"Um, I'd like your attention please!" the MC's voice boomed throughout the stadium. "The next few matches will be delayed due to a damaged stadium. We appreciate your patience as we do a quick fix to patch things up for our next duels. We expect everything to be finished in a few hours. We will keep all competitors informed. Thank you for your patience and understanding!"
"What's the plan now?" Lazar spread his hands, and then crossed them in a huff. "Miss Izinski was the perfect opponent for Clarice, and yet here we are!"
"Patience, Lazar," Goodwin folded his hands together. "You don't break open a child all at once. You exploit the cracks you've made."
Jack frowned at this comment. "Like an egg?" Lazar closed his eyes for a long moment.
"Yes, I suppose it is, Jack," Goodwin said patiently. Goodwin tugged on his glove. He watched footage from the previous matches with an analyzer's eye.
Clarice versus Sir Ransborg.
Yusei versus Hunter.
Luna versus the Professor
Akiza versus Koda,
Yusei versus Griger,
Clarice versus Akiza...
"Pause."
The footage of the end of Clarice's duel with Akiza stopped. Through the smoke the camera had caught four people on the arena. Not two.
"Zoom in." The camera zoomed into the image. Clarice, Akiza, Sayer, and Yusei came into focus. Akiza on her knees, Yusei on his way to Clarice and Sayer... Sayer with his hand on her arm, and the expression on Clarice's face. "Interesting," Goodwin folded his hands together. The tiniest of smirks on his face.
"Director?" Lazar spoke up.
"Lazar, I have a task for you."
"What do you want, clown?" Sayer adjusted his coat. Goodwin's stooge had found him on his way back into the stadium. Normally, Sayer would have packed things up and left after Akiza's loss.
Normally.
Except the Crimson Dragon was here. After years of the untapped power disappearing. Now here she was. "To ask you for a favor," Lazar broke into one of his signature, sneaky smirk.
"Last I checked, Goodwin was under my thumb."
"Of course," Lazar said quickly. "But perhaps we have..." He pulled a photo out of his sleeve. "Similar goals?"
Sayer broke into a smirk of his own. He made sure not a hair on his head was out of place. "Let's get one thing straight. I do what I do for me and my movement. Not for Goodwin. If you happen to get something out of it, that's just a happy coincidence."
Lazar inclined his head. "Naturally."
///
Meanwhile, Clarice was washing off the purple blood off her temple and all over her face. She fixed her hair, putting it back in position. Looking up reflecting all those times she never felt so much emotion running through her mind.
She never thought that she would go overkill in her duel, and now she's going to face Yusei in the duel. Finishing up her last step and head out the restroom.
"Hello there, Clar."
Clarice stopped so suddenly her high-knee boots squeaked on the floor. She'd been headed out of the arena to face Yusei in order to face Jack.
But Sayer was in the way. Leaning casually against the vending machine. Like he had all the time in the world.
"Oh, great. The black-hearted bitch itself." Clarice sounded bored but felt strong enough to watch carefully about this lustful bastard.
YOU ARE READING
Acceleration (Yusei Fudo x Clarice Ng)
FanfictionYusei will do anything to get Stardust Dragon back, but unexpectedly he never thought he meet his childhood friend who she was called the Flame-Wing Duelist after two years later. Clarice wanted to protect Yusei no matter if he faces danger alone. A...
