BACK IN THE SUN
"Okay, class, settle down," Professor Jasper Phoenix called as he stepped into the Duel Academy classroom. The classroom was set up as a large oval, pristine white in color. His podium was on a platform on the lower floor, in front of a movie theater-sized projector screen, and giving him a view of the ten ascending rows of bench seats. A single classroom could hold up to one hundred students. "I'm going to presume that you've all done your homework. So, as a prologue for our lesson today, can anyone tell me what PSCT is?" One student, a boy named Larry, raised a hand. "Larry?"
"Problem Solving Card Text," Larry answered.
"That's right," Jasper said. He clicked a button on a remote control, turning on the projector screen. An image of two versions of the same effect monster appeared. "Let's take a look at this card, X-Saber Airbellum. On the left is the old version, before PSCT was created. Its card text reads 'When this card inflicts Battle Damage to your opponent by a direct attack, discard 1 random card from your opponent's hand'. Once PSCT was implemented, the text was changed to 'If this card inflicts battle damage to your opponent by a direct attack: Discard 1 random card from your opponent's hand'. Anyone notice the differences?" He waited for an answer; none came. "Really, it all comes down to the inclusion of a colon. That simple bit of punctuation marks the trigger of the card's effect. You may notice that some cards have a semi-colon, which would mark the cost for an effect, such as discarding a card from your hand or paying a set amount of life points."
A muffled boom rang out in the distance, followed by the school being rocked by a shockwave. The lights shook and flickered.
"What was that?" a female student asked.
"I'll go find out," Jasper said. He shut off the projector screen and started walking to the door. "You all wait here."
Jasper stepped out into the hallway. Students and teachers were crowding the hall; he could hear snippets of conversation, but couldn't make out any words. Lights flickered again. Some people ran past him, a few accidentally bumped into him.
"Hey! Hey, what's going on?" he called. No one responded. "Typical." He kept walking down the hall, eventually spotting the school's headmaster, Geraldo DeLisle. From the look of things, the headmaster was helping rally students into nearby classrooms.
"Headmaster DeLisle! What's all the commotion?" Jasper asked.
"You heard that boom, right, Mr. Phoenix?" Headmsater DeLisle asked.
"Yeah. That's just some guys doing construction right?"
"It'd be better for you to see it than me telling you," Headmaster DeLisle answered. "Follow me to my office." Jasper followed; the headmaster's office was just a short walk away. "Shut the door, please," he requested. Jasper closed the door, and as he did, the headmaster turned on the television. A news report was playing.
"For those just tuning in, an explosion has rocked the Avis City entrance of the Holdo Cave," the reporter was saying. "It's believed that people were inside the cave when the explosion went off and collapsed the cave entrance. Local police are already organizing rescue crews and are asking anyone available to assist. More on this as it develops. Back to you in the studio." The headmaster shut the TV off.
"Well, that explains the boom," Jasper said after a moment of tense silence. "What are we going to do?"
"I'm going to send the students home for the day," Headmaster DeLisle answered. "The parents have already been notified and many are already on their way to pick up their children. I was going to make the announcement here in just a moment. For now, Mr. Jasper, return to your class and try to keep them calm."
"'Try' being the optimal word, once they find out what's going on," Jasper muttered as he left the office.
As he returned to his class, he heard the headmaster's voice come over the PA system. "Attention students and staff. As many of you may have guessed, there was an explosion nearby. No one is sure if it was an accident or an attack, but for the safety of our staff and students school is going to close early. Students, your families have been notified and some are now on their way. We ask that you all remain calm and stay safe until the situation is resolved."
Jasper could already hear the murmurs of conversation and rumors starting among his students. He supposed he couldn't blame them. They had limited information to go on; they weren't the ones who saw the news report, and the headmaster, from what he had told Jasper and what he had just announced, didn't want to say anything until more information had been released.
Makes sense, Jasper figured. Wouldn't want to cause a panic.
"Professor Phoenix?" a student called. "What exactly is going on?"
"You'll be hearing about it soon, I'm sure," Jasper replied. "But there was an explosion at the Holdo Cave; the entrance has collapsed. The headmaster's sending everyone home early just to be on the safe side."
Within the next couple of hours, the school was emptied.
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The dust began to clear. Small rocks could still be heard falling from the cave ceiling, clattering to the floor around them. Yuka coughed, trying to clear her airways of dirt and dust. She opened her eyes and looked around. Hugo, Shelly, and Ellis were nearby, all coming to consciousness.
Hugo shook his head. "Man. What was that?"
"A bomb, obviously," Shelly snarked. "That rotten snake had this planned the whole time."
"No wonder all they did was stall," Yuka huffed. "By the way, why aren't we pancakes?"
"If you want the answer to that question," Ellis said, "I suggest you all look up."
They took a brief moment to look around the cavern first. They were in the same room they had been in when the bomb went off. Less a room, actually, and part of the cavern path. The area was almost a hundred feet long, maybe more - it was hard to tell with the limited light they had - and from the look of things, the roof was still a good twenty or so feet above them.
And it was being held up by five brilliant white dragons, two of which had blue highlights running along their scales.
"Blue-Eyes?" Yuka gasped.
"Nice save, Yuka, calling them out to hold up the roof," Hugo complimented her.
"Thanks, but there's a problem," Yuka said. "I never summoned them."
"Then how are they holding up the roof?" Shelly asked. "It's not like they just called themselves out."
"That is a possibility," Ellis chimed in. "Some say that if the bond between a duelist and their monsters is high enough, then the monsters may summon themselves if they feel their duelist is in danger. Some duelists are even able to speak with their monsters outside of their deck; they call them 'Duel Spirits'."
Hugo cast a glance at Ellis out of the corner of his eye. "No offense, Ellis, but that has got to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard."
"I hope you're referring to the Duel Spirits, because if Yuka didn't call out her dragons, then how are they here, keeping us alive for the moment?" Ellis asked.
"I...Well...Shoot, you got me there."
Yuka kept her gaze on the nearest Blue-Eyes White Dragon. All five of her dragons, the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons and the two Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragons, were all leaning forward, their wings splayed open. Most of the weight of the cave's roof was being supported on their wings and shoulders. Powerful as they were, both individually - with an attack score of 3000 - and collectively - with a combined attack total of 15000 - but it was clear that holding up the ceiling was putting a massive strain on the dragons. Yuka had no idea how long they had been doing this, or how much longer they could hold out.
The dragon looked down to Yuka, its cold blue eyes meeting her brown eyes. She couldn't explain it, but there was something about the way the dragon was looking at her. In a way, it seemed like it was trying to say something to her. At least, that was the only way she could rationalize it.
"We will protect you and your friends as long as we can, Master," a voice said in her head.
Yuka shook her head. Did she really just hear that?
"You good, Yuka?" Shelly asked.
"Did you guys hear that?" Yuka asked in return.
"Did we hear what?" Hugo asked.
"I thought I heard someone talking," Yuka said.
"Uh, yeah, us," Hugo said. "We've been trying to figure out what to do besides sitting here on our butts."
"No, it sounded like it was in my head," Yuka said. She turned to look back up at the dragon. "You don't suppose...?"
Shelly rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips. "Yuka, Duel Monsters are holograms. They don't talk. And I doubt they're telepathic. Are you sure the stress isn't getting to you?"
"I don't know; maybe," Yuka answered.
"Speaking of stressed, you kind of zoned out during that duel, Shelly," Hugo said. "I mean, given what you said they did, I don't blame you. But are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine," Shelly said. "I was just...a little rattled, that's all."
"If by 'a little rattled', you mean 'completely catatonic'," Hugo muttered.
"Look," Shelly sighed. "It's all in the past now. I'm just trying to move on."
Hugo put a supportive hand on her shoulder. "Hey, I get it. My mom and dad are gone, too. But we can bond over being orphans later; right now, we need to figure out how to get out of here."
"Something tells me asking one of the dragons to smash their way through the roof is going to be a bad idea," Yuka guessed. She winced as one of the dragons buckled under the weight of the cavern ceiling. "And I don't think they'll be holding that up for too much longer."
Everyone tensed as the dragons continued to struggle against the weight on their wings and shoulders. They all watched with baited breath, hoping the dragons would be able to maintain their positions.
That was when the sound of construction equipment reached their ears.
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Jasper followed the road outside of town, following the signs to the cave. He didn't know what he could do, but he knew that he had to help somehow. He couldn't sit idly by knowing that someone might be in danger. It was something his father and grandfather had taught him, to help anyone in need without any desire for a reward.
Maybe that was why the Destiny HERO monsters had been passed down in his family, since his great-grandfather Aster Phoenix was a student at the original Duel Academy.
As Jasper approached, he saw a number of construction vehicles along with the police and rescue vehicles. There were cranes, earthmovers, excavators, and helicopters, all helping to move the rubble. The entrance of the Holdo Cave normally led down into the earth and into the inner parts of Mount Riansares, but now it was covered by boulders; some were intact, others were shattered. It was hard to tell just how extensive the damage was.
Jasper brought his truck to a stop and climbed out. Along with the construction vehicles, there were police, fire and rescue, and various other people from town helping to remove the rubble. From what he could see, it was a delicate and slow process. Made sense; one wrong move and the damage could become even worse than it already was.
As he walked closer, he saw some people removing rubble by hand. Lines had been formed, and rocks and buckets were being passed from one person to the next. Jasper made his way to the closest line and started to help.
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"I spy with my little eye something white," Hugo said, for the fifth time in the last hour.
"My dragons," Yuka said, her voice flat with boredom and frustration. She was laying on the floor, her head resting against a dragon's clawed foot. Hugo was laying nearby, propped up on an elbow. Shelly sat close to Yuka, playing a game of Tic-Tac-Toe with herself in the dirt. Ellis was off in a corner, reading through one of his notebooks.
"At least you stopped asking for brown things when you realized the answer was always going to be dirt," Shelly said.
"I'm sorry, I'm bored," Hugo replied. "What else are we supposed to do while we just sit here and wait? Listen to the soothing sounds of the cranes outside?"
"At least it means we're getting out, sometime," Ellis pointed out. "Really, the only thing we can do until then is find some way to pass said time."
"Well, Shelly, do you want to duel?" Hugo asked. "No duel pads, just analog. I'd ask Yuka, but some of her guys are a little busy keeping us from becoming fossils."
"Sorry. Not in the mood," Shelly answered. She brushed her game away with her foot. "I'm still thinking about Haschel being here."
"I don't like them," Yuka huffed. She sat up. "I don't like the deck they were playing, I don't like the fact that they stuck us in here, I especially don't like what they did to Shelly's mom and dad." She balled her hands into tight fists. "Man, I can't wait to get my hands on them."
"I can't help but hear the anger in your voice, miss Yuka," Ellis said.
"More frustration than anything," Yuka corrected him. "But when I do get my hands on them, they'll have to face more than my cards."
"Besides, Doc, it's not like you've never gotten angry about anything," Hugo said. "Like your colleagues laughing at your theories?"
"Oh, blindingly so," Ellis answered. "I just have better things to do than indulge in violent fantasies."
Dust and small pebbles fell from the roof as the dragons buckled under the weight. Everyone climbed to their feet and stepped into the center of the room, their eyes focused on the five white dragons. They were visibly struggling against the weight of the rocks on their shoulders. The dragons growled as they strained and struggled to hold up the roof.
"I hate to say this, Yuka, but I don't think your boys are going to last much longer," Hugo pointed out. "Maybe one of them should, I don't know, White Lightning a way for us out of here."
"And then we'd really be hosed," Shelly said. "You want to bring the whole darn cave down on top of us?"
"Cave's about to fall down anyway," Hugo retorted. "Maybe we should go out on our own terms."
"No way," Yuka said. "I've come too far to be buried like some mummy. Hang in there, Blue-Eyes! Hang in there!"
The dragons continued to growl. Their growls were rhythmic and intentional. In a strange way, it almost sounded like they were talking to each other, trying to raise each other's spirits and morale. One of the dragons stood up straighter, trying to maintain its support of the roof above it.
The entire time, Yuka and her friends watched. Their anxiety grew by the second, waiting for the ceiling to collapse but hoping the dragons would hold on.
From between the dragons' necks, they saw one of the rocks move away, revealing the early evening sky outside.
"Is anyone in there?" a voice called.
"Down here! We're stuck!" Shelly called.
Slowly, more rocks were removed. They could see the silhouettes of people outside the hole, looking down. It took another moment for the arm of a crane to come into view, and a long cable was lowered into the hole.
"Climb onto the cable, and hold on tight! We'll lift you out of there!"
It was a slow process. The four of them had to each find a space to grab hold of the cable. Loops and stirrups had been fitted onto the cable so they could slip their arms and legs through for a better grip. The cable lifted out of the cave, bit by bit. It took nearly ten minutes to travel the thirty feet to the top of the cave, where the hole had been made, past the growling heads of the five dragons, and back out into open air.
From out here, they could see the extent of the damage. It looked like part of the mountain had collapsed. The rubble was in a near perfect dome where the dragons were holding it up; the rest had fallen into an inclined pile closer to the road. They could see people still removing the rubble in lines, handing full buckets of stones or entire rocks from one person to another. Some helicopters hovered high overhead; there were two news helicopters, and two others were helping with the rubble removal.
The crane arm slowly swung away from the rubble. As it did, five beams of light shot out of the rubble, all flying into Yuka's duel pad.
"We return to your deck, Master," Yuka heard in her head. "We once more await your call."
"Calling them back?" Hugo asked.
"Uh...Sure," Yuka answered.
A few seconds later, the dome that had been formed by the dragons failed to support its own weight, and it collapsed.
"Well, at least we're not in there anymore," Shelly breathed as the crane began to lower them to the ground.
Medics checked them over for the next hour and a half. Temperature, pulse, blood pressure; all the vitals were checked. They were all given a clean bill of health, outside of being covered in dirt and some minor scrapes.
Hugo took a moment to stretch. "Hey, crazy idea, but can we not get stuck in a cave again?"
"I agree," Yuka said. She turned to Shelly. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Shelly answered.
Ellis approached. "Well, young friends. I believe this is where we part ways. You have your own quest to complete, and I have to return to the museum to meet with my colleagues." He turned to Hugo. "Yes, the ones who laugh at my theories." He hoisted his bag onto his shoulders. "Good luck in your own quest."
As Ellis walked away, Yuka, Hugo, and Shelly put their arms around each other's shoulders, happy to be back in the sun.