Jankenjutsu!

Episode 24 - Turnabout

2013-02-23T19:49:00.000-05:00

The crowd murmured incredulously. What was she saying? Hairo Asahi was losing, two to zero. Her team had lost the first two matches of the round. If she lost even one more throw this match, Kohitsuji Academy would be out of the tournament.

And she had just offered to allow her opponent to forfeit.

Obviously, Jihara was just going to defeat her with his Lord of Emptiness technique. She hadn't been able to counter it, and it allowed him to beat her on every throw.

But then...

Why was he hesitating?

Jihara finally spoke. "I was hoping you hadn't noticed."

Ryoichi's eyes widened.

Hairo kept her gaze focused on her opponent. "I'm sorry, Jihara-san. But you've lost this match. I can tell you've injured your wrist recently. It's mostly healed, and against anyone else you'd be fine. Unfortunately, I'm studying to become a doctor. I know exactly what to throw to force you to re-injure yourself. That'll prevent you from countering me, and I'll win the match. So, I would like you to forfeit."

Jihara hesitated.

"If you keep dueling, you're asking me to decide between injuring you and losing. Don't force me to make that kind of decision. You've fought well, but you have to leave this to your teammates now." Her eyes darted to the Bosatsu and Kohitsuji duelists watching from the sidelines, then back to Jihara. "Please."

Jihara met her gaze. "Your perception is most impressive, Hairo-dono. As you say, I am certain that if our duel continues as before, you will defeat me. However, I am afraid I can not oblige you."

Hairo gritted her teeth, as Ryoichi stood to cry out - but Jihara interrupted them both by raising his hand to continues the duel.

His left hand.

Hairo grinned. "That's good. Thank you, Jihara-san - now I can finish this duel without any reservations!"

Ryoichi returned to his seat, but he didn't relax. Jihara would be dueling with his uninjured hand, but...

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! SHOOT!"

- their hands flickered through a rapid series of throws -

"Scissors cuts Paper! Point to Hairo!"

... but Jihara was nowhere near as swift with his off-hand.

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! SHOOT!"

Again, they cycled through Rock, Paper, and Scissors swiftly, doubling back and skipping ahead, trying to outmaneuver each other in a split moment -

"Rock crushes Scissors! Point to Hairo!"

- and again, Hairo managed to stay one step ahead.

"Rock!"

Jihara steeled himself -

"Paper!"

- focusing his senses -

"Scissors!"

- calling on all his training -

"SHOOT!"

- pouring everything into his throw!

There was a momentary silence.

"Rock crushes Scissors! Match, Hairo! Three points to two!"

The Kohitsuji duelists erupted in an immense cheer. Hairo ran towards her teammates, cheering along with them. She ran straight into Captain Hidaka's arms.

"You did it, Hairo-chan!"

"Well, we're back in the game. It's up to you guys now! Just let me sit down for a bit."

At the Bosatsu bench, Ryoichi put his hand on Jin's shoulder. "Our position is no longer unassailable. In Rock Paper Scissors, whoever has the momentum controls the match. You're going to have to face a tough opponent now - are you ready?"

Jin nodded. Tetsu Karan was an unusual foe, but Jin had studied him thoroughly. Still, it would be difficult to tell what strategy he could use until he could use the Thousand-Devil Eye on Tetsu directly.

Jihara returned to the bench, stopping before Ryoichi. "I apologize, Ryoichi-dono."

Ryoichi shook his head. "You fought valiantly, Ji-san! Now, I order you to rest until you're fully healed. We can leave this to Kotei-kun."

Jihara smiled. "Of course."

Back at the Kohitsuji bench, Tetsu yawned, stretched, and casually got to his feet.

~

Jin waited at the dueling platform. Tetsu was approaching his own platform at a languid pace, seemingly unconcerned by the vast crowd watching on. In fact, he looked sleepy and distracted, as though his mind were somewhere else.

Of course, Jin had seen recordings of Tetsu's previous duels. He was quick, but not exceptionally so. He rarely, if ever, employed esoteric techniques. He didn't seem to use any sort of traps or complex strategies.

But he just kept winning.

"Hey, Kotei-kun. That was pretty cool, huh?" Tetsu gestured with a nod of his head towards Hairo. "I know you guys are strong, but don't underestimate us. My teammates won't give up, ever!" He pushed his hair out of his eyes with a guileless smile, though it almost immediately fell back into place.

I don't buy it, thought Jin. This whole act - you're not just coasting by on luck. You've got some kind of strange technique. And I'm going to crack it!

"I don't plan to underestimate you, Tetsu-san. But Bosatsu isn't going to stop here. We have to keep going, all the way to the final round." Jin pointed two fingers at Tetsu, forming the 'Blade'. "It's said that a devil can see through any illusion, discover any hidden weakness or transgression." He brought his fingers to his forehead. "My technique, the Thousand-Devil Eye, is going to reveal your secret."

Tetsu shrugged. "I'm sorry, I don't have a neat technique like you, Kotei-kun. I'm really a simple guy. In the dueling arena, I have to rely on one thing only." He winked and tapped the side of his head. "Intuition."

Jin raised his hand to start the duel. We'll see about that.

Episode 23 - Quicksand

2013-01-23T21:43:00.003-05:00

The silence drew out for a long time. The two duelists peered at each other, searching, mute. Chiyoko wasn't typically prone to ostentatious speeches or boasts, and Yukimura, it seemed, was also the quiet sort.

Chiyoko needed to get a good read on Yukimura. Both duelists were analytical types, so this was all going to come down to which one of them could out-predict the other.

But so far nothing seems to be amiss, thought Chiyoko. Yuki-chan is trying not to reveal anything - but I suspect that this means she's taken the bait, and is confident she's going to win.

In the previous round of the tournament, Kohitsuji Academy had faced a team of mystic duelists, each of whom used a different meditative technique to focus and improve their abilities. Chiyoko had dueled an opponent whose style relied, supposedly, around reading the "aura" of their foe. She suspected that this ability was in reality based on reading physical cues to determine a duelist's intent - and had ultimately defeated him by forcing him into a more active stance and deducing his throw pattern. Her final throw had been Rock, but formed in a somewhat unorthodox manner, with the hand tilted slightly and the thumb straight instead of bent. This was a subtle sign that she was using a technique involving switching from Paper to Rock at the last moment of a throw, but had not yet mastered it.

However, she had not in actuality used this technique - she had deliberately faked the awkward throw. She had suspected she would be dueling Yukimura Hisoka, the "mastermind" of Bosatsu, in this round. So, she had planted this trap in her previous duel. Since then, Yukimura would certainly have viewed records of the duel, and caught the subtle tell. She would reason, therefore, that Chiyoko would have been practicing this technique, which would make Rock and Scissors very dangerous to use. The only safe throw would be Paper. This meant that Chiyoko could score an easy point on the first throw, while Yukimura thought she was safe, by throwing Scissors.

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! Shoot!"

Yukimura raised her eyebrows slightly, and Chiyoko kept her reaction carefully controlled.

"Rock crushes Scissors! Point to Yukimura!"

Damn, thought Chiyoko. She realized that it was a trap! She's even more clever than I thought...

I'm in a dangerous position now - I have to outmaneuver her on this next throw, or she'll control the entire match. Let's see... she's going to realize that I want to break her momentum. She knows she tricked me with the first throw, by turning my own trap against me. If I were her, what would I expect me to do? Well, I want a win or a tie on this throw, either would shift the duel's momentum away from her. So, I'll try to exclude her least likely throw, allowing me to narrow down the throw most likely to be successful. Now, I don't know for certain whether she realizes that the technique I pretended to use was a fake, or whether she thinks I just avoided using it to trap her, but it looks like I have to assume she's figured out the entire plot. That means all throws are equally viable to her, but she's not sure that I am aware of this. So, she might think that I'll be expecting her to avoid Scissors and Rock overall throughout the match, allowing her to use the same trick against me twice in a row. If she is, she'll throw Rock, and if she instead actually avoids those throws she'll use Paper. Thus, it would seem that Paper is my safest throw. Chiyoko shook her head slightly, raising her hand in preparation for the second throw. But I have to assume that she's figured all of this out, and is therefore expecting me to throw Paper, which means I should instead use Rock.

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! Shoot!"

Chiyoko let out a gasp as though she'd been punched in the stomach.

"Paper covers Rock! Point to Yukimura!"

Yukimura let the faintest hint of a smile show through.

What... what is this feeling?! Chiyoko's mind was racing. No matter what I do, it's all been foreseen. My plans, traps, counters, all work in her favor! The more I struggle, the more I am drawn down...

...as though I'm trapped in quicksand!

Yukimura narrowed her eyes slightly, then raised her hand for the final throw.

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! Shoot!"

"Rock crushes Scissors! Match, Yukimura! Three points to zero!"

Chiyoko stumbled back, defeated. The match was over so quickly - Bosatsu's duelists truly were fearsome!

Yukimura returned to her seat without ceremony, sitting beside Kotei Jin -

(and even distracted by her defeat, Chiyoko noticed the way Yumikura looked at Kotei, and wondered what she really thought of him)

- who said, "Yuki-chan, that was incredible! You and Mizu-kun are more powerful than I thought."

Yukimura shrugged. "It was a gambit. I knew that if I landed that first throw, she would panic. A panicked duelist is easy to predict. If I had missed with the first throw, however... who knows?"

Ryoichi clapped her on the shoulder. "Enough false modesty, Yuki-chan! It's time for the last match of this round. Ji-kun is up next."

In her seat, Chiyoko flinched. Hairo Asahi was already approaching the dueling platform, and opposite her, sure enough, was Jihara Akatsuki. Bosatsu was powerful, but as far as Chiyoko could tell, Jihara was the most formidable of them all.

Jihara's hands were folded, his eyes half-closed. He seemed utterly calm.

Hairo crossed her arms. "Jihara Akatsuki! You're Bosatsu's 'Lord of Emptiness', huh? You look pretty tough!"

She was acting nonchalant, but Chiyoko could tell she was feeling the pressure. Kohitsuji was down two rounds to zero - if she lost here, they'd be out of the tournament.

Jihara bowed slightly. "Hairo-dono. I am pleased to duel you. Shall we begin?" He raised his hand.

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! Shoot!"

"Paper covers Rock! Point to Jihara!"

Hairo's throw had been swift, but Jihara threw Paper at the last instant, countering her. Hairo narrowed her eyes at him, then slowly raised her hand for the second throw.

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! Shoot!"

"Scissors cuts Paper! Point to Jihara!"

It was already going as bad as it possibly could. Chiyoko felt sick to her stomach. They had lost two duels, and Hairo was losing two points to zero. She was facing the ground, frowning, apparently deep in thought. If she missed a single throw, it would all be over.

She took a deep breath, seeming to come to a decision, then looked up at Jihara.

"Jihara-san. I would like to offer you the chance to forfeit."

Episode 22 - Stealing Thunder

2012-12-28T03:29:00.000-05:00

Chiyoko was quiet. She had said a cursory goodbye to the Bosatsu duelists, then met up again with Kohitsuji. Their opponents were strange - they seemed nice, but she couldn't shake the unsettling feeling that crept up on her when she was stuck with them in the elevator.

But that wasn't the most pressing issue at the moment. She was often distracted by things like this, trying to figure people out, when really she should be focusing on the upcoming duels.

She looked around. Electrical problems aside, it was quite an impressive building - a spire that towered over the surrounding city, topped by an open-air dueling arena. The stands were bursting, fans of each team eager for this round's duels to start. She was sitting on the sidelines, along with Hairo, Tetsu, and Captain Hidaka. On the opposing bench, four of the Bosatsu duelists waited - Kotei, Jihara, Yukimura, and Captain Ryoichi. Just outside the arena, on opposite sides, Mizumigawa and Karasu were preparing to face each other.

Chiyoko knew that Karasu was strong, but Mizumigawa was not to be taken lightly. She was very skilled, and it was well-known that in the last few years Bosatsu had been a real innovator in developing esoteric techniques. Karasu was going to have to bring all his strength to bear if he was going to triumph.

The crowd suddenly cheered as the two duelists emerged from their respective entrances, striding towards their dueling platforms.

Mizumigawa Shin was wearing her signature hand-wraps and dark glasses. She wasn't a physically imposing figure, but out there in front of the audience she had a powerful presence - electric.

Karasu Nori - Karasu the Rogue - was dressed in his typical dueling outfit, his uniform accented by a domino mask. He carried a single rose, and as he reached the platform, he savored its scent, then tossed it towards the audience - receiving an extra chorus of cheers as his fans reached out to catch it.

Say what you like, he's got style, thought Chiyoko. Just can't seem to hang on to a girlfriend for some reason. Although things seem to be going okay between him and Ana so far...

"Mizumigawa Shin!" Karasu greeted his opponent. "I've been looking forward to this duel."

"Yeah?" She adjusted her shades with the edge of her hand, smirking. "Then don't blink."

"Hah! All right, but I don't just want to hear boasts. I want you to be able to keep up - you're going to have to use your thunderbolt technique."

"Normally I only use that on tough opponents."

Karasu turned towards the audience. "What do you think? Don't you want to see her duel for real?" They roared in agreement.

"Hey, hey, no need to beg. I guess if you're a fan, it's the least I can do." She shifted her stance, then traced a wide circle in the air with her fingertips. Suddenly, with a thunderclap, she brought her hands together, interlacing her fingers, steepling her forefingers. "RIN! Seal of the thunderbolt!"

Chiyoko's eyes widened. Mizumigawa's movements were confident before, but now... she exuded an incredible power, as though her body was charged with electricity. What was this technique?! Was she tapping in to some strange source of power? Or was this her natural strength, sealed away?

Karasu clenched a fist. "Yes! This is the power I wanted to see." He raised it up in preparation for the first throw, and Mizumigawa followed suit.

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! SHOOT!"

Mizumigawa whipped forward a swift throw of Rock. At the same time, Karasu's hand shot forward - stuttered in mid-throw, as though in a skipping video - and completed the throw. Paper.

"Paper covers Rock! Point to Karasu!"

They paused for a moment, then dropped their hands.

"Karasu-kun, that was a sweet Glitch Step! Totally threw me off."

"Are you kidding? I only barely pulled that off. Did you seriously just use Seeding on me?!"

"Hell, I tried."

"No, it worked! I thought you were going to throw Paper, but only guessed you might be seeding it just before the throw. I used the Glitch Step to hide my suspicion, and it payed off."

Chiyoko narrowed her eyes. Sierpinski Seeding? The technique was incredibly tough to pull off - a duelist would have to subtly indicate a specific throw several times, but only at the precise edge of their opponent's peripheral vision. Done properly, it would cause their opponent to subconsciously read them as preparing the desired throw, and would therefore control what they used to counter. So Mizumigawa had seeded a throw of Paper, so that Karasu would throw Scissors. If it had worked, her throw of Rock would have won, but he suspected something was up, and threw Paper to counter.

"You better have more tricks than that, Karasu-kun. It's not going to work again!"

They prepared for the next throw.

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! SHOOT!"

"Scissors cuts Paper! Point to Mizumigawa!"

"That type of move isn't going to work on me, Karasu-kun. Trying to read me mid-throw? I've been training with Jihara-san, and he's faster than you!"

"That was pretty good, Mizu-kun. You could tell I was trying to read your throw, so you faked Rock before switching to Scissors."

"Yep. I thought you were going to take this match seriously!"

"Well, I suppose it's time to finish this." Karasu held a rose in front of him - where had that come from? - and narrowed his eyes at Mizumigawa. "I've seen through your pattern, Mizu-kun. I don't need to read your throw, I can predict it ahead of time." He vanished the rose again with a flick of his hand.

She rolled her eyes. "I'll believe it when I see it."

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! SHOOT!"

"Scissors cuts Paper! Point to Karasu!"

"Tch. You got me."

He shrugged. "Yeah, I was lying. Had to distract you. But it worked! You were wrong about me being too slow - now that I'm synced up with you, I can 'steal' your throws without predicting them." He ran a hand through his hair. "It's over, Mizu-kun!"

"Heh." She looked down. "I guess you're right. It was fun, but it all ends here." She looked up sharply, drew a circle quickly in the air, then brought her hands together with a sound like thunder.

Her hands were clasped together, the fingers interlaced, but different this time - her middle fingers were pressed together, folded behind her forefingers. "PYO! Seal of the great thunderbolt!"

Chiyoko almost couldn't believe it. The change that came over Mizumigawa was like when she used the first seal, but redoubled. She almost expected to see sparks jumping from the duelist's fingers.

"You're good, Karasu-kun! I was hoping I wouldn't have to use my second-level release." She pointed at him. "Consider yourself lucky!"

The duel didn't last much longer after that. The next two throws followed swiftly, and on each one her movements were fast and flawless. Without hesitating, she threw the perfect counter each time. She blew past all his defenses, and in a flash, the match was over.

"Match, Mizumigawa! Three points to two!"

Karasu had to take a moment to catch his breath. "Mizu-kun, that was incredible!" He bowed to her.

She flashed him a smile and a 'V for victory'. "Not bad yourself, Karasu-kun. Keep working, and maybe you'll be able to keep up with me next time."

"Haha! All right, Mizu-kun. Next time!" They left the dueling platforms. Karasu's girlfriend, Ana, was waiting for him, and she gave him a kiss on the cheek as he returned to his seat.

But Chiyoko wasn't watching them anymore. She was heading for the team's lounge to prepare herself for the next duel. These Bosatsu duelists - we can't underestimate them! I'll have to be especially careful dealing with this next one. She glanced back, as her opponent was heading off in the opposite direction. From what I heard on the elevator, she sounded especially dangerous. The "mastermind", Yukimura Hisoka.

Episode 21 - Gathering

2012-12-17T02:57:00.000-05:00

Yukimura adjusted her glasses and began to tell her story. "So, my first year at Bosatsu, I started visiting the dueling team before the first tryouts of the year, watching the sparring and practice matches."

Ryoichi cut in. "Lots of people do that, but Yuki-chan... she'd show up every day, taking elaborate notes on every match."

"I needed to learn the lay of the land if I was to join the team. Not everyone can blithely ignore the existing power structures."

"Hah! Yes, that's you, always deferring to authority."

She narrowed her eyes at this, but continued. "I took notes on the team, on everyone's dueling styles. When the time came to try out for a spot, I used that information to win."

There was a brief pause, as Ryoichi waited for her to continue. "That... was terrible. Did a raconteur kill your parents or something? Just... just let me tell it." She shrugged. "So she shows up one day, when the team's duelists are going to spar. She comes up to us, the five slated for the championship, and she hands us each an envelope. Says nothing, she's cultivating an aura of mystique -" she rolled her eyes at this "- except that we're not supposed to open them until after the day's training. Most of the duelists didn't think much of it, forget about the envelopes. But as soon as we're done, I open mine."

He leaned forward, spreading his fingers. "It's a single sheet of paper. On it, she's written a series of throws. It takes me a moment to figure it out, but then I see it. From the start of that practice, through each of my duels in order, it's a series that would have beaten me. I go to the others to check, and it's the same with them - she'd figured out how to beat each of us before the matches even started. We tried to find her, but she'd already disappeared. Then, the next day, she shows up and joins in the practice, as though she'd been a member of the team for years."

He leaned back again. "She may not be able to tell a story, but don't let her fool you into thinking she doesn't have a sense for the dramatic. She's Bosatsu's 'mastermind'." He glanced at Jin. "She was the one who came up with the throw that Mizu-kun used against you that day on the tennis courts."

Jin blinked. There was so much he didn't know about his teammates. Why was that? Was it just that he hadn't asked ...?

"In fact, now that I think about it... it was Captain Umari Toshio's last year, and I was planning to succeed him the following year. I was popular with the first-year students, and Yuki-chan seemed to be on my side as well. But she convinced me to challenge him for the position before the championship started."

She looked away, spoke quietly. "I didn't see any point in delaying the inevitable. Ryoichi-san is right - Umari-san was a good duelist but a terrible captain, and the team wasn't going to go anywhere until Ryoichi took over."

"Well, I challenged him, and I had enough support with the rest of the team that he had to accept. Yuki-chan and I developed a cunning strategy, and I beat him. It... wasn't a graceful transfer of power. He quit the dueling team in a fit of rage, and I haven't heard of him since. But in the end, I was the captain, and the current age of Bosatsu dawned."

He looked over at Jihara, who was sitting still with folded hands. "And my first year as captain was the year we lost to the Shinku monastery."

Jihara nodded. "As Ryoichi-dono says, that was the first year we met. The Bosatsu dueling team progressed quite far in the championship that year, under Ryoichi-dono's peerless leadership. He helped them to unlock their potential, and they swept past many opponents that would have previously proved too capable. However, the ability that allowed them to progress that far placed them against an opponent they were completely unprepared to challenge. The Shinku monastery is an isolated community of duelists who follow a rigorous training regimen, honing their bodies to be capable of utilizing the monastery's signature technique, the Lord of Emptiness. This esoteric technique produces a state in which a sufficiently capable duelist may respond in the moment of an opponent's throw, countering them regardless of their strategy. It is an invin-"

The pause was momentary.

"In the proper hands, the technique is essentially invincible. The Bosatsu duelists faced a team of Shinku monastery's most highly trained monks, each a master of the Lord of Emptiness technique. The first two matches were decisive victories for Shinku. In the third match, Bosatsu's new captain dueled an initiate who had been raised in the monastery, but who was only that year allowed to duel in the championship. Myself. Ryoichi-dono was swift enough to last for several rounds, in which I was only able to force ties. I won the duel in the end, but the extended bout gave him enough time to observe me. He has peculiar insight, and he was able to discern what I had kept hidden from my fellow monks for years. In truth, I was dissatisfied with the only life I had ever known. I wished to discover the world that I had never been a part of. I felt that I was trapped within Shinku, but that I had no other options. After that round of the tournament, Ryoichi-dono came to speak with me privately. He offered to take me in and provide a place for me at Bosatsu. I had won the match, but the true victory was his. I took the chance he offered me, and have been a member of the Bosatsu dueling team ever since."

There was a drawn-out silence.

"Damn." Mizumigawa finally broke in. "I guess it's my turn next, but my story's not anywhere near that moving, and I didn't pull some ridiculous stunt like Ryo-kun or Yuki-chan. I just showed up, the next year, my first, at the tryouts. I dueled Ryo-kun and showed him I knew my stuff, so here I am!"

"Wellll... that's not quite all, is it?" Ryoichi arched an eyebrow at her.

"Uh?"

"You don't remember? When you were sparring with me? I could tell you had spirit, but I wasn't sure if you had the talent to back it up. But when I used the Rock-Crushing Strike... you blocked it effortlessly, but that wasn't the impressive part. What surprised me was how you used it on me yourself right afterward."

"Ah, well, it's not such a tough technique! I must've picked it up the last tournament season."

"Don't be so modest. What you used against me was a hand-crafted variation on the Rock-Crushing Strike that I had designed myself. It took me days to master it, and you learned it in the middle of a duel. You earned your spot on the team with that one throw."

"Ha! Haha! Uh, isn't it Kotei-kun's turn? Yeah?" Mizumigawa grinned in embarrassment.

Ryoichi smirked, but they turned towards Jin.

"Um. Well -"

Jin was cut off suddenly as the lights flashed on, blinding bright, and the elevator shuddered to life again. It accelerated, as though nothing had happened, towards the the three hundredth floor and the dueling arena.

"- I guess I can tell you later."

Episode 20 - Stuck

2012-12-07T14:29:00.000-05:00

Jihara Akatsuki shook his head. "I am afraid the ceiling panel is locked. We will have to wait until power is restored."

They sat, leaning against the walls of the elevator. They had come to a stop somewhere above the hundredth floor of the building, and the doors, when forced, opened only on a blank wall - the elevator was only supposed to run to the 300th floor.

"I guess we're stuck, then," concluded Ryoichi, looking cheerful even in the dim emergency lighting.

"This sucks!" Mizumigawa sat upside down, her back resting on the floor, her legs stretched up the wall. "How long is this going to take? What are we supposed to do?"

"Well, um," said Chiyoko softly, as everyone turned towards her, "I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Chiyoko Shizu."

Ryoichi grinned. "Of the Kohitsuji Academy dueling team? Pleased to meet you. I am Captain Ryoichi Kei, of Bosatsu."

The other Bosatsu duelists introduced themselves in turn. Chiyoko studied them carefully. She'd read the data on each of them, but there wasn't much information on what they were like as people. For some reason, nobody thought that was important enough to track.

There was a short silence before Chiyoko spoke up again. "So, um, how did you all end up on the dueling team?"

Mizumigawa perked up. "Oh man. You gonna tell her about how you joined, Ryo-kun?"

"Well..."

"Don't do this whole thing where you pretend you don't want to!" She smirked. "You love talking about yourself."

"Fine! If it'll make you happy, I'll grudgingly tell you." He cleared his throat, as though for punctuation. "Well, it was three years ago, my first year at the academy. At the beginning of the year I showed up to the offices to meet with the captain at the time, Umari Toshio. You see, the Bosatsu team was ranked very poorly, and most people didn't really pay it much attention then. But I had been watching their matches, and there were a few duelists there who I thought had a lot of promise. With proper guidance and strategy, they could have been quite formidable. So I went to Captain Umari, and I made my case."

Ryoichi shrugged.

"He didn't like it. Thought I was just some cocky upstart, fresh from the junior leagues. Which I was, I guess. But still, he threw me out of there."

Mizumigawa spun around to sit upright, grinning.

"So, before the first tryouts of the year, the team does an exhibition for the school. The arena's packed, and the team's best duelists are showing off their most impressive throws and techniques. Finally, Umari enters the ring to demonstrate a new technique he developed, the 'Stride of Hermes'. But before he can begin, a murmur passes through the crowd. It's me, walking out of the stands. It takes longer than I expected - the whole way down, there's this uncomfortable quiet, and Umari's giving me this look like he wishes I'd burn to ash right then and there. But I keep going, until I'm standing in front of the whole team, and I flick out my wrist" - he demonstrates the gesture - "in Scissors, a duel challenge. I tell the whole school, not only is the team not strong enough to take us to the championship, they're not even strong enough to beat a single first-year student. I said I wanted to try out, immediately, by dueling each of them in turn. If one of them could beat me, I'd leave. But if I beat them all, I wanted a spot on their team, and a chance to compete in any tournament they entered."

"Hah!" Mizumigawa punched Ryoichi lightly on the shoulder. "I wish I could have seen that!"

Yukimura nodded. "I am certain it was almost as impressive as Ryoichi-san is making it out to be."

Ryoichi clutched his heart in mock-sorrow. "Yuki-chan! You wound me. I would never embellish a tale."

Chiyoko smiled quietly to herself before Ryoichi continued.

"I had challenged the dueling team's honor, and Umari's most of all. He had to accept. So, in the middle of the exhibition, one after another, I faced Bosatsu's five strongest duelists. I had studied each of them, and I knew their weaknesses. They had potential, but it was uncultivated. So, I defeated each of them in turn, until only Captain Umari remained." Ryoichi looked especially pleased. "He was furious."

"Which, of course, was the plan. Umari Toshio was a useless captain, but a very powerful duelist. He was an analytical type, able to develop elaborate strategies to trap any opponent. The team never progressed very far under his leadership, but he personally almost never lost a match. So I had to arrange the match to be as favorable as possible - I had studied his dueling history, but he knew almost nothing about me. I was calm and, if I'm being honest, exuding confidence and skill, while he had just witnessed me insult his team and his ability, then defeat every one of his teammates, before the entire school.

"Still, it was a hard-fought duel. He had been formulating plans to defeat me over the course of the four previous duels, watching my patterns and movements. I used esoteric techniques to cloud my intentions, eventually bringing the duel to a tie, with the next point determining the victor. He drew one foot back, preparing his dreaded Stride of Hermes. He wanted to finish it with a flashy, decisive throw. The arena had gone utterly silent. I knew that he had noticed I'd been avoiding Paper during this duel, trying to make him think that I'd use it at the last moment for a surprise finish. So, he was expecting me to use Rock to counter his Scissors. But this would make Paper a "safe" throw - it wouldn't lose whether my gambit was real, and I used Paper, or a feint, and I used Rock. He was learning quickly, and he didn't trust this. So, when it came to the throw - Rock! Paper! Scissors! Shoot! - he had fallen right into my trap, throwing Rock to counter the double-gambit and losing to my throw of Paper.

"And that was that. The audience went crazy, shouting and cheering and booing as I left the dueling platform. I was on the team. I wasn't very popular with the other members, but everyone knew who I was."

Yukimura smiled sardonically. "Of course, what else were you supposed to do after your bad first impression? You had no choice but to challenge them all in front of the entire school."

He shrugged. "Hey, it worked."

"Eventually. The team was a complete mess my first year."

Mizumigawa raised an eyebrow. "Hey, yeah, you joined up the year after that, didn't you? How did that go?"

"It was pretty uneventful."

Ryoichi gave her a skeptical glance. "Come on, Yuki-chan. It's your turn."

Mizumigawa leaned towards her. "Yeah, please?"

She sighed. "Fine, fine, no need to prostrate yourselves. I'll tell you how it happened."

Episode 19 - The Basilisk

2012-11-30T16:35:00.000-05:00

Mizumigawa Shin stood atop the Bosatsu dueling team's central building, her hair shifting slightly in the breeze. She watched as, beyond the walls of the dueling compound, Venomous Kyoru and Tendou Hibiki strode off into the distance.

The sunset blazed in her shades.

~

The light from the monitors flickered on Yukimura's glasses.

"She's not in any of this footage, Captain."

She and Ryoichi had gone over the surveillance footage from the duels again and again. Tsuki Masako, the Basilisk, hadn't shown up until after Kyoru called out to her.

Ryoichi stopped pacing, lowered his head. "She knows the blind spots of the cameras. She can hide from all of us in plain sight." He paused. "This means she can watch us at any time - has been watching us. The question being -"

"Why," finished Yukimura, still watching the screens. "What is she trying to learn?"

Jin stood suddenly, breaking his long silence. "My duel with her. What did she do to me?"

Ryoichi and Yukimura eyed him uneasily. She switched the central monitor to display the brief duel.

The events unfolding on the screen started as he remembered them. "Rock, Paper, Scissors." But just before the throw, his body went curiously slack, his movements slow.

"Shoot."

He had thrown Paper, Tsuki throwing Scissors as she took a step forward. Without stopping, she glided past him while he stared ahead dully, his hand still forming Paper. The other Bosatsu duelists were watching him in shock, as was Tendou. Tsuki paused after passing him, as his trance wore off. "Good try, Thousand-Devil."

Yukimura paused the video.

"I don't..." Jin shook his head. "I don't remember any of that."

"I can explain, Kotei-kun." Ryoichi looked grim. He made his way to the front of the room, silhouetted against the monitors in the dark room, and turned to face Jin and Yukimura. He glanced around the room briefly - he had sent Jihara to the school nurse, for his wrist, but where was Mizumigawa?

He put the thought from his mind.

"Decades ago, a trinary logician made a crucial discovery. He learned that any logical system has a fatal flaw. No matter what, there is input you can give that causes pathological behavior. They suspected that there might be ways to apply this principle to humans, images that could damage the mind directly. These images were named after the mythical beast that could turn people to stone with a glance..." He turned towards the monitor where Tsuki's image was frozen, a knowing smile on her lips. "The Basilisk."

"That's impossible!" Jin grabbed Ryoichi's shoulder. "Are you saying that she can use techniques like that?"

Ryoichi turned back towards him. "Not quite. You see, Kyoru Arashi is called 'Venomous' because of his insidious dueling style. He has a particular genius for turning duelists against themselves. His techniques are based on what he calls the 'Toxic Principles', a set of dueling-theoretical concepts that can be used to manipulate people in very subtle ways. Tsuki Masako is a gifted technical duelist, an 'esoteric art genius' specialized in using a particular Toxic Principle..."

Ryoichi swept his hand out to the side, a theatrical twinkle in his eye.

"Battle hypnosis. She has an incredible talent for influencing minds with subtle sounds and movements. That's how she's been staying hidden in plain sight, and that's how she beat you, Kotei-kun. And she's improving at an astounding rate. Last time we met, she was nowhere near this strong!"

Jin laughed nervously. "A team of powerful duelists who developed an ultimate technique, the 'Toxic Principles'... it almost sounds like you're going to tell me that Kyoru and Tsuki are members of Trefoil."

Ryoichi and Yukimura looked at him sharply.

"You know, Trefoil? The legendary secret team of master duelists?" He blinked. "It was just a joke."

There was a momentary silence.

"Right," said Ryoichi. "Of course."

~

Chiyoko Shizu's eyes focused on the page, but her mind kept wandering. She was trying to distract herself from the upcoming round of the tournament, but it wasn't working at all. Kohitsuji's dueling team had won their first round with ease, but they had been facing a weak team without much experience. From all of the information they had on Bosatsu, this round was going to be very different. The "Bosatsu Four" were a fearsome team before, and this new guy, Kotei Jin, was a wildcard, a powerful duelist who had mysteriously vanished for years.

Hairo Asahi gently nudged Choyoko to turn with the rest of the team as they walked down the hall towards the dueling arena. She corrected her course without looking up from her book.

Chiyoko and the rest of Kohitsuji had been training nonstop, studying their opponents' techniques and practicing their own, working on tactics and counters and counter-counters. Captain Hidaka had helped each of them develop their strengths, and more than that, encouraged them to believe in themselves and their teammates. Chiyoko really admired him as a captain, and knew that his leadership would be crucial if they were going to win. But she had noticed that, privately, he was worried. He was hiding it from everyone, even his boyfriend Tetsu Karan. He thought he had to present a strong facade in order to motivate his team. She hoped he was doing okay.

She came to a stop in the elevator, turned around, and looked up.

"Uh, Chiyoko-chan..."

Why was everyone standing outside of the elevator...?

She looked around. The Kohitsuji duelists were waiting outside, and Hairo was giving her an odd look. They couldn't fit inside, because...

Because the elevator was already full.

"Uh," she started to say, as the elevator doors shut, leaving the Kohitsuji team outside, and Chiyoko inside, with the Bosatsu duelists.

"H-hello everyone," said Chiyoko as the elevator shot up towards the dueling arena on the 300th floor.

"Pleased to meet you!" Captain Ryoichi Kei bowed slightly, offering his hand-

-when suddenly the elevator screeched to a stop, and the lights flickered and went out.

"Hm," he said.

Episode 18 - Kohitsuji

2012-02-19T23:15:00.001-05:00

Hidaka Michi cut a striking figure. He was tall and handsome, and, as the scion of the powerful Hidaka family, easily projected a casual yet commanding presence. From a young age, he was effortlessly talented at whatever he turned his hand to - equally comfortable playing the violin, translating ancient texts, and analyzing trinary logic systems. So it was no surprise when, after deciding he wished to learn Rock Paper Scissors, he quickly rose to the position of captain in Kohitsuji Academy's dueling team.

From beneath the brim of his pilot's cap - featuring the Hidaka Airlines crest - he surveyed the duelists arrayed before him. They were Kohitsuji's finest, and he was proud of them.

Right now, however, they seemed to be a little distracted.

It was the end of a long day of training, analysis, planning. The Kohitsuji duelists were scattered through the spacious, two-level central lounge of the team headquarters. A slow, intricate passacaglia issued forth from the grand piano.

On the second level balcony sat Hairo Asahi, frowning in concentration at the documents and textbooks spread out on the table in front of her. Hidaka found her studiousness inspiring - she was not only a strong duelist, but also an aspiring surgeon, and her academic work took up almost as much of her time as her stringent Rock Paper Scissors regimen. And yet somehow this massive workload never seemed too much for her, as no matter how many nights in a row she spent up studying and training instead of sleeping, she always remained cheerful and friendly. As she read, compared notes, and studied anatomical diagrams, her boyfriend Yuta Daichi, sitting in the chair next to hers, bobbed his head to a private rhythm - ostensibly he was helping her study, but in reality he was mostly just keeping her company and listening to music on an expensive-looking pair of headphones. Yuta wasn't a duelist, but he was a common feature of the dueling team's lounge nonetheless, offering the occasional sarcastic comment from the sidelines.

Meanwhile, Karasu Nori was pacing about restlessly, with a dreamy, faraway look in his eye.

Hidaka smiled. "What's on your mind, Karasu-san?" Of course, he knew exactly what that look meant.

Karasu sighed blissfully. "I've finally met her - the one. She's just... perfect!"

Hairo called down from the balcony. "Isn't that what you said about what's-her-name like two months ago? And that girl you met at the tournament last year? And-"

"Ah, you don't get it!" Hairo's teasing couldn't sour Karasu's mood. "Ana-chan is different!"

Hidaka shook his head. Karasu looked like a model, with short, wavy hair, high cheekbones, and a chiseled physique. He was always dressed in the most fashionable designer wear, no matter what he was doing. At Kohitsuji, all of the girls - and a significant fraction of the boys - had a crush on "Karasu the Rogue". And yet, when it came to relationships, he was a bit... dense.

This caused no end of problems for Chiyoko Shizu. The serious-looking girl mulled over the problem, her face hidden from the other duelists by her long, straight hair, as she played the grand piano in the corner of the room. She had managed to pair every member of the dueling team up with someone, except for Karasu. Well, and herself, naturally - but that didn't count. Karasu's flighty nature was ruining her perfect record! Still, she was sure there was a solution. She just had to think of it.

It was getting late, but Chiyoko was lost in thought, so she was surprised to see when she next looked up that Hairo, Yuta, and Karasu had already left for the evening. Hidaka was looking at the profiles of the Bosatsu duelists, their opponents in the next round of the championship, while the team's fifth member was dozing on a couch. Chiyoko quickly finished her song, then quietly slipped out the back door with a private smile on her face.

The sound of the door closing snapped Hidaka out of his daze - he'd been reading the same sentence over and over for several minutes without absorbing it. Must be more tired than I thought.

He glanced over at the Kohitsuji dueling team's fifth member, sprawled on the couch by the fireplace.

Hidaka didn't understand Tetsu Karan. His mind worked differently from anyone Hidaka had ever known - he seemed lost in the clouds, but he could make connections no one else could see. He dozed all the time, in class or the team's lounge. He practiced the least of anyone on the team, but his mysterious dueling style was shockingly effective.

And no matter what, whenever their eyes met, Hidaka couldn't help but smile.

He tousled Tetsu's (goofy, flipped-out) hair. "Hey. Wake up."

The boy yawned, stretched, blinked sleepily. "Michi?"

"Come on, Karan, it's late. Everyone's gone home already."

"'Kay." Tetsu stood up, rubbed his eyes, grabbed his bag from beside the couch, and headed for the door. He paused and looked back at Hidaka. "Aren't you coming?"

"I'll catch up with you in a sec. One more thing I have to take care of."

"Okay!" Tetsu didn't leave, though. He wandered over to the table where Hidaka was standing. "Are you excited for the next round, Michi?"

"Yeah. But it's going to be a tough one."

"That's okay. I don't mind whether we win the championship, really." He tilted his head to the side. "I just enjoy dueling with you." He leaned over and kissed Hidaka on the cheek, then turned and headed for the door. "I'll give you five minutes!"

"I'll be right out!"

When Tetsu was gone, Hidaka's smile faded. He drew a card out of his pocket, then stared at it in silence for a moment. He walked over to a wall-screen, punched in a number. The video phone rang twice before the connection went through.

On the screen was a figure shrouded in black, wearing a blank white mask.

The voice was harshly distorted. "Hidaka Michi. Have you reconsidered?"

He couldn't quite meet that empty gaze. "Yes, Lacuna. I can't beat Ryoichi Kei on my own."

~

Basilisk, the silver-haired girl, stood between the two teams of duelists - Jin and the other Bosatsu duelists behind her, Kyoru and Tendou ahead, near the door.

"Basilisk," said Ryoichi. "Explain yourself."

"I'm afraid I was just taking my leave."

She started towards the exit, but in a sudden flash of movement Kotei Jin was in front of her, blocking the door.

"That's enough. I need some answers! Who are you?"

But Ryoichi was the one who responded. "This is Tsuki Masako, also called Basilisk - Kyoru Arashi's former second in command." He paused for a moment before continuing, softly. "She's the one who told us about your brother."

She glanced over her shoulder at Ryoichi as he spoke, then turned back to Jin. "Satisfied?"

But as she started to walk forward once more, Jin raised his hand to point at her with a challenging Scissors.

She stopped, faint amusement on her face. "You wish to duel me?" She gave an exaggerated sigh. "Fine. If you win, I'll answer your questions. If I win, then I leave without any further trouble. Agreed?"

Jin just raised his hand in a fist, ready to start the duel.

"We'll do a single throw, Thousand-Devil. Are you ready?"

"Rock!"

Something felt wrong to Jin.

"Paper!"

He could hear a faint humming, like a swarm of locusts on the horizon.

"Scissors!"

Tsuki took half a step towards him - and she vanished.

Jin blinked, his head suddenly foggy.

"Good try, Thousand-Devil."

He spun to face her. When did she get behind me?! "What are you doing? We're not finished!"

"Yes, we are." Her eyes dipped for a moment.

Jin followed her gaze to his outstretched hand. He was holding out Paper. When did I make that throw?

"You lost." She walked towards the exit one more time, pausing only to brush Kyoru's shoulder, lightly, with the backs of her fingers. She glanced at Tendou Hibiki. "She's my replacement, hm? She's pretty good."

She strode out, and silence fell over the room.

Episode 17 - Envenomation

2012-02-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

Venomous Kyoru adjusted his glasses, his hand covering his face. "Jihara Akatsuki. Excellent perception and speed. A former student of the Shinku monastery -"

"Wait." Tendou Hibiki was suddenly sitting bolt upright. "This guy was raised by those damn Shinku monks?" A huge, sharklike grin spread across her face. "Now that's interesting. I almost want to switch places, Arashi."

Jihara studied her. "... I thought there was something familiar about you, Tendou-dono. Did you study there as well?"

"Did I study there? I learned everything they had to teach - and it was worthless."

There was a mild note of surprise in his voice. "Then, are you the Peregrine?"

"Tch, is that what they're calling me? Look, I don't really care, I turned my back on them and their useless methods years ago. But if you abandoned them as well, that makes you - very slightly - more interesting." She glanced over at Kyoru. "Uh, right, get back to your duel," she added, waving a hand dismissively.

Kyoru continued. "A former student of the Shinku monastery, who still uses their most powerful technique, the 'Lord of Emptiness'. You are capable of perceiving your opponent's throw in time to counter it. While you retain this advantage, you are essentially unbeatable. And yet, it makes me wonder..." He raised his hand to begin the duel. "What happens when you face an opponent who is faster than you?"

Jihara inclined his head slightly. "Shall we begin, Kyoru-dono?" They raised their hands for the first throw.

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! Shoot!"

There was a flash of movement as they made their throws with incredible speed, their hands in a blur. When they came to a stop, both were showing Scissors - a draw.

"Incredible," whispered Mizumigawa. "He matched Ji-kun's speed so effortlessly."

"In that movement," Jin whispered back, "they must have gone through half a dozen throws, each trying to shift ahead of the other. But it looks like they're evenly matched in terms of speed - it's going to come down to endurance."

The duelists raised their hands again - these two seemed comfortable remaining silent between throws.

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! Shoot!"

Another flash of movement, as Jihara and Kyoru cycled through the three signs in rapid succession - Jihara formed Scissors, but Kyoru was already making Rock, so Jihara switched to Rock, expecting that Kyoru would reflexively switch to Scissors to counter Rock's counter, but Kyoru had transitioned immediately from Rock to Paper - all of this in the fraction of a second before their throws landed.

In the end, both had thrown Rock - another tie.

The Bosatsu duelists on the sidelines watched them carefully, looking for any sign of how the stalemate would resolve.

"It must be an immense strain," said Yukimura. "There's no way either of them can maintain that kind of speed for much longer."

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! Shoot!"

But they weren't slowing down - if anything, they were getting faster! They shifted throws in a complex pattern, fighting furiously over a vanishingly slim advantage. At the same time, they each maintained a calm, unreadable expression.

And once again, the throw ended in a tie - two throws of Paper.

"Ji-kun... you've got to win," said Mizumigawa, thinking back to their sparring matches. She'd been training her speed non-stop, and still she couldn't earn more than a single point against him. He was unbeatable - wasn't he? "Ryo-kun, can you figure out who has the advantage?" She looked over at Ryoichi.

He was breathing hard, his knuckles whitening from the strength of his grip on his chair. His eyes were wide as he watched the match unfold. "Ji-san..." he said in a choked voice.

"Jihara-san," said Kyoru suddenly, as the duelists were raising their hands for the next throw. "Do you know why they call me 'Venomous'?"

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! Shoot!"

Again, that same flash of movement - but something was wrong.

"Gyah!" Jihara cried out in pain.

Kyoru stood silently, holding out his throw of Rock.

Jihara was clutching his arm, the hand hanging limp.

"That," said Kyoru, "is called Envenomation."

Ryoichi leapt out of his seat like a steel spring. He was at Jihara's side in a moment.

"Impossible," whispered Jin. "Kyoru-san wasn't trying to beat Ji-san in speed - he was deliberately holding back, using his pattern of throws to force Ji-san into a sequence that would cause extra strain on his wrist..."

"The human body is delicate," said Kyoru philosophically. "Motions can have subtle effects on internal processes. Muscles can twist and tear, certain chemicals can be released or absorbed... if you can control someone's movements, you can make their own bodies poison them."

"You have to forfeit this match," said Ryoichi to Jihara, gripping his shoulder.

"I can still duel," replied Jihara.

"I'm your captain! That's an order!" Ryoichi spun around to face Kyoru. "We forfeit! You win!"

Kyoru was looking at Jin directly now. "Do you see, Kotei Jin? You have no hope of winning against someone who has mastered the Toxic Principles." He nodded at Tendou, who kipped up from the bank of seats she was lying on and walked over to join him. "We are done here." They turned to leave.

The Bosatsu duelists had all gathered around Jihara by this point, trying to see how serious his injury was.

Kyoru paused at the door. "There is one other thing," he said as though just realizing something. "What are you doing here, Basilisk?"

As the Bosatsu duelists looked around in surprise, she walked past them from behind, from the back of the arena where she had been watching unseen - the silver-haired girl.

Her voice was soft, melodic, yet cold. "You're as sharp as ever, Kyoru."

Episode 16 - The Perfect Mirror

2012-02-03T10:00:00.000-05:00

The tension in the Bosatsu dueling team's private arena was incredible. Yukimura Hisoka stood on one side, deep in thought. Tendou Hibiki stood on the other, limbering up for the duel, seemingly the only relaxed person in the room. Kyoru Arashi watched from the sidelines, silent and unreadable, opposite the Bosatsu team.

This is going to be problematic, thought Yukimura, looking down with eyes closed in concentration. I don't have much data on her. I'll have to use the opening throws to draw out her strategy, then lead her into a trap - she appears to be a physical player, so perhaps a modified Serivean Gambit, or a Sierpinski Defense. I'll start with three layers of obfuscation in my approach, but I might have to increase recursion depth depending on her first throw. My first throw should definitely be Paper, as though I'm expecting her to think I'm pretending to play into the expectations that she'll think I want her to believe she's successfully pretended to have. As soon as I see how she deals with that, I'll be able to formulate a more solid strategy.

She nodded, then looked up at her opponent, adjusting her glasses -

- and froze.

Yukimura stood motionless, her right thumb and index finger gripping one lens of her glasses. Across from her, Tendou had transformed completely - her posture, her expression, everything was different. She was holding her left thumb and index finger in front of her face, as though gripping an invisible lens - in every way, her pose was an exact mirror of Yukimura's.

When she regained her composure, Yukimura lowered her hand - but as she did so, Tendou copied her movement. She made a few meaningless gestures, to see if Tendou would follow her - and she did.

"Don't bother with some complicated strategy, Yuki-me," said Tendou, without breaking her synchronization. "My technique is unbeatable. With my Perfect Mirror, I can copy any opponent's movements exactly. It doesn't matter what strategy they use. It doesn't matter what arts they've mastered. It doesn't matter how long they've trained. The Perfect Mirror reflects it all."

"So this is her replacement," murmured Ryoichi.

Yukimura's expression remained neutral, unimpressed. "Yes, that's certainly a powerful technique. I won't be able to beat it with normal play."

The two duelists raised their hands simultaneously.

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! Shoot!"

Yukimura had thrown Paper, as she had planned - and Tendou had mirrored her exactly, throwing Paper as well.

Yukimura frowned. I was right. Her technique is strong, but it has a flaw - one that I can use to win this duel! The Perfect Mirror requires her to match her opponent's movements exactly. Therefore, she can't use it to win a throw, only tie. Her real strategy must be to force a series of ties, and then deduce her opponent's pattern. She'll be able to strike whenever she's sure of my next throw, and force a tie the rest of the time. It's a formidable strategy - but I can turn it against her. All I have to do is fake a pattern and wait for her to break her mirroring. I'll wrap a false strategy in a few layers of simulated prediction, and she should play right into my hands.

They raised their hands again.

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! Shoot!"

Another tie - both had thrown Paper again.

Yukimura eyed her opponent cautiously. She should be catching on to the false strategy by now. I'd better add a few more layers of obfuscation, to make her think I'm trying to prevent her from discovering my pattern. I need to make sure that she -

"It's over." Tendou said. "I've won the duel. When Arashi said we were going to challenge you, I thought you'd put up more of a fight, but you were easy to synchronize with. So now there's nothing you can do."

Yukimura raised her hand, and Tendou continued to mirror her. On the sidelines, Jihara leaned closer, strangely intent on Tendou's movements.

"Rock! Paper! Scissors!"

Then, at the same time, they each shouted different things - as "Shoot!" passed Yukimura's lips, Tendou instead cried -

"Shatter!"

- and brought down a throw of Rock at the last moment, defeating Yukimura's Scissors.

"This is what bores me about dueling," mused Tendou, her triumphant expression mismatched with her - or rather, Yukimura's - shocked stance. "No matter how strong a duelist is, they all fall to my Perfect Mirror. I can keep up with anyone long enough to synchronize completely, and then I can use that total awareness to shift my throw to beat theirs. It's an unstoppable technique."

Yukimura regained her composure quickly. Impossible. There has to be some weakness to her technique, some way to subvert that "mirror".

"Okay, Yuki-chan, that's enough." The duelists glanced over in unison at Mizumigawa, who was rolling her eyes at them as she interjected. "Quit playing around. She's starting to get cocky!" She lowered her sunglasses and smirked at Yukimura. "It's time for you to shut her down."

"Thanks a lot, Mizu-kun," replied Yukimura in a deliberately casual tone. "I wanted her to think she had a chance, and you just had to open your big mouth." I need a plan. Anything!

Jin looked sidelong at Mizumigawa. "Yuki-chan just needs a little encouragement," she whispered.

I need to out-maneuver her somehow. But how can I do that if she's matching all of my movements? ... Wait. She's not matching all of them. There's a place where I can strike! Yukimura looked back at Tendou, raising her hand as light glinted off her glasses.

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! Shoot!"

As her hand descended, Yukimura formed Scissors - and immediately, as part of a single, fluid movement, switched to Paper right before the end of the throw. As Yukimura had planned, Tendou broke synchronization to throw Rock - but she just as quickly shifted her throw to Scissors in tandem with Yukimura's switch.

"My point again," said Tendou. "What did I tell you? I'm faster than you. Any counter you use against me will be returned in full force."

Think! Yukimura urged herself furiously. Where are her weaknesses? Her movements are all automatic - there has to be some way to use that against her without using...

The two duelists stared at each other for a long moment. Then, they raised their hands for the game-point throw.

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! Shoot!"

And it was over - Tendou's Scissors cut Yukimura's Paper, securing a flawless victory.

Yukimura slumped - but Tendou stayed upright. "Arashi!" she stretched and twisted, no longer mimicking her opponent. "When are you going to find someone who can challenge me? So far, everyone's the same to me - too weak to get my blood pumping." She walked over to the sidelines, then draped herself over a few seats and started examining the ceiling.

Yukimura made her way back to the other Bosatsu duelists, lost in thought, deaf to their mollifying words. As she went, Kyoru Arashi stood, then walked at a measured pace to the dueling platform Tendou had just left. "I apologize, Hibiki. But I assure you, we're almost through here." He turned his gaze on Jihara. "Jihara Akatsuki. Are you ready to duel?"

Jihara's expression had become perfectly serene, like a storm's eye. He swept to his position in the arena in a fluttering of white robes. "I am ready." He glanced over at Tendou. "But you should be aware - my technique is similar to Tendou-dono's. The Lord of Emptiness - it is invincible."

Episode 15 - Challenge

2012-01-27T11:25:00.000-05:00

"And one more announcement - this week our dueling team won a victory in the first round of the championship." The class president's voice crackled out of the PA system throughout the school. "On behalf of the student government, and all of the students of Bosatsu, we send our congratulations! Best of luck in the second round!"

~

"Did you see the first round?"

"Ryoichi-san was incredible!"

The halls and paths of Bosatsu Academy were teeming with students, abuzz with talk of the dueling team's latest exploits.

"I know! His speech about being a captain - it was so inspiring!"

"I liked Mizu-kun's duel - HWACHA! King Cobra Strike!"

Some were trying out the moves they had seen, almost smacking into other students walking past.

"Yeah! Mizu-kun is the coolest."

"I thought Kotei-kun was pretty cool..."

"I hear he was a member of Trefoil!"

"Don't be stupid, that's just a myth."

"Do you think there's something going on between him and that Chikaku girl?"

"No way! He's totally got a thing for Yuki-chan!"

"That's not what I heard..."

"I bet he's been doing some 'extra training' with Ryoichi-san."

"Oh my god, Miki! Shushh!"

"Why? Are you jealous?"

"Gah! You're such a perv!"

"Hey, Daisuke-kun, are you okay?"

A wave of silence had crept up the hall, and now the last few trickles of conversation ended as the students turned towards the two walking past. They couldn't speak if they tried.

Venomous Kyoru Arashi strode forward like the keel of a warship slicing through icy water. As he passed by, students shivered from the sheer force of his presence. To one side, glancing around more casually but with utter disdain, was Tendou Hibiki, the girl with loose, silken clothes and a shaved head who had watched Bosatsu's first round alongside Kyoru. Everywhere she looked, students flinched under her gaze.

When they passed out of sight, the gathered students mumbled muted goodbyes and slinked off to their classes.

~

"Yuki-chan?"

"Ryoichi-san."

The two gave each other a perfunctory fist-bump, then Ryoichi flung up his hand as Yukimura flicked on a display screen, gesturing at the banners and profiles that scrolled past. "Our next opponent is Kohitsuji Academy!" Pictures of each member were highlighted one after the other, each with reams of data alongside and flashy special effects. "We've got airtight strategies for beating each one - this'll be a breeze!"

Yukimura raised an eyebrow at him.

"... But don't let your guard down," he continued. "In the middle of a duel, anything can happen."

Mizumigawa raised a hand from where she was lying, dangling half off of a chair.

"Yes!" Ryoichi pointed at her triumphantly. "A question?"

"What's with the video?"

"Pretty cool, huh? Yuki-chan collected all this data, and I helped make this to show it off!"

Mizumigawa, Jihara, and Jin blinked at him for a moment.

"Cool," asserted Jihara, giving a thumbs-up.

"Okay! Yuki-chan, would you please?"

Yukimura extended a telescoping pointer and indicated the first picture - a boy with an amused expression, wearing a pilot's hat tilted at a jaunty angle. "This is Kohitsuji's captain, Hidaka Michi, the heir to the wealthy and influential Hidaka family. He's a relatively inexperienced duelist, but he's careful and thorough, and has an impressive record already. We've determined -"

She stopped suddenly, staring at the room's entrance. The other four duelists felt it just a moment later - an overwhelming presence approaching. They turned to look as well, just as Kyoru and Tendou stepped into the doorway.

There was a long silence.

Ryoichi was the first to react - his expression going from shocked to smoothly pleasant in a moment. "Kyoru-san. What brings you to our humble academy?"

"It's good to see you again, Ryoichi."

In the next instant, Jin covered half the distance to Kyoru, and Mizumigawa leapt just in front of him, holding him back. She tried to catch his gaze, but he was staring with unrestrained hate at the gleaming surfaces of Kyoru's mirrored shades. She took his head in her hands, turned him towards her. She silently mouthed, "not yet."

Kyoru and Tendou walked past them as Jin was looking at her with a helpless expression. Yukimura and Jihara were standing, stiffly, off to the side, as Ryoichi moved to meet the unexpected guests.

"We wanted to congratulate you on your triumph in the first round," said Kyoru. "But... that wasn't really a challenge, was it? Chikaku was never a contender."

Ryoichi smiled disarmingly. "You're right, it's only going to get harder from -"

"We want to see how good you really are," sneered Tendou.

They turned to survey the Bosatsu duelists. Jin stared defiantly at Kyoru, who raised his hand in the air. The faintest smile crossed his lips as he lowered it in Scissors, the gesture of challenge.

"Not today, Kotei Jin."

Kyoru was pointing at Jihara. Beside him, Tendou was pointing at Yukimura with the same gesture.

"We challenge you. Show us your strength."

~

A dozen executives filed into the dimly-lit boardroom that dominated the hundred-and-eighth floor of the Auxesis Corporation skyscraper. They took their places around the octagonal table, rustling papers and files.

"We have a report on the status of the Arhat Laboratory project. Lacuna has promised completion by the date of the invitational tournament." The board member pressed a button on a remote.

After a moment, screens descended from the ceiling around the table, then flickered on. They all displayed the same video feed - a nondescript room with the Auxesis Corp logo, a stylized lotus, on a banner on the far wall. Standing before it was a figure shrouded in dark clothes, wearing a mask - blank white, with dark eye holes but otherwise featureless.

"Good evening, gentlemen." Lacuna's voice was disguised, distorted and computerized - the same voice the silver-haired girl had spoken to before Bosatsu's first round. "I trust you are well."

Episode 14 - A Captain's Duty

2012-01-21T20:04:00.002-05:00

Yukimura Hisoka sighed, shrugged. "Sorry, Jihara-san. Maybe next time."

Jihara and Mizumigawa looked over at her.

"The captain's up next," she explained. "We're not going to have a chance to duel today."

Mizumigawa smirked. "You just figured that out now?" She hopped up on the railing and tousled Jin's hair vigorously. "I knew Kotei-kun had things under control!" Yukimura just raised an eyebrow.

Jin ducked to get away. "He's that good, is he?" The others looked surprised.

"Oh, that's right," said Yukimura, adjusting her glasses. "You haven't seen Ryoichi-san play a real match yet, have you?"

"Ryoichi-dono is a very powerful duelist," said Jihara. "He's been looking forward to this duel - I expect he has an unbeatable strategy prepared."

"He's also, ah," added Yukimura, "something of a performer."

"You don't say," muttered Jin, watching Ryoichi - who was ostentatiously waving around his folded paper fan as cherry blossoms, tossed by a member of his fanclub, fluttered by.

~

"So, Yosai-san! Are you looking forward to this duel?" Ryoichi gestured grandly.

Yosai Akio closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. What a trivial person, he thought.

"I should warn you, though," said Ryoichi conspiratorially, "you shouldn't take me lightly. I'm pretty clever." He winked to punctuate his boast.

"Enough." Yosai glared across the arena at Ryoichi. "You are wasting my time with this foolishness." Besides, I've already discerned your throw. He raised his hand.

Ryoichi raised his own hand in turn, smirking.

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! Shoot!"

Yosai's glare only became more intense. "Rock crushes Scissors! Point to Ryoichi!"

"Don't get cocky, Ryoichi-san. Your strategy is completely obvious now. I'm going to -"

"It's useless, Yosai-san." Ryoichi's smile hadn't changed, but his eyes had gone cold. "You entered this arena convinced that you're smarter than me. That certainty - it's a fatal mistake for a duelist. It was simple to lead your throw with a fake tell."

Yosai didn't make a sound.

"And yet - every moment I watch you duel, I can read more of your heart. You're still determined to win, even though your team is so far behind. Why, I wonder...?"

"Don't be a fool. There's no point in giving up before the end." He raised his hand again, and Ryoichi followed suit.

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! Shoot!"

As Yosai made his throw, he slid his thumb down slightly - releasing the two fingers that had been pressing against it. His hand unfolded into a lightning-fast Scissors!

And Ryoichi was waiting for him already with another throw of Rock.

"Rock crushes Scissors! Point to Ryoichi! Game point!"

"I told you, Yosai. I can read your heart. I knew you'd try a trick throw like that, so it was easy to see the extra pressure you were putting on your thumb." Ryoichi waved his hand dismissively. "And you're not really trying to win this round, are you?"

Yosai froze. "But you just said -"

"You want to win this match. That's much more important to you than winning this round of the tournament, isn't it?" Ryoichi spread his hands. "And it's not even me you're angry at." Nanafushi Kazue and the rest of Chikaku were watching him closely now. "You're playing as hard as you can - because you want to prove you're better than your teammates."

Yosai's voice was frigid. "I am better than them."

"THAT'S NOT WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A CAPTAIN!" Ryoichi's sudden shout sent Yosai stumbling back a step. "A captain can't think of himself! He has to fight for his teammates! As a captain, you have to help them get stronger - their strength is your strength! If they lose, you lose! If they win, you win! That's a captain's duty!" He raised his fist as he shouted.

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! Shoot!"

Yosai was almost too stunned to make a throw. He had no chance - Ryoichi's Scissors effortlessly swept his Paper aside.

"Match, Ryoichi! Bosatsu wins!"

The cheer from the crowd was deafening. Ryoichi stood in silence for a moment.

Yosai didn't turn back towards the bench. "You're wrong, Ryoichi-san. Without me, they would be worthless. It's only my strength that brought them here today. You have to look out for yourself!"

"No, Yosai-san. You're the one who's wrong." He turned to see Nanafushi Kazue standing behind him, her face determined, her eyes gleaming.

"How dare you talk to me like that. I'm the only one who-"

"You're fired."

Yosai sputtered, his composure gone entirely. "Worthless! You're nothing! You can't fire me - I'm the captain!"

But the other three duelists from Chikaku were standing beside her now, Kumoru's hand on her shoulder. Yosai just stared at them, then Ryoichi, then back at his team, his mouth hanging open.

"Get lost," hissed Kumoru.

If anything, the crowd cheered even louder than before.

~

As the triumphant Bosatsu duelists were leaving the arena, Jin walked alongside Ryoichi.

"So, your technique... it lets you see the weakness in your opponent's heart. There's something a little sinister about that, Ryoichi-san," smirked Jin.

Ryoichi raised an eyebrow. "You don't say, 'Thousand-Devil'?"

"I'm just wondering - what do you do if your opponent isn't screwed up?"

Ryoichi smiled softly and shook his head. "We're duelists, Jin. We're all damaged."

~

Kyoru watched the Bosatsu team exit the arena, then stood and turned for the door. He adjusted his mirrored shades with his thumb and forefinger on opposite sides, as though covering his face.

"Hibiki, I think perhaps we should pay Bosatsu a visit."

She stood and turned to follow him - then mimicked his gesture, even though she wasn't wearing glasses.

"Whatever."

~

Captain Nanafushi Kazue slumped against the wall, just beyond the exit from the arena, physically and emotionally exhausted.

"Next time, Kotei Jin - I'll be ready."

~

Kono Sayuri walked with the crowd, her head in a whirl. She had no idea how intense these Championship matches would be! And Kotei-kun... he was so...

"What are you doing here?"

She looked around - who was that?

"Over here."

She turned towards the voice - it was Mizumigawa Shin, Kotei-kun's teammate. She had been leaning against the wall outside the audience's exit doors.

"Mi... Mizumigawa-san?"

Mizumigawa sauntered up to her. "Yep, that's me. What are you doing here?"

"I... I came to watch the matches? I wanted to support our duelists -"

"Word of advice. I know his kind." Kono blinked. "He's never going to notice someone cheering from the sidelines. To people like him, unless you're a duelist, you might as well not exist." Mizumigawa shrugged. "Just something to think about."

She sprang into a cartwheel, then dashed off towards the team's bus.

Kono watched her leave, wide-eyed.

Episode 13 - The Return of Thousand-Devil Kotei

2011-11-15T02:50:00.000-05:00

The two duelists faced each other across the arena - on one side, Kotei Jin of Bosatsu Academy, and on the other, Nanafushi Kazue of Chikaku. She smiled at Jin warmly. It was hard to imagine that she was the dreaded 'Chikaku's Demon'.

"Hey there - 'Thousand-Devil'."

Jin felt a chill. Until not too long ago, he had thought he'd never again stand in a dueling arena, before the gathered crowds, facing down a determined warrior. And now, here he was - and she called him by his old nickname.

He'd thought his days as 'Thousand-Devil Kotei' were over forever.

"Want to know something? I'm really glad I get to duel you."

Jin flexed his fingers, stretching his muscles. "Yeah? Why's that?"

Nanafushi giggled. "I was a big fan, you know. Back when you were in the Junior leagues." She looked off to the side, as though seeing his duels play out before her eyes. "Everyone was transparent to you. Their training and hard work, their strategies and techniques - these meant nothing. You could always see their weaknesses - and crush them." She looked back at him, her eyes gleaming. "You were ruthless."

He looked away, suddenly uncomfortable. "I was -"

"They say the same thing about me. Ruthless." She raised a hand towards him. "But you and I know what that means - we never back down. We're here to duel, so we fight to crush our opponents! To do any less would be the worst insult imaginable!"

Jin's hand shot out to the side, first two fingers pressed together - in preparation for his Thousand Devil Eye. "Then you know the full power of my technique. There's no reason for me to hold back -"

"That's right, Kotei-chan. Because I've watched you for so long, I know the full extent of your Thousand Devil Eye." She put one hand up to her chin, folding the other arm across her chest. She tapped one finger against her lips thoughtfully. "But that also means... I know its weak points. I've seen every misstep you've made - so I know how to seal the Thousand Devil Eye completely!"

Jin didn't respond - instead he swept his hand forward and pressed his fingers to his third eye, a determined look on his face.

"... Of course, you're still going to use it. That's another thing I know about you, Kotei-chan. You're arrogant." A cruel smile spread behind the finger resting on her lips. "This is going to be interesting."

~

"This is going to be boring." Up in the box seats, a bald-headed girl in a loose-fitting burgundy robe popped a grape into her mouth. "Nanafushi-me has studied all of his techniques, and Kotei-me has been rotting for years." She rubbed the back of her neck. On this hand, tattoos on her knuckles spelled out "1 C O R", on the other, "1 3 1 2".

"I disagree, Hibiki," replied Venomous Kyoru from the seat beside her. "I expect the return of Thousand Devil Kotei to be quite illuminating."

~

Jin's mind flooded with information. Nanafushi clearly had already chosen her first throw - the way she was watching him, with that dark smile, she was looking for reactions. But did she have a sequence planned, or was she coming up with her throws one at a time? She said she could seal away his Thousand Devil Eye - but she wasn't doing anything directly against it. So did she think her strategy was immune to analysis?

He needed to watch her carefully as she prepared her next throw. Until then, he'd have to come up with a plan for the first round.

She just looked back at him with a predatorial stare.

~

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! Shoot!"

The first throw was a tie - both of them had thrown Scissors.

"What's Kotei-kun doing?" Mizumigawa was hanging off the edge of her seat, leaning on the railing in front of her. "She said she could seal the Eye, but she hasn't done anything yet! So why isn't he winning?"

Yukimura narrowed her eyes, watching the duelists prepare for their next throw. "I'm not so sure she hasn't done something, Mizu-kun." Mizumigawa looked back at her. "His perception is so great - I think the real duel may be invisible to us."

~

There - a flicker in Nanafushi's eyes.

She's picking a new throw. That's the weakness of the Thousand Devil Eye she's exploiting - if she picks her throws at random, there isn't an underlying strategy for me to counter. But even if she executes it perfectly, random play leaves us each with a fifty percent chance of victory. There's no way she'd accept that. So she plans to play randomly and watch me to determine what pattern I'll fall into as a reaction.

Which means -

Jin raised his fist.

~

Throws fell in rapid succession.

Rock and Rock.

The two duelists were silent. They watched each other, unblinking.

Paper and Scissors - a point for Nanafushi.

Nanafushi's face was twisted into a wicked grin, her eyes narrowed.

Scissors and Paper - a point for Jin.

Jin stared her down. A single drop of sweat beaded on his brow.

Rock and Rock.

Then, Scissors and Rock, another point for Nanafushi.

She was leading, two points to one.

Game point.

~

Kono Sayuri clutched her hands to her chest. Kotei-kun looked so bold, so confident, just like when he had saved her from those two thugs on the tennis courts at Bosatsu Academy. When she had heard he was joining the dueling team, she knew she wanted to be there to support him. She just hadn't realized how intense these duelists could be.

She hadn't been able to muster a proper cheer, but as they prepared for the next throw, she whispered, "You can do it, Kotei-kun."

~

"Shoot!"

Their hands fell once more. This time, Jin's Paper won out over Nanafushi's Rock. They were tied at two points each. Nanafushi frowned, began to raise her hand for the next game-point throw.

Then she drew in a breath, sharply.

"Damn you," she said, her cunning smile returning. "How long?!"

"Tch. I was hoping you wouldn't notice." Jin smiled back. "I started back on the second throw."

She shook her head. "How the hell did you break it?"

"I guess there's no point in hiding it any more." He swept his hand out to the side, as though to encompass the entire duel. "By the second throw I realized you were using random throws to block my technique. I watched you when you were selecting your throw, and saw that your eyes flicked to the side - you weren't using the clock, or performing any complex mental arithmetic to pick your throw." He pointed to where she had been looking. "You were using those advertisement banners."

As he spoke, one of the electronic banners shifted - from "Auxesis Corp" to "Shin-Ra Beverage Concern".

"They're changing throughout the match - each advertisement could correspond to a different throw." He tapped his forehead. "But you've seen me duel before. There's no way you'd use such a simple method, right? So I deduced that you were using both of the banners that were in your field of view when you glanced over there - each pair of advertisements would correspond to a throw, because these two signs were changing at different rates. When you were picking your second throw, only one of the signs was different. That meant it was unlikely you'd throw Scissors a second time."

She shook her head. "Wait. Why'd you throw Rock, then?"

"Ah!" he said, holding up one finger. "I picked the throw that I predicted would be worst - because if I was right, I'd get confirmation of my theory, and if I was wrong, I'd get a point. Either way, I win."

He clenched his fist. "From there, it was easy to predict all of your throws! I gave you a few points to let you think you had successfully sealed my Eye - but I was controlling the whole game."

There was a brief silence.

"Spectacular! Somehow I underestimated you, Kotei-chan." Nanafushi stepped into a wider stance, narrowed her eyes at Jin. "But this duel isn't over!" She swept her arms out, swirling her dress around as though blasted by a sudden wind. Her grin widened to frightening proportions, and there seemed almost to be a flicker of heat haze around her. "It's time to go into overdrive!"

They raised their hands for the game point.

"Rock! Paper! Scissors!"

~

Jihara spoke softly to Ryoichi. "You feel it, don't you?" Ryoichi said nothing, his entire focus on Kotei Jin. "His battle aura... it's already so strong."

~

"Shoot!"

~

Kyoru glanced at Hibiki.

"Tch. Whatever." She folded her arms contemptuously. "A scythe can't tell the difference in strength between two stalks of wheat."

~

"Match, Kotei! Three points to two!"

Nanafushi stared at Jin, her hand still outstretched, forming Paper.

"You want to know how I knew to throw Scissors? I'll explain. Your previous two throws were both Rock. The amateur would avoid throwing Rock three times in a row. You're no amateur, but you know that I know that you'd be aware of that. You expected I'd predict that you would avoid the throw that would be least expected - and therefore, I'd throw Rock to counter your Scissors, with you thinking I'd throw Paper to counter your Rock. You were counting on me outsmarting you and predicting all that, so you threw Paper." He spread his hands. "I was one step ahead of you."

A slow smile crept across her face. "Incredible." She dropped her hand to her side. "Ha ha ha ha ha! That was incredible! You're even stronger than I thought!"

Jin bowed his head slightly.

"Kotei Jin!" She pointed at him. "I'm definitely going to get stronger! The next time we meet, I'm going to destroy you utterly!" She winked. "Deal?"

Jin opened his mouth to speak, but-

"Worthless people shouldn't talk like that."

Jin and Nanafushi turned, struck silent, towards Chikaku's bench, where Captain Yosai Akio was slowly standing. His face was fixed in an expression of cold scorn.

He walked over to the dueling platform, sneered at Nanafushi. "Get out of my way."

She tensed up, but didn't speak - just walked back to the bench with her head low. Jin reached forward, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

Ryoichi stood there, a serene look on his face. "I'll handle this one, Kotei-kun." Cherry blossoms wafted through the air around him.

Wait, thought Jin, cherry blossoms? He glanced behind Ryoichi, to see one of the girls from Ryoichi's personal fanclub cheerfully tossing handfuls of petals. Really?

Episode 12 - The Demon Emerges

2011-09-24T00:52:00.001-04:00

Jin watched as the two duelists sized each other up - Mizumigawa Shin on one side, Kumoru Yuji on the other. He thought back to the other night at the pool hall. Kumoru was unpleasant, certainly, but was he really Yosai Akio's secret weapon - "Chikaku's Demon"?

He flashed back to the image of Mizumigawa standing over Kumoru in the pool hall. And though he was the one lying on the floor, his expression of shock and pain concealed a subtle smile. He was the one in control.

"Ryoichi-san," Jin asked quietly, "are you sure about this?"

Captain Ryoichi watched Mizumigawa calmly. "Trust your teammate, Kotei-kun."

~

"So, Mizu-chan... how did a delicate thing like you become a duelist?" He paused briefly. "Normally duelists are a bit... tougher. You're just-"

"I'm going to shut you up with my first throw!" Mizumigawa clenched her fist. Kumoru, still smiling, shrugged, then raised his fist as well.

The referee, sitting high above them and to the side, chanted as they silently pumped their fists -

"Rock! Paper! Scissors!"

Mizumigawa leapt up just before the throw, twisting to put more force and speed into the arc of her fist, landing just as the referee shouted "Shoot!"

There was a short pause, then:

"Scissors cut paper! Point to Mizumigawa!"

Her smile was confident - but above all, it was calm.

"So," said Kumoru slowly, his tone controlled and flat, "you let me think that I had made you angry enough to throw rock, countering my words with an aggressive throw. Not bad."

~

Quietly, Yosai laughed to himself. "That was quick," he whispered. "You've lost so soon... Mizumigawa-san."

~

A slow grin started to creep back across Kumoru's face. "But the duel is over now. From now on, we play a much simpler game." He stretched up to his full height, and light gleamed madly off one of his eyes from amidst the tangle of his hair.

"That game is called - 'fear'."

~

"Oh, hell," said Yukimura quietly. "I don't believe it."

The others on the bench turned towards her, quizzical looks on their faces.

She shook her head. "This idiot Kumoru - he's an analytical type."

~

Kumoru seemed to loom over Mizumigawa, even from the opposite platform. A complete change had come over him - all of the amusement had left his voice, replaced with cold authority. "I'll make you an offer." His voice dripped with scorn. He raised his hand, two fingers extended, showing Scissors. "We'll both throw Scissors. A show of good faith. If you cooperate, perhaps I'll take it easy on you." He narrowed his eyes. "But if you think of throwing something else, I'll know." He made a fist, ready for the next throw.

"Mizumigawa leads, one to zero," said the announcer.

Mizumigawa looked hesitant, but raised her hand as well nonetheless. Her eyes darted across Kumoru's face from underneath her dark sunglasses, looking for a clue to his next move, but his expression was still, cold, unreadable.

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! Shoot!"

Mizumigawa's throw was less forceful this time, but Kumoru's was completely different from before - his movements were clipped and harsh, almost as though he were striking someone with his hand.

"Scissors cuts paper! Point to Kumoru!"

Kumoru stared into Mizumigawa's eyes, as though looking right through her shades. "I told you to throw Scissors."

She flinched. So this is his strength, she thought.

He brushed the hair out of his eyes. "Utterly transparent. You've been my puppet from the very moment we first met, but even I didn't expect this duel to go so perfectly." He gestured toward her. "The other night, at the pool hall, do you know what I saw? I saw what you look like when you lose your cool. And then, on the very first throw of this match..."

Mizumigawa's eyes went wide as she realized what he was saying.

"... I saw what you look like when you're faking. This is what allows me to use the full power of my technique - 'Fear Itself'."

Her mind raced. His technique is based on intimidation - and reading his opponent. He tells them to make a specific throw, then he can tell whether they'll go along with it by reading their emotional reaction. Such a technique - this is what makes him a 'Demon'!

His lips parted in a thin, cruel smile. "So you've figured it out? A terrifying technique, isn't it? And the best part - is that it works even if you know about it." He shook his head. "I've beaten you so easily. You're worthless, you know that?" He paused, as though just realizing something amusing. "Is that why you duel? To prove you're good for something? I guess that didn't quite work out."

Mizumigawa raised her hand for the third throw, and muttered through clenched teeth, "shut up."

"One all," noted the announcer.

"Fine, then," replied Kumoru, raising his hand in turn. "Now, obey me this time - or you'll regret it. Throw Rock."

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! Shoot!"

Kumoru's eyes went wide. "Impossible!" he hissed.

Mizumigawa smirked. "I thought you wanted me to throw Rock... ?"

"Rock crushes Scissors! Point to Mizumigawa!"

~

Ryoichi chuckled softly. "You know, I almost feel sorry for him. To face Mizu-kun when he relies on a technique like that...."

Jin looked up at him.

"She has incredible control over her movements," explained Ryoichi. "While he relies on her reactions to choose his throw, she can make him do whatever she wants. I wonder what he'll do now...?"

~

Kumoru raised his head, peered down at Mizumigawa. "This changes nothing. You haven't seen the limit of my power - I've already figured out how to read you even through this-"

He was cut off by a sound like a thunderclap.

Mizumigawa's hands were pressed together, fingers interlaced, forefingers steepled. "Rin. Seal of the Thunderbolt." All the tension seemed to have left her body - she seemed once again relaxed and confident. "Let's put that to the test, then. I'll show you my 'unreadable throw'! You'd better pay close attention!"

Kumoru frowned, but raised his fist nonetheless.

"Mizumigawa leads, two to one! Match point!"

"Now, listen," she said. "I'm going to throw Rock."

The countdown began.

"Rock!"

A sneer was fixed on Kumoru's face.

"Paper!"

Arrogant. She's too arrogant! She doesn't know my true strength.

"Scissors!"

In one lightning-fast motion, Mizumigawa tore her sunglasses off with her free hand and threw them straight up.

A distraction, thought Kumoru. But if I just manage to keep watching her face, then I'll definitely be able to read her!

But... what's that noise?

"Shoot!"

A harsh hiss escaping her lips, Mizumigawa whipped her hand forward.

There was dead silence. Time seemed to stand still. She held her hand forward, fist clenched. She had thrown Rock. And Kumoru... he stood there with his mouth open.

He hadn't made a throw at all.

Time caught up with them, and Mizumigawa's sunglasses fell back down towards her. She snatched them out of the air, then slid them back over her eyes.

"That... was my King Cobra Strike!"

~

"King Cobra...?" Jin wasn't quite sure what he had just seen.

"King Cobra Strike," said Yukimura, adjusting her glasses. "An esoteric technique, and not an easy one to use. It only works if the opponent isn't expecting it, and is paying careful attention to the duelist's eyes. Essentially, it's a glare of intense, focused intimidation - designed to make the opponent flinch at the exact moment of the throw. It was never meant to be an 'unreadable throw' - she just needed him to watch her as closely as possible."

"This is Mizumigawa-dono's hidden strength," added Jihara. "She has an exceptional talent for learning and executing complex esoteric techniques."

Ryoichi nodded. "You see, Kotei-kun? Trust in your teammates." He watched Mizumigawa with a smile of quiet pride.

~

"Match, Mizumigawa! Thee points to one!" A cheer rose up from the crowd and the Bosatsu bench.

"Sorry, Kumoru-chan. But your technique - it really is despicable. There's no way you could win against me with something like that!"

Kumoru remained silent. He gritted his teeth, then turned and started to leave.

Mizumigawa grinned, seeming once again to be her usual, lighthearted self. She turned to the Chikaku bench, where Captain Yosai was watching in scornful disappointment as Kumoru walked away. "Yosai!" He looked over at her. "I really wasn't impressed with your 'Demon'!"

"... Heh heh heh."

She turned back towards Kumoru, who had frozen in place.

"Heh heh heh heh... ha ha ha ha HA HA HA HA!" Kumoru bent over backwards with angry laughter, as though this were the stupidest thing he had ever heard. "AHAHAHAHA!!"

After a short time, he caught his breath, then turned back towards Mizumigawa.

"You though I was Chikaku's Demon?"

She drew in a breath sharply.

Kumoru shook his head condescendingly. "No. Our 'Demon' is going to play in the next round."

Jin stared at Kumoru intently. I'm playing the next round - so I'll be facing this 'Demon'. But if it's not him, then...

Kumoru raised a hand and gestured towards the Chikaku bench, where Nanafushi Kazue stood smiling brightly in her floral dress.

"That's her right there."

Episode 11 - Joining Battle

2011-09-06T00:45:00.000-04:00

The stadium was a wide building with a curved, gray roof. A few wisps of cloud drifted laconically through a flat blue sky.

The Bosatsu dueling team's bus bulled into the parking lot, reached the duelists' entrance, hissed to a stop. The doors slid open and, one by one, the Bosatsu duelists emerged.

First was captain Ryoichi Kei. His golden hair tumbled about his face. He had a confident smile, his paper fan was folded and resting on his shoulder. He wore designer jeans and a white dress shirt, and a throng of excited fans followed him down the stairs of the bus.

Next came Yukimura Hisoka. She was reading from a book that sat folded open in one palm, only glancing up at the stadium once when she reached the ground. She adjusted her glasses. Her straight brown hair framed her face with straight lines and at right angles, and she wore an ankle-length skirt.

Jihara Akatsuki descended the stairs like a spirit, his skin and hair pale as death, his wide-sleeved and wide-legged garments floating about him, his hands folded, his eyes nearly shut.

Mizumigawa Shin took all the stairs in a single leap. She looked ready for battle. Her sleeves were short, but her wrists were wrapped in long strips of cloth. With her spiked hair, her trademark dark sunglasses, and her teeth bared in an enthusiastic grin, she cut an intimidating figure.

Last of the five, Kotei Jin exited the bus. He wore a Bosatsu school uniform, clean and sharply defined. He pushed the fringe of his hair out of his eyes, examining the stadium with a distant expression.

He was quiet.

The junior members of the team followed, each moving to the side and waiting for the rest. Once they had all disembarked and the bus's doors had slid shut, at a signal from Ryoichi they moved as one for the duelists' entrance.

There was a boy standing beside it, looking impatient. He was somewhat short, but extremely neat, with a perfect part in his hair, immaculate dress shirt and dark blue tie. He glanced back and forth between the parking lot and his phone's display.

As they passed by him, without looking, he said "Bosatsu."

They stopped.

"You're with Chikaku, aren't you?" asked Ryoichi.

The boy still didn't look at them. His voice was high, but his enunciation was exact and dispassionate. "Technically, yes." He sighed, to communicate how patient he was being with them. "More precisely, I am the captain of Chikaku Academy's dueling team. Yosai Akio."

"Pleased to meet you, Yosai-san." Ryoichi glanced back into the parking lot. "Is there something wrong?"

Yosai massaged his forehead with one hand. "One of my duelists is late. Though," he mused, "really this is all just a formality."

Ryoichi tilted his head to the side, slightly.

"I mean, of course, that you should just give up and go home now." He looked at them, finally. "You're not prepared."

Mizumigawa stepped forward, suddenly, but Ryoichi raised one hand slightly, and she stopped, frowning.

Yosai looked at her, abstractly, as though he wasn't quite sure what she was. "I don't mean that as a threat. It's a simple fact. You're not going to be able to defeat 'Chikaku's Demon'."

A squeal of tires broke the silence. A sleek, black car screeched into the parking lot, stopped diagonally across two or three parking spaces. The door opened, and Kumoru Yuji stepped out, a cruel grin visible under his long hair.

Yosai glared at him. "You're late. Get inside."

"Of course, boss," Kumoru replied flippantly, "Didn't mean to keep you waiting."

The two of them swept through the doorway and out of sight. As he went, Kumoru looked at Mizumigawa. He licked his lips, still smiling, winked, and was gone.

She stood watching him, frozen. "Chikaku's... Demon?"

~

The murmur of the crowd quieted as the lights went up on the dueling arena. The door from the Bosatsu team's room led to a brief path, then a few stairs up to one of the two dueling platforms. A short distance across from it was the other dueling platform, matching stairs, a path, and the Chikaku team's door.

On the sidelines, by their entrances, the Bosatsu and Chikaku duelists waited. Ryoichi, Yukimura, Jihara, and Jin sat on one side. Yukimura and Jihara were watching the duelists' entrances, but Ryoichi, true to form, was watching the crowds, savoring the atmosphere. Jin, meanwhile, was looking over at Chikaku's sidelines.

There, Yosai Akio sat with his arms folded, his eyes drifting around the stadium but focusing on nothing. Nanafushi Kazue, the girl who had been with Kumoru the other night, sat next to the captain. She appeared to be doodling in a small notebook. She looked incongruous there - she was wearing a bright floral-patterned dress in reds and pinks, while her teammates were dressed mostly in dark, somber colors.

Beyond them, there were two others Jin had not seen before. One seemed to be napping, a skinny boy with a wide-brimmed hat over his eyes. The other was intimidatingly huge - a broad, muscled boy with short-cropped blond hair. They each wore dress shirts, looking like Yosai, though not quite as neat.

The announcer's voice boomed out over the speakers as he proceeded to describe the structure of the tournament. Each round of the championship consisted of a series of five matches between the duelists of two opposing teams. Each match was played to three points, and the first team to win three of the five matches could move on to the next round.

Mizumigawa stepped out from the Bosatsu entrance. She adjusted her arm wraps as she walked up to the platform and took her position for the opening match. She looked around at the crowd, smiling slightly, as the noise in the arena grew to a roaring cheer.

"In this round, Bosatsu Academy faces Chikaku Academy! Match one - Bosatsu's Mizumigawa Shin versus Chikaku's Kumoru Yuji!"

Kumoru casually emerged from Chikaku's entrance, sauntering along, deliberately ignoring the crowd and spectacle. He made his way to the platform opposite Mizumigawa's. He was also wearing a dress shirt and a tie, but the top few buttons were undone, the shirt rumpled and half-untucked, the tie hanging loosely around his neck, draped rather than knotted. It looked like it must have taken him quite some time to make it clear precisely how little he cared about his appearance.

"Hey there, Mizu-chan."

Her lip curled into a sneer, reflexively.

"Are you ready, little girl?"

Episode 10 - The Gathering Clouds

2011-08-10T13:24:00.000-04:00

Renjin Kazuki stepped out onto the dueling platform. He ran his fingers through his shaggy, sandy hair. The noise of the crowd had subsided to a low murmur.

Renjin was trying to look relaxed, nonchalant, but it wasn't quite working. The waiting was getting to him - he kept shifting his weight from foot to foot, fidgeting, looking around at the crowd, at the entrance his opponent would emerge from any second.

He was nervous, yes, but he was also excited. He felt like a live wire, coursing with energy. He had spent so long training, honing his skills to a razor edge, drilling and sparring and meditating. He was easily the strongest duelist on his team, and they were championship-strength duelists in their own right.

And now, by sheer chance, he was going to face the legendary Venomous Kyoru in the first round of the championship.

But where was he?

The crowd's volume was rising again. There was still no sign of Kyoru. Renjin turned to look at his captain, waiting at the door he had entered by. He tilted his head quizzically, she shrugged back at him.

Then, the crowd went silent. Renjin tensed, and slowly turned to see his opponent approaching.

Kyoru Arashi, "Venomous" Kyoru. The stories Renjin had heard, the videos he had seen, none of it had prepared him for this moment. The boy's presence was almost tangible, like waves of heat emanating from his body. His demeanor, however, was utterly cold. His eyes were hidden behind mirrored shades, his movements were precise and controlled. His hair, black as obsidian, was buzzed short, and formed a widow's peak that looked sharp enough to cut yourself on. Renjin felt faint, and for a moment couldn't draw more than a very shallow breath. What is this energy? Kyoru's stare, blank with - contempt? - seemed to hammer on Renjin, making it difficult even to think. How is he doing this?!

Kyoru was patient, though, and Renjin soon gathered the strength to speak. He laughed, first, to remind himself of the enthusiasm he had been feeling only a few moments earlier. "Venomous Kyoru... it's an honor to face you so early in the tournament." He clenched his fists. "But you're going to see I'm not some novice you can sweep aside!"

Kyoru replied, "Is that so." His voice was deep, resonant, and seemed to shake Renjin's very bones.

It wasn't a question, but Renjin pressed on. "My hand is swift, my eye is keen. I've studied the Crimson Mantis style, the Lunging Crane, the Thrashing Shark. I've mastered the Four Names of the River Dragon, and brought their power to bear against many formidable opponents." He spoke this like a mantra. "Even you cannot stop me."

Kyoru was unmoved. "Show me."

~

The silver-haired girl sat at a table in the back of the pool hall, holding a cup of tea with her long, slender fingers. She was difficult to notice - she'd been sitting there for quite some time, and not one person had looked her way.

She sat there during the confrontation between the Chikaku and Bosatsu duelists, and after the Bosatsu duelists finished their game and went back home, and a little longer to finish her tea. She sighed, contentedly, then left some change at her table and departed.

She walked for a while in thoughtful silence. Eventually, she stopped, overlooking the Bosatsu dueling compound. It was dark, but she could see a few lights on inside the duelists' dormitory.

She drew her phone out of her pocket, traced one finger across its screen in a simple pattern, then brought it to her ear. It rang twice before being answered.

"Hello." The voice was harshly distorted, computerized.

"Everything is right on schedule." Her voice was soft, susurrant. "They really seem to have taken a shine to Kotei Jin. Is the Auxesis project progressing?"

"The team has run into some difficulty, but it should be complete in time."

"Good." She glanced off into the distance. "Now, I have a few loose ends to tie up before the championship really gets underway. Send me a copy of the expanded dossiers on the Bosatsu duelists, would you?"

"Of course. I'll have someone keep an eye on them while you're away."

"Spectacular. I'll be seeing you soon." Her eyes narrowed in a private smile as she hung up the phone.

She stood there, watching the dormitory, for a few moments longer. Then, a wind blew past, and she was gone.

~

Renjin stared straight ahead, his pupils shrunk to pinpoints, his mouth hanging open. Sweat dripped from his forehead.

"Match to Kyoru Arashi, three points to zero!"

"H... how?" he stammered. "How did you...?"

"When you duel," replied Kyoru philosophically, "you strike with your hand, do you not?"

Renjin nodded, numbly.

"Then you will never win against a true duelist. To win, you must strike with the entirety of your being. You must cut your opponent down with your killing intent itself. Only then will your hand follow." He began to turn for the exit.

"You're... you're not human."

Kyoru fixed Renjin with his gaze, even through his mirrored glasses. Renjin fell to his knees under its weight. "What about me is inhuman? That I do not flinch? That I do not falter?" Venomous Kyoru shook his head, and strode out of the arena.

"If this is what you mean by humanity... then it is useless to a champion."

Episode 9 - Billiards-Jutsu!

2011-07-28T11:00:00.003-04:00

Krak! The cue ball slammed into the racked billiard balls and scattered them across the table, two immediately flying into the far corner pockets. Ryoichi Kei straightened up, rested his cue on his shoulder.

"I'll be solids then."

Effortlessly, he sank another few balls, one after the other. Finally, he missed one, and the cue ball rolled to a stop on the table's green felt.

Ryoichi sighed, tossed his long hair aside. "Your turn, Ji-kun."

Jihara Akatsuki approached the table. The pool cue looked too small in his hands. He peered down it solemnly at the cue ball, carefully sizing up the lay of the table, planning his shot. He drew it back carefully, and paused for a moment before striking.

Then, in a single sharp movement, scratched along the felt, hit the cue ball off center, and made it hop across the table and crash into a pocket without hitting a single other ball. He stood back from the table with an embarrassed smile, ceding his place to Ryoichi.

Meanwhile, at the next table over, Yukimura Hisoka was studying the positions of the cue ball and her targets. Her eyes darted across the table, a thoughtful expression on her face, as though she was calculating angles of collision, simulating possible shots.

"Any time now, Yuki-chan," said Mizumigawa Shin, grinning confidently and leaning on her pool cue, waiting for her opponent to take her shot. Yukimura shot her a withering look, then, after a moment, rested her hand on the table, laid the cue between forefinger and thumb, and fired off a confident, solid shot. The balls careened around the table, rebounding at precise angles, and two striped balls sank into the pockets at the table's edges.

The next shot was more difficult. Yukimura decided she didn't want to risk going for another point, and instead made a careful shot that left Mizumigawa in a terrible position.

Mizumigawa looked askance at the table as the cue ball rolled into place, blocking all her potential shots. It would take a double-rebound at least to even try to hit one of the solid balls. But she just casually lined up a shot - right at a striped ball.

"Mizu-kun, you know you're solids, right?" Yukimura looked down at her skeptically.

Mizumigawa just smirked, drew the cue back, and struck viciously at the cue ball - it spun rapidly, swinging out to the side, and curved around the striped ball, smacking right into the solid ball behind it, knocking it into the far pocket. She looked up with a gleam in her eye - Yukimura's expression was frozen on her face.

Ryoichi sank the 8-ball with a flourish. "That's the game! Sorry, Ji-kun." The group of girls who had drifted over to surround him (Though I didn't actually see them arrive, thought Kotei Jin) giggled and cheered. Jihara gave another embarrassed smile as he gestured for Jin to take his place.

(Only Ryoichi saw, mixed in with the self-deprecating embarrassment, a faint flicker of disproportionate shame.)

Jin would be facing Ryoichi in this next round. As they gathered the balls from the pockets, he thought to himself that it was nice that even such a serious dueling team could take some time out to play a simple, relaxing game.

Jin took the first shot, scattered the pool balls. They bounced about the table, rebounded off each other - but none went in.

"Good break," said Ryoichi, turning from delivering what was apparently a hilarious witticism to his laughing herd of fans, "but you'll regret giving me a turn!"

He made good on his threat! He put away a series of balls in short order, only half paying attention to the game, keeping up his stream of banter with the crowd.

Jin was... impressed.

But still, it couldn't continue forever, and after the first few points he missed a shot, leaving Jin with a choice between several tricky shots.

Jin looked down his pool cue from different angles, trying to figure out which shot to go for. This one was at an awkward angle, that one was more straightforward but lay further down the table. He decided to go for the closer shot, and leaned in close to the cue ball, aiming carefully.

Suddenly, another cue ball clattered onto the table, smashing his out of the way, just in front of his face. The giggling stopped, and Jin looked up, startled, at the next table over.

"Sorry about that." A boy with dark, stringy hair hanging in front of his face was standing there, holding a pool cue and wearing a completely unapologetic grin. He'd been playing a round with a girl in a light-yellow sundress, and had apparently chipped his cue ball from one table to the other.

He drifted over to their table, picked up the ball. "Hey," he added, as though just recognizing them, "you guys are from Bosatsu Academy, aren't you?"

"Indeed we are," replied Ryoichi warmly.

The boy with the messy hair indicated the girl in the sundress with his thumb. "We're from Chikaku. I'm Kumoru Yuji."

The girl waved cheerily, a big smile on her face. "I'm Nanafushi Kazue-chan!"

Kumoru raised his head slightly as though looking down at them, a contemptuous smirk on his face. "So these are our first opponents in the championship."

"No," said Mizumigawa, stepping forward, "we're your only opponents. No way you'll make it past us!" She crossed her arms, grinning.

Kumoru laughed, harshly and too loudly. He drew himself up to his full height - he seemed to grow a foot at least - and leaned forward. "Look at you," he hissed. Mizumigawa's hands dropped to her sides, and the hair stood up on the back of her neck. "You're pretty tough, aren't you?" His voice had gotten lower, cold and deliberate. "What's wrong? You've gotten quiet. Why don't you show me your stuff?" He seemed perfectly still, but somehow he had gotten way too close. Still, except for his eyes, which darted and flickered about. "I want to see what you're made of." Everyone seemed to be frozen. The atmosphere had changed so suddenly and drastically, they were just starting to react when Kumoru grabbed Mizumigawa's wrist.

Krak.

In a flash, he lay sprawled on the ground, Mizumigawa standing opposite him. Her feet were spread apart, one hand formed into a fist, a fighting stance. A trickle of blood dripped from Kumoru's lip.

She whispered, "don't you ever touch me."

Then, everyone remembered how to move. Ryoichi and the others ran to Mizumigawa's side, Nanafushi to Kumoru's. She reached down to help him up.

He pushed her hand away, wiped at the blood. "Keep a leash on that one," he sneered, then pushed his way to his feet. "Now I'm really looking forward to this match." He narrowed his eyes at Mizumigawa. "I'm going to eat you alive."

She jerked her hand back as though about to strike again, and he flinched. Without another word, he turned and strode out of the room.

Nanafushi Kazue lingered for a moment, the same smile inexplicably still on her face. "Sorry about him! He can be sorta difficult sometimes, I know." She turned to follow him, and then paused, as though she had just remembered something.

"Oh... but we are going to eat you alive."

She laughed lightly, then sprinted after Kumoru.

The Bosatsu duelists looked at each other in silence for a long moment.

Slowly, Mizumigawa pushed her way out of the group, picked up a cue stick.

"Are we going to finish this game?"

Episode 8 - Training

2011-07-14T18:14:00.000-04:00

Ryoichi clasped his hands behind his back. He paced in front of the lower-ranked duelists of the team, arranged in rows before him in the courtyard.

"When I say to begin, you will make your first throw. You will all throw simultaneously, then continue making new throws every second. Make your sequence as unpredictable as possible. If I do predict one of your throws," he paused menacingly, obviously enjoying this chance to chew the scenery, "you will give me ten pushups, then return to your sequence!" His head snapped towards them. "Begin!"

The students' hands descended in tandem; Rock, Paper, and Scissors flashing out in rapid succession. Ryoichi slowly stalked down each row, a cunning smile in his eyes.

"Scissors," he said. The boy in front of him had indeed thrown Scissors, the moment he had said it. He looked up at Ryoichi, who arched an eyebrow. The boy dropped to the ground, started his ten pushups.

"Paper," Ryoichi walked down the rows, "Paper," surveying his subjects, "Scissors," and with each word, "Rock," another one fell to the ground.

Then, he paused. He was watching the next student in line, a boy with a fierce, determined look. The next few throws ticked by - Scissors, Rock, Rock, Rock, Paper, Scissors.

Ryoichi grinned. "Pretty good," he whispered to himself, then turned his attention to the next student. "Scissors!"

~

Mizumigawa rolled out of the dueling arena and into the main office like a thundering stormcloud, her irritation practically forking through the air around her. She kicked the mini-fridge open, cracked open a soda, drank it in seconds, crumpled the can, and chucked it forcefully into the garbage, teetering the basket.

Jihara entered behind her, an almost embarrassed air about him. "You've become much faster, Mizumigawa-dono. It is very difficult to read you."

"One point! I got one measly point. I'm not fast enough." She drew herself up as tall as she could, looked Jihara in the eye. "But I'm going to beat you."

He blinked. "Ah," he started, but she was out of the door by then.

~

Behind the compound's main building and the duelists' dormitory, there was a small zen garden of low plants, winding paths, large stones, carefully raked sand. It was quiet and serene, insulated by some architectural means from the sounds of Ryoichi's drills in the courtyard.

On two large rocks near the middle of the garden, surrounded by sweeping waves of sand, sat Yukimura Hisoka and Kotei Jin. Jin tugged at the blindfold over his eyes, adjusting it, seemingly unable to find a comfortable way for it to sit on his head.

"Stop playing with that," said Yukimura, "you need to focus."

Jin lowered his hands to his lap, grudgingly.

"Ultimately, in the moment," she began, "Rock Paper Scissors isn't about your feelings. It's about your choices. Rock, no matter how forcefully thrown, cannot tear Paper. Paper, no matter how cleverly planned, cannot entangle Scissors. Scissors, no matter how sharp, cannot cut Rock."

"So why are we...?" asked Jin, trailing off and gesturing at the garden around them.

Yukimura shook her head. "This isn't about spiritual enlightenment. We're only here because it's quiet." She raised one hand. "I'm going to make a throw, and you're going to tell me what it was."

"How am I supposed to to do that?!"

"I don't care how you do it," she replied. "But I'd suggest paying careful attention. If you're not willing to do what seems impossible, you won't last long in the championship." A pause. "What did I just throw?"

"... I didn't hear a thing."

"Then keep quiet and try again."

Jin frowned, concentrated, reached out with his mind for the faintest sound, the tiniest vibration. Then, a faint rustle, Yukimura's clothes? The air around her hand?

"What did I throw?"

"... Paper?"

"How sure are you?"

Jin shrugged. "How should I know? It was just a guess."

"That was Scissors. Do it again."

Another faint sound, which Jin thought was slightly different this time.

"Paper?"

"Scissors again."

"This is pointless!"

"What's pointless," snapped Yukimura, "is guessing randomly. You'll never learn how to do it if you rely on chance! As soon as you start thinking like that in a duel, your opponent has the advantage."

Jin snapped back at her, "then why do you keep asking me what you threw?! There's no way I'd be able to do this so quickly! The only right answer would be for me to keep silent!"

Yukimura smirked. "Now that is a clever idea. You're right, don't bother guessing, just listen."

Then, "Rock." Another pause. "Rock. Paper. Rock. Scissors."

Jin simply sat there listening. His anger died down, and he became quickly absorbed in the succession of sounds.

Time passed, Yukimura making a series of throws at the blindfolded Jin, Jin silent and still.

"Scissors. Rock. Scissors." Then, suddenly, they said together, "Scissors."

"... Very good. I think you're catching on."

"I'm still not entirely sure what you've thrown," mused Jin, "but I think my guesses are better than chance now."

"That's enough for today, you two." Jin turned and peeked under his blindfold. Ryoichi Kei stood at the entrance to the garden. To Jin's surprise, it was starting to get dark. How long had he been training? "Good work, but you need to take a break sometime." Ryoichi gestured for them to follow with a slight incline of his head. "I'm going to go play some pool with Ji-kun and Mizu-kun. Want to join us?"

Yukimura stood, stretched. "Why not?"

Jin hopped up from his rock. He started for the garden's entrance, then stopped, turned to Yukimura. "Thank you for training with me, senpai."

She raised an eyebrow. "Training like this is useful, even necessary. But your best teacher will never be a teammate, or an ally, or a friend. It will be your strongest opponent, someone driven to find your every weakness."

Jin smiled and glanced at Ryoichi. "She's always this serious, isn't she?"

Ryoichi laughed. "Ha ha! Pretty much, yes." Yukimura frowned at them, half-seriously. "Now quick, we need to catch up with the others."

Ryoichi waited at the entrance for Yukimura as Jin walked ahead. He held up one hand to stop her as she reached him, not taking his eyes off of Jin. "He's good, isn't he?" His voice was quiet.

"He is." She also watched Jin. "I didn't expect him to do so well so quickly."

"Good enough for the championship?"

She shrugged. "Perhaps. No way to know yet." She looked up at Ryoichi. "You may have picked well this time."

Ryoichi smiled faintly, lowered his head in thought. Then, he started after Jin. "Come on, Yuki-chan."

~

"Bosatsu Academy." The boy wore a pressed white shirt, an expensive-looking haircut, an expression of long-practiced condescension that still looked strange on his youthful features. "They are to be our first opponents." His posture was rigid, his voice high and soft.

"Haven't faced them before," mumbled another boy. He had long, dark hair that hung untidily in front of his face, and though he was tall, his slouch brought him almost down to eye level with the first boy. He leaned against a wall nonchalantly.

"They're strong, but we've beaten stronger."

The slouching boy rolled his eyes. "So what's your point?"

The first boy glared. "I just want us to be ready. I've prepared reports on each of them, and you all should study them carefully before the match."

"Whatever. I don't need this stuff." He turned to leave. "I'm out of here."

The first boy pressed his hand to his forehead.

"Don't worry!" A girl, bubbly and smiling, with a brightly-colored sundress. "I'll make sure he reads it!" She giggled, and grabbed two copies of the documents. "Wait for me!" She ran out after the boy who had left.

The boy sighed. "Fine, go." He picked up another copy, flipped through the pages. He tapped his finger on a picture of Ryoichi. Then, he closed his eyes, let out a deep breath.

A thin smile slowly crept across his face. "These people... have no idea what they're in for."

Aside

2011-06-23T23:42:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone! Now that we've reached the end of the first "mini-arc" of the story, I'm going to take a short break from updating with new episodes to work out a few things about the next few chunks of plot. I may break up the wait with a side-story, or maybe bad drawings of the cast so far.

In the meantime - after these first seven episodes, what do you think? Do you like what you're reading? Do you have questions that need answers (or vague evasions)? Is there anything in particular you want to see? Anything you're looking forward to? Let me know in the comments!

And if you are enjoying Jankenjutsu, spread the word! Pass a link along to your pals, chums, acquaintances, buddies, comrades, spouses, or nemeses.

Episode 7 - Lord of Emptiness

2011-06-22T16:47:00.001-04:00

Empty.

Jihara Akatsuki stood calmly before Jin, but everything about him bespoke emptiness. There was no aggression in his stance, no strategy visible to Jin's Thousand-Devil Eye. There was no fire in his eyes, serenely half-closed. Even his skin was pale, his hair white as paper.

To Jin's sight, he was a walking void.

Jihara inclined his head a single degree. "Kotei-dono?" His voice was soft.

Jin shook himself out of his trance. "I'm ready, Jihara-san." That his supreme technique could be so thoroughly sealed - it was unthinkable! But he still had to find a way to win. He's been watching me all this time, planning his strategy. Jin raised his fist. But even though I can't see it, I should still be able to win this.

"Rock!"

After all, I've been preparing a "surprise" for just this sort of opponent!

"Paper!"

Jin smiled to himself. He couldn't have used this in the earlier matches, but it would be perfect against a duelist who had been observing him for this long.

"Scissors!"

As he prepared to throw, he shifted his back foot slightly - almost unnoticeably! - but he had taken care to make a similar adjustment in every match that day, just before throwing Paper. Not every time, but often enough - and only before Paper. If Jihara had been watching carefully, analyzing Jin's movements in preparation for this duel, he might have seen it - if he was as formidable as he seemed, able to negate the Thousand-Devil Eye so effortlessly, he must have seen it! So Jihara would throw Scissors, if he saw the tell Jin had been constructing over the past three matches - which meant Jin needed to throw-

"SHOOT!"

"I... impossible!" Jin's hand trembled, still showing Rock. Jihara's Paper, meanwhile, was as steady as stone. His throw had been swift and powerful, utterly confident.

Mizumigawa muttered to the others. "The tell was a fake... this Kotei Jin was planning that throw this whole time! And it would have worked, but..."

"But that sort of thing could never work on Jihara-san," finished Ryoichi. "He's a fascinating duelist. It's almost as though he can read his opponents' minds."

"It must be tormenting Kotei-san," mused Yukimura.

Jin felt panic rising inside him. Jihara had defeated his Thousand-Devil Eye! Seen right through his trap! There has to be something...

Then, a desperate plan occurred to him. It wasn't much, but it was something to grasp at, something that could maybe pull him out of this mire! I'll play a random throw. Everyone knows that humans can't produce true randomness, and trying to sustain a random sequence is tactical suicide. But if I find some way to generate a random throw right now, there's no way he could predict it - or force my choice! If I can pull it off, I'll have a two-thirds chance of getting at least some extra time to try to fight back. He cast about for something he could use. The only things in the room were... Yes! I'll use those!

The two keys to his salvation were right there in the room - the clock on the scoreboard, and the other duelists watching him. First, I'll pick an ordering of the throws. Scissors, Rock, Paper, that should do. Next, I'll wait until Ryoichi-san blinks. For a tense few seconds, Jin waited. It seemed endless! Jihara was still, watching Jin with calm interest. Then... it happened! He blinked! Yes! Now I'll note the number of seconds past the full minute displayed on the clock - thirty-five seconds. Now, if zero seconds means Scissors, one means Rock, and two means Paper, as I decided before, then I just have to determine the value of thirty-five modulo three, that is, the remainder of thirty-five divided by three. That's simple, it's two - meaning I'll throw Paper! There's no way he could predict that whole sequence - I have a chance!

Jin raised his fist grimly.

"Rock!"

All I can do now...

"Paper!"

is put my whole heart...

"Scissors!"

behind this throw!

"SHOOT!"

Jihara's hand flicked out at the very last instant.

Scissors.

Jin stumbled backwards as though he'd been struck, almost tripped at the edge of his platform, staggered, but managed to keep his balance. He couldn't believe it - he'd been beaten so thoroughly! Every technique demolished! Every throw predicted! He stared blankly ahead, trying to figure out how it had happened.

Jihara lowered his hand, turned halfway towards the bench, then stopped.

"Kotei-dono." Jin's eyes jerked toward him. "Right now you're thinking - 'How did he outwit me?' - am I right?"

Jin said nothing.

"Do not worry. I didn't outwit you, Kotei-dono. I didn't have to outwit you in order to win." He still didn't turn to face Jin. "My talent is 'perception'. I don't have keen insight into my opponent's mind as you do, nor into their heart as Ryoichi-dono does. But I can see their throw as they make it, react in the moment to counter them. Until then, I have no strategy. My mind is empty of preconceptions. I do not consider what to throw until I have seen what my opponent has thrown. That is my technique - 'Lord of Emptiness'."

He walked the rest of the way back to the bench, then sat.

"Guh," Jin commented incisively.

The Bosatsu Four had been conferring for no more than a few minutes, but to Jin it had felt interminable. He sat at the edge of the dueling platform, waiting, going over the day's duels in his head. What had he missed? Where were the clues that would turn losses into victories? And how could anyone beat someone like Jihara? With that "Lord of Emptiness" technique - he didn't even seem human.

The door opened. Jin, startled, looked up.

Ryoichi strode into the room, flanked by the other three duelists, the very picture of an emperor surveying his courtiers. "Kotei Jin." His voice had grown deeper and more resonant for the occasion, somehow. "You have impressed us. There is a long road ahead of this dueling team, one that will test the limits of all our abilities. If you are willing to undergo the grueling training, to fight duelists more powerful than you have ever faced - then we offer you a place on our team."

Except what Jin heard in his heart wasn't "a place on our team", but instead "a chance for revenge". A chance to find some answers.

"Well, Kotei-kun? Do you accept?"

"... I do."

Ryoichi's serious expression broke into a warm smile. "Spectacular! Then as of today you will have full use of our facilities, as well as a room in the duelists' dormitory like us four. I'll send a few first-year students to help you move your things, we won't start training until tomorrow." He held out his hand to Jin. "Welcome to the team."

Later that evening, Ryoichi ambled down the hall towards Jin's room. "Kotei-kun! Come on, the team's going to get dinner to welcome you."

There was no response. "Kotei-kun?" Ryoichi knocked on the door. Still nothing. He tested the doorknob, found it unlocked. He opened the door, looked around briefly. Jin wasn't there. Through the window, he could see the main building of the compound. Ryoichi frowned.

He was right. When, a few minutes later, he opened the door to the central command room, he found Jin standing there with his back to the door, staring silently at the banks of monitors. On some, there was displayed a seemingly-endless litany:

Kyoru Arashi

Dueling Records
Win 3-0
Win 3-0
Win 3-0
Win 3-0
Win 2-0 (forfeit)

Win 3-1

Win 3-0

Win 1-0 (forfeit)

Win 3-0

Win 1-0 (forfeit)

Win 0-0 (forfeit)

Win 2-0 (forfeit)

On other screens, there were still frames from recorded duels. Duelists lay on the ground, weeping. One retched in a corner. One clutched her wrist, her face twisted in pain. Another wiped blood from his mouth.

In each of these duels, Venomous Kyoru stood opposite his victim, his face fixed in indifferent contempt.

"I... I knew he'd have gotten stronger since the Junior Grand National..." Jin's eyes were wide with horror, his voice shaking, "but this is beyond anything I've ever seen."

Ryoichi wrapped his arms around Jin's neck in a protective embrace. "It's okay, Kotei-kun. He's strong, but you're going to beat him. Together, we can win this championship. I promise."

Jin took a deep, shuddering breath. "Thank you, Ryoichi-san."

"Let's go. The five of us are going to get some dinner."

After a moment, Jin nodded, and they turned and left the room.

On one monitor, unnoticed, there was a picture of Kyoru Arashi with his dueling team. Behind him, with a smug smile on her face, was a girl with silver hair that covered one of her eyes.

Episode 6 - Thunderbolt

2011-06-17T19:25:00.000-04:00

Kotei Jin stood facing Mizumigawa Shin. He had won his first match, and lost his second - though he was prouder of that one. He still had two opponents left to face - Mizumigawa, and Jihara.

"So, Mizumigawa-san, are you going to ask me about my reasons for fighting as well?"

Her face grew unusually serious at that. "Kotei-kun, let me tell you something." She spread her fingers and made a sweeping motion. "The world doesn't care what you want. It doesn't obey the just, or the deserving. It obeys the strong." She pushed her dark sunglasses up by the arm with the edge of her hand. "So don't tell me about your values - show me your strength!"

Jin narrowed his eyes, baring his teeth in an aggressive grin. "Fine by me."

Mizumigawa laughed, then spread her arms out. They traced a slow circle in the air - then, with a clap like thunder, her hands came together, her fingers interlaced, her forefingers steepled.

"RIN!" She shouted. "Seal of the thunderbolt!"

"Is this an esoteric technique?" Jin's eyes were steel.

"Hah! I don't need an esoteric technique to defeat the likes of you! I'm going to beat you with sheer power!" She pointed at him. "Kotei Jin! I am Mizumigawa Shin, the crushing force of the Bosatsu Four, and I will grind you to dust!" She pulled her hand back into a fist.

Jin smirked. "I can already see your first throw."

Jin's mind was burning. She was completely unfazed by his boast. She must have seen through it - figured out it was an attempt to manipulate her throw - and decided there was no threat. Clearly, she had already selected her throw, and was going to completely ignore his taunts.

Then, Jin's eyes went wide. No! She hasn't just selected this throw - she's selected all her throws for the match! No matter what I say, she plans to stick to her strategy. Well, we'll see about that. He raised his fist.

"Rock! Paper! Scissors!"

If Jin was right, he could figure out from this first throw what her strategy was, then beat her by turning her own force against her.

"SHOOT!"

As her fist descended, there wasn't even the slightest shift in her hand. She was throwing Rock! Jin had just enough time to react to this-

But at the very last instant - Jin didn't even see the movement - her Rock unfurled into Scissors, cutting his Paper.

"Do you see, Kotei Jin? Your Thousand-Devil Eye is no match for my overwhelming force!"

Jin was stunned. Her speed and precise control were incredible, her movements would be impossible to read mid-throw. But her raw aggression made her wide-scale strategy easy for his Thousand-Devil Eye to perceive - it was obvious she planned to throw only Scissors for the whole match!

But, thought Jin, I'm down by a point already. I'd better play this next round safe, confirm what I've seen - and then go for the kill in the following round!

Their fists pumped in tandem once again.

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! SHOOT!"

A tie - Scissors against Scissors. I was right! She's going to follow this strategy for the whole match - so if I play this carefully, I can let her own "overwhelming force" destroy her!

Mizumigawa looked impatient. "You're too slow. Come on! Throw again!"

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! SHOOT!"

Jin's Rock crushed her Scissors. Hah! She's falling for it! Just one more throw and I've won!

But something made him stop. She was hiding it well, but he could see she looked nervous. Damn! I've been too obvious. She can see that I've figured out her strategy. She might break the pattern-

"What did I say?! Don't just stand there, throw again!"

Jin frowned, but raised his fist.

"Rock!"

She was definitely feeling the pressure - but was it enough to make her switch to Paper to counter him?

"Paper!"

Jin saw a single bead of sweat on her brow. She's going to break.

"Scissors!"

I have to throw Scissors to counter her counter!

"SHOOT!"

There was something on her face that made Jin realize his mistake in mid-throw. She had planned this whole thing! She had deliberately pre-committed to this aggressive strategy, predicting that he'd be able to figure it out, that he'd be able to make her break the pattern, and that he'd know the exact throw she'd break on, allowing him to switch to counter. So she wasn't faking it - she really was breaking to throw a counter - but she planned to throw the wrong counter! If she broke her run of Scissors to throw Rock, but he expected her to counter his own Rock with Paper, he'd throw Scissors - and she'd use the insight of his Thousand-Devil Eye against him, making him dig his own grave!

So at the very last instant, he switched his throw to Paper - even though she had thrown nothing but Scissors the entire match, this was the only way to win!

As their hands descended, they shouted a warrior's cry together.

In the silence afterward, they both held their throws - Jin's Paper, and Mizumigawa's Rock. They were breathing heavily from the exertion.

"... That was pretty cunning, Mizumigawa-san."

"Tch. You're lucky I went easy on you." She dropped her hand, grinning. "But you're not bad yourself, Kotei-kun."

She turned, and walked back to the bench. "You're up, Jihara-kun."

Jin turned to study the last member of the Bosatsu Four. He had been silent this whole time, his eyes almost closed, his expression impassive. He stood slowly, walked to the platform opposite Jin without any hurry.

Jin felt confident. The thrill of battle was coursing through his veins. This feeling - Ryoichi had seen a flicker of it on the tennis courts, but dueling strong opponents had fanned it into a devouring flame!

He turned the full force of his Thousand-Devil Eye on Jihara Akatsuki - then froze.

What he saw almost made him choke.

Nothing.

An absolute void.

It didn't seem like Jihara was blocking Jin's technique - instead, his stance was entirely empty.

Jihara spoke softly.

"Kotei-dono. Shall we begin?"

Episode 5 - Scorn

2011-06-16T00:49:00.002-04:00

Yukimura waited for Jin to raise his hand.

He was down by one point, in a match to two. But the situation was worse - he couldn't read her at all, couldn't trust his insight, couldn't trust that his insight would be untrustworthy. She was going to defeat him on this next throw, going to prove he was too weak to join the team, too weak to avenge his brother.

"Kotei Jin." Her voice was like ice-cold razors. "Raise your hand, or walk away and stop wasting our time."

Weakly, he did. His voice came out as barely a mumble:

"Rock. Paper. Scissors. Shoot."

It took him a moment to understand what he was looking at.

"A... tie?" They had both thrown Scissors. Had he been wrong? Was Yukimura not as strong as she seemed?

"Again." Her voice's tone hadn't changed.

"Rock. Paper. Scissors. Shoot."

Another tie - a pair of Papers.

Jin shook his head. What's going on?! He looked up at Yukimura, studied her carefully. There's got to be something I can use-

Then, his blood went cold.

"It looks like you understand now." Her eyes were hidden by the light reflecting off her glasses. "We're not tying because we're evenly matched. I'm choosing your throws for you."

"But-"

"Why don't I just finish you?" She gripped one lens of her glasses again between forefinger and thumb - almost, Jin suddenly thought, as though she was pretending to crush him. "I'm not letting you off that easily. For you to come here and play at this level - it's an insult to Bosatsu's entire dueling team. You only have two ways out of this duel now - beat me, or give up. That, or just wait for the hammer to fall." She raised her fist. "Again."

The throws landed like weights on Jin's back.

Scissors.

Paper.

Rock.

With each tie, it became harder for him to raise his head, more of an effort to make his throw.

Thousand-Devil Kotei stood before a sea of spectators. His hand sliced through the air, his Scissors effortlessly dispatching his opponent's Paper.

Victory. Three points to zero.

Kotei turned as his opponent wept. Over his shoulder, he shouted - "Maybe if you had another hundred years to train." Then, he strode out of the arena as the crowd erupted in cheers. Only one more duel remained to determine the Junior Grand National Champion.

Just inside the antechamber, a staff member ran to him, handed him a phone.

As he listened, his confident smile faltered. After he understood what they were saying, only a few words made it past the roar of blood in his ears. Fell - terrible accident - gone - sorry - sorry. And Kotei Jin had been here, dueling, when it happened.

He felt his fighting spirit shatter.

Paper. Rock. Paper.

Yukimura was shouting now. "Kotei Jin! Why are you here?"

He could barely speak. "For... for my brother."

Rock.

"Your guilt has been holding you back all this time. But if you want to avenge him, you have to release it!"

Scissors.

"These feelings - you have to turn them into a will to fight!"

Paper.

Then, something snapped.

"UUUUAAAAGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!" Jin's voice was ragged. For a few seconds, the only sound in the room was his breathing.

Then, suddenly, his arm whipped out to the side. His hand formed a symbol that wasn't one of the three throws: his index and middle finger extended and held together, the others curled down under his thumb - the 'Blade'. The significance of the Blade is that only two fingers need move to form any of the three throws - making it a sign of great power.

"It worked," whispered Ryoichi.

"You want to see my strength?!" Jin's arm swung forward, and his fingers touched the center of his forehead - his 'third eye'. "This... is the Thousand-Devil Eye."

Mizumigawa leaned forward hungrily. "Finally we get to see it!"

Ryoichi watched intently. "The Thousand-Devil Eye... it really is an incredible technique. It's the culmination of Kotei-san's finely-honed insight, a mode of thought that allows him to process sensory data with incredible precision and discover his opponent's strategy... almost as though he can read their mind."

Jihara said nothing, stayed perfectly still.

Jin felt his strength flowing back into him. Now, he could clearly recognize the subtle posture shifts that Yukimura had used to guide his throws - it had been easy after she had destabilized him in the first throw. It was a formidable strategy - she'd taken advantage of his emotional state and his finely-honed instincts, leading him to decide throws without knowing what cues he was reading. But now that he could see it, it had been rendered useless! The only thing unusual was that there had been no shift since he used his Thousand-Devil Eye - she was going to use the same strategy. A test, to see if he had really regained his insight? Jin grinned. If so, he'd be happy to oblige her.

They raised their fists again.

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! SHOOT!"

Yukimura looked at their throws impassively. "Scissors cuts Paper. Well done." She cocked her head to the side. "So you weren't bluffing just now."

"Hah! Of course not!"

"I had to check. One more point left."

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! -"

Jin analyzed her new stance in a flash. She had shifted, but it was clearly just an attempt to disguise the same strategy. Of course, at this point she expected him to see through it. She must have been hoping that he would see this and decide she must have altered her signs so as to mislead him. But she was too relaxed into her stance - she was in reality still using the same strategy, betting that Jin wouldn't expect her to really be using a method that had just been broken -

"SHOOT!"

Yukimura's Scissors cut Jin's Paper.

"What?!"

"Sorry, Kotei-san, that was a mean trick."

"But how did you hide your strategy?"

"Oh, I didn't. I was using that same strategy throughout. The reason you couldn't read my choice was because I selected my final throw before our match by rolling a die. It was by chance that it beat yours." She shrugged. "In any case, it doesn't matter. You've reawakened - if you used your Thousand-Devil Eye from the start, this could have turned out much differently. Perhaps next time ." She sniffed. "Well done, Kotei-san. But you'd better train hard so that doesn't work again." She turned to walk back to the bench.

"... Thank you, Yukimura-san."

She paused. "Don't act like you're finished. You still have two matches left." But still, there was the tiniest hint of a smile on her face as she returned to the bench.

Mizumigawa leapt up and dashed to the platform Yukimura had vacated, spinning to face Jin. His eyes were like lasers.

"Kono reiatsu," she muttered to herself, grinning.

She pointed at him. "Kotei-kun, don't think that just because you have the Thousand-Devil Eye you'll be able to beat me. It's going to take much more than that."

There was a faint buzzing, as a fly passed her head. Then, a sharp snap - as she struck it out of the air with the back of her hand, almost too fast to be seen.

"Are you ready?!"

~

Yukimura lowered her eyelids and muttered, "I can't believe Mizu-kun actually released a fly in here just so she could swat it like that."

Ryoichi snickered. "I don't know, I thought it was pretty cool."

Episode 4 - Trial by Fire

2011-06-12T22:21:00.000-04:00

It was the following day, and Jin was once again walking through the dueling compound's courtyard. The dueling team had sent Kotei Jin home to rest the day before, but now he was resolute. They had said that before he could get a place on the team, he would have to duel each of the Bosatsu Four. They hadn't said how many of them he would have to beat - just that he would be judged on his performance. He wasn't sure exactly what that meant. All he knew was that he needed to make it onto the team, so that he could face 'Venomous Kyoru' and avenge his brother.

He entered the team's offices and made his way towards the central room where they had spoken. He turned the corner and paused. There was someone there.

It was a tall girl who Jin didn't recognize. Her silvery-gray hair was mostly short, except for a long lock that covered the right side of her face. Her uniform was unfamiliar - she certainly wasn't from Bosatsu Academy.

She was leaving the central room. She paused when she reached Jin. "Kotei-san." Her voice was smooth and cloying. "I understand you're being tested today." She placed her hand on Jin's shoulder. "Best of luck."

"... Thanks," said Jin, unsure.

The girl laughed lightly, then continued down the hall. Jin watched her leave, the hair standing up on the back of his neck. There was something unsettling about her... Jin shook off the feeling, then turned and walked into the central room.

The monitors were off, and the papers lying about had been tidied up a bit. No one was there. Jin looked around in mild confusion, then, tentatively, tested the door at the back of the room.

His eyes took a moment to adjust to the bright lights. The Bosatsu Four were facing him, sitting on a raised bench at the far wall. Between Jin and the Four lay a pair of slightly elevated platforms, and above them on the wall was an electronic scoreboard with a timer - this was their private dueling arena.

"Welcome, Kotei Jin," intoned Captain Ryoichi Kei, standing and raising his arms. "Today you will face each of the top four duelists at Bosatsu Academy. Your success or failure will determine whether there is a place for you on this team. Are you ready?"

A confident grin crossed Jin's face. "Of course. Who's up first?"

Ryoichi smiled. "I am."

They stood facing each other on the dueling platforms.

"Kotei-kun, something for you to keep in mind - victory is not the most important thing in this test. Dueling someone is the only way to know their true character. That is the purpose of the test. Show us your character."

Jin raised his fist, grinning. "Enough talk. Let's duel!"

Ryoichi nodded. "Very well. Best two of three. Engarde!"

"Rock!" Jin watched carefully.

"Paper!" He saw it. The twitch of Ryoichi's fingers. He was displaying the same tell as Mizumigawa. Jin almost shouted at him - he wasn't going to fall for the same trick twice!

"Scissors!" Unless... he must be expecting Jin to see this and recognize it as a trick. If Jin fell for it, he'd throw Rock. If he saw through the trick, he'd throw Scissors. Which meant Ryoichi was going to throw Rock or Paper...

"SHOOT!"

"Hah! Looks like I'm better than you thought?" Ryoichi's Scissors had beaten Jin's Paper. "You're going to have to do better than that."

Jin couldn't believe it. It wasn't a trick. He really does have a tell that obvious. It took effort to make it look like he was disappointed.

"Ready, Kotei-kun?"

Jin frowned. "You are good. I hope I can figure you out."

"Rock!" Jin watched intently for the tell.

"Paper!" There it was again. All four fingers this time - Paper. Jin would throw Scissors and wipe him out.

"Scissors!" But Jin couldn't silence a nagging doubt - was Ryoichi manipulating him? He'd play it safe, throw Paper. If he was right, they'd tie, and his suspicions would be confirmed.

"SHOOT!"

A tie. Jin smiled to himself.

"Damn. Looks like you're still winning."

Ryoichi smiled proudly, raised his fist in silence.

"Rock!" Jin was behind, but he knew all he needed to win.

"Paper!" It was a shame, really. He hadn't expected it to be this easy.

"Scissors!" ... Nothing yet. That meant he was going to throw Rock... right?

"SHOOT!"

"Sorry, Ryoichi-san. Paper covers rock. We're tied now."

"Ah, looks like I'm going to have to be more careful." Ryoichi tilted his head, watching Jin closely. He raised his fist once more.

"Rock!" One more throw. This was where Jin had to prove himself.

"Paper!" All four fingers. Paper again.

"Scissors!" Unless Ryoichi was pretending still... but he looked confident. Jin was sure!

"SHOOT!"

Jin smiled. Scissors cut Paper.

Ryoichi was taken aback. "... Your vicory, Kotei-kun." He turned and walked back to the sidelines.

This, thought Jin, is going to be easier than I expected. Still, something bothered him about that duel. Forget it. Deal with the others. "Well, who's next?"

Yukimura Hisoka stood silently, walked out opposite Jin. Her expression was severe, unreadable.

She eyed Jin. "... Pathetic."

Jin raised his eyebrows. "That's what I thought. I expected the captain of the team to put up a-"

Her voice was flat. "I'm not talking about him, I'm talking about you."

"What?!"

"You're right, the captain of the Bosatsu Academy dueling team is much better than that. He threw the duel."

Jin glanced at Ryoichi, watching with amusement from the sidelines. "Why?"

"It's a test. We told you that. You saw his weakness, but you didn't push. You didn't see how he was manipulating you - he could have won at any moment."

Jin's head was spinning. "But... but I won! In the end, I won!"

Yukimura glared. "You won a single round. But you learned nothing. The duel didn't make you any stronger. When you duel, you have to push your opponent to be as strong as possible - so you can crush the next opponent. And the next." Her glasses flashed with reflected light. "If you want to join the Bosatsu Four, you're going to have to do better than that. If you want to beat Captain Ryoichi next time, you're going to have to do much better."

Jin shook his head. "All right! I'll show you what I can do." He raised his fist.

Yukimura adjusted her glasses, gripping the top and bottom of one lens with her forefinger and thumb. She raised her fist in turn.

"Rock!" Jin was sweating. Was he in over his head?

"Paper!" No. I can't think like that. I have no choice but to beat them and fight my way to Kyoru. But Yukimura was blank and unreadable. She was giving no clues.

"Scissors!" There had to be something... she seemed like the type to prefer Paper, cold and analytical. But she was smart, she would expect him to see that... he'd throw Rock, hopefully that would be safe, give him something more to work with.

Right before making his throw, he had a sudden thought. No! She's figured me out... I have to assume she knows what I'm going to throw - I'll switch to Scissors to counter Paper!

"SHOOT!"

NO! She'd thrown Rock, beating his Scissors.

"Pathetic. I expected better from you, Kotei Jin." She pointed at him. "I'm going to make this absolutely clear. If you're going to beat me, you're going to have to use 'that'."

Jin recoiled, looked away. "I... I haven't used 'that' since...." He couldn't finish.

"If you can't do it, then you're useless. You'd better leave right now."

For a long moment, she watched Jin, who couldn't seem to raise his head to meet her gaze.

She narrowed her eyes. "Fine."

Then, she raised her fist.

Episode 3 - Ghosts of the Past

2011-06-10T22:47:00.000-04:00

The Bosatsu Academy dueling team's high-walled compound sat a little higher on the mountain than the academy itself. Kotei Jin had been standing outside the giant wooden doors for quite a few minutes, now.

I just have to go in, meet the team, then take my leave. This should be painless. Jin sighed.They're going to ask me to join them, but... I can't. Not after-

He shook his head. Let's just get this over with. He pulled the door open.

Just inside the walls lay the courtyard, where several students were sparring, drilling their throws, coaching each other, or lying in the shade of the trees. Jin recognized a few of them, but these weren't the top-tier duelists, the "Bosatsu Four". They had to be inside.

Ahead was the outdoor dueling arena, mostly used for tournament matches. Beyond it were two buildings - the team's offices and, further down the path, the duelists' dormitory. Jin walked past the practicing duelists, past the arena, and up the stairs at the main entrance of the offices. He made his way down the hallway and into the central room.

It had a high ceiling, banks of monitors lined the walls, desks and cabinets overflowed with documents and keyboards. The Bosatsu Four were waiting.

Ryoichi Kei, fourth year. The captain of the team. He was standing at a table in the middle of the room.

Mizumigawa Shin, a second year like Jin. The one he'd lost to the day before. She was - Jin blinked - sitting upside down on a nearby chair, looking up at the ceiling, her legs dangling over the chair's back.

The two others Jin knew only through their position on the team - everyone in the academy knew about the top four duelists.

Yukimura Hisoka was a third year girl with straight, dark brown hair that fell to shoulder length, framing her face with perfect right angles. She wore a pair of glasses with oval-shaped lenses, and a bored expression seemed fixed on her face. She stood at the table, reading something with the captain.

Jihara Akatsuki was the last of them, a third year boy who towered over his classmates. His hair was white, and swept back in a series of layered blades. His eyes, as usual, were half-closed in a serene expression. He was leaning against a side wall, his head bowed.

They seemed to be in the middle of a discussion when Jin entered.

"Ah, Kotei-kun." Ryoichi gestured for Jin to come further into the room. "Glad you could drop by."

Jin looked at the gathered duelists. "Don't get the wrong idea. I'm only here because I made a deal. As soon as I've made good on that, I'm out of here."

Jihara looked up. "Ryoichi-dono... you haven't told him yet?" His voice was soft.

Jin's head snapped towards Jihara, then back to Ryoichi. "What are you talking about? What are you guys up to?!"

Ryoichi sighed, nodded to Yukimura. She tapped something into a keyboard, and one of the bigger monitors lit up.

Jin blanched. "... What does he have to do with this?"

The screen showed a boy slightly older than Jin. He wore a tailored suit and an expression to match - crisp, cold, utterly professional. His hair was buzzed short and formed a sharp widow's peak, his eyes hidden behind mirrored shades.

Yukimura spoke. "Kyoru Arashi. Commonly known as 'Venomous Kyoru'. A duelist of unmatched skill. He swept a series of junior tournaments, culminating with-"

"The Junior Grand National. I know." Jin's voice was cold. "What's your point?"

Mizumigawa turned herself right-side up, and Jihara watched Jin intently. Ryoichi approached the screen, stood facing it with his hands clasped behind his back. "We've been researching you, Kotei-kun. When we studied the Junior Grand National, one question stood out." He raised one hand in the air. "Why would a promising duelist like yourself drop out of the tournament just before the final round?" He dropped his hand again. "But we didn't stop looking until we found the answer. Your brother-"

"How dare you mention him!" Jin shouted. He was shaking. "Yes! I dropped out of the tournament because of the accident! Why do you-"

Ryoichi turned, his eyes burning. "There was no accident."

No one spoke for a long moment.

"What do you mean..." Jin finally managed.

Ryoichi spoke, almost a whisper. "Kyoru Arashi had your brother killed so that you would drop out of the tournament."

Jin fell to his knees. "... You're not certain. How could you know that?"

Yukimura stepped forward. "We received a confession from his second-in-command. Written instructions from Kyoru himself. Nothing explicit, obviously, but we're certain."

Ryoichi's expression softened. "Kotei-kun, I'm sorry..."

Jin spoke without looking up. "If I join your team, I'll get to face him, is that what you're saying?"

Ryoichi smiled grimly. "That's the idea."

"... I'll do it."

Episode 2 - Coercion

2011-06-04T13:18:00.000-04:00

Ryoichi Kei, captain of the school's dueling team, stood at the entrance to the neglected old tennis courts, resting his folded paper fan on his shoulder. He looked over Jin appraisingly.

"You handled yourself well. You made it sound like a simple thing, but reading your opponents like that requires a keen eye." He glanced around, admiring the cherry blossoms. "Have you ever considered trying out for the dueling team?"

Jin shrugged, looked away. "I'm no duelist. I only know a few parlor tricks."

"Kotei Jin. 'Thousand-Devil' Kotei. Champion of no less than seven Junior tournaments. And in the Junior Grand National..." He looked back at Jin. "... runner-up."

Jin's expression hardened. "Those days are behind me." He shouldered his bag. "Get out of my way."

"When you duel, you can't hide your true heart. It shines through in every throw." Ryoichi swung his fan off his shoulder, slicing through the air, and pointed it straight at Jin. "I saw your eyes when you fought those two. You came alive. It's obvious that you yearn to duel again." He paused, pushed his hair out of his eyes with his free hand. "What is holding you back?"

Jin pushed the tip of the fan aside. "That's my business." He walked past Ryoichi, his face a mask.

"I'll make a deal with you," said Ryoichi without turning.

Jin paused. "Why would I bargain with you?"

Ryoichi smiled. "I'm sure you know that with a few words to the right people, I could let the whole school know you've spurned my offer. They would pester you endlessly, wanting to know why, wondering what could be so terrible that you'd turn down a position among the elite of Bosatsu. You wouldn't have a moment's peace... and at that point, there wouldn't be anything I could do about it."

Jin turned on him. "You wouldn't...!"

"Of course, that wouldn't be very polite of me, would it? That's why I want to make a deal."

"... What sort of deal?"

"Now you're listening to reason." Ryoichi raised one hand in the air. "Mizumigawa-kun?"

Behind Jin, outside the courts, there was a rustling sound. Then, a girl dropped out of the trees.

She landed expertly in a crouch, stood, whipped her hand to her face in a lightning-fast motion, lightly adjusted her sunglasses with the edge of her hand.

She had short, spiked hair and dark sunglasses, she wore pants with her uniform, unlike most girls at the school - though Jin could see why, if she planned to jump out of trees with any frequency - and she exuded supreme confidence. Mizumigawa Shin, one of the stars of the dueling team.

She grinned, sizing Jin up. "Here's the 'deal'. You play a single throw against me. If you win, we leave you alone. If you lose..."

"Then all you need to do is come visit the team during tomorrow's meeting, and introduce yourself to the other members," finished Ryoichi, turning to face them. "Very reasonable, don't you think?"

Jin eyed Mizumigawa warily. "If I win, you'll leave me alone for good?"

"I promise," replied Ryoichi.

A breeze blew through the area, and no one spoke for a long moment.

"Tch, fine. If it'll get you off my back." Jin walked back onto the tennis court, then turned to face his opponent.

Mizumigawa wandered over towards the court, then sprang into a one-handed handstand, before tumbling into position. "Thanks for being a good sport!" She winked and stuck out her tongue.

Jin just held up his fist.

"Fine, fine..." She held up hers in kind. "I'm ready when you are."

"Rock!" Their fists went down for the first time. Jin studied his opponent carefully - her stance, the trajectory of her arm, the expression on her face.

"Paper!" They went down a second time. Jin expected she would base her throw on how he had played the last two matches. He had opened with Paper each time. Would she expect him to use Paper again? Or was she thinking that he wouldn't dare begin three matches in a row with the same throw, locking him into Rock or Scissors?

"Scissors!" The third "priming" fist-pump. She looked confident. She was a professional, she wasn't going to betray her strategy easily. He ran through the possibilities. If she expected he would use Paper, she'd throw Scissors. If she expected Rock or Scissors, she'd throw Rock. It looked like Rock would be a safe throw for him, at worst resulting in a tie, because Paper was too risky a throw for her. But if she predicted he would perform that analysis, she'd definitely throw Paper, and his strategy would be ruined.

Then he saw it.

As she was raising her hand for her throw, her index and middle fingers twitched slightly. A tell, one he almost missed, but its message was clear - she was going to throw Scissors! She had noticed his pattern of starting with Paper, expected him to notice it as well, and thought he would think she wouldn't expect him to use it a third time. Of course, this meant that she thought he would throw Paper again, so she would throw Scissors and defeat him. It was a clever plan, but her eagerness had given her away. Jin would throw Rock, and ruin her plan completely!

"SHOOT!"

Jin stared blankly at her outstretched hand.

Paper.

He fell to his knees.

"You were right, Ryoichi-kun." Mizumigawa tilted her head, peered at Jin. "He fell for the fake tell."

It had been a trap! She had deliberately led him to think she would throw Scissors, and he had played right into her hands.

Ryoichi and Mizumigawa walked off the court while Jin was still replaying his failure in his head.

Ryoichi waved. "We'll see you tomorrow after classes... Kotei-kun."

Episode 1 - Chance

2011-06-03T04:46:00.000-04:00

It was springtime at prestigious Bosatsu Academy. Some snow still lingered higher up on the mountain, but at the school cherry blossoms drifted lightly through the air. Looking down on the valley, the serene surface of the lake, anyone would think the world a peaceful place.

Here, in the shade of the wooded path behind the school, Kotei Jin strolled back towards the dormitory from class. He was taking the long way - after all, it was a beautiful day and classes were over, he had plenty of time.

To be honest, Jin doesn't look like much at first glance. Dark blue school uniform, average height, straight black hair that had just grown long enough to start getting in his eyes again. But he has an open, honest face and eyes that gleam with shrewd intellect.

Suddenly, a shout sounded from the run-down tennis courts further down the path. Jin's head snapped towards the sound, then he broke into a run. Around the corner, an unpleasant scene was playing out.

"She's holding out on us," the skinnier of the two scruffy upperclassman said casually to his counterpart. The girl's eyes darted about, looking for a way past the two thugs.

"I swear, I don't have any more money!"

"We don't believe you," said the skinny one. The other, a broad, square-chinned brute, shoved the girl. She hit the chain-link back fence of the court, dropped her bag, spilled books over the clay.

"What's going on here?" queried Jin as he rolled into view. The two upperclassmen spun to face him.

"Keep walking," advised the skinny one - who Jin had already mentally labeled "Ratface".

"Yeah," added the brick helpfully (Jin thought he looked more like a pitbull).

Jin ambled towards them. "Shame on you, harassing a young lady like that." There was a deliberate playfulness in his voice, but his face was fixed in a deadly-serious stare.

"What's it to you?" asked Ratface.

"Yeah, what're you gonna do about it?" added Pitbull, sliding between Jin and Ratface. His hand darted out with surprising speed and grabbed Jin's collar. He lifted Jin up slightly so they were eye-to eye. He grinned scornfully. "You gonna hit me?"

"No." Jin's voice was quiet.

"That's what I thought." Pitbull dropped him unceremoniously. "Now get out of here." He started to turn away.

"No."

Pitbull stopped. "What was that?!" He spun around to see Jin pointing his index and middle fingers right in Pitbull's face, separated in the universal symbol of a challenge -"scissors."

Pitbull recoiled.

"I challenge you to a duel," said Jin.

"A duel... like...?"

"Yep." Jin nodded.

"What about me?" asked Ratface.

"I'll duel you once I've beaten him." Jin was smiling confidently now.

"You little punk!" growled Pitbull.

Ratface grinned. "Sure, we'll duel you." He nodded at Pitbull. "Show him what you're made of."

Jin tossed his bag to the side, and he and Pitbull faced each other a short distance apart.

"Ready?" he asked. "We'll do best-two-of-three."

"You're dead," Pitbull said flatly. Jin shrugged.

They each raised a fist. Together, pumping their arms, they said:

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! SHOOT!"

"Tch," said Pitbull. Jin's Paper had beaten his Rock.

"Ah, that's okay, you've got another chance!"

Pitbull just snarled at that and raised his fist again.

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! SHOOT!"

Jin threw Scissors, and Pitbull threw Paper. Jin's victory again.

"You got lucky, you little..."

"Luck has nothing to do with it." Jin looked serious again. "I knew exactly what you would throw. My victory was guaranteed."

"How the hell could you know what I would throw?!"

"Simple. You would definitely open with Rock. Amateurs like you always start with Rock." Pitbull growled. "Then, you were angry. Looking for a strong sign, you reflexively used the one that beat your last throw - Paper. So I just threw Scissors, and you walked right into my trap."

Pitbull lunged at Jin, but stopped short. Ratface had grabbed the back of his shirt.

"Out of my way, you piece of trash," sneered Ratface, and shoved him aside. Pitbull sprawled on the court. "You were too easy to read. How pathetic."

"You shouldn't be so hard on him," said Jin. "After all - you're even easier to read."

"What?!"

"I can tell you right now - you're going to throw Scissors."

Ratface frowned. "Just get ready."

Jin raised his fist.

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! SHOOT!"

Ratface's mouth hung open. He had thrown Rock... and Jin had thrown Paper.

"You said I was going to throw Scissors! Why would you throw Paper?!"

"I said you would throw Scissors... so I knew that was the one sign you wouldn't dare throw. You would have to use Rock or Paper. Which means if I threw Paper, the worst that could happen would be a tie."

"You think you're so smart? That's just one point, and now that you've explained it, that trick isn't going to work again."

"Really? Is that what you think?" Jin cocked his head back. "Then listen up - you're going to throw Scissors."

Ratface started to sweat. "WHAT?! Do you really think that would work twice in a row?!"

"... Are you ready?"

"Fine! I'll wipe that look off your face!"

They raised their fists.

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! SHOOT!"

Ratface recoiled, tripped over his feet, and fell to the ground. "Im- impossible!"

Jin looked down scornfully, his hand still showing Rock. "Not at all. Of course you would use Scissors. Your desire to prove me wrong - by doing what I predicted when I said you wouldn't - was stronger than your caution. Because of that, it was obvious that you would use Scissors." He swept his hand out to encompass both of them. "Now get out of here."

The two defeated duelists scrambled to their feet and bolted.

Jin watched them go, then turned again. He handed the girl one of her books. She stared at him, stunned. Suddenly, she seemed to realize she was staring, then turned away, blushing.

"Thank you, Kotei-san," she mumbled, gathering up the rest of her things, then ran away without bothering to put her books in the bag.

Jin took a moment to catch his breath.

He bent down to pick up his bag. When he looked up again, there was someone standing at the entrance to the courts.

He was tall, strikingly beautiful, with long, flowing, blond hair - Ryoichi Kei. Jin almost didn't recognize him without throngs of admirers striving to earn his notice. Easily the most popular, admired, and envied boy in the school.

He was also the captain of Bosatsu Academy's dueling team.

Ryoichi tapped a long, folded paper fan on his shoulder.

"That was quite impressive... Kotei Jin."