He didn't want to go in. He didn't want to pass through those doors. It'd start all over again. The insults. bruises. The locker. The names. The humiliation.
But he didn't have a choice. It was monday. It was school time. And so, with a deep breath, the boy stepped through the doors- a brown haired, brown eyed ten year boy- wearing a blue striped turtleneck, navy blue cargo pants, gray and blue shoes, a crystalline themed high-tech gauntlet on his left arm, and a matching visor that linked onto the left side of his his half frame glasses. Ryan John McColley, AKA, RJ. A fourth grader at St. Tobias Elementary School, going into the second half of the year.
He was a normal kid. But that's the problem. This was not a normal town. The town of St. Tobias was big on Duel Monsters, and with it, there was an abundance of Duel Spirits- Spirits born from powerful emotions that take the form of monsters from the game. It'd become part of life. Everyone in the city had their own Duel Spirit partner, granting special perks and abilities.
But RJ? He didn't have a Duel Spirit. He was the only person in the entire city who didn't have one, resulting in being ostracized at school: Some bully him, others keep to themselves, and even the nice ones have to follow societal rules. The only ones really on his side are his family, but even they can't make this stop.
As he walked through the hallway, he could see them all, the duel spirits out on the aid grid so they could talk and interact with their humans. Everyone was smiling and happy, and he was pretty much invisible, or so he wished.
"Hey look! It's ReJect!" As soon as someone shouted that, everyone looked directly at RJ. He could feel all the gazes on him- disgust, indifference, concern. He just kept walking, until a leg went in front of him. He tripped over the leg, but he didn't fall, instead only stumbling forward a bit, much to people's surprise and dismay.
RJ was no fool, he was learning their typical tricks- the tripping, the waxed floors, the punches. He wasn't as easy to physically hurt as he used to be. But the verbal shots still hurt.
"How is he even allowed to be here? He's a nobody."
"I saw him when the bus driver refused to even stop to pick him up at his house."
"I mean, isn't it illegal to not have a Duel Spirit? He should be in jail."
As he walked into his first class of the day, there was a girl already inside, and looked at him as he came in. Also ten in age, she had wavy chestnut hair styled into a ponytail and held up by a green hair tie. She had silver eyes, and was wearing a long sleeved green shirt and tan pants. She couldn't take her eyes off him, as he went into the seat in the back right most of the classroom.
"Worried about him, Leena?" She was joined by a draconic canine, one with black scales, fiery red eyes, and a gray spiked collar around his neck. "There's nothing saying you can't interact with him."
"I know, Graff..." she answered in an annoyed tone. "But what's everyone else gonna think?"
"Forget what they think," the fiend said. "Are you really gonna let society decide your actions, or are you going to keep your promise to Amy and Alex?" Leena's eyes widened at that.
"...you're right. I should do what my heart says... not what my peers say." With that, she gathered her things, and- much to the surprise of her peers, walked over towards RJ.
The boy had a hologram screen up, looking at what appeared to be a card catalog. "Pardon me." He jumped a bit as Leena spoke up, as he looked up at her. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. Is this desk taken?" she pointed to the desk next to him.
"Oh... no... go ahead," he said awkwardly, and watched as she sat down in the desk. "You do realize who I am, right?"
"RJ McColley. We had gym class together last semester."
RJ blinked. "C'mon, don't dodge the truth. I-"
"I don't care about that," Leena admitted, startling RJ again. "Just because you don't have something doesn't mean you don't deserve a chance. I'll admit, I was a little hesitant. But everyone needs a friend, right?"
RJ was speechless. "N...No one's ever said that to me before... Thank you."
Leena smiled at him. "So what do you run? I've never gotten to see you duel before, but I heard you're no slouch."
"Oh, I run Crystal Beasts." He showed her a card list. "I know they're old school, but they have a lot of potential."
"I get ya," Leena replied. "I run Burning Abyss." Graff appeared in her lap in small form.
"One of the most powerful and resilient Archetypes in Duel Monsters history?" RJ asked.
"Yep, and It's a perfect fit for me, personally." Leena's smile started getting RJ to smile. "So what were you looking at when I came over?"
"Oh, the recommended cards for Crystal Beasts decks. I've got all of them so far, but I wanna take it up a notch, I've got fusions, but..."
"Ever thought of trying Xyz?" RJ perked up as Leena switched his catalog to an xyz section. "Crystal Beasts are level Three and Level Four monsters typically. You could probably whip some good options. Like this one, Number 39, Utopia."
"I... never thought of that, thank you."
As the two were talking, others took notice.
"Is that Leena, talking to ReJect?" One girl whispered.
"What's she thinking?"
Then came lunchtime, and every kid in the cafeteria was having a good time, eating and chatting with each other and their partners.
RJ, however, because of harassment, was in the Content Mastery lab, having his lunch there. The adults there were nice, if a bit quiet, so he felt safe there as he ate his PBJ. However...
"Excuse me, Mr. Culpepper?" RJ looked up and saw Leena! "I was told that RJ was in here." The adult causally pointed to the table where the boy was seated, letting Leena see him and smiled. "Hey there!" she greeted, coming over and sitting down with him.
"I didn't expect you to look for me," RJ admitted as Leena pulled out her own lunch box.
"I told you before, I wanted to give you a chance. That's not a one and done kind of thing," she answered. That made RJ blush, but also smile. "Hey, is that a Rescue Knights lunchbox?" she asked, looking at his lunchbox.
"Oh, yeah. It's my favorite show."
"I love that show!" And instantly, RJ brightened up.
"Really? That's so cool!" He said. "I love how they fight monsters and rescue people. How they give people hope and protect them from evil."
"I know, right? The way they help people is the best." Leena smiled at how RJ was opening up.
Mr. Culpepper just watched them with a quiet smile.
The next day, in Gym Class... It was basketball day. And as expected, as people picked kids for teams, no one wanted to pick RJ.
"RJ? Why don't we assign you a team?" asked the coach.
"Ugh," complained one of his classmates. "Do we have to play with Rat Junk?"
"Yeah, he can't even throw the ball right," another person on the opposite team added. "He's just ReJect!"
"Stop it!" Everyone perked up as Leena spoke up. "I don't see any of you getting slam dunks. Give him a fair chance. My team will take RJ." RJ smiled as he ran to her group.
"Wow, Leena. What's up with you?" asked another boy on the team - short black hair, blue eyes, a white shirt with a sweater vest.
"Well, Frederick, I chose to give RJ a chance, and I don't regret it," she said, making RJ smile.
With reluctant acceptance, the team played their first game. RJ actually proved to be fast, weaving the opposing team as the others got the ball through. Together, they scored four out of the five points they needed to win.
"RJ!" Leena passed the ball directly to him, and he had a clear shot. With all he had, he took aim and made the shot. And to everyone's surprise, nothing but net. RJ had made the basket, winning the game. Leena, Frederick, and the rest of the team were ecstatic, hugging and patting RJ.
"I can honestly say I misjudged you, RJ," Frederick admitted, as a humanoid insect warrior appeared with him. "You were right as usual, Inzektor Ant."
"Told ya."
That Saturday, RJ was out at the public indoor dueling arena, with his mother- A tall, brown haired, brown eyed woman wearing a burgundy sweater and gray slacks. With her was a beautiful dragon with elegant blue scales and long ivory horns, and angel-like wings, clad in golden armor. "So these new friends of yours are coming right?" She asked as they stood down at the playing fields, watching the four duels going on.
"Their text said they were parking, i'm sure their-"
"RJ!" RJ brightened as he saw Leena and Frederick were coming out of the tunnel, Leena wearing a black and red gauntlet with small fire based parts, while Frederick's gear was more insectoid in design. Accompanying Leena was a teenager that looked like her, down to the same hairstyle, in an athletic exercise outfit. Escorting Frederick was an adult man in a white shirt, and a black business vest, tie, business pants and shoes.
"Leena! Frederick!" RJ ran over to them, high fiving Leena, his mother coming over with a smile. "Guys, this is my mom."
"Charlotte McColley, but please call me Charly. And this is my partner, Light Dragon - Cosmic Star."
"Greetings." The dragon bowed.
"Nice to meet you," Leena greeted back, Frederick bowing respectfully.
Charly looked at the chaperones. "Lita Anderson, right?" the teenager nodded "I see you're looking well."
"I work out."
Charly nodded. "And Mr. Bastion Wesley, still doing well as an academy professor?"
The man adjusted his glasses. "My students get better every year," he said in a British accent. "And... it's Doctor Wesley, my dear. I didn't spend nine years in school for a Dueling Ph.D. just for the fun of it, thank you."
"Still the same as ever, I see," Charly rolled her eyes.
"Now before we let the children have their fun, I believe that Leena and Frederick had something they wanted to tell young Riley?" Bastion looked at the two, who nodded.
They looked back at RJ. "RJ, we're sorry about ignoring you in the past," Frederick admitted, to the boy's surprise.
"We never should've listened to the other kids in school. I mean, you're a pretty cool kid," Leena added. "No one should be all alone just because of not having something."
"So we wanna make it official." Frederick put his hand forward, Leena putting her hand on top of his. "You wanna be friends, RJ?"
RJ couldn't resist a big smile on his face, nodding and putting his hand on top. "Friends till the end!"
"There for each other, no matter the weather," Leena added.
"A bond that will never break," Frederick finished.
And then, a bright light shone from the deck box RJ had clipped to his belt, surprising everyone, drawing the attention of everyone in the arena.
"What the?!" RJ grabbed the box. "Is... is this-?"
"No way!" Leena smiled, as people gathered.
"Could it be?" Frederick wondered.
From there, the light gathered into the card, before seven different colored lights floated out, surrounding RJ in a circle, growing into seven beautiful gems. The gems shined with wonder, as they floated around the boy, as voices echoed.
Do you have ANY idea how long we've been waiting? The amethyst transformed into a lean, medium sized cat with light pink fur, an amethyst on her chest, and little winglets on the back of each leg.
The moment that your hope was rewarded... The topaz transformed into a similarly sized white tiger like smilodon, the topaz resting on each side of its neck.
And the joy in your heart ignited, we were born. The cobalt transformed into an adult eagle with a cobalt on a chest piece, as well as on each wing.
But your hope was so strong, you got more! The ruby transformed into a little purple cat like creature with a tiny ruby on its forehead, and a ruby orb on its tail.
You did not just get a single partner. The emerald transformed into a tortoise with emeralds growing out of its shell.
You were rewarded with an entire herd. The amber transformed into a large mammoth with four tusks, and an Amber on its forehead.
The Sapphire in front of RJ transformed into an adult pegasus with white fur, winglets on its hooves, a horn made of sapphire, and sapphires nestled on the main joint of each wing. We are the Crystal Beasts. And as of today, we are your loyal Duel Spirits.
RJ had no idea what to say. After years of being alone, not having a Duel Spirit and being ostracized because of it, here he was. Two friends who cared, and now not one... but seven Duel Spirits to call his own. Tears began to form in his eyes as he went up to the pegasus, and hugged him, the equine wrapping its wings around him to hug back, the other beasts joining in.
The gathered crowd began to clap and applaud for the boy. No longer a nobody, this boy was now a part of the community.
"Way to go, RJ!" Leena came over with a big smile. "This is so cool."
"Seven Spirits, all for you! You really are something special, RJ," Frederick admitted, petting the cat.
"Fascinating..." Bastion came and looked at the crystal beasts. "While it is true that people have had more than one Duel Spirit in the town's history, I'm certain that very few have gotten a group of spirits. Very interesting indeed."
"RJ! I'm so proud of you!" Charly came over and gave her son a hug. "You know we need to celebrate this."
"YEAH RIGHT!" everyone's attention turned to look at the shouter- A teenager wearing a red shirt and jeans, with wild black hair with red highlights and a couple of belts. There was also a red undershirt, but the left sleeve was ripped clean off. While he had a visor that looked more like one used by a hunter, he didn't have a normal gauntlet, with a model revolver holstered at his side. "Do you really think getting Duel Spirits makes him any different?"
RJ knew this teenager too well- Jimmy Hunt, a senior high schooler known for harassing kids in elementary and middle school. And RJ was a big ol' bullseye for him to mess with after school.
"Go away, Hunt," Charly demanded.
"No need to get upset, Mrs. M. I'm here to put that trash where he belongs for you," the teenager said casually.
"As if we'd let you!" Light Dragon roared.
"Wait!" all attention went to RJ. "I got this," he said, stepping forward, flanked by his beasts. "If you think you can 'teach me a lesson' like you like to do, why not do it the right way?" He held up his deck box.
"Oh ho ho! You are ON!" the teenager held up his own deck box.
"Hooooold IT!" The two were interrupted by another adult- a lady with long red hair in a high ponytail, wearing a white v-neck sweater, red vest, and a visor that looked more generic as a simple silver tech based one.
"Miss Tsukumo?" RJ blinked.
"You boys know the rules of the Duel Arena. Let's take this to the field." She pointed to the marked field.
The crowd eagerly watched in anticipation as RJ and Hunt took opposing sides on the marked field, with Tsukumo standing in the referee's space. "We will now begin the one-v-one duel between RJ McColley of St Tobias Elementary and Jimmy Hunt of Charles Williams High school." She snapped her fingers to pull up a hologram screen. "In accordance with Duel Arena rules, this duel will be using Master Duel format."
Jimmy looked at her with annoyance. "WHAT?!"
"Sorry, kid. But the rules are clear. All other formats are strictly limited to Duel Rank C or higher. And RJ is a DR-E. With only 1500 DP."
"I can only get five hundred Duel Points a week with CPU opponents," RJ admitted.
"A problem he wouldn't have had if MORE PEOPLE GAVE HIM A FAIR DUEL!" she shouted at the crowd, making plenty of kids feel guilty. "Oh yeah, I've been paying attention. A lot of you think it's okay to trick this boy into one sided duels, just for free DP in your profiles, while always making this kid feel like trash. Just because he didn't have a Duel Spirit. How would you all feel in his shoes?"
"But they're his shoes," Jimmy retorted. "Everyone else has a Duel Spirit. And in this town, if you don't have a Duel Spirit, you're trash. You shouldn't be allowed to do anything at all. You should be exiled from the city!"
"So that made it okay to make him miserable? Absolutely not. But you kids today never did listen when we told you to stop. Did you?" She looked around at all the discomfort and guilt. "In light of Jimmy's behavior here, this will be the last duel in the arena for the entire weekend."
A chorus of angry shouts broke out. However, Mrs. Tsukumo didn't recant her statement.
"C'mon, that's not fair!" one kid shouted.
"It's the rules, kids. If you all think hurting people is fun, then no one here deserves to have those beliefs encouraged. At all. If you wanna blame anyone, blame yourselves for harassing RJ."
Jimmy could feel all the angry glares now aimed at him. "Can we just get on with this?!" he snapped.
"In a rush to force everyone to leave because they can't have their weekend fun because of you?" Tsukumo snarked. "Okay then, Duelists, start your D-Visors!"
"D-Visor! Master Duel!"
[Acknowledged. Duel Mode engaged. Registering players: Riley McColley, Jimmy Hunt. Registered. Activating Duel Disks.]
On RJ's gauntlet, a sapphire flipped up and expanded to form a blade with card zones. His Crystal Beasts stood bravely with him.
Meanwhile, Jimmy drew his model revolver, doing a gun twirl before putting it on the gauntlet, where the barrel extended out into the card zones while the handle and barrel twisted to reveal the deck zone. He was joined by a cyborg Doberman with a net launcher coming out of its back- Hunting Dog, his Duel Spirit.
Both duelists inserted their deck boxes and drew five cards.
"Let's Duel!"
[RJ: 8000, Hand: 5]
[Jimmy: 8000, Hand: 5]
"I'll go first." Jimmy drew. "And I'll summon Lure Phantom in Attack Position." Out came a goofy looking ghost with a comical looking right arm and gloved hand. [ATK: 0] "And I'll set three cards face down, and that will do for now." [Hand: 2]
Zero Attack points... if our past duels are any indication, those traps are meant to power up that monster if I attack it directly. I'll just have to work around it. "My move!" RJ drew. "First, I'll Normal Summon Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus! C'mon out, Saphir!" The pegasus happily flew onto the field. [ATK: 1800] "And his effect lets me put one of my Crystal Beasts in the Spell and Trap Zone. I picked Amethyst Cat. Go on, Ame." The cat walked to the field, before curling up and being encased in a large amethyst, sleeping inside. "But don't nap for long, Ame. Because I'm playing Crystal Promise to bring you to the monster zones." She instantly woke up, shattered the Amethyst, and joined Saphir. [ATK: 1200]
"Then come and get me," Jimmy taunted. "Phantom's got no attack points."
"Like I'd fall for that. I know your Traps will boost its Attack. You're predictable, Hunt."
Everyone gasped.
"That's why I brought out Ame. See, she can attack directly, even if her battle damage is cut in half."
"Oh course! So he can't use those Traps!" Leena surmised.
"Ame, go get 'em! Amethyst Power Pounce!" The cat promptly charged forward, leaping over the phantom.
"Sorry, brat, but I trigger my phantom's effect!"
"What?!" RJ asked, as the phantom stretched up its larger hand to grab Ame's hind leg.
"Because you attacked, I can have him and your attacking monster returned to the hand."
"Wait a minute!" Ame was thrown back at RJ.
"I'll catch you!" he said, opening his arms.
"Correction. I'll catch her by chaining my Trap! Hunting Net!" Leon watched in horror as Ame was ensnared by a net, with rockets pulling her back to hold her helplessly in Jimmy's Spell Zone. While the phantom disappeared. "Because a monster was going to be sent back to the hand, this Trap Card captures them and places them into my Spell and Trap Zone with a Prey Counter."
"But... but..."
"You may be smarter, but I still had you fooled," Jimmy said. "The deck you've been losing to was just a secondary I use to try to be more fair. But now to put you back in your place, I'm using my real deck, and all of its tricks, to turn all your precious little pets into my trophies!"
"Oh no!" Leena gasped.
"You rotten-!" Frederick shouted.
"Speaking of which, now I activate Compulsory Evacuation Device to return your horse to your hand!" Saphir had no time to react before being launched into the air by a spring loaded panel. "Followed by my second Hunting Net!" The equine was ensnared by a second net, pulling him to Jimmy's side, next to Ame. The teenager laughed. "Now I have both your precious beasts."
RJ was in shock. He'd fallen right into Jimmy's traps.
Tsukumo wasn't much happier. Of all the... he's bullying again! But I can't stop this Duel… It may be a dirty trick, but those cards are Semi-Limited at worst. The only Forbidden cards from the Prey Counter series are Dark Auction and Substitute Pain. Unless he plays those, this Duel keeps going.
"I... I guess I'll just play two cards face down and call it a turn," RJ said. "So even when I have Duel Spirits, the torture continues?"
"Uh, DUH?" Jimmy said, sneering at RJ. "Those stupid pets of yours are barely worth being called Duel Spirits. You oughta serve 'em on a plate and call them dinner! At least then they'll be worth something, unlike you."
"...My mom is going to hear this and ground me for a week, but it'll be worth it…" RJ took a deep breath, and looked Jimmy in the eye. "Fuck you."
Charly exhaled. "...I'll let off with a warning this time, young man. But ONLY this once."
"Whatever, it's my turn." Jimmy drew. "I'll summon Lure Phantom again." The ghost returned. [ATK: 0] "And now I activate the spell card, Hunting Guide!" He played a Spell. "Now, by paying a thousand points…." [Jimmy: 8000 - 7000] "I get to guess a monster and if it's in your deck, it's put on my field with a Prey Counter."
"Directly from my deck?"
"That's right. Now I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess... Crystal Beast Cobalt Eagle!" The spell fired off another net that dragged the avian out from RJ's deck, and pulled him next to the other captured beasts.
"Colby!" RJ reached in vain.
"Your bird is caged and mine now!" Hunt taunted. "I'll end with two facedowns." [Hand: 0]
Okay... calm down RJ. He's now got three of your beasts... hold on. He pulled out a screen and checked. OH! Hunting Net is Semi-Limited. So unless he has cards to recover them, even if Lure Phantom's effect activates, he can't capture them. "My move." RJ drew. "I'll play my facedown! Golden Rule!" He flipped the facedown Equip Spell. "I crystallize two Crystal Beasts from my Deck, and then I get to Special Summon a Crystal Beast from my hand or graveyard and equip it with this. I crystallize two copies of Crystal Beast Rainbow Dragon!" A pair of large crystals of alexandrite appeared, each containing a white dragon within it. "And now I Special Summon Amber Mammoth! I need you, Ambry!"
"Coming!" The Mammoth stomped onto the field. [ATK: 1800]
"And now I Normal Summon Topaz Tiger! Topzy?"
"Sir, yes, sir!" The tiger leapt onto the field. [ATK: 1600]
"Mammoth! Attack!" The mammoth charged at the phantom.
"Sorry, but my Capture Snare Trap Card captures your Mammoth!" The mammoth was blindsided, scooped up into another net, next to the other three.
"But-"
"Not done! Because now with my other Trap Card, Hunting Spree! Because I captured one monster, now I get to capture the other!" A net erupted from under Topzy, ensnaring him with the other four.
"NO!"
"Look at this now." Jimmy chuckled, leering at the five Crystal Beasts he had, captured and helpless. "Your precious little friends strung up in rope, and it's all your-"
"Trap Card!"
"Huh?"
"Crystal Tears!" RJ flipped up a facedown. "I can only activate this card when it's the only one on my field. First, it destroys every monster you control!" The ghost was frozen into solid crystals, before shattering, to Billy's horror. "Next, for every monster destroyed, I'm allowed to Special Summon a "Crystal" Monster as long as it's returned to the deck in the End Phase. C'mon out! Crystal Keeper!"
A beautiful man in noble clothing appeared, brandishing a gold and white sword and wearing intricate armor over his chest and waist. His eyes were obscured by a solid white mask, but he seemed to see just fine. [ATK: 1500]
"What the heck?!"
RJ looked serious. "You can't make a deck with only seven or so monsters, pal. And I'm not letting you bully me into surrendering. Especially when I know the flaw of your deck."
"Flaw?"
"Look at your back row." And just like that, Jimmy went pale. "You see it right? With all my beasts captured in your Spell and Trap Zones..."
Leena gasped. "He can't play any more Spells or Traps other than a Field Spell, and he's been using nothing but Trap Cards."
"He's in trouble now," Frederick remarked.
"Can you guys endure being in those nets for just a little longer?" RJ asked.
"We'll manage if it means you can win this."
"I won't make you wait long. Crystal Keeper, attack him directly with Crystal Magic Slash!" Gathering colored light from the captured beasts, and the two off to the side, the warrior's sword shone brightly as he charged forward, leapt up and brought the sword DOWN, cleaving right through the arrogant teenager. And then he slashed again and again, about seven times. Even with Solid Vision limitations, Jimmy could feel the phantom pain. [Jimmy: 7000 - 5500] "And with that, I end my turn." The warrior vanished back into the deck. [Hand: 1] "And with your field the way it is, and you top-decking, you better hope that's a monster you draw."
For once, it was Jimmy who was sweating, as he went for a draw. But when he drew and saw the card, he began to laugh madly. "I summon my Hunting Dog!" The Canine leapt onto the field. [ATK: 0] "And his Attack Points become equal to the number of Prey Counters I have, times one thousand." RJ's eyes widened. The five monsters began squirm, whining and growling as their light was pulled out into the cyborg doberman, making it grow. [ATK: 0 - 5000] "Attack! Predator Blast!" The net launcher fired a net made of the five beasts' colors! It passed through RJ, filling him with plenty of phantom pain. Collapsing, he squeezed himself, whining softly from the blizzard of phantom cuts across his body. [RJ: 8000 - 3000]
"RJ!" all five captive Duel Spirits called to him.
"HA! Once a ReJect. Always a ReJect!" Billy taunted. "You thought it would end now that you have your spirits. But that doesn't erase the past. People will still see you for what you are, an outcast and a nobody!"
"Enough!" Billy perked up as Leena and Frederick came running, helping him back up. "Are you okay?"
"I've... i've been better..." RJ admitted.
"C'mon, you two, stop pretending-"
"We were never pretending, Billy," Frederick interrupted. "We care about RJ, because he's our friend."
"Whatever! Take your turn, ReJect." [Hand: 0] "I have a monster with Five Thousand Attack Points. You literally can't win now."
RJ took a deep breath. Spirits, lend me your power. Guide my cards to the path that will end this nightmare. He drew, and smiled. "First, I'll play the Spell Card, Raigeki!"
"WHAT?!" Billy watched as a bolt of lightning shot out, electrocuting the cyborg, making all its tech short circuit, before it exploded into pixels.
"Rule Twelve of dueling," RJ said, as he breathed. "It's not always about Attack Points. Hunting Dog is powerful... but it has no protection. And now, I can use my final combo. First I play New Game Plus!" The card depicted a kid playing a video game that was offering NGP. "Now we each draw until we have five cards." The two both drew, and Billy was pale- all Traps and Spells for Prey Counters. "Next, I play another copy of Golden Rule! I place Emerald Tortoise and another copy of Crystal Beast Rainbow Dragon in my Spell and Trap Zones!" The tortoise encased itself in an Emerald, while a third alexandrite appeared. "And now from my hand, I Special Summon Ruby Carbuncle!" The little cat-like creature hopped onto the field. [ATK: 300] "And when she's Special Summoned, I'm allowed to Special Summon as many Crystal Beasts from my Spell and Trap Zone as possible."
"And you have three Rainbow Dragons and Emerald Tortoise!" Leena said, as the tortoise awoke and burst out of the emerald. [ATK: 600] The three alexandrites exploded, letting out three white, serpentine dragons with angel wings! [ATK: 3000 x3]
"Oh crud..." Billy was backing up.
"You insult me, you capture my Crystal Beasts, you insult them, and you try to harass me. It is over, you big bully! Rainbow Dragons! ATTACK! Triple Rainbow Blast!" The three dragons let loose rainbow colored streams of energy that sweep over the field, one even scooped up the captured beats and returned them to RJ. Then all three danced together into one titanic blast that shot RIGHT through Billy, and now he was overloaded with phantom pain, making him scream, then collapse. [Jimmy: 5500 - 0]
[Game Over! Winner: Riley McColley!] Everyone was cheering for him as he fell to his knees, his beasts supporting him.
"Well done, RJ," Ame said, purring and she nuzzled the boy. "You didn't give up, and you found a way."
"That was rough..." RJ admitted, prompting Ambry to lift the boy into Saphir's back.
"Take it easy, RJ. Billy pushed you a little too far," the Pegasus said.
"Speaking of which," Mrs. Tsukumo spoke up. "I was going to rescind the closing order… however, in light of Mr. Hunt's insistent and continued harassment, as of this moment, the Duel Arena is hereby closed for the entire weekend."
Two more teenage boys, both dressed similarly to Billy, were walking down the hall towards Dueling Arena. "So, how much hunting do you think Billy's already doing in there, Bradley?" One of them asked.
"Beats me, Brody. All I care about is that he left some prey for-"
The two stopped as they saw Billy- running at them frantically with a panicked look on his face. Much to their confusion, he ran right between them, not even slowing down. "TALK LATER! RUN NOW!" he shouted as he ran.
"Uh... what's... with... him?" As the two turned around, they saw exactly what was up: There was an angry mob of kids, teenagers, and monsters stampeding towards them!
"RUNNING!" Brody shouted as he and Bradley bolted, running for their lives from this angry stampede.
Mrs. Tsukumo and Charly decided to reward RJ for his Paragons and his victory, so they treated the group to lunch at RJ's favorite restaurant- The Blackbolt Talos diner and Duel-Hub. The Diner itself was warm and homey with welcoming and warm colors. There was even an area for duel spirits to relax and rest, since they don't eat. But off to the right was a room with a high-tech aesthetic. It almost looked like a card shop, given the counter that was seemingly connected to the bar, the presence of structure decks, booster packs, and other Duel Monsters paraphernalia. There was even a large screen with what looked like ports that the quest pads could be put into on a console in front of it.
While the Duel Spirits rested, The group was sitting down and looking over the menu, with the adults at one table next to the booth where the kids were seated along with Lita.
"So, Yuko?" Charly looked as Mrs. Tsukumo. "Why did you go through with closing the Arena for the weekend?"
Yuko looked up from her soda. "Remedial training. Disciplining a group for the actions of a single soldier leads to social pressures that typically result in the easy correction of an undesirable behavior. Classic military strategy."
"Social pressures?" Bastion raised an eyebrow. "You sent a stampede after that teenager."
The teacher rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah, that was not what I was expecting, but it was probably deserved." The three adults laughed.
Charly looked at her son. While he was still a bit tired from the dDuel, RJ was having the time of his life talking to Leena and Frederick. "I honestly never thought this day would come. Seeing my boy have friends." She then looked over at the Capping crystal Beasts. "As well as his own Duel Spirit, let alone more than one."
Bastion sighed. "Well, my dear, I'll be realistic with you. Don't expect an expansive social network for him right away."
"Why not? He has Duel Spirits now."
"Well, let's do a little math here. RJ has been socially ostracized his entire life for not having a Duel Spirit partner," Bastion said. He sighed. "He's been bullied and picked on, as well, by many kids. With nobody on his side at school, even the defeat of Jimmy Hunt won't matter much to those who genuinely believe the same things as him. Even the ones who want to make amends probably won't get on young Riley's good side for some time. Bullying victims can become… distrustful of others, and likely to try and put up walls and guard their emotions, to keep from being hurt again."
"He's got a point, Mrs. McColley," Yuko admitted. "Getting a Duel Spirit doesn't magically erase the past. Leena and Frederick reached out to him before he got a Duel Spirit, accepting him for who he is and defying societal expectations to do it. But with those Crystal Beasts, people are going to try to backpedal and come crawling back. And personally, if I were in your son's shoes, I wouldn't trust them, unless they truly proved to me that they truly care like Leena and Frederick did."
"True... but I have faith in my boy. And with any luck, this is just the beginning. And the past can just be the past."
After a great day in town, Charly was more than happy to tuck her sleeping son into his bed, with the Crystal Beast assuming small form to cuddle up around him.
"Thank you, all of you," she said to them. "If I could ask one favor... please help my son make some more friends."
"It won't be easy, the two adults did have a point," Topzy admitted.
"But we'll do our best," Ame said with a smile.
With that Charly closed the door, allowing the crystal beasts to join their boy in slumber.
A new beginning for young RJ- New friends, new Duel Spirits. Truly, nothing will ever be the same again.