Time passes ever so slowly, and we find ourselves within the mysterious realm of Athena's key pendant, as Astral discovers another golden gear part that held a green-glowing dormant numeral representing one of the few XYZ Number Monsters in his possession, this time being 83 for Galaxy Queen...
Holding out his palm, he brandishes a smaller version of the symbol and activates that section to begin moving, as he makes note of this strange gizmo that seemed to offer more questions with each answer postulated.
"This gear seems to move every time I gather another one of the missing Number Cards...But why? Could it have something to do with my memory loss? Could solving this puzzle, also solve the mystery behind my amnesia?...And what does Athena have to do with it all? Why is this apparatus inside her key?"
...Meanwhile, back out in the real world of Heartland City, we catch up with the red-eyed blackette during a new early morning run, she dressed in a jogger's outfit consisting of a pale green halter top with white trimming matching her leggings and her black/red runners, hair tied back into a very long high ponytail. Currently, she was pausing her pace at a crosswalk in the downtown area, gulping a few breaths of air in and out as she mutters,
"Hah, hah, hoh wow, I gotta remember to watch it with downhill runs. Thank god they built an intersection here..."
She looks up just as the crosswalk light shifts to green, and grins slightly before saying to herself,
"Alright, off we go."
...But just as Athena starts to jog across the striped part of the road:
(Vrrrooooom)
A motor engine sounds from her left side, and she turns with wide eyes at the sight of an incoming duel runner!
"Shit!"
She tumbles into a somersault out of the way in the nick of time, while the rider swerves into a screeching halt in the middle of the road past the crosswalk...
Athena bolts back up on her feet with a growl before calling out the motorist on their reckless driving.
"The hell's wrong with you, lead-foot?! I had right of wa-Huh?"
She stops herself dead when her red irises lock with a very familiar cobalt blue...
"Shark..."
...Haven't seem him since our duel. Where's he been?
The boy with blue-violet hair wouldn't utter a word, instead kicking the engine of his cycle to life again and speeding off, leaving Athena to watch his form disappear as she slowly wanders onto the other side of the road.
"...Hm, come to think of it, I haven't caught his form in the school halls for the last while...Is he skipping?"
Eh, whatever. I guess it's his life and his choice to be negligent to his education...
With that, she continues on her way, plugging her headphones into her ears to drown out the sounds of the world around her...Soon, she would arrive at the Heartland Dueling Academy, quickly diving into the nearest girl's washroom to switch into her modified school uniform before heading off to meet her friends in the classroom for the first lecture of the day.
"Yo, what's up, people?"
"Alot, actually."
"Huh?"
She raises a brow at the addressing Caswell, who steps up to her form and reaches to dislodge her duel monster deck from its holder to look at.
"Oi!"
He ignores her protest and peers over the cards with Tiffany and Jamal looking over his shoulders.
"Hm...May I ask why those Number Cards aren't in your deck right now?"
"Psh, well duh, 'cause Astral's not kickin' around out here at the moment."
Tiffany smiles a bit in thought:
"I guess that makes sense, since the cards are a part of Astral's existence..."
"Hmph, well regardless, in the end, there's a good reason to why you wouldn't want them in the open."
Athena folds her arms and gives Caswell a challenging look:
"Oh really? Do tell."
The boy with bowl-cut hair's inquisitive expression falters slightly with a twinge of fear from the narrowed red irises, but maintains his ground before replying,
"It's 'cause they're your secret weapon, what lets you win every time."
...The girl with copper red-tipped black hair bursts into laughter from the accusation, causing Caswell to ask a bit indignantly,
"What's so funny?"
"That you actually believe in the quality of the cards over the quality of a duelist."
"Huh?"
Athena straightens back up with a wise and somewhat mocking smirk before stating,
"I admit my deck has gotten stronger since the introduction of these Number Cards, but it's having faith in my skills that makes me a good duelist. My own personal raw power is what fuels the inner fire of my monsters, along with the knowledge that grows each time I face an opponent."
"Even when you lose?"
"Especially when I lose...I can understand where your mind's teetering to, Cas, but logic only gets you so far. You can't move forward without tripping and eating concrete at least a couple times."
Tiffany holds a finger under her chin as she wonders to herself,
"Tripping and falling helps you move forward? How does that work?"
Jamal sweatdrops with a smile and answers,
"That's just Addy's way of saying 'No Pain, No Gain'."
Caswell then hands Athena back her deck and says to her,
"Alright, so maybe there's some merit to failing in order to succeed, but I think you and I both know there's only one real way of settling this dispute..."
"Hmph, (nod) a duel...Alright, game set: I'll even let you choose my opponent. Once more, I'll defeat them without using any of the Numbers in my possession."
That declaration caused the other girl and boy of the small group to mutter in concern and exasperation,
"Addy..."
"Oh geez..."
Meanwhile, the boy with light green eyes says to the girl he's challenging,
"Really? Even if the individual I want you to take on is your old foe, Shark?"
Hearing the name of said duelist sparked a minuscule frown onto Athena's lips, recalling the expression that was on the boy's face earlier this morning...Brushing it off, she forms a neutral face and replies casually,
"Fine, whatever. We'll go combing for him during break."
"Hang on a sec, Addy."
"Hm?"
She turns to meet Jamal's sea green eyes as he suddenly warns,
"I dunno if lookin' for Shark's a good idea."
"Why's that?"
"Ever since your guy's duel, he really shifted gears: From what I've heard, he's been hangin' 'round some roughneck creeps. If you decide to go challenging him, you could be in for the toughest duel of your life."
...Something in the way the message was conveyed made Athena's expression darken considerably.
"You say that like I haven't been in a tough fix before..."
"Uh...Addy..."
Shaking her head, she then turns her red irises to meet Tiffany's blue:
"Tiff, how long 'til the teach' gets here?"
"U-Um, about five, seven minutes, why?"
"(Nod) I got a phone call I need to make. Won't be but a minute or two."
Just as she moves to exit the classroom to use her duel gazer, she locks eyes with Caswell and tells him in a more serious tone,
"Exercise patience and the duel you want will come, Cas."
With that, she leaves out into the hall, while the other three teens watched her go with a mix of confusion and concern for the sudden change in mood...Once she was back in the hallway, Athena leans against the wall next to the classroom entrance to suck in a deep breath, before pulling out her gazer to scroll through her contact list for someone she hasn't talked to in a while...
(Brrring...Brrring...Brr-Ping)
"Hey, Akira."
"Addy...God, been a couple weeks since we last spoke...But I'm guessin' this isn't a courtesy call?"
"Heh, I wish...Listen, I need some help locating somebody who might be hangin' about in or near your neighbourhood."
"Hm, 'kay...Got a name?"
"...Shark Castle."
Time Skip, Athena's POV
It's now the end of another several hours of learning, and after getting a locale text from an old acquaintance of mine, I began moving out to a part of this so-proclaimed great city that's seen better days. Not to say that the worn-down architecture doesn't have its own beauty, but given that the populace of people living here ranges from addicts to homeless/barely scrapping by to delinquents, with only so few decent individuals mixed between, it'll be years before the area's ugly reputation fades away...
I look around at the corroding brickwork and crackling concrete, met a few of the eyes that stagger through these streets this time of day, only half of which looked in tune with the real world (sad but true), feeling a strange mix of wise bitterness and, dare I say...nostalgia.
Hm...Been a while since I wandered down these streets.
I should really consider popping by Akira's to say hey to him and his mom...
...But I can do that another day: Right now I've got a job to do.
I turn down a new alleyway that leads down a set of stairs to an old rundown arcade I...broke into one time two years ago with a couple faceless individuals, which has since become a popular temporary joint for incoming and outgoing gangs. As I kept moving along, I think about how Caswell seemed so sure that these Number Cards are what makes me a good duelist.
"...But he doesn't seem to understand, or refuses to. It's the inner fire of the duelist that guarantees the chance of victory, not what they hold in their deck."
It was then Astral materializes out of the key and replies to me,
"I understand, Athena, if that helps."
"Hmph, was wonderin' when you'd be comin' back out today...But anyway, your support kind-a helps but also doesn't, partly 'cause you have to take half blame for my current fix."
"I am taking half blame? How so?"
I hum in a sarcastic manner before stating,
"Other than when you go diving into my key, you're constantly hovering over my being."
"Untrue. When you sleep, I no longer hover above you. (Mumble) More for my benefits, nor..."
Tch, more for his benefits, my ass...
Reaching halfway down the staircase, I retort,
"Yeah well, your hovering is definitely prominent during my duels...which is why I'm requesting as politely as possible for you to back away this time."
"Why is that?"
"This upcoming duel...is more personal..."
Reaching the bottom, I peer down the next crack between two older and obviously abandoned buildings to where my eyes could see the flickering neon sign of the arcade, and felt a bitter smile form on my face.
"...Surprised there's not alot of scurries down here. Popularity must've shifted again."
"You've been here before?"
I look up at Astral, who was eyeing me with interest, then turn my eyes upward to the rooftops of those two buildings before the arcade...remembering a time back when my sense of humour was more grim and fake than nowadays...
(Flash)
"Heh, another day in this crappy existence called life..."
I let out a bark of a laugh with the older boy beside me, laying on a worn-out blanket on the rooftop as the grey skies began to let out a light sprinkle of rain...
"How we continue to live is a mystery."
There's a calm silence between the two of us...before I suddenly ask out of the blue,
"...Ever wonder what it'd be like to die?"
"Nah, that's fool's thinkin'. You think about it, it'll never come, 'cept to taunt ya."
I hum in agreement, feeling the cold spray on my skin cool me down...while at the same time, numb some of the spiritual pain I was dealing with at the time...
(Flash)
"...Athena?"
"Hm?"
I snap out of my memory-land daze, and saw that Astral was looking at me with a flash of concern. Shaking my head and placing a palm on my face, I reply,
"Sorry, sorry...Got lost in thought...and, yeah, I've been here before. Couple times, actually..."
Removing the hand, I set my face into a frown and add,
"Unfortunately, I've come to know this district well. Almost too well..."
"Too well?...What does-"
"Hey, Addy!"
Our conversation was cut short by Jamal's shout, as he and Tiffany suddenly rush to meet me here at the foot of the stairs. Once they caught their breath, Tiffany then asks me,
"Athena...where exactly are you going, and, here of all parts of the city?"
"Where else? To duel Shark. (Looks ahead) According to Akira, his friends have spotted the boy wandering in and out of that junk-house."
"Is that who you called before class today?...How is Akira these days?"
Smiling just a touch, I began walking forward to the broken, buzzing sign with the others following behind as I reply to Jamal,
"He's been doin' alright. His mom finally got that raise at her manager job, and he's started some volunteer work at the homeless shelter."
"Oh, that's cool..."
Silence fell between us for a few minutes, until we were in front of the old arcade, its walls sporting a new spray-paint tag on the right side of the door, and a few cycles parked on the left...including Shark's.
So he is here...What the hell have you been up to, Shark?
"This place is freakin' creepy..." I retort seriously with a scoff,
"Well if you wanna turn back, I'm not stoppin' you or Tiff...I've always warned you two not to follow me down this district, and now you've got a visual why."
"Addy..."
Ignoring my gal pal's worried mutter of my name, I made my way inside the building, meeting the familiar sight of the vandalized walls, a few machines barely functioning while the rest were smashed beyond repair, glass and cigarette buds littering in pockets on pieces of the floor, and the faint scent of alcohol lingering in the air...I feel a grim smirk form on my lips as I muse,
"Keh, yet another familiar sight in this crap-shoot area...To think, I wailed a fist or two in these walls, shoved a machine over that pooled out a dead rat. Wonder if the skeleton's still there?"
Astral hovers near me and shoots me an astonished expression:
"You were responsible for vandalism in this place?"
"Some of it, not all of it...It was back during a time where things like being a good person and how someone looked at me, meant absolutely nothing...Back when I was numb as ice to the world."
"...Was this before, or after you were kidnapped by those rogue humans?"
A closed-eye frown forms on my face as I mutter quietly,
"...After, during my extreme coping days, and before I got a gut-check to reality."
I hear some shoes click up beside me, belonging to noneother than Tiffany, who looks around this place with frightened eyes, to which I could not blame her for.
She's still got her innocence to the world...Something I sometimes wish I could get back.
(Rattle...)
"Hm?"
I tense up on alert from the sound of chains gently beating the ground:
What was...Oh crap, we're not alone on this floor!
"Tiffany, back up to the door, slowly."
"Addy?"
I hiss at her urgently,
"Just do it," but would freeze when Jamal was suddenly snatched up my his neck!
"Guh!"
"Jamal!" "Hey!"
"G-Get off me! Lemme go!"
The bulk who nabbed him had to be close to six foot, with deeply tanned skin, black hair styled in dreadlocks like Jamal's only somewhat wilder and shorter, contrasting his sharp-looking blond-brown eyebrows, coal brown eyes, and wore a black muscle tank-top that showcased his burly muscles, a thick chain around his wrist like a cuff bracelet, green jeans that were ripped at the bottoms held up by a studded belt, and black shoes.
"What're you little pipsqueaks doin' here? Don't you know this is our territory?"
His gruff tone did nothing to scare me, and I glared back while retorting,
"Yeah, says who? Last I checked, this is a halfway point for punks like you that got no business being in this city. But nevermind that; let Jamal down before I knock your block off!"
I raise a fist for emphasis...which was suddenly grabbed by another strong hand that yanked me backwards into the grip of another!
"Addy!"
Cursing to myself, I whirl my eyes over my shoulder to see who had the balls to grab me: This guy was skinnier than the first one, skin a shade paler than mine, buzz-cut dark brown hair with two red strips dyed in on the sides, black-brown eyes with a thin scar running over his left eyebrow, a clip earring on his left, a simple beaded necklace, and wore an outfit of a white shirt trimmed with red on the v-collar and rolled-up sleeves with a grey belt around his waist, white pants, black biker gloves, and white shoes.
With his hands keeping my wrists pressed to my back, all I could do was growl a vague threat his way...for the moment.
"Rgh, hands off, you creep, or you're gonna get it!" He sneers back,
"I wouldn't bet on that."
That's when the rest of this little posse appears out of the shadows, including a scraggly redheaded male that couldn't have been older than his late teens.
"Well what've we got here?" He sends a wicked smile at Tiffany and jeers,
"If you're lookin' for trouble, it's found, heh."
She looks at me for help, and I flash her a calming expression before barking at these yahoos for thinking they own these grounds.
"I'm only lookin' for one dude, not a clan of jerks who think they can get away with terrorizing everyone they come across! So I'll give you two options: Back off or face my wrath!"
The small gang looks at me with teasing smiles, while Astral hovers to my side and comments,
"That strategy is not sound: These thugs do not appear the type that are willing to simply just 'back off'."
I grumble back through clenched teeth,
"Not, helping, Astral!"
The guy holding me hostage then says to the one gripping Jamal,
"Hey, Scorch: What's the next move?"
"Teach 'em a lesson."
...I let out a low chuckle, causing them to dart their eyes on me, just as I raise my head with a dark smile and comment,
"Funny...I was just thinkin' the same about you two."
"Huh?" "Huh?"
Two seconds was all I needed to shift my hand to grab one of the wrists holding mine in a bone-cracking grip, causing him to yelp as I twist out of his hold and knee him hard in the stomach!
I hear a sharp intake of breaths as the poser dropped to his own knees, before I whirled around and sweep-kicked Scorch's legs, tripping him backwards and drop his choke-hold on Jamal.
"Uh!"
...But I knew these guys were tougher than iron and would be back on their feet in no time, so I made the split-second choice to get my friend out of the line of capture again, yanking him by his arm away from Scorch and shoving him towards Tiffany, just as I was snatched into the other punk's hands again!
"Addy!" "Athena!"
I struggled hard, but his grip on my arms was too tight:
Shoot...
Scorch rises to a stand again while biting back a growl, before he locks eyes on me with a seething glare and steps over to yank my head back by my hair, making me wince from the controlled sensation rather than pain (since that ship sailed into the Bermuda long ago...).
"Why you little bi-...Hang on a second..."
His grip on my hair ceases, before I felt a new one on my chin as he tilts my face to be in full-view for his eyes, his expression set into a frown of thought.
"You...You look like someone one of my freaky cousins described a long while back. Some crazy chick who kicked his ass in a fight at that old forest buildin' that got turned into a young punk's club."
My eyes widen the slightest:
Oh crap...!
The guy holding me in place tugs me back to he could get a look at my face...and forms a wry grin.
"You're right. She does look like a cleaner version of that girl, what's her nickname...Berserker."
Hearing that name again...that title, sent a shiver down my spine, one that didn't go unnoticed by these two men.
"Heh, look at her, Chills: Not as tough as before, is she? What's wrong, kid? Scared of a ghost or somethin'?"
Ghost?...Oh.
I get it: He must've fed a cock and bull that I'm dead in this part of the city.
I relax considerably, causing Scorch and Chills to look at me with raised brows.
"Hm?"
"What're you thinkin' 'bout now, pipsqueak?"
"Nothin' a dead-end man like you need worry about. (Smirk) I doubt someone with your IQ would understand, anyway."
"Gh! Why you-!"
"Stop."
Before Scorch could make the move to sock me with his fist, a familiar male calls a halt to this weird interrogation, and I turn to the stairwell to see noneother than the subject of my mission in his casual outfit looking over all of us with a stern glare.
"Let go of the little brats."
I mutter his name as he settles at the foot of the stairs, before Scorch asks,
"What? You know 'em or somethin'?"
"Sure do."
Chills leans his head down my my right ear and hisses with a smirk,
"Guess it's your lucky day, little girl," before shoving me into the safer arms of my friends...
Once he, Scorch and the other four guys exit the abandoned arcade, Shark moves his position to briefly stand by us and says,
"You shouldn't have come here."
I step up and counter back,
"Why shouldn't I? I've marked these walls before, back when I was younger and stupid to the consequences..."
He glances over his shoulder and looks at me with a flash of surprise, before I brush off the remark in a dry air.
"But that's besides the point: I'm here because you and I need to talk."
He asks back,
"About what, exactly?"
"Having a duel, that's what, which'll hopefully open the conversation to why you're suddenly being a dumbass and hanging around crowds like that lot."
Shark's eyes widen a bit from my answer...before he settles into a sneered smirk with a bitter ghost of a chuckle.
"I can't duel you."
"Why not?"
"Because I quit dueling."
What?
It was my turn to widen my own eyes as Tiffany and Jamal take in sharp, confused breaths, before Shark turns his back to me and wanders out while calling,
"I've moved on, Athena, and now, I'm moving on from you."
Only one thought came to my head as the door closed:
...Bullshit.
Small Time Skip
Once I safely guided my friends out of that district of the city, we all decided to walk over near the small bridge that went over the riverside, the sunset beginning its burnout for the day...
"Bit of a damn shame, ain't it? That Shark's changed that much..."
I hear Tiffany hum in agreement, before she asks me,
"What do you think of it, Addy?"
Astral winds up making his own comment before I formed an answer:
"After observing you, I think I know what you are going to say: 'Good riddance to that bullying pest'...Am I correct, Athena?"
...I look back out to the sparkling water for a minute, before puffing out a sigh and replying to him and Tiffany,
"I think that Shark's full of it."
"Huh? Full of what?"
"Of a fake bitterness to dueling, Jamal. He's lying about quitting dueling to cover up something he's being too much of a wuss to face right now."
I formed a sad frown as I add a bit quieter,
"...Something I can relate to, in a way. After all, I once hung up my duel disk for a long period minus those shotty battles that can't even be called duels, nearly never picking it up again...just 'cause I chose to shut myself away from everything alive."
I hear my two best friends mutter my name solemnly, while feeling a stare from those mismatched gold and white...
Later on come nightfall, I'd be laying casually over the covers of my bed, dressed in my salmon red tank-top sleep-dress, with one arm tucked behind my head and the other lying limp, my mind too muddled with today's activity, as well as some ugly memories from a time when my emotions were close to hanging themselves.
(Flash)
"I've moved on, Athena, and now, I'm moving on from you."
(Flash)
"You're aware that you're gonna get yourself killed one of these days, right?"
"Your point being?"
"You may be in deep...but you can still walk."
"...I wish it was that simple, Aki. I really do."
(Flash)
"You've got a future here as a titled fighter, Berserker. Don't let anything stand in your way. Show anyone who crosses you no mercy."
"Way ahead of you on that, Trilos...'cause I no longer have mercy for myself."
(Flash)
...I can't let him lose himself like I nearly lost myself. Dueling, is the only thing keeping my head in check from falling deep again.
I know Shark feels that way too...
"...Are you alright, Athena? It is past the time you usually fall asleep, but you are still wide awake."
Fighting the urge to jump out of my flesh, I turned my eyes to meet Astral's, nearly forgetting he was near the side of my bed...I then sighed deeply and reply quiet-like,
"No, I'm not alright...My mind's racin' with things I seldom speak aloud, connected to a part of my life that sometimes makes me ashamed to be in my own skin."
"Ashamed? Why is that? Unless...does it have to do why you were acting out in that arcade building?"
"(Nod) Yeah...See, believe it or not, I used to have a worse attitude than I reflect these days. Hard as stone to my own emotions...'cause I chose to allow myself to be lured into a lifestyle that requires you to put up that imaginary brick wall around your heart, or face near-death."
Astral's eyes widen considerably from my harsh description, and I smirk grimly as I muse,
"Kind-of ironic, though, since that action would send me on a one-way train ticket to my own self-destruction...That's why I'm a little upset over Shark's situation: He's only taken a couple steps down that direction, but...if he keeps movin', he's gonna lose alot more than his will to duel."
I frown sadly and add,
"...His history will be erased, and will transform into a dishonourable mention of 'Lost Causes'...something I almost became."
"But what was this activity you were lured in? And those, 'duels that were not duels'; what did you mean by that? What are you not saying, Athena?"
Letting out another sigh, I roll onto my side and I shimmy under the covers of my bed as this conversation began to drain me mentally.
"I told you already, Astral: That part of my past isn't easy for me to talk about so casually...Don't get me wrong. I, want to be able to talk about it without my voice getting caught in my throat...but the memories, they still, hurt, spiritually, I mean."
The room goes quiet for a moment...until my senses picked up on something over my head, and I glance up to see a blue hand hovering just half a centimeter over my hair.
"Uh...Astral...?"
"It's alright...I will not push you to speak if you do not want to."
Hearing the sympathy in his tone...it made my chest feel less constricted, yet at the same time, I felt something in my heart rise.
...Good god...I've really started forging a trust with this strange boy, haven't I?
Smiling a tiny smile, I nod a bit and whisper,
"Thank you," making him nod before he gently chides,
"Now, perhaps you should get some sleep if you wish to function properly tomorrow."
I hum in agreement, before shutting my eyes to drift along to dreamland, which I prayed wouldn't haunt me for this one night...
Time Skip, No POV
Come the next morning, we find ourselves looking within one of the many classrooms of the Heartland Dueling Academy's spaciously-connected campus, as Tiffany (who was wearing her lemon yellow-rimmed glasses today) readies to unpack her bookbag, only to pause when Jamal approaches her to ask,
"Hey, Tiff, has Addy come in yet?"
Caswell joins them as she replies,
"Not that I've seen...Let me guess, you haven't seen her either?"
"Nope...which means there's only one place she could be right now..."
The boy with dreadlocks shakes his head, before shooting a stern expression at the boy with a bowl-cut.
"You just have to prove your own opinion's the right one over the stupidest topics, don'cha, genius?"
The latter flinches, and looks down with a guilty expression...
Meanwhile, over in the abused streets of the older city district that seldom few high-ranked individuals wander to, Athena was confronting Shark once again about his recent behaviour. Today, she wore her hair back in a very long braid, highlighting her outfit that consisted of a spaghetti-strap dark blue tank-top under her black leather jacket, acid white-stained black skinny jeans with a red/black plaid skirt overtop that ran to just before her kneecaps, and a pair of black sneakers with sky blue laces.
"What do you want?"
"You know damn well what: To duel and get a straight answer out of why you've been acting like you died since our first battle."
"You wouldn't understand."
"I understand alot better than you think I do...Come on, Shark, don't pussyfoot around me: Break out the deck and just duel me!"
"For the last time, Athena, I have quit!"
With that, the boy with cerulean irises breaks into a run out of the area, leaving the girl to grumble,
"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me," before rushing off after him:
"Get back here!"
The chase first ran through an alleyway exiting the run-down arcade left, which would be blocked off by a tall wire fence. But Shark was able to wall/fence jump side-to-side to vault over the blockade, while Athena spots several crates propped against a large dumpster on her right, and uses them like a step ladder before doing a somersault-jump over the top of the fence!
"Hah!"
(Flash)
Frantic feet rush down that same alleyway during the cover of night, belonging to a small group of teens mixed with a few preteens, the latter including a familiar, younger girl with red irises dressed in a rough-looking leather outfit, biker boots included.
"Hah...hah...Quick, over the fence!"
Two taller individuals ready themselves at the front of the fence and help launch the rest over the blockade, before they gripped the wire webbing to spider-climb over on their own, just as a few random strangers scrapping into adulthood, dressed in worse for wear clothing come staggering over to the area, bending over to catch their breath while one, whose t-shirt had a freshly-sprayed paint tag on it, waves a fist and shouts,
"You little pricks!"
The small group of teens and preteens jog off while howling with laughter, the girl slide-fiving a taller teen with a cheeky grin that was mixed with real and fake emotion...
(Flash)
The memory comes to a close upon Athena's landing, and she glances back at the fence with a ghost of a mischievous smile, before getting back on task...
The next leg of the run would take us out of the worn district over a large, controlled pond with an abstract fountain streaming in the middle, and a nearby information center built on the other side. The chased would hop across the floating step stones first without showing signs of slowing down, but so would the chaser as she calls,
"Will you stop running already, idiot?!"
(Trip)
"Whoa!"
(Flash)
Another day pops to mind, just a few weeks after Athena left a darker part of her life behind...
"Hahaha, come on, you guys, the curry buns will be gone before long!"
She's rushing across that same waterway path, her clothes no longer reflecting a morbid outlook, with her two best friends and old acquaintance bringing up the rear.
"Slow down a bit, Addy!"
"Yeah, it's not like they'll evaporate!"
"Listen to 'em, Ad-Oh shoot, watch your footing!"
"Huh?"
(Slide)
"Yah!"
(Splash...)
The girl suddenly slips on a wet patch on one of the stones just before the other side, and goes tumbling into the controlled pond...She pops out just a few seconds afterward with a sputtering breath, while the other three people burst into laughs while settling on solid ground.
"Nice fumble-dive!" "Oh Addy...!"
"Least you've got a cool-down before we hit the spicy food."
She in turn breaks into her own chuckle before swimming over to left herself out of the pond, shaking off the excess water while retorting,
"Very funny. Keep laughing and I'll shove you lot into the deep next."
"Gah!" "You wouldn't...!" "Too cruel!"
The girl flashes a wicked but joking smile...
(Flash)
"(Small smirk) Oh-hoh no, I'm not goin' for a swim this time!"
Shifting her angle, Athena directs herself to land onto the next stepping stone on her palms before flipping her body a few feet to land smoothly on the edge of the other side. She quickly took off in a run after the subject of her chase while quirking mentally,
Guess I have to take back those insults I cussed out when Tiff signed me up for those ballet gymnastic classes she had a groupon for last year...
...Eventually, the race would end over the ocean just as dusk began making itself known with the dim orange hues bouncing over the water and concrete roads of an unfinished interstate highway. Shark would pause to catch his breath, muttering to himself,
"I finally lost her..."
"...Finally slowed to a halt, huh?"
"Gh!"
He whirls around to meet the smirking face of the girl who hunted him down, who says to him after straightening up from her own deep breathing,
"Guess no one told you I can't be dodged easy. Now, you ready to concede this dumb cat and mouse run and bring your disk out?"
...The boy doesn't respond, and turns to walk away again, causing Athena to frown and call harshly,
"So that's it, then? You're gonna continue being a wussy little coward and refuse to face your problems?"
That stopped him dead in his tracks, and he grinds his teeth before turning back to the girl to yell,
"Shut up! How dare you call me a coward!"
"I ain't daring anything: I'm stating a fact."
"Why are you so insistent on prying into my head anyway?!"
"Because I've been down your road before, Shark!"
He falters his angered expression to make room for shock from how serious Athena's tone became.
"Like I said before, I understand your frustrations better than you think. I too have gone through a rough patch, choosing to forgo any help...and it nearly costed me my life."
(Flash)
A beaten-up, leather-clad young form staggers down a greying street in the pouring rain, her breath ragged and hazed with the occasional head twitch, each step mirroring that of a drunken stupor...
But this individual, was experiencing a state of consciousness that almost made her wish she was drunk.
(Flash)
Shaking off the shadowy memory, the girl's red irises soften to reflect concern and a deep depression mixed with a grizzly anger.
"Needless to say, it's a miracle I've been able to pick up my dueling equipment with a clear-enough head...I was drowning, and just barely managed to pull myself out of the deep away from some really bad people. But you...Shark, you're only in the shallow end. You still have a chance to walk away early before you can no longer distinguish the exit point."
...Shark stared at Athena with a stunned expression for a few more seconds, before relaxing into a stubborn frown while looking down at the ground with a hand on his hip.
"Sounds like you've been in some big trouble before...But still: It's none of your business who I hang with or what I do, Athena."
"Too late. Your business became my business the second we first dueled. I don't give a rat's ass if you acknowledge it or not, but a good number of my dueling rivals, including you, automatically become my friends...With that said, here's a deal for ya: One duel, and if I beat you, you tell those losers you've been hoverin' with to go suck a lemon."
"Yeah? And what do I get if I win?"
The girl with the long black braid tipped copper red shifts her left hand to lightly grip the string of her pendant, holding it up slightly to broadcast to the boy several feet across from her.
"The same thing you were after during our first confrontation: My key."
Astral floats down near to try and protest:
"No, Athena. Wait." She replies to him in a stern air,
"Stand down, Astral."
Shark's lips form a short-lived grin of anticipation:
"Keh...okay. (Neutral frown) You've got yourself a deal. And once this is all over, I'm gonna get that necklace of yours."
"Don't count on it."
The duelists prepare themselves for the battle yet to commence, the air thick with tension, as the blue-skinned being once again tries to steer some sense into the girl he follows.
"Athena...are you, sure about this?"
"Yes I am. And as I said before, I don't want you to advise me during this duel. I also want to avoid using the Numbers."
"But why?"
"Because I want to show that it's faith, a duelist's inner fire that guarantees victory, not the cards they hold."
...She then glances over to her left, just as three familiar faces wearing their academy uniforms arrive on scene.
"Kh, 'bout time they showed up. Hey, Caswell!"
Said addressee stiffens to attention from the girl's call, as she narrows her eyes in a scrutinizing manner and says,
"You've got your wish for another duel...You just better pray that any form of consequence that could rear its ugly head by the end is worth it."
"Uh...Addy..."
The other boy and girl flinch from how stern their friend sounded, while she faces her front again with an exhaled puff and continues alliterating her motives with Astral.
"Anyway, why should I use Numbers against someone who's got none? That'd be an unfair advantage for me, and a major disadvantage for Shark."
The latter's lips part slightly in awe, as Athena then smiles grimly to add,
"Plus let's face it: This duel's become more than just provin' a petty point to a smart alack. It's about steering the boy a distant ways from me away from a life path that could very well destroy him. I, don't want that for Shark...I want him to achieve his mark on the world."
With that message in the wind, Astral nods in understanding before replying as he floats back a bit from the girl,
"Alright then. Consider me a spectator."
As this was going on, the subject of the red-eyed girl's new goal was glaring seriously at the other with his cerulean blue.
I haven't forgotten our last duel, Athena...
His teeth clench as he recalls the moment he was thrown back by Utopia's perilous blade attack...
If I'm gonna come out of early retirement, (sneer) I can think of no better reason than to do it to beat you!
The girl on his thought process would make the opening call:
"Alright, game on! Duel Disk: Go! Duel Gazer: Open a new page! Duel Interface: Show me the world beyond imaginable!"
Augmented Reality Vision Link Established.
Everyone else would follow with their own duel gazers, Shark his equipment and deck, before both players cry out with anticipating grins,
"Let's do this!"
(...Pulse)
"Uh...!"
That's when Athena felt a minuscule wave of dizziness pass through her body, and she staggers sideways ever so slightly while clutching the side of her head as her vision blurs a little, feeling her heartbeat skip...
Oh, damn...don't tell me we're at that time again...!
"Addy...?" "Athena, are you okay?"
Snapping out of her haziness, she darts her red irises to the sidelines where her friends were, the three eyeing her with wary and concerned expressions. Flashing a reassuring smirk, Athena calls back,
"Y-Yeah yeah, I'm good; just sped through the beginnin' too quick, I think. Heheh..."
Her hint of a stutter and nervous laughter didn't fool Tiffany, who watched her friend with a thoughtful frown.
Something's wrong...I can feel it.
When Addy's playing the antsy smile, she's usually trying to cover a rising worry over something.
But what?
Meanwhile, the girl with the long braid of black dyed copper-red at the tip shakes her head and thinks to herself with a slight frown,
If that was the warning sign of what I think it was...I better step up the pace before things tilt to fatal.
"Alright, my Draw! First, I summon Gogogo Golem in Defense Mode!"
Said monster jumps onto the field while gesturing a cross-block, displaying 1500 Defense Points. Astral then warns,
"Be careful, Athena. Shark has a trove of powerful beasts. That Golem is tough, but-"
"I know, I know, keep my guard up. Now please put a lid on it. I place one card face down, and end my turn!"
No point in leaving my monster vulnerable when they can't attack...
Plus with the Trap, Battle Break set, I can destroy a monster from Shark's side that tries to shoot me down.
(Small smile) May not add to much, but this is a definite sign I'm improving my dueling skills.
"My turn! I Draw! First I summon, Friller Rabca!"
Level Three with 700 Attack Points displayed, this monster had the guise of a monstrous barracuda/minnow hybrid with sunset colours making up its scales. Astral thinks to himself aloud,
"But it only has 700 Attack Points...What could Shark be planning?"
"Now I summon Shark Stickers!"
A whirlwind of water manifests on Rabca's side, before revealing an eel-like monster that was also Level Three but with 200 Attack Points.
"You see, Athena, when Friller Rabca's on the field, Shark Stickers can be summoned from my hand."
The being invisible to all eyes but one then mutters,
"And I think I know what's coming next..."
Athena grumbles in a scoff,
"Tch, well that didn't take long, did it," while fighting a dull pressure that was very slowly building in her lungs...
"I overlay Friller Rabca and Shark Stickers! With these two monsters, I can build the Overlay Network and XYZ Summon!"
The two blue streams of light dive into the red vortex...
"Ha! Now say hello to Aero Shark!"
And said Rank Three monster would crash its way out of the concrete under to attention on Shark's side of the duel field...Athena looks up at it with no fear, noting,
"1900 Attack Points...Stronger by 400 than Golem, who's thankfully in Defense Mode. My trap will hold out fine...but at least my monster has a second protection with its ability handy."
Yet her monster's safety would quickly be the least of her concerns...
"Now I'll play Aero Shark's ability: By using up one Overlay Unit, you take 400 points of damage for every card in my hand! And since I have four cards in my hand, that adds up to 1600 points of damage, Athena!"
The XYZ monster shoots out a barrage of skinny missiles in Athena's direction, who forms a cross-shield in similar fashion to her Golem just as the attack connects. Her friends make sounds of worry...but the smoke clears to reveal a grimly-smiling girl who rose to her feet as her Life Points dropped to 2400.
A good play, I'll give him that...
Shark was momentarily taken aback by the smile and ease of the girl's rise, but brushes it off to continue his turn.
"Next I activate the Spell, Mystical Space Typhoon from my hand! Thanks to Typhoon, I can blow one Spell or Trap Card off the field."
A strong twister dusts its tail onto the field, and knocks away Athena's face-down before it disintegrated into pixels, making her curse under her breath...
"Now go, Aero Shark: Attack Gogogo Golem with Devouring Dive!"
"Hmph! You may have destroyed my Trap, but Gogogo Golem's still safe for another round! Because he's in Defense Mode, he can avoid being destroyed once per turn!"
"Maybe so, but you're still gonna take damage!"
The twin-set fish beast dive-bombs against the golem's body, but only succeeds in shoving it backwards, while impact of the attack throws the red-eyed girl into the air as her Life Points settled downward to 2000...
"I now place one card face-down, and end my move!"
Just as the boy makes that call, Athena pushes herself from her back and chuckles quietly with a smirk, causing Caswell to raise an incredulous brow.
"How could she be laughing at a time like this?! Athena's already down to 2000 Life Points after just one turn!"
Jamal replies with a headshake,
"What can I tell ya, Cas? That's just Addy: She laughs at the face of danger...Still, gotta say, Shark duels too well to claim early retirement."
"That's the least of my concerns right now."
"Hm?"
Both boys turn to eye the girl standing with them, whose blue eyes shone with worry behind her lemon yellow glasses and were directed at the other female in the area.
"I'm, getting this bad feeling...My inner BFF alarm's going off."
"How come?"
"Didn't either of you see that dizzy spell before the duel started? And look carefully: Her breathing is puffing here and there, and she's perspiring more than usual..."
The boys turn to search for that description...and began to notice said details, as well as a very discreet but constant shift of footing, like the girl was struggling to stay upright.
"You're right..."
"Tiff...Are you thinkin' that Addy's metabolism-"
"Could be spiking? (Gulp) I'm crossing my fingers it's not...but the signs are beginning to gear up."
As those three teens discussed their rising anxiety, Shark was eyeing Athena with suspicion at how she was just getting off the ground from the attack like it did nothing.
How is she doin' that? It's like she's a brick wall, but, that can't be right...
And she's smirking. Why?
"Hey...what's your deal here?"
"Hm?"
"How do you keep getting back up like you can't feel any sort of pain?"
"...Because I can't."
That blunt response wasn't something Shark expected:
"What?"
"I literally cannot feel any sort of physical pain. Wish I could say it was a genetic condition or whatever, since that would be less terrifying than how I really got this way..."
The girl looks down at her free hand and clenches it into a fist:
"But I suppose my freaky ability does have its benefits. For example, you can use me right now as your punching bag if you're that desperate enough to vent out your anger."
She darts her red irises to lock with her opponent's cerulean:
"I'm willin' to bet that's why you brought out Aero Shark so early into this game, so you could doll out a wailing against me, whom you zeroed on as the source of your current predicament. Am I right or wrong? You blame me for the loss of your inner fire in our first duel, an upstart who's barely making her mark in the Dueling history books."
Shark clenches his teeth with a wide-eyed expression from the accusation, as the girl adds in a strong voice,
"Well here's a new flash, Shark: I'm not the reason you lost. Your ego was...and I find it sad that I gotta dish out that same lesson again."
"S-Shut, up...Shut up!"
Everyone else widens their eyes from the conversation conveyed and the reactions, while Athena closes her eyes with a frown.
"You're only proving my point...and I get it, 'cause I've been in your place before, which is why I cannot allow you to fall."
She sets her face into a determined glare and shouts,
"I won't let you lose yourself, Shark! My Draw!"
The card that she drew, was noneother than her Gagaga Magician.
"Heh, wondered when I'd be seeing you..."
Now then...since I've sworn not to use Numbers this time, I'll need to come up with a different strategy to avoid the obvious move.
Let's see...
Stinging Swordsman has the ability to drive away Spells and Traps back to my opponent's hand, but only when he dolls direct damage.
Monster Reborn's a good card too, but not useful right now.
...That leaves Gagaga, Zubaba and Atraffic Control.
(Pulse, pulse...)
"Rgh..."
The girl then rubs her eyes furiously as she felt a new wave of dizziness hit her, and takes in slow, deep breaths to calm herself, only to find a new shortness to them.
Crap, I'm gettin' too close to the blackout...
Much as I wanna break and refuel, I gotta block this out for just a little longer.
Wiping away some sweat from her forehead, Athena then hums to herself,
Okay...here's an idea: I'll summon one of those monsters in Defense Mode with Golem, then place down Atraffic Control.
That should give me a decent enough defense until I can find a way to bring out Baby Tiragon.
With him, I can pull off the same move I did against Flip. While I don't know Shark's strategy in full, he's likely gonna try another Spell or Trap, or both to throw me off...But he'll be the one thrown off his game.
Nodding to herself firmly, Athena begins the first part of her plan:
"I summon Zubaba Knight in Defense Mode!"
Said Level Four monster jumps to the field, but then positions himself in a shielding manner with 900 Defense Points displayed. The three teens on the sidelines began discussing amongst themselves over the latest play.
"Say, aren't Zubaba and Golem both Level Four?"
"You don't think Addy's gonna-"
Jamal shook his head furiously at the other two:
"No way! She said she wasn't gonna summon even one Number, and I believe her...Besides, if she was that careless, why would she go to the trouble of setting Zubaba in Defense Mode?"
"Uh!...You're right, Jamal."
"Then what is she up to?"
That was the same if similar question that ran across Astral's mind as he silently eyed the girl's form.
There was a much lengthier pause in her moves this time...
She is truly trying to use some sort of strategy, but of what kind?
...What are you doing now, Athena?
Said girl begins opening her mouth as she inches her free fingers to her next card, but stopped when Shark suddenly calls to her in a taunt,
"Go on! Play that Number...I want you to!"
"What?"
Caswell exclaims after Athena,
"Has Shark lost his mind?!" Jamal was thinking similarly:
"He does remember that only a Number can destroy a Number, right? And that he's got none after his last duel against Athena...What's he thinkin'?"
...Athena's hand reaches to grip her next play, but waits to hear her opponent out.
"Why do you want me to play a Number?"
"Hmph, why else? Isn't that the only way you're gonna be able to beat me?...But then again, maybe your Number's not enough: Maybe the real reason I agreed to this duel was so I can prove I can take it down!"
She grits her teeth in annoyance from such an answer:
Tch, now he's acting close to Caswell's thinking...
Yet I, almost want to humour him and summon out Utopia, but that would completely contradict my reasons for dueling.
"Athena."
"Hm?"
She turns her head over her shoulder to look at Astral:
"If the duelist really makes the card, then it should not matter if that card in question happens to be weak or to be strong."
"Your point being?"
"Remember your more noble reason you've set to accomplish: Not to help your ego as a duelist...but to help your friend Shark."
"...Yes, that's right...Which is why I'm sticking to my current plan, and won't bother to humour him or Cas."
Astral forms a confused expression, as Athena forms a ghost of a smile.
"Thanks for reminding me not to get distracted."
"Athena...what are you-"
"Just watch."
She turns to face the front and gives Shark a straight expression while stating to him,
"Sorry to disappoint you...but the monster you want to see won't be making an appearance today, not 'cause of a dumb little wager, (small smirk) but because I wanna prove there's more than one way to meet an end."
"Uh! What do you-"
"I place one card face-down, and end my turn. Your move, Shark; make it count."
The boy's jaw slacks slightly in shock from the play in time with the eyes on the sidelines that widened.
"She, didn't summon..."
"I was almost certain she'd bring out Utopia. In the end...I was wrong."
Jamal then smiles proudly and says to the other two,
"Told you guys. Once Addy's on a mission, she'll find any way she can to skid to the home plate."
I just hope you've got an idea of what you're doin', my friend...
But while the dark-skinned boy with dreadlocks was reflecting a positive expression, Shark's face was displaying fury.
Grh! Why?! Why didn't she summon that damn Number?!
"You're hesitating, Shark. Why is that?"
He darts his irises upward to meet Athena's, who folded her arms with a knowing smirk plastered onto her face.
"You've really let that duel's bitterness get to you, huh? So bad that if you could, you'd wail a fist at Utopia's torso like it was a cardboard standee...Come on, I'm showing you don't need to rely on powerful monsters to make a duel interesting. Why can't you-"
(PULSE)
"GH!"
Suddenly, Athena's eyes shoot wide as saucers...and she grips her free hand over where her heart was, feeling a particularly strong beat that shook her skin!
Oh, no...!
The feeling of panic began to rise, as the girl struggles to breathe properly, each puff of air in and out sounding a wheezy manner, making everyone stiffen to attention.
"Huh?" "Addy?"
"Addy, what's wrong?!"
Astral hovers to the girl's side to try and inquire an answer:
"Athena, what is going on? Are you okay; what is happening to you?!"
Even Shark's sharpened expression faltered to make way for concern to reflect in his irises.
Huh? What's wrong with her now?
"Hey! What're you tryin' to pull now?! Come on, don't screw with me and fight!"
Those words made Athena stop breathing for a split, stretched second, as she stares ahead towards the source...but doesn't see them.
(Flash)
A young girl clad in thin layers of black is on her knees in what appears to be a fighting ring, as dozens of faceless voices jeer and call from the outside in their own excitement for the event taking place...
She's then hoisted up by her neck by a burly male a few years older than herself, his facial features reflecting signs of a...possible high.
"(Jittery laugh) Come on, come on! You can't be done yet; we've only begun. Stop screwin' around, rookie, and fight me!"
The girl winces from the harsh and crazed address...but darts her head up with a red irises locked in a seething glare that wasn't rational, and lets out a roar before she thwacks her legs forward into the young man's torso, knocking herself out of their grip!
She then lunges forward upon landing on the ringer's ground again, fist raised and crying out like a rabid animal.
(Flash)
That same roar would sound in a weaker echo from Athena's mouth, as she swung a blind fist forward in Shark's direction, much to his confusion.
What the hell...!
That outcry died quicker than it came...as the girl stumbles her footing and falls forward with a whimper like a wounded dog, crashing onto the concrete face-down unconscious...
"Athena!"
Tiffany's scream ran through the air with Astral's, as she lead the charge with Jamal and Caswell rushing close behind, quickly reaching the fallen girl's side to turn her over to see her paling face that drew very weak, quickened breaths between her parted lips, they grazed slightly from the rough blacktop.
"Athena! Athena, wake up! Please wake up!"
"Damn, her spike's come back...! Cas, call an ambulance!"
"I'm on it!"
As Tiffany and Jamal shift to hold the unconscious girl in their arms, the AR World dissipates away after Shark cancels it out before running over to see what was going on.
"What happened?!"
Tiffany looks up to meet his cerluean with teary sky blue:
"Uh! Shark...I-It's her metabolism; it spikes at random and drains her really bad!"
"What...?!"
Athena...
Caswell hangs up his duel gazer with an uncharacteristic angry expression as he groans,
"The ambulance is gonna take too long to get here! Apparently, some crazy arsonist has the paramedics kept busy deep downtown after they set an entire street of buildings on fire, three of which were thankfully abandoned...What are we gonna do?!"
"First of all, calm down and not pull your hair out."
"H-Huh?"
Eyes fall on Shark's form, who was staring aimlessly at Athena's unconscious form...before he reaches down to pick her up into his arms like a bride and turning to rush over to his parked duel runner, which he had used recently in the earlier chase to try and escape from the insistent girl.
"Uh! Shark!"
"Shark, what're you doing?!"
"Shark!"
The other three teens dart after the boy, just as he settles himself into the driverseat while placing the girl into his lap, holding her up with one arm while using his free hand to put his helmet on.
"...I can get her to the hospital faster than some dumb ambulance."
The others widen their eyes with shock at Shark's sudden generosity, including Astral, who was hovering overhead the former but with his eyes locked on Athena's form.
He, wants to help?
"...Shark."
He looks up to meet the eyes of Jamal, who gives him a stern glare as he tells the other,
"You better keep a strong grip on her as you motor along, 'cause if I hear anything related to Addy going tumbling down the road, you'll have more than her angry brothers and grandpa to deal with. Get me?"
The boy with cerulean eyes stares into the sea green irises for a second...before forming a small, well-meaning smirk and replying,
"Got it. Speaking of, one of you should contact her family while I'm running...See you lot down there, I guess."
With that, he roars the engine of his vehicle to life, before speeding off down the road in the direction of the hospital...Along the way, the teen found himself glancing down briefly at the girl under his arm, his mind clouding her image over with another female, whom shared similar features to himself...
Shaking his mind loose, Shark focuses straight ahead, yet couldn't help but think to himself,
Kuh, and this girl calls me an idiot?
She's the one who put her life on the line, for someone like me.
"...Athena, you fool."
Time Skip
(Beep...beep...beep...beep...beep...)
We jump ahead to around mid-morning of the next day, our view being the inside of one of the many white-washed rooms of the Heartland City Hospital, where three familiar older males were sitting inside, concerned eyes cast to their youngest family member currently laying unconscious in bed with an IV line attached to her left arm, her colour a bit better than before but not by much...
Just outside the room and sitting on a bench laying against the wall, were the other four teens from yesterday who refused to go home until their friend was awake...
"I see that you're all still here."
Their heads dart up to meet the eyes of a middle-aged fellow with lightly-graying brown hair styled into a rat tail ponytail, kind amber-brown eyes, a soul patch on his chin, and wore the typical white coat of a doctor overtop a grey button-up shirt, dark brown slacks and black shoes. It would be Tiffany who addresses the arriving man, her voice a bit soft and exhausted from lack of sleep.
"Doctor Moreno..."
"Athena's a lucky girl to have plenty of people who will go out their way to be there for her. (Glance) Even when they're a bit reluctant to do so..."
The doctor was of course discreetly addressing Shark, who avoids the former's eyes while asking,
"...When is she gonna wake up?"
"More than likely in the next hour or so. (Mumble) That child hardly stays unconscious for very long, oddly enough...Thankfully, you got her here just in time, otherwise the situation would've been different...and possibly more dire."
...And hovering close to the girl's side, was Astral, whose expression had locked into a deep concern since he was forced to witness multiple physicians using equipment and techniques he was not familiar with to stabilize Athena's condition, which in his eyes looked like they were hurting her...until he heard the words,
"She's going to be alright. We got her back just in time."
...Athena...please wake up soon.
...An hour later, Terry would rush out of the room to find Doctor Moreno when he, Adam and their grandfather, Homare start to see signs that Athena was waking up! By the time they returned, the other four who were here to wait for the red irises to open again would have filed in near the girl's bed, as her eyelids very slowly blinked to the conscious world.
"Mm...M-Mm?"
Where...?
"Ah, woken up already, I see."
She weakly turns her head to the left...and widens her eyes when she sees a shadowed figure wearing a lab coat and a sinister smile!
NO!
Athena jerks up to a sitting position before swinging her right fist at the figure...but:
(Grasp)
It's revealed that they were actually the doctor, who easily caught the flying appendage into his own hand with a calm smile, while everyone else gasped in surprise from the hostile reaction of the young teen!
...No one moves or dare makes a sound, highlighting the ragged breathing of Athena, who was looking at Doctor Moreno with a half-crazed expression, until she hears him softly chide,
"Easy now, Athena, it's alright. You're in a safe place; let go of the image you're seeing..."
...The hallucination fades and makes room for the man with amber-brown irises.
"Uh...! D...Doctor Moreno...I, I'm so sorry, I-"
"It's alright. I could tell that you weren't fully in tune with the real world quite yet despite being awake. (Wry smile) And it's thanks to patients like you that I've developed fast reflexes."
That second comment made both the man and young girl chuckle a bit, as the latter relaxes her arm back onto the bed while her other hand reaches to subconsciously grip the golden key pendant, which was thankfully still on her person. Taking a silent breath of relief in, she then takes note of the other faces in the room with a tired smile.
"...Wow. You lot look worse than I probably do, and I'm the one sitting in the hospital bed."
The small group would smile in exasperation from such a comment (minus Shark, whose expression was shadowed by his hair as he kept his eyes to the ground), and Jamal replies,
"Really, Addy? Already onto your crude commentary?"
"(Shrug) You know me; I bounce back quick...That being said, seriously, did any of you get a wink of sleep at all?"
The somewhat sheepish and guilty expressions told her what she needed to know...
"Huh, well ain't that ironic: Most of you berate me to watch my own health but wind up ignoring yours when it becomes jeopardized."
Athena's grandfather shoots her a pointed look:
"Athena..."
"Sorry, Grandpa, but I had to say it...Now look, I get that most of you worry for me thanks to this stupid health condition of mine, (frown) but I don't appreciate it when you all go so far that you either treat me like I'm not my own age, or wind up making yourselves sick with paranoia."
The girl's expression shifts to reflect sadness and light guilt:
"That's when I'll truly feel pain in my being, the kind that, can't be healed by any medicine."
Everyone's expressions soften considerably when they hear the vulnerable message, and Tiffany would move from her place between Jamal and Caswell to sit on Athena's right side to hug the other tightly.
"Oh Addy..."
"Tiff..."
After a little while of more hugs and light chatter, the patient in this hospital locks her red irises on Shark, whom had settled to silently sitting on a chair by the large window of this room...
"Addy?"
"Hm?"
She stops staring at the boy and turns her eyes to her brother Adam, who smiles gently at her and says,
"Terry, Grandpa and I are gonna head back home now, and drop off Tiffany, Jamal and Caswell to their houses."
"(Nod) Okay..."
"Will you be alright here by yourself?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine...Besides..."
Athena glances up at Astral, then over at Shark, before adding,
"I have a feeling I won't be alone in here for a while..."
Adam assumes she was just speaking about the boy with cerulean irises (not aware of Astral's presence in this world), and nods with a smile of understanding.
"Alright...See you later this evening."
"See you, Adam."
More goodbyes would sound from her grandfather and friends, but Terry would just wave, making Athena sigh with a minor headshake at his stubbornness to speak one word to her since she woke up.
Of course he's gonna play the mute with me...
Sensing the dulled annoyance, Doctor Moreno pats the girl's shoulder with a sympathetic smile.
"Remember to not get angry with your brother, Athena. He's just worried about you."
"I know, I know, but that doesn't give him the excuse to act like a baby...But nevermind him."
She looks up and asks,
"How long am I gonna be held up here this time?"
"Heh, as I've said to you before, hospitals are not prisons...but you will need to stay here at least another two or three days, just to make sure that your vitals are strong."
"Gotcha."
"Good...I need to go check on some other patients, so I'll leave you to it."
With that, the doctor leaves the room...There's a pregnant pause in the air, until it was broken by noneother than the boy who got Athena here.
"...So why'd you keep quiet about not feeling well during our duel?"
She looks over at him with mild surprise at finally hearing his voice, before countering,
"I would think a smart guy like you would know the answer to that question already."
"...In that case, you're a crazy idiot."
Athena smirks and shrugs,
"Not the first time I've had either of those terms describe me...So, how come you stuck around? I would've thought that after dropping me off to the nurses, you'd hightail it outta here."
A small chuckle escapes Shark's mouth as he looks up with fatigue lightly tracing his facial features similar to how the others waiting for the girl's condition to change these last several hours.
"I was tempted, I'll admit that...but the way your friend, Jamal, shot me that look before I started the engine to my ride, it stuck with me. Forced me to stay."
"Jamal, huh? Didn't see that coming..."
"...And I guess I also wanted to tell you, the real reason I agreed to duel you."
Shark gets up from his seat by the window, and slowly walks over to the hospital bed while saying with a bitter smile,
"It's because I was crushed when you beat me that first time. You...were right. I blamed you for losin' my dueling edge."
"...I can tell that was hard for you to admit...But thank you for being a man and confessing."
He looks up at Athena with surprise for her softer address...just as she starts removing her key pendant from around her neck to present to him, straight expression on her face.
"Now...I think I owe you this from our duel yesterday."
"Uh...Why-"
"Technically, I lost after passing out halfway through, and...you were well on your way to winning against me, so, go ahead. Take this."
Both Shark and Astral stared at the girl in awe for her humility, she forming a small, sad smile on her face.
May not have gone any way we wanted it...but the ending's still for some sort of best.
"...You keep it."
"Huh?"
Now it was Athena's turn to look at Shark with surprise, who forms a soft smirk before he gently takes the pendant from her hands to put around her neck again.
"You may see it as a loss in your books, but for me, yesterday didn't really count as a duel since my opponent went and blacked out on me."
"Uh...Shark..."
"So you hold onto this, as a reminder to watch yourself before starting somethin' you can't finish."
The girl smirks wryly from the light joke laced in the boy's words:
"Heh, right...and, thanks for not being a jerk about this."
"Whatever."
"...So...are you going back to hangin' with those losers, Scorch and Chills, or did something out of yesterday smarten you up?"
The air tenses slightly in the new pause that passes...before Shark sighs and answers,
"I, actually sent a private message to Scorch in the early hours. Told him he and Chills can suck it."
"Nice."
"Mm...Though since I revealed that, maybe you can enlighten me on a thing or two."
Cerulean eyes look up to meet red with a more serious light as the former then asks,
"What exactly happened to you? Your friends told me about your problem regarding your, metabolism, but I didn't quite get what they were talkin' about."
"Heh, oh that? Well, unfortunately it spikes up on me at random times, causing my body to burn off more energy than it needs to which, weakens me considerably if I'm not careful enough. It's timing has become so random, I can't really predict when it comes too well anymore..."
"I'm guessing yesterday wasn't the first time you passed out, then?"
Athena shakes her head:
"Nope. In the short two years I had this problem, I've blacked out more times than I'd like to mention."
"Two years?"
"Like I said the other day, coupled with my immunity to pain, this condition isn't something I was born with..."
She clenches her fist and bitterly remarks,
"Some asshole and his cohorts...they made me this way, with a substance they injected into me after kidnapping me off the streets."
Shark's eyes widen with shock:
"What?!"
"Yeah...The trauma's blocked off a good amount of those few days I was missing from the city, but according to Doc Moreno, who did my examination after I was brought back by Tiffany and her dad who found me on that old logging road, the substance was some kind of experimental drug that was banned by the medical community a few decades back. Too many subjects...they died from it."
Athena looks up ahead of herself, clenching her pendant securely as she adds in a duller tone,
"But here I am, a first victim of the drug in years, who survived..."
"Yet the consequences were quite dire for your mental health."
She glances over at Astral and nods a bit in confirmation, before Shark then says,
"Okay...that's definitely an arm and leg to take in...But that punch you threw before passing out: You looked like you were ready to beat me black and blue...yet it wasn't me you saw, was it?"
Athena stiffens a bit from the question, and the boy nods with a hm:
"Thought so...Where was your head at, Athena? The same place it was when you threw that fist at the Doctor?"
"...No...Yesterday's punch was from another time, during my numbing phase after I was brought home."
Breathing out a deep sigh, the girl then mutters while holding her face,
"And I'm guessin' you're gonna keep pestering me about it until I talk, huh?"
"Maybe, maybe not...but it might clear some of the air over why you of all people are familiar with areas like where Scorch and Chills hang..."
"Heh, caught on that, did you? Smart...Well, I was kind-of saving this chat for another's ear, but since both of you are here...sure, why the hell not?"
"Huh? Both?"
Athena smiles wryly and quirks to the confused teen,
"Long story...Anyway, I hope your butt's ready to go numb from sitting, Shark, (glances up) and that you're ready to go stiff floating up, Astral, 'cause this tale's gonna take a while to tell."