Hey fellow writers and readers; I've returned at last!
So sorry for the long delay...I got hit with a bit of family drama and it's, taken me a while to recover back to a normal speed. Then work has been draining me significantly the last several shifts...And, then I got distracted by my Tomb Raider games when I got a hold of new controllers (I'm sure some of you have been in the same boat with your own gaming systems), aheheh...
Anyway, I'm hoping the slower pace will be worth it in this concluding part of the battle between Athena and Trilos. Also, would like to mention another card of my own creation, a trap called Ultimate K.O. Like last time, what it does is left a surprise until you get to its debut.
Once again, heed the content warning I placed two chapters ago, as this last piece will be the darkest yet.
May the writing gods have mercy as you read on.
...Funny little thing, Time.
(Bang...thump)
People argue that it passes by slow and steady, like water droplets down your skin after you first step out of the shower...
(Bang...thump)
But what they don't seem to understand, is that Time knows no bound, isn't fixed. It can go painstakingly slow or stupid-level fast any time it chooses...
(Bang...thump)
I myself have seen Time's many sides, felt all kinds of speeds...so much in fact that it's become difficult some days to understand just, how many hours have passed...
"Geez, you must have God by the ears, Berserker! That's the third guy you've taken on this week, and you're the one walkin' away alive...What's your secret?"
...Just recallin' that poser's question is enough to get the bile building up...The scene of me, sitting at one end of this old, battered round table with a bunch of other ghetto punks - Trilos included - to play the same horrible game I'm forced to participate in right now...except those guns were not part of the AR.
...Remembering my numb, dead-eyed expression, as I lift the hand weapon to gaze over with a tight-lipped smile that meant nothing...It stuns me that it's only been over a year and a half since those weeks in the danker parts of the city...
Because to my spirit...these memories feel like they've been torturing me for decades.
"-thena...Athena!"
"Mph!"
The girl with amber red irises cuts her depressing reel of thought short when her ears finally tune into the sound of Astral calling her back to attention. Breathing out a quiet, shaky breath, she sideglances the blue-skinned being hovering at her left, indicating that she's perceiving his presence...
Noting the haunted shine in her eyes, Astral's next attempt to get the human to speak would be conceived more gently.
"Are you...alright?"
...Athena makes no verbal reply, losing her stare with the mismatched gold and white, choosing to look back down at the revolver in her hand, the metal gleaming as dangerously as any lethal weapon would be in the real world...
"Hehahaha, what's up, kid? You're lookin' a little pale. Oh wait, lemme guess: some pleasant memories decided to come out and say hi?"
...Oddly enough, the recipient of the question doesn't flinch from her sneering enemy this time, choosing instead to tighten the grip on the gun's handle just the slightest. Meanwhile, her friends, allies and uninvited audience members were staring at the battlefield with new levels of horror written in their expressions. Yes: even though a sadistic remains, Quattro was beginning to question the nature of this house-rule Duel Monster match.
What's that punk mean by-...Unless...no way...
(Shocked glare) No, way that girl actually used to-I mean, sure, she's got a rough front, but...still...!
"Brother...y-you don't think, he means to say that he and the girl, used to play the, real life version of...?"
"Beats me, Trey..."
The upturn of mouth falters for a more grim reflection.
"And for once, I don't think I wanna find out."
Just as he confesses to that opinion, we notice a bit of movement from the upper balcony behind where Trilos stood, and zoom in to see the third member of the brother trio under Vetrix's command observing the duel from the shadows.
This is by far the most brutal form of dueling I've ever seen...and only now has it been taken to a more psychologically-challenging level.
How will the girl overcome this, I wonder?
Said person responsible for the new layer of danger widens his smirk a bit, thinking he had his opponent backed into a corner.
"Heh, guess I can't necessarily blame you for freezing up. Even some of our best fighters are fixed to wet themselves when Roulette crashes the party...Still, I find it disappointing in a way that you're letting fear get to you now after all this time. Nothing seemed to hold you back in the old days, yet here I am watching your progress in this godforsaken tournament letting the 'Good Samaritan' role string you like a puppet and screw you worse than my club could've ever done!"
Cracking his knuckles, the young punk with eyes of burnt orange rages on, starting to feel like he's being cheated out of his revenge.
"Come on! You seriously gonna make it that easy for me?! I'm not makin' it easy on you! Has the mere thought of Death gotten that scary for you?!"
"...I don't believe in Death."
"Huh?"
Now that wasn't the response that Trilos expected, nor the rest of the souls in the room. Athena meanwhile could care less, numbness flooding her emotions from the dark grey memories that came to pass...including a recent recollection.
"Not since...since it ignored my pleas back in that hell."
(Flash)
"Stop iiit! Stop it, stop, lemme outta heeeere!"
A thin fist goes flying through the air to smack against a strong wall as the owner falls into yet another fit of madness.
"Make it sta-aaauuuuhhhh!"
That hand's twin joins them in gripping the skull of the girl with ember-red irises as another wave of visions pass through her mind, which must have been very terrifying back then to warrant the spastic expressions of horror on her face...
Finally, it all becomes too much for the poor young captive to handle.
"JUST KILL ME, PLEASE!"
Falling to her hands and knees, the disheveled and weakened Athena breaks into an ugly sob, whispering frantically between her tears,
"Kill me...I-I can't take this torture, anymore. Someone...a-anyone. Just kill me. End it all...!"
(Flash)
Shaking her head of the nightmare fuel, the current Athena utters with the slightest catch in her grim tone,
"...No matter how many times I begged for Death to come, it just continued to allow those bastards to keep running their sick little tests, and they weren't about to let one of their more 'healthy' creations die on them. Fruitlessly, endlessly, I prayed for something to just, end me, take me out of this world...but nothing happened. I was, forced to keep living...even though I didn't want to."
Tiffany felt her own eyes gather with tears as she listens to one of her friend's most darkest confessions.
"A...Athena..."
My god...She was, s-suicidal?...Is she still...?
"So anyone who thinks I have any faith in things like God or Death can go suck a lemon. Those beliefs mean jack to me...As far as I'm concerned..."
The cylinder of the revolver is spun, before the barrel raised to meet the side of the teenage girl's head!
"Death is a hoax."
(...Bang)
The whole room save the acting leader of Fallen Stars flinches and grimaces to the sound of the trigger being pulled...but then Orbital exclaims,
"Aaaauh! I-It was a dud!"
Smoke from the gunpowder dissipates, revealing Athena's emotionless glare...
"It's not a force that comes easy for souls like mine, and I'll more likely be dancing on tombstones until it gets bored of me. So for now...Death is dead to me."
As she lowers the AR weapon the same time it dissolves from her hand, Astral tries to still the shaking in his body from what he's been forced to witness.
...No words can describe...Oh Athena...to feel so helpless to such torture...
(Flash)
The memories of his homeworld being attacked by that mysterious meteor force replay in his mind...
(Flash)
...I think I may understand how that feels. Perhaps not on the exact level you do, but...I can sympathize.
"Astral."
"Mm!"
The nerved vibrations in his veins quell instantaneously at the soft call of his human partner's voice, and he meets his mismatched gold/silver-white irises with her ember red, the latter's still holding to a dull shine but with some life returning.
"Don't, read too much into what's comin' out of my mouth. Most of it's old word vomit...I...I don't, let that particular dark suggestion guilt me like it used to. (Grim smile) If I did, chances are we wouldn't be where we are now."
"I...I, suppose that is true."
"(Nod) But...I, appreciate you're trying to understand my issues. And, really, I guess we both know what it means to feel so helpless, it drives us to the brink of insanity...Yet we fight to let our true emotions show, because we don't want to burden the ones we care about. (Knowing smirk) Not that you can really fool me nowadays."
Astral begins forming an expression of protest...until a thought occurs to him based on recent events that which involved a test of trust and connection between he and the girl near him...His own lips form a minuscule smile of his own, and a very short, dry chuckle escapes before he remarks,
"Yes...It would seem our bond is becoming so strong, that we see through one another's walls. I have certainly begun to pick up upon certain, emotional cues which tell me when you are far from yourself, such as right now. (Small frown) This is the worst I have seen in terms of your, depression...and it is fueling this desire to stop 'standing on the sidelines' as it were, fight with you."
"Heh, well, sorry for spooking you with that skeleton in the closet...and, I welcome any amount of help you can give me, 'cause, if I can be honest, I'm running on tactic fumes instead of actual fuel."
"Of course."
"...But we better let that asshat finish his turn, so hang on."
Turning her attention back to her opponent with a more or less neutral face, Athena then calls over to Trilos,
"Think that qualifies as having the balls, so to speak. Question is, can you do one better?"
"G-Gh...!"
Fighting the urge to snap into a violent hissy fit, said gang leader expels a short growled breath and slaps the cylinder of the revolver in his own hand to whirl, lifting it to aim at his temple.
(...Bang)
And just like the other duelist, he too receives a faulty shot!
"Kh! How's that for balls?"
A shudder passes through the girl with bob cut, raven black hair, and she whimpers before burying her face into the other blackette's leather jacket for some sort of comfort.
"(Muffled) Someone tell me when this is over...! I can't stand this level of crazy...!"
Nearby, Kite finds himself striking a small conversation with Akira, seeing as the latter was the only other person in the room with a fair amount of knowledge for this version of the popular game while still keeping his sanity.
"...Is this truly how punks in the underground execute the Duel Monsters game?"
"Well, I dunno how far the popularity's spreading, but Fallen Stars isn't the only gang that plays this way if that's what you're asking...At one time ago, or so I've heard, there used to be a shred of honour in the matches...but nowadays it's become nothing short of a contest to size up an enemy. Nothing proud to display on your record as a duelist."
"Do the authorities know anything about this?"
"Tuh, not for a lack of trying, but they've got a long ways to go before they can really do anything. The biggest problem is that most cops don't take a kid's words as serious as they should, all because of dumb stereotypes about punks being distrustful...Although..."
The young man with golden honey skin glances at the girl with cornflower blue eyes.
"Tiffany's dad is one of the few officers I think is worth trusting..."
Sighing deeply, Akira stares at the ground while muttering distastefully,
"Though in today's world, it's hard to know which adults are worth a kid's trust...Far as I see outside say family, most are stuck in their habits, view the youth as tools...I think you should understand that as well as the rest of us in your own way, you and your little bro?"
The late teen's steel grey irises widen a little from the characterization...and rather than deny, he just turns away from the younger male's stare to watch the battlefield once again as the more antagonistic duelist wraps up his turn.
"Alright, so that ability was botched for both of us. Big whoop. I still got one more overlay unit to use later...For now, I'll be bringing forth one more beast to help me turn you into roadkill. Come on out, Assault Wheel!"
As soon as the card touches the disk, the monster counterpart would come revving fast onto the field, revealed as some sort of mechanized giant truck wheel warrior robot complete with twin multiple rocket shooters on its shoulders, Level Four and with 2300 Attack Points.
"Anyone who prefers to get it done quick would attack right now, but I'm one of those 'prolong the torture' guys...so here ends my turn."
Relaxing his stance a little, the young man with acid green hair tipped an inky black sends a grin his opponent's way.
"Let's see you crawl your way outta this one, Fujina."
Athena's POV
Seeing his sadistic little sneer is enough to make me wanna retch, but since that's not gonna help me come up with a game plan, I swallow down my bile and focus on getting my next card.
"(Swipe) I Draw!"
Alright, let's see...I've got Golden Ladybug, Damage Mage, Inferno, and Crow Goblin.
Flelf and Goblin Elite Attack Force currently make up my army, but is that gonna be enough?
Knowing he could hear my thoughts and was looking at my hand from over my shoulder, Astral's response doesn't shock me.
"...I am surprised you did not use Damage Mage sooner to save yourself. You know that you cannot rely on Golden Ladybug for the entire match."
I do...but something in the back of my head's telling me to use Damage Mage later, and not for her special ability.
There's a beat of silence between us...before he replies,
"If that is the case...perhaps our main focus should be on trying to diminish Trilos's army while we have the opportunity."
Really? I would've thought you'd try to keep arguing Defense.
"Normally, I would...yet it has become increasingly obvious that in this version of Duel Monsters, Offense is the best Defense. If one hesitates for too long, it will cost them greatly."
We look over at the enemy's side of the field, soaking in the images of (shudder), Deranged Roulette, Pendulum Machine, and now Assault Wheel...
"Currently, it would seem that Pendulum Machine is most vulnerable, even with such a strong Defense. Our Goblin Elite should have no issues in taking them on...Of course, that is assuming Trilos does not try to use the Duel Fist Battle Zone to skirt his way around the damage."
Yeah well, I'd say he's not that crazy...but since I learned about crazy watching him, it can go either way.
I decide that it's a fair enough risk, especially since Astral was willing to take a crack at it. Sucking in a deep breath, I shoot out a hand and order,
"Goblin Elite Attack Force: target Pendulum Machine!"
My green-skinned warriors ready their long-range weapons...
"So what'll it be, Trilos? You gonna let it happen as it is, or try and save your monster?"
I've seen him sacrifice monsters like this one in the past. No way he's actually-
"I'm spinnin' the wheel, Raggedy Ann!"
Note: References to the infamous doll belong to creator Johnny Gruelle.
What?!
I gape in shock, and he just laughs my expression off while stating,
"You think you're the only one willing to run into the wrestling ring blind? You forget who made this version of the game popular! I live for the rush of teasing the target practice, so come on, ya overgrown geckos: hit me with your best shot!"
Since he made the call to challenge, my goblins didn't have much of a choice but to charge at Trilos rather than my intended target, Pendulum Machine...
One may believe this is a better opportunity to deal a serious blow to your opponent's Life Points, right?...Well, that person would be terribly wrong, because in terms of going toe-to-toe with monsters, this bastard of a gang leader is - much to my displeasure of admitting it - a champ. Every thrust of my goblins' lances was dodged almost perfectly!
(Thrust)
"Ha!"
(Thrust)
"Nothin'!"
One jab did force Trilos to drop down low into a split, but that hardly deterred his smug expression.
"Keh, you ugly little knights have got nothin' on me."
Damn...
What would be the worst way to add insult to injury? Oh wait, here's how: Trilos pulling off the next-to-impossible by dodging my monsters for the entire six minutes, effectively making my attack useless! While my two good friends and Hart gape, Kite's eyes widened considerably and Orbital was ready to have a field day.
"Wh-What skill! He evaded Athena's Go-Go-Goblin Elite like they were tree branches!"
I myself chose to grind my teeth in frustration at the failed attack, while Astral mutters,
"This is not good..."
No. This is gonna be bad...
"Woo! What a way t' get the blood pumpin'!...Still, must suck to be you right now, (grin) because now all that damage wasted on me is gonna shred your Life Points down further. A shame, really..."
I growl as his observation comes to light, my Life Points rolling away to sit at 1033...
"And ya know what? It's only gonna get worse for ya, 'cause now, (holds out hand) I can finally activate my Trap Card, Ultimate K.O.!"
Ultimate K.O.?...Oh shi-!
I recall what that specific card is capable of just as it flips up, reflecting the chilling image of a weak fighting-type monster getting the stuffing beaten out of him by three larger, tougher illusions against a red background...
"This is a card that can only be activated in the Duel Fist Zone, and when the player takes a third or less of the damage intended during an attack...As for what it does..."
(Vwooom...Vwooom...)
The field begins sparking up that red net background again, only brighter this time...and darker...A similar hazy sheen then rings around all of Trilos's monsters, their eyes dulling into a pitch black, making my stomach churn slightly.
Craaaap...
"Let's just say my monsters are temporarily free from the rules of traditional gameplay. It won't add up to alot of damage in the end, which blows, but still, being barraged by all my monsters directly's nothin' to smile about, now is it?"
Cussing under my breath again, this time I hear a protest from one of the 'birds' atop the statue, Trey.
"What?! All at once?! How can that be allowed; there has to be a rule against that kind of strategy!"
Hmph...so he might have a guilty conscience after all.
"There are no rules in Hell, pinky! It's either fight your way out, or prepare for endless torture!...Of course..."
Trilos suddenly sends a leering grin in the direction that...Hart was standing at.
"There is, one way the opponent can save their skins."
...Wait...No. No!
"Viper. Back up from the kid a sec."
Said punk does as their told, a dark chuckle under his breath as he steps away, making the young captive all the more worried.
"Wh-What's going on...?"
No. He wouldn't dare-!
Oh, but he did. All it took was one subtle gesture to his XYZ Monster, and they moved as crazy-fast as those new age vampires do to snatch up Hart, and zip right back to the middle of his field!
"Aaaah!"
"Hart!"
If my heart wasn't hammering in my chest before, it was now.
No! Hart!
"Like I said before: nobody is safe once the game of Duel Fist begins, not even the audience! All it takes is the right card, and they have to play a part in the action too!"
Trilos, you son of a-
Obviously, I'm not be the only one seething with anger: Akira and Kite were right behind be.
"Janko, you scum-sucking bastard; you've gone too far!"
"Let my little brother go now!"
Said creep just lets their aggravation roll off his shoulders.
"Yeah sure, love ta do that, fly-boy, but there's one little problem: it's not up to me."
His burnt-orange irises lock back on my form as he explains,
"It's up to Berserker over there to decide the kid's fate."
(Ka-chaaallllllk)
The cylinder of the revolver is spun by that mental mess of an XYZ monster as it lazily points it at the chest of its innocent hostage, who looks too frightened to scream or even faint. It sickened the anxious part of me so much that I'm currently holding myself firm from throwing up on the spot.
...My god...Hart...!
"Now if our previous turns hadn't been gettin' the memory reel rollin', I'm sure this one is."
That smirk grows a touch grim while barely wavering in the evil humour he held for this sort of crap.
"One absolute that everyone in the Fallen Stars will follow through no matter their make, is that to save your own skin, you gotta offer up others. This card's a perfect example of testing that grit: either you take the fall or have someone else do it for you. Me and my boys don't got qualms over using the audience as a shield...and if I recall, there were a few times even you did the same thing whenever this card was played."
...
...
I can't make any sort of retort to his claims...because unfortunately, he's telling the truth. There were about, thirteen different times that this card was played in a Duel First match...and I chose to let a member of the audience become the target just to escape damage. In all honesty...I'm not, completely apologetic about it either. I suppose I should be, logically, but since they always ended up being a punk who was long gone into the underground life before I even arrived, I just assumed they were used to the punishment by that time. Yep, another detail of how numb and uncaring I was over a year and a half ago: I didn't give a damn about my own well-being nor that of others, with the exception of Akira perhaps...
...But now...now my heart's ready to burst out of my chest in a flurry of emotions, fury and fear being the highest, not only because this sick bastard's basically torturing my mentality...but because there's an innocent involved. Really, that was the sole line I could draw back on that old dark path I used to roam: no innocent souls get hurt.
(Knuckle-crack) And he just crossed that line...
"So, what's it gonna be: your life or the kid's? Don't keep us waiting, Berserker."
"...Are you friggin' kidding me right now?...And you say I've lost my shit?"
"Hm?"
For once, the creep looks rather puzzled by my response, but I'm far from done. This is my opportunity to really put Trilos in his place, and I wasn't gonna waste it even if it costs me.
"Do you honestly believe I would stoop so low, as to allow a little kid to be my scapegoat? Seriously?!...Incase it hasn't clicked to you by this point, I'm not the same little emotionless puppet I was back when, and even then, I had one rule: no, innocents, get, touched! You just crossed the ultimate line here, pal, and for what, just to stimulate some old persona?!"
Pointing my finger at the enemy, I add with a harsh punctuation,
"You've gotta be the most despicable coward I've ever come to know, Janko Trilos! You want my answer? I'll be dead before Hart takes a blow meant for me! Do your worst to me if you can with your monsters, but let him go first!"
No POV
The entire entrance foyer of the floating art gallery grows still with silence from the red-eyed teen's outburst, shock and awe written in high levels all over the occupants...The first one to break out of his trance is Trilos, frustration and irritation etching into his features.
"Grrrh! Fine!"
He waves a sharp dismissal at Deranged Roulette, who slowly releases and lightly pushes the young boy with periwinkle blue hair out of the battlefield area, the latter staggering sideways and almost tripping on himself.
"Uh!...U-Uh..."
"Hart...!"
Sensing the chance to get his brother away from danger, Kite quickly begins running to grab Hart. Unfortunately, Viper had a similar idea.
"Guh! Hey!"
"Hey yourself, poser!"
(Whack)
"Kauoh!"
He only gets about an arm's length of the young boy before Akira's fist comes flying forward to punt him hard in the gut, knocking him off his feet to go slamming into a nearby pillar, effectively pushing the air out of him and rendering him unconscious...Staring down at the punk in disgust, the young man with the golden honey complexion then glances over to watch with careful eyes as the older blond tentatively walks over to the little boy with haggard golden irises.
"...Hart...?"
"B...Big brother..."
"You just signed your death certificate, you little bitch...!"
Attention turns back to the dueling field come Trilos's next exclaim, his burnt orange irises aflame with anger over the failed attempt of messing with Athena psychologically...His right arm rises, before his finger snap echoes through the air.
"Haze her!"
...
Three frigid seconds pass like an arctic wind, before all three of Trilos's monsters sprang against their target of interest! The first one that reaches the other duelist's proximity is Assault Wheel, speeding fast to trap the girl in a circle with no possibility of escape unless she wanted to turn into roadkill. This also effectively separated herself from her own monsters and Astral.
"Athena!"
Cringing into a defensive position, all she could do was send a warning glance at her friend from another galaxy to stay back...
(Leap, slam)
"Hauh!"
Then came the true first offensive measure delivered by Pendulum Machine when they make a grand jump over their blurring teammate to land directly in front of Athena, before swinging their axe forward to cut the girl's side as she barely dodges getting sliced in two!
"Aaaagh!"
She wouldn't be offered alot of recovery time when Deranged Roulette suddenly appears behind her to deliver a hard punch to her spine. Falling on her front, the ember red-eyed girl tries to scramble to the edge of the circle to avoid the two other monsters, only to get blown back to dead center courtesy of a missile explosion from the third one entrapping her within this brutal direct attack...
Watching her friend's body being battered mercilessly by an unfair amount of opponents was enough to pluck the heartstrings of Tiffany to the point that even a pair of dull scissors could cut them.
No...No, Athena!
"Stop! Stop this, please!"
Dropping the leather jacket in her hands, the girl with cornflower blue irises began rushing over to rescue her duelist companion, despite Akira's protests.
"Wait, Tiffany, don't!"
"Athenaaa!"
She would stop when Assault Wheel slows their rolling around enough so that their victim was visible, and as soon as their eyes lock, Athena barks authoritatively,
"Tiffany Quen, don't you dare take another step closer!"
Screeching to a halt, Tiffany stares at her bruised and bloodied friend with disbelief and fear for the order, the latter pleading through gritted teeth,
"S-Stay, where it's, s-safe...!"
"I'd listen t' her if I were you, sweetheart."
"Hn?!"
The girl with black bobbed hair darts her head to look in the distance where Trilos was, he giving her a sadistic smile while adding,
"Otherwise you'll just become another casualty like the little brat would've if Berserker chose to use him as a scapegoat. Heh, I remember dozens of instances where if it wasn't this card, another one will make the environment unsafe for everybody. You don't need Life Points to get suckerpunched by a bat-crap crazy monster."
Tiffany shivers from the dark implications in the street punk's words, before jumping from the feeling of a much more gentle hand on her shoulder belonging to a grim-faced Akira.
"...I'm sorry, Tiffany...but it's best to step back."
"B-But, what about Addy? She's-"
"I know, but she's been through tougher fixes than this...It won't be a pretty sight in a few minutes, (looks at the battlefield) but she'll live."
Which is really the only thing someone in the underground can hold onto...The power to live.
Up above the rest of our audience, Trey and Quattro watch as the young female soul continues to get thrashed around by the three monsters, the former reflecting a horrified expression while his older brother's face had fallen into a strange calm, one that to a more observant eye would be translated into an awakening disgust to the violence below.
...Is this, what I do to my fans?...Is this what could happen, if the AR turns real?
Higher still and continuing his own observation from behind the balcony pillar, Quinton steals a quick glance at his immediate youngest brother's reluctant features before turning his gaze back down at the battle, a gleam of concern shining in his light sea blue irises.
It seems Quattro's conscience is stirring again...and I can see why.
...The poor girl...
Finally, the onslaught of the Ultimate K.O. Trap Card comes to an end, and the three deadly monsters cease their attacks on their single target, turning to wander back to their wielder's side of the field...
"Oh, right, one more thing: not only do you lose 100 Life Points, but one of your monsters is destroyed as well."
As if reading his mind, Deranged Roulette lazily points their revolver over their shoulder to shoot at Fire Princess, eliminating her in a cloud of pixels as Athena's Life Points roll down to 933...
But that hardly registered as a problem to the girl, currently on her knees as she fought to get her breath back from the punishment delivered to her body, cuts and bruises decorating where her skin wasn't covered, heavy sweat stinging the open wounds. Panting heavily, she thinks to herself with a haggard resolve,
I...I made it...I survived...
(Flash)
The sound of glass crashing from an overwhelming weight echoes through the air overtop the rush of raging flames, and we see a small figure roll forward to meet the grassy grounds of what appears to be a forest clearing.
"Hah...hah...hah..."
Shifting as quickly as they could to stand up, they're revealed as noneother than Athena, dressed in a torn-up pair of soft gray pants with a matching shirt, her feet bare and ankles displaying some scarring from something that was once clasped around them...
Turning behind her, the younger teen watches the place she was previously held captive in burn in an unforgiving inferno.
(Flash)
"Rh...!"
...Another memory...
She wouldn't be the only one experiencing a troubling remembrance. For the first time since his arrival on this planet, Astral's memory receives a jolt not caused by the return of a Number Card...but based on the image of his torn-up, abused friend.
"Uh!"
(Ba-bump, flash)
An extremely blurry figure is viewed through his mental vision, perceived as humanoid standing on a pathway of sorts with some sort of long shapes sticking out from one side...
"-ho ar- y-...Wha- a- you?..."
Their voice, muffled but carrying a young, distinctively feminine tone, so foreign...yet somehow, familiar...
(Flash)
"...Uh..."
What, on, earth?...Was that, another one of my memories...?
How can this be? I should only have recollections of who I was based on the Number Cards returned to me.
...But on the other hand...
He redirects his focus on Athena as she attempts to lift herself up, only to stumble back into a half-kneel.
There has been evidence suggesting my own memory and Athena's may be more connected than either of us are aware...
...Is it possible then that a few of my memories may not have left my mind through the Numbers, but have been suppressed by a trauma shield like hers?
If so...then why?
The blue-skinned being is cut out of this new train of thought before it could leave the station, to the tune of a certain antagonistic teenage boy's cruel laughter.
"Awww, yesss! Now that was the most satisfying sight I've had for a long time! Finally, you get the punishment you deserve. So, how's that blood tasting in your mouth, traitor?! Bet you're starting to regret ever double-crossing me! Hehahahahaha!"
Said victim says nothing in response, too focused on clearing her throat and coughing up a bit of that red substance to go spattering the floor in the process...
"Athena, are you alright?"
Shaking a little from the physical pressures on her body, the girl attempts another try at standing up again, replying to her dueling partner in a gritted whisper,
"Ch-koff, I'm...I'm fine."
Hovering closer to her side, Astral asks worriedly,
"Are you sure? You have taken a heavy amount of damage, and I do not just mean to your Life Points."
"Hah...I know...but, I have to press on."
Gingerly bending back up straight, the weathered-down teenage girl adds between pants,
"Things may, have taken a turn, but we're not at the last page yet...I still got this, hah. Just need t' think..."
"...Athena?"
Humming in confusion to the softer address, she turns her eyes to see Hart looking at her in his own worry.
"Hart..."
"I...I'm sorry. (Sniff) I'm so sorry, that you have to go through all this, just for my sake."
The young boy's golden irises well up a bit with tears, prompting his older brother to kneel down and embrace the former from behind in a gentle hug, murmuring their name in a serious but concerned manner...
"No. Don't be sorry, Hart."
Both Tenjos look up in surprise by the dry remark, noticing the new weak smile on Athena's lips.
"None of this is your fault. If anything, I should be apologizing to you and your brother for getting caught in, my old demons...Demons I thought I left behind, but should've faced more strongly a long time ago...But hey."
She forms a light smirk and holds up a scratched-up fist determinedly.
"What's a couple bruises and cuts? I'm standing up, aren't I? The game's still on...And what I need you to do, is stay close to your brother, be brave, and pray for victory...Can you do that?"
Hart gapes a little from the lack of fear in his friend's voice...before closing it and nodding firmly.
Bobbing her head back, Athena then turns attention to the battlefield once again.
Alright...with Fire Princess gone, I lose my rejuvenation-damage combo with her and Golden Ladybug...
Still, that shouldn't stop me from making sure I last until my next turn...
"Athena."
"Hm?"
She pivots her head left to meet Astral's eyes as he tells her,
"I believe I have, caught onto what sort of strategy you have prepared for the rest of the duel, and I must be blunt: you are steering down another risky path...And yet..."
"Yet what?"
A small puff of air passes through the blue-skinned being's lips before he admits,
"And yet I confess to being...a little impressed by the skills you are displaying."
"Huh? Impressed?"
"Yes...which has me wanting to ask you this question: while I am not fond of this-pardon my phrasing, 'brutish' side to your dueling, why is it only now I am witnessing a more calculated strategizing?"
Athena couldn't respond at first...but then shrugs and responds through their telepathic link,
Can't really offer a straight answer...'cause I'm, not so sure myself. I mean...I guess since, there was usually so much on the line during a Duel Fist match, I couldn't really afford to screw around.
Compared to a regular duel, each move meant a step towards Life or Death.
"I see...I think I understand, yet, I cannot help but feel you are wasting your talents."
Keh, then you're not the only one...But, for you at least, I'm gonna work on putting my best into every kind of duel from now on. Start removing the facade...'cause I think I've been playing myself wrong for long enough.
"That is good to hear, for we both need to be at our best come the trials ahead."
Nodding, Athena hurries to grab one of the cards in her hand and complete her turn.
"The battle's far from over! I activate Golden Ladybug's ability, and gain 500 Life Points to my total."
The number raises from 933 to 1433...
"And with that, I end my turn."
Her opponent swipes up his next card from his deck.
"My move then! I Draw!...You may have trudged your way through the Ultimate K.O., but here's where I send you to hell! Assault Wheel!"
His large truck wheel warrior roars its engine to life, burning rubber while warming up the twin rocket shooters on its shoulders, its target being a certain Celtic elf warrior...
"Blast that scrawny Flelf to pieces!"
Several shots are fired, the missiles heading on a straight course for Athena's most vulnerable monster, much to Tiffany and Akira's worries.
"Athena!"
"If that attack connects, it's all over!"
The girl herself wasn't feeling ill at ease in the slightest, the corner of her lip curling up slightly.
Just as I thought he would...
"I activate the Shift Trap Card!"
Her face down flips upward, showing off the design of a shiny armoured figure behind a dark monstrous figure, with arrows creating a counterclockwise switch-off.
"Now I can change your monster's targeting to attack a different monster. In which case, Goblin Elite Attack Force will be taking the punch for Flelf instead!"
On that note, the armoured goblin knights move to form a protective wall in front of the swords-elf...
"Ha! Somehow I knew you'd pull a half-ass trick like that, and my Assault Wheel's got an ability that'll make your trap look useless! Go, Shield Explosion!"
The missiles gleam with a new shine as if they were dipped in stainless steel...
"You'll be losing alot more than just a member of your army, because whenever Assault Wheel attacks a monster in Defense Mode, the difference is dealt as damage!"
(Wiiizzzzzzz...BOOM)
Athena's monsters within one are blown to pixelated bits in an instant, leaving the poor blackette to go flying backwards with an outcry as her Life Points drop to 633. Astral would feel the bulk of the aftershock as well, whirling the opposite direction until he barely makes an aerial recovery before he would join his human companion on the ground...
"Well, here's where my turn comes to an end. I'd do more, (grin) if I wasn't enjoying how much your writhing from just one blow. Plus, I'm curious to see what you can do, heha, if you got any moves left, that is!"
Trilos stretches his arms to gesture to his monsters.
"There's no way you can take down all three of my monsters in just one turn! You may as well surrender now and save yourself from a humiliating defeat!"
As the gang leader continues to laugh maliciously, Akira found himself turning his aqua irises away from the battlefield, gritting his teeth in anger and disgust from this familiar scenario.
Damn it...Why did these bastards have to crawl out of their hideout? Why can't they just leave us alone?
...Guess it's true what they say: you can take the person out of the fight, but the fight won't ever leave the person.
"F-Fat chance, loser...I'm not done yet."
A gust of gasps breeze through the room as everyone in the audience watches Athena gingerly raise herself from the ground, her face displaying a new cut on her right cheek and a bruise running from her left temple to just below the corner of her eye...
(Slip)
"Guh...!"
(Ba-bump...)
She suddenly looses her footing, feeling a new wave of dizziness hit her. Barely catching herself by the knees, the girl with ember red irises breathes heavily as she fights against some black spots in her vision.
D-Damn it...Gotta, stay...conscious...!
What she wasn't aware of is that due to their spiritual connection, Astral could feel her struggles by way of a duller pulsing in his own skull. Wincing, the celestial being holds one of his palms to the side of his head as he rose halfway back up from his own fall.
This, pain...It feels similar to when Kite invaded my memories during that phenomenon with the triad of suns, but not quite as piercing.
It feels...more dizzying, as if I am about to pass out...
Wait a moment...!
Darting his eyes upward, he quickly deduces the true source of the pounding.
"Athena...!"
This must be the pain that is absent whenever she is close to blacking out...
But then, why am I feeling it? Is it because of our bond? Has it strengthened this much?
(...Shakes head) No. Now is not the time to wonder, for if I can feel her absent pain...
"Then she must be close to passing out from all the stress against her body...Mph, (lifts himself up) I must help her."
With a new resolve fueling his veins, Astral hurries to hover near the bent-over teenage girl and assist.
But how can I help her?...Hm...that time I accidentally accessed her memories...
As invasive as it may have been, at the same time, it seemed to soothe her as she slept.
...Perhaps I can invoke that sense of calm for her again.
Deciding to give it a try, he reaches one of his blue-complexioned hands out to 'touch' the top of Athena's forehead...
(...Glow...)
A soft sky blue light mixed with rouge amber emits between the different skins, and Astral fights the urge to gasp to focus on sending the following message to his troubled companion.
Athena...I am here. Stay strong.
What he didn't know was that everyone else could see the glow dancing along the top of Athena's head as well! Trilos cusses out,
"Wh-What the fuck is tha'?!"
Akira and Tiffany emit startled noises, but quickly realize,
"Wait...is that-"
"It has to be!...Astral..."
Kite and Hart were also wise to the presence of the being from beyond the stars, the younger brother being the only other person in the room who could actually see Astral.
"What the...?"
"...Astral..."
Is he helping her, like he was trying to help me atop the tower?
Soon enough, the throbbing and dark spots in her eyes left Athena, and she straightens herself back up while breathing easier.
"Hah, hah...Thought I was gonna go under for a second there...How...?"
"I see you are feeling better now."
Making a confused sound, she turns to see Astral staring at her with relief in his eyes.
"...Did you, make it stop...?"
"I did, by way of the same gesture I did when I, involuntarily, accessed your memories that one evening...It seems I have the capability of soothing your spirit whenever you are particularly stressed."
"...Huh...Well how 'bout that."
Quirking up a weak smile, Athena mutters,
"In that case, thanks for making sure that I stay awake."
Nodding with a minuscule upturn of mouth of his own, Astral replies,
"Of course," before both focus back in front of them with near-matching neutral expressions.
"Now then, let us finish this farce of a duel once and for all."
"Right...As I was saying, this battle's far from done! I'll show you what a comeback looks like!"
Athena takes hold of her next card, swiping it up sharply from her deck.
"My draw!"
Swerving it around to see the design...a grin plasters itself onto the duelist's face as she chuckles,
"Oh this is just too perfect. Talk about a bad case of irony!"
She dips her chin up to send that expression towards her enemy.
"Of course when I say bad, I mean bad for you! All that boasting you just made about not being able to take down all three your monsters in one turn? I'm about to shoot i' down like a lame duck, all thanks to this card."
Tucking her new arsenal beside another card in her hand, she reaches to the one in the middle.
"But first, I gotta do some prepwork...By banishing Fire Princess from my Graveyard, I can special-summon Inferno to the field!"
A bonfire erupts on her side of the field near Flelf's right, before the flames collude and manifest into a giant head of orange-yellow fire, blue flames for the eyes, and an opening for the mouth displaying several dozen skulls entrapped within this living heat source. Yet despite such an imposing figure for a Level Four, this monster only had 1100 Attack Points...
"Next, I activate Flelf's ability, Elven Sword!"
Said monster raises his sword into the air, catching the light of Inferno to bounce off the steel which streams to hit one of Athena's other cards in her hand, flipping around to reveal another one of her monsters.
"I'm now increasing Flelf's Level by adding Damage Mage's, changing him from a Level Two to a Level Five!"
"Tch, and so what? Neither he or your moving fire hazard have the same level. How's that gonna help ya?"
Athena takes hold of her new card again, a smirk curving onto her lips.
"This is how. I now activate the Spell, Pillager!"
A shady bandit wearing a mauve bandana, a green-striped shirt and brown pants appears on the field, carrying a large sack over their shoulder with a sneaky grin on their face. Just seeing the figure alone would get something related to fear stirring within the punk with acid green hair tipped black.
"Wait, what?! H-How do you have-?!"
"Huh, don't remember? I'm actually a bit shocked, (narrows eyes) since you were the one who gave it to me."
(Flash)
"I certainly can't forget the day in question...It would've been just two months after I joined your little posse..."
Wrapping a bit of gauze around her upper left arm after another day of brutal fighting, a set of footsteps cut into Athena's moment of silence behind walls. Looking up, she sees the source to be noneother than Trilos, an impressed smirk on his face.
"And there she is, the reigning youngest chick warrior of the Fallen Stars!...You know, for someone as scrawny as you, you're pretty vicious in the ring."
...The preteen just stares stonily at the older teen, making him shrug with an amused chuckle.
"Yet that don't reflect in your emotions, which makes you all the more interesting. No wonder so many are after your ass...Oh, right."
Reaching into his back pocket, Trilos pulls out something to present to his most prized fighter.
"Here, kid."
Putting down the medical tape in her right hand, Athena reaches to take the object for herself, staring down at it blankly.
"...What's this for?"
"For cracking into the high ranks in just a short amount of time. Trust me, once you start to really participate in Duel Fist, you're gonna need it."
Humphing, the young girl with dull red irises just keeps looking at the object, revealed to be noneother than the Pillager Spell Card!
(Flash)
"And if I remember right, this was another one of Bandit Keith's originals. I had some serious doubts that I'd ever use it, but nevertheless, I kept it out of impulse."
Athena's smirk turns a little grim and sardonic.
"Can't imagine how infuriating it must feel to have not only one of your best fighters, but even your own cards turn against you."
One of Trilos's burnt orange irises twitches with anger as he grinds his teeth.
"Grrrh! You, bitch...!"
Up atop the pillars on the battlefield's left, Trey emits an intrigued sound before quietly commenting,
"Interesting choice of spell...Pillager allows a player to look at their opponent's hand and steal one of their cards."
Not something I would completely expect from a girl like her...She's offered up one surprise after another in this duel.
(Narrows eyes) There's definitely more to this kid than she presents.
"Well? Are ya gonna show me your hand or keep us all waiting 'til September?"
Letting loose another heavy growl, Trilos reluctantly holds up his cards which display on a larger projection for everyone to see...Athena hums to herself,
"Well that monster of his won't do me good...But that Spell..."
Astral quickly deduces where his friend's thought pattern was heading towards.
"His spell would be a great asset to us."
"Then it's settled. (Points forward) I'll be taking that Ancient Rules card off your hands."
An energy wave wobbles over the spell's image, before it transforms into a ball of light to go flying into the thief's sack.
"Aurh! Damn it!"
Said figure laughs at the victim before hurrying back to their wielder to present the stolen spell to her. Smirking, Athena seizes the card with a,
"Thanks," as the thief vanishes...
"And now, I'll be usin' the spell I just pilfered from ya. I activate Ancient Rules!"
An old, yellowed codex page manifests and rolls open for all to see...
"This card allows a player to Special-Summon one Level Five or higher monster from their hand. Thankfully, I drew one on my last turn...Rise, Crow Goblin!"
Swooping onto the field near Inferno's right, came a humanoid crow with blue-black feathers, orange-red beak and talon hands, and wore a deep red shirt underneath a creamy tan robe, 1850 Attack Points displayed. Quinton hums thoughtfully from his own place in the shadow of the pillar in the balcony.
Two Level Five monsters...Is she about to do what I think she will?
Drawing a deep breath, Athena raises her hand again in a commanding gesture, face set in one of her more serious glares yet.
"I now overlay Level Five Flelf, and Crow Goblin, to build the Overlay Network!"
Two green streams of light representing the monsters fly through the air to go diving into the portal and help complete the formation of the next beast to grace the AR reality...
"Kuh, so you're finally bringing out the big guns, huh? Lemme guess, one of those Number Cards?"
"...No...but you're gonna wish it was a Number when I'm through with you."
"Huh?"
(...Crack-boom)
"Whoa!"
Suddenly, a large wispy storm cloud brews above everyone's heads, crackling thread-like lightning as the ground permeates a thinner morbid fog...
"None of the Numbers I've collected so far can compare to the fury of this XYZ, a monster strengthened by the rage of their wielder...And the rage that's been festering inside my being these last two days has finally reached boiling point."
Clenching her free fist hard until her bones crack, Athena cries out,
"Now you will feel the full length of my anger, channeled into the veins of my monster! ARISE, ADREUS, KEEPER OF ARMAGEDDON!"
(...Crack-BOOM)
A larger bolt of dark purple lightning crashes onto the field on Inferno's far left, creating an explosion of rock, smoke, and feathers...As the smog dissipates, a loud hybrid screech between human and avian rings through the air before the source is revealed. Rank Five with 2600 Attack points, this XYZ held the appearance of a male humanoid wearing black and dark silver armour, a matching mask covering two-thirds of his face, leaving his mouth free and showing signs of a pale complexion. Giant wings protrude from his back, made from thick feathers of inky black-gray and matching in scheme to that of the tattered battle skirt reaching past his shoes, his hair sweepingly long and shaggy with bangs half-covering his red glowing eyes, darker than that of the salmon-red metal dagger in his right hand.
Half-gapes carve onto the mouths of Trey and Quattro, while their eldest brother's eyebrow quirks up with intrigue.
Interesting...
Orbital Seven would not bother to contain his awe at the power of this latest summon.
"W-Well I'll be rebooted! For a non-non-Number, that monster suuure looks strong!"
Realizing what he's saying, he quickly adds with a head swerve to his human master,
"U-Uhm, but barely comes second to your Galaxy-Eyes, Ma-Master Kite! Eheheheh..."
The blond just ignores the robot, his focus locked on Adreus with a calculated expression.
Hmm...
Tiffany found herself shivering from the aura protruding from the winged beast.
"O-Oh wow. I don't remember Addy having anything that...fierce-looking in her deck..."
"I do."
She looks over at Akira in confusion, and he explains,
"I was with her the day she got the card, from an old card shop in the quieter district of Heartland near the central city...a couple days after we first left the Fallen Stars for good..."
"Aah..."
Staring up at the Rank Five XYZ, Astral too was impressed by the sheer strength and presence of the monster.
Such an imposing aura...Their power is dark, but, not exactly in a bad way. Rather, it is power that commands respect...
Glancing around at the mixed expressions of her audience, Athena looks back up at Adreus with a proud smirk on her face.
"Quite a scary choice, I know...but Adreus and I are alot similar to one another than we may look. Both rugged souls trying to navigate in a messed-up world...You know, I've heard it once said that compatibility in this game is half 'n half: sometimes the duelist will choose the cards...and other times, the cards will choose the duelist."
(Flash)
"I still recall the day I first laid eyes on Adreus, just a handful of days after I quit hanging around that death trap of a gang...Akira and I were still in a bit of a daze, and would call eachother up to help the other get back to center, even if it meant just wandering down some streets nicer than the ones we used to frequent to..."
Going back about a year and a half before the mission for the Number Cards first began, we watch as Athena - dressed in a red and black-striped zipper hoodie borrowed from her brother Terry, a light blue tank top, slate grey skinny jeans and black skater shoes with dark blue laces - and Akira - he dressed in a black long-sleeve shirt under a moss green vest, tan brown cargo shorts, and grey canvas shoes - walk down a street near the busier downtown area with some small business shops, including a grocer, a laundromat, and a semi-popular Duel Monsters trading card shop said to house high-end monsters...
"Sooo, whaddo you say to hittin' that sushi joint up the block here for lunch?...Hm?"
Akira notices that his younger friend wasn't beside him anymore, and turns around to see her staring into the card shop they were passing.
"...Addy?"
She wasn't listening, her eyes fixated on seemingly nothing within the display window...
"It was strange to say the least, that, pull I felt, an urge to go inside that never existed until that afternoon...I felt, a call."
The tiny bell above the door jingles softly as the young preteen slowly enters the Duel Monsters shop, following an invisible path between a few shelves with her friend wandering curiously behind her...Eventually, she stops in front of one display case that housed a couple more powerful XYZ Cards...where Adreus, Keeper of Armageddon rested...
"Once I found the source of that pull, I knew...I knew in an instant that card had to become one of my own. Guess the old shopkeep' saw it too, which was no surprise since he's one of those 'cards have hearts' believers...And since he was having a hard time selling Adreus to the right duelist, he gave me a bit of a discount, but I digress..."
(Flash)
"What brought us together in the end is this commonality in how we view the world."
Gazing around the more worn parts of the abandoned gallery, Athena goes on.
"We both know that as pretty as the world may be, the sad reality is that beauty's covering a whole lot of ugly...We know that the world's just a hair trigger away from going to the shits, yet despite that...here we are, still standing ready to fight that calamity."
She locks eyes with her XYZ.
"We're prepared to rise out of the coming rubble, and thrash our way to even just a breath of peace. He's no stranger to chaos...and neither am I."
As both monster and duelist focus back on the battlefield, the latter finishes her latest speech.
"So you could say this night of terror's just another chapter in the history section labelled 'Storm Before The Calm'...and now it's time to end it."
Athena raises her arm towards Adreus.
"I activate Adreus's special ability! Once per turn, by using one Overlay Unit, I can target one face-up card you control, and destroy it!"
Trilos recoils back in shock:
"You can WHAT?!"
"My target of choice, is your Assault Wheel!"
The girl's monster raises his dagger upward, a lightning bolt catching the light and making it gleam more dangerously than earlier...He then leaps high into the air upon his black feathered wings, before diving straight back down in the direction of the target of interest...
(SLASH-SLASH)
Two swift cuts would spell doom for Assault Wheel, who falls apart from the X-shaped marks and de-pixelates!
"Gaaauh!"
Though his Life Points were somehow unaffected, Trilos nonetheless felt a backlash, crying out in anger at having his monster bested so easily. Unfortunately for him, this was only the beginning.
"Next, I'm sending Adreus to attack Pendulum Machine before you get any bright ideas."
A smoky aura emits around the monster as he poises his weapon in front of himself...But rather than charge forward as he did already, the storm clouds up above open a little to produce a blurry image of a decimated city, before releasing a torrent of concrete to go raining down on the unsuspecting victim!
"Go, Battlefield Barrage!"
The bladed monster couldn't count on the strength of its defense, and gets buried under a large pile of rubble before fading away completely. Shivering slightly again, the girl standing on the sidelines nervously thinks to herself,
Man, Addy's not giving an inch...
"Now, all that's left is your Deranged Roulette. Inferno, you're on deck!"
As Adreus lands to rest, Athena's other monster roars their flames to attention...
"Burn the monster as psycho as his user to ash!"
Inferno does not hesitate their duelist's command, spewing out the fired skulls from its mouth to head straight for the trigger-happy XYZ, the impact of the broiling bones creating an agonizing end for the latter before they too are destroyed...
"And if I remember right, if Deranged Roulette is destroyed in battle, their wielder pays a price of 500 Life Points."
All Trilos could do in response is growl as his total rolls down to 1267, and Astral thinks to himself,
He will be paying much more than that, for when Inferno successfully destroys an opponent's monster in battle, they are then hit with an additional 1500 Points of Damage...
This battle is won...and yet...
The celestial being glances down at his human friend with calculated concern in his mismatched white-silver and gold.
Is there truly a victory in this 'duel', I wonder?
The ashes that once made up Trilos's XYZ suddenly move to form a circle around the duelist, making him arch up in agitation.
"G-hh! No...No, this can't be righ'...This can't be happening! I was suppose to win this time!"
Athena just gave him a dead sort-of glare and retorts,
"Who said that Life was suppose to go our way?...Inferno, end this with Hell's Vendetta!"
Said monster lunges forward and speeds around the opposing duelist, using their flamed body to ignite the ashes and create a ring of fire to further entrap the latter...Yet the real impacting blow would come from a much larger fire skull released from the bowels of Inferno to smack against Trilos's chest hard.
"Aaaaaggghhhhhhhhh!"
The last of his Life Points diminish to nothing as his body rockets backwards to the floor, finally bringing the curtain down on this break-neck battle...
...
...
But looking at the worn, battered form that was the supposed winner, we ask ourselves a similar question to Astral's.
Is there any sort of victory to be pulled out of the aftermath?