CARD GAMES

[Scarlet Weather]

"Well..." Achan hesitated, not knowing what Tacey meant. A "little surprise?" Pegasus couldn't have been talking about new Wandering cards, could he? After all, the big wheel of the tournament knew better than anyone that even team mates were expected to fight each other eventually. Why would Pegasus hint that Achan had received new cards? Did he expect him to share the information willingly with Edgeworth? He was already racking his brains for a way to change the subject, or else underplay the news. Of course, he could always mention the new Wandering cards and not elaborate. After all, he had been working around with a new deck build while on the flight from America to Japan, so nothing in his current strategy could be pinned down by Tacey anyway. Still, this was Tacey Edgeworth, a pro duelist. Perhpaps she would be able to magically come up with a solution to his new cards just by hearing that they existed. Whatever he decided to say, Achan knew he had to say it quickly. He had already paused for several seconds, and if he went too much longer without saying anything it would become painfully obvious that he was hiding something from Tacey. He could always argue that she hid things too, of course, but was hiding something like this really worth incurring her indignation and complete fury?

Then it hit Achan. Of course. The new teammate. Pegasus had mentioned another team member with some sort of weird phobia. That must have been the surprise he was talking about. It had to be. And if it wasn't, oh well, it was Pegasus's fault for not making the information clearer. He was just a kid who enjoyed playing card games, after all, not someone with expertise in the field of communication. This was perfect. Just tell Tacey about the new team member and leave it at that. No problem. And yet... something in Achan dreaded the messy explanation about the new cards that was sure to follow. Was having a slight edge in the card game tournament of a lifetime really worth possibly betraying the trust of someone he was now viewing as a potential ally?

Achan... All's fair in love and card games! Don't tell her! hissed the vampire side of Achan's conscience.

Achan... you're totally going to get beat over the head if you offend Tacey again! Aren't your cheeks sore enough from last time? Just tell her! What's she going to do, stay up all night worrying about cards she'll eventually find out about anyway? Asked the hero.

That's- the vampire started to exclaim before realization hit, Exactly... right.

Achan sighed. Now even his evil side wanted to betray him. Well... maybe it was for the best. Now to actually answer the question. Picking up from where he had stopped talking earlier, he continued. "Well, you see... er.... Pegasus said something about someone else joining the team and, and..."

Just say it.

"And..."

Spit it out, dangit!

"And..."

What the Cthonia is wrong with you? Are you so much in awe of miss Edgeworth that you lost your tongue, huh? SPIT IT OUT!

"I LIKE PIE!"

Not that.... wait, that wasn't you. Who the heck....

A small boy dressed in a hospital gown who had snuck up behind Achan while talking was quickly hustled away by a nurse, who muttered a hurried explanation in Japanese. Not understanding a word, Achan simply smiled, waved and returned his attentions to Tacey. "Er.... yeah, Pegasus said something about new cards, but I have no idea where he's getting them 'cuz I didn't design anything," he finished, his anxiety alleviated by the sheer insanity of the earlier incident. He felt a pang of regret. True, he had given up what might have been a slight edge in the competition to Tacey. But she would have found out anyway, and at least now he wouldn't have to deal with her wrath for another day or so.

 

[Alter Ego]

Tacey quirked an eyebrow at Achan's disjointed mode of communication. Granted, she had never had him pegged as the brightest crayon in the box, but surely a simple response couldn't be so hard to formulate? Unless...the millionaire heiress' eyes narrowed fractionally, a definite warning sign for all who knew the first thing about her temperament, was Achan trying to hide something from her?

The hurried, and decidedly vague, reference to a new team member did little to satiate the indignation welling up inside of Tacey. He was hiding something! It was written all over his face and the awkward stutter that followed only served to confirm it. The look in Tacey's eyes began shifting towards the murderous end of the spectrum. How dare he?! After all had been forgiven, after the extended gesture of peace, how dare he try to run a scheme behind her back?

Just as the rich girl was about to pounce, a sudden, random, and above all loud proclamation from one of the hospital's many occupants dispelled the awkward silence, leaving both parties momentarily stunned. Surprisingly, Achan was the first to recover, finally blurting out his big secret.

"Er.... yeah, Pegasus said something about new cards, but I have no idea where he's getting them 'cuz I didn't design anything."

"So that's it?" noticing no further signs of dishonesty on the other's part, the rich girl allowed her anger to evaporate at a pace quite similar to the one it had built up with, a light laugh escaping her lips, "Goodness, judging by the way you were panicking I'd have thought that you had somehow broken into Pegasus' private card collection and stolen the prime picks, or were about to at least. Honestly, Smith, what did you think I was going to do with that information? Gear my whole deck against some mystery cards without even knowing what they do?" though her tone was clearly making fun of the subject, this actually wasn't too far from what she had been planning to do. Well, she obviously wouldn't have gone as far as to create an anti-Smith deck, he certainly wasn't worth that level of attention, but that wasn't to say that she wouldn't have taken the opportunity to side in a bit of tech against any particularly powerful cards within the set.

Provided that it wouldn't deviate from the rest of the competition too much. There was no way she'd get that obsessed over anything that had to do with Achan Smith, after all.

The mere thought was laughable.

"Anyway." the rich girl continued with a nonchalant shrug, "The origin of those cards isn't really any mystery in itself. Pegasus is still the top authority on all duel monsters cards, so if he wants to create more he does. It's as simple as that. What I want to know is who this 'new teammate' is." her expression was decidedly displeased at the words 'new teammate', "After those last two lunatics he saddled us with, I wouldn't be surprised if this one was-"

"Edgeworth-saaaan!"

Tacey's rant was cut short as the familiar, eardrum-threatening cry of Chikako reached her, the fangirl waving cheerfully as she rushed over from the elevator, looking slightly paler than usual but otherwise none the worse for the wear, her less hyper complement in close pursuit, both sporting relieved smiles.

"Are you alright, Edgeworth-san?"

"That's what I should be asking you." Tacey replied, a thought suddenly striking her, "Everyone...everyone is alright now, right? They've all woken up?"

Chikako nodded enthusiastically, "Every last one of them." she chirped, "The doctors are still running some tests on Katsuro-san, but it should be alright."

"And that's not all." Emiko joined in, a triumphant little grin on her f ace, "I hear the Haru-haru fanclub is in disarray. Apparently you squashed the upstart's confidence so good that she laid down business without even putting up a proper fight."

"As was to be expected of someone crushed by the magnificent Edgeworth-san!"

"The more die-hard fans are still saying it's all a trick." Emiko explained, "But it will only be a matter of time until they come crawling back to us. And you know what that means."

"Loss of member seniority!" Chikako chirped, a sly grin creeping up on her face as she seemed to reach a realization of some sort.

"And by the sliding scale of seniority..." Emiko continued, her expression mimicking her partner's as the two turned to debate this new turn of events.

"Status raise!"

"And more junior members to mind!"

"And put to chores."

"Definitely, can't have them not doing chores."

"Quite." Tacey joined in, unable to avoid light amusement at the duo's scheming, "I trust that I can leave the fanclub in your hands, then?"

"Oh, of course, Edgeworth-san!" Emiko replied.

"I'll make sure that we have it back to normal in no time." her partner added.

"And I'll make sure it becomes even better."

"What do you mean you will?!" Chikako whined, "Edgeworth-san assigned both of us to this!"

"Well, of course." Emiko replied calmly, "But as the senior interim leader I obviously have to-"

"Senior?! I've been a member five minutes longer than you have!"

"Well, I'm two months older than you!"

"That doesn't matter!"

"Does too! It means I'm more mature and thus a better choice for a leader!"

"Nu-uh!"

"Uh-huh!"

Tacey sighed, shaking her head as the two started bickering before briefly turning to address Achan, "Looks like we'll have to continue this discussion later." she said, casting a meaningful glance at the bickering moe girls, "Just go ahead to the lobby and I'll meet you there in a while. I've got...some matters to attend to." she felt like slapping herself once more. Coming that close to creating more room for the rumors about her and her fanclub leader. 'I want to have a private talk with Katsuro' definitely wouldn't have come out right, "Personal matters. I won't be long, though, so don't worry." with a small smile and a quick nod, the millionaire heiress strode over to the elevator, the doors shutting behind her. It wasn't like she was abandoning Achan up on the roof or anything, after all; he could always take the stairs if he was in a hurry.

 

[Scarlet Weather]

Achan could barely contain his laughter at the antics of Tacey's fanclub. They were outrageous beyond reason, and the expressions on their face as they schemed about how to exploit more junior fan club members was nearly enough to send him reeling over the edge of the hospital roof. As it was, he reasoned, it would be a considerable length of time before his sides stopped hurting. He was laughing so hard, in fact, that by the time Tacey had explained that she was about to attend to some "personal" matters Achan was too busy overcoming a sudden fit of the giggles to reflect on what those matters could be. By the time his body had stopped convulsing with periodic spasms of laughter, Tacey had already walked into the elevator and left him alone on the roof. As this sad fact dawned on him, three things came to Achan.

First, he was alone for the first time since he had woken up that morning.

Second, there was a tournament on.

Third, now was the perfect time to sneak off and playtest his new deck on a few duelists.

Smiling broadly, Achan made for the stairs. As he descended, he reached into his deckbox and proudly removed his rebuilt deck. Of course, the new banlist (which had been changed up as Achan entered Japan) was the main factor in the remaking of the deck, but he had also had an epiphany about the strategy his deck should have been employing from the beginning. Before he had wanted to hide the secondary effect of his Wandering monsters, but now he was in Japan and it was the second round of the tournament. This was the time to bring out his A-Game. And what better way to do it than to allow his monsters to live up to their full potential? Yes, this was going to be a fun afternoon, he could feel it. Besides, hadn't he entered this tournament to have fun? He had been too wrapped up in the rest of the team's crazy antics. Now was a chance to relax. After all, it wasn't like he was abandoning Tacey and Michel or anything. He'd send them e-mails with his location, and that would be that.

Just as Achan finished this train of thought, reality decided to send him a "wake-up call" in the form of a duel disk box, carelessly abandoned on the hospital stareway. When Achan stepped on the box, it caved, sending the boy headlong down the stairway. As he prayed that he wouldn't hit ground, a pair of strong arms gripped his shoulders, supporting him. Achan turned. "Judai?"

"You know him?" the Romanian duelist answered, surprised.

Achan sized up his rescuer. He was a teenager, maybe a little older than Achan but not much. His fashion sense was certainly odd- the all black clothing and the silver chain around his neck screamed "Goth", as did his pale skin, but Achan sensed that he wasn't particularly interested in punk rock or the culture of victimhood. The Kaiba-corp duel disk on his left arm was a surprise, as was the crucifix strung over the deck box on his belt. He seemed trustworthy, but Achan knew better than to trust by appearances. It was better to remain cautious. "Why do you want to know?" he asked carefully.

The stranger shook his head. "I... have a message to deliver him from my employer," he explained. "Maybe you could give it to him for me."

At the words "employer" and "Message", Achan's suspicions were aroused. Hadn't Tacey said something about a goth-looking shadow duelist earlier? Still, it wouldn't be a bad idea to find out what the guy wanted. "Shoot," he instructed calmly.

The Romanian looked confused. "Shoot? As in..." he pointed his finger and through gestures and noises imitated the firing of a pistol.

Achan shook his head and chuckled in spite of himself. "What, you've never heard that term before? What I meant was to go ahead and give me the message," he explained.

"Sorry. I just learned English a little while ago, and some of the expressions you know are lost on me," the older duelist explained, also laughing. "Alright, here's the message. Tell Judai that my employer wishes to meet him at the end of this round of the tournament at this location." He handed Achan a piece of paper. "He also says that this is a matter of life or death."

Achan accepted the scraped of paper, shoved it into his pocket, and stared at the other duelist carefully. "What is your name?" he asked.

"Nicholas," the other duelist replied as he turned to leave, only for Achan to grab his shirt. "What?" he asked indignantly.

Achan shook his head. "You're a shadow duelist, right? Then I want a duel with you. You took something from a couple of team mates of mine, and I might want it back."

Nicholas's eyebrows rose slightly in amusement. "You know about us then? Very well. I accept your challenge. Follow me." He motioned towards the roof. "It will be easier for us to play up there."

Achan stared at Nicholas's back as he followed him up. Had he just challenged a shadow duelist? And cited his motive as revenge for team mates? If he didn't know better, he could have sworn that this entire world was some kind of bizarre story written for the amusement of people who had an addiction to children's card games.

OOC: Yes, plot development, here we come! Thank you, Wandering revamps, for breaking my plot-writer's block!

 

[Alter Ego]

OOC: Bleah, now I've gone and written myself into a corner where Tacey is bound to get at least a little bit emotional. Just when I developed a writer's block about that type of situation. Figures. xP

Ah well, here goes...oh, and I'm going to do something about Manjoume's veritable disappearance off the face of the earth too. Mmmhmmm...I smell more card games. >D

IC:

"Don't say it."

"But Tacey, I wasn't about to-"

"Good, keep it that way."

Pikeru frowned in disapproval as she watched her host stride down the hospital hallway with a decidedly haughty posture, only to collapse into the nearest sofa mere moments later, panting for breath.

"Tacey..."

"I...said...don't say it!" the rich girl huffed back, annoyed as much by the weakness of her own body as the question Pikeru had just been dying to bring up. She had, she thought, done a good job at suppressing the symptoms of duel energy loss during her conversation with Achan, but were it not for her fanclub's timely intervention, she wasn't sure she could have held it much longer. Though she had loudly voiced an opinion to the contrary - well, as far as her limited grasp of Japanese would allow - the rich girl was actually relieved to find that she would have to spend at least half an hour sitting in an otherwise deserted waiting room before the doctor would be sufficiently pleased with his poking and prodding of her fanclub leader. She really did need time to recover from that last duel spirit encounter, but she'd be damned before she admitted such to any of her teammates now that she was finally starting to receive something akin to respect from them.

Not that she really cared about what they thought of her of course. It was just a matter of image.

Yes, she concluded, focusing intensely on the magazine she had picked up while continuously failing to decipher the kanji its articles were written in, just a matter of image. Things went a lot smoother when those you were forced to ally yourself didn't treat you like a helpless little child. She was just sick of that kind of condescending treatment, no more, no less. It wasn't like she was starting to bond with these people. Especially not Achan, even though they actually had a lot in common and really could have been good friends if only-

Suddenly, Tacey laid a definite stop to that train of thought, her eyes not leaving the magazine for as much as a split-second, "Nice try, Pikeru." she said flatly, "Achan isn't hearing a thing and that's final. Now get out of my head and let me read."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------​

Manjoume, meanwhile, was feeling dejected. Not only had the rich brat and her little challengers sorted out the whole ordeal without any intervention on his part (not only that; they hadn't even acknowledged him) but now everyone had gone their own way, leaving him with neither elevator nor company, and a red mark on his face from a failed attempt at catching the latter too. Even that pesky Judai hadn't had the decency to stick around, preferring to follow the second rich kid on the team, whatever his name was again. The black-blazered duelist supposed that he should have been following his partner's example, trying to take the opportunity to get better acquainted with the 'team' he was supposed to work with, but right now he just wasn't in the mood, choosing to skulk up on the roof instead, his gaze sweeping across the view of Domino City. He was ticked off, he was humiliated, and he knew that there was only one way to treat his bruised ego; a card game, but at the same time it was clear to him that an average street punk wouldn't do for an opponent. No, the great Manjoume sanda needed an opponent of his caliber; a real villain to tear down with all his dueling might. He needed a-

"Shadow duelist!"

"Precisely!" Manjoume declared, vigorously punching the air with his fist, "If only there was a shadow duelist to duel I'd-"

"Umm...boss?"

"What?!"

The yellow-colored gremlin pointed towards the staircase, from which the voices of Achan and Nicholas just barely carried out to the roof.

"It will be easier for us to play up there."

Well, wanting to face a shadow duelist was one thing, but in this case the black-blazered duelist realized that discretion was the better part of valor, quickly darting behind a conveniently placed stack of boxes to observe the newcomers. After having lost himself to the forces of darkness not once, not twice, but nearly three times he had learned enough to know that it was best to determine how the forces of evil worked before you went and faced them head on. Manjoume felt his hand clench tighter around his newly reworked deck, his eyes narrowing as they peered towards the staircase. He wouldn't be taken over and rendered helpless by the forces of darkness this time, oh on. If this was Judai - and since the other was a duelist, it most likely had to be Judai - his assistance might not be required at all, but if it was...a triumphant smirk spread across his face. Well, then hero-boy would finally get to see that Manjoume sandaa was just as good a rescuer of the day as any supreme king. No, not just as good; better, a lot better. Yes, no doubt any shadow duelist would want to neutralize him first because he obviously was the strongest. Sure, the whole supreme king jazz might have attracted attention at first, but after that he would definitely be the prime pick for-

It was then that he caught sight of the figure accompanying Nicholas, having to duck behind the crates entirely and shove a fist into his mouth to prevent the scream of indignation.

'It's not fair!'

 

[Scarlet Weather]

"So, shall we begin?" Nicholas asked calmly as he adjusted his duel disk. "I trust that you have a tournament to compete in."

"Don't you?" Achan fired back. "How else are you traveling around the world if you aren't booking transportation on Pegasus's dollar?"

Nicholas's eyes darkened suddenly as a cloud passed over the sun, casting a shadow over both duelists. "My master has many different ways to transport us," he explained, his voice completely devoid of emotion. "Now... do you care to duel?"

"Let's get on with this!" Achan shouted as the two halves of his duel disk's playing field snapped together.

There was a moment of silence, and both combatants shouted the age-old battle cry:

"Duel!"

"My turn. Draw!" Achan shouted, snatching a card up from his deck.

Achan: LP 8000
Hand: Wandering Hero, Arrival of Wanderers, Foolish Burial, Wandering Rogue, Wandering Vampire, Limit Break- Cosmos Eterna

"Let's start this off with a solid opening move: I summon Wandering Hero!" The green-caped duelist appeared on Achan's side of the field, his brown traveling clothes ripped and stained. Something was different about him, however. With a jolt, Achan realized that his hero's signature headgear had vanished and the man's face was now completely visible: A handsome young man with spiky blonde hair and green eyes. The hero nodded to Achan, as if acknowledging his presence, before drawing a sword with a rod-shaped blade from the sheath at his side and holding it to the air. Achan hastened to explain his monster's effect. "When Wandering Hero is summoned to the field, I can discard one card from my hand in order to select an equip spell card from my deck and equip it to him," he explained, before selecting a card and placing it in his graveyard slot. "In this case, I think I'll choose an equip card that I've been saving for this round of the tournament: Excalibuster, Blade of the Wandering Hero!" As Achan finished saying this, a bolt of light shot from the sky and surrounded the Hero's original weapon before transforming it into a sword with a long, thick blade that was taller then the Hero himself. In place of the usual crossguard, the blade had only a long, wooden pole that extended from it to serve as the hilt. The hero gripped his new weapon tightly, before glaring aggressively at Nicholas. "I place one card face-down and end my turn," Achan declared before staring at the Wandering Hero's new look. Guess Pegasus decided to use one of my other concept sketches to revamp the wanderers, he decided.

Achan LP: 8000
Field: Wandering Hero (2500/1500), Arrival of Wanderers, Excalibuster
Graveyard: Wandering Rogue
Hand: Wandering Vampire, Limit Break-Cosmos Eterna, Wandering Party.

Nicholas glared at Achan grimly. "My turn. Draw." he declared, his voice lacking excitement. He pondered the cards in his hand for a moment before tapping a slot on his duel disk and inserting one. "I activate the field spell Dark Sanctuary: Advanced."

The hospital roof became shrouded with darkness as the surroundings changed to an empty cathedral lined with stone pews and sputtering torches. As Achan looked up he could see that the roof of the sanctuary was adorned with images of fierce looking angels in dark clothing pointing their spears at a group of huddled duel monsters. The teenage duelist shuddered as a cold tingle crept up his spine. However, Nicholas wasn't done yet. "Next, I discard one level seven dark monster- in this case, Dark Seraph Abidos- to my graveyard," he flashed the card to Achan to verify what it was before inserting it into his graveyard slot, "In order to special summon Dark Grepher from my hand." A dark-skinned, grinning creature appeared on the shadow duelist's field, its dark leather armor echoing its owner's own garments. It laughed cruelly as it drew its sword and held it into the air, mimicking the Hero's earlier actions. "By the effect of Dark Grepher, by discarding another dark type monster from my hand, such as Dark Seraph Lancer..." Nicholas flashed this card to Achan as well before discarding it, "I can discard a Dark-Attribute monster from my deck. I choose the original Dark Seraph."

"You're leading up to something with all this, right?" Achan asked.

"Quite," Nicholas agreed. "By removing three monsters with 'Dark Seraph" in their names from my graveyard, I special summon Dark Seraph Lucio!"

Achan stared at the crackling dark electricity that congealed above his head to form the dark being. A cold, cruel smile played across the dark angel's lips as it spread unfurled its six massive wings. The creature's dark-blue skin and silver hair seemed to gleam, reflecting the dim light of the torches. "I activate the effect of Dark Sanctuary: Advanced. By tributing a Dark-attribute monster on my side of the field, I destroy one monster on your side of the field with the same or a lower level," Nicholas declared. "I tribute Dark Grepher in order to destroy Wandering Hero." Achan gasped as Dark Grepher roared in pain before transforming into a bolt of purple electricity which streaked through the air towards Wandering Hero. There was an explosion, and the Hero's massive sword flew through the air before landing point-first in the ground nearby. When the smoke cleared, however, the Hero was still visible, panting heavily as he brushed soot off of his clothing. "Explain," Nicholas ordered.

Achan treated him to a half-smile before doing just that. "It's quite simple, really. When my Wandering Hero would be destroyed, I can destroy a spell card equipped to him instead."

Nicholas remained unphased. "It doesn't matter. Dark Seraph Lucio, attack! Judgement Bolt!"

The leering Seraph raised his spear before launching it at the Hero's chest. There was a flash of lightning, an agonized scream, and it was all over. "Lucio's secondary effect now activates," Nicholas explained. "I may send one Dark-Attribute monster from my deck to the graveyard each time he attacks."

I get the bad feeling that this guy's got another monster hiding somewhere in his deck, Achan thought to himself, And it's about to come out and attack me.

"My move. Draw!" Achan announced, still shivering slightly from the dark presence of the sanctuary around him. He glanced at the card in his hand before leveling his finger at his opponent. "You'll be sorry you ever accepted my challenge!"

Achan: LP 6700
Hand: Foolish Burial, Wandering Vampire, Limit Break-Cosmos Eterna, Wandering Party, Monster Reborn
Field: Arrival of Wanderers
Graveyard: Wandering Hero, Wandering Rogue

Nicholas: LP 8000

Hand: One Card
Field: Dark Seraph Lucio (Atk 3000/Def 2500, Effect: This monster can only be special summoned by removing three monsters with "Dark Seraph" in their names in your graveyard from play. This monster inflicts Piercing Damgae. When this monster declares an attack, you may send one Dark-Attribute monster from your deck to the graveyard. During your main phase by returning one 'Dark Seraph' monster in your removed from play pile to your graveyard, you can add one Dark-Attribute monster from your deck to your hand.
Graveyard: Dark Grepher, Dark Cherubim
RFG Pile: Dark Seraph Abidos, Dark Seraph, Dark Seraph Lancer

OOC: And... this is a good place to leave you hanging. If you want to figure out what Achan's next move will be, his new decklist will be in the OOC thread post-haste.

 

[Alter Ego]

OOC: Well, with that kind of opening there's quite a wide range of beneficial plays, especially if we're postulating Harbringer in his fusion deck as well. All of them leave Nicholas quite thoroughly screwed unless he's got some kind of killer card up his sleeve. (or his new sanctuary has more neat effects to pull him back up)

That being said, I'm vaguely disappointed that he didn't realize the techy value of dropping Necro Gardna with Lucio's effect. Free one-shot protection for each time it attacks; now there's a pain in the buttocks if ever there was one. x3

Aaaanyways...I guess I'll just have to wait and see which path you decide to follow.

IC:

"Edgeworth-san? You may come in now."

There was distinct undertone of reluctance in the way Tacey looked up from her magazine, but she was quick to erase it as she gave the nurse a nod of confirmation, rising from her seat and walking towards the hospital ward. It wasn't like she disliked talking to her fanclub leader - to the contrary; he was one of the few boys she had actually grown to tolerate - but this particular situation...what was she supposed to say to him? To someone who had gambled all for her sake and lost? Thanks for the card, it was a really big help? You lost, but at least you tried your best? Who would have managed my fanclub if I had let you stay a vegetable? 'Insufficient' didn't even begin to describe those sentences, yet at the same time...the rich girl bit her lip, glancing at the card in her hand as she allowed the chatter of the nurse to wash over her ears like the drone of a distant ocean. Katsuro...he'd want her to stay and tend to her scattered fans, no doubt load her schedule with so many local and immeasurably important PR events that would shackle her to Domino City for months. He'd always been protective like that, no doubt because he - with his frail, sickly body - had so little chance to do so otherwise.

"I'll leave you two alone." the nurse said, giving her a little wink, "Just try to keep it brief; he still needs plenty of rest."

Tacey nodded absently, her glance traveling to the sleeping boy on the hospital bed in front of her, surrounded by the austere, white walls of the hospital ward. Just as she reached out her hand to stir him awake, however, something held her back. There was an air of peace about the boy's features now, the thin mouth curled up into a faint smile, his scrawny chest heaving slowly up and down. He seemed so...unbothered, tranquil, even, as if the horror of the parasite demons had been nothing but an unpleasant nightmare long since passed. Looking at the sleeping figure, Tacey couldn't help feeling a sting of envy at how carefree he seemed to be. In a few weeks' time he'd have the fan club back on its feet, managing the day-to-day business like usual, lost in his mundane little world, and this disturbing little episode would soon fade into memory, nothing more than one of the many fantastic exploits of Tacey Juliet Edgeworth. She, on the other hand, was still a prime target for every card-playing loony out there, and more crucially; so was anyone in her immediate vicinity. Her face paled slightly at the memory of the two shadow actors, the faces of Katsuro and her other fan club members imposing themselves above those of Kenta and Armstrong.

That was right...they weren't safe, not for as long as this tournament lasted, not for as long as any of this silliness lasted. This attack had been parried, but there would be more; and next time...she grit her teeth, next time she might not be so lucky. Like it or not, she couldn't go back to being just a pro duelist, she couldn't go back to her fans yet, but neither could she explain...not in a way that would make them understand, not before something horrible and irreversible happened to them as well.

"I'm sorry..." the rich girl said at last, her voice barely audible as she reached out her hand again, placing the spell card in Katsuro's hand, gently closing his fingers around it, "...you can't help me through this one."

The boy stirred slightly from his slumber, but by the time his eyes opened, he found himself facing a deserted hospital ward, a card he did not recall seeing clutched in his hand.


OOC: Such a 'meh' post, but what's done is done. On to the duel, then! I'd have done a Manjoume side too, but I realized that it would basically be 'Manjoume continued watching', which would be sort of...pointless. xP

 

[Scarlet Weather]

"I hope you like it hot," Achan grinned, "Because I'm about to burn you!"

Nicholas stared at Achan as if he had just fallen from the sky. "Did that mean anything in English that I'm not aware of?" he asked.

"Er..." Achan shook his head. "Nevermind, I was never very good at comebacks anyway. Alright, I'll start things off with a spell: Foolish Burial!" Sliding the spell into his duel disk, Achan watched as a hole opened on the field. "This spell allows me to search my deck for a monster and drop it straight to the graveyard," Achan explained, "So I'll be sending... this one! Wandering Dragon Muthaba!" He flashed the card's image to his opponent before slipping it into his graveyard slot. The hole created by Achan's spell card depicted a giant image of his card descending into it before vanishing. Achan smirked. "Hey, Nicholas, this deck of yours relies on its graveyard, right?" he asked. "You drop monsters and junk into it and then remove them to fuel your big monsters. Well, my Wandering monsters have their own nifty little graveyard trick. Now it's time for me to play a little game with your monster: I activate Monster Reborn! Wandering Dragon Muthaba, return to the field!"

A brilliant light shot from the ground, causing the entire sanctuary to tremble. Nicholas stepped back in surprise as a gigantic dragon burst from the ground. Its black scales and massive wings caused the entire arena to tremble as it swooped into the air, roaring angrily at Lucio, who only grinned in response. Angered, the dragon flew to its position on Achan's field, where it landed before roaring one last challenge. In the dim light of the sanctuary, its long horns reflected what light there was, intensifying it. Nicholas stared at the monster. "Is this your ace card?"

Achan nodded. "If by 'ace card', you mean my strongest monster, then yes. This big guy can blast the entire field into cinders if you give him enough fuel," he boasted.

Nicholas shook his head. "You can't possibly intend to attack my Seraph," he replied. "And if his effect were activated by a discard or life-point cost, you would have done so by now. Therefore, I must conclude that the 'fuel' you speak of is a monster on the field. Unless you intend to summon a monster, all you can accomplish is leaving your field open to an attack next turn."

"Yeah, you think you're so smart just 'cuz you figured out Muthaba's effect," Achan countered, "But that's not all I can do!" Unfortunately, I can't summon another monster this turn, Achan thought to himself, while still trying to maintain his cocky exterior. That means I can't take advantage of Muthaba's special ability. If I had his limit break in my hand, I could clear the field and attack directly, but the best I can do right now is a suicide attack. He grimaced slightly before looking at his hand. A smile filled his face as he grinned fiendishly. Unless... "I tribute Wandering Dragon Muthaba in order to summon a monster!" he announced.

Nicholas stared at him. "You're tributing away your ace monster?"

"Yes and no," Achan replied. "Let's just say that this is the economy version. I summon Wandering Vampire!"

The Dragon suddenly reared up on its haunches, as if it had been bitten by some sort of insect. It staggered back and forth as black liquid slowly dripped from its body. With a sudden shudder, the monster exploded, leaving a thin, blue creature with red eyes standing in its place. Suddenly, the creature screeched and two wings which were exact replicas of Muthaba's burst from its back while its head transformed to match the tributed dragon's. The vampire laughed as its hands transformed into a pair of claws before adopting a combative stance against the powerful Lucio. The seraph looked down and- to Achan's surprise- rolled its eyes. He hadn't realized that the holograms were so detailed as to allow for bursts of emotion like that. Nicholas stared at the vampire as well, his eyes narrowed. "You tribute your ace card away for a monster with fewer attack points? I am deeply dissapointed, Achan Smith. You seem to have forfeited the duel right from the get-go."

Achan smirked again. "Wrong answer. See, my Wandering monsters have a second ability. By removing a Wandering monster in my graveyard from play, I can search my deck for a specific 'Limit Break' spell and add it to my hand. In this case, I'll be removing Muthaba in my graveyard to search my deck for 'Limit Break- Mega Flare and add it to my hand!" The graveyard gleamed as Achan selected a spell card from his deck and added it to his hand. "And now for the finisher!" he declared, pointing at Nicholas. "I'll activate the spell I just searched for! Limit Break- Mega Flare will destroy all monsters on your side of the field as long as Muthaba is on my side of the field! Go, Wandering Dragon Muthaba!" The vampire began to glow with a strange red aura before suddenly kicking off the ground and soaring high into the air while a sudden windstorm formed around him. With a roar, the vampire suddenly broke from the whirlwind and charged towards Lucio before halting and collecting a mass of red energy into its mouth. Then, with a roar, it realeased the blast and completely obliterated the seraph, reducing him to nothing but pixels.

Nicholas seemed slightly surprised. "I must not have heard you right. That spell is Muthaba-specific. I read the card text. You can't activate it without your monster being on the field."

Achan shook his head again. "Close but no cigar, pal- and yes, that was another English expression. My Wandering Vampire has the ability to copy the name and abilities of any Wandering monster I tribute for it. That means that it can use any Limit Break designed for the Wanderer I dropped for it."

"Interesting," Nicholas responded. "Now will you end your turn?"

"Not on your life," Achan shot back. "Wandering Vampire, direct attack! Chaos Fang!" With a screech of delight, the Vampire shredded through Nicholas's defenses, causing the shadow duelist to stagger backwards as his life point meter dropped. "Yeah! How do you like that?" Achan challenged, his confidence bolstered.

"It doesn't hurt a bit..." Nicholas murmured softly as he took up position. "My turn. Draw!"

Nicholas: LP 5800
Hand: Two cards
Field: Advanced Dark Sanctuary (s)
Graveyard: Dark Seraph Lucio, Dark Grepher, Dark Cherubim
RFG Pile: Dark Seraph Abidos, Dark Seraph Lancer, Dark Seraph

"I activate the effect of Dark Cherubim," Nicholas annouced. "While it is in the graveyard, once per turn I can special summon one Dark Seraph monster in my graveyard. The monster I summon cannot attack, and if it is still on the field during my end phase I receive direct damage equal to its original attack points. I special summon Dark Seraph Lucio!" Achan watched in horror as a giant flame burst from the ground of the Sanctuary, followed by a gigantic seraphic creature suddenly bursting from beneath the floor. Lucio laughed haughtily and shook his spear at the vampire as if to say "you thought you had me, didn't you."

Okay, remain calm, Achan mused. Since he can't attack with that thing, he's probably intending to use it as a tribute for his Sanctuary's effect. Then he'll attack me with his normal summon for the turn. It's okay, though, I can take the damage. Next turn I'll probably draw into a monster, and if I don't I can dig for one with Wandering Party. I'll just bolster my hand size by removing Hero and Rogue from play, then discard their limit breaks to search for Wanderers. A perfect strategy. Nevertheless, he still felt a growing sense of dread.

"I know what you're thinking," Nicholas said suddenly.

"What?" Achan replied.

"You think I'm going to tribute Lucio to destroy your Vampire, correct?" Nicholas inquired. Achan gulped, and the shadow duelist smiled fiendishly. "No, I have something much, much better in mind. You see, my Advanced Dark Sanctuary has another effect. When I tribute an ordinary dark-attribute monster for its effect, it is true that all I get in return is the destruction of an opponent's monster. But when I tribute a Dark Seraph monster, I am allowed to search my deck for any monster with a level equal to or less than the tributed monster's and special summon it to the field. Now, watch, Achan! I tribute my Dark Seraph Lucio in order to destroy your vampire..." As he spoke, the monster in question transformed into a pearl of light before flying high into the air and streaking down towards Achan's vampire, who immediately guarded himself with his wings. There was a crash, and the vampire was completely gone. Achan stared blankly at his now nearly-empty field before Nicholas continued. "I now add a dark monster from my deck to my hand... and this is it." He flashed a picture of a card to Achan, who could tell that the monster's level was definitely about the same as Lucio's. "Now, it is time! I special summon my monster to the field: since I have exactly three Dark monsters in my graveyard, I summon Dark Armed Dragon!"

Achan gaped in amazement as a gigantic dragon suddenly exploded onto the scene. Literally exploded, as clouds of smoke filled the Sanctuary. Achan stared, open-mouthed, at the massive dragon. It reminded him of the original monster it was meant to convey, though it seemed to have been dyed... well, black. Under ordinary circumstances Achan might have made a joke about Nicholas's deck being full of emo monsters, but under the circumstances it seemed like that wouldn't be appropriate. Instead, he stared in horror at the new beast while Nicholas continued his turn. "I now remove one dark-attribute monster in my graveyard from play, allowing me to destroy one card on the field. I choose your face-down card." Achan gulped as a burst of shrapnel shot from the massive dragon's back, shredding his face-down card. Not that it would have done him any good- but it sent a message to him: the game from here on out was pointless. No monster in his deck could compete with that thing on its own, and it could blow away any face-downs he tried to set as long as Nicholas kept a steady supply of dark monsters flowing to his graveyard. The game may as well have been over at that point. However, Nicholas wasn't about to let Achan simply stand there considering this. With an imperious wave of his finger, he gave the order. "Dark Armed Dragon, attack! Black Genocide!" Achan shouted as if in pain as a burst of black energy washed over him. He knew that this was all holographic, but somehow looking around him and feeling the atmosphere of the sanctuary, he felt almost as if something more was going on.

"I set one card. Your move," Nicholas announced.

Achan hung his head dejectedly. Then it was over. He had failed. There was no way he could win the duel from this point on. Slowly, he began to reach for his deck to signal a surrender.

Idiot.

The sound seemed to come from his deck box. Achan stared in astonishment as the small carrying case began to glow a warm, yellow color. Idiot, the voice- yet not-voice, Achan could tell that it wasn't making actual noise, but heard it all the same- repeated. You have no will to dominate your opponent? Then why enter the battle at all? You have no fighting spirit to speak of, no warrior's heart. If you hadn't been the only person around to avenge the injury of my partner at this foul Daemon's hands, I should have left you by the wayside.

"I don't understand... your partner? What?" Achan asked, puzzled.

Nicholas looked annoyed. "Boy... who are you speaking to?" he growled, his gaze suddenly becoming venomous.

The glow began taking form. Achan gasped in astonishment as the giant figure of Dominance battalion filled the room. "You... you're a spirit?"

Correct, fool, the behemoth replied. It is fortunate that we finally meet in the confines of this sanctuary. While ordinarily stifling to duel spirit, it heightens the senses of those unable to naturally see us. Do you understand this?

"Er... I suppose," Achan replied, "But why choose now to show yourself?"

Because you have proved yourself a fool and coward! You have no courage, no dominating power as my partner did! I cannot trust you, I see. So I must finish this duel myself! The spirit growled, and Achan staggered as a burst of golden light shot from his own chest, connecting him with the spirit.

Nicholas glared. "Achan. Do not let this demon possess you! Hold until I assist you!" Quickly, he reached for something in his pocket.

Do not bother, murderer! the monster cried, eyes blazing. I shall deal with you presently. As for you, fool, do not worry. I am merely borrowing enough of your meager duel energy to cause you to lose consciousness so I can settle these affairs for you. I will fight in your place, since you have not enough courage to complete this battle, coward!

Suddenly, Achan snapped. "What did you say?" he growled. He stared at the cord of duel energy. This stuff was his will to survive, right? So if this guy really wanted to take it... on a sudden impulse, Achan grabbed the cord and yanked. The duel spirit was astonished, and stumbled backward a few paces as a portion of the energy he was absorbing was removed. Idiot... what are you doing?

"I'm taking matters into my own hands!" Achan announced. "Okay, I get the point, I can't give up yet. But I sure as heck ain't gonna let a tin soldier like you finish my battles for me!"

Fool! You can't begin to understand warfare! The spirit challenged. For years I've been fighting alongside my partner while you stayed at home and played on your daddy's lap!

"Isn't this a children's card game?" Achan challenged. "Then who better to play than a child. He tugged again, suceeding in gaining some ground. "Now leave me alone, will ya? I have a duel to finish! We can talk more about your vendettas then!"

The spirit drew its sword angrily. By the gods, I shall- then stopped and broke into laughter. Achan jumped slightly in surprise as it released the energy it had been absorbing, which flowed back into Achan's system. So, it seems this little fool has some courage after all. Well then, maybe I'll just see if you can prove these claims. I shall be watching. It took up a stance at Achan's side.

Achan smirked at the spirit. Now that the intial panic was over with, he felt that maybe he could trust him. "Yeah, well, don't expect me to let you into my deck, tin can," he taunted. "I'll show you just how good I am without your help."

Hmmph! A fool's empty words, the Battalion replied.

Suddenly, Nicholas's voice rang out. "Die, demon!"

The spirit was suddenly launched to the roof of a cathedral as a large, glowing crucifix shot from the floor beneath it. The monster was immediately pinned to the ceiling, gasping for breath. Fool, look out! it called to Achan.

Achan whirled to his opponent, only to see Nicholas holding a necklace of dark beads which seemed to be glowing as he chanted something over and over again in a language Achan could not understand. "Nicholas, don't!" he shouted.

Too late.

Achan watched in horror as the card which represented Dominance Battalion flew from his deck box into the center of the crucifix, where it remained pinned. Shocked, Achan looked at his opponent's hands, which were now cradling a purple fireball. Before he could protest any further, the orb had been launched at the card, which immediately exploded into flame. The spirit itself looked at Achan before muttering a last, Avenge me, fool... the burst into thousands of blobs of golden light. Achan assumed they were specks of duel energy. One of them passed quite close to his duel disk before vanishing. The rest simply floated away. All was quiet in the sanctuary.

"Do not worry. The demon has been vanquished. Now that you have recovered, we can continue our duel," Nicholas announced.

"Killer." Achan replied, staring at his opponent open-mouthed. "Killer. You idiot. He wasn't trying to possess me or anything. He just wanted to stop me from giving up. You..." he searched his brain for a suitable word, and found none, so instead spat on the ground. "You make me sick to my stomach. You... you killed him. He's gone. I knew him for ten seconds. Ten frickin' seconds. And he was really kind of a nice guy. You had no reason..." he clenched his fist. "I'm gonna beat you so bad." He placed his fingers on his next card, aware that this draw would decide the entire duel. "My turn! Draw!" he announced.

It was interesting. He felt suddenly alert, active, like a soldier about to enter battle. It was as if all his tenseness and excitement about dueling was channeled into this single action. And the cards, when he touched them, felt as if they were excited as well. As if somehow, they were feeling the same sensations of anger and the same desire for victory that he was. It was like they were soldiers together in some sort of army, and he was a general, prepared to order them into combat. And without thinking, he gave the order before pulling the card from his deck.

Achan's jaw dropped. It had obeyed.

But only for a moment. "I'll start things off by shaking up my graveyard! First, I remove Wandering Hero in the graveyard from play to add one Limit Break- Omnislash from my deck to my hand!" There was a flash as Achan completed this action. "Next, I remove the Wandering Rogue I discarded earlier from my graveyard to my hand!" A second flash, followed by another rifling through Achan's deck. "And finally, I remove Wandering Vampire in my graveyard from play in order to add one Limit Break- Mimic from my deck to my hand!" With this action completed, Achan shuffled his deck one final time and grinned cheekily at Nicholas. "Now, what do you suppose I'm leading up to, hmm?"

"I haven't the foggiest idea," Nicholas replied nonchanlantly. "Are you planning to destroy everything on my field with Snipe hunter?"

Achan stared for a moment. "That's... a great idea, actually. But I don't have that card. No, What I do have is... this!" He proudly displayed his spell card. "I activate Dimension Fusion! I pay 2000 life points, and both of us special summon all of our removed-from-play monsters!" There was a flash of light, and suddenly, all of Achan's monsters were standing beside him, the Hero smiling cockily as Achan discarded an card to equip his Excalibuster to him while the vampire, now devoid of his wings, strutted about brandishing his scimitar while laughing evilly. The Rogue, sent from Achan's hand to the graveyard, blinked at her strange surroundings for a moment before returning her gaze to the battle at hand. But most importantly, Muthaba hovered above the arena looking as smug as possible while he folded his wings over Achan, as if offering him shelter. Seeing his monsters around him comforted Achan immensely. He couldn't have felt prouder of them. They had all been destroyed, and here they were again, ready to fight for their master.

"You forget, Achan," Nicholas countered. "I, too, have monsters removed from the game. Come forth, Dark Seraph Lancer, Dark Seraph, Dark Seraph Abidos, Dark Seraph Lucio!" With a flurry of dark feathers, four dark angels stood on Nicholas's field, one of them toting a pair of lances, the others armed with a long spear. He shook his head. "For all your talk of defeating me, you seem to have done no good. Reveal trap card, Cloister!" A dark curtain suddenly descended over Nicholas's monsters, hiding them from view. "This card can only be activated while I control a Dark Sanctuary or Advanced Dark Sanctuary," Nicholas explained. "For the remainder of this turn, my dark-attribute monsters cannot be destroyed in battle, nor can you target them with card effects. For all your bold words, this battle shall be mine."

"I see... can't target them, eh..." Achan mused. "Well, in that case..." he grinned slightly. "I'll just have to destroy them all at once! Limit Break-Mimic, go!" The card suddenly appeared on Achan's field. "I activate the effect of Mimic," he explained, "I pay half my life points while Wandering Vampire is on my side of the field, then I select any Limit Break in my graveyard, and activate its effect. I activate the effect of Limit Break- Mega Flare! Go, vampire! Clone Mega Flare!" The Vampire grinned evilly as a red aura surrounded it. Suddenly, it leaped into the sky before aiming a beam of energy collected in his hands at the monsters gathered on Nicholas's side of the field. With a savage hiss, he fired the beam which first cut through the wall dividing the monsters before reducing the creatures behind it to pixellated dust. Achan smirked. "I believe that this is the end, no?"

Nicholas stared in horror as Achan gave the order. "Attack directly!"

The Wandering monsters charged almost immediately, and Nicholas was enveloped by a blast of white light as their attacks converged, causing a stereotypically massive burst of energy. With a groan of pain the shadow duelist fell to the ground just as his cathedral burst into thousands of pieces and crumbled around him, releasing both duelists into the sunlight. Achan breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly, he realized that he was surrounded by his monsters, all of whom were smiling at him, as if to encourage him to continue. Then they too vanished. Achan walked over to the collapsed shadow duelist and grabbed him by the shoulder. "Stand up!" he barked, shaking his captive roughly. "Stand up and- oof!" Achan careened backward as Nicholas suddenly lashed out. Without pausing, Nicholas suddenly ran for the edge of the roof, and without a moment's hesitation, leaped. Achan thought about pursuing him, but decided not to. At the moment, he felt rather... sleepy. With a sudden twitch, he fell to the ground, flat on his back, as he stared at the sky. Of course. He'd pulled two all nighters, and now all this excitement with this idiot... he needed the sleep. He closed his eyes.

For a moment, he could have sworn he heard a voice saying You fool...

Then he slept.

OOC: Okay, feel free to skip time in your post or whatever, it doesn't matter. You can have Manjyome slap Achan awake, or take him down to a hospital bed and have him wake up their. PHEW! Well, that's done, and I got some of that weird Dominance Battalion sub-plot out of the way.

 

[Alter Ego]

OOC: Woo-hoo! Epic face-off! I'll confess that that certainly beat the resolution moves I came up with. xD

Aaanyhow...I think I'm shooting for a time jump type thing...sort of. :3 Oh, and I finally figured out what kind of deck I want Manjoume to use. Bet'cha can't guess what it is. xD

IC:

"He did what?!"

The voice was loud and indignant as it resounded through the hospital ward, anger and concern conducting their own, personal battle between the syllables, punctuated by the disappointingly soft thumps of Tacey's footsteps as she paced back and forth across the floor in sheer agitation. Oh, how she wished that she had her shoes from the American rounds right now. They created such an inherently satisfying clacking noise when you stomped with them, these, on the other hand, merely created an indefinite thumping sound, weak, uncertain, almost frightened, and these weren't really words she liked to associate with anything connected to herself right now.

"The fool!" she shrieked indignantly, lunging at the blissfully sleeping form of Achan, currently tucked in beneath sheets in one of the many hospital beds, a cheerfully beeping little machine at the side reassuring everyone that, despite how it looked, things were in order. Like earlier, however, Manjoume was quick to intercept the flustered girl, keeping her from throttling her unconscious teammate, "The complete and utter fool!" Tacey insisted, feebly flailing her captive hands, "I leave him for five minutes and he goes and gets himself entangled in a shadow game! Doesn't he have any sense in his head?! Doesn't he have any sense at all?! Why do you boys always have to be such-!"

"Cut it out." the black-blazered duelist interjected harshly, even as his face was slightly paler than usual, "I said cut it out! You're not helping matters."

"Not helping?!" Tacey retorted, her voice jumping up another octave, "NOT HELPING?! You're the one who's not helping! You're the one who didn't help! You were there and you didn't do anything to-!"

"Both of you stop!"

The authoritative voice of the attending doctor silenced both of them, his stern, dark brown eyes fixing their gaze on the duo from behind the thick, bottle glasses, "This is a house of the ill and recovering and regardless of your social standing" this remark seemed aimed at Tacey, the rich girl glaring defiantly at the floor, "I expect you to conduct yourself with proper manners." he shook his head, "This young man is in no danger, but he needs plenty of piece and quiet for his body to recover. Now, with all due respect, I expect that all of us give him just that, and when he does wake up, tell him to stop abusing neurostimulants in such a reckless manner. The sheer amount of caffeine in his system is a health concern all of its own."

Not waiting for an answer, the doctor then proceeded to usher both duelists out of the room, shutting the door behind them tightly and exchanging a few quick words with a nearby nurse before heading down a hallway, soon disappearing from view.

"This is still your fault." Tacey insisted through gritted teeth after they had regrouped in a nearby waiting room, "You should have stopped it. You should have done something! Because of you, that idiot is going to be unconscious for goodness knows how long! What are you going to do about that, huh?!"

"Nothing." Manjoume replied flatly, "You heard what the doctor said; all we can do is wait."

"No, it's not."

The innocent, childlike interjection briefly broke up the argument, Manjoume and Tacey alike turning their glances to the spirit of Miseres who had materialized in the air above them, the spirit herself already seeming to have forgotten all about it, staring in utter fascination at an advertisement poster bearing the legend "Duel Insurance - Because nothing heals pain quite like money".

"What did you say?" the rich girl inquired.

"No, it's not." Miseres repeated dutifully, tilting her head as she noticed how both the others seemed to be expecting elaboration, "You can rekindle duel energy if you want to." she continued matter-of-factly, as if this was the most obvious thing in the world, "Everyone knows that."

"I do-" Tacey began, but then she caught herself, "Miseres, how can you rekindle duel energy?"

"By dueling, of course." the spirit replied, sounding honestly surprised that the girl didn't know this already, "You see, duel energy is like this biiiig fire inside of you." she spread her spritely arms wide to emphasize her statement, "And it's nice and bright and makes you feel all warm inside. But if you're low on energy, it gets all cold and dark and stuff, because the fire is tiny like this." she brought her right thumb and index finger closer together, peering intently at the gap between them, "It doesn't warm enough, see? That's sort of how it felt when he left me too." she shuddered at the memory, "Just really cold. But then you came." she beamed at the rich girl, "And your fire was so nice, and big, and warm, and bright, that just being near it warmed me too, see?"

"I...think so." Tacey replied uncertainly, trying to come to terms with the rather awkward metaphor, "So...you're saying that all I have to do is play a card game and Achan will wake up?"

"It's not that easy." Miseres replied, "You'd need lots and lots of energy because he's got so little himself, you see? So you'd really have to play with everything you've got, and the other person would have to have lots and lots of duel energy too. Like when you dueled on the roof."

"I see." Tacey replied, her voice thoughtful before she turned her glance to Manjoume.

"You're kidding." the black-blazered duelist countered, guessing her intent, "You want to duel me, just because of something that spirit said? We're on the same team, remember?" he shook his head, "No matter what the outcome, rules say we will take a loss because of this."

"But we will also have three wins." Tacey retorted, brandishing her duel disc and already reaching for her deck, her gaze cold. She hated this boy, yes, on a level she even feared him, but right now none of that really mattered, "You owe me this duel, Manjoume." she said, "Or would you prefer that I go find Judai and tell him what happened just now?"

"Always with the threats, isn't it, Edgeworth?" Manjoume growled, hesitation clearly evident on his face, but eventually he seemed to reach a decision, pulling out a deck from the folds of his own outfit, a cocky smile appearing on his face, "Alright, then." he replied at last, "I guess it's time I reminded everyone why Manjoume sanda is a name to be feared. Besides..." he scoffed, "Someone needs to put you in your place."

"Right back at you." Tacey replied, "Rooftop again?"

"Why not?" her opponent-to-be replied, "It seems like that's the only thing they use it for here, anyway."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------​

The wind seemed to have gotten bored with the proceedings on top of Domino City hospital, having already faded to a faint breeze as the duo stepped out onto the rooftop once more, this time on opposite sides, a lazy, half-hearted gust sweeping the concrete beneath them as the age-old cry rang out once more:

"Duel!"

Duelist: Tacey
Life Points: 8000
Hand: Royal Magical Library, Royal Legacy, Monster Reborn, Dark Red Enchanter, Royal Sharpshooter

"My lead." Manjoume stated, drawing his card and briefly consulting his hand, a thin smile on his face as he settled on a card and slapped it down into a vacant card slot, "I play Spirit Reaper in Attack Position."

At his command, a skeletal figure in a purple robe materialized on the field, its red eyes glowing malevolently as it gripped the scythe in its yellowed bone hands.

"Then." Manjoume continued, "I set a card and end my turn."

Tacey frowned at what she found to be a decidedly lame opening move, "My draw."

Duelist: Tacey
Life Points: 8000
Hand: Royal Magical Library, Royal Legacy, Monster Reborn, Dark Red Enchanter, Royal Sharpshooter, Soul Exchange

Duelist: Manjoume "Sanda"
Life Points: 8000
Hand: 4 cards
Field: Spirit Reaper (300/200), 1 Spell or Trap

Well, wasn't that just grand? Tacey cast a glance at her rather dismal opening hand. Puns aside, the sharpshooter was her best shot at dealing damage, but without the backing of her court card it would not be able to capitalize on the one thing it did best: direct attacks. More crucially, Manjoume's field was screaming 'set-up'. She might have been prepared to apply a number of unsavory terms to the older duelist, but he was no amateur at this. That face-down, whatever it was, must surely have depended on an opposing attack. Otherwise, what would be the point of inviting damage with such a frail lead? But on the other hand, the rich girl reasoned, sitting back and just waiting for favorable draws would defeat the point of this duel. Yes, that was right, like it or not the point of this duel wasn't who won or lost; it was to push both duelists to their extremes, and to do that, their decks needed to pan out. Her resolve strengthened by this reasoning, the rich girl came to a decision of her own:

"I summon Royal Sharpshooter."

Accompanied by a blur of motion, a male figure whose features were obscured by a hooded, dark forest green cloak materialized on the field. His tunic and trousers, as far as they could be seen, were a dull, dark brown color, the skin on his arms and face tanned and dirtied, a black and white royal insignia emblazoned on the clasp of the cloak the only conclusive proof of his loyalty. Despite the rather rough exterior, the sharpshooter held a certain inherent grace as he observed the field from beneath his hood, raising a longbow nearly as tall as himself with one hand while the other tentatively fingered the arrows in his quiver, as if anticipating the command that followed.

"Sharpshooter, attack Spirit Reaper!"

With a deft hand movement, the warrior plucked out an arrow, twirling it around and fitting it onto the bowstring, which he pulled back in perfect concentration before unleashing the projectile at his target.

"Reveal face-down, Magical Hats!"

Manjoume's smirk was confident as ever as he elaborated, "By this effect, I turn one monster on my field face-down." he nodded towards his Spirit Reaper, the hologram soon getting replaced by the image of a giant card back upon which a disproportionately large, black cylinder hat with a yellow question mark embroided on it rested, "Next..." the black-blazered duelist continued, thumbing through his deck, "I select two spell or trap cards and treat them as face-down monsters for this Battle Phase." at his words, two more card backs with hats upon them appeared on the field, the three images swapping places rapidly "Finally, the cards are shuffled so neither of us know where the real Reaper is. Still care to continue your attack, Edgeworth?"

"It's pointless." the millionaire heiress retorted, "One is invincible against attacks and the rest will be destroyed anyway."

"Quite." Manjoume concurred as the hats vanished and two of the card backs exploded into a shower of pixels, "And that..." his smile widened, "...was what I was aiming at. Activate, Ojamagic!"

He briefly nodded at the cards in his graveyard before reaching for his deck once more, "Whenever Ojamagic is sent to my graveyard, I can add one each of Ojama Black, Ojama Green, and Ojama Yellow from my deck to my hand, and I just ditched two copies." Manjoume's satisfaction was practically tangible as he shuffled his refurbished hand.

"And that's your big plan?" Tacey asked, doing her best to mask her confusion with scorn, "Assembling a handful of Ojamas?" she scowled, "I'm warning you; if you're trying to pull some kind Ojamanjoume shenanigans here I won't forgive you! I want a real duel, Manjoume; not any of your cheap 'entertainment' acts. I set one card and end my turn."

"Oh, don't you worry." Manjoume replied as he took his draw, "Manjoume Sanda never throws a duel. Just you wait..." he gave his best attempt at an evil smirk, "You'll realize soon enough. In fact..." he glanced at the card he had just drawn, "I think you'll realize sooner than you'd like."


OOC: Wheee! Duel time! ^0^ I've been waiting for an opportunity to stage this one for a while now. Oh, and about Miseres' explanation...I'll leave it up to you to decide whether it's complete hogwash or not. (Heck, it would be pretty funny to have him wake up and wander over mid-duel, actually xD.) But I thought 'hey, this is a world where card games solve all problems, so why not?'. xD

 

[Phanima]

OOC: Who woulda thought that the one night I get off to post is when Tacey get's herself into a duel? >< Anyway, sorry about this, but I'm cutting in!

IC: After reaching the small crowd of pedestrians that had lined the pathway surrounding the two duellists, Michel was finally able to get the chance to identify who they were, since one of their voices seemed annoyingly familiar. Working his way through the waves of people, he finally managed to spot a clearing through some of the crowd's heads and peered through, his face immediately turning to disgust as he recognised not one, but both duellists, who had so haphazardly engaged out in the open.

How stupid could he be? Admittedly, he wasn't so inclined to call his arch nemesis an idiot, he was far from one, but the sheer lack of shame in walking around in public with a haircut like that didn't help persuade him otherwise. But then again, Dogolas had always been shameless, he did what he wanted, when he wanted, that was the difference between them. Deciding he had spent enough time scrutunising his rival, he turned his attention to the next duellist, but before he could comprehend the other's presence, the crowd shifted, forcing him to fall back as more room was made for the two. competitors, who after several minutes of trash talk finally drew their cards.

He had an inkling to stay behind and watch, but what good was spectating when he already knew the outcome? It was obvious, up against Gregorovitch who was actually trying, Dogolas would lose without question, added to the fact that getting his revenge for losing in the first round was more than enough of an incentive. The amount of time it would take for the result to become apparant however, was the only thing in question.

Heaving a sigh, the business teen pulled back and started heading along the sidewalk once again. He had to find a duellist with a map card, or more if he was lucky, then he could haggle a wager with the unfortunate sap and take everything in one go, that was the best case scenario. Then, as if written out for plot development purposes, his thoughts were answered by the arrival of another teenager; a young girl who also wielded a Duel Disk.

"So this is where you got to, heh, no wonder he made us spread out."

The girl looked straight into his eyes as she greeted him, a devilish smile playing on her lips. Something about her annoyed him, even more so than usual people did. But not to be intimidated, he stopped in his tracks to face the girl head on. Seeing her up close, he found her to be surprisingly attractive but putting his instictive thoughts aside, he prepared to question the stranger about who she was and what she wanted with him.

"The name's Chelsea," she suddenly cheered, as if predicting his thoughts, "I'm here to duel you Michel."

So she knew who he was, he supposed it couldn't be helped considering his name's constant coverage in the media, but there was something else about her that put him off. It was obvious she wasn't some random duellist looking for a fight, no, it was much more than that. Looking into her eyes he could tell, she was determined to fight him. The most logical explanation was that she was working for Dogolas and he would've gone with that suspicion if it weren't for what she said next.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you," she piped, her smile growing even wider, "if you're thinking Dogolas sent me, you're wrong, as a matter of fact, I'll be taking him down once I finish beating you, unless of course your friend beats him first."

There weren't a lot of things that surprised him but this girl was something else. Her ability to rub him the wrong way was really starting to piss him off, she seemed to know everything about him; his rivalry with Dogolas, him sending Gregorovitch to intercept him and the fact that she kept reading his mind. The only thing he knew about her was that she was working for someone and that he wasn't her only target. Finding out who she was and who hired her would undoubtedly satisfy his curiousity, but he reasoned that involving himself with unecessary individuals would only hinder him. Deciding on that thought, he closed his eyes and gave her a light smile.

"You'll have to excuse me, despite how enticing your challenge sounds, I have more important matters to attend to."

"Heh, I thought that this would happen, she did warn me you were stubborn," the girl smiled, shaking her head, "but straight to business then! How about this..."

So it was certain, she was working for someone.

"You're looking for these map pieces for the tournament, right?" she continued, pulling out the cards from her pocket before waving them in front of his face. "If you beat me, I'll give you all three of them, okay?"

He looked up, her proposition had caught his attention. Pushing his luck, he added, "When I defeat you, you'll tell me who hired you as well."

At this, the short-haired brunette frowned, giving him a hard stare in response to his request, before replying, "I guess it can't be helped, if those are your demands, I'll just have to accept them. But! I have some conditions of my own too.."

"Go ahead, the result is all that matters."

"Great! I'm glad you feel that way," she started, her initial enthusiastic tone returning, "so first, you'll need to use this..."

The teen stepped back as his opponent threw something into his arms. Grabbing the device, he looked down to find that she had presented him with another Duel Disk. Figuring her motive for such an action involved staying off the rankings, he wonder if the only thing she was afraid of was being tracked or if was there something else she had yet to reveal. Regardless, the duel had now become unofficial, voiding the current ban list and dismissing the tournament's rules and regulations. If this girl was really serious about duelling him, he had to be on guard, he was playing by her rules now.

"It's a custom made Duel Disk that I received from my employer, quite innovative if I do say so myself," the girl continued as she administered her own version onto her own arm, "and just so you know, it's been outfitted with an internal camera to record our duel, so try to put up a decent fight, okay?"

"That shouldn't be a problem...anything else?"

"Actually, there is...but I'll let you find that out for yourself, it'll be more fun that way! But anyway, let's get this thing started, I'll go first!"

Duellist: Chelsea
Life Points: 8000
Hand: 5

"Drawing!" she cheered as she drew a sixth card from her deck and added it to her hand before looking over her options with a determined expression. "Oh, this looks good, alright, I'll start by placing two cards face down and summon this..."

In quick succession the girl laid three cards onto her modified Duel Disk, one on top with its face up and the other two face down in their allocated slots. As she did so, three corresponding holograms burst into life before her, two of them taking the form of a Duel Monsters' card lying face down on the ground, while the other took the shape of a rugged, bleach-haired man fitted out with medieval armour and dual swords.

"Marauding Captain!" she announced happily, waving at the newly summoned monster who looked back indifferently. "And since I Normal Summoned him, I can bring out another little friend to help me out, presenting...Milus Radiant!"

Pulling a fourth card from her hand, she slapped down the Special Summoned monster just as its hologram appeared by the soldier's side, its shaggy brown fur rustling in the artificial wind. Letting out a small growl, the rodent beast pawed at the lavender-toned jewel encrusted into the middle of its forehead before baring its teeth as it stepped into an attacking position.

"So with him on the field all my earth monsters get an extra five-hundred attack points!" Securing the last card on her disk, she gave him a light smile before ending her turn. "Your move Michel."

"Alright..."

Duellist: Michel
Life Points: 8000
Hand: Cyber Pheonix; Mystical Space Typhoon; Nightmare Steelcage; Over Boost; Kojima Core

Draw Phase: United We Stand

"I'll start with this..."

Placing his first card on his newly acquired Duel Disk, the corresponding hologram burst forth before him in the shape of a giant mechanical bird. Unleashing an artificial squawk, the machine arched its four red-fanned wings as it lifted itself into the air.

"Cyber Phoenix. I'll end my turn by placing one card face down."

His female opponent seemed to be reeling in anticipation from what he had in store for her. Admittedly, her optimistic attitude was putting him off, his previous determination in crushing her outright was slipping. Looking up to signal his turn's completion as his face down card appeared on the field, the girl enthusiastically whipped out her next card from her deck before again looking over her new set of options.

Duellist: Chelsea
Life Points: 8000
Hand: 3
Field: Marauding Captain (1700/400); Milus Radiant (800/250); 2x Spell/Trap Cards (face-down)

"Bugger..." she sighed with a pout, looking at the card she had just drawn, "oh well, no biggie, I guess this'll do for now. I activate Gaia Power!"

The moment she slid the card into the extended Field Spell Card slot, the space within their designated duelling area erupted into an haven of nature, a single dominant tree standing firm behind her. Looking up he could see the holographic shade that now fell over her, patches of sun seeping in through the tree's branches that surrounded her side of the field in a serene and peaceful environment. At this point, their undercover duel had caught the attention of several bystanders and they were quickly developing a crowd of their own. However, that wasn't his main concern, despite his hatred for unwanted onlookers he was more focused on his opponent's next move.

"Now with my little tree here..." she piped, continuing with her turn's explanation with another devilish smile, "all my earth monsters get another five-hundred attack points, of course, their defense take a little hit as well, but that's not important! So, with all that done and dusted, Marauding Captain...attack his phoenix!"

Without hesitation the medieval knight rushed forward, dual swords raised before leaping into the air with his sights set on the large mechanical bird. In a single strike, he passed through the machine and knocked it down, obliterating it on the spot. The force of the impact sent a wave of wind and holographic debris his way, which he stood confidently against before something suddenly struck him...literally. Each disintegrating fragment from the defeated bird cut his suit like a hot knife through butter.

"I...felt that..." he muttered as he ran a hand over the numerous cuts in his already dishelveled suit, the remnants of the beaten phoenix finally disappearing in the dying wind around him.

"Fun, wasn't it?" she suddenly laughed, beaming at her opponent's reaction. "It's a new feature especially made for these Duel Disks and unlike the Kaiba Corp and Academy editions, these holograms pack a little more punch."

"Their real..."

"Right on Michel!" the brunetted smiled, giving him a wink. "Instead of just channeling the duellist's nerves into the Life Points system, we decided to physically alter the cards themselves, this way you can experience the full effects of the duel. It's quite ingenious if I do say so myself."

It was obvious, whoever this girl was working for, she knew about Duel Spirits, the same condition that appeared in Edgeworth's duel, but despite how preposterous he found the matter to be, there was no denying that his opponent had recreated the same effect, albeit artificially. Still, the duel had just become even more serious and he had to keep his guard up. There were spectators now, so losing wasn't an option. Drawing a card due to his destroyed monster's effect, he awaited his opponent's next move.

Draw Effect: Sol Dios

"Now that that's settled, I'll end my turn with Milus Radiant! Attack him directly!"

In the instance her order was issued the feral rodent shot off from its position and charged straight towards him. Bracing himself, knowing full well that the charging hologram before him was all but real, he held his stance against the direct attack. In a matter of seconds he felt the full force of the card strike him with the tip of its horn, cutting into his arm like an electric drill through wood. Hearing the crowd gasp and cheer in response to the attack, the creature of earth hopped back onto its hind legs before returning to its position in front of its duellist.

"I told you Michel," the girl started again, "I will beat you, if not through your Life Points then with your actual life."

Clutching his arm where the overgrown beast had torn through his sleeve, he felt the warmth of his wound spill out. Fortunately, his Duel Disk had absorbed most of the blow but his forearm still looked worse for wear. The laceration was shallow but quite extensive, running from the hilt of his Duel Disk, around his forearm and up to his elbow. Twisting the sleeve around his arm to apply temporary pressure to the wound, the teen looked up at the girl with newfound determination.

"A little cliche, but alright..." he spat through a devilish smile of his own, "my turn."

Duellist: Michel
Life Points: 5700
Hand: Mystical Space Typhoon; Nightmare Steelcage; Over Boost; United We Stand; Sol Dios
Field: Kojima Core (face-down)
Graveyard: Cyber Phoenix

Draw Phase: Original Armored Core

"First, I'll summon Original Armored Core..."

At these words, like his Cyber Phoenix before it, a heavily armoured machine rose in the corresponding position where he had laid its card. Vaguely humanoid in shape, the new machine layered in armour, stepped up to serve its' duellist. A second card immediately followed behind it where a double-bolted, black-tinged, semi-spherical cage erupted around him, spikes lining each of its intersecting beams.

"And I'll end my turn by activating Nightmare Steelcage."

"Hahaha! How annoying, but at least things are starting to get interesting!" she cried before looking at her next card, her eyes lighting up as they did so. "Perfect! Sorry Michel, but even if I don't beat you this turn, there's no way you can stand up to another destroyed monster, let alone two direct attacks."

"I guess my cage was too much to hope for, huh?"

"'Fraid so hun," she smiled, "I'm a little disappointed though, I was hoping to see more of your cards to be honest... Oh wait, I know what we can do! I'll just take your deck as my prize for beating you, okay? That way everyone's satisfied!"

"Everyone huh? Heh...well, I can't say I approve of your solution, but it wouldn't matter if I lost then, would it?"

"Oh! You know what, now that I think about it, I guess you're right. You'd be kinda dead by then, huh?"

"...Judging by that last attack it's a definite possibility."

"Well then, just so you know, I'm not one to murder someone over a card game, really, so if you want, you can forfeit now and I'll be on my way with your cards and map. How about that?"

"I don't think so," he breathed, still smiling as he clutched his throbbing arm, "if I forfeit now, I'll miss out on beating you next turn, so...if you please, make your last move."

"Haha! I expected nothing less from the previous heir to Arma Tech," the girl praised, her last words catching his immediate attention, "alright! Let's finish this then!"

Duellist: Chelsea
Life Points: 8000
Hand: 3
Field: Marauding Captain (2200/0); Milus Radiant (1300/0); 2x Spell/Trap Cards (face-down); Gaia Power

"Get ready Michel, cause now I activate my Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Nightmare Steelcage! Go!"

Sliding in her chosen card, a whirlwind immediately erupted from its allocated zone before tearing its way towards his last line of defence, obliterating it on the spot. The added wind and steel debris didn't help his condition but after a few hellish seconds filled with very real shrapnel flying in every which way, the storm subsided. Lowering his arms from where he had used them to shield his face, he looked up to find a second rodent now standing beside the first; another Milus Radiant.

"I guess you've already noticed my new firend here," she started, waving at the second overgrown rodent, "with him on the field all my monsters get another five-hundred attack boost, which means things are gonna get really messy for you, heheh. Sorry Michel, this is it. Marauding Captain, attack his Original Armored Core!"

Once again, the bleach-haired knight rushed forward with his dual swords raised before slicing through the opposing machine with ease and in seconds. On the receiving end, the cut machine staggered to a halt after bracing itself for impact. A moment later it split completely in two before erupting in a fiery explosion. Feeling the heat, the teenage suit took a brief step back as further remnants of the machine's disintegrating body cut into him.

"Ugh..."

"Now to finish you...Milus Radiants, attack him directly!"

It took only a second but this time he felt the full force of the attack. Like the first encounter he managed to absorb the first rodent's attack into his Duel Disk, which unsurprisingly tore his already twisted sleeve into shreds, deepening his lengthly laceration. For the second attack however, he wasn't as lucky. The monster's horn ripped through his right arm leaving him with a second cut that ran across his bicep and up to his shoulder.

"Oh wow!" his opponent exclaimed in surprise. "You dodged it!"

Dodged? He hadn't dodged anything, the two furballs had cut into him like a rabbid pitbull on a poodle. Clutching his arms, he staggered back from the pain. The monsters of earth had drawn blood and there was a lot of it considering the size of his new wounds.

"Damn Michel, you're one tough biscuit!" the girl praised without sympathy. "I thought those attacks would've done you in but I guess you're stronger than I thought."

Smiling through berrated breaths, he looked up in triumph. "Like I said...I'm beating you this turn..."

"Hahaha! I guess I'm in for it now, huh? Heh, go on Michel, show me what you got!"

Duellist: Michel
Life Points: 400
Hand: Mystical Space Typhoon; Over Boost; United We Stand; Sol Dios
Field: Kojima Core (face-up)
Graveyard: Cyber Phoenix; Nightmare Steelcage; Original Armored Core

Draw Phase: Limiter Removal

"Hey, wait a minute!" she suddenly piped, noticing that her side of the field was one short of a Milus Radiant, as well as a new addition on his side of the field. "What happened?"

"So you noticed," he smiled, regaining his composure after wrapping his arms with what was left of his sleeves, "it's a trap called Kojima Core, once it's activated, all monsters that are summoned afterwards are destroyed and both of us take damage."

Looking down, she noticed her counter had dropped to "7700".

"Would you look at that..." she laughed, looking over at the large metallic orb responsible for her Life Points' reduction, "pretty sweet move Michel, but it looks like it did more harm to you then it did to me."

"It was a small price to pay," he muttered, laying out his next card, "although the moment you destroyed my Cyber Phoenix, I had won, so there was little you could do about it regardless."

Finishing his sentence, a second Mystical Space Typhoon suddenly erupted, except this time, it was on his side. In seconds, the whirlwind had passed onto the girl's field before cutting down her giant tree. Following that, the next card he summoned then began to materialise in front of him. In the forming waves of energy, a single solid form soon became apparent; a large metal-plated sphere sitting on top a quadrupedal stage made up of the same material. On top of the sphere, an indent that reached straight into the centre of the orb was where the massive amount of raw energy it used for its effect was stored.

"Now that Gaia Power's gone, I can summon Sol Dios," he announced, preparing his final two cards for the turn, "its attack is dependant on the amount of Spell Cards in both players' Graveyards, meaning it now has sixteen-hundred attack points."

"It's not that big," she huffed, "it still can't beat my captain."

"True, but like you said before, there are other ways to win a duel other than reducing Life Points," he scoffed, sliding in the two cards, "so first, I'll play United We Stand, which increases my monster's attack by another eight-hundred points, then I'll activate Limiter Removal, doubling it even further."

"Oh snap! So that makes it...uh..."

"Forty-eight hundred," he finished for her, "more than enough to defeat your knight."

"But you know Michel, even if you do destroy my warrior, you'll be taking another hit at the end of this turn and a big one at that!"

"You know about Sol Dios' effect?"

Nodding, she gave him a very proud smile. "Yup!"

"I guess that's to be expected," he smiled in return, "and even in the case that we both survive the blast, you'll still have more Life Points, meaning I'd lose regardless."

"Exactly! That's why I asked you to forfeit Michel. Geez! You could've saved yourself all of this pain."

"I'm flattered." Picking up the final card in his hand, he slid it into the next slot of his Duel Disk before looking up at his opponent for the last time. "But the card I just played is all I need to defeat you."

Following his command, the Spell Card lit up the field surrounding Sol Dios, applying its effect to the monster.

"W-What is that?" she asked, slightly taken aback by the machine's sudden illumination.

"Over Boost," he announced without much emotion, "it has a simple effect that only lasts one turn, so it was ideal for my current situation. Saying this, I advise that you forfeit now, taking a direct hit from a charged Sol Dios will undoubtedly hurt."

"Ohhh...so it will, very clever Michel! I see what you're doing. So if I forfeit now, I won't have to take the attack, but if I do and survive it, I'll get hit again during the End Phase anyway, right?"

"That's correct. But I think I should remind you that even if you survive the first attack, taking a second will undoubtedly be suicidal. Of course, I'm not exactly in the best position either but I've had a little more time to recover, whereas you'll be taking them one after another."

"Bah...how annoying, my face downs won't work and I don't have anything left in my hand...man, you really put me on the spot, you know?" Unable to supress a smile she shook her head as she contemplated her decision. "What to do? What to do?"

Despite trapping her, he was still the one in the most disadvantageous position. The longer she dragged out her decision, the weaker he got. He was having enough trouble just standing, let alone focusing on the duel, so he had to end this quickly. A few choice words in the form of an insult would undoubtedly do the trick, since he was quite confident that there was no way she'd forfeit. The only way out was through a draw and getting her to embrace the attack would be the last thing he needed to do, that was until...

"I forfeit!"

The sudden call caught him off guard, causing him to look up in surprise. Holding a flat hand over her deck, his opponent gave him a smile that was a lot different from the others she had given him throughout the duel; it was...sweet. In the same moment the holograms disappeared, clearing the field between them as the crowd encompassing them erupted.

"Congratulations Michel."

Striding up to the victor, she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, giving him a light pat as she did so.

"You wo-"

"I was wrong," he interrupted, causing the girl to step back in surprise, "when I said the result was all that mattered...I was wrong."

He finally realised why she irritated him so much, he didn't know when or how it happened, but some time during that duel he figured it out. Everything about her; her personality, her appearance and even her duelling ability, he admired it all. It was an uncomfortable feeling due to the fact that it felt so foreign to him yet at the same time, seemed so familiar. There was definitely something about her and after figuring it out, he felt even more annoyed.

"Oh! Michel, are you complementing me?" she teased.

"Don't get ahead of yourself," he spat, regaining his composure after brushing away his previous thoughts, "now, hand over the cards."

"Hahaha...always straight to the point, alright, here you go," she replied, relinquishing the promised maps. "Now...what else did I promise you?"

"Who hired you?"

"Oh! That's right..." she continued, her expression a little less cheery, "um...well, it's kinda hard to explain..."

"Out with it."

"Ah...well, you see, it's..."

"Chelsea, just give me a name."

"Haah...okay, well...her name's Christina...Christina Arma."

OOC: Eheheh, well...there it is, Michel's first duel! Again, sorry about cutting in, but this was the only chance I had to post. Gomen, gomen. ><

 

[Scarlet Weather]

OOC: Ye Gads, I need to post here before this RP literally drops off the face of the planet, don't I? (Sorry for procrastinating, guys, but I've just been saddled with a few end-of-the-year school assignments and I've been busy with Armania for a little while. XD)

Judai watched with interest as Michel narrowly pulled a win, defeating his opponent through a combination of what appeared to be sheer luck, quite a bit of determination, and using the opponent's tactics against them- albeit, not so much her dueling strategy as her attempt to assassinate him. But what intrigued him more than the injured duelist's triumph was those duel disks. To replicate the effect of a shadow duel by creating what appeared to be some sort of solid hologram was a sick idea. Whoever came up with it was probably well-versed in the art of shadow dueling, or at least had heard enough about the concept to develop a system that would replicate its effects. And they'd have to have technological connections too. What if... Judai remembered that Michel was also owned an electronics company, similar to Edgeworth Electronics. And if what he had heard after the duel was correct, the one who took out the hit on Michel was his sister. Did that mean that Michel's company had connections to the Shadow Duelists? Granted, it wasn't much, but it was a lead.

Well, whatever the case, Judai knew one thing had to be done: those duel disks had to be disposed of before they could cause any more harm. He walked over to the two and, before either could react, placed his hands on their duel disks. Facing the girl, he whispered, "Playing card games with a toy this dangerous could get you hurt someday. I suggest you pick up a new system." Then he closed his eyes for a moment, in order to hide the quick change they went through before he released a burst of duel energy into the interior of both disks. Judai didn't know much about computers, but he did know that if you fried something's insides, it tended not to work quite as well. That duel energy would cause both disks to backfire the moment they activated, in theory. Removing his hands from the disks quickly, he offered Michel some support. "Come on, let's get you inside."

Judai!

Judai was startled by the sudden roar as a very frightened-looking duel spirit landed next to him, his cape swishing as his black tail twitched agitatedly. "What is it? Did something happen to Sumisu-kun or Edgeworth-san?" he asked.

Hurrying quickly, the Black Panther quickly related Achan's duel against the Shadow Duelist to Judai in detail, and his collapse afterwards. But that's not the worst part, he continued.

"What do you mean?" Judai asked, his eyes narrowed.

That duel spirit I told you about with Sumisu-san? When that Shadow Duelist dispersed it, part of it latched itself to Achan's deck. It's trying to awaken it!

Judai frowned. "I don't understand. If that spirit is trying to wake up the deck's spirit, isn't that a good thing for Sumisu-kun?"

The panther growled and shook his head. Under ordinary circumstances, no. But Sumisu-san isn't like you or Edgeworth-san or Manjoume-sanda. That duel spirit was taking his energy by force to stay alive, so he was already drained. Now that he's exhausted and his deck is starting to wake up, it'll drain all of his duel energy. At this rate he'll end up a vegetable. Even if he was at peak capacity with his duel energy, I doubt he'll be able to support the spirits of his entire deck.

"What makes you think his entire deck will wake up?"

It's because he created them, and put his heart into doing it. That deck is filled with his imagination. Now that those cards are infused with the energy of a duel spirit, they want to come to life, to meet the person who created them. Black Panther looked at Judai pleadingly. You have to come help him. If you don't come and do something to stop them, those cards will bleed him to nothing without meaning to.

"I understand." Judai turned to Michel apologetically. "I'm afraid I'll have to leave you inside, Arma-kun. Sumisu-kun is in... trouble." Without elaborating further, Judai entered the hospital and dashed up the stairs, following his fanged duel spirit.

He burst into Achan's room and dashed towards his bed before discovering it... empty.

Completely empty.

He turned. There, in the hospital window, was Achan Smith, staring out over the towers of Domino City.

"I thought you said he was in trouble?" Judai asked his duel spirit.

Believe me, I'm just as surprised as you are, Black Panther replied with eyes as wide as dishplates.

Achan stood up. "Judai?" he asked, his voice almost completely devoid of emotion. "Yeah, I guess I should have known you'd be the first one in here. Tell me what happened... I think..." Achan held up his right forearm and Judai sucked in his breath suddenly, "that guy did something funny to me."

Judai examined the limb in question. Along its length ran a series of black tatoos, some of which appeared to be words in English, which covered most of the upper arm. Only the lower arm was left bare. Achan let his shirt drop, covering his shoulder, along with most of the text. "There's stuff like that on my other arm and my chest too," he explained. "I don't know how it got there. I just feel kind of... weird. I'm okay but... it's not the normal okay. It's this whole 'I just got bit by Dracula and I'm slowly turning into a vampire but I'm otherwise okay' feeling, if you get my drift. Like-"

"I get the picture," Judai interrupted quickly, "I think." Examining the markings again, he remembered something. "Sumisu-kun, think carefully. Did the person you dueled do anything to you after you beat him?"

Achan thought carefully. "He did hit me," he admitted, "Right before he jumped."

Judai shook his head. "Not good," he murmured, before standing to face Achan. "Listen to me, Sumisu-kun. What this guy's done is mark you as a target. Right now you're either being marked as someone the Shadow Duelists wish to defeat, or a potential recruit. Those marks are like a sort of tracking device. No matter where you are, they will be able to find you. And what's worse: the longer you have those marks, the more you'll deteriorate. You'll become more and more like one of those Shadow Duelists each day, seeing the world as they see it, hearing the voice of their master. They won't be able to completely control you, but they will be able to influence your actions."

Achan's face paled. "So this is a whole 'bitten-by-Dracula' type thing..." he muttered. "So is there any way to break these marks?"

"Ordinarily," Judai said, "I could probably do it, but..." here he shook his head sadly, "If I did it to you, it would probably backfire. Right now, those marks are the only things giving you enough duel energy to handle the fact that your deck is basically sucking away your life force."

"My... WHAT?" Achan nearly fell through the window which, fortunately, was closed. "Sucking my life force?"

"Your deck was awakened at some point during that duel," Judai explained. "The spirits of your cards have finally awakened. And they're latching on to you. They won't take physical form for a while now, but they're trying to share duel energy with you. And you aren't the same as Edgeworth, Manjoume, and I. We generate huge amounts of duel energy. You've got a relatively small amount. You barely have enough to share with one spirit, let alone every card in your deck."

Achan looked at his deck. "So what you're saying is..." he began slowly, "If I don't want these Shadow Duelist people to start invading my dreams and planting stuff in my subconscious, I've got to quit dueling?"

Judai nodded. "I'm sorry."

Achan shook his head. "Don't be," he said. "I'll manage. I've got a little bit of time before this thing starts getting bad, right? Then we'll just have to find a way to stop my deck from eating me before then."

Judai smiled. "Nice words, Sumisu-kun. Come on, let's go find Manjoume-kun. He might have something to say about all this."

Judai...

Judai turned to his duel spirit. "What is it?"

Manjoume-kun is on the roof, dueling Edgeworth-san.

"WHAT?!?"

Achan and Judai burst onto the roof, staring at the duel that was already mid-way in progress. "Manjoume-kun, what's going on? Are you guys arguing or something?" Judai asked, surprised.

Achan, meanwhile, focused on Tacey. "Er... Hi," he called, rubbing his head sheepishly. "Guess I gave you guys a little scare, huh?"

 

[Alter Ego]

OOC: Okay, I've officially given myself a headache in trying to keep track of the card counts and spell counters in this duel. Why didn't anyone warn me that a duel with Ojaexodia would be such a pain in the butt to write out? xD

And I just have to say that I'm loving the prospect of Achan being messed around with by the forces of evil. Tee-hee...this is looking to be interesting, interesting indeed. ^.^

IC:

Duelist: Tacey
Life Points: 8000
Hand: Royal Magical Library, Monster Reborn, Dark Red Enchanter, Soul Exchange
Field: Royal Sharpshooter (1200/800), Royal Legacy (face-down)

Duelist: Manjoume "Sanda"
Life Points: 8000
Deck: 25
Hand: 11 cards
Field: Spirit Reaper (face-down)
Graveyard: Magical Hats, 2x Ojamagic

"Well?" Tacey demanded, arms folded as she stared down her opponent, "Let's see that glorious strategy of yours."

Manjoume maintained his cocky smirk, "All in good time, brat. First, I activate the effect of my Thunder Dragon." at these words, he raised a single card from his hand into the air, a holographic flash of lightning striking it along with the sound of a thunderclap and the briefest flash of a serpentine figure, "With this effect, I add two more Thunder Dragons from my deck to my hand and shuffle. And with that achieved, I activate the spell card that will end this game for you. Go, Magical Mallet!"

The black-blazered duelist nodded towards the green-framed picture of a red mallet with a tiny pair of angel wings attached to it that appeared on his field, "You know what this does, of course." he continued matter-of-factly, picking out a number of cards from the bulging collection in his hand, "With Magical Mallet, I can return any number of cards from my hand to my deck to draw new ones in their place, and I'm pitching eight, which means-"

"Manjoume-kun, what's going on? Are you guys arguing or something?"

Manjoume flinched visibly as his partner addressed him, a mannerism which effectively ruined his dramatic pose in mid-flourish, a hefty amount of red spreading across the black-blazered duelist's face as he picked himself up from the ground and brushed the dirt off his clothes. His embarrassment, however, was easily paled beside that of Tacey as Achan arrived at the scene, hale and hearty as ever, and addressed her.

"Out of duel energy, huh?" she grit out between her teeth, casting the spirit of Miseres beside her a withering glare.

"Well, it worked better than we thought, didn't it?" the spirit tried, giving her host a nervous grin that was probably intended to be an innocent smile as she hastily floated over to the boy, demonstratively poking him a number of times, "Wide awake now, see? Isn't it great?!" noticing the rich girl's continuously glacial attitude, the spirit seemed to make a desperate shift of tactics, clapping her hands, "Awesome, awesome! You're really awesome miss Edgeworth-san, m'am! Really, no-one else could have-"

"We'll talk later." Tacey mouthed in response, turning her attention to Manjoume, who was currently busying himself with straightening out his coat and putting on his dark, brooding image.

"Well, it certainly wasn't my idea." he snorted reproachfully, "But believe it or not, your precious Edgeworth-san was adamant about dueling me because her puffhead spirit insisted that it would-"

"Finally teach you to keep your mouth shut, Ojamanjoume." Tacey sneered, painfully aware of the increased bloodflow to her cheeks, but pressing the offensive nonetheless, "I've had just about enough of your insubordination and it's about time I put you in your place!" To her relief, the black-blazered duelist did not take this blow to his pride gracefully.

"Say what?!" he demanded, "If anyone needs to be put into their place here, Edgeworth, it's you! You're the blackmailer here, you're the one who insisted on this mad scheme and now you're trying to cover it up because you can't even admit that-"

"ENOUGH!" Tacey snapped, pointing an accusing finger at the older duelist, "Cut out your big words and get on with the duel, Manjoume; I've had enough of your cheap stall tactics. As for you." she turned her glare to Achan, "Just wait right there and don't you dare get into another shadow game while I finish this clown."

"So that's the way you want it, huh?" the black-blazered duelist replied in a chilly tone as he drew his cards, "Fine, maybe this will drop your insufferable antics down a notch. I activate another copy of Magical Mallet, returning five cards to the deck." after yet another shuffle and a lightly disapproving glance at the cards in his hand, he finally continued, "And it looks like that is it for now. I active the continuous spell Infinite Cards and end."

At his command, another green-framed card appeared on his field, this one depicting a pair of hands reaching out towards numerous cards seemingly suspended in the air above them, "With this card, hand size limits are nullified so I needn't discard any cards this End Phase." he elaborated in a bored voice, "Make your turn count, Edgeworth; it may well be your last."

"Still with the big words, Manjoume?" the rich girl retorted, "My turn."

Duelist: Tacey
Life Points: 8000
Hand: Royal Magical Library, Monster Reborn, Dark Red Enchanter, Soul Exchange, Creature Swap
Field: Royal Sharpshooter (1200/800), Royal Legacy (face-down)

Duelist: Manjoume "Sanda"
Life Points: 8000
Deck: 23
Hand: 9 cards
Field: Spirit Reaper (face-down), Infinite Cards (face-up)
Graveyard: Magical Hats, 2x Ojamagic, Thunder Dragon, 2x Magical Mallet

Tacey bit her lip. Despite having acted in a manner to suggest the contrary, she knew that her situation wasn't good. There was only one way of winning that allowed such complete neglect of anything even vaguely resemblant of damage potential, and a single lucky topdeck - the likes of which that deck was undoubtedly filled with - would be enough for Manjoume to pull it off. She needed to hit hard and do it now.

"I activate Creature Swap." she declared, placing one of the cards from her hand into a spell slot, "Normally, we'd both select a monster from our fields and switch them, but in this case there's not much in the way of selection." she nodded towards the giant card back on Manjoume's field and her own sharpshooter, both cards duly switching places, "Next, I tribute your Reaper to summon Dark Red Enchanter."

In a blur of holographics, the card back disappeared from her field, and in its place, an imposing-looking magician in a garish gold and red robe appeared, folding its arms and staring at the scene from beneath its hat in complete indifference, the golden staff in its hands lazily pointed to the side, two sparks of bright light appearing within the crimson orb at its tip.

"Since I summoned him by tribute, my enchanter gains two spell counters." Tacey explained, "And with them, a total of 600 extra attack points. But that's not all." she picked out another green-framed card from her hand and held it up demonstratively for her opponent to see before activating, "I activate Monster Reborn, bringing back your Reaper to my side, and since Monster Reborn is a spell card, my Enchanter gains another Spell Counter and 300 more attack points."

Tacey's trademark smile appeared on her face as a third glint of light appeared on the enchanter's staff, its attack power climbing even further, "You know what's coming next, right?" she asked, "Dark Red Enchanter, destroy Royal Sharpshooter! Crimson Storm!"

With a curt nod, the creature raised its staff, a mass of red energy snaking its way out from the orb at the center before splitting into countless tiny fragments which rained down on the hapless creature on Manjoume's field, mercilessly shattering it into a shower of pixels while the excess of the fragments proceeded for the duelist himself.

"Pretty cold." the black-blazered duelist remarked, "Striking down your own monster like that."

"It was a necessary sacrifice." the rich girl retorted, waving imperiously at the single face-down on her field, "Reveal face-down, Royal Legacy! This is a special trap card that I can only play when a royal monster is destroyed and sent to my graveyard. With its effect, I can replace my old card with any level five or lower royal from my deck, and I choose...Royal Sharpshooter!"

As the effect of the trap card resolved, an identical copy of the recently destroyed sharpshooter spawned on Tacey's field, readying its bow much like its predecessor had.

"And while we're on the topic of lost monsters..." Tacey continued, "I think I'll let you get reacquainted with your own. Spirit Reaper, attack him directly!"

With a bone-chilling shriek, the purple-robed specter charged forward, slicing at Manjoume's hand with its scythe, "And since the Reaper attacked you directly." Tacey elaborated, "One random card from your hand goes to the graveyard. But I'm not stopping here; Sharpshooter, your turn."

"My Sharpshooter has a little extra sting to his attack too." the rich girl continued, picking out a card from her hand and slipping it into the graveyard slot while her creature readied its bow, "By discarding one card from my hand, I get to check your hand and send any one monster I find there to the graveyard." she smirked, "Let's see your winning card, Manjoume."

"You figured it out, huh?" the black-blazered duelist said, turning the cards in his hand around for inspection, "Can't say I'm too surprised."

Revealed cards: Ojama Green, Monster Reincarnation, Dark Factory of Mass Production, Dark World Dealings, Exodia the Forbidden One, Right Arm of the Forbidden One, Left Leg of the Forbidden One

"It was the only thing that put any sense into your draw antics." the rich girl concurred with a nod, "Though by the looks of it your big strategy has some draw issues. Exodia to the graveyard."

As she pointed out the card of her choice, the Sharpshooter let the arrow from his bow fly, the projectile bullseyeing the giant replica of the card that had appeared in front of it and shattering it into fragments while Manjoume slipped the card to his graveyard.

"And now, to finish up, I activate the effect of Dark Red Enchanter." she nodded towards her monster, who had already raised his staff, two of the bright sparks from the jewel detaching and orbiting each other in mid-air before the magician launched them towards Manjoume's hand, "By removing two spell counters from my enchanter, I can force you to discard one random card from your hand. With that, I end my turn."

Duelist: Tacey
Life Points: 8000
Hand: Royal Magical Library
Field: Royal Sharpshooter (1200/800), Dark Red Enchanter (2000/2200), Spirit Reaper (300/200)
Graveyard: Creature Swap, Monster Reborn, Royal Sharpshooter, Royal Legacy, Soul Exchange

Duelist: Manjoume "Sanda"
Life Points: 5100
Deck: 22
Hand: 7 cards
Field: Infinite Cards (face-up)
Graveyard: Magical Hats, 2x Ojamagic, Thunder Dragon, 2x Magical Mallet, Card Destruction, Exodia the Forbidden One, Right Arm of the Forbidden One, Spirit Reaper

"What a bothersome card." Manjoume remarked, grimacing at the remaining cards in his own hand, "But it seems it can't be helped; I activate Upstart Goblin. By giving you 1000 Life Points, this lets me draw one more card."

"And gives my enchanter another counter." Tacey remarked, "It seems you're getting pretty desperate."

"Despair is for amateurs." Manjoume retorted, "I'll summon a monster of my own; Royal Magical Library."

At his command, a giant, dome-shaped structure appeared on the field, its doors thrown wide open to reveal rows upon rows of bookcases, presumably reaching up all the way to the top of the structure, lit by a number of green energy orbs seemingly suspended in mid-air, "You're not the only one who can play with counters, Edgeworth. My library gains a counter for every spell we play as well. I activate Monster Reincarnation, sending Ojama Green to the graveyard to return Exodia to my hand. Then, I'll follow it up with Dark Factory of Mass Production, returning Ojama Green and Exodia's right arm to my hand as well." his previous confidence seemed to return at this, three of the green orbs on his library now shining brightly, "Looks like your hand manipulation stunts weren't quite as effective as you hoped." Manjoume remarked, "Exodia is back in my hand, and there's more to come; first, I remove three spell counters from my library to draw another card, then I activate Dark World Dealings, allowing both of us to draw a card, as long as we discard one afterwards."

Tacey

Effect draw: Drastic Drop Off
Effect discard: Royal Magical Library

Manjoume
Effect discard: Broww, Huntsman of Dark World

"And with the effect of the monster I just sent to the graveyard, I draw an additional card." the black-blazered duelist continued, grinning at the cards in his hand, "Manjoume Sanda is back in the game. I activate my final copy of Magical Mallet, returning my entire hand to the deck to draw six new cards. Then I'll activate Swords of Revealing Light." at his words, three bright, sword shapes clashed down on the field tips first, surrounding Tacey's monsters, "As you no doubt know, this cards keeps your monsters from attacking for three Battle Phases; more than enough time to finish this. For now, however, I'll draw one more card for my library's effect. Turn end."

"About time." Tacey replied, "My draw."

Duelist: Tacey
Life Points: 9000
Hand: Drastic Drop Off, Enemy Controller
Field: Royal Sharpshooter (1200/800), Dark Red Enchanter (3800/2200), Spirit Reaper (300/200)
Graveyard: Creature Swap, Monster Reborn, Royal Sharpshooter, Royal Legacy, Soul Exchange, Royal Magical Library

Duelist: Manjoume "Sanda"
Life Points: 5100
Deck: 18
Hand: 6 cards
Field: (0 / 2000), Infinite Cards (face-up), Swords of Revealing Light (face-up)
Graveyard: Magical Hats, 2x Ojamagic, Thunder Dragon, 3x Magical Mallet, Spirit Reaper, Card Destruction, Upstart Goblin, Monster Reincarnation, Dark Factory of Mass Production, Dark World Dealings, Broww, Huntsman of Dark World

Well, that was far from ideal. Tacey's enchanter was brimming with counters, granting it more than enough power to finish this, but at this rate...would she be able to get the attack done in time? Well, she conceded, there was certainly no point in remaining idle.

"I switch Spirit Reaper into Defense Position." she announced, "Then, I'll activate the effect of my Dark Red Enchanter to send another card from your hand to the graveyard."

"A predictable move." Manjoume remarked smugly, flipping the randomly chosen card around, "One you'll regret making. Card effect activate; Ojamagic!" thumbing through his deck, the black-blazered duelist picked out the, by now, all too familiar gremlins, revealing them to his opponent before shuffling his hand and deck, "Is that all?"

"For now." Tacey responded through grit teeth, "I set one card and end."

Duelist: Tacey
Life Points: 9000
Hand: Enemy Controller
Field: Royal Sharpshooter (1200/800), Dark Red Enchanter (3200/2200), Spirit Reaper (300/200), Drastic Drop Off (face-down)
Graveyard: Creature Swap, Monster Reborn, Royal Sharpshooter, Royal Legacy, Soul Exchange, Royal Magical Library

Duelist: Manjoume "Sanda"
Life Points: 5100
Deck: 14
Hand: 9 cards
Field: Royal Magical Library (0/ 2000), Infinite Cards (face-up), Swords of Revealing Light (face-up)
Graveyard: Magical Hats, 3x Ojamagic, Thunder Dragon, 3x Magical Mallet, Card Destruction, Upstart Goblin. Monster Reincarnation, Dark Factory of Mass Production, Dark World Dealings, Broww, Huntsman of Dark World

"It looks like this is just about over." Manjoume remarked, "I activate the spell card, Golden Chest of Sealing." he reached for his deck once more, "With this effect, I can remove any one card in my deck from play to add it straight to my hand, just two Standby Phases from now. I choose Left Arm of the Forbidden One. Then, I'll switch Royal Magical Library into defense position, set one card and end."

"My turn." Tacey grit out, feeling the familiar sensation of building adrenaline at the back of her mind. This was now or never, and her pride was at stake; she needed a specific card and she needed it now. If Manjoume won, he'd no doubt reveal everything, the whole stupid ordeal, and she, Tacey, would never be able to show her face to her team again. Shutting her eyes and taking a deep breath, the millionaire heiress reached for her deck, allowing the peculiar sensation to take over, "I draw."

Duelist: Tacey
Life Points: 9000
Hand: Enemy Controller, Mystical Space Typhoon
Field: Royal Sharpshooter (1200/800), Dark Red Enchanter (3500/2200), Spirit Reaper (300/200), Drastic Drop Off (face-down)
Graveyard: Creature Swap, Monster Reborn, Royal Sharpshooter, Royal Legacy, Soul Exchange, Royal Magical Library

Duelist: Manjoume "Sanda"
Life Points: 5100
Deck: 13
Hand: 7 cards
Field: Royal Magical Library (0 / 2000) Infinite Cards (face-up), Swords of Revealing Light (face-up), 1 Spell or Trap (face-down)
Graveyard: Magical Hats, 3x Ojamagic, Thunder Dragon, 3x Magical Mallet, Card Destruction, Upstart Goblin. Monster Reincarnation, Dark Factory of Mass Production, Dark World Dealings, Broww, Huntsman of Dark World

Tacey's first experience with this phenomenon had been exhausting, and the second was hardly an improvement on that front. The moment fingers and card connected, Tacey felt like the breath had been knocked out of her lungs, having to steady herself so as to prevent her trembling fingers from dropping the precious card they had picked out. One glance at what she had drawn was enough to make her feel like it was all worth it however, right up to the proclamation that followed.

"Reveal face-down, Hand Destruction." Manjoume's ever-smug voice effectively ruined Tacey's moment of triumph, but he seemed not to care as he elaborated, "By this effect, we both discard two cards from our hands, then draw two new ones in their place. Too bad, Edgeworth, but it looks like whatever reversal card you pulled won't be sticking around."

"You..." Tacey hissed, but failing to come up with a suitably vicious retort, she turned her attention to her deck again, not attempting to draw upon any mystical forces as she replaced her tossed cards.

Tacey

Effect discard: Enemy Controller, Mystical Space Typhoon
Effect draw: Brain Control, Royal Paige

Manjoume

Effect discard: Ojama Black, Ojama Green

Well, it was hardly the great reversal Tacey had had in mind, but by the looks of it this would have to suffice.

"Alright." she declared, "I'll pay 800 Life Points to activate Brain Control, seizing control of your Library for this turn." at her words, the towering structure on Manjoume's field flickered out of view, only to appear on the rich girl's field instead, "And between your Hand Destruction card and my Brain Control, Royal Magical Library now has three counters on it, counters which I'll remove to draw a card."

Effect Draw: Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch

"Next, I'll play the card I just drew. I tribute Royal Magical Library to summon Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch."

With a wave of Tacey's hand, the structure on her field disappeared, replaced by a tall figure, its features concealed by the reddish metal plating that covered its body, a steady flame burning in the palm of its gloved hand.

"He might not look like much." the rich girl conceded, "But by simply tribute summoning Thestalos, I can send one card from your hand to the graveyard." with a resonant roar, the metal-clad creature released the ball of flame from its hand, tossing it straight at Manjoume and causing a flicker of holographic flames to engulf a card from his hand, "Furthermore, if the card you lost is a monster, you also take 100 damage for every level star it had."

"Big deal." Manjoume replied, revealing the marked card, "Ojama Yellow is only level 1."

Manjoume

Effect discard: Ojama Yellow

"And let's not forget about my enchanter either." Tacey continued, unfazed, "That's one more card from your hand."

"Again, big deal." the older duelist retorted, dispassionately dropping another ojama to the graveyard, "I have plenty to spare."

Manjoume

Effect discard: Ojama Green

The rich girl merely harrumphed in response, "Turn end."

Duelist: Tacey
Life Points: 9000
Hand: Royal Paige
Field: Royal Sharpshooter (1200/800), Dark Red Enchanter (3500/2200), Spirit Reaper (300/200), Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch (2400/1000) Drastic Drop Off (face-down)
Graveyard: Creature Swap, Monster Reborn, Royal Sharpshooter, Royal Legacy, Soul Exchange, Royal Magical Library, Mystical Space Typhoon, Enemy Controller, Brain Control

Duelist: Manjoume "Sanda"
Life Points: 5100
Deck: 10
Hand: 6 cards
Field: Infinite Cards (face-up), Swords of Revealing Light (face-up)
Graveyard: Magical Hats, 3x Ojamagic, Thunder Dragon, 3x Magical Mallet, Card Destruction, Upstart Goblin, Monster Reincarnation, Dark Factory of Mass Production, Dark World Dealings, Broww, Huntsman of Dark World, Hand Destruction, Ojama Black, 2x Ojama Green, Royal Magical Library, Ojama Yellow

"First." Manjoume declared, "I'll activate Upstart Goblin, allowing me to draw another card, which I'll also activate. Go, Dark World Dealings."


Tacey

Effect draw: Dark Seraph Miseres
Effect discard: Royal Paige


Manjoume

Effect discard: Broww, Huntsman of Dark World

"And with the effect of Broww." Manjoume continued, "I draw a card once again."

Try as she might to conceal it, Tacey knew the pressure was on. Manjoume had ripped through almost the whole of his deck now, so it was only a matter of time until he drew his missing Exodia piece. Her lone face-down could block one draw, but it was one draw only; what if she picked the wrong one and wasted her only chance for victory at this? Then again, what if she held onto it for too long, losing with a potential answer left unused on her field?

"I-"

Just as she reached towards the card slot, Tacey felt a slightly chilly touch on her hand, looking up in surprise and annoyance.

"Miseres, wha-"

"Shh..." the spirit whispered, using her spritely little hand to guide the rich girl's hand away from the face-down trap as she gave her a conspiratory wink, mouthing "Not yet."

"But-"

"Well?" Manjoume demanded, "Do you have a response or not?"

"I-" Tacey hesitated for a moment before shaking her head, "No, never mind. Just carry on."

"That I will." the black-blazered duelist replied, "With the spell card Magical Stone Excavation. By sending two cards from my hand to the graveyard, I can return a spell card from my graveyard to my hand."

Effect discard: Ojama Yellow, Magical Hats

"And it's a spell card I'll also activate. Magical Mallet!"

"Now?" Tacey mouthed at her card, once again receiving a shake of Miseres' head in response while Manjoume studied his newly gained options, "I activate the effect of Thunder Dragon." he announced, the familiar clap of thunder accompanying the declaration as he discarded the monster in his hand in favor of a new copy from his deck, "Then, I will follow it up with the spell card Dark Factory of Mass Production, returning Ojama Black and Ojama Green from my graveyard to my hand. Then I'll play Upstart Goblin to draw another card. Finally, I place one card face-down and end. And of course, my swords are now used up." he nodded towards the exploding card image on his field.

Duelist: Tacey
Life Points: 11000
Hand: Dark Seraph Miseres, Card Destruction
Field: Royal Sharpshooter (1200/800), Dark Red Enchanter (4700/2200), Spirit Reaper (300/200), Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch (2400/1000), Drastic Drop Off (face-down)
Graveyard: Creature Swap, Monster Reborn, Royal Sharpshooter, Royal Legacy, Soul Exchange, Royal Magical Library, Mystical Space Typhoon, Enemy Controller, Brain Control

Duelist: Manjoume "Sanda"
Life Points: 5100
Deck: 5
Hand: 4 cards
Field: Infinite Cards (face-up), 1 Spell or Trap (face-down)
Graveyard: Magical Hats, 3x Ojamagic, 2xThunder Dragon, 3x Magical Mallet, Card Destruction, 3x Upstart Goblin, Monster Reincarnation, 2x Dark Factory of Mass Production, 2x Dark World Dealings, 2x Broww, Huntsman of Dark World, Hand Destruction, 2xOjama Black, 2x Ojama Green, Royal Magical Library, 2xOjama Yellow

"Not that it matters, of course." the black-blazered duelist continued, "Reveal face-down! Threatening Roar! On this turn, you can't declare any attacks, so my life points are safe."

"Maybe." Tacey replied evenly, grinning wickedly at the card she had just drawn, "But that doesn't mean you are. First, I'll summon Dark Seraph Miseres in Attack Position." At her command, the far-from imposing figure of the tiny angel appeared on the last vacant slot on the girl's field, the mischievous grin from before still plastered on her face, "And now, I activate Card Destruction. Send your hand to the graveyard and draw, Manjoume."

Contrary to what Tacey had expected, however, Manjoume broke into laughter at this, "And this is your big strategy? So sorry to disappoint you, Edgeworth, but..." still grinning, he revealed his hand; not a single piece of Exodia.

Effect Discard: Monster Reincarnation, Burial From a Different Dimension, Hand Destruction, Mind Crush

"But..." Tacey protested, "How did you-"

"Magical Mallet." her opponent replied, "I simply shuffled my Exodia pieces into the deck to keep them away from your Enchanter. And now..." he smirked triumphantly as he reached for his deck, "...it looks like you've just about sealed my victory."

"Now!"

At Miseres' excited proclamation, Tacey quickly recovered from her shock, quickly flicking her arm towards the lone card back on her field, "Not so fast, Manjoume!" she declared, "I've still got my face-down; activate, Drastic Drop Off! By this effect, you are forced to discard one of the cards you just drew." now it was Tacey's moment to smirk, and she certainly played it for all it was worth, "Take your pick, Manjoume."

"I-" the black-blazered duelist looked practically livid, staring desperately at the four cards in his hand as he sought a solution that would still turn the situation around. Finally, he settled for a card, however, "I discard Broww, Huntsman of Dark World."

Effect discard: Broww, Huntsman of Dark World

"And that just about settles it, doesn't it?" Tacey filled in, Miseres poking her tongue out at the opposition from the rich girl's field, "By the effect of Broww, you're forced to draw, and since it was my card effect that discarded him, you have to do it twice. Unless I'm much mistaken, however, you only have one card left in your deck, which means..."

"...loss by outdeck." Manjoume finished woodenly, placing his hand on the empty deck slot on his duel disc to signal defeat, the holograms duly vanishing. He looked dour at first, but after a while he gave an indifferent shrug and a mirthless chuckle, "And you know what?" he added to no-one in particular, "I couldn't care less. This was all just a pointless duel you put up because you can't tell fairy tales from reality and think you can solve all the world's problems just by playing children's card games. Enjoy your victory, Edgeworth-san" his voice was practically dripping with sarcasm as he pronounced the honorific, "...but keep in mind that we still have a tournament to win and real enemies out there waiting for us." with that, the black-blazered duelist turned on his heels, walking off towards the staircase as well, "Whenever you people are done fooling around and ready to get back to business, you can find me in the lobby."

Tacey scoffed at the sight, placing her hands on her hips and shaking her head in disapproval at the departing figure, "What a sore loser." she remarked, but her attention was soon drawn to a more important issue, the millionaire heiress turning sharply on her heels to face the teen she had set out to 'rescue' mere moments before, "As for you, Achan Smith." she stopped mere inches from his face, allowing the sentence to dangle over her probably nonplussed victim like the readied blade of a guillotine before finally breathing out, her inherent anger seeming to dissolve into relief, "If you EVER scare me like that again, I'm going to slap you so hard that your face will be stinging for a week. For a moment there, I was afraid I'd-" she hesitated for a moment, fighting back the color that was attempting to invade her cheeks once more, "I'd-I'd end up with another new teammate who's even denser than you!" she finished, stamping her foot in an attempt to enforce her point, "Apparently I can't let you out of my sight for a second; come on." she grabbed the boy's arm, forcefully yanking him towards the staircase, "We've wasted more than enough time on this silliness already, so let's go get Arma and get started on collecting those map cards before we're knocked out of this round. You to, mister 'high king'." she shot in Judai's direction, "I don't know what you've been up to, goofing around while this idiot got himself involved in a dangerous shadow game, but let this be the last time something like this happens or I swear you'll be joining Smith on the slap list. Oh, and Smith?" she added, "How much coffee have you been pouring into yourself, really? At this rate, that vile liquid is going to kill you faster than shadow duels will. From here on out, you'll be substituting with tea. Do I make myself clear? I will not have any teammate of mine taking an embarrassing loss for this team because of a caffeine-induced heart attack, and furthermore-"

As Tacey continued with her rant, the already petite and unnoticable form of Miseres quickly slipped her mind, and so the duel spirit faced little trouble in falling behind her host to observe Achan in peace. She had been completely truthful about what she had told Tacey, and by all counts the boy shouldn't have woken up. There was something wrong here, horribly wrong. Something about the way the boy had felt when she had touched him during her pretended cover-up had left her with a cold, clammy feeling...one she recalled all too well. She might not have been able to help her old host with this, but - the spirit decided, clenching her tiny hands into fists - she would help this boy, she would find out what was wrong and she would fight it this time.

 

[Phanima]

"H-Hey! Wait a minute! What are you doing?"

Ignoring the girl's protest, the additional brunette placed a hand on both her own and Michel's modified Duel Disks, before closing his eyes and letting out a small grunt.

"What the hell are you doing?" the victorious heir inquired, his usual indifferent disposition returning.

Ignoring him this time, Judai turned to face the girl before whispering something into her ear, something that caused her to merely smile and wave off whatever was said.

"I was just doing my job," she started with a nervous smile, "although I guess I'll probably be fired after this..."

Intent of consoling the defeated girl, Michel was suddenly brought to the attention of the other brown-haired duellist before he could get the chance. They had wandered quite a distance away from the scene of the duel and back towards the hospital, where he assumed the rest of his rag-tag team still resided.

"I'm afraid I'll have to leave you inside, Arma-kun. Sumisu-kun is in... trouble."

Without hesitation, Judai swiftly made his way up the central staircase, leaving the other two duellists in the lobby. Wondering what trouble Smith could possibly have gotten into during his brief departure, the heir decided that whatever the matter was, it would reveal itself if necessary, otherwise it wouldn't be worth his time.

Admitting himself to the care of an on-hand first aid kit, he quickly catered to his mere flesh wounds and returned to his seat in the hospital's lobby, taking a seat next to his opponent who had been uncharacteristically quiet ever since arriving. He was curious; who was she and why was she hired by Christina? What could his sister possibly gain from sending her out with a hit on his head in the middle of the tournament? On a more urgent note, what was his sister doing back at the company? He had persuaded his parents to send her off to Lahea's Ladies Finishing School and she wasn't due back for another year but if the matter of her returning home did arise, his parents would have surely informed him. Something was definitely amiss.

"Michel," the red-dressed girl suddenly piped, catching his attention, "if you have any questions about what happened today, I-"

"Don't bother," he replied, interrupting the girl's offer, "if Chris is the person who hired you then your involvement in this tournament is insignificant. You don't need to explain anything else to me."

"Well actually, I was going to say that I can't tell you anything anyway," she continued cheekily, blushing slightly due to the misunderstanding, "your sister just contacted me, I've got another assignment."

Slightly taken aback by her response, he was about to enquire as to the reason of her still continuing employment, when she suddenly stood up to leave.

"Well, it was fun playing with you Michel, but I gotta go," she chirped, her usual peppiness returning, "good luck with the tournament!"

Then, without a second glance, the brunette retrieved her belongings, gave him a small wave and soon disappeared into the bustling streets of Domino City. Her departure was somewhat inconvenient, due to the fact that he still had a few questions he needed to be answered, despite his initial announcement of not needing to know them. However, after everything that had happened and throughout the whole ordeal of meeting Chelsea, he was grateful for one thing; and that was that he was now in the possession of three extra map pieces, the exact amount their team needed to pass the second round, including the three already in their possession. All they needed to do now was to collate the pieces together to locate the designated duelling area, but as expected, another problem had arised.

"Where the hell are they?" Michel huffed rather irritably. "Yuuki took off and I haven't seen or heard of Smith and Edgeworth since her duel against those cons. What have they been doing..."

 

[Scarlet Weather]

Ironically, it was at the exact moment that Michel Arma voiced his concern about his team members' whereabouts that Judai made his way down from the ceiling, his face a mask of concern as well. He strode up to Michel quickly, as if trying to stay ahead of someone. "Arma-kun, You're OK? Good. We need to talk." Before the capitalist could protest, Judai had plopped into the seat next to him, apparently oblivious to the fact that moments before a girl who had tried to commit murder by card games had left the seat behind. Without waiting for Michel to prepare himself, or even ask questions, Judai launched into an explanation. "I have extremely bad news. Our team is being targeted by a group of religious fanatics who want to take over the world with card games." He paused momentarily before continuing. "And yes, they're just about exactly as insane as that plan sounds. But believe me: they are very capable of what they mean to do. And they want to turn Sumisu-kun into their pawn..."

MEANWHILE, THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY....​

"Master! I bring you a report on the progress of Nicholas!" the black-robed shadow duelist announced, kneeling before the dark throne of his leader in the dimly-lit cathedral.

"Proceed," the ancient voice spoke, its thin and reedy tones amplified as they echoed from the church walls. "And this time, please refrain from describing every single turn of the duel. When I want to hear move-by-move summaries of card games, I will find them on the internet in official tournament records. Just tell me the results."

The shadow duelist gulped, before retreating further into his kowtow. "Ahem... Master, Nicholas accepted a challenge from a boy with unusual cards and lost to him."

"WHAT?" The master bellowed. His rage seemed to emanate from him like a foul aura, causing the few torches in the sanctuary to sputter and dim. The room fluctuated between its dimly lit state and total darkness as the leader of the shadow riders, old though he was, pulled himself to his feet. "I give him one simple order: duel Edgeworth, and mark her with the seal. And he loses to a boy who has duel energy comparable to a floating hairball? What is this madness?" he raved.

"Sir, if I may continue?" the duelist interrupted nervously.

The request seemed to calm the master, but only slightly. He sank back into his throne, muttering vague threats of punishment for incompetence, and something about meddling children and their card games. Nevertheless, he waved his hand and ordered "Continue."

Nervously, the informant cleared his throat again. "Ahem... yes, sir. It appears that this boy is one of Edgeworth's team members, and he was possessed by a duel spirit. Nicholas destroyed it using the dark rosary you gave him..."

"Damn that fool! That was only supposed to be used in a worst-case scenario!" the master spat before calming himself once again.

"...And the boy's rage at the injustice communicated itself to his deck. In other words: he won through miracle draw, of a sort. We're still unsure whether it was that, or just plain luck," the informant admitted. "What we do know is that Nicholas had invoked his updated Dark Sanctuary, and began to feel the pain of a penalty game. So he used the last of his strength to mark the boy, and then escaped through one of our corridors to the Pilgrim's Chamber in Japan. He asked to stay there long enough to recuperate, and he plans to attack again as soon as possible."

The master stroked his beard. "Interesting.." he mused, "Interesting. So, he marked the boy, did he? And he is close to Edgeworth, is he not? Well, then... we shall discuss the consequences of his actions later. For now..." the master leered down at his servant, who involuntarily stepped backward in terror, "Prepare the first operation."

"Sir?" The informant was shocked, puzzled. "Did you say... the first operation? You mean to say that-"

"Yes, yes, of course. Our man in Duelist Kingdom says that they will arrive at Duelist Kingdom at the end of the second round, will they not? Well... be sure that they make it there in time." The master glowered, as the torches flared up. "We wouldn't want them to miss the fun."

MEANWHILE, THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY AGAIN...​

"Tacey..." Achan groaned, half in complaint and half in relief that he hadn't been slapped yet, "You really don't need to worry so much. I told you, I'm going to fight you at the end of this tournament, right? So if you're dueling people like that Serge guy, how can I not stand up to a shadow duelist? Besides," Achan grinned cheekily, "I had a new deck that needed playtesting against a competent opponent."

Suddenly, Achan stumbled. "That... what... was that there before?" he asked, pointing into what appeared to be the air in front of him. "That doesn't make sense... I can't see anything now, but... I could have sworn... there was a..." He shook his head. "Never mind. I think I'm still a little loopy from the shadow duel. And by the way, thanks again," he forced a smile as he continued, "It was really nice of you to duel to wake me up, even if it was just to avoid getting saddled with another team mate."

As Achan talked, however, he didn't notice the fact that the space he'd pointed to before- which to most others would have been completely empty- was occupied by a duel spirit. A tiny, impish, devil-winged ball of hair with green, clawed feet and a single horn jutting from its scalp. It looked like the evil twin of Judai's spirit. And it was holding a sign, which seemed to have had a hastily-printed message scrawled on it: "Join teh Dark Side Shadow Duelists. We have Cookies infinite power for you to share in. There are also cookies."

OOC: Yesh, that was just one of the many examples of the subliminal advertising that the shadow duelists are capable of. And yes, it absolutely had to involve a devil-like Kuriboh. 0.o

 

[Phanima]

It wasn't long after Michel questioned his team members' whereabouts that Yuuki returned, somewhat flustered and eager to engage the capitalist. After a flurry of concerned words, the brunette proceeded to explain the current situation.

"I have extremely bad news. Our team is being targeted by a group of religious fanatics who want to take over the world with card games," he started, pausing to let the first part of his explanation sink in before continuing after hearing no objections from the other teen, "and yes, they're just about exactly as insane as that plan sounds. But believe me: they are very capable of what they mean to do. And they want to turn Sumisu-kun into their pawn..."

Hearing Yuuki's words, Michel simply gave the brunette a bored look. Tagging along after Edgeworth and having to put up with a couple of fanatical con artists plus the fact that he had just spent the last half hour fighting off a rather attractive hitman hired by his sister, the last thing he wanted to hear was that a religious cult was now targeting Smith.

"So, these people are intending on using Smith to help them take over the world..." he started, pausing for dramatic effect before finishing, "by playing card games?"

Running a sore hand through his hair, Michel heaved an irritable sigh, unconvinced and quite put off.

"Listen, this tournament is nothing more than a business opportunity to me, anything other than getting to the finals is insignificant," he continued, void of any emotion, "I won't get involved with something as trivial as a group of fanatics coming after Smith. As far as I'm concerned, the general welfare of Edgeworth, Smith, Manjoume and yourself mean nothing to me."

Crossing his arms after reattaching his initial Duel Disk, Michel leant back into his seat and glanced over at the still awaiting Yuuki.

"Of course, if by some chance these people start to interfere with my affairs then I'll deal with them myself. This is a tournament after all, so if you're done spouting whatever tripe it is you're convinced that's going on, could you go up and tell those brats to move their asses? I've had enough trouble for today..."

OOC: Michel wants cookies~ x3

 

[Alter Ego]

OOC: Really? Personally, I believe he just needs a hug. :3

And like, yay for ebil Kuriboh. Now I've got this urge to make a fake card of that...but then, I make enough fakies as it is, huh? xD *Shot*

IC:

Despite her best efforts, Tacey was experiencing considerable difficulties in keeping her face at its usual position in the color spectrum, wishing dearly that she had put a thicker layer of the paling make-up she had applied on the morning, "So this is all some kind of joke to you?!" she snapped , "Wagering souls and invoking dark forces all fun and card games to you? Fine, then, fine! Go ahead! Play all the shadow games you want! Get in over your head, mess with forces you don't understand and burn in Chtonia over a stupid playtest! Just see if I care!" she folded her arms defensively, determined to glare forward as she proceeded down the hallway, "And don't you get any funny ideas, Smith, I might have stuck out for you this time, but if you think I'm going to keep cleaning up every mess you make, you've got another-"

It was then that Achan started raving, mumbling incoherently as he pointed at the air in front of him. Alarmed, Tacey turned on her heels to face whatever had shocked the boy, only to find herself looking at thin air. Achan himself seemed to have reached a similar conclusion, attempting to laugh it off as being a bit 'loopy' from the shadow duel, an explanation which earned a raised eyebrow from the rich girl. She chose not to say anything, however, still not sure whether to rule this out as a bad attempt at humor on the redhead's part as she let out an indignant little harrumph and proceeded to walk down the hallway again, arms still folded. This indefinite noise, it seemed, would also be her sole response to the boy's compliment. What had gotten into him all of a sudden, being his usual obnoxious self one moment only to turn around and say something nice like that the next? It was...well, she wouldn't say that it was unpleasant, but it was so-so...embarrassing!

Fortunately, Tacey was given an excuse to step out of her embarrassment as they stepped into the lobby, just in time to catch Michel's last comment.

"The posteriors are already in motion." the rich girl remarked tartly, giving her teammate a withering glare, "Though maybe that wouldn't have been needed if you hadn't been in such a hurry to relocate your own. What have you been up to, anyway?" she cast a critical glance at the older male, adding bluntly, "You look like you've been hit by a train. No." she caught herself, shaking her head, "On second though, I don't think I want to know what you've been up to. Let's just get this round of the tournament done already. We've been wasting way too much time here."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------​

Meanwhile, up on the edge of the finally tranquil rooftop, two figures sat, looking out over the cityscape without really paying attention to it, the taller's gaze fixated on a rectangular silver box about the size of his palm which he was currently holding in his right hand.

"...so you're absolutely sure about this?"

Haruko gave a vigorous nod, "Positive, Kei-kei-chan." she confirmed, "Those were definitely spirits. I could tell!" she gave her fringe a meaningful tap at roughly the place where her other eye would have been, smiling ruefully as she added, "You know I can tell."

Serge nodded in response, eyes still fixed on the box, "And now...all those spirits have been awakened in anger, by a duelist marked with dark energy." he frowned, "Regardless of which gets him first...we don't have much time, do we? Guess I have no choice..." he gave a mirthless laugh, "...what better way to fight a demon than with a demon, after all?"

Haruko's eyes widened slightly, turning to the delicate little box as well, "Kei-kei-chan, do you mean you're going to-? But Kei-kei-chan, it's too early!" she protested, "Neko-Neko-chan still hasn't learned to control it, and if Kumo-Kumo-chan tries to do it in that state he might-"

"I know!" the faint trace of annoyance in Serge's usually passive voice was enough to silence the girl, the male's fingers grasping the box tighter, "I know, damn it, but what choice do we have?" his gaze darkened, "Five years, Haruko...it took me five years to get this far, and I refuse to let it all fall apart to some power-hungry fool with a god complex." his statement thus finished, the male abruptly rose to his feet, turning to leave.

For once, it seemed, Haruko couldn't find anything funny in the situation, merely following her companion's retreating back with a pained glance, "Kei-kei-chan..."

"I've got preparations to make." he said emotionlessly, his fingers playing restlessly around the edges of the box, "Please...keep an eye on Achan Smith for me. If his condition worsens, let me know immediately. This...may take a while."

 

[Scarlet Weather]

Judai shook his head and sighed. Some people just weren't willing to accept the fact that their lives depended on a children's card game. Actually, that really made a lot more sense than the alternative if you hadn't been exposed to shadow dueling first-hand. And since Michel had just gone through the technological equivalent of a shadow duel, it would probably take quite a bit to convince him that his assistance was indeed needed against these opponents. Especially since they were out to get every single member of the team in connection with Judai...

"Hey, calm it down, man!" Achan growled as he and Tacey stepped into the room. "You know, you're really one to talk about moving tail when you were missing for most of the first round!" A thought suddenly came to Achan. "Hey... where exactly were you during the first round?" he asked suspiciously. "It's kind of odd, but right after you left Judai and Manjoume showed up... and then these shadow duelist people came crawling out of the woodwork! Where do you figure into all this?"

"Easy, Sumisu-kun," Judai replied, placing a hand on Achan's shoulder. "Aruma-san couldn't possibly be a Shadow Duelist, or be connected with them."

"How the hell do you know that?" Achan challenged Judai, bursting with anger.

"Well, he can't see spirits for one thing," Judai pointed out. "In fact, I'm pretty sure that Aruma-san doesn't believe in card spirits at all."

"What does that have to do with it?" Achan demanded. "Even if you know that he can't see duel spirits, he could be faking that he doesn't believe in them! I mean..." his voice faltered. "I mean, after my last duel I want to make sure that the people I'm traveling with aren't working for the other side. I mean, if the Shadow Duelists had people who could sneak into Broadway, they have to have men on the inside here in Japan. What if the reason this hospital is so crowded is because of the shadow duelists?"

"Good questions, Sumisu-kun," Judai replied, "And I'm glad you're thinking about things like this. It's good to be cautious about such things. But Aruma-san can't possibly be a shadow duelists for two reasons. First, all shadow duelists have a mark somewhere on their body that shows what they really are. For me, that mark appears to glow. It's possible for anyone with the ability to see duel spirits to train themselves to see that mark as well, or to have their spirit partner find it for them. Aruma-san doesn't have that mark. In addition, all shadow duelists can see spirits."

Achan was surprised. "They can see spirits? Really?"

"Yes," Judai replied, "But most of them don't have spirit partners." He shook his head. "We can't waste any more time standing around here. Even with the map pieces collected, we still have to make our way to the destination." He pointed to the hospital doors. "Shall we?"

 

[Phanima]

Seeing Smith's rather sudden outburst did nothing less than surprise him. He had always seen the red-head as the happy-go-lucky type of guy and the only other member of the team he found somewhat tolerable. Edgeworth had chewed him in out the moment she arrived, so there was nothing new in their obviously blossoming relationship, and his ties with Yuuki and Manjoume were still premature, so their cooperation could hardly be counted upon. As much as he hated to admit it, Smith was the closest thing to an ally he had at the moment, but just like with any successful business relationship, burning bridges was inevitable, something the heir was more than accustomed to.

Preparing to shake off the frantic boy's accusations, he was quite surprised to then see Yuuki jump in and defend him. The red-head had questioned his whereabouts during the first round as well as the possibility that he was associated with these "Shadow Duellists" who were now targeting not only him but the rest of the team as well. It didn't come as much of a surprise considering Michel's previous duel and current condition but at this point, flooring Smith seemed like the most appropriate response to his faltering rant. But before the heir could even raise a finger or voice an insult, the brunette proceeded to explain the main reasons as to why he could never be one of those duellists.

He supposed he shouldn't have expected anything logical as an explanation from the brunette but seeing as how Smith was more than satisfied with the response, he let it go. It had to do with spirits...again. Heaving a sigh, half in disbelief about how the argument had turned out and the other half in relief that it was over, hearing Yuuki's next words were more than welcomed on the capitalist's behalf.

"Here," he started, throwing the four map pieces in his possesion to the rest of the team, "I've done enough work for today. Let's finish this round already."

Exiting the hospital building once again, Michel stepped out onto the street for some much needed fresh air and waited for the other four duellists to follow suit. The second round was finally coming to an end, something he had been looking forward to ever since arriving in the fabled city of Domino.

 

[Alter Ego]

OOC: Ehh...I apologize in advance for what will probably be a terribly lame post. There just really isn't much to do right now. x.x

IC:

Tacey raised a disapproving eyebrow as Achan, without the smallest of warnings, suddenly broke out into a tirade about undercover shadow duelists for which far-fetched was a generous description indeed, immediately pointing the finger of accusation at Arma. Granted, the rich girl was suspicious of her corporate rival obtaining the whole set of map pieces in such a short time, and it wasn't like she precisely minded people saying unfavorable things about Arma - quite the contrary, actually - but coming from Smith, these words just sounded...wrong. Fortunately, the so-called "high king" had decided to make himself useful for once, immediately taking steps to calm the upset redhead down. Granted, his arguments (a significant improvement from the baloney she had gotten though they were) didn't make much sense to the millionaire heiress, but Achan seemed satisfied to drop the matter, and that was what mattered.

Given the current circumstances, Tacey was not about to just let the matter drop, however, taking a discreet hold of Achan's wrist and giving it a not-so-discreet yank as the teen attempted to follow the others out of the hospital door. Without offering a word of explanation, she then ushered her victim behind a particularly large potted plant, conveniently located in the exit's vicinity, ensuring that they were out of sight and - hopefully - earshot before pinning her victim against the wall and finally speaking up.

"What is wrong with you, Smith?" she hissed as loudly as she dared, fixing the boy with trademark glare, "First you decide to take a nap and have us all worried sick, then you start raving and pointing at thin air, and now you're accusing every living being in sight of being a shadow duelist?! I've had it with this-this-" she stamped her foot irritably, "This SILLINESS! I don't know if it's some kind of effect from your caffeine overdose or just a bad attempt at humor on your part, but whatever it is it's not funny. So you listen to me, Achan Smith." she grasped the boy once more, this time by the collar of his shirt, dragging his face merely inches away from her own, "Arma is a greedy, narcissistic twit with a bad fashion sense and even worse manners, but he is not a shadow duelist. And that receptionist over there?" she nodded at the older lady who had given them directions earlier, "She's not a shadow duelist either. Nor is that little boy picking his nose at the bench over there, or any of those doctors in white coats, or-or anyone here! It's all in your thick head, so just stop it, Smith; lay off! In case you forgot, I have three duel spirits with me, and Judai has that-that weird, high king power thing of his, and Manjoume...well, I think those Ojamas would notice something. My point is, there's no way any of those shadow duelist creeps would get past all of us unnoticed. All you have to do is stay close to us, relax and not do anything stupid like that again. Besides...it's not like it's you they're after."

It was then that she came to realize the simple fact that her hand was still maintaining its grip of the boy's collar. Quite a firm one, at that. With a slightly sheepish expression, the millionaire heiress finally released her teammate in favor of not throttling him to death, taking a deep breath to calm herself before speaking up again, "I guess what I'm trying to say is don't overdo it. You've been completely wound up ever since you woke up from your coma, and if you keep this up you'll be in no shape to play in the next round. You just focus on the tournament and let the professionals take care of this one, alright? It's not like some random enemy is just going to pop out from-" she paused in mid-sentence, her glare frozen onto a spot on the opposite side of the lobby where she thought she had caught sight of a bright yellow eye looking at her. One blink later, all she saw was an ordinary, black-haired little girl sitting on a bench, dangling her feet back and forth as she studied a deck of duel monsters cards held in her hands. The rich girl groaned,, "Augh, now all this talk of shadow duelists in disguise is making me paranoid! Come on, let's just end this silly round already. You'll feel a lot better once we get to Duelist Kingdom."

With that, she grabbed a firm hold of the boy's wrist once more, shepherding him out through the hospital doors in a hurried manner so as to have them catch up with the group before any serious suspicions were raised.


OOC: Surprisingly, that was more eventful than I thought it would be. And yeah, they are being secretly followed by Haruko; Tacey's just too stubborn to believe it. xD

 

[Scarlet Weather]

Achan was more than a little indignant about being grabbed. "Hey, let go!" he demanded furiously as he was dragged unceremoniously through the hospital doors. "Just 'cause you can see duel spirits and I can't doesn't mean that my paranoia's any less valid than yours!" he complained. "Honestly, that's what all this is about, isn't it? I'm just a means to an end for you, is that it? Why is it that I'm never the one who makes decisions? Why am I..." Achan searched for the words and shook his head, before begginning a long, hysterical laugh and collapsing backwards against the outside walls of the hospital. His hands began fumbling in his pockets as he removed what appeared to be a small flask filled with green liquid. Immediately he opened it and swallowed the contents. "Emergency energy drink," he explained. "Sorry about that. When I've been off caffeine a little too long I start to... not you again. Go away. Tacey already said you weren't there," he complained to the air in front of him. "You heard me, shoo. You don't exist."

The horned Kuriboh shook its head, pointing to the sign it carried. Achan peered at the words on it- they were different this time. The sign now read: Don't listen to anything I say.

Achan was confused. What was that supposed to-

The Kuriboh began humming. Slowly, the hum turned into a repeated chant of "Kuri-Kuri-Kuri-Kuri" in a deep, baritone voice. Then this faded, replaced by another voice. "Listen to me. You are worth more than this. You desire power. You deserve more. Join us. Join the organization working to bring peace to the world. We will fulfill your deepest desires. Join us... The voice repeated this at least three times before being replaced by the chant of "Kuri" which was replaced by the hum. Then the Kuriboh was silent.

Achan was confused. "But why did you-?"

The Kuriboh flipped its sign over. The back read Trust me, they aren't paying me enough for this. I'm no one's puppet. It then dropped this sign to reveal another one behind it. By the way, nobody else can see me. I'm your personal shoulder-devil. The name's- what followed was some sort of squiggly language vaguely resembling kanji that had been printed out by a three year old. Next time, I won't be able to warn you. Don't be fooled- they'll give you power alright, but- Before Achan was finished reading, the Kuriboh had dropped the sign to reveal another one behind it reading simply Gotta Bounce! It then vanished in a puff of sulfur.

Achan looked at the flask in his hand for a moment and threw it away. "I think I may need a vacation after this tournament," he moaned.

Suddenly, a massive voice boomed out over the square. "ATTENTION DUELISTS! I REPEAT: ATTENTION DUELISTS!"

Achan nearly fell backward in shock. It was as if the strange-haired security guard who worked for Pegasus had had his voice magnified to a thousand times its usual volume. He doubted that anyone in Domino could have missed that announcement. "Oh, my aching head..."

A blimp suddenly pulled overhead, and its screen flashed, revealing the face of Seto Kaiba. His magnified voice boomed out over the speakers. "Hello, all you card-game lovers. Welcome to the second round of the tournament, yadda, yadda, yadda. I'm really a very busy guy, so feel glad that I took the time out from my schedule to dignify all you losers with an announcement. Ahem-"

As Kaiba pulled a sheet of paper up to his face, Achan muttered "Yeah, an announcement, sure. Maybe it's something like 'this blimp is roughly one-tenth the size of my ego."

He was shocked when Kaiba threw down the piece of paper, screaming "Who said that? Who the hell said that? I warn you, I'm not going to read the announcement until someone owns up, and I mean-"

Achan raised his hand. "Er... Sorry?"

"Alright, that does it, you're fired! I want your desk cleaned out by tomorrow morning!"

Achan was more than a little confused. "Okay....?"

"Good. And for your information, this blimp is only one-third the size of my-" Kaiba's image on the blimp was suddenly replaced with static, and replaced by the face of Pegasus J. Crawford. "I trust you all are having an absolutely fabulous time? Oh, and I hope you enjoyed the performance of Eiji Kaito, famous Kaiba cosplayer and impersonator. Isn't his impression just F-ing brilliant. F for Fabulous, of course."

Achan's jaw dropped. Cosplayer!?!?

Pegasus continued. "Ahem. Now that the fun is over with, I have some rather bad news to deliver to teams Seven, Eight, and Twelve. I'll start with Team Seven. All of you have officially been removed from this round of the tournament. If you don't have the required number of map cards already, I'm sorry to say that you'll have to pass on the next round of the tournament, but I really do need to see you on Duelist Kingdom right away. Also, your replacement team member was unexpectedly killed in a bizarre accident involving a tag mural and a case of mistaken identity. We have, however, located a new replacement team member who will be joining you shortly. His team's map cards have been transferred to yours, so as long as you have four cards or so, you should be guranteed a spot in the next round. See you at the port!" Pegasus grinned, then frowned. "As for teams Eight and Twelve, you both are hereby disqualified for serious infractions of the rules. Transportation home will be arranged shortly. Until then, please return to the airport. Thank you."

The screen blacked out, and the blimp moved away.

Achan was confused. "That makes no sense... why did he need to use a blimp? Couldn't his grunts have just delivered a message to us?"

 

[Forci Stikane]

Saying Kuso was overwhelmed would be a distinct understatement. First he and his new friends had been attacked by these "shadow duelists" who seemed intent on taking everybody's cards. Then, after losing consciousness yet again, he suddenly woke up in the hospital with his deck safe and sound, even though his cards were, to be completely honest, the rarest of the bunch. Now Pegasus himself (who somehow seemed more like a woman in person than on some screen) had come to visit him to try to explain that his friends had been taken out of the tournament and that he was getting paired up with a new team. His reluctance to explain just what had happened left Kuso struggling to make sense of it all, but at least the good news was that he was to be discharged immediately, as the doctors had given him a clean bill of health. To make it even better, he was told that his new team was already at the hospital and he would find them on the ground floor.

After some "discussion" with the nurses about leaving the hospital on his own as opposed to in a wheelchair, Kuso collected his cards and took the elevator down to the lobby, thinking about what had happened along the way. "What exactly happened to everybody? All I remember is everyone dueling, then some cards I haven't even seen before, and...and...ow, my head... Why can't I remember it? Why can't I even remember how I managed to esca--"

The sound of the elevator reaching his destination brought Kuso out of his thoughts. As he stepped out into the lobby, he noticed that the zipper on his left arm had somehow become partially undone, so he zipped it back up as he took a look around for this group Pegasus had mentioned. Finding nobody who even resembled a duelist, much less carrying the necessary Duel Disk, he figured they had stepped outside after waiting for so long. Sure enough, as soon as he walked out the doors, he spotted a group of five duelists that must have been them.

They looked like quite the characters, though. The only girl of the group had long, purple hair, which is bizarre enough on its own, but this particular shade reminded Kuso of that talking dinosaur he used to watch as a kid. One of the boys was wearing a straw hat and sunglasses, even though it didn't seem that bright, but a glimpse of very bright-colored hair coming out of the back showed the reason for the hat. Two of the other three boys looked at least a little bit more like normal, at least with hairstyles not as crazy or hidden as the other two, but Kuso could barely make out silouettes hovering over their heads, almost like that as his "partner" but not as clear. The older boy of the group looked like he might have been related to the girl, or maybe even in a relationship with her, but there was probably no reason to point that out. Instead, Kuso just headed over to introduce himself.

"Um, hello? My name's Kuso Sarasi. Are you Team Seven? Mr. Pegasus told me that I would be joining in with you for the remainder of the tournament, so...hi." Kuso smiled as he held out his hand, expecting the same greeting in return.

OOC: Yes, I know that was a lame first post. However, that was a first post.