It was the day of Chelsea's eighteenth birthday and it was still early in the morning, Chelsea was barely awake as it was and was getting ready to go back to sleep as the birds could be heard singing outside the guest bedroom window.
And that peace and quiet was quickly broken when Lance opened the door. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR CHELSEA!" Lance's horrendous rendition of Happy Birthday was, fortunately cut off when Chelsea grabbed her pillow and, after a few seconds of using it to cover her ears, threw it straight at Lance's face.
"Lance, I swear to god, if you wake me up like that again I'm stapling your balls to the wall with you still attached!" Chelsea warned him as she glared at the taller eighteen year old. "Hell, I didn't think it was possible, but you just ruined the Happy Birthday song for me!"
"Probably best that you don't go downstairs yet." Chloe responded with a giggle as she pushed past her boyfriend with an envelope in her hands. "Sorry about Lance, tried to get to your door first but the dogs were in the way."
"Oh, great, he's scared Rex and Nala." Chelsea responded as she rolled her eyes and Chloe laughed before handing her the envelope. "Before I go downstairs, are the others there yet?"
"The other students from Duel Academy got here early, Pro-Duelists are apparently waiting on Amanda and Adrienne, based on what Phil told me over the phone, they are both sharing Adrienne's room." Chloe explained as Chelsea opened her envelope. "Make of that what you will but Happy Birthday none the less."
"Thanks." Chelsea thanked her roommate with a small grin before getting the birthday card out, sure enough it was a birthday card from Lance and Chloe and her grin widened. "And thanks for the card, doesn't make up for Lance's wakeup call but still."
"Nice to know I'm being appreciated." Lance grumbled under his breath before he tossed the pillow back at Chelsea, she caught it and returned it to her bed. "Besides, probably best that you don't go to sleep because Chloe's mom is fixing up breakfast as we speak."
"Okay, fine, but at least give me some privacy!" Chelsea responded, and her friends grinned before they left the room, Chelsea muttered some choice words under her breath at Lance before she got out of bed and started searching through her wardrobe. "Okay, big birthday party at Metal Asylum tonight, probably should wear something appropriate." Chelsea thought as she started digging through the wardrobe.
"Is it too late to sing "Happy Birthday"?" Wattchimera asked and Chelsea groaned as she picked out her patched up denim vest, crop top and cutoff jeans.
"Unless you want me to start wishing I got another Spirit Guide, yes!" Chelsea responded as she got dressed making sure to put the vest on last. "Do Duel Spirits even have birthdays?!"
"Well, no, we are ageless." Wattchimera responded as he shook his head and Chelsea ignored him as she went to her computer, sat down at it and put the birthday card on the desk in a position where it wouldn't get in the way of her computer screen. "But I know you've been looking forward too this, beyond being a year older."
"Yep, no longer have that juvenile record hanging over my head." Chelsea thought before signing in, she initially went to her Steam account but got a Skype Call instead and checked that.
"Happy birthday to you…." Her older siblings greeted her, and Chelsea groaned as she put her face in her hands. "Something wrong Chelsea?" Jamie asked, and Chelsea shook her head as she glanced up at her older sister.
"It's nothing, its just that Lance, AKA Chloe's boyfriend, chose to wake me up with that song and he's a terrible singer, even by metal standards." Chelsea responded with a groan and her siblings nodded in understanding. "Not saying I don't appreciate it though, besides, aren't you guys up a bit early? It's 8:00am over here."
"Jeez, he woke you up like that this early? I'm surprised you didn't straight up murder him!" Mark responded with a look of surprise on his face and Chelsea shook her head.
"I let him off with a warning, warning being "do that again and I'm stapling your balls to the wall with you attached"." Chelsea responded as she shook her head getting a laugh out of her siblings. "I won't be able to chat long because Chloe's mom is cooking breakfast as we speak so can you make it as quick as possible?"
"No problem." Mark nodded in response and Chelsea grinned. "As we said, happy birthday Chelsea, we left a little something in your bank account to make up for the fact that we can't be there in person." Mark added, and Chelsea blinked before checking her account on her iPhone, when she saw the updated amount Chelsea's eyes went as wide as dinner plates. "No need to thank us, you're our baby sister after all."
"Baby sister who just turned eighteen." Chelsea reminded him before grinning broadly. "Thanks a lot, guys, hopefully I'll get a chance to enjoy it before the Orichalcos rears its ugly head."
"I'm sure you can kick it's ass, if it does," Chris responded with a nod and Chelsea laughed in response. "And be sure to watch your temper."
"Really?!" Chelsea asked with an annoyed sigh. "Your bringing that up on my birthday?"
"We heard from mom and dad about the recent incident." Danny chimed in and Chelsea groaned. "Look, we know it's a sore spot for you Chelsea but we're just worried that your falling into your old habits."
"If you heard from them about the incident I'm thinking off, then there's a chance you know the circumstances behind it?" Chelsea asked, and her siblings nodded in response. "I'm not going to sit here and pretend that me beating that girl up was the right thing to do, but I'm not pretending that she didn't have it coming either."
"We know Chelsea, I still remember the incident that autistic girl told me about when I catered the Ra Yellow welcome party." Jamie responded with a nod of understanding. "How is she anyway? I heard she was beaten up pretty bad."
"That's an understatement, broken nose, eye swollen shut, bruised and bloody, she looked like she had gone through a war." Chelsea explained before sighing. "The good news is, nose has healed up and her eye is on the road to recovery, bruising is mostly cleared up as well." Chelsea explained before she heard a knock at her door. "Pretty sure that's the sign that breakfast is ready, thanks again for the Birthday money guys and speak to you soon."
"Will do Chelsea." Jamie nodded before she hung up on her younger sister, Chelsea let out a sigh as she stood up to go answer the door.
"Hopefully I can get to the point where I can talk about my violent outbursts in the past sense." Chelsea thought as she approached the door. "At least I don't have to worry about my record now."
*meanwhile outside*
Whilst Chelsea was getting up and ready for her eighteenth birthday someone was watching the house from across the street in a car.
"It's just a matter of time now." Sarah thought as she looked at the house from the passenger side seat, in the car with her where two other Orichalcos agents, the driver was a male dressed head to toe in robes and the other woman in the car was dressed like someone who would go to a metal concert. "I have waited so long for this day."
"Sarah, it's Victor." Victor's voice rang out over her earpiece and she put her hand too it. "The operation is ago! You know what to do."
"Yes sir." Sarah responded before hanging up and turning to the woman. "As soon as the brats leave as a group, follow them, wait until you can get Richardson alone and try to her to use the Orichalcos in a duel, am I clear?"
"Yes ma'am." The woman said with a nod as she glanced towards the shop. "You sure she'll use it again?"
"She did it once, she'll do it again." Sarah responded before turning to the driver. "You know your orders."
"Yes ma'am, follow the brats, provide a getaway should it go wrong." The driver nodded in response and Sarah said nothing in response. "What is your beef with the Richardson girl anyway?"
"You don't want to know." Sarah said simply, and the driver nodded.
*back inside the house*
Chelsea's suspicions were confirmed when it was Chloe that answered the door and told her that breakfast was ready and after a quick bathroom break Chelsea made her way downstairs with one hand on the railing and the other hand scratching her tired eye, once she reached the bottom of the stairs she did brighten up however as she saw a big banner hanging over the main hallway with the worlds "Happy Birthday Chelsea" in big, bold letters and Beth waiting for her under the banner.
"I just have one question." Chelsea said as she greeted her girlfriend before motioning to the banner. "How did I miss that thing going up last night? And how much help were the dogs?"
"Rex and Nala were just happy to watch from the sidelines." Beth responded with a laugh before the lesbian couple shared a kiss. "As for how you missed it, Chloe's dad was up early this morning putting that up with Lance's help."
"At least he's done something right this morning." Chelsea responded with a grin before she heard food being plated up. "I don't think I should keep Chloe's mom waiting."
"No argument here, Happy Birthday Chelsea." Beth responded before handing her girlfriend a birthday card, Chelsea opened the envelope and grinned broadly when she read the birthday message. "So what time are we heading over to Metal Asylum?" Beth asked as they walked into the dining room.
"Going to the tattoo parlor to get some tattoos and a navel piercing done first." Chelsea responded before they sat down next to each other. "I know the tattoos will require multiple visits, so I went and booked several sessions with the hope that they'll be done by the time we return to Duel Academy, as for Metal Asylum, I told the guys that run the place that me and my group will be there for six thirty at the latest."
"And you're not worried about how the teachers will react to your new tattoos or piercing?" Beth asked, and Chelsea shook her head.
"Tattoos will be covered up by my Ra Yellow Blazer, as for the piercing, well it's not like I wear crop tops as often as Chloe does." Chelsea responded with a shrug of her shoulders. "Really, the only time they'll be noticeable is during PE and it'll likely be too late by that point."
"Hope your right, otherwise you'd have wasted your birthday money." Beth responded, and Chelsea grinned.
"The tattoos and naval piercing was something I wanted to get done before I joined Duel Academy, but my parents refused, now that I'm eighteen it shouldn't be a problem." Chelsea added before the others entered the room. "So yeah, I wouldn't consider it a waste of birthday money."
"And speaking of birthdays…..." Brandon's voice rang out from behind her and Chelsea groaned as she heard the other students warm up their voices before singing Happy Birthday to her, one they were done Brandon put a Birthday Card in front of her. "Happy Birthday Chelsea."
"Thanks guys but I would've appreciated it more if Lance hadn't woken me up with that song." Chelsea responded with a slight laugh before opening the envelope and reading the card. "Come to think of it, there are less people in here than I expected, even without the Pro-Leaguers." Chelsea realized once the others had sat down.
"Jason and Chakra fell ill, they said that they'll be available for the assault on the Orichalcos though." Theresa responded as she shook her head. "Same goes for Ash, Hu, Latoya, Louella, Danny, Amelia and Caitlin but they all send you their birthday wishes."
"And if I didn't know better, I'd say that they were using illness to get out of going to a metal club tonight." Chelsea thought before Chloe's mom entered the room with several plates of food in her hands. "Morning Mrs. Richardson." Chelsea greeted her as she put Chelsea's food down on the table.
"Good morning Chelsea and Happy Birthday." Sandra responded, and Chelsea grinned in response. "I hope you're hungry."
"I'm starving, thanks." Chelsea responded before she grabbed her knife and fork ready to dig in to the delicious looking meal in front of her, Sandra walked off once she had set the food down for everyone at the table and Chelsea turned to the other teens. "Any news on when the Pro-Leaguers will get here?"
"Should be here in about twenty minutes." Theresa responded as she checked the time on her watch. "As of the last update, they are having breakfast at their hotel as we speak." Theresa added, and Chelsea nodded before the teens dug into their meal, it was just as delicious as it looked and once, they were done Theresa turned to Chelsea again. "So, what's the plan for tonight again?"
"If by tonight you mean the party at Metal Asylum." Chelsea responded, and Theresa nodded before Chelsea took a sip of her coke. "My tattoo and piercings appointment isn't until 3:00pm, I'm booked in for an hour there and after that we're heading to Metal Asylum for the party." Chelsea added before taking another sip. "Only thing I haven't figured out yet is what we're doing for dinner, I got a bunch of money from my older siblings as a birthday gift, so I could treat you guys to a meal out."
"Chelsea, it's your birthday, if anything we should be treating you." Brandon insisted, and Chelsea grinned when she heard that. "I'll see if I can get us a table at that fancy new restaurant in the city, don't worry about dress code, it's not "suit and tie" level fancy, just a casual dining place with good food, and don't worry about the bill, honestly? The total would be chump change for me!"
"That sounds perfect." Chelsea said with a grin before turning to Chloe. "We just need to clear that up with your mom and we'll be all set."
"Shouldn't be too hard, hell I think mom would appreciate the break from cooking for so many people at once." Chloe responded with a grin before she stood up. "I'll go ask her now, like I said, shouldn't be a problem."
"Knock on wood." Chelsea responded getting a laugh out of Chloe before she left the dining hall, as Chloe walked through her house, she suddenly felt uneasy.
"Hey Silent Magician, you feel that, right?" Chloe asked as she glanced to her side and her Duel Spirit Guide appeared next to her. "Almost like we're being watched?"
"Are you sure it has nothing to do with the dogs?" Silent Magician asked, and Chloe glanced behind her seeing Rex and Nala standing in another doorway with their tails wagging, Chloe shook her head before motioning to the two dogs to come to her side.
"If I felt weird about the dogs following me everywhere, I would've stopped giving them table scraps sooner." Chloe responded as she stroked the two dogs with a hand each. "Maybe it's just my paranoia regarding the Orichalcos." Chloe thought as she walked into the kitchen where her mother was washing up dishes. "Have you felt anything since we came back from Duel Academy?"
"Aside from the incident at the hotel that led to the Pro-Leaguers finding out about you using the Orichalcos, no, they've been quiet lately." Silent Magician responded, and Chloe frowned before Sandra turned to her.
"Hey mom, I know this is last minute, but it's been suggested that me and the other duelists go to a restaurant for dinner tonight, what with Chelsea's tattoo appointment and the party at that club." Chloe explained, and Sandra nodded. "Are you okay with that?"
"Okay? It's felt like forever since I cooked for less than four people." Sandra responded with a look of relief on her face. "Do you want some money for it?"
"Brandon offered to pay for it himself, since he's from a rich family." Chloe explained, and Sandra nodded. "And on a similar note, we've finished breakfast."
"Just what I need, more washing up." Sandra sighed in response before they heard a knock at the door. "I'll take the plates in soon can you go get that?"
"Sure." Chloe nodded before leaving the room and heading to the door that lead directly to the street, Chelsea grinned when she recognized the people on the other side and answered. "Hey guys!"
"Hey Chloe." Amanda responded before Chloe's dogs brushed past her and greeted the other pro-leaguers. "So, where's the birthday girl?"
"Chelsea's inside, just don't sing Happy Birthday to her." Chloe responded earning a confused look from the Canadian woman. "Lance managed to ruin that song for her when he woke her up with it, did I mention that he can't carry a tune to save his life?"
"I'll take your word for it." Amanda responded with a laugh before Chloe stepped aside to let the pro-leaguers and her dogs into the house, once Chloe was sure that both Rex and Nala were back in the house and the chance of either dog getting out was slim she closed the door and trailed behind the Pro-Leaguers as Chelsea stepped out of the dining room. "Happy Birthday Chelsea!" Amanda greeted her before handing over an envelope.
"Thanks guys." Chelsea responded with a grin before opening the envelope and sure enough there was a birthday card in it, alongside something else that had been bulging out of the envelope. "Booster packs?"
"Not just any booster packs." Amanda assured her as Chelsea held up the pack. "It contains cards that won't be released over here for at least another year, they was prizes we won from our last tournaments and the best birthday present we could get you on short notice considering we only learned that your birthday was today earlier this week."
"I appreciate it, thanks." Chelsea responded with a grin as she looked at the booster pack. "Did we go over the plans for tonight with you guys?"
"You said something about getting tattoos and piercings done and going to a metal club." Adrienne remembered after thinking for a moment. "Those plans haven't changed, right?"
"Only slightly." Chelsea responded before motioning to them to follow her. "I'll go over them with you guys in the lounge." Chelsea added, and the pro-leaguers nodded before following her into the lounge.
*later*
It was now time for Chelsea's appointment at the tattoo parlor and the students and pro-leaguers left to celebrate her birthday, however as the limos left (courtesy of Tyler) another car was following them.
"Sarah, the brats are on the move, they've got the pro-leaguers with them." The driver said as he followed the limos from a distance. "Should I step in and challenge one of them?"
"Too risky, we're low on manpower as it is." Sarah responded with a frown as she stood opposite Chloe's home. "I'm going in, stick to the plan, if one of the pro-leaguers intervenes feel free to step in as well."
"Got it." The driver responded before hanging up, Sarah crossed the road without a word and entered the shop where Scott was hard at work.
"Can I help you?" Scott asked as he looked up and Sarah remained motionless. "If your just here to browse, that's fine, if you're here to see my daughter, I'm afraid you just missed her."
"You have every right to be afraid." Sarah responded simply before removing her hood, she had shoulder length dark brown hair and blue eyes, but her face was hideously scarred to the point where she almost looked deformed. "How long has it been? Nineteen, no, twenty years?"
"Who…." Scott trailed off before it hit him like a ton of bricks. "No, it can't be, you were killed in that accident!"
"Accident?! You left me for dead!" Sarah responded with a scoff before she spat to the ground. "It's a good thing your adoptive daughter isn't here, she wouldn't know what you did to your real daughter, or what she's about to do to her father!" Sarah added before raising her arm and revealing an Orichalcos Duel Disk. "And unless you want me to tell your dear old daughter everything, we'll duel, loser loses their soul."
"Follow me." Scott responded stoically before leading Sarah into the house.
*later at Metal Asylum*
Chelsea's limo had stopped off at the tattoo parlor first to get her first session out of the way, the navel piercing was done first following by her tattoos and after keeping them covered in the restaurant she was ready to unveil her new tattoos as soon as they got to the metal club.
"Next." The bouncer called out and Chelsea lead the group to the front. "Name?"
"Chelsea Cunningham." Chelsea responded as she glanced at the much taller bouncer. "AKA the girl who's hosting her eighteenth birthday party here?"
"Oh yeah, the boss said to look out for you and your group." The bouncer nodded in response before stepping aside. "You've got one of the private booths, come right on in, and Happy Birthday."
"Thanks." Chelsea nodded before she entered the club followed by the other duelists, once they were inside Chelsea was pointed towards the booth in question which was up a flight of stairs and overlooking the dance floor, Chelsea quickly sat down at the table once she got to it and the others sat down as "The Moth" by Death Angel began to pay at the DJ podium. "I know metal's not exactly to everyone's tastes but thanks for being here guys."
"Don't worry about it, though I will say that this is a bit more upscale than what I was expecting." Theresa admitted as she looked around. "I don't know, I guess I was expecting a small club."
"Well, it's two parts really." Chelsea responded before motioning to the backroom. "Front of the place is your bog standard metal club, back of the house is a live music venue, one of the largest ones that cater to metal music in the city."
"Well, it is popular." Phillip commented as he saw several patrons enter. "How about I get you a drink? I know the legal drinking age is twenty but still."
"I'd appreciate it thanks, get me a coke, no ice or lemon." Chelsea added, and Phil nodded before he took more orders and headed down to the bar, however whilst the group chatted, and Phil got Chelsea her drink the female Orichalcos Duelist entered the club.
"I'm in position." The female duelist whispered into an earpiece as she walked through the club. "Brats are in a private booth, can't get to Chloe from here."
"Do what you can." The male responded, and she nodded before sitting at the bar. "By the way, have you heard from Sarah since we left?"
"Tried contacting her whilst in line, apparently her phone and earpiece are off." The female responded before ordering a drink to keep the bartenders off her. "Either that or it's being cut off by you know what."
"You know what? Oh, right, trying to avoid attention." The male responded with a nod of understanding. "I never heard of the Orichalcos blocking phone or earpiece signals, maybe they're underground or something?"
"Like in a basement?" The female asked as she received her drink and left a ten dollar note on the bar which was snatched up. "Does the brat's house even have a basement?"
"I'll have to ask Sarah when we meet up with her later." The male responded before hanging up, whilst that was going on Phil returned to the booth with drinks and a book tucked under his arm.
"Okay, one coke, no ice or lemon for the birthday girl." Phil said as the Irish Duelist slid the drink to Chelsea, she caught it and took a sip from the drink. "Two rum and cokes for me and Fran, three cokes for Chloe, Lance and Nicola." Phil said as je handed out the drinks to the teens who thanked him before he set the book down, on the front it said two words "karaoke setlist". "And this caught my attention, apparently karaoke starts at seven?"
"Yep, and it aint your grandma's karaoke, it's got metal tracks both new and old on it." Chelsea responded with a grin before she opened the book. "Done it a couple of times, did okay by karaoke standards, though for some reason they have Disney songs at the back."
"Can I have a look?" Lance asked and, after a brief look of horror washed over the faces that had heard his singing, Lance looked at the Disney Songs. "Maybe I can dedicate a song to us Chloe?"
"Do I need to remind you of what happened the last time you dedicated a song to me?" Chloe asked as she ran a hand down her face. "I'm pretty sure you'd get lynched for getting Justin Bieber played in here."
"Do I even want to know the story behind that?" Fran asked with a skeptical look on her face and Chloe shook her head.
"No, you don't." Chloe responded before Lance looked through the songs. "But sure, see what songs tickle your fancy!"
"Okay, so how about Part of your World?" Lance asked and Chloe face-palmed.
"I heard your attempts at the high notes in the shower yesterday morning." Chloe responded as she ran a hand down her face. "That will haunt my nightmares for years to come! And that's not even a romantic song!"
"Point taken." Lance conceded before looking through it again. "How about a duet of Can You Feel The Love Tonight?"
"Even if I didn't consider it the most boring song in The Lion King, there's no way in hell I'm getting on stage for a duet with you!" Chloe insisted, and Lance quickly nodded. "I had a hard enough time competing in the finals at Battle City for Christ Shake!"
"If it helps, it gets easier the more you do it." Amanda assured her, and Chloe gave her an uneasy look. "There's gotta be a song Lance can sing on there!"
"Sing? Try butcher." Chelsea responded as she rolled her eyes whilst Lance's eyes lit up like a Christmas Tree. "Oh god, he's going up, there isn't he?"
"Yeah, and I know exactly what song I'm singing!" Lance responded with a broad grin. "Tale as Old as Time!" Lance added, and the booth fell silent whilst Chloe just gave her boyfriend a death glare. "What?"
"Lance, that's Chloe's favorite Disney Song off all time, I'm pretty sure there's no way you'll escape with your balls in tact if you do sing that." Chelsea responded with a laugh and Lance winced before giving up on the idea. "No offense Lance but maybe leave the singing to someone who won't send the whole bar scrambling for the door?" Chelsea added as "Undying Evil" by Enforcer started playing.
"Maybe your right." Lance conceded as he leaned back. "How busy is Karaoke night generally? I mean, this place is pretty packed tonight, even without us in here."
"Well, last time I did it there was about twenty people who went up on stage, granted there was a lot of drunk Pantera covers but still." Chelsea responded as she glanced towards the stage. "This looks like the same amount of people who were here last time, so it'll likely be more of the same."
"Let's just hope for less drunk Pantera covers." Chloe responded with a grin as she leaned back. "So, you going to show us the tattoos?" Chloe asked her roommate as she turned to Chelsea.
"I guess I have been putting it off enough." Chelsea responded with a grin before she held her hair up and turned her head to the left revealing a tattoo of a heart with two arrows through it with hers and Beth's name on it on her left cheek. "This was the first one I had done after the navel piercing, wanted to get a larger version done just above my boobs but I changed my mind after I was told how long it would take." Chelsea added before she let go off her hair and rolled up the sleeves of her crop top revealing two tattoos down the length of her arms, her left side had Wattcobra on it and the right side had Wattchimera on it though both tattoos lacked color. "I'll be going back there in two weeks to get the colors done alongside some more piercing work but aside from that, I'm happy with my tattoos and navel piercing."
"Not a big fan of tattoos personally but they do look good." Amanda commented as Chelsea rolled up her sleeves. "What time did you say Karaoke starts?" Amanda asked, and Chelsea reached into her pocket before producing her iPhone.
"7:00pm, we've got five minutes to kill yet." Chelsea responded as she shook her head before pocketing her iPhone. "Why? Are you thinking of going up?"
"I'm not about to humiliate myself in front of a crowd of metalheads." Amanda responded as she shook her head which seemed to be a sentiment shared by the other duelists at the table. "What about you?"
"Think I'll watch a couple of performances first, see what the crowd's like." Chelsea responded as she shrugged her shoulders, five minutes passed like clockwork until Chelsea saw the DJ take a mic. "Guys it's starting!" Chelsea added, and the other duelists turned their attention to the stage.
"Good evening Metal Asylum!" The DJ called out and the crowd cheered in response. "It's the moment you've been waiting for, Karaoke! But before I get started, we do have a birthday being celebrated in this club, she has been coming to this club since she moved to Domino City to enroll at Duel Academy so please, give a warm birthday cheer to Chelsea!" The DJ added, and the crowd cheered as a spotlight shone on Chelsea temporarily blinding her. "Okay, onto the performances! Up first we have Darren singing "Walk" by Pantera!"
"Well, that didn't take long!" Chelsea muttered under her breath before taking a sip from her drink as a big, burly biker dude hopped on stage, however the DJ never got a chance to start the song as Darren was sent flying by a blast of energy as the female duelist took the stage. "That doesn't normally happen."
"I was about to say, I don't think intentionally harming your customers is considered a good business practice." Brandon commanded with a deadpan expression on his face as the female duelist took the mic.
"Okay, that's enough of that shit!" The female duelist announced before producing an Orichalcos Duel Disk causing the crowd to panic and the students to act. "I'm here to call out one duelist in this shithole and if she doesn't show up in the next ten minutes, I'm going to start taking souls until she does!" The female duelist added as she surveyed the crowd. "I know you're in here!"
"If she isn't calling me out, I'll be surprised." Chelsea sighed as she got her duel disk out. "And here I was hoping to relax on my birthday!"
"That's right Chloe, I'm calling you out!" The duelist added catching Chelsea by surprise, Chloe on the other hand grabbed her duel disk and stood up. "Clock's ticking!"
"I'm up here!" Chloe called out to her and the female duelist looked up seeing Chloe glaring down at her. "Just name a time and place!"
"Right here, on the dancefloor." The duelist responded, and Chloe nodded before she made her way downstairs and too the dancefloor where the duelist joined her, the crowd quickly made some room for them and Chloe glared at her opponent. "My name is Trish, and I will be the last duelist you ever face."
"Well, I'll give you credit, as far as evil gloating goes, that's a new one." Chloe responded as she rolled her eyes before the two women activated their duel disks. "Who's going first?"
"I am!" Trish responded as the two women drew their opening hands and Trish looked over hers. "I activate Terra-Forming! Now I search for a Field Spell from my deck."
"And we're back to the moves I've seen before." Chloe responded with a scoff as Trish inputted commands into her duel disk and once, she found the card she was looking for she added it to her hand. "Why don't you just play it and get it over with?"
"Because that's not my plan." Trish responded as she shook her head before picking up two cards. "I set two cards facedown, and I activate Exchange!"
"What?!" Chloe yelled out and a quick glance up at the other duelists confirmed that they were just as surprised. "So, let me get this straight, you are trying the same thing Sheamus tried?" Chloe asked as she walked over to Trish who nodded before giving her the Orichalcos. "Do I even need to point out how that ended for him?"
"I'm a much better duelist than Sheamus, now hold out your hand!" Trish responded, and Chloe frowned before showing her the contents of her hand. "I'll take Spellbook inside the Pot!"
"Fine, take it!" Chloe responded as she handed the card to her and she, reluctantly, took the Orichalcos and walked back to her original position.
"I activate Spellbook inside the Pot! Now we both draw three cards each!" Trish added, and Chloe frowned before she drew her three cards at the same time as Trish. "I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn."
"Draw!" Chloe announced as she drew her card. "Bad news is, she's seen five of the cards in my hand, good news is since she used Spellbook I have some surprises coming her way."
"Ahh, we meet again my child!" The Demonic voice from when Chloe last held the Orichalcos rang out in her head and Chloe closed her eyes. "You gave in before and you will give in again."
"Don't count on it!" Chloe responded before picking up the cards she drew with Spellbook inside the pot. "I set two cards facedown and I summon Marauding Captain!" Chloe announced as her monster appeared on the field, the brunette captain drew his swords and got ready for a fight (3/1200/400). "This activates my Captain's effect, allowing me to Special Summon one Level Four or lower monster from my hand, I chose Gemini Elf!" Chloe announced as she played the elves causing them to appear on the field with a twirl (4/1900/900) and they subsequently turned to her with a look of concern on their faces.
"Good, now play the Orichalcos!" The demonic voice echoed again, and Chloe shook her head.
"After I played it the first time around, I promised myself that I would never use this accursed card again." Chloe thought as she glared at Trish. "And that hasn't changed!" Chloe thought before pointing to Trish's monster. "Marauding Captain, attack her defense monster!" Chloe commanded, and the captain charged right at Trish's monster, however when the card was revealed to be Card Trooper (3/400/400) it confused Chloe to no end. "Card Trooper? Why not play that in attack mode and use its effect?"
"Oh, I don't know, how about the fact that his effect only lasts until end of turn?" Trish asked before she drew a card. "Besides, Card Trooper allows me to draw a card when it's destroyed."
"Well, you have bigger problems! Gemini Elf, attack her life-points directly!" Chloe commanded, and the elves fired their twin blasts at Trish….
"I don't think so, I activate Defense Draw!" Trish responded as her facedown card flipped up and she drew a card once the blasts hit her. "I won't bother explaining the effect to you because you use that card as well."
"Activate the Seal." The voice ordered Chloe and she grit her teeth. "It's the only way to win."
"I end my turn." Chloe announced, and Trish smirked before drawing her card. "Silent Magician, please tell me your doing something about that voice in my head?"
"I am fighting off its powers as we speak Chloe." Silent Magician responded, and Chloe nodded as she watched Trish go over her hand. "But in the end, your willpower will be tested like never before! And don't forget what I told you after you used the Orichalcos against Sheamus."
"Trust me, I haven't." Chloe responded as Trish went over her hand. "Are you going to make a move on not?"
"As a matter of fact, yes." Trish responded as her second facedown card flipped up. "I activate Call of the Haunted to bring back Card Trooper!" Trish announced as Card Trooper returned to the field. "I activate his effect, sending three cards from the top of my deck to the graveyard and boosting his power by 1500." Trish added before smirking. "I know this part's optional, but I figured I may as well show you." Trish added before she held up the three cards and Chloe's blood ran cold at the sight.
"Exodia?" Chloe asked once she saw the Right Leg of the Forbidden One, Left Leg of the Forbidden One and Exodia, the Forbidden One (1/200/300) (1/200/300) and (3/1000/1000). "That's your plan? Draw cards and summon Exodia? Then why are you so happy about sending Exodia parts to the graveyard? Unless you plan to summon Necross, that's not going to help you win!"
"Please, Exodia Necross is more trouble than he's worth." Trish responded as she rolled her eyes. "I have several ways of retrieving monster cards from my graveyard and adding them to my hand in this deck, as soon as you play the Orichalcos I'll summon Exodia and destroy you! There won't be enough left of you to fit in a match box!" Trish added before sending the cards to the graveyard. "But more on that later! Card Trooper, attack Marauding Captain!" Trish commanded, and Card Trooper charged into battle….
"I activate Negate Attack!" Chloe responded as her trap card flipped up and Card Trooper bounced off a force-field. "Sorry, but you'll have to try harder than that and you just left Card Trooper wide open!"
"Not quite, I set a card facedown and end my turn." Trish announced as she set the card and Chloe drew her card.
"Exodia parts in the graveyard?" Brandon asked as he watched the duel. "Why not keep them in the hand? There's no way of knowing if she'll draw the cards, she needs that way!"
"Trying to give the enemy advice?" Mark asked with a raised eyebrow and Brandon shook his head.
"More like questioning her bad strategy." Brandon responded as he folded his arms and Adrienne shook her head.
"It's not as bad an idea as it seems." The French Duelist responded as she watched the duel. "The Exodia parts can easily be recovered with cards like Backup Soldier and Monster Reincarnation, you are right in that it's a very real possibility that she won't draw what she needs which is probably why her deck is so loaded with draw cards but that cones with its own risk."
"Decking out." Brandon nodded once he understood what Adrienne meant. "And if Chloe manages to counter said attempts then Trish will be up shit creek without a paddle."
"Exactly! It's a popular strategy among Pro-Leaguers but as we discussed, it's very risky." Adrienne nodded as they watched the duel.
"It's clear that she wants me to attack and destroy her Card Trooper, so she can draw another card." Chloe thought as her eyes narrowed. "At least with three Exodia pieces in the graveyard she won't be summoning the big guy anytime soon." Chloe thought before looking at her hand and grinning. "And I have a way to turn her own strategy against her!"
"Use it! Play the Seal!" The demonic voice tried to break her train of thought again but Chloe shook her head.
"Lance has a better chance of impressing me with a rendition of Tale as old as Time than you do of persuading me to play the seal." Chloe responded before playing a card. "I summon Silent Magician Level 4!" Chloe announced as she played the card and the younger version of her ace monster appeared on the field (4/1000/1000). "So, are you sure you want to keep drawing cards? Because the more cards you draw the stronger my magician gets! Marauding Captain, attack Card Trooper!" Chloe commanded, and the captain charged into battle before slicing Card Trooper destroying it and bringing Trish's life-points down to 7200. "Go ahead, draw your card!"
"I will!" Trish sneered before she drew her card and Silent Magician Level 4's attack grew to 1500 thanks to her effect. "One of the legs, just need the other leg and I'll be all set for when she gives in!"
"Gemini Elf, Silent Magician, attack her life-points directly!" Chloe commanded, and the two magicians launched their attacks at Trish bringing her life-points down to 3800. "I bet your regretting calling me out now, I mean I'll happily step aside and let one of the other duelists kick your ass if it makes you feel any better."
"You won't be mocking me for much longer! I activate my facedown card Shock Draw! Thanks for the three cards." Trish announced as her face-up card flipped up and she drew three cards causing Silent Magician's attack points to increase to 3000. "Perfect, next turn I can force her to use the Orichalcos and get the Exodia parts in my graveyard back, this bitch is finished!"
"Play the Seal!" The demonic voice commanded her, and Chloe shook her head.
"He's almost like a boy who doesn't get that I'm just not into him! Never mind the fact that I'm taken!" Chloe thought before setting a card. "I set one card facedown and end my turn." Chloe announced, and Trish drew her card.
"Here's a blast from the past, I activate Spell of Sacrifice! Now unless you play the seal you will take three thousand points of damage." Trish said with a grin and Chloe said nothing as she picked up a card. "I knew you weren't as dumb as you look!"
"I know what that card does because Sheamus used it against me." Chloe responded as she folded her arms. "But as long as I have a Spell Card that isn't a continuous Spell, I can save myself."
"Activate the Seal now you fool!" The voice commanded her, but Chloe remained calm.
"One thing I lamented during that duel was the fact that Card Destruction has recently been banned." Chloe added before grinning broadly. "And guess what just came off the ban list?"
"Card Destruction, so what?!" Trish scoffed as she folded her arms. "Is there a point to this story?"
"I'll sum up the point in four words." Chloe responded as she played the card. "I activate Card Destruction!"
"NO!" Trish yelled out as the card appeared on the field and Chloe grinned as her friends applauded her for that. "But the seal…."
"You can take it back!" Chloe responded as she threw the seal at Trish's feet and she glanced down at it. "Did your boss really think I'd play that again? It's been one of the biggest regrets of my career as a duelist so far and if I did use it then even if I did win my career would go down the drain." Chloe added before the two women discarded their hands and drew new cards. "Take this message to your boss, getting me to use the Orichalcos once? Shame on me, getting me to use the Orichalcos twice? Shame on him for being such an idiot!"
"I can still win this! I just need to return all the Exodia pieces to my…..." Trish trailed off as she saw her new hand and she lowered her head in defeat. "I have to pass, there's literally nothing I can play."
"In other words, this duel's over." Chloe responded as she drew her card. "First off, since Silent Magician Level 4 is at full power I can level her up." Chloe added as Silent Magician Level Four started glowing and growing until she reached her strongest form (8/3500/1000). "Funny, I finished off Sheamus with Silent Magician Level 8 as well, any last words before I defeat you?"
"I was not your true threat." Trish responded as she glared at the younger woman. "Only a distraction."
"I don't care what you were distracting me from." Chloe responded before pointing to Trish. "Your finished either way! Silent Magician Level 8, Gemini Elf, finish it!" Chloe commanded, and the two magicians launched their attacks at Trish sending her flying backwards as her life-points hit zero. "You may want to stick around." Chloe added as she walked up to Trish as she struggled to get back to her feet. "The cops will want a word with you!"
"Don't count on it bitch!" Trish snapped before she sprung up and decked Chloe in the jaw knocking her to the ground, whilst the other patrons checked on Chloe Trish made her escape through the fire exit. "Dan, I hope your ready with that getaway."
"I am." Dan responded, and Trish grinned as she exited out of the alley. "Take a left down that alley, the car's waiting for you at the end." Dan added, and Trish nodded before sprinting down the alley.
"Babe, are you okay?" Lance asked as he ran up to Chloe's side alongside Chelsea, Chloe helped herself to her feet and gave her boyfriend a reassuring look.
"I've taken harder punches from my biological dad, I'll live." Chloe assured him as she rubbed her aching jaw. "Did anyone see where that bitch went?"
"She escaped through the fire exit." The DJ called out to her as Chloe got back to her feet. "I've alerted the staff at the live music venue, they are on the lookout for her."
"Thanks." Chloe nodded before turning to Chelsea. "Sorry for ruining your birthday party."
"Ruining? I'm not about to say no to watching an Orichalcos Duelist get pounded to the ground." Chelsea assured her, and Chloe grinned. "Might be a good idea to call your stepdad, let him know what happened."
"Good idea." Chloe nodded in agreement before getting her phone out and calling her dad, after a few seconds however she frowned before sending him a text. "Line's busy, he's probably taking an order or something."
"What about your stepmom?" Lance asked, and Chloe shook her head.
"She sent me a text whilst we were in the restaurant, she got called in to fill in at the hospital." Chloe responded with a frown. "She always leaves her phone off when she's on shift."
"We'll let them know later, how about we just relax for the rest of the night?" Chelsea offered, and Chloe nodded in agreement.
*later*
After a fun few hours at Metal Asylum the teens returned home ready to crash for the night, and when Chloe, Lance and Chelsea said their goodbyes the three teens entered the home and almost immediately sensed that something was wrong.
"Dad?" Chloe called out as she entered the house with Chelsea and Lance behind her, when she looked around the house she frowned. "Everything looks normal, but I don't know, something just feels off, you know?"
"Glad I wasn't the only one who thought that." Lance nodded in agreement as the three teens walked through the house, they heard scratching coming from behind a nearby door and he opened it. "Well, good news is, dogs are fine." Lance said as Rex and Nala walked up to him with their tails wagging. "Bad news is, they seem distressed about something."
"What do you mean?" Chloe asked before she walked up to the two dogs, she knelt and motioned for them to come on and the dogs walked up to her with Rex licking the bruise on her jaw and Nala sniffing her. "Your right, they're not as animated as they usually are." Chloe nodded as she stood up whilst patting Rex. "It's not like they're senior dogs either."
"Yeah, unless we somehow spent twelve years at Metal Asylum whilst I wasn't looking, they're not their usual selves." Chelsea nodded in agreement before looking around. "Nothing seems broken, but it still feels like something's wrong."
"Let's have a look around, I'll check the basement, you guys check the lounge and kitchen." Chloe responded, and the other teens nodded before they split up, Rex and Nala walked alongside Chloe as she neared the door to the basement which was open. "Dad, are you down there?" Chloe called out but got no response. "Rex, Nala, stay!" Chloe told the two dogs and Rex sat down whilst Nala lay down next to the door, now that she could go downstairs without tripping over the dogs Chloe made her way downstairs whilst feeling for the light switch.
"I don't know Chelsea, maybe Chloe's just on edge because of what happened at the club." Lance commented as he put his hands in his pocket and Chelsea turned to him. "Nothing seems out of the ordinary."
"We haven't checked upstairs yet but…." Chelsea's sentence was cut short as they heard a loud, distressed scream coming from the basement. "Chloe?!" Chelsea called out to her friend but got no response. "We'd better head to the basement."
"Right." Lance nodded in agreement before they ran towards the basement, they headed down the stairs and as they neared the bottom, they heard Chloe sobbing. "Babe? What's wrong?" Lance asked before they entered the basement.
When they reached the basement, they saw what Chloe was screaming about, the basement was a mess with the glass casings smashed, pictures torn up and trophies either missing or broken in two, and at the center of it all was Scott lying motionless on the floor as his daughter knelt over him. "Chloe?" Chelsea whispered and as looked up, without another word Chloe showed them what she was holding.
An Orichalcos Spell Card, with her dad's terrified face in it.