Episode 7 - Lord of Emptiness

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 3-0

Win 3-0

Win 1-0 (forfeit)

Win 3-0

Win 3-0

Win 3-0

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.