Yu-Gi-Oh! 6th RoC

Sweet mercy, is this anvilicious! And late again, this is absolutely unforgiveable. As are many of the acts that are committed during this chapter.

Truth be told, with little feedback (great, now I sound like I'm begging for reviews. Idiot.) and the fact that I keep getting called out to do SOMETHING on the ruddy house, it's getting harder and harder to write this.

Fortunately, the next chapter shouldn't be so problematic.

Underhanded Rebellion

7:55 am, Duel Academy Sanctuary

A group of girls were walking to their class, whispering to each other about innumerable topics.

"Hey!" snapped a thick voice from behind them. "Whaddya you think you're doing, gettin' in my way like that?"

The girls all froze, and they quickly scooted to the side, getting out of the way of a stocky boy with a mop of filthy hair.

"Oh great, it's Kurada," muttered one of the girls.

"Whatchoo say?!" snapped Kurada loudly.

"N-Nothing," protested the girl. She straightened, and recovered some of her pride to reply, "Or if I did, if was to express my surprise at how your attitude has changed from being quiet and shy."

Kurada grinned, and he dug into his pocket, withdrawing a fistful of yen. "This is why, ladies!" he crowed. He shoved another student into the wall, knocking him to the ground as he turned around. "Oh, sorry," he said, not sounding sorry at all. "Here, how about I make it up to you?" he asked as he chucked some yen at the boy, who winced as he sat up angrily, rubbing his side gingerly.

With everyone's attention focused on Kurada, no-one noticed that someone was snapping pictures of the incident.


"A Shadow Game…well, it's exactly what it sounds like," explained Yumi to Eloe, Akira, and Zone, who had decided to tag along. She looked at the ground as they walked to their class. "It's a game that often can involve some danger or supernatural qualities." She shifted her feet from side-to-side nervously. "The…loser has to play a Penalty Game," she admitted.

Akira frowned. "Penalty Game?" he asked with uncharacteristic seriousness.

Yumi nodded. "Yes," she replied. "It's usually a punishment…I think, anyway."

"You think?" asked Eloe in surprise. "Why, have you used it for other things?"

There was a stunned silence for a few seconds. "No!" protested Yumi. "Goodness, no, that would be horrible!" she cried, shuddering. "Like…torture for pleasure, or whatever it's called."

"Sadism," replied Eloe. "Like what Archer was doing."

Akira was going down a different train of thought. "You punished Mr. Thorne, didn't you?" he asked.

Yumi didn't reply immediately, she just looked at the ground. "Yes, I did," she finally admitted.

Akira winced. "Uh, thanks, I guess…" he said hesitantly, before a realization struck him. "Hang on, so you did take care of Mr. Tatsu when he went nuts in the lunchroom!" he said.

"Yes…" admitted Yumi. "Was there something wrong with that?" she asked.

"No, no way!" replied Akira. "It's just that I haven't thanked you properly for saying my life!" he explained.

Yumi smiled. "It's all right," she said. "You don't have to thank me. Any decent person should have done the same."

"Really?" asked Eloe sceptically. "You made him think that he was set on fire, Yumi, and whatever you did to Mr. Thorne landed him in the psych ward."

"Hey, she was just trying to help!" protested Akira. "It's not like she's a psychopath, like she said!"

Eloe sighed. "Sorry," she said to Yugi. "Look, I'm just saying, these Shadow Games are dangerous, right?" she asked.

"Well…yes…they are," replied Yumi uncomfortably.

"Okay," Eloe continued. "And Archer targeted you through us because of them."

Frowning, Akira immediately butted in. "Wait a minute," he protested. "You're not blaming what happened yesterday on Yumi, are you?"

"No way!" protested Eloe in horror. "That was Archer's fault, and no-one else's!" she said. "As a matter of fact, I need to thank all of you for saving my life as well!"

The other three accepted that quietly. "You're…welcome?" Yumi said carefully. "I would never let you get hurt," she added, continuing more confidently. "None of you, especially if it's my fault."

Eloe smiled. "I told you that it wasn't your fault, Yumi," she repeated. "Don't let it bother you. I don't think Archer will be bothering you any time soon."

Yumi smiled back at her friend. "I certainly hope not," she replied.

"Right," Eloe said. "But back to the Shadow Games…you don't need to punish every jerk in this Academy, you hear me, Yumi?" she said.

Yumi nodded. "I got it," she replied. "Shadow Games to a minimum." She frowned. "I'll do my best, anyway…"

"Why?" asked Zone, who'd been silent the entire time. "You're telling the truth, but why should it be hard to do your best?"

Yumi was about to answer when the bell rang.

"Oh shoot, we're gonna be late for class!" yelled Akira, and he took off, running down the hallways.

Zone was about to follow, but Eloe held him back.

What are you doing?' he asked.

"Let's just wait and see how long it takes him to realise that we've stopped outside our next class," Eloe replied, looking up at the label of their mathematics class.

"Outta the way!" growled Kurada, pushing rudely past Eloe and Yumi.

"Ouch!" yelled Eloe. "Hey, watch it Kurada!" she snapped, nursing her arm.

"Whatchoo say?" snapped Kurada thickly. "You talking back to me?!" he asked loudly, attracting everyone's attention.

Eloe and Yumi, meanwhile, were trying not to breathe in, and Zone had taken cover behind Yumi as soon as he'd seen Kurada.

"Don't be silly," whispered Yumi to Zone.

"I'm not getting hit by him again!" Zone yelped quietly.

Kurada's face lit up, and Zone cowered even more. "Hama!" he yelled. "C'mon over here."

Another short student, with purple-streaked black hair, sadly walked over. Kurada thumbed towards the bathroom, and Hama hurried inside.

"We'd better get into class while we can," Eloe said, after a few seconds of silence.

Yumi let Zone slip out from behind her, and waited until Eloe was at the door. "I'll stay here until Akira gets back," she explained.

Eloe wondered whether she should keep an eye on Yumi or not, but she remembered Yumi's statement and she nodded. "All right," replied Eloe. "Don't go getting yourself in trouble, though, you hear me?" she asked.

Yumi nodded, but as soon as Eloe was inside the class, she dived straight for a crack in the wall by the boy's bathroom and she put her ear to it.

I've heard bad things about Kurada, she thought to herself. I hope Hama's not getting mixed up with him.

"Here's more money…" whispered one of the boys.

Yumi frowned; she couldn't tell which one was speaking. She pressed her head tighter to the crack in the wall.

"Thanks…" replied the other boy.

What the…heck is going on?, Yumi asked herself.

With a crash, the bathroom door slammed open, and knocked Yumi into the wall as Kurada stamped out, pulled open the door to the classroom, and went inside. The door to the bathroom closed, revealing Yumi standing there with her hand over her nose. "Owww…" she moaned, pinching her nose.

While she'd been nursing her injuries, Hama had come out of the bathroom as well, and he heard Yumi's pained moans. "Is someone there?" he asked warily.

Yumi waved the hand that wasn't cupped over her nose. "Just me…" she replied weakly.

Turning to face her, Hama gasped. "Miss Kisara?" he asked in shock. "What happened to you?"

Yumi winced. "Bathroom door. Nose. Pain," she replied.

Hama winced himself. "I'm sorry," he said, before realizing what she'd said. "Excuse me, but why were you behind the door in the first place?" he asked, furrowing his brow.

"I was waiting for Akira," replied Yumi.

Hama sighed heavily. "You heard what was going on in there, didn't you?" he said sadly. "Look, I know you want to ask about it and all, but could you keep that to yourself, please?" he asked. "I'm dealing with it."

Yumi hesitated, but then she nodded. "Okay," she said. "But if you want to talk, I'm free anytime," she said. "We are classmates, after all."

Hama nodded and he smiled. "Thanks," he replied. "That's a big help."

"Hey, Yumi!" called Akira. "Thanks for waiting for me."

Yumi sighed. "See ya," she said to Hama, before grabbing Akira by the wrist and dragging him into the class. "Come on, you bonehead," she said to her friend.

"Hey, anyone could make that mistake!" protested Akira.

Yumi smiled. And yet, he was the only one of us that did, she thought fondly.


"Where is it?" Akira asked as he flicked through the common card box. "I know that I saw it in here the other day."

Yumi, who was standing beside him and flicking through the common box herself, didn't reply, so engrossed was she in searching, skimming past several cards until she found the one she wanted. Yes!, she thought. And that's all three!, she thought happily to herself.

She hurried to the counter and paid Eldest for the cards, then she caught sight of a group of students looking at something. "What's going on?" she asked Eldest.

Eldest chuckled. "Rare cards," he commented. "Including a copy of a card known as the Gate Guardian."

"Is it good?" asked Yumi.

Eldest smiled. "Mainly in sheer attack strength, where you'd be hard pressed to find a better card," he admitted.

"And it's all mine!" said the voice of Kurada. He shoved Yumi rudely aside and slammed a fistful of yen on the counter. "I'm taking that Gate Guardian card!" he said.

Eldest scoffed. "And just why should I sell it to you after that display of poor manners?" he asked as he picked up Kurada's bills and sorted them orderly.

Kurada scowled, and he went to where the card was stored, shoved the other students out of the way, then he smashed the glass with a brick that had been in his pocket and he snatched the card.

"Mr. Kurada, you put that card down or I'm calling Mr. Lotus!" yelled Eldest in a rage.

"Keep your hair on, old man," snorted Kurada, tossing him more yen. "That's for your window!" He swept his thick arm across, knocking a boy out of the way, and then he sprinted…waddled reasonably quickly out of the shop.

Eldest cursed under his breath. "That maniac!" he snarled angrily. He smacked his fist into his palm. "Oh, if I was allowed to deal with him…" he muttered. He shook his head. "Oh, never mind," he sighed. "What's the point in agonising over it?" he asked Yumi. "After all, I suppose I can fix it…sometime…" Eldest sighed. "Here you go," he said, handing Yumi her cards.

"Thanks," replied Yumi as she took them and sipped them into her coat pocket.

"Oh, and by the way," added Eldest, as he fished under the desk and brought out another card. "You may like this as well," he told her.

Yumi looked at the card, and her eyes lit up. "Thank you, Eldest!" she cried, hugging the grizzled storeowner.

Eldest laughed heartily. "You are most welcome, Miss Kisara," he replied. "The pleasure's all mine."

Yumi nodded, but she was thinking to herself. Was that the money that Hama had to give to Kurada?, she wondered.

Akira scowled. "That jerk," he muttered. "How'd he have so much yen when he didn't even have lunch money before?"

Eloe, who'd been leaning against a pillar the entire time, shrugged. "I'm not sure," she replied. "He used to be a decent kid, but now he's gone wild." She pushed off the wall, and stretched. "I don't think that it's too much to worry about, though," she replied.


Hama sat in his room, and he plugged a camera memory stick into his computer. He quickly uploaded several photos, all of Kurada, and he opened one, and then he sent it to the printer.

He got up and he walked over to the printer, and he smiled as he looked down at the picture of Kurada.


"Nice card, Yumi," commented Akira the next day as Yumi flipped through her Duel Monsters cards.

"Yeah," Yumi replied. "It's a good extra deck card, so Eloe's teaching me about it sometime; when she's got time, that is," she admitted.

The card was suddenly snatched out of her hand, and Kurada laughed. "This card?" he asked. "There's no way that this could be stronger than…mine." His voice trailed off as he compared the score on Yumi's card with that of his own.

"Let me guess," commented Eloe smugly. "Your Gate Guardian isn't as strong as Yumi's card."

"So what?" snapped Kurada, tossing Yumi's card back to her. "I doubt any of you have a stronger card than this one.

Eloe winced. "Okay, you've got me there, but that's hardly the point," she admitted.

"I am the strongest!" snapped Kurada rudely. "I have the more powerful card!"

"Really?" asked Akira, as he thumbed through his own cards. "Well then, let's see how you handle this!" he said, placing the card on the table.

Everyone gasped in shock, the purple-bordered card was even stronger than Yumi's, with 3900 attack points compared to the 3750 attack points of Kurada's Gate Guardian.

"Not so strong now, are you?" Akira asked him.

Kurada slammed his card onto the table and he grabbed Akira by the coattails and slammed him into the wall. "Whatchoo say, punk?!" he roared angrily.

Akira flinched from the smell of Kurada's breath. "Man, have you been smoking or something?" he asked. His hand brushed Kurada's pocket, and he quickly dipped his hand into the pocket, pulling out a packet of cigarettes.

Eloe saw what Akira had done and she quickly snatched the packet away from the group. "What is this?" she asked Kurada sarcastically. "Sounds like you were right on the money, Akira," she commented.

"Yeah, now I just need to get out of here," Akira replied, cracking a grin. He kicked out sharply, hitting Kurada in the knee.

With a yell of pain, Kurada fell to his knees, nursing his injured knee. "You little rat!" he snarled. "I'm gonna waste you!"

"Stop it," Eloe said. "Just stop it, Kurada. Face it, you've been beaten in more ways than I can count." She held up Kurada's bag. "Especially with all of these in your bag," she added, fishing out a few packets of cigarettes. "Are you dealing these around the Academy."

Sweating, Kurada grabbed his bag back from Eloe. "Sh-shut up!" he snapped. "That's got nothing to do with you!"

"And we don't want anything to do with you," retorted Eloe sharply. "Not unless you change your attitude, Beluga," she added.

Kurada stood there pathetically for a few seconds. "Don't use my first name!" snapped Kurada before he turned and walked away.

Yumi heard a noise behind her and she whirled around. "Oh, hey Hama," she said. "Something up?"

Hama shook his head. "It's nothing," he said timidly.


Kurada kicked his bag, sending packets of cigarettes flying everywhere. "ARRRGHH!" he yelled, kicking the wall of the shed in fury. "I can't believe that someone like that wimp had a card that was stronger than my Gate Guardian!" He blanched as he heard a beep behind him, and he turned around angrily.

Hama stood there, holding his camera, and lining it up to take another picture.


Akira hid behind the wall, straining his ears to figure out what Kurada and Hama were saying. What the heck is going on there?, he wondered. I mean, why would Hama sneak up here, is he trying to catch Kurada in the act with that contraband? He narrowed his eyes. In that case, I'd better mitigate the situation like a pro!

"Caught in the act!" Akira yelled. "You're both coming to Mr. Lotus's office so that we can sort this thing out!"

Amazing, thought Akira with a silly grin.


Yumi was sitting in her room, cross legged on her futon. Hmm…, she thought to herself. I hope Hama's all right.

A noise caught her attention, and she peeked out of the window to see someone sneaking through the bushes.

Is that guy trying to…look in the girls windows?, wondered Yumi incredulously. Well, she thought, slipping her boots on. I'll put a stop to that. I shouldn't need to go overboard, though. All you need to do is kick him in the right place.


"All right…" Akira muttered. He jumped out from behind the wall. "Caught in the-"

With a groan, Kurada fell to the ground in front of him.

"-act…" finished Akira slowly. "What the heck…?" He hurried over to Kurada. "Man, what happened to you?" he asked in shock. "Your back's all bruised!"

He heard a loud crack, and looked up to see Hama standing in the shadows, but his expression had changed from the timid and friendly look that he normally sported, to a fiendish grin, made even stranger by his wide-lensed spectacles.

"Hama?" asked Akira. "What the heck are you doing here?"

Hama's grin widened. "Oh, excuse me, I was punishing my pet," he commented. "Look at him," he said. "Pretty pathetic, isn't he?"

"I guess you mean Kurada," Akira replied, clenching his fists.

"Of course," Hama replied as if this was the most natural thing in the world. "He failed to deliver his goods, and he lost a game and made himself look weak in front of everyone. That makes him useless to me." He chucked, and rested his right arm in his left hand. "Now I need a stronger pet to do my dirty work."

Seething, Akira promptly yelled, "Are you listening to yourself?! You can't just treat people as pets you psychopath!"

"I don't see your point," Hama admitted. "I think it's pretty interesting myself!" He picked up a book from the ground and opened it.

Akira gasped: the book was full of pictures of Kurada, both when he was a more timid and quiet kid, and while he was committing acts of violence and destruction.

"So you made Kurada start acting like a jerkass, then?" asked Akira in disgust. He turned to leave. "I don't believe this!"

Hama scowled. "Thanks for taking care of my pet, Shokan," he told Akira. He drew his arm back, and he swung it. A loud crack echoed through the air, slicing across Akira's back.

Akira stopped short and he yelled in pain, turning to face Hama, who drew his arm back again.

"Stop that!" yelled Yumi's voice.

Both Akira and Hama jumped, and looked at the door to see Yumi standing there with her arms crossed.

"Yumi?" asked Akira. "What are you doing here?"

"I saw someone sneaking around outside our dorm rooms," explained Yumi. "I didn't think that I'd find this!" She stepped forwards. "Hama, this is wrong, really wrong!"

Hama ignored her; instead he started talking to himself. "Well, well, you've seen me during feeding time…" he mused.

"Hama!" yelled Yumi, running forwards.

Without missing a beat, Hama flicked his arm, and Yumi felt a white-hot line of pain across her face. The force of the invisible blow threw her into a pile of boxes that cushioned her fall and spilled their contents all over the ground – many more cases of cigarettes.

Smirking, Hama muttered, "Completely useless."

"Hey!" yelled Akira, charging at Hama.

Hama turned and he drew his arm back – and Akira leapt to the side, dodging the invisible blow.

Flinching, Hama sliced his arm through the air again, but Akira dodged it once more, only for Hama to abandon that attack and swipe his arm in a wide horizontal arc, hitting Akira across the chest. Akira gasped in pain and he stopped short. "Darn it…" he muttered, gingerly holding his chest. "These late nights are killing me…" He looked up at Hama furiously.

The monstrous boy gigged madly. "Now, now, now, you shouldn't look at your master like that," he said, waggling his finger. He swiped his arm again, and Akira yelled as a line of pain cracked across his shoulder, but he stayed on his feet. "Such a resistant pet!" commented Hama. "Oh, you'll be very interesting to raise."

"Until he loses a game?" asked Yumi from behind Hama as she picked herself up.

Hama turned towards Yumi with a sneer. "You're still standing?" he asked incredulously. "You pathetic mongrels can't even pass out properly."

"You didn't answer my question," Yumi replied, her eyes glowing blue. "How long until you trade Akira in for something better, if you think you could find it?"

"When he fails me," Hama said flippantly. "If you're so obsessed with your game, why don't we play one now?" he suggested. "Let's play what Kurada and Akira played, but with playing cards."

He pulled out his deck of cards, but he smiled. I know how to tell which cards are the picture cards, he thought to himself. Whatever the shuffling arrangements, I'll end up winning, and then maybe I can have two pets at once! I've never had two pets; that would be so much fun!

He handed the deck to Yumi, and she silently shuffled the cards, then she smiled, and she handed it back to Hama. He shuffled himself, quickly sorting through them. A king should be high enough to win this without her drawing one..., he thought slyly. "All right," Hama said,, holding out the deck. "I'll draw first, and then you can draw.

He placed his hand on the deck, and he drew the card. He sneered as he held the card out. "The king of clubs, Kisara," he commented. "Top that."

Yumi drew her own card, and she smiled. "I can't," she replied.

Hama began to laugh, but then Yumi turned the card towards him, and he gasped in surprise to see the king of hearts card in her hand. "Fine," he said angrily. "The first round is a draw!"

"Let the king's disciples decide the battle," agreed Yumi. "Draw the next card."

Akira watched from the floor, beside a still-unconscious Kurada. So this must be a Shadow Game, he thought. I've got a feeling that this is gonna escalate fast, he thought warily.

Hama drew again. He sniggered, holding up the jack of diamonds. "Too bad, Kisara," he chuckled. "You can't beat this!"

"What are you talking about?" asked Yumi, drawing her own card. "The cards will spell out a message for you…and here it is," she said, holding up the queen of hearts.

Hama snarled, but Yumi held up her hand. "Not yet, not yet," she said. "Let's have them battle."

"What are you talking about?" asked Hama with a scowl.

Yumi held up her cards, and images appeared in the air; a king and a queen, wearing robes adorned with hearts.

"They're just illusions," she told a thoroughly freaked out Hama. "One card will represent us, the uneven ones, of course, and then the others will battle."

Hama grinned. "I won't lose to you! After all, pain is a good motivator," he commented, holding up his cards. A king and a jack appeared behind him. "Let's do this!" he snarled, swiping at his king. "If you fail, then that's the pain that will await you!" he ordered.

Yumi looked at her own king, and she simply gestured to the queen. The king nodded, and he steeled himself.

The kings charged, drawing their swords and clashing. Hama's king appeared to be the stronger, dealing brutally powerful blows, but Yumi's king blocked them all.

"Why?!" snarled Hama. "Why won't your king submit?"

Yumi stared at Hama, and he backed away as her eyes bored into him. "He will not submit to your king, because he has something worth fighting for, not money, or some petty sense of power."

Yumi's king strained, and he slowly pushed Hama's king back.

"No!" yelled Hama, swiping his arm through the air. "Do you need a reminder of the pain that awaits those who fail?!"

Hama's king winced, and he abruptly stopped resisting Yumi's king. Then he turned and swung his blade at Hama, and Hama screamed in shock as the sword arced towards him.

Akira saw Hama grab his throat and crumple to the ground. "Yumi!" he warned.

"It's all right," Yumi reassured him. "He's just knocked out." She threw the two cards that she'd drawn at Hama's unconscious body. "You have to treat a pet with love," she said. "Otherwise they'll never reach their full potential."

Akira sweated. "So, who's your pet?" he asked cautiously.

Yumi laughed. "Don't worry, I don't have one," she reassured him. "Come on, let's get Kurada out of here and get Mr. Lotus to deal with this sadist," Yumi said.

"You know the word "sadist" now?" asked Akira.

Yumi went red. "I read the dictionary a lot," she admitted.

Akira laughed. "You too, huh?" he asked. "I guess Eloe really is serious about getting our grades up."

"Of course she is!" Yumi replied.

And another jackass bites the dust.

Buda-bom-bom-bom. Another one bites the dust.

Thank heaven, I was able to get quite a lot of material for this chapter done rather quickly. I enjoyed characterizing Hama at the end of the chapter, the little beggar.

Anyways, next chapter, Yumi's intent to save gets her in a spot of bother. She's challenged to a game of Duel Monsters by one of the school's Game Masters!

Sanokal