Set One, Pass!
12: Chapter 12: My Turn.
Set One, Pass!
Jamie followed the route on the map through Domino City.
Since he had only lived here for a few days, there were still several stretches where he had to stop random pedestrians and ask for directions just to make sure he was not heading the wrong way.
This continued until Kuribohrn finally became unable to watch the stupidity any longer and reminded him that he had access to Duel Monster spirits.
Jamie stopped in the middle of the sidewalk.
“Oh.” He stared at Kuribohrn.
“Right.
I can use monsters.” The obvious solution immediately came to mind.
“Time to drop Maxx ‘C’!” Then he hesitated.
“…Okay, that’s usually something I say for a completely different reason.” Through one of the Decks he had unlocked in Special Mode, Jamie had already gained access to Maxx “C”, even though the card was practically useless in the current era’s Dueling environment.
Outside a Duel, however, its spirit was another matter.
Jamie summoned it.
A perfectly organized black trail began extending from beneath his feet, countless tiny cockroaches moving in formation as they spread ahead of him and indicated the correct route.
Jamie stared at them.
He knew perfectly well that these were Duel Monster spirits.
That did not make the sight of an enormous swarm of cockroaches any less unsettling.
Still, with the possibility of getting lost finally eliminated, Jamie’s pace increased considerably.
After following the trail for a while, however, he gradually realized that something about the route felt wrong.
The surroundings were becoming quieter.
He had started out walking through crowded streets filled with Duelists and pedestrians, but the farther he went, the fewer people he encountered.
Before long, the bustle of Domino City had faded almost completely.
Jamie looked around the strangely deserted road.
If there had been a black luxury sedan parked somewhere nearby, he might have started wondering whether he had wandered into the opening scene of his own assassination.
“This atmosphere…” Jamie glanced around the increasingly deserted surroundings, and a half-forgotten scene from the original story finally surfaced in his memory.
A grin spread across his face.
“There it is.
Today’s entertainment is about to begin.” Pretending he had noticed nothing unusual, Jamie continued following both the map and the trail laid out by Maxx “C.” A street, a park, a circus—one recognizable landmark after another came into view, and with each one, his hazy memories became clearer.
Eventually, after passing through several more stretches that did not warrant much attention, Jamie’s vision suddenly went dark.
When the light returned, a holographic projection of what could only be described as the bad-luck-pull version of Dark Magician appeared in front of him.
“Mr.
St.
James, you’ve defeated the former Japanese champion and even overcome the runner-up of Duelist Kingdom.
A Duelist of your caliber must possess quite a few rare cards, wouldn’t you say?
Perhaps Insect Queen, Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth, or even Red-Eyes Black Dragon?” Jamie had to admit the Rare Hunters’ intelligence network was fairly impressive.
Not perfect, but impressive.
The technology of this era still left plenty to be desired, and the holographic Dark Magician’s mouth movements did not even come close to matching the words coming out of it.
Jamie quickly lost interest in pretending to be fooled and turned his gaze toward the figure concealed in the darkness nearby.
He had actual Duel Monster spirits protecting him.
Was he really supposed to be frightened by cheap stage tricks like this?
Keep it up and Truck-kun might be paying somebody’s house a visit.
“So you’re one of the Rare Hunters?
I’ve heard about you.” Jamie folded his arms.
“I’m not interested in wasting time.
Since this is about Duel Monsters, let’s settle ownership of the rare cards through a Duel.
I have the cards you just mentioned, but do you actually have anything valuable enough to wager against them?” Strictly speaking, Jamie did not own a Red-Eyes Black Dragon.
Whoever wanted that salty fish of a dragon could keep it.
His heart already belonged to Dragonmaids, and there was no room left for joy or sorrow.
Well, Dragonmaids and Drytrons.
The figure hidden in the shadows finally stepped forward.
He wore an exaggerated magician’s costume and a mask that covered much of his face.
In one hand, he openly held a copy of the alternate-art Dark Magician associated with him.
“Hahahahaha!
Since you’ve been so cooperative, Mr.
St.
James, it would be rude of me not to introduce myself properly.
Welcome.
I am Arkana, Rare Hunter and master magician—and the greatest wielder of Dark Magician.” The man’s voice was not merely reminiscent of a certain theatrical blond vampire with an unfortunate connection to Egypt.
It was practically the same voice.
“You’re surely familiar with the Dark Magician used by Duelist Kingdom champion Yugi Muto.
According to the Rare Hunters’ information, aside from Yugi himself, I am the only Duelist who possesses copies of this card.
Does that satisfy you as a wager?” Arkana gave an elegant bow.
If his voice were not so absurdly theatrical, he might even have managed to look sophisticated.
“Mostly,” Jamie replied.
“But not completely.
I want more than your three Dark Magicians.” Arkana straightened.
“What else?” “The stakes are too small.” Jamie’s smile broadened.
“How about we wager everything we own that’s connected to Duel Monsters?” Jamie disliked gambling.
He simply enjoyed gambling when he was certain he would win and when the potential comedy was worth the trouble.
The proposal caught Arkana so completely off guard that even his steps faltered.
Behind the mask, his eyes narrowed.
Using the Millennium Item that linked him to his master, Arkana immediately contacted the leader of the Rare Hunters.
“Master Marik, there may be something unusual about this man.” He quickly explained what Jamie had proposed.
Unfortunately for Arkana, Marik’s thoughts were almost entirely occupied by the Pharaoh.
After only a brief consideration, he ordered Arkana to accept.
If Arkana won, Marik benefited.
If Arkana lost, it was not Marik’s property on the line.
Arkana naturally had no idea that his superior had arrived at the decision with such ruthless simplicity, so he obeyed.
Besides, he had plenty of confidence in himself.
He considered himself the greatest master of Dark Magician.
How could he possibly lose here?
“If you’re that eager to raise the stakes, Mr.
St.
James, then I would be delighted to oblige.
But if we’re going that far, we’ll need a different Dueling venue.” “Where?” “Follow me.” The instant Arkana accepted the wager, something changed inside Jamie’s Duel Disk.
The System had apparently decided it had been ignored for too long.
[Achievement Condition Triggered.] [Win one Shadow Game to permanently unlock the Shadow Game function.] Jamie stared at the notification.
A Duel Disk could apparently create Shadow Games now.
When he asked the System how that made any sense, the answer was predictably unhelpful.
[When in Rome, do as the Romans do.] It was ridiculous.
Then again, under the circumstances, Jamie could not exactly call it inappropriate.
He followed Arkana through the darkness for quite some time before the lights abruptly came on.
The chamber ahead looked extremely familiar.
It was the same underground Dueling arena where Arkana had faced Yami Yugi in the original story.
Jamie looked toward the circular platforms at the center.
“So we’re doing a life-or-death Duel?
Nice secluded room you’ve got here.
If something happened to somebody, I imagine it would be pretty hard for anyone outside to notice.” Arkana made no attempt to deny it.
Instead, he openly introduced his specially prepared arena, stepped into position, and cast Jamie a provocative look.
Jamie merely raised an eyebrow and activated his Duel Disk.
“Let’s skip the bargain-bin stage machinery.” Emerald light erupted around him.
“Come see what real darkness looks like.” The surrounding chamber vanished.
A spherical barrier enclosed Jamie and Arkana, while beyond it stretched an endless sea of thick black mist through which nothing could be seen.
Arkana’s expression stiffened.
Jamie smiled.
“Well then.
Shall we Duel?” He glanced at the Deck the System had assigned him.
“If you’re claiming to be the greatest wielder of Dark Magician, then this Deck should be just about right for you.” “Duel!” “I’ll go first!
My turn—draw!” Arkana was still trying to understand what had happened to the arena when Jamie, now thoroughly practiced at stealing the first turn, completed the entire opening sequence in one breath and drew his sixth card before Arkana could react.
Jamie examined his hand.
His eyes brightened.
‘The equation for victory is already complete.’ He raised one card with supreme confidence.
“My turn.
Set one.” Jamie placed it face-down.
“And pass.”