"That…son of a bitch…!"
Ryuji gritted this out of his teeth as he fell to his knees in a moment of weakness. Frustration that was inside began to vent out as he clenched his fist as hard as he could. He could muster, but it was only of use for a second.
"Goddammit…!" He managed to cry out and stand for the moment before immediately falling back down as if the heaviest weights had been dropped on him. Sweat, like rain, poured down his face as he tried over and over again to get back up. "What's this creepy-ass shit abou- Ugh!"
Pushing himself off the ground, he felt funny. Soon it wasn't about the heavy weight. In fact, there was a lack of it. It was almost as if there was something missing.
"Huh…?"
Slowly looking up, he could not describe the scene before him. As he eyed his hand…he couldn't. Because his body was black and transparent. Ignoring the red, twisted world of Mementos that had crept its way into reality, his sole focus was on his ghostly hand as he only cried out in shock. "Aaaaaaaaaagh! My…my hand!"
Ann was on all fours as she too had sweat dripping down her features. Fear had taken over her face as she craned her head over to the blonde boy slowly as she too was facing her own conflicts. "Ryuji…?" She quietly asked before she suddenly fell over onto the ground. She wondered why she was toppled. She was on her hands and legs. But she soon saw why. As if rotten skin being peeled off and swept off by the wind, small rips of black began to flake away from her legs as such limbs were the same color and transparency as Ryuji's.
Makoto was fortunate, or unfortunate, to be on her knees as she was shocked at the material coming off her hand as she didn't know what to think. She stared. It was the only thing she could do as she tried to think about what was happening. What they could do to stop it. "This can't be real…right?"
"W-What is happening to us…?" Yusuke clutched his visible arm as the other one slowly was becoming nothing more than a shadow. The darkness on their bodies only continued to creep up slowly, causing the suspense and terror that awaited them to be far yet so close at the same time.
"No…no…!" Haru could barely keep her voice straight as both of her arms were being eaten from the hands up. Just like Makoto, she could only stare in horror and shock.
Futaba was to the point of nearly crying as tears were pooling in her eyes. No one could blame her. All of them were perhaps near that state as well. She didn't want to acknowledge how much of her was gone, but it still continued to spread. The infectious state they were in way eating away at their flesh without any remorse. "My body's…disappearing…"
Morgana, in his feline form, was also in the state that all of the Phantom Thieves were in. Weak, useless, unable to do anything again the plague that had been devouring them. "Don't tell me…!" He breathed.
There was then a sudden laugh. A chuckle of amusement; dark, deep, amusement. It gloated as they were all too weak to do anything but watched their lives wither away. They look around the red world around them and saw that there were people everywhere. But they never even acknowledged them as they carried on with their day to day lives.
It was as if the world regarded them as ghosts. Phantasms that could not be seen.
"Indeed..." a cold and familiar voice echoed in the back of their minds. "This isn't my doing. You fools are about to disappear from the cognitions of the masses."
"That damn voice…!" Ryuji spat angrily, recognizing it easily. It was hard to forget what kicked their asses only moments ago.
"Mementos and Reality have become one." the Holy Grail spoke. "Thus, those who have disappeared from cognition cannot exist anywhere."
"Disappear my ass…What the hell…!" Ryuji just managed to break out before suddenly feeling pain shoot up in his body.
"AAAAAAA-"
Silence came as the black flakes completely ripped out of the vulgar blonde. In seconds, there was not a trace of him left.
Ann gasped. She was the one who technically knew Ryuji the longest since they went to the same middle school together. They were merely acquainted however. But they were the oldest Phantom Thieves, therefore being some of the ones who were together the most. Something grew between them because of their time, and it caused Ann to be brought up to tears. "Ryuji!" She cried out before she took was turned into the black flakes.
Yusuke didn't know how to react. His body was curled up yet still was straight up. But his words were truly the one's on everybody's mind. "Is this really it…? Augh!" With a final cry, his existence disappeared with the rot taking over.
"No!" Futaba wept, hoping it was all a bad dream. She didn't want to see it. She didn't want to see any of it. Her eyes were closed, hands clutching her head. Her wish of it all being false were high. She hoped so much that she would just suddenly wake up in her bed, tell everybody what the dream was while all of them were eating at LeBlanc, hoping that all of them wold do something to get such a disturbing tale out of their heads together. "No-" But with a final cry, such a nightmare was her reality.
Makoto was weak, losing strength. She stared over at the cat of the group. "Morgana…where did we…go wro-" She couldn't even finish her sentence. Despite the brunette being one of the stronger members in terms of morale, it was shocking to see the girl broken down this much. Soon, she was devoured by the inky-black parasite.
Haru couldn't form words properly. She was the last Phantom Thief to join (not including Akechi), so she didn't get to know everyone that well. But she spent enough time with them to be able to enjoy their company and be friends with each of them. They had let her into their secret group so easily. Just as easily as they were being taken away from her right now. "Ah…Aah…" She cried as her vision began to be taken over by the darkness.
Morgana was the one who practically stared at Haru as he fell back down to the ground in complete defeat. He then began to wonder. It flooded his mind like the crashing waves of the ocean coming onto a beach. "Is this all my fault…?" It took over his eyes, the emotion of pure guilt. "Because I…brought you all there…?"
"No…!" Akira just managed to get out, the effects of the fungus devouring him. He just managed to crawl a single inch, but that was all he could manage. "It's not your fault…"
Still, what Morgana thought haunted the cat's head. "I didn't mean to…! I-I'm…" But he couldn't even finish. He slowly looked over to Akira, tears filling up in the feline's eyes. They were technically the first Phantom Thieves together when they first yet. They were together for the longest time as well as the human would bring the cat almost everywhere. "I'm sorry… The mission's…a failure…"
Closing his eyes with final breath, Morgana disintegrated into nothing.
With strength finally being lost, Akira fell on his back and could only watch the red rain drip down onto the people who were unaware of what was happening to them. Reaching up to the blood-colored clouds, he breathed. This couldn't be the end. Not like this.
This couldn't be it. They had gone through so much together.
Kamoshida. Madarame. Kaneshiro. Okumura. Akechi. Shido.
No...! his mind cried in defiance. His hand was shaking, a futile attempt at resistance. I won't...let it end like this...!
But it was an empty promise, the back of his mind knew. He was powerless, just like back then. His hand trembled and faltered, slowly falling as the black flakes grew in number. He would disappear like his friends. Gone from the minds and thoughts of everyone.
No one was going to remember him. Not Kawakami. Not Shinya. Not Iwai. Not Takemi. Not Yoshida. Not Sojiro. Not Hifumi. Not Oya. Not Chifumi. Not Yuuki. Not even Sojiro.
For the first time...Akira felt scared.
I-is this...where I die...?
He closed his eyes. He was about to resign himself to this unfair fate of his when suddenly a light wrapped around him. A warmth enveloped his cold being. A gentle hand slid around his, fingers coiling around his wrist. His eyes were heavy, so he couldn't see who it was that was grabbing him.
"Not yet." the voice of whoever owned that hand called, baritone and gentle. "Your journey isn't over yet, Trickster. Not by a long shot."
But how? Akira wanted to ask. His voice was so weak. His whole body was weak. Any second now, he was going to disappear from the minds of everyone. What can I do?
"Regain what you've lost. Your bonds hold you close. Remember them."
How can I...?
"By saving a tormented soul. I will offer you a second chance, Wild Card." Wild Card. Not Trickster. What a strange title. "Accept, and the trial ahead will be long and arduous. Succeed and you will have your salvation. Fail...and know that only destruction and death shall await you."
Akira didn't know if he even had a choice in the matter. Instead, he just let himself fall into the embrace.
Then, at the moment he faded away from existence...
The world ceased to move.
Opening Theme: "Feel That Jazz" (unofficial title)
[Chorus] The drums start to beat together with the chorus. As it does, distorted images of the Phantom Thieves play on the screen of a duel disk before it suddenly cuts off, showing Akira's reflection and wearing his mask before the camera reveals him in his Metaverse attire. With a swing of his arm, the title card comes into play and the world becomes a distorted version of Maiami City.
[Its showtime! Lets get going!] Akira is found atop a skyscraper, leaning against the railing with his back to the sky before he pushes himself off, tugging at his gloves. He shows a toothy grin.
[Its about taking a chance, or even two! There's no guideline for doing it your way!] Yuya is shown walking through the streets of Maiami before the world twists around him. In his shadow is another Yuya, only smiling sinisterly at him with glowing red eyes and darkness flowing around him. Gritting his teeth, Yuya brandishes his Duel Disk and faces his doppelganger.
[Lets just focus now on what lies ahead!] Yuzu is in You Show Duel School, staring at her bracelet. Her mind races to a warehouse where a young man wearing a dark cloak and mask appears. Behind him is a ferocious dragon with purple orbs dancing around it, bearing its fangs at an unseen opponent.
[Try to get ride of the fear taking over!] Reiji is shown in a dark room, eyes glaring at the camera before it swivels around, showing a new view: a school with people in red, yellow and blue uniforms with a man standing before them, face overshadowed.
[Break it up! Turn the speed on this ride! You've been waiting for us 'till now!] A young man in a trench coat is seen standing over fallen LDS students. Hovering above him is a monster resembling a mechanical bird, glaring down on them. Suddenly, the camera changes to a view of a city engulfed in fire, people scrambling as the uniformed students chase after them with sinister grins.
[Here we are, and things are gonna get freaking hot tonight!] Cards dance across the screen before showing the faces of Akira, Yuya, Yuzu and the man in the trench coat. The cards then scatter to show Akira performing a Persona Call, flames around him forming into his Metaverse attire while Arsene stands above him, a flaming grin on its face before throwing a chain at the camera.
[So can you feel that jazz, of a beautiful ballad? How about tango? Or maybe some rock n roll?] Yuya leaps into an Action Field, riding atop Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon with his Entermate monsters trailing behind him. Odd-Eyes jumps off, leaving Yuzu to show up and surrounded by her Mozart monsters. She grins and points at the camera, leading one to charge at the screen. Sawatari shows up as the monster passes him by before his Frozen Monarch appears in a blizzard behind him, swinging its sword down and creating a trail of ice. It goes on until shattered by Hokuto, Masumi and Kiba's own monsters.
[To break it up to you, against what you signed up for! Keep old school jazzy if you only play pretty tunes!] Gongenzaka slams into the ground, raising his head before Heavy Samurai Susano-O appears behind him, slamming its naginata into the ground and releasing a puff of steam. Sora emerges from the steam, accompanied by his Frightfur and Fluffal monsters. Reiji suddenly appears from within purple flames that engulf the screen. Above him are his DDD Hell Armageddons.
[You know you want to be at the show! It's gonna change the world, let's go!] Akira walks into an empty street crossing. For a moment, the screen glitches and shows him and the Phantom Thieves. He smiles before he looks up. The distortion vanishes and shows him together with Yuya, Yuzu, Gongenzaka, Reiji, Sawatari, the masked teen and the young man in the trench coat together in the crossing. Arsene emerges behind him and launches at the screen, causing it to crack and turn to static, ending the song.
A Persona x Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V Crossover:
"Of Supreme Kings and Tricksters"
Chapter 1: Trickster of the Pendulum
"Nrgh..."
Akira woke up with the worst migraine known to man. Harsh sunlight struck his eyes, forcing him to cover his face. As he did, however, his mind which had been lagging on account of this horrible headache suddenly kickstarted.
"W-what?!"
He found himself sitting up, staring at his body. Flesh and blood. Solid as could be. Flesh soft and tender and hands rough from the battles in the Metaverse. He did a double-take, looking himself over yet the sight remained the same. He even had to pinch himself just to make sure this wasn't a dream.
The pain that ran up his arm proved it as such.
Akira stared at his hands, which began to shake. Everything up until now was fresh in his mind. The Holy Grail. Being forced out of Mementos. Watching Tokyo turn into Hell on Earth. Being erased from the minds of the masses. He remembered it all. He remembered watching his friends disappear, one by one, fading away from the minds of everyone.
It was enough to make him break. He sat there, clutching his face as tears began to openly fall down his cheeks, dripping off the chin and landing on his pants. Quietly, he sobbed.
For the second time in his life, Akira Kurusu felt alone again.
TakeYourTime
After Akira had managed to calm himself down after crying his eyes out to the point where they itched like crazy, he started to take in his surroundings. He was obviously not in Tokyo anymore, or Shibuya for that matter. Hell, from what he saw, he wasn't sure where he was. The buildings that stood tall and proud around him were unfamiliar and foreign. At first, he wasn't entirely sure where he was. He believed he had ended up somewhere completely different.
That thought ended when he managed to find a local library and look up information.
He was in Maiami City, a man-made Island and home of the Leo Corporation.
Akira remembered the words of the voice. The one responsible for bringing him here, no doubt. Save a tormented soul and remember my bonds. he thought back. But what does that even mean? And where even am I?
Wherever Akira was, it sure as hell wasn't Tokyo. Or even Japan, for that matter. He walked out of the library with a grimace, running a hand through his frizzy hair before he looked at his reflection. Only now did he take the moment to look at his clothes. He was no longer wearing his black jacket and v-neck with his jeans. Instead, he was wearing his Shujin Academy uniform. However, there were a few significant changes.
For starters, the blazer was left unbuttoned with the sleeves rolled up to the forearms. Instead of the white turtleneck, he wore a black shirt that read "DANCE!" printed on the front, painted over the number zero. His hands were covered by red gloves, not too different from the ones he wore when traversing the Metaverse. His pants remained the same, though his footwear was replaced with red sneakers, stylized by white accents and soles with the number zero printed on the outer side of the shoe. For some reason, a piece of red fabric hanged out of his pocket, seemingly creating a flare to his already hip yet strange fashion. His glasses were gone, but in their place were black and red headphones around his neck.
"Tossed into someplace I know nothing about is one thing...but did they really have to change my clothes too?"
Oh well. At least it wasn't as humiliating as his striped prison attire. He idly wondered back to the moment in the Velvet Room where Igor had expressed immense disappointment with how the populace denied the Phantom Thieves' existence entirely. His behavior was quite strange, but then again, this was Igor he was talking about. He was also concerned about Caroline and Justine.
Never would have thought I'd miss my wardens. Akira mused with a small grin as he walked away, hands in his pocket. What's next? I start to miss my cell?
TakeYourTime
By now, Akira wondered if he was in some kind of new world. The more he asked around for information while also looking up things of particular interest, the more he was starting to think himself insane.
First off, there was the fact that he was in an entirely new city with mixed ethnicities. Occasionally, he'd find both Japanese and foreign citizens, mingled together and blended in naturally. Secondly, he had never heard of Maiami City before. Miami, the city in America maybe, but never Maiami. Third, the existence of Leo Corporation. From what he's looked into, it was more or less the Kirijo corp. of this strange place.
The most convincing piece of evidence was the game Duel Monsters. A popular card game that, coupled with something called Solid Vision, became a reality.
Akira knew for a fact that Duel Monsters did not exist in his world.
I really am in a new world, aren't I? Akira thought morbidly in sadness. He had stopped near a small stand, grabbing a bite to eat. Thankfully, they accepted yen and he was able to buy himself a scone. Worse, none of you guys are here. Why did that voice bring only me here? Why not...
Akira trailed off, eyes widening in realization. His mind was in panic as he tried to rememer. No matter how hard he tried, he came up blank. His heart rate spiked and began to drum against his chest.
"I don't remember." he gasped in horror, dropping the scone. His hand was left shaking, palming his forehead. "Why can't I remember?!"
There were eight members of the Phantom Thieves. There was him, a cat, a blonde delinquent, a blonde model, an artist, a student council president, a corporate heiress and a hacker. There used to be a ninth member, a detective. In his career, he made allies in the form of a gun store owner, a fortune teller, a back-alley doctor, a shogi expert, a gaming kid, a politician, a reporter, a classmate and his caretaker.
So...why?
Why don't I remember their names?!
It was like their faces had been scratched out. He remembered how they dressed and how they acted, but their faces were blurry. Even those he genuinely cherished and cared for were scratched out of the proverbial photograph in his head.
In anger and grief, Akira kicked the railing. "Damn!" His shout, coupled with this act, caused him to scare off a few people passing by. "Damn! Damn it!" He stomped against the metal railing, again and again in rage.
After a minute, he stopped and pulled his foot away. His breath was left in pants, leaning against the wall while he cradled his face, biting his lip in anger. Was this what that voice meant when he said to remember his bonds? By remembering the people he held so close to him?
Was this also because of the Holy Grail erasing him and the Phantom Thieves from the cognition of the masses? Or...was it because the people he cared about also chose to forget about him?
No. No they wouldn't. Akira refused to believe that. Each and every person he made a bond with was memorable. They were confidants in each other. They knew things that only they would know. Each had trusted each other without fail. They wouldn't forget about me. And there's no way in Hell that he...the barista...my caretaker...he would ever forget about her.
The thought of his caretaker had helped him greatly. He found himself calming down and pinching the bridge of his nose. He needed to think about this carefully. He needed to think back to what that voice told him and consider his situation.
A city he knew didn't exist. A corporation that he knew nothing of. A card game that he knew didn't exist back home. All were clear signs that he was no longer in his world. It definitely wasn't the Metaverse. It didn't feel like a Palace or Mementos.
The voice's message to him before bringing him here. A tormented soul. Remembering his bonds. A second chance. Trials.
Was this...some kind of test? To see if he could still change everything?
If someone's given me a chance to make everything right again... Akira thought as he removed himself from the wall, heart steeled. Then I better not waste it. First things first, if I'm gonna know what I'm supposed to do, I better get familiar with the city.
He remembered how the cat, one of the more experienced of the group, drilled into his head one of the most basic principles of being a Phantom Thief. To explore the surroundings and memorize them.
He just hoped it wasn't a mistake.
TakeYourTime
About after an hour of exploring Maiami City did Akira think to check his equipment. Much to his dismay, his only real items were his cell phone and what was apparently called a "Duel Disk." It was a box that could attach to his wrist at any time, equipped with a LDS screen and straps that would wrap around his forearm when he participated in a duel. Additionally, he had a pouch that contained his Deck.
Personally, he found it confusing. Why was he armed with a deck meant for Duel Monsters? Did it have something to do with his mission here? Regardless, he looked at the cards he was armed with. To his mild surprise, most of his cards were labelled "Joker."
How fitting.
Still, what are these blank cards?
Curiously, a number of cards in his deck were different. Compared to the many cards that had orange, purple or blue borders, he found a number of which that had no border or picture or description. They were completely blank. Did they have some form of significance? Were they like those items he found on occasion where he could infuse them with the power of a Persona? It certainly had merit so he decided to keep them.
He idly wondered if he still possessed his Persona abilities. Then again, it was impossible to tell without the use of the Metaverse. Would he even still have the navigation app on his phone?
Akira turned around the corner, looking through the cards in his hand. From what he was reading on the descriptions of his cards, there were three kinds of cards: the monster cards that you could summon, spell cards that could provide a boon and trap cards that could make it difficult for the opponent. Of course, these were just his guesses. The only way he'd understand it all would be if he looked up the rules of the game.
"Augh!"
In the midst of reading, Akira accidentally bumped into someone. The impact caused the recipient to fall to the floor on his bum and the grocery bag in his hand drop to the concrete curb. The teen lost a grip on his cards, causing them to drop to the ground. Looking down, he found a kid around his age, maybe a bit younger, on the ground. His hair was a mix of red and green while bearing ruby red eyes and goggles sitting atop his head. He wore a red shirt with a white jacket over his shoulders and green jeans with oversized sneakers. At his wrist was a Duel Disk, identifying him as a Duelist.
"You okay, Yuya-niichan?"
At the boy's side was a kid, maybe in elementary school. He had blue hair that was neatly done, wearing a simple white shirt with a gray vest and black shorts. He helped steady the boy as he groaned, rubbing his head.
"I'm fine, Tatsuya." the boy told him. "Anybody got the number of the truck that hit me?"
Akira rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry 'bout that." he apologized. "I wasn't paying attention."
"It-it's fine." the boy told him before his eyes settled on the pile of cards on the sidewalk. His eyes went wide with panic, scrambling up on his feet and gathering them haphazardly. "Oh my god I am so sorry! I didn't mean for you to drop your Deck! Craaap!" Akira laughed good-heartedly as he knelt down, gathering the cards as well. Soon, the boy returned the cards he gathered to him. "Again, really sorry!" the boy said, apologizing profusely with an ashamed look. "Damn it, I really should look where I go!"
"It's okay." Akira told him. "To be honest, I'm still trying to understand Duel Monsters."
"Oh! Are you new to the game?"
"Sort of. I just got my Deck yesterday."
"Um, Yuya-niichan?" the kid, Tatsuya, pulled on the boy's sleeve. Turning, he found Tatsuya pointing to the street. Looking to where he was pointing, his jaw went slack when he found what appeared to be a plastic tub discarded out on the street with white liquid pouring out.
"Oh no..." the boy, Yuya, paled. "Yuzu is going to murder me."
The phantom thief's eyebrow was hidden by the fringe of his hair. Yuzu must have been a friend of his. Why would she be upset over the loss of ice cream? Then again, she could be like...agh, dammit. I hate not being able to remember them. It was infuriating not being able to recall their names and faces. But his main point was that the hacker girl loved the barista's curry. Maybe this Yuzu person liked ice cream? Still, he felt bad. This happened because he was careless.
"How much?"
Yuya blinked. "Huh?"
"How much was the ice cream?"
TakeYourTime
"Thanks, you're really saving me!"
After having been informed behind the significance of the ice cream, Akira had offered to buy him a replacement. Thankfully, they weren't that far away from the store so it was a relatively short trip. As it turned out, Yuya had more or less been forced to buy the Yuzu girl ice cream in order to appease her wrath, which he incurred earlier. It was the idea of Tatsuya to buy it, since it was her favorite food. Akira smiled a bit, happy to help them. While he had no idea what he was supposed to be doing, he wasn't exactly going to let him suffer the wrath of a woman. Lord knows he's had enough of that from Caroline and Justine.
It's strange how I can't remember everyone else's names, but I remember theirs perfectly. Akira thought. Same with Igor. Is it because they're not normal? Well, weirder than the cat, anyway?
Again, infuriating that he couldn't remember their names. He really needed to find a way to address them in a way that wouldn't infuriate him so much.
"Oh, I'm Yuya. Yuya Sakaki." the boy introduced himself, smiling and holding out a hand. "Nice to meet you, Akira!"
Akira kindly accepted the gesture, taking in his hand into his own. "Nice to meet you."
"And I'm Tatsuya!" the kid next to Yuya greeted with a warm smile of his own. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kurusu-san!"
"It's nice to meet you as well, Tatsuya-kun."
"So, Akira." Yuya said. "What brings you to Maiami City? Well, other than the Grand Prix Tournament, I mean."
Grand Prix Tournament? Oh, right. It's apparently a dueling tournament for the Duelists in Maiami City. He found out about it when he was looking up information at the library. At the time, he thought the term "Duelist" was referring to either marksmen or fencers. Now he knew better. Much to the two boys' disappointment, Akira shook his head.
"Nothing like that. I'm just here for...reasons."
"Reasons?" the parroted. "Like what?"
"That is for you to find out, and for me to know." he teased, making them pout. "So, what's this Yuzu like? She must be pretty scary if she would get pissed about losing ice cream."
Yuya could only laugh nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "W-well, the only time she's scary is when she's really angry." he told the frizzy-haired teen. "Half the time it's usually me or her dad earning a beatdown." He gave a small frown as he tilted his head. "Y'know, I still have no idea where in the hell she pulls out that paper fan of hers."
Paper fan? Ah. She must have been like his friends. Absent-minded, he rubbed his cheek, remembering the stinging feeling whenever one of his teammates slapped him with a paper fan to snap them out of a status alignment. He vividly remembered the time when they fought Okumura's Shadow. The painful hunger in his stomach was horrible until someone slapped him out of it. If he remembered right, it was Fox.
Wait. His eyes widened in realization. I can't remember them by their names or faces...but I remember their codenames!
The blonde was Skull. The model was Panther. The cat was Mona. The artist was Fox. The student council president was Queen. The hacker was Oracle. The heiress was Noir.
He didn't show it, not wanting to confuse or creep out the two next to him, but Akira was filled with joy. A bounce was in his steps as they crossed the street, proceeding to turn to the right. In view was their destination: a small school with what appeared to be a playground up on the rooftop. While the names and faces eluded him, he could clearly remember everything else. He was already thinking of ways to keep these people fresh in his mind. The idea of forgetting them even more terrified him. Before he realized it, he was creating nicknames for every confidant he ever had.
The classmate? Fanboy.
The alley doctor? Plague.
The shop owner? Gecko.
The girl in the church? Shogi.
The politician? Tora.
The fortune teller? Maiden.
His caretaker? Barista.
The kid? King.
The nicknames all referred to their past and other little bits he remembered. The politician was in disgrace and was branded with the name "No-Good Tora." The alley doctor was called by the medical community "The Plague." The shop owner had a gecko tattoo on his neck. The kid was referred to by everyone in the Arcade as "King." The fortune teller was named a maiden by other members within her little community. And his caretaker? Enough said. The classmate, he vividly remember, was just as his nickname described. A hardcore fanboy.
Of course, thinking back to these memories made him feel all the more lonely.
"And here we are." Yuya announced. The teen blinked, only now realizing they had arrived at their destination. It was...much smaller than it looked. Yuya turned to Akira and smiled, scratching the back of his head. "And again, thanks a lot, Akira. Hopefully Yuzu's calmed down. Still, I really gotta thank you."
Akira shook his head. "You don't have to."
"But you helped me out. I figure I might as well pay you back somehow."
Well, it was a nice gesture so he appreciated it. Perhaps he could show him around the city? He had yet to explore it completely and had yet to memorize the place. Besides, as his friends were quick to show him in their outings, there were still things in a city that he didn't know about. Case in point, Shinjuku until he had to go find information on Kaneshiro.
Before he could make the suggestion, Tatsuya gave his own. "Why not show him how to Duel?" The two stared at the kid. "Akira said that he was still new to Duel Monsters, right? Why not show him how to play?"
"Er, I'm not so sure..." Yuya looked uncomfortable with the idea. "I'm not exactly the best teacher for that. I think Yuzu would be better for that."
"I think you should go for it."
The boy yelped, whirling around. Akira peered over his shoulder to find a girl Yuya's age standing behind him. She had dark pink hair done in pig-tails with a few strands of her hair being a much lighter shade. She had large, bright blue eyes. Her attire was a simple sleeveless shirt – white in the center with pale blue next to it. Completing the look was a red skirt with knee-high black socks and pink loafers.
"Y-Yuzu? What're you doing here?!"
"Where else would I be?" Yuzu asked, hands at her hips. Her demeanor reminded him of Panther and Queen slightly. "I was helping dad fill out the rest of Sora's paperwork." She then looked over at Akira and bowed her head, putting on a smile. "Sorry if Yuya caused you any trouble."
"Oi!" the boy shouted...only to be ignored.
"My name is Yuzu Hiragi. It's nice to meet you."
Akira bowed his head back to her. "Akira Kurusu. Nice to meet you."
"So, you're new to Dueling?"
"Pretty much. I got my Deck today, but I don't know any of the rules."
"I see." Yuzu nodded before turning to Yuya. "I think you should teach him, Yuya."
"Huh?!" Yuya gawked, pointing a finger at himself. "Why me?! Shouldn't you be the one to teach him?"
"Well, you are the one who wants to pay him back for something." Yuzu pointed out to him, causing him to stop and think. After a moment, his face fell. She grinned. "And there you have it." Yuzu then turned back to Akira. "I'll have the field set up. The room's just at the end of the hall towards the left side."
Akira thanked her as they entered. Well, this should be an interesting experience.
TakeYourTime
Interesting did not even begin to cover it. The Action Field was covering the entire room, which was about twice the size of a classroom in Shujin. What had been a plain room with a sleak black metallic floor had changed into a beautiful scenery resembling a circus. Trapeze wires, hoops, bouncehouses, trampolines and spotlights danced together in a mayhem as they surrounded the two people inside the room.
Akira stared at his Duel Disk, which was strapped unto his wrist. His Deck was already loaded into the box and was being registered into the system. After Yuya had given him a brief, yet detailed explanation as best he could about Dueling, he better understood the significance behind each card and their effects.
"Did you get everything?"
"Yeah." Akira replied. "For the most part. So both participants duel until only one of us has either no more cards to play, or our life points hit zero?"
"That's the gist of it, yeah." Yuya nodded. A small smile then crossed his face. "If I'm being honest, it's kind of exciting. I'm eager to see what you can do, Akira!"
[Alright, boys.] Yuzu called from the booth outside the room, looking over a series of consoles and machines that helped run the Solid Vision system. [If you guys are ready.]
Yuya nodded before a metaphorical lightbulb lit up above his head. His face brightened as he turned back to Akira. "Say, Akira! I have an idea!"
"What is it?"
"Well, Action Duels have this little chant. It's pretty much standard for both duelists to recite it." Already seeing where this was going, Akira nodded. "Okay, then! Repeat after me!"
(With Tatsuya and others)
"So Teacher is dueling a newbie, huh?" a boy with aqua blue hair and green eyes asked, watching the duel from the observation deck. He was wearing a simple black shirt with cargo shorts and a blue jacket. In his mouth was a lolipop. "This should be interesting."
"It's kind of weird, though." Tatsuya remarked as he tilted his head. "Even if he is a rookie, shouldn't he know what an Action Duel is?"
One of the other children, a small girl with red hair wearing a yellow shirt with red-and-white stripes sleeves, giggled. "Maybe he's never heard of an Action Duel until now?"
"That could be possible." a large teenager, standing taller than the others while wearing a white uniform and a red headband around his forehead, said as he folded his arms. "There are some parts of the world that haven't taken to using the ARC System yet. Perhaps Kurusu is from that part of the world?"
"Whatever the case!" a man with orange and brown hair said fervently, wearing a red and orange tracksuit with a whistle hanging over his neck. His eyes were set aflame, and his veins were bulging. "This duel will be hot blooded!"
Another child, this one slightly pudgy with a wide grin, suddenly wrapped his arms around his body and shook with excitement. "I'm already getting the shivers~!"
(With Akira and Yuya)
"You got it memorized?" Yuya asked Akira. The frizzy-haired teen nodded. "Alright, here we go-!"
Duelists locked in battle, kicking the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters!
They storm through this field!
Behold, this is the newest and greatest evolution in dueling!
Action...!
Everyone outside the room watched with excitement and anticipation. Yuya's grin threatened to split his face, the pendant around his neck swaying and letting out a soft, shimmering glow. Akira's eyes narrowed, a gleam passing through them as tension filled his body. Together, the two boys spoke as one:
"DUEL!"
Akira Kurusu Vs. Yuya Sakaki
Turn 1: Akira / Hand: 5
"I'll lead." Akira said, hand at his deck. "Draw!"
With a pull, a card was taken from the top. As he was still a rookie, he had no idea what to expect from this game. From what he had seen on the TV sets and screen, the monsters on the cards came to life thanks to the holographic Solid Vision system. When he would summon a monster, it would stand before him, tall and imposing. The idea of one of his monsters appearing actually brought him a sense of excitement. With ferver, he took one of the cards from his hand, eyeing it.
I can only summon monsters that are Level 4 or lower right now, but with this... he thought, a small smile forming on his face. First, let's test the waters.
"I set one monster from my hand to the field!"
As soon as the card hit the hardlight board that appeared from his Duel Disk, a glowing light danced before him. Forming from this light was a large card, face down. Appearing over that was a black ball shrouded in mystery. Unknown to anyone but Akira, however, within that shroud was a clown, dressed in rather fancy yet outlandish clothes colored black. Its shoulders were unusually large compared to its lanky hands and elongated fingers that were sharp like daggers. Its face was hidden behind a white mask, the upper portion of which strangely resembled his own.
"I end my Turn here."
Turn 2: Yuya / Hand: 5
The boy raised an eyebrow, but then shrugged it off. Obviously, Akira had something planned. "My turn! Draw!" Pulling the top card from his Deck, he looked at his hand and smiled widely. From the observation deck, the children knew what was coming next and clamored in anticipation, bouncing up and down excitedly. "Your in luck, Akira! I get to show you something special!" The frizzy-haired teen tilted his head in wonder. "Now, feast your eyes on this!"
He took two cards and showed them off, revealing them to be monster cards. However, they were strange. One half was the typical orange border, but the other half was colored blue like a spell card.
"I set the Scales of the Pendulum, using the Scale 1 Stargazer Magician and the Scale 8 Timegazer Magician!" Yuya announced, placing the cards on the ends of his board. As soon as he did, it lit up with the rainbow colored word "PENDULUM." Suddenly, the world began to shimmer with ephemeral light. On either side was a pillar of light, and in each were the monsters he showed. To the left was a robed blonde, blue eyes staring out impassively while carrying a spear with a circular guard. To the left was the opposite: a shabby-looking mage with black robes and red hair poking out from beneath its cap and a lazy eye staring out with a similar expression. Extending around his wrist was a golden cog wheel that extended around his body. "With this, I can summon any monster between Levels 2 and 7 simultaneously!"
Akira's jaw went slack. Wait, what?! Is that legal?!
"Swing, Pendulum of my Soul! Draw an Arc of Light, across the aether!" Spreading his arms out wide, Yuya looked up as a giant version of his pendant swung back and forth in a circular motion, creating a portal of light. "Pendulum Summoning! Come forth, my Monsters!"
At his beck and call, two lights rained down from the portal. One light formed into a wolf with sharp fangs, a star printed on its cheek while a fluffy blue collar was around its neck. At its side was a bright blue elephant wearing a tophat. Like the wolf, it had a star printed on its cheek, but attached to the end of its trunk was a hammer.
The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Akira felt a shiver run down his spine, the feeling this bizarre summoning gave him seemed familiar and at the same time worrying.
It felt like a Persona summoning, but not quite. he thought, staring at the monsters wearily. Pendulum Summoning...Yuya mentioned it earlier along with Fusion, Synchro and Xyz. A special summoning method that requires certain cards and conditions.
"Introducing Entermate Silver Claw and Entermate Hammer Mamo!" Yuya announced with a grin as if he were the maestro of a circus. "The show has now begun!"
[Entermate Silver Claw / DARK / Level 4 / Beast / Pendulum / Effect / ATK 1800 / DEF 700]
[Entermate Hammer Mamo / EARTH / Level 6 / Beast / Effect / ATK 2600 / DEF 1800]
Akira smiled thinly. "Two monsters at once?" he said with a joking tone of worry. "Talk about being serious right off the bat."
"You ain't seen nothing yet~" Yuya grinned. "Battle! I attack your face-down monster with Silver Claw! To top it, I activate its Effect: when I declare an attack, all Entermate monsters get a bonus 300 ATK points!" At this, the wolf released a howl that created a ripple of blue energy, covering both it and Hammer Mamo.
Entermate Silver Claw: 1800 + 300 = 2100 ATK
Entermate Hammer Mamo: 2600 + 300 = 2900 ATK
Akira tensed as the wolf charged forward, bouncing atop the drums before leaping high into the air, claws extended. It then landed right on the card, slashing straight through the shroud. The cloak was destroyed, thus revealing the monster just in time to let Akira see it shatter.
[Joker Jester / DARK / Level 2 / Spellcaster / Effect / ATK 200 / DEF 800]
"I activate Joker Jester's Flip Effect." Akira announced before Yuya could declare a direct attack. "I can special summon 1 Level 4 or lower Joker from my hand. I special summon Joker Thief!"
A new card replaced the old one. Compared to the clown, this one was relatively more normal. It was a faceless figure wearing a black tuxedo with a red cape, complete with a cane and tophat. Like Joker Jester, a white mask covered its face while it tugged at its red gloves.
[Joker Thief / DARK / Level 1 / Spellcaster / Effect / ATK 600 / DEF 300]
"Then I continue on with my attack!" Yuya stated as Hammer Mamo let out a whine before bouncing atop a trapeze, sending it high into the air with its hammer at the ready. "Hammer Mamo, take out Joker Thief!"
"Not happening." Akira cut in, causing Yuya to falter. "I activate Joker Thief's Effect: once per turn, if its targeted by an attack, I can negate it and switch Joker Thief into a face-down defense position."
Joker Thief brought up its cane, interceding the hammer and knocking it away. It then proceeded to wag its finger at the elephant before it spun around, cape wrapping around its before before becoming the same shroud that cloaked Joker Jester's form as a card materialized beneath it. Yuya clicked his tongue before he noticed something hanging from a tightrope. Grinning, he ran off to the side, catching Akira's attention before he bounced up on a drum, sending him flying. "Yoink~!" he cheered as he snatched the item of his interest before grabbing the tightrope, swinging him up to it before hopping over to a nearby platform.
Akira, unabashed and impressed, applauded the boy for his acrobatic skills. He'd make an excellent phantom thief. Still, what did he grab just now?
Wait, didn't he say that Action Duels differ from normal Duels because of-
"I activate the Action Magic: Wonder Chance! This lets me give a monster that already declared an attack another shot!" Yuya called, causing Akira to curse. He looked around and saw a card sitting inside a hoop. Acting quickly, he made his way towards it. With a jump, he bounced atop one of the trampolines, sending him flying and up through the air. "I use its Effect to give Entermate Hammer Mamo another attack! Now, Hammer Mamo! Destroy his face-down Joker Thief!" The phantom thief grabbed a hold of the trapeze flying overhead. Swinging himself over, he landed atop a platform and then jumped through the hoop, snatching the card. Remembering Mona's advice, he tucked in his legs and arms and braced himself for the fall. He landed on the floor effortlessly, standing back up and looking at the card he snatched.
His face scrunched up when he heard Hammer Mamo charging in to destroy Joker Thief. He did nothing to stop it, either. With a swing of its trunk, the hammer came down and destroyed his monster.
"And with that, I set 1 card face down and end my turn." Yuya said, finishing his offensive maneuver. Like Akira's own moves, a card was set face-down next to him, but it lacked the shroud that hid the monster from view. "Not bad, Akira. You sure this isn't your first time in an Action Duel?"
I would say that it is my first time fighting with a card game, but I doubt he'd believe me. Akira mused as he nodded.
Turn 3: Akira / Hand: 3
"Draw!" With another card, Akira now had four cards in his hand. His eyes traveled upward, looking at the magicians that stood on either side of Yuya like sentinels. Pendulum Summoning is going to make things difficult. I need to find a way to prevent him from using them. For now, I'll do what I can. To start, let's get rid of that pesky card he has on the field. With a formula in mind, he played one of his cards to the field. "I summon Joker Spy from my hand!"
From the glow that heralded it came another white-masked figure. This one was dressed in a similar fashion to Joker Thief, though rather than a tux it wore a fancy black suit with red gloves and swept-back black hair. It leisurely held a firearm in one hand, and the other in its trousers.
[Joker Spy / DARK / Level 2 / Spellcaster / Effect / ATK 700 / DEF 400]
"Next, I activate the Spell Card: Joker's Spyglass." he continued, placing another card on the hardlight board. "I can activate this card if I control at least 1 "Joker" monster on the field. I can target 1 card you have set on the field or have in your hand and reveal it. Afterwards, it returns to its original position. I choose the face-down you set last turn!" The card manifested on the field, much like a monster card before becoming what appeared to be a spyglass. Aimed at the face-down, it was forced to sit up-right, revealing its face and info. The spyglass then shattered and the card returned back to its face-down position. "Next, I activate Joker Spy's Effect: By revealing a card you control and declaring its name, I can add it to my field so long as I get its name right. I target your face down, Last Minute Cancel!"
Yuya's eyes widened as he watched Joker Spy aim its gun, releasing a blue burst of energy that destroyed the card on his field. It then removed its free hand from its trousers and snapped its fingers. Appearing beside it was his face-down. "Oh, that is a cheap shot!" he argued. "Not cool, Akira!"
"What can I say?" the teen shrugged as he gave the boy a playful smile. "I'm just your average thief."
(With You Show Students)
"His monsters are so weird." Tatsuya frowned, folding his arms. "I've never heard of the Joker archtype before."
"The world is a big place, Tatsuya-kun." Gongenzaka told him. "It's only natural you'd find a monster type you've never seen before. Still, Kurusu's playstyle is definitely like that of a thief. Hard to predict and pin down while also robbing his opponent blind." The large teen rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Yuya might have some trouble."
(Back with Yuya and Akira)
"For my next act, I activate the Spell Card: Survival Trick!" Akira continued on with his momentum, placing another card on his board. "I choose 1 monster I control and negate its destruction until the end of this turn. I use Survival Trick on Joker Spy!" A dim aura danced around Joker Spy's form, who twirled its gun. Already, it anticipated what its user would do next. "Battle! I attack Hammer Mamo with Joker Spy!"
Yuya blinked. Why was he having his monster attack his when it was clearly stronger? Remembering his earlier trick, he realized Akira must have had a plan in mind, especially since he had an Action Card in his hand already. Acting quickly, he searched and found an Action Card in the ground. Hopping down from the platform, he landed on Silver Claw's back and rode onward. Just as Joker Spy aimed its gun at Hammer Mamo, he leaned down and scooped up the Action Card. On instinct, he activated it.
"I activate the Action Magic: Mr. Sun's Energy! It lets me give one monster I have on the field an extra 400 ATK points! Those points are going to Hammer Mamo!"
A bullet was fired, but it only struck the hammer. A golden light shined down upon Hammer Mamo, which wrapped around the hammer and increased in size. With a hop, it leaped high into the air. Like before against Joker Thief, it slammed the hammer straight down on Joker Spy. Due to Survival Trick, the monster survived by firing a powerful blast from its revolver, though a powerful shockwave was released as a result. The force behind the shockwave was powerful, kicking up smoke and debris, forcing Akira to shield his arms from the blast.
Akira Kurusu: 4000 - 2300 = 1700 LP
"The Action Magic's Effect ends here." Yuya said as he frowned. "Why didn't you use your Action Card?"
"Because I couldn't. Until now, anyway." Akira smiled thinly as he revealed the Action Card in his hand. "Action Magic: Damage Draw. If I take 2000 more or damage, I can draw two cards from my Deck." Two cards from the top of his deck popped out, which he graciously took before he set two of them to the board. "I set two cards face-down, and end my turn."
Turn 4: Yuya / Hand: 1
(With You Show Students)
"Ho?" Sora smiled strangely, tossing in another lolipop into his mouth. "He purposely took damage and knew Teacher would go for an Action Card. He didn't know what card he took was, so he went with what he knew best: fight an Action Card with an Action Card."
Shuzo nodded sagely. "Yes. A bold move!"
(With Akira and Yuya)
"My Turn! Draw!" Yuya called, taking the top card from his Deck. His eyes widened before a smile came to his face. Akira noticed this and tensed, balling his hand into a fist. "Looks like the fun...is about to begin!" the boy giggled before he looked up at the swinging pendulum above him. "Alright, then! Once more, from the top!"
Another Pendulum Summoning? Akira frowned. Then, that must mean its Level is above 4. The tension in the atmosphere rose as Yuya's pendant began to shine brilliantly, creating an ephemeral light, just like the one released by the swinging pendulum above them. It swung back and forth, creating the portal above him once again before a streak of red came down.
The sudden spike of power that burned in the air caused Akira to take a step back. When Yuya performed a Pendulum Summoning for the first time, it was definitely similar to a Persona summons. Of course, there was a difference. Summoning a Persona was to call upon one's inner self and releasing the pent-up rage built because of the events that shackled them in real life. It was like snapping out in anger and letting go of the fake "you" you were pretending to be.
However...this Pendulum Summoning was different.
"Appear, wondrous and beautiful dichromatic eyes! Level 7!" From the burst of light came a beast, standing atop two mighty legs and covered in red scales. Rows of sharp fangs lined its mouth while bearing down upon the trickster with two colored eyes: one green and one red. It reared its head and resounded a mighty roar that shook the air, flaunting its power. A dragon of wonder and mystery. A beast of power. An unknown terror to man. A devil waiting to be set loose. "Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"
[Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon / DARK / Level 7 / Dragon / Pendulum / Effect / ATK 2500 / DEF 2000]
Unknowingly to anyone, Akira felt sweat dripping from his skin. His heart was racing. The world around him started to shake and twist, as if bent out of shape. W-what is this...? This horrible feeling? The Metaverse? No, can't be. Its different than before. And, that dragon...Yuya's Pendulum Summoning just now was like a Persona summon. He gritted his teeth, bracing himself for what was to come. If his guess was right, then Yuya's counterattack was to begin here. Whatever that dragon is, it's dangerous!
Unaware of Akira's horrible reaction to Odd-Eyes, he leaped atop his dragon, sitting atop its neck and holding unto its horns to steady himself. "Battle!" he declared, pointing a finger at him and his Joker Spy. "I attack Joker Spy with Entermate Hammer Mamo! I'm also activating his Effect: when I declare an attack, I can send all Traps and Spells you have set on the field back to your Hand!"
Thankfully, Akira was prepared for this. "I activate the Trap Card: Foolish Reversal!" he said, flipping the card up to reveal it. A glow emanated from it, showing what appeared to be a gloved hand stealthily switching a diamond with a fake. "If my opponent uses an Effect that would remove a card I control from the Field, I can negate it." Just as the elephant smacked its hammer down to release a quake that would send the cards flying off the field, the light from the card repelled it. "Furthermore, I can then make Foolish Reversal's Effect that of the one it negated. In other words, I turn Hammer Mamo's Effect into Foolish Reversal's!"
If my guess is right, the monsters that he placed on the field to use Pendulum Summoning are like Spell Cards. In which case-!
"With Foolish Reversal's Effect, I'm sending Stargazer Magician and Timegazer Magician back to your hand!"
A powerful pulse was released, shattering the ephemeral light that coveted the Action Field. The magicians were destroyed with their pillars, and the swinging pendulum vanished from view. Yuya's eyes widened when he found his cards returned back to his hand and pouted. "A man...way to ruin a good show, why don'tcha? Even so, my Hammer Mamo is still gonna wreck your Joker Spy!"
"Not likely! I activate my second Trap: Fool's Gambit!" Akira revealed, showing off his second face-down. "I can activate this card when my opponent targets a Joker monster I control. Using this effect, a card from my hand is chosen at random and tribute it! If it's a Spell, battle damage is halved. If it's a Trap, the battle damage is doubled. But if I'm tributing a Monster, then the Joker monster you targeted - in this case, Joker Thief - gains ATK points equal to the monster that was tributed!"
A card worthy of its namesake. It really didn't help with the fact that the card actually depicted Shadow Sae spinning a roulette with masked figures standing around the table. However, luck was on his side this time as he held up the only card in his hand: a Monster card, depicting a figure clad in a cloak with a top hat and another white mask hiding their face. A black aura surrounded that cloaked figure, and it held a menacing presence: evident by how it had its hands reaching out as if to strangle someone, yet possessing elegance in doing so.
[Joker Dandy / DARK / Level 8 / Spellcaster / Effect / ATK 2800 / DEF 2000]
"The card I tribute is Joker Dandy!" Akira revealed. "And now Joker Spy obtains 2800 ATK points!"
He slid the card into the slot. Once the card vanished from sight, a phantom figure, Joker Dandy, appeared behind Joker Spy and spread its arms out wide before it became an aura of black that engulfed the monster. The eyes hidden beneath the mask of the gun-wielding monster glowed menacingly as it twirled the gun around, energy gathering around it.
Joker Spy: 700 + 2800 = 3500 ATK
Before Yuya could run for an Action Card, it was too late. Hammer Mamo was already charging at it. Joker Spy took aim, and fired off a bullet wreathed in black and red energy. The bullet tore into the monster, destroying it easily. Odd-Eyes stood its ground as a shockwave was sent Yuya's way, jacket flapping.
Yuya Sakaki: 4000 - 900 - 3100 LP
"Nrgh...wasn't expecting that." Yuya murmured before his eyes burned with intensity. "In that case, I'll attack Joker Spy with Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon! And to turn the odds in my favor, I activate the Quick-Play Spell: Pendulum Kick back! If I declare an attack with a Pendulum Monster, I can tribute another Pendulum Monster I control and add its ATK points to my Monster! I tribute Entermate Silver Claw and give his ATK points to Odd-Eyes!" As the card dispersed, so too did Silver Claw, who released a howl and become a cloud of energy that danced over to Odd-Eyes. The dragon's eyes radiated with power.
Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon: 2500 + 1800 = 4300 ATK
Akira's eyes widened. If that attack hit Joker Spy, he was going to be in for a world of pain. Acting quickly, he used the card he swiped from Yuya earlier on in the Duel. "I activate the Trap: Last Minute Cancel! This puts a monster I control that is under attack in Defense Mode!"
Rather than curse or look disappointed, Yuya gave him an eerily familiar smile as he stuck out his tongue. "Sorry, Akira, but I won't let that happen!" he said, holding up an Action Card, bewildering Akira. When had he had the time to grab one?! Could it have been when he was doing a Pendulum Summoning with Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon?! "I activate the Action Magic: Narrow Dodge! This activates only during the Battle Phase and when my opponent activates a Trap! I can negate the effect of the Trap and set it to your field!"
The phantom thief cursed, watching as his means of defense was denied. Meanwhile, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon glared at him, radiating hate and loathing as red energy began to gather in its maw. Sparks cackled in its jaws, signifying that it was charging up an attack.
"Ikuzo, Odd-Eyes!" Yuya smirked. "With those dual-colored eyes, lay waste to all you see! Spiral Strike Burst!"
At his command, Odd-Eyes released a writhing blast of power that tore straight through the Action Field. Shockwaves rolled with it, curling higher and higher. Akira could do nothing but brace himself for impact. When the attack hit Joker Spy dead on, it hit like a truck slamming into a motorcycle at full speed. The explosion was powerful enough to throw Akira off his feet and send him flying through the air. He let out a cry of pain as he slammed harshly back to the ground, gritting his teeth while the rest of him burned in pain.
Akira Kurusu: 1700 - 800 = 900 LP
As the frizzy-haired teen struggled back to his feet, the wrongness in the air intensified. Yuya, unknown to this, merely smiled widely as he continued on. "I then set Stargazer Magician and Timegazer Magician back to the Scales, restoring my Pendulum!" he called. True enough, the magicians returned to his side, standing within the pillars of light. "I end my turn here!" The boy laughed softly, scratching his cheek. "You're not bad, Akira! ...Akira?"
Turn 5: Akira / Hand: 0
Akira panted, struggling to keep himself up on his feet. His whole body was wracked with pain. The back of his head was starting to turn to static. He could hardly even think right now. He barely heard Yuya announce that it was the end of his Turn. "M-my turn." he hissed, drawing his card only to grunt as he fell to one knee. It hurt. It...really hurt so much. His eyes settled on the dragon, which continued to bear down on him almost terrifyingly so. It was like it wanted nothing more than to destroy him.
W-what...is that thing?
It was only now did Akira notice how distorted the world was becoming. The once lively and upbeat circus that was the Action Field was ruined. Red veins were running along the walls, marring and corrupting everything they touched. The air turned sickly and a disgusting smell invaded his nostrils.
The Metaverse...? Akira managed to think, hurting too badly to look shocked. How? He looked at his hands. They widened in horror, watching as familiar black flakes began to peel off of him as his digits slowly became transparent. No...no no no! Why?!
His heart was beating against his chest. This couldn't be happening. This had to be a nightmare. Why was this happening?! Wasn't this supposed to be his second chance to succeed? To prove the Grail wrong? So why was he being erased? Did he...fail somehow? No, that couldn't be it. He just got here! The static in his mind grew worse. Memories were starting to become erased. Skull's image was being erased. Panther's. Mona's. Everyone's was.
He was...forgetting them.
No...I don't want to...! Tears pricked at his eyes, gritting his teeth. He tried to hold on to these wonderful memories - the only things left of everyone. I can't...forget them! I won't! Even if I disappear here, I won't...I refuse to forget my friends!
This is truly an unjust game...
Akira pulled his head upward. Before him was a familiar sight: a glowing blue butterfly, passing through his line of sight. Accompanying it was a beautiful, soft and melodic voice that seemed to soothe his worries and fears.
There is almost no chance of winning. Your odds are almost none...
These words. He's heard them before. He heard them when he first awoke to the power that allowed him to change everything.
But...if my voice can still reach you, even here...there is yet a possibility for you.
A possibility?
His thoughts came to an end when, through the static, a familiar voice cut through the static.
What's the matter? Are you simply going to give up?
Akira looked up. Only now did he realize that time seemingly stopped. The dragon ceased its growls and the spotlights remained rooted in place. Even Yuya's worried and concerned expression was frozen solid. Walking past Odd-Eyes was a figure - a familiar one that brought shivers down his spine. It was a young man based on age alone, wearing a black trench coat with a grey collared shirt, black trousers, brown Cuban heeled boots and a pair of red gloves. His hair was a frizzy mess of black, swaying ever so slightly and the fringe bouncing with each step he took. A white avian mask covered the upper half of his eyes, obscuring his identity while a pair of golden eyes stared back with a look of judgement.
He already knew this person. He knew them well. After all...they were him.
This was his alter ego in the Metaverse. The Leader of the Phantom Thieves.
"Joker."
Have you forgotten who you are?
The double asked him, voice regal yet imposing with an echo carrying through the air itself. Their presence was dominating, yet at the same time comfortable. As if providing the waving and pained phantom thief relief. It almost felt as if he were in the embrace of an old, welcome friend he had known for years. When Akira couldn't answer, the double turned and looked at Yuya.
Death will come upon him and everyone in this dimension if you can't remember. Wasn't your original desire to protect people?
Was that his original desire? Akira could barely think. Only vague memories rested in his mind. He remembered how he ended up in probation, saving a woman from a drunk Shido only to get arrested because of the man ruining his life for his interference. He could barely remember what Kamoshida had done to the students of his school, torturing them and sexually abusing them.
Did he really want to help people?
We'll catch those shitty adults by surprise and make our names known to the world!
That was...Skull? That was his name right? No, that wasn't right. It was-
"I won't hold back anymore!"
"Now, taste the wrath of those preyed upon by you!"
"You filthy fly on dirty money... Get the hell out of my face!"
"I'll bring you guys to victory."
"I am no longer your subservient puppet!"
"I am NOT a cat!"
"This is our only chance!"
These voices...they all belonged to them. His friends. His teammates. The voices of the Phantom Thieves.
They were...
Skull. Ryuji.
Panther. Anne.
Mona. Morgana.
Fox. Yusuke.
Queen. Makoto.
Oracle. Futaba.
Noir. Haru.
Crow. Akechi.
"That's right..." Newfound strength bubbled in his heart. The sound of chains rattling, straining to hold something down creaked loudly in his ears. Gray eyes turned into dark red as Akira looked up at his double, meeting his gaze. "No matter the consequences...I won't let anyone hold me down. God, angel, demon...I won't..." He grit his teeth, rising to his feet and proclaiming with all of his heart. "I won't die here! I refuse!"
The double grinned. A black darkness enveloped their form before turning into azure flames, consuming them completely and spreading out and swallowing Akira whole.
Excellent. I have heeded your resolve once again. In your time of need, I shall come for you! Now, vow to me once more!
Time resumed, and a burst of air exploded around Akira, causing the Action Field to shake. Yuya nearly found himself thrown off of Odd-Eyes. The dragon itself found itself struggling to stay rooted to the ground. The onlookers watched with confusion and anxiety as the winds faded. Yuya looked and to his surprise he found a new change on Akira. He was back on his feet, and a white avian mask covered the upper half of his face.
"A-Akira...?" he asked, an uneasiness creeping up on him. He found something tense beneath him and looked down. Odd-Eyes was growling, inching back as if afraid. "O-Odd Eyes? What's wrong?!"
I am thou. Thou art I.
The teenager grabbed hold of the mask. He tried to pull it off of him, but it refused. It was as if it was stuck to his skin like glue. With another hand, he grunted and let out a painful scream as he tore the mask off of his face. Much to the horror of everyone who witnessed it, blood cascaded down Akira's face. The upper half of his face now caked with blood, dripping down his face. Even so, an eerie calm was plastered across his face before, ever so slightly, a crazed grin began to form on his face.
Thou who art willing to perform all sacrilegious acts for thine own justice!
Akira's eyes, which the boy hadn't realized until now, opened to reveal not gray or red eyes, but a menacing pool of yellow that stared back at him with clear intent. The mask that was in Akira's hand became consumed in azure flames, reducing in size and held comfortably in his hand.
Call upon my name, and release thy rage!
The flow of power continued to rise. It was threatening to breach the surface. Something that Akira would gladly welcome. With adrenaline and excitement and euphoria pumping in his veins, he slammed the flames down upon the hardlight board. As soon as he did, the flames exploded and enveloped him.
(With You Show Students)
"AAAAAH!"
Ayu cried out as she clung to Futoshi, who clung to her and closed his eyes. Sora's lolipop dropped from his mouth in shock while Shuzo and Gongenzaka watched in horror and morbid fascination. They had just watched him spontaneously combust. After a moment, however, the boy noticed something.
The flames...they were human shape. It was wrapping around Akira like some sort of blanket while stretching out from his hips, forming into what looked like a coat tail.
(With Yuya and Akira)
"E-eh?" Yuya found his voice working again, reeling back in utter shock. "Eh?! EH?!"
Slowly, the flames peeled off of Akira, revealing him unharmed. In fact, he looked downright elated. As if being covered in flames had only brought him excitement. His clothes had changed radically. He was clad in a black ankle-length tailcoat, a high-necked waistcoat with gold accents, black jogger-style pants and brown-black winklepickers. He still wore the red gloves, but they seemed much more tighter as if hugging the skin.
Of course, what truly drew his attention was the being that emerged from the flames that cloaked the teen earlier.
It was twice the size of Akira. Wearing a red coat, the length of the clothing only made it up to the mid-back of the thing. A black mask with red designs made it seem like it had horns. Massive red boots with bladed heels were worn at the bottom to create a rather dignified yet dangerous look. Then, there was a white scarf and a tall top hat as two articles of clothing a gentleman would wear along with a massive vest with red strings. Black-clawed fingers sprouted out from red fingerless gloves, ready to slice all those that stood in its path. Its wrists were bound in chains, which were also connected to Akira, binding the two of them together somehow.
Akira's smile grew to disturbing proportions as he swiped his arm, shattering the chains. "Joker Gentleman-!"
With the chains broken, the being behind him sprouted two black wings, extending them outward in a beautiful yet terrifyingly elegant flourish. Power radiated from its form, and its flaming grin bore down on Yuya. To everyone present, the grin that marred its face was like that of the grim reaper.
"-ARSENE!"
TO BE CONTINUED...
Hooooooly jumping giblets! I actually got this done! ...well, not quite. Still got half a duel left to go. The chapter was long enough as is, so I had to cut it right here.
At any rate, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to my latest crossover! A while ago, I posted a poll to see what you bookbytes wanted to see out of four possible YGO x Persona stories! The highest rated were P5 x Arc V and P3 x Arc V. This story was top banana, and thus I have delivered! Of course, I wasn't alone in this endeavor! At my side was Donjusticia, who has been a tremendous help with writing the duel you see now!
Also, this story is going to have a surprise for you, as we will show next chapter. A surprise created by my co-writer and duel brain Don.
I will post the cards that were fan-made used next chapter for your viewing pleasure.
Before I go, let me give you guys a message: to the people who keep asking me to update my Zarc story, WILL YOU STOP IT?! The chapter is well underway, and it will be updated when I get around to finishing the damn thing! QUIT RUSHING ME! You want me to introduce you to my shotgun?!
That's it, everybody! Enjoy the chapter, and we shall see you in the next Duel! PEACE OUT!