Chapter 52:
"- and after picking a song, all you have to do is sing it while hitting the notes as best as you can. The better you hit them, the better your score." Alexis finished her explanation.
She, Jasmine, Mindy, and Kami sat around the table of a private karaoke booth, with plastic bags filled with their earlier purchases neatly stacked in the corner. Three cushioned benches surrounded the table, on which lay a pair of microphones to sing and a tablet to choose songs on, both connected to a big screen on the wall. Next to the room's entrance door hung a telephone right above a small stand with a menu to order drinks and snacks from.
"And as per tradition, the lowest score each round buys the snacks." Jasmine added with a grin while Mindy was busy picking out the first song.
Flipping through the menu, Kami raised an eyebrow at the prices. "After a day-long shopping tour you want to spend so much on food and drinks here?"
"Sometimes you have to give yourself a treat." Mindy mused. "It's not like we can do this often, but hey; maybe you could advocate for us to get us some more freetime activities on the island? I enjoy dueling as much as the next person, but the options are …"
"Pretty limited." Kami agreed. Other than the clubs there wasn't really much to do, safe for the few cafes.
"It's not like Mister Kaiba couldn't afford it and it would be another way to spend our points for other stuff than cards and food." Alexis nodded.
"Hell yeah! We need a boxing ring." Jasmine proposed.
"What for?" Alexis asked.
"To beat up all the guys who won't take no for an answer, of course!" The redhead proclaimed, cracking her knuckles.
"Well, your gorilla hands must be good for something …" Kami smirked.
Jasmine growled at her. "Oh yeah? At least I can take care of myself and don't need to hide behind someone else!" Then she smirked too. "Though even that should be hard for you with that butt of yours."
Kami narrowed her eyes on her. "I'm perfectly capable of dealing with issues myself." Her smirk turned into a wide grin. "But is that jealousy I hear? Guys prefer big butts over big hands, after all."
"And they prefer a big chest even more!" Jasmine countered, crossing her arms to accentuate her words. Her eyes wandered from Kami to herself and then back again, her smirk growing wider as well. "Heh."
Kami clicked her tongue over the lost battle, but before she could retort, Mindy chimed in.
"Which is why Alexis is hailed as the goddess of the academy. She's got it all. It's kind of unfair, really."
"Mindy!" The blonde in question hissed in embarrassment.
Kami and Jasmine looked at Alexis, then at one another before giving each other a tight nod. A temporary truce in the face of a greater threat.
"Good thing you have the Princeton brat to fight off any nuisances now, if Spirit Day was any indication?" Kami teased, causing Alexis to blush.
"It's not like that." She brushed her off immediately. "We're just friends."
"Sure, that's why he escorted us the whole day and couldn't take his eyes off you." Jasmine joined in. "It took you half an hour to notice you left Mindy and I behind at the shooting range."
Looking between the two, Alexis' eyes stayed on Kami. "We're simply enjoying the event we had set up. Unlike a certain someone who surely didn't enjoy herself in the night that followed afterwards."
Now it was Kami's turn to blush. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Oh, shush you. We all remember the smug look you gave us when poor Syrus said he couldn't sleep all night before Jaden pointed out the marks you left on your boytoy." Jasmine pointed out.
"Blake's not my- where did you even get that word from?" Kami huffed. "And besides; I can do whatever I want with my boyfriend, thank you very much."
"Even if that includes breaking several rules?" Alexis poked at her.
"So you two really are a thing?" Mindy questioned. "That's a shame."
"Dang, the headlines would've been great otherwise." Jasmine sighed. "So, how was he?"
Kami turned even redder. "Wouldn't you like to know? Maybe I'll tell you if you can beat me, though I doubt you have anything valuable to share on your own if you lose."
"Oh, you're on!"
With the challenge made they began their battle of songs. It was a constant back and forth to which Alexis and Mindy joined in on revealing some embarrassing stories of their own. After two hours of singing, ordering snacks, laughing at and discussing each other's reveals, Kami called for a break to get some fresh air. Which had no relation to things she maybe shouldn't have said about her relationship, of course.
Downing her drink and letting out a big sigh, Kami shook her head, a little worried about Blake's reaction if any of the girls were to ask him about … today. What she didn't worry about was Mindy's apparent interest in him. There's no way he'd prefer a ditzy girl over her, right? But once her relationship has been made clear Mindy began listing other boys that she might want to get to know instead. Hearing Truesdale's name wasn't a surprise, but hearing the younger one's sure was.
Kami was interrupted in her musings when she noticed a short girl with long bluish-gray hair surrounded by a trio of boys who towered over her, trying to get her to join them in their booth.
She wrinkled her nose in disgust over their behavior, before looking at the girl. Their eyes met, a silent cry for help exchanged between them. Seeing as there was no personnel in sight and Jasmine's words from earlier nagging at her, Kami decided to take care of the matter at hand.
"There you are!" She announced herself loudly as she made her way over, brushing past the boys to put her hands on the girls shoulders. "We're looking for you all over the place."
The girl blinked at her before taking a step closer to her and thus away from the others. "I'm sorry, I got lost looking for the bathroom."
Kami then looked up at the people surrounding them. One of the guys was taken aback, another surprised and most likely recognizing her, while the last seemed only more interested in bothering them. So, she put on her best act. "Thank you for helping my friend find her way back here. If you'd excuse us-"
The last guy put his hand against the wall, cutting her off from the way she came from. "Always happy to help, babe. How about a little reward?"
"Oh? I thought a good conscience was enough of a reward for common decency?" Kami glared coldly, unable to keep up the act in the face of such insolence.
One of the other two noticeably shivered, while the other put a hand on the shoulder of the one preventing her from leaving. "Let's go, you don't want to mess with that one."
"What, are you scared?" The guy brushed him off before turning back to Kami. "Come on girl, I scratched your back now you'll scratch mine, that's just how it works."
"Get lost." Kami hissed, her glare only intensifying. Sadly, it only worked on the two who weren't bothering her as they backed off further.
"Playing hard to get, eh? You should be happy, really. It's not everyday you get the attention of a pro duelist like me." He reached out towards her, but she slapped his hand away. His eyes narrowed and he grabbed her arm painfully. "Good thing I know just what itch you can scratch."
Kami froze, both shocked by the audacity and the scene reminding her too much of what happened back at the Abandoned Dorm. Her breath quickened and her hands clutched onto the smaller girl's shoulders. But before the guy could pull her along, a fist slammed into the side of his face, sending him skidding over the floor.
"She said get lost you fucking creep!" Jasmine thundered.
"You stupid bi-" The guy retorted only to turn quiet when he noticed the other girls arriving with her. Alexis rubbed Kami's back in worry while Mindy was filming the whole thing. "You'll regret this, you hear me!" He scurried off with the other guys soon enough.
"You alright?" Alexis asked to which Kami huffed.
"The nerve of that guy, disgusting." Jasmine spat. "You got all that, Min?" Mindy gave her an 'ok' before putting away her phone.
"I'm fine." Kami rubbed her arm before looking at Jasmine. "Thank you."
The girl huffed. "A pleasure, but didn't you claim you could handle yourself earlier?"
"I can, as you saw with the other two." Kami countered without any heat. "They usually take the hint, but that one …"
"See? That's why I said we need a boxing ring. Some guys really need a slap or two to get a 'no' into their thick skulls."
"Erh … excuse me?" The smaller girl, now in the midst of them, spoke up. "Thank you very much for your help."
"... tell me they went after her so I can go murder them." Jasmine growled, her body shaking as if she's ready to sprint after them. Kami almost laughed at how her behavior resembled Blake's. If that creep really was a pro duelist, she knew just the way to absolutely destroy him.
"They're gone, Jas, don't waste your breath on them." Mindy calmed her down. "If anything, I'm sure Kami can ruin his life if she wants to."
"Damn right I do." Kami huffed before turning to the smaller girl. "And you're welcome, but how did you get in that situation to begin with?"
"Well … I usually come here by myself and after I went to the bathroom these guys cornered me …"
The girls exchanged a look. "Bad reviews?" "Yeah, let's grill the owner for letting that happen."
Alexis jabbed her thumb towards their room. "If you're alone, would you like to join us? I get the feeling I've seen you before too."
The girl turned before pointing at her. "It's you! The breast-fiend who hung around my Zane!"
"The what?" Jasmine and Mindy repeated as Alexis sputtered.
"Oh, I think you'll fit right in." Kami laughed. "What's your name?"
"It's Blair. Blair Flannigan!"
At the same time, somewhere else in Domino City
A basketball sailed through the air, hit the highest rated basket, and caused a show of lights and sounds to erupt from the machine it was attached to.
"Gotcha! That's game!" Jaden exclaimed, laughing as he received a large amount of tickets from the machine.
"Never knew you were that good at shooting balls, Jay." Syrus cheered before looking at his opponent. "Erh … earth to Blake?"
Said opponent shook his head, threw his shot and missed, having managed only half as many points as Jaden. "Sorry. Got the sudden desire to murder someone."
"Hah, good one!" Jaden clapped him on the shoulder. "Where're the others at?"
They looked around, finding their missing party members locked in a fierce battle; in air hockey. Bastion and Chazz had just finished their round and were staring at one another before starting a new one. Their hands flew so fast they created afterimages as the puck shot across the table.
"I think they're good for a while." Blake snorted, looking for something else to do.
"Hmm, what to do …" Jaden mused. "Hey Sy: You choose!"
"M-me? O-okay!" Syrus stammered as he's caught off-guard, but quickly steadied himself. "I know just the thing. Follow me!"
The little guy had taken a break from helping his older brother train for the pro circuit, and the way he carried himself alone spoke volumes about his own improvement. Gone was the hunched back and nervous looks, replaced by a straight walk and an air of confidence around him. Even his energy had changed from the uncertain ball of fuzziness to a more sleek and smooth one, similar to Zane's.
"Alright, here's how it goes." Syrus stopped in front of a row of machines with mirrored versions of themselves on their back. 'Super Battle Spirits Ultimate', they read. He gave them a short rundown of the game, jam packed with information. "You two play some games and once you're comfortable I'll join."
"Sounds like you're a pro at this, Sy. Don't think I'll make this easy for you!" Jaden said, immediately getting in position.
"Didn't expect you to be a fighting-game guy." Blake added, taking the machine opposite of Jaden's.
"I might know a thing or two, nothing great." Syrus shrugged, smiling a bit at his friend's praise.
Fitting the game's name, and the fact that most media in this world related to Duel Monsters in one form or the other, there was a large selection of battlers to choose from. Naturally, Jaden gravitated to the first HERO he could find, that being Avian, which Syrus called a good all-rounder and beginner character. Blake eventually settled on a smaller Armed Dragon, which could apparently grow in levels and power if played correctly. With him being a total noob at this game, it never did in the three matches they played.
"You might want to switch characters." Bastion reasoned with a satisfied smile, his game with Chazz having come to a close.
"Please do. It hurts seeing you use my main like that." Chazz joined in, the sneer he's holding replaced by a challenging grin.
"I'd like to see you try." Blake scoffed and stepped to the side.
The two of them took Blake's and Jaden's places and began duking it out once again. Chazz continued with a way more competent Armed Dragon, while Bastion used Gamma The Magnet Warrior in a frightening manner. Despite knowing next to nothing about the game, Blake and Jaden agreed on not waiting to face Bastion's oppressively controlling playstyle.
"So, how's the travelling treating you?" Blake asked.
"Pretty sweet, I gotta say." Jaden replied, pulling a can of soda from Ra knew where. "Did a big sweep all around Domino City. I had no idea we had so many cool sights right outside our home town. Even got you guys some stuff for tomorrow!"
"Anything particularly noteworthy to visit?" Blake continued. "I was thinking about getting a driver's licence and some spots outside of Domino might be better … to visit with someone who knows the city inside and out."
"Sure, I'll send you some pictures!" Jaden grinned. "Getting away from all the noise also helped a great deal with … y'know."
"Something you'd like to talk about then?" Blake questioned cautiously, not wanting to force Jaden to talk if he didn't feel like it.
The other boy shrugged. "Eh … I think I made some progress but I'm really not sure. Wouldn't even know how to tell you, it's just a feeling."
"Don't worry about it. You'll manage sooner or later." Blake reassured him.
"Thanks, but what if I lose control again?" Jaden frowned. "Last time it was Banner who took the brunt of it, and he could deal with it … in his own way. But what if it's against someone who can't?"
"I doubt someone who couldn't take it would manage to rile you up enough for that to happen." Blake countered. "But stressing about it won't do you any good either way. Work on it when you feel like it and be open while staying true to yourself."
Jaden nodded, his frown turning into a grin once more. "Man, that's quite the mature talk. When did you turn into a motivational speaker?"
Blake waved him off. "I'm not. You guys just need a different perspective from time to time."
"Thanks, I appreciate it." Jaden nodded and held out his fist which Blake bumped with his own.
"That's what my brother said too." Syrus chimed in. "He's already improved a lot since his duel with Jaden, I feel."
"Oh? Big bad Kaiser learning some new tricks?" Blake turned towards him while Jaden decided to take over for Chazz, who'd managed to get his dragon to the highest level but still lost.
"Yeah. I've seen the cards Mister Pegasus has sent him, but even then he managed to pull out even more new ones!"
Blake nodded along, wondering if that meant anything and whether or not the others got their cards by now. He sure did. "As long as he's stopped spamming his Cyber End Dragon every chance he gets …"
Syrus tapped his chin in thought. "I think he's only summed it a couple of times this week, and when he did he won during the same turn."
"Good." Blake smirked. He had no idea what new cards Pegasus had cooked up for Zane, but what little he did remember from modern Cyber Dragon support should help immensely. "Now, you said you know a thing or two about that game, right? Can you knock Bastion down a bit? I think the other's are getting frustrated."
Looking over at Jaden's screen, he hadn't managed to land a single hit while his opponent played him like a fiddle.
Syrus took that as his cue. He intertwined his fingers and stretched, causing a series of cracks and pops as he took over Jaden's machine. Of course he selected the Dark Magician Girl. "Alright class: Watch and learn."
Bastion's confident smirk was replaced with horror as Syrus began to completely dismantle him for the next few minutes, cheered on by both Jaden and Chazz.
Simultaneously, deep below Domino City
In a large cavern, a group of beings were gathered around a table. Some sat, some stood, all had pairs of cards in their hands. The table was draped with a fuzzy green top and stacks of differently colored coins were scattered atop of it.
"Increasing by five-hundred." Dark Armed Dragon bellowed, throwing some coins into the middle of the table.
"Joining in." Next to him, Dark Blade matched him.
"I'm out." Dark Honest put down his cards and leaned back in his chair.
After him, White Night Dragon, Nine-Tailed Fox, and Winged Kuriboh joined in on the bets. Another round of increases followed, during which the spirit partners of Kami and Bastion respectively pulled out. Once the final card was revealed, the remaining spirits looked at each other.
"Hah. Easy win: Full House." DAD smirked as he put his cards down.
"I got nothing." Dark Blade threw his cards down.
"You have a terrible poker face, you know that?" The dragon mocked, looking into the blank visage hidden by the knight's helmet, save for his neutral looking eyes.
Winged Kuriboh cooed loudly, putting down his cards with a smug look in its eyes.
"A Royal Flush?! That's the second time today?!" DAD roared in disbelief as all the coins went over to the furball. Far in the back of the cavern, the legion of Elemental HERO spirits cheered for their fellow spirit before going back to their basketball game.
The small spirit hopped up and down happily, sending a smug look towards the dragon that all but dared to go again.
"Oh, now you'll get it you little shit-" Said dragon was about to flip the table to get to the other side, when the cold voice of the other dragon stopped him.
"Behave yourself." White Night remarked.
"Yes ma'am." DAD replied and sat down on the floor.
To his side, the other spirits were talking.
"But I do wonder how it managed to pull the same hand twice." Nine-Tailed Fox purred. "It's highly improbable."
"It couldn't have cheated, otherwise the game would've known." Dark Honest supplied.
"My liege said its chosen duelist is quite lucky with his draws as well." Dark Blade added.
"Yes, so I've witnessed." The fox licked its paw. "Most curious indeed. Perhaps the night will show me enough to 'punch in the numbers' as the humans say."
They settled down for another round, during which DAD continued to glare at Winged Kuriboh.
"All-in." Dark Honest called after two rounds of a lot of increases to their bets.
The other spirits blinked and exchanged looks, before collectively throwing down their cards.
"Ain't no way I follow up on that. Everytime you don't fold you win." DAD grumbled.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." The fallen angel smiled innocently and collected the bets.
"What a silly passtime." The voice of Raviel thundered, who appeared next to the table.
His fellow spirits turned towards the towering beast, those who weren't connected to him via their human partner shying away.
Of course, Dark Armed Dragon saw this as a chance to antagonise his rival. "Done with your beauty-sleep already? Could've sworn you weren't due for another week but … that sounds like someone's afraid to lose."
The Sacred Beast narrowed its eyes before joining the table. "Considering your pitiful losses against a fly like that, you should worry about yourself."
"We'll see about that, gramps!" DAD roared before turning towards Dark Blade and Dark Honest. "Uh … can you guys lend me some? I'm all out."
The two facepalmed. This was going to be a long night.
"Jaden, where did you even find these?" Blake questioned, eyeing the gifts Jaden had brought with him to the beach.
"Down south! Didn't even know we had stores that sold them, but I think I got everyone just the right one!" Jaden replied happily while giving them out with a big smile.
"Yeah, no thanks." Chazz sniffed dismissively and left the changing room with only a pair of black and white trunks and sunglasses.
"Aww man …" Jaden slumped.
"Don't worry about him, he's always a grouch." Blake waved him off.
Next to them, Bastion, Syrus, and Dimitri exchanged looks.
"Yeah, he's probably still salty about losing so many times yesterday." Syrus snickered, taking the cloth Jaden was handing him and put it on.
"So am I. I hate to have missed the arcade." Dimitri sighed.
"What a curious way to describe his state of mind." Bastion noted, taking one as well. "We should play that game more often, I believe there's much to learn from it."
"Like 'how not to get absolutely destroyed by Syrus'?" Blake snickered, putting on the one Jaden handed him. "What are you even? Some pro player?"
"Won the last three Japan Nationals in a row." Syrus replied, shooting him a grin and a victory sign.
"Wait, you're the player behind the great DMG Champion?!" Dimitri's eyes widened in surprise, even more when Jaden revealed he had something for him as well. "Dude I've been waiting to get a chance to battle you!"
"Gee, and then he goes on to bully us poor noobs." Blake smirked.
"Where was that confidence while dueling?" Bastion asked.
"Eh, well, this and that are two different things …" Syrus nervously poked his index fingers together.
"Zane's fault, plain and simple. Good thing you're past that." Blake patted the smaller boy on the shoulder and pushed past him to go outside. Chazz stood waiting for them, already equipped with a big beach umbrella, an even larger cloth to roll out, and a small cooling box.
He laughed loudly when he turned towards Blake and the others. "And there's our bunch of dorks."
"What'cha mean? We're looking totally fly!" Jaden joined in on his laugh, putting his hands on his hips in a heroic pose.
Hidden behind Chazz and the umbrella, the girls peaked at them with various reactions, their own outfits hidden beneath wide Duel Academy sports jackets. Alexis, holding the same equipment as Chazz, barely held in her own laugh, while Jasmine bellowed so hard she fell to the ground laughing. Mindy took appreciative looks at everyone's physique while a surprise-visit Blair was hiding behind her. Yuma sported a wide grin, with her ever-neutral friend Bright fixing her glasses. And Kami … was hiding her face in her hands.
"What are you wearing?!" She moaned in frustration, parting her fingers just enough to see clearly.
Before her, Jaden wore a bright red Hawaiian shirt with dozens of little Kuribohs on it. Next to him, Syrus wore the same color but his pattern was replaced with Vehicroids instead. Bastion wore a yellow one plastered with mathematical signs and equations, while Dimitri's same colored one had chibi pictures of dozens of different monsters on it. Last but not least, Blake had a black one with a lavender pattern.
Blake lowered his sunglasses with a smirk. "What do you mean? Jaden's got an impeccable taste of style, if you ask me."
"But why lavender?" Alexis asked, turning to Jaden, who shrugged.
"He's been smelling like it for a while now for some reason and the one with the virus-pattern looked nasty."
Blake and Kami coughed into their hands at that.
"If everyone's done? We need to be fast to get ourselves a good spot, so hurry up!" Chazz announced and took the lead, Alexis following in his wake.
"And where's yours, Chazz?" She teased. "Atticus would love getting a picture of all of you wearing that. I know for a fact he's got a full closet of those at home."
"I won't be caught dead wearing one of those-" He countered, only to falter at Alexis' surprisingly effective use of puppy-eyes. Taking a deep breath, he barked over his shoulder. "Hey slacker, throw me mine too!"
"I knew you'd get around to it, Chazz!"
Chazz then turned back to her. "Don't think you're getting off scot free for this."
Alexis simply laughed, even more so when Chazz's shirt was revealed to be blue and featuring Kuriboh and Wattapon. Jaden explained it as being the only one to show the duality of Chazz's favorite card, but it fell on deaf ears.
As they walked together, pairs and groups built between them, talking about their vacation up until now. Chazz and Alexis in front about their respective tournament wins and Atticus, followed by Jaden who's relaying his journey to Yuma and Blair. Bastion and Bright were talking business, and so did Jasmine and Dimitri about a tournament coming up at his dad's store. Mindy was teasing Syrus about needing help with putting on her sunscreen, which Blake and Kami watched with amused expressions from the back.
"So, how's work been?" Blake asked her. "I'm surprised you got the day off for this."
"I've been managing quite well, thank you." Kami sniffed. "It took a bit longer to arrange tomorrow's event than I would've liked but I still finished before the deadline. Naturally, I'll be taking my well-deserved break after that."
"That so? Next to you I look like a total bum." He laughed.
"I wouldn't say that. How's your internship going?" She replied, looking him over. "Your limp seems to have gotten better already."
"It has, as did my left hand. Since those are the most debilitating issues, we got to them first." Blake explained. "I know I said they weren't miracle workers, but the speed at which they help me improve definitely isn't normal. The rest's under NDA, though …"
"Yeah, that's about what I expected. They're the best of the best, otherwise Kaiba wouldn't employ them." Kami shrugged before her eyes continued wandering. "I'm just glad you're finally getting the help you needed."
"I sure am, but from the looks you're giving me you're appreciating the workout just as much if not more." Blake smirked.
She cleared her throat, looking towards where everyone had stopped and begun setting up. "Don't flatter yourself, it's only been a week." Putting down her own bag, she turned towards him with a devious smirk. "Besides, you'll be the one appreciating looks now."
That said, she unzipped her jacket and put it away in her bag, revealing the blue, one-piece swimsuit underneath. Unlike the school-issued one Blair revealed to the side, Kami's showed a generous amount of skin on her sides and back.
"So … what do you think?" Kami asked coyly, pulling at the fabric with a blush on her cheeks.
Blake opened his mouth only to close it again a few times, before shaking his head. "Wow."
She snorted softly at that. "And here I thought you learned some new words from Bastion, no? I guess that's the best you could manage, so thanks." Their lips met in appreciation, causing Jasmine and Blair to whistle in the back.
"Still working on that." Blake replied. "Not my fault my girlfriend's the most gorgeous girl around."
Satisfied with Kami sputtering at his response, he took her hand and pulled her along when Jaden called for more players for volleyball. They started with a match of boys versus girls, during which it became painfully clear that the latter were the fitter ones. Yuma especially completely outplayed and outperformed them, though Jasmine and Kami weren't far behind. With such a strong opposition, Blake simply couldn't pick up the slack of both Bastion and Syrus.
After a short break the teams were mixed. Blues versus Yellows, Jaden's gang versus Blake's, and lastly the four athletic ones against everyone else. Once everyone was thoroughly powered out, they split off to do their own thing once they'd gotten themselves some food.
Mindy made true on her earlier teasing and strung Syrus along, to which Jasmine joined in with Dimitri before they went ahead to play some card games while tanning in the sun. Jaden, Chazz, Alexis, Blair, and Yuma went surfing, while Bastion and Bright took a breather with some books under the umbrella, both completely drained of energy.
Kami pulled Blake towards the sea after a short break. "Seeing as I have received confirmation about Miss Fontaine adding swimming to our sports curriculum, I believe it's time for your first lessons."
"Sure thing, teacher." Blake teased. "But what if I swallow too much water and drown?"
She playfully jabbed his side, causing him to jerk away for the first time in forever. "As if I'd let that happen. You can flirt with me after we're done. Who knows, maybe I'll reward you for doing well?"
"I'll sea to it."
"Deck?" "Check." "Duel disk?" "Check." "No wrinkles in your clothes?" "I think so?" "Blake?!"
Blake rolled his eyes as he straightened out his navy blue dress shirt, one side of it put underneath the black slacks so the silver belt Kami had gifted him was showing. On his left arm wasn't the standard-issue Duel Academy duel disk he'd grown accustomed to, but rather an older Battle City model with most of its silver edges painted a dark blue.
He didn't stop Kami from fussing over his appearance for the upteenth time as it was a losing battle. The new outfit she'd arranged for him was surprisingly comfortable for how sharp and form-fitting it was, though he'd vehemently disagreed on the jacket she tried to shove onto him. He didn't want to look like Aster Phoenix, thank you very much, and she denied his idea of just draping it over his shoulders like Yugi did with his jacket in the past. He'd argued it'd fit his attitude, she'd called it too ballsy for a newcomer, so they agreed he'd only do it if he went on a win streak afterwards.
Looking at the mirror on the wall, he couldn't argue with her choice of clothes, nor did she surprise him with giving him primarily blue ones. He hadn't gotten a new cap after the one he'd received from his guardian was lost in his duel with Kagemaru, but he didn't miss it either. The sleeves on his shirt were rolled back and his collar down for once, displaying his scars without a care in the world.
Kami for one wore a light blue blouse underneath a stylish navy jacket with black pants, mirroring his own colors perfectly. Her hair was mostly put up in an elaborate bun with her bangs braided to the side. A bit of blue make-up highlighted her eyes, along with a faint pink on her lips.
"And you're sure your deck's in the best possible state?" She asked again.
"Yes, who're you taking me for?" Blake replied. He'd tinkered on it for days once Pegasus's new cards had been delivered. He only managed a few tryout duels with Bastion, but he was confident nevertheless.
"I'm sorry, but it's imperative you win. The stronger you're presenting yourself the better. This is Umino Corp's poster pro duelist, after all." She sighed.
"Don't worry about me, worry about the poor guy whose job I'll be taking." He reassured her.
"No need, he knows what's coming. Doesn't mean he'll make it easy for you." She said, checking the time. "While the arena won't be filled to the brim, there'll be quite the audience."
He nodded, knowing where she's going with 'd talked about how he's been more stressed out by loud masses in the arena than actually taking damage in a duel. "I'll manage, but I'd take a good luck charm." Before she could respond, he stole a kiss from her, which led to the desired result.
"You're unbelievable! What if anyone had come in?!" Kami hissed.
"Then the catshark would be out of the bag." He shrugged. "Besides, you've calmed down, haven't you?"
She blinked at him before sighing. "Alright, fine. But don't you dare pull something like this when people are around. My father doesn't know about us and I'd like to keep it like that for the time being."
Blake theatrically recoiled, a hand over his heart. "Kami, you're not telling me you're … embarrassed about me?"
"No." She said with a deadpan look. "But a story like that is sure to blow up and I'd prefer father to have a positive impression of you before the dam breaks."
He grinned at her. "And here I thought you hated water-related puns. But alright, I'll behave for now. Just promise me you won't wait on this forever. I don't want to deal with other suitors or arranged marriage bs no matter how much you love those tropes in your books."
Her eyes widened as he turned uncharacteristically fidgety. "D-don't worry about such nonsense. Once you've won and made a proper impression afterwards I'll steer father into the right direction."
Blake eyed her suspiciously but decided to drop the topic for now. "I'll leave it to you, you know him best, after all."
She let out a long sigh before getting on her toes and giving him a peck on the lips. "Good, here's your good luck, the one you took didn't count. Now show them why you're the best."
"It'll be my pleasure." They left the room and made their way into the arena. It looked like every other official arena, courtesy of standards from Kaiba Corp, and its ranks were half-filled. Kami gave him one last look before joining up with a man a good bit taller than himself, taking their seats in the front row. The man, who's likely her father, eyed him with interest but no clear emotion displayed. He did smile when his opponent entered the arena, however.
The announcer turned on his microphone, dressed in the same blues as the other officials around Kami and her father. "Welcome everyone to this exhibition duel! Today the prize is nothing less than being the prime sponsored pro duelist for Umino Corp!"
The crowd cheered while he made his way to Blake. "The challenger was brought forth by none other than our lovely heiress, Kami Umino! He's known as the best duelist at Central Duel Academy despite only being a first year, but also as the prior champion and vanquisher of the dreaded underground ring known as the Abyss Arena!"
Blake crossed his arms with a confident smirk, holding himself back from laughing at the gasps and whispers. This was all part of Kami's planned publicity, after all.
"Let's see if this ambitious freshman has what it takes to enter the pro circuit this early! A big applause for the King of Duel Academy, the Hound, Blake Moore!"
Despite the earlier reactions, there was a polite applause, which only turned more energetic when Kami stood up and clapped the loudest. Their eyes met and he couldn't help but shoot her a wink, to which her eye twitched in annoyance.
"His opponent will be the highest rated pro duelist under Umino Corp! The face of its dueling prowess and longtime pro duelist!" The announcer hyped up his opponent, who's wearing a blue tunic with wave patterns, similar to the headband he's using to keep back his long black hair. "The Wave Crasher, the Conqueror of the Sea, Mako Tsunami!"
Fluff's over, back to business. Lemme know what you thought of the more lighthearted scenes! Next up will be Blake's first pro duel against a true veteran, place your bets now!
Reviews:
KlabOriz: What could possibly happen? Bad reaction from Kami's dad? Forced Shadow Duels? Escalation in America? Nah, Blake's got a Hawaii shirt from Jaden, he'll be fine.
Peter Kim: Yeah, Blake's screwed in that regard. We can only hope his spirits and experience with DE will help clueing him into anyone potentially dangerous. The last thing we want is for him to get used by Trag somehow, or worse: Have him get along with the enemy! He's not a fan of Alexis, but Reggie might be a different story …
Guest: Pluto could be a nice addition to Blake's deck for sure, the only problem being what it would bring with it. Unless the other spirits manage to … suppress it :D
Thanks for reading and reviewing guys, love y'all! See you next time!