It's finally time for a talk.
"Quit running!" Toshikazu chased after Sakuya, grabbing at her wrist as she tried to escape him. "What's wrong with you? Why are you making a scene?"
"Don't touch me!" she said, yanking her arm away. "Don't ever touch me!"
Other students and a few faculty members were starting to take notice of the fight, though none went to intervene just yet. "Look, let's just talk about it somewhere else," Toshikazu said, trying to contain the situation.
"Never come near me again!" Sakuya shouted, running off as quickly as she could. Toshikazu didn't bother to follow, slinking away somewhere to avoid the suspicious looks he was getting from other people.
After running to nearly the other side of the campus, Sakuya hid around a corner, clutching her knees to her chest as tears started to flow. She pulled at her hair and slammed her forehead into her palms, continuing to blame herself for what had almost happened.
She felt so stupid. Of course he'd try that. Of course. That's all he wanted from the start. She shouldn't act surprise. She should have known this would happen. If she didn't want that, she shouldn't have let this go on for so long.
As mad as she was at Toshikazu, she was even more upset with herself. What was wrong with her? Why couldn't she just move on? That's what this was all about; keeping busy and staying distracted. If she could just fix herself, she wouldn't have been in this situation to begin with.
Why weren't these feelings going away? Why was she still thinking of her friend in that way? She'd cut herself off for so long already, but it wasn't working.
All she wanted was for things to stop being complicated again, to go back to the summer they spent together before it got too serious. It was so much easier then, and so much less likely to end up with her hurting or getting hurt.
But she couldn't stop. She didn't want to stop. Even if she didn't feel worthy of these feelings, she still cherished them, just like she cherished her friend. There was no dodging or denying now. No putting it off, avoiding it, or pretending it was just a possibility. The truth was clear – she loved Yumi with all her heart.
Up to now, she'd managed to keep her crying silent, but finally admitting that forced out an ugly sob. It was simultaneously like having an enormous weight taken off her shoulders while a knife was twisted around inside her chest. Admitting it freed her, but the realization that she'd squandered her chances destroyed her.
If she could have just admitted it before, things could have been different. If she hadn't been such a terrible friend, this wouldn't be happening. If she'd just talked to her, maybe something could have been salvaged.
There was no going back, though, in any sense. She had to live with the fact that her relationship with Yumi was broken beyond repair, and she'd been the one to break it. Every thought about her was now one-sided, every dream about her would be just a dream. She would never see her friend again, and it was all her own fault.
After all, who would accept her back after how she'd acted? Yumi didn't want her anymore. It was obvious she wouldn't. Neither would anyone else. She was alone all over again, only this time she cared enough to actually feel alone.
For most of her life, she felt like she died in that car alongside her mother. Every day was covered in a dark gray haze as she went through the motions of being a person. She positioned herself in the most comfortable place she could with the least chance of being hurt again. She thought that's what she wanted. She thought that would make her feel content.
Over the course of a single summer, her entire reality was shattered. For the first time, the cage she'd built around herself was opened up. For the first time, she could see color in the world again. For the first time, she actually felt happy.
It was Yumi. She gave her the courage to change, to grow, to try again. Because of Yumi, she met new people and fixed things with the ones she knew before. Because of Yumi, she was no longer afraid to move forward. She didn't have to be stuck anymore.
But then she went and threw it all away. Just like before, she closed the door to the cage and made sure it locked behind her. She cut everyone off and isolated herself again, and when it hurt too much to keep being alone, she tried and failed to find a replacement.
She was such a fool. Despite her best efforts, her cries got louder, her heart feeling like it was really breaking apart. The regret was overwhelming, to the point where she could no longer think of anything besides Yumi. How desperately she wanted her to be here, to tell her that it was going to be okay, that she was forgiven and that things weren't ruined forever.
Over the sound of her own tears, she almost thought she heard someone calling her name. That couldn't be, though. She'd run to the edge of the school grounds to a place virtually no one ever had a reason to visit. What's more, no one here would be so concerned about her that they'd run to her aid as she cried in a corner like this. Most of the other students didn't even know her name, and it certainly wasn't Toshikazu yelling for her. If anything, it sounded more like…
"Sakuya!" Yumi practically did a baseball slide towards her friend as she ran up. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"
It was a stressful ride into Gunma for Yumi and Kazuhiko. Running away from home was bad enough, but to do it on a school day? There weren't words to describe how terrible they felt.
Kazuhiko was especially guilt-stricken. At least Yumi had tried to talk to her family about it. For him, though, he just couldn't do it. All he'd managed to do was sneak out before anyone woke up.
They weren't given time to reconsider or regret their decisions, though, the EEDF people showing up to nab them around the crack of dawn. How they managed to find the both of them as they wandered the city was anyone's guess. Probably something to do with cellphones.
None of their friends knew what was happening, either. It's not like they could just leave a message in the group chat saying they were heading off to war. Still, leaving so many people out of the loop only made things worse.
They would figure something out, though. That's why they were in Gunma, in fact. At least, that's why the two of them were. For Yamada and the rest, it was to recruit more bodies at Togami. It wasn't hard to convince them that this was a good idea after a small suggestion. After all, a private high school focused on Duel Monsters had to have at least a couple of worthy candidates.
While they were meant to stick with their escort, Yumi almost immediately slipped away to go track down Sakuya. She'd managed to wordlessly work something out with Kazuhiko on the long drive over. Against the EEDF's orders, he'd started stomping around and challenging people to duel for the chance to join "something special" that he couldn't tell anyone about. It netted him a few challengers, but more importantly, it made a huge scene and distracted everyone.
Fate, luck, or whatever else might have been on her side that afternoon, since Yumi was able to catch a glimpse of Sakuya's argument with a man she'd never seen before. After her friend ran off, she ran after, watching from a distance until the crying started.
Any hesitation vanished once that happened, Yumi running up to offer whatever comfort she could. After so long apart, this was probably the last way she expected or wanted them to reunite. Whatever was going on, though, they'd definitely work through it together. Everything would be okay now.
Then Sakuya pushed her away. She looked terrified, scrambling off the ground and trying unsuccessfully to compose herself. "You can't be here," she choked out, wiping at her face despite the fact she was still actively crying.
"Why not?" Yumi said, standing up and trying to get closer. "What's going on? Just tell me what's wrong."
Sakuya shook her head, taking another step back. "I can't," she squeaked, "Just...go."
"I'm not going anywhere," Yumi told her. "I want to help you. Whatever's been wrong, you can tell me. We can fix it."
"No," Sakuya said, shaking her head. "Can't fix it. Not anymore. Can't fix me."
"What are you talking about?" she pleaded. "Why do you need to be fixed?"
Sakuya just shook her head, then turned to run. She knew she was behaving badly again, but she didn't know what else to do. Everything was happening so quickly and it was all falling down around her. She just wanted to run and never stop.
"Sakuya!" Yumi screamed, now on the verge of tears herself. "Talk to me!" She caught up to her quickly, saying, "I don't know what to do if you don't talk to me. I want to help you. I want to make it okay. I want to be your friend. But I can't do that if you don't tell me what's wrong."
She held out her hand. "Please. Please talk to me. I miss you."
Sakuya wanted to take that hand more than anything in the world. She wanted to run into Yumi's arms and hold her for the rest of their lives. But she still couldn't do it. The hurdles just seemed too great, even if they were set up entirely by herself.
"I can't," she finally said. Finally pulling herself together, she wiped off her face and took a deep breath. This was where it had to end. "It's better if you leave," she told Yumi, forcing herself into as neutral an expression as possible right now. "Please, just forget about me."
"I can't do that," she said. "I could never forget you."
Sakuya shook her head again. "It has to be this way. I'm sorry. Goodbye." Despite her best efforts, she couldn't keep her voice from cracking at the end.
It was like talking to a rock. Nothing she said was getting through to Sakuya, and she didn't even understand why. What did she have to do to make her listen?
Well, it looked like she only had one option left. "I won't let you go without a fight," Yumi said. "So if you're leaving, then leave without any regrets. Duel me one last time." This seemed to get a reaction out of her, Sakuya clenching her fists as her composure slipped. "I'll leave like you want if you beat me again. That's the only way you can get rid of me, though. And if I win, then we have to talk. For real."
Gritting her teeth, Sakuya inhaled sharply. Some part of her knew this was how it would end up. "I accept," she said, glaring coldly at Yumi. "This is the only way you'll understand. I won't hold anything back, and I'll sever things between us for good."
"If you think you can, then let's do it," Yumi said, already reaching for her backpack.
"You've never beaten me before," Sakuya reminded her, taking her own duel disk from her bag and readying herself. "That won't change now."
"We'll see about that," Yumi said as she got in position. "I won't let you forget about us."
Standing across from her, Sakuya was finding it difficult not to cry again. This was such a familiar sight by now, the memories of their training and fun throughout the summer flooding back into her mind like a bursting dam. It was a comfort, yet she was fully convinced this would be the last time she ever got to experience it.
As a tear rolled down her cheek, a tiny smile worked its way onto Sakuya's lips. "Then let's make this something worth remembering."
"Duel!" they said in unison, bringing back even more memories of their time together.
"I'm going first," Yumi decided, drawing her hand. Immediately, she took a pair of cards and laid them onto the field. "I'm using the Scale 1 Violentist and the Scale 9 Butter Fly to set the Pendulum Scale!"
As the two cards materialized, Sakuya was taken aback. "What happened to your deck?" she couldn't help but ask. These were Yumi's monsters, no doubt, but when did they become Pendulum Cards?
"A lot's happened since you were in Chiba," Yumi said. "I'll tell you about it after I win this duel." Taking another card out of her hand, she activated it in her duel disk. "I play Pendulum Treasure! I can send a Pendulum Monster from my deck straight to my Extra Deck!"
The card she chose was Majesty Magician. "Now, I'm going to Pendulum Summon!" Raising a hand, Yumi commanded, "Come out, my monsters!"
A portal formed between her monsters, two beams of light shooting out to her field. As soon as they touched down on the grass, they formed into her monsters – Majesty Magician, plus a Rescue Rabbit from her hand.
"You really did it," Sakuya said. She smiled, sighing wistfully. "I always had a feeling you would one day. You never stop growing."
"It's because of you," Yumi insisted. "You helped me get stronger ever since we met, and I've kept going because I wanted to keep up with you."
"You would have made it without me," she replied, looking to the ground. "You've already done so much on your own. I barely did anything."
"You know that isn't true," Yumi huffed. "If you hadn't trained me or supported me, I never could have made it this far. I've always needed you."
"And now you're strong enough that you don't need me anymore," Sakuya muttered.
"Cut it out!" Yumi stomped her foot, growing more and more fed up with this attitude. "If you won't listen, then I'll just keep going with my turn." Pointing to Rescue Rabbit, she activated its effect. "I banish it, then Special Summon two copies of Wallrus from my deck."
Both monsters appeared where Rescue Rabbit had been, slapping their brick flippers together and hollering into the air. It was a truly awful combination of sounds, one that Yumi quickly and mercifully put an end to as she overlayed them with one another. "Xyz Summon, Rank 2! Take the stage, Enchanter Ballantine!"
Her monster gave a small bow after materializing onto her field, adjusting its bow tie and posing beside Majesty Magician. "Butter Fly's Pendulum effect activates," Yumi continued. "I send Broken Wand to the Graveyard and target Majesty Magician. For the rest of the turn, he can't be destroyed once."
"That seems pointless," Sakuya said, though she already suspected there was more to it than just wasting an Equip Magic.
"Not if I combine it with Violentist's Pendulum effect," she told her, her monster playing its instrument and calling the Broken Wand card up to her hand. "Once per turn, I can equip a card from my Graveyard to a monster I control, so now Majesty Magician gets Broken Wand." Her monster's staff transformed as she placed the card onto the field, the gnarled, sparking wand appearing at its end.
Though she'd only had one duel and less than a day to adjust to her new deck, things were working out quite well so far. A number of her monsters had complimentary effects, these two being an example, and she was already working to use them as efficiently as possible.
"I set one card and end my turn," Yumi said. She smiled, nodding to Sakuya. "I want to see how strong you are now, too. You can't hold back."
"You're begging me to beat you right now," she told her, starting her turn with a draw. "But if that's what you want, I'll do it." Taking a card from her hand, a slot opened up at the side of her duel disk. "I activate the Field Magic, Closer Forest." Once the card was played, the trees around them began to rustle, appearing to grow uncontrollably and form a rough sphere of wood around the two of them. Shadows fell over the field, Sakuya retreating into the artificial darkness her card had made as branches grew overhead.
"With this," she explained, "all of my Beast monsters gain 100 ATK for every monster in my Graveyard. It also makes us unable to play new Field Magics over it."
"That's going to get annoying," Yumi said, already seeing how quickly things could spiral out of control if she didn't find a way to deal with that card. Unfortunately, she couldn't do anything about it on this turn, but there might be a way to make it work for her.
Sakuya placed a monster on the field, then went for another card as it formed. "I Normal Summon Greatest Dane to my field, then pay 1000 Life Point to activate Dog Mill." A brown, muscular dog materialized, flexing like a human as a second copy appeared from the Magic Card beside it.
"Dog Mill Summons itself as a copy of my monster, and it can also act as two materials if I use it to Summon from the Extra Deck." Then she played a third card. "I activate Fusion, combining Greatest Dane with Dog Mill acting as two materials!"
She clasped her hands above her head, then brought them down as her materials swirled into a vortex behind her. "Eyes weary from the brutality of nature, let loose and tear my enemies to pieces! Fusion Summon, Level 10! Feral-Eyes Wolf Dragon!"
"A Fusion Summon on your first turn," Yumi said with a nod. "That's what I would expect." Then she swallowed hard. Expected or not, this was still an enormously fearsome card. It would be hard to fend it off.
"Greatest Dane's effect activates," Sakuya declared, an echoing bark shooting out from her Graveyard. "I negate the effect of one of your face-up Magic or Trap Cards until the end of the turn, meaning you won't be able to use Butter Fly's effect to save you."
"Then I'll just chain-"
"No," she cut her off. "Greatest Dane is the greatest and prevents any responses to this effect. You'll have to live with it."
Annoying as that effect was, Yumi still cracked a smile at how Sakuya had explained it. Maybe she was having a little fun with this, after all.
There was now a monster in her Graveyard, so Feral-Eyes' ATK grew to 3600. Not much of a difference, but more than enough for what she needed it to do. "Battle! Feral-Eyes, attack Enchanter Ballantine! Primal Inferno!"
As the dragon charged a torrent of wispy flames inside its maw, Yumi raised her hand. "I'm activating my Trap, Majesty Eclipse! Until the end of the turn, I negate all effect damage you try to hit me with!"
"Fine, then battle damage will do!" Sakuya replied, her monster launching its blast.
"Enchanter Ballantine, detach two Overlay Units to use your effect twice!" It was a last-minute struggle to stay alive, Ballantine raising its ATK by 1000 and lowering Feral-Eyes' by the same. Normally, this would at least be enough for them to tie at 2500, but Closer Forest allowed Sakuya's card just enough power to inch over that.
Ultimately, Ballantine was immolated, giving a sad bow before it completely blew away. All in all, though, it could have been much worse, as Yumi's Life Points only fell to 3900 seeing as she was spared the effect damage.
"I set one card and end my turn," Sakuya said. "That means my monster's ATK returns to normal." Ballantine's adjustments only applied until the End Phase, allowing Feral-Eyes to return to 3600 and once again surpass Majesty Magician's 3000 ATK.
Broken Wand, though, wouldn't be a problem for much longer. As the turn came to a close, it was destroyed. "Something equipped by Violentist is destroyed during the end of my opponent's turn," Yumi explained, her monster's ATK returning to 2500.
"Then all you've managed to do with that is stall me for part of a turn," Sakuya told her. "It won't work as well next time."
"I'm not sure if I'll need it to," Yumi said, starting her turn. With a grin, she turned her card around. "If you're going to Fusion Summon, then I should, too. I activate Common Fusion!" Flame Viper, Rusty Swordsman, Big Bat Knight, and a second copy of Violentist were all pulled into a vortex behind her.
Placing her hands together above her head, she started to recite, "Forces of the ordinary, join hands to form a storm of change! Combine together to reach a new power!" Pulling them down, Yumi ended it with, "Fusion Summon, Level 10! Helpful, Knight of Commons!"
Helpful stabbed its sword into the ground, beating its chest with an armored fist. At 3800 ATK, Yumi was now more than capable of overcoming Feral-Eyes. "Do you remember when I first Fusion Summoned?" she asked Sakuya. "At the tournament, at least. I didn't show you until then since I wanted it to be a surprise."
"It was," she said. "I never expected you could have done it, at least not without me teaching you. It was…" She sighed. "It was amazing."
"I only learned by watching you," Yumi said. Her smile faltered after that. "I don't know why you won't accept that."
Sakuya shook her head, looking to the ground. "You can't understand."
"I want to," she told her, then gave a sigh herself. "But I don't think you'll believe that without a fight." Continuing the duel, Yumi used Violentist to equip Majesty Magician with Broken Wand once again. With that, she was ready to battle.
"Helpful, attack Feral-Eyes Wolf Dragon! Good Spirits Impact!" Her monster raised its sword, the gaps in its armor shining a rainbow light. As it moved in to strike, though, Yumi suddenly realized a mistake.
"Butter Fly, target Helpful!" Pitching Rusty Sword from her deck, a protective barrier formed around her Fusion Monster. Normally, this kind of play wouldn't make much sense, but it was necessary insurance after remembering Sakuya's set card.
"Just barely made it," Sakuya said. "In the Damage Step, I activate Shrink to halve your monster's ATK." Her card flipped up, firing a beam of light at Helpful that shrunk its size in half. With this reduction in size, Feral-Eyes easily batted its attack away, hitting Yumi for a devastating 1700.
"But it won't be destroyed," Yumi countered, her Life Points now at 2200. She breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that she was able to correct things before it was too late.
Sakuya, though, glared at her. "Is this a joke?" she asked. "If you're making these mistakes on purpose, I won't forgive you." Clicking her tongue, she laid into Yumi even further. "If you could read my Set card, you could have sent Rusty Sword in the Main Phase and equipped it. Right now, you've wasted your turn."
"It wasn't on purpose," Yumi said, starting to feel embarrassed. "I just...got excited. Dueling with you is fun, and I was just enjoying it. I guess I could have played differently, but…"
"This is our last duel," Sakuya said, her voice low and brimming with anger. "You said you didn't want me to hold back, so I expected the same from you. If you won't play seriously, then what's the point of any of this?"
"I didn't think…" She didn't expect this to upset her friend so much. Yumi was trying to remind Sakuya of their time together, to show her how much fun they had together and could in the future. Apparently, this had backfired spectacularly.
"If you're not serious, we might as well stop here," Sakuya said. "You weren't serious when you started this duel."
Sakuya almost seemed like she was about to cry again as she said all this. At first, Yumi couldn't understand why she was acting this way, but the longer she sat with it, the more clear it became. Maybe she was imagining it, but she was starting to believe that this was her way of asking for help.
Yumi started this duel to save their friendship from whatever was hurting Sakuya, but she'd been playing like this was just an ordinary game. Showing off her monsters and making careless mistakes wouldn't cut it. If she was this careless with her moves, what was that saying to Sakuya about their relationship?
Yumi nodded, sliding her goggles down over her eyes. "You're right. I'm sorry. You deserve me at my best right now." Examining her field, she nodded. "I end my turn. Now your Shrink's effect ends and Helpful's ATK returns to normal."
"It won't matter," Sakuya said, drawing a card. "I'm not going to let you recover!" She slammed the card she'd drawn into her duel disk, declaring, "Activate, Angel's Charity! I draw three, then discard two."
Taking the cards, she tossed Chow Chow Dragon and Pointer, raising Feral-Eyes' ATK to 3800 with her Field's effect. "I Summon Wiener Dragon, activating its effect to add a second copy to my hand." As her monster appeared, she went to play another card. "Now, I Special Summon Sky Terrier from my hand with its own effect, then use its other effect to Summon the Greatest Dane from my Graveyard."
Sky Terrier swooped through the air, barking as it circled above to call out Greatest Dane. "That's three Level 4 monsters," Sakuya said, raising a hand. "I'm using all three to construct the Overlay Network!"
As the monsters disappeared into the swirling vortex above, she recited, "Eyes brimming with hope, descend and tear through your enemies with relentless passion! Xyz Summon, Rank 4! Shiny-Eyes Dingo Dragon!" Her white dragon landed on the field next to Feral-Eyes, both of them letting out a howl. Interestingly, it was in Defense Position.
"Shiny-Eyes' effect," she declared. "I attach Pointer as a fourth Overlay Unit, then I'm going to detach all of them to inflict 300 damage for each!" Her monster let out a growl, blasting four fireballs at Yumi one after the other.
"I banish Majesty Eclipse from my Graveyard to halve this effect damage!" Yumi said, a thin barrier protecting her from most of the effect, her Life Points falling to 1600.
"I now have five monsters in my Graveyard," Sakuya noted, "which means my monsters both gain 500 ATK." This put Feral-Eyes at an even 4000, Shiny-Eyes 1000 behind that. "Feral-Eyes, attack Majesty Magician! Primal Inferno!"
Though her monster now had more ATK, Sakuya was smart not to go after Helpful. Common Fusion was still in Yumi's Graveyard, meaning she could banish it to reset Feral-Eyes' ATK and destroy it were she to attack carelessly.
That said, attacking Majesty Magician wouldn't do much better. "I use the effect given by Broken Wand!" Yumi declared, her monster twirling its staff to deflect the torrent of flames cascading over it. "I return Majesty Magician to my hand, then end the Battle Phase!"
"As expected," Sakuya said. "I end my turn." While that attack did little overall, it did make one important change to the game state. With Majesty Magician in hand, Summoning it again would mean it was no longer a monster Summoned from the Extra Deck. As a result, it was no longer a valid target for Butter Fly's protection effect.
"Draw!" Yumi declared. Her newest card wouldn't be of much use right now, so her best option was to go on the attack. "I Pendulum Summon Majesty Magician from my hand!" As soon as her monster reappeared, she pointed to one of her Pendulum Zones. "Now, Violentist equips him with Rusty Sword, increasing my monster's ATK by its DEF!"
Now raised to 4500, Majesty Magician outmatched everything else on the field. "Battle!" she announced, Majesty Magician already swinging the massive sword around. "Rusty Slice! Destroy Feral-Eyes Wolf Dragon!"
Without another set card, Sakuya was forced to take the hit. Her monster was cut in half, taking out 500 of her Life Points and leaving her with 2500. "Barely anything," she muttered.
"Helpful, follow up and destroy Shiny-Eyes!" Seemingly as predicted, Sakuya's second monster was also destroyed. All in all, it wasn't the most uneventful turn, but the true worth of it would depend on how Sakuya could respond next.
"I'll end my turn," Yumi said. "Try to recover from that."
"With ease," Sakuya said, eyes narrowing as she looked at her newest card. "Your half-hearted strategy isn't going to change anything," she told her. "You really think this is enough to beat me?"
Clicking her tongue, Sakuya took her card and placed it on the field. "Beagle Drake, come out!" Her weak dragon practically fell out of its card, flopping around on the ground. "With its effect, I can revive Feral-Eyes at the cost of negating its effect and reducing its ATK and DEF to 0."
As fearsome as it looked, Feral-Eyes had been entirely declawed after its return. Brute strength wasn't the point, though, as Sakuya quickly made clear. "Now, I'm tuning my Level 10 non-Tuner, Feral-Eyes Wolf Dragon, with my Level 2 Tuner, Beagle Drake!"
"A Level 12 Synchro Monster?" Yumi gasped. She'd never seen this card before. It was anyone's guess as to what it might do, but it was certain it would only be bad news for her.
As her monsters were swallowed up in a pillar of light behind her, Sakuya's eyes glowed a piercing red against the shadows cast across her. Whether it was Solid Vision or something else, her gaze shot right through Yumi. "Sadness and shining tears transform into cold, ferocious cruelty in an instant. Left to fester, it all turns into hate."
Tears dripped down from the corners of her eyes, those, too, appearing red. Gritting her teeth, her voice shook as she said, "Yumi, this is my hate. This is what I really am." Blinking away the tears, she raised a hand as a pair of ragged wings shot out from the light. "Synchro Summon, Level 12! Rage-Eyes Bone Crush Dragon!"
Sakuya threw back her head and screamed, her anguished cries drowned out by the earth-shaking roar her newest monster let out. Blasting through the upper section of tree limbs formed by Closer Forest, a black dragon descended from the sky. Red markings lit up across its body, leading from the tip of its tail up to the top of its head. A solid mane of gray fur ran along its entire back, spikes sticking out from it every few inches.
Another roar blasted out of its twin mouths, the top one closing up as the second hung open, a maw of jagged teeth bared at its enemies. With a final roar, all four of its burning red eyes lit up, the monster finally touching down on the ground on all four of its clawed feet.
Needless to say, this duel just took a turn.
Cards Used in Order of Appearance
Violentist
LIGHT
Level 3
Fiend/Pendulum/Normal
1/7
650 ATK/1300 DEF
P: Once per turn: You can target 1 Equip Spell in your GY; equip it to an appropriate monster on the field, but destroy it during the next turn's End Phase.
Butter Fly
WIND
Level 3
Insect/Pendulum/Normal
4/9
900 ATK/700 DEF
P: Once per turn (Quick Effect): You can send 1 Equip Spell from your hand or Deck to the GY, then target 1 monster you control that was Special Summoned from the Extra Deck; the first time that target would be destroyed this turn, it is not destroyed (even if this card leaves the field).
Pendulum Treasure
Normal Spell Card
Add 1 Pendulum Monster from your Deck to your Extra Deck face-up. You can only activate 1 "Pendulum Treasure" per turn.
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).
Rescue Rabbit
EARTH
Level 4
Beast/Effect
300 ATK/100 DEF
Cannot be Special Summoned from the Deck. You can banish this face-up 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.
Wallrus
WATER
Level 2
Beast/Pendulum/Normal
6/5
400 ATK/800 DEF
P: Halve any battle damage you take from battles involving Normal Monsters you control. When an opponent's monster declares a direct attack: You can activate this effect; destroy this card, and if you do, you take no further battle damage this turn.
Enchanter Ballantine
LIGHT
Rank 2
Spellcaster/Xyz/Effect
1500 ATK/1000 DEF
2 Level 2 monsters
(Quick Effect) Detach 1 Xyz Material from this card and target 1 monster your opponent controls; this card gains 500 ATK, also your opponent's monster loses 500 ATK. These changes last until the End Phase. If this effect is activated, this card loses DEF equal to the ATK it gained this turn. If this card attacks, it is changed to Defense Position at the end of the Damage Step.
Broken Wand
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 by 500. When this card attacks or is attacked by a monster with higher ATK: You can return this card to your hand and end the Battle Phase.
Closer Forest (Closed Forest)
Field Spell Card
All Beast-Type monsters you control gain 100 ATK for each monster in your Graveyard. Field Spell Cards cannot be activated. Field Spell Cards cannot be activated during the turn this card is destroyed.
Greatest Dane
EARTH
Level 4
Dragon/Effect
1800 ATK/1200 DEF
This card is also treated as a Beast monster while on the field or in the GY. If this card is sent to the GY as material for the Fusion Summon of a monster that is both Dragon and Beast-Type: You can target face-up Spell/Trap Cards your opponent controls equal to the number of other cards used for this Fusion Summon; negate their effects until the end of this turn. Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response to this effect's activation.
Dog Mill
Continuous Spell Card
Activate by paying 1000 Life Points and targeting 1 monster you control that is both Dragon-Type and Beast-Type. Special Summon this card in Attack Position; it is treated as an Effect Monster with the same Level as the target (Beast-Type/EARTH/ATK 0/DEF 0). (This card is still treated as a Spell Card.) This card is also treated as a Dragon-Type while on the field. If used for the Special Summon of a Dragon-Type Fusion, Synchro, or Xyz Monster, this card can be used as 2 materials with the same Level.
Fusion (Polymerization)
Normal Spell Card
Fusion Summon 1 Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck, using monsters from your hand or side of the field as Fusion Materials.
Feral-Eyes Wolf Dragon
DARK
Level 10
Dragon/Fusion/Effect
3500 ATK/3000 DEF
3 monsters that are both Dragon-Type and Beast-Type
This card is also treated as Beast-Type while on the field or in the Graveyard. This card can attack all monsters your opponent controls once each. When this card destroys a monster by battle: Inflict damage to your opponent equal to the original ATK of the destroyed monster.
Majesty Eclipse
Normal Trap Card
You take no effect damage this turn. During either player's turn, except the turn this card was sent to the Graveyard: You can banish this card from your Graveyard; halve 1 instance of effect damage you take this turn.
Common Fusion
Normal Spell Card
Fusion Summon 1 non-Effect Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck, using Normal Monsters from your hand, field, or Deck as Fusion Material. When the card Fusion Summoned by this effect battles an opponent's monster: You can banish this card in your Graveyard; negate that monster's effects and apply its original ATK and DEF when calculating damage until the end of the Battle Phase.
Flame Viper
EARTH
Level 2
Pyro
400 ATK/450 DEF
Big Bat Knight
EARTH
Level 3
Warrior/Pendulum/Normal
7/1
1100 ATK/500 DEF
P: Once per turn, when a Pendulum Monster you control destroys an opponent's monster, after damage calculation: You can send 1 Level 4 or lower Normal Monster from your Deck to the GY; inflict 800 damage to your opponent.
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 Level 4 or lower Normal 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.
Helpful, Knight of Commons
EARTH
Level 10
Warrior/Fusion
3800 ATK/3050 DEF
4 Level 4 or lower Normal Monsters
Shrink
Quick-Play Spell Card
Target 1 face-up monster on the field; its original ATK becomes halved until the end of this 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.
Angel's Charity (Graceful Charity)
Normal Spell Card
Draw 3 cards, then discard 2.
Chow Chow Dragon
WIND
Level 6
Dragon/Effect
900 ATK/2500 DEF
This card is also treated as Beast-Type while on the field or in the Graveyard. You can Tribute Summon this card in face-up Defense Position. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can discard 1 Dragon-Type monster from your hand; this card gains DEF equal to that card's level x 100 until the End Phase.
Pointer
FIRE
Level 2
Dragon/Effect
800 ATK/500 DEF
This card is also treated as Beast-Type while on the field or in the Graveyard. When this card is Normal Summoned: Choose 1 Level 6 or higher Dragon-Type monster from your Deck, and place it on top of your Deck.
Wiener Dragon
FIRE
Level 4
Dragon/Effect
1700 ATK/1200 DEF
This card is also treated as Beast-Type while on the field or in the Graveyard. When this card is Normal Summoned: You can add 1 "Wiener Dragon" from your Deck to your hand. While attacking, this card gains 100 ATK for each Dragon-Type monster in your Graveyard.
Sky Terrier
WIND
Level 4
Dragon/Effect
1300 ATK/1100 DEF
This card is also treated as a Beast monster while on the field or in the GY. If you control a monster that is both a Dragon and Beast-Type, you can Special Summon this monster (from your hand). You can only Special Summon "Sky Terrier" once per turn this way. If this card is Special Summoned: You can target 1 monster in your GY that is both a Dragon and Beast-Type; Special Summon that target, but banish it when it leaves the field. You can only use this effect of "Sky Terrier" once per turn.
Shiny-Eyes Dingo Dragon
LIGHT
Rank 4
Dragon/Xyz/Effect
2500 ATK/1500 DEF
3 Level 4 monsters that are both Dragon-Type and Beast-Type
This card is also treated as Beast-Type while on the field or in the Graveyard. You can target 1 monster in your Graveyard that is both Dragon-Type and Beast-Type; attach it to this card as an Xyz Material. You can detach any number of Xyz Material from this card (minimum 3) to inflict 300 damage x the number detached. You can only use each effect of "Shiny-Eyes Dingo Dragon" once per turn. If this face-up card would be destroyed, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card instead.
Beagle Drake
EARTH
Level 2
Dragon/Tuner/Effect
750 ATK/100 DEF
This card is also treated as Beast-Type while on the field or in the Graveyard. When this card is Normal Summoned or Special Summoned from the Graveyard: You can target 1 non-Tuner monster in your Graveyard that is both Dragon-Type and Beast-Type; Special Summon it in Attack Position with its effects negated and 0 ATK and DEF. During the End Phase of this turn, take 2000 damage if "Beagle Drake" is not used as Synchro Material after this effect resolves.
Rage-Eyes Bone Crush Dragon
DARK
Level 12
Dragon/Synchro/Effect
? ATK/? DEF
?
Another fun one to write. Tune in next week for the exciting conclusion to an elaborate therapy session in the form of a trading card game.
Kind of the first time Sakuya ever split on Yumi, even if it's still tempered by her extreme self-loathing. Another good reason not to let all your emotions fester like this. Then again, you do get a cool dragon, so it's kind of a tossup.
Getting to fill out the rest of Yumi's regular monsters with their new effects. I've been sitting on them for a while, so it's nice that they're all here now. Letting the Level 3s and 2s get some attention in this one.
Next one has even more emotional baggage to dig through, so we'll keep it short here. Thanks for reading. Share if you're enjoying. Always remember to stop it and get some help.