Yu-Gi-Oh! Skies [IC/PG-16]

[Skaia 578]

Quite like every year before it, the day after kick off had followed the same process. Jun had been sleeping both soundly and peacefully in her bed, fatigued from an eventful night and her general staying up a bit later than was recommended for a school night. She would be content with where she was, until her phone had decided that she had slept for too long. With an obnoxious buzzing noise at her bed side, Jun awoke with a groan as she started to flail one of arms around to cease the racket. As she eventually grabbed her phone, the girl slowly opened her tired eyes with annoyance clear on them. Looking at the time, the girl let out a groan as she shut the alarm off and contemplated simply going back to sleep. Though this had been a pattern she had repeated every year, it was in fact no different than the process she would go through every school day after a weekend. 

Rising up out of bed slowly, stretching and yawning as she sat up, the girl looked around to see that her roommate had already got ready for classes today. Jun was likely to get up eventually anyway, thinking it more a pain to deal with skipping classes than it was to just halfheartedly sit through them, but figured that her roommate leaving was as good a motivator as any. After all, this was Kyouko's last year. And Jun being Kyouko's senior, (in almost no regard,) had to set a good example for the shark girl. Nodding to herself at this, Jun jokingly muttered to herself, "I really am too selfless." Giggling for a bit at this, the girl took a deep breath before finally getting out of bed and getting ready for the day ahead of her. 

Walking towards class, Jun was adorned in her usual school attire that, to any faculty that had cared for the dress code were certainly sick of at this point. Naturally, Jun had on her signature hat, a part of her wardrobe that went with every outfit. Beyond that, though, the girl did in fact have her school uniform on. And while she was wearing an appropriately sized skirt, the top was what seemed to be odd. Every  time an order for school uniforms went out Jun had always ordered the same thing. A female bottom for someone of her size, and then a men's top that was generally one size too large for  the girl. As such, the shirt was big, bulky and had sleeves that very clearly extended past her hands. Truly, it was the perfect fit for Jun. Though it did make writing more complicated than it had to be. Nevertheless, Jun had continued on her path towards morning classes to get her reluctant start on to the day. 

[Saikazo 241]

"Sai...every time you say that, I get worried," Rightly so, honestly, but Sai wasn't going to let that get him down. "The first time you said that, the idea you had was great. I mean hell, the idea of utilizing pyrotechnics in the manner you had for a grand opening in your one Duel last year was amazing." It really was amazing, if he said so himself. He even made it so his wrists could fire out sparkles. It was cool. Souji then began to sigh, before rubbing the bridge of his nose. "...the last time you said you were inspired, it was just bad...terrible even. I mean, technicolor dream coat for the headmaster, when you can tell they happen to be colorblind?"

With a slight shake of his head, Souji sighed again. "...however, I am your friend, so I'll indulge you...since you seemed to be on a roll after you got Kyouko's design. So, what's the idea this time?"

"Okay, okay, so this time, the idea is for you," Sai commented as he let go of Souji's shoulders. "Okay, so you know how you play E-Heroes and they're tokusatsu as hell? Well, any good tokusatsu protagonist gets a suit upgrade, and some of the more recent ones get transforming suits. So, that's what I'm going to make you, a transforming suit!" He smiled proudly before tapping his chin. "Wait, wait, lemme pitch what I got so far," He ran out of the bathroom, diving onto his bed, reaching over to the other side of it and grabbing some empty Duel Disk cases. "Okay, okay, imagine this," He said as he quickly strapped a case on his waist and one of his wrist. "So, Imma make a custom Duel Disk, right? Make your belt the graveyard while you have an otherwise normal duel disk, right?" He then pulled out three cards from his own deck, slapping two in the Monster Zone. He then struck a pose.

"Now, I use Polymerization to fuse Whatitsname and Whocares!" Sai preformed, doing his best impression of Souji. "Now, by combining the powers of forgetfulness and apathy, I call forth a new power!" He picked up all three cards , placing them down into his belt. "Whatitsname! Whocares! Fusion Summon is a go!" Sai now made his voice sound like an announcer, one excited for the events despite how silly it all looked. "Henshin!" He called out as Souji once more, pulling an imaginary lever on the belt. "Don'tgotaname!" He then finally struck one final dramatic pose, before slipping back to normal and using his own normal voice.

"And then your costume transforms into a form that resembles the fusion monster you summoned," He explained as he took off the duel case on his waist. "I think if all goes according to plan, and if I don't get distracted, I can have this done by next week. Whatcha think, Souji?"

 

[Chaos Sonic 442]



"Okay, okay, so this time, the idea is for you,"

"Stiiiill not putting me at ease here, Sai." Souji muttered, adjusting his shirt slightly after his roommate stopped holding onto his shoulders. "Alright...so go for it."

"Okay, so you know how you play E-HEROs and they're Tokusatsu as hell? Well, any good Tokusatsu protagonist gets a suit upgrade, and some of the more recent ones get transforming suits. So, that's what I'm going to make you, a transforming suit!"

This...actually piqued Souji's interest, hearing his roommate speak about this. It struck the side of him that absolutely adored the Tokusatsu culture in the world, after all, that's one of the reasons he took the costume inspiration from the Masked HEROs that had yet to be introduced into the world of Duel Monsters. Not only that, he took the style of heroics just from that style of the culture as well.

Damn you Sai...you struck that chord with me. It better be damned worth it.

He watched as Sai immediately left the bathroom and dove back into the room, to which Souji just followed behind to see his roommate grabbing a Duel Disk and an empty case, which he immediately strapped along his waist. Now this was a design choice at least.

"Wait, wait, lemme pitch what I got so far. Okay, okay, imagine this. So, Imma make a custom Duel Disk, right? Make your belt the graveyard while you have an otherwise normal duel disk, right?"

"Alright...you've got my attention thus far." he said, taking his hand and practically telling him to get on with it.

"Now, I use Polymerization to fuse Whatitsname and Whocares! Now, by combining the powers of forgetfulness and apathy, I call forth a new power! Whatitsname! Whocares! Fusion Summon is a go! Henshin! Don'tgotaname!"

This was something that made Souji almost laugh, seeing Sai try his absolute best to pretend to be him...though, it was almost as good as the real thing, though it was barely that. Regardless, he kept himself quiet just to see and hear what Sai specifically had in mind for this.

"And then your costume transforms into a form that resembles the fusion monster you summoned. I think if all goes according to plan, and if I don't get distracted, I can have this done by next week. Whatcha think, Souji?"

Souji was about to say something, but at the same time he began to think about the whole appearance of what this would do for him. He just stood there, starring at Sai and then immediately went wide-eyed slightly as he looked at the floor. He moved quickly and shuffled over to his desk and grabbed his Deck Box, immediately fishing out his Fusion Monsters. Holding one up and then another...and then another. After a few moments, he began to imagine himself in the scenario of the suit's debut. A suit...which practically made him every HERO Fusion he had. Then he looked down at the last Fusion card he hadn't grabbed yet: Contrast HERO Chaos.

He slowly held it up, beginning to slowly turn around to face Sai. A smile began to creep across his face, his gaze finally resting on his roommate. "...Sai...you absolute...genius." Souji said, beginning to chuckle. "This might be, the best idea you've ever had! If you can do this, then I think that'll definitely raise the ante of Entertainment Dueling. The Solid Vision within Duel Space is one thing, but what your suggesting is utilizing both Solid Vision and Duel Space in the manner of having a Duelist evolve with each turn with this idea. ...all while staying true to the roots of Tokusatsu." He moved over towards his roommate and put a hand on his shoulder, giving him a thumbs up. "You've got me interested and I'm down 100% with this concept!"

[Zai 26]

 

"Hey Yushiro, I was nervous you had forgotten about our little morning rendezvous! I wasn't quite sure if you fancy a breakfast on your way to class, but I erred on the side of caution and prepared you one if you'd like." Yushiro blushed. He certainly wasn't expecting her to have made him food, and he didn't usually eat breakfast on weekdays anyway, but he took it regardless. "I made a poppyseed scone, an oven baked egg and some fresh fruit, but if you don't want it give it to one of your friends or something, I've no use for another breakfast. I just want the container back."

"Thanks Liz." He gave her a smile, and she leaned in and pecked him on the cheek, which caused Yushiro's cheeks to get redder.

"Shall we, then? I'm in Moto Hall first today."

He offered her his hand. "Yeah. Let's get going." So this was what having a girlfriend was like. He could certainly get used to this. As they were about to leave though, Yushiro's phone buzzed.

From: AkiraTHEMAN

To: THEMANYUSHIRO

Vigorous Right Fist Fukuryu is a kickass name. The Man Akira is proud.

So he was watching! Yushiro had gone the entire night with barely a hint of his best friend. Not that he minded at the time of course, but it was reassuring to note that Akira had seen him win. He let go of Elizabeth's hand for a moment to shoot Akira back a quick text.

From: THEMANYUSHIRO

To: AkiraTHEMAN

Came up with it on the spot! Glad it sounded cool! Where were you though?! I don't think I saw you all night.

He put his phone back in his pocket, and then, a little hesitantly, took the scone out of the container and had a bite. He didn't know what he'd been expecting, but Yushiro was pleasantly surprised. "Its good."

---

 

Kazu sat in silence for a few moments, considering how best to phrase things. He damn well couldn't tell the girl the truth (not that she'd believe it), but perhaps a well disguised metaphor, peppered with little nuggets of his actual emotional turmoil, would be enough to get an insightful opinion out of her. "Well, you see..." He pretended to scratch the back of his head out of nervousness. "My girlfriend and I, ahh... you see..." Now there was actual nervousness mixed in. Talking about his love life always made him feel awkward, even if in this case it wasn't actually what was going on. "My girlfriend went through something pretty traumatic a few months ago- she's fine now though, fear not- but ever since, well, she seems to be taking things far too quickly in regards to our relationship. I... I do not know if I'm ready for that yet. It worries me quite a bit. Don't get me wrong, I love her with all my heart, but we are still in high school you know? I do not want to hurt her or make the wrong decision, but at the same time I'm also scared to rush into things with her. Like, what if I am unable to perform, or-or gods forbid she finds someone else?" Oops. He hadn't intended to steer things into that direction, but there was no backing out now, even if it was an area in which he actually had complete confidence and experience. "I do not know what the right choice to make is, you see. Do I follow my instincts, or do I use my head?"

He only now turned his head back to look the girl in the face, silently hoping to himself that he hadn't made her far too uncomfortable my mistake. Best to include an apology, actually. "Sorry... I didn't intend to go into such... lurid detail. Please forgive me, miss... What might your name be, by the way?"

Edited January 26, 2020 by Zai

[radio414 906]

Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.
-Proverbs 4:25-27 (NIV)

---

Melissa quickly found her attention divided between her constantly buzzing phone -- she really should have waited to text Gabby back -- and the boy’s story, and while she really tried to concentrate on the latter, she couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking, what he thought of her that her phone was going off at all. She tried to rationalize it -- it was such a normal occurrence, after all -- and yet, each vibration was like a klaxon, a loud alarm bell. It died down eventually, but not before its arrhythmic shaking had translated over a shiver in Melissa’s body.

 “Sorry, I did not mean to go into such lurid detail,” the boy said. Maybe he hadn’t noticed? “What might your name be, by the way?”

Whatever wavering Melissa might have done, wherever her attention might have gone, it all snapped back the moment the boy stopped talking. She thought a quick prayer that she’d managed to hold onto every word, but she also wondered how she was supposed to tackle everything that she’d been presented. If it was a relationship question -- and it certainly sounded like it was a relationship question -- she was probably the worst person to ask. She didn’t know about relationships, how could she? Unless Gabby counted, and she wasn’t sure “you can try really hard and things will still go wrong, but hopefully, it’ll work out anyway” was the advice the boy in front of her wanted to hear.

Still, she had to make an honest effort, right? No matter how bad of an idea it had been in retrospect, she’d forced herself into this kid’s life with an offer to help (and it wasn’t like she didn’t want to help, even now!) and had to follow through with it. Not doing so would be worse, for both him and for her.

She decided to start at the bottom and work her way back. “My name’s Melissa,” she said, though through introducing herself, she noticed the boy hadn’t said anything about his name yet. “Um, Melissa Ashforth.”

Wait, had he said, “gods willing?” Like, more than one? Melissa tried to replay his little monolog in her head, but nothing really came of it. It didn’t significantly change what little opinion she had managed to make of him so far, and really, she shouldn’t have noticed it at all, but she had, and it interrupted her thought process enough to spawn another series of vocal commas and hedging comments.

“Sorry, I, um…”

Melissa looked down and brought a hand up to her chest- up to the crucifix around her neck and rubbed her thumb along the lower prong of the cross. “If you- If you’re asking what it sounds like you’re asking, um, I’m not sure how good my advice is going to be here. I could reference the Theology of the Body if you like, but I don’t know it that well.

“But, um, I also don’t think that’s what you’re asking? At least, I wouldn’t be asking random girls that. If you’re uncomfortable talking about it. Without that, though… I’m sorry, um, I don’t mean to pry more than I already have, but what’s the difference between what your heart wants and what your head wants? With me, I’ve found they’re often a lot more similar than I first thought.”

Melissa looked back up at her benchmate. “I understand you want to be vague about it, I probably would be too. I promise I won’t judge if you’re more in-depth, but I won’t pry any more either. That’s about as much advice as I can give.”

[Cappuccijoe 17]

Things were going great! Yushiro was enjoying his breakfast, he remembered to come pick her up, things had almost seemed fairly calm, normal even. That was, until, her intestines started to constrict, and the familiar feeling of a nicotine deprived headache came roaring through her body.

She felt strangely, keeping so many secrets from Yushiro right off the bat, but it seemed unwise to smoke in front of him. Many people, especially in these times, had been thoroughly turned off by even the scent, let alone the addiction. But this was practically on schedule for the young Senior. She had a drag every morning on the way to class; it may as well have been a part of her breakfast. She took a sip of her tea and tried to focus on the other secret she was prepared to air before it festered: the duel.

She knew she had to tell him that she had missed the end, but it was the particulars that got a little murky: she would hate to air Melissa's dirty laundry in such a way, not even counting that perhaps Yushiro knows who Melissa is. She would have to put it in a way that he understood without being too specific. 

"Yushiro, I have to tell you something about the dance actually."she stared straight ahead; she was somewhat fearful of making eye contact while she said it, even, "I didn't want to distract or ruin our night, because I had a lovely time but I also don't want to be dishonest with you, and I feel it's better to tell you now rather than later. I... well I didn't actually get to see most of your duel." she faced him, wincing a bit, hoping he wouldn't be too angry, "A friend of mine, she was feeling rather overwhelmed and I didn't want to leave her feeling alone. I understand if you're mad, it meant a lot to you. You don't have to say it's okay just for me." she looked sad, but it wasn't an attempt at any form of guilt trip, more just the realization that they have had this problem more than once; he wasn't sure how much he was willing to put up with, and Yushiro truly hadn't even seen the half of it yet.

"I was going to see if I could track down video of the duel so I could at least watch how you did it. There was certainly plenty of cheering from the bathroom. Sounded like it was a rather entertaining bout... I really am sorry for missing it. I wasn't sure what to do at the time. Perhaps after I watch over it, though, we could review the duel and keep practicing?" she made her final plea before Yushiro could answer her fully. It was the truth, and for her, that was a good start.

[Zai 26]

 

“Um, Melissa Ashforth.”

"And my name is Kazu Eilhardt Shioda. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Kazu replied, with a very genuine looking smile. She didn't respond to him for a few seconds, evidently lost in thought. Thankfully, Kazu's patience was nigh-infinite, and so he waited until she finished whatever mental gymnastics she was performing with the same friendly look on his face.

“Sorry, I, um… If you- If you’re asking what it sounds like you’re asking, um, I’m not sure how good my advice is going to be here. I could reference the Theology of the Body if you like, but I don’t know it that well."

Kazu resisted the urge to shake his head in the negative as the prodding feeling grew in intensity.

“But, um, I also don’t think that’s what you’re asking? At least, I wouldn’t be asking random girls that. If you’re uncomfortable talking about it. Without that, though… I’m sorry, um, I don’t mean to pry more than I already have, but what’s the difference between what your heart wants and what your head wants? With me, I’ve found they’re often a lot more similar than I first thought. I understand you want to be vague about it, I probably would be too. I promise I won’t judge if you’re more in-depth, but I won’t pry any more either. That’s about as much advice as I can give.”

Rather surprisingly, Melissa's words gave Kazu actual pause. She would never know the exact context, of course, but they resonated nonetheless as Kazu replayed the past few weeks in his head. Melissa could probably see the gears turning in his head as his answer dawned on him, and the next course of action became clear.

"My dear, I dare say that you've given me precisely the advice I was searching for!" He said, rather excitedly, but with a warm, genuine thankfulness that replaced the rather sterile, polite air he'd been projecting up to that point. "I don't think I need to go into more detail, though...." he paused, bashfully scratching the back of his head. "Lets just say that I've been overthinking my love life. What's most important is that she and I are happy together, and if she feels the same way that I do, then she will support me like I do her. In short- I actually have nothing to worry about." He stood up, reached back into his deck box, and pulled out one of the two cards he'd been looking at earlier. The prodding feeling in the back of his mind subsided. "A token of my gratitude. For taking the time to listen to me. I think this Rain Bozu quite suits you, Miss Ashforth."

 

 

 

"Yushiro, I have to tell you something about the dance actually."

Yushiro looked back over at his girlf- could he even call her his girlfriend? With a mixture of curiosity and a little fear. Maybe he'd done something wrong?

 "I didn't want to distract or ruin our night, because I had a lovely time but I also don't want to be dishonest with you, and I feel it's better to tell you now rather than later. I... well I didn't actually get to see most of your duel." she faced him, wincing a bit, hoping he wouldn't be too angry, "A friend of mine, she was feeling rather overwhelmed and I didn't want to leave her feeling alone. I understand if you're mad, it meant a lot to you. You don't have to say it's okay just for me."

Yushiro smiled at her, relieved that it wasn't anything he'd done. Perhaps, under other circumstances, he would have been a bit disappointed to hear that she missed most of his game, but between his fondness for Liz and her reasoning the emotion he felt was decidedly not disappointment, or anger, for that matter.

"I was going to see if I could track down video of the duel so I could at least watch how you did it. There was certainly plenty of cheering from the bathroom. Sounded like it was a rather entertaining bout... I really am sorry for missing it. I wasn't sure what to do at the time. Perhaps after I watch over it, though, we could review the duel and keep practicing?"

He put his hand up, as if to reassure her. "I'm not mad at all. Heck, believe it or not..." He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on her forehead. "I'm proud of you. I'm a little bummed that you missed it, sure, but you had something more important to do, and we spent the whole rest of the night together. Plus, you came out and told me about it, too, which tells me that you care enough to consider how I feel about it, even if you were a little too nervous to tell me right then." He started to blush a bit, and took another bite of his breakfast to give himself a break from making eye contact with her. "And knowing you care, and that I make you a little nervous, makes me... really happy." He looked back at her again, this time with a bigger, more bashful grin. "If you can find some footage, I wouldn't mind watching it with you, but don't feel obligated. I would like to practice with you some more, though. You're a big part of why I won in the first place, and I think I'm gonna be needing the help."

Edited February 7, 2020 by Zai

[Cheshire Toon 141]

Hitomu was a social person. He enjoyed interacting with other people; it used to energize him, before he became Blue Yonder’s Duel King at the end of his sophomore year. But his meteoric rise to the top of the metaphorical throne had changed everything. Now everyone always wanted something from him. A duel, usually, but sometimes an autograph, an invite to a party they wanted him to make an appearance at, or even a few times an actual attempt to fight him over some perceived insult. 

It got to be exhausting. Not that his popularity hadn’t come with perks; anytime his grades began to slip, his homework was suddenly graded more generously. That had infuriated Tess the first time he brought it up. “Nepotism,” she had grumbled. “God forbid our star duelist actually LEARN something besides when to slap what card down.” He still smiled when he thought about that.

Regardless. He quickly learned he needed a break from the attention sometimes, which was how he found the tree he was reclining in. It was a sturdy stock located on the sidewalk leading to the main campus, far enough out of the way to avoid the big crowds, with thick enough foliage to obscure him from anyone that wasn’t actually looking for him. Only a handful of people knew about his spot. Tess, Elizabeth, Ashley (how she had found out he would never know), and of course the girl currently standing at the base of the tree, his vice-captain, Jun. 

“... and that was when I realized they were gone,” he finished nonchalantly. “I have enough spare cards to build a deck for now but… Toons are kinda rare. They’re a pretty ancient archetype. Didja know they were originally printed for the creator of the game? Or at least that’s what my Mom told me when I was a kid.” It hadn’t ever occurred to him she could have been wrong. His Mom had known everything about Toons; his knowledge was but a pale imitation of her own. “So whaddaya think I should do Hattie? First meet is soon, and I doubt I’ll have them back before it.”
 

[Skaia 578]

Jun's face was rather humorless as her captain explained the story of how he lost his cards, or rather how they seemed to have been stolen from him. The only thing she could remark at the end of his story was, "that sounds pretty creepy." It would have been one thing if Hitomu had lost his cards due to his own carelessness, something she immediately thought when he had first started. But this was something far more severe, and definitely something that sounded like it would end poorly if she actually got involved to help him catch such a thief. Thankfully, he didn't actually seem to want to reacquire his lost cards, and instead was content with replacing them. Mission avoided. As he made his comment about the founder of Duel Monsters using the same kind of deck, Jun couldn't help but involuntarily comment, "I always thought they were a Blue-Eyes player." 

As he went to ask her for advice next about what to do in his current situation, the girl thought about it for a moment. Then with a bright smile the girl said, "I got it! Why don't you just play with a different deck? I'm sure anyone would be honored to loan you their cards, and you're probably good enough to win with something like that anyway. Just think about it, the crowd would love it too!" 

Hitomu sat up and swung his legs over the branch, chewing on his lip. “I don’t know. I guess I could, but…” he shrugged. “I just don’t really want to, ya know?”

The girl put a finger to her chin as she thought about it, offhandedly saying, “spoil sport.” Tapping her chin a few more times, she said, “well how do you feel about sitting out then?”

“That’s the thing. I’m fine with warming the bench -- I’ve had my time, plus I already have my ticket to the pro circuit. Don’t you think everyone expects me to duel though? I know a lot of people show up to the meets just to see me.” He paused. “That sounds kinda arrogant. Do you think that’s kinda arrogant?”

Chuckling the girl said, “well it sounds like an entertainer masquerading as a pro duelist. But, you have your own fan and hater club at school here,” the girl joked, “but they can probably live without you for one duel.” Emphatically swinging her arms to the side she shouted, “in fact, it might make them even more likely to come to the next one!”   

Hitomu jumped down from the tree, landing in front of Jun. “In that case, think you’re ready to be the captain?” He rubbed the back of his neck out of habit. “I know I seem pretty lazy but there’s a lot more than just paperwork to leading a team, and after this year, Blue Yonder will be relying on you to take them back to nationals.”

Putting her arms behind her head and leaning it back, the girl said, “noooo thank you, Captain. I’m very content to ride on your laurels for as long as I can. Though,” the girl smirked as she said, "even if it would be nice to be able to boss everyone else around for a day.” 

“Hey now. How are you gonna meet that friend of yours in the pro circuit if all you plan on doing is following other people, Hattie?” Hitomu admonished, though admittedly the impact of it was lessened because of who it was coming from. 

The girl frowned and grumbled a bit as Hitomu made his point. Looking to the side, she said, “well, not everyone on a team is a super star ace right? So that just means I have to be good enough, right? And I have plenty of time to prove that next year anyway...” After saying it, the girl paused for a moment, seemingly discontent with her own answer before looking back to Hitomou. “But fiiiine. I’ll be Captain for at least this meet. Happy?” 

Hitomu grinned and flashed two thumbs up. “That’s the spirit! You’ll do way better than you think Hattie. You’re a natural at this sorta thing, you just don’t know it yet,” he said.

Waving her arm dismissively at him, which amounted more to just her large sleeve flapping at him, the girl said, “right, right, yeah. So, what do I need to do first?” 

“Most of it is just scheduling and research. See when we’re supposed to be there and remind everyone to be ready, and check who is on the other school’s team and what type of decks they use. Pick who you want to take them on and start prepping those people for it. Oh, and,” Hitomu sighed, suddenly looking put out. “Hiraku didn’t take his loss very well. I don’t think he’s gonna be coming back to the team after that, so… just don’t plan around him.”

At this revelation, Jun’s expression was quite visibly annoyed as she said, “huuuuh? He would make my job harder.” Pouting, the girl took out her phone and started typing in notes about what to prepare. Her expression became more neutral as she typed it in saying, “well, it’s probably the best for them anyway... “ Trailing off in thought for a moment, she looked up from her phone saying, “anything else?” 

“Yep. Just one last thing, and this is the most important one, so pay close attention okay?” Hitomu leaned in close. “You ready?”

The girl raised a curious eyebrow as she prepared herself for whatever he was about to reveal. 

After a moment’s hesitation, and looking both ways to make sure no one was listening in, he whispered, “remember to have fun.”

The girl snorted as she grinned saying, “just who do you think you’re talking to.” Putting her phone away before turning away, saying, “if that’s all though, I gotta get going. Class to sleep through an all.” Jun smiled as she walked to class. Though she didn't exactly like the idea of having more homework to do, the girl figured it came with some perks. Most notably, Hitomu announcing it at the meeting and the reaction from a certain princess of darkness that was likely to follow it. 

[radio414 906]

Melissa watched as Kazu Eilhart Shioda (that was a name and a half, though Melissa supposed she’d included the “Thomas” part of her name on more than one occasion, so it was only fair) merrily walked away with a spring in his step and a tune in his heart. An odd feeling welled up inside her. A good odd, of course, she had taken time out of her day to help somebody and that always felt nice, but also she felt like she was the one receiving something in the end.

She held up the card Kazu gave her and said its name aloud again. “Rain Bozu, hm?” She wondered if the bōzu in the card’s art were supposed to be summoning the rain or keeping it away. It probably depended on what you were praying for, right? Like, if it had been raining for days and days with no end in sight, you’d probably want a little bit of sunshine, right? But rain was important too, so who was to say?

Maybe you had to get a specific person to pray for the weather, so you needed a sunshine girl or rain boy to pray to the bōzu. Not that she could be either, though, Melissa thought. Her prayer was dedicated elsewhere.

When Melissa looked back, Kazu had disappeared from her sight. She put the card in her backpack in a place where it wouldn’t get ripped or bent and continued on her way to class. There was just one more thing she had to do, and that was check in on whatever had caused her phone to explode in her pocket like it did. A button press and a few slides and taps of her finger later, and she’d pulled the whole chain up. They were all from Gabby.

From: Gabriela
To: Melissa
I
accident.
One moment.
I am doing perfectly well. The darkness is my domain and thus sleep came easy. Though I did spend much time thinking of you before I could sleep.

Melissa felt one eyebrow instinctively raise up.

Not that there’s anything strange about it.
I simply meant that I was thinking about the night and it kept me up later than normal.

Okay.

I should keep walking to class.

Melissa chuckled. It was nice to see Gabby still cherishing those specific memories, especially since it reaffirmed she was willing to move past the more awkward moments of that night that Melissa herself hadn’t quite been able to yet. Surely Gabby would be able to move past the accidental innuendo to in time, just like how Melissa was already over it. It was worth a quick laugh and nothing more.

She texted back, Haha, alright. Glad to hear you’re well. and was about to put her phone back in her pocket when it buzzed one more time. It was from a different number. Connor’s number. And he wasn’t messaging her through the group chat -- she’d still had that muted, of course -- it was addressed to her directly.

From: Connor
To: Melissa
<image link>
Hey you havent replied to the group chat in a while so I figured you might have us muted. Totally fine by the way but this popped up nd I figurd you prob want to know about it.

The link, to Melissa, was unlike any link she’d seen before. Not that she didn’t recognize the source or anything (and it wasn’t like Connor was the type of person to send virus links), but the mood of the message was ominous, so of course the link felt ominous as well. Melissa almost didn’t want to open it. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to handle it, whatever it was, and her mind was already going for the worst-case scenarios. It could be a picture of their club room flooded or collapsed or otherwise ruined, she thought. It could be an obituary for a member or a family member. The best case was that it was a topical meme. Not that she was really in the mood to see one of those either. Not after the mood of the message.

Connor had contacted her directly, though. This was important to him. Even if she was still mad at him (and she kind of was. The grudge was there, at least), it was the least she could do to see whatever exactly he wanted her to see.

---

Do not go about spreading slander among your people. Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am The LORD.
-Leviticus 19:16 (NIV)

---

No amount of worst-case scenario planning could have prepared her. Not that she was able to think something like that when she saw the image; her immediate reaction was to freeze in place and barely comprehend anything. The image was a newspaper, with the image above the fold depicting her and Gabby, right outside Gabby’s room, just as they’d leaned in close and…

“WHERE DUELISTS CLASH AND LOVE BLOOMS” the caption read. Because of course it did. Melissa found herself reopening the community service chat, desperately scrolling through the most recent messages, hoping that it had just gone ignored and Connor had been overreacting.

Hot
Its just a kiss I dont see what the big deal is
lol feel like i recognize one of them

Of course he hadn’t been. This was THE image of THE dance on THE paper of THE school. Everyone had seen it, probably. Kazu was just being courteous, for example. He’d probably seen it and was stifling laughter under his breath, and when he’d left, he was going straight to his girlfriend to tell her all about how he’d just met the school’s newest celebrity.

She didn’t want to be a celebrity! Or, well, considering which clubs she was in, maybe she did, but not for this!

Her thoughts finally turned to Gabby. She knew too, right? She was just being nice too? Keeping it from her because she could guess just what would happen when she found out? Or maybe she didn’t. What would that mean if she didn’t?

She had to know. She pulled up her chat with Gabby and sent a single message with the picture attached.

To: Gabriela
From: Melissa
<image link>
Did you know about this?

Melissa glanced at the clock in the corner. She was running late. It was one more thing to stress out about, of course, but she couldn’t help it at this point. What was that little extra bit on top of the pile? The next thing she knew, she was sprinting off in as straight a line as possible to her first class.

The only bright side was that, with everything still going through her head, Melissa didn’t even notice how out of breath she was until she collapsed into her desk, tardy (but only just) for her first class.

[LordCowCow 840]

What was taking so long? Did Melissa get into some kind of trouble?

How long was too long between messages? Gabby didn't have much to base it off of, only having had conversations on the home phone once or twice, where silence tended to be incredible awkward. Should she perhaps go to find school security, if such a thing existed, to make sure everything was alright?

Or did Melissa think that Gabriela's message about walking to class meant she didn't want to be disturbed. Was that how this texting thing worked?

She had gotten outside of class when she decided she would message again to be sure she knew it was fine to respond when a message popped up.

Gabby smiled and laughed at herself for being so weird about it. Of course everything was fine. Why wouldn't it be?

Not long after another message came in. With an image attached. After working out how that worked for a bit she realized what the image was of. She instinctively hid the phone as she looked at it, though no one was looking at it, and slowly took another peak. So she knew now. Obviously she would find out at some point but she had kind of sort of hoped it would be after class when Gabby wasn't so tired and uncertain.

With a sigh she wrote another message.

"I have. I am used to such scrutiny but I must apologize for bringing a commoner into the spotlight like this. You must be getting so much trouble for being seen with one as I in such a situation."

She stared at it for a while before deleting it. Realizing even with her persona it sounded ridiculous. So she instead just sent a simple. "Yes. My apologies." and left it at that.

She'd have to figure out what to do about it after class. That is if she could focus enough and stop thinking everyone was looking at her.

When she first arrived here she had wanted to make a splash. Be seen as someone interesting, and confident, but she didn't want attention this way...

[Cappuccijoe 17]

Elizabeth smiled, once again, truth appeared to have been the right way. Even if he was more disappointed than he was letting on, she felt relief in the fact that she was able to get it off of her chest before it soured things in her mind. She had enough guilt on her plate as it was; there was no more room for a second helping, especially for something so minuscule. 

"Well. If you've gone and made such sweeping upgrades to your deck, you may very well be on your way to longer needing my services." she snickered, taking a small sip from her tea, "I've put some thoughts into upgrading my deck lately myself. It's been a while since I've had something fresh; something I enjoy out of my deck. Perhaps a deck change is in order. Who's to say."

Elizabeth quickly pivoted the conversation, realizing that perhaps she was veering a bit too far into the depressing end for first thing in the morning, and focused herself back towards school, and classes,

"I think after 1st session I'm going to go to the gym to work out; I've been terrible about that as of late, just going straight to the dance studio instead of building muscle mass and all that. What about you? Any other plans for the day?"

[Zai 26]

 

"Well. If you've gone and made such sweeping upgrades to your deck, you may very well be on your way to longer needing my services." she snickered, taking a small sip from her tea, "I've put some thoughts into upgrading my deck lately myself. It's been a while since I've had something fresh; something I enjoy out of my deck. Perhaps a deck change is in order. Who's to say."

"But... I like your Lunalights... they're cute." Yushiro said, somewhat quietly, half hoping she wouldn't hear him. He could hear Zetsuei laughing at him in the back of his mind. Thankfully Elizabeth saw fit to change the subject.

"I think after 1st session I'm going to go to the gym to work out; I've been terrible about that as of late, just going straight to the dance studio instead of building muscle mass and all that. What about you? Any other plans for the day?"

The thought of Liz in shorts and a sports bra flashed into his mind for a second, but he quickly banished it before it started showing on his face. "I dunno. I didn't have any plans for today, actually. Dunno if Akira's around, so- wait what the heck?"

What had caught Yushiro's attention was an animal on the concrete in front of them. It was blue, unlike anything he'd ever seen before, and curled up in a ball. Out of curiosity, Yushiro walked up to get a better look, and then immediately recognized it, though this only added to his confusion. "Explossum? What's a duel monsters hologram doing out-"

BOOM!!!!

Before he could finish his sentence, the monster did as its name would suggest; the explosion at his feet hurling Yushiro several yards backward into a nearby bush. As if on cue, several additional Explossums began floating, or rolling their way out from nearby cover, until Yushiro, Liz, and anyone else in the area were completely surrounded by explosive rodents. The Sky above had turned the familiar magenta of duel space, as well, but instead of being concentrated in one area, the entire campus seemed to be shrouded in overcast red.

"aaaahhhhhh.... dangit that really burns!" Yushiro winced as he looked at his scorched ankles- the pant legs that had been there moments before now having been completely charred away to reveal blistered, red skin. In the distance, they could hear the very faint sound of a flute...

---

Elsewhere too, more holograms began to appear seemingly at random, wreaking all sorts of havoc around campus. Some were openly hostile, while others seemed content to wander around and ignore the students. The only constant was that they were everywhere... and for some reason all of them were level one. The faint flute sounds accompanied them wherever they went, too. Before long, the school was in a mixture of awe and panic.

 

[Skaia 578]

"Get back here you little devil!" Jun's angered, shouting voice could be heard through the campus as she chased after the monster.

At first, she had been nothing more than confused and curious by it. She had thought there was some kind of duel going on, but after a few seconds of looking it was pretty clear that such a thing wasn't taking place anywhere near her. More curiously, the innocent creature didn't really seem to do anything more than hop around, until it spotted Jun and slowly hopped over towards her. She figured it looked harmless enough, and were she not so used to it she probably would've even thought it was cute - though such charm had been lost a long time ago. All the same, curious about it, the girl approached  it and leaned it to see what it had to do. 

Once it had gotten close enough, the two simply stared at each other for a moment, before the monster's eyes drifted upward. Then, in a moment, it jumped and tackled into her face. It hit about as hard as cotton ball, though the creature was still big enough and had the element to surprise of it that Jun's head jerked back as the creature hit her. Annoyed, the girl said, "what was that fo-" her eyes then fixated on the creature, as it was now wearing a hat quite similar to hers. Identical, even. Reaching up, the girl patted her hat-less head, and looked blankly at the creature. It, in turn, seemed quite pleased with itself, before beginning to mischievously hop away from her. 

And now we are at present times. 

The now hat-less Jun had ran quite furiously, and faster than one would expect, as she chased the creature throughout the campus. In her fury, she didn't really register how many other monsters there were, with how little duels were going on. Though, she was forced to as she suddenly tripped, her momentum being broken. Falling face into the dirt, the girl looked back to see what she had tripped over, only to see a rather clueless plant with one eye sprouting out of the ground and looking away. As it looked to Jun, the girl was sufficiently creeped out, though it didn't seem to do anything more than hop away and plant itself back into the ground. 

No longer running, the girl started breathing heavily and felt fatigued, not being what one would consider a peak athlete. The monster with her hat still seemed pleased with itself as well, simply waiting around her, as if waiting for her to try and chase it again. Looking rather annoyed and tired, the girl pulled out her phone and took a picture of the hat thief. She then proceeded to send a text to her Captain. 

To: ToonLoon 

From now on, you're finding a new currency to pay me with.  

Attached was a picture of the culprit.

[Chaos Sonic 442]



How did Souji find himself chasing these things? The "things" in question were Level 1 Duel Monsters that were currently running amok. Needless to say...this wasn't what he was thinking was going to happen today...

---

Earlier...

Souji, after hearing about Sai's little plan regarding his Entertainment Duelist outfit and persona, was about to leave the room to get to class...but something caught his eye out the window. The sky overhead, it looked...magenta. Almost the same magenta color as Duel...Space...

"...okay what the hell is going on?" he muttered, before seeing that it wasn't in one location. Well it was, but not isolated...it was over the campus. Before he could say much of anything else, he saw it: a group of Scapeghosts. "...ohhhhh boy...that's a problem." It wasn't just that he saw either...he saw three other Level 1 monsters, ones he knew pretty well, given HERO archetypes and lore.

Without much of a second thought, Souji tossed his hat on and grabbed his deck box. He whistled to get Sai's attention, motioning at the window. "Saddle up, Sorcerer Supreme. Dunno what's going on, but we got a bit of an issue." he said, immediately heading out the door.

As he made his way down the stairs, he pulled his phone out, immediately texting in the Entertainment Dueling Group.

Fairly certain you guys noticed it too...dunno what's going on, but this isn't a bad time to get used to Duel Space if you haven't already. Stuff like this, it's pretty much this club's element anyway!

With the text sent, Souji made a beeline right out of the dorms and onto the campus, under the magenta skies.

---

This brings it to the present day, where Souji finds himself full on sprinting after three different Level 1 monsters: Destiny HERO - Dark Angel, Destiny HERO - Disk Commander and Destiny HERO - Dreamer. A trio of monsters found within the overarching HERO archetype, but namely within the area of the anti-heroes with Victorian era (at least some of them) theme of Destiny HEROs. While not too popular in most people's decks, Souji knew right away who they were. After all, it was his duty as a HERO player to know the ins and outs of the archetype and it's various branching paths.

"So Dark Angel, Disk Commander and Dreamer...I'm lucky right now that it's just the Level 1 monsters." Souji muttered to himself, beginning to imagine what it would be like to try and take out one of the bigger monsters, like Dogma or Plasma. He shook his head at the grim depiction, only to see the three D-HEROs nod at one another and began to split off in different directions. "...son of a..." he muttered again, watching them go in three separate directions: Dark Angel to the left, Disk Commander straight ahead with Dreamer heading off to the right.

Alright, all three monsters have jack all in the realm of attack. Disk Commander has 300 ATK and DEF, while Dreamer as nothing in ATK but 600 in DEF. Process of elimination first... Souji thought, nodding and making a direct left in the direction Dark Angel went. "Take care of this fallen angel first!"

[LordCowCow 840]

Something wasn't right. Gabby felt it. Everyone else felt it. There was an ominous energy in the hallway. Everyone could tell something was off. But no one seemed to know what.

That's when someone screamed. And pointed down the hallway.

Coming around the corner were a pair of skeletons. Dressed in rags and moving in a slow, creeping, walk, their jaw started chattering when they saw the students outside of the classroom. A clacking noise that sent a chill down Gabby's spine.

They somehow seemed familiar to her. Something seemed particularly unusual about them, beyond the obvious, as though they weren't quite right. Likely she had some idea what they were but at the moment she could only think about how there were a pair of living skeletons walking towards her.

And so she ran. Ran and ran. Out of the building and into open air. Where she nearly ran into three more of the skeletons. They turned around towards her and she froze up. They approached with outstretched hands, clacking, shambling, and nearly reached her.

"Come with me!" A voice called. She glanced to the side in time to see someone wearing a labcoat holding their hand out to her. While somewhat odd she thought at least they weren't a skeleton and grabbed onto their hand without a second glance.

She noticed the hand was oddly cold, clammy, but she didn't object as they led her off between a couple of other buildings. Her eyes glued onto the skeletons which were shambling towards her.

Soon she felt herself growing out of breath and asked to take a break. Sandwiched in a bit of an alley between buildings she leaned up against the wall. "What...was that?" She asked.

Her rescuer was hunched over, and she noticed that there were rips in the back of the labcoat. What was that sticking out?

They gave a short laugh that turned into a much longer cackle. "They were minions of the Skeleton King. I had to save you from them, princess. I may be a humble researcher but I am sure his Dark Majesty will reward me greatly."

Once again Gabby felt that there was something wrong. "What...do you mean? What dark majesty, I..."

"You are the dark princess yes? I know it. I heard it. They called you that. I didn't know Brron had a daughter but this is perfect, perfect, he will have to recognize my work now."

A sinking feeling settled in Gabby's stomach and she shifted to the side to see his face.

And then she screamed.

[yui 576]

BGM

"You want, yeeeeeeessss?"

"I'll pass." All morning long. From the moment Kyouko had stepped out of her dorm this morning, this annoying purple bug had been following her nonstop, trying to sell her whatever random objects it could find lying around. Where it found an unopened case of batteries was beyond her, and when she didn't show any interest in buying a leaf it had plucked from a tree, the bug just ate it instead. And it seemed like she wasn't the only one having weird duel monster trouble today. Indeed, the entire campus had been in a state of chaos, with everyone being met with their own problems brought on by tiny monsters. And while Kyouko wouldn't have minded pummeling one that tried to harm her, she instead wound up with a monster that was in no way hostile.

But this guy was annoying!

"Oh, I have--yessss! Jusst the thing!" The bug set down the large yellow sack over his back, rummaging through it with all three pairs of arms and tossing out various odds and ends. How did he even fit all of that in there? Kyouko wasn't sure what to expect from this thing next, but what she saw was somehow more surprising than if he'd pulled out something weird. Especially with how proud of himself he was for having it in stock "Yesss. Behold. Carrot! Very good for eyeballss! Sslice carrot, cook carrot, eat in a ssssssstew, yum! Value cussstomer, you would like to have healthy eyeball, no?"

"I wear prescription lenses. And I have glasses for if I lose one. I don't want a carrot."

"Hmm, bargain price! You buy carrot, yesssssss? I give, half-off! Buy one half, get one half free!" The silence the merchant was met with was all he needed to see that this loyal customer was not interested in buying a carrot. "How sssad. Children today, never ssssspend, only ssave, don't eat carrot. Oh! Maybe, you are athlete? Very tall girl, play sssssportss game? Yessss! Just the thing!" The merchant reached back into his magical sack, scooping up everything he'd tossed aside in search of the carrot and putting it back... only to toss out various other odds and ends as he dug deeper into the bottomless bag. What he pulled out actually caught Kyouko off-guard, more so than the rattling of a few small skeletons nearby.

"A metal baseball bat?"

"YESSS! For hitting the ball! You like?"

"I'm not really a--" Kyouko found herself cut off by the scream of a girl. That was new. People had been startled or inconvenienced by these guys sure, but that was actually the first time Kyouko heard genuine fear from someone coming out of all this. Strictly speaking, it wasn't her problem, but leaving it be didn't sit well with her. Plus, this magical merchant had just pulled out what was probably the perfect tool for the job. Lucky! "...can I test it out first? See if it's up to snuff and all?"

"Ohoho, of coursssse! Bring back in good condition, value cussstomer! You break, you buy!" Positively ecstatic to finally have a potential sale on his hands, the merchant eagerly handed over the bat. A bat which Kyouko wasted no time getting used to the weight of, as she strolled off in the direction of that scream she'd heard. Where that led her was a small alley, with two figures in it. One wore a torn-up labcoat, had horns sticking out of his head, and was kinda lanky looking. The other was an otherwise-ordinary girl who had a pretty gaudy fashion sense. Picking out which one was the duel monster was pretty easy.

Just like raising up the bat above her head, moving up behind the pair, and slamming the metal bat down on the monster of the pair, and sending him right down onto the ground. "Let's get going," Kyouko bluntly said, smacking the monster a second time for good measure. And a third because it was kind of fun. "This bat's a rental so I don't have a lot of time to rescue damsels in distress."

[radio414 906]

The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 27:1 (NIV)

---

Melissa’s History teacher droned on and on and, as dutiful as she was, despite how hard she tried to concentrate on the lecture and her notes, two large obstacles stood in the way. The first was the cell phone in her left pocket, which actually wasn’t that large at all (even for a cell phone), but the fact that it might buzz at any moment, signifying Gabby’s response, kept breaking her concentration. She could have even sworn that it had a few times.

The rational part of her brain tried to dismiss these signals. After all, shouldn’t she have been in class as well? Which teacher allowed students to text? And yet, well, among all the other notifications that were probably false, two stood out as being real, definite alerts. Probably. One of those, surely, was the answer she sought.

She really wanted to believe that it had been a surprise to both of them and she was being stupid for even coming out and asking like she had. If it hadn’t, though, what did that mean? If Gabby had known, why hadn’t she sent a text letting her know, just like Connor had?

But! Again, those were all thoughts she wasn’t supposed to be having right now. Right now was for the history of Ambrosia, not petty (and it was petty) relationship drama. Of course, the second big obstacle in her way then rushed in to fill in that attention gap.

The second obstacle was that the sky had turned a familiar shade of magenta.

Her classmates closest to the window noticed it first, obviously, but whispers had rippled straight down the line until everyone, including Melissa, couldn’t help but sneak peeks out the window searching for any signs of the duel going on. Melissa couldn’t see any, but then again, she was pretty far away from the window.

The only one who wasn’t taking any peeks was the teacher, which was impressive, Melissa thought. They did snap at one student who’d taken too daring of a peek but they refused to hear out excuses, so they lectured on despite the curious nature of the sky. The only thing that did manage to interrupt them was someone saying “Mokey!” from the back corner of the class.

Everyone, including the teacher, looked outside at once, and sure enough, a flock of Mokey Mokey floated into view. Most of the class cooed or waved, too. “Hi, Mokey!” somebody said. “What are you doing so far away from a duel disk?”

The teacher tried to get back on track with a “Yes, it’s very cute but if we could get back to the sociological impact of ADMIN as modern Ambrosia was developing” but it was to no avail. Even the Mokey Mokey seemed to voice their displeasure with some of them tapping on the glass. The sound was an odd one. It was kind of, but not quite like rubber, and as more and more Mokey Mokey joined in, both the frequency of the sound and the volume increased.

The Mokey Mokey were very much swarming the window now, and the sound had changed to something more like a roll of thunder. Nobody was cooing anymore; the mood had changed to nervous

Then she noticed something. One of the Mokey Mokey was turning red, and the glass was starting to crack.

She was out of her desk faster than she could think, and to the door in less than a second. She shoved it open and shouted behind her, “Everyone, this way!”

Not everyone heard her, but those nearest her did, and they too rushed the door, then those closest to them, and so on. The teacher did their best to keep everyone orderly, but it was all Melissa could do to hold the door open and watch everyone scatter in whichever direction they could manage in their attempt to be as far away from the dreadfully angry Mokey Mokey. 

Melissa went back for her bag once everyone was out, but she immediately regretted the move as soon as she reentered the room. More of the Mokey Mokey were that angry red color now, and in one final shove, the glass shattered and they all started streaming inside. Panicked, Melissa swept up whatever was hers that she could manage in her arms and started to run. And there was really only one place she could think to run to:

To the nearest bathroom.

It was a men’s restroom, but Melissa was too terrified to care, and as soon as she locked herself in the stall furthest from the door, she rationalized it to herself that nobody else was probably going to care right now either. In fact, she was a little shocked to find herself the bathroom’s sole occupant.

“Okay,” Melissa said. “Now what?”

There was a low rumble and the faintest hint of a BOOM from somewhere outside the room. Several of them, actually, one after the other with barely a pattern to any of it. Melissa held herself in a ball and rocked back and forth on her toilet seat. What was going on?

The only other thing she could think of was to make sure other people were safe, so she took out her phone. The first thing she saw was a message she’d gotten in class.

Fairly certain you guys noticed it too...dunno what's going on, but this isn't a bad time to get used to Duel Space if you haven't already. Stuff like this, it's pretty much this club's element anyway! Souji wrote in the entertainment club’s chat. Was he serious? She almost texted him exactly that but managed to stop herself. He was okay, it sounded, at least for the moment. Instead, she wrote:

From: Melissa
To: Souji, Sai, Hoshiko, Kyouko, Akari
I think I just heard a bunch of explosions. Is everybody alright?

and 

I’m safe.

She sent similar messages to Jun and Elizabeth (obviously without the plural pronoun), and then went to Gabby. But Gabby had already sent her a message, one concerning a topic she’d almost forgotten.

Yes. My apologies.

Melissa paused for a long while, but she tried -- really tried -- to not dwell at the moment. There were more important things to worry about right now.

From: Melissa
To: Gabriela
I’m safe but I’m worried about you. Are you okay?

There was nothing else she could do. Melissa double-checked that her phone was on vibrate (of course it was), set it on the ground, curled back up into a ball, and waited, hoping for something nice to happen for once.

[Cheshire Toon 141]

“Wanna duel?”
“Wanna duel?”
“That a no? Hmm… Want me to brew you a drink?”
“That a no? Hmm… Want me to brew you a drink?”

Hitomu planted his elbow on the counter and leaned forward, stroking his chin. The man across from him did the same with the opposite arm. “Are you--” they said in unison, before both trailing off. “Maybe. . . ? ARE YOU MY EVIL TWIN?” They both shouted, slamming one foot down on the stool in front of them and gesturing at the other accusingly. Their voices echoed off the wall of the empty coffee shop, synchronized so perfectly that they even faded away at the exact same time. “Guess not. OR ARE YOU?” Hitomu hoped to catch his mirror mirror image off guard with such an unexpected switch, to no avail. “Well-played man. Well-played… BUT I’LL CRACK YOU YET!”

~~~

“And then press down harder on the pen to increase the ink flow andddd viola! One cartoon caricature of the Duel Team, something not even you could co-- …” Hitomu looked up from his sketchpad to find an all but identical replica of his own still drying picture, sitting in front of his other self. 

“Wow. Maybe my style isn’t as unique as I thought,” he murmured.
“Wow. Maybe my style isn’t as unique as I thought,” he also murmured.

Hitomu was distracted momentarily by his phone ringing. He powered it on to find a picture from Jun, this one of a Watapon wearing her trademark hat. 

To: Hattie
No can do. And doesn’t it look adorable? 
Btw check Duel Team group chat. We might have a problem.

To: Duel Team
Exercise extreme caution. Our evil twins may have arrived. No progress in defeating mine yet, but I’ll keep trying. 

Attached to the message was an image of Hitomu, posing with Hitomu, both flashing the camera a cheesy grin and a peace sign. 
 

[LordCowCow 840]

"This bat's a rental so I don't have a lot of time to rescue damsels in distress."

Gabby stared at the girl, shock on her face, as her eyes slowly moved to the bat. Then she looked over quickly at the thing that was grabbing for her earlier. She heard it let out a groan and stir. Which prompted her to let out a yelp and jump away. Looking at the girl she stammered out a "T-thank you." Though she seemed to be stuck in place. Which prompted the other girl to grab Gabby by the arm and pull her along with and out of the alley.

"Where, um, where are we going?" Gabby said. Though as she did she heard two buzzing noises from her phone. Shakily checking it she let out a gasp.

From: Melissa
To: Gabriela
I’m safe but I’m worried about you. Are you okay?

Melissa, of course! How could she forget? What if she's trapped somewhere? But she said she's safe. But where was she that was safe? "H-hold on." She told her new companion.

Then she typed out a message.

Fine. Girl with bat saved me. Where are you? We can head there now.

Right after she got another message. This time in the group chat thing. She had to scroll through multiple messages that she had been ignoring, unsure how all this group chatting thing worked, and found the recent message from Hitomu.

What...was that? Evil twins? That wasn't anything like she experienced.

She quickly typed out a Beware of man in labcoat. before looking up at the girl again.

"Can we go find my...friend?" She asked hesitantly. What if this was an evil twin of someone and she didn't know it? But she had saved her. Then again she had thought that other guy was helping her too. But she knew she could trust Melissa. Even Melissa's evil twin would be bound to be a good person.

[Skaia 578]

Jun stared humorlessly at her phone as she got the reply from Hitomu. Not only did he not understand the severity of the situation, but the message showed her something far worse than she could've imagined. There were two of him. The girl figured it would be best not to message Hitomu any further until the situation blew over, but she couldn't help but briefly wonder if she could push her responsibilities onto whatever impostor was with him. All the same, Jun had a task to get done and a monster to defeat. Putting her hands to the side, the girl seemed to fiddle around with something before saying, "well, fine! I guess you can keep it." 

The watapon, looked at her confused for a moment. Looking back to the monster she said, "sure. You, look good with it on. Besides, I've got a much cooler hat back at my apartment anyway." Now even more intrigued the watapon inched closer. "Oh, do you wanna come see them?" The watapon nodded. "Well, I guess I can lead the way. But first..." The girl seemed to be a bit pensive. Then, all at once she let out a, "hiyah!" and whipped her arm towards the monster, her deck box having been hidden in her sleeve came flying right out. Nailing the hat dead on, the girl then bounded over the watapon, landing rather ungracefully as she stumbled and flailed her arms to the side. However, with the monster stunned by the whole exchange it didn't move much as Jun did this. Picking up her things, putting her deck box back and her hat on she said, "there are no hats cooler than this one! Hahaha!" Waking away, the girl noticed the watapon was now quite annoyed, but instead of paying it mind the girl just waved her arm saying, "you're a duel monster right? Go find some magical hats or something." 

Proudly, Jun walked away and looked at her phone to see Gabby had also sent a message to the duel team group. Replying to it as well, she gave her warning saying, "puffballs are also nasty scoundrels." 

Scrolling her phone, the girl noticed that she also had an unread message from Melissa. 

To: Mute-issa 
I'm A-Okay and my hat is secured. I didn't see any explosion, but I ran into a couple of annoying creatures. Where are you? Want to meet up? I bet class is cancelled.

 

[yui 576]

"Where, um, where are we going?"

"I'm just borrowing this bat," Kyouko reiterated, as she brought this small girl out of the alley and away from her monstrous captor. Back the way she came a short distance while the girl checked her phone, to be greeted at an outdoors table with the sight of that annoying bug. By the looks of things, he was trying to sell a shoe to someone whose foot was clearly too big for it. Not even a pair of shoes. Just one shoe. This was a good time to check her own phone. With all the chaos going on, surely people were talking about it in the entertainment club.

Fairly certain you guys noticed it too...dunno what's going on, but this isn't a bad time to get used to Duel Space if you haven't already. Stuff like this, it's pretty much this club's element anyway!

I think I just heard a bunch of explosions. Is everybody alright?

I'm fine. The club president and I will need to have a talk later, though.

Meanwhile, the bug's sale didn't seem to go so well, judging by his customer-to-be walking off without a new shoe. He seemed rather downcast by the sale not going through, until he spotted Kyouko, bat still on her person.

"Aha! Value cusstomer! Welcome back! Bat issss to your liking, yesss?"

"It's pretty handy. How much?" Kyouko's question was met with stunned silence. Based on his record so far, Kyouko could only assume he was in shock that somebody was actually buying something. "How much am I paying you for the bat?" she asked again.

"Hm, hmmm... five!"

That's... actually a pretty good price. Really good, actually! Kyouko reached for her wallet, opened it up... no cash. That was unfortunate. Maybe... yes, this girl was probably loaded, based on her gaudy clothes. And it wasn't like Kyouko was asking for a handout; she had every intention of paying back every dollar she was about to ask for. "Have you got some cash on you I can borrow? I'll pay it back before the day's out."

"I-what? N-no, I don't have any money." Gabby responded, looking distracted.

"Unlucky." Pulling her student card out from the wallet, Kyouko held it out and asked "Do you take card payments?" The merchant swiped the card from Kyouko's hand, looking it over really closely. He held it up in her direction, to verify that the girl on the card and the girl in front of him were indeed the same person.

"You look different. Got haircut?"

"I dyed it."

"Eyesss? Brown, not orange."

Is this guy serious? Kyouko pulled her eyelids apart, grabbing one of her contacts and pulling it off. Taking extra care not to drop it, she pointed at her natural brown eye, and answered "Colored contacts."

"Hmmmm... ok!" The merchant opened his mouth, and for a moment, Kyouko was afraid he was going to eat her student card like he had with that leaf earlier. Instead, what happened was the merchant merely putting half of it in his mouth for a bit, during which time his eyes began to glow. Just what was he doing? Suddenly, Kyouko felt her phone buzzing in her pocket again. It was a verification text confirming a fund transfer of five dollars, as she learned upon checking. "Thank you for shopping, value cussstomer! Come again!"

As Kyouko took her surpsiginly drool-free card back, one question couldn't escape her mind.

Just what the hell is this guy? Oh well. "Come on, let's go find that friend of yours," Kyouko said, nudging the small girl.

---

From: Melissa
To: Gabriela
I'm in Gardner Hall. Men's restroom, second floor. If you see a classroom full of Mokey Mokey, the one closest to that.

That was the text the small girl was taking directions from. And by extension, the one Kyouko was following. A non-zero number of additional monsters smacked later, in addition to actually getting there, and the pair found themselves outside a set of bathrooms in that building on that floor. Even in this situation, going into the men's restroom seemed awkward. But it was fine under these circumstances, right? It wasn't like anyone had any ulterior motives; quite the opposite, in fact. And so, Kyouko led the way in, tapping on each of the stall doors with the end of her new bat.

"Anyone home? I'm looking for whoever's friends with this runt behind me."

A voice called out from the furthest stall, all the way in the corner. It was a girl's voice, and a familiar one, though Kyouko couldn't quite put a name to it. "Kyouko?" the girl said. "Wait, Gabby's with you too?" The stall door opened and she poked her head out (a nice gesture even though it didn't really help with remembering her name). "Oh, thank goodness." she said. "I was so worried."

She's also in the entertainment club, Kyouko recalled. Wait... was this the same girl that heard all those explosions? "Everyone's safe and sound, it seems. Had to give one of those duel monsters a few good whacks though, to get your friend out of trouble. Pretty cathartic stuff when it's just a projection, actually."

[radio414 906]

Each minute was an eternity to Melissa. She’d tried all her tricks that normally passed the time, too, like prayer or crying or… okay, those were the two big ones but even after a few psalms and thoroughly dried-out eyes, the only other thing she could do was keep checking her phone for responses to the scant feelers she’d sent out. Jun, Kyouko, Gabby, they were safe (or safe enough) and she’d texted her location out to the people that had asked, but nobody else seemed to be responding in a timely manner.

Which was fine, like, they probably had other things to worry about, but that “fine-ness” didn’t exactly give Melissa any peace of mind. But she also wasn’t about to just go and text everyone again either. She could imagine a scenario almost like the one she found herself in, just with a monster on the other side of the stall door. If she held her breath, she could escape its notice, but any errant noise would give her away. A phone buzz from a follow-up text could be just that noise.

And of course, right as she thought it, the bathroom door opened up, and, right on cue, Melissa sucked in a huge lungful of breath and tried to hold it for as long as possible. She could hear metal scraping on the tile floor, then tapping on each of the stall doors in turn. Only when they finally spoke did she even think about breathing out.

It was Kyouko. “Anyone home? I’m looking for whoever’s friends with this runt behind me.”

---

Did Kyouko really have to call Gabby a runt? It didn’t really matter, they were all reunited at last and that was enough for right now, but the thought still stuck out in Melissa’s mind even as she went to embrace both of them, Gabby first, though she eventually pulled in a reluctant Kyouko as well.

It was when she came back out that she realized exactly what Kyouko had explained to her. A bat? Whacks? “Is that- was that what Souji was talking about with duel space? Do we have to be fighting these things?” she said. Then, after a breath, “I don’t know. I don’t have a plan or anything. My plan was just hiding here until it stopped.”

Melissa looked at Gabby, then Kyouko, then back again, “I’m sorry, I feel like you came here to rescue me. Jun’s coming too -- I told her where I was too. But that means, I don’t know, going somewhere else, doesn’t it? Where else is safe? Do you know?

“I really don’t mean to be a burden like this. I just- you asked, so I answered. And I don’t mean to blame this on you- either of you. I really am grateful that you’re both here. But if you need to go somewhere else, you can do it now, and I’ll be happy having seen that you’re alright. I just- I’m stuck, I guess. I’m stuck here where it’s safe.”

Someone knocked at the door. “That’s probably Jun,” Melissa said as she walked to the door. It was a trepidatious walk -- “probably” didn’t mean “definitely,” after all -- which made her all the more relieved to find that it was! Jun too got a hug, right there in the doorway before Melissa pulled her inside to join them. “It’s good to see you’re safe,” Melissa said.

Surprised by the sudden affection, Jun smiled and said, “Glad to see you too ‘Lissa! It was a bit touch and go before getting here,” the girl adjusted her hat as she said so, “but-” she stopped as she saw everyone else. Brightening even further, she said, “Oh, even Koko and Gabby are here! It's like some kind of party! Man, with classes cancelled and all of us here, it’d be the perfect time to go see a movie or something. But well,” the girl sighed as she looked back to the entrance, a bit disappointed.

It was obvious why, or it was to Melissa, at any rate. Guilty thoughts swam into her head again, and she almost went into another long apology without meaning to. But no, she managed to stop herself and instead reflected on what she could do to help. Because, well, maybe she couldn’t fix it, but she sure could try. Like she had said, after all, these people had come for her.

She took another deep breath. “Alright, if I had to make a plan, I’d start with why this is happening. Or why, or- well, I guess duel space is why, right? A better why then: why this specifically? Our class was attacked by Mokey Mokey and then I came here so I haven’t seen much else, but you all surely must have had some other experience.” She gestured at Kyouko. “Like, where’d you get that bat? I guess we start there and work our way out?”

---

How good and pleasant it is
    when God’s people live together in unity!
It is like precious oil poured on the head,
    running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron’s beard,
    down on the collar of his robe.
It is as if the dew of Hermon
    were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the Lord bestows his blessing,
    even life forevermore.
-Psalm 133 (NIV)

[LordCowCow 840]

The longer they went on the less Gabby understood what was happening. This girl with a bat was talking to some giant bug that was apparently selling something to her? Did the world turn into some sort of monster world without her realizing? The girl sounded so casually discussing things with this one and had so easily knocked the other one out.

When they finally reached Melissa Gabby realized with some guilt that she was somewhat relieved by the girl's panicked attitude. Compared to the bat-girl's casualness and, later, Jun's excitement it was a breath of fresh air. So this really WAS something unusual.

It was a shame that she couldn't really enjoy the hug though. It was over before she could really register it was happening after all.

They then dove right into trying to figure out what was happening and what they should do. Or, Melissa did. She wasn't entirely sure what Jun was doing. She gave her upperclassman a confused look before thinking over what had happened. The name Melissa mentioned, Mokey Mokey, that was a Duel Monster right? So did that mean...

"There were skeletons, um, Skull Servants I guess. Suppose that's ironic thinking about it. But a-anyway I ran from them and ran into...something else. And then she saved me." She glanced aside. Skull Servants. If that was really what they were she felt somewhat responsible. After all those were precious cards in her own deck.

"It may sound crazy but...I might be able to convince some of them to leave us alone if we run into them. I-I mean, I'm...you know. I have them in my deck and all..." She blushed and looked away. Those used to her normal attitude would realize how meek she seemed right now. There was no way she could remember to keep the act up with all this going on.

Was it so crazy to think? She had seen how the bug interacted with the bat-girl after all.

[Chaos Sonic 442]



In hot pursuit of D-HERO Dark Angel, Souji was doing his best at keeping the pace that the Level 1 monster was setting. This was definitely the type of workout regimen he was looking for, especially with him needing to parkour over certain obstacles. This was just what someone that had aspirations of being an Entertainment Duelist needed: a type of issue to where he could both show off and show out, while also getting a pretty good cardio workout in the process.

"Haven't lost me yet, Dark Angel! Better just give up while you still can!" Souji shouted to the monster, who simply laughed.

"Ohohohoh! Such bravado! Albeit, quite missed placed. Nevertheless, see if you can stop me if you c-..." While Dark Angel gloated, he stared at Souji behind him, only to not pay attention to where he was going. It cost him dearly, as the monster hit the side of a brick wall and was sent sliding down it before just falling over.

Souji slowed down and stopped at seeing the monster before him, as he shook his head and lowered his hat over his eyes. "...ya hate to see it. Maybe less gloating and more focusing on where the hell your going." he sighed, turning around with a shrug. "Shame too. Was planning on bringing out some of my own monsters to help me out. Oh well. One down, two more to go."

As he began to make it back towards where Disk Commander and Dreamer separated, Souji felt his phone go off, seeing a few messages almost immediately.

I think I just heard a bunch of explosions. Is everybody alright?
I'm fine.

Melissa and Kyouko? Well it seemed like they were doing alright so far as well, which was definitely a good thing.

Never better, myself. Dealt with one monster on my end, Destiny HERO Dark Angel. Unfortunately, he had some others with him and they all split off. I got two more on my agenda to take care of.

Souji sent the message off, not wanting to say that Dark Angel literally took himself out...cause that wouldn't be very heroic of him, now would it? With that sent, Souji hightailed it back to go after his next target: D-HERO Disk Commander.