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If it wasn't for the playful sound effects of the gaming machines behind them, Raymond would've had no protection from ground zero of a nuclear aftermath made from undertone hatred of each other. Or at least, Dylan's hatred of Travis. Raymond had no idea if Travis hated Dylan an equal amount.
And why should he? Things were going his way, and if what Dylan said about him being lucky was true, then any negative energy Dylan shot his way would fizzle out by the aura of happiness of how fortunate of a life Travis lived. Which, by the way, brought Raymond's eyes to Travis's left wrist; a diamond-gold Rolex watch. What was the price of that thing? A thousand dollars was an extremely safe bet that it couldn't be any less than six thousand.
The woman, whom was sitting beside Travis by the way, seemed to think that too. Her hand kept finding themselves reaching for that watch, the striped tabbed collar dress shirt from Robert Geller, or forged carbon cufflinks outlined with carat gold. Once she realized it, she pulled back, wanting to seem reserved to the men.
But she also seemed excited. Excited by how two men were willing to fight for her affections, no matter how ridiculous the method of challenge was. Bet it made her feel special, didn't it? Social power tipped to her advantage and there were already other guys around the other tables checking her out. She pretended she didn't notice as she reveled in the attention, but Raymond saw through her veil.
Raymond had made a mistake directing Dylan to her. Truly, a lamb to the slaughter.
"I challenged you, so it's only fair you get to decide who goes first." Dylan shuffled his deck. Vitriol and resentment never left his tone.
Oh Dylan, what were you doing? All he knew about her was that she was pretty. That was it. Lacking in the experience does not cover how nonsensical this was. Shallowness was not something anyone should chase after, especially when she had no problem discarding him so carelessly at the moment's notice, and especially not to a genuine man of noble character.
More and more, she began to remind him of someone he would much rather forget. Not forget, dead. He wanted him dead for abandoning his responsibilities.
"Trudeau," Raymond put his hand on Dylan's shoulders. He must stop this to save Dylan's integrity. "Let's just go, this isn't—"
"Novak please," Dylan cut him off, slapping his hand off. "There's something I need to know."
Raymond backed off. Fine. If this was how Dylan want to deal with his issues, then Raymond had no obligation to continue trying. He did his part, now he was going to watch. Besides, it'd be advantageous for him to see what kind of mindset Travis would use to play his cards without Raymond revealing the same.
Oh, who was he kidding? Dylan would obviously win this. Not once was he ever knocked out of the duel during any of their tag duels and left it all up to Raymond to finish the battle. If Dylan could handle himself against two professionals while a novice dragged him down, then dueling alone would be even smoother of a ride.
No amount of luck could beat that level of skill, not even the kind that hit two jackpots.
Dylan turned back to face Travis. "Well?"
"Thank you, but I've decided that you may decide." Travis said as he shuffled his deck. "You'll need the advantage."
"Thanks, I never knew you were so kind…" Dylan responded with thick sarcasm no one could miss. Travis cut Dylan's deck into three and reorganized it. "I guess I'll have to return the favor."
"No need." Travis did the same.
"I insist." Dylan drew his starting hand. "You go."
"Why, thank you."
[TURN 1 Travis Eldon Lawrence LP/8000 Hand/5]
"I'll activate Destiny Draw." A pot of Greed already? "Discarding Destiny HERO Malicious lets me draw two cards."
"I normal summon Destiny HERO Drilldark, which lets me special summon Destiny HERO Celestial."
[ATK Destiny HERO Drilldark: DARK LV/4 Warrior/Effect ATK/1600 DEF/1200]
[ATK Destiny HERO Celestial: DARK LV/4 Warrior/Effect ATK/1600 DEF/1400]
"Banishing Malicious lets me summon another."
[DEF Destiny HERO Malicious: DARK LV/6 Warrior/Effect ATK/800 DEF/800]
"I tribute all three monsters to special summon Destiny HERO Dogma!"
[ATK Destiny HERO Dogma: DARK LV/8 Warrior/Effect ATK/3400 DEF/2400]
"I set two cards and end my turn."
[TURN 1 Travis Eldon Lawrence LP/8000 Hand/0]
"I draw."
[TURN 2 Dylan Trudeau LP/8000 Hand/5 — 6]
"Dogma's effect activates!" Travis declared before Dylan could do anything. "Once, at your Standby Phase after I special summoned it this way, your LP are halved!"
[TURN 2 Dylan Trudeau LP/8000 — 4000 Hand/6]
Half of his life points already!? Four thousand damage without a single attack yet! That was the highest effect damage Raymond had ever seen in any of his duels. Before this, the highest was only five hundred. Combo with some Dylan's cards that would take even more of his life points, was a danger zone even he couldn't afford.
"I special summons Cyber Dragon Novus by sending Verstarkung! And when Novus is special summoned, I can—"
"No, you can't." Travis smirked. His hand, swift and slick, flipped up his two set cards. "I'm chaining D - Tactics! And building another chain with my other trap card, D - Tag Out! I get to shuffle Dogma into deck, send the top card of my deck to the grave, then special summon a Destiny HERO with the same level from my deck or grave, ignoring summoning conditions! The monster must be shuffled back to deck if it's destroyed."
[ATK Destiny HERO Plasma: DARK LV/8 Warrior/Effect ATK/1900 DEF/600]
"Plasma negates the effects of monsters you control; thus, Novus can't special summon Verstarkung!"
"Then D - Tactics resolves! If a level eight or higher Destiny HERO, or Destiny End Dragoon is special summoned, I can banish one card randomly from your hand, or one card from either your field or graveyard!" Travis picked up and moved Dylan's card out of the game without any warning or asking for any permission. "And I choose Novus!"
"Damn it." Dylan tightened his fist.
Impressive. Most impressive. Novus was a key card in bringing out the fullest potentially of Dylan's deck, without it, he must reliable on less favorable strategies. For Travis to intuitively know that meant that he was well-versed in the current format. Lesser men would assume Dylan had dueled Travis before with the same deck, but logically, in a competitive scene, people would change decks every year to keep the element of surprise.
And the top card Travis sent to his graveyard was a Disk Commander. An erratted Disk Commander, but still recognizable.
"Well then, I special summon Cyber Dragon!"
[ATK Cyber Dragon: LIGHT LV/5 Machine/Effect ATK/2100 DEF/1600]
"Next, I activate Cyber Converter!" Cyber Converter? Of all the duels they've been in together, Raymond had never seen Dylan pull that card out before. Keeping his cards close to his chest, was he? It shouldn't have surprised Raymond. "Cyber Converter allows me to special summon any light attribute, machine type monster from my deck and also treat its name as Cyber Dragon! That includes if it goes to the graveyard!"
[DEF Electromagnetic Turtle / Cyber Dragon: LIGHT LV/4 Machine/Effect ATK/0 DEF/1800]
"Then I activate Machine Duplication! Since Electromagnetic Turtle is treated as a Cyber Dragon on field and in grave, I can special summon two original Cyber Dragons!"
[ATK Cyber Dragon: LIGHT LV/5 Machine/Effect ATK/2100 DEF/1600]
[ATK Cyber Dragon: LIGHT LV/5 Machine/Effect ATK/2100 DEF/1600]
"I now link summon Cyber Dragon Sieger!"
[ATK Cyber Dragon Sieger: LIGHT Machine/Link/Effect ATK/2100 LINK-2]
"Then I activate Cyber Rvsystems to special summon Cyber Dragon from my grave!"
Nice, not only did Dylan manage to get Electromagnetic Turtle in the graveyard to negate one battle phase, but he also had enough material to special summon another extra deck monster. And Raymond had a feeling exactly what monster Dylan was planning to summon.
"I xyz summon Cyber Dragon Nova."
[ATK Cyber Dragon Nova/2: LIGHT RK/5 Machine/Xyz/Effect ATK/2100 DEF/1600]
Just as predicted.
"Battle Phase! Cyber Dragon attacks Plasma!"
[TURN 2 Travis Eldon Lawrence LP/8000 — 7800 Hand/0]
"Cyber Dragon Sieger attacks you directly!"
[TURN 2 Travis Eldon Lawrence LP/7800 — 5700 Hand/0]
"Nova attacks, and now that Plasma is gone, I can banish Cyber Dragon for it to gain twenty-one hundred more attack points!"
[ATK Cyber Dragon Nova/2: LIGHT RK/5 Machine/Xyz/Effect ATK/2100 — 4200 DEF/1600]
[TURN 2 Travis Eldon Lawrence LP/5700 — 1500 Hand/0]
"And to prevent you from coming back from that, I'm ranking up to Cyber Dragon Infinity!"
[ATK Cyber Dragon Infinity/3: LIGHT RK/5 Machine/Xyz/Effect ATK/2100 — 2700 DEF/1600]
"I end my turn."
[TURN 2 Dylan Trudeau LP/4000 Hand/1]
That was… rather reckless. A more aggressive approach to dueling. Dylan would normally save as much of his monster as possible, mostly because his deck couldn't handle that much banishing. Cyberload Fusion and Cyber Network were the only cards that could recover his banished monsters.
Dylan was playing emotionally. Hatred might not be a right word, but it certainly seemed like it. Annoyance was too belittling. Bad temperament was the best way to describe it.
But could Raymond complain? Travis had virtually no cards on his field and no cards in his hand; any card he draws at this point could and would be negated. Furthermore, Travis could not afford to save that card for one more turn, since Cyber Dragon Infinity would destroy what remained of his life points.
Ironic. Destiny was not Travis's hero. It was already over.
[TURN 3 Travis Eldon Lawrence LP/1500 Hand/0 — 1]
"I activate Dark Hole."
What a draw! If only it didn't come in such poor timing.
"Cyber Dragon Infinity negates!"
[ATK Cyber Dragon Infinity/3 — 2: LIGHT RK/5 Machine/Xyz/Effect ATK/2700 — 2500 DEF/1600]
Travis, however, wasn't as devastated as he should be. Dylan didn't miss it, and neither did Raymond. Calm and collected, Travis reached for his graveyard pile and picked out two specific cards. That's when the realization hit both of them.
"I activate Celestial's effect in the graveyard, by banishing it along with Drilldark when I have no cards in hand, I can draw two cards."
Now Travis had two extra cards in his hand and Dylan used up his Infinity's effect for the turn. But so what? What could he possibly do with only two cards? As Raymond checked Travis's graveyard, there were no other cards whose effects could be activated. There was no way merely two cards could turn the tide.
"I normal summon my second Drilldark which special summons my second Celestial."
[ATK Destiny HERO Drilldark: DARK LV/4 Warrior/Effect ATK/1600 DEF/1200]
[ATK Destiny HERO Celestial: DARK LV/4 Warrior/Effect ATK/1600 DEF/1400]
"I now link summon Xtra HERO Cross Crusader."
[ATK Xtra HERO Cross Crusader: DARK Warrior/Link/Effect ATK/1600 LINK-2]
"When it's link summoned, I can special summon a Destiny HERO such as Disk Commander from my grave! And when Disk Commander is special summoned from the grave, I can draw another two cards!"
[DEF Destiny HERO Disk Commander: DARK LV/1 Warrior/Effect ATK/300 DEF/300]
"I activate Fusion Destiny!" Travis said it in a specific way that irked Dylan the wrong way. By Raymond's guess, it was intentional. "I send Destiny HERO Plasma and Destiny HERO Dogma from my deck to fusion summon Destiny End Dragoon!"
[ATK Destiny End Dragoon: DARK LV/10 Warrior/Fusion/Effect ATK/3000 DEF/3000]
"D - Tactics banishes Sieger!" Again, Travis moved Dylan's card without permission. Not that it mattered due to Dylan not having anything to respond with. "Dragoon's effect activates, destroying Infinity and inflicting damage equal to its attack. Of course, I can't conduct battle this turn, but your little turtle would've done that anyway."
[TURN 3 Dylan Trudeau LP/4000 — 1500 Hand/1]
"I'll end my turn right there."
[TURN 3 Travis Eldon Lawrence LP/1500 Hand/1]
Admittingly, that was one hell of a comeback. In one turn, he managed to overcome—no, dominate—Dylan's almost unbreakable field. Didn't stop there though, now he had the leverage. One more activation of Dragoon's effect and Dylan would lose the duel.
In every way Raymond tried looking at it, the end was nigh. Dylan would need to make his final turn count or else Dragoon would end him, by effect or by battle.
[TURN 4 Dylan Trudeau LP/1500 Hand/1 — 2]
"It's over, Travis." Raymond knew that smirk. It was the smirk that told everyone exactly what he was going to do: single-handedly destroy his opponent with a trap card, steal his girl, topple down capitalism, and seize the means of production all in one move. Discernibly, he's being facetious because communism was never going to be the answer. What he was thinking was that he knew that smirk all too well. "I activate Cyber Emergency to add Cyber Eltanin! And by banishing all light, machine monsters from my field and grave, I can special summon it!"
[ATK Cyber Eltanin: LIGHT LV/10 Machine/Effect ATK/? — 3500 DEF/? — 3500]
"When Cyber Eltanin is special summoned, all other monsters on the field are sent to the graveyard!"
Yes! Now all Dylan needed to do was to attack him directly and the duel would be won!
"Good move." Travis complimented.
"Cyber Eltanin attacks you directly!"
"Just not good enough, mate." Travis's hand swoon to the one card he had in his hand. He slammed it to his graveyard pile, knowing all too well what it meant for him. "I discard Destiny HERO Dynatag to negate the battle damage. Then, we both take a thousand damage simultaneously."
[TURN 4 Travis Eldon Lawrence LP/1500 — 500 Hand/1]
[TURN 4 Dylan Trudeau LP/1500 — 500 Hand/1]
So close. He was one attack away…
"Damn it… damn it!" Dylan wanted to explode, but he kept his calm.
Travis stole Dylan's smile. "Are you just going to sit there? Or are you going to take it like a man and admit defeat?"
"I…" Dylan was desperate, searching his graveyard for any card he could play to counter this conundrum. If Travis could do it, why couldn't he? But he couldn't, because he was not Travis. In a way, that was a good thing, but not in this case. Dylan's one card in his hand was useless, and it brought him pain to be so defeated. "I end…"
"Good." Travis almost cackled. "Good."
[TURN 5 Travis Eldon Lawrence LP/500 Hand/0 — 1]
"During my Standby Phase, I can banish one Destiny HERO from my grave to special summon Destiny End Dragoon back to my field."
[ATK Destiny End Dragoon: DARK LV/10 Warrior/Fusion/Effect ATK/3000 DEF/3000]
No way…
"Destiny End Dragoon destroys your Eltanin."
[TURN 5 Dylan Trudeau LP/500 — 0 Hand/1]
No freaking way.
Dylan lost!?
But—but how!? He was virtually unbeatable! He had the upper hand majority of the times! How could he possibly lose!? And how could a man have lucked into his draws that many times that not one card he drew was a hinder to his strategy!? First, a card to conveniently force Infinity to waste its effect, then conveniently a monster that could summon another, which then link summoned into a monster that summons and draw another two which were all useful to him! It chances of that happening were astronomical, almost comparable to…
Winning jackpot…
Raymond lost his words.
"Alright then, bird." Travis picked up his cards and offered his arm to the woman. The woman, to which Raymond had forgotten was there since he became engrossed with the duel. She sat up, finally out of her boredom. She sat through the whole thing instead of just leaving… what kind of skill did this have to keep her this interested in him!? "Sorry to keep you waiting. Shall we catch that cab now?"
She tangled his arm with his. "Of course!"
And they walked out those doors, all giggling and flirting. They didn't leave much to the imagination of what they were going to do, especially when Travis's hand moved down from her waist to her rear. Again, she didn't resist.
The word incest came up in his mind, on how alike they were to Richard. Her blonde hair and excellent figure empathized on that key point, a clone with its gender reversed. No wonder he had hated her the moment he saw her.
Nevertheless, Dylan sat there alone, blue in defeat.
"What were you hoping to accomplish, Trudeau?" Raymond had to ask; he must distract himself before the similarities overrode his mood. Sure, it was a good thing Dylan didn't end up with such a loose woman that could've stole his dignity; Raymond should've put more thought into finding a good one for his dueling partner. Last thing he wanted was for more scumbags like his da— like Richard. But still… "Even if you had won, she still would've gone with him. She made up her mind."
Dylan didn't answer, probably too ashamed to confess that he actually thought that way. At some point during that moment, a thought crossed Raymond's mind that if Dylan had consumed too much fiction that the lines dividing it between reality had started to blur for him. Men who continue to play such childish games were often ones who find it difficult to grow up.
Trusting his experience, Dylan might be one of those who say that 'he tricked her, she didn't know any better' when everyone else knew that it took two to tango. Raymond couldn't believe that Dylan was one such man to…
Stop it, Raymond. It'd be too unkind to assume motive. Not on a man who's down.
Raymond sighed, patting Dylan on the back in an attempt to comfort him. "Trudeau, it's not that big of a deal, there's plenty of other fish in the sea."
"It's not about finding love, Novak." Dylan stood up from his chair. "If it was any other man, I wouldn't have bothered."
"So why did you challenge him?"
"Because Travis was not like any other man." Dylan shook his fist. God, did he want to express his anger, to go punch a wall or something to calm him down. Luckily, both of them knew the counter-productiveness of such rash decision. Dylan could only bottle it up. "He's… he's…"
"He's what?"
"HE'S ALWAYS AHEAD OF ME!" Dylan roared. The bottle exploded and the sudden outburst caught many attentions, from bar attendees to game players, but most discernibly, from the arcade security who were ready to intervene. Hell no, there was not going to be a repeat of what happened earlier on.
"It's okay, it's okay!" Raymond had to shout out. "He just stubbed his toe! Carry on!"
Stubbed his toe? Really? Whatever, that was his story and he was sticking with it.
Luckily, everyone else bought the excuse and went on with their daily lives. The security was a little bit suspicious as security always do, but they too backed down and returned to their positions.
"Sorry…" Dylan calmed down. He was on the verge of crying for God's sake! Raymond could only imagine the type of event that impacted Dylan this much to suffer such trauma. Raymond could've just chalked it up to emotional immaturity, but he knew Dylan wasn't like that. It contradicted his character; only mature men would have the kindness to help others, even somebody he knew would eventually be standing in his way.
"After all this time, I still can't beat him in the ONE DAMN THING I'm good at…" Dylan mumbled to himself. "Besides this game, I'm a fucking loser…"
Come on, he shouldn't be so hard on himself. So, what if he lost one game? It wasn't like anything was at stake; the loss didn't eliminate him from the tournament and Raymond gained new information on how exactly Travis played should they ever encounter him again.
Right out the gate, Travis had no interest in playing beatdown; pretty obvious since he never declared an attack throughout the entire duel. Most players would've triggered Electromagnetic Turtle's effect just to get it out of the way. Travis played it safe, very safe. Yet paradoxically, he would much rather sacrifice card advantage to inflict large amount of damage—damage which were still be far from the point of non-affordability, might he add—than to take it slow and retain control.
Clever, on the part of the organizers. Hosting a tournament where a duelist had to wait three turns instead of one to make his next move would surely erode anyone's patience. And Travis had hit his limit. Which meant Raymond's best bet was to stall him out as long as possible before he would become impatient. And haste, would lead to mistakes.
So yes, Raymond could say that they've gotten the better part of the encounter. Why couldn't Dylan see this?
"Come on Trudeau, cheer up." Raymond said. "You have work on that self-confidence of yours."
"I just…" Dylan stuttered. "When you told me to list off my charms…"
"Yes?"
"I was afraid." Dylan finally tried to look him in the eye as well. "I was afraid because I really have nothing else going for me."
Afraid? That question made him afraid? And how he said 'nothing'… in such a way unlike a normal person would say it. Did… did Dylan need help? A therapeutic kind of help? That's impossible; being anxious did not mean anything serious. Although…
"You want to talk about it?" Wait what? No! Raymond was not some emotional tampon. All other people outside of his family pushed themselves and bitched their problems onto him like an alien invasion. He never invited them, but that didn't stop them. So then why the hell did he offer it to him?
"You really are a good guy, Raymond…" Dylan tried smiling. Raymond? Not Novak? Were things so serious? "But no thanks Novak, I don't want to bother you."
He sounded so fake. Hopefully, acting was not a career choice Dylan had been considering, because that would lead to a life of washed-up poverty. He was better suited for a job as a veterinarian than a life of living one lie after another.
Something was hurting Dylan however, no matter how many times Raymond tried to dismiss it. It was clear to him now that denial—or rather, the rejection—of it did not make it go away, nor did it make it any less of a difficulty.
Hold on a second. Raymond recognized this.
"Are you okay, Raymond?"
"I said I'm fine, sis!"
"You're not fine, you're bleeding! Oh my God, have you been stabbed!? We have to get you to the hospital!"
"What I need is get to work! I can't afford not to! Not after… not after…"
"Trudeau, I'm going to ask you a question. And I want you to answer it honestly." Dylan was surprised by Raymond this time. It was the threatening roar of the fabled chimera; it took too long for Raymond to perfect this skill from all the beatings he took for his family. Like hypnosis, Dylan paid attention, mesmerized by its verbal grasp it held on him, whether he wanted to or not. "And I want you to answer as honestly as possible; directly from the bottom of your heart."
Dylan nodded in agreement.
"What do you want to do with your life?"
Dylan said nothing.
No direction.
No talents.
Only the game.
"I see…"
Travis demolished more than Dylan's win streak, he demolished Dylan's pride. Dylan's only pride, his greatest accomplishment he had so far in his life. Steal a dollar from a rich man and he wouldn't care. Steal a dollar from a homeless man and he would go hungry for a night, possibly even die. That was, of course, assuming the poor man didn't fight to the death to reclaim that single note.
The next time Raymond found himself in a church—if there was going to be a next time—he would be praying for Dylan to elevate himself. It'd be such a wasted potential to be only good at card games.
"I think it's time we call it a night." Raymond stated. It was getting past five minutes after nine.
"I think you're right, Novak." Dylan sighed, beginning to walk towards the front exit. Raymond followed him outside, where the summer night's heat hit him. "Where are you staying? I can drive you there."
Raymond waved him off. "You can just drive me to a park or any place with a wide field. I'll camp there."
"Wait, you don't have a hotel room?"
"No, I never planned to. That was why I've been carrying around this thing the whole time." Raymond recalibrated his backpack. "What, did you think I liked carrying this thing around?"
"Oh…" Dylan said. "Would you like to share a room with me then?"
"Oh no, Trudeau." Raymond backed off immediately. "I've already troubled you enough, you don't need to—"
"Please, Novak." Dylan cut him off. He was still disheartened; he couldn't hide that. And yet he was willing to do this. "Let me do it. It's the best I can do."
Raymond wanted to say no. If any more, he'd be a parasite on the Dylan's generosity. And yet, Raymond could feel the selfish part of him giving into that role of the parasite. After all, that was his identity throughout his entire youth, wasn't it? Every time he left the house, he had to make his mother and sister worried if they'd see him in one piece again. He had to use force to get them to leave him alone.
Accept it; he still had that parasitic instinct within him. He'd like to think he had been slowly killing it as he grew each year older, but of course it was still there. Why not give into it once in a while?
"Thanks, Dylan." Raymond sighed. "I really hope there were more people like you."
"I really hope not."
The shower was okay. Soap was off-limits since there was only one box and he wasn't the one who paid for the room; liquid hand-soap made to suffice, and scarcely as possible. It felt weird, comparable to being in a glass tank with alien goo. Awfully specific, but it was the best way of describing it. Or maybe that was only his mind not used to the idea of using hand soap for showering; they are both soap after all.
Twice he bumped his head on the ceiling when he climbed in and out of the bathtub. The bedroom ceiling was just fine; whoever thought that the ceiling in the bathroom should be so low for some reason should consider a different line of work.
His underwear and pants were a little bit wet from the humility, but what could he do? He was already spending the night with another guy in the same room; did he really want to add him walking across covered by only his towel to get his clothes? Wet pants were much better than awkwardly explaining himself how he wasn't some homosexual pervert.
Wow, that sounded wrong.
Enough of that, it was time he got out of the bathroom.
"I'm finished with the shower, Trudeau. You can use it." Raymond walked out of it as he continued to dry his hair with the towel.
Nothing was luxurious, nor was anything that screamed cheap. A fairly decent place to stay for two nights.
Dylan was sitting on his bed like it was his couch with his legs folded, reading some book. He wasn't in his pajamas as he originally intended due to Raymond becoming an unexpected guest, so he kept on today's clothes and would sleep in clothes intended for tomorrow. Yes, he had pajamas; at least they weren't ugly looking.
As soon as Dylan looked up from his book, his eyes immediately spelled out a subconscious message once he caught the sight of Raymond's torso: Genetic unfairness. Some men were just born to be tall, strong, and handsome. Raymond could practically read Dylan's envious thoughts, like all men before him.
Eh, Raymond was used to it.
"What's with the scars?" Dylan asked instead, noticing them once his self-pitying mini-session was over. "That is an unusual amount."
Yeah… sometimes his opponents liked to spice things up a bit with 'accessories'…
"I'm an adventurous guy, like taking risks." Technically the truth. Raymond cracked open a smirk and began flexing his biceps. "What? Did you think I got my physique by doing lazy work?"
He proceeded to show off his abs as well. With each single flex, every part of his muscle became more refined and harder. Hard enough to compete with an armor if anyone were stupid enough to punch them with their bare fists. Asserting dominance had never been easier.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it." Dylan rolled his eyes. "Why don't you do the t-pose while you're at it?"
Raymond cackled. Oh, this was fun, this was so much—wait… was Dylan actually pouting? Raymond resisted the urge to cackle even more. He was running the risk of turning into a villain at this point. Who knew sadistically kicking a man right in his ego would have so much entertainment in it?
Literally everyone.
Out of mercy, Raymond decided to stop it. And oh boy, did he feel like Adonis when he granted that mercy. He was tired anyway; his bed was on the floor. Again, he was an unexpected guest, which meant that Dylan only rented out a one-person hotel room. Looks like his camping gears aren't useless after all.
"So, what are you reading?" Raymond slowly killed his laughter. He almost crashed onto the bed had he not remembered that his hair was still wet. So instead, he was reaching for the remote, planning to flip through channels until something amused him.
"The Bible."
Raymond's hand didn't go any further.
"You carry the Bible around with you?" Raymond asked. And to his regret, he may have been a little hostile when he asked that question.
Dylan didn't pick up on that. "It was in the drawer."
Ah yes, the Gideon Bibles. A bunch of busybodies who couldn't leave other people well alone, decided to impose their backwards morals founded by unintelligent desert people because it 'would be a gracious act, wholly in keeping with the divine mission'. It was a miracle that they still put them in hotels, fully intending for it to be taken free of charge, considering how unreliable donation money are.
Couldn't believe people still thought it was a good idea to donate to them. Times were changing; either they were going to accept that or die in irrelevancy.
"You believe in that…" Nonsense. He was about to say nonsense.
"I will honor what I've said."
…
"You believe in that there's a God?" Raymond rephrased his question.
"Yes." For the first time, Dylan showed strength. True, unmoving strength. "Yes, I do."
Raymond didn't know if he should be impressed or disgusted. That would certainly explain away the naïveté he saw the first time they meet. They go hand-in-hand, true since the dawn of civilization.
Well that wasn't fair to say now, was it? His mind was beating himself over the head over this kind of thinking. Look at what he did to get here: he admitted defeat, didn't he remember? On his knees, begging for it to stop… just how He would like it. Raymond would be a hypocrite now.
"So, you're good Christian boy, eh?" There was an attempt at a joke. Wasn't sure if it was a good one or not. "What denomination?"
"Catholic."
Mom was Catholic too. What a coincidence… What a Goddamn coincidence. What else did they share in common? Endless buoyancy, blind trust, and altruistic charity to…?
Wait… no… no way…
"Why are you reading it anyway?" Raymond had to distract himself from that ridiculous delusion. Mom was Mom, no one besides his sister was ever going to match up to her. "I thought they already taught everything in Sunday School."
"They taught the basics." Dylan's words dispersed the smoke and mirrors. "But mostly, I read one chapter of it whenever I feel like I need some guidance."
Raymond's nails were starting to dig deep into his palm, and considering that he frequently cut his nails, that was something improbable.
Guidance? Bullshit. Where was this guidance prior in his life? Where was this oh so great divine intervention when he was five!? Where was He to tell his Dad to fucking stay and be faithful? Where was He to teach that disgusting piece of shit that he had a duty to be honor-bound to his family!? Didn't He have a responsibility to His creations? Then why was He more neglectful than a slut with a failed abortion!?
God the Father? All fucking bullshit.
What did Mom see in Him!? He brought nothing but countless disappointments into her life, into all their lives! He wanted answers! Why—
Forget it. Past was the past.
"So, what are you reading right now?" Raymond calmed himself. As much as he would like to go off and a rant right about now, he just didn't have to the mental strength to unleash such scrutiny and vileness anymore.
"Joshua chapter ten; I'm up to verse eight." Then a light bulb went off in his head. "How about you try it, Novak?"
"Oh no, I'm not brave enough for super…" Superstition. He had to stop himself again. Hypocrite. "I don't think I'd like to hear what He has to say."
"Come on, just try it for once." Dylan urged. "I was in the same shoes as you back in the day, you know?"
Doubt it. Otherwise, he would not be this kind. But Raymond wanted answers, didn't he? It'd be disingenuous to cover his ears screaming 'La la la, I can't hear you' when someone was willing. Just for a moment, let's pretend that somehow God was going to speak to him through His temporary prophet. Okay, Raymond could do this. God was here for tonight.
Heck, it'd probably help if Raymond imagined Him in this very room, looking like an average man named Jack. "Okay, hit me a verse."
Dylan closed the book, then closed his eyes. His fingers ran across the edges until he randomly decided to stop at a certain page and reopened the book again. Though he didn't open his eyes, until he waved his finger around in the air and struck at a random passage.
"Proverbs 16:5" Dylan began. "The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished."
His heart sank. What the hell did that mean? Punished? Were things going to get worse? Impossible. It must be a coincidence. It must be wrong. Why the hell else was he here then? This cannot be some sick joke. This cannot be some sick prank God set up to play with him!
Yes. Think about it. He didn't bring Raymond here his sake, he was brought here for his mother's sake. Remember that. He was destined to win this tournament. The punishment would come later. Fine, he'd take whatever punishment as long as He left his family out of it.
"That's not a good verse; sorry about that. Let me try again." Dylan laughed it off, ignorant of his roommate's subconscious dread and relief. He repeated the process and his finger struck once more. "Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker, those who are nothing but potsherds among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, 'What are you making?' Does your work say, 'The potter has no hands'? Woe to the one who says to a father, 'What have you begotten?' or to a mother, 'What have you brought to birth?'… Isaiah 45:9-10"
…Were those the charges God was bringing against him…?
…Was 'Jack' asking Raymond to forgive his poor excuse of a father?
It disturbed Raymond that he would take even a second to weigh it against his sister's life on the scale. The answer should be obvious: what was a lifetime grudge compared to a lifetime of true familial love?
However, Raymond would like to put that answer on hold.
"Don't mind it, Raymond, I'm sure it was just bad luck." Dylan tried again. "One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. People curse the one who hoards grain, but they pray God's blessing on the one who is willing to sell. Proverbs 11:24-26."
Raymond couldn't figure that one out, and he was pretty sure he didn't need to. It was an irrelevant verse; nothing to decipher here.
"See? I told you!" Dylan exclaimed. "Third time's the charm!"
Dylan paused for a moment, then closed the book and presented to Raymond. An eyebrow rose at the sight, wondering if Raymond had the capacity to do such ritual. "Now do mine."
"Sure, why not." Whatever made him feel better. Raymond grabbed the Bible out of his hands and did the exact same procedure. Boy, did it made him feel a little childish, waving his finger around like a wand and he a magical wizard in starry pajamas.
"Whoever brings ruin on their family will inherit only wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise. Proverbs 11:29"
It seemed like Raymond was still the recipient. Although, Dylan didn't look too thrilled about it either, especially puzzling when he thought it applied to him. No way Raymond wasn't the recipient; this perfectly applied to his father, so there could be no one else. Promise of sweet revenge? 'Jack' sure did know how to be a smooth talker.
"I'm guessing that's not the message you wanted to hear?" Raymond said.
"Do you mind doing it again?" Dylan was, for some reason, making that same face he made when he lost to Travis. The verse struck a nerve with him.
"No problem." Raymond slammed the book shut and tried again. Oh well, it was none of his business to intervene. If Dylan didn't want to share his emotions, then he didn't want to share. "If a man has two wives, and he loves one but not the other, and both bear him sons but the firstborn is the son of the wife he does not love, when he wills his property to his sons, he must not give the rights of the firstborn to the son of the wife he loves in preference to his actual firstborn, the son of the wife he does not love. He must acknowledge the son of his unloved wife as the firstborn by giving him a double share of all he has. That son is the first sign of his father's strength. The right of the firstborn belongs to him. Deuteronomy 21:15-17"
This was only more confirmation on who exactly was intended to hear this. It would've put a smile on his face, had it not said that he was the first of his father's strength.
"I really don't see what that has to do with me." Dylan said bewilderingly.
"Don't think too much about it." Raymond closed the book and tossed it back at Dylan, then crashed onto his floor bed. "I'm going to sleep early. Good night."
"Good night, Novak." Dylan said. "You want me to read you one more verse as you fall asleep?"
"Sure, whatever." Raymond didn't care as he felt this blanket of darkness surrounding him. Little by little, his senses began to dull from the day's activities. First the eyes as it grew heavy, then his touch, and finally his ears. But before he sent himself to dreamland, his ears were still able to take in one more message.
"You neglected the Rock who begot you and forgot the God who gave you birth."
Quick Note: Xtra HERO Cross Guard is what I think is the TCG name of Destiny HERO Crossguy. I did this because at the time of this writing, the OCG names are the only ones available, so I had to make somethings up. Destiny HEROes never have the suffix -guy in the TCG.
TCG: Western cards.
OCG: Asian cards.
I'm going to be honest with you guys: I am so fucking sick of planning and writing out duels already. So, the remaining part of this story would have only single duels instead of matches now. I'm going have to rewrite that part about best-of-two matches on the third day.
I will say that due to this, there will only be three duels left. Well, three duels planned so far at least.
I'm sorry, but it's really a drain on me to constantly check over and over again to see if I had made any mistakes.
2/15/19