Day 3
„Life is great," I said, this day even before opening my eyes. I had dreamed of my family – mom in the kitchen cooking pancakes, dad working in the garden – yet I wasn't sure if that actually was my family. Minori told me that everything was just a lie, an illusion within the pod. But even if that was true, something I couldn't certainly say, it was still nice to cling to the safe place I may or may not have grown up at. But at the instant that I had opened my eyes and stared at the gray concrete ceiling, all of that was gone. I wasn't home anymore, even worse, I was starting to forget it.
The morning was different than yesterday; I was alone in a room. I don't know when I had been moved, but I guess they just wheeled my bed into here while I was asleep. Maybe they even sedated me. I don't know what shocked me more; The possibility that that had happened or that I wasn't really surprised about it.
After breakfast, where I was able to eat a lot more than yesterday, the same overalls appeared and guided me through the vault. This time, however, we did not end in the concrete interrogation cube, but a larger hall instead. While it was still solid concrete and of the same inviting gray as the rest of this place, it was kinda at the size of our school gym and even seemed to serve as something like that. At the most basic, it was a training hall, as I could see three or four duels running concurrently.
It took some time until I spotted a familiar face, or whatever that meant for me: Minori was observing one of the matches that seemed to have just ended. The two overalls guided me into her direction, what wasn't an actual surprise, but when the black haired girl raised her hand to greet me, I was somewhat taken aback, to say the least.
"Morning," she said, "Did you sleep well?"
"I'd guess you'd know," I replied, "as you certainly helped me keeping my eight hours straight."
I think she caught the broad hint, as she immediately responded: "People in your position often experience violent night terrors. And its not like we had soporifics en mass."
"If you expect a 'Thank you', sorry, but you'll only get a 'Fuck you' at best."
"Just as charming as yesterday, aren't we? Well, are you interested in why you are here today?"
What was this turning into, a quiz show? When I decided to not answer her question, she just went on monologueing: "I know I wiped the floor with you yesterday, but I think you do have potential. We're here today to test that and if you do well, we might take you on a field trip."
She turned her head to a near dueling field: "Tsutomu? Do you have time to try out our new recruit?"
Recruit? Field trip? I shuddered at both words. All of this sounded like she was trying to turn me into a soldier and send me onto the battlefield. But which options did I have? Running away now would only lead to me being captured, sedated... pretty much enduring everything I endured until now again. And when they really let me out, I might have some chance to run. It was definitely better than staying here forever. If I woke up to gray for even more mornings, I would eventually vomit.
"So," a slurring voice interrupted me, "you're that Yuro-guy Mini had told me about? I'm Tsutomo."
The individual that called himself Tsutomo was a guy with spiky black hair in his early twenties. True to the gym and most of the other people he wore a gray jumpsuit. He also had glasses, but those were so dirty that I couldn't even tell his eye color.
"I'm Yuro, yes. At least, until I find something better." I answered honestly.
"Yeah, heard of that shit. Must be difficult adjusting to the life outside of the pot. Wish I could say 'I know that feeling', but I don't."
"Wouldn't expect you to," I said, slowly getting tired of the smalltalk, "so, are we supposed to duel now?"
"Sure you are," Minori said, waving her arm at the free Duel Field to our left. "Would you guys be kind enough to stop flirting and begin?"
Ignoring her barb and Tsutomos following retort, I just stepped onto my place and readied my gear, being joined by my opponent after he had traded a few more blows with 'Mini'.
"You ready, bud?" he said, while putting on his Duel Disk.
"I'm usually ready," I replied, before hitting start on my Disk.
Yuro: 4000 LP
Tsutomo: 4000 LP
"My turn," I declared, "Draw!"
This time, I thoroughly checked my hand. I wanted to try that Bloom Summon thing again... although there were currently no cards that allowed me to do so on my first turn.
"I Normal Summon 'Skyghost Moorei'." A ghostly image of a large eagle with brown feathers appeared in front of me.
Skyghost Moorei: WIND / Winged Beast / Seedling / Effect / Level 4 / 1700 ATK / 1200 DEF
"Then, I merely Set a card face-down. Your turn."
"Naw, shitty hand Yu? This time, I can actually say 'I know that feeling'," Tsutomo said, while adding his drawn card to his hand.
"I activate the Continuous Spell Card 'Endless Sky'." The ceiling of the gym morphed until a large, blue hole had formed in it, "once per turn, if I do not control a Wyrm, a Dragon or a Winged Beast, I can Special Summon one of those from my hand." He took a card out of his hand and place it on his Duel Disk: "Here it goes, 'Ryuu Ookami'." The Monster that emerged from his card vaguely resembled a humanoid dragon made from smoke, donning the armor of a Samurai.
Ryuu Ookami: LIGHT / Wyrm / Effect / Level 8 / 2900 ATK / 1200 DEF
"Next, I Normal Summon 'Night Dragolich'." Another dragon-like monster appeared in front of Tsutomo, this time, it vaguely resembled a skull dragon, with blue flames burning inside its body.
Night Dragolich: DARK / Wyrm / Effect / Level 4 / 1700 ATK / 0 DEF
"While Night Dragolich is face-up, Monster that are Special Summoned from the Deck or the Extra Deck are changed to Defense Position and lose DEF equal to this original DEF. What effectively puts them at 0." My opponent explained, while I was still gazing at the 2900 ATK Monster he had just dropped on the field as if it was nothing.
Tsutomo seemed to have noticed that, as he smirked before he ordered the big dragon to attack: "Ryuu Ookami, attack Moorei, 'Mystic Smoke Wave'!" The Monster behind him unleashed some of the smoke that formed his body to roll over the bird that floated in front of me... At least, that was what he had intended.
"I activate my Set card 'Current Change'!" My Trap Card flipped up. "It Special Summons a 'Skyghost' Monster from my Deck and prevents any of my 'Skyghosts' from being destroyed by battle until the End Phase."
My Duel Disk spat out a copy of 'Skyghost Migrat', which I immediately place on my field, after which a pigeon with grey feathers and a red belly appeared in front of me.
Skyghost Migrat: WIND / Winged Beast / Seedling / Effect / Level 3 / 1000 ATK / 1300 DEF
Almost immediately after its Summon, Migrat was caught in a veil of blue fire, as of the effect of 'Night Dragolich'.
Skyghost Migrat: 1300 DEF → 0 DEF
Also, Ryuu Ookamis eyes began to glow in a deep red. "Whenever a Monster is Special Summoned to your side of the field while 'Ryuu Ookami' is face-up on the field, you are forced to send one card from your Extra Deck to your Graveyard."
I watched in horror as a tendril made of smoke reached out to my Extra Deck and pulled the only valid target from it – 'Skyghost Overseer Sirius'. And thus, my plan to Summon it next turn and wipe out my opponents field with it was thwarted before it even began.
Also, despite my Trap activation, the smoke wave of Tsutomos Monster struck Moorei and while the bird itself was protected by a gale, I myself wasn't protected and blasted backwards by the powerful attack.
Yuro: 4000 LP → 2800 LP
My opponent continued unfazed: "During my Main Phase 2, I activate the Spell Card 'Imagination Gate'. It lets me target an Attack Position Wyrm-Type Monster that did not declare an attack this turn and inflict Damage to your equal to its ATK."
The air around Night Dragolich – the only valid target that he had – began to flicker, before a copy of it appeared right next to me, striking me with a wave of blue flames.
Yuro: 2800 LP → 1100 LP
"You're starting to bore me," the black haired guy said, "I mean, brick hands are shit, but right now you're just a glorified punching bag."
"A glorified punching bag? Glorified in which way?"
"You know, creating Bloom Monsters out of nothing and all that shit. Like what you did against Mini, although you lost to her as well."
"I thought that was normal?" I asked confused. At least, that was what Minori had told me yesterday.
Tsutomo, however, looked as if I had made the joke of the century: "What? Oh, great one, Mimi. Buddy, whatever it is you're doing, it's fucking weird. And nobody can explain the shit you're doing, I bet you cannot even explain it yourself."
"Is that the reason why you are dueling me?" I yelled at him, "To see if I could do it again? To analyze it? Do experiments with me?"
This time, both my opponent and Minori looked like I punched them across the face. The girl looked like she wanted to say something, but Tsutomo cut her off: "No, Yu. That's what those fuckers we rescued you from do. 'Bet a years salary that they had you locked up because of that shit. We're just trying to understand it. Whatever it is."
"Why should I believe you?" I asked.
This time, it was Minori who answered: "I could go on about us not being the bad guys but... Actually, you don't have a choice, have you?"
I gritted my teeth at this: "You're not really making me want to trust you."
"Really? I'm so sorry," Minori replied sarcastically, "Does that mean you want us to return you to those scientists again, so they can plug you into a new pod and mess with your mind again? Just tell. Because I'm fucking fed up with you starting an argument about everything."
"Not really." She was right, although that was displeasing. If whatever they said about the pods and CG worlds was true, I'll choose them over that any day.
"Great," Tsutomo said, "can we continue then?" He placed one more card on his Duel Disk. "I set one card and end my turn."
"During your End Phase," I continued as well, "'Current Change' lets me add a 'Current' Spell Card from my Deck to my hand." 'Resting Current' slipped out of my Deck and I added it to my hand.
"My turn!" I declared then, before drawing.
"I activate 'Resting Current'. It lets me gain 600 LP for each 'Skyghost' I control." A warm wind picked up in the gym, gently blowing in my face.
Yuro: 1100 LP → 2300 LP
"Next, I activate the Spell Card 'Pick-Up Current'. It lets me add another 'Current' Spell Card from my Deck to my hand." My Duel Disk spat out another card, this time 'Powering Current'.
And at this point, I checked my Extra Deck again. Fourteen blank cards. Before my last duel with Minori, it had been fifteen, before one of them was molded into Sirius. Although it did not allow me to defeat her, it is a powerful Monster. I did not know what I did to initiate this, but I hoped I could do it again.
And really – Right before my eyes, two of the blank cards were changing. Tiny drops of color were spreading on the white surface, predominately lavender, merging and growing in size, until the formed an image, a text box, level stars and a name for each of them.
At the same time, the two birds that were still hovering in front of me were encapsulated in green cocoons, just like yesterday.
After a few moments, they flaked away, revealing the two Monsters that had been blank cards just moments ago.
The first one appeared as a cross between an owl and a woman with long hair. It was of a slender build and concealed its body with large, white wings. Running from its head down its back was a large wave of white and gray feathers, resembling long, flowing hair.
Skyghost Overseer Atria: WIND / Winged Beast / Bloom / Effect / Level 4 / 1600 ATK / 2600 DEF
The second one was a mixture of an avian being, a centaur and a Pegasus. It had a horse-like lower body, with gray feathers running along its body and down its four legs, which strangely ended in four three-pronged claws. Attached to its back were a large pair of gray wings, sporting some white stripes on them. Its upper body was humanoid, yet still covered in gray and white feathers, another pair of wings attached to its back. A hawk-like face and deadly talons completed the stunning appearance.
Skyghost Overseer Acrux: WIND / Winged Beast / Bloom / Effect / Level 8 / 2900 ATK / 2800 DEF
As soon as those two were Summoned, blue flames engulfed them as 'Night Dragolich' was starting to render them defenseless. However, one flap of Acrux top wings was enough to blow them away.
"As long as I control Acrux," I explained, still studying their card texts on my Duel Disks screen, "'Skyghosts' I control are unaffected by Monster effects. Also, I can pay 1000 LP to negate a Monster effect and banish that Monster."
"That's really impressive," Tsutomo noted, but I don't know whether he meant Acrux effect or just my Bloom Monsters in general.
"The effect of Atria is also active," I declared, "All 'Skyghost' Monsters I control gain 300 ATK for each 'Current' Spell Card in my Graveyard. And I have two of them, so far."
Skyghost Overseer Atria: 1600 ATK → 2200 ATK
Skyghost Overseer Acrux: 2900 ATK → 3500 ATK
And thus, I had overpowered both of Tsutomos Wyrms. However, that wasn't enough to win the duel. Good thing I still had another Spell Card.
"I activate 'Powering Current'. I use it to raise the ATK of Acrux by 1000 until the End Phase. Also, while it is in the Graveyard, my Monsters will gain an additional power boost of 600 ATK. And because another 'Current' Card is in my Graveyard, Atria will boost them even further!"
I watched in satisfaction as a fierce gale picked up in the gym and increased the ATK of both of my Monsters by 3800 total.
Skyghost Overseer Atria: 2200 ATK → 2800 ATK → 3100 ATK
Skyghost Overseer Acrux: 3500 ATK → 4500 ATK → 5100 ATK → 5400 ATK
"Acrux, attack and destroy 'Ryuu Ookami'! 'Slicing Gale'!" The centaur-like creature started to flap both pairs of its wings, creating a fierce wind that cut through the fog that made up Tsutomos strongest Monster with ease and knocked him across the gym.
Tsutomo: 4000 LP → 1500 LP
"Atria, its your turn, take out 'Night Dragolich'." The feminine owl gave of a load screech that made the skeletal dragon shatter into pieces.
Tsutomo: 1500 LP → 100 LP
"Chain!" Tsutomo shouted over the noise, "I activate my Trap Card 'Dream Hunting'." His sole set card flipped up. "It activates when I take Battle Damage and lets me Special Summon a new Wyrm-Type Monster from my Deck. I choose 'Prism Serpent'." A tiny, serpentine dragon appeared in front of Tsutomo, shimmering in all colors of the rainbow.
Prism Serpent: LIGHT / Wyrm / Effect / Seedling / Level 1 / 0 ATK / 0 DEF
"Fine," I said, "I end my turn."
"Then its my turn again," Tsutomo said, although he barely looked at his drawn card.
"I let 'Prism Serpent' blossom as my LP are lower than 500!" he declared, while his monster in front of him was engulfed by a yellow cocoon. "Bloom Summon! Descend from the realm of dreams and show your power to the material world! 'Menglong, Ruler of Imagination'!"
Although I had done it by myself before, not only minutes ago, it was stunning to see someone else – someone who had seemingly done it often, even knowing the right terminology – Bloom Summon.
The cocoon that had 'Prism Serpent' encapsulated disappeared, but there was no monster inside the cocoon. I already wanted to ask where it was, when I noticed, that the room we were in had slightly changed. At some places, the air was somehow fizzling, as if something was moving. Something big, as it affected the entire room. I paid some closer attention and could get my eyes on some momentary details: Tiny wings draped along a large, serpentine body, a pair of horns, deadly claws and giant teeth. Tsutomos Monster was there. It was in the entire gym, yet not visible to anybody who did not know it was.
Menglong, Ruler of Imagination: LIGHT / Wyrm / Bloom / Effect / Level 10 / 3500 ATK / 4000 DEF
"Your Bloom Summoning is good shit, pal," Tsutomo said, "Your Monsters seem to adapt to fit your current situation. That is a fucking powerful ability. Like, really. But you won't win against me. Maybe next time. Due to Menglongs effect, he can attack you directly. Come on, 'Battle Illusion'."
In the blink of an eye, while I was still searching for the dragons head, from where I thought the attack would come from, a fist appeared out of nowhere in front of me, punching me across the face and sending me flying through the gym.
Yuro: 2300 LP → 0 LP
That punch felt convincingly real and while I was trying to get up, I saw that Minori was offering me her hand for help.
"I should've warned you. Tsutomo is one of the strongest people around here," she said, while pulling me back onto my feet. "But we thought that your ability would work best against a stronger opponent. Pressure and stuff. Again, I'd need to be a doctor to really give you an insight."
"Thank you," I said to Minori, before turning to Tsutomo, "That monster was awesome."
"Menglong?" he replied, "Yeah, its fucking powerful, but also really hard to summon. I do less often than you might think now. Still, I wanted to pull of a show for you. I could've also won with my 'Imagination Gate'. One day, I might tell you how, Yu."
"Guess it was better this way." I turned to Minori again after saying this, "Am I right that I failed my 'test' miserably?"
"Not at all," she replied, "the entire point of this test was for us to see your powers to shape Bloom Monsters again. In that regard, your loss helped us a lot. We do now know that you shape Bloom Monsters to adapt and solve your current situation, but not in an omnipotent way. You seem to subconsciously create them for the purpose that you think can win you the duel."
"And why does it do that? I mean, my cards can destroy, protect and raise ATK, but what stops me from spawning a card that awards me with an instant win?" I ask, "more importantly, where does that shit come from? From the pod?"
"Finally starting with the big questions, aren't we, Yu?" Tsutomo threw in, but Minori bluntly ignored him.
"Want the long or the short answer? Short, I dunno, long, I don't know," the black haired girl shook her head, "and none of the doctors here knew it, when I asked them. The only idea I have is that the guys we rescued from know it. And that brings me to the start of a talk that I want to have with you tomorrow."
She apparently knew that I wanted to protest, as she added: "And I mean tomorrow. You are far too hyped to make a serious decision right now."
I could sense that the two overalls that have been guiding me since yesterday walked up behind me.
"I guess I don't have much of a choice, huh?" I remarked, "You're going to put me to sleep regardless, aren't you?"
"We should give you a troubled night once, so you start to appreciate it," one of the overalls said, but he was quickly silenced by a glare of Minori, making me wonder what the rankings in here were.
Regardless, the overalls quickly returned me too my room. But unlike I expected, I wasn't immediately put to sleep, instead some doctors came and went, repeatably testing my basic body functions, heart rate and so on. They all assured me that everything was fine with me, still, although I asked them about my 'abilities' but just like Minori said, they knew nothing about their origins as well.
After being checked up all afternoon – they even wanted me to do some basic exercising – they left me alone again. I presumed they somehow infused me with soporifics again, because I quickly fell asleep.
End of Day Three
"You're desperately trying to figure out the reason behind all of this, don't you, young one? It's nice to see that you still believe in the reason behind all things. You will have to see that sometimes, things just happen. Without any sense and reason, they just happen. But to relief you: All of those things happening to you, they have a reason. They happen because I want them to happen."
Author-made cards:
Skyghost Migrat / WIND / Winged Beast / Effect / Seedling / Level 3 / 1000 ATK / 1300 DEF
Can be used for a Bloom Summon while you have 2 or more "Current" Spell Cards in your Graveyard. Once per turn: You can target 1 "Current" Spell Card in your Graveyard; Add it to your hand. If you do not activate that card or a card with the same name until the End Phase: You take 2000 LP Damage.
Skyghost Moorei / WIND / Winged Beast / Effect / Seedling / Level 4 / 1700 ATK / 1200 DEF
Can be used for a Bloom Summon if you successfully resolved the effect of a "Current" Spell Card during your turn. Once per turn: You can shuffle 1 "Current" Spell Card from your Graveyard into your Deck; Draw 1 card. If it is a "Skyghost" Monster: You can reveal the drawn card; Special Summon that Monster.
Prism Serpent / LIGHT / Wyrm / Effect / Seedling / Level 1 / 0 ATK / 0 DEF
Can be used for a Bloom Summon if your LP are 500 or lower. Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Cannot be destroyed by battle. If you take Damage while this card is in your hand: You can Special Summon it in face-up Defense Position. If you do: This card is unaffected by your opponents card effects until the End Phase.
Skyghost Overseer Atria / WIND / Winged Beast / Bloom / Effect / Level 4 / 1600 ATK / 2600 DEF
1 Seedling Monster
Cannot be destroyed by battle or by card effects. If this card is in face-up Attack Position, face-up Monsters you control gain 300 ATK for each "Current" Spell Card in your Graveyard. If this card is in face-up Defense Position, face-up Monsters you control gain 400 DEF for each Normal Spell Card in your Graveyard.
Skyghost Overseer Acrux / WIND / Winged Beast / Bloom / Effect / Level 8 / 2900 ATK / 2800 DEF
1 Level 3 WIND Winged-Beast Seedling Monster
Must first be Bloom Summoned. Face-up "Skyghost" Monsters are unaffected by your opponents Monster effects. Once per turn, during either players turn, if a monster effect is activated: You can pay 1000 LP; Negate the activation and if you do, banish that monster.
Menglong, Ruler of Imagination / LIGHT / Wyrm / Bloom / Effect / Level 10 / 3500 ATK / 4000 DEF
"Prism Serpent"
Must be Bloom Summoned and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. […] This card can attack your opponent directly. […]
Pick-Up Current / Normal Spell Card
Add 1 "Current" Spell Card from your Deck to your hand, except "Pick-Up Current". If this card in your Graveyard is removed from the Graveyard by a card effect: Add 1 "Current" Spell Card from your Graveyard to your hand. You can only use each effect of "Pick-Up Current" once per turn.
Powering Current / Normal Spell Card
Target 1 Monster you control; It gains 1000 ATK until the End Phase. While this card is in your Graveyard, face-up "Skyghost" Monsters you control gain 600 ATK.
Resting Current / Normal Spell Card
Gain 600 LP for each monster you control. While this card is in your Graveyard, halve all Battle Damage you take from battles involving "Skyghost" Monsters you control.
Endless Sky / Continuous Spell Card
Once per turn, if you control no Monsters: You can Special Summon 1 Dragon-, Winged Beast- or Wyrm-Type Monster from your hand.
Imagination Gate / Continuous Spell Card
During your Main Phase 2: You can target 1 face-up Wyrm-Type Monster you control that did not declare an attack during the Battle Phase; Inflict Damage to your opponent equal to its ATK. During your next Battle Phase after this card was destroyed by your opponents card effect: Face-up Wyrm-Type Monsters you control can attack your opponent directly.
Current Change / Normal Trap Card
If an opponents Monster declares an attack and all face-up Monsters you control (if any) are WIND: Special Summon 1 "Skyghost" Monster from your Deck, also, face-up Monsters you control cannot be destroyed by battle until the End Phase. During your End Phase if this card was activated this turn: Add 1 "Current" Spell Card from your Deck to your hand. You can only activate 1 "Current Change" per turn.
Dream Hunting / Normal Trap Card
If you take Battle Damage: Special Summon 1 Wyrm-Type Monster from your Deck. During your Draw Phase, if this card is in your Graveyard: Instead of conducting your normal draw, you can add this card from your Graveyard to your hand.
I really hope I can get days out quicker now, not only one per year. So far, it has been working out.
Yuro lost again? -27/10, worst protag ever confirmed.
Nope, I'm not showing Menglongs full effects now. And that is totally because of plot reasons. Not because I haven't finalized his effect. Plot reasons. Totally.