6500 Def/3000) "Theinen! End this duel and attack Tyler directly!"
Cameron: 1200
Tyler: 0000
"The winner... Cameron Nelson!"
As the field cleared, Cameron unshielded his eyes. Tyler was standing there, on unsteady feet, and was staring at him. Despite the fact she was silently crying, a smile was on her face. Their gazes collided and Cameron felt his heart nearly stop in his chest.
She's... smiling... and crying... This brought tears to his own eyes. I can't believe we actually went through with it... Cameron was suddenly hoisted on Matt and Jason's shoulders. Kata and Alanna both standing next to Tyler, checking for damage. Tyler... Her name rang through his mind. Tyler.
"I can't believe you won!" Jason shouted while Alanna shouted at Tyler, "I can't believe you lost!"
"I can..." Tyler and Cameron both replied in unison.
"Tyler?" A new voice said.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to see Caliban. He took a step towards Tyler, who was looking slightly confused. In a split second, Caliban had pulled Tyler into an embrace that rattled every bone in Cameron's body. All of his friends advice fled his mind as Cameron scrambled free from Matt and Jason. He snatched Caliban's arm and pulled him away from Tyler. That's when Cameron realized Caliban was taller and stronger than him.
"C-Cam?" Tyler whispered, the rage she saw flashing in his eyes made her blood boil.
"Don't touch her." Cameron growled fiercely, stepping in front of Tyler, as if in protection. "Don't touch her again."
Caliban smirked, "Why is it you've gone as far as this, Nelson? You're not related, are you?" Caliban raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I see. You have a crush on Tyler and you're jealous."
"Cam? Is that true?" Tyler whispered in a shy voice.
Maybe it was the way Caliban was taunting him... Maybe it was the fact the entire school was watching him... But Cameron's reply was far from the truth.
"No!" Cameron cried. "I swear to you, Tyler! I don't have a crush on you!"
"Prove it." challenged Caliban.
Cameron looked back at Tyler, who had dropped her head so he couldn't see her face or eyes. He took a deep breath.
"I'll duel you to prove it." Cameron challenged back. "In front of everyone!"
Sheppard raised an eyebrow, "Very well! A separate duel for Cameron Nelson and Caliban Connor will take place tomorrow at three o'clock sharp!"
Everyone began to chatter all at once about what went down between Cameron, Tyler, and Caliban as they exited the stadium. Alanna, Kata, Matt, and Jason all stared at the three of them. Cameron and Caliban glaring daggers at one another. Tyler still remained motionless.
"You will regret ever challenging me, Nelson." Caliban said. "And regret ever hurting Tyler."
"You stay away from her! She doesn't want you near her!" Cameron said through clenched teeth. "I'm her best friend! I know everything about Ty! I know how she feels!"
Caliban and Cameron (who had to stand on tiptoe) were almost nose-to-nose. Both grabbed onto each others shirts and looked ready to throw down any minute.
"STOP IT!!" Tyler suddenly shouted, they looked at her.
Tyler had clenched her fists at her sides, and had hot tears rolling down her face. Anger... and was that hurt?... was in her eyes. She rushed forward and pried Caliban and Cameron apart.
"Why are you two fighting?!" She shouted, turning to Caliban, "And as far as I'm concerned, Caliban, you aren't my boyfriend or even my friend for that matter!! And you Cameron!!" Tyler whirled around, hurt in her icy green eyes, "No, you don't know how I feel!! Because if you did, you wouldn't be acting like this!! I see no point in you nearly hurting the guy!! Why are you doing this?!"
Cameron felt guilty as he stared into her eyes with his dark brown ones, "I just want to protect you, Tyler."
"Protect me? Why?" Tyler suddenly looked fierce. "Not because you love me, I hope. You made it way too clear you'll never think of me more than a friend."
"B-But, Tyler, I do care about you!" Cameron cried.
She let out a cruel laugh, "At this point, I bet you care about Alanna or Kata more than me! And that you don't care how you protect me, even if it means hurting me in the process." Her words sliced through him like a dagger, "The way you put it, Cameron, it's like you don't even care about what happens to me! I wouldn't be surprised that if I ever vanished that you wouldn't miss me!"
"Tyler..." He whispered.
Tyler brushed past him, hard. Cameron staggered before touching her shoulder. Tyler turned around and stared at him with such an intensity it made him feel as if she could see straight into his heart. "I'm nothing more than a pawn between you two... and you'll never know the truth..."
And with that, Tyler broke into a run, crying into her hands. Alanna and Kata both taking off after their friend. Cameron whirled around to stare at Caliban, Matt and Jason both grabbing him by his arms to hold him back.
"This is all your fault! You should've just left her alone, Connor!" Cameron roared.
Caliban smirked, "No. The only fault here goes to you, Nelson. You for not opening your eyes and seeing the truth. You for hurting such a beautiful girl by more than your actions."
"What kinda sadistic game are you playin' here, Connor?!" demanded Cameron. He was struggling like a madman to break free and maybe give Caliban a broken arm, two black eyes, a busted mouth, and a few broken ribs.
"Your words, Nelson. You swore you would never have those feelings for Tyler." Caliban reminded him, casually making his way to the steps to descend.
Cameron stomped his foot on Jason's, causing him to curse under his breath, and tighten his hold.
"I got a serious problem with you, Connor! You waltzed in here and automatically zerod in on Tyler!"
Caliban paused and turned around, his black eyes boring holes through Cameron. "No, Nelson. I'm not a problem. Here's a word to the wise: Talk to Tyler. From the Heart." A sneer appeared, "Because if you don't, I will. And then I really will be your problem."
Cameron blinked back his tears of rage, "Why?! Why now?!"
"Answer me, Nelson. Do you love her or not?"
A flash of vivid memories went across Cameron's mind. From the day they had met on the ferry to all the times they had ended up in weird awkward moments. Cameron was right. He didn't have a crush on Tyler...
He was madly in love with her.
"Yes..." Cameron stopped struggling and he hung his head. "I love her..."
"If only she knew." Caliban forced Cameron to look at him. "This is a battle out of our hands, Nelson. It's now Tyler's choice who she wants to be with. And if you have ruined any chance you may've had, you will not blame me for it." Caliban then left, leaving Cameron to ponder his thoughts.
To Be Continued...
A/N: (listening to "Carry On Wayward Son" by Kansas) Yeah, Ty's pretty emotional lately. But... I love to have two hott guys fighting over her. Because normally she's never noticed. LOL. If you guys thought I was a major Syrus Fanatic and JadenxAlexis Fanatic, you have NOT seen me when I'm writing CamxTy fluff. CAMERON AND TYLER 4-EVER!!!! Okay, I'm done... Please R&R! Point out any mistakes I had in the duel (if there are any) in your review! Onto the next chapter!
Syrus Fanatic 4-Ever
