Partners In Crime

This article, Partners In Crime, is property of **the Dark Magician**. Do not modify or use any of its content without her express permission.

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> ---Truth be told, Casey loathed sitting in class. It was annoying and tiresome, and she didn't learn well from lectures in the first place, anyway. She learned best on her own, and that was how she'd always operated. Yeah, it meant she had to dedicate a little more time to school outside of class than a lot of other people, but it was hard to argue with her high grades. What she did simply worked best for her, and that wasn't going to change any time soon. In fact, Casey hated class so much that she was actually *asleep*, her head resting on her unopened textbook. None of this material was that hard, anyway; it was only a history class, for crying out loud. The teacher wasn't as amused, frequently scowling at the dozing pink-haired girl during pauses in the lecture, but if Casey were awake, she wouldn't have cared. Why should she, when she was acing this teacher's class anyway? Actually, that was probably the only reason she didn't get slapped with a detention, because the teacher knew better than to call out one of his best students.
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> After a while, Casey felt someone poke her in the arm, and she jolted awake, sitting up in her seat and glaring at the person who dared to wake her: her friend, a fellow Obelisk student. "Quit glaring at me like that, class is over, unless you'd like to waste an entire day napping in that desk," the friend told her, rolling her eyes. "Fine, fine, fair enough," Casey grumbled, getting to her feet and slinging her bag over her shoulder. Reaching into it, she pulled out her phone to check her text messages. Of course, there was one from him waiting in her inbox. She opened it, and it told her to meet him at the courtyard once classes let out. Racking her brains to determine if there was anything important she had to do, she texted him back and let him know she was on her way. Luckily, the courtyard often wasn't packed after class. Normally people either went back to their dorms, down to the shores, or just lazed about the campus grounds. The courtyard was more where people hung out in between classes, due to its convenient location.
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> Heh, there he was, as promised. Sure, his back was turned to her, but she'd recognize that brown mop top of hair anywhere. Even more than his tattoos, Zach's hair was a dead giveaway as to his identity. Grinning, she sauntered over to him, gently tugging at a lock of his hair to get his attention. "Yo," she greeted casually, before flopping onto one of the benches, crossing one of her legs over the other and folding her arms, looking up at him with a raised eyebrow. "What'd you need, Zach? Do I need to go make someone cry, or was this more of a 'just wanna hang out' thing? Either way, I'm pleased." Casey wasn't even half-kidding about making someone cry. Actually, she rather enjoyed doing just that, since the people she reduced to tears deserved it. She wasn't a complete bitch, after all, she didn't unleash her ample snark on unsuspecting people who hadn't earned it. Nah, she was more like...a seventy-five percent bitch. Yeah, that sounded about right.
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> Zach spun around, a cheeky grin on his face. "This is more of a hang out, I've learnt how to tell people off from you. Still learning, of course." he responded, plopping down next to her on the bench. Setting his bag by his feet, he exhaled. "How was your break, Casey?" he asked the pink-haired girl. Knowing his friend, he knew something excited had to have happened. His break had been interesting as well, although not in a good way. It had been a miracle he had thought his way out of that. He was still surprised how he had done it. He turned back to the girl, awaiting her response patiently.
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> Casey couldn't help but grin at Zach. "Yes, you've been coming along quite well, you're getting pretty good at it. I'm honestly so proud."  She wasn't really kidding, either; she relished the idea of training someone else in the noble art of sarcasm to create...a Casey 2.0 of sorts. Zach was a worthy student, having learned quickly, though she supposed she was also just an exceptional teacher. "Ah, you know. It was fun, though one of my friends and I nearly got into it. Her boyfriend decided he thought I was cute... Pfft. I lead him on and then kicked him to the curb and told my friend."
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> Zach chuckled at her first remark. He loved hanging out with Casey, it was liberating, he didn't have to pretend to be someone he wasn't. Zach smiled as she finished. "Just like you to ruin that guys day. Hell, you probably ruined his year." he remarked.
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> "I know this might be coming out of nowhere..." the young boy began, reaching into his bag. From it, he produced his Duel Disk. "Can we duel? Over the break, I met...someone. I recognized him, but I couldn't believe it was actually him. He destroyed me, I barely got out of that alive. When he fought, that aura he produced..."
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> The boy snapped back to his cheery deposition. "So, you wanna accept my duel request? Or are you too scared?"
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> "Oh, I sincerely hope so. He deserved it for going behind my friend's back like that." Casey rolled her eyes for dramatic emphasis. "I'm not merciful when you mess with my friends, you know? It's one thing to mess with me directly, but another thing entirely to mistreat people I care about." Yeah, that was when she got *really* vindictive.
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> She watched curiously as Zach reached into his bag, understanding clicking once he pulled out his Duel Disk. That was his goal, it seemed. Well, if it was a Duel he wanted, he was gonna get it. "I see... He must've been something if he's got you like this. That good, eh? What kind of deck did he have?" Casey couldn't believe that someone was good enough to actually not just beat Zach, but, to use his word, 'destroy' him. In all the time she'd known Zach, she'd never seen him beaten badly. He always won, and if he happened to lose, he brought it down to the wire, and he was one of the most talented duelists she knew.
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> A smirk danced upon Casey's lips as she pulled her own Duel Disk out of her bag, fastening it around her wrist and activating it. "Me, scared? You do know who you're talking to, right? Since you're the challenger, you can go first." Rolling her eyes, she drew five cards, looking at her initial hand. Pfft. Scared. Even if she lost to Zach, 'scared' was something she would never be.
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> Zach grinned. "He was a HERO user. But much more aggressive than Shane. His deck had HEROes I had never heard about."
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> After drawing his cards, he analyzed them before making his move. "I'll activate Revolution Dragon's effect, paying 500 life points to bring out Arc Pendulum from my deck. I'll set Mirage and Arc Pendulum in the Pendulum zones. You know what that means!" he ranted, a grin on his face. "Pendulum Summon, Odd-Eyes Coyote Dragon!" he yelled, his favourite card manifesting itself on the field. "And now I end my turn."
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> "More aggressive, sure. Shane's not the most aggressive duelist, he's much more calculating and tactical. Is he better than Shane, though?" She was curious, because Shane, too, was extremely talented. As of that moment, she'd never beaten him.
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> "Hm... Okay. I'm gonna Special Summon my Photon Thrasher, and use my Normal Summon on my Galaxy Wizard. I'll tribute Galaxy Wizard to add a Galaxy card to my hand, and then... I'll play A Galaxy Far, Far Away, using it to Special Summon my Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon! Oh, and that Galaxy card I added to my hand, thanks to my faithful Wizard? It's Galaxy Expedition, so say hello to a second Galaxy-Eyes. I'll overlay my two Galaxy-Eyes to bring forth my Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon! Prime Photon Dragon, attack, and ditch one of the Photon Dragon materials attached to you to bring your attack up to 5600!"
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> “And that destroys Coyote, and I take 2400 damage, bringing my Life Points down to 5600. And Coyote goes to the Graveyard. But I activate Arc Pendulum Dragon’s effect!” Zach announced.
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> “This lets me Special Summon one “Odd-Eyes” monster from almost anywhere! I’ll bring out Odd-Eyes Saber Dragon from my deck! Now that your turn ends, I’ll draw a card.”
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> “Then, I’ll use the Spiral Flame Strike card in my hand to add Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon to my hand! Now, I’ll Pendulum Summon Phantom Dragon to the field! I’ll activate Odd-Eyes Fusion to bring out Odd-Eyes Cursed Dragon! With his materials now face-up in the Extra Deck, I’ll activate his effect! I’ll send equip three cards from your field to Cursed Dragons! I’ll take all your cards. Your cards take up three of my Spell and Trap Zones, but your materials take up the same spot as your Prime Photon. Cursed Dragon gains 700 attack for each card equipped to it. With five cards equipped, that’s a whopping 2800 bonus attack. With 4000 attack, I’ll attack you directly!”
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> "A good move," she sighed, drawing a card. Half her Life Points were gone and clearly Zach had the upper hand at the moment, but she wasn't going to just back down. Studying her hand, she decided to risk it all on one card: the master of her deck, the card that made it tick. "I summon Galaxy-Eyes Cloudragon and tribute it to bring back the Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon in my Graveyard! Galaxy-Eyes, attack, and banish yourself and Odd-Eyes Cursed Dragon! With that, I end my turn."
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> “I draw. You got rid of Cursed Dragon, but you also got rid of your good ol’ Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon.” Zach remarked.
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> “When Pendulum monsters are destroyed, or targeted for fusion, they head back to my Extra Deck, face-up. Which means, I can do this!” he exclaimed as Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon returned to the field.
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> “I’ll attack you directly, which will deal 2500 damage. And if this goes through, you’ll take another 2400 damage due to Phantom Dragon's effect!”
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> "Well then, I guess that's it for me. I can't really counter that, 'cause unfortunately, I didn't draw any traps this whole duel." Casey ran her fingers through her hair. "Good job, Zach. You've definitely gotten better. I overplayed my first hand in an attempt to force you on the defensive from the get-go, and you turned that against me. I'm impressed." Clearly, whatever had gotten Zach shaken up had also motivated him to practice harder. Zach had never countered Prime Photon Dragon that easily before.
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> Deactivating her Duel Disk and returning it to her backpack, she returned her gaze to Zach. "This mysterious HERO user really had you freaked out, I can tell. All I can say is, there's only one person we know who knows HERO cards inside and out, and you know where to find him. Talk to Shane. If you have to duel this guy again, Shane can help you prepare."
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> Zach sighed as he deactivated his Duel Disk, setting it back into his bag. He faced Casey, a grim smile on his face. "I'll talk to Shane. It's just that this...person is someone I knew. I thought they were dead, and next thing I know, he tried to kill me." he said, sitting on the bench. His eyes began to water slightly. "I-I-I...just want them to go back to normal." he mumbled out, wiping away his tears quickly.
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> "Yeah, I'll talk to Shane. I'll need his help." he said, rising to his feet and slinging his backpack on. "Thanks for the duel, it's fun hanging out with you. See you later tonight!" he exclaimed, jogging away towards the place Zach knew Shane would be; the library.
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> ---The library was slow currently, since it wasn't close to an exam cycle. Shane hated it when it was like this, since he preferred keeping busy when he was working. After all, there was no point in idleness, was there? He went through, put the returned books back on their spots on the shelves, made sure everything was in order. Even the librarian was bored, clearly, since she had begun to doze at her desk. With nothing to do and all of the work for the moment completely finished, the blonde sat at one of the desks, pulling his deck from his backpack. He thumbed through it carefully, once again taking a mental inventory of its contents. Hm.
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> Truth be told, he didn't really use his Elemental HERO Great Tornado very often. He took the card out of the deck and placed it in a special container with the rest of his cards, before pulling out Vision HERO Trinity and sliding it into Great Tornado's spot. Satisfied with this modification to his deck, he set it to the side and began to work on his homework. At this moment, the last thing he was expecting was to have company. "Oh, hey, Zach." Shane smiled up at his boyfriend's younger brother, gesturing at the chair across from him. "Have a seat, join me. What's up?"
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> Zach was happy. He always was when he met up with Shane. He obliged and took a seat. "I'm going to get straight to the point. I fought someone Mike and I knew very well. Someone we loved. We thought he was dead, but it turns out he isn't. He completely destroyed me over the break in a duel. A one-turn kill, more than nine thousand damage to my Life Points."
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> "It's rattled me, and...I can't be like that. I need to beat them, and show that person that I can't be pushed around. I need to get better. His HERO deck is way more aggressive than yours, Mike's, or even Casey's. I need your advice, Shane."
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> One-turn kill...? That was a signature of his, something he prided himself on ridiculously highly, though of course, his was by no means the only one-turn kill deck in existence. Mike's deck had one-turn kill capability, as did Casey's. Even Akhratan's could come close. "I...I see."
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> He raised an eyebrow at Zach. "Even more aggressive than those two? Mike and Casey don't play around, that's crazy. Him with his freaking swarm of Archfiends, and her damned Prime Photon Dragon... Wow." Shane cracked his neck, closing his eyes for a second in order to focus.
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> "Well, if it's a HERO deck... Anti-spell counters are a must. HERO decks don't function without spells, or at least, none but mine can. Mine is the only Synchro HERO deck in existence, because these HERO cards I have are extremely, extremely rare. If his deck is reliant on Fusions, either through Polymerization or Mask Change, it can be stopped with anti-spell measures." Yes, anti-spell decks had given him major fits once upon a time. They were frustrating. "Your deck has enough firepower to hit hard while his deck is incapacitated. If his deck is aggressive, take the fire out of it and then bring your own heat. That's the best strategy I think I can offer without having actually seen this deck."
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> Zach nodded. "Makes sense. Man, Klara's deck would be perfect against this one. She has this one card that negates and attaches Spell Cards to it," he murmured, beginning to lean back in his chair. He pulled out his deck, staring at it. "Shane, Mike hasn't told you everything about our family, has he?"
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> Klara...for some reason, the name felt like it should be familiar to him, but it wasn't. Apparently this Klara had a very negation-heavy deck, however, one that he was glad he wouldn't have to duel against any time soon. Negation decks gave him a massive headache, and he hated them with a zealous passion. "Well...no. The subject has always seemed a bit touchy for him, so out of respect I haven't really pushed him to talk about it."
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> Zach gulped. "There's four of us. Our oldest sister, Klara. Then there was the rest of us, Damien, Michael and me. Klara was the first out of us all to take on dueling, and she eventually went Pro. Damien...vanished. Michael and I came here. Speaking of Klara, I'm pretty sure she was invited to come to the Academy for a some exhibition match." he began, shaking his head after deviating from his original train of thought.
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> "Mike's always been a bit touchy about our family, especially after Damien up and vanished."
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> Wow, there was four of them. He didn't know how to take that, honestly, aside from being surprised that Michael would keep members of his family a secret from him. Ordinarily, Shane would be a little hurt by that, but he could understand why Michael would act that way. "An exhibition match, huh? Do you know who it's against, per chance?" Shane couldn't miss a match that involved a pro duelist. After all, how could he pass up the opportunity to see how he might stack up in comparison to a pro?
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> "Yeah, I don't blame him," he admitted after a moment. Truth be told, he couldn't imagine what Michael must have been feeling, since after all, he didn't have a family of his own. Well...sort of. Ever since they'd gotten together, Michael's family had begun to feel like Shane's own, especially Zach. If Shane had been lucky enough to have a biological little brother, he'd have wanted him to be just like Zach, truthfully.
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> Zach shrugged. "From what I hear, the Obelisk Blue dorm has to elect someone from their dorm to duel Klara." he replied, placing his deck back into his bag. He pulled out his phone, and began typing rapidly, before Shane's phone buzzed. "I just sent you the announcement the Academy will make in a day or two. Now your dorm can get a head-start on who gets to duel Klara."
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> He pocketed his phone, looking back up at Shane. "Just tell whoever duels her to be extremely careful. Mike's never beat her, probably still couldn't if I'm being honest. Klara is a scary force of nature, her decks able to get out more monsters than Mike's; and at a faster rate too. She combines the best of my deck and Mike's, and then some more." he ranted. "Just tell that person to be careful."
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> Hm...so it was up to the dorm, eh? There were plenty of talented Obelisk students, so who even knew who would be chosen as tribute? In a way, it was kind of thrilling. No matter who they picked, Shane would be there to lend moral support. "Thanks, Zach. Truth be told, I have a hunch it'll be one of a few people. Probably yours truly, or Michael, or Akhratan." At least, that was what he figured. They were some of Obelisk's best, after all.
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> Oh, damn, that was terrifying. Someone that Michael of all people had never beaten? Part of him was intrigued, though. He wanted to see for himself just how good the oldest Pavus sibling really was. "I appreciate the heads up. Being real, that does sound like quite a challenge to deal with."
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> Zach nodded. "Yeah, yeah, no problem." he responded, checking his phone. "Ohhhh crap! I'm gonna be late!" he exclaimed, beginning to shove his deck back into it's slot. He ran into the library and came charging back with a bunch of books relating to neurology. "Can I check these out?" he asked, a nervous expression on his face.
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> "Late? For what?" Shane wanderd aloud, bemused by Zach's sudden restlessness. He never got an answer as Zach instead darted off deeper into the library, and the blonde shook his head, siging. Yep, the kid was certainly related to Michael, alright. They both had an impetuous streak a mile wide. "Yeah, 'course." Shane logged and stamped the books, then handed them back to Zach. "Catch you later. Behave yourself."
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