(A/N: I have been looking forward to this chapter and the next one for too long. We have officially left stage 1 of this arc and are moving forward with the action. It's all cruising altitude and uphill from here folks until the battle with Dartz. Enjoy!)
It had been two days since Fuyuhiko's disappearance. Two whole days since Ibuki was brought to Sakakura, unconscious. Two days since the Steering Committee held a meeting over what to do about the situation. Clearly, they were failing to protect the Ultimates. Clearly…something new had to be done. Until such a time that the situation was considered all clear, students would be escorted to and from their dorm rooms by their teachers each morning and eat in their respective classrooms. No student would be permitted special activities unless the entire class participated. In order to preserve the remaining ultimates, the Chairwoman of the Steering Committee felt that these new extreme measures needed to be taken.
Additionally, an internal investigation was set forth to make sure that Yukizome, Munakata and Sakakura were not part of this conspiracy. The Chairwoman reassured all three that this was only a formality. She, herself, did not believe they had done anything wrong, but to cover all her bases, she just wanted to cover her bases.
In the two days since that meeting, Sakakura was already cleared of wrongdoing. Cameras spotted Ibuki sneaking off campus all on her own and Sakakura frantically looking for her at the time when she vanished. While it was now Yukizome's turn to be under the more watchful eye, her students were acting as her best alibis and she knew she had done nothing wrong.
Currently, she was sitting in her classroom, watching her students eat as she took a personal call from Munakata.
"I know you'll clear the investigation. The Chairwoman means well. At least they're not suspicious of us. Besides, my uncle is on the committee now. You'll be fine."
"Yeah, I'm sure I will be," Yukizome smiled. She looked out at her class and sighed. "How did it come to this, Kyosuke? How did I lose complete control of my class?"
"It's not your fault. Chin up, Chisa," Munakata told her. "You can get them back. Just be yourself. Win them over with that award-winning smile like you won me over three years ago."
"Kyosuke," her crush's kind words made Yukizome blush and smile.
"I've got my hands full here in the states opening as many shelters as I can for victims of the monster attacks. In times like this I guess it pays when your parents own a lot of real estate, even if you don't see them very often."
Yukizome laughed. "I'm sure you'll do your best." Yukizome then sighed, her smile fading. "Please be careful, Kyosuke. If something happens, I can't protect you."
"What are you saying? I'm the one who should be saying that."
Yukizome's cheeks puffed up. "Hey. Don't be a jerk. I can take care of myself."
Munakata laughed on the other end. "I know you can, Chisa. Just stay safe, okay? I couldn't bear to lose you when I'm not there to help you."
Yukizome smiled. "I promise, Kyosuke. Besides, I've got my class watching my back. I'm strong and I'm tough!" Yukizome smacked her solar plexus with her fist only to hit it too hard and start coughing.
Kyosuke laughed and laughed. "Same old Chisa. I'll call you back if I get any info about what's going on. Do the same, okay?"
"Sure. I'll let Juuzo know too."
"Thanks. I'll see you in about two weeks for that lunch meeting. Bye, now."
"Bye!" Yukizome then hung up and slumped over her desk.
"Something the matter Miss Yukizome?"
Yukizome looked up to see Hajime standing in front of her desk. She sighed. "No, Hajime. I'm fine. Just tired." Ever since Chiaki's soul had been taken, Hajime had really stepped up to try and keep the class united. Yukizome thought this was going to be a disaster given he was the "transfer" student, but Akane and Sonia both vouched for him and that seemed to silence any room for argument.
Speaking of Sonia, "Sonia!" Yukizome called to her.
"Yes, Miss Yukizome?" Sonia asked curiously.
"Please watch the classroom for me, all right? I'm taking Hajime with me to check my mail," Yukizome said, giving Sonia her biggest smile.
"Understood." Sonia said, doing her impression of Rosie the Riveter. "I shall do my best."
Yukizome smiled as Hajime followed her out of the classroom. Sonia's really pushing herself, huh? Yukizome remembered when she found Sonia crying and blubbering like a kindergartener with a scraped knee. Now she seemed to be back to her old self, but Yukizome knew it was just a front. Every time Hajime and Akane pushed their decks together so the former could teach the latter more about dueling, Sonia seemed to make any excuse she could to leave the room.
Hajime Hinata, Ryota Mitarai, Mikan Tsumiki, Akane Owari, Sonia Nevermind, Kazuichi Soda, and Teruteru Hanamura. These were the only students she had left. Her class felt empty. There wasn't the warm smiles of Chiaki Nanami or Mahiru Koizumi, or the zany antics of Gundham Tanaka and Ibuki Mioda. And now, even the rock-hard foundations, the foul-mouthed Fuyuhiko and the stoic Peko Pekoyama, were missing as well.
Yukizome went into her office and found a mailing envelope in her mail. I wonder what this is, she thought as she plucked it out of her compartment. Hajime was behind her, grabbing her watering can to water the plants in the shared office space.
Yukizome opened the folder and found it to almost be empty. As she shook the damn thing, two cards fell onto the floor. They were duel monster cards and they were face-down. When Yukizome picked them up, her eyes went wide with surprise and horror.
No…
The cards she'd been mailed were the imprints of Fuyuhiko and Peko being lost to the Orichalcos.
Hajime, almost sensing Yukizome's emotional turmoil, reached out, but stood at more than a six-foot distance. "Miss Yukizome, are you okay?"
"Hajime. Go back to class."
"Huh?"
"Please. There's something I need to do," Yukizome said.
"Hey, hang on a sec. No one's allowed to leave campus. Where are you going?"
"I'm giving you an order as your teacher. Go back to class!"
Hajime swallowed. "Y-yes ma'am!"
Once Hajime was down the hall, Yukizome led herself shed a tear and whimpered once.
Since no one knew besides her and her comrades that she was under investigation, Chisa didn't tell her students that she was risking her job over what she was doing. She stormed off campus and eventually made her way to a low-rising estate that clearly had seen better days. The front doors were wide open, dust had settled in places it really shouldn't be if it was managed properly, and the place, even from outside, felt empty.
Ordinarily, Chisa Yukizome would take it upon herself to clean up such a place, but she was a woman with a mission right now and she was not about to distract herself. After all, this was where it all began for her class. This was the Saionji estate.
Walking through the halls, Yukizome saw people lying on the ground, soulless and unmoving in droves. It was horrible. Their bodies looked malnourished from multiple days of no eating and some of the bodies were placed in compromising positions. Others had their asses sticking out with foreign objects placed into the anuses. Yukizome could only roll her eyes at the childishness. However, on some level, she took a little bit of comfort in knowing that Hiyoko was, to some extent, still herself.
Yukizome checked every cabinet of every room of every hall of every building at the Saionji estate. The place was soulless. Everyone had been defeated by just one angry girl. Just based on what she could find, Yukizome found that the more someone had wronged Hiyoko, the more their "corpse" had been defiled. In the case of her cousins, Hiyoko had written lots of graffiti on them with lipstick, the kind of graffiti one would find in a rape - slave doujin.
And yet, that wasn't the most horrifying thing Yukizome found. Among all the soulless bodies, one body stood out. It was a man in his late 30s laying with his arms crossed over his chest. He was surrounded with lilac petals and long since snuffed out candles, and Hiyoko had etched a halo over his head on the floor with chalk. Of all the bodies, this one was the only one not defiled and outright honored.
What made this from sweet to unsettling was when Yukizome discovered that this was Hiyoko's father. If there was one thing Yukizome knew about Hiyoko it was how much she loved her father. She still even called him "daddy" as a term of endearment. Nothing Elektra complex levels of worrying, just healthy parental worship. However, what bothered Yukizome was that Hiyoko would go and take the soul of the person she supposedly cared about the most.
"Miss Yukizome, look! Daddy sent me Mochi with my care package! Can we share them with Mahiru? Can we? Can we?"
Hiyoko only ever seemed to be a happy, normal girl if her dad was involved.
To do this…to someone you love…
A creaking floor board snapped Yukizome from her attention. "Who's there?" she called. From the darkened doorway, she saw a figure peeking out from around it. Based on their height and bust line, Yukizome could identify it, even from this distance out into a dark courtyard due to the storm clouds overhead.
"Akane? What are you doing here? Go back to class."
"I can't!" Akane exclaimed, face sweating. "When Hajime said you were going off on your own, my gut told me I should follow you. Hajime's probably gone and got Sakakura to look for you, but I can't stand by and do nothing." Akane punched one hand into her open palm and cracked her knuckles. "Somehow I just knew this place would be suspicious. Hiyoko started this whole mess. There have to be clues around here, somewhere, right?"
Yukizome walked out of the sanctuary Hiyoko had put her father in and stood on the outdoor wooden walkway surrounding the courtyard. She put a hand on Akane's shoulder. "Please, Akane, I can handle this myself. Go back to sch—"
Akane suddenly pushed Yukizome back into the room and then leapt away from her as a knife continued to sail into the wooden wall behind where both women were standing.
From the opposite corner of the courtyard, Gurimo began to march forward towards the two women. "Impressive reflexes. I thought I would hit at least one of you."
Chisa got to her feet and darted out of the room, throwing her arm in front of Akane and glaring down the walkway. "Who are you?" she demanded to know.
The old man grinned. "Gurimo's the name, collecting souls is my game. And you, Chisa Yukizome, are seeming quite appetizing." He lapped at his lips.
"All right, bring it on Hannibal Lector," she glared. She activated her duel disk. "You think you can duel innocent kids and get away with it? Not on my watch, buster! You made the mistake of messing with my students. Soon as I beat you, I'm going to use your nuts as coffee grinds!"
"You'll be doing nothing except spending eternity as food for our Great Leviathan!" Gurimo exclaimed.
"No," Yukizome said firmly, activating her duel disk. "I won't!"
"Let's duel," they both said.
"My move first," Gurimo stated. "And I think I'll start by activating the Seal of Orichalcos!"
Akane gasped. "No! Run, Miss Yukizome!" Akane exclaimed.
"No," Yukizome said, her glare never leaving her face. "I won't run. Stand there and watch, Akane."
"B-but…"
"Too many of you have been hurt by this seal. It has made you all afraid. I chose to stand by when Marik was around. But if I had not, we could not have rescued Hajime from his fate. But now, it's my turn. Now, I'll show you all why I am your teacher."
Gurimo chuckled.
"Wipe that smug smirk off your face. Make your move so I can clean you up and shove you down the nearest sewage pipe."
Gurimo's smirk faded and he swallowed. "I play this monster in attack mode: Zure! Knight of Dark World!"
A zombiesh looking grayish purple fiend appeared on the battlefield with cursed armor and a tattered blue cape. It had 1800 attack points and 1500 defense points, the former of which immediately boosted to 2300 attack points. "I shall now place these two cards face-down and end my turn."
"My move," Yukizome stated. She drew the top card of her deck. "And now I activate this magic card: Heavy Storm, destroying every magic and trap card on the field." Let's see your Orichalcos stand up to this!
A raging storm surrounded the battlefield and shattered Gurimo's face-down cards, yet the Orichalcos remained.
"Let me guess, it's so super powerful, it can't be destroyed by spell and trap cards?"
"Monster effects either. You're awfully quick on the uptake."
Yukizome smirked and Gurimo could see the secret evil that lay deeply buried in this woman. "Oh trust me, you're not dealing with the average duelist anymore." The smirk went away and her determined glare returned. "If I can't destroy your Seal of Orichalcos the easy way, then I'll just have to beat you the hard way!"
"Good luck with that when I have a monster with 2,300 attack points on the field!" Gurimo exclaimed.
"You'd be terrible at gambling. Much like with poker, and with dueling, never tempt someone into doing something," Yukizome flipped a magic card around in her hand. "You'll end up with cider in your ear. I activate this spell card, Fissure!"
A giant hole opened up in the ground as the magic card Yukizome played swallowed up Gurimo's monster.
"No monsters and no face-down cards. You're in for a spanking now," Yukizome glared, her stare as dark as the void in between galaxies. "I summon Gemini Elf!"
Yukizome slapped the all powerful rare 4-star monster onto the field, the two twin elves standing in front of her. "Gemini Elf! Attack! Gemini Double Radiation!"
Each elf that made up Gemini Elf launched a powerful magic blast at Gurimo that shook his body from the real damage, bringing his life points down to 2,100. Lightning then struck the courtyard, setting it on fire.
"H-hey, Miss Yukizome, this place is on fire!" Akane exclaimed.
"There should be a fire extinguisher around here somewhere," Yukizome said. "Go find it."
"Y-yeah…" Akane scampered off as another bolt of lightning struck the facility and thunder clapped overhead. A light rain trickled down, but it wasn't nearly strong enough to cancel out the now raging fire. Fierce winds were also blowing. A storm was brewing and Yukizome was its epicenter.
"I place one card face-down," Yukizome said. "Your move."
Gurimo drew the top card of his deck. "I activate this card, Graceful Charity! Now I get to draw 3 cards as long as I discard two." Gurimo drew three cards and then sent two to the graveyard. "Next, I'll activate this spell card: Soul Charge! Now I can bring back as many monsters from my graveyard as possible at the cost of some life points!" Gurimo exclaimed. Zure, Knight of Dark World, along with Element Doom and Element Soldier appeared on the battlefield. Gurimo's life points fell from 2,100 to 600, but it would be worth it. Oh Yukizome was going to get it now.
"I now sacrifice all of my monsters to awaken my ultimate beast. Go! Wicked Eraser!" Gurimo's monster hit the table 2,000 attack points strong, its power enhancing even further thanks to the power of the Orichalcos, bringing it to a total of 2,500 points.
"Next, I activate the last card in my hand! Card of Demise! Now I can keep drawing until I hold five cards in my hand!" Gurimo replenished his hand. "And now, I shall activate this spell card! Megamorph! Since my life points are lower than yours, my monster will have its attack points doubled!"
"Not going to happen," Yukizome said, pressing the button on her duel disk. "Activate trap! Magic Jammer! By discarding one card from my hand, I can negate the activation of any magic card that has been activated."
Gurimo blinked sweating.
Yukizome sent a card from her hand to the graveyard and spoke with as much of a contralto as her voice would let her. "Nobody messes with my students." Another lightning bolt hit the ground and thunder clapped across the sky. "And since I only have one card on the field, that means your monster loses 1000 attack points, meaning it's now weaker than my monster. So go ahead, attack me." Water dripped from Yukizome's bangs. "Make my day."
What the hell is this woman? I was told she was just a bubbly housekeeper, yet this feeling…I feel like I'm on the receiving end of Master Dartz's anger himself.
Gurimo coughed and stated. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."
"My turn then," Yukizome said and drew the top card of her deck. "Since summoning a monster will inevitably make your monster more powerful, I have no choice but to attack with only Gemini Elf on the field!" she declared, extending her arm out. "Go now! Gemini Double Radiation!"
Gurimo smirked. "Sorry, but I'm afraid that won't work this time. Reveal face-down card, Blast with Chain!" A chain wrapped itself tightly around Wicked Eraser and its attack power suddenly was boosted by 500 points.
Yukizome gasped. "What?"
"Haha, you did exactly the only move you could possibly make," Gurimo stated. "So sorry. Wicked Eraser! Eraser Beam!"
Gurimo's monster blasted a beam back at the magic blasts Yukizome's elf was firing and overcame them. The beams continued, destroying the elves and hitting Yukizome in the shoulder. She barely flinched from the shot as her life points ticked down to 3,900.
"Not bad," she smirked. "I'll be honest. It's not easy to make me lose life points. But it's still my turn." She placed a monster sideways on the card reader. "One monster card face-down." She then set another card face-down. "And one card face-down from my hand. My turn is over."
"Heh heh heh. Running scared in the end, just like your students. How gutless."
"We'll see," Yukizome said with a smirk. Her confidence had not been shot at all. This was not like Peko Pekoyama. Even if by playing a monster and a face-down she had allowed Gurimo's Wicked Eraser to rise to 3,000 points, she still seemed confident she could win."
"Stubborn woman," Gurimo said. "Defeating you will truly be a delight." He drew the top card of his deck. "Ahhh, perfect. I activate this magic card: Fairy Meteor Crush! This will allow my monster to deal damage when it destroys your monster even though your monster is in defense position!"
Yukizome winced as the rain poured around her and Gurimo.
"And now, I shall activate another magic card: Supremacy Berry! This magic card will allow me to gain 2,000 life points since my life points are lower than yours." Gurimo's life points ascended to 2,600. This duel, it seemed, was far from over. "Now, Wicked Eraser! Attack!"
Wicked Eraser fired a beam forward and Yukizome's monster was revealed: Mystical Elf.
"Not so fast! I activate a Quick Play Spell, Reliable Guardian!" Yukizome exclaimed.
"What on earth good will that do?" Gurimo guffawed. "My monster has 3,000 attack points to your monster's pathetic 2,000. Reliable guardian only raises its defense points by 700 points."
Yukizome stood by and watched as Gurimo's laser barreled towards Mystical Elf, slamming into her barrier. It looked like the barrier might crack, but that's when Wicked Eraser's beam suddenly shrunk in girth and power and was dispersed. The attack had failed.
"What? Impossible! You have no cards in your hand! Explain yourself, woman! Explain your witchcraft and lies!"
"The only lies here are the lies fed to you by the Orichalcos!" Yukizome shouted. "But fine, you want to know why your attack failed. Then class is in session. Shut your mouth and open your ears. You might learn something. Wicked Eraser gains 1,000 attack points for every card on my side of the field. That is true. However, Reliable Guardian is a quick play spell. As soon as its effect engages," Yukizome explained as though the event were replaying in her mind with a sepia colored tone, "My magic card goes to the graveyard, therefore it's no longer in play. However, your attack has not completed and damage has not been calculated. Therefore, your Wicked Eraser now reassess what cards are in play and recognizes now that I only have one!" Yukizome exclaimed, picking her mystical elf up off the duel disk to show it to Gurimo.
"No! This can't be!" Gurimo exclaimed as his life points fell down to 1,900. A bolt of lightning struck the walkway behind him and set the path behind him on fire. The flames licked at the barrier that encased him and Yukizome inside the Seal of Orichalcos.
"Timing is everything and yours was off. May I have my turn?" Yukizome asked.
Gurimo grit his teeth. "Yes."
"Good," Yukizome stated and drew the top card of her deck. "I activate the magic card Card of Sanctity. Now, I can get a full hand back. So can you. But I plan to end this. Now."
Yukizome now had a hand of six cards. Wicked Eraser still had 1000 attack points thanks to the power of the Orichalcos and playing any card would increase its attack value. "I activate this magic card, Monster Reborn!" Yukizome exclaimed. "This allows me to raise from my graveyard a monster that all truly fear! Show yourself! Rise now! Dogoran, the Mad Flame Kaiju!"
Flame and a roar shook the battlefield as a titanic dinosaur creature, wreathed in fire, appeared in the middle of the estate, crunching part of the building underfoot.
Gurimo sweated.
"I may not have enough attack power to inflict damage by destroying your Wicked Eraser, but Dogoran is more than powerful enough to match it equally. Go! Dogoran! Attack! Ignition Flame Stream!"
Dogoran unleashed a powerful blast of flame down onto Wicked Eraser, but Eraser fired back with a powerful pink beam as the two attacks clashed overhead with Dogoran blasting down and Wicked Eraser blasting up. The attack shook the estate.
"Miss Yukizome!" Akane shouted over the noise. "There's fire everywhere, but I—" she gasped when she saw Wicked Eraser and Dogoran fighting. She was approaching from the opposite end of the courtyard. "What…is that?"
"Stay back, Akane," Yukizome told her. "This is all on me from here on out." Lightning struck the ground twice. "And I don't want you getting hurt."
A blast of energy and fire exploded within the seal, scratches appearing on Yukizome's arms and slight rips tore at her apron and suit. Both monsters had vanished.
Upon the ground, lay the core of Wicked Eraser.
"Foolish woman, you may have succeeded in destroying Wicked Eraser, but you've failed to take into account one of its special abilities! Whenever Wicked Eraser is destroyed, it takes everything on the field with it!" Gurimo exclaimed gleefully.
The core exploded, throwing Yukizome against the wall of the seal's barrier, but she maintained her footing from the bounce and didn't drop to even one knee. As Mystical Elf disappeared, Yukizome massaged her shoulder.
"Don't forget, I still haven't played a monster this turn. So I choose this one! Milla the Temporal Magician!" A white-haired woman dressed all in white, carrying a long, golden scepter, performed a pirouette as she practically danced onto the battlefield. She had 1800 attack points and 1000 defense points. "It's your move," Yukizome said as a lightning bolt crashed down directly onto the barrier of the seal.
Gurimo drew the top card of his deck. "I summon to the field Archfiend Soldier!" Gurimo exclaimed as a mighty monster with 1900 attack points and 1500 defense points hit the table. And, of course, thanks to the Seal of Orichalcos, it was stronger than ever at 2,400 attack points. "Archfiend Soldier, attack! Destroy her Temporal Magician!"
The attack was a slaughter. Despite Milla's light beams, Archfiend Soldier plowed through it and punched her in the chest before raking her across the face and causing her to explode. This dropped Yukizome's life points to 3,300.
"I think that will do for now," Gurimo grinned.
What's this guy up to? Yukizome wondered. It's true that I have lots of spell and trap removal, but how would he know to be wary against that? Yukizome shook her head. "I'm just going to have to continue fighting my hardest and take you down!"
Yukizome drew the top card of her deck. "I activate this spell card: Hammer Shot, destroying the strongest monster on the field!"
A giant hammer appeared and smacked Archfiend Soldier over the head, destroying it.
"Now, I'll play this monster, Shining Fairy!" A fairy with large, beautiful orange wings settled onto the battlefield. "Now, attack Gurimo's life points directly! Shining Ball Blast!"
Shining Fairy unleashed its attack on Gurimo, bringing his life points down to 500 from the attack.
"My turn is over."
Even if Shining Fairy is destroyed, I can just summon a new monster. Then, on my turn, Yukizome looked at a powerful monster in her hand, I'll wipe him out.
"Excellent," Gurimo stated. "Thank you so much for playing right into my hands my dear."
"What are you talking about?" Yukizome asked over the sound of the pouring rain.
"Why, filling up my graveyard with monsters. In order to summon Wicked Eraser, I needed three monsters. Counting Wicked Eraser itself, that makes four and you just gave me a fifth. And all my monsters are dark attribute types."
"So?"
"So, that means I can summon this dark monster to bring about your destruction! I summon to the field The Dark Creator!" Gurimo exclaimed. A powerful being with an entirely black body appeared on the battlefield with 2,300 attack points and 3,000 defense points. It's attack power then increased to 2,800.
"A powerful monster with a special summoning condition?" Yukizome questioned.
"It's so much more than just that." Gurimo ejected Wicked Eraser from his graveyard. "Since Wicked Eraser can only be normal summoned or set, I'll remove it from my graveyard with Dark Creator's effect, but this let's me bring back Archfiend Soldier to my field from the graveyard!" Archfiend Soldier returned to the battlefield, hungry for fairy flesh and vengeance.
"And there's more. Since I've yet to normal summon a monster this turn, I'll add this behemoth to the battlefield. Meet my Element Saurus!" A theropod dinosaur with pink spines running down its back and smoke coming out of its nostrils hit the table with 1500 attack points and 1200 defense points. The seal of Orichalcos increased its attack power by 500 points for a total of 2000.
"This duel is over! I have three monsters, and you only have one!"
"MISS YUKIZOME!" Akane cried out in anguish. No. She couldn't watch another person she cherished completely disappear.
"Dark Creator! Attack! Black Lightning Bolt of Retribution! Destroy Shining Fairy!"
Dark Creator reigned down a black thunderbolt that zapped Yukizome's monster, the residual lightning zapping at her body. Yukizome flinched only a little as her life points fell to 1,900.
"Thanks to Shining Fairy, I can special summon another one from my deck in attack mode, unfortunately for me."
Gurimo chuckled. "Yes. I know. Archfiend Soldier! Destroy that monster too! Rend it to pieces!"
Archfiend Soldier raked its claws down Yukizome's monster, leaving her apprehensive face to meet its demented gaze. Her life points fell down to only 900.
"I'll summon yet another monster: Maiden of the Moonlight!" Yukizome exclaimed. This monster at least had 1500 attack points.
"Pointless." Gurimo said. "Element Saurus attack! Destroy her monster! Dark Flame Burst!"
Element Saurus unleashed a fireball from its mouth and blew up Yukizome's maiden, bringing her life points down to only 400, practically evening up the game in life points, but far from it in field presence.
As Yukizome banged her back on the barrier of the Seal of Orichalcos, her hair ribbon fell out of her hair, causing her hair to cascade down from the rain, covering one of her eyes.
"Heh heh heh. HAHAHAHAHA! Surrender! You have been beaten! No matter what you summon, I have plenty of options to breach the last of your once insurmountable life points! You lose, Chisa Yukizome!"
"I lose?" Yukizome asked rhetorically. "Who decided that? No matter what I summon, you'll take out the last of my life points." Yukizome tore off her damaged apron and threw it at the ground. "Who decided that?" She gave a smirk so vile and so cruel to Gurimo it looked as if she was 7 and a half feet tall, looking down on him from on high. "I decide when and how I lose!" Yukizome's pride and determination flared to life as a nasty glare could now be seen emanating from her visible eye socket. "And for me, this duel…is not over yet!" Yukizome tore the top card of her deck off it and into her hand. "You control the power of darkness, but for me, those who would wield the power of shadow, will be made to face the light. Behold!" Yukizome activated the card in her hand. "I activate Cost Down! Now, I can summon any monster with six stars or lower without having to sacrifice a monster!" She held up a card in her hand. "Of course, the price to pay for this, is only one other card in my hand." She discarded a spell card to the graveyard. "So now, I can play this monster! I summon the Goddess of Sweet Revenge!"
A green haired goddess with hair so long it was dragging on the ground appeared on the battlefield. She was shining all around her, garbed in green with a long, pyrite colored scepter in her hand. It had 1800 attack points and 2000 defense points.
"And what exactly is that supposed to prove?" Gurimo chuckled. "Your monster is far too weak to destroy any of mine."
"Lies!" Yukizome declared. "I'll show you. Goddess of Sweet Revenge, attack Dark Creator now!"
"Miss Yukizome, no!" Akane wasn't very smart, but she knew that 2800 was greater than 1800.
"If your intention is to suicide yourself into oblivion, I'll gladly help you along," Gurimo said, chuckling. "Dark Creator, destroy her goddess with your bolt of dark lightning!"
Dark Creator rained down lightning from above, but just as the bolts reached Yukizome's monster, another monster suddenly appeared. It was a blond-haired angel with gigantic snowy white wings, garbed in blue and orange. This angel's feather tips were yellow and red and it was helping Yukizome's goddess survive the attack.
"What? What's going on?"
Yukizome didn't answer, she simply let her cards do the talking for her. As Dark Creator's black lightning fizzled out, Goddess of Sweet Revenge, aided by this new angelic being, fired forward a blast of green energy. Her partner fired its own blast of white light from its palm as both attacks coiled together and tore a hole so fine through Dark Creator that it bifurcated the being, causing it to explode.
"What? No! NO! This can't be!"
"Time for your final lesson," Yukizome said as her angelic ally floated above Goddess of Sweet Revenge, arms crossed over himself in an X-position, fists against his shoulders. Yukizome retrieved a card from her graveyard, which had been in her hand only moments before. "This card is called Honest. It's an angelic being that can be sent to the graveyard during battle from my hand when one of my light attribute monsters battle. When it does, it gives my monster attack power equal to the monster its battling."
"But…but that means…" Gurimo stuttered.
Yukizome pulled a collapsed apron from within her business suit and put it on. "It means class is over." She put a new ribbon tie in her hair and then extended her arm out forcefully, index finger pointing at Gurimo firmly. "And you failed!"
Gurimo swallowed as his eyes shrunk in, shaking with despair.
Yukizome glared so intently at Gurimo, it was like her face had become a shadow itself. "Never mess with my students." Gurimo's life points then dropped to 0.
As Gurimo felt the Seal of Orichalcos close around him, he dropped to his knees and then lay on his back. He laughed, coughing. "Do you feel happy to have taken revenge? Well, you've wasted all of your effort. It doesn't matter that you've defeated me. It won't bring your students back. And soon, all of humanity will belong to the Great Leviathan!" Gurimo raised a rain-soaked arm to the sky. "Glory to Master Dartz!" he shouted with the last of his strength. "May your reign be long…" his arm started to fall. "And…true."
Gurimo's soul was then taken by the Orichalcos.
The rain then began to fall harder as the wind died down and the thunder stopped clapping. The fire at the estate was put out, leaving Yukizome standing tall, Akane nearby, and Gurimo on the ground, soulless.
Taking a deep breath, Yukizome balled her fists, raised her head to the sky and let out a loud, Amazonian cry of victory.
Akane knew it then, Yukizome wasn't just a woman, or a teacher, she was a warrior just like her. Not just that, she was a warrior without compare, an inspiration. Gurimo had taunted her, demanded that she surrender, but at every turn Yukizome refused. She stood tall and held her ground.
In her heart, Akane's courage seemed to well up, as well as a burning desire to fight. Not for blood, not for sport, but to follow this woman, her teacher into whatever hellish journey she'd embarked on.
"Yeah! Get that blood pumping!" Akane declared. She let out her own bellow from the bottom of her heart.
For a good few minutes, Yukizome and Akane started trying to one up each other on who could sound like a berserk amazon the most. By then, the rain was letting up and Yukizome was putting Gurimo on her back.
"You're awesome, Miss Yukizome!" Akane exclaimed, grinning like a demon. "I never should've doubted you for a second! Point me in the direction you want me to go! I'll duel and punch whoever you want me to!"
"I appreciate it, Akane, but it won't just be you and me." She and Akane stepped out of the estate as the sun pierced the storm clouds. "We're going to fight Dartz and his acolytes and rescue the other students. And we're all going to do it, together."
"Yeah!" Akane exclaimed. Finally, things were starting to get exciting. And she didn't have to worry about her friends leaving her. After worrying about Nekomaru, after the gut punch of Chiaki not being around, after fearing for the loss of Hajime, Akane knew she didn't have to worry at all. After all, her class had Yukizome, the strongest guiding light of all.
Inside Dartz's hallowed sanctuary of souls, deep beneath the ocean's surface, he and the other Acolytes noticed it when Gurimo's image was emblazoned on an otherwise empty stone slab.
"Gurimo has been defeated," Dartz said.
"Man, that old man was such a bore. I'm glad he's gone," Hiyoko said. "Who took him out?"
"Musta been someone really skilled ta do that. Gurimo wunt zactly a pushover," Valon remarked.
"I bet it was Hajime. His hope must be blossoming already," Nagito said.
"That is not the case, young Komaeda. Come hither, all of you."
The acolytes stepped up to Dartz's clairvoyance pool where he could see events unfolding. They all saw Yukizome screaming at the sky.
"Hey! That's my house! What's going on?" Hiyoko snapped, pissed off. And then she realized what else bothered her in this picture. "Wait a sec, is that…Miss Yukizome?"
"I didn't even know she could duel. You?" Nagito asked Gundham.
"I suppose it does make sense. To be our guiding light, Miss Yukizome should be able to harness the power of a thousand suns."
"Ugh, in English!" Hiyoko snapped.
"I think he means that your teacher had to be a skilled duelist in order to lead all of you. That's not exactly firm logic, but the result is the same either way," Rafael said.
"Hey! Hey!" Hiyoko tugged on Dartz's arm. "Father Dartz, can I duel Miss Yukizome next?"
"You wish to duel her, my child?"
"Well yeah, I mean Alister's already got a hate boner for Kaiba, Valon's still chasing Mai Valentine's skirt, Rafael already called dibs on Yugi Mutoh, Gundham's got a relationship with Sonia that Facebook would call complicated, Natsumi has Joey gunning for her like the jealous, spurned ex he is, and Nagito and Hajime just scream bland, traditional rivals."
"Is she always like this?" Natsumi asked Nagito.
"Yup," Nagito responded.
"I do not have a…hate boner for Seto Kaiba," Alister cut in.
"Yeah, you do. It's a pretty hateful boner," Hiyoko said with an impish grin.
"The level between you, small one, and the guiding light is vast," Gundham said. "What makes you think you should duel her?"
"Cause she makes me sick! Look at her, acting like she's everyone's mom! I never said she could be my mom! And when I need her the most, she's never there! She's just as much at fault for leaving me weak and defenseless as Mahiru." She tugged on Dartz's arm, smiling happily. "So can I duel her, Father Dartz? Can I? Can I? Can I?"
Dartz pat Hiyoko on the head. "Of course you can, my child."
"Yay! Thank you, Father Dartz!" Hiyoko gave him a big hug, nestling her face against his side. "You're the best!"
"For someone who doesn't want to be treated like a child, you sure act like one a lot," Natsumi said.
"No one asked you, you filthy skank," Hiyoko snapped. "Don't you have blowjob you could be giving right now with those lips?"
"Why you little bitch!" Natsumi shouted, darting for Hiyoko, finger nails curved like claws.
Hiyoko hid behind Dartz and whined. "Father Dartz, she's scaring me."
"Natsumi, control yourself. We all have the same goal. Let us not fight amongst ourselves," Dartz said.
"Hmph," Natsumi turned her head away, arms folded. From behind Dartz, Hiyoko stuck her tongue out and pulled down her eye. Natsumi's eye twitched as she glared at her, growling, teeth grit.
"I don't think the most adept strategy would be to duel The Invincible One right this moment," Gundham stated.
"Oh? You have a different plan in mind, young Tanaka?" Dartz asked.
"Indeed," Gundham grinned. "Release the demons once again. Beasts. Fiends. Dinosaurs! Reptiles! Dragons! Even the fish and sea serpents! I can control them all with the power you've granted me! A second wave to inflict chaos and turmoil and gather up more souls much faster! After all, we have lost an acolyte, we must compensate for their contribution."
"How very astute," Dartz said, seeming to agree with Gundham's proposal. "To what aim?"
"Where monsters roam, the other dragon whisperers are sure to follow. So far, only Timaeus has revealed itself. If we know who to crush, there will be nothing stopping the Great Leviathan from RETURNING TO THIS WORLD!"
"That's a great idea, Gundham! Why didn't I think of that? If we combine your talent with the power of the Orichalcos, it'll create such a momentous despair that hope will have no choice but to confront it."
"Keh heh heh," Gundham chuckled. "Well, I do have my moments."
"Let me go with you. If my luck aids you, we'll have an even greater chance of drawing them out."
"You are not good for much, jester, but you will suffice in this task. Yes, let us combine our power and turn the tide of warfare, before the enemy can gain any ground!"
"Master Dartz," Rafael said, stepping up. "Please allow me to go with these two. I don't trust them by themselves."
"Your concern is noted, Rafael. You may go. I hope that is all right, gentlemen," Dartz said to Nagito and Gundham.
"Having the scorned guardian on our side could be useful," Gundham said. "I have no objections."
"It'll be a good chance to see the depth of your hope, Rafael," Nagito said. "Don't let me down."
You're the one I'm more concerned with, Rafael thought. Gundham he was convinced was devoted to the cause, but Nagito gave him pause. Whose side was he truly on? Or was he a neutral party pretending to be one of their allies. Rafael wanted to confirm the truth with his own eyes.
"Then it's agreed. Hiyoko and I will stay here. Rafael, Gundham and Nagito shall start the worldwide assault again. Alister, I leave Seto Kaiba to you."
"Right," Alister nodded.
"As for you and Valon, Natsumi," Dartz said. "I have a special task in mind for the two of you."
"Consider it done," Natsumi said.
Dartz smiled. He loved having such compliant minions. It made everything all too easy.
Hours later, Yukizome was throwing Gurimo's unconscious body on the floor in front of the Steering Committee.
"Who is this filthy man?" the Chairwoman asked.
"His name is Gurimo and he's one of the acolytes responsible for the sudden monster attacks. He's a member of an organization that I believe leads to the heart of the matter that's plaguing this school," Yukizome told her.
The Vice-Chairwoman then spoke up. "And, what do you plan to do now? Your investigation will certainly be called off. You took a risk and yielded results. We're sorry we ever doubted you."
"To stop an Ultimate, you need to use an Ultimate, I'm calling for an open season on these acolytes of the Orichalcos. As long as I'm guiding my students," Yukizome said forcefully, "I know they can do anything. We'll put a stop to it."
"That's an awfully big risk," one of the committee members said, really not sure if this was a stellar plan.
"I think it's a splendid idea," Munakata's uncle said. "Chisa. You and your kids got the job."
"Excuse me, but it's my job to make the executive orders," the chairwoman accosted.
"Then make it," Munakata's uncle said.
The chairwoman shook her head and sighed. "While it is a big risk, and there's no one here that does not agree, your class has you and the Ultimate Duelist as a part of it, as well as Battle City Finalist, Sonia Nevermind." The chairwoman lowered her head to Yukizome. "I am leaving this task to you." She picked her head up and glared at her. "Do not fail, or you will be executed."
Yukizome gulped.
The chairwoman coughed. "Sorry, old habit. But you will be severely punished for failure."
"Don't worry," Yukizome said. "I won't fail. Together, my students and I are going to save the world!"
(A/N: You saw it first here, folks. Don't fuck with Yukizome. It will not end well. And now, all of the rival pairings have been set for this arc: Yugi/Rafael, Kaiba/Alister (which we'll see very little of), Mai/Valon, Joey/Natsumi, Sonia/Gundham, Hajime/Nagito, and now Yukizome/Hiyoko.
Speaking of, how did you all like Yukizome's first ever duel? I wanted this to be her big moment. I told you things were going to turn around and I meant it. I wanted to set her up against an opponent that seemed fierce—hell Gurimo pushed Yugi into a corner in canon—and have her prevail. I contemplated Yukizome completely stomping Gurimo into the ground, but that felt like I would've been playing Yukizome up too much. Not to mention, this chapter would've been much shorter and I like all chapters in this fic to be at least 5,000 words unless I specifically wanted it to be super short.
I'm gonna take a break for next chapter unless the reception to this one is really, really positive. Next chapter is all plot—one of those rare chapters where a duel doesn't take place—but I'm out of time this weekend to write it.
And the chapter after that…is that the Jaws theme playing?
Er, anyway, as always, from all of me to all of you, let your hearts stay human and your wrath draconic. Ja ne!)