Chapter 70. Finding Missing Students

After breakfast was over, we all went over to class. Class was normal, I fell asleep in my chair beside Blair, and only woke up after she shook me enough. “Rakki… Rakki…” “Hmm?” I grunted while taking my head from my desk. She smiled while Jayden scoffed. “Geez, why does he only wake up when you do it?” I stretched leaning back in my chair. “My brain is probably filtering out annoyances.” “Hey!” Jayden yelled while Chazz scoffed. “I wish I had the same thing.”

“Guys!! Stop making fun of Jay!” Syrus yelled with his finger pointed at us, accusatorial. Bastion laughed as well, but moved the conversation along. “We have been instructed to figure out where the owner of this abandoned bag has gotten to. A shadow rider is likely, so be prepared.” He finished on a serious note, immediately ruined by Jayden’s next sentence. “Let’s just hope this one isn’t someone Rakki will hit on this time.”

I smacked his dense head, causing him to chuckle as I stood up. “I didn’t hit on her.” “You kinda did.” Chazz added with a deadpan expression, just as Alexis hit my arm with a frown. “Whatever! Let’s just go.” Blair laughed while walking side by side with me. We all left the school, and made our way to the location of where the abandoned bag was found. “It would be most efficient for us to split up and search the area.” Bastion proposed, and immediately started putting people into groups to work with.

“Haven’t you ever watched a fucking horror movie!? That is the last thing people should do! Unless you want us to get picked apart one by one!” Chazz yelled with a valid point. A few more arguments ensued about what to do while we haphazardly walked around, but before long I heard something. “Everyone shut up!” I yelled with my hand up, causing everyone to pause and listen.

I could see the changes in their expressions as they heard what I was hearing. “What is that?” Jayden asked while tilting his head. “It is most likely where we need to go.” Bastion replied, leading the way to where the noises were coming from. We came across a cliff face, and a stone built coliseum just at the base of it. “Whoa… Hey look! That guy’s from class!” Jayden yelled while pointing at a random yellow shirted student hauling a large cubed brick.

“And… Is that Crowler?” Syrus asked, pointing off at a blue coated blond, struggling to push one of the bricks before noticing us. “Oh!? Hi…” We all stared at Crowler while he avoided our judgmental gazes. It was then that we heard a woman yell over to us from above. “Oh dear! If you are here for the cards, I’m sorry but the work on my place is just about completed!” We all looked over at a very built woman in her mid to late 20’s jumping down from the top of the viewing seats and perfectly landing on her feet.

“And she sticks the landing.” I muttered with a scoff, Alexis hitting my arm again. “You wanna hit on this one two?” She asked with a glare. I shook my head with a grin. “You don’t have to be jealous.” Alexis hit me again, her face red as she glared me down. We both then looked over at the well built woman as she walked over to us cheerfully. Her eyes wandered towards our chests, noticing the pieces of the key most of us had. “Oh, I see now! You have all come here to Duel me! That’s great, I’m in need of those keys, and this is much faster!”

With those few words, Syrus, Bastion, and Chazz tensed up. “Are you perhaps…?” Bastion started, but his voice trailed off. The woman nodded with a hearty smile. “Yea, I’m a Shadow Rider!” She cheered while lifting her left hand up to showcase a strange gauntlet and Duel Disk attachment. “This is perfect! While I’m getting a key, I can also…” She trailed off on her own, glancing only between us guys, and Blair. I noticed she scoffed at Blair, Alexis and I, before looking at the guys, seemingly ruling us out of the running.

“I’ll pick you! What’s your name sweetie?” She asked while pointing at our resident yellow jacketed friend. Jayden sighed while leaning against the wall beside me. “Man… I’m not getting to Duel at all…” I scoffed at him just as Bastion stepped forward. “Bastion. Bastion Misawa.” He spoke, proudly walking in front of the others to stand at equal ground to the amazon. She nodded with intuige while introducing herself. “My name’s Tania. Be sure to remember it~” She smiled while tossing her hair back, it only grew when she saw his steadfast gaze.

“Oh you just push all my buttons sweetie. Alright! And let me just tell you sweetie, I’m not into the whole shadow business! I’m not gonna get what I want if I keep you all cooped up in my gauntlet here.” She chuckled while glancing at her left hand. Bastion frowned in confusion. “Then what are we Dueling for?” Tania smiled while tilting her head in investigation, looking closer at Bastion where he stood. She placed her hands together. “Well… I first wanted the Sacred Beasts power to help search for a mate, but I think I have no need for their help anymore sweetie!”

Bastion froze while his mind sputtered at the insinuation of this girl’s last statement. He watched as her gaze pierced through him, enveloped him, encapsulated him. Like he was the only thing in the world that mattered to her. Bastion blushed and shook his head to clear his mind. ‘She is only throwing off your game Bastion! I must focus! I have no time for things such as this on my journey for the perfect Dueling equation!’

With that pep-talk in his mind, Bastion’s focus was rekindled. “Those games will have no effect on me! Let us just proceed with the Duel!” He yelled while undoing the buttons on his jacket, revealing the multitude of decks he had created. The girl only giggled while showcasing her own. “It seems we really are made for each other sweetie~ I even have two decks made by myself rather than just the one.” “Indeed… Only using one tends to get boring- Nevermind that! Just pick your deck, and let us get started!”

I stifled more of my laughter at Bastion’s smitten attitude. Joined alongside Jayden and Chazz of course. “Dude, look at his face! You cook an egg on that!” Jayden said in between chuckles. “He’s probably gonna get his head smashed in from her thighs if he loses, not like he’d mind from the looks of it.” Chazz continued while we all laughed.

Alexis and Blair looking at each other with a small grin of their own. Blair, from knowing Rakki was much more embarrassingly smitten with her, only hiding it from the guys. Alexis, knowing that this Tania wasn’t going to be another girl for Rakki to hit on. Both girls chuckled while cheering back to Tania. “You go girl!” “Get him!”

Bastion glared back at everyone, and even towards the guys from class all watching from the seats surrounding this colosseum. He sighed before gracefully removing a deck from one of his many holsters, spreading the cards out, and removing exactly one of them. He then collapsed the fan of cards, and placed them back inside of his holster before taking out another deck the same way, removing a singular card, and placing the one he took from the previous deck inside this new one.

“I hope you don’t mind. I prefer to make a few alterations on the fly, just in case.” He announced, shuffling the new deck a few times before slamming it into his Duel Disk with gusto. The singular card he traded out, placed in his jacket pocket for safe storage. Tania squirmed around in excitement while shaking her head giddily. “Of course not sweetie! In fact I think I just fell in love with you more!” Bastion almost tripped from the sudden proclamation of love, and groaned as he drew his opening hand. “Your ploys won’t work on me like they did on my friends! Now make your move!” Tania giggled while taking out a hand for herself. “Whatever you say sweetie~ Duel!” “Duel!”

4,000 Bastion ---- 4,000 Tania