State of the Meta

by Yung Warrior

A self-insert in which a competitive player from 2016 finds himself warped into the world of GX. Between adjusting his deck to make up for the inverted power creep, making grades, and saving the world, there's much to do, but all good players know how to adapt to their circumstances. SI-OC, 1st Person POV

33. Career (Overlay) Networking

Chapter 33: Career (Overlay) Networking Events

Songs:

Saint Pepsi – Enjoy Yourself

A$AP Rocky ft. Skrillex – Wild For the Night

Deadmau5 – Raise Your Weapon (Madeon Remix)

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Heads Will Roll (A-Trak Remix)

"Lancaster, the third floor men's toilets are clogged again."

"Lancaster, could you change the channel to Spongebob? I would, but the remote is all the way over there!"

"Lancaster, I need the conference room vacuumed in like ten minutes, it still smells a bit weird in there from the time Seto had a private interview with that reporter."

"Lancaster, the coffee machine is empty again!"

Same shit, different day. I suppose it was too much to hope that Mokuba would be that different from his brother. It was probably difficult for him not to power trip when sitting in the big boy chair. All in all though, he wasn't so bad to work for when you look past the childish petulance. Mokuba was a good deal friendlier than Seto, at any rate.

It was Friday afternoon, and I had just finished up with the last list of tasks for the day. Roland wasn't here today, so I received the list from some other guy I never bothered to learn the name of. One such task involved working with Bastion in the mechanics bay, as I was taking inventory of raw materials. The Ra Yellow duelist was assigned to help me, which was mainly because he had nothing left to do on his end. It was good to catch up with Bastion a bit, as we both knew the task was time-filler to round off our mandatory hours for the week. Even KaibaCorp had some slow periods, and this hot summer day was one such time. I didn't really see Bastion too much outside of work, as he was more of an introvert by nature. Still, I could tell that he was getting a lot of value from his work. I wasn't sure I could say the same, outside of the money.

Strangely, Mokuba asked for both Bastion and I to come by the office before leaving for the day. The white leather chair always looked too large for him, I thought as we stepped inside the increasingly familiar office.

"Boys," he began, despite the fact that he was only three years older than us, "today is a very special day."

Hmm. That statement usually meant something either really good or really bad. I eyed the spot on the floor where I knew the trap door was, taking care not to accidentally step on or near it.

"Special in what way, sir?" Bastion dared ask.

Mokuba interlocked his fingers and gave us both a cool gaze in what was meant to be an imitation of his brother. It is definitely weird having to think of the man as "Seto", since I'm so used to referring to him as simply "Kaiba". A tense moment of silence passed before Mokuba smiled boyishly.

"Why, it's Roland's 50th birthday, of course! And on a Friday no less! And that means we're all getting blitzed tonight!" He said crudely.

Okay, I did not expect that. "Oh…cool." I said dumbly.

"Yeah, I know right?! We're throwing a massive party at the penthouse! Seto gave me the green light, and we got supermodels from every country on the damn planet coming through! Just think of this as part of your internship experience." Mokuba leaned back smugly. "Roland will be swinging through later on, he took the day off to spend time with his kids. But that doesn't mean we can't get started early." He said with a wolfish grin.

I gotta admit, I was curious to see how the Kaibas partied. Considering the stupid amount of money they have, this little birthday party might end up being more like Great Gatsby on cocaine if intuition served.

"Hey, wait a minute, isn't Roland married with kids? Is his wife cool with this sort of thing?" It was a lame question, but it just kinda popped into my head.

"Don't worry about it." Mokuba said dismissively. "So, are you in, or out?"

"Sir, we are only sixteen years old, it would be dreadfully illegal for us to drink alcohol of any kind, not to mention the other kinds of illicit affairs that would surely be happening at a party of this magnitude!" Bastion complained. I resisted the urge to laugh. At least he tried, you have to hand it to him.

"I'm just going to pretend you didn't say that, and ask again. Are you in, or out?" Mokuba powered through Bastion's excuses.

"Next question, sir." I was rather excited about this prospect now. Bastion looked at me incredulously, while Mokuba smiled.

"Excellent. Well, Misawa?" The young CEO turned to Bastion, who had his arms crossed tightly and a disapproving expression on his face. Eventually though, he relented.

"Very well. I'll attend this party, but I will not be drinking or doing anything against the law."

"Hey, that's the spirit! I'll send you guys emails with directions and all that. Now then, you're free to go home. I'd suggest resting up, because this is gonna be a wild night." Mokuba said deviously. Seems as though his propensity for troublemaking hasn't dimmed with age. If anything, it's gotten stronger.

XxXxXxXXxxxXxXXxXxXXxxxxXXX

At seven o'clock, Bastion and I rolled up to the Penthouse, one of the nicest hotels in Domino City. From the looks of the security guards and reservation signs, it looks like Mokuba rented out the entire building for the evening. Why am I not surprised?

I drove up to the parking lot before being stopped by a man wearing the distinctive light blue of a KaibaCorp employee. He was bald, burly, and wore sunglasses – the stereotypical build of a security worker in all respects.

"Sorry boys, this hotel is rented out completely for the evening. I apologize for any inconvenience." He said brusquely.

"It's no inconvenience at all." I said as Bastion and I procured our identification. "Mister Mokuba invited us. We're the secretarial and mechanical interns."

He went over to the small desk he must have set up earlier and pored over the list, probably being extra careful due to our age. "I see. You're good to go, and if you don't mind me saying so, I'm a bit jealous. Enjoy yourselves, but not too much."

"We will, thank you." With that, we parked and went in. I put on a navy blue button down short sleeved shirt with khaki pants and Sperrys for the evening, while Bastion was wearing all black everything – shirt, pants, tie, shoes.

"You're awfully quiet. What's up?" I asked as we walked in.

"I just have a bad feeling about this for some reason." He said sourly. It was an odd thing for him to say in particular. Bastion was hardly one to trust instinct or intuition.

"Just remember, you don't have to drink or anything. I'm sure mister Mokuba will be glad you decided to come." I didn't want to worry about any potential dangers tonight. It would be nice to get out of my head for a while.

Bastion did not look assuaged. "Right." He said noncommittally. Silently, we moved through the lobby.

Bass reverberated from the walls as we took the elevator up to the top floor, and a smile grew on my face unbidden.

What I expected could not have possibly matched up with the reality of Mokuba's party. Lights and color were everywhere, and the music was so loud I couldn't hear myself think. Nearly 150 people had to be in the large chamber, an enormous picture window giving a picturesque view of Domino City. The dance floor occupied most of the space, though it was too early for most to start dancing. There were tables and chairs on the outskirts of the room, bottles upon bottles of liquor on each of them.

I saw Roland surrounded by a crowd of guests, a woman of breathtaking beauty on his arm who I assumed to be his wife. I decided to approach him and offer the expected tidings, Bastion following a step behind.

"Mister Roland, Bastion and I would like to wish you a happy birthday and a glorious evening." I said, well, more like yelled formally upon getting his attention.

"I am glad Mister Mokuba extended invitations to you both. You two have been great helps in your respective teams. Allow me to introduce you to my wife, Isabella. Isabella, this is Jamie Lancaster, mister Kaiba's personal intern, and Bastion Misawa, intern in Research and Development." Roland said with equal decorum. Isabella was curvaceous and had alluring dark eyes that almost matched her straight black hair. There were beautiful women everywhere you looked at this party, but the sheer intelligence this woman radiated set her apart almost immediately.

"A pleasure." I said with a tilt of my head, Bastion doing the same. She said nothing, only smiling in an inscrutable way.

"My dear," Roland said unctuously, "I'd like to have a word with these two for a moment. I'll join you for a dance soon."

Something about the way he said that almost seemed rehearsed, as if this was all part of some script. She left silently, not seeming at all annoyed at being dismissed in such a way. Roland started walking, and we followed more out of habit than anything.

"Again, I'm glad you two were invited. It has been some time since we have seen interns with your potential. Between you and me, if you keep this level of performance up, Mister Kaiba may have little choice but to consider full-time offers for you both."

That brought a genuine smile to Bastion's face, at last. I smiled as well, though mine was surely more false than his. I still wasn't sure that working for Kaiba was what I wanted. "I only hope that we can continue to meet mister Kaiba's expectations. Speaking of which, has he sent any word regarding his travels to Norway?"

"Not since this morning. But I have no doubt that mister Kaiba can handle himself." We walked out onto the balcony, the air starting to cool as the sun went down. The sky was a pleasant blend of orange, blue, and light purple.

Mokuba was sitting on a small table, entertaining two college-aged girls with a bottle of New Amsterdam and some shot glasses. He wore a white shirt buttoned down to his navel with khaki shorts, and his sunglasses were askew.

"So Naomi, have you ever been a jetski before?" He slurred.

"No, but I'd sure like to, it looks incredible!" A cute, black-haired girl giggled back.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah for sure." Mokuba babbled before taking notice of us. "Boyyyyyyyyssssssssss, what the fuck is up!?" He sloppily yelled even though it was a lot quieter outside.

"Good evening, sir." I said with a grin while Bastion looked uncomfortable. "Is there something you wished to discuss with us?"

"Yeah, there's one thing. Come on, have a seat!" Out of nowhere, he pulled up two extra chairs and thrust shot glasses into our hands, filled with clear vodka.

Bastion gulped before muttering to himself, "Alright, just one drink then…"

XxXxXxXXxxXXxXXxXXXxx

(?)

Standing atop a skyscraper across the street from the Penthouse, three duel monster spirits stood, silent and waiting. In the center was Blade Knight, his armor glinting in the cream-orange sunset. To his right was Command Knight, her helm removed and her blond hair harshly flapping in the wind. To his left was an avian spirit, dark wings extended to their full breadth. He was bird and man in equal measure, a mane of black hair and red plumage adorning his slim frame.

"So….are you sure you're not Harpie's brother?" Command Knight asked dully, mostly to relieve the silence.

"No. I go by Birdman, or the Sky Scout in some circles." The winged beast said in clipped tone.

"Oh. Weird, a lot of people I know call you Harpie's brother." She said with a light chuckle.

"Which harpie are they referring to? There are many, after all. But it matters little, because I have no siblings that I am aware of." Birdman replied testily.

"My bad." Command Knight held her hands up in surrender. "Thanks for agreeing to come with us, by the way. It'll be good to snatch up two prey in one swoop, an analogy I'm sure you're familiar with." She gestured to his talons.

"There is no need for thanks…" Birdman seemed confused. "This was a direct order from Yubel, was it not?"

"Of course it was." Blade Knight said soothingly, or at least as soothingly as he could. "She will be most pleased to see both the lion and Misawa's heads. I know she has special places for them atop the ramparts."

"It's a notion most pleasing to you as well, or so I have heard. Tell me, what has Jamie Lancaster done to merit such vitriol?" Birdman asked astutely. Command Knight suddenly tensed, her hand resting on her sword's pommel as her blue eyes flickered back and forth between the two spirits. "This is being done on Yubel's orders, was it not?" He repeated.

"The sheer amount of duel energy, as well as the dark aura that emanates from his very form, renders him a threat to Jaden Yuki's kingship, as Yubel is so fond of reminding us." Blade Knight spoke unctuously, the words so obviously disingenuous it was almost insulting. Yubel could hardly go five minutes without launching into some psychotic rant about how "they would all pay for this" and "Jaden would belong to me, me, me". He found it exceedingly tiresome, though in truth his focus could be equally single-minded when he wanted to be.

"Would it not be wise to strike now, and get this over with?" Command Knight asked, her foot tapping impatiently.

"No need." Blade Knight raised a hand. "Not until the cover of nightfall. We will wait until the fools are fat and drunk before attacking. I trust the two of you will be able to handle this while I pay a visit to our friend Hank?"

Command Knight nodded. "We can take it from here. And be careful." She moved to grasp his hand for a moment before drawing back, mindful of Birdman's presence.

"I'll be fine. I have the easy job." Suddenly, he turned around and unsheathed his blade. With a single, fierce slash, he opened up a shadowy purple hole in the air, ripping through space like a curtain.

"Fare thee well, comrades." He said with a note of genuine emotion before stepping inside the portal. "If we prevail, then everything will change for the better, I guarantee it."

XxXxXxXxXxXxxXxXxxX

(Jamie Lancaster POV)

"BASTION, BASTION, BASTION, YYYEEEEEAAAAHHH!"

Though he swore to only have the one drink earlier, two hours later Bastion Misawa was currently doing a keg stand, Mokuba holding the tap to his mouth while some randos were holding up my former roommate's legs. To his credit, Bastion was actually holding down the alcohol well considering he was a total noob at drinking. Sooner or later though, it was going to catch up with him. Of course, I can't really cast too many stones considering I was pretty shitfaced myself.

"EEYYYYYYYY!" The crowd cheered after he was finished, letting the man walk free. Bastion made his way over to me and gave me a surprisingly strong clap on the back.

"Good friends, I find myself overcome by these potations, and fear that I must retire for the nonce, lest I vomit herein. Before my departure, I would be remiss if I did not extend heartfelt thanks to the esteemed sir Mokuba, as well as another round of congratulations to sir Roland!" Even while he was drunk, Bastion was still quite formal and polite. Hell, I think his vocabulary might have actually improved under the influence.

"ANOTHER ROUND!" The crowd cheered, and I think that was the only part of the speech that mattered to them, in all honesty. Bastion grinned in a manner most unlike him, genial and simple.

"My good friend and esteemed colleague, sir Jamie, I find myself quite jolly this eve. How dost thou own constitution fare?" Forget merely advanced vocabulary, he's gone all the way to purple prose! I knew that it was time for him to get home. Tomorrow morning was going to suck for him, big time.

Upon voicing my concerns, Bastion let out a hearty belch. "No need for worry, gentle companion. My sweet summer flower Jasmine has agreed to drive me home, which is most fortunate because I believe I have truly taken leave of all five of my senses this time."

He's even more long-winded drunk than he is sober. Though I had to admit describing Jasmine as a sweet summer flower was as hilarious as it was ironic. "Hey, that's probably a good call, chief." I slur.

"Forsooth. An enjoyable evening to you, Jamie. May you find whatever pleasures you seek. Anon!" With that, Bastion stumbled into the elevator, slumping against the handrail as the door closed.

After I finished laughing, I turned back to the party. Truth be told, I didn't feel like sticking around much longer. It was already nearly one in the morning, and although the party was still going strong, I was just about worn out. I had been catching vibes from a few girls on the dance floor, but thinking of Alexis gave me pause. Besides, I tended to get caught up in some kind of trouble this time of night.

I turned to leave, only to run into Mokuba. "Getting some fresh air? I know just the spot." And so, I found myself going up the roof, when I meant to go down. The roof was large and flat, with a tremendous view of the city skyline. Neon lights of innumerable colors glittered up at me from below like gems. The cool night air felt great, especially considering how hot it was on the dance floor. For a time, we were both silent.

"I knew Misawa would start enjoying himself once he got started. Guys like that tend to put a straight-laced appearance, only to be huge party animals once they let loose." Mokuba said with a knowing chuckle. "He has a ride back?"

"Yes, his girlfriend is picking him up." I answered.

"Oh, he has a girlfriend? I never would have guessed. Shame, I would have let you guys bring a plus one, but the guess list was tight as is." Mokuba said, somewhat apologetic.

"I can imagine, sir."

"No need to call me sir, we're close enough in age. Besides, I'm only acting in my brother's role. He is the one who built this company to what it is today, I just happen to be related to him." Mokuba shrugged.

"I can tell you respect him a lot." I already knew that, but I wasn't supposed to know. I got the feeling Mokuba might be one of the only people in the world who truly respected Seto. I respected Seto's power and some aspects of his mindset, but as a fellow human being?

"I do. Seto appears to be a harsh and cruel man to many, but he's no harsher than he's had to be. Ever since our days in the orphanage, he has protected me from harm, even from our own stepfather later on. Every time Seto tried to be gentle and kind, it came at a terrible cost, while cold and ruthless acts paid dividends beyond imagination. Honor never meant shit to our stepfather, and honor without reciprocity is suicidal. All we had was our pride, and some days even that couldn't be taken for granted." Mokuba was clearly a bit tipsy as well, a ruminating look on his face. I doubt he would be so open with me had he not been.

"Well, look at you now." I added lamely, trying to boost his spirits.

"Yeah…things have been great, especially lately. I just hope Seto doesn't get himself into any trouble on his trip…"

"I'd worry more about yourself." The flapping of wings, along with the snide words, were the only warning we got of the stranger's arrival. It was a birdman, black wings blending in with the sky as flashes of red mockingly gleamed from exposure to the city lights.

"Oh, for fuck's sake." I mutter before burping. It was getting harder and harder to surprise me these days. The intoxication might have made this easier to accept as well. "This ain't good..."

"Woah, I know for a fact I didn't put any cosplayers on the list, and I definitely didn't invite any furries! Did Roland invite this guy?" Mokuba sputtered.

"He's no cosplayer…" I growl. "He's Harpie's Brother."

The winged warrior began to laugh before the end of my sentence registered. "Wait, what? No, I'm not Harpie's Brother, my name is Birdman!" He squawked indignantly.

"Wait, really?" I knew the card as Harpie's Brother. Was Birdman the Japanese name or something? "My bad, bro. Anyways, what's going on? Please for the love of Ra tell me you're not here to kill me or anything like that."

"Bad news, chief! That's the game plan!" Birdman cackled before activating his duel disk. "You are the lion, are you not?"

"Huh?" I was known as the Lion of Obelisk amongst my peers at Duel Academy for reasons I still have yet to fully grasp, but how would this duel spirit know that? Wait a minute, Yubel called me the same thing, during the battle against Kagemaru!

"So, you are on Yubel's orders, then." I assumed, paying no mind to Mokuba's presence, even as the acting CEO looked increasingly befuddled.

He declined to answer directly. "I am here on orders, that much is true. Whose orders is not your concern."

"You know, Yubel tried to kill me personally almost a month ago. Sending lackeys at this point is just rude. I thought our relationship progressed beyond that." I said with faux affability.

Birdman laughed. "I think Yubel will be quite pleased should I complete my mission…whatever meager feats you hold under your belt mean nothing. Because I have discovered the same power as you!"

Oh, I think I know what he means by that, and it's not good. But I don't have my cards! God damn it, am I supposed to carry them everywhere I go? This was not the time for this, I could barely even think straight right now.

"Mister Mokuba, I don't suppose you would have a deck of cards on you right now? Looks like this guy is spoiling for a duel." I chanced.

"Nah, that's not really something I just carry around…." Mokuba murmured, still not really grasping the situation and the conflict at play. "If only I had my dragon deck with me…I could wipe the floor with this guy!"

"What? The so-called great duelists of the human realm caught without cards, their foremost weapon? What use is a warrior without his weapons? Such an unfortunate mistake. If you duel, then at least your duel energy can be harvested for Master Yubel's ultimate purpose. But if you lack the ability to fight, then I will simply tear you limb from limb and be done with this matter!" As I might have expected, this duel spirit was yet another violent, mad cog in Yubel's great machine.

The statement was unpleasant generally, but it was particularly unpleasant because it served as a reminder that the only reason I hadn't died several times over was because I was good at playing a game. That was how I was able to fight these life or death battles without the deep-seated fear of nonexistence causing me to piss myself. If I just thought of it as a game, the consequences didn't seem as real, the proximity to death not so close.

"I must fight, somehow…" Thinking hard, I decided to try one last thing, a trick more suited to Jaden than me.

"Sonata?" I thought as hard as I could, trying to reach my duel spirit through force of will. It was a cheesy, lame trick that fit a shonen protagonist well. So let's try it! "Wherever you are, I really need your help. Please, I need weapons with which to fight this evil."

Pregnant moments passed – were my prayers falling on deaf ears?

XxXxxXxxXxXxxXXXxXXxXXx

(Jasmine POV) (Huh?)

"C'mon, big guy. Let's get you back home." Jasmine, the perpetually beleaguered girlfriend of Bastion Misawa, grumbled. She was helping her boyfriend to her car, supporting him on one shoulder as he hobbled along.

"Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, who is already sick and pale with grief!" Bastion hiccuped. Jasmine rolled her eyes. She vaguely remembered a similar line from something they had to read in literature class, but the exact source escaped her, probably because she spent nearly every moment of that class surfing social media websites on her phone. Still, she did not expect that Bastion would become so sesquipedalian upon inebriation. Wait, did she really just use those words? Maybe she was spending too much time around Bastion after all.

"We're almost there, Bastion. I swear to the old gods and the new, if you vomit in my car you'll cleaning it up with a damn toothbrush." She sniffed.

"She speaks! O, speak again, bright angel!" Bastion said with a childish sigh. Well, maybe his little habit wasn't so bad – Jasmine's ears certainly enjoyed hearing some honeyed words from time to time. It was certainly a marked change from the crude remarks most of the boys at school made at parties.

"Such a flatterer." She muttered.

"My lady, I am in your debt for a thousand moons for this kindness. Now then, whither is thine carriage?" Bastion asked as they finally got to the parking lot. This journey had taken twenty fucking minutes thus far, usually because Bastion would stop to smell a flower or make extensive conversation with the valet, who was sneakily filming on his phone the whole time.

"It should be right here-" Jasmine found her dad's beat-up Camry, only to find an unfamiliar figure leaning against the hood.

It was a blonde woman in dusky red armor, wearing the trappings of a knight. A sword was sheathed at her side, but the most shocking piece of her outfit was the duel disk affixed to her arm. It was unlike any model of duel disk that Jasmine had ever seen. It was dark purple, almost puce in color, with a strangely fleshy texture to it. It looked almost…organic, and utterly unsettling.

"Umm, excuse me, that's my car." Jasmine said crisply, her patience even shorter than usual.

"Oh, my bad." The woman sounded contrite, moving to get out of the way. "Hey, wait a minute. Hate to be rude, but is that drunk guy hanging off your shoulder Bastion Misawa by any chance?" She hastily added, craning to get a better look at the intern.

Jasmine narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Who's asking?"

"Tis true, my lady knight. My name is Bastion Misawa, what's yours?" Sadly, Bastion had no interest in being obtuse.

"Ah, how very convenient. I feared I would have to wait quite a while until you emerged from that party. Bastion, I realize you aren't your right mind at the moment, but I'm afraid I have a bit of an ultimatum to administer." The armor-clad woman said apologetically.

"What the hell? Speak your name at once!" Jasmine demanded.

"Oh, that. You see, I only go by Command Knight. A bit of a droll name, I know, but such is the life of a duel spirit." The knight held a rueful smile.

"A duel spirit!?" Bastion suddenly jumped to attention, though he stumbled somewhat without Jasmine's support. "Have you any relations to the Dark Scorpions? Those brigands spoke of returning to the human realm one day to mete out vengeance on my person!" Bastion pointed a finger accusingly.

Command Knight laughed. "Sorry, haven't heard of them. Does he always talk like this?" She chuckled at Jasmine, who stonily refused to answer her question. "Anyways, my terms are these: On behalf of Master Yubel, I must ask that you submit your dueling decks at once and forever swear to give up the game. I also ask that you direct us towards Jaden Yuki, High Lord of Darkness and the Supreme King of the twelve dimensions. "

Jasmine's eyes were wide. Jaden Yuki, High Lord of Darkness and the supreme king of the twelve dimensions? What kind of drugs was this crazy woman on? The Jaden Yuki she knew was barely fit to run a lemonade stand, much less the entire universe. Besides, he would never give himself a pretentious, obviously evil title like "Lord of Darkness". As she recalled, he much preferred heroes to villains.

Still, the situation was perilous. Strange people were searching for Jaden, and that was something to take seriously, though she did not consider the Slifer a friend. "We're not telling you where anyone is. Now leave us alone before we call the police."

Command Knight merely looked amused before looking to Bastion. "Well? Does she speak for you, Misawa?"

"In this instance, my fair lady and I are in agreement. I shall not give up Duel Monsters this day, nor will I tell you were Jaden Yuki is." Bastion said with what resolve he could muster.

Just like that, the amused expression on the knight's face evaporated, replaced with a dead-eyed stare. "Unfortunate. I did not wish to resort to bloodshed, but I must obey my orders. Your duel energy will be a great boon to Yubel's cause, Misawa!" She activated her duel disk and made her challenge clear.

"Who is Yubel?" Jasmine's bafflement was growing by the moment. "And why does this person want to play a game of Duel Monsters at one in the morning?"

She wanted to think this a joke, but when she looked at Bastion, the worry and fear on his face was very real. "But I cannot duel now…oh, I knew I should not have allowed myself to imbibe!" He said with regret.

"And now you refuse to fight? You are beginning to anger me, Misawa! I could slay you here and now and leave before the light fully left your eyes. If you battle me, at least your duel energy can be put to good use! So what will it be?" The warrior issued yet another ultimatum.

Jasmine grit her teeth. She had no way of knowing how skilled Command Knight was, but she doubted Bastion could beat a child as he was now. Lancaster was still at the party…but he was probably just as drunk as Bastion! Besides, Jasmine was loath to rely on his help, finding him arrogant and not nearly as funny as he thought he was.

"I won't stand on the sidelines this time! This time, it's my turn to save you, Bastion!" She resolved, thinking of when he rescue her from Wheeler.

"Jasmine, you have to get out of here! I've faced duel spirits before, and I know how dangerous they can be! Flee, now!" Bastion said bravely, attempting to stand between Jasmine and their assailant.

"No. Not this time." She said with equal courage. "I won't let you die for my sake. I'm a duelist too, and I can face this challenge!" Spending time around Bastion these past months caused Jasmine to take her dueling much more seriously. He had been supportive of her on every count, and in turn that made her want to be truly worthy of the Obelisk Blue title she had been given solely because of her gender.

"No, it's fine, Bastion." She said with inexplicable confidence. "I have a duel disk in my car." She only hoped that there were some cards there as well. If not, this would be rather awkward.

"Well, I suppose I'll take what I can get. But be warned, if you fail here, both your lives are forfeit. Is that clear?!" Command Knight barked.

Jasmine rifled around her backseat, quickly finding her academy model disk. However, there were no cards in it. "Fuck! This is really bad!"

She desperately searched around her car, although she knew for certain that she didn't have a deck of cards to play with. Bastion tapped her on the shoulder. Turning around, she saw him began to undo the buttons to his blazer.

"Bastion, now is really not the time!" She hissed.

"Oh, I see. Then you'll have no interest in using one of my six decks for this battle, then?" Bastion said with a wry smile, revealing his custom made vest that held six deck slots, each being full.

Jasmine couldn't help herself and started chuckling. "Bastion, did you really bring six dueling decks to a party!? I still can't believe you even wear that vest at all, much less the way you wear it everywhere."

"Constant vigilance – a duelist is always prepared. This particular build should suit you well. We worked on it together." He unfastened one of the deck slots and gave her a 40 card deck, her one and only fighting chance.

"Ok, let's go!" Jasmine quickly looked through the deck before placing it inside the duel disk. "I'm surprised you waited so patiently for us to get ready." She addressed Command Knight, activating her duel disk as she did so.

"To slay two defenseless people is mere slaughter. To slay two people with the ability to fight is simply called battle. I'm a stickler for semantics like that." Command Knight responded with a flourish.

Jasmine gulped. Something told her this wouldn't be anything like a practical exam.

XxXxXxXxXxXxxXxXxxX

(Jamie Lancaster POV)

As the moments went on, my silent prayers continued to go unanswered. Sonata, can you hear me?! "Damn it, I can't go out like this!"

"Is there a problem here?" The aid came not from my duel spirit, but from none other than the man of the hour himself, Roland, who evidently decided to get some fresh air as well. "I thought I gave the guards specific orders not to let male cosplayers inside.

"Glad you're here, Roland. Uh, don't worry, the situation is currently being…handled. Say, you wouldn't happen to have a deck of duel monster cards on you by any chance?" Mokuba asked awkwardly. Birdman scoffed, but otherwise waited patiently.

"Not exactly, but I do have a trade binder full of fairly rare cards. I was showing it to some collectors earlier." Roland quickly procured a black binder.

"How can he see with his sunglasses on at night?" I wondered.

"Okay, dope, dope." Mokuba hurried over, quickly thumbing through the binder. "This should be enough for a deck, Lancaster. Quick, build one!"

It took me a few minutes, but I compiled a fairly effective dragon deck from the contents of the trade binder. I had no particular fondness for dragons, but it's not like I had any other options here. "You guys go break up the party, make sure the people get home safely. This guy wants me, so that's who he's going to get." I said, the incoming fight causing a rush of aggression. I was a bit drunk still, but I had no choice but to try and work through it. I hadn't had nearly as much to drink as Bastion at any rate. Ordering around Mokuba Kaiba was a foolish act, but there would be time to pay for that later.

To my surprise, Mokuba just nodded and seemed to accept my command. Roland, as always, was a step behind him. Confident that the party downstairs was handled, I turned my full attention on my foe.

"Sorry, but I don't have my Melodious deck on me right now. Hope you're not too disappointed." I said sardonically.

"The only way you could disappoint me is if you rolled over without a fight." With that, the game was afoot. I took the first turn.

"I'll start by setting a monster and one face-down." If he was playing the kind of deck I think he was playing, then I should be careful about overextending my resources.

"Draw!" Birdman declared ostentatiously. "You may have won battles against duel spirits before, but a lion has no place in the sky! I activate the field spell Harpie's Hunting Ground!"

In a moment, the city seemed to vanish, the both of us standing on steep buttes in a flat, harsh desert. Vultures keeled overhead, and the beating sun seemed all too real.

It was a far from unexpected move. "Are you sure you're not Harpie's Brother?"

"Listen, I have nothing to do with the Harpies! God, why does everyone think that?!" He screeched.

"Yeah right, and I'm a harem protagonist!"

"Silence! I summon Cyber Harpie Lady (1800/1300) in attack mode!" A pink-haired bird woman clad in dark violet armor swept down from the sky, an expectant and hungry look on her face.

I just gave Birdman a droll look, which he pretended not to notice. "She gains 200 attack and defense while the field spell is active. And furthermore, when a Harpie is summoned, I must target a spell or trap on the field and destroy it!" He gestured to my face-down.

I decided to chain. "Activate reverse card, Needlebug Nest. This lets me mill five cards from the top of the deck." It was a seemingly horrible card, but the graveyard was a good place to be for most cards in this deck.

No surprise he was playing Harpies. A tricky set of cards, though not unbeatable. Dragons were generally a favorable matchup, their high attack power able to muscle through such tricks. I was generally not fond of dragons – not that I hated them, but they were so commonly used that I tended to grow tired of facing them. It didn't help that nearly every archetype in the game has a dragon boss monster, even if the rest of the series has little to do with dragons. I sure didn't mind using them now though.

"Cyber Harpie Lady, strike!" The winged beast swooped upon my face-down monster, a pale terracotta salamander with bright eyes.

"You activated the effect of Kidmodo Dragon (100/200)! When it's sent from the field to the graveyard, I can special summon a dragon monster from my hand!" A halo of fire spun in the air above my head. "I summon Darkflare Dragon (2400/1200)!"

In the center of the flaming ring appeared a beast with black and orange scales, dark violets wings flapping slowly and mightily. Birdman scowled, but otherwise only said, "I set two cards and end my turn."

Even through alcohol-induced fog, I could tell he was expecting to face a different deck. This makeshift deck may prove to be a boon after all, although I also was pretty unfamiliar with how to play it optimally.

"I sure hope Bastion's alright…I better finish this fast. Draw." Considering my options, I briefly had to stop myself from swaying. "First, I'll play Reinforcement of the Army to add a warrior from the deck. Then, I summon Herald of Creation (1800/600)." A high priestess clad in holy white and gold stepped forward, holding a tall staff with a hoop-like structure on its end.

"Darkblaze Dragon, attack!" I couldn't afford to spare any more words. The dragon quickly and obediently let loose an impossibly round fireball towards the enemy.

"I can tell you're getting hasty, Lancaster! Don't count your chickens before the hatch! I activate my reverse card, Phoenix Wing Wind Blast. By discarding a card, I can send a card of yours to the top of the deck!"

A gale of intense winds blew the fireball out, sending my dragon flying back into the deck in the process. Now I'd draw it next turn. Fuck, that trap is annoying! Wait, there's a way out. I had a feeling he might have had that card.

"I play the spell card Trade-In. By discarding a level eight monster, I can draw two cards. With that, I end my turn." I snarled.

"Good to hear, because during the end phase, I activate the effect of a card in the graveyard. I discarded Harpie Harpist (1700/600) to activate my trap earlier. And since I did, I get to add a Winged Beast from deck to hand with 1500 or less attack points from deck to hand." As Birdman searched through his deck, I wondered how his talons didn't damage the cards. As he drew his next card, a thought seemed to occur to the avian.

"It really is a shame you don't have your Melodious cards with you, because now you have no way of combating the power I have discovered!" He boasted, as all of these minions do.

"I know what power you speak of, and it won't save you. You will die this day." I said, my voice suddenly lacking any humor. The contrast seemed to surprise Birdman – his wings stiffened.

"Why so shocked." I said dully, the question becoming a statement. "Do you think that I will lose a moment of sleep over shooting you out of the sky?" Leaving him to chew on that, I stopped talking and let him take his turn.

"You'll see! Prepare to die, Lion of Obelisk! First, I play the continuous spell Hysteric Sign. When this is activated, I can add Elegant Egotist from deck to hand. Then, I summon Harpie Dancer (1200/1000) in attack mode!" A shapely blonde monster girl flew to the field, this one appearing younger and more "innocent" than the Cyber Harpie Lady.

"Due to Harpie's Hunting Ground, I must destroy a spell or trap. Since you have none, I choose to destroy my own Hysteric Sign! And now, all the pieces are in place. With two level four monsters on the field, I can activate the overlay network!" The two harpies suddenly disintegrated into pure energy, twin spheres of soft yellow light spiraling into the air.

"Huh? Sorry, I kinda wasn't paying attention there. What's going on?"

"I exceed summon the mighty Tornado Dragon (2100/2000)!" The beast's form was difficult to make out – I had to strain my eyes to see it completely. It was a dragon formed entirely out of swirling grey winds, glowing scarlet eyes peering out of the cyclones.

"Oh, I see. So, you really did learn how to exceed summon. How?" I asked with placid curiosity.

"Master Yubel saw you do it the day you battled Kagemaru. It was a harnessing of duel energy the likes of which none of us have ever seen before from a human…at least in this dimension. Seeing you do it showed her how to as well, and from there…" Birdman trailed off.

"What do you mean this dimension? Is there another dimension where it is a common occurrence?" I was genuinely interested now. And that last part was worrying. How much of Yubel's forces know how to exceed summon now? And do they have any idea how to synchro or pendulum summon?

"Of course. Some say the entire dimension itself was created through the power of Exceed monsters. To see someone from this timeline discover the power is strange…but I forget, you're not from this timeline, are you?" Birdman cackled. "What other secrets do you know?"

"As if I'd tell you. And if you think having a few Exceed monsters in your deck will bring you victory, you're sadly mistaken. Having a larger set of tools does not improve the skills and expertise of their user." I said coldly.

"You dare refer to us cards as tools…you really are a bastard! Tornado Dragon, destroy his Herald of Creation!" The winds blew my priestess away – I was only just able to brace my feet enough to stay unmoved. (Jamie 3700/Birdman 4000)

This was a tighter spot than I originally thought. My next draw would have to let me go on the offensive. The Tornado dragon can destroy a spell or trap on the field at the cost of detaching one material, and Harpie's Hunting Ground is still on the field.

"I end my turn, and since Hysteric Sign was destroyed this turn, I can activate its graveyard effect – I get to add three Harpie monsters with different names to my hand." Not only was his field position better, but now his hand advantage far exceeded mine.

"Come on." I muttered under my breath as if I were rolling the dice at a casino, such was the nature of life or death battles now.

"Good." I breathed a sigh of relief. "I play the spell card Return of the Dragon Lords! This lets me special summon a level seven or eight dragon from the graveyard. And since I sent one last turn for Trade-In, I have just the idea for who to bring back!"

Golden light streamed from the sky, thin photons twisting together to form a beam of energy that shot into the ground. From the sky descended a glistening drake with metallic gold and silver scales, almost too bright too look upon. "I summon Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand (2800/2800)!"

D…damn it!" Birdman cursed. "I'll show you that birds are the true kings of the sky! That dragon will be returning to hell soon!"

"When this monster is summoned, I can banish a card you control. You get two guesses which one I'm going for." Wordlessly, I pointed to the Tornado Dragon. Felgrand shone even more brightly, its aura blasting apart the miniature cyclones until the air was calm once more.

"And since it was a monster, I can deal 100 points of damage to you for each of its levels, or ranks in your exceed monster's case." The aura grew brighter and hotter, causing the dark-plumed Birdman to hiss. (Jamie 3700/Birdman 3600)

"Then, I'll summon Dragon Knight of Creation (1800/600) to the field in attack mode!" A warrior clad in white-gold armor wielding a tremendous greatsword took the field, a wild mane of auburn hair trailing from his helmed head. It was a fairly useful card in terms of special effects, but right now I just needed a beatstick.

The golden knight and the dragon above attacked in sync, two natural foes working together in this one instance to secure the victory. (Jamie 3700/Birdman 0)

The black-winged spirit recoiled, the bright desert sky slowly fading back to the hazy city nightscape. "How is this possible? I gained the power for myself…is the overlay network truly this weak?"

I laughed cruelly. "It is you who is weak. First you brag about exceed summoning as if it was some unassailable advantage, then you decry it as useless the moment things don't go your way? Is that the way of it, spirit?" I stood over him, the moon and the city lights casting my frame into silhouette.

"Grr…Master Yubel will avenge me…and as soon as she gets her hands on you, you will die by inches!" Birdman spat in my face, the saliva hitting my cheek. The gesture stoked my rage, but I managed to keep it under control.

"Listen to me. I am not a killer. If you swear to leave Yubel's service and keep out of my affairs, then I've got not problem letting you go. Even though you would have never given me the same chance." I decided to make the offer, if only to soothe my own conscience at least.

Birdman let out a sound between laugh and choke. "No one leaves Yubel's service without paying for it in flesh and blood. You do not understand, she will hunt you to the ends of the universe and beyond. Your final destination is darkness, and waiting for you in the end is despair. And your demise will satisfy the purest of dreams…true love."

I had to give him a little credit. Usually these low level demons default to a defensive survival instinct by now, once their façade of aloof control has been stripped away. This one doubles down on spite and rage. Does he not believe me capable of ending his life? Literally dead wrong.

"So I take it you're not interested in the whole living to fight another day thing?" I heard enough. It was hard to explain, but emerging victorious in a shadow game grants the winner powers. Powers over the fate of the loser, over life and death. I had exercised it before, and I would again.

In a few moments, Harpie's Brother or whatever his name was disappeared in a cloud of gold dust.

I walked over to the edge of the rooftop and observed the city for a while before going back downstairs.

A/N

Hope you all enjoyed.

It's only natural in anime that whenever there is a party scene of some kind, villains must follow close by. Blade Knight has his own mission, while Harpie's Brother and Command Knight are trying their luck at slaying Jamie and Bastion, though the former obviously failed while the latter got a different fight than expected.

Ultimately, Harpie's Brother is not a very skilled duelist (I called him Birdman because it is the card's Japanese name and to save me the pain in the ass that writing Harpie's Brother or Sky Scout would be every time) but he believed that having the ability to XYZ summon would bring him victory. He was wrong of course, but I felt it important to show that Yubel's forces now have the ability to tap into the Overlay Network. Who knows what sort of power Yubel and the actually strong duelists have?

I am working on a horror-themed Berserk/ASOIAF one-shot for Halloween at the moment, so that has diverted my attention from this story somewhat, but obviously it is passing. I hope you guys read it, but I certainly wouldn't take it personally if you didn't, it will be a darker, more tragic piece.

We'll be returning to Duel Academy soon. I'm excited to write Aster Phoenix and Sartorius, I hope to put a little bit of a different spin on them. Thanks for your continued support!