Alyz took a deep breath. She would have to somehow find a way to gain
control back. She didn't think Rinn was doing this on purpose, so Alyz
decided to trust her. "Rinn," she said out loud. "Could you try again?"
/I will try,/ the spirit responded. Alyz totally relaxed, not daring to move. /I think it worked!/ Rinn said, somewhat excited. Alyz opened her eyes and smiled. She was back.
"Finally!" she muttered. Everyone continued to stare at her. She sighed. "Sorry, but the little voice inside my head took over half my body somehow, I was just trying to get it back."
"Oh, that 'little voice' again," Joey said, rolling his eyes for the umpteenth time. Tristen snickered.
Alyz felt her eyes stinging. What was wrong with her? Maybe she /was/ delusional. She could just picture herself back at Casey's. She would be walking around like a lunatic, talking to people who weren't there. What would Ray think of her?
/Alyz./
/What?/
Rinn sounded pitiful. /I'm sorry that I have brought this upon you, and I truly hope that you believe me when I say that you are not insane. I am real, and so are the five people in front of you. All will be explained, I promise,/ she said. Alyz felt that she was sincere.
"I'm sorry," Alyz said to Yugi, Tea, Tristen, Joey and Bakura. "I was daydreaming."
Yugi nodded. "I think we all do that sometimes. My name is Yugi," he said, holding out his hand. Alyz smiled faintly.
"Hi, Yugi. I'm Alyz," she said, accepting the handshake. Soon afterwards, Tea also introduced herself, followed by Tristen and, somewhat reluctantly, Joey. When it came to Bakura, no introduction was needed. He merely looked into her eyes, gave a small half-smile, and left. Alyz stared after him and sighed. Every time he looked at her like that, her heart skipped a beat. There was just something about him.
/There /is/ something about him,/ Rinn confirmed, startling Alyz. /I see it as well./
Alyz scoffed at the spirit. /You know, you should ask before just prying into someone's thoughts like that!/ she said indignantly. Rinn felt sheepish.
/Sorry, hikari. I meant not to cause you embarassment. It's just that you remind me of me when I was your age. I can't help but see through your eyes and picture Barombe instead of that other boy./ Alyz detected a wisp of longing at the name.
/Who was Barombe?/ Alyz asked, but immediately regretted it. She had just told the spirit off for interfering with her personal issues, and now look at what Alyz was asking! But then again, Rinn was the one who was residing in /her/ body.
/Barombe was.../ Rinn said slowly, /A man I once loved. Someone who hurt me./ Alyz looked at her feet earnestly. She could tell by the tone of Rinn's 'voice' that whoever Barombe was, he /had/ caused her a great deal of pain.
"Alyz," Yugi said. Alyz was pulled from her thoughts once again. "Are you a duelist?"
Alyz wasn't sure how to answer that. "I suppose I am," she finally announced.
"Would you be interested in a friendly duel?" Yugi inquired.
"Me?" Alyz asked incredulously. "I'm not very good at dueling," she admitted. Yugi shrugged.
"It will just be a friendly match," he said. "It won't be a big deal or anything."
Alyz was about to refuse, but decided that she would try it out. After all, how many people got to duel with Yugi Motou? "All right," she smiled half- heartedly. "I'll give it a try."
"I think there was a platform somewhere over there," Joey said, pointing northward. "This'll be great! Yugi's gonna cream her!"
"Don't be so sure," Tea said, defending Alyz. "She might just surprise us all." Alyz smiled inwardly. She had at least one person on her side.
They headed out in the direction Joey had pointed. Everyone seemed rather joyous and happy, talking and laughing amongst themselves. Alyz walked alone behind them, feeling nothing but homesickness. /How long am I going to be here for?/ she wondered. /What will happen when everyone finds out I'm missing?/
/No one will notice you're gone. Time runs differently in your world. You are likely to come back at the same point in time that you left. I don't know when you will return from this world, but it shouldn't be very long./
"There it is!" Tristen shouted. Alyz looked in front of her. The enormous grey-blue platform looked rather menacing from where she stood, adding to her growing anxiousness. Yugi nodded to her, and walked around to ascend to his side of the platform. Alyz took a deep breath and did the same. Taking her place on the smaller platform, Alyz yelled to Yugi.
"Who should go first?"
"I'll go, since I'm the most experienced player." Alyz nodded at him.They both withdrew their decks and shuffled for a few minutes, then drew five cards each. Yugi looked over at Alyz. "Are you ready to start?" Alyz nodded. "All right, then. For my first turn, I play the Feral Imp (1300/1400), in attack mode."
Alyz nodded once more as the playful creature appeared over one square on the field. She drew, then turned to her hand, looking over each of her cards with interest. She had drawn two of her best cards; the Launcher Spider (2200/2500) and Performance of Sword (1950/1850). She knew to save those two for later, so she instead played a lower-level card. "I play the Giant Rat (1400/1450), also in attack mode," Alyz watched, somewhat bemused, as the crazy-looking rodent solidified itself in front of her. It squeaked several times, hopping from one foot to the next as it stared at the Feral Imp with its beady red eyes. "Attack the Feral Imp!" The rat leaped forward instantly, and proceeded to destroy the Feral Imp. Alyz was amazed to see Yugi's life points drop by one hundred points.
The Giant Rat squealed gleefully, returning to its place on the platform. Alyz couldn't help but smile at her early fortune. Yugi smiled back, then drew his card. He placed Curse of Dragon (2000/1900) on the field, and another card. "I play Curse of Dragon in attack mode, and a magic card face- down."
Alyz pulled another card reluctantly. Curse of Dragon was strong, and she needed a stronger card to counter it. The card she had drawn was Sword of Deep Seated, which would raise any monster's attack and defense by 500 points. /This would work very well with my Shield and Sword, to switch any monster's attack and defense./ she thought. /If I equipped both these cards to my Launcher Spider, he would have an attack power of 3000. She looked out on the field to see the Curse of Dragon and Giant Rat. There was no doubt that Yugi would destroy her Giant Rat the next turn.
"I switch Giant Rat to defense mode," Alyz said, turning the card ninety degrees. "And I play this card face down," she added, laying down her Sword of Deep Seated. She wasn't worried about it being harmed by any trap of Yugi's, because when sent to the graveyard, the Sword was actually to be placed on top of her deck, where she would just draw it again next turn. Alyz was about to end her turn, but decided that she wasn't finished yet. "And I play the Performance of Sword (1950/1800) in attack mode, ending my turn," she added hastily. She knew that she was supposed to play monsters before magic cards, but maybe Yugi would excuse her that once.
Yugi smiled and drew his card. He slipped another card face down in the slot for magic cards and nodded to her. /That was a short turn,/ Alyz thought. /I wonder what he's planning./
She sighed and took another card. Her face lit up when she realized that it was the Shield and Sword. "Yes!" she exclaimed under her breath. Yugi looked amused. /Don't play your spider, Alyz./ Rinn said cautiously. /He's hiding something. Switch Performance of Sword to defense mode./
Alyz snorted. /As if you know anything about duelling!/ she retorted. /Just because you're living in this body doesn't mean you can tell me what to do!/ she added angrily. In protest, she did exactly the opposite of what the spririt had told her.
"I play the Launcher Spider, in attack mode! I also play the Shield and Sword, Sword of Deep Seated, and a monster card face-down." Alyz grinned as she placed the Man-Eater Bug face down. If Yugi tried to attack it, it would activate its effect and destroy any monster on the field. "Now, Launcher Spider, attack Curse of Dragon!"
Yugi grinned and flipped over one of his face-down cards. "I play the Drigondies Trap, which allows me to take a turn instead of you. I also play Mind Control, and take control of your Performance of Sword!" he said. Alyz was confused. Why wouldn't he just take control of her Launcher Spider, the strongest card on her side of the playing field? "Performance of Sword, attack the Launcher Spider!" Yugi called. Alyz scoffed at him.
"Performance of Sword only has an attack power of 1850 with the Shield and Sword activated. That's a lot less than Launcher Spider's attack power of 3000," she said. Yugi smiled.
"I know that. When I attack your Launcher Spider, Performance of Sword is destroyed, and 1050 would be deducted from my life points," he said. Alyz looked at him unsurely. "But since the Performance of Sword is /your/ card, it is your points that are reduced." The POS leaped forward to attack the Launcher Spider, but was thrown back and disintegrated upon reaching it. "And I change the Curse of Dragon to defense mode, ending my turn.
Alyz watched in dismay as her life points dropped to 950 after just one attack. "But... but... my Performance of Sword..." she stuttered. /You should have heeded my advice,/ Rinn said softly. Alyz sighed.
"I'm sorry, Rinn," she said out loud. She turned to her deck, and pulled off the top card.
It was the Crystal Moon Phoenix. Alyz bit her lip. It was a very strong card, with an attack power of 2500. If she equipped the Sword of Deep Seated to it, it would be as strong as her Launcher Spider had been. But then Yugi would probably find some other way to destroy it. She would just have to save it for later.
"Launcher Spider, attack Yugi's Curse of Dragon!" Alyz commanded. The Launcher Spider still had an attack power of 2700, even if the Shield and Sword's effect had worn off.
The Launcher Spider charged its weapons and gave a metallic screech before firing at the Curse of Dragon. The dragon dissolved quickly, and Alyz smiled faintly. She could still pull this off. Yugi nodded to her.
"Come forth, Dark Magician!" He yelled. The Dark Magician, Alyz knew, was Yugi's best card, as well as his personal favorite. If she was going to defeat him, she would have to beat the magician, and fast. Yugi then played a magic card. "I play Despell, to rid your Spider of the Sword of Deep Seated," he said. The Spider shrunk slightly and his attack dwindled back to 2200. "I also play the Magical Hats, to conceal my Dark Magician. But my turn is not over yet! Attack the Launcher Spider!"
"Oh, no!" Alyz yelled. Another one of her best monster cards destroyed. She placed her Launcher Spider in the graveyard, and the Sword of Deep Seated on top of her deck before pulling it off again as her draw. She sighed and placed the Crystal Moon Phoenix on the field. She attached to it the Sword of Deep Seated.
Alyz was about to attack, but sighed and placed her hand over her deck. She knew that Yugi would probably find a way to defeat her anyways, and that she might as well give up. /You surrender?/ Rinn asked, surprised. Alyz nodded slowly, gathering up her cards. She descended from the platform and took a deep breath.
"That was a good duel," Yugi said, reaching out his hand. Alyz forced a smile.
"Thank you."
Bakura placed a hand on her shoulder. Alyz nearly jumped at the touch. "Don't feel bad," he said warmly. "You fared very well against Yugi. Don't forget that he's a world class duelist, and you're still a novice."
Alyz gulped and nodded. He did have a point. "That last card you played, the Crystal Moon Phoenix, it was called?" Yugi asked suddenly.
"Yes," Alyz answered. Yugi's face brightened. He took out his deck and began to search through it. A few minutes later, he withdrew a card and handed it over to Alyz. She examined it carefully. "Opal Moon?" she asked. Yugi nodded.
"It's a special magic card made only for the Crystal Moon Phoenix," he said. "It will raise your Phoenix's attack power by 100 points for every turn it's on the field for," he explained. "That's even if it's face-down!"
Alyz looked it over once more as she realized the true value of the Opal Moon. "That means that I can play it face down, and however many turns it sits there, my Phoenix will gain 100 attack points when I finally equip it with the Opal Moon?" she inquired. Yugi nodded.
"Psshh," Joey was heard whispering to Tristen in the background. "Why doesn't Yugi ever give /me/ any cards like that?"
/I will try,/ the spirit responded. Alyz totally relaxed, not daring to move. /I think it worked!/ Rinn said, somewhat excited. Alyz opened her eyes and smiled. She was back.
"Finally!" she muttered. Everyone continued to stare at her. She sighed. "Sorry, but the little voice inside my head took over half my body somehow, I was just trying to get it back."
"Oh, that 'little voice' again," Joey said, rolling his eyes for the umpteenth time. Tristen snickered.
Alyz felt her eyes stinging. What was wrong with her? Maybe she /was/ delusional. She could just picture herself back at Casey's. She would be walking around like a lunatic, talking to people who weren't there. What would Ray think of her?
/Alyz./
/What?/
Rinn sounded pitiful. /I'm sorry that I have brought this upon you, and I truly hope that you believe me when I say that you are not insane. I am real, and so are the five people in front of you. All will be explained, I promise,/ she said. Alyz felt that she was sincere.
"I'm sorry," Alyz said to Yugi, Tea, Tristen, Joey and Bakura. "I was daydreaming."
Yugi nodded. "I think we all do that sometimes. My name is Yugi," he said, holding out his hand. Alyz smiled faintly.
"Hi, Yugi. I'm Alyz," she said, accepting the handshake. Soon afterwards, Tea also introduced herself, followed by Tristen and, somewhat reluctantly, Joey. When it came to Bakura, no introduction was needed. He merely looked into her eyes, gave a small half-smile, and left. Alyz stared after him and sighed. Every time he looked at her like that, her heart skipped a beat. There was just something about him.
/There /is/ something about him,/ Rinn confirmed, startling Alyz. /I see it as well./
Alyz scoffed at the spirit. /You know, you should ask before just prying into someone's thoughts like that!/ she said indignantly. Rinn felt sheepish.
/Sorry, hikari. I meant not to cause you embarassment. It's just that you remind me of me when I was your age. I can't help but see through your eyes and picture Barombe instead of that other boy./ Alyz detected a wisp of longing at the name.
/Who was Barombe?/ Alyz asked, but immediately regretted it. She had just told the spirit off for interfering with her personal issues, and now look at what Alyz was asking! But then again, Rinn was the one who was residing in /her/ body.
/Barombe was.../ Rinn said slowly, /A man I once loved. Someone who hurt me./ Alyz looked at her feet earnestly. She could tell by the tone of Rinn's 'voice' that whoever Barombe was, he /had/ caused her a great deal of pain.
"Alyz," Yugi said. Alyz was pulled from her thoughts once again. "Are you a duelist?"
Alyz wasn't sure how to answer that. "I suppose I am," she finally announced.
"Would you be interested in a friendly duel?" Yugi inquired.
"Me?" Alyz asked incredulously. "I'm not very good at dueling," she admitted. Yugi shrugged.
"It will just be a friendly match," he said. "It won't be a big deal or anything."
Alyz was about to refuse, but decided that she would try it out. After all, how many people got to duel with Yugi Motou? "All right," she smiled half- heartedly. "I'll give it a try."
"I think there was a platform somewhere over there," Joey said, pointing northward. "This'll be great! Yugi's gonna cream her!"
"Don't be so sure," Tea said, defending Alyz. "She might just surprise us all." Alyz smiled inwardly. She had at least one person on her side.
They headed out in the direction Joey had pointed. Everyone seemed rather joyous and happy, talking and laughing amongst themselves. Alyz walked alone behind them, feeling nothing but homesickness. /How long am I going to be here for?/ she wondered. /What will happen when everyone finds out I'm missing?/
/No one will notice you're gone. Time runs differently in your world. You are likely to come back at the same point in time that you left. I don't know when you will return from this world, but it shouldn't be very long./
"There it is!" Tristen shouted. Alyz looked in front of her. The enormous grey-blue platform looked rather menacing from where she stood, adding to her growing anxiousness. Yugi nodded to her, and walked around to ascend to his side of the platform. Alyz took a deep breath and did the same. Taking her place on the smaller platform, Alyz yelled to Yugi.
"Who should go first?"
"I'll go, since I'm the most experienced player." Alyz nodded at him.They both withdrew their decks and shuffled for a few minutes, then drew five cards each. Yugi looked over at Alyz. "Are you ready to start?" Alyz nodded. "All right, then. For my first turn, I play the Feral Imp (1300/1400), in attack mode."
Alyz nodded once more as the playful creature appeared over one square on the field. She drew, then turned to her hand, looking over each of her cards with interest. She had drawn two of her best cards; the Launcher Spider (2200/2500) and Performance of Sword (1950/1850). She knew to save those two for later, so she instead played a lower-level card. "I play the Giant Rat (1400/1450), also in attack mode," Alyz watched, somewhat bemused, as the crazy-looking rodent solidified itself in front of her. It squeaked several times, hopping from one foot to the next as it stared at the Feral Imp with its beady red eyes. "Attack the Feral Imp!" The rat leaped forward instantly, and proceeded to destroy the Feral Imp. Alyz was amazed to see Yugi's life points drop by one hundred points.
The Giant Rat squealed gleefully, returning to its place on the platform. Alyz couldn't help but smile at her early fortune. Yugi smiled back, then drew his card. He placed Curse of Dragon (2000/1900) on the field, and another card. "I play Curse of Dragon in attack mode, and a magic card face- down."
Alyz pulled another card reluctantly. Curse of Dragon was strong, and she needed a stronger card to counter it. The card she had drawn was Sword of Deep Seated, which would raise any monster's attack and defense by 500 points. /This would work very well with my Shield and Sword, to switch any monster's attack and defense./ she thought. /If I equipped both these cards to my Launcher Spider, he would have an attack power of 3000. She looked out on the field to see the Curse of Dragon and Giant Rat. There was no doubt that Yugi would destroy her Giant Rat the next turn.
"I switch Giant Rat to defense mode," Alyz said, turning the card ninety degrees. "And I play this card face down," she added, laying down her Sword of Deep Seated. She wasn't worried about it being harmed by any trap of Yugi's, because when sent to the graveyard, the Sword was actually to be placed on top of her deck, where she would just draw it again next turn. Alyz was about to end her turn, but decided that she wasn't finished yet. "And I play the Performance of Sword (1950/1800) in attack mode, ending my turn," she added hastily. She knew that she was supposed to play monsters before magic cards, but maybe Yugi would excuse her that once.
Yugi smiled and drew his card. He slipped another card face down in the slot for magic cards and nodded to her. /That was a short turn,/ Alyz thought. /I wonder what he's planning./
She sighed and took another card. Her face lit up when she realized that it was the Shield and Sword. "Yes!" she exclaimed under her breath. Yugi looked amused. /Don't play your spider, Alyz./ Rinn said cautiously. /He's hiding something. Switch Performance of Sword to defense mode./
Alyz snorted. /As if you know anything about duelling!/ she retorted. /Just because you're living in this body doesn't mean you can tell me what to do!/ she added angrily. In protest, she did exactly the opposite of what the spririt had told her.
"I play the Launcher Spider, in attack mode! I also play the Shield and Sword, Sword of Deep Seated, and a monster card face-down." Alyz grinned as she placed the Man-Eater Bug face down. If Yugi tried to attack it, it would activate its effect and destroy any monster on the field. "Now, Launcher Spider, attack Curse of Dragon!"
Yugi grinned and flipped over one of his face-down cards. "I play the Drigondies Trap, which allows me to take a turn instead of you. I also play Mind Control, and take control of your Performance of Sword!" he said. Alyz was confused. Why wouldn't he just take control of her Launcher Spider, the strongest card on her side of the playing field? "Performance of Sword, attack the Launcher Spider!" Yugi called. Alyz scoffed at him.
"Performance of Sword only has an attack power of 1850 with the Shield and Sword activated. That's a lot less than Launcher Spider's attack power of 3000," she said. Yugi smiled.
"I know that. When I attack your Launcher Spider, Performance of Sword is destroyed, and 1050 would be deducted from my life points," he said. Alyz looked at him unsurely. "But since the Performance of Sword is /your/ card, it is your points that are reduced." The POS leaped forward to attack the Launcher Spider, but was thrown back and disintegrated upon reaching it. "And I change the Curse of Dragon to defense mode, ending my turn.
Alyz watched in dismay as her life points dropped to 950 after just one attack. "But... but... my Performance of Sword..." she stuttered. /You should have heeded my advice,/ Rinn said softly. Alyz sighed.
"I'm sorry, Rinn," she said out loud. She turned to her deck, and pulled off the top card.
It was the Crystal Moon Phoenix. Alyz bit her lip. It was a very strong card, with an attack power of 2500. If she equipped the Sword of Deep Seated to it, it would be as strong as her Launcher Spider had been. But then Yugi would probably find some other way to destroy it. She would just have to save it for later.
"Launcher Spider, attack Yugi's Curse of Dragon!" Alyz commanded. The Launcher Spider still had an attack power of 2700, even if the Shield and Sword's effect had worn off.
The Launcher Spider charged its weapons and gave a metallic screech before firing at the Curse of Dragon. The dragon dissolved quickly, and Alyz smiled faintly. She could still pull this off. Yugi nodded to her.
"Come forth, Dark Magician!" He yelled. The Dark Magician, Alyz knew, was Yugi's best card, as well as his personal favorite. If she was going to defeat him, she would have to beat the magician, and fast. Yugi then played a magic card. "I play Despell, to rid your Spider of the Sword of Deep Seated," he said. The Spider shrunk slightly and his attack dwindled back to 2200. "I also play the Magical Hats, to conceal my Dark Magician. But my turn is not over yet! Attack the Launcher Spider!"
"Oh, no!" Alyz yelled. Another one of her best monster cards destroyed. She placed her Launcher Spider in the graveyard, and the Sword of Deep Seated on top of her deck before pulling it off again as her draw. She sighed and placed the Crystal Moon Phoenix on the field. She attached to it the Sword of Deep Seated.
Alyz was about to attack, but sighed and placed her hand over her deck. She knew that Yugi would probably find a way to defeat her anyways, and that she might as well give up. /You surrender?/ Rinn asked, surprised. Alyz nodded slowly, gathering up her cards. She descended from the platform and took a deep breath.
"That was a good duel," Yugi said, reaching out his hand. Alyz forced a smile.
"Thank you."
Bakura placed a hand on her shoulder. Alyz nearly jumped at the touch. "Don't feel bad," he said warmly. "You fared very well against Yugi. Don't forget that he's a world class duelist, and you're still a novice."
Alyz gulped and nodded. He did have a point. "That last card you played, the Crystal Moon Phoenix, it was called?" Yugi asked suddenly.
"Yes," Alyz answered. Yugi's face brightened. He took out his deck and began to search through it. A few minutes later, he withdrew a card and handed it over to Alyz. She examined it carefully. "Opal Moon?" she asked. Yugi nodded.
"It's a special magic card made only for the Crystal Moon Phoenix," he said. "It will raise your Phoenix's attack power by 100 points for every turn it's on the field for," he explained. "That's even if it's face-down!"
Alyz looked it over once more as she realized the true value of the Opal Moon. "That means that I can play it face down, and however many turns it sits there, my Phoenix will gain 100 attack points when I finally equip it with the Opal Moon?" she inquired. Yugi nodded.
"Psshh," Joey was heard whispering to Tristen in the background. "Why doesn't Yugi ever give /me/ any cards like that?"