Stardust Shimmer
Seven: My Body as a Shield
Gotham was as dark as he recalled it at night, Nightwing recalled as he ran over the roofs of derelict apartment buildings left in Gotham's oldest parts. The divide of the city was almost stark, the richest in the centre, a hub-cap to a wheel of greed, the entirety shrouded in darkness. A dark city protected by a dark knight, possibly rotting within the very shadows of the urban decay itself.
Somewhere inside, Richard Grayson, or Dick Grayson as he was more often known, winced. That last thought was far too close to Bruce's current situation for his liking.
As Nightwing landed on a low roof, his sensitive hearing picked up a disturbance nearby, and soon enough the masked vigilante had dropped into the shadows to watch and wait overhead in the alley. There was a man, possibly older, late twenties or so, intimidating another, far more mature specimen in a suit, and standing protectively before a tiny girl in a black and white dress. With frills. A child, despite the high-tech device resembling a plate strapped onto her arm.
"Yo, Ojou Chan," the man in leather smirked, speaking in a language that was definitely not part of the American scape. "The prof's got an offer for you."
"Tell him I decline." Strangely enough, the girl was the one in charge, Nightwing figured. "Hibiki Matsumoto."
"Hibiki!" the older man growled. "You're working for them as well?"
"Good pay, good treatment, better chances," the man identified as Hibiki shrugged. "Iemitsu, so you're working for her, huh? Little Miss Shimotsuki Setsuka, maybe you should at least consider before you become a target too, like your parents."
"You're with Elysium too?" the girl questioned coldly, oddly fitting her name. "you know who killed them."
"Elysium Circle, Senior Psychic Duellist, Hibiki Matsumoto at your service," Hibiki mockingly saluted. "You know, a little lady with your talents is a gift, Miss Setsuka. As is the Bushido guy over there. So, you're coming with me."
"I don't remember giving you permission to bandy my name about," the girl answered. "If you won't tell me, I simply have to make you."
"We Duel," Hibiki smirked. "When I win, you come with me to see the Prof."
"You tell me everything if I win," the girl coldly answered as both unlocked the metal plates in their arms.
"Duel!" both announced as numbers flashed next to them.
Setsuka: LP 4000
Hibiki: LP 4000
This proceeded to become one of the strangest sights Dick Grayson has ever seen.
"Well, I'll make it painful just for you, Miss Setsuka!" Hibiki smirked. "Draw! I play Call of the Mummy, allowing to summon a Zombie Type monster when I control no monsters, like Mezuki [1700/800]."
Nightwing almost swore aloud as a horse-headed thing carrying an axe appeared, only years of training in stealth saving him.
"I then summon Fox Fire [300/200] in defence mode." Hibiki announced as a red fox with a glowing flame on its tail appeared. "I then special summon Goka, the Pyre of Malice [2200/1900] in attack mode, but my Fox Fire is destroyed."
"I chain to the summoning of Goka, discarding one card to special summon Dragon Ice [1800/2200] from my hand in defence mode," the girl announced, slotting a card into the plate as a icy-looking dragon appeared beside her, glaring at the fiery menace summoned by the man.
"I then set two cards and end my turn." Hibiki smirked. "Well?"
"Draw," the girl began. "Since you control four more cards than me, I can special summon from my hand Medium of the Ice Barrier [2200/1600]." A long-haired woman in ice-blue flowing robes appeared, tall and proud. "As long as Medium remains on the field, you can only activate one spell or trap per turn."
"Activating reversed card, Demise of the Land!" Hibiki announced. "When my opponent special summons a monster, I can activate a Field Spell card from my deck. And, I choose Zombie World!"
"I thought so," Setsuka serenely answered as mold and rot grew on the walls and the shadows darker. "All monsters on the field and any graveyard become Zombie Type monsters as long as this card remains on the field, and neither of us can tribute summon any monsters other than Zombie Type ones. I summon the tuner monster, Cryomancer of the Ice Barrier [1400/900] in attack mode, and set two cards. Turn end."
"Draw!" Hibiki grinned. "Now, I'll show you my ace card! Standby phase, Goka allows me to summon a token in defence mode. And, because I now control more than two Zombies, I can special summon Kasha from my hand! Come, Wanyuudo!"
The little girl barely flinched as wheels burning red-hot turned and a demonic-looking fiery wagon parked itself next to Hibiki.
"Counter Trap card, Horn of Heaven," Setsuka announced. "Tributing Dragon Ice, to negate the special summon of Kasha and destroy it."
"What? No!" Hibiki shouted as the dragon was swallowed. Something like an Alpine horn sounded behind her, as the fiery wagon was destroyed by something.
"Chain trap, Gozen Match," Setsuka announced as another giant card next to her lifted. "Each can only control one Attribute of Monster, all other attributes are sent to the graveyard. Choose, to keep your Mezuki or your Goka?"
Hibiki grimaced. "Brat, I'll keep Goka, if only so I can roast you!"
"Mezuki is sent to the grave," Setsuka announced, her voice without inflection. "And, for your information, when Cryomancer is on the field no monster level four or above can attack."
"What?" Hibiki looked scandalised. "Fine, turn end."
"Draw," the little girl said. "I use Cryomancer to attack your token."
Hibiki grimaced as the token was destroyed. "A lock-down deck... troublesome..."
"I then play Swords of Revealing Light," Setsuka announced as swords of light surrounded her. "Turn end."
"Draw! I activate the face-down Spellbook Inside the Pot for us to draw three cards," Hibiki considered. "Standby phase, Goka special summons one Fireball Token monster."
"Chain effect, discarding one card to special summon Dragon Ice in defence mode," Setsuka instructed.
"Wonder why," Hibiki muttered as the ice dragon returned. "Turn end. That's one turn down, two more before I burn you, little missy."
"Draw," Setsuka answered absently. "Tuning, level five Dragon Ice, to level two, Cryomancer of the Ice Barrier. Winter sweeps the land as the epilogue begins. Its icy clutches upon the earth make themselves apparent. Synchro summon! Ice spear of the one-eyed, Gungnir, Dragon of the Ice Barrier [2500/1700]!"
With a thundering roar, the icy dragon grew in size and two heads, its longer body made of crystalline ice such that it glittered even in the half-light of Gotham such that Dick was spell-bound, even as the temperature plummeted and his lips turned blue from the cold.
"The effect of Gungnir is, once per turn, I can discard up to two cards to choose up to that any cards equal to what I discarded that you control, and destroy them." Setsuka announced. "Sway Spear!"
"What?" Hibiki yelped as the two fiery monsters were liberally covered in ice and shattered into glittering shards. "Ow!"
"Gungnir, direct attack! Freezing Spear!" the girl ordered the large ice dragon as it doused the man in ice.
Hibiki: LP 4000 → LP 1500
"Cold..." Hibiki breathed. "So this is her power..."
"Medium of the Ice Barrier, direct attack!" Setsuka called. "Get him."
A single ice blast was let loose, hitting the man square in the chest as he staggered back.
Hibiki: LP 1500 → LP 0
"Nakamura San, take him." the little girl, Setsuka, ordered as she shut off the device on her arm, the others disappearing. "We have questions to ask."
"Yes, missy."
Up overhead, hidden in the gloom, Nightwing shivered against the cold. "Nightwing here. Did Mr Freeze adopt or something?"
"What happened?" the Bat's gravelly tone was oddly comforting.
"Hibiki Matsumoto, that was the victim... or guy trying to kidnap the little girl, who summoned crazy ice dragons and literally iced him," Nightwing frowned. "That name..."
"The name's familiar," Batman muttered. "As for the little girl, she's a... long story."
"Should I ask...?" Nightwing trailed off as cold blue eyes met his own.
"No, come to the Cave." A pause. "What's wrong?"
"She saw me," Nightwing whispered as the little girl walked away.
"She's my niece, of course she saw you," the Bat answered.
"Fine." A beat. "Wait, you still have family around?"
A while later, Hibiki Matsumoto awoke, shivering under a thermal blanket, suitably trussed and his DuelDisk in Nakamura's hands.
"Now," Setsuka began. "Let us begin, Mr Matsumoto."
The Gotham Stadium was, at its very heart, functional over decorative. In a city teeming with psychopaths and trigger-happy bombers, it was a wonder that Gotham's old architecture actually survived. The Stadium was no exception, despite its swimming pool and racing track and soccer fields. Even so, when a venue was covered in bunting, and the track improved to take car races, never mind Riding Duels or D-Boards, and the grandstands jam-packed with viewers in a good day with some sun in the dreary city, there was a definite air of festivity in the Stadium that would hopefully last... in Gotham, not very likely, but the possibility exists.
"Today shall be a very interesting day," Ryuusei commented in his seat beside the emcee's stage in the Gotham Stadium, which was jam-packed with spectators of the Junior-Singles World Riding Duel Grand Prix. Of course, most were looking forward to the exhibition match: Jack Atlas vs Yusei Fudo, rather than the actual tournament itself, but there was hope.
"You only say that because you like watching Stardust Dragon kick Red Demon Dragon's ass every time," Setsuka replied as Seika giggled.
"Setsu-chan, I think Stardust Dragon is nice as well!" Seika smiled at the match. Screens set up around the stadium showed a live feed, the two D-Wheels about to enter the stage on this cloudy day visible from almost every conceivable angle. Thankfully, the stadium could be covered, but then there were fervent hopes of the weather – and the psychopath situation – holding out.
Overhead, posted on the roofs, Batman glanced down at the stands with a pair of binoculars trained. "Begin."
"Batgirl, in position," sighed a feminine voice over the air-waves.
"Robin, in position," the younger one relayed.
"Nightwing, in position," the older former Robin sighed. "Why are we staking out this tournament again, Bruce?"
The Batman did not even pay attention to the jab at his real name. "You'll see."
"We got front-row seats!" Tim's voice crowed.
"I don't get it," Barbara muttered. "Why all the hype over a card game?"
"Everybody listen!" the emcee boomed, drowning out the reply. "This is a great match! The Junior-Singles World Riding Duel Grand Prix is going to begin! Before we begin the exhibition duel, a word from our guest of honour, the youngest to enter the Junior Riding leagues, Rua Takenaka!"
"Thanks!" a slightly taller teal-haired youth took the mike. "Well, there's not much left to say but... let's rev it up!"
The crowd cheered at his simple yet heartfelt words. A babble was starting throughout the crowd already.
"Thank you!" the emcee bellowed once Rua had relinquished the mike. "Before this tournament, there were only thirty-two Duellists. After further elimination, right were left, and it is these eight that will compete for the prize money of five hundred thousand US dollars, as well as the chance to enter the Pro League Genex Circuit! Without further ado, let us reveal these eight contenders who have come from all over the world for that chance!"
He took a deep breath. "From the United Kingdom itself, supported by the Senrigan Group, Chase Princeton! This guy's carrying a huge legacy, folks!"
Everyone laughed as the youth stood and bowed, before sitting down.
"A home-grown Duellist right here again, Glen Powers from New York City, here on the support of the Elysium Circle!"
Another faceless man, of no notable feature, yet Batman caught the girl and the Fudo boy glaring at him for some odd reason.
"The child nature activist, Flora Ramsay!"
"Jared Hampton, a kid with a real punk attitude, hailing from Brooklyn!"
"Michigan's Reginald Mackenzie, one of the hot favourites, again from the Elysium Circle! Watch out, folks, he's the airy type!"
More glares. Was it the Circle, or the boys themselves, Batman wondered.
"Our fighter from China, Ru Zhou, who seems to be channelling another famous Duellist, Vivian Wong!"
"From Neo Domino City, Setsuka Shimotsuki! Watch out, boys! She may be pretty, but her looks can freeze!"
"And, finally, also from Neo Domino City, Ryuusei Fudo!" the emcee crowed to thunderous applause. "He's got a lot to live up to, folks, we all know how that feels! A final word from our guest of honour?"
"To everyone in general, enjoy the duel!" Rua waved. "To Jack, remember who you're duelling! Yusei, better hope you haven't got rusty! And now, let's begin!" The youth grinned. "World King, Jack Atlas, versus, Yusei Fudo! Let's rev it up!"
"Oh god, oh god, oh god," Robin babbled as the red motorcycle entered the scene with a loud roar of the engine.
"Yusei Fudo!" the emcee bellowed. "And now, the World King, Jack Atlas!" the emcee thundered again to loud applause and cheering.
"There can only be one king, and that's me!" Jack boomed. "Yusei, time to settle this!"
"Sorry to make you wait," Yusei muttered.
"You're finally here," Jack smirked.
"It's time to duel!" the emcee boomed. "Field Magic, Speed World Two Magic, set, on! With the usage of the new Field Spell, we begin the new Dual Magic phase! That is, in a Riding Duel, Spell cards are finally allowed as well as Speed Spells for the first time! Of course, these guys are veteran D-Wheelers, so they'll probably be using Speed Spells the whole time! Riding Duels begin the moment Speed World is set on!"
The starting horn blared.
"Alright then! Riding Duel! Acceleration!"
"Hang on, it's card games on motorcycles?" Batgirl incredulously muttered. "That's ridiculous!"
Yusei: LP 4000
Jack: LP 4000
"Yusei begins! Well, he starts out normally enough, summoning Shield Wing [0/900] in defence mode. Then, he sets a card and ends."
"Those are holograms?" Batgirl's yelp was loud and piercing. "They look so real!"
"Well, so far everything expected from this guy. Now Jack, he goes one better, special summoning Vice Dragon [2000/2400] from his hand, but its attack and defence is halved. No matter, he summons the tuner monster, Dark Resonator [1300/300] next, and we all know what's coming! Watch out, fans of the King! Don't blink or you'll miss this!"
"Tuning!" the crowd cheered. "Synchro Summon!"
"The ruler's heartbeats will now file through here!" the emcee translated the Japanese both men had been calling throughout. "Take witness to its creation-shaking power! Synchro Summon! My very soul, Red Demon's Dragon!"
The crowd roared as the awesome red and black dragon burst upon the scene, black leathery wings spread wide in the midst of an inferno.
"It's just the first turn, and the king's ace has appeared! Will Yusei rise up to the challenge? No, Red Demon's Dragon [3000/2000] attacks Shield Wing, but Shield Wing is not destroyed by battle twice per turn, wait, the Demon Meteor effect of Red Demon's activates, and Shield Wing is destroyed! The king sets a card and ends. Now, will Yusei finally get his act together? He draws! Activating Speed Spell – Angel Baton, he draws two and discards one. On the second turn at that, when both players has Speed Counters of two. Well, he's still playing as expected... wait, there it is! He summons the tuner monster, Debris Dragon [1000/2000] and with its effect, re-summons Shield Wing, and the Quillbolt Hedgehog [800/800] in his grave surfaces due to its effect! Level eight! It's coming! Level two Shield Wing, and level two Quillbolt Hedgehog, with level four Debris Dragon!"
Again, Batman watched, dazzled as the dragon tuned into rings and the monsters ran forward to be enveloped by the light.
"Clustering wishes will become a new shining star! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon!" The entire stadium seemed to be cheering as one. "Take flight, Stardust Dragon!"
Batman stared, glitter showering the crowd like a meteor shower as large, sail-like wings, clawed hands of white, and the blue-white armour shone like an azure star even in daylight. "Beautiful..."
"It's the moment everyone's been waiting for!" the emcee shouted to thunderous cheers. "Until today, publicly, Stardust Dragon has beaten Red Demon's Dragon in every single duel these two cards face off! Shall we see the end of these majestic dragons' rivalry today? King's ace monster, Red Demon's Dragon, against Stardust Dragon! We're waiting for the heated crash of these two! Wait... he sets three cards and ends? That's it? Yusei, a few offensive moves would be nice right now! Jack draws, enters battle phase, attacking Stardust, obvious... what's this? Continuous Trap, Revolution – Trick Battle activated! Stardust reflects the attack! Red Demon's Dragon is destroyed! Is it...?"
Looking at the dragon scattering stardust in its wake as it flew up, Batman remembered to breathe for once since the entrance of the white dragon.
"Oh my, of course Jack wouldn't let it end like that! He activates Buster Mode! Red Demon's Dragon is tributed in the nick of time, to summon... Red Demon's Dragon /Buster [3500/2500]!"
Looking at the armoured behemoth of a dragon, more of Robin's cheers could be heard in his earpiece. "Cool!"
"Due to Buster Mode, Red Demon's Dragon will not be destroyed by spells, traps, or monster effects this turn! Also, it cannot be destroyed by battle! With this shield against Trick Battle, and since the monsters on the field changes, a replay occurs! Jack re-enters battle phase against Stardust Dragon! What's this? Yusei activates his own Buster Mode! Stardust is revived as Stardust Dragon /Buster [3000/2500]! It's five hundred short, but, anyway. Faced with a monster that cannot be destroyed this turn, what does Jack do? He attacks with the stronger Red Demon's Dragon! Yusei faces it! And... they clash, with no result, sorry Jack, maybe next turn."
Yusei: LP 4000 → LP 3500
Jack: LP 4000
Both: SPC 3
"Ooo, and Jack still draws first blood, as expected," the commentator said in false sympathy. "Still, it's a great evasion on Yusei's part. And Jack sets two cards and ends. Yusei's got three, no, four cards in hand, four Speed Counters and facing a way stronger monster. Despite the lack of a back row, Red Demon's Dragon /Buster will still be a formidable match. What will he do?
"Yusei draws! Well, he activates another Speed Spell – Angel Baton, drawing one more and then discarding. Wonder why- He plays Tuning, another Spell card, to take out a Synchron monster and milling a card from his deck, he takes Turbo Synchron and mills a Tuningware. Another Spell, Stardust Shimmer, activates, and he banishes monsters with total levels equal to eight to re-summon Stardust Dragon! Stardust hits the field once more!"
The victorious roar of the white dragon as it shimmered back into existence on the field echoed the sentiments of the crowd.
"He summons Turbo Synchron in attack mode, for some inexplicable reason, before engaging in battle phase- No, Graceful Revival! Tuningware hits the field! He's tuning! Level one, Turbo Synchron, to level one Tuningware! Cheer for it! Clustering wishes will call out a new speed's horizon! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! The Power of Hope, Synchro Tuner, Formula Synchron [200/1500]! Jack looks a little bit green down there, no doubt he of all people knows what's gonna come! Wait, Jack activates Inter-dimensional Matter Transporter, banishing Red Demon's Dragon /Buster for the turn. Replay occurs, Yusei attacks directly with Stardust Dragon /Buster- oh, Jack activates Half or Nothing! Now Yusei must choose either to end his battle phase of continue attacking, and this bad boy chooses without hesitation! He attacks with Stardust Dragon /Buster!"
Jack: LP 4000 → LP 2500
"That's payback, for sure! And now Stardust blasts Jack with a Shooting Sonic, and Jack gets hit again!"
Jack: LP 2500 → LP 1250
"And that's plenty of damage- wait, what's Yusei doing? Urgent Tuning? Hold onto your seats, people, it's coming! The pride of Team 5Ds, the Accel Synchro, the shooting star that led the new revolution of Riding Duels! Say it all together! Accel Synchro!"
"Level eight, Stardust Dragon, level two, Formula Synchron, tuning!" Yusei announced himself, the entire stadium apparently worked into a frenzy and even Jack grinning madly despite the imminent loss. "Clustering dreams and hopes will open the door to a new evolution! Become the path its light shines upon! Accel Synchro!"
Batman stared as, in the blink of an eye, both dragon and master disappeared from his sight, only Robin gibbering in his ear.
"He's gone?" the emcee announced.
No, in a flash Yusei was back again, appearing behind the speeding Jack, and behind him a new white dragon that shot through like a comet that glittered, everyone oohing and ah-ing and there was even a standing ovation.
"Descend, Shooting Star Dragon!" Yusei called.
"The Accel Synchro! One of the monsters behind the team that won the WRGP, which beat Zushin the Sleeping Giant, which faced off against all three of the Nordic Gods, the monsters that heralded an era in Neo Domino City! Monster of the legend, Shooting Star Dragon [3300/3000]! Jack is looking pretty nervous, he knows that nothing he does is going to cut it- wait, Yusei activates Shooting Star Dragon's effect, revealing the top five cards of his deck to allow Shooting Star even more attacks... will Jack actually escape? No...Nitro Synchron, Effect Veiler, Hyper Synchron, Drill Synchron, Quickdraw Synchron! His deck has responded! Ow, that's has got to hurt!"
"Stardust Mirage!" one large white dragon shot into space like a comet, before plummeting down, blurring into five other dragons that collided square with the white D-Wheel.
Jack: LP 1250 → LP 0
A different kind of wave washed over the stadium at the same time Shooting Star Dragon triumphantly rose again, spreading its wings wide as starlight spread from it to the rest of the stadium.
Despite being dazzled by the sight, Batman never missed Setsuka escorting another little girl away. Turning, he dropped to follow them as the emcee declared the beginning of intermission.
"Setsu-chan, it hurts..."
"Don't worry, Seika-han, maybe it's the jet-lag," Setsuka falsely answered. "Come now, go."
Seika turned large eyes to her. "Setsu-chan-"
"It's only one cubicle," Setsuka pointed out, still smiling. "I need to wash my face anyway. Go on."
Seika looked revolted at the state of the cubicle, but went in anyway. The moment the latch clicked shut, Setsuka washed her hands, wiping them dry while slotting two cards out of her little bag that Nakamura insisted she carry, something far more dignified than the deck box-belts most wore.
"Butterfly Dagger – Elma, Guardian Elma," she whispered. "Help me, help Seika. There are pursuers here."
Shimmering into existence with a quiet whisper that only momentarily froze the droplets condensed upon the mirror, the red-haired female Guardian took the proffered dagger and floated towards the door, exiting the washroom just as the sound of a toilet flushing started.
"You're right, it stopped after I vomited," Seika murmured as she meandered to the toilet. "Thank you, Setsu-chan."
"The food of America is horrible," Setsuka answered, slightly louder than usual as sounds of scuffles and screams sounded behind the thick door. "We should stick to fruit in the future. Since they decided to begin with a bang, and therefore with the two legacies currently present, my Duel shall not start just yet. Nakamura San could escort us to a store."
"I feel hungry," Seika murmured as both girls exited the washroom, Setsuka immediately turning Seika away as a man hit a wall head-first and Guardian Elma leapt upon him just out of Seika's view.
"We'll have a nice lunch, Seika," Setsuka spoke loudly as someone screamed in a voice about two octaves higher than any man should, far, far off.
Three men were bound together with a white rope, seemingly composed of silk, as the slender red-haired woman held one up easily with a white-gloved arm. "Name."
"Please don't kill me, please don't kill-" the man never got to finish begging before the woman slammed him into a wall and lashed out. A Batarang neatly implanted itself into the next wall.
"Lady, that's one tough leg," Nightwing muttered as he landed on one end of the hallway. "Wow, I bet even Flash wouldn't have words to say."
The red-haired beauty narrowed her eyes at him, before turning to the other end to come face-to-face with the Batman.
"Who are you?" the Bat hissed.
A white-gloved hand slammed into his chest, the woman flipping over the Bat to land on elegantly shod feet and run.
"That... was cool," Dick hissed.
Batman ran, after the supposed meta, the woman still flipping from walls and the ground to avoid the Batarangs he threw and dodging the finely aimed projectiles.
When he thought she had finally been cornered in a dead end, the woman never lost speed, instead jumping off the wall in an near-impossible flip over the heads of Batman and Nightwing to land easily and run. It was only the grapple-gun that snaked around her foot that caught her, and even then Batman had to put all of his not-inconsiderable weight behind it or risk being dragged.
"Who are you?" Batman dodged the dagger she threw at him, impaling the wall instead.
Eyes that glared soon relaxed long enough. "Elma."
The dagger flew from the wall into her hand as she cut herself loose with a single sweep. "Zera."
She can see me, the voice murmured behind him.
"You're... like me?" Batman muttered.
"Guardian. Monster." She raised the dagger, almost like a fencer's pose, before leaping through a window, glass shattering in her wake.
"Guardian monster?" Dick echoed as he rushed over to peer out of the window. He was disturbed soon enough as the next window crashed open and Elma flew through, instead hauling one of the captured men and pulling him with her through the window.
"Stop!" Batman threw explosive pellets, which the woman leapt from, her feet dancing on air as she nimbly made it to the roof with the captured thug slung over one shoulder.
"That was... the craziest and coolest I have ever seen," Dick murmured reverently. "I can already imagine Flash's face."
Guardian Elma, the voice murmured in surprise. That dagger, I thought I recognised it. The Butterfly Dagger, the weapon of one of six monsters.
"That's... they're using monsters to do their dirty work?" Batman muttered. "Maybe we can ask them."
"Well, she took one, but we got two more," Dick indicated the other two trussed up men. "Good cop, bad cop, Batman?"
Iemitsu Nakamura was a Psychic Duellist, fairly powerful without being truly noticeable. He could hurt people with them, yes, but he still abided by the strict code of the samurai that had prompted him to follow a nihilist Duellist and his former employer, to serving the now dead employer's sister and her later husband once the nihilist uncle of the little missy had died from a rampaging Ruin and he was arrested in this very city before being bailed out by the dead couple, and now he was now serving a precocious, headstrong and, if the Madame was any indication, beautiful lady.
Despite Setsuka Shimotsuki being only eleven, he had admired her skill at the game in which he himself played in, and still kept updated upon, and her power. Himself, he was lucky if his monsters managed to keep together under further proximity from him. The Missy had been summoning her real monsters once she was five.
That girl will outshine her mother one day, the master had spoken fondly at the Missy's seventh birthday, when Miss Setsuka had asked who was the mermaid always hanging around.
It was this very selfsame master who had owned the Guardian cards, worn, old and slow in today's game, wrinkled in places and still treasured, holding powers from the love the master had held, the cards that the Missy now held until they found the next one who could actually use them. So the Missy claimed; Iemitsu had never really understood or talked with Duel Spirits despite his own Psychic power, while the Missy had inherited her mother's power and her father's gift. The very same gifts, or curses, that the group after them now sought.
As he saw the Guardian Elma walk on air towards him, dropping a tied-up and slightly battered thug wrapped in white silk, he was forcefully reminded of the usefulness of having monster servants capable of independent work at the most visceral level.
"My employer's Cobblepot, Cobblepot, you hear me?" the thug was whimpering. "Please, don't throw me to the Bat..."
"Dark knight," the female Guardian spoke quietly. "Zera."
"Oswald Cobblepot?" Iemitsu prompted the thug, counting on Elma's own reticence to intimidate.
"Yes!" the thug whimpered.
"Very well, then. You will be remaining in my custody until my lady deems otherwise. Elma?" the manservant asked.
"Dark knight," the Guardian monster repeated, almost wistfully. "Rafael."
"The dark knight is the next one?" Iemitsu asked despite himself. "Then Missy shall have to track him down after sundown, then. We can't delay this any longer, after all."
"No," Elma agreed as she held up a fading, white-gloved hand. "Rafael... Sleep..."
"The Six Samurai will handle this," the manservant tried to assure. "Come now, return."
"Sleep... Rafael... Rafael..." with the clouds passing over the sun, the Guardian closed her eyes.
Please review! Stay tuned for the next turn; Lightning Vortex! Duel, Acceleration!