Hello guys! Welcome back to my story!
We had two chapters placing perspective on the Resistance now, how about a little switch to the other side of the story? You know, our main couple that just feels so wrong in so many levels to the eyes of outsiders? After all they are the focus of this story.
To Aquatic Dragon: Life is an asshole who only brings sadness to everyone indeed and Shun is THE best non-protagonist character in ARC-V despite its massive flaws for damn sure, that is why he has to go in my story though. It also makes room for other characters (Yuto and Ruri) to develop too. And will he come back? You will know soon.
To Bluedada: That Reiji scene is my favorite part for sure. I mean, ARC-V is known for deconstructing many usual rules of Yu-Gi-Oh! and yet they do not do the same thing to the cold calm immoral badass character that Reiji is? After all Reiji is still a human with human emotions no matter how much he tries to bury it as a leader. Sure that alcohol will never directly appear in anime but they could have done something else to him.
To Guest 01: I have written in the first chapter open notes but just in case you forgot, this story starts at the end of the Xyz arc but instead of ARC-V Episodes 110 to 112 which are horribly rushed and unrealistic as heck, there was an all-out war that the Resistance and Lancers eventually won. That Yugo part… well, there is a reason I raise the age of the Dragon Boys and Bracelet Girls to 17 (lol).
Shout out to Frost190, Non Magnus Dux and dvdryms for inspiration for this chapter and the following one which will be released soon.
Warning: a massive shocker near the end.
Have a good time reading everyone and don't forget to leave your comments!
Spiral 3: Broken Predator
Hurry footsteps echoes outside, occasionally orders are given, reports are spoken through Duel Disks. It seems like the Hunting Game has its own smaller version right in the hometown without anyone knowing, for the dark night outside is enough to conceal the tourist city from the Area 51 level of open secrecy. From a recently abandoned house, a Caucasian male peaks out of the bushes and quickly grabs a taxi, signaling the driver to take him somewhere.
Inside the once functioning house, a woman carefully puts a roll of money in her shorts' pocket. She wipes her mouth, zips up her hoodie and quietly moves out of the area without catching any attention from police officers, quietly cursing the previous location's unsuitableness.
Had both of them stayed a little bit longer in that self-proclaimed shithole, they would have seen an astonishingly supernatural phenomenon that every human being in this world would only see in movies or TV shows.
The empty and dark house suddenly lights up. The source of the lightning slowly forms around a figure, human-size and shape, apparently lying down based on the position the butt is facing at.
After fully forming the shape, the light fades out, revealing the naked from of a young man. At least whatever magic has been happening in the house has enough semblance of modesty to place him in that position.
…
"Yuri please… Don't you remember…?"
Selena struggles to let those words out of her throat, for its slender form is held tight against the wall by that young Fusion predator, ignoring the card containing the terrified image of the former Academia defector Jean-Michel Roget lying down beside them and a scarred Hiragi Yuzu sleeping next to it thanks to a punch to her head indicated by a knuckle-shaped bruise.
The physical assaulter, but there is a high chance he might not even care what he is doing is considered assault, named Yuri, flashes a creepy smile at her, although there is a hint of hatred among the lines of his slasher-like facial feature. His eyes leer at the scared face of the person he hates the most in the world; everything in that face, from the light pink lips of lies rested just above the chin, the double-eyelid set of eyes of deception, to the yellow bandana she uses as a stylish hair tie behind her head, he wants to devour it all, over and over and over and over…
For such a deceitful person that she is, that bitch dared to ask him to remember that darkest time in his life? Is this a last desperate attempt at juggling the ball of emotion inside him like some sort of stress reliever?
"Do I… remember?" Yuri breathes to Selena's face, sending shivers down to her entire body. "I honestly don't know anymore… three years of constant torture, all started by the hands of the betrayer right in front of me… You should be glad that Professor wants you alive…! I would have beaten you to a pulp and then seal your soul in a card!"
"I know that Yuri…" Selena says, still as painful as ever, the grip does not stop. "And I'm sorry…"
"Don't you dare saying sorry after you left me alone to those whips!" Yuri still keeps his volume barely above a whisper, although the tone is a clear indicator to how angry he is becoming. "Sanders beats me every time I lose a duel. Countless hits on my body. I cried every night wondering what I did wrong, asking for some kind of salvation, and you did not come to help or whatever you called it."
Yuri increased his grip further, eliciting pain from Selena. "I wished that would stop, that Sanders would stop, that someone could make him stop… that you would stop those whippings… But no one fricking did…!"
"I was stupid back then… and I was too late to finally realize it…" Selena desperately grasps for air, looking at Yuri in the eyes with her own pleading ones. "I'm really sorry for leaving you like that Yuri… Academia must pay for what they did. Let me help you-"
"Stop!" Yuri yells at her, his face losing all of the creepy demeanour, replaced with an angry look. "You never feel sorry for everything so don't try to lie to me one more time!"
"This is the truth Yuri!" Selena says with full sincerity, although she knows Yuri will not see it. "The Yuri I know would never be this twisted."
"Well thanks to you…" Yuri lowers his voice down, his cheeks stretching a bit outwards and his eyes slightly widen up to form a "smile". "I am twisted, badly twisted, but guess what? I like it! I am way better than back then when you and others and Professor would look down on me. The weak and cry-baby Yuri you once knew is gone with those hits of the whip. I'm the top of the chain now, I can finally smile again, and nobody can hurt me anymore. Not…"
Yuri breathes down to Selena's ear.
"Even."
He quickly glares his eyes at her, their faces literally centimetres apart.
"You."
He lets the final word ring in her ears, keeping the deadly glare on her eyes, which, to his surprise, are slowly glistering. The substance coating her eyeballs finally lets out of the socket and streams down into two small lines of water.
Surprised, he decreases the intensity of his grip on her, feeling a strange mix or anger and regret, the latter threatening to take over the former with every second passing by. A feeling a predator should never have, he reassures himself.
"What's with those tears?"
He really wishes he could keep his mouth shut and enjoy the defeated from of the bitch in front of him, but for some reason, he cannot.
"Stop that."
Selena does not respond, instead she just keeps silently crying.
"Say something bitch!"
"I…" Selena stutters. "I…"
"Say something now!" Yuri was practically yelling at the top of his lungs.
"I… I created… a monster…"
"Well…?" Yuri smirked, feeling bewildered that Selena would dare to say it. "Yeah, good job for that. But just for the record, at least I was saner than BB back in base. That guy's more of a monster in those fairy tales than I am. It's good for you to see how easy it is to turn a human being into a feral monster right?"
"Are you really fine with… being a monster?"
"I am." Yuri's smile returns on his face. "But here is one thing I'm looking forward to that will make me so much better. Feel good that you got the first chance to hear."
"What… is it?" Selena does not have any idea of what he might say, but whatever it is that will be coming out of his mouth soon, it can never be good.
"You wanna know?" Yuri chuckles. "Fine, you asked. Since you helped creating a monster standing in front of you, after bringing you and Hiragi Yuzu back to Academia to finish Professor's plan, I will start my own Hunting Game. I'll start with uh… your Lancers."
"What…?!"
"I mean, duelling them and placing them in cards like I always do back in Xyz. Then I'll card everyone else in this dimension."
"You…?" Selena cannot believe what Yuri is saying. "You crazy? You versus an entire dimension?! Don't you have any self-preservation at all?"
"Why would a predator need that? A predator thrives in violence, no more no less." Yuri's answer sends a chill down Selena's body again. "Then I'll expand to Standard, and then Xyz, and finally Fusion. Everyone, yeah, even the Professor and Barrett."
"Don't you dare talking about Barrett like that! He helps you a lot!"
"He's not my real father Selena!" Yuri fires back. "He does not help me when Sanders beats me, so yeah… he's on the list."
Selena freezes hard on her spot.
"Scared already? Good! That's for abandoning me. And finally, I'll card you last after everyone else is gone."
"Why… why me last…?"
Yuri grits his teeth, still smiling like a maniac. "Because you can finally see the result of what you did to me back then."
The tears run down from Selena's eyes again. Enraged at such a weak display of emotion he does not want to see any longer, Yuri slaps her face hard.
"Stop that! The fun has not begun yet and you cry already?" The way Yuri twisted Sakaki Yuya's well-meaning words struck another pain to Selena's heart.
"You fricking asshole!" A voice suddenly yells, and before Yuri knows it, he is pushed down to the ground and got pinned.
"Yuzu!" Selena yells at her.
"Run Selena! To the elevator now!"
"Screw you!" Yuri yells and then kicks the scarred girl in the stomach. He gets up, leering at the two girls in rage. Selena cannot help but remember how similar that pose to BB's own is.
Suddenly, something activates behind them, catching all three of them by surprise.
"What is that…?" Selena looks behind, helping Yuzu up.
"Oh shit…" Yuri silently freaks out, remembering what Roget had said earlier before he got carded. "That asshole set a timer?!"
"What is it?" Selena asks, her voice carries a tone of concern.
"Shut up bitch!" Yuri harshly cuts her off. He quickly accesses his Duel Disk and put the return to the Fusion Dimension function on ready mode.
The device charges up, creating a heavy storm inside and electricity crackling around.
"I don't know what is happening Selena…" Yuzu whispers. "But we need to get out of here now."
"You won't!" Yuri declares, dashing across the strong whirlwind.
"Yuzu!" A voice yells from above.
"Yuya!"
Before Yuri can make out what is going on, a dragon flies down.
"Catch Odd-Eyes now, Yuzu! Selena!"
Another dragon flies down soon after. This one is dark in frame.
"Pin that asshole down Dark Rebellion!"
Yuri rolls away from the black dragon which nearly gets a hold on him. The electricity intercepts the two dragons and dematerializes them. While this prevents the Lancers from using any Duel Monsters against Yuri, he knows the same thing applies to him too, no matter how much he or Starve Venom badly wants that.
Gasping shallowly, Yuri stays behind on one end of the room, Yuya, Yuto, Yuzu and Selena on another.
"You're not taking Yuzu and Selena away from us Yuri!" The boy that Yuri thinks to be Yuya based on the Friendship Cup highlights reel before he lost control of himself somehow last night declares. Soon after, Yugo drives down and stands with the group facing him.
"So Selena…" Yuri smiles again. "It seems you have new friends now. Make friends quick, betray quick, like you always do huh?"
"Shut the hell up asshole!" Yugo yells at him. "You try to break us apart? Not gonna happen!"
"You'll regret it soon enough…" He gave the final warning before a portal suddenly opens from above and sucks everyone in the room in it.
Yuri slowly wakes up, shielding his eyes away from the sunlight shining his eyes. The light breeze sweeping over his entire body tells him how "open" he really is right now, but for some reason, the young boy does not give a damn about it. He keeps staring despondently to the floor below, feeling unable to stand up or even finding the will to do something. Such a drastic difference from the usual lunatic of an alpha predator of the Hunting Game.
But hey, does it matter anymore?
The only thought in Yuri's head whispering around like an echo in a black cave of bats, the only thought of a broken animal in the shell of a human, the only thought of a young boy losing his only drive to keep going in this cruel life.
And thanks to losing himself in his own head that long, it took him nearly ten minutes after appearing in here somehow that he finally notices the small carving on the dark and dusty ground.
Y+S
A memory sparkles in his mind, the memory carrying the bright visage of himself and another person.
Right, that particular person.
"Selena…"
The young girl he befriended when they were literally kids back in the foster house he was staying, the young girl that promised to stay with him when Akaba Leo went to the place and adopted both of them four years ago, and the young girl who cruelly denounced him and abandoned him when he was informed to be received "special training" but not her.
But now, instead of the cruel rage he would gladly display to her every time, he cannot feel it at all. Instead, only a sad feeling of reminiscence persists in his mind no matter how much he does not want to feel.
And yet, he does not mind it at all, too traumatized to feel angry anymore now, if the lifeless eyes and the messy bangs somehow artistically covering them are enough of indicators.
Another memory…
…
…
…
Yuri stares at Selena, both panting hard. They are duelling in the dark corner deep inside Academia's base.
Yuri LP 1300 [] x1
Starve Venom Fusion Dragon ATK 2800 LV8
Selena LP 800 [] x0
Moonlight Cat Dancer ATK 2400 LV7
"Can't believe you assholes managed to push Academia back like this…" Yuri speaks up, waving the card with an image of the Resistance duelist Chris Arclight. "But still, this is quite a Hunting Game for me. One of the few preys to entertain me this much."
"Just stop it Yuri!" Selena tells him. "Resistance is finally winning, if you still lose yourself in your own madness they will capture you."
"Ain't I your enemy? Why should I listen to you? And even if they come I can still continue this game."
"Because like I said before…" Selena pauses a bit. "I care about you Yuri, just like before."
"Shut up!" Yuri roars. "Don't you dare saying those words to me anymore! Starve Venom's effect activates!" The dragon fires a spore from its palm, aiming straight at Cat Dancer.
"Reverse Card open!" Selena counters, her last set card flips up. "Demon's Chain!" A dark chain flies out of the trap, chaining Yuri's dragon in place.
"Now you cannot use your dragon's effects and attack with it anymore Yuri."
To her surprise Yuri smirks. "I knew you would try something like this!"
"What?"
"Reverse Magic, Cyclone!" A cyclone appeared from nowhere and sweeps through Selena's trap, destroying it. "Now my dragon's effect will continue." Starve Venom grabs hold of Cat Dancer and drains her energy.
"With this Cat Dancer has lost its effects while Starve Venom has them all for this turn. But sad thing is, I need a Moonlight monster to use the attack effect." Yuri fakes a frown, then quickly resumes a smile. "But this card will solve it! From my hand, Resurrection of the Dead activate!" One of Selena's monsters appeared in Yuri's side. Selena's face twists, knowing what Yuri will do now.
Moonlight Lio Dancer ATK 3500 LV10
"Stolen effect activates!" Lio Dancer disintegrates; the resulting sparks of energy get absorbed in Starve Venom.
"Go now, Starve Venom!" The dragon fires an energy blast from his mouth at Cat Dancer, greatly damaging it.
Selena 800 - 400 [] x0
"I've been waiting for this moment for a long time Selena…" Yuri whispers dangerously. "To finally beat you for what you did… Starve Venom Fusion Dragon, attack Cat Dancer!"
"Ikari no… Hell Claw Slash!" The dragon flies towards Cat Dancer, it then spins around, slapping its sharp tail into the female monster, over and over for a long time. Yuri smiles sadistically while Selena cowers back in fear, unable to say anything at this display of cruelty.
Finally feeling satisfied with its handiwork, Starve Venom curls its right claw into a fist and punches Cat Dancer's head with it. The monster explodes painfully, sending the screaming Selena back into the wall hard on her back. If there was no Academia stamina and durability training Selena received back then, she would certainly break her spine there.
Selena 400 - 0 [] x0
The Duel Disk blades disappear, Starve Venom Fusion Dragon disintegrates into yellow sparks right after. Yuri turns off his Duel Disk (as per Professor's order not to card the girls) and slowly approaches at Selena, who cannot move at all and can only watch him closing the distance between them.
"Yuri… please…" Selena tries to say something.
"You're not saying anything anymore bitch." Yuri prepares to knock her out.
"Academia's trying to kill you!"
That quickly catches Yuri's attention. "What? What the hell are you talking about?"
"I heard it! From the Tyler sisters!"
Yuri angrily grabs Selena's shirt and lifts her up. "You're not gonna fool me again Selena! I ain't listen to any of your poisonous words anymore!"
"Please… I'm not kidding. Before they retreated I fought them. They told me Akaba Leo has plans for you after capturing me and the other three."
Selena opens her Duel Disk and plays a record.
"What do you mean? Plans for Yuri?!"
"Uh, your old friend before you turned him into a monster." Yuri recognizes Gloria's voice.
"I recorded this when I duelled them." And as much as Yuri likes to deny it, the battlefield sound beneath the audio file proves what Selena says to be correct.
Grace's voice comes up next. "Professor did not say much about details but in short, he wants Yuya, Yuto, Yugo and Yuri all sealed in cards or dead now."
"Your old friend's a loose cannon anyway, no sense of loyalty but to himself. We all know it right? He's no longer useful to Academia anymore."
"And why are you telling me this…?" Selena's voice, full of concern. Yuri eyes at Selena who silently pleads him to listen the rest.
"Well, let's just say we like to rub salt on the wound. We all know how much you still care for that idiotic bastard Yuri, but I guess he's way beyond saving now. He does not even know how screwed up both from the outside AND the inside he really is right?"
"Grace! They're coming."
"Shit, too many of them… Goodbye Selena, happy regretting your past."
"Hey! Stop!"
The recording ends, leaving a scared Selena and a shocked Yuri in the silent darkness of the hallway.
"Please Yuri…" Selena says weakly. "Even the Professor sees you as expendable… everyone in Academia sees you that way too… and if I do not care about you, why should I warn you?"
"No…" Yuri denies, still not believing what he just saw. He avoids Selena's gaze and stares into the cold wall ahead, confusion and denial written all over his face. "No way… I'm a feared predator, not some weakling in the past anymore! You're joking right?" Yuri speaks frantically, clearly losing the steel will of the hunter. "Professor would not be stupid enough to remove his powerful enforcer at this moment!"
Selena pushes on this silver chance of breaking through. "You're still that delusional? We're all expendable to him Yuri! I risk everything just to tell you this, you gotta believe me! Please!"
Footsteps echo from the far side of the compound, indicating the Resistance is closing on the position. No matter how much he wants to deny it, he knows there will be many of them coming close real soon, and as proven with this attack, Academia has lost.
"I am truly sorry for what I said three years ago… and yes, I still care about you… isn't that enough to prove to you?" Selena speaks with all of the softness she can show to Yuri, a desperate last chance to save him.
"Let's just say…" Yuri finally speaks up after a stunned silence. "Let's just say you were right… then what do you want me to do?"
"Let's just…" Selena says. "Run away from this war. Hide in some place no one can catch us…"
"Let go of her you son of a bitch!" Someone yells at the other end of the corridor. Yuri quickly turns to the location to see about ten Resistance soldiers running towards him. The frontmost one manifests a Duel Anchor and throws it at him; judging by the position of the anchor, he realizes that soldier does not want to duel him but to capture him outright. The predator of Academia has no choice but to let Selena go and rolls over backwards to hide.
Flashing a last look at the panicked Selena who is now in Resistance's hands, Yuri activates his Duel Disk and teleports himself out of the captured base.
Yuri's eyes slightly twitch, a calm and yet painful feeling of turbulence running in his mind. His vision begins getting a little bit blurry, the young boy realizes this is the same kind of thing he has seen from Selena.
Yuri shakes his head and finally gets up. He has no idea where he is right now, or at least, how the location he is standing used to be, for the carving he has seen thirty minutes ago in a trance clued him already.
The old foster house Yuri and Selena used to stay together until they were 13.
If this is the same location they were so familiar for that large portion of their life, then why are not anyone present here, and why is it so dirty and devoid of life like this? But at least, nobody is here to see him in this embarrassing state like this, plenty of time to find something worthy in here.
Based on the structure of the room he is in at this moment, Yuri realizes this is his former room where he stayed with another boy of the same age. He briefly wonders how the kid is doing right now; is he in high school for a shot to enroll in a university of his liking, or is he training as a Duelist like Yuri himself? That would be quite a possibility, they used to talk about their future and their dream place in it after all. Hopefully it is the former case though as Yuri does not remember seeing him in Academia at all, not even once.
True to the status of abandoned, everything in the room is covered in plastic sheets with notice paper glued on and all of the available household goods are nowhere in sight at all. Although a flyer Yuri found suggested his former home was empty just recently, the thick layer of dust might prove otherwise, combined with a used syringe that he nearly steps on. Abandoned buildings are always a good place for junkies and vagrants perhaps, especially since Yuri is basically the latter now. Nowhere to go, no family to go back to, no one else to see anymore…
Not even Selena…
The person who claims to still care about him.
And after what happened last night.
Definitely does…
…
…
…
"No… It can't be true at all… right?"
Since teleporting back directly to his personal room, Yuri only sits in his bed, covering his head by lowering it down to his knees and placing his hands over it. He does not bother cleaning himself up and taking a rest, for the warning and pleading from Selena just keeps ringing in his head over and over. He hates it so much! Just so much! Very much! Why did he let that traitorous bitch haunt him again just like three years ago?
But one thing is certain for now, he will not stop thinking about that recorded conversation for a long time.
One thing about that recording though: it does not lie, for it cannot think whether to record this part or not record that part to begin with; no matter how much manipulation one can do with this function, Academia Duel Disks do not lie like that to its owner.
About the "screwed up" part? He might have agreed a bit in the past, but with all the battle adrenaline rush and carding opportunities Academia provides to him after passing that hellish training, Yuri does not think himself that way anymore. But yet, each time he tries to convince himself nothing is wrong, Selena's crying image flashes over his eyes.
"Fine… You better hope you are right this time Selena… For I will card you if you aren't!"
Yuri silently goes out of his room and goes to the closet one reserved for another high-ranking soldier: Barrett.
Three knocks to the door.
"Who is that?"
"It's me Barrett. I want to talk."
"Oh… it's you Yuri?" A hint of surprise on his tone, which Yuri immediately picks up. He does not know why, but his ears somehow begin ringing.
"Yeah. I need to talk to you now Barrett."
"Uh… okay, come in."
Yuri opens the door and comes in Barrett's room who has cleaned up himself and is wearing a brown tank-top and shorts, exposing his muscular body. Staring at the man he considered his father figure, it is shocking to Yuri to think he might have a plan on killing him for a long time. The dimension-wide plan he waved at Selena back in Roget's dimensional transporter machine room now seems like nothing compared to that.
Noticing Yuri's hesitancy, Barrett walks towards him.
"What's wrong Yuri?" He asks gently to the boy like a father that Barrett himself no longer had ever since he was 14.
To Barrett's complete surprise, Yuri sweeps his legs and quickly pins him down on the floor.
"Tell me now Barrett!" Yuri whispers close to the face while aiming his inactivated Duel Disk at the large soldier's throat, a clear threat on ending the soldier's life if he does not get what he wants. "Does Academia plan on killing me?"
"I… I don't know what you're talking about Yuri." Barrett answers, a bit scared at the young boy's sudden action of pinning him down to the floor of his own room. He has to admit how physically strong Yuri has gotten over the years though, even with the weight advantage the man somehow cannot use it to get out of the lock.
"God…" Yuri mutters, a hint of pain visible on his tone that such a sociopathic asshole like him might or might not realize it. "Even you…?! The person I trusted the most in here? You want to kill me too?!"
"You're panicking Yuri, let me go now." Barrett says calmly. "You know I take care of you during your four years here, there is no way I am going to kill the person I see as my own son."
"Don't lie to me Barrett! Selena told me that Professor wants to kill me after whatever happened in Xyz, which we lost by the way. I did not believe it until she showed me the recording of the Tyler sisters confirming it! Is it true Barrett? Does he want to kill me? Grace and Gloria too? Everybody else here? Including you?! Tell me-"
His tortured interrogation is cut off by a painful jolt to his stomach, Yuri falls down to the ground. Barrett gets himself up, putting away the stun gun on his right hand off the unconscious boy.
"Is it done?" Akaba Leo somehow has appeared on the door to Barrett's room along with Grace, Gloria, Edo and Sanders.
"It's done." Barrett answers silently, making a sad last look at Yuri before helping Edo carrying the boy.
"Poor guy…" Edo comments. "Broken for three years, twisted like this, yet too stupid to realize…"
That was the last thing Yuri manages to hear before losing himself completely to the pitch black darkness…
Yuri sinks down at the corner of the empty kitchen, his eyes glue down at the dusty ground. After searching the entire place for many times and unleashing his rage on pretty much everything he could find, the rush of adrenaline wore off, leaving the tired boy behind.
Besides a large dirty blanket which he manages to find at the basement storage room that he wraps around himself, nothing else in this foster home could he find. No proper clothes to wear (as he cannot go out to find in fear of officers working for Academia finding him through means since he no longer has his Duel Disk or deck), no food to eat (as expected from this empty place), no phone to call (not that he has anyone else he knows out here).
A feared predator of Academia? Definitely, certainly, obviously no longer.
Just a lonely boy detained at his own home with nobody giving a damn, such a massive downgrade from the neat high-ranking Academia officer costume he was so proud of and the reputation among lower-rank soldiers and even peers alike.
Or as it turned out, a massive years-long illusion…
…
…
…
"Shit… only Rin and Yuzu, Ruri got away again?"
"Sorry Professor, that bastard Kurosaki Shun used a flashbang card. I took care of him soon after."
"Not by the carding way. I don't see his card among the pile, I assume you let your rage control you and forget your training here Edo."
"I'm really sorry for that Professor. I was just too angry because I failed my mission in there…"
"At least we got three of the girls back. Kurosaki Ruri will come here eventually seeking vengeance. Have a rest Edo, Selena will come to the main hall at seven, I need everyone to be ready."
"Roger that Professor."
Yuri opens his eyes, hearing Professor relaying his message to someone whose details are too blurred to properly make out, finding himself gagged and bounded, his Duel Disk and his trusty Predator Plants deck attached to the holder laying at the table. He is apparently lying down on the table in a dark room, only a small lightbulb above offers visibility and several vents around it give air to breath. At this position, he is basically a 172 centimeters piece of perfectly straight flesh unable to do anything resembling even a human.
"Oh, you finally wake up?" Professor's voice, carrying a menacing tone that he knows very well as it perfectly matches Yuri's own. "A predator trapped I assume."
Yuri eyes up at the old man, his face is as emotionlessly as ever but his eyes are different. There is a glint of hate there that Yuri does not know the source of it form. Is it out of failure in his own mission? Or is it because of something else? Either way, being tied down like this does not do anything good for him, and something tells Yuri that a horrible event is going to happen soon.
And with that realization, he suddenly feels something else.
Fear.
It takes him a while to finally realize the proper word from the dictionary of that feeling is.
His eyes open widely, his entire body shakes uncontrollably, desperately trying to get out.
He tries to yell as loudly as he can but the gag muffles it down greatly.
"Yell all you like Yuri, the Lord himself won't save you." Leo calmly says as he gets off the table. He looks down at the scared boy. "Especially not for a devil like you."
Devil?
Now Yuri admits, he is really a predator, trapped now but he is still a proud predator, but a devil? It honestly never comes across his mind once.
"Only Selena ever truly cares for you in here Yuri, and even then she destroyed her bond with you over a simple misunderstanding. Such irony." Abaka Leo chuckles, he even gives a smile as he sees something transparent slowly coming out of Yuri's eyes, one that is a very sore subject to that boy.
"A lonely and broken predator deluding himself to be on top, now it's time to remind the animal where it really belongs."
Akaba Leo moves away from Yuri and pushes a button on his Duel Disk, the boy notices some sort of vault door on the far side of the wall slowly opens, and with it, intense heat comes out.
"850 degrees Celsius." An automated female voice announces. "Minimum temperature reached."
With the limited general information that Yuri learned back then, he knows that not many devices can produce that intense level of temperature like that, and one of them catches his mind.
A device that Academia uses to remove the Duel Monsters cards that are faulty or illegal during production. Yuri even used it several times before.
An incinerator.
Yuri panics hard, realizing what is about to happen to him now.
Akaba Leo is going to burn him alive!
Yuri fearfully wobbles around, trying his hardest to pry the gags open.
"It's useless Yuri, they are created with Real Solid Vision. You cannot break free. You will die a deserved painful death without anyone knowing!"
"And now, Trap Card Rocket Hand!" A large mechanical hand with a booster on its back appears, it then forcefully grabs Yuri and his Duel Disk close and aims itself toward the vault door.
Ignoring the muffled cry from the boy, Rocket Hand flies into the vault door and goes upwards to the fiery primary chamber.
The hot fire quickly burns Yuri's regal costume, his Duel Disk and deck suffer the same fate soon after, and then his entire body disintegrates in the raging fire.
Closing the vault door, Akaba Leo waits until there is no more struggling and crying in the incinerator.
He turns to his Duel Disk and uses the communication function.
"It's done. Yuri is dead now."
"That solves the devil question Professor." Grace's voice is on the other end of the call.
"How about Selena?" Gloria asks.
"We will give her a nice ambush during the ceremony. Get rest and get ready."
"Roger that Professor."
Turning off his Duel Disk, Akaba Leo looks at the vault door and gives a small slasher smile.
"Now there is no chance for you to revive anymore…"
"####."
Is life a joke?
Is it always like that?
A joke?
Ever since he first realized he existed in this world, Yuri only saw himself and many strange people around him. An orphan, definition: a person without any parental figure, was the first thing he learned when he was 3. One foster house after another, one parental figure after another, one safe heaven after another, one shallow network of people after another…
It was only in this house that he truly felt like a real home.
It was only in this house that he finally called someone "dad" and another "mom".
It was only in this house that he talked to other people around his age.
It was only here, that he met Selena…
Even when she turned his life into a living hell, she had declared she truly cared about him and those spiteful word was a complete disaster of an accident.
She was willing to stay with him again, and he lost that chance forever.
Yuri really wishes he should have died back in that incinerator, and yet life found another way of cruelly mocking him by bringing him back to this living hellhole somehow. No matter how many slaps to the face that he did, this is still the reality he cannot wake up out of.
He was glad he could finally feel alive when he became a predator, now he cannot feel the same thing when everything was revealed to be just a fricking joke.
A broken smile forms on his face.
A broken tear run down to his cheek.
A broken mind not to think about it and a shard of broken glass on his right hand placed dangerously close on his left wrist (not that he will die from it).
A broken heart still beating despite its owner wanting it to stop.
A broken predator…
"Yuri…?"
A panted yet soothing voice from the corridor just right at the door of the room.
Yuri catches his breath.
"Selena…?"
…
…
…
"Hey Yuri?" A 13-year-old Selena spoke to Yuri. The two are standing at the stairs watching Akaba Leo finishing the procedure to adopt them.
"Yeah?" Yuri turns to Selena, wondering.
"We're moving again, I heard he will take us to Academia."
"A Duel school at the beach? I guess he found our potential."
"Uh huh, Academia is one of the best Duel schools in Japan and the world."
"You think we will be separated when we get there?"
"Oh, so you want to run away from me already Yuri?"
"No!" Yuri slightly blushes. "You're my best friend Selena, I'm just… afraid, that's all. I've moved to different houses before and this one's the longest I've stayed in. Too many good memories here, especially with you… I don't want to lose it all of a sudden again."
"Well, let's make sure it doesn't happen. We will stay close to each other, always. Promise?" Selena curls her finger on her right hand close, leaving only her pinky open.
Yuri smiles with the sweetest warmth possible to Selena and links it with his own, causing the young girl to blush as well. "Promise."
Four years later, they finally keep this promise once again.
This time.
With a tearful hug.
That's that! Our main couple has reunited.
Akaba Leo is not stupid this time! He went over the top with Yuri to make sure worse things cannot happen to his plan! Lancers and Resistance are already enough!
I have to be honest, this is one of those chapters in my story that I am the most uncertain about. We have so little of Yuri's backstory explored, especially the way he became the asshole who finds entertainment in sadistically winning duels and carding others. Therefore, I had no other choice but to make up my own vision and searching the stories of the authors I mentioned above to expand it further.
But I do like toying with the difference of Yuri/Selena and Yuto/Ruri though (lol). One is kind of separating but everyone else has their backs while the other has each other and everyone else pretty much hunts them for blood.
Next chapter preview:
Spiral 4: Reminiscence
The broken predator and the girl of betrayal finally meet again. They want only one thing together.