A flurry of papers containing dozens of duelist profiles go flying into the air, only to get pin-cushioned to the wall by Duel Monster Cards like an obsessive investigator's collage, courtesy of Quattro, who gazed over the images cornering each individual's basic information and stats with a wild grin.
"Which of my fabulous fans should I take on today? So many potential targets to choose from..."
He breaks into a sadistic chuckle, which would not go without comment by the other soul in the room.
"Your attitude seriously concerns me, Quattro."
Frowning, the late teen turns to look over at the young adult with long silver hair who was sitting on a sofa, reading a book and currently ignoring the tea set on a coffee table in front of him.
"Watching your fans squirm really does give you a charge, doesn't it?"
Catching the condescension within their tone, Quattro counters back,
"I do believe you're jealous, Quinton. Hey, it isn't my fault I'm popular. (Smirk) Besides, those chumps get what they deserve, and I have to make my work interesting somehow since there's never a chance I'll lose."
...Quinton's blue irises divert from the page he was reading, and he closes the book while counter-countering the other male in the room,
"Don't be so sure of that, Quattro: your arrogance will be your downfall."
Bristled by the lecture, the blond/redhead spat back,
"If you don't like how I operate, then maybe you should start collecting Numbers!"
Forming his own ironically-arrogant smile, the man dressed in blue-dominant clothing replies,
"I will, once the opponents get tougher."
Quattro sneers at the other's overconfidence:
"Really? So you think you're a better duelist than me, do you? Grab your deck and let's find out."
"Alright, that's enough, Quattro!"
Eyes fall on the new voice in the room, belonging to the youth with short, dark pink hair, he carrying in a new tray of tea while frowning in a mediator's manner.
"We're brothers. We shouldn't be fighting amongst ourselves."
"Mind your own business, pipsqueak!"
"No! Trey happens to be right."
Attention is diverted again, this time onto the biologically young body cloaked in a more adult air, with the braided blond hair and strange mask, who walks down a set of stairs to address the three, specifically, the male with dark rouge irises.
"I approve of your self-confidence, Quattro, but you must better learn to exercise self-control like the others."
"'Scuse me? Why does it matter what you actually think?"
Quinton rose to his feet, disliking the attitude his younger brother was displaying to their leader.
"Watch it, Quattro."
"Kuh, what's that? Mph!"
The teen with the blond/dark mahogany hair would then find himself stepping back with a wary expression from the male with very long silver hair, who was glaring at the former sternly.
"You will show Vetrix some respect. You will not talk to him that way!"
Quattro glares back waveringly at the other...before reluctantly complying with a pivot of his head.
"Fine, Quinton."
Calming himself, the eldest brother then shifts his focus on his youngest sibling, walking over to the wall of duelist profiles.
"I take it that you know what your mission is today, don't you, Trey?"
"Yes, brother."
He removes the card that held up...Jamal's profile.
"The duelist that they call Shark, is still trying to track down Quattro."
...Quinton tosses the card over to the youth with green irises and dark pink hair for him to catch.
"Better hang onto this Number Card. I have a feeling you'll be running into eachother very soon...Also, I've heard that a young but dangerous gang leader is in the tournament, and has been mercilessly taking out duelists in his way left and right, seemingly on a mission of his own. Best to have as much protection as possible."
Nodding, Trey replies,
"Right. I understand."
Quattro bites back a snort at his younger brother's obedient tone, before exiting the room with him...Quinton would then divert his eyes to the distant Heartland Tower through the large windows of this sitting room, a vengeful glare blazing in his blue irises as he thought about a particular occupant.
"Doctor Faker...someday, I'll take everything from you, just like you took everything from us."
"...Quinton."
He pivots his head towards the young body standing on the staircase, who reminds him,
"Just make sure Faker doesn't find out about me. (Smirk) He thinks I'm gone, and I want to leave it that way...'til the day I reveal myself."
...
...
We now move away from the fancy skyscraper suite all they way to Athena Fujina's neighbourhood during this, the morning of the second day for the World Duel Carnival's Preliminaries, our ears catching the message broadcasted through the AR by the city mayor for all participants of the tournament and their audience to hear.
"Greetings from Heartland City! Welcome all! It's Day Two of the World Duel Carnival. Today, you can make your dreams come true! Just make sure that all of you duel with, lots and lots of heart! Now, good luck!"
(...Slide)
Exiting from the wooden screen door of her home's porch first was Athena, dressed in a new outfit consisting of a white bandeau top under her leather jacket, a black, pleated skirt reaching her knees with red/green checkered suspenders hanging off her hips, and her black running shoes with blue laces woven in. She also tied back her long hair into a plait.
"Alright, time to sweep the competition again."
Tiffany, who slept over at her friend's house for the night, smiled at the girl with red irises at her display of confidence as she followed after from the home, she also wearing something different from yesterday, consisting of a pair of black shorts that went to her mid-thigh with pink lotus flowers on the back pockets, a lime green halter top with a baby blue vest, and a pair of brown flats. Both girls would then raise their brows as LillyBot comes sweeping by with the house broom to retort,
"Dream on, Athena. Sweeping is my job."
"Teh, didn't mean housework, Lil. I meant the WDC."
Athena pulls out her Heart Piece to show, it being sixty percent complete thanks to her duels from yesterday.
"See? This is how far I've come."
"What's that? It looks like garbage."
"It's not. It's the framework that holds my ante for the tourney, called Heart Pieces. So far, I have three out of five pieces I need, excluding the piece that I couldn't fit...If I keep up this pace, I'll be in the finals in no time."
Giggling, Tiffany chides,
"I'd concentrate on your next preliminary duel first before getting that far ahead."
"I know, I know..."
"Come on, Cas, step it up!"
"Huh?"
Hearing an exclaim from one of their male friends, the girls turn around to look down over the hedge to the street, spotting Jamal, he now wearing an outfit of a dark green unbuttoned shirt with the sleeves rolled up, over a white t-shirt with Red-Eyes Black Dragon's image printed dead center, black khaki pants, and runners matching his dark blue helmet, riding down the sidewalk fast on his scooter. Caswell, comprised in his academy uniform once again, struggles to run after the other.
"Wait up, Jamal! Hah, uh, hah...!"
Smiling in amusement, the girl with the black bob wonders aloud,
"What's got them so hyper?"
The other girl with copper-red tipped black hair shrugs and replies,
"Dunno. Let's hurry after 'em and find out."
We catch up with the olive coco-skinned teen, his black dreadlocks dancing on the breeze as he hops his scooter onto a wide stair rail to roll down the steps. He calls back with a smirking smile to the boy with bowl-cut blue hair,
"You gotta put in more effort, flat foot! Just imagine our gym teacher chasing after you!"
"Guh! Don't remind me! Now, slow do-who-whaaaah!"
Caswell stumbles down the stairs fast, tripping and landing on his behind...
"Totally meant to do that..."
Stopping his scooter, Jamal tsks with a shake of his head,
"Once again, I call it a miracle you're passing P.E. Now up ya get, Cas, before we're late."
"Hey, guys! Where's the fire?"
The two teen boys dart their heads back upon hearing Athena's call, she and Tiffany finally catching up with them.
"Hey, girls!"
Caswell recovers back onto his feet rather quickly, grabbing out his plain grey duel disk to display something to the joining pair with a big grin of anticipation.
"Haven't you heard? Quattro's gonna be here!"
Wiping off her awkward grimace to replace with confusion, Athena asks while peering at an image of the celebrity-level duelist,
"Quattro? Who is he exactly?" Jamal explains with a smile,
"He's one of the top international duelists, our continent's champ to be more precise."
"Aaah..."
The upturn of lip for the boy with black dreadlocks falters some as he adds,
"Though great he is...I also heard that it was him who faced Shark in that controversial final round of last year's Nationals..."
That fact caused the girl to stiffen on alert, recalling her conversations with her violet blue-haired friend about that day in question.
It was him, huh?...Hmm...(Narrows eyes) So now I can put a face and a name to the set-up actor.
Astral, who manifested out from the golden key around the time Quattro's name had been voiced, says to his human partner,
"We must be cautious when dealing with this individual, Athena."
The boy with blue bowl-cut hair then reveals the more exciting piece of news he and the other young human male had to offer.
"Quattro just challenged Jamal and I to a duel! Isn't it awesome?"
"Uh, yeah, totally...but are you sure you guys are really up for it?"
They form expressions of disbelieving confusion from Athena's inquiry.
"...Are, you kidding?"
"No, just, a touch concerned since this Quattro's at the high level you're describing. Plus if he's in the Duel Carnival, (wry smile) you'll be risking your shot for the finals, all for a chance to fight someone from the big leagues so soon?"
Jamal smirks a bit and retorts lightly,
"Eh, I say bring it on. The tourney was only gonna get tougher anyway the more it dragged on."
Caswell adds with the heart-filled eyes of a die-hard fanboy,
"This duel is a dream come true...Quattro is our hero! Losing to him would be a tremendous honour!"
"Ay! Don't jinx it, Cas! Now come on, we better motor!"
"Oh, yes, I almost forgot!"
The olive coco-skinned boy with teal irises leads the new charge on his scooter.
"Gone and gone, the faster the better!"
"Hey, not so fast, Jamal!"
Watching them go for a moment, the girls look to one another, and nod firmly in an unspoken decision to trail after their friends.
"We're taggin' along!" "Slow your pace before you hit someone!"
Small Time Skip, Athena's POV
Come about ten, fifteen minutes later after leaving the neighbourhood, my friends and I would find ourselves standing within a familiar old alley built wider than most, with abandoned oil barrels and some pyramids of metal supports used for construction...Well, familiar to me.
It's also one of the top secret meeting spots Akira and I set up for an underground channel of other teens like us who deserted the Fallen Stars and some other gangs, back when we first left the life of roughneck punks. My best friends Tiffany and Jamal are so far the only people outside the network who have access to our activities, 'ghost members' essentially, for since they got caught in the revenge attack at the docks a few weeks after I left the club, it'd be foolish to keep information like that away.
I've been debating whether or not to let in the rest of my circle of friends...and right now, I've only recently included Astral after my encounter with Trilos before the first day of the WDC. The problem I'm having is a matter of trust and protectiveness: it's not that I believe my friends can't keep a secret...rather, I don't believe the situation to cram a lid on it for very long.
But I'll have to tell my other friends about the Supernova Network eventually. I've let them in on Trilos...and they deserve to know a little more about the other faces like me who are fighting to avoid falling under his rule again.
Shaking away the past, I ask the guys,
"Sooo, why the odd locale? Seems a bit dingy for a duel, though I can hardly criticize since I've done similar once upon a time..."
"Quattro pick the spot. Probably wanted someplace quiet to avoid his fans."
I nod in comprehension to Caswell's reasoning:
Guess that makes sense. (Wry smile) Why I'll bet even Nelson's had to dodge down some strange scenic routes now and again to escape his fanclubs...
"...Uh, there he is!"
"Hm?"
Turning my irises a little to look where Jamal's quieter exclaim was directed, I could see two figures coming over towards us.
The first was obviously Quattro, right down to his spiky, layered dark rouge/yellow hair, dark red irises that seemed a bit pinkish (least compared to my bright red eyes), that odd cross-shaped scar running over his right face highlighted by his mild beige skin, and wearing a white/gold schemed outfit that had me think about royalty of all things.
Then there was another guy who walked with him, younger but still older than me and the others by about...two years, I'm guessing, and seemed more, innocent. Probably due to the fact he had valentine colours domineering his whole appearance, even his short, slightly curly pink hair. He also had bright green eyes, a skin tone lighter than Quattro, and wore clothes that had a similar theme to the other.
Hm...Wonder how those two are related? Brothers, perhaps?
While I went into levels of observation that could almost rival a certain boy from another world I call my friend, Jamal and Caswell's excitement was completely blocking their judgement.
"Quattro!"
They rush over to meet the dark-rouge/blond in the center of this alley, leaving Tiffany, Astral and I to stand back a couple feet while the pinkette stayed with Quattro. Caswell would be the first to really address the professional duelist:
"I can't believe it's really you!"
"You must be Caswell and Jamal. My apologies for being late. Shall we get started, my friends?"
"Yeah, but, before we do, can I have your autograph?!"
I fought the urge to facepalm at the sight of my braniac friend making himself look a little stupid with that big, hopeful smile and holding out his disk with a pen like they were a gift.
Hoh geez, god help him...
At least Jamal was more dignified about his request for a John Hancock, clearing his throat politely before asking,
"May I, have your signature as well?"
"With pleasure. I get a thrill out of spoiling my fans."
Quattro would sign the back of Caswell's duel disk first, handing it back with a smile.
"Is this okay?"
Letting out a breath of awe, my friend replies enthusiastically,
"Quattro, I can't thank you enough!"
My best dude in contrast, would reach into his back pocket to pull out a small notebook designed with the likeness of a Duel Monster deck, the same one he's been using since age seven to collect signatures of any famous people he's come across. He's even been lucky enough to get an autograph from a city-visiting American Duel Champion whose name escapes me, rumored to have distant relations to the creator of the game himself!
"Uh, here, lemme find you a clean page...There we go."
"Much obliged...Aaah, I see you're quite the collector of autographs. You even have Casey Crawmon in this little book."
Riiiight, that was his name...
Jamal asks with a smaller smile of excitement compared to Caswell,
"Have you and he dueled before?"
"We crossed decks once in China during a Duel Circuit. He certainly lived up to his rumour, the only person I ever ended a duel in a tie with."
Hm, that's a bit interesting...
"There. Happy?"
My best dude takes back his special notebook with a modest nod.
"Y-Yes, thank you very much."
Then by little surprise to me as an avid duelist, Quattro would immediately get back onto the business that brought us all together today.
"Now then, let's get dueling."
That was when my guy friends ran into the trouble of figuring out who had first chance.
"Uh, hey, Jamal, who do you think should go first?"
"Not sure, but I'm cool either way..."
Their challenger would offer up a solution:
"I suppose, all three of us could duel at once."
"Uh!" "Huh?!"
"We could have a Battle Royale, and put all our Heart Pieces on the line."
Whoa whoa, back up: all of their pieces?...I dunno if I like the sound of that...
My face contorts into a frown from such a risky suggestion, while Astral was more focused on the rule set.
"Interesting...Under Battle Royale Rules, all three duelists will compete against eachother. But Quattro must think that Jamal and Caswell will both try to defeat him..."
I finish with my own conclusion:
"In other words, this'll act more like a Two-on-One match."
"Correct, and though Quattro is more experienced, the odds will be against him."
Very true, for when you're paired up with somebody in a duel, or basically any sort of challenge or task, your strengths will make up for your partner's weaknesses, and vice-versa.
So if Cas and Jamal do decide to team up on Quattro, (slight smile) they'll be able to meet his level.
Seems I wasn't the only having that in mind:
"I just love spoiling my fans. I want this duel to be special for you. There's even a chance that together, you could beat me. It should be a memorable match-up."
Now under different circumstances, words like that would feel nice and even a bit inspiring...However...this, particular tone and smile Quattro was using...It was making my heart hammer slightly with danger, the paranoid me peeking from out of the panic room to shout 'Run run run, get away; he's not safe!'
"Mph..."
That, smile...I've seen that kind of smile before, and I know...it's not real.
"Addy?"
I nearly jolt out of my skin to the sound of Tiffany's voice softly calling for my attention, and I turn to see her eyeing my form with seriousness masking concern, likely sensing my tension rise.
"...You felt it too, right, the farce."
Surprised at first, I quickly reminded myself that my BFF is the daughter of a cop.
"Mmh...Yes. And, given what he had done to Shark in last year's National Tournament, something in me's finding it hard to accept this, good celebrity banter."
Tiffany nods in agreement, she knowing about what went down before the National's finals after yesterday's encounter with Shark, and we pivot our heads towards the others, narrowed eyes of suspicion directed at Quattro's form.
He's acting nice now, but was a sneak in the past...Which is his true face?
I'd snap back on Cas and Jamal as they eagerly get their dueling equipment ready to go.
"Ready, dude?"
"Yeah!"
"(Both boys) Duel Disk: Go! Get ready!"
With a pumped chuckle, I would witness a bit of chipping in Quattro's nice guy routine as he hurries to meet my friends in preparing for the match.
"I'm not holding back, so get ready for the most intense duel of your lives!"
The duel disk he would dish out was definitely unique in shape, look like a red blade attached to a gauntlet.
Next, came the tech that granted vision into the AR World:
"Duel Gazer: Show us the impossible!"
I almost smile in amusement at the guys copying my line, but would divert that attention back on their opponent, when I saw a strange, light purple-glowing crest that resembled lighting-struck fire imprint on the back of his right hand, followed by, a gazer tattoo over his left eye.
Uh! That looks really similar, to the tattoo Kite uses as a duel gazer...
...My eyes narrow again.
Who are you, Quattro, and, do you secretly mean any harm to me and my friends?
"(All duelists) Now let's duel!"
With everybody all prepped and their inner fires lit, all that was left was to decide who'd have the opening move...Surprisingly, Quattro directs the baton to my friends:
"I'll let you two go first." They were just as shocked, and Jamal replies,
"Uh, ya sure? You do know that whoever goes last in a Battle Royale's at the short end of the stick, right?"
Caswell mutters,
"I, guess he's giving us another break," but I felt my wariness spike a little:
No...He knows exactly what he's doing. Be careful, you two.
Jamal would step up to start the duel:
"Okay, then I'll be player one! Watch out, 'cause it's my Draw! First, I summon Level Four Aye Iron!"
The wind-up kangaroo toy with 1600 Attack Points comes flipping onto the field in front of him, clapping his symbols and chiming the first part of their name.
"And that's all I can really do, since according to Battle Royale rules, no one attacks until everybody takes their first turn. I end here; you're on deck, Cas!"
"Okey-dokey! I Draw! And first, I'm summoning Debugger X!"
This monster was basically the opposite of Crashbug, looking like a blocky pixel character with warm colours, Level Three with 900 Attack Points.
"And now it's your turn, Quattro."
The rouge-blond would first compliment my friends on their first choices for offense.
"Well well. You've chosen some very unusual monsters. Nice work, you guys. I can see that you're both shrewd and creative."
"Did you hear that, Jamal? He just praised us!"
Nodding, my other guy friend replies with a small smirk,
"Yeah, he did, but we should keep the dam built tight..."
Thank goodness one of 'em is more focused on the serious sitch...
"Now, gentlemen, I Draw! I place a monster face-down in Defense Mode, but I'm not done yet. Next I'll place two more cards face-down, and finally, I'll activate the Field Spell, XYZ Colosseum! This spell boosts the Attacks Points of all XYZ Monsters in the Colosseum by 200 points. But if your monster isn't an XYZ Monster, then you're out of luck 'cause it can't attack. And now I end my turn."
Getting a good look around the new battle area, which pretty much spelled the definition of an abandoned graveyard mixed with a long forgotten cultural monument...I was feeling the hairs of my skin stand on end. I wasn't the only one creeped out either:
"(Shiver) This place looks a little scary..." I nod to Tiffany, commenting aloud,
"Yeah...and the vibe I'm getting, is stirring up some unwanted memories of mine..."
"...Fallen Stars?"
"Mhm. The wear and tear isn't too far off from that old building in the forest, and, the atmosphere...It's just as dead and intense as the ring..."
All we're missing is the echo of dozens of faceless troublemakers...and bloodstains...
Astral's POV
I could sense Athena becoming increasingly uncomfortable the longer this confrontation went on, stiffening considerably when XYZ Colosseum activated. I suspect that multiple elements have been acting as reminders of her more perilous period of living, which would be confirmed by what she said aloud...and what I heard echo within her mind. It certainly did not help that this Quattro was radiating a vibe similar to Flip's, back when he acted more the enemy than a friend, only the former's case is more disguised...and quite possibly more dangerous.
Something does not seem right...Why would Quattro choose this field for a confrontation?
It is true that his XYZ Monsters will have more power, but so will the XYZ Monsters of his opponents...
Jamal and Caswell were not quite as suspicious, but nonetheless came up with a plausible reason for their opponent's latest play.
"Hm, I think I see what he's doin': XYZ Summons require two or more monsters, which means..."
"He played the Field Spell to stop us from attacking until he draws the cards that he needs!"
Preparing himself to start his next turn, Jamal smirks confidently and exclaims,
"Teh, well he's gonna have a hard time followin' that strategy to the letter! Oi, Quattro, (swipe) check this! I'm bringin' Tin Goldfish to the field!"
The Level Four monster with 800 Attack Points rose to the field beside Aye Iron...
"And since I succeeded in summoning one, I'm allowed to dish out another Tin from my hand, so here comes Goldfish number two!"
Now that he had three monsters ready with the same Level or Four, I was able to easily discern what the boy was going to do next.
"Jamal is trying to use Quattro's strategy against him."
Though only a little of her tensity had dropped, Athena was able to smile encouragingly for her friend.
"Do it, Jamal!"
"On it, Addy! I now overlay Level Four Aye Iron, and my two Tin Goldfish, to build the Overlay Network! Feast your eyes, on my XYZ Monster, Tin Archduke!"
The monster in question was a Rank Four with 2200 Attack Points, made from metal with a comical likeness of the nobility title. Oddly enough, Quattro did not seem intimidated, focusing his efforts on praising his opponent.
"Excellent. You're alot quicker on the draw then I expected, Jamal."
"Thanks, but I'd be more worried about Archduke if I were you! Not only does he get a boost of 200 to his Attack Points from your Field Spell, but I'm activating his special ability, which allows me to use one Overlay Unit to switch the Battle Mode of one of your monsters!"
"Oh my. It looks like you outmaneuvered me again, Jamal. You certainly are a talented duelist."
There it is again: more overuse of flattery...just like Flip's old act...
My friend didn't pick up on the vibe, instead smiling modestly and replying back,
"Ueh, thanks, man," while Caswell commented excitedly,
"Wow! The duel just got started, and Quattro's praised you twice already!"
"Ahem, anyway, I change Quattro's monster from playing Defense to Offense! Go, Tin Arch Sword!"
Tin Archduke swings his blade and emits a ring of power to bounce against Quattro's face-down monster, it flipping up to reveal...quite a weak choice.
"Gentlemen, say hello to my Gimmick Puppet Princess." I note,
"That monster has zero Attack Points."
Athena hummed in an air similar to mine,
"Yeah, and we know from experience that zero doesn't guarantee an easy target..."
Our friends currently dueling in this moment of time were not worried, most likely ignorant to a possible farce.
"This is gonna be a breeze!"
"Heh, no lie, man! Archduke, attack Gimmick Puppet Princess with Blade Bop!"
The XYZ Monster made of tin metal thrusts his sword in a downward swing against the smaller puppet, destroying her and eliminating 2400 of Quattro's Life Points, taking the total down to 1600. He counters the move with one of his face-downs:
"I activate the Puppet Repair Trap Card! This Trap comes in handy when a puppet monster Level Four or lower gets destroyed. It lets me summon the same monster from my deck, so here's another Gimmick Puppet Princess!"
A blue rather than pink-schemed marionette girl rises to the field in Defense Mode...
"Teh, that's fine, 'cause I can just use Archduke's special ability again, and flip your little princess from Defense to Attack Mode."
"Amazing! Your monster can actually use its special ability more than once per turn? This isn't looking good for me~..."
Though Tiffany was smiling in admiration for our friends and their strong lead over their opponent...Athena and I felt our frowns deepen the slightest, telepathically discussing the familiar use of overacting and sweet flattery.
He is trying to lure them into a false of security...
"Yeah, only question is why?...What's his angle?"
We shall just have to continue watching this battle progress...and pray that Jamal and Caswell end the duel quickly, before the situation can turn on them.
Caswell would begin his second turn of the duel:
"My turn! I Draw! Quattro really messed up. This is too easy! With no Attack Points, his monster's a sitting duck. In the end, any attack will pulverize his puppet, and if I use an attack that's at least 1600 Points, we'll win the duel!"
That is a rather big if...
"I summon Debugger Z in Attack Mode!"
This monster was also Level Three like his Debugger X, but had a more stout build and carried 700 Attack Points.
"Here's where the real fun begins, 'cause if there's a Debugger X on the field when I summon Debugger Z, I can also summon my Debugger Y!"
And much like looking into an alternate mirror of the Crashbug Monsters, his Debugger Y was of a tall, lanky body type, Level Three and with 400 Attack Points. With three Level Threes now on his field, Caswell was properly prepared to do his own XYZ Summon, which Quattro would take note.
"Yikes. That makes three Level Three Monsters."
"Guess you know what's coming up next, Quattro! I'm overlaying all three Debuggers! Now I build the Overlay Network, and XYZ Summon! Here comes Antidote Nurse!"
This XYZ Monster was a Rank Three with 1800 Attack Points, in the guise of a computer icon medical attendee carrying a very large prism-shaped needle under their right arm.
"And now, thanks to the Colosseum Field Spell, Antidote Nurse gets a booster of 200 Attack Points."
The Nurse's strength rises to 2000...and that is when I heard a very slight whimper emit from, my human partner. I pivot my vision away from the battlefield for a moment to glance down at her, noticing a flash of nerves creeping onto her expression as she looked up at the newly summoned XYZ Monster.
...Athena? What is wrong?
"A-Ah! Astral...I'm, okay, sort-of..."
Okay, sort-of?
"...Haaah, it's just...the object Caswell's monster's holding, is giving me the heebee-jeebees."
I glance up at what she was directing towards...before looking back at her.
You mean, the needle?
"Yeah...As you can easily understand based on what I've told you thus far about my past, I've, developed a fear of needles."
My eyes widen in surprise...before softening my expression when I realize why.
Oh...yes, I see.
She smiles a little bit and tries to assure me,
"It's not as bad right now 'cause Antidote Nurse's needle design is a bit more comedic, so, don't worry. I won't rush into a panic attack or nothin'."
...Alright. If you are certain.
Athena nods, and I turn my focus back onto the duel as Caswell continues his turn.
"Get that princess, Antidote Nurse!"
"Oh no! What am I going to do?!"
The Gimmick Puppet Princess is blasted to pixels from an electrical strike dealt by Antidote Nurse, thus ending the match in favour of Jamal and Caswell.
"Wayda go, Cas!"
"Alright! We beat Quattro!"
...
...
Rather, I wish that the outcome had ended so positively...but no.
"My congratulations..."
"Huh?" "Wha...?"
Instead, it would seem that mine and Athena's earlier warning vibes, were correct.
"Your attacks truly have been amusing, but they were hardly enough to defeat me."
Tiffany asks aloud in her own shock over Quattro still standing after Antidote Nurse's attack,
"What? But, how can that be? Caswell took down the puppet. Quattro should've lost all of his Life Points...shouldn't he?"
Athena replies in a low tone that matched her forming glare,
"It should've gone that way...but I had a bad feeling from the get-go he was trying to fool them in some fashion..."
"But, why would Quattro do something like this?"
Interesting...Why indeed...
Caswell asks his and Jamal's opponent,
"H-How did you survive?"
"I simply activated my Gimmick Box Trap as soon as you attacked. Not only do I not take any damage from your attack, but this Trap Card then transforms into a Monster Card."
In which case, we would be witnessing the enormous mechanical inside of a geared box open onto the battlefield above Quattro, now acting as a Level Eight Monster...which had the same amount of strength as Antidote Nurse!
"And that's not the only surprise I have in store: remember the amount of damage I would have taken? It becomes my monster's Attack Points instead!"
The situation would only become more serious...when the unnamed male standing away from Quattro finally spoke.
"You should forget about this duel, brother. It's clear they don't have any Number Cards, or else they would've used them already."
Uh! What did he just say?!
Athena was quick on the reaction as well:
"Numbers?! D...Does this mean-"
"It would seem so, my friend: Quattro and his brother must be Number Hunters!"
The young male himself would 'shift the script' completely, removing the last of his fake demeanor to replace with a rather...disturbing smirk.
"Now, my friends. Since I can't take any Numbers from you, I'll enjoy watching you squirm instead."
That, does not sound good.
Caswell and Jamal would not think so either:
"Say what?!"
"What're you saying?! That all that stuff from before's a lie?!"
"Not so. As I told you before, I enjoy spoiling my fans~! When I say spoiled, I mean really spoiled!"
Quattro's iris containing the duel gazer tattoo glows in a threatening manner, making my insides churn with worry.
Oh dear...!
"You're finished, (swipes up a new card)! I have to admit, you two were pretty good, better than most of the chumps I've faced! Unfortunately, your dueling skills are still far below mine! Even working together, you're not good enough to beat me!"
It was my turn to form a glare, finding myself just as appalled as my friends by what we were hearing.
Auh! The arrogance-!
"Gimmick Puppet Scarecrow, come out!"
The next monster he brought out was a Level Four with 800 Attack Points, portraying a mechanized scarecrow...
"Next I activate the Spell Card, Level Doubler! Now I can send one of the cards in my hand to the Graveyard to double the Level of my Puppet Scarecrow from four to eight!"
Said monster lets out an ominous and, creepy laugh, just as Quattro taunts my friends even further.
"Are you feeling the thrill yet? Hehnhnhn, now it's time to end this duel. I overlay Level Eight Gimmick Box and Gimmick Puppet Scarecrow to build the Overlay Network! I XYZ Summon Number 15: Gimmick Puppet Giant Grinder!"
Number 15...
This new Number Monster's appearance was rather, disturbing to say the least, they being an enormous marionette made from wood and metal being controlled by yet another puppet through a series of pulleys and switches from a tall control box. They were also a strong Rank Eight, and carried a fair 1500 Attack Points...My poor friends Jamal and Caswell helplessly gaped at the sight, while Athena fought down a growl as she muttered,
"Damn...Guess I'll be adding Quattro to my list of enemies..."
"There's more. Don't forget that my XYZ Colosseum gives my giant 200 more Attack Points."
So now the Number's strength was at 1700...
"And then my giant can activate it's special ability! By using an Overlay Unit, it can target the XYZ Monsters on your field, and destroy them!"
On that note, several threads are shot from the palms of Giant Grinder to take hold of Tin Archduke, dragging him towards the opened chest of the marionette to be torn to pieces by the gear work inside!
"No, Archduke! Grrrh, how could you?!"
Quattro only smirked at the seething Jamal before replying,
"Your nightmare is just beginning, because the Attack Points of the destroyed monster are then dealt to you as damage!"
"What?! No way!"
Oh no! Jamal!
"That's 2400 Attack Points coming your way..."
Next thing we all know, the Number Monster extends the barrel of a laser cannon from their chest cavity...
"This duel's been fun, you fools! Fire away!"
A large ball of red energy is shot down against my friend, who lets out a cry as he's thrown back hard from the impact, his Life Points falling to 1600. Caswell calls the other's name, who barely pushes himself onto his elbows while gritting out,
"G-Gh, C-C-Cas, heads up," as Quattro continues his onslaught:
"You're next, small-fry!"
"Hn?!"
"Sorry I have to destroy your Antidote Nurse!"
The same terrible fate is sealed for Caswell's XYZ Monster...
"But don't worry: all her power will be coming right back at you! Blast away!"
Athena cries out as Giant Grinder releases their attack,
"Cas, duck down like you're gonna somersault! Brace yourself!"
He quickly follows her advice, curling into a small ball just as the blast connects, giving him a minimal protection as he's tossed backwards next to Jamal, rolling a little against the ground as his Life Points dropped to 2000...Both boys find themselves writhing in pain on the ground, which made Quattro's sadistic smile grow.
"I won't be happy until all my fans get exactly what they deserve!"
Jamal was just helping Caswell back onto his feet before growling back,
"And dare I ask what that garbage means?"
"Heh, it means that you two twerps, are goin' down with a big bang! I'm activating my Gimmick Puppet Princesses special abilities from the Graveyard! I banish them to summon two monsters from your Graveyards back to your fields. First up, Tin Archduke!"
On of the puppet monsters use their strings to force Jamal's monster back onto the field...
It is as we feared, Athena.
"Yeah, those little marionettes are all but innocent targets."
"And because my XYZ Colosseum will increase your monster's Attack Points, there's even more power I can turn against you."
As the archduke's power settles at 2400, I conclude my findings on Quattro's dueling strategy.
"Uh, of course: Quattro has set up a perfect attack loop!"
"Tch, never heard of that term before...I only know it by its slang equivalent, 'Dueler's Hell'."
I look down at Athena with a touch of surprise for her knowledge, she adding with an even bitter tone,
"It's been used in a multitude of ways by street gang duelists...and it's the easiest way to make their opponents feel like an ant caught under a magnifying glass burn."
Athena...
Quattro's voice would cut into my worries for my closest friend, he going into a rather sinister description of the people who admire him.
"My fans are no different from the puppet monsters contained in my deck. They're helpless to resist my will, and I'm pulling all the strings!"
By that time, Antidote Nurse was also forced back onto the field, her Attack Points rising to 2000 due to the field spell's effect.
"Once again, my giant will destroy your feeble monsters, and end this duel!"
And for the second time, Tin Archduke would meet their grizzly end before his power would be blown against his wielder, eliminating the last of Jamal's Life Points...
"Quattro set up this trap from the beginning of the match. He tricked Jamal and Caswell into using monsters he knew he could use against them. His strategy is devious, but quite effective."
...In response, I hear the sound of knuckles cracking, and pivot my eyes downward to see Athena stuck in a seething glare, teeth grinding and her breath heavy, like she was trying to, hold herself back.
"...Athena?"
Athena's POV
As I watched Caswell get trashed next by that new Number, he losing the duel alongside Jamal...my mind found itself filling my vision with flashbacks of a much darker time in my life, the bodies of my two guy friends replaced with faceless young guns getting their arses whooped by bigger, stronger teenagers, the battlefield clouded over by the cold, dank inside of that building, with the wrestling ring center stage. My ears fill with echoes of the yells and jeers of the audience, most of them gritty boys of various ages almost as young as nine or as old as their early twenties, all cheering for the same thing: senseless violence.
...Wrong...This is, s-so wrong.
I come out of my nightmare for a short moment when Quattro suddenly cries out,
"It's not over yet! I still have alot more spoiling to do. Go, Giant Grinder!"
"Stop! You've won, they lost; this duel's done!"
"...Sorry, but this duel isn't over until I say it is! Now, Giant Grinder: Final Dance!"
Next thing I knew, my friends were being mercilessly whipped by the strings of that Number Card!
Auh! No!
Once the attack ran its course, I don't waste another second, and started sprinting down to help them.
"Cas, Jamal!"
I reach between them, and dropped to my knees helplessly, taking in the sight of their battered and bruised bodies.
...G-Guys...
(Flash)
I remember, back during a tag fight against these two bulking late teens, with Akira...
(PUNCH)
"Aaauuuuuh!"
(SLAM)
"Aaa-couh!"
We nearly lost our lives that day, the fight being alot more than what we were used to, what I was used to in the first month of joining the Fallen Stars. Sure, we had speed and stamina, but getting a hit over those bozos was a whole other story...
The feeling of all my air being shoved harshly out from my lungs from that body toss was deafening, making my ears ring...I was just barely able to turn my head weakly towards Akira, who was in a sideways position to my own face-down, spotting a trickle of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.
"A-(Cough)...A-Akir-ra..."
"Hah, hah, hnh...A-Addy..."
(Flash)
The positions my friends were in right now were hardly any different, though Akira and I somehow found our strength again and rolled with the next couple hits before pulling off a miracle, surviving another day...But here...
They've been slaughtered, both of them...Jamal...Caswell...
Thankfully, Jamal was still conscious, and I quickly moved to steady him as he gingerly rose up a little.
"Jamal...I'm so sorry..."
"Hnh, hah...Don't, be sorry, Addy...Is Caswell, still conscious?"
I glance over at the boy with blue bowl-cut hair, noting the closed eyes and gritted expression. Removing my duel gazer, I reply dryly,
"Not exactly, but he hasn't blacked out yet...Cas, if you can still hear me, stay strong, okay?"
He whimpers but nods a bit, and I turn my attention to the one responsible for this horrible turn, my eyes burning over with rage.
"You, bastard! Do you have any idea how dangerous a strategy like yours is?! Why would you invoke this level of hurt on people who chose to look up to you?!"
Quattro's answer came out in a spout of crazed laughter:
"Let's just say, I find it highly entertaining."
That grin, that tone, that reasoning...It reminded me way too much of another sadist hiding in plain sight in this tourney, and even if their styles weren't quite the same...they both have a common outlook: no mercy, all pain.
You...You...!
My teeth clench in time with both sets of my knuckles cracking, and I rose to my feet with an angry-shaking body before shouting,
"That tears it! Quattro, you're a dead man!"
"Does this mean you've become a fan too?"
"You, fucking, wish."
"Hm?"
...And just before any of my friends could stop me, I ran forward and let my fist do the talking, punching the burgundy-blond right in his left shoulder!
"Guh!"
He fell to the ground hard on his side, while his brother gasped loudly along with the people on my side.
"Brother!"
"Addy!" "Athena!"
I paid them no heed, my emotions blinding me from the rest of the world other than the bane of this new anger boiling in my veins, he rising up while rubbing his newly-bruised shoulder.
"Grh, well...that was new."
"I'm only just beginning."
He snaps his head up to my deadly-toned reply, and flinches a little from my expression as I slap a fist to my open palm and threaten,
"You won't be so eager to 'spoil your fans' when I'm done giving you a real-life dose of karma."
(...Vrrroooooom...)
"Hm?"
My concentration is cut by the sound of a very familiar vehicle, and the next thing I knew, Shark came jumping into the area on his duel cycle, screeching to a slide-stop just a few feet away from where I was!
...But much like myself before my focus broke, his eyes were for one person on his list for payback, a sneer fixed on his lips.
"Hello, Quattro."
He just smirks back as darkly, a hand still gripping the shoulder I suckerpunched, and it felt like the air of this place dropped a couple degrees...
"You were hard to find, but now that I've hunted you down, Quattro, let's Duel!"