Soul of the Dragon

Chapter 47: Courage to Continue Part 1

The sun was at its zenith over Goodwin's mansion. The Signers, Fish, and Leo were all over the place, trying to muster up some courage.

I still can't believe one of my old friends is one of the Dark Signers, Yusei thought sadly. He stared unseeingly at the sky. His fist clenched in sorrow. "Kalin..." He closed his eyes and tried to ignore his shaking hands. I don't think I have what it takes anymore!

A shadow fell over Yusei. "Are you still angsting?"

Yusei held in a groan. "Don't you have someone else to bother, Fish?"

"Maybe, but you're not doing anything useful. Seems a bit out of character for you."

Yusei raised an eyebrow at the girl. "Is this concern I detect?"

"Ha! As if," Fish replied. "No, I'm just bored. And since you're just sitting here brooding, I figured it was the perfect time to do something I've been waiting a long time to do."

A chill ran up Yusei's spine. "Oh dear god."

"That's right, Crabhair!" Fish grinned. "You and I are having a duel. Right here, right now, no holds barred. I'm gonna kick your crustacean-headed ass!"

Yusei blinked. "That...is not where I thought this was going. Look, I'm really not in the mood-"

"Too late! We made eye contact! That means we have to battle!"

"...that's a reference, isn't it?"

"Shut up and duel!"

Yusei sighed. "Fine, but on one condition. If I win, you have to stop picking on me."

"Well, that's not gonna happen, so sure. And if I win, you have to go along with any one thing I choose."

Yusei hesitated. "Um, I think maybe-"

"Oh, don't be such a baby. It won't be life-threatening. Probably."

It wasn't the best wager, but Fish had become increasingly bothersome, and at this point Yusei was willing to do anything to get her to stop. "Fine. Let's duel."

Fish: 4000

Yusei: 4000

"Since you're being a downer about everything, I'm going first!" Fish drew a sixth card. "I'm gonna start by summoning Aqua Fairy in defense mode!"

(Aqua Fairy: Atk: 400 Def: 800)

"And now I'm equipping her with Evolution, which adds a thousand points to both her attack and defense!"

(Aqua Fairy: Atk: 400 1400 Def: 800 1800)

"Now I think I'll set two cards and end my turn."

"Alright, then," Yusei said, resigning himself to the duel. "If we're not holding back...I'll summon Hyper Synchron."

(Hyper Synchron: Atk: 1600 Def: 800)

"Then I'll set three cards. Now, Hyper Synchron, attack!"

"Oh no, you don't!" Fish countered. "I'm playing my trap card, Rushing Through The Rapids! During this battle, my Fairy's attack points double-which means you take damage! Say goodbye to your Synchron!"

Fish: 4000

Yusei: 2800

Fish's maniacal laughter could be heard from the house. Against his better judgment, Jack Atlas abandoned his seat at the buffet to scope things out.

In the rose garden nearby, Akiza heard Fish and chuckled to herself. Normally, she would have hurried to the scene, but she was far too content among the flowers. Fish wouldn't mind.