From Victory to Oblivion: 365 Days to Live [IC Thread] [PG-16]

[Tesability Black]

~Talen's POV~

Talen, to Exodia's probable dismay, sighed soon after being asked how most of the fighting was done. "In all honesty, you're asking the one person in the group that tries to stay out of the line of fire as much as possible."

She was quick to get out of the flying device, her long hair getting tossed around greatly by the winds from the still-swirling blades above her head. Using her staff as a walking cane, the woman dared to walk through the place, her eyes looking over the various replicas in view near their various games.

Among all of them, she spotted an odd replica in the bunch.

There was an Estranged Assassin sitting cross-legged among one bunch of roses, minding its own business and appearing to be meditating, strangely enough.

She would have been more than willing to leave it alone, if it wasn't for the fact that it soon stood up unbidden, then turned around to face the pair, revealing a pair of red eyes.

"You need a more-sturdy weapon than that toothpick to survive here, Ms. Lusterino."

The Assassin talked. None of the normal replicas are capable of speech, but this one actually spoke. Such a fact can make a person miss the fact that around its neck and wrists were thin bands of white light at first, even as she instantly readied her weapon, with one of the pointed ends towards the strange replica...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~???'s POV~

"In all honesty, you're asking the one person in the group that tries to stay out of the line of fire as much as possible."

And so ends the unspoken truce he had with the replicas and so begins the unbidden war with them instead. Releasing a silent sigh, the odd Estranged Assassin kept his ears open, listening for the other visitors to this twisted realm of existence to hopefully approach by accident.

Thankfully, it didn't take long, so he stood upon his feet, which weren't truly his own but that of another's, before turning around, spotting one face he expected to see and one he hadn't. But oh, well.He simply shrugged at this sight, however, unbothered in the slightest.

"You need a more-sturdy weapon than that toothpick to survive here, Ms. Lusterino."

He had to give the girl credit, her draw with the staff was fast, already with one end pointed right at him. However, he simply sighed and crossed his arms, the sight of any weaponry on him gone. "As if I am allowed to strike here...unfortunately. It's rather boring here."

As if things couldn't get any stranger, it does. The form of the Estranged Assassin became surrounded with a blackish-red glow before shrinking into a smaller human form, though this new human appearance still stood at a nice 6'4" in height. Red eyes retained their focus upon the pair as they became surrounded with pale skin tinted with the color of yellow blood underneath it. Purplish-blue hair that came no lower than shoulder length appeared on his head and his deceptively-lanky body was adorned with a dark-purple business suit ensemble that had a black shirt under the jacket.

"While one of you knows whom I am," he began to say as he cast a quick glance at Talen before giving a mocking bow. "My name is Gemini Rivetter, and apparently, I'm to partake in this dreary tale along with you two and the rest of this story's cast. Speaking of the cast..."

He jumped clear over both of their heads and past them to get closer to the helicopter that brought them here, crossing his arms in front of himself as he glanced over the machination. "You know, it is indeed rude to eavesdrop, Ms. Black," he added with a slightly-amused tone, the odd minor grin still on his face. Where he had once been standing before the gigantic hop, there was a rolled-up scroll with writing apparently upon it.

 

(Gemini accidentally left behind his particular journal entry. :P)

[Christian Exodia]

"Well darn, I would have liked to understand more about the structure of the team." Exodia looked down a slight bit, but returned to his focus on the world itself. Seeing that Talen, or whatever he should call her after such a thought, had moved forward, Exodia moved forward a little ways behind her.

 

When the Estranged Assassin began speaking, Exodia held a massive amount of confusion as to Talen's complete surprise at it. Was it not normal or something? Was something it did not normal of a Replica or... if that even is a replica... Maybe it shouldn't be here? I don't know... I am the newbie. Let's just let her deal with this. She seems to know what to do. As it spoke, Exodia felt a chill run down his spine. This... thing... wasn't normal at all. Its entire form just exhumed darkness, and a fear washed over his entire being. Frozen as he spoke, he did not know what to do.

 

"W-what the heck are you...." Exodia, frozen in fear a few feet behind Talen, saw him glow and begin to change. His fear became ever further, his jaw clenched, knees shaking, stance leaning backwards a little bit, until he had turned into human form. At the hearing of his name, his fear eased. A new fear was held over by the words that it spoke next. I-It's... j-joining us?! Exodia's mind was utterly racing at all of these thoughts. Having such a thing at their side was... frightening. What if it betrayed us? But yet... What if it didn't? It was most probably a powerful being, especially by the reaction that Talen held in his presence.

 

"Whatever. We need to march on, Talen. We need to get back quite-" His words were cut off by his look over at Tesability, who was behind the machine. "Tesability... did one of our group follow us?!"

[Tesability Black]

~Talen's POV~

Her eyes widened upon the beginning of the change, backing up as the demonic glow surrounded the newcomer before it faded into a familiar form...one she had never expected to lay eyes upon herself.

"While one of you knows whom I am," she heard, hoping and praying that what she saw and heard was all an illusion. "My name is Gemini Rivetter, and apparently, I'm to partake in this dreary tale along with you two and the rest of this story's cast. Speaking of the cast..."

Unfortunately for her, her fears were confirmed with the name. However, even she was surprised when he over her head in what would have been a single 'hop' for him, landing right in front of the helicopter with crossed arms in front of himself.

"You know, it is indeed rude to eavesdrop, Ms. Black," she heard him say, the name at the end prompting her to focus her gauze upon the helicopter, where there was now strangely the NetMonster coming from within the vehicle.

"Haw yu nao Ai whash hewe," the digital dragon asked of the stranger in confusion. "An' haw yu nao mai naim?"

Wait, what the hell was Tesability doing here? She wasn't inside the...

...and Talen planted her palm hard on her face as she realized what the NetMonster did.

"Tesability... did one of our group follow us," she heard Exodia question in what sounded to her like panic before sliding her hand down her face, revealing the red print she left on it.

"Not as much 'follow' as 'ride with'," Talen corrected before turning towards Exodia. "I had forgotten aboutt this, but she can jump into electronics, since she's a being of data herself." With this she looked forward towards the pair at the helicopter. "She must have went inside the helicopter itself at some point."

Out of the corner of her eyes, she spotted the scroll left where Gemini had moved from, daring to walk over and pick it up after tuning out the conversation between Pokemon and NetMonster.

What was discovered after she unrolled it caused her eyebrows to go up almost all the way into her hairline.

Hm, interesting. These 'entries' allow for a way to completely shatter the supposed 'barrier' between the puppeteers of the 'roleplay' and the puppets that are strung along within it.”

Oh, none of you readers know what the barrier that this ‘Fourth Wall’ is...well, except for the replica among you that is posing as Mi...oh, I'm sorry, as 'Talen Avalon' as she chooses to have it call herself? Pity, there is much to learn beyond the unfortunate limitations of awareness, including the fact that none of you are actually real, but anyway…

Feeling creeped out around me? You should be. I am a demon after all, though I am sadly bound from being allowed to intentionally 'kill' any of you...as if you're really alive to begin with. However, I will not care at all if any of you walk within the path of my Light of Ruin or my Dark Void, since it will be your own fault if you die from them. I am also a replica in a different sense, which means you won't be seeing any of those pathetic monochrome duplicates try and mirror my appearance and abilities.

Trust me, I've seen the makers of this cruel world you're in try to do such with my own eyes. Any attempted replicas of myself have exploded from the overload of power. There may be another that you may see that looks similar to myself, however...even I don't know for sure…

(Added note: A warning to any reading this entry, Gemini is just as likely to help you as he is to screw you. Always be wary when around him...and even when you are not.)

“Arceus-dammit, Michele, do you really need to add that part?”

(Yes, yes, I do. You're a dangerous little s***.)

...I will not dignify that response with anything beyond this.

She didn't write any part of it, but yet it looked like she had somehow...and it scared her. "Um, Exodia," Talen chimed up before turning her head toward him and raising the scroll. "You may wanna peek at this yourself."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~Gemini's POV~

"Haw yu nao Ai whash hewe," he heard the black dragon ask of him after emerging from within the computer at the front of the helicopter. "An' haw yu nao mai naim?"

A deceptively-gentle smile appeared on his face as he placed a hand on his him, raising his head slightly to give a smug appearance. "You would be amazed what I do know, dear child."

"I ISH NAO CHAIWD!"

The suddenness of the outburst almost caused him to step back, though the sight of the charged-up fangs made him chuckle.

"M'dear, you'd have to do more than that to impress me."

"Um, Exodia? You may wanna peek at this yourself."

Just when he considered walking up and petting the aggravated NetMonster on the head, he heard those words, which caused his ears to twitch slightly in realization as to what the voice spoke of.

The accursed journal...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~Tesability's POV~

"You know, it is indeed rude to eavesdrop, Ms. Black."

...? How...?

Who found her?

She pulled herself out of the front consoles, away from the flying controls of the helicoptor before solidifying into her usual shape and beginning to paw her way out of the vehicle.

"Haw yu nao Ai whash hewe," she asked of the stranger in front of her, and he indeed was strange for a human with that overall appearance."An' haw yu nao mai naim?"

A deceptively-gentle smile appeared on the newcomer's face as he placed a hand on his him, raising his head slightly to give a smug appearance. "You would be amazed what I do know, dear child."

Child?!

"I ISH NAO CHAIWD," Tesability damned near roared with her wings stretched out wide to make herself look larger, her fangs becoming electrified as if getting ready to sink them into the jerk. It made her even more mad to see him chuckle at the display.

"M'dear, you'd have to do more than that to impress me."

 

The only reason he wasn't electrified right then and there was the fact that his face suddenly changed to an annoyed look after a rather-slight twitch of his ears. Did he hear something she didn't?

[Christian Exodia]

Exodia calmly shook his head, his final question being piqued and himself ready to press onward to the mission of the day. Going up to the area of dealers, he ponders which one he should take on for what challenge.

 

Ooh, Chess, one of the classic games. How I miss playing it with Grandpa. We need to figure out which game we should play, quite possibly starting with our best one to improve our chances of getting good prizes for the camp. Anyways, let's look through all of the options before we should go forward.

 

Exodia, looking towards each of the other challenges, plays with the choices in his head. He looks towards the first dealer, which seems to be holding onto three cards.

 

Three Card Poker. Oh, fun. I remember that time when the buds and I played strip poker... never mind that, let's think of the War game... no, not that either. Yeah, although that game is the luck of the draw, let us keep looking.

 

The next dealer seems to be at a table with a roulette board.

 

Roulette? What? Is this Vegas? You don't see that everyday. Still, nah, not yet. Let's get the skill games over with before the luck games go on.

 

The last three each seem to be at flat tables. One with cards, one with dice, and one with pieces.

 

No. I shouldn't start with those.

 

Exodia, after about a minute of thinking, finally decides to choose. "I would like to take on the Cold-Hearted Samurai at Chess." Finally having made up his mind, he goes towards the chess table to a game that he adores.

[Chaotic Angel]

And so, Exodia decides to play chess with the Cold-Hearted Samurai? The replica in question accepts the challenge, but he lifts up a journal entry from Dan Yim and burns it. Well, that's fascinating. First game off the bat and already, we lost a journal entry. I sincerely hope it never happens again.

 

Oh well, let the games commence. Good luck, Talen and Exodia. I'll be praying for you two to win the rest of the entries.

 

Back at the Singing Waterfalls

 

"Hey, Tetsuya... Wanna try this Absent Silhouette out?" Meguri said, pointing at the eerie orb, a similar fashion to Ron's Lingering Will. Tetsuya seemed worried, but reluctantly, he agrees to take it on anyway.

 

"Alright, but you know what will happen once we fail this! I know, it'll probably transfer us back to camp fully healed but really? You wanna face this thing early in the game?"

 

"What about it? If you two wanna take it on, then go straight ahead. I'm not well enough to fight yet, remember?" James said, inspecting his chest but already, there's toxins bleeding out of him.

 

"I'm okay, but... It needs looking at. Meguri, call the medics here." James said, calling Meguri over to check the toxins bleeding out of him, covering her face in the process. "sheet, that looks bad. Alright, stay put!" Meguri runs off to attract medical attention. There seems to be an old-fashioned phone somewhere in camp but it only connects to survival grounds so no one from the outside world can pick up the call.

 

A few minutes later, James was taken in to be checked at a hospital behind Tetsuya's house which can be seen later in the game. It is unknown at this point whether James would return yet. With that out of the way, Meguri and Tetsuya go on to attempt a battle with an Absent Silhouette. They were transferred into the battleground that somehow, they both realise. It was empty, but not entirely blank. It was the...

 

Station of Remembrance

 

Tetsuya and Meguri walked forward one or two steps and saw the same eerie orb in front of them. "Ready your weapons, Tetsuya... Here it is!" Meguri announced, sensing the silhouette about to come into play. When it appeared, it does so in the form of Elisha Bain... Looks like she cannot rest in peace yet. "Ah! M'lady!" Meguri said, in shock.

 

"Don't look too surprised, woman. She cannot recognise you... She knows we're here but..." Tetsuya said, but when he and Meguri both unsheathes their weapons, they attempt to fight the Absent Silhouette starts.

 

Elisha Bain's HP: 400,000

 

"Hmm... This looks like a pain in the arse..."

 

"Don't lose focus! Tsk!" Tetsuya warned Meguri, but already he took a hit from the Absent Silhouette's arrows. He charges at her without any hesitation and slashes at her. Elisha's silhouette didn't make a single hitch, nor did Tetsuya's attacks make a single scratch. Elisha then backs up and started shooting arrows all over the battle area, striking Tetsuya twice. Meguri retaliates the attacks and in return, she hits back at it. "So, waiting to wipe the fun out of the both of us? Nah, funk this. I'd rather have this Absent Silhouette claimed!" Meguri hacks and slashes at the enemy and unsurprisingly she took the hits from the silhouette's arrows, injuring both herself and Tetsuya.

 

So, they both failed in a matter of minutes.

 

Tetsuya and Meguri were immediately transferred back to the Singing Waterfalls, fully healed for some reason. I'm guessing you cannot transfer injuries from one dimension to another.

 

Back at camp...

 

"Told you this wouldn't work.... Not yet, at least..." Tetsuya said, looking like he predicted the failures all along. "I'm going for a swim now, so excuse me..." he concluded, diving straight underwater, without saying another word. "But, Tetsuya!" Meguri uttered out, but it seemed like it was too late as Tetsuya already took off for the time being. When Meguri was about to turn her back, she noticed a bag of charcoal next to the grill. "Oh, it makes sense... Our failure wasn't for nothing then... I'll take that advantage, thank you!" she said, grabbing the bag of charcoal and fixes her lunch with a pack of rations, this time with beef burgers.

 

"I guess it isn't top notch... I have to hunt for some fresh meat around here... Talen, Exodia... I hope you win some delicious food for us..."

[Christian Exodia]

Exodia, in all of his grace and glory, squandered the opportunity to grasp one of the journals. Cupping his head in his hands, he walks up to the chess board in a bout of shame. Looking the Samurai dead in the eye, both hovering near the chess table, he asks in curiosity: "Black or White?" He smiles and beckons to the pieces. He was hoping he would hold the pieces of light, the ones which he held dear whenever he played this beloved game in his youth. Looking at his calloused hands aching to hold the pieces again, he sits opposite of the Samurai.

 

As the Samurai switches the board, he feels a slight bit of glee at the sight of his white pieces. Ornate and well-chistled, they were some of the most beautiful crafts that he had seen in a long time, this world or his. As he begins to play, he speaks to the Samurai who obviously seems to not answer. "How many games shall be played to settle the score?" He looks up to check for a response from the Samurai.

 

One single, cold finger shot up with a slight glare handed to the warm Exodia. As the pieces begin to hit board and the clacking of wood on wood occur, Exodia begins to tear up some. This game brought back memories of home, memories of a time long lost in the winds of change. He played upon his quick offense strategies to try to tear a hole in the Samurai's game and throw off his concentration. Just a short time to play this and I should be able to relent. 

 

As the two continued the game, more and more pieces left the board. Exodia lost his queen, as with the Samurai and his king quite early on. However, the gambit to take away the king was at a heavy cost, taking out one of his bishops to relinquish such a regal figure from the game. 

 

More and more pieces leave the table, and the game was quite even. The Samurai, after a 20 minute duel, was down to his queen, a rook, a knight, and a pawn. Exodia, his king, a bishop, and two pawns. Keeping his cool, and understanding now that offense was not the best way to have pulled that stunt, took a chance on a specific way of playing him down to nothing.

 

His plan, although it took down the samurai's pawn and rook, left a queen and a knight with just a king remaining on his side. This was Exodia's desperation moment, but eventually he was surrounded by the queen and knight. Checkmate. A long duel had occurred, and he had failed.

 

"Checkmate. Good game." He shook the hand of the Samurai, and sighed. He picked up his king piece and looked into it longingly. "White fared well, but black championed the day." Exodia walked from the table in a sense of shame, knowing he failed.

[Tesability Black]

(Purposely not doing the other POVs this round. I may instead focus on a 'primary' POV each round instead of trying to do them all from now on, especially if it makes it easier for me to post more ofte.)

~Gemini's POV~

He watched as the NetMonster cautiously left his presence before running up to her human partner, nuzzling into her back before Talen turned and petted the dragon on the head before standing on her feet. He saw as Exodia started a game of chess with the Samurai with Talen starting her own soon afterwards with her replica, the Summoner of Solace.

A grin appeared on his face as he decided to watch the two play. He already knew the results of both matches before the end would come into view, they would both lose. And indeed, he was already correct for one when Exodia lost his game.

Eyes focused on Talen, whom sat across from her replica with the double represented by Black, he watched as she began to...

...well, he couldn't really say that she was playing, honestly. She was making quite a few mistakes in her attempts, winding up with more pieces captured than the Summoner. Most of these mistakes she wouldn't even be making if her brain hadn't been as damaged as it was, either. Even with her holding onto the fake dragon like a large plush doll as she tried to think didn't seem to help her.

In all honesty, the demon thought it was all pathetic.

"...she owes me for this later," he muttered under his breath so that no one heard him before crossing his arms in front of himself and flipping his right hand up so that his palm faced the sky. A slight red glow faintly appeared around it as the Summoner began to move her Queen in for Checkmate...

...the Black King fell over as the Summoner's hand was near it, close enough for her to be mistaken as the one that knocked it over.

Justifiably angry, a single pound connected to the table from the replica with a balled-up fist since it couldn't scream in rage, causing the board to fly up into the air. Talen breathed a sight of relief as she turned to give Tesability a big hug, glancing towards Exodia to see that he appeared shamed for some reason in the process.

"...what's wrong?"

 

Gemini decided to let Exodia answer that question, the self-satisfied sideways grin still on his face as usual...

[Chaotic Angel]

So, as far as I know... There's one win and one loss already...

 

Let's see how they will fare in their next game.

 

Meanwhile in camp...

 

BGM Currently Playing: Tragic Love

 

Two new portals appeared next to the sea leading up to Tetsuya's Beach House. One leads to Optional Locations and the other leads to Challenge Locations and each needs a key. These locations contain some of the most strongest replicas you will ever see but nothing tops one particular challenge.... Inward Destruction. To demonstrate, we have Meguri Nightingale attempt the challenge.

 

"Two new portals? Things get weirder everyday. Oh well, it's definitely worth a try. I will return fully healed just like the Absent Silhouette one, right?"

 

"Yeah, it's a demonstration after all. Tetsuya said, escorting Meguri to the location. What he doesn't know is that up to five people can go there.

 

Inward Destruction

 

"Since this is a demonstration.... You are allowed to pick a character to fight. If you are facing the real thing, then no... We have to go in alphabetical and group order."

 

"Let's fight... The Isolated Emperor. Alternate one. That's fine, right?" Meguri said, starting the simulation. "Acknowledged. The replica haven't been encountered yet, but no problem. Starting simulation."

 

And so, the simulation demo starts. Meguri and Tetsuya are about to fight one of the toughest characters. Ever.

 

Human Form Ron's HP: 7,680,000/7,680,000

 

The humanoid Ron appears generated from a certain computer and gets ready to fight.

 

BGM Currently Playing: Thanatos

 

"Oh great. Just shy of eight million HP. Well, don't lose focus!" Meguri instructed, beginning the demo fight. She unsheathes her weapons and starts hacking away at Ron, only to get her arse quickly handed to her by his Nephilim blade... Glowing in darkness. "Is that all?" Ron announced. Though, bear in mind that isn't the real deal.

 

He slices away at Meguri dealing a heavy amount of damage, before morphing his weapon into a Chaos Spirit Bow and shoots away at her. "Come! Devil's Tears!" he chanted, pulling his bow string back and firing shots using a single energy arrows from his quiver also made with energy. By the time a magic circle appears, multiple laser beams started raining down on Meguri and Tetsuya. The latter took the most hits and was instantly transported back to camp. Meguri on the other hand, was quick to dodge and hit back at him, causing a questionable amount of damage. "Wait, that's all? Ugh. Get me out of here." Meguri said, requesting to go back to camp also.

 

The simulation finished with the following statistics:

 

Ron's HP: 7,600,000/7,680,000

 

Back in camp

 

BGM Currently Playing: Tragic Love

 

The pair manages to get back to camp without a hitch. "I funked up there... Wait, Meguri... Why did you come back also?" Tetsuya asked, confused by the fact Meguri ended the simulation abruptly. "The guy is too strong. We need to hone our skills. It's probably why the two portals are there, no? The next time we come back, it's the real thing. We won't be able to go back." she explained.

 

College Courtyard

 

BGM Currently Playing: Northern Luxerion (Morning)

 

"Desolation... Fed by loneliness..."

 

"Darkness... Become my minion!"

 

With these chants... The souls of the Illegal Alchemists that toppled Ron merged and the feelings of negative emotion and utter darkness got the better of him and so, they combined as well. They would now become what we call the Lingering Darkness. With that in effect, it goes on rampaging around the College, destroying everything that stood in its way. Nothing we can think of can stop him now... If the Lingering Darkness rampages the Garden of Roses as well... The gambling will be over and the garden would be no more.

 

Talen and Exodia has to act quick... If they want their campmates to be saved. Oh, and that's not even the worst part.

 

"MUTATE!"

 

The remaining pure soul of Ron that was still left quickly became a Demon Hybrid and started making its way to camp. That won't happen until Day 5, but then again... It will start hovering around the sky and interrupt everything. A few hours later, the Demon Hybrid makes a cameo above the Garden of Roses and interferes with the garden's roses, blowing a breath of fire and burning a few of them to crisp before it flies off again.

 

Seriously though... Is this a time for someone like that demon to be interfering? I thought we had to wait?

[Christian Exodia]

"Lost the opportunity for the pages and lost the game of chess to start with. So close, too..." Exodia was somewhat down on himself for his complete failure to get either of the combined opportunities. It was a compulsory dealer he lost against, and he tried to right himself after such a failure. It weighed upon him, and it messed with his composure. 

 

"You creep me out, you know that?" Exodia quips simply to Gemini, this... thing... for which he had no explanation as to why he was here. 

 

"Whatever. I guess I need to play my next match, and so do you." He shook it all off, even the sideways grin of Gemini that made him unsettled to begin with. Carrying on with his decision-making... he was never really a gambler. Chess was a save haven, and he really wanted to win that. Most of the rest of the games were in uncharted territory.

 

Taking a second to regain his composure and make his mood more stable, so he could have a clearer head and a better chance for winning despite all of it looming and brooding in his head, he looks to the remaining choices. A couple of pieces of rose petal flutter next to him. Not noticing their burnt quality, he shrugs it off as a bloom wilting and shedding its petals. 

 

"Lone Wolverine. Let's go. We're playing some American Roulette." He looks at the Replica, eyes narrowing. To keep his composure, he took on the appearance of somebody who held little emotion in his stare. He did not do this often, because it did not feel good on him. Maybe if he wins this next one, his mood will look up a little bit. 

 

To further calm himself as he got to the table, he began to sing a little under his breath. Carry on my wayward son, there'll be peace when you are done... It was what he really felt. A wayward son on his journey to survive and keep others alive. He approached the American Roulette table, focusing himself on the game itself and not the Replica.

 

Out of his view, a few more pieces of rose fall down onto the floor of the garden. Many more flutter in the breeze high above them, most burnt, but all torn away and leaving. 

[Chaotic Angel]

So, American Roulette it is...

 

The Lone Wolverine accepts the challenge and puts Sasha Yim's journal entry on the line, encased in a large ball. She starts off by giving Exodia 25,000 Gold and asks him to place his bets. He starts off by placing 500 Gold on the numbers 0 and 24 then 1000 Gold on the numbers 15, 12, 7, 21 and 5. Overall, 600 Gold was placed. The Lone Wolverine then spins the roulette wheel and the ball lands on 19 and as a result, the first bet was lost. In hindsight, Exodia was allowed to keep attempting until his Gold runs out, and so the Lone Wolverine moves the chips towards her and throws them out of play.

 

The remaining amount to play is 19,000 Gold. The replica in question then asks Exodia to place his bets once again. We shall await the results of that one. Until then...

 

"Hmph. You have got to keep trying. Do you really want the journal entry or not?" the voice taunted, to which he was really anticipating Exodia's victory.

 

"Don't tell me you can't do it..."

 

"Don't tell me you're simply a weakling!"

 

"You blew your chance last time. Isn't it about time you should seek redemption..."

 

"Alexander Ryder!"

 

The voice kept taunting, but fortunately it was between him and Exodia.

 

And it isn't planning on stopping any time soon.

 

Do we have anything else to do in camp or introduce new elements? Didn't think so. The Demon Hybrid hovers over the garden once again and breathes ethereal flames from its mouth, burning the one or two of the lilies that were growing nicely in the garden. What a way to ruin the mood.

 

Let's see how Exodia will fare in the next attempt. For now, I shall pass this on to the next player.

[Tesability Black]

~Tesability's POV~

 

"Lost the opportunity for the pages and lost the game of chess to start with. So close, too..."

Tesability felt Talen let her go from the sudden hug, which caused the NetMonster to become confused for a second before looking and catching the look of pity on her partner and the look of guilt on the person she was talking to.

"Fortunately, we can gain more meat once we find some animals to hunt. It's not the true end yet."

The NetMonster watched Exodia walk up to the newcomer, the creepy guy in purple, hearing him state an opinion that matched her own.

"It is expected, Mr. Ryder."

Wait, what? He knew such was true already? What was this guy, a Phantom Human?

The NetMonster tilted her head before getting up into a standing position for herself, seeing Exodia walking over towards another of the games, Talen sitting down with an Illegal Alchemist replica and the new guy walking towards a statue...that looked oddly like him...followed by...

...hey, where did he go? He just became...replaced by some huge bird...

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~Gemini's POV~

"You creep me out, you know that?"

"It is expected, Mr. Ryder," Gemini stated before Exodia turned to head towards the next game, towards where the American Roulette was being held. "Perhaps I should find some way to stack those odds, too," he muttered to himself as he watched the roulette spin around, landing on its numbers as it did.

Shaking his head, Gemini released a sigh as he looked up in boredom, placing his right hand on his hip as he tried to figure out something to do. As much as he would like to stir up a ruckus with one of the replicas to test their strength...

...Gemini lowered his gaze as he raised his left hand into view, staring at the band of white energy around his wrist with an annoyed look that had wiped the smirk from his face for the moment. Unfortunately, the accursed bands around his wrists and neck prevent him from doing so. The others at least had the option to say 'screw it' to the rule against fighting here, but he was forced to follow it.

Lowering his wrist, he tapped his foot in impatience, wondering how long he was going to be stuck here as he wondered over towards the statues, one of them...

...one of them looking a lot like himself, though looking more jovial and wearing a wide-brimmed hat over his head.

"You at least get to continue on without knowing that your entire existence is a lie," Gemini said with a pensive look as he looked up towards the statue's face. "I don't get such a privilege." A sudden faint smell soon crossed his nostrils, shifting him to be more battle-ready. He smelled something burnt, which was out of place for the area he was in. "It's early," he muttered to himself as his eyes began to glow followed with the rest of his body. The shape of the glow changed, became larger and larger, appearing more avian and draconic in line.

When the glow disappeared, a large dark bird with a red underbelly remained in its place, a bird known in his home as Yvetal, the Destruction Pokemon. Flapping its powerful wings, the transformed being flew into the sky in hopes of finding the source of the smell it had picked up...

[Christian Exodia]

Exodia calmly looked at the Replica, the Lone Wolverine, that taunted him as he began to play and lose again. His fists tightened, his teeth clenched, each desperate attempts to hold himself together. He shook his head, looking down, retaining all focus within him. He looks up at the dealer, wide eyes and a small twitch. He puts a smile on his face, one of challenge and one of determination.

 

"Oh, you call me a weakling? Let's go." He looks down at the table again.

 

"The minimum is 100. I have 25,000 gold." He counted the number of spaces, going into deep thought... 36. Could I do it? Put one on each of the 36 and then play annoyingly to the Lone Werewolf. If I win, and it doubles, I would get 1000 back. It's a deficit, but I would come out winning. 

 

Curious as to such a thing is allowed by the rules, he quickly thinks about if he should. 

 

Understanding that we get journal entries if we win, I think it would be worth it to play a little dirty, but entirely within rules. Maybe another time, because I want to put my faith into some luck deals. 

 

He begins to look down at the board, understanding that he can bet in thirds, odds and evens, and just simply random numbers, like he did before. 

 

"Mr Dealer. I would like to bet odds, 8, 6, and 0. 100 for each." He would conserve his money. Simply, 2100 gold. He chose 0 because it was an automatic win if he did get it. 8 was a number that he loved and wanted to choose to win. 6 was, begrudgingly to him, his lucky number. He wanted to see if its odd luck would carry on here in picking it.

 

He smiled at his choices. Hopefully, they would pay off.

[Chaotic Angel]

For 0-36, 100 Gold was bet. Odd was also bet for 100 Gold and so, let's see what comes out.

 

The Lone Wolverine picks up the ball, pulls the wheel towards her and flicks the ball at the opposite direction. The spin lasted for a minute before the ball stopped and landed on 7. Exodia got more than he bargained for. For Odd, he gets double his bet and for the number 7, he got 1 to 35, so technically he got 3500 Gold just for that number alone. The total Gold won for that attempt was 3700 Gold. So, the losing chips were thrown out of play and 3700 Gold was given out to Exodia.

 

Gold before the bet: 19,000

 

Gold Betted: 3,800

 

Gold Won: 3700

 

Amount of Gold Remaining: 18,900

 

So in hindsight, he only lost 100 Gold. Exodia, you need to try harder. But, since you already landed two correct bets... You only need three more to escape. Good luck for your third attempt.

 

"So... You finally gave in to your negativity and seeked redemption..."

 

"Can you keep hold of your power? Your wit and intelligence?"

 

"I doubt your lady luck is going to last very long... The tables don't lie..."

 

The voice taunted inside Exodia's head. The Lone Wolverine asks Exodia to place his bets once more and paid no attention whatsoever to the Demon Hybrid flying above the roulette table... Speaking of which, it started spewing out ethereal flames again and burnt a piece of tarmac, chipping it. I just hope Exodia and Talim doesn't trip over on their way back home.

 

"Alexander Ryder... This attempt marks the end for you! You have lost!"

 

The voice taunted again. Though, I doubt that would get to Exodia. See how strong he is?

[Yami Zero]

Luke looks around the camp for Tetsuya, hoping to ask for some help "Hey Tetsuya was it? I'm sorry to be an annoyance" He thinks to himself how much of like a weakling he sounds to say this "-, but could you, maybe, teach me how to fight underwater while we wait for James to get better?"

 

 

 

{Specter Cam}

 

Specter walks about the camp, checking to see if everything is fine around, but he can't stay still and practices his accuracy by shooting some of Luke's targets he "borrowed" He then blasts a large echoing wave of energy that explodes "Oh Crap! I forgot that made so much noise!" He then stops his shooting to lie down from weariness.

[Christian Exodia]

Again, the Lone Wolverine taunted him. Again, the petals tinged with the char of flame are fluttering past him. Yet, Exodia still holds steadfast. He looks to the Wolverine, spewing these taunts out. Everything around him was killing him inside, figuratively, but he still needed to hold on.

 

"Mrs. Wolverine. I would insist that you desist. I feel Lady Luck's hand grasping my shoulder..." He starts to look up at the sky as if there was something perching its hand upon his shoulder.

 

He stops, blushing a little bit. He knew it was a lie. He knew he felt nervous. But it was a big price to pay. He wanted to live, to get everyone survival. There must be some point to the pages; maybe they gave a way out or a way to more strength. Maybe a way to defeat a Replica attached to it? Was he supposed to burn it?

 

Exodia, trying to stay calm, looks down. Judging at what he could do, he looks at the numerical odds. I could go through odds again. I could be a butt and go for the whole monty again. Eh.... nah. Not worth it. I have enough gold to do it, but I don't think I should. His knees weak, arms heavy, but he kept himself going. He looked towards the whole table, and also to Tes & Talen...

 

He again looks at his 19,000 gold. Could the odds be again in his favor? He didn't know. He just had to try. He went for it. 

 

"I would like to choose... Odd, 4, 8, 16, 0, and 34. 100 for each." 

 

He had two bets already placed successfully. He just needed three more to escape with the journal entry. There was a second way out, but he didn't bet on it. He could lose too much money doing it and it was probably a crapshoot anyways. It was more worth it just to be conservative, play it save, be calm and do it as best as he could. He couldn't win them all, but he felt like he could.

 

Oh, please, Lady Luck, give me a zero...

 

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

"I would like to choose... Even, 17, 0, 33, and 11. 100 on even and the rest, 200 on 0 and 11."

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

"I would like to choose.... 0, Odd, 14, 6, 8, 0 and 24. 100 on all."

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

"I would like to choose... Odd, 0, 12, 6, 8, 10, 24, 30, and 36. 100 on all."

[Chaotic Angel]

1st Attempt

 

So, Exodia decides to bet the following: Odds, 4, 8, 16, 0 and 34. He bets 100 Gold for each. The Lone Wolverine picks up the ball and flicks it at the opposite direction the wheel is spinning at. The outcome for that lands on 34. So, already that bet is won. Three bets won thus far, only two more needed.

 

Current Gold: 19,000

 

Gold Bet on Table: 600

 

Gold Won: 3500

 

Gold Remaining: 21,900

 

2nd Attempt

 

For the second attempt, Exodia bets Evens, 17, 0, 33, and 11. He bets 200 Gold on 0 and 11 and 100 on the rest. The Lone Wolverine picks the ball up again and does the same as she usually does, spin the ball around in the opposite direction of the wheel. The outcome for that attempt was 20. He won the Evens bet, so double the amount was rewarded to him. Now, that's four bets out of the possible five. Can he win the remainder?

 

Current Gold: 21,900

 

Gold Bet on Table: 700

 

Gold Won: 1,400

 

Gold Remaining: 22,600

 

3rd Attempt

 

For the third and final attempt, he bets 0, Odds, 14, 6, 8 and 24. 200 on 0 because it was written twice and 100 on the rest. Now, for the final time, will Lady Luck be on Exodia's side? Whey don't we find out? The replica then picks up the ball and spins it around. Wherever it decides to land on, God only knows. The outcome for that is 7. He has won all five bets having won the Odds bet, so therefore the game is complete and he goes home with the journal entry belonging to Sasha Yim.

 

Current Gold: 22,600

 

Gold Bet on Table: 700

 

Gold Won: 1,400

 

Gold Remaining: -

 

And so, Exodia's next game is Three Card Poker. How will he fare in that?

 

But before all continues... A journal encased in a ball that the Lone Wolverine possessed was passed on to Exodia to keep. The replica bows and disappears from the table, as did all the others that Exodia has taken part in or Talen was about to attempt. Now, let's take a look at that journal...

 

"My dad was reckless again, I just know it."

 

"There's nothing notable to say, really... It's just how I managed to witness the fight when it all started. The feud between my dad and my uncle, now that's questionable.. And I'm saying this because of the events that happened when he was still human. I feel like I'm the responsible one."

 

"However... Who the funk even cares anymore? Not my brother, not my sister. My dad probably, but I couldn't think of anyone else."

 

"I wish the endless fighting would just stop..."

 

"The amount of replicas that invaded my home are far too many."

 

"I wish the screams would just stop! The screams of loneliness! It's coming from every replica! It's... Way too much."

 

"Dad... Help me! I-I mean... Help us! Get rid of the burden that myself, Dan, Mel, yourself and Mum had to bear!"

 

"Stop the replicas NOW before we funk ourselves up!"

 

Back in Camp...

 

Tetsuya turns his head to Luke, asking if he can teach him how to fight underwater. "Hmm... Alright, but remember that it's very dangerous around here. Remember the time myself and James got our asses beat? It will be yours next, I can guarantee it. Now, jump in. I'll catch up shortly." he said, getting prepared to jump underwater once again, knowing that danger is imminent. Before he does though, he saw a crystal belonging to a NetMonster. Somehow, it was Tesability's. "Oh sheet. Looks like they left camp without prior notice. I'll keep this one then. Hopefully, I'll be able to find a way to tame this thing." he said, as he keeps the crystal in his pocket as an apparent keepsake from Talen, who also left.

 

"Now, Luke. Listen to me well, at all times. When in water, replicas will almost always jump head on at you. Let's do this."

 

And now, we wait for Luke to head underwater and then Tetsuya's lectures can begin.

[Christian Exodia]

Taking the paper holding the entry, he reads the words. It confused him. He did not know about someone who was like this. He rolled it up without a second  thought, changed his mind and folded it, and put it in his pocket. As the Lone Wolverine and the table disappeared, he looked in more confusion. These replicas were solid as his own body, yet they just... *poof* disappeared from existence. He shrugged and continued to think about the journal entry.

 

Could be someone who is yet to join us. I dunno. Whatever. He shrugged off the thought of it. Looking to see what game was to be played next, it was to the Woeful Witch and her table. He felt like it was the best game to play of what was left. He didn't know why. He just gravitated to it, calm as all else and a bit giddy from such a victory over a formidable foe in a match.

 

"I would like to play the Woeful Witch in Three Card Poker!" He looks forward and points at her, laughing a little bit when he realized he imitated something like a Phoenix Wright character would do. I'm such a nerd. He knew that was already true, but it's his mind. He was going to say it within anyways.

 

He sits down at the table. Noticing the witch's calm gaze unsettled him, he shakes his head and gathers up the three cards. They felt like the nicest cards he had felt, like a sort of leather backing. These cards were made for such a short gaming session and yet, they felt so nice. 

 

6, Jack, and Queen. Queen highest ranking. His gaze went a little unsettled, because he knew that there could very well be the winning hand in the Witch's clutch. Still, he had this hand to deal with. 

 

He set down his cards. The Witch set down hers...

 

Victory! For a few seconds, he got excited at her hand of a 2/3/10, as his high was higher than hers.

 

Then his face faulted. He remembered the win condition. Straight flush...

[Chaotic Angel]

Straight Flush was indeed the victory condition. But... There wasn't much time.

 

Aura started to appear from afar, as though it seemed it came from the College Courtyard. The Woeful Witch gave herself up and handed the journal entry over. She didn't even care. She bowed over to Exodia and disappeared after handing the journal over, but it was time to head back to camp. The helicopter arrives in sync with the Woeful Witch disappearing and the voice started to utter his words. "Alexander Ryder... We know no whereabouts of Talen, Tesability or Gemini but we have no time to search for them. We need you to get back in camp... Right now. No questions needed, we need you to go right now." it said, concerned and in a rush.

 

Want to know what the journal said regardless? Well, here it is:

 

"My memories with Ron wasn't gone. I can tell you all about him, but this won't be pretty..."

 

"It's like he was only gone yesterday... I just don't know how to describe it but something was off about him after he left."

 

"I can tell you this, I am forever grateful for what he did after I was saved from a bunch of replicas... Somehow, I wish I could be of some use now that I'm a cyborg, like Ron. When I was a human, it was Ron who bared all of our burden and that was when he was still a prince waiting to declare war on his own brother. I didn't feel like it was right, but he went on and did it anyway. He said it was for the good of his own family and they deserve peace."

 

"So, Ron was willing to help by putting his family down and raising his own royalty. I've been around since establishment and I have to say, I'm enjoying it. At least, that was back then."

 

"When he became King though, he destroyed the family completely and threw the Queen off the throne. That was when he became Emperor of the United Kingdom."

 

"He desired power..."

 

"Now he has it,"

 

"And it seems like his emotions are taking control of him... I wonder why..."

 

"All that negativity..."

 

"It kind of feels like it's my fault... I know I shouldn't be beating myself up for it, but..."

 

"What should I do?"

 

"What should I do to save Ron from being trapped in his own darkness?"

 

"Whoever reads this entry... Hear me out... Help my friend... Help everyone trapped in their own darkness!"

 

Yep. The journal wasn't pretty. We asked for it though, haven't we? Time for the real fight to start.

 

Back in camp

 

"sheet. Looks like the Lingering Darkness is finally awakening. Tetsuya, Luke. Get the funk out of the water. We got company! Exodia's coming back as we speak!" Meguri shouts out from the distance. Tetsuya, still underwater hears Meguri from where he was and said to Luke: "sheet. That can't be good. The lessons will have to wait. Sounds like we got company. We won't like what we're about to see, I can tell you that much." and so, he jumps back out of the water and prepares himself. "Meg. You're ready, right?" Tetsuya asked. "James isn't here yet, he's still getting medical attention, right? Alright... Let's do this." Meguri replied, implying that she is prepared for the fight ahead.

 

Mind you, this fight had never been serious... If James Barker had healed, I'd be sure he'd be getting his arse out and helping his sister and Tetsuya.

 

Tetsuya's Beach House

 

"Hmm... I wonder how they're doing..."

 

"Nah, I should stay put. I still need people to drain all of my toxins out of my body. It shouldn't take too long now."

 

"Hey Doc, how far am I with the decontamination process?"

 

James says all of these phrases, but then the doctor within the house said: "Well beyond half way. But, you still need to rest for another twelve hours. You won't be back in camp until the middle of the night tonight. I hope you're fine with that."

 

"It's better than never. I needed to see my sister again." James said, more than prepared for what's about to approach him.

 

Back at camp

 

"Meet at the Dark Forest. That's where the helicopter will be landing." Tetsuya said.

 

Meguri simply gave him the thumbs up as she prepares her weapons, sharpening them.

 

"I'm gonna need help. From two people. I hope yourself and Exodia can handle the bastard whilst I call for them, I shouldn't be long." Meguri warns.

 

Tetsuya acknowledges the warning and heads out to the Dark Forest, awaiting Exodia's arrival. What we're about to witness next...

 

Won't be pretty...

[Christian Exodia]

"What the hell? Where's Talen?" Exodia was quickly interrupted by the Woeful Witch's fearful words. He started to run for the helicopter with the pages in hand. He had not yet had any time to read the second page as that was the absolute last thing on his mind at that moment. Looking back, he saw an aura start to coat the Garden of Roses. He shuddered to think what could have gotten Talen and the other two.

 

Stepping onto the helicopter, he took one last look at the Garden of Roses. Fluttering petals of fire were dancing like the ghosts of court fools in the breeze, and the aura further coated the Garden of Roses. Flying away in such a helicopter, he sees the entire area just disappear to aura and fog. He shook his head, quite unsettled over the events that had happened.

 

He took a second to quickly unfurl and read the second piece. Who the hell is Ron and why does he matter to the situation? Of course, it could, again, be somebody I have yet to meet. There could be others here. I don't know. He simply shrugs and safely places the paper in his Medi-gun pack. 

 

Dammit we didn't get the reward, either! So much food, just wasted. I wish I could go back. Exodia was a little peeved by that, but... it was less important that keeping alive and safe. He regret that last thought and just tried to focus on the road ahead.

 

Still, he was plagued by the thought of the person he confided in just... poof. Nobody knows who I really am. The only one who does... poof. Gone. Done. The other one who had a semblance of it... poof. Gone. Done. It was a really creepy pattern for him. Maybe... yeah, i'm gonna. I'm not gonna tell others about my real self just yet... hopefully the pattern doesn't continue. 

 

As the helicopter hovered over the Dark Forest, he shakes his head. Why was he landing here?!

 

He shrugged. He had no choice in where he ended up.

 

As it landed, he calmly shook his head and consigned himself to his fate. He steps out of the helicopter by himself, Medigun in hand.

[Tesability Black]

His fingers were interwoven with each other as he spotted the helicopter land among the darkened forest, watchful of the group that was gathering nearby.

He had been planning on leaving behind this group and exploring on his own strength, but a so-called higher power saw it fit to urge him to wait in this desolate place.

"Michele, you owe very-much me for this hassle," he muttered under his breath before jumping down from the high branch to land upon the ground behind the collective group. "Well, well," he simply stated as he stood back up, red eyes looking over everyone. "If you're also hoping to see Talen, I wouldn't expect to see that particular replica show back up any time soon," he immediately announced, probably to everyone's shock. "And for those wondering whom I am..."

He gave an almost-mocking bow as the signature sideways smirk on his face never left. "My name is Gemini Rivetter, and apparently, I am to aid you all through this dreary tale you all are trapped within."

(Guess who's back? Back again? *gets bricked off-screen by Gemini*)

[Christian Exodia]

Exodia approaches Tetsuya and Meguri, visibly unnerved. His experience with all that had happened had put him very much off-edge. His mind, ever-wandering due to the experiences, is making his thoughts off their edge. He was the only one to get out of there...

 

Or so he thought.

 

​"Hello, guys. I'm sorry that Talen and I didn't gather the reward. I got two of the pages and... Talen is gone. Some weird smog came up, some crazy things happened, burning petals..." Exodia started to visibly tear up. He was a physically weak person, but dammit, his mind was strong! He had gone through his friends all turning, essentially, to dust. Destruction and desolation all around him, and he was getting worked up over somebody he had barely met! He needed to get ahold of himself! 

 

"It was crazy. The replicas were ushering me out, the smog got further and further, I may have very well barely gotten out to start with. We lost one fighter, but the medic is still here. I will still assist in any way I can." Striking a pose reminiscent of the role he played in a game with a Medic character, he tries to smile to give a view of him being here to help.

 

Exodia, still choking back a tear or two, faked this smile. He needed to keep himself composed and not choking on tears. He would lose visibility and become more emotional and less on-guard. It would not be him that was dying today. None of them would die. Not whilst he was here to do anything about it. He had healing abilities, and he may have a chance to use them here.

 

When Gemini shows up, he just rolls his eyes. This guy? AGAIN? Thankful for a distraction, however, he just sighs and looks toward the purplish figure grinning smugly and overlooking the trio. "You again?! I thought you went down with her!" Curious as to why he was still here when the others were taken.

 

Verdammt... he's here to help us? Guess we're stuck with him. I should be thankful for another soul being here, if he even has one of those, but... why him?!

 

"Whatever. Just help us, Gemini. Something may occur quite soon and we could need all the help we can get." Exodia scoffs, and just shakes his head.

[Chaotic Angel]

And so, Exodia and Gemini made it back to camp successfully, in a helicopter. Tetsuya and Meguri expressed their disappointment for not winning the good meals waiting for them and also that Talen was gone.

 

"Looks like we need the extra help. Tetsuya, you have Tes' crystal, right?" she said, thinking of an idea in her head. "Yeah, I'm gonna see if I can summon her. You know, Thunder and Water both synchronize well with each other and because water conducts electricity, we'd be able to work well with each other... As long as I keep a good distance... Talen knows better than me, but it's worth a try!"

 

Tetsuya summons both his weapons and uses it as a catalyst. Meguri also helps out by conducting electricity on his weapons, temporarily. With water and thunder elements now in Tetsuya's weapons for the time being, Tetsuya traps himself into a wall of water and begins chanting in his head for a full minute whilst holding the crystal near his chest. "May the sea and lightning both synchronize in harmony... I, Tetsuya Kousaka request a binding partnership with NetMonster Tesability Black, awaiting her rebirth into the world of survival! Bring this thunder dragon to this era!"

 

Let's hope the chant works. It will be up to the one responsible to decide whether Tesability will come back or not, or when it should come back.

 

Tetsuya takes one of his spinners and leaves one with the crystal where Tesability is in slumber, at least for now. "When you come back, fly to the College Courtyard where we'll be fighting. I will take care of you from now on as you wake." he said, hopping onto the helicopter with Meguri and assuming that Exodia gets on too, it flies off. However, the one watching the crystal belonging to Tesability until she wakes is one of Tetsuya's loyal companions who resides in the beach near the beach house. No, it's not one of the guests... In case you were asking.

 

College Courtyard

 

"Ngrh.... Argh!"

 

"Ron! No!" Meguri shouted at the top of her head as she realizes her brother's teacher and instructor as he finally succumbs to utter despair and darkness, turning himself completely dark, with flames surrounding him. Energy blades appear from his hands, as he prepares to fight. Fighting alongside the character who is now the Lingering Darkness, we have replicas Alternate Isolated Emperor, Misunderstood Thief, Suffocated Gravekeeper, Apocalyptic Ninja and Forbidden Blacksmith. The first replica is the strongest out of them all, since it is an Alternate. The replica in question pulls out its blades and quickly slices at Meguri who is inches away from being cut in half.

 

​"Hey! Watch where you're going!"

 

BGM Currently Playing: Dark Impetus

 

Lingering Darkness' HP: 35,000/35,000

 

"So that's the darkness I saw in camp... Bring it on, bastards! En garde!" Tetsuya said, with only one of his weapons in his left hand. He goes for the Misunderstood Thief first as he deemed that one to be easiest. Meguri on the other hand went for a different approach and headed straight for the boss, which attacked her earlier.

 

And now, let's talk statistics:

 

The Alternate Isolated Emperor is another form of the Isolated Emperor. Typically, all Alternate forms have a lower Difficulty level than the original replica but they are much stronger and have new weapons to wield in comparison. This particular one is of Ron, whose Lingering Darkness we are now subduing. This alternate replica is immune to all. Yes, ALL elements so the only way really is to use physical and non-elemental magic. Compared to the original, this replica takes almost no damage. Caution is to be advised when facing it.

 

Misunderstood Thief is an old friend of the former protagonist, Chloe Summers. She never claimed the limelight, but she was one to remember. A legacy to be held in fact. She crossed blades for the first time with Ron assuming she didn't see him for more than 10 years. Makes sense, hmm? She has no particular resistances and she is the easiest of the bunch. However, she has an ability to steal weapons from you though there's a downside. At least for her. With the Misunderstood Thief, you ALSO have the ability to steal but it only works if she is around.

 

Suffocated Gravekeeper is Ron's personal doctor from the siblings' homeworld. The name: Kane Underwood. The only things normal about Kane are his Non-Elemental and his Earth resistances. Aside from that, his resistances are fairly high and he absorbs the Dark element, allowing him to heal his wounds by using Dark related attacks on himself. Despite his profession which often confuses him for an assassin, he wields a knife. Ironic, huh?

 

Apocalyptic Ninja is a replica of Ron's brother-in-law and also a good friend. Name? Saskuto Uchigya. This replica is a mimicry that copies humanoid weapons. So, if a monster is around... The replica refuses to copy the weapon. The weapons he wields have a theme as well, bearing the Nobody logo from Kingdom Hearts. If you seize the chance to steal one of the rare weapons for yourself... Do it. But, only do it whilst the Misunderstood Thief is alive in this battle. It simply wouldn't work otherwise. High Magical resistance, but other than that, there's nothing to worry about.

 

Finally, the replica we all know and love: Forbidden Blacksmith. The replica of Exodia. How surprising. Is this battle, he wields a Medigun, which can be stolen. Immune to Thunder and heals from Wind-elemental attacks. Other than that, this should be easy providing you know exactly the strategy to kill him. That, and the Misunderstood Thief works well in harmony so the goal really is to dispatch of this existence before anything else.

 

And now... Let the fight begin. I'll be watching.

 

"Meg! Be careful around here!" Tetsuya said, refusing to back down from his fight against one of the replicas...

 

But he was quickly knocked over by the Alternate Isolated Emperor. Which faction will survive? Would it be the camp mates, or will it be the Darkness that wins?

[Tesability Black]

"You do realize that Ms. Black will not awaken from what you did, correct," Gemini spoke offhandedly towards Tetsuya as the group flew on within the helicopter, the shapeshifter in the driver's seat despite the fact that the machine was piloting itself. "She will not awaken to the touch of magic, since Dragon NetMonsters resist the power of Mages."

As he spoke, he had an elbow on the window's edge and his chin in his hand, an absolutely-bored look on his face. He was just waiting for the next bout of combat so that he could have something to do in the meantime while forced back into this accursed purgatory.

Looking up towards the skies above, he gave a click of his tongue before shaking his head. "You better have a show prepared for us or it won't be worth my time in this hell, Christian, Angel and Talim," he muttered under his breath, though a sharp ear could probably catch his words.

Once the 'copter got closer to the Courtyard, he could feel the negativity from high in the sky...and he welcomed it. "The worse thing you can give to a demon is negativity," Gemini said with a gleeful tone, his vampiric fangs revealed in his toothy grin. "And that's exactly what I'm sensing from here. I'll take the first dive, if you folks don't mind," he continued with an almost-singsong tone.

Suddenly sliding open the door next to him, Gemini appeared to purposely take a nosedive out of the helicopter...though anyone who leaned over enough to see him would have noticed that during the fall, the false human became surrounded with a dark-blue light that started to change its shape to that of a large avian. Once the glow faded, he appeared as a monstrous-sized black and red bird that appeared almost in a Y-shape as it flew. Those who knew of the form would have recognized it as a Yveltal, the Cocoon of Destruction.

Before the others arrived and began their strikes, the winged beast that Gemini had become let loose with a loud Snarl, aiming to at least shake up the ones among them who struck without making physical contact. While the move itself wasn't very powerful, it's side effect of weakening spells and other abilities that need no touch to connect has more than made itself useful in the past.

He swooped down before picking back up just before making contact with the ground, Transforming once more into another, much smaller form with nasty looking claws and a set of red featherings upon its head, a Weavile. A grin appeared upon its muzzle upon seeing the Misunderstood Thief, but he needed not her presence to steal from these replicas.

No, not with the move known as Thief, at least.

Though, her appearance does indeed make things a fair bit more interesting, he figured. Time to start 'collecting'.

With claws stretched out wide, he jumped towards one of the many replicas, hoping to distract with the many slashes being dealt while waiting for the perfect moment to abscond with a replica's weapon.

[Chaotic Angel]

When Tetsuya gets back up, he realised something. He thinks back to what Gemini had said to him about Tesability then he thinks of a strategy. "Since I can only manipulate and can't use magic without the help of my blade then.... I'll have to try again without a catalyst. That should do it, hopefully." he thought, getting back up and heading straight for the Alternate Isolated Emperor and tries to steal his blade. "I'll be taking that!" he taunted. The replica immediately dodged and strangled Tetsuya by grappling his neck and squeezing hard at it. "funk! I give! I give!" Tetsuya struggled, before getting thrown through the abandoned college window and breaking it, letting loose a Nightmare Gunblader and two Summoners of Solace, alongside thirty-six Blasphemous Shadows.

 

Well, this is gonna be one heavy battle.... Or so we say.

 

Nightfall approached and Meguri made a fair amount of progress down her end. No supporting replicas were defeated yet but the Lingering Darkness wasn't ready to back down. It started to retaliate, Meguri focused on and hits back at the boss, dealing some damage to it, a thousand HP at a time. It comes to show that the Lingering Darkness takes more damage compared to the first boss fight.

 

"If this thing isn't ready to back down, neither am I!"

 

Then, Meguri got a bit too cocky and got overcrowded with the thirty-six Blasphemous Shadows Tetsuya managed to let out. Mind you, they alongside the other usual replicas were freed upon the college window breaking. Then, a usual camp mate reappears into the fray and lures the Lingering Darkness away. That, and he is in bandages. "Sorry I'm late! James Barker, back in the game!"

 

"Idiot! Where the funk have you been?"

 

James didn't want to reply at first, but he did eventually. "I was recovering, I know. But... You guys needed the extra help. There's no way I'm letting yourself, Tetsuya, Exodia and Gemini handle this sheet by yourselves. For the latter... I already heard of whilst I was recovering at the beach house."

 

"Tetsuya sure does have a nice place. Let's go and finish this off!"

 

James now harnessed the leadership and began charging at the Lingering Darkness, exacting revenge also on the replicas that made him bedridden.

 

Lingering Darkness' HP: 29,000/35,000

 

"Ugh.... funk this. I don't have the time to be squabbling!" Tetsuya said getting back up on his feet and wiping the glass off him. He then proceeds to give a helping hand to the rest of the camp mates.

[Christian Exodia]

Exodia follows Tetsuya onto the Helicopter. It's a crazy thought to be leaving immediately after he arrives, but he goes along with it anyways. Shaking his head and keeping his hands on his prized weaponry, he goes into deep contemplation of what has been happening.

 

My first days were so peaceful. Finding others was a thing that I felt was best for me... but it's dragging me into the worst of the worst. It ain't me, It ain't me, I ain't no fortunate one. He dove into a light song, a classic, to keep his mind focused. 

 

As they entered the College Courtyard, he looked to the fight ongoing. As he saw Gemini quickly jump out of the copter, he focused a healing beam onto him. Hopefully it could help him; he never tested it on something other than a human, but the semantics should remain the same. 

 

When the copter lands, Exodia quickly jumps out and into the fray. Focusing the beam into the figure already fighting, Tetsuya firstly, he puts a little bit of energy back into the one currently knocked down. 

 

Exodia readies his Medi-Gun as he watches the beast from a short distance behind the others. Beam in one hand and naginata now unsheathed in the other, he looks to them. He shakes his head; he had a distraction to distance him from the problems within him, plaguing him as they will. 

 

"My allies, I have your backs. I will heal you as best as I can, keep you invigorated for the fight ahead, and whatever else is needed." He quickly quips as the replicas begin to retaliate and start the fight. 

 

Noticing a figure not unlike himself in the battlefield with a weapon he very well recognized, he quickly shouts to his allies in battle to what is needed. "There is a figure in the back! He has a weapon like mine! Be careful; he may be able to heal them!" He shouts, snarling to the fact that his weapon was copied. But he needed patience. He needn't go crazy, lest he could be lost. 

But as James arrived and charged directly into the boss's territory on the field, he focused the beam on him some to give him a little bit of a vitality boost.