"Leader Revolver!"
"Hello, leader!"
"..."
Wearing his vest, Kira walked straight through the club. Wherever he went, the Knights of Hanoi greeted him.
He pushed open a door and entered a room to find a big stack of files piled on a desk. Papers rustled and a pen scratched from behind the stack, but strangely there wasn't a soul in sight.
Only when Kira came around the stack did he discover the one hunched over the desk was actually a cat.
Yes, that's right— even in the extraordinary world of Dark Duelists, this was a bizarre sight. A cat was crouched at a desk in a sea of paperwork, working away quite diligently, by the looks of it.
This was the Pharaoh, the same lazy, gluttonous cat from Duel Academy. Few knew that inside this cat was possibly the greatest alchemist this world had ever known.
And at the moment, this alchemist cat was working for Kira.
"Heartless, nyaa!"
When Kira came in, a ghostly image of Professor Lyman manifested behind the cat, indicting Kira for exploiting cat labor.
"I've even turned into a cat and I still have to work overtime..."
Kira said solemnly, "Strictly speaking, Professor Lyman, you've never really left the Shadow Rider. Now that the Shadow Rider have been absorbed by the Knights of Hanoi, you should count as a senior officer of the Knights of Hanoi."
"Then is it still in time for me to resign right now?"
Lyman grumbled while his kitty paws kept scribbling.
"Does the Shadow Rider allow resignations?"
Lyman: "..."
Of course, he hadn't actually possessed the Pharaoh; he was just using a small alchemical trick to borrow the cat's body temporarily. Normally the Pharaoh was still the Pharaoh—Lyman was merely using its body as a perch.
"Come to think of it, the organization under you now is much larger than the Shadow Rider used to be. Saying you have an army under you wouldn't be an exaggeration, would it?"
Professor Lyman clicked his tongue twice.
"Frightening."
"What are you saying? I am model student of Duel Academy." Kira remained deadpan. "The organization Revolver leads has nothing to do with the Duel King."
Lyman's spirit rolled his eyes.
"You're the boss now; whatever you say goes."
He paused, then said, "Right, someone just reported there are fluctuations of some abnormal dark power in Domino. It doesn't feel like any system we're familiar with—more like something foreign and dangerous."
"Outsiders?" Kira said. "I thought Dark Duelists from outside weren't so keen on setting foot in our turf anymore."
"Very few do. I was going to send someone to check it out, to see whether it's trouble aimed at us or something that could threaten us."
Lyman glanced at Kira again.
"Seeing as a certain someone is very good at making enemies, right?"
"I'll take that as a compliment."
Kira smiled. "No need to send anyone. I'm heading to KaibaCorp for a research collaboration anyway. Since I'm already going out, I'll swing by and take a look myself."
"That works too."
Lyman slapped a stack of documents toward the edge of the desk with a paw.
"Workload's up this month—remember to give me a raise!"
"No problem, professor."
Kira headed for the door and waved as he left.
"I'll have them prepare a few extra pounds of cat food."
Lyman: "You brat—"
"..."
A white glider sliced the night sky, like a great bird in flight. Silver wings circled in the moonlight, spraying two long tails of flame as they swept over the city.
"How's the tuning on the new glider?"
Lyman's lazy voice came through Kira's earpiece.
"Very fast," Kira said as he flew. "But the balance still needs work—I don't feel fully in sync with it. Anyway, I'm almost there. We'll talk later."
He dove, decelerated, jettisoned the glider, and landed on the roof of a building, peering down.
He quickly locked onto the uninvited guest he was looking for.
"Hm?"
Kira raised an eyebrow, surprised.
An old acquaintance?
…
At that moment, inside a derelict building—
A small red glow drifted silently in the darkness, pausing briefly in a patch of shadow. A large eye seemed to open on the glowing orb, darting left and right cautiously. After confirming there was no one around, it moved on.
But it had barely floated forward when a sudden roar burst from the darkness. The big eye popped comically wide, springing into the air before retreating in a panic.
From the shadows lunged a crimson dinosaur with jagged bone spines running down its back, baring a bloody maw as it bellowed menacingly at the floating eye.
The eye hurriedly backed off, then tried to glare back with a savage look. "Hiss~ What, a staring contest? Who's afraid of who?"
A laugh came from behind the dinosaur. "Heh. You sure can hide. Finally caught you."
The eye narrowed, muttering, "More like you're too stubborn. You actually chased me all the way here... that's some persistence..."
Rex Raptor stepped out of the dark to stand beside the dinosaur. His duel disk was active, with a monster set in the zone—the dinosaur was clearly his summoned monster.
"This is the first important mission the Advent Church gave me. I'm supposed to bring you back intact; I don't plan to mess it up."
Rex shrugged.
"You've got nowhere to run. Be smart and come quietly."
"Damn it—if I weren't in bad shape right now, how would I be getting pushed around by a duelist like you..."
The big eye tried to look fierce, but with only one eye, every effort made it look even more cutesy.
"Even if you seize my body, you'll never get my heart—pah, I mean, you'll never get my card!"
"What, you plan to duel me?" Rex sneered. "With just that eyeball?"
Just then, a thunderous boom blasted from overhead, and the ceiling collapsed with a clatter. Both parties jumped back. Rubble rained down as a figure in white dropped through amidst the debris, landing in a half-crouch between them.
"Looks like you're having a lively chat."
Kira stood slowly. The hem of his white coat settled amid the swirling dust. He glanced at the floating red orb with the big eye behind him, then at the aggressive Rex before him.
"Mind if I join?"
Rex Raptor's face changed.
"Revolver?"
...
2 Bonus chapters at 500 PS