Disclaimer: I do not own the properties of the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise or the work of the cards; I only own the OCs that could or may be involved in this series. I own nothing of the real OCG cards, just the formal OC character.
Arc League Championship – Chapter 52: Acceptance; Yuya Sakaki vs. Declan Akaba Part 2
DUEL:
Yuya Sakaki (LP 4000) (1x card)
VS
Declan Akaba (LP 3600) (4x cards)
The duel between Yuya Sakaki and Declan Akaba rages on with their monsters clashing one another, which sets the Action Field into a blaze of destruction. As a reminder of what will happen to the contenders when facing Academia, the duel will show no mercy to one another. The survivors of the contenders: Yasuko, Gongenzaka, Serena, Shun, Dennis, Sawatari, and Moon Shadow, all watch Yuya duel Declan with everything he's got. Even Mieru Sentia was present at the time. Yasuko didn't see her until now. She had no idea whether Mieru was a part of the tournament or just got dragged into the battle royal like Sylvio.
So far, Yuya has the slight advantage over Declan with his life points intact and Declan losing only a minimum, but the match was even in terms of skills and strength. The only card Yuya has on his field is Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon (ATK 3000/DEF 2000).
Declan has no other cards on his side of the field, but his hand is almost full. He only took a scratch to his life points.
So far, both duelists are evenly matched, but it's about to become Declan's turn since there is nothing more Yuya can do for.
Turn 4: Declan (4x cards)
"My turn!" Declan announced. "I draw!" He draws a card from his deck to his hand. By looking at the hand setup, it's a perfect format.
"I Set the Pendulum Scale with my Scale 1 D/D Savant Galilei and Scale 10 D/D Savant Kepler!" Declan activates his D/D Savant Galilei (Scale 1) and D/D Savant Kepler (Scale 10) in both the Pendulum Zones, forming the rainbow-colored "Pendulum" word on his red blade.
At once, the savant galilei and savant kepler rose up from the ground and into the air before floating above their respective Pendulum Scale numbers.
"Now, I can summon monsters between levels 2 and 9 simultaneously," said Declan. "The great power that shakes my soul, reside in my body, and become the new light that cuts through the darkness! I Pendulum Summon! Show yourself, the ultimate deity that casts judgment on the twilight of the gods!" A single light ripped through the sky and crashed to the ground, allowing Declan to Pendulum Summon D/D/D Oblivion King Abyss Ragnarok (ATK 2200/DEF 3000) in Attack Position. "D/D/D Oblivion King Abyss Ragnarok!" The monster Declan summoned is a king fiend sitting on a large stone throne seat with heavy bronze and brown armor and six snake-like threads that have spear tips at the end.
"When this card is successfully Special Summoned, I can target one D/D/D monster from my graveyard and then Special Summon it back to my field," Declan explained. One of the spear tips wraps from the oblivion king abyss pieced the ground to let Declan Special Summon D/D/D Wave High King Caesar in Attack Position. "Return to me, D/D/D Wave High King Caesar." Once again, the wave high king caesar is resurrected back to the field with its massive club hanging by the shoulder.
Yuya has nothing to worry about regarding the monsters that Declan has summoned. His Rune-Eyes is the strongest monster on the field, making more of a match to withstand any monsters Declan might bring out. "So far, only Rune-Eyes is on the field, but because it has 3000 ATK, there is no way Declan can break through it," he thought.
Yasuko is confused about Declan's motive. He could've done more to his combos and get rid of Rune-Eyes with ease, but it's like he's waiting on Yuya. It reminds her of when Declan was holding himself back against her during the exoneration duel at You-Show.
"He's holding himself back," Yasuko stated, earning the attention of the onlookers.
"What?" Gongenzaka inquired, surprised by Yasuko's statement.
"Think about it, Oblivion King Abyss Ragnarok is a new Pendulum monster Declan has made for himself, and yet, he only chooses to bring back his wave high king caesar," Yasuko explained.
"True." For once, Serena agrees with the girl. "Declan has access to all four summons, but he's not giving it all that he's got," she said.
Declan takes out another card from his hand and activates the Continuous Spell Card: Dark Contract with the Swamp King. "From my hand, I activate the Continuous Spell, Dark Contract with the Swamp King!" The spell card Yuya recognized reveals itself on the field. "During my Main Phase, I can perform a Fusion Summon using materials that are on my field or hand," he explained. "I choose to fuse D/D/D Oblivion King Abyss Ragnarok and Wave High King Caesar!" As Declan raises his hand, the wave high king and the oblivion king abyss enter the swirling vortex of red and blue, forming the new colossal monster from the wormhole.
Yuya couldn't believe how far Declan has gone. In comparison to his own Pendulum-Fusion, it would be inferior to what Declan has made.
"Declan can also use Pendulum-Fusion?" Yuya inquired.
"Break through the twilight of the gods, and use the power of surging waves to open the new world!" he chanted. "I Fusion Summon! Come before us, the director of the upper limits! D/D/D Wave Oblivion King Caesar Ragnarok!" Declan uses both D/D/D Oblivion King Abyss Ragnarok and D/D/D Wave High King Caesar and fuses them together to Fusion Summon D/D/D Wave Oblivion King Caesar Ragnarok (ATK 3200/DEF 3000) in Attack Position.
The monster that emerged from the wormhole is a combination of the oblivion king abyss and the wave high king with the monster towering over Rune-Eyes. Its massive stone armor slams on the ground, with the caesar king being upgraded to become a king as the six straps with spear tips flip out from its back and glowing blue eyes.
It was a surprise for Yuya. He thought that the gust high king was the strongest, but he never imagined Declan possessing stronger monsters than the ones he has. "3200 ATK!?" he gasped.
"In that instant, Wave High King Caesar's special effect activates," Declan informed. "When the monster is sent to the graveyard, I can add one Dark Contract spell or trap from my deck to my hand." In addition to summoning the wave oblivion king, Declan chooses one spell and then adds the Continuous Spell Card: Deceitful Contract with the War Deity. "I'm going to add this card and then activate the Continuous Spell, Deceitful Contract with the War Deity!" he declared. "During either of the Main Phase, I can target one "D/D" monster I control and one monster you control, the targeted monster loses 1000 ATK while my monster gains 1000 until the end of the Battle Phase." He points at Rune-Eyes. "I target Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Wave Oblivion King Abyss Caesar!" he declared.
"Oh no!" Yuya gasped.
"Battle! I attack Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon with Wave Oblivion King Caesar Ragnarok!" At that moment of the command, the wave oblivion king jumps up and then brings its huge hand together, which conducts a circular formation of blue orbs.
"Deceitful Contract's effect activates!" Once the spell card flips up on the field, Rune-Eyes loses its strength while the wave oblivion king gains the same amount until the end of the battle.
(D/D/D Wave Oblivion King Caesar Ragnarok: ATK 3200 → 4200)
(Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon: ATK 3000 → 2000)
The orbs turn static, and then the wave oblivion king blasts a giant laser beam straight for Rune-Eyes, obliterating it. The explosion was strong enough to blow a heavy current to Yuya, dealing significant damage to his life points.
(Yuya: LP 4000 → 1800)
"Rune-Eyes!" Yuya cried before being sent into the air and crashing himself against the staircase.
"He just lost Rune-Eyes," said Gongenzaka.
Yuya gets back on his feet and then gives Declan an infuriating glare, making a low growl at the end.
Yasuko can only narrow her eyes, staring at Yuya with such incredulous disapproval. She knows Yuya has Dark Rebellion on his side, so why isn't he giving it all that he's got? "What the hell are you doing, Yuya?" she thought. "What are you trying to do?"
Even Declan could've agreed with her more. He expresses disappointment in his eyes. "So, this is you getting serious?" he questioned. "Is this the best that you've got?"
"What did you say?!" Yuya snapped.
"I said, is this the best you've got?" Declan repeated. "The last time you saw my deck was with Yasuko at the You-Show months ago, but this is only the surface of what I can do, and I don't think you're showing me everything you have." His words catch Yasuko's attention. She started to connect the pieces together into half of the picture. If Declan saw her with Zuzu, then there is a chance he's seen her all the time. Declan knows she saw what happened to Zuzu, but he insists on not revealing the information to Yuya just yet. And there is something else too.
"I am not showing you everything I have, either," Declan revealed. "Not even the least." He takes out the last card from his hand and Sets it on the field. "I Set one card face-down and end my turn," he concluded.
Turn 5: Yuya (1x card)
Yasuko doesn't know what happened to the other contenders while she was away. She never saw Yuya after the lava sector until she wakes up being on Gongenzaka's back, so the real question she must ask is, "What the hell happened while I was gone?"
"Now, it is your turn," said Declan, adjusting his red-rimmed glasses. "If you want to make me give everything I've got, you should show me all of yourself without hesitation and without regrets." It was the tone of Declan's voice that gives it away to Yasuko.
She should've seen it sooner. How Declan is making Yuya angry can tell her he's provoking him into making a scene that is never shown to her. What does Yuya have that she does not know?
"Has Zuzu been taken by Academia?" Yuya asked. "If you know, then tell me!" He raised his voice louder, demanding Declan to reveal Zuzu's fate.
"If you want to know, then defeat me," Declan stated.
"What?" Yuya inquired.
"Weren't you going to send me to my knees?" Declan questioned. "Are you saying that you don't care what happens to the friends who were turned into cards, so long as Zuzu is safe?"
Yuya finds himself very conflicted. He has no idea what he was thinking. At first, he wanted to make Declan pay for all the suffering and the defeats of the other players in the tournament. But then, Declan had to bring up the possibility of Zuzu being alive or captured. He suddenly had flashbacks.
It was not his memories; they were Yuto's. He can see it all. The destruction of Heartland City. The screams of the people being turned into cards. The fire blazes across the city. He wanted to scream, but he can only close his eyes and shakes his head to stop the painful memories of Yuto from invading his mind.
"My turn!" Yuya draws a card. "Swing once more, my soul's pendulum! Draw the arc of light in the sky! I Pendulum Summon! Return from the Extra Deck!" At his voice, the portal above Yuya, where the giant holographic pendant swinging in a circular motion, rips open to let Yuya Pendulum Summon Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, Performapal Splashmammoth, and Stargazer Magician. "Stargazer Magician, Performapal Splashmammoth, and Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" The stargazer sorcerer, pink mammoth, and Odd-Eyes Pendulum are brought back to the field as the dragon beats a loud roar from its jaws.
Yuya takes out a card from his hand and then Normal Summons Performapal Pendulum Sorcerer (ATK 1500/DEF 800). "From my hand, I summon Performapal Pendulum Sorcerer!" The next monster Yuya summoned is a sorcerer with a red coat and magician hat over his head with a swinging pendant medallion.
"I activate Xiangsheng Magician's Pendulum effect!" Yuya declared. "Once per turn, I can target one monster that has a level and then change its level to the monster that I choose!" The xiangsheng sorcerer pulls a magical arrow from her bow and fires it at the stargazer and the pendulum sorcerer. "I change my Stargazer Magician's level to the same level as the level 4 Pendulum Sorcerer!" The magical arrow impacts the ground between the two sorcerers, decreasing the level of the stargazer sorcerer by one.
(Stargazer Magician: Level 5 → 4)
"Now, there are two level 4 monsters," Serena pointed out.
He raises his hand to begin the Pendulum-Xyz Summon. "I Overlay my two level 4 Stargazer Magician and Pendulum Sorcerer to build the Overlay Network!" The stargazer sorcerer transforms into a purple light, while the pendulum sorcerer becomes a gold light. Both energies zip up in the air before they crash into the galaxy portal underneath Yuya's feet and then blow a powerful beam.
"From the pitch black of darkness! The fangs of rebellion will fight all of those who are foolish enough to oppose its stupidity powers! Descend now! I Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" Yuya Xyz Summons Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon (ATK 2500/DEF 2000) (OU: 2) in Attack Position.
The Xyz monster Yuya summoned is Dark Rebellion, a purple scaled dragon with underbelly skin mixed into its black armor with a silver sharp backbone plate at the back and glowing yellow eyes. Dark Rebellion screeches with life, making its appearance known to the rest of the duelists as two purple Overlay Units rotate around the dragon.
Yasuko takes a moment to look at Shun. She can see how surprised Shun is when he saw Dark Rebellion. She even heard him uttering, "That's Yuto's dragon…."
"Now, I activate this, the Spell, Fusion Substitute!" Yuya then activates the Spell Card: Fusion Substitute, much to everyone's surprise. "This card is always treated as Polymerization, and it allows me to Fusion Summon monsters using my hand or field as material!" The most shocked one was Yasuko. Yuya can't gain access to the card that she has in her possession. How'd he get the card in the first place?
"Fusion Substitute?" Gongenzaka inquired. "I have never seen him have that card in his deck before."
Yasuko narrows her eyes, giving Yuya a more suspicious gaze. "No, I didn't either," she said.
"I choose to fuse Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Performapal Splashmammoth!" Odd-Eyes Pendulum and the pink mammoth are sucked in by the swirling vortex of blue and yellow in the sky. "Dragon of beautiful red and green eyes, merge with the beast of the wilderness to form the razor-sharp claws that will rule over all of the beasts! I Fusion Summon! Appear, razor-sharp wolf! Performapal Odd-Eyes Metal Claw!" Using Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Performapal Splashmammoth, Yuya Fusion Summons Performapal Odd-Eyes Metal Claw (ATK 3000/DEF 2000) in Attack Position.
The next fusion monster Yuya summoned is a razor-sharp blue wolf with very long razor claws and silver armor mixed with the armor scales of Odd-Eyes Pendulum. The beast brandishes its claws and howls like a werewolf.
Yasuko makes an eyebrow raised with interest. She can tell that Yuya's trying to step up his game. "Looks like it might be trouble for Declan," she said. "When Metal Claws is Fusion Summoned using "Polymerization," it is unaffected by card effects."
"And because Fusion Substitute is always treated as a "Polymerization" that means it applies," Serena added.
Yuya was not done with his move yet. He has to keep going to stand a chance against Declan. "I activate Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon's special effect!" he declared. "I detach one Overlay Unit, and then, until the end of the turn, Caesar Ragnarok's ATK is halved, and Dark Rebellion gains those amount!" One of the Overlay Units rotating around the dragon bursts like a bubble to activate its special abilities.
(Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon: OU 2 → 1)
The plates on its shoulder wings open and zaps the wave oblivion king to lose half of its strength and absorbs them. "Treason Discharge!"
(D/D/D Wave Oblivion King Caesar Ragnarök: ATK 3200 → 1600)
(Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon: ATK 2500 → 4100)
"I detach one more Overlay Unit to activate Dark Rebellion's special effect!" Once again, the last Overlay Unit explodes to continue absorbing two thirds of the wave oblivion king's strength.
(Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon: OU 1 → 0)
"Treason Discharge!" Yuya exclaimed.
(D/D/D Wave Oblivion King Caesar Ragnarök: ATK 1600 → 800)
(Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon: ATK 4100 → 4900)
Declan makes a move to counter against the monster. "I activate Deceitful Contract's effect!" he announced. "During either of the player's Main Phase, I can target one monster you control and one "D/D" monster I control, and then it loses 1000 ATK while Caesar Ragnarok gains that amount until the end of the Battle Phase!" He points at the stronger Dark Rebellion. "I target Dark Rebellion!"
(Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon: ATK 4900 → 3900)
(D/D/D Wave Oblivion King Caesar Ragnarok: ATK 800 → 1800)
"And just when Yuya had him," said Gongenzaka.
Nothing impresses or surprises Yuya. Declan knows how he can counter against Dark Rebellion's special ability, but he has to keep going because it won't be enough to stop Declan. "I banish Fusion Substitute from my graveyard to activate its effect," he said. "By shuffling Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon in my graveyard back to my Extra Deck, I can draw one card." Yuya banishes Fusion Substitute to shuffle Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon back into his Extra Deck and then draws one card.
Yuya gestures over to the weakened wave oblivion king. "Battle! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, attack Wave Oblivion King Caesar Ragnarok!" Once he issues the order, Dark Rebellion obeys it. The wings from the dragon expand outwards, and then Dark Rebellion flies straight to deliver a heavy blow to the wave oblivion king. "Lightning Disobey of Rebellion!" Just before the monster could destroy the wave oblivion king, Declan makes a move.
"I activate Caesar Ragnarok's special effect!" Declan announced. By activating his monster's effect, Declan takes his D/D Savant Kepler on his Pendulum Zone and then back to his hand. "When this card battles, I can return one face-up "D/D" monster or "Dark Contract" card on my field back to my hand and then equip one monster on your field except for the battling monster to Caesar Ragnarok, and it gains ATK equal to the combined total of the monsters equipped to it!" Once the savant kepler disappears from the Pendulum Zone, the wave oblivion king uses its spear straps to hurdle them at the metal claw. "I choose to equip Odd-Eyes Metal Claw to Caesar Ragnarok!"
Yuya has another counter against it. "When Metal Claw is Fusion Summoned using Polymerization, it is unaffected by card effects!" The metal claw raises its sharp claws and then slices the straps into pieces, effectively canceling out wave oblivion king's special ability.
Dark Rebellion pierced its chin bone right through the wave oblivion king caesar and then destroyed it, effectively dealing with Declan.
(Declan: LP 3600 → 1500)
The flames blaze around the duelist, who isn't bothered by the monster's attacks. He remains strong and confident when he activates his face-down Trap Card: Contact Laundering. "I activate the Trap, Contract Laundering!" he announced. "By destroying all of my Dark Contract face-up cards on the field, I regain 1000 life points and then draw one card for each Dark Contract card destroyed by this effect!" The two spell cards that were face-up on Declan's side of the field are destroyed, and Declan draws two cards.
(Declan: LP 1500 → 3500)
"Metal Claw, attack Declan directly!" Yuya ordered. The metal claw slashes its razor-sharp claws down to create a seismic wave attack that rips the ground and straight for Declan. "When Metal Claw attacks, all other monsters I control gains 300 ATK!"
(Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon: ATK 3900 → 4200)
The attack breezes around the duelist and remains unfazed by the attack despite suffering massive battle damage to his life points.
(Declan: LP 3500 → 500)
Yuya could only narrow his eyes, seeing how little his attacks bother Declan by the slightest. "I Set a card face-down and end my turn," Yuya concluded as he Sets the card on his field. "And at the moment, Dark Rebellion's ATK returns to normal." Since there is nothing more Yuya can do, Dark Rebellion loses all of its gained power.
(Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon: ATK 4200 → 2500)
Turn 6: Declan (3x cards)
"That was brilliant," Declan commented. "You've done well."
"What?" Yuya queried.
"You've once relied on Pendulum Summon, but your skillset has evolved to use one more thing that lies beyond Pendulum Summon," said Declan. "If your Pendulum-Fusion was born from your bond with Zuzu and perfected by Yasuko, then whose bond was your Pendulum-Xyz born from, and who perfected it?" It was a moment of clarity for not only Yasuko but Yuya and Shun. If memories serve, they recall Yuto, the only person who was the last person to possess Dark Rebellion.
"No matter," Declan dismissed. "Soon enough, it will surely become clear." He adjusts his red glasses again to begin his turn. "Now, it is my turn," he said. Declan draws a card from his deck and peeks at it. "My Set D/D Savant Galilei's Pendulum effect activates. During my Standby Phase, its Pendulum Scale increases by 2." The Pendulum Scale number underneath the savant galilei goes up to a three.
(D/D Savant Galilei: Pendulum Scale 1 → 3)
"I Set the Scale 10 D/D Savant Kepler that was returned to my hand on the scale again!" Declan reactivates the Pendulum Scale with D/D Savant Kepler (Scale 10), reforming the "Pendulum" keyword on his blade. At once, the savant kepler returns back to the air with its Pendulum Scale returning back underneath the monster.
"This allows me to Pendulum Summon monsters between levels 4 and 9 all at the same time," said Declan. "The great power that shakes my soul, reside in my body and become the new light that cuts through the darkness! I Pendulum Summon! Reborn from the Extra Deck!" Declan Pendulum Summons D/D/D Oblivion King Abyss Ragnarok and D/D Savant Thomas from the Extra Deck and D/D/D Doom King Armageddon (ATK 3000/DEF 1000) from his hand in Attack Position. "D/D/D Oblivion King Abyss Ragnarok! D/D Savant Thomas!" The two monsters Declan summoned are the oblivion king abyss and the savant thomas. "And from my hand, I summon D/D/D Doom King Armageddon!" The massive doom king towers over Yuya's monsters with its crystal body shining a glare from a black hole inside.
Gongenzaka recognized the doom king monster before, recalling the first time Declan summoned it. "That's…" he said. Mieru glances at Gongenzaka with confusion. "During the duel between Declan and Yasuko, he used that monster and pushed her to the corner, now he's using it against Yuya."
"Trap activates! Wings of Redirection!" Yuya exclaimed, activating the Trap Card: Wings of Redirection. "If you control more monsters than I do, until the end of the turn, I negate the activation of monster effects as well as spell and trap cards on your side of the field, and I can target two monsters on your field, and they lose 1000 ATK!" He points at the doom king and the oblivion king abyss. "Doom King Armageddon and Oblivion King Abyss lose 1000 ATK!" With Declan's cards sealed, the two strongest monsters that he has loses power.
(D/D/D Doom King Armageddon: ATK 3000 → 2000)
(D/D/D Oblivion King Abyss Ragnarok: ATK 2200 → 1200)
"Now Yuya's monsters are stronger than any monster on the field," said Mieru.
"And with Metal Claw being unaffected by card effects, it would mean that Yuya has the advantage," Gongenzaka replied, mimicking Mieru's smile.
Declan finds it to be a nuisance. Yuya is being so persistent, but he is resilient to deal with him. He puts his mind into it and believes that he is going to drive Yuya to an even higher standard. "I Overlay my level 8 Oblivion King Abyss Ragnarok and Savant Thomas!" The oblivion king and the savant thomas transform into two purple lights before they shot up in the sky and then crash themselves to the ground, enabling him to perform a Pendulum-Xyz Summon.
"What?" Shun gasped.
"Declan is also going from a Pendulum…" said Gongenzaka.
"To Xyz?" Yasuko inquired.
She would've been surprised, but she is not; in fact, she finds herself to be expected of Declan making a sudden counter against Yuya. She wonders what else Declan will pull out as she watches the galaxy portal below Declan's feet shoot a white stream of light.
"When the two suns rise, the order of the new world is revealed! I Xyz Summon! Come before us! Rank 8! D/D/D Duo-Dawn King Kali-Yuga!" Using the two level 8 monsters that Declan has, he was able to Xyz Summon D/D/D Duo-Dawn King Kali-Yuga (ATK 3500/DEF 3000) (OU: 2) in Attack Position.
The next monster Declan summoned is a king who has very thick brown armor sitting on a massive throne seat with two coil horns piercing its hood with two purple Overlay Unit orbs rotating around the king.
"3500 ATK points?" Yuya inhaled, shocked that Declan has a more powerful monster than the metal claw.
"When I successfully summoned this card, I negate all card effects on the field and the ones that were activated, except Kali-Yuga, until the end of the turn!" Declan explained.
"What?!" Yuya gasped, horrified that his trap card's effects were negated, enabling the doom king armageddon to regain back its attack power.
(D/D/D Doom King Armageddon: ATK 2000 → 3000)
"Battle! Kali-Yuga, attack Metal Claws! Doom King Armageddon, attack Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" The two king monsters on Declan's field blasts two powerful beams that struck Dark Rebellion and the metal claw to dust, sending Yuya flying back and then into the air. He grunts as Yuya falls until he lands hard to the ground level of the street, taking more battle damage to his life points.
(Yuya: LP 1800 → 800)
Declan approaches the edge of the playground, watching Yuya with heavy disappointment in his eyes.
"Yuya!" Gongenzaka shouted.
"Darling!" Mieru called.
Yasuko walks over to the edge to get a better look at Yuya. The duel was turning into nothing more than waste for her. She felt how much Yuya displeases her in every fiber in her body. She was expecting Yuya to put up a better fight against Declan. She has beaten Declan before, so why can't Yuya" Why can't he get himself to be more serious about dueling Declan? She wonders what is holding Yuya back.
Declan takes out the last two cards in his hand and Sets them on his field. "I Set two cards face-down and end my turn," he finished.
Turn 7: Yuya (0x card)
"What's wrong? Have you finished already?" Declan asked. "What happened to the bold proclamation that you'd bring me down to my knees?" The more Declan taunts Yuya to bring out his greatest strength, the more infuriated Yuya becomes. "Aren't you going to make me regret my actions?" He makes a small glare at the boy down at the street. "This duel has been much of a disappointment. I'd expected more. Much more. All your threats to make me pay for what happened to your friends have come to nothing."
"I can't watch this anymore," said Gongenzaka, determined to get into the duel.
"I'll help you!" Mieru offered, but then, Yasuko called out to both of them.
"Don't interfere!"
Gongenzaka and Mieru stopped on their tracks, looking at Yasuko with wide eyes and mouths gaped.
Yasuko was more focused on the duel. She is watching Yuya like an instructor observing the test of the student. She couldn't let anyone else be a part of the duel. Yuya has something that Declan knows, and she wants to know too. "This is his duel, and his duel alone," she said sternly. "Only Yuya can decide what happens next."
The boy pries himself back to his feet, holding the pain on his left arm. "Yasuko's right," he agreed. "This is my duel…mine, Zuzu's…and Yuto's!"
Shun then approaches the edge, watching the boy with a stunned expression. "Yuto?" he inquired.
Soon, everyone else comes to the ledge, watching Yuya getting back onto his feet with determination to beat Declan with his own power.
"I'll do…whatever it takes to save Zuzu!" Yuya proclaimed. "And I'll keep my promise to Yuto!" Just hearing himself say those words recall what Yuto said to him before his untimely disappearance.
"Use your power and your dueling…to bring smiles to the world and to the future."
"That's why I can't afford to lose!" Yuya yelled. "Not to someone who would make us fight to please themselves! Not to someone who uses duels to hurt people! And not to someone who looks down on others thinking they are superior!" He places two fingers on top of his deck. "I draw!" He draws a card from his deck. The card that Yuya has drawn was a Spell Card: Shuffle Reborn.
"I activate the Spell, Shuffle Reborn!" Yuya declared. "I will beat you with the card that Yuto entrusted me!" He cannot hold back against Declan. Yuya is determined to beat the man who forced everyone to the battle royal once and for all.
"When there are no monsters on my field, Shuffle Reborn allows me to Special Summon Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon with its effects negated!" Yuya explained. The ground opens a portal, allowing Yuya to Special Summon Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon from the graveyard in Attack Position.
"And the effect of Shuffle Reborn lets me return Performapal Trump Witch from my field back to my deck, and I can draw one card!" The trump witch inside of Yuya's Pendulum Zone disappears from view as Yuya shuffles the card back to his deck. He draws one card from his deck, and saw the signature card he needs to go beyond Pendulum.
"It's here!" Yuya exclaimed. "I Set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 3 Xiangke Magician!" Yuya activates the Xiangke Magician (Scale 3) to the Pendulum Zone where trump witch used to be, recreating the rainbow "Pendulum" word on his duel blade. "I'm the one who takes control of this duel starting now!" The next magician monster surprises Yasuko. It is a xingke sorcerer with a giant double-sword weapon in his hand, cloaked in white garb from the bottom and green armor over his attire with a purple fur cape from behind.
"With these two monsters, I can Pendulum Summon monsters between levels 4 and 7 simultaneously!" Yuya announced. "Swing again, my soul's pendulum! Draw the arc of light in the sky! I Pendulum Summon! Revive one more!" Yuya Pendulum Summons Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon in Attack Position. "Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Odd-Eyes Pendulum returns back to the field with a mighty roar.
With two of his best dragons out on the field, Yuya can begin the most daring move that will shock everyone. "I activate Xiangke Magician's Pendulum effect!" he declared. "Once per turn, by targeting Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, I bestow one Xyz monster with a Level equal to its Rank." The xingke sorcerer brings out the double-sword weapon and enchants a magical decagram star that shoots a flaming blue ball over to Dark Rebellion. It blazes the dragon to have it on a level that is equal to its rank. "I turn the Rank 4 Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon into a Level 4!"
(Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon: Rank 4 → Level 4)
The turn has stunned not only Yasuko but Serena and Shun too.
"Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon is now a level 4?" Yasuko gasped.
"He gave an Xyz monster a level?" Shun inquired.
The stage is almost set, and Yuya presses on with the next move. "I activate Xiangsheng Magician's Pendulum effect! By targeting Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, I bestow the selected monster with a level equal to that of another monster!" The xiangsheng sorcerer fires a magical arrow down to impact the space between Odd-Eyes Pendulum and Dark Rebellion. "I gave Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon's level the same as Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon's level 7!" The arrow creates a big cosmic explosion that effectively changed the level of Dark Rebellion.
(Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon: Level 4 → 7)
"Two level 7 monsters?" Yasuko breathed. She was almost out of breath witnessing Yuya's Pendulum-Xyz. The way how he gave Dark Rebellion a level and changing it to the same as Odd-Eyes Pendulum's tells her something is coming. Something big and something powerful.
"I Overlay the level 7 Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon and Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon to build the Overlay Network!" Yuya declared.
Dark Rebellion and Odd-Eyes Pendulum turn into two purple lights that skyrocketed into the air like a missile and then lands into the galaxy portal below Yuya's feet. The impact creates a huge burst stream of light to summon the new monster dragon.
"Dragon with different colored eyes, exterminate your enemies with your black wrath! I Xyz Summon! Come on out, Rank 7! With eyes of shining fury! Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon!" Yuya Overlays his level 7 Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon and Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon to Xyz Summon Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon (ATK 3000/DEF 2500) in Attack Position.
The dragon that emerged from the depths of the galaxy portal is the most astonishing thing that Yasuko has ever seen. She was astounded to see that Yuya has hybridized Odd-Eyes Pendulum and Dark Rebellion. The dragon is big with everything that characterizes Dark Rebellion and Odd-Eyes Pendulum: the red and green heterochromia eyes, the purple scales, the red glowing lines, and the long purple tail. The difference is that the backbone wings are bulky, shaped like a ball with plates covering the front and back, followed by two larger wing plates.
Yasuko has no words to describe what a mighty dragon that Yuya has brought out. What's even more astonishing is that the Odd-Eyes Rebellion is the same card type as Dark Anthelion. "A Pendulum-Xyz monster," she uttered. "But that's not possible." She could not believe her eyes. Yuya has improved a lot since she was gone. From having Dark Rebellion to possessing a Pendulum-Xyz monster like Odd-Eyes Rebellion is a huge step to close the gap between them.
"I activate my Wings of Redirection from my graveyard!" Yuya began. "By banishing it and two cards that I control, I can target one monster I control, and then it gains 1000 ATK until the end of the turn!" The xingke sorcerer and the xiangsheng sorcerer disappears from Yuya's Pendulum Zone, creating a storm of raining feathers in the sky. Odd-Eyes Rebellion was littered with feathers as the dragon glows in purple to gain a power boost.
(Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon: ATK 3000 → 4000)
"At the same time, until the end of my turn, I negate your monster's effects and the activation of your Set cards!" While the feathers rain upon Odd-Eyes Rebellion, the kali-yuga and the doom king, along with the two Set face-down on Declan's side of the field, glows yellow, nullifying their special abilities.
"Duo-Dawn King Kali-Yuga's special effect activates," said Declan. "It's effect cannot be negated by other card effects!" The kali-yuga swings its massive arm to blow the feathers raining around it away.
"That won't save you!" Yuya declared. "Both Kali-Yuga and Doom King Armageddon has less ATK than Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon! And your Set cards are sealed!"
Yasuko would think otherwise. Yuya indeed has the strongest monster on the field, but the fact that kali-yuga's effect cannot be negated means that he may fell right into Declan's trap. "Damn it, Yuya," she cursed lowly. "Can't you see this is what he would want?"
"Battle!" Yuya declared. "Go! Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon, attack Duo-Dawn King Kali-Yuga!" Odd-Eyes Rebellion's panels on the backbone and the sphere bone snap open, enabling the dragon to discharge large amounts of electricity.
"It won't come to that," Declan protested. "I activate Kali-Yuga's special effect! I detach one Overlay Unit to destroy all Spell and Trap Cards on the field!" One of the Overlay Units bursts into nothing to activate the monster's special abilities.
(D/D/D Duo-Dawn King Kali-Yuga: OU 2 → 1)
The kali-yuga king throws its arm to wipe the field clean of all Spell and Trap cards, including the savant thomas and savant kepler that were in Declan's Pendulum Zone. "And then I detach one more Overlay Unit to restore all Set cards on my side of the field!" The kali-yuga unleashes a powerful seismic wave that resets the entire field with the Spell and Traps that used to be on Declan's field. "Wings of Redirection only works if the cards that were Set on the field, and because I Set them back due to Kali-Yuga's special effect, they can be activated this turn!" Declan flips up his first face-down Continuous Trap Card: Merc Dark Contract with the Client, a trap that depicts the shadow figure kneeling before the gust king alexander, who poses its sword down on a contract. "I activate the Trap! Merc's Dark Contract with the Client! I can tribute two "D/D/D" monsters I control to Special Summon one "D/D/D" monster from my Deck, but it cannot declare an attack until the End Phase!" The kali-yuga and the doom king disappears from the field, surprising Yuya and the other duelists.
"I tribute my Kali-Yuga and Doom King Armageddon to Special Summon D/D/D Destiny King Zero Laplace!" Declan uses his trap's effect to Special Summon D/D/D Destiny King Zero Laplace (ATK ?/DEF 0) in Attack Position.
The next and latest monster Declan had summoned is the one that is bigger than either the doom king and the kali-yuga. The monster is a giant skull head with its body oddly shaped as an ox skull. It has magenta tentacle threads from each side and four arms, with two of them holding a giant purple orb.
Nobody and not even Yasuko knew Declan had more Pendulum cards in his sleeve. It was like Declan has come prepared for cards against Academia and anyone who dares to challenge him, even Yuya. However, the boy refuses to back down from his attack. He can still attack no matter what monster Declan has.
"Fine, then I'll attack Destiny King!" Odd-Eyes Rebellion swoops up and then starts breaking through the staircase and to the destiny king.
Yasuko realized that it's what Declan wanted him to do. It was already decided the moment Yuya attacked. "Oh shit," she cursed. "That was a bad call."
"I activate my Trap! D/D Exchanging Contracts!" Declan activates his face-down Trap Card: D/D Exchanging Contracts, which has two contracts being exchanged from two hands. "When I control a D/D/D monster on my field, all monster, spell, and trap effects are negated until the end of the turn!"
"What?!" Yuya gasped.
The power boost that Odd-Eyes Rebellion received was diminished back to nothing.
(Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon: ATK 4000 → 3000)
"And when Destiny King Zero Laplace battles a monster, its ATK are doubled than the original of the monster that it's battling!" Declan added. "Which means Destiny King's ATK becomes 6000!" The destiny king's orb glows in bright pink, powering the monster to become twice as stronger than Odd-Eyes Rebellion.
(D/D/D Destiny King Zero Laplace: ATK ? → 6000)
Odd-Eyes Rebellion was about to impact the destiny king, the dragon was destroyed when the destiny king fires a massive laser. It was vaporized from oblivion as the laser comes heading toward Yuya.
The boy couldn't believe what just happened. After all of that, after everything he's learned, he lost to Declan. The skill gap between himself and Declan is even greater than with Yasuko's. The laser blows up in front of Yuya, sending him flying into the air and then crashing on the ground with scratches and marks all over his body, ending him with a total defeat.
(Yuya: LP 800 → 0)
WINNER: Declan Akaba
Neo Heartland City disappears into converting back to the city skylines of Maiami City. The whole field was turning back into the empty highway where the contenders and Declan are standing. The young man heads to the clearing, where he spots Yuya on the ground. He has shown more than just disappointment.
"You really are soft," Declan stated. "You cannot save Zuzu in that way." His talk seems to make Yuya down. "Still, you did show promise. I'll be looking forward to seeing your progress…" He turns to the rest of the candidates of Lancers. "As well as all of you." He was eyeballing everyone from left to right. "By having the powers of Pendulum Summon means that your skills have developed more quickly than I expected. That puts you all on the levels of LDS' top current team." He was verifying the clear testament of the candidates and their progress. "Which is why I've decided to let all of you join the Lancers and travel to the Dimensions with me."
Declan's proclamation has made a very clear statement that surprises everyone. Yasuko believes it to be nonsense about traveling to the other three dimensions.
"Travel to different dimensions? Are you insane?" Yasuko disputed, clenching her fists. She finds it hard to believe what Declan has to say. What is he thinking? Letting all the juniors take the burden of being a part of an army that is only about a few? She does not know what to think anymore. She watches Declan turn around and then walks away from the scene, leaving the candidates in their own thought.
Yasuko was infuriated. She has no idea why she feels angry, but it seems like her anger was driving up toward pretty much everyone around her. Serena. Gongenzaka. Shun. Sawatari. Moon Shadow. Everyone present at the time. Yet, the one person who deserves the most anger from Yasuko was the one person who is lying on the ground.
She snaps her head, glaring at the boy who was still on the ground. He looked very pathetic in her eyes. "After all of that, you're still soft?" she questioned. When there is no response from the boy, she said, "After everything I said. After all of those lessons we had developing your Extra Deck, you're still this soft?" She felt repulsive after the results of the duel. Declan was a strong opponent, yet Yuya, who learned some of her dueling skills, was defeated.
"You said you were going to bring him to his knees, and all he's done is mop the floor with you," Yasuko remonstrated. "Why couldn't you just duel him like you mean it? Why does it always have to be you who gets stomped?" She does not realize it, but her voice was rising higher every time she criticized him. "All you wanted was for me to teach you some Extra Deck techniques, and this is what you got me?! To get squashed like a friggin' bug!" she yelled.
Gongenzaka and Mieru flinch at Yasuko's outburst. The big guy came over to place a hand on her shoulder and said, "Yasuko, wait."
The girl immediately smacks Gongenzaka's hand off her shoulder. "Don't you friggin touch me!" she screamed, earning a shocked expression from Gongenzaka. "I've had it! I've had it up to here—" she gestures her hand to be higher than her head, "—with this stupid-ass tournament! I'm done!" She turns to the crowd in front of her, from Gongenzaka to Shun to Serena. "I don't see the point of all of this! We're just kids! What can we do to fight against an army? This is friggin' stupid!" With her mind decided, Yasuko turns her heels and then walks in the other direction.
"Hey! Where are you going?!" Sawatari demanded.
"Home!" Yasuko responded hard.
"Home?" Gongenzaka inquired. "So that's it? You're just gonna leave after everything we've been through?"
Yasuko stops and then turns around, facing the big guy with a frown. "I am tired." She sticks out one finger to emphasize each sentence she is about to say. "I am sore. And I haven't had a decent meal since the battle royal began!" She glares hard, pointing at everyone. "I am not here to work alongside with that asshole—" she points at Shun, "—that idiot—" she points at Sawatari, "—and this homicidal bitch here!" Yasuko points at Serena with such hatred.
"What did you say!?" Serena snapped, stepping forward to confront Yasuko, but Moon Shadow steps in to stop her.
"Screw you, Serena! I am done!" Yasuko yelled. "Screw all of you! I am done! I don't want anything to do with you! I don't want anything to do with Declan and his cover-ups! I don't want anything to do with this whole dimensions crap!" She then turns to Yuya. "And I don't want anything to do with you." She spoke in a lower tone to the boy. "You learned to Fusion and Xyz, and all you've been doing is wasting my time. I'm sorry, but I am out." She then turns her body to walk away from everything that is unfolding before her. She needs to get away. Away from the whole thing. Away from the reality of being in a war. It's been racking her head so much that she wants to distant herself from dueling. She wants nothing to be a part of the Dimensions War.
As the sun was setting, Yasuko leaves everyone standing, never to return to the LDS Stadium or to the You-Show people waiting for her. The rest of the candidates watched Yasuko walk off into the sun and never bother to go after her because she refuses to join the Lancers.
Then, everyone heard Yuya muttering something. When it grew louder, Yuya was saying, "Damn it."
The boy gets on his hands, gritting his teeth in anger. "Damn it," he cursed. "I tried so hard to be strong, and I was defeated after everything I learned from her." If his teeth clenched even tighter, it would bleed. His tears were dropping from his eyes. He is also frustrated. He was also infuriated that he couldn't beat someone like Declan. His heart was never in the right place. It was making him angry.
"Damn it!" Yuya screamed. "I'm still not ready yet." He clenches his fists, angered of the results of the duel too. "I…I need to get stronger…stronger than I am right now." As he gets back up, Yuya's heart is burning with rage. "I need to get stronger to save Zuzu! I will save Zuzu!" As he gets up, Yuya lets his anger burst out in one final scream that echoes in the city.
"Damn it!"
OC cards
Declan Akaba
Merc's Dark Contract with the Client
Continuous Trap Card
Effect: During your Standby Phase, take 1000 points of damage. Once per turn, during either player's turn, you can tribute two "D/D/D" monsters you control and then Special Summon one "D/D/D" monster from your deck, but it cannot declare an attack until the end of the turn. You can only use this effect of "Merc's Dark Contract with the Client" once per turn.
D/D Exchanging Contracts
Normal Trap Card
Effect: If you control exactly one "D/D" monster on the field, negate the activation and effects of cards your opponent controls as well as activated effects until the end of the turn. You can only use this effect of "D/D Exchanging Contracts" once per turn.
Yuya Sakaki
Wings of Redirection
Normal Trap Card
Effect: If your opponent controls more monsters than you do, Target up to two monsters that your opponent controls and lose 1000 ATK, and the effect and activation of all cards your opponent currently controls are negated. You can banish this card from your Graveyard and 2 cards you control, then target 1 monster you control; until the end of this turn, it gains 1000 ATK, also the effect and activation of all cards your opponent currently controls are negated.
This part of the chapter makes the most confusion out of me because of how the ACG are constantly changing the effects of certain cards, so I thought this might be sufficient enough to make the duel more clear.
I know that this duel isn't much and not a lot of changes to the outcome, but I just want to make a very interesting story arc. Alright folks, so here is the latest update chapter, and the next one is going to be my favorite. I know what you're expected, so b prepared to expect the unexpected.
Thank you readers for taking the time to read the chapter, so go on ahead and put down what your thoughts and opinion of the story go, what needs to be addressed, and some tips and advice. If you like the story, then don't forget to favor and spread it out to other readers who are interested.
See ya folks!