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Yu-gi-oh 5Ds: Rise of Darkness and Corruption (Athene/ImaginaryMuse & Razgriz)


Yamichi still had the feeling Hajime wasn't pleased with how this Duel was turning out, and while he didn't know how he could fix it...At the very least, he was going to go all out. Show Hajime through example that he considered him a very serious opponent, someone who deserved to have their fullest potential brought out in this Duel.

"My turn, draw!" he would then declare, showing him the card he just took from his Deck. "I activate the Permanent Magic card, Scrap Lube! By giving up this turn's Battle Phase, I can resurrect one of my fallen 'Scrap' monsters with its effect! Form up, hound of iron, Scrap Beast!" A rambling and rattling vortex of trashed metal swirled up before him, quickly assembling into the rather sleek design of the dog-like monster, snarling in a mechanical tone at Axel.

"Sorry if this seems a repeat of last round...Quick-play, activate! Scrapstorm! I send Scrap Golem to the Graveyard, draw another card and then Scrap Beast is destroyed!" Yamichi would state, Scrap Beast shattering into a pile of rubble and the hologram of the Spell that brought it back breaking apart. "I chain Scrap Searcher's effect in the Graveyard with my destroyed Scrap Beast's! Searcher is resurrected, and I add Scrap Chimera back to my hand!"

Playing that card, he would then show Hajime the retrieved mechanical beast, "I then Normal Summon Scrap Chimera and activate its effect! I can summon one 'Scrap' Tuner monster from the Graveyard! Forge anew, Scrap Goblin!" And once the tiny gremlin re-formed, Yamichi would smile, "I think now's a chance to bring a bit of our bosses' fighting spirits into this battle. You brought Yuna out with Anu Piranha...Now I'll play this! I tune Scrap Goblin with Scrap Chimera! Metal howling devil, rise from the underworld furnace! Synchro Summon! Scrap Demon!"

It would certainly be reminiscent of Hotsuma's own choice in monsters, the junked-looking demon creature letting out a mad-sounding roar as it spread those scrap-metal wings wide. And at 2700 ATK, even without an effect to back it up, it was no pushover.

"Sadly, Scrap Lube makes me unable to attack this turn...So with that, it goes to you, Hajime."
 
Hajime ​

... Why ten turns? That's too fucking long.

... No. Even if the surrendering rule was altered, Yuns would definitely chew him out for giving up so easily. In fact, she'd be more mad right now about his rather poor sportsmanship rather than the simple fact that he was most definitely losing. His head tilted back as he took several long, deep breaths.

Losing to Yamichi was much better than if he had to that prick Mihara in many regards.

But that was a bit of the problem; a loss was still a loss. They never felt good to begin with. This one would simply be much more tolerable than any others that Hajime had experienced.

Hajime's gaze lowered back to the here and now as Yamichi apologized about any possible deja vu-like feelings this turn would have. "Ehh," he replied with a small shrug, "Do what you gotta do, man. I've had my share of turns where I've probably looked like I've simply done the same things over and over again."

... Hmm. Is Yuna's spirit Anu more?

That was an interesting thought. Hyunlei was a good option, also. He just didn't realize how true either of those possibilities could be.

"Alright then. Draw!"

.... According to his hand and all the useful things he held - practically none - he may as well have had at least turn skipped. His head weakly shook as he sighed, feeling another surge of frustration with himself as Hajime forced himself to begrudgingly declare, "Turn end."
 

"Hajime...Please don't doubt yourself. You and I both know you're a fantastic Duelist, but sometimes our decks just don't work out." Yamichi thought to himself, giving a contemplative stare at his blue-haired friend's dismay. It was plain as day that the man was not happy...But what could he do? It wasn't like he could just make his deck start drawing better...Well, he could, but then he would be doing Hajime a disservice in the long run by tampering with his Disk.

Even so, especially after Hajime ended his turn with one of the most sour expressions he had seen yet, Yamichi knew better than to let up. Contrary to belief, easing up was not how to honorably settle a Duel. Even if Hajime didn't scratch his Life Points at all, for him to do anything less than go full-bore would basically be like spitting in his face. Indirectly insulting the guy and saying 'You're not worthy of even trying against'.

That would be hell of a way to ruin a good friendship, that much was certain.

Resolving himself to continue, Yamichi would shout "My turn! Draw!" He already knew what he could do, and even more importantly what he was going to do.

"I summon Scrap Shark in Attack Mode, then activate Scrap Dragon's effect! Scrap Shark is destroyed along with your face-down!" Yamichi continued, his metal draco-beast shattering both cards into illusory fragments. "Scrap Shark's effect! When it's destroyed by a 'Scrap' effect, I can send one 'Scrap' monster to my Graveyard! And with it, I chain Scrap Searcher's effect! It is reborn, and Scrap Mind Reader will take its place!"

He then pointed at Hajime, "Scrap Demon, destroy Axel!" Once Demon shattered the brave warrior, Yamichi would then declare, "Scrap Dragon, Direct Attack!" And once both those attacks went through, it would come to his Main Phase Two. "I activate Scrap Mind Reader's effect! I destroy Scrap Searcher and revive it! Then I tune my Mind Reader to Scrap Dragon! Synchro Summon! Demolisher with two heads of fury! Scrap Twin Dragon!"

And as the twin-headed behemoth hovered before Hajime, both sets of its glowing blue eyes staring directly at him, Yamichi would just say "Turn end."

Takeshi meanwhile, was watching the Duel from the outside; he was happy that Hajime found such a good opponent, but even he didn't realize how much Yamichi could step on the gas. "Man...I won't lie, I'm kind of glad I can't see what's going on. Hajime got one good hit in, but Yamichi...Your deck's scary, dude." the scout of the Disciples muttered. Though he was also more anxious because he was wanting to Duel next...He just wanted his turn to have an opponent that would actually (at the very least try to) come at him seriously and not all wishy-washy!
 
Hajime ​

Depressing as it was, some part of him wouldn't have minded. Sure, Yamichi half-assing his next move would have indeed been quite the insult. But this duel was already wounding his pride. There wasn't much more anything or anyone could do at this point to make it worse. At least, he was almost certain about that much.

"I swear to fucking god Hajime, keep that up and I will kick your ass when I get out!"

Now he knew he hadn't heard things. That had definitely been Yuna. So ... the voice from earlier was also hers?

"The fuck?" he whispered, his voice shaky but barely audible. He looked around, glancing from side to side, half-expecting to see her nearby.

Nope. Definitely not.

You're not going insane, he reassured himself. That was definitely her.

"Damn straight it is. I can't explain how. But do know you're not losing your sanity just yet." Hajime would hear her sigh, and for a bit, he grimaced, thinking it was at himself.

Apparently not though.

"No, no. I ... was hoping to keep this concealed a bit longer, but ... I'm seeing that was dumb on my behalf. Well, you can probably take at least a deent assumption on what I'm doing yes."

But ... how though?

"That is the part you'll have to wait on. Now, I didn't make you my right-hand man just because. You earned your place. Don't make me think I made an error. Prove me wrong!"

"Yes, Yuna," Hajime muttered, drawing as he registered Yamichi ending his turn. The pain kicked in too; the blue-haired duelist just wasn't concentrating on that part of the duel.

"Since there are two or more X-Sabers in my grave and I don't control any monsters, I can perform a special summon. I call Garderstrike! I then normal set a monster and end."

Although there were hints of sorrow lingering in Hajime's expression, Yamichi would note it'd weakened considerably. Especially compared to how he'd looked several turns ago.

"Good duel, Yamichi-san. I don't need to be a clairvoyant to know this duel's over come next turn. So give me all you've got, will ya?"
 

Yamichi just watched as Hajime looked around, his expression nervous; what was going on? "Hajime? Everything alright?" the tech asked; was the pain of potential loss really that bad for him? He knew Hajime wasn't happy with how his Deck was playing, but...what was going on?

However, things seemed to resolve themselves, his ears barely picking up Yuna's name from the blue-haired lieutenant? Was that it? He was worried about disappointing her? Made the most sense, and especially with how his resolve changed when he Special Summoned Garderstrike and another X-Saber before ending his turn, it was a conclusion that made the most sense.

And he became quite happy when Hajime asked him to give it all he had...Something he would have done regardless,

"You're a friend, Hajime, but we don't get better by having our friends go easy on us right?" Yamichi declared, adding "Draw!" Indeed, it would be over this turn...And he was glad that his opponent was finally starting to take it better.

"I set one card face-down, then activate Twin Dragon's ability! My set is destroyed, and both your monsters are returned to your hand!" Yamichi stated proudly, smiling as the field became empty. "Indeed, it was a good duel, Hajime...But seriously man, don't think I don't believe you didn't give it your all. When it comes to it, this game is one of chance, and sometimes the auto-shufflers just don't make our decks work."

Giving a swipe of his arm, Yamichi would then say, "Scrap Twin Dragon and Scrap Demon! Attack him directly!" And once both attacks went through, Hajime's LP would drop to zero. Making it official that at least one of them had made it through to the final four...Including at the very least 125000 yen for Yomi to operate, and a spot in the Fortune Cup.

"Man, I wish I could have the monsters in person! I bet it was tight!" Takeshi laughed as his friends would come back, rubbing Yamichi's head, "Not too shabby there, Yami; you really show no mercy, huh? I'd hate to get on your bad side." Yamichi just chuckled, "So long as you don't act like a dick, I won't treat you like one...That's not too hard to ask, right?"

Takeshi just shook his head, "Naw, sure isn't...But hey, it's about time I get the chance to have some fun! Wish me luck, guys!" The scout running up to the stage with quite the large amount of energy. "Heh...For someone who uses a Zombie deck, he's got a lot of energy..." Yamichi joked, referencing the classic zombie as being a slow-lumbering brute.

Looking at Hajime, he would then ask, "So, hey Haj...What was going on during your last turn? Were you thinking about Yuna or something?"

Takeshi leaped onto the arena floor, eager and hopeful that his next opponent would be more fun than his last one. Even if he did lose, he just wanted a good fight...And someone who wouldn't act as if it was 'Eh'. That honestly pissed him off the most.

"Hey! So, you ready to Duel, man?" Takeshi asked his opponent excitedly, his Disk activating as the barrier would come up to enclose them both. The guy seemed dressed like a student from the Academy; wasn't he supposed to be in school? Oh well, no skin off his back. Classes were boring, anyway.

Pushing those thoughts aside, he then took his first turn, "I activate the Field Magic, Undead World! With it, all monsters on the Field and in the Graveyard become Undead-type, also neither of us can Advance Summon unless it's an Undead-type monster! I also activate the Permanent Magic, God Devourer of Celestial Evil!" Taking the remaining three cards in his hand, Takeshi stated, "I set a monster face-down, and two more face-down! Turn end."
 
Hajime ​

"Yeah. I just .... zoned out."

It wasn't a complete lie. But telling Yamichi what had actually happened would sound borderline crazy. It still felt as much, and that was just from Hajime remembering all he'd heard in his head. In fact, the more he went over the brief talk, the more it confirmed that had indeed been Yuna. He was certain now more so than ever. His mind hadn't simply been playing tricks or anything. That had definitely been very real, but ... how?

Not like I didn't need more incentives for her to get outta that shit hole ...

But ... there they were. For better or worse, his curiosity had been drastically piqued. Unbeknownst to the lieutenant, he wasn't alone. The other person was simply keeping the mental exchange tucked away. But if anyone would have seen beneath the cloak a certain red-haired woman was wearing, they would have easily realized the smirk signaled an idea had definitely entered their mind.

"Well," Hajime teased, "At least you won't have to worry on the financial part. Hell, maybe even re-entering might be true. May not need to, depending on how the next round goes. That being said, I call dibs on the next tournament we find. Seem fair enough?" When they arrived beside Takeshi again, Hajime elicited a long, weary sigh. "Tight would be an understatement. Holy hell. Who knew Scraps could throw those kinds of punches? Definitely not me." His grin widened as he waved to Takeshi, "Indeed. Good luck!"

His face flushed slightly as Yamichi asked whether his leader had been on his thoughts. "Well ... yeah."

"More like in them, but let's go with that."

Raising a hand, Hajime ran his fingers through his blue locks, "I know it's selfish. It isn't just Yuna who's there. So is Hotsuma .... I just ... I feel weird knowing the best I can do is duel for her. In her name. It's really irritating not knowing for sure if she's fine or what. It's still the Facility they admitted themselves to, not a five-star hotel they can simply leave. I'm just ... going to have to trust she was confident because she truly did have a plan in mind."

What that was would be anyone's guess. But maybe it'd also come with the explanation on how she'd done ... what was that even? Was it seriously telepathy? Hajime wasn't exactly coming up with any other good explanations. So, unless there was something else he was missing, that had to be it.

"Anyway, got a guess on what kinda deck that person has?" Upon managing to catch enough hints to notice it was another male, Hajime clicked his tongue. ".... Have I said yet how lucky you were to end up against a woman?"

To say Judai Yuki was sincerely confused would be one of the biggest understatements of his life. It was - or used to be - a somewhat normal thing. But that had been done on his own terms. He had finished his time at the Academy and willingly left his old life behind, opting to dwell in the Spirit World. For the past several years or so, he continued to remain in the unknown and hidden realm.

... But as of a few days ago, he got kicked out, more or less. That was the best way to explain it.

All Judai knew was he did not leave willingly. It was like some invisible force made him leave. He had intended to find Johan and ask him some questions. Instead, he found very quickly that he was not in his world. Even though it seemed impossible at first, having been wandering rather aimlessly around the Tops continued to prove that - somehow - he was in a very different .... city? Maybe world truly was the best word to use?

Either way, everyone he knew wasn't here. All he'd found were a bunch of really pompous pricks or on-edge punks. Sometimes an odd combination of both.

Thankfully, this opponent was finally different. "Yo! Yeah, I'm definitely ready!" Raising a clenched fist up, his grin widened. "Let's do this!"

Being forced into this dimension, Judai had made himself avoid taking certain actions. One was speaking with the transparent spirit of his Winged Kuriboh. As far as he'd observed, no one else could see the spirit. Not an amazing thing to realize, in all honesty. Johan had been one of the first individuals to see his signature spirit, after all. It was just ... a bit disheartening. He hated feeling like he was being rude to one of his few remaining companions. That led to the second thing he'd ensured was under control; Yubel.

Oh, she was not happy with him. Not one bit.

But he'd tried traveling around here with his mismatched eyes. Too many people - understandably, mind you - freaked out, only reacting more strongly when they heard his jumbled voice.

This is for the best, he repeated one last time, ignoring the frustrated "Hmph" that echoed in his mind.

"Alright then, my turn! Draw! I activate Reinforcement of the Army to get Elemental Hero Bubbleman into my hand. I activate the A. Forces and summon Bubbleman!"

... When Bubbleman's attack points didn't increase, Judai's head tilted. He glanced at his duel disk, wondering if it somehow broke.

"Ohhhhhhh! Ohhh, I get it, I get it! This is what you meant about ... ohhhh. Heh! This'll make things complicated. Ah well. I set a card and Bubbleman will attack your set monster!"

Thankfully, he remembered one general rule of thumb about zombies, courtesy of Camilla. Their defenses were practically nonexistent.

So, even without the boost, Bubbleman succeeded in being able to destroy the set monster.

"Well then, I guess that's it for now. Turn end!"
 

Yamichi did look a little despondent as Hajime mentioned Hotsuma was in there too; as if he needed to be reminded about that. It was bad enough his boss had always preached he would never get sent to the Facility and that no one else under his watch would either...But what was bothering him more was the fact that he seemed extremely confident. Almost too confident, and he couldn't think of anything that would give him so much of an edge that he would want to go into the Facility willingly.

"Yeah, but that's alright, Hajime; Hotsuma's not the type to want people worrying about him, anyway. He'll just tell us 'Suck it up' or something cheesy and macho like that." the tech replied in as dry a manner as possible; it was clear that they were both extremely sick with worry...Even so, Yamichi would try to not be so negative. "Besides, it's fine to worry about her, Hajime; that just shows how close you two are, you know? And if they say they can handle themselves, then they have things covered."

Takeshi meanwhile, was inwardly glad that his opponent seemed as pumped about this as him; finally, someone who some spirit! "Huh...I think I remember hearing about these Elemental HERO cards. Strong Fusion support, right? That could definitely pose a problem for me, so I apologize if I have to wreck some of your monsters later on." Takeshi joked, seeing his Spectralsword be demolished in a flurry of bubbles; and while most opponents would have probably teased the guy about using bubbles to destroy, he knew this was just getting started.

"But yeah...Unless you have any zombie HERO monsters, I'm planning on using this field to the fullest! Draw!" Takeshi would then state, saying with an ear-to-ear grin, "I summon Shiranui Smith in Attack mode! And he attacks your E-HERO Bubbleman! Underworld Hammer!"

But once he did destroy Bubbleman, the watery hero being crushed beneath the massive hammer his Smith used, he would get another surprise.

"Trap Card, open! Hero Signal!"

And this time, he summoned one that would get an attack buff thanks to its own effect. "Well...Damn, and here I thought I might have made an opening. I activate my own Trap, Shiranui Style - Samsara Formation!" Takeshi stated, adding after he looked at his non-existent hand, "And with that I end my turn."
 
Hajime ​

... I still wish she would have given at least a hint on why she was so fucking confident.

Still, all Yamichi had said was true enough. No sense in simply repeating his words. Opting to merely reply with a simple, affirmative nod, his attention remained on Takeshi's match. Mostly, anyway.

Judai, on the other hand, merely smirked. "Support? I suppose that's one way to view them, yeah. I'd say focus over support but I've never really thought much about it. It's been my go-to deck for years." When his opponent - Takeshi according to the screen - vowed to wreck some of his HEROs, his grin expanded. "Try me! It's not as easy as you think though, just fair warning!"

It wasn't meant to sound arrogant. For most, it probably would. The words had simply been meant to be a statement; nothing more, but certainly nothing less. Takeshi, though ... he seemed different. Despite the duel having just started rather recently, he'd already made quite the strong and very positive first impression. His head tilted as he watched a Shranui card get summoned. Poor Judai almost got so engrossed that he nearly missed his cue to activate his trap card, in fact.

"Ahh, thank you! That was exactly what I needed! Trap Card, open! Hero Signal! I get to special summon a level 4 or lower Elemental Hero from my deck! Elemental Hero Heat, arrive! Your own deck is ... interesting. No one back at the Academy used that exact group before."

Shrugging casually, Judai drew his card, not realizing the irony in his declaration. For the second time today, Takeshi would hear someone else say how foreign the Shiranui seemed to them.

"I activate Polymerization! I'll use my Elemental Hero Heat on the field plus the Sparkman in my hand!" If Judai hadn't looked or felt hyped enough as it was, his energy seemed to grow as the vortex engulfing his two monsters began to spin. "Advocate and hero of hope, come forth! May your light shine down and reveal a path to my victory! Fusion Summon! Elemental Hero The Shining!"

Lifting his head, Judai took the briefest of moments to admire his card. It'd felt like an eternity since he last dueled, let alone gazed upon his monsters. This tournament had been one of the best things he found despite being in a very new setting. It was making him remember his own days back at the academy ... which made him start to feel just a tad bittersweet.

Mentally shrugging off the melancholy attempting to dominate his mindset, he turned his attention back to Takeshi, pointing right at his card. "Elemental Hero The Shining! Attack the Smith!"

When Takeshi failed to activate a trap or st card, he knew - and soon heard as his life points lowered - the attack had been successful.

"That's it for now! Turn end!"
 

Takeshi grinned a bit as this Judai performed a Fusion Summon; much like how no one seemed to have heard of his Shiranui cards, Fusion archetypes in general were pretty rare these days. He'd run into a few that had the odd Fusion monster or two, but never a deck that focused on it. "I'm going to try it alright, just you see!" the young man challenged right back; man, this was feeling awesome! And the fact that his opponent was willing to not just take his banter, but dish out some of his own, amped him even more.

How long had it been since he met another opponent so enthused to Duel? Too fucking long for his taste...And in truth, this was part of why he joined up with the Disciples: To make Dueling fun again, and not risk getting thrown in jail just because of it.

And in truth, watching the Fusion Summon be performed was awe-inspiring, especially with the heavy hitting beatstick that came out of the vortex. Though his momentary trance was broken as his Smith got completely annihilated in one luminous strike, forcing to Takeshi to cover himself with his arms as his LP dropped to 6400.

Even so, he wasn't upset...In fact, just as Judai's energy felt going through the roof, he would feel Takeshi's do the same.

"Hell...YEAH! This is a Duel, man! I'm so pumped up I can barely contain it!" Takeshi shouted happily, declaring "Draw! You might have destroyed Smith, but I'm just getting started! I activate Spectralsword's effect in the Graveyard! I can banish it and another non-Tuner monster, then Synchro Summon one monster from my Extra Deck whose levels equal their total!"

And as he declared this, the ghostly forms of Shiranui Smith and Shiranui Spectralsword would reappear on his field, Takeshi raising a fist to the sky. "I tune my Level Two Spectralsword with my Level Four Smith!" And at that, Smith became four orbs of light as Spectralsword would shift into two green rings that formed a channel around them. "Dragon of bone and rotting flesh, erupt from the Earth and claim your dominion over the afterlife! Synchro Summon! Level Six! Deathkaiser Dragon!"

And in a burst of green-white light, the ghastly silvery draconid appeared, its wings of sunken flesh spreading wide as it bellowed; at 2400 ATK, it wasn't something that could beat Shining...Not yet at leas, but one of his sets would see to that.

"And with my dragon making its appearance, I'll trigger my Trap Card, Buster Mode! With its effect, I release Deathkaiser and Special Summon its evolved form from my Deck! Appear! Level 8! Deathkaiser Dragon Slash Buster!" The former dragon shattered apart, leaving a pillar of fire that soon faded to reveal its upgraded self, the torso now possessing a demonic face that stared at Judai's Elemental HERO. "I activate Deathkaiser Slash Buster's effect! When this card is Summoned, I can Special Summon as many Zombie-type monsters from either Graveyard to my field with their effects negated! And thanks to Undead World, that means the HEROs in yours are mine as well!"

Letting that sink in for a moment, he would then continue, "Now, appear before me! Elemental HEROs Heat, Bubbleman, Sparkman, Deathkaiser! Rise from beyond!" Soon, four more slots on Takeshi's field were filled, zombified versions of his HEROs ready to attack along with the monster he released. "Deathkaiser Buster Slash! Destroy The Shining! Necro Flame Shot!" The giant dragon would then proceed to incinerate the massive HERO, his form covered in a black spectral fire before yelling in pain and disappearing.

"Now, Heat, Bubbleman, Sparkman, Deathkaiser! Direct Attack!" he then declared, Heat and Deathkaiser both slamming Judai's form with blasts of fire, while Sparkman and Bubbleman would respectively crash into him with a bolt of lightning and a torrent of water. The combined damage bringing him down from a nearly-perfect 7500 down to a dangerous low of 1100 Life Points.

"And with the Battle Phase concluded, your HERO monsters return to your Graveyard and Deathkaiser is sent to mine!" Takeshi declared, the monsters leaving the field and having only Deathkaiser Slash Buster remaining. "I activate Samara Formation's effect, shuffling Spectralsword and Smith back into my Deck and allowing me to draw one card! Next, Samsara's other effect with God Devourer's effect! I banish Deathkaiser from the Graveyard, allowing me to send Zombie Carrier from the Deck to the Graveyard!"

And once that was all done, he just grinned at Judai, "Wow, man, you have no idea how much fun this is! But with that, I end my turn!" Giving his opponent a 'bring it on' motion with his fingers, he then added, "Now let's see what you got! Let's bring this Duel to the next level!"
 
Hajime ​

If the two men could read their minds, they'd realize how in-sync they were with one another. The same thoughts were just as fair and true for Judai. It'd been years since he had the chance to duel and not worry about anyone being in immediate danger. Darkness ... that had been the last major foe he went against prior to exiling himself to the Spirit World. This wasn't to say Judai lamented helping his friends. Far from it. But why had every single year at the Academy brought some evil bastard who tried to taint what was meant to be a fun card game?

That was what had irked Judai the most.

Even this place was .... how to word it?

If he had to choose only one term, it'd be torn. A large chunk of the duelists here seemed like they were fighting for their lives, and that in itself made him concerned. Maybe this Takeshi could educate him when their duel ended? His current opponent had been one of the few that acted like the friends he'd grown up around and gotten to become the closest with. Energy like this ... that was what Judai needed to be around again, anyway.

"Haha, yeah! This is indeed turning out to be quite the duel!"

Electing to tuck his thoughts away, Judai returned to the here and now and concentrated on the on-going duel. His head tilted. Okay ... so this meant he hadn't imagined things. In the last duel, the previous guy had done this new form of summoning also. Synchro? How did it even work? Level six, he'd said so ... did it just rely on the stars? Was it really that easy?

... Okay. Even Judai had to silently admit that was kinda cool. For him, Fusion Summoning was easy for the most part. A lot of other cards, however, were incredibly technical and specific in what was needed. All things considered, he knew he was lucky in the long run.

"Oh-ho! Okay! Bring it on!"

Apparently, even the possibility of facing a very strong monster wasn't about to scare Judai. Quite the opposite ... and if it was at all possible, his energy seemed to rise even further! His grin widened as he finally stared up at a huge, silvery - but very undead - dragon. He simply admired the sight of the new card ... only shifting his attention as Takeshi's words made him look elsewhere.

"I activate Deathkaiser Slash Buster's effect! When this card is Summoned, I can Special Summon as many Zombie-type monsters from either Graveyard to my field with their effects negated! And thanks to Undead World, that means the HEROs in yours are mine as well!"

.... Well, crap ...

It had been obvious the moment The A. Forces failed to work that the field card would be a nuisance. But now it was revealed just how dire things could get. And yet, despite it all .... Judai laughed. "Wow, wow. I see. So that's part of your goal for using Undead World, eh? Very good, very good. Well .... hmm. This is gonna hurt but .... let's do this!"

If Judai thought it'd been a while since he participated in a duel he actually had fun in, then it was even longer since his own monsters wre used against him. Each successful hit made him wince and grimace. The pain was still there. Maybe it was just him, but it felt .... strengthened? More real, somehow. Not an impossible thought, but wow. He never would have guessed it got enhanced to this degree.

"Whew ... hah .... hah .... "

Whilst keeping his cards still firmly held, Judai rose his right sleeve and wiped a few beads of sweat off of his forehead. "It's been too long since I actually had to fight like this. Oh don't worry; I had full intentions of making this a memorable duel. That display was simply a better incentive. I have a slightly bad habit of one-upping people, somewhat unfortunately for you. So .... let's see if I can live up to that still. Draw!" Another weak laugh passed Judai's lips. He'd already been holding most of the cards needed for this next move since the beginning of the duel. This ... was simply a nice form of reassurance that he could use.

"The thing about Elemental Heroes is they can be Fusion Summoned with other cards. And truthfully? I summoned The Shining incorrectly. I didn't need to back then. But now that the situation calls for it ....here I go! I activate Miracle Fusion! Whereas Polymerization uses just the field and my hand, this can use the graveyard. So, I'll banish Bubbleman and Sparkman and remove them both from the graveyard. Return, Elemental Hero, The Shining! His effect now activates! For each Elemental Hero banished, he gains 300 attack per card."

The once 2600 attack point card rose to 3200, now possessing more than enough to defeat the monster standing across from it.

"I activate R - Righteous Justice! For every Elemental Hero I have on the field, I can destroy the same amount of spells or traps you have. Luckily for you, that's only one. But I'll make it count and destroy your Shiranui Style Reincarnation! Elemental Hero, The Shining! Attack Doomkaiser, Assault Mode! Shining Burst!" Whe the smoke cleared away, Judai and Takeshi would see the attack had succeeded. For Judai, it confirmed his opponent hadn't been able to prevent the destruction from happening.

"Not gonna lie; that could have gotten really ugly if I didn't have Miracle Fusion already in my hand. Congrats on challenging me! But alas, ask and you shall definitely receive, especially when asking me to accept your tests. Turn end~"

Hajime whistled, having watched the exchange from last turn and now this one. "You two really are scary. I fully believe Takeshi somehow swarmed the guy last turn. But ... I'm definitely curious what happened just now." His tongue clicked in mild annoyance. "If it weren't for the hacking issue last tournament, I'd ask you to try to sneak a peek in right quick. He'll definitely need to give us a play-by-play relay when he gets out."
 

Takeshi couldn't help himself but to smile as Judai laughed after he took his turn; man, this was awesome. Part of him did feel bad that Hajime couldn't catch a break, but right now he was just happy that he was getting an awesome duel with an awesome opponent. "You're a crazy dude, Judai, and I'm glad we're facing each other!" Takeshi grinned, clenching a hand before him.

However, he would take his turn to be surprised as Judai performed yet another Fusion Summon, this time from the graveyard to bring the very same monster he had destroyed moments earlier.

"And people think MY deck is scary? Heh, they should face this guy" Takeshi thought to himself, smiling ear to ear but covering his eyes as The Shining annihilated his monster in one fell strike, dropping his LP to 6100. He had a feeling this Duel would be over in the next few turns, one way or the other. "Well dang...You have me in quite the bind, you know that? Then again, like you mentioned, I did ask for it." Takeshi joked, announcing "My turn! Draw!"

With his current hand, he couldn't really do anything aside from defend; he supposed that was better than nothing, but he knew now that banishing Deathkaiser last turn probably wasn't the best move to make, even if it did get Carrier into the Graveyard. But, he would have to make do; there were few ways to truly have a 'do-over' in Dueling, and those that did exist often only worked in very select circumstances. None of which that he knew would benefit his choice of deck.

"I don't know about one-upping, Judai, but you certainly know how to back someone into a corner. It's kind of intimidating, haha. But anyway, I'll set one monster face down, and one reverse card. Turn end." Takeshi then said; he did have something that could help, but not yet.

Yamichi smiled weakly as he watched the current displays, "And under normal circumstances, I'd happily oblige, Hajime. But I think that would draw undue attention, like you said. I'm sure he'll be happy to tell us once it's over though." The blonde tech had a fairly good idea of what Takeshi did, but he would leave up to his fellow Disciple to divulge it, if he was so inclined. "I just hope he's having fun in there...His last opponent, if his attitude was anything to go by, seemed kind of...well, lackluster." he then commented, eyes staring intently at the Duel Barrier.
 
Hajime ​

"Hehe, yeah. I hear that a lot."

Judai chuckled softly, raising a hand and nervously rubbing the back of his head. It was good to see at least some things hadn't changed over the years. His fondness for the game, the fact his deck still replied to him, it seemed. For most people, they could be classified as rather 'small' things. But for Judai, these were the more essential things that had helped him get through the hardships of his life. Oh yeah, he had quite a few of those. His demeanor hid that fact really well, but anyone who truly knew him could vouch his life had been tough, much like most of the residents of the Satellite.

Definitely not to the exact same degree, no.

But he hadn't had everything simply handed over to him, either.

It was always here though, in any dueling arena, that Judai always felt the most natural and at-home.

When Takeshi spoke, Judai shrugged casually. "Even if you didn't ask for it, my deck tends to respond to me. We all have our moments, ya know? Perfect draws, perfect hand. Stuff like that. As much as I'd love to take credit in controlling my deck, it's not true. That's Luck merely smiling down on me, or whomever she opts to look at. He cringed slightly. There hadn't been many times he'd been forced to set a monster and end, but enough that he could relate to knowing how it sucked to be forced to do little more than that.

"Yeah. This deck isn't always good with playing nice. You're definitely not the only person who's been pushed into a corner by this deck. Anyway .... draw!"

... That would probably be a great help later on. Grinning happily at the card he just drew, Judai jovially declared, "I'll set a back-row card. Elemental Hero, The Shining! Attack the set monster!" Just like before, no indication of being able to halt the destruction of the face-down monster was revealed. "It's not yet too late. So try to come at me, Takeshi! Turn end!"

Hajime quickly nodded, already having expected that answer. "Yeah, yeah. No worries. Just wishful thinking out loud and such."With how things were looking, it'd turned drastically around. A few turns ago, Hajime would have figured this was going to end with Takeshi winning. But now? Whoever this opponent was, they'd proven they weren't going down without a fight. Their HPs were still at a low 1100 life. And yet .. they had done something to keep themselves from getting knocked out.

More specifically, summoned something stronger than whatever Takeshi recently lost.

The fuck has that much attack? he curiously wondered, tilting his head as he watched the ongoing duel.
 

Had Takeshi knew Judai in the slighest, he would have realized just how fortunate he was that the brunette male was as carefree as he appeared right now. There were moments in his life that would have broken most people, and little did he know how similarly Judai shared a fate with Yuna and Hotsuma in terms of contracting a potentially dangerous spirit.

Their bond, however, was certainly different than that of either of the leaders if only because Judai actually knew the spirit in a past life.

Regardless, Takeshi was all smiles; even if the tables had turned, his opponent was being honest and not a pompous dick. Giving a slight wince as Dragon Zombie was destroyed, even though he wouldn't take any Life Point damage, he would simply reply, "Well shit, I could use some of that luck right now, because my plays are limited. In any event, I draw!"

Yep...Not much else he could do here; even so, at 6100 LP he still had plenty of opportunity to make a comeback.

"First, I activate my Trap card, Shiranui Style - Samsara Formation! Sorry Judai, but I can't let you get rid of this card that easily." he grinned, adding "I won't lie, I haven't had to use the second one in a while." He would then reveal a Magic Card, one would call a staple in Undead-themed decks. "I activate the Magic Card, Book of Life - Forbidden Magic! I target the Dragon Zombie you just destroyed and the first Elemental Hero the Shining in your Graveyard, then Special Summon the first and banish the second!"

An animation would play out where The Shining's 'soul' seemed to erupt from Judai's disk, flowing right towards Takeshi before Dragon Zombie leaped out and snatched it in its rotting maw, swallowing it whole before it curled up on Takeshi's field. With a DEF stat of zero, any monster could easily destroy it. Especially the Shining on his opponent's field, now that his banishing the first made its ATK rise to 3500. A move that few would make, but under these circumstances, he had no choice.

"I end my turn there. Your move, Judai."

Yamichi pondered why that move was made; Takeshi wasn't the type to willing let his opponent power up his monsters. And with the timing of a 0 DEF monster being summoned, he could only surmise it was a card his comrade played. "Man, who this guy is that Tak's facing is pressing it hard. Hopefully it's not putting too much of a damper on his spirit." he mused, not knowing just how much their fellow freedom fighter was enjoying himself.
 
Hajime ​


"Alas," Judai replied, "I don't think my luck is something I can merely transfer over to ya."

"Nor would I, even if I knew how." he internally added. The thoughts weren't simply fueled on by greed. It was more like the simple truth was with his fortune, there always came a certain amount of misfortune. And while it was a rule of thumb for every person, his exact 'luck' was .... a bit weirder than usual. Therefore not something he'd hope for anyone to have to endure.

... Was he forgetting something? He couldn't help but feel like that was the case.

His hand wove through the air as Judai merely dismissed the matter. If anything, he was more likely to be over-thinking. Being suddenly exiled from the Spirit World had caused the new trait to enter the normally carefree young man. He was quickly finding that it could be both a blessing and nuisance every now and again. However, when Takeshibanished his first Shining ... did he really just do that?

Judai couldn't help but laugh. "Sorry, sorry," he added, "But ummm ... just wondering. You do know that helps me more than hurts me, right? The Shining gets strengthened by all of my monsters banished. So... well ... " It would be obvious where he was intending to go with his words as the attack on the current Elemental Hero, the Shining would raise once more. "But umm .. thanks, I suppose. Draw!"

A pumped fist rose into the air -- only to hastily lower as he realized it could pose a risk of accidentally revealing his cards to Takeshi. "Heh. That would have been careless on my behalf. Okay, here we go! I summon Elemental Hero Ocean. Ocean will cleanse the field of your zombie. The Shining! Direct attack!"

Judai half-smiled and half-cringed. At least this was a much more pleasant opponent, but it was becoming just a bit painful to watch people like Takeshi end up on the receiving end of huge attacks. Such as the one the Shining got off on him.

Even back in the Academy days, it hadn't been the best of sights. It was just easier to hide back then.

Then again, a lot was different, he reminded himself, chuckling softly at the thought.

"Turn end, Takeshi~"

"No kidding," Hajime murmured in agreement, leaning back against the pole behind him. It hadn't bothered him until a few seconds ago. But now ... his legs were getting just a tad sore. Enough that he sorta wished chairs had been provided. Sure, this was a small-ass tournament.

Still though, don't half-ass that sorta thing, he internally complained, grimacing as a large chunk of Takeshi's life abruptly dropped. "Ouch. Yeah. Hopefully he got someone who wasn't a douche."
 

"Yeah, I know it does. But you've got me kind of stuck here, you know? I need some form of defense." Takeshi replied, watching as The Shining grew in strength. It wasn't a move he made lightly, and one he was glad he did make after he summoned yet another Elemental HERO. Only to chuckle as his opponent very nearly revealed his hand.

"Hey careful now, I want this Duel to be a surprise to the end!" Takeshi joked, even if the situation he was in was no laughing matter to begin. Even more so once Ocean washed his zombie away, only to catch a burst of light to the face as his LP dropped to 2600. "Damn, your guy Shining's earned his name; I'm seeing stars, haha." the Disciple teased, rubbing his eyes a bit as he tried to refocus on the Duel at hand.

"My turn! Draw!" he then declared; he wouldn't make a play just yet, because he needed to evaluate his options. And after his own Disk to see what Ocean could do, he knew he needed to get that off the field first. Samsara would protect him from damage so long as he could get an Undead out, but he also needed to consider that he still required materials.

But nothing in his hand would help him yet. The only viable play that made sense was getting rid of Ocean, even if it would just be destroyed by The Shining later. As it was, he needed to push...Get Judai back in a corner again.

"I activate Zombie Carrier's effect! By returning one card from the hand to the Deck, I can Special Summon it! Next, I summon my second Shiranui Smith and activate its effect! When this card I summoned, I can add a 'Shiranui' card from my deck to my hand. I choose Shiranui Solitaire!"

And for the second time this Duel, Judai would see another Synchro Summon. "I tune Zombie Carrier with my Shiranui Smith! Noble warrior, bear of the torch of your ancestors and rise from beyond to strike against darkness! Synchro Summon! Blade God - Shiranui!" This was the move he made, and he was going to stick with it.

"Next, I activate Blade God's effect! I shuffle one of my banished Zombie-type monsters back into my Deck, then change all monsters on your field whose original ATK is less than or equal to that monster's! I shuffle Deathkaiser back into my Extra Deck, then Elemental HERO Ocean gets switched!" And as the effect resolved, Ocean started to take a knee, crossing the staff he held in front of him.

"Blade God, attack Elemental HERO Ocean!" he then declared, only to have another unpleasant surprise waiting for him.

"Trap Card, Open! Magic Cylinder!"

If that didn't fuck up his plan, he didn't know what would. Even so, as the cylinders absorbed Blade's God energy, he knew this game one way or the other. At the very least, he would make Judai use his own monsters to attack. "I activate Samsara Formation! Blade God is banished, and I take no damage this turn!" Takeshi declared, his monster disappearing before a spectral barrier rose up to absorb the redirected strike, the energy crashing against the wall before it too vanished. "Blade God's effect then activates! When it's banished, one monster you control loses 500 ATK! I'll cleave some strength from Shining!" he then said, Blade God returning for a brief moment to cut through The Shining, its ATK lowering to a still impressive 3000.

"Well...Damn, talk about a comeback. I wasn't expecting that...Not that I know how a HERO deck works. But damn dude, nice plays..." Takeshi smiled; did it suck to have lost after being up so much? Hell yeah, but at the very least his opponent was cool and helped make it entertaining. He could take a loss like this any day of the week.

"Turn end".
 
Hajime ​

"Only stars? No constellations? Aww. That doesn't sound too fun. A bit repetitive, in fact."

As Judai watched yet a second Synchro summon come into effect, he leaned forward, as if hoping to get a better view of his this worked. And better understanding exactly how Synchro's worked. Fusion was easy ... at least in concept. The cards had certain components listed. Yo had to have those in your hand or on the field, as well as a Polymerization, and voila. But these Synchros didn't seem to need any of those. So what did they work on, anyway?

... He then had to think as quickly as possible if allowing this zombie to kill his Elemental Hero Ocean would be worth it or not. It did at least get shifted into defense. But .... nah. There was a reason he had that card in his deck after all.

"Nope! I can't let you get rid of my Hero that easily! Trap Card, Open! Magic Cylinder!"

So maybe the damage wasn't shot back. But at least Judai had forced Takeshi back into his corner, which made the fused brown-haired duelist grin.

Still got it~ he inwardly thought, drawing after hearing his opponent end his turn. "I'll shift Ocean back to attack, then use his effect. During my Standby Phases, I get to grab one other Elemental Hero from the graveyard and put it in my hand. I choose Elemental Hero Heat, and then summon them to the field! The Heat's effect now activates! For every Elemental Hero on my side of the field, it gains 200 additional attack. 200 times three is 600!"

What started as a simple 1600 attack point monster shot abruptly up to 2200.

And now, it's gonna come to an end soon, Judai lamented. Despite his inner musings, his smile never faltered.

"I'll set a card anyway - always better safe than sorry. And now ... The Shining! Direct attack!" A soft sigh passed his lips. He was relieved on one hand. But damn .... now he finally found a decently-behaved opponent. Shame. The past several duels, Judai hadn't felt any remorse in kicking their asses. This guy, though, was very much different. "Well," he said, flashing a sly smile, "I can't say I really know how Shiranui work, let alone Synchro's. Maybe we can do an exchange?"

Regardless, he stretched out an arm, offering a handshake.

"For real though, that doesn't have to be accepted. I would, however, like to return with you. If you don't mind, that is. A lot of the other contestants here have been real downers. Seeing someone else with a nice surge of positive energy has been really refreshing."

".... Damn. Well .... " Hajime chuckled, patting Yamichi's shoulder. "At least one of us is secured no matter what. Congrats and good luck in your next fight. I know there's still one more but .... just in case yours is the first match of the third round. Gonna say it now while I can."
 

Takeshi grunted as each monster's strike cleaved his Life Points more and more, The Shining finally dropping them to zero. Well, at the very least it was a hard-fought duel. And the fact that his opponent was just as engaged as he was? That was more than enough to make him happy with losing this Duel.

Besides, Yamichi got into the Final Four. So long as one of them made it, it was all good. Besides, he wasn't even sure if they would; what cards they had they mostly had to trade or steal, and usually weren't anything people wanted. Hell, most of Yamichi's deck was cards that got thrown out; no one wanted to play an archetype that destroyed itself. But of course, Yamichi would find a strategy to make it work well, and the fact that he made it shows his efforts paid off.

Regardless, he would just smile and shake Judai's outstretched hand, "So long as you explain how your HERO cards work; that's seriously a badass deck, man." When he was asked if he could return with them, Judai would just be met with a tilt of the head. "Sure man, I'm sure the guys'll be wanting a play-by-play anyway. And if I know Yamichi, he'll want to deconstruct your deck. My advice? Don't, the dude's wicked smart, so hang onto it if you want to take with you afterwards, haha." Takeshi added the last bit as a joke.

And soon enough, the two of them would be back amongst his peers, Yamichi standing up straighter, "Man, that was probably the closest Duel yet! Now I'm really mad this barrier's in the way!" Of course, if anyone had been paying attention, they would have seen that more than a few of the spectators in the stands weren't happy either, even if the reasoning was understandable.

"Ah, don't worry, Yamichi...At least you'll get to Duel again. I wonder who you're going to be facing. With any luck, it'll be another cutie." Takeshi teased, making the blonde tech blush, "Ooooii, knock it off! You and Hajime won't let me live that down, will you?" Takeshi couldn't help but grin, "Nope, and you just know Hotsuma's going to find out; you thought we were bad, wait'll he hears it, haha."

Yamichi just tried to put that thought aside and said, "Oi, Judai...I know you're not really supposed to tell us what kind of deck you're using. But if the numbers were anything to go by, you had some crazy strong monsters! Warriors? Fiends? ...Spellcasters?" Takeshi just laughed, "See, Judai? What'd I tell ya?"

However, when the next Duel started, they would see a person dressed in a dark robe, wearing a mask over their face. And their opponent was some suave-looking business guy, looking quite smug with himself. Almost like he didn't even consider their adversary a challenge. "Man, we've seen some characters in this tournament, huh? Hey, Hajime, we're going to have to see about joining another later on, right? Can't let little Yami here have all the glory." Takeshi joked, seeing the barrier go up...And ten turns later, the barrier came down, the man in the suit looking quite beat up and laying on his back, his expression one of extreme stupefaction.

"Jesus...Whoever that Duelist is, they don't play around." Yamichi commented; the poor guy didn't even have a chance to defend himself. It was almost as if the mystery Duelist had a deck designed to cripple their opponent through backrow and redirect attacks with their own monsters.

However, the time soon came for the Final Four...Along with an unexpected announcement, and a surprise visit from none other than the host of the first tournament they'd seen: MC. "ALLLLLLRIGHT, LADIES AND GENTLEMAN! Welcome to the Final Four of the Seventeenth Selection Tournament! Let's introduce our finalists! Will numbers 12, 3, 6, and 5 please make their way to the stage!"

Takeshi patted Yamichi on the back, "That's your cue, bro...And I guess yours too, Judai. Hopefully you two will face each other! Kick some ass!"

And moments later, the four finalists were standing for all of them to see: Yamichi could hardly believe he was here, with his friends no less. "Judai...I know we just met and all, but I'm really glad you gave Takeshi a good duel, even if he didn't win. His last opponent wasn't someone he was fond of having had to face. And whatever happens....May the best Duelist win."
 
Hajime ​

"Haha, yeah. They've been my heroes all my life. Funny how that works, eh?" He wasn't simply being witty either. Everyone had their preferred decks. Some may have changed their hearts or minds over the years. Never had that been the case with Judai. Well ... okay, so maybe there was one time. But he didn't count that, as he hadn't been in his right mindset. Plus, he ended up taking the HERO cards back into his heart and duel disk, so that was a null and void instance in his mind and eyes.

"It's basically the same as any other Fusion deck. The difference - for me, anyway - is it's easier to get what you need as far as Fusion monsters go out onto the field. Just make sure you have the prerequisites and that's it, really."

After finishing the hand shake, he pulled one of the copies of Elemental HERO The Shining out and allowed Takeshi a closer-up look. "See? One light monster plus any Elemental HERO. Relatively easy, if you construct your deck correctly. Since they're all warriors, use supporting magic and trap cards. Voila."

He casually shrugged, his grin widening.

"I can wait till this tournament's over if you want for your own deck. It seem a bit more complicated than mine. Plus ... I don't quite understand how Synchro's work. But they look very fascinating. And strong!"

Even with the strong front, Judai could see the disappointment on Hajime's face. An indication he'd had his own unfortunate outcome of sorts. Judai offered the blue-haired male a small smile; one that hinted he understood that pain all too well. "Yo, guys! Judai Yuki's the name. Nice to meet you all~"

Hajime returned the smile with one of his own, waving to the newcomer. "Hey, Judai. What the hell did you do to our Takeshi, eh? It's hard to conquer him."

Judai chuckled softly, rubbing the back of his head. "I just dueled him. I'll admit, I thought he had me for a while there. It was tough."

Hajime lightly scoffed and rolled his eyes teasingly. "I mean what deck did you use to best him? Come on, dude. Just a hint?"

"Ummm ... " And just as Takeshi hinted, Yamichi already started tossing out card types. He paused, wondering if it would be wise to answer he was technically on the right track or not. "Hmm. I think I'm gonna listen to your comrade and keep you in the dark for now."

"Ouch. Denied it seems, ehh, Yamichi? That's fine though. Probably best to just let the mystery reveal itself." Even though Hajime was trying to tease with the guys, his mood was still a bit on the down side. Forget the fact he had a shitty opponent. Now he was simply annoyed he'd had to face one of his few friends so close. It had ended up being a win-win and lose-lose to be pit against Yamichi. He was happy on one hand ... and jealous on another.

And even with him constantly trying to remind himself this wasn't the last tournament, it still didn't quench his appetite. He hadn't wanted to be eliminated that quickly. There was only one saving grace, and it came in the fact he had a very fair and sincere person that Hajime ended up getting beaten by.

A soft sigh passed his lips as he stared off ... jumping slightly as the MC made his announcement.

"Good luck you two. While the next round hasn't started yet, I'm ... I'm gonna see about getting some water. I'm sure there's a fountain or something. Be right back!" Before any of the others could stop or call out to him, Hajme ran off.

Judai raised an eyebrow. It was obvious the poor guy wasn't as okay as he said. But he decided not to say anything about his attitude. It was one of those things he'd likely wanna deal with on his own. It was just how most men worked; he'd seen and been around enough to know as much. "Alright! Come on, Yamichi! Let's go up to the stage!"

The brunette would stand on the right end of the stage, beside Yamichi. His already wide smile expanded as he heard his thanks for giving Takeshi a decent duel. "No problem. I understand perfectly how that goes. Before being put against Takeshi, a lot of my opponents were crappy. Takeshi's the only one I actually regret having to knock out. He was a chill guy; I appreciate that. But holy crap, there needs to be more duelists here like him. Is ... is everyone here so pent up all the time?"

In all honesty, the so-called 'masked figure' wasn't actually on the stage. It was merely a clone Aki had created. She wasn't one for dramatics, and feeling like she would have to walk atop a stage just for making it to the Final 4 felt too ... much. Besides, she wasn't simply here to secure a spot in the Fortune Cup, though that was partly true.

No. She had to make up for Divine being an honorable idiot and allowing Yuna and Hotsuma to go free. It took several days for her leader to realize how dumb he'd been in accepting the deal. But now ... he had to make up for that error.

And, of course, he sent her to assist in remedying his mistake.

Why?! Why couldn't you have met her so much sooner?!

It was odd. Aki had never felt ... what was this, anyway? All she knew was Yuna was constantly in her mind, and just as often in the red-head's dreams. It wasn't love. She could deduce that much. Infatuation? Maybe. But it was definitely as close to obsession as it could be. And that sincerely scared Aki. She wasn't sure how to handle her feelings. No one had made her experience them. She was half-cursing and half-thanking whatever god had allowed her the chance to meet Yuna in the first place.

The real Aki was wandering ... almost aimlessly one could say. Looking for anyone who had even a slither of potential and could seem like a good candidate. The latter was always the hardest part; if it felt like they'd be worth it. So far, she had yet to detect anyone that had both prerequisites.

"Hmmm?" she mused softly, beginning to turn and follow as a certain mind had very interesting surface thoughts. Or rather, they were about an intriguing and specific person.

"I'm sorry, Yuna. I know you'd tell me to get over it, but ... ugh." Hajime grimaced. He hadn't simply made an excuse to leave Takeshi. He truly had went to find a fountain. Or hell, even a vending machine. He was having as much luck as if he'd wandered into a goddamn casino; absolutely none.

"Yuna Takeda?" Aki asked, watching behind her mask as Hajime pivoted around with narrowed eyes.

"Who's asking?"

"Just a curious individual. That a crime?"

"No," Hajime shot back, "But why do you know her full name?"

... Had Yuna kept quiet on what happened to her? Did she never reveal where she'd been for nearly two weeks? Somehow, that mere thought angered Aki. Why? Even she didn't fully understand. A low "Hmph" would be the first thing she'd elicit, followed by a soft, "You'll do."

"The fuck's that mean?"

If this woman didn't have nerve-wracking vibes by now, Hajime was certainly feeling them. He wasn't usually a guy that would heed his 'flight' instincts as per the 'fight or flight' mindset. But ... something was screaming he should. It would be for the best. And he tried to listen to those .. only to find his ankles secured in place. A glance down revealed it wasn't with chains or manacles; items that would make sense. But ... vines? "Hey! The fuck are you doing?!"

"Take a nap."

Those would be the last words he'd hear as some invisible force made the blue-haired male comply with what sounded like an otherwise stupid suggestion.

Meanwhile, the matches would be shown on the billboard. "Heh. Guess you'll have to win to see what kinda deck I got. Don't worry; I'll tell you when it's over. But the sooner way to see it is if you win and can go against me. Good luck!"

He waved to Yamichi, walking into the barrier once again. This guy's deck was ... confusing. At least the duelist himself wasn't a major prick. A tad arrogant, but even Judai could be that way. So that wasn't too bad for him. What was the point of his deck though?

Whatever it was, it never got to show itself.

"Hehe ... sorry. Good duel though!"

Judai hadn't simply won. He swept the floor with the poor bastard, something Yamichi and Takeshi would see. Life points were some of the few things that weren't hidden with the barrier, after all. Judai would walk back over ... and notice Hajime had yet to return. "Huh. He still gone, I'm guessing? Well ... good luck, Yamichi!"
 

Unaware of what was happening, Takeshi would just grin as all four were represented by name; Yamichi looked lost almost, it was pretty damned funny. Then again, the poor guy rarely ever stepped into the spotlight. In fact, this was one of the few times where he was literally being put on display for everyone to see. "Kind of like a lost puppy, eh Hajime...But that Aki...Something seems off about her...What's with the get-up?" he mused.

And he just laughed even more when he heard Judai's comment about Yamichi having to face him to find out his deck choice, the tech coming back with a small pout. "Now whatsa matter, Yami...Curiosity getting the better of you?" Takeshi teased, ruffling his friend's head and making the blonde squirm and pull his hood up. "It's not my fault! You guys had one the closest duel in this whole tournament so far! I just wanna know what he used to make such a comeback!" Yami semi-whined, eyes turning to see Hajime go off in search of a fountain.

And when they would come back to watch Judai's 'duel'...They were surprised when it was over in the three turns. The duelist Judai had faced - named Shimoda Naizen - indeed was a bit arrogant; his luck had been extraordinary these last few matches, but against Judai it seemed to have finally run out. His deck wasn't the easiest to use, especially since it had no monsters in the Extra Deck to utilize...Combined with the awesome monster recovery power of the brunette's deck and he had little chance of success. They were too expensive, plain and simple. "No need to be sorry, man, you whooped my ass fair and square. And besides, we might even face each other again in the Fortune Cup!" was Shimoda's response, shaking Judai's hand in return with a grin.

And next, it was Yamichi's turn; though both the Disciples noticed that their friend had yet to return. "You'd think with a stadium like this, they'd have fountains everywhere. Maybe it's still a build in progress or something...Don't worry, Yamichi, I'm sure he'll be right back. And hey! You get to face another woman! Maybe if you beat her, she might ask you out!" Takeshi teased again, Yamichi's face blushing beet red as he pulled his hood more over his face.

"Will contestants number 12 and 5 make their way to begin the third match of the Final Four!" they all heard MC shout through his microphone, the black-cloaked Duelist

At this, Yamichi knew it was game time, getting his Duel Disk and deck ready for combat. "Don't worry about luck, Yamichi; with Judai here, you'll have all you need!" the taller Disciple stated jokingly, adding "But seriously man, kick some ass!" Yamichi seemed to loosen up a little, saying with a small smile "Thanks guys...Well, here goes nothing!"

And moments later, the blonde tech was facing this 'Aki Izayoi'; in all honesty, her very presence unnerved him. Next to Yuna and a couple of the gang bosses in the Satellite, there were very few females who exuded an aura of pure 'Don't fuck with me'. Even so, he just tried to maintain a calm composure; giving her a slight bow, he would just "Let's have a fun Duel, yeah?"

And moments later, that famous declaration of 'DUEL BARRIER, ENGAGE!' rang out, the pair now enshrouded by the glowing sphere of light. Leaving him trapped with an unknown and likely very dangerous adversary...Unaware as to the truth of her identity.

Takeshi and Judai would have to be content with watching from the sidelines, Takeshi just muttering, "Man, if Hajime doesn't hurry back, he's going to miss it! 'Course, with this fantastic view, all we're watching is numbers."
 
Hajime ​

Oh thank god! A second decent duelist!

Judai was absolutely stoked to have met someone else aside from Takeshi. Apparently, this Shimoda character wasn't half-bad himself. "Heh, maybe. You did get far enough to secure a spot for it, so hey, it's definitely not an impossible thought. Take care and see ya later!"

"Something's off."

Judai blinked a few times. He and Yubel had agreed that only when things seemed a too dire could she speak up. Since she was doing so now, it meant she was likely sensing something he had missed.

"Think it's linked to Hajime not being back yet?"

"I'm not certain. I had thought I imagined things but ... maybe not. That Aki duelist .... she's got something odd about her."

"Hmmm ... "

The more serious topics he was truly thinking about were concealed with his signature smile. "Hey now, I'm not sure if I'm a good luck charm. But that sounds kinda cool, so let's roll with that. Take care, Yamichi!"

... It wasn't that he doubted Yubel. But it was one thing for her to be 95% sure about something. If she could say without any hesitation that Aki was a person to worry about, he would have added a warning of sorts. As it stood? It would have sounded odd to abruptly add. So .... he simply remained quiet, hoping his own fused spirit was wrong about this. It wasn't often he could say Yubel's instincts were incorrect. But this was one of the times he was really hoping they were off.

"I suppose," Aki replied, "But I've got what I was sent to find."

This didn't mean she was going to half-ass the duel. It just meant she wouldn't care half as much compared to a few rounds if she lost or not. It hadn't been obvious - nor would it be known by even the machine - but there were actually three people hidden behind the barrier. The third had simply been concealed by her own powers.

Now, however, it seemed he was coming to .... and less than content with the forced nap Aki had made him take.

"OI! LET ME THE FUCK GO!"

Aki sighed, turning to her left. " .... I suppose it would have been a bit annoying keeping too much of my powers on you while dueling. Fine. I'll somewhat comply with you."

The invisibility she'd been hiding Hajime with wore away, confirming it had been his voice Yamichi had heard. And vice versa, as the bluenette found the other Disciple across the way. " ... I don't know if you have the best or worst luck with women yet, Yamichi. Unfortunately, I don't suggest this one. She's out of her goddamn mind ... ngh!" Hajime tried to tease, wincing as a pair of vines with some thorns attached wrapped tightly around his wrists, keeping him hoisted up beside Aki.

"Shut up and watch. I'm going first."

Luckily, it seemed the sight of Hajime had distracted Yamichi long enough to keep him from protesting. "Hmmm .... it's no coincidence, is it? He's one of Yuna's, and you're one of Hotsuma's. I didn't realize they had followers."

Of course, it wasn't like she or Divine had really tried to learn about their lives.

"You, unfortunately, have nothing as far as potential goes. It'll probably just be him I leave with. Draw!"

"What the fuck are you going on about now?"

Aki shot a glare over at Hajime. "What did I say not too long ago? I'm not repeating myself. And since you seem adamant on defying me ... " A new set of thorns rose, wrapping slightly around Hajime's neck. Not yet squeezing nor drawing blood ... but that could be easily changed if absolutely needed. "Now then, I activate the World Tree. I'll set a card and summon Angel Trumpeter. Your turn, Disciple."
 

Yamichi raised a brow as Aki made her comment; did she mean that she got her spot or something? That wasn't exactly the response he had been hoping to hear; and the fact that she sounded so half-assed about it made him think that he had gotten an opponent like Takeshi did. And while he wasn't too pleased with her seeming she was just going to blow this off, there was a dangerous air about her.

Something that was making the more primal parts of him strongly suggest turning away...And he might have done it, had he not heard what he heard next.

"OI! LET ME THE FUCK GO!"

His ears perked up as he heard what was unmistakably Hajime's voice; why was he hearing it though. "The hell...Hajime?" he whispered, looking around for the source, but not seeing it. Not until he was literally shown what was behind the curtain, so to speak.

"H-Hajime?!"

The blue-haired male seemed to tied up with his own business, making Yamichi start freaking out a bit. "O-oi, don't joke, man! Who is she? Why are you...." he trailed off, clenching his fists before bursting out at her, "Let him go! Why the fuck is Hajime tied up with vines!?"

However, it seemed his own comment would go unabided, for soon she was already starting her turn...But not before adding another layer of restraint to his comrade's plant-based prison. "Potential...No, no, why the fuck does potential matter?! How do you know about Yuna and Hotsuma?! Huh?!" he shouted, distraught and unsure of what to do over the apparent fate of his friend. At least he wasn't dead...But those vines didn't look like anything Solid Vision would be able to do

To Hajime, seeing Yamichi lose his cool probably wouldn't be too surprising; though it was rare for the blonde haired young man to really start freaking out unless he felt something was dire. "God damn it, I said let him go!" Yamichi shouted again, trying to go right for his friend...Only to get thrown back by an invisible wall right at the half-way point between where they were standing, his body going airborne for a second or two. "Umph!" he groaned as he landed hard on his back, sliding to a stop right where he had been standing previously.

"Your turn, Disciple"

That made him pause even more; how did she know he was part of Hotsuma's gang? She had even gone so far as to call both of them followers, which meant she likely knew of Yuna's leadership over Yomi. Part of him then realized that he would need to unfortunately risk breaking their cover; however, as he would try to exit the Barrier, he suffered the same fate as his attempt to get to Hajime. Thrown back once more, his face scrunched in pain as he turned over to all fours, breathing a little more harshly from the repeated repelling.

Was he really going to go through with this? To have to Duel to try and win his comrade's freedom? It seemed like it, even if he wished he could just get over them and get him down.

"Fine! If you won't let him go, I'll just beat you down until you do! I don't know how you know who Yuna and Hotsuma are, but I'll make sure you regret doing this to Hajime! My turn, Draw!" he declared, pulling a card from the top of his Deck. "I activate the Field Magic, Scrap Factory! Then I Summon Scrap Hunter in Attack Mode!" He would then show a card from his hand, "When my opponent controls a monster, I can Special Summon Scrap Breaker from my hand, but at the cost of destroying a Scrap monster I control!"

And as Scrap Hunter broke apart, Yamichi then declared, "Scrap Factory's effect activates! When a 'Scrap' effect destroys a monster I control, I can Special Summon a Scrap monster from my Deck! Scrap Soldier, rise!" And when the metallic junked warrior formed up from the Field Magic's effects, Yamichi would show her a third card, "Quick-play Magic, Scrapstorm! I target Scrap Soldier, send a Scrap monster to my Graveyard, draw one card and then destroy it!"

And with that first move completed, he would then point at Aki's monster, "Scrap Breaker, turn Angel Trumpeter into mulch!"

"Trap Card open, Wall of Disruption. Angel Trumpeter, strike back."

Yamichi could only watch as his once-powerful Breaker got down graded to 1500 ATK, more than enough for the Tuner monster to blast it apart. The tech forced to cover himself as he felt a strong pressure buffet his body, his LP dropping to 7600. "Damn it...I lost my cool and a powerful monster." Yamichi chided himself, stating "I set one card and end my turn."
 
Hajime ​

Hajime started to move his head from side to side, stopping as a thorn reminded him of what was keeping him held up in the air. " .... The fuck? These are real? Oi, where'd they come from, exactly, huh? I didn't see you play a card to summon them."

At this, Aki couldn't help but smirk and even chuckle. It was always funny - cute in a twisted way - to run across those who were ignorant and obviously didn't know what Psychic duelists could do. It was painfully obvious neither of these guys had run into any of Arcadia's members, and there were two likely reasons for it. They were extremely lucky -- which she could have believed. That was, of course, prior to realizing whom they were affiliated with, which thus led her to the second bit of logic; they were also from the Satellite, just like Yuna and Hotsuma. Normally, Divine never went to the Satellite. However, having found now a third person with some good potential --- clearly, Aki needed to talk to him about scouting the Satellite more carefully.

Regardless, it was not an overly surprising thought. Few people resided in the Tops, and neither of these men looked like they lived here anyway.

"You will learn that answer in time, Hajme. Why he's bound? He's coming with me, regardless of how this duel goes."

An eyebrow raised. For the second time today, she was asked why she knew of Hotsuma and Yuna.

" ... I see. So they really never told anyone. Not even their own subordinates?"

It was partially a guess. More than anything, meant to freak the two out. It definitely worked with Hajime, who growled and squirmed against his own restraints. "Don't insult Yuna like that! If she had to put up with you, I can understand perfectly why she wouldn't wanna talk about it!"

"Hmph. I'm one of the few reasons she left Arcadia alive."

Hajime's eyes narrowed as he scoffed, "That has to be a lie. You don't come off as ... ungh!" Now a few crimson droplets fell from Hajime's neck, trailing slowly down his shirt and onto the ground under his feet.

"You talk too much, boy. I just need to bring you back alive. I can rough you up if needed."

"Fuck you," he hissed through gritted teeth, smiling nervously at Yamichi, "Oi, it's okay. Whatever she's going on about, she just admitted herself. I'm no good to her dead. Focus on the duel, okay?"

"I'd listen to his advice," Aki concurred, watching as Yamichi took his turn. It seemed the Disciple had also gotten freaked out with what little psychological warfare she'd used. Good. It was always easier to use that over outright physical torture. But ... this duel would determine what she'd need to do. Or not do, both were true. A smirk spread over her lips as she watched him swarm, ending with a decently-powered monster. Something far higher than her Angel Trumpeter.

Or ... it would have been, were it not for the card she set last turn. It was a slight shame she had to use it so soon. But with the other cards that were in her hand, Aki knew this was for the best. "Trap Card open, Wall of Disruption. Angel Trumpeter, strike back." Her head nodded as the surface thoughts belonging to the tech echoed in her had. "Indeed, you did. Like we both said, focus on me, not your companion. Continuing to have your logic clouded will only result in more times where you lose much more life points and even more monsters. Draw!"

... Not her best hand. There were very few things allowing her to stay more on the offensive. Ah well. Aki could still make do with what she had.

"I'll set a card, as well as a monster. Angel Trumpeter, direct attack!"

In case he hadn't noticed it before, this hit - Yamichi would feel - packed way more of a very literal punch. Pain shot through his body ... and it was relatively easy to deduce it wasn't only from the Solid Vision. "Turn end. Your turn, Yamichi."

Hajime grimaced, not sure whether it was more painful watching his friend take a direct hit from this crazy bitch, or feeling there was little he could do to help Yamichi out. Hopefully his encouragement had done something positive for him ... otherwise this duel was as good as hers to win.
 

Yamichi wanted to pull himself together, but damn it, his friend being held hostage wasn't helping! Neither was the fact that he couldn't get anywhere near her, nor could he seem to leave the barrier to get help. Which meant he indeed was going to have to Duel this insane woman in order to even have a chance of freeing Hajime.

And it didn't help when her own attack made it feel like he'd just been hit by a truck, his body flying backwards and bouncing a couple of times before laying still. A groan left his lips as his LP dropped further to 5700, very much near half the starting total. And worse yet, it was caused because of his reckless attack.

Even worse, she seemed to have read his thoughts, commenting on how he was right about losing all of that after just one turn. Pushing himself to his feet, he just grunted, "I-I'm not letting you take Hajime anywhere. I don't care who you think you are, but no one hurts my friends! Draw!" His current hand wouldn't do much to help him, but this time he felt sure he could destroy Trumpeter.

He had to.

"I summon Scrap Shark in Attack Mode! With Factory's effect, its ATK rises to 2300! And I'll use it to attack Trumpeter!" he called out, the mechanical fish 'swimming' right towards Aki's plant...Only to find yet another Trap waiting for him.

"Trap Card, activate. Magic Cylinder."

And worse than before, instead of his monster being weakened, it would swallowed up by one tube...And redirected right back to him through the other. And poor Yamichi would suffer an ill effect as well: Scrap Shark was a monster that had high ATK for a level 4, sure...But it came with a very heavy price. And as his monster lunged right at him, its body glowed as its effect triggered. And when it collided with Yamichi's relatively frail body, it exploded in a brilliant burst of red-hot slag and fire.

The poor tech just cried out in agony as he was thrown against the barrier wall directly behind him before slumping on his front, his body and clothes covered in lacerations and burn marks from Aki's Psychic energies as his LP dropped even more to 3400. And for a few moments, he didn't move, his body completely unresponsive; had this taken too much of a toll on Yamichi's body? Neither he nor Hajime would likely know why this was happening, only that the Disciple was heavily injured after just two turns.

However, both would get their answer as he pushed to all fours with significant effort, his breathing heavy and his head ringing from the noise and force of the detonation. "W-when Scrap Shark is destroyed by a 'Scrap' effect, I can send one Scrap monster to my Graveyard. F-factory's effect activates too...I Special Summon S-scrap Searcher from my Deck...And send Scrap Golem to the Graveyard."

And with those effects resolved, he then added, "I set one card face-down...Turn end." He then looked to Hajime with one eye closed from pain, his relatively neat locks now semi-scorched and ragged from the repeated beatings, "Hajime....Don't worry, I'm not letting you get taken anywhere." His gaze then focused to Aki, the stare he gave her similar to the defiant one Hotsuma had given her during their Duel, "You hear that...I don't know what's going on in that sick head of yours, but I would rather die than let any more of my friends get hurt!"

Takeshi meanwhile, just grimaced as he watched his comrade's Life get lower and lower; whoever this person was, they were baiting Yamichi hard. And what was scarier was that he was falling for it! "Damn it, Yami...Don't lose your cool. Whatever's happening, just stay focused." he spoke lowly, still keeping an eye out for Hajime...But seeing him nowhere in sight. "Good god, did Hajime get lost or something? Fall in a toilet? Oi, Judai...Sorry to ask this, but could you keep tabs for me? I'm going to see if I can find that goofball; no way a fountain or vending machine is that hard to find." he then asked the brunette, still completely oblivious to the dangers his friends were actually in as he turned to try and find his comrade.
 
Hajime ​

"Who I think I am? Hmph. I should be redirecting those words to you, boy. Who do you think you are, hmm? Your emotions are severely clouding your moves. At this rate, I won't need to lift a finger to finish this duel. Disappointing ... but eh. I guess it can't be helped."

"You are so infuriating!" Hajime tried to throw a kick over at Aki. It was mere inches away from connecting ... when yet another pair of thorns wrapped tightly around his ankle. His muscles relaxed as he allowed his leg to go back beside his other. " .... You're choosing those locations on purpose."

"Of course. Unless, that is, you want to take the risk and thnk I'm bluffing. And didn't I say to be quiet?"

"Oi! I was!"

Even Hajime paled slightly as he watched Aki raise a hand and tap it gently against her own mask. "Not here you weren't."

"... You ... you aren't fucking normal."

"And you won't be either when we leave." Yet during the entire exchange, Aki's attention remained fixed solely on the duel. Seconds after Yamichi summoned his shark, she reached down and pushed her button to reveal the back row card. "Trap card, activate. Magic Cylinder."

"YAMICHI! DID YOU FUCKING KILL HIM?!"

"Of course not. His life isn't at zero. And even if it were, I never use that much power. But you are correct in assuming some people wouldn't care about taking lives that way."

"Get up," Hajime pleaded in a choking voice. He didn't seriously - indirectly or otherwise - lead to the death of one of the Disciples, did he? He couldn't live with himself if Yamichi died here. "Oh thank god!" He gasped out as Yamichi moved and spoke. Weakly ... but enough to prove Aki hadn't been lying about that much, at least. His head moved from side to side as Yamichi tried to vow nothing would happen. "The hell with me, dude. Worry about yourself. Besides .... you know as well as I do Yuna won't ignore this."

"Actually, if she's even just a bit smart, she will."

Hajiime glared furiously over at Aki, "Okay. Let's assume you weren't just lying and really did contribute to her leaving alive. Fine. But that was then. This is now. Sine you seem to be someone who can ge into people's heads, you should know exactly who I am to her. So why is she gonna let this slide? She will find out, one way or another. You do know that much, right?"

Aki sighed, "I'm not repeating myself a third time, brat."

A hand rose as Aki started to snap ... but stopped.

"Actually ... no. I won't do it myself. Your friend can." Lowering her head, a soft chant could be heard. Hajime wouldn't necessarily feel like anything had happened. Not yet, anyway. But even he could detect that something was off.

"The fuck did you just do?"

This time, Aki ignored him, "Draw! I'll set another monster. Angel Trumpeter! Destroy the Scrap Searcher!" Nothing was used to prevent the destruction, earning another 'Hmph' from Aki. "Turn end, I suppose."

Now Judai visibly frowned. If even Takeshi was beginning to get on edge ... there was no point in hiding it. However, he'd go about this in a more discreet manner. "Wait," he called out, lightly resting a hand on Takeshi's hand. "Just ... call it really good instincts for now. The actual story would take too long. Long story short ... I think your friend's disappearance may be linked to Yamichi's opponent." His eyes softened; he hated bad news, both giving it to people and hearing it. But it was obvious that much needed to be relayed.

"So either he's also in the barrier ... or hidden elsewhere in this stadium. That's what I've been feeling, anyway."
 

Yamichi wiped the corner of his mouth; true, Yuna wouldn't ignore this. But she also wasn't here right now, and neither was Hotsuma. And he knew that they both understood that. They weren't helpless, not by a long shot...But their opponent was strong, and apparently able to materialize objects at will. What could be done in this situation?

He didn't know...Except by just soldiering onward. "I thought I made it clear, you bitch..." Yamichi grunted, standing up a little straighter but his expression clearly showing he was still hurting, adding in a strained tone "I'm not giving up, and you're not leaving with Hajime! My turn! Draw!"

Of course, with the fact that none of the monsters in his hand could overpower her, along with the very real possibility that she had some sort of contingency to deal with her monsters being destroyed...He wasn't sure what he could do. He wouldn't leave Hajime behind, but he was honestly and crushingly lost on how to get him out. His hands fell down by his side, looking just about ready to give up.

"Calm down, Yamichi...Focus. Getting worked up isn't going to help you."

His boss's voice echoed within his mind, trying to find stability in the chaos. It was then here that he would picture one person that had helped him realize his potential...His own boss. That care-free attitude, the hard line he always set for the Disciples...And a lecture that he was given when Yamichi was first joining in. He remembered it because he felt helpless at that time, like he was completely useless to the group.

"I don't expect you to be a front-line brawler, Yamichi. Physicality isn't your thing...It's that ginormous brain you've got." The scene paused to show Hotsuma poking the blonde's forehead, "That's your strength. And trust me, when you're in that zone, I can't think of too many people that would want to tangle with you."

Aki would then notice a measurable decline in the tech's stress, a small but noticeable smile on his face. "Arigato...Sosuke." he then muttered, his head lifting up to stare directly at the masked woman's face. Almost as if he could see right through it.

His next move was critical...If he was going to turn this around, there was only one card he could play that would help him.

"I set one monster face-down. Turn end."

It definitely wouldn't seem like much, but if this worked...He'd make good on his promise to have her regret going after his friends.

Takeshi was just about to leave, but paused when he felt someone grab his shoulder. And then Judai said something that was both incredulous and stupefying. Takeshi definitely got a bad vibe from her...But had she done something to Hajime? How though? She was up there when they were announced.

"Judai, you're a cool guy...But I think you took a few to the head or something. We didn't see Hajime up there when the Duels started, and there's no way Aki could have had enough time to take Hajime...Right?" he then asked, sounded more and more uncertain with every second. Did she do something? His eyes looked down as he tried to think...The only question that arose was how?

Taking a small breath he then said, "But let's say she did...Where would she hide him? There are people crawling all over this stadium, either to get a drink or use the bathroom. And if there's one thing I know about the Tops, they're not afraid to snitch."
 
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