Chapter 12

In the forest, Akiza walked ahead of me, leading me towards the Reject Shack after classes.

Given Akiza's own mental and emotional exhaustion, she had slept in my bed while I'd pulled out a sleeping bag and slept on the floor- which I didn't mind, it was surprisingly comfortable, though a bit warm since we were two people in a rather small and enclosed room.

The students, more than ever now, avoided Akiza thanks to how she had been corrupted by the negative energy that had filled both Moonlight and Blood Rose, and how she had started to go on a duelling rampage. Now that she was in control, it would take some time for people to even want to duel her again.

Many people were amazed I was approaching her, especially given I had a few bruises and scratches still present from my duel with her the previous night. I had used 'Dian Keto the Cure Master' on myself in order to heal my injuries, but I hadn't been able to heal all of them.

I'd noticed Akiza looking at my injuries with guilt, but I'd told her that it wasn't her fault and shut her down when she tried to object.

We'd met up after classes and, after a bite to eat in the cafeteria, she began to lead me to the reject shack. She had 'politely' asked a Ra Yellow where the shack was, and they had 'politely' told her how to get there.

As she led the way I was, not so discreetly, watching her hips sway… Seriously, how did girls walk like that…? It was so arousing, but so confusing… How had girls naturally evolved that they all walked with such a sway in her hips that didn't bother them as they walked?

… Regardless, I was enjoying the view.

"… I- If you're going to stare, could you stop doing it so intently?" Akiza asked, and I could see the tips of her ears were turning red. "I can practically you feel your eyes trying to undress me from back there."

Ah, busted.

"I'm sorry that my staring is making you feel embarrassed," I told her.

"… You're sorry for embarrassing me, but not for staring?"

"Why would I be sorry for staring at such a wonderful view?"

She pointedly did not look at me as her ears turned a little more red.

So cute.

We soon came upon a small building, definitely a 'shack' by every meaning of the word, though it was very sturdy and didn't look as though it was falling apart at all. It was also much bigger than you'd expect a shack to be, about one and a half to two times the size, though still rather small all things considered.

As we stepped inside, the both of us could see countless cards strewn across the ground and desks in the room… Despite having been untouched for ages, the only thing 'dirty' about them was the dust that had piled on some of them.

"So many cards," Akiza murmured in sorrow as she looked around. "You could probably make a bunch of decks with the amount of cards present here…"

"Indeed," I nodded as I looked around and picked up one spell, blowing the dust off of it. "Who the fuck was the idiot who threw away fucking Polymerization? Just because Synchro Summoning is more popular doesn't mean that Fusion Summoning isn't as good… Who threw away a perfectly good Gladiator Beast!?"

"Gladiator Beast?" Akiza asked in confusion.

"The Gladiator Beast deck is basically a prototype of Synchro Summoning," I told her. "Using something called Contact Fusion, you shuffle the monsters into your deck rather than using Polymerization or sending them to the Graveyard. Their speciality is that, at the end of the battle phase, Gladiator Beasts swap places with a different Gladiator Beast from the Deck and then they trigger effects or obtain access to effects when Special Summoned from the Deck by the effect of a Gladiator Beast."

Gladiator Beasts were some of the best cards in the game at the time of release, even once Synchro Summoning was introduced the Deck was still incredibly dominant for a while from what I recalled. I'd used the Deck myself in the Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds DS Game- Stardust Accelerator- and the deck had gotten me through all the way to the end of the game. The only duels I'd even remotely had trouble with were the Tag Tournament thanks to my partner's shitty A.I, and Officer Trudge in Turbo Duels because I was missing my Gladiator Beast Spells that gave more consistency.

… Plus, Trudge seemed to just have every trap counter in the fucking game, and I never had the set up to get out Heraklinos.

I'd also had some trouble with the Four Clones duel at the end, but that was purely because that was four back to back duels where your LP carried over after each duel and you never knew what RNGesus would give you. You had to pray for a good starting hand and not to brick.

The fact that someone had thrown out some perfectly good Gladiator Beast cards, frankly, flabbergasted me… How bad did you have to be at this game to not know how good Gladiator Beasts were in this era?

"Huh…" Akiza blinked. "I should probably do more research… Why would people throw away such good cards…?"

I sighed. "Some people have very great misconceptions about what makes a card 'good,'" I told Akiza, though I didn't elaborate on that. "But we're here for a reason."

"Right… What did you mean by 'recruitment?'" She asked.

"Watch," I grinned and turned to face the cards

"Duel Spirits!" I called out. "You, who have been abandoned by your masters! You, who have been consigned to this dull place! Appear before me now and allow me to free you from this place!"

There was silence for a moment before ghostly spirits began to appear in large groups… Bolt Penguin, Petit Dragon, Unhappy Maiden, Gladiator Beast Andal, Elemental Hero Avian, Shining Friendship… And countless more Duel Spirits appeared, making Akiza gasp in shock as she looked around at the sheer quantity of them.

"There's so many," she whispered.

Petit Dragon slowly floated forwards. "Why have you called us out here, human?"

I smirked and lifted my arm, channelling my power and allowing my Mark to glow. "I am the Dark Signer of Tezcatlipoca, Yuno Fuji. I have come here to ask you to embrace the power of the Underworld and join me as my allies."

Many of the monsters recoiled in shock and looked fearful, Petit Dragon among them as he floated backwards.

Andal was the one who stepped forward and stared at me. "Why should we believe you, human? Why should we allow ourselves to be corrupted by your negative energy and become your mindless drones in exchange for strength?"

"I thought you would ask that," I told him. "That's why I brought someone along who can answer that question."

Andal suddenly looked at my shoulder as Maelstrom appeared. He was in a much smaller form, only as tall as the ceiling of the shack, however he was still letting off all of his glorious power as he stared down at the Duel Spirits.

"Hear me, Duel Spirits," he spoke, his voice rough and powerful. "I am Blue Storm Dragon, Maelstrom. I am a willing Servant of my Master, Yuno Fuji. Many of you are no doubt curious as to why a powerful beast such as me remains under the command of a Dark Signer, who we 'know' are meant to be evil. I am here to tell you my story so that you may make your own choices."

Avian stepped forward beside Andal, staring at Maelstrom. "Very well, Blue Storm Dragon. We will hear you, and judge for ourselves. I can tell you are speaking of your own free will, however I will wait to judge your owner until you have told us all you wish to say."

Maelstrom nodded slowly. "I was once a different monster, known as Aqua Dragon. For those of you unaware, Aqua Dragon is a WATER Attribute Sea Serpent type Fusion Monster. It is made by fusing Fairy Dragon, Amazon of the Seas, and Zone Eater. To many humans and even to many monsters, I was considered a useless card. Too 'weak' for the amount of work that went into using me… I had no special powers to speak of, and I was mocked by other, more powerful monsters. Even weaker ones had ways of defeating me as I had no powers to call my own."

He paused for a moment and allowed that to sink in before he spoke again. "That was when my Master, who had entered the Spirit World with the aid of Tezcatlipoca, approached me. He offered me exactly what he offered you- the power of the Underworld. He told me the power may corrupt me beyond recognition, that I may become nothing more than a beast. However, he also promised me that- should I come out the other side with my rational mind- that I would be his General, his greatest combatant save Tezcatlipoca himself. He offered me all I had ever desired- power, and a place to belong.

"I accepted. I will not lie to you; the negative energies of the Underworld were painful to endure. More than once, I almost lost my mind. However, my will- my desire for strength and to finally belong- helped me pull through. I turned from merely carrying the name of a Dragon, to being a dragon. My lord bestowed unto me my name and, as he promised, he named me a General of his armies, and the Admiral of his Navy Fleet."

Maelstrom's gaze swept over the Duel Spirits, who listened to his words with considerate looks on their faces. "The offer my lord has given you is an opportunity to make something of yourselves… Will you wait here, for your cards to pile up so much that you will be incinerated by humans? Or will you accept his offer, and finally have a Master you can be proud of? One who will not turn you away, who will never toss you aside, and will always make you feel as though you belong?"

The monsters remained silent as they pondered Maelstrom's words, and the tension in the air made me feel uneasy. This was the make or break moment. If they refused, then I would leave and never look back at this place. If I succeeded, then I would have a second, maybe even third, deck at my disposal.

"I will join him."

Many spirits gasped as an attractive woman wearing white and blue robes stepped forward, a white magician's hat on her head with a blue and white staff held in her hands…

Wait a fucking second!

"Silent Magician?" I asked in surprise.

"Yes," she nodded. "I am Silent Magician. This is my fully matured 'Level 8' form, I suppose you could call it."

"You will join him, Silent Magician?" Andal asked in surprise. "But why? Were you not a Duel Spirit for Yugi Moto, the Great Master who could defeat even the Nameless Pharaoh?"

"I was," Silent Magician nodded. "Much as Dark Magician Girl and Dark Magician were. However, those days are gone. Many duelists do not even remember that I was once Yugi's card. They tossed me aside and left me here, to collect dust. I have pondered on why I, a card wielded by a Duel King, would be thrown away. The answer is simple… I am Weak."

Many eyes widened, even mine… I would not call Silent Magician weak by any means!

"Many new Duel Spirits are born every moment," she spoke. "New Spells are created; new Traps are developed… And, as we have seen from Synchro Summoning, new methods of evolution are created. As the world around us progresses, we stagnate and are left behind… Tossed out like trash. Perhaps I was strong once… But, by todays standards, I am weak. And as we progress, I will become even weaker. As the world evolves, we too must evolve. Besides… So long as I can continue to study my magic, I care not for if I am on the side of light or the side of evil, or somewhere in between."

I stared… And I grinned slowly.

"… I, too, will join," Petit Dragon spoke. "I am tired of being weak, the weakest dragon. If it means finally having the strength to stand up to others, I will join you."

"As will I," Bolt Penguin agreed.

"And I," Unhappy Maiden said quietly.

Silent Magician had seemingly opened the flood gates, as now many monsters declared they would join me. Some of them gravitated towards Akiza and asked if they could join her instead of me, which she was surprised by but agreed to.

Of course, some refused. The Gladiator Beasts had their own pride and did not agree to join me. The Elemental Heroes also refused… However, I had no intention of just leaving the cards here. I would gather them all and donate them to a charity to helped kids or struggling Duelists.

I only grinned, however, as I saw the sheer number of Duel Spirits willing to join me. "Well, Admiral Maelstrom," I looked at the Dragon, his arms crossed as he stared down at the other monsters. "It appears… You have your army."

Maelstrom said nothing… He only smiled.