Rebecca sat on the edge of a padded bench in one of KaibaCorp's quieter lounge corridors, knees pulled in just enough to make herself smaller without realizing she was doing it. The duel arena felt a million miles away now, but the afterimage of it still clung to her—bright lights, the cold beep of her Duel Disk, the moment her Life Points hit zero like a door slamming shut.
Her fingers worried at the corner of her deck box. She wasn't crying. Not exactly. But the tightness behind her eyes was stubborn, and every time she blinked she felt it threaten to spill over anyway.
The worst part wasn't losing.
It was the feeling of being skipped. Like her choices didn't matter. Like the duel had been a script and she'd been handed the wrong lines.
She stared at her reflection in the window across the hall—bow slightly crooked, a few strands of blonde hair escaping, face pale under the blimp's cool lighting. She lifted a hand to adjust the bow, then dropped it, annoyed at herself for caring.
A voice drifted in from behind her.
"You look like you're about to chew through that deck box."
Rebecca startled, shoulders jerking, and turned.
Connor stood there with his hands in his pockets, posture relaxed but eyes sharp. He didn't look smug, or pitying, or anything that would make her snap at him. He just looked… present. Like he'd come because he meant to, not because someone told him to.
Rebecca scoffed quietly. "I'm fine."
Connor's mouth quirked like he didn't buy it for a second. "Sure. And I'm Jason's biggest fan."
That earned her a tiny, reluctant snort—more air than laughter, but it cracked the pressure in her chest just a little.
Connor stepped closer, then stopped at a respectful distance, like he knew she needed space. "You did better than you're giving yourself credit for."
Rebecca's grip tightened. "No, I didn't. I had the healing. I had The Dark Door. I had my traps ready. And it still didn't matter. He just… erased my turn. Like I was nothing."
Connor's eyes narrowed. "You weren't nothing."
She looked away, jaw trembling with frustration. "It felt like it. I couldn't even fight back."
"Yeah," Connor said softly. "That part was brutal."
His agreement hit harder than empty reassurance. Rebecca glanced at him, surprised. Connor didn't rush to brighten it or spin it. He just sat down beside her, elbows resting on his knees, and stared out the window at the clouds sliding past the glass.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Then Connor said, "You know what I noticed during your duel?"
Rebecca's voice came out small. "What."
Connor tilted his head, thinking. "You didn't panic. Not really. Even when your field got ripped apart and your monster got banished and… everything started snowballing. You still played your line. You still tried to build the win condition. That takes guts."
Rebecca huffed. "Or stupidity."
Connor's eyes flicked to her. "No. Stupidity is throwing your deck at the wall and hoping it sticks."
The word unfair sat between them like a weight. Rebecca's throat tightened.
Before she could respond, another voice—louder, more familiar—barreled down the corridor.
"Rebecca!"
Joey Wheeler appeared like a human exclamation point, blond hair messy, jacket half-zipped, waving like he'd spotted someone across a stadium instead of ten feet away. Yugi was right behind him, smaller, calmer, with worried eyes. And beside Yugi—moving like she belonged anywhere she stood—was Ishizu Ishtar.
Rebecca's heart gave a weird little hop at the sight of Ishizu. The woman carried herself with a quiet elegance that made the blimp's sterile corridors feel almost sacred. Long hair fell neatly over her shoulders, and her expression was gentle, not judging.
Joey skidded to a stop. "There ya are! We been lookin' all over. You can't just disappear after a duel like that!"
Rebecca blinked, caught off guard by the concern. "I didn't disappear. I walked away."
"Same thing," Joey said, then softened, scratching the back of his neck. "Look… I ain't great at this emotional stuff, but… that guy was pullin' some spooky crap. Anyone would've gotten smoked by that."
Yugi nodded, stepping closer. His voice was quiet but steady. "Rebecca, what Devin did wasn't normal. It's not a reflection of your skill. It's… something else."
Rebecca hugged her deck box tighter. "It still counts as a loss."
"It does," Ishizu said, voice calm, melodic. "And it hurts. You are allowed to feel that."
Rebecca's eyes flickered to her, surprised by the directness. Ishizu's gaze didn't flinch. It was steady the way the horizon is steady—unmoving, patient.
Joey opened his mouth like he was about to argue with "allowed to feel that," then seemed to think better of it and just nodded.
Connor shifted slightly, making room on the bench. Ishizu didn't sit right away. She stood in front of Rebecca instead, hands folded loosely, posture composed.
"May I?" Ishizu asked.
Rebecca blinked. "May you… what?"
Ishizu gestured gently to the space beside her. It wasn't a command. It was an invitation, like she was offering Rebecca a seat at a table instead of stepping into her grief.
Rebecca hesitated, then scooted over. Ishizu sat down with smooth grace, the fabric of her outfit settling without a wrinkle.
Yugi stayed standing, hands clasped. Joey leaned on the wall like he was trying to look casual while clearly not being casual. Connor remained quiet, watching.
For a moment, Ishizu simply breathed with Rebecca, letting the silence feel safe instead of awkward.
Then she said, "When you lost, what did you tell yourself?"
Rebecca blinked rapidly. "I… I don't know. That I should've played better."
Ishizu tilted her head. "More specifically."
Rebecca stared at the floor. "That I wasn't good enough."
Joey made an offended noise. "Aw, c'mon, that's—"
Ishizu lifted one hand, and Joey quieted instantly, almost comically, like her calm had weight.
Ishizu's voice remained gentle. "Rebecca… you are equating one outcome with your worth."
Rebecca swallowed. "It's not just the outcome. It's the way it happened. I didn't even get a chance."
Ishizu nodded slowly. "Yes. And that is what makes it feel violating. Like your agency was taken."
Rebecca's breath hitched at the word. Agency. That was exactly it, and hearing someone name it made the feeling less like a storm and more like something she could hold.
Ishizu continued, "You cannot always control the forces you face. But you can control how you respond. And you responded with composure."
Rebecca let out a shaky laugh. "Composure? I felt like I was going to throw up."
Joey pointed at her like he'd been waiting for that. "See! That's what I'm sayin'! If you felt like throwin' up and you still kept duel-voice steady? That took some guts for someone your age!"
Yugi smiled faintly. "Joey's… actually right."
Joey's eyes went wide. "I am? Did you hear that? Yugi said I'm right!"
Connor muttered, "Don't get used to it."
That earned a tiny smile from Rebecca—small, but real.
Ishizu watched it happen, and something warm shifted in her eyes. "You see?" she said. "Even now, you can still laugh. That means the loss did not break you."
Rebecca's smile faltered, emotion creeping in again. "It just… sucks."
Ishizu nodded. "Yes. It does."
She didn't rush past it. She didn't try to decorate it with positivity. She just acknowledged it like a truth carved into stone.
Rebecca's throat tightened. "I tried so hard to be ready. I built my deck to keep me alive. I thought if I could just hold on long enough—"
"You thought endurance would win," Ishizu said.
Rebecca nodded.
"And it would have," Ishizu added, "against many duelists."
Connor pointed toward the arena, emphasis sharp in his gesture. "You were up against the best duelists in the world—and you're doing it at our age." He shook his head slightly, a faint, incredulous smile tugging at his mouth. "Most people our age wouldn't have lasted five minutes in this tournament. We're literally the youngest ones here, Rebecca."
He looked back at her, voice steady. "How many people can honestly say they made it this far at our ages? Win or lose, that matters."
The words landed like cold water.
Rebecca's stomach twisted. "So what do I do? Just… accept that I am not good enough to beat them?"
Ishizu shook her head. "No. You learn from it."
Rebecca blinked. "How? I can't… do what he did."
"You do not need to," Ishizu said, and her voice held quiet certainty. "You learn what it felt like to be denied, and you never inflict that emptiness on others. That is strength too."
Rebecca stared at her, something aching in her chest. Ishizu spoke like someone who had seen real darkness and still chose to remain gentle.
Yugi nodded, eyes soft. "That's what being a true duelist is. Not just winning, but how you fight."
Joey folded his arms, nodding hard. "Yeah. And also occasionally punching Kaiba in the ego."
Connor glanced sideways. "Joey."
"What? It's true!"
Rebecca let out a breath that turned into a laugh, and this time it wasn't forced. It startled her how quickly it came—like her chest had been waiting for permission.
Ishizu smiled, small but bright. "There," she murmured. "That is the beginning of recovery."
Rebecca's cheeks warmed. "You talk like a therapist."
Ishizu's eyes softened. "Perhaps I have had practice. Pain repeats in many forms. The people who survive learn how to speak to it."
"You can always be better and improve yourself for next time," Connor admitted, then softened slightly. "But you're not alone in this. None of us are."
Yugi nodded. "We're all on this blimp together. Literally and… otherwise."
Rebecca's cheeks flushed. "I am a big fan of yours,I saw you duel in a few tournaments on tv" She hesitated, then exhaled. "You're… composed. Even when things are scary. You don't lash out. You don't panic. You just… handle it. Like you've already decided who you are."
Joey made a soft "awww" sound and immediately tried to cough to hide it.
Ishizu continued, "You lost today and that loss will bruise you. But it will not define you unless you let it. You may choose instead to let it teach you. To let it refine you."
Rebecca swallowed. "How do I start?"
Ishizu lifted her hand and gently adjusted Rebecca's bow, straightening it with a tender precision that felt almost ceremonial. "I can give you a few places to start after the tournament is over"
Rebecca's throat tightened, not from sadness this time but from something warm and strong. "Okay," she whispered.
Connor watched, expression unreadable, but Rebecca caught the faint relief in his eyes—like he'd been holding his breath for her to come back to herself.
Joey clapped his hands once. "Alright! Pep talk successful! Now we need snacks, because emotional support makes me hungry."
Yugi chuckled. "Joey…"
"What? It's true!"
Rebecca stood slowly, shoulders squaring. Her legs felt shaky, but she didn't sit back down. She held her deck box like it mattered—not like a burden, but like a tool.
She looked at Ishizu. "Thank you."
Ishizu rose with her, posture graceful. "You are welcome."
Rebecca hesitated, then stepped closer, voice quieter. "Can I… talk to you more later? About how to be better at duel monsters."
Ishizu's smile warmed, genuine. "Of course. I would be honored."
Rebecca's chest swelled with something like pride, like she'd been granted entry into a world she'd only admired from afar. She nodded.
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