After a long couple of days, the big night came at last. Though she was nervous, Alexis felt comfort in knowing that Brandi was her opponent this night. From the window of the Karlmann King, Alexis could see hordes of people outside the glass-domed structure that was the Paradise City Convention Center. Searchlights waved back and forth in the night sky and the name of the event flashed in bright lights over the entrance of the building.
Out in the pier, some of the duelists took a moment to show off their monsters in holographic form. A team of four players posed for the cameras as they stood in front of their monsters; Gilford the Lightning, Felgrand Dragon, Perfect Machine King, and Super War-Lion. They were each wearing matching green and black uniforms stamped with various brands from Razer, Alienware, even Schroeder Corp. A young lady with floor-length black hair wearing an elegant gothic dress under a black fur coat modeled elegantly in front of her Vampire Genesis monster who stood in the middle of Vampire Lord and Vampire's Curse.
"Nervous?" Aster asked.
Alexis didn't say a word. She merely gulped and gave a nod. There was a lot of competition looking to get noticed tonight and many of them looked flashier than her. She saw a few of the duelists having conversations with people in fancy tuxedos, who were no doubt the talent scouts from various promotions. Wow, Alexis thought. These guys don't even have to duel and already they're impressing the scouts. She hoped she and Brandi could pull off a memorable duel to wow these people. They looked picky, like little children scooting past all the vegetables to get at the cupcakes across their plates. They only wanted the good stuff on the table and would resort to nothing less.
Get your head in the game, girl. You can do this. Pull off a good match with Brandi, and you're golden. You can't let Aster down. You mustn't!
"Oh, dear," said Antosson.
"What's up?" Aster asked.
"The Paradise City weather center is announcing a winter storm warning for tonight. We could expect an even worse one than last week. A big polar blast from the north is mixing in with some other nonsense over our part of the country. It's going to get really nasty. The staff at the convention center are saying they might have to cancel the show tonight if things get worse."
"Oh," said Alexis. "That's not good. What do we do?"
"The show will go on," Aster assured them both. "Don't worry."
The SUV came to a step and Alexis suddenly felt a ping of coldness rush through her frame, stinging her belly.
"Hey!" Aster said sharply. Alexis turned to look at him. "You get nervous, you make mistakes. Come on, Alexis, focus on your duel. Keep your mind out of the scouts and just..." He clamped his teeth over his lip as if to keep himself from saying something he was going to regret.
"What?" Alexis said, lightly giggling, for the face Aster made was rather funny.
"I'd hate to use Jaden's words, but...go have some fun. I think it'll be better for you that way."
"Thanks. Well, let's get moving." Alexis opened the door.
"Wait," Aster said as she stuck her leg out. "Um, Alexis, I know this might sound kind of silly but...be sure to look up at the lights around the arena. They uh...they'll make your eyes twinkle."
Alexis bit her lip and blushed. "Oh...thank you. I'll be sure to keep that in mind."
"You'll look pretty that way. Not that...what I mean is..."
Alexis pressed a finger against his lips and shushed him. "Thanks, Phoenix. I get the idea." She winked and got out of the car.
Aster leaned back against his seat. "Phew," he whistled before opening the door and getting out of the SUV. Alexis changed into her outfit once she got inside the locker room. There was still time before her match with Brandi so Aster suggested they have dinner up in the VIP lounge on the second floor.
"Second floor?" Alexis said.
When they got to the suite, she felt like her heart plummeted down her chest and into her stomach. And it wasn't the luxury of the lounge that did that. It was a nice pad but the window outside showed the immensity of the arena outside. The number of fans sitting out there was immense. There had to have been thousands of them out there. Alexis felt herself shaking like the tail of a rattlesnake at the sight outside.
"Are you cold, dear?" a woman asked. "Oh, you must be. I told Eugene to turn up the warmth in this place but he always turns the thermostat down to 62 degrees. I'll go warm it up for all of us, oof."
As soon as she turned and left, Aster came by and handed Alexis a plate with a slice of pizza from the buffet table. "Something tells me it's not the temperature of the room that's making you feel this way. Is there something wrong, Alexis?"
"No."
"Be honest with me."
"I'm telling the truth."
"You nervous?"
"Why would I be?" she lied. Of course, she was. It was one thing dueling in front of a small crowd of locals at a rundown warehouse. But this? She didn't fathom the size of the dueling arena and the stadium was going to be this big.
The lights dimmed down and dark lights enveloped the stadium, flooding everything with bright neon colors against an ocean of black and blue. A loud, booming voice on the intercoms welcomed the fans to the monthly duel gauntlet. After thanking the sponsors of the event, the voice announced the night's ring announcer.
"Please welcome, Serenity Wheeeeeeler!"
The crowds jumped out of their seats and cheered when the sister of the legendary Joey Wheeler came down the ramp towards the arena, waving and blowing kisses at the fans. Her hair went down to her tailbone and was curled. A giant red bow was behind her head and she wore a long red evening gown that glittered with every move she made. Iridescent holographic fireworks exploded above her. One of the commentators got out of his seat and kissed her hand before leading her to the arena like a queen. The jumbotrons over the arena and the screens on the sides of the ring showed her pink and bubbly entrance video.
"Serenity Wheeler?" Alexis said over her entrance music. But how, she wondered. She was highly revered in the world of Duel Monsters and usually announced for championship tournaments or for shows at the Kaiba Dome.
"Yeah!" Aster shouted back. "That's her. The convention center spent a fortune booking her just for tonight. You should feel honored to have her call your name."
"I'm gonna be sick," Alexis said, her face turning green.
"What's up Paradise Cityyyyy!" Serenity shouted into the mic. The crowd hollered back at her. One guy with a sign that said Marry Me Serenity! jumped up and down and screamed at the top of his lungs trying to get her attention. "Thank you for coming out tonight and cheering your favorite local duelists who are going to give it their all to win the approval of some very big talent scouts looking to find their next breakout star. The likes of Kaiba Corp, Schroeder Corp, Paradius, Emerald Dragon Gaming, All Elite Dueling, and so many more are here tonight. Give a round of applause for them and thank them for helping us set up tonight's event!"
The crowd applauded and gave three cheers for the talent scouts and the companies they represented. They were sitting in a private booth on the third floor and waved down at the fans like kings overseeing their subjects.
"Yeah! Thanks, guys! All right, everyone, I know you're all itching to see tonight's participants play but there's still some work to be done while they prepare their decks and check their gear. But worry not for we've got some entertainment for you as we wait for them to get ready. Anyone ready for a dark match?"
YEAHHH!
Suddenly, generic heavy metal music played as a young man walked down the ramp towards the arena. He held his fist up in the air and fountain fireworks lit up all around him.
"This match is a one-on-one match set with 8000 Life Points!" Serenity called. "Introducing first! From Hollywood, California, Luke Garrett!"
The young man brashly walked down the ramp, for his gimmick was a heel duelist. He got into the arena and approached Serenity, flexing his muscles in a poor attempt to woo her despite the fact she was already going out with a very wealthy and well-known duelist. She shook her head no and backed away. Once Luke's music died down, the arena was silent, save for some cheers and boos from the fans. Then, the arena went dark. All was silent.
Then a familiar face appeared on the screens laughing maniacally. It was soon followed by the song Willow's Way and the fans got up and cheered so loudly, Alexis felt the glass wall of the lounge was going to shatter.
"No way!" Alexis said. She pressed her face against the window and looked at the entrance to see the duelist coming through. A man in a long, high-collared, belted, trenchcoat with armored shoulders walked out of a cloud of mist, spinning a black umbrella in front of him to keep himself concealed. He then put it on his shoulder and revealed himself.
"Chazz!" Alexis cried.
He had a silver championship belt around his waist and he grew a goatee. On the collar of his coat, there were metal crenellations shaped like a fleur-de-lis.
"And his opponent!" said Serenity. "From your darkest fears! Manjoume Thunder!"
"Huh?" said Alexis.
"It's his arena name," Aster replied.
Chazz jumped onto the arena, unfastened his belt, and held it up high for all the fans to see. He then unclasped the upper half of his coat, revealing a belted sleeveless vest and his toned arms.
He and Luke got into position and dueled. The arrogant opponent used a Gem-Knight deck and Chazz, as usual, trusted his Thunder Dragons. For a moment it felt like Chazz was done for. On the fifth turn of the match, Luke fused his Gem-Knights to become Gem-Knight Master Diamond. The giant knight of platinum stood over ten feet tall and carried an equally as towering sword lined with different colored gems. He lunged forward and sliced the head off Chazz's Armed Dragon LV 5 before it could get stronger. Chazz was wide open for attack and then Luke commanded Gem-Knight Lady Brilliant Diamond to attack him directly for 3400 and reducing his score to the last 600 Life Points. Chazz flipped through the air and landed on his back.
Being the heel that he was, Luke commanded Gem-Knight Master Diamond to do more damage. Master Diamond strolled across the field and lifted Chazz up by his hair. He then held up his armored finger and sliced it across Chazz's forehead. The crowd gasped and booed. "FOUL! FOUL! FOUL!" they chanted. While the crowd was focused on Master Diamond, Chazz took a blade out of his pocket and slid it across his forehead to look like he had been busted open, then spread the blood across his brow to make it look even worse than it was.
When Luke saw the blood, he raised up his fists triumphantly. The crowd booed at the terrible deed and started to cheer for Chazz, who acted like he was struggling to get up. "LET'S GO THUNDER!" Clap! Clap! Clap-Clap-Clap! "LET'S GO THUNDER!" Clap! Clap! Clap-clap-clap! "LET'S GO THUNDER!" Clap! Clap! Clap-clap-clap!
Chazz got up and the crowd let out a thunderous cheer. He flicked off Luke then drew the card he needed to rid the field of the Gem-Knights and win. After a long series of combos, Chazz was able to bring out his ace. Armed Dragon Thunder Level 10. The creature stood over twenty-feet above the arena and his wings were amber-colored and translucent. Lighting zapped around the see-through membranes as if trapped inside. The conditions were just right for Chazz to use one of his Armed Dragon's most powerful effects. Chazz raised up his arm, doing his signature pose, which Armed Dragon Thunder LV 10 copied. The massive beast conjured a lighting ball over his claw and threw it at the ground in front of the two powerful Gem-Knights, turning them into powder. Now, Luke was wide open for a direct attack. Thunder Dragon Thunder LV 10 opened his mouth and blasted Luke on the chest with a beam of lighting. Luke tumbled through the air and flew out of the arena, landing on a table, which he went crashing through.
His Life Points dropped to 0 and Chazz's music started blasting across the arena. Serenity stood up and held the mic over her mouth and shouted: "Ladies and gentlemen, here's your winner, Manjoume Thunder!"
"Oh my God," Alexis breathed. "That was amazing! Chazz really upped his game, hasn't he?"
"Tssh, yeah," Aster chortled. "Do yourself a favor and don't agree to any matches where you marry him if you lose. He's good. Maybe even better than you now."
"Maybe?" Alexis said, clapping her hands lightly. "I don't think I stand a chance with him playing on this level."
"Well, you're going to have to try. This is how we duel in the big leagues, Alexis. You sure you ready for it?"
Alexis narrowed her eyes and nodded once confidently. "I know I am. Just watch Aster. Brandi and I are gonna wow not only the scouts but this crowd."
Aster held up his thumb. "That's great. Show 'em what you're made of tonight."
Little did Alexis know, the worst moment of her life was about to begin.
Alexis didn't have to wait long for her match with Brandi to begin, for it was the third match of the night and the winner of the previous duel won by OTK, no doubt impressing the scouts watching from high above. She came out to a generic metal song while Brandi, a veteran of the show for almost two years, had a very customized entrance. The lights in the arena darkened and then six spotlights on the stage waved as a Gregorian choir hummed long and menacingly before a heavy metal theme blasted in the arena. The song was mixed with a touch of medieval melodies, matching the theme of her deck, consisting of knights and soldiers. Her LED banner and entrance video had a medieval tapestry look with depictions of all the monsters from the Black Luster Soldier and Gaia the Fierce Knight archetype that looked like they were drawn in the Dark Ages. Alongside the images were highlights of Brandi's greatest moments.
A white arcane circle formed over the entrance tunnel of the arena then shattered moments later to reveal Brandi, who suddenly appeared as the lights turned on. She looked over her shoulder, stared at the arena sensually, and swayed her rump from side to side to show off her last name written in sequins on the back of her white and gold shorts. She then turned and took off the hood of her vest as she made her way down to the arena. Blue LED extensions sparkled brightly in her hair to match the blue armor of her beloved Black Luster Soldier.
As she continued going down the ramp, Alexis felt overpowered and bewildered. The pop for Brandi was loud and there was excitement in the air. Many of the fans were chanting her name and held up signs with her image on them. But Alexis. When she walked down the ramp before, there was barely a clap. Maybe a cheer every now and then, but it was most likely from fans eager for another duel. The arena was almost quiet. Brandi's music could barely be heard over the roar of the audience. But when Alexis came out, it was loud and overpowered what few cheers there were.
When Brandi's music died down, the bell rang and the match began. Once Alexis drew her cards the world around her became foggy and distorted. The first move hadn't even been played and already Alexis felt sweat dripping down her nose and pouring out of every pore in her body. Her heart started racing as though she was running for her life.
"Ready, Alexis!" Brandi cried out.
"Y-Yeah. I summon Etoile Cyber in defense mode," she said, summoning the red-haired ballerina.
"That's it?" Brandi said. "What's gotten into you girl? Oh well, maybe this will wake you up. First, since you have more monsters than me, I can summon this to the field without tribute. Arisen Gaia the Fierce Knight!"
She smacked the card onto the blade of her Duel Disk. The projectors whirred as they rendered the indigo-armored knight atop his purple steed.
"Now, I'll tribute Soldier Gaia the Fierce Knight to special summon Origin Gaia the Fierce Knight!"
Another Gaia appeared, this time his armor was sky blue and trimmed with red like the coat of his steed. At Brandi's behest, Origin Gaia the Fierce Knight galloped across the field and impaled Etoile Cyber through the chest with one of his lances. Then, Arisen Gaia the Fierce Knight charged and smacked Alexis on the chest sending her sliding backward. She planted her feet hard on the ground to brake to a stop before getting knocked out of the arena. Her Life Points went down to 5700.
"She's down to that many Life Points already!" someone said from behind Aster.
He turned. Antosson was standing there grinning. "You invested a lot of money on this girl and this is all she can do? Aster, I'm disappointed in you."
Aster looked away and focused back on the match. He ground his teeth inside his mouth and balled his fists in fury. What are you doing? He thought. Come on, Alexis, fight!
Brandi placed her hands on her hips and cocked them to one side and then frowned, glaring at Alexis with disappointment.
"What the hell is the matter with you, Rhodes? We didn't play like this back in the performance center. Do you have any of those traps I gave you? What happened to your Cyber Angels? You usually summon Vrash or Dakini right about now? Are you okay?"
"I'm f-f-fine," Alexis said or tried to say anyway. Her tongue suddenly felt like it weighed a ton. Nothing came out right. "I use this card," she said. "It allows me to summon the...the thing..."
Shit! I'm starting to sound like Syrus!
"Cyber Angel Izana!" she said summoning the four-armed Cyber Angel. With her effect, Brandi was forced to send her face-down card to the Graveyard. Izana then attacked and smacked Origin Gaia on the chest with her golden ax. The horseman grunted and his steed whinnied in fear before they both shattered into a thousand pieces. Since the attack was successful, Izana was allowed to attack another monster in a row. She raised her golden javelin and skewered Arisen Gaia on the chest.
"Now that's more like it!" Brandi cheered. "Woof, you had me worried there for a second. I use the spell, Pot of Extravagance. I banish six cards from my extra deck to draw two cards."
She picked them up, held them over her face, and smiled. "That was a good move, Lexi. But let's see how your Cyber Angel fares against this. I've been waiting a long time to finally use this against you."
I've been waiting a long time to finally use this against you...
Alexis gasped in horror. Those were the exact same words HE used when he summoned that beast that ruined her life.
"I activate the ritual spell, Super Soldier Ritual. I tribute Gaia the Polar Knight and Gaia the Mid-Knight Sun to ritual summon, Black Luster Soldier - Super Soldier!"
"Super Soldier!" Alexis croaked.
A complex-looking glyph hovered over Brandi's field and then shot down a beam of white light from its core. The light went out and revealed a menacing soldier with pointed armor and two red plumes on his helmet. But he didn't appear for long in Alexis's eyes. His armor almost looked like the beast that continuously haunted her nightmares every night. So intense was her fear and her anxiety, that Black Luster Soldier - Super Soldier's armor melted away and took the form of the terrible monster. She could see it hovering right above her clear as day. Its horrible roar, the glittery golden armor, and its eyes like molten gold.
"Alexis?" Brandi said. She took a few steps forward and waved. "Alexis? Baby, what's wrong? Are you okay?"
Alexis felt urine trickling down her leg. Her horrified expression was on the jumbotrons for all to see. Some people were calling for her to wake up. Others started laughing at her. She couldn't take it anymore. Alexis buried her face in her hands and ran out of the arena.
Booo! howled the crowd.
"Alexis!" Brandi called out. "Hey! Where are you going?"
"Alexis!" Aster shouted. He ran out of the lounge and sprinted across the hallways looking for her. "Alexis!" he called out. "Alexis!" He finally ran out and searched the parking lot, hoping she would be there. But she wasn't. "Alexis!" he called out again. Only the chill of winter and howling winds answered him. Then the snow started falling, filling Aster with dread. The winter storm had arrived and Alexis was missing. Aster groaned mournfully and rubbed his hands over his face.
"Please be okay!" He said. "Shit if anything happens to her, I'll never forgive myself! Alexis! Alexis!" He ran out of the parking lot and sped off into the city to look for his friend, knowing full well that if he failed, she would freeze to death in the blizzard.
"Alexis! Alexis! Alexis!"