So, after a week of this being up, I figured it's about time to state the obvious. This was an April Fools' Day prank, through and through, and I won't be taking it any further. If that disappoints any of you, I am sorry, but this was always meant to be a one-time deal. Something to have a laugh with while all this quarantine business drains us. I'd like to thank fgtdyd who helped come up with the idea over two years.
Here's to another year stories!
-Ryan "Kurukaze" McGowan
-Casino Vivre
"You must have thought I was bluffing, hmm, Shido?" Westcott folded his arms and peered at the boy across the table, his head ever so slightly tilted. By his right elbow, two cards sat. Two jacks.
Opposite him, Shido glanced down at his own cards, an ace and a king, then met Westcott's gaze. His jaw ached from clenching his teeth, fighting to keep his composure. He was sure Westcott had been bluffing. The last of his chips lay scattered across the poker table.
Shido's valuable Full House would have been difficult to challenge, but Westcott's 4-of-a-kind trounced it, in the end. To Shido's right, Tonomachi, who had folded at the last possible turn, scanned Shido's face, trying to read any emotion on show. However, he could see nothing.
On Shido's left, the dealer, Kurumi, spoke up. "We will now break for one hour. When we return, the big blind will be two-hundred-thousand."
Westcott stood up, took his neat, perfectly-ironed dinner jacket, and left, never glancing back at Shido. The rest of the table also got up to leave, murmuring to themselves about the boy's risky play. Shido himself just sat, his eyes unfocused.
Tonomachi was the only one to speak to him. "Good game," he muttered, getting up to leave, adjusting his jacket, then pacing towards the bar.
Yet, Shido remained unmoved. A million thoughts running through his head. The casino around him faded away.
Later, Tohka, dressed in a deep, rich, black dress with her hair tied up, found Shido at one of the enormous building's many, many balconies. He gazed out over the twinkling French city, the night's breeze slicing through his jacket, chilling his core. Hearing Tohka approach, he spared a quick glance over his shoulder, before looking back out into the night sky. Tohka strode up beside him and shared that view for a moment.
Before long, Shido chuckled, then sat down on the low, marble wall, facing Tohka. "Well, I'm gonna need the other five million to buy back in."
Tohka looked away. "I can't do that, Shido."
Shido's eyes narrowed. "Look, I made a mistake. I was impatient. Maybe, I was arrogant," he admitted. "But, I could beat him."
"I'm sorry," Tohka whispered, unable to meet his steely gaze.
Shido flared up, a disgusted look on his face. "'Sorry'?!" He grabbed Tohka's arm, forcing her to look at him. "'Sorry'?!" he repeated. "Why don't you try putting that in a sentence? Like, maybe, 'Sorry Westcott's gonna win, continue funding DEM, and killing innocent Spirits.' That kind of sorry?!"
"You lost because of your ego! And that same ego can't take it." Tohka looked Shido dead in the eyes. "That's what this is about. All you're going to do is lose more."
Shido shook his head, disappointed. "Well, then, you're an idiot."
"I'm sorry?" Tohka retorted.
"I said you're a bloody idiot!" Shido stared back, tightly grasping Tohka's arm. "Look in my eyes," he ordered. "I can beat this man. You know that."
Tohka met his glare and, unfazed, told him, "Get your hand off my arm."
Reluctantly, Shido did so, letting Tohka turn and leave, just like that. He watched her back disappear into the casino, leaving him all alone.
Back inside, Shido weaved between crowds of people and tables, making for the bar. Above, hung beautiful chandeliers that shone like stars, flooding the room with a bright, warm, pleasing glow. He came to a stop, and the bartender quickly came over. "What can I get you, sir?"
Shido struggled to hear him over the various cheers around him, but guessed what he had asked. "Vodka Martini."
"Shaken or stirred?"
Shido turned his head; his expression was gruff. "Does it look like I give a damn?"
The bartender got the message, and quickly went about making the boy's drink. Meanwhile, Shido scanned the space, searching for Westcott. There, near the far wall, Shido found him, followed by Ellen, Mana, and some people he didn't recognise. Seeing him chat so carefree with the casino's other patrons made his blood boil, and he clenched his jaw once more.
He watched Westcott go and, in a snap decision, reached for one of the dinner knives on the table next to him. It was thankfully sharp, and he could feel the blade pressing against his wrist as he hid it behind his arm. As he took off in pursuit, Kannazuke crossed his path.
"Shido," he started.
Shido cut him off. "Get Tohka out of here." He didn't stop to hear his objections, and followed Westcott out into the grand staircase. He knew Kannazuke would see the knife, but he didn't care.
However, someone he wasn't expecting did stop him. "Quite the game, right?" Tonomachi whispered, clashing shoulders with Shido.
Stunned, Shido glanced up and down at the boy.
Before Shido could say anything, Tonomachi continued, "Sorry, should have introduced myself, seeing as we're related. Hiroto Tonomachi. A brother from Tenguu." He peered down the back of Shido's arm, then noticed the knife. "You should have a little faith. You keep your head about you, and I think you have him."
"Had," Shido corrected. "Excuse me." He broke away from Tonomachi's grasp and got two steps before being stopped once more.
"You're not buying in?" Tonomachi asked.
Shido grimaced, then slowly turned around. "No," he uttered.
Tonomachi came close, making sure no-one else could hear him. "Listen, I'm bleeding chips. I'm not gonna last much longer." His eye subtly twitched. "I figure, you've got a better chance. I'll stake you."
Shido stared at him, wondering when the inevitable 'but' would come.
"I'll give you the money to keep going, but, if you pull it off, Yggdrasil bring him in." Tonomachi grinned, confident that Shido would take the bait.
Shido smiled. "What about the winnings?"
Tonomachi paused. "Does it really look like we need the money?"
With newfound confidence, Shido strode back up to the high roller's table and took his seat, presenting five-million dollars in chips and placing them on the table, making sure Westcott would notice. "Shall we up the blinds?" he bantered, directing his question at Westcott more than anyone else at the table.
Westcott smiled and thought for a moment, then agreed. "Why not?"
The night stretched on and on and on. Turn after turn, Shido, Westcott and the others played. Tonomachi was right. He was losing chips, fast, and only held on with the occasional win of a secondary pot. However, despite Tohka's resignations, Shido pulled ahead of Westcott, putting the power in his hands, and taking it from Westcott's.
Westcott splayed four black-and-red chips across the table in front of him, commenting, "Bet," as he did so.
Seeking to force Westcott's hand, Shido tossed out a blue slab, marked with '$1,000,000'. "Raise," he said.
Westcott scratched his cheek, flipping chips between his fingers, then tossed his cards away, folding his hand. He had to stop himself from looking over at the bar to check on Ellen.
Ellen Mira Mathers, Westcott's right hand woman, quickly splashed the small vial's liquid into Shido's drink, then tucked it away again before anyone noticed. Seconds later, a waitress took the dish and escorted the drinks over to the table. Ellen couldn't help but smile as Shido's drink went straight to him.
"Raise," Shido uttered, before taking a long swig, looking toward Tohka as she watched the game unfold. Westcott watched as the glass emptied, unable to keep a subtle grin off his face. The grin, however, did not go unnoticed, and as Shido saw it, his throat tightened. He felt sweat on his neck, back, face. What was going on? He glared at Westcott, his balance tipping. Westcott glanced at the drink. Shido followed his eyes. Of course.
With as much grace as he could manage, Shido stood up, tossed out the big blind, and made for the toilets, grabbing a salt shaker and glass as he stumbled away. Tonomachi watched him go. Tohka stared as he went past.
The toilet's lights were glaring. Bright enough to blind him. Everything sounded fuzzy. Shido's footsteps were muffled. His vision was blurry. He crashed into the sink and threw open the tap, filling the glass with water. He dumped the contents of the salt shaker into the glass and downed the whole thing, before leaning over the sink and retching. If he could just make himself throw up…
Shido staggered outside, almost getting knocked off his feet by the many expensive cars that crossed the parking lot. He zigzagged towards the car, desperately trying to keep himself upright. Fumbling with the handle, he got the door open and flopped onto the passenger's seat. He punched the dash and a hidden compartment lowered into the footwell. He grabbed the small, red earpiece and shoved it in his ear, turning it on. He hoped the Fraxinus would be on the other end.
Fortunately, they were, and as soon as the earpiece started transmitting his vitals, the bridge crew scrambled into action. "Who is it?" Minowa asked, eyes flitting about the screen to keep up with all the new information.
"It's Shido," Kawagoe answered.
Nakatsugawa turned to address Kotori. "Shido's been poisoned! He's going into cardiac arrest."
Kotori's eyes widened, then demanded that Shido's vitals be brought up onto the main screen.
Shido could hear Mikimoto's voice in his ear. "Stay calm. Don't interrupt. You'll be dead within two minutes, unless you do exactly what I tell you."
The boy drunkenly nodded, the sweat covering his face glistening in the moonlight. "I'm all ears," he joked.
"Remove the defibrillator from the pouch," Mikimoto instructed.
With shaking hands, Shido ripped his shirt open and reached for the small device. His grip was slick and weak, but he managed to tear the device apart, revealing two thin pads.
"Attach the leads to your chest."
As quickly as he could, Shido did so, sticking the pads to his body.
"Ventricular Tachycardia – Digitalis," Shiizaki read out. "That's the poison!"
Kawagoe started rattling off antidotes, trying to figure what would counteract it.
"As soon as it reads 'charged'-"
"That'll work! Itsuka, can you hear me? Don't push the red button, yet!" Kawagoe butt in.
Shido took his thumb away from the button, his breath getting heavier.
"His heart's gonna stop!" Mikimoto challenged.
"There's only time for one charge before he passes out!" Kawagoe countered, trying and failing to keep quiet enough so Shido couldn't hear. "Take the blue combi-pen, Itsuka. Mid-neck. Into the vein. That'll counteract the digitalis."
Shakily, Shido grabbed the narrow, plastic cylinder and jabbed it into the side of his neck, then let it fall away as his grip failed.
"You're going to pass out in a few seconds and you need to keep your heart going. Push the red button now, Itsuka!" Kawagoe ordered.
Shido slapped the button with his thumb.
Nothing.
He slapped again.
Still, nothing.
He slapped and slapped and slapped at it, but no shock came. His vision was fading. His tongue was numb. Everything was spinning.
"Itsuka, push the damn button!" Kotori shouted.
"Do it, now!"
Shido slapped at it with his thumb as hard as he could, but no matter how hard he tried-
The wire had slipped out. It lay uselessly on Shido's lap. He grabbed it, reached up to insert it into the pad and…
Tohka gasped as she found Shido's unconscious body. She rushed forward, but when she saw the device, it was alien to her. She couldn't make sense of it. She held his chest, felt his fading heartbeat, screamed out, then sent a wave of energy into him, praying that he'd be okay.
The jolt threw him awake, hyperventilating and scrabbling for the figure he could make out above him. Erratically, he glanced around the space inside the car, then felt a wave of relief wash over him. Slowly, his breathing came back down to normal.
Aboard the Fraxinus, the crew shared a collective, grateful sigh. Even Kotori found that she had been holding her breath.
"You okay?" Shido asked.
"Me?" responded an incredulous Tohka.
Shido grabbed onto the seat and hoisted himself up, uttering, "Thank you."
A shaky Kawagoe answered, "You're welcome. Now, get yourself back up here."
Shido picked the pads off his body, collected the discarded pen, and tossed them all back into the footwell of the car. "I will do," he stated, tossing the earpiece in alongside. "As soon as I win this game."
Tohka, worried, held his arm. "You're not, seriously, going back there?"
Shido smoothed out his suit, running his hands down its length, then closed the car door. "Of course I am. I'm not done yet."
Tohka watched him go, her mouth hanging open in shock, then made to follow him back in.
Westcott pushed a blue slab into the middle of the table.
"Bet. One million," Kurumi called out, then gestured to Tonomachi.
He sighed, before tossing in his last chip: an identical blue slab. "All in."
"Call. All in," Kurumi described. "Gentlemen, showdown, please."
Both players revealed their hands. Tonomachi equalled Westcott's two pair, but Westcott's queen beat Tonomachi's jack, taking him out of the game. Hiroto's eye twitched, but before he could do anything brash, Shido reappeared at the table, much to Westcott's surprise.
"I'm sorry," Shido chuckled, "that last hand...nearly killed me."
Westcott glared at the boy.
"Ladies and gentlemen, with this chip exchange, we enter the final phase of the game, which means, no more buy-ins. The big blind is now one million dollars," said Mio, the dealer's assistant.
The remaining players all eyed each other up. Shido was leading with just short of forty-seven million, Westcott was close behind at around forty-six million, Yoshino trailed in third with twelve million, and Miku Izayoi brought up the rear with eleven million. They were all that's left. Now, there were no second chances.
"Four players." Kurumi revealed the fourth card, sliding it next to the others. "Mister. Bet?" she spoke, waving her hand at Shido.
Shido watched Westcott for any signs of emotion, but his poker face guard stayed firm. Shido couldn't glean anything from Westcott's expression.
"Mister Itsuka?" Kurumi prompted.
"Check," came his cool reply.
"Twenty-four million in the pot already," Kannazuke told Tohka, both watching the game from afar.
Tonomachi approached the table, spectating the game that he hoped Shido could win. He heard the word 'check' be passed around the table.
Kurumi presented the final card. "Four players. Itsuka?"
"Check."
"Check," she echoed, passing the turn on to Yoshino.
Yoshino ordered her chips into six stacks, then slowly inched them into the middle of the table. "All in. Six million."
"Bet. Six million," Kurumi repeated for the sake of the audience, then passed the turn on to Miku.
She did the same, pushing what was left of her chips into the pot. "All in. Five million."
"Five million. All in. Bet is still six million." Kurumi passed the turn on to Westcott.
He thought for a short while, flipping his chips between his fingers, deliberating over his play, then started gathering his chips. "Raise," he huffed.
"Raise. Twelve million. Heads up."
Shido leaned forwards, folding his arms and resting them on the edge of the table. He nodded his head, staring at the presented chips, then looked up at Westcott. Westcott's gaze was unflinching. There were no twitches of the eye, no movement of the lips, no gulp in the throat. Nothing to give Shido a clue.
Tohka rested her head in her hands and closed her eyes. She couldn't watch. Kannazuke stroked his chin. The whole room fell silent, save for the rhythmic click...clack...click...clack of Westcott's chips.
Shido and Westcott stared at each other, poker faces clashing. Westcott was deadly serious, like a statue, but Shido played it far cooler, giving off the impression that this was trivial to him.
Click...clack
Shido looked down at his chips.
Click...clack
He sorted out his stacks, hesitating on what to bet.
Click...clack
Then, without another second to doubt himself, he pushed it all forward. "Forty million, five hundred thousand. All in."
Tohka gasped and shook her head.
"Raise. All in," Kurumi commented as Shido scattered the last of his chips.
Westcott glanced at the board, following the line of cards with his eyes, nodding appreciatively. He grinned, then checked his cards against the table's. A six and an ace. Combined with the board, that gave him a full house, ace full of sixes. A high play. Westcott chuckled. "Well, I think I will call you on that one." He tossed his chips into the middle of the table – every last one – then met Shido's gaze again, a slight grin playing across his lips.
Shido watched the last chip fall, before meeting Westcott's gaze. All he could do was wait, now, just like everyone else at the table.
"One hundred and fifteen million in the pot," said Kannazuke.
"Ladies and gentlemen, showdown, please," Kurumi reminded. Even she was eager to see how this ended.
Yoshino went first, showing a hand of two spades, king and queen. That made a flush; a respectable play in its own right. She looked over to the grinning Miku. Revealing her hand, she made a full house, eights full of aces. Yoshino chewed on the inside of her cheek. That was her, out.
Next, Westcott took his sweet time in revealing his cards, placing them down one atop the other, then parting them to reveal his hand. A full house, much like Miku's, but worth more, and, thus, the winning play so far. The audience politely chuckled as Miku's grin faded, only to be replaced by a wider one on Westcott. He looked toward Ellen, who returned his smile, then looked back to Shido.
"A higher full house. Aces full of sixes," Kurumi spoke, lining up the cards. "Mister Itsuka?"
Shido's face was still neutral as he pushed his cards into the middle of the table, but as he glanced around at everyone watching him, he slowly flipped them face-up. A five and a seven, both spades.
The crowd gasped. Westcott stared a hole into those cards. Shido relaxed and leant back into the chair.
"Five and seven of spades. A straight flush. Four to eight. The high hand."
As Kurumi finished, Westcott stood up and strode away from the table. Grinning, Shido watched him go.
"Mister Itsuka wins," Kurumi concluded.
Amidst the clapping of the audience, Shido slid Kurumi a red slab, marked with '$500,000'. "Here. This is for you."
"Thank you, very much," she said as Shido got up to leave.
Tonomachi couldn't help but let out a hearty laugh as Shido met up with him.
"He's all yours," came Shido's response.
"Much appreciated, brother. I'll see you back in Tenguu."