Akamaru woke up to the faint sound of rustling grass. He found himself resting against a dried pine tree, the violent desert storm ahead at a safe distance. By his side sat the same female youkai he had seen before losing consciousness. After closer inspection, she had plenty of similarities with Shishima when it came to eyes and fur color. However, she lacked horns and wings, a sign of her lower status. Upon seeing him open his eyes, she softly whispered, "I am sorry if I disturbed your sleep."
"Don't worry, you're fine," Akamaru weakly replied and looked down at his body.
His gray kimono had been sown up with thin grass blades and his bleeding wounds were all bandaged with leaves. Taking a better look around, he realized that the direct attack he received from Shishima's creature must have thrown him a long way across the forest. Thankfully he had the desert as a guide, meaning he could easily find his way back home if needed. But would he indeed still be needed? After the unpleasant display of his prideful bratty attitude, the Oni King would definitely be disappointed in him. Perhaps he was not that different from the likes of Shishima in the end, both were entitled princes who had to display their masculinity in the moment something did not go their way.
"You must be hungry," the female spoke as she slowly passed him a piece of grilled meat and a bowl of water.
"Thanks," he accepted the food and slowly indulged himself. "I really appreciate the help, it's not every day that you see it from other youkai races."
"I just did what I had to do," the lioness modestly replied as she sat a few feet away from him and fetched a flute.
"I am Akamaru, son of the great Oni King. To whom do I have the honor?"
She regarded him with a neutral expression for a few silent moments, then she answered with the little hint of a smile, "My apologies, I almost forgot to introduce myself. I am known as Nekohana."
"Nekohana... what a beautiful name," the oni was quick to comment.
"Why thank you. Now please finish the meal I've brought, you need to regain strength."
Akamaru sat in silence and dug his fangs into the piece of grilled meat while listening to the simple flute melody which Nekohana played as they both admired the night sky. The calm and soothing notes seemed to ease the pain both in his physical wounds and heavy heart. That was no ordinary song, she was performing a form of healing magic, and it was very effective. Once he was done eating, he could feel strength return to his body, at least enough for him to get back up on his feet and stretch his limbs.
"Oh boy, did that hit the spot! I don't know what kind of sorcery you pulled, but it sure as hell worked!"
"It's a spell I learned way back which I've translated into my flute playing rather than actually reading an incantation. I am happy to see it worked out in the end." Nekohana nodded back at him and started packing her items. "Out of curiosity, may I know how you've ended up in this state?"
"Nothing to worry about, just some prick of a 'daiyoukai' who thinks he's all high and mighty because of his genes. He's had the gall to steal a part of my family's heirlooms and make a total ass out of myself in front of my fellow oni. I've been chasing after him to get back what he's stolen and teach him a lesson in humbleness, but so far no luck. This bastard just keeps kicking my ass time and time again, and it's fucking frustrating me to no end!"
"That... does sound like something to worry about."
"I guess it does. Not much I can do about it except try and try again. It's not like I can properly stand up to him in a duel when my deck's crippled without half of its necessary cards."
"Why do you believe you need specific cards to have a deck work?" the lioness brought up as she walked up to him, her items safely tucked in a small travel bag which she hid inside her flower mane.
"Because those cards were specifically tailored to my strategy!" the oni replied, his anger beginning to surface.
"And don't you think you can find proper replacements?"
"I've tried with stuff from my own cardpool and you can see how well I've done so far."
"I see... in that case, would you mind if we had a duel right here and right now?" Nekohana suggested as she pulled out her own deck. "I wish to test if your theory is true. And, depending on the outcome, I can help you improve your deck."
"You would do that... for me?" a dumbfounded Akamaru asked back, his red cheeks darkening with embarrassment. When the lioness nodded back in response, excitement became visible on his face and he fetched his own deck out of his kimono's pocket. "Well then, I guess a match wouldn't hurt!"
Immediately two dueling tables arose from the ground between them, allowing them to set their cards, deploy their shields and begin their match.
"I cast Dark Life," Nekohana said and checked the top two cards of her deck. "Mad Dead Wood, Seductive of D goes to my graveyard, Scale of Bravery and Love goes to my mana zone."
"I summon Kodamanma, Gil Gil Doll and return a shield to my hand. Strike Back - Fire, I discard Jaouga, Oniga Overlord and summon Dual Shock Dragon for free!" A dark red oni doll wielding a toy kanabo and a piece of sushi appeared and broke one of its owner's shields, after which a horned and winged dragon donning a red and white armor and wielding two swords appeared alongside the small puppet creature. "When Dual Shock Dragon is put into the battle zone, I send one of my shields to the graveyard," Akamaru announced and watched another one of his shields get broken, the card which went into his graveyard being Gashadodokuro, Oni of "Tamagari".
"Removing your own shields for creature bodies? Interesting strategy you got there. Anyway, Bad Action Dynamite 2 - I summon Dorgan Churis. He's a speed attacker, so I attack with him and Revolution Change into Doguraeater, D2M2!" A blue mouse donning a dragon's skull and claws appeared and ran towards the opponent, then turned around and hi fived a tall bipedal demonic plant, red buds pulsating on its green skin, its hands and feet made of spiked vines, and its giant mouth filled with fangs, which took his place and continued the attack. "With Doguraeater's effect, I discard Brachiodrange and bring out Mad Dead Wood, Seductive of D." Their surroundings then changed to those of a forest of toxic plants filled with gravestones, a giant Venus Flytrap in its center, holding a lipstick. "Doguraeater, double break his shields!" The demonic plant got on its fours and spat a poisonous purple cloud from its giant mouth which shattered two more shields. "Your turn."
"Such power..." Akamaru muttered under his breath, then he snapped out of his daydream and spoke in a louder voice. "I have one shield, you have five, that means Onitime has activated! I summon Kizugui Henge." A blue quadrupedal demonic wolf with a flaming red mane appeared and rushed at the opponent. "Dual Shock Dragon, double break her shields! Kodamanma, break another shield!" The Armored Dragon hacked away two shields with his swords, while the small oni puppet simply headbutted one. "That was my second attack, so I summon Valchuris, Dragon Armored for free. Valchuris is also a speed attacker, so I break another shield! Kizugui Henge, break her final shield!" The trio of mice wearing dragon skulls rushed and tore down a shield with their repair tools, after which the demonic wolf lashed at the last one and hacked it away with its claws and fangs. "There, all of your shields are gone in one turn, how do you like that?"
"Your rush is impressive indeed. However, will you be able to survive another turn?" Nekohana slyly asked as she turned her D2 Field upside down. "I activate Mad Dead Wood's Denjara Switch, all creatures are sent to the bottom of our decks and we revive all our non-evolution creatures!" The Venus Flytrap opened the lipstick and used it to color its lips dark red, after which it descended upon the battle zone and devoured all opposing creatures. Then Brachiodrange emerged by Nekohana's side while Gashadodokuro and Jaouga emerged by Akamaru's side. "With Brachiodrange's effect, you won't be able to activate your enter the battle zone effects!"
"That means Jaouga's mass removal effect is moot."
"Bad Action Dynamite 2 - I summon Dorgan Churis again, attack with him and Revolution Change into Dogiragon Buster, Blue Leader!" The blue mouse reappeared and rushed at the opposing shields, after which it turned around and hi fived a blue armored dragon with a long blonde mane and a sword in its mouth, which took the mouse's place and resumed the attack. "Final Revolution - I bring out two Belladoane, Immortal Faerie from my hand." Two pink-haired Snow Faeries wearing dark green winter sweaters and wielding pairs of ice flowers appeared in the battle zone, allowing their owner to check the top cards of her deck, after which she added Gigandydanos, Big Tree King and Rymer Druid to her graveyard, as well as Dark Life and Trap Giant to her mana zone. "Dogiragon Buster grants speed attacker to all of my multicolored creatures. Go, Dogiragon Buster, break his final shield!" The dragon swung the sword with its mouth and hacked away the last opposing shield. "Belladoane, todomeda!"
"I reveal Anyaku Yasha from my hand and send him to the bottom of my deck to destroy Belladoane!" Akamaru retorted.
"My second Belladoane, let's finish this, todomeda!"
"Revolution 0 trigger, I cast Iron Fist of Revolution and reveal the top four cards of my deck - Michizure Nyudo, Kizugui Henge, Gashadodokuro, Oni of "Tamagari" and Bakurohoshi, Oni of "Musabori". The latter is stronger than Belladoane, so I destroy her!"
"Mad Dead Wood's Ultra Saver effect kicks in for my multicolored creatures. I destroy Dogiragon Buster to save Belladoane. The attack continues, todomeda!"
"Oh no, I'm not doing this bullshit again! Revolution 0 trigger, another Iron Fist of Revolution! I reveal Valchuris, Dragon Armored, Dual Shock Dragon, Bolshack Dogiragon and Jaouga, Oniga Overlord. The latter is stronger than Belladoane, so I destroy her!"
"Mad Dead Wood's Ultra Saver again, I destroy Brachiodrange to keep her and the attack continues!"
"No it won't - I cast a final Iron Fist of Revolution! I reveal Anyaku Yasha, Bolshack Dogiragon, Iron Fist of Revolution and Kodamanma, Gil Gil Doll. Anyaku Yasha is stronger than Belladoane, so I destroy her!"
A golden fist descended from the clouded skies and crushed the Snow Faerie beneath its sheer force.
"Your resilience is to be admired. I end my turn here," Nekohana concluded.
"Phew, I thought I was a goner," Akamaru confessed while wiping sweat off of his forehead. "Anyway, you're right, let's finish this - Gashadodokuro, todomeda!"
"Ninja Strike 4, I summon Hayabusamaru, Lightfang Ninja and block the attack!" A plane-shaped creature appeared and collided with the giant skeleton's katana, ending up sliced in half.
"No more damn tricks - Jaouga, todomeda!"
The tall dark red oni rushed towards the lioness youkai and hit her with the kanabo attached to his right foot, knocking her away and sealing his owner's victory. Akamaru took a breath of relief, relishing in his first victory after what seemed like years. In the meantime, Nekohana gathered her own strength to get back on her feet after the strong blow she received. Truly that youngster was stronger than either of them imagined. Perhaps he had bad luck in his previous matches and this was the source of his disillusionment. Or perhaps his aggressive strategies required just a slight refining touch. Either way, she supposed there was no harm in helping him get better and fetched a handful of cards from her collection alongside her own deck.
"Congratulations on your win, it was well-earned," she spoke while approaching him again.
"Gee, thanks, I'm a little bit surprised myself," he confessed.
"Now, a promise is a promise, so will you please hand me your deck?"
"My deck...?"
"Yes, I wish to see how I can help you improve it."
"Look, I don't think it's necessary anymore, perhaps the shuffle just wasn't on my side before and..." Akamaru paused when Nekohana gave him a look which betrayed a mixture of feminine dominance and seductiveness. Despite her fragile appearance, she seemed to be full of surprises. With a nervous gulp, he packed up his cards and handed them over to her. "You have fun with that. I'll be resting next to that tree over there."
"No you will not," the female youkai firmly replied and motioned for him to sit down on the ground next to her as she spread both of their cards, separating them by cost and civilization, putting each copy in its own small pile.
With a defeated sigh, the oni relented and did as instructed, saying, "Fine, fine, have it your way."
"I am not having things my way, that is a childish point of view. Ultimately this is your deck, your strategy, you should be assisting me and having the final word."
Nekohana began by separating the Onitime cards from the rest and lining them up, those were: Michizure Nyudo, Kizugui Henge, Gashadodokuro, Oni of "Tamagari", Bakurohoshi, Oni of "Musabori", Jaouga, Oniga Overlord in his main deck, as well as Dokuganryu, Oni of "Kagekiri" and Gedogongen, Oni of "Korekara" in his sideboard. Next she lined up the other small cost cards he had: Kodamanma, Gil Gill Doll, Iron Fist of Revolution, Anyaku Yasha. Her last lineup were the remaining high cost cards: Valchuris, Dragon Armored, Dual Shock Dragon, Bolshack Dogiragon, which would come out for free via Strike Back, Revolution 0 trigger or some other effect. Overall Akamaru had a very creature-heavy deck which focused a lot on early beatdown while removing his own shields in order to achieve Onitime as fast as possible. He had a few cards to ensure he would not lose if the opponent rushed back, but overall it was a hasty and unstable deck in her view. What he truly needed was a way to ensure the opponent lost many shields in the early game without having to sacrifice much of his own defense. Taking a glance back at her own deck, an idea was starting to form. She picked up a few cards and moved them over to his piles, more specifically the speed attackers Dorgan Churis and Evil Heat, Screaming Demon Dragon, some utility cards such as Magnum, Shortshot, Jack Alcadeias, Dark Gaia, Basara, and lastly her precious Dogiragon Buster, Blue Leader alongside its new incarnation which she did not get to use yet - Dogiragon Nova, Blue Guardian Deity.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
"If you swap out your reckless suicidal beatdown cards like Kodamanma, Kizugui Henge, Bakurohoshi and Dual Shock Dragon, alongside some weaker defensive cards like Michizure Nyudo, Iron Fist of Revolution and Anyaku Yasha for these cards I am now giving you, I believe your deck may improve a lot," explained Nekohana as she made the finishing touches to the forty card pile.
"You're suggesting I switch from removing my own shields to Revolution Change?! That's crazy!" Akamaru protested in disbelief.
"So is harming your own defense for further benefit, yet you still went along with it. Trust me, you have plenty of multicolored creatures in this deck that will benefit from a turn three Dogiragon Buster or Dogiragon Nova. That way you can have Onitime with five shields on your side and one shield on your opponent's side rather than vice versa as it was in our previous match."
"Ok, let's say I go along with your plan. What will happen to your deck? That Doguraeater requires Dorgan Churis in order to do an early setup."
With a melancholic smile on her face, the flower youkai replied, "Doguraeater does require an early setup, which unfortunately has rendered the strategy as too slow for our current times. As such, I believe it is time I set it aside and moved on. I have Gigandydanos and the other Fushigi Kingdom cards. I believe I can change my deck into a pure Fushigiverse deck and it will be just as good of a reanimator deck, if not even better."
"So you're actually willing to give up half of your main strategy to help me, a total stranger...?" the oni uttered, even more disbelief in his voice.
"You are Akamaru, I am Nekohana, we are not strangers anymore. Besides, if I can make at least the smallest difference for a downtrodden being in this accursed Twilight Kingdom, then I will be satisfied at the end of the day. So please, take the deck I have made for you." She offered it with a warm sincere smile on her feline face, and ultimately he relented and accepted the gift. "Trust me, it will be stronger than what you've previously played."
Little did she know how much her actions had touched Akamaru deep down. Finding such a kind being in their world was as futile as searching for a needle in a haystack, as the mortals said. His heart beat faster the more he stood in her presence and admired her feminine beauty. Despite it being their first meeting, he felt as if he owed her for all the aid she had given him on that night. If only he knew where his kanabo had ended, perhaps he could go and fetch it for her. Or maybe, if he kindly asked, she could accompany him back to the oni village so that his father could gift her some of their family treasures. Mustering the power to speak, he said to her, "I haven't had anyone go out of their way for me in a long time. Even as the prince of the oni, most of my life I still had to fend for myself in one way or another. You've just left me speechless."
Nekohana giggled at his flustered attitude. "A simple 'thank you' would suffice. Let us hope you will be able to defeat your daiyoukai foe."
"Indeed, will you be able to defeat me, Akamaru?" a third voice asked from the distance, prompting both to look at the pathway which led deep into the woods. From among the darkness, Shishima emerged, the scent of mauled imps all over him. "Why, I didn't know you've made a new friend tonight!"
"You again..." the oni growled, fist clenched around his new deck.
The lioness gasped in disbelief. "Wait, you mean to tell me Shishima is the daiyoukai who crossed you?!"
"Hell yes he is, and now it's payback time for all the humiliation he's made me endure!" Akamaru declared and his hand burst with a red aura as he walked towards his opponent.
"Whatever did you do to help him?" Shishima wondered as he eyed Nekohana, then he turned his attention back to the other prince and a smirk of confidence grew on his face as he took out his own deck which was enveloped in a dark purple aura. "No matter, I have the whole night to spare. Show me how much stronger you've become with the aid of another, you pathetic fool!"