Yugioh: The Power of Four

Chapter 34: ARC-V - PART 20

Flashback

"Well, that could've gone a little better." Grace complained. She and her older sister had just returned from leading a second attack in the Xyz Dimension. They and the troops they lead fought some Duelists in that annoying Resistance, but they weren't that challenging. They were, however, surprised that they had backup they never expected. The Tyler Sisters' platoon did manage to card several of their enemies, but their unexpected allies prevented them from carding many. They decided not to tell this to the Professor. He seemed, as Grace said, "unusually testy" recently...

"That was just a minor setback. We will ultimately succeed in completing the Arc Area Project." Gloria replied. Her sister just sighed.

"I know. Look, I'm beat. I'm heading back to our room for a nap. You coming?" She asked. Her older sister shook her head.

"No, I'm going to take a walk, maybe get some fresh air. I'll be back later." She said. Grace shrugged.

"Alright. Later sis." Grace said as she made a left turn and headed back to their quarters.

Gloria walked in the opposite direction. As she moved, her mind went back to the nights she had shared with Ryo. She had really missed his company. They used to have late evening walks like this and gazed across the sea, when it was just the two of them. She smiled at those memories. Gloria wondered how he was doing. Her smiled faded as their last conversation also came back. He said some very hurtful things and she responded in kind. Needless to say, it was a very nasty way for two former lovebirds to break up. Despite how emotionally hurt she was, she still deeply cared for Ryo Marufuji, and she hoped he felt the same. She sighed as she put those thoughts out of her mind.

As Gloria made it out into the courtyard, she caught sight of Dennis Mackfield, the Professor's spy. He was crouched behind one of the thick bushes, clearly not wanting to be seen. He seemed to be doing something on his Duel Disk, but Gloria couldn't see what. She wondered why Dennis would need to hide himself within Academia itself. Curious, she quietly approached his position without making a sound.

Dennis was so focused on what he was doing that he never heard Gloria coming up from behind him. When she was within earshot, she heard Dennis talking to himself. "The encryptions on these restricted files are no joke. Good thing I know a trick or two on how to deal with that. I just hope there aren't any nasty surprises in here."

Gloria went rigid. 'Dennis is hacking into classified Academia files?! Why the hell would he do that?! He could get carded for something like this... or worse!' The woman wanted to bust Dennis for this seemingly act of treason. Anyone who would dare betray the Professor, and more importantly Academia, would face severe punishment. This also reminded her the very reason Ryo had left in the first place. It was what started the fight that led to their break up.

When Gloria heard of Yusuke's trespassing and being punished for it, she was very shocked. She never imagined he would do something so reckless. Unfortunately, Gloria heard of what ultimately happened from the Professor himself. At first she didn't want to believe Yusuke was dead, but she saw no lie in Leo's words. He informed her of this as a reminder of what happens to those who would turn against Academia and it's great mission. She was forced to accept it. She didn't want to suffer a similar fate, and she certainly didn't want that for her sister. When Ryo confronted her about Yusuke, they were on opposite ends. Their different views brought up some very harsh words and drove them apart in the end. Dennis' next words snapped her back into the present.

"Yes, I'm in! Now then... let's see what we got. Hmm... "Project Revival Zero". This seems like a good place to start looking." Gloria should catch Dennis now while he was unaware of her presence. She was just about to when... "What the hell? Is this for real?!" Dennis blurted out. Gloria hesitated, curious to learn what he found. She know she shouldn't know anything that was labeled classified. However, for whatever reason, she held herself back and continued eavesdropping. She then saw Dennis looking very shocked, then to her further surprise, very sad. "No...what he said was true. The Professor... is really going to kill her." Dennis spoke the next word so softly that Gloria almost missed it. "Ruri..."