Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Legacy of Tarot
Chapter 4: The Beginning
Mere hours later, Bertram was leading Alyssa, Mark, and Nick into a grand facility that could obviously be deemed Muto University. It seemed impossibly tall and wide, with countless windows on each floor, glittering in the sunlight like crystals. Students that were around Nick's age, though generally a few years older, were enjoying themselves on the bountiful park grounds where there were swing sets, gardens, and even a quiet little forest where they could go to sit and relax. Needless to say, the three were quite amazed at the work that must have gone into such a beautiful, awe inspiring building, and they found themselves wondering just how Mr. Philps managed to pull it all off.
Upon entering the school, they were greeted by an absolutely massive grand hall. The dome ceiling, reaching all the way up to the roof of the building, was like a skylight made of stained-glass. Pictures of all kinds of Duel Monsters could be seen on the dome, though none of them quite resembled the one Nick had seen in his duel. There were couches, chairs, tables and desks in absolutely every direction, and each one seemed to be occupied by students reading, eating, or dueling. Already they could see that the University had a strong background in Duel Monsters, and with every passing moment, they all found themselves wishing they too could come to this prestigious establishment. The thought of the enrollment prices for such an amazing place of learning, however, kept their imaginations from going too wild.
"Through here, and we'll be to the science department, Duel Monsters branch." Bertram announced. He reached slowly into his black velvet suit's pocket and pulled out a keycard of some kind. One swipe of the card through the lock created a beep, a whistle, AND a flash of lights as the large, heavy metal door slid open quietly. Stepping in, they could see the most amazing facility they'd ever laid eyes upon: everywhere, absolutely everywhere, men, women and students were examining, playing with, and testing Duel Monsters cards! They could hardly help but drop their jaws in pure amazement at just how involved in Duel Monsters this school was! Bertram simply chuckled in his own mildly arrogant way as they continued. "It is impressive, isn't it? We at MCU are very involved in the science of Duel Monsters. We examine all sorts of cards day and night, and we have even created many of our own in the past. All our cards have been approved and marketed by the IDMC (International Duel Monsters Council)."
"You mean… you… make
cards here?" Mark asked in sheer amazement. He couldn't believe what he was
hearing. This was too good to be true! Out of the three of them, Mark was
probably the most interested in the sciences of Duel Monsters – the
combinations, the strategies, the tricks. He had always aspired to create a
card and get it approved by the IDMC. At this point, he had created many a card
of his own, and sent prototypes to the IDMC for reviewing, but none of them had
ever received their stamp of approval. "And you've gotten them all approved by the IDMC?"
"Yes, yes." Bertram chuckled, adjusting his monocle to see Mark more clearly.
"It serves as a good source of monetary funds for the school. We have even been
invited by the IDMC to create an entire Card Expansion for the Duel Monsters
game, of 100 cards! Can you imagine? Our scientists and students have been
working hard to fill this quota, and we're almost there. All the IDMC needs to
do is give the go-ahead, and the expansion will be in
full production by the end of the year. Magnificent, don't you think?"
Nick was a bit jealous. He, too, had always wanted to create a card that he could call his own. He wasn't as avid about it as Mark was, but he had expressed an interest in the idea in the past. Of course, none of his ideas had been approved, either. In fact, he had heard that the IDMC had some of the toughest criteria for approval in the world. According to something he'd read on the internet, only 1/200 cards actually get their approval… and yet Bertram Philps says that they've gotten every single card they've ever created approved. That simply added to the young duelist's suspicions. He said nothing, however; the biggest thing on his mind was how to get Rebecca back from that creepy Xel'Zerpi thing.
"Now, please follow me. We are a bit behind schedule, I must admit. This way, please."
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A few fleeting moments later, Nick found himself standing in an empty cubicle-type room with only a hospital gown on. He couldn't see through the walls around him, but he knew that there were people watching him through those same walls. This was the physical examination he had been told about, and for as long as he had been there, he hadn't seen or heard a thing. It was like nothing was actually happening. No beeps, no clicks, no flashing lights, nothing. He had to wonder if they had put him in here, forgotten about him, and gone on to do their own things. It was a sound-proof booth, after all, and he couldn't hear a damn thing outside the cubicle.
"Alright, sir, you may step out of the booth now." A voice told him through a speaker overhead. A small door slid open on one side of the cubicle, leading into the dressing room where a nice new set of clothes were awaiting him. It took no more than a few minutes for Nick to change into the jeans and sweater given to him (each had the insignia of Muto City University on them, clearly as a shameless plug for the school), and he was out the door to find Alyssa and Mark.
The halls outside the dressing room were dark and quiet – unnaturally so, in fact. A few hushed voices could be heard here and there, but at first glance, things seemed to the naked eye as though they were not quite right. Nick did not feel any reluctance or hesitation as he walked through the hallways, however; Bertram had told him that they kept the lights down so that they wouldn't waste too much energy by using the special pieces of technology kept in this department. As Nick rounded a corner, apparently the wrong corner, he saw Bertram and a female scientist talking in hushed voices. Slipping quietly behind a nearby door to listen in on their conversation – he recognized the woman's voice as the voice that told him when he could leave the cubicle – the duelist waited silently to eavesdrop on the results of his examination.
"Well, what's that then?" Bertram asked, pointing at something on a transparent film that was placed against a lighted screen, much like X-rays are. He scratched his chin with his other hand as the scientist responded.
"We aren't sure. It isn't normal, I can tell you that, but at present it doesn't seem harmful or dangerous. I think that if we keep an eye on it, we can get more information on what it might be or how it got there."
"I know how it got there, whatever it is. The Sorcerer of Serpents' attack must have had some negative side effect on Nick's body, causing that… that… whatever it is."
"We don't have proof of that, sir. It could just be a shadow, or a small clot of blood cells. It could be a lot of things, really. If it was caused by the Sorcerer of Serpents, there's a good chance that this Rebecca girl has also felt some negative effects." The female responded matter-of-factly, pacing around the room and hanging up other films like the one they had been examining.
"Well, that tablet that Professor Gardner discovered a few weeks back said—"
"I know what it said, Headmaster, but we still don't have any evidentiary support that proves this growth's link to the Tarot Beasts."
"It isn't cancer, or a tumor, is it?" Bertram asked with a hint of worry in his thick British voice.
"No, we have ruled out any possibility of this growth being cancerous in nature; there is no abnormally rapid growth of cells in that area that would suggest a cancerous growth, and other tests have proven that no cancer-causing agents have been detected anywhere in the body."
Just as Bertram let out a sigh of relief, so did Nick; this, of course, got their attention and they stopped their conversation immediately. The teenager quickly tried to make it look as though he had heard nothing and had just entered the hallway. Mr. Philps seemed to believe him, be it an act or not.
"Ah, hello Nick! Miss Franco and I have just been going over the results of your examination."
"And? What did you find?" Nick asked, playing the part of the innocent schoolboy that knew absolutely nothing about what was going on.
"N-nothing! Nothing to be worried about at all! Miss Franco believes that it might be better if you stayed for a while longer so that she can keep an eye on you, and—"
"What?! Why? I can't stay here any longer! I have to go find Rebecca!" Nick countered, voice roaring suddenly. It sounded as though he had increased his tone by a few decibels at least all in the course of a second. Bertram motioned for him to calm down.
"I told you, we will handle that matter. We already have specialists calculating the location of Xel'Zerpi and Rebecca as we speak. You can go see them, if you like."
"You mean they're still here? You're not even out looking for them? What good are calculations and hypotheses right now? They're just a waste of time!" He screamed, tears welling up in his eyes. The mere thought of leaving Rebecca in the hands of that reptilian beast for another moment was more than he could bear.
"I realize you're very overwhelmed by all this, Nick, but please calm down. You're not helping anyone by overreacting like this. I suggest you take a good, long rest; Miss Franco will show you to your room. Mark and… Alyssa, was it? Anyway, they're already there waiting for you." The headmaster told him, motioning with his hand. The female scientist nodded.
"Right this way, please…"
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That night, Nick stood staring out the window of his ground-floor room when Mark awoke. The sleepy boy stumbled over to his friend and put an arm on his shoulder, rubbing his eyes with the other hand.
"Can't sleep, eh?"
"No… it's not that. I'm not going to sleep tonight, Mark." Nick replied, a sense of determination filling his voice.
"What? What do you mean?"
"I'm getting out of here tonight. They want to keep me here longer, to "keep an eye on me". Meanwhile, they're doing nothing about Rebecca's kidnapper, and they expect me to believe that they've got everything under control. But I won't believe it, I won't! I'll find her and that snake bastard on my own if I have to." The boy answered, turning to look Mark right in the eyes, who simply chuckled.
"You can't do this alone, Nick. It's impossible."
"Well, I'm going t—"
"Which is exactly why I'm going with you." He laughed, patting Nick on the back. Nick looked stunned for a moment and a bit confused, but in the end he smiled.
"What the hell are you both so happy about?" A female voice giggled from behind them. Turning, they could see Alyssa standing there in the dark. She, too, had awoken to see them standing there chatting, and she wasn't one to be left out of things.
"Nick and I are leaving tonight. We're going to try and find that snake-man that took Rebecca and get her back." Mark explained, sitting down in a nearby chair.
"And I suppose you're just going to leave me behind, right?"
"Alyssa, it's dangerous, and—"
"I certainly won't stand for that! If you want to stop me from coming, you're going to have to wrap me in chains and hang me up on that flagpole out there. Otherwise I'll follow you wherever you plan on going. You haven't got a sensible brain between you; be thankful I've decided to come along!" She laughed, playfully patting Nick's shoulder. He smiled back, glad that they understood so well his position. "Besides, this school bores the hell out of me. I'd much rather go on a road trip!"
"Are we all ready to go then, my brave little trio?" Mark chuckled, standing up and placing his card deck in his pocket. The others did the same.
"Looks like it. I've got clothes and money… we'll just have to get food when we need it, I guess." Nick nodded, grabbing his backpack filled with the basic necessities he had taken to the Tare Invitational. He was told that he'd be staying for a few days, after all, so money and clothes were an absolute must. When Alyssa and Mark had gathered their things, Nick slid open the patio door and hopped out into the darkness.
"Well boys…" Alyssa smirked, looking out at the beautiful scenery. "Let the games begin."
