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The sole of his shoe scraped against the pavement, on a street littered with black, aged gum like polka dots. Given how relatively he was racing against the time, Raymond was sure that he bested the world record of how fast a person can finish a cup of coffee. He had to be, otherwise, what else could he possibly do? Calling in another favor was out of the question; Bob wasn't a cheap man. He already did Raymond one freebie; he was damn sure not going to give another one without Raymond paying for it.
The café was safe from its surroundings, surprisingly. Its royal blue tiles sparkled in contrast to the bland and somewhat slum-like neighborhood. Then again, it didn't stand out that much like golden rays shooting left and right. Rather, it was just a little better maintained. How could it be that different when huddled among the despondent, city buildings? Unsaturated to the edge of black and white, matching the overcast sky.
Half a dozen of the patrons glanced up as Raymond swung the door wide open, accompanied by a gust of cold wind. Cold wind in the midst of the summer heat; something was unusual about that statement. The patrons returned to their conversations—or just drinks for those who are alone—as the door swung closed behind Raymond and his inhuman breeze was quickly forgotten.
Inside the café was warmer and cozier, with a set of neon lights on a side of the colorful walls. Orange, the whole place was orange; it had that shiny look of factory-processed instead of a natural grown. And there was an actual jukebox installed at the other end, giving it the feeling of a relic amidst the modern world. It was playing jazz. Of course, it was playing jazz; that was what everybody expected it to play, instead of something different. The aroma of fresh coffee surely did please the nose enough but spend too much time here and it might become a nuisance.
But enough of this procrastination now; Raymond had a man to find, and the café was relatively large enough to miss someone at first glance. Raymond didn't care if he had to search from sunup to sundown, crossing over from today to tomorrow. Heck, he would even skip sleep and run around the entire city in unrelenting blackness of night. And this was New York City he was talking about; the most populated concentration of people the history of the world had ever recorded.
Brown hair wasn't going to be difficult to spot; almost every single human on earth had black hair, so brown should easily stand out. Unless he was trying to spot one in a clutter of dyed hair of insane people trying to be unique and non-conformist, then that would be a more difficult task. But again, it wasn't like that, so Raymond just glanced at people until he found Travis.
Imagine his shock when Raymond found him flirting with a pretty, young barista. Yes, Raymond was as shock as finding out that reckless, unrestrained sex with numerous people with no strings attached was going to lead to a life of STDs and accumulating cats. In other words, not shocked at all.
"I get off at seven." Said barista giggled at Travis. Poor woman, lacking to wisdom and the foresight to see she was wasting her youth on a playboy. But what did she care? He was just furthering the destruction of his ability to be satisfied with
"Well sweet doll, I'll be sure to arrive in a pumpkin chariot by then." Travis flirted. Poor, stupid man. Travis would be the envy of every man; he certainly was Dylan's envy. Lucky, rich, famous, have all the women at the palm of his hand. Dylan confided in Raymond that he would've loved to have such a pleasurable beginning.
But not Raymond. He knew all too well what would happen next. Soon, time would fly, and regret would sink in. All those endeavors around women when he was younger would turn on him, because no woman would ever trust his commitment and he'd have no one to take care of him in his old age. He'd be terrified of dying in the house on his own.
And Raymond would pay top dollar to see such a man die in misery as Raymond laughed in his face.
The fact that Dylan didn't see that was a sign of a blessing. He definitely had a safe and healthy family—a mother and especially a father who stayed together and raised such a delight young man—to be deceived that this was one of the best lives a man could live. Again, such naivety. And in some ways, Raymond wished that Dylan would not need to change that.
"Mister Lawrence." Raymond greeted, leaning on the refectory table without sitting on the bar stool. Travis broke eye contact with the pretty barista and turned his attention straight at Raymond. The barista went back to her duties, sashaying her hips. Neither of them paid much attention to it.
"Ah! Dylan's friend!" He greeted, offering his handshake. Raymond took it, with reluctance. "And I should call you Mister…?"
"Novak."
"Well, Mister Novak," Travis took a sip out of his coffee. A coffee which looked like the miniature version of a fruit basket with frothy whipped cream on top and chocolate sauce zigzagging over it in the pattern of a fence. "It seems like you changed your mind."
"Did you buy your cards from Room 217?" Raymond got straight to the point. The question caught Travis off-guard for a second, but it wasn't anything unusual. Besides, Travis already told Raymond that he was buying cards when they crossed paths on that balcony.
"Why yes," Travis said, confused. "Is there any particular reason you're asking?"
"They're stolen cards." Raymond grimaced. "I need you to return them to me."
"I'm sorry, Mister Novak, but I'll need some proof that they're stolen." Travis chuckled. He looked at Raymond as if he was a conman. To his credit, Travis should be skeptical. If anyone had the right to something just because they claim it to be stolen from them, then the world would have a lot fewer personal possessions. "Perhaps if you get the police to back up your claims, then I'd be delighted to return them to you."
He would've, if he didn't just commit vigilantism. Raymond didn't count on the cards being sold that quickly on the same day they were stolen. He wanted to deal with the problem himself, in a way the police never could. But now he was stuck in this situation, and there was no way out. Damn his rash thinking! He just had to quench his thirst for revenge, didn't he?
"I don't have time for this." Raymond snarled. He pulled up his shirt and separated it as far as he could from the pants without committing public indecency. There, stained red and dark, was the white bandage that Raymond wrapped around himself, and peeling that away gave Travis the sight of rows of fairly done stitches closing what would've been a gaping knife wound. Infected too, if he didn't douse it in medical alcohol. "You see this wound?"
"My!" Travis exclaimed, genuinely shocked. He lost his composure completely and rushed to put pressure on it. "We need to get you to a hospital!"
"Does it look fresh to you?" Raymond slapped away Travis's hand, much to his surprise.
"Why does it matter? You need—"
"Does it?" Raymond asked again. This time more forceful.
Travis picked up on the tone. He swallowed his saliva out of doubt. He didn't know how to respond. "Yes."
"I got this because that thieving son of a bitch decided to stab me to get the cards." Raymond sneered. He even slipped his finger on it, coating it with his blood and put it close to Travis's face, to which he backed away instinctively. "Or maybe you'd like to believe that I stabbed myself for some pieces of cardboard."
Travis was caught off-guard again, but by this moment, he gathered the equanimity to be mature about it. "No, no, I believe you, Mister Novak."
"Good, then would you kindly return the cards to me?"
Travis sighed. "I'm terribly sorry, Mister Novak, but I've already paid for the cards."
Raymond wanted to argue. But there was no way to prove that the cards were not his. Reprints were a thing, so that would be double the burden of proof. Then, he wanted to buy it off of him. But then how much? Raymond had only five hundred dollars he could afford to spend. Given the high tier decks Dylan play, it certainly was over that budget. What in the world could he do? Give up? He had to try something. Anything!
"Duel me." Raymond blurted out. He couldn't take it back. And he didn't want to.
"Pardon?" Travis took another sip of his coffee.
"You. Me. Duel. Right now." Raymond reached into his pocket. "If I win, I get the cards back."
"And if I win?"
"You get this." Raymond slapped his thin wallet on the table and slid it towards Travis. His hand still on top of it, in case somebody decided to try their luck.
Travis slipped a finger in and took a look at exactly how much money was in it. It was mostly ten-dollar bills, a couple of twenties, and a hundred. Raymond still had his hand on it the whole time, paranoid because of recent events. Travis shook his head lightly. "That's not an equal stake compared to what I have to lose."
"It's all I have." Raymond almost begged. "Besides, don't you feel lucky?"
He chuckled. Both of them knew what he was playing into. The King of Games challenged by a nobody; this should be an easy win for him. So easy in fact, that Travis should be offended that this nobody thinks he could defeat him, if Travis had any more pride in himself. And yet, Travis looked back at him, amused. "Very well, Mister Novak."
He turned around, back to the barista he was flirting before. He waved at her and she noticed, which made her more hastily with dealing with another customer before she came near. "What else can I do for you?"
"This gentleman and I are having a wager." Travis held up a box of cards for the barista to see. Was that the same box of cards that was in Dylan's bag? "And you, my dear, are our witness. I am betting my box of cards and he is betting his wallet."
Raymond held up his wallet for her to see. "Does she even know the rules of the game?"
"No. But not to worry, I'll be recording the whole thing for evidence. Let's change tables. Follow me." Travis pulled out a deck box and got up from his seat. They came to an empty table next to the window. And Travis pulled out a tripod selfie stick. Wow, he really was prepared for anything, wasn't he?
They shuffled their decks before letting the other cut it into threes. Everything was ready. The only thing Raymond need to brace for was Travis's luck. If what Dylan said was true and not mere hyperbole, then he would need nothing less than the help of God to defeat him. But he was destined to win this tournament. Right? Stop that stupid thought; this was not the official tournament, so it may not count. But God still needed to help; Dylan had done nothing wrong.
His hand was relatively good. Two Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragons in his hand already—his and his sister's—not to mention a Polymerization. Supernova Dragon was straight up for summoning. The other two cards in his hand was Reverse Engineering and Drowning Mirror Force.
"As the one being challenged, I will go first."
[TURN 1 Travis Eldon Lawrence LP/8000 Hand/5]
"Hand Destruction allows both of us to discard two cards, then draw two."
Raymond discarded his Reverse Engineering and Drowning Mirror Force while Travis discarded his Ojama Green and X-Head Cannon. It wasn't that much of a loss, since Reverse Engineering lets Raymond set a trap card from his grave by banishing it, and that set card can be activated on the same turn. Once that set card was left the field, it must be banished.
Also, really? Ojamas? Since when did they become anything good? They couldn't even work in a joke deck. What could Travis possibly do with a monster with no effect and no attack? Was he pushing his luck too far this time? Let's hope so.
His two new cards were Raigeki and Return of the Dragon Lords. Nice. Very nice. After Supernova would be summoned, Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon would return, and the spell card would protect his dragons from destruction.
"I set one card and activate Card Destruction!" Travis discarded an Armed Dragon LV5 and Ojamagic. "And when Ojamagic is sent to the grave, I can add the three original Ojamas to my hand."
And there out the window went his original plan.
The Original Ojamas: Yellow, Green, and Black. Raymond felt that he should be worried that Travis just gained the card advantage, but it was the Goddamn Ojamas; again, what could it possibly do?
"I normal summon Ojama Red, which lets me special summon up to four Ojamas from my hand!"
[ATK Ojama Red: LIGHT LV/2 Beast/Effect ATK/0 DEF/1000]
[DEF Ojama Yellow: LIGHT LV/2 Beast/Normal ATK/0 DEF/1000]
[DEF Ojama Green: LIGHT LV/2 Beast/Normal ATK/0 DEF/1000]
[DEF Ojama Black: LIGHT LV/2 Beast/Normal ATK/0 DEF/1000]
"I use all four Ojamas to link summon Saryuja Skull Dread!"
[Saryuja Skull Dread: EARTH Dragon/Link/Effect ATK/2800 LINK-4]
"Saryuja Skull Dread's effect activates! I can draw four cards from my deck and return three to the bottom!"
WHAT!? Skull Dread at the first turn!? The best he had ever seen before in the tournament was at his opponent's second turn! If he could remember the other two effects correctly, Saryuja Skull Dread gave any monsters special summoned to its links a boost of three hundred attack points, and it can special summon a monster from its owner's hand.
"I now activate my set card: Ojamassimulation! By revealing ABC-Dragon Buster and banishing the three Ojamas, I special summon the ABC monsters!"
[ATK A-Assault Core: LIGHT LV/4 Machine/UnionEffect ATK/1900 — 2100 DEF/200]
[ATK B-Buster Drake: LIGHT LV/4 Machine/Union/Effect ATK/1500 DEF/1800]
[ATK C-Crush Wyvern: LIGHT LV/4 Machine/Union/Effect ATK/1200 DEF/2000]
"By banishing Ojamassimulation from my grave, I shuffle the Ojama trio back into my deck and draw one card."
So, this was one of the support cards? An effect so effective that it could offset the devastating and crippling costs of running the weakest and most pathetic monsters in existence. Raymond had to be careful not to underestimate the deck any further.
"I activate Dark World Dealings, letting us both draw one card and then I discard my Ojamagic, which lets me add back the three Ojamas again! Then, by activating Ojamatch, I add Ojama Blue from my deck and Armed Dragon LV5 from my grave and immediately normal summons Ojama Blue to my field."
Raymond discarded Dragon's Mirror by Dark World's Dealings.
[ATK Ojama Blue: LIGHT LV/2 Beast/Effect ATK/0 — 300 DEF/1000]
"Upstart Goblin lets me draw one card in exchange for giving you an extra one thousand life points."
[TURN 1 Raymond Novak LP/8000 — 9000 Hand/5]
"I now combine A, B, C, and Blue to link summon Borrelsword Dragon!"
[Borrelsword Dragon: DARK Dragon/Link/Effect ATK/3000 — 3300 LINK-4]
"Buster Drake chain link two, Crush Wyvern chain link three, and Assault Core chain link four! Assault adds Buster to hand, Wyvern special summons Buster, Buster adds W-Wing Catapult."
[ATK ABC-Dragon Buster: LIGHT LV/8 Machine/Fusion/Effect ATK/3000 — 3300 DEF/2800]
"I activate another Ojamassimulation, revealing XYZ-Dragon Cannon, banishing Ojama Green, Ojama Red, and Ojama Blue, to special summon X-Head Cannon, Y-Dragon Head, and Z-Metal Tank!"
[ATK X-Head Cannon: LIGHT LV/4 Machine/Normal ATK/1800 DEF/1500]
[ATK Y-Dragon Head: LIGHT LV/4 Machine/Union/Effect ATK/1500 — 1800 DEF/1600]
[ATK Z-Metal Tank: LIGHT LV/4 Machine/Union/Effect ATK/1500 DEF/1300]
"I contact fusion XYZ-Dragon Cannon!"
[ATK XYZ-Dragon Cannon: LIGHT LV/8 Machine/Fusion/Effect ATK/2800 — 3100 DEF/2600]
"Ojamassimulation activates in the grave again, shuffling Red, Green, and Blue, and draw one card."
"I contact fusion A-to-Z Dragon Buster Cannon!"
[ATK A-to-Z Dragon Buster Cannon: LIGHT LV/10 Machine/Fusion/Effect ATK/4000 — 4300 DEF/4000]
"Saryuja Skull Dread allows me to special summon Armed Dragon LV5 from my hand."
[ATK Armed Dragon LV5: WIND LV/5 Dragon/Effect ATK/2400 DEF/1700]
"And with Level Up, I special summon Armed Dragon LV 7 and end my turn."
[ATK Armed Dragon LV7: WIND LV/7 Dragon/Effect ATK/2800 DEF/1000]
[TURN 1 Travis Eldon Lawrence LP/8000 Hand/5]
Wha… what just happened? Travis went from Ojamas with no effects nor attack value into four tremendous monsters! All of which had an attack value over two thousand, and half of that was over three thousand! And the highest was a behemoth with forty-three hundred attack points with a negation effect!
And the three Ojama brothers in his hand provided by his Ojamagic were the perfectly discard fodder for the cost of A-to-Z Buster Dragon Cannon's effect. Even if Raymond managed to deal with the negation effect permanently, Travis could simply then trade in A-to-Z Buster Dragon Cannon for its fusion materials, one of which also had a quick effect to banish one card on his field!
And the worst of all, A-to-Z Buster Dragon Cannon's negation effect wasn't limited to once per turn! How in the world was he going to deal with that!?
Oh God… This duel was over before he even had a turn.
[TURN 2 Raymond Novak LP/9000 Hand/5 — 6]
No. He couldn't give up. Not when he had one more card in his hand than him. And not when his entire hand was full of spells. He could outlast him. He must.
He drew High Spell Aria.
"I activate Galaxy Trance! I pay two thousand lifepoints, then target one Photon monster in my grave, special summon both it and one Galaxy monster from my deck, with the same Level, both in Defense Position, and if I do, each monster's attack becomes two thousand, also their effects are negated."
"A-to-Z Buster Dragon Cannon's effect activates! I discard Ojama Black!"
Just as expected.
"I activate Galaxy Zero! I target one Photon or Galaxy monster in my graveyard and special summon it in—"
"A-to-Z Buster Dragon Cannon's effect activates again! I discard Ojama Green!"
Again.
"I activate Scapegoat!"
"A-to-Z Buster Dragon Cannon's effect activates again! I discard Ojama Yellow!"
Again…
"Mystic Mine!"
"I discard W-Wing Catapult!"
Again!
"Monster Reborn!"
"I discard V-Tiger Jet!"
AGAIN!
"High Spell Aria!"
"I discard—!" Travis reaches for another card from his hand, before he came to realize he just grabbed empty air. His eyes shot back at the field, alarmed.
Raymond smirked. Travis no longer had cards to discard.
"If a Spell Card's activation or effect was negated by your card effect during my turn, I can activate it from my hand. I target one normal, quick-play, or ritual spell card in my grave, banish it, and this card's effect becomes that spell card's effect when that card is activated."
"Lucky boy…"
"I activate Raigeki!"
"I chain A-to-Z Buster Dragon Cannon's second effect! During either player's turn, I can banish this card, then target and special summon my banished ABC-Dragon Buster and XYZ-Dragon Cannon!"
What did it matter? Building a chain on top of Raigeki would only make Dragon Buster Cannon's effect to resolve first, and then his newly special summoned monsters would not be safe from the board wipe.
"I banish Reverse Engineering from my grave! In doing so, I can reset High Spell Aria! And I reactivate High Spell Aria again to banish one spell card in my grave!"
He could see it already in his mind's eye. A supreme, two-headed beast born from the collusion of two galaxies, like the Anadroma with the Milky Way, and a burst of light equivalent to the might of the supernova, bursting out great brightness of a catastrophic explosion, ejecting its immeasurable mass. As the light fades away, a clearer shape took form, set free upon the world to reign the skies above.
"Dragon's Mirror!" Raymond almost roared. Such fire, such passion. This dragon was the representation of the union between him and his sister's spirit that would always be with him, even as she lay helpless on that hospital bed! No bond was stronger than a familial one, and together, they would defy the odds. Even Travis's reality-bending luck wouldn't stand against it! "I banish the two Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragons in my grave to fusion summon Galaxy-Eyes Supernova Dragon!"
[ATK Galaxy-Eyes Supernova Dragon: LIGHT LV/10 Dragon/Fusion/Effect ATK/3000 DEF/2500]
"Attack!"
[TURN 2 Travis Eldon Lawrence LP/8000 — 5000 Hand/0]
"And with that, I end my turn."
[TURN 2 Raymond Novak LP/9000 Hand/0]
It took every card in his hand, but he did it. Besides, Travis had absolutely nothing. No cards in his hand or on his field. Raymond was leading the card advantage by just one, and a good one at that.
Galaxy-Eyes Supernova Dragon cannot leave the field by his opponent's card effects. Whenever it battled an opponent's monster: Raymond could banish both cards. Sure, if it was the opponent's monster that attacked, it must be special summon it back to Travis's field at the end of the Battle Phase and he could only activate this effect of Galaxy-Eyes Supernova Dragon once per turn, but what did that matter?
Raymond had a guaranteed direct line of attack regardless if Travis set a monster or not. He could simply banish both monsters and then Supernova's last effect would kick in, special summoning itself whenever it was banished, by its own effect or not. By game mechanics, it'd be considered a new monster, and attack again.
Raymomd was right, this duel was over. But not in the way Raymond first thought it would. One draw was highly unlikely to save Travis now.
[TURN 3 Travis Eldon Lawrence LP/5000 Hand/0 — 1]
"I set one card face-down and end my turn."
[TURN 3 Travis Eldon Lawrence LP/5000 Hand/0]
[TURN 4 Raymond Novak LP/9000 Hand/0 — 1]
"I normal summon Galaxy-Eyes Cloudragon."
[ATK Galaxy-Eyes Cloudragon: LIGHT LV/1 Dragon/Effect ATK/300 DEF/250]
"Then by tributing it, I special summon my Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!"
[ATK Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon: LIGHT LV/8 Dragon/Effect ATK/3000 DEF/2500]
"It's over." Raymond declared. Dylan's cards were safe now. And if Travis wasn't going to honor the bet, then he was going to have hell to pay. Long after Raymond carefully plan out how to get away with it too, of course. "All-out attack!"
"Think again." Travis smirked. "Quaking Mirror Force!"
WHAT!?
"When your monster declares an attack, I can change all attack position monsters you control to face-down defense position. Monsters changed by this effect cannot change their battle positions."
Who the hell would play Quaking Mirror Force when everybody had link monsters in their deck!? By all means, Quaking should be practically worthless to run nowadays! Why!? WHY!? In God's name did he run that!?
Raymond was fuming. "I end."
[TURN 4 Raymond Novak LP/9000 Hand/0]
"Oh good, it's my turn now." Travis was chipper about it, which just made Raymond angrier.
[TURN 5 Travis Eldon Lawrence LP/5000 Hand/0 — 1]
"I activate Pot of Desires! By banishing the top ten cards of my deck face-down, I can draw two cards!" Something was going very wrong; Raymond could feel it gnawing at his skin. Travis's grin confirmed his suspicions. "I activate my third Ojamassimulation! I banish Black and Green and reveal VW-Tiger Catapult to special summon V-Tiger Jet and W-Wing Catapult!"
[ATK V-Tiger Jet: LIGHT LV/4 Machine/Normal ATK/1600 DEF/1800]
[ATK W-Wing Catapult: LIGHT LV/4 Machine/Union/Effect ATK/1300 DEF/1500]
"Contact fusion: VW-Tiger Catapult!"
[ATK VW-Tiger Catapult: LIGHT LV/6 Machine/Fusion/Effect ATK/2000 DEF/2100]
"Then, I activate Monster Reborn!"
[ATK XYZ-Dragon Cannon: LIGHT LV/8 Machine/Fusion/Effect ATK/2800 DEF/2600]
"I contact fusion again! VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon!"
[ATK VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon: LIGHT LV/8 Machine/Fusion/Effect ATK/3000 DEF/2800]
"And for my final contact fusion! I can banish VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon on my field and the XYZ-Dragon Cannon from my grave to summon Armed Dragon Catapult Cannon!"
[ATK Armed Dragon Catapult Cannon: LIGHT LV/10 Machine/Fusion/Effect ATK/3500 DEF/3000]
"I end my turn."
[TURN 5 Travis Eldon Lawrence LP/5000 Hand/0]
It was wise of him to not attack. With Return of the Dragon Lords in his grave, his dragons would be protected once from battle. And since battling would flip cards face-up, thus allowing Raymond to use their effects, it was better this way.
Supernova's defenseless against it now, same thing with Photon Dragon, which both cards can banish the monster, albeit only Supernova could do it permanently if it was the one attacking. It also locked down on his monster zones, as face-down monster couldn't be used as link material, nor xyz, nor synchro. Fusion was technically possible, but there was nothing in his extra deck that met the requirements. The only way to free up those zones was to tribute summon, and he had more than enough monsters in his deck to make that happen.
[TURN 6 Raymond Novak LP/9000 Hand/0 — 1]
He drew a Photon Stream of Destruction. Would've been pretty useful if his monsters were face-up. There was nothing he could do this turn. Damn it!
"I end."
[TURN 6 Raymond Novak LP/9000 Hand/1]
"I activate the effect of Armed Dragon Catapult Cannon!" Travis interrupted, before drawing a card. "Once per your turn, I can banish one card from my deck or extra deck to banish all cards on your field and in your GY!"
As Travis banished an Ojama Blue from his deck, Raymond seized on the silver lining of this.
"Supernova's effect activates! If it's banished, I can special summon it back!"
Travis just wagged his finger. "Armed Dragon Catapult Cannon prevents you from activating cards or effect of cards with the same name as a banished card."
No… NO!
[TURN 7 Travis Eldon Lawrence LP/5000 Hand/0 — 1]
"I activate Pot of Extravagance! I randomly banish six cards from the extra deck to draw two cards! And then by banishing my final Ojamassimulation and shuffling the three Ojamas back to my deck, I can draw one card!"
He now had three cards in his hand!
"By activating Magical Stone Excavation and discarding the two other cards in my hand, I can return one spell card from my grave to my hand!" They both knew what was coming. "I activate Monster Reborn to revive Borrelsword Dragon!"
[Borrelsword Dragon: DARK Dragon/Link/Effect ATK/3000 LINK-4]
Borrelsword could make a second attack during the battle phase by targeting one monster on the field and change it to defense position. Raymond looked over to Armed Dragon Catapult Cannon, which he knew was going to attack first. He was finished.
"All-out attack."
[TURN 7 Raymond Novak LP/9000 — 0 Hand/1]
This… this was shattering. He was supposed to win. He was supposed to get back Dylan's cards. Wasn't the whole purpose was to win all the duels? That was literally the only way he could win the prize money. He was destined to. He made a deal with God Himself to win all duels. A life of servitude under Him for the continuing and longevity of his sister's life. He must have won.
So, why did he lose?
Was he making any sense? Was this some way 'Jack' was using to communicate with him? That Raymond would be absolutely useless without Him? Let's not forget that at the beginning of this duel, Raymond thought so himself that because this was not the official tournament duel, destiny—a term he was using very loosely—may not help him.
Was this supposed to put him in his place?
"Now, Mister Novak," Travis interrupted his train of thought. "My prize, please."
Right. He wagerred it, didn't he? If it was in any other circumstance, Raymond would let it go; a bet was a bet. But this was different. He felt the urge to grab his wallet and dash out of the cafe right now, but Travis already had video evidence of him consenting to the bet. Him trying to win back the cards instead of going to the police already made him suspicious; Travis wasn't going to be afraid of calling the police to enforce the results. After all, legal gambling was just like a contract.
Raymond also couldn't risk the path to victory. Fine, he'd admit it: he only got this far because of Him. Look at the cards he had! It wasn't even his to begin with! His shelter from the rain, his transportation! What were the odds he just so happened to stumble upon an overly generous man, akin to an angel from above, giving him a fighting chance? More poetically, as Hermes sent to aid Perseus in his quest to slay Medusa.
Would Raymond lose His favor if he did it? This whole quest hinged on God and him holding up each of their own ends of the bargain. Hypocrisy would disgust Him, wouldn't it? To fully expect the other party to stick to the promise whilst he thought he could excuse himself from it. This was a test. If Raymond couldn't honor this bargain, how in the world would 'Jack' ever trust Raymond to honor a bargain on a much grander scale?
So, no. Raymond could not run. He should not run. But this… this wallet… this wasn't comparable to a drop in a bucket of water. This was the water. If he lost this, then he'd lose almost everything.
"Mercy…" Raymond quietly said. Begged. "Show me some mercy…"
"Pardon?" Travis chuckled. It was a rhetorical question. "You talk a big talk, Mister Novak, but when it comes down to it, you retreat like a wanker?"
"Yes." He full-on confessed. He was a loser in every aspect of life. "Yes I am. Now I'm asking for mercy."
"No, I don't think I will show mercy, Mister Novak." Travis grinned. And at the same time, he had that disgusted look in his eyes. The look of losing respect for somebody. He got up, grabbed the wallet, and began heading for the door after collecting his cards. "I wish you a good day, Mister Novak."
"Travis!" Raymond shouted after him. Much to both of their surprises, Travis actually decided to turn around to face Raymond once more with a brow raised. He didn't say anything, but Raymond could definitely tell that Travis was communicating that Raymond better say something and fast, or else this was just a further waste of his time.
"I… I…" Good LORD, he was choking on his words. It was more than that; his legs were as stiff as a slave stomping all day in the mud pits, making bricks with straw as the taskmaster whipped him to dance at their pleasure. And he, as a rebellious slave, defy their orders, as he poured all his strength into bending his knees. His ego obviously wouldn't allow that, as it tried whipping his brain into thinking that he'd look ridiculous if he did this.
He didn't care. No, he did care, but the consequences of upholding his pride was not worth it.
His knees hit the floor, as everyone else in the cafe watched in curiosity. Not Travis, however. He was surprised for the third time this day. Surprised, and in awe, at how far a man was willing to go for one of the few things he had left to his name.
"I'm begging you." Raymond asked again, like a peasant in the feudal days. Screw it, he had already come this far; might as go all the way. His forehead made contact with the floor as well. At that moment, Raymond heard the click of a camera. Not one, not two, but three. "Show me some mercy."
"Mister Novak…" His voice didn't sound like anything but… pity.
This was how it felt like to be helpless. Just like him kneeling back at the hospital's chapel, back at where this all began. Humiliated. Desperate. Faceless. He put his dignity on that altar and sacrificed it—burned it—letting its smoke rise up to the sky for God to get a whiff of. He felt that fear that it would be rejected, that it wouldn't be good enough. Now he was doing it again. Please let it be good enough. Please…
"Okay, Mister Novak, you win." Travis sighed. He threw the wallet back in front of Raymond. "Next time, don't make bets you can't pay."
"Thank you." Raymond bowed once again, demonstrating his gratitude. As soon as Raymond finished it, Travis already made his way out of the cafe, with all the stolen cards with him, of course. He wasn't that merciful.
Everybody returned to their drinks once Raymond got up and looked at them. And after all that, Raymond slouched down to the nearest empty seat and contemplated his life.
"And I said to him, 'So, you like girls with big titties, eh?' And he just grabbed the pictures and locked himself in for the rest of the day." Reynalda laughed on her bed, recounting her early memories.
"And then what happened?" The hospital intern asked, perhaps too eagerly.
"I shouldn't…" Reynalda was being coy; that was obvious.
"Oh come on!" She begged, practically jumping up and down in excitement. "You've already told me so much! Don't leave me dry! I've been stuck at the front desk all-day! At least you can do is to entertain me!"
"Oh, Miss Rhoads." Reynalda nudged her head at the clock. I'm afraid your lunch break is already over."
She groaned. "Fine, but next time you definitely have to finish it! Promise me!"
Reynalda laughed. "I will."
The nurse got up from her stoll and made her way out of the curtain. But before she did, she paused her steps, with a sodemn look on her face. There was a question swimming in her head, and she was dying to know. "Do you miss him?"
"Who?"
"Raymond." She spoke reminiscently. "The old Raymond. Every time I see him, he just talks less and less, and closes himself more and more."
Reynalda sighed. "He's not the same babysitter you used to know, you mean?"
"Well…" She pondered. "I miss the old him. That's all I'm saying."
"Yeah…" She sighed again. "Me too…"
"I—I—" Reynalda wanted to continue. But then something happened. Someone was running amok inside of her. Her internal organs suddenly began to act up and her heart felt like somebody just put a drill to it and pressed the 'On' button. It felt like something was attacking her very soul. Her eyes shot left and right, mostly at the nurse, before she felt the need to scratch out her very heart and throw it out the window before it could kill her in a more violent way.
She convulsed on her bed, shaking, unconscious, almost hitting over the meal plate. If it wasn't for the rail-guards, she would've found herself face-planted on tile floor. The intern nurse looked on in horror until her brain rebooted and her sense of urgency kicked in, yanking the curtains wide open and rushed out the door. Reynalda was shaking and unconscious as she slouched towards the edge.
"DOCTOR! PATIENT IS CONVULSING!"
The last thing Reynalda could remember was her heart monitor beeping irregularly in rapid patterns.
Before it crashed into a long silence of a straight green line.
6/30/19