I know it took long, but finally we start the tag duel this chapter! I'll tell you in advance that it only starts at the very end of the chapter. I hope you have a fun read!

Chapter XV

Tag Duel

The soundly and rhythmical snore pollutes the ambience of the room, Jonouchi is spread on the couch, one of his legs toppling down, the blanket barely covers him, there's some drool trailing a line down his mouth.

Edo, on the other hand is fully awake and dressed neatly in his obelisk uniform, he puts down a paper note on the table and quietly leaves the room, casting a last glance before shaking his head in disapproval.

He still can't believe the whole story his partner told him and to make it even more suspicious, Jonouchi was late for all the following days too. What was he doing? Did he really get lost somewhere every time? Narrowing his eyes, he leaves for the mess hall.

Around the same time, the sunlight intrudes the small room, Judai is sprawled over his futon, one of his legs over Shou, he wakes up in a flinch, rubbing his eyes in drowsiness and sitting down. His sleepy eyes scan the room, his colleagues are still asleep, but someone is missing.

"Eh? Where's Shou's dad?" He glances over the room, Ellis' futon is carefully folded and put aside.

Outside the Osiris dorm, at the cliff nearby, Daitokuji stands, looking at the sunrise, petting Pharaoh on his arms. By his side, Ellis also watches the scene, his palm flatly stretched to block some of the sun from blinding his eyes.

"I heard you suggested the duel instead of expulsion. Though I doubt all the other teachers agree."

"I've just put in a word with the principal, it wasn't fully fair for the students, and they're under my watch, so it's my responsibility."

"You have my thanks for that." He stretches his hand, they share a brief handshake. "By the way, your niece is studying here too, right? I heard from my son."

"Oh, right, they're in the same classroom."

"Hm, I thought you might want to know this, but she was having problems with some bullies. A nasty type, I don't know if she talked to you yet, but figure you should try talking to her since they were harassing her quite a lot."

"Bullies?"

His hands freeze, stopping the petting on his cat, his brows raising a bit. He wasn't aware, was he? Ellis can't help but feel bad.

"I see… Thanks for the warning."

"Anyways, I'll get going, I'm anxious to see how the duel will go today."

He beckons going away, Daitokuji simply watches, his facial traits turning inexpressive as he resumes the petting of the cat. If he knows Rie, he guesses the reason why she didn't speak to him about it was both because he already told her to take care of it and stand up for herself and to not call attention. He gave her a controversial task. While she shouldn't call attention, she should defend herself, but one doesn't match the other under certain circumstances.

"He's a very good father, isn't he? I wish… I could be a bit more like him too…" A faint, rueful smile plays on his lips.

Inside the obelisk female's dorm, at the mess hall, Junko, Momoe and Asuka share a table, the first two giggle at some jokes and gossip while the other one smiles at the fact they can have so much energy during the morning. The blonde catches a glimpse of Rie looking around for a free table, some girls muttering mean things about her back.

"Hey, Rie, you can sit with us."

She offers with a smile, the pink-haired blushes slightly and comes closer, taking the empty seat beside her. Junko and Momoe exchange a glance before smiling to greet her.

"Hello! It must be cool to be a third-year student. It's your last year, the romance of graduating strikes!"

"Yeah, I don't know what I'd be doing in our last year." Junko nods. "You can come and sit with us whenever you want, ignore those girls, they don't have anything better to do."

"Thank you." She types quickly.

"Rie, those are Momoe and Junko, my friends. I don't think we talked a lot, but feel free to come and talk to us if you want."

From afar, Izanami scowls looking at the sight of the pink-haired befriending someone, rolling her eyes impatiently.

"Look at that, now she has friends, great!"

"You should just forget about her, let's just stick to the plan, the tag duel is today, so in a few days, when things calm down, we can test that thing!"

At the other end of the hall, the conversation continues, Rie's face is rather blank, the other two start feeling a tad uncomfortable.

"Right, you, Asuka and the Kaiser have been hanging around a lot lately, specially after that hut case." Junko snickers playfully. "But don't worry, we're not jealous that you got Asuka's attention too."

"Jun." Momoe elbows her slightly.

"I-I mean, we're happy to see you're adapting well after transferring to the academy and if you get into trouble, please do tell so we can help too." She fidgets while explaining herself, Asuka sighs heavily.

"It's fine, I'm used to it, despite how I've presented myself, I'm not as sensitive to the mean rumors as you think."

They're surprised at the text she shows, a somewhat forced smile on her face, they know it's out of politeness. Junko eats a spoonful of the breakfast soup to shut her big mouth, the other two also quietly nibble through their food, Rie's eyes stop at her reflection on the plate, driving back to a memory.

A few days ago

She's on the tip of her toes, stretching to reach the top of the locker, but with her height, her fingertips can barely reach the border, her brows furrowing in discomfort as if the effort is putting a strain to her muscles. Her feet drop to the ground fully with a dull plop, not able to hold that pose for long. With a deep sigh, she frowns determinedly and stretches once more, the corners of her eyes wrinkling at the straining position.

Ryou arrives at his locker, he hears some boys mumbling from across the corridor, they're looking suspiciously at Rie as she stretches, her skirt going up a tiny bit at the pace she strains herself more. He lays a murky glare on the boys, frowning at them in a reproaching way, they jolt under his gaze and scatter fearfully, aware that they were taking a bit too much advantage of the situation with their lecherous staring.

Her hand is an inch away from touching the student PDA that she can't see. He, on the other hand, can easily reach out to it with no effort at all. She's startled when an arm suddenly extends up by her side.

"Here." He offers while an unnoticeable crease appears on his face. "Who did this?"

"Sakamoto." She pouts annoyedly while typing. "He grabbed it while I was distracted and put it over there."

"That guy again?"

Ryou is at the limit of his patience there, he thought the shaming lesson at the pool would serve Sakamoto well, but instead, the boy considered that as a challenge. Testosterone too much? What can he do about that idiot? He's been far too long left to his devices, it's more than time they settle it definitively.

"Rie, we need to-"

"Kaiser!" A student approaches with a cheerful smile. "Can you help me with something-"

"Not now."

His head turns to the student in a flash, the immediate response before he even heard the rest and grave tone sent a shiver down the boy's spine, his smile vanishing and giving place to a gulp, the Kaiser sounds absolutely pissed off and giving a vibe of "get out of here". Not this time, he can't have just anyone interrupting every time.

"I-I'm sorry, talk to you later…"

He sweats, his lips trembling as he darts away, Ryou's eyes stop on Rie, she jolts, her eyes widening. There's this scary and almost palpable aura pouring out of him.

"We need to talk, in particular."

It wasn't a request. A cornered smile twitches on her lips, she couldn't possibly refuse when he's so incisive, could she? What is it about? Did he notice something strange about her behavior? Or does he know something he shouldn't? Her heart increases the pace exponentially at each thought, her eyes roving erratically as she follows him, her palms sweating coldly from the tension.

She needs to be very careful, he has proven to be a watchful person and a clever one too. She jumps in place as he halts his steps, the area around is empty, she's even more fidgety by then.

When he turns around to face her, he can't help but gape slightly at how panicked her eyes seem, as if she was caught doing something wrong, her skin is a shade paler. Great, he just frightened her to death, he reprimands himself mentally, trying to show some composure, clearing his throat and removing the irritation on his voice:

"It's about what's been happening, those boys who have been harassing you. You can't just let it be, Rie. Sakamoto seems like the type that tests how much he can get away with, and I fear his demeanor may only get worse as time goes by without you addressing the issue."

As if released from the tension built before, she finally takes a deep breath. Her fingers quickly typing a message.

"Even if I were to talk to the principal, there's no actual proof of what he did. It's my word alone."

"I can vouch for your word and I'm sure more than a few people have sighted him harassing you, that's not a problem. I told you I and Asuka can help you if you need. The question is more how to convince it happened even if the proof is not concrete." She's amused how seriously he takes it as if it's a real trial.

"I'm sorry. I didn't… I didn't mean to trouble you, I know they're also targeting you and provoking you. I didn't-"

"Don't apologize to me, Rie."

He interrupts her, not hiding he's fazed and a certain distress in his voice, why is she thinking she needs to justify herself?

"It's not your fault, what they're doing is wrong and you shouldn't just stand and let it happen, you have nothing to apologize for. They are wrong, not you."

"I appreciate your concern, but I'd rather let it be for now."

Her gaze lowers, avoiding his intense eyes, she's afraid of looking at him, because she knows he's right. She knows she should be dealing with the situation in a different way, but if she does, that will summon more attention to her and that brings a lot of complications she can't deal with.

"Why?"

"Even if I speak, it's possible nothing will change or even worse, I might get retaliated against because of that, if it doesn't end in expulsion... Just let it be…"

"I understand you want to avoid conflict and exposure to yourself, but you shouldn't let it be." He employs a steadfast grip on her shoulders, abruptly catching her attention. "Listen Rie, I'm worried about what could happen next if you decide to not do anything about it. Do you understand? I'm worried about you."

Her lips unseal at those words, struck with awe, pronouncing his name unwittingly, her gaze ensnared by his, wavering subtly, a discreet blush growing on her cheeks.

"You might not like to face the problem, but I told you before that you'll need to confront people sometimes and this is one of those times in which you must do it, for your own sake." His grip on her shoulders strengthens, his hands are so tepid.

Her head lowers, her bangs falling over her eyes. Her fingers are filled in hesitation as she types. This isn't the first time. She's been feeling this reluctance back there at the pool too when he offered help. It's brewing more restless, her heart feels like it could implode at any moment.

When was the last time someone worried about her? Not even her worried this much about herself, perhaps that's why she's so easily swayed by those words. She should think more about herself too.

"I'll…"

She never had time or opportunities to make deep connections with people ever since she was a kid, she'd only ever heard such sentences from her family and now, she doesn't know what to make of it when someone else tells her that and with more than just words. When she considers how many times Ryou and Asuka have made efforts to talk to her or make her feel comfortable around them, this care they expressed in many ways… Why did it have to be now of all times?

She bites down her lips, afflicted, there were so many times before when she could've been happier receiving this fondness she saw in his eyes. To hold friendly conversations with other people, to have friends, to fall in love, and not worry about such serious matters as the survival of her only and one uncle or evil powers.

"Pull yourself together, Rie. You need to pull yourself together." She berates herself internally, she thought she would cry, but her tears dried down. Weaving a message, she responds calmly.

"I'll think about it. Thank you, Ryou." Her head lifts, looking up at him, the corner of her eyes are a tad wet.

His frown attenuates, his hands letting go of her shoulders in reflex. He might have been gripping a bit too strong and for longer than he should too, it pressured her. She doesn't seem fully convinced, her eyes stare into the ground, drifting away. Maybe he should call it a day?

"Think carefully on what I said, Rie. I'm not the only one that would worry if something happened to you."

She nods vaguely, not looking at him, his brows curl upwards troubled at the scene. His steps grow further away by the minute until she's left alone. Her consciousness fades back to reality at the mention of her name:

"So, tell us Rie, what's your impression of the Kaiser? We asked Asuka before, but she's just saying copy paste sentences!"

"Junko." Asuka calls her out for being so intrusive. "Rie, ignore her, she's just a fan and can't help."

"What? I'm just curious, all I hear is from other fans that just know him on a surface level, and you don't give proper answers either, Asuka! We want to hear more about him too, we already know your impression of Edo Phoenix."

They start some bickering with the blonde trying to put some sense into Junko's head and Momoe struggling to appease the animosity until Rie shows her PDA.

"He's a very attentive person."

The trio is flabbergasted at her simple, but frank answer, she puts on an uptight smile feeling their gazes on her. Junko supports her elbows on the table, leaning on, puzzled by her choice of words.

Admittedly, Asuka was also a bit curious, the by-the-book answer of any girl would be: he's so cool; he's so handsome; he's so unapproachable, but amazingly hot… Among others, she doesn't even want to give it a thought. Her own reply was that he's a very respectable person and a dignified duelist, but it never satisfied Momoe and Junko to hear that, they wanted a spicier opinion.

To think someone would describe him as "attentive", she chuckles to herself, happy at the idea that at least someone beside her would have noticed qualities that did not involve his appearance and a rare side of his too. True enough, he's very observant, despite the reticent façade.

"That's… An interesting answer… But what do you mean by that? I don't know if I understand… Do you mean he's mindful or just-"

Her lips petrify in place when Rie stands up, the chair dragging back slightly with a creak, a smooth and polite smile on her face as she displays the communicator:

"If you excuse me, I have some assignments to take care of."

Swiftly, she disappears from sight, Junko lets out a deep sigh, the other two friends glare at her.

"You shooed her away, great conversation skills, Junko! Could you not talk about something besides boys? Sheesh."

"I also need to go."

"Wait! Asuka, we're thinking of having a girls night today! Maybe you can invite Rie too…" Junko scratches her face abashedly. "I'll try to make up for it…"

"Right, I'll do that. See you later, then." She smiles, assuring with a confident nod.

The blonde walks out of the dorm to find Rie outside, she catches up to her, surprising the pink-haired girl that stops on her tracks.

"Rie! I'm sorry for Junko, she likes to ask all sorts of questions, she's just being friendly, but you don't need to answer anything you don't want to."

"I don't mind, really. I just have some things to sort out at the library…" A drop of sweat trickles down her face.

"In the library? Why? The classes will only start after the tag duel…"

"I need to finish some older assignments, so I'll be in the library, yes…" She lies composedly.

"I will accompany you there, then, it's on the way. I can't imagine how Shou must be feeling, and Ryou too, he may look all collected, but he's concerned… Their father came here just to watch the duel..." Asuka starts some small talk while they walk, headed to the library.

"Do you think they have chances?"

"I have the impression, they'll surprise us and I want to watch it and see for myself what they are capable of."

They stop yet again after seeing a figure to the side of the road, Ryou Marufuji in person, coming towards them after casting a glance.

"Ryou? Why are you here?" Asuka is bemused.

"I was having a stroll and thought I might drop by."

"Will you go to the main building now? I'm going there, but Rie is going to the library."

His gaze switches from Asuka to the pink-haired girl, she turns her face away nervously. Ever since that day, she hasn't talked much to him, neither did she give a concrete answer.

Ultimately, despite heeding his words, she didn't change her decision of not stirring more confusion. He never asked her again about it, but it's obvious he was just considerate in giving her space and time to think.

An unspoken tension strikes in the air, Asuka flinches at the sight, she can sense there's something off.

"Ah, no…" She fakes disappointment in her voice, her orbs traveling to the side. "I forgot something in my room! Can you wait here for me?"

Raising her hand, she asks apologetically, until she hears the most uninterested "sure" from the Kaiser. It was a feat how cold he could be sometimes. Without a second delay, she hurries back, leaving them alone.

She knows Ryou could be harsh at times, Fubuki called it "tough love" when he was scolded, and now it felt exactly like one of those dense moments. He took after his father, though Ellis had more tact than him for this. He was very outspoken and unlike Ellis, reckless when speaking his mind out, albeit to talk to someone like Rie, perhaps he could try a little more temperance.

There's an awkward silence between the moment their eyes follow the blonde girl vanishing from sight and a minute passes by. He is startled by a text line after turning his head back towards Rie:

"For real, why are you here?"

There's a cunning glint to her eyes, as if she's having an analysis of his true intentions. He sighs shortly, she could be very perceptive too, no point in hiding anything.

"I thought of asking if you two found out something new in those last days. But if I'd waited right in front of the dorm, I'd be swarmed by fangirls."

Her shoulders drop a bit after listening to his reason. It was plausible. For the past couple days she couldn't find anything of interest and Edo was also not going out of his room because of whoever was there with him. He's cautious.

"Those girls haven't been doing anything worth noting, but that concerns me. Like the calm before the storm…" She declares in a pensive manner.

"I don't like that either… But what about you? Did someone bother you again?"

He has this intrepid side when questioning people, even though he's mostly reserved, he's very upfront when he considers a serious matter requires his attention, that's a charming side of his, she admits. With a short move of her head, she denies it.

"Aren't you anxious about your brother's duel…?"

"No. My father is probably more anxious than him, though." He trails off at the last part, then his gaze is cast unto her. "Talking about which, you didn't need to rush off that day, he wouldn't interrogate you if you didn't want to."

"I didn't rush off… I just…" She fidgets, remembering how she was blushing and walking away as fast as she could and didn't thank him properly for helping.

"He thinks you're afraid of him." The clacking of her presses on the keyboard makes him raise his brows curiously.

"I'm not afraid!" A tinge of pink burns on her cheeks. "I… I wasn't…"

"Well, he'd probably have plenty to ask about the hut case, but you can always refuse to answer. You can be very forthright when you want to."

His orbs roam on the path Asuka took before, she sure is taking her sweet time, but his mind is elsewhere.

Ever since his last talk with Rie, Ryou noticed some of her idiosyncrasies, whenever she is close to getting help, she closes off, she's unable to wholeheartedly accept it and it's not out of pride. It's more as if she's unsure of whether she can open up to people or not, she doesn't trust them enough or possibly, she doesn't want to due to her skittish nature.

He thought those barriers were all broken when she accepted to help them in their investigation, but she's still distant enough from them that she won't fully open up. Not that he didn't have his share of secretiveness, he also got a push from Fubuki and it was an eye-opening experience for him. It's his time to encourage someone else. His immersion is broken when he sees a screen almost hitting his face.

"Did you just say… He'd ask about the hut…" She pales in dread, then her face reddens from top to bottom, she almost hits the PDA on his face. "Tell me he doesn't… Tell me I didn't hear that!"

"You did hear it. He isn't here only for the tag duel, he was informed about our rule breaking episode like your uncle. He thinks we're irresponsible teens."

She slaps her face into her hands, swinging her head from one side to the other in shame. What must he have been thinking of her? If he heard everything people were talking… But he wouldn't believe them, would he?

"The last part was a joke. I was just teasing you." He confesses, his lips curving down subtly almost in a pout, feeling guilty. "It's true this is one of the reasons he came and I got an earful from him too, but I talked to him after that and explained everything, he knows the truth."

She stares at him with trembling eyes, in as much panic as in their last talk, her face had a lot more color too. Why would he even joke about that? That's not funny, she got worried for a moment there. His eyes narrow by a millimeter, the joke was but a preparation for his speech:

"After what he saw a few days ago with Sakamoto, he got very concerned. He also interfered because he couldn't stand it."

"Why?" Her eyes oscillate in confusion. "He doesn't even know me…"

"Even someone who doesn't know you would be bothered by what happened. I'm sure there are more people who feel the same, Rie." His expression is earnest, but not rough, there isn't a single wrinkle on his forehead and his tone is placid. "That's also why I spoke to you before… What I wanted to tell you is that more people will support you if you just speak to them, you should give it a chance."

"Ryou… I…" She pauses, erasing the text, her eyes lingering on the screen of her PDA, unsure of what to say.

"I know you've heard a lot from other people and most of it was unnecessary, but you should pay no heed to what those people say, they don't know a thing about you, even with your communication disabilities, you can express yourself fine if you try to. You can convey your problems to people that can help you solve them and that are sincerely interested in helping you."

She stands still for a second, but it feels much longer than that. Her nervousness soothes, his voice had a tranquilizing effect on her, but not even she's sure why, her fingers finally moving.

"I wasn't rushing off out of fear that day… Your father, he came all the way here to see you and your brother and it'd be rude of me to interrupt that. So…" She flips the screen to type more. "I thought you could spend some time with him and I shouldn't bother, that's all…"

"Rie… You don't need to worry about that, you're not bothering anyone. I'm sure he'd be happy to speak to you too, he was like that with Fubuki and Asuka. He was so touched when I first introduced Fubuki that he gave him one of his rarest cards, one he wouldn't even let me see." He shakes off his head at the reminiscence.

Rie giggles silently, her fingers covering her lips partially as her face brightens with a smile, the mood lightens up compared to when they started the talk.

"Your father is a good man."

"Yeah, he is." His lips make a tiny angle up, corresponding to that smile, a subtle tender glint in his gaze. "See Rie? It's not like you can't hold normal conversations with people, we did that now. So don't be afraid of approaching subjects that regard your wellbeing too, you can talk just fine."

"Ryou…"

She doesn't use her device to utter his name, her eyes flickering as she engraves that subtle, warm smile of his into her heart.

"I'm sorry for making you wait!"

Asuka is finally back, she's also smiling as if she's in a good mood for some reason. She's already very close when they notice.

"Took you long enough." The teal-haired states, his inexpressiveness coming back as he turns around and walks ahead.

Rie stays at the library, her semblance conflicted, she soon steps out of the place as her true intentions remain hidden from her friends. Ryou sets off with some students to quickly brief them in some deck building and Asuka walks through the corridors, her feet taking her to the dueling arena.

She stops, her gaze wandering on the empty stage, Edo stands there, fastening his necktie. His outfit was not the school uniform, but the white suit he used in real duels in the pro-league. He's really serious about it, isn't he?

"You're already here?" She approaches the platform, looking up at him.

"Shouldn't you be talking to your friends and supporting them now? Or did you come to cheer for me? I don't need any incentive myself." He swirls around with a stern frown.

"I just thought of coming earlier. I didn't know you'd be here." She blurts out, soured by his sarcasm, impressed by how conceited he could be. "I don't see your partner."

"He will come in due time." Part of him voiced an "I hope", a drop of sweat rolling down his face.

His posture is so different when he's on the dueling stage, his erect back has a powerful air, however the fact he's taking this like a professional task does worry her. What will be of Judai and Shou?

She takes a seat on the grandstand, for some reason, when she looks at him from up there, his shoulders seem somewhat tense, or rather… Burdened. He's likely taking it as any other duel he'd have in the pro-league, but why does she have the feeling there's something unwholesome about how he's dealing with the situation?

Had she been able to read thoughts, maybe she could tell what he thinks, but even if she asks him… Even if she asks, he won't tell. He established this border line in which he comfortably sits on the other side and shoves everyone away who tries to cross it. Albeit their interactions have become friendlier, she can tell it's still shallow.

It reminds her of Rie, they're both avoiding forming bonds with people, for different reasons, maybe, but they're both keeping up a stronghold around their emotions. She sighs tiredly. At least Junko and Momoe are very open and easy to converse with.

It's on those moments she misses Fubuki the most, he has this way of conquering the hearts of those types of people, he did that to Ryou too and he has opened up so much ever since. Why couldn't he be here for those times too?

"No, Asuka, you shouldn't be thinking like this… You have to do your best too, in your own way, then you'll have a lot to tell Fubuki when he's back…"

She admonishes herself inwardly. They'll take some time to crack open, but she's looking forward to it. She spots Ryou standing on the upper way near the railing and stands up, to greet him, knowing him he probably chose the place where less people would be seeing him stand, so he can properly watch the duel without interruptions.

More and more people start coming and some fans attempt to chit chat with Edo, but he smiles, dismissing them under the pretext he needs to concentrate on the duel, they fawn over his dedication.

At the same time, outside the arena, Shou takes a deep breath, Ellis taps his shoulder, he looks up at his father, determined, greeted by a tender smile.

"Are you not scared about the duel anymore?"

"No. I'll do my best, no matter if the opponents are pros."

"Haha, I can't wait to see how you'll play your vehicroid deck today. It's been a while since I last saw you duel, remember to keep your head cool."

He gives a short hug, much to Shou's embarrassment, then he vanishes into the arena. Shou's expression steels with motivation. Ellis proceeds inside the arena, his eyes gazing around until he spots his son on the upper way nearby Asuka.

"Hey!" He comes closer, tapping Ryou's shoulder. "Aren't you excited?"

"Dad… I wouldn't call this 'exciting', but it's time for Shou to prove his dueling." He states coldly, his arms crossed.

"You can be quite demanding." A drop of sweat trails his face. "Huh, where is Rie-chan?" His curious orbs try to find the pink-haired girl. "Will she not come to watch the duel?"

"I don't know, last I heard she was at the library sorting some assignments… Why?"

"Ah, nothing. I'll take a seat near the principal, it's been a while since I last talked to Samejima." A smile spreads from one corner to the other of his face, he says the last part in a low, playful tone. "Plus, I think the Kaiser would be ashamed of being seen with his father."

"I'm not ashamed of you." He retorts in a standoff, but honest tone.

"Take care of each other, you two! And make sure to pull his ear when he needs it, Asuka!" He ignores his son's response, waving his hand to the girl.

"Of course, mister Marufuji!" She chuckles at his spontaneous personality.

He darts away with a brisk wave of hand and rushes to the area reserved to the director who is there awaiting for the start.

"Your father doesn't change." The blonde comments, she seems to have fun watching him. "It's a good thing, though. I still have difficulties understanding how come you or Shou didn't take much after his lively persona, but I guess we also have Fubuki in my household and I also don't get how he turned out to be the moron he is."

She reassesses her opinion worriedly on the last part. Ryou simply sneers at the remark, his gaze looking at the arena,

"Ryou, I will also sit somewhere down, I want to see it from a closer perspective, see you later!"

She then moves onto the stairway, to take a seat somewhere free again, leaving him alone. In parallel to that scene, the blue-haired man reaches the VIP area around Samejima, sitting by his side, much to his surprise.

"Ellis, won't you watch it with your eldest son?"

"Nah, he's fine! Do you have any predictions about the duel? I always found your intuition quite keen for those."

"Even if I do, are you sure you want to hear? Won't you want your son to win?"

"We can bargain for his stay if he doesn't." He chuckles dauntlessly. "Besides, I doubt you'd put them against Jonouchi Katsuya without a plan."

"You knew who the partner of Edo Phoenix was? How did you find out?"

"I met him a few days ago and I recognized him immediately. I was glued to the TV screen when the city tournament from Kaiba corp was airing many years ago. The kids and I were watching it. I never forgot his face and I have watched other duels from him too."

"You never change, Ellis. But you're right, I had a plan. You might be surprised to hear I have good expectations of the boys…"

"I'm not, you're a positive person. And still I can't believe you forced that Shou into a duel against professionals so early. He wouldn't have had the courage to accept this before… School is really a marvel, huh?"

"Is that so? I appreciate the trust." He guffaws. "Well, let's say given the partners that will duel Judai-kun and Shou-kun, things might become interesting quickly… I believe they will-" The words are stuck when he catches a glimpse of someone coming near Edo. "I have to go greet them, if you excuse me, but I'll be back soon."

In the meantime, the silver-haired awaits on the stage, his ears catching the sound of footsteps drawing closer, Jonouchi arrives in his disguise.

"You're here in time… For a moment, I thought you'd come late."

"Hey, pal!" He smirks cheerfully, climbing the arena. "This might sound strange, but I have a question to ask before we get going: What are you dueling for today?"

"What do you mean?"

Edo is caught off guard with the question, he's been there for days. Why did he ask this question right now, before the duel? He looks carefree, people all over try to fathom what he's doing standing so close to Edo Phoenix since they can't hear them. It's obvious there are underlying intentions in his shrewd eyes. Was it some tactic to break his concentration?

"Aren't we both dueling out of an obligation because of a request?" He replies composedly, pulling the brim of his suit to adjust it.

"Is that so…?" He sounds disappointed. "Hm… I don't know pal, are you confident we will win this easily?"

"Why would I not be? It's their destiny to lose. They're just school students."

"Destiny, huh…?" He scoffs. "It was nice to talk to you again. Now, it's time for me to make an appearance."

He boldly takes off his bandana and throws it up in the air along with his black jacket, eliciting shocked gasps from the audience, his long sleeved green shirt appearing as he beckons with a smile, he really knew how to have all eyes on him, shouting out loud:

"Yo, everybody! I hope you're excited for the tag duel!"

The crowd is exhilarated, infected by his enthusiasm, suddenly a voice comes from the lower area of the dueling stage:

"Jonouchi-kun, I'm one of your biggest fans." The director in person stares at him, his eyes have this creepy, shiny glint. "As a great duelist, I hope you can set a good example for all our students, so I leave Edo and all the others in your care!"

"This guy knows how to keep up an act… But I suppose he's looking after the students…" His mind voices those low case thoughts and he opens a grin: "Sure thing, principal! I'll do my best! We can all learn a lot through dueling, right, pal?" He slaps Edo's back casually, much to the other's irritation.

"I'll go back to my seat and watch this duel carefully, then."

The principal lands his eyes on Jonouchi, there's this sensation they knew something that no one else did that bothered the grey-haired.

Professor Chronos rushes in, his brows twitching, he never gave the order for Jonouchi to come, but a free spirit as he was, he entered without any previous announcement and in his own fashion too.

"Ca-ham." Chronos clears his throat in front of the microphone. "Let's start the main event of today, shall we? As you can see for our tag duel we have Edo Phoenix and Jonouchi Katsuya. And on the other side…"

He stretches his hand, disgusted and discontent while introducing the other two duelists that come up to the stage, Judai grins and waves his hand around, while Shou stares at his opponents.

"Now, to the rules!" He cuts off their entrance moment. "You cannot give advice to your tag partner, but you can treat your tag partner's field as your own! Every duo will share 8000 life points!" He looks at both sides before taking a deep breath and declaring: "Duel!"

He makes a chop with his arm and jumps out of the stage to give space for the holographic show, a smirk tugging on his lips, he's anxious to observe their destruction.

LP: Shou/Judai - 8000 Edo/Jonouchi - 8000

"Hah, I was curious to see who you two were! You're really young… It sucks you got caught breaking rules… But that's part of life, haha!" The blonde man snickers. "Regardless of what happened, let's all have a fun duel here, alright?"

His voice is secure and reassuring, some people clap their hands at his humble attitude. He casts a brief glance at his partner after saying it. Edo scowls at him. What is he trying to do? Cheering up the opponent, really? Even more, talking about fun in a duel? They will be utterly destroyed and meet the desperation of even thinking they can overcome professionals, raising their hopes is more cruel than he thinks.

"I start!" Shou declares confidently. "I summon Submarineroid (ATK 800/DEF 1800) in attack position!"

"Oh, it's a submarine! Man, those vehicroid cards are a young boy's dream deck!" Jonouchi's eyes twinkle in admiration. "Nice! I summon Rock Ogre Grotto #1 (DEF 1200/ATK 800) in defense position! And I will set a card face down, heh!"

"Okay, my turn! I summon Elemental Hero Clayman (DEF 2000/ATK 800) in defense mode. I also set a card and end my turn!" Judai grins, excited while looking at his rivals.

"I summon Elemental Hero Burstlady (ATK 1200/DEF 800) in attack mode and end my turn."

There are soundly sighs and mutters, Judai's eyes open wide, Shou is also confused and Jonouchi closes his eyes for a moment, collecting his thoughts, when he opens them again, his piercing gaze in on the younger duo of opponents. Judai shouts excited:

"You have elemental heroes too?! Wow, that's amazing!"

"Judai, I'll show you how to play Elemental Heroes for real."

His chin lifts haughty, looking down on his opponent. Judai feels a chill run down his spine, why was Edo so riled up? Did he say or do something wrong? His aura was even more intense than usual.

"Man… He's gonna roll over us…" The brown-haired ponders, scratching his chin a tad nervous.

Amidst the spectators, Izanami and Ayako watch impatiently, they couldn't be less interested in seeing two losers be massacred in a duel, once this show is over, they can continue their schemes.

Around that same time, in the library, the corridors between shelves are all empty, only a pendulum defiling the ghostly silence.

Inside the female obelisk's dorm, the noise of small objects being dragged around and clattering against the wood soars. Rie ransacks a drawer, her frivolous blue orbs scanning the place to find the potion, the goal of her mission.

She touches the floorboard and moves things around to find a secret place, under the mattress, but nothing is there, her teeth grit out of frustration. Where could they possibly have hidden it? She has to keep searching.

While she's engrossed in her secret mission, Daitokuji takes a seat around Ellis and the principal, the three of them watch attentively the duel that barely started, a smirk corrupting Daitokuji's lips. He wants to see what Judai and Shou are capable of and maybe, they could help him fulfill his objective.