A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS!
Some ideas in this story are influenced by the story, Ignorance by EibonVirgo. The ideas go to her.
Me: We're back
Akiza: So we're finally going to get a duel?
Me: Yep. I know it should've happened sooner but I hate writing duels.
Keeo: What's going to happen in the duel?
Me: You'll find out.
Akiza: Keeo, don't be bothered by her secrets. She's doing it for the readers' sake.
Me: Thank you. Now to the chapter!
Chapter 7: Duel
Third Person POV
"I think I'll go first," Akiza declared drawing her card. "I'll summon Violet Witch (Attack 1100/ Defense 1200) in attack mode. Next I think I'll activate Black Garden. So as long as this card is face up, any monster summoned through something other than the effect of Black Garden will have its attack points cut in half. I end my turn with one face down."
Commander Koda, her opponent, drew a card. "I know why you played Black Garden. You wish to be able to make friends. But this is the attitude your friends and family took I set one face down. That's it for now," he said. "That card symbolizes all the people Akiza has met before. No one wants to be friends with a witch. Well, other than one who is a witch herself." He looked at Keeo for a second. Akiza and Keeo did nothing showing they were unaffected by his words. Koda pointed at Akiza. "Everyone is afraid of those unwavering eyes. The ones that gaze hard at others."
As Akiza drew her card, she glanced at Keeo who nodded. "I'll attack you directly with Violet Witch," Akiza ordered.
Keeo used her powers and created a barrier made of air making it so Koda was not harmed while his life points dropped to 2900.
"Unbelievable! One of those two just created a barrier to protect Commander Koda. But why?" MC asked.
"I'll tell you why," Keeo said. "Because Akiza and I are not what we appear to be. Akiza actually looked at me asking to protect him. We are not monsters. We just want to fit in but your discrimination and hatred towards us forces our hand. I protected him because Akiza and I both knew it was the right thing to do. We are not monsters."
Everyone looked at the two silent.
"Huh, you think because you protect me once, it makes up for all that you have hurt?" Koda responded. "You have hurt others far more than you have protected." Akiza and Keeo glared at him. "Three years ago, you hurt a classmate with that same card. Since then you were feared by everyone and began to drift away from them. Just like my face down."
Akiza gave a surprised look. "How did you know about that?" she wondered aloud.
Koda pointed at her again. "Your powers are horrible and they are in need of punishment," he growled. "I activate Crime and Punishment. This destroys that Violet Witch."
"Well then, I use my monster's effect to summon Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis," Akiza declared.
Keeo listened to the thoughts of the audience. Some agreed with Koda still but others seemed to question whether we were really monsters now. Some were debating whether we could use our powers to protect people. It made Keeo relieved to hear such thoughts. She turned her attention back to the duel.
"That is another card rich in significance to the past sixteen years," Koda said. "I use another effect of Crime and Punishment. This allows me to summon Agent of Hatred (Attack 0/ Defense 0) from my hand." The monster took its place in defense mode. Black Garden reached out and grabbed it despite it having no attack points. A Rose Token (Attack 800/ Defense 800) appeared on Akiza's field. "Now I use Agent of Hatred's effect to regain my life points," Koda declared as his life points returned to 4000.
Akiza drew her card. "I summon Phoenixian Seed," she declared. Black Garden's effect halved the attack points and a Rose Token appeared on the Koda's field. "I'll activate Rose Flame. This inflicts 500 points of direct damage."
Keeo protected Koda again and more thoughts began to lean towards them not being true monsters. His points dropped to 3500.
"Are we re-enacting the incident from when you were five? The same day you first won a duel?" Koda taunted. Akiza looked surprised as did Keeo. She had gotten a vision of when Akiza hurt her father by accident when she first met her. It was the first time her powers emerged and she got her mark. "The thrill of winning for the first time awakened the powers that had lied subconsciously with you."
Keeo could tell Akiza was getting distressed and put a hand on her shoulder. Akiza looked at her and calmed down. She turned to Koda. "My powers do more than damage what is around me. They damage people's hearts. But they continue to grow," she said.
Keeo looked at Koda showing with her eyes that she was same. "Akiza and I don't like hurting people. But we also have a hard time controlling our powers and that's what gets people hurt. It isn't by choice," she added.
"You expect me to believe that?" Koda said.
Yusei, Sayer, and Jack watched the duel intently. Yusei noticed how the crowd seemed to be in shock.
"That's it Akiza and Keeo. Make them realize you aren't monsters," Sayer muttered and Yusei heard it.
He looked at Sayer. There was something in Sayer's eyes. Something Yusei found unnerving. 'What is Sayer thinking? Does he really want Akiza to cause damage?' Yusei thought.
Koda began his turn. "Akiza and Keeo, you hurt people and you never care about who you hurt. You are monsters and this world is for humans," he said. "I play Mind Monster. Thanks to this card I can use a monster from your extra deck to deliver you damage equal to half its attack points. And I choose your Black Rose Dragon!" he declared. A lump of slime appeared and took form of Black Rose Dragon. It fired at Akiza so Keeo created their own barrier.
Meanwhile Keeo heard some distressing thoughts. It appeared that suddenly, people were beginning to lean to Koda's side again and were pleased Akiza took damage. Her life points dropped to 2800. 'Why can't they see that we aren't monsters?' she thought.
"Keeo," Akiza called. Keeo looked at her friend. "We should stop protecting Koda. He doesn't deserve to be protected." Keeo nodded in agreement.
"I switch my Rose Token to defense mode and end my turn," Koda declared.
Akiza drew. 'Even if wounds on one's body heal, the wounds on their mind never fade away,' Akiza thought staring at her card. 'I turn pain into power. And it isn't entirely by choice.'
"What's wrong? Doesn't the Arcadia Movement have their hopes in your power?" Koda taunted tearing Akiza out of her thoughts.
"I come here for those who believe in me. I have the power they need. And so does Keeo," Akiza said. "I send Phoenixian Seed to the graveyard to summon Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis." Black Garden immediately halved its attack points (Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis: Attack 1100) and summoned another Rose Token to Koda's field. This caused Koda to receive another 500 points of direct damage making Koda's life point drop to 3000. "Now Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis, attack his Rose Token!" Akiza ordered. Due to its effect Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis got destroyed and Koda took 300 points of damage from the token. His life points dropped 2700.
"Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis second ability kicks in. This deals you another 800 points of damage," Akiza declared. Koda's life points dropped to 1900 and he fell to the ground.
"Why aren't they protecting him anymore?" a woman asked.
"Is the Commander right? Do they really not care who they hurt?" MC asked out loud.
Some of Commander Koda's life points were regained thanks to his Agent of Hatred increasing his life points to 2200. He stood up badly beaten from the attacks.
"I set a card face down and end my turn," Akiza declared. Since it was the end of her turn, Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis returned to her field in defense position with Black Garden halving its attack points and summoning another token to Koda's side of the field and Rose Flame inflicted another 500 points of damage making Koda's life points stand at 1700.
Koda drew his card. "I tribute my three tokens to summon my Mad Profiler (Attack 2600/ Defense 1600) in attack position!" The monster's attack was cut in half (Mad Profiler: Attack 1300) and a Rose Token appeared on Akiza's field. "I use the effect of Mad Profiler. By discarding a card from my hand and sending it to the graveyard, I can remove from play one card that was the same type as the card I discarded. And I will remove Black Garden!" Both Mad Profiler's and Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis' attack point returned to 2600 and 2200. "Next I'll activate Mind on Air! This removes Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis from play. So now my Mad Profiler will attack you Rose Token!" The Profiler attacked and though the token wasn't destroyed, Akiza still took damage dropping her life points to 1000 and Keeo prevented either of them from being hurt. "Next I will equip Mad Profiler with Destruction Insurance. So now if you destroy Mad Profiler, you will take damage equal to half its attack. Now wouldn't that drop your life points to zero, Akiza?" Akiza said nothing. "Next I think I equip my Mad Profiler with Lightlow Protection. So now if you change the attack of Mad Profiler through card effect, that card will be destroyed. Now I'll end my turn."
Akiza drew her card beginning her turn. "I summon Twilight Rose Knight. And I think I'll tune it with my two Rose Tokens to synchro summon. Come forth, Black Rose Dragon!" Akiza declared.
Keeo's arm begins to burn along with Akiza. 'Is Yusei's glowing too?' she thought. She heard the slightly frightened thoughts from the audience.
"Bring it on, Akiza," Koda taunted. "I'll be the one to the tables. You and your friend are monsters both who abandoned what they knew. You, Akiza, you abandoned your parents.
Keeo glared daggers at the man and the wind began to pick up a bit. Akiza's pin fell out of her hair causing her long bangs to dangle in her face. People began to get even more afraid some getting up.
"You will not get away with trampling on the feelings of others, Koda," Akiza growled.
"With my equip spells and Hate Agent, I cannot lose!" Koda pointed out.
Yusei and Jack watched shocked as the two girls' powers began to react. "Which one's causing the wind?" Jack asked.
"Nicely done, you two. Don't hold anything back. Show them you are not to be messed with," Sayer said quietly.
"What're you saying, Sayer? Do you really want them to hurt these people?" Yusei asked hearing him. Yusei then remembered what Keeo said before Goodwin's guard came.
~Flashback~
"I know that. But you seem to have a harder time with me. What's wrong with you? What happened to the Keeo who wouldn't hurt a soul on purpose?" he asked.
"That Keeo? She's still there but this Keeo isn't afraid to hurt someone. People hurt me and they should feel the bit of pain I've felt since getting these powers," she answered. "Sayer has shown me the way. Standing up to people is the only way to make them stop."
"You can get them to stop just by showing them you're the girl I remember you are. Kind yet strong," Yusei said gently. "People stopped discriminating me and I'm a Satellite. All because I showed them I'm not what they thought I was."
Keeo shook my head. "That's because the Satellites aren't known to hurt people like psychics are. The people here are cruel to us because they think we hurt them on purpose. For psychics, people won't stop until you make them. The Arcadia Movement has taught me that if I feel, I won't have to think about how many people have tried to kill me and Akiza. How many people have tried to tear us apart physically and mentally. Sayer is the only one who understands a psychic's pain," she retorted.
~Flashback Ended~
Sayer did nothing but smirk.
Jack looked at him. "What are you did you say to her, Sayer?" he growled.
"It is one thing for a Satellite to be able to win the hearts of the people easily and stop the discrimination. But that is because they aren't known to hurt many people. Psychics, however, are a different story. The only way to get people to stop is to show them we should not be messed with. Keeo and Akiza have accepted that the only way to get the discrimination to stop is by force," Sayer said.
"You're the one who planted that thought into their brains, Sayer. You're the one who has turned Keeo into something she's not," Yusei said.
"I may have told them to stand up to the people of New Domino but I didn't turn Keeo into what she is now. She became like this on her own. Just having a bit of influence from her experiences and through the guidance of the Arcadia Movement," Sayer said.
Jack growled angrily followed by Yusei. "You don't think you'll get away with this, right?" Jack said.
"I activate the effect of Black Rose Dragon! By removing Phoenixian Seed from play, I can reduce Mad Profiler's effect to zero," Akiza declared.
"I activate the effect Lightlow Protection! Now your Black Rose Dragon is destroyed!" Koda challenged. Akiza's dragon when destroyed. Akiza's mark grew brighter.
- - -
"So, Akiza is a Signer," Lazar said to Goodwin.
"Yes, but looked at Keeo's arm herself," Goodwin responded. They looked at the glow. "Now what mark could that be?"
"I play Rose Curse! Now you take damage equal to the new attack and original attack of Mad Profiler," Akiza declared.
Koda's face was shown full of fear. Petals flew around Koda at extreme speeds ripping chunks out of the ground as they do so. Keeo's wind was making it worse.
As soon as the petals cleared, Koda was lying in a hole left from the torn concrete.
"An emergency squad is needed immediately! And on another note, Akiza Izinski is the winner and will be in the finals!" the MC declared.
Akiza and Keeo walked away ignoring the insults and hated thoughts thrown at them.
They walked through the halls and Sayer met up with them. Keeo noticed Yusei and Jack watching at a distance.
"I am impressed by both of your performances. You did an excellent job," Sayer said.
"Thank you, Sayer," Keeo said and Akiza followed.
"Now come. You two must be tired and we should be heading back," Sayer said.
"Yes, Sayer," Akiza said and Keeo nodded.
As they walked away, Sayer placed a hand on each of their backs. Yusei glared angrily.
"He really did change Keeo. How bad is he manipulating her?" Jack asked.
"I don't know and I don't like it one bit. I'll get the Keeo with knew back," Yusei said.
"Something we can agree on, huh? I'll see you later, Yusei," Jack said walking away.
Tanner came up with the rest of the group. "What do you make of Akiza's card, Yusei?" he asked.
"I feel like there is rejection and anger in Akiza. But there's something else lying dormant too," Yusei answered.
Me: That's it.
Akiza: I'm a bit glad Koda got hurt he deserved it.
Keeo: No kidding. I'm ready to smash him again.
Me: Koda's down and out. Let's leave him be before we go after him again.
Keeo: *groans* Fine.
Me: Well that's it for this chapter. See you later readers!
-bricann
