Chapter XVI
Challenge
A bunch of reporters stand in front of the double door, the cameras click and flash, a frantic muttering polluting the air. Blocking the door there is a line of five stout bodyguards with sunglasses, their arms crossed, some other bodyguards holding back the crowd of journalists ready to invade the stadium.
In front of the security, stands a tall man in a red suit, his spiky brown-hair pointing at them and. A vein popping on his forehead as he shouts between teeth:
"Get away from here you vultures! I'm not letting any of you take a peek at my duelist!"
"Mister Honda, we heard Jonouchi came here unannounced. Is he hiding something from the public? Can you not do your work properly as a manager? Is he upset about you?"
"Wait, how did you…?"
An audio recorder device almost hits his mouth as yet another reporter haunts him with questions, his head bending back:
"Is it true the duel is rigged and that's why no one was allowed to enter besides the students?! Do you often sell the results of duels like this?"
"I heard he was sleeping in one of the student's rooms, is he having a forbidden affair with a minor?!"
The questions fly in the air and more veins pop out on his face as he taps his finger impatiently on his arm, sealing his anger while voicing curses in his mind, remembering how he went to Jonouchi's apartment to find a note there saying he had urgent matters to attend to at the duel academy and explaining the situation.
"Damn you, Jou! Dragging me into this mess…! How did those reporters get here? Don't tell me they followed me… Well, the best I can do is hold them off, and hope you've finished your important business, if this is putting the kids at risk, then…" His gaze turns at the closed double doors, behind the guards, a gleam of concern deep inside his orbs. "You better do your part, Jonouchi… We won't let anyone get involved in shadow games anymore…"
Inside the arena
At the first turn of the duel, as per the rules, none of them could attack, but now they move onto the second round. Shou's is brimming with determination and a passion rarely seen in him.
"I set a card face down and proceed into the battle phase! I use the effect of my Submarineroid to inflict direct damage to your life points!"
"Woah, Shou! You're starting with a boom!"
Judai closes his fists excitedly. The submarine dives into the ground and swims quickly at Jonouchi, a drop of sweat rolling down his face as if he's in trouble, the attack deals 800 points. Edo is unfazed, as if the trifle damage won't affect the final result.
LP: Edo/Jonouchi: 8000 - 7200 Judai/Shou - 8000
"Ah, man! That's some attitude!" The blonde man grins. "I like it! That's what I'm talking about! Students nowadays can be scary. That was a good move, vehicroid-boy!"
The opponents and his partner raise a brow at the nickname he yells. The audience laughs at it, his eyes narrowing as he stretches his hand fearlessly:
"Trap card open! Destruct Potion! When this card activates, I can choose a monster I control and destroy it…" The holographic Ogre shatters into shards as he speaks. "That's not all, I recover life points equal to the attack of the monster I just destroyed, and my Ogre happens to have exactly 800 points of attack."
LP: Edo/Jonouchi: 7200 - 8000
In a single move, he got back all the points Shou took, the blue-haired boy grits his teeth worriedly, Edo casts a glance at his partner, he wouldn't expect less of someone like Jonouchi in a duel, he's pressuring the opponent from the get go and soon, the weaker duelist will crumble to the pressure. Those kids are getting a lesson the harsh way.
"I use the effect of Submarineroid to put it in defense position (DEF 1800) and end my turn…" Shou says in dismay, his brows curling up.
"Don't worry Shou, it's just the start!" Judai cheers him with a smile.
"My turn! I summon the Axe Raider (ATK 1700/DEF/ 1150) in attack mode!" Jonouchi scratches the back of his head. "And that's all for my turn, hehe."
"A 1700 Atk monster with only four stars?! Man, that's exciting!" Judai's face lightens, he grins as if he was in an amusement park.
"You sure are taking this slow." Edo snarls annoyedly at his partner.
"Come on, a duel is also a talk… If you end a talk in five minutes, not much is said. I want to hear what those boys have to tell us, through their dueling." His eyes are serene again, the irritation of Edo doesn't bother him in the least. "I want to hear what you have to say through your dueling too, pal."
"I will set a card down and use the Pot of Greed. I draw 2 cards and end my turn! Shou, we need to do something about that strong Axe Raider!"
"How can you be happy, aniki?"
His brows furrow up concerned, he almost jumps in place when he looks at the contrast between the smiling Jonouchi that waves the hand at him and Edo who has a deep wrinkle on his forehead, as if he'd kill someone mercilessly disregarding the watchers.
"My turn!" The silver haired claims while drawing a card. "I summon Elemental Hero Sparkman (ATK 1600/ DEF 1400) in attack position! Then, I equip the Spark Gun to my Sparkman, and by using its effect, while Sparkman has this gun equipped, I can change the position of one of your monsters, but you already know that, don't you, Judai? Well, I will change the position of your Clayman and I initiate the battle phase! Sparkman, destroy his Clayman!"
The animation proceeds as the Spark gun shoots a ball of electricity, Clayman growls in pain and stands up, then, the other Elemental Hero shoots once more.
"That's scary! But not so fast! I activate my trap card Clay Charge! With this, when my Clayman is targeted by an attack, I can destroy him and your monster, but only you'll be receiving damage, 800 points!"
Clayman grabs the arms of Sparkman, pulling it apart so he can't shoot, the animation continues, but Edo is undisturbed by it:
"And you thought I wasn't prepared for that? I activate a trap card from my hand: Typhoon!" he flips the card towards his opponents.
"H-he activated a trap card from his hand?" Shou almost stutters.
"Yes, due to the effect of this card, when my opponents control two or more spell or trap cards, I can activate it directly from my hand and with this, I can target any face-up trap or spell in the field and destroy it, and I choose to destroy the Clay Charge! The battle phase resumes, and your Clayman will be destroyed!"
The Elemental Hero loses his grip on Sparkman's arms, and he attacks with his spark gun, shattering Clayman and the trap card with a blast. The effects of the disk cause some wind to stir and blow into Judai's face, he shields it with an arm.
"Ugh… This was… Super cool."
LP: Shou/Judai - 8000 - 7200 Edo/Jonouchi - 8000
"And I'm not done yet, I attack your field directly with Burstlady! Go!"
The Hero lady emits a battle cry, her eyes burning as fiery as her master's eyes, with a flame punch, she hits Judai's chest, he staggers a bit before recomposing himself, receiving 1200 points damage.
LP: Shou/Judai - 7200 - 6000
"I'm sorry, Aniki, I couldn't…"
"Don't sweat, Shou, we still got it! Let's not be too sad yet!" He gives a thumbs up.
"Judai… Why do you play with Elemental Heroes?"
"Why?" He's taken aback by the sudden question, Edo is very earnest about the matter. Jonouchi glances at him from the sides too. "Isn't it just too fun? I always thought Heroes are cool and help people, I admire them and I think my Elemental Hero buddies are the best! They're strong, courageous and never fail in duty!" He declares passionately, under the judging eyes of the audience.
"I see… It's all but fun for you. Let me tell you something, Judai: A hero is much more than an admirable person, heroes carry burdens too, it's not all flowers. You won't go far with this pathetic mentality, you can't extract the full potential of Elemental Heroes and I'll show you that!" His face darkens, Jonouchi's glance lands on Judai that is bewildered at the explanation. "I end my turn."
"I don't really get it, but… I also want to show you Edo, how fun playing those heroes can be!" He clenches his fists with a grin, the challenge was accepted.
"That's a pretty aggressive approach, pal." Jonouchi lets out a small comment, a low voice enough only for his partner to hear.
"So what? We're here to win, not to play around. Not that my stakes on this are big…"
"I draw!" Shou disrupts the tension swelling with a loud gulp. "I summon Truckroid in defense mode (ATK 1000/ DEF 2000)." His hand and face sweat, his card almost slipping out of his grip as he plays it. "I turn my Submarineroid into attack position and use its effect to deal direct damage again!"
Jonouchi stands quietly, his arms folded, he doesn't flinch at the holographic motion, accepting the attack willingly, closing his eyes for a brief moment before looking onto his opponents' expressions, studying them.
LP: Shou/Judai - 6000 Edo/Jonouchi - 8000 - 7200
"Now I use the effect to turn my Submarineroid into defense mode again. And I end my turn…" The blue-haired boy is almost out of breath.
"That's great, Shou! We landed a hit in!" Judai cheers.
"Why did you let it happen? I'm sure you had a counter…" Edo glares over at the blonde, asking with a hint of impatience on his voice, their conversation unheard to the other two.
"Did I?" He giggles making himself look dumb. "It was a fluke, I'll do better next, relax, pal!"
From the upper corridor, a slight angle appears on Ryou's brows, his eyes squinting in the slightest motion as he attentively watches the duel.
"Shou… This wasn't a good move, he will just use Spark Gun again to destroy Truckroid. Or are you aiming to make him use up the card? He's too nervous, if he doesn't calm down, he will only make more obvious mistakes… Is this really your limit, Shou?"
Inside the obelisk female dorm
Rie grabs a handful of her own hair, pulling it a tad out of frustration, she checked both Izanami's room and Ayako's room, there's absolutely nothing. The potion isn't anywhere. What does she do now?
She's here a second time in Izanami's room, walking from one side to another, throwing her hands up and down nervously to figure out a solution. There must be a place she never searched. It has to be with one of them. She desperately reopens the drawers, rummaging through it, inserting her hand to the far bottom.
A sharp pain burns on her skin, as if her hand had been slit, a random nail coming out of the inner wooden wall of the drawer is the culprit, but she ignores it upon finding some sort of flask, a smile sprouting on her face, soon to turn into disappointment as all she got is a flask of a perfume that smells expensive.
A grim shade covers her face, she puts the glass flask back in place, her bangs flopping over her eyes. If it's not in their room, where is it? Taking her PDA, she messages her uncle.
From the arena, he senses the vibration of his device, a faint smile appearing even at the bad news of the failure. He types back immediately, with the same tranquil and undisturbed semblance.
"The tag duel started. Pull back for now. And come from the side entrance so no one will know you weren't here from the beginning. The main entrance is swarming with reporters, take care."
A deep sigh of disappointment soars in the air. Her friends will find it suspicious if she doesn't appear, she has no choice but to go. It's a decent way to the main building and she has already spent plenty of time. Complying to the orders, she makes her way back.
Daitokuji's face turns back at the duel, things just started getting interesting now… How much Judai and Shou can do?
At the stage
Jonouchi draws, starting his turn with alacrity in his voice, raising a spell to show to the boys before playing it:
"I equip the Lucky Iron Axe to my Axe Raider, it'll raise its attack points by 500 (ATK 1700 - 2200), I will set a card down and proceed to the battle phase! Your Submarineroid is a really good card, but we have to take it out of the way! Now, Axe Raider, attack him!"
The warrior's axe shines, becoming even bigger and he roars, running towards the cute Submarineroid that fidgets scared, with a clean cut, he halves the roid monster that shatters. He loses no life points because his monsters was in defense position, but why did Jonouchi do that?
Edo's tongue tickles to ask many questions and interrogate why he's doing this, but they have a duel to concentrate on, his partner is truly an intriguing person. What is he up to? Is he delaying the end of this on purpose? If so, he'll be getting a reprehension later.
"With this, I end my turn!"
"I draw! And here it comes!" Judai slaps the card into the duel disk "Using the Polymerization in my hand, I fuse Elemental Heroes Burstlady and Featherman to bring forth Elemental Hero Flame Wingman! (ATK 2100/ DEF 1200) And-"
"Trap card open!" Jonouchi makes a move up with his hand, the holographic card lifts. "I activate Solemn Strike! If a monster is being special summoned, I can pay 1500 life points to negate this effect and destroy the said monster, if you don't have any counter to my trap, it is." His eyes display a certain expectation that the brown-haired would react to it, but nothing is said.
Judai's eyes wide in astonishment, his fusion summon is destroyed as soon as it appears in the field and the other duo pays the life points tribute.
LP: Shou/Judai - 6000 Edo/Jonouchi - 7200 - 5700
The crowd is silent for a moment, this isn't even fun to watch, the two professionals definitively have the advantage and it's naive to expect two students could win this. That dense mood installs all over the arena, quiet murmurs sounding.
"That's incredible!" Judai shouts, laughing to himself. "But it's not all, since I only fusion-summoned, I still have a normal summon left! And I'll bring Elemental Hero Bubbleman (ATK 800/ DEF 1200) to the table, in attack position!"
"Aniki, he has low attack points, how will you-"
"Trust me here, Shou! I activate the spell Bubble Blaster from my hand and equip it to my Bubbleman, increasing its attack points by 800 (ATK 800 - 1600), now, Bubbleman, attack Burstlady and avenge your friend!"
Edo scoffs, standing coldly as his Hero is destroyed, the life points are drained, but he doesn't bother. His icy glare makes Shou tremble on his feet, he looked like a completely different person when dueling, as if a devouring anger took over him.
LP: Edo/Jonouchi - 5700 - 5300
"I end my turn! There's just so much that can be done with Heroes, they're really fun, Edo! I can't wait to see what you've got stored for us."
"What I have stored…?" He scowls, riled at the unfounded happiness of Judai. "I-"
"That was impressive!" Jonouchi interrupts. "The odds were against you, but you turned it around and now, your field has a monster." He approves with a nod of his head.
"Hah, it was a panicky move! But see, Shou?! We can still do it! We can keep going!" He attempts to lessen the fears of his partner.
"Aniki…"
"Haha, you listen to your friend, Shou!" The blonde scratches his nose, smiling amicably at them. "You know what? I only learned how to duel because of my friends, I didn't have any sort of academy, and I had to duel a lot to learn through experience, what you have here is absolutely grandiose!" He spreads his arms excitedly. "So, don't give up yet, you never know how a duel outcome will be until the very end, right?"
"Why do you keep giving emotional support to them?" Edo inquires, his hand gripping his cards to the point they might bend.
"I can't resist… They're just kids…" He smirks guiltily. "You have to understand, you're a kid too…"
"Hey, you-" He gasps, as if that was a heinous insult, but he's interrupted by a familiar voice.
"I'm glad you like our academy, Jonouchi. We do our best for the students' growth here." The principal is again at the verge of the stage, smiling at them.
"Heyo, nice job done, principal! The kids have potential!"
"Principal, you shouldn't be here!" Chronos scolds. "We can't interfere in the duel." he drags Samejima away, the old man just smiles and beckons at the duelists.
"At last." The silver-haired howls. "My turn! Draw!" He glances quickly and places the card down: "I set a card! I use the Spark Gun to change your Truckroid into attack position and declare battle!"
LP: Shou/Judai - 6000 - 5400 Edo/Jonouchi - 5300
Shou's Truckroid is destroyed, his eyes wavering seeing his field wide open for attacks, he squeezes his eyes shut, looking all over the dense crowd, his orbs halting on the figure of his father that witnesses the duel nearby the school teachers.
"I'm sorry dad, I can't… How am I supposed to win? I can't counter them… They're prepared for everything we've tried so far… And my hand is not the best… All the monsters I own have less attack than theirs… How can I be so unlucky? Everyone gets the right cars, but when it comes to me… I just… I just fail at everything." His eyes dart towards his brother, up where he can't reach. "My brother has better grades, I barely passed the exams when he got it with flying colors, and he has better luck in duel too… He's at a height I cannot even dream to reach… I'm making a fool of myself in front of him and our father… I promised I'd try, but…"
"Shou, will you not start your turn?" Judai calls him out worriedly, the two pro duelists stand across, their serious gazes all on the short boy.
"Aniki, I…" He presses his lips together, mustering the words, building the resolve to speak inside his mind. "That's true… I came here because I wanted to be a duelist… Even if I fail nine times, then I get up ten times! I can't keep finding excuses forever… If I want to surpass my brother or be worthy of aniki's trust, I have to do better!"
"My turn!" He draws, gaping at the card, his Steamroid. "From my hand I activate polymerization and fuse Gyroid and Steamroid to fusion summon Steam Gyroid (ATK 2200/DEF 1800)! Now, attack his Sparkman!"
The locomotive pumps up steam and rides at full speed, crashing onto Sparkman dn closing its eyes at the clumsy, but powerful attack. Both Sparkman and the Spark Gun are destroyed.
LP: Edo/Jonouchi - 5300 - 4700
"Futile." The silver-haired look down on them. "You won't last longer."
"Don't say that, at their age I didn't even know you needed spells and traps in a deck, I had it full of monsters." He guffaws. "That's why having a place like this to learn things is so cool! You two, you don't wanna get expelled do you? Then you better come up with a strategy against me and my grumpy pal!"
He covers the side of his mouth so Edo can't see his face and points his thumb to the side, with a toothy grin, in a mocking way. His tag partner's patience with him is reaching its limits too.
"Whoa, I'll get going before he grills me alive." The blonde draws. "Hm… Here we go! First! I summon Rocket Warrior (ATK 1500/ DEF 1300) in attack mode! I will set a card down and start the battle phase! Axe Raider, you can attack Elemental Hero Bubbleman!"
"Due to the effect of my Bubble Blaster, Elemental Hero Bubbleman (ATK 1600 - 800) survives, but his equipment is destroyed and his attack decreases!" Judai states as the gun his Hero holds crashes into pieces. "The battle damage becomes 0!"
"Haha, That's well done! But that's not all, I'll attack your Bubbleman with my Rocket Warrior!"
LP: Shou/Judai - 5400 - 4700 Edo/Jonouchi - 4700
"Now we're even!" The blonde laughs at the life points stats. "I end my turn!"
"I draw! Heh, I activate Monster Reborn to bring back Elemental Hero Featherman (DEF 1000/ ATK 1000) in defense position! And I end my turn!"
"Draw!" Edo follows without a second delay. "I activate the field spell Skyscraper 2 - Hero City! With this, I bring back My Burstlady that you sent to the graveyard and using the Polymerization in my hand, I fuse her with Elemental Hero Featherman to summon-"
"Freeze right there! I activate the trap card I set long ago! Feather Wind! It will destroy your polymerization!"
"Not so fast! I activate Mystical Space Typhoon on my spell zone! You can't stop me, Judai! No one can! Arise, Elemental Hero Phoenix Guy (ATK 2100/ DEF 1200)!" He yells as the monster materializes in front of them, spreading its wings, both Feather Wind and Space Typhoon vanish from the field.
"Phoenix Guy…? Aniki, shouldn't the fusion be Flame Wingman?" Shou exchanges glances between the monster and Judai, but his partner is as confused as him.
"Whoah, that's so dope! You can make even more monsters with Elemental Heroes?! I didn't know this one!"
"And you'll regret knowing it! Phoenix Guy, attack his Featherman!"
The Elemental Hero is destroyed by the powerful fusion, but no points are lost due to it being in defense position, the gush of wind produced makes Judai cover his face for a moment, he smirks enthusiastically before exclaiming:
"I activate my other trap card! Hero Signal! Because you destroyed Featherman, I can special summon any Elemental Hero monster up to level 4 from my hand or deck, and I choose Elemental Hero Burstlady (DEF 800/ ATK 1200) in defense mode! I'm not defeated yet, this duel is so fun! I can't get enough of it!"
"Fun…?"
Edo's card hand shakes unstoppably, a gleam of fury flickering in his eyes, he can't stand that boy, not because he's an Osiris, it's his personality. This overbearing cheerfulness of someone who does not understand a thing about the world and can live carefreely without worries. He's being expelled and taking someone along with him, but he didn't stop for a moment to think about it. How can he be so inconsequential?!
Jonouchi prepares to jump in, a drop of sweat rolling down his face, but Edo shuts his mouth in a line, a somber shade is cast over his semblance, the seething anger seems to be gathering, he's canalizing it all to the duel.
A distant memory sparkles in his mind. He no longer sees his opponents or the world around, but a younger version of himself.
A decade ago
The young silver-haired boy runs and sits beside his father. The black-haired man with blue eyes the same color as his smiles kindly. It's late and the only source of light is the desk lamp.
"Edo, you should be sleeping at this hour."
"But I saw the light of your office on, I wanted to see what you're drawing this time, dad!"
He flings his legs excitedly, not even blinking as he watches his father draw the lines on the paper, afraid of missing even the smallest detail. The man ruffles his hair in return for his son's appreciation of his work.
"It's called Destiny Hero Diamond Warrior." He sniggers before continuing to draw the lines.
"Is he made of Diamond?" Edo supports both elbows on the table, cupping his chubby cheeks on his hands, making it fold slightly. "Calling him a warrior makes him seem less impressive, a warrior doesn't call themselves a warrior. Why not just call him a dude or a guy?"
"You're quite the critic aren't you? I'll take your suggestions to the decision board."
"Will you?" His eyes twinkle with light.
"Of course, you're a big fan after all." He chuckles. "You're really into those heroes, aren't you? Maybe I should buy you a deck…"
"You mean with the Diamond Guy? And the heroes you're making, dad?" He stands up on the chair, to be the same height as his father.
"Haha, you're too young for those still, moreover I'm still making them, I'll give you those after I complete the set, okay? We can start with something simpler, let's say… How about Elemental Heroes?"
"Elemental? Hm… Isn't it like in elements?"
"Yes, wind, fire, earth and water! Also other ones, they're incredible heroes, I'm sure you'll like. I can show them to you once I have some free time, with one condition: you have to go to bed now, alright?" he puts his hands under his son's arms and puts him down the chair.
"But…"
"I can't be teaching anything to you if you'll be sleeping longer tomorrow because you skipped bed time."
"Okay…"
He pouts, but his father sounds convincing enough, he walks to his bedroom, casting a last glance at his father that smiles gracefully at him.
That memory burns into ashes, his conscience falls back into the duel as Shou starts his turn hectically:
"Steam Gyroid, attack his Rocket Warrior!"
"Stop right there!" Jonouchi stretches his hand far. "Trap card open! Kunai with Chain! This card has two effects, but only one interests me. I choose to change the position of your monster, thus negating the attack!"
From the ground, chains spurt and envelop the cute Steam Gyroid, pulling it to the floor, it struggles but ultimately heaves tiredly, its eyes dropping sadly, resigned to be in defense mode.
"I end my turn here…" Shou clenches his teeth, sweating profusely, again his assaults are stopped.
"My turn! Draw! Oh!" His eyes lighten up. "Here it comes, everyone! I tribute Axe Raider and Rocket warrior to summon my most trusty buddy! Come here and greet them all, Red-Eyes Black Dragon (ATK 2400/ DEF 2000)!"
The crowd gasps amazed at the sight as the ferocious dragon arises from the play of holographic lights and pierces their ears with a shrilling howl. Asuka's eyes waver, the monster reminds her of her brother's deck. He'd be so thrilled to be here and see this in person, she wishes he could, he was inspired by Jonouchi's deck to make his after all…
"I activate Card Destruction!" He flips the card. "Everyone, discard your hands and draw as many cards as you discarded!" He grins mischievously.
Shou is disheartened to have to discard everything, but his eyes glimmer in hope as he sees his new hand. Judai raises his brows, the only card he had was Elemental Hero Necrodarkman, he discards it and draws another card, a confident smile sprouting on his face. Edo frowns at his partner, but it doesn't really make a difference for him, he had a strange timing to use the card.
"Now, Red-Eyes, attack his Steam Gyroid!"
The Dragon charges a ball of fire and spits it to the machine, melting it completely and shattering the monster, Shou shields his eyes from the dazzling brightness.
"I end my turn here!"
"I draw! I will set a card down, and it's time for some fun! Then, thanks to your Card Destruction, I sent my Elemental Hero Necrodarkman to the graveyard, because of this, I can use his effect: From my deck, I can choose any hero above rank 5 that can be normal summoned and summon it! And I have the perfect guy for the job! Elemental Hero Edgeman! (ATK 2600/ DEF 1800). Attack the Phoenix Guy, Edgeman!"
With a roar of compliance, the bulky golden hero dashes to deliver a punch, smoke arises as he finishes the attack, Judai's grin disappears, transforming into confusion.
Edo/Jonouchi - 4700 - 4200
"While we still take the battle damage, Phoenix Guy has an interesting effect: it can't be destroyed by battle!" Edo declares. "Is it fun enough for you, Judai? An undying hero, standing proud on the field. You can't take it down, not by normal means."
"You're really tough to take down, Edo. I can't wait to see what you'll come up next! Turn end!"
The fact Judai is taking him so lightly, as if this was a friendly duel and not a serious competition and one with big consequences just makes him angry. Edo starts his turn with shove of his hand:
"I use polymerization to fuse Sparkman and Phoenix Guy! Come on, Shining Phoenix Guy! (ATK 2500/ DEF 2100), he gains attack for each Elemental Hero in my graveyard, I have four, so he gains 1200 attack points! (ATK 2500 - 3700), this will be over soon, Judai! Shining Phoenix Guy, attack Shou directly!"
The Hero aggressively flies towards Shou, landing a heavy blow, Edo's frown aggravates, but he's surprised when the damage calculation comes out.
LP: Shou/Judai - 4700 Edo/Jonouchi - 4200
"Why…?"
"From my hand I sent Kiteroid to the graveyard! With this effect, I can make the damage of a direct attack become 0!" Shou declares victoriously.
"You're just delaying the inevitable." He snarls at them.
"My turn!" Shou tightens his fists, bracing for the worst. "I summon Expressroid (DEF 1600 /ATK 400) in defense position! I also activate it's effect, I can bring 2 roid monsters from my graveyard to my hand!" He takes Sumbarineroid and Steamroid back into his hand. "With this, I end my turn!"
"Impressive, but you can't just defend forever. Believe me, I've been there, not knowing what to do, but you gotta try some things and see what works, alright?" Jonouchi smiles, starting his turn with a draw. "I will set two cards and end my turn!"
"I draw! First I set a card and now, Edgeman, attack his Black Dragon!" He orders.
"I activate my trap, Metalmorph! With this, my-"
"Hehe, not yet!" Judai defies. "I counter your trap with my trap card, Trap Jammer! It negates the effect of your Metalmorph! The attack continues!"
LP: Edo/Jonouchi - 4200 - 4000
"Whoah, you really destroyed Black Dragon!"
"I end my turn!"
"Shining Phoenix Guy, attack his Edgeman!"
LP: Shou/Judai - 4700 - 3600
"The end is close, stop being stubborn, no one will fault you if you run with your tail between your legs…" Edo mocks, but a yell startles him and everyone else.
"Why do you have to be so mean?" Jonouchi raises a brow, a smile of fear of the response as he stares at his partner.
"I'm not mean, I'm just being honest. At their level, they can't win against pros, they'll learn this. The world is not all fun and dueling is the same. There are times you'll be burdened and fail, but you have to accept reality and change it! My Heroes are not only fighting for fun, Judai, they are changing destiny! Someone like you, incapable of seeing that, will not win against them."
"Edo…"
They pause to listen to him for a minute, the blonde shuts his mouth in a line, his gaze lingering on the small figure of his partner for a while, considering something, his eyes are somewhat saddened. A voice strikes in the air:
"No! I refuse to lose!" Shou clenches his fists. "I didn't… No matter who my opponents are, I didn't come here to lose!"
"Heh. You hear that, pal? He's not losing today." Jonouchi smirks at his companion.
"I don't intend to lose either, much less to brats like them."
"You're a complicated brat yourself, you know?"
"What-" He grinds his teeth, taken aback by his partner's declaration.
"Haha, I'm just joking, relax!" He scratches his head, feeling troubled. "It just seems like no one intends to lose today! I like that!"
"My turn…" Shou sweats, as he draws, a beacon of hope comes into his hands. "I activate the Vehicroid Connection Zone to summon Super Vehicroid Jumbo Drill! (ATK 3000/ DEF 2000)! Now, Attack Jounochi directly!"
The blonde braces himself for the show as the giant drill pierces through his chest, damaging greatly his and his partner's life points.
LP: Edo/Jonouchi - 4000 - 1000
"Good job! But it's my turn now!" He draws with an excited smile. "I activate my trap Call of The Haunted and I use it to bring back my Red-Eyes Black Dragon! (ATK 2400/ DEF 2000)! Now, I activate a spell from my hand, Roulette Spider! Hehe, this one is very fun!" He giggles as the small spider jumps into Jumbo's drill nose. "It has many effects, but which one I'll get is determined by a dice roll!"
He opens his arms wide and the game starts, they sweat awaiting which number will come out of the six-sided die, it stops on a 1, Jonouchi's hair frizzes up.
"You gotta be kidding me… This one?!" He clasps his hands together, looking at Edo in an apologetical manner. "Pal, forgive me."
"What are you-" Edo's eyes open wide, even more as he sees their life points decreasing.
LP: Edo/Jonouchi - 1000 - 500
"Effect number one halves our life points…"
"You're making a luck game out of this duel…" The silver-haired scolds harshly.
"Come on, don't be so mad… We're all here for our own reasons, right? Even those students have things they want to duel for."
"That's right! And I'm having lots of fun, your heroes are super cool too, Edo!"
"Spare me from your enthusiasm!"
"That's not all, I normal summon Future Samurai! (ATK 1600 / DEF 1200). This card has an interesting effect, when I have it on my field, I can banish a monster from my graveyard and as payment, I can destroy a face-up monster in the field! I banish the Axe Raider to destroy your cute Expressroid!"
"I hope this appeased him…" Jonouchi sweats, casting a frightened glance at his partner that emanates a dark aura.
"Hehe, My turn! I draw! But… Not much to do, so I set a card and end it!"
"Shining Phoenix Guy, attack his Jumbo Drill!"
LP: Shou/Judai - 3600 - 2900
On the upper corridor of the grandstand
Rie opens the side door in an alert state, scouting the area, her eyes land on Ryou's silhouette, he's further away, watching the duel concentrated. She enters as silently as possible, closing the door behind with a very low motion. Then she takes a deep breath, approaching inconspicuously, stopping by his right side.
"I thought you wouldn't come. Have you finished your assignments, Rie?"
His voice makes her blink reflexively, his gaze is still locked in the duel happening below them. He didn't need to look at her to recognize, she's left-handed and would always gravitate towards people's right side when standing in a group, a curious habit of hers he noticed not long ago.
She gulps dryly, the fact he's so observant when she wanted to have executed a seamless entrance intimidates her a bit. He casts a side glance as she nods to his previous question, not allowing their gazes to meet, with both hands, she tucks some strands of hair behind her ears, to make her hair look more kempt and hide the fact she'd rushed there.
His eyes widen subtly, something catching his attention, his body whirling to her direction, in an unexpected move, his hand steadily grabs hers, cupping her palm above his as he brings it closer his way, his skin is so much warmer than hers.
A jolt runs down her whole body at his touch, her eyes latching on his greenish orbs, her cheeks start prickling, his stare is focused onto her hand for a long moment, suddenly her palm becomes gelid, a feeble quiver occurs on the hand he holds. He shifts his gaze to her face, her lips are visibly open and her cheeks are apple-red as if all the blood from her limbs had gone up to her face.
Her eyes flicker wildly in some sort of panic and confusion about his actions, yet she can't avert it from his intent gaze. Her heart pounds so hard and fast making her blood flow even stronger, the red color on her face spreading and accentuating more as he keeps his eyes on hers.
He gapes slightly at the sight, flushing a bit, gently releasing his grip, recoiling his hand, he didn't mean to scare her. What was he even thinking? He should've just said something instead. She covers her hand with the other, pulling it closer to her chest, casting her blue orbs to the ground ashamedly.
"Your hand… is cut…"
The words come almost flawed, his voice is lower than normal too. Her skin tone goes back to her natural pale shade, she immediately looks at her left hand, indeed a long cut is open there and some blood came out too. Her eyes open wide, becoming vacant and distant as she recalls when she felt something while raking through the drawer of Izanami's room. Tension builds on her shoulders. This is bad, she can't look at him now. How could she be so careless and stupid to not notice it before? What can she say about it?
"Did someone do this to you?" His brows angle down, a discontent curve starting to shape his mouth.
She flinches, as if awakening from her deep thoughts, shaking her head briskly in denial, a smile twitching shyly on her lips and a drop of sweat rolling down her face, she points at herself, tapping her own head with a closed fist once to make herself look like a klutz.
"You hurt yourself?" She nods affirmatively in reply.
His frown softens, relieved to hear it wasn't some over the top bullying episode again, then, he rummages his own pocket and takes out a grey handkerchief, offering it to her in a calm voice:
"Be more careful next time."
That said, he turns his attention back to the stage, crossing his arms, his entire posture changing with an unseen sort of anxiety, his expression hardens in expectation of what would ensue from the duel. He's very worried about his brother, she can see it.
Rie bites her lips bitterly, cloaking her wound with the handkerchief and pressing it closed under the cloth, also looking at the duel. It should be a simple task to lie, to be taking advantage of people's kindness and entangling them into her own schemes. But it hurts. It feels so awful.
For how long will she need to keep up the lies? To make those unbelievable stories and deceive those people who care for her. Asuka even called her for a girl's night after she shamelessly lied about staying in the library and with how many times she was helped and looked after by Ryou…
She should've kept herself away. How could she be such a needy idiot and indulge herself into those feelings? Now that she felt it… She doesn't want to let go of it. She should've known better… She should have.
"I'm the worst…"
She admits ruefully to her inner self, squeezing her eyes shut in angst for a second, her head toppling down and her hair dropping over her face, she presses her wounded hand even stronger, it only bleeds more, making a small stain on the handkerchief. She's astounded when the cloth becomes increasingly wet, but it's not only the blood, but her tears.
The sight of the spectators is so blurry, it's barely possible to make something out of it. With an arm, she wipes the tears away, but they insist on accumulating on the corners of her eyes, a feeble, low sniffle soars in the air, it repeats, unstoppably.
"Rie…?"
His voice again brings her out of her daydreaming with a startle, she turns her face to look at him by instinct after hearing her name, his brows coiling upwards in concern, he's so shocked upon seeing the thin trails of water on her face, the next sentence just come out spontaneously:
"Why are you crying?"
She speedily sweeps her tears with the back of her healthy hand, taking a PDA out of her pocket and replying nervously, typing slower than usual due to her handicap, a fearful and wry smile on her lips.
"Sorry. It's the cut." She punches another lie into the tale, her fingers trembling unstably, her device could slide at any moment, her chest tightens more, her eyes faltering, melting as tears keep dropping. "It stings. It really stings a lot, Ryou…"
It wasn't a lie, but she wasn't talking about her wound at all. His response is very collected, but not less concerned for her wellbeing. Something is amiss with her, he doesn't get it, but she seems to be in so much pain, she's breaking apart in tears.
A drop of sweat forms on his face, he wants to watch the duel, but… He can't really pay attention like this, can he?
"You should have this checked by the nurse."
"I will," Instantly, she bobs her head, wiping her tears again with another sniffle, as if the suggestion was all that she was waiting for.
"Is it hurting that much that she'd cry?"
He wonders, his brows twist more, bemused and worried at her reaction. There's this unsettling feeling mangling his chest he can't quite name.
"But… Ayukawa-sensei is also on the bleachers now, it can't be helped…" She completes the phrase, controlling her sniveling to a minimum and putting her emotions to rest.
"Right…"
The answer is vague as he takes a peek at the filled grandstand, locating the only and one school nurse among some Edo fans that raised signboards praising him. He draws a step closer, her posture stiffens as he inadvertently takes her left hand again, her right hand holding the PDA fidgets, her cheeks are painted in pink.
His stoic gaze linger on hers but a second, his lips opening faintly in amusement before he casts his orbs down.
"Hang in there a bit." He skillfully fastens the handkerchief around her hand with a firm knot, much to her surprise. "You can get this checked after the duel is over… Just distract yourself from the pain…"
His hands move up to her face, her blue eyes opening a tad more as he wipes some leftover tears with his thumbs, losing their teary property as if stunned by his tender gesture. When he lets go of her face, she has recovered from her outburst. Then, he whirls around, his hands landing on the guardrail.
He risks taking a last glance at her expression, she's in some sort of deep thought, her head cast to the ground, but otherwise it's all fine, she's calmer now and that's the most important part. He really doesn't know how to deal well with girls crying, it was never his forte. On the other hand, Fubuki had a touch for it and always made a smile blossom on their faces, he doesn't have the same abilities, but at least he was able to soothe her feelings.
The aloof expression on her face creates the illusion that those emotions he saw were never inside her to begin with. This ascertains to him that she's back to her normal self, the old and distant Rie. Whether this is a good or a bad thing, he doesn't know yet, but he wouldn't like to see her crying. He sighs, unleashing all the distress that accumulated before.
"It might not take that long until we get to a conclusion..."
Uttering those words, his attention shifts to the ongoing card game. Her eyes naturally drift there too, Judai and Shou are in big trouble, hanging by thread. At the same time, a suspicious looking woman also enters from the side door, peeking around to meet the two obelisk students far away.
"Tsk, there are people here, but I can be discreet."
She enters without making noise, flipping her hair back and taking a small camera out of her long coat, walking as quietly as she could on her high heels, luckily the student couple was very distracted by the duel. A smirk sprawls on her face as she takes many pictures and starts recording.
"This will be a great report!"
At the dueling arena
Shou's hand trembles, his eyes tear up, sweat sliding on his whole face. His vision starts losing focus, he can see the watching eyes of the whole stadium, the serious expression of his father and the stern face of his brother looking from above.
"Shou…"
"Hey, Shou," Jonouchi shocks them when calling him by his name. "Tell me, do you still want to be a duelist?"
"I…"
"It's tough, right? I know. But even as you're on the verge of losing, will you still try to be a duelist?"
"I want to. I… Don't want to give up yet. I don't want to get out of the academy yet! I have so much to do, so much…! I… hic." His lips close, restraining the tears with a hiccup.
"That's enough. I've heard a lot through our dueling. From you too…" He casts a brief side glance at Edo. "Resume your turn, then! If you really want it, go ahead! No one will laugh at you now, even if you lose, because you fought until the end! Academy or no academy, I'll take you in for some teaching if you want, guys!" He points at himself with a grin.
"I summon Ambulanceroid (DEF 1200/ ATK 1000) in defense position. Then, I end my turn…"
"My turn, I set a card and I'll have my Red-Eyes attack your Ambulanceroid. Turn end."
"I set two cards and end my turn." Judai's expression is serious and focused.
"You've come a long way, but it's time to end this! Shining Phoenix Guy, attack him directly!" He orders in an authoritarian tone.
"Not yet! I activate the spell Emergency Provisions! It has been set for a while, but now it's time!" Shou declares desperately. "This card gives me 1000 life points for each spell or trap we control that I send to the graveyard, I don't have any, but Aniki has set down cards, I'll send one to the graveyard and recover our life by 1000!"
LP: Shou/Judai - 2900 - 3900
"Tsk." Edo scowls, the damage calculation happens.
LP: Shou/Judai - 3900 - 200
"Whoah, impressive Shou! That's the spirit!"
"My turn!" He hesitates before activating the card "Power Bond! To summon my Pair Cycroi-!"
"Well done, but I open a trap card." Jonouchi says calmly. "Solemn Judgement. I pay half of our life points to negate the activation of your Power Bond."
LP: Edo/Jonouchi - 500 - 250 Shou/Judai -200
"No…"
Shou despairs, his head toppling down. He thought he could use it and show his brother how much he has grown, but it will all just end. That's right, it will end, and they will be expelled. It's over, isn't it?
"I… End my turn." His fists clench.
"My turn." Jonouchi closes his eyes, as if pondering for a moment. "I must say I didn't expect the academy would have such good students. People may say otherwise, but I've seen something really admirable here. You're young and you can still accomplish much more."
"Aren't you a bit cruel, there are no words the winner can say to the loser. Will you finish it today or not?" Edo throws an acid remark, impatient and with arms crossed.
"Oh, I will." He opens his eyes with a resolute glint in them, drawing a card that he doesn't even bother looking at. "My turn! Trap card open, Destruction Ring! With this card, I can destroy one of my monsters and inflict life point damage directly."
"Wait, this card is…" Edo gasps, his arms uncrossing, he sees it coming…
"Hey, Red-Eyes, my pal. We've been through a lot and I'm sorry for this. Don't be angry at me, alright? It's for a good cause."
The hologram of the monster looks at him, giving a low growl as a response, Judai catches a glimpse of it, that dragon didn't do a programmed move… It's alive, like his spirits. And it just resigned to Jonouchi's will because he cares for the duelist.
"I choose to destroy my Red-Eyes Black Dragon. Let's end this duel."
"Jonouchi, you can't just-"
Edo complains out loud, but it's too late, the Black Dragon shatters into nothingness, exploded by the ring. The life point counts rolls. For both sides.
LP: Edo/Jonouchi - 250 - 0 Shou/Judai -200 - 0
The watchers are speechless for a long moment as the holograms dissipate and the sound of the duel disks turning off occurs. A dense, thick void of reaction. Shou and Judai gawk at the other two duelists and Edo is petrified. Jonouchi smiles faintly, continuing his explanation of the card's effect in a low voice, only for the duelists to hear:
"Destruction Ring destroys one of my monsters to inflict 500 life points in damage to both sides at the same time…"
"You… Why?" Edo narrows his eyes in distrust. "Why did you do this…?!"
There's accusation in his tone and puzzlement, but for some reason, Jonouchi is at peace with the loss. Why? His eyes quiver slightly. If Jonouchi came all the way here to just forfeit the duel, then what was he dueling for?