This chapter was a pretty interesting one to write. Specifically Jen's part in it. Fun fact: I always intended for Christopher to be the kind of person who, while well-intentioned, is primarily concerned with himself, and his own success. Frankly, the whole Team Duelist thing was just a way for him to boost his career. He cares if his team mates do well, but if he has to choose between his success and theirs, he will choose himself. The contrast between the cute, domestic scene between Jen and Christopher in the last book, and the very similar scene in this one, is meant to make this pretty blatant, and to set up for Jen's decision in a later chapter.
Since that's pretty heavy, though, I decided to combine that plot point with a new character reveal. Well, technically it is the reintroduction of a new character. And a potential romantic interest for one of my characters. But you'll see what I mean.
Chapter Three
Preparations
Jen
I walked briskly down the standard hotel hallway, toward my standard hotel room. As had become customary since I'd joined the popular Team Beatdown, I was currently living in this standard, middle-tier hotel in a state that I never though that I'd get the chance to visit. Not that I really got to see much of those states. But that's not the point.
I was a little mad at the moment, and I was stomping down the hall, not caring who knew. And I'll just get this out in the open now: I'm the kind of person who, when I go stomping down a hallway, people move out of my way. I'm taller than your average young adult woman, with hair died stark back, layered with purple. Though I didn't exactly look it at the moment, I typically dress somewhere just short of hardcore goth, complete with dark eyeliner that helps accentuate my occasional death stares.
As for why I was angry, well, that's quite the story. You see, the illustrious leader of Team Beatdown, Christopher Johnson, had called yet another tactical meeting. We were packing up and flying to Pennsylvania in two days, to compete in the Team Duel regional the day after, and he was obsessed with forcing the rest of us into as many surprise tactical meetings as he could. He wanted us to be perfect in the upcoming competition, like a well-oiled machine. I could appreciate that, but this was starting to get ridiculous. I'd been about to start a workout when I'd received his latest text.
Christopher's career as a Duelist hadn't always been tied to Team Dueling, you see. He'd started out solo, and managed to rise to the place of regional champion in the northeastern U.S. without suffering a single defeat. However, it hadn't been until he'd been charged by Maximillion Pegasus to form a Team Duel team for a competition that he'd attracted a sponsor, who had insisted that he continue to duel with his team. But that sponsor, a company called Hobby Corps., which is now my sponsor as well, doesn't allow the Team Duelists that they fund to complete in solo competitions during the regular tournament season. That means that the only way to retain his regional title is for Christopher's team to win the bi-annual Team Duel regional.
It's all very political.
The long and short of it is that Christopher gets really intense this time of year every other year. I'd experienced it before, but it was almost like he was anticipating something big this time around, because he was being even more manic than usual. This probably wouldn't have bothered me as much, if Christopher and I had not been dating. Even though he's technically my boss.
Yeah, I know, you don't have to tell me how stupid that is.
I arrived at my room, and unlocked and then tossed open the door. I was surprised to find Christopher standing in the room, waiting for me, leaning dramatically against a wall near the door.
I frowned, crossing my arms, "Shouldn't you be in your own room, waiting to throw your latest last minute meeting?"
"I just wanted to make sure that you actually show up," Christopher replied. "If you recall, you have an odd tendency to miss those meetings."
"I'm just stopping by to grab my deck," I told him, changing out of my unused workout clothes.
"Are you sure that's all you were doing?" Christopher asked, his voice and his expression stern.
I pulled a clean shirt over my head, and then looked at him, "Do you really think that I would leave you hanging like that at a time like this?"
"I don't know," Christopher grilled me, "would you?"
I looked at him with utter bewilderment, "I skip meetings sometimes. I don't particularly like them, but I know how important this tournament is, especially to you. I plan to take this seriously. I have been taking this seriously so far. Unless I'm mistaken?"
Christopher didn't say anything to that, instead stepping away from the wall and slowly pacing the room. He finally spoke, choosing to change the subject. "I just need to know for sure that you realize how big a deal this is," he said. "Ever since the entire world forgot about your cousin, forgot about my loss to him, I've been having our sponsors keep an eye on him. He's entering a team in the regional."
"John is?" I confirmed, as I secured my Duel Disk to my arm.
"That's right," Christopher replied. "I have a second chance to duel him for the first time. This time I will not lose. But the only way that our team will stand a chance against his Team Illusion is if you give this your full attention."
"I am," I insisted.
"Alright," Christopher relented. I walked past him and started out the door, but Christopher spoke again, causing me to stop in my tracks. "I need to know one thing, though, Jen. I need you to promise me something. The Duel Force and your cousin's team are in this thing now. I need to know that, when we fight them, you'll go for the kill."
"Are you asking if I'm loyal to this team?" I snapped, almost stammering, I was so taken aback.
"Yeah," Christopher said flatly, "I am."
"You don't trust me," I asked him, "do you?"
His expression softened ever so slightly, and he answered frankly, "I like you Jen. A lot. But no, I don't trust you. At the end of the day, I don't trust anyone but myself."
I don't think he actually meant anything by it. I think it's just the way he feels all the time, but it still hurt to hear it, and it hurt even more that he didn't even seem to notice, or care. Hearing him say that to me, something broke inside me. I couldn't look at Christopher the same way anymore. I don't think I'll ever be able to look at him the same way again. I wanted to leave, to go home, and to forget about him forever, but I had a responsibility. So I steeled myself up, and I continued out the door toward the meeting site.
Sarah
It was mid evening when I got a call from Jen, telling me that, in addition to her and Christopher competing in the regional (which I'd already known about), John would also be competing with his team. That worried me. I knew that Karen didn't really duel anymore, but I also knew that the team didn't actually have a fourth member yet. Or at least it hadn't a week ago, when I'd talked to my brother last. Listen, I've got a lot of faith in my team mates, and even more in myself, but against John and Karen, we wouldn't stand a chance. But I couldn't just back out of this tournament, either. With Industrial Illusions itself entering a team, the hype could only grow. The Duel Force had to compete, and do well.
I had a plan to help with that, though. One of the easiest ways for better-equipped teams to win is to acquire records of their opponents' best duels, learn their decks, and figure out strategies to counter them in their specific matches. Given enough rare cards, and the right side board of cards to draw on between matches, any team could beat any other. However, each team of four is allowed up to three relief members, and the exact four-person line-up for each match is kept hidden until right before the match begins. I planned to fill all three of those relief slots, change up the roster each round, and just forgo creating an overreaching strategy for the whole team.
Without Frost, though, I needed a new seventh member. Luckily I'd been scouting a prospective new member for the team for about a week, and she would be available for the tournament. I'd met this particular Duelist years before, and even dueled her. She was good, and had only gotten better. We'd bumped into each other recently, while she was out by herself, trying to get over breaking up with her girlfriend, and we'd gotten to talking. Then we'd gotten to dueling. She'd shown interest in joining the Duel Force almost immediately. At this point, all that was left was to introduce her to the others.
So I called everyone. They were all available the same evening, so I called a meeting at Wilson's. By 6:30pm, we were all together, sans the guest of honor. "All" being my cousin Kris, who was as naturally pretty as always, with her long, dark hair, and her soft, welcoming face that, as usual, held an expression that made you wonder if she knew where she was, Jenna, in as mis-matched an outfit as always, Amanda, my lanky other cousin, and the youngest of the group, who wore a look of boredom behind her short-cropped dark amber-colored bangs, and finally, the tall, spiky-haired ginger, Tucker.
Oh, and Nate, the broad-shouldered, sandy-haired narcissist who, admittedly, would be very handsome if he weren't such a royal douchenugget. He was the only member of the group who I really didn't like, at least on some level. As usual, I was pretending that he wasn't here.
"Where is this girl," Amanda asked at 6:37. Yeah, she was definitely bored, leaning back in one of Wilson's many fold-up chairs, with her feet up on the card table in front of her, tapping her toes annoyedly.
"Give her a little time," I answered, matching annoyance with equal and opposite annoyance, "this is her first time coming here."
It was actually right then that the door opened slowly, and a head poked through, followed by the rest of my newest recruit. She was slim, a lot like Amanda, with silky straight hair that wasn't just black hair black, it was true black. Almost blue. It hung down to about her shoulder blades. She was wearing goth style clothing, like what you'd expect Jen to wear, but downplayed a little, and more crisp and fashionable. She had obvious Asian features, but they were softer, and her skin was lighter than you would expect, evidence of her half-Korean, half-European heritage. She smiled a half-friendly, half-cheeky kind of smile that lit up her pretty face, and she said, "Hey, I thought for a second that this wasn't the place, but here you are!"
She walked the rest of the way inside, and I could see that she had brought her cards with her, in her Duel Disk, which was strapped to her arm.
"Hey," I said, waving my hand at her in greeting. She walked over to stand next to me, and I introduced her, "Guys, this is Mina."
Mina waved at me, and then at the others, and said, "Hi." As she did, I turned to give Nate the customary "don't hit on my friend" look, but surprisingly, Jenna had beat me to it, and Nate didn't even bother to try.
Wow, I thought, he's learning, at least.
"I'm bringing Mina on to fill our vacant position," I told them. I'm sure that they'd already guessed that, but I like to hear myself talk. "She and I have dueled a couple times now. She's on par with any of us, and has a really unique deck that should throw our enemies off."
Mina blushed a little bit, "Oh stop. I mean, you're right, but stop it."
"What kind of deck is it?" Jenna asked with genuine interest.
Mina and I gave each other knowing looks, and then Mina answered, "For that, you'll either have to challenge me," she held up her Duel Disk, "or wait for the tournament. My deck looks best in Solid Vision."
Jenna nodded. She looked disappointed.
"Any other questions?" I asked. Without giving them any time to answer, I said, "Good. We have thirty minutes to mingle before I have to go home for dinner. So go, mingle."
Mina laughed sweetly, "I've never heard of anyone mandating social interaction before."
"That's me," I replied, "always exceeding expectations. Now get too it."
Mina smiled and shrugged, and she stepped forward and began to make small talk with the others. She seemed to get on well with them. She even managed to get Amanda to stop scowling, and Kris to pay attention. I didn't join in directly, choosing to observe how they interacted. I was surprised to see Jenna handing back, pretending to be interested in Wilson's merchandise. I walked over to her.
"What's up," I asked, "you not like Mina?"
Jenna blushed, "No."
I smiled at my best friend, "Oooh, it's that you like Mina a little too much."
She scowled at me, "Shut up."
"You should just ask her out," I insisted.
"Are you kidding?" Jenna asked, only mildly horrified. "I've never asked anyone out before. I don't even know her yet. I don't know if she'd be...interested."
I shook my head knowingly, and patted Jenna on the shoulder, "I promise you, the two of you have at least a few things in common."
Jenna looked again at Mina, who was still talking to the others. She looked past them, for just a second, and when she saw Jenna she kind of half smiled. I smiled as well as my friend went to rejoin the ongoing conversation.
John
A few days passed, and our ship came into port at the New York Harbor. Karen, Thomas, Ria and I transferred from the ship to a tour bus with the Industrial Illusions insignia on the sides. Inside the bus were two distinct sections, separated by an accordion door. The first area consisted of the driver's seat, a bench seat, and a cot for the driver's relief (we would be driving through the night. The second section consisted of a row of four reclining seats that also rotated and moved around on little tracks in the floor, and four foldaway cots. In the very back was an on-board bathroom.
My friends and I spent the early part of the drive chatting, and watching movies on the built-in TV screen hanging from the ceiling. We talked a little bit about strategy for the tournament. We had, of course, spent the time since Pegasus' pseudo-visit preparing. Running team drills. Learning each others' decks. The fact was, we all were too set in our ways to change our decks to accommodate each other. That meant that we didn't really have an overreaching strategy, but we could still each try our best to create the best situation possible for the next Duelist up each time that it seemed like we might lose. Which required knowing a bit about each others' play styles. So there had been a lot of conversational tangents to address some of the ways that that might work.
I imagined that Sarah would be thinking along the same lines. Jen, on the other hand, would have several pre-prepared strategies for the entirety of Team Beatdown to focus on from round to round. I was thrilled that I might get the opportunity to duel both of them so soon. Not to mention Christopher, who I always looked forward to fighting. That said, I was also worried. Sarah doesn't give herself enough credit. The idea that she could beat me isn't nearly as ridiculous as she thinks it is. The same goes for Tucker, assuming that he was competing for the Duel Force. Jen or Christopher could also beat me pretty easily, with a little luck. This was my new start. I had to do well. We had to do well.
But that wasn't my only concern. My dark side was also an issue. It always made itself heard during serious duels. Just enough that I'd always known it was there, no matter how much I'd always tried to deny it. As dedicated as my dark side had been lately to getting free again, there was a good chance that the tournament would aggravate it. Just thinking about the competition, I could already feel it itching in the back of my mind. I was worried that I would find myself distracted at a key point.
As our night on the road fell upon us, I found myself ignoring the company of my friends. Even as their conversation died down, and they made way to their cots, I continued to sit in silence. When Karen asked me if anything was wrong, I dismissed her concern with a smile, and continued to gaze through the window across from me, out into the darkness of night. I couldn't help but feel that the darkness was gazing back. I decided that night that, no matter what, for the sake of all of my friends, gazing would be all that that darkness would ever be able to do.
Next Chapter >>
"Hey," I said, waving my hand at her in greeting. She walked over to stand next to me, and I introduced her, "Guys, this is Mina."
Mina waved at me, and then at the others, and said, "Hi." As she did, I turned to give Nate the customary "don't hit on my friend" look, but surprisingly, Jenna had beat me to it, and Nate didn't even bother to try.
Wow, I thought, he's learning, at least.
"I'm bringing Mina on to fill our vacant position," I told them. I'm sure that they'd already guessed that, but I like to hear myself talk. "She and I have dueled a couple times now. She's on par with any of us, and has a really unique deck that should throw our enemies off."
Mina blushed a little bit, "Oh stop. I mean, you're right, but stop it."
"What kind of deck is it?" Jenna asked with genuine interest.
Mina and I gave each other knowing looks, and then Mina answered, "For that, you'll either have to challenge me," she held up her Duel Disk, "or wait for the tournament. My deck looks best in Solid Vision."
Jenna nodded. She looked disappointed.
"Any other questions?" I asked. Without giving them any time to answer, I said, "Good. We have thirty minutes to mingle before I have to go home for dinner. So go, mingle."
Mina laughed sweetly, "I've never heard of anyone mandating social interaction before."
"That's me," I replied, "always exceeding expectations. Now get too it."
Mina smiled and shrugged, and she stepped forward and began to make small talk with the others. She seemed to get on well with them. She even managed to get Amanda to stop scowling, and Kris to pay attention. I didn't join in directly, choosing to observe how they interacted. I was surprised to see Jenna handing back, pretending to be interested in Wilson's merchandise. I walked over to her.
"What's up," I asked, "you not like Mina?"
Jenna blushed, "No."
I smiled at my best friend, "Oooh, it's that you like Mina a little too much."
She scowled at me, "Shut up."
"You should just ask her out," I insisted.
"Are you kidding?" Jenna asked, only mildly horrified. "I've never asked anyone out before. I don't even know her yet. I don't know if she'd be...interested."
I shook my head knowingly, and patted Jenna on the shoulder, "I promise you, the two of you have at least a few things in common."
Jenna looked again at Mina, who was still talking to the others. She looked past them, for just a second, and when she saw Jenna she kind of half smiled. I smiled as well as my friend went to rejoin the ongoing conversation.
John
A few days passed, and our ship came into port at the New York Harbor. Karen, Thomas, Ria and I transferred from the ship to a tour bus with the Industrial Illusions insignia on the sides. Inside the bus were two distinct sections, separated by an accordion door. The first area consisted of the driver's seat, a bench seat, and a cot for the driver's relief (we would be driving through the night. The second section consisted of a row of four reclining seats that also rotated and moved around on little tracks in the floor, and four foldaway cots. In the very back was an on-board bathroom.
My friends and I spent the early part of the drive chatting, and watching movies on the built-in TV screen hanging from the ceiling. We talked a little bit about strategy for the tournament. We had, of course, spent the time since Pegasus' pseudo-visit preparing. Running team drills. Learning each others' decks. The fact was, we all were too set in our ways to change our decks to accommodate each other. That meant that we didn't really have an overreaching strategy, but we could still each try our best to create the best situation possible for the next Duelist up each time that it seemed like we might lose. Which required knowing a bit about each others' play styles. So there had been a lot of conversational tangents to address some of the ways that that might work.
I imagined that Sarah would be thinking along the same lines. Jen, on the other hand, would have several pre-prepared strategies for the entirety of Team Beatdown to focus on from round to round. I was thrilled that I might get the opportunity to duel both of them so soon. Not to mention Christopher, who I always looked forward to fighting. That said, I was also worried. Sarah doesn't give herself enough credit. The idea that she could beat me isn't nearly as ridiculous as she thinks it is. The same goes for Tucker, assuming that he was competing for the Duel Force. Jen or Christopher could also beat me pretty easily, with a little luck. This was my new start. I had to do well. We had to do well.
But that wasn't my only concern. My dark side was also an issue. It always made itself heard during serious duels. Just enough that I'd always known it was there, no matter how much I'd always tried to deny it. As dedicated as my dark side had been lately to getting free again, there was a good chance that the tournament would aggravate it. Just thinking about the competition, I could already feel it itching in the back of my mind. I was worried that I would find myself distracted at a key point.
As our night on the road fell upon us, I found myself ignoring the company of my friends. Even as their conversation died down, and they made way to their cots, I continued to sit in silence. When Karen asked me if anything was wrong, I dismissed her concern with a smile, and continued to gaze through the window across from me, out into the darkness of night. I couldn't help but feel that the darkness was gazing back. I decided that night that, no matter what, for the sake of all of my friends, gazing would be all that that darkness would ever be able to do.
Next Chapter >>
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