Heroes No More

Stories

"One minute I was on the mission to rescue Pegasus and next thing I knew there was a sniper and these two guys and then that teleporter chic sent to me a cell. Some guy calls himself the Copycat and tried to steal my powers. It didnt work at first, but he wouldn't let me sleep and barely gave me any food or water and..." Yumi had to take a moment to compose herself. "He took them. When he took my powers, he took my face and memories a-and I passed out. I don't know if that's a part of his copying powers or not, but when I woke up my powers worked on the spell card, but...the spirits wouldn't answer me when I was in the store. I couldn't have been out for more than a day or two, right? What did he do?"

The Director was silent, his stare fixed on her the entire time. "A Yumi showed up at here one week ago claiming a similar story. That same Yumi when discovered to be a fake declared the real Yumi had to die in order for their powers to be taken. If the real Yumi is dead and you claim you're not the fake then who are you?"

"Why does everyone keep telling the world I'm dead?!" Yumi shouted. Then her face paled and unspeakable horror filled her. "W-Wait, did you just say a week?"

He didn't answer and instead let Yumi internally and externally freak out. "A week? It felt like hours, at most a day! A week! He could have done so much- Danny, the Duel Monsters, even Ben- What did he do?!"

She jumped out of her seat. "You said he got figured out, that must have been why the hold he had on me broke. Did he leave my cards? I have to talk to them and Danny and Ben; I have to make things right."

"You should know what happened," he answered simply.

"But I don't!" Yumi insisted, but maybe she could figure it out. They took off the power cuffs when they put her in the interrogation room as a test, but so far there hasn't been a need to use her powers.

She stopped, calmed down a bit, and focused on sensing her cards. There was...a handful in the box on the table and one single card in the direction of her room. Wait... only one?

Yumi opens her eyes and shakes her head. "I-I don't understand. I had hundreds of cards in the safe alone, b-but I can only sense one."

"Just one?"

"I know there are more in the box," Yumi tries to hold back the tears. "but like I said, they aren't talking to me...please, I have to know what he did."

The Director studies her for what seems like eternity. His stoic expression makes him hard to read.

"Follow me."

He leads her out and down to the dormitory sector with two guards behind them at all times. Along the way she does her best to keep her head down to avoid witnessing the glares and whispering that follow her as they go.

However, she can't keep them down. Debris is scattered everywhere and there are holes and scorch marks on the ceilings and walls. The closer they get to her room, the worse the destruction. Maintenance people are working on repairs, yet it feels like they won't be finished for a long long time.

"What is she doing out here?" Danny's voice demands suddenly.

Yumi doesn't even acknowledge him or Ben who stand just outside the wreckage of her room. All she sees is the destruction.

Her trembling hand just barely covers her mouth as she slowly steps forward into the abyss.

"Yumi?" Danny's question is lost to her. There's nothing except the destruction.

The metal door has been torn open and curled in on itself. Pieces of her bedroom sanctuary lay in so many places it's hard to tell anyone ever lived in there.

Across from the safe itself sat the crumpled form of the safe door. She staggers toward the metal cube and runs a hand along the barren shelf where stacks of cards used to rest.

"Gone." The tears threaten to spill over once more. "All gone."

"The fake Yumi took them all," Danny tells her gently.

She stares at him with eyebrows knit together. This is all too much to process.

Then a flash of gold near Danny's foot catches her eye.

"Step back!" She rushes forward, causing Danny gasp and stumble back.

Her hands dash aside a clump of debris to find a Kuriboh card. She holds it lightly in her hands, her vision blurring as she stares at her once friend.

"He took every card but yours? Why?" She asked Kuriboh.

"The fa-" Danny starts to answer for Kuriboh gently. "He said it was because Kuriboh was too weak of a card to take. I found him in here taking your cards when we started thinking he might be a fake...it was because of Kuriboh we even got suspicious...I'm sorry..."

Yumi tries to focus on what he's saying and manages to retain half of what was said.

"But Kuriboh isn't weak! That copycat had my memories but he doesn't understand how much I care about the Duel Spirits. Kuriboh is one of my best friends and the purest soul I've ever met, and because of that stupid copycat I've lost them! I'm sorry Kuriboh! I'm so sorry!"

She isnt too sure when she started crying but by the time she realizes she has there's no seeing anything except the inside of her eyelids.

Suddenly, a soft hum and something warm rubs against her face to comfort her. She gasps and her eyes immediately open to make sure she isn't dreaming.

"Kuriboh!"

She laughs and takes him in her arms, holding him close and nuzzling the top of his head with her face.

"Ive missed you so much! I thought I'd never see you again! I'm so sorry I let him take you away! I'm so so sorry!"

Kuriboh hums his reassurance and care, taking more interest in how she is holding up than dwelling in the past.

"I don't care how I am! I'm just so happy to see you again!" Yumi insists.

"Yumi! It really is you!" Danny drops down and hugs both her and Kuriboh. "I thought you were dead! Im so sorry I didn't believe you!"

Kuriboh flies out of the hold to make room for Ben who squats down, taking a good look at her. "Now that Kuriboh mentions it, you don't look so good Yumi. How are you feeling? Really feeling."

"Not too great. I haven't eaten a good meal or slept normally in forever," she confesses with a meek smile.

As she looks at her two friends, something dawns on her. "Where's Mika?"

The boys avert their gazes. Danny clears his throat. "She was attacked by... the Copycat during his escape. She's in the med room recovering."

Yumi's eyes widen. "Is she okay?!"

"That dark magic attack really is something else," Danny mumbles.

"I will forever be eternally sorry for having brought harm to the girl."

The Dark Magician's spirit takes form in the room, and despite the circumstances, Yumi is still overjoyed to see him.

The silver box is under the Director's arm, the cards within them now becoming clear now that she's alert enough to focus.

"Why didn't he take my deck?" Yumi asks out loud.

"I took the belt right before he took off," Danny explains proudly, before frowning. "You know, we should get you taken care of."

Yumi nods while kuriboh fades back to his spirit form to help conserve energy.

"We will discuss things further once your strength is up to par. Till then," he tosses her the silver box to which Ben catches and hands it to her gently. "Welcome back."

Once the Director leaves, Yumi looks everyone square in the eye. "Spill it, I want to know everything."