Hello my readers, Unknow entity328 with a new chapter of Coinciding Light and Darkness! First of all, I'm sorry for the wait, I was having some serious writers block and had trouble logging in lately. But as you can see, I overcame that pesky writers block and finished the chapter in time for Christmas! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to complete the other chapter updates in time. My original plan was to have all my current fanfics updated as a Christmas present to my readers to show my gratitude for your support. However, that didn't go as planned with real life getting in the way, writers block, and having trouble logging in. For that I am deeply sorry and ask that you make due with just one update for today. That said, enjoy the chapter!
Chapter Five: Twins' Flip-Side
Let me say this, today was just not my day, and I feel like my head is going to explode. Last night started off like every other night, sleeping peacefully with no interuptions. That is, until I woke up the next day with a headache to end all headaches. My head felt like someone combined a jackhammer with a wrecking ball and stuffed it inside. The slightest sound makes me have a throbbing headache and feel like the walking dead. It didn't help that I had band practice and we'll be confined in a small room making ungodly noise.
Just the thought of it is enough to make me want to go back to bed and sleep it off. Unfortunately, that's out of the question with all this Number card nonsense happening lately. Yuma and I currently have three Number cards each and they weren't easy to get. Well, two of them weren't since we already had one, but that's beside the point. Every time we step out the door we get dragged into a mess caused by a Number card.
I swear, someone should just gather them all and lock them away somewhere no one would find them. But Kazu told me that wasn't an option because of the Numbers' influence on the weak willed. Apparently Yuma and I are the exceptions to this and I don't know why. Just thinking that there are still 94 of these dangerous cards somewhere out there is terrifying.
"You should have stayed at home today, Yusa." Kazu stated, floating beside me as I made my way back home after band practice was over. I gave him a side glance as I tossed some painkiller in my mouth and saw he was giving an 'I told you so' look. "You just made your headache worse."
"Okay, okay, you were right." I gave a resigned sigh as I uncapped a water bottle and downed its contents. Once I downed the painkiller, I closed the water bottle and placed it against my forehead to relish the cold surface. "Ahhh, that feels nice."
"I've been meaning to ask this." Kazu moved so that he looked like he was laying on his side and propped his head in his right hand. I gave him a side glance to see he was giving me an inquisitive stare. "You and your bandmates seem to be taking this seriously, so why haven't you debuted yet?"
"It's not that simple." I replied, removing the water bottle from my forehead to remove the cap. "If it was, there would be bands everywhere." Just as I brought the water bottle to my lips, they were met with the bottom part and I stared in shock as its contents emptied onto the ground. "What the?!"
"How did that happen?" Kazu asked, looking just as shocked as I was, straightening himself and looking around. He seemed to find what he was looking for when he pointed ahead of us. "Over there."
I looked to where Kazu was pointing and saw someone I REALLY didn't want to deal with. Who I saw was a boy who was half my size wearing my school's uniform and a teal hat with a shooting star design. He has brown hair that points upwards in the sides with his bangs forming a spiral underneath his hat. He also wore a pair of green round frame glasses.
"Oh great, it's Flip." I groaned, facepalming when I saw the little imp walking by.
"I take it, you know him?" Kazu asked, crossing his arms with a thoughtful look on his face, probably still trying to figure out how he flipped my water bottle.
"You could say that." I crushed the water bottle before handing it to a litterbot that passed by. "He's the school's resident trickster and always up to something." I could practically feel my eyebrow twitching in irritation the more I thought about it. "He always justifies his actions by saying there's a "flip-side" to everything."
"Judging by the tone in your voice, I'm guessing you were a victim of his?" Kazu tilted his head to the side when I didn't answer and instead raised a shaking fist. "That bad, huh?"
"Understatement of the century." I reached into the deck box I held my spare cards and searched through it. When I found what I was looking for, I held it out for Kazu to see. "Just look at this."
"Isn't that a Baby Tiragon card?" Kazu asked, looking at the cute, I'll admit, pouting dragon xyz monster. He then turned his attention on me and gave me a look of confusion. "I don't see what the problem is."
"The problem is…" I said through gritted teeth, my shoulders shaking with barely contained irritation. I finally couldn't contain it as I placed the card back in the deck box and glared at Kazu. "What should have been a Zubaba General was replaced by a Baby Tiragon!"
Kazu blinked in surprise at my sudden outburst as he processed what I just said. "... I see."
"Argh, just thinking about it makes me mad!" I ferociously ran my fingers through my hair as I grind my teeth together. "I finally got my hands on an xyz monster only for it to be swapped out with that!" I then decided that wasn't enough and kicked a nearby rock so hard it became a glimmer in the sky. "To make matters worse, when I tried to get it back, he made me out as the bad guy!"
When I was done with my rant, I was out of breath and finally noticed the stares I was getting from the people passing by. Blushing in embarrassment, I quickly apologized for what they witnessed and ran as fast as I could. I didn't stop running until I was far from that place, even when I was out of breath again. When I did stop, I placed my hands on my knees and took deep breaths to get as much oxygen into my lungs.
"Have you calmed down?" Kazu asked, floating beside me with his arms crossed.
"Yeah." I took one last deep breath before standing straight and wiping the sweat on my forehead. "Sorry you had to see that."
"You don't have to apologize." Kazu shook his head before looking in the direction I just ran from. "Anyone would be mad if they were in your position."
"That couldn't be more true." I muttered, lightly kicking another rock before deciding I should head home for the night. I looked up at the sky that was a nice shade of orange-red from the setting sun. "I even warned him that if he targets Yuma there would be consquences."
"You really care about your brother." Kazu stated softly, so soft I almost didn't hear it, turning his back to me and looking up at the sky. "Must be nice, having siblings."
"You don't have any?" I curiously asked, wondering why he turned his back to me.
"No, I don't." Kazu replied before dispersing into particles and went into my lock.
"Was it something I said?" I looked down at my lock in confusion before a ringing was heard. I pulled out my duel gazer to see it was Kari calling me and answered it. "Hello?"
"Yusa, where are you?!" Kari shouted as her face appeared on the screen, causing me to move my duel gazer away from my face. "Do you know what time it is, get home right now!"
Before I could get a word in, Kari hung up and I just stared at the screen of my duel gazer. I was confused as to why she yelled at me since I didn't do anything to bring forth her wrath. I think she mentioned something about the time and looked around for a clock. When I found one, my eyes widened to see that it was half past seven, which was not good.
The next day, Yuma and I were on our way to school along with Bronk and Tori. As usual, Yuma is having another argument with Astral. Something about Astral hovering over Yuma while he's sleeping. I wasn't really paying attention, I was busy with my own thoughts, mainly about Kazu. The guy's an enigma, I can't figure him out at all no matter how hard I try. He seems to know a lot more about the Numbers than Astral, which was strange.
From what I understand, the Numbers are fragments of Astrals memories that Yuma accidentally scattered. What I don't get is how Kazu knew that when he appeared the same time Astral did. Then there's his family, he doesn't talk much about them and always looks sad at the mention of them. When I asked him if he had any siblings yesterday, he just replied he didn't and went back into the lock.
I probably struck a nerve there if his short response and retreating into my lock was any indication. The more I get to know him, the more questions seem to pop up, making him an even bigger mystery. He won't even explain why he's gathering the Numbers in the first place. I can understand why Astral would, but not Kazu. For all I know, Kazu doesn't have a reason to gather the Numbers.
"Yusa!" I was brought out of my thoughts and turned to see who was calling me. Turns out it was Blazer and he looked a bit troubled as he ran towards me. "I finally found you!"
"What's up Blazer?" I greeted when he screeched to a halt in front of me and out of breath. I also noticed I was already in school and away from Yuma. Must have been lost in my thoughts a little longer than I thought. "You look like someone's out to get you."
"Not me…" Blazer said between breaths, looking around frantically before returning his attention to me. "But I'm not sure about Yuma!"
"Wait, what?" I asked, feeling a little alarmed that my brother was in trouble again.
"I just saw Flip approach Yuma earlier." Blazer explained and I felt my eyebrow twitch at the name. "He was trying to give him an xyz monster."
"Please tell me he didn't take it." I practically begged, leaning my head back and placing a hand over my eyes as I suppressed a groan.
"Thankfully no." Blazer replied, much to my relief, as taking ANYTHING from Flip is the worst idea anyone could make. "Tori and Bronk got him out of there before he could." He crossed his arms and frowned. "But Flip isn't the kind to give up easily."
"If Flip so much as do anything to my brother," I growled out, holding up a clenched fist that had a certain vertically challenged imp's name on it. "I'll show him the consequences."
"As much as I should dissuade that," Blazer sweatdropped, knowing my overprotectiveness was about to take over. "I think the bigger issue is preventing Flip from being alone with Yuma."
"Right, good idea." I nodded, quickly calming down and thinking of the least violent thing I could do. "Maybe I could tie Flip to a tree branch over a pack of hungry dogs." I cupped my chin as I nodded along. "That could work, especially if I wrap him in some sausages."
"You think of some scary things sometimes, you know that?" Blazer sweatdropped, probably already picturing what I suggested. "How about something that doesn't involve bodily harm?"
"I never claimed to be a saint." I shrugged, already dismissing the idea as a bad one and likely to get me in trouble. It was then that the first warning bell went off to let the students know classes will be starting soon. "For now, let's keep Yuma away from Flip at all costs."
"Right." Blazer nodded in agreement before turning his back to me and giving a backhanded wave. "Well, better hurry to class!"
"See ya at practice." I waved back just as Blazer was already speeding down the hall to get to his classroom.
The day went by as per usual in school, except for where I've done everything I could to keep Flip away from Yuma. I enlisted the help of Tori and Bronk who were all more than happy to help. They both know that Flip's bad news and best to avoid him at all costs. I would have asked my bandmates, but I didn't want them to be victims of Flip. The only reason I asked Tori and Bronk is because I knew they were going to run interference.
We basically ran interference whenever Flip approached Yuma at every turn. When he approached my brother after class, Tori quickly pulled him away. In the bathroom, Bronk quickly got him away when Flip climbed the stall. Then he ambushed Yuma and I "accidentally" rammed into Flip and pulled my brother away to compare our decks.
It seems my bandmates got involved anyway, because Blazer "mistook" Yuma for me and dragged him away from Flip. Kyle did the classic banana peel slip when Flip ran over to Yuma. Ryan scolded Flip for harassing a student, perks of being on the student council I guess. Then there was Sora, I don't know what she said or did, but Flip looked like he saw a ghost.
We kept at this for the remainder of the school day, and let me tell you, it was exhausting. Everywhere Yuma went, there was Flip trying to give him an xyz monster. I was half tempted to follow through with my tree and hungry dog idea. Flip was like a cockroach, just when you think you're rid of them they come back.
"You've got to keep your guard up, Yuma." Tori said, her arms crossed while Bronk and I stood beside her. Yuma sat on the steps of the school courtyard and I could feel he was starting to get tired of our interference.
"No kidding." Yuma rested his head on his right hand and gestured to us with his left. "But from Flip, or from you three?"
"We're doing this for your own good, Yuma." I asserted, placing my hands on my hips and giving my brother a scolding look. "Flip is not someone you want to be around."
"Yeah, that guy's bad news." Bronk nodded in agreement, crossing his arms.
"He's nothing but a sneaky rat." Tori huffed and I'm surprised she had what it takes to bad mouth someone.
"I don't see what the big deal is, guys." Yuma got to his feet and turned to face us with a frown on his face. "He just wants to give me an xyz monster, what's so wrong with that?"
"Just trust us, okay?" I gave my brother a soft, worried look as I know something bad will happen. I didn't tell Yuma what Flip did to me because I know he wouldn't believe me without hard evidence. "Stay away from Flip."
"You'll only be a victim in whatever scheme he's cooking up." Bronk added, getting a nod of agreement from Tori, who was giving my brother a look of worry.
"You guys worry too much." Yuma waved off our concerns and gave us a confident grin. "What's the worst that could happen?"
'I can name a few things.' I thought, feeling that Yuma isn't taking any of this seriously.
School was soon over and Yuma decided to stick around to watch my band practice. I remember a while back that I joked about Yuma joining the band, but that wasn't happening. For one thing, Yuma doesn't know how to play any instruments. Another thing is that he's not a good singer, even when I tried to help him. We decided being in a band wasn't his thing and that his focus should be on dueling.
When we made it to Ryan's family studio and greeted his parents as we entered. Since we practice here frequently, we basically have a room reserved for us. Ryan's parents often joked about building a stage in the back if we debut. That got a few laughs out of us until they actually began to seriously consider it. They even give us a few tips whenever they pop in to watch us practice. Actually, it was Ryan's dad that helped me with my singing when we first started.
"Alright, you guys ready?" Blazer looked over to us as he tuned his guitar.
"I'm good here." Kyle said, lightly tapping the symbols of his drums.
"Just about." Ryan nodded, plucking the strings of his bass to test the sound.
"Yep." Sora smiled, positioning her fingers on her keyboard.
"Do you even need to ask?" I grinned as I adjusted the mic stand and gripped the microphone. I looked over to Yuma who was standing to the side. "You sure you want to stay and watch, Yuma?"
"I'm sure." Yuma nodded, leaning back against the wall of the studio with his arm crossed. "I've never heard you guys play before."
"Then consider yourself our first audience, Yuma." Blazer grinned at my brother before looking over to the rest of us again. He then looked back at Kyle who held up his drumsticks. "Kyle, you know what to do."
"Right." Kyle nodded before raising his drumsticks and tapping them together. "One, two, one, two, three, four!"
At the signal, Blazer began by strumming at his guitar before nodding to me which I returned. I gripped the microphone and took a deep breath.
Life's just a game we all wanna win.
Keep your hand a secret, unleash the monsters within!
Sometimes it's over before it's even begun.
If someone else gets hurt then, what have you really won?
I'm always one card short, always one day late!
For once I'd like an ending I can celebrate.
Stacked the deck myself, so there's no one else to blame.
I need just one more move, one final chance to prove
I can win this game.
I stepped away from the mic to let the others play and I watched Yuma's reaction. My brother looked like he was in awe at how in sync we were. He's heard me sing before, but never with music to accompany it. I couldn't dwell on it for long as I approached the mic and began to sing again.
Life's just a duel, that's how the world is made.
But are we really players, or are we being played?
I'm always one card short, always one day late!
For once I'd like an ending I can celebrate.
Stacked the deck myself, so there's no one else to blame.
I need just one more move, one final chance to prove
I can win this game.
I stepped back again to catch my breath and looked over my shoulder to my bandmates. They all looked like they were giving their all and having a great time. Not wanting to be left out, I heard my cue to keep singing.
Is what happens next in your control?
Are you doing what you want, or what you've been told?
Do you choose the cards from your own hand,
Or are we just puppets in a master plan?
Ryan and Sora stepped back and allowed Blazer and Kyle to have the spotlight while I stayed where I was.
One more move!
Sora and Ryan quickly went back to playing their instruments as we knew that the ending was coming. Yuma leaned forward from his position on the wall until he decided to grab a chair and sit on it. I smirked when I saw him literally on the edge of his seat as I took the mic off its stand.
I'm always one card short, always one day late!
For once I'd like an ending I can celebrate.
Stacked the deck myself, so there's no one else to blame.
I need just one more move, one final chance to prove
I can win this game.
One card short, one day late!
Give me somethin', somethin' to celebrate!
Stacked the deck myself so there's no one else to blame.
One more move I'm gonna win this game,
I'm gonna win this game.
I'm gonna win this game!
One more move, I'll win this game.
Then I'm gonna celebrate!
Then I'm gonna celebrate!
As the song came to a close, I lowered the mic and took deep breaths to calm my beating heart. I looked over my shoulder to see that my bandmates were doing the same thing. We all smiled as we were in perfect sync today despite only having one audience member. Speaking of which, I heard Yuma clapping as he got to his feet.
"Wow, you guys were great!" Yuma exclaimed, a huge smile on his face as he kept clapping. "Keep this up and you'll debut in no time!"
"You're laying it on a bit thick, Yuma." I said, rubbing the back of my head and blushing at the compliment my brother was giving us. "We still have a long way to go."
"What are you talking about Yusa?" My blushed deepened when Sora moved to stand beside Yuma and gave me a bright smile. "Today was your best performance yet."
"Y-you think so?" I stuttered, laughing sheepishly at the compliment my crush gave me.
"That goes for all of us." Ryan nodded in agreement as he looked towards Blazer. "This was the best we've sounded since we started this band."
"You can say that again." Blazer removed his guitar to look it over before plucking at the strings with his pick. "We should definitely perform during a school festival."
"Nah, let's start with street performances." Kyle suggested, twirling one of his drumsticks while using the other to tap a symbol. "Best to start with smaller crowds to get used to them."
"Can we discuss this another time, guys?" I asked, placing the mic back on its stand and cleared my throat. "We still gotta practice while we have this momentum."
"Good point Yusa." Ryan nodded in agreement before turning his attention to Yuma. "Wanna join us Yuma?"
"I'll pass." Yuma quickly replied, sweatdropping at the thought of singing.
"Come on, just picture it." Blazer said, positioning his thumb and index fingers to form a lens. "Rising Phoenix Tsukumo twins, rising up to take the music world by storm."
"Not happening." Yuma and I said blandly at the same time, getting a laugh from Kyle, a smirk from Ryan, and a giggle from Sora.
When we got home, Kari was scolding Yuma for dueling again before handing him a letter addressed to him. I seriously don't get why Kari's against us dueling, she doesn't even explain her reasons. Whenever she catches us dueling, it's like she's out for blood and that's scary. One time when Yuma and I were younger, I saw her trying to hide our decks. If it weren't for grandma, Yuma and I could have never dueled again.
Anyway, turns out the letter had a Baby Tiragon inside along with a holographic message. The hologram was of a girl with her back turned hoping that Yuma liked the card. There was something suspicious about the girl, though I couldn't place it. Why didn't she show her face when she "admired" Yuma? I had a bad feeling when I saw the card, but said nothing in case I was overthinking it.
The next day had me in disbelief, for there were pictures of Yuma causing all sorts of mischief. Destroying the flowerbed, dumping a bucket of water on Mr. Kay, cheating during exams? I couldn't believe any of it, my brother would never do things like that. Yuma may be a lot of things, but a prankster is not one of them. Especially not when the pranks would make him a social outcast.
What really had me doubting was Yuma cheating during exams, which was really suspicious. Sure, Yuma doesn't study, but he would never resort to cheating. Not to mention that my desk is the row in front of his, and I never once caught him peeking on Tori's exam sheet. I knew something wasn't right since I'm always with Yuma throughout the day. I have never once seen Yuma do any of the things everyone is accusing him of doing.
'I smell a rat.' I gritted my teeth as I watched everyone distance themselves from Yuma. I wanted to comfort him, but I had a feeling that he needed time to himself.
"What do you plan to do?" Kazu asked, finally coming out of the lock just as I turned away and walked to my next class.
"I don't know, Kazu." I replied, entering the classroom and taking my usual seat before pulling out my duel disk. "For now, I'll shadow Yuma and see if I can find something."
"That might be for the best." Kazu nodded in agreement as the students filed into the classroom. "Although, I have a feeling you already know who's responsible."
"I need evidence first." I looked to the door and saw Yuma walking in, but no one greeted him. In fact, they all tried to keep their distance from him as he made his way up to me. "Hey Yuma, you okay?"
"I'm fine Yusa." Yuma gave me a small smile, which I knew was fake.
"Don't lie to me." I frowned, not liking this side of my brother at all. "Don't forget you're like an open book to me."
"Really, I'm fine." Yuma asserted, taking his seat beside Tori and pulling out his duel disk. "Just give it time to blow over." The way he was avoiding eye contact with me made me even more worried. "I'm sure the truth will come out eventually."
I opened my mouth to protest when Mr. Kay walked into the classroom and started his lesson. I reluctantly turned my attention to the front of the class. I knew that Yuma was feeling upset that everyone in our class turned against him. We've known most of these people since elementary school, and yet a few photos were enough for them to doubt Yuma. I'll admit, the photos were hard to deny, but there's an explanation for them. Photoshop, that one word can say a thousand more.
The day continued on as normal, well, as normal as can be with everyone avoiding Yuma. The only people who seem to think Yuma's innocent are myself, Tori, Bronk, Sora, Blazer, Kyle, and Ryan. We've all known each other since we were kids, so they know Yuma isn't the kind to pull pranks. Just the thought of it was enough to make us dismiss it since Yuma's pretty much a social butterfly.
Yuma was dejected the whole day, not saying a word to anyone, not even me. I was worried, so I asked Tori and Bronk to look into the photos. I even asked Sora, Blazer, Ryan, and Kyle to help too. Once school was let out, we began our investigation, after I changed out of my uniform of course. While the others looked into the photos, I was looking for Spencer, a classmate of ours. He was pranked by having his lunch supposedly eaten by Yuma and replaced by a frog.
Thing is, he's been missing all day as he never came to school today, which I find suspicious. Why would the one person who can prove Yuma guilty or innocent disappear without a word? Seems like too much of a coincidence if you ask me. I pretty much looked everywhere I could think of in Heartland city. I even checked his house only to hear from his mother that he left for school as usual.
"Come on, where is he?" I pulled out my duel gazer to try giving Spencer a call, but he didn't answer.
"Perhaps you should check the mall next." Kazu suggested, pointing in the directions the mall was.
"Why there?" I asked, giving my floating companion a curious look.
"Call it a hunch." Kazu replied cryptically, which made me even more confused.
Having nowhere else to look, I made my way to the mall to hopefully find some answers. I got to the mall in no time and saw that it was as crowded as ever. I wasted no time in searching all the stores until I reached the courtyard. The first thing I saw was Yuma and it looked like he was in a duel. His opponent, however, was someone I didn't want to see.
My brother was dueling Flip and I quickly put on my duel gazer to get a look at the duel. Right now, Yuma was in the lead in life points by having 3600 while Flip had 2500 and had no monsters on his field. He also had two cards face-down on his field. Yuma, on the other hand, had Gagaga Magician, Flelf, and three small skeletal rats. The rat monsters confused me since I know Yuma doesn't have those monsters in his deck.
I pulled up a holographic screen to see how the duel went so far and I wasn't impressed. From the looks of it, Flip uses a deck that focuses on flip effects. I'll admit that flip effects are annoying since you don't know what'll happen until it's too late. In a way, flip effect monsters are traps just waiting to be sprung.
According to the duel log I'm looking at, Flip went first by placing a monster face-down and ending his turn. Yuma followed by summoning Gagaga Magician then attacking the face-down monster. The face-down monster was revealed to be Porcupine Fish, which deals 400 damage upon being flipped. On the next turn, Flip placed another monster face-down but this time he also placed two cards face-down.
On Yuma's next turn, he summoned Flelf and attacked with it, revealing a monster called Chewbone. This is where it really confused me, because Chewbone's flip effect summons three Chewbone Jrs from Flip's deck to Yuma's field.
"That's odd, why would Flip give Yuma monsters?" I asked, honestly confused as it's a bad idea to summon monsters to your opponent's field. That is, of course, unless the said monsters have negative abilities on their owners.
"For a trap." Kazu replied as we watched Yuma overlay the three Chewbone Jr.s to build the overlay network.
"A trap?" I repeated as the three rats became orange lights and shot into the before entering the overlay network.
Out of the network came stone pillars that soon broke apart creating a large cloud of debris. When the debris cleared, I saw something that made me facefault. That something was a small, cute, pouting dragon with a big head and ears. On its back were tiny wings and a pair of tiny horns on its head. It also had big orange eyes with orange fur with black stripes and a white underbelly. This monster is Baby Tiragon, the same card Flip swapped my Zubaba General with.
Baby Tiragon/EARTH/RANK 1/Dragon/Xyz/OBU: 3/ATK: 900/DEF: 900
I facefaulted at what I just witnessed while Kazu just shook his head. I couldn't believe my brother sometimes, he just summoned an xyz monster when he didn't have to. What's worse, it was the card Flip was trying to give him and he couldn't even use it right now. Since I had a copy of the card, I knew what its abilities are, and Yuma doesn't have anything on his field to use that ability. As per usual, Yuma was excited about summoning an xyz monster. What worried me was when Flip started to laugh all of a sudden, much to my brother's confusion.
"You sap!" Flip declared, a grin on his face as he pointed at my brother. "You bought it!"
"I bought what?" Yuma asked in confusion and I resisted the urge to facepalm at my brother's cluelessness.
"My right face-down is the trap Ultra C." Flip explained, gesturing to the face-down card to his right.
"Any idea what Ultra C does, Kazu?" I asked, not liking where this duel was going.
"It's a trap card that can only be activated when the opponent xyz summons Baby Tiragon." Kazu explained, his eyes narrowing at Flip as he was also explaining the effects of the trap. "It allows Flip to summon an xyz monster from his opponent's deck to his field."
"It does what?!" My eyes widened in shock at what I just heard and turned my attention back to the duel. "This is bad, Yuma only has Number cards in his deck."
"I suspect Flip had this planned in the beginning." Kazu crossed his arms, casting a look of pity to Baby Tiragon for a moment. "He wanted Yuma alone so that they could duel where Yuma gives up one card if he loses."
"He's done it now." I let out a low growl before tapping on my duel gazer a few times. I was setting up a group chat with everyone in school and they were quick to answer. "Everyone, you're about to learn the truth about those photos."
"Flip didn't even know I owned a Baby Tiragon." Yuma's voice brought my attention back to the duel.
Flip just snickered as he took his hat off and put on a wig before turning his back to Yuma. "I saved up for a year to get you this."
"So then, that card was sent by you?!" Yuma asked in disbelief and I immediately connected the dots.
"That's right." Flip took the wig off and turned to face Yuma as he put his hat back on. "I was also the one who sent around all those fake photos of you to the entire school." I heard a series of gasps from the group chat and other murmurs I couldn't place. "I knew it would make everyone hate you."
"But why?" Yuma demanded, not knowing why Flip would do something so horrible.
"Because I needed to get you alone, Yuma." Flip replied and I knew by the look on his face he's enjoying every moment of this. "And besides, I knew if you were down about everyone disowning you as their friend, you'd finally let me be your friend."
I clenched my hands into fists the more I heard about Flip's scheme just to get Yuma alone. I just want to go over there and teach that imp a lesson. However, I decided that I wouldn't be overprotective anymore. So I only got closer and hid behind a few shrubs that were in the mall for decoration. When I got closer, I noticed there was a folded piece of paper taped to his back
"And friends duel." Flip continued before pointing at Yuma. "And that note on your back tells you what we're dueling for."
"What in the world?" Yuma looked over his shoulder before reaching to pull out the note. "Bet this doesn't say "Kick me"." Yuma opened the note and began to read outloud. ""If I lose this duel, I agree to give Flip a card from my deck"."
"That little weasel." I glared at Flip as I contemplated getting some higher-up involved in this.
"That's no fair!" Yuma shouted, tossing the note aside.
"That note was on you, so you must honor it!" Flip countered, pointing at my brother with a small laugh.
"My friends and brother warned me you were always up to no good." Yuma said and I could feel that he was regretting not listening to me and our friends. "I guess this is what I get for not listening to them, so fine, which card of mine are we playing for?"
"Yuma, no!" I finally made myself known by jumping out of the shrubs.
"Yusa?" Yuma asked in surprise, not expecting me to be here.
"You don't even get anything if you win." I picked up the note and proceeded to tear it into tiny pieces before scattering them. "Besides, you never agreed to those terms!" I then glared at Flip as I pulled out my duel disk and attached it to my arm. "I warned you Flip, go after my brother and you deal with me."
"Warned him?" Yuma frowned at my choice of words before he finally seemed to connect the dots.
"Oh, so the younger brother finally makes an appearance." Flip commented, not the least bit worried about my appearance. "Not that it matters, cause when I win, I'll be taking Yuma's Utopia!"
"You're getting squat, Flip!" I shouted, activating my duel disk and drew five cards from my deck. "I'm joining this duel, and I'll share the life points, field, and graveyard with Yuma to make it fair."
"Suit yourself." Flip shrugged, not seeming to care that it was two against one now before pointing at me. "However, you also have to give up a card should I win."
"I told you, Yuma never agreed to those terms." I growled, pointing at the little imp who just snickered. "We don't have to give you anything!"
"Ah, but you seem to be forgetting something, Yusa." Flip said as he pointed at his trap card as it flipped face-up. "Thanks to Ultra C, you do have to give me something, specifically, Yuma's Utopia!" The galaxy-like overlay network formed in front of Flip before exploding as he raised a hand. "Rise up, Utopia!"
Yuma and I watched as Utopia rose up in its sealed form before changing into his true form. Normally, Utopia would be summoned to Yuma's field, not this time. Because of Ultra C, Utopia was now on Flip's field, which was not good at all. Yuma and I don't have any monsters that are stronger than Utopia. Our only saving grace is that Utopia doesn't have any overlay units, meaning it can't use its ability.
Number 39: Utopia/LIGHT/Rank 4/Warrior/Xyz/OBU: 0/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000
"So now we gotta take on my best monster?" Yuma glanced over to me which I returned as we both were probably having the same thought.
"This isn't gonna be easy." I looked over my hand and the cards in my extra deck to hopefully come up with a plan. 'I have Tri-head Dust Dragon, but that requires three level fours.'
"Stay calm, Yusa." I looked over to Kazu to see was relaxed and staring up at Utopia with speculative eyes. "If you lose your cool, you've already lost."
"Right." I nodded, turning my attention back to the duel before grinning to Yuma. "Hey bro, let's get Utopia back."
"Count me in." Yuma grinned back, readying his duel disk for a tough duel ahead of us.
"Get ready, Flip." Yuma and I said at the same time, pointing at Flip before doing a thumbs down. "Cause the Tsukumo brothers are taking you down!"
Hope you enjoyed reading this chapter, though I think I could have done better if I wasn't rushing to get it done in time for Christmas. Anywho, what's done is done, now it's time for Review Corner!
Karsap: At least you know, but the apology is still appreciated.
Chance Green G King: Those are interesting suggestions and I will definitely take them under consideration as I plan future chapters. That's a good idea, even I will forget what Numbers Yusa has in his possession eventually. Peace!
DragonBladeB5: First of all, I know it's a little late, but happy birthday! I have seen the trailer and I'm looking forward to when it's in theaters. The first thing I found interesting about the movie was mainly the scenes involving the ghosts. Yes, I did mention arc-v archetypes, but I will not be using them to avoid certain characters from being too powerful later on in the future. Yes, I remember the warrior academy, but I didn't know that was the inspiration behind it.
With those reviews out of the way, till we meet again my readers, Merry Christmas and happy New Year!
