Name code: Edo Phoenix-Aster Phoenix, Asuka Tenjoin-Alexis Rhodes, Judai Yuki-Jaden Yuki, Ryo Marufuji "Hell Kaiser"-Zane Truesdale, Jun Manjome-Chazz Princeton, Chronos De Medici-Dr. Vellian Crowler, Bonaparte-Napoleon? (Sorry, I think I forgot this one. He's that short, fat guy who hangs out with Crolwer), Tyranno Kenzan-Tyranno Hasselberry, Takuma Saio-Sartorius
It had been weeks since Judai's loss to Edo. During that short time, so many changes had already taken place: Judai had left the island and no one had heard from him since; word of Ryo's stunning comeback in the pro leagues and his disturbing new image as "Hell Kaiser" had reached the students; Manjome was going on endlessly about a new order in in some "Society of Light" like someone who had been brainwashed by a cult, and to make matters worse, Acting-Headmaster Chronos his assistant, Bonaparte, were doing whatever they could to ensure the destruction of the Osiris Red Dorm. It was the last part that had led Asuka in her present predicament. Chronos and Bonaparte had issued a challenge to a representative of Osiris Red to face another duelist in a match to determine whether or not the dorm would be destroyed. With Judai gone to who-knows-where, Asuka was their best hope for a duelist who could defend the Red dorm.
Now, standing in front of the school with Kenzan and the others, Asuka glared defiantly at Chronos and Bonaparte. It was one thing for the latter, this weird clown who had come out of nowhere, to try to concoct this ridiculous scheme. But Asuka was confused and saddened by Chronos' willingness to go along with this. He may have been hard on Judai and the other Osiris Red students before, but ultimately, he had cared about all of them and was willing to fight to protect them if needed. At least, that had been the case last year.
"Alright, I'm here! Now where is my opponent!?" Asuka demanded.
"That would be me." A voice from near the school's entrance declared.
Asuka was shocked to see Edo Phoenix emerge from the mist. When had he even gotten here!? The last she had heard of him was that he had returned to the pro leagues after his victory against Judai.
No! Out of all the people they could have picked, why does it have to be him!? If even Judai and Ryo can't defeat him, then what hope do I have of winning? We're going to lose Osiris Red now! It's all over… Asuka thought to herself miserably.
Mentally cursing at herself for her lack of confidence, Asuka stepped forward. Why was resigning herself to it being over before the duel had even started. No matter how slim her chances were, she knew that she had to try dueling Edo.
"I accept." Asuka said calmly.
Xxx
A few minutes later, Asuka was standing across from Edo on the other side of the arena while the others sat in the stands and watched. For a moment, she felt an enormous battle aura radiating from Edo. It was almost as if the very air itself crackled with the pressure that came from his focus. Asuka couldn't help feeling a little overwhelmed. Something important was driving him to do this, and she got the feeling that it was even stronger than her wish to protect her friends from losing their dorm.
"Are you ready?" Asuka challenged Edo.
"Yes. Now, show me your best!" Edo said forcefully.
"DUEL!" Both duelists shouted as they readied their duel disks.
"WAIT!" A familiar voice interrupted them.
Everyone turned around in shock to see the figure that had burst into the arena.
"Judai!" Asuka exclaimed happily, relieved to finally see him back safe and sound.
Xxx
Hours later, Asuka walked out of the school building in a daze, plagued by a mix of different emotions. On the one hand she was glad to see Judai fully recovered and that the Red dorm was safe again thanks to his incredible victory against Edo. She was still a bit surprised over Edo's loss. But on the other hand, she was angry at herself for her earlier lack of confidence in her own dueling abilities. Just when had she started to doubt herself so much as a duelist? She was ashamed of herself for the relief that she had felt after Judai had been allowed to take her place as Edo's opponent. She knew that this hadn't just been because she was afraid of not being able to save the dorm or Edo's dueling record. It was as if she had lost sight of her own reasons for dueling.
I need to get myself out of this rut and start believing in myself again! The old me would have been disappointed that I missed a chance to duel someone as good as Edo Phoenix! I need to recapture that excitement again. And I can start now by asking Edo to finish what we started. No more running away. Asuka decided firmly as she made her way down to the beach in search of Edo's yacht.
Xxx
Asuka looked around nervously at the spacious yacht that Edo owned. She had no idea if he was around or not and wasn't exactly sure of what she should do. This was a boat, not a house. Would it be weird to just knock on the door?
While Asuka was still standing there and deliberating what to do, she felt a light tap on her shoulder that practically made her jump ten feet in the air. Giving a small yelp of surprise, she turned around swiftly to see Edo himself standing behind her with an amused grin on his face.
"Back again, are we? I feel like we are falling into a pattern here. What is it this time? Did you come here to scold me for not being polite enough to Judai for your tastes?" Edo asked.
"No. I'm here because, well…we didn't get to have our duel. And I don't think that we should forget about it just because everyone decided that Judai had to stand in for me! So, how about it? I say that we finish what we started!" Asuka said determinedly.
Edo looked surprised. "Most people would be happy that they got a reprieve from having to face me. I admire your resolve." He complimented Asuka.
Asuka couldn't stop herself from blushing slightly at Edo's compliment. "So, do you accept or not?" She pressed.
"Very well. I accept your challenge. On one condition, though." Edo said.
"What's your condition?" Asuka asked somewhat apprehensively. She hadn't been prepared for something like this.
Edo walked towards Asuka until he was standing directly in front of her. "Once I win, you'll start spending time with me every day. And we'll enjoy it, too." He said with an alluring smile, his face inches away from hers.
Asuka blanked out for a moment. "Wait. What are you saying here? That you want me to be your…girlfriend!?" She stuttered nervously.
"That's right." Edo answered simply.
Asuka was stunned. She had not expected something like this. She had her fair share of male admirers on campus. But they were always the same: some ridiculous boy who would always claim that he loved her more than anything in the world and would follow her around mercilessly, practically salivating in her presence while continually addressing her as "Asuka-sama". Asuka hated it whenever boys treated her this way. It was as if she were an object to them, not a person. And how could they claim that they loved her when they didn't even know her? Asuka herself was not even sure of what it meant to love someone in that way. But this was different. Edo Phoenix, a mature and attractive boy who could have just about any girl he wanted, was here right now, simply telling her that he wanted her to be his girlfriend. It didn't make any sense.
"Just what would that involve?" Asuka asked apprehensively, not willing to agree to a duel on a whim here if Edo had certain conditions for a relationship that he would expect her to meet.
Immediately understanding what Asuka was implying, Edo softened slightly for a moment, attempting to ease her fears. "I wouldn't push you into doing anything that you don't want to do. I'm not like that. All I'm really asking is that we spend some time together get to know each other a bit. And then, I guess we'll just sort of see if it goes anywhere or not. No pressure." He explained.
"But why me?" Asuka asked.
"As clichéd as it sounds, it's because I think that you are interesting. And I could use that right now." Edo answered. He slowly stroked a few strands of Asuka's hair, his fingers just barely brushing against her face.
Asuka froze, her face heating up to what felt like a hundred degrees. She was sure that it was beet red. What is he doing? She thought to herself nervously.
"What if I win?" Asuka asked curiously, finally recovered enough to speak.
"Then you could go back to your friends and pretend that we never had this conversation at all." Edo replied.
I shouldn't agree to this. It's too much to take on. But I promised that I wouldn't run anymore! I can't let this scare me! I'm going to duel him, and I'll win! Asuka decided to herself.
"Okay. I'll agree to your terms. Now, let's duel!" Asuka said.
"You're not backing down. That's good. Don't worry about my terms. Trust me; you'll be glad that you lost to me once this is over." Edo said flirtatiously.
Asuka fumed silently. Just who does he think he is!? She thought to herself exasperatedly.
"Don't just assume that you are going to win before the duel has even started! Once I'm through with you, you're going to have find yourself a girlfriend somewhere else, because I don't intend to lose!" Asuka vowed.
Edo smiled confidently as he took out his duel disk. Well, I gotta admire her spirit! But I still don't understand why Saio insisted that I go through with this charade. He thought to himself as he recalled an earlier conversation that he had had with his friend.
Flashback:
Edo watched the hooded fortuneteller spread out a handful of tarot cards on the table and shuffle them slowly.
"So you're saying that this girl has become an important part of my destiny in the same manner that Judai Yuki has?" Edo asked Saio carefully.
Saio smiled cryptically as he continued to shuffle the cards. "In a manner of speaking, yes." He replied.
"But why? She is even less skilled as a duelist than he is. First it was that Ryo guy, then Judai, and now this nobody? I'm tired of dueling all of these losers. What is the point of this?" Edo asked impatiently.
"I have seen that your destiny has taken an unexpected shift ever since Asuka Tenjoin made the choice to observe you more closely during your duel with Judai. It is very rare, but still possible for the future to change like this." Saio explained.
Edo was stunned. Saio's predictions were infallible. For a change like this to occur, it must mean that this was important.
"So, can you tell me what is going to happen?" Edo asked carefully.
"After your next duel against Judai, she will seek you out and challenge you to a duel. And after it is over, you must do whatever you can to win her affections. The rest will follow by itself. That is all I have seen." Saio explained.
"Wait a minute. Are you saying that you want me to…hit on her? Destiny or not, that is not really my style." Edo said skeptically.
Saio chuckled at Edo's frustration. "For you, this should be a simple task, Edo. As I understand it, you already have quite a…following." He said in amusement.
"Not funny." Edo said in irritation.
"You can try to avoid this by not taking my advice to follow the shortest path. But ultimately, you cannot avoid this destiny, Edo. You know that I speak the truth." Saio advised.
"Okay, fine. Whatever. I'll go along with this and try to make this girl think I'm her Prince Charming. I can't wait to see what a disaster this is going to be." Edo said sarcastically.
"A wise decision. Of course, I expected no less from you, Edo." Saio said.
"Alright. I'm off now." Edo said with a casual wave as he left the room.
Saio picked up one of the cards on the table and gazed at it thoughtfully. "It hasn't happened yet, but eventually, you will not see this as a "choice", Edo." He said to himself with a smile as he looked at "The Lovers" tarot card.