"…It's hot."
The words belonged to none other than Konami Kodo, as he stood on the peak of Duel Academy's lone volcano. Wisps of smoking and bubbling ash trailed into the air; an unsettling sight, despite the numerous reports claiming the volcano should have been all but inactive. Magma boiled in the glowing pit within the beast's mouth, and it served its purpose well; a grim reminder as to the battle that had occurred but days ago.
"And as expected, there's nothing here." Konami sighed, overlooking the pit solemnly.
It was closing in on the later hours of the day. Konami had spent most of his day on the peak, searching for any clues he could use to discern the Shadow Rider's location. Even so, he'd yet to find anything of importance. Of course, Konami knew that it might have helped if he had some idea as to what he was looking for. At that moment, all he had to go on was the dark mask, the black dragon, and the grim alias he had been given: Nightshroud.
Just what kind of name was that anyway? Obviously not a real one, if the mask and trenchcoat were anything to go by. Konami grumbled to himself quietly, wondering if all the Shadow Riders were as mysterious as the first. It certainly didn't bode well for the Key Holders if that was the case. Unlike Duel Academy's heroes, the Shadow Riders were shrouded in darkness, no pun intended. They had no identity, no clear point of origin; even Chancellor Sheppard, for all his scheming, had nothing regarding who they were or when they'd appear. It was as if they were ghosts, and Konami loathed ghosts.
"Standing at the edge of the crater? That's certainly one way to win the Most Daring Student of the Year Award."
Konami's brow furrowed at the words, and he turned to find Duel Academy's resident genius standing several paces away from him.
"Bastion. I wasn't aware anyone knew I was up here." Konami said, greeting the boy with his usual tone.
The Ra Yellow shrugged at the greeting, taking it as an invitation to join Konami in his pondering. "You aren't nearly as clever as you think you are. Besides, I could see you scaling the volcano earlier from the school classrooms. I'm surprised, most would have taken the scenic route – complete with stairs."
"There are stairs?" Konami asked, completely ignorant to the volcano having had such easy access.
Bastion merely smirked, pointing over his shoulder behind him – where several steps carved from the volcano's rock formed a narrow pathway.
"Damn it. That definitely would have made getting up here easier." Konami grunted. "So, what brings you up here Bastion? I never took you for the exploring type."
"Can't a guy spend some time with his friends without being called out on it?" Bastion asked with a shrug. "Besides, it's not as if I spend all my time locked up in my room studying. We geniuses have lives too you know."
"Is that so?" Konami challenged. "Tell me, how many pages did you write for Professor Banner's essay?"
"Fifteen of course!" Bastion said, immediately reverting back to what Konami liked to call Study Mode. "I thought the required ten weren't enough for me to sufficiently explain the full process of Alchemy to the unknowing reader, so I took the time to upload a few extra documents as well, detailing a small summary of Alchemy's history, and the importance it's had in the Dueling Community. That is of course not counting the other twelve pages I added for the Egyptian Hieroglyphics Banner showed us last class – the art of the ancient pharaohs was truly something to marvel it, don't you agree Konami?" Bastion asked, opening his eyes.
Konami was nowhere to be seen.
"….He ditched me, didn't he?"
A rolling tumbleweed was the only response Bastion got.
Yu-Gi-Oh: Tag Force
Learning to Duel
Arc Four – Chapter Seven
A Dragon's Might
"Sheesh, good thing we got you outta that mess!" Jaden exclaimed, clapping Konami on the back sheepishly. "Who knows how long Bastion would've sat there droning on and on about homework! Speaking of, mind if I borrow your notes Konami? I may have lost mine during Crowler's last little… outburst."
Konami shrugged indifferently, knowing full well of what Jaden spoke. Ever since Jaden had been made one of the Key Holders alongside the other "ace" students of Duel Academy, Dr. Crowler had seemed to be even more ruthless than usual, though according to Syrus, his less-than-stellar attempts to get Jaden expelled had ceased… somewhat.
"Do what you want." Konami said. "I'll warn you though, I haven't exactly been paying too much attention in class. Not with the Shadow Riders closing in on us."
"Oh yeah! Speaking of, you never did tell me, what was it like, dueling that Nightshroud guy?" Jaden asked. "Syrus told me that he thought you had kicked it when you took a point-blank attack! Was it really that rough?"
Konami's eyes narrowed as he recalled the event. The power of Nightshroud's Inferno Fire Blast and Red-Eyes Black Dragon had been burned into his memory, and even then, he could still feel the cold hellfire of the attack seeping through his veins. Grimacing, Konami clutched at his heart and gave Jaden a single, weary nod.
"Yeah… that Shadow Game… it wasn't like the one with Titan and Kami. Everything was more potent, more vivid. It was no wonder I collapsed like I did. To have to endure that kind of pain again… we're in for a rough fight, Jaden."
"Hey, no worries! Those are the kind of Duels I like best after all!" Jaden grinned. "Man though, I wish I could have been there when you faced down that Nightshroud! It sounds like he must've been a pretty strong duelist!"
"He was." Konami said coolly, not quite sure Jaden was taking the situation as seriously as he ought to. "That's why, Jaden, I want you to let me handle him."
"Huh? Why's that? Not that I'm complaining, but I want the chance to face some strong opponents too Konami!" Jaden said.
Konami shook his head fiercely. "He may have intended to come after you first, but he showed that he had no qualms in going after the others instead. Not to mention… he had no problem taking Syrus and Chumley as hostages during the duel. There's no way I'll let someone else duel him. Besides, I still need to pay him back… for what happened in our last encounter!"
"What last encounter?" Yuma asked, appearing between the two with a piece of bread in her mouth.
Jaden and Konami both leapt to the side, not expecting the girl to suddenly make an appearance as she did.
"Yikes! Talk about surprising!"
"Seriously. You shouldn't sneak up on people like that, Yuma." Konami scolded lightly. "You could have given one of us a heart attack."
A befuddled moan erupted from the girl's lips at that, and she quickly finished stuffing the rest of the bread down her throat. "Mou~ but I rarely get to see Konami-kun anymore. It's almost like you're avoiding me."
Konami sighed, annoyed at Yuma's childish antics. It wasn't the first time she tried to guilt-trip him, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.
"No one's avoiding anybody." He answered, ruffling Yuma's soft brown hair. "Bastion and I have just been busy, that's all."
"Hmm….?" Yuma asked, squinting her eyes at the words. "Busy with what? Now that I think about it, wasn't it you two I saw up on the crater just a few minutes ago? Auwck! Don't tell me – there was a love confession?!"
THWACK!
That was the sound of Konami's hand chopping Yuma on the forehead lightly.
"Don't be ridiculous. Bastion and I would never have that type of relationship." Konami drawled.
Jaden laughed. "Yeah! Besides, everyone here loves dueling! What else is there to confess about?"
The cheerful declaration seemed to throw even Yuma off-balance, and Konami watched in amusement as she stumbled mid-step.
"Impossible!" she whispered. "His stupidity is stronger than my technique?!"
Konami frowned. "That's pretty rude, Yuma. Don't fault Jaden for having a one-track mind."
The girl pouted yet again, leaning forward to study Konami's expression before letting her eyes fall on the object dangling around his neck.
"Ah-Hah? Hey, Konami-kun, what's that weird thing?" she asked, gesturing to the Spirit Key curiously.
"Huh? Weird thing?" Konami asked, looking down toward the key. "What are you talking about? You mean this?"
He held up the key's necklace gently, earning a series of furious nods from Yuma's leaning form.
"Heh," Jaden grinned, "looks like someone's interested in the tale of the Seven Spirit Keys Konami!"
"Idiot. They're supposed to be a secret." Konami grunted.
Jaden's grin widened. "Then why are you wearing it around your neck?"
"You're doing the same thing, idiot hero-!" Konami grimaced, taking a step toward Jaden furiously.
"Hey!" Yuma interrupted the two, "No fighting on school grounds, at least, not like this! You can take it the arena if you want, but before you even think about doing that, you two are gonna have to explain this Spirit Key thing to me!"
Heh… so she can get serious when it suits her, huh? Konami thought, eyeing Yuma over carefully. "Well, whatever. It was only a matter of time until you found out anyway."
Indeed. Konami had accounted for the fact that others would inadvertently learn about the situation at hand. Chazz indirectly informing Wisteria of the matter had all but cemented the idea in his mind. Still, he hadn't quite prepared for one, much less Yuma, of all people, to find out so quickly….
"So?" Yuma's worried voice broke through Konami's thoughts. "Weren't you going to explain this to me?"
Konami glanced over to Jaden for help, only to find the boy slinking away to gaze at new cards. (The new Kaibaman Card Pack had made its debut last week after all, he couldn't pass it up!)
He sighed.
"Not here," he said firmly, giving Yuma a critical eye. "Enough people seem to know about this as is. It'll be better if we keep this as private as possible."
Yuma nodded, her own eyes narrowing as she seemed to understand the significance. She gave Konami a light shove from behind, and the two began walking toward a secluded location. Namely, the Dorm Room.
"I see… so you've been caught up in a fight between the Chancellor and a group calling themselves the Shadow Riders…" Yuma said softly, her eyes gazing toward the ground. "Is this what you were worrying about earlier? That day you told me you were having problems with Sheppard? Why… Why didn't you just explain things then? We're friends, aren't we?"
"There was no point going into detail. I wasn't involved at the time, and I didn't want to accidentally drag you into something dangerous-" Konami said.
Yuma cut the boy off effectively, chopping him on the forehead as he did to her earlier in the day. Konami was silent for a moment, as the attack didn't sting, but it still caught him off guard.
"…eh?" he muttered, staring at Yuma blankly.
Yuma took a deep breath; her chest rose several centimeters in fact, only for it to lower back to its prior position as she exhaled. She waited a second, but only just. Then, she spoke.
"Idiot. Friends are supposed to do things together, right? Besides, aren't I already in danger just by associating with you? You said it yourself. Gramps said that the next time you met it'd be as enemies, and I'd bet anything that this Spirit Key stuff has something to do with it. If that's the case, it's dangerous to go alone!"
"…Take this?" Konami asked.
THWACK!
For his snide comment, Konami earned another chop atop the head.
"…."
"Idiot, now's not the time for such silly comments! More importantly, I'm going to have to hit Bastion too, aren't I? If you're involved, he's no doubt got something to do with this too…" Yuma murmured, biting her thumb in frustration. "Tch. You guys are too much work… should I just kill you off and get back to my loner lifestyle…?"
"Uh… Yuma…" Konami tried, only for the girl to shake her head.
"Never mind, never mind! Anyway, you've got to prepare, right? If what you told me is true, then won't this Nightshroud guy be coming to take your key soon? Mou~ it'd be better if he'd go after that hotshot Zane, but if he already tasted Slifer blood there's no way he won't come back for more. It's only a matter of time."
"Erm… Yuma…"
"You said he uses Red-Eyes right? That means Dragons, weren't you supposed to be an expert in those? How'd you let him beat you down so easily?" Yuma continued, ignorant to Konami's attempts to grab her attention. "Of course, if he's spamming Inferno Fire Blast you've already lost-"
"YUMA!" Konami shouted, his patience with the girl finally reaching its breaking point.
"KONAMI!" Yuma copied, setting her hands on her hips, daring him to object to her assistance.
Konami exchanged stares with her fiercely, a strange battle of wills taking place. Eventually, he cowed.
"…What's this about hitting Bastion?"
Yuma smiled. Just as planned.
-GX-
After another hour of ranting, Yuma finally let Konami off the hook, and the two grabbed Bastion for a nice little chat…
-GX-
"I see, so you want me to help you build a Deck that's powerful against dragons." Bastion said, nodding his head thoughtfully. "I won't say it's a bad idea, the prospect does hold merit. Though, I'm not sure Konami will be capable of using all their strategies perfectly in such a short amount of time. I'm not saying he's a bad duelist, but the decks I've seen him used have relied on strategies similar to Jaden's; in other words, he gets out strong monsters as quickly as possible, then slams them on the opponent one after another. It seems his Gem-Knights rely on this strategy even more than his Dragons did." Bastion sighed. "At least with them he used a fair bit of destructive spells."
"You calling my Deck weak, Bastion?" Konami asked.
"No, not weak! Your victory over my Six Samurai show that much," Bastion said, raising a hand to placate the rising Slifer. "Rather, it's just a bit… straightforward. You never were all that good at deceiving people though, were you?"
"Deceived your mom into taking me to the bedroom last night," Konami muttered, only to be chopped softly by Yuma from behind.
"Don't be rude!" she admonished, folding her arms as she stood above the two. "Bastion is our friend, and he's here to help, so you shouldn't talk about his mom like that! I'm sure she's a very nice woman."
"Indeed she is." Bastion said. "And she loves my father very much. There's no reason for me to suspect she's been cheating on him," he explained, giving Konami a once over, "especially not with a first-year student at Duel Academy. Like I said, you're not good at deceiving people."
"It was a joke, Bastion. You'd think someone as smart as you would have realized that." Konami sighed. "Even so, I have no intention of changing my Deck again so soon. Besides, I'm still working on piling up enough cards to rebuild my Dragons better than ever! Then I'll have a Knight and Dragon Deck, and maybe if I'm lucky, enough to build to make a mix of the two as well!" Konami's eyes narrowed. "Though I may not be able to use the Gem-Knights for that…"
"Well, like I said, anti-meta decks just aren't your style." Bastion replied. "You do seem like the type who'd be able to use them, but it might take you a while to get the hang of it. They are a bit more strategic than the usual meta, after all."
Yuma puffed her cheek in annoyance. "Then what about just a few cards that work against Dragons specifically?! You must have something he can toss in that deck of his!"
"Well, there are a few cards I can think of off the top of my head." Bastion said. "Dragon Capture Jar, for instance. It's a Trap Card that places all Dragon-Type monsters in Defense Position, unable to change their battle position or attack. Monsters like Buster Blader and Dragon Manipulator are also useful, though they're a bit rare to see nowadays. Then, if you have a few Warriors in your Deck, the Equip Spell Sword of Dragon's Soul is another good option. Just what dragon was it you said Nightshroud had again?"
"A Red-Eyes." Yuma said, making Bastion's eyes go wide.
"Yeah, that Red-Eyes. The dragon of potential." Konami said. "Seems like his entire Deck is built around it too, like mine used to be built around the Tyrant."
"I see. Well, if he's running the Red-Eyes Fusions-"
"Actually, we don't know what type of Red-Eyes Deck he's running!" Yuma explained. "Konami collapsed from the stress of the duel only after getting hit with a shot from the regular Red-Eyes! He could be using Fusions, or something else entirely born from the Shadow Games!"
"Then I'm not sure what to tell you." Bastion said slowly. "The Red-Eyes is an old and powerful creature in Duel Monsters. The sheer level of support it's garnered over the years makes it one of the stronger archetypes in today's game! To think that one of the Shadow Riders would be using it… just what else do they have up their sleeve?"
"I'm not sure, but like it or not one day we're going to find out." Konami said.
Bastion nodded in agreement, and reached into the folds of his jacket to retrieve several cards.
"Well, I can't say they're ideal for the situation, Konami, but I suppose at the very least, I can give you these – provided you pay me back someday of course."
"Huh? Pay you? Why would he need to do something silly like that?" Yuma asked.
Bastion sniffed. "I'll have you know that these cards were very hard to come by! Why, I wouldn't even have them myself if it weren't for a few favors I called in with the Card Shop employees!"
"Hoho…!" Yuma laughed darkly. "Bastion and Dorothy, a forbidden love! Is this the start of a tragic tale…?"
"Guh…! It's not like that!" Bastion declared. "Besides, it the younger one, Sadie, that owed me a few favors!"
"Sadie huh?" Yuma asked, tapping her cheek thoughtfully. "…Don't know her!"
"Of course you wouldn't." Bastion sighed. "You rarely go to the Card Shop as is, and when you do, it's only to grab your Pork Bun Sandwich! How you manage to draw it every time is beyond me. Anyway, Konami, about these cards…" Bastion rose from his position, striding across the room to where Konami sat to hand him the cards swiftly. "Take care of them, do you hear me? If I learned you let someone like Chazz throw them out over the lake…"
"You'll hunt me down, got it." Konami said. "But Bastion, just what kind of cards are these-" he folded the three cards around to stare at them, only for his sentence to cut itself short in the midst of his gasp. "Bastion," he whispered in awe, "where did you get these?"
"Like I said, I called in a few favors." Bastion chuckled. "Well, it's getting pretty late, and from what I've heard the past few days Professor Banner might be dropping by to give you a little late night visit."
"Huh? That weirdo who loves alchemy?" Yuma asked, glancing at Konami strangely. "Why? What's he want with Konami?"
"Hmph, like I know that." Bastion said. "Whatever it is, it has something to do with the Slifer Dorms, so it doesn't concern a Ra like me and an Obelisk like you, Yuma."
"Mou~ Bastion's being rude again." Yuma decreed. "Well, that's fine too! After all," she said, setting a forceful hand on Konami's shoulder. "It's not like whatever this meeting is about will be kept secret from us, right Konami?"
The Slifer said nothing, still basking in the light of Bastion's given cards.
"I said," Yuma repeated, tightening her grip tenfold, "right, Konami?"
"…eh?" Konami blinked, turning to stare up at the scary-faced Yuma. "Y-Yeah. Sure."
"Great!" Yuma chirped, releasing her grip and heading for the door. "Then we'll see you later Konami-kun! Bastion and I are going to go get some Pork Bun Sandwiches! And then he's gonna introduce me to this Sadie girl who gave him some "favors"! Right Bastion?"
The Ra Yellow began to sweat, realizing just what kind of situation he wound up in. "Yeah… I guess so."
Konami watched him trail behind Yuma on the way out, and after seeing the pair disappear down the staircase, closed the wooden door behind him. Finally, he was alone.
Traversing the room quietly, the first thing Konami did was slide the three cards into his deck. They were missing the necessary fourth piece, but the three cards he had been given were useful as well. With luck, they would provide him the power necessary to overcome the Red-Eyes' infinite potential.
He slumped into his chair with a weary sigh, and turned his head toward the ceiling.
"Yuma… I wish she hadn't gotten involved."
It was the worst possible situation. Yuma had already revealed her relationship with Kagemaru – a man she commonly referred to as "Gramps", but now that he and Konami were opposing one another, wouldn't that put the girl in a situation where she'd have to choose?
He couldn't imagine what must be going through her head, and yet, some dark part of himself thought it'd be a good idea to spend more time with her; keep her close, keep her loyal. He shivered, banishing the thought from his mind. Things like that… they were too manipulative for his tastes, too… Wisteria-like.
With an annoyed groan Konami moved from his chair to the bunk bed, opting to let its soft mattress pass the time. There was no telling when or where Nightshroud would strike next, but hopefully it would be close. Konami wanted to have his rematch after all, and he couldn't do that if Nightshroud went after someone else-
BOOM.
A loud knock on his door broke his thoughts. Konami glanced up from the bed, staring at the door in surprise. That's right. Bastion had said something about him having a late night visitor, didn't he…?
BOOM.
A second knock spurred Konami to action, and with a quick yawn he jumped back to his feet.
"Coming, I'm coming. Just, let me get dressed!" he called, cleaning the room swiftly just on the off-chance that it was a surprise inspection.
He wouldn't put it past someone like Crowler after all.
Two minutes passed, and Konami knew there was nothing more he could do. Sighing, he stepped in front of the wooden door, and pulled it open to face the music.
"Ah, good evening Mr. Kodo. Are you having a good day?" Professor Banner asked, his cheerful eyes small and short.
"Uh… yeah." Konami nodded slowly, glancing at the teacher in surprise. "Uh, can I help you…?"
"Yes. You see, It has recently come to my attention that a certain Transfer Student of ours has not been issued a suitable dorm room. As a result, he has been camping out in the forest. I thought it was strange the first time I saw, but now that the situation has been confirmed, I've brought him here so that he may share in the delights of having a roof over his head."
"Right…" Konami said. "Well, I guess it makes sense to bring him here then. I'm the only student who doesn't have a roommate."
"That's right, and so, I'd like to leave in your most capable hands, our new transfer student." Banner stepped aside then, and pushed a small, short boy half Konami's height into the room. "So please, say hello to Blair Flannigan!"
Konami's eyes went wide, and he stared at the familiar beanie he'd seen once before. Suddenly, in unison, as if the entire thing was planned, the two of them pointed at each other dramatically.
""No way! It's you!""
"Oh, so you already know each other!" Professor Banner smiled. "Perfect! Well Blair, this will be your new home, until you move up into Ra Yellow! I'll leave you two to it then," he stroked the ever-present Pharaoh in his arms. "Good night!"
He left the two of them to themselves, never realizing just what he'd condemned Konami to.
Chapter Thirty Seven
END
Suffocating in the air of a new roommate, Konami finds it hard to breathe. Will the return of the first foe bring order to this new lifestyle, or will it only complicate things further? One thing's certain. No matter what happens, Blair's love won't be denied! In the presence of darkness, let the light of justice shine truth unto the world! Find out what happens, next time, on Tag Force: Learning to Duel!
And don't forget to leave your thoughts! Just what will happen now that Blair and Konami are sharing a room? Will Yuma get jealous? Will Zane get laid?! So many questions, and no answers! No worries! We'll find out soon enough! Next time, on Tag Force: Learning to - oh, I already did that.
Hiyu out.