(A/N: So, even though some of my usual reviewers haven't commented on the previous chapter, pretty much all of my reviewers that have said that they want plot over fluffy filler so we're skipping the wedding. And just to reiterate, it's not like I couldn't have done the wedding and failed to make it interesting, but I just felt it might've been redundant in the context of everything that occurred the previous chapter. I make it my effort to ensure that you guys are getting quality work out of me, which is why I take so many unplanned hiatuses. Sometimes all it takes is one scene not going the way I want it to that delays fanfics indefinitely—just look at Cornelia of the Defection and Tales of Bleach: Blades of Destiny, the latter of which I plan to reboot. But you're not here to hear me ramble, you're here for some fun. So let's jump right in. And for those of you that wanted the wedding, but stayed silent, this is the fate you face by not speaking out to your preference. Even if you don't have a fanfiction account, it's not like I don't read every review that comes in if you're thinking "oh, he wouldn't possibly care about my anonymous opinion". I do. I care about everyone's opinions and as long as you're not some anon troll out to tell me "this story sucks and here's 50 reasons why" I will consider even anonymous opinions about it.
And speaking of anonymous opinions, the newest pairing poll for Dueling Trigger Finger is now out. Yes, it's the same pairing set up as an older poll, but I'm curious if the votes and opinions have changed given some comments I saw in the previous arc. All pairing polls will be blind polls. I feel it keeps people true to themselves rather than having voter bias. Like an election.
Pairing poll #4 likely won't be posted until after we are finished with the Kaiba Corp Grand Prix, so y'all have some time to vote on this one. Anyway, I'm blathering. Let's get on with the chapter.)
The sound of birds chirping woke Chiaki up to a warm March morning. In a couple of weeks, she would be an upperclassman. Soon, students would call her senpai and, a little over a month after that, one child would call her Mom. Now six months into her pregnancy, Chiaki figured back problems would be setting in as her belly got bigger. However, her training regimen, which she'd been keeping up, was making it easy to get up. Of course, Mikan advised that, as soon as the final trimester set in, Chiaki's bursts of energy would subside so she should enjoy her "freedom" while she still had it.
To that end, Chiaki was glad she and Hajime were headed for the convention this weekend. It would be their first convention since they found out about the pregnancy so Chiaki was eager to get back out into the world with her loving husband.
Husband, Chiaki thought, smiling, staring at the wedding band on her finger. She and Hajime were married now. It felt really soon, but she remembered how happy she was in that wedding dress, saying her vows, crying after the kiss, watching all of her friends and classmates cheer for the union. She sniffed a little, wiping away a tear. It still didn't feel real, but the ring on her finger, and the baby in her belly were visible, happy reminders of the best parts of her life right now.
However, things were not all sunshine and rainbows. For starters, Chiaki's milk production was a bit excessive so she'd leak from time to time and had begun using a pump since the previous week. A bit early and unusual, but Mikan told her that every pregnancy was different and that Chiaki had nothing to worry about. Of course, special bras were in order since the milk kept staining her old ones.
"You might have a permanent increase in breast size," Mikan had told her, "Or you might be able to work off the pregnancy fat and go back to normal. It's different for everyone."
"As long as I'm healthy," Chiaki had responded.
After securing her things for the weekend, Chiaki stepped out the door to find Hajime already standing there. "Ready to go?" she asked.
"Yeah, your parents are already here ready to drive us over," Hajime said.
Chiaki smiled. Despite her fears, her parents had consistently been around to offer support. Sure, the everyday emails and texts could get a bit excessive, but for now Chiaki was grateful to at least have too much concern rather than no concern at all.
Her mother kissed her hello at the entrance to the academy as Hajime lifted their suitcases like paperweights and put them in the trunk. Leiko then opened the passenger door for Chiaki to get in and the expectant mother strapped herself in as Leiko got back in the car with Yosuke ready to drive away at a moment's notice.
"You kids pack everything?" he asked. "Toiletries? Clothes? Snacks?"
"We've got everything, Mr. Nanami," Hajime said.
"Oh, Hajime, would you call me Yosuke. You're my son-in-law."
"S-sorry," Hajime said, sweating a little. "Still takes some getting used to."
Everyone except Hajime had a good chuckle or two over this.
Despite the fact that the wedding had been a closed ceremony, leaks were inevitable and with leaks came the paparazzi. While Chiaki's reputation didn't tank that badly—mostly due to her still being a Hope's Peak student, Hajime's own strong reputation, and the fact that she wasn't an idol singer—curiosity had sparked like wildfire. People wanted to know anything and everything. Once people saw her and Hajime with their suitcases, they became swarmed and surrounded like the ending to Halo: Reach.
Fortunately, Chiaki had anticipated this and planned ahead. In a blur of black, several cameras were crushed and many people were forced away, a big gap in the crowd suddenly forming. And, suddenly after that, people started backing away. A hulking figure with stringy hair, a pale face and a tongue so long it should have a censor bar over it, stood behind Chiaki and Hajime facing the crowd.
As it dispersed, the figure turned around, crossing his large hand over his chest and bowing to Chiaki. "Objective completed. No more paparazzi."
"Thank you, Madarai," Chiaki told him with a smile.
"You asked Madarai to come along?" Hajime asked. Even with all of his Izuru leftovers, Isshiki Madarai, the Ultimate Bodyguard, still gave him the willies.
"I know you can defend me perfectly, Hajime, but I don't want other people to interrupt our vacation. I asked Madarai to make sure we aren't hounded by the media. This is our time together and we should enjoy it."
Madarai bowed to the newlyweds. "A sentiment I take very seriously. You can trust me."
"Yeah…" Hajime said, still a bit creeped out. "Thanks." He wondered if he'd ever get used to the terrifying looking Madarai.
Check-in to both the hotel and the convention was pretty normal. Madarai, as per his talent, even faded into the background, ensuring that not even he was exempt from interfering with Hajime and Chiaki's personal time.
How does a guy like that just fade into a crowd? Hajime wondered. It wasn't like they were dealing with Yuto Kamishiro, whose Ultimate Spy skills made him completely undetectable. Maybe Madarai had picked up a thing or two from Kamishiro? Oh well. It wasn't worth worrying about.
Walking around the convention, Hajime and Chiaki took in the sights at first, noticing dozens of cosplayers and even buying a few indie manga from the sales floor. Since this was primarily a gaming convention, it seemed good old Nintendo had even sent a small envoy with some demos for smaller games ahead of E3.
"Hajime! Look!" Chiaki pointed out a Pikachu and Kirby mascot.
"Do you want me to take your picture?" Hajime asked.
Chiaki's eyes suddenly made her look like she was a third her age with the way they were lit up. Hajime had never seen such an adorable look on Chiaki's face in his life. Her answer was clear as day.
Cuddling up to the giant Pikachu, Chiaki still looked like a 5-year-old as Hajime took a picture of the two of them with his phone. This was immediately followed by a blinding flash from behind him. And followed by the flash was a familiar giggle.
Hajime turned around to the declaration of a familiar, "Gotcha." Standing behind him was one Mahiru Koizumi with her unmistakable red hair.
"Mahiru," Chiaki called out, jogging over to her, "What are you doing here? I thought you don't like conventions like this."
"Not normally, no," Mahiru said, lowering her camera. "But I got invited by the Ultimate Journalist from Class 75. This convention will be the last big scoop he ever gets for the school paper so he wanted me to come along so he could leave me his contacts since he comes to this convention every year." She smiled nervously. "I think he fancies me, but I don't really like him like that. And he's such a nice guy, in case I'm wrong it'd be rude to say something. But enough about me," she showed Chiaki a picture of her with the Pikachu mascot. "Look how cute you are."
Hajime watched Chiaki's entire face turn pink. "…I want a copy," the Ultimate Gamer said, barely loud enough to be heard.
"Sure, no problem," Mahiru said. "Hey, can I get a picture of the happy couple?"
"Sure," Hajime said, putting his arm around his wife. The two made sure their wedding bands were visible in the shot, arms around each other as Mahiru took a splendid photo.
"Perfect," Mahiru said jubilantly. "Thanks, you guys."
"Do you want to hang out with us?" Chiaki asked. "Hajime and I go away like this all the time…well…we did before we got pregnant, and we're gonna go away again before the delivery so it's not a big deal if you—"
"Sure, I'd love to! Thanks, Chiaki," Mahiru said with a happy smile.
"We'll make sure you get plenty of opportunities for some great photos," Hajime said.
With Mahiru now part of the "party" as Chiaki phrased it, she and Hajime got down to showing the redhead all about how to maximize fun at a convention. Minutes turned to hours and it was noon before the trio had realized it.
"Wow, you know, I might come to one of these again," Mahiru said. "I mean, I wouldn't want to trample on a weekend getaway for the two of you, but I bet Ibuki or Hiyoko would come along if I asked them."
"The more the merrier," Chiaki said. "Conventions are fun when you're with a group. I've seen plenty in my time. I've even been with a few on a temporary basis."
"Well if it means getting shots like this, count me in," Mahiru said.
Chiaki's heart was singing to see Mahiru having so much fun. Given how much turmoil the girl had been through in the previous year, seeing her so happy was relieving to the class rep.
"Mahiru? That you?"
Mahiru turned to the call of her name to see none other than Joey Wheeler walking straight towards her.
"Oh! Hey, Joey!" Mahiru exclaimed, surprised to see him.
"Mahiru!" Serenity seemed to come almost out of nowhere as she tackled Mahiru for a big hug.
"Serenity? You're here too?" Mahiru questioned, instinctively patting her friend on the back. Serenity pulled back from such a tight hug and stood at half an arm's length from her friend. "Wh-what are you two doing here? Not that I'm not happy about the surprise."
Joey smirked. "I won a raffle on the radio for tickets. I only got two though. I originally wanted to bring Yugi, but he said he was busy."
"Yugi too busy to hang out with you?" Hajime asked, surprised. "That's unusual."
"That's what I said, but he was pretty insistent. Ah, well, his loss."
"What about Tristan?" Mahiru asked. "N-not that I'm not happy to see you Serenity, but I figured—"
"He couldn't make it either," Joey shrugged. "With the weather gettin' warmer, he and Miho went to Kyoto for the weekend. His grades are up so he took some time off from school. I can't believe he got elected Student Council treasurer."
"Sounds like things are looking up for Tristan," Hajime said.
"I'm so proud of him," Serenity said with a smile, clapping her hands together. "Tristan might not be a Wheeler, but he always feels like part of the family. Kind of like you, Mahiru."
"Ah…" Mahiru stuttered, trying to find words, but all that came out was a bit of incoherent gibberish, followed by a blush and the sound of her clearing her throat. And a typical "Jeez" quickly followed from her as she avoided eye contact from the Wheeler siblings entirely.
"Well it's great to see both of you," Hajime said. "Last time wasn't such…magnificent circumstances."
"Hey, saving the world from lunatics is starting to feel a bit routine, you know?" Joey asked rhetorically. "I wouldn't mind teaming up with ya to stop another nutcase."
"I'd rather a nutcase not appear," Hajime said nervously, "But I get what you mean."
"It's good to see you again, Joey," Chiaki said with a smile.
It was only then the elder Wheeler sibling noticed the gamer. "Oh! Hey, Chiaaaaaa," Joey's eyes inadvertently landed on Chiaki's bulging belly. "uhhhhhh...what happened to..."
"It's kind of a long story," Hajime said. "Lunch? My treat."
"Well I never say no to free food!" Joey exclaimed.
With a party of five, the group sat down at a table with paper boats filled with hot dogs, Takoyaki, fries, chips, and more as Hajime and Chiaki caught the Wheeler siblings up to speed regarding their union and how they ended up having a baby. Mahiru helped them gloss over the more explicit details given she felt Serenity was still too young to have the awkward sex talk. Joey, even though he didn't say anything, seemed to appreciate the sentiment.
"So, what's new with you two?" Chiaki asked. "I haven't seen Serenity since the Canadian Nationals. And I haven't seen you since Battle City, Joey."
"Nooo," Joey said. "We totally…um…holy cow! You're right!" Joey exclaimed. Since Chiaki's body had been at Hope's Peak during the whole Dartz nonsense, he hadn't seen her since Battle City and only interacted with the students Yukizome brought with her to investigate the monster attacks. He then smirked and jerked a thumb at himself. "Well, I'm entering a regional tournament next month, and I'm signed up for the local tournament at this convention."
"Oh," Hajime said, smiling, "Sounds like we'll be competing this weekend then."
"Yo! For real? I get to throw down with you and Chiaki?"
"No, just Hajime," Chiaki said. "I have a different tournament I need to compete in at the same time for my sponsors."
"Aw, that sucks," Joey said. "Oh well, better shot at the top if I only gotta face one of ya."
Hajime chuckled. "Don't expect me to go easy on you."
"I'd be insulted if ya did," Joey responded. He was more than eager for the challenge.
"So what about you, Serenity?" Mahiru asked. "Are you enjoying high school?"
"High school?" Hajime asked. "Isn't she fourteen?"
"I transferred up," Serenity said, bopping herself on the noggin, "Turns out I'm a real smart cookie."
Joey tapped his sister's back with the side of his elbow. "Tell Mahiru the good news."
"Oh! Right!" Serenity exclaimed having almost forgotten.
"What? What's the good news?" Mahiru asked, excited.
"Well, Joey and I have been talking about my future lately," Serenity said. "My big brother wants me to get the best education possible. We discussed applying to the best university in the country, but then Joey had an idea and we found out that as long as Joey keeps winning money from tournaments, I can pay the tuition."
"Well, don't keep us in suspense. What was the idea?" Mahiru asked.
Serenity clapped her hands. "I'm transferring into the reserve course this April! Isn't that great?"
The sentence bowled Mahiru over like semi-truck plowing through an unsuspecting hit and run victim. It took her, Hajime and Chiaki all a few seconds to register what had just been told to them.
"What? Really?" Mahiru asked, still a little surprised.
Serenity nodded, excited. "Mmmhmm." She grabbed Mahiru's hand and held it up. "I'm really looking forward to being able to call you senpai, Mahiru."
Chiaki and Hajime watched as Mahiru reached embarrassment overload and blushed as brightly as the color of her hair. Mahiru slid her hand out of Serenity's grip and let it fall on the younger girl's head with all the grace of a falling piano. "Sato and I will take good care of you," she said, blushing profusely.
"You have a senpai complex?" Chiaki asked curiously.
"I do not!" Mahiru exclaimed.
Hajime said nothing, suspiciously sipping on his soda. It certainly looked that way to him.
"What's a senpai complex?" Joey and Serenity asked at the same time.
Mahiru put her elbows on the table and grabbed at her hair, blush refusing to fade. She just wanted to dig a hole, crawl into it and bury herself in it.
"Well now, isn't this most nostalgic," a new voice pierced the noisy air of the dining area.
"That voice!" Joey exclaimed, unable to mistake it. He turned towards its source. "Frenchy?"
Sure enough, Celeste was walking towards the group in her gothic Lolita best. "Well, well, well, and here I thought the tournaments would be boring at this convention this year. Joey, Chiaki and even the newcomer to the elites, Hajime Hinata."
Joey got up from his seat. "Well, hey, if you're looking to get your butt kicked, I'm more than happy to oblige," he said, making a fist.
Celeste grinned. "Last I recall, I defeated you in the Canadian Nationals, Mr. Second Place." She pulled out an empty chair and sat down, crossing her legs. "Besides, I'm not competing this time. I'm here merely as a spectator." She folded her hands in her lap. "I prefer the underground gaming scene for competitions, but the pro-circuit is a great place to research strategies."
"Underground gaming scene?" Hajime asked.
"Oh? Shall I regale my exploits? I am more than happy to talk about my experiences," Celeste said with a smile.
"I don't think you've ever really told us much about yourself," Mahiru said, snapping up a picture of Celeste. "I actually came here with a journalist from my school, so—"
"Oh, c'est magnifique," Celeste said, tittering. "I can give an exclusive scoop before I make my debut on campus."
"Debut?" Joey asked.
"Oh, I suppose you wouldn't know, but I suppose it's fine to mention now that everything's been finalized." She smiled, tilting her head. "You're looking at the Ultimate Gambler of Class 78 of Hope's Peak Academy."
"That's awesome! Way to go, Celeste!" Joey exclaimed.
"Please, something like this was bound to happen to an extraordinary person like me," Celeste responded.
"How did you get scouted?" Hajime asked.
"Oh, that's such a marvelous story," Celeste said. "It all started quite a few months ago when I was abducted and forced to participate in something called the Nonary game. You see, I was abducted, along with eight other people and forced to crawl through this abandoned cruise ship slowly filling with sea water. We had to solve escape room puzzle after escape room puzzle. We were being monitored by a rich and powerful businessman looking for a cheap thrill. Those of us that survived were allowed to keep our lives, those that drowned sadly will never be heard from again."
Serenity was completely taken by the story. Mahiru and Hajime were healthily skeptical.
"Abducted? Are you okay?"
"Oh, I'm fine. It would not be the first time I'd been forced into such a competition against my will," Celeste chuckled.
"I didn't know you were a fan of Zero Escape, Celeste," Chiaki said.
Celeste blinked.
"It's a great game, don't you think?" Chiaki smiled at her.
"I…I haven't the faintest idea what you could possibly mean. I've never even heard of such a game," Celeste said.
"But what you described sounds exactly like—"
"I never played your stupid game, okay?" Celeste said, getting snippy. "Wh-why would someone as cultured and esteemed as me play such a niche, nerd game like Zero Escape?!" Gasping, and realizing how she was behaving, Celeste stood, up hands folded in front of her skirt and bowed. "Excuse me, I think I'll be taking my leave." She then quickly darted away from the group, vanishing into the crowd.
"The heck just happened?" Joey asked.
Poor Celeste, Chiaki thought. I wish there was something I could do to help.
"Is Celeste going to be okay?" Serenity asked.
"I'm sure she'll be fine once she stops escaping into her own little world," Mahiru said, sipping her overpriced soda.
Hajime snickered.
"What? What's so funny?"
"You said escape after she mentioned escape rooms," he said.
She gave him a motherly glare and just said very calmly. "Shame on you."
"I mean…it's kind of funny since you weren't being intentional about it," Chiaki said with a straight face.
Mahiru thought about it for a minute and cracked a smile. "Heh, I…suppose it is. Sorry, Hajime," she said, stifling a snicker.
"It's…it's fine," he said, doing the same.
As the group continued to eat, a cosplayer passed by the table, smirking with a cocky sneer. They were dressed like the Duel Monster Hiita the Fire Charmer in essentially a perfect rendition. It was like the Duel Monster herself had come to life, minus her familiar.
"Yo, wassup!" the cosplayer said, giving this happy, tomboyish grin. "How's everyone doin' today?"
"Um, we're fine," Mahiru said.
"Oh, wow. That's some killer cosplay detail," Hajime said, marveling at it.
"Cosplay? Come on, I'm the real deal!" Hiita said, giving a thumb's up.
Chiaki marveled at the cosplay with rosy cheeks. "That's exactly what the real Hiita the Fire Charmer would say!"
"See? See? She gets it!" Hiita responded, grinning like a happy anime dad, even though she was a girl.
"But we've seen real monsters," Chiaki said. "Even virtual. The real deal would have a fiery aura and you could probably see like an astral familiar hovering around her."
"I mean, if I burned down the place," Hiita said, rubbing her knuckle across her nose, "I'd get thrown out."
Mahiru got out her camera and took a few photos. While the outfit was spot on down to the last detail, a few things made it clear—aside from the obvious—that Hiita was just a cosplayer. First of all, this girl was on the short side, about 150 centimeters or approximately 5 feet. Second, the artwork for the real Hiita, while still notably petite, wasn't almost an ironing board. It was impossible to tell unless one was staring, but the folds in the top by the chest suggested that it wasn't being filled out naturally. It was likely stuffed. Lastly, the orb on the staff wasn't floating under its own power. The threads attaching it to the staff were extremely thin, but even the best cosplayer couldn't keep them from being reflective from the overhead lights.
Wait, best cosplayer? Mahiru thought. "Miaka?"
Hiita froze. "Ah, who is this Miaka? I told you, I'm Hiita the fire charmer!" she exclaimed, striking her Blazing Hiita pose.
"Miaka, come on. It's a great cosplay. You can drop the act and sit down."
"Hiita" took a seat. "Yeah, it's me," she said pouting. "Hi, guys."
"Who's dis?" Joey asked.
"This is Miaka Senri," Mahiru said. "She's from Class 77-A, the only other class in the main course on our grade level. She's the Ultimate Cosplayer."
"What can I say?" Miaka said, putting her arms up behind her head. "It's a gift."
"I feel like you're still in Hiita mode a little," Hajime said.
"Hey, I can't let down the act completely. I got a rep to keep," Miaka responded.
"Miaka rarely cosplays at school," Chiaki pointed out, "But when she does, she always likes to act like the character come to life."
"Hiita's my favorite, and my first," Miaka said. "I've always admired her fiery personality."
"Could you teach me to cosplay, Miaka?" Serenity asked, clapping her hands together. "It looks like lots of fun."
Miaka blushed, her chest pulsing. C-cuuuuuute. She shook her head rapidly side to side. "I don't believe we've met."
"Oh, I'm Serenity Wheeler and this is my big brother Joey Wheeler," Serenity said.
"Nice ta meet ya," Joey said politely.
"Mm," Miaka hummed, nodding dismissively to Joey to acknowledge his existence and then turned back to Serenity. "So, you want to cosplay, huh?"
"Yes! Very much!"
"Hmmm," Miaka said, rubbing her index finger across her chin. She examined Serenity head to toe in fine detail. She then gave Serenity an energetic thumb's up. "Yeah! I think I know the perfect costume! I'll meet up with you guys later." Miaka went running off.
"She seems…uh…" Joey struggled to find out how to describe Miaka.
"She rarely gets that excited," Mahiru said. "Serenity must've left quite an impression on her."
"Come to think of it, I don't think anyone's really offered to cosplay from her except Kotomi Ikuta and we met Miaka after that had started," Chiaki said.
"Huh. That's a good point," Mahiru stated.
"How long do you think she'll be?" Hajime asked.
"Hard to say, but it's Miaka, if she wants to find us, she will," Mahiru said.
"Like that time she snuck up on you in the locker room?" Chiaki asked.
Mahiru blushed. "Can we…not talk about that?"
"Why? What happened in the locker room?" Serenity asked.
Mahiru gave Joey a serious stare. Joey got the message. "Sis, sometimes there's such a thing as personal questions."
About an hour later, Miaka had zero trouble locating the group as Hajime, Chiaki and Joey finished signing up for their respective tournaments. She had an orange garment bag with her. "There you are, Serenity."
"Oh, hello Miaka," Serenity said.
"What's with the bag?" Joey asked.
Miaka lay the bag out on a bench and unclipped and unzipped it to reveal the contents: a cosplay costume for Goddess with a Third Eye.
"Oh, wow!" Serenity exclaimed. "May I try it on?"
"I had a feeling you'd like it," Miaka said, resealing the bag. "Come on, this way!" She then darted off as Serenity followed her into the lady's room.
"How much time do we have?" Hajime asked.
"About an hour," Chiaki stated.
"Then we can we wait for them," Hajime said. "It's not like we're in a rush."
Fortunately, it took less than half the time for Serenity to get changed than it did for Miaka to find everyone after leaving. And when she stepped out of the bathroom, she looked a dead ringer for the monster card Goddess with a third eye. "Look, big brother!" Serenity exclaimed, using a remote that made the winglets attached to a headband that blended into her hair flap up and down.
Mahiru snapped up a photo.
"Wow, that's really neat sis. But, uh…your eyes…"
"Colored contacts," Miaka said. "And the third eye is very complicated cosmetic work." She folded her arms and smirked with smug confidence. "Let's just say spirit gum and plastic accessories are bush league compared to my tricks."
"Look! Miaka even painted my nails," Serenity said, showing off her purple nail polish.
"That's really cool," Hajime said. "You look almost exactly like Goddess with a Third Eye."
Miaka took offense. "What do you mean almost?"
"Serenity's hair is a different shade of brown," Hajime said. "It's slight, but it's noticeable."
Miaka sighed. "Fine, I concede. Since her hair is kind of long, getting the wig to fit right was difficult and I didn't have enough pins to compress her hair up into a bun, nor the time."
"It's fine," Serenity said, clasping her hands together in prayer and closing her eyes. "I still look really close."
"Yeah, if you smiled less," Joey said, noticing Hajime holding up a card from his deck next to Serenity's cheek for reference. Mahiru then took a photo.
"So, what're you guys gonna do now?" Miaka asked.
"Well, I'm all signed up for the fighting game tournament," Chiaki said. "Hajime and Joey are going to be competing in the Duel Tournament."
"Oh, what a coincidence," Miaka said. "I've been itching for some action!"
"You're competing?" Hajime asked.
"I might've dabbled in Duel Monsters here or there. I have a pen pal in America that helped me play test my deck."
"Oh, do you think it's too late if I dueled, big brother?" Serenity asked.
"I dunno, Serenity. It's not gonna be easy. Did you even bring your deck?" Joey asked.
Serenity nodded. "I built it exactly how I wanted to. Mahiru's been teaching me. Oh! Mahiru! You should sign up too."
"N-no. I-I'm good," Mahiru stuttered. "I need to be able to get around to both tournaments to take pictures."
"Awwww, okay, I understand," Serenity said.
"Besides, I wouldn't get very far," Mahiru said.
"Don't say that. You taught me how to play," Serenity said.
"Please tell me she at least knows how to play a monster in defense mode," Joey exasperated.
Serenity frowned, puffing her cheeks, grunting.
"Joey, I might not be that good, but I at least know how to play the game," Mahiru said. "But, once Serenity started building a decent deck, I just couldn't keep up with her."
"What kind of deck do you run, Mahiru?" Chiaki asked.
"Ah, just a pretty standard rogue deck," she stated. "My dad gave it to me. I hardly use it anyway. I'm not interested enough in the game to try and get competitive. But, I can tell Serenity's got potential."
"Don't get her hopes up," Hajime said. "Tournaments like these aren't like tournaments at a card shop with mats and no duel discs. A lot of people come here because they're constantly winning their local tournaments and seek the extra challenge."
"It's fine," Serenity said. "I just want to have fun."
"You let her compete," Chiaki said in a very fussy monotone, puffing her cheeks. If there was one thing she took seriously, it was never getting in the way of someone else's fun.
"All right, all right," Joey said and led Serenity over to the sign up sheet for the tournament.
"Ladies and gentlemen. May we have your attention please," the tournament coordinator announced. "All participants for the Blazing Emblem Fighting Game tournament please enter hall B and take your places if your bracket is active."
"Guess that means you," Hajime said.
Chiaki nodded. Hajime walked with her, Miaka and Mahiru to the proper hall and looked up at the big huge neon bracket on the far wall projector.
"I don't see Chiaki's name anywhere," Mahiru said.
"You use your gamer handler for fighting games," Chiaki said. "Look, there's me," she pointed to the name Kitty_Bat3d-0h7007.
"A bit excessive, don't you think?" Mahiru asked.
"It's so no one can impersonate me," Chiaki said, puffing her cheeks. "Everyone just calls me Kitty Bat in public anyway."
"Well, good luck," Mahiru said. "I won't be around for the whole tournament, but I'll definitely be around for the finals."
Chiaki nodded, only to notice another name on an unhighlighted bracket. "Oh!"
"What is it?" Hajime asked.
"Bracket number twenty-three," Chiaki said.
Hajime looked at what Chiaki was pointing out and saw the username: Titania545.
"She's here," Chiaki said.
"Who's here?" Mahiru asked.
A rush of wind blew past Mahiru, Miaka and Hajime and suddenly a woman with scarlet hair, a magenta blazer, wearing a peaked cap with knee-high black leather boots appeared. "Chiaki Nanami! I thought I'd find you here."
Oh…it's her, Hajime thought. He remembered Chiaki's eccentric rival from Battle City, his first ever competitive victory.
"Hello, Eliza," Chiaki said with a smile.
"Who?" Mahiru asked.
"Eliza Se Arc," Hajime leaned over to explain, keeping his voice low. "She's a bit weird, but apparently she's Chiaki's high school rival."
Eliza immediately noticed Chiaki's baby belly, but she didn't interpret it correctly. "Ah, cosplaying as a teen mother. I see. Very unique."
"It's not a cosplay," Chiaki said, covering her chest with her left hand.
The words reached Eliza, but there was an error in processing and the printer that was her brain went haywire. She immediately started making increasingly funny noises of shock and surprise as her eyes seemed to grow to the size of saucers. A tiny blush creeped on her face as she held up Chiaki's hand with both of hers.
Eliza swung her body almost completely past a right angle. "I have been soundly beaten before I even knew I was competing!" She then sprang up and turned towards Hajime. "You!"
"Hi, Eliza. Um, do you…"
Eliza immediately invaded Hajime's personal space and grabbed his left hand, identifying the matching wedding band. She then let go of his hand and folded her arms, smirking confidently. "Yes. Yes. All is as it should be."
"I'm sorry we didn't invite you to the wedding," Chiaki said. "We were trying to keep it closed ceremony."
"I will accept apologies in leftover wedding cake!" Eliza declared seriously.
…I suppose we could get Teruteru to make another one, Hajime thought.
"Wedding aside, it's good to see you, Eliza," Chiaki said. "I take it you're going to be Student Council President next year too?"
"I am indeed. I ran unopposed. The school seems to have that much confidence in me," Eliza smirked.
Somehow, I get the feeling all of your potential opponents were too scared of you to even consider running, Hajime thought.
"Still, you're competing in Blazing Emblem?" Chiaki asked. "You're not dueling?"
"Fool!" Eliza declared, pointing at Chiaki with her index finger. "While Duel Monsters is a respectable and honorable competition, I have always been a competitive fighting gamer! When you were still learning how to beat Ninja Gaiden, I was busy training my eyes and hands to respond to frame by frame animation in Street Fighter II Turbo!"
"Um…I beat Ninja Gaiden on the first try," Chiaki said apprehensively, trying not to burst Eliza's bubble.
"Contra then! Without the life cheat!"
"Did that too," Chiaki said.
Eliza started to sweat. "Er…yes, of course…rather!" She cleared her throat. "We shall see which of us is the true queen of fighting games! I may have lost to your husband in Battle City, but I will reclaim my honor by besting you on your home field advantage in today's fighting game circuit!"
"Cool, who do you main?" Chiaki asked.
"Main? Hah! As if you would get such a helpful piece of information out of me!" Eliza exclaimed.
"I main Nino," Chiaki said. "I like her combos."
Eliza pressed her palms into her elbows and turned her head away from Chiaki, blushing. Chiaki knew that Eliza was all about fair play and honorable combat. She wouldn't dare keep her main a secret now. "I shift between Lyndis and Karla."
"That's very you," Chiaki chuckled. "Hajime, I think I'll be fine. You go have fun at your tournament, okay?"
Hajime nodded.
"We should catch up, Eliza," Chiaki said. "We didn't have a lot of time to talk in Battle City."
"Ah…" Eliza turned her head back towards Chiaki. She was surprised to hear Chiaki say that.
"Even if we're no longer attending the same school, I still consider you a friend."
Chiaki was not prepared for Eliza hugging her so hard that she was being smothered in the Student Council President's breasts.
"And this is why big boobs are hazardous," Miaka said dryly.
"Eliza, easy. She's due for a baby soon," Hajime said.
Mahiru laughed as Hajime helped pry Chiaki out of Eliza's grip and Eliza apologized to her friend and rival. She then snapped up a photo and went with Miaka into Hall A for the dueling tournament. Ceremonious music echoed around the hall and she felt much more comfortable seeing people's actual names on the brackets rather than usernames and handles. As she looked at the names in the upper left bracket for the first groups of matchups, something caught her eye. "Hey, Miaka, isn't that—"
"Will all duelists in Block A please find a dueling arena and prepare your duel disks!" The announcer proclaimed.
All the names in the first 16 brackets lit up. And, among them was a showdown between Miaka and Serenity. Joey and Hajime were in brackets 2 and 4 respectively and thus would not be dueling for a while.
Joey, of course, was gathered by where Serenity was dueling and was quickly met by Mahiru and Hajime.
"You can do it, Serenity!" Joey exclaimed amidst the dark-lit, neon-floor illuminated, mini-arena.
"Thanks, big brother," Serenity waved to him. She and Miaka then began to draw their hands.
"You sure she's ready for this?" Joey asked.
"Positive," Mahiru stated. "She may not win, but she'll do fine. Unless…"
"Unless what? What is it?" Joey panicked.
"Well, unless Miaka's a really good duelist, but…that would be silly," Mahiru said, smiling kindly. "She didn't even compete in Battle City."
"You never know," Hajime said. "She could've significantly improved since then."
"Let's Duel!" Miaka and Serenity exclaimed as the lights on the floor illuminated blue and red, the red side switching back and forth until it blinked multiple times on Miaka's side of the arena and her side lit up.
"Guess that means I'm going first," Miaka said. "I'll start by playing a monster face-down in defense mode! And next, I'll set one card face-down! My turn," she said, snapping her fingers and indicating her index finger at Serenity. "Is over."
"See, standard strategies," Mahiru said. "Serenity will be fine."
"Right then," Serenity nodded. "I draw." She looked at her hand, a bit discombobulated by the options as she tried to come up with a competent first turn strategy. "Let's see…I, um…hmm…" She plucked two cards from her hand. "I think I'll play this monster first, in attack mode! Red Archery Girl!" A green-haired mermaid inside a clam shell appeared on Serenity's side of the battlefield. "And next I activate a continuous spell, Banner of Courage!" Serenity activated the card that appeared on her side of the battlefield, showing off a coat of arms on the artwork. "Now, when my monsters attack, they gain 200 attack points. And so, Red Archery Girl, attack Miaka's face-down monster!"
Miaka's monster was revealed to be Eria, the Water Charmer. Serenity's monster, thanks to banner of courage had 1,600 attack points. Eria, for her part, only had 1,500 defense points. The results seemed clear cut at first, however…
"I activate my face-down card: Castle Walls!" Miaka declared, flipping up her face-down card. "This trap card ensures that a monster of my choosing gains 500 defense points and I choose Eria!"
Eria's defense points shot up to 2,000, blocking Red Archery Girl's shot with a barrier of water, causing Serenity's life points to drop to 3,600.
"And don't think that life points are the most you have to worry about," Miaka stated. "Since Eria was attacked while face-down and she survived combat, now I get to take control of any water monster on the field while Era is in play. So now, I will take possession of Red Archery Girl for myself!"
"No!" Serenity exclaimed.
"Eria," Miaka said, snapping her fingers. "Do your thing."
Eria's staff gave off a glow that sent out a ripple of water energy that made Red Archery Girl's eyes glow blue as it switched sides to defend Miaka's side of the field.
"Serenity's already played her monster for this turn," Hajime said, worried. "This doesn't look good for her."
"Hahaha!" Miaka laughed, hands on her hips, sticking her flat chest out. "That's the power of the elemental charmers. Aussa, Eria, Hiita, Dharc, Lyna, and Wynn! Each one commands a different element and, with my strategy, as long as I can keep them on the field, no monster in the game can serve their original master for very long. You'll be beaten down with your own monsters!" She exclaimed, pointing at Serenity.
"Don't let her psyche you out, Serenity," Joey told her. "She'd have to know which elements your using which turns ta get the most out of her strategy."
"True, that is the fatal flaw, but isn't that the joy of a randomized game like this? Doesn't it just make your heart dance?"
Serenity's hand shivered over the cards she was holding. Miaka's strategy was brand new to her and the cosplayer's confidence had already struck the ordinary girl psychologically.
"Serenity, focus! You'll be okay!" Mahiru exclaimed.
"R-right," Serenity said. "I uh…I play these two cards face-down and end my turn," Serenity stated as the holograms appear.
Miaka chuckled, pulling the top card of her deck to her hand. "Well then, let's see what we can do about that. I think I'll activate another special ability of Eria to bring out her final form! I sacrifice Eria the Water Charmer and your Red Archery Girl to give rise to Eria's ultimate form! Behold! Familiar-Possessed – Eria!"
Water swirled around Eria as she sprouted a reptilian tail and her hair became a lighter shade of blue. Her staff glowed and an aura of twinkling bubbles now surrounded her as water swirled and evaporated around her. All the spectators could tell that the spellcaster was much stronger than before. Clearly so, she had 1,850 attack points.
"And that's not all, I can still set a new monster face-down onto the field. And now, I'll attack with Eria! Reptilian Water Surge!"
"Not so fast! I activate Scapegoat!" Serenity exclaimed. Four colored sheep appeared on her side of the battlefield. "They'll protect my life poiiiiaaaaahhhhh!"
A surge of water ripped through Serenity's scapegoat, destroying and everyone watched in surprise to see Serenity's life points drop to 1,750.
"Serenity's life points!" Mahiru exclaimed.
"But her monster was in defense mode!" Joey added at the same level of alarm.
Miaka was quick to explain. "Whenever one of my charmers is summoned to their ultimate form by sacrificing their original form with a monster of the same attribute, whether it originally belonged to me or not, they gain the ability to deal leftover attack points as damage when destroying a defense position monster. I believe their calling it piercing battle damage these days. In other words," Miaka said, snapping her fingers and posing the way Hiita would. "Your scapegoats just bought you a one-way ticket to defeat."
"No…" Serenity uttered, shaking.
"You stepped into the big leagues and now you're gonna be washed away by my charmer deck!" Miaka declared. "You've got one turn to turn this whole duel around or this duel is over."
Serenity shook. Her first big duel and she was already on the verge of defeat and it was barely the first turn. Had Mahiru overextended her confidence? Was she not anywhere close to the duelist her brother was? A fear that would not fade washed over Serenity and left her standing there, questioning her confidence, doubting herself.
Could she figure out a way to turn this duel around?
Or was she destined to be humiliated before your amateur dueling career had even begun?
TO BE CONTINUED…
(A/N: Wow. 95 chapters and only now am I ever ending a chapter in the middle of the duel. Don't worry, you'll get your fill next chapter, which I believe will neatly wrap up the first half of this arc in a nice little bow. As for the second half, well, given when we are, you should know what's coming next.
But let's talk about Miaka for a sec. The character was conceptualized before V3 was released. You may recall meeting her before back in chapter 86. I just didn't reveal her talent until now. Yes, Tsumugi is also an Ultimate Cosplayer, but it'll be 15 years at least before we see Tsumugi. And it's not very easy filling up Class 77-A's roster. If official material can give us two Ultimate Detectives, I should be allowed to create a second Ultimate Cosplayer without anyone whining about it : P.
But anyway, let's talk other important factors in this chapter, like Serenity entering the Hope's Peak Academy reserve course. I think only one or two of you predicted that this was going to be a thing. And what in the world has Yugi so busy that he can't hang out with Joey for a single weekend? You can find your answer to this question and more in the next exciting chapter of Dueling Trigger Finger.
Until then, as always, from all of me, to all of you, let your hearts stay human and your wrath draconic. Ja ne!)