Chapter 16: Brother, my Brother
As Alexis was about to do battle with the demon inhabiting her brother's body, I felt foolish and powerless. It was my own recklessness that caused this to happen, my misuse of my future knowledge. Hindsight made me see it clearly; there were much better ways of handling the Banner situation. What I did was stupid. The stress of the situation caused me to lose my cool and I ended up getting captured for it. I could only hope that I would last long enough to learn from this. I couldn't allow my shortcomings to endanger my friends like this. Never again.
I drew a card from my deck, my real deck. It was the fusion monster Bloom Diva The Melodious Choir. This card alone would blow out nearly everything the duelists of this time had to fight with, and it wasn't even that hard to summon. This Melodious Diva deck, as silly as some of the monsters looked, was strong enough to stand unopposed compared to other decks of this era.
I hoped that Alexis would be able to defeat Nightshroud, but part of me yearned to unleash this deck's power on an enemy all the same. As I thought of the other Shadow Riders, I decided that taking out either Camula or Titan would be my next objective, both being the strongest remaining Shadow Riders. I would need to handle things differently, that's for sure. But first, I had to get out this mess. As I watched the duel proceed from within my prison, I thought of how best to approach the shadow riders moving forward.
"I will begin. I set a monster and one more card face-down." Nightshroud said succinctly, starting off with the ol' T-set.
Alexis shook herself out of her reverie. I imagine dueling this distorted mirror version of her brother, a man who had undoubtedly taught her much about the game, was troubling to say the least. But to her credit, she seemed to understand that despite his appearance, this was not Atticus. This creature had to be stopped – hopefully Atticus could still be saved when the dust settled. He was in canon…hopefully circumstances would remain the same here.
"I'll start off by summoning Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands (1400/1000)!" A grey humanoid creature with an appropriately huge amount of extra hands appeared, a fierce expression on its face. "When this monster is summoned, I can add a ritual monster or ritual spell to my hand. I choose to add Machine Angel Ritual to my hand. Now, I'll set one card face-down and attack your face-down card!" Alexis declared.
The Manju let loose several dozen fists in a grey flurry, taking down Atticus' face-down monster. It was revealed to be a small green dragon wearing old world steel armor. "You hit my Troop Dragon (700/800). When it's destroyed by battle, I can special summon another Troop Dragon from my deck to the field in defense mode!" Nightshroud explained. An identical dragon appeared, bent on one knee.
"Alright…I end my turn." Alexis said, seeming to have no plays available with the three cards in her hand. This was one of the worst possible duels in which to brick; hopefully Nightshroud was having a similar situation.
Although it was difficult to tell through his mask, there was definitely a look of consternation there on Atticus' face! Perhaps the playing field was still even. "I summon Soldier Dragons (700/800) in attack mode." He growled, unhappy with his draw. Two crimson dragons wearing similarly medieval armor descended from the volcano's maw, landing next to the green Troop Dragon. One held a double-sided axe and the other wielded a lance.
"I'll end with that." Atticus ticked.
Alexis drew, and it seemed she now had a necessary piece for a play. She had to know that if she played anything, the Soldier Dragon's effect would go off, allowing him to summon a level two dragon from the deck. But she couldn't let that deter her. What was interesting about this duel is that Nightshroud seemed to be playing Atticus' deck – a deck that Alexis was surely familiar with. If she knows how to beat a Red-Eyes deck though, I had to wonder why Kagemaru would have Nightshroud fight her in particular. I'm almost positive he made some key adjustments. But Alexis has changed her deck recently as well, so perhaps any advantage he had would be nullified.
"I summon Cyber Petit Angel (300/200) in attack mode." The familiar pink mecha fairy appeared, cringing beneath the weight of the volcano's heat. 'This card operates similarly to Manju, only it lets me add a Cyber Angel to my hand. I add Cyber Angel Benten."
"Since you activated a card effect on your turn, my Soldier Dragon's effect activates, letting me summon a level two or lower dragon from my deck. I choose to summon The Black Stone of Legend (0/0) in defense mode!"
A mottled, pitch-black egg emerged from the lava, nested inside a cluster of molten rocks. Nightshroud now had three monsters, with the Black Stone taking highest priority among the three. Despite the fact she would do more damage by attacking either the Troop or Soldier Dragons, the Black Stone would be able to special summon a Red Eyes Black Dragon out of the deck if it stuck around until next turn. I couldn't signal to her at all form inside this prison – I had to trust that she knew the right plays. Hopefully her match with Erin, interrupted though it was,
"I play Machine Angel Ritual, sacrificing Cyber Petit Angel and Manju to ritual summon Cyber Angel Benten (1800/1500)!" Alexis conducted the ritual summon expertly. The fan-wielding machine took the field, familiar in its ferocity.
"Well, well, sister, I see you've added some new cards to your deck. Maybe this time you'll finally beat your big bro, eh? The stakes are certainly high enough to warrant giving everything you've got." Nightshroud's tongue slid past his thin lips, relishing in the girl's pain.
Alexis grit her teeth, visibly trying not to let the masked man distract her with his taunts. "I attack the Black Stone of Legend now!" She cried as her angel lunged forward, fan blades extended.
"Tough luck, blondie. Activate reverse card, Negate Attack!" A swirling typhoon of energy blocked off Alexis' attack, leaving his three monsters untouched. Alexis, strangely enough, seemed fine with this, despite surely knowing what his strategy was. "I set two and end my turn." She said.
"Alright, my turn!" The demon in human skin began with a flourish. "It's time for my egg to hatch! I activate my Black Stone's effect. By sacrificing it, I can summon a level seven or lower Red-Eyes monster from my deck. Guess which one I'm choosing?" Nightshroud asked facetiously as pillars of lava unnaturally rose vertically from the drink towards the top of the volcano again. From the inside of the volcano's story, molten rock was animated and given shape. It darkened and molded until the familiar visage of the Red-Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000) was hovering behind Atticus. Once the ace monster of Joey Wheeler, today the black dragon served a far more wicked master.
Seeing this iconic monster in real life was amazing, regardless of the circumstances. This dragon was not as powerful as the Blue-Eyes, to be sure, but it had a more menacing quality that, along with its raw potential, made it an incredible sight nonetheless. The way the lava's light glinted off of its scales, the burning crimson eyes…it felt as though we were in a fire-and-brimstone interpretation of hell. Of course, if we lost, we would be getting intimately familiar with an actual hell, so I hoped that this would be the extent of our strange travels.
"I switch Soldier Dragons to defense mode." The red dragons, miniscule in the face of the Red-Eyes, bowed before their superior. "Now, I'll attack your little doll with inferno fire blast!"
A bloody fireball burst from the dragon's maw, but surprisingly enough, the Cyber Angel was able to avert destruction. Alexis winced at the attack's heat, but stood strong otherwise. "By banishing Machine Angel Ritual from the graveyard, I can prevent my monster from being destroyed." (Alexis 3400/Nightshroud 4000)
Although she mostly succeeded at remaining stoic, I could tell that the minor burn she received from that attack hurt a lot. I felt a surge of protectiveness, but right now those feelings were not useful. Quelling them was not easy, however.
"The girl winces after only a gentle lick from the flames…and to think that you are supposed to be one of the great heroes charged with this school's defense. You can never defeat me in a shadow game. You shrink from the flames, but I was born inside them. But then, you will never have to worry about this pain once your mind and will are nullified." The madman said with disturbing calm.
An arc of orange magma streaked across the dueling field. "If you think this is enough to stop me, then think again. I will never, ever give up until my brother is returned to me!" She roared unyieldingly.
Disappointed at her lack of anguish, Nightshroud looked at his hand before concluding with one set card rather lamely.
"My turn." Alexis drew with a similar flourish. "I set one card. Next, I attack your Soldier Dragon with Cyber Angel Benten!" With a single slash of the sheet metal hand fans, the red dragons were summarily sliced and diced. "And due to my monster's effect, you lose life points equal to your monster's defense points, which were 800 in this case." The mechanical dancer flipped through the air and let loose a gust of wind from her fans that knocked Nightshroud on his ass. (Alexis 3400/Nightshroud 3200)
Seeing her adversary visibly harmed seemed to bolster Alexis' resolve. She was running low on resources, however, so she had to end her turn. Hopefully her face-downs were useful.
Nightshroud, the ham that he was, took his time in rising. He wiped a dribble of blood from the corner of his mouth with his knuckle. "That you resist, despite everything….it would be better for you if you submitted." He said with a completely blank expression and tone that was in itself far more disturbing than the cackles and the taunts. He stared her dead on unblinkingly, although obviously it was impossible to tell beneath the mask. This guy was…glitchy, ever-shifting, like a shadow on the wall. "Everything will eventually return to darkness…"
"Jamie…can you hear me?" Alexis turned back, her profile marred in shadows. "Yes." I said back. I could hear both of their voices loud and clear, even over the sizzling of the magma- I could only assume some magic was involved. She saw my lips move, but the shake of her head told me everything I needed to know. She was alone utterly, which I knew from the beginning, but needed to have confirmed nonetheless.
"I end my turn." She turned away from me.
"I already said I didn't want to hear him speak! Now, it's my turn! And if I know you well enough, which I do, I know that face-down is some kind of battle trap. You're not going to surprise me, girl. I know your mind. Your habits are known to me, and your will alone cannot defeat me." Nightshroud intoned. "Besides, what do you even gain from victory anyhow? Do you truly believe your brother will ever return to you, that he will be the same as he was before he left? There is nothing worth fighting for in this world, nothing at all." He should have known by now that these nihilistic tirades weren't going to work. Acknowledging this, he moved to continue his turn.
"Since I know that you have a trap, I will not be so foolish as to attack. Instead, I activate the spell card Inferno Fire Blast. This lets me inflict damage to you equal to my Red-Eyes! It's a direct attack by another name!" Red-Eyes Black Dragon let loose the titular fireball with a roar. It completely engulfed Alexis, a horrible shriek mixed with the sound of a blazing inferno.
The way smoke rose form her prone frame in wispy grey plumes reminded me sickeningly of meat fresh from the grill. The comparison nearly made me retch, but it was where my mind went. When the dust settled, the jacket she was wearing was reduced to cinders, leaving only a thin periwinkle t-shirt covering her top. The grey pants she was wearing were heavily singed at the bottoms, and her shoes were gone. Her hair was about an inch shorter than before, some of her locks lost to the flames. The duel disk, strangely, was unharmed, although how I had no idea. (Alexis 1000/Nightshroud 3200)
I was paralyzed, as rigid as a board. The attack was clearly devastating – Alexis tried to crawl to her feet, only to collapse prone on the ground each time she tried. The phantasmal nature of the attack caused an inconsistent effect on her – her clothes and hair were damaged, but her skin seemed fine but for a few scratches and welts. Soot covered her arms where she shielded her face from the blast. She wheezed – the air was choked with smoke and heat, difficult to breathe in regardless of her injuries.
"Yes, that's it, fight on! Relish the pain, it lets you that you're still alive!" Nightshroud seemed to draw on her pain and take nourishment from it. However, before he could gloat further, Alexis managed to catch eye contact with him. The laughter ceased abruptly, and Nightshroud suddenly clutched his mask in pain.
While he seemed to struggle with a sudden headache, Alexis rose to her feet and recovered her breath enough to speak. "Heh…" She coughed, but the pain was not enough to dispel the savage pleasure she felt. "I could say…the same thing." She swayed. " My brother would never let me get pushed around by someone like you. He's fighting from within…I know it."
"You know nothing! Atticus Rhodes is a dead man! No trace of him exists in this realm any longer!" Nightshroud shouted, seemingly trying to regain control. Slowly, agonizingly, his left arm lowered from his face. Nightshroud clenched his left hand, as if to make sure it was still…functional.
"I end my turn. Hurry up and go!" Despite being in control of the match, Nightshroud seemed very rustled. Maybe Atticus really was fighting from the inside. He sure as hell didn't do that when he was fighting Jaden in canon, at least not as I remembered it. Then again, maybe this was happening because he was fighting Alexis. It was all the difference in the world – Atticus didn't even know Jaden prior to the Abandoned Dorm incident, while Alexis was his little sister. I bet that made it easier to resist the surely smothering pressure Nightshroud was using to suppress his will. Kagemaru most likely ordered Nightshroud to place Alexis on high priority was to test how strong the possession actually was. Thankfully, it appeared said possession wasn't as strong as Nightshroud would have liked.
"Yeah, I will. I was never too sure about the whole 'heart of the cards' thing, but this was one hell of a lucky draw! I activate the equip spell Ritual Weapon and attach it to Cyber Angel Benten!" Alexis said with new vigor. A golden crossbow was affixed to Benten's forearm, a bow made of blue energy coursing between the drawstrings.
"This weapon gives Cyber Angel Benten 1500 attack and defense points, meaning it has 3300 attack points! I switch my monster to attack mode!" Her warrior took aim, a bolt of buzzing azure electricity drawn back.
Nightshroud's eyebrows became visible as they rose above the mask. "Attack the Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" The ice queen commanded, and arrow fired with a zap. It speared the mighty dragon through the chest and caused it to shatter into frames. (Alexis 800/Nightshroud 2500)
"And don't forget my monster's effect! When it destroys a monster, you take damage equal to the monster's defense points!" Cyber Angel Benten took another shot, this one directed squarely at Nightshroud. Without hesitation, she loosed the round. Although it didn't actually leave a hole in Atticus' body, it might as well have for the pain Nightshroud felt. He skid across the plane, his back crashing against the inner walls of the volcano. (Alexis 800/Nightshroud 500)
I felt a thrill race up my spine, daring to let myself feel hope as his life points entered the red zone. It was gonna be a close one – I felt that it would come down to how useful Alexis' face-down was. Nightshroud still had his Troop Dragon on the field, and doubtless some other tricks, such as the Black Stone's graveyard effect.
Nightshroud stood up far too quickly considering the blow he just took. Thick black energy tendrils curled around him, either healing his wounds or more likely numbing the pain. The creature had limitless control over darkness – he was Darkness, but for the human body he wore as a set of clothes. The blue eyepieces on his mask glowed. "It will take more than that to kill me. The sacred beasts will be mine."
"I know." Alexis shot back. "So what do you want with the sacred beasts anyway? Why go to all this trouble if you are such an all-powerful entity? Why bother with the game of Duel Monsters at all?" She questioned, mainly to buy herself some allotment of time to rest.
"I was created from the darkness in people's hearts manifested in the form of Duel Energy. You see, Duel Monsters as a concept far precedes the modern trading card game we are playing right now. It has existed in some form since the dawn of humanity as a form of ritualistic combat. The ancient Atlanteans, the Egyptians…even beings from beyond the stars have all learned to duel independently of each other. This is no coincidence. Dueling is a mirror for the heart. Those who duel for noble ends give birth to the cosmic force of the "Light". Those who duel for wicked ends create "Darkness". You see, it was mankind that gave birth to my world." Nightshroud's explanation was both illuminating and yet utterly unfathomable.
"That can't be true! Humanity has nothing in common with you, monster!" Alexis' protest, simplistic as it was, likely was inaccurate as well.
"It is impossible for you to understand. You see, only a piece of me lies within your brother. Even if fate wills you to be victorious today, I will survive. I will always survive, and everything will join my world eventually. That is why I say that this duel is pointless." Nightshroud responded resoundingly.
"No…as long as there is light, humanity can always drive you back!" Alexis echoed the point Jaden made to the creature in season four of canon. I would have loved to give my two cents in this little discussion, but the damned bubble prevented me from doing so.
"You will find that the Light is not necessarily a preferable alternative to my world. In time, you will realize this, if you are wise." Came Nightshroud's cryptic response.
Alexis stood straight. "Maybe. Before we finish this, I have one last question. Why do you inhabit my brother? What happened that night in the Abandoned Dorm?"
"That is a question you can ask your traitorous professor if you have the chance…or your brother when you join him in my realm!" Nightshroud drew a card, signaling the return to combat.
"I'll start by activating my trap card, Red-Eyes Spirit! This lets me summon a Red-Eyes monster from the graveyard with no cost! Come back, Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" The familiar old beast returned, although it was no match for Cyber Angel Benten at this point.
"Then, by tributing Red-Eyes Black Dragon, I can upgrade its form to the Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon (2400/2000)!" As Nightshroud spoke, dark iron plate gathered around the dragon's scales, giving it yet another coat of powerful defense. Bloody orange jewels encrusted its scaled wings, with sharp steel spikes forming along its tail. Most interestingly, Nightshroud seemed completely calm once again, as though Atticus had stopped fighting him. Dimly, I recalled that whenever Darkness Dragon or Darkness Metal Dragon was summoned in the show, Nightshroud gained further control over Atticus' mind.
"This dragon of mine gains 300 attack points for each dragon in my graveyard. Currently, I have three in the grave – Soldier Dragon, The Black Stone of Legend, and my Red-Eyes Black Dragon, putting the Darkness Dragon at 3300." Steam furled from the dragon's body as it grew in power. Behind Nightshroud, lava dragons in the shape of the destroyed monsters rose from the lake and spread their wings. They lent their power to the Darkness Dragon, pouring into the orange crystals on its body.
"Our monsters are equal…" Alexis said hesitantly, fearing that he still had more resources to use.
"For now, key keeper. With my normal summon, I'll sacrifice Troop Dragon to play Meteor Dragon Red-Eyes Impact (1800/2000)." Miraculously, the Troop Dragon had managed to survive the entire duel thus far, lurking in the shadows. But now, it vanished, replaced with a small, projectile-shaped wyrm that looked to be carved from an asteroid. Magma coursed through its veins, and its teeth were carved from stalagmites.
"And since I have one more dragon in the graveyard…" Saying nothing else, Nightshroud gestured for his dragon to attack. It unleashed a stream of dark fire, melting the Cyber Angel down to slag. (Alexis 500/Nightshroud 500)
"Burn to ashes! Meteor Dragon, attack her directly and end this duel!"
"Yeahhh…gonna have to stop you right there. I activate my trap card, Call of the Haunted! This lets me summon back my Benten in attack mode!" Luckily, her ritual monster had just enough attack points to give Nightshroud's dragon pause. If he continued to attack, he would have another dragon in the graveyard to boost Darkness Dragon, and Alexis' monster would be gone. He had a decision to make.
With a snarl, he said, "I continue to attack!" The Meteor Dragon and the Cyber Angel Benten tore each other apart, both going to the grave. Darkness Dragon's attack points were boosted to 3900 as a result of this, and Alexis' field was empty.
"Ok Heart of the Cards, I'm gonna need one last favor. I'll need a little bit of Jaden and Sugihara's luck if I'm gonna win this!" Alexis muttered to herself, causing me to chuckle in spite of the dire straits she was in.
"I draw!" She looked at her card and grinned. "I might just have to buy one of those scratch-off tickets after this, because I'm feeling lucky!"
"Damn right we will!" I cheered from inside the bubble.
"And my faith has rewarded me with the Card of Sanctity!" She drew four cards and I seriously couldn't believe that card hadn't been banned yet. Copies of it were hard to come by, but I knew I had to add some to my deck soon.
"Oh for fuck's sake!" Nightshroud cursed, even as he drew five cards.
"Next, I'll play Fusion Sage, letting me add Polymerization to my hand!" Alexis smiled, happy with the cards she drew.
"Now, guess which card I'm going to play next?" Alexis jabbed.
"Wait, I thought your deck was supposed to be themed around Ritual monsters, this isn't fair dammit!" He whined.
"I fuse together my Blade Skater with my Etoile Cyber to fusion summon Cyber Blader (2100/800)!" The futuristic ice skater glided across the lava as though it were ice, as graceful as ever despite the blistering conditions.
"You'll find I'm full of surprises, Nightshroud, as is my monster! You see, its special ability depends on the number of monsters on your side of the field. And since you have two, that means my monster's attack points are doubled." Icy cold energy emanated from the dancer's body, blessedly cooling down the scorching arena.
"This game is over! Cyber Blader, attack the Meteor Dragon and send this hellspawn to the pit he crawled out of!" Alexis roared, two years worth of built-up rage and helplessness boiling over in this one instant. The power, the dignity had been reclaimed – she was taking fate into her own hands.
"No you don't! I activate my trap card, Attack Guidance Armor, redirecting your strike to Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon!" In a desperate countermove, Nightshroud avoided defeat by sacrificing his prized dragon. Cyber Blader's skates ripped through the steel scales like tinfoil, and the mighty beast fell into the lava pool with a screech. (Alexis 500/Nightshroud 200)
Alexis indeed looked irritated, robbed of closure, as her monster returned to her side. "Fine. Since you have one monster on the field, Cyber Blader's attack points return to normal. However, it can no longer be destroyed by battle. This is all I can do…I end my turn." She said. "Please, tell me that I've gotten through…" was what her body language communicated.
Nightshroud clawed at his mask, tense and shaking. "Unngh….no…I won't let it end this way…my turn!" Barely, he managed to draw a card, only to drop his entire hand as he held his head in his hands.
"I won't let you hurt my baby sister any longer! Get out of my head!" A voice echoed from nowhere. It was an unfamiliar tone to me, but I had a pretty good guess of who it might be. The way Alexis' face lit up was also a strong indicator that this voice belonged to Atticus Rhodes, the real Atticus Rhodes.
"I told you, your will has been nullified! Now let go!" The true voice of Nightshroud was colder and raspier than the smug tones he had earlier.
"Has it? It sure doesn't feel like my will has been nullified, freak!" Atticus shot back. I guess we know which one of them was supplying the pithy taunts.
"You can't fight against me! I am the absolute! The true Darkness!"
"Then go back to the darkness, and leave my family alone!" With that, the mask was torn off of Atticus' face, dissolving into shadow. Black spires of energy shot into the night sky, dissipating slowly as they went like steam on a shower wall.
When he opened his eyes once more, they were bright and very human brown irises. Alexis' brother had fought off his possessor! Alexis' last attack must have been just enough for Nightshroud to lose control of the takeover. Suppressing Atticus' will must have taken immense concentration, most likely due to the fact that Atticus was surely fighting every step of the way as well. Either way, it was good news.
Alexis' smile was pure and childlike – I had never seen anything like it on her face, and it immediately burned into my memory. At long last, the burden that had been shadowing her for over two years had been lifted. As someone who was burdened down by the past as well, I felt truly happy for her, and also wistful.
Wait a minute, I was still trapped in this fucking bubble! Hopefully Atticus knew how to work this thing. Come to think of it, how in the hell were we supposed to get out of here?
"Atticus…" was all she could say. Forgetting the game, she ran over to embrace her long-lost sibling. However, the dark forces that held dominion over the shadow game held her back and kept her to her side of the dueling field.
"Hehe, sorry sis…I know this reunion has been a long time coming, but we have to finish this duel of darkness." He said haggardly.
"Wait, what do you mean?" Alexis stammered, fear mounting once more. "I won't lose you again!"
"Hey, just chill out, ok?" Atticus said soothingly, a rather ridiculous request considering the circumstances. "There's only one thing left to do."
He placed his hand on the deck, the understood sign of surrender. As a formerly competitive player, I had seen plenty of surrenders in my time. Regardless of their skill level, most players knew when to fold em, this saving the time a protracted defeat would waste. This was definitely one of the more…emotional surrenders I had ever seen. I wasn't sure if Atticus could have still won if he tried, but it didn't matter, truly. The true victory was over the demon that had taken him over. (Alexis 500/ Atticus 0)
The monsters disappeared, and as soon as Alexis' duel disk deactivated, she ran over to her brother. However, before she could reach him, we found ourselves transported out of the volcano's insides, and onto the outer hill near the edge of the forest at the volcano's base. It was a dark and cloudy night, and the fresh night air was heavenly relief.
Atticus laid on his back, simply staring at the world around him with his own eyes. His fingers grasped at the ground as he re-familiarized himself with his senses. Alexis held him a tight embrace, glad beyond words to be reunited with her brother, as if that even needed to be said.
I made my way over to the pair of siblings, making my tread intentionally loud so as not to surprise them. "Looks like that worked out alright, then." I cleared my throat.
"Oh, shit!" Alexis cursed ungracefully. "Jamie, I forgot about you, I'm so sorry!" She stood and gave me a hug as well. It felt nice, although her burns and scarring worried me. The Rhodes siblings needed to get to the infirmary as soon as possible before the adrenaline wore off.
"Don't worry about it, you had a few other things to contend with. The only problem I had to deal with in there was my legs cramping up." I replied into her hair.
Letting go of me, she shook he head with a bemused smile. "Do you always have an asinine one-liner at the ready?"
"I had plenty of time to think of one. I figured you had the duel well in hand anyways." I winked. She rolled her eyes before gesturing between Atticus and myself. "Well, this is my brother Atticus. Atticus, this is my friend Jamie Lancaster. He's an Obelisk Blue freshman like me."
Atticus surveyed me in that way all older brothers look at boys their sisters hang out with. "Nice to meet you, bro. I'd offer you a handshake and all that, but I think I'm dying."
"Uh, yeah, I texted a friend of mine. He'll get you two to the infirmary. Just sit back and save your strength." I said in what I thought was a firm, yet kind voice. I probably came out sounding like a douchebag as I often do.
"Is Fontaine still working there?" Atticus asked with a lecherous smirk.
"Yes." I said with a smirk in response, figuring that he was probably going to be just fine.
"Good, she's super hot." With that, he collapsed. Ok, maybe he won't be so fine. Alexis immediately panicked. "When is your man getting here?" She grabbed me by the collar and shook. I removed her hands from my person, not finding her manhandling of me helpful. Luckily, we soon found ourselves blinded by twin headlights. The shining beams threw Alexis' injuries into sharp relief, horrible red burns contrasting with ashen skin.
"Oops, probably should turn the brights down. You wouldn't think a golf cart would have brights, but I guess it's for the dedicated players." Adam Sugihara sat behind the wheel of a Rosewood Sporting Goods brand golf cart. He was still in his work uniform, having just got off a late shift. Fortunately, the shop wasn't far from where we were.
"Please tell me this cart wasn't stolen from Harry's shed." I groaned. Adam could be more reckless than Joey Wheeler when we wanted to be.
"Ok, this cart wasn't stolen from Harry's shed. Does that make you feel better?" He answered blithely. Alexis gave him a reproachful look, so he continued on with, "Well excuse me, princess, Jamie told me to get here as soon as possible, so I did what I had to do. Besides, once Rosewood hears it was you I was picking up, he'll probably wish he came along with me. I've already contacted Fontaine and she's expecting us, so let's make like a tree and get the fuck out of here. I'll return this jalopy before he even knows its missing."
"Well said, now help me lift him in." I gestured over to the unconscious Atticus. Adam gulped, but he got out and helped me set Atticus in the back nonetheless. He knew nothing about the Shadow Rider conflict and what it entailed – I simply didn't have the time to fill him in. Frankly, the fact that he came here at all, let alone as quickly as he did, spoke volumes of his loyalty. I decided to fill him in as soon as an opportunity arose.
Adam drove the golf cart along the dust-beaten path to main Academy building, managing to avoid most of the bumps along the way. "Thank you for doing this, man, I really appreciate it." I said to him.
"Uh, I would say no problem, but I have no idea what is going on. How did these two get hurt so badly? And what's with the brown-haired guy? I've never seen him before!" As good as Sugihara was at keeping his cool, he was abuzz with questions.
"I'll fill you in as soon as we have a spare moment, which might be tomorrow from the looks of things. Just know that you've done a good thing today." I said mysteriously as we rolled up to the school's hospital wing. A medical team lead by Miss Fontaine waited outside, and as soon as we fully stopped they loaded Alexis and Atticus onto stretchers. My eyes met with Fontaine's. I made for her as soon as we stopped, Adam waiting awkwardly in the driver's seat.
I opened my mouth to begin a long-winded explanation of the situation, but she raised a well-manicured hand in response. "Don't worry, mister Lancaster, the headmaster has informed me of the situation with the Shadow Riders. It appears my suspicions about the supernatural were correct after all." She said professionally.
"It seems they were. I trust that you recognize the man Alexis was with?" I asked, my tone hurried. Despite what she said, I certainly was worried.
"Yes. We can only hope that his mind is retrievable, to say nothing of his physical injuries. Alexis is in slightly better condition, you'll be glad to hear. Thank you for bringing them here so quickly." She relayed.
"Adam and I will surely be back before the night is out. The other key keepers are doing battle with another Shadow Rider at this very moment. We have to go now." I explained tersely, despite wanting nothing more to remain here and ensure that Alexis was going to be ok.
"We'll handle things here. Just leave the dueling to Professors Crowler and Banner. We will do everything in our power to ensure Atticus and Alexis' safety." She advised. Little did she know that Banner was exactly the enemy we were trying to defeat. I hoped that Crowler managed to beat the dark alchemist, but really it was difficult to imagine even from an optimistic viewpoint. In opinion, the only two key keepers who had a chance against Banner besides myself were Zane and Jaden, but even Jaden was a more unknown quantity to me since he lost to Chazz.
I gave Fontaine a short nod. "Adam, let's go." I gestured to the cart. He silently assented, hopping in the driver's seat and starting it up. "Are we good on gas?' I asked as I slid into the passenger seat. It was certainly a bit ridiculous that we were making our heroic entrance in a Rosewood golf cart, but sadly we had no other options.
"I filled it up before I left, we should be fine. I just need to get this back to the shop before it opens tomorrow…" He trailed off, turning the key. "Can you fill me in on exactly what is happening on the way?"
"Yes, thanks for being patient. I just hope we can get there in time…" I huffed as we tore across the island, leaving a trail of dust in our wake. Above us, the clouds began to break, the full moon shining a bloody orange in the sky.
A/N
Hope you all enjoyed.
I thought having Alexis and Nightshroud duel would have some good dramatic potential - there is something deeply powerful in the conflict that so often arises between siblings, although obviously there is a third party at play here. Of course, this is reflected in the chapter title, which is a shout-out to one of the greatest films of all time, Pokemon the First Movie. But anyways, this was a good opportunity to have Alexis personally conquer a demon of hers - driving back Nightshroud on her own is certainly going to be a large part of her character arc. I was inspired by the end of the Yugi vs Marik duel in the Battle City arc when writing the end of this duel, with Atticus fighting back from the inside and eventually surrendering the duel. In the end, I'd like this Shadow Rider arc in particular to have a distinct flavor from canon while also honoring the source material, because future SOTM story arcs are going to start departing more and more from the stations of the canon. I hope I'm able to make these duels interesting for you readers, they can be difficult to write compared to a conventional fight scene. But then, they can also be easier in some respects.
Next chapter will feature the duel between Jaden and Banner. I know its been a while since Jamie has dueled, but I feel it is important to develop these side characters at this point in time through dueling while having Jamie's character evolve and grow more in the background. Other characters that will be dueling soon include Zane Truesdale and Adam Sugihara. All that aside, I wish a happy new year to you all, let's make 2018 great!