Book One: Someone New (Reginald Kastle)

Chapter Twenty-Two: Forget-Me-Not

Yuma won his duel against Nistro and as celebration, he threw a party at his house that night. We are all sat around his table, enjoying the excited atmosphere.

"Cheers, Yuma. You're the cat's meow." Cathy grins, holding her drink aloft.
"He's a great duellist too." Flip adds.
"A great friend!" I throw in.
"And semi finalist!" Bronk says.
"We're sure you're gonna be the Carnival Champion!" Caswell compliments. Tori doesn't look particularly happy however: Yuma did indeed forget about her, exactly like my brother said he would.
"I'm not sure."
"Yay Yuma!" We all cheer apart from Tori. Yuma is loving all of this attention, and for tonight, I'll let him have that. He was worked so hard for this opportunity. However, he picks up on Tori's negativity.
"What's the matter, Tori?" He asks. "Don't feel like celebrating?" It is clear from Yuma's tone that he feels bad for forgetting about her after his duel.
"I bet Tori's still ticked off at you." Cathy purrs. She's relishing this. "She'll never forgive you for leaving her in that desert- even though she probably deserved it." Cathy adds bitterly. Tori turns around clearly irritated.
"Cathy!"
"Meow!"
"I'm sorry I forgot ya, but I was focused on important stuff." Yuma offers before Tori grabs him and shakes him.
"So I'm not important huh?!" At that moment, Lillibot places food on the table. The food looks incredible and after today's events, I believe myself and Yuma must be extremely hungry. Everyone is impressed, to say the least. Yuma and Flip go to get food, but his grandma screams.
"Huh?" We all say.
"But...you told us to dig in..!" Yuma protests. Even Astral looks confused.
"After we give grace for our food of course." Yuma's grandma smiles. We all thank her, before sitting down and eating. It seems everyone else is as hungry as myself and Yuma.
"Eat up, Yuma! You'll need all the energy you can get for your next duel!" Bronk says as Kari places more food on the table.
"You'll be facing Shark or Kite or Vetrix." Tori looks towards me as soon as Caswell says the names Shark and Vetrix. I stop eating for a moment, but then eat again. I came here to have fun with my friends, not to dwell on my regret for leaving Reginald alone with his anger or my hatred for Vetrix and all that he has done.
"Ha! They'll have as much chance against me as this meatball!" Yuma says, stuffing it into his mouth, only for his sister to turn and look at him in disgust.
"Yuma's really feeling the flow." Cathy says.
"Yeah, but he barely won any of his duels before." Tori says whilst placing fish on the table. I giggle at her point.
"I didn't wanna make it look too easy." Yuma replies. I glance at Astra whose expression is extremely focused and serious.
"I'll polish of anybody who stands in my way!" Yuma says chomping through the fish Tori just placed down.
"I can't wait to pull out my deck and start duelling again!" Yuma says, going to get his deck from the back of his belt.
"Hey, where's my deck?! I know I had it on me, but now it's gone!" He yells.
"You've got to be kidding." I say, throwing my face in my hands.
"I've lost my deck!" He shrieks. At that moment, my brother calls me.
"Hey, Gray." I say, finishing off my meal.
"Rosie, I know you're at your friends, but I need you to come home as soon as possible, okay?" He says.
"Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, I'll talk to you when you're home." I look at Yuma.
"I'm sorry, Yuma, I know it's really bad timing."
"It's alright, don't worry about it." He says, still panic stricken.
"I'll be there in twenty minutes." I say to my brother. I hang up, and wave my friends and Yuma's family goodbye.
"Good luck finding your deck Yuma."Within 15 minutes, I am home. My brother is waiting for me, with my deck box next to him.
"What's wrong?" I ask, noting his expression.
"I was walking past your room, when your deck box started resonating. Mizen appeared without you here." He gestures to the scaled creature, who has now noticed my presence and flies to hug me.
"Numbers 37 and 47 are the main resonators. I think something has happened to Shark." My brother frowns and my face falls apart.
"Why?"
"These Numbers have the most link to him. Number 37 appeared during the duel between him and Yuma. Number 47 was the one he broke you free from." My brother explains and I feel sick to the stomach.
"But what if something has happened?! How am I supposed to know? It's too late to go and find him, and I doubt he will answer my calls either way." I say, pacing around the living room.
"Rosie, I think it's best you just go to bed and wait to see him tomorrow. Maybe I'm wrong." My brother sighs as he kisses my forehead.
"Goodnight." "We're down to our final four duellists!" Heartland announces the next day at the stadium. He seems particularly happy about something and it's not long before we find out. The stadium has had an "upgrade".
"Now elevate the Duel Tower!" A huge tower rises from the floor, soaring high up. It's a sight to behold. When the tower has stopped moving, the set matches are revealed: Shark VS Yuma and Kite VS Vetrix.
Heartland begins his introductions, Yuma being first. My goofy friend runs out onto the stadium ground looking extremely hyper and confident. He bounces around, but ends up falling on the stairs which causes a few giggles.
"The last time we saw Yuma's challenger in the spotlight, he was banished from the duelling world in disgrace! But now he's back with a vengeance. No opponent is safe when this Shark zeroes in on his prey."
"It's Reginald Kastle!" My head snaps up to see Reginald standing across from Yuma and mine and Gray's fears become a reality: Reginald's face is completely blank.
"No..." I mutter.
"Hey, Shark! Is everything okay?" Yuma seems as worried as I am.
"Before you start duelling, let's add a little altitude!" As Heartland says this, the platform that Yuma and Reginald are stood on starts to elevate.
"Only one of these rivals will advance. Will it be Yuma, the duelling wonderkid? Or will Shark complete his comeback? Our duellists know they have to lay it all on the line. Are you ready to see the most epic duel ever staged?! Yeah! Then let's go!"
Mizen appears next to me, her eyes shining in fear. Her head gestures towards Reginald.
"Rah rah ree. " I am shocked to realise that I understand what she has just said. 'Something is wrong here.'
"I know, Mizen. I know." My brother puts his arm around my shoulders.
"Everything will be okay, I promise you." He reassures but I can sense the doubt in his voice.
"With that Chaos Number you told me about, though, I'm worried for Yuma."
"His Chaos Number! That's it! What if he's become fully possessed?! I left him in a state of anger, so the Number could have fully consumed his mind and soul, just like it said it would." I throw my face in my hands as Mizen moves onto my brother's knee.
"This is all my fault."
"No, it's not. Your friend decided that his anger was the only way he could succeed and now, he has been consumed by that same anger. He could have argued for you to go with him, if he wanted, but he didn't." Striker says, and I look up at him, eyes brimming with tears.
"You think?"
"Yeah. Just sit back and relax. Yuma will bring him back to his senses." I smile at Striker's confidence in our friend.
"Yeah. Yeah, you're right." I say. Yuma has a great power, and I know he will bring Reginald back to his senses. However, it seemed yet, I did not know the full story.
"Snap out of it, Shark! Fight that Number! Don't let it take over!" Yuma yells to no avail. It's not long before both duellists have their duel disks ready to duel. Yuma places a card in defence mode, then places a card face down, ending his turn. Reginald draws, but he doesn't seem like he is up for this duel. His Number has completely taken over him by the looks of things.
"To start, I summon my Speak Shark." (ATK 1600 DEF 1400)
"Only 1600 attack points. It's harmless!"
"Spear Shark, attack Yuma's face down monster." What? Why would he do that? It doesn't seem like a move that he would normally wage. The monster Yuma had face down flips up, and it has 1900 defence points. Reginald will take 300 points of damage!
"Shark!" Yuma yells as his opponent is blown backwards. How could he have made such a reckless move?! Even as he crashes down, he still looks completely devoid of any expression. His Life Points decrease to 3700.
"Woah, that move is costing Reginald big time! He was careless and now he's down for the count instead of Yuma!" Heartland says.
"Now, Yuma. I will place one card face down and end my turn." Reginald's tone of voice sounds absolutely monotonous.
"Man! Shark's totally not acting like himself this duel." Yuma states.
"I'm too good to let that happen." Yuma says, so I assume Astral has warned him about future actions, but obviously no one can see him through the camera, not even me.
"Watch out! 'Coz it's my turn..to draw!" He declares.
"I summon Gogogo Golem!" (ATK 1800 DEF 1500)
Now I switch Dododo Bat to attack mode!" (ATK 1800 DEF 1900)
"Okay, get moving Gogogo Golem. Blast Spear Shark!" The shark is destroyed and Reginald is blown backwards, flipping and landing on his head, and then face flat on the ground. His Life Points once again decrease.
Reginald: 3500LP
Yuma: 4000LP
"This isn't like him." I hold my hands close to my mouth in anticipation. This duel makes no sense.
"Shark..." Yuma says. Reginald gets up, but his expression is still blank. Yuma launches an attack with Dododo Bot: he must think that the only way to get Reginald back is through harsh duelling. The monster releases electric shocks, one which strikes down straight on him.
"Reginald!!" I scream. My brother wraps an arm around my shoulder. He may not like that Reginald went in a huff with me yesterday, but he knows that I still care about him, no matter what. Not just because he is Rio's brother.
Reginald's Life Points are now at 1700: he has lost more than half of them in three turns.
"Woah, talk about electrified!" Heartland says, but around the stadium, his fangirls are absolutely shocked. Some have their mouths open in shock, some have their hands over their mouths and some look in pain. Their pain, however, is nothing compared to my own. The screens show Reginald lay flat. He looks extremely hurt.
"Reginald..." I whisper. Mizen hops from my brother's lap to mine.
"Rah rahn rele." She says. 'Hope is not lost yet.' I manage to translate. All of a sudden, people start chanting.
"Shark! Shark! Shark! Shark!" They say, and Mizen's words ring around my mind. These people are all full of hope...for Reginald.
"Shark! Shark! Shark!" Myself and my brother join in.
"Don't give up now Shark! Keep on battling! You're the fiercest duellist I ever met!Nobody's tougher than you!" Yuma yells to him.
"You're supposed to fight like a shark. I've seen guppies with more fight!" Yuma taunts. He places a card face down and ends his turn.
"Aren't ya at least gunna try?!" No reaction.
"Reginald Kastle, you get up and duel!" I shout. Reginald attempts to get up, but he's looking weak, something I never thought he could really look.
"Yeah, that's right! Get up and duel!" Yuma yells.
"I know you can do this, Reginald." I whisper. All of a sudden, he holds his head in his hands, writhing in agonising pain, rolling over.
"What's going on?!" I shriek, attempting to get up. Gray grabs my hand.
"Rosie, he'll be fine." He says.
"Gray, what's happening to him?!" I cry, looking at the screen, which shows my best friend's brother in agony.
"Shark, what's wrong?" Yuma shouts.
"Owh oh, Shark's having a massive meltdown. The pressure of competing on a big stage must be getting to him..!" Heartland teases.
"How can he just stand there and let that happen?!" I scream. My best friend is writhing in agony, and nobody is doing anything! My anger increases to the point where I have a physical red aura, but this time, instead of Nightmare Shark's usual attempts at a takeover, I am face-to-face with the one Number I had completely forgotten about- Number 21: Frozen Lady Justice. I had won her from Elise, when she had challenged me. She was jealous of mine and Reginald's close friendship. That seems like so long ago.
"What do you want?!" I yell.
"Simple. Your rage is boiling over. You should let it out, and show everyone here that they should not leave your precious Reginald to suffer." She smirks at me.
"No! I won't become like him! I won't let this anger consume me!" I yell out and then, I am back in the crowd, crying. My eyes widen. Reginald screams out. Then, he goes silent and still, hands still clutching his head. His eye is twitching. My brother envelopes me in a hug as I look at the screen, tears brimming. He's getting up! He seems angry, but then again, I would be if I had lost that many Life Points. Yuma seems happy that Reginald is up, but my purple-haired best friend glows with a dark pink aura.
"I'll never forgive you!" He yells out.
"Huh?!"
"Let's settle this. Once and for all Yuma." Reginald holds up a clenched fist, Vetrix's crest glowing on it.
"No! Gray, we need to get me up there!" I cry.
"Rosie, there is no way. But what does that crest mean?"
"It belongs to Vetrix!" My brother's eyes are alert.
"Then Shark isn't possessed by a Number. He's possessed by Vetrix." Yuma and I realise in sync.
"You almost have it right. Shark's soul is possessed by a Number but it is controlled by yours truly. Because of this, I also control Shark now! He is my puppet, and I will use this puppet to destroy you Yuma!" Vetrix's voice echoes around my head, and Yuma's too. I glance up at Shark. His aura is now blowing around him like a tornado. It is a fuchsia colour.
"Reginald..." I mutter, and clenching my fists. Mizen is glowing bright blue.
"Mizen?!" I ask.
"Rah ra re ri." 'We will fly.'
"What?"
"Rer ru rah rem, rur." 'Go to the top of the stadium.' I get up, despite my brother's protests, and hold Mizen to my chest, running to where myself and Yuma had stood just yesterday, when we first entered the stadium.
"What's going on?" I ask, but my scaled friend gives me no reply as she grows. I stand back in awe and shock. I smirk at her; I know what she wants me to do. I jump to get on her, and she immediately flies. She is only a little taller than myself now that she has grown. Heartland looks at me in utter shock. People are in awe, but cheering. Mizen flies up to the platform. When I arrive, Reginald is looking extremely confident and Yuma's Life Points are at 3200. Reginald's eyes do not acknowledge me. Mizen shrinks back to normal size and I hug her.
"Well, I don't know about you folks, but I am stunned about Rose's arrival on this platform about pulling out of the competition." Heartland says.
"Well, I'm not leaving until everything is back to normal." I say. He seems to accept that.
"I'm not done yet Yuma! It's payback day! I'll start by activating my spell, Upswell! Since I just destroyed one of your monsters in battle, I can use this spell to summon Spear Shark back from my graveyard! I just have to lower its attack points by 1000." I've never seen that Spell in his deck before.
"Spear Shark! Prepare to attack!" Reginald shouts. Even though he is not himself, the determination in his eyes reminds me of everything I love about him...then it hits me. I've gone beyond schoolgirl crush, maybe past just liking him.
"I'm gonna get revenge for my sister Rio!" Reginald's declaration brings me back to reality. What is he on about? Yuma is blown backwards and his Life Points decrease to 2600.
"Well at least he's duelling like his normal self again." Yuma observes, sitting up.
"Shark is far from normal. It is clear that Vetrix has intensified his control of Shark's mind." Astral states, flying alongside Yuma. Shark seems to notice me for the first time. But his next words are what I do not expect.
"Who're you?"
"Reginald, stop joking about." I say, terrified.
"I'm not joking. Who. Are. You?" He asks again. A sob escapes my throat. Vetrix has made him forget about me.
"Reginald, it's me! Rose! I've been your sister's best friend since I was 7!"
"Don't lie to me!" He yells.
"I'm not!" I fire back.
"Have you really forgotten about me?" I ask, quietly.
"I don't know who you are." He states blankly. Yuma looks at me, sadness on his face.
"Yuma? You need to win this." I stare at my goofy friend.
"He's angry. But why's he angry at me?" As we think, we realise. Reginald thinks Yuma hurt Rio!
"It's Vetrix! He's changed Shark's memories!"
"He has...by making Shark believed you harmed his sister, Vetrix unleashed Shark's anger. By making Shark forget about Rose, there is nothing stood in his way. Rose knew his sister and they are close, so she could have broken Vetrix's hold, but he has made Shark forget." Astral realises.
"That explains it! Why he thinks you hurt Rio, and he's forgotten about me."
"I'll finish you off on my next turn Yuma." Reginald places a card face down.
"Since I'm done for now, Double Shark is back to 1200 attack points."
"I've gotta find a way to help Shark, but how can I stop Vetrix from controlling him?" Yuma asks. This situation seems hopeless. Even if we get rid of Vetrix's hold, there is still the problem of Reginald's Chaos Number. Both Shark Drake and Shark Drake Veiss are serious threats right now. I look at Reginald with worry; he scowls back and my heart breaks in two. Never once has he ever scowled at me. He has frowned, but never scowled at me. Vetrix took his memories of me away...just to feed his own greedy ambitions. There it is, back again, the anger I tell myself I will suppress, but cannot apparently. It is no wonder my Numbers think I am easy to manipulate. The crowd is cheering, mostly for Yuma now. It seems they support whoever is backed into a corner.
"It's my turn, I draw! I'm gunna scare up Gogogo Ghost in attack mode!" (ATK 1900 DEF 0) Yuma orders his monster to attack Spear Shark.
"Yuma, don't be so reckless!"
"I don't think so! I'm activating a trap! Zeus' Breath!" Myself and Yuma are both familiar with what Zeus' Breath can do: it was used in Yuma's very first duel against Reginald...his first duel with Astral. The day things changed- for the better.
Yuma is blown backwards as his Life Points decrease to 1800 with the damage that the trap deals. He gets up unsteadily and places a card facedown. This is it: the turn Reginald swore he would win.
"You're up."
"And you're going down, Yuma." Shark's signature smirk is plastered on his face.
"I have a card that's gonna finish you off. I'll get revenge...for what you did to Rio."
"You've got it wrong. Vetrix is tricking you. What happened to your sister is his fault." Yuma argues only to be met with a growl. Reginald still doesn't believe him.
"I don't believe you. We both know you'd say anything to save yourself! But it's too late Yuma, it's ending now!" Reginald declares.
"No..."
"You're guilty and this is your judgement day! I'll finish you off when I use my Number!" He quickly summons Shocktopus to his field but it doesn't stay for very long as he builds the Overlay Network.
"Here it comes..." I step back. Shark Drake is Xyz Summoned and I swear every time that it is, it becomes even more terrifying. As it appears, Mizen shrieks in pain, before she disappears.
"Mizen?!" On cue, darkness surrounds me. Here we go again. I am ready to face whichever Number is about to try and possess me, and am slightly surprised to see Number 37. However, it is not here to stage a takeover. Because of Mizen, it seems to have actually abandoned any plans for taking over my mind and soul. Instead, it takes me back to when I had invited Reginald into my house.