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The vast blueness that stretched to the horizon was glowing in the orange light of the evening sun. The sea wind tousled her long hair as she listened to the cry of the gulls above her head.
She always came here at this time of the day, because of the peaceful atmosphere that cooled off her head and eased the weight she was carrying. She wished that academia island could’ve always been like this.
Although it was not a military school anymore, academia couldn’t simply be disbanded. Many of the students who hadn’t been involved in the war weren’t able to understand what had happened and why they were supposed to change their entire view of the world. It was hard to break the iron that had been driven through their heads. After all they were just innocent children who had been forged to weapons.
Just like she had been.
She was glad the professor had remained missing after the mess had cleared, because she didn’t know what she would do to him. Although that meant everyone was looking at her now. She had been one of the first who defied the professor and her reputation as the rogue student had earned her the respect of many among the honour students.
It felt good, of course, to be trusted, but she had realised everyone was more and more relying on her. She wondered if Mr Sakaki had felt like this too.
And yet, she wasn’t a leader.
“There you are”, a voice said behind her.
She turned around and brushed a strand of her hair out of her face.
“I’ve been looking for you”, the short, blue-haired boy said and licked his lollipop.
Asuka sighed and cast a long glance across the sea. It appeared she wasn’t meant to enjoy even these serene hours anymore.
“Alright, I’m coming”, she said and turned to follow Sora inside.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. It’s the third incident of this kind. Mrs Ayukawa has confirmed our suspicion.”
“I see. Then he has begun to move earlier than we expected.”
“Do you mean you knew this would happen?”
“There are several cadres who still believe in what the professor has taught us. Peace through conquest. The glory of victory. There are many ideals that drive them, but that man is different. Be careful, Asuka. He has the power to destroy this fragile peace we’re trying to maintain.”
“Yes, I am aware of that. And that’s why we have to stop him at all cost.”
“I guess I won’t be able to talk you out of this.”
“We are the remnants of academia. If we cannot clean up our own mess, who else is supposed to?”
“Funny that you of all people are saying this.”
Asuka bit her lip while she gazed through the large glass window into the surgery. Lying on the table was a younger student, maybe fourteen or fifteen years old, his head covered by a metallic device. A woman and two men were buzzing around him for more than one hour already.
Suddenly the boy began to convulse, his arms and legs flailed against the leather straps that fixated him on the table. The two men hastily leaned over him and tried to restrain him, but Asuka’s gaze rested on Mrs Ayukawa who was standing next to the boy’s head and handled some medical tool.
With iron concentration she reached into the boy’s ear. After half a minute she retracted the tool and the boy’s body slackened instantly. The men relaxed as well and stepped back. One of them removed the device from the boy’s head and Asuka saw a pale, exhausted-looking face.
So innocent…
It was hard to imagine he had turned into a berserker and injured five people before he could be stopped.
The door to the room opened and the woman came out, pulling off her thin gloves and wiping the pearls of sweat from her forehead.
“And?” Asuka asked as she stepped next to her.
“He’s not in a critical condition. You can rejoice.”
Asuka made a grimace.
“You know that’s not true. He’s the third one already.”
She sent Mrs Ayukawa a little hopeful glance.
“Have you been able to catch it alive this time?”
The woman shook her head.
“I’m sorry.”
Asuka knew she wanted to ask her something, so she waited.
“Do you think they are going to spread?”
She remained silent for a while, carefully selecting her next words.
“I guess you should prepare for it.”
The woman’s eyes wandered to the boy on the other side of the glass as well.
“They are so young”, she muttered. “Why… Why is he doing this? What does he think he can gain from letting them go on a rampage?”
“He wants to show us that he can strike us wherever and whenever he likes”, Asuka muttered sinister. “And perhaps it amuses him. That’s all the reason he needs.”
The woman was staring at her, covering her mouth with one hand.
“How can there be a human like that?” she whispered.
Asuka didn’t respond. She didn’t have an answer to that question.
Suddenly the light flickered and went out. Asuka’s mood dropped even further.
Not now! She had an actual crisis to deal with and no time to take care of troublemakers.
“Take yourself a little rest”, she said to Ayukawa and left the room. Her feet carried her almost automatically through the dark corridors and to the generator room. Although the light went on again, her mood remained as dark as it was.
She wasn’t surprised to find a familiar figure in front of it, held tight by two members of the campus security.
She sighed.
“Why did you do it this time, Rei? Steal something from the kitchen again?”
Asuka hated how she sounded right now. She didn’t want to be the strict teacher type. She had hated that during her own time as a student as well, but…
“I didn’t do anything! I swear!” Rei blurted angrily.
“Stop denying it already”, one of the security guards said. “We know it was you.”
Rei’s head whirled around to him, a challenging glare in her eyes.
“Oh really? And how do you know it was me?”
The young man rolled his eyes.
“Because we caught you just around the next corner how you were trying to sneak away. And maybe because you have been admonished twice for messing with the generator already.”
Rei made a contrite face.
“Okay, the incident two weeks ago was me. But this time it’s not!”
She turned to Asuka.
“Miss Tenjouin! You have to believe me! It wasn’t me!”
Asuka raised a brow.
“Then maybe you could explain to me what you were doing down here. There aren’t any classrooms here as far as I know.”
The girl developed a sudden interest in her shoes.
“Umm… That was because… umm…”
Asuka was about to give her an extra essay when a young man came skidding around the corner.
“Miss Asuka! An emergency! During the blackout someone has breached the quarantine around the doktor’s lab!”
Asuka swore and without another word she bolted for the staircase. When she arrived at the laboratory and peeked through the broken door, Sora was already there, instructing two of the honour students to make a detailed inspection of the room.
“What has happened here?” she asked when she made her way towards him.
“As far as I can tell, someone used the blackout to break in. With the electric lock deactivated, all they needed was a prisebar to open the door.”
“But why…” Asuka began as her gaze fell on the shattered container. Its content was spread across the floor.
“How many, Sora?” she asked anxiously. “How many eggs have disappeared?”
Sora shrugged.
“Hard to tell. Maybe twenty or thirty, I’d guess.”
Asuka turned pale. So many? That would mean…
This was a catastrophe, she thought as she tried to imagine what he could do with this many eggs.
“We have to do something, Sora”, she whispered dismayed. “We have to stop him before he can do who knows what.”
Sora merely nodded. After a moment she heard the crack of candy.
“Can you spare me for a few days?”
The quay lied dark and quiet. There was not a soul to be seen.
But that didn’t mean they weren’t there.
A small figure hopped out of their temporary hideout in one of the lifeboats on board of the ship which was used for the transfer to academia island. They sneaked over to the spot where the main channel of the city entered the sea, went around a corner and followed the small path that lined the water.
Sora was certain whoever had broken into the laboratory hadn’t been aboard the liner. Asuka had imposed the tightest security controls. Anyone who tried to smuggle the eggs out this way would’ve been caught immediately.
That meant they either still were on the island, which would’ve been one of the most foolish things to do, or they had used a separate boat.
Sora had checked the list of arrived boats earlier that day, but none of them was a possible candidate. He hadn’t been surprised. Considering the man they were after, it wouldn’t be hard for him to march right through the security controls without being noticed.
The doktor…
Sora had never met him in person, but his ability to entirely control a person’s mind sounded truly frightening. While the ability itself was dangerous enough, the fear and mistrust it sowed would be even more fatal.
That’s why they needed to stop the doktor before he could even start with his plans. It was going to be a war of secrecy. Luckily this was the form of war which Sora was most skilled in.
When the sound of footsteps reached his ears, Sora swiftly disappeared into the shadow of a bridge. He closed his eyes and listened.
These footsteps sounded weird. They were neither the irregular weaving of a drunk person nor the clandestine steps of a criminal who didn’t want to attract attention. No, these steps sounded somehow mechanical, like it was a puppet moving on its strings.
They crossed the bridge and went into the alley on the other side.
After a brief while Sora left his hiding spot and followed them. He had to make sure he didn’t lose them, but he also needed to keep enough distance in order to remain undiscovered.
His carefulness appeared to be unnecessary though. The boy marched ahead sturdily and didn’t even turn around once.
This was easy. Too easy.
He could already imagine it. Being caught because he fell for such an obvious bait.
But not with him.
Sora took the time to watch his surroundings for pursuers, but the alleys remained empty aside from him and the boy.
Despite this, he didn’t lower his guard, making out every possible place to hide while he followed the boy.
Eventually they approached an old warehouse. The boy’s footsteps changed subtly. They grew more careful and for the first time he cast a look back before going inside.
Sora hesitated.
It could be dangerous to follow him inside. He could retreat for now and tell Asuka about this place.
But no. He didn’t even have much evidence that his boy was the person he was looking for. He needed to go in.
Carefully he sneaked to the door and opened it without making a sound. There wasn’t any light inside and Sora’s eyes needed a moment to adjust. The hall was filled with long rows of shelves which reached up to the ceiling.
He heard the footsteps somewhere in the end. Carefully he went closer, his whole attention turned ahead.
The boy was standing in front of a small workbench. Something clicked and then a light bulb flashed up. A few seconds later something rustled and someone strode out of a row.
“Wonderful, wonderful”, they said as they opened the bag the boy handed them.
Sora scrutinised the tall, haggard man. Then his gaze fell on the round object in his hand. The doktor raised the egg against the light and his face turned into a grimace of ravishment.
“What a wonderful present you’ve given me there… And that applies to you as well, Shiunin Sora.”
His gaze flicked over to the spot where Sora was hiding.
Crap!
Sora darted around, half expecting someone to stand behind him. When he found the row empty, he didn’t waste a second and bolted forward.
He couldn’t remember when his heart had raced so fast before. Without looking back he dove through the door and into the alleys and didn’t allow himself to slow down before he had left the warehouse far behind.
The door to Asuka’s office opened and Mrs Ayukawa entered, a slim folder in her hands.
She stopped abruptly when she saw Asuka.
“Asuka? Is everything alright with you?”
With a groan Asuka raised her head from the desk and straightened herself.
“As you can see, I am not.”
She looked down at the piles of paper that her desk was cramped with.
“What do you want?”
Mrs Ayukawa handed her the folder.
“I just came to bring you the report of the examination. It’s nothing really new. I just wanted you to know.”
She tilted her head and gave Asuka a worried look.
“Now I’m wondering if I should take a look at you, my dear. Is there… anything you want to talk about?”
Asuka sighed and cast down her eyes.
“I’m not sure if I really am the one who should be sitting here. You know, back then I always thought Mr Sakaki would be the one organising and taking care of this.”
She looked at the many files in front of her.
“Of course I don’t blame him for wanting to spend time with his wife, but… I would feel a lot better if he was here instead of me.”
Ayukawa had rounded the desk and stepped behind her, gently putting her hands on Asuka’s shoulders, and began to massage them. At first Asuka was surprised, but then she let herself sink against the touch as she felt how she began to relax.
“You don’t sound like the Asuka I know. You’ve always been a fighter.”
Asuka cracked a wan smile.
“What am I supposed to fight against?”
Ayukawa remained silent for a while, merely massaging her neck and shoulders.
“I’m not sure if you realised this, Asuka”, she muttered. “But the young kids look up to you. The fact that despite your young age you are heading this school on your own and not just relying on older or more experienced colleagues has earned you their respect. When they look at you they see a strong young woman who has defied the professor and dared to step up against his rule. I believe Rei and the others do what they do because they want to be a little like you.”
Mrs Ayukawa stopped and leaned forward to look at her face.
“That’s… That’s how they see me?” Asuka muttered with a breathy voice. “I’m a model to them?”
Ayukawa smiled.
Asuka took a deep breath and tried to hold back the tears that welled up in her eyes. She had not felt this… moved in years. She had thought the students tried to provoke her because they didn’t take someone serious who was barely older than they were.
“I… I…”
She didn’t have the chance to finish her sentence because at that moment the door flew open and both of their heads flicked over to the security member who stormed into the office.
“Miss Asuka! We have just found Shiunin at the quay. He…”
“It’s alright, it’s alright. You don’t need to treat me like I’m about to collapse.”
A familiar blue thatch appeared in the door, shoving the young man aside. He looked tired and worn-out like he had been constantly pushing himself for days. His blue jacket had a few tears and his cheek was smeared with mud.
“Sora! Are you al–”
“Yes, I am. Now could you listen to me first? It’s important.”
Asuka swallowed her reply and shot a glance at the security member and his two companions who had appeared behind him. They saluted, which regularly caused Asuka to roll her eyes, and turned around. When their steps had disappeared, she turned her attention to Sora who was impatiently tapping his foot on the floor.
“So? What did you find out?”
“I have found our thief. He’s a student in one of the lower grades, but judging from his behaviour I don’t think he acts on his own.”
Sora’s grin turned into a triumphant smile.
“When I followed him, I found the doktor’s hideout. He’s in an old warehouse in the east of the city. Unfortunately I have been found out and had to retreat. But if we are quick, we might still catch him.”
Asuka gave him a grateful look. These were fantastic news.
“Thank you, Sora. Now get yourself some rest. I’ll deploy a team at once and head out.”
“No, you’re not”, Sora replied heatedly. “At least not without me.”
She sighed. “Sora, you–”
“I’m the one who found him. I want to be part of those who arrest him.”
He gave her a serious look.
“Against him you will need every skilled duellist you can get, Asuka.”
She hesitated. He was right about that, actually.
“Let me make a proposal.” Sora looked down at his dirty clothing.
“I’ll take care of this while you gather your team and we’ll meet at the port.”
Asuka thought for a moment. Then she nodded.
“Okay. But we don’t have much time.”
She got to her feet and made her way to the door. Mrs Ayukawa followed her.
“Be careful, Asuka”, she muttered. “That man is dangerous.”
Asuka gave her a reassuring smile.
“Yes, I know. And that’s why I have to go.”
She winked.
“I have to set a good example, right?”
Aside from herself and Sora six people boarded the boat to the city. She had decided a larger group would only attract unnecessary attention and allowing the doktor to escape would be fatal.
After going ashore Sora led them through the narrow alleys until they reached a small warehouse. Asuka ordered two of her comrades to move to the back and prevent anyone from escaping that way and two others to stay at the front as backup. She, Sora and the remaining two would march in and arrest the doktor.
“Be careful”, Sora warned. “The doktor isn’t dangerous because he is a strong fighter, but because he can manipulate people’s minds. You might find younger students in there, people you don’t want to hurt, but we don’t have a choice if we want to succeed. Do not hold back.”
The others nodded and Asuka approached the door. She felt her heart beating a little faster than usual. In mere moments they’d be facing the presumably most dangerous man in this world.
The door squealed when she pushed it open. Swift and wearily they swept in and stopped at once. Something wasn’t right here. The warehouse was almost empty.
Confused Asuka looked over to the few barely filled shelves in the back. The ground was covered with a considerable layer of dust.
What was this? It was impossible to clear all traces this quickly, right? And this warehouse also looked like there had been nobody in here for months.
“What…”
She heard a choked gasp behind her and the noises of something heavy slumping to the ground. Sora loomed over the two unconscious men, slouching, face covered behind his bangs.
“S-Sora, what… what does this mean?” she asked, failing to comprehend what was happening here.
Sora didn’t move for a moment. Then his shoulders began to quiver. He suddenly seemed entirely different from how he was before.
“I’m sorry, Asuka, but this isn’t the warehouse.”
An eerie smile crept over his face as he looked up.
“Someone as talented as you will be most useful to the doktor. You are going to join us now.”
Asuka lowered her head.
So this was how it was. She had been foolish not to consider this possibility.
“So he’s gotten you as well”, she muttered with a glance at the men on the ground.
“Even if you are not the Sora I know right now… you should know that I’m not going to surrender. Never!”
She raised her arm and activated her duel disk.
“If you want me, then you’ll have to force me to join you.”
Sora’s smile grew into a grin as he raised the blade of his own disk.
“Yes, I expected this much. But I am going to convince you.”
DUEL: ASUKA vs SORA
FORMAT: STANDARD DUEL
“If you don’t mind, I’ll take the first turn”, Asuka said and Sora nodded. She picked a card from her hand and inserted it into her disk.
“First I activate the Ritual Spell Machine Angel Ritual. This card lets me Ritual Summon a Cyber Angel Monster from my hand. I tribute the level five Cyber Tutubon.”
A yellow sigil appeared on the ground in front of her. Then it burst and an altar of stone appeared which Tutubon stepped onto. The next moment the altar lit up and she was engulfed in a column of fire.
“Angel of light, hiding healing powers. Bring recovery with you lovely form. Descend! Level 5! Cyber Angel – Nasateiya (ATK: 1000)!”
The column dispersed and out of the fire stepped a centauric angel clad in a beautiful mail.
“Now I activate Cyber Tutubon’s effect. When she is used for a Ritual Summon, I can add a Ritual Spell from my graveyard to my hand. I select Machine Angel Ritual.”
She sent a glance over to Sora. He hadn’t shown any reaction yet. She really wondered what was going on in his head.
“Next I activate Nasateiya’s effect. Once per turn I can select one monster on my field and regain Life Points equal to half its ATK. Since I only have one, the choice is obvious.”
A shower of golden light enveloped Nasateiya for a moment before it peeled off and swirled around Asuka, raising her Life Points to 4500.
“With that I end my turn.”
Sora raised his head and despite his low height she suddenly felt like he was smirking down at her.
“Was that everything?” he asked. “I had expected more of the infamous rogue student. I draw”.
Asuka shrouded herself in a veil of impassiveness. She knew it wasn’t Sora who was speaking right now, but the disdain in his voice hurt nevertheless.
“I Normal Summon Edge Imp Saw (ATK: 500):”
A sharp buzz filled the air and Asuka saw a malicious pair of eyes, glowing inside a metallic shell of saws.
“And next I activate the Spell Card One for One. I discard Edge Imp Chain and Special Summon a level one monster from my deck.”
Sora’s face twisted into a malicious grimace as he selected the card from his deck and flapped it onto the blade of his duel disk.
“I summon Parasite Fusioner (ATK: 0).”
Asuka recognised the red bug-like insect. She had seen much smaller versions being removed from the students’ brains by Mrs Ayukawa.
Suddenly she noticed her fist was shaking. These were the Parasite Monsters the doktor used to control people’s minds. He had robbed them of their free will, of their identity, the very things that defined a person. It was absolutely unforgivable!
“First I activate Edge Imp Chain’s effect.” Sora continued. “When it is sent from my hand or field to the graveyard, I can add a Death-Toy card from my deck to my hand. I select Death-Toy March. And then I activate Parasite Fusioner’s effect.”
The insect’s eyes glowed red and it whipped its split tail in anticipation.
“When it is Special Summoned, I can Fusion Summon using monsters on my field with Parasite Fusioner replacing one of the Fusion Materials.”
The two monsters rose and vanished in a swirl of colours.
“Steel blades, possessed by demons. Become one with the inner voice and shake the jungle with your roar! Fusion Summon! Show yourself! King of the hundred beasts that tears everything to pieces! Death-Toy Wheelsaw Leo (ATK: 2400)!”
With the deafening screech of metal a nightmarish stuffed toy in the form of a lion appeared in front of Sora. It was almost sliced in half and its chest as well as its mane consisted of shimmering circular saws.
“When Parasite Fusioner is used in a Fusion Summon via its own effect, it equips itself to the summoned monster.”
The red insect floated around Sora’s lion before attaching itself to the monster’s upper leg. The lion exuded a sudden aura of darkness which added to its already more than morbid appearance.
“Death-Toy Wheelsaw Leo, attack Cyber Angel – Nasateiya!” Sora ordered and with an insane laughter the monster leaped forwards, its claws ready to tear into the centaur in front of it.
When it hit only empty space, however, it stumbled forwards, having lost its balance, and crashed into the wall of the warehouse. Dazzled, it shook its absurd head and looked around.
Nasateiya rematerialised next to Asuka, a triumphant smile on her lips.
“It’s useless to attack”, Asuka explained. “Whenever one of my Ritual Monsters is attacked, Nasateiya can negate that attack.”
Sora didn’t appear to be unsettled.
“Don’t be so sure about that”, he said with a smirk. “I activate Wheelsaw Leo’s effect. Once per turn it can destroy an opponent’s monster and inflict damage equal to that monster’s original ATK. Say goodbye to your Nasateiya.”
Wheelsaw Leo jumped back to its feet and it seemed it wanted to tear itself apart for a moment. Then it released two of its saws which came spinning towards Asuka’s monster, shredding the angel to pieces (Asuka 4500 – 3500 LP).
The blades drew an arc and returned to the horrific toy and Asuka had to dip aside quickly to dodge them. Satisfied the lion stalked back to Sora’s side who grinned gloatingly.
“I set two cards face down and end my turn.”
Asuka gritted her teeth and began her turn.
“I draw. First I Normal Summon Cyber Petit Angel (ATK: 300).”
The little ball-like monster appeared with a puff, almost comically flapping its little wings.
“When it is summoned, I can add a Cyber Angel Monster or Machine Angel Ritual from my deck to my hand. The card I pick is Cyber Angel – Izana.”
Alright. All the cards were in place now. She sent a glance at the red stain on Sora’s monster.
She was going to take down that parasite.
“I activate Machine Angel Ritual. I tribute Cyber Petit Angel as well as Cyber Angel – Idaten from my hand.”
Again the altar appeared in front of her. Her two monsters turned into flames which swirled around each other and struck the altar, sending a huge fire into the sky.
“Angel of light, hiding creationary power. Cast down your spear and reveal the form of the new world! Ritual Summon! Descend! Level 8! Cyber Angel – Izana (ATK: 2500)!”
The beautiful grey-skinned angel who stepped in front of her spread her four arms and gave her gloomy opponent a grim smile. Two of her hands were holding a long spear and another wielded an axe.
“Now, since Cyber Angel – Idaten was tributed, all of my Ritual Monsters gain 1000 TK and DEF.”
The spirit of Idaten appeared again and sent a shower of light raining down on her heavenly sister (2500/2600 – 3500/3600).
“And next for Izana’s effect. When she is Ritual Summoned, you have to send one Spell or Trap card you control to the graveyard.”
She gave her friend a hopeful look.
“Sora, you can rid yourself of that insect. When I asked you why you decided to stay here and help me reform academia, you told me it was your pride as a duellist. Because you didn’t want to rely on Yuya and the others too much. Now show me these were no empty words! Show me you don’t need that insect to win!”
Sora’s expression turned thoughtful. Irritation crept over his face. For a moment Asuka thought she might have gotten through to him. Then he placed one hand on his forehead and burst into a fit of laughter. He nearly toppled over, before he managed to calm down and gasp for breath.
“It is useless to try and convince me. Whatever I have said and done in the past doesn’t matter anymore. The doktor has given me new life. You’ll understand soon enough when you join our side.”
He gave her an amused smile. “As for your angel’s effect, I can simply send my face-down Death-Toy March to the graveyard.”
Izana held her spear in front of her and cast its blunt end into the ground. A golden light enveloped Sora’s card and it vanished with a high sound.
Asuka flinched. It appeared the parasite’s control was stronger than she imagined.
“What’s wrong?” Sora asked. “I haven’t forgotten about Nasateiya’s effect. You can banish another Cyber Angel from your graveyard to revive her and take control of one of my monsters, right? Go ahead.”
“Don’t try to mock me!” Asuka shouted angrily. “I’d never use something that is infected by a foul parasite. Izana, attack Death-Toy Wheelsaw Leo!”
The grey-skinned angel raised her spear and charged at the abhorrent toy.
“Useless”, Sora commented. “I can simply destroy Parasite Fusioner to negate my Wheelsaw’s destruction.”
Wheelsaw Leo caught the spear with its claws before it could strike its aim. The two monsters’ clash created a gust which ruffled Sora’s hair as his Life Points dropped to 2900. He merely dusted down his shoulder in response.
“I set one card face down and end my turn”, Asuka said.
Sora raised a brow.
“So even now you’re not going to take my monster? Now I’m offended.”
He laughed at the sinister glare she shot him.
“There’s no need for you to get so upset. You’ll see. Life is just so much more fun when you don’t have to worry about such things as human shackles.”
He drew a card and glanced down at it. Then his eyes turned back at Asuka.
“You know, academia used to be a place of so much fun. And it’s going to become that way again as soon as the doktor returns.”
His smile grew wide and Asuka noticed an insane flicker in his green eyes.
“Let me show you what I mean.”
Mrs Ayukawa was on her way back to the infirmary when she noticed a young man in the colonnade. His chest was leaning against the railing and he gazed out at the ocean.
Ayukawa stepped closer, but he didn’t notice her.
“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked.
The man’s head darted around, his blue eyes mildly surprised.
“You look like there is something troubling you.”
He stared for a moment. Then he let out a sigh.
“It’s Asuka. She’s too reckless. I just wish it didn’t have to come to this.”
He turned back to the ocean where the distant roofs of the city were visible across the water. Ayukawa stepped next to him and joined his gaze.
“She has a strong will and she deeply believes that this school can become a place of peace and happiness, where children learn to respect people regardless of where they come from or what they do. There is nobody who is more suited to lead it. Now she only has to realise this herself.”
The man nodded thoughtfully.
“Yes. You’re right.”
Suddenly the sound of clicking heels reached her ear and they turned around to a young woman who saluted formally.
“Commander. The preparations are done.”
The man sighed and waved her off resignedly.
“Alright, I’m coming. And you don’t need to call me commander anymore.”
“Yes, Sir. As you wish.”
The man rolled his eyes and gave Ayukawa a helpless look.
“It was nice talking to you. Thank you Mrs Ayukawa.”
She looked after him as he followed the young woman down the colonnade.
“If you don’t want my monster, then pay the price for it! I activate Wheelsaw Leo’s effect and destroy Cyber Angel – Izana. And you take damage equal to its original ATK.”
“Don’t underestimate me, Sora! I activate Izana’s effect. Since she has been targeted for an effect, I return Idaten to my deck and destroy your Wheelsaw Leo.”
The two monsters charged at each other, Izana’s silver axe against the Death-Toy’s screeching saws.
“So you’re going for a draw? How foolish.”
“Not exactly”, Asuka answered with a smile. “When a LIGHT monster on my field would be destroyed, I can banish Machine Angel Ritual from my graveyard instead.”
Izana swung her spear and knocked the spinning saws aside before slashing the horrific toy entirely apart. The buzzing of the saws decreased to a miserable wail and ceased completely.
Asuka shot Sora a victorious smile, but it froze on her lips when she noticed his broad grin.
“That was not bad”, he muttered. “Now I’m really itching to make you writhe in pain.”
It was shocking to see him like this. He didn’t seem to have anything human left inside. But, no matter how twisted he might look now, she refused to believe he was lost. She was going to wake him up.
“I Normal Summon Edge Imp DT Modoki (ATK: 1300).”
Sora placed the card onto the blade of his disk and a weird mixture of stuffed toy parts, pencils, yarn and other things appeared in front of him.
“Next I activate the Trap Card Limit Reverse and Special Summon a monster with 1000 or less ATK from my graveyard in attack position. And the monster I revive is Parasite Fusioner (ATK: 0).”
Asuka swore inwardly. Not again!
“When Parasite Fusioner is Special Summoned, I can perform a Fusion Summon, using monsters I control.”
The two eerie-looking monsters rose into the air and melted into a swirl of colours.
“Gruesome toy, possessed by demons. Become one with the inner voice and fill this world with the laughter of hell! Fusion Summon! Show yourself! Insane devil that delivers cruel punishment! Death-Toy Daredevil (ATK: 3000)!”
A red and black toy in the shape of a devil floated down on its little bat-wings. It wielded a large trident and its tail was a long black chain that wound around its body.
“And once again, I can equip Parasite Fusioner to the summoned monster.”
The red bug attached itself to the fiend’s chest and Asuka could feel a dark aura welling up around it.
“But I’m not done yet”, Sora said, picking a card from his hand and inserting it into his disk. “I activate Back-Up Rider and increase Daredevil’s ATK by 1500 until the end of this turn.”
The fiend’s eyes rolled and it laughed madly as its ATK went up to 4500.
“And now, Death-Toy Daredevil, attack Izana!”
Daredevil drew in a deep breath before letting out a deafening roar. A cloud of bat-shaped shades escaped its absurdly big mouth and swarmed Izana who screamed and dissolved into nothing. Two of the shades grazed Asuka and she gasped from the sharp pain that shot through her body (Asuka 3500 – 2500 LP).
“Does it hurt?” Sora asked with a cold smile. “Then wait ‘til you feel this. I activate Daredevil’s effect. When it destroys a monster in battle, it inflicts an additional 1000 damage to you. Feel the pain!”
Daredevil’s eyes flashed up and the next moment a thunderbolt struck down at Asuka.
Every fibre of her body went ablaze. She didn’t even hear her own scream anymore, drowned by the anguish that surged through her mind like a razor.
When the lightning ceased, she fell down at her knees, coughing for breath. Her Life Points dropped to 1500.
Sora was laughing gleefully.
“Is it too much for you?” he asked mockingly. “You can always surrender and join us on your own.”
Something inside her snapped. Despite the pain she forced herself back to her feet.
“I’ll never surrender”, she muttered through clenched teeth. “How could I give up when there is a friend who needs my help? And I’m going to bring you back, Sora, I swear!”
The blue-haired boy gave her an amused smile.
“Try your luck. I place one card face down and end my turn. That means Daredevil’s ATK returns to normal (4500 – 3000).”
Asuka was still panting heavily and her vision blurred a little. That last attack had been really serious. It took her some effort to keep her hand from shaking as she drew.
Her strained face turned into a smile.
“This duel is over, Sora. I am going to free you now. I activate the Ritual Spell Machine Angel Absolute Ritual.”
The yellow sigil appeared on the ground again, before it shattered, releasing a large altar, surrounded by four smaller ones.
“With this I can Ritual Summon a Cyber Angel by returning monsters from my graveyard to my deck. I return level two Cyber Petit Angel and level eight Cyber Angel – Izana.”
The two monsters appeared over the altars, turning into flames lighting the smaller altars, and finally met on the central altar, sending a radiant column of light into the sky.
“Angel of light, hiding eternal power. Now show your form to this world and illuminate all creation! Ritual Summon! Descend! Level ten! Cyber Angel – Vishnu (ATK: 3000)!”
The entire warehouse was bathed in a warm light as the divine angel floated down in front of her, her translucent wings spread widely. A mysterious, knowing smile played around her lips as her gaze fell on Sora’s devil.
“Cyber Angel – Vishnu’s effect: When she is Ritual Summoned, she destroys all monsters that were summoned from the Extra Deck. And for each one you take 1000 damage.”
Vishnu formed a huge orb of light with her four arms and raised it above her head, unleashing a shower of light upon the gloomy toy. Daredevil seemed to be speechless for a moment. Then its tail whipped around at lightning-fast speed and shielded it from every shot.
Sora grinned.
“So what? I just destroy Parasite Fusioner to negate the destruction.”
Asuka began to approach him. Although she was swaying with every step, she smiled softly.
“Cyber Angel – Vishnu, attack Death-Toy Daredevil.”
Sora chuckled. “Both of them have the same ATK. Going for a draw again? Too bad!”
He pressed a button on his duel disk and revealed the face-down card in front of him.
“I activate Skewer Pitfall. Since your angel attacked on the same turn she was summoned, she is destroyed and you take damage equal to half her original ATK. And that is everything you have left.” He smirked viciously. “Goodbye.”
Asuka continued to drag herself forward, ignoring the warnings her body gave her.
“I activate Vishnu’s effect. When a card or effect is activated which would destroy a card on the field, I can banish a Ritual Monster from my graveyard to negate the activation and destroy the card.”
Nasateiya’s spirit appeared in front of Vishnu before charging forward and crashing into Sora’s card, shattering it to pieces.
“So be it!” Sora shouted and Daredevil made an angry grimace, soaring upwards and thrusting its trident through the angel’s chest.
Vishnu didn’t even twitch. Two of her arms embraced the gruesome toy while the other two formed another orb of light. Daredevil tried to break free, but the divine angel held it gently in place. The glowing light engulfed both monsters and they vanished in a radiant blast.
Asuka threw herself forward and pulled Sora down, shielding him from the shock wave.
It was over. She only needed to activate her face-down Miracle’s Afterglow to revive Vishnu and attack directly.
But… The way Sora was lying beneath her, motionless and without struggling against her touch, his eyes staring emptily at her… It felt like holding a broken toy, cold and without life.
“Sora… Please, come to your senses. I don’t want to fight against you. All I want is my friend.”
She reached into his pocket and pulled out one of his precious lollipops.
“All I want is the sweet-loving boy who’d climb the walls of academia, simply because he was bored, and who’d get into a fight with boys who are twice as tall because they cut in line at the gumball machine.”
A tear ran down her cheek and dripped down on his face.
“Can you understand that? Please come back, Sora”, she whispered.
She lowered her head and more tears bubbled up in her eyes. Then a hand grabbed her wrist.
“Asuka…” a faint voice muttered.
She opened her eyes widely and gazed into his green ones. They were clear for once, not a trace of his former madness.
“Sora? Is… Is that you?”
He took the lollipop from her hand, unwrapped it and plopped it into his mouth.
A smile went over her face. She suddenly felt very warm inside. Carefully she got off him and offered him a hand.
“Sora…” she muttered, still trying to feel the sound of this familiar name. Suddenly she heard a crack and it sent a shiver down her spine.
Sora didn’t take her hand. He once again bit the candy in his mouth and chewed with a loud crack.
“Sora, what…?”
“Asuka. I have been your friend. But that is all in the past now.”
He looked at her and his lips curved back into the malicious smile.
Asuka backed away from him. She couldn’t believe it. He had just looked like himself again, but…
“Death-Toy Daredevil has another effect”, Sora muttered. “When it is destroyed by my opponent, I can inflict 500 damage for each Death-Toy in my graveyard.”
The silhouette of Daredevil appeared behind Sora as he rose back to his feet.
“Right now there are Wheelsaw Leo, Daredevil and Edge Imp DT Modoki who is treated as a Death-Toy in my graveyard. You know what that means.”
Daredevil began to tremble as if there was something rumbling inside of it and a red glow filled its eyes. Then, finally, it opened its huge mouth and sent a wave of flames towards Asuka. She screamed from the hot, burning sensation on her skin as her Life Points dropped to 0.
When she was able to open her eyes again, she saw Sora, kneeling down beside her. Something touched her ear and began to make its way–
She smacked away Sora’s hand and rolled away from him. He merely laughed in response.
“It’s too late, Asuka. You’re going to join us now.”
Panic rose up inside her as she reached into her ear, but the thing was already too deep inside. Then she felt something else entering her head. It was the most horrible and wrong feeling she ever had in her life. Like a voice that spoke to her, not with words, but she already felt its powerful suction.
She screamed and rolled on the floor, trying to drown the inner voice, but it kept getting louder.
Sora laughed, looming above her.
“Don’t fight it, Asuka”, he said. “You’ll be reborn as a new person, free of all expectation. The weight of your responsibility. The fear that you might fail. You can get rid of all that. Just give in and let us liberate you.”
It was like falling asleep, Asuka thought. The pain and weariness of her body faded away while the gentle voice flattered her, promising sweet relief, a while without the burdens of wakefulness.
Though a tiny, rational part of her told her to fight on, the rest of her consciousness gladly welcomed the easing serenity. Her resistance began to melt away and she let herself sink into a pool of velvet nothingness.
“Are you alright, my child? What is your name?”
“A-Asuka. Tenjouin Asuka.”
What was this? Surprised she watched as a blurred image formed in her head.
She saw herself, kneeling on the floor, her head ducked in grief and still lingering shock. And the man in front of her…
“Asuka… That’s a pretty name.”
She looked up when he handed her a steaming mug.
“Drink this. It’s going to help.”
With shaking hands she accepted the mug and took a sip. The warm, sweet taste of chocolate flowed into her.
“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t even thank you properly, Sir.”
The man chuckled awkwardly and scratched the back of his head.
“Oh please, don’t be so formal. I’m Sakaki Yusho. Just call me Yusho.”
“I’m sorry, Mr Sakaki.”
He gave her a resigning look.
“So? How do you feel?”
Asuka froze. For a moment she had been able to forget about these terrible moments. About the terrified face of her friend. About the violet flash that followed. Her fingers let go of the mug and it clattered across the floor, spilling the warm chocolate everywhere.
“I’m so sorry”, she began, but the man gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
“There’s no need to apologise. You have just experienced something terrible. Take your time to digest and think about what you want to do.”
She slouched her shoulders.
“I have grown up at academia. We were told that our dream was noble and great. Why… Why are they doing this?”
When she looked up at the man’s face, she saw a shadow of sadness in his warm, brown eyes.
“Yes. I wish I’d know”, he muttered distantly.
She waited insecure and after a while he seemed to recognise her again.
“Don’t worry about anything. I’m going to search for a way for us to leave this city. With so many patrols here, it won’t be easy to avoid discovery. Maybe we–”
“I can’t.”
The eyes beneath his cylinder examined her surprised.
“My friend has offered her life just to make me realise the truth”, she muttered, tears welling up in her eyes. “I almost would’ve been…” She shook her head. “Everybody needs to learn about this. They need to know how academia is deceiving us.”
“And how are you going to do this?”
Asuka bit her lip and cast down her eyes.
“I cannot reach those who are on the island. And even if I told them, they probably wouldn’t believe me. I didn’t want to believe it as well. But at least I can help those who have escaped.”
She looked up, expecting to find a mocking expression on Mr Sakaki’s face and so she was surprised when she met his friendly smile instead.
“If that’s what you want, then I am going to help you, Asuka.”
Her eyes widened and she suddenly felt warm, even without the chocolate.
“Say, have you ever duelled for fun?” he asked.
Confused, she blinked at him, before tentatively shaking her head.
“Then come. I’m going to show you.”
Like a pebble that fell into a pool of water the memory stirred up something deep inside of her.
Back then she had stayed for those who’d come after her. So they wouldn’t have to lose a friend like she did. Or worse…
She remembered now. This was also the reason why she agreed to become the new head of academia. She had wanted to create a future in which the students weren’t simply drilled to become soldiers, but in which they could learn freely and without the weight of a restricting ideology. And for that same reason, she needed to fight now!
With her spirit renewed, Asuka broke free of the tranquillity’s embrace, not listening anymore to the inner voice which urged her to return to sleep.
When she already felt she had won, a terrible cold clutched her heart. She could sense herself again, could feel her legs moving, could see Sora in front of her, leading the way through the alleys. But her body didn’t respond to her commands.
She tried to stop, but her legs moved on. She tried to shout, but her tongue remained silent. It was like being trapped inside a marionette which’s strings were pulled by someone else.
Helpless, she had to watch as she and Sora approached another warehouse, very similar to the one they had been in. Her mood darkened when she realised what that meant.
They walked past dark rows of shelves until they finally approached a free space which was only occupied by a large workbench. Behind that bench she saw a pale-faced man in a dark grey coat. In the light of the single light bulb which was standing on the bench he looked even gloomier. With the dark bags under his sunken eyes and the white hair that framed his wrinkled face he appeared rather like a zombie than an actual human.
When he noticed Sora and her, his eyes lit up and his lips curved into a sick smile. Hastily he got up, rounded the table and approached her.
“Former honour student Tenjouin. How wonderful! You can’t tell how long I’ve been waiting for this moment.”
Asuka wanted to back away when he reached for her, but her body denied even the slightest reaction as he stroked over her face.
“Even the infamous rogue student couldn’t resist my children. Now doesn’t this prove that my parasites have far succeeded the pathetic human brain?”
For a moment he reminded her of a young boy who had tried out a new game he came up with and was fascinated by the results.
“Yes, I will make good use of your skill and temper, my dear. Now we can finally return to academia and set it back on the path it was meant to go.”
Asuka’s face turned into a smile.
“Of course, doktor”, she said while inwardly she wanted to scream, wanted to push back that obnoxious man.
He turned back to the computer that was standing on the bench.
“Oh, yes… Soon I can bring my research to perfection. Academia will provide more than enough test subjects for me. Then I’ll finally be able to create the ultimate parasite. And then the world will bow before my genius.”
White-hot anger filled Asuka’s mind. If the parasite hadn’t taken control of her body, she would’ve outright strangled him for daring to mess with her students.
“So that’s what you had planned”, a voice said from the dark, making all three of them dart around.
A young man stepped out of the shadow, accompanied by two young women who Asuka recognised as the Tyler sisters.
“Edo?” Asuka asked in disbelief.
Her inner self wasn’t less surprised. What was he doing here?
“Former commander-in-chief, well, well”, the doktor muttered after having gotten over the shock. “What an honour that you have come all the way from Xyz to pay me a visit.”
“Why do you think that? I am a part of academia. Anyone who threatens it, threatens me.”
The doktor’s mouth twitched.
“And may I ask how you found me here?”
Edo gave him a cold smile.
“I merely followed your invitation. We have built a transmitter into Asuka’s duel disk. That way we were able to monitor each of her moves.”
Surprised, Asuka looked down at the disk on her arm and swore, while her inner self grinned widely. Edo had expected the doktor might try to take control of her and had used this to track down his whereabouts. Now they had the chance to arrest him before he could do anymore damage. But…
Asuka and Sora stepped in front of the doktor and activated their duel disks. Although she struggled with all her power, she couldn’t seize control of her body.
Then the doktor started to laugh.
It was not the high-pitched laugh that merely showed his insanity, but a hoarse, sinister one that sent a shiver down her spine.
“It appears you are underestimating me, former commander-in-chief”, he said. “You don’t even know how alone you are. I have branded your lieutenants long time ago, before our attack on Heartland. You thought you had outsmarted me, but in truth you just offered yourself to me.”
With a malicious smile Grace and Gloria left Edo’s side and joined Asuka and Sora.
“Now you are going to become one of my tools as well”, the doktor said with a mad glare.
“Wrong”, Edo replied unmoved. “Your schemes end here.”
In a sudden movement the two women grabbed the doktor and twisted his arms on his back.
After a moment of shock Asuka and Sora attempted to bolt forward to stop them, but were pulled back by a red-glowing strand that caught their arms.
“Damn! What is this?” Sora hissed.
The doktor yelled in pain and swore as Gloria sprained his arm even further.
“Well, doktor”, Edo said. “I already expected this. That’s why I removed the parasites you planted into their brains.”
The doktor scowled angrily. “You damn bastard!”
“Hey doktor”, Gloria muttered dangerously. “You can’t imagine how much it pisses me off to know that I’ve hosted and insect in my brain all this time.”
“Just give up already”, the Grace said with a smirk. “It’s over.”
The doctor began to chuckle, despite his pain.
“Heh! Over?! You don’t have what it takes to stop me!”
Asuka felt how her body ceased the struggle against the strand and turned to its origin. Her lips curved into a wide grin as she approached Edo. Then suddenly she froze. Next to her Sora stopped as well.
You are not going to hurt him! Asuka shouted at the whispering voice of the parasite. I’m not letting you!
A baffled expression crept over the doktor’s face.
“How is that possible?” he muttered, before turning angry. “All of you have abandoned academia’s ways! You are just a bunch of weaklings!”
Gloria leaned forward and brought her face next to his.
“I think you have misunderstood something. It is true that we don’t want to card anyone anymore”, she muttered blandly. “But for you I’d make an exception. Release them now!”
The doktor looked at her and his dull eyes mirrored the eerie glow of her violet ones. Slowly his face lost all of its colour.
“You… You…”
His legs gave way and he slumped to the ground.
“Alright.”
A brief pain flashed through Asuka’s head and she felt the foreign consciousness receding.
Then there was silence.
After the constant murmur inside her, she felt a little giddy. She blinked a few times until the feeling ceased. Something small dropped from her ear and fell to the ground. She trampled it quickly.
“Are you alright, Asuka?” Sora asked.
She gave him a relieved smile.
“Yes, I’m fine. And I’m glad you are back.”
He cast down his eyes and a regretful look appeared on his face.
“I’m sorry for what I did to you. I didn’t mean any of that. I guess I’m a terrible right-hand-man.”
Asuka’s smile grew soft and she placed a hand on his shoulder.
“That may be. But you are a good friend.”
She looked over to the doktor. Although he had tried to use her and Sora and many more, she couldn’t feel hatred towards this man. Without his insanity, he was just a broken old man.
Asuka found Edo at the railing of their boat which brought them back to academia, staring out at the sea.
“What do you think we should do with him?” she asked and stepped next to him.
Edo smirked faintly.
“Why are you asking me? You are the head of academia now.”
Asuka ducked her head. Why did everyone need to remind her of that?
Edo sighed.
“The other people he controlled have been released as well and the remaining parasites are destroyed. I guess without them he cannot pose much of a threat anymore.”
He shifted a little.
Asuka knew what he wanted to say. At least the others would demand that he’d be locked away for the rest of his life.
“About academia”, she began carefully.
“I have decided I’m going to step down. Until now I haven’t performed very well and in this crisis I… I wasn’t able to do anything. I couldn’t save Sora and ended up endangering the safety of everyone.”
She gave him a downhearted glance.
“You knew that as well. That’s why you used me to find the doktor. You should become the head of academia.”
Edo remained silent for a moment. Then he began to laugh quietly.
Asuka blinked surprised.
“You are wrong”, Edo muttered. “I wasn’t using you.”
He turned around and gave her a warm look.
“You were the one who developed this plan, in case your fist attempt would fail.”
She stared at him.
“But why…”
“As soon as the doktor had taken control of you, he would have seen through that plan. That’s why you erased you memories. You see? In the end your plan has saved everyone.”
He smiled and walked away.
For a few seconds Asuka remained frozen.
Her plan. So that meant… she had caught the doktor?
So she hadn’t been this useless all along.
A tentative smile spread on her lips. She let her gaze drift across the sparkling waves to the silhouette of academia, its rooftops shimmering in the red light of the evening sun.
This was the place she was needed at. This was the place where she wanted to be.