Chapter 36:

With an annoyed sigh, Blake closed the door to the rooftop behind him. He'd just finished one headache, although his talk with Banner had been productive, and got another one right up. Was that karma for trying to play both sides?

The PDA in his pocket vibrated for a second, indicating a new message. He took it out only to see that he'd missed four calls and a couple messages, all coming from the person responsible for his newest headache.

"Pick up your phone, idiot!"

"Where are you?"

"You're still owing me my cake!"

"Stop ignoring me!"

"It's not like I care about you or anything, but Truesdale wanted me to give you something important."

And then the newest one. "Meet me in the chancellor's office, now."

Blake rubbed his temple, thinking to himself. 'Alright, so, she's heard at least some of my conversation with Banner. With my luck, she heard exactly what she shouldn't have. But if Zane has given her something then it must be related to the Cyberdarks, since Sheppard is down for a while. Now, how to deal with that?'

He slowly made his way to the chancellor's office, the dark item on his arm itching in anticipation. 'I could just put her out of commission. Snag the key and postpone my explanation for when this shit is dealt with.' His hand reached for his deck boxes, but the thought bothered him. He didn't know why, so he tried rationalizing it. 'But then she misses the whole Queen-wargame-thing and will let that out on me. Not a good start for our partnership, so no.'

His arm suddenly hurt like it'd been stabbed, making him look at the cursed charm he'd so foolishly put on his arm. He gritted his teeth and punched a nearby vending machine, leaving a deep indent and cracked glass in it as a few cans tumbled out. The short outburst of anger and DE stopped the pain, but when he tried to pick up the cans they fell right out of his hands, clattering loudly on the floor.

"Jinzo, how's that removal idea of yours coming along?" Blake asked as he tried once more. The cans didn't fall this time, though one was starting to leek its insides from his strong grip.

'It's still a work in progress.' The tall spirit replied, appearing behind him. 'I could try now, but the risk of you losing your arm would be quite high.'

Blake clicked his tongue and accidently tore off the tab of one of the cans. "Then hurry the fuck up." He took another one and just barely managed to open it properly, emptying it on the spot. Whoever put barely carbonated strawberry soda in the machine needed their butts kicked. "And get the surveillance in the chancellor's office dealt with while we're there."

The mechanized menace was silent for a while, prompting Blake to turn around to look at him. "What?"

'I understand your frustration, master, but you need to reign yourself in.' Jinzo said disapprovingly. 'The more you act on impulse the faster this Shadow Charm will take over. You wouldn't want to hurt your friends, now, would you?'

Blake glared at him before turning away, taking the last intact can with him as he continued his walk. "Come on now. You think I'd let myself be controlled by a shitty little trinket?" Pain shot through him once more. "Yeah, I'm talking about you, you piece of shit. When I meet Kagemaru I'm gonna shove you down his throat." He growled at the armband.

'And now I'm arguing with a fucking object. I'm really going insane …'

'Don't listen to that wuss!' The familiar voice of his dragon rumbled. 'You just need the right targets to unwind! Come on, let's fuck up these puny Shadow Riders! Amazoness Tiger? Dark Scorpions? They're but fodder for us!'

"Yeah, that's not so bad of an idea …"

"Who're you talking to?"

Blake blinked and looked up, seeing the slightly pissed-off face of Kami.

"Myself, why?"

"You sure it's not the people trying to, oh I don't know, end the world?!" She hissed and pointed at the door. "In, now."

He raised an eyebrow at her, the idea of throwing her through the door instead feeling rather tempting.

She didn't back down. "If you want what Truesdale gave me for you, you'll explain yourself to me."

"And if I'd rather not? Who's going to stop me from just taking it?" He made a step forward, but she continued to stare at him defiantly.

"Me." Another voice came from around the corner, along with resounding steps. When they got closer, a certain yellow-wearing student revealed himself.

Blake looked surprised at Bastion; a sentiment Kami seemed to share.

"Shouldn't you be lying in bed?" Blake asked.

"Shouldn't you be done with your round by now?" His friend countered. "Crowler send me and Chazz out to find you guys now that we're awake. But what's that about talking to people trying to end the world?"

"You didn't even tell him?" A shocked Kami exclaimed.

"Apparently not." Bastion answered, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "But since you're about to talk about this anyway I believe I'll chime in as well. You are going to explain, right, Blake?"

Blake felt his stomach drop when both of them looked at him. Kami in her demanding, but also a bit scared way, and Bastion with a look of both intrigue and disappointment. "… fuck!" He shouted.

After a few deep breaths, he kicked open the doors to the chancellor's office and threw Bastion the can of soda. "Alright, I will. But you better listen to everything."

"Alright, so let's summarize." Bastion began. "Professer Banner approached you near the start of the year about needing help in exchange for payment."

"Yep."

Kami continued. "But you knew that it was something shady from the beginning."

"Yeah."

Bastion took over again. "So, when he approached you after what happened before and at your promotion duel, you accepted, getting into the position you are now in: As one of the Shadow Riders who we are all currently defending our keys against."

"Mhm."

Kami slammed her hands on the desk. "And you joined because of a bit of extra cash and for pity revenge?!"

"I wouldn't say it like that." Blake growled with a roll of his eyes. "Before I made my decision, I knew something was up and turns out I was right. Imagine if they had someone else that didn't try to play them instead of me."

She turned to Bastion. "Urgh, can you believe that?"

Bastion in turn pinched the bridge of his nose. "I can. It makes sense Banner approached him, most likely knowing about his past, and him sensing this wasn't about just some extracurricular activities." He turned to Blake. "But that doesn't explain why he didn't tell anyone."

Blake huffed. "What should I've said? 'Hey guys, by the way, I'm part of the group that's coming to duel us into comas before trying to end the world?'"

"That's not the point!" Kami shouted. "You had no idea what you're getting yourself into. You might as well just have vanished the moment you followed Banner, and no one would've been any wiser. You need to communicate."

"Besides," Bastion argued, "it's not like you want that group to succeed, do you? By sharing whatever information you gathered about our opponents and their plans we could've adjusted accordingly."

Blake grumbled something incoherently to himself until Kami dangled a small silver key in front of him. "I did it, just a bit different."

"Explain." Both replied.

"I suggested to Banner, who's leading the others in the big boss' name, how to start and who to target."

Bastion's eyes widened. "That's why they attacked Alexis first? And what's that about a big boss? Isn't Banner the boss?"

"No, he isn't; the academy's chairman is. And yeah. It was the easiest plan to justify too; Banner had to believe me, after all." Blake explained. "That's also why I paired her up with Zane. Atticus should be around his level, so getting them to fight was the easiest way to get rid of one of their stronger duelists."

Kami shook her head in disbelief. "I guess that makes sense, but it might as well have resulted in losing both of them instead of Alexis and the chancellor."

"There's no need to worry about Zane, as long as Syrus doesn't get involved." Blake waved them off and received some unsure looks in return. "What? I guess he doesn't do his role as big brother all too well, but he still cares. In his own weird way."

"Putting that aside for now, did you plan on manipulating the match-ups further?" Bastion mused, getting both their attention. "Seeing as you know both our strength and have at least some insights on the Shadow Riders."

"That's the plan to some degree." Blake nodded. "Honestly, it would be the easiest to get the remaining two actually good duelist to focus on Zane and Jaden, so we can clean up the rest."

"Oho? Not wanting to take on the big bads yourself?" Kami teased while Bastion looked to the side.

Blake snorted at that. "Then who'd make sure you don't chicken out?"

They argued a bit back and forth until Bastion interrupted them cooly. "So, what can you tell us about them? We might not get the opponents you're looking for, so it'd be in everyone's best interest to be able to adjust."

Blake blinked at him before answering. "Well, Banner duels with a nasty gimmick, trying to banish all his opponent's cards before pulling out big monsters that get stronger the more banished cards there are. It makes him the most annoying to deal with for sure."

"Scary, hot vampire lady plays zombies like you, Bastion, but she focuses on her Vampire cards to shred her opponent's deck. She may or may not cheat as well, not sure on that one yet."

"Then there's an amazon who plays … well … Amazoness. Overall, not the biggest threat unless you let her get in your head." Blake looked at Bastion especially.

"Then there's the Dark Scorpions, yeah, those group of cards exactly. They play with themselves, literally, or at least their leader does. I don't think the others duel at all, so they count as one. Traps and the effects of the Dark Scorpions are his strategy."

"Lastly, there's the absolute joke of a supposed 'unbeatable pharaoh' who duels even worse than Shinji. So, he's a free win no matter who faces him."

Bastion nodded once Blake was done and pulled out a notebook to write down everything. It was Kami who had something to say to that, however.

"Speaking of Shinji; you're the one who assaulted him, aren't you?" She kept an even voice and crosser her arms, hiding her shacking hands. That got Bastion's attention as well.

"So what? He had it coming after what he did not only to my deck but his talk in the arena." Blake shrugged her off.

She stared at him with widened eyes, not saying anything. But Bastion did. "Blake, I understand you're angry at him, rightfully so after what he did to you. But if what Professor Fontaine said is true then you almost killed him."

Blake looked at him and argued back, although swallowing his first response. "Look, I didn't plan to go that hard, it just happened."

"But you still wanted to hurt him? Physically, I mean." Bastion questioned. "What happened at the arena wasn't enough for you?"

"After all the shit he spew?" Blake scoffed, his demeanor hardening. "Making sure he would only get banned from dueling for life wasn't enough, no."

"So, ruining his career by having him confess or showing evidence wasn't enough? You decided that mutilating him was the least you could do to be satisfied?" Bastion inquired further. "I'm not saying that you should've destroyed his cards in return, but even that would've been more humane than what you did. They weren't with him so I assume you took them as well?"

Blake narrowed his eyes at him, growling as a subtle golden glow came from his wrist. "No, it wasn't, and yes, I did; the cards he used in our match were mine to begin with. But putting aside my very much justified grudge, it was also a trial by fire from Banner and first time using this stupid Shadow Charm."

Bastion exchanged a worried look with Kami. She shook her head and mouthed to him that they weren't getting anywhere, so he changed the topic. "Speaking off the charm, I wonder what it does to you, rather than what you're using it for."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that ever since you've hospitalized Shinji, your mood seems to get worse by the hour." Bastion explained and counted on his right hand. "Easily irritated, prone to acting out physically, less communicative, and looking in pain almost regularly."

"… It does fuck with my mental a bit, but nothing I can't handle." Blake answered eventually, a low creaking sound coming from the chair's armrest he's holding.

"But what happens when you can't?" Bastion questioned, waving to Kami. "We've seen what you can do with Shinji. What happens when you act out on someone close to you?" She seemed taken aback by that moniker, but looked interested in the topic as well.

"I wouldn't do that." The armrest creaked louder.

Kami wasn't done with that, however. "Blake, we've seen Alexis duel against Zane and Chancellor Sheppard. You know, Alexis, one of if not the most rule abiding students?"

"That's different-"

"She got controlled, much like her brother, I imagine." Bastion said. "And Atticus wore a charm, just like you. While I don't doubt your strength of will after everything you've endured, it is a possibility."

With a loud crack, the armrest snapped, noisily falling to the ground. For a few minutes they just stood there. When Blake didn't respond, Bastion finished up his notes and Kami pulled out a little lockbox from the chancellor's desk. Her eyes didn't meet Blake's when she opened it up, looked inside, flinched back, and closed it again.

"Why's this deck feeling so … off?" She wondered. "It feels like-"

"What the charm he's wearing gives off?" Bastion finished. "I agree," he turned to Blake, "and I doubt it's a good idea for you to use it. You're already struggling, adding more oil to the fire won't do us any good."

"If that's what you worry about then I'd say give it to me. It's the fastest way to get all of this dealt with." Blake countered, his hand reaching for the box only for Bastion to keep it away. "With the deck in there I can quickly take out the other Shadow Riders and we can get back to a normal school life."

But Bastion was having none of that. "Only if they let you. They made a bad deal if Alexis' brother was a stronger duelist than most of them. I'd imagine Banner taking matters into his own hands now."

"Even if that happens, it's still the best course of action."

"Or would it be best if we were to duel right here and now?" Bastion challenged. "It might just free you from the Shadow Charm and its effects if you lost. At least I didn't see Atticus having one anymore."

Once more, Blake didn't say anything.

Bastion took the key and the box from Kami, and put it down in front of Blake. "Think about it. I, no, we will be there to help you, you know that. But you have to let us help you first." With his piece said, he urged Kami out the room, stopping at the door himself. "We won't tell anyone about Shinji, but we must share what we know about our opponents now. You should get some rest and clear your head. If you continue on like this, you'll only hurt yourself."

That said, Bastion left and closed the door behind him, leaving Blake alone in the barely lit room.

"I can't believe it!" Kami hissed once they were walking down the stairs. "How could he keep something like that to himself? How could he do … that to anyone?"

"He's lashing out." Bastion replied. "I don't condone the way he does, but it makes sense."

Kami turned on her heel at the end of the stairs, looking both worried and confused. "What do you mean? Didn't he just take revenge for what was done to him?"

"He certainly did, but you know about his story, right? Maybe even more than me."

"So what?"

"How'd you feel if someone brought the worst parts of your past to light in front of so many people? Adding lies to make you look even worse to boot? Making accusations the way Shinji did? Destroying what was essentially Blake's livelihood in but the span of a morning? If what they write about underground dueling online, then losing your deck is like losing your life in there."

"… and that's why he almost returned the favor. Whether consciously or not …" She shuddered at the realization.

"And it put him in the perfect spot to be used by someone like the Shadow Riders." Bastion added.

Kami snapped her fingers and pulled out her PDA, checking their class schedule. "What if that was by design. Here, look: On the day of Blake's promotional match, when was the last time Shinji was seen?"

Bastion took a look and tried to remember. "I think it was early in the morning. We had classes with Professor Banner …"

"Exactly! The whole charade must've been a setup!" Kami started going in circles "Banner knows how skilled a duelist Blake is and if what we heard earlier is true then these other Shadow Riders shouldn't even compare to him in terms of skill!"

"Make sure he's at his lowest, offer a chance for revenge, probably supply him with new cards as well … it all makes sense." Bastion concluded.

"… do you think he knows?"

"I believe he does."

"So, it's just a matter of time before he takes a swing at Banner for that?"

"With the new tools you just handed him? Probably sooner than we'd like."

Kami rubbed her temples. "Urgh, he's lucky he's cut-, I mean, a good business partner."

Bastion chuckled at that. "Looks like Yuma isn't the only one taking a fancy to him. If only he taught me how he does it."

She scoffed at that, turning away from him. "Oh please, it's nothing like that."

"Of course, of course." Bastion coughed into his fist and turned serious again. "We'll have to keep our eyes on him. While it's just a theory, something could very well happen to Blake if this issue doesn't get resolved fast."

"Agreed. I'll make sure to keep him around for the next few days." Kami said. "While this really isn't the time for an event like my challenge to the Queen, it gives me the perfect reason to have him stay with me."

"That's true. Let's just hope things won't escalate too far during these days."

The mangled chair Blake had been sitting on hit the wall next to the door of the chancellor's office, leaving a dent in it.

"Fuck!" Blake threw another, and then another.

'Got it out of your system now?' Jinzo sighed behind him.

"Fuck off!"

'Your friend is right, you know. There's a ninety percent chance the Shadow Charm would be destroyed from the rebound of losing a Shadow Game it itself initiated.'

"It'll also put me out of commission for who knows how long!" Blake turned around, growling at the spirit.

'That is correct. But don't you humans believe in trusting each other? Or do you think they'd fail without you?'

"Like they trusted me when I told them everything? I saw how they looked at me." He kicked the desk in front of him. "I don't know if they can handle everything themselves, so why take the risk?"

'A reasonable deduction.'

Blake rolled his eyes at him and took the key and box from the desk. Once open, he took out the deck secured inside, his hands twitching as they came in contact with the cards. "Feisty ones, aren't you?" He said as he singled out the three sources of the DE he felt; Cyberdark Keel, Edge, and Horn. Their cards vibrated ever so slightly, their pictures looking like they tried to snap at him.

'Look at those weaklings squirm, as if they had any power by themselves.' Dark Armed Dragon let out a bellowed laughter when he appeared next to Blake.

"They'll make a fine addition to my collection." Blake replied, looking at his spirit partner before turning back to the cards in his hands. "And you better do what you're told. Winning will be easy for us, but while you're powerful you're not irreplaceable. Got that?"

He waited for an answer, an attack, anything. Instead, he felt a sudden rush of power coursing through him. Like the energy he'd learned to control solidifying, hardening, taking shape, becoming ready to be used against whoever stood against him. It was … intoxicating.

But under all the power, he noticed something small. Something faint. Something carefully hidden. It reminded him of the collars he'd been forced to wear before coming to the academy. Their restrictions, their reaction to him acting weak, to him losing. A tightness he could feel all around his body. It was so subtle one could oversee it entirely if they didn't know the feeling. Someone else wouldn't have noticed until it was too late, much like Sheppard told him. But he knew.

It only took him a few moments to focus the DE in his body, and when he blinked, he saw them. Coiled around his lower body was the black and serpentine Cyberdark Keel, while Edge, in all its metallic green and insect-like glory, was holding onto his torso, its wings around his arms. And lastly, his head was surrounded by the four metallic spikes of Horn, who took the helm, much like it would in their combined form of Cyberdark Dragon.

"Interesting." Blake mused, feeling the Cyberdarks constant pull on his energy. Although it felt more like he's being harvested for it, rather than offering it like he did with DAD and Jinzo. He didn't like the feeling at all. So, he put the deck down on the desk and reached up to his head, DE gathering in his hands, and grabbed onto Horn's spikes. The spirit gave off a surprised metallic buzz before it was ripped from its position and thrown onto the floor.

Similar, DAD grabbed Keel and whipped it away with a powerful swing, throwing it right on top of Horn. Edge screeched loudly, but was blown away by a blast from Jinzo, its bladed wings spread wide as it collided with its brethren.

With Jinzo to his left and DAD to his right, Blake approached the Cyberdarks with a hardened gaze. "That's a neat little trick you got there. No wonder no one that tried to wield you before could manage."

The three machines screeched at him but didn't dare move.

"We can do this the easy way, or the hard way." He started and lifted his right hand and counted one. "The easy way; you fall in line. I'll be using your deck primarily, so you'll get lots of chances to battle, defeat your enemies, and all that. But you gotta adhere to the pecking order."

Then he counted to two. "The hard way; you try that again and we beat you the fuck up. Rip you apart if you continue doing so. I don't actually know what'll happen to your cards when your spirits die, but I'm willing to try if you force my hand."

Dark Armed Dragon flexed his muscles for good measure, his weapons rotating and ready to strike. The Cyberdarks roared in defiance, but an even louder roar from DAD shut them up quickly.

"Jinzo, any idea why they are even able to do that?"

'It's not much different from what I did to come into this world.' Jinzo answered. 'Their objective seems to be different, however. Something I'll keep an eye on until I know for certain. As long as they're kept in check you should be fine. We'll be watching.'

'… shouldn't … deal … these … monstrosities!' A distorted, unknown voice shouted from behind.

Surprised and confused, Blake turned around. Standing in front of the door was a tall humanoid avian in lime-green armor. Unlike the other spirits around him, it seemed to fade in and out of existence every few seconds.

"… Gladiator Beast Octavius?" Blake wondered out loud and grabbed the Gladiator Beast deck from his belt. He picked out the card most resembling the spirit in front of him. Turned out he's right. Imagines of the arena he'd been forced to duel in for years on end flashed in his mind, and along the feelings of rage and despair he thought he'd finally put behind him. He scoffed at the spirit, crossing his arms. "What do you want?"

'… vile … are … trustworthy … shouldn't … deals … them.' The new spirit continued.

"And why should I care about your opinion on that?" Blake growled. "What're you doing here anyways? Not like you ever bothered to show up when I actually needed you."

Octavius lowered its head. '… failed … but … can … this … just … chance-'

"You know, I've been wondering what to do with you guys." Blake interrupted. "Back then you would've saved me from my disgusting family. Would've prevented years of torturous dueling. You've had years to reach out, and you chose now? Not only after what your fake wielder did to me, but when I'm about to make contact with a deck that'll suit me just fine?"

The spirit took a step back, its face struck with surprise and hurt.

"It's funny, really. I created you to get me to a better place." Blake said, earning himself a surprised sound from Jinzo behind him. "Instead, I became one of you quite literally. A gladiator, a beast chained to fight for my own freedom. You'd think that'd be enough connection for you to find me."

He turned around and walked back over to the desk. Once there, he took the Cyberdark deck and put it in the deck box he pulled the Gladiator Beasts out from. The dark machines looked at him expectingly, their eyes switching between him and the avian spirit behind him. "But now you're a liability, Octavius."

"I can't use you, because then everybody would know what I did. I can't give you back, because that piece of trash doesn't deserve laying hands on the cards I made. More importantly; I can't stand your sight after everything that happened. So, I'll do something that'll make sure you won't remind me of that time ever again."

He snapped his fingers to get the Cyberdarks attention. "Get him."

The three of them looked at each other before letting out excited screeches, rushing past Blake and towards their target. Sounds of metal hitting against metal intensified by the second.

'Aww, and here I thought I'd finally get some fun.' Dark Armed Dragon sulked.

"Don't be a baby, Octavius isn't worth your time. Nor mine for that matter." Blake replied. "Besides, it'll show the Cyberdarks its worth listening. The less they act up the better." Then he looked at the deck still in his hands. A deck he himself brought into existence. The sheer sight of hit made his stomach turn.

"I think it's time to put everything behind me. Come on guys."

He turned around, where only the Cyberdarks waited for him, looking quite happy with themselves. Brushing past them, he made his way back to the balcony he'd talked to Banner on. The Gladiator Beast deck hit the cold ground in front of him, scattering just a little.

'Are you sure you want to do this? They could be powerful allies.' Jinzo reasoned.

'They're weaklings! We don't need them. Even a wet towel like you got to us faster than they did!' DAD rebuked.

"Besides, if they really care, they'll find a way back. Not that it'd help me in any way." Blake countered and pulled out a lighter. "No, it's better this way. With them gone, the underground ring probably mopped up by now, and my history out in the open, there's nothing left to tie me to my time before the academy."

'What about that woman?' Dark Armed asked.

"… I don't know, but she's fine. We'll figure something out."

Igniting the lighter, Blake crouched down and slowly pulled the flame from card to card. He'd expected some bullshit preventing him from burning them, like how the cards at North Academy were kept in ice or swimming around the ocean but still usable. But nothing like that happened. Instead, they slowly caught fire, with various distorted sounds and calls seeming to come out of them. He didn't stop until all of them were aflame, only then he put away the lighter and watched for what felt like an eternity.

When the last cards where nothing more than ash, he took a deep breath and blew what's left of them off the balcony. He watched them vanish into the night for a few moments longer before he got back up, feeling lighter than he'd ever been.

Sorry for the delay everyone! Life's been a bit stressful but now we're back and oh boy, I don't even know where to start. Let's start with the controversial elephant in the room. I've been going back and forth on what to do with the GBs for a while now, talked with a few reviewers about the topic, and came to the conclusion that I wanted to go with this route. It's a way to put the past where it belongs; the past. I toyed with the idea of having Blake throw them in the Reject Well or handing them off to Bastion for safekeeping, but ultimately decided against it. Sorry, everyone who wanted Blake to use them. Instead, he'll be wielding the Cyberdarks now, with the first hints onto why everyone that tried before failed.

Everybody and their mother saw the talk with Kami coming, but who would've expected Bastion to show up to it as well? I surely did not. They made their stances clear, both worrying about and not agreeing with what Blake's done. But they're still supportive and look out for him, something that doesn't seem to have registered with him all that much. Wonder what's that about …

Since last chapter this story reached over 500 follows and 400 favs, which is quite frankly amazing. Thank you everyone for staying around with this totally-not-too-edgy kind of a story. Things will get nicer, with one minor hiccup happening towards the end of the arc, so stay tuned!

Reviews time ~
MacyWacyLacy: Yes, it fucking is.
Peter Kim: Cyberdark for now, we'll see how any plans regarding the Sacred Beasts turns out. Still pondering about Synchros, but that'd be season 2 the earliest and season 3 the latest.
CornyChiWah: Hello there! No, I'm not gay for Bastion, thank you very much. Sadistic towards the MC? Very much so. But mostly done with that now. You hit the nail on the head otherwise though.
kamikaze24: Thanks! Sorry for the long wait on this one.
demissedwaifu: And she's not alone in knowing ~
Rakkis157: I think so too and actually got a neat idea for that. For whenever I reach the epilogue of this story, lol. Can't and won't argue with Jaden and Jesse, honestly.
Guests: Hope you will enjoy it in the future as well. The Anubis/Hound dichotomy is more fitting given Duel Monster's origin in Egypt as well. Poor Yubel, hope nothing bad will happen to Inferno Wing when she finds out. And operation 'Fuck the police' will take a bit longer to resolve. The fallout of that tho? Ho boy …

P.S. There'll be duels again soon, I promise.