Hello! Before we begin, for now on, All Makai will be written with gender-neutral pronouns. The reason for this is because They're genderless as they're emotions come to life. It will also make my writing more comfortable to read. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy it!

A Closed Fist to An Open Palm

Chapter 15: Heroic Deprecations

Brier laid his brown eyes on his distracted opponent, watching the Demon twirl around in a careless stupor as their Noisy Cicada King stood motionlessly beside it, apathetic to its owner's creepily childish antics.

Finding a way to out Ikanok's Noisy Cicada King was going to be difficult. While Brier still had Lightning Dart Hoverboard on the field and three unknown face-downs, Kanoki's Cicada King had three thousand defense points, a threshold that Brier can't overcome right now. He'll need to use all cards in his deck to their full potential to defeat Kanoki's monster.

'I need to get rid of that thing fast, because, in three turns, I'll lose...And Alexis will be gone, because of me...' Brier whispered internally, his body tensing from the consequences if he lost. Sobering himself up and mustering up whatever courage he has right now, Brier drew a card from the top of his deck, starting his turn.

Brier's LP: 3000

Konaki's LP: 5000

"First, I activate one of my face-downs, Dart Striker Role-Call!" Brier declared, revealing the spell card to his opponent. Kanoki didn't respond, more fixated on perfecting its mindless twirling than on the duel.


Dark Striker Role-Call

Continuous Spell Card

Whenever a monster is tributed by the effect of a "Dart" card. That tributed monster is added back to your hand instead of sent to the GY. If you control a level 6 or higher "Dart" monster, draw 1 card immediately when this effect resolves. You can only activate the effect of "Dart Strike Role-Call" once per turn.


"From now on, for once per turn, whenever I tribute a monster to activate a Dart card's effect, I can add them back to the hand instead of sending them to the graveyard!" Brier declared. Immediately making his decision, Brier would pluck one card out of his hand before slamming it on top of his duel disk.

"Since I control a level four or lower Dart monster, I can normal summon Rocket Dart Striker without tributing!" Deploying to the field in a fiery landing was a red feminine robot, its right hand encased around a giant missile-launcher. The monster pressed a hand against her green visor, readying up its internal targeting system.


Rocket Dart Striker

Level 6, EARTH, Machine, ATK: 1900, DEF: 100

If you control no monsters or control a level 4 or lower "Dart" monster, you can Normal Summon this card without Tributing. You can target 1 "Dart" monster you control; Tribute this card, and if you do, if it attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing battle damage to your opponent.


"And now I activate my other face-down! Dart Scud Consolation!" A trio of darts threw themselves at Lightning Dart Hoverboard, skewering the monster in a barrage of poorly-aimed shots before the monster shattered in a cascade of holographic shards.


Dart Scud Consolation

Normal Spell Card

Tribute 1 "Dart" monster you control; draw 2 cards. If the monster that was tributed by this card's effect was level 5 or higher, draw 1 more card. You can only activate 1 "Dart Scud Consolation" per turn.


"By tributing my Lightning Dart Hoverboard, I can draw two cards from my deck, but because of Dart Striker Role-Call, I can add it back to my hand instead of sending it to the graveyard." The floating pieces of Lightning Dart Hoverboard pieced themselves together, forming into a

"And since I control the level six Rocket Dart Striker, I can draw another card from my deck!" Brier swung his arm out, freshening his hand with a new card from his deck.

"I'm going to get rid of that Cicada by activating my third face-down! Rocket Girl Shut-Out!" As Brier revealed the spell card, parts of Rocket Dart Striker began to shift, contort, and twist in static movements, her whole body transforming into a crimson double-finned rocket.

"If I tribute Rocket Dart Striker, I can target one card on the field and destroy it!" The rocket's thrusters started to blast a blazing fire, ready to fire itself upon Kanoki's Noisy Cicada King.

"Ehehe! Do you think Noisy Cicada King is going to accept such a thing!?" Kanoki responded.

"Because he isn't," Kanoki added, his jolly voice twisting into a harsh growl.

"I'm going to use its effect! Once per turn! During your turn! I can remove from play one of my insect monsters from the graveyard..." Before Rocket Dart Striker could strike down Kanoki's monster in a missile dive, she started to shiver in place as a glitching current shocked through her systems, forcing the mech back into her original bipedal form.

"To negate the activation of your spell card! Hahaha! How sad! If only you realized that Cicada King is unbeatable!" Kanoki squealed in a sniveling laugh.

"No card is unbeatable...Every card has a weakness. I end my turn." Brier replied in a low grumble.

"Yes, yes! YES! It's my turn! I draw!" In an extravagant flourish, the Demon swiped off a card from the top of their deck, excited to inflict more suffering to their opponent.

"It doesn't matter what I draw! As long as it is a monster card! and it is a monster!" Kanoki declared, showing off a Howling Insect monster card.

"I activate Noisy Cicada King's special effect! By sending my howling insect to the graveyard, I can inflict 1000 points of damage to you! Continue your song, Cicada King!" Kanoki demanded. For the second time, a crushing wave of ear-piercing sound trembled out of Noisy Cicada King's vibrating wings, shaking the entire room in a vibrating echo.

Brier instinctively covered his ears, hoping that they could muffle the worst part of the shrieking symphony coming his way. As soon as the wave of sound struck, Brier broke in a hurting grimace, the agonizing buzzing through the slit of his hands, creeping into his tender ears.

Brier's LP: 2000

"Stop! Please!" Brier blurted out in a scream as he shook in excruciating pain. Perhaps out of a thought genuine mercy, the Demon seemed to contemplate Brier's quivering plea, placing a bloated finger onto their broken jaw.

"Let me think about it...NO!" Kanoki bellowed back in a hearty cackle, content to let Brier suffer.

"Once Noisy Cicada King inflicts that 1000 damage, I gain that 1000 as lifepoints!" The giant Cicada fluttered out a harmonious hymn to its master. Kanoki breathed out a satisfied hum as they patted their stomach. Their wart-ridden paunch grew more and more swollen as they continued to hoard lifepoints like a greedy glutton.

Kanoki's LP: 6000

"I don't even to do anything else! I end my turn!" Kanoki gloated.

Before Brier started his turn, he checked his hands, strangely feeling a moist sensation upon his palms.

His eye's widened in a growing terror. Stained upon his palms were blots of blood, collected from his rupturing eardrums.

"I..." Brier started in a weakened tone. He felt a crimson stream trickle down his neck, making his skin crawl as it trailed down to his nape, staining the collar of his green undershirt.

"I...Draw..." Brier said in a mutter, tainting the drawn card in a splash of dried crimson.

"Face it, boy...You have nothing to offer, and you will never be good enough to beat me!" Kanoki taunted in a giddy laugh. The remark made Brier visibly flinch, his hearing was starting to mute, his voice becoming muffled and still, yet he could hear the Makai's demoralizing words loud and clear as notes of doubts coursed through his deafened ears.

"First, I normal summon Lightning Dart Hoverboard from my hand in attack position," The electrified dartboard monster returned to the duel in a torrent of holographic particles.


Lightning Dart Hoverboard

Level 4, LIGHT, Machine, ATK: 1200, DEF: 1400

When this card is Normal, or Special Summoned: Add 1 level 5 or higher monster from your deck to your hand. If you control a "Dart" monster, you can Special Summon this card from your GY. You can only activate both the effects of "Lightning Dart Hoverboard" once per turn.


"And as soon as its normal summoned to the field, I can add one level five or higher Dart monster from my deck to my hand!"

"I choose Power Dart Striker and add it to my hand!" Brier declared, flashing the card to his opponent.

"And it won't be good enough to beat my king!" Kanoki replied, earning an annoyed groan from Brier.

"It will be good enough for I activate a continuous spell! Different Dimension Gate!" A gateway, hosting a portal of varying colors, appeared behind Brier.


Different Dimension Gate

Continuous Spell Card

Activate this card by targeting 1 monster on each side of the field; banish those targets. When this card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard: Return those banished monsters to the field in the same battle positions they were in.


"I target Lightning Dart Hoverboard and your Noisy Cicada King, now as long as Different Dimension Gate remains on the field, both monsters are removed from play!" Brier explained. Kanoki's only response was a grating laugh.

"I suppose my Noisy Cicada King also did some damage to your puny skull! I'll use its effect again! By banishing an Insect-type monster from my graveyard, I can negate its activation and destroy it!" The portal slowly turned into ruin before it could pull both monsters into its swirling gate.

Brier smiled lightly, seemingly okay with his spell card's destruction. This flash of acceptance instantly garnered Kanoki's attention. "Why are you smiling!? You should be cowering in despair over your ever-building failures!" Kanoki demanded.

"Earlier, you've implied Noisy Cicada King's negation effect was a hard once per turn. So that means I can activate this without an interruption! I activate Sharing the Pain!" Brier answered.

"By tributing Lightning Dart Hoverboard, I can tribute your Noisy Cicada King, sending both of them to the graveyard!"

"EH?! I've Been Tricked!" Kanoki exclaimed. The Demon froze in fear as a deep cutting wound suddenly erupted upon Noisy Cicada King's abdomen, gushing out sickly green ichor before the insect dropped to the ground in a lifeless thud.

"While Dart Striker Role-call can't activate its effect to return Lightning Dart Hoverboard to my hand, I can activate Lightning Dart Hoverboard's other effect to special summon it back to my field!"

"Time for battle! Rocket Dart Striker! Lightning Dart Hoverboard! Attack Kanoki directly!" Kanoki yelped in fear as it shielded itself from a barrage of lightning bolts and dart missiles.

Kanoki's LP: 2700

"And just like that, we're almost even. I set a card face-down and end my turn." Brier finished, taking a deep, calming breath as he did so, maintaining his resolve as he took a stand against his demonic opponent.

"Tricked by a Puny...Doubting Shrimp..." Kanoki mumbled in utter disbelief, unable to heed its own words, unable to comprehend that the shriveling, weak, pathetic Brier was not only resisting defeat but mounting a monumental comeback that could lead to their downfall.

"I will end you! Do you understand!? I will show you that you will never be good enough! For anything! For ANYONE!" Kanoki declared before breaking into a frenzied fit of cackling laughter. The room began to shake, the locker doors rattling open by Kanoki's twisted bellows.

"I Draw! And I activate this! Cicada Reborn!"


Cicada Reborn

Normal Spell Card

Target 1 "Cicada" monster in your GY, Special Summon it.


A veiny, fleshy growth, hosting a growing larva, sprouted out of the ground, blooming like an invasive weed.

"I can special summon back Noisy Cicada King! With no cost! With No drawback! Now its time to resume the song of your demise!" Kanoki explained before it erupted in a howl of maddened laughter,

A pair of sharp sickle-like pincers clawed themselves out of the boil, slicing and shredding through pulpy veins of blackened sinew. Bouts of emerald green goo poured out of the deflating growth as Noisy Cicada King crawled out of it, living once again.


Noisy Cicada King

Level 8, DARK, Fiend, ATK: 1200, DEF: 3000

2+ "Cicada" monsters

Must first be Special Summoned (from your Extra Deck) by sending the above cards you control to the graveyard that's combined levels equal to this card's level. You can send 1 monster from your hand to the GY, inflict 1000 points of damage to your opponent, then gain 1000 lifepoints. During your opponent's turn, if your opponent activates a Spell/Trap Card: banish 1 Insect-type monster from your GY, if you do, negate the activation, then destroy it. You can only activate both effects of "Noisy Cicada King" once per turn.


"Your brain will explode! By sending Pinch Hopper from my hand to the graveyard, I can inflict 1000 points of damage to you!" Brier braced himself as he was struck by a piercing wave of rumbling sound, forcing the boy to his knees as he struggled to endure the attack.

Brier's LP: 1000

"Don't forget! I gain the same lifepoints you lost! I end my turn with a face-down card!" Noisy Cicada King changed its tune, going from a scream of ear poison to a soothing song, bringing motes of life to its owner.

Kanoki's LP: 3700

Brier, although dazed by Noisy Cicada King's attack, quickly retaliated by flipping-up a face-down card " As you end your turn. I activate a quick-play spell! Enemy Controller!" An unplugged gamepad appeared on Brier's side of the field.

"I'll use its first effect to switch Noisy Cicada King from Defense Position to Attack Position!" A series of button combinations played out on the gamepad, readying up a game-changing cheat code.

"Then I'll negate with Cicada's effect! Hahaha! You're so foolish!" Kanoki replied in a crazed laugh.

"I guess you're not good enough to read your cards..." Brier whispered as he shook his head in disapproval.

Noisy Cicada, now controlled by the gamepad like a bug-ridden fighting game character, stretched out its sickle-tipped arms in a striking stance, to slow and clumsy to interrupt Enemy Controller's effect in time.

"What?! My Noisy Cicada King shouldn't be affected!" Kanoki exclaimed, completely dumbfounded.

"You said earlier that Noisy Cicada King could negate a Spell or Trap card...But only during my turn...It's your turn right now." Brier pointed out. Kanoki responded with silence.

"You know. When we first started this duel, I didn't think I could win..." Brier suddenly started, his eyes shifting to the floor.

"And I truly believed the things you said to me..."

"That I wasn't good enough, for Blair, for my friends...And Alexis..." Brier brought his head down, his face partially-cloaked in a dimming shadow.

"But..." Brier then raised a single finger.

"When you said that me and Alexis 'will never be good enough,' only then I realized that you're wrong." Brier tilted his head back up, staring down his opponent in a gaze, without any fear, without any doubt. Kanoki froze, stunned by Brier's new-found resolve.

"Everyone is capable of overcoming their inner demons... " Brier declared.

"And everyone is cable of overcoming their inner doubts!" Brier shouted. With a single pull of his hand, Brier unbuttoned his Ra Yellow Jacket, letting his coat cape fall to the ground, seemingly, if only for this moment, removing the inner doubt that dwelled within him.

"And I'll prove it! Right now! I draw!" Brier then swung his hand out, drawing a card in a mighty flourish.

"Shut your mouth, boy! I'll end you with this! Final Cicada!"


Final Cicada

Normal Trap Card

Activate only during your opponent's Standby Phase. Target 1 "Cicada" monster, send any number of cards from the top of your deck to the graveyard; the targeted monster gains 300 ATK for each insect-type monster sent to the graveyard by this effect until the End Phase of your next turn.


"Hahaha! I'm tired of your arrogance, boy! With this trap card! I will my all but one card! To the graveyard! And for each insect monster sent! Noisy Cicada King gains three hundred attack points!" Kanoki, without any sense of rationality, callously jammed their entire deck into their graveyard, bending and snapping them like useless refuse.

a horde of insect-shaped spirits creeped out of the cracked floor and the peeled walls, flying out of hiding as they entered into Noisy Cicada King's chitin husk. The King grew larger and larger for each soul given, its claws sharpening, its wings widening, before encompassing everything on the field.

The empowered King towered over the boy like a skyscraper as it glared down the boy in an unblinking, glowing gaze.

"I count thirteen Insect Monsters sent by Final Cicada's effect! That means Cicada King's attack becomes..."

"5100..." Brier answered back breathlessly, having to reel back just so he could look up to Noisy Cicada King in awe.

"That's RIGHT! And now, this duel is over!" Kanoki declared, they then dropped to the ground in a fit of frenzied laughter, believing to have finally outsmarted their opponent.

"Hmph, it's only over when someone's lifepoints '!" Brier declared, unintimidated by the Demon's claims.

"I tribute Lightning Dart Hoverboard to tribute summon Power Dart Striker!" Replacing the electrified Dart Board was another humanoid robot, this time in a sheen of orange and wielding a triple-barreled dart launcher on its left arm.


Power Dart Striker

Level 5, EARTH, Machine, ATK: 1600, DEF: 100

When this card is Normal Summoned: You can add 1 level 6 or higher "Dart" monster from your deck to your hand. You can target 1 "Dart" monster you control; Tribute this card, and if you do, it gains 600 ATK during the Battle Phase only.


"And once it's normal summoned, I can add one level six or higher "Dart" monster from my deck!" Without a second thought, Brier quickly plucked out a single card from his deck, his mind already made up on what monster to pick from his collection of dart monsters.

"So, I add Ultimate Dart Striker to my hand!" Brier declared, showing off the card to his opponent. Kanoki seethed in response, quickly picking themselves off of the ground to growl at Brier.

"As I control two or more Dart Strikers with different names, I can Special Summon Ultimate Dart Striker!" Dropping down to the field in a blast of cerulean Jetfire came a tall robot wielding a massive blue dart missile on its right arm.

With two metallic fingers pressed against the side of its head, the mech's orange visor lit up with life, its internal targeting system squarely aiming at Kanoki's cicada monster.


Ultimate Dart Striker

Level 7, EARTH, Machine, ATK: 2200, DEF: 100

If you control 2 or more "Dart" monsters with different names, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand).

You can target "Dart" monsters in your Graveyard that were Tributed by a card effect this turn; during this turn's End Phase, Special Summon all of those targets.


"Not enough! Not enough attack points! You lose!" Kanoki screeched back in response.

"That's...But it's not about how much attack my monster has, but rather, how much attack your monster has." Brier fired back.

"I activate Power Dart Striker's effect! By tributing itself, I can give Rocket Dart Striker a boost of six hundred attack points during the Battle Phase!" Power Dart Striker disappeared, leaving only its weapon behind. Rocket Dart Striker quickly flew up to the unmanned weapon, with a quick swing of her hand, she slotted her free arm into the weapon, equipping herself with a triple-barreled chain gun.

Rocket Dart Striker's LP: 2100 - 2700

"And since Power Dart Striker was tributed by its own effect, I can add it back to my hand instead of sending it to the graveyard because of Dart Striker Role-call's effect!" Brier declared.

"Not good enough! Noisy Cicada King! Negate that useless continuous spell card's effect and destroy it!" Kanoki retaliated.

"I was hoping for that..." Brier smiled lightly in response as he calmly sent both dart-related cards into the graveyard.

"EH!?" Kanoki screeched back.

"Because since I have a machine-type monster in the graveyard, I can Special Summon this from my hand! Go! Gearspring Spirit!" In a cloud of purplish smoke, came a tin doll draped in a purple dress, planted deep into the doll's shoulders were a pair of slow twirling wind-up keys.


Gearspring Spirit

Level 8, DARK, Machine, ATK: 100, DEF: 100

Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must first be Special Summoned (from your hand) by having only Machine-Type monsters in your Graveyard (min. 1). Once per turn: You can target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; its ATK becomes 0 until the End Phase.


"Gearspring Spirit! Use your effect to turn Noisy Cicada King's attack to zero!" Brier commanded, throwing a hand at Kanoki's direction.

"WHAT?!" Kanoki exclaimed, gripping their ugly face with their fattened fingers as they watched as their monster, slowly shrink down back to its original size.

"Time to end this! I attack Noisy Cicada King with Ultimate Dart Striker! Buckshot Ultimatum!" Brier commanded. The Blue Machine-type monster obeyed in a salute. Ultimate Dart Striker kneeled down before taking a well-aimed shot, striking Noisy Cicada King right within its mindless skull, shattering the insect into pieces.

Kanoki's LP: 1500

"I can't believe this...You will never be good enough! Do you hear me?! I may be gone! But my words will forever be tainted within your feeble mind!" Kanoki warned. Brier paused for a moment.

"You know, I'm glad that I can finally stop having to listening to you, Rocket Dart Striker! End this duel by attacking Kanoki directly! Scud-Shot Barrage!" The monster obeyed. Rocket Dart Striker jumped to the air with a thrust of her jet-pack before aiming both weapons at her squabbling opponent.

"You will never be good enough!" Kanoki shouted for the last time before they shielded themselves from an airstrike of missiles.

Kanoki's LP: 0

Winner: Brier!

"And that's all she wrote," Brier finished. Kanoki fell silent for a moment, believing for a second that his defeat wouldn't catch their master's ire. This second of false hope would soon turn into tragedy as Kanoki looked at his fingers, quickly noticing that they began to turn into ash.

Kanoki let out one last fit of annoying laughter before their body drifted away in burning ash. The mirror domain also changed back, transporting Brier and the unconscious Alexis back into the real locker room they were once in.

Without another word, Brier quickly ran up to the prone Alexis, hoping that she was still alive. She was sound asleep, her eyes, once locked into a lifeless thousand-yard stare, now calmly closed as she let out delicate, but vibrant, breaths. The leeches that once feasted on her miraculously gone, leaving behind bite wounds that sprawled all over Alexis's body.

Brier let out a sigh of relief, Alexis was alive, and that's all that mattered to him right now. Carefully, he placed his Ra Yellow jacket over her, hoping that it could keep her warm, while she was free from her torment, the damage has already been done, Brier needed to take her to Duel Academy's infirmary as soon as possible.

Brier lifted up the blonde up with whatever strength he had left, surprising him on how light Alexis was and quickly carried her out of the locker room. Subconsciously, Alexis wrapped her arms around her savior's neck. Sleepily unaware of how much she flustered Brier by her blissful neck-craning.


And that's the end of the chapter! I hope you all enjoy it! This, and chapter 14 was originally going to be a pseudo-tag duel with The Makai sharing the same graveyard so I wrote out some cheeky combos and loops, but for the sake of brevity and my sanity as I'm not the biggest fan of writing two duels at the same time at the same chapter, I've decided to reserve a tag duel for another chapter.

Anyway, I hope you all favorite/follow, and review! Much feedback appreciated and I'll see you next time!