Chapter 14
"Yes. It's tonight."
"Tonight? Alright. I got it."
"Great. Bye."
Click.
"Kaiser, who were you talking to on the phone?" Asuka asked.
"Hm?" I turned. I saw Asuka looking at me, puzzled. "Nobody. Just… a friend."
"A friend, huh?" she said coyly.
I cleared my throat. "So, you ready to go?" I asked.
"Yup." Asuka said.
- - -
We've arrived.
Domino Stadium. This was the place where Phoenix's duel was going to take place. And this is where a big clash will soon occur. I looked around for the final piece of the puzzle. She's got to be here somewhere… without her, this'll never work…
'Ladies and Gentlemen! Tonight, history is about to take place! Here, at Domino Stadium, top-ranked duelists will compete for the title: 'The Legendary Duelist'! This title has so far been given to Yugi Mutou and Seto Kaiba. Tonight, we will crown the 3rd legendary duelist!'
The crowd cheered. The whole stadium was packed. Almost everyone held out boards that all said praise for their favorite duelist.
'And now, for the first round, presenting the San Francisco Pro League Champion, give it up for Fili Luna!'
Fans from all over the stadium cheered as the duelist stepped in the stadium.
'Presenting his opponent, the Japan Pro League Champion, here's Edo Phoenix!'
The crowd cheered again. Phoenix wore the usual expression on his face when he's in front of a huge crowd. After waving to some of his fans, he faced his opponent. "Hi. It's nice to meet you, Fili."
"It's nice to meet you to, Edo. I hope you're really as good as everyone says you are."
"Oh believe me. I won't disappoint you." Edo said confidently.
"I sure hope you won't." Fili said. The two duelists prepared their duel disks.
"Duel!" they proclaimed in unison.
(4000/4000)
"I go first!" Edo announced. "I summon Destiny Hero Defender in defense position (100/2700). Next, I play the Spell Card, Destiny Draw! I discard Destiny Hero Dasher, and I draw two cards from my deck."
The crowd watched intently as they awaited for the duelist's next move.
"I play another Spell Card, Double Summon! This card allows me to Normal Summon another card this turn! I sacrifice Defender from my field to summon Destiny Hero Dasher (2100/1000)!"
"Amazing folks! Edo Phoenix has summoned a level 6 monster in one turn. What else has this prodigy got up his sleeve?"
"I set a card, and that concludes my turn." Edo announced.
"I draw!" Fili exclaimed. "I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior!" Fili's magician appeared on his field, holding a sword, ready to fight. "Next, I equip him with this card, Mage Power! My monster's attack increases by 500 points! Now, Breaker, attack D-Hero Dasher!"
Breaker ran towards the Destiny Hero and swung his sword. The moment Dasher was slashed, it shattered into a million pieces.
(Edo: 3700 LP)
"I activate my Trap Card, Destiny Signal! With this card, I special summon Destiny Hero Defender from my deck in Defense position!" Edo said.
"Fine. I set two cards and end my turn. My Breaker's attack increases by 1000 points more because of Mage Power's effect!"
"What a nice comeback! Fili has raised Breaker's attack to a massive 3400! Not only did he easily destroy Edo's Dasher, but he can also destroy Defender, despite his whopping 2700 defense! What will Edo do now?"
"My turn!" Edo said. "I activate the Spell Card, Snatch Steal! With this card, I get to control your Breaker!"
"But since you only have one Spell or Trap card on your field, Breaker only has 2400 attack." Fili pointed out.
"That's good enough for me." Edo countered. "I summon Destiny Hero Fear Monger in attack position (1000/1000)! With Fear Monger's attack, I'll deliver a total of 3400 attack points, which was equal to Breaker's previous attack. With that being said, I command Breaker the Magical Warrior to deliver a direct attack!"
"Not so fast." Fili said. "I activate my Trap Card, Draining Shield! With this card, my life points increase by 2400 points."
(Fili: 6400 LP)
"Fine, but I'm not yet done," Edo said, "Because my Fear Monger still hasn't attacked you!"
(Fili: 5400 LP)
Fili didn't even seem to flinch when the Fear Monger attacked. He awaited for Edo to finish off his move.
"I activate a Field Spell, Clock Tower Prison!" Edo declared, placing the Spell card on the Field compartment of his Duel Disk. In an instant, the whole field turned into a place that resembled a lot like London, at night. Behind Edo was the famous clock tower, the Big Ben. "Next, I set two cards on my field. My turn is over."
"Alright, it's my turn now! Draw!" Fili exclaimed. "Due to Snatch Steal's effect, my Life Points Increase by 1000 points!"
(Fili: 6400 LP)
"And now, I activate Heavy Storm! With this card, my Breaker should return to my field and your set cards and Clock Tower will be gone!"
But all Fili's threats only lead Edo to flash his trademark smirk. "That's exactly what I've been expecting you to do."
"What?" Fili said.
"I activate my two set Trap Cards, Eternal Dread!" Edo revealed his two cards, which were indeed the same cards. "With these, my Clock Tower Prison gains 4 Clock counters! And guess what happens when you destroy my Spell Card with 4 counters in them…"
Fili sighed and forced a smile. As Edo's cards disappeared, a silhouette of D-Hero Dreadmaster appeared on the field. "But of course… I should've known that was your plan…"
"And because Dreadmaster was summoned this way, I can special summon my two Dashers that were previously sent to my graveyard." Edo had that confident look on his face as he placed his cards on the field. "Check it out, Fili: 2 Dashers (2100/1000), a Fear Monger (1000/1000), and a Dreadmaster (5200/5200). On top of that, none of my Destiny Heroes can be destroyed this turn." He shook his head and pretended to look concerned. "What are you gonna do now, Fili?"
"Humph." Fili mumbled, placing a set card on his field. "I set a card and set a monster, and place my Breaker in defense position. I end my turn."
'Looks like Edo Phoenix has the upper hand, ladies and gentlemen. And it seems like the great Fili Luna has ran out of luck!'
"The commentator is right, Luna. After I deliver my attack, I win." Edo reminded. "Are you sure your turn's over?"
"Draw your card." Fili said.
"Already did, but thanks for the reminder." Edo said. "But just to make sure my victory is clear… I activate Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your facedown card!"
Fili smiled. "Well thanks. That's a trap in itself. It's Kozaky's Self Exploding Device! And because you destroyed it, your lifepoints are down to 2700."
(Edo: 2700 LP)
Edo narrowed his eyes. "A little burn can't hurt me. Dasher, attack Breaker the Magical Warrior!"
The Destiny Hero warrior obeyed his controller's command and delivered a fatal blow to Breaker, causing it to be sent to the graveyard. But Edo was far from done. "Now, my second Dasher, attack the facedown monster!"
"-Which is a Marshmallon." Fili said. Edo's eyes widened in surprise. He didn't see that coming. "Not only does Marshmallon stay on my field," Fili continued, "But it also decreases your Lifepoints by another thousand. So, compared to my 6400, I'd say you're hanging on for dear life!"
The crowd laughed. Edo scowled, trying his best not to let his humiliation show.
(Fili: 6400 LP) (Edo: 1700 LP)
"I set a card, and that concludes my turn." Edo said.
"My turn then." Fili said. He drew his card… and although he tried to hide it, Edo saw the satisfied look on his opponent's face. "Alright, short and simple. I set a card. I end my turn."
The crowd began exchanging confused looks.
'It seems like Fili has put his fate on that one single card that he put facedown… I wonder what that card could be?'
Edo grinned. "I can read your mind, Fili. That's probably your ticket to victory, huh? One that's unavoidable? Okay. I'll accept."
This statement from Edo shocked the crowd. The fans began screaming Edo's name in support.
'What's this? Has Edo Phoenix given up? Did he just 'accept' defeat?'
"Not in a million years…" I muttered. If there was something that Phoenix couldn't do, it was giving up. And it seemed like Asuka knew that as well- she didn't looked worried at all, despite the sudden rumors circulating the audience.
"Alright. My turn. Draw!" Edo exclaimed.
"I activate my Trap!" Fili declared.
"Heh. I knew it." Edo said. "I know exactly what you're about to activate."
"Oh yeah? Then you must also know that there's no way for you to reverse this! Ring of Destruction! I place it on your Dreadmaster, who has 5200 attack points! This card not only destroys your monster, but it also decreases both our life points by 5200. And in case you haven't noticed, you have 1700 left, while I still have a massive 6400. Scrub that smile off your face and accept your destiny."
Edo shrugged. "Sorry, Fili. But if I can't win it, I'd rather share it than lose it!"
Fili arched an eyebrow. "Share? What exactly do you mean, Phoenix?"
"Look at my field, Fili. I have a set card on my field. And now, I activate it! My Trap, Rising Energy! With this card, my Dreadmaster gains 1500 attack! It now has 6700 attack points! Your Ring of Destruction will deduct our lifepoints by 6700, which is good enough for your lifepoints to drop down to zero."
And with that, both players' lifepoints dropped down to zero. "Sharing the glory. I guess it's fine to do that once in a while." Edo said with a smile. He walked towards his opponent and brought out his hand. "Nice game, Fili."
Fili took Edo's hand and shook it. "I must admit, that was a pretty awesome duel."
I looked at Asuka. She was satisfied, seeing Phoenix partially win the duel. She suddenly stood up.
"Where are you going?" I asked her.
"To the toilet. Afterwards, I'm seeing Edo. I want to talk to him in private. We'll meet up in the entrance, okay?"
I watched her as she left. I brought out my cell phone and dialed a number.
"Hello?" the other line greeted.
"Stephanie. It's time."
- - -
I hurried to witness what my accomplice was about to do. I caught sight of Phoenix, on his way to his dressing room. And of course, cue the ex-girlfriend.
"Edo!" a voice that somehow irritated me began calling out the name of the person I despised the most.
Phoenix turned. "Stephanie?" he said in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to congratulate you on your win." She said naively.
"Well… I didn't actually win-"
"-Well I'm still congratulating you." Stephanie persisted.
"Um… thanks." Phoenix said, although unsure on what to say next.
At the corner of my eye, I could see that Asuka was already witnessing the interaction between the two. I made sure that I was in an angle where I wasn't seen.
"I'm free tonight," Stephanie said, stepping closer and closer to Phoenix, who, in turn, stepped further and further away from her- until it came a point where Phoenix had his back leaning by the wall. Knowing that she had him right where she wanted, Stephanie didn't hesitate to place her hand on Phoenix's shoulder, and slid it down to his chest. "Let's go out for dinner. You know, as always."
"As always?" Phoenix repeated, obviously clueless. "What are you talking about?"
It was clear to me that my rival had this thing about being a 'gentleman'; but apparently he's taking that word to another level. Never would you see Phoenix pushing a girl away, or at least with full force. And this undeniable fact was now to my advantage.
"C'mon, hon, don't you remember?" Stephanie said erotically, touching Edo's face. Edo finally responded by gently placing both the girl's hands to her sides. "Steph… Please. I don't need this."
"Oh, Edo! Don't be such a grouch. Let's be as wild as we were last night!"
"Wild? Last night? Since when?" Edo exclaimed. "We've never been-"
Without warning, Stephanie grabbed Phoenix's tie and pulled him closer to her, planting her lips on his. Phoenix was too shocked to react. I stole a glance at Asuka. She was open-mouthed, probably as shocked as Phoenix was. I smiled. I knew that Asuka was too far to hear Edo and Stephanie's conversation. But she was close enough to see their actions, which, to her jealous eye, was all that she could ever bear. To her, the ex-lovers were having an affair behind her back, and the kiss was the ultimate proof.
"Edo…" Asuka managed to blurt out in a faltering voice.
Almost instantly, Edo broke away. "Asuka…!" he said, almost surprised that she was there.
Asuka's eyes were filled with rage and anger… and tears. She looked at Phoenix crossly, biting her lower lip to refrain from screaming.
"Asuka, I can explain…" Edo said desperately. He knew full well that his life was about to fall apart. And I just stood there and watched everything fall into place once again.
Oh, happy day.
"I've had it." Asuka said, her voice cold and stern. The tears finally trickled down her face.
"This isn't what it looks like!" Edo blurted out. And yet another desperate attempt from the dueling prodigy. How long is he gonna keep this up?
"Edo, please!" Asuka exclaimed, yelling out the last word. "I'm not stupid! I know exactly what's going on here!"
"No… wait!" Phoenix pleaded, running towards her.
"Get your claws off me!" Asuka screamed, her voice strained. Her tears were cascading down like a waterfall.
"I'm hurt!" she declared. "I'm hurt, Edo! Right here…" she placed her hand on her heart.
There was a few seconds of silence. Only Asuka's gasps and snivels were heard.
"I came here to apologize to you for accusing you of cheating on me." She began, "And I thought that if I went here, I would stop hurting… but you…" she stopped for a brief moment, then continued, "You only made the cut deeper…"
"I'm sorry!" Edo exclaimed, not knowing what else to do or say.
"No! I've had it with your stupid games!" Asuka exclaimed. She showed the ring that rested on her finger. She placed her hand on it, preparing to take it off.
"Asuka… don't do this…" Edo pleaded. Asuka was pulling the ring out. "No… no… please, Asuka…" She finally succeeded in removing it from her finger.
"Here's your stupid ring!" Asuka shouted, throwing it at him. She turned her heel and walked away.
"No…. No!" Edo exclaimed, running after her. "Asuka! Don't go!" He fell down on his knees and grabbed her legs. She gasped and looked back at him. "Please…" he muttered, his voice trembling. "I'm sorry… Asuka… I love you… I love you!"
"Well I don't!" She exclaimed, freeing herself from Phoenix's grasp. "Get away from me! I don't love you anymore!"
Phoenix's eyes began to water.
"Get away!" she roared.
"No…"
"I hate you!" Asuka said finally.
Phoenix's tears fell down at last. His breathing was ragged due to the surge of adrenaline. His tears fell rapidly. He whimpered. Moaned. Cried. "Please… please come back… I'm sorry…"
Asuka's tears kept falling as well, but she turned and forced herself to leave, trying her best to ignore her lover's desperate cries.