Yu-Gi-Oh Academy
Chapter 20
A Faint Glow
Mikee got up from his bed as his body still ached like hell. He was healing at a decent pace, but it wasn't just the pain from gashes and scratches and a few fractured bones. His eyes scanned the wall across from his bed as he knew in a few rooms down, Rika slept. The thought of the pretty female made his heart ache and anger flare up in his mind. The image of her dragon defeating Tigara was still fresh in his mind as his fists instictively clenched tightly. He gritted his teeth as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Mikee got to his feet and picked up his Duel Disk. It activated to his touch, meaning the update was finally installed and everyone could go about dueling each other.
Mikee left his room as he looked down the hallway. No other Ra Yellows were outside like he was. Looking at the time, they were most likely heading to class. Rika's room was opening just as he was leaving. Mikee finally saw the girl he was looking for. Their eyes met for an instant as she froze for a solid second, fear glimmering in her eyes as Rika ran back into her room. Mikee heard the door locking as he ran quickly. "No...nonononono..." He heard Rika whispering from behind the only thing blocking him from the girl that hurt Tigara.
"R-Rika, I just want to talk. Please..." Mikee asked, the pain in his voice apparent. There was just silence on the other end as this was breaking his heart. His fists clenched tightly as she still didn't say anything. His mind was racing, the things he wanted to ask and say to Rika, but he felt she wasn't going to listen. "Was...was everything a waste of time?! Are you really just as bad as Danielle?! To hurt someone to the point of a coma?! Can't you see that her ideals are evil? Can't you...?!" He demanded, hitting the door with his fist.
From behind the door, Mikee could hear Rika sobbing through the door as he heard someone shout, "Hey, get away from that door! Don't make me have to duel you!" Heather shouted as she started to race up the stairs. Mikee's instict wanted to duel her, but he was in no shape to take on Heather. He ran as soon as the pretty Obelisk Blue made it up to the second floor. "Damn it. Rika, are you all right in there?" Heather asked as the door unlocked. Rika came out and immediately hugged Heather, the Ra Yellow sobbing into her chest. "I...I don't know anymore, H-Heather...He...I...I..." She sobbed as Heather tried to comfort her friend. Heather glanced over to Mikee, who was on the path to the Academy. She had a concerned look in her eyes as she got the chills. I have a feeling that if this isn't solved soon, something bad is going to result from all this angst... Heather thought.
"Neo said for us to wait here, right? I really want to see this Deck he's made for you." Sadet asked Luna as they were hanging out in the front courtyard.
"You know, you don't have to be here. You can get to class." Luna mentioned to her friend who seemed to puff up her cheeks.
"I'm not missing out this time if something happens and I can't do anything to stop it. So I'm sticking with you like a bodyguard!" Sadet told her sternly.
"I'm pretty sure Luna can take care of herself." They heard Neo say as he came up to the two Slifer Red females with a purple and green Deckbox attached to his belt. He pulled it off and handed it to Luna. "Here, your new Dark Magician Deck. I added some cards and a couple of new monsters to your Extra Deck. I think you'll find it to your liking." Neo offered as Luna opened up the case and looked through the new cards. There were the Dark Magicians and several of the new support cards. It was certainly a new style of Deck than Luna expected. "Wow, there's a lot of new stuff in here. A-Are you sure I can have these cards?" She asked the Obelisk Blue. He nodded and reassured Luna to keep the cards. Neo closed his eyes and turned around to look at the other students. Things seemed a lot quieter around the courtyards since the Surreal Duels started. It wasn't bustling with activity anymore, but rather, everyone was keeping their distances. The duelists was taking caution with everything, and who could blame them? "I'm sure you can keep the cards, Luna. We need to stand strong in times like this. You're in Team Quasar, we gotta keep up with everyone else and show everyone that we can still fight."
"About that...what about Mikee? Is he doing alright? He seemed pretty beat-up last I saw him, and he doesn't talk much." Luna asked, sounding concerned. That was when a feminine voice cleared her throat as all three of them looked to see Rika approaching them. She looked around constantly as if she was keeping an eye out for someone. "Rika?" Luna said outloud as she hurried over to them.
Kat was lying on her back on one of the bleachers, casually falling asleep as she was waiting for her opponent. She seemed really bored just waiting around as the others didn't give her too much attention. Being a Ra Yellow just meant not too many people would bother you. The duel fields weren't as active anymore, which she sort of enjoyed the silence, but it still bothered Kat. The fact that Danielle and her group scared everybody by silencing her cousin and reducing local hotheads down to the bone. She was still surprised that Mikee still wanted to fight. Not many would really get back up after that sort of beat-down, but he always had something to prove. Kat recalled last year exactly when he was having the most trouble here at the Academy. She was still in Ra Yellow at the time and Tigara was still in Obelisk Blue. Her road down memory lane was cut off as she heard Mikee walk into the stadium, calling her name. "Yeah, I'm here. No need to shout." Kat complained as she rose up, pushing back her black hair. She could tell in his brown eyes that he was ready for a fight, Mikee still missing his yellow coat, even still had the torn blue shirt and jeans on. She could still see the bandages wrapped around his body, but he was moving all right. "Looks like you still want to duel me. You can turn back now." Kat warned him as she stretched a bit. She still sat on the seats as he stood on the opposite end of the Dueling Field.
"I'm not turning back, Kat. I can't lose here, not to you of all people." Mikee told her.
"Oh, is that so? To me?" She asked sarcastically. Mikee nodded as his Duel Disk activated and his D-Gazer turned on. Students were watching the commotion as Kat finally stood up. "Let's see what Tig sees in you. If you're more than just a bag of hot air." She commented as their duel started.
Normal Duel between Mikee and Kat will now begin. Each Duelist starts with 8000 LP. Kat begins the Duel.
"I'll start this Duel by just setting two cards. Think you can handle that?" Kat asked her opponent as her two cards remained face-down. Mikee began his turn by drawing his card. "I'm going to give you everything I have, and I'm not going to hold back! I won't let someone like you beat me!" Mikee declared.
"Really, someone like me. What, another girl who is going to curb-stomp you and your basic Deck? Believe me, if your way of thinking is still the same as a year ago, this match has already been decided. All your monsters will be face-down and you'll only have less than nine cards left in your Deck." Kat predicted. This only made him set a monster face-down and a card. Thanks to the warning, she knew he was going to play defensively. The match didn't start yet, and already he was messing up. The nerves were beginning to get to the Ra Yellow as Kat was going to teach him not to lose his nerve the hard way.
"I...wanted to come talk to you guys. There's something I need to know." Rika asked them as the two girls stood up rather defensively. Neo seemed to be the only one calm about the Ra Yellow that walked up to them. "You got a lot of nerve coming here, Rika. What do you want?" Neo asked seriously. She plucked back a bit as you could tell she was still frightened, but the Ra Yellow stood her ground. "I...I need to know, did...did Mikee really go fight Danielle?" She asked, taking the group by surprise.
"Did he...yes! Sadet almost shouted, standing against her. "After you knocked out Tig for who knows how long, Mikee went to fight Danielle, and got his butt kicked hard!" She exaggerated. Rika seemed really worried as she sat down near them. She explained to them that Mikee came banging at her door this morning. She also told them that after asking Heather about what happened, she was quiet and only asked if she didn't know. Neo looked concerned at this point as he sat down. "Wait, Danielle didn't...tell you anything?" Neo asked. The Ra Yellow shook her head in response. "All Danielle told me was...to lay low for a while. She hasn't told me anything else." She told them as it became silent in the group. Someone was calling out her name as Rika heard it and looked to the group one more time. "Look...I...I didn't mean for it to turn out like this. Please, if you can, just tell Mikee that when you see him." Rika told Neo specifically as she ran inside the school. Not long after, Heather came past the gate as if she was looking for someone. Without talking to the others, the Obelisk Blue went into the school, brushing past the small group as if she was in a rush. "So, they didn't tell Rika about Mikee. Come on, we need to go talk with him." Neo told Luna and Sadet.
"Oh, okay! Where is he?"
"Ghostrick Angel of Mischief, Direct Attack." Katsumi commanded with a coldness in her voice as one of her monsters floated over five of Mikee's face-down monsters and struck him, lowering his Life Points to zero. His Deck was practically depleted as the revealed face-downs of his were Stardust Dragon, Junk Destroyer, Road Warrior and Junk Warrior as his eyes narrowed on the ground as Kat stared at him for a moment. "You're still just as reckless as ever. You expect to match against Danielle's strength with your mindset? You could barely scratch a little girl like me. " Kat scolded him as he wasn't saying a word. Neo and the others came into the stadium just in time as the victor of the duel brushed past them. She gave Neo a look and then left down the hall. He looked to where Mikee was as he sat down at the bleachers. He took his Deck out of his Duel Disk and sat there, looking at his cards. Neo and the others walked over to him as they could tell he seemed defeated. "So, you lost against Kat, you feeling okay?" Neo asked, everyone sitting around him. His hands brushed past his cards as Mikee took a deep breath. "...Yeah, I'm fine. Just need a minute." He told his group of friends. Neo gave a glance to the girls as they got the message. "O-Oh, right! Luna, want to test out that new Deck of yours? Come on!" Sadet asked her ebony-haired friend as they left for the Duel Field, leaving both of them alone.
"You know, nothing is wrong with your Deck, the way you keep looking at it like that." Neo commented as his Ra Yellow friend kept looking around the cards. The Obelisk Blue behind him watched as he put down his cards and sighed again. "I just honestly don't get it, Neo. This Deck is a part of me since Day 1 here at the Academy. It's been through hell like I have, but all these losses, it makes me think like I am a failure." Mikee admitted.
"Mikee, you and I both know that you're not a failure. You've had your victories before." Neo told him.
"Yeah, victories where it didn't matter. I only won against Spar, and Rika helped me with Derrick. Every single other Duel that I needed to win, I lost. What's going to happen to me when we enter the Quasar Cup?" Mikee asked the leader of their team. Neo took a moment to think as he sighed himelf. "If we lose, we lose. We move on, and go onto the next battle. That's the key phrase right there: next battle. There will always be another battle, and you've got to always remember that. You need to get up, dust yourself off, and challenge them again when you feel like you're ready. Sometimes there's just nothing wrong with your cards, it's you. You have to believe in yourself, and your cards. Remember, that's what Yusei did, and look at where he is now." Neo mentioned. Mikee was silent as he was thinking of what his friend told him. "Think of it like this too: If you don't think clearly, you won't be able to use Clear Mind and Synchro Summon things like your Shooting Star or your newfound Quasar. That's what Kat's trying to tell you, in her own way I guess." He reminded Mikee as the duelist looked in his Extra Deck at the two mentioned cards. Along the cards he skimmed through were his favorite Junk Warrior and other Junk monsters. "Just take a look at Luna for example. She started losing with her Magicians, then took a break from them, and now she's back at them again." Neo pointed out as they looked to the Slifer Red dueling with Sadet. She constantly looked to the cards in her hand as the duel went on. Mikee seriously started to think about it as he put his cards back in his Duel Disk and stood up. "You're right. I just need to get back up. There's no better way to test things out with Summer's Scavenger Hunt." Mikee told Neo as he was reminded of the event transpiring in a few days.
The group (As soon as Luna was done with her duel against Sadet) made their way to the Card Shop where the sign-ups were being held for the Scavenger Hunt. Students formed a line as sitting in front of all the students was the Ra Yellow teacher herself, Ms. Summer. She had holograms up in front of her as students were being signed up. "For the Scavenger Hunt, everyone," Summer started speaking, her voice loud enough to hear through the chattering duelists in front of the group, "I won't tell too many rules yet, but, everyone can sign up for a club, but it will be teams of three. Everyone's clubs that wish to participate must come as their team. No two-teams, and no heroes or heroines, this event is hosted in teams of three." Summer announced to everyone as Neo, Mikee, and Luna looked to each other and nodded. This would be perfect practice for Team Quasar.
Meanwhile, in another dorm room near the Slifer Reds, one was hanging around as his Duel Gazer started beeping. The slick-haired duelist answered it, making sure no one was around. "Yo, boss, the parts just came in, our secret plan is ready to go. This will surprise our fine lady when that teacher hosts that silly event's going on." A voice told the Slifer Red, laughing a bit afterward. A smile came across his slightly pale face. "Perfect. We'll do the test run during her Scavenger Hunt in a few days. Prepare the other duelists, make sure everyone's ready for that event." He said back into his device.
"Roger that, boss." The voice said and hung up instantly. The Slifer Red took off his D-Gazer as he had a rather wide grin on his face. Everything was in set, and the Academy is shaken from the events of Danielle. Now was the perfect time to strike.