Fun Fact: A guest asked if the Yu boys/bracelet girls can duel their counterparts within the mindscape. As a matter of fact, they can. Within the mindscape, they can create nearly anything they want. From foods, to motorcycles, and to cards, they have it all. The boys even have their own private "rooms"to do as they please. Aside from the limited interaction with actual people, being inside the mindscape is probably way better than the real world.
Chapter Summary: Reiji sends someone to deal with a new enemy, while Dennis makes Yuto jealous.
Tio had been called to the scene to investigate a new arrival to the Pendulum Dimension. A portal, not connected to the ones owned and operated under the Leo Corporation or Academia, had opened up near downtown Maiami City.
Only one person entered the dimension, according to cameras and censors. But their sudden arrival and threatening demeanor had caused a bit of panic.
He was lucky to have been nearby when he got the call, taking a nice walk home. Unluckily for him, he was the only agent of Reiji's in the area, and it would take some time for people to others to show up and offer back-up.
Tio ran past the screaming civilians as he made his way to the underpass. He came across the scene of the crime: a mysterious person with an activated Duel Disk, pointing its Disk menacingly. A few people stayed to watch, but they otherwise kept a safe distance from the threat. With human-sealing technology now being common knowledge, they were likely wary about intimidating duelists.
The threat in question was a person in a blue-and-black riding suit with a padded chest piece. It made their thin body seem bulkier around the torso; Tio could only assume it was to make the person seem bigger and more intimidating. Their hands were covered by gloves, and their head was hidden behind matching motorcycle helmet. No inch of skin was revealed, making identifying the person's identity that much harder.
Tio could hear Reiji's voice through his ear piece, "Engage the target. Distract them and allow civilians to escape."
"Now, ain't I lucky?" Tio mused. "I was just in the area when we heard the commotion. And I got to be first on the scene."
The person turned their head to him. "And who might you be?"
It was a feminine voice. So the person
"I'm Tio, of the Leo Corporation," the man answered. "We detected a dimensional portal opening up, and I was sent to investigate."
"Are you strong?" the woman asked. "I suppose I'll have to make an example out of you, then?"
Oh, a firebrand. Tio would have preferred someone who would go with him peacefully, instead of fighting. But no, he had to activate his Duel Disk and prepare for a duel.
"It's not too late to back down and talk this out," he told her.
"We're done talking," the woman responded. "I just want to get this duel over with, so I can go home."
"Civilians, back out and let me handle it."
The woman activated her Duel Disk. Sensing the oncoming battle, the civilians cleared the area. Soon, it was just Tio and his opponent, staring at each other from a safe distance.
Tio's Duel Disk spoke: "ACTION FIELD... ERROR."
Tio almost jumped back. He looked down at his Duel Disk's screen for answers, only to see a flashing "ERROR" message.
"FIELD ERROR."
"The Action Field isn't equipped to deal with the new field," Reiji told him. "The field is 'wrong' to it, so it's assuming that the board is glitched."
"So what do I do?" Tio asked.
"Just fight the enemy, observe what they can do. Reinforcements are on their way, and I'll be looking into other solutions."
"Right, sir. I'll do my best."
"Do what you need to stay alive."
Tio nodded, then turned his focus back on the mysterious enemy. She seemed unfazed by the error message.
"Read to go?" the woman asked.
"I'm ready," Tio responded.
"DUEL!"
The woman looked over the cards in her hand. With two slender fingers, she took hold of one card and placed it on her Duel Disk's blade.
"I activate the Field Spell, Trickstar Lightstage."
The ground started to light up, and the image of a rising stage lifted both Tico and the woman. Large flatscreen monitors encircled them, displaying images what they were facing. Hologram sparkles, hearts and flowers drizzled from an unknown source in the sky.
"When Lightstage is activated, I can add 1 Trickstar monster from my Deck to my hand," the woman explained. "I add Trickstar Lilybell to my hand."
The woman put a hand to her Deck, and a card slid out from the middle of the deck. She grabbed the card and added it to her hand.
"When Lilybell is added to my hand, I can Special Summon it."
The woman placed the card on the blade, and the image of an angelic girl appeared on the field. She held out a large, baton-like bell, which she pointed at her enemy. (DEF 2000)
"Next, I summon Trickstar Candina."
Another card was slipped onto the blade, and another young girl appeared on the field. This time, it was an older-looking girl with blonde hair and a megaphone. (ATK 1800)
"When this card is Normal Summoned, I can add a Trickstar card to my hand," the woman continued. "I add Trickstar Lycorissica."
A card was ejected from the bottom of her Deck, and the woman added it to her hand.
"Is your whole deck just searching and searching?" Tio asked. "Searching means nothing when you don't have the power to back it up!"
"Lycorissica's effect! I can reveal it and target one Trickstar monster I control!" she cried. "I can Special Summon this card, then return that card to my hand. And I target my Trickstar Candina!"
The woman pulled two cards from her hand, then turned them over to show Tio. They were both Trickstar Lycorissica.
"I chain another Lycorissica, and they both target Candina."
Both cards were thrown onto the blade. Twin monsters were summoned on either side of Trickstar Candina. (DEF 1200) Candina then took off into the air with her wings, up high in the air. Eventually, she faded from sight.
"But that doesn't make sense!" Tio gasped. "You returned Candina to Special Summon one monster. How were you able to Summon two?"
"Simple: both cards targeted Candina, and their summons happened before Candina was removed from the field. Candina's removal is not a summon cost, but an effect that-"
"That sounds like major bull but okay."
"Well, it's not."
Tio gave the woman a skeptical look. "If you say so. Buuuut..."
"Shut up!" the woman barked. "Now it's time for you to see what I can do! I use Trickstars Lilybell and Lycorissica to Link Summon!"
"What summon?" Tico gasped. "Mr. Akaba, sir! Are you reading this?"
Reiji leaned over his desk. he folded his hands and rested them under his chin. His eyes were glued to the screen, but showed no emotion.
"I'm watching, Tico," Reiji responded. "This isn't something I've seen before. Proceed with caution, keep the duel doing for as long as you can, and don't take any unnecessary risks."
Reiji glanced over to the field of workers below. They were sitting by monitors and frantically examining their new information, while a few typed away at their keyboards.
"Reiji, sir!" one of the workers shouted. "These readings-"
"Unlike anything we've seen before, but with powerful energy readings," Reiji said. "As is to be expected when dealing with a new Dimension's power. We've been through this before."
Reiji then rose up from his seat. He turned away from his desk and moved towards the elevator behind his chair.
"I'm stepping out," he continued. "Stream the duel to my Duel Disk so I can watch."
"Cower before the power you wanted to destroy!" the woman announced. "Take flight, my monster! Link 2! Trickstar Holly Angel!"
Taking to the field was another angelic woman, with large fairy wings and a flowing blue dress. She swung a large, flail-like weapon before settling down on the field. Notably, she stood ahead of Lycorissica, in the center of the field. (ATK 2000)
Tico looked down at the field. Holly Angel was in one of the two center Zones. The card's border was blue, and two red arrows pointed down at two Monster Zone columns beneath it. The monster had no DEF.
"What is this?" Tico asked. "Some sort of Ritual Summoning?"
"Don't be stupid," the woman said. "This is Link Summoning. The greatest, most powerful Summon of all time. Ritual Summoning pales in comparison to it."
"Then why is it blue? Couldn't you think of a different color?"
"Couldn't you think of a better insult than that?"
"I put more thought into it than whoever chose to design Links."
The woman seethed with anger. In a fit of rage, she pulled the helmet off of her head and dropped it to the floor, exposing her furious eyes.
It was a young woman, a fair-skinned girl with short, light brown hair and yellow eyes.
"Why are you trying to antagonize me?" she barked. "Is this some sort of trick to throw me off my game?"
No, it's some sort of trick to stall for time, Tico thought.
"What a cowardly thing to do. I set a card and end my turn," the woman concluded. "And next turn, you will see the power I wield. Prepare to see your life drain away."
The woman ended her turn with 2 cards in her hand. Her field consisted of Trickstar Lightstage, a set card, Trickstar Lycorissica, and a Trickstar Holly Angel in her Extra Monster Zone. Her Life points remained at 4000.
Tio started his turn with drawing a card from his deck.
"At this time, Trickstar Lycorissica's effect activates!" the woman declared. "Each time a card is added to your hand, you receive 200 points of damage for each card added!"
Tio cringed. He could feel his body burning up, his skin prickling and sweating from the heat. It wasn't a serious burn, but it was far from pleasant. (Tio: 4000 → 3800)
"When a Trickstar monster I control inflicts damage to you, you take another 200 points of damage!"
Tio let out a small yelp. The burning sensation had just passed him, and now, he was hit with more pain. (Tio: 3800 → 3600)
"The show's still getting started!" the woman cried out. "When my opponent takes damage from a Trickstar monster's effect, Holly Angel gains ATK equal to that damage, until the end of this turn." (Holly Angel ATK 2000 → 2200)
Tio looked at the card he drew. Echo Oscillation. This would play well into his strategy, and ensure that he had the card advantage he needed to keep the fight going.
"With my Scale 2 Igknight Paladin, and my Scale 7 Igknight Veteran, I set the Pendulum Scales!"
Tio suddenly paused. He inspected the field curiously. And with a heavy gulp, he realized that there were no Pendulum Zones on the board.
"Wh-where are the Pendulum Zones?" he asked.
The woman smiled. She didn't egao, she smiled. It was a mischievous little grin that showed how satisfied she was with the question.
Tio had to think for a moment. There had to be a way to use these, right? This woman had the power to change the board, but that wasn't as difficult as making a whole mechanic illegal. Right? He didn't know much about this process, but that sounded bull to him.
He looked to his Spell/Trap Zone. Pendulums were considered Spells when set in their Zones. Maybe they were relocated there?
"Maybe... here..." he muttered. "Worth a shot."
He placed his Scales on the far ends of his Spell/Trap Zones. And to his absolute relief, the word "PENDULUM" sprang to life on his Disk. The monsters ascended above him in blue pillars, with their Scale numbers undearneath them.
Tio let a long, long sigh of relief. "Next, I activate Paladin's effect-"
"Trap, activate!" the woman shouted. "Trickstar Reincarnation!"
The face-down card sprung to life. It depicted Holly Angel, resting amongst a field of flowers.
"This card banishes your entire hand," the woman continued. "Then, you draw the same number of cards you lost."
"Ah?"
With some reluctance, Tio patted his hand into a nice pile, then slid the four cards into his Banished Zone. Then, he drew four cards from his deck.
"What's the point of that?" he asked. "It's annoying, but I don't see- aargh!"
Tio clutched at his chest. The burning sensation returned, stronger than ever. He could feel his Life Points drain away from him. (Tio: 3600 → 2800)
"Remember, Lycorissica's effect means you lose 200 Life Points for every card you add to your hand!" the woman said happily. "And don't forget, Trickstar Lightstage inflicts more damage when my Trickstar monsters hurt you." (Tio: 2800 → 2600)
Tio knew he was in a bad situation. He barely got to do anything, and he already lost almost half of his Life Points. Prolonging the match seemed to be too much of a risk, or even an impossibility. He had to change his course.
"Trickstar Holly Angel's effect!" the woman declared. "You took an additional 1000 points of damage. Holly Angel gains that much ATK." (Holly Angel 2200 → 3200)
"Igknight Paladin's effect!" Tio announced. "If I have an Igknight card in my other Pendulum Zone, I can destroy both of my Scales!"
To the woman's surprise, the pillars of light shattered before her eyes, taking the monsters with them. She couldn't help but let out a small gasp in shock.
"Then, I can add a FIRE Warrior-Type monster from my deck to my hand. And I add another Igknight Paladin!"
Tio placed the destroyed Pendulums in his Extra Deck, atop the 15 face-down cards he had. A card ejected from the top of his deck, which he then added to his hand.
"But you now take damage!" the woman announced. "Lycorissica and Lightstage both inflict 200 points of damage to you."
Trio grunted. Taking the card into his hand meant that he could feel the burn. But he silently told himself that he had to endure the pain. (Tio: 2600 → 2400 → 2200) (Holly Angel 3200 → 3400)
"The pain is worth it," Tio growled. "With my new Igknight Paladin, and my Scale 7 Igknight Squire, I set the Pendulum Scales again!"
The Scales were set once more, and the pillars of light rose before him. A pendulum swung high above them, ready to bring down the monsters.
"Funny thing about Igknights..." Tio began. "They knock themselves down to get some reinforcements. But since they're Pendulum monsters, they get back up again."
The woman smiled wickedly once more. "Are you so sure about that?"
"Watch and learn, girl! I Pendulum Summon!"
Two lights fell from the pendulum's circle above. Dropping down before Tio was Igknight Veteran (DEF 2700) and Igknight Templar. (DEF 1300) Veteran stood right beside Holly Angel, but was facing a different direction.
"Wait..." Tio murmured. "There were supposed to be three monsters."
Tio looked down at the field. Veteran's card was sitting in the second Zone in the middle of the field, while Templar was placed in a regular Monster Zone. Paladin was still face-up in his Extra Deck.
"Don't you know the rules?" the woman asked. Her question sounded sharp and condescending, and her face was sporting yet another wicked smile.
"What's going on?" Tio asked.
"Monsters you Pendulum Summon from the Extra Deck go into your Extra Monster Zone. So you can only Pendulum Summon one monster from your Extra Deck."
Tio's heart dropped. His eyes fell back on his Extra Deck. And he knew that, now, his strategy was ruined. he had a Level 6 and a Level 4 on the field. His Xyz strategy was ruined, and he was locked out of his deck's entire strategy.
One more, none of his monsters had the power to defend against Holly Angel, much less destroy it. Its attack would just rise again during his turn, thanks to her Trickstar effects.
"I... I can't do anything!"
"You destroyed your own cards, and you only hurt yourself," the woman said smugly. "This whole time, you were setting yourself up to lose. Your deck was working against you."
Tio looked at one of the cards in his hand: Heart of the Underdog. In any other duel, it would have been a great help. But using it would just set him up for more damage.
Maybe I could bluff my way out.
He was about to set the card, but stopped himself. No, he couldn't set it. He only had 3 Spell/Trap Zones left, and he couldn't risk clogging them up. He was already dealing with limitations, he couldn't afford to add more.
"I end my turn..." he said ruefully.
"At this time, Holly Angel's attack returns to normal," the woman spoke. (Holly Angel 3200 → 2000)
Tio ended the turn with 4 cards in his hand, his two Pendulum Scales on the field, Igknight Veteran in his Extra Monster Zone, and Igknight Templar in one of his Monster Zones.
"All of my cards are built around slowly burning my enemies," the woman explained. "Adding cards to your hand will burn you. Activating Spells and Traps could burn you. There's nothing you can do, your own actions will destroy you."
Tico let out a small, anxious sigh. The odds of him winning were slim, and it looked like his time was running out.
"You're vicious," he grumbled.
The woman lowered her head and quietly said, "I'm just defending myself."
The woman drew a card from her deck, then added it to her hand. Her hand now consisted of three cards.
"I Summon Trickstar Candina back to the field," the woman declared.
A familiar yellow being descended back onto the field. She floated down to her own place: a Monster Zone just left of Trickstar Holly Angel.
"At this time, Holly Angel's other effect activates: each time a Trickstar monster is Summoned at this card's Link Point, I inflict 200 damage to my opponent. And Candina lets me add another Trickstar Lycorissica to my hand."
Tio stumbled back in place. The burning once again returned. And after already exhausting his body with these burns, he was struggling not to collapse. (Tio: 2200 → 2000)
"No..." the man wheezed. "Not like this... Mr. Akaba, I need to hold on!"
"And since you took damage from a Trickstar, Holly Angel gains ATK." (Holly Angel 2000 → 2200)
He looked back to the woman. Again, she looked rather pleased with the pain she was inflicting. She just stared back at him with another mischievous look.
"Lightstage inflicts another 200 points of damage because of Holly Angel's effect," the woman added. (Tio: 2000 → 1800)
Tio felt the burn again. The previous pain still flowed through him when this extra damage was inflicted.
"I'm... slowly..."
"I'm not done! I Special Summon a Trickstar Lycorissica fro my hand!"
a Lycorissica appeared on the field, in the Monster Zone that was connected to Holly Angel's Link Markers. Candina let out an annoyed sigh. But she obediently flew back into the sky, rising until the was out of sight.
"At this time, Holly Angel's other effect activates again. Since Trickstar monster was Summoned at this card's Link Point, I inflict 200 damage to my opponent. This makes Holly Angel gain another 200 ATK, and Lightstage is triggered again."
(Tio: 1800 → 1600 → 1400) (Holly Angel 2200 → 2400)
Tio was panting now. He fell onto one knee and clutched at his jacket. Sweat was dribbling down his forehead, falling down onto the cards in his hand.
The woman's smile faded. She turned her eyes away from Tio and brought them to the cards in her hand. "Try to hold on a bit more, okay? I'm not done."
"Are you-" Tio gasped. "D-don't mock me... I can handle... anything you throw at..."
"I play a final Spell Card: Hand Destruction."
The woman placed a card on her blade. The card materialized onto the field, and the Sasuke Samurai depicted on the card lunged out of the picture.
"...me," Tio finished.
"Each player sends two cards from their hand to the Graveyard," the woman said. "Then, we both draw two cards."
The woman placed the remaining two cards in her hand in the Graveyard. Tio slowly rose up to stand, then took two cards out of his hand. He held them just above his Graveyard.
"This is going to hurt, isn't it?" he said weakly.
"That's why they sent me," the woman replied. "I'm here to hurt people, to scare them."
Tio flashed her a weak egao. "Bring it."
He placed the two cards into his Graveyard, and both he and the girl drew two cards from their decks.
"The effects of my two Lycorissica activate," the woman said. "They both inflict 400 points of damage."
(Tio: 1400 → 1000 → 600)
"Holly Angel gains attack equal to the damage you gained..."
(Holly Angel 2400 → 3200)
"... And Lightstage activates."
(Tio: 600 → 400 → 200)
Tio fell onto his knees, then dropped to the ground. He panted heavily. Sweat was pouring down his body, and his jittery hand desperately clung to the cards he was holding. He couldn't even find the energy to raise his head and look up at the duel, or even to his opponent.
"I'm going to give you a choice," the woman called out. "Either I destroy your monsters and attack you directly, or I end my turn, and let your draw finish you off."
Tio couldn't answer. He struggled to even stay conscious. He could make out the stranger's words, but he could only barely comprehend them.
"It doesn't matter to me," she said. "You lasted this long, so you deserve to choose how you want to go. Just... just don't try and fight back anymore, okay?"
I'm sorry, Mr. Akaba, Tio thought. I couldn't win for you.
"I choose..." Tio stammered. "I choose... to fight. Keep the duel... keep going."
The woman raised an eyebrow. "So you want to take the hard way out? Alright, then..."
The duel was over. Tio lay on the ground, defeated. His Disk was deactivated, and his cards were strewn around him. Finding himself too weak to keep them open, he let his eyes close.
The Solid Vision monsters faded from the field, but the woman's Duel Disk remained active. She approached the man slowly, holding her Disk in front of her.
"... I'm sorry," she said. "That I didn't explain the rules. But I had to do what I had to do."
The woman knelt down before him and grabbed hold of his cards. She gathered them, piled them up neatly, patted them down, and then slowly slid them onto the top of his deck.
"Real duels aren't always fun," she said. "But neither is war. And-"
The sound of footsteps. The woman rose up to find the fast approach of several men in black suits. Like a swarm, they quickly ran forward and surrounded the woman in a tight circle.
She looked all around her. The men gave her and her opponent some breathing room, but there seemed to be no way to break through their circle. Running away on foot wouldn't be an option.
She looked back down at Tio. To her surprise, two ninjas grabbed him by each arm and lifted him up. The three of them rose to their feet, then vanished without a trace.
This isn't good, the woman thought.
She deactivated her Disk's blade and focused on the screen. She typed at the touch-screen buttons and shifted through her programs.
She pressed a final button. Her Disk enveloped her with a bright light, and the sound of blowing air rushed through the device.
"I think it's time I take a break," the woman told everyone. "I think I made my point for now."
And then the light faded. The noise stopped. The woman hadn't moved an inch.
"What? What happened?!"
The sound of footsteps. Some of the men broke their perfect encirclement to allow another man to walk into the circle.
The woman stared at the newcomer, confused. He seemed to be around her age, and a little bit taller than him. His eyes, held behind a pair of red glasses, seemed to see right through her.
"I've seen you before," the woman said under her breath.
"We've learned to cancel signals," Reiji explained. "We can open and shut down dimensional portals as we please. And now that we know your dimension poses a threat, we'll stop any attempt that tries to connect that world with ours."
"You're kidding...!" the woman gasped.
"You can't escape," Reiji concluded. "Your only way out is to defeat me in a duel. If you win, I'll allow you to return home."
The woman scoffed. "You're a sneaky one, trapping me and forcing me to fight for my life. Guess I don't have much of a choice here."
Reiji activated his Duel Disk and aimed it forward. The woman did the same. And the crowd of LDS agents backed away to give the duelists some room.
"I'll even use your special field," Reiji continued.
"How brave of you," the woman replied. "Foolish, but brave. Prepare to lose."
The woman didn't know it, but the second that she agreed to duel Reiji, she had walked into his trap. Reiji had already devised a plan to not only defeat her, but to figure out all the information he needed.
"DUEL!"
Heartland Tower, Xyz Dimension
When someone knocked on Sayaka's room door, Ruri was quick to head over to the door and open it. She was greeted by the egao-ing face of a tall young man.
"Hello, Ruri," Dennis said warmly.
Ruri egao'd back. "Dennis! What brings you here?"
Dennis put a hand behind his back. Then he pulled his hand back out and produced a bouquet of blue roses. He presented them to Ruri.
"I was hoping we could talk a bit more," he said. "I want to do anything I can to be your friend."
Ruri gracefully took the bouquet into her arms. She pressed them up against her chest.
"Can I come in? I-if you and Sayaka are okay with it."
"Sayaka's not home right now," Ruri told him. "Train convention. But I'm sure she won't mind if you stop in for a while."
Dennis let out a small chuckle, then followed Ruri inside. Once Dennis entered the room, Ruri grabbed the door and slowly slid it shut.
And Yuto watched all of it. He was peeking from the stairwell nearby, watching the entire exchange. His bosy was shaking, his face was red, his eyes were bulging, and he was biting hard on his lower lip. He let out a high-pitched, frustrating grunt noise.
"NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGH-RRR-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-"
Yuto blinked, and his eyes turned red. Yuya had slipped into control of the body.
"Yuto, where are we- wait, why does my mouth taste like blood?"
YUYA! I've been woke! I was walking back to our place when I stumbled onto something we were never meant to see. And I don't like it.
That's not true, Yuya, Yugo said. Yuto was't just walking by. He was spying.
"You know, how about I don't ask, and you can just believe whatever you want to believe?"
No, Yuya! Yugo shouted. I was watching with him. Dennis is putting the moves on Yuto's girlfriend!
"Wh-"
Yuto's a cuck.
He could be putting the moves on Rin, too, Yuto said. The girls share a body, remember?
Yuto is right, this is horrible!
Right. So first, we need to get some rope. Then we-
Yuya rubbed his temples. "First, we turn back around and walk back to Dad's place. Then we mind our own business and play a video game."
What a stupid plan, Yugo groaned. How do we get revenge that way? Sometimes you don't think things out, Yuya.
"We're not getting revenge, Yugo."
You know, Yuya, Yuto started. You may be fine with the break-up, but that doesn't mean Yugo and I are fine with it. We have a right to be jealous here.
Yuya sighed. "I'm really sorry, guys. But you have to understand, it'd be painful if we all dated and hurt Serena. Remember, Serena is part of Yuzu, too. And Ruri, and Rin."
What if Yuzu's dating Dennis? Yugo questioned.
Yuya didn't answer. Yuto and Yugo both felt a sudden chill in the air. A cold, oppressive feeling came over the trio.
We need to go up to the door and listen in, Yuto told them. Then we can hear what Dennis is doing, and make sure he's not hurting them somehow.
Or we can bust down the door and run him over with a bike, Yugo suggested.
How would we get your bike up all the stairs, though?
Oh yeah. Don't worry, just leave it to me and I'll think of something.
That would help a lot, thanks.
"Dennis is a good guy!" Yuya said hastily. "Come on, we can trust him around Yuzu and the others."
Yugo folded his arms. If you say so. I mean, he seems cool, I guess.
"Enough with the suspicious italics. Dennis is our friend. We can't turn on him just because we're jealous."
I'm not jealous! Yuto protested. I'm just wary for Ruri's safety.
And I just want to see Dennis jammed underneath my wheels, Yuto said.
Let's just listen in to see-
"It's not our business, what they're doing!" Yuya announced. "If they're just friends, great! If they're actually dating Dennis... it's not our job to interfere, and we should let them be happy."
"Fiiiiiine," Yugo sighed. "But I don't have to like it!"
"And we pretty much have to push him down the stairs when he leaves, right?" Yuto asked.
"Well, of course," Yuya responded. "But only a couple of steps. Five, at the most."
A/N: I actually don't mind VRAINS. I hate many of the new rules introduced into the game, but I'm going to try and head into VRAINS and the Links era with an open mind.* That doesn't mean I can't have a little fun when I'm trying to incorporate Links into the fic, though.
You're probably wondering why Tico's Duel Disk could accept the new field, but couldn't activate an Action Field. You see the Solid Vision system that handles the Action Field is different than the system that handles the board field. The latter system can easily adapt to any changes, as the Pendulum Dimension has other types of duels. (Speed Duels, for example. Those only use 3 Monster Zones, and 3 Spell/Trap Zones.) That part is easier to set up, since it's mostly just moving around or adding/removing columns.
However, because of how extensive the Action Duel system is, the system needs to be prepped with these new fields ahead of time. They need to calculate a new field and area to work with, look into what kind of Action Cards can and can't work with it, and other details. Reiji could theoretically work through this issue, but it would take some time.
On another note: I believe Lightstage's burn effect would trigger before Holly Angel would get her ATK-boosting effect. But since it doesn't really matter which part happens first, I decided to take some creative liberties in order to improve the flow of the duel.
Next time: The Eternal Struggle of romance rears its head once more. It's a four-on-four free-for-all when the boys and girls decide to brawl.
* I'm lying. I'm actually bitter as fuck.