(A/N: If it feels like I'm rushing through this chapter, chances are I am. This duel is overshadowed by both the duel before it and after it, but it has to be done. Let's go!)
Although there was still one entire duel before it was time for Chiaki's turn, Mikan wanted to see if there was any sort of progress to the Ultimate Gamer's recovery.
"If it's painful, you can just get back in bed," Mikan told her. "I'll be right here if you fall."
Chiaki nodded and put her left foot on the ground and then slowly put down her right foot. Standing felt…well it felt odd. Her right leg certainly felt a bit strained, but more like someone was just clenching it tightly with sharp nails and less agonizing pain.
"I can stand," Chiaki said. She wasn't losing her balance and didn't feel wobbly in the knees either.
"Try walking," Mikan encouraged.
Chiaki took a step and then another and then another. Each step felt odd, but her balance was good and as long as she was slow about it, she could walk without her leg seething with pain.
"I think I'm good, at least for now."
"Well the anesthetic in your leg is likely the cause. I'll give you another dose in about an hour, but for now you should at least be able to walk around. Ah, but first, I'm going to have to ask you to get back in bed briefly. I want to see your wounds one more time and then maybe we can actually join the others?"
"Sure," Chiaki said. She got back on the bed and popped out her Game Girl, Mikan taking a pair of scissors to cut off Chiaki's tightly wrapped bandages. She looked at Chiaki's wounds.
"Hmm," she said, examining them. "I'm going to have to leave the stitches in here for at least a week. The scar tissue hasn't begun to fully form yet. You definitely can't put any unnecessary strain on your leg though, no heavy lifting and no running. You might even want to use one crutch while walking up the stairs for support, or just lean against the banister."
Chiaki put her game down. "What about that limp you said I was in danger of getting?"
Mikan smiled. "That danger seems to have completely passed. Your injuries have stopped bleeding due to the anesthetic so it's likely any nerve damage is in the process of repairing itself. Um," Mikan looked nervous. "I will have to put you under a powerful anesthetic when it's time to take your stitches out, since there are a few I had to put inside your body given the severity of your wounds." She smiled. "Fortunately, Hope's Peak has all sorts of technology so that shouldn't be a problem."
"That's a relief," Chiaki said with a smile.
"Oh, but you should still be really careful. If you bang your leg or anything like that, you should come see me immediately. We can't risk you hurting yourself permanently due to being a bit clumsy or inattentive."
"I'll keep it in mind," Chiaki said.
"Oh, and until the stitches come out, you should only use liquid soap to avoid unnecessary scrubbing when you shower. The coarseness of a solid soap bar could pull open your wounds by accident. They're that sensitive."
"Ah, yeah, thanks for the warning," Chiaki said, trying not to think on the matter.
"Right, last thing then," Mikan said and darted for the medicine cabinet. "Once we're done with the tournament, you'll need to take these painkillers once every eight hours or three times a day with meals. Two capsules. You swallow them with water."
"What for?"
"Well, pain relief of course," Mikan said with a smile. "I called an upperclassman I know kind of well back at school. She's the school's Ultimate Pharmacist. She recommended them. She said it would be best to finish the whole bottle. It's to help with the healing process. Um," Mikan looked worried, "They do have a side effect of drowsiness, especially more than most, but since it's you, I thought…"
"Then they're perfect," Chiaki said with a smile and a chuckle. "Thank you." She graciously accepted the painkillers and put them in her kitty shoulder bag. "So, what now?"
"Well, I'm just going to disinfect your leg again and give you new bandages and then we can actually go to the main hall to get food."
Chiaki's stomach grumbled. "Good timing," she chuckled.
Meanwhile, Hajime was busy checking on his deck, though mostly just his fusions and fusion material monsters. He'd collected a lot over the years and he wanted to make sure his deck was optimized for the battles ahead. Obviously Great Mammoth of Goldfine wasn't going to cut it against someone like Kaiba given how weak its fusion material monsters were.
While he was arranging his deck, there was a knock on the door. Quickly as he could, Hajime swept up the cards from his deck and then placed the entire thing face-down. It was a little trick a friend in middle school taught him to prevent people from seeing what cards you had.
Hajime walked over and pressed the button on side of the doorway to see who it was. He was shocked to see Chiaki standing in front of the door, without crutches to boot. She also had a plate of food.
"Ch-chiaki!" Hajime exclaimed. "You…what are you…?"
"Mikan said I was comfortable to walk around so I went and got food from the main hall."
"U-um, Chiaki had me bring a plate for you as well," Mikan said, holding up a plate full of food with her right arm. "I-I promise I didn't drop it."
Hajime sighed and smiled. "Why don't you two come inside?" He said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder.
"R-really? Me too?"
"Of course," Hajime said. "I want to hear all about Chiaki's progress report."
"Th-thank you," Mikan exclaimed. "That's so nice of you."
After shuffling into Hajime's suite—and after a bit more awkwardness of letting Mikan know yes she was allowed to sit at the same table as Hajime and Chiaki and yes within arm's reach—Chiaki, Mikan and Hajime sat down to discuss both Chiaki's progress and the rest of the first round.
"That's great about your leg, Chiaki. I'm really relieved."
"Me too. But even if I had gotten a limp for the rest of my life, the fact that I was able to save you, makes it worth it," Chiaki said with a smile. "Of course, I wouldn't be here if it weren't for Mikan," she said, doing her best to include Mikan in the conversation. The nurse just laughed and smiled.
Chiaki then noticed Hajime's deck on the table. "Why's your deck out?"
"I was in the middle of modifying it," Hajime said. "I'm either going to be up against you next round or Espa Roba or Kaiba this round. I've gotta be at my best if I want to stand any chance."
Chiaki laughed happily. "You'll be fine. just remember to have fun, no matter what."
Hajime nodded. "Yeah, I know, but even then," he said, looking nervous, "I'd rather not duel you or Kaiba in the first round so that only leaves Espa, but..."
"But even then it won't be easy, right?" Chiaki asked, finishing his sentence. "He's a renown psychic duelist. Out of your options, your easiest opponent..." Chiaki said, thinking about it and then said serious. "might actually be me."
I don't buy that for a second! Hajime exclaimed loudly inside his head.
"Well, do your best," Chiaki said, polishing off her plate. "You came this far. There's no shame win or lose."
"Yeah, but…I'd like to win," Hajime said firmly.
"Heh, don't we all," Chiaki said with a smile.
"No, what I mean is—"
Hajime began to explain, but was cut off by Roland's voice over the intercom. "All duelists, please report to the main hall. The next duel is ready to begin."
Hajime took a deep breath. "I'll tell you what I was going to say…if I lose this round."
"Why only if you lose?" Chiaki asked.
"You'll understand if I tell you," Hajime told her.
"Okay," Chiaki said, putting up no further argument.
"U-um, H-Hajime," Mikan said.
"Hmm?"
"U-um, if you do end up against Espa Roba this round, um," Mikan said as she looked like a nervous wreck, "I'll be rooting for you!"
Why only if I duel Espa? Hajime wondered. He figured it best not to think on it too hard. He had one more bite to eat and then he, Mikan and Chiaki all headed for the main hall.
Kaiba was the first to notice when Chiaki strolled in. "Oh, Nanami. Feeling better?"
"I can duel, if that's what you're asking," she replied. "I just can't do any heavy lifting, or run."
"Well then," Kaiba said and flung a ball with the number 11 on it at Roland. "No sense in waiting till the last round if you're good enough now."
Espa and Hajime both looked incredibly tense as Roland put Chiaki's ball into the lottery. Their chances of surviving this round just got a bit trickier.
Hajime had even more reason to worry when Roland announced, "The next duelist has been selected: Number 10, Hajime Hinata."
"Me, huh?" Hajime said calmly, feeling incredibly nervous, but doing his best not to show it.
It didn't take long before Roland rolled out the next number. "This match has been decided. This duel will be between Duelist Number 10, Hajime Hinata and Duelist Number 15, Espa Roba!"
So adding Chiaki didn't even matter, Espa thought. I thought it wouldn't. Her and Kaiba…it always seemed to me like a prospective duel.
"That means the final round will be between you and me, Kaiba."
"Looking forward to it," Kaiba said with his usual cold stare. "But first it looks like it's your friend's turn and I'm actually quite curious to see how this plays out." If Hinata is even half the duelist I think he is, Roba should be just a bump in the road for him.
"So, you're to be my opponent," Espa said and approached Hajime, offering a handshake, "May the best duelist win, Hajime."
"Yeah, you too, Espa," Hajime said, towering over Espa by several inches.
The two shook hands.
"Esper," Gundham said. "Are you ready to show me what you've learned?"
"I am," Espa said. "And there were some shops open like you said there might be. I have completely reinvented myself from the ground up, Gundham. When you left me, I was but a broken man, but now I am a true psychic duelist!"
"Then this should be interesting," Gundham said with a smirk.
"Participating duelists please follow me. The rest of you can go up to the viewing deck via the main elevator," Roland said.
"Any last minute tips?" Hajime asked as he passed by Chiaki.
"He's a machine user, but if he's reinvented himself you might be in a surprise. Play close to hand and don't make any big plays unless you're sure of yourself or can afford to be setback."
"Okay," Hajime said and walked past Chiaki.
"Oh and most importantly," she called out to him.
Hajime turned to face her, halting his pace. "Hmm?"
"Remember to have fun," Chiaki smiled.
"Yeah," Hajime nodded. He then followed Espa and Roland towards the contestant's elevator.
"You can do it, big brother!" Clarence shouted.
"We believe in you!" Ness added.
Espa smirked as he continued to match Roland's pace. He and Hajime were led into the elevator and, while it was going up, he asked Hajime, "Nervous?"
"Yeah," Hajime nodded. "You?"
Espa nodded. "I honestly never thought I'd get this far after I lost to Gundham. Shows you what hard determination and a bit of self-analysis can do."
"I know the feeling," Hajime said. "I actually didn't think I'd win any duels in this tournament. I kind of surprised myself."
"Life is but a game and we have no choice, but to play it," Espa remarked.
Hajime grunted in agreement. "So, why'd you sign up to join Battle City?" he asked Espa.
"For my little brothers," Espa answered. "They're always getting picked on by bullies. But bullies respect and fear power. As long as I was a strong duelist, I could shut them up with my cards. Just by making it this far, I'll have shown my entire neighborhood that the Roba family isn't to be trifled with!" he declared. "What about you?"
"Me?" Hajime responded, taken a bit off-guard. "Well, my reasons hardly compare to yours. I'm kind of here because of Chiaki. She believed in me and said I can do this and, well," he said looking a bit embarrassed, "Here I am."
"That's it?" Espa asked, dumbfounded.
"I said it wasn't as good as yours," Hajime admitted. "I mean, Chiaki got a personal invite from Kaiba because they know each other and then when she found out about the AI Kaiba was using to pull in more duelists, she told me I should try it. I humored her…I got an 8."
"Impressive," Espa said. "I was already pre-screened for approval, but I don't look down on those who had to fight their way in. After all, I'm always fighting."
"Yeah, but believe me, I completely thought it was a fluke. Even now, none of this seems real. But if this is some sort of strange dream, I don't want to wake up."
"Oh trust me, this is reality. My victory over you will be the harsh, icy slap you need to realize that."
"Heh, trash talking now?" Hajime chuckled. "Well, bring it," he said, giving Espa a determined stare, fist clenched. "I'm not going to hold anything back."
"Neither am I," Espa said.
And at this, the elevator finished its climb and the two stepped out into the arena. It was Espa who walked over to the side further from the elevator.
The audience assembled none soon after that and Chiaki stood with all of her classmates. Come on, Hajime, she thought.
"Woo yeah! Go, Hajime!" Ibuki cheered.
Espa, Clarence thought, Ness and the others standing near him.
"Duelists, please activate your duel disks," Roland instructed.
"And, begin!" Roland declared.
"Let's duel!" Hajime and Espa declared simultaneously.
"The stars above say that I should go first," Espa said. "I draw!" Eyes closed deliberately, he plucked a card from his hand. "I summon to the field Jinzo Prototype in attack position!"
A monster in silver armor, similar to Jinzos, but with a pale, ice blue cranium and a much smaller build appeared. It also did not have Jinzo's fashionable robe. It had 1600 attack and 200 defense points.
"As this is only the prototype of Jinzo," Espa explained. "It can negate the activation of a single trap card per turn. And with that," He slapped a card into his spell/trap zone. "I place a card face-down and end my turn."
"My turn," Hajime said and drew the top card of his deck. "Draw!" He looked at his opening hand. He immediately noticed how both Blackland Fire Dragon and Horn of the Unicorn were in it. He thought about going straight for it, but froze when he pinched the cards.
First, he remembered how that backfired horribly against Eliza in his last duel and then, he remembered Chiaki's advice.
"Play close to hand and don't make any big plays unless you're sure of yourself or can afford to be setback."
In that case, Hajime thought. "I play Giant Soldier of Stone in defense position!" he declared. "And…" he looked at the rest of his hand. "I'll end my turn."
"How disappointingly predictable," Espa said. "Draw. I play this card, the magnificent Jinzo #3!" A red colored Jinzo appeared. It had 1900 attack points, but only 500 defense points. Its cyber flesh was standard like the regular Jinzo and unlike the prototype.
"Jinzo number three disables the effects of all equip type magic cards on the field and destroys them."
Hajime swallowed. Boy was he lucky. He almost walked right into that.
"But since I can't destroy your Giant Soldier of Stone, I'll end my turn," Espa said. "Choose your next move carefully, Hajime Hinata," he said with a smirk, "But no matter what you try, it'll be useless. I have already predicted that your next move will end in failure!"
Don't be so sure about that, Hajime thought. "I draw!" Hajime had drawn a Quick Attack spell card. Save that for later, he thought. "Time to take to the offense! I summon Battle Ox!" The snorting, bull-like beast-warrior appeared with 1700 attack points and 1000 defense points. "And I'll use him to destroy Jinzo Prototype!"
Battle Ox is one of the few monsters I have I can afford to give up. If Espa's trap triggers, I still have some good defense, but if it doesn't…well…we'll see what happens.
However, Espa let the attack go through and Battle Ox cleaved Jinzo prototype in half at the chest plate and hacked the monster's arm off.
Espa's life points fell to 3900.
"I set one card on the field," Hajime said. "My turn is over."
You can do it, Hajime. Just keep making smart plays like that and don't let up. I believe in you, Chiaki thought.
With the night droning on into the wee hours of the morning now, a few duelists were shuffling into bars and pubs to watch what remained of the tournament. Among them was the notorious Bandit Keith who, after trolling a bunch of tournament disqualified newbies for some cards to make himself feel better, stopped into his favorite bar on the far southeast side of Domino City.
The place was an absolute gutter hole with creaky, stained floorboards, dim lighting and appetizers that, while edible, would never be making a cult splash to help pay off this place's bills. Still, it was a comfort for the Intercontinental champ. This was his favorite bar in Domino. After all, at this hour, the alcohol was sublime, cigarettes were cheap and the bar was run by a hot MILF: Shiori Hinata. She was a sweet woman in her early 40s with light brown, shoulder length hair that looked like her finger had been in an electric socket too long. She had wide, olive green eyes that went well with her ample bosom, wide hips and an Osakan accent. She was the sole reason Keith kept coming to this place, even if she was happily married with a son of her own. That didn't stop Keith's imagination from running wild however.
Keith walked into the bar, the little bell on the door ringing as he stepped in.
"What'll it be, Howard?" Shiori asked, tending bar, recognizing Bandit Keith Howard by his bandana.
"Oh you know, the usual, a pack of cigs and a pair of cold ones," he said, tossing a 10,000 yen bill on the counter. "Keep the change."
Shiori swiped the 10,000 bill off the counter and pocketed it. "Coming right up," she said, grabbing some beers out of the fridge below the bar counter and turning around to the cigarette shelf. "What brand?"
"Doesn't matter," Keith responded. Shiori tossed Keith a pack of cigs over her shoulder and he caught them and picked up the beers she'd placed on the counter. He then waltzed over to the circular table where he spent the night wasting away and having the occasional late night duel for some extra cash.
However, Keith was far more interested in the tournament tonight, which was playing overhead on the monitor next to the table. He gazed up at the TV and saw a young man in a white t-shirt and tie. However, as Keith inhaled his first puff from the cigarette, he noticed that the young boy on the stream had the same hair color and eye color as Shiori and that stubborn cowlick looked very familiar.
"Huh," Keith mumbled. "Yo! Shiori! Ain't that your boy?"
"My…boy?" Shiori asked, confused. She wasn't sure what Keith meant at first, thinking he was referring to some celebrity half her age that she was fond of. But, what concert was going on at this hour. She walked towards Keith with an empty tray, figuring she'd start collecting empty glasses and bottles while she was out from the bar, "Howard, I haven't the faintest idea what you're..." As Shiori neared the TV, she saw the duel playing out on the screen in real-time, watching Giant Soldier of Stone be set to the field and the visage of the duelist who summoned it. "Eh?" Shiori took one look at those determined olive orbs and that cowlicked, spiky browned hair and just exclaimed loudly. "EHHHHHHH? Kaori! Kaori! Come here! Look!" Shiori began waving over her coworker. A woman long black hair, a rising sun headband, an eye-patch over her right eye, and a tattoo of an anchor on her right arm.
"Got my head up to my ass in late night dishes whatdya want, Shiori?" Kaori snapped. She was kind of the sassy, foul-mouthed type as she glared at Shiori, cigarette dangling from her lip as she washed dishes.
Shiori wouldn't stop looking jubilant. "It's him! It's my Hajime! My son's on TV!" she exclaimed, practically bouncing up and down.
"Yer fuckin' shittin' me," Kaori said. She shut the water off and took off the rubber gloves as she walked over to one of the TV screens to take a look. Upon undeniably seeing Shiori's son, Hajime, on TV, she spat her cigarette out on the ground and stomped on it. "Well, tan my hide and call me an American hillbilly," she said, putting a firm hand on Shiori's shoulder and rubbing it back and forth, "That's yer son all right."
"I can't believe it!" Shiori exclaimed. "I mean, I know he said he was competing in the tournament, but I just...I never thought." She looked like she was about to burst with energy as she cried out loudly, shooting her arm into the air, "My own son is in the finals! Free round of drinks to everyone in the bar!"
The patrons, all six of them, cheered.
Keith smirked and went back to watching the match, smoking his cigarette a little more. He'd been around in this bar long enough that Shiori worked her ass off in this run down shack with the audacity to call itself a bar because of her son. She and her husband worked two separate jobs just to give Hajime the best education they possibly could. It's why Keith was so generous with the tips and change when he stopped by. He knew the Hinatas needed all the change they could get. It still stung not being in the finals, but hey, this went a short way to softening the blow.
Gotta admit, Keith thought with a smirk, Never took Hinata's son for the champion type from what I'd seen of his picture. Boy always seemed a bit of a nobody to me. He chuckled. I might hit this place up tomorrow and check out the festivities. This tournament just got interesting.
Keith then noticed the free beer being put on his table and Shiori standing by with the tray folded in front of her stomach. "Heh, not every day your offspring gets in the finals, amirite?" Shiori didn't respond. "Shiori?" Keith looked at her. The head woman of the Hinata household was just staring at the TV with shining eyes and motherly pride. "Shiori?" She still continued to ignore him in utter bliss.
Keith sighed and just cracked open the beer. Tastes like used tires, but alcohol is alcohol. He put the bottle down on the table, a quarter of the contents gone. He sighed. Wish my mother had that much pride in me when I was Hajime's age. Rootin' for ya kid. Ain't a whole lot worse than a son that lets his mom down, specially one as nice as yours.
Unaware that his mother was watching him duel, Hajime had just ended his turn and now it was Espa Roba's move.
"It's my turn," Espa said and drew the top card of his deck. "Like I told you, it didn't matter what your plan was, it wouldn't work. Go, Jinzo #4!" A hulking, hunchbacked Jinzo with sickly gray skin like a zombie and dark green armor with an oxygen mask-like mouth plate that connected into the rest of the bulky armor. Jinzo #4 resembled less the sleek, deadly and fast Jinzo most duelists knew about and more an armored Mexican wrestler wearing a diver's oxygen tank. "And Jinzo #4's special ability is that whenever a monster of mine battles a monster of yours with the same attack, my monsters can't be destroyed. Now go, Jinzo #4, destroy Battle Ox!"
With thunderous footsteps, Jinzo #4 charged at Battle Ox. Hajime's monster made a fierce counterattack first, but its axe snapped off against Jinzo #4's armor and with a mighty punch, Battle Ox was sent flying back, hit the ground and shattered into shards of light.
"And with that, my turn is over."
"Okay then," Hajime said with a nod. He wasn't going to let this setback shake him up. After all, that's why he had his face-down and Giant Soldier of Stone in defense mode. "I draw." He saw the card in his hand. Here's hoping he doesn't summon Jinzo next turn, but if he does, I'm out of options anyway. "I summon to the field The Earth – Hex-Sealed Fusion!" Hajime said, summoning a brown chunk of rocks 1000 attack and 1600 defense. "And thanks to this monster, if I want to fusion summon an Earth-attribute monster, I can do so with monsters on my field, so long as I substitute it for one of the fusions. And, that way, I don't need Polymerization. So now, I fuse together Giant Soldier of Stone and The Earth – Hex-Sealed Fusion to summon: Mystical Sand!"
The green haired, broom flying witch with a red robe and hair appeared on the battlefield with 2100 attack points and 1700 defense points. "And now, Mystical Sand attacks Jinzo #3!"
"I don't think so!" Espa declared, "I activate the spell card, Jinzo Assembly Combination! When a monster I control with Jinzo in its name is attacked by an opponent's monster, I can tribute another monster with Jinzo in its name and equip it to that monster, giving my monster all of the tribute monster's attack points!"
Hajime froze. I was careless!
Jinzo #4 disassembled completely and its armor pieces tacked themselves onto Jinzo #3, bulking it up with a layer of dark green armor over its shiny ruby red one. Its attack power surged all the way up to 3600.
"Jinzo #3! Destroy Mystical Sand! Enhanced Cyber Energy Punch!"
Hajime's monster flew towards Jinzo, blasting a sand wave from one hand and holding one other hand on her broom. However, Jinzo countered the attack by just emitting a psychic wave from one hand and then punching Hajime's monster in the face with the other, reducing his life points down to 2500.
"Sheesh, if that's what number 3 can do, I'd hate to see #2," Joey commented.
"The boy is in dire straits now. If Espa summons his primary monster next turn, no trap card alive will save Hajime now," Gundham added.
Hajime, Chiaki thought, looking determinately at the field.
"I end my turn," Hajime said.
"Banking your entire survival on a single face-down?" Espa asked. "I admire your tenacity. And I predict," Espa said as he drew the top card off of his deck. "That you will survive this turn. I foresee it through the cosmos."
"Hey, clue me in, fellas," Joey said to Espa's younger brothers. "Does Espa really have ESP?"
"We…we don't…" Clarence stuttered, he and Ness shaking their heads at each other, "We don't know."
"Huh?"
"Oh, he has ESP all right," Gundham stated. "It's at a diminutive level, but it's there."
It wasn't there this morning, if it exists at all, Ness thought with a glazed look.
"Wha…then how's Hajime supposed to win?"
"Hmph, even the most adept psychic knows that against the overwhelming force of a dragon, that there is little you can do about it, even if you see it coming."
Joey scratched his head.
"He's saying that if Hajime swarms Espa with overwhelming force and power, even if Espa can see it coming, if he's out of options, he'll lose," Celeste translated. "Honestly, Joey, read a dictionary."
"Dictionary?!" Joey shouted offended. "I understand normal language just fine, but that ain't normal language!"
"Then perhaps you might partake in the complete works of Shakespeare," Gundham said. "Your vocabulary level is very low indeed then, Former Red-Eyes Duelist."
Joey twitched. If he had to hear one more comment about his Red-Eyes…
"All right, that's enough," Tristan said.
"Thanks Tristan," Joey said.
He spoke too soon. "We can heckle Joey when it's his turn to duel next."
"Why you little—" Joey shouted, grabbing Tristan by the shirt. The two got into a scuffle.
"Hey, break it off you two!" Téa exclaimed trying to get the two friends to separate.
Kaiba thought to tell them not to fall off the blimp, but if Joey fell that was one less headache for him. And with Wheeler's dumb luck, he'd somehow survive with just a broken shoulder. Besides, the duel was far more interesting.
"In preparation for my next turn, I summon to the field Jinzo #5!" An all sea green minion carrying an electrified bo-staff with piercing blue eyes appeared. It had 1200 attack and 0 defense points. "When Jinzo #5 is summoned, I get to draw three cards, but I must discard any cards that aren't monster cards. And I predict," Espa said as he drew the three cards, "That I will only draw one monster." He chuckled when he saw what he drew. "It appears the cosmos have favored me once more." Espa sent two spell cards to the graveyard.
Yami looked tense as he watched the duel. "What's wrong, Yugi?" Mai asked him.
"I keep watching Espa, hoping to discover how his intuition is so on point, but…I'm not sensing any sort of foul play."
"Don't you wear an Ancient Egyptian artifact with magic powers?" Mai asked. "And baseless psychic abilities baffle you?"
"It's just…I'm used to such things being the result of said Egyptian magic or some form of trickery. And with the former not in effect, given this isn't a shadow game..."
"You think he's cheating," Mai said.
"Precisely."
Mai cupped her index finger and thumb around her mouth. "As someone whose seen and used all manner of sleight of hand and deception when it comes to card games…I think Espa's clean. Some people just have good intuition, Yugi."
Could Espa really have latent ESP? Yugi asked Yami.
Yami sighed. I suppose, after Makoto, anything's possible.
"So, let's see what your trap card is," Espa said. "Jinzo #3, attack!"
The combined powers of Jinzo 3 and 4 slammed towards Hajime's side of the field.
"I activate Negate Attack!" Hajime declared, activating his trap card, immediately ending the battle phase.
"As predicted, you saved yourself, just as the cosmos foretold. But your defeat is inevitable. I see your pitiable struggle and you will only get so far." Espa put both his index and middle fingers to his temples and closed his eyes. "I'm receiving a vision. Yes…yes…heh…" He grinned at Hajime. "You will live a bit longer, but your demise is inevitable. I have just foreseen your defeat!"
"Well then, if you can see the future, then just like Makoto, I'm going to change it," Hajime said. "I draw."
"And how do you plan to do that?" Espa asked. "With Jinzo #3 and 4 combined into an unstoppable force, you can't equip your monsters and I hope you weren't planning on using trap cards to bail you out because they'll become useless next turn!"
"Then I'll have to use the only thing I have left. Monster cards!" Hajime declared and set a monster face-down on the field. "That's all I'm going to do this turn."
A face-down monster? Espa wondered. He looked at his hand. Guh, if I had Jinzo #2, I could negate its effect. And there's no guarantee I'll draw it either. He reached for his deck. I'll just have to play defensively. "As I told you, your struggle is pointless. But let us see what fate has in store for us this turn. I draw." Espa pulled the top card of his deck. It was not Jinzo #2. "I attack with Jinzo #3. Destroy Hajime's face-down monster!"
As it had in many duels prior, Hajime's Cyber Jar saved his ass.
All the monsters on the field shattered into a million pieces, forcing both players to draw 5 cards, with Hajime praying he drew to some good ones.
Espa had a momentary episode of frustration when the first card he drew happened to be Jinzo #2, but he wasn't complaining about the other four. "I summon to the field Jinzo #7, Jinzo #6 and Robotic Knight!"
Jinzo #7 was held together by spare parts and purple wires along with a helmet that looked like a hockey mask had a baby with a space helmet. Jinzo #6 resembled Jinzo #5, but was blue instead of green. And Robotic Knight looked like a toy soldier with a machine gun arm on one arm and a sword carried in the other, complete with unnecessary, but still fashionable metal feather cap.
Jinzo #7 had 500 attack and 400 defense. Jinzo #6 had 1000 attack and defense. And Robotic Knight had 1600 attack and 1800 defense.
"Jinzo #6 increases the attack and defense of all machine monsters on the field by 300 points," Espa said. "And in addition, other jinzo monsters gain an extra 500 attack."
Jinzo #7's attack increased from a measly 500 to a deadly 1300. Jinzo #6 now had 1300 attack and Robotic Knight now had 1900. "And what do you have Hajime? No, let me guess, a bunch of face-down monsters?"
Hajime sighed. "Well you're half-right, but not completely. I set three monsters face-down and summon Blazing Inpachi in attack position!" Hajime's monster burned brightly with 1850 attack points.
I'm going to take a bit of damage, but it'll be worth it just to turn this duel around.
"Oh you'll take damage all right," Espa said, guessing what Hajime was thinking, "But more than you might expect, Jinzo #7, attack Hajime's life points directly!"
"Say what?" Joey gasped.
"That's Jinzo #7 for you," Chiaki said. "And to boost it with another monster…" She just gulped.
Jinzo #7 darted swiftly around Hajime's Blazing Inpachi and attacked directly. Hajime doubled back from getting punched in the chest as his life points fell down to only 1200.
"And now, Robotic Knight attacks! Open fire!"
Robotic Knight lay down a salvo onto Blazing Inpachi, shooting it to nothing and bringing Hajime's life points down a trickle to 1150.
"And now, Jinzo #6, attack Hajime's middle face-down monster!"
Hajime's gaze wavered unflinchingly as Espa slammed into his face-down monster, revealing Mystic Horseman. The stalwart centaur's power pushed Espa's monster back. Its solid 1550 defense, reducing Espa's life points down to 3650.
Okay, that gamble paid off, now I just…
"Don't relax just yet," Espa said. "It's still my turn. And even though I can't attack, in case you'd forgotten, I haven't played a monster this turn. So now I sacrifice Robotic Knight in order to play the original Jinzo!"
The bane of all trap cards hit the table at 2400 attack points strong.
"But he's not staying for very long, for I have a monster even more powerful than Jinzo. By sending Jinzo to the graveyard, I can special summon his upgraded counterpart! Behold, Jinzo – Lord!" A monster resembling Jinzo hit the table, but in a purple suit with a yellow stripe going down its chest. It had yellow, spiked bracelets, three robotic eyes arranged in a triangle, green in color, and several taser-like whip cords ejecting out of its body. More menacing? It had 2600 attack points and 1600 defense points. Espa wasn't kidding when he said this thing was an upgrade.
"And thanks to Jinzo #6, Jinzo – Lord increases in power!"
Jinzo – Lord's eyes flashed, surging to 3400.
"And next, I'll activate the equip spell, Machine Conversion Factory, raising Jinzo – Lord's attack power again!" Jinzo – Lord's attack reached 3700.
"And next I equip the spell card Amplifier for even more attack points!" Jinzo – Lord now had 4200 attack points.
"You think that's enough attack points?"
"Considering what's in Hajime's deck, it's actually necessary," Chiaki said. Everyone looked at her like she was nuts. Does this mean Espa really has ESP? Does he know what Hajime's trying to summon and it's fearsome power?
"And lastly, I activate the spell card AI Core Chip, this equip spell grants Jinzo – Lord attack power equal to its defense power." Jinzo – Lord's attack increased again to a firm 6100 attack points. "And, as long as it's on the field, the monster equipped with AI Core Chip is the only monster that can be attacked."
Chiaki and her classmates gasped, sans Gundham, being impartial, and Hajime, figuring Hajime's defeat as a foregone conclusion.
"Sheesh, hate to be Hajime right now. Nothing short of a Harpie's Feather Duster could even begin to turn this duel around."
"Worse, he would have to summon Jinzo – Lord and Jinzo #7 in the same turn. Dark Hole would be a boon right now."
"Which Hajime doesn't have," Chiaki said. "Powerful spell cards like that aren't something he can afford. But…I believe in Hajime," she said. "And I know he'll pull through."
"You sure about that?" Nagito asked. "Seems to me like he's been floundering this whole duel. I mean, why'd he play Blazing Inpachi in attack mode?"
"Bait," Chiaki stated without hesitating. "Espa's strongest monster only had 1900 attack points and he must've had something face-down that he doesn't want Espa to destroy. He was lucky that Espa's monster rammed into Mystic Horseman just now."
"Pretty big risk, I'd say," Mai said.
"Hajime knows what he's doing and I have faith in him," Chiaki said. That is…if he has face-down what I think he does.
"Your faith in your comrade is remarkable, thoughtful one," Gundham said to Chiaki. "But…even Kaiba's might Blue-Eyes would have trouble taking down a fiend such as the one Espa has created."
Chiaki looked at Kaiba, figuring him to have some sort of snide comment. However, Kaiba said nothing of the sort and Chiaki continued to stare, confused.
Kaiba looked back at her. "What? He's not wrong," Kaiba stated. "I admit, 6100 attack points are difficult to bring down given the current state of the field if you don't have, say, Dark Hole, especially since Jinzo negates trap cards," Kaiba said. His eyes then flashed with a solid stare. "However, it's not impossible. I could pull it off with the right card combination, but it's impossible for Hajime to have those cards. Question is, does he have a different combination that'll turn this around. And, judging from the look on his face, I think that he thinks he does."
"Huh, hey yeah, check it out," Joey said. "Hajime's given Espa one heck of a look."
Chiaki nodded. "Hajime has one monster that can turn this whole duel around. Isn't that right, Hajime?"
"Interesting," Espa said. "You're saying you have a monster that can snatch this victory for you from the jaws of defeat? I'd like to see that."
"Be careful what you wish for," Hajime said. "Cause now," he said, putting his hand on top of his deck, "It's my turn!"
"Well in that case, before my turn is over, I'll set one card on the field."
"Huh?"
"Confused?" Espa asked, and tapped his cranium. "If you think you can turn this duel around, then I will need this trap card for next turn. Fret not, there's nothing it can do to you on your turn. And it will only require activation if you can even destroy both of my monsters on your turn. So, go ahead, make my day."
Hajime took a deep breath and then shouted, "Draw!" he drew the top card off of his deck. Yup, this was exactly what he needed.
"I summon to the field Blackland Fire Dragon! And next, I reveal my face-down monsters, Koumori Dragon and The Dark – Hex-Sealed Fusion!" A large rock shaped like a brain with teeth and a small mouth on its frontal lobe and tentacles growing out of it appeared.
"Ah! That one?" Makoto suddenly shouted.
"What is it, Makoto?" Komaru asked.
"Hajime can indeed turn this duel completely around. I guess when we said he didn't have powerful spell cards, I crossed that monster off the list since it's really really rare."
"Now, I activate the effect of The Dark – Hex-Sealed Fusion!" Hajime declared. "It allows me to tribute monsters for a fusion summon, using it as a fusion material monster, substituting for any monster in the fusion. And I combine it with Koumouri Dragon and Blackland Fire Dragon to create the ultimate terror of the void."
"Blackland Void Dragon!" Hajime and Makoto shouted at the same time.
A large, serpentine, pitch black dragon with glowing orange eyes and a glowing volcanic breath emerged on Hajime's side of the field. Its magnificent black wings furled out showing its dark gray scales and underside of its wings. It had two silver horns jutting out of the back of its elongated, thin crest of a head. It wrapped its tail around Hajime, though did not coil around him, signifying it as his guardian monster and his chosen favorite. After all, this was the card his mother bought him and it was, undeniably, even considering Five-Headed Dragon, his go-to monster in a pinch.
It hit the table with its 3100 attack and 2900 defense points.
"Impressive," Espa said. "But it's no match for my Jinzo!"
"Look again," Hajime told him.
Espa watched as Blackland Void Dragon's attack power surged all the way up to 6100, matching Jinzo – Lord point for point.
"But…how?"
"Blackland Void Dragon draws power from every monster that originates from the extra deck, including itself. Now it can easily destroy Jinzo."
"But if you attack, both our monsters will be destroyed," Espa said.
"Which is why I'm adding the equip spell Horn of the Unicorn!" Hajime declared, "This will boost Blackland Void Dragon to even greater power!"
Blackland Void Dragon's attack power increased to 6800.
"S-so what? It can't attack!"
"Boy you're just battin' 1000 today, aren't you, Mr. Psychic?" Hajime asked sarcastically. "Go, Quick Attack!" The spell card permitted Blackland Void Dragon to attack this turn. "And before you even open your mouth about needing a monster strong enough to destroy your Jinzo #7," Hajime held up a spell card: Monster Reborn, "I've got that covered. And I'm bringing to the field the original Jinzo, making the trap you placed face-down completely useless!"
"N-no!" Espa declared.
"And since Jinzo is a Jinzo monster, he gains 800 attack points thanks to the bonus from your very own Jinzo #6." Jinzo's power increased all the way up to 3200.
"Go, Blackland Void Dragon, attack Jinzo – Lord! Void Lightning Roar!"
Blackland Void Dragon reared back its head and with a destructive tempest wave, annihilated Jinzo – Lord, bringing Espa's life points down to 2950.
"By the way, monsters destroyed by Blackland Void Dragon are banished from the graveyard, so don't think you can use Monster Reborn to bring back Jinzo – Lord next turn."
"Hrrn," Espa grunted, ejecting the card from the graveyard and pocketing it.
"And now, Jinzo attacks! Destroy Jinzo #7!"
Hajime's stolen monster attacked and destroyed Espa's monster, bringing Espa's life points down to 1050, 100 life points below Hajime's.
"Gooooo, Hajime! HAHAHA!" Ibuki laughed.
"Man, he closed that gap awfully fast," Tristan commented.
Hinata's not bad, Kaiba thought. Although I shouldn't expect less from someone that managed to come across the Five Headed Dragon. More to the point, he looked at Hajime's prime monster, that Blackland Void Dragon is going to be a problem if I don't form a strategy for dealing with it. I'd best do some reconfiguration after my duel with Chiaki. Dueling her will require a...special touch.
"My turn is over," Hajime said.
Espa drew the top card of his deck. "Since I have a monster with Jinzo in its name on the field, I'm allowed to normal summon Jinzo #2 without tributing a monster, despite its level being 5."
A white version of Jinzo appeared, almost completely resembling the orginial, but being actually a bit taller, albeit with less attack and defense. #2 had 2200 attack points and 1300 defense points.
"And thanks to the power of Jinzo #6, Jinzo #2 gains 800 attack points."
Jinzo #2's attack power now sat at 3000.
"And there's more, Jinzo #2 negates the effects of all monsters on the field that aren't Jinzo monsters, bringing your Blackland Void Dragon's attack power down to a more manageable 3900."
Hajime's dragon's power stopped raging and his monster reduced in power. It still acted as his shield though. Espa's monster wasn't nearly strong enough to destroy his monster.
"And next, I tribute both Jinzo #2 and #6 to special summon Jinzo – EX!"
A mighty golden version of Jinzo – Lord hit the table, but this one had 5 eyes arranged in an X-pattern and they red. It had 3100 ATK and 2700 defense.
What? Why'd he play that card? Hajime wondered.
"Jinzo – EX is special," Espa said. "By tributing all the Jinzo monsters on the field, EX gains the effects of all the monsters used to summon it, which means it has 3400 attack points. That may not be enough power to destroy your void dragon, but I can fix that with this spell card: Spare Parts!" A bunch of mechanical armor pieces resembling the other Jinzo monsters attached themselves to Jinzo – Lord. "Spare Parts grants the machine-type monster its equipped with 100 attack points for every machine-type monster in my graveyard. That means Jinzo – EX gains 800 attack points for the Jinzo monsters, plus prototype and Robotic Knight, that you've sent to my graveyard, giving it a grand total of 4200 attack points.
Hajime gasped. That was enough power to wipe out his Blackland Void Dragon.
"Relax, I'm not wiping out your void dragon this turn. After all, by wiping out the Jinzo you took from my graveyard, I can wipe it out next turn with even greater power. Go! Jinzo – EX! Destroy the original Jinzo! EX Cyber Blast!"
Jinzo was obliterated and Hajime's life points spiraled down all the way to 150.
Espa laughed. "And now that Jinzo has been destroyed, Spare Parts adds him to EX's count, bringing EX up to 4300 attack points. On my next turn, your precious dragon is history. And don't think I've forgotten about your horseman either. This duel is over, Hajime Hinata! I told you that you would struggle only to fail! The cosmos are never wrong!"
Hajime froze. Espa had him backed into a corner but good. If he played a powerful enough monster next turn, Hajime would lose the duel. He clenched his eyes shut. This was it, he was about to lose.
A thought then struck him. No. It wasn't over yet. There was still a card in his deck, a spell card that could turn this whole nightmare around. What was that Yugi and Makoto discussed last game? Heart of the Cards? Hajime placed his hand on top of his deck, I sure hope there's enough heart in my cards!
As Hajime drew the top card of his deck, Blackland Void Dragon roared and Hajime pulled to his hand the spell card he needed to turn this duel around. The spell card Eliza gave him: Intimidation. "This is it," Hajime said. "I set one card face-down on the field. I end my turn."
He didn't switch Blackland Void Dragon to defense mode? Espa thought. But…why? With Jinzo – EX on the field, trap cards and monster effects are useless. Is it a spell card, but which one?
"Feeling nervous, Esper?" Gundham asked.
"Huh?" Espa looked at Gundham.
"If it pains you to think too hard, just forego your psychic energies and fine tune your hardened duelists instincts."
My…instincts, Espa thought. "You're right, Gundham. I draw!" Espa thought. "I set one monster card face-down on the field! And now, I attack with Jinzo – EX!"
"And I activate the spell card: Intimidation!" Hajime declared.
Espa's mouth hung open. Intimidation?
"This spell card reduces the attack of any monster attacking one of my monsters by 500 points and those same 500 points are given," Hajime fanned out his arm to his Blackland Void Dragon, "To the monster its attacking!"
Blackland Void Dragon roared as its attack power increased to 4400 as Jinzo – EX's came down to 3800.
"Oh no! Jinzo!" Espa shouted, but it was too late. Jinzo – EX cast its cyber blast, which was blasted back, in turn by a lightning charged Void Tempest blast. EX was completely obliterated and Espa had no cards in his hand and a useless face-down card. After all, it only worked when he summoned a monster to his field and he'd already done so.
With the destruction of EX, Espa's life points fell to 450. "I did not foresee this in the cosmos. It would appear that either I have a lot to learn," he said, staring at the ground, fist clenched, only to wipe his tear-stained eyes and look at Hajime, doing his best to avoid looking upset, trying to force a smile. "Or your power is far greater than mine, likely both. Take the victory, Hajime, you earned it," Espa told him.
Hajime nodded and drew the top card of his deck. It didn't matter what it was. The duel was already over. "Mystic Horseman, attack! Destroy Espa's last line of defense!"
Cyber Falcon, a monster with only 1200 defense points, was destroyed by a swing of the scythe from the 1300 attack power Mystic Horseman.
"And now, Blackland Void Dragon, end this duel: Lightning Charged Void Tempest Blast!"
Espa did not cower nor cringe in front of the awesome and mighty power of Hajime's Blackland Void Dragon. In fact, he actually held out his arms, looking at peace as the attack slammed into him and brought his life points down to 0.
"Big brother lost," Ness said.
Espa sighed, stomping his foot with one last burst of frustration. "You win fair and square, Hajime," he said and stepped towards the spikey-haired dragon user. Hajime approached him all the same. The two shook hands. "I have no regrets, simply being able to compete in these finals shows I have a lot of work to do as a duelist, but also how far I've come in just a day."
Hajime nodded in agreement. "Honestly, you're not bad Espa. If I hadn't drawn Intimidation on my turn by sheer luck, this duel could've easily ended in your victory."
"It wasn't sheer luck," Yami said with a smile. "I could feel it, you believed in the Heart of the Cards, Hajime, and the heart of your Blackland Void Dragon saw to it that you would pull the winning move."
"I agree," Espa said with a smile. "There is something about you, Hajime." He let go of Hajime's hand and tapped his cranium. "Yes...I'm getting a vision. It's clear to me now." He opened his eyes and pointed at Hajime. "I predict that you will go far in this tournament, Hajime, and you will do truly extraordinary things. My predictions are not always accurate, given I lost this duel, but this is one I know to be true from deep within my soul."
Hajime chuckled. "Well, if a psychic is telling me I'm going to go far then I'll have to take his word for it."
Espa laughed back and handed Hajime Jinzo. "Here. May it serve you well, the only other Jinzo I've ever come across. Fortunately, I think I can make do without it this time."
Hajime took the card and smirked. "Thanks, Espa."
However, the sunny moment was cut short by Kaiba barking, "All right, that's enough! We're going to have a thirty-minute recess and then everyone is to be back here with no delays," he said, stepping forward as the arena lowered to the ground. He then turned his attention to Chiaki, giving her the mother of all competitive stares. "Especially you, Chiaki. I don't like to be kept waiting."
"Kaiba," she said, her gaze just as competitive. "It will be my honor to duel you."
The two of them stared each other down, the spirit of Chiaki's Thunderclap Skywolf meeting the spirit of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. The next duel would be a grand duel that would be an excellent way to cap off the first round of the Battle City Finals. Chiaki Nanami Vs Seto Kaiba. Hope's Peak Academy's Ultimate Gamer versus the World Champion of Duel Monsters itself. This battle…was about to explode!
(A/N: All aboard the hype train! Not much to say this chapter, other than I hope you guys liked seeing Hajime's mom and my attempts to humanize Bandit Keith. But enough about Hajime. We all knew he was getting past this round…least I hope we all did o_o. Next round is far more important though: Kaiba Vs Chiaki, the mother of all first round duels, like that Goku and Vegeta matchup we never got in the first round of the Buu arc in DBZ. …I mean sure we got it later, but you know what I mean.
Anyway, next chapter will be incredibly long, like likely 20,000+ words long. It'll be worth it for an arc finale, given chapter 38 will start the Noah arc, and yes there will be a long hiatus in between, likely not until 2018, but hopefully shorter, we'll see.
Special shout out for the second to last time to my current only two patrons: Dark Jade and Goshinzilla.
And, lastly, as always, until next time, from all of me, to all of you, let your hearts stay human and your wrath draconic. Ja ne!)