Yu-Gi-Oh! XT
Chapter 4: Celebrations and Invitations.
After winning the graduation duel, Xander Solmon faces his greatest test yet: the graduation ball. Fortunately for him, an invitation is at hand that will change his life.
Xander rested against a pillar, watching the students dance on the floor below him. The balcony above the main hall of the academy, upon which he stood, was quieter than the ruccous dance floor below, empty save for a few couples enjoying the secluded dark of the alcoves at its back.
The evening had been a long one, filled with speeches from teachers wishing the students all the best in their futures; how they might one day emulate the greatest of the academy's graduates. Most of the party were final years like Xander, Tamas and Dyson, but other younger students, such as Ria, were present as guests. After the meal, the dancing had begun. Xander grimaced at the memory of it. Dancing was anathema to his quiet, reserved lifestyle - as were the constant well-wishers and hangers-on his new title seemed to entail.
After his enforced ceremonial dance - tradition, it seemed, denoted that the champion and their partner must open festivities - for which he had chosen a delighted Ria as partner, Xander had left the floor in search of peace and quiet. That had been two hours ago, his reflective mood only broken to pick up the occasional drink from the passing waiters who roamed the hall. His friends had stayed below with the main party, engaging in the jubilant atmosphere that seeped from the assembled students, yet that Xander did not feel. They were still there now: Ria dancing with her brother, Dyson with a second year whom Xander didn't recognise.
Sensing his glance, Tamas waved from below. He seemed to have recovered from the shock of his loss, his boyish exuberance once again surfacing as he became the heart of the party. Xander returned his wave with a nonchalant salute, worried that his victory might be harder to take for his friend than Tamas let on.
He was disturbed from his thoughts by a polite cough from behind. Xander turned, surprised, and came face to face with Willet Fontaine.
'Sorry to startle you my boy. I don't mean to drag you away from the celebrations, but I was hoping we could have that little chat now?' Fontaine adjusted his glasses in a self-conscious movement.
'Of course,' Xander replied, perhaps a little too quickly, keen to have a reason to slip away. Fontaine smiled briefly before turning and striding along the gallery towards the door at its end. Xander hurried to follow.
On the floor below, Tamas watched Xander leave. Curious, he grabbed Ria's hand and began to move through the revellers to the exit.
'Where are we going?' Ria asked, indignant.
'The principal's office, I think,' Tamas didn't look back as he ploughed through the revellers towards the door. Ria rolled her eyes and hurried after her brother, stumbling through the seething mass of brightly coloured students. Noticing their departure, Dyson detached himself from the attentions of his dance partner, hurrying after the siblings as they made for the wide door at the back of the room, below the balcony.
The principal's office was dark, the desk that dominated much of its space cluttered with papers and folders. The left hand wall was covered in pictures of some of the academy's most famous former students and professors: Principal Sheppard, Heston's predecessor, smiled coyly next to glossy images of Alexis Rhodes and her brother Atticus, Chazz Princeton and Syrus Truesdale. Two images in particular caught Xander's attention: one of a stern looking young man in a black overcoat and another of a friendly, wide eyed student in red: Zane Truesdale and Jaden Yuki. Of the two, it was the grim faced student that Xander paid the most attention to. Truesdale had been his idol since childhood, a student whose short career had been as brutal as it was brilliant. That he had been forced into retirement so young made his achievements all the brighter in Xander's eyes. He had always held the original master of the Cyber Style with a sense of awe: he who had managed in a few short years that which it took others lifetimes to accomplish - accomplishments he himself was determined to emulate someday.
Preoccupied with his examination of the legendary duellists, Xander almost missed Fontaine's quiet invitation to take a seat in one of the plush armchairs that sat opposite the grand desk.
'Xander, I will make this brief.' Fontaine's attention seemingly focused on cleaning his glasses with the end of his tie. 'I have been authorised to give you this.' From his jacket inside pocket, Fontaine produced a gilt edged envelope, which he handed to Xander. He sat back, making a motion with his hand that Xander should open it.
The letter inside was handwritten, in a tight, elegant script. Xander scanned it quickly.
Dear Mr Solmon,
Congratulations on your recent graduation. I write to request your participation in a tournament for some of the world's greatest young duelists to be held on my estate. The top prize will be a position in the Pro-league and a unique card of some considerable value.
The tournament begins on the fourteenth, with guests permitted.
I await your response expectantly.
Z T.
Xander held the letter for a second, considering its implications.
'The fourteenth is tomorrow…' He looked up. Fontaine nodded.
'It is. Transport to Mr Truesdale's estate will be provided, naturally.'
Xander stood, fist clenched in poorly concealed excitement. 'Mr Truesdale? I - this is so sudden…' He began to pace the room. Fontiane remained seated, expectant.
The Pro-League. It was all Xander had ever wanted: to prove himself on the highest stage, to write his name in legend. And to do it all with the backing of Zane Truesdale - the idol of his youth. His answer was never in doubt.
'Of course I accept.'
'Too damned right you do!'
Xander and Fontaine turned as the heavy doors of the office crashed open. Ria, Tamas and Dyson spilled into the room, all talking fervently.
'We're coming with you!' Ria beamed, her wide eyes aglow in the low light.
'Don't suppose there's one of those letters for me, eh?' Tamas grinned in mock hope, pushing a hand through his dark hair. Fontaine's response caught him by surprise.
'Yes, actually. Though I had intended to give it to you under slightly more… civilised circumstances.' He held out a second envelope, which Tamas grasped, his mouth slack. Xander and Ria laughed, while Dyson slapped his friend heavily across the back.
'Giving those things away…' He smiled.
'Not quite.' Fontaine adjusted his glasses. 'Mr Fletcher was always a candidate for selection; both he and Mr Solmon have been on our radar for quite some time.'
Before Xander could ask quite what that implied, Fontaine spoke again. 'Well, my part here is done. Your transport will be waiting for you by the dock at dawn. Try not to be late…'
'A boat?' Tamas looked pensive. 'It'll take longer than one day to reach the mainland by sea.'
Fontaine winked knowingly, straightening his tie. 'Oh don't worry. We have something a little faster in mind…'
He turned and left the office, leaving the friends in rapture.
-0-0-0-
The helicopter ride was an exhilarating experience. As they flew into the dawn, red sky brilliant above the placid ocean, the four students talked avidly about the coming tournament and who Tamas and Xander might face. Tamas fidgeted the whole way, his excitement at fever-pitch. Xander sat quietly, watching the city on the horizon grow closer, the only sign of his nerves a constantly moving finger on his leg.
It had been several years since any of the four had been to Domino City, but it hadn't changed - a timeless mass of suburbia and high-rises clustered by the shore. The helicopter swept past the panaroma,
heading for the hills above the city, taking in the glory of the waking city laid out below. Quickly, though, Domino was behind them, with only the open country ahead.
It didn't take long for their destination to materialise. Ringed with a concealing line of high pines, the residence of Mr Truesdale was grand, the immense, citadel-like mansion at the centre of his private parkland gleaming white in the early morning sun. Its windows were shuttered, but a significant crowd of small figures could be seen gathered on the wide steps leading up to its doors, which stood open.
The helicopter alighted on the verdant lawn a short distance from the house. When the door opened, a besuited, heavily built man helped the four students alight.
'Are you Xander Solmon?' He enquired in a brisk tone, his voiced raised over the helicopters roaring blades.
'Yes, and this is Tamas Fletcher,' Xander pulled Tamas forward, his head bowed in the downdraft from the machine.
'Good. This way, quickly - the other finalists have already arrived.' The security guard moved off quickly. The friends had to move quickly to keep up as he strode across the lawn to the crowd on the steps.
As they approached, one of the two men on the highest step, overlooking the crowd, smiled.
'Ah ha. It appears the last of our guests have arrived.' Willet Fontaine smiled broadly.
'Hmm.' The man next to him was young, his blue-grey hair long and erratic. The wheelchair in which he sat was heavy and solid, matching his black-clad frame perfectly. 'As we have all arrived, I shall begin.' Zane Truesdale cleared his throat, and smiled briefly at the crowd. 'Thank you all for coming. Welcome to this, the G3 tournament! Here, the best of the latest graduates from some of the best academies in the world of duelling will be decided. Sixteen have been chosen; only one can claim a place in the pro-league, and the unqiue card that comes with it.' As he spoke, Truesdale swept the crowd, taking in each combatant in turn. Xander followed his gaze across the gathered duelists and their supporters, noting a tall duelist in a bespoke suit, a long-limbed, sapphire eyed woman in green and two crimson-haired, steely eyed teenagers who might well have been brother and sister. All were listening intently to Truesdale, their eyes fixed on him. As Xander's eyes swept the female redhead, however, she turned, catching his glance. A frown crossed her striking features, her eyes challenging. Xander flushed, quickly switching his attention to his shoes.
'Now that we have all gathered, I see no point in prolonging the preliminaries.' Truesdale nodded to the security guard from the helicopter. 'The first round will begin immediately!'
There was mumbled astonishment from the crowd. For his part, Xander raised an eyebrow at Tamas, who replied with a half smile. His fist was clenched, his enthusiasm obvious.
Behind Truesdale, several attendants in white and blue livery had appeared from inside the vast mansion. Truesdale indicated them with a sweep of his arm. 'Please follow the stewards who will show you to the locations for your duel.' He paused, his smile not masking the serious glint in his sombre eyes. 'Good luck.'
From his position at the back of the crowd, the white haired man in black watched the introduction passively, a small smirk playing on his handsome features. The journey to reach the tournament had been arduous, but his employers had demanded he atone for the mistake in the mountains. He was to win the tournament; anything less would result in a fate worse than death.
'Mr Kurzan?' A female steward approached, a clipboard clasped under one arm.
'Yes.' The murderer gave a winning smile.
'This way sir,' the stewardess turned and walked into the mansion, following the queue of duelists and audience members already streaming inside.
'Certainly.' Kurzan's smirk widened as he stepped into the semi-dark of the house. 'Let the games begin…'
Thanks for reading! As always, please do drop a review, whatever your opinion.
Next week: As the preliminary round begins, can Tamas and Xander see off stern opposition to progress in the G3 tournament?