|
|
|
Chapter 2:
Champion’s Vigilance
It was a warm late Summer’s day. The sound of lawn mowers and Spanish songs filled the air. The chimes of Guitar Ron and trumpets echoing thru the neighborhood. It was just the end of summer parties still lingering. We were well into September, but such an incredible heat wave made it seem like a ravenous July.
Gaidra a 16 year old kid in middle school was set and all packed. His perfectly parted brown hair flowed down his cheeks framing his youthful face. Sharp and determined eyes glinted as he grabbed his bag. His black tank top was adorned with a military strap, a sash, but instead of carrying ammo, it had pockets for Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards. It was his pride, his passion. He was even the top Duelist at his school.
His phone bwooped and he checked. It was a message from his girlfriend, Simone.
TO: Gaidra
Sep 15, 7:13 AM
:Simoney: U shutting Putz up for good today?
Gaidra smirked. Putz was a nicknamed for Pazzerelli, a senior student who used to be the top duelist in the school, until Gaidra smoked him in a game during Summer vacation. His fingers moved over the screen poking each button at lightning speed.
TO: Simone
Sep 15, 7:13 AM
:Gaidra: U shood try, your definitely good enuff.
Bwoop
TO: Gaidra
Sep 15, 7:13 AM
:Simoney: Watchin u is much cooler
TO: Simone
Sep 15: 7:14 AM
:Gaidra: K, on my way.
To interrupt their lovey doveyt gaming jargon; The Yu-Gi-Oh! Card game had become more popular than ever, over thirty years old now it was now used to settle all kinds of disputes. Technology had even grown to excel the card game into everyday living. Portable duel disks have become available to the public, but can be as dangerous as guns, since they have the faint feature, which causes the opponent to pass out from pain, at losing all life points. Political debates have been settled. Cards were made for every aspect of life to defend any topic, abortion, divorce, court, equal rights. Hunger, world peace, everything has been settled through the use of this amazing card game.
Even the gaming aspects of itself have been altered. Life points which used to be played with 8000 were now dwindled down to 2000. Limitations on cards were completely fixed by much larger government factions. Ban cards would never return. Once a card began banned it was bought by Duel Network government at a fair price and the card was destroyed, never to make the game unbalanced again.
The portable duel disk itself was now much smaller than ever. They started as a triangle for one card slot and whenever an additional slot was needed (up to five) another panel would fold out. Of course the use of these machines are to project holograms of the cards to exceed the experience of dueling. Now enough of that history of this fictional Yu-Gi-Oh-verse and back to our protagonists.
Our champion Gaidra was all set to leave for school. He walked past his unemployed dad, who he was having trouble with lately. Out stepped his father, long brown hair, unkempt, wearing a robe and slippers. It seemed as if he was cold.
“Ah, have a good day.” His father’s deep voice spoke as he bobbed his head in a nod.
“You going to find a job today?” Gaidra’s tone was a bit of a droning nag, but he was in the right.
“Well… I have lots to do you know.” He didn’t really, just after losing his teaching job at the high school due to budget cuts, things have been really tight. Gaidra’s tournament prize money was used to pay taxes on the house, every penny and then some, which really annoyed Gaidra. Gaidra was never asked by his father to ante up the prize money for the better of the family, it was just that they would’ve lost the house and been forced to be penniless into the streets.
“Yeah…” Gaidra replied half-heartedly, knowing the truth. His old man wasn’t interested in working, he was in the middle of a depression, which caused so much strain to the family. Gaidra tried to avoid him and his mother, who was suffering denial.
“See ya.” He waved as he walked past his mom who was doing dishes, even though their hadn’t been a meal cooked in their kitchen for weeks. She was re-washing them just to keep herself distracted. Her soft plump face smiled at Gaidra, and her sudsy hand waved him off.
He trotted to the door, but when he opened it, he was surprised to find a girl dressed in silk, like a costume, her brown, almost reddish lifeless eyes gazed wide at him. Her hand froze in the air as if preparing to knock. “Oh… Hi.” She greeted her tone a bit sheepish. Her eyes wandered to the ammo accessory he had containing his Yu-Gi-Oh! cards. it was obvious she thought it was pretty neat.
“Umm, can I help you?” Gaidra glanced at her weird attire, summing up that she was trying to sell the family something.
The girl was pushed a side and a giant of a man stepped forward. “Well hello boy, my how have you grown.” His deep dark voice greeted. “Is your father home?”
BILL COLLECTOR! No, he wouldn’t be so formal, must be somebody from dad’s past or something, seems to know me; Gaidra thought, but the girl? “No- well I mean…” He wasn’t sure if he should lie or allow these strangers in.
The tall man’s jagged eye brows twitched impatiently and he held his index finger to his bold yet wrinkled forehead. “Is he, or isn’t he? It’s an important matter that I see him.”
Gaidra couldn’t lie. He let out a sigh and turned, he could be heard shouting. “Dad, there’s a man and a girl here to see you, they say it’s urgent.”
“Important, urgency is of no consequence.” The tall man corrected.
“No need to be so stern…” The girl mumbled, mocking him.
Gaidra’s father came to the door. Gaidra saw a solemn look on his face that he had never seen before. Maybe these strangers were something more important than bill collectors.
“Kay, I’m off now. Call me if something comes up.” Gaidra walked toward the sidewalk, though as he did he glanced back. His father and the tall man were still locked in eye contact, but the girl was glancing at him. Something about her was very familiar, though not in the most friendly sort of way.
Bwoop! His phone went off, and suddenly he dropped the cares of family matters and headed to the school.
The sun was setting, the peaceful town of Chesston was now glazed in a soft orange autumn glow, and the heat of the day was fading. Gaidra opened the door to his house. His day was so hectic with studies and having to defend his championship title, even during breaks between classes he was forced to have quick duels in the hall ways.
He went inside, and noticed nobody was there to greet him about his day. He passed by the living room and saw his father and the tall man sitting at a makeshift card table. They had a bunch of Yu-Gi-Oh cards spread out on the table in front of them.
“Times sure have changed…” The tall man sighed.
“But you sure haven’t.” Gaidra’s dad replied, then his gaze turned to his son. It looked as though he had seen a ghost, but he forced a smile. “Well hello there Gai.”
“So… We going to lose the house?” Gaidra placed his bag on one of the chairs as he cautiously walked in.
“Lose the house?! Are you so in debt Drown, that your own son is aware of it?” He glared at Gaidra’s father, as if he was losing something as well.
“Ahem… Gaidra, this is my friend Davoski Derru… You see… well he’s going to be staying with us for a while, and helping out with the bills.” He gritted his teeth. “Right Derru?!”
“Yup, paying rent and everything.” Davoski forced a smile on his face.
Gaidra leaned against a wall. “Cool, this place needs a bit of help. You play Yu-Gi-Oh?” He gestured his nose to the table full of cards.
“Hahahaha, quite a boy you got. I’m afraid I’m out of your league son, but my daughter she can brawl with the best of them, why not go challenge her?” The joy in Davoski’s words seemed rather forced and insincere, as well as the contortions of his facial expressions. Gaidra just tilted his head.
“Daughter…?”
“Oh yes, she will be staying with us too.” His mom popped in the room, with a tray of Snapple and glazed donuts. She offered some to Gaidra.
He shrugged off the offer, wondering why these two people were going to stay. The financial support would be good. An image of the girl’s outfit earlier flashed through his memory. She looked well off financially, a bit too well.
“I believe Shielsia is checking out our duel arena right now.”
“Kay…” Gaidra was a bit unsure of talking to, or even facing a girl opponent he had never met before, but he would meet the challenge and went off.
“Tsk, he’s got spunk, just hope Shielsia doesn’t cream him.” Davoski laughed.
“Or vice versa.”
“Tell Shielsia dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes.” His mom called out to him.
Following the concrete sidewalk from the main house, to the duel arena, which now looked like a garage, Gaidra saw her. She wasn’t wearing the same elegant outfit as before, but a tank and a pair of cargo pants. She was juggling cards, while holding one leg above her head and switching from leg to leg.
“Hey.” Gaidra did his hardest from having his voice crack.
Shielsia caught each card and shuffled them back into a deck, lowering her leg. “Hi.” It seemed as if she was equally as nervous.
“Wanna duel?” Gaidra casually challenged. She replied with a meager head nod.
He led her into the duel arena. It’s walls were made of metal, fashioned to look like wood, to give it a bit of a rustic look. Shielsia’s eyes looked around and she stood by one of the dueling podiums (where you place your cards and they become holograms.)
“It’ll randomly select who goes first.” He explained, though he shouldn’t have too, she was so silent, it was kind of awkward to start a duel. Both lights flashed like a cop’s sirens and the final light on was Gaidra’s which meant he would start. The whole arena lit up and a life point reader lit up above their heads set at 2000.
Gaidra drew his hand, watching her draw as well. “Have fun and may the best duelist win.”
“Ye-heah.” She replied with a dainty laugh.
“I’ll start things off by summoning an E-hero, Prisma.” He threw the card down on the podium in the monster card zone, it was scanned and in front of him came a life sized warrior covered in mirrors. “Now I’ll use his effect by showing off Dark Paladin.”
Shielsia ran her finger a cross one of the cards in her hand, as if to play it.
“You using Max ‘C’ or Veiler or something?” He asked.
“Heh, nope, just reading my card.” She smiled putting her hand back down.
Soon Gaidra’s elemental hero Prisma’s mirror’s began to reflect the appearance of Buster Blader. Then he proceeded to play Polymerization, fusing his Prisma Blader and a Dark Magician from his hand to create Dark Paladin 2900/2400.
A plume of shadows filled the duel arena, the mage and blader merged into a tall slender being, with jagged shoulder pads and a sharp, perhaps tetanus ridden hood. He held a mighty staff which formed a transparent green shield over Gaidra’s field, he was protected from spell cards now.
It was now Shielsia’s turn, she drew and stared at Dark Paladin, her gaze wasn’t of intimidation, it was almost of pity. Dark Paladin was once upon a time a powerful monster, but his day was long past.
A sigh escaped her lips, as if to say here goes. She lay three cards face down in the monster zone and the card backs appeared as holograms.
“What, you can’t play so many cards…” Gaidra smirked now feeling like he was dueling the novice and should have gone a bit easier than summoning his ace monster on the first turn.
Her voice grew a deeper tone, giving itself a quality of mysticism. “No… I am reading your fortune.” Shielsia smiled, revealing the card on her left, closing her eyes and then opening as if seeing the card for the first time herself. “Ah, Spellbook of secrets. It seems you have a past which you are unaware of that will now collide with the present.”
Gaidra frowned, he wasn’t going to be toyed with like this. “Yo come on, get serious and play.”
She gazed right at him, instead of looking at the card. “This card represents what you currently possess.” She revealed the Spellbook of Power spell card. “Yes, you have obtained quite a powerful monster on your first turn.”
“If you play any of those, I’m ready for them.” He smirked knowing full well his Paladin could prevent any of her Spellbook cards from activating with it’s special effect.
“This last card is your future… The Grand Spellbook tower. This is where you are about to take a journey, for it reaches beyond our reach and into the heaven’s the realm of the gods.”
“Prove it then.” Gaidra crossed his arms smugly.
“As you wish.” The three Spell cards vanished and in their place formed an array of light, and a woman, with pink hair, garnished in white ribbons, wearing a flopped over priest’s hat. “Behold the bringer of your ascension, High Priestess of Prophecy.” 2500/2100. Shielsia’s eyes remained shut as the holographic sparkles disappeared then she gazed at Gaidra. “I take it you’ve never run into Prophecies and Spellbook before?”
“I… I only heard rumors.” The unknown of card games frightened most duelists and Gaidra was no exception. He read the Spellbook of power card when it was revealed, which could make High priestess stronger than Dark Paladin, but…
Spellbook of Power went straight from her hand to the banished zone. Priestess opened and book and began chanting. Shielsia couldn’t help but smirk, as Dark Paladin was caught in the vortices of white light bursting from the priestess’s book.
Gaidra frowned.
“I guess I got lucky.” Shielsia rubbed the back of her head in a façade of modesty.
“Well… Launch your final attack, might as well.” Suddenly his mom called for them. It was dinner time.
Wanting to strike Shielsia turned away, pulling her deck from the system. It declared Gaidra the winner by forfeit. “Hey, what, why did you?” He grabbed his deck too and chased after her, but when he went outside there was a lot of smoke and by the time it cleared he was alone. “Must be hungry I guess.” Shrugged his shoulders.
The dining room had his parents and Davoski, Shielsia was nowhere to be seen. “Did you win?” His dad asked, almost in a pressuring way.
“Well technically I was declared the winner.” The disdain of saying it out loud made Gaidra feel even worse than a loser.
“Ah-ha, Drown’s are always destined to beat Derru’s any day of the week.” His dad chuckled proudly.
“Oh come off it, I’m sure she was going easy on him!” Davoski growled.
“In your…” He held a spoon violently at him, to which Davoski guarded back with a fork.
“Actually… I have the feeling she did hold back a bit.” Gaidra sat and ate his Mac and Cheese quick, then excused himself.
Davoski and Mr. Drown just shrugged.
Davoski dumped the bowl of mac and cheese down his throat and swallowed fast. “Mmmm, my my Sarah you sure know how to cook’em, I haven’t had such delicious food since-“ He was pretending that he could taste it.
“You can cut that out Derru, you maybe cursed, but there are no lies in this house.”
“Cursed?” Mrs. Drown sat down, wondering what all this voodoo nonsense was.
Davoski looked to Mr. Drown, who admitted him to explain the story.
“Hmm… Where’s the boy, and Shielsia? Get them in here, they should all be present.” Davoski refused to tell the tale without them.
Back at the duel arena, Gaidra was scanning the footage of his duel. Specifically the card Shielsia shied away from playing when he activated his Elemental Hero Prisma’s effect. “Veiler…” His voice groaned coldly as he saw it. It was he suspected, but why did she go easy on him. Was it pity, knowing she had a superior build, and more advanced and current strategies?
Bwoop!
TO: Gaidra
Sep 15 7:31 PM
:Simoney: Hey baby
Gaidra stared at the message, then glared at the screen. This girl utterly defeated him, but he was the victor? He had no Battle Fader, no Swift Scarecrow, had she attacked… She didn’t attack though, her loss! He again felt shame for these vain thoughts, he lost and he knew it. A part of being a duelist was admitting when you’re beaten, so that you can become stronger.
TO: Simone
Sep 15 7:38 PM
:Gaidra: I was beat
To: Gaidra
Sep 15 7:38 PM
:Simoney: What?
TO: Gaidra
Sep 15 7:38 PM
:Simoney: At Yugio?
TO: Gaidra:
Sep 15 7:38 PM
:Simoney: How?
TO: Gaidra
Sep 15 7:38 PM
razz utz: Who beat you?!
TO: Gaidra:
Sep 15 7:38 PM
:Simoney: When?!
TO: Gaidra:
Sep 15 7:39 PM
:Simoney: Hello?
No more messages tonight. He shut his phone off and went outside. “I beat you.” A voice came from above and he saw Shielsia looking down at him from the tin roof of the arena, a smug look on her face.
“Yeah…” He laughed nervously.
“Just as long as you know that.” She crossed her arms over her plump bosom squishing the orbs together, hopping down and walking past him.
“Why didn’t you Veiler me?” He had to know.
Shielsia didn’t know how to answer him. She didn’t know what to say, this person was somebody she was going to have to put up with him. “I wanted to see what kinda card I was going to beat.” Though her words were cruel, she gave him a thumbs up.
A torrent of mixed feeling came over Gaidra. Was she for real? Before he could speak she spoke again.
“I’ve been living in a part of the world where the card game is much more advanced, the cards I play are common place. Just because I’m here in the backwoods of America, does that mean I oughta weaken myself?”
“What the hell are you talking about? Didn’t you weaken yourself by not playing Veiler.”
“Nope, just messed with your head.” She laughed obnoxiously heading inside.
Gaidra now felt like a fool. He wasn’t out matched, just out gunned! Shielsia’s true character seemed to be out in the open now. A wretched little-
“Yo Gai, family meeting.” Her voice beckoned for him like a dog. He cracked his neck, balling up his fist. The fact he lost to such an arrogant piece of-
“You comin?” She shouted angrily this time. Gaidra slumped over and hobbled in.
To one side of the dining room sat Davoski and Shielsia, the other sat the Drown family. Gaidra, Sarah and Tomarrak. They were about to hear the bizarre tale of Davoski and Shielsia.
“Where to even begin…” Davoski looked down. Shielsia as well, but glanced up to make a face at Gaidra. “Shielsia and myself…” He paused, what he was about to say would sound strange and foolish. “We…” His fist clenched in frustration. Sweat was dripping down the side of his brow, grinding teeth against his lower lip. “Don’t have souls!”
 Shielsia · Tue Aug 06, 2013 @ 02:00am · 0 Comments |
|
|
|
|
|
