Previously on TLA: Yugi has temporarily replaced Jaden as head of the Slifer Red but one of his eight students was attacked and their soul stolen. Left on their wrist was a Bio-Band, thought to have been long destroyed. The motive still remains unclear: was this Yliaster's first more or another salvo from the tyrannical Obelisk Blues?
Breakfast was a fraught affair. The kids had taken the news better than could be expected (a year of constant psychological torture had already destroyed their sense of danger) but the mood was bleak. Even Hashi, with enough emotional positivity to power a small nation, was decidedly subdued. Jiro had cooked something up from the leftovers of dinner but Steve was resolutely pounding back mugs of coffee like they were going extinct. Yugi would have normally warned him about the dangers of overconsumption at such a young age but instead held out a cup of his own whenever it ran dry.
Eventually, they could wait no longer. "You ready?" He looked around at the grim face while shrugging on the lengthy red coat that now seemed more like a hangman's hood than a teaching robe. "Let's go."
Following his suggestion from the night before, the group instantly formed pairs. Miguel had paired up with Botan and was already telling him all about life back in the Philippines, Zaw and Jun had formed an unlikely pair by bonding over their mutual distrust of authority which all natives of Myanmar and China shared, and the sullen Jiro had drawn the proverbial short straw by ending up with the constantly chatting Hashi. Sequestered to Yugi's side was Steve and his 'work-in-progress cricket bat'.
When the rest of the student body had instantly objected to their not being partnered with the heavy hitter, their fearless leader had made his feelings quite clear. "Any of you guys beat a student to a pulp with a lump of wood and you'll be expelled and convicted faster than you can draw a card." Yugi had said bluntly. "If I happen to 'overreach my authority' breaking up an illegal Duel, Industrial Illusions lawyers will have me in a non-extradition country by the end of the day." His meaning was clear – anyone caught going after the Slifer students would be open to all sorts of retaliation, physical included.
"Can't you just beat them up instead?" Ah, Zaw. As wonderfully direct as he was pragmatic, even if he had missed the point slightly.
"I'll take it under advisement." Movement flickered in a couple of the windows but Yugi didn't dignify the lurkers by acknowledging their existence. Unfortunately... "Miguel." Many a scientist had tried to explain the strange instinct that informed people of the otherwise imperceptible. Many a teacher had wished it would go away already. "Stop waving."
"I'm letting them think I'm cute and harmless until pow, I beat them in five moves!" Another twinge of cosmic understanding duly informed Yugi of an energetic young man in the distant future who had practically breathed enthusiasm. Yusei's endless patience suddenly had a source of training.
"He's doing finger guns, isn't he?" Hundreds of kilometres away from home, a completely separate culture and Steve still couldn't stand to look behind him to see the less mature member of the squad trying to throw up imaginary gang signs. No matter how vaunted the education his father's political career afforded, there was always one who either ignored the rules of society or looked down on them with derision. (Although Miguel was too kind to be the latter, his 'alternative' viewpoint on reality locked him into the former.)
Thankfully, angles finally curbed Miguel's attempts to... intimidate(?) as they entered the main entrance hall. "Dr Ziesmer." Yugi nodded respectfully to the impatiently waiting figure as a hand behind his back gestured for Jiro and Botan to silence their partners before they could say anything the group would regret. "Good morning."
"Dr Mutou." Ziesmer sounded as irritated at having to be there as he was at having to not directly insult the Slifers clustered behind the current target of his ire. "I heard that a student of yours is currently in the infirmary."
That explained at least part of his irritation: Dorothy was clearly keeping her domain locked down tighter than a drumskin. Yugi could only imagine the sort of reception Ziesmer had enjoyed. "Yes. There was an incident involving illegal Duelling technology." Another flicker of irritation through those grey eyes preceded a statement of the obvious. "Considering the danger, I thought it best to educate my students on the possibility of another Bio-Band attack. They have agreed not to spread the information to the other students." Because outright stating 'We know what you have planned and anyone not in a red coat caught talking about it will be treated as guilty' would have been rude.
"... I understand." What was with this guy? Yugi could not get a read on him at all. "I enquired as to my students' whereabouts last night, in case any of them happened to be unaccounted for in both incidents." With Suzuki lying soulless in the infirmary, the small matter of arson had completely slipped from Yugi's mind. Funny how that had seemed like the most important crime only a few hours ago. "There are a few men who are unaccountable during both but it's not unusual for most of the Blue students to take a walk in the evenings." Not with their short commute preventing them from getting the intense activity that plagued the Slifer Reds.
"Thank you for telling me." As much as his gut didn't want to trust Ziesmer, Yugi couldn't find any real fault with his behaviour. He might be a bit snobby and have the irritation of someone used to power encountering stubborn obstacles but he appeared (however begrudgingly) to be going along with events. Nodding politely, Yugi forced himself to remain civil. "I'll let you know if anything else comes up."
After a moment, Ziesmer slowly nodded back. "Likewise." Then he broke his stare and walked away as if the boss was watching but there was still a raise in it for him.
"Think he's behind it?" Zaw was naturally distrustful of authority and there was an eternal rivalry between Reds and Blues. As far as he was concerned, Zeismer was the epitome of corrupt power.
"I'm sure that he has nothing to do with any of this." Yugi covertly covered his mouth with an unfortunately itchy nose. "Honestly, about 60/40." Maybe call it closer to 55/45 with a slight err on the side of caution. Ziesmer hadn't actually done anything beyond petty vindictiveness. He was worse than Tsuruoka, enabling and helping those under him to extort more cruel acts, but nothing truly malicious.
At least, so Yugi had believed. Since they were down a student and suffering the loss of a beloved and respected team member, the Slifer Reds were being treated to not even the barest signal of respect or compassion from the rest of the student body. Yugi's continued attempts to secure better facilities had been combated by petulant whining from Obelisk Blues that they weren't cancelling the Slifer's lessons so why was it somehow fair that they were daring to ask that a single lecture hall above ground be made available? After all, the booking system existed for a reason.
And that reason, Yugi mused as he tried to adjust the dirty slide which functioned as a projector screen in the underground classroom, was apparently to cater to the whims of the spoilt rich kids in the swanky dorm. "Right, class." Motioning Zaw to dim the lights, he fumbled to find the right presentation. "We're going to give Level Foundation a try today." Finally stumbling across the right email from Alexis, he sent it up to the big screen. "Here's the basics;" Outlined on the screen were five cards; Kuriboh, Giant Soldier of Stone, Summoned Skull, Dark Magician and Magician of Black Chaos. The original entries had been unfamiliar so the substitute teacher had swapped them out for more recognisable figures. "Monsters below Four Stars can be summoned or set at no cost. Level Five and Level Six require sacrifices. How many?" Nobody liked being involved in class participation, even if the King of Games was asking. "One sacrifice for Levels Five or Six. Seven or higher require two sacrifices. There are also special types such as Ritual or Fusion monsters which require additional criteria to be fulfilled."
Clicking to the next slide left only Kuriboh and Giant Soldier of Stone on the screen. "Levels are a general indication of printed values – higher levels, higher values but 'weaker' monsters usually make up for it by having special effects. Any monster less than Level Five is unlikely to have more than two thousand attack or defence points." A timid hand raised in the gloom. At least there was still some drive in the kids. "Yes?"
"Big Shield Gardna has nearly three thousand defence." Jun was coping with the situation better than the rest. Good enough to put their leader on the spot. "Despite being only Level Four."
"Twenty points." Yugi smiled as he slid across to the next slide. "Make it fifty." Printed on the screen was the 'surprise' reveal. "Certain cards do have exceptionally high stats but come with competing disadvantages. Big Shield Gardna can take nearly any blow but gets forced into attack position afterwards. It can also be triggered by Spell Cards if it was face-down. Similarly," He clicked into his next point. "Summoned Skull has the same ATK as Dark Magician despite – as a Level Six – only requiring one sacrifice. Who can tell me why?"
Another hand waved in the dim light from the projector. "Because it's super weak as a defence!" The hand retracted as Miguel failed to restrain himself.
"Hashi, what were you going to say?" A vague mumble repeated the answer. "Hashi, ten points. Miguel, you can have five because Hashi raised his hand before you answered. Yes, Summoned Skull is weighted towards offence. A 'glass cannon', if you will." Plenty of tactics could switch the stats or trigger effects based on differing values. Getting the monster to the field was only part of the battle. "Overcoming the disadvantages of lower-level monsters requires additional sacrifices. Monster at Level Seven or higher cost two sacrifices but typically come with much higher values, special effects, or a combination of the pair." Leaving his iconic ace monster on the screen encapsulated the meaning more perfectly than an arguably more appropriate Buster Blader. "Of course, certain cards even tribute with three sacrifices." Excitement stirred amongst the class. Everyone knew the most famous examples of monsters which required a triple tribute. "Cards such as Beast King Barbaros."
"Never heard of it." Steve responded sullenly. Adults were all idiots but to make such a joke and still get it wrong? Booo!
"Really?" Yugi was surprised. He knew that they'd expected him to mention the Egyptian Gods but had thought they might know about his other exploits. "Okay, who's heard about Gilford the Lightning?" Sullen muttering agreed that they knew about the warrior, not that they were going to agree with him after the trick. "Powerful already but, when summoned with three tributes, it can destroy every monster your opponent controls.
There was still one monster from the original batch unaccounted for. "What about Magician of Black Chaos?" Botan piped up from the back of the group.
"Good point. Have ten." Sliding to the last image brought out the Ritual Monster which had struck the final blow against the founder of Duel Monsters himself. "Ritual or Fusion Monsters operate differently from the standard varieties. They can take more than two sacrifices, less than two, have substitutes, require specific tributes, or some other criteria. Can anyone tell me the main drawback to these types of monsters?"
There was tense whispering amongst the students and their esteemed leader instantly knew why: they knew little of Ritual Monsters and were nearly reverent towards Fusion Monsters. Inverting that paradigm was forcing them to confront their fundamental understandings. "Because... they both require extra monsters?" Jun blindly fumbled towards any possible answers.
"How is that any different from a Tribute Summon?" Yugi smiled as he watched them descend back into quiet argument.
"Got it!" Hashi had the misplaced confidence of someone who most definitely did not have the answer. "Because you can't summon them on the first turn." He clapped his hands triumphantly and leaned back in the chair while (despite their instinctive misgivings) the rest of the group look hopefully optimistic.
"Nice try." But he pointedly didn't accept the answer. "Who knows how to do a Ritual Summon?" Disturbingly, only three of eight hands went up. And, "Hashi, do you really know or do you only hope that you might?" Two of eight. "Botan, did you notice anything in common between the two?"
Even among the full roster of Slifer students, Botan usually ranked near the top. Only family circumstances had dragged his attention away during a couple of essential units and forced him to stay back. "... Both rely on other cards to do the summon. Which means they can be more difficult to predict but also more difficult to get all the cards you need."
"Very good." Spiralling the previewed monsters to share the screen, Yugi had added in Elemental Hero Neos Knight for a more modern use of the Fusion archetype that he'd already been exposed to. "I want to spend this morning going over the advantages and disadvantages to varying levels. I would also like to teach some of you, Hashi, that having only four monsters in your Deck you can summon isn't a viable strategy." The tiny bundle of optimistic energy had shown him an old Deck recipe. The balance was so bad that Yugi wondered if their last teacher had been Joey. It was going to be a long morning.
"That was delicious." Even with events at their darkest, the group always had the welcome relief of Dorothy's lunchtime cooking to make the time fly by. It was tasty and nutritious, and she could make dinner with nothing but leftover ingredients from the back of the cupboard. What Yugi still couldn't wrap his head around was how she managed to do the cooking, delivered medical aid, and ran the small card shop with help from only Sadie.
"Oh, it's not that hard." She had smiled joyfully and waved aside any concern. "A bit of veg, some greens – nothing special. Crumble?" She placed a heavy bowl of fruit pudding on his tray and smiled at the next red coat in line. Yugi had automatically shuffled aside and was ten feet away before he realised he'd been played.
"Dorothy likes to give us the leftover bits at the end of the tray." Today's menu was a hearty lasagne that could have been dropped on any plate in Italy and instantly been accepted as a national treasure. "A lot of the Blues think it's too dried out because they're fustuck-ups. Total stuck-ups."
Amongst all the traits that their teacher had, the one the Slifers most enjoyed was the low glare that said (while he couldn't publicly agree with the cause) he was going to ignore the Freudian slip. Besides, Steve had caught himself in time. It would be unfair to punish him for something he hadn't said. "Everyone done?" Standing up, Yugi glanced around for empty crockery to take back to the counter.
Holding up a single finger, Miguel shovelled a serving of pudding into his face with one hand while he eyed the untouched bowl on Steve's tray. "Go ahead." Steve's grandfather had a dog which got that same starving gaze as soon as the beef hit the table. Lucy was a good girl but it wasn't wise to get between that face and the food.
Taking the empty dishes, Yugi stacked them on his try and hid his despair at seeing six more servings of pudding hit Miguel's tray. "I'll circle back for the rest." Like with Joey and pizza, the best place to be was across the room – the further the better.
"I don't think that I'm ready to go back." Jun rested his head in both hands. They'd gone over dozens of different scenarios and probabilities to establish the pros and cons of different balances of high levels, low levels, Fusion and Ritual based approaches. Unlike Arla, Yugi didn't let them simply fail a question and move on, he ensured they had enough understanding to reach the answer. The Slifers could practically feel their grades increasing. "It's too much."
"He's talking to Dorothy." Jiro might not be inheriting the family business but he had been forced to learn people skills regardless. (Though he rued being overlooked, the skills were invaluable and highly transferable.) "We'll get an extra ten minutes off. Fifteen if he asks questions." At least they didn't have to worry about the other students today. Word had circulated that Steve had a short temper and long bat and the Blues were suddenly accepting of the walk back to their dorms where personal chefs were on-hand eighteen hours of the day.
"I'm gonna visit Suzuki and see how he's doing before we have to get back to class." Hashi hopped from his seat with only mild difficulty. Despite many learned opinions (and common sense observations), he always insisted that his legs were the correct height but the many chairs and tables of the world were too high. Beside him, Jiro glowered himself upright – the rules were clear on partners sticking beside each other and it was always worth absorbing new experiences.
"Mind if I tag along?" With a stack of bowls on his tray and a distant look of discomfort, Miguel's already rotund frame jiggled faintly as he stumbled upright. "I think I ate something that didn't agree with me." Nobody asked the inevitable 'what'. Miguel's hectic personality was strangely magnetic. You wanted to be mad at him but his overwhelming enthusiasm never failed to draw them back into his orbit.
Botan glanced up from his PDA. Unlike many of the students, he studied during his lunch breaks (if only to extend his entomology hobby). "Can I switch out to Steve?" As much as they had all solemnly sworn to partner up against their attackers, Miguel didn't need help with where he was going and it was probably a war crime to deliberately have people in the same room.
"Cool beans." Miguel let out a bubbling burp and instantly covered his mouth. "Guys, we need to go." Like many representations of Buddha before him, that bulk had to be only representative because he was setting an incredible pace across the cafeteria.
Down to the four of them, Steve finally felt enough pressure to express a shameful secret he'd felt growing all morning. "Y'know, I think that we might be able to pass the year now." With Ziesmer accidentally giving them a pass on a unit with substantial work already completed and Yugi imparting knowledge more effectively and forcefully than inserting textbooks directly into their brains, they were shockingly close to making it to their second year.
"At what cost?" Even the cynical Zaw was begrudgingly optimistic about their odds. Still, he wished it didn't involve such an unbearable level of cramming. "Do you think that we'll get this lucky next year?" That sobered them up in a hurry.
"I heard," Looking around conspirationally, Jun pretended that he hadn't learned several covert espionage tactics being raised in a fascist dystopia. "Jaden Yuki's finally going to show up next year. If he's good enough for Yugi, then he's gotta be good."
"Have you seen his records?" Botan put down his PDA to focus on the conversation. "Yuki barely graduated – he's the epitome of a Slifer Red."
"He was also in the top five practical scores every year he attended Duel Academy." Steve retorted. "And he's engaged to Rhodes – she'll make sure he teaches us properly." Outraged doubt sounded from all sides. Not because they had any faith in Jaden as a teacher but because they were hormonal young men under the blind illusion that Alexis was beyond any normal suitor.
"I assure you, Dr Rhodes is adept at keeping Jaden focused." A shadow fell across the table as Yugi arrived in an air of concern and irritation. "Where have Hashi and Jiro gone? Botan, I thought you had partnered up with Miguel?" Yugi half-heartedly listened to Botan's explanation that he had temporarily switched to pair with Steve while the missing trio went AWOL. Surely children wouldn't become this reckless in only a few years? He'd had the run of the city as long as he was back by nightfall but ask students to stick near their teacher following a brutal attack? Nah, wait for the first opportunity and then scatter.
"Why are you so worried?" Fate pointed a cautionary finger at Steve and everyone followed to watch the inevitable poor choice. "They only went to check on Suzuki. What's the worst that could happen?"
Uttering those words caused such a wave of cosmic discomfort that their nearest victim felt physically attacked. "Urgh." Miguel shifted uncomfortably as he leaned heavily on one side of the corridor. "This is why I say we should have scales in the bathrooms." He patted his stomach proudly. Despite his unfounded genius, the academy refused to accept the unorthodox position of 'before and after' weight measurements. Right, time to limp back to the group before he became the guy in the horror film who died before the credits.
Miguel instantly felt bad for not feeling worse. Suzuki was the one who got knocked out before the opening credits. At least he'd made it to the first act. There were probably two or three more scenes before the next dreadful attack and he was the fun one – that guaranteed him a spot in the last round of victims. Huh, that was weird. Why had someone left a Duel Disk on the floor and how had facilities still not fixed the lights at the end of the corridor?
He looked from the Duel Disk currently in his hand to the sinister figure lurking at the far end of the hallway. Then he said the sort of words that his parents would excuse under these circumstances.
(Turn 1)
?: LP: 4000 Hand:6 Field: None Graveyard: None
Miguel: LP: 4000 Hand:5 Field: None Graveyard: None
Nothing. Miguel had expected something smug, or terrifying but his opponent did neither. It was only the beep from his wrist that indicated the turn had come to an end. No monsters, nor traps. The only reason that made any sense (and only to people like him) was that a button had been pressed in error.
(Turn 2)
?: LP: 4000 Hand:6 Field: None Graveyard: None
Miguel: LP: 4000 Hand:6 Field: None Graveyard: None
There was something wrong with the lights at the end of the hallway. They flickered and dimmed at random, casting shadows across the faceless enemy. "I summon Mystic Horseman (L4/1300/1550)!" Rearing up behind him was an enraged centaur with a deadly scythe carried at one side. It was the single rare card in his deck, a parting gift from his hopeful family. "Attack!" The monster was known for its extreme speed and was carving through the darkness. There was a single flicker of colour in the depths of the shadows before the light fled again. ? Life Points 4000 → 3200
(Turn 3)
?: LP: 3200 Hand:7 Field: None Graveyard: None
Miguel: LP: 4000 Hand:5 Field: 1 Monster Graveyard: None
Another turnless turn. At least it was dimly possible to see a card being sent to the Graveyard as the rules kicked in and limited the hand.
(Turn 4)
?: LP: 3200 Hand:6 Field: None Graveyard: None
Miguel: LP: 4000 Hand:6 Field: 1 Monster Graveyard: None
Damn. He'd drawn a Polymerization but didn't have anything to use it with. (His parents had been able to afford Mystic Horseman but Battle Ox was beyond their budget and forget about Rabid Horseman!) Still, it wasn't the size of the dog in the fight. Well, not dog either. "I summon Milus Radiant (L1/300/250)!" The giant cat was hardly anything to look at but Yugi's lesson that morning was already being taken to heart – lower levels often made for fantastic support monsters. "As long as it's on the field, all Earth monsters get another 500 ATK!" Mystic Horseman 1300 → 1800, Milus Radiant 300 → 800. "Go!" The centaur hit first, the giant cat carried in wake to land a handful of scratches. ? Life Points: 3200 → 100
Perfect! Miguel's hand clenched in anticipation of victory. All he needed to do was land another scratch of damage and he'd be able to escape.
(Turn 5)
?: LP: 100 Hand:7 Field: None Graveyard: None
Miguel: LP: 4000 Hand:5 Field: 2 Monsters Graveyard: None
For the first time, the figure at the end of the hallway spoke. "That's enough of a handicap."
Like a parent unable to see their child, Yugi simply knew that dreadful events had taken place. It was the noise that gave it away. That dreadful silence of a plane engine stalling, of a priceless vase falling through the air, of a crowd drawing breath before screams began. Another whisper of darkness shivered down Yugi's spine like a winter breeze letting all the heat out. Someone had called a Dark Duel. "Stay here." Yugi dropped every pretence of being a teacher. "Steve! Bat!" And then he raced to the door against the instincts at the base of his skull that screamed to flee.
Certain aspects of building design are universal – stairs are usually in the corners, lights are usually in the centre, and nobody wants the toilets directly adjacent to the cafeteria. Duel Academy went one step further and placed them on the floor above. The quickest straight line was directly ahead, lift to the next floor, then back an equal distance on the next floor up. At the speeds he was going, Yugi opted for the stairs and was barrelling down the corridor above before the lift could have gone 'ding'.
Piled in a heap outside the bathroom was the shapeless mound of Miguel with a few dropped cards strewn around the floor. Collapsing beside it, Yugi slid open one eye to see the empty gaze of someone worse than dead yet still technically living. "Fucking shit damn!" He lacked the profanity skills of Tristan or Joey and could only string together a nonsensical clusterfuck of cursing. Propping his fallen student against the wall, and rolled up the right sleeve of the grubby red jacket.
Strapped to his wrist was the gleaming silver of a Bio-Band. And Yugi could feel other Dark Duels still ongoing elsewhere with no way of being found in time. All that he could do was pull Miguel's arm around his shoulders and shamefully start dragging the empty body away to be kept comfortable for the day its soul could be returned – but he was starting to doubt that would be possible against an enemy who wouldn't even show their face.
Wow, ambushing a guy coming out the loo. That's low. Nearly as low as not leaving a review.