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Bla Bla Bla, Don't own Arc V, Bla Bla Bla, Wish I did!

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Chapter 12: Return of the Falcon

Selena:

GOOD! Then maybe you will understand how much misery you caused me and how much that misery molded me into a monster, but guess what?! I actually enjoy being a monster, and the reason I intend to have you be my last prey item is so you can watch in horror as I continue my work, and when I finally hunt you down, you will finally understand! All of this? This monster you unleashed into the world?!

IT'S ALL! YOUR! FAULT!

I can't even remember how long I spent crying over what he said to me, but in the end, Yuri was right. It is all my fault. How could I have been so blind? How could I have ignored how psychologically fragile he was? Why did I never suspect that the professor would do such horrible things to him the moment he separated us?

Now my purpose is lost to me. If I cant save Yuri and bring him back to his old self, then that means I betrayed my friends for nothing. I could have started a new life for myself and rebuilt from the ground up, leaving all the horrors of Academia behind, but I couldn't just abandon my first friend, the only cure for my isolation and loneliness on the island, and I threw it all away out of my own pride and envy.

And now Yuri is a monster, and I might never see the real him ever again...

What do I do now? I can't go back to the Lancers, especially since I carded four of them, and if Yuri is beyond saving then...

What do I have to live for?

"Selena! SELENA!"

The Professor's voice snapped me back to reality.

It took the Professor repeating my name five times to finally make me remember I was in his throne room awaiting his long winded talk of what to do next.

Oh God, have I been crying right in front of him?!

"Selena are you listening to me?!" The Professor asked again.

"I'm sorry..." I told him, barely audible enough for him to hear. "I just have a lot on my mind..."

"So I can tell..." He gave me a hard, unreadable look that sent chills down my spine. Did he know?

"Selena, I am impressed with your accomplishments this past day. You have proven that I did not make a mistake allowing you a chance to regain your position as a loyal soldier of Academia. Though I did not exactly condone you carding Sanders like that, I do not consider it a tremendous offense since you did manage to card four Lancers, and Sanders was being rather... uncooperative..."

I remained silent.

"However, the one aspect of your mission that I do have an issue with is how you dealt with Yuya Sakaki and Yuri when the two of them unleashed their dark powers on the island. While Yuri is an asset to Academia, your primary goal should be carding the Lancers, and because of your insistence on giving evacuating Yuri to give him medical attention, Yuya Sakaki escaped, when you could have carded him. If it wasn't for the fact that you had carded four other Lancers earlier, I might have interpreted that as insubordination, or even worse, betrayal! I will not have this happen again! Do you understand?!"

I knew if I spoke, all that would come out was a hoarse whimper, so I only nodded.

"Regardless. I have already taken measures to ensure an incident like that doesn't happen again, so I can forgive you for not carding Yuya, so long as you continue to complete your missions exactly the way I want them completed. Speaking of which, I have your next assignment. I'm sure you have already figured out most of why the primary goal of everything I have done was to bring your three counterparts here to Academia. Now the time to begin the final stages of the Arc Area Project and Revival Zero is soon arriving. For the purpose of harnessing the power within the four bracelets, all four of you need to be in the exact same location as each other, and that is why I need you to head to the dungeons where your counterparts are being held. I'm not locking you up again, I just need you to be there. Watch them and make sure none of them escape before I am ready to begin. Once I am finally ready, all will become clear, and you will finally understand why I have brought all four of you here, the grand purpose all four of you will soon be a part of."

I nodded again. I should have known that even after doing so many favors for him and proving my "loyalty" to the bald fruit cake, he still wouldn't tell me anything about his little project even though I'm supposed to be a part of it. It's like I still don't matter to anyone on this island, like my life isn't worthy of recognition. Did it really make any difference to him? Most likely not. If I had stayed a Lancer to the end, he would have just kept me in my cell until he was ready, so either way he gets what he needs from me. This was just a convenient bonus for him and nothing else.

The only reason I'm not just as expendable as his other soldiers is because he needs me as a lab rat for his project.

Disgusting.

"Is that all professor, or is there anything else you require of me?"

He didn't seem to take note of how emotionally drained I sounded or how horse my voice was, so his reply was simple and straightforward.

"No Selena, that will be all. You are dismissed."

I turned around immediately and raced out of the room without another word, lest I break down again right in front of him, and just in time. The moment I closed the doors behind me, I felt the burning in my eyes return.

"Y-Y-Y-Yuri... I'm so sorry..."

"Selena..."

"YURI!"

My head shot up like a rocket. For a second there I thought he came back, but then I realized it wasn't Yuri. The Battle Beast was staring right at me with a look of concern on his face.

"Oh... it's you..." I muttered. "What do you want?"

"Are you okay?" He asked me.

Anger rose to the surface to accompany my sorrow and break me apart even further.

"Am I okay? Am I okay?! Does it look like I'm okay?!" I screamed at him, making him flinch. "Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING in my life has fallen to pieces and I'm out of options! The Lancers hate me, the Professor is just using me, and Yuri wants to card me like the rest of them when this is over! I failed, Battle Beast, I FAILED, and now all I can do is wait until the Professor does whatever he wants with me, and who knows! Maybe it turns out that what he has planned for me will require me and the others to die! What if all this time he was keeping me here to be a lamb to the slaughterhouse for some sick ritual!? Do you have ANY IDEA how that makes me feel?! Well I can't feel anything anymore except the feeling OF HOW WORTHLESS AND PATHETIC MY LIFE IS!"

And that was the final straw. Any sense of inner strength I had was gone, so I fell down to my knees and cried. No, I didn't cry. I bawled and sobbed. Yuri would laugh at me if he saw me like this, and I could picture the other Lancers walking in on me in this state.

Look at you, the traitor who threw everything I offered for a chance at glory even if it meant joining my father's wicked ways. What a disappointment...

Reiji

And to think I risked my own life to save you when security captured you... You're just as bad as daddy...

Reira

It sickens me that you look like my sister! You're like an evil doppelganger of Ruri who deserves to rot in hell where you belong!

Shun

You were my friend! I even considered you my sister, and you threw me in that cell like an animal! How could you?!

Yuzu

Shingo, Gongenzeka, Tsukikage, Crow, my friends are all carded because of you! You're as much of a monster as the man you tried to save!

Yuya

I just know that they're going to say that to me the moment they lay eyes on me again. I can't face them... I can't...

"I'm not a Lancer... I'm not an Academia Soldier... I'm not even a real duelist... I'm just a worthless little tool..."

"NOT WORTHLESS!"

"What? WAAAAAA?!" All of a sudden I found myself hoisted off the ground as the Battle Beast picked me up and brought me up to his eye level.

"NOT WORTHLESS!" He yelled at me again.

I looked away. "Maybe not... but it sure as hell feels like it..."

The face of the beast softened. "You save me... So you did something good, right?"

I allowed myself a small phantom smile. "Well yeah, I guess..."

"So you can do right again! I couldn't do right because Sanders never let me choose! You get to choose! You try and it don't work, SO TRY AGAIN!"

How ironic. I'm getting pep talk from a feral jungle boy.

"You think you lost all your friends! You wrong! Selena you my friend!" He aggressively pointed to himself. "You hear me! MY FRIEND!"

Now it was his turn to start crying. "Remember why I was monster?!" He told me. "Sanders made me a monster! So Yuri is a monster because Professor made him one! It's Not Yuri's fault and not your fault, IT'S PROFESSOR FAULT!"

The words of the beast rang true, resurrecting a sense of rationality within my mind. Of course it was! It was him! He dragged us here as children to be drafted into this stupid war! He separated us and made Yuri suffer God knows how many levels of torture, and if he had just treated Yuri like a normal human being instead of like a dog to be kicked around, maybe I still would have seen the Yuri I knew and lo...

Lo...

Ahem...

The Yuri I knew...

"Well then... If you're so eager to get revenge on the Professor, then what do you suggest we do?" I asked the Battle Beast.

"Anything better than sitting around doing nothing and crying! We still need to make sure other girls are okay!"

Yes we do. Wait a minute! The others?!

I gasped as a bright glow of a lightbulb went off in my head.

Oooooooh Leo, you fool! Even though you never told me anything about your plans, the one weakness of your plan is way too obvious. Should anything happen to your precious bracelet girls, your plan goes down the drain. Oh I will go down to the dungeons to check on them alright, but by the time you are ready to complete the Arc Area Project, all four of us will be gone! If need be, I can be the distraction that guarantees they escape the island, or even the fusion dimension altogether, and sure, you can capture me and torture me all you want, but it won't make any difference. Whether this is enough to make the Lancers forgive me or not doesn't matter. All that matters now is making sure you never succeed.

"Come on Battle Beast!" I whispered to him.

"We should head to the dungeons. I may not be able to bring the old Yuri back, but that wont stop me from giving one final Screw You to Leo Akaba!"


We had only been traveling down the main corridor leading to the dungeons, but already it seemed like we had been walking for hours. I always hated these corridors. The iron grip of its silence and the blank steel walls felt as if Leo Akaba was constantly trying to remind everyone that no one could leave. They all belonged to him now.

Not anymore.

No one is ever going to see these walls again by the time I'm done with it. After I stage my little jailbreak, this entire island will burn.

But what about Yuri?

Even if my plan succeeds, I will be abandoning him again if I leave him behind...

If my words could not reach him before, then what can?

"Banana?"

The Battle Beast snapped me out of my thoughts again with his offering, almost like he still knows that my broken heart hasn't been healed yet.

"Thanks for offering, but I'm not hungry..."

"Still sad?"

"Was it that obvious?" I remarked. "You may have stopped me from shutting down, but pain like this doesn't just go away by itself."

"Hug?"

That shocked me. I wasn't much of a touchy feely person when it came to such things, mainly because no one has ever displayed that type of affection towards me, but for someone who I only met yesterday to care about me enough to comfort me like that, it was... nice...

Maybe there is something about my life that is still worth fighting for after all.

He was right. At least I still have one friend, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let anything happen to my only remaining friend.

Without hesitation, I accepted the hug, and I allowed him to hold me for as long as he wanted to. I knew I was going to need the strength for the future fights to come.

Hold on, Yuri. Whether you like it or not, even if you hate me more than anyone else in all four dimensions, the next time we meet, I'm going to try again.

"Okay Battle Beast! New plan!" I took my arms off of him and handed him a stopwatch. "See this? I'm setting the timer to thirty minutes, and you're to head back to the throne room right now and wait by the doors until those thirty minutes are up."

The Battle Beast was confused. "Why? You mean I can't go with you?"

I sighed. "As much as I want you to, I'm going to need you for this! When those thirty minutes are up, you need to burst in through the doors and scream at the top of your lungs with as much panic on your face as you can muster. You need to tell the Professor that the Lancers have captured me, and they're headed to the docks to escape the island by boat!"

Finally, the feral duelist got the picture, and he sported a grin. "We trick Professor so you can have revenge?"

I nodded, matching his grin with my own. "Ooooooh yes! We're going to teach him a lesson he'll never forget. If he can send every single Obelisk Force solider he can to the docks, they'll be on a wild goose chase, while I can safely stage a little jail break and escape the island a different way."

"But there are no wild geese on island!" The Battle Beast scratched his messy hair with a puzzled look on his face.

I had to resist the urge not to groan. "It's a metaphor, Beast."

"What's a meta for?" He asked me.

I face palmed. "It's... ugh... nevermind. Just do what I asked! I need to get into the security control zone to turn of the cameras first, so that way the Professor doesn't have any evidence to discredit what you tell him. If anything, that will support what you tell him since he'll think the Lancers took out the cameras."

"But..." The Battle Beast paused. I could tell he was worried about me just by looking at him. "Will you be okay?"

"Yes I'll be fine." I put my hand on his shoulder to reassure him. "I want you to come with me. I really do. There's no one else I trust more, but I need to do this alone, okay?"

The Battle Beast looked like he really wanted to protest, but he lowered his head in defeat. "Okay... Good Luck..."

With that, the beast turned around and left, while I continued down the corridor, letting a silent prayer escape my lips. "Good Luck... My Friend..."

I shouldn't have let my emotions get the better of me, and in a way they still were. I was so lost in thought that I didn't even realize another man had appeared.

"So, there you are! Of all the Academia Soldiers I would have to fight to get to Ruri, it had to be you, traitor!"

Oh no! Oh Noooooooo! Not him! I was hoping and praying that I wouldn't run into any Lancers before I reached the security control zone, but apparently Lady Luck is not very nice to me. Not only did she refuse to answer my prayers and have my journey be Lancer Free, but she sent the one with the worst attitude and least sense of reason.

Shun Kurosaki.

"I put aside my differences with you!" The Raidraptor duelist ranted, hatred burning in his eyes. "I allowed myself to put aside my vendetta against your kind for the sake of working together with you! I even allowed myself to think that maybe there were good people among the soldiers of Academia who weren't blood thirsty murderers, but after finding out what you did to us, how you turned your back on our cause, how you threw Yuzu into the same hell hole Ruri is stuck in right now! Now I see that I WAS RIGHT! Once a soldier of Academia, always a soldier of Academia! You were just as rotten to the core as the rest of them all along, weren't you? WEREN'T YOU?!"

Another painful stab to my heart. The fact that I expected him to say words like that didn't help me at all. It's still too late to tell him that I was dropping my charade and defecting from Academia once again, and even if I did tell him now that I had officially planned to abandon Academia again, there is no way in hell Shun was going to listen, especially after what he saw me do at the Western Tower.

Time to Play the Villain Again.

"Well you continue to surprise me, Shun!" I answered him, allowing my cruel sneer to return to my face. "Not only did you get this far into the heart of Academia, but you are actually capable of figuring out what happened between me and the other Lancers all by yourself. I thought the only thought that ever goes on inside that empty head of yours is Ruri, Ruri, and more Ruri! Stopping only to take a second to brood!"

The mention of his sister's name sent Shun into a barely contained rage.

"I had her..." He whispered, clenching his fists so hard, it almost looked like they would pop off his arms. "I HAD HER! Then you did something to her, and she came down to fight with you against Yuya! What did you do to her?!"

Truthfully, I had no idea. "Wouldn't you like to know? Why don't you go to the Professor and ask him yourself! Door is on the center room of the top floor to the left! I'm sure he would love to meet you!"

"Oh I'll be having a word with your Professor alright!" Shun growled, as he activated his duel disk.

"Right after you tell me where Ruri is, even if I have to beat the truth out of you in a duel!"

I grimaced. This is the one thing I didn't want to happen. I don't have time for a duel! I have thirty minutes to get to the control zone otherwise the timing is going to be off and Battle Beast will tell the Professor of my capture while the cameras are still on, which will ruin everything!"

"You're not worth my time, Shun!" I spat at him, angering the Raidraptor duelist even further. "If you want to rescue Ruri, then you'll have to find where she is yourself. I no longer care what happens to you, now stand aside."

"No!"

"STAND ASIDE, SHUN!"

"NO!"

"I SAID GET OUT OF MY WAY, BIRD BOY!" I screamed at him.

"You're not going anywhere, until you pay for what you've done to my sister and the Lancers!" Shun snapped. "You'll all pay for making my comrades suffer!"

Joke's on him. I'm already paying for it.

"You think you're so self righteous, Shun!" I mocked him. "Look at you, trying to be the hero and thinking how you've suffered gives you the right to judge me! You think that just because you lost your sister, that means you know what it truly means to suffer. Your mind is so obsessed with your sister's suffering that you can't even fathom that there are other people in these dimensions who might have suffered just as much as you did! You should count yourself lucky, Shun! You actually had a sister and a family to begin with! You actually had a happy life before we tore your dimension to pieces! Look at me! I never even knew what family or happiness was since I spent the first half of my life in a filthy roach motel of an orphanage, and the other half in a military school where everyone just sees you as another tool to be used, so don't you DARE talk to me about suffering, you selfish brooding fool!"

"I'll show you who's a fool! It's you for thinking you could betray the Lancers and get away with it, now shut up and DUEL ME!" Shun roared.

This is a narrow corridor with only one way forward. Despite my training, Shun could physically overpower me, and if I was captured for real, then that would ruin everything.

Only one way out now.

"Very well, then!" I said, activating my own duel disk.

"If that's how you want to play, then I'll grant your wish with a duel! I'll be sure to tell Ruri how easily you fell at my hands!"

Action Field: Crossover Activate!

Shun: 4000

Selena: 4000

DUEL!

"I'll go first!" Shun snarled. "I summon Raidraptor Napalm Dragonius in attack mode, and then I will follow it up with Raidraptor Call to Special Summon a copy of Dragonius to my side of the field as well!"

In front of Shun, a large robotic bird with a long serpentine tail and metallic wings appeared on his field, and then the effect of his spell card produced an identical copy. Given their features, these two looked more like dragons than actual birds.

Raidraptor Napalm Dragonius: Level 4/DARK/Winged-Beast/1000 ATK/1000 DEF

"Next I activate their effects! Once per turn, each of my Napalms can inflict 600 points of damage to you, and double the Napalm means double the damage! FIRE!"

Both birds opened their mouths and breathed a stream of fire. I braced myself as the flames engulfed me, giving my lifepoints a nasty hit.

Selena: 4000 - 1200 = 2800

"Starting off the first turn with burn damage to demonstrate your power over your opponent?!" I noted as I recovered from the assault. "You must really be taking this duel seriously, aren't you! Isn't that a technique that an Academia duelist would pull instead of an Xyz Scum like you!"

"YOU! ENOUGH!" Shun yelled at me. "I special summon Raidraptor Fuzzy Lanius from my hand!"

Shun summoned a third robotic bird, a black and purple avian with a green jewel in the center of its chest.

Raidraptor Fuzzy Lanius: Level 4/DARK/Winged-Beast/500 ATK/1500 DEF

"Now it's time for you to face a very familiar monster! You might remember this one during your time as a Lancer before you betrayed us!"

"I overlay my two Napalms and my Fuzzy Lanius! With these 3 Level 4 Monsters, I shall construct the overlay network!"

"Mighty Falcon Lurking in the Shadows, Extend your Talons sharpened by adversity and Spread the Wings of your Glorious Rebellion!"

"XYZ SHOUKAN! APPEAR NOW! RAIDRAPTOR RISE FALCON!"

I knew what was coming next. I watched as his three avians transform into glowing balls of purple light and vanished into the spiraling overlay portal. Then Shun's monster descended down from the sky, flapping its metallic wings and bearing its long curved silver talons.

Raidraptor Rise Falcon: Rank 4/DARK/Winged-Beast/Xyz/100 ATK/2000 DEF

"Not a very smart move of you to summon that on the first turn of the duel when I have no monsters for its effect to take advantage of. Even if you did summon it in defense mode, you should know that I have plenty of Fusion Monsters who can easily tear that bird of yours to pieces."

"That won't be happening! Activate Equip Spell! Raptor's Ultimate Armor! By equipping this to my Rise Falcon, it can't be destroyed by battle!"

A large silver suit of armor that appeared to be specifically designed for a large bird to wear appeared in front of the falcon and then stuck to the falcon's chest.

"With that, I set one more card face down and end my turn!"

"Draw!"

"I summon Lunalight Kaleido Chick in attack mode!"

I called my first monster forth, a yellow leotard wearing ballerina wearing an orange carnival mask with two streamers in her hands that produced a rainbow colored veil. She touched down on the field with poise and grace, and spun around three times on her left foot before striking a flirtatious pose.

Lunalight Kaleido Chick: Level 4/DARK/Beast-Warrior/1400 ATK/800 DEF

"Next, I activate her effect! I can send Lunalight Cat Dancer from my Extra Deck to the Graveyard, and then her name is treated as Cat Dancer for the rest of the turn!"

"And now it's time to take out your Falcon! I activate..."

"Let me guess! Polymerization!" Shun interrupted me. "For two long you people have tortured me with that card, but this time I came prepared! Activate Counter Trap Card, ANTI-FUSION BOMB! With this card, I can negate the effect of your Polymerization and banish it, but that's not all it does! Anti-Fusion Bomb forces you to banish all copies of Polymerization from your hand, deck, or Graveyard."

My spell card appeared on the field, but as soon as it did, a large bomb with a no circle over it stuck to the spell and destroyed it in a fiery explosion.

"Hmph, looks like you can use that bird brain of yours after all." I said as I banished my other two copies of Polymerization out of my deck. "But that's still not going to stop me from Fusion Summoning! Since you control a Special Summoned monster, and I do not, I can Special Summon a solution to that problem!"

"Appear! Lunalight Silver Swan!"

Another ballerina joined my kaleido chick. She was wearing a glittering silver outfit with extensions on the arms of the costume that resembled the wings of a swan.

Lunalight Silver Swan: Level 4/DARK/Beast-Warrior/1500 ATK/1200 DEF

"Next, I activate the effect of Silver Swan! Since you control a monster that was Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, and I do not, I can Fusion Summon a monster without using Polymerization! You did all that work to banish my favorite spell card for nothing Shun, just like how all your efforts to rescue your sister have been for nothing!"

"SHUT UP!" Shun snapped at me.

"Oh? Am I just spouting nonsense?" I continued. "Am I just being the evil traitor that you believe me to be? If your attempt to rescue Ruri will eventually succeed, then why did she run away from you to join my side right when you had opened the doors to her cell in that dark and scary tower where Yuya and Yuri dueled each other?"

"What... What are you saying?!" Shun stammered as he took the bait of my words.

I was hurting so much from everything I have been through, and by God I wanted to make him hurt even more!

Is this the feeling that Yuri felt every day?

"What if I told you that I could snap my fingers right now and then Ruri would come running to my side? What if I told you that Academia has drained her of any desire to resist or escape, and her resolve only aligned with mine? What if I told you that Ruri likes it here now and wants to stay with me? Who needs a brooding brother who takes her for granted when she could have a sister like me?"

"That... That's not true! That's not true!" stuttered Shun, horrified at the idea I was implying. I think if Ruri actually was working for Academia, the sight would kill him.

"If you think its not true, then why don't you just shut your mouth and find out when this duel is over!" I told him. "I activate the effect of Silver Swan to conduct a Fusion Summon! Kaleido Chick, Silver Swan, Fuse together with the Lunalight Blue Cat I have in my hand!"

"Baby Bird of the Rainbow Lights, Swan of the Silver Lake, merge together with the Azure Beast of Darkness and give birth to an ancient slumbering power!"

"YUUGO SHOUKAN! APPEAR NOW! DANCING BEAST OF THE ANCIENT SAVAGE JUNGLE, LUNALIGHT SABRETOOTH CAT DANCER!"

My three dancers vanished into the fusion spiral, conjuring forth a brand new dancer to take the stage. Backflipping onto the field, my new dancer bared a strong resemblance to my cat dancer, only her long elegant hair was a jet black shade, and the colors of her dress were more akin to an orange kimono with fur on the edges. The leggings of her outfit bore the orange and black stripes of a tiger and as she touched down with one leg, she brandished her weapons, to long katanas, and hissed at my opponent.

Lunalight Sabretooth Cat Dancer: Level 9/DARK/Beast-Warrior/Fusion/3000 ATK/2500 DEF

"Now before I attack, I will activate the continuous spell card, Lunalight War Dance! What does it do? You'll find out when I attack!"

"You think your monster is safe because of that armor? Every armor has a weak spot, and my sabretooth knows what that weak spot is! Sabretooth Cat Dancer inflicts piercing damage when it attacks a defense position monster! Sabretooth, attack Rise Falcon! MOONLIGHT MASSACRE DANCE!"

My cat woman cackled like a wicked witch and sprung forward, katanas unsheathed, and she stabbed the robotic bird in both wings. The falcon shrieked in agony, but thanks to the armor it was capable of standing its ground.

Shun: 4000 - 1000 = 3000

"Thanks to the effect of my armor, I can now add a Rank Up Magic Spell Card from my deck to my hand since I took battle damage."

"That's fine by me, Shun, but I'm not done inflicting damage! Sabretooth Cat Dancer can attack twice during each turn! GO! MOONLIGHT MASSACRE DANCE!"

With a feral grin on her fanged face, the cat woman pulled her swords out of the falcon's wings and then struck it across the chest, forcing Shun to feel the full pain of the assault.

Shun: 3000 - 1000 = 2000

"Grrrrr... Do your worst, Traitor!" Shun grunted. "Thanks to the effect of my armor, I get to add another Rank Up Magic Spell card to my hand."

"That's fine with me." I told him. "I think that's enough damage for now, so let's move onto the bonus I receive from attacking your monster! Since its the end of the battle phase, my Sabretooth Dancer gains attack power equal to half your monster's defense points thanks to the effect of my Lunalight War Dance. Turn End."

Lunalight Sabretooth Cat Dancer: 3000 + 1000 = 4000 ATK

"Draw!" Shun growled. "Now that my falcon has survived your attack, I can put the rank up magic cards I obtained last turn to good use! Activate Spell Card, Rank Up Magic Raid Force! Now I can rebuild the overlay network and evolve my rise falcon into something more powerful!"

"I know your strategy, Shun!" I mocked him. "This is way too predictable even for you!"

Shun ignored my and continued with his summon as the falcon vanished back into the overlay network.

Ferocious falcon. Break through this fierce battle and spread your wings! Destroy our foes with your incredible power!"

"RANK UP XYZ EVOLUTION! APPEAR NOW! RAIDRAPTOR BLAZE FALCON!"

Just as I expected, Shun's next monster was his upgraded falcon, decorated in glowing ruby armor.

Raidraptor Blaze Falcon: Rank 5/DARK/Winged-Beast/Xyz/1000 ATK/2000 DEF

"Now I activate my Falcon's effect! By detaching one overlay unit, all Special Summoned monsters are destroyed and you take five hundred damage for each monster destroyed by this effect, so say goodbye to your Sabretooth Dancer!"

"I don't think so!" I retorted. "Lunalight War Dance has another effect! When you activate a monster effect, I can send my spell card to the Graveyard to negate the effect of your Blaze Falcon and add half of its defense points to my sabretooth's attack points!"

Lunalight Sabretooth Cat Dancer: 4000 + 1000 = 5000 ATK

"FINE!" Shun snapped. "Then I'll just activate the effect of the second Rank Up Magic Spell Card I added to my hand! I activate Rank Up Magic Skip Force! With this card, I can rebuild the overlay network again and summon a Raid Raptor with two ranks higher thank my Blaze Falcon!"

"You mean you're going for a Rank Seven?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "I've never seen you use a Rank Seven before!"

"What can I say? I'm full of surprises!" Shun remarked without any humor in his voice. "Blaze Falcon! OVERLAY!"

"Indomitable Falcon! Gather your comrades for battle and take to the skies in a blazing storm of vengeance!"

"RANK UP XYZ EVOLUTION! APPEAR NOW, RAIDRAPTOR ARSENAL FALCON!"

The overlay network spawned a new falcon I had never seen before. This one was double the size of his Blaze Falcon and it returned to its black and green color scheme. Its enormous wings stretched outward across the battle field, and underneath its wings were dozens of smaller raid raptors lying dormant like planes in an air hanger.

Raidraptor Arsenal Falcon: Rank 7/DARK/Winged-Beast/Xyz/2500 ATK/2000 DEF

"Arsenal Falcon effect activate! By detaching one overlay unit, I can special summon one Raidraptor Monster from my deck! Appear now! Raidraptor Infiltrator Eagle!"

One of the dormant raptors on the giant falcon's wings came to life and took flight, revealing itself to be a small robotic bird with an orange and black color scheme and large spy glasses covering its eyes.

Raidraptor Infiltrator Eagle: Level 3/DARK/Winged-Beast/500 ATK/2000 DEF

"Now then, traitor! It's time to make you pay, and then your Professor is next! Raidraptor Arsenal Falcon, attack her Lunalight Sabretooth Dancer!"

"Are you blind? My monster is far stronger!"

"That can easily be changed with the effect of my infiltrator eagle! By sacrificing it when my Arsenal Falcon battles, the attack of your monster is reduced to zero!"

"WHAT?!

Infiltrator Eagle vanished from sight and reappeared behind my dancer, digging its claws into her back. My sabretooth shrieked and was forced down on one knee as her power was drained from her body.

Sabretooth Cat Dancer: 5000 - 5000 = 0 ATK

"GO ARSENAL FALCON!" Shun commanded. "UNITED ROCKET REVOLUTION!"

My sabretooth was helpless against the approaching avian, who positioned itself directly above her and unleashed an air bombing of dozens of missles, consuming my creature in a roaring inferno. I grunted in pain as the blast went straight for my lifepoints, but it would take more than that to take me out. I still had one more trick up my sleeve.

Selena: 2800 - 2500 = 300

"You give up yet?" Shun snarled.

"Actually!" I wheezed, as I staggered back to my feet. "It's you who should be giving up! My sabretooth cat dancer's effect now activates when it is destroyed! By banishing her and the Lunalight Cat Dancer that my kaleido chick placed in the graveyard, I am allowed to fusion summon my most powerful monster, the Goddess of the Fusion Dimension itself! CAT DANCER, SABRETOOTH DANCER, FUSION!"

"Dancing Sisters of the Moonlight, unite as one and unleash the true divine power of the moon! Take the shape of a true Goddess!"

"YUUGO SHOUKAN! ARISE, SUPREME QUEEN OF THE MOON, LUNALIGHT WHITE TIGER GODDESS!"

I took a great deal of pleasure in seeing the shocked look on Shun's face as he recognized the monster I just summoned. In a blinding ray of light from above, my ten armed Goddess descended, floating peacefully in a state of meditation.

Lunalight White Tiger Goddess: Level 10/DARK/Beast-Warrior/Fusion/4000 ATK/4000 DEF

"What's wrong, Shun? Is my monster giving you the chills? Well it should since cats eat birds for breakfast!"

"Your monster doesn't scare me!" Shun roared. "I end my turn!"

"Very good! Now it's time for this monster to finish you off once and for all! I warned you to stay out of my way, Shun, and now you will pay the price for it! I draw, and now I immediately enter my battle phase! Lunalight White Tiger Goddess, attack his Arsenal Falcon! DANCING BLADES OF NIRVANA!"

The eyes of my Goddess burst open and she leaped forward, clutching her ten blades in each of her hands, and she sliced the cybernetic falcon into mincemeat. Shun was blown backwards by the force of the blast and fell down to one knee as he braced for the impact.

Shun: 2000 - 1500 = 500

"Grrrrr, typical of you Fusion Savages." Shun grunted. "Trying to squash us like cockroaches, but in case you haven't noticed, the people from the Xyz Dimension always endure, and no matter how many times you knock me down, I will get back up to avenge my comrades! I activate the effect of my Arsenal Falcon! Since it was destroyed, I can special summon one Raidraptor Xyz Monster from my extra deck, and then attach arsenal falcon to my new monster as an xyz material. ANY Raidraptor Xyz Monster! So now you get to see my ultimate monster up close and personal!"

"Superior Falcon! Carry on the wishes of your fallen friends and fly into the sky of victory!"

"XYZ SHOUKAN! APPEAR NOW! RAIDRAPTOR ULTIMATE FALCON!"

Just when I thought I had this duel, Shun just had to summon another one of those annoying birds. I recognized this one from Shun's duel against Crow, the largest Raidraptor of them all with a gigantic display of golden raidiant wings. No matter though, by summoning that falcon, Shun just guaranteed his defeat.

Raidraptor Ultimate Falcon: Rank 10/DARK/Winged-Beast/Xyz/3500 ATK/2000 DEF

"You shouldn't have summoned that monster!" I told him. "Now that triggers the effect of my Goddess! Since you took battle damage, she gains 500 attack points, and now that you special summoned a monster, I can force your monster to battle with her immediately, and since your monster is all alone on that field with a measely 3500 attack points, the only place you are going is down into the pits of defeat! White Tiger Goddess, attack his ultimate falcon now!"

I had him now! I won! I finally shut that brooding bird boy down!

So why was he smiling!

"You don't understand Selena! I'M NEVER ALONE! All my comrades, even the ones who fell in battle, are with me in spirit, and now they are going to unleash their full wrath on you and every one in Academia! Now let me show you why! I activate the effect of Raidraptor Rescue Lanius in my hand! By discarding him from my hand, I can Special Summon Raidraptor Infiltrator Eagle from my Graveyard!"

A small white Raidraptor with the red cross on its chest appeared, and threw a crane into the ground that pulled the eagle out from the depths of the Graveyard.

Raidraptor Rescue Lanius: Level 4/DARK/Winged-Beast/1200 ATK/1400 DEF

"You're bringing back Infiltrator Eagle?" I asked him "What good will that... do..."

Suddenly it hit me like a ton of bricks. "NO! IT CAN'T BE!"

"Yes it can!" retorted Shun. "I activate the effect of Infiltrator Eagle! By sacrificing it, the attack of your White Tiger Goddess is reduced to zero! Now it's easy prey for my monster! GO ULTIMATE FALCON, ATTACK HER WHITE TIGER GODDESS! FINAL GLORIOUS REVOLUTION!"

There was nothing I could do now! I was completely helpless against the wrath of that monster! Without hesitation, The Ultimate Falcon unleashed a giant glowing orb of darkness and fired, tearing its way through my Goddess and then barreling its way towards me. The attack struck like battering ram, and I flew through the air and landed down hard on the ground.

Selena: 4000 - 4000 = 0 (LOSE)

Winner: Shun

"And now you see why traitorous scum like you never win!" Shun gloated over me with nothing but contempt and venom in his voice.

"You've won..." I whispered, not even bothering to get back on my feet. "There is no point in continuing to gloat over it."

Then, without warning, Shun grabbed me by the collar of my uniform and violently forced me up against the wall.

"I'm not hear to gloat! I'm hear to get answers! Where is Ruri?!"

"Don't you know it's rude to hit a girl!" I spat back to him in defiance.

"WHERE IS RURI!" Shun roared. "TELL ME WHERE SHE IS RIGHT NOW OR ELSE I'LL CARD YOU! I SWEAR I'LL CARD YOU!"

"SHUN NO! STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING RIGHT NOW!"

I turned to the sound of the voice, and I couldn't believe my eyes. After everything I had done to the Lancers, there was Yuya Sakaki, defending me...


Author Made Cards:

Lunalight Sabretooth Cat Dancer: Level 9/DARK/Beast-Warrior/Fusion/3000 ATK/2500 DEF

3 Lunalight Monsters

Effect: You can substitute this card for any Fusion Material listed on a DARK Fusion Monster. If you do this, the other Fusion Materials must be the correct ones. This card can make a second attack during each turn's battle phase, and if it attacks a defense position monster, inflict piercing damage to your opponent. When this card is destroyed, you can banish this card and up to two Lunalight Monsters from your Graveyard. Fusion Summon one Lunalight Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck using those monsters as Fusion Materials.

Lunalight Silver Swan: Level 4/DARK/Winged-Beast/1500 ATK/1200 DEF

Effect: If your opponent controls a Special Summoned Monster and you do not, you can Special Summon this card from your hand. Once per turn, if your opponent controls a monster that was Special Summoned from the Extra Deck and you do not, you can activate this effect. Fusion Summon one Lunalight Fusion Monster using monsters in your hand or side of the field as Fusion Materials.

Raidraptor Infiltrator Eagle: Level 3/DARK/Winged-Beast/500 ATK/2000 DEF

Effect: If you control a Raidraptor Xyz Monster, you can Special Summon this card from your hand. When a Raidraptor Xyz Monster battles an opponent's monster, you can tribute this card. Reduce the ATK of the monster it is battling to zero, until the End Phase.

Raidraptor Rescue Lanius: Level 4/DARK/Winged-Beast/1200 ATK/1400 DEF

Effect: During either player's turn, you can discard this card from your hand. Target one Raidraptor Monster in your Graveyard. Special Summon it.

Raptor's Ultimate Armor: Equip Spell Card

Effect: Equip only to a Raid Raptor Monster. The equipped monster cannot be destroyed by battle. Each time a player takes damage from a battle involving the equipped monster, you can add one Rank Up Magic Spell Card from your deck to your hand.

Lunalight War Dance: Continuous Spell Card

Effect: Each time a Lunalight Monster is Fusion Summoned, draw one card. At the end of the Battle Phase, you can target one Lunalight Monster that battled an opponent's monster this turn. That monster gains ATK equal to half ATK or DEF of the monster it battled (whichever is higher). When your opponent activates a monster effect while you control a face up Lunalight Monster, you can send this face up card you control to the Graveyard. Negate the activation of that effect. Then target one Lunalight Monster you control. It gains ATK equal to half the ATK or DEF of the monster whose effect was negated (whichever is higher).

Anti-Fusion Bomb: Counter Trap Card

Effect: Activate when your opponent activates Polymerization or a Spell Card that would allow the opponent to Special Summon a Fusion Monster from the Extra Deck while you control a monster that was Special Summoned from the Extra Deck (except a Fusion Monster). Negate the activation of that card or effect, and if you do, banish it. Then your opponent must banish all copies of that card from their hand, deck, or Graveyard.


Authors Notes:

AND CLIFFHANGER!

You know what I realized? Every single time Shun summoned Ultimate Falcon, his supposedly strongest monster, he would end up losing the duel?

Isn't that weird? First to Crow, then to Kaito, That has to hurt the poor little birdie's self esteem!

So now its Yuya to the rescue once again I suppose to knock some sense into both crazy kitty and emo birdie. Yay!

So what did you think of the chapter? Did you like it? Did you not like it? Whatever your opinion may be, leave a review and let me know!

Until Next Time! This is Nox Descious Signing Out!