"Are you kidding me?! The coordinates for the Xyz Dimension changed again!"
…
"Sigh… no matter, it just pushes the invasion back again. The lucky humans."
…
"…I wonder just who did it this time…?"
…
"Hm. I'm not surprised, this was the result of Akaba's elder son. Should be expected of such a 'prodigy'."
…
"But it wasn't just him… I wonder who that kook in a clown costume was. Seems to me he was really the cause of the mistake."
…
"Oh-ho~what do we have here? The immortal witch C.C. in Standard?"
…
"…Well this is quite the entertaining development. Quite entertaining indeed."
…
Chapter 7: Heartland's Entertainer
The silver-haired, blue-eyed man spared a glance at the boy he'd be taking care of for the foreseeable future in the rear-view mirror. It had taken the boy a mere five minutes to gather his things—a Duel Disk unlike one he'd ever seen before and a single set of the uniform for Heartland Academy. Considering he could have only obtained the uniform after arriving in this dimension, the only things that truly belonged to Akaba Reizo were the clothes on his back and his cards. And right now, Reizo was staring blankly out the window, his hood pulled up as if to hide from the world.
At least, that is what it would look like to any other person. Chris recognized the look on the boy's face—he was deep in thought, trying to analyze the situation he was currently faced with. It was a look he'd worn so many times before, during, and after the Numbers War.
"We'll be arriving shortly," Chris said.
Reizo jerked away from the window, broken out of his stupor by the sudden noise. His shoulders tensed briefly, but relaxed immediately after. "…Why?"
"Hm? Why what?"
His violet eyes looked away from the mirror once he realized Chris had looked up at him through it. "Why… Why me? The other boys at that place, they've been there a lot longer than I have—I've only been here for a few days! And you already know my story, no doubt. So I don't understand… How can you already believe me, and why do you want to help me?"
Without missing a beat, the adult replied, "Because I know what it's like to be ripped away from your family…" Images of the young Michael and Thomas being taken away and sent to an institution after their father's disappearance flashed before his eyes. "…And I know what it's like to be reunited with them, too."
"R-Really…?"
Chris stopped and parked the car, having arrived at his family's home. He turned in his seat, looking right at Reizo. "Does it look like I would lie to a child? …Anyways, we've arrived. We'll talk later inside, is that alright with you?"
He nodded quickly, looking away from Chris.
Reizo really wasn't sure what to expect when he stepped out of the vehicle. Even though he'd been staring out the window the entire ride, he hadn't been focusing on the city around him. He'd been trying to come up with every sort of way possible to explain the situation he was currently in. The most likely explanation so far, Kaito and this Christopher Arclight were already aware of other dimensions for some reason. He just didn't know the reason…
But all thoughts of that left his mind when he looked up and saw where he'd be staying until he could make it home to Standard. This place… this wasn't just a normal house, it was huge, with ornate designs on the outer walls and a wonderful garden of flowers leading up to the door. The sheer size of it… it could pass for a fancy hotel. Such a nice mansion, Chris lived here?
As if noticing his surprise, Chris quickly said, "This is my family's home, has been for many generations. Though, some of the decorative walls are more recent. My father has… a bit of an eccentric taste, to say the least."
He recalled his own home in Maiami, and LDS Tower, and the rather extravagant campus of Academia—it was a castle after all—and the pristine uniforms those who attended it were wearing, complete with those light-blue masks, Reizo muttered, "Mine too… I think."
An awkward silence passed between the two, likely because Chris did not want to make Reizo any more upset than he already was. Not that speaking about his father would make him upset at all; Akaba Leo had left them so long ago that he could barely remember his father, and all he felt towards him was anger.
As they walked up to the entrance, Reizo said, "Who else lives here?"
"Just my father," Chris replied without missing a beat, "though my brothers do visit from time to time."
The mention of brothers made Reizo's shoulders tense up. Reiji… But he forced down his homesickness and quickened his pace to catch up with his temporary guardian. It wouldn't hurt to get comfortable here… he had no idea how long it could be until he could get home.
Several months passed after Reizo first found himself under Christopher Arclight's care. In that time, no progress had been made on creating a machine to transport him back home. However, Reizo's homesickness faded into the background as he grew used to the way life worked in Heartland. It wasn't that he didn't miss home… he'd do anything to see his brother and his mother again. But… staying here wasn't so bad an option as he'd originally thought. It was nice, having friends for once. Back in Maiami, where everyone knew his name and judged him for it, it had been hard to find people to bond with.
Here? He was happy that Ruri had steamrolled him his first day at school. At least he'd been lucky enough to meet the few kids that understood his background thanks to her. Yuto, Reizo was determined to defeat the black-and-purple-haired boy one day, but until then at least they could share smiles. Naomi, the ditzy older girl Ruri had befriended through her brother, never stopped trying to make everyone laugh. Even Tadashi—though he didn't know of Standard and could be quite annoying when he incessantly demanded to Duel people—was fun to be around.
He would miss them when the time came to go home…
A rolled-up notebook smacked his forehead—why is that feeling familiar—and the violet-eyed boy nearly fell out of his seat in surprise. The offending notebook was in Ruri's hands, and she rolled her eyes at him.
"…Finally got your attention, huh? You've been zoned out for the past ten minutes, or didn't you realize class is over already?" She returned the notebook to her bag. "Seriously Reizo, just what is it that goes through your head to distract you so much?"
"I was just reminiscing…" He rubbed his forehead lightly, noting that Yuto was hovering by the door, waiting for them both. He grabbed his bag and stood up. "Sorry about that. …Where is it you're taking us again?"
"Haven't you been paying attention to me the whole week? To go see one of the best entertainers the streets of Heartland has to offer! You guys never come with me, it's finally time you both see him perform!"
And with that, the girl led her two friends through the city, Tadashi tagging along with them along the way. The green-haired boy wasn't too happy that he wouldn't get to Duel Yuto that day, but the promise of seeing an entertainer was enough to satisfy him… for the moment at least.
By the time they got to where the entertainer was performing, there was already quite the crowd. Ruri wiggled through it, though, and the rest of them followed suit. They found themselves watching a Duel between two boys—both redheads, actually—though while the one on the left had hair jagged enough to look like lightning bolts, the other's spiked up like Tadashi's, and his bangs were yellow.
The boy on the left was the taller, definitely older one. His eyes were bright green, with a beauty mark underneath the right one. He wore a strange combination of clothes, though: an orange jacket missing its right sleeve over the top of a longsleeved light-blue shirt, a black glove only on his left hand, and dark pants with red sneakers.
The other had on a maroon hoodie with a crisscrossed design of yellow on it—almost like train tracks—white pants, and yellow boots. His eyes were teal, and filled with determination, like he was just about to win.
Which wasn't that much of a stretch. The older boy only had one monster on his field, a black sphere with a crooked mouth, huge green eyes, a blue pointed hat with stars on it, and a red cape. Meanwhile, the younger one had a massive blue train as a monster, flames along the bottom, and the front which looked like a yellow wolf's head. Two spheres of light orbited the train—Xyz Materials.
Performage Flame Eater: FIRE Spellcaster-Type / Level 4 / 1200 ATK / 1600 DEF
Heavy-Armored Train Iron Wolf: EARTH Machine-Type / Rank 4 / 2200 + 800 → 3000 ATK / 2200 DEF
Dennis' Life Points: 2500. Allen's Life Points: 2700.
"Man, we missed the start…" Ruri whined, shooting Reizo a quick glare. He sheepishly smiled, remembering when she'd hit him over the head with her notebook. But as soon as she'd done that, she turned her attention back to the Duel—specifically, the taller redhead. "Dennis!" she called, waving at him. The biggest smile was on her face.
Dennis heard her, turning his head slightly. The smile on his face grew wider, and he winked at Ruri. "Ah, my star audience member has finally arrived! I believe it's about time for the grand finale, no?"
"It's the grand finale for you, Dennis!" the other boy shouted.
…He goes to our school. Allen, I think his name is? Reizo thought.
"Thanks to Trolley Olley, my Iron Wolf has 3000 ATK," Allen said. "And while you might have a monster on your field, that doesn't mean anything once I activate Iron Wolf's effect! I can use one of its Xyz Materials to let it attack you directly this turn!"
The wolf-train ate one of the lights circling it, and then flaming tracks extended beneath its wheels, tracing a path around Dennis' oddball monster.
"Oh no!" Dennis exclaimed, a somewhat exaggerated sound. He would lose should he take that attack. The smile left his face for a moment… only to return within a second as he wagged his finger at his opponent. "Tsk, tsk, don't you know a magician always has a trick up his sleeve?" Moving his hand to his Duel Disk, he declared, "I activate my Trap Card Miracle Silk Hat!"
A burst of smoke filled everyone's eyes briefly. When it vanished, their surroundings seemed to have changed into a cartoonish version of outer space, a galaxy close behind them. Most of the crown gaped at the detailed hologram, and a couple gasped. Ruri was one of them. Dennis and his monster were nowhere to be seen, but two giant hats floated where they had been, one blue and one red. Allen's train had stopped, its glowing tracks having branched off to lead towards either hat.
"What?" Allen looked around fervently, no sign of Dennis. "Where did he go?"
"I'm under one of the hats, of course," Dennis' voice echoed. "A direct attack like that would have been a very anticlimactic ending, don't you agree? This is much more fun!" He paused briefly. "Now then, under one of these hats is me and a 0 ATK monster. If you attack that one, the damage is doubled—not that it matters—and I lose. However, under the other is a Spell Card. Choose that one, and I take no damage at all. What will it be?"
A fifty-fifty chance, huh?
"…I choose the red one!" Allen shouted, pointing at it. The track leading to the blue hat disappeared, and the wolf-train barreled into the red hat. Beneath it… was a Spell Card called Bubble Barrier. The Spell burst, shimmering water reflecting the lights of the stars around them. Reizo couldn't keep a smile from forming on his face; he'd had no idea that the right combination of cards could look this beautiful.
Dennis made the sound of a buzzer declaring a wrong answer had been picked on a game show, the galaxy disappearing and the scenery returning to normal. A second Flame Eater sapped of its power floated before him, and shattered a few seconds later. "I told you I had a trick up my sleeve. Is that all for your turn?"
Allen frowned, eyeing the only card in his hand. "Yeah… I end my turn."
Dennis' grin grew wider. "Good, it's my turn!" He drew his card, and he immediately placed it on his Duel Disk. "I Summon Performage Mirror Conductor!"
A silver mirror with a smiling face on it appeared in front of Dennis. It had arms and legs sticking out of its sides, clothed in purple, and dark curled-up shoes with pink cotton balls on the top of the ankles. Around the entire monster was a silver cloak patterned with stars, the inside a deep burgundy color. In its right hand, the mirror held a conductor's baton.
Performage Mirror Conductor: LIGHT Spellcaster-Type / Level 4 / 600 ATK / 1400 DEF
"It's almost time for the star of the show to appear… but one more part needs to be filled!" Dennis declared. "I activate Mirror Conductor's effect! The ATK and DEF of your Heavy-Armored Train Iron Wolf are switched, although I have to take 500 damage as a result!"
The face on the mirror disappeared for a moment, reflecting the train instead. The stats of the train then appeared in the mirror, and reversed themselves. With that done, Mirror Conductor slapped its own master on the wrist with its baton.
Heavy-Armored Train Iron Wolf: 3000 → 2200 ATK / 2200 → 3000 DEF
Dennis' Life Points: 2500 - 500 → 2000
"What's the point, both your monsters still have lower attack than my Iron Wolf!"
The older redhead wagged his gloved finger again. "Weren't you listening? The star of this show has yet to appear!" He turned to the audience, his arms outstretched. "Take a look at my field, ladies and gentlemen. I have no more Spell or Trap Cards, and my hand is empty. However… both of my monsters are Level 4!"
Ruri elbowed both Yuto and Reizo in the sides. "Here it comes, Dennis' best card!"
The murmur of "Xyz Summon" ran through the crowd as the two monsters circled into a red galaxy. "Show must go on! Artisan of the air, swing across the stage with grace! Xyz Summon! Appear now! Rank 4! Performage Trapeze Magician!" Dennis chanted.
The first thing to appear was the trapeze, a violet pole strung up to the sky with glowing yellow ropes. A split-second later, the rest of the monster appeared, one of his giant gloved hands holding onto the trapeze. His clothes were bright teal trimmed with purple fur around his hips and shoulders, curled shoes just like Mirror Conductor's on his feet. His eyes were covered by a magenta mask—the same color as the outside of his cloak, and a teal-colored magician's hat rested on his head. The monster seemed to laugh at everyone as he began swinging around, scattering sparkles across the field.
Performage Trapeze Magician: LIGHT Spellcaster-Type / Rank 4 / 2500 ATK / 2000 DEF
Ruri practically started jumping around, her pink eyes filled with joy. "Woohoo~Dennis!"
The sound of snare drums rolling could suddenly be heard from somewhere, as two spotlights from nowhere focused on Performage Trapeze Magician. Dennis lept up—and much to the surprise of almost everyone there except Ruri, his monster actually caught him. Reizo gawked in amazement; such a feat should only be accomplished in an Action Duel, which this certainly was not. "It's showtime!" Dennis cried out, as exaggerated as his previous exclamation had been. "By using an Xyz Material, Performage Trapeze Magician lets himself attack twice this turn!"
Allen's eyes widened—that meant…!
One of the lights circling the magician and his master disappeared into the trapeze with a burst of light, at the same time that Dennis declared an attack on Allen's monster. The two swung through the air, Dennis jumping off just as Trapeze Magician kicked the train in the face. The latter monster shattered, a burst of wind causing Allen to shield his face.
Allen's Life Points: 2700 - 300 → 2400
"And for the finale… Trapeze Magician attacks you directly!" Dennis declared.
His monster swung over to the younger boy, pausing for a moment, before detaching his trapeze from the strings of light and tapping the boy on the head with it. Allen shouted, then fell on his rear.
Allen's Life Points: 2400 - 2500 → 0
And the crowd erupted in cheers. Dennis helped his opponent up, and they both bowed. Allen didn't look particularly happy about losing, but still smiled. Soon after, Allen left with a lilac-haired girl Reizo vaguely recognized from school, and the rest of the crowd dispersed too. It left the plaza with regular passersby, Dennis, Ruri, Yuto, Tadashi, and Reizo, along with a large green hat that Dennis picked up off the ground. He fished through it for a moment before letting out a relieved sigh, removing some crumpled-up change and pocketing it. Then he flattened the hat and added it to a bag he had on him.
With that done, Dennis turned to face the group of four friends. That smile he'd flashed at Ruri when they'd first arrived was back on his face. "Ruri-chan, it always makes my day when you come to see my shows. I know you came late, but did you enjoy it?"
"Of course, Dennis!" Ruri replied, nodding. "My friends did too, right you guys?"
Tadashi replied with a resounding, "That was wicked cool! Can I Duel you?"
Ruri laughed, "Not now, Tadashi."
"That was…" Reizo paused, trying to think of the right words. "That was a really fascinating Duel."
The redhead bowed, still smiling. "Thanks for the praise. Ah, and what did you think…?" His attention turned to Yuto.
The black-and-purple-haired boy blinked as though jerked out of his own thoughts. "Huh?" He actually unclenched a fist. "Oh. I, thought it was nice."
"Perfect!" Dennis clapped his hands together. "Duels with smiles, that's what Sensei says. I'm glad I was able to do that today!"
"As though you'd ever fail at making people smile," Ruri teased, gently punching the redhead's arm. Then she gasped. "Ah, I never introduced my friends though! These are Reizo, Tadashi, and Yuto." She pointed at each when she named them.
"Reizo, Tadashi, and Yuto… I'll be sure to remember them! I'm Dennis Macfield, a student at Heartland Duel School. I perform here every weekday after school. I hope you come back to watch another one sometime soon!" The redhead bowed for the umpteenth time.
The rest of the afternoon was spent with Tadashi continuously asking for someone to Duel him, Ruri happily chatting with Dennis, and Reizo trying to find out more about this Duel School. Unlike in Maiami, where the Duel Schools were afterschool programs, here in Heartland they functioned as both a normal school and a Duel School all in one. They were simply for those over the age of twelve (with a few exceptions), and had a monthly tuition to be paid. Yuto politely excused himself, and went home ahead of everyone else.
…Ruri and Yuto will both be twelve before the end of the school year… but I won't be until December, Reizo thought, somewhat disdainfully. I hope I can be one of those few exceptions, getting stuck with only Tadashi to talk to would be… He shivered at the thought of having the hyperactive boy as his only friend at school.
A/N: …I'm so sorry for the huge wait. And the timeskip. And like everything. The biggest problem was writer's block, and it hit me hard. I couldn't figure out how I'd originally wanted my chapter to go (except the first two scenes, those I'd had written before the block hit) no matter how hard I tried. Then episode 112 came and my muses decided to just skip ahead to introducing Dennis. Oh, yeah, there's actually a reason why Dennis used one of Yusho's cards in this chapter by the way.
Because Dennis. *Attempts to contain inner fangirl*
Another issue that arose was the show deciding to do a mini-arc for the Xyz Dimension, which I was not expecting. Needless to say… this story is EXTREMELY AU now. Obviously not every detail about the canon Xyz Dimension can line up now (the biggest obviously being everything about Kaito), but I'm trying to match everything up the best I can. See the existence of both Heartland Academy and Heartland Duel School in this.
…Hmm… there's not much left for the "calm before the storm"… Maybe just two or three more chapters. Then the fun begins… *Smirk*
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, even if it was a bit unconventional. Please review!
In the meantime… *Grabs Everything Shield and the Omega Yato* I need to go hunt down Faith. She's not too happy this chapter somewhat implied Dennis/Ruri instead of Yuto/Ruri, and if any of you have read my one-shot "Muses", you know just how dangerous she can be when raging about her OTPs. Wish me luck!
(I don't own Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V, or Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL.)
Since he's just a bit too young, Reizo has to take place in an exhibition match to see if he can get into Heartland Duel School just like his friends. And his opponent is…!
Next time: The Soaring Falcon
