Episode 21 - Gathering

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

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

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

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

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

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

"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."