OP2: "Back Again" by Daughtry
Chapter 19: "Secrets - Part 2"
"Now, with Powerful Rebirth's effect, I'll call my Dance Princess of the Ice Barrier back to the field!"
Danny watched as the icy pillar broke through the dirt before him again, the blue-haired acrobat eyeing him with murderous intent from within.
"C'mon, he's got to have something he can counteract with, right?!" Duncan said, panicked eyes flitting between Violet and Marina.
But their expressions remained downcast as they looked on. Danny's field had been all but cleared by Brionac, leaving him with nothing to stop a finishing blow.
As for Danny, he spent a good moment gazing back into the eyes of Josiah's revived Dance Princess, before saying the last thing that any of them expected:
"Gotcha."
Josiah's eyebrows rose before he caught sight of an abnormality: from the center of the ice pillar, as though crawling out from Dance Princess' chest, emerged a silver-haired girl in a black Victorian dress with white frills. Dance Princess watched with horror as the girl crawled out of her. She giggled, her eyes sparkling before the pillar shattered, taking the Ice Barrier monster with it.
Josiah looked from where his Dance Princess had been to Danny, while the three onlookers stood with mouths hung open. "Okay... can someone please explain to me what just happened?" Duncan squeaked.
"I activated the effect of Ghost Belle & Haunted Mansion from my hand!" Danny answered as the ghostly girl floated over to his field. "By discarding her in response to certain effects my opponent tries to activate, like bringing a monster back from the graveyard, she can negate that effect!"
Josiah eyed the bouncing spirit, furrowing his brow. "Ghost Belle & Haunted Mansion, eh?" he mused. "Never would have pegged you for the type to put something like that in your deck."
"Hey man, like I said earlier," Danny replied, "every good deck needs a good waifu."
Dead silence. All Josiah could do was facepalm as he groaned. Violet and Duncan, meanwhile, turned to look as Marina crossed her arms, eyes shut and jaw clenched as her temple threatened to burst. They couldn't tell whether she was more irked by how casually Danny had returned to levity, or the fact that he had a card in his deck that he referred to as his "waifu."
Ghost Belle giggled again before a phantasmal door appeared behind her, through which she disappeared as she waved goodbye to Josiah before it vanished.
Josiah chuckled as he looked back at Danny. "Guess I was mistaken to credit you with 'luck' earlier," he said. "You've definitely improved your dueling acumen considerably."
"Right, I don't have a dictionary to look up what that means, so I'm just gonna say thanks," Danny replied.
Josiah shook his head. "I'm setting three cards face-down. That's it for me."
The set cards took form before him, and a smirk spread across Josiah's face. He still remembered that first day of third grade, when he had noticed the new kid with messy black hair walking around and cracking jokes to anyone who would listen. That was what had drawn him to target Danny in the first place: he had known how to make himself likable, whereas Josiah had been too damaged by the abandonment of his father, the murder of his mother, and the indifference of his grandmother. And if he wasn't capable of making friends, he wouldn't let the new kid be able to either.
But now he was different. Years of being pushed back by Mike and learning of a person's capacity to change had enabled Josiah to finally make real friends. And the irony of Danny being one of those friends did not escape him. He too knew what this duel was for Danny, and in his heart, he wanted more than anything for him to claim his first victory against him. But he also knew that for Danny to be satisfied, he couldn't pull his punches, or his victory and the steps he'd taken to get stronger would be stripped of all meaning.
So as much as he was rooting for Danny's victory, Josiah wasn't about to hand it over to him. He'd have to fight with all his soul, and earn it.
"All right, I'm up!" Danny said as he drew his next card, looking at the four in his hand. Machina Fortress, the two cards Dance Princess had bounced, and his new card. Though the card that he'd been riding on for his victory had turned too dangerous to secure a win, it still held the ability to yield another outcome—a last resort in case he was pushed into a corner.
He glanced up to view Josiah's field. He'd emptied his hand setting those three backrow cards, meaning he'd only have his freshly-drawn one next turn as discard fodder for Brionac. This was good. At the very least, it meant he had a good shot at turning things around, provided he didn't use Brionac to bounce the one card that he needed to survive. What was more, he still had one other ace-in-the-hole ready to spring if he achieved the right circumstances.
He'd ride everything on those odds.
"I guess I'll also set three cards face-down," he said, the cards materializing before him, "and call it a turn there."
Josiah raised an eyebrow. From Danny, he'd expected a rampant and brash retaliation after nearly losing last turn. Not that it mattered.
"Then I draw," he said as he did, looking to the card for a moment. It was of no use to him now, but perhaps later...
"Okay, let's end things proper this time!" he said as he pointed to Danny. "Brionac attacks!"
The dragon swooped into the air again, poising itself before unleashing another wave of icy breath that raced towards his target.
Danny grinned. "I reveal my face-down card!" he countered as one of his traps flipped. "Powerhold the Moving Battery!"
Before the wave of cold could reach Danny, it was intercepted. Suddenly, from the ground before him burst a ginormous automaton, bulky in shape with horns and a single lens for an eye. A cannon about half its own size was attached to its right shoulder, held up by its arm. As it stomped onto the ground before Danny, Brionac's frosty attack dispersed across its body, and it bellowed a mechanical roar of defiance.
"What is THAT?!" Duncan yelped as he and the girls looked on with flabbergasted expressions. "Did his trap card just summon that thing?!"
"Actually, my trap card is that thing!" Danny said as his grin widened. "When it's activated, I get to summon it to my side of the field as a monster card!" [LV: 4/ATK: 0]
Though he'd initially been taken aback by the appearance of this monstrosity, Josiah's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Why would you summon a monster with 0 ATK in ATK mode to intercept my Brionac?"
"Well, what it lacks in initial strength is made up for thanks to its other effect!" Danny replied. "After it's summoned, I can take any level 4 Gadget monster from my deck and equip it to him, and then his ATK goes up by twice the ATK value of that Gadget!
"So I'm gonna take my Red Gadget with 1300 ATK points, and equip him to Powerhold!" he said, taking the card that had popped out from his deck and placing it in his graveyard zone. [ATK: 0→2600]
"Now it has more ATK than Brionac!" Violet realized.
"Damn, Danny managed to turn the tables!" Duncan cheered.
But Marina remained quiet as she looked at Josiah. There was no concern in his expression, which meant only one thing: he had prepared for such an outcome.
"Good play, Danny," he said, before raising a hand over one of his set cards. "But unfortunately, not good enough! I reveal my own trap card, Synchro Strike! This card takes the number of materials used to Synchro summon a Synchro monster on my field, and then adds them to that monster's ATK power times 500 points!" [Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier - ATK: 2300→3300]
"And Josiah just flipped those tables right back on him!" Duncan wailed.
Danny clenched his fist as Josiah then declared, "now let's try again, Brionac! Take down his Powerhold and end this duel!"
Brionac mimicked its earlier action, unhinging its jaw to unleash its chilling assault on Danny's trap monster. Josiah watched with hardened eyes as his monster's attack iced over Powerhold's steel exterior. Surely there was no coming back for Danny now.
"I reveal my face-down quick-play spell, Concentrating Current!"
Josiah's eyes went wide as Danny's set card flipped over, and he said, "with this card, I take the DEF points of any monster on my field, and transfers it to its ATK power 'til the end of the turn! And since my Powerhold comes with a generous 2000 DEF right from the get-go, that'll once again put his ATK power higher than your Brionac's!" [ATK: 2600→4600]
Powerhold's shoulder-mounted cannon started crackling with electricity, the heat from the sparks thawing away the ice that Brionac's breath had coated it with. The cannon's interior began to glow with yellow light as Josiah's dragon desperately persisted with its attack, but to no avail.
"Now counterattack!" Danny said. "Blazing Battery Blitzkrieg!"
The light within Powerhold's firearm reached peak intensity before it fired a burst of energy that engulfed Brionac, eliciting an agonized roar as the heat of the blast melted its icy body. When the light finally faded, all that remained of the beast were thin wisps of vapor that quickly vanished with the wind. [Josiah - LP: 1500→200]
A quiet fell over the three spectators as they glanced from Josiah, who looked just as shocked as they were, to Danny, whose smirk was the broadest it had been thus far in the duel.
"Okay, for serious," Duncan said with a sharp exhale, "I'm not sure how much more of this duel I can watch without having an asthma attack."
As Marina and Violet passed a worried glance at him, Danny spread his arms out as he looked at Josiah. "How'd ya like that, huh?! Not so tough without a dragon on your field!"
Josiah scoffed. "So you think you've got this duel won 'cause you took down my dragon? That's cute.
"I move into my main phase two, and play my Card of Adversity!" he said, playing the last card in his hand. "With this spell, while I control no monsters and you have at least one special summoned monster, I get to draw two cards!"
He dealt his cards, looking at them for only a moment. "Now I'll reveal my second face-down card, Miracle's Wake!"
The trap flipped, and its image glimmered brightly as Danny recalled its effect during Josiah's duel with Mike:
"This card resurrects any monster of mine that was destroyed by battle this turn," Josiah explained, "so I'll call my Brionac back to the field!"
The card morphed into an orb of radiance, from which Josiah's dragon emerged with a vengeful roar. [LV: 6/ATK: 2300]
Danny knit his brow. "Lemme guess: you plan on using its effect again to bounce my Powerhold back to my hand?"
"Not quite," Josiah replied. "Giving you that card back would just give you another chance to spring it on me to defend yourself. I plan on destroying it outright.
"But first, I need to call on my Fishborg Launcher to help me out!" he said as a whirlpool took form on his field, within which floated an orange exosuit with mantis-like blades for arms and a rocket silo on its back. It was built around a glass orb housing some sort of aquatic creature with multiple legs. [LV: 1/ATK: 200]
Danny deadpanned. "So what, I start kicking your ass with machines, so you go and start using 'em yourself? What a rip."
It was Josiah's turn to smile. "Funny. I discarded this card for Brionac's effect during my last turn. And it has a handy ability that special summons itself back if all the other monsters in my graveyard are WATER-attribute. Only drawback is that it's banished next time it leaves the field.
"But on the bright side," he said, his smile broadening, "it's also a tuner monster!"
Panic flew through Danny's mind as the small mech turned into a single emerald ring, which Brionac flew through to become six stars like Strategist before it. "Synchro summon!" Josiah exclaimed as all was enveloped by white light, before a familiar dragon of comparable size emerged from behind him. "Let your roar be heard across the arctic tundra! Gungnir, Dragon of the Ice Barrier!" [LV: 7/ATK: 2500]
"Aw no, I recognize this one," Duncan said with a gulp. "That's the dragon Mike struggled against during their prom duel, isn't it?"
"Yeah, and if history is any indication," said Marina, her features falling, "Danny's about to face some serious trouble."
Josiah picked up one of his two remaining cards, saying, "now for my Gungnir's effect! At the cost of one card from my hand, he can destroy any card on the field! So go and take out his Powerhold with Frozen Wrath!"
At Josiah's command, the dragon swept up into the air before unleashing an even chillier wave over Danny's trap monster, encasing the automaton in ice before the dragon fired a pointed crystalline spiral from its jaw. It pierced through the monster, resulting in a combustive blast that blew the mech into pieces, forcing Danny and even the onlookers to raise their arms to shield themselves from the shockwaves.
As smoke billowed across Danny's field from where Powerhold had been standing, Violet, Marina and Duncan lowered their arms. They saw Josiah standing with his arms crossed, his expression stoic while his dragon growled from above. Though he'd managed to regain control over the duel again, considering how many tricks Danny had pulled out of his sleeve up to that point, he had a feeling that he still had one or two left in his arsenal.
Then—sure enough—he felt a tremor in the ground beneath him. Then another, this time reaching the feet of the three onlookers. A third one rumbled as the smoke started to settle around Danny, revealing a determined smile.
"Oh, you are IN for it now..." he said, bouncing on the balls of his feet as the ground shook one more time.
Then it happened: the first thing to burst from the dirt was a giant mechanical arm with a chainsaw-like attachment. It slammed itself into the ground, propelling the rest of its body upwards as it broke through the earth. At first, Josiah thought it was Danny's Machina Fortress by its similar blue and red colors. But as he absorbed its details, he realized it was more like an upgraded variant, standing on four sets of road wheels and tracks. Its torso protruded from the center, its head emerging from a set of crowning red arches, its other arm taking the form of a futuristic railgun.
"Allow me to introduce you to the most renowned authority figure in Duel Monsters' elite mechanical military!" Danny exclaimed, pointing up at his new monster. "Lay waste to all, Machina Citadel!" [LV: 10/ATK: 3000]
Josiah felt his throat tighten as he watched Citadel rear its head at him, seeing green lights for eyes flicker with imposing belligerence. "Where the hell did you call this thing out from?!"
"I'm glad you asked," Danny replied. "When an EARTH machine-type monster on my field gets destroyed while this card is in my graveyard, he can revive himself to take that monster's place!"
Josiah's eyes narrowed. "But when did you have the chance to—?"
He cut himself off as his memory flashed back to three turns prior: when Danny had activated Foolproof Fortress.
"In exchange for letting you have an extra draw, I get to discard a monster with a higher level than a Machina Fortress I control to have its ATK power doubled!"
Seeing the realization on Josiah's face, Danny brushed a finger under his nose. On the sidelines, the three spectators had their eyes glued to Danny's creature. "That thing will win Danny the duel if he can land an attack on Josiah's Gungnir next turn!" Duncan realized.
"No kidding," said Violet. "He really is making the best use out of all the new cards he got."
Though she shared their sentiments, Marina remained quiet as she looked to her boyfriend with a smile. No longer did she see the boy who had felt for so long like he stood in Mike's shadow. Nor the boy who, from the day they had started hanging out together, declared in no uncertain terms that he would become strong enough to earn his place in the Pro Circuit. Now, she saw a man who'd finally risen to stand on his own, with the ability to back up his confidence in any arena.
And she was proud of him.
Meanwhile, Josiah regained his composure as he said, "well Danny, you've officially exceeded every expectation I had for you. But while that thing may be powerful, it doesn't mean I'm out of this duel yet.
"I activate the equip spell, Veil of the Ice Barrier!" he said, playing the last card in his hand. "This card only equips to Ice Barrier monsters, granting them certain protections depending on their level! So since my Gungnir is a level 5 or higher monster, not only will it keep him from being destroyed in battle, it'll also prevent me from taking any damage from battles involving him!"
As he explained, a shimmering glow seemed to envelop Gungnir's form, so much so that the dragon became crystalline enough for Danny to make out his own reflection in the beast's scales.
"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me!" Duncan threw his arms up. "He even managed to make attacking Gungnir a wasted effort!"
"It's a perfect deadlock," Marina confirmed. "Danny's gonna need to find another way around that dragon, otherwise it'll destroy his Citadel and finish him off next turn."
Danny thrust out his chin as Josiah said, "with that, I think I'll finally end my turn. Your move, Danny."
"Then I draw!" he said as he pulled his card, looking at it before smiling. There was no stopping him now.
"All right, once again I'm gonna discard both my Scrap Recycler and Machina Fortress," he said as he tossed the two cards, "and with its effect, special summon Machina Fortress back from the graveyard!" [LV: 7/ATK: 2500]
Josiah raised an eyebrow. "You did hear me say that my Veil keeps my dragon from being destroyed in battle, right? You won't be able to send your Fortress on a suicide mission to destroy it."
"Hey, don't go putting words in my mouth now!" Danny retorted with a frown. "Although, you're not far off about how I plan to use my Fortress."
Josiah gave Danny a sideways look as he said, "See, I didn't just call out my Citadel 'cause he's a pretty face with great ATK power. And while he totally is, he also comes with this kick-ass effect!
"See, by destroying one other machine-type monster on my field, my Citadel can then destroy every monster on your field that has equal or less ATK points!" he explained. "And since Fortress has the same 2500 ATK your Gungnir does, that makes him just eligible to be blasted by my Citadel!"
Josiah's teeth clenched as he watched Citadel extend its railgun limb into the sky. Charges of energy pulsing through the slitted ordnance, alongside the mechanical whirring within Citadel, drowned nearly all other noise from everyone's ears. The energy eventually took the form of an orb within the two prongs, turning white from the contained heat.
"Go ahead and blast 'em, Machina Citadel!" Danny shouted over the tumultuous sound. "Equilibrium Discharge!"
At the command, the energy that Citadel had accumulated began sparking in all directions, causing the three onlookers to flinch. The first victim to be hit was Machina Fortress, its hull contorting violently as electricity coursed through it, before erupting with staggering force. The sparks reached Gungnir next, causing the dragon to roar profusely as its body writhed, its Veil incapable of offering any protection. It wasn't long before it met the same fate, shattering above Josiah with an impact that nearly brought him to his knees.
When the scattered electricity settled, Violet, Marina and Duncan looked up again with wide eyes to see the result Danny's onslaught had wrought.
"He managed to destroy Josiah's Gungnir," Violet said, nearly breathless. "I don't believe it."
"Yeah," Duncan said, equally derived from breath, "I think he might've finally secured the win with that move!"
The same thought crossed Marina's mind as well, before her eyes caught sight of the lone set cards on both of their fields.
Danny stood with a satisfied expression on his face, looking to Josiah as he pointed a finger to him. "So, are you ready to call this, Josiah?" he asked. "Now that I've wiped out your last monster?"
"Heh... not quite yet."
Danny's face fell as he watched Josiah raise his hand over his last set card, prompting it to flip as he said, "or, at the very least, I'm not calling it in your favor. I reveal my face-down card, Icy Crevasse!"
Before Danny could react, the ground beneath the treads of his Machina Citadel started to freeze over, before curving upwards on multiple sides to enclose the massive monster. Its head turned from side to side, processing the new conundrum it was in.
"When one of my monsters is destroyed by one of your effects," he explained, "this trap card sends one monster on your field to the graveyard, and then you take damage equal to its original ATK!"
Josiah's words washed over the field, holding everyone gathered in petrified silence as the icy walls around Citadel began to encroach. Frozen spikes emerged across each wall's surface, ready to penetrate the Machina's frame.
Danny watched on as his monster's destruction became imminent. All he had left to spin things around was that card.
He chuckled. "Guess I'm all outta options, then."
Josiah's eyebrows raised as Danny too raised his hand over the last set card on his field. "I told you before we started, Josiah," he reminded him, "that I'd be damned if I didn't break my ten-year-long losing streak with you today! Even if all I can do is take you down with me!
"I reveal my trap card, Destruction Ring!" he said, the card flipping upwards before a large black band flew out from it and hovered above his trapped Citadel, expanding as it spun downwards until it locked around the ice walls. Only now did all the others realize that at the ring's prong setting was, rather than a jewel, a cast-iron sphere with a lit fuse sticking from it.
"This card destroys any monster on my side of the field," Danny explained as he motioned to his Citadel, "before dealing both players a total of 1000 points of damage! And I'm sure you know what that means!"
Josiah stammered, but no words came. Violet, Marina, and Duncan's jaws had all hit the ground. As for Danny, he was the one to maintain his composure, closing his eyes as he uttered his final words:
"Game over, man."
The ring detonated, the bang so strong that no one could see as the ice wall shattered around Machina Citadel, who imploded with a force like a collapsing star. Sheer light overtook the field, flashing everyone's eyes only momentarily before they managed to look away. Josiah held his arms up to brace himself, while Violet, Marina and Duncan all cried out inaudibly over the boom of the explosion.
When the light finally died, the onlookers lifted their heads to see what had resulted through spotted vision: on one end of the barren field stood Josiah, staggered but still standing as he panted hard, trying to calm his body from the rush of adrenaline. On the other, Danny stood breathing heavily as well. His smile had persisted through the blast, satisfied with the conclusion he had managed to attain. [Danny - LP: 200→0] [Josiah - LP: 200→0]
- DUEL OVER -
[DRAW]
All Duncan could do was blink. "Did what I think just happened... really just happen?"
"You mean that Danny managed to end the duel in a draw?" Violet asked, her breathing shaky. "Yeah. I think he did."
Marina watched in silence as the two boys managed to catch their breaths, their duel disks deactivating before they started pacing towards each other, stopping only a few feet apart.
There was a brief silence between the two as their eyes met intensely, before Josiah said, "really, dude?" He was failing to sound serious. "Of all the movie quotes to go out on, you picked Aliens?"
Danny couldn't help breaking into a smirk as he shrugged. "Well in the moment, it was either that or 'cowabunga,' so..."
They continued their tense stare. More silence.
And then... laughter.
Danny clenched his gut while Josiah brushed a tear from his eye as they cracked up together. It was the first time the two of them had ever shared such a moment of mutual whimsy. To any outsider, it would have been impossible to tell that, only months before, the two had been bitter foes for as long as they could remember. But now, they laughed together like they were brothers-in-arms, having spent their lifetimes watching out for each other through hell and high water.
As their laughter wound back down, Josiah put his hands to his hips. "You know, credit where it's due, you've come a long way in ten years," he said. "I never thought I'd see the day you managed to match me, much less boil it down to a draw."
Danny crossed his arms. "Well I would've aimed for the win, obviously," he replied, "but then, you've never been a bad duelist yourself."
Josiah scratched at his chin, glancing away only for a moment. "Can I say something?" he asked. "Y'know, without it being too weird or anything?"
Danny raised an eyebrow, before holding his hands up. "Tell you what: if it is too weird, I'll chalk it up to the champagne, a'ight?"
Josiah put on a genuine smile. "I'm glad to call you my friend."
Danny blinked. Never, in all the years that they had known each other, would he have expected to hear such words from Josiah. Hell, maybe the champagne had gone to his head after all. But whether it had or not, the words made him nod and smile back.
"The feeling's mutual, man," he replied, feeling the last fragment of remaining bitterness between them fall away as their arms each extended, their hands grasping each other with a sense of newfound camaraderie.
Their hands returned to their sides as the others finally walked up to them. "All right, are you two done with your bromance moment now?" Marina asked, turning Danny's face red.
"Okay, first off: don't call it that," Danny said with a wince. "Second off, that was, like, a lifetime's worth of male emotion you just got to see. So don't go making fun of—"
Marina moved in to plant a kiss on his cheek, cutting his words off before he looked at her, dumbfounded. "What was that for?"
"Just proud of you," she replied with a wink.
As Josiah, Violet, and Duncan watched the moment unfold, he leaned in to whisper to them. "You can be honest. You were all rooting for him too, weren't you?"
Violet's smile told him all he needed to know, while Duncan stumbled over his words as he said, "ah, well, I mean... we weren't specifically rooting against you, anyway."
Josiah snorted as they turned back to Danny and Marina. "Still," Duncan continued, "I've never seen a duel end in a draw before, even online. If these are the kinds of awesome duels you guys have, I'd love to stick around to see more!"
This caused Danny to laugh uneasily. "Heh, yeah. Sure. Whatever." Then his eyes widened with panic.
"Crap! Marina, quick!" he said with a hurried glance at her. "What time is it?!"
Marina raised a confused eyebrow before producing her phone to check. "It's only quarter-past three."
"Oh, thank god," Danny said with a relieved sigh. "I was so caught up having fun with the duel, I could've sworn we were gonna be late getting back to your place."
"Relax, we've got more than enough time," she assured him, wrapping her arm around his neck. "But I do appreciate you learning your lesson after the last time you showed up late for dinner with my folks. You're lucky they offered to throw you a graduation dinner at all, you know."
A bead of sweat ran down the back of his head. "Right... not makin' that mistake again."
Josiah shook his head before turning on his heel, raising a hand to wave to the others. "Well, on that high note, I think I'll head back home myself," he said. "Got a good number of errands and chores I ought to get done anyway."
Danny rolled his eyes, yet maintained his smile. "The only real adult among our group, ladies and gents."
Josiah smiled back at him. "See you later."
With that, he began pacing towards the construction site's gates, slipping through them before the remaining four turned their attentions back on each other.
"I suppose I should get going myself," Duncan said, his hands fidgeting. "My family's throwing me a small party too, so don't wanna keep them waiting."
He then passed a careful glance at Violet. "Any chance you, uh... wanna join me, maybe?"
Violet shook her head. "No, sorry," she said with a raised hand. "My dad's actually gonna take me out for dinner when I get home. But thanks for the offer."
"Oh, yeah, no worries," he said, though he sounded somewhat dejected. "Then, maybe I'll see you again soon?"
Violet smiled at him. "Of course."
"Right, okay then," he said, stepping back towards the exit as well before waving at Danny and Marina. "Thanks for letting me hang out with you guys!"
Though Marina waved back to him, Danny couldn't muster the same enthusiasm, only raising a limp hand in farewell before looking warily at Violet, who smiled as she watched him go.
He took the last steps out the gate before Violet turned to the others. "I'm gonna get going too, so I'll catch you later, okay?"
"Actually, Violet?" Danny said, his expression turning dour as he motioned his head away. "You mind if I pull you aside for a sec?"
Violet's eyes widened. "Uh, yeah, sure," she said, walking away from them in the direction Danny had indicated.
Marina watched as she walked off, before looking to Danny again. "Is everything okay?" she asked.
"Yeah, don't worry about it," he replied, placing his hands on her shoulders. "I'll just be a few, all right?"
Marina hesitated a moment before nodding, and Danny's arms fell back to his side as she too strode towards the gate, while Danny approached Violet.
She crossed her arms as he stopped in front of her. "So, what's up?"
"I don't know," he said. "What's up with you?"
Violet's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, inviting that Duncan guy to join us today," Danny answered austerely. "What was the deal with that? We never bring just any outsiders into our group."
"I told you, he helped me get through rehearsal yesterday while I was having a rough time—"
"Whoa, back up," Danny interjected. "You didn't say anything earlier about having a rough time, you just said you were bored and alone."
Violet's eyes widened as she realized her discrepancy, leading Danny to bore his eyes further into her, trying to link pieces together in his mind. "Did... did something happen between you and Mike?"
"What? No!" she said, her face contorting as she realized this had turned into an interrogation. "No, Mike and I are fine."
"Really?" Danny pressed. "'Cause to me, it seems a bit suspect that the day after Mike leaves for his training, you're suddenly inviting some other guy to hang with us—!"
"Danny, stop." It was rare that Violet's tone turned sharp on someone. "I know what you're going to say. And no, I am not trying to cheat on Mike with Duncan."
He winced at that word as she continued, "I mean, listen to yourself! How could you even think I could be capable of that, after I've spent nearly my entire life pining after him?!"
Danny had to avert his eyes for a moment. He had known that this was going to be a difficult conversation to have, but knowledge didn't make it any easier.
It was his turn to cross his arms. "Do you even know the first thing about that guy?" he asked. "Anything at all?"
When he only received her hardened stare in response, he continued: "do you remember the day after we found out Mike disappeared, and the whole school knew about it too? Well, I never said anything about it, but I spent the next couple of months keeping creeps from trying to approach you 'cause I knew they wanted to capitalize on him being gone. But there was one guy who never approached you, but instead just kept watching you from across our classroom, and that was him."
Danny pointed towards the gate on that word, Violet's eyes following as she processed what he was telling her. "Okay, even if that's true," she said, "don't you think I would've told you if he'd tried to pull something by now?"
His head creaked. She had him there. And only now did he realize how his own hostility had created hers.
"All right, I'm sorry," he said, leveling his voice. "It's just, you're two of my best friends, and I'm just trying to make sure everything's okay, y'know?"
Violet's expression softened as well. "Look, I appreciate that," she said, "but I promise you, Duncan's a good guy. And there is nothing wrong between me and Mike, okay?"
Her tone sounded unconvincing to him. Maybe she was lying. Maybe she didn't see it.
Or maybe he'd pushed her too far.
Violet brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Look, I really have to get going," she said. "I'll talk to you soon, okay?"
"Yeah," Danny said, "guess I'll see you... later."
His voice trailed off when she bolted away from him towards the site gate halfway through his words. He watched with a frown as she rounded the gate, saying a short goodbye to Marina before heading in the direction of home.
Well, he thought with a sigh, that could've gone better.
- Two Years Ago -
"Not much farther now."
Mike wiped the sweat from his brow, resenting Aeron's statement. Just when he thought he'd finally acclimated to the heat of the desert, he found himself sweltering again as they trotted along.
They had departed from Frontier about half an hour before, the four of them each saddled on horseback. He'd only ridden a horse one other time, when one of the stablemen had offered to let him try it a month prior. The bad news had been that the horse had thrown him from its back. The good news had been that Mike was left sore enough to convince Aeron to let him skip training that day.
He had sat in paranoia waiting for this horse to throw him like the last, but thankfully it had been cooperative thus far. Aeron and Casey rode side-by-side ahead, while Liam's steed strode steadily beside his. As the minutes had passed, he had kept stealing glances at him, wanting to say something to get what he'd been contemplating for days off his chest.
"So," Mike finally said, gaining Liam's attention. "Must be weird for you, huh? Going back to the town you abandoned three months ago."
Liam pondered the query for a moment. "Not really," he replied, "considering I spent the last three years living there. Not like Frontier Haven's that different from it either."
Mike rolled his eyes. He hated how casually things seemed to roll off his back, like nothing ever got to him.
But maybe this would.
"Yeah, I guess that makes sense," he said. "Would probably be more awkward returning to your real home, wouldn't it?"
That did it. Liam passed a narrow-eyed glance at him. "What are you talking about?"
"Oh come on," Mike snapped back. "Don't play dumb with me."
Liam remained silent, but maintained his gaze on Mike, who continued: "when we first met, I knew I recognized your last name from somewhere. But it wasn't until we started dueling that I realized who you were: your family's the current bearer of the Cyber Style Legacy."
Liam's eyes turned hard as Mike spoke. Perhaps this was why he didn't stay in the same place around him for long. He had probably been trying to avoid having this discussion.
Mike heaved a sigh. "Look, you don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to," he said, "but you can't blame me for wondering how someone like you ended up all the way out here. I mean, didn't you used to live in a castle or something?"
A laugh escaped Liam's lips before he looked away. Mike kept his eyes on him, waiting to see whether he'd indulge his curiosity.
Finally, Liam said, "okay, fine; I suppose I might as well tell you. No secrets between comrades after all, right?"
His gaze shifted to the distance as his expression turned pensive. "First of all, no, I didn't live in a castle. I lived in a mansion."
Mike deadpanned. Liam grinned.
"All things considered, my childhood was a pretty happy one," he explained. "I had loving parents, good friends, and no burden of expectation hanging over my head about who I'd have to be in the future. I was allowed to be a kid... while I could."
Must've been nice. Mike held his tongue from saying it aloud as he watched Liam's expression fall.
"Of course, that all changed after I turned eight. Suddenly I was Liam Carson, forthcoming heir to the Cyber Style Legacy. And I was obligated to uphold that legacy when my time came for it. My life became nonstop training, every day, for as long as I was able. I was scarcely able to see my friends, and I started to feel like all my parents really cared about was my progress as a duelist... not that I ever came to hate dueling, I still loved it. But it didn't make committing all my time and energy to becoming this icon for them any easier."
Mike's stare softened as Liam continued: "it took a few years, but eventually I came around to thinking that, once I was older, it wouldn't be so bad. That I could live with representing my family legacy, while still getting to be myself outside of the limelight. But, as fate would have it..."
His tone turned notably darker as he held up his left arm, pulling his jacket sleeve up to look at his Mark. "I didn't even know what was happening 'til it was too late. One minute we were dueling, next minute my sensei's on the floor, blood pouring out from his shoulder after my last attack."
He fell silent for a time, and Mike could almost see the memory playing in his mind's eye. "I didn't know it was this thing's fault then, but it didn't take long for both him and my family to jump to the conclusion that I was dangerous," he said. "But my parents, being the practical people they were, just told me to 'get a grip' on it, 'cause they couldn't stand having a freak for a son. Bad for the rep and all that."
He rolled his sleeve back down as he looked back at Mike. "You know what it's like to become a prisoner in your own home?" he asked. "Not even being allowed to have friends anymore? To be looked at by your own parents like you're some kind of monster?"
"Believe it or not," Mike said, the bitter memories of his early days in the orphanage squeezing his insides, "I know more about that than you might think."
Liam's eyebrows rose as he met Mike's eyes. Even if there were differing circumstances between their experiences, he seemed able to tell that there was truth in his words. "Then you know how lonesome it is," he said, "how badly the isolation screws with your head. Makes you question whether everything up to that point's been worth anything after all."
Mike nodded, before realizing just how odd this conversation had turned for him. Much as it was cathartic relating with Liam, it was simultaneously bizarre for him given how he could barely tolerate his pompousness twenty-four hours earlier.
Liam crooked his neck. "After I turned sixteen, I decided enough was enough. I conspired with my butler, convinced him to get me the hell out of there, and he drove me across state lines. I wanted him to leave me somewhere no one would think to look for me, so I had him drop me at the edge of the desert."
Mike gave him a sideways look. "Why there?"
Liam held up his left arm again, implying at what was hidden beneath it. "Samael's not the only one who knows that trick, y'know," he said. "Keir used to draw plenty of people out by their Marks too."
That put Mike's mind into unease. It didn't comfort him knowing that Samael shared more moral ambiguities with Keir than he'd thought.
"Anyway, bottom line is," Liam said, brushing a gentle hand down the neck of his steed. "I'm out here because I was sick of being controlled. I convinced Keir to make me his last-resort measure not because I could be, but so I could be free. And three years later, not only have I managed to gain control over my Mark's power, but I finally feel like I've found myself again."
Mike managed a small smirk. "Sounds like the best feeling in the world."
Liam smirked back, before glancing forward as something came up in his periphery. "Looks like we've arrived."
The four of them came to a stop as the dark silhouette of Saddleburry came into view. The beating desert sun refracted the town's image to their eyes, adding to the ominous ambience that already came with its profile.
Liam glanced back at Mike. "You ready for what comes next?"
Mike's eyes narrowed. He felt his stomach turning, as though trying to warn him that something foul was afoot, but he suppressed it. After all, these were only supposed to be peace talks.
"Let's get it over with," he said, pulsing his legs to urge the horse forward as he watched the distorted image of the town flicker.
- Present Day -
Mike watched as the flames in the pit danced in circles.
He sat on one of the stubs outside the cabin, a once-bitten piece of overcooked venison in his hands, courtesy of Ciro. He had awoken to his instructor shaking his shoulder nearly ten hours later, only then realizing that he'd passed out after completing what he remembered to be a good majority of the puzzles on the machine. From there, Ciro had told him that there was a hot meal waiting for him outside.
At least it beat surviving on the instant ramen or chips from Ciro's grocery bag. He supposed it made sense that a man living in the wild would prefer to hunt and cook his own food. Although Ciro's culinary skills left something to be desired, he couldn't bring himself to complain.
He hesitantly took another bite, feeling the meat crunch between his teeth as Ciro exited the cabin. He held the laptop Mike had been using in his hands, his eyes glued to the screen as he rounded the pit towards the stub beside Mike's.
"Three hundred and seventy-two puzzles completed in roughly nine hours," he said, seating himself with a glance at Mike. "All of which you got correct on the first try."
Mike would have responded, but he was still struggling to chew through the meat.
"Not even some of the best pros I've known over the years could've gotten through so many in that amount of time," he continued, "much less with that level of accuracy."
Mike finally managed to swallow. "In fairness to them," he said, nearly choking as he felt it go down, "I took my time figuring out each one."
Ciro let out a hearty laugh, the flickering flames casting half his face in a warm orange hue while the other was left in shadow. "Well, at any rate, it's become pretty apparent which part of you is doing the holding, kid."
Confusion briefly flashed across Mike's face before he remembered Ciro's words earlier that morning. "So which part is that, then?"
Rather than answer, Ciro closed the laptop before gently placing it beside him, replacing it with one of the sticks on the ground so he could stoke the fire. "If you don't mind me answering your question with another question," he said, not looking at Mike, "what made you decide you wanted to enter the Circuit in the first place?"
Mike's expression darkened as he limply held the piece of venison by his knees, the image of Liam condescendingly looking down upon him the night they had met again flashing across his mind's eye.
"There's someone in it I have to meet on the duel field again," he replied. "Someone I'm looking to get stronger than so I can beat him. He's my goal."
"I see," said Ciro with a curious glance. "And why is it so important to you that you beat this someone?"
"To fulfill a promise," said Mike, dropping the unfinished meat on the ground as his hands clasped together. "And... to make sure I'm strong enough to protect the ones I love."
Ciro eyed Mike carefully at this answer, before prodding some more at the embers in the fire. "You make it sound like you run with some rough crowds, kid."
"I mean, I used to," Mike confirmed, his clasped hands starting to tremble. "And yet, no matter how far I run from them, they somehow keep managing to find me again."
Ciro nodded as he contemplated Mike's words, before letting out a knowing sniff. "Well, I hope you don't mind my asking," he said, putting the stick back down again. "I didn't mean to pry too far into your personal life."
Mike shook his head. "Someone once said to me that there's no secrets between comrades."
Ciro chuckled. "No, there isn't," he echoed as he stood up again, keeping his gaze on Mike. "Especially when said comrades are trying to help you reach that level of strength you're aiming for."
He placed a firm hand on Mike's shoulder, causing his trembling to cease as he looked back up at his mentor. "I suggest you eat up a little more and then get your rest," he said with an odd look in his eyes. "You're going to need as much of it as you can get for the next stage of your training tomorrow."
Mike felt his hand slip from his shoulder as he walked off again, this time towards the edge of the clearing so that he stood in the darkness of the night, beyond the light of the fire. He had considered inquiring about what exactly he was in for the following day, but he quickly shut that idea down. Ciro had made it abundantly clear to him by now that he preferred to keep the meanings behind his methods a secret, so there was no point.
He looked down at the charred venison that had slipped his grip. Despite Ciro's suggestion, he figured he'd had enough to eat. He stood and entered the cabin, lit only by a single lantern stationed on the center table. He slid his jacket off and threw it onto his duffel bag, before rolling onto his bed and pulling the covers over himself.
Tomorrow started day two of his training. And the sooner he found his way to sleep, the sooner that day would be upon him.
ED2: "Leave Out All The Rest" by Linkin Park
Author's Notes
An update within the next month? Hot damn, it really is a miracle, considering everything else I've been doing.
What's that, you ask? Well, Master Of Anime224 and I have started up a joint account on Wattpad under The_RealityVerse for all our shared-universe stories. I've so far debuted the remasters of chapters 1-5 for "Mark of Death" exclusively on there, so please feel encouraged to check them out! Votes and comments would be greatly appreciated to help us expand our following!
As for today's chapter, we got the epic conclusion to Danny vs Josiah, the tiniest bit of Violet drama, a little Liam exposition in the flashback, and Ciro giving the idea that Mike better be ready for his training to take an intense turn. Gotta say I also loved the evolution of my technical writing with this one, gotta give a big up to MoA for pushing that forward for me during our beta seshes (even tho I'm as difficult as an old goat set in his ways, sorry dude). And yes, I threw Machina Colonel in Danny's deck as soon as it was announced. I couldn't help myself.
*UPDATE* As the official English name has been confirmed to be Machina CITADEL instead of COLONEL, I've updated the card's name throughout the chapter. (I hate you Konami.)
Lastly, here's today's CQ: Who would be in favor of merging ALL the Yu-Gi-Oh! series' under one category here on FF.N, with the option to filter by series? I believe it would not only benefit OC-centric authors like us not being confined to specific series, but it would bring the ENTIRE YGO FF hub together and grant more exposure for other great authors who are being missed. I myself have spoken with the FF.N support team contemplating the suggestion, no joke. So if you like the idea, email them yourself! Scroll to the bottom of any page on FF.N, click 'Help,' and email the address given to you there. I'm living proof that the people running FF.N are listening. Seriously. Ask for Zack.
Okay, that's about it for me. Next up is number 20, hoo boy... gonna have to make that as epic as I can. And seriously, please remember to wear a mask and wash your damn hands. Do that, and you'll stay awesome.
Original Cards
Veil of the Ice Barrier [Equip Spell]
Equip only to an "Ice Barrier" monster, and apply the following effect depending on that monster's level:
- Level 4 and lower: (TBD)
- Level 5 and higher: That monster cannot be destroyed by battle, and you take no battle damage from battles involving it.
REVISED ON: 7/15/2020
