Welcome back folks to another chapter. This one is going to be a more relaxed one, so not quite any duels. The next chapter will be the start of the second day of the Friendship Cup. We'll be getting a lot of dueling action then. Without any further ado, let's begin.
Ch. 42: Getting into Trouble at a Penthouse Suite
Four hours later, when the half crescent moon was glowing brightly high up in the sky, something unusual happened. All of the Lancers, even the ones that had lost their matches on the first day of the Friendship Cup, got a knock on their doors. The knocking wouldn't leave until the people inside finally got up and answered it. Once the door was opened, each person was greeted with an Executive Council guard. Visors covered their eyes and each face was set into a neutral frown.
When asked why they were woken up, all of the Lancers were given just one vague answer.
"The King wishes to see you all down in the lobby."
With that answer, some people quickly got dressed and rushed down to meet the King of the City once again, like Yugo. Others, not so much. Some people had to be nearly dragged out of their rooms and forced to head down to the lobby after sluggishly getting dressed, like Sylvio.
"I swear you people in this place have no manners." The Lancer grumbled as he fought to fix his atrocious bedhead. Turns out the brunette really didn't like getting his sleep interrupted.
One person in particular however, was surprisingly the hardest one to get out of their room for one sole reason.
Zero had wedged his recliner in front of the door, preventing anyone from getting in while he was sleeping. Turns out the crafty bastard's plan worked a little too well, because no one could get in and their voices were too mute to hear from outside the room to wake him up.
"Wake up!" One executive guard banged on the door as loudly as he could and practically screamed his voice raw, but all of that effort got no response from the person within. At the most it probably made the revolutionary turn and face away from the door in his slumber.
"Why do you even need all of us down in the lobby?" Yuya grumbled irritably as he rubbed one of his eyes.
"Can't this wait until the morning? When everyone is a bit more aware and less irritable." Even Reiji didn't approve of this sudden awakening. The teen had just gotten to bed two hours ago after helping Riley fall asleep in his own room. Sleep was important, and the CEO was tired after having to deal with the Council all day again yesterday. Especially after Zero's little episode post Yuya's duel.
That wasn't pleasant to deal with. They weren't happy, but even Reiji had to side with Zero on this one. He never approved of how the Council invaded the group's privacy so much they stuck cameras into everyone's rooms, even his. He disliked Zero, a lot actually, but he didn't want the masked man dead because he couldn't feel safe and take care of himself because he was being watched.
"The King has ordered everyone to be present in the lobby now, and when his majesty orders something he gets it." A different guard answered for the first one. This man tried to forcefully pry open the door with a crowbar, and had no luck thanks to the way the recliner was positioned. "Damn bastard!" He grunted with effort that was pointless. That door wasn't opening unless Zero wanted it to be opened.
At this point, everyone else was fully awake and dressed for this impromptu awakening, and were merely watching all of this unfold. Some had some rather amused expressions at the sight. It had Yuto and Ruri snickering behind their hands at the sight of the guards struggling. Others were two seconds away from going back to bed regardless of what the King wanted like Crow and Gongenzaka.
At the very least, this gave people time to converse with those that had already lost in the tournament like Tokumatsu and Tsukikage. Something that Yuya greatly appreciated as he chatted up with his best friend Gongenzaka.
"Screw this." Shun finally grouched. The man was an early bird, but he never appreciated being woken up by someone else at freaking midnight. "I'll take care of this." The Raidraptor turned, and went down the hallway and down the stairs as everyone watched the tall teen go.
Five minutes later, the loud screech of Raidraptor Rise Falcon shrieked out from the otherside of the room, startling everyone. Turns out Shun must've jumped out of a window and rode Rise Falcon to Zero's window and made the monster caw loudly to wake Zero up. It worked rather well judging from the shrill scream coming from inside the room that rose a couple octaves. A loud thump sounded, and a ton of cursing that Crow tried and failed to prevent all of his kids from hearing was heard soon after.
A loud hiss sound from inside the room, then a modulated voice roared in rage. "What the fuck!"
"Wake up!" Nearly everyone still inside the tower yelled, successfully turning Zero's wrath away from Shun and onto them.
"Swear to God…" Zero muttered darkly as he cursed more under his breath. The sound of the recliner being moved sounded out before the door swung open wildly. It nearly hit the wall and rebounded back if Zero didn't have a bone breaking grip on the door itself. "What the hell do you people want? It's fucking midnight for God's sake."
"The King wants to see you down in the lobby." Both guards answered back just as vaguely as they did with all of the other Lancers.
That blank mask exuded pure malice as the wood of Zero's door actually splintered in his rising rage. "You woke me up, just to tell me that?" One deep breath later, and instead of throttling the guards in his anger Zero merely scoffed derisively. "Pathetic. I'm going back to sleep-"
One of the guards brazenly put their foot in the door's pathway, preventing the revolutionary from shutting it completely. Judging from the pained expression on the man's face Zero had basically slammed his door into the man's foot, but he didn't budge. Not even when all of Zero's anger was directed at him.
"His majesty demands you all come down to the lobby. His orders are not to be disobeyed." The second guard spoke for the one currently in too much pain to speak.
"I am a King in this City as well." Zero snapped back grouchily. Not even apologizing for injuring the one guard's foot. In his mind, Zero believed the man deserved it. He was finally getting a good night's rest when this had to happen. At least he got a couple hours of shut eye. "I say leave me be to sleep, or else. Whatever Atlas has to speak to me about can wait until the damn morning when it's a more appropriate time."
"Come on Zero!" Yugo complained loudly as he already began to rush his way towards the stairs past Shun who had just arrived back. "It's Jack Atlas! Whatever he's gotta say HAS to be important if he wants to see us all this late in the night!"
"That is true." Reiji begrudgingly agreed and pushed his glasses up his nose. "Perhaps whatever the King needs to say he doesn't want certain people to hear." He was talking about the Director of Security.
Okay, Reiji's reasoning made a lot of sense, and piqued Zero's interest a lot more than the griping and pushing Yugo and the guards were doing. A vague response like the ones the guards gave was never going to be enough to get Zero to comply. He needed incentive.
"Hmm, fine." Zero shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. "I've already woken up, might as well see what Atlas wants before going back to bed. Just in case it is important." The rebel opened the door all the way, and nearly barrelled past the guards and the other Lancers if they hadn't moved out of the way fast enough.
When the masked man started passing Shun though, he stopped suddenly. Zero turned to directly face the Raidraptor user who had a neutral expression on his face. Honestly, it looked like Zero was debating on punching the Xyz user before he finally spoke one thing.
"Don't do that again."
Shun blinked his yellow eyes down at Zero, before shrugging nonchalantly and nodding. "Okay." With that debate settled, Zero continued on his original path towards the tower lobby to see Jack Atlas. Maybe pester and yell at the King some about the terrible time he made everyone get up for his own convenience.
Frankly, everyone else was rather shocked Shun got off so lightly after what he just pulled. The man literally scared Zero awake by having one of his monsters shriek at him through a window. If that had happened to any of them there was no doubt there would be fists flying. Even from the more calm people like Yuya and Yuzu. If there was one thing you never messed with, it was a person's sleep. It was like poking a bear and being shocked the bear got pissed at you and attacked you for waking it up so rudely.
The only ones who weren't so surprised were Yuto and Ruri. Each figuring that after everything that happened yesterday Shun got a lot more leniency for his stunt than anyone else would.
Thankfully everyone was quickly ushered on by the guards and soon enough everyone was finally at the lobby. Of course, Yugo and Zero were already there. The former was eagerly talking to the King of the City while the latter was glaring darkly at him. The rebel's arms were crossed tightly over his suit, and it was clear Zero wasn't a happy man as he tapped his foot on the floor impatiently.
Jack Atlas meanwhile, merely looked at Yugo with a stoic expression as he listened intently to Yugo talking about how he got his deck. Though, Jack's focus was half on Yugo and half on the other people arriving down the stairs.
"It really was hard, but I managed to eventually build my deck after finding enough cards through the trash heaps and junk yards. Even the ones I don't use and keep at the orphanage I work to keep in good condition. It's like Yuya said in his duel yesterday, every card has a use. You just need to listen to it and it'll respond!" Yugo grinned brightly as he noticed Jack's focus was solely on him now. "I get that feeling from my deck sometimes. If I'm really lucky sometimes I hear Clear Wing rumble to me in excitement when in a really thrilling duel! I-"
That's what tipped the scales for Atlas to finally respond to Yugo's words. "You have a strong connection with your monsters." A sharp breath went through the banana banged duelist's teeth as he shut himself up to hear the King's words. "Your trust in them is strong, and in return they give you their loyalty and support. Good." The King nodded in approval, and Yugo practically melted at receiving praise from his role model and hero. "Keep that bond, that strength, and with your unwavering determination you'll get far as a duelist."
That was Jack Atlas practically saying you have great potential, but Yugo still understood it. The Synchro user's grin nearly took up his entire face in his excitement, Yugo was just so happy.
Jack Atlas saw potential, great potential, in him. Out of everyone else in the City, the Jack Atlas believed that he had the most potential.
Rin, if only you could see me now. Our dream, my dream, we're getting closer to it with every step! I wish you were here. Yugo thought as he dreamed of Rin being here by his side. Of being just as happy and proud to hear Atlas' words as he was.
"As nice as this is, it's currently 12:23 in the freaking morning!" Crow said rather loudly so everyone's attention was drawn to him. "What the hell do you want, Jack?" He grumbled the last part out tiredly.
"Well, now that everyone is here I suppose I should say it." Jack nodded as he acquiesced to Crow's demands. "Fact of the matter is the reason I brought you all together here is because of you." The King turned on one foot and pointed right over at Zero.
"Huh?" The group could imagine how Zero raised an eyebrow behind his mask in confusion. "What about me?"
"You are coming with me over to my penthouse suite, so I can finally find a damn game you absolutely reek at." Jack spoke with no tolerance to objection in his tone. "The rest of you are all coming along so he doesn't come up with some dumbass excuse to try and weasel his way out of it!" This time he pointed over to everyone else.
.
.
.
What.
"You're joking." Yuzu spoke up first over the stunned silence. Everyone was still kinda tired, and Jack's words were just now starting to compute into their brains. "Right?"
"Dead serious, actually." Atlas responded firmly with his gaze set into fiery determination. Dark violet heatedly stared into masked purple. "I'm sick of losing to you and your damn games in chess. Now it's my turn to find something you suck at and beat you to a pulp in it!" Clearly, the man's pride was hurt from the constant losses. Instead of trying to beat Zero at his own game Jack decided to try a different route entirely.
"You've got to be kidding me…" Yuto slowly put his head into his hands to rub at his tired eyes. "When I signed up to be a Lancer I didn't sign up for this." He murmured to himself wearily.
"And what of the Executive Council?" Zero questioned as he brought his arms behind his straightened back like a military commander. "I doubt they approve of this… excursion."
"That's because those old fossils don't know about it." Atlas responded as if what he just said wasn't at all important.
"What?!" Everyone else exclaimed except for Reiji and Zero.
Jack Atlas gave an unamused look to the rest of the Lancers and waved their sudden concerns off like they were measly flies. "Oh stop squabbling! What they don't know won't hurt them. Besides, I'm the King of this City, so I can do whatever I wish with that title and the power that comes with it."
"Why couldn't this wait until the morning, exactly?" Reiji raised one unamused eyebrow. He didn't feel like playing nice this late into the night. Besides, it seems like Zero is already rather familiar with the King anyway.
"Because those old coots would take up all of our time of course!" Apparently, Jack didn't like the Council much either from the way he was talking about them. The blonde haired man gestured wildly with both hands as he spoke. "They'd make you all fight in the Friendship Cup to try and get onto our level, and Zero and I would be forced to watch or play nice at their meetings." His nose scrunched up in distaste. "The dinners I have to attend with that Council are always so stiff and as boring as watching paint dry."
"I can agree with you there." Zero agreed stiffly off to the side. His crossed arms and impatient posture slowly lowered.
Jack turned back to Zero at his statement. One finger pointed sternly over at him. "See?" He exclaimed, glad to finally have someone vocally agree with him. "Frankly, I'm glad that meal yesterday ended so quickly, so take this demand as a form of thank you and let's get a move on!" Atlas turned and forced the double doors open with an impressive amount of strength. "I want to find something you're terrible at and finally beat you in it."
"You don't exactly have the most noble of reasons for this." Zero grouched unhappily. Though, Shun did suggest I try to decompress. Perhaps this will be a good way to do that. With those thoughts in mind, the revolutionary took the first few steps out of the lobby and went after Atlas. "But if you insist. Just ensure that my Lancers are treated well tonight for this entire spectacle."
Jack didn't respond to that request with much, only a grunt and a single nod. The man was striding away, most certainly over to whatever vehicle he used to get to the tower in the first place.
Reiji was actually the first of the rest of the group to follow after the two eccentric Kings. His loyal bodyguard Tsukikage and Riley immediately stepped up beside him. The silver haired teen looked over his shoulder to see the rest of his Lancers still standing by the doorway. In disbelief at how this was all rapidly unfolding, hesitation, or belief that this was all somehow one very strange dream.
The Lancer leader adjusted his red scarf over his shoulder as he spoke. "Well, aren't you all coming? It would be seen as incredibly rude by the others in this City if you refuse an order from the King." The CEO didn't want to risk the unstable relations the group already had with the Council and the rest of the City.
"Get a move on!" Atlas' voice bellowed from down the hallway impatiently. Well, if Reiji didn't make the group's decision that command certainly did.
"It's at times like these I wish I had stayed back in Standard." Yuya said grumpily as everyone quickly advanced to the entrance of the contestant tower. "Frankly, the only reason I came was to save Yuzu and find Lelouch." Reiji's gaze blinked over towards the Pendulum user for a moment at those words, before looking back down the hallway Zero walked through without saying a single word.
"Well, thanks for being strong enough to find me, Yuya." Yuzu thanked and took hold of the tomato haired teen's hand to squeeze it in reassurance. "You really are a great friend. I'm sure we'll find Lelouch in no time."
"Yeah, right!" Yuya suddenly perked up, and his face grew as red as his red hair. Scarlet eyes looking to the side as he laughed softly, but grew more disappointed as the seconds passed. "Yeah, I'm a good friend alright. Just friends. You and I."
"Woah."
"Now this is what I call service!" Sylvio exclaimed happily as the group came to the entrance.
Yuzu didn't seem to notice how the Pendulum user became more downtrodden all of a sudden, and slumped. Periwinkle eyes were too focused on the giant freaking limo that awaited the group outside of the tower. A certain teen with bright, curly orange hair however, did notice.
. . .
The group was off seconds after all of the Lancers were inside the vehicle and the last seat was buckled. Once that last buckle clicked, the driver instantly floored it over to wherever Jack lived at the King's command. Dodging and weaving in and out of traffic, and at one point Shinji was positive they ran a red light. But no Security came out to pull them over like they most certainly would've to a Common.
Everyone was freaking out at how crazy this driver was acting on the road, and Gongenzaka looked very green in the gills. That didn't bode well for Tsukikage, since the ninja sat right across from the giant teen, and indeed the blue themed teen looked rather concerned at getting puked on. All by accident of course, but nobody liked getting vomited on regardless, or even the idea of it.
Jack meanwhile, merely sat in his seat with his arms across his chest casually. One leg lazily crossed over the other and a neutral expression on his face. The long strands of his blonde hair were the only things flying wildly in the car that belonged to his person.
Even Zero was gripping onto the leather cushions like his life depended on it. Reiji meanwhile, had one arm tightly around Riley and the other hand held onto a safety handle. The CEO's glasses had fallen off during the beginning portion of the ride, and the teen didn't dare to try and retrieve them until after the ride was over.
Reiji never had his limo driver go this bat-shit insane while on the road. Never. He'd sooner fire the man and have his license permanently revoked before letting them go this nuts.
"Can't you have your chauffeur slow down just a little bit please!?" Ruri screamed over the cacophony of chaotic noise from everyone else. Shun was holding onto Ruri in a similar position to Reiji, while Ruri was doing the same for Yuto.
"Why would you let someone drive this crazy anyway!" Yuto demanded hotly as his seatbelt prevented him from going flying just like everyone else from a sudden speed bump they ran over. "Stop the damn car!"
Yugo seemed to be the only person actually enjoying the car ride besides Jack. The banana banged duelist gave a loud whoop of delight after the speed bump as aquamarine eyes stayed glued onto the tinted windows. Watching with enraptured eyes as the glowing lights of the beautiful Top's part of the City pass them by so quickly.
"Why?" Atlas raised an eyebrow, and good God he actually looked confused about everyone's reactions to the car ride. "This isn't anywhere close to how fast a D-Wheel can go. He's not going fast enough in my opinion."
"I'm gonna be sick." Gongenzaka groaned feebly, and covered his mouth with one hand.
"Please don't." Tsukikage's voice was practically drowned out over everyone else freaking out.
Jack Atlas glared over towards the Steadfast duelist heatedly and spoke hotly. "You better not! You get sick in my limo and you can all walk the rest of the way there and back to the tower."
"Jack you asshole!" Crow screamed as he cradled all three of his kids carefully in his arms as they shrieked in fear. "Stop the damn car!"
"I'd rather walk anyway!" Dennis squeaked as the driver accidentally went over the curb for a second before righting the car. "I'd like to live please!"
Finally, after five more minutes of torture, the car grew to a screeching halt. Everyone was thrown for a loop, and everyone would've gotten seriously hurt if it wasn't for their seatbelts trapping them in their seats.
"We're here." Before that statement left the driver's calm lips the group was already out of the car and kissing the beautiful, sweet, solid ground before them. Some breathed sighs of relief at the hell ending. Others thanked whatever Gods they prayed to for surviving the journey. The rest were by the closest trash bin spilling their metaphorical guts out.
"Yeah!" Yugo cheered as he threw a fist up in the air in his ecstatic enthusiasm. "Let's do that again!"
. . .
An innocent ding of an elevator sounded out, before its doors opened widely for the large group of people. Jack was the first to confidently stroll out of the elevator and into the penthouse floor that was his home.
"Well, welcome to my abode. If you want anything just ask my servants, and the bathroom is the first door down the hall on the left." Atlas gestured out with one hand before pointing said hand at the Lancers and speaking sternly. "You mooks break anything and I will know, and I will be angry. You've been warned."
The place was absolutely enormous. Not only was it on the top of the biggest skyscraper in the City, but it also had the most space any of the penthouses in this place had. It really was the chambers fit for royalty. There was a huge living room section with a massive plasma screen TV, and just a ways behind the long sectional leather couch was a freaking pool table. A finely crafted dart board was just feet away from the pool table as well. There was a giant table fit for playing card games nearby. Hell, there was a freaking poker table scooched near the corner of that side of the room too. Scattered across the entire place were paintings and decorations depicting ancient times and a crimson dragon made out of pure red energy. Old, ancient looking vases that better belonged to a history museum laid on marble pedestals.
On the other side of the room was a kitchen bar where two finely dressed servants stood, waiting patiently even at this time of night. The bar was massive, with different drinks, alcohols, and wines one could only dream of normally. A huge fridge and stove were behind the bar, and there was a big door that most certainly led to a walk-in pantry and freezer. The other half of the floor was mainly walled off for rooms and bathrooms.
The best feature of the place however, had to be what was outside. Half of the floor had actually been cut off to make room for an enormous balcony. Said balcony had a huge garden on one side, a resting porch fit with a gazebo on the other, and an enormous pool in the middle of both sides. The water sparkled an array of different colors thanks to the lights from the City, and it actually had a rather deep end to it fit with a diving board. Wrapping around the entire floor was a giant D-Wheel ring, so that if Jack wanted to he could speed laps around his penthouse without having to go to the stadium. How the hell Jack manages to get his D-Wheel up here in the first place, nobody knew.
Overall it was over the top, screamed wealth and arrogance, and was frankly perfect for someone like Jack Atlas.
"And I thought some of the places I've been to back home were prideful in how much they can fit in their casinos and villas." Zero muttered, baffled as he struggled to take all of this information in at around 1 in the morning.
"Come." Atlas stated firmly, and grabbed a rough hold onto Zero's wrist before tugging them both over towards the card game table. It's rich dark mahogany polished to perfection without a speck of dust or any scratches in sight. "You and I have a score to settle."
"If you insist." Zero sighed in acceptance. The masked man didn't bother to fight back, and just went along with it without complaint. Seeing the pack of poker cards and chips already set up, the rebel figured Atlas planned this in advance.
With the two Kings splitting off everyone else broke into action. Yugo instantly booked it over to the bar and demanded to know what they had in stock. When the servants gave him a weird look and replied back whatever he wanted, Yugo nearly drooled. It was clear what the male Synchro counterpart was planning to do for the duration of their stay here. Try and eat Jack Atlas out of house and home until there was barely any food left in storage.
Frankly, the skinny teen really needed all the food he could get anyway.
While Amanda, Frank, and Tanner all immediately ran outside to go play in the pool, Crow and Shinji slowly followed. Those three needed to be watched carefully lest they try and steal something and anger the King. That concern for any possibly thievery turned into concern for them drowning as soon as the three all unanimously jumped into the deep end without any life jackets. Not to mention their clothes were now soaked to the bone and needed to get dried off now.
Everyone else kind of just… stood there at the elevator entrance. Lost and confused on what they should do, and worried about breaking something that cost more than anything they owned throughout their lives. The rest of the Lancers were rather hesitant to do much of anything.
"Sooo…" Dennis drawled out in the awkwardness that ensued. This drew all attention to the Performage user as he balanced himself on the balls of his feet. "Anyone wanna play pool?"
. . .
I was clear that even though Yuya and Sylvio wanted to play a round, neither had a single clue as to how to actually play pool. That confusion was made even more clear when Yuya accidentally sunk the eight ball on his first turn, costing him the game.
"I thought the goal was to just get all the balls in the pockets?" Was the teen's question, and everyone else sighed loudly in response. Some people chuckled instead, and when Yuzu started giggling at his antics Yuya turned cherry red.
"I- No. Not completely." Serena grinned from behind her hands. She quickly cooled her expression however and focused more on choosing and preparing her billiard stick for another round.
"Just watch us play a round first. It'll be easier to explain as we go along." Dennis lightly patted Yuya's shoulder in encouragement as he, Shun, and Serena all began another game. One that actually lasted more than three turns. It was also very clear that all three teens were much, much better at playing pool than Yuya and Sylvio could ever hope to be. This was further exemplified when Serena managed to sink three of her balls in one shot that gave her the win in the end.
"Woah." Sylvio watched slack-jawed at the Fusion user's flawless victory. Yuya's shocked eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Dennis politely clapped while Shun looked as if he had tasted something sour, before forking over some money to Serena from losing a bet they had made. The Abyss Actor jokingly bowed down towards Serena as he spoke reverently. "Teach me your ways, oh wise one."
At the sight of Sylvio's silly antics, the Moonlight user couldn't help but crack a smile.
Meanwhile, over at the leather sectional couch, Reiji was casually chilling while Riley was laying down with his head in his lap. The hood and cap had been placed to the side as the CEO softly dragged his fingers through his little brother's rather long lilac hair. A children's TV show was playing on the plasma screen that Riley's sleepy eyes stayed latched onto with his teddy bear clutched in one arm. The TV show, Reiji's steady presence, and the calm motion of his hand in Riley's hair helped lull the child back into a nice, peaceful slumber despite the noise going on around him.
Over at the bar Yuzu, Ruri, Tsukikage, and Yugo were all getting a drink and casually gossiping to each other. The blue themed ninja mainly stayed silent and observed, but he occasionally spoke up a sentence or two as well. The others were all debating what it would be like to be a ninja like Tsukikage and what they would look like. Yuzu had a strawberry banana smoothie, Ruri chose an earl gray tea. Yugo had straight white milk since it was so hard to come by down in the Common's area while Tsukikage chose a regular coffee.
Over at the card game table, as Atlas and Zero were having a third duel. Gongenzaka and Damon were also dueling as well. At the moment both Atlas and Gongenzaka were in the lead in their respective duels.
Eventually, the two servants went around, asking if each person would like a drink, and nearly everyone said yes. Serena merely wanted some chocolate to munch on, while Yuya got a fruit smoothie concoction based mainly on peaches, oranges, and strawberries. Reiji silently accepted a hot chocolate as Riley was dozing away. Sylvio took a green tea after managing to successfully beat Yuya in a 1v1 game of pool, much to the brunette's boisterous crowing. Soon enough Yuto and Ruri were demanding to get a pool match as well at the sight, and a 2v2 of Yuto and Ruri vs Yuya and Sylvio was underway. Serena was watching this all unfold off to the side while Shun and Dennis were in a rather tense match of darts. Both sides threw their darts into the board with a rather unnecessary amount of force. Their coffee and smoothie set to the side on the poker table abandoned.
"Dammit!" Atlas bellowed as he once again lost to the masked man after stubbornly holding on for another three turns. Stewing in his defeat, the blonde Synchro user grabbed ahold of his remaining cup of tea and downed it all in one gulp. "What the hell does it take to just get you to freaking lose!"
"A lot I suspect." Zero answered back as he happily reshuffled his deck before tucking it away into his duel disk. "Although, constantly playing duel monsters or chess with you is starting to get boring. How good can you handle a game of poker?"
"Better than you I can bet on that!" Atlas stated firmly as he waved one of his servants down for another cup of expensive tea. "We'll need a dealer though."
A certain CEO instantly came to the masked man's mind at Jack's words. Zero turned his head over towards Reiji, who was quietly sipping his hot chocolate while watching the news now that Riley was asleep. "Akaba! Get over here and deal us in for a game of poker."
One immaculate eyebrow rose as Reiji directed his attention to the revolutionary, clearly unamused. "I didn't think either of you knew how to play."
"Oh, you think you're so great at the game then?" Atlas scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "No way you're better than me. You don't have any passion to win at all."
At the challenge to his skills, a smirk begrudgingly twisted Akaba's lips. He silently slipped away from Riley's slumbering form to tower over the two sitting Kings. "Really? Then I suppose I'll have to show you two how superior I am." Unfortunately, they still needed a dealer since Reiji was apparently going to play now.
Thankfully, they managed to wrangle Damon in as the dealer since he just lost his duel against Gongenzaka. The Steadfast duelist went over to watch the intense 2v2 pool match still going on.
Two hours passed in a haze of entertainment and fun all around. In a surprising turnaround, Yuya and Sylvio managed to beat Yuto and Ruri in their pool game despite having only played two other times before. Admittedly, all four weren't really good at the game in the first place, but it was still entertaining to watch them all struggle to win. Reiji, unsurprisingly, was an absolute monster at poker and black jack, and proceeded to wipe the floor with Atlas and Zero despite repeated rematches. Zero claimed he was cheating by counting cards, something the CEO firmly denied.
Didn't stop the revolutionary's suspicions that he was counting cards though.
. . .
Instead of nearly strangling each other over poker games, the trio moved on to play some darts. Something which, again, Zero excelled at very greatly. The Knightmare Frame user admitted that he practiced from time to time for fun before banding up with his Xyz rebels. Though Jack and Reiji weren't to be underestimated either, and came close to winning a couple times. Once the 2v2 of pool was done, the trio invaded the pool board to play a round.
Seeing as Atlas was once more getting determined to find something Zero sucked at playing, Reiji backed out of the pool match. The Lancer leader instead turned to deal a couple of poker games to the other Lancers that had vacated the pool table to let the two Kings play. Everyone was gathered around the poker table except for Sylvio, who ended up dozing off on the couch after the intense pool match.
As the group was playing a round of Texas holdem' Dennis turned his gaze away from his hand to the rest of the group playing. Most had forced neutral expressions, but one expression stood out from the rest. Concerned blue eyes focused on that downtrodden expression stuck on Yuya's face as the Pendulum user nearly buried his face into his cards.
Now, that simply wouldn't do now, would it? Yuya being so disheartened meant something was certainly wrong with the world and needed fixing.
"Hey Dennis, are you folding or what?" Blinking back into reality, Dennis shook his wild orange hair frantically and focused back on his hand. It was decent, but definitely not good enough to do anything else but fold.
It helped that Yuya also folded too, creating the perfect opportunity to drag the teen to the side and ask what was wrong.
"Ah, yeah." Dennis sighed, and placed his hand down in defeat much to the approval of the rest of the people still in the game. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to fold on this one." His brow crinkled into a look of concern as the Performage user looked over to Yuya. "Hey Yuya, can I talk to you for a second?"
"Hm?" Scarlet eyes blinked, and that sad look turned into one of easy going calm within an instant. "Yeah, sure thing Dennis. What's up?" Seeing as Dennis clearly wanted this conversation to be held in private, both retreated away from the group towards the empty hallway by the bathroom door. "Hey are you okay? You look worried about something."
At Yuya's worry, the Xyz user lightly chuckled and waved his concerns over to the side. "Oh I'm perfectly fine. What I'm worried about is you."
"Huh?" Yuya reeled back lightly in surprise. "Why's that?"
"Well," Dennis lightly bit his lower lip as he thought his next words. "I've just noticed that you've been looking down lately. I just wanted to make sure that you're doing okay."
"What?" The Pendulum user laughed lightly, it sounded fake to Dennis' perceptive ears. "Oh, don't worry about that, I'm fine! Just feeling a little homesick is all." A half truth. Something Dennis was rather familiar with hearing and telling.
"I can see why you feel that way." Dennis agreed with a soft nod. "This place is nothing like the Standard Dimension at all, yet, I don't quite think that's what's got you so upset." Sky blue eyes looked into worried red. "You're a strong guy, Yuya. I know not a lot can get to you, but the topic of Yuzu is one of those things." Seeing how the teen stiffened to attention at the mention of Yuzu, a somewhat cheesy smirk grew across Dennis' face. "I saw how disappointed you looked back when Yuzu mentioned you two being just friends. You clearly wish to be something more, eh?"
"I- what-" Stammering in his panic, Yuya quickly waved both of his hands frantically in denial. "N-no way! It's not like that at all! If Yuzu believes we're great as just friends then that's fine so don't go making any assumptions and-!"
"You like her don't you!" Dennis stated, now clearly goofing off a little at Yuya's frazzled actions. "Honestly, I don't know how anyone else hasn't spoken to you yet about it. Your crush on her is so obvious!"
"No no no no no! Not at all! I-"
"Am in love with her." Hearing that new, feminine voice interrupting the two boys caused their no-so-secret conversation to come to a screeching halt. The bathroom door having been opened to reveal Ruri having been inside the entire time and inadvertently hearing the entire thing. A somewhat teasing, but mostly sweet smile lightly decorated her face as she looked into Yuya's eyes without flinching. "Everybody here already knows that, so you don't need to panic trying to cover it up Yuya. Even Serena can see it, and she's probably the densest person here when it comes to understanding others emotions, so I don't doubt Yuzu knows as well."
"I-" Seeing as denial was now pointless, Yuya gave in and slumped his shoulders in defeat. His red and green hair hiding his darkened eyes as he looked towards the floor forlorn. "If even she can see how much of a crush I have on her then she's definitely not interested in me."
"I'd actually have to say it's the opposite." Dennis disagreed vehemently. "It's kinda clear she likes you too."
"Then why would she insist on us being just friends?!" Yuya asked back, upset. "If she was interested in me wouldn't she say more besides that?"
"I believe she said that because she wants you to make the first move, Yuya." Ruri explained gently, her magenta gaze looking back to see if anyone was coming or eavesdropping. After seeing nothing of the sort, she returned her attention to Yuya. "You see Serena, Yuzu, and I had a girl's talk sometime during your duel to get to understand each other a little more. She's admitted to us that she likes you, but she's just too nervous to go out and admit it towards you. She's worried you'll say no and it'll ruin your friendship."
"With that information it should be easy confessing you've got a crush on her, Yuya!" Dennis agreed with a determined nod.
"It's not that simple though!" Yuya objected as he wrangled his hands together nervously. "How would I-" He pursed his lips. "How would you even go about telling someone you like them even more than just being friends?" Fretful eyes looked up into calm magenta. "You and Yuto are together, right? How did you two manage to tell each other you liked each other?"
Ruri gave a big, reminiscent smile as her eyes went foggy remembering that time. "Well, when you boil it all down to one point we kind of just said it. Yuto is a hopeless romantic though, so he gave a rather heartwarming speech right before confessing. In the end we basically just sat down and talked about it if you get past his loving words." A light pink dusted her cheeks as Ruri brought herself back into present time. "I think it would be best if you just went out and said it. Get that weight off of your chest."
"And if she says no?"
"I highly doubt she would say no." The Lyrical Luscinia duelist took hold of Yuya's hands to give them a gentle squeeze of reassurance. "But if she did for some wild reason, then that weight in your chest, in your heart, it will still be gone. Because you had the courage to step forward and face it."
"If you curl up because of fear, you won't be able to do anything. If you want to win, then bring out your courage and step forward! The more courage you put into things, the more happiness you'll get out of them."
Ah, that's right. Grabbing a careful hold of the pendulum crystal around his neck, Yuya brought it up towards the light. A nostalgic, if somewhat bitter smile graced the teen's face as the crystal sparkled. Thank you again for your words, father.
"Okay then." The tomato haired teen sighed in defeat as he returned his pendulum back to its proper resting place. "What do you two suggest I should do then?"
Without any prompting, Dennis threw his arm around Yuya's neck and brought him into a close side hug. "You've come to the right place my dear friend. Matters of the heart take flair, strength, pizazz!" He winked over at Yuya, who was enraptured. "I highly suggest you get a bundle of roses. Oh! And make sure to spill your entire heart out into your confession! It'll surely sweep sweet Ms. Hiragi right off of her feet! And-!"
"Not to be a buzzkill." Ruri giggled and hid her smile behind one hand. The other idly curled a piece of her long hair around a finger. "But I think I have an idea for a more simple approach."
"Yes please, that would be appreciated." Carefully getting out from Dennis' side hug Yuya gave an appreciative smile the Performage user's way. "I don't think I'd have enough time to buy a bundle of roses anyway before I lose my nerve."
"Very well then." The Xyz user merely shrugged. "What's the plan?" He questioned instead with an eager grin.
Technically he should be reporting to Academia at the soonest opportunity possible and tell them everything he's learned so far. The Professor would certainly be pleased to learn all the ways to lure the female counterparts into a trap using connections like Yuto and Yuya. Even better would be the info of Zero's struggles. He should be spilling every single dirty secret he can get from the Lancers over to Academia right now.
… But… Academia could wait just a little bit longer. His friend's happiness should come first.
. . .
"This is outrageous! Bloody ridiculous!" Jack grit his teeth so tight it was a miracle they didn't crack. Darkened violet eyes were glaring over at Zero, who had just finished his overwhelming victory in another pool match. "How the hell are you doing that!"
"Simple." Zero stated as he idly played with his billiard stick. "It's all a game of angles. It's easy to calculate where I need to hit the white ball to sink the rest of them in the pockets." Masked eyes looked over towards the King. The taunting aura surrounding the revolutionary was nearly suffocating; it pissed Atlas off so much. "Did you want to play another round? Or can I finally go back to the tower since it's clear you're not going to beat me in anything."
That statement did seem rather true. Atlas and Zero had played just about everything at this point. Pool, duel monsters, poker games, darts, the whole shebang, and nearly the entire time Zero would sweep it all. Hell, they even played a few games of checkers and basic card games like war and the masked bastard still won!
Jack was convinced he was using some voodoo power. Either that or he was cheating somehow without Atlas noticing. It was fifty/fifty at this rate.
"Grr, not even close!" Jack stated, determined to find something that Zero couldn't be good at and rub it in his masked face. "I refuse to let you win! I'd rather die than have to deal with your postering and taunting for the rest of this tournament!" That was kind of true. At this rate, Atlas wouldn't last an hour hearing Zero expand his own ego at beating him in so many games before trying to commit attempted murder. Then again, not many could stand just losing in the first place to Zero, so it really showed Jack's sense of self control and resolve. "Battle me again!"
At this point, instead of easily agreeing to Jack's stubbornness, Zero instead groaned loudly in annoyance. "Face it Atlas, you can't beat me. At this rate we're going to be stuck here all week and the tournament will have already ended by the time we get done here. Just give it up. It's not going to work."
Jack growled and grinded his teeth in frustration, trying to come up with some game plan to make Zero fail. He nearly broke his own billiard stick in his mounting anger at hitting dead end after dead end. Much as it was a pain in the ass to admit, Zero was right. All the games they played so far showed that Zero had an adept skill in strategy and calculations, something that most games required to win. All these games I have require strategy and tactics. More brain power than anything else. If only I could put all of my energy into beating him into the game I'd surely win without a doubt! Wait a second…
Yet, in the face of adversity, Jack Atlas did what he did best. Learn and adapt.
"If that's the case." The Synchro user seethed as a menacing grin broke out across his features through the vexation of constantly losing. "Perhaps I need to try a different route." With those promising words the King spun on his heel, put his miraculously still intact billiard stick away, and walked out to his balcony.
Zero wouldn't admit it, but the action slightly intimidated him. It was clear Jack Atlas wasn't throwing in the towel just yet.
"Hey, Yuzu!" Turning his head towards Yuya's voice, Zero watched as the Entertainment duelist went over towards his pink haired friend. He rushed like something had gone wrong, yet looked almost as if he was heading towards death row.
Oh great, what did they do now? Zero grouched to himself, but stayed where he was sitting on the pool table to watch the interaction. The somewhat loud exclamation got just about everyone's attention except those outside, and the entire suite went dead silent. Catching their eager expressions, Zero quickly put two and two together and sucked in a breath in shock. Wait, is he actually going to finally… No way.
"Yeah? What's up Yuya?" Yuzu turned, her pigtails swaying at the action as bright periwinkle looked into beautiful scarlet. Apparently she didn't notice how the entire room went silent in anticipation.
Yuya wasn't as oblivious however, and looked up to see everyone else staring at him. In the background, Gongenzaka gave a huge thumbs up and a big grin in encouragement. "I- uh- um." He licked his lips, his throat suddenly parched. "I have something really important I need to tell you. But- uh…" He trailed off, his eyes looking back up towards the crowd watching them. "I think it would be best if I said it at a different time!"
He's going to chicken out. Zero tilted his head to the side, curious. I never thought he would be one to get stage fright so easily.
Yuzu frowned, confusion marring her features. "What is it? You seem upset by something."
"Nothing!" Yuya stammered. "It's nothing really. It's actually not that important. I don't even know why I bothered-"
"Yuya." The Melodious duelist raised her hands up to cup Yuya's cheeks, causing his stuttering to cease and his body to relax instantly. Unwavering eyes looked into Yuya's own, and a soft smile of encouragement graced Yuzu's face as she spoke. "You know you don't have to be afraid to tell me anything. I'll always be there for you, rooting for you. I'll always stay by your side. You know that, right?"
Yuya stared at the girl of his affections, gobsmacked. "Yes." He whispered, his hands slowly coming up to cup Yuzu's own.
That smile turned into a happy grin. "Well, what was it that you wanted to tell me?" Yuzu asked just as quietly. Now neither teen took any notice to the rest of the Lancers shamelessly listening in on the conversation. It was as if the entire world was within each other's love struck gaze.
It almost made Zero want to gag out loud, but he knew the rest of the Lancers wouldn't be pleased with the interruption. Yuya was finally confessing to Yuzu how much he liked her after so much silent pining. Hell, he even went so far as to cross Dimensions to save her. It was so sappy and lovey dovey Zero silently pondered to himself how people could openly love each other like that so much. It was so mind boggling in his eyes.
The only person he could ever show proper affection towards was Nunnally, and even then it was never like this. He'd cross Dimensions to save her, no question about it. But he'd never show this much open affection in public, ever.
"I-" Yuya squeezed his eyes shut tight, and took one huge breath to help psych himself up. With that, scarlet snapped open with newfound resolve. "Yuzu. Throughout all of the years we've been together I've never felt more happy than to just be by your side." A sharp exhale escaped Yuzu as she finally realized what was happening, but Yuya pressed forwards regardless. "When my dad went missing, you stayed by my side. You're always there to help cheer me up when I'm sad or downtrodden. When I feel like giving up, you're always there determined to help me stand back up, to never back down. You are the toughest, most stronghearted and bravest woman I know. You mean so much to me, Yuzu."
"Yuya." The Melodious duelist breathed as her eyes grew foggy with emotion, tears building in the corners of her eyes.
"Yuzu, I like you. I like you a lot." Yuya confessed, slowly bringing Yuzu's hands down from his face to envelope them together between each other. "Possibly even love you, but I don't want to risk scaring you off by going so far so quickly yet. You are the greatest friend, the greatest person, I could have ever asked for to stay by my side through thick and thin. Yet, when I think about us just remaining as friends, my heart wilts a little on the inside. I want us to become something more than just friends, if you would allow it." Finally, his hardened gaze broke away from Yuzu, to look at the ground instead. "But, if you wish for us to remain as friends that's okay too. If you don't feel the same way I would rather we remain as just friends then to never see you at all. Regardless…" With one last spike of courage, Yuya looked into Yuzu's eyes almost as if he was trying to look into her very heart and soul.
"Yuzu Hiragi, would you give me the honor of going out on a date with me sometime?" He asked in the dead silence of the penthouse.
"Yuya." She repeated, absolutely stunned as Yuya's confession sunk in, and her heart just soared in joy. Tears ran down her cheeks, but they were tears of joy rather than sorrow or distress, and a huge grin spread across her face. "Yuya!"
She couldn't contain herself, and her answer to Yuya's question came in the form of her surging forward to lock her lips with Yuya's in an intense, passionate kiss.
The sudden dead quiet of the room broke as a roar of cheers literally shook the room in its foundation. Everyone was cheering, applauding, or giving out teasing cat call whistles to the sudden new couple within the Lancers. It honestly sounded like they just got married instead of confessing to liking each other thanks to such a standing ovation from the crowd. While Zero didn't get in on the clapping, cheering, or teasing, he did sit there with a small smile on his face.
"About damn time." He muttered to himself, heterochromatic eyes noticed Jack Atlas finally returning from outside. An excited, almost demonic like grin spread across his face directed right at the terrorist. Zero decided then and there that it was in his best interests to at least try and avoid it. "And with that I think it's time I made my retreat back to the tower." Trying to act quickly, yet at the same time nonchalant. Zero quickly got off of the pool table to try booking it back towards the elevator.
Something Jack Atlas noticed instantly, and that grin grew more wild at Zero's response. "Like bloody hell you're getting away that easily."
Was it depressing that despite his working out, Jack Atlas easily caught up to Zero in a few quick strides right before the elevator doors opened? Yes, it really, really was. It also served to prove the Synchro user's theory correct on Zero's physical stamina being worth garbage. Something the King was going to happily exploit and enjoy beating Zero in every single strength based game possible.
"I don't know where you're trying to go, Zero, but we're still not finished here." Grabbing the back of Zero's shortened cape collar. Jack Atlas turned and started strolling back towards the outside of his penthouse. The stiff grip on the masked man's collar caused Zero to get dragged along helplessly behind him. It was a rather comedic sight, if somewhat undignified judging from some of the snickers coming from the other Lancers.
"Ugh." Zero groaned tiredly. "Isn't two hours of constantly trying to beat me enough, Atlas? I'm tired." Seeing Shun, Yugo, and Reiji all chuckling or mockingly smirking at him, Zero decided to forgo his pride temporarily and give them all a pleading look. Something that all three could feel was being directed their way even through the mask.
"We're not done till I say we're done, and that's final." Atlas stated sternly as they passed the threshold for inside the penthouse and now went out onto the balcony.
Seeing as they others merely shrugged and allowed him to get dragged away helplessly by Atlas. Zero responded to their pitiful attempts by giving them all the middle finger. He'd make sure they regret not helping him get away from Jack some way or another.
"Tell me Zero, have you ever played basketball?"
Hearing the King's question, Zero's soul just about withered up and died right then and there. Dear God help me get away from this cruel mad man.
. . .
Meanwhile, back inside the penthouse Yuzu just finished enthusiastically saying yes to Yuya's date proposal. The two Standard citizens were hugging like mad as if terrified they'd get pried apart at this crucial moment somehow. The new couple having admitted they were terrified of the other rejecting them if they confessed, and were now talking about what they should do for their first upcoming date.
Yugo watched it all with a wanting gaze. A melancholy, lost expression briefly appeared on his face, before he went back to focusing on his current meal of tempura. His stomach wasn't really in the mood for more food anymore though. On the other side of the room, Yuto and Ruri walked outside holding hands.
It seemed like everyone was getting their happy endings, all except for him.
"Don't worry, we'll get Rin back for you." Blinking in surprise, aquamarine eyes looked up into the gray eyes of Crow Hogan. When the Black Feathered duelist got back inside was a mystery. At the moment though his kids were all bundled up in huge, fluffy towels that made them look like burritos instead, and were passed out on the couch right beside a sleeping Riley and Sylvio. "You'll get her back."
"I-" Deciding to not say whatever doubts he had, Yugo firmly shook them off to the side to grin over at Crow. "Thank you. I know I will."
"Damn Yuya." Shinji whistled, and finally Yuzu and Yuya broke apart to look at everyone else congratulating or teasing them about their newfound relationship. "I didn't think you were a person with such a way with words."
In response to Shinji's tease, Yuya merely chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Ahaha, what can I say? I'm an entertainer at heart."
"Yuya!" Gongenzaka rushed over and gathered his best friend into one huge, bone crushing hug. "Yuya I am so proud of you! You've come so far since being that kid who never took anything seriously! Your father would be so proud too, I know this within my very heart and soul!"
Hearing his best friend be so proud of him, Yuya's eyes watered lightly before he discreetly wiped them off. The Pendulum user easily took Gongenzaka's hug and even hugged back as he exclaimed quietly. "Yeah, I think he would be proud of me right now too."
"Hey guys!" Yuto's voice broke through all other conversation and gathered everyone's attention. "You really need to come take a look at this." In a shocking display, Yuto actually sounded like he was on the verge of laughter for once instead of being so serious. Ruri was unabashedly laughing like crazy in the background.
Curious to see what got even the stone-faced Xyz rebels cracking up in amusement, the Lancers obliged and followed them outside to see what was going on. Once they were able to take everything in, the rest of the Lancers soon followed in Ruri's example, and broke down in laughter. Even Reiji cracked a dark smirk at the sight.
Never, had anyone in the group ever met someone so bad at doing anything even closely related to physical activity.
There Zero lay on the ground, utterly exhausted and spent, while Jack Atlas was easily bouncing a basketball right beside him without breaking a single sweat. The victorious look on the man's face fitted someone more suited to having just slayed a dragon than beating someone in a sports game.
"What's the matter, Zero?" Jack Atlas finally, finally got to relish in being the person mocking the other for once instead of being on the receiving end of it. "I thought you would be better at playing this game than that pitiful display you gave me earlier. What happened to all that ego and spunk from before?"
"No more." Zero groaned as he barely managed to push himself up onto unsteady feet through what little strength he had left. It looked more like he was a newborn trying to learn how to walk rather than someone having gone through only one game of basketball. "I'm done. You've finally found something you're better at than me, and now I'm going to go back to bed."
"Not quite yet you're not!" Jack objected, and once again grabbed the back of Zero's collar to prevent him from escaping. The display looked similar to a mother lion scruffing her disobedient cub. "We've got a couple more games to play before I'll even think about it! Then there's a couple arm wrestling matches I need to challenge you to, and then a few races with our D-Wheels we still have to do." Instead of even verbally responding, Zero merely put his masked head into his hands. A huge, defeated sigh escaped the revolutionary as he went nearly as limp as a wet noodle. Yeah, there was no getting out of this one.
Justice could be just as sweet as it was cruel, and it was going to be a long night for one certain masked man.
I thought of the knight bus from Harry Potter when writing the driving scene. It just sounded so funny in my mind. Made me think back to that scene with Carly and Jack in 5Ds where Jack was literally stone cold emotionless on a freaking rollercoaster ride. Jack throws a party, because he damn well feels like it and he can do whatever the hell he wants. XD
Is this chapter somewhat cracked and possibly OOC to all sides? Maybe. Depends on your interpretation and opinions. Was it fun to write and post anyway? Hell yes.
Though, it was about fudging time Yuya and Yuzu got together. Honestly, throughout the entire series I can't remember a time they both actually confessed to liking each other as more than just friends. It was super annoying seeing them constantly pining for each other without gathering the guts to actually say it to each other's faces. Yuzu was always screaming for Yuya while Yuya was always yelling, getting possessed and trying to save Yuzu. Super annoying, so I'm stopping that right here and now.
If you have enjoyed the story so far leave a REVIEW, Follow, and Favorite the story so you can keep track of when chapters pop up. Because FYI, I don't have a posting schedule and I just post whenever I feel like it.
Until the next chapter everyone! -MoonlightWright