God damn it all, it just had to be the third duel with these Number Cards where one ends up goin' AWOL on me...
That would be the irritated thought that passed through Athena's mind as she stared up at Utopia, who was now standing at ready on Flip's side of the dueling field thanks to his Trap Card Ultra-C, which he activated straight after Baby Tiragon was summoned onto hers.
"(Laugh) Sorry, Addy, but Utopia, your best monster is now under my control! And Utopia stays with me as long as it's equipped with Ultra-C! There's no way you can stop me: Victory will be mine and so will your precious Utopia card!"
Athena growls in frustration, but then felt a stare from the new XYZ monster on her side, and looks down to note his saddened expression, before softening her own with pity.
"Oh...Hey, don't look so beat up, Tiragon. You're not to blame for this turn; Flip is for using you, or rather, both of us."
May have been my decision to summon the monster, but I still feel played...
Still, no Trap's invincible. There has to be a way to bust it.
...Suddenly, Utopia's body flashes a golden yellow, and Flip is zapped by similar-shaded bolts of energy, before falling to his knees with a outcry of pain!
"Uh! Flip; are you alright?!"
"Urgh-hh...No, Addy. I'm not alright. I'm feeling much, much better than alright!"
His body is enveloped by a dark aura, stronger than the one Astral had been seeing previously...Athena shivers and thinks frantically,
Uh...! Oh no...Utopia is invading his mind...!
"Something, t-taking, over...!"
As Flip struggles to move up on his feet again, his opponent catches that faint and ominous whisper as she focuses directly on his form.
"Yeeees, let the Number take hooold..."
There it is again: That voice!
The bespectacled boy's glasses flash over red as he lets out an empowered cry, and Astral notes,
"It seems Flip has been infected by a Number." Athena nods numbly:
"Yeah...and we both know which one too."
And as Flip grins and giggles darkly, the back of his right hand becomes imprinted by numeral 39! Astral lets out an almost silent gasp, feeling some other force pass through him, as Athena curses,
"Dammit, dammit...Why, Utopia? I was sure you'd be the bigger Number."
"Mmph...mph!"
She then whirls around when she hears the blue being make sounds of pain, and widens her eyes when she sees him on one knee rather than floating upright!
"Astral!"
"Mrh...My, my body..."
Several rings of light similar to his skin pigment suddenly shoot to surround him like a barrier, while the floor beneath him emitted a wave-like icy light, and his body a ghostly aura...Athena wonders a bit spooked,
"W-What's going-What's happening to you?...Ah!"
That's when she remembers...
(Flash)
"...in a duel, where Number Cards are used, the winner absorbs the loser's Number Cards."
(Flash)
"...Son of a-The stakes couldn't be any higher now. Not while Astral's on the brink!"
"...Quit talking to yourself!"
She turns around to Flip's direction as he places his bowler hat back on and adds with a mean grin,
"After all, we have a duel to finish."
Athena thinks to herself,
He's got a point: Worrying for Astral won't save him...
The only way this duel's gonna grant my favour is if I take down Utopia. But beating him will require another Number.
Thank god I have two more: Leviathan Dragon and Terrorbyte.
She looks at her field:
But right now, my current monsters won't be able to help me...which means for now, this is all I can do.
"(Grit) I, end my turn." Flip grins and jeers,
"Giving up already, Addy? Lemme show you how a winner does it! Watch and, learn!"
He draws his next card:
"First I think start things off with a bang, or rather, with a slash! Utopia: Attack Flelf!"
And with one cut right down the middle, the elven warrior was gone, leaving Athena to cringe as her Life Points dropped to 1900, making Flip the stronger with his 2500...
"Looks like I've just taken the lead in Life Points. And, I aim to keep it. I now place a monster face-down in Defense Mode! There: That's how you take a turn with some talent! Why don't you try it?"
Athena hmphs and draws her next card while calling back,
"You ask, I deliver! (Looks at her card) Ha, yes! This guy will get the engine revvin'...I summon, Level Three Rai Rider!"
The monster to come to the field would have the appearance of a motorist with 1200 Attack Points.
"Next, I activate Gagaga's ability: He's able to change his Level from One to Eight until the end of the turn. For this duel, he'll be matchin' Rai Rider at Level Three, giving headway for a new XYZ!"
The spellcaster transforms into a ribbon of dark purple light at the same time the motorist does to yellow, their energies twisting together and diving into the Overlay vortex...
"I summon, Number 17: Leviathan Dragon!"
And just like that, the water dragon comes rising onto the field, its roar echoing over the area for all to hear...Flip was surprised to see another XYZ of that like:
"Uuh! Number 17? So then I guess there are a bunch of Numbers. (Grin) All the more for me to snatch up...I activate the Trap Card, Traitor Fog!"
The card flashes upward, as the dueling field is suddenly engulfed in a translucent, purple mist...
"What the-Now what?!"
Flip tugs at his glasses with a flash from the glass as he says,
"A fog is rollin' in...and it's about to roll back your Life Points, Addy, because now I gain control over the monster you just summoned!"
"Aw come on!"
A tall, dark figure with red eyes and a manipulative grin shows up at the top of the fog cloud, using marionette strings to steal away a second number for Flip!
"Leviathan!"
Their numeral would appear on the boy's other back of the hand, and he cries out with a smirk,
"Oh, yeah!"
As the Number monster settles onto Flip's side of the field, Athena curses,
"Shoot, now I've got double-trouble on my hands!"
"Drgh...! U-Urgh...!"
If things weren't dire enough, Astral was then encased within a capsule of deep blue energy!
The girl with red eyes turns to him and adds to herself,
"Not just for me, but for him t-"
(Pulse)
"Uh-hh!"
(Flash)
...A blurred, enclosed room...
(Flash)
...A familiar young frame sitting down, rocking back and forth while hugging their knees...
(Flash)
...A freakish scream rings in an echo, making the figure tense...
(Flash)
...Athena froze on the spot, eyes wide with confusion as her being filled with dread and fear, not understanding what she just saw within her mind.
What, the, hell...?!
Tiffany's POV
As soon as we all decided to have a better look at those compromising photographs, I would be sitting down beside Caswell on a bench as he and I used the laptop function on our duel disks to analyze each one, while Jamal watched from over our shoulders...
And just as we suspected, each image was but a subject of photo-shopping, the unknown sender copying and pasting Addy onto the backgrounds!
"I knew it! These are all fakes!"
"Holy-Talk about editor savvy!"
Caswell notes after Jamal,
"And not just on one, but all of these images were doctored! In the end, Addy has been innocent of these shenanigans this whole time, and someone else is to blame."
"But who is the one doing this?"
Looking at the image of Spencer getting pranked by the frog in his lunchbox, I hum,
"Hm...Let's see if we can contact Spencer and get his side. I'll try his gazer again."
Good thing I still have his number from when we were partnered for that English project...
(Brrring...brrrring...Ping)
This time, he actually answers!
"Spencer! It's me, Tiffany, and Jamal and Caswell."
"(Digital) Huh? Oh, hey there."
"Where are you right now?" Caswell adds over my shoulder,
"We need to speak with you right away; it's important."
"(Digital) Yeah, I've, been busy."
"With what?" "Spencer, please!"
"(Digital) Gotta go; bye!"
And he just hung up...Jamal makes a sound of frustration and mutters,
"Damn, he left us hangin'..."
But I wasn't discouraged, thanks to the bells I heard in the background:
"No worries. Those chimes I heard gave away his location."
I stand up and wave for the boys to follow:
"Come on, we need to head back to the Academy!"
Time to get some answers, not just for our piece of mind...but Addy's too.
...Hope she's doin' alright.
Athena's POV
W-What was that I just saw?!
That figure...they looked an awful lot, like me...
I felt my heart race a little faster, and I try to calm myself down to get back to reality, my vision clouded in both the outside world...and the blurred image that passed through my head, mixing with Astral's current state.
That's when I began wondering,
Is it, possible...that whatever's happening to Astral, triggered something in my trauma-blocked memories?
Am I, remembering more of, the k-kidnapping?
"...Addy! It's clear that you've already lost-"
Flip stops halfway through his taunt when I turn to face him, noticing the expression of fear that was on my face.
"Huh?...What's up with you?"
Wish I knew myself...(Shakes head) Agh, no! I have to stay focused...
Scary as that was, I'll just have to put, whatever I just saw, as an after-problem, least until this duel's done.
Taking a deep breath, I form a calm frown and say to the boy I'm dueling,
"Never mind me. I should be asking you that question: Why do you feel the need to antagonize people, Flip?"
"I'm not the antagonizer, the world is!"
Hm?
"And I learned it the hard way, Addy. You see, I wasn't always like this: I used to be a sap, much like you probably were a time ago!"
Relaxing his stance slightly, Flip begins explaining his life before he became the two-face expert he is today.
"It was way back, when I entered the Duel Monster's World..."
He describes an incident back when he was little, where he was basically sweet-talked into dueling with an ante against some kids older than he was. They said he had nothing to worry about...
"But they were lying: I had plenty to worry about! They knew how to duel...Still, I fell for it over and over again! Soon, I had lost almost all of my cards!...They were nice to my face, but mean behind my back. That's when I realized that there was always something going on, on the Flip-side!"
...Oh, Flip...
"And that's when I decided: I would become the master of the Flip-side!"
I hmmed with a sad frown, almost feeling I could relate to him, in a way.
For I too understand the feeling of being conned by bad people...To repeat the unhealthy action, until it's next-to-too late to escape.
Tiffany's POV
"Spencer!"
As soon as we got back to the Academy, we began our search in the main classroom, but didn't see anyone...
"Shoot, not here..."
"He has to be somewhere, Jamal. Let's keep looking."
As we exited the room, Caswell says to us while holding up his duel disk,
"I'll catch up with you two in a bit. I'm going to see the principal to show him the doctoring and ask if he can help with distributing an email to the entire school so Addy's name will be fully cleared."
I flash him an appreciative smile:
"Thanks, Caswell. That'd be great; text one of us when you're done and we'll send you our location."
So as soon as Jamal and I part from him, we then split up to cover more ground, I heading to the library while he searched down some halls.
"Spencer?...Spencer!"
Darn it, where is that boy?
Eventually, after about forty minutes of running around, I met up with Jamal outside the library to trade information.
"Hah, hah...any luck?"
"Nah, I got squat."
"Darn...Wait a second, there is one more place we could try: The old gymnasium."
"Sounds like a plan."
(Beep-beep)
I hear my gazer go off, and pull it out to see a message from Caswell:
"Ah, looks like he's done chatting with the principal and compiling that new email. I'll just text him back where we'll be...Done! Okay, let's go!"
We ran full-speed for ten minutes all the way to the old gym building, meeting with an out-of-breath Caswell just seconds before we reach the front doors. Jamal looks him up and down before patting his back and quirking with a sympathetic smile,
"You really need to work out more, Cas. It's a wonder you're even passing Gym..."
Rolling my eyes slightly, I lead the charge and shove the double-doors open:
"Spencer!"
...And what we found, was that he was setting up a rather, intricate pattern of...dominoes. My burst through the doors wound up startling him, though, and he dropped the one he was about to set, causing the chain reaction to go off until no domino was standing.
Oops...
Spencer bends over with a groan before asking us,
"What do you want? I was so close to being finished!"
I bow in apology and reply,
"Sorry, Spencer. I didn't mean to, um, interrupt...Actually, could you please explain what the heck this is?"
"I'm setting up dominoes. Flip said he'd give me an XYZ Monster if I spent all day in here making this line-up for him."
All three of us blurt,
"Flip said what?!"
I then mutter,
"Now this is starting to make sense..." Jamal agrees:
"Yeah. Flip sent those phony photos out, then tricked Spencer into stayin' here so he couldn't reveal the truth."
Caswell hms and puts a finger under his chin while thinking out loud,
"The only question remaining is his motive: Why?"
...The answer came pretty quickly to all of us:
"A Duel!"
I then remembered,
"Uh! I think Addy said she was gonna go wander the mall after school. (Firm expression) Let's head there first!"
"'Kay!" "Right!"
After dropping a quick apologetic goodbye to Spencer, we all began rushing out from the school in the direction of the shopping center, my firm face hiding the anxiety that was rising within me for my friend.
Ooh Addy, please don't be in trouble...!
Athena's POV
I continued to listen to Flip as he alliterated his life choices that led him to who he is now...
"And so it began: The more I studied the Flip-side, the more I learned. It applied to everything, and I took advantage! If my enemies were pretending to be nice but were truly mean, I would pretend to be fair but would truly cheat...and it worked. I got all my cards back, and something I didn't see coming: Respect. Soon, I developed all sorts of strategies to get what I want with my Flip-side method, and without fail, it always worked! I won at everything, including Duels where winning matters the most!"
...I was appalled by his beliefs:
"Flip...Dueling isn't at all about winning. It's about the feeling of being alive, the joy, doing your damnedest, connecting with your very cards and even your opponents."
"You know who says things like that, Addy? Total losers like you who never win."
"Hmph...I used to have a similar outlook to yours, where winning was the only way to survive. But in my case, that belief...it almost killed me."
That caused a break in his banter and antagonizing expression, and he looks at me in confusion.
"Huh? What do you mean, it almost killed you?"
"Exactly that. At a time ago, I had one foot in the grave...because I chose to follow some people who like for you, only wanted the worst from me."
I clenched my free fist and took in a shuddering breath before adding,
"But...I've moved on from those days. I renewed my faith in finding tomorrow without needing such a cutthroat attitude. (Looks up) And that's what you should've done instead, Flip: Find faith in tomorrow without letting the negative drag you down."
"Uh..."
"We can talk more about it after this duel."
With that, I look down at my current hand to figure out what to do next:
Alright. The only Number Monster I have left for my side is Terrorbyte, but I don't have a good time slot to summon him.
Hm...I do have Release Lease. That Spell allows me to remove a monster on my field, and add a Level Three to my hand.
I look over on my field, and wound up locking eyes with Baby Tiragon again, feeling conflict rise in my heart.
But, do I really want to release Tiragon?
...I'm not sure...
"...Athena. You must protect Baby Tiragon."
Uh! Astral!
I whirl around to the sound of his voice, which sounded like it was weakening, as he urges,
"It is our only hope..."
...Moving a few steps closer to the trapped being, I kneel down and ask him,
"Astral, are you okay?"
"...Protect, Baby Tiragon."
"But-"
(Pulse)
(Flash)
The young frame, rocking back and forth in a calming motion...
(Flash)
Zoom in on the head, as the owner's fists beat on the sides in a frantic manner...
(Flash)
"Agh!"
I grip the side of my skull as that image came flooding in again, but with a touch more detail this time.
What's going on?...Why is this happening now?
Thankfully, Astral's voice snaps me out of it before I became too distracted:
"...Protect, Tiragon."
"Uh...Astral..."
Swallowing a lump in my throat, I nod firmly and rose to my feet once more, turning to face the battlefield as the monster of conversation looks towards me with, concern...Shaking my head at him with a ghost of a smile, I chide,
"I'm okay, Tiragon...Now then: I'm switching you to Defense Mode!"
That's when I saw a smile appear on his face for the first time, and he begins flying around in a small circle while crying out in excitement as he switches to displaying 900 Defense Points. I almost felt a more real smile appear on my own face seeing how happy he looked, knowing he was glad to be acknowledged by someone who cared, before I finish up this turn.
"I place one card face-down and end my turn. Back to you, Flip."
"And it will be the last card that you play! (Grins and laughs) 'Cause now it's my turn, and that means you're, (swipe) through! I activate Leviathan Dragon's ability: And now, Addy, by using up one of its Overlay Units, Leviathan gains 500 Attack Points!"
One bite down on such a power boost, and said dragon's Attack Points rose to 2500.
"Next I'm going to do a Flip-Summon!"
"Flip-Summon? I'm guessing that's related to Flip Effects?"
"That's right: I can turn a monster that's face-down and in Defense Mode face-up! O~h, and I can change it to Attack Mode as well...See for yourself: Rise, Flipangutan!"
And just like that, the card face-down on Flip's side rose to reveal a Level Four primate with highlighted bone features in Attack Mode with 800 Attack Points and 1600 Defense Points.
"Now to use Flipangutan's Flip Effect: It switches your monster from Defense Mode to Attack Mode!"
The monster swings over and under the bone vault on its hind legs before sending a sound wave against Baby Tiragon, who lets out a cry before being knocked to the ground, its eyes swirling with dizziness as it shifts back to Attack Mode.
"Oh! Baby Tiragon!"
"Now go! Make that baby go boom, Leviathan Dragon! Shock-Stream Blast!"
Good thing I laid down that other card!
"I activate the Trap, Half-Unbreak! With this, I can choose one monster on my field to protect from being destroyed this turn, and any damage I would've taken is cut in half!"
My monster is encased in the bubble shield, making Leviathan's attack bounce off and crash into the ceiling, the explosion's impact pushing against me as my Life Points drop to 1100...
"So, your Trap protected you from full damage...but if you recall, Utopia has 2500 pounding Attack Points! So this attack is still going to pack a heavy punch."
I smirk grimly and reply,
"You'd be surprised how often I used to hear lines like that..."
Flip looks at me strangely for the cryptic words, but shakes it off and orders the next attack.
"Let her have it, Utopia!"
Said Number releases its Rising Sun Slash, blasting against the impenetrable bubble that saves Baby Tiragon.
I just smile grimly and shut my eyes at ready for the after-impact:
This is fine...As long as Tiragon's safe, I'll take his pain against my thick skin.
I don't even grit as I get thrown backwards onto the ground as my Life Points drop to 300...
"But I'm not done yet. I'm now activating the Spell Card, Book of Flip! With this card, I can now flip Flipangutan face-down, which means I can use its special ability again!"
Shoving myself up on one knee, I mutter,
"So switching Tiragon to Defense Mode's a no go. Not with that ape and its ability..."
"Bingo! Also, you have 300 Life Points left, which means as soon as it becomes my turn again...I'll be able to take you down for good, and take your Utopia!"
I curse under my breath as I stand fully upright again, when Baby Tiragon chirps at me with worry. But I shake my head and assure him,
"Don't listen to Flip, little guy. It's not over yet; I'll think of something..."
"...Addy!"
That's when I hear Tiffany's voice calling for me, and I turn left to see her, Jamal and Caswell (all with their duel gazers on) appear from around the corner of one of the mall sections!
"Hey, Tiff, guys!"
"Addy, what's going on?" Flip beats me to the punch with an answer:
"I'll tell you what's happening: I'm about to beat your buddy!"
My friends notice the difference in our Life Points and the current state of the field:
"Whoa! Flip's winning by a ton!"
"2500 to 300 to be exact...!"
"And what the heck are Utopia and Leviathan doin' on Flip's side?! They're Addy's!"
Flip jeers after Jamal's exclaim,
"They were hers, 'til I snatched 'em from her!"
I focus back and ready my next draw:
I'm holding on by a thin thread of 300...I gotta make this count!
"Here we go: My Draw!"
And while I did get a new monster, it wasn't one I expected:
Stinging Swordsman? Hm...how can I use him to help?
I was brought out of my thoughts by the sound of Flip's chuckling, and look to him as he comments,
"Judging by your expression, it looks like you didn't get the card you wanted!"
"Who said that? I'm not cringing, am I?"
"No, I guess not...But hey, I wouldn't blame your deck on your current luck! I doubt you could do much with any card at this point, what with that useless XYZ Monster you have on the field! It's points are a joke!"
Baby Tiragon wasn't pleased by the insult and tried to let out a fierce sound, but just hung his head with shame, making me feel bad for him and pissed at Flip for being so rude to the monster.
"Oi! Lay off of him! You don't get to make fun of a monster when you're using him as a bargaining chip for your selfish schemes! Besides, strength comes from more than just raw power...Wait..."
That's it!
I glance back at Astral, before looking down at my new draw and mutter in realization,
"Now I understand: Astral wanted me to protect Tiragon not for attacking, but its abilities outside it! That's the 'Flip-side' of many weaker monsters: They may not have much power, but they got skills...And that's what I'm gonna prove now!"
I ready the card in my hand as I call out strongly to the XYZ on my field,
"Baby Tiragon, it's go time!"
He looks back at me with surprise as I bring forth another ally:
"I summon, Stinging Swordsman!"
My Level One little warrior with the needle jumps up to attention with 300 Attack Points, much to Flip's amusement.
"Only 300 Attack Points? That monster can't possibly hurt me!"
I smirk at him and counter,
"You sure about that, wise guy? I'd rethink your slander against Baby Tiragon...I activate his ability: Using one Overlay Unit, my Level One Stinging Swordsman can attack you directly!"
Baby Tiragon consumes said power boost, just as Stinging Swordsman hops onto the other's back to ride straight for Flip!
"Take it to 'im, you guys! Show Flip what happens when you beat on the little guy!"
"Excu~se me if I don't go running for the hills, but 300 points of damage isn't exactly flinch-worthy!"
Oh it will be, just you wait...
He does hold up a hand to take the prick of the needle in a mocking sort of way while his Life Points sink to 2200, but he wouldn't be smug for long.
"Heh, all according to plan. Okay, Stinging Swordsman, your turn for your ability!"
He jumps into the air from Baby Tiragon before creating a tornado with his spinning body and crying out,
"Slash Hurricane!"
"Slash Hurricane?!"
As everyone accept me flinches back from the strong gusts of wind, I call out with a smirk,
"Here's the low-down for ya: Because Stinging Swordsman was successful in dolling you damage, all your Spell and Trap Cards on the field return to your hand!"
"All of them?!"
"That's right, which means you just lost your trump cards ensnaring Utopia and Leviathan, and they can come back to me!"
And just as I said, Flip's Ultra-C and Traitor Fog are sent off the field back into his hand, forcing Utopia and Leviathan Dragon to disappear!
"No, please, you can't do this to me! Whaaaaaah!"
With the Numbers no longer under his hold, he was released from the influencing power and fell to his knees while dropping his hand...I smile a bit as Utopia and Leviathan settle on each of Baby Tiragon's sides, he still carrying Stinging Swordsman on his back.
"Heh, glad you two are back and alright. (Glance) And thank you for the help, Tiragon, Swordsman: You really saved the day."
They flash their own smiles at me...just as a bright light emits from behind me, and I whirl around to see that strange capsule shine, before disintegrating and freeing Astral! His glowing form moves back upright before settling down into full-vision again, and I let out a bated breath before asking just above a whisper,
"...Astral...a-are you okay?"
"Not yet."
I was taken aback by his answer, until he suddenly calls,
"Go, Leviathan: Attack that face-down card!"
Getting right down to it, huh?
(...Sigh) Alright.
Rolling my eyes at his nonchalant pass of his dire peril, I call after him,
"You heard Astral, Leviathan: Attack Flip's face-down card with Shock-Stream Blast!"
Flip had only just gotten back on his feet when his eyes widen with horror as his Flipangutan's destroyed by my dragon!
Tiffany cheers while Jamal and Caswell exclaim excitedly,
"Nice! Now Flip has nothing to shield himself!"
"In the end, this duel is Addy's for sure!"
As said boy takes a few startled steps back, I make the final move:
"Now Utopia, bring it home with Rising Sun Slash!"
Three strokes of a sword later, Flip was thrown back in a tumble with an outcry as his Life Points plummet to zero, making me winner. I giggled a bit watching as Baby Tiragon and Stinging Swordsman cheered in victory before the AR World closed, musing,
They've got a right to be happy...They were granted a fair chance to fight.
I hear Tiffany exclaim my name as Jamal and Caswell compliment,
"That was awesome!" "Well done!"
I nod to them, before turning to Astral as he says,
"Nicely done. You saved me from a very bad fate."
I smiled sheepishly and reply,
"Heh, well, I couldn't have done it without Tiragon and Swordsman...I'm just, glad you're alright..."
My friends rush over to greet me and congratulate me further, Jamal putting an arm around my shoulders and complimenting,
"Way to make the comeback, Addy."
Caswell then grabs my hand and says,
"It's not just your win we should celebrate: You won't have to worry about school anymore. I, along with the principal, sent an email to everyone who got those bad photos with an explanation of what really happened, along with the breakdown of each image Tiffany and I did so they know they were fakes."
"Thanks, Caswell. That's really cool of you to do, (glance) and you too, Tiff, since you had a piece in it."
She blushes modestly...just as I pick up the sound of Flip quietly wailing,
"All my tricks...and still I, lost!"
Oh dear...
Taking a breath in, I walk over to him and kneel down with Baby Tiragon at the ready, even though a small part of me was a bit reluctant to give him back the card regarding their past relations as duelist and monster.
"Hey, Flip."
"Huh?"
"He's your monster, right?"
"...He was."
"And still is. Go ahead and take him. In a way, you did kind-of earn him, like you earned my respect by dueling me with honesty. (Small smile) That has to feel good inside, hm?"
He replies a bit unsure of himself,
"...Yeah, I guess it sort-of does."
"Sort-a? (Shakes head) Flip, all that so-called respect you got in the past with your tricks wasn't real. It was shallow, a trick of your own wounded heart."
"Maybe..."
He then turns his eyes from mine and says bitterly,
"Or maybe this is some kind of trick, and the Flip-side is that you're going to make me look like a big fool."
I rise to my feet with a frown and argue back,
"Aw come on, how could I possibly make you look foolish? (Gentle smirk) 'Specially since you're the one sporting those cool glasses of yours. How much more hip can you be?"
"...You think my glasses are, hip?"
"Mhm. Totally, and this is coming from someone who used to dress like a punk goth. Now that's a scary fashion show, believe me."
...Nothing is said for a minute, until Flip turns to face me with really teary eyes, apparently moved by my compliment in ways I didn't see coming!
"A-Addy! (Blubber) T-That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me! (Sniff) Forget the Flip-side: Life can be pretty great when you take something at face-value...!"
Oh my goodness...!
Once he gets control over himself, he then says to me with a renewing smile,
"So I'm turning over a new leaf right now! You keep the card, Addy!"
"Uh!...You sure?"
He nods with a slightly teary smile:
"Yeah!"
My lips form a small smile of my own as I looked down at the little creature's image in my hands before looking back at Flip.
"Okay then. Thank you, Flip. That's very generous of you, and I'll be sure to take good care of Tiragon...Also..."
I step forth to wrap my elbow around his with a good-natured smirk as I add,
"This card will remain a symbol of our new friendship!"
"Sounds good!"
We both let out a laugh at our new-found bond, glad we could come to a new stand between eachother...
But just as we settled down, Flip then asks me something I wasn't expecting.
"By the way...That expression you made during our duel..."
"Huh?"
"There was a moment where it looked like you saw something really terrifying...What happened?"
I was taken aback by his concern, and formed a conflicted expression on how to respond.
Should I, say what happened to him, anyone?
...How do I even explain Astral?
"Addy?"
Taking a deep breath, I put an arm around Flip and guide him in the direction of that outside overlook from the mall to one of the streets heading near the river, thinking a good first step was to get some fresh air.
"Um, let's, go outside first, Flip. My stomach's feeling a bit knotted..."
"Hey, Addy! Where are you two goin'?"
I call back over my shoulder to Tiffany and the others,
"Out of the mall...I need to get somewhere less enclosed...and explain something else that happened during our duel without too many prying ears nearby."
Small Time Skip, No POV
Soon, our small group of five academy students and one being from beyond had left from the mall to sit by the river on the grass incline meeting the water as the sun rolled down for the day. Along the way, Athena revealed Astral's presence and his connection with the recently risen Number Cards to Caswell and Flip, feeling they deserved to hear such information...
"Whoa...So, while you and I were dueling and I swiped those two monsters for a bit, Astral was-"
"Incapacitated? (Sucks in some breath) Yeeeah, that's one way of putting it...Thankfully, I was able to get them back before anything real bad could happen."
Flip, who was sitting on Athena's right while Tiffany occupied the right, Caswell on the former's right and Jamal behind the red-eyed girl, forms a grimace and looks upward to where he thought Astral was to say,
"Uh, sorry, Astral. I didn't know your life was that attached to them."
...Athena forms a wry smile and tilts the boy's head to the left where the being was really floating.
"Little more to the left, Flip."
"(Sheepish smile) Oh, whoops!" She laughs slightly and quirks,
"It's okay; you were almost looking right at him."
"If I may be honest, I'm still skeptical of there being a, person, from another world currently occupying the same space as we that can only be seen by one of us..."
Athena turns her eyes to the boy with the blue bowl-cut hair to reply dryly,
"And I don't discourage your skepticism, Cas. Just remember to keep an open mind; not everything in life can be explained with the raw facts."
"Yes, I'm slowly starting to learn that..."
Tiffany then asks with a concerned frown directed at her childhood best friend,
"But moving from that, you said that something else happened during the duel at the same time Astral was, um, incapacitated. Something that, scared you pretty bad...?"
Everyone's eyes fall on Athena, Astral's included, as her straight face shifted to form a nervous expression, before she drew in a slight shaky breath as she mutters,
"Y-Yeah...It was around the moment, he became encased in that weird energy capsule. It was, something in the way his silhouette looked...It triggered something inside my head, and I, I remembered something from..."
Jamal finishes her sentence, sensing her hesitance and places a comforting hand on her shoulder while asking seriously,
"...It was from when you went missing two years ago, wasn't it, when you were abducted?"
Athena nods numbly, causing everyone else around her to draw in sharp breaths of worry. She looks at Caswell and Flip before saying to them,
"You two must've heard when I went missing from the city for a few days, right, just not alot of details?"
"Uh, yeah. I think your face showed up on the Amber Alert for the news..."
"In the end, it was really scary to know a fellow classmate was taken right out of the blue..."
The girl with red irises nods and exhales a deep breath before saying,
"Well, anyway, as you correctly guessed, Jamal...while it wasn't much, I was able to remember a glimpse of the kidnapping memory..."
"Does that mean the shield around your mind caused by the trauma is weakening?"
She looks up with a grim smile at Astral and nods:
"Yeah, that's one way of putting it. My, 'trauma shield' is still going strong, but it's definitely been dented."
"And, it was my fault this happened to you?"
Athena's eyes widen slightly at the partly-guilty tone in the blue being's voice, and quickly replies,
"Oh no, no! It wasn't your fault; god, Astral...My mind just chose your position as a way to stimulate the memory to came back. It wasn't something anyone could predict, not even me."
Astral nods, relaxing a little at finding out he wasn't to blame for the mental scare. Tiffany then cautiously asks,
"So...what is it that you remember now, th-that is, if you want to tell us..."
Drawing in a new breath, Athena closes her eyes in concentration, delving deep into her mind to recall the fragmented memory...
"...The image is a bit blurred and distorted...but the feelings are vivid enough. I...remember feeling, helpless, scar-no, paranoid...and questioning my own sanity."
Everyone listened with awed expressions as she continued:
"The place...It was cold, neutral lighting. Small, but not so much that it was claustrophobic...The floor felt, smooth, like metal..."
"What about the walls, or any other faces?"
She shakes her head at Jamal:
"That's all I can get in terms of the surroundings. It's still too unfocused."
Tiffany asks,
"Okay, what about you? What were you doing in the room; were you standing, sitting?"
"(Deep breath)...Definitely sitting...I was hugging my legs, rocking back and forth, like I was trying to calm myself down, but it wasn't working..."
Caswell then asks,
"Did you remember saying anything?"
"Um...No clear words, but I was definitely muttering under my breath, and at a real fever-pace."
Athena then molds her hands into fists and positions them on the sides of her head to lightly tap.
"I was also doing this a few times, whacking my fists against my head, and real harshly too...like there was something inside my head I wanted out."
"Maybe this took place after you got, (wince), injected by that needle of freaky whatever..."
Caswell, and Flip bulge their eyes out and exclaim,
"Injected?!"
The red-eyed girl says in a calm but dead-reckoning tone,
"I'll keep the explanation short: I was the subject of an inhuman drug that changed my body chemistry to make me immune to physical pain and mess with my metabolism...And that's what I'm thinking too, Jamal, for it would explain the questioning of sanity and paranoia...There is, one more thing I remember, (shiver) and just thinking about that detail makes my blood ready to turn into ice."
Astral would ask the question this time:
"And, what is this detail?"
"...A scream...but it wasn't my own. I just tensed a little from the sound, as it echoed from elsewhere...It sounded like someone, was in a tremendous amount of pain, worse probably than my own."
Everyone gasps, and Tiffany asks with a hushed and slightly high-pitched tone,
"Addy...a-are you saying, that..."
The girl with the long braid of copper-red tipped black hair nods grimly:
"(Gulp) Yeah...I...I don't think I was the only one abducted. There was, another, maybe even others, subjected to something that violated their humanities just like mine was."
"Oh, Addy..."
"And the scariest part is, as much as that scream sounded human, at the same time...it didn't. It also, sounded like a wounded animal, like this individual, was caught in an inbetween. I-I don't even want to try imagining what that poor soul must've, been dealt..."
Seeing that Athena was starting to shake on the spot, Tiffany immediately reached over and pulled the other into a tight hug, the other teens following shortly after in their want to comfort their friend.
"Addy..." "Athena..."
"It's alright..."
"We're all right here; you're safe."
And while Astral couldn't touch her directly, he nonetheless floated closer to the group and reached a hand out to ghost over one of the girl's free hands with a reassuring expression...
Athena stared at everyone with awe, and smiled gratefully with a tear or two, leaning into their care.
"...Thanks, you guys, all of you...Having good people near, really makes this easier to bear. I, feel braver about the eventual return of those days, remembering it all...It might be scary...but, I'd rather be scared of the truth, than terrified of the unknown."