"Give them back! Give them back! Give me back my materials!"
"You’re persistent, I’ll give you that! You’re in my way!"
"Hm? What’s going on...?"
Around that same time, Yugo was on his way to the shared shower room when the sound of an escalating argument made him stop in his tracks.
He looked toward the voices and saw a familiar student cursing while kicking another boy who was clinging desperately to his leg. Startled, Yugo rushed in to mediate.
"Whoa, whoa, wait a second! I don’t know what’s happening here, but stop the violence!"
"Hm? Oh, if it isn't... Yugo."
"Wait, I know you. We met during the Skull Incident... Right, Isaac! Thanks for the help back then. You really saved us. But seriously, what’s with all this?"
Yugo expressed his gratitude to the twin-sword user he’d met once before while trying to get a handle on the situation. In response, Isaac pointed a finger at the boy groveling on the ground, his expression one of pure exasperation.
"It’s exactly what it looks like. This guy won’t stop pestering me to 'give his materials back.' There’s nothing to give back; I won those materials in a Duel. He went into that match knowing full well he’d lose them if he was defeated. Isn’t it a bit late to start whining for them back now?"
"...Is that true?"
"I-I mean, yes, but... but—"
"See? He admits it! He’s just a sore loser who can’t let go. Give it up already!"
"Gwah!?"
"H-Hey! Are you okay?! What do you think you’re doing?!"
Isaac had claimed the materials were his fair and square, asserting he’d done nothing wrong. As the other student tried to defend himself, Isaac cut him off with a sharp kick to the ribs.
Shocked by the casual cruelty, Yugo checked on the fallen student while shouting for Isaac to stop. Isaac merely offered a mocking smirk.
"What am I doing? I’m punishing a persistent fool. If someone is pathetic enough to grovel after losing a fair fight, they deserve what they get, don't they?"
"He might be acting like a sore loser, but there’s no need for that. Don’t keep attacking someone who can’t even fight back."
"Hah... You’re far too soft. Loser maggots are meant to be stepped on. If he’s going to crawl around a winner like me, he should expect to get hurt."
"..."
Isaac justified his excessive behavior without a shred of guilt, laughing in Yugo’s face.
Whether he had grown arrogant from his streak of victories or was simply showing his true colors, he was far more audacious than when they had first met. As Yugo watched him, Isaac shifted the conversation.
"Anyway... I heard you got your hands on a Flame Attribute Magic Crystal. Must be nice. I want it... Why don’t you Duel me for it?"
"...What?"
Yugo was taken aback. He wasn’t sure where Isaac had heard about the Flame Attribute Magic Crystal he’d received from Skull, but the boy was now staring at him with a predatory glint in his eyes.
Isaac pressed the matter, refusing to let him speak.
"Come on, why not? I’ve got plenty of materials of my own! Let’s have a match with those and your crystal on the line. If you want, I’ll even bet a mountain of stuff. I’ll put up everything I’ve got! But in exchange... you bet Melt and Ann. If I win, they’re mine!"
"...Do you even hear yourself right now?"
"What’s the big deal? You bet your own fiancee, Claire, in that Duel against Zenon, didn’t you? You could get a massive haul of materials just by putting up two girls. Isn’t that a win for you? Or did you lose your backbone along with that Duel against Zenon?"
Isaac continued his provocation, clearly trying to bait Yugo into the ring.
Yugo glared at the man who was laughing at him with such contempt. After a moment, Yugo shook his head and spoke with a quiet, unwavering resolve.
"Sorry, but I’m not interested. That Magic Crystal was a gift from a pal, and it’s important to me. Melt and Ann are also precious friends. I would never, ever use them as prizes for a gamble."
"Hmph... Fine. Suit yourself. See you around then, Coward Yugo."
Isaac laughed as he mocked Yugo's refusal, turning on his heel and walking away with a jaunty stride.
Exasperated by the boy’s sheer arrogance and dismissive attitude, Yugo turned his attention to the student still sobbing on the floor.
"Hey, you okay? You took a nasty hit there. Let's get you to the infirmary. I'll help you get there."
"Ugh... h-hnnn..."
The boy nodded, tears streaming down his face as he leaned on Yugo’s shoulder.
As they walked toward the infirmary, Yugo asked him a question.
"By the way, you were about to say something back there, weren't you? What was it?"
He remembered the boy trying to speak right before Isaac had kicked him into silence.
The student wiped his eyes and answered in a trembling voice.
"I... I didn't actually want to Duel. But he threatened to attack my girlfriend if I didn't agree... I didn't have any choice but to accept..."
"...What? Are you serious?"
"It's true. Isaac... he forces people who don't want to fight into Duels so he can steal their materials. If you ask around the High School Division, anyone can tell you what he's been doing. Everyone's a victim, but nobody can beat him, so we just have to do whatever he says..."
Yugo’s expression hardened.
He had initially taken Isaac’s explanation at face value, but if the boy was telling the truth, that changed everything. However, Yugo knew better than anyone how easily rumors could be manipulated. He decided to reserve judgment until he had gathered more information.
(I knew something was off, but Isaac is looking dangerous. Actually, at this rate, he might even be worse than I was...)
He wasn’t entirely sure what kind of person the "original" Yugo Clay had been, but forcing someone into a Duel against their will was incredibly malicious. At the very least, he assumed that when he had bet Claire, Zenon had stood on that stage of his own free will. Yugo frowned as he considered that Isaac’s misdeeds might already be surpassing his own.
Hex had mentioned that the students were obsessed with Duels and materials, and it seemed that environment had birthed a monster. Deciding he needed to have another talk with Hex, Yugo escorted the student to the infirmary, deeply troubled by the lawless state of the current Luminous Academy.