"Aah...!" Alexis gasped, being blown from the top of her crumbling mausoleum upon being defeated.
"Sissy, no!" Atticus shouted, swooping in on his Red-Eyes at the last second to catch her. "Alexis, Alexis, are you alright?!"
"A-Atticus...? Is that you...? Where am I...?" Alexis muttered, "What...happened?"
"Alexis...!" Atticus whispered happily, embracing the girl tightly as they landed.
"No way...the commander, she's lost the Light!" some of the remaining soldiers shouted in shock.
"Retreat! We have to retreat!" the others yelled. "We can't win without her!"
The sound of fleeing forces filled the lab, but Atticus didn't care about any of that. All that mattered was that the force controlling Alexis had finally been beaten... Finally, he had his sister back.
"And now that he does, it's time for me to get my body..." Konami muttered, turning his gaze back toward the homunculus, "...NEXT TIME on Yu-Gi-Oh! Tag Force - Learning to Shine!"
But as he resumed his attempts to invade the empty vessel, he was completely ignorant of the fact that - far from the alchemic ritual occurring deep within Banner's secret lab - a body dressed in a dirty white coat had just staggered into the Slifer Red dorms...and collapsed.
"I-I don't believe it guys!" Syrus shouted, being the first to stumble upon the fallen body. "It's Chazz!"
"Chazz?" Bastion asked, rushing forward to confirm Syrus' words. "Ah! What are you doing here? Come to finish us off, have you?!"
"W-What are you losers talking about?!" Chazz winced, gripping his chest in pain as he laid helplessly on the ground. "I just...came here...to get help!"
"Help?" Jaden inquired, joining the others in surrounding the bruised and battered boy. Unlike Syrus and Bastion, however, there was no suspicion in his eyes. "You do look pretty beat up! What in the world happened to ya? You look like you got run over by a truck!"
"It was no truck..." Chazz muttered, looking up at Jaden as he spoke. A foul grimace crossed his mind as he thought back to the last thing he remembered... "It was that jerk friend of yours...Red Hat!"
The three boys gasped in surprise at the declaration, and as they continued to surround him, Chazz opened his mouth...and began to explain.
Learning to Shine
SECRET FILES
"The End Approaches - Part 1"
"...and that's the gist of it," Atticus said, finishing his recap of the year's events as the newly freed Alexis gripped her head in shock.
"No way..." she whispered, shaking her head in disbelief. "You mean I really went and joined up with that stupid cult? But the last thing I remember is losing to Chazz!"
"That's probably when he brainwashed you," Konami suggested. "Seems like beating people in Duels is how they got a lot of their members...and based on what we've what seen, it seems beating their members is how to free them as well."
"But if that's the case, shouldn't you guys have freed Alexis back during the Tag Match?!" Atticus asked.
"Not necessarily," Wisteria recalled. "Despite getting through three of our opponents, we have to keep in mind that at the end of the day, it was Chazz who won it all. Though in hindsight, it's probably fortunate that it was him who won as opposed to Alexis here. From what Syrus was telling me back in the infirmary, Chazz didn't think that any of us were worthy of showing the Light, it's likely the only reason that our team wasn't brainwashed into joining the Society of Light as well!"
"Good thing, that." Konami noted, "I don't know where we'd be if you guys had joined up with my other self as well..."
"Nowhere good, that's for certain." Wisteria mused, "As a matter of fact, I don't think that even you would stand a chance."
"-That's...another thing I've been meaning to ask about," Alexis interrupted. "What's all this about a second Konami running around? I mean, I get what Atticus said but-"
"For once in your life, trust me." Wisteria replied, "Despite how it sounds, it's true. There is another Konami running around...and it's the same one you were working for when you came her to capture us!"
"So...what? This Konami with us is the good one or something?"
"For simplicity's sake, let's just go with that!" Atticus chuckled. "I'm not sure anyone here has the patience to sit through another full-blown explanation they've already covered!"
"And Konami here might not have the time," Wisteria added, glancing back to the boy in worry. "Instead of dawdling around with us, shouldn't you be trying to integrate yourself with one of those bodies?"
"Yeah," Konami said. "But before that, I have a request for you."
Atticus tilted his head, "Huh? A request?"
Konami nodded. "Yeah. Like we said before, even if I was at full health, I'm still lacking a few things that'll be needed if I want to duel."
"Right," Wisteria remembered. "Your body still has your Duel Disk and any Decks you may have had on you...though thanks to Alexis here, I suppose we have reclaimed your Tyrant Dragon."
"I still can't believe I had someone else make me a Deck...!" Alexis muttered, "It's like I had lost all my pride as a Duelist...!"
"Hey, don't worry about it!" Atticus told her, rubbing her back gently. "As far as we're concerned, that wasn't even you! Right guys?"
"Sure, if it makes her feel any better." Konami shrugged.
"..." Wisteria stared at Alexis forebodingly.
"Uh...can I help you?" Alexis asked in reply, only for Wisteria to suddenly smirk.
"We're still tied up," Wisteria noted, folding her arms. "Next time we duel, you'd better bring your A-Game, because I won't be holding back!"
Alexis gaped at her, "O-Obviously!" she sputtered, her eyes narrowing to answer Wisteria's challenge. "I won't be losing either, so bring it whenever!"
"Then it's settled," Wisteria nodded. "Nice to have you back, Wonder Girl."
Konami sighed at their antics, though Atticus kept his everlasting grin.
"So?" Alexis asked finally, returning to the topic at hand. "You said something about missing a Deck?"
"Right," Konami continued, "but fortunately, it's not like I took all of my cards with me when I went to the Tag Match. The rest of my cards should be in my Trunk back at the Slifer Red Dorm. I was hoping one or two of you could swing by and pick them up."
"Uh, sure, if that's what you want." Atticus said, "But even if you have cards, that still leaves the issue of a Duel Disk!"
"You don't have to worry about that," Konami muttered, glancing to one of the counters where a small black device lay. "Have you forgotten where we are? I have a Duel Disk right here to be used."
"The one you made use of while acting as Amnael..." Wisteria muttered softly.
Konami nodded.
"That's right," he said. "So you see, once one of you goes and gets my cards, I'll have everything I need to go deal with the 'White Night King'...or whatever my body's calling itself."
"I'm fine with being the one to go," Alexis offered. "I left most of my clothes at the Slifer Dorms anyway, and it doesn't sound like I was the type of person who'd bother to go back and get them once I 'saw the Light' or whatever. The less time I have to spend in this white outfit the better, so I definitely won't mind picking up a few of your cards along the way."
"Sounds good to me," Konami agreed. "You should probably take someone with you though, just in case any of the Society's Duelists decide to gang up on you."
"Hey, I can do it!" Atticus offered.
"Uh, sorry, but I'd rather not be doted on the whole walk there." Alexis sighed, turning her head to the room's other occupant. "You don't have any problems accompanying me, do you?"
Wisteria smirked at the offer, "I suppose I could grace you with my presence, since you were kind enough to ask and all. However, if this is just some ploy to get me alone so we can talk about cute boys and the like, you'll soon find that I'm not exactly a fan of your ordinary 'Girl Talk'."
Alexis smiled a bit, "Relax." She told Wisteria while rising to her feet, "You sound like you're gonna be spending a night with Jasmine and Mindy! I know how to keep my head in the game!"
"Glad to hear it. The last thing we need right now is to be getting distracted," Wisteria replied. She tilted her head toward Atticus and frowned, "I'll be trusting you to keep my...my 'partner' safe while I'm gone. I shouldn't have to tell you what'll happen if I return and there's a single scratch on his new body...got it?!"
"Haha, oh just relax, would ya?" Atticus asked, taking advantage of the moment to swing his arm around Konami easily. "Your boyfriend will still be in one piece once you get back; with any luck, he'll even be ready in a shiny new body of his!"
"S-Shut up!" Wisteria scoffed, folding her arms. "He's not my boyfriend. He's my 'partner'! There's a difference!"
"R-Right..." Atticus remembered while scratching the back of his head, "...I guess with the number of times you guys have fought, it would be more accurate to say your 'marriage partners', huh? Although...don't you think you're a little young for that? Then again...Alexis was telling me how she once got engaged to Jaden through the outcome of a Duel, so..."
"Shut up!" both Wisteria and Alexis shouted that time, prompting the boy to burst out into rambunctious laughter.
"Aw, come on! It's just a little teasing, right Konami?"
He looked down to where his arm was supposed to be wrapped around the boy, only to find himself holding nothing but air. His eyes went wide, "H-Huh?! What, where'd he-?"
"Atticus," Konami's voice suddenly called from across the room. "...you're an idiot."
And the two girls decked him in the face, in hopes of regaining some of their lost dignity.
'I probably could have stopped that.' Konami thought as he turned his head back to the homunculus body, 'But if I'm honest...it's probably smarter not to get involved.'
One beaten Atticus later, the girls left to get some cards, and Konami...began to invade his vessel anew.
Elsewhere...
"What do you mean, 'you had to retreat'?!" the White Night King snarled, slamming his fist against the arm of his throne.
"I-It is exactly as I said, sire!" Jasmine exclaimed as she knelt before him. "Those blasted rebels managed to defeat Commander Alexis, and slipped a new veil of darkness over her eyes! With her gone, our forces had no choice but to fall back!"
"You mean to tell me...that over twenty of the Society's finest Duelists retreated..." the White Night King breathed, "...because a single member of our forces was beaten in a Duel?"
"Erm," Jasmine hesitated cautiously. "Well...when you put it that way...I guess it does sound rather ridiculous, doesn't it-wah!"
The White Night King cut her off, striking her down with a blast of white light. Jasmine fell prone upon impact, and the Light faded from her eyes, returning her to normal - albeit unconscious.
"Useless!" the King roared as he stood from his throne. "All of you are useless! Are there none of you who are worthy of wielding my power?! If there are, then quickly, show me! Show me that there are still those in the Society who are worthy of serving the Light! If not, then begone from my sight; lest I strike you down as I did her!"
The vast majority of the gathered forces hesitated upon hearing the words, and Konami scowled. It looked like Sartorius had gone for quantity over quality when gathering devoted servants...that would have to change.
He raised an energy-clad fist...and began the first Great Culling.
Elsewhere...
Alexis suddenly stopped, turning her head in the academy campus' direction. "Do you hear that?" she asked, the last remnants of the fading Light inside her alerting her to the disturbance.
"Uh, no? What is it?" Wisteria inquired. "Did you hear a squirrel or something?"
"No, I thought-you know what? Nevermind," Alexis sighed. She turned her head forward once more, gazing toward the rapidly growing Slifer Red Dorm. "It looks like we're almost there, anyway."
"Yes," agreed Wisteria. "And the sooner we get Konami his things so he can duel again, the sooner this entire mess can be put behind us!"
"Right, about that-" Alexis began, only to stop as she suddenly saw something flying towards her. Her eyes widened, and quickly, she stepped to the side. Almost immediately after she did so, a fist-sized rock spun through the space where her face once stood. Alexis glared in the direction from whence it came, only to scowl further upon seeing who threw it.
"Chazz, what's the big idea?!" she shouted, glaring at the boy who was once again dressed in his black jacket. "Did you think that would be funny or something? Well, it's not! You could've really hurt me with that!"
"Shut up!" the boy yelled back, tossing another rock in the girls' direction. It didn't reach, instead rolling harmlessly to their feet. "I have nothing to say to you, servant of the Light!"
"Wha-?!" Alexis gasped.
"Idiot," Wisteria barked, "Alexis isn't brainwashed anymore, though with a greeting like that, I suppose the same can't be said for you!"
"Shut up," Chazz shouted. "If she's not brainwashed, then how come she's still wearing that Society of Light uniform, huh?! It even looks fancier than before! What, did you get a promotion after helping Red Hat 'get rid of me'? Is that it?!"
"Get rid of you?" Alexis asked, confused. "I don't know what's going on, but for once, Wisteria's right! She beat me in a Duel earlier and freed me from Sartorius' brainwashing! We're not enemies anymore!'
"Yeah, like I can believe that!" Chazz snarked. "I bet you're both working for Red Hat! He probably sent you here to turn Jaden and the others, didn't he?!"
"Well, he's half-right..." Wisteria whispered, folding her arms. "We are working for Red Hat...but it's probably not the same one he's thinking about, is it?"
"Calm down, Chazz." Another voice suddenly said, and the girls glanced past Chazz to see an approaching Bastion. "Even if they are brainwashed, we shouldn't resort to violence."
"For the last time, I'm not brainwashed!" Alexis complained.
"Maybe, but after that stunt I heard you pulled back during the Tag Match, I can't be too sure about that, now can I?" Bastion asked, folding his arms as he spoke. "Sorry, but until I see some proof, there's no way I can let you come past this point!"
"Bastion, you're making a mistake." Wisteria told him with narrowed eyes, "If you were smart, you'd let us through here! We can explain ourselves if you want-"
"And let you spin some sort of tale to trick us?" Chazz interrupted. "Nuh uh, I don't think so! 'Sides, if Alexis is still brainwashed - which she is - then there's no way you'd be accompanying her unless you were brainwashed too! There's no way we can trust anything either of you say...not until we beat you both in a Duel, that is!"
"A Duel?" Wisteria scoffed. "Sorry, but we really don't have the time. You see, Konami's waiting on us-"
"Aha!" Chazz shouted, pointing at her with an accusing finger. "I knew it! I knew you in cahoots with that no-good window-smasher! Get ready," he continued, raising his arm as his Duel Disk whirred to life, "'cause once we beat you, I'll have you spill all of that loser's secret plans!"
"Wha-?" Wisteria tilted her head curiously. "Window-smasher?"
"Don't act like you aren't aware," Chazz said with a growing scowl. "After all, I'm sure Alexis told you all about it once she finished showing you the Light! Or did you skip over that part?" he asked the girl angrily, only to earn a frown in response.
"What are you even talking about, Chazz?" she asked.
"Tsk, so you're really gonna act like you don't remember, huh?" Chazz retorted. "Fine, because if you pretend not to, I still do! In fact, its the only thing I remember other than meeting with Chancellor Sartorius a few weeks ago!" Chazz explained while glancing at his bruised and beaten fingers. "But yeah, there's no fooling me! I still remember the crunch as fingers were crushed beneath the boot...! I still remember the feel of the glass as it stabbed into my back...! But most importantly, Alexis..." he finished, thrusting a finger toward the girl angrily, "...I remember how you did nothing while your new master threw me out the window! So get ready, because no matter what you say...it time for the Chazz to get his payback on!"
"Indeed!" Bastion shouted in agreement, raising his own Duel Disk to join Chazz in battle. The two girls couldn't help but frown, for they knew that NEXT TIME on Yu-Gi-Oh! Tag Force - Learning to Shine, they would have no choice...but to duel!
"The End Approaches - Part 1"
END
And be sure to check out the new poll as well.
