Chapter 35: The Gods Stalwart
Haruki led the way across the island with surprising confidence. He wasn't stumbling around the way Cary and Yul had been. Haruki knew exactly where he needed to go. So Cary had to ask, "How are you so sure where Gima is?"
He showed his cell phone. "We shared locations ever since first year."
Miyu said, "Justin, too."
"And we're heading in the same direction for both of them," said Cee-Cee. "Does that mean the Guardians or whatever spirits possessed them are cooperating?"
"I can't imagine that's the case," said Cary. To her mind, it just didn't make sense for her to find Dave all by himself if the Guardians were trying to work together. "If anything, they just have the same goal."
"Sending students to the Shadow Realm," said Haruki. Yeah, no more doubt that he believed in magic, too.
Despite the sun having crested the horizon, the fog's thickness kept Academy Island dark, although maybe it was just a little bit lighter than it had been the past few days. Cary was sure that was coincidence, or maybe it was because the Archangel had gone far away enough that some of its wake was starting to dissipate, but it was hard to ignore the nagging thought that connected the foggy improvement to Dave's dueling defeat.
Suddenly Cary had another thought. "How does Gima's phone still have battery life in it?"
"It wasn't on until last night," said Haruki.
Cee-Cee said, "Uh, that sounds like a trap."
"Gima would not set a trap. He would face me honorably."
Cary said, "Yes, Gima would. But who knows what's going on with him now that something has taken over his brain. Dave was a lot more silent and sadistic than he has ever been. Ever. You remember Dave? Kinda short, bit shy, super nerdy, never says a cross word to anyone? Imagine the same thing happening to Gima."
"Your point is accepted. But I still need to find him and confront him to drive the darkness from him. He is waiting at Deadnettle Grove."
Cee-Cee asked, "Is that the flower grove back behind Obelisk Blue?"
Miyu said, "Yes. That where Haruki and Gima dueled first time. Favorite dueling spot." Cary thought that was an odd choice considering there was no duel station back there, but they likely both had Duel Disks as freshmen.
As soon as they reached the front door to Obelisk Blue, nerdy laughter rang out. It distinctly sound like Bwa ha ha, but with a resonant undertone as if uttered simultaneously by voices of three different pitches. Justin was standing in the doorway, holding a megaphone. After he dropped it by his side, he spoke with only two voices.
"I knew you'd come, Miyu. As expected, you even came together with Haruki. But I didn't expect you to bring two more students with you."
Haruki stepped toward him as if protecting everyone else. "Justin. You are possessed."
"Maybe. But don't you have someone else to go track down?"
Miyu said, "Find Gima. I can duel Justin."
"I'm sure she can," said Justin. But he sounded facetious, like that compliment wasn't really a compliment.
Cee-Cee said, "I'll stay with you."
Cary groaned, realizing that Haruki had already continued off past the dorm by himself. If Miyu and Cee-Cee were going to split up, then she should stay with Haruki. The Guardians were the most dangerous opponents on the island, even for the leaders of Team OTK.
Gima was already waiting in the grove with his Duel Disk active. As soon as he stepped close enough, Haruki's Duel Disk activated automatically. "You are my challenger," said Gima. His voice was thick and forced, similar to how Gima sometimes sounded when he tried to speak English. But it still wasn't his voice. This voice was thick, like he was swallowing molasses while he spoke. Maybe whatever spirit possessed him also didn't speak English fluently.
"I am here for my friend," said Haruki. "Release Gima."
"Only if you win this duel."
"I accept your challenge."
Cary flinched and almost stepped forward. She wanted to help Haruki, not to stand on the sideline and watch again. But even if the duel hadn't already started booting between their Duel Disks, she wouldn't know how to insert herself into their duel—tag team duels and battle royales had to be programmed in advance. At least she was close enough to see the duel clearly, not just hiding in the back for safety.
Haruki took the first turn. "Foolish Burial." A hole opened up in his field, and a card fell from the sky into the hole, representing the card Haruki discarded from his deck. "Summon Wulf." Being discarded like that, a muscular man-beast called Wulf, Lightsworn Beast (4: 2100|300) summoned itself to the field. "Also Raiden." A man appeared beside the beast, barechested except for his lengthy shawl. It was Raiden, Hand of the Lightsworn (4: 1700|1000).
Gima tossed a card from his hand. A young boy with long green hair that streamed through the air alongside his aura, which made the air look like wings. "Effect Veiler negates Raiden's effects for this whole turn."
Wulf and Raiden merged into a single space, overlaying to Xyz Summon Minerva, the Exalted Lightsworn (4: 2000|800), a red-haired angel dressed in white, with a white owl perched on her left arm.
An identical boy from a moment ago appeared on the field. "Effect Veiler negates this monster, too," said Gima. Cary could already tell that the spirit possessing Gima knew English better than he did.
"Turn over," said Haruki.
Haruki: 8000 LP, 3 cards
Gima: 8000 LP, 3 cards
Gima chuckled as he drew. First it was a low, rhythmic chuckle, but it rapidly expanded into hearty laughter. It reminded Cary of how Bowser Koopa laughs. "I'll play Pantheism of the Monarchs." The field split in two underneath each duelist's feet: half illuminated by bright light, half bathed in darkness. "I discard a card to draw two more. And now, I banish Pantheism: Here are three copies of The Monarchs Stormforth; pick one for me to keep, and I'll shuffle the other two back into the deck." He wore a goofy grin that totally didn't match Gima's face.
"That one," said Haruki, motioning without real effort.
"Exactly what I wanted. I'll play The Monarchs Stormforth."A whirlwind appeared above the field. "I'll summon Edea the Heavenly Squire (1: 800|1000)." A woman appeared on the field, fully decked out in a suit of armor. "Edea's effect summons Eidos the Underworld Squire (2: 800|1000) to the field." Eidos looked similar, except his armor was black with horns and a long plume on his helmet. "Now I have three monsters available to me, and summoning Eidos gives me the ability to do one more Normal Summon this turn."
The cyclone above the field sucked in all three monsters. The cyclone faded when sharp wings cut through the windy walls. Standing nearly as tall as the cyclone itself, The Wicked Dreadroot (10: 4000|4000) resembled a green-skinned demon wearing the bones of the powerful Summoned Skull as its armor. Dreadroot loosed a terrifying cry. It rattled Cary's bones so hard she had to hug herself to relieve the pressure on her joints. Every breath was a struggle. The cry had also summoned more fog and shadows to surround the field. Cary could barely see anything at this point.
Even Haruki was affected by the foul creature. His legs trembled and he knelt to the ground to catch himself from falling. His breathing was as labored as Cary's.
"That feeling is fear," said Gima. "Dreadroot is the embodiment of fear. He feeds on your fear. You cannot hide your fear from him." Despite having seen the god card a dozen times during intramural duels, Cary admitted that this version of Dreadroot was something different. It's like whatever magical limiter normally held back his power had been removed, and now his power washed over her like water from a burst dam. The analogy was apt because the waves of fear kept coming with no end in sight. Cary was frozen in place.
"Should I wait for you or just keep going?" asked Gima. More laughter, but he sounded wicked this time instead of goofy. This time, his laughter carried the weight of pure terror. "I'll go on. Edea's other effect activates to move Pantheism of the Monarchs back to my hand. And I'll play Domain of the True Monarchs." The visual effects of the card were hard to notice because fog already smothered the field. "While I control a Tribute Summoned monster, you can't Special Summon anything from your Extra Deck."
Gima was quiet for a moment as more laughter built up. "As long as you're down on the ground, why not kiss Dreadroot's ring?" It was a wicked metaphor. The massive fiend reared back and slammed its fist down on top of Haruki. Cary's brain told her it was just a hologram, but she watched Haruki crumple to the ground underneath its weight. Not only that: She herself felt the rushed of wind as the refrigerator-sized fist displaced the air in its path. "That's a good spot to end this turn."
Haruki: 4000 LP, 3 cards
Gima: 8000 LP, 2 cards
Cary wasn't sure how long she spent pressed into the ground by that oppressive air. She couldn't imagine ever standing up again. It would be so much easier just to succumb to the fear and fade into the shadows. Death was preferable to this torturous sensation.
But Haruki found the strength to get back up. Maybe his Duel Disk motivated him, or maybe just being part of the duel helped to ground him. He couldn't get all the way to his feet, but he brought his Duel Disk in front of him. "Charge of the Light Brigade." A bright light shone on the field, shattering like a window as three cards fell from Haruki's deck; a fourth card dropped into his hand. "Judgment Dragon (8: -1500|-1300)."
A four-legged beast with broad wings covered in feathers strode onto the field. It paled in size to the embodiment of terror, yet it still stood with regal bearing. Even other monsters were afraid of Dreadroot. As Haruki huffed and tapped his Duel Disk, Judgment Dragon went on the assault, bracing itself with feathers on end, much like a cat trying to appear big and scary. After absorbing 1000 LP from Haruki, the feathers sprang from the dragon's back, spraying across the field indiscriminately. Feathers struck everything, from the foggy Domain of the True Monarchs to the enormous Wicked Dreadroot. Because of its size, Dreadroot ended up with the vast majority of feathers. In fact, not a lot of feathers went without targets because of how hard it was to miss that one.
And then the feathers began to explode. All across the field, feathers transformed into light and erupted with the heat and force of small solar flares. The explosions seemed to go on endlessly. By the time they finally did end, the field was completely empty except for the shadows, the two duelists, and Judgment Dragon (1500). With nothing in the way, the dragon leapt across the field and swiped Gima directly with its talons.
All at once, the incredible feeling of dread disappeared. Every thought Cary had of death felt like a ridiculous notion now. She wasn't quite optimistic now, but as warmth returned to her skin, the sheer relief made her think that Haruki might actually be able to win this duel after all.
"Turn over," said Haruki. But as his turn ended, Judgment Dragon's light dimmed. To replenish the light, Haruki dropped four cards from his deck. Two of them bounced right back out of the Graveyard and onto the field. "Felis and Wulf," he said, summoning both Wulf, Lightsworn Beast (4: 2100|300) again, alongside Felis, Lightsworn Archer (4: 1100|2000). She was a powerful-looking warrior with cat ears and a tail, no doubt a capable archer even at night.
Haruki: 3000 LP, 3 cards
Gima: 6500 LP, 2 cards
Gima laughed a lot less now, but he still wore a twisted grin. "You destroyed my god card. I guess that's to be expected from the fearsome leader of Team OTK. Too bad for you that dread has already taken root in the heart of your Judgment Dragon (1500). Its points will remain low, so I can easily remove it.
"Here's Reinforcement of the Army, which moves another copy of Edea to my hand. Just like before, I'll summon Edea the Heavenly Squire (1: 800|1000) and use her effect to summon Eidos the Underworld Squire (2: 800|1000) at the same time." He beckoned two more armored figures to his field. "With Eidos' effect, I'll use both monsters to Normal Summon Erebus the Underworld Monarch (8: 2800|1000)." This new monster didn't measure up to Dreadroot, but he was still huge compared to the average card. His black armor was the sort covered with scales and horns that should render the armor impractical and unusable if worn by any mortal being.
"Erebus discards two cards from my deck so I can send that Felis card back to your deck." The kingly zombie flicked his wrist, and a powerful darkness consumed the Lightsworn Archer, taking her away from the field. With a flourish, a sheer white curtain appeared on the field, drawn around a being as tall as Erebus, obscuring what few features were even noticeable through the fog. "The Prime Monarch (5: 1000|2400) also Special Summons itself from my Graveyard now, so discarding was to my benefit.
"Now it's time to go on the attack!" Erebus sat up straight, held his arms out toward Judgment Dragon (1500), and condensed so much shadow energy that he very nearly gave off the same dangerous vibes as Dreadroot, but only for a second. As soon as the attack launched, it swallowed the shining dragon in an instant.
Haruki cried out, squeezing his whole body as if the attack had actually pierced through his heart instead of his dragon's. Seeing him suffer so much, Cary hated herself for helping him sneak out of the rec center.
"That seems like a good place to end my turn."
Haruki: 1700 LP, 3 cards
Gima: 6500 LP, 1 card
As Gima's wicked laughter resounded through the field, Haruki struggled to get back up again. Cary knew objectively that things were better with Dreadroot gone, yet Haruki looked worse off. It's like the duel had already drained so much of his strength that he barely had the will to go on. She started wondering if there was any alternative option she had where she could finish the duel for him.
"Lumina," he grunted. He was still on the ground, preserving all the energy he could that way. His Duel Disk summoned to the field Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner (3: 1000|1000). Her hands began to glow as the ground opened up. Haruki dropped a card into the hole, and Raiden, Hand of the Lightsworn (4: 1700|1000) emerged from the Graveyard. The image of Lightsworn Dragonling flashed on the field over the Graveyard, and Haruki took a card from his deck. Raiden made a quick spin move, slashing his hefty blade through Haruki's deck. The act sent two cards to the Graveyard. Suddenly the image of a woman completely shrouded in white clothes a size too big for her appeared: Having been discarded from the deck, Weiss, Lightsworn Archfiend revived Minerva, the Exalted Lightsworn (4: 2000|800).
"Michael," Haruki uttered. Lumina and Raiden began to resonate, their magics combining their spirits into the form of a dragon rider: Michael, the Arch-Lightsworn (7: 2600|2000). Shining in his golden armor and riding the back of a feathered, white dragon, Michael's sword began to glow like the sun. With a powerful swipe, he cut through The Prime Monarch, banishing it from the duel.
"Judgment Dragon (8: 3000|2600)." Once again, Haruki summoned his ace card to the field. And his ace was stronger than Gima's ace. Though Haruki struggled to speak, the onslaught began. Judgment Dragon (3000) pounced and eviscerated Erebus (2800). Michael (2600) stabbed Gima directly, Wulf (2100) tore through Gima with his massive claws, and Minerva's (2000) owl attacked from the sky, empowered by Minerva's shimmering staff.
Haruki: 700 LP, 2 cards
Gima: 0 LP, 1 card
Cary's attention was rapt by the swarm of shadows that enveloped both Haruki and Gima. The shadows exploded with a crash, yet the air pressure was a mere whiff. The image of a two year old smacking the wall with its chubby fingers came to mind—the shadows throwing a tantrum that bore no fruit. Gima and Haruki were left behind, both physically present, though Cary doubted their actual safety.
"Haruki?" she said as she moved to check on her team leader.
"Go to Miyu," he gasped.
"But you need help."
"Go."
She felt bad leaving him there, but he was right. Miyu and Cee-Cee had gone after Justin. Who knew what kind of danger they were in?
When Cary charged through the front door to Obelisk Blue, she followed the lights into the common room, where it seemed like Justin and Miyu were only just getting their duel started. Cee-Cee stood to the side, her Duel Disk activated already as if she were ready and waiting to take over as soon as Miyu needed her.
"What happened?" asked Cary. "How has the duel not started yet?"
Cee-Cee shook her head. "Justin and Miyu had a long conversation about the old days. He was taunting her about how they could have been a better couple if not for Haruki. Miyu mentioned somebody who transferred out last year? I guess she was Justin's love interest for two years, so Miyu never thought there was anything between them."
Cary swiped her hand in a cut-it-out motion. "I don't care about that soap opera shit. That's really the reason for delaying so long?"
"He just said something about absorbing energy from both Haruki and Gima, just before you got here."
"Their duel is over," said Cary. "Haruki won."
Cee-Cee breathed a sigh of relief. A smile actually crossed her lips. "Thank goodness. Maybe Miyu can do the same, if Justin hasn't rattled her too much."
Miyu activated Onomatopickup. A chain, locked in a loop, appeared on her field. The loop opened and one end of the chain connected to her deck, giving her another Onomat card. She immediately played it: Onomatopaira. She discarded, then two bursts of light emerged from the field and struck her deck, giving her two monsters from the deck. One of them went immediately to the field: Utopic Onomatopoeia (4: 1500|1500) looked like a toon version of the white-armored warrior Utopia.
She wasted no time swarming the field. Utopic Onomat's effect let her summon two more monsters from her hand: Zubababancho Gagagacoat (4: 1800|100) and Dodododwarf Gogogoglove (4: 0|1800). With names like those, Cary understood why Miyu was so reluctant to speak in English. She overlaid Utopic Onomat (4) and Dodododwarf (4) to summon ZS - Utopic Sage (4: 2000|2500), a version of Utopia where his armor was steel gray with gold plating, and his weapon was an ornate staff.
Utopic Sage discarded both overlay units so Miyu could summon ZS - Ascended Sage (4: 900|300), clad in blue armor with a staff of his own. Zubababancho activated his own effect to revive Utopic Onomatopoeia (4: 1500|1500) from the Graveyard. Dodododwarf Gogogoglove (4: 0|1800) revived itself from the Graveyard, too. Miyu overlaid Utopic Onomat (4) with Ascended Sage (4) to summon Number 39: Utopia (4: 2500|2000), the warrior with the pure-white armor, known for its number of evolutions. Ascended Sage activated from the Graveyard, giving Miyu a Spell Card to her hand.
Miyu overlaid Utopia by itself to summon Number S39: Utopia Prime (4: 2510|2000), an evolved form of Utopia with only single pauldron and a flat-bladed sword that had no guard. This was one of Utopia's greatest abilities, evolving into form after form with ever-greater power. To accompany himself, Miyu summoned another Number 39: Utopia (4: 2500|2000) by overlaying Zubababancho (4) with Dodododwarf (4).
With a deep breath, Miyu ended her turn.
Miyu: 8000 LP, 2 cards
Justin: 8000 LP, 5 cards
"Powerful as ever," said Justin. "If I hadn't memorized your deck, I'd think you were cheating by endlessly summoning monsters like that."
"You know I don't cheat," said Miyu.
He chuckled. "Of course I do. The system wouldn't allow it. You can only do what the game is programmed to let you do. Like so." He placed Danger!? Tsuchinoko? (3: 1300|0) On the card reader to show it to Miyu, then he picked it back up and shuffled his hand. "Now that you've seen my danger noodle: Pick a card for me to discard." He fanned out his hand so it was easy for her to choose. "You missed. I have to discard Broww, but I get to draw a replacement card, plus Tsuchinoko summons itself straight to the field." A bit fatter than the average snake, Justin's monster did look like a snake spirit.
"I'll also discard Genta, Gateman of Dark World so I can grab The Gates of Dark World. But right now, those aren't the gates I want to open." The fog grew thick and heavy as he played a card that erected seven obelisks across the field and connected them by a strand of resonating energy. "Opening of the Spirit Gates lets me grab any card connected to my Sacred Beast, like Dark Beckoning Beast (2: 0|0)." He immediately summoned a monster that looked like some combination of a demon, a bat, and a four-pronged spear. "This effect gets me another Sacred Beast card, like Dark Summoning Beast (5: 0|0), which he summoned by using Beckoning Beast as Tribute. Another hideous creature, this one was much bigger and less batlike. And its aura was almost immeasurable, which was what Justin wanted. "By Tributing this monster, I can summon Raviel, Lord of Phantasms (10: 4000|4000) straight from the deck."
Raviel was a terrifying presence. As big as Obelisk, but with the demonic aura of a creature that had discarded its soul. As the fog cleared, Cary saw it not as an imitation of Obelisk the Tormentor but as a fiend that had broken Obelisk's bones to fashion armor. Even with less fog, Raviel's presence was overbearing, like something underneath her skin was fighting to get out.
Justin laughed. "So quick, right? That's why Team OTK would be unstoppable if not for the Guardian Duelers." He placed another card on the field. "Now it's time for The Gates of Dark World: Every fiend gains 300 points, including Raviel (+4300), plus I can sacrifice another fiend from my Graveyard and my hand so that I can draw."
Miyu knew Justin's cards well. Even Cary knew what happened when a Dark World deck started discarding cards. "Banishing Genta, Gateman of Dark World (4: +1300|+1100) means now I can summon him. Plus discarding Lucent, Netherlord of Dark World (6: +2700|+300) means I can summon him, too." Justin's field was swarming with hideous fiends. "Oh, but you have three strong monsters blocking you. If I want a one turn kill, I guess I have to make Raviel even stronger." Cary's throat tightened at those words. Miyu also flinched. "By banishing Dark Summoning Beast from my Graveyard, I can take Raviel's true power from the deck. Would you like to see it?"
Duel Disks flashed as the Battle Phase began. "I'll discard Shimmering Scraper so that Raviel (+8600) doubles in strength!" The air around Raviel became so heavy it was visible, roaring like blue fire. Raviel's powerful claws bore down on Utopia (2500).
"Utopia's effect," said Miyu. She discarded one of her warrior's overlay units, and a powerful reciprocal force pushed back against Raviel.
"Attack Utopia Prime!" he said next. Miyu activated Utopia's effect again. But he had no more overlay materials, so he couldn't block again. But Justin remained focused on Utopia Prime (2510): Lucent (2700) thrust his powerful arm straight through Utopia's armor. Miyu screamed again as the shadows overwhelmed and shattered her monster. "Get rid of Utopia," he said as Tsuchinoko (1300) lunged. With no overlay units, Utopia had no defense, even against a weaker monster, and was instantly destroyed.
"Attack Utopic Sage (2000)!" Raviel's claws ripped straight through Miyu's last monster. The fire billowed so wildly that Miyu screamed, even though the fire stopped short of actually touching her. Considering how much heat Cary felt at this distance, she could imagine what Miyu felt.
"You like that? Raviel's true power makes him strong and persistent. But alas, he can only attack as many times as the monsters you have. Or had. Genta (1300) will have to end your duel," said Justin. Atypical as a weapon, Genta bashed his oversized shield directly on top of Miyu. The weight of it crushed her to the ground with a sickening crunch, even though it was supposed to be just a hologram.
Miyu: 0 LP, 2 cards
Justin: 8000 LP, 2 cards
Cary cried out when Miyu didn't get up. She was about to become comatose just like all the others. But a thought nagged at her: The shadows and the fog were the same as before. Nothing had changed. Both Gima and Haruki had been swallowed up when their duel ended, so why wasn't Miyu affected?
It was Cee-Cee's Duel Disk that rang out next. The lights flickered, and the screen flashed the message "Draw Phase". A look of terror plastered itself onto Cee-Cee's face.
Justin chuckled, much more subtly than what Gima's spirit had done. "Well, come on! The first member of your team was knocked out. That means you've been tagged in. Thinking you can succeed where your partner failed?"
Cee-Cee was still awed by confusion. She began checking her Duel Disk itself for malfunction, ignoring what Cary thought to be obvious: Justin had reprogrammed the duel. "What are you playing at?" she asked.
With a shrug, Justin said, "Just a modified tag match. Instead of all four players at once, you and your partner can trade places at any time. It's not quite the same as a Boss Duel because I only get 8000 LP, but that just makes it even more thrilling because I still have to deplete all the LP from both of my opponents."
Obviously he cheated, but Justin was so skilled that he was able to cheat in a way that the system still recognized the duel he wanted to have. And that meant there was no crying foul here: Justin would need to lose by his own rules to end this duel.
"So I have to duel you?" asked Cee-Cee. Of course she was smart enough to know the answer already. It was her nerves talking. Cary couldn't fault her that, given Justin's rank and reputation as the Number 3 duelist in school.
In an uncharacteristic show of solidarity, Cary placed her hand firmly on Cee-Cee's shoulder. "You've got this."
"How do you know?"
"Because Haruki and Miyu picked you."
Cee-Cee took a deep breath. With a nod, she glanced again at Miyu's unconscious body, and then she looked back at Raviel's hulking form. Tears betrayed the fear she felt, but there was also a fire in her eyes. "One-turn kill," she uttered. Cary backed away to give her space.
One more deep breath, then Cee-Cee drew her opening hand. "Normal Summon Morphtronic Celfon (1: 100|100)," a yellow cell phone that transformed into a humanoid robot. "Activate Celfon." They watched as a holographic die rolled through the field, landing on 5. "Five cards… then Morphtronic Boarden (3: 500|1800)." She shuffled the other cards back into her deck, leaving behind a robot that transformed from a rocket-powered skateboard.
"Machine Duplication." A conveyor belt with a factory line appeared, piecing together robotic parts until she had two more Morphtronic Celfon on her field. "Activate Celfon." The second Celfon triggered another die to roll across the field, showing a 4. After she looked through more cards, she summoned Morphtronic Radion (4: 1000|900), a robot that changed shape from a small radio. When the radio started playing, all her monsters gained attack power. "Limiter Removal." All of her monsters appeared to surge with more electrical power than their bodies were intended to hold. Doing so doubled each of their attack points.
She stared at Raviel for a moment. The god appeared to stare back, but she refused to back down. "Attack time." Her three Celfons (+1800) positioned themselves like football players on Boarden's (+2600) back, then Boarden blasted across the field as a rocket skateboard. It weaved around Raviel's enormous legs, avoiding all contact until it reached the space directly in front of Justin. All three Celfon's collided with him directly, then Boarden transformed to deliver a similar punch.
Cee-Cee actually did it! She found a way to defeat a Guardian Dueler despite the laser stare of a mighty Sacred Beast. Cary was about to cry out with excitement, but she was subconsciously waiting for the Shadows to swarm Justin before she started. They never came. Justin tapped away on his Duel Disk a few times, then his Life Points shot right back up to 8000.
"What did you just do?" asked Cary.
Justin looked at her like she was the one whose logic failed. "I took the points from the other guy."
"What other guy?" asked Cee-Cee. But she assumed the answer to her own question: "Your invisible partner—the one you tag in and out with."
"Exactly. We could trade places, but I don't want to draw new cards or destroy the cards on my field to take his role. So it's easier for him to transfer all his points to me instead." He made a fake pouty face. "I'm so sorry. That means you'll have to do an OTK all over again… if you can survive to the next round."
"Two cards," said Cee-Cee as she placed two cards in her backfield. For someone backed into a cheating corner, she sure took it with surprising comfort.
Cee-Cee: 8000 LP, 1 card
Justin: 8000: 2 cards
"This duel was so much more than I could plan for. Too bad I didn't plan to give myself a full hand with my second life. I'll have to make do." The gigantic gates on the side of the field opened once more, swallowing two Dark World monsters. "I'll banish Broww and discard Grapha to activate The Gates of Dark World: Now I draw a card." The arm of a massive dragon reached out of the ground to destroy one of Cee-Cee's set cards. "Oh, Grapha destroyed Mirror Force? I can't think of a more unfortunate move for you. That could have finally destroyed Raviel, too."
His shielded fiend disappeared from the field, and that same dragon arm climbed out of the Graveyard. "By returning Genta to my hand, I revive Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World (8: +3000|+2100)." When the dragon emerged in its full form, it revealed a body covered in segmented armor, with stout horns protruding from its head, chin, and every major joint. Its face was hideous, in between a fiend and a zombie. Another monster appeared, barely as tall as Justin; the monster's features were grotesque as its mostly naked body twisted and curled unnaturally. "For good measure, I'll summon Brron, Mad King of Dark World (4: +2100|+700). Now my field has plenty of attack power to end this duel."
In total, he had Raviel (4300), Grapha (3000), Lucent (2700), Brron (2100), and Tsuchinoko (1300). And Cee-Cee only had one face-down card.
"Tsuchinoko (1300) attacks first!" The snake coiled tightly and then struck with the speed of lightning. Cee-Cee screamed when the snake bit her, even though Cary couldn't see any blood or physical wounds left behind. "Brron (2100) is next." The Mad King thrust its arm into Cee-Cee's torso. She screamed again, stumbling backward and doubling over. "If you're not going to defend yourself, then I'll let Raviel (4300) go next."
The colossal hand was big enough to crush Cee-Cee in its palm alone. Raviel was inches away from Cee-Cee's head when alarms began to blare and strobing lights began to flash. "Morphtronics, Scramble!" she screamed. She struggled to move, but the last card in her hand moved to the field: another Morphtronic Boarden (3: 500|1800) in defense position.
Raviel was so struck by the Trap that the attack stopped. The god stumbled back to its original position. Justin growled, and his voice turned raspy. "Negating one attack doesn't change anything. Lucent (2700) can destroy your pathetic robot, then Grapha (3000) attacks directly."
Cary flinched and averted her eyes at the moment Grapha's black fire smothered Cee-Cee. Her cry was bloodcurdling. Cary didn't understand the pain inflicted on her friend, but she recognized how the Shadows weighed down on her the same way they had to Dave and Yul. She hoped Cee-Cee was strong enough to keep going. Despite his full field, Justin hadn't managed to take all her Life Points in one turn. Maybe he had been gone from Team OTK just long enough to lose his touch.
Cee-Cee: 1300 LP, 0 cards
Justin: 8000 LP, 3 cards
Cary waited in agony for Cee-Cee to say or do anything. Justin waited patiently, as if whatever spirit possessed him enjoyed this part, where the opponent's spirit teetered on the edge of life, tottering with the decision of whether to give up or to keep fighting.
"Come on, Iracema," Cary uttered, intentionally using her friend's given name to shock her into paying attention. "You get another turn. Show him why you're the right person to lead Team OTK."
She was still slow, but Cee-Cee began to stir again. When she finally sat up, Cary noticed that Cee-Cee's Duel Disk showed one of the settings menus. "I see what you did," she said. "We were in a Tag Team Duel with modified rules. Odds are, you're the only person on campus who could have done something like this. Everyone else would have triggered the Kaiba Corp alarms and locked themselves out." She looked back in Cary's direction. "I don't know exactly how this Shadow Game works, but I know how the tag duel works. My guess is that Raviel has to be destroyed. I won't be able to do that, but Miyu can."
Cee-Cee pressed a button on her Duel Disk. Suddenly her Life Points fell to zero. The Shadows swarmed her and muffled her screams, but the veil over Miyu's body softened. Cary couldn't do anything but watch and hope. Eternity passed as the clock ticked away barely five minutes… when Miyu finally sat up.
It worked! Cee-Cee managed to give her final turn back to Miyu. It could be a dangerous decision, subjecting Cee-Cee to whatever magic infected Dave and the others. But Miyu was the lieutenant of Team OTK and one of Justin's oldest friends at Duel Academy. She was definitely the best opponent for him in the whole school.
Miyu started to mumble in Japanese. Cary called out, "Miyu, you're still dueling against Justin. Cee-Cee did something with the system that gave you one more turn."
The lieutenant looked over to see her friend passed out on the floor. "She's hurt?"
"Yes, but the only way to help her is to destroy Raviel and deplete Justin's Life Points."
Luckily, Miyu seemed to catch on quickly. She might not like English, but her grasp of Cary's meaning was quick and strong. Miyu placed Summoner Monk (4: 800|1600) on the field. The man's robes obscured the rest of his body as he shifted automatically into defense mode. His aura began to glow as Miyu discarded, and ZS - Ascended Sage (4: 900|300) reappeared on the field. His blue armor covered the Summoner Monk as they overlaid with each other. The warrior who replaced them was Number 39: Utopia Double (4: 0|2500), a winged warrior shining with the kind of light that created optical illusions. She dropped one of the overlay materials to retrieve a card from her deck.
And then her warrior transformed again, back to the original Number 39: Utopia (4: +5000|2000). By using Utopia Double as the overlay unit, Utopia's attack points literally doubled. Finally, someone in the duel had more attack power than Raviel.
"You think you found a way to kill Raviel?" asked Justin. "I'll discard another copy of Shimmering Scraper: Now Raviel's (+8600) attack points also double." Fucking ridiculous, thought Cary. Miyu took one step forward, and Justin was prepared for it.
Or mostly prepared. Miyu played Megamorph: Utopia (10,000) swelled inside his armor, growing larger in stature, but more importantly, his light grew even brighter than Raviel's darkness.
"Fine. Maybe you can stop Raviel, but you still won't end this duel. And you know the risks if you let me have another turn."
Miyu nodded. "Yes, I know." Cary hadn't been expecting Miyu to use Megamorph. She had expected a different card. But maybe the effects would stack if Miyu used them both… so that had to be her plan.
Utopia launched an attack. He lunged across the field like a shooting star, but before his sword contacted Grapha, it stopped, held back by Utopia's own field of negation. The warrior returned to Miyu. She had played a Spell Card: "Double or Nothing! Second attack!" Utopia's vigor returned, giving him the motivation to deliver a second attack with even more power. This time, Utopia (+20,000) targeted Raviel (8600). Utopia channeled his entire golden aura into his sword. The energy was bright enough and sharp enough to cut straight through Raviel's claws, his arms, and his torso. The Sacred Beast no longer filled the field, shattered instead into thousands of tiny pieces.
Miyu: 1300 LP, 0 cards
Justin: 0 LP, 2 cards
This time, the Shadows reacted like Cary expected. She was thrown out toward the foyer as powerful magic swirled like an unstoppable maelstrom, growing rapidly tighter until Miyu and Cee-Cee disappeared behind a shadow wall. Cary remembered the tantrum thrown when the Shadows lost their grip on Gima, and she braced herself for the explosion that was to come. But the explosion whimpered. It had been more violent only in her memory.
With a clear way in front of her, she went to check on her friends.
One thing Matt definitely learned from this whole ordeal: He didn't like it when other people relied on him just to survive. Syd was recovering well, but mostly internally. She was eating and drinking and talking just fine, but she still needed help to move around much. She had been set up in Bryan's bed—the bottom bunk—while Numbers was unconscious in Jack's bed in the middle bunk. Mikey was on the floor next to the desks. The Slifer common room wasn't really an option because of the flood damage, but at least the kitchen still had vending machines and some food items with long shelf lives.
"Any chance of another orange juice?" asked Syd.
Matt groaned. "You've been drinking nonstop since we brought you back here. Are you going to need one of us to help you pee, too?"
"I can just piss the bed," she said without hesitating. Matt respected the hell out of that kind of comeback, so he decided to get what she needed.
"I'll get it," said Bryan. He was already trying and failing to doze off in one of the desk chairs, so he was quick to jump to his feet and leave the room.
Too quick. Matt didn't like the idea of Bryan going anywhere by himself. There was something about the shadowy veil covering the island that called to Bryan, so Matt needed to keep an eye on him, to tackle him if he tried to claim a god card for himself or steal someone's soul. He doubled his effort to get down off the top bunk.
Syd asked, "He's not possessed, is he?"
"Not yet," said Matt as he darted outside. He made a mental note to stop later and ask Syd why she asked that question.
Outside was just as dark as ever, even though Matt's phone indicated it should be morning by now. When Matt reached the bottom of the breezeway stairs, he first noticed that the door to the common room hadn't been opened. Then he heard Bryan's voice past the common room entrance, closer to the side of the dorm where Dr. Kerr's room was.
Bryan had his arms wrapped around someone nearly half his height. When they parted, Matt realized his friend had hugged Lucy. Despite Bryan asking her where she had been, she noticed Matt's presence immediately and turned toward him. Her bright eyes were dull and unfocused, her cheerful demeanor replaced by an eerie stillness.
"You have the most spiritual energy," she said. Her voice was raspy, like Mikey's, except her possession had raised her pitch. "Duel me."
"Don't be silly," said Bryan as he stepped between Matt and Lucy. He was definitely large enough to eclipse them both, yet Matt still felt Lucy's intense gaze bore through him to her target. "We don't need to duel."
"You will decline?" she said. "You know the rules: Declining a challenge is the same as defeat."
"So don't challenge us," said Bryan, his voice pleading with her not to do this.
Matt hated this reality, but he accepted it. "I'll do it."
Bryan squared off on him with a scowl worse than Obelisk. Matt actually took a step back as Bryan screamed, "No! You will not hurt Lucy." He had come so close that Matt couldn't see anything in front of him except Bryan. He was always tall, but had he always been so tall?
Unsure how to respond to this level of aggression, Matt flinched.
"I accept your challenge." The voice had come from behind Matt, but that didn't make sense. Everyone else was supposed to be safely tucked away inside DA-Rec. Why the hell would someone with Jack's voice be out here in the eternal shadow storms?
Sure enough, it was Jack. His normally coiffed hair was disheveled as if he'd stopped trying so hard since being remanded to the rec center. He walked right past Matt and Bryan—who had been basically paralyzed by Jack's appearance—and stood in front of Lucy. "I'll duel against you." He lifted his Duel Disk long enough to activate it, then he dropped it by his side. It was obvious he was already tired.
"Stop it!" said Bryan, but something shoved him so hard he nearly knocked Matt over.
"The duel begins," said Lucy. The energy seemed to come from her, forming a sort of force field around the small stretch of field where she and Jack were ready to duel.
Bryan screamed, "Why would you do this, Jack? I thought you liked Lucy."
With a wry grin, he said, "Someone has to defeat her if we're going to free her from the Shadow Realm. It might as well be someone who loves her."
Myriad emotions flashed across Bryan's face: shock, confusion, and a dawning realization. Turning his expression incredulous, Bryan glanced at Matt for an explanation. Matt only replied, "I volunteered, but you said no. So I guess Deus ex Jackass gets to do it instead."
His friend's expression was tinged with heartbreak now. In truth, they had no idea what would happen to the losers of these Shadow Duels in the long run, except that their bodies were still alive even while they slept.
Jack drew his opening cards. "Lucy, I've seen your kindness, your passion, your light. Whatever's happening to you, I'm going to put an end to it." Matt appreciated Jack's delusions of grandeur, but he clearly forgot that Lucy was one of the Guardian Duelers—ranked Number 7 in the whole school. And he was a Slifer Slacker in love with an older girl, probably obsessed with her only for the same reason Matt was.
He started off with a Spell. "Allure of Darkness, so I draw two cards and then banish a Dark monster from my hand." He dropped a card into the cosmic abyss that opened up on his side of the field. "Discarding Despian Tragedy means…"
"No one cares," said Lucy. Her voice was so abrupt and so out of character that Matt laughed, not meaning to. "Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring negates your card's effect." A young girl leaped out of her hand and spread white blossoms on the ground below as she fell to the Graveyard.
"Well, I can also chain Called by the Grave. This card means I can banish your Ash Blossom from the Graveyard and negate its effects." A scaly hand thrust out of the ground. It's claw-like fingernails pointed at Lucy's Graveyard as the effect activated. "And that means Despian Tragedy activates after all, so I get Ad Libitum of Despia to my hand. And since you played an effect during my turn, I can use Triple Tactics Talent to draw two new cards."
Bryan said, "Wasn't Jack playing Hieratic cards?"
Matt shook his head. "He switched about a month ago to Ritual Summoning. Now he's trying out Despia cards."
Jack continued his turn. "I summon Aluber the Jester of Despia (4: 1800|0)." His monster was adorned in elaborate robes, mostly red but covered in stripes and beads with a black-and-white checkered underlayer. "Doing so lets me take Branded Fusion from my deck to my hand. I'll activate it immediately."
"And I'll discard Maxx 'C'." As fire and ice began to merge in front of Jack, a pair of shining eyes appeared in the shadows behind Lucy.
He made a face, out of countermoves for this turn. "I guess you get to keep that effect. But my Fusion resolves to summon Lubellion the Searing Dragon (8: 2500|3000)." As his monster took the form of an armored dragon emerging from a fireball, a cockroach scurried across the field, dropping a card where Lucy could draw it. Jack's dragon continued to cycle flames around itself, like a fountain of dancing fire. "I'll activate Lubellion's effect to—"
Lucy said, "No. I have Infinite Impermanence with no other cards in play." The foggy air filled with lightning, but not the kind to electrocute its target: static electricity, attaching itself to Lubellion and shocking its nervous system so it couldn't control its own body. "Your monster's effect is negated once more."
"At least Edge Imp Chain still gets his effect from being discarded; I get a card from my deck." A chain crank in a vaguely humanoid shape loosed several chains to connect with Jack's deck; the crank rolled and tightened until the chains pulled a card to Jack's hand. "I'll activate Frightfur Patchwork right away so I get Polymerization and Edge Imp Chain to my hand." It was a truly hideous amalgamation of stuffed animals that handed Jack two new cards. "Now I'll Polymerize Aluber with Edge Imp to summon Masquerade the Blazing Dragon (8: 2500|2000)." As Jack's next dragon emerged from behind a curtain of flame, Lucy drew from another coackroach. "I'll also bring out Springans Kitt (4: 1700|1000) as a Special Summon." A young girl wearing an exoskeleton to give her more power than her size normally afforded her. Again, a cockroach gave Lucy a card. "Summoning Kitt gives me Branded in Red to my hand, as long as I put one card from my hand on the bottom of my deck."
He looked over his last three cards. "I'll use Pot of Desires: I banish ten cards from my deck to draw two more cards." As the two-faced ewer faded away, Jack nodded. "Yeah, this is better. I'll place one card face-down to end my turn."
Jack: 8000 LP, 3 cards
Lucy: 8000 LP, 5 cards
With her face stoic, Lucy drew as part of her actual Draw Phase, finally. "I'll play Cosmic Cyclone." A whirlwind appeared within the fog, but this one appeared to have a comet circling the outside, adding color as its tail was absorbed into the cyclone.
"Masquerade's blaze effect," said Jack. His dragon thrust forth another curtain of flame, this time to smother Lucy's side of the field. "To activate any effect, you have to pay 600 LP."
"Cosmic Cyclone cost me 1000 LP anyway. But it will destroy your face-down card." The comet finally had a target.
"I'll chain it: Branded in Red lets me target Fallen of Albaz—"
"No one cares. I also have Called by the Grave: I banish your Fallen of Albaz before you can use it." Unfortunately, she was right. When the disembodied hand pointed and removed the monster from play, it undercut Jack's effect. But using another Spell cost her another 600 LP, and that whole chain was all just to destroy one card on Jack's field. He still had two monsters in defense mode and one in attack mode. So overall, he seemed to benefit.
"I have Soul Crossing," said Lucy.
Jack pointed. "Ah! Another 600 LP, please."
"Trivial," she said as her LP dipped slightly. Trivial because each monster on Jack's side of the field was suddenly chained by a golden spiral. "All three of your monsters are Tribute to summon Obelisk the Tormentor (10: 4000|4000)." The earth split as Obelisk's terrible form emerged from below. Standing tall in the sky long enough to breathe in the shadows before he turned back toward his new opponent and flexed every muscle in his divine body. Each muscle was as hard and polished as stone, and his face bore that terrifying expression that threatened to devour the soul of whatever he looked at.
Matt had seen the card in play before, yet this time, its presence brought a whole other level of intensity. For a moment, he felt like he had left his own body behind… until he felt a bright light warm his soul and ground him again. He turned to look for its source, but nothing was there—only the fog in front of the Slifer Dorm.
Lucy said, "You're open for a direct attack." Obelisk launched a fist that was larger than Matt's whole dorm room. Its holographic form was easy to forget when Jack let out a horrific scream and fell to the ground. He looked like he was hit by a bus.
She set one card to end her turn. She breathed deeply while Jack whimpered. "This is good. You're not on Matt's level, but this energy is what I need. Give me more."
Jack: 4000 LP, 3 cards
Lucy: 5200 LP, 1 card
Bryan breathed a sigh of relief. "I knew Lucy would be safe. You're no match for her, Jack."
Matt rolled his eyes. "You realize that Lucy is trying to kill Jack, right?"
"I know! I'm not happy about it." But his tone suggested Bryan only knew that's what he was supposed to say. Despite his protests, it was likely that the shadows had some hold on him, and they were doing their damnedest to take over.
While Jack was struggling against the pain inflicted on him, and Matt and Bryan mutually struggled to keep each other in line from their respective perspectives, Lucy's other stalker decided to approach the battlefield.
"Let me take over this duel," said Kai Jackson. The fog did wonders for making him look bigger and scarier than usual, what with all the extra particles in the air pushing open the tails of his Obelisk Blue jacket as he walked.
Matt rolled his eyes and spoke his joke out loud. "Oh, look. It's Lucy's other stalker."
"I'm not here for Lucy," said Kai. He stopped walking right next to Jack and turned his gaze upward at the terrifying facade of Obelisk the Tormentor.
Jack uttered, "She's too strong."
"You're too weak."
Lucy hummed. "Fine. Jack can forfeit the remainder of this duel. Then you can be my next meal."
"Why wait?" asked Jack. "I'll just trade Duel Disk IDs and take over from Jack's current situation: I'll start with 4000 Life Points, and I'll only draw as many cards as he holds in his hand. I won't even take any of the cards from his Graveyard. You end up with an opponent at half strength, and when you win, you get to claim credit for beating both of us."
There was no pause for consideration on Lucy's side. "I've been looking forward to a meal of your quality. I accept your terms."
Bryan said, "No!" but Matt held him back long enough for Kai to complete the Duel Disk transfer. (Normally that function was reserved for malfunctions and mis-duels, but if it worked now and increased the chances of defeating the spirit possessing Lucy, then why not let it go? Matt filed it away in case he ever decided to try the same trick in the future.)
When everything was set up again, Kai drew his opening three cards plus one for his Draw Phase.
"Cards of Consonance," said Kai, failing to explain any further than that. He discarded a dragon card to draw two more cards. He summoned a white rock called The White Stone of Ancients (1: 600|500), but apparently that was only so that he could discard Sage with Eyes of Blue. As the man covered in robes and ribbons swung his staff across the field, the White Stone went to the grave. "Emerge, Dragon Spirit of White (8: 2500|2000)!" A dragon with milky scales and blue eyes swooped onto the field. Without pausing, the dragon unleashed a stream of white fire that skipped past Obelisk to banish Lucy's face-down card.
From the Graveyard, The White Stone of Ancients began to shine. "The light from my dragon erases the shadows," said Kai as a monster flew through the sky. From a distance, it already looked big, but when it landed powerfully beside him, it towered nearly the height of Obelisk. "My Blue-Eyes White Dragon (8: 3000|2500)! Two of them!" The second White Stone in the grave shone the same way, beckoning a second Blue-Eyes to the field, both in defense position. "One card face-down."
Kai: 4000 LP, 1 card
Lucy: 5200 LP, 1 card
A small land rover rolled slowly across the field in front of Lucy. "Planet Pathfinder (4: 1000|1000). But I'll use it as Tribute for its own effect."
"Ultimate Providence," said Kai. He discarded The White Stone of Legend—not to be confused with The White Stone of Ancients. Doing so created a barrier around the Pathfinder that prevented the card from using its Tribute magic—it was negated and destroyed instead. But then the Legend Stone let Kai grab another Blue-Eyes from his deck to his hand. Now he had control over all three of those legendary engines of destruction.
"Your dragons are powerful, but the light of the Blue-Eyes (2500) will never overpower Obelisk (4000)." Obelisk's mighty fist was far too much power even for Kai's dragon to resist. A single punch overpowered the defensive monster and shattered it. Like that, Kai only had two Blue-Eyes.
Kai: 4000 LP, 1 card
Lucy: 5200 LP, 1 card
"My turn," said Kai, drawing a new card. "The White Stone of Ancients." He pointed to his Graveyard, and the shining light took his destroyed Blue-Eyes out of the Graveyard and placed it in his hand.
"There's no preparing for this. Fusion summon!" He activated Polymerization: Three dragons from his field and hand began to swirl together. "Behold, Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon (12: 4500|3800)!" His dragons merged into a three-headed creature that even Matt had only ever seen in the Denkard software. It's entire body was covered in white scales as reflective as polished chrome. When its wings spread to their full wingspan and the heads spread out for a three-pronged roar, the Ultimate Dragon looked even larger than Obelisk.
"For a so-called Guardian Dueler, you made a rookie mistake: You forgot that Obelisk (4000) is not the most powerful creature to exist in this game." The Ultimate Dragon's heads each unleashed a stream of white lightning. The attacks merged into a triple stream that slammed into Obelisk's chest and burned a hole straight through it. The shadows on the field parted as the massive god monster was thrown on his ass and electrocuted from the inside out.
"The game doesn't end there. Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon is the fusion of three Blue-Eyes White Dragons, which means it can attack three times!" He discarded a card from his Extra Deck, and the Ultimate Dragon (4500) attacked a second time. Lucy cried out from the pain of the attack, but the air around the field was still too dense for Bryan to rush in and protect her. Lucy had already fallen on her face. When Kai discarded another card, his Ultimate dragon released yet another attack, dealing far more damage than necessary to end the duel. "With this, you lose."
Kai: 4000 LP, 0 cards
Lucy: 0 LP, 1 card
It was just like what happened with Mikey and Syd: The Shadows swarmed the field as if they were drawn in by some unseen force. Attempting to apply his understanding of physics: Matt wondered if the rapid dissipation of shadow energy from around Lucy and her duel created a vacuum, pulling in all the Shadow energy in the area to fill the void until the dissipation stopped, and whatever was left could then spread out evenly.
But Bryan didn't care about the physics. He rushed to where Lucy had fallen and rolled her over so her could make sure she was okay. "Lucy? Are you okay?"
Matt said, "She's asleep, if current experience holds." He walked over to check on Jack, who was still rolling around from that punch but was otherwise conscious, and Kai, who was struggling to remain upright so he could be perceived as a sufficiently tough guy. "You both seem more awake than the last duel winner I witnessed. How you holding up?"
Jack gave a sarcastic thumbs-up while Kai just grunted, "Go away, Slifer Snot."
"Rude. And after I let you finally have your duel with Lucy. Can you walk by yourself?"
Kai pulled out his phone. "I'm fine here. There are still more Guardians out there."
"Whatever makes you happy. Jack?"
"I'll be okay. Just need to… catch my breath."
"And a death of cold. You should both get inside the dorm, at least." He looked over to Bryan. "I guess I should carry her since you're—"
"I'm not letting your perverted hands anywhere near Lucy," Bryan snapped, quite vicious in his tone.
But Matt smirked. "I'm not gonna fondle her. Just that I can carry her, but Jack's too heavy for me. Kai's a piece of shit and can stay out here for all I care."
Bryan hoisted Lucy in his arms. It looked so easy that Matt was a little jealous. "You struggled to carry Syd, and Lucy's bigger than she is. So no, you can't carry her. I've got Lucy."
"How Ricky Martin of you."
"Shut up."
Remember when I mentioned that duels take me forever to write out? Yeah... Chapters like this one are the reason this arc took me a full year to finish. Especially that crap with Justin: I made up so many rules for that one that it took me forever. (Obviously I tweaked Shimmering Skyscraper so I could use a real-card effect but in a way that still makes Raviel seem like a unique card.) I'm trying not to go so far overboard with the next arc, but it's also part and parcel of the whole Yu-Gi-Oh! universe that duels are how you battle and assert dominance, ya know?
Fun fact: The first time I wrote this story, I received feedback that having the professors take out the Guardian Duelers made it feel too convenient—like there was never any real risk because the professors were stronger than the strongest students. While I still enjoyed using the professors as trump cards, I couldn't argue the logic. That's why I took a different approach this time: The professors held the Spirit Keys (throwback to the anime, which wasn't in my original story), so they had to be defeated to start the whole chain of events. That means the bad guys have already proven they're stronger than the strongest duelists on the island, leaving room for each Guardian to duel people they have relationships with this time. I think it worked out better this way. Hopefully you agree!
As always, thanks to the OCs for joining the story:
* Jack Hansbury...same name, with a period
* Iracema "Cee-Cee" Silva...HardWrapping
* Mikey Brittle...Vstriker
* Sydney King...TC-For-Short
* Kai Jackson...SketchyWolf