Disclaimer: Yugi-Oh GX does not belong to me nor its characters or rights over the story.
Warn: This story may have heavy and uncomfortable themes/situations like use of drugs, violence, suicide, abuse, sexual harassment, intimate relations, rape, depression, trauma and bad language. If you do not like such, Do not read this.
presea221: Thanks for the review! Actually the man following them and taking the pictures is not Tonomiya. We will hear more of all that stalking in other chapters, but Tonomiya is a very dangerous person, he'd go very far and have this twisted sense of revenge. Shou is very cute since he was a kid! Ryo noticed something is wrong, we will see how that will go in this chapter.
The chapter became longer again because of the duel in it, I hope you can enjoy it, it's a bit harsh as Ryo is finally having to face some ghosts, but this fic is supposed to be from the hurt/comfort genre. I fixed some things in the chapter, was in a hurry and ended up messing it.
Okay, 1 am and the person who was writing the duels told me there was a mistake with the use of Call of the haunted, I fixed it and I sure hope this is the last time I need to fix this chapter. (But tell me if you can see something else wrong in the duel).
Oxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxo
Chapter 21: Victory
A branch crackles under someone's feet. Rie's attentive eyes look around, but she can see no one else. This is the second time she has the sensation she is followed. With a raised brow and confusion, she makes her way through the main path to the academy.
The forest brings her memories, she relives them as if they are still happening, when she tried to stop Ryo from going to the abandoned dorms; when they walked that same path to go to the cliff; when he reached out to her in search of clues for Fubuki, and the many times they talked while going to that cliff. Those recollections fill her heart with an indescribable warmth, she saves that sensation forever in her chest.
Far behind, Tonomiya's steps halt upon seeing the Hell Kaiser appearing on his way, a haughty attitude and an icy, piercing glare. As if he tries to foil his attempts to follow Rie.
"Hell Kaiser Ryo…! You again..." he says between his teeth. "I take it you came for the tournament? I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm no duelist, you can't face me."
Squinting his eyes harder, Ryo steps onwards menacingly, his fists closing. The other man flinches and sweats nervously, is he really about to start a fight? Knowing his sadistic reputation, and after what he has seen him do in the underground, it isn't hard to feel threatened.
"A-are you intervening because of Kinomoto again? I've done my homework on you both now. I got my hands on some useful documents… To think that Kinomoto was pretending her surname came from her deceased mother when she inherited it from her father, owner of the great Kinomoto conglomerate, just to hide her roots. No wonder our boss hired her almost on the spot, he was probably bribed or something to accept the daughter of a millionaire conglomerate, it's truly amazing the power that family holds!"
Kaiser stops upon hearing the words, a very subtle tone of surprise makes his eyes twitch once as he listens to the cunning man.
"I've searched a lot about her and you after that night… You were the perfect student and she was the troubled girl with traumas, huh? What a pair! I wondered why the Hell Kaiser would go so far as to directly put his hands into a matter that did not concern him in that underground duel, but a bit of digging and it turns out you both were close during school." he laughs in derision. "I found out through an acquaintance of mine some files that, wow, four boys attacking at once, that must've been a lustful night. But to think you'd come all the way here to stop me… Never forgot your first love or what? Simping for a girl in school? It seems you happened to be the only witness to her attempted suicide and even saved her from death, I heard, though, I feel there is more to it than that, is she your girlfriend? Lover? Or just a fucking hole to quench your urges? I must say I wanted to try a piece of her myself, she is really damn hot."
His inexpressive bluish eyes become more opaque and hazy as the man keeps on the tone of scorn with an irritated undertone, openly provoking him.
"Oh, sorry. I forgot that she attempted suicide only 'cause she was fucked up by some boy in school and felt depressed, that's when the said honor student befriended a girl that needed help, very honorable and heroic of you."
He smirks treacherously, trying to spur a reaction on the other man, fishing for the slightest change in his expression with the worst possible words, giving emphasis to certain parts.
"It must have been very easy, a girl in her prime years, so pretty and having gone through such terrible misfortunes… And then, a hero appears, the honor student that just wants to help! You really know how to get girls, going for the moment they'd need company the most!" He claps his hands loudly in derision "Did you comfort her in school too? Did she do you favors back then to earn your attention? Or did you two start banging each other after you graduated? Well, it doesn't matter… I take my hat off to you… Not only she cannot give you a good moan in bed, but It also must feel terrible to know that even if you're screwing her now, you were not the first one, huh? I wouldn't want to feel like that."
Ryo's face doesn't display any sort of offense or even emotion, his feet start walking in the direction of the man again, his aura much more dark and menacing than before. His hand looms over his enemy.
"Wha-What are you doing?!"
The man quickly grabs a taser from his pocket, to defend himself, he directly hits Ryo's chest, the electric current fully hits him, his head bends down and his body quivers. A victorious smile appears on his lips for a second, just to disappear in the following.
No sound comes from Ryo, he raises his head high, not a single hint of pain in his expression, instead, his eyes sharpen harshly. He grabs the hand holding the weapon. Something clicks on Tonomiya's head as he lets the object slide off to the ground.
"Don't tell me… The underground duels... This guy..." he trembles in fear, his taser is ineffective.
"You think this is enough pain to take me down? How much agony do you think my body has handled because of my dueling? You cannot win with so little effort."
He pulls Tonomiya's arm aggressively, bending it backwards in an obtuse angle. A groan of pain comes out of his mouth. A bitter smirk playing on his lips, he feels relish in seeing someone like him suffer. This is how ruthless he became after his tour through the hell of the underground. A warranted treatment after speaking so foul of Rie and prying into their past like a vulture.
Rummaging quickly and roughly through the man's pockets, he takes a cellphone out and flips it open to check the messages, skimming through it, a conceited grin playing on his lips while the other man struggles in pain from the force he applies.
"Let me...! Let m...! Uargh..." he feels his arm bent even more "It will break! It will break!"
"I see… So that is what you were after… What a pathetic man… Depending on others for your plans..."
His eyes twitch discreetly as he looks at a picture annex on the message sent on Tonomiya's phone, his lips curving down, it was the photo of an obelisk student. It wasn't hard to guess who that person was, one of the ones who were involved in Rie's case and probably…
"Let me go…! I will ruin you! I will ruin your career… I will ruin you both! I will expose all your dirty secrets!" Tonomiya interrupts him.
"Is that so…?"
He stops ranting when he is released from the Kaiser's grip, surprised, he stumbles a step forward and turns back, but before he can fully see his opponent, a punch hits him straight in the face, taking him down.
"Go ahead. Tell everyone about the underground duels, who I'm fucking, Rie's past, anything you wish. We will see the results." His gaze is haughty, as if staring at an inferior animal below his eyes level.
Tonomiya rolls on the ground, holding his bleeding dislocated nose, in pain. With his squeezing eyes, he can see the other approaching, he quickly sits and crawls back with one hand, while the other still attempts to stop the blood from coming out. Ryo nonchalantly types a message on the man's phone and sends it, with a satisfied smirk.
"This will do."
"What are you…?"
Without any ceremony, he kicks the man, a moan of pain roars, the strike might leave a bruise. Dropping the phone on the ground, Ryo stomps it and crushes it under his feet, his expression hardening with disdain at the crackling sound of the pieces rupturing.
"What do you intend to do?! Did the shocks in the underground duels toast your brain?!"
That moment, Ryo's menacing and soundly footsteps draw closer, as if all the hits were not enough, he kneels down, taking Tonomiya's arm again and pulling it back, in a move full of strength, he bends it in such an uncanny angle until the shoulder is misplaced and the arm breaks.
The sound of his bones going out of place and fissuring is muffled by the yell of pain echoing in the air, scaring a flock of birds away, no sign of remorse from his aggressor.
"Argh! Shit! Bastard! You fucking bastard!"
Tonomiya holds his newly dislocated and broken arm, laying on his back and rolling frantically from one side of his back to another, to distract himself from the pain. His squinted eyes are cast to the Hell Kaiser that looks at him from above. Has he ever seen such contempt and indifference in someone's eyes? This man is on a whole new level, he is no empty threat.
"I am elated hearing that from you." his irony is acidic.
"You're crazy, Hell Kaiser! You're fucking crazy! Why are you doing this?!"
"You want to know why?" he asks, his tone is placid, he couldn't care less about the suffering of the other "Tonomiya, is it?" he looks at the man below, his shadow hovering over the figure of the other. "The sound you just heard was that of your own bones breaking. Have you ever heard that sound before? I bet you haven't."
"What…?" he tries to breathe, but the air is stuck in his throat together with the words, he sweats profusely trying to make sense of the words he listens to "What are you talking about?"
The journalist tries to grab the taser, his hand is stomped before his fingers grasp it, Ryo crushes his hand against the ground under his sole, a groan of pain echoing in the air.
"I have heard it." he continues, ignoring the grunts and cursing of the man "I've heard that sound countless times… The sound of a person breaking apart, her insides were all in shambles, I could hear it crackling every day, more and more, until there was nothing left in her… For weeks and weeks, months and months, an excruciatingly frustrating experience... It eats you from the inside out, doesn't it? It's tortuous and painful… A really hard sight that one can't stand…" his bangs cast a shadow over his eyes, the man's orbs trembling in fear looking at him. "That sound, I hate it... I hate it more than anything else."
The last sentence comes off in a rueful and dry whisper, his brows curling in a saddened manner.
"I'm tired of hearing that sound. I'm weary of standing in front of it, paralyzed, doing nothing as everything crumbles apart… That powerlessness drove me mad… But I am different now…" his grin is so vicious that Tonomiya wonders who is the true villain there "That woman you tried to hurt, she is the person I love the most, but you should already know that because you were prying into our lives…"
"Ugh… You can't be serious… You can't be… Because of something idiotic and arbitrary like that? You're fucking sick!"
"Sick? No, I'm just tired of losing." he recoils his foot "I warned you in the underground, didn't I? I told you that if you dare raise your sly hands to touch a strand of her hair, you'd see where those hands would end… You messed with the wrong person, Tonomiya." he shakes his head off, in a wicked mockery "A piece of junk like you... Never learning your lesson... With those despicable hands of yours, you wanted to make me hear that sound again." his grin disappears "Too bad I won't let you… I won't let you break anything else, this time, I will be the one breaking things here."
"They didn't lie about you, Hell Kaiser! You're a crazy bastard!"
He shudders after listening to what looked like an maddened monologue, shouting in anger as the Kaiser approaches again. Those words have no effect or meaning to the ears of his enemy.
"Don't worry, no one will come to save you, no one will listen to you, even if you disappear here, you'd just be someone else missing in their yard… And just like you are now hopeless, Rie also felt like that… Isn't this a fitting end for you…? Somewhere cast to the side, forgotten, a taste of your own poison..."
"End…?" he freezes and gulps "N-no! You be serious! You can't- Uaaghg!"
Ryo mercilessly steps on his broken arm, with a clear expression of "stop running your damn mouth", Tonomiya cringes in pain.
"Too much for you, wuss? There are pains way worse than this, that will not heal, did you know? Unlike your broken bones… Some things will be forever in people's hearts. You dared to sell Rie in the underground, put her against me, and as if it's not enough you're trying to do something even worse, you call me sick, but the only sick person I see here is you who'd go to such lengths just to hurt a woman. Don't you think you'll come out of it unscathed after attempting to hurt her, not with me here."
"What… do you… want… from me…?!" His sentence comes cut off in parts from the amount of effort he puts into making coherent syllables while avoiding screaming even louder.
"Finally figured out why I left one of your arms alone? What a smart man you are." His low chuckle accentuates the fear in Tonomiya's expression "Well, I have a task for you. Since you like to investigate and pry on other people's life so much… How about you ask that friend of yours to take the data on those students who harmed Rie Kinomoto, their crimes included, and send it to the principal's office? I would appreciate that."
Ryo takes the taser from the ground, holding it in one of his hands and standing up straight, his dim glare still haunting the man. He clicks on the weapon, electric sparks spurting from it, a shriek comes from the other man as he crawls back with his only healthy arm, frightened.
"You will do that for me, won't you? If by the time I leave this island, those students have not been taken into custody yet, I will pay you a visit and get the data myself. Who knows, maybe the next time you wake up you'll be the one auctioned in an underground duel. Are we clear?"
"What… I can't… No, this is..." he shakes his head profusely in denial.
Before Tonomiya can react, he feels an overwhelmingly painful amount of electricity spread through his body, giving him a short taste of his own wickedness. The man wriggles in pain, only regaining control of his own muscles after a few seconds. Did he really use that taser against him?
"I will do it! I will do it! Forget I exist! I will not bother you anymore! I'll leave her alone too! Just stop! Just… stop… Please…!"
"Is it you the person who has been stalking me around?" his eyes squint in distrust.
"N-no! I wasn't…"
"Don't lie to me. Someone has been following me and I don't like it. If it's another of your schemes, I'll make you pay for it."
"N-no! It's not me, I swear!" his shouts are pure panic "I just contacted some people to get information on her, I didn't follow anyone besides her now! I swear! I only see her at the workplace, I didn't do any stalking before today! I didn't do it! All the info I got was from contacts!"
Ryo takes a moment to reflect upon those words, if the man was lying to him, he was being very convincing, plus he doubts he'd try something again after this beating he just got, but then who is the presence he keeps feeling when he is outside, sometimes even when he is with Rie?
There is no point trying to find it out now, he will have time to dwell on it later since he scheduled an "appointment". With a guileful smile, he blurts out his farewell words to the man:
"Ah, by the way, thank you for finding those students for me. I ought to have a talk with them, for a long, long time."
"He has gone mad! That guy is a lunatic!"
Tonomiya tries to recover his breath, watching in pure terror as the Hell Kaiser disappears into the woods. He should never have provoked him. But which sort of message did he type on the phone? And to who?
At the academy building,
Rie greets the principal that welcomes her with a warm smile. To see one of his students coming back to announce news about his tournament was an honor. She has a few questions for him written in a paper she handles.
"Rie-kun, I am elated to see you back here. As a former student of this academy, I am proud to see you doing well in your job."
"I am glad to see you again too, principal Samejima."
Her eyes gleam with life when she smiles, a hint of relief comes to his face. After all the troubles she had there, to think that even after she came back she could be genuinely happy like this, he is fulfilled to see she overcame her past and leads a healthy life now.
"Rie-kun… I am sorry for asking this, but have you been in contact with Ryo?"
She is astounded at the question, but nods with a lower gaze and a conflicted expression. He berates himself mentally for his lack of tactness, perhaps it's better if he doesn't mention Ryo in front of her considering his latest developments.
"I see… I apologize for asking such a delicate question. I should not inquire of you more." he smiles gently. "Tell me more about your work."
"Principal, I also saw many students in white uniforms..."
"About this, I will need to ask you to refrain from getting close to them, they might be dangerous..." his semblance has a serious tone "I will tell you, but be careful while you are on the island..."
"Also, regarding Ryo… I did see him recently..." her brows furrow up, Samejima leans back on his seat, perplexed.
"I understand, let me explain the situation in our school first and I will listen to your story as well." he smiles friendly.
At the same time,
A group of four obelisk students move through the forest, they see the coast in between the last trees blocking the way.
"Are you sure this is the place?" one of the boys raises a brow.
"Yeah, I'm sure." He displays the message on his student PDA "It says to meet him at the cliff and he will have a surprise."
"Which kind of surprise? I don't like that guy."
"We don't have an option, he blackmailed us to do it or he will denounce us and he said he can prove it. About what we did that night, almost 2 years ago..."
"You don't mean… How did he even find it out?" he grumbles "I hope you idiots didn't open those shitty mouths."
"We didn't, Takuma! He is an investigative journalist or something, I just don't get why investigate us… And he didn't even show his face, just kept sending texts."
"Well, it's a bit strange his request is to fuck up the same girl, and he was specific about all of us having a round too. He must really hate the bitch."
"I don't care, as long as we're clean, this is not a bad job. She had a good pair of melons and I remember I have unfinished business with her."
They laugh among each other, one of them breaks the mood, pointing at the edge of the cliff. It's a man clad in black, staring at the ocean.
"Look, there is really someone there!"
"Is this our contact?"
Their step out of the forest, the sound of the bushes attracts his attention, he turns around, revealing himself to be none other than the Hell Kaiser Ryo. The boys gulp in surprise, of all the people they could meet here, they didn't expect him to be there and the one making such a request.
He has folded arms and a deceitful smirk plays on his lips as his gaze lands on them, looking at the face of each, as if profiling them with his eyes.
"So you are the trash."
"T-Trash? What are you talking about?" he sweats nervously, intimidated by the glare of the professional duelist.
"This is the Hell Kaiser, right? Wasn't he back to the major league? Why is he here? I thought our contact was a journalist!"
"I don't get it… Did that guy set us up? I figured something was off about it, but still… Was it not a journalist, but him all along?!"
"You call us trash, but aren't you also a trash, making such a demand you're really one very hypocritical one, Hell Kaiser, asking someone to fuck a girl hard."
"I don't have time for your rambling, I called you all here for a duel. After all, garbage like you should be cleaned properly."
"Duel…?"
They all exchange a glance as if he's gone crazy. He is a famous pro duelist and expects them to duel right there? They hear a muffled laugh coming from him, it creeps them out as he glares, his blood burning from inside, they can feel his intensity and they don't like it.
"Who was it? Which one of you raped that girl over one year ago? I will give you a chance to step up and confess your crime."
"Y-You want to know so much? Why don't you find it out by yourself?" one of them provokes in a cocky tone.
"Yeah, get lost, loser! We're not forced to accept your duel, we dueled today already! The rules are clear, we can refuse your challenge!"
He laughs even more, his chest shakes with the movement, they sweat aplenty in wariness, they weren't joking, why was he reacting like this?
"Oh, that was not an invitation. You will have to duel me, wanting or not. I'm not giving you a choice and you're not leaving until I'm satisfied. I know you all did it and I have proof of what you did and you'll be punished if you don't duel me now."
"Hah, your threats don't scare me, sucker!"
They are all confused until they see an object flying towards them. As soon as it touches one of them, he is electrocuted by a powerful surge of energy. Trembling upon the shock, he falls down to the ground, and the other three boys try to tend to him as he almost vomits.
"What are you thinking, have you gone nuts?!" one of them protests, recoiling a step.
"This is just the Hell Kaiser duel, you cannot escape until you win or lose. If you try to run, I will just use a higher voltage until you're down. Try it if you want. The documents saying your deed will be sent and you'll have a nice time in prison too."
His eyes squint with an insane glint to them, they feel shivers running down their spine and he scoffs, a wicked smirk polluting his lips:
"I gave you the chance to tell me which of you was it, since you've wasted it, now I just have to duel all of you to find out, right?"
They tremble in fear, the man in front of them towers in front like a cold, indestructible fortress. Even if they duel, can they really win him? They could tell with certainty by his expression that he is having fun torturing them.
"Of course, I will give you this if you win..." he shows his Genex medal "And leave you alone along with your past of crimes, but this duel will be under my conditions…"
His dim, dark and sadistic expression makes the boys gulp feeling the pressure of the older duelist. He points at one of the boys in a demanding tone.
"Very well, I will start with you."
The one he chooses is the same he just electrocuted before, they again feel like they're playing on the palm of his hands. But why?
"Ta-Takuma..." one of them blurts out nervously.
"It's fine, you wanna a piece of me? I will duel you, punk!"
"He sent that electric thing towards Takuma before and he even chose him to duel… But there is no way he could know who it was, right? Even so… How did he…? How did he know he was the one who...? Was he listening to our talk before…? No, it can't be…"
Another of the boys ponders, feeling an eerie sensation creep under his skin. He is sure the Kaiser used to be a good student and an example among students, even back then, but who the heck is this person he sees now? How could he be so obnoxious?
"Let's have a ride through hell."
He opens his suitcase showing the electrodes he imposes as a condition to the duel. It's about time he tests his Cyberdark anyways, even though he finds those opponents not worth even a duel. His friends set up the electrodes in place, a drop of sweat rolling on their faces as they exchange a glance, stepping aside.
"Duel! I'll start!"
Takuma declares bluntly, as if defying the Hell Kaiser that just answers with a muffled and raspy chuckle, looking at his own cards while waiting for his opponent. Takuma draws Mystery Shell Dragon.
"If I remember correctly, your Cyber Dragons were effect monsters. You won't get away here, you're not the Kaiser of the school anymore! I activate the spell Heat Wave! The effect of this card dictates neither of us can special summon effect monsters until my next draw phase! You won't be able to summon any of your Cyber Dragons now! I know they're mostly effect monsters!"
Ryo's expression is blank, he is neither taunted or even altered in the slightest with the enemy's provocations, his indifference irks his opponent more.
"I play Mystery Shell Dragon (ATK 2000 / DEF 0) in attack position! Heh, I doubt you can summon something stronger than it thanks to Heat Wave, you'll regret having underestimated me! I set a card and end my turn!"
"I draw!" he ignores the provocation, using his drawn card immediately "I activate Future Fusion! During my next standby phase after I activate this card, I'll show you a fusion monster I intend to summon and send monsters listed as fusion materials of my deck to the graveyard and during my second standby phase, I will be able to summon a monster with the same name of the one I show to you."
Takuma wanted to speak his mind and insult Ryo, but he prevents himself from doing so as tension grows inside him.
"He just told me what he will do… This guy, is he seriously underestimating me or why did he explain this all now?! He is literally telling me in a few turns, he will summon a fusion monster to end me."
"I summon a monster face-down and I will set a card, my turn is finished." his mouth is closed shut in a line, an unreadable stare at his opponent.
"Heh, you're chickening out already? So much about being the Hell Kaiser." his attempt to annoy his opponent fails, Ryo's unfazed expression just makes him grit his teeth "My turn! Draw!"
He draws yet another Mystery Shell Dragon, a victorious smirk forming on his face, he doesn't know what the other one is up to, but he will try to end this battle quickly.
"I activate my trap card, Swamp Mirrorer! I can declare a type and attribute of the monster of my choice and summon this card as a normal monster level 4 with ATK 1800 /DEF 1000! I choose a Dark Wyrm monster! Come forth!"
Wyrm ATK 1800/ DEF1000
Ryo scoffs at the sight, purposefully looking down on his enemy, Takuma grinds his teeth again, continuing his turn more aggressively:
"Laugh as much as you want, bastard! This will end in this turn! No wonder a guy like you lost so many times in the pro league, with this performance you can't even defeat an obelisk student! Thanks to Swamp Mirrorer, I still can do a normal summon, and I summon another Mystery Shell Dragon! Let's finish this! Mystery Shell Dragon, attack his face-down monster!"
His eyes twitch after seeing Ryo's smirk is still there, when the attack happens, the card to be face down is revealed to be Exploder Dragon, they observers all gulp. Mystery Shell Dragon is destroyed along with the Exploder Dragon, Takuma snarls:
"What the hell?!"
LP: Ryo- 4000 Takuma - 4000
"Oh, you don't know something this basic? Exploder Dragon is an effect monster, when it's destroyed in battle it destroys the monster that killed it too and neither of us takes battle damage." he folds his arms, a muffled chuckle as he awaits the next move. "So, are you still intending to finish me this turn?"
The watchers' tense up their shoulders, he summoned the monster face-down because of the effect of Heat Wave forcing him to do so, but it didn't matter for the end result that he will survive this turn now. Still, is he really gonna stand up after the shocks?
"It's just a delay to the inevitable! I hope you're prepared for the pain! Mystery Shell Dragon (ATK 2000/DEF 0), attack him directly!"
LP: Ryo- 4000 - 2000
The surge of electricity runs through his body at the impact on the life points, his muscles shudder, his feet skidding a bit to the side , a low, almost imperceptible grunt coming from him, he raises his face, a wry smirk as he stares down at his opponent.
"Is that all?" his taunt makes Takuma's expression distort from anger
"Wyrm (ATK 1800/ DEF 1000), attack him directly!"
LP: Ryo- 2000 - 200
The next shock brings his life points down very low, another imperceptible groan of pain as he laughs at that while the current spreads through his body, the spectators are grossed out by the sight, wondering if he had gone nuts with the amount of electricity running on his brain, unaware he was numbed by it more than enough times to not care anymore.
"I am not done yet, Hell Kaiser! You're the only one having a ride in hell here! I activate Heavenly Dragon Circle! With this card I can tribute a wyrm type monster and if the monster I tribute is a non-effect monster, I can immediately summon the card I get, but its effects will be negated! I choose to get and summon Phantasm Spiral Dragon (ATK 2900/ DEF 2900) in attack mode Do you know what that means?! You'll be done this turn!" he yells clenching his fist as if grasping victory in it already "And you wanted to know who fucked that girls long ago?! I will be nice and tell you, I did it and it was such a terrible fuck! I may need to do it again to make up for last time!"
He laughs, Ryo's smirk vanishes, his eyes narrowing slightly, did he finally get into his nerves? If he knew he'd have mentioned it sooner.
"It's over for you! My Phantasm Spiral Dragon, attack him directly!"
"Not so soon, I activate Oasis of Dragon Souls to bring back my Exploder Dragon face-up in defense position from my graveyard!"
"Stop the attack!" he shouts nervously, stretching his hand, the monster obeys his command.
"What? Were you not going to end this?" his tone is suddenly more collected, but harsher at the same time, his glare is somewhat dim.
"I end my turn!" he says between a deep breath to calm himself down, losing his cool against a guy like him won't do much, but he'd strangle him if he could.
"I draw!" his eyes squint subtly at the card, he places it among the other cards as if it's unimportant "The effect of my Future Fusion activates!" he flips a card to show his opponent "I will summon Chimeratech Overdragon, and since I can send any fusion material listed in my deck… I will send 20 monsters to my graveyard!"
The device spits half of his deck out and he slams it into the graveyard zone, some sort of joy displayed on his face, the other duelists are all not pleased with the scene, in fact, they're worried and fearful.
His dry laugh echoes in the air, his shoulders shaking as if they had just done something funny, they are disgusted with his attitude and inwardly afraid of the reason he could have to be so arrogant.
"20 monsters?! Isn't that like almost all the monsters in his deck?"
"He wouldn't do that, would he? This is just crazy, not to tell, the amount of disrespect with his opponent, he is literally screaming into Takuma's face that he can win even if he discards this amount of monsters!"
"I activate Cyberdark Impact! By using this, I can return fusion materials used to fuse a Cyberdark Dragon from my graveyard, field or hand to my deck! I will return, Cyberdark Horn, Edge and Keel from my graveyard to my deck and special summon my Cyberdark Dragon (ATK 1000/ DEF 1000)! Also, the effect of my monster activates, it gains 100 ATK points for each monster in my graveyard, since I returned 3 of my monsters back, I only have 17 of them there now, which means his attack is increased in 1700!"
Cyberdark Dragon ATK 1000 - 2700/DEF 1000
"I normal summon Cyberdark Claw (ATK 1600/DEF 800) in my hand! Now, I change my Exploder Dragon to attack position and attack your Phantasm Spiral Dragon!"
"What?! You can't be-"
He grumbles in complaint as the holographic effects take place, both monsters are destroyed due to the effect of the Exploder Dragon, but none of the duelists takes battle damage.
"He used that weak thing to destroy my monster…" Takuma clenches his fists and teeth while shielding his eyes with an arm.
"The fun only starts now! Due to another monster of mine being sent to the graveyard, Cyberdark Dragon has 2800 attack points now! Attack his Mystery Shell Dragon (ATK 2000/DEF 0)!"
LP: Ryo- 200 Takuma - 4000 - 3200
The electric current burns through Takuma's veins, he can't control as a shout escapes, his opponent is unbothered by it, his friends jolt, almost sharing the pain with him.
"You bastard! You fucking bastard!" He tries to regain his balance, his expression wrinkling in anger towards the Hell Kaiser.
"It's not over yet, Cyberdark Claw (ATK 1600/DEF 800), attack him directly!" he orders coldly.
LP: Takuma 3200- 1600
His belligerent style gives Takuma already shocks worth collapsing, the boy drops to his knees, his face dripping sweat as he supports his hands on the ground, panting.
"You're a lunatic! How can you call this a duel?! You're into torture or what?"
"I set a card and end my turn." He ignores the boy completely, riling him up more as he stands enraged, his feet sliding on the ground as he recomposes.
"I draw!" he flips the card to the opponent "I activate Pot of Greed! I draw 2 more cards! Heh! You'll have it now, you think I'll let you play around as you wish?! I activate my Mystical Space Typhoon and the card I choose to destroy with it is your Future Fusion!"
Ryos doesn't flinch even when his card is turned into shards and disappears from the field, his arms still crossed as he awaits his opponent's turn to come to an end. Takuma can't stand that haughty and insufferable composure of his, his mind thinking o a hundred possible insults.
"I set a card down!" His voice is hoarse, in tune with his boiling emotions.
"I activate my set card, One or Eight! When my life points are lower than my opponents, I can show the top card of my deck, if it's a monster between level 1 and 8, I can special summon it, otherwise, my opponent can choose between 2 effects: either make my life points become 1000 or that their life points become 8000. The card on the top of my deck is…"
He shows Cybernetic Fusion Support, his expression blank, Takuma's lips curve up, filled with derision as he taunts:
"Hah! You're so dumb! You sent many monsters to the graveyard, even if you still got some, it's obvious you wouldn't be able to choose the effect! You're almost guaranteed to not get the primary effect! Are you serious about this duel?! The easiest in my life!"
"This stinks…" one of his friends ponder for a moment "He knew the effects before playing, it's almost as if he wanted Takuma to be able to choose… But why? I have a bad feeling about this… He didn't even bother when his Future Fusion was destroyed and he has virtually no monsters he can summon now…It feels like he is just letting him land in hits for fun, as if he has the duel on the palm of his hand. I don't like it…"
"I want my life points to become 8000! Thanks for the cheap life points, idiot!"
LP: Takuma -8000
"Wait, Takuma! Be careful! This guy could be planning something!"
"Come on, even if he is a pro, it seems he got very unlucky dueling against me! What a loser! I end my turn!"
"My turn!" he announces as if this is all he has been waiting for "I draw!" his eyes take a second to look at the card, he flips it for Takuma to see "I activate Graceful Charity! With this I can draw 3 other cards and I must discard 2 cards." he takes a quick look and makes the discard. "Ah, by the way, you might have gotten rid of my Future Fusion, but you're mistaken if you think this will save your skin, I already have everything set up from the beginning! From my hand I activate Overload Fusion! With this I can summon a fusion monster by banishing cards from my field or graveyard." His smirk causes discomfort on the other boy, sending shivers down his spine. "As you know, my graveyard has 18 monsters! I will be using all of them a fusion material!" his smirk enlarges. "Arise, Chimeratech Overdragon (ATK 14.400/DEF 14.400)!"
Takuma's eyes open wide, was that what he was aiming from the start? To have all his monsters in the graveyard so he could summon this?! All of the cards on Ryo's side of the field are destroyed.
"Now, attack him!"
Takuma flinches at the order, activating his set card, Mirror Force to block the attempt, but Ryo just laughs at his move.
"This is such a pathetic attempt at a counter, are you even trying?! You think I wouldn't be prepared for that?! Back then when I discarded 2 cards with Graceful Charity, I sent my Cyber Eternal to the graveyard! When that card is in the graveyard, I can banish it to prevent the destruction of a machine Cyber Fusion monster!"
"You…" he gulps. "You can't be serious… 14.400 attack… This isn't a joke, bastard! This amount of damage will just… What are you trying to do here?!"
"It can't be… This guy… Did he bait Takuma into choosing to have 8000 life points so the pain of the impacts would be bigger?! Was he planning this from the start?" he gasps, looking at the friend.
"Don't tell me you're afraid now… Don't be such a wuss, I'm just fucking around with you! And it's awfully disappointing."
A breeze of dread flows past all of them, their terrified faces as they listen to those words just enlarges the smirk on Ryo's face. Takuma's brows twitch, is this a retort to what he said back then about the girl? But why is he going so far?
"Did that guy bait Takuma into getting the 8000 life points so he would suffer more from the impact of the attack?" he gasps, wondering just how far the Hell Kaiser lives to his bad reputation.
"It was just a stupid girl that couldn't speak, why do you care?!"
"You had your fun too that night over one year ago, didn't you? Now, it's my turn and I'm gonna have all the fun I want too…"
"What… What is wrong with you? Do you want to kill me, your psycho?!"
His vision of the Kaiser blurs, that nefarious smirk carved into his eyes, his body trembles at the sight.
"What is wrong…?" his face wrinkles in irritation, a fierce glint of anger wavering inside his eyes "I won't kill you... But once I'm done with you, you will wish you were dead, scum." his deep, growling tone aggravating with the recollection of Rie's empty eyes when they first met.
Ryo's eyes squint more, his smile vanishes, giving place to a standoff expression, his lips sealed shut for a long moment of intense silent, all the witnesses watching over the unraveling of those final moments in the duel, too paralyzed to even try butting into it and afraid they'd be the next if they even tried to do something.
"It's time to end this! Chimeratech Overdragon, attack him directly!"
He stretches his hands with the order, ignoring the questionings they expressed on their faces, while the explosion occurs and the shock is sent, a deep and deafening yell soars until his opponent's voice ceases completely. The others have to brace themselves, the impact creates a shockwave of wind and a smoke curtain that spreads.
Takuma falls to the ground with a thud as the smoke dissipates, all the other boys rush and wonder about their friend, albeit still breathing he won't wake up any soon, his friends panic with the fact he is barely alive and needs immediate care. They are nothing but a buzzing noise to Ryo's ears, scenes of the past surfacing into his mind like shards of glass.
The moment he heard Rie jumped from that cliff; her lifeless eyes when they got out of the sea; the questioning he had after that; how she used to run and be disgusted just by being close to someone else; her smile as she fainted into his arms after the shadow duel; the monster at the dorms; how they used to talk and laugh at this very same cliff; how she cried telling him about all the unmentionable and nauseating details of what those boys did to her; the images overlapping in a frantic and disorganized way, his fists clenching on their own.
Those memory shards break apart piece by piece, his insides imploding along with the fragments that had been on his chest for too long, a part of him breaking even more. It was time for him too to get rid of those untold thoughts.
For a moment as they looked at him, they could see those emotions seething inside, his eyes were on fire, but not one they'd want to be burned by, an anger they could not comprehend as he stared down at them mercilessly:
"Why are you all quiet now? You were running those stupid mouths so much before… I'm not done with you all yet, this ride through hell, we're all going together in it… There's no way around it."
He declares, yet another moment, more of those awful memories coming to him, portraying Rie's panicked face while describing him of that night, his glare filled with loathe. Imagining how those sordid hands dared to touch her, to defile her, on how long it took her to even be able to stand on her own and smile again. Because of them. Because of those nameless students, such insignificant duelists.
The holograms disappear, but the Hell Kaiser still stands there, his glare demanding the next duelist to step up. They gulp, none of them wants to. His raspy chuckle just sends them signals of danger, not the danger of being expelled or reprimanded or silly worries, something far more threatening.
"Who's up next? If you don't decide, I'll pick one…"
Left without a choice, cornered on that cliff, they go one by one, failing miserably in their attempts at a duel and questioning what they did to deserve that. Their screams echo through the forest as they duel under the grueling impact amplifiers, but the waves muffle the sounds, until none of them are left standing.
After the last one of them is on the ground, he sneers at them, taking back his impact amplification devices. His feet stand in front of the passed out Takuma, looking down on the boy who once caused Rie so much suffering. Such a pathetic sight.
He grabs his collar, slowly and drags him to the edge of the cliff, raising the unconscious duelist over the edge, a ferocious glint to his eyes. His fists tremble, considering the option of doing something irreversible, does he really care whatever happens to this piece of trash? A person like him would be better off dead. He has the power to finish it with his hands, his eyes wavering enraged, that unbridled rage crashes down as Rie comes to his mind. His grip loosening, the coat of the boy sliding off from his hand, and a soft plop to the ground as he is left there, on the ground.
Ryo takes a step back, laughing loudly only to himself, covering his eyes with a hand. The victory he wanted was achieved, over those feelings of powerlessness, of not being able to do anything helpful back then. Now that he met those people, although extremely satisfying to see their horrified expression and observe their pain and anguish, this is not what he expected it to be. In the end…
"Really a piece of worthless garbage..."
Huffing with a pretentious and somewhat bitter smirk, he turns around, it is time to fully leave those lingering feelings behind and harden even more his heart. The Hell Kaiser has no need for the weak past self he used to be.
He enters the forest path again, his steps halt when he catches a glimpse of someone standing on the way, looking at him. His eyes and lips open slightly. It's Rie. Her eyes flicker upon seeing him, surprised.
A muffled grumble from him, an inopportune time. A subtle smile comes to his lips, he continues walking ahead, stopping in front of her. They look into each other's eyes for a long moment, she can see some fondness in him and also weariness.
His hands reach her shoulders, bringing her close in and they slide to her back, wrapping her in an embrace, his head snuggling into her neck. Startled, she clumsily grasps his back too, closing her eyes. Despite his outside appearance of callousness, he is so warm, her fingers glide slowly on his sleek hair, his breath blowing tranquil on her skin, they stay like this for long minutes, she pats his back, it seemed as if he needed comfort.
His hands hold her tightly, but not forcefully, she is enticed by that gentleness, bending back some centimeters away to deep look into his eyes, her eyes don't waver, but try to have a clear image of his face, mesmerized by his looks.
"Rie, I wanted to see you." he plants a kiss on her forehead, his lukewarm lips surprising her. "I missed you so much…"
When they cease that embrace, her whole heart wavers. He is different than before, calmer, just a bit. His fingers comb a strand of her hair behind her ear and he lands his hand on her face, caressing it, bending over, he firmly puts his other hand around her waist and pulls her for a strong kiss.
She accepts that kiss, she used to feel embarrassed at it, but by now it just seems natural like breathing, her hands clutching his coat. Since when did she accommodate herself in his arms so easily like this? Those kisses that were so passionate before are now tranquil, yet intense, her hands bringing him a tad bit closer, to enjoy his warmth along with the blood that accumulates on her cheeks, the love on them seems to have grown so much compared to their first time.
A feeble smile brushes on his lips when he lets her go, but it disappears giving place to his inexpressiveness.
"Ryo, what happened? I thought you would not come. And you seem… Different than usual today..."
She hears a low sigh of discontentment, his eyes narrow slightly at her good intuition in immediately noticing something had happened, she never fails at that. He liked that part about her, regardless if she can't see him for a week or a month, she will always know when something has happened to him, read his eyes, independently of how coldly he expresses himself.
"Do you want to talk? Let's go to a more refreshing place." his eyes evade hers while saying that "The air in this place is insupportable, it makes me nauseous."
He raises a hand offering it to her, her cheeks redden smoothly, he appreciates how no matter what they did or how many times she has held his hand, her reactions are still so lovable.
She accepts it, and he walks ahead, dragging her somewhere, unaware of all that has transpired that day while she was busy interviewing people. Her eyes flicker when she observes his broad back, that image overlaps with the image of Ryo back when they were in the forest and in that dark cave. Compared to before, his smile now looked burdened and heavy.
That island is so filled with memories of them, perhaps he feels the same way? She can't read his thoughts or fathom how much being there affects him, however, she knows that the part of him that loved the academy and cherished those memories with his friends would not disappear so easily. Perhaps even he has become sentimental by coming back to this place.
His lips open in awe when he feels her hand unwittingly squeezing his, his gaze vaguely staring into the distance. A subtle snort comes out of his mouth, he tightens the grip on her hand as a response, holding it affectionately.
He is not the same anymore, this time he will do everything differently. The change he forces himself into will bring the victory and the prestige that comes with it, he doesn't care how, he just wants to exhibit this newfound strength and prove to himself how powerful he can be. He just wants to keep surpassing his limits and protect what he must at any cost.
A half sour and guilty smirk plays on his face he ponders. No matter what he will face this darkness and keep going on as a duelist and as a person. He just wants… To keep winning.