XI
Masumi felt sick as she watched the puppet that had once been Hotene cross the distance between them and Dr. Grimm. Her monsters drifted along behind her, as silent as everyone else; no one dared to speak out of horror at the scene that had just unfolded before their eyes.
Forcing herself to tear her eyes away from the triumphant expression on the Psychic Duelist's face, she looked round at her remaining allies. Yaiba and Hokuto looked just as disgusted as she did; Yaiba's face looked particularly green. Shen's face was stony, and a horrified Fuyu had clapped a hand to his mouth.
"Oh, God … " The Xyz Duelist's voice was barely a squeak; he sounded very near tears indeed.
Dr. Grimm gasped as Hotene arrived before her, again as if watching her infant daughter take her very first steps. "Oh, don't you look absolutely beautiful," she gushed. The voice was so much like the kindly Wendy Masumi had spoken with over tea that the Fusion Duelist wanted to believe that this really was a dream after all—but there was none of the kindness left to it anymore. The honey in her words had been poisoned; a single drop could kill … or worse.
Dr. Grimm ran a dainty hand over puppet-Hotene's own ceramic flesh. "So flawless … so young … " she was cooing, " … mm, and so impressionable. I think Yuuri's going to love teaching you, dear. He's one of the best Duelists Academia's ever produced—and I know that better than anyone. He taught me everything I know … and yet, even his mastery of Fusion doesn't compare to what I know you're capable of."
She bent down on one knee, brushed aside puppet-Hotene's hair—and placed a kiss dead center on her forehead.
It was this, perhaps, that finally did it for Masumi. In that moment, she no longer cared whether she lived or died. The fear of losing everything she knew had left her body completely, blasted away from her in one fell swoop—just as Dr. Grimm had blasted away everything that made Menoko Hotene who she was. The Fusion Duelist's hands were trembling, curling into fists, the knuckles white as porcelain; her insides were burning with a raw hatred that coursed through her insides like molten metal.
"You are vile." Masumi's voice came out as a shaky whisper of pure rage. "Brainwashing children just so they can be your soldiers? I don't care what dimension you're from, that's sick."
"And how is it any different from your Lancer program?" Dr. Grimm spoke, rising to her feet. "Oh yes," she added at the surprised looks on her opponents' faces, "I knew about that long before your chairwoman announced it to the world. Information like that comes with the territory of working inside the most prestigious Duel School in this dimension."
Yaiba finally found his voice. "So Academia planted you here, then," he said accusingly. "You're a spy!"
"I prefer to think of it as deep cover," the Psychic Duelist said smoothly. "For a very long time, I wasn't even aware that Academia even existed. The Professor ordered that I was to forget everything I knew about that place, you see. He sealed away every memory I had of that institution—and then, he sent me here—to your dimension, where I was to learn the comings and goings of your school, and everyone who was a part of it.
"And the best part was," she added, a prideful look upon her face, "I didn't even know it."
Masumi drew back, at once surprised and scared. So Dr. Grimm had been brainwashed, too—and more than that, she seemed aware of it, even honored that she had been selected for this fate. That was what scared her the most—how on earth could someone be happy to be indoctrinated into an army of Dueling soldiers?!
"For the next three years," Dr. Grimm continued, "I was a mindless automaton—a Golem, if you will. I went to school, earned a degree, and finally—as if the Professor had already laid my path out for me—I took up a position at the Leo Duel School."
Her eyes were half-lidded, and looked wistful. "And then … something happened that made me remember who I was, and why I was here. I later realized the Professor had deliberately conditioned me to recall my memories of Academia upon that one specific event: a clash between two monsters, each one with an extraordinarily high level of Summoning energy. One was Fusion. Another was Xyz."
It took a very long moment for Dr. Grimm's words to fully sink in before Masumi knew what she was talking about.
" … Kurosaki's match against Sora," she realized, her mind flashing back to the violent events of that Duel. But that wasn't all—she'd seen images of them later on after the Maiami Championship had been canceled; they'd been Dueling in that Battle Royale—but Sora had lost in the first round of the tournament; he hadn't qualified for the Battle Royale at all!
In fact, now that she thought about it—hadn't Sora's Duel Disk looked different that second time?
She gasped as it hit her. " … So Sora's with Academia as well?"
"Quite right—though for how much longer, I cannot say," Dr. Grimm said cryptically; she wasn't looking quite so happy now. "After his Duel with Kurosaki, something happened to him. His loyalty is beginning to waver. The Professor is no longer certain that he will prove as valuable an asset as he was before."
Masumi had no idea what that meant. "Who is Kurosaki?" she demanded, desperate for a change of subject. "Does he know Sora?" It certainly seemed like they'd crossed paths before, judging by the exchanges throughout their Duel—at the very least, there was some bad blood between them.
Dr. Grimm smiled. "Oh, wouldn't you like to know," she laughed. "Suffice it to say that he's not from around here, either. Unfortunately, that story's not mine to tell. The best I can do is to show you where it all began."
"What do you mean?" Yaiba looked apprehensive.
"I'm not ashamed to admit that even my powers have limits," Dr. Grimm answered him—though the dour look that had suddenly darkened her face suggested otherwise. "They can only manipulate dreams, not create them outright. First, I find a memory—a small memory, one that won't be missed—and then I add to it for as much as I deem fit, altering it to better suit my needs.
Her eyes alighted upon Masumi. "And it just so happened that there was a single memory in your mind that suited them perfectly. Only a fragment, nothing your mind could remember. But it seems as though it was part of a larger set of memories that no longer exist. In its place … a void, crudely filled by another memory in its place—like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle, wedged in where it shouldn't be."
The Fusion Duelist was well and truly confused now. What the hell is this psycho talking about?!
Dr. Grimm raised her right hand. "Hmm, perhaps I ought to show it to you," she said, "just as I once saw it for myself … "
And before Masumi could even think to dodge, a pair of purple threads had streaked from the conical sleeve, one zooming straight for her, another for Yaiba. There was no pain—only a brief sensation on her brow that felt like being pricked by a freezing needle, and even that had disappeared in a moment's time.
One moment after that, the scenery of the dream world began to shift around her. The colors become warmer, turning from purples, grays and blacks to various shades of orange and yellow. The crumbling buildings around Masumi were now sliding away to either side, widening the space between them; the paved surface under her feet was becoming smoother, much less worn …
She was standing on a two-way street that, again, might have been anywhere else in Maiami City. The sun was setting; there was no trace of glowing cloud-strings to be seen in the sky. Fuyu and Shen had disappeared, as had Hotene and Dr. Grimm. Only Yaiba and Hokuto remained standing next to her. Duel Monsters she recognized as their own stood between them and whoever she presumed to be their opponent.
Then, without warning, a galaxy of color and sound had quite literally erupted at their feet—and the gravelly voice of a young male began to chant.
"Obscured falcon! Raise your sharpened talons in front of adversity, and spread your wings of rebellion!"
Something was rising up from within the abyss … a horribly familiar, winged form …
"Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 4! Raid Raptors – Rise Falcon!"
Masumi's heart almost stopped then and there. It can't be …
But even as she took a step back in awful horror, the monster had burst out of its portal with a keening, mechanical shriek (Rank 4: ATK 100/DEF 2000/ORU 3). Polished chrome tubes spread outward like so many feathers, belching flames and black clouds of exhaust from vast metal wings. The sharp claws of the monster alighted upon the asphalt, its six red eyes glaring down at the Duelists.
This can't be happening …
But now a rainbow of colors had settled upon all of their monsters, and Masumi was watching awestruck as every last bit of their strength was leeched away, adding on to the power of the impossible monster. That power kept on rising, higher and higher and higher than Masumi had ever believed could be possible in a Duel—until, at last, to her utter astonishment, it had finally stopped at a monumental 16,400.
Voices of stunned disbelief echoed from Yaiba and Hokuto, but Masumi did not hear them. As the falcon soared away, ordered to deliver what she now knew was the final, explosive blow of that forgotten Duel, she had seen—for only the briefest of moments—the face of the monster's master.
Kurosaki Shun.
The scene inside the third-floor hallway of the Maiami City Medical Center was a somber one. None of the eight people that milled around spoke a word to one another—there were no words that could be spoken, to reassure anyone that things were going to be okay. Indeed, none of them had spoken at all since first meeting each other—in some cases, for the first time in their lives … and how they all wished it had been under happier circumstances.
Masumi's father had been the first to meet the silver-haired woman and her stocky husband in the waiting room. They hadn't bothered to introduce themselves, so stricken had they been by the news of what had happened—and what was continuing to happen, so said the doctors. They spoke of medical mysteries and the first time seeing this in their career—but none of that satisfied him. All he wanted to know was that his daughter and her friends would be safe.
At this, the doctors had avoided his worried gaze. There was no way to know, they said. It was all they kept on saying, even as more tearful mothers and fathers came in—a short woman and a taller man with spiky brown hair that he knew to be Yaiba's parents; an old man with a waist-length beard he had never seen before, and a young couple who barely looked into their thirties, that sobbed the hardest of all—all of them demanding to know the same exact question.
Where is my son?!
Where is my daughter?!
Masumi's father could no longer take the stress of it all. He reached around the chest of the first person he could see, embraced them as if he'd known them for years … and cried.
The vision had been so vivid—so intense—that when it finally ended, Masumi fell backward to the ground on shaky legs. Yaiba had fared no better; his face was drenched in sweat, and he'd scrabbled against the vandalized wall of the alley faster than the Fusion user had thought possible.
"There's no way," he kept on saying, over and over again, completely out of breath. "I don't remember that happening … never … "
Masumi didn't hear him. Waves of shock were still breaking upon her, numbing her body to all else in the dream. Kurosaki, a voice in her head was repeating. Kurosaki … why did Kurosaki attack us?! When did he do it?!
The voice of Hiiragi Yuzu echoed in her ears. Why is Kurosaki Shun listed as an LDS member … ?
Why didn't I remember?
…
What are you talking about? Masumi heard herself reply back. He's been part of our group from the start …
…
He was never a part of us, the Fusion user thought angrily. He was our enemy he attacked us he attacked Marco
…
Now that I think about it … where is Kurosaki from? Hokuto's words surfaced in her mind now, from a talk that seemed so long ago now …
I've never asked him, Yaiba had replied back, even though we've known each other for so long …
…
But they had never known him at all, she now understood; they'd never even met, never known why he had attacked them in the first place … all that they knew was that he had been their friend, only to discover that he had been yet another enemy …
Through it all, Dr. Grimm was laughing—a soft, icy, evil laugh that gripped her by the neck and slowly crushed her throat. The Psychic Duelist was in her element, looming over the cowering forms of Masumi and Yaiba.
"And there it is," she whispered, retracting her threads from their bodies into her sleeve. "Æmæth—the truth you never knew you were searching for in the first place. Do you understand it now, Masumi?"
The Fusion Duelist didn't dare look at her. She had never felt so angry—and yet, so unsure as to whom she should be angry at. How many more memories had been lost after that day? Masumi kept on wondering. How many more truths had been kept away from her?
I just
don't
know
Dr. Grimm's voice snarled again in her ear; she was a jackal, circling her cornered, wounded prey—caught up in the thrill of the hunt. "Your memories, your friends—even your precious Leo Duel School," she hissed. "They've lied to you, Masumi. They've exploited you … used you … with no thought to the future but their own survival."
The jackal licked its lips, and leaned in her ear. "You deserve much better than that, after what they did to you."
"Don't listen to her!"
The four words pierced through Masumi's despair like the first ray of sunshine after a storm. Hokuto had hardly even shouted at her—and yet his voice sounded clear as day.
"She's only trying to get inside your head!" the echo of the Xyz user kept on saying. "You're stronger than this, Masumi—block it out! Fight it!"
It felt as though entire years had passed before Masumi felt the strength to stand back up. She was breathing heavily, and her head was pounding with the force of a thousand drums—but she was standing, and the Fusion user fixed Dr. Grimm with the most defiant stare she could muster.
"Tough nut to crack, aren't you?" quipped the Psychic Duelist. "But by all means, do keep trying to resist the inevitable. Better minds than yours have tried—and I know many, many ways to break minds."
She suddenly snapped her jointed fingers. "Which reminds me," she said, "we still have a Duel to complete. I still have one more attack before my turn ends—and darling Hotene here shows me what she's capable of."
She gazed up at her titanic El Shaddoll Nephilim, its enormous face serene amidst the carnage around it. Masumi felt a tremor of dread racing through her as she recalled the Trap Card that Dr. Grimm had activated earlier—the one that had let all her Fusion Monsters attack Hotene directly, wiping out her Life Points in the time it took to blink.
The Fusion Duelist knew firsthand the agony she had endured after that monster's attack—she would not wish it on anyone. If she'd had the option, she would take that attack in a heartbeat, now that she knew she could survive for at least one more turn.
"El Shaddoll Nephilim," Dr. Grimm trilled to her godlike monster, "attack Rokkaku Fuyu directly!"
Everyone spun in the direction of the Xyz Duelist. Fuyu had not stopped shaking ever since watching Hotene's transformation. Now, however, as he gazed upwards at the rising foot of Nephilim, big as an entire stadium, he was practically convulsing in his terror.
Masumi felt a sudden urge to pull him to safety—though she knew it wouldn't do him any good. Nor would she have had the time: the moment she'd taken a single step, Nephilim had planted her foot down, pulverizing everything beneath it into dust, and causing the earth to violently tremble under everyone's feet.
The shockwave that followed had unseated everyone; for the second time in as many minutes, Masumi felt herself falling down again. Stars danced in her eyes as her head hit the cracked pavement. Something warm and sticky trickled down the back of her neck.
Mercifully, Fuyu had been nowhere near the impact zone, but the damage had been done even then; he'd been thrown bodily against the heavy graffiti of the walls, almost as Hotene had been, though he had not left a bloody crater behind. Nevertheless, his body slid to the asphalt as his LP gauge dropped to a mere 1200, and he did not stir for several long moments.
"That's more like it," Dr. Grimm said with an approving nod at the scene, sliding a card from her hand into her Duel Disk. "One card face-down to end my turn.
"Now, then," she said, turning to puppet-Hotene with a greedy glint in her dead eyes, "let's not stand on ceremony anymore. Show me this power of yours, darling. Show the world what you can really do."
"Of course … Doctor." Hotene's voice was emotionless and mechanical. Nothing of the boisterous nine-year-old Masumi knew remained inside her—there was only a manufactured obedience of her cruel mistress.
"My turn."
Even the way she drew her card lacked any sort of enthusiasm; Hotene's movements were smoother than before, much more controlled—too much so, Masumi thought. Whether it was more because of her new appearance or the way she was acting, the tiny Duelist no longer looked human, and the effect was eerie.
"I Summon Spirit Beast Tamer Lara in Defense Position," droned the marionette, her wide eyes not even blinking as the fiery-haired teenager Masumi had seen once before shimmered out of thin air and next to the growling Apelio (Level 1: ATK 100/DEF 2000).
"Then I'll activate Noble Spirit Beast Apelio's effect," continued Hotene, sliding a card from one slot in her Duel Disk to another. "Once per turn, I can banish a Spirit Beast card from my Graveyard so that all my Spirit Beast monsters will gain 500 ATK and DEF for the rest of this turn!"
Apelio growled even louder, its gauges rose to a considerable 2300/700. To its right, Hotene's Tamed Spirit Beasts Petolphin and Kannahawk squeaked and cawed a litany of their own, their respective point totals now measuring at 700/3300 and 1900/2100. Finally, to Apelio's left, Lara twirled its staff threateningly as a fiery aura washed over her holographic body as her own gauge rose to 600/2500.
None of these numbers looked like anything Masumi wanted to tangle with—especially since, considering she had no cards on her field, Hotene had enough of her monsters in Attack Position that she was well placed to wipe her out right now. Those that weren't had enough DEF to them that considering the lack of strength Masumi and her remaining allies had left to them, Hotene was as good as invincible—perhaps just as much so as Dr. Grimm herself.
And yet … somehow, a part of Masumi knew that there was still more to come.
"You're going to love this next one, Masu-chan," Hotene whispered, her face creasing in a childish sneer as she uttered the nickname—before suddenly splitting apart in that shark's smile Masumi had seen her wear once before. Even then, that smirk had looked scary on the face of someone so young. On a puppet—it was flat-out terrifying.
"I banish my Noble Spirit Beast Apelio and my Spirit Beast Tamer Lara!" the tiny Duelist screamed, clasping her hands together as Apelio's paw reached out for Lara's hand—and just like before, they touched.
"Now, when the bond between man and beast is at its strongest," chanted Hotene, "the blazing inferno will be united with the burning hearts of our prime!"
As the blinding flash of illumination filled Masumi's vision, a deafening bellow echoed throughout the alley. The Fusion user could feel the earth beneath her vibrating under the footfalls of the monster she knew was coming.
"Contact Fusion!" Hotene yelled. "Appear! Tamed Spirit Beast Apelio!"
When Apelio did come, it arrived with a mighty leap to its mistress' side that made its agility inside the Gravity Sixteen Action Field look like baby steps (Level 6: ATK 2600 » 3100/DEF 400 » 900). It seemed even bigger than it had back then, too—whether that was because of the nature of Masumi's dream, or the potency of the power Dr. Grimm was using to control her, Masumi could not tell; either way, it stood roughly as tall as several of the buildings that lined this alley.
The Psychic Duelist next to Hotene, meanwhile, had a look on her face that Masumi could only describe as giddy joy. "Oh, marvelous—simply marvelous!" Dr. Grimm was gushing. The palms of her jointed hands clack-clacked together in a macabre sort of applause. "You're going to fit right in at your new school—why, you'll be right up there with the best of Academia before the year's end, if you keep on impressing me like this!"
"In fact," she continued, smirking, "you've impressed me so much that I think you deserve a special treat for this, my dear. Would you mind terribly if I borrowed one of your monsters before I give it to you?"
"Of course not, Doctor," Hotene quickly replied, shaking her head mechanically and augmenting Masumi's dislike of Dr. Grimm further still.
"Marvelous," Dr. Grimm said once more. "Quick-Play Spell: El Shaddoll Fusion!" she cried out, revealing the card Masumi realized she'd Set only minutes ago. "By activating this card, I can fuse monsters on my field or my hand for a Fusion Summon! I choose to fuse my El Shaddoll Midrash with Hotene's Tamed Spirit Beast Petolphin!"
"Say what?!" Masumi's jaw was sagging. "But I thought you needed to remove counters from that damned Field Spell of yours to do that!"
"No." Much to Masumi's surprise, it was not Dr. Grimm who had spoken just now, but Fuyu, and Masumi rounded upon the Xyz Duelist in even greater shock than before.
"Battle Royale rules," Fuyu told her softly, as though hoping he couldn't be heard. "If you've got an ally, you can use any monsters on their field to Summon monsters of your own—Fusion, Synchro, or Xyz. Hokuto-san and I did that all the time—our monsters have a lot in common with one another." He shrank back, seeing the stunned look on Masumi's face. "If … if you hadn't noticed by now … "
"Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings … and Xyz Duelists, as it happens," remarked Dr. Grimm. "What a strange world we live in. Regardless, the boy speaks the truth—my Cursed Shadow's Snare can only use my opponent's monsters as Fusion Materials. Since Hotene's no longer my opponent, I can use her monsters as Fusion Material whenever she wants!"
She cleared her throat. "Now then, where was I? Oh, yes—"
She clicked her jointed fingers; almost as if on cue, another vortex of light and shadow had erupted over her head, sucking in both Midrash and Petolphin as their roars and squeaks echoed one last time. From the depths of the churning funnel came a gust of shrieking wind so intense that Masumi found it hard to stay on her own two feet.
"Dark master of the otherworld," Dr. Grimm was chanting, "bind the winds to your will!"
The wind and the light reached a crescendo, and this time Masumi really did fall back to the ground from the force of the gale. She gazed up into the whirling tunnel of energy, biting her lip at the swirling form in that shadowy pit.
"Fusion Summon! Let those who bear witness scream in infinite despair! Rise now, El Shaddoll Wendigo!"
Something broad and tapered shot forth from the tornado of light; it swirled once around the two puppets before finally coming to rest in between them. The shadows surrounding the newest El Shaddoll's form now fell away, and Masumi gasped at what lay behind: a purple puppet roughly the size of a car—and exactly the same size and shape as Tamed Spirit Beast Petolphin (Level 6: ATK 200/DEF 2800).
Yaiba and Fuyu recoiled as the dolphin-marionette uttered a horrid, heavily distorted squeaking noise, revealing dozens of needle-sharp teeth in its narrow, smiling mouth. Its smile, however, could not be compared with Hotene's; the puppet's eyes were shining in wonderment as the Duel Monster swam around her, purple strings trailing in its wake like miniature contrails.
"Is that … for me, Doctor?" she whispered, reaching out a jointed hand to stroke Wendigo's porcelain skin.
"It certainly is," Dr. Grimm answered her. "Not many boys and girls your age can say they've had Duel Monsters cards created specifically for them, now, can they?" Her smile widened as she extended an inviting hand at the monster. "Go on, then—climb on! You've earned this for being such a good girl tonight."
The tiny Duelist scrambled her way onto Wendigo's back so quickly that for a moment, Masumi wished that that had been Hotene, and not merely some imitation of the genuine article.
"El Shaddoll Midrash's final effect," Dr. Grimm was saying in the meantime. "Whenever a card effect would send it to the Graveyard, I can target a Shaddoll Spell or Trap Card in my Graveyard, and add it to my hand."
No sooner had that card slid out of Dr. Grimm's Duel Disk and into her hand than Hotene had sprang into action. "Now that that's done, I'll switch my Tamed Spirit Beast Kannahawk to Attack Position!" she smirked, watching the winged beast spread its wings in an attack stance. "Battle Phase! Tamed Kannahawk, attack XX-Saber Ragigura!"
The lightning-wreathed hawk flapped its wings once in obedience, zooming straight for the reptilian monster. There was a second blinding flash, a sizzling noise, and when both had disappeared, so had Yaiba's Ragigura. Luckily, the Synchro user had had the foresight to place it in Defense Position, so his LP remained where they stood.
Perhaps even more luckily—though she was using the term very loosely under the circumstances, Masumi knew she was safe now—at least until Hotene's next turn. Had the tiny Duelist attacked her with Kannahawk, she might well be facing certain defeat right now. Even so, this was no small comfort to Masumi, who felt more exposed now than she had at any point during this Duel.
"And now, my Tamed Apelio!" Hotene's shark-smile was back, and wider than ever. "Just in case Masu-chan forgot what you can do—attack her Life Points directly!"
Masumi did indeed know—not that it would have mattered much. Apelio wasn't affected by card effects when it attacked, as she'd learned the hard way, but this time, she didn't have any cards to affect it.
All she could do was brace herself as the flaming monster bounded right for the Fusion user. Seconds later, it bulled into her with the force of a bus, letting loose a deafening bellow as it did so. Masumi did her best to ignore the pain as she skidded along the asphalt and up against the vandalized wall. Flakes of chipped paint rained down upon her as her LP gauge dwindled to 1400.
"Masumi!" She didn't know who had cried out her name, but neither did it really matter. As she attempted to get to her feet, a scene had met her eyes that made her forget about the pain of the attack—about almost all else save the Duel and the fate that awaited their physical forms if they lost. Masumi stared, frozen, at what was happening to Shijima Hokuto.
The echo of the Xyz Duelist was beginning to fade in and out; already Masumi could see through his body. He was less than flesh and blood, but more than a mere ghost, and was rapidly flickering between both extremes. Hokuto was clenching his teeth in obvious discomfort, and was breathing shallowly and heavily as though he'd run a race.
Impulsively, Masumi leapt to him, intending to grasp his hand to steady him, but her fingers simply passed through Hokuto's skin. Fortunately, though, this seemed to give Hokuto the strength he needed, and after a few long moments, he'd assumed his former consistency, though he still continued to take deep breaths.
"That … that was … " he gulped. "I wouldn't take any more hits like that if I were you, Masumi. I'd hate to have to leave you alone when you need me the most."
The Fusion Duelist smiled warmly at him, but said nothing further; the look she exchanged with Hokuto told him she would have done the same in his place. Soon after, though, the reality of the situation caught up with Masumi; within moments, she was beginning to wonder if she'd be able to last much longer.
As she stared at what remained of her Life Points, though, she belatedly realized that Hotene had made an error just now—a very minor one, to be fair, but an error all the same. Tamed Apelio's effect prevented all effects from affecting it while it attacked—including the ATK and DEF gain Noble Apelio had granted it earlier this turn.
Dr. Grimm had noticed this oddity as well, evidently, and her dead green eyes had alighted upon Hotene with an inquisitive stare. "Very impressive, darling," the Psychic Duelist commented, "but you had a chance there to finish Masumi off, even with one less monster to hand. Why didn't you take it?"
Hotene, for once, did not immediately respond to her mistress' query. "I don't know, Doctor," she answered. "I just … felt like I could do better than that. You told me I should show the whole world how strong a Duelist I really am—and I want Masu-chan to be the first one to see," she added, sneering at Masumi and glaring at her with her reddened eyes.
The Fusion Duelist listened to the exchange between the two marionettes with no small amount of confusion—and trepidation as well. Was Hotene implying that she was capable of doing more than summoning three different monsters via Contact Fusion? Had she spared Masumi out of wanting to make Dr. Grimm proud of her—before putting Masumi out of her misery?
Either way, Dr. Grimm did not seem to mind much. "I understand," she said sweetly. "I'm very touched that you want to impress me so much, Hotene—and for that, I'm proud of you."
The smile from the puppet's face faded a little, and her voice became slightly sterner. "But the next time you have a golden opportunity like that—please be a dear and take it, won't you?"
"Of course, Doctor." Masumi had never dreamed that such a little girl could wear such a venomous smile. "By the time I end my next turn, Masu-chan will be all yours."
She threw out her stubby hand. "Trap Card, open: Ambushed Spirit Beasts! I can target two Spirit Beasts that are either banished or in my Graveyard, and Special Summon them both in Defense Position! I'll bring back my Noble Spirit Beast Apelio, and my Spirit Beast Tamer Lara!" The two monsters she'd fused bare moments ago ejected themselves from her Disk and back onto its blade, while their holographic forms returned in twin swirls of light and shadow (Level 4: ATK 1800 » 2300/DEF 200 » 700; Level 1: ATK 100 » 600/DEF 2000 » 2500).
Masumi bit her lip, but wasn't terribly perturbed; even if Hotene pulled off another Contact Fusion, she'd already conducted her Battle Phase—whatever she Summoned wouldn't be able to attack this turn. For now, she was safe.
"I Set one card to end my turn," the tiny puppet finished, sliding a card into her Duel Disk. "My Noble Apelio's effect now ends, and the ATK and DEF of my monsters all return to normal."
Yaiba exhaled as he watched the gauges of each Spirit Beast reassume their normal values. "Well, Masumi," he muttered, "I'm using the term lightly—but believe it or not, things just got easier for us."
"Huh?!" Masumi failed to see how her friend had come to that conclusion—their situation hadn't been worse!
"Not by much," Yaiba added, "but enough that it might matter. Dr. Grimm used her Midrash as a Fusion Material, remember? It's not on the field anymore—that means we can Special Summon again!"
Masumi took a look around and realized he was right—but she wasn't confident. "Don't get too excited, Yaiba," she told him. "She's got at least one more of those—the last Duel I had with her, she used one Midrash to Fusion Summon another." There was still that Egrysta to deal with as well, she knew—and the way things were going, it wouldn't be getting destroyed any time soon.
The Synchro Duelist grimaced at the news. "Well, at least she doesn't have any Spells or Traps in her back row now," he commented, "so she won't be able to Summon Midrash again until her next turn. That could give us the opportunity we need."
He turned to Masumi. "Just focus on keeping your LP from reaching zero for right now," he said. "I don't much like the idea, but it sounds like Dr. Grimm wants to save you for last." He laid a hand on Masumi's shoulder. "Leave the rest to us, okay?"
It was a bitter pill to swallow, but somehow Masumi suspected Yaiba was right. The longer she could keep herself alive in this Duel—the longer everyone else could do the same. She nodded, and turned to her Duel Disk.
"My turn!" she shouted, drawing her next card—please be a monster, she thought, please be something I can use to defend myself—turning it over … and grinned. It was far from perfect, but it would suit her needs, at least for now.
"I Summon Gem-Knight Emeral in Defense Position!" she cried, watching the sea-green armored knight appear before her, raising the serrated discs on both his wrists with a grunt (Level 4: ATK 1800 » 1100/DEF 800).
"Then, I'll activate the effect of the Gem-Knight Fusion in my Graveyard," Masumi continued, "and banish a Gem-Knight from my Graveyard to add it back into my hand! I'll banish my second Obsidia!"
Seconds later, her favorite card was back in its rightful place. She would not use it—not yet, not until the time was right. The Fusion user knew full well that if she was to get any use out of it, then she would need to draw one more monster—but more importantly, she needed her Emeral to survive past Hotene's next turn.
"I end my turn with that," she finished with a slow exhale. "It's up to you, Yaiba. Whatever you've got planned, I hope it works."
"I've got something that might help," the Synchro Duelist muttered, "but if I don't draw a monster now, it won't matter one bit. My turn!" he hollered, drawing his card with a flourish—
—and he promptly broke out into an even bigger grin than Masumi's. "Nice—this ought to get rid of a little more pressure!" he said triumphantly. "Since I don't control any monsters—and since I've got at least two X-Sabers in my Graveyard—I can Special Summon XX-Saber Gardestrike from my hand!"
A large, wolf-like creature surged onto Yaiba's field—twice as tall as him and at least twice that many times broad—and threw back its scarlet cape to reveal a jagged, moon-shaped blade on its right arm (Level 5: ATK 2100 » 1400/DEF 1400).
"But I'm not done yet," said Yaiba, revealing the card he'd Set. "Trap activate: At One with the Sword! If I control only one X-Saber monster, I can equip this card to that monster—and have it gain 800 ATK!"
The serrated half-circle on Gardestrike's arm began to glow, while its ATK grew to 2200. "Then—whenever that monster destroys another monster by battle," the Synchro user went on, "I can draw a card—and it just so happens that you gave me plenty of targets to choose from, Hotene!"
Masumi's eyes whipped to the tiny Duelist and her monsters, realizing that Yaiba was right—Hotene had three monsters whose ATK and DEF just barely didn't match up with Gardestrike's ATK. Since only one of them was in Attack Position, though, Masumi thought she had a good idea of which one Yaiba was going to attack.
True to her suspicions: "Battle Phase!" the Synchro Duelist yelled. "XX-Saber Gardestrike, attack Tamed Spirit Beast Kannahawk!" The wolf lunged forward with a screeching growl, its wide blade ready to cleave whatever stood in its way—
"El Shaddoll Wendigo's effect!" screamed Dr. Grimm. "Once per turn, I can target a monster I control so that it can't be destroyed by battle with a Special Summoned monster! Since Hotene is my ally, I target her Kannahawk!"
The dolphin-puppet swooped in faster than Masumi would have believed possible; in the time it took to blink, it had positioned itself between Kannahawk and the blade of Gardestrike. That blade glanced harmlessly off the ceramic skin of Wendigo, and the shockwave from the deflected attack rippled throughout the alley.
Even as Masumi swore at the fact that Dr. Grimm had prevented them from gaining an advantage yet again, though, she knew the attack had not completely failed. Since Kannahawk's ATK was lower than Gardestrike's, Hotene would still take damage from the attack even if her monster hadn't been destroyed in the process. Sure enough, the tiny Duelist—ruffled, dirtied, but no less worse for wear—was seen now to sit at a still-respectable 3200 LP.
"Never let it be said that I don't mean the best for my students," Dr. Grimm said serenely as she surveyed the aftermath of the assault, "prospective or otherwise."
In spite of the setback, being able to inflict damage had seemed to satisfy Yaiba. He wiped his brow while sliding in a final card. "I Set one card and end my turn," he panted, watching his Gardestrike's ATK now return to a daunting 2900—an ATK value that, unless something was done very soon, he wouldn't be able to use in its entirety.
Hokuto, meanwhile, placed his fingers on the top card of his Deck with one of the calmest expressions that Masumi had ever seen on his face. She couldn't fathom how the Xyz user—even if he wasn't real—couldn't possibly feel apprehensive about how much trouble they were in.
He inhaled … exhaled … and drew. "My turn!"
Hokuto glanced at the card for the tiniest moment, frowning, before he acted. "I Summon Sacred Kaust in Attack Position!" he cried, and the silver-armored centaur was back, golden bow at the ready (Level 4: ATK 1800 » 1100/DEF 700).
"Next, I activate Kaust's effect," said Hokuto, "to raise or lower a monster's Level by 1 up to twice per turn! I'll target my Sacred Antares to lower its level by 1—and then, I'll do it again!" Kaust fired two arrows simultaneously into the air, showering Antares in sparks and making its Level drop to 4.
Masumi was confused. She was about ready to wonder if Hokuto was about to Xyz Summon another Pleiades—or even his ace monster—but then she remembered Dr. Grimm's Egrysta. Hokuto must be trying to bait her out, she thought, make her waste that monster's effect on a less important Special Summon.
"Now," Hokuto grinned, "I use my Level 4 Sacred Kaust and Sacred Antares to construct the Overlay Network!" Both monsters glowed with yellow light, shrinking into points as they fell into the yawning galaxy beneath them.
"The hopes and wishes of millions clustered together," chanted Hokuto, "now, manifest from their brilliance and descend!"
"Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Immaculate guardian of the stars! Sacred Omega!"
The monster that leapt from the portal and directly in front of Hokuto could only be described as a leaner, meaner, and more heavily-armored Kaust (Rank 4: ATK 2400 » 1700/DEF 500/ORU 2). Gold-plated hooves pawed the ground, and a spotless cape billowed behinds its broad shoulders as the centaur-like monster brandished a shining, multi-bladed chakram at its foes.
"Once per turn," Hokuto continued, "my Star Sign of the Sacred lets me draw a card when I Xyz Summon a monster!" He did so immediately; Masumi thought she noticed a small smile when he'd seen the card he'd drawn.
"Now for Sacred Omega's effect!" he yelled, as one of the orbiting yellow spheres around Omega dissolved into nothingness. "Once per turn, by detaching an Overlay Unit, all Sacred monsters I control cannot be affected by Spell or Trap effects for the rest of this turn—including the Field itself!"
Ooh—now that's a very good effect, Masumi thought. Not only did this return Omega's ATK to its original 2400, but it would also protect it from being used as a Fusion Material—and possibly even from whatever card Hotene had Set a few turns back.
"Now for my face-down card! Trap activate: Sacred Meteor!" The Xyz user was in his element. "Battle Phase! Sacred Omega—attack El Shaddoll Wendigo!"
As Omega charged for the dolphin-puppet, chakram in hand, a confused Masumi wondered why Hokuto would do such a thing—even with Omega's effect protecting it from Dr. Grimm's Field Spell, its ATK was still not enough to defeat Wendigo.
Then she remembered that Trap—and pumped her fist in joy; she'd seen him use it in his Duels before—she knew what he was going to do!
The chakram connected with Wendigo's skull—nearly unseating Hotene from its back—but the monster held fast, while the shockwave from the failed attack pushed Omega back into Hokuto, his LP now at 3600.
But just like Masumi, he was grinning. "Sacred Meteor's effect," he said, staring down Dr. Grimm with a triumphant look on his face. "If a Sacred monster battled in the turn it was activated, and the monster it attacked wasn't destroyed, it's shuffled into the Deck at the end of the turn!"
The ceramic face of the Psychic Duelist contorted in fury, to Masumi's immense satisfaction. "You're just as annoying as the other one," she growled with a withering look in Fuyu's direction. "Even in death, you Xyz slime can never resist the urge to have the last laugh."
"Shut up!" Masumi screamed. She would not believe that … not in a million years … Hokuto couldn't possibly be dead …
"He might as well be," Dr. Grimm sneered in savage pleasure, seemingly having read Masumi's mind yet again. "Even Academia can't reverse the process that sealed him into a card—not that we're looking to try," she added nastily before looking at Hokuto. "I don't know how you managed to worm your way into my dream, but I do not take kindly to uninvited guests. You'd better hope I don't get my hands on your card when I'm done with Masumi."
"You never invited me in the first place," Hokuto shot back. "Masumi did all that. She's stronger than you think!"
He threw out his hand. "It's still my turn—and I'm going to show you why there's no one better at Xyz Summoning than Shijima Hokuto! I construct the Overlay Network again—and this time, I'm going to Overlay my Sacred Omega!"
Masumi whirled around. He's going to bring that monster out?! Sure enough, the gilded centaur had been consumed by a flash of blinding gold within seconds, sailing into a second galaxy at Hokuto's feet while he recited:
"Rain down your dazzling light! Xyz Summon! Rank 6! Sacred Ptolemy Messiers 7!"
Hokuto's ace monster burst from the portal with a deafening roar (Rank 6: ATK 2700/DEF 2000/ORU 2), dropping alongside its master with an earthshaking THUD. The mechanical dragon crouched over Hokuto, and its massive wings—shining with all the brilliance of the cosmos beyond—draped over him, protecting him from whatever might harm him in the turns to come.
But something was bothering Masumi about this. "Why Summon that now?" she wanted to know. "I would've thought you'd attack Wendigo with that and cause less damage to your Life Points!"
"I couldn't risk that puppet destroying my ace with that damned Egrysta of hers," replied Hokuto. "And even if I'd Summoned it then, Wendigo would've just kept it from being destroyed by battle. The way I saw things, that dolphin needed to go more than Egrysta did—it's probably the most threatening monster she has on her field."
"I am not so sure," commented Shen. "I believe the saying goes: 'better the devil you know than the devil you do not'? I do not believe that we have seen the full power of her other monster."
He was gazing upwards at the daunting Nephilim; Masumi was surprised to see that the Synchro user looked uneasy.
"Do you think you can take it down, Shen?" Yaiba, too, was looking at the gigantic Duel Monster, biting his lip until the blood flowed.
"We will see about that," was all that Shen could say.
Hokuto considered this for a moment, before nodding and slipping a card into his Duel Disk. "All right. Then I activate the Spell Card: Super-Rebirth of the Sacred! I can target two Sacred monsters in my Graveyard, and add them to my hand!"
Once he'd done so: "Then I Set one card, and end my turn with that. Due to Sacred Meteor's effect," the Xyz user said to Dr. Grimm, "your Wendigo is now shuffled into the Deck."
Wendigo faded from the field as the scowling Psychic Duelist replaced it back into her Extra Deck, while its tiny rider dropped to the ground and returned to her mistress' side.
"Two monsters down," Hokuto sighed, "two more to go. Think you can make it three, Shen?"
The Synchro Duelist said nothing, only drawing his card. Masumi thought he saw a spark in his eye as he saw what it was, but showed no further sign of recognition.
"I will Summon the Tuner monster Jiaotu, Dracomet of Darkness in Defense Position," he said, watching the translucent dark dragon curl around him protectively (Level 2: ATK 0/DEF 2000).
"Now, Battle Phase." Shen gestured to his other monster. "Bi'an, Dracomet of Earth, attack El Shaddoll Nephilim."
What?!
"Shen, that's suicide!" Masumi howled at him—what the hell was he thinking, going up against that titan with a monster that wasn't even half as strong?!
She watched in horror as the golden-brown dragon soared into the air … but Nephilim was more than ready for it … the gigantic monster was already raising a hand as big as a city block … it was going to swat the monster away …
"Trap activate: Dracomet Rampage!" roared Shen at that precise moment, finally showing the card he'd Set on his previous turn. "If one of my Dracomet monsters attacks an opponent's monster, then my monster's original ATK and DEF are doubled until the end of the attack!"
Masumi's heart rose as she did the math. She remembered that Bi'an's ATK was 1600—so 3200, then take away 700 because of Cursed Shadow's Snare … and then add 500 ATK for his Dracomet Leyline!
"YES!" She whooped in delight even before Bi'an's ATK had shifted to 3000. The translucent dragon opened its mouth, ready to release a devastating burst of energy—
—only to be backhanded right out of the sky by Nephilim.
In less than a second, Masumi felt her delight turn into dismay as the dragon was propelled out of sight, careening into another section of the ruined Maiami City. Clouds of dust and sounds of destruction arose far off in the distance, and the Fusion user heard the crumbling of multiple buildings that had been demolished in the impact.
"El Shaddoll Nephilim's other effect." Dr. Grimm's voice was soft and cold as a nuclear winter; her emerald eyes were glittering with malice. "Any Special Summoned monster that battles it is immediately destroyed."
Damn it. Masumi swiped the air, at once furious and despondent. Not only was her monster safe, but Dr. Grimm wouldn't take any damage from the attack as well because of the timing of Nephilim's effect. Just what is it going to take to beat these Shaddolls?!
No one, however, looked more disappointed than Shen, who looked thoroughly chastened even as he ejected a card from his Deck. "Since Bi'an was destroyed by a card effect, I may activate its effect, and Special Summon another Dracomet monster from my Deck in Defense Position. I will Summon Taotie, Dracomet of Evil."
He slapped the card in question on his Disk, and the familiar shape of the larger, darker dragon materialized before him (Level 5: ATK 2200 » 1500/DEF 0). It, too, wrapped its translucent bulk around Shen protectively.
"I am wise to your ways, demon," he called out to Dr. Grimm, gesturing at her towering monsters as he did so, "and I shall not be lured into making the same mistake twice!" Masumi knew he was referring to how he'd Summoned both his Synchro Monsters in his first turn, only to lose them to a single Spell. "So I will end my turn with that."
He sighed, and slumped. When he spoke, his voice was softer than Masumi had ever heard it. "I will freely admit that I made a grave mistake," he growled, more to himself than anyone else—though Masumi could still hear him over the rumbling noises that still echoed from where his Bi'an had been so ignominiously cast down. "I am … grateful that my sifu was not here to see me act as recklessly as I have this Duel."
"Don't sweat it, Shen—we're only human," Yaiba said consolingly. "And if it makes you feel better," he added with a wry grin, "you can apologize to him in the morning. Of course, that still means we've got to wake up—and for that, we've got to win."
He cast a meaningful look at Masumi, who grit her teeth. At this point, she was starting to wonder if they'd ever see the morning again. How long have we been here? Masumi wondered. How long have we been in this coma?
An icy sensation suddenly gripped at her heart. Does Father even know where I am—what's happened to me?!
"My t-turn." Rokkaku Fuyu, meanwhile, was gripping the card he'd just drawn so tightly that it was beginning to crease in the middle. Seeing Nephilim dispatch Shen's monster so easily and violently had shaken him severely; he shivered, gulped, and took several deep breaths before he next spoke.
"I activate my Celestial Aura's effect," he said, "and Special Summon another Satellarknight Sham from my hand in Defense Position!" A second young warrior, identical to the one Masumi had seen once before, shimmered to life by his side (Level 4: ATK 1400 » 700/DEF 1800).
So he's going to inflict more damage, thought Masumi. Simply burning away Dr. Grimm's LP through card effects was about the only plan of attack they had with even the slightest chance of surviving her Shaddolls—the only problem was that, as things stood right now, it just wasn't causing near enough damage to be effective.
"Since Sham was Summoned, I activate its effect," Fuyu continued, "and I'll inflict 1000 damage to your Life Points!" He stabbed a finger in Dr. Grimm's direction as Sham nocked another arrow, firing it right for her head—
"Counter Trap: Damage Polarizer!" Hotene shrieked. Six heads instantly swiveled in her direction, including Dr. Grimm's—one look at the Psychic Duelist's porcelain face told Masumi that even she hadn't been expecting this.
"Damage Polarizer negates any effect that inflicts damage," explained the tiny marionette, sneering at Fuyu, "and when it does, each player draws a card!" A sphere of energy radiated outward from her, rapidly expanding throughout the alley. Sham's arrow was deflected by the shield, and harmlessly streaked away from the Duel.
Though Masumi cursed yet again at how Fuyu had been outplayed by Hotene, things weren't completely bad; she was able to draw a card now, and her spirits rose upon seeing what that card was—a Gem-Knight.
She bit her lip, hoping against hope she would survive long enough to play it.
Fuyu, in sharp contrast, looked as though that one Counter Trap had taken all the wind out of his sails; he did not even look at the card he'd drawn. " … I-I end my turn," he stammered.
Masumi could practically hear the Xyz user's heart sinking as the words tumbled out of his mouth. She could not blame him in the slightest. Fuyu had been their last chance to get rid of Dr. Grimm's monsters before her next turn.
They'd failed.
Dr. Grimm laughed, long and loud, as she inspected the card she'd recently drawn, then added it to her hand without comment. "What a shame," she said contemptuously. "Just like that, you've lost all trace of backbone. You can't even Summon one more monster because you're scared something bad's going to happen to it. One little thing goes wrong, and it all comes crashing down."
She leered at Fuyu. "But don't you worry about a thing—I'll make sure to fix that before I'm done with you."
Now she turned to Hotene. "That was a very generous thing you did for me," she said softly, stroking her cheek. "I never ordered you to protect your superior, yet you did so all the same. It always warms my heart to know that my students have such loyalty to their professors." She patted her affectionately on her porcelain head.
"It was because you protected me, Doctor," spoke the mechanical voice of the marionette, looking up at the Psychic Duelist with gratitude in her red eyes. "That's what soldiers do, isn't it? They're supposed to look out for each other when they fight."
"That's absolutely right, darling," beamed Dr. Grimm. "Such a quick study—I'm so glad I've gotten to know you tonight—"
"NO!"
Masumi was so angry that it was a few moments before she realized the shout that echoed through the alley was her own. She gave Dr. Grimm a long look of utmost revulsion, before turning to the puppet's companion.
"Hotene … tell me something," she pleaded, desperation in every word. " … Are you still having fun?"
The tiny Duelist cackled, not even pausing to reply. "Of course I am!" she laughed. "I've Fusion Summoned more times than I ever have in a single Duel! And you haven't seen half of what I can do, Masu-chan."
Her hand covered her mouth as she giggled—then it was pulled back, and the shark-smile was back on her face. "But you know the funny thing about this, Masu-chan?" she smirked. "I never would have had this much fun if it wasn't for you." She laughed again, not at all like her usual cutesy chortle—but a savage, cruel cackle that made Masumi's blood run cold. The Fusion user felt her hands balling into fists; her knuckles were white and beginning to numb as her hatred for the Psychic Duelist continued to grow.
"Well, you'll have another chance to have even more fun soon enough," said Dr. Grimm as she drew another card, "but for now, it's my turn." Her green eyes glowed with unholy light as she gazed at it, and instinctively Masumi knew what was going to happen before it did.
"I activate the Spell Card: Shaddoll Fusion—and with it, my Cursed Shadow's Snare!" she screeched, reaching out with her jointed hand while seven shadows spread out from each monster that opposed her. "Since one of my opponents controls an monster that was Special Summoned from the Extra Deck," she added, indicating the massive form of Hokuto's Messiers 7, "I can fuse monsters in my Deck as well as on either side of the field for this Fusion Summon!"
Masumi bit her lip, feeling her heart begin to thunder against her ribcage.
"I remove three counters from my Snare," said Dr. Grimm as seven shadows now turned into four, "and then I'll fuse a second Shaddoll Lizard in my Deck with that Taotie, Dracomet of Evil!"
Shen's monster squawked in pain as that quartet of shadows now tightened around its undulating form, crushing it with impunity, then dragging it into the abyss that had opened beneath it. As Masumi watched, a fifth shadow with a vaguely reptilian form streaked from where the Psychic Duelist stood, following Taotie into the abyss—
"Fusion Summon!" chanted Dr. Grimm. "Rise now, El Shaddoll Midrash!"
The vast whirlwind of color and shadow bloomed above her, disgorging the now-familiar sight of the dragon-puppet Masumi had grown to hate almost as much as she did its master (Level 5: ATK 2200/DEF 800). Dr. Grimm herself reappeared atop its back in a flash of violet fire, smirking down at the Duelists below.
"Shaddoll Lizard's effect," she continued, ejecting another card from her Deck. "Once per turn, whenever a card effect sends it to the Graveyard, I can send another Shaddoll card from my Deck to the Graveyard. I send another Shaddoll Hedgehog, and then activate its effect to add a Shaddoll card from my Deck to my hand."
She suddenly brought a hand to her mouth, as if she'd forgotten something, before looking down at Hotene dotingly. "But of course," she purred. "You've displayed so much power and loyalty to me that I think you deserve this, dear. Give me command of one of your monsters," she smiled, "and I'll give you command over one of mine."
"Of course, Doctor," Hotene immediately answered her, the scarlet light in her eyes shining with excitement.
Satisfied with the reply, Dr. Grimm now turned back to her foes. "Now, then … the Quick-Play Spell: El Shaddoll Fusion!" she cried, swiping another card on her blade. "I fuse the Shaddoll Snake in my hand with Hotene's Tamed Spirit Beast Kannahawk for a second Fusion Summon!"
A long, sinuous tendril of shadow uncoiled from Dr. Grimm's hand, hissing as it wrapped around Kannahawk's wings, binding it tight and pulling it into the abyss that had suddenly appeared in the sky.
"Fusion Summon!" Dr. Grimm recited again. "Rise now, El Shaddoll Wendigo!"
Masumi swallowed in dread as the dolphin-puppet appeared once more (Level 6: ATK 200/DEF 2800), swooping down for Hotene so that the tiny puppet could mount it once again. The strings that trailed from Wendigo's fins now hoisted it upwards, rider and all, until they were level with Dr. Grimm and her Midrash.
"Do you like the view, Hotene?" Masumi heard Dr. Grimm say. "It's fitting, that we should be the ones standing here, so high above all the rest. You and I, masters of Fusion Summoning—masters of all before us, casting our shadow on the unworthy."
Hotene wordlessly nodded, just enough for Masumi to see it. She was completely enraptured now—if Dr. Grimm had not completely brainwashed her already, then she was well on her way; Masumi hoped dearly that it wasn't too late for her.
"And speaking of casting our shadow … " Dr. Grimm's smile stretched wider than ever—wider than any human mouth ought to be. "I now activate the effect of the Shadow of Fusion in my Graveyard!"
What?! Masumi felt a chill running down her spine—she'd almost forgotten about that devastating card.
"Once per turn, I can banish this card from my Graveyard," Dr. Grimm continued, "and during the turn I do, any attacks I make with Fusion Monsters become direct attacks!"
No … Masumi sank to the ground, now feeling more hopeless than ever. Not again …
"BATTLE PHASE!" shrieked the Psychic Duelist, foaming at the mouth as she stabbed her finger downward. "El Shaddoll Midrash! El Shaddoll Egrysta! Attack Li Shen directly! Blazing Shadowflame!"
Masumi charged for the doomed Synchro user as she watched the two monsters charge their attacks—she wanted so badly to knock him out of the way so that he could survive—she didn't care about dying, she didn't want to lose any more of her friends to this psychopath—
She only managed three paces before Yaiba caught her. "No, Masumi—you're going to get yourself killed!" he howled, but her ears weren't listening to anything they heard anymore. She fought and clawed at Yaiba to get free even as she watched Shen engulfed in the inferno. The Synchro user's LP gauge dropped to 0 faster than a lead weight—and then that, too, was consumed in the hellfire.
Masumi did not hear Dr. Grimm declare her next attack; before the flames had even begun to dispel from Shen's body, Nephilim had raised its gargantuan foot again, casting a shadow over a deathly white Rokkaku Fuyu—and then he, too, had vanished in the brutal onslaught of the Shaddolls. The earth heaved and rolled, toppling nearby buildings and cracking roads throughout the city. The Fusion user only saw the barest glimpse out of the corner of her eye of Fuyu's LP counter plunging to zero as well.
Yaiba must have released her then, as Masumi suddenly felt herself stumble to the wrecked pavement, her hands caked in blood and pulverized debris. But she no longer paid attention to her surroundings, nor the LP gauge of Dr. Grimm falling from 19000 to 11000 as she prepared to repeat her torturous transformations; Masumi was too busy raging at the loss of two more friends she'd only just made today. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and her face was incandescent with childish anger.
Damn you, she thought—or had she spoken the words out loud? She was too angry to care either way, and kept on cursing Dr. Grimm for what felt like hours.
Then she saw a slender, feminine form walking towards them—and her rage finally boiled over. With a wordless scream of fury that nearly ripped her throat in half, Masumi shoved Yaiba aside and sped for the Psychic Duelist, hellbent on punching and kicking and tearing into her with all the strength she could muster—
Dr. Grimm raised her right hand, and more glowing threads spooled from her sleeve and around Masumi, binding her so tightly that she couldn't even move a finger. She swore at the top of her lungs, and—having no other way to hurt her—spat in Dr. Grimm's maddeningly serene face.
The marionette didn't even blink as she wiped the saliva off her face with a jointed finger. "I think you need a time-out," she whispered harshly—before jerking her hand and sending Masumi crashing into the wall once more. Pain seared in her shoulders and her spine as she cried out, feeling an unpleasant metallic taste creep into her throat.
Another twitch of Dr. Grimm's hand sent the threads snaking back into her sleeve, and she now turned to Fuyu and Shen. The Fusion Duelist feebly stirred, and could only just see their bodies lying splayed on the ground. Shen did not appear to be injured, but neither was he moving; Fuyu lay facedown and similarly motionless, with several of his limbs sticking up at odd angles thanks to Nephilim's attack.
Dr. Grimm now raised both her hands this time; even more threads streamed from her fingertips, slicing through the air and straight for the fallen Duelists—
Several things happened at that moment. Shen suddenly sprang to his feet with a flip, landing with catlike grace on the ravaged road. In the same fluid movement—just as the threads would have burrowed into his skin—Shen had twisted his torso so that his free hand had grabbed the threads some five inches from the glowing tips, and pulled with all of his might, causing Dr. Grimm to stumble—and the threads heading for Fuyu to miss him completely.
For a moment, as Masumi gazed in open-mouthed shock, her anger completely forgotten, it seemed as though Shen had won—but only seconds later, Dr. Grimm had waved her arms, severing the threads from her sleeve in one movement. In the next, those threads had coiled around Shen like snakes, binding him even tighter than they had Masumi.
The Fusion user stared, horrorstruck, at the sudden reversal. Shen was completely motionless, but his dark eyes were unmistakably staring at Masumi. He nodded in her direction once—as if to say: It's up to you now.
Then, Dr. Grimm struck.
Shen did not scream when the threads dug inside his skin, pouring the psychic equivalent of tens of thousands of volts into his flesh. But the shocks were so intense that even the stoic Synchro Duelist was violently convulsing within seconds. His clothes curled and blackened with smoke under the onslaught of energy.
"And now you see why I implanted this one's face into your mind, Masumi," Dr. Grimm spoke as she continued her torture. "Such agility and strength—and determination, even. No one has ever resisted me quite the same way he has. His efforts were admirable—but futile nonetheless."
Masumi's hackles raised again, and the puppet grinned. "I think I'll have Academia hire him on as a trainer," she said. "The whole of the Obelisk Force ought to possess half of his strength and fortitude."
She whipped her hands to one side, detaching her strings from the body of the former Li Shen, though they remained coiling and hissing in midair as if desperate to seek out a new target.
Masumi felt bile rise in her throat, meanwhile, as she saw a second purple-skinned puppet—nearly identical to the Synchro user, but for starched robes of navy and black as opposed to his flowing orange and white—rise into the air, buoyed by the few strings that supported him. One more wave of Dr. Grimm's hand, and the thing that had once been Shen had taken up a position directly under Hotene and her dolphin steed.
"Oh, no … " Yaiba, normally tough and brash as any boy his age might be, now looked as though the mere sight of his former friend and practice partner had made him lose the will to live. "Oh, no, no, no … "
Masumi took several steps backward. Shen's eyes had been dark before, but now they were nothing more than twin pits of darkness. Combined with the grim look on his ceramic face, he looked even more evil than Dr. Grimm did—a thought not helped by the shadowy form of his Jiaotu slithering round his body.
The Psychic Duelist, meanwhile, turned to the still-insensate Fuyu with the faintest trace of distaste on her face. She said nothing as she regarded him for the next few seconds—before snapping her fingers and digging her threads into the defeated Xyz user without so much as a warning.
The effect was immediate. As Masumi looked on, nauseated, Fuyu pitched forward in a horrible scream as the electric shocks entered his body, louder and shriller than Hotene's during her own time of torture. He writhed everywhere on the ground, smearing blood from a dozen wounds all over the place.
"More," growled the Psychic Duelist—and before the sickened Masumi could stop her, Dr. Grimm had made a motion like tossing a heavy weight over her shoulder. Her threads went with that movement—and so did Fuyu, bodily thrown into the air some thirty or forty feet, still being electrocuted … before being yanked straight down.
"Rise and shine!" snarled Dr. Grimm, pulling on the threads with all her might. Masumi's heart stopped; she could do nothing save for watching Fuyu get hurled into the pavement with all the force of a piledriver.
She barely stifled a wail as the impact came, having clapped both her hands to her mouth just in time; if this had been real life, that fall would have been fatal—to say nothing of the torment Dr. Grimm had already been putting him through. But now the threads were retreating back into the marionette's sleeve, which could only mean that the evil deed had been done a third time …
And sure enough, when the dust from the impact had cleared, Masumi saw yet more strings rising up into the air—all of which supported a bone-thin marionette, every inch of its body a pale purplish-gray save for its face, now the approximate color and thinness of a skull …
The single visible eye of Rokkaku Fuyu's puppet gleamed blood-red from under his starched, pale imitation of hair as he glared at the terrified Duelists opposite him. Masumi had seen Fuyu look angry before in this dream—but what she was seeing on the ceramic face of this puppet was not something so childish as fear.
It was rage—a rage that eclipsed even her anger at Dr. Grimm.
As puppet-Fuyu, his Sirius, and his Sham now took up a position to the right of puppet-Shen—directly under Dr. Grimm—the Psychic Duelist now returned to her former place, between the wings of her Midrash.
"I think this is a more even fight now, wouldn't you agree?" she laughed. "Six-against-one has now become three-against-four … just as I knew how this would end from the beginning.
"And as predicted, Masumi," she gloated, "you became the perfect recruiter for my goals. You followed the orders I implanted in your mind to the letter—and delivered me three soldiers of Academia, each with a promising future. Menoko Hotene—a Fusion user like none other in all the Standard Dimension; Li Shen—a man whose strength and loyalty will serve our soldiers well in the battles to come; and Rokkaku Fuyu—a boy so broken by the loss of the only friend he had, that even a cadet could have converted him to our cause."
She giggled; Masumi felt as if acid was eating her from the inside out.
"Well—this is a familiar scene, isn't it?" Dr. Grimm now said, looking around the alley as if seeing it for the first time. "If I remember your memories correctly, this is how you first lost to Kurosaki Shun. The three of you … against a foe you now know that you have no chance of winning against at all."
"You're wrong," Hokuto growled. "Until you've wiped out our last Life Point, we can still win!"
Masumi wanted to know what in the world was making Hokuto so hopeful about making it out of this nightmare. Was he that confident in Masumi's abilities?
"Your bravery is to be admired," said Dr. Grimm smoothly, "but it's long past time to bring this Duel to a close."
The Psychic Duelist extended her hands. "Students!" she trilled. "Class is in session!"
Three ceramic faces snapped upwards in unison.
"Make your teacher proud." Dr. Grimm's eyes blazed with sickly green energy—and fixed themselves directly on Masumi. "Crush them all."
Three ceramic faces split into evil smiles.
A/N: That's yet another mountain of words I've had to end up splitting in two parts. I'm starting to wonder if writing this Duel (and this story by extension) is shortening my lifespan, with how much time and energy I've put into it at this point.
Fortunately, the other half of that mountain is roughly half done. I'm almost certain that I'll have it out by month's end. Thanks for being patient, and thanks for reading! - K