Yumi and Izar begin a deadly duel for the fate of the planet.
Now that Izar was involved, the situation felt far too real. Not that being crammed into a van and driven to some unknown location by an alien and a general wasn't already strange and uncomfortable, but with him, it was different.
Izar was the closest thing to a monster Yumi had ever met. Plenty of bad people existed in the world, some of them even coming to harm her in the past, but he wasn't just some bad person. He'd invaded her mind, used her body, and manipulated her in ways she still didn't fully understand. And now he was here, standing just across from her in the streets of her city.
To say she was scared didn't even scratch the surface. Despite her best efforts, Yumi knew she was shaking as she hid behind Alramech. She felt like a coward, especially after all of her posturing at Yamada earlier.
"That's the guy?" Kazuhiko asked, having left the van to stand with Yumi. Yamada followed soon after, looking up and down to try and spot the two soldiers he'd sent out earlier. They were gone, of course, as were the two who'd been driving the vehicle.
"I know him," Yumi said, biting her bottom lip.
Kazuhiko looking to his friend, then to the stranger ahead. "He did something to you?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"He won't again." She took a deep breath, holding it in as she walked past Alramech.
"There you are," Izar crooned, his smile as believable an approximation of kindness as was possible for someone like him.
"I told you I'm done with you," Yumi said. Despite her fear, she didn't let her voice quiver. She stood firm, refusing him the pleasure of seeing her any more scared than she already was.
Izar chuckled, shaking his head. "That's too bad," he said. "You already used my power. Twice, in fact."
"I don't want it," she said, resolute. "I'm not going with you."
Alramech raised his hands, adding, "And that should be the end of it, Izar. Your emissary's rejected you. You should leave before you break any more rules."
"I don't think so," he replied. "Takano Yumi doesn't just get to walk out on our agreement because I was careless with that Chaos she's got. I already chose her and she agreed to take my power." He narrowed his eyes, grin widening. "But if you want, we can take this to Lancea. It's been a little while since you saw everyone. We've all missed you, Alramech."
"Argue all you want," Alramech said, his eyes turning black. "You won't win this fight."
Izar threw back his head in laughter, tendrils of monochrome hair shaking in the air around him. "You think you could defeat me if we actually used our power?" he mocked. "You've been starving yourself. We all know you've only got so much left in you."
He leaned forward, pointing to Alramech with a smile. "The only reason none of us have eaten you yet is because your traitor act is amusing. You amuse us with these games you make up. But I'll happily end it if you try to deny me what I want." His expression fell, his eyes glowing an ominous yellow. "So let me have the human. You know that's the only way this place lasts long enough for the game to start."
"You're mad I beat you before," Yumi piped up, swallowing hard.
Izar's head jolted to the side, his menacing gaze now fixed on her. "You think that's it?" he scoff. "Don't be so full of yourself, Takano Yumi. Chaos is what beat me, and only because I wasn't expecting it. I just won't let a traitor tell me what I can and can't do."
Yumi raised her duel disk. "Then we can settle it like this," she said, her arm quivering as she held it up.
He found this to be particularly hilarious, cackling into the air before finally responding with, "That's pathetic, Alramech." Looking back towards his peer, he gave one last laugh. "Is this some trick to take me out before the game starts? Lure me in by trying to poach my emissary?"
"There's no such plan," Alramech replied, narrowing his eyes. "But if that's the end result, I won't complain." He looked down at Yumi, asking, "Would you put your allegiance up for grabs like this? If he wins, you'll be forced to work against your own planet."
"It's the only option, right?" Yumi took another breath, placing her deck into the slot. "If I don't, I have to go with him, anyway."
"This is crap," Kazuhiko swore. "You can't make her fight like this."
"It's what she just signed up for," Yamada said. Apparently, the prospect of taking one of their enemies out of the fight this early had gotten him on board with this plan. "The girl's doing it. Orders are orders."
Though Kazuhiko was about to protest, Yumi spoke up again. "I'm doing it," she said. "I'm going to win." Pulling her goggles down over her eyes, she turned her focus back to Izar. "I'll beat you, and you'll never hurt anyone again."
Izar smiled, scoffing at the idea. "This should be entertaining," he finally said. "A little warm up before the real thing." Taking a bow, the air around him began to crackle. What looked like black fire materialized around him in a circle, blowing his hair in all directions before it was sent out to create a perimeter around himself and Yumi.
Everything else from road to van to sidewalk was disintegrated in its wake, leaving a field of scorched dirt for the duelists to battle on. Alramech had created some kind of barrier to shield himself and the two humans, though they were still forced outside the circle.
"Takano Yumi," Alramech said, flicking his fingers in the air. "Use this."
"Use wh-" On instinct, Yumi's hand shot up in front of her face. Opening her palm, she found the reda crystal from earlier.
"It fits inside the machine on your arm," he explained. "Near the back."
Though a bit confused at first, Yumi saw a small slot open up on her duel disk as the crystal got near. "This was here the whole time?" she muttered, sliding it inside until she heard a click.
Yumi's duel disk was bathed in a shimmering, blue light, that light quickly spreading to the rest of her body. It was warm, sort of like taking a small sip of tea in the middle of winter and letting its heat emanate through your core. Hopefully, that meant that whatever the crystal was doing was good for her.
On the screen of her duel disk were the words, "TARGET LOCK – ENERGY INTAKE 0%" She didn't have much time to ponder what that meant, as the screen turned back to a more traditional view of Life Points and empty duel field, though a 0% symbol did remain in the top right side.
"Are you ready to start?" Izar asked sweetly, eyes glowing and hair writhing like snakes as he prepared to battle."
"I'm ready to beat you," Yumi said defiantly.
"Then we won't wait another second!" he called back, the ground cracking beneath his feet as he let out a suffocating wave of energy.
Mustering her resolve, Yumi pushed through it, calling out, "Duel!" in time with Izar. "I'm taking the first turn!" she declared, drawing five cards to start.
"Kick his ass!" Kazuhiko yelled from the sidelines. "Show him not to mess with our planet!"
Yumi looked back, nodding to him. When she turned her attention to her cards, though, they were engulfed in a strange energy. "What's happening?" she asked, starting to panic.
"It's working," Alramech said, a smile forming on his face. "You're a match, Takano Yumi."
A low tone sounded, seeming to come from her cards. As it passed, Yumi watched as the glow disappeared from the top down. She could see her hand again, except…
Yumi's eyes went wide, unable to contain her excitement. "This...it's…" Even in these dire circumstances, she couldn't keep herself from hopping around with glee. "It's...Pendulum! I have Pendulum!"
"Pendulum?" Kazuhiko echoed. "Wait, what? When did you get Pendulum Cards?"
"It's like I said," Alramech told them. "Carbon-based life that's come in contact with reda have been affected by it, as well. For all of you, it seems to improve how you play Duel Monsters. Bringing out a duelist's latent power, or something to that effect."
"So my cards are transformed?" Yumi asked, her fear all but obliterated with just how happy she felt.
"It appears so," Alramech said.
Izar made a point of yawning as loudly as he could, which, given he could amplify his voice, ended up shattering a few windows in the area. "This is all very fascinating," he said, having laid down on his side across from Yumi, "but I'd like to get back to slaughtering you."
Now more determined than ever, Yumi turned to face her opponent. "Fine, then let's go," she said, raising her duel disk again. "I'm going to take Hat-Trick Magician and Rusty Swordsman and...set the Pendulum Scales!"
The action felt entirely too natural to her, one card hitting the rightmost part of her duel disk before the other touched the leftmost, PENDULUM spelling out letter-by-letter between them. Her monsters appeared on either side of her, floating into the air inside two columns of light.
Above their heads, two numbers each spun in circles. Hat-Trick's number settled on 3 with a tinging sound, Rusty Swordsman's a 9 with a lower note. This was her Pendulum Scale.
Upon closer inspection, Yumi noticed something odd about these retrained cards. "Mismatched Scales," she murmured. Apparently, she got lucky in not placing them in the wrong spots, otherwise she'd be stuck with an unusable 5 and 7. She'd have to be careful about that in the future.
This potential slip up didn't faze her whatsoever, though. The way she felt now, nothing was going to stop her. "Now, I'm going to Pendulum Summon!" she declared, raising her hand as a portal opened between her monsters. "Take the stage, Majesty Magician!"
A flock of doves flew out from between her Pendulum Scales, swirling overhead before forming into a cloud in front of Yumi. Dispersing, Majesty Magician revealed itself inside, giving a bow to its enemy.
"Just one card," Yamada grumbled. "I've seen them do three or four at once."
Kazuhiko grunted. "Don't talk if you don't know the game, old man." If not for the battle for the fate of the world going on now, it's likely this comment would have started an altercation between them.
Back at the duel, Yumi continued her turn by placing another card on the field. "I equip Majesty Magician with Leaky Umbrella," she said, her monster's cane sprouting a ratty umbrella at the top, her magician sitting it on its shoulder like a parasol.
"I'll set one card, then end my turn," she declared. "Let's see what you can do when you're using your own power." Despite the stakes of this duel, she couldn't help but feel almost excited to be dueling Izar. Scum or not, he might be a strong duelist. It was ridiculous to admit, but she was looking forward to seeing what his deck would do.
Standing up, Izar grinned wildly, wiping his hand across the air in front of him. "I'm happy to oblige!" he said, five cards appearing from nothing with a sixth materializing a moment later. "I start my turn by playing Macrocosmus – PAIN!"
One of his cards flipped around, some sort of black ooze bubbling out of it and onto the ground. It sizzled once it hit the dirt, slowly forming up in a spike-covered cage surrounding a foggy glass ball. Inside, some kind of wailing spirit was trapped in torment.
"PAIN's effect activates," he continued, another card turning around. "I discard a Magic Card when it's Normal Summoned, then Summon two more copies of it from my deck." His hair raised up, another set of the ghastly creatures falling out of it and onto the field. "But if that happens, I take 1000 damage for each of them."
Once he explained the drawback to his effect, black flames consumed his arms. Izar merely laughed as the flesh was burnt away from what looked like some sort of energy core – a pulsating blue stream running beneath his skin. "Pain is always such a fun sensation," he sneered.
A sound from Yumi's duel disk took her attention away from his theatrics. In the corner of the screen, the small indicator had switched from 0% to 2%. Was it related to the damage Izar was taking?
"My turn has just begun!" he shouted, drawing her back in. "Since I took damage, I can use the Instant Magic, Pain Transfer! This lets you share half of the damage I just took from an effect!" The card flipped around, purple sparks charging from its image.
"I'll also be using the effect of the card I discarded for PAIN's effect – Cursed Bamboo Sword. That lets me add Golden Bamboo Sword from my deck to my hand." He flicked in front of him, the selected card materializing into the same row as the rest of his hand.
"More importantly, Pain Transfer's effect resolves!" His smile grew wider. "Brace yourself, Takano Yumi." A blast of crackling energy released as soon as he spoke, 1000 damage flying directly towards Yumi's small and very human body.
Majesty Magician stepped in front of it, raising the umbrella weapon. The damage impacted it, scattering into several smaller beams that crashed into the ground and a few unlucky buildings nearby. Thankfully, it seemed everyone had already gotten the hell out of the area when the shirtless man started making people disappear.
"What's that about?" Izar questioned.
"Leaky Umbrella grants Majesty Magician the ability to halve all damage I take," Yumi explained, a few stray bits of energy zipping past her and (for now) not striking her directly. "That means I'll only take 500 damage from that effect."
As her Life Points lowered to 3500, she also took a new card from the top of her deck after the duel disk screen prompted it. "And it looks like I get to draw in exchange for that, so thanks."
Izar scoffed, amused at this development. "So that's how it is," he said. "That's fine. It just means you get to suffer even longer." Waving his hand in front of him, two more cards revealed themselves. "In that case, I'll set the Pendulum Scales with Macrocosmus – JUDGMENT and Macrocosmus – PENANCE!"
"You have Pendulum Monsters, too?" Yumi exclaimed.
"I have a lot of things you don't know about," he answered, his cards materializing like PAIN did earlier. JUDGMENT formed into a long, gnarled post, another cloudy orb hanging from a black rope tied to a small branch at the top. PENANCE transformed into an inverted cross, the orb affixing itself to the point where the two rectangles met near the bottom. Above them, the numbers 1 and 10 appeared.
"With this, I can Pendulum Summon Macrocosmus – SORROW!" A fourth monster of the series splattered to the field from a card in his hand, the ooze taking on the form of a person draped across one of the orbs. "Now that I've assembled my monsters, it's time for this!"
He spread his arms wide, announcing, "I use all my Level 4 monsters to construct the Overlay Network!" As he did, the orbs on all three PAIN and the one SORROW cracked opened, the spirits inside them wailing and rising up into the sky. An all-black vortex opened up, the four monsters being sucked inside.
"Let the darkness roll in and take the light!" he recited. "Even if you repent, you'll still suffer! Xyz Summon, Rank 4! You deserve this...Macrocosmus – The PUNISH!"
Exploding forth from overhead, Izar's newest monster took shape. It had a rounded black body that looked to be made of metal, sat atop thick legs that terminated in clawed feet. It lacked arms, though a featureless, gleaming head occupied the space directly on top of the torso. The same yellow marking as his other Xyz Monster etched itself into the card's forehead, four purple Xyz Units circling above it.
The creature gave a tinny-sounding grunt before becoming engulfed in dark flames. "The PUNISH gains the ATK and DEF of the monsters used to Summon it. All of my cards have 1000 of both, meaning this one gets a total of 4000!"
"4000 ATK?" Yumi exclaimed, unable to do anything but watch as the enemy's numbers swelled higher and higher.
"That's insane!" Kazuhiko added. "And it's not even using any effects yet!
"You'll need to endure this next part," Alramech said to Yumi. "Your card's effect will only be able to take so much for you."
Though she was confused about what he meant by this, Izar seemed more than happy to clarify. "Battle! Macrocosmus – The PUNISH, attack Takano Yumi's monster! Eternal Punish!" The monster's body spun around, a crackling circle of purple energy collecting as it rotated. After several rotations, it finally let loose the collected power, a blast of destructive force sailing right into Majesty Magician's umbrella defense.
"Hat-Trick Magician's Pendulum effect!" Yumi said. "A monster that's equipped with an Equip Magic can't be destroyed once each turn. That means Majesty Magician survives, and the damage gets halved!"
"It's useless!" Izar said with a cackle. "Take this damage!" Though Majesty Magician blocked some of it like before, more slipped through. In an instant, Yumi found herself in the air, her body twisting around as her view of the sky became one of the dirt. She fell hard, skidding a few centimeters along the ground before coming to a stop.
"Are you having fun now?" Izar asked, barely containing his glee.
It took Yumi several seconds to register what had just happened, her head spinning as her senses returned. Her sense of pain, specifically, her right shoulder sizzling as a wave of agony took hold of her.
"Wha…?" A cold sweat spread across her forehead as she started to feel dizzy. Was this...real damage? This wasn't Solid Vision. Glancing down, she could see red, inflamed skin through a hole in her top.
Looking at it only seemed to make it hurt worse, Yumi grabbing at the wound to try to do anything to make it stop. It felt hot against her palm, pain throbbing in time with her escalating heartbeat. Yes, this definitely wasn't Solid Vision. This wasn't even the advanced version that Rio had used against her. This was completely, utterly real.
"I tried to warn her," Alramech sighed. "This is a fight to the death, Takano Yumi. You'll need to be able to handle the attacks in more than one sense now."
"Bastard!" Kazuhiko growled, grabbing a completely unfazed Alramech by the collar. "How can you let her do something like this? She's a kid!"
"Back off, kid," Yamada said, shoving him away from Alramech. "This is war. You think we were just going to talk them to death?" Despite saying this, he clicked his tongue. "This is what we have to do," he muttered.
Balling up his fists, Kazuhiko put his anger aside to run to the edge of the circle. "Miss Yumi, are you okay?" he asked, kneeling down to make eye contact. "I don't think you can stop, so you have to get up. Just make it through this."
She only managed to hear about every other word of that, Kazuhiko's speech ringing in and out of her ears. It did help her to focus, though, as keeping her eyes on him forced back the shock that was threatening to overtake her. "I...I'm okay," she finally said.
"Damn right you are," he said, raising a fist. "Stand up and get him back for that!"
Blinking a few times, Yumi nodded. Finding the single card that was her hand, she picked it up and rose to her feet. Her shoulder still screamed with pain, but she'd push that down for now. If she let the pain win, this duel was over.
"Oh, you're back," Izar said. "Are you enjoying the duel, Takano Yumi?"
"How could anyone enjoy this?" she replied. "Dueling isn't about hurting people."
Izar scoffed. "Games are about dominating your enemies. That's how it is – in this world and every other. I'm just more honest about that than you are." He gave a laugh. "You're mad now, right? Then come at me, Takano Yumi! Fight back for as long as your pathetic body can handle!"
His turn ended after that, Yumi drawing to start hers. Her Life Points might say 2750, but she definitely didn't feel that healthy. It seemed like even minor amounts of damage could mess her up in a duel like this. To keep that from happening, she'd have to end this as quickly as possible.
Luckily, she had just the card for it. "I activate the Equip Magic, Rusty Sword!" Sliding the card into her duel disk, she continued, "I'm giving this to Majesty Magician, increasing his ATK by his DEF!"
"Are you sure?" Izar asked sweetly. "I don't think that's what the card says." This actually got Yumi to look back at her duel disk, at which point Izar added, "At least, not anymore!"
One of the Overlay Units above The PUNISH's broke off from the rest, popping against the mark on its head. "I activate my monster's effect!" Izar declared. "I detach my Overlay Unit and take 1000 damage when you play a Magic Card. If I do that, it changes the effect to force you to send the top three cards of your deck to the Graveyard!"
Yumi grit her teeth, her duel disk prompting her to do as he said. Reluctantly, she followed through, ditching three cards from her deck. The indicator at the top of her duel disk now read 5%, so at least that was going well.
"I guess...that ends my turn." Yumi sighed, unable to make another move. This card would definitely be trouble given how heavily her deck relied on Magic Cards, but hopefully it wouldn't be an issue after next turn.
"You idiot!" Yamada shouted. "Now he's going to attack you again!" He gestured wildly at Majesty Magician. "You put it in the defensive stance! Even I know that!"
"Looks like a misplay," Izar said. "I'll help train you out of it!" Materializing a new card, he revealed it a moment later. "Equip Magic, Broken Bamboo Sword! I'll give this to The PUNISH to raise its ATK by...0!"
"Just zero," Kazuhiko said darkly.
Yamada breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, good thing this guy's an idiot."
"He's not," Kazuhiko replied. "You just don't know anything about this game."
Izar revealed another card to drive the point home. "Now I can activate Golden Bamboo Sword, letting me draw two cards!" Two more cards appeared in his hand, one of them turning around a second later. "Permanent Magic, MACRO Tax!"
The card enlarged, placing itself next to its owner. It featured some kind of twisted, black scale, blades hanging in place of cups on either side. "I'll use this card to destroy Macrocosmus – JUDGMENT in my Pendulum Zone, then force you to send the top three cards of your deck to the Graveyard!"
Again with the mill strategy. Yumi already knew what he was planning, noting just how many Magic Cards he'd netted with just two uses of this kind of effect. His other card was coming, and coming soon.
"Oh, don't look so sad," he said, faking a friendly smile. "Look, with only one card in my Pendulum Zone, I'm cut off from Summoning monsters!" He shrugged his arms. "I guess I can't do anything but attack now. How foolish of me not to Summon a monster before I did that, but I just got too excited!"
It was obviously an act, but it's not like anyone could make him take this seriously. This was a game to him, after all. "Battle! Eternal Punish!" The monster charged another blast of energy, letting it loose at Yumi's monster again.
And then she smiled. "It worked," she said. "I activate Armaduriboh, discarding it to use its effect!" The image of her monster flew out in front of Majesty Magician, aiming the spike on its helmet forward. "When you attack my monster equipped with an Equip Card, your monster's ATK becomes 0!"
"Hell yeah!" Kazuhiko cheered. "And since his Life Points are rock bottom, you're going to take him out!"
"What?" Izar shouted, losing his composure. In an instant, though, his mocking smile returned. "Well, then I just have to use this! Designator of the Grave, banish that monster and negate its effect!"
A green, clawed hand reached up from underground, grabbing Yumi's monster and forcing a squeak out of it. Yanking it below the surface, its effect disappeared. Looks like this was a misplay, after all.
"Oh, and look at this!" Izar said, laughing. "The PUNISH has another effect. When it attacks, it automatically inflicts 100 damage for each of your banished cards. You didn't have any before, but since it's a mandatory activation, it's going to resolve after your monster is banished."
"100 damage," she concluded, fists clenching at her sides. In truth, it would just be 50, Leaky Umbrella still halving the damage. Still an insult to her pride, to be sure.
Of more concern was The PUNISH's attack, impacting Majesty Magician as it struggled to hold it back. One of the beams shot through a hole in the umbrella, cutting through Yumi's skirt right at the hem and singeing the leg of her spats. Even just that grazing blow stung, so she did the only thing she could think of – curling into a ball and waiting for it to end.
It might not look cool, but it did seem to work. Having made herself a smaller target, the rest of the attack missed her, only tearing up more of the area around them. Like before, Majesty Magician weathered the storm, her Life Poins now fallen to 1950. She was losing ground.
"I end my turn," Izar declared. "You'll have to try something more advanced than those weak strategies if you want to beat me."
"Draw!" Yumi said, hopeful that this next card would force him to regret those words. "I Normal Summon Rescue Rabbit, then banish him to use his effect!" Her monster hopped out of its card, raising up on its hind legs to mumble into the radio around its neck.
Her monster disappeared, two more coming to take its place. "I'll bring out two copies of Scaredy Lion!" Both monsters appeared beside one another, glancing towards the other at the same time and becoming terrified. "Now, I use my Level 4 Scaredy Lions to construct the Overlay Network!"
A swirling vortex opened above her, the monsters flying into it as beams of orange light. "Come out, Rank 4! Castel the Avian Musketeer!" From out of the portal fluttered an armored bird, aiming an old fashioned musket towards Izar.
"Castel's effect!" Yumi declared without a second of hesitation. "I use one Overlay Unit to flip The PUNISH face-down." With a caw, her monster fired its gun, turning the enemy Xyz over on top of itself with the impact.
"Pathetic," Izar said with a shake of his head. "You've accomplished nothing with that."
"Are you sure about that?" Yumi asked, smiling confidently. "Your monster only has any DEF because of its effect. Once it's flipped, though, that effect no longer applies."
Izar grit his teeth, seeming to hope that she wouldn't notice that detail. She had, though. "So that's how it is," he hissed.
"Battle!" Yumi announced. "Castel, destroy the face-down The Punish!" With another caw and a flutter of its wings, her monster cocked back the hammer on its gun, firing straight through the enemy without any resistance.
Pointing forward, Yumi declared, "You're wide open!"
"That's impossible!" Izar shouted, tripping backwards. "It...it can't be! I can't lose!"
"Majesty Magician, finish it! Majesty Burst!" With a nod, her monster twirled its weapon by its side, grasping it right below the head and unleashing a crackling beam of energy straight at Izar. With only 1000 Life Points left, this would end the duel for sure.
"No, you can't!" he said, holding his arms in front of his face. "Stop it!" It was too late, though. The attack connected, exploding as soon as it reached Izar.
Yumi stood there for several seconds, the sensation of victory only hitting her after a delay. "I did it?" she said, seeming to not believe it herself. "Wait, I did it!"
"You got him!" Kazuhiko shouted, pumping his fist in the background.
Before Yumi had time to join him in celebrating, she heard a quiet laugh from the other side of the field. The dust cleared in seconds, Izar standing with a wide smile on his face.
"Just kidding," he said, his Life Points growing to 3500.
"But how?" Yumi asked in disbelief.
"It's not like your monsters are the only ones with effects," he replied, pointing towards his Pendulum Zone. "Macrocosmus – PENANCE can negate one attack from a Pendulum Summoned monster per turn. If it does, I gain that monster's ATK as Life Points."
Yumi's head fell. She couldn't help but berate herself for how careless she'd been there. If she'd just played slightly smarter, she could have won. Return The PUNISH instead of flip it. Attack with Castel first. She felt so stupid.
"Are you ready to continue?" Izar asked, that same mocking smile on his face yet again.
Yumi sighed, still in disbelief that she managed to squander the win like that. "Turn end," she huffed. Not like she had any cards left to play.
Izar's smile widened. "Good, then it looks like I can get serious." Waving his hand in front of himself, he declared, "My turn! Draw!"
With a chuckle, he tilted his head back. "I hope you're prepared for this," he said. "You're about to enter a whole new world of pain."
Cards Used in Order of Appearance
Hat-Trick Magician
DARK
Level 4
Spellcaster/Pendulum/Normal
3/7
1200 ATK/1500 DEF
P: Monsters you control equipped with an Equip Spell Card cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects once per turn each.
Rusty Swordsman
EARTH
Level 4
Warrior/Pendulum/Normal
5/9
1500 ATK/1000 DEF
P: Once per turn, if you Pendulum Summon a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster(s): You can draw cards equal to the number of monsters Pendulum Summoned +1, then shuffle cards from your hand into the Deck equal to the number of Level 4 or lower Normal Monsters you control.
Majesty Magician
DARK
Level 8
Spellcaster/Pendulum/Effect
6/4
2500 ATK/2000 DEF
P: When you Normal Summon a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster with 1500 or less ATK/DEF: You can add 1 Equip Spell from your Deck or GY to your hand. Once per turn, if you activate an Equip Spell: Draw 1 card.
M: You can Tribute Summon this card by Tributing 1 monster that was originally a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster with 1500 or less ATK and DEF. This card is treated as an appropriate target for a card that specifically designates a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster with 1500 or less ATK/DEF while face-up on the field or in the Graveyard (its Level and ATK/DEF do not change).
Leaky Umbrella
Equip Spell Card
Equip only to a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster with 1500 or less ATK/DEF. If this card is sent to the GY: Reduce the next instance of damage you take to 0. The equipped monster gains this effect: Halve all damage you take.
Macrocosmus – PAIN
DARK
Level 4
10/10
Fiend/Pendulum/Effect
1000 ATK/1000 DEF
P: If you do not have another "Macrocosmus" card in your Pendulum Zone, you cannot Summon monsters. If you Pendulum Summon a monster(s), except a "Macrocosmus" monster: Gain Life Points equal to that monster(s) ATK.
M: When this card is Normal Summoned: You can discard 1 Spell Card; Special Summon up to 2 "Macrocosmus – PAIN" from your hand or Main Deck in Attack Position, then take 1000 damage for each.
Cursed Bamboo Sword
Equip Spell Card
The equipped monster gains 0 ATK. You can target 1 other "Bamboo Sword" card you control; return it to the hand, and if you do, the equipped monster can attack your opponent directly this turn. You can only use this effect of "Cursed Bamboo Sword" once per turn. If this card is sent to the Graveyard: You can add 1 "Bamboo Sword" card from your Deck to your hand, except "Cursed Bamboo Sword".
Golden Bamboo Sword
Normal Spell Card
If you control a "Bamboo Sword" Equip Spell: Draw 2 cards.
Pain Transfer
Quick-Play Spell Card
If you take effect damage: Your opponent takes half that amount of damage, and if they do, they draw 1 card. You can only activate "Pain Transfer" once per turn.
Macrocosmus – JUDGMENT
DARK
Level 4
1/1
Fiend/Pendulum/Effect
1000 ATK/1000 DEF
P: If you do not have another "Macrocosmus" card in your Pendulum Zone, you cannot Summon monsters. When your opponent Pendulum Summons a monster(s): Gain Life Points equal to that monster(s) ATK.
M: If this card is in your Graveyard or face-up in your Extra Deck: You can Special Summon this card in Attack Position, and if you do, take 1000 damage and banish it when it leaves the field. This effect cannot be activated the turn this card is sent to the Graveyard or placed face-up in your Extra Deck.
Macrocosmus – PENANCE
DARK
Level 4
10/10
Fiend/Pendulum/Effect
1000 ATK/1000 DEF
P: If you do not have another "Macrocosmus" card in your Pendulum Zone, you cannot Summon monsters. The first time your opponent declares an attack with a Pendulum Summoned monster during their Battle Phase: Negate that attack, and if you do, gain Life Points equal to the attacking monster's ATK.
M: If this card is in your Graveyard or face-up in your Extra Deck: You can Special Summon this card in Attack Position, and if you do, take 1000 damage and banish it when it leaves the field. This effect cannot be activated the turn this card is sent to the Graveyard or placed face-up in your Extra Deck.
Macrocosmus – SORROW
DARK
Level 4
1/1
Fiend/Pendulum/Tuner/Effect
1000 ATK/1000 DEF
P: If you do not have another "Macrocosmus" card in your Pendulum Zone, you cannot Summon monsters. You can Synchro Summon using this monster and 1 other non-Tuner monster you control or a card in your Pendulum Zone while this card is in your Pendulum Zone.
M: When this card is Normal Summoned: You can discard 1 Spell Card to target 1 Level 4 "Macrocosmus" monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon it in Attack Position, then take 1000 damage.
Macrocosmus – The PUNISH
DARK
Rank 4
Fiend/Xyz/Effect
? ATK/? DEF
2+ Level 4 monsters
This card's ATK/DEF become the combined ATK/DEF, respectively, of the monsters used as material for this card's Xyz Summon. When this card declares an attack: Inflict 100 damage to your opponent x the number of their cards that are banished. When your opponent activates a Spell (Quick Effect): You can detach 1 material from this card and take 1000 damage; the effect of that Spell becomes "Send the top 3 cards of your Deck to the GY." You can only use this effect of "Macrocosmus – THE PUNISH" once per turn.
Rusty Sword
Equip Spell Card
Equip only to a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster with 1500 or less ATK/DEF. The equipped monster gains these effects: This card's original ATK increases equal to its DEF. When this card attacks, during the Damage Step: You can pay Life Points in multiples of 100 (maximum 500); this card gains ATK equal to that amount.
Broken Bamboo Sword
Equip Spell Card
The equipped monster gains 0 ATK.
MACRO Tax
Continuous Spell Card
Once per turn: You can destroy 1 "Macrocosmus" card in your Pendulum Zone; send the top 3 cards of your opponent's Deck to the GY. Once per turn, if your opponent's monster attacks a "Macrocosmus" monster: You can destroy 2 "Macrocosmus" cards in your Pendulum Zones; you take no damage until the end of this turn.
Armaduriboh
DARK
Level 1
Fiend/Effect
300 ATK/200 DEF
During your opponent's turn, when an attack is declared involving a monster you control equipped with an Equip Card: You can discard this card; make the attacking monster's ATK 0 until the End Phase of this turn, also it cannot be destroyed by that battle. You can banish this card from your Graveyard; add 1 Equip Spell Card from your Deck to your hand.
Designator of the Grave (Called By the Grave)
Quick-Play Spell Card
Target 1 monster in your opponent's GY; banish it, and if you do, until the end of the next turn, its effects are negated, as well as the activated effects and effects on the field of monsters with the same original name.
Rescue Rabbit
EARTH
Level 4
Beast/Effect
300 ATK/100 DEF
Cannot be Special Summoned from the Deck. You can banish this card you control; Special Summon 2 Level 4 or lower Normal Monsters with the same name from your Deck, but destroy them during the End Phase. You can only use this effect of "Rescue Rabbit" once per turn.
Scaredy Lion
EARTH
Level 4
2/8
Beast/Pendulum/Normal
1300 ATK/1000 DEF
P: Once per turn, if a monster is Special Summoned from the Extra Deck with a Level/Rank between the Pendulum Scales of cards in your Pendulum Zones: You can add 1 Normal Monster from your Deck to your hand.
Castel the Avian Musketeer (Castel, the Skyblaster Musketeer)
WIND
Rank 4
Winged Beast/Xyz/Effect
2000 ATK/1500 DEF
2 Level 4 monsters
You can detach 1 material from this card, then target 1 face-up monster on the field; change it to face-down Defense Position. You can detach 2 materials from this card, then target 1 other face-up card on the field; shuffle it into the Deck. You can only use 1 "Castel, the Skyblaster Musketeer" effect per turn, and only once that turn.
We've finally made it to Yumi dueling Izar. It's been a long and winding road getting here.
I've had most of Izar's cards done for a while now. While whole deck isn't anti-Pendulum, but they make up several of his cards. Yumi just got unlucky after getting extremely lucky.
Also had this Pendulum twist planned out for a while. I always knew I wanted Yumi to get them eventually, and this seemed like a good time to do it. How much more can she evolve? We'll find out together.
Not a lot to say this time other than to say you can expect more hot Pendulum action soon, followed by lots of crying. Look forward to it.
Thanks for reading. Share if you're enjoying. Always remember to eat your broccoli before it goes bad.