Chapter 48: Cat's Out of the Bag

Back at the stadium, the crowd grew reckless. Ever since the feed had gone to static, they became bored and ravenous. Not helping matters was that the stadium security wouldn't let them leave.

"Let me go! My daughter's in trouble, I can feel it!"

"I'm sorry sir, but Madame Chairwoman has made it perfectly clear that no one is to get in or out until she says so, so if you will please return to your seat..."

"Is there something I can help you with, Mr. Boyle?"

Everyone turned to see Henrietta approaching, Riley trailing behind her.

"I understand your concern, Mr. Boyle, and you'll be happy to know that your daughter is safe and sound. I'm about to make a very important announcement, and I'd appreciate it if everyone remains where they are. You understand, don't you?"

Begrudgingly, Skip returned to his seat, grumbling all the way. Satisfied that the situation was taken care of, Henrietta turned to a staff member.

"Make sure to grab everyone's attention. I need everyone to see this."

"Yes, ma'am."

Henrietta stepped into her private box, watching the rowdy crowd. Realizing she would need something big to grab their attention, she nodded to the sound booth, who responded in kind.

Suddenly, an ear piercing filled the stadium, ending the rioting as the audience covered their ears in pain. Once the noise had stopped, Henrietta cleared her throat to get their attention.

"I'm sorry, but this is something you all need to hear. Effective immediately, the Junior Youth division of the ARC League Championship is cancelled."

Horrified gasps filled the stadium, followed by outraged shouting. One glance from Henrietta to the sound booth was all it took to shut them up.

"Believe me, this decision was not made lightly, but given recent events I have no other choice. During the events of the Battle Royale, our participants were... attacked."

This got the audience's attention. Attacked?

As if sensing the confusion, the monitor flickered on, revealing footage of the invasion.

"These attackers come from Duel Academy, and they are interested in only one thing: chaos. They came out of nowhere, and attacked innocent children who did them no harm. Most were able to escape, but others..."

Henrietta paused, allowing the footage to speak for itself. The audience could only gasp in horror as their friends and family were carded before their very eyes. Henrietta allowed the sounds of horror to die down before continuing.

"I'm sorry that you had to see this, but you deserve the truth. You need to see the monsters we're dealing with so that when they strike again, we'll be better prepared. But in spite of these losses, 9 heroes have stood strong and pushed the invaders back, their numbers withered down. I give you, The Lancers!"

As the nine duelists entered the arena, they were met by mixed reactions. Most clapped for them, some stared in awkward silence. But a good number of them cried out in anger at the inclusion of two in particular.

"Hey, what's that Sylvio kid doing in here? He lost in the previous round, he has no place here!"

"I bet his daddy bribed the officials to let him back in."

"Well at least he made it to the second round. That Sora kid got his butt whooped in round 1!"

"Wait a minute, Duel Academy? Isn't that the place he was ranting about during his duel?"

"He must be one of them! Throw him out!"

"I say we do to him what his friends did to our kids!"

Sora and Sylvio did their best to control themselves as the jeers continued. At last, Sylvio lost it and grabbed a nearby mic.

"ALRIGHT, SHUT UP!"

The crowd did so, taken aback by his outburst. Composing himself, Sylvio continued.

"Yes, I was eliminated in round 2, but my return has nothing to do with my father, I assure you. When I found out about the invasion, I couldn't let myself sit idly by and do nothing while they wreaked havoc on my home. So I asked, no, begged Declan to allow me to join the fray, and he allowed me to because he saw my potential."

He then waved his arm over to Sora.

"And as for my associate, yes he was a member of Duel Academy. WAS being the key word. You see, when he lost to Julia again, Duel Academy declared him a failure and a target the same as us. So in order to get revenge, he has agreed to join us Lancers in our fight. And you have my word that the nine of us will avenge our fallen comrades and bring these monsters to justice!"

At first, the crowd was silent. Then one person began clapping, then another, and soon the whole stadium was abrupt with applause as Sylvio took a bow. Sora wanted to speak up in defense of himself, but a sharp jab to the gut from Julia was enough to keep his lips shut as Declan took the stage.

"Thank you, Sylvio. I know this is all very shocking, and I thank you for your patience and understanding. The final duel of the Youth division will take place in a weeks time, after which the 10 of us will depart to begin our counteroffensive. I advise the families of those chosen for this honor to spend every minute with them, because it may be a long time until you see any of them again. Good bye."