Yu-Gi-Oh Arcadia [PG-13/IC/Started/Not Accepting/Arc 1: Sayer's Checkmate]

[a bad post]

Monos recuperated quickly during after the flashbangs went off, and flipped off of Psychic Nightmare on to the roof of the orphanage. Manos on the other hand was hit square in the chest, first vomiting, and then passing out falling from Psychic Nightmare down to the street below. Quickly to save his brother’s life Monos leaped from the roof of the orphanage grabbing his brother in one hand and in the other grabbing Psychic Nightmare’s tail.

 

The monster descended slowly, eventually bringing Monos down in front of Akihiro and Naomi. “Field Barrier,” as Monos placed the card in his duel disk a transparent green field spread around Monos, Naomi, and Akihiro. “Fine, I’ll agree to your conditions, but if we are “detained my brother will receive medical attention before any questions are answered, got it. As a token of good will the girl is all yours,” Monos pushed the small girl away from him who ran screaming into Naomi’s arms.

 

“As my would-be partner is passed out, I’ll only be dueling one of you… so who’ll it be,” Monos spoke to the officers, but the entire time game staring at his brother worried.

 

-----

 

Chalise made a little clapping like motion with her hands, not producing much sound. “That was uhh... pretty cool?” Chalise was kind of dumb-struck by Koko’s display, she wasn’t used to such personalities especially at the Neo-Arcadia Movement, as everyone mostly kept to themselves. “So, you were a professional duelist huh. Sorry if I couldn’t recognize you, I never watched all that much TV.”

 

-----

 

Schroder swerved just in time not to hit the green skinned youth coming into the street. The limo’s fender almost hitting Marzell, with all the traffic behind it  breaking at odd angles to avoid hitting the limo.

 

“Vhat ze hell is going on here!?” Schroder climbed out screaming, taking notice of the youth’s green skin made him even more angered, “Stupid youth I should have run you down! Go play in ze traffic some vhere else, vhat is with ze green skin!? Are you vone of zose idiotic cosplayers zat ze youth does now a days?”

 

Meanwhile in the limo Director Whitehale moved to make sure SHINE was okay, “Lord Tallion are you hurt, does anything feel painful at all.” Director Whitehale wipped out his phone ready to dial 911 should the Tyre representative needed help. 

[TotalObelisk]

Yue couldn't help but chuckle at Koko's display, but she gave her a small polite applause nonetheless still grinning broadly after the display.

"Eh, don't worry about it," Yue said "To be honest I didn't talk much to others when I was younger." She neglected to mention that this was more a result of her parents trying to keep her out of sight than her own social akwardness but she didn't feel like telling that to anybody else just yet "You get used to it eventually, you just have to take it one step at a time. Me though, I like to dive in head first, call it a trial by fire if you like." She chuckled to herself, Yue was something of a pyromaniac and that element of her personality tended to surface a little too often.

****

The city was still new to Maiya, she had only been here for a week at most and only now knew her way around her immediate neighbourhood, if it weren't for the technology in her mask which could easily identify where she was based on landmarks and street signs she'd have gotten lost fairly quickly. She had taken to exploring the city for now, getting used to the territory as best she could as if was likely she would be here for quite some time.

Her exploration was interrupted as she heard yelling in the distance, audible even through the hood she wore which tended to muffle sounds around her (a small price to pay for protecting her own identity). Maiya's natural curiosity took over and she made her way towards the commotion, finding a limozine stopped in the middle of the road, an old man in a posh suit yelling at another person who had apparently run in front of it. Maiya found the stranger in front of the limo curious, mostly by his odd skin tone and muscular build that did not seem to fit with a regular humans. She hung back out of sight, choosing to observe the scene for the moment and see where things ended up.

[Love of Ghibli]

SHINE did not here the old drivers reply. It had something to do with dogs and being old. It takes time for him to here the words of peasants and people he believes to be beneath him. What would it look like if the king were to get into an argument with one of his subjects. That would simply lower the standings of the king. In addition to that clearly this old man didn't even know his place. SHINE was speaking to the old dog's master so there wasn't any conversation with the beast. This all just reflected poorly on the skills of Dr. Whitehale. SHINE just looked out of the window into the sky and let the old thing continue to ramble on. There was something about death that made him raise an eyebrow though.

Then came that one abrupt stop that made SHINE fall out of his seat in a most undignified manner. He could hear the series of skids and horns as cars were trying to dodge the limousine. Needless to say Lord SHINE was beyond annoyed he was genuinely angry. Of course the Director expressed his concern which would have been noble until he once again spoke the young Lord's name. He picked himself up and looked and gave the director a stern and pretty much militant glance and was far more serious that expected. Do not calm me by my name. You may address me as Lord SHINE. His tone was the with the utmost seriousness. 

 

The driver servant was busy yelling at some creature at the outside so SHINE decided he had to at least look at the beast. He stepped outside and flipped his hair and looked at the mutated man beast that stood in the way of traffic. An inquisitive look came across his face. Well this is...different.

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

Both Akihiro and Naomi looked at each other, unsure of who should duel Monos as of the moment. Akihiro seriously wanted to do it; he had that fire in his eyes. But he was the only one of the two that could make it out of the Field Barrier with the orphan that was currently cradling Naomi, and he knew his priorities. With the orphan in tow, Akihiro fired a few shots at the Field Barrier with his taser, making a hole large enough for him to fit through, if only sideways and before the barrier could reform. With all the orphans safe, Akihiro called for back-up while keeping Manos secure, with his taser pointed at him in case he recovered early. Naomi on the other hand...

 

"I'll duel you, and since it's customary to let a woman go first, I'll make my move now! DRAW!!" with that, Naomi drew a sixth card to go with her initial five, before observing her hand closely. It might've been alright, but Naomi had no idea what her opponent in Monos was capable of... not yet.

 

"And I'll...! Pass," Naomi stated in an awkward manner, intending to feign a bad start, "Your move,"

 

...

 

Meanwhile, all available Sector Security Officers had taken off to secure the area, unaware of how surprisingly well it had been contained without much of their presence. This included Siara, who'd given Kira specific instructions to stay put until she got back. But Kira was quite the curious individual, already setting off on foot just to see what was wrong with the lights, which had stopped working for some reason. But when she saw someone working on a computer, she panicked, and everything around the guy careening into the wall. The computer, the desk, the chair that he was sitting... everything had reacted as if a powerful bomb had blown up underneath them, but it wasn't until the guy reacted to the situation, however he did so, that Kira realized her mistake.

 

"I... I'm sorry Mister; I thought you were one of "them"," Kira nervously apologized, "A-... are you OK?"

[Lord JZ of the Enigma]

It was something like a flash, he felt a tremendous pressure raising him off of his seat, if it weren't for his suit it would have hurt a lot more then it did, but while on the ground, the Phantom heard a light voice, innocent, but slightly frightened if not surprised, it was a child, so he knew he couldn't show himself in his black outfit, his suit turned white once more, he stood back up in his goofy fashion and posed heroically, letting the child know he was a good person. "Do not worry young one, it takes much more then that to hurt a hero!" Despite what he said, his body was aching from being tossed like a pizza, but for now he just needed to learn more about why such a small girl is in police custody...maybe they were finding her home?

 

He also wondered about what she meant "Young lady, are you okay? I know my sudden appearance startled you and I apologize for that, but what do you mean by "them" are you being chased....." it clicked in his head, earlier the police were in an orphanage to prevent the twins from getting a certain girl, she must be Kira, but she was already wary, telling her anything about his mission would bring more distrust then the fact he was dressed up, his best choice was to return to his normal persona. "It will all be all right then young miss, a Hero shall now protect you until your guardians come back to this place.....but uhm.....don't tell anyone I was here".

[a bad post]

Monos raised his eyebrow at the move, but didn’t say anything. Gorz was of course his first thought, because honestly why else would someone leave themselves wide open, but Monos didn’t question it he had something to deal with Gorz anyway should she pop one.  Of course there were always those pesky little hand traps that were so prevalent in the game nowadays, but might as well take the chance while he had it, and not waste it playing things safe in the case she was just an awful duelist.

 

"I’ll start by summoning Krebons in attack position, then activate Brain Research Lab. I should warn you its not as though a I can just turn my powers off like a light,  ‘fraid it doesn’t work that way, so this might sting a little.  Now, Krebons attack with Geometric Juggler,” Monos commanded as three cubes appeared in the jester-like monster’s hands. He cackled before tossing each cube in a juggling motion towards Naomi , which exploded on contact with her. Should the cubes hit her they would feel much more real than mere holograms, but as if she was getting hit by actual blocks.

 

No matter how the attack turned out Monos would end by placing a single card face-down before ending his turn. “Come on, that’s not all you can do is it? You should have let your buddy duel me if this is how you’re going to duel,” Monos taunted a condescending look on his face.

 

------

 

Director Whitehale was shocked by the aggressiveness of the youth’s voice, and backed away. The boy was becoming very high maintence and Director Whitehale was beginning to think it may have been a mistake inviting him to the Duel Fair, but what’s done is done. Getting out the askew limo Director Whitehale assessed the situation, and almost immediately went back into the limo, “How many more freaks are going to show up in my city. This must be some sort of sick punishment he sent me,” the director muttered under his breath. 

[Kingdom Xathers]

Marzell stumbled backwards just as the limousine swerved out of the way, the fender just barely missing him by a couple of centimeters. Meanwhile, a number of other cars behind the limo had to make their own sudden stops and swerves just to avoid a pile-up, all the while, Marzell was stupefied by all of the mass confusion that he inadvertently manifested.

 

Seconds later, a skeletal-looking gentleman had gotten out of the front seat of the limo (presumably, he was the driver) and began to hoarsely beret Marzell for him disastrous bout carelessness, all while calling him an "idiotic cosplayer".

 

"Yeah?! Well, I oughta shove my foot down your--!!" Marzell began to say until the "cosplay" part suddenly hit him.  Sure, his skin tone was... foreign, but there was no way that this man could accuse him of being--

 

That was when Marzell also took notice of something else; as a slight breeze passed through, the lower half of Marzell's face felt a slight chill.  Quickly, he reached a hand up toward his own neck, clutching the red scarf that had been covering his jaw... "had been" being the key words. In the confusion, the scarf had slipped off, now revealing his protruding lower canine teeth.  "Uh-oh."  Right, of course this would happen now, right in the middle of a busy street, surrounded by hundreds of people.  Now he began to expect for people to start calling him a "freak" or a "monster"... but then he had an idea.

 

"Uhh, right! Yeah, a cosplayer, that's me!" Marzell blurted out, trying his best to save face. "Yeah, I was just, uhh... looking down at my, umm--my iTabloid, right! Sorry!"  Of course, he was lying, but he knew that the limo driver wasn't worried about some gadget that he may or may not actually have.  "So, uhh, I'll just be on my way, then, if you don't mind--" Marzell said as he was hoping to run off into the nearest alleyway, but stopped just as another individual had stepped out of the vehicle to have a look.  "... oh, just f**king perfect," he muttered under his breath as he and this individual made eye contact: a slender-faced young adult, immaculately dressed, his dark waist-length hair practically shimmering in the sunlight as he flipped it, the manner at which he flipped it suggesting a spoiled, sheltered upbringing (at least from Marzell's point-of-view). 

 

"Just what I needed: some haughty pretty-boy to look down on me," Marzell grumbled under his breath, making a face as if he were nauseated.  He then turned back to face the skeletal driver once more.  "Look, gramps, I'm sorry that this happened," he said, while catching a glimpse of another important-looking man out of the corner of his eye, who had gotten out of the limo briefly to assess the situation before going back in.  "I didn't mean to cause you any problems, okay?  I'm just... new here, that's all."  Of course, he knew (and hoped) that the driver would think he was simply a tourist from out of the country....

 

 

~~~~~~~

 

 

Samuel froze briefly just as he heard faint footsteps coming out of the Rec Room behind him.  He hoped--nay, prayed--that whoever walked out didn't turn and look in his direction.  Sweat was beginning to form on his brow, he was so tense.  However, he practically heaved out a sigh of relief as he heard the footsteps go back into the Rec Room.  "Me gods, that was close," he huffed out as he continued making his way back to his room, hoping for no further interruptions....

[Avaren]

A lone hooded figure walks down a dark black street. Looking around him, it appears that he was just out for a midnight walk, but in truth he had just walked down this especially dark street... not that he had noticed, the man was too deep in his own thoughts.

He had found a Duel Fair ticket on the ground just the day before, just discarded, wasted, on the walkway. But it had started a quest of sorts, his own little mission to search for its owner. He had failed of course, but it had given him something else to think about... Avaren had heard a rumour that sparked his interest. And he was rarely interested in anything other than duelling.

 

"I wonder if there is any truth to what the rumour says... Did the Arcadia Movement really assault some group of kids with a group of materialised monsters?

Had the monsters really been materialised from nothing? And if they had: How did they do it? How could it be replicated? Was it safe? And most importantly... Was it being used for the benefit of people, or for selfish gains?

… Well, with nothing more on the matter, I’ll just have to dismiss it as rumour Besides that 'Davian' fella didn't seem like some sort of gang leader.”

 

He continued in his thoughts, walking down the same street for a third time now.

 

"It’s been such a long time since I’ve had a good duel. I’d be a shame to waste this ticket… I suppose I’ll go myself and see what I meet.”

 

Finished thinking, he looked around to gather his bearings. Looking at the sky, he thought to himself:

 

“The stars shine beautifully tonight.”

[Love of Ghibli]

SHINE was certainly amused by the new creature that stood before him. While he was spouting sensical lies to the old dying peasant he could see that this was a genuine monster. Naturally he fell out out laughing hysterically. Oh now would you look at this. A savage beast has been let loose to play with civilized normal people and other peasant folk. I must say I am not totally bored at this moment. SHINE began to talk directly towards Marzell or as he would refer to the beast. So beast, do you by any chance know of tricks? Was life hard for you growing up? I can only imagine what it must be like being a peasant, but to actually manage to be of lower class than that is beyond me. You should be mad at this old dog. If he had actually killed you with a vehicle I was in that would be the most honorable thing to have happened for you."

SHINE was going to continue blessing the beast's ears with his words until gazing upon the creature made him realize that his original purpose for being in this city. Without any formal goodbye he turned around and made his way back into the vehicle. Besides it wasn't like animals deserved proper etiquette anyway otherwise it would be of some social standing. SHINE looked a tad more focused than he had been before but there was a smile on his face as he looked at Director Whitehale. So are we to continue on our way to this festival you have arranged?

[Merci]

Both of the girls clapped, nervously, at her display, and Koko couldn't help but smile warmly.

 

"It's okay... neither did I~" She replied to Chalise lightly. "My parents were highly religious and never let me watch TV. Even when I cut myself off from them, I guess it stuck. I've never seen myself on television either, only the cameras that tend to poke my face." Then Yue mentioned a few things. "Well, neither did I. And thanks. I'm not really sure since I've been hoping for two weeks already, but I'll keep that in mind. Hopefully, I'll be able to do this."

 

 

---

 

 

In the same limo that Director Whitehale and SHINE were riding, a little girl had stuffed herself into the trunk at the back. Hisami had seen the skeletal servant approach the embodiment of darkness, and had followed them all the way to the limousine, before hiding within the trunk. Luckily, it was very spacious, more than enough for her to fit within. It was still cramped, however, and she hated it every time the limo bumped or swerved. Hadn't the driver ever heard of finesse? And then it stopped abruptly.

 

Judging from the abrupt stop, it probably hadn't been parked, and thus they weren't at their destination yet. There was no way a limo would stop just like that. This hadn't been the first time she had been in one, she had ridden a few with Koko, but this was definitely the first time she had been in its trunk. It was hot in here, and she was getting a little sweaty, but it couldn't be helped.

 

Don't be afraid, Hisami, she comforted herself. This is for everyone else's sake. And with this, I'll be taken straight to the emperor's fortress...!!!

 

She had brought along all of her talismans (the paper ones, for lightness) alongside the stolen Duel Fair invitation, just in case.

 

And ever so impatient, she pouted as she waited for the limo to start again and take them to...wherever they were going.

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

"Works every time..." Naomi smirked as she said this, before slapping down a card, "Battle Fader!"

 

It wasn't much of a move, but it was enough to thwart Monos' attack, and give Naomi a chance to try and do some damage as he wrapped up his turn. Naomi took this this time to study the field; she could potentially use Psychic Brain Lab to her advantage, as all she had to do was cast some Spell/Trap hate on it when Monos had 4 or more Psychic counters and he'd lose enough Life Points to render himself defeated. Forcing Krebons' effect would help her get one, but she was concerned about that face-down card... well, at least until she just so happened to draw the right card for it.

 

"I draw, and immediately activate Night Beam on that face-down!" Naomi exclaimed, "And don't even think about trying to stop it, cause ya just can't. Next, I'll activate Foolish Burial, dumping Revival Golem from my Deck so it can be revived through its own effect, and then I sacrifice both monsters to summon Darkness Destroyer!"

 

To Monos, it was probably just a hulking behemoth that would roar in intimidation like it usually would, but to Naomi, it was the exact tool she needed to break through Monos' defences and get what she wanted. The monster pounded its chest thrice, each time emitting a solid thud that only spelt power from this thing.

 

Fiend-type/DARK/Level 7/2300 ATK/1800 DEF

 

"Alright! Now go kick Krebons' ass with Darkness Destruction Combo," Naomi commanded. Darkness Destroyer charged straight at the after-mentioned being, delivering a mighty overhead slash. Naomi was anticipating that Krebons would try to use its blocks to from a barrier, but even in such a case, Darkness Destroyer would only latch onto the barrier with its claws, before swinging its body around and performing a roundhouse kick to its adversary.

 

...

 

"You're asking what I mean by "them"?" asked Kira, if only for confirmation, "Well... I can't really explain. All I know is that "they" have psionic powers like I do... and they tried to make me evil. That's about all I know at this stage; I don't even know what it is they truly want from me."

 

Kira had then sat down on the floor with her arms wrapped around her knees, and stared at the roof of the office building where she and this so-called "hero" were in. She gazed long and hard, almost as if she could imagine seeing the clouds hovering past in the skies above.

 

"Maybe this is all a sign..." she muttered.

[宇佐見 蓮子@C94]

"Hey, you still got beaten pretty quickly. I thought you were gonna beat him quickly." Asaka responded to Yamada's statement. "Oh well." She stood up, sighed and disappeared again. Asaka reappeared just behind the emo boy. However, she miscalculated the trajectory of her teleportation and she reappeared with a slight lean, causing her to trip and fall down to her right. Despite feeling considerable pain in her right arm as a result of teleporting and slipping, Asaka quickly stood up, with a  pained smile on her face. "A-anyway, I'm craving for yakitori right now." She brushed off the dirt on her robes. "Remember, treat's on you." She patted Yamada's shoulder. "I haven't ate since yesterday." Asaka whispered as she moves her head closer to Yamada's ear. 

[Lord JZ of the Enigma]

Luckily the girl seemed to tell him everything he needed to know, she was definitely Kira, however the girl was very melancholy, staring out into the roof longingly. "The Arcadia movement I'm guessing?" he stated, and looked at the computer, a bit on the broken side now. "Young lady, I can tell this group has been a huge hassle for you, it is a good thing you came to the police, I'm sure they will protect you, but just in case, always remember that there are others who are always willing to help the innocent. There are heroes everywhere!" He stated as he gave an exaggerated thumbs up.

 

In the meanwhile, Phantom's helmet seemed to be downloading the information it had gained, he didn't want to leave the girl alone again, but alerts of the "twins" sightings were appearing. "Young Miss, is there anything I can do to cheer you up while your guardians are away?" he asked concerned.

 

[Kingdom Xathers]

"Oh now would you look at this! A savage beast has been let loose to play with civilized normal people and other peasant folk. I must say I am not totally bored at this moment."

"Excuse me?" Marzell replied, turning away from the skeletal chauffeur to face the effeminate young adult who was now addressing him. The young royal (at least, that's what he looked like to Marzell, judging from his state-of-dress) looked upon Marzell as if he were a circus oddity, a wide smile across his dainty lips as he proceeded to ask the half-orc about life as a "creature living amongst peasants", his words practically over-saturated with conceit and nonchalant superciliousness. The young man certainly made no effort in hiding how pampered and privileged he was... which simply served to irritate Marzell all the more. Heck, "irritate" may actually be an understatement; Marzell was becoming thoroughly irate. This person who could easily pass as a woman was calling him a "beast", a "freak", asking how such a "monstrosity" could be allowed to live amongst humans. Just who did this person think he was, to treat him like some animal in a cage to be ogled and laughed at?!

Marzell was calling upon every ounce of his being just to keep himself from outright eviscerating this royal punk. If looks could kill... oh, how Marzell wished at that moment that his intense scowl could eventually cause this narcissistic she-male to spontaneously combust and implode in a glorious eruption of gore and viscera. But no, all he could do was stand his ground and silently glare as the royal eventually returned to the limo without another word, his grinding teeth audibly sounding like crushed gravel.

"... dammit, I need to hit something, now," he growled under his breath, loud enough to be heard by the skeletal man still standing close-by. At this point, his whole body was starting to tremble as his boiling point was reaching its limit. "Who the f[*honk of a car horn*] does that punk think he is...?!"

[a bad post]

Monos facepalmed, “That was your big move!? You left yourself open… to do that?” Monos was becoming very bored with the duel, surely a cop could provide better competition than this… right?  Unfortunately his request was answered when she eliminated his backrow, and summoned Darkness Destroyer.

 

As Darkness Destroyer charged Krebons Monos chose to block, “Alright I’ll take the bait, it’s not as if this move isn’t incredibly predictable already, but I’ll block with Krebon’s effect.” A large pile-up of blocks formed stopping Darkness Destroyer’s attack. A counter was placed on Brain Research Lab, and Monos scowled. Usually it was Manos who handled healing them, while Monos beat the crap out of their opponents, and without him his strategy would infinitely more difficult.

 

Monos assumed she would attack again, which would put him at half the Psychic Counters she needed to drop a backrow clearing card and end this in one fell swoop.

 

-----

 

Chalise gave a half smile to Koko, it seemed she too had parental issues, which made Chalise feel a little more comfortable. “So Yue what were your parents like?” Chalise said turning to the other girl, completely oblivious to the fact that she had struck a nerve.

 

-----

 

Schroder smiled as the cosplayer and Lord SHINE had their dispute and as SNINE retreated to the limo, Schroder shuffled his way up to Marzell, “Vould you be so kind as to move out of ze way. Ze director is on a schedule, and you are holding it up. Though as much as I would like to see you decapitate ze pompous noble I have places to go.” Not even bothering to hear his answer Schroder shuffled back to the car, and started it back up waiting for Marzell to move.

 

Happy to just be on the move again Director Whitehale turned SHINE, “Well, me and my advisors thought that maybe you could participate in the Duel Fair, and attract more publicity for Neo-Domino City, and Tyre at the same time. It sounds like a win-win deal to me what about you?”

 

-----

 

Sayer moved through the halls of the Arcadia Movement eager to see what his Psychic Duelists were up to, when he found the "weapon." Sayer raised an eyebrow at this wondering why it wasn't in its cell, but shrugged it off. 

 

"Why hello, Samuel. Enjoying our walk are we? Yes the fresh air can really do some good for the mind, eh?" 

[Love of Ghibli]

Oh someone let the mad dog off of his leash. You could hear the beast roar from the traffic areas. This simply amused Lord SHINE, with his new found purpose he realized that one out of place monster may know about another. This beast may have earned another conversation with his Lordship. People would beg for this opportunity and it is lucky to get it for free. Lord SHINE was about to get out of this vehicle and slum with controversial creature in the efforts to pursue his goal but it seemed that the useless old one resumed his mundane task of being in charge of transportation. While they were resuming their travels the Director tried some diplomacy and invited him to participate in some festival of sorts. Though the director was using it as a chance to get some publicity for the two lands; SHINE was bored and this was a good way to pass the boredom and it would be a good way to prove the already blatant fact that he was far superior than peasants.

Of course I'll participate. The peasants should have something to look forward to and why wouldn't we reward those who mastered a skill. SHINE wasn't looking at the director when he spoke as he was staring at the back of the car with a malicious grin. He was clearly looking at the mongrel whose presence he just left. SHINE believes he just found himself a new pet. Oh entertainment at last. By the way what is the reward for the victor.

[Kingdom Xathers]

Still seething, Marzell barely picked up on the Chauffeur's request, but simply stormed off of the road anyway, ignoring the stares and bickering of the other pedestrians and drivers. For all he cared, they could all do something that cannot be outright stated in a fragile PG-13 setting; right now, Marzell needed to vent out his frustrations, and woe to anyone, or anything, that could possibly get in his way, lest he decide to punch a hole right through them... and that would have been the nicest thing he would do to them....

~~~~~~~~

Samuel nearly jumped out of his skin upon hearing a voice address him. Turning around, he saw that it was Sayer--or rather, "Davian"--who had spoken.

"Oh, it's yer, sir... Right," Samuel said, huffing out a sigh, not so much out of relief but out of dread. "Erm, right... right, my stroll. Yes, it did 'elp ter clear me head a wee bit.

"I was just comin' back to take a wee nap, yeah?" he said, stretching a bit. "Just for a wile, ffen I were 'opin' ter go back out for a nightly stroll." Sam wasn't sure, though, if he would be allowed to; sometimes, "Davian" or one of the scientists would "request" that Samuel remain in his cell for the remainder of the day....

"... Oh! Oi! that's right," Sam added, thinking that what he was about to tell "Davian" could be somewhat important. "I 'ad come across the most peculiar individual earlier, right? Some bloke like me... well, by that, I mean... err, a... a "creature"," he said, faltering a bit when saying that last word. "Uvver than that, there didn't seem ter be anyfink... "special" about 'im. Nuffink apparent, anyway. Cor blimey guv, would I lie to you?" he added, just to be sure that "Davian" didn't think Samuel a liar or a fool. "I 'ad 'anded 'im an invitation ter the Duel Fair, eever way. Yer know, just ter spice fings up a bit."

[TotalObelisk]

This time Yue's grin dropped and she didn't bother trying to hide the fact, she heaved a sigh and turned away slightly. "Nothing to talk about," she replied, trying to keep her tone level and cheerful but that was a clear note of bitterness within it "I never spoke to my parents much when I was a kid and I speak to them even less now." She didn't bother to continue after that, clearly indicating that this particular story was over and done with.

****

Maiya watched the scene with interest as more individuals stepped out of the limo to observe the creature, her eyebrows raising in interest as one of them appeared to be of foreign royalty, though from where she couldn't quite say. Whatever the case this had certainly been more fruitful than she had first thought. She couldn't quite make out the conversation from where she stood but from watching expressions and body language it was clear that the royal found the creature amusing, a fact which seemed to enrage it even more before it walked off fuming, Maiya had half expected it to charge at the royal and tear him to pieces.

"Curious," she muttered to herself as the limo drove off.

She kept a firm gaze on it as it passed, her mask identifying and recording the liscence plate for later, this required some investigation but first things first. Maiya crossed the street in the direction the large green creature had gone, quickly spotting him (he wasn't that hard to find, after all). "Pardon me!" She called to the creature "I apologize if I am bothering you but I wondered if I might have a small chat?"

[RogueZero]

"Well, sorry for disappoint you ..." the white haired boy gazed at Asaka. Then, he noticed something, that girl disappeared right in front of his eyes and before he know it, she reappeared behind Yamada. But she looked like she's in pain, and for some reason, she tripped and fall to her right. "H-hey, are you alright?" Yamada asked Asaka. But she got up pretty quickly much to Yamada surprise. "A-anyway, I'm craving for yakitori right now." she responded to Yamada. She moved closer and patted the white haired boy shoulder. "I haven't ate since yesterday." Asaka whispered as she moves her head closer to Yamada's ear. "Well then, let's get to a restaurant shall we? Don't worry you can eat as much as you like." Yamada smiled to Asaka.

[Premier Alexander Romanov]

Foster had been checking through his equipment, until he found two silver disks with blue crystalline circles in the center, and told his headset. "Specs. Cue up two S/Pa.Dr.s for devirtualization on these pads." The primitive AI controlling his equipment complied as he set down the disks on the rooftop, and the virtualized inventory he carried with him in his RIG selected what he requested. A blue glowing wireframe of a baseball-sized sphere with a strange button on the top and a ring around it with six spokes formed from the now-pulsating crystalline disk, and a second version of the same formed shortly after. A layer of blue pixels started to cover the objects, followed by a series of quick textures, until a final layer caused the objects to be revealed as a whitish-grey with blue glass buttons. Foster reached down to simultaneously tap the buttons, and the two orbs sprung to life, the spokes unfolding into slender legs while the eye-like orbs rotated in their frames. The pair of robots looked up to their master, awaiting orders.
"You." He pointed to the leftmost robot, keeping his voice relatively subdued. ""Your designation for this mission is Able. There is a duel going on nearby. I want you to cloak and keep tabs on the police officer down there." Able gave a sharp salute with one of its legs, and the spherical hexapodal automaton skittered off quietly, a field shimmering around its body before it vanished into thin air, allowing Foster to look down at the other drone. "And you are Baker. You're with me until I direct you otherwise." Baker scurried up to Foster's leg and nimbly ascended up to Foster's right shoulder, where he gripped on tightly and started his role as a secondary set of eyes for Foster to use.
The operative collected himself and started searching, an indication from Baker that there was a fire escape nearby, which his HUD updated the minimap of his location to include. He carefully squatted down, turned around and gripped the ledge, and lowered his mass down towards the fire escape before letting go and dropping a few feet to the platform itself. Readying his trusty rifle, he jimmied open the emergency escape window and slipped inside, doing a quick search through the floor, but taking care not to get noticed by the psychic, until he found a little girl chatting with a strange man with a helmet. He stowed away his gun, which folded neatly back into its passive configuration once the magnetic clamps engaged, and Foster smiled slightly as he gently approached Kira, trying not to seem intimidating or hostile. "Hello." He stated calmly. "My name is Foster, and I am here to get you out of here and away from those mean people who tried to kidnap you." He then indicates to his new partner perched on his shoulder. ""And this is Baker. He's a S/Pa.Dr. He won't hurt you." Foster pronounces the word like "spider", but with a sort of southern accent, as if the "i" in "spider" was an "ah", or the word was a portmanteau of "spider" and "spotter". He slowly extends a gloved hand to the girl while the small robot whirrs its glowing blue camera eye to look at the other person in the room. "What's your name?"

[a bad post]

“Well actually the prize is a rare card known as Darklord Desire, and day spent with me, kind of like a Director-For-the-Day kind of deal,” Director Whitehale replied relieved that the drama seemed to be over. “Oh, well will you look at the time, Lord SHINE would care to join me for lunch, or we could always take you back to your apartment if you like?” The director looked at his watch shaking his head; the time had really gotten away from him.

 

-----

 

Sayer was about to tell the weapon to get back to its cage when he said something about another creature. Sayer raised his eyebrows interest at the prospect of increasing his army. After all they did say more is better.

 

“Well Samuel, I was just about to go out for a walk anyway. So, why don’t me and you go and take a walk,” Sayer said in a cool voice, “in fact maybe we can go pay this little friend of yours a visit, eh? Of course I believe you were good friends, and like you said why would you lie to me?” Walking up to the weapon and placing his arm around his shoulder Sayer nearly scowled, but remained in a friendly demeanor. Maybe the next addition he would have the scientists add would be mute speech to stop the thing from making a debauchery of the English language.

 

“Say it getting pretty late in the day, why don’t we go out for something my treat, but remember to cover up we don’t want people to know were from the Arcadia Movement do we?” Of course that was one of the reasons, people in this time were even more intolerant than his original time towards people with psychic abilities, but really he couldn’t have anyone see Samuel, if the outside world knew what he was doing in here… well it was best left undiscussed. 

 

-----

 

“Oh… I’m sorry,” Chalise said reaching out to comfort Yue, but pulled her hand back. She had already done enough damage. Chalise turned away casting her eyes at the floor hoping Koko would change the subject. 

[Kingdom Xathers]

Without turning around to face the young woman, Marzell came to a halt momentarily, remaining silent. Then, without warning, the half-orc punched the wall of an outdoor cafe directly to his right, severely fracturing it and succeeding in startling the patrons of the cafe, if not outright frighten them.

"... Look," Marzell spoke gruffly after a few seconds of silence, his back still turned to the young woman, knuckles still embedded in the brick wall, "I'm really not in the mood to have a conversation at the moment; if you can't tell, I'm a bit frustrated right now.

"And don't be sorry," he added, finally removing his fist from the wall. "Just don't do it again...." With this, Marzell began to walk away, not once having looked at the girl who had addressed him. He had gone no more than six steps before stopping again, standing still as if thinking something over. A few more seconds, then he turned on his heel and walked right back toward the young woman.

"... alright, fine," Marzell replied, his brow furrowed as he looked down at the woman in front of him, yet his voice was now a bit softer, almost sounding a bit apologetic. "What do you wanna talk about...?"


~~~~~


"Ah, err, right," Samuel stammered as "Davian" wrapped an arm around his shoulder, not feeling entirely comfortable around the Master Psychic. "So, err, where did yer 'ave in mind, guv? I mean, for sumfink ter eat?" Mr. Hainz was more curious about this than worried about appearance; he had always gotten away with telling outsiders that his bizarre appearance was merely a "cosplay", and his usual attire while out in the city was far different than that of the Arcadia Movement's uniform. ... still, wouldn't do him good to make a nuisance of himself in front of "Davian".

[Love of Ghibli]

A piece of cardboard and a day spent with this boring human being. Yay this is something that one should avoid, not seek after. Though if this prize is anything of worth then that means that it already belongs to SHINE. There was also some irony in a contest competing for a card named "Desire." SHINE had come to the conclusion that it would be more amusing to watch the look on the peasants faces as he took away their precious accolade. But there had to be something more though, something actually worth salvaging from this event other than the possible misery of others; that usually comes as a bonus item. Then he once again remembered his goal.

Oh right the pet monsters. He said very matter of fact. SHINE remembered that his purpose was to find information about the Earthbound Immortals (though he didn't know that specific name). There was video proof of the giant monsters attacking the former Arcadia Center so hopefully this man knew something about it. If not surely he had some form of computer equipment that would clearly be more useful than he himself was. SHINE smiled as he now had purpose. I guess lunch will do this time. Sure let us dine with commoners.

[Merci]

"Hmm." Koko narrowed her eyes at Yue for a bit before attempting to try and divert the subject. Not being such a great sport at that, she sat down and decided to talk about herself, regardless of the various objects floating about. "Well, as for me, I haven't seen my parents in ten years. I've been disinherited from the family, which is why I changed my last name to Rosenhart. I remember when I was younger, things were pretty intense. See, here's what happened...."

 

[spoiler=And so it escalated into a long story that took a while to tell]

 

[i]The boy let go of her neck. He couldn't do it, but then again, what had he been trying to do in the first place. Confirming her existence, perhaps? He didn't know...all he knew was that he had been consumed by a desire unlike any other. He really was messed up. This whole world was messed up. Third Impact had occurred, everyone was gone...and.....and....... Unable to control himself, he started crying into the woman's chest. This reality wasn't fair. Where was everyone else? Why weren't they coming back even when he had given them the chance? Was everything hopeless after all?

 

The woman's eyes flickered open, and had an annoyed expression on her face as she saw the boy.

 

She said; "Disgusting."[/i]

 

This last scene never made any sense to Koko, which was why she replayed it over and over again in her mind. She kept trying to understand it - what did it mean? Why did he do that, and why did she say that? Maybe there had been subtle hints from before that she would have to check, but End of Evangelion wasn't in the theaters anymore and her parents wouldn't let her get the CD anyway... She shook her head to return back into reality.

 

[b]"The duel is getting even more intense! With that last attack, now both the Black Dragon and the Angel Queen are at 100 LP each!!! Who will win this epic battle and claim the World Championship 2055 trophy?!?!?"[/b]

 

She gulped, not used to the cheers of the crowd. How many people were there? Thousands? Hundreds of thousands? That was when she noticed the cameras that circled the stadium around them, neither getting too close nor moving further away. All of them looked expensive, and without a doubt, this was a live duel. After having six consecutive victories, it finally sunk in. While she tried to hide it, her hands were shaking, though she held onto the cards in her hand. She couldn't let go, not now, not ever. Not when her passion was finally paying off after six years of continuous failure.

 

"It's your turn, Angel Queen." The Black Dragon called out to her calmly, though he couldn't control the wide grin on his face. "You know, it's been a while since somebody has pushed me this far back. I have to commend you for that."

 

"No." Rosenhart replied, trying to stay as calm as he was. "I must commend you for making it this far...! DRAW!"

 

But as she drew, there was still so much pressure. She wasn't used to this. There were probably millions of people watching her, and she could just hear them screaming 'GO ANGEL QUEEN!'. During her turn, she had accidentally placed a monster in the wrong position, and it cost her the end of the duel. During his next turn, the Black Dragon made a sudden move and inflicted just a tiny bit of damage...which was more than enough.

 

[b]Angel Queen LP: 0[/b]

 

"You fought with valor, but in the end, I triumphed. He said with satisfaction, turning away. She could hear her newfound fans moan in disappoint. [i]Think, Koko, think! Say something that won't make you sound like a loser...[/i]

 

"You won because you let your cards guide you." Rosenhart declared, awkwardly twisting her body into a strange position but deciding to keep it there. It didn't matter if it was embarrassing. "I admit defeat. You are a true duelist, and your heart burns bright. Keep that fire burning, Black Dragon. The Angel Queen will not forgive you otherwise."

 

For a moment, the Black Dragon stared back at her in surprise, as did the audience. Then they began clapping and cheering at her words, while the victor continued to stare at her with a baffled expression. "...Thank you." He concluded, obviously taking it to heart.

 

While she had lost, she was brimming with excitement. She had made it second in the World Championship itself, and while she had lost, there were always other opportunities. As she exited the arena, tons of fans began rushing to greet her, asking her for her autograph, and requesting a duel with them. While Koko had been awkward, now she remained calm, filled with excitement. She later managed to excuse herself to the washroom and changed into something much less attraction-seeking, before heading home. Then she knocked on the door.

 

Today was the happiest day of her life-

 

[b]"Koko. Where have you been? EXPLAIN YOURSELF!!!"[/b] Her mother screamed at her as it slammed open.

 

"What are you talking about-?" She replied, feigning innocence, but her mother then grabbed her wrist and yanked her into the house before dragging her to the television set. There she was inside it, standing right there in her Angel Queen costume as she confidently declared her moves...and in the background, two hosts were discussing about her.

 

[i]"I don't know what to say, Saroko. It's stunning how a newcomer can come out of nowhere and almost take the trophy."[/i]

[i]"The Angel Queen...she's a spectacular duelist, that's for sure! She makes you feel as though you can achieve anything if you just believe in your cards!"[/i]

[i]"Hahaha, I don't know about that, since it's just a children's card game~! But I do look forward to seeing her in future tournaments.[/i]

[i]"Me too."[/i]

 

The screen was paused by her father, and he pointed at the girl in the center. "What were you doing there?"

 

"..." Koko gulped, shaking.

 

She was afraid, but then again, this had been bound to happen sooner or later. Her parents were highly religious and controlled almost every little thing she did. She didn't have friends because they were all repelled. The time she was allowed to be out by herself was limited to two hours. She wasn't allowed to watch television, or play video games, or of course play the ever-popular card game that had consumed the rest of the world. Ever since birth, it had been this way. She had never begun questioning it until she discovered her psychic powers, which were still a secret to them.

 

"Young lady, explain yourself. Didn't we forbid you from playing that satanic card game?"

 

"..."

 

"Answer me, Koko. The Lord does not like little girls who-"

 

[b]"SHUT UP!!!"[/b] Koko screamed at them, finally snapping. They stared back at her with stunned expressions. [b]"YOU KNOW WHAT? MAYBE I DON'T BELIEVE IN THIS SO-CALLED 'GOD'!!! MAYBE I WANT TO ACTUALLY GO OUT AND HAVE FUN!!!! MAYBE - JUST MAYBE - MAYBE I WANT TO PLAY A CARD GAME! Hey, mom, dad, I'M F***ING SIXTEEN NOW AND I HAVEN'T HAD A SINGLE BOYFRIEND, DID YOU KNOW THAT?!?!"[/b]

 

Her mother fainted on the spot from shock, while her father looked at her with a fuming expression, his blood boiling with sheer anger at his own daughter's incompetence

 

"Young lady, you have NO IDEA what you're TALKING ABOUT!" He countered violently, and raised his hand to slap her.

 

Just as it came for her, she grabbed and held his wrist in midair, using both her own strength and her psychic abilities to keep it in check. Though she struggled, she had managed to stop it. She withheld the tears and fought on with words.

 

[b]"I hereby renounce my faith as a Catholic. From here on out, I am an atheist, and nothing you say is going to change that. Also, I won't be living here anymore. From the prize money I earned at the World Championship, I can easily find someplace else."[/b]

 

"WE ARE YOUR PARENTS. YOU CAN'T JUST-"

 

[b]"I'm changing my surname to Rosenhart. It'll be official within the next week."[/b]

 

Defeated, her father's anger faded away, replaced only by disappointment. He stared at her with a serious look before turning away in disgust. "...then I do not know you anymore. Our family will no longer support you, or care for you. You will be left all alone."

 

[b]"Glad to hear. Goodbye, mom, dad. Hope you treat your next child better."[/b]

 

With that said and done, Koko Rosenhart turned her back to him and walked out of the door, never to return, never even looking back.

 

Living by herself was actually a lot more difficult than it seemed. Securing her own apartment had been quite lengthy even with all that money on her hands, and she had to stay in a cheap hotel for the first few days. When she did, she discovered the complications of food and the necessity for other furniture. There was also the matter of transportation, as she couldn't always take a taxi, so she began taking driving lessons. It took her three months to ease into this new life after rushing back and forth between living and dueling.

 

Somewhere along the line, she became world-famous as the Angel Queen, though luckily nobody had been able to track her back to her apartment yet. She had taken her time decorating it, and liked how it appeared after ten years. While she could always get her own house at this point, since she was really rich, she never saw the point. And to her extreme distaste, not a single guy asked her out. Maybe it had been because her stage persona was too mystical. Oh well.

 

Ever since that night, she had only heard her mother's voice once, when she was suddenly phoned about a distant relative named Hisami who wanted to live with her...

[/spoiler]

 

"...And that's the end of that." Koko concluded, taking in a deep breath before sighing. Now, after having let out her feelings, she felt incredibly awkward. Should a woman be telling teenagers about her past and insecurities, and two strangers at that? Oh well, didn't matter, it was too late now to regret it now. However they reacted, at least she had gotten around to telling some people her life story. Still though. "Uh....damn, this is really awkward now."

 

 

----

 

 

Meanwhile, Hisami eavesdropped on the others from within the trunk, pressing her ears against something that could amplify the sound. So the man's name, her target's name was Lord SHINE - somehow she could feel all the capital letters and that unsettled her. Also, his way of speaking was also unsettling. She couldn't feel a single speech mark. How did one speak without speech marks anyway? Not only that, but the way he said this and that, it disgusted her to the very core. He had already considered this world his own personal hell.

 

He had to be stopped. Without a doubt, he had to be purified before he brought about the end of this world. He had to be shown the goodness and wonders of leading a holy life. Somehow, she would achieve it.

[TotalObelisk]

"No, no it's okay," Yue shook her head, suddenly feeling pretty guilty for giving Chalise such a bitter response, she returned a grin to her face as she turned back to her "Let's just forget about it okay?"

She fell silent as Koko began explaining her own parental issues, catching Yue's interest slightly as she seemed to be quite willing to exposite to a pair of younger strangers about such a personal matter, especially seeing as Koko seemed to have an even worse relationship with her parents than Yue did. At least hers paid attention to her I guess Yue thought bitterly.

She wasn't sure when Koko finished, but it was a pretty extensive explanation nonetheless, for once Yue was at something of a loss for what to say. "Least you got it off your chest?" She eventually said "Can't be good to keep something like that bottled up, even if it is to a pair of teenagers." She gave a Koko a wide grin.

****

Maiya took a quick step back as the big green stranger punched a hole through a nearby wall, causing a small panic from the cafe's patrons, Maiya however was more impressed with the man's feat of strength though it did seem like this was perhaps not the best time to bother him, she would have to be very tactful from this moment on.

"I appear to have caught you at a bad time, it seems," Maiya replied calmly "Very well, how about we start over from scratch." She reached up and removed her mask, revealing her pale face and neat, straight dark hair "My name is Maiya Akuzara, I'm what you would call an alchemist though I'm something of a scholar as well. I'm here to look into the phenominon of psychic duellists and I've heard quite a few of them gather in this city. Though I'll admit this is more of a tangent to that, I couldn't help but notice that you yourself are not exactly..." she paused, searching for a better word that would not risk causing the creature to lose his temper again "... Human, shall we say?"