Chapter 26: Operation Reira
As Shun walked into the limousine, he had to admit he wasn't sure why he was doing this. Maybe it was because he was still in shock after Fudo Yusei countered every single move he made in their duel and won having taken no damage. Maybe it was because it was late in the day and he was tired and therefore open to suggestions. Or maybe because he was desperate. He suspected it was the last one.
After he got inside, Akaba Reiji followed him in. "Take us to the Akaba Corporation Tower," he told Nakajima.
"Yes, sir."
Shun looked at Reiji suspiciously. "The Akaba Corporation? I thought you were a school director."
"I am. And I am also the CEO of the Akaba Corporation," Reiji said. "The two seniors you dueled – Damon McCross and Fudo Yusei – are heavily involved in campus life. If you were to come to IDA, the chances of you running into them would be too high. It's much safer for us to talk at my company's headquarters."
Shun narrowed his eyes. "That Fusion duelist, Damon McCross… are you certain he isn't from Academia?"
"Yes," Reiji said. "He's been going to IDA for about three years now. The background checks my people perform are very thorough. I feel very confident in saying that none of my students are from Academia."
Shun thought about that, then said, "How do you know about Academia? About Heartland and Arcadia?"
"Because of my father," Reiji said. Shun raised an eyebrow. "My father, Akaba Leo, is the leader of Academia," he explained. "The one called the Professor."
"What!?" Shun said, eyes wide with horror. "Then… this is a trap! You're taking me to Academia!"
"No," Reiji said calmly. "I was telling you the truth when I said that Academia and Arcadia are my enemies. You see, over three years, my father disappeared. He didn't schedule a flight or make an announcement that he was leaving or anything remotely like that. He just vanished out of thin air.
"Then, one day, I gained access to his personal laboratory. I had never been inside it before and what I found was… world-shattering."
Shun narrowed his eyes. He was still suspicious of Reiji, but he was willing to listen to this story.
"In my father's lab was a teleportation device. A prototype to the ones Academia used to enter Heartland, I imagine."
"A teleporter?" Shun mused, thinking back on the invasion. When he examined Academia's Duel Disk, Dr. Faker had found what he believed to be teleportation technology, but he wasn't able to reverse engineer it. There was something missing – some other factor behind how it worked that Dr. Faker couldn't figure out.
"Yes," Reiji said. "Being the curious young man that I was, I entered it. And was teleported to Academia."
"You were there?" Shun asked. "You've been to Academia?"
"Yes, but I'm afraid I don't know where it is," Reiji told him. "I know it is an island, but not which ocean it is in. Finding its location has been a goal of mine for the last three years, but I have yet to succeed. But back to my story…
"Not long after I arrived, I found a young girl named Serena being chased by what I assumed were security officers. I was incredibly shocked to see them summon monsters in Real Solid Vision; my father had been working on it before he left. Evidently, he finished it and gave it to Academia. I helped the girl get away, but soon after we were surrounded. That was when my father showed himself."
Reiji narrowed his eyes. "His people took Serena back to whatever place she was supposed to stay, then they attached a miniature teleporter to my wrist. A one-way ticket back to Tokyo. Before I was sent back, however, I demanded answers from my father. About why he left my mother and me. The answer he gave… he said he had been recruited to save the world."
"Save the world?" Shun repeated, outraged. "How does destroying my home save the world!?"
"I don't know," Reiji said. "And he didn't elaborate further before the teleporter they placed on me sent me away. But as soon as I returned, I checked the teleporter at the Akaba Corporation. My act of going through it had drained its power source, to the point where only one more trip would be possible. I thought about going back, but I realized I would have the same experience as before. My father would not listen to me and send me back to Tokyo again."
He paused, then continued. "So instead I approached an old friend of my father's. Someone who I believed would be able to convince my father to abandon his plans and return to me and my mother. He went through the teleporter and… that is all I know. I haven't heard from that person in three years. Obviously, he didn't succeed because Heartland was attacked, but I don't know his fate. I don't know if he made it to my father and was imprisoned, or if the teleporter sent him somewhere else. I don't even know if he is alive or not. But since then…
"I have been preparing for the day Akaba Leo turns his gaze to Tokyo. Just as his invasion of Heartland was inevitable, he will send people to Tokyo one day."
"What?" Shun said, narrowing his eyes. "He couldn't attack Tokyo. Heartland was isolated even before it was attacked. The chances of someone finding out about it were always low. Tokyo is one of the largest cities in the world. If he attacked, the entire world would inevitably find out."
"I didn't say attack," Reiji clarified. "I said he will send people here. My excursion to Academia, combined with your efforts here in Tokyo, confirmed something to me." He pressed a button on the inside of the limousine door, and several screens popped up. They were images taken from security cameras. Shun narrowed his eyes on seeing one of him, Ruri, and Yuto at the train station. That was the day they came to Tokyo.
"Those two people with you," Reiji said. "They are Resistance members, too, aren't they? What are their names?"
Shun was silent for a long moment, then quietly said, "My sister Ruri and my best friend Yuto."
Ruri, Reiji thought, narrowing his eyes. He had asked Rio to talk to Yuzuki about her Dark Anthelion Dragon and where she got it. Rio in turn had told Reiji that it had been a gift from a girl named Ruri.
So Fujita Yuzuki had contact with a member of the Resistance, Reiji mused. Does that mean… Fujita-san knows about Heartland?
He turned his attention back to Shun, who continued speaking. "We came to this city to find Arcadia, defeat them, and find out what their connection to Academia was. If Sayer has knowledge about where Academia is or how to undo their card-sealing technology…" Reiji nodded. He could see why either of those would be helpful. "But... not long after we came to Tokyo, my sister disappeared."
"Disappeared?" Reiji said, surprised. He hadn't been expecting that.
"Yes. We fell into an Arcadia ambush. Yuto and I managed to escape, but Ruri was nowhere to be found. All we found was a girl who had her face, but wasn't her."
"Fujita Yuzuki," Reiji guessed. When Shun turned to him, he said, "Fujita-san is a freshman at my school. One of the best in fact, despite what one of my senior faculty thinks. She's also one of the few duelists in the world to practice Pendulum Summoning."
"Pendulum Summoning?" Shun repeated, frowning. He'd heard about Pendulum Summoning, but he'd never fought an opponent who used it.
"Since coming to IDA, Fujita-san and her friend Sakaki Yuya have only grown in strength," Reiji said. "As of the Number Tournament, they have both added Fusion and Xyz Summoning to their arsenals."
Fusion and Xyz together? Shun scowled on hearing that. Doing such a thing… it was insulting to him! Then Shun remembered something Reiji had said.
"You said your experience at Academia and our coming here to Tokyo confirmed something to you. What was it?"
Reiji turned to Shun. "That for some reason, which I do not know, the Professor has an interest in girls that have the same face. The girl I met at Academia, Serena, had the same face as Fujita-san and your sister."
"What?" Shun said, surprised. Now there was a third girl who looked like his sister? "Why would your father care about girls who look the same? Is he some creepy pervert who's into teenage girls?"
"My father is many things, but perversion has always been beneath him," Reiji said. "I don't know why, but my father wants these girls. With Fujita-san here in Tokyo, he'll send people here eventually. It's inevitable. The most I can do is prepare for what is coming. That means keeping you and your friends in Tokyo out of Arcadia's hands. And providing Sayer a distraction."
"A distract-. The Number Tournament," Shun said, realization hitting him. "Arcadia was tracking us by our summoning energy. You made Xyz Monsters for the tournament to confuse them."
"It didn't take long for me to find out about Heartland," Reiji told him. "It took even less time to find out about Arcadia's involvement. I'm not sure why Arcadia was brought in, but when I discovered they were in Heartland, I figured it would only be a matter of time before you or your comrades would come to Tokyo to fight them. Thus, I devised the Number Tournament. 100 duelists from the top four Duel Academies in Japan, each armed with a powerful Xyz Monster. Their summoning energy would serve to mask yours and confuse Sayer enough that I would be able to approach you. Though I admit, I hoped to find you before you engaged my students."
"… So now what? Are you going to help me take down Arcadia?"
"Yes. But not until the tournament is over."
"What? But my sister-!"
"Is not with Arcadia."
"What?" Shun said, surprised.
"Not long after you arrived in this city, Fujita Yuzuki and Sakaki Yuya were kidnapped by Arcadia. I was able to secure their release, and to ensure that it didn't happen again, one of my students hacked into Arcadia's servers and retrieved all information on them. She also took the precaution of downloading all security footage in the week prior to that. I've analyzed that footage personally, and I can tell you that your sister has never set foot in Arcadia."
That made Shun feel better, but it also confused him. "Then… where is she? Where is Ruri? If she was still in Tokyo, she would have tried to find me or Yuto somehow."
"I'm afraid I don't know," Reiji said. He decided not to mention to Shun that Yuzuki was in possession of one of Ruri's cards. That would bring them into contact, and he didn't want that. Not yet, at least. "What I do know is this: Once the Number Tournament is over, I will bring down Arcadia. And I will need your help to do it. Will you work with me to put an end to Sayer's and my father's plans?"
Shun was silent for the next four blocks. "So long as your objectives align with mine," he said. "I'll work with you. But I have a request."
"And that is?"
"Let me talk to Fujita Yuzuki," Shun asked. When Reiji raised an eyebrow, he said, "Yuto and I found her near the last place Ruri was. She might know something about what happened to her. And even if she doesn't know, she should know about the Professor. And that he wants her."
Reiji shook his head. "No. I cannot let you talk to her."
"But-."
"She has been through enough already," Reiji interrupted. "Her and Sakaki Yuya. The man I told you I sent to talk to my father? That was Sakaki Yusho, Yuya's father. Neither of them knows why he disappeared. Because I asked Yusho to go, they experienced three years of unnecessary pain." He narrowed his eyes. "And it's not just Yuya's father. They were kidnapped by Arcadia, and the footage I saw… it's a miracle the two of them are willing to leave IDA's campus. No. They've suffered enough pain for now. I won't add to it. Not until I have to." He glanced at Shun, whose expression was blank. "If you approach Fujita Yuzuki before I agree to it, our alliance is off. Whatever information she has about your sister will have to wait."
"… Fine," Shun finally said. While he didn't like it, he understood why Reiji didn't want him talking to Yuzuki. And as loath as he was to admit it, he needed Reiji's help to take down Arcadia. So he wouldn't talk to Yuzuki about Ruri. Of course, that didn't mean Yuto couldn't…
"Sir," Nakajima spoke up from the driver's seat as they parked. "We're here."
"Ah. Akaba Corporation headquarters," Reiji said as Nakajima opened the door. Shun followed him and stared at the massive skyscraper in front of him. "We do, of course, still have more things to discuss. If you'll follow me…" Reiji walked up the steps towards the entrance. After only a moment's hesitation, Shun followed him.
Himika Akaba walked from the infirmary to the director's office, Reira walking behind her. After making sure that Kamishiro Rio was going to make a full recovery, she'd stayed a while to talk to Damon McCross and Fudo Yusei. She understood that Rio was their friend, but she told them to focus on the tournament, then congratulated them for acquiring six Numbers. Or in Yusei's case, seven. Now however, she had work to do, and Reiji's office was the best place to do it. She knew Reiji wouldn't be there; he was planning to take the Heartland survivor to company headquarters to keep him away from Damon and Yusei – and the rest of the students. Despite Reiji's confidence that there were no Academia spies at IDA, Himika didn't want to take chances. Besides, the presence of someone who was not a student or faculty would raise questions. Questions she did not want to answer.
Before she hit the top floor, however, she ran into one of her employees. "Ah, Tio," she said. "I didn't expect to see you here. I thought the director assigned you to the park for cleanup. What are you doing here?"
"The director reassigned me, madam Chairwoman," Tio answered, bowing slightly to her. "Considering how late it's gotten, he asked that I take young Reira-sama home."
Himika raised an eyebrow. "That's odd. Reira does go home around this time, but Nakajima is usually the one to take her home."
"The director required Nakajima's help for a high-security project," Tio said. "I'm afraid I don't know the nature of the project, but I understood it would take up most of the night. The director believed I was suitable enough for the task of driving Reira-sama home."
Himika thought about it and sighed. She figured the high-security project was the Heartland survivor, and Reiji would want Nakajima's help with him. And Tio had been with the company for years; while not as trustworthy as Nakajima, he was qualified enough for this.
"Reira," she said, startling the young girl and causing her to stare up at her. "Tio here is taking you home. Understood?" Reira turned to Tio, stared at him, then nodded. Himika smiled. "Good girl. I'll be home in a few hours myself. Goodbye, Tio."
"Goodbye, madam Chairwoman," Tio responded, bowing to her as she left. He held out his hand to Reira. "Come with me, Reira-sama." Reira ignored him and started walking towards the garage where the cars were parked. Tio caught up with her and walked behind her. As he did so, his face morphed into a psychotic smirk and his eyes glowed dark pink.
Yes. Well done, Tio, the voice spoke into his mind. Now bring the child to me. Bring her to me and you will receive your just reward.
"I still can't believe how close that duel was," Yuya said to Yuzuki as they walked down the street. It was mostly abandoned as it was almost twilight, but the two were still walking around Tokyo, looking for opponents. "I mean, Leila defeated both of my Fusion Monsters and Utopia. It took everything I had just to force a draw."
"It was an amazing duel," Yuzuki agreed. "But what she said… about you and me still being able to become stronger. Do you think she's right?"
"Of course," Yuya said excitedly. "Think about it: you and I have both become better duelists through learning Fusion and Xyz Summoning. Imagine how skilled we'll become if we learn Rank-Up-Magic or Contact Fusion or… Synchro Summoning! That would be something, wouldn't it? Mastering all three Extra Deck techniques?"
Yuzuki smiled at Yuya's enthusiasm. She liked seeing him like this, happy and smiling. Not like how he was when she dueled Sayer.
Her mood dropped instantly as she frowned. That duel… if Leila's and Yuya's duel was the best she'd seen, her duel with Sayer had been the worst. Forced to duel while wearing that helmet, getting struck with his psychic powers, watching Yuya fall…
"Hey." Yuzuki started and realized Yuya was watching her, his concern evident. "Are you alright, Yuzuki? Is something wrong?"
"N-No," she said, trying to smile. "Just…" She turned away, and seeing her reflection in a window, changed the subject. "Do you think I should change my hair?"
"What?" Yuya said, not expecting that. "Why?"
"Well, uh, I mean, black's really good, but I was wondering if it would look better if it was a different color. I read an article online that teal and pink together equals being modern and pretty, so I thought-."
"Yuzuki," Yuya interrupted. "What's going on? Why are we talking about your hair?"
Yuzuki pouted. "I had thought you would be happy I asked you about changing it. Since you got so upset I didn't tell you I was going to dye it last time."
"I wasn't upset!"
"You screamed and pointed at me like I was a witch."
"And then you hit me with your fan!"
"Because you screamed at me!"
Yuya turned red. "Okay, I do admit I would have liked it if you told me you were going to change your hair, but… it's your hair, not mine. You can do what you want with it. Although, now that we're on this topic… why did you change your hair?"
Yuzuki smiled and shrugged. "Why not?"
"That's it?"
"What? Do I need some deep personal reason to change my hair?"
"Uh... no. I just thought…"
Yuzuki sighed. "Honestly… I was just tired of the color pink."
Yuya stared at her. "But… pink's your favorite color. Most of your shirts are pink. You're wearing pink socks now!"
"Yes," Yuzuki said. "And my hair is two shades of pink while my eyes are another shade. I was getting tired of being 'the pink girl.' I thought if I changed my hair, it would help give me a new sense of self."
"… And did it?"
"Too soon to say," Yuzuki answered. "Seriously though, do you think I should change my hair? It doesn't have to be teal, but-."
"Yuzuki," Yuya said, smiling at her in a way that made Yuzuki's heart leap. "You can change your hair to whatever color you want. It won't change the fact that you're my best friend."
Yuzuki turned deep red on hearing that. "T-Thank you, Yuya," she stuttered. Before Yuya could ask what was wrong with her, she walked away at a fast pace. "I-It's getting late. We should head back to IDA."
"Hey! Wait up!"
Tio drove the limousine with Reira in the back seat down the street. Reira paid no attention to where they were going. She'd been through all this before. She had no reason to suspect it would be different now. She didn't see that they were on a different, mostly deserted street, or that the route they were taking was going the opposite direction of the Akaba residence. She couldn't see that Tio's eyes were still glowing pink.
Take a right at the light, the voice told him. After that, it's a straight ten-minute drive to me. Bring the child to me!
Yes, Master Vetrix, Tio thought as he noticed the light turn green. He started to turn, but then he felt like his head was about to split open.
"Oi! Wait up, Yuzuki!" Yuya shouted as Yuzuki walked ahead of him, trying to get her blush under control. Why was it so easy for Yuya to do that to her? All he had to do was smile at her and she felt like she was unraveling, like she needed him to keep her whole…
Before she could respond to him, though, her bracelet glowed. "Eh?" she said, staring at it. "What the-?" She glanced back at Yuya, whose pendant was glowing, too. They stared at each other, not knowing what was happening.
Tio blinked, his eyes returning to normal. What the-? Where was he? Was he driving? The last thing he remembered was being asked for help by a child in a silver mask. How had he-?
His attention was drawn by the building in front of him. Oh no! He'd been turning! He quickly pulled on the steering wheel, narrowly keeping the car from hitting anything. As he did so, he heard a scream in the back. He glanced in the back and saw Reira had been flung to the side, having not put on a seatbelt.
"Reira-sama?" Tio said, shocked. Why was he driving Reira-sama? Wasn't that Nakajima's job? "What-?" That's all he said before the world turned black.
Once the glows subsided, Yuzuki heard a crash and screamed. She turned to the sound and stared in shock. A limousine had crashed into a light pole, which had promptly fell on top of it. Yuya and Yuzuki quickly ran over to see what had happened.
Yuya ran over to the driver's side and saw the window was covered in cracks. The man in the driver's seat was muscular with red-purple spiky hair. He was also unconscious and bleeding from the forehead, having hit his head on the steering wheel.
"Oh man," Yuya said, panicking. He tried the door, but it was locked. "Hey! Sir! Wake up! You need to wake up!"
"Yuya! Get back here!" Yuya turned and saw Yuzuki was on the other side, looking at the backseat. Yuya ran over and as he followed her gaze, he gasped.
There was a child in the backseat, a small boy. He wore a turquoise hooded sweatshirt with a black cap over a blue and yellow striped shirt and grey cargo pants. There was also a patchwork teddy bear with him. He hadn't been wearing a seat belt, so he was sprawled over the backseat.
"We need to get them out!" Yuzuki said, the same panic in her voice that Yuya felt. "We need to help them!" Yuya tried the door, but like the driver's side, it was locked.
"Locked! I can't-!"
"Move!" Yuya glanced behind him, widened his eyes, and then jumped to the side. Yuzuki swung her Duel Disk and struck the window with its edge. Unfortunately, the glass was too strong. "Damn it! That should have worked!"
Yuya suddenly had an idea. Getting in between Yuzuki and the window, he made a silly face. "Yuzuki! Let's duel!"
"What?" Yuzuki said, confused. "Why are you doing that now? This isn't the time for a duel!"
"Come on!" he whined. "I know! Let's go find your dad! We could use some hot-blooded coaching! Or maybe we could go to that American restaurant near your apartment!"
"What? I hate that place!"
"But it's so good! The French fries are covered in so much grease, and the bacon makes your heart burn so much!"
"Yuya," Yuzuki grumbled, her face turning red again, this time from rage. Knowing what was about to happen, Yuya jumped to the side as she whipped her fan out and swung. But since he'd moved, she struck the window, which shattered.
"Huh?" Yuzuki said, her rage broken. She turned to Yuya. "Y-You did that on purpose!"
"Yes," Yuya said, running back to the window and reaching in. "Now just remember that feeling and break the driver out!" He shouted this to her as he pulled the boy out. Before she could run to the other side, they heard sirens. They turned to each other and instinct took over. They ran for it, Yuya still carrying the small boy.
"AAAAHHHH!" Vetrix screamed as he fell to the floor and brought a hand to his mask.
"Father!" Quinton said, rushing to Vetrix's side. "What is it? What's wrong?"
"That's," Vetrix grumbled, his one eye filled with anger and shock. "That shouldn't have been possible. Someone broke my control of that fool Tio!"
"What?" Quinton said, eyes wide with shock. Someone had broken Vetrix's control? Quinton had never seen that happen before. He didn't even know it was possible.
"Quinton," Vetrix said, turning to his eldest son. "I need you to get out there. Find the child and bring her back here. I need her for my plan to work. Hurry, son!"
"Yes, father!" Quinton said, nodding and standing up straight. As he left, Vetrix shouted after him.
"They were on 11th Street! About ten miles from here!" After Quinton left, Vetrix started muttering to himself. How? How was it possible? There was only kind of person who should be able to do that and-.
Vetrix's eye widened. He remembered when Trey had returned from his duel with Rio. He'd mentioned a girl who had seen his bracelet glow. A freshman from IDA. Was it possible? If she held the power, then… No, it couldn't have been. Only a true master such as himself should be able to do that, and there was no way a child could be stronger than him. It had to be something else.
Vetrix growled. Whatever had done it, it was jeopardizing the plan he'd been spending weeks on making! Finding out about the trackers that Akaba Reiji hid in the Number cards, figuring out how to turn one of them into a backdoor program and then giving that Number to Kamishiro Rio, whose Duel Disk was connected to the IDA mainframe. Then waiting for her to play that Number so it could gain access not only to the data in her Duel Disk, but to the central computers of IDA and the Akaba Corporation. Then combing through those files before they were discovered to find a secret of Akaba Reiji's, something Vetrix could use against him. And what had he found?
Akaba Reiji had a little sister. An adopted sister from… somewhere. The files didn't say. But that sister was a weakness he could exploit against Reiji. Taking someone who had been accepted into the family and turning them into a weapon against that same family… as far as Vetrix was concerned, it would be the perfect revenge, even more perfect than winning Reiji's silly Number Tournament and exposing him for what his father had done to Vetrix!
Vetrix growled again, then silenced himself. There was no point in getting angry right now. What happened next was up to Quinton. If he succeeded in bringing the girl to Vetrix, then the plan could move forward. If not… then Vetrix would just have to adapt. He'd done it before. He could do it again.
Akaba Reiji, Vetrix thought angrily. You will answer for what your father did to me!
"This is not a good idea, Yuzuki," Yuya said to her.
"I know it isn't, but what other option do we have? We don't know the kid's name or his family, so what else could we do?"
"I get it, but," he sighed. "Why did we have to take him to my house? You know how Mom gets."
"It's rude to talk about someone when they can hear you."
Yuya turned from where he was talking to Yuzuki and saw his mother. Yoko was cooking supper right now and was wearing an apron with Performapal Hip Hippo on it. "I understand why you brought him here. Don't worry. Until we find out who his parents are, he's welcome to stay here."
"Yeah, but-," Yuya sighed. "There's no helping it."
"Mmm." Yuya and Yuzuki turned to that sound. It was the boy they found, who Yuya had placed on the couch in his family room. Unlike Yuzuki's family, who lived in an apartment, Yuya's parents had their own house in the same district as You Show Duel School. Panicking over the sirens, it had been the first place they thought of.
The two friends watched as the boy opened his eyes. He turned his head, and seeing where he was, shot up. "Big brother!"
"Easy, easy," Yuzuki said, placing her hands on his shoulders. He glanced up at her smiling face. "Hey, don't worry. It's okay. We're not going to hurt you. My name is Fujita Yuzuki. This here is my best friend, Sakaki Yuya."
"Hi," Yuya said, waving to the kid, who stared at him. "Uh…"
"And this is Yuya's mother Sakaki Yoko," Yuzuki said, gesturing to Yoko, who smiled and waved at the boy when he turned to her. "Now, please…" The boy turned back to her and saw her serious expression. "Could you please tell us your name? We need to know who your family is."
The child was silent for almost a minute, but then he eventually said, "Reira. My name is Reira."
Yuzuki smiled at him. "It's nice to meet you Reira-kun."
"Chan."
"Eh?" Yuzuki said, confused.
"I… I'm a girl."
"WHAT!?" Yuya shouted, startling Yuzuki and Reira. "You… you're a girl!? But you-!"
THWACK!
Yuya brought his hands to his head, which was bruised from where Yuzuki hit him with her fan. "Don't shout like that!" she shouted at him. "You'll scare Reira-chan!" Then she glanced at Reira, who was staring at her with wide, frightened eyes. "Hahahahaha…" she laughed nervously as she put her fan away. "I'm… I'm sorry for that. Please don't mind us."
"In any event," Yoko interrupted, which made Yuya and Yuzuki turn to her. "Dinner is almost ready. Could you help me, Yuzuki? Yuya, keep an eye on Reira-chan. And don't scare her again."
"I didn't scare her," Yuya grumbled, still rubbing his head. However, he sat next to Reira and turned to her. "Hey. I'm sorry about that, too. Yuzuki gets high-strung sometimes. But most of the time, she's really nice. One of the nicest people I know, in fact."
He waited for Reira to say something, but she didn't. So he continued talking. He talked about Ayu, Tatsuya, and Futoshi back at You Show, how they were really good friends and even good duelists. He talked about their friends at IDA; Milly, Gongenzaka, Leila, even Sawatari. He stopped for a while when he noticed Reira's eyes widen on hearing the word "IDA," but when she didn't say anything, he kept talking.
"Yuya!" He looked up as Yuzuki called to him. "Dinner's ready!" Yuya looked at the table and gasped at what he saw.
"Fried fish… Nikujaga… and… Mom… you made your stuffed pancakes!"
Yoko laughed. "They're aren't mine, Yuya. I simple modified one of Mokota Michio's recipes. Oh, that boy is so cute!" She practically shrieked on saying that last part, which made Yuya and Yuzuki sweatdrop as he sat down, and she guided Reira to a seat.
"It looks delicious!" Yuya said, trying to pick up one of the pancakes.
THWACK!
"Ow!" Yuya said, holding his head again after Yuzuki hit him with her fan.
"Oi!" she said, annoyed. "Say thank you first! It's bad manners when you have a guest!"
"Yes, ma'am," Yuya said, sitting back down. Yoko smiled at Reira.
"Eat as much as you want," she told him. "So let's dig in!"
"Thank you!" Yuya and Yuzuki said, then started eating. Yuya had an expression of bliss on his face as he started eating a stuffed pancake.
"Oh, these stuffed pancakes are heavenly, mom!"
"Sakaki-san," Yuzuki said to Yoko, "the nikujaga is delicious!"
"Thank you, Yuzuki," Yoko said, smiling to the girl, then turned to the other girl and frowned with concern. "You aren't going to eat anything?"
Reira was just sitting there, staring at her plate. "It's fine," Yoko said, smiling at her. "There's plenty of food."
"Reira." Reira turned to Yuzuki, who was smiling at her. "Please. Eat. There's plenty of food. I understand if you're worried about your brother, but I think he would want you to eat." Reira's eyes widened in response.
Mother… Reira looked at Yoko. This woman was to Yuya what Himika was to her, but… they were so different. Himika radiated seriousness and coldness, but Yoko… she seemed to radiate happiness and breathed with life. Reira picked up her chopsticks and started eating. Yuya, Yuzuki, and Yoko all smiled at her as she ate.
Nakajima listened as Reiji and Shun talked. Shun was telling Reiji about what happened in Heartland. When Academia attacked, what monsters they used, how many of them he believed they were, when Nakajima received a call. He stepped outside to take it, and was shocked by what the caller said.
"What!? But I'm the one who's supposed to-. Why was he-? I'll inform the director." He hung up and reentered the room. "Forgive me, director," he said, drawing their attention. "But there's a situation. A bad one."
Reiji narrowed his eyes then turned to Shun. "Would you wait here for a while? I need to see what this is." Shun narrowed his eyes, but nodded as Reiji left.
"What is it, Nakajima?"
"Sir, that was a call from the police. They picked up Tio in one of our limousines down on 11th Street. He'd crashed into a streetlight and was suffering a concussion."
Reiji raised an eyebrow. "Why was Tio driving? I thought you assigned him to the cleanup squad in the park."
"I did sir, but that's not the most concerning part. The police told me they found a white, brown, and purple patchwork stuffed bear in the backseat."
Reiji's eyes widened in understanding. "Reira! Give me your phone." Nakajima handed it to him and Reiji typed in his mother's number.
"Yes?" Himika answered.
"It's me," Reiji said as he put it on speakerphone. He and Nakajima were the only ones here, so there was no one to listen in. Well, there was Shun in the next room, but the walls and doors were soundproofed. "Did you send Reira home with Tio?"
"Yes, he told me that Nakajima was working on a high-security project, so you sent him to take Reira home. Why?"
"I didn't send him," Reiji said in a low voice. He heard an intake of breath over the phone. "And the police just called Nakajima, saying they found him in a crashed limousine on 11th Street."
"11th Street? But that's the opposite direction of our home. Why would-?" She stopped talking, which Reiji interpreted as her realizing the truth. "Tio lied. He wasn't taking Reira home, he was kidnapping her! Was she in the car with him?"
"No, but her bear was." Himika growled over the phone.
"This is not a random act, it was planned. Is Tio still alive?"
"He's unconscious right now with a concussion, madam Chairwoman," Nakajima told her. "The police are taking him to the hospital as we speak."
"Then go there and speak to him, Nakajima," she ordered. "Find out why he did this. And after that, tell him he's fired."
"No."
"What?" Himika said, surprised to hear Reiji say that. "Why not? He didn't just betray the company, he betrayed our family! Why on Earth would you keep someone like that on the payroll?"
"I'm not certain Tio did this of his own freewill," Reiji told her, which confused her and Nakajima.
"I don't understand. Are you saying someone blackmailed or drugged him into obeying them?"
"No. I'm saying they forced him to," Reiji said, eyes narrowed. "Excuse me." He gave the phone to Nakajima and then turned back to the room and walked in.
"My apologies," he said to Shun. "But we'll have to continue this conversation later. An urgent matter has come up that demands my attention. I'll send someone up to escort you to a room for you to sleep." He left before Shun could say anything more than "Hey, wait-!"
"I think I know what happened to Tio," Reiji said to Nakajima and his mother. "I'm going to the hospital to speak to him myself. Nakajima, issue a general alert. Send out all available personnel to find Reira. If the person responsible for this is who I think it is, they won't give up."
"You know who Tio was working for?" his mother asked. "And you don't think Reira is with them?"
"Tio was meant to drive Reira to them," Reiji said. "He obviously didn't succeed, but since Reira wasn't there, that means someone intervened. That person likely took Reira with them, and it is doubtful they are the same people that manipulated Tio. We need to find her before they do."
"Understood, director," Nakajima said, nodding to him. "I'll keep you and the madam Chairwoman updated."
"I'll call you when Reira is safe, Mother," Reiji said to the phone. "Until then, it is best you stay at IDA. The security there will protect you."
"… Understood, Reiji-san," Himika finally said. "But if the search takes too long, I'll head out myself. We've put too much time and effort into Reira. I'm not losing her to a rival." She hung up, ending the call. Nakajima went towards the control room to issue the alert.
"Nakajima." He turned back to the director. "Send out the regulators as well. They are all expert duelists, and I suspect we'll need them to find Reira." Nakajima nodded and continued on his way. Reiji, meanwhile, headed for the garage to get a new car and driver.
Vetrix, he thought. You're making a move sooner than I thought. And a very personal one. You will not get away with this.
At the crash site, Quinton stood some ways back from the police, typing on his Duel Disk. He quickly hacked the nearby security cameras and downloaded the footage so Reiji couldn't use it. He narrowed his eyes as he watched what happened.
Tio had crashed the car and fallen unconscious, likely a result of Vetrix's mind control failing. Mere seconds after that, two teenagers came up to the car. One was a boy with green and red hair, wearing a red and white school uniform as a cape. The other was a girl with black and pink hair in a girl's version of the same uniform. He watched as the girl broke the glass of the backseat window with a paper fan – which she pulled out of nowhere – and the boy dragged Reira out of the backseat. They turned to face what Quinton assumed was the sound of the police sirens, then fled with Reira.
Quinton ended the footage and thought about what he saw. No clue as to what had caused Vetrix's control to break, but he knew where Reira was now. He just needed to find those two teenagers. A quick search in the city's directory revealed their names as Sakaki Yuya and Fujita Yuzuki. And both of them were IDA students.
That was troublesome. If they were IDA students, that meant Reiji was their teacher. Even if they didn't know who Reira was, they would bring her to IDA eventually. Quinton needed to find them and recover Reira before that happened.
After dinner, Yoko and Yuzuki had taken Reira up to Yuya's room so he could sleep there. Yuya had been moved to the guest room next to it. Seeing Reira fall asleep, Yoko went back downstairs to clean up while Yuya and Yuzuki went into the guest room to talk, after making calls to Gongenzaka and Milly to tell them they would be sleeping at their houses tonight instead of at IDA.
"I wonder where Reira came from," Yuzuki was saying.
"So do I," Yuya said. "It would be nice if she told us her last name, but she barely speaks. Do you… think something happened to her? To make her that way?"
"I don't know," Yuzuki replied with a frown. "She's very different from Ayu and the others back at You Show. But... she's still just a child. If we can help her, we should!"
"Agreed!"
In Yuya's bed, Reira tossed and turned. She was having a nightmare. A ruined house in a torn apart landscape. Soldiers running around her, bullets flying everywhere. And through all that, a voice, telling her to come with him, that he would protect her.
Reira gasped awake. "Brother!"
"Well," Yuya was saying, "tomorrow, we'll take her-." He stopped talking as he heard a noise from his room. He and Yuzuki ran to it. "Reira-!" Yuya said as he opened the door, then gasped. Reira was gone, the window open to the night. Yuya and Yuzuki quickly slid down a pole to downstairs. While Yuzuki explained to Yoko what was happening, Yuya ran outside.
"Reira!" he shouted as Yuzuki ran out after him. "Reira! Reira!"
Reira was walking down the sidewalk, heading towards IDA. "Wait for me, brother," she said as she walked.
Yuya and Yuzuki were quickly running down the street, both of them shouting Reira's name. Until eventually…
"There!" Yuzuki said, pointing to a nearby bridge. Yuya glanced up and saw Reira walking on it. They ran up the bridge and finally caught up to Reira.
"Reira-chan, where are you going?" Yuzuki asked her as Reira stopped.
"… To my brother. He needs me," she answered.
"Your brother?" Yuya said. "We can take you to him if you want. But… what's his name? We can't help you if you don't tell us his name."
Reira was silent, then started walking again. "Reira, please!" Yuya said. She just kept walking. "Yuzuki, let's walk with her. Make sure she doesn't get hurt," he said, which Yuzuki nodded to. As they started walking, Yuzuki smiled at Reira.
"Don't worry, Reira-chan," she said in a soothing tone that Reira didn't seem to hear. "We'll take you to your brother. We promise."
Reiji walked into the hospital room. Tio was lying on the bed, still unconscious. However, he gasped and woke up when Reiji entered.
"D-Director," Tio said. "Sir… what's happening? Where am I?"
"You're in the hospital, Tio," Reiji answered. "I understand you're confused and in pain, but I need you to answer my questions. Can you do that?"
Tio painfully nodded. "Y-Yes, director."
"What is the last thing you remember?"
"I… I remember driving a car. I was about to hit a building, so I swerved and avoided it. Then I heard a scream. I looked in the backseat and saw Reira-sama. Then… I woke up here." He turned to Reiji, wincing as he did so. "Sir, please tell me. Is Reira-sama alright?"
"She's fine, Tio," Reiji lied. "What do you remember before you were driving?"
Tio thought about it and frowned. "I… I was in the park, cleaning up the area, keeping reporters away. Then… there was this child who asked for my help."
"A child?" Reiji said, raising an eyebrow. "What did this child look like?"
"He… he wore a silver mask, a mask shaped like a crown. And his clothes were white and light green."
"I see," Reiji said, narrowing his eyes.
"Sir," Tio said desperately. "You have to believe me; I have no idea how I got behind the wheel of that car or how Reira-sama got in it. I-."
"I believe you."
"You-. What?"
"I believe you, Tio," Reiji said. "Please, get some rest. You've had a long night."
"I… I will. Thank you, director." Tio laid back as Reiji left the room.
So, Reiji thought. Vetrix can control people with his powers. That's… a disconcerting thought. He intended to have Tio deliver Reira to him, but that failed. Why though? Something must have broken Vetrix's control. Whatever it was, I need to find Reira before Vetrix does. I will not let him use my family against me!
Yuya and Yuzuki kept walking for some distance, with Reira muttering, "Brother," under her breath every few minutes. Yuya and Yuzuki stayed with Reira, trying to engage her in conversation, to get her to tell them who her brother was, but she acted like they didn't exist.
Eventually, Yuya realized something. "Yuzuki," he said. "The direction we're going… we're heading to IDA."
"IDA?" Yuzuki said, realizing the same thing. "Does that mean your brother goes to IDA, Reira-chan? Is he a student there?"
"…Brother is at IDA," Reira eventually said, but she still didn't look at them. "So is Mother. She won't like that I was out alone. She wants me protected. Kept safe from rivals."
"Rivals?" Yuya said, surprised. "What rivals? Reira-chan, who is your mother? Who is your brother?"
Reira stopped walking and stared straight ahead, but then she said, "Akaba Himika. My brother is Akaba Himika."
"Akaba?" Yuzuki said, shocked. "Your brother… is he Akaba Reiji?"
Reira didn't move for a while, then nodded. Yuya and Yuzuki stared at each other with surprise. Reira was the director's sister? Suddenly, the three of them were bathed in light.
"Ah!" Yuya and Yuzuki covered their eyes, then glanced above their arms. The light was from a helicopter, which set down soon.
"Whoever you are," Yuya said, "I don't think you can land a helicopter there!" He gasped as someone walked out. The person wore a long dark blue coat and had long silver hair with light purple and green fringes. "W-Who are you?"
Quinton glanced at Yuya and Yuzuki. He noted the bracelet on Yuzuki's wrist and the pendant around Yuya's neck, both of which were glowing slightly in response to his own bracelet. I see. So that's what broke Vetrix's control. The power filtered through two foci. Still, to encounter two people with the power, and for them to have Reira with them…
"I'm here to bring Reira-sama home," he said. "The director sent me, along with many others to bring her home. You recognize me, don't you Reira?" He lifted the bracelet on his wrist to his face as it glowed bright blue. Yuya and Yuzuki both looked away while Reira's eyes lost what little glow they had. She started walking over to Quinton.
"H-Hey!" Yuya protested. "Reira, what are you-?"
"It seems Reira-sama wants to go with me," Quinton said. As Reira approached him, he put his hand on her back. "Let's go, Reira-sama."
"Hey, hold up a minute!" Yuya shouted over the helicopter's rotors. He and Yuzuki could only watch as Reira entered the helicopter with Quinton and then it took off. None of them noticed the small smirk on Quinton's face.
I have the child, father. Soon, Akaba Reiji will know what it means to lose family. The same feeling we've felt.
"Yuya," Yuzuki said once the helicopter left. "That bracelet… that's the same kind of bracelet that Trey and Quattro wore."
"You mean that guy is with them?" Yuya said, shocked. "What do they want with Reira?"
"I don't know," Yuzuki said, concerned. "But… do you remember what Rio said when she confronted Quattro? She said he blamed Akaba Reiji for something that happened to their father. If that's true…"
Yuya's eyes widened with horror. "They'll use Reira to get back at Akaba Reiji!" he said. "But that's… that's nonsense! Revenge doesn't solve anything! All it does is make things worse. All it does is further the cycle of hatred and keep people from smiling!"
He's right. Yuzuki gasped. That voice… why was it so familiar? Hatred and revenge do not solve anything. By making people smile and bringing them together, wounds can be healed. All revenge does is leave them festering.
…R-Ruri?
"Fujita-san! Sakaki-san!" Yuya and Yuzuki turned to the sound of the voice calling to them. They recognized the person.
"Mizar-san!" Yuya said, his surprise evident.
"What are the two of you doing out this late?" Mizar asked them. "Tokyo after dark is no place for high schoolers!"
"We were trying to help a girl get back to her brother!" Yuzuki said. "She was in a crash earlier and she-."
"A crash?" Mizar repeated, shocked. "Then… the two of you were the ones who freed Reira?"
"You know her?" Yuya said, shocked.
"I met her a few times when I was a student at IDA," Mizar answered. "A few hours ago, Reiji-sama sent out a general alert that Reira was missing. I'm out here to help find her. Where is she?"
"Someone in a helicopter came and took her," Yuya answered. "He had long silver hair, blue eyes, and wore a long blue coat."
"Silver hair…" Mizar mused. "I'll call the director and have him come down here. The two of you can talk to him about it."
Quinton set the helicopter down. He had landed on the roof of a small abandoned cathedral on the outskirts of Tokyo. He could have taken Reira, who was sleeping in the chair next to him, to their home, but they didn't want Reiji to know how close they were to him. Not yet, at least.
After he turned off the engine, he picked Reira up and carried her outside. The steeple of the cathedral had been built hollow to save money on construction, so it made a perfect place for their plan.
As he carried Reira in, his eyes adjusted to the darkness. Trey and Quattro were already there, standing on either side of Vetrix. The young child smiled on seeing Quinton enter carrying Reira.
"Well done, Quinton," he said. "I knew you would succeed. Now, the ritual can begin."
The car pulled up to where Mizar, Yuya, and Yuzuki were waiting. Reiji quickly stepped out. "Fujita-san, Sakaki-san," he said. "Is what Mizar-san said true? Reira was with the two of you?"
"Yes," Yuya said, nodding. "We took her to my house and she ate supper with us. But she ran out crying for her brother." Reiji narrowed his eyes on hearing that. "Not long ago, someone came along in a helicopter and took her away."
"What? Who?"
"He said it was someone with long silver hair, blue eyes, and a long blue coat," Mizar supplied. Reiji's eyes narrowed further.
"I see… So it was him…"
"What?" Yuzuki said, surprised at Reiji's reaction. "You know who took her?"
"Not personally, but yes, I know who took her. And how to find them." He pulled out a white Duel Disk and began pressing buttons. After a while, his eyes widened. "Yes! The person who took her is at an abandoned cathedral at 21st Street. It's scheduled for demolition within the next week."
"What?" Yuya said. "How do you know that?"
"That's not your concern," Reiji said. No need to tell him that he was looking for the largest gathering of Number cards outside of IDA and TNDA. The students weren't supposed to know about the trackers in the cards. "Mizar-san," he said, turning to Mizar. "Come with me. I'll need your help to get Reira back." Mizar nodded.
"Yes, Akaba-sama." The two of them walked towards the car, but Yuya called after them.
"Wait! Don't leave yet! We're coming with you!" Reiji turned back to him.
"You have my thanks for saving Reira from the crash," Reiji said. "But this isn't your concern anymore. Go back to campus and get some sleep."
"We can't," Yuzuki said, her gaze fierce. "We promised Reira we'd help her find her brother. We can't abandon her until she's in front of you."
Reiji glared at her and she glared back. Before either could speak, Mizar intervened. "It goes against my instincts to let freshmen help us… but we'll need help with this, Akaba-sama, and we don't have time to call the other regulators over. And I saw both of them duel yesterday. If any freshmen are qualified for this, they are."
Reiji didn't say anything for a while, then he sighed. "Very well. The two of you can join Mizar-san and I. But be careful. Reira is already in trouble. If something happens to the two of you…" Whatever he was about to say, he stopped. Yuya and Yuzuki looked at each with confused expressions, not understanding what he meant. "One more thing." The two of them turned to him as he held cards out to them. Looking at them, their eyes widened.
"These are-."
"You know I've been working on Pendulum cards," Reiji said. "I've also been working on a few Pendulum support cards. Considering what we're going up against, it's best that the two of you arm yourselves. Now then, are we going?" They nodded, then followed him into the limousine, with Mizar getting in last. It drove off towards the cathedral where Vetrix held Reira.
Reira and Vetrix laid next to each other on the ground. The bracelet around Vetrix's wrist – one with a dark pink stone in the center – started glowing as a crest the same color as the stone appeared on the ground around them. The two of them floated into the air as the crest's glow became stronger.
At last, the time is finally here, Vetrix thought with sadistic glee. With the power that I have been cursed with, I will look into Reira's mind and see her memories. Memories of Akaba Reiji and his family. I will learn his greatest weaknesses, the things he wouldn't put in his computers. And when it is over… I will have no more use for Reira.
Pink chains of energy emerged from the crest and wrapped themselves around Vetrix and Reira. The two were then surrounded by dark pink energy as the transfer began. From the corner, Quinton watched with indifference, Quattro watched with a frown, and Trey with gritted teeth.
My revenge hereby starts from this moment! Vetrix thought with glee. Just wait, Akaba Reiji!
As the ritual continued, Reira started struggling against the chains and grunting with strain. Quattro's frown turned into a sadistic smirk while Trey continued to look worried.
Suddenly, Reira started screaming. "Brother! Brother! Brother! BROTHER!" On hearing her scream, Trey's eyes started wavering. This was cruel… but to get his family back, it was necessary. So he continued to watch.
As the car drove towards the cathedral, Yuzuki could only think to herself. Don't worry, Reira. Yuya, Reiji, Mizar and I will definitely rescue you!
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Next Time on Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V: Academy of Chaos. Chapter 27 - Dragons and Demons
Response to Reviews & Author's Notes
Thank you to LunaSoraYamiMoonlightCrystal, raychiu, sanedimentio, Meemo, and Guest for reviewing Chapter 25. To answer Guest's question, Yuto will show up in a later chapter, but I won't say when.
No duels this chapter. Instead, we got story and character work. I'm on vacation right now, so I wrote this chapter rather quickly as its simpler to write chapters without duels.
I'm going to need help with something for a future chapter. I plan to have Rin duel again, and she'll debut a new Windwitch Synchro Monster: the Level 5 Windwitch - Frozen Bell. I already have its effects and attack/defense points. What I don't have is its appearance. sanedimentio has provided a baseline, but I want to open this up to the community. If anyone would like to offer a design for Frozen Bell, it would be highly appreciated.
Thank you to all who read, enjoy, and review Academy of Chaos. I hope you will all continue to do so as I keep working on this fanfic.