Hi all! Hiyuusha here with another chapter of Yu-Gi-Oh: Tag Force! Enjoy, and like always, leave me your thoughts! This Chapter marks the beginning of the Fortune Cup! What secrets lay ahead, and how long will Konami last?! Maybe you'll find out, this time, on Yu-Gi-Oh: Tag Force!
Last time… on Yu-Gi-Oh: Tag Force!
"Thanks for the ride, Chazz." "Kaibaman" stated, disappearing into the back rooms as the Princeton wrinkled his nose in disgust 5000 miles away.
"Whatever slacker," the voice in the speaker scowled, "you're just lucky that I had a resort nearby. What the hell did you need that thing for anyway?!"
"Ah you know… a few things here… a small Duel there…." Konami chuckled, removing the helmet and voice changer that had disguised his identity.
"Hmph! If you were so desperate for a Duel you should've just told me!" Chazz grimaced, "Do you know how much hell I'm gonna get from my brothers if they find out I sent that thing out to you?!"
"Ah, that's why they won't find out!" Konami laughed, "To be honest I was a bit more worried about Kaiba showing up than anything. I hear he's not too fond of people using replicas of his things."
"Che… whatever. The pilot has orders to drop you off at the Duel Stadium. Even you should be able to get home from there, slacker."
"Yeah, yeah. That'll be fine." Konami laughed, fluffing his Kaibaman costume gently. How long had it been since he was last able to wear the thing…? He would bet anything that the Kaibaman Duel Spirit was laughing at him right now.
"We're approaching the target." The pilot said stoically, not bothering to ask just why the teen behind him was wearing such a thing.
"Thanks, just bring it in close so I can make an entrance." Konami said, reattaching the helmet to his head.
"5…4…3…2…" the back hatch of the Blue Eyes White Jet opened, "1…Go!"
Konami jumped, his parachute opening as he disappeared into the Duel Stadium.
One thing was certain. The news would be good that morning.
And now…
-Chapter Twenty One-
Fortune
"Okay everyone, quiet down, quiet down." Wisteria muttered, waving everyone down as she stood in front of the television.
Enzo frowned, gazing at the two new faces. "Hm… so Konami invited more people this time… and one of them looks pretty familiar… hmm…."
The person in question chuckled, turning his head to the side to avoid looking directly at Enzo.
Konami laughed, "Guess Enzo doesn't recognize Mathew as "Rio"… heh."
"I said settle down everyone!" Wisteria scowled, stomping her foot angrily.
The room quieted, turning to look at the girl blandly.
"Good!" she smiled, folding her arms, "Now that it's nice and peaceful, the second official meeting of the Signer Observation Team can begin!"
"Signer… Observation Team?" Konami asked, raising a brow curiously.
"Yep!" Wisteria grinned, "It's what I decided to name this little club of ours! You know, because we're observing potential Signers and all?"
"That's all nice and good," Enzo cut in, "but SOT? Really? What does that even mean?!"
"Figures trash like you wouldn't understand," Wisteria sniffed, folding her arms haughtily, "Anyone want to take a guess?"
Alice raised her hand from beside Mathew, "Ooh ooh! I know!"
Wisteria smiled, bending down to look at the girl, "Oh? You care to take a guess then?"
"Mhm!" Alice grinned, "It's because when we're done! We would have "sought" information about these Signer people right?"
Wisteria clapped her hands together cheerfully, "Exactly! See monkey, even a child understands!"
"Aw man…" Enzo frowned, dropping his head as the group laughed.
"Anyway," Rathie murmured, "The Fortune Cup begins today… so are you sure you've got everything you need, Konami?"
"Yeah! You have to have a great deck if you're gonna go up with the best of em!" Alice smiled happily, "But do we need to worry? You beat bro after all!"
"Hehe… you're still talking about that huh…?" Mathew sweatdropped.
"Funny, but she has a point," Wisteria frowned, "are you sure you have a decent Deck, or are you going to be running around with those useless slacker Decks of yours?"
"I'm going to be-"
"You know," Rathie cut in, "I still have plenty of booster packs if you want to make a quick purchase."
"Don't bother," Enzo cut in, "I'll lend you a few of my cards if you let me borrow that Kaibaman series box set-"
"Guys! I have it under control." Konami shouted, quieting the room just as Alice opened her mouth to speak. "Really, I already know what I'm gonna use."
"Oh? Is that so…" Wisteria huffed, "very well! I expect you to woo me in each and every one of your Duels!"
"Yeah, yeah…" Konami sighed, pulling his red hat lower, "I'm already planning to do my best. I can't do much more than that."
The truth was he'd spent all night preparing his new Deck, well, as much of the night was left after his escapade as Kaibaman that was. The experience left him drained. Luckily, it was no chore to stay awake with someone as lively as Wisteria around him. The woman all but screamed awareness, and if there was one thing she could do, it was wake him up.
"Well then that's it isn't it?" Mathew asked, "If you have a Deck that's in working condition, then you just have to depend on it to pull you through, right?"
"That's not entirely true…" Alice corrected, "Even if he has a good Deck, Konami-bro has to make sure he can pull off its strategies, right Wis-nee?"
"Right again!" Wisteria laughed, "Your sister is really smart, huh Mathew?"
The boy laughed, "Yeah. Guess she got the good set of genes."
"Yeah, get her around a city kid and she's all smiles. Just wait till you see her real face!" Enzo frowned, "A-Anyway, care to tell us what's up with this Deck of yours Red Hat, or is it gonna be a surprise?"
"Nope, you can look." Konami shrugged, handing the boy his holster.
Enzo grinned, "Great! I bet it's gonna be something totally aweso- huh? H-Hey Konami, this deck only has one kind of-"
"I know that." Konami yawned, "It'll be fine."
"You sure?" the boy frowned, "It looks like you might have trouble with this kind of Deck."
"Hm?" Rathie asked, peeking over Enzo's shoulder to take a look, "Oh I see. I think it'd suit him nicely. No Synchros though, that might come back to hurt you a bit."
"Yeah, there are a few other issues but I think the Spells and Traps balance out the losses." Konami decided, "Here Enzo, let some of the others look at it."
The teen nodded, shuffling the Deck back together gently before handing it off to Mathew and Alice.
"Whoa… look at the Traps!" Alice drooled, "They're so… trappy!"
"I don't think that's a word." Mathew replied gently, "Well, I'm not sure what you want me to say. I guess it could work, but I'm not really skilled with Deck-building. Alice was the one who helped me build mine, and you saw how that was."
"Amazing?" Konami thought, watching them hand it off to Wisteria.
The girl took it silently, raising a brow at Konami once she saw what was inside.
"This is it…" the boy thought, "whether or not I'll have to go back to the drawing board in order to shut her up…."
Everyone watched with bated breath, as the girl's facial expressions went through several changes. Frustration, anger, hilarity, fury, amusement, denial, acceptance, they were certain they saw several of them multiple times, but finally, the girl seemed to settle with some kind of stony look.
"Well?" Konami asked, when the girl said nothing for several minutes.
"Well what?" Wisteria asked, "It's your Deck, I trust you know how to use it."
Konami laughed, "Yeah, don't worry, I have that under control."
"Then why are you asking us for advice?" the girl frowned, "It sounds like you already know what you want to do."
"Yeah," Konami nodded solemnly, reclaiming his Deck as he made to stand. "I'm going to the Fortune Cup." He walked towards the door, stepping outside in the morning light, "Coming?"
Wisteria clapped her hands together happily, "As if you needed to ask! Of course we are Kon-kun! I want you to woo me with all your new strategies…." She placed a hand on her cheek, "And… maybe then…" she blushed.
"Okay..." Konami sweatdropped, "How about you, Mathew, Enzo?"
"Well, Alice and I were going anyway," Mathew admitted, earning a bubbly nod from Alice, "so the only real difference is that we'll have people to sit with."
"Great, and since Rathie can sell booster packs he'll obviously be coming… so that's everyone!" Konami grinned happily, "The… what was it again? Oh, right! It's time for the Signer Observation Team to move out!"
-5D's-
The crowd was to be expected.
Luckily, Goodwin had allowed for easy access to those competing in his special tournament, having made their invitations to the event a "VIP" pass to skip the masses.
Konami laughed at Enzo's face when they had first arrived. In fact, most of his little Observation Team looked less than happy with the entrance line, and their moods certainly didn't improve when they learned he could bypass it with his invite.
Wisteria had even tried to trade him for it.
Still, he was inside now, and that was what mattered. A guard had been ready to greet him the moment he entered, correctly identifying him before making way towards the Waiting Room where the other contestants would be waiting.
He idly wondered how many would be present. It was still rather early after all, and Goodwin didn't plan to start the event for several hours. He doubted he'd be the first person inside but…
"We have arrived," the guard spoke, turning his back to the door to regard Konami, "Invitation please?"
Konami nodded, reaching into his back pocket and retrieving Goodwin's letter.
"Ah… there it is…" the guard smiled, turning around and sliding the invite through a small metallic plate.
A red light emerged from the door for several seconds, scanning the material the invite was made for before turning a sickly green.
The lock clicked.
"You are now cleared to enter the Duelist Waiting Room," the guard explained, "also… I have a lot of money riding on you making it to the Finals, so try not to muck it up, alright?"
Konami was surprised, but he tried not to show it. People had started making bets already? No doubt Enzo would try to get in on the action.
"Er… right," he said finally, "I'll try not to let you down."
"Good, now then…" the guard coughed, "I need to head back and look out for any other entrants. The Waiting Room is right through this door, good day."
He walked off briskly, leaving Konami to his thoughts. Idly, the boy turned back to face the door, gripping the handle tightly.
"Well, here I go…" he thought, opening the door and stepping inside.
For a mere Waiting Room, it was rather… nice. As he glanced around, Konami supposed that Goodwin wanted the Duelists to feel as comfortable as possible before making their way out to what could be a humiliating defeat. Despite that, the atmosphere of the room seemed rather tense, despite the fact that no one seemed to be there yet.
"Am I the first person…?" he asked himself aloud, taking several steps further into the room.
"I'm afraid not," a voice replied from the side room, cutting itself off mid-sentence, "oh, it's you."
Konami blinked curiously, turning his face to regard the voice, "Oh. Hello Akiza. You look rather, Victorian today."
It was true.
For once there was no mask, and the billowing cloak the girl seemed to love was nowhere to be seen. Instead, she was dressed in a low-cut corset with puffy light sleeves, draped by what Konami could only assume to be a modified coat that fell beneath her waist.
"What I wear is no concern of yours." Akiza frowned, folding her arms as she leaned against the wall.
"True," Konami agreed, "but it does look better than that hideous mask you were wearing the last two or three times we've met." He raised a brow at the girl curiously, "Speaking of, is there a reason you're being so… civil? The last time we were this close you took to assailing me with that Black Rose Dragon of yours."
"Make no mistake," Akiza began, "the moment our Duel begins I will show no mercy, but the Fortune Cup is not to be used as my personal plaything. The Arcadia Movement has much riding on my success, so I cannot afford to act… unsavory, I believe the word was."
"Unsavory… huh…?" Konami frowned, "Speaking of unsavory individuals Akiza, what do you know of Goodwin?"
"Goodwin?" the woman asked, frowning at having to maintain discussion with her foe, "Divine always warned me to be weary of the man… why?"
"So Divine probably knew about Goodwin as well then…" Konami thought briefly, turning back to regard the Arcadia Movement's poster girl, "Odds are that if you're in this tournament, he knows about your little… condition." He said, making a dramatic reach for his forearm.
Akiza's eyes widened ever so slightly before narrowing into slits. "And what does that have to do with anything?"
"I'm sure a smart girl like you will figure it out…" Konami shrugged, "once some of the other competitors arrive that is."
Akiza scowled.
So Goodwin had his own plans did he…? In the end, the Arcadia Movement would be the one to stand tall!
"Very well…" she decided after a moment of silence, "I shall think on this. Thank you for the… information." She ground out.
Konami smirked inwardly, it was obvious that it must have pained the girl much to be civil with him. He leaned back, sliding into a couch as she disappeared down a hallway. Mentally, he scratched her name off the list.
"One Signer warned… three to go." he thought.
Outside, Enzo watched as two more individuals made their way inside.
"Darn it… why couldn't I have one of those fancy passes…?" he frowned, folding his arms impatiently.
"Because," Wisteria huffed, "you couldn't even make it through the first round of a tournament! What good would sending you into the Fortune Cup do?"
"More than sending you in would," Enzo suggested, earning a boot to the face for his brave words.
"You should be more mindful of your words, monkey." Wisteria frowned, stepping over him as the line moved forward.
"O-Ow…" Enzo groaned, mumbling disturbing words beneath his breath as Rathie moved to lift him up.
"Enzo-trash is funny, huh Mathew-bro?" Alice asked, earning a small snort from her brother.
Enzo scowled, "Oh come on! The kid too?!"
In their laughter, the group never saw a third group of competitors enter the arena.
An hour had passed before Konami knew it, and many of the contestants had already arrived. He glanced around the room, taking in the appearance of those around him. He recognized several as those he had once taken for Signers, but dismissed once he'd been able to converse with the rest of his team. His eyes narrowed slightly, wondering if Goodwin had sent any Duelists of his own in. He didn't seem the kind of man to put all his chips in one bag after all.
He frowned, watching the door open once more as a mop of green hair entered the room, closely followed by a crab-shaped hairdo.
"Yusei… finally." Konami thought, turning to look at the green-haired child, "and… is that Leo? Why's he dressed up like-? Ohhh I see. Guess I'll play along for now then, no need to get him in trouble."
Rising to stand on his own two feet, he walked towards the two, holding out a hand to greet them. "Yusei, "Luna"." He greeted, nodding once to them both."
Yusei smiled at the tone. So he knew too then? "Hey, Konami, good to see you up and moving…. I wasn't able to help you out the last time we were in contact…"
"Yeah!" "Luna" shouted, "I-I mean," he coughed, "you were pretty beat up… how're you up and moving already?"
"I got better," Konami shrugged, waving off the "girl's" concerns, "Anyway, that's not the point. Yusei, Goodwin's on to you. This tournament is just a farce to find those with marks like yours."
"I see…" Yusei murmured, "So that's why he was so insistent…"
"Huh?" "Luna" blinked in surprise, "So Goodwin's looking for those marker people?!"
"Yeah, so keep it down would ya?" Konami scolded, glancing around the room, "You never know who might be listening."
"Well… it makes sense." Yusei mumbled, joining the conversation, "He went through a lot of effort just to get me here."
"Let me guess," Konami smiled dryly, "blackmail?"
"Yeah, how'd you know?"
"He pulled the same thing with me." Konami admitted, "Says he'll mess with people's lives if I don't Duel in this tournament… you know, basic evil villain talk."
"Well, thanks for the information." Yusei nodded, "I'll be sure to keep an eye out for any of Goodwin's tricks."
"This Goodwin guy sounds like he'll be trying to mess with Luna!" "Luna" thought, "I'll have to do my best to protect her!"
The door opened once more and a bland Security entered the room, taking in the sight of all those invited to the Fortune Cup.
"Ahem…" he began, drawing everyone's attention as he glanced towards the ceiling. "Director Goodwin wished for me to inform you that the opening ceremony will be starting shortly. Please finish any last minute preparations and head to the Stadium floor."
The group stared at the man, watching him go.
"Well, it's about time." A silky man spoke smoothly, adjusting his suit. "I was wondering how long I'd be forced to stand around waiting."
"Professor Frank…" Konami thought, watching the man silently, "He didn't really stand out at all amongst the files… odds are he just got lucky, or pulled a favor from Goodwin."
Beside the man, a larger, muscled figure said nothing, disappearing into the halls toward the Stadium floor. His unusual reaction didn't garner much attention, but Konami made not of it none the less. "Greiger… the file said he had a pretty life too… I might want to watch him for signs of being a Signer…."
Turning, Konami briefly locked eyes with a man dressed as a knight, sweatdropping when he realized just how thorough the man had been. "Well… if the Signers are known for being eccentric, I might have to look out for this guy. The other two don't look all that great, and I've already assumed that Yusei and "Luna" are Signers… despite Leo's disguise. Can only be sure of Yusei though… well, and Akiza, but she hasn't been around…."
"Yes! Finally, after this ceremony the Duels will begin and I'll be able to show my stuff!" "Luna" grinned, pumping her fists energetically, "Hey, hey Yusei! Be sure to meet me in the Finals alright? I wanna rematch from that one time!"
Yusei smiled lightly, "Alright. But you'll have to make sure you get there first."
"No problem! These guys will go down without a sweat! Er…" "Luna" glanced at Konami and frowned, "Promise!"
Yusei laughed, turning his back to the boy as he followed the rest of the group down the hall, "Alright, I'll have to take your word for it. But in the meantime, get rid of the makeup."
"Luna" glanced at himself in the mirror and frowned. Thinking back, Yusei was right! Luna didn't wear makeup at her age! He blushed, scrubbing his face heavily with his girlish clothes, attempting to scrub the stuff off. He had to look good if he was gonna fake it!
-5D's-
"Neo Domino can only have one King!" a voice thought to itself, staring at the circling road in front of it, "Neo Domino only needs one King!"
The voice trailed off as it revved its Duel Runner, the front wheel lifting from the earth to gain cheers from the crowd.
"I am that King!" "Synchro Summon! Red Dragon Archfiend!" Jack Atlas roared, slamming the card down on his Duel Disk.
The demonic dragon roared as it took flight, following Jack's stolen Duel Runner aggressively as he worked to entertain the crowd.
"Wow!" the MC roared, "Look at him go! There he is ladies and gentlemen, Jack Atlas! The King of Neo Domino!"
The crowd roared in approval at the man's appearance, watching him circle and loop the Turbo Duel Arena with ease.
"Hmph, time for some entertainment!" the man thought, removing a hand from the wheel to throw his fist into the air as only a King would.
The crowd cheered further.
Making one final lap of the road, Jack suddenly skidded into the Standing Arena, making a beeline for the center of the stage. Revving his engine, Jack drove up the stairs, leaping onto the center stage and skidding to a halt just as Red Dragon Archfiend kneeled behind him.
The crowd ate it up.
"Ladies and Gentlemen!" the MC shouted one last time, "Our King!"
"Atlas, Atlas, he's our man! If he can't do it, no one can!" the cheerleaders, well, cheered, dancing provocatively for the audience.
In the crowd, Enzo drooled. Oh how long he had waited to see their dancing… Wisteria scowled, reeling away from the boy as she watched the growing puddle beneath his feet.
"Disgusting…!" she thought, wrinkling her nose as she turned back to the Arena, "But I don't care about Atlas! I want to see Kon-kun!"
"And now…" the MC continued, "It's time to introduce our Duelists!"
The door beneath the center stage opened, and one by one the Duelists stepped out, forming a perfect line just beneath where Jack stood.
"Jack…" Yusei began.
"Eyes front Yusei! We'll talk when it's time to Duel!" the King said simply, never glancing at his former friend.
"Up first, we have the beautiful but deadly Akiza Izinski!" the MC announced, waving his hand towards the sole woman of the tournament, despite the crowd thinking otherwise. "This lovely lady is known all throughout Neo Domino as the mythical Black Rose! Will her thorns prick their way into the Throne of Neo Domino? I guess we'll find out!"
The crowd murmured softly, not knowing what to make of the girl. She was the Black Rose? Impossible, she didn't look dangerous at all!
Wisteria scowled, "So she's the one who put him in the hospital! Harlot!"
"Next," the MC continued, "We have Gill Randsborg! This Knight has entered for chivalrous reasons no doubt, and he'll be fighting his way to the top to promote himself to the title of King!"
The man raised an arm gently, his armor clinking as he moved.
"Weirdo… then again, Kaibaman does the same things…" Enzo thought briefly.
"Beside him is the respectable Professor Frank, not much is known about this man, but he's a Professor, what harm can he do?!"
The man smirked gently, "Quite a bit." He thought, waving to the audience.
"He's a Professor?" Wisteria asked the rest of the group curiously, "I don't remember seeing him teaching at the academy."
"And then, there's the stoic, powerful Greiger! Coming from a ruined home, he hopes that by winning the Fortune Cup he'll be able to relieve the land with financial assistance!"
The man narrowed his eyes slightly, but said nothing.
"Aheh…" Mathew smiled, "He looks pretty tough… wonder if Konami will be able to handle him."
"Well, he might get lucky and not have to Duel him," Wisteria suggested, "but if he did, I have no doubt that Konami will make it an excellent show! Ohohohohohoho!"
"Wahahahahahaha!" Alice mimicked.
"M-Moving on," the MC gulped, seeing Greiger's look, "we have our winner of the Invitation Cup, "Red Hat" Konami! This promising Duelist won an invitation to compete with the best of the best! How long will he last amongst the greatest Duelists of Neo Domino?"
"There he is," Enzo pointed, staring at his neighborly friend, "wonder if he's nervous."
"I don't' think so," Rathie shrugged, "he said he'd be fine after all."
"Next is the mysterious Shira! This Duelist was invited by Director Goodwin himself, and it's said that those who Duel him never Duel again out of fear! What secrets lie behind his hood?!"
"N-Never Duel again?" Enzo shivered, "Who's he? I don't remember seeing him on the list."
"That's like, because he wasn't!" Wisteria scoffed, "Really worm, at least try to pay more attention!"
"H-Hey!"
"Beside him is the wonderful child Luna!" the MC grinned, "She's young, but she can hold her own out there with the best of them! Let's hope she doesn't get cold feet standing next to such a dreary fellow eh?!"
"Luna" grinned, jumping up and down in excitement as her "twin" in the audience scowled.
"That moron! I don't act like that at all!" Luna thought, hiding in the folds of her yellow hoodie.
"And last but not least, Yusei Fudo!" the MC shouted, "This guy is from… Satellite?"
The crowd gasped. What was a Satellite doing in the Fortune Cup, and with a marker no less! Murmurs began to spread amongst the crowd.
"That guy… do you think he stole an invitation?"
"He does look pretty sinister… with that marker of his." Another member of the audience scowled.
Yusei closed his eyes, hearing the jeers of the crowd grow louder. "Is this it…?"
"Huh…? Yusei?" "Luna" asked with a frown, "Is something wrong?"
"That's enough." Greiger commented, snatching the microphone from the MC, "Regardless of who this guy is or how he got here, he's a Duelist like the rest of us, selected under the same conditions that got the rest of us here!" he turned to his fellow contestants, "As long as you have cards, marker or not, we're all the same. No one here should be ashamed of anything!"
The crowd settled down. What was there to say? No one wanted to draw the ire of that muscled man.
Slowly, a soft sound of clapping made its way through the arena. Director Goodwin appeared from his private elevator, coming to stand amongst the contestants. "I couldn't have said it better myself. Everyone here is equal, and I assure you that none have stolen their invitation." He told the crowd, "Now, let's give a round of applause to our friend here for reminding us of the values of equality!"
The crowd looked to Greiger and reluctantly began to clap.
After several moments of clapping, Goodwin turned back to the MC, "Now, continue with the ceremony please? I'd like to get this underway."
"O-Of course Mr. Director!" the MC gulped, taking back the microphone, "We'll know be showing you who will pair with who for the first round!"
Above them, a large screen lit up, randomizing the names of the competitors involved.
Slowly, names began to appear one by one, revealing the layout of the Tournament.
Luna vs. Greiger
Yusei vs. Shira
Akiza vs. Randsborg
Frank vs. Konami
The Duelists all turned quickly, gazing upon their opponents. The Matches were set. All that was left…
…was the Duel.
-Chapter Twenty One-
End
And the Fortune Cup begins! Konami's first Duel will be against none other than Professor Frank! Will he be able to withstand the man's lectures to pull out a win? Find out, next time, on Yu-Gi-Oh: Tag Force!
Memory Fragment 38
"Morning, Konami!" an accent called to him from above his bed.
Konami leapt up, his eyes bulging as he turned to stare at the nuisance of the day. How was it that everyone managed to get into his dorm room?!
"Huh? Oh it's you Hassleberry," Konami sighed in relief, "I thought it might be someone troublesome… like Chazz."
"Ha! Not this time, but listen! Today I heard an interesting rumor!" the Ra Yellow grinned.
"Huh? What?"
"It appears there's a legendary card lying around this island somewhere!"
"Legendary…?" Konami asked curiously, "Like Egyptian God legendary or what?"
"Well, it won't be on par with those gods… but that's not why I want it see!" Hassleberry grinned, "It's a Dino card!"
Konami facepalmed, "Oh… of course it is."
"Oh come on Konami!" Hassleberry frowned, "Let's go find this legendary dino card together! If we find it, my Deck will become even stronger!"
"Yeah, yeah, fine." Konami sighed, "Just let me get dressed."
"Alright, yeah!" Hassleberry nodded, "I'll wait outside! When you're done, we can go ask someone for info on the rumor!"
As always, it hadn't taken long for Konami to prepare. He threw on his Slifer Red uniform and grabbed his wonderful Red Hat, tipping it down as he closed the door to his Dorm.
"Where are we going?" he had asked Hassleberry.
"Where else?" Hassleberry asked, "The Classroom of course! There's a female student I know who might be able to help us out."
"Female?" Konami asked, "Wonder who it is you're talking about…"
They entered the classroom quietly, walking down to the aforementioned meeting place. As expected, the girl had the decency to come, but looked less than comfortable standing there with the two of them. Konami privately thought that it was due to her overbearing friend beside her, but he couldn't be sure.
"Did you come to talk to Andrea?" the girl beside her asked, folding her hips authoritatively.
Hassleberry nodded, "Yeah. I thought she might know something since we both use Dinosaur cards and all."
"Hmph…" the girl wrinkled her nose, "And? What about it Andrea? Know anything?"
"Well…" the girl frowned, "Um… Legendary… something? I dunno… Sorry…."
"Oh…" Hassleberry frowned, "Well, if you do find out anything, please let me know! By the way, which Dino do you like best? Me, I like Theropods!"
Konami blinked. Theropods? What the hell where those?
Andrea's friend blinked. "Hm. Andrea, I think I remember you saying you like Sauropods. You're always talking about them."
Konami's eyes widened, "The hell are those?!"
Suddenly, he felt out of place.
Andrea frowned, "Uh… Well…."
"Heh," Hassleberry grinned, "Sauropods are alright too! But I do love my Theropods!"
Andrea's friend frowned, "Uh, do you really know anything about Dinosaurs? Andrea's related knowledge and Deck is amazing!"
Andrea coughed, "Well… I… Dinosaurs…."
Hassleberry frowned, "I could ask you the same! Do you know anything about Dinos?!"
Andrea's friend shrugged, "Well how about your Deck? Just knowing about dinosaurs isn't much you know."
"Hey, my Deck is full of Dinos! If you're gonna be this way…" Hassleberry frowned, "Guess I have no choice but to Duel you!"
"Finally! Something I do know about!" Konami sighed in relief. He was really starting to feel a bit like a third wheel.
"Ha!" Andrea's friend laughed haughtily, "Like Andrea's Deck will lose to yours!" she turned to her shy friend, "Come on Andrea! Show him your Dinosaurs!"
"Well…" Andrea frowned, "The… Dinosaurs…"
"C'mon Konami!" Hassleberry scowled, "Let's show these weirdoes what Dino Power really is!"
"Well…" Konami chuckled, "I don't know about Dinos… but if it's a Duel you want, count me in!"
END