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Hello all,

Unbeknownst here with another project. With the completion of the thirteenth episode of Yugioh: VRAINS, I thought it was high time that released this fiction that I've been working on for about a week.

As with all my stories. It starts slow. Super slow. Oh, and the main character is male. The story is about him, but the omorashi content is not.

Enjoy.

 

Chapter List:

Chapter I: Uncertainty

Chapter II: Starting Point

Chapter III: Finding Inspiration

Chapter IV: Top of the Tower

Chapter V: To The Skies

Chapter VI: Battle in the Skies - Coming...  Soon

 

 

Edited by Unbeknownst
Updating TOC (see edit history)
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Chapter I: Uncertainty

 

Franz took another bite out of his hot dog chewing enthusiastically as he peered over the heads of the throbbing crowd in front of him at the large monitor they were all watching. His had combed thick brown hair, black framed hipster glasses, and wore his plaid buttoned down unzipped over a black tee and khakis.

With a final explosion the word Victory filled the viewing screens.

“And there you have it folks! The King reigns! Even the Fire Princess bows before his might!” On screen, a white wheel continued to race along the virtual data stream. Its rider sat in a seat mounted on the bottom of the wheel, his white coat fluttering in the wind. Beneath the blue visor of his helmet, the smallest of smiles creased his lips as a gloved hand pointed towards the sky in victory.

“Whose the Master of Faster?” His sharp voice echoed over the tumult of the crowd. “Who rules the Duels? That’s right, it’s me-”

And the crowd roared as one. “JACK ATLAS!”

Franz finished his hot dog as Jack took his victory lap flanked by his signature monster, the mighty Red Dragon Archfiend. ‘What was the guy’s name? Kusanagi? He makes a great gourmet hot dog.’ Throwing away the wrappings he looked towards the screen and said to no one in particular. “Jack Atlas should have lost that duel.”

“Indeed.” The voice from behind Franz cause him to jump in surprise. He whirled around to see a tall slender boy with dark hair with blue bangs and pink highlights. “There, are three reasons why he should have lost the duel,” continued the boy. “First: Fire Princess had several opportunities to attack for lethal. Second: There were multiple ways to prevent herself from losing. Third: She could have prevented him from ever summoning Red Dragon Archfiend.” The boy then turned and walked away leaving Franz to stare after him.

 

As Franz walked up to the security checkpoint the guard there waved cheerily. “Had a good time watching the duel?”

“Yup. Thank you for doing this for me.”

The guard guffawed. “I used to sneak out all the time to watch duels when I was younger. Of course, there was no Den City back then. Did a little dueling myself, even went to Duel Academy.”

“Oh? What’s it like?”

“Tough! I dropped out halfway through my second year.” The guard sighed. “Still, it was a ton of fun.” He regarded Franz more closely. “You’re about that age right? You ever consider trying out?”

“Sure. If I can get my hands on a deck I like. None of the decks I’ve ever touched felt like my deck.” Franz clenched and opened his hand. “None of them called to me.”

“I get you. If you don’t like your deck, if you don’t trust it, it doesn’t feel you’re really playing.”
Franz nodded. “I want to become a duelist. I want to stand on that stage, even just once, even if I bomb. I want to feel the excitement in a way I’ve never felt before.” He stared off into the starry sky. “I want to stand at the pinnacle and look down with satisfaction I have never felt before.”

“I remember when I had eyes like that.” The guard sighed wistfully. “But I’ll forever just be a casual duelist. You do have a deck right?”

Franz nodded. “I’ve tried several. But I’m still looking for the one.”

“Well good luck finding it.” The gate ground open and Franz strode off back to his dormitory with a wave of farewell.’

“I still don’t get it.” In one corner of the game store, two students sat across the table from each other. One of them had a duel disk that used virtual cards, the other was Franz. He didn’t have a duel disk on his arm.

“Why when someone activates the spell card Dark Hole destroying all monsters on the field does using my Call of the Haunted trap card to special summon Volcanic Rocket from my graveyard not do anything?”

Franz just smiled patiently. “Read Volcanic Rocket’s effect. It starts with ‘When’. That means its an optional triggered effect. It will miss the timing because it isn’t the effect that starts the chain.”

“Well that’s really annoying.” The other student sighed. “Say, you trying out for the academy too? You sure seem to know a lot.”

Franz just laughed halfheartedly. “I don’t have a deck yet.”

“They sell pre-constructed decks here. Just get any of them. I’m sure you’ll do fine.” He stood up. “Thanks for explaining.”

“No problem.” Franz watched them leave and then sighed to himself. “What am I going to do about getting a deck?” he asked the empty air.

“I’m pretty sure that guy was right.” The man manning the front desk looked over from his spot at the register. He gestured towards to the pre-constructed decks lining the shelf under the register. “You’d do fine with any of them. I’ll even let you try as many of them as you want for free.”

Franz scanned the decks available. “Thank you for the offer, but I’ve already tried them all.”

“All of them?” the man looked surprised. “And you didn’t like any of them?”

“It’s not that I didn’t like any of them. I just don’t think any of them is the right one for me.”

“Oh, I see.” The man’s eyes twinkled. “You could always pick out the one you like best and then change it to match your personal play style.”

“Or you can build a deck from scratch.” Franz recognized the boy who walked in as the one who had stated the three reasons Jack should have lost. “There are three reasons you should build your own deck. First: You are very particular in your tastes. If you build it, it will be guaranteed to match your preferences. Second: The pre-constructed decks are decent but far from optimal. They’re good for learning the game basics and low power casual play, but need significant upgrades to be competitive. Third: Building a deck from scratch provides infinite possibilities for improvement and refinement without changing the theme of the deck. One pack please.” The boy made his purchase and then promptly exited the store as suddenly as he had entered.

“Building a deck from scratch…” Truth be told, Franz had never actually considered that possibility. He was so concerned with finding the deck suited to him, that he didn’t think about other ways of tackling the problem. ‘How unlike me,’ he thought with a wry smile.

“What Yuusaku suggested isn’t a bad idea,” said the man.

Franz nodded. “I agree. I must get started right away.”

The man smiled at him. “That’s the spirit.”

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Chapter II: Starting Point

 

“Franz, are you paying attention or not?” The girl sitting across the table from Franz at the card shop pouted at him. “It’s been your turn!”

“Sorry, sorry. I’m just a little distracted.”

“That was totally obvious,” the girl rolled her eyes at him. “I’m going to beat you if you don’t focus.”

“Alright then, my draw. I activate the spell card The Warrior Returning Alive. Then I chain the quick play spell card Soul Reversal and the quick play spell card Chain Summoning.” Franz laid the three spell cards on the table in front of him.

“Chain Summoning lets me normal summon three times in a turn instead of just once. Soul Reversal lets me return a flip effect monster from my graveyard to the top of my deck. I return Crystal Seer to the top of my deck. Then The Warrior Returning Alive returns a warrior monster from my graveyard to my hand. I choose Junk Synchron.”

“First I normal summon Assault Mercenary. This allows me return an Assault Mode Activate from my graveyard to the deck to destroy your Swords of Revealing Light.” The girl frowned as she moved the continuous spell card to her graveyard.

“Okay, sure. But you still have to get through my Number 81: Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Super Dora.”

“I’m getting there, I’m getting there. I normal summon Junk Synchron. This let’s me special summon Arcane Apprentice from my graveyard. I summon Night Wing Sorceress. Because I control a tuner monster, I can summon Quillbolt Hedgehog from my graveyard in defense position, but it’s banished when it leaves the field.” With this, all five of Franz’s main monster zones were filled.

“Okay, so you have a bunch of low level monsters with low attack.” It was true. All four of the monsters Franz controlled were level 4 or lower and had 1800 attack or less. The girl had her elbow propped on the table, leaning against her first. “Dora has 3200 attack. And I still have 4000 life points. You can make a link monster, but then I don’t think you’ll have the materials to make anything useful.”

“Who said anything about making a link monster? I tune Arcane Apprentice with Quillbolt Hedgehog in order to synchro summon Crystron Quandax. Arcane Apprentice’s ability let’s me add an Assault Mode Activate from my deck to my hand.”

The girl’s frown deepened. “That’s a trap card. You can’t activate it this turn.”

“Yes I can.”

“No you can’t. You can’t activate trap cards the turn you set them.”

“Normally yes, but I have Night Wing Sorceress in play. Her effect lets me activate the trap card Assault Mode Activate on the turn I set it. I set Assault Mode Activate.”

“Then I tune Crystron Quandax with Assault Mercenary in order to synchro summon Colossal Fighter.”

“Wait, you already filled all your extra monster zones. How can you be allowed to special summon from your extra deck. Stop cheating!”

“I’m not. Since the Crystron Quandax I summoned to the extra monster zone is sent to the graveyard as part of the summon. The extra monster zone is free to accommodate Colossal Fighter. I then use Assault Mode Activate tributing Colossal Fighter in order to special summon Colossal Fighter /Assault Mode from my deck.”

“Hold up, hold up. That thing is level 10 with 3300 attack?!” The girl’s mouth had fallen open. “From a main deck monster?!”

“Oh that’s not the best part. The best part is that when it is summoned, I get to send two warrior type monsters from my deck to the graveyard. Also, your monsters lose 100 attack for every warrior monster in my graveyard. The two warrior monsters I choose to send are The Phantom Knights of Ancient Cloak and The Phantom Knights of Fragile Armor. That means I have a total of… 12 warrior monster cards in my graveyard.”

“Well I activate Dora’s effect. By detaching one material, I can make Dora immune to other effects until end of turn so it will still have 3200 attack. That means the most you can deal is 100 from Colossal Fighter + 1300 for Night Wing Sorceress + 1300 for Junk Synchron is only 2700 damage total. I have 4000 life points. So ha!” She gave a self satisfied smile. Considering the five cards left in her hand to Franz’s one. If she survived the turn, all she had to do was get rid of Colossal Fighter /Assault Mode and the game would effectively be hers.

“Aren’t you forgetting?” Franz tapped a spot on the board. “My extra monster zone is free again.”

“I don’t see how that makes a difference. There’s no level 6 synchro with 3900 or more attack.”

“I’m not making a synchro monster. I overlay Night Wing Sorceress with Junk Warrior in order to xyz summon The Phantom Knights of Break Sword. I then activate it’s effect, detaching 1 material to target The Phantom Knights of Break Sword and Number 81: Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Super Dora.”

“Dora… can’t be affected by monster effects.”

“But The Phantom Knights of Break Sword can be. When Break Sword is destroyed, I can special summon up to two Phantom Knight cards with the same level from my graveyard. Their levels are then increased by 1 and I can only special summon Dark monsters for the rest of the turn. I special summon two The Phantom Knight of Cloven Helm.” He returned the two cards to the battlefield.

“That’s still only 1500 attack each. You’re 900 damage short.”

“Not once I activate the effects of my Ancient Cloak and Fragile Armor from the graveyard. By banishing Ancient Cloak from my graveyard, I can add one The Phantom Knights card from my deck to my hand except The Phantom Knights of Ancient Cloak. Then I banish Fragile Armor from my graveyard sending the The Phantom Knights card from my hand to the graveyard and drawing a card. This triggers my The Phantom Knights of Cloven Helm which gain 500 attack whenever a  Phantom Knights card is sent to the graveyard.”

“So that means you gain +1000 damage overall…”

“And game if you don’t stop me.”

A long period of silence ensued as the girl tanked staring in disbelief from the game board to her hand. “Alright you got it.”

Franz breathed out a sigh of relief.

 

“Thanks for the game,” said Franz as they finished putting their cards away.

The girl huffed. “Next time you should pay attention. I don’t see why people laud you as such a great player when you don’t even have that much decency.”

Franz blushed and mumbled an apology. “Do people call me a great player?”

“Well one of my friends trying out for the Academy recommended I come and play you. She said you were a good teacher. But you’re too busy staring off into space.”

“Yeah, I’ve been thinking lately.”

The girl’s glare softened slightly. “About what?”

“I don’t have a deck yet and I’m trying to think about what kind of deck I want to build.”

“What do you mean you don’t have a deck? Why don’t you just use that one?”

“Oh this thing? It’s the store’s. I just borrow it.”

“Well why not buy it?”

“There are three good reasons why I should buy it. First: I has some very powerful monsters. Second: It has a wide variety of effects that can be used to get out of almost any situation. Third: It has a lot of in-built synergy.”

“But, there are also three good reasons why I shouldn’t buy it. First: Despite its high power and synergy, it has a surprisingly high brick rate. Occasionally there are hands where the first plays are entirely ineffective and some where you can’t play anything at all. Second: Despite the wide variety of removal effects, it’s easy for the opponent to shut it down. Third: It just doesn’t feel like my deck.”

The girl blinked at him. “Why do you talk like that?”

“Talk like what?”

“The three reasons speech.”

“Oh… I must be listening to Yuusaku too much. He tends to explain things like that.”

“Yuusaku?”

“He’s the one who suggested I build my own deck instead of starting with a pre-made. I don’t know much about him other than he comes to this store occasionally and is probably better than me.”

“So are you planning on going to Duel Academy.”

“If I can build a deck.”

“If, it’s not a question of if. It’s a question of actually starting instead of sitting around.” She grabbed his arm and Franz noted not for the first time, the whiff of lavender perfume.

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Chapter III: Finding Inspiration

 

“Oh, so you’re Lisa’s friend.” Lisa was one of the couple of people who dropped by regularly to meet with Franz. Most people he just happened to meet and probably would never meet again. Lisa was one of the couple that actively sought him out. He often wondered why she came to meet with him if she was probably using a professional tutor and/or going to prep school. Judging from her clothes, she could easily afford it.

The same could be said of the girl dragging him now. She had honey blonde hair held back by a white headband, blue eyes and a slim athletic figure. She wore a fashionable sleeveless white vest, a blue t-shirt, blue fingerless gloves, white shorts and blue ankle boots. She skipped along happily ahead and flashed him a cheerful smile that made Franz feel more than a little uncomfortable.

“We’re here!” The girl let go of his hand and skipped over to a very familiar looking food truck. Franz looked around and realized that this was his usual viewing spot for watching duels. They just arrived by a different route than he was used to.

“Ah, Kylie!” The man in the apron operating the grill smiled down at them. “The usual?”

“Sure!”

The man looked over at Franz. “And what about you?”

“The usual.”

Kusanagi winked. “Ready in no time. Oi! Yuusaku!”

The familiar form of Yuusaku appeared over the food truck counter looking very odd in a pink apron. He noticed Franz looking as he tugged on a pair of clear gloves. “How’s your deck building going?”

“Still deciding.”

“Oh.”

“What seems to be the problem?” asked Kusanagi handing a steaming coffee cup to Kylie.

“He’s just being troublesome,” she replied for him. “I figured we should start by hunting for a stroke of inspiration.

“It’s not good to rely on having a eureka moment,” frowned Yuusaku.

“But to find one would also be a welcome development,” countered Franz. “Besides, she’s the one dragging me around. I have no idea what we’re looking for.”

“That’s the point!” Kylie gently knocked on the top of his head with a fist. “We’re looking for everything and anything that’ll get that brain of yours moving.”

 

With that in mind, Franz followed Kylie around the city. As a transfer student, he’d studied the map enough to find his way vaguely in the right direction. Places like the outdoor viewing, the game store, and his school he’d already recognized. He transferred in at the beginning of the school year and by now it was approaching the end. He figured he would take a proper look see around during the summer when he was bored.

They were deep in the heart of the city when Franz heard something. He looked towards its source, but saw nothing. He started to walk away when he heard it again. The sound of sobbing.

“What’s the hold up?” Kylie had kept walking a good distance a quick pace but returned when she realized he wasn’t with her.

“I hear somebody crying.”

“Over this?” Kylie was practically shouting over the noise of traffic passing them by.

“Yes, over this.” Franz didn’t know why, but the more he listened, the clearer the crying became and the more distant the other sounds seemed. He walked through the sliding glass doors into a large skyscraper.

“Look, Franz,” Kylie pleaded. “I know there’s a viewing deck at the top of this tower. It’s very nice view, but, um.” She leaned in close to his ear that they were almost touching. “I need to pee. So let’s find a restroom first.”

“Won’t there be one in this tower?”

“Oh yeah, good point.”

Kylie crossed her feet as she looked first one way and then the other. She exhaled tensely and started walking around, looking for a sign. Spotting something, she hurried off into a side corridor and Franz went chasing after her.

“Bugger, bugger, bugger, bugger,” Kylie muttered rapidly under her breath as she paced beside a large collapsed vending machine surrounded by cones. On the other side down the hall was the sign she so very wished was on this side. The machine was propped precariously on its side leaning against the opposite wall.

“Maybe there’s a way around?” suggested Franz. “Or we could just climb over it.”

“We’d better not.” Kylie led them back the way they had come, biting her lip. They found themselves back in the main lobby area. People milled around, coming from and going to the viewing deck on the top floor.

“Over here.” Franz led the way to a building directory. “So this is where we are.”

“Mhm mhm.” Kylie nodded her understanding as she stood with her legs pressed together, bobbing gently. “And there’s the restroom that was blocked.”

“So if we go through here, we’ll come out at the food court. There’s bound to be a restroom there.”

“Let’s go.” Kylie led the way to the covered walkway that connected this building to the nearby shopping mall. She took short steps, keeping her legs pressed together.

“You okay?” asked Franz.

Kylie shook her head. “But I will be as soon as we find a restroom.” Her clenched fists drummed against her bare thighs. She paused for a moment, leaning against the wall panting. She glanced towards Franz and her face reddened slightly, but she said nothing.

Her breathing slowed and Kylie went back to walking, albeit at a much slower pace than before. They hadn’t made it there yet when she began hyperventilating again. “I can’t hold it any longer,” she moaned, bouncing haphazardly from foot to foot. Kylie gasped and Franz caught a brief glimpse of a wet spot between her legs as she wedged a glove hand over it.

“Look away, idiot.” Kylie glared at him, but the glare turned into more of a grimace as as she slammed her legs together, shuddering from the effort of not flooding her shorts.

Franz didn’t know what to say, but he also couldn’t keep himself from watching Kylie from the periphery of his vision as he looked up and down the corridor for passersby.

He could hear the drip even over the soft tapping of Kylie’s boots. “Oh no, oh no, oh no,” she whimpered. “I’m not going to make it. I can’t.”

“Make yourself useful and keep a look out,” she hissed sharply at Franz.

Before he could ask what she meant, he heard the sound of spattering liquid and Kylie’s harsh breathing eased slightly. He was careful not to look, watching the ends of the corridor, although he had no idea how he would head off anyone that did happen to come this way, nor explain.

Finally, Kylie finished and he heard the sound of cloth and a zipper. Evidently she had taken off her shorts to keep from wetting them.

“You can turn around now,” said Kylie.

Franz turned to find Kylie standing in a large puddle, the area of her shorts between her legs still dripping wet and few stray drops still trailing down her legs. The expression on her face was extremely miserable and she appeared on the verge of tears.

He didn’t know what to do, so Franz did nothing at first. “Maybe we should go the restroom anyway,” he finally said. “Give you a chance to get cleaned up.”

“I suppose.” Kylie brushed away a gathering tear. With a great sniff, she forced herself to calm down. She looked back at Franz whose expression was perfectly neutral. “You aren’t laughing at me?”

“Why would I be laughing?” replied Franz straightforwardly.

Kylie gave him a small smile. “Actually, what you suggested is a good idea. I’ll head straight to restroom and wait in line. You go buy me a new pair of underwear and shorts.”

Now it was Franz’s turn to blush. “You want me to walk into a store and buy a pair of ladies’ underwear and shorts? Are you nuts?”

“Just tell the clerk they’re for your sister if you’re that concerned. Now git.”

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A character was cut off. (see edit history)
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Chapter IV: Top of the Tower

 

Kylie returned from the restroom looking very much refreshed. “Thank you for waiting.”

“Why are you thanking me? I should be thanking you. After all, its because you decided to try and help me that this entire mess happened in the first place.”

Kylie puffed her cheeks out at that. “Then I won’t be paying you back for the clothes you just bought me.” She then grinned and winked. “Just joking. Of course I will. Now come on, let’s go see the top of the tower!” She skipped off leaving Franz to follow after.

“You sure rebounded quickly,” remarked Franz as they rode the elevator up.

She shot a frown at him. “Just forget about it.”

He doubted she had really gotten over it so easily, but it wouldn’t do to antagonize her, so Franz let the matter drop. Instead, he wondered what became of the voice he heard crying earlier. He hadn’t seen anything out of the ordinary in the entire time they had been in the building. Well… nothing except for that wrecked vending machine… and Kylie failing to find a restroom.

But still, he was certain he had heard something. The question still remained, what and from where? He listened closely again and the hum of the elevator seemed to fade out. He could hear crying again, louder than before. Crying from above them.

The elevator reached the top and opened into an open air viewing deck. Franz walked to the edge and looked down. Immediately he wished he hadn’t. Normally he was fine with heights. This, this was a bit much.

He was close, he could hear that much. He looked around the viewing deck, but he didn’t see anyone in obvious distress. A laughing child ran past him and he stepped back hastily.

“You don’t hear the crying do you?” Franz asked Kylie who was leaning on the wall surrounding the viewing area shading her eyes.

“What crying? You sure you aren’t hearing something else?”

“I’m sure.” He had considered the possibility earlier, but the more he questioned himself, the more certain he was. If it wasn’t, it wouldn’t be tugging this hard at his heart strings.

But his what he saw and what he heard seemed entirely disconnected. He saw families, couples, and random strangers either happily or calmly enjoying the view. No one crying. But he heard crying.

And the crying sounded really close. Franz blinked and when he opened his eyes, he thought he saw something near the railing. An unnatural scattering of light. A clear plastic water bottle lay on the ground both ends capped by metal. The plastic had cracked open, leaving shards scattered against the wall.

“Shouldn’t this be roped off? It’s clearly a safety hazard.” He stepped right up next to the cylinder and stumbled as strong emotions washed over him. Pain, and fear so strong he found his feet shaking.

“Franz?”

Kylie’s voice sounded a million miles away. The light flickered and Franz polished his glasses peering intently. He vaguely make out a figure, a person formed of light particles sitting against the wall with their knees tucked up to their chest. Then the light flickered again and the image disappeared.

“Hello?” Franz asked softly. Another flicker. The figure seemed to turn to look at him.

“You can see me?” The voice was so light, he almost missed it.

“Earth to Franz.” Kylie waved her hand in front of his face. “I haven’t gone anywhere. There’s no need to call for me.”

“Please don’t distract me for now.” Franz gently pushed the hand away.

“What’s wrong with you?” Kylie huffed, but she did as he asked.

Franz leaned closer and the figure’s face followed him but he still couldn’t make out any features. It was as if the person was nothing more than dust floating through a beam of light. “Yes, barely.”

The figure started to dissipate, becoming even more faint. “I can’t stay.” He heard a sniffle. “Please-” The voice faded away entirely along with the figure.

“Please, please what?” Franz mumbled to himself. Now that he looked more closely, he realized that what he first assumed was a water bottle clearly wasn’t. The walls were made of thick glass and ripped off wiring poked out where the straw should have been. What looked like torn paper lay scatter around and clumped in the bottom of the container.

“Kylie.” Franz turned only to realize she wasn’t next to him. Kylie stood nearby leaning against the wall texting. She looked up with a rather annoyed expression. “Done with your whatever?”

“Yes. Do you know what that is?”

“What, what is?” He pointed and she narrowed her eyes at the container for a few moments. “No idea.”
Franz knelt down and picked up one of the paper scraps. The material was much stiffer than paper. He knew this familiar feeling. The feeling of card material. He collected as much card material as he could find and picked up the container.

“You’re taking that?” asked Kylie.

“Yes. I’m going to try and figure out what this is.”

Kylie poked Franz in the forehead. “Don’t forget to actually build your deck.”

Franz smiled wryly.

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Chapter V: To The Skies

 

“You know, in all the traveling I’ve done, I’ve never actually been to Natsh.”

“You travel a lot?” Franz walked side by side with Kylie, both of them pulling rolling luggage. But where Kylie pulled only a single moderately sized bag, Franz pushed and pulled two large ones. He also wore a backpack that was completely filled. The school year had ended and Franz was on his way back home for the summer.

To his surprise, he found out the three of them would be flying together. The three of them being him, Kylie, and Lisa. He was right about Lisa being rich, her father was one of the higher ups at a media firm. What he had never suspected was that Lisa’s parents were friends of his parents. The firm that Lisa’s parents worked for was the same firm that published his father’s long running article series on card archaeology.

And for this year’s family vacation, they had decided to head to the picturesque City of Waterfalls to see the museum where Franz’s father worked as head of card department. As Lisa’s best friend, Kylie almost always tagged along.

Everyone rendezvoused at the baggage drop. Franz immediately felt under dressed. Lisa, her mother, and her younger sister were all dressed in elegant dresses while her two brothers and father all wore suits.

“You’d think we were going to another ball and not vacation,” joked Kylie as she got her bag weighed.

“Sssshhh. It’s a ‘business’ trip,” winked Lisa’s father. He grinned. “We actually forgot until we arrived that something more casual might be appropriate.”

Everybody dropped off their bags and made their way through security. “So  you’re the famous Franz,” grinned Lisa’s father as he tied his shoes. “I didn’t think we’d meet Mike’s son until we got there.” The Mike he referred to was Franz’s father.

“Me too,” replied Franz. He turned to Lisa who was pulling her black coat back on over her lime colored dress. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Lisa held up her hands defensively. “How was I supposed to know?”

“So how do you two know each other?” asked Lisa’s father. “Name’s Dan.” He and Franz shook hands.

“He’s the guy I visit at the shop every weekend,” replied Lisa. She hunted around in her purse for her handkerchief which she used to dab at something in her eye.

“Oh ho. You think Kylie’s cousin tutoring you isn’t good enough?”

“She’s too busy to answer my questions. And she’s really only an expert at Rituals and Fusions.”

“But what qualifications does he have to answer your questions?” cut in Lisa’s older brother James. Her twin brother Derek nodded his agreement.

“He, well. Uh. I guess, he hasn’t been wrong yet? And he explains things very clearly.”

“He’s also the youngest Children’s Champion.” That bombshell threw everyone for a loop. Franz blushed and scratched the side of his head in embarrassment as everyone turned to stare at him.

“How do you know that, dear?” Dan asked his wife, Rose.

Rose smiled coyly. “Sarah told me once upon a time when we were talking.”

“You’re sure she wasn’t just making small talk?”

“Here.” Franz reached into his pants and pulled out a wallet, he withdrew a crumpled up slip of paper. On the paper were the words ‘Honorary Victor’, his name, and the date on which it was issued.

“What does it mean by ‘Honorary’ victor?” asked Lisa’s younger sister, Mary. Like Lisa, she had inherited their mother’s, dark brown hair and eyes.

“It means I didn’t officially win. I was disqualified from the tournament during the final match when I was up a game with lethal on board because I was too young. The Children’s Championship only allows children between the ages of nine and ten. I lied about my age, and they found out I was only eight when the tournament started.”

“What happened?”

Franz scowled deeply. Lisa hushed her sister. “Don’t bother him, Mary. It’s probably hurts to talk about it.”

“No it’s alright. The organizers gave me this slip of paper and sent me home after confiscating my deck and giving me a five year ban.” Franz sighed bitterly and took the slip back crumpling it into his wallet and shoving it into his pant pocket.

 

“Oh, I’m not looking forward to this.”

“What’s wrong?” Kylie glanced at her friend with concern. Lisa leaned her head against the window.

“It’s a five hour flight.”

“Wait, really?”

“Yeah, I’m going to be so stiff by the time we land it’ll take a crowbar to pry me out of the seat.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll ask the flight attendant for one.” Their party took up eight seats in total. Lisa had a window seat, Kylie in the aisle seat beside her. Behind them sat James and Derek. Across from them sat Lisa’s parents. Which left Franz sitting next to Mary for reasons he could not fathom. Wouldn’t the most reasonable seating arrangement be for him to sit with Kylie and Lisa with Mary?

 

Since they had pre-boarded, they had to wait for the rest of the passengers to board. Mary pulled out a stack of cards from her small pack and began going through them. “Do you play?” asked Franz conversationally.

She nodded. “A little bit. My deck isn’t as good as Lisa’s.”

“Not as good? What do you mean?”
“She beats me all the time.”

“Well, she does have more experience and game knowledge than you.”

Mary pouted. “She’ll always have that.”

“True, but the difference will grow smaller over time. There’s only so much to know about the game and experience is easy to come by.”

 

While Franz was talking with Mary, Kylie and Lisa were having a very different conversation.

“It’s been happening to you also?” asked Lisa.

Kylie nodded. “I’ve been needing to go a lot more often lately. And when I need to go, it gets worse very quickly.”

Lisa frowned. “I went to the doctor’s, but she said that nothing was wrong with me.”
“You went to see a doctor?” Kylie bit her lip. “That’s probably the right thing to do. I should do that at some point.”

Lisa sank into her seat. “I really hope I don’t need to go during the flight. I made sure to go just before boarding and I haven’t drunken anything since breakfast.”

“Same. I hate airplane restrooms.”

“I wonder if Mary did that as well?”

“You don’t know? Why is it that she’s sitting with Franz anyway?”

“Well she and I both want window seats. You know how Derek and James always sit together.”
“Yeah, but isn’t it normally Mary with your mother while your father goes to sit somewhere else?”

Derek’s face poked over the seats from behind them. “I heard mom and dad talking about putting all the kids together.”

“Oh, I see. Thanks Derek.” Lisa’s eyes suddenly widened slightly. “Wait, you didn’t happen to hear what we were talking about before right?”

“Nope, just that last question.”

“Okay, good.”

“So what were you two talking about?”

“Nothing.” Lisa waved her hands in front of her face and Derek let the matter drop.

Kylie wasn’t paying attention to the exchange, but was instead watching Franz across the aisle. His hands moved animatedly as he gesticulated, clearly explaining something as he pointed to a specific card in Mary’s hand.

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