Hello, readers! Here's the next chapter for you all to read. I've been a little sick over the past week, due to the changing weather, but I think I've moslty recovered.
Before we get going, I've recieved some more comments and questions. I will answer them now, as best I can.
Guest Reader: Concerning your questions about the encounter with Kozaky and the other scientists, that will be expanded on in a future chapter. It won't be the only encounter there; that's all I can say without spoiling story elements. The same can be said for your questions about the cybernetic implants breaking through Divine/Sayer's command; it'll be addressed at a later point.
Andrey258: Your suggestion about having Epsilon and Aki/Akiza in a Tag Duel is interesting, as is your reasoning for what Divine would say in explanation. I might implement something like it, but I haven't thought that far ahead at this time. Thanks for the suggestion, though; I will definitely keep it in mind.
Those were the major questions/comments. Now, for the list of Japanese-English names for characters/items you will see in this chapter:
Divine = Sayer
Aki = Akiza
D-Wheel = Duel Runner
Alright, there's the list. Now for the DISCLAIMER: The author does not own the Yugioh! TCG, the Yugioh 5D's anime series, or the 'Android Netrunner' Living Card Game. The author does own the OC Epsilon/Samuel, the 'Collective' faction, and any other custom elements they choose to introduce into the story.
Oh, one warning; some parts of this chapter are a bit long, or descriptive (like, someone's inner thoughts). I'm not forcing you to read slowly, just letting you know now.
Onward to the Chapter!
[DIVINE POV]
"You are certain of what you saw, Seria?" Seria's face looks at me from a video screen mounted on a wall in my personal office. The setting sun fills the room with orange light, and bounces off different reflective objects.
"Positive, Divine-sama," Seria replies. "I suspect Epsilon's memories are beginning to return on their own. He reacted negatively to the images of certain Duel Monsters cards he saw in the simulated Duel Puzzle. He can't explain why, but I suspect those cards bring back things your reconditioning may have blocked off."
Anger makes me hiss through my teeth, but only for a second. I knew reconditioning Epsilon wasn't going to be easy, but I didn't expect this many hardships to happen almost all at once. I thought the programming I put into his human mind would be enough to last for the time being. That no longer seems to be the case.
"What about Epsilon's metal eye," I ask. "Did he have more questions about it? Actually, did he interrupt the Duel Puzzle with any questions at all?"
"No, sir. I think he wants to talk to you, and only you, about his eye." That makes me feel a bit better; at least some of my reconditioning is getting through to him.
"I'll come over when I get the chance," I tell Seria. "In the meantime, he needs to be watched over. I've seen this volatile state of mind before, wild visions included, and not treating it in time can lead to severe consequences."
I look away from the screen as I remember past Psychic Duelists who let their emotions control them, instead of the other way around. They didn't live for very long. I even had to kill some of them myself, before their powers could harm the Movement. I can't have Epsilon fall into that position. Unfortunately, I can't be there to constantly monitor him, what with Aki's own confused mental state taking up a large chunk of my time.
"I will keep an eye on him, sir," Seria says to me from the screen. "What will the next phase of his training be, when you choose for it to take place?"
"The next step is to see how Epsilon handles a Duel against a living opponent. However," I continue as I a new idea comes to me, "I don't want word about him to spread among the rank and file just yet. Therefore, I want you to Duel Epsilon when the chance arises."
"Me?!" Seria's voice jumps up an octave on that one word. "W-Why me? Wouldn't you be able to better monitor him if you Dueled him yourself?"
"I don't have enough time for that, Seria," I reply. "I also need to keep an eye on Aki. She's slipped into a depression since she lost in the Fortune Cup, and you know how she acts to people other than myself." Seria looks away from the screen for a second, and I can tell she's thinking about how Aki reacts. She's certainly seen enough of it during her time in the Movement.
"Furthermore," I continue to get her attention back, "you have interacted the most with Epsilon since he woke up here. He'll open himself up to you, show you his true strength. Then, you can report your findings to me. It's the best way I can think of without revealing Epsilon's presence to any other Movement members."
Seria opens her mouth, and then closes it again. She probably had an argument set up to counter my explanation. But, her eyes betray an inner compassion towards Epsilon. She was with me during the final stages of Epsilon's reprogramming, when he was in the pod. She has since been with him through each big step of his training, and I suspect she wants to see him through the next several steps.
My suspicions become correct when Seria finally says, "I'll do it, sir. I'll make sure Epsilon doesn't suffer any further. But, I must insist that you speak to him before I Duel him. I'm sure your words will help answer a bunch of his questions."
"I'll do what I can." That's really all I can say.
I turn off the screen with the press of a button. Now alone in my office, I take the freedom to pinch the bridge of my nose. Things aren't getting any better, and I doubt they will for a while. But, so long as I can keep Epsilon and Aki on the right paths, and away from each other, the rest can take care of itself.
As long as those two trust, and obey, my commands, the Movement will defeat any challengers. Speaking of challengers, I should check up on something else.
I press a button below the screen display, and the image changes to another female Movement member with gray hair that covers her eyes, and wearing a green robe. Several computers can be seen around her, as well as a few other Movement members in the room. She looks at me without much emotion, waiting for a question or order from me.
I quickly ask her, "What is the status on the Deck analysis program?"
"The program is working on schedule, sir," the woman states matter-of-factly. "The Netrunner's Deck has already given substantial results. However, it will require more time for a full analysis."
"Have there been any major errors in the program so far?"
"No errors yet, sir. The biggest problem so far has been reducing the speed of the analysis, so that the program can find every possible combo. Since these cards were custom-made for the Netrunner himself, we have no other cards to compare them to."
"That's fine." I smirk for a moment at the program's success. Developing this program was a risky maneuver, as was confiscating the actual Deck from the wreckage of the Netrunner's D-Wheel before that vehicle met its fate as scrap metal.
The cards are damaged physically, but their data is still intact. The reward I'll gain from accessing them will be well worth the effort. Once I have the statistics on how they work, I can mold them into a Deck of my own, or maybe something greater than that.
"Maintain your analysis schedule," I order to the woman. "Get everything you can from this Deck. It will help the Movement against one of its more recent challengers."
"What of the Netrunner? You have informed us that he has been brainwashed, or reprogrammed, to willingly trust the Movement. Will he try to come and reclaim his old Deck, if he figures out we are using it?"
"Oh, I intend to make sure that never happens." I give a dark smile as I say this, and the woman doesn't flinch. She's been conditioned that way, along with the rest of the members I've assigned to this task.
"Will that be all, sir?"
"Yes. Keep me updated as often as you can. I have another task I need to get to."
With that, I shut off the screen and step over to a nearby bookshelf that's next to one of the six marble statues in my office. I tug on a specific book, and the bookshelf slides to the left to reveal a secret room. A small computer rests on a metal table inside this room, a simple lounge chair before it. The other walls of the small space are filled with more bookshelves, but I move over to a large file cabinet off to the side.
I move to one specific drawer of the cabinet and pull it out to see its contents. Manilla folders are pressed tightly together inside, but I know exactly what I'm looking for. I pull out one specific folder and open it up. A few papers at the top show the symbol of several gray gears working in sequence. Beneath these are a series of photos taken from the Fortune Cup Tournament at the Neo Domino stadium.
The photos show Ground and Riding Duels, but they all have one thing in common; they each show the so-called 'Netrunner'. Some show him Dueling against Professor Frank, while others show him against Aki in the Fortune Cup's 'Psychic Riding Duel'. The photos are top-quality, each one preserved in separate little sleeves. I take the photos out and cycle through them like they're Duel Monsters cards.
I separate two images from the rest and place the rest back in the folder. One of these special images is a clean shot of the 'Netrunner' when he was possessed by the 'Superiors' of the 'Collective'. His metal eye glows green, and his face doesn't show much expression. This was when the 'Collective' first revealed themselves to the public, like my Movement did. The 'Superiors' were met with the same scorn and hatred that my Movement has faced for years.
A part of me thinks This 'Collective' deserves this anger, but I also know they might not be able to deal with the consequences of public hatred and scrutiny. They seem new to this power game, which means they'll have to quickly adapt to the situation if they want to stay alive. The 'Netrunner' certainly showed their capabilities through his cybernetic implants, but the machine isn't as strong as the human mind. Both can be manipulated with the right tools, and I intend to make sure I stay in control.
The other image is taken from a high-focus camera alongside the Stadium's racetrack, during the 'Psychic Riding Duel'. It shows the 'Netrunner' alongside Aki, both of them on D-Wheels. Both of their bodies glow with psychic auras, her red to his white. Their faces can't be seen because of their helmets, but the fact that these auras appeared at all is enough to make this image special.
I remember the moments of this shot well. This was when the 'Netrunner' claimed he was Aki's lover from back at Duel Academia. He was named 'Samuel' back then, and Aki had critically injured him in a blind rage. Samuel had claimed he could help Aki by having her learn from her mistakes. He wanted to take Aki away from the Movement, away from me!
I feel my fingers squeeze down on the image, start to break it. It takes me a second to dispel my anger. After all, I can't let Aki be pulled away. She is a huge part of the Movement, an icon of what it is supposed to represent to the world. Sure, her image has its flaws, but that helps show the Movement as something people can trust. It makes mistakes, like everyone else, and wants to fix them.
Luckily, Aki also doesn't care for the idea of leaving me. She showed her objection when she severely burned 'Samuel's' body through her psychic powers. I showed my desire to keep him from being a threat when I snatched him from Director Godwin's clutches, and then reprogrammed him to serve the Movement above all else.
The reprogramming process itself opened my eyes to what the 'Collective' is capable of. These people have technology leaps and bounds ahead of what the world's people commonly use. What I saw in Samuel's mind was machinery that acted similarly enough to the human mind to stay functional. However, the machinery actually forced Samuel's brain to adapt to its terms, rather than it adapting to its human host.
A 'neurax worm', as I had heard from online theories of possible infectious diseases. An overriding parasite. The expertise was incredible, even staggering, to see.
I'm not certain how its work is done—subliminal messaging is an easy answer, but it is also possible that chemical or electrical triggers are used. After all, the brain sends, and receives, many of the body's hormones that help govern its functions. Either way, the implants in his brain were already bound too tightly to remove, or dispel, without causing irreparable mental damage.
But, because the implants forcefully changed Samuel's brain, then I just had to reprogram the implants in kind. The best technical experts in the Movement, combined with my own psychic powers, gave me the chance to change Samuel's mind to however I wanted it to. If the implants are working against me, I just need to, as the technical programmers call it, 'debug the software' in order to get him back to where he is now.
Now, the 'Netrunner' places his trust in me, like everyone else here. Now, he knows himself as 'Epsilon'. Now, he is a part of the Arcadia Movement.
I'll never let him think otherwise.
[EPSILON POV]
I lie on my bed, my gaze directed at the ceiling of my quarters. My thoughts float between separate ideas, not staying at one for very long. No matter which idea I switch to, though, I feel a bad emotion linger. I don't know what it is, and that makes it feel all the worse.
I have no complaints against my quarters, but I don't feel happy with it anymore. Is this because I've been here before, or because there are still parts of this facility that I haven't been to yet? I mean, I can count the number of rooms I've been in with the fingers of just one hand. That's probably a small fraction of how large this place really is.
Actually, a better question is why I have the feeling to see more of the Movement at all. Seria seems against my meeting others when she said that my appearance is unusual, even among Psychic Duelists. I understand that having people be afraid of how you look is bad, but I still feel like this isolation isn't good for me, personally.
What is Divine expecting me to do in between steps of my training? Sit and think? Look through my Deck? Practice controlling my emotions? Take a nap for a few hours? Actually, let's not do that last option—I don't want to deal with another nightmare. I also want to be awake when Divine arrives, so I can get answers to the questions I've kept in the back of my mind.
I then realize my problem. I'm bored.
It feels good to realize that, to understand the reasons behind what I'm feeling. This might be one way Psychic Duelists like me can control their emotions. Divine will probably want to hear about my discovery… as soon as he gets here.
More negative emotions begin to build inside my head. They spread through my limbs, makes them itch with the desire to get up and move. I want to walk around, learn something, succeed at something. But, the recommendation Seria had said from before applies; I shouldn't leave before Divine arrives. He's taking quite a bit of time to get here, though. It's almost like he doesn't consider me very important…
My eyes widen at that last thought as panic makes me twitch. Am I actually doubting Divine? I can't be doing that! He's supposed to be important to me, because he's helping me regain my memories. He gave me my name, Deck, and Duel Disk, all of which are important to me. I can't have these thoughts, because I trust Divine!
My metal eye brings up a message that seems to agree with me, but it's worded a bit strangely: [It is not logical to question your loyalties if you have no problems with the people, or affiliations, you are loyal to.]
My mind pulls the distrust in my head apart, tries to figure out what's making me think this way. That just makes these bad thoughts grow stronger. I try to think of happier thoughts to clear away the bad ones, but they just stick around.
Am I really not as important as I think I am? Is the main problem my dangerous emotions, or my metal eye? If I could know that, then I'd be able to understand what's going on. If it's the former, then I can get Divine's help to control my emotions. If it's the latter… I don't know how to fix that.
My head feels oddly warm for a second, and then my metal eye gives me a new message: [There is no need to fix these implants, unless Divine wills it so. You trust his judgment on what's important.]
I slowly rise to a sitting position as I mull over the notification's words. They are true, of course. Why wouldn't they be?
I stare at a spot on the bedsheet only I can see. I take slow breaths, try to calm myself down, and just end up with a stalemate between two opposing sides. My head is their battlefield, and they both want to control it. I have to work with one of them, eventually.
The door slides open. I glance over without much interest. It's probably Seria, here to tell me the next phase of my training. How many more phases do I have to go through before I can be considered a proper member of the Movement?
My heart leaps into my throat when I see Divine in my quarters. I jump to my feet, and subsequently fall off the bed as I shout out some surprised gibberish.
My limbs twist and move on their own as I fall to the floor. I end up on all fours, my hands and feet rigid against the surface below me. My nose takes in air, my metal eye flashing numbers that I can't read before they vanish.
"I'm okay, I'm okay," I say out loud to the room, "I'm fine. No harm done." I stand up and turn to face Divine, my hands at my sides and my feet close together. He seems… amused at what just happened?
"You don't need to be so enthusiastic, Epsilon," he states with a calm smile that erases my worries. "A simple, 'Hello, Divine,' would have sufficed."
"Sorry," I say as I feel my cheeks turn hot in embarrassment at my 'enthusiasm'. "I'll be more careful next time. It's nice to see you again, but—"
"You wanted me to come here as soon as possible? I completely understand." My jaw hangs open as I realize Divine just interrupted me mid-sentence. How did he know what I was going to say?!
"You have to understand, Epsilon," Divine starts to explain as he walks further into the room, "The Arcadia Movement has a lot of people to take care of. Each of them is a Psychic Duelist, like us. Each of them came here in their own way, and have their own issues to overcome. The Movement gives them all a chance to come together, like us, under one image, one goal."
"I get that, sir," I reply. "But, I—"
"Your appearance is something the Movement hasn't had to deal with before," Divine interrupts me with a sharp glint in his eyes that makes me shut up. "I can see that's a big concern for you, as is your isolation from the rest of the Movement. You're bored. You don't like going back to things you've already seen."
"I…" I get out as Divine tells me exactly what I was just thinking. "I just—"
"What is important here, Epsilon," Divine concludes without pause, "is that we have to keep the greater goal in mind. We can't upset the peace, the balance that the Movement wants to show to the world. This is a balance that I, and other senior members of the Movement, work very hard to maintain. We sacrifice our personal time and freedom to make sure the group is happy. We work to make sure everyone trusts each other."
I can't move an inch. Divine's explanation, combined with his tone of voice, makes me feel two inches tall. He's saying everything that I thought before he came in, like he's reading my mind. Is that even possible? I thought Seria had said that Psychic Dueling just made Solid Vision real. Maybe I'm just that easy to figure out?
I turn away, unable to look at him any longer. He knows the truth, and I don't have the courage to tell him otherwise. I feel his hand on my shoulder, but I don't want to look at him. I've already heard enough bad things. I don't want to hear any more.
"Epsilon." His voice is quiet, soothing. "Look at me. Look at my eyes."
I do so. His gaze fills me, melts down my emotions beneath a warm tingle. My knees grow weak, but I keep my stance.
"I know you want to show me how good you are," he slowly says, "but I can't be watching you all the time. Every member of the Movement needs to know they can trust me, just like you do. People don't easily trust things that are different, that are strange. It takes time, and effort, to fully accept something. That's how it has to be between us.
"We both need to do our part to make the rest of the Movement accept you. You need to focus on your training as a Psychic Duelist. I need to know for certain when you are fully ready to accept the Movement's goals as your own. We must both be prepared for whatever happens. To do that, we need to trust each other. Do you understand?"
I barely get out a, "Yes, sir." I feel too tired to speak, but Divine's grip on my shoulder keeps me alert. I feel the questions from before come back, urge me to say them out loud. I hold them back, since they've already been answered. But, I think Divine sees them, through my eyes.
Divine takes off one of his gloves and splays that hand across my forehead. His bare fingers are cold, and I wake up from my daze for a second. This touch feels familiar, somehow. This situation has happened before. Why do I suddenly know that?
"I know you have more questions," Divine says as he presses his fingers into my head. "I can answer them better if I look into the source of the problem. If you trust me, I will go through your mind and figure out your concerns. This is faster than you orally telling me, not that I doubt your loyalty. This process will be painful at first, which is why I'm asking for your cooperation. Your trust."
"I… I…" The cold touch of Divine's fingers distracts me from what I want to say. It takes great effort to finally say, "I trust you." Once I do, I feel an immense sense of relief. Divine echoes this with a warm smile, but that warmth doesn't block out his cold touch.
He presses his fingers against my skin with more and more pressure. I grit my teeth as I automatically resist him, somehow. Some part of me says this is wrong, that I shouldn't be doing this. My vision flickers, black bars appearing for seconds at a time. The cold spreads across my entire face, shrouds over my eyes as if a sheet against the room's light.
Then, his fingers break through my head and into my skull. I don't know if I actually have holes in my head now, but the pain feels real enough to think I do.
My jaw hangs open as my knees give out. I fall against Divine's taller body, but he holds me by the head in a hanging position. My forehead just grazes his chest, and my arms hang limp. His fingers quickly dig into my brain, and touch a thousand places at once. Gurgles come out of my throat, and my eyes roll back into my head.
Divine pulls out tiny pieces of my mind with precise accuracy. He slides each bit back before moving to another one. Every move he makes in my head feels like he's touching me everywhere at once. This isn't a bad feeling, just a very confusing one. I've never felt this exposed before, but I do trust Divine to make things right.
I can't do this kind of fixing by myself, so I open my mind up to him. I'm putty in his hands, sand between his fingers. He picks my brain apart like I'm his subject for dissection.
Dissection. My recent nightmare comes back in full force at that word. It pounds inside my head, and I'm sure Divine notices it. His mental fingers move away, let the nightmare grow without stopping it. I moan in a very strange tone as the pounding only gets stronger. I feel my body be pulled in every direction, break apart as I scream in agony.
I'm trapped in this vision. I can't get out. I need help!
"Focus, Epsilon," I barely hear Divine say. "Let me see what's troubling you. Let me make you better. Trust me!"
I try to relax, accept Divine's actions, show that I actually trust him. The nightmare stops growing, and Divine surrounds it with his power. The two forces clash, and the nightmare gets overwhelmed. The pounding slowly fades away as the nightmare is destroyed, bit by bit, until it's finally gone.
My body starts to fall, but Divine catches me before I reach the floor. He tilts my head back with one hand while keeping his other hand locked around my forehead. I hang by his grip alone as he continues to pick my brain apart. He finishes in what feels like mere moments, and then props me up against my bed.
When he releases his grip, my head slumps forward. I feel some saliva, or drool, slip out of my still-open mouth, but my mind is too tired to analyze the sensation. My metal eye flashes a brief notification in green that I read with no reaction.
[MENTAL STATE CRITICALLY DAMAGED] [REBOOTING PRIMARY SYSTEMS…]
I fall into an empty, black void.
A second later, I open my eyes as I feel a new energy, a strong energy, give me strength. I quickly stand on my own two feet, and wipe my hand across my mouth to clear away any drool. I don't know how this 'reboot' was programmed in, so I look to Divine for answers. I see something different in his eyes from a moment ago.
"I'm fine, sir," I quickly say before Divine thinks the wrong thing about what just happened. "Thank you for finding, and removing, my problems. I just had to…" I recall the previous notification as I slowly repeat the word, "Reboot."
Divine stares at me with a confused look, but quickly shifts to his usual smile. I'm glad he knows I trust him, even after he entered my brain and picked it apart. He should know more about what's wrong with me. I want him to know that, so he can help me fix it.
I want to be fixed. I need to be fixed.
"Well," Divine then says as he replaces his glove over his hand, "Good to see you rebooted successfully. I now know what's bugging you. Fortunately, your worries can be fixed. It will take time, like I said before, and I'll need your help to do so."
"I'll help you for as long as you need me to." My voice turns emotionless, but I shove that fact aside. It isn't important.
"The next step of your training is to face a living opponent in a Duel," Divine states as he flexes his fingers inside his gloves. "I have chosen Seria to be your test opponent. I know you want to test your skills against me at some point, but you aren't ready for my level of power, yet. Also, Seria seems to like you, in a mentor-to-student kind of way."
"I see," I say with a quick nod, and a frown as my emotions start to come back. "But, is Seria able to handle the emotions of a Psychic Duel? If we get too wrapped up in our actions, we could really hurt each other."
"Seria has good control over her powers," Divine answers. "I believe she can help you gain control over yours. That way, you can both learn from each other. It's a win-win situation."
"All right, then," I say with a firmer nod, "I'll Duel Seria to the best of my ability. When will she be ready?"
"In a few minutes. She said she wanted to double-check her Deck before she Dueled you. She saw some of what the 'Koa'ki Meiru' are capable of in your last match."
"Shall I wait for her here, then?" I don't mind Dueling in my quarters, unless space is an issue.
"No, actually. I'll bring you to the Arena myself, but I'll have to go right after. Another senior member of the Movement has recently had trouble controlling their powers, and they need my help. Seria will report what happens in the Duel to me after you two are finished."
"Very well, sir," I say as I grab my Duel Disk and Deck, "lead the way."
We don't encounter anyone on the way to the Arena, just like last time. That doesn't upset me, it's just something I notice. I focus my thoughts on what type of Deck Seria will have to challenge me with. Will it be a specific focus, like with the Duel Puzzles, or will she have her own style? Either way, I need to give this Duel everything I've got. I told Divine I'd do that, and he's trusting me to fulfill my promise.
"Seria will be here in a moment," Divine says as I step inside, while he stays in the hallway. "Just wait here. I've made sure no one else will enter the Arena while you two Duel."
"Thank you, sir," I say as I turn to face him. "I'll do my best in the Duel." Divine nods back to me, and the door closes between us.
The moment Divine's face is gone, I feel nervous. I want him to be here, to watch me. But, what if he finds the Duel boring? He certainly knows how my 'Koa'ki Meiru' Deck works, since he gave it to me. He probably also knows what Deck Seria usually Duels with. In short, he knows what we're capable of with our cards. It would be a waste of time to keep him here, if he already has an idea as to which of us will win.
Right? Right.
I walk to the Duel field that's farthest away from the door, where that Duel computer had previously been. Each step I take over there feels like ten. I feel so nervous, but also excited. I haven't seen Seria's Deck before, and that makes me interested to see what she'll use against me. Will she try to hold back, since she likes me as a friend?
I get my answer when the Arena door opens, and Seria steps inside. A dark-blue Duel Disk with a red gemstone in the center is strapped around her left arm. Her eyes are cast to the floor, like her thoughts are somewhere other than this moment. I take a step towards her, but she moves over to the opposing Duel Field without looking at me.
Once she reaches the correct space on the field, she takes a rigid stance. Her eyes lock to mine, and I step back in surprise. Her gaze is very different from before. The spark and expression I saw when we played that question game are gone. Now, all her eyes show me is cold strength. It's like she's a different person.
"Are you ready to Duel, Epsilon?" Even her voice sounds cold, now. What's happened to her to make her like this? Was it my emotional reaction at the Duel Puzzle? Did Divine say something bad to her before she got here, like he did when I first woke up? Is this a secret test by Divine to make sure I really trust him?!
No, I can't focus on the questions now. I'm going to Duel her, no matter how she feels. Maybe she'll return to her old self once the match gets underway. Otherwise, I'll need to make sure I don't harm her too much. I don't want to see anyone hurt.
My metal eye replies to that thought with a notification that makes me pause for a second: [It is sometimes necessary to hurt other people in order to help them.]
"I'm ready, Seria," I reply as I activate my Duel Disk. Then, to lighten the mood, I add in a quick, "Good luck."
"Thank you," she replies without the tiniest hint of a smile as she activates her own Disk. "I'm sure we'll both need some element of luck in this Duel. I won't be holding back, you know."
"Neither will I," I say, with less confidence. "Let's go!"
We both shout, "DUEL!" at the same time…
Alright, that's all for now. We've got another Duel set up, with a higher-level member of the Movement! What'll happen in the Duel? That'll be in the next chapter.
As usual, any reviews, comments, constructive criticism, feedback, and suggestions are appreciated. I know the story has been light on Duels so far, but I also hope you are enjoying the inner details of these characters, whether canon or custom.
Draconos is taking off!