Fun Fact: Eva Braun does not exist in Yuri's fanfiction. She has been completely left out, and certain roles have been taken over by Yuri's self-insert.
Chapter Summary: The duel with Sawatari heads towards the climax. Yuya's crusade rages on, but someone's intervention threatens to change the course of the fight.
Sawatari was alive. He had grabbed on to one of the window wills of the house's second story.
He looked down to see his feet as they dangled several feet above the ground. The street below was solid brick; even if the Action Duel fields were often softer than the real thing, it would have been a very, very bad fall from several storys.
Sawatari sighed. And now that he has time to relax, he felt something under his right hand... A card. Wait, a card? An Action Card!
Sawatari grabbed the card, then quickly pressed it onto his Duel Disk's blade.
"Action Card - Miracle!" he screamed. Yuya was waiting for this. He waited for Sawatari to move before he really commenced with his attack. "Now, Odd-Eyes."
Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon opened its mouth. A spinning vortex of flame spun out from its mouth and flew across the field. It engulfed Stygian Sergeants in a sea of flames.
"When Odd-Eyes battles a monster, battle damage you take is doubled."
"My monster isn't destroyed, and I only take half the damage!" Sawatari cried out. "The Black Fallen Lord, Sawatari saved it, yet again!"
Odd-Eyes closed its mouth, and the flames arounds the Sergeants faded. Sawatari's monster remained on the field, burnt and charred and still alive.
(Sawatari: 4200 2300)
Hope it was worth it, Yuya, Yuri grumbled. If you didn't give him time to get that card, we could have won by now. Shake my head, fam.
Yuya, I don't think we're doing the right thing, Yuto added.
"I end my turn," Yuya sighed. "Sawatari, I'm Sawa-sorry I couldn't win this turn. But I'll try and finish you off next turn, so be ready!"
"Don't you dare take pity on me," Sawatari hissed. "And stop going easy on me! This is a duel, and we're dueling."
Yuya ended the turn with one card in his hand and 2500 Life Points. On his field were his Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and U Go Golem, both in attack mode, and his two Pendulum Scales.
"I want to beat you, Sakaki," Sawatari grumbled. "But I won't want to beat you when you're going easy on me. Draw!"
Sawatari drew a card. Just like Yuya, the card his drew felt a little lonesome without anyone by its side. But that wasn't Sawatari's concern now.
Wait crap, this card wasn't a Tuner like he had hoped for. He was hoping to pull out a much stronger Synchro monster, but that wouldn't be happening this turn. Oh well.
"But a victory is a victory, I guess."
He jumped down from the windowsill, landing on his feet and one of his hands. He dashed to his right and turned a corner, so he was now in an open street. Yuya himself was on the other end, looking back at him curiously.
Sawatari snapped his finger and pointed upward. "Abyss Actor - Wild Hope's effect activates! Abyss Actor - Funky Comedian's Scale raises to 9!"
Funky Comedian, floating in a column of light beside Sawatari, let out a long, belly-jiggling giggle. The number underneath it increased from eight, to nine.
"With my set Pendulum Scales, I'll Pendulum Summon! Monsters, join me on the stage!"
Frin the Pendulum's circle above, four bright lights fell to the field. They landed before Sawatari, becoming a whole team of Abyss Actors - Twinkle Littlestar, Sassy Rookie, Leading Lady, and Evil Heel.
"Monster effect, activate!" Sawatari exclaimed excitedly. "When Evil Heel is summoned, I can target one of your monsters; that monster loses 1000 ATK for each Abyss Actor monster I control. And I target Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"
Evil Heel held up its hands and opened its mouth, and a dark aura emanated from Odd-Eyes's body. The shadows extended out towards Evil Heel, who greedily chomped down on them. More and more of the shadow left Odd-Eyes's body and entered Evil Heel's mouth.
(ATK 2500 → 0)
Good job, Yuya! Yuri said warmly. You didn't solve Sawatari's problems, and you're going to lose!
I'll find a way out of this, Yuri.
Before Sawatari could say any more, Yuya took a sharp turn left, down a small alley. Trailing behind him were his monsters, following him in a little line lead by Odd-Eyes.
"Don't let him get away!" Sawatari called out. "After them, Evil Heel!"
Evil Heel brought a hand to the ground, allowing his duelist to step on and climb aboard. WIth Sawatary holding tight to him Evil Heel rose up and made a mad dash for the enemies. The other Abyss Actors followed the leader on this one, happily trailing behind them.
Yuya skated down the street, past all the gray and lifeless houses. The castle on the hill was a short distance away, casting a forboding shadow over them. It made the feeling of his impending doom much more apparent.
"Come on..." Yuya muttered. "Action Card, Action Card... Where are they?"
There! From the corner of his eye, Yuya could make out a card. It was tucked halfway underneath a house's door a couple of feet away. It was partially masked by the shadows, but he was able to make it out.
"There they are!" Sawatari called. "Get Odd-Eyes!"
Yuya skated forward and dove towards the card. His body slammed onto the ground beside it. He reached out and picked it up, then placed it on his Duel Disk's blade.
"Action Card - Evasion!" Yuya called out. "Evil Heel's attack is negated!"
Sawatari egao-d for a moment. He looked down at Yuya on the floor, and the monsters around him. Now he had his former rival cornered - literally - and at his mercy. And what's better, his rival wasn't letting him take the win without a struggle.
"That was a good move, Sakaki," Sawatari said. "So I guess you'll survive this turn... Probably."
Crap. He forgot he was bad with math.
"Leading Lady attacks Odd-Eyes," Sawatari continued.
Yuya! Yugo's voice called out from deep within.
"Yugo?" Yuya mumbled. "What is it?"
You did your job, Yuya. You made him egao. But I think I can help him.
Alright, Yugo. I'm going to trust you with this.
Abyss Actor - Leading Lady extended a hand out before her. It cast out her whip, and the ropes extended across the field to ensnare Odd-Eyes. Once they hit its neck, the roped tightened around it. Odd-Eyes was left roaring in pain as the monster forcibly strangled the life out of him. It wasn't long before Odd-Eyes was destroyed.
(Yuya 2500 → 1000)
Amidst Odd-Eyes's destruction, Yugo rose up from the ground. His blue eyes looked beyond the monsters on the field and stared deeply at Saw- Oh hey, what was that on that wall?
Yuya missed that Action Card. Since he was running straight forward, he missed the card that was stuck against a wall of a house. But worryingly, it was on the building to Sawatari's left.
Yugo made a beeline for the card, skating right passed Performapal U Go Golem. This was just as Sassy Rookie jumped upon the golem and pushed it to the ground. Once the golem fell, it was destroyed.
(Yugo 1000 → 900)
"H-hey, where you going?!" Sawatari yelled. "Sakaki? What are you doing?"
Sawatari's eyes turned to where his opponent was going. He could see it, an Action Card. He squickly dashed towards it with his hands outstretched.
Yugo ran right to the wall. Like, he crashed face-first into the wall. But his face slammed into the card before Sawatari could reach it.
Yugo pushed his face from the wall, only to find his vision blocked by the Action Card. He quickly grabbed hold of the card and slammed it onto his Disk's blade.
"Ughgh... A-Action Magic - Vampiric... Yeah, whatever," Yugo groaned weakly. "You lose 400 Life Points..."
Sawatari could feel a cold, oppresive force around him. He instinctively covered his neck with his hands, but he could feel a slight, stinging pressure on it.
(Sawatari 2300 → 1900)
"... And I gain 200,"Yugo concluded.
(Yugo 900 → 1100)
Sawatari bit hit lip. But he couldn't help but smirk a little at that clutch move. Guess he deserved that for pushing his opponent to fight back.
Good.
"I'll attack directly with Twinkle Littlestar, then end my turn," he said triumphantly. "That wasn't bad, Sakaki."
And then Twinkle Littlestar just straight-up ra up and kick Yugo in the stomach. The boy clutched his belly and fell onto his knees in pain.
(Yugo 1100 → 100)
Sawatari ended the turn with an empty hand, his two Pendulum Scales, and four monsters on the field. His Life Points were at 1900.
Yugo, your plan's working, Yuto called out.
"Yeah, I know," Yugo groaned.
Yugo slowly rose up to the ground, though he still clutched his stomach with his left hand. With his right hand, he shakily placed his hand on the deck and drew a card.
His eyes locked on it, and the card in his hand. Now he had the keys to victory.
Guys, we've got this, Yugo thought. Yuya! You and me, we have the power to win this!
Let's go, Yugo! Yuya cheered.
"I activate the Spell Card, Monster Reborn!" Yugo announced. "I can Special Summon a monster from my Graveyard. And I choose my Clear Wing."
A spot on the ground started to glow. Arising from the glow was Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, who flew up into the air and let out a pained growl. The dragon turned itself around to stare at its summoner.
"It's me, Clear Wing," Yugo said softly. "But you already know that, don't you?"
The dragon let out one more loud, energetic roar before turning its attention back to the enemy side.
"Next, I'm bringing out my Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice!"
Yugo slammed a card onto the Duel Disk blade. The ground beside Clear Wing started to sparkle, and a familiar die rose up to face the enemy.
"Now comes my favorite part!" Yugo said, grinning. "I tune my Level 7 Clear Wing Synchro Dragon with my Level 1 Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice!"
Red-Eyed Dice floated above Clear Wing. Its body transformed into a green ring, which floated down to embrace the dragon. Clear Wing itself split into seven orbs of light, which aligned themselves in a straight line.
"Shine the wings that store the holy light, and strike down your enemies with its radiance! " Yugo chanted. "Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 8, Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon!"
The rings and orbs joined together, forming a large silhouette of a dragon. The silhouette flew high over the rooftops, before faded away to reveal a beautiful, radiant dragon.
"Impressive, Sakaki," Sawatari said. "I guess you'll attack Twinkle Littlestar and and inflict... Uh... How much damage would that be?"
Yugo rubbed the back of Yuya's head. "Uh, let me think... Hmm..."
2000 points of damage, Yuto told him.
"2000 damage! Enough to win!" Yugo exclaimed. "But that's now how I'm going to win."
Sawatari raised a curious eyebrow. "... How are you going to win then?"
"I'm going to put all my power into beating you, Sawatari. And like a man, I'm going to do it by challenging your strongest monster."
Sawatari looked to Evil Heel, who stood beside him. The monster in turn looked back at him in confusion.
Yugo walked across Sawatari and his monsters, putting some more distance between them. He was planning something big, and he didn't want to end up caught in the crossfire when shit would go down.
"Step two," Yugo said as he walked "With my set Pendulum Scales, I will Pendulum Summon!"
Yugo pointed a finger to the sky. "Pendulum Summon! Let's ride, monster pals!"
Crashing down were two trails of light, which fell to the ground behind him. Once they landed, they faded to reveal Performapal U Go Golem and Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon. Odd-Eyes let out a mighty roar of triumph over the enemy.
Yugo turned back to face the field. A large egao filled his face. The path to victory was clear as crystal before before.
"I activate U Go Golem's effect!" Yugo announced. "When it's been Pendulum Summoned, I can Fusion Summon, using it and a Dragon-type monster on my side of the field.
Yes, do it, Yugo! Yuri said excitedly.
U Go Golem and Odd-Eyes started to float up into the air...
"At this time, I use Crystal Wing to negate U Go Golem's effect!"
... and then floated back down onto the field. U Go Golem's form started to crack, and its body fell to the ground. It shattered, then disappeared from the field.
"When Crystal Wing negates and destroys a monster, it gains that monster's attack." (ATK 3000 → 4600)
"Th-that won't be enough to beat my Evil Heel!" Sawatari shouted. "Looks like I'm not the only one who almost failed math class."
"Battle!" Yugo announced "Crystal Wing attacks your Evil Heel!"
From high above, Crystal Wing flew from the sky. A strail of blue light trailed behind it, following the dragon and illuminating the sky. Crystal Wing zoomed towards the battlefield, flying directly towards Evil Heel.
"Crystal Wing's other effect activates," Yugo explained. "When it battles a Level 5 or higher monster, it card gains ATK equal to the ATK of the opponent's monster it's battling." (ATK 4600 → 7600)
Sawatari's jaw dropped. Crystal Wing was flying in fast, and there was no Action Card in sight. He could only turn tail and start running in the opposite direction, hoping to find a miraculous save somewhere else.
"Crystallos Edge of Gale!" Yugo cried out.
But he couldn't run faster than Crystal Wing could fly. He was barely out of the scene when Crystal Wing crashed into Evil Heel. The resulting impact sent a force of power crashng through the area, knocking Sawatari to the ground.
(Sawatari 1900 → 0)
The monsters started to vanish in a sea of sparkles. From the top down, the moon, the clouds, the night sky, the buildings and hills, and even the castle started to fade from view. The entire field was vanishing before their very eyes.
Sawatari got onto his hands and knees, staring down at the ground. He didn't look around to see everything fade could only hear the gentle, jingly sound of the field's Solid Vision fading. He could hear footsteps approach him, then walk passed him.
And then he saw Yuya's hand drop down before him.
"That was a good fight, Sawatari," Yugo said. A small smirk crept up on his face. "When I saw you Synchro Summon, I was dying to fight you out there."
"I'm glad you didn't go easy on me," Sawatari confessed. "I was worried you were. I didn't want it to go that way; it would have been so lame and embarrassing. But knowing that you fought hard, treated me like a real threat."
"Of course! When a man fights another man, he has to fight like a man! And that's what I did."
"... Dang, now I know I'm worth the effort!" Sawatari chuckled. "You really know what to say to someone, Saka- Yuya."
Sawatari grabbed hold of the hand, and Yugo helped to lift him up. Soon, Sawatari was able to stand up in front of his opponent without help. And he beamed a proud, affectionate egao to Yugo.
Yuzu and Gongenzaka came running to the scene. But as Yuzu ran closer, something cracked loudly from beneath her feet.
"Oh?" she gasped.
She lifted her foot and looked down. Sawatari's sunglasses rested in pieces on the ground.
Sawatari's jaw dropped. "My Hucci sunglasses! Do you know how much those cost?! They were imported!"
Yugo slammed a hand on Sawatari's shoulder. "Hey, don't worry about it! You're a man, and men don't worry about some dumb glasses!"
"Easy for you to say! I'm stylish, and I have an image to uphold!"
"Yep! Real men don't worry about some dumb glasses."
"Sawatari," Gongenzaka interjected. "I think you owe us some anwers."
"Oh, right," Yuzu added. "Will you be joining us back at Maiami Second, Sawatari."
Sawatari's eyes looked down to the ground. His egao faded, and he nervously rubbed the back of his neck.
"I... Not just yet," he said quietly. "I'm not ready to go back yet."
"Why not?" Yugo huffed. "Real men go to school, even though it's pointless!"
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Sawatari sighed. "It's just that... When I think about the war, I feel so bad. Not just about myself, but about the people who got hurt. The starving family in the Xyz Dimension, Crow getting carded, being thrown in prison..."
The others looked on in silence, listening to Sawatari's every word. Both Gongenzaka and Yugo nodded sympathetically.
"I have... nightmares about it sometimes," Sawatari continued. "And it gets hard to deal with. I've been seeing an imported therapist almost every day. It's the only thing, besides dueling, that helps me get over that stuff."
"So when you're dueling..." Yuzu began.
"That's days when I don't have therapy. And I spend the day training and learning, so I could be stronger."
"You've been in a lot of pain, Sawatari," Yuzu said.
"You were mad that you couldn't be the hero you wanted to be," Gongenzaka added. "And you were traumatized by the war. And so you trained, not only to get stronger, but also to avoid the pain."
"Yes, my story is very tragic and romantic," Sawatari said. He let out a small, rueful chuckle. "But yes. I couldn't be a real hero, and I couldn't face you guys, the real heroes."
"And Miss Akaba knew?"
Sawatari nodded. "She's a lot kinder now, I think. She's agreed to keep my therapy a secret, and make sure that the teachers of LDS never keep me around too long."
"Know what I think?" Yugo said. "So what if you're not as strong as others? You're still a strong duelist; stronger than most people, I reckon. And you can only feel bad because you were out there, saving lives and kicking ass."
Yugo, tell him I'd like to kick his ass in a duel next, Yuri told him.
"Hey, Yuya," Sawatari muttered. "Do you really think I was a hero?"
Yugo, tell him what I said.
Yugo nodded. "Of course! You didn't get all the spotlight, but everything you did helped protect everyone, in every world."
Yugo, you're not listening. Tell him what I said.
"Maybe you're right," Sawatari said. He bushed his hair away from his face. "I felt so powerless. I couldn't see my own brilliance and effort. But you did."
"I think we all did," Yuzu added. "And you're talking to Yugo, by the way?"
"Wait, what?"
"Wait, you can tell?" Yugo asked.
"It feels nice, being able to talk about this, though," Sawatari said. Had to make sure he was still the center of the conversation, after all. "I've only been able to talk about this to my imported therapists."
"Why are the therapists imported?"
"I think, when I'm ready, I might return to your school," Sawatari said. "I still want to train, get better. I still need to get over the whole, you know, horrible and tragic war stuff."
"Take all the time you need," Yuzu told him.
"No, face your problem like a man!" Yugo snapped. "Paint your pain in class. It's not as easy as it sounds!"
"... Sawatari. However you go about this is up to you," Gongenzaka said to his friend. "But I hope you know now that we'll be there for you, any way we can."
"Yeah, I think I learned a lesson today," Sawatari replied. "I learned that everyone loves and adores me... Oh, who am I kidding? I already knew that!"
Sawatari let out a hearty laugh, and the others just kind of looked at each other with various levels of displeasure.
"At least he's still the same Sawatari," Yugo groaned.
"Maybe that's not such a good thing," Yuzu muttered.
"Let's just go home now," Gongenzaka sighed.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed the pretentious and poorly-written Sawatari arc. There's some more pieces of info I didn't get to share, but I feel is important enough to bring up: Sawatari's dad benefited from the positive press of his son's Lancer career. But Sawatari felt like he did nothing to deserve the fame, due to his losses.
Sawatari also spent his days training with private tutors to become a stronger duelist. His father payed for all this, citing how beneficial it would be to have his son be super strong.
I had a lot of fun planning out and writing a full duel. I want to do it again sometime. But in the next chapter, we go back to lighter, shorter stories.
