Yes this is inspired by Assassination Classroom. *glances at first chapter*
Chapter 4: The Rivalry Between Us
Yuno blearily looked at herself in the mirror, grimacing at the dark bag underneath her eyes. Yesterday had been a tiring day, especially with Naomi getting knocked out like that. She had been extremely worried and what she had heard from Yuta after Cira had dueled him was that Karma had left without so much as checking on her wellbeing.
She had decided that she didn't particularly like the guy.
"Sis! Hey Sis! Yuno!"
A clamor of voices right outside of the door to her small room startled her out of her thoughts. She turned around with an irritated look and pounded on the door herself. "Hey! What did I tell you guys about pounding on my door?!" Her only answer was a chorus of giggles and feet pounding away on the old wood.
With a sigh, Yuno quickly got changed into her school uniform and left her room. Thankfully, the other orphans seemed to all be in the bathroom so she managed to make it down the stairs and into the kitchen without much difficulty. She wrapped an apron around herself and nodded to her older brother. "Whatcha making today, Ray?"
Ray, who was wearing his own apron, looked over and smiled. He looked a lot like Yuno with short-cropped green hair and golden eyes. He too wore an apron. "Pancakes," he replied with a smile, turning back to the stove. "The little ones were asking for it for an entire week remember?"
"Oh yeah!" Yuno cheerfully, grabbing some bacon from the fridge. "Can I…?"
"No."
"Awww…" Yuno pouted, but put the meat back. "Do you need my help for anything, then?"
"Um… Can you make some more pancake batter?" Ray asked. "I kinda overestimated how much I was supposed to make."
"No problem!" Yuno grabbed the ingredients from the fridge and cupboards before beginning to mix them all into a large mixing bowl.
"So, how's Dueling School?" Ray asked, out of the blue.
Yuno froze for just a second. "It's good," she answered, carefully. "Fun. Misaki is with me."
"Nothing else?" Ray asked. "Two nights ago, you wouldn't stop talking about that boy Yuta and his duel." Yuno blushed, as Ray continued. "Still, I'm thankful."
Yuno blinked. "For what?"
"Your scholarship of course," he replied. "Ever since you started going to that school you've become livelier. You've even made some friends against all odds, especially with your personality."
She scowled. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Ray laughed. "In any case, I'm just thankful. That scholarship and the money we're receiving from the school is really helping this family." He gave her a smile. "So, thank you, Yuno. You really saved us."
"You're welcome," Yuno said, ignoring the growing pit of guilt growing in her stomach, as she passed the bowl that she had been working on over to Ray. "Hey, did the mail come around yet?"
"Why do you ask?"
Yuno fidgeted uncomfortably. "Just curious."
"I think so… but before you go and check, mind serving breakfast to the kids?" Ray was staring a nearby clock. "At this point I might be late to work."
"Sure thing." Yuno grabbed the plate that Ray was using to stack the pancakes, as Ray tore out of his apron and rushed back upstairs. She headed out of the kitchen where all the kids were waiting expectantly. The lot of them stayed quiet and patient, as she went around to each of them and served them their breakfast. Just as she was finishing up serving, Ray came back down wearing a suit and tie.
"I'm leaving now," he said, waving to them all. The orphans all waved back as he went out of the door.
With him gone, Yuno ordered the rest of them to get ready and did her best to help them out before the bus would get there. Luckily her classes didn't start until after they all were on the bus so she had some time before she would have to get ready, herself.
"You're going to duel school again?" The oldest one of all of them, Fern, asked. He might've been the oldest one, but he was still only in elementary school.
"Yeah," Yuno replied. "I'll probably bring Misaki around again to play with you guys again. Who knows maybe I'll bring Yu-!" She quickly shut up.
Fern didn't seem to hear her. "You think that I could go to LDS one day?" he asked her.
Yuno shrugged. "Perhaps. You just have to try."
"Mm…" Fern didn't say anything else.
After that, the rest of the morning passed on in silence. Yuno waved and smiled as they all entered the bus, but it quickly dropped when the vehicle moved out of view. With a sigh, she headed to the old shack's mailbox and checked inside. Her stomach dropped the moment she saw a small package addressed to her.
With a heavy pit in her stomach, she grabbed the package and headed back into the shack. Opening it on the table where the children had eaten their lunch, she withdrew a small syringe along with a return address and a couple of bandages. Rolling up her sleeve and wiping a spot on her left arm with a wet towel, she then held syringe up to her arm with the point pressed ever so lightly against her skin.
She let out a deep breath. She could do this. She had done it plenty of times before. She could-!
Yuno winced as the needle pieced her skin and quickly began to draw her blood into the syringe. Honestly, she didn't care what doctors said. This really fucking hurt every time she had done it.
After she was done, Yuno wrapped a bandage around the wound and quickly repackaged the syringe with the return address. She eyed the return address for a couple of seconds. "Industrial Illusions," she muttered. "Thank you for this opportunity."
Xxx
"That guy is a real piece of work, isn't he?" Yuno asked Misaki, as they were walking back from Cira's class that day, having witnessed Karma coming back and declaring his "war" against their sensei. "He's pretty arrogant. Annoying, too."
"I'd have to agree," Misaki said with a dejected nod. "He doesn't seem to be the most pleasant of people." She shook her head. "But that aside where are we going today?"
"Grace's place," Yuno answered almost immediately. "I wanted to buy some of the kids a couple of cards."
"Ah." Misaki nodded, before hesitating. "How about your parents? Are they
still…?"
"They're still locked up," Yuno confirmed, with little emotion in her voice. "And they aren't due to get out anytime soon." She frowned. "I've told you this before, haven't I?"
"Yes, well." Misaki sighed. "I thought something may have changed."
"Well nothing did," Yuno said shortly. "Anyway, we're here… What's going on?" Yuno grinded to a halt, frowning at the large crowd that had formed in front of a small shop with its name, "Grace's Card Emporium" in large neon letters right above the entrance. It was a small dingy building with not much to it, but the large crowd of teenagers and children trying to force their way in would suggest otherwise.
Misaki shrugged, looking about as confused as Yuno. "A sale, perhaps?"
"She never has a sale." Yuno scowled and stomped over to the small crowd that had formed. She tapped the shoulder of a young boy near the edge. "Hey, what's going on here?" she asked.
The boy turned around and scowled. "Lady, you seriously don't know what's going on?"
"Lady?!" Yuno cried indignantly. Behind her, Misaki chuckled.
"Reiko Tenmu!" the boy continued. "You know the Princess of Leo!? She's one of the best duelists in the entire city! She's doing a promotion with this store!" He gave both girls and incredulous look. "How have you not heard of her?!"
Yuno gritted her teeth. "Oh, I've heard of her. Trust me." With a huff, she pushed past the kid and began to make her way through the thick crowd, with Misaki following her looking worried. After pushing past guy after guy, she finally found herself inside the store and in front of the counter. Ignoring the cries of protest around her, she planted herself on a nearby seat and stared at the cashier.
The cashier was a young woman with long black hair wearing a simple T-shirt and jeans. She frowned at Yuno the moment that she walked up to the counter. "Yuno? What are you doing here?"
"Grace," Yuno hissed, as Misaki managed to catch up to her. "Why the fuck did you hire Reiko? Don't you know who she is?"
Grace raised her brow, looking between the two girls. "Hello to you, too I guess. And Reiko's here to promote the store. I made a deal with LDS for this." She suddenly looked suspicious. "Why the sudden interest?"
"I just don't like her here," Yuno grumbled, glaring at Reiko out of the corner of her eye, where the young "princess," was talking to the crowd with a wide smile. She was wearing a rather regal dress that was a bit too fancy for the situation and had her pink hair tied into two ringlets.
Yuno was in a bad move for the rest of the hour as even the press came to store and interviewed Reiko. Soon enough however the crowd and press dissipated, as Misaki and Yuno played cards as they waited. With a sigh, Reiko sat down on the opposite side of the counter. She glanced at Yuno for a second before turning back to Grace. She sniffed haughtily. "Peasants the lot of them," she muttered.
Grace frowned. "Um… right. Thanks for doing this though. My store's never seen so much customers. If you continue to spread the good word then I'll be loaded." She paused. "Eventually."
Misaki narrowed her eyes. "Perhaps it'll happen sooner than we all expect," she said sweetly.
The store owner frowned. "Uh…sure?"
Yuno ignored the two and instead glared at Reiko. "So, what are you doing here?" she asked the girl coldly.
Reiko didn't even bother to face her. "Promoting a dingy business out of the goodness of my heart. What do you think? Speaking of which, where is the payment you promised me, Miss Grace."
"Ah right." Grace slid her an envelope. "Here ya go."
"What's that? Payment?" Misaki asked.
"Nothing to concern your pretty little head about, my second favorite customer," Grace replied, cheerfully. "Just a little business transaction."
"Yes..." Reiko peeked inside the envelope. "Business transaction."
Misaki didn't seem to buy it, but Yuno was focused on a different matter entirely. She slammed her hands onto the counter and strode forward towards Reiko. "Seriously, what are you doing here?"
Reiko gave her a dry look. "I just said what I was doing here, commoner. Perhaps your ears may need some checking? Get some hearing aids, my dear."
"You seriously don't remember me?" Yuno fumed.
"Should I?"
Yuno stamped her foot loudly, drawing the attention of everyone else around them. "That's it!" she shouted, making Reiko finally look at her directly into her eyes, her gaze cold. "You and me. Tomorrow. I challenge you to an Action Duel!"
"And?" Reiko still seemed rather bored.
"And…" Yuno faltered for a second. "I-If I win, then you leave this store and never come back."
"H-Hey!" Grace protested.
"And if I win?" Reiko suddenly sounded interested.
"If you win… then I quit dueling forever!" Yuno blurted out, thinking of the first thing that popped into her head. The moment that she said it however she instantly regretted it. If she quit dueling then she would lose her scholarship from Industrial Illusions along with all the extra they had been funding in order to her keep her family afloat.
Reiko, however, seemed to take her words completely seriously. "So, I could lose a potential fruitful deal for a up and coming business owner or I could flush an unknown duelist's life down the drain, savoring her misery." She chuckled. "Very well, Yuno Maeda. I will accept your proposal. Tomorrow we will duel for the future."
"Wait so you do know my name!" Yuno cried. "You-!"
"Well good-bye for now." Reiko started to leave, walking away from Yuno, but stopped right before the doorway. "Yuno..." She smiled. "You have made a grave mistake, my friend." She left, leaving Yuno boiling mad.
"…dammit," Yuno muttered, clutching her head.
"Yuno!" Misaki scolded. "Don't you think this is too hasty?!"
"Plus, my deal! Why bring my store into this?!" Grace whined. "My profits!"
"I dunno." Yuno uncomfortably fidgeted. "I mean it's not like she can completely stop me from dueling, right?"
"No, but she can and will destroy any potential career you could build after getting out of the Failure Class," Misaki warned. "She's basically an idol with ton of fans. I'm sure she can destroy your life if that happens. May you unable to ever get another duel in the future."
"Shit." Yuno gritted her teeth. "I-I just hate her. I mean, don't you?"
Misaki hesitated. "I-I do. But instigating a fight with her solves nothing. Trust me." Her expression went dark. "If you lose against her then you lose your dream."
Xxx
Cira tapped her piece of chalk on the board. "Counters are markers that are put on monsters' due to someone kind of card effect," she explained. "There are many types of counters for a variety of different archetypes. Each counter can be applied to a various effect but often have different names to differentiate themselves from each effect."
"So, I can use this card… get an advantage…" Yuno was muttering to herself.
"Yuno." Cira called on her. "Would you mind naming three different types of counters, since you believe that talking to yourself during a lecture is respectful?"
"Then this monster… with this card… if I keep…"
"Yuno?"
"Then this spell card… with that… these two trap cards…"
"Yuno!"
Cira's sudden shout startled the poor girl out of her thoughts and she looked up at her teacher. "Yes, Sensei?" she asked, nervously, suddenly realizing that that everyone's eyes were on her.
"As much as I appreciate you trying to improve your deck, you're in the middle of class." Cira shook her head. "Please pay attention."
"Sorry," Yuno quickly apologized. "I just have a big match today that I'm getting ready for."
Cira frowned. "A match? I didn't get any notifications on any matches for you today." She glanced at Misaki, who just avoided her gaze. "Who's it against?"
Yuno gritted her teeth. "Reiko," she answered.
Karma stared at her. "Reiko? That princess?" He snorted. "Good luck. You have no chance. Even I had trouble when dueling her. And that was a good year ago, too. Who knows how much better she's gotten since then."
"I'll be fine," Yuno insisted.
Karma shrugged. "If you say so."
Cira, however, was still focused on something else. "How were you challenged?" she asked. "I didn't think that Reiko would want to challenge someone from this class."
Yuno fidgeted. "I… I challenged her. She was being rude and annoying so I just…" She finished with a noncommittal shrug. "Can you blame me?"
"No," Cira said slowly. "No, perhaps not. But you must understand Yuno that you seem to be going into this too hastily." Right behind Yuno, Misaki seemed to wince. "You should probably withdraw at once. You aren't ready to face someone like Reiko. She's in another league."
Yuno's mouth dropped open. "You're joking right, Sensei?!" she asked sounding desperate. "But Yuta was able to beat that Masumi girl a couple of days ago. What makes you think that I can't do the same?"
Cira hesitated. "Because you're not ready. But," she said, stressing that last word. "I'll be rooting for you, if you do go ahead with this." She seemed awkward, unable to find the right words to say to Yuno, instead trying to skirt around the issue.
Yuno scowled. "I'll keep that in mind, Sensei," she said, coldly.
Cira winced, but moved back to her chalkboard, as Yuno turned her attention back to her deck. "Some type of counters include…"
Xxx
"Thanks for inviting me, kids," Roy said to both Misaki and Yuno, who were walking ahead, while he was behind with Yuta. It was after class and Roy and Yuta had been invited by Misaki to witness Yuno's match. Thought, truth be told, Roy's goal was actually to interrogate the kids whenever he could get the chance. He was running out of time for his report and he needed more information right away. And amount would get him closer to the truth.
"No problem," Misaki said smiling. "At this point you're a part of this class as any of us. Besides…" Her smile grew wider. "You're the one who asked us."
Roy winced. "Uh… yeah…"
"So Yuno." Yuta tried to change the subject. "Are you ready?"
Yuno nodded. "Yep! I've already made a deck. Got the perfect strategy to beat the smug smile off of her dumb face."
Yuta seemed taken aback. "Um… well I'm rooting for you, Yuno."
She blushed. "T-Thanks," she muttered, looking away to hide her blush.
Roy smiled, before he noticed the crowd that had formed outside the store. "There's no way we're all going to fit in there," he pointed out with a cringe. "This girl is pretty popular, isn't she?"
Yuno scowled. "Yeah, she is," she admitted. "That's why I'm taking you down a peg today." With a confident air surrounding her, she began to push past the giant crowd. However, the moment she started, whispers spread throughout the people gathered and they parted to let the small group through. People began to mutter and whisper to each other as they walked, something that didn't seem to bother Yuno as she charged forward pushing open the doors.
The crowd was thick even in the small shop. At the counter, Reiko sat sipping on a small water bottle with a young man talking to her in a low voice. He was wearing a rather plain set of clothes, a hoodie and a pair of blue jeans. He had chestnut brown skin and black hair styled into dreadlocks, along with a pair of shades.
Misaki's let out a small gasp as Yuno marched straight to the pair. "What's wrong?" Roy asked, glancing at her.
"That boy," she whispered back. "It's Alexander."
Roy perked up an eyebrow. "Who?"
"Alexander," Misaki repeated, as Yuta leaned in, apparently just as confused as Roy was. "He's another good duelist from the Synchro Course. The amazing thing is that in all of the matches he had participated in, he's never used the same deck twice."
Roy blinked. "Meaning…?"
"Unlike the rest of us, he doesn't get good with only one strategy and deck." Yuta hesitated. "Basically, he extremely flexible."
"What about Reiko?" Roy asked.
Yuta shrugged. "Oh no she only uses one deck. But that doesn't mean she necessarily worse than Alexander."
Grace was, as usual, behind the counter smoking a cigarette, watching as Yuno slammed her fist in front of Reiko. The princess glanced up at her with a bored expression on her face. "So?" Yuno said. "You ready for our match."
"Mmm… Our match?" Reiko mused. "Oh, right. I have something to admit. You'll not be dueling me today. You'll be dueling…" she gestured to Alexander. "Him."
Alexander raised a hand. "Yo."
Yuno blinked. "...What?"
Reiko rolled her eyes. "As I said. You'll be dueling Alexander today. Unfortunately, I'm feeling somewhat under the weather today, so I'll have to postpone out match. Instead, Alexander will be fighting in my stead If you manage to defeat him then I'll be nice enough to think about dueling you on a later date."
Grace grunted. "There's an Action Field downstairs in the basement," she explained, pointing to a staircase in the back. "I'll be operating it. the challenged has already chosen a field, so get down there, you brats."
Roy sighed. She clearly wasn't a people person. Oh well.
Yuno gritted her teeth. "Fine! Fine! I can still do this!" She glared at Alexander, the obstacle that was blocking her path to her revenge. "I'm going to defeat you!"
Xxx
A few minutes later, Yuno and the boy who was known as Alexander stood at opposite ends of a small field. The bleachers around them were filled to the brim with Reiko's fans, all of whom were disappointed about the fact that Reiko wasn't actually going to duel, but seemed excited at the prospect of seeing Alexander duel. Roy, Yuta and Misaki were sitting near the front, most people giving them a wide berth for some reason.
"Action Field!" Grace shouted, up in a control room. "On! Crash Town!"
The field around the two duelists shimmered as the scenery around them changed. A large desert materialized around the two along with runty wooden shacks and saloons, reminiscent of a town from an old spaghetti western movie. It was a small town with only about 15 or so buildings all of them run down and old, with the wood rotting in places.
"Duelists locked in battle!" Alexander started the chant.
"Kicking the earth and dancing alongside their monsters."
"They storm through the field! Behold!"
"Witness the next evolution of dueling come to life!"
"Action… DUEL!" The two said at the same time.
Xxx
"I'll go first!" Yuno shouted, and once see saw Alexander give her a short nod, she checked her hand and smiled. Perfect. "First, I activate the spell card Poison of the Old Man!" She cried, sliding the card into one of the slots on her Duel Disk. "With its effect, I gain 1200 Life Points!" [Yuno LP: 4000+1200=5200]
Alexander just seemed uninterested with whatever Yuno was doing, making her even more mad. "I then summon the monster card Aromage Jasmine to the field!" A small girl with white hair and big blue eyes materialized on the field. She wore a white robe and blue pants, a brown satchel around her right shoulder. [Aromage Jasmine Lv.2 ATK: 100] "Jasmine's effect activates! When my Life Points are higher than my opponents then I can normal summon one more Aromage from my hand this turn."
Alexander seemed to perk up. "Interesting…"
"I tribute Jasmine!" Yuno shouted, as Jasmine disappeared. "And use it to summon Aromage Bergamot in attack position!" Another Aromage, this one with dark red hair, tall and wearing green robes appeared. [Aromage Bergamot Lv.6 ATK: 2400]
"I end my turn with two face-down cards," Yuno said, as two vertical backings materialized just behind Bergamot.
"This is good, right?" Roy asked. "She's started off pretty strong."
"That is true, but…" Misaki bit her lips.
Roy noticed this. "What's wrong?"
"This doesn't seem to be her usual deck," Misaki explained. "I've only ever seen her use Aromages once before. And even then, she said she didn't particularly like the deck or the way it played. To use it now…"
Roy didn't really follow what she was saying but just nodded. "But she's winning, isn't she? That's good."
Misaki hesitated. "Yes… yes you are right."
"My turn!" Alexander said, his deep voice echoing throughout the stadium making everyone watching completely silent. "I-!"
"I activate my two trap cards!" Yuno suddenly interrupted, as her two traps flipped face forward. "Dried Winds and Humid Winds!" Winds began to blow through the small cowboy town coming from behind Yuno, as her hair began to whip wildly around. "With the effect of Dried Winds, I can sacrifice 1000 LP and add one Aroma monster from deck to hand!" A card slid out of her deck and she added it to her hand.
[Yuno LP: 5200-1000=4200]
"Hmph." Alexander scowled. "From my hand, I activate the spell card "A" Cell Recombination Device. I send Alien Kid from my deck to the graveyard." Alexander pointed to Bergamot. "Per the spell card's effect, I can add four A-Counter to one of my opponents' monsters. I choose Bergamot!"
"What do you mean… Ugh, gross!" Yuno backed away, pinching her nose. "What are those things?!" Four pink blobs of strange alien life, attached themselves to Bergamot, much to the monster's dismay. [Bergamot A-Counters: 4]
"What the hell?!" Roy could only watch as Bergamot struggled to get the strange things off her to no avail.
"They're counters," Yuta explained, frowning. "They're what we were talking about in class today. But to think it would come to play like this…"
"I then activate the continuous spell Code A Ancient Ruins!" A large blue and black pyramid rose up behind Alexander, bathing his side of the field in blue energy. "Next up, I special summon Alien Overlord from my hand, by removing two A-counters from anywhere on the field." Two counters disappeared from Bergamot's body, as a large alien monster with four armors and an impressive jaw took its place in front of Alexander. [Alien Overlord Lv.6 ATK:2200]
"I then normal summon Alien Warrior." Another smaller alien monster appeared next to Overlord. [Alien Warrior Lv.4 ATK: 1800]
Yuno gritted her teeth. "Not so fast!" she shouted. "From my hand, I activate the effect of Aromaseraphy Angelica. By pitching it to the Graveyard, I can increase my life points equal the attack of one Aroma monster in my Graveyard. I choose Aromage Angelica! So, I gain 100 Life Points!" [Yuno LP: 4200+100=4300]
"So, what?" Alexander pointed out.
"I then activate the effect of Dried Winds! When I gain Life Points I can target one monster you control and destroy it. Your Alien Overlord is gone!" With those words, a sudden sharp gust of wind blew into Alien Overlord shattering it.
As Overlord was destroyed another pink blob alien appeared on the pyramid…
"Huh." Alexander blinked. "Nevertheless, I still have Alien Warrior. And…" Suddenly an action Card appeared in between his fingers. "This."
Yuno blinked. "How…?"
"Searched one of those building while you were blathering on about Life Points and what not," Alexander explained with a sneer. "Alien Warrior attacks Bergamot! When an Alien monster attacks another monster with A-Counters, that monster loses 300 ATK and DEF times the number of A-counters on it!"
[Aromage Bergamot ATK:2400-600=1800]
"Next up is the Action Spell! First Draw! Alien Warrior's attack increases by 700!"
[Alien Warrior ATK: 1800+700=2500]
Alien Warrior drove its claws straight through the belly of the Bergamot and crushed the poor monster in its claws. Yuno was pushed back by her monster's sudden destruction and force of Alien Warrior's attack. [Yuno LP: 4300-700=3600]
"With that…" Alexander snorted, with a flourish of his hand. "I end my turn." He smiled. "You're pretty good, lady. You've surprised me." He began to walk to the side, clearly heading for one of the rusty shacks near to him. "Still you're not all that special. You're entire play style. It's a gimmick. A paltry trick."
Yuno snorted. "Says you, Mr. Counterman," she said back, as she drew a card.
Alexander shrugged. "What can I say? I'm a hypocrite true and true." He suddenly dashed forward taking cover in a saloon, going completely silent.
Yuno scowled. "It's my turn!" she shouted. "I activate the second effect of Humid Winds. When my Life Points are lower than my opponents, I gain 500 Life Points!" [Yuno LP: 3600+500=4100] She smirked. "Dried Winds effect! I can destroy one monster one the field! I choose Alien Warrior!" Alien Warrior shattered. As it was destroyed another A-Counter appeared on the pyramid.
"See?" she shouted up to Reiko, with a crazed grin. "I can win! You'll pay for underestimating me!"
"Hmph." Reiko just gave Yuno a glare.
"From my hand, I summon Aromage Rosemary!" Another mage, this time wearing a blue robe and with blue hair appeared on the field just next to Bergamot. [Aromage Rosemary Lv.4 ATK:1800] "Next I activate Aromaseraphy Angelica's effect from my Graveyard! When I control and Aroma monster and my Life Points are higher than my opponents, I can special summon it from the Graveyard! Be revived, Angelica!" A small fairy with four wings, white hair and big blue eyes flew out of a small purple portal, taking its place next to Rosemary. [Aromaseraphy Angelica Lv.1 ATK:0]
"That's a tuner!" Misaki exclaimed.
"A tuner?" Roy repeated with a frown. "You mean she's going to…"
"Yep!"
"Level 1 Aromaseraphy Angelica tunes with Level 4 Aromage Rosemary!" Yuno shouted, as her two monsters flew up into the air. "The fairy who breathes life into others. Reveal thyself! Send us on the path of healing! SYNCHRO SUMMON! Level 5! Aromaseraphy Rosemary!" Aromage Rosemary materialized in a bright light, not sporting the two winds that Angelica had and a crook intertwined with flowers. [Aromaseraphy Rosemary Lv. 5 ATK:2000]
"She's done it!" Yuta cheered. "A synchro summon!"
"I can't believe it!" Misaki cried, clasping her hands in front of her. "That's incredible! I've never seen her do one so fast!"
Roy looked bewildered. "Is that impressive?" he asked.
"Very!" Misaki told him.
"Battle!" Yuno yelled, pointing at the building that Alexander was currently hiding out in. "Aromaseraphy Rosemary attacks you directly! And when Rosemary is on the field all Plant-Type monsters gain 500 attack! Go, Miracle Wind!" Rosemary raised its crook and sent a blast of heated wind at the building. [Aromaseraphy Rosemary ATK: 2000+500=2500]
"Action Spell!" Alexander suddenly shouted, rolling out of the building. "Lucky Draw! I draw one card and apply and effect based on what I drew!" He drew and showed Yuno what it was. "It's a trap card! Meaning I take only half the battle damage for the turn!" A bubble appeared around him blocking most of Rosemary's attack. [Alexander LP: 4000-1250=2750]
Yuno scowled. "A set one card on the field and end my turn!" she announced, as another set card materialized in front of her.
"Draw!" Alexander announced. "First, I activate the effect of Code A Ruins! I remove two counters from itself to special summon an Alien monster from my Graveyard!" The two counters on the giant pyramid behind Alexander disappeared. "I special summon Alien Overlord from my Graveyard!" The multi-arm horror appeared back on the field, letting out a huge roar, making Roy's skin crawl. "I activate Overlord's effect and attach one A-Counter to Rosemary!"
Another pink blob creature appeared on Rosemary's arm, much to the fairy's distaste. [Aromaseraphy Rosemary A-Counters:1]
Alexander glanced over his hand, before he jumped onto Alien Overlord's back. "Go!" he yelled suddenly, his voice echoing throughout the arena. Alien Overlord charged forward, its huge body stomping around making the ground underneath Yuno shake.
It took a second for Yuno to understand what Alexander was doing. "Shit," she swore, as Rosemary drifted over to her. She grabbed the fairy's leg. "Go!" she said, quickly and Rosemary flew into the air.
"So, now they're looking for Action Cards at the same time," Roy commentated, having gotten a good hang on how the game usually went. "If Yuno can get something good, then she could win this in the next turn, right?"
Yuta nodded, enthusiastically. "Even then, what's that guy going to pull to even get an edge up?' he pointed out. "Yuno still has her two trap cards and that one set one."
Misaki looked a bit more reserved. "Yeah, but…" She bit her lip. "Isn't this going a bit too well?" she asked.
"What do you mean?" Roy asked.
"It's just…" Misaki winced, not liking the fact that she was doubting her friend's skill, but she felt like she had to say something anyway. "All of Yuno's cards only work when she's winning. Her opponent knows this… so why isn't he doing anything?"
"Maybe he can't?" Yuta pointed out. "Bad hand?"
That did nothing to wave away Misaki's worries. "Perhaps," she sighed. "Perhaps."
After a couple of seconds of searching, Yuno's eyes narrowed on a thin piece of paper in between the planks of a ruined house, on the opposite side of the field. "There!" she shouted, as Rosemary shot forward.
At the same time, Alexander spotted a card hidden underneath a cracked bottle on the ground. "There!" he shouted, as Overlord charged forward.
The two passed each other, solidly focused on the goals in front of them, the audience having gone silent in anticipation of what would happen. The two grabbed their cards at the same time and spun around the moment that they grabbed them.
Yuno froze, staring at her card, before her mind readjusted herself. "I can't use it now," she muttered, eyeing Alexander carefully, as to see what he would do. "But I can save it." She hesitated. "Just in case."
Alexander smirked. "Action Spell! Lucky Draw!" He drew a card. "It's a trap! Meaning I can negate the effects of all special summoned monsters on the field! Your Rosemary loses 500 attack since its effect is negated!" [Rosemary ATK 2500-500]
"Tch!" Yuno looked at the action card in her hand. None of the effects it had would be any use in this battle.
Alexander jumped off Overlord. "Overlord attack Aromaseraphy Rosemary!" he ordered, as the cannons on Alien Overlord's chest began to glow.
"I activate my trap card!" Yuno quickly said, flipping over her trap. "Plant Food Chain! I can equip this card to one of my monsters and it gains 500 attack!" A vine with a large mouth on the end, attached itself to Rosemary's left arm. [Aromaseraphy Rosemary ATK: 2000+500=2500]
"Of course." Alexander simply shrugged. "In that case, I set one monster and one card on the field ending my turn!" A horizontal face-down appeared next to Overlord along with a vertical one just behind it. "Of course, this means all monster's effects return." [Aromaseraphy Rosemary ATK: 2500+500=3000]
"My turn! Draw!" Yuno drew her card. She placed the action card at the end of her hand, only intending to use it if she ever got in a pinch. She didn't need it now. "I activate the Continuous Spell Card Miracle Fertilizer!" She announced. "With it I can special summon one Plant-type monster from my graveyard. I special summon Aromage Bergamot!" The red haired Aromage of the group, reappeared next to Aromaseraphy. [Aromage Bergamot ATK: 2400] "Unfortunately, this means I can't normal summon this turn."
Alexander smirked. "Small price to pay, isn't it?" he laughed to himself.
Yuno narrowed her eyes. "Battle!" she announced. "Bergamot attacks Alien Overlord! Bergamot gains 500 attack from Rosemary's effect! Ravaging Rose!" Bergamot raised its hand and fired a blast of fire, that formed itself into that shape of a rose, as it burned Alien Overlord to dust. Alexander didn't move, as fire passed right by him, singing his hair. [Alexander LP: 2750-700=2050]
"Next Rosemary!" Yuno shouted. "Attack his face-down! When a plant-type monster attacks and I have more life points than my opponent, then all Plant-type monsters deal piercing damage!" Bergamot snapped her fingers as Rosemary glowed with red energy. Rosemary on the other hand raised her crook, as a small light beam emerged from it, striking the face-down. It flipped itself up, revealing a small cowering alien just before it shattered. [Alien Gray DEF: 800] However at the exact moment it shattered, a pink blob alien appeared on the arm of Bergamot. [Aromage Bergamot A-Counters: 1]
The blast just passed Alexander, striking the ground beneath his feet. He stumbled back, but amazingly was still holding himself upright. [Alexander LP: 2050-1900=150]
Yuno blinked. "It didn't…" she started to say.
Alexander rolled his eyes. "You forgot about the counters girlie. Whenever your monster battles an Alien monster with it, they lose 300 attack and defense. Still…" He coughed sand out of his lungs. "You did manage to scratch me quite a bit. I should return the favor next turn." He drew a card from his deck. "Also, whenever Gray is destroyed by battle I can draw one card." He winked. "Thanks."
Yuno shook her head and grinned. "No problem. Glad to help." She had to admit it to herself, that she was rather enjoying this entire duel. Was this what winning felt like? "I'll end my turn," she announced, a grin escaping her face.
Reiko continued to watch the match. In her seat, she could easily see Alexander's hand. She let out a sigh. "Pathetic."
"Draw!" Alexander drew his card and smiled. "I activate the effect of A Cell Recombination Device in my Graveyard! I can banish it and add one Alien monster from my deck to my hand." A card slid out of his deck and he added it to his hand.
Yuno gripped the singular card in her hand. What was he planning…?
She got her answer rather quickly. "I normal summon Alien Ammonite!" A floating alien head with sharp clawed tentacles appeared on the field. [Alien Ammonite Lv.1 ATK: 500] "Then I activate the effect of Alien Dog from my hand! I can special summon it when I normal summon an Alien monster!" Next to Ammonite, a pale skinned Dog with a rather large bone in its mouth jumped onto the sad, taking its place next to Ammonite. [Alien Dog Lv.3 ATK: 1500] "When Alien Dog is summoned this way it adds two A-Counters to a monster of my choice!" The dog spat out two more pink blobs onto Rosemary's legs, making the monster cringe.
Yuno did too, but she kept her attention rapt. Something big was coming and she had a gut feeling it would be bad. But still she had all sorts of countermeasures in place, in case it did happen, so she wasn't too worried.
Alexander wasn't done. "Alien Ammonite's effect! I can special summon one level four or lower Alien monster from my Graveyard! Come back, Alien Warrior!" [Alien Warrior Lv.4 ATK: 1800]
"Alien Ammonites tunes itself with Alien Warrior!" Alexander yelled, as Yuno's eyes grew wide. "Fortress of the unearthly beings, descend upon onto this realm and spread your wrath! SYNCHRO SUMMON! Level 5! Cosmic Fortress Gol'gar!" This synchro monster was massive, about twice the size of Rosemary. It was another Alien, sitting in a large vehicle with several tentacles extending out from his back. Two glowing green eyes stared down at Yuno. She gulped. [Cosmin Fortress Gol'gar Lv.5 ATK:2600]
"Gol'gar's effect!" Alexander said. "I can bounce all face-up Spell and Trap cards on the field and distribute A-counters based on the number of that were sent back to the hand!" Gol'gar fired several laser beams at all the Spell and Trap cards that Yuno controlled along with the one continuous one that Alexander had controlled.
[Aromaseraphy Rosemary A-Counters: 2]
[Aromage Bergamot A-Counters: 3]
[Cosmic Fortress Gol'gar A-Counters:2]
Yuno could only watch as all her Spell and Trap cards were suddenly returned to her hand, even more pink blobs were attached to her monsters. She bit her lip. "S-So?!" she countered. "I still have-!"
"I activate my continuous trap card!" Alexander interrupted, flipping his trap card face-up. "I activate this if I control an Alien monster, like Alien Dog! I can take control of up to three monsters my opponent has, that have A-counters on them So that means I control both Aromaseraphy Rosemary and Aromage Bergamot!" The two monster's eyes suddenly turned light green, as they slowly floated over to Alexander's field, leaving Yuno completely defenseless.
"She's got nothing on her field!" Roy cried, surprised at how quickly the table had turned on her.
"Not so fast," Misaki quickly said, calming both Roy and Yuta. "She's still got her action card. She can come back from this. She can."
"I activate the Action Spell!" Yuno announced, not letting the worry she was feeling on the inside show on her face. "Lucky Draw! I draw one card and apply an effect based on the card I drew!" She gripped the card on the top of her deck, knowing that this could save her. "I draw!" she announced, drawing her card, with her eyes closed.
A few seconds passed before she looked at her card. "Monster!" She looked ecstatic. "I can special summon one monster from my Graveyard! I special summon Aromage Jasmine!" The mage from the beginning of the duel reappeared on the field. [Aromage Jasmine DEF: 1900]
"I activate Cosmic Fortress Gol'gar's second effect!" Alexander announced, as his big synchro monster began to move. "I can detach two A-Counters from it and destroy one monster on the field!" Two counters disappeared from Gol'gar's massive body. [Cosmic Fortress Gol'gar's A-Counters: 0] Gol'gar looked at Aromage Jasmine, as a giant light beam from his eyes zapped the poor monster to dust.
"Jasmine!" Yuno cried, looking horrified. Her comeback…
"Battle!" Alexander announced. "Cosmic Fortress Gol'gar and Alien Dog… attacks directly!" Alien Dog opened its mouth and fired a beam of pure energy while Gol'gar fired another large beam at the same time.
The last thing, Yuno saw was a bright green light rushing towards her before she blacked out.
Xxx
When Yuno woke up a second later, she was on the ground lying on her back. Everyone around her was silent, and the action field was slowly fading away. She pulled herself to a sitting position to see that Alexander was waving at the crowd, grinning and smiling. He caught her staring at him, and quickly averted his eyes from her, keeping his focus on the cheering crowd.
Yuno looked back at the crowd, to see that no one was paying her any attention, aside from her two friends and the reporter in the stands. She quickly hopped to her feet and exited the arena stiffly, gritting her teeth.
Roy felt Misaki tug at his sleeve. He looked over to her and whispered a quiet, "What?" He had his camera held up intending to take a picture of the match's winner.
"We're going to Yuno," Misaki mumbled, getting ready to stand up. Yuta nodded and stood up as well, beginning to inch himself out of the stands.
Roy didn't want to leave yet. "Wait," he protested. "I just want one picture-!"
"Now!" Misaki hissed, her face turning terrifying for a second, that made Roy's heart skip a beat.
"R-right!" he quickly said, following her and Yuta out of the crowd that was still chanting Alexander's name.
A few minutes later, the four of them were standing outside the store. Luckily most of the crowd that had watched their match, were still in the basement. Yuno slammed her fist into the wall and grit her teeth. "I…I lost…" she muttered, unable process.
"Yuno…" Misaki gave her a sad look.
"You still did pretty great, Yuno," Roy tried to reassure the poor girl.
"Roy's right!" Yuta agreed, with slightly more force. "Your deck was really good! You had Alexander pretty much backed into a corner the entire time. I was surprised that you even -!"
"She lost." A new voice suddenly interrupted. "Please boy. Do not mince your words. She'll never accept reality if you keep doing that." They all turned around to see Reiko standing there staring at them with an impassive face.
Yuno froze, before she scowled. "Here to rub it in my face, aren't you? Tell me how much you enjoyed watching me fail, again?"
Reiko shook her head. "Actually no. That is incorrect. I'm here to talk to you about the deal we had made yesterday."
Misaki moved in front of Yuno, glaring at Reiko. "You're sick," she told her bluntly. "Even now, you intending to make the two of our lives as horrible as possible. Haven't you gotten bored of it?" She glanced behind her, to see that Yuno wasn't even listening. She was just staring at the ground; her eyes having gone blank after remembering the deal.
"You're still completely wrong, you dullards. I have gotten bored of doing that. Don't assume." She yawned. "Remember the exact words of the deal were that if I won you would quit dueling and if you won then I would cancel the deal I made with the owner." She smiled, eerily. "However, neither of those results came to pass, didn't they?"
"Huh?" Yuno looked up at her with wide eyes.
"This agreement is officially null and void," Reiko explained. "Neither results have come to pass thus nothing will happen."
Roy was stunned. "You planned this…?"
Reiko's smile grew wider and she turned away from the small group. "I hope you learn from this experience, my dear friends." She began to walk away.
"Do not cross me."
Xxx
"I fucking hate fangirls," Alexander scowled, pulling his hood over his head, trying to get noticed by anyone in the fancy restaurant that Reiko had brought him to. After his win, she had invited him here and he had graciously accepted. He didn't often get the chance to go somewhere as fancy as this. "Dumbasses. All of them."
"Please keep all that coarse language in her mind, Alexander," Reiko scolded lightly, sipping her tea. "It's unbecoming."
"Tch." Alexander rolled his eyes. "I'll whatever the fuck I want. Don't give a shit. Only came here for free food and to ask you a question."
"Ask away."
"Why did you want me to beat up that girl?" he asked. "I'm not saying she was bad, but you could've beat her. Hell, I used a starter deck I had found in the store to nuke her."
Reiko stayed silent.
"Not answering, huh?" Alexander leaned back and groaned. "Can't say I didn't expect it, but I was hoping that you would act less like a self-absorbent prick here." He shrugged. "Oh well. Can't say it was unexpected."
"It was a warning," she finally replied.
"A warning?" Alexander groaned. "Only you would go use such a roundabout way for something so simple." He leaned forward. "What was it?"
"I was trying to make them understand the hierarchy and where they stand in it. Yuno does not understand her place, and while I'm sure Misaki understand full well, she would never admit it aloud." She smiled. "However, knowing Yuno she would never accept it laying down. So, the warning was more so a challenge perhaps." She shrugged.
"I understand finding the green girl an interesting challenge," Alexander said with a shrug. "But trying to provoke that murdering bitch? What's your angle?"
"My angle…" Reiko repeated, staring out a window. "Maybe it's because…" She fell silent, as all of Alexander's food arrived at the table, it practically overfilled the small table they had been given and not even one of it was for Reiko.
Alexander eyes her carefully. "You are paying for this right?"
Reiko sighed. "Yes. Yes I am."
"Great." Alexander grinned and began to chow down with incredible gusto.
Xxx
Yuno stared at hands blankly, sitting on her bed back at home. An entire night had passed since she had lost to Alexander and she hadn't slept a wink. She hadn't even bothered to go to school for today and was currently skipping Cira's class.
"I lost," she muttered, for probably hundredth time.
Suddenly someone knocked on her door, startling her out of her depression. She got up from her bed and soothed her hair back, before she opened it up. The moment she did, however, she let out a small startled gasp, as Cira looked down at her with a blank stare. "What are you-?" she started to ask, stumbling over her words.
"Can I come in?" she asked, peeking into the empty house. "I ended class early today to come talk to you."
Silently, Yuno nodded and moved aside to let Cira in. Cira say down at the table in the dining room, while Yuno quickly whipped up some tea. The moment that she placed the cup down in front of Cira, her sensei had smiled. "You're a very good cook, you know that?"
Yuno grinned sheepishly. "Well you have to get good to dead with young immature brats every day! You're just lucky everyone is in after-school care right now!" She laughed cheerfully, that quickly died in a few seconds.
Cira took a sip. "I heard about the duel from Misaki."
Yuno's spirits dropped. "Oh. She told you about it," she muttered, averting her eyes.
"Are you okay?" Cira asked. "I also heard that you didn't come to school."
Yuno winced. "Not particularly," she muttered. "It's just… that loss really hurt a lot more than any of my other ones. I prepared so much, so why did I lose?" She started to sound desperate. "Sensei, do you know? Why did I lose?"
"I do not know," Cira admitted. "Just know what matters is how you bounce back and learn from this loss."
"You say that but I have no idea what I could've learned from it." Yuno sighed. "I just… I just…" She clenched her fist. "I enjoy dueling as much as anyone else." She looked around at her empty room. "I was hoping that I could use it to bring some happiness to these kids' lives. Or maybe I could've made some money from behind an Action Duelist and helped support my family."
"That's an admirable dream, Yuno," Cira complimented.
"But then, why did I lose?" Yuno asked. "Isn't it the one who believes the most the one who wins." She hesitated. "I-I just want to help my family." She stole a glance to a nearby cupboard where she was hiding the syringe she had gotten from Industrial Illusions.
"Duels are not won by believing that you'll win," Cira pointed out. "They are won through skill and the occasional luck. Do not place too much faith in your ability to win against all odds."
"I-I don't!" Yuno cried. "I just wanted to win that once. Is that so wrong?!"
"It's not, Yuno," Cira said. "The cards just weren't in your favor this time. There'll be other times won't there?" She smiled. "I know you. You'll bounce back. You'll be same Yuno that everyone in class enjoys being, around won't you? Cheerful, Optimistic, and Confident. Those are your best traits after all."
Yuno let out a sigh. "I just have to try harder next time?"
Cira nodded.
"You're right." Yuno said with a nod. "Don't worry. Tomorrow I'll be back to my normal self. But next time, I'm not losing to Reiko. Not until she finally apologizes for what she did to me and Misaki!"
Cira blinked. "What did she do if you don't mind my asking?"
Yuno shook her head. "Actually, I do mind," she admitted. "It's just something Misaki and I don't want to talk about. Just yet."
Cira hesitated. "I understand," she said with a nod, before pulling a small notebook out of her purse. "In any case, I got you the schoolwork that you missed from my class today, along with some that Misaki told me to bring to you."
Yuno hesitated. "You don't think…?"
"No."
"I thought so."
Xxx
Action Cards:
First Draw: Action Quick-Play Spell
Effect: Target one monster you control, only that monster may attack this turn and increase its ATK by 700 until the end of the turn. Your opponent cannot activate cards in response to this effect or effects that target the monster that was target until the end of the Battle Phase.
Lucky Draw: Action Quick-Play Spell
Effect: You can activate this card on your opponent's turn directly from your hand. Draw one card and apply the following effects based on the card.
Monster: Special summon one monster from your Graveyard.
Spell: Half all battle damage taken this turn
Trap: Negate the effects of all Special Summoned monsters until the end of this turn.
After the effect resolves, send the card that was drawn to the Graveyard.
An interesting chapter if I do say so myself. Nothing more to say other than that reviews and constructive criticism are appreciated.
Next time…
Shiniji Honda is a budding engineer looking to improve the way that Action Dueling is done… through the science behind Action Fields. His only interests in life is perfecting his invention and his garage, which it his only place that he can truly enjoy the time with his friends. However, when a mysterious masked boy named Yuto suddenly faces, he is finally given a chance to test out his invention and prove his worth! However will he be able to face a soldier from another dimension?
Find out in… "Our Garage!"