"Haaaaaaaaaaaaa… I'm beat…" Kuromu sighed heavily, as he plopped on the bed.
He was back in his dorm room, exhausted from his Punishment Duel. Not to mention feeling a bit annoyed when his friends and family were teasing him about him and Asuka. Even still, he felt like a huge weight had been removed from his shoulders. Now he had a clearer idea of what kind of Duelist he wanted to be after graduation.
"It was close but you clinched it." Drive observed, as he appeared in spirit form. But then he took out the Shift Car from the Shift Bracer and pressed the button on it, allowing Drive to revert back to his civilian form, a young man with black hair and wore a blue suit and red tie along with Drive's Shift Brace around his wrist and a small holder with three other Shift Cars.
"A little too close for comfort, Shinnosuke-san." Kuromu sighed. "I'm just glad it's over with. Hopefully, I don't have to deal with any more crap."
"Yeah, but you're not out of the woods yet." Blade pointed out as he appeared, but then pulled the lever on the BlayBuckle, flipping it over to reveal the Change Beetle Rouze card, taking it out after. The holographic portal appeared and pulled back towards Blade, and the spade Rider went through the portal revealing his civilian form, a young man with wavy brown hair and wore a blue jacket that had a logo on the left side that read BOARD over a t-shirt, beige pants, and black shoes.
"Don't I know it…" Kuromu said, while staring at the ceiling. "Still… At least I now have a picture of what kind of Duelist I wanna be. I just hope I can hold onto that."
"You will, shounen." Hibiki said, as he appeared. He then glowed briefly before his helmet was removed, while still wearing the suit. The appearance of Hibiki was that of an older man in his early 30's with medium-length black hair that was somewhat unkempt. "It takes a lot of training and diligence."
"Right…"
"We all understand that you want to save your mother, more than anything." Kazuma said, "But you must be patient. I was like you once."
"Eh?" Kuromu blinked, looking at him, before sitting up. "You were?"
"Yeah. When the Undead, that is… the monsters that I seal into the Rouze Cards, killed most if not all the members of BOARD, I was angry. I wanted to get revenge for all the people they killed. I was brash and impatient, having a hard time dealing with others. But…"
"But?" Kuromu prompted.
"I was reminded by the people I care about to let go." Kazuma said. "The time spent with my friends gradually changed me into a mature figure, becoming calm and patient. And I learned to control my emotions more efficiently."
"I see…"
"I was also in a rut like yourself." Shinnosuke said to Kuromu. "There was an event called the Global Freeze where everything in the world slowed down and stopped in place. My partner and I were tracking down a notorious crime group at the time. When I saw my partner in danger, I pulled my gun and shot at the criminal. However, as the Global Freeze occurred, I accidentally fired at a flammable generator. As everything kept slowing down for me, my partner was crushed by the falling pipes."
"No way… did he…" Kuromu gulped in fear.
"No. He's alive, but was crippled." Shinnosuke reassured him. "But… that didn't stop the shame and guilt I felt for letting it happen."
"It was thanks to those in the Special Investigation Unit that he was able to accept what had happened." Krim said, "Everyone in that unit supported and motivated him to be in 'Top Gear'. In the end, he and his partner were able to reconcile and recover."
"That's good." Kuromu sighed in relief. "So… I have to be the same way huh? Be calm and patient in wanting to save Kaa-san, while also accepting what happened back then."
"Exactly." Krim said, showing a happy emoji on the DriveDriver. "What happened with Yukina-san was indeed terrible. And you cannot do anything to change it. But that doesn't mean that you can't do what you can in the here and now."
"Just keep moving forward, as that one movie once said." Shinnosuke quoted.
"Shinnosuke-san… Krim-san… Kazuma-san…" Kuromu muttered, before nodding, "Thank you. You've… given me a lot to think about."
"Oi, oi, what am I now? Chopped liver?" Hibiki chuckled, though was a bit exasperated.
"Heh, sorry Hitoshi-san, I appreciate you too." Kuromu chortled back. "And the others. I'll do what I can to get stronger, both as a Duelist and as a person from here on out."
"That's what we want to hear." Hitoshi smiled.
A few days have passed since the Punishment Duel. Kyoshiro had been fully accepted as a guest lecturer at the school. Due to receiving a degree in Fine Arts during his college days, he will be teaching art class to the students. If the latter were lucky, Kyoshiro might send their artwork to Pegasus to have them made. On the other hand, it was a good way for Kyoshiro to keep an eye on his son. Not only to make sure that he's keeping up with his studies, but to also keep him safe from Oogumo, wherever he might pop up.
For now, it is out of sight and out of mind. Our attention is now focused on Gym class, where the Osiris Red and Ra Yellows were playing one of America's and Japan's favorite pastimes: Baseball!
Rex was up to bat as he stared Kuromu down. Judai was on second base while Sho was on first.
"Hope you're ready, Rex. This one's coming in hot."
"Please, I can do this all day." the mutt snickered.
"Alright, your loss." the Rider Duelist grinned, before winding up and threw!
*WOOSH! POW!*
"Strike One!"
*WOOSH! POW!*
"Strike Two!"
*WOOSH! CRACK!*
"Crap!" Kuromu shouted.
The mutt hit the ball as hard as he could and made a mad dash for first base. Judai and Sho quickly followed as he ran towards second and third base.
"Go! Go! Go!" Rex called out to his teammates as he rounded first base.
"KOJI!" Kuromu shouted over to the outfield.
"I GOT IT!" The Disco Duelist called out as he ran towards the ball that was flying, before diving in and-
*PLOP!*
"BOOYAH! YOU'RE OUT!" Koji cheered, but not before Judai reached home base.
Rex grumbled as he stopped in his tracks, "Dang it…"
"There's always next time, Daddy-O." the disco Duelist chuckled, before throwing the ball to Kuromu, to which he caught.
"Switch out!" The umpire called out, as the two teams now switched with Osiris Red players on the field, and Ra Yellow ready to bat.
"Man, Kuromu and Koji are giving the boys no quarter." Rika commented as she and Asuka watched the game play out.
"Yeah…" Asuka trailed off.
"Hm? What's wrong, Asuka-chan?" Rika asked her friend, noticing that she wasn't paying attention to the game at all.
"It's nothing." The Obelisk Queen tried to reassure her, but the chef wasn't buying it.
"Are you still mulling over the Punishment Duel?" She sighed, "C'mon, Kuro's fine isn't he? He won and got to stay at Duel Academia. Everything worked out in the end, right?"
"I know that, but…" she sighed.
"Come on, you can tell me what's bugging you." the Foodon Duelist said, before her eyes widened slightly, "Wait, hold on. Don't tell me you're still mad at Mr. Kyo."
Asuka said nothing, only confirming Rika's suspicions.
"Asuka-chan… I get that you're angry about what happened, but Oogumo didn't give Mr. Kyo any choice. Oogumo forced him into that position." she reminded her friend. "Besides, we don't know what happened before Oogumo showed up, other than what he told us. We can't even fathom how conflicted he was when he made that decision."
Rika had Asuka there, she likely would have felt the same if she was in Kyoshiro's position.
"I… I guess you're right." Asuka deflated. "I'm sorry Rika… I just…" The Obelisk Queen's hands began to claw up for a moment before she let out a disappointed groan and shook her head.
"Listen, for what it's worth, Kuromu's got all of us to keep him on the right path." The Foodon Duelist stated as she motioned towards herself, Asuka, as well as Misawa, Koji, and the Osiris trio.
"Right."
Back on the field, Kuromu was up to bat with Judai on the pitcher's mound, Sho being the catcher.
"Alright, Judai! Give it all you got!" Kuromu taunted.
"Okay, here's the windup!" the Elemental HERO Duelist declared as he prepared for the pitch. "And the throw!" He shouted, before throwing it.
*WOOSH! CRACK!*
"See ya!" Kuromu laughed, as he hit the baseball and was going up and away towards the outfield and possibly beyond it. "Woohoo! Home run!" The Rider Duelist cheered.
At the same time this was happening, Chronos was walking past the field, while passing by the sports equipment. He was rather relieved that he somehow managed to be off the hook in that Punishment Duel. After all, he was one of the staff members that supported Kuromu's expulsion. And if Kuromu had lost that Duel, he would've been fired along with the rest. Even though one crisis was averted, the Judai problem still lingered. He needed to find some way to boot the Dropout Boy off the island… at least without endangering someone else's life again. Lest he be on the chopping block once more.
'What to do? What to do?' he thought to himself.
There was also another problem he had to consider: Manjoume Jun.
Ever since his loss to that Dropout Boy, his Dueling record, while still impressive, was starting to decline. Not to mention, Chronos doesn't see him useful as of now. And as far as Kuromu goes, while his Dueling record wasn't great, his grades for his homework, classwork, quizzes, tests, and exams were among the highest. And the way he carried himself throughout those Duels thus far into the year, including the Punishment Duel had been exceptional.
That was when an idea hit Chronos!
'That's it! All I have to do is promote Signor Kururugi to make up for my blunder then groom him to beat that Dropout Boy! Bellissimo!'
While the professor was smirking at how genius the idea was, he was unaware of a baseball falling from the sky in his vicinity.
*POW! WHAM!*
"GAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Chronos cried out in pain, as he was sent flying into the baseball equipment.
"Uh, sorry!" Judai called out as he, Sho, and Rex approached whoever crashed into the equipment, only to find to their horror that when the victim emerged from the pile, they revealed themselves to be Chronos, and the baseball was lodged into his left eye.
"MAMA MIA! I SHOULD'VE KNOWN! WHO ELSE WOULD CAUSE SUCH INTENSE PAIN?!"
"That's keeping your eye on the ball…" Rex quipped. "You must be cursed or something."
"Guys!" Kuromu called out as he ran towards them. "What- ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" The Rider duelist paled in horror, realizing what he had done. "Instructor Chronos, I'm so sorry!" He apologized profusely, bowing to him. "I didn't mean to hit the ball towards you!"
"Signor Kururugi?"
The Kamen Rider duelist straightened up, looking ashamed, "Yes, sir, please accept my apologies."
"Non, non, non, non!" Chronos suddenly placated with hands raised. "It's quite alright really. Given what you've been through a few days ago, I'm willing to give leniency."
"R-Really?"
"Sí, Sí! Besides, I've been meaning to have my contacts refitted for ages, and now I have the perfect excuse."
"Uh… okay," Kuromu said, before looking at his friends, who were just as confused and slightly worried at Chronos's current behavior.
"But enough about that. Since you're here, I have a proposition I would like to offer and discuss with you."
"Eh?" Kuromu blinked. "What kind?"
"It's-" Chronos got out, before noticing that the Osiris Trio were still there. "DO YOU THREE MIND?!" He shouted as the baseball fell off his face, revealing the black eye underneath. The Osiris Trio took that as a sign to bail out of there, briskly jogging away from him.
"Sorry~!" Sho apologized.
Chronos cleared his throat, before turning back to Kuromu, "Now then… about my proposition…"
Later on in the day…
After Gym Class and hitting the showers, Rex found himself in class where Chronos was going to instruct them for the next lesson. However, given how he was talking to Kuromu about a proposition, he had a feeling he was going to be a bit late. The fact that he doesn't know what this proposition entails, is going to be nagging him for the next hour or two. It just didn't sit right with him.
"Something on your mind, general?" Dimucari noticed.
"Yeah, got that right…" Rex scoffed, "Chronos got something planned for Kuromu. The fact that I don't know that just irritates me…"
"Yeah, something smells fishy and I ain't talking about Murmullo. No offense." Laquari agreed, which did get a small chuckle from Bestiari.
"None taken." Murmullo calmly said.
"Regardless, the professor's got something planned for Kuromu." The mutt sighed. As he waited for classes to begin, Manjoume came in and sat at his desk with legs crossed, arms spread and a cocky grin on his face. "Just my luck… he's here." Rex grumbled.
"Drink and a massage, please." Manjoume said, only to get strange looks from his fellow Obelisks.
"What are ya talking about?"
"And why are you sitting there?" Another asked.
"Why wouldn't I?" Manjoume asked in confusion.
"Your seat's been moved."
Now that caught the mutt's attention. He decided to listen in on the conversation.
"What do you mean? My name tag is-" Manjoume looked and noticed something was off, his name tag wasn't here! "Gone!" He realized.
"Yeah, your seat's right over there." One of the Obelisks said, pointing to a lower tier row, somewhat near the corner where Ras and Osiris's were.
Surprised to hear this, Rex did a quick glance at the name tags on the seats near him. Obviously, the first two seats he spotted were of his friends, but there was a name tag that was a couple of seats away that made him smile wickedly.
It was Manjoume's name tag.
"Oi oi! Welcome to the row, buddy." Rex smugly emphasized as he pointed towards the Obelisk's name tag.
"You can't be serious!" Manjoume snapped, before seeing Chronos enter the classroom. "Instructor Chronos, what is the meaning of this! Why am I sitting over there?!"
"It's rather simple. It's because you lost to Yuki Judai, who is… oh yes, that's right… AN OSIRIS RED!" Chronos suddenly shouted.
'Geez… you make it sound like Manjoume went up to the Pharaoh and slapped him in the face.' Rex thought dryly.
"Which is why tomorrow, you and Signor Kururugi will Duel with your dorm placement on the line! And if you lose to him, you're switching dorms!"
Now this caught Rex off guard. It took everything in the mutt's power to not laugh out loud at how far Manjoume was falling. But at the same time, he was shocked and excited that Kuromu of all people would be given the chance to be promoted.
'What goes around, comes around, I suppose.' He mused to himself.
"You mean… I'll be downgraded to a Ra Yellow Duelist?!" Manjoume looked outright flabbergasted and insulted at such a notion. "And you want me to Duel that Ra Rider Reject of all people?!"
"Do you have a problem with that? I could change your opponent from Signor Kururugi to Signor Misawa if you so desire." The professor threatened.
At this point, Manjoume was fuming before finally running out of the classroom, all while the class was laughing. "I WON'T BE DOWNGRADED!"
"To be fair, seeing him in a Ra Yellow jacket wouldn't look good on him." Rex pondered, before picturing it in his mind… and not liking the results. "Ugh… okay, I think I need some brain bleach…"
Back at the Ra Yellow Dorm, Misawa led Judai and Sho to the building. Since Ra Yellow won the baseball game, Judai and Sho were subjected to a punishment. What that is, the Osiris Duo didn't know.
"I hope they go easy on us, aniki." Sho hoped.
"Relax, Misawa's a cool guy." Judai reassured his friend, "Surprised that Rex isn't roped into this though. Guess he had other things to do. Never knew you were that good at baseball though, Misawa."
"The secret's here." Misawa said, showing a bat that… had equations on it. "I worked out all my pitches based on an equation."
"You can do that?" Judai blinked.
"I mean, given your Duels so far, you duel more with your heart, and not logic." Kuromu said, approaching them.
"I guess you guys got a point." Judai chuckled.
"So… what's our punishment again?" Sho asked Misawa.
"Follow me." Misawa chuckled, as he led the two with Kuromu following. It wasn't long before they found themselves at Misawa's dorm room. Upon entering, they saw that the walls of his dorm room were filled to the brim with equations.
"What the heck is all this?!" Judai and Sho gawked in surprise.
"They're equations I write down as they come to mind." Misawa answered.
"That explains the scratching noises I've kept hearing for the past several nights…" Kuromu grumbled while sweat ran down his brow. That's when Build suddenly appeared next to Kuromu.
"Uwhoooooooa, these equations! Kuromu, get your disk!"
"Eh?!" Kuromu yelped, surprised. "Wha-"
"NOW!"
"Okay, fine! Jeez…" Kuromu grumbled.
"Hm? Something wrong, Kuromu?" Misawa asked.
"One moment…" the Rider Duelist muttered, before briefly leaving the room. Moments later, he came back with his Duel Disk equipped.
"Uhhhhhh… why do you want to Duel in Misawa's room?" Judai asked, confused. Without missing a beat, Kuromu placed Build's card on the device and summoned the physicist Rider to the area.
"Ohohoho! Look at all these equations!" Build said excitedly like a kid at a candy store.
He took out the FullBottles from his Build Driver and his transformation was canceled out, revealing his civilian form, much to Judai, Sho, and Misawa's shock.
Build, or rather Sento, was a young man with black hair that curved around the frame of his face. He wore a long beige jacket with a white collar over a gray shirt, ripped jeans, and a pair of red and blue sneakers, looking quite mismatched. A tuft of his hair was flicked upwards however.
"That there's the equation of Schrödinger's Cat! Oh, and that's the equation of Avogadro's molecular theory!" Sento pointed out. "Uwhoooooa, and this equation calculates the probability that a butterfly flapping its wings would lead to a hurricane!"
"Oi, Sento…" Kuromu deadpanned.
"I… have no idea what Build's talking about." Judai admitted.
"Kuromu, what-" Misawa tried to comprehend.
"Right… I never really told you… my Deck is full of Duel Monster Spirits. That's Kiryu Sento over there, aka Kamen Rider Build. He's a physicist from what I've been told."
"I… see…" Misawa noted.
"I think you two would get along real well." Kuromu added, "I still remember you geeking out from Build's finisher."
"Uh… yes well…" Misawa cleared his throat. "Anyways, all of these formulas I've already memorized and I need more room, so we're here to give this room the Big Bang."
"Huh?" Judai and Sho asked, confused.
"He wants us to paint all the walls to erase all of these equations." Kuromu translated.
"No, not yet!" Sento called out, as he took out his phone. "I need to document these!"
"…this is gonna take a while, isn't it?" Judai asked a currently disappointed Kuromu who facepalmed.
"I'm so sorry about this…"
Later that day…
"Alright, time to dig in!" Judai cheered as he and Sho were treated to lunch in the cafeteria after painting Misawa's room.
After Sento was finally finished copying all of the equations, Kuromu, Misawa, Judai, and Sho moved the furniture out into the hallway and painted the walls. Of course, at some point, everyone got into a paint fight and had to shower right after.
"Thanks for your help, you three, I appreciate it." Misawa said.
"It's no problem. Just write your formulas on paper next time." Kuromu chuckled, having grabbed his food and sat down.
"Hey! Hey guys!" They heard a rather excited Rex call out.
"In here!" Judai called out. Rex then came rushing into the cafeteria, "Yo, what's the rush?"
"Guys, you are not gonna believe what I just learned." The mutt told them.
"What is it?" Sho asked.
"Manjoume is getting demoted!"
"WHAT?!" Judai, Sho, and Misawa gawked in shock, though unbeknownst to them, Kuromu looked a bit squeamish upon hearing the announcement. "WHY?!"
"Apparently he's getting sloppy. What's better is that the next Promotion Duel will have his opponent get boosted to Obelisk Blue if he loses." Rex continued, "And you ain't gonna believe who he's facing." He then looked towards Kuromu with a wide grin who flinched.
"Kuro?!" Judai and Sho shouted.
"That's… quite the development." Misawa blinked in surprise.
"Thanks for putting me on the spot…" Kuromu grumbled, giving Rex a stink eye before sighing, "Yeah, it's true. That's what Instructor Chronos was talking to me about at the game. Apparently, this Promotion Exam is his way of making it up to me for everything I went through."
Flashback
"Ehhhh?!" Kuromu looked absolutely stunned and shocked at Chronos's proposal. "You want me to test to be an Obelisk Blue student?!"
"Sí! Esattamente!" Chronos replied.
"I-I mean, not that I mind, but why?"
It was then that Chronos looked serious, "I want to compensate you for the hardship you were put through before and during your Punishment Duel. Truth be told, I was one of the staff members that supported your expulsion."
"What?!" Kuromu gawked.
"Sí. And I admit this with wholehearted regret. You must understand, the safety of everyone in Duel Academia was our main concern. I only thought of what was best for the school at the time. However, after seeing your Punishment Duel, how you carried yourself throughout, and the way your friends had supported you, it was… inspiring. So allow me to correct my blunder and allow you the opportunity to rise through the ranks."
"Instructor Chronos…"
"And while your Dueling record may not be up to par quite yet, your grades in homeworks and exams, as well as the high marks you received in class thus far into the year are exemplary. That is more than enough for you to earn this opportunity."
"S-So by that logic…"
Chronos nodded, "Sí, you are more worthy of being called an Obelisk Blue student than most. Only the Kaiser and Obelisk Queen can carry that distinction."
"Instructor Chronos… I…" Kuromu got out. After deliberating inwardly, he smiled widely, "Alright, I'll accept your proposal! And I won't waste this opportunity you've given me!"
"Bellissimo!" Chronos smiled, "I look forward to seeing you in class as an Obelisk, Singor Kururugi."
"Wow! That's great man!" Judai said excitedly. "You definitely deserve it!"
"Thanks Judai. Although to be honest, I don't think it's really sunk in." Kuromu smiled sadly, "This is all happening so fast."
"Did you tell your dad yet?" Sho asked.
"Yeah, and… he kinda lost it. In a good way." Kuromu chuckled sheepishly, "Still, this is a big opportunity for me."
Just then, the doors to the cafeteria opened up, revealing an excited Koji and Rika.
"Bruh, what's this I'm hearing? My Daddy-O is getting promoted to Obelisk Blue?!"
"Ooooooooh, we're so proud of you, Kuro!" Rika gushed as the two rushed in for a hug from behind. "All that hard work is gonna pay off!"
"Hey now, c'mon, I'm only testing to see if I will get promoted, I didn't get promoted now." Kuromu told them, "This is just a trial run."
"I guess I got nothing to worry about after all." Rex sighed in relief.
"Whaddya mean?" Rika asked.
"At first I thought Chronos had some ultimatum to this proposal, but I guess I was wrong." Rex said.
"Maybe he really did have a change of heart." Koji guessed.
"Yeah, it's convenient…" the mutt agreed on the surface, but in truth, he was slightly suspicious, 'Too convenient if you ask me.'
Later on that night…
Manjoume was in his room staring at the flatscreen TV while sitting on his couch. Though in actuality, he was having a video call with his two older brothers. The one on the right side of the screen was Manjoume Chosaku, a top politician of Japan's National Diet, and the one on the left side of the screen was the second oldest Manjoume Shoji, who was second to none when it comes to finances.
["You understand right, Jun?"]
"Yes, Chosaku-niisan, Shoji-niisan." Jun nodded.
["I've been busy with the election campaign, and Shoji with accounts at the bank, so we haven't had time to stay in touch."] Chosaku said.
["But you are getting the top grades in your class, right, Jun?"] Shoji asked. Manjoume didn't answer. ["Our older brother stands atop the political world, and I'm at the top of the financial world. Jun, our plan for the Manjoume Brothers to attain world supremacy requires you to reign over the card-game world. You understand that, right, Jun?"]
"Yes," Manjoume nodded grimly.
["Don't forget. The Manjoume family's future rests on your shoulders."] Chosaku said, before the screen winked out.
Manjoume breathed a sigh of relief before he looked over the notes that he made of all of the people that irked him and how their decks worked. But most particularly, the Kamen Riders that Kuromu possessed. From what he knew, Kuromu's Deck was one-of-a-kind. And the playstyle for said Deck allows him to Special Summon monsters in a quick fashion, not to mention that most of the Riders have high ATK points by themselves.
He needed something that could prevent Kuromu from using his Deck to the fullest.
'What do I do? Not only am I not the top of my class, I'm about to be downgraded. I can't tell my brothers about this…'
Unbeknownst to Manjoume, a mysterious figure stood behind from where he was sitting.
The next morning…
"GAAAAAAAAARGH!"
"Kuromu!" As Misawa, Koji, and a couple of other Ra Yellow students rushed to Kuromu's room, they soon found him on the ground trying to get his Duel Disk off. Mostly due to how it was sending electricity into his system, writhing in agony.
"GET THIS OFF OF ME! AAAAAAAAAAARGH!" He screamed.
"Someone get me gloves!" Koji called out. Moments later, he caught a pair of large electrician's gloves from one of the Ra students.
Once he put the gloves on, the disco fan quickly got to work on removing the device from his friend's arm. "Almost got it… gah!" He said, prying it off before throwing it away from Kuromu to which the Duel Disk exploded after, causing a loud pop noise and smoke billowing after.
"What just happened?" Misawa questioned, his expression being of shock and perplexion.
"Kuro, you okay?!" Koji asked worriedly at an exhausted and pain stricken Kuromu.
"Do I look okay to you?!" Kuromu groaned in pain, having a hard time breathing. "Argh, this hurts so much!"
"No joke, it's way too early for you to be dancing the Electric Boogaloo, Daddy-O!" Koji said, carefully helping Kuromu up, so he doesn't get shocked too.
"When I get my hands on the bastard who tried to turn my Duel Disk into a joy buzzer…" Kuromu growled while his eyes burned with rage before sighing in defeat. "At least my Deck wasn't in there… that would've been really bad…" he noted as he looked towards his Deck, which was sitting on his desk. He tried to walk towards it, only to collapse and Koji caught him.
"Whoa, take a chill pill man. You need to see Ayakawa-sensei." Koji said.
"But my Promotion Duel…" Kuromu grunted. "If I'm not there…"
"I'm sure that Instructor Chronos will understand, especially since this was a clear sabotage attempt." Misawa said. "But the question is… why would your Duel Disk be sabotaged?"
"Isn't it obvious? Someone clearly doesn't want me promoted." Kuromu replied, "And I'm betting it's a certain dirty Obelisk Elitist."
"You mean it's-" Koji began.
"I can't accuse, without clear evidence." Kuromu grumbled.
"Did you forget the burn on your arm or the currently sparking Duel Disk on the ground?" Koji pointed out.
"That's not the point…" Kuromu sighed. "He has to be caught in the act. Then again, not like there's… cam… eras…" He trailed off, before it started dawning on him while he turned towards the camera in his room. "Misawa, call the D.E.C. Request the security footage from the camera in my room, and have it downloaded to my PDA."
"What about you?" He asked the Rider duelist.
"I got a Promotion Duel to get to… Koji, I'm borrowing your Duel Disk."
"Are you sure about this?" The disco fan asked hesitantly.
"Oh I'm sure."
Meanwhile…
"Hold on, what?!" Judai, Sho, and Rex gasped in loud unison.
"Yeah, I know…" Koji sighed, scratching his head. "He asked Misawa to have the D.E.C. check the security footage. And Kuro's on his way to the duel arena now."
"Let me guess, an Obelisk did this." Rex guessed.
"That's the rub. Kuro needs clear evidence that it was. And there's only one Obelisk that he thinks benefits from all of this." Koji said.
Judai gasped, "You mean-"
"Given how Chronos wanted to proverbially throw him under the bus because he was slacking, it makes sense…" the mutt theorized, "Should have known how he was acting all fishy. Kuromu was being led into a trap."
"We gotta tell 'em then!" Judai said, before grabbing Sho and Rex and running off.
"Aniki, hold on!" Sho called out.
"Not again!" Rex wailed.
"Oh boy, this ain't gonna be groovy…" Koji sighed, before running after the trio.
It wasn't long before the Osiris Trio and Koji arrived at the main duel arena which was currently empty. Standing at the platform was Instructor Chronos and Manjoume. They were both waiting for Kuromu to arrive, but as of now, have not.
Given what the Osiris Trio had been told, he's going to have a rough time walking off the pain he was feeling.
"Yeah, so not groovy…" he grumbled to himself.
"What is this? I'm expecting Signor Kururugi, not you three and Signor Shinomori."
"Manjoume!" Judai shouted, "How could you?! I knew you were a jerk, but for you to stoop this low?! To sabotage your opponent's Duel Disk before the Duel even started?!"
"Pardon?!" Chronos looked appalled at hearing the accusation. Though his reaction to it felt different, something that the mutt noticed but his anger kept him from fully noticing the reason.
"What kind of excuse is that, Judai?" Manjoume scoffed, "Why would I-"
"Cut the bullshit! You know exactly what you did!" Rex cut off, "You're the one who hotwired his Duel Disk to zap Kuromu!"
"Instructor Chronos, I don't know what they're talking about." Manjoume said, but no one bought it… which to everyone's surprise, included Chronos himself.
"Signor Manjoume, I had hoped that you would use this Duel as motivation to improve yourself. But to hear this from the Dropout Boy of all people… I'm disappointed."
"Wait, what?" Koji and Rex asked, confused as to why Chronos was on their side and not Manjoume's.
"What are you- Instructor Chronos, you can't be serious!" Manjoume said. "Why would I-"
"Because you're the only one that benefits from this." A new voice said. The Osiris Trio and Koji turned to see Ryo, Asuka, and Rika arriving at the arena.
"Kaiser Ryo? Asuka? Rika?" Judai blinked.
"What's going on?" A confused Sho asked.
"I saw Manjoume coming out of the Ra Yellow Dorm early this morning." Asuka began. "I was concerned, and thought to ask you directly, but it looks like those three and Koji beat me to it."
"You dirty cheater! How dare you do that to my friend?!" Rika snapped. "I want to whack you upside the head with my cast iron!"
"Get in line, I'm ready to strangle this hyena for that underhanded tactic." The mutt snarled.
"Oh please, even if you accused me of such a thing-"
"I GOT PROOF RIGHT HERE!"
Everyone turned towards the entrance of the duel arena and saw Kuromu being helped by Misawa, walking towards the platform.
"Kuro!" His friends gasped.
"Mama mia, what is this?!" Chronos demanded.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, guys." Kuromu apologized, "I needed Misawa's help with something." He then fished out of his pocket his PDA. "I got all the proof right here." He said, before throwing it at Chronos to which he almost fumbled to catch, but thankfully did catch the device. "Play it."
The PDA then came to life as it showed Kuromu's dorm.
The timestamp showed that it was a little past 5AM in the morning, where there was barely any light outside. Kuromu was sleeping away, but unbeknownst to him at that time, a figure somehow managed to quietly enter his room. Coming into view in the camera… was indeed Manjoume. He looked over to see that Kuromu was still sleeping, then went over to the desk that had his Duel Disk sitting on top. Manjoume then placed a tiny device on the brace of the Duel Disk, which was obscured, before quietly leaving. Fast forward to a couple hours later, is when Kuromu got up, dressed up, then put on his Duel Disk, before being shocked.
"You rat-faced little-"
"SIGNOR MANJOUME! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!?" Chronos roared in anger, "This is not how Obelisks should act!"
"I-"
"Save it, Manjoume!" Kuromu snapped. "You tried to sabotage my chance at becoming Obelisk Blue, just so you could keep your position as one! Now normally, you'd be expelled for this right now, but I convinced the D.E.C. to let me Duel you, so I can force feed all the humble pie you deserve!"
"You better start fighting hard, lightning rod." Rex told the Obelisk with a demonic grin, "Lest demotion starts knocking on your door…"
"Grrrrrrrrrrr…!" Manjoume gritted his teeth, growling in frustration that his plan was exposed, only to notice the vengeful glare of his professor which made his anger wilt.
"Signor Manjoume." Chronos began sternly. "I suggest you do as you're told and Duel Signor Kururugi with your dorm placement on the line. Now. Whether you win or lose, this incident will remain on your record."
"Tch…" He gritted, before taking his place.
Misawa helped Kuromu up the steps on the other side as he got himself ready.
"Are you certain you want to do this?" Misawa asked.
"Definitely. I know I made it my goal to be a Duelist that puts smiles on people's faces while having fun, but… this Duel is where I temporarily put that aside."
All of Kuromu's friends nodded, taking note of how scummy Manjoume had acted.
"Kick his ass for us, got it Rider?" Rex asked Kuromu, giving him a good nickname.
"Yeah, got it." Kuromu nodded, before activating the Duel Disk he borrowed from Koji, inserting his Deck into it and it came to life. Manjoume did the same as well. "Know this Manjoume, I'm not doing this for fun. I'm doing this to right the wrong you've given me. And while fun isn't something one considers when Dueling for retribution… this… heh… this will put a smile on my face by the time I'm done with you…" he then smirked, "Now then, shall we begin the game?"
"Bring it, you worthless Ra Reject!" Manjoume snapped, before both Players drew their starting hands.
"DUEL!"
Manjoume: 4000
Kuromu: 4000
"I'll go first." Manjoume said.
"Fine, but you're still losing this Duel either way," Kuromu frowned.
"Tch… o-re no ta-n! Draw!" Manjoume declared, drawing his sixth card. He looked at his hand and noticed one particular card. His mind went back to last night.
Flashback
"Having trouble?" A voice chuckled.
Manjoume stood up and turned around, surprised to see a man wearing a cloak while wearing a spider-like mask.
"Who are you?! How did you get in here?!" Manjoume demanded.
"Let's just say I'm someone who's taken an interest in your technique." The spider-masked man said.
"Huh?" Manjoume said, confused.
"I heard about your little… situation. You're dueling against that boy Kuromu, right?"
"What's he to you?"
"He's my enemy, as is yours." The spider-masked man said. "You want nothing more than to beat that upstart don't you? To protect the pride of Obelisk Blue and be at the top of Duel Monsters?"
"So what if I was?" Manjoume scoffed, "What are you offering?"
"I'm offering you the chance to keep your position." The spider-masked man chuckled, "And to show my support, I'll give this card to help you out." He said, throwing said card to which Manjoume caught and looked at it. His eyes widened at the sight of them.
"This is…!" Manjoume gasped.
"What do you say?" The spider-masked man asked.
Manjoume looked at the cards, then back at the mysterious man, "What do you want in return?"
"Nothing really, just the chance to see Kururugi fall."
Manjoume eyed the cards for a moment longer before grinning, "Alright, you have a deal."
End Flashback
"Alright, Rider Reject. How about I try this!" he declared, revealing his first play, "I summon Hell Soldier in ATK Position!" Soon, a large man wearing a set of dragon-like armor appeared, wielding a large jagged blade and a shield that displays a bird on it, shouting a battle cry (4/ATK: 1200/DEF: 1400).
"Then I'll place two cards face-down. Ta-n endo." Manjoume concluded as the two reversed cards appeared on the field.
"O-re no ta-n! Draw!" Kuromu declared, drawing his sixth card and looking at his hand, "From my Hand, I summon Kamen Rider Wizard in ATK mode!"
SHABADOOBIE TOUCH TO HENSHIN! SHABADOOBIE TOUCH TO HENSHIN!
"Ugh… whoever made this belt needs some better taste in music…" Rex groaned.
FLAME! PLEASE!
A red magic seal with runic writing appeared and it slowly went across the air while leaving behind a fiery trail.
HII! HII! HII, HII, HII!
As the red magic seal passed over, the jewel-themed Rider appeared. (4/ATK: 1700/DEF: 1000)
"Saa, showtime da." Wizard proclaimed.
"Kamen Rider Wizard's effect activates! When he's Normal or Special Summoned I can add 1 Level 8 or lower "Kamen Rider" monster or 1 "Henshin" Spell/Trap from my Deck to my hand. I choose the latter, meaning I add "Final Henshin" from my Deck to my hand."
'That's it. Play that card. I dare you…' Manjoume thought to himself.
As he smirked, the mutt quickly spotted the change in expression.
"It's a trap." He gasped before he shouted, "Kuro, wait!"
"Now I activate Final Henshin! With this card-"
"You're not doing shit!" Manjoume smiled darkly, "Because I activate my face-down, Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell!"
"What?!" Kuromu gasped.
"By discarding a Spell Card from my hand, I can negate Final Henshin!" Manjoume said, as he did so, and the card short-circuited, turning gray before it shattered into pixels. "And the best part? You can't use that card for the rest of the Duel! Hahahahahahaha!"
"Egads! Manjoume shut down Kuromu's Transformation Summoning!" Misawa gasped.
"No way, most of Kuro's strategy comes from that card!" Sho cried out.
"So that was why he set that card down, he knew Kuro would play it and thus thought ahead." Rex noted.
"Aw hail no, this can't be good." Koji groaned.
"Hahahahahaha! What now, Rider Reject? I shut down your Deck for good!" Manjoume laughed.
"I got way more methods than just using Final Henshin." Kuromu bluffed.
"Really? Then show me." Manjoume said as he briefly displayed his arms out.
'The hell does he think he is? Frieza?' Rex thought.
"Battle! Kamen Rider Wizard attacks Hell Soldier! Strike End!"
Wizard used the Shift Levers on his Driver to switch the Hand Author from left to right as a new standby jingle played.
LUPPACHI MAGIC, TOUCH TO GO! LUPPACHI MAGIC, TOUCH TO GO!
Wizard then placed on a ring depicting a kicking foot surrounded by a dragon aura, before placing it in front of the hand buckle.
CHO II NE! KICK STRIKE! SAIKO~!
The red magic seal appeared below his feet. He twirled around once on his left foot in place, stepping out with his right foot, while moving the tail on that side of the trench coat to the other side. A swirl of fire surrounded his kicking foot and surprisingly enough, it didn't burn him.
Wizard then leaped forward, doing a cartwheel before leaping into the air. He aimed his kick at and a red magic seal appeared in front of him, before he kicked it and the magic circle stretched out into a cone of circles before becoming rings of fire. He landed a flying kick straight on Hell Soldier, destroying it in the process.
Manjoume: 3500
Kuromu: 3500
"What? How come my Life Points went down too?" Kuromu frowned.
"That's because of Hell Soldier's ability. Whenever he's destroyed, you take Damage equal to what you've dealt to me." Manjoume said.
"Tch…" Kuromu clicked his tongue. "I'll place one card face-down. Ta-n endo…" He concluded.
"Great, lighting rod actually grew a brain." Rex grumbled.
"There's a reason why Obelisk Blue tends to house the best Duelists." Misawa pointed out.
"O-re no ta-n! Draw!" Manjoume declared drawing his next card. "I activate my other face-down Call of the Living Dead! It will revive my Hell Soldier from the Graveyard!"
The armored demon soldier returned to the field with a roar of vengeance (4/ATK: 1200/DEF: 1400).
"Next I activate Inferno Reckless Summon, this lets me summon two more copies of a Monster I have on the Field from my Deck, as long as they're 1500 ATK or less!" Manjoume added, as two more Hell Soldiers appeared. (4/ATK: 1200/DEF: 1400) "Finally I activate Hell Alliance! This increases one of my Hell Soldier's ATK by 800 for every other one on the Field!"
One of the Hell Soldier's roared as it grew three times its normal size. (ATK: 1200-2800)
"This can't be good." Kuromu muttered.
"Battle! My 2800 ATK Hell Soldier attacks Kamen Rider Wizard!" Manjoume declared as the large demonic monster rushed towards the gem themed Rider who was ready to defend himself, until…
"Activate trap!" Kuromu shouted, pressing a button and revealing a silver European dragon with golden claws and large wings, along with a red gem-like head and eyes. "WizarDragon! I can activate this when Kamen Rider Wizard is on the Field, and I get to destroy one Monster on the Field! Meaning I'm targeting Hell Soldier attacking!"
Wizard took out a new ring, depicting a dragon before flipping the Hand Author twice and scanning the ring.
DRAGORISE! PLEASE!
From a magic circle, the dragon appeared with a screeching roar of authority that shook the Duel Arena.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Judai and Sho freaked out, the latter jumping into the former's arms, who then jumped into Rex's arms.
"H-Hey! Get off! You guys are really heavy!" The mutt yelped at the sudden weight he felt, only to blanche at the dragon that appeared on the field, "THE HELL?! WHAT THE HECK IS THAT THING!?"
"That would be a dragon." Misawa got out.
"BESIDES THE OBVIOUS, GENIUS!" He roared while his friends were left quivering like a certain stoner and his Great Dane. "And you two! Seriously, get off!" He said, before unceremoniously dropping them to the ground.
"Oof!" Judai and Sho grunted in pain.
Meanwhile the WizarDragon roared in authority before unleashing a large fireball that engulfed the attacking Hell Soldier, incinerating it to ashes before the dragon disappeared.
"Wanna try again?" Kuromu taunted.
This made Manjoume scowl in anger, of course the Rider Duelist had a counter to his strategy. "Ta-n endo…"
"O-re no ta-n! Draw!" Kuromu declared, drawing his next card, increasing his Hand to five. "I summon Kamen Rider Ex-Aid in ATK mode!"
MIGHTY ACTION X!
A title card of a video game appeared as the entire area digitized momentarily before becoming normal again.
GASHATTO!
GACCHAN! LEVEL UP!
Holographic pictures of game-like avatars appeared, circling around before it momentarily stopped, the avatar picture in front then twirled as the word 'SELECT' appeared.
MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY, MIGHTY, ACTION X!
A Fuchsia ring formed as pixelated data digitized as a fuchsia holographic screen, shot out before digitizing itself into the gamer themed Rider. (4/ATK: 0/DEF: 1200)
"No continue de kuria shite yaru ze!" Ex-Aid declared.
"Ex-Aid's effect activates! For every Level on him, he gains 400 ATK!" Kuromu said, as the video game Rider glowed a fuschia aura, powering up. (ATK: 0-1600) "Battle! Kamen Rider Ex-Aid attacks Hell Soldier! Mighty Critical Strike!"
Ex-Aid looked at his buckle and took out his game cartridge, then 'blew' on the cartridge before inserting it into the Kimewaza Slot.
GASHOON…
GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!
Ex-Aid took a stance, preparing to attack with the technicolor electricity coursing through his leg…
MIGHTY CRITICAL~ STRIKE!
"Does anyone see those VFX? Or is it just me?" Rex asked the others, to which they looked at him as if he grew a second head. 'Okay. Just me then…' he thought. Meanwhile, Ex-Aid jumped up as he extended his leg, forming his first Rider Kick as he struck the demonic soldier, but he wasn't done.
[HIT!] [HIT!] [HIT!] [HIT!] [GREAT!]
He began to rapidly kick him, spinning around and adding more damage to it.
[HIT!] [HIT!]
Then he did one last kick before destroying it.
[PERFECT!]
Manjoume: 3100
Kuromu: 3100
"Did you forget that you take the same Damage as I do?!" Manjoume reminded the Rider Duelist.
"Oh I'm well aware. Battle! Kamen Rider Wizard attacks the last Hell Soldier!"
CHO II NE! KICK STRIKE! SAIKO~!
After performing a flip, Wizard leaped into the air before delivering another Rider Kick to the last of the Hell Soldiers.
Manjoume: 2600
Kuromu: 2600
"I'll place two cards face-down. Ta-n endo." Kuromu concluded.
"Yikes, now they're both near death." Rika worried.
"O-re no ta-n!" Manjoume declared, drawing his next card. "Now then, how about I bring back an old favorite of mine?" He chuckled at the card he drew. "Now that I have exactly three DARK-Attribute Monsters in my Graveyard thanks to you, I can Special Summon this from my Hand! Come forth, Dark Armed Dragon!"
As Manjoume placed down the card, a deafening roar could be heard as a towering humanoid lizard with black armor adorned with various spikes and blades emerged. (7/ATK: 2800/DEF: 1000)
"This is gonna suck." Rex feared.
"Gh…" Kuromu gritted his teeth.
"Hahahahahahahahaha! And it doesn't stop there! Next I activate Dark Armed Dragon's effect! Once per turn, by banishing a DARK-Attribute Monster from my Graveyard, I get to destroy a card on the Field!"
"That's not all. He can activate that effect as much as he wants as long as there's a DARK-Attribute Monster in his Graveyard." Ryo stated.
"That's right, Kaiser Ryo! So say goodbye to Wizard, Ex-Aid, and one of your face-downs!" Manjoume said, taking out the three Hell Soldier cards from his Graveyard and pocketing them.
Dark Armed Dragon glared menacingly at the axe themed train Rider before swinging its spiky-drill tail and sending Wizard and Ex-Aid across the arena before shattering into pixels. It then smacked one of the face-downs, revealed to be Trump Card of Hope.
"Oh no! His Field is empty!" Sho panicked.
"Kuro…" Asuka said worriedly.
"What now, Rider Reject? Got any more tricks up your sleeve? Or is this all that Ra Yellow can show?" Manjoume shouted as his ego started to skyrocket. "I'm going to end you right here and now! Dark Armed Dragon attacks you directly!" He said, as the said dragon reared its head and unleashed black flames.
"KURO!" His friends shouted.
"I activate my face-down!" Kuromu shouted, revealing said card. "Kamen Riders' Dramatic Entry! When I'm about to get hit with a direct attack, I can Special Summon a "Kamen Rider" from my Deck and negate that attack! Come forth, Kamen Rider Zi-O!"
TIME BREAK!
In a flash, Zi-O arrived and kicked the Dark Armed Dragon away, forcing the lizard man to stumble back to Manjoume's side of the field.
"Tsk, so what's this git going to do?" he questioned Kuromu.
"At the moment, nothing. 'Cause he saved me from your direct attack." Kuromu scoffed, "What else you got?" However, despite his bravado, Kuromu was sweating bullets and was glad that he was still in the Duel.
"None for now. Ta-n endo."
"Phew… that was a close one." Rika sighed in relief.
"Yeah for sure. I thought that was it." Judai agreed.
"Let's see if they can keep up this momentum." Rex hoped, "After all, everything can change with a single draw."
'Please give me what I need, please give me what I need!' Kuromu hoped and prayed as he prepared to start his next turn, "O-re no ta-n! Draw!" He drew his next card, increasing his Hand to three, but frowned, "Not quite what I had in mind, but it'll have to do for now. First, I'll activate Kamen Rider Zi-O's effect! Once per turn, I send a "Kamen Rider" from my Deck to my Graveyard, and Zi-O's name becomes that which I discarded, gaining half their ATK points until the End Phase! I choose… Kamen Rider Decade!"
Zi-O then took out a watch, but this one was a bit different. It was pink and had Decade's face on it, but there was an additional slot for another Ridewatch. He pressed the big button on top.
D-D-D-DECADE!
Immediately he slotted the Ridewatch into the driver and spun it, causing a ring of cards that had Zi-O's symbol to circle him before creating a very bulky magenta-colored armor that resembled Decade and had the katakana for Decade on the screen-like helmet. (ATK: 2000-3000)
RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER~ ZI-O~!
ARMOR TIME! KAMEN RIDE! WOW! DECADE! DECADE! DE~CA~DE~!
"Huh, I wonder why that watch looks the way it does?" Rika pondered.
"Next I summon Kamen Rider Blade in ATK mode!" He said, slapping the card on the tray, summoning the card Rider onto his side of the field.
TURN UP
A portal of the Change Beetle appeared before pulling back and the beetle-themed Rider came out of the portal. (4/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1400)
"Now, I'll attack! Kamen Rider Zi-O attacks Dark Armed Dragon! Ultimate Time Break!"
From out of nowhere, a new weapon appeared. It was a sword that was silver and pink in color with a watch strap design, a clock with movable hands on the hilt, and the name of the weapon written in katakana on the base of the blade. The blade itself even displayed the 19 Heisei Riders' symbols within the katakana. There was even a slot for the Decade Ridewatch to go in.
RIDE HEISABER!
Zi-O then took out the Decade Ridewatch and inserted it in the slot before turning the clock handle on the hilt three revolutions.
FINISH TIME! HEY KAMEN RIDERS!
HEI! SEI! HEI! SEI! HEI! SEI! HEI! SEI! H-H-HEI! SEI! HEI! SEI! HEI! SEI! HEI! SEI!
"Aw yeah, turn it up!" Koji cheered as he was dancing to the beat, "We, in the dance club now!"
"Koji, seriously?" Rika deadpanned.
"The heck are you dancing about?" Rex questioned the disco fan.
"You don't hear the funky beat? I'm ravin' bro!"
"Alright, time to show you not to mess with us Kamen Riders." Zi-O chuckled while he prepared to strike, "Eat this!"
Zi-O then delivered a double slash attack through several cards that had the Decade katakana and the symbols of all the Heisei Riders, apart from Decade and himself.
D-D-D-DECADE! HEISEI RIDERS: ULTIMATE TIME BREAK!
This attack destroyed the Dark Armed Dragon, with the resulting explosion nearly blowing Manjoume off of his feet.
Manjoume: 2400
Kuromu: 2600
"Now it's Blade's turn! Attack Manjoume directly, Kazuma-san! Lightning Sonic!"
Blade nodded as he opened up his Blay Rouzer and pulled out three cards from the plastic fan before closing it back up and scanning them.
KICK
THUNDER
MACH
The holograms of Kick Locust, Thunder Deer, and Mach Jaguar appeared behind Blade as he raised his blade in the air then stabbed it on the ground.
LIGHTNING SONIC
After leaping into the air, Manjoume soon ate a flying electric side kick from Blade that shocked him and caused him to stagger.
Manjoume: 800
Kuromu: 2600
"Ta-n endo." Kuromu concluded, and Zi-O's ATK points returned to normal. "Tell me something, Manjoume. Why go this far? Why sabotage my chances of becoming a better Duelist?"
"I'd ask you the same thing. Why are you bothering to even come to this school?" he fired back, "I've seen you in the past few days, you don't even seem to like being here. So why do you insist on staying?!"
"That was then. I'm not that same person anymore!" Kuromu declared, "I'm here to fulfill my wish of becoming a Duelist that makes everyone smile! Duels are supposed to be fun, it's supposed to bring joy to others, and motivate each other to become better! But you… you and the other so-called Obelisks, the so-called elites, became obstinate, complacent, and worst of all stagnant!"
"Shut your mouth!" Manjoume snapped.
"It's the truth! Just because you're at the top doesn't mean you stop improving! Kaiba certainly kept his Dueling skills in top form, despite his CEO status! Sure, he can be selfish and obnoxious, but despite the countless defeats the Duel King gave him, he's never stopped improving himself!"
"What's your point?!"
"My point is that this school wasn't built for coasting on laurels, it's built for those who want to become the best of the best through hardwork and dedication to better themselves in playing the game. But people like you, the minority, are too stubborn to accept the fact that there are people out there that are potentially better than you! And I'm no exception!"
"Grrrrrrrrrrrrr…!"
"And besides, what have I ever done to you personally? Up until now, other than orientation, you and I haven't interacted all that much, so why are you acting like I did something to piss you off?" Kuromu shouted, "Heck, Judai has probably done more harm to you personally than I did!"
"Because you threatened one of my own!" Manjoume shouted, "You may call us Obelisks many things! Elitist, stuck-up, arrogant! But we never threaten to kill people!"
"Wait, that's what this is about?" Rex asked incredulously. "When I beat that guy?"
Judai and Sho were surprised to hear their friend beat an Obelisk.
"It was you?!" Manjoume snapped.
"Yeah, but I never threatened to kill someone." The mutt pointed out with a lazy shrug.
Kuromu sighed at this, "Look, for what it's worth, I'm sorry about threatening him, but that guy made the mistake of harassing me while I was grieving." He then crossed his arms, "So, should I add insensitivity to that list?"
"Enough! I don't want to hear any more of this nonsense! O-re no ta-n! Draw!" Manjoume shouted, drawing his next card, increasing his Hand to two.
Rex facepalmed at this, "Wow, this guy's really that delusional." the mutt chuckled before noticing the shocked expressions of his fellow Osiris students, "What?" he asked.
"Hold on, you beat an Obelisk?" Judai asked.
"I mean yeah, but compared to you, I just took out a mook." the mutt shrugged off.
"I activate Pot of Greed allowing me to draw two cards!" Manjoume said, as his Hand was now at three. "I then activate Resurrection of the Dead, reviving Dark Armed Dragon!"
As the lizard-like dragon rose from the ashes, Kuromu watched in anticipation at his opponent's next move. "Finally I'll activate this! Double Attack! I discard 1 Monster Card from my hand to the Graveyard, that being this card in my hand, Armored Dragon LV 10. I choose a monster on my side of the field with a lower Level than the discarded monster, and that monster can attack twice this turn! This will naturally be my Dark Armed Dragon!"
Dark Armed Dragon snarled as it noticed a large armored dragon's spirit empowered it.
"Now I'll attack both Kamen Rider Zi-O and Kamen Rider Blade!" Manjoume declared. After roaring, the dragon soon leaped forward and destroyed both Riders with a single swing of its drill spear-like tail, each blow dealing massive damage to Kuromu.
Manjoume: 800
Kuromu: 600
"Ta-n endo." Manjoume finished.
Kuromu gritted his teeth as the smoke cleared. He had nothing on his field. This next card he draws has to decide it. It will show whether he'll promote or stay in Ra Yellow.
"You better make this count, Rider Reject. Because it'll make it all the much sweeter for me to crush you beneath my feet when you make that dead draw." Manjoume said.
Kuromu didn't say anything as he looked at his deck, then placed two fingers on it. His eyes closed, concentrating for a moment, before opening them back up. "O-re no ta-n! Draw!" Kuromu declared, drawing his next card to increase his Hand to three. He looked at the card then looked at Manjoume, "You're finished."
"What the-?!" Manjoume gasped, "What the hell did you draw?!"
"I'll show you soon. First, I summon Kamen Rider Den-O in ATK mode!" the Rider Duelist declared, slapping the card onto the tray as they heard the sound of an electronic keyboard tune.
SWORD FORM!
Motes of light spread out on one space of the board before converging to reveal the black train track black bodysuit before the pieces of red armor and helmet started appearing and attached themselves to said Rider. (4/ATK: 1800/DEF: 1000)
"O-re… sanjou!" Den-O declared striking his pose.
"I then activate Form Change - Axe! This changes Den-O's attribute to EARTH! Time to make you cry, Manjoume!"
"Haaaaaaaaah?! I have to switch with Kuma now?!" Momotaros cried out in shock, "I just got here!"
"Sorry, Momotaros. But I had to say it." Kuromu shrugged.
"Cry?"
"Dammit!"
"Nakeru de! Move aside, Momonoji!" Kintaros shouted, before switching with Momotaros.
AXE FORM!
"Baka kumaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
"Ookay, make sure to learn the synonyms of cry to avoid saying the actual word." Rex said as Judai nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, Den-O's form changed, becoming the intended form. When it finished and his DenGasher changed into an axe… pieces of tissue fell as confetti from the ceiling?
"O-re no tsuyosa ni… omae ga naita!" Den-O said, getting into a sumo position then cracking his neck.
"I'm sorry, what?" Manjoume asked, confused by how the tissue came about.
"Moving on, I activate the effect of Form Change - Axe! Once per turn, I can reduce your Monster's ATK by 800!"
"What?!" Manjoume snapped.
"I'm not repeating myself! Kintaros, do it!"
Den-O obliged as he leaped forward and delivered a jumping headbutt to Dark Armed Dragon, startling the creature. (ATK: 2800-2000)
"And now to play the card I drew! Pride of Kamen Rider!" Kuromu declared as he revealed the card before placing it down. "It gives Kamen Rider Den-O 1000 ATK and can normally attack all Monsters on your Field, but you have only one. Regardless, that doesn't matter."
"And why's that?" Manjoume sneered.
"Figure it out for yourself." he smirked as the Obelisk student began to pale in fear. Dark Armed Dragon has 2000 ATK. Kamen Rider Den-O had 2800 ATK. The difference was 800 points. And Manjoume's remaining Life Points were…
"What- this can't-" Manjoume got out. "This can't be happening!"
"It is! Battle! Kamen Rider Den-O - Axe attacks Dark Armed Dragon! Kintaros, end this Duel!"
Den-O took the pass and scanned it across the SetTouch.
FULL CHARGE!
He then threw the axe up in the air, before Den-O jumped up after it, to which he caught as yellow energy gathered in the weapon's blade. He then brought the axe down on the dragon, splitting him in half, Den-O taking a squat pose before Dark Armed Dragon exploded into pixels.
"Dynamic Chop…"
Manjoume: 0
Kuromu: 600
"Game over." Kuromu said, as the Solid Vision disappeared and Manjoume fell to his knees in shock.
He couldn't believe what just happened. Not only did his plan to cancel this Promotion Duel backfired, he lost to a Ra Yellow that's now going up to Obelisk Blue. And most damning of all, he was gonna be demoted to Ra Yellow!
"The Duel is over. Signor Kururugi is the winner and shall be promoted to Obelisk Blue. Signor Manjoume, since you have lost, you are now demoted to Ra Yellow." Professor Chronos said before he leveled a disappointed glare at Manjoume. "I expect you to clean your things out of the Obelisk Dorm and your disgraceful tactics as well. You dishonor that coat."
"Hold on, Instructor. I need to ask him something first." Kuromu said, approaching the crestfallen Manjoume. "When you planted that shock device on my Duel Disk… I know for a fact that you couldn't have made that all in one night. Someone gave it to you. Who was it?"
Manjoume gave Kuromu an apathetic glare, "Some spider-masked freak. Said he'd help. Even gave me the Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell trap card. I thought the stupid device would just fry your Duel Disk. That's all."
This earned gasps from the group. Kuromu's eyes widened before grabbing Manjoume by the collar, yanking him in. "Are you serious?! You got help from Oogumo?!"
"Oogumo?"
"The spider-masked freak! The freak that's trying to kill me and my old man who is still hiding on this island! The same freak who abducted my mother!"
"I-I didn't know that!" Manjoume replied before coughing a bit when he felt his collar start to choke him a bit. "Ease up, man…"
"Gh…!" Kuromu gritted before unceremoniously letting the former Obelisk go, causing the latter to cough.
"Kuromu…" Asuka said, having approached him and placing a hand on his shoulder.
He looked at the blonde who shook her head. Kuromu then sighed, before relenting.
"Instructor Chronos, I would suggest calling an emergency meeting with Principal Samejima and the D.E.C. now. You and the staff need to beef up security around the dorms and campus. And take Manjoume with you for questioning." The Rider Duelist suggested to the instructor.
"Very well. Come along now, Signor Manjoume. We have a lot to discuss." He stated firmly.
With this, Manjoume reluctantly stood up and followed him out of the arena. After watching them leave, Kuromu heaved a sigh as his friends all approached him.
"You okay, Daddy-O?" Koji asked.
"I don't know, man. This victory just became too bittersweet for me." Kuromu answered, crossing his arms.
"Guessing everything you went through wasn't worth it, I guess." Rex noted.
"Oh c'mon, lighten up!" Judai grinned widely, placing an arm around the Rider Duelist. "No need to get all mopey and sad! You're supposed to be happy that you won!"
"But-"
"I mean you did pay the guy back by kicking his ass in that Duel." Rex posited.
"Agreed. You can worry about the small details later." Misawa assured, placing a hand on Kuromu's shoulder. "For now, just be happy that you get to move on up and celebrate that accomplishment with us."
"Misawa…"
"He's right." Ryo said, as he approached and held out his hand. "You've done well to get this far. And I know you'll do great things as an Obelisk. Allow me to be the first to welcome you into our ranks."
"Marufuji-senpai…" Kuromu murmured, before smiling a bit and taking Ryo's hand to shake it. "Thank you. I hope I live up to those expectations."
"I guess that also means you'll be seeing Asuka and Rika a lot more often than before." Koji joked, "I am gonna miss our little night talks though."
"I wonder if Manjoume will end up swapping rooms with Kuromu?" Sho wondered.
"We'll worry about that later! Let's head over to the Ra Yellow cafeteria! I'll cook all your favorites, Kuro!" Rika beamed.
"Hehe… well, I can at least agree that all that Dueling made me hungry." Kuromu chuckled.
"Don't go eating all of our stuff, Judai. I'm still recovering when you nearly ate my hand when stealing my sandwich." The mutt reminded the Elemental HERO Duelist.
"Oh c'mon, that was one time!" Judai complained as everyone started to leave the arena.
Kuromu followed, but noticed that Asuka was trailing a bit behind him, "What's wrong, Asuka? And don't give me the I don't know excuse. I can tell something's up with you."
"Mm…" Asuka looked uncomfortable as she held her arm looking down.
Kuromu sighed softly, as he stood in front of her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "What is it? Please tell me…" he asked, "You can trust me, right?"
The blonde girl looked at him, "I'm sorry… it's just… after everything you've been through. I thought…"
"I could have a normal day for once?" Kuromu smiled sadly, to which Asuka nodded. "That's gonna be difficult, given what we just learned."
"Right…"
"But, that's not gonna ruin my fun. I did promise and intend to not make you worry. And I know I have you and the others to support me in whatever I'm going through." Kuromu said.
Asuka laughed a bit at the cheezy yet sincere speech that Kuromu had given.
"HEY, LOVEBIRDS! HURRY UP OR JUDAI IS GONNA MUNCH ON YOUR SHARE! I WON'T BE ABLE TO HOLD HIM BACK MUCH LONGER!" An irate Rex called out.
Kuromu chuckled, before looking atAsuka, "Shall we?"
Asuka nodded and walked with Kuromu out of the arena.