So, the votes are in! Well, only one vote. I guess I'm not that good of a writer, am I? Fair enough. I'm not going to deny the truth if it is. Nevertheless, I still plan on concluding this fanfiction in two more chapters. I always plan to finish what I've started. With that out of the way, let's go!
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Dylan Trudeau did not lose. In fact, he won quite easily. It took less turns than expected, and Alec eventually just ran out of time because he didn't know what to do against Dylan's field.
"Ladies and gentlemen! We have our second semi-finalist winner!" The announcer rumbled out.
"Alrighty!" Dylan practically soared out of his seat. Kick the table too while he was at it. "That's some Dylan magic right there!"
Raymond Novak sighed as he slowly clapped for Dylan's achievement. Raymond was definitely happy for Dylan; he deserved to win at least the semi-finals, though Raymond was doubtful it'd be enough to make up for all his stolen cards, whose cost was as high as ten-thousand dollars. An amount more than enough to be classified as an addiction.
But on the other hand, Raymond had to put him down. Dylan came so far, only to lose. A lamb to the slaughter, unknowing its destiny. Raymond pitied him for that, but it was nothing compared to saving a life. The least Raymond could do, if Dylan ever needed help in the future because of this, was to show him the same hospitality he was shown. Maybe even letting Dylan live with him if he ever went homeless for some reason, introduce him to his family and friends. Well, his sister was all that was left of his family, and Raymond never really bothered to make friends, colleagues at best. Still, the sentiment was there.
"Will Mister Raymond Novak please come up on the stage, please?" The announcer called out.
Artificial lights came onto him again as soon as his name was called. Raymond quickly intercepted the light from burning his eyes by dashing his arm in front of his face. One would think the cameraman would fix the brightness issue by now.
Striding towards the stage, the nearby audience reached their hand out to congratulate him on getting this far, that even if he lost, he should be proud that he was runner-up. It wasn't a mystery why they would think he would lose; Dylan was always runner-up to Travis, and since Raymond eliminated him in the semi-finals, Dylan would finally win a first place. In addition, Raymond was a complete unknown, some thought that him beating Travis was mere luck.
He wasn't going to deny that, since having a destiny written out by God could fit in that category while at the same time it did not count as luck.
But now… he didn't need God if he wanted to beat Dylan. He had won Travis's luck away from him, and if that was all Travis needed to beat Dylan over and over again, every time without fail, then Raymond had nothing to worry about.
Raymond would show them. He'd show them all. When this is all over, they'd curse themselves on why they didn't place their bets on him, and they should've bet on the winning horse. Whether or not they were actually gambling or just metaphorically speaking was none of his concern.
Novak readied himself as his foot finally made it onto the stage, smiling at everyone, though he wasn't good at faking his intentions. But he doubted they will pick up on his mask; they're just simply less experienced to see through it.
"Novak…" Dylan started with a congratulatory smile. "We made it."
"Yeah," Raymond sat down, shuffling his deck. "We did."
"This is our final match." Dylan said with a downcast face. He was subtly saying goodbye, as the tone implied. Shame. They would've been great friends. Sure, there were technically long-distance friendships, but that was fooling neither of them. Maintaining a friendship required physical presence, and since they lived in two different countries, there was no way they'd still that way for long, so why bother? "And after this, we'll probably never see each other again."
It was time. The end of the road. Raymond couldn't help but feel quite sad. "Then let's make this the most intense duel we'll ever have between each other."
"Yeah!" Dylan was ready. So too was he. "Let's duel, Novak!"
[TURN 1 Raymond Novak LP/8000 Hand/5]
His hand must've been influenced by a divine power. A Reverse Engineering with no other trap cards, a Melody of Awakening Dragon, one Polymerization, one Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon, and finally, Sanctified Offering of Might. It was practically calling for him to summon Hypernova. It yearned for battle.
And Raymond shall answer.
"I activate Melody of Awakening Dragon! I discard the Reverse Engineering in my hand and add my two Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragons!"
How could anyone deny that victory has already fallen into his hands?
"I play Polymerization to fusion summon Galaxy-Eyes Hypernova Dragon!"
[DEF Galaxy-Eyes Hypernova Dragon: LIGHT LV/12 Dragon/Fusion/Effect ATK/4500 DEF/3800]
Upon special summon, Hypernova banished nothing on Dylan's field since he didn't start one turn yet. But that wasn't the point, because if it was, then he would've summoned it in attack position.
"I then activate Sanctified Offering of Might! I target one monster I control; reduce its attack or defense, whichever is higher, by any multiples of fifteen hundred, and I draw one card for each fifteen hundred lost!"
[DEF Galaxy-Eyes Hypernova Dragon: LIGHT LV/12 Dragon/Fusion/Effect ATK/4500 — 0 DEF/3800]
And what he has drawn were two very iconic trap cards out of the three.
"I set two cards face-down and end my turn."
By the laws of the card economy, he was off to a great start. A high defense wall of a monster which was impossible to remove without Raymond chaining its effect to inflict forty-five hundred points of damage, plus two set cards, and one in his hand.
[TURN 1 Raymond Novak LP/8000 Hand/1]
[TURN 2 Dylan Trudeau LP/8000 Hand/5 — 6]
"I activate Magical Contract Gate! You get to draw one card and I can add one level five or six, light-attribute monster from my Deck!"
He added Cyber Dragon Novus. Raymond instinctively knew what play Dylan was going to rely on.
"If I control no monsters in my main monster zone, I can special summon Cyber Dragon Novus from my hand by sending one light machine-type monster from my deck to the graveyard."
[ATK Cyber Dragon Novus: LIGHT LV/5 Machine/Effect ATK/2100 DEF/1600]
"As you know, Novus special summons Cyber Dragon Verstarkung I sent from my deck!"
[DEF Cyber Dragon Verstarkung: LIGHT LV/3 — 5 Machine/Tuner/Effect ATK/500 DEF/2100]
"And in turn, Cyber Dragon Verstarkung special summons one Cyber Dragon Herz and makes it level five!"
[DEF Cyber Dragon Herz: LIGHT LV/1 — 5 Machine/Effect ATK/100 DEF/100]
"I link summon Cyber Dragon Sieger using Herz and Verstarkung!"
[ATK Cyber Dragon Sieger: LIGHT Machine/Link/Effect ATK/2100 LINK-2]
This was the most common tactic that Dylan had played throughout this whole tournament that it wasn't even funny anymore. It was just so predictable. Next, he'd add Cyber Dragon Verstarkung from the grave.
"When Herz is sent to the grave, I add Cyber Dragon Verstarkung!"
Just as predicted.
"I activate Hypernova's effect! By destroying itself, I can inflict damage to you equal to its original attack points!"
[TURN 2 Dylan Trudeau LP/8000 — 3500 Hand/6]
Chimeratech Megafleet Dragon was coming next, since Hypernova was in the Extra Monster Zone, and with a Cyber Dragon out on the field, made it ripe for the summoning. Then again, Dylan must have had to know that Raymond anticipated this, so most likely Dylan had this planned all along. Either way, Hypernova was gone.
But not really. Galaxy-Eyes Hypernova Dragon also has a graveyard effect: if a Galaxy or Photon card Raymond possessed would be targeted or destroyed by Dylan's card effects, Raymond could banish Hypernova instead. Which was good, since he knew Dylan's favorite thing to do was to steal monster by the effect of his Cyber Dragon Infinity.
It wasn't relevant right now, since he had no monsters, but it'd come up eventually.
"I then summon Cyber Dragon Core, which allows me to add a Cyber Emergency from my deck to my hand!"
[ATK Cyber Dragon Core: LIGHT LV/2 Machine/Effect ATK/400 DEF/1500]
"I activate Machine Duplication to special summon two Cyber Dragons from my deck!"
"I use Novus and Cyber Dragon to xyz summon Cyber Dragon Nova!"
[ATK Cyber Dragon Nova/2: LIGHT RK/5 Machine/Xyz/Effect ATK/2100 DEF/1600]
"By linking Core and Sieger, I link summon another Cyber Dragon Sieger."
[ATK Cyber Dragon Sieger: LIGHT Machine/Link/Effect ATK/2100 LINK-2]
"Once per turn I can detach one xyz material from Nova to special summon back Cyber Dragon Sieger."
[ATK Cyber Dragon Nova/2 — 1: LIGHT RK/5 Machine/Xyz/Effect ATK/2100 DEF/1600]
[ATK Cyber Dragon Sieger: LIGHT Machine/Link/Effect ATK/2100 LINK-2]
"Cyber Rvsystem special summons Cyber Dragon back from my grave!"
[ATK Cyber Dragon: LIGHT Machine/Effect ATK/2100 DEF/1600]
"I use my revived Cyber Dragon and the other Cyber Dragon to xyz summon my second Cyber Dragon Nova!"
[ATK Cyber Dragon Nova/2: LIGHT RK/5 Machine/Xyz/Effect ATK/2100 DEF/1600]
"Once per turn I can detach one xyz material from Nova to special summon back Cyber Dragon."
[ATK Cyber Dragon Nova/2 — 1: LIGHT RK/5 Machine/Xyz/Effect ATK/2100 DEF/1600]
[ATK Cyber Dragon: LIGHT Machine/Effect ATK/2100 DEF/1600]
I can also xyz summon Cyber Dragon Infinity by using one of my Cyber Dragon Nova as xyz material.
[ATK Cyber Dragon Infinity/2: LIGHT RK/6 Machine/Xyz/Effect ATK/2500 DEF/1600]
Sieger, Nova, Infinity, and Cyber Dragon would deal a total of eighty-eight hundred points of damage, more than enough to wipe out all of Raymond's life points.
"My monsters attack you directly!"
Luckily, Raymond came prepared. "I activate Magic Cylinder!"
"Cyber Dragon Infinity negates your card!"
[ATK Cyber Dragon Infinity/2 — 1: LIGHT RK/6 Machine/Xyz/Effect ATK/2500 — 2300 DEF/1600]
Now that the decoy had fulfilled its mission… "I activate Mirror Force!"
Dylan watched in shock as the swarm of monsters Dylan had amassed were all destroyed in one fell swoop. Although, he was thankful that it wasn't the other mirror force card Raymond had in his deck, which would've shuffled all his monsters back into the deck, as being destroyed gave Dylan more rebound.
"If Cyber Dragon Nova in my possession is sent to the graveyard by your card effect, I can special summon one machine fusion monster from my Extra Deck!"
[ATK Cyber End Dragon: LIGHT LV/10 Machine/Fusion/Effect ATK/4000 DEF/2800]
Cyber End Dragon. Of course, he summoned that one. It was the only machine fusion monster in his extra deck that could be cheated out without a fusion card and not lose any of its intrinsic value. Because it had little to begin with.
"Cyber End Dragon attacks you directly!"
[TURN 2 Raymond Novak LP/8000 — 4000 Hand/2]
"I set one card and end my turn."
[TURN 2 Dylan Trudeau LP/3500 Hand/3]
It was just as expected of Dylan, halving Raymond's life points after only one turn. But this was when Raymond would start his counterattack! "I draw!"
[TURN 3 Raymond Novak LP/4000 Hand/2 — 3]
"I pay two thousand life points to activate Galaxy Trance!"
[TURN 3 Raymond Novak LP/4000 — 2000 Hand/2]
"It special summons one Photon monster in my grave and one Galaxy monster from my deck, with the same level, both in Defense Position. Each monster's ATK becomes two thousand and their effects are negated."
[DEF Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon: LIGHT LV/8 Dragon/Effect ATK/2000 DEF/2500]
[DEF Galaxy Brave: LIGHT LV/8 Warrior/Effect ATK/2000 DEF/0]
"I overlay the two to xyz summon Number 62: Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon and use that to rank-up to Galaxy-Eyes Full Armor Photon Dragon!"
[ATK Galaxy-Eyes Full Armor Photon Dragon/2: LIGHT RK/8 Dragon/Xyz/Effect ATK/4000 DEF/3500]
"I know what Full Armor does, and I'm not going to give you the chance! I'm activating Cybernetic Overflow! By banishing the Cyber Dragon in my graveyard, I can destroy your dragon!"
Damn. It was destroyed before Raymond could destroy Cyber End Dragon. And since Full Armor did not possess a quick effect, he couldn't chain its effect. But no worries, that wasn't all his eggs in that one basket.
"First, I special summon Photon Thrasher!"
[ATK Photon Thrasher: LIGHT LV/4 Warrior/Effect ATK/2100 DEF/0]
"Then, I normal summon Galaxy Cleric!"
[ATK Galaxy Cleric: LIGHT LV/4 Spellcaster/Effect ATK/1500 DEF/600]
"If Galaxy Cleric is normal or special summoned, I can target five Photon and/or Galaxy cards with different names in my grave, shuffle them into the Deck, then I draw two cards."
And he had the exact amount in his grave: Galaxy-Eyes Hypernova Dragon, Galaxy Trance, Galaxy Brave, Full Armor, and Prime Photon. Now that Hypernova was out of the grave, his protection was gone. Though that was a calculated move; since it was Dylan who gave him the Hypernova card, he sure as damn well knew what it did, and he wouldn't try to trigger its effect.
All Raymond needed was to draw the other fusion card in his deck and Hypernova would be free again.
"If I control a Galaxy or Photon monster, I can special summon Photon Vanisher from my hand!"
[ATK Photon Vanisher: LIGHT LV/4 Warrior/Effect ATK/2000 DEF/0]
"Same goes for Photon Advancer!"
[ATK Photon Advancer: LIGHT LV/4 Warrior/Effect ATK/1000 — 2000 DEF/1000]
"I use Galaxy Cleric and Photon Thrasher to link summon Galaxy-Eyes Solflare Dragon!"
[ATK Galaxy-Eyes Solflare Dragon: LIGHT Dragon/Link/Effect ATK/2000 LINK-2]
"By Solflare's effect, I'm adding back to my hand the Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon from my grave! Next, I overlay Photon Advancer and Photon Vanisher to xyz summon Starliege Photon Blast Dragon!"
[ATK Starliege Photon Blast Dragon/2: LIGHT RK/4 Dragon/Xyz/Effect ATK/1800 DEF/2500]
"If Starliege is xyz summoned, I can Special Summon my Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon from my hand!"
[ATK Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon: LIGHT LV/8 Dragon/Effect ATK/3000 DEF/2500]
"The pieces are set." Raymond grinned. Dylan's eyes narrowed at the realization it was checkmate.
"Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon attacks Cyber End Dragon! When Galaxy-Eyes battles your monster, I can banish both monsters until the end of the battle phase!"
Now Dylan was left open to a direct attack; Starliege's and Solflare's combined attack points were thirty-eight hundred, more than what Dylan could afford to lose. This was as fast as Travis's duel.
"My remaining monsters attack!"
"I discard Cyber Kuriboh from my hand to negate the battle damage from Solflare's attack!"
[TURN 3 Dylan Trudeau LP/3500 — 1700 Hand/2]
Raymond was surprised, then he chuckled. Dylan had the right card at the right time. Cyber Kuriboh could negate the battle damage of one of Raymond's monsters. And since it was now in the graveyard, its graveyard effect was locked and loaded for the inevitable return of Galaxy-Eyes Hypernova Dragon. "I end my turn, and the monsters banished during the battle phase must return."
[ATK Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon: LIGHT LV/8 Dragon/Effect ATK/3000 DEF/2500]
[ATK Cyber End Dragon: LIGHT LV/10 Machine/Fusion/Effect ATK/4000 DEF/2800]
Cyber End Dragon ended up on Dylan's main monster zone, which meant that his extra monster zone was freed up for use.
[TURN 3 Raymond Novak LP/2000 Hand/0]
[TURN 4 Dylan Trudeau LP/1700 Hand/2 — 3]
"I activate Cyber Emergency! I add Cyber Dragon Nachster to my hand! Then, I'll discard the Electromagnetic Turtle to special summon it!"
[DEF Cyber Dragon Nachster: LIGHT LV/1 Machine/Effect ATK/200 DEF/200]
Electromagnetic Turtle too. Now Dylan could buy himself one more turn if things go south. Raymond would just have to power through it then.
"If it's summoned, I can special summon one machine monster with 2100 ATK or DEF in my grave! So, Cyber Dragon Nova is back!"
[ATK Cyber Dragon Nova/0: LIGHT RK/5 Machine/Xyz/Effect ATK/2100 DEF/1600]
"I rank up into my second Infinity!"
[ATK Cyber Dragon Infinity/1: LIGHT RK/6 Machine/Xyz/Effect ATK/2300 DEF/1600]
"Infinity can target an attack position monster on the field and turn it into its own xyz material! I target Starliege!"
Quick! While he still had the chance!
"I banish Reverse Engineering in my graveyard, allowing me to set Mirror Force back to my field! Then, I'll chain with Starliege's effect activating! Once per your turn, I can detach one material from it and special summon a Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon that is banished or is in my grave!"
[ATK Starliege Photon Blast Dragon/2 — 1: LIGHT RK/4 Dragon/Xyz/Effect ATK/1800 DEF/2500]
Dylan clenched his teeth. That was right, Dylan wasn't the only one who knew how to take advantage of the situation. "I activate Infinity's effect to negate your monster effect!"
[ATK Cyber Dragon Infinity/1 — 0: LIGHT RK/6 Machine/Xyz/Effect ATK/2300 — 2100 DEF/1600]
Raymond knew Dylan would negate it; he wouldn't want Raymond to have two level eight monsters on his field, who can protect themselves in battle. And even if Infinity were to negate Galaxy-Eyes's battle evasion effects instead, it'd still have the other one to deal with.
As a bonus, he managed to manipulate the game mechanics to protect the activation of Reverse Engineering and build up his defense, since all negation effects must respond directly to what they're trying to negate in the chain link. Cyber Dragon Infinity used up all of its xyz materials, so even when the once per turn effect resets on Raymond's turn, Dylan couldn't do a damn thing.
And finally, with Mirror Force back on his field and Cyber Dragon Infinity's effect already used up for the turn, Dylan would have no choice but to end his turn. That was assuming, if he didn't have something else in his hand.
"I end."
[TURN 4 Dylan Trudeau LP/1700 Hand/1]
[TURN 5 Raymond Novak LP/2000 Hand/0 — 1]
He drew Trace-In. With the field he had now, he could attack Infinity and call it a turn. But he still had that Cyber End Dragon to deal with. And with Solflare Dragon out, the damage he would take from Cyber End Dragon's attack would be the exact amount Dylan needed to win this duel. And although Raymond had Mirror Force face-down, what was to say Dylan wouldn't summon his third Cyber Dragon Infinity?
He had to risk it.
"I use Solflare and Galaxy-Eyes to link summon another Solflare!"
[ATK Galaxy-Eyes Solflare Dragon: LIGHT Dragon/Link/Effect ATK/2000 LINK-2]
"By Solfalre's effect, I'm adding back to my hand the Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon from my grave! Next, I play Trade-In! By sending the Galaxy-Eyes I just added, I draw two cards!"
Raymond smiled. Fortune truly favors the bold.
"I activate Dragon's Mirror! I banish the two Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragons in my graveyard and the one on my field to again fusion summon Galaxy-Eyes Hypernova Dragon!"
[ATK Galaxy-Eyes Hypernova Dragon: LIGHT LV/12 Dragon/Fusion/Effect ATK/4500 DEF/3800]
"All cards you control are banished face-down!"
That dealt with both Cyber Dragon Infinity and Cyber End Dragon. Of course, Raymond didn't forget about Dylan's protections. But better waste them now than later.
"Hypernova attacks you directly."
"I banish the Electromagnetic Turtle from my graveyard to end the battle phase!"
"I activate Hypernova's effect! By destroying itself, I can inflict damage to you equal to its original attack points!"
"Cyber Kuriboh banishes itself from the graveyard to protect me from all effects that damage this turn!"
Raymond didn't mind Hypernova in the graveyard. Now his remaining monster was protected, which meant that Dylan would need to find some way to get rid of his Galaxy-Eyes Solflare Dragon without targeting or destroying, lest he wanted Hypernova to banish itself from the grave, and special summon itself during the end phase.
And if Hypernova comes back, Dylan's field would be obliterated once again. Raymond was counting on Dylan's psychological repetition; using the stealing effect of Cyber Dragon Infinity had become such a ritual for Dylan that he might do it without thinking, a mind on autopilot.
Still… that one card Dylan left in Dylan's hand was Cyber Dragon Verstarkung… why hasn't he tried using it yet? Was he saving for something more? Or was he saving it as a last resort since he didn't want to risk all his cards in one strategy? Probably the latter, since he would be proven right.
"I set one card face-down and end my turn."
[TURN 5 Raymond Novak LP/2000 Hand/0]
[TURN 6 Dylan Trudeau LP/1700 Hand/1 — 2]
"I normal summon Cyber Dragon Verstarkung, which will special summon—!"
"I don't think so!" Raymond intercepted. Oh, now he decided to use Verstarkung. A little too late, didn't he think? "I activate Solemn Strike! By paying fifteen hundred life points, Verstarkung's summon is negated!"
[TURN 6 Raymond Novak LP/2000 — 500 Hand/0]
His life points were dangerously close to zero. If GaGaGa Cowboy was still a staple card like it was the era long past, then Raymond would be screwed. Eight hundred points of damage was a big deal at this stage now.
"Then I will activate One Day of Peace! We both draw one card and neither one of us is going to take damage until the end of your turn!"
Well, guess Raymond didn't have to worry about effect damages for this turn then.
Dylan cursed under his breath. Raymond didn't miss it. So, he didn't draw the card he wanted, did he? Shame, because Raymond seriously doubted there would be a next turn for Dylan. And yes, he was saying that, knowing the effect of One Day of Peace. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."
[TURN 6 Dylan Trudeau LP/1700 Hand/0]
[TURN 7 Raymond Novak LP/500 Hand/1 — 2]
And with this card he just drew, Raymond was going to finish Dylan off at the standby phase.
"I activate the quick-play spell card, Different Dimension Exchange! By paying half of my life points, I can banish one monster on the field or in my graveyard to special summon a monster that is already banished beforehand!"
[TURN 7 Raymond Novak LP/500 — 250 Hand/1]
"Welcome back Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!" Raymond said to Dylan. He then immediately skipped to the end of his turn. "During the end phase, if Hypernova is amongst my banished cards, I can special summon it! It's over!"
Once the effect of One Day of Peace expired at Dylan's draw phase, Raymond would immediately activate Hypernova's effect, dealing forty-five hundred points of damage to his mere two hundred life points. Dylan would never get to respond with anything.
"Don't count your chickens yet!" What? "I activate my own Solemn Strike!"
[TURN 7 Dylan Trudeau LP/1700 — 200 Hand/0]
"Hypernova Dragon will not be coming back!"
So, at the cost of fifteen hundred life points, Dylan bought himself one more turn. This would definitely be his final turn, because if he fails to defeat Raymond, Hypernova would special summon itself back at Dylan's end phase, and Raymond would pull the trigger then.
"Different Dimension Exchange forces me to destroy one monster I control at the end phase. So I'll choose my Solflare Dragon."
[TURN 7 Raymond Novak LP/250 Hand/1]
[TURN 8 Dylan Trudeau LP/200 Hand/0 — 1]
Again, Dylan's life points were a mere two hundred, and his field was completely empty. There was no more graveyard effect for him to rely on, and he only had one card in his hand. For someone about to lose soon, what could he possibly do?
"I activate Cyber Emergency to add another copy of Cyber Dragon Nachster! And I'll summon it, in turn letting me bring back Cyber Dragon Nova!"
[ATK Cyber Dragon Nachster: LIGHT LV/1 Machine/Effect ATK/200 DEF/200]
Wait…
[ATK Cyber Dragon Nova/0: LIGHT RK/5 Machine/Xyz/Effect ATK/2100 DEF/1600]
"I rank up into my third Infinity!"
[ATK Cyber Dragon Infinity/1: LIGHT RK/6 Machine/Xyz/Effect ATK/2300 DEF/1600]
WAIT…
"Infinity can target an attack position monster on the field and turn it into its own xyz material! I target Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!"
[ATK Cyber Dragon Infinity/1 — 2: LIGHT RK/6 Machine/Xyz/Effect ATK/2300 — 2500 DEF/1600]
NO!
"Mirror Force won't save you now…" Dylan proclaimed. "Cyber Dragon Infinity attacks you directly!"
[TURN 8 Raymond Novak LP/250 — 0 Hand/1]
…
This… THIS ISN'T HAPPENING…! THIS MUST BE SOME KIND OF MISTAKE!
HE LOST!?
HE—!
"Ladies and gentlemen!" The booming voice interrupted his thought process. "OUR KING OF GAMES!"
"I did it! I did it!" Dylan hopped from one foot to the other like an elementary school boy who just found out that his crush liked him back. He was not ashamed one bit. He was deliriously happy, giddy even. And why shouldn't he? He just won first place, the title King of Games, and most importantly of all, he won three million dollars. All the financial burdens of his life—past, present, and future—have had its head violently dashed against the rocks and let its rotting corpse drift away to the ocean, never to be seen again. In one fierce battle cry, he leapt into the spotlight with wide eyes and wider cheer.
Raymond was the exact opposite.
"I—I can't—" Raymond was holding back tears. His nails clawed at the edges of the table. He didn't want to look at anyone, not until the sorrowful choke that seized his throat was defeated. He was resisting it, fighting it, harder than any other time in his life. He didn't forget that there were cameras pointing at him and one slip would unveil the pained face for all the world to see.
"Novak." Dylan noticed Raymond's whirlwind and tried to comfort him verbally. "I know that it's kind of important whether you win or lose, since, you know, there's money involved. But I like to think it's more important on how you play the game! And for that, this was a great duel!"
HOW DARE HE SAY THAT.
Anger flared deep and black in Raymond's system, as hot as magma. It churned and churned, hungry for the surface, where it yearned destruction. The darkness he felt, scratching at the walls, wanting to swallow him whole, flooding his veins, from head to toe. This raging molten of anger… would not overtake him. As much as he wanted to bolt off the stage and shut out the cruel reality that mocked him and just… let go of every restraint.
"Yeah…" He lied. "It was a great duel…"
Dylan naively bought it completely. He offered Raymond a handshake, to which Raymond accepted. As much as Raymond's irrational emotions kept whispering that it was okay to brutally crush Dylan's hand inside his palm, he didn't give into it. It wasn't completely Dylan's fault; he didn't know what was at stake.
But God did.
No. 'Jack' did.
Raymond didn't even want to acknowledge this evil, cruel being as any kind of deity. His depravity was without limit, His cruelty knew no bounds. Raymond bet that He created people in the pursuit of even lower evil, to allow them to experience a moment of goodness just to rip it away from them at the end of the road.
And what was it all for!? For a show!? For some audience in the sky to point and laugh at his misery!? Or was His maximum selfishness wanted to add his story to His collection of failures He could laugh at whenever He felt like it!?
WELL HE CAN GO FUCK HIMSELF.
"Well done, Mr. Trudeau!" One of the staff starts to praise him, handing him a crystal trophy with golden linings at the edges.
"Thank you! I just want to thank my mom and dad, who didn't give up on me!" He turned directly at the camera "Ma! Pa! If you're watching: I DID IT! I'M FINALLY USEFUL!" He then turned to Raymond. "I'd also like to thank Novak here for beating Travis, so I don't—"
Raymond Novak made his way off the stadium.
"Novak?" Dylan was concerned. "Where are you going? Don't you want your trophy?"
Raymond stopped for a moment and glanced at the crystal trophy with silver linings at the edges. He didn't say anything; he simply shook his head and continued on. The audience was puzzled, but quickly decided it was not a big of a deal.
He didn't have time for this. He had to get back to Reynalda as soon as possible.
Looking at the word count, this is the shortest chapter yet at 5,000 words.
4/5/2020