Yu-Gi-Oh! ASPECT: Ch1 - Aspect the Unexpected (DEOD Saga)

[Black D'Sceptyr]

DUEL ACADEMY\HERO TIMELINE\12:01 PM

 

“…and with the rumored return of the tournament’s last champion, our tournament in Athens takes final shape-the proving ground for a new breed of card-clashing gladiators! In just 6 short days, the Chaos Showdown Invitational will begin!!”

 

This was the blaring announcement made over the TV in the main wing of the far-and-removed island school known as Duelist Academy, just outside the dueling stages. Everyone who was anyone in the Academy was busy watching this event with bated breath.

 

“-OW! My side! Yubel, you really need to remind me how to set my alarms soon!”

 

…okay, all save for one. The aptly dubbed Slifer Slacker of the Duelist Academy, Jaden Yuki, was busy racing pell-mell to his classroom. Unbeknownst to anyone not

intricately familiar with the concept of Duel Spirits, a dual-haired fiendish entity was trailing behind this duelist, arms folded and well-worn frown etched on her face.

 

“Jaden, we’ve been over this. Do you remember the earthquake incident?”

 

Jaden stopped for a minute at this. “I still think it’s a stretch to say it was a 4.5. Even I’m not that heavy a sleeper!”

 

“And what of all the classes that were canceled then? Did you ever wonder why?”

 

“Oh-Well, you know, gift horses and all that.” Then Jaden’s trademark grin crossed his face again. “Yubel, do you think you could…" 

 

“Not without causing this entire island to be evacuated,” Yubel then got a small glint in her eyes. “Though that would mean I could spend more time with you…”

 

Jaden simply waved off Yubel before she could finish. “Don’t worry, Yubes, I was joking!”

 

Yubel became incredibly grateful Jaden was preoccupied with his dash to notice her childish pout. Not that it ACTUALLY was. She was Yubel, it was simple concern!

 

 "Besides, I heard it was a presentation on this new tournament! I’m actually sorry I overslept!”

 

With this final statement, Jaden finally made it to the presentation room and threw open the door.

 

And nearly clocked Professor Crowler in the face with it. Surprisingly, the Obelisk Blue headmaster, considering his previous spats with Jaden, took it in relatively good stride.

 

“JADEN, YOU INSOLENT DOLT! You could have sent me into an early GRAVE with your reckless rampage! Do you have ANYTHING to say for yourself?!" 

 

Again, relatively is the key word here.

 

“Sorry Prof-I was busy with my-um, well see-” Thankfully- or unthankfully, considering who you’re talking to-Jaden’s legs tangled together during his back-scoot from the fuming Crowler, and he landed on his back. Why yes, the floor was solid marble, why do you ask?

 

Anyway, trying to ignore the Winged Kuribohs circling his head-or the jostling laughs of his classmates bombarding his ears-Jaden struggled back to his feet. His gaze however, quickly snapped from the venting of Crowler to the screen presenting the promo for the Duelist of Duelists competition. Specifically, the view was focused on the girl-centered in front of the screen. The pure, jet black shruiken-like fan of hair and darkened complexion only served to make her stand out from the throng of cheering fans and bright lights that surrounded her dueling photo. She probably would have passed as cute if not for the scowl she sported.

 

“Who’s she?” Jaden asked.

 

“AND FURTHERMORE I-wait, you’re asking about Akaine?” Crowler asked, his hurricane of fury momentarily stopped. “Well, I’m surprised you’d be this concerned over a duelist like her, but if this is what it takes to snap you out of your sophomoric ways…”

 

“Good luck,” muttered Chazz Princeton, arms folded and half-mast smirk on his face.

 

“…as I was saying, that duelist is the 1^st winner of the Chaos Showdown, a duelist called Akaine Yubin! Her victory was all the more poignant due to her re-interpretation of the rules…” here, Crowler’s tone turned to a more serious level, “...rules which yours truly will ensure are strictly followed THIS time! May I remind you that our representatives will be dueling for an entire institution-and as such  will show the finesse I EXPECT from Duel Academy’s cream of the crop!”

 

Alexis Rhodes fielded the next question. “Professor, if I may ask so we can avoid a repeat, what rule did Akaine break?”

 

“Well,” Crowler replied, self-righteous air whittling away as quickly as his previous one, “…the rule wasn’t so much broken as it was created. See, Akaine wished to prove she was the greatest intercontinental duelist, either alone or as part of a unit.”

 

As Crowler spoke, the pictures flashed to life behind him, illustrating Akaine’s journey through the Chaos Showdown.  So, our intrepid Duelist, in this instance, asked to compete in both-the singles gauntlet by herself, and the tag gauntlets with her partner and cousin, Cesare Yubin!”

 

“Let me guess how this ends-they didn’t get their wish, so one of them dressed in drag and pretended to be three people to win?” Chazz haughtily asked. “Cause that’s what I’d expect with the young and senseless.”

 

“At least you’ll never have that problem with US around!” Ojama Yellow said, popping up from behind Chazz’s collar.

 

“No-for that, I’d have to actually want you around!” Chazz bellowed from between a gate of clenched teeth, causing the transparent trio to cower in retreat.

 

Facing a sea of glares from everyone else (save for Jaden,) Chazz responded with a just-as-bold “Don’t you losers have someone else to fawn over?!" 

 

“As I was saying…” Professor Crowler continued, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance, “…to the surprise of everyone in the tournament, Akaine and Cesare’s contentious deal was upheld! And to even greater surprise, they went on to win both single and tag championships in this tournament-the only two to do both at the same time in the tournament’s history! A rather amazing feat if I say so myself…”

 

At this the Obelisk Blue professor puffed up in egotistical joy, his body language saying ‘and if you think THEY’RE great, thank the person who’s talking about them right now!’ 

 

“…because we’re going to be the school that does it again! Eight duelists from this very academy will be chosen to participate in this year’s Chaos Showdown, and the rest of you will accompany them as spectators! I suggest you brush up on your dueling acumen between now and then…” 

 

Crowler’s gaze turned sharply to the surprisingly alert Jaden Yuki, “ESPECIALLY-wait! Jaden, don’t tell me you actually PAID ATTENTION throughout that lecture?!”

Jaden, put on the spot, managed to whip out a large grin. “Well, I did blank out once or twice, but you said it yourself right? This Chaos Showdown’s a great way to meet new duelists, and I’m never going to doze though the chance to meet them!”

 

“The whole ‘not having to worry about the school being taken over when I leave’ part is a nice bonus too!” he didn’t say.

 

“I feel you’re trying to tell me something…” Yubel playfully chided next to him. Jaden only responded with a light shrug.

 

“Again I’ll ask; who are you and what have you done with that atrocious Slifer Slacker?” the Obelisk Blue headmaster demanded, bowing his head to hide his face-splitting smirk. “Because paying attention to ME would have done you a great deal of good sooner in this year, Jaden. Since you’re willing to go over a new leaf, though, I’ll oblige you this once. Now, open your textbooks, class, you’ve all got a lot to work on before that ferry comes aro-

 

And just as he turned up to face the class again, Jaden was asleep, the paper mockup of his open eyes having fallen off long ago. Fellow Obelisk Blue Syrus blanched at this, and quickly plugged his ears-along with Alexis and Chazz-before Crowler’s nuclear meltdown blared through the walls of the Academy.

 

“JAAAAADEN! NOW YOU’RE DOING THIS ON PURPOSE! AFTER ALL I’VE SACRIFICED FOR YOU AND YOUR WRETCHED SLIFER DORM, THE VERY LEAST YOU COULD DO IS-”

 ________________

ASTRAL WORLD\NUMBER TIMELINE\TIME N/A

 

“-pay attention, Yuma!”

 

“Wait a sec, pay attention to-”

 

WHAK.

 

And this entailed Yuma’s first experience with the gang in his second visit to the Astral World. Most notably, to the first building in his second visit to the Astral World.

Vector turned and balanced his nose on his fist to keep the wounded Duelist from seeing his smirk. Tori and Vetrix’s family suddenly became heavily interested in the star-coated sky of the Astral World, though a chuckle escaped Vetrix’s mask and Quattro’s grin risked cutting into Quinton’s face, by nature of its size and sharpness.

 

Shark…was a tad less shrouded in his disdain. “New world, new problems, same old Yuma.”

 

“Another thing I could have enlightened you on long ago,” said his fellow Galaxy-Eyes user, Mizar. He would have continued on his point of Yuma’s bumbling demeanor had something in the alley of the sapphire glowing-buildings to his right had not caught his and his fellow ex-Emperors’ attention.

 

A similar curiosity stopped Kite from pointing out his similar annoyances at Heartland City’s Duel Champion. Speaking of which….

 

“Y’know guys, I’m still in pain here, any sort of concern would really go a long way!” Yuma’s stopped clutching his reddened nose long enough to notice Kite’s unceremonious brush past him, Orbital 7 trailing behind. “Wait, where are you going?”

 

“To the top of this world,” was Kite’s simple reply. “And even if I wasn’t, getting as far away from this joke of an arrival as possible should be enough.”

 

“Hey now, you’re not exactly a saint either! Or do you want me to point out h-how…” And at this point, Yuma finally burst out into pearls of laughter.

 

Before Kite could ask what brought out that wild change in mood, Yuma did it for him. “Sorry, Kite. I mean…think of how far we’ve come. I mean”-and he gestured to the entire group they were with, which took second glances at each other, before Yuma’s finger rested on Shark and his - “Just several days ago, these guys were the Barian Emperors-well and Empress, I almost forgot about Rio-”   “-and were about to destroy the planet, and now they’re all out of Don Thousand’s shadow! Even Ray!”

 

“Hey now, that idiot was in MY shadow!” Vector objected, flaring his collar. “And we’re all the better for the eventual triumph of the Ray Way! Isn’t that right fel-”

 

Vector was met with a sea of humorously disbelieving glares from his fellow rulers, the rest of the Emperors not as forgetful of Vector’s actions as he.

 

Yuma would not be deterred mid-speech, though. “And you Vetrix, you and I were at each other’s throats at the Duel Carnival! An-and Trey, Quattro and Quin, you were ready to turn Heartland City into a crater for your crazy dad before-um, no offense.”

“

None taken, Yuma!” Vetrix’s trademark grin-well, what little of it was visible behind his mask-told Yuma the water was off the back. “I’m far too powerful now for that to affect me!”

 

Shark visibly shuddered at the response. “How those words got scarier after he became good  than they were before he became good, I’ll never know." 

 

“Or want to...” Rio added.

 

Yuma finally spread his arms at the display of camaraderie. “See Kite? I mean, and now we have a chance to high five the sky again, and save the Astral World again! Who wouldn’t be happy at th-ok where’d he go? I was getting to the good part!” At this point, Yuma was risking whiplash from trying to locate Kite, until Vector tried to move past him and Yuma grabbed his arm. “NOT SO FAST RAY, WHERE’D YOU TAKE KITE!”

 

Vector pulled on a pout that in his Ray days, may have embarrassed Yuma enough into releasing him, but now “Wait, y’think I took that walking ice sculpture? Do I look like a person that would do something so craven?”

 

Now the looks the other six ex-Barians were shooting him could have made Vector an ice sculpture.  

 

“I mean lately, guys!”

 

“You tried to destroy us two weeks ago,” deadpanned Dumon.

 

“My goodness, Dumon’s gone into semantics, he’s about to become evil again! You hold him down Yuma, I’ll go for-”

 

“You’ll do nothing and stop pestering my friends, in that order.”

 

Kite was back again, this time, looking disapprovingly on the scene from his flying Orbital 7.”

 

“KITE! You’re okay!” Yuma finally realized something. “Waitasec, we’re in the Astral World to help Astral! What am I doing!”

 

“Another thing I’ve been wondering for months now.” Kite finally touched down. “And your friend’s in more trouble than I thought.”

 

“Really? Did he tell you?” Tori asked.

 

“No, but…”

 

And then Kite pointed to the high tower of the Astral World, the one in which Yuma at one instance had fought Eliphas, with Astral’s freedom-and his memories of Astral-on the line.

 

Which now seemed to be under a line of its own-the waterline, considering the sparkling falls jetting from every available opening like a splattering wound.

 

“…anything that did that to their base may be what we’re looking to stop,” Kite pointed out.

 

The realization of a clue to the new threat upon Astral World finally perked up Vetrix. “Come on boys, we’ve got some scouting to do-I’m almost bursting with joy to see Astral again too!” chirped the Argent Patriarch, walking past his stunned sons.

 

Trey was first to notice the change in Vetrix’s mood. “If I didn’t see it myself…See ya soon, Yuma!” chirped the Chronomaly user.

 

“You’re telling me what you’ve done with our real dad when we get back,” Quattro chipped in, a knowing grin betraying his words as he left

 

“Do stay safe,” added Quinton, as he turned to follow the others. “I would rather not have to come bail Kite from his newest mess.”

 

This earned him a glare from his former protégé, roughly until the 5^th second passed and both finally cracked jocular grins. “Hm. Guess Yuma does have a point,” Kite finally admitted as Quinton turned on his heel and the Vetrix family set out for the flooded tower.

 

Yuma would have started jumping for joy-birds swimming, water flowing upwards, and Kite agreeing with him, he didn’t think he’d see the day!-but the rumbling of the ground stopped him mind-spring. 

 

Girag was one of the few remaining members of the group who wasn’t thrown to the ground or forced into a clumsy rendition of the Charlie Brown dance due  to the earthquake. “Think trouble’s done waiting for us to find it, or…?" 

 

“Oh believe me, when whoever did this shows up, I’ll be the first to make it worth the wait!”

 

Shark was the first to notice exactly what was making all that rumbling possible-or the first to smell it, considering the brine-and his eyes widened at the hint.

 

“Guys, RUN! It’s a flash-flood!”

 

“You’re kidding right?” Mizar asked him. “Anything that moves that much water would’ve been visible long before we…”

 

Then, down the long alleyway that was on the opposite direction, Shark’s prophecy came true as a barreling wave of water surged past the houses-and toward the still-disoriented gang.

 

“…course, I’ve been wrong before,” muttered Mizar. 

Milliseconds after that, he and company made a mad dash in the other direction, Kite again taking to the air with a currently fume-running Orbital 7.

 

“…oh g-g-goodness gracious Master K-Kite, I just flew y-you  all the way here, couldn’t we just leg it h-h-heere-?”

 

“Shut it 7, or I’m leaving you in the next pond-“ another surge of water came dangerously close to them due to their lack of alitiude, though Yuma and his friends-several feet ahead of them-were still keeping ahead of feeling this flow. “-assuming your shoddy flying doesn’t do it first!” 

 

“Kite, just get to higher ground, we’ll follow you there!” Yuma yelled at them both. “C’mon, Astral, where are you!...thought it’d be you coming to us, not the thing that probably…”

“…should be happening more often after all the times we’ve saved the world!”

 

THE SATELLITE\SIGNER TIMELINE\5:40 AM

 

“Anyone ever tell you what not to do with gift horses, Atlas?” Crow shot back at the Master of Faster.

 

For at Yusei’s garage, the Signers were already being greeted by a rancorous party. Conquering the King of the Netherworld tends to have that effect in the Satellite.

“Welcome back, Yusei!” Trudge admitted, then caught himself immediately. “I said that out loud. I actually said that out loud!”

 

Leo quickly noticed this though. “Don’t worry Officer, it’s alright! Yusei’s a good guy and so are you! Besides, you’re off-duty right now!”

 

“And this kid’s made the most sense in the last hour.” Trudge shook his head. “It really is Bizarro World, isn’t it?”

 

“Yeah, but that’s well behind us now!” Mima gladly admitted. “For now, let’s party!”

Jack Atlas, having finished with the last of the celebrations a while ago, was outside, contemplating another note he had on him. The note simply read You are invited to the Akaine All-Star Memorial Tournament. Proceeds go to the rebuilding of the Satellite. “Perhaps Yusei, Crow and I could find some time for this…”

 

Without fail, Carly Carmine came up next to him. ”Atlas alone and contemplating another fight. I’d almost call this typical if not for, well, the entire last month.”

 

“Sorry about that.” Jack finally turned to face her, grateful for her presence. “And it’s nice to see you got your glasses fixed from before." 

 

Carly ground her jaw a little at this. “And yet it’s the only thing I remember about back then! Arrrgh, it’s so maddening! Are you sure you can’t tell me anything that happened when I was a…what did you call it…a Dark Signer?!”

 

Jack almost did, to spare her the misery, but the memories came flooding back from a dam too flimsy to ever hold it back long…

 

“Carly! Carly! Just hang in there Carly! You hear me?”

 

Carly weakly looked up at the weary King. “Yes Jack, I hear you.”

 

“You’re gonna make it through this.” Jack reassured her.

 

“I know, Jack, I will.” Then Carly’s eyes glimmered all the more. “But not here.”

 

“No, don’t say that! Look, I saved these for you.” And with that Jack took out Carly’s cracked glasses. With almost surgical precision, he placed the over the former Dark Signer’s eyes, making her look just that more like the one he knew-not the one that didn’t summon gigantic bird-monsters to destroy him, but the one who knew-and played-the combination needed to save him from the darkness. 

 

On far more occasions than this one.

 

 

“Thanks Jack.” Carly continued, her voice still faint and wavering. “But I don’t want you to worry about me. Even though the Netherworld is calling for me, I’ll be alright. I’m not scared.” Carly immediately looked away from Jack. “And you shouldn’t be either. We’ll be together again someday.”

 

Jack’s posture hardened in determination. “You’re right.” He was not talking about Carly’s inevitable demise. “I’m going to do whatever it takes to bring you back. I’ll never give up hope, and I’ll never stop fighting for you, Carly!”

 

Carly finally looked up at him once more. “I know you will Jack. That’s why you’re my number 1.”

 

Her gaze finally broke.

 

“Now then, I’m afraid it’s time I get going.”

 

She then raised up and embraced Jack-a herculean feat considering it was immediately following 20-yard skid from her tumbling Duel Runner. Of course, Jack returned the hug.

 

“Goodbye Jack,” Carly finally said, her voice lingering in Jack’s mind, even as her body turned to blackened dust and blew away in Jack’s arms.

 

“Just know that black doesn’t work with you at all and leave it at that,” Jack finally admitted. 

 

Carly, finally granted a hint, grew a face-splitting grin. “And like that, the mystery deepens! Black clothing really signifies a heavily traumatic incident-don’t know what it’d be for me to consider it, but it must be quick to make the change so fast! And considering what I was focusing on beforehand the only possible explanation could be…”

 

Jack’s breath hitched in horror. How did you figure that out from one clue?! he didn’t bellow, mostly to save both of their whittling nerves.

 

“…that someone figured out my peanut allergy!”

 

And like that, Jack’s breathing returned to normal. Well, considering. 

“…a peanut allergy?”

 

“Of course!” Carly declared, finger in the air and glint in her eyes. “Had it since I was five-don’t tell anyone else, by the way, journalism’s hard enough as it is without handing the competition ammo!”

 

Carly continued on her theory, the glint only intensifying.

 

“Apparently, Divine found this out about me, which only serves just how deeply his Arcadia Movement served as a front to hide their true plans! And I finally figured it out!Thanks, Jack thanks so much!” And Carly quickly hugged Jack for it.

 

“Well…of course. You’re welcome,” Jack said flippantly.

 

However, Carly quickly broke the hug in a rush. “Oh, sorry Jack, nearly broke the conduct rules. Wow, it’s hard to remember them all. Thankfully, I have them all right….” And Carly quickly started searching her jacket pockets for the handbook, unearthing an obscene amount of papers, cards, and spare glasses in the process.

 

The glasses, in particular, caught Jack’s attention. Actually, it and the now 6 similar pairs of them now decorating the floor around the neurotic journalist. “Okay, I know the pair I gave back to you was damaged, but this may be overdoing it.”

 

“Nonsense,” Carly admitted. “Being prepared is the absolute least I can do if I’m going to expose the Arcadia Movement-oh COME ON where’s that book?!” At this point she was now shaking out her jacket for the book wildly.

“

You could just interview Akiza and Misty-they’ve got a gold mine between them.” Jack then noticed a small book under one of Carly’s glasses cases and handed it to her.

 

“Here you go. And speaking of, have you seen Akiza?”

 

“Said she had to go check with someone who said they could help her with her power. Never seen her so worried, though.” Carly pointed out. “When I asked if Misty found her brother, Akiza said no and left. Or as I’m calling it now, the average Akiza response.”

 

“So it’s someone else from Arcadia?” Jack's eyes widened a bit. “Wait, is it another Psyc-”

 

Jack’s question, though came to a screeching halt when an explosion rocked the small area nearby. Without fail, he charged to his nearby D-Wheel, nearly colliding with Carly, now currently trying to retrieve her ton of notes scattered on the floor. Jack quickly complied with a “SorryaboutthatCarlyI’llbeback!” and Carly responded in kind with a torrent of red rushing to her cheeks.

 

Jack’s starting of his Duel Runner was only impeded by a blur of blue, black, and gold as Yusei bolted for his D-Wheel parked in front of his, the other Signers gathering around him.

 

“What’s this all about, Yusei?” Jack demanded of him.

 

“That blast-I recognize the signature, that’s Akiza’s Black Rose Dragon!” Yusei responded, latching on his helmet, confirming Jack’s fears. “If she’s in that much trouble, I have to help her! And knowing how powerful she is…”

 

“…you want to make sure the people you have to help stays at one.” Jack smiled. “Well, I’ll be, Yusei. Back in shining armor mode, aren’t we?”

 

“Don’t need to be a knight in order to save,” Yusei said, kicking his D-Wheel to high gear. “Get the others somewhere safe-anyone taking that much out of a Signer might come for the rest of us! Leave Aki and her opponent to me!”

 

And with this, Yusei took off, leaving Jack to handle the others. “And of course, he leaves me with the babysitting duties as well, the clever ponce.”

 

“I love you too, Atlas,” Crow sarcastically snapped.

 

“Come on, you whiners, we have work to do! Trudge arrived in his Duel Runner. “I’ll help to evacuate the area, you gather the others-sometime this century, if you don’t mind!”

 

“Again I’ll ask, why does he get the easy jobs?” Crow wondered, racing back inside the building with Jack. “I mean, you’d think after a while…”

DYSTOPIA OF DESIRE\?????????\????????????

 

“…things would change in any of these worlds we came from…”

 

This oddly continuous phrase came from the lips of a girl, sitting in front of a monitor in a long, high-ceiling room. Thunder flashed across the otherwise darkened chamber, serving as the third source of illumination besides the screens in front of her, and the pair of glowing eyes behind her.

 

“But no! These duelists have, one and all, provoked countless numbers of people to ruin reputations, destroy cities, take souls…”

 

Three diamond--shaped screens, floating in the air, displayed three crystal clear images. The first was flickering between two groups of people-the first trying desperately to avoid being swept in the tide running through a starlit city with blue buildings barreling past them, led by a kid with red-on-blue spiked hair in a similarly-colored outfit. The second picture though, calmly motioned alongside a smaller group of four men-the one at front exuding an air of authority, though he was far shorter than the other three and currently had a oversized stone mask with one eyepiece knocked out perched upon his face. His blonde hair also stood out from the pink hair of the first kid, the streamlined silver hair of the second, and the brown-on-gold mop of the third.

 

“They’ve had their friends, their family, their mentors, their very Duel Monsters themselves out for their blood….”

 

The second façade presented a look upon a concrete pier, in the shadow of a giant bridge brought on by the brightly glowing moon. Here, two more people were gathering, each holding scraps of paper-the first was in a tattered black jacket, black pants and purple shirt. Tired as he looked from the disappearance of his normally haughty posture, though, his eyes were quite alert as he approached the pier. The other wanderer, heading from the grassy hills above, was similarly fatigued, constantly brushing her long blond hair behind the shoulders of her blue-white outfit. Yet she too sported a concerned look as she constantly double-checked her surroundings.

 

“And I can’t recall another group of people in history as uninformed, as unprepared and as unfit of their powers as these...intellectual peons.”

 

The final scene had the markings of a heavy physical war at the top of a building, something more than just cocked fists and loaded words. The scene was strewn with heavy craters, but one person was clearly triumphant-a girl with lime-green hair tied into two curling drills, kept loosely together by a metallic horn spearing through them. She was calmly pursuing another girl, whose now-loose scarlet hair was blocking her hung face from view. The black-red aura surrounding this girl, however, gave a more convincing tell to the girls’ condition, as it was madly flickering and ebbing as if badly damaged.

 

“Yet they just cannot wait to bring out their inner visionary with their talk of drive, and chance, and feeling the flow. Flow. Indeed. As if a stream of hot garbage that flows from their mouths deserves anything but a drain ditch. As if people happy with being second best to a city of vapid fools deserves anything but opprobrium. As if a place that spawned and attracted as many worthless has-beens and never-weres as Duel Academy….”

 

Above the viewer’s head, the glowing eyes narrowed in agreement. The girl watching these scenes stopped mid-rave and craned her head up to meet them.

 

She did not react in surprise or terror though. In fact, a small grin finally cut across her face, before she lowered back to watch the screens again, another crack of lighting nearly cutting off her next words.

 

“So you have been listening. Perfect. Another thing these Duelists don’t do enough of.” The girl once again turned her head, this time downward to the set of cards whistling though her fingertips. “But then again, after knowing what we know, what can one do but listen?”

 

The girl finally stood up, the screens winking away. “So perhaps it’s time to see why so many still choose to listen to them.” With this, the girl turned to the door of this room. The figure behind this girl, still cloaked in shadows save for its glowing blue eyes, followed her. Its feet made none of the clickclickclicks that the girl’s metal boots upon marble did, betraying her grace almost as well as the flawlessness of her strides accentuated them.

 

But before the girl’s hand could reach the door, it swung open the other way. Almost immediately the tall, slim form of another man filled the thresh, shrouding the girl once more.

 

A second passed before “Ah, cousin. Lucky you. Anyone else ruining my observation time would be admiring the storm in the first person.”

 

“First they’d have to get past me.” The man grinned, showing off a set of perfect teeth. “And there isn’t a storm in the world that wouldn’t be preferable to facing me.”

 

“I’ll take your word for it.” The girl adjusted to lean on one end of the thresh, while the man adjusted backward to give her more space, finally illuminating the locks of black hair swaying over her left eye. “So is everyone else in position?”

 

“Evy took down the Black Rose Witch an hour ago; Save should be starting in on her knights in shining armor...” the man continued, counting them off on his fingers. “And if Tidus and Percy’s last transmissions are any clue, their bait’s circling at the hooks as well.”

 

“So I’ve seen.” The girl took notice of her shadowed friend again. “Which reminds me-seriously-“ and this next question was posed to the looming figure above them both, its various wings shielding its form from whatever light the other two didn’t block- “-what is with us living in darkness every time a storm hits?? It’s not like we have to worry about power outages here."

 

The figure didn’t respond.

 

“Look, playing ‘mum’s the word’ wasn’t funny when we started this plan, and it’s been digging past rock bottom since,” the girl complained, fully turning to face the figure.

 

“You have a problem, that’s fine, but meanwhile-”

 

“It’s about that Yuki squirt.”

 

The girl stopped mid-speech, the “Eh?” clearly written on her face.

 

“Or rather, what I still don’t remember about him,” the figure continued. “For some reason, I feel like I’ve seen him before. And the Duel Spirits he’s talked to…I’ve never felt such power since….”

 

The figure straightened again. “Never mind. I’ll conjure the portal to take your cousin to duel Princeton and Rhodes.” Turning, the figure motioned with a talon-edged hand, and a shard of energy promptly tore down through the wall next to the other two, before splitting into a humming blue rift.

 

The man quickly saluted the figure before tromping into the rift, adjusting the dials on his Duel Disk before the rift zipped back up behind him, fading into a cloud of sparks.

 

Task completed, the figure turned back into the empty room, only to crane the head to meet the girl once more. “And as for the darkness, that’s what happens when you look at an intricately carved room inside an abode that once belonged to the sacred gods of a faraway world and ask “would it kill to put a dimmer switch here?”

 

With that final word, the figure stormed back in, the girl following in turn.

 

“A mistake I believe I apologized for before.” As the mystery girl turned to follow the wayward figure, the hint of a spike of white hair stood out before being obscured again.

“Of course, that mistake pales to the one these ‘heroes’ of the three worlds made …”

 

A third shock of light burst through the room again-not from the lightning strike, but from the glowing silver card being jutted out from the girl’s outstretched hand-one that showed the visage of a jester in white garb being flanked by two feline-like skeletal figures.

 

“..when their dishonor made them the enemy of The Aspect.”

 

=========

TO BE CONTINUED

[XenoPhobia]

-well, damn. good idea of cross-worlds theme, kinda like arcV but actually picking up where the previous animes left off... though quite disappointed that you didn't include yugi's world, but hey, that'd be too long of a stretch, i think. :D

 

 

*are you introducing some new summoning methods in here? making a new archetype, or adaptation/buff up of existing ones, perhaps? if you want some ideas, I'd like to try chipping in, for I actually liked where this story is going towards! looking forward to the next chapter of this!

[Black D'Sceptyr]

-well, damn. good idea of cross-worlds theme, kinda like arcV but actually picking up where the previous animes left off... though quite disappointed that you didn't include yugi's world, but hey, that'd be too long of a stretch, i think. :D

 

 

*are you introducing some new summoning methods in here? making a new archetype, or adaptation/buff up of existing ones, perhaps? if you want some ideas, I'd like to try chipping in, for I actually liked where this story is going towards! looking forward to the next chapter of this!

 

 

Aw, thanks mate. This is the debut chapter, yes, and I've already put in work on the new Monster Types, and Summoning methods, here.

 

And I will be updating this story later-on the 15th of April, and from that point on in the following months.

[XenoPhobia]

Advent, Immortal, and Spectre. Well, I'd be damned. That's some wild ideas right there! I can already imagine Jaden's face as he saw the Immortals coming back up after being destroyed, be like "wai-what?!" xD