A local celebrity is in the area, and Yumi and Sakuya decide to go see her. After a series of events unfold, the youngest winner of the prefectural tournament, Mabuchi Rio, agrees to duel Yumi. However, her motives could be more sinister than she lets on. Will Yumi be able to handle an opponent of that level of skill?
Yumi's bike coasted to a stop on the sidewalk, dismounting and pushing it down the hill as she rolled down. Sakuya would show up in a few minutes, but right now was prime cloud watching time. There was a nice breeze, too, so she didn't have to worry about boiling alive in the heat, either. It was just a peaceful, warm morning with plenty of weird shapes to stare at in the sky.
A few minutes turned into a lot of minutes without her even noticing. By the time she finally looked around, almost a half hour had passed since she'd arrive. Strangely, Sakuya was still nowhere to be found.
Hopping up, Yumi started to pace back and forth. Sakuya was never late to anything. Was traffic really bad today? Did traffic even matter, since she generally seemed to walk most places? Was there a problem leaving the house? Maybe there was an accident on the way, like one of those falling pianos in old cartoons.
Or maybe she was kidnapped. Yumi tried desperately to remember any of the local news stories from the morning and anything having to do with children disappearing. She couldn't remember any off hand, but that just meant it was too recent to even be reported. Sakuya was probably tied up in a dark warehouse being held for ransom and there was nothing she could do. Should she call the police? Did Sakuya's father know? What would they even be aiming for with this?
"Sorry I'm late," she heard from behind her, her near-panic attack subsiding in an instant. "I had some stuff to take care of at home and got held up." She was quickly assaulted by a smothering hug. "Good morning to you, then," Sakuya replied, pulling a blade of grass out of Yumi's hair.
"I totally thought you were kidnapped!" Yumi screamed. She sniffed, then grimaced. "What is that? Did you fall in something?" There was some kind of old, sour, citrusy smell on Sakuya's dress.
She laughed, waving a hand. "It's nothing. Just a spill. I didn't have time to change since I knew you'd start worrying. And, look at that, I was right." She tapped Yumi on the forehead and brushed at a small spot on the front of her clothes for what good that would do. As she did, she started to look around, noticing a distinct lack of the usual kid crowd. There weren't even that many adults today, either. "Do you know why there's no one here today?"
"Didn't notice, actually." Yumi scratched the back of her head, trying to think about her trip over for any clues she might have passed. "Maybe there was something goin on down the road, but I don't really remember." She shrugged, dismissing it. "Oh well. I guess that means you don't have to pretend for everyone today, so we can act like friends, right?"
She smiled, taking a seat on the grass. "Suppose so," she said. "I am a little curious as to what all the commotion could be about. It might be interesting." Immediately, she regretted saying that. The slight drop in Yumi's smile told her everything she needed to know. Yumi was desperate for the two of them to be able to have a normal, friendly relationship around other people and not have to keep up all the performative crap. Suggesting they go chase after all the people they'd normally have to hide from just made her feel like a giant asshole.
"But it's fine," she said quickly. "I bet it's nothing, honestly. Probably just..." Sakuya had to think for a minute. "Some kind of gross food truck drawing all of them in with the novelty and sending them home with indigestion."
"Wait, food truck?" Yumi quickly forgot her disappointment in having to carry on the act for yet another day, swayed by the promise of food. "We should go! There's plenty of time for other stuff today."
Sakuya was only feeling more and more guilty with every passing second. "Are you sure? We really should get back to training. We took two days off in a row now."
"It'll only be a minute," Yumi countered, grabbing her bike from the ground and walking it up the hill. "Come on, I think I know where I saw the signs."
With a sigh, Sakuya followed. "If you're sure." Yumi took a seat on her bike, then looked back expectantly. "I guess I'll follow you, then."
She scoffed. "Just hop on. I've got pegs, see?" She points to a pair of rusty cylinders attached to the end of the rickety contraption.
"Are you sure that's...safe?" Sakuya asked.
"Too scared to ride a bike?" Yumi said with a smug look.
"I am not!" she protested. Crossing her arms with a pout, Sakuya turned up her nose. "I just don't think it's safe to be standing up on a fast vehicle."
Yumi only laughed. "It's totally fine. You can even wear my helmet if you want." She handed a worn bike helmet to her friend. There was no real indication of what color it used to be, all defining features being bleached away by the sun. The numerous dents and scratches across its surface did nothing to soothe her anxiety, though it did suddenly make Yumi's story of headbutting the side of a house with it a tad more believable.
With a deep breathe, she channeled her hate (not at anyone or anything in particular, just the general kind) and pushed down her fears, strapping the beaten head protection to herself and holding her breath as Yumi took off down the sidewalk. She made sure to secure her hat underneath it so as not to accidentally lose grip while they were in motion. It might even give her an extra millimeter of padding when the breaks gave out on this prehistoric mess and they went crashing into a wall.
It was a quick ride, the bike grinding to a halt near a large crowd of people at the doors to the public library a short distance from the park. "Guess that's where everyone went," Yumi said to herself. "You can let go now." Sakuya had kept a vice grip on Yumi's overall straps the entire ride, frozen in place and not daring to so much as breathe for fear of shifting their weight and causing a disaster.
"Wait a minute, this isn't a food truck," Yumi declared rather obviously. "I thought you said there would be food?"
"I was only guessing," she replied, handing the helmet back to Yumi and attempting to hide her quaking knees. "Besides, you're the one who actually saw this as you were coming over. How didn't you know where we were going?" She fixed her hat back in place after fluffing it up a bit.
Yumi thought for a second before bursting into a short laugh. "Oh, good point." She pulled a bike lock out of her backpack and chained up her bike and helmet next to a row of others in the library's stalls. "What do you think this is all about?" she asked Sakuya.
"I have a sneaking suspicion it involves books," she replied. This was proven to be an incorrect assumption rather quickly. Their attempt at entering the building was impeded by the crowd shoving them back.
"Quit cutting!" one man shouted at a volume completely unfit for a library. "Wait your turn like the rest of us!"
"What are we waiting for?" Yumi asked innocently.
He scoffed several times for emphasis. "Are you dense? We're all waiting to see Rio. Why are you even here if you don't know that?"
"Well, most people come to a library to read books," Sakuya shot back, stepping in front of Yumi. She wasn't about to let some grown man yell at her friend like that. What was wrong with people these days? "We don't even know who that is to begin with."
"Everyone knows who Rio is!" he contested. "Mabuchi Rio! Heiress to Critical Games and future World Champion of Duel Monsters! Don't you know anything?" They both remained silent. "She's here today making a public appearance after winning her regional qualifier ticket, and one person might even get to duel her. So get in line and don't try to cut. Or, better yet, just get lost."
"Okay," Sakuya replied dismissively. "Let's go, Yumi. This was a bust."
Yumi laughed nervously in response. "Well, actually...I kind of want to meet her now. I want to see what kind of person someone that strong is, and getting to duel her would be good training, too. She's already beaten the tournament I'm going to enter, so if I can beat her, then I'll definitely win when I enter."
The adult from before started laughing. "Like you could ever beat Rio. Don't make me laugh! But you already have, because it's so absurd! A couple little kids could never reach her level!"
"Isn't she also a kid?" Sakuya asked. "Wait, how old are you, even?"
"T-that's none of your business!" He turned his back and refused to talk to them any further. Point out the uncomfortable implications of his gatekeeping seemed to hit a nerve.
Yumi looked to Sakuya, pleading for the chance to test her skills against this new opponent. She was even doing the lip quiver. With a sigh, she relented. "Fine, we'll stay. Don't complain if it takes a while, though." Yumi cheered and hugged her friend with all her might. It was going to be a long day.
More and more people joined the line behind them the longer they stood there. At least it moved quickly enough, they thought, right before actually making it through the doors and seeing an even longer wait up a set of stairs and around a corner to where the person of such huge renown apparently waited.
"Are you sure we can't go?" Sakuya asked after an hour had passed, taking another longing glance at a parent and child exiting through the completely unguarded exit doors. She had no interest in meeting this Rio person or standing around in a line full of a disproportionate amount of adult men. Hopefully Yumi would be feeling the same way after so long.
"It'll be fine," she replied, waving a hand dismissively. "We're inside now, so we'll get there soon. Just be patient like you're always telling me. It'd be a waste to just give up after we've already spent so much time here." Unable to crush her friend's dreams, Sakuya steeled herself for more standing and waiting. If this crowd wasn't a shove away from a riot, she might have been able to step out of line and grab a book to read, but she had a pretty good feeling anyone trying to reenter would be beaten to death and tossed into the street.
Two more hours passed before they were finally within sight of the table. Two large men in black suits stood on either side of a thin little girl about their age wearing a violet sweater in spite of the weather. Her eyes were the same color, giving off a friendly vibe to match her smile. Her hair was a light brown and cut into a bob, two strands hanging down on either side to highlight her face and bring attention to her button nose and the perpetual blush on each cheek. She was positively, sickeningly adorable.
"Fight hard and do your best!" she proclaimed to the obnoxious man who'd previously been berating the children behind him. He took off with a smile, clutching a card with Rio's signature on it. "As if you could ever stand on my level with garbage like that," she thought to herself without her expression cracking even a bit. "Nothing but trash duelists and perverts here. If I have to sit through much more of this I'm going to kill someone."
"Sakuya, I can't go on! Let me rest, just for a moment. Be my pillow!" Yumi was aggressively trying to lay her head on top of her friend while slowly sliding towards the ground, having to be dragged along in the line.
"Why am I the one carrying you?" Sakuya yelled back. She didn't even want to be here, yet she had to be the one to keep them from being trampled by the line. "Oh, it's your turn." Yumi perked up after noticing their position, scrambling to her feet and running over to the table.
"Hi, my name's Yumi!" she said while jumping in place. "I've never heard of you before, but if you're as strong as everyone is saying, it's really nice to meet you!"
Rio laughed, screaming internally for having to deal with another of them. "It's always a pleasure to meet a new fan," she lied with a smile. "Go jump off a bridge," she wanted to say, doing her best not to explode the longer this meeting went on. Why couldn't she just be the mysterious champion that never meets with the peasants, hidden away in a tower until it was time to reign terror upon any attempted usurpers? Something like that, at least. That sounded kind of cool.
"Next month, I'm going to enter the prefectural tournament, too, and I'm definitely going to win, so I might see you at the regional tournament. I hope we get to duel sometime." This girl's optimism would be cute if it weren't so annoying. Well, not cute. She definitely wouldn't call her cute in any way, shape, or form. Look at those dopey goggles; not cute in the least.
Sakuya had joined her friend by now after a long sigh. Whether it was her fowl mood after standing around for hours or being grabbed at by less-than-subtle creepers in line, she decided to start something she probably didn't need to with this girl. "This is just my opinion," she began, interrupting any further gushing from Yumi, "but isn't it kind of unfair for you to act like you're some celebrity when all you've done is win the lowest level of tournament out there? And you kind of are being supported by an infinite supply of money, so that's not really all that impressive. Just my opinion, though."
The crowd fell silent, the hush spreading throughout the line past the initial few that overheard and all the way through its ranks until even those out the door stopped talking, unsure of what had happened but afraid to make a fuss. Both the men suppressed their gasps. "Your time is up," one of them said sternly. "Please leave or we'll have to escort you out."
Rio raised a hand with a chuckle, smile never faultering. She loved it when this happened. This little something or other (her parents didn't like it when she used impolite language like that) thought she could walk up and insult her without any kind of repercussions. Her money was what it was, but her skills were all her own. She didn't study this game day and night just for show. She didn't win the prefectural tournament without ending a duel with less than 4000 Life Points because of luck.
"Well, that's certainly an opinion," she said with the most jovial attitude she could muster. "Maybe you'd like to see how it holds up? I was wanting to duel someone today, and I think you might be the perfect opponent." She'd grind her up under the heel of her shoe and use that ridiculous hat to wipe it off.
Sakuya rolled her eyes and sighed. "If I have to," she said with disinterest. Honestly, though, it was kind of what she wanted. As someone who'd perfected the art of faking an attitude, she could see right through Rio's disguise. Upon further consideration, that might have been why she was so pissed off in the first place – seeing too much of herself in this girl. Something about knocking her down a peg was really appealing, and maybe Yumi would do that thing were she praised her up and down again for a little bit. She'd kind of gotten to liking that.
"Wait!" Yumi called out. "That's no fair! You didn't even want to be here! I wanted to duel her from the start!"
"I don't thin that's a good idea," Sakuya said, the shadow of concern passing over her face. Spoiled and arrogant as she was, her record spoke for itself. While she'd have minimal trouble beating Rio on her own, she wasn't that confident about Yumi's chances, at least at this stage of her training.
"It's fine," she assured her friend. "I'm your apprentice, so it's basically the same as if you were dueling. It's not like losing matters, or anything. It would still be a lot of fun to get to duel someone who's won a big tournament." Her bouncing optimism said she wasn't going to back down.
With hesitation, she looked towards Rio. "I don't care if you don't," she said, feigning apathy so as not to let onto her worry.
"Oh, that would be just fine!" she answered with genuine happiness. An apprentice would be an even better victory. She'd crush this weird little girl to the point where she never wanted to look at a card again. And in front of this crowd of people, too. She'd be too ashamed to ever be seen in public again. It brought that special kind of joy to her blackened heart that only completely destroying the dreams of another adorable human being could.
Reaching into her pocket, Rio produced a small, red ticket. "I do a raffle at the end of the meeting to decide who I duel, since just picking among the whole crowd would be an issue. Sometimes I'll find someone extra special that I really want the chance to duel, so I'll give you this half and pick the matching one when it's time. Should only be a couple more hours, so keep it quiet until then."
Yumi took the tiny piece of paper in her hands and shoved it into her front overall pocket. "Okay! Thanks!" The two of them finally left the table, walking to the left to be greeted by a woman handing each of them a ticket stub, placing the second halves into a box full of them. Sakuya crumpled hers up immediately and tossed it in the trash, doing the same for Yumi to make sure she didn't get confused.
"That was long and unnecessary," she complained, taking a seat on a padded bench next to a large window. "Do we really have to wait around for this to be over?"
"Yep," Yumi said decisively, flopping down next to her friend. "I'm sure it won't feel that long after waiting for as long as we did. We could read, or practice strategy, or talk about why cake is better than pie, or go see Hideo over there." As if on queue, Hideo (who was sitting at a table not far from the two in front of a number of papers and books) gave them a thumbs up after turning off some music and removing a pair of earbuds.
"Were you here to see Rio, too?" Sakuya asked after they'd both taken a seat near them. They gestured to the work spread across the table. "Oh, I see. Summer homework. I almost forgot, since I took care of it pretty early on. What about you, Yumi?" More than half the summer flashed before her eyes. Every instance of goofing off, of going to the park, of napping, of looking at that ugly envelope and leaving the room; it all came flooding back to her. Her eyes widened, head slamming into the table. "I guess you have something to take care of when you get home tonight."
"I would have thought Kazuhiko would be here, too. I mean, he seems like the kind who just wouldn't do the work, but still." According to Hideo, he was currently at school rehearsing with the theater club. It made a disturbing amount of sense, frankly.
Yumi stirred from her depression, poking Sakuya in the arm. "I'm bored. What do we do while we're waiting? You still smell, by the way."
"Well, let's see," she began, attitude seeping through in every word. "Considering we're in a library surrounded by thousands of books, you could pick one of them to read." She received a very angry borp in return."We're stuck here until all that nonsense is finished so Yumi can duel Rio," she explained to Hideo.
Hearing this, they set down the mechanical pencil they'd previously been spinning like a helicopter rotor. That was a serious challenge, they typed out, asking why Yumi felt the need to try to take her on. "It seemed like fun," she answered bluntly, unfocusing her eyes so it looked like the tips of her index fingers were floating between her hands as a little sausage.
With a shrug, they decided that was an acceptable enough answer. Any doubts would be kept inside. It was just a game, anyway. Without a hint of anxiety from anyone but Sakuya, the trio spent the next two hours whittling away the time in any way possible besides actually reading a book.
Finally, it was over. The line was all but gone once the clock struck the top of the hour, the appointed time for when the meet-and-greet would end. There was to be a fifteen minute break between then and announcing who Rio would choose as her opponent this time, mainly so she could recover from having to deal with so many people at once. Secretly evil or not, it was stressful for a child.
"Do you think Rio's, like, into me?" Yumi said as she leaned her head over the back of her chair. "She keeps looking over here with this weird smile. Kind of giving me the feelings."
"Yumi!" Sakuya exclaimed, almost above the appropriate library volume.
Hideo simply asked whether she had a crush on Rio in return. "Well, I don't know." Yumi chuckled coyly. "I guess she's kind of cute, but I usually like people who are taller than me. Maybe if we got to know each other some first."
Sakuya had turned a bright red. "Why are you talking about this so casually?" she asked the both of them. Hideo, of course, just shrugged their shoulders in response, as did Yumi. "But that's so shameful! You're talking about it like it's no big deal. Someone having feelings for someone else is a big deal, even if you don't like it. You can't just speculate on things like it's nothing!"
Yumi grinned and pulled Sakuya into a tight hug, rubbing her face on her friend's neck. "It's okay. You don't have to be jealous. You know you'll always be the one for me." In an unprecedented move, Hideo gave the fabled double thumbs up to show their approval.
"You're both terrible people," she said, blush deepening as she resigned to her fate. Suddenly, they began to hear a loud vacuum noise, drawing everyone's attention to the circulating box of tickets randomized themselves. It was entirely pointless, of course, given the decision had already been made beforehand.
After a few more seconds, it stopped. "Okay, everyone!" Rio said, addressing the crowd. "Now I'm going to choose who my opponent is for the day!" Slipping the second half of the winning ticket from her pocket, she pretended to dig around inside the sea of paper before pulling out her hand and raising it into the air.
Handing it off to the woman who'd previously been giving them out, she read, "The winner is ticket number 040418!" Murmurs spread throughout the library as everyone tried to find which ticket was the right one. With a nudge from Sakuya, Yumi pulled out hers and looked over the numbers. Sure enough, they matched.
She calmly walked to the woman, holding out the piece of paper to her. Another check of the numbers and it was decided. "We have a winner!" she declared. "It's- what's your name?"
"Yumi," she said.
"Yumi! You've got the once-in-a-lifetime chance to duel Miss Mabuchi Rio! Are you ready?" Rio looked on with a smile, suppressing the excitement she felt inside. She was determined to break this girl in half.
"Sure!" Yumi answered optimistically. Given Sakuya's lack of desire to start some sort of fight, she never told Yumi about the suspicious feelings Rio gave off to her. All the same, none of that would have had a realistic chance of dissuading Yumi from the duel. She'd just say it was too much fun to pass up and go on with it, anyway.
Rio addressed her fans next. "Thank you all for coming to see me today! I hope everyone had fun during the meet! To end the day, I'm going to be dueling Yumi here, so if you'd like to watch, we'll be moving outside so we have more room!"
The group made its way out of the library to the sidewalk. Rio took a position on the side closest to the building, Yumi across the street with Sakuya and Hideo behind her. The crowd had assembled into a large mishmash of bodies taking every square inch of ground they could get in order to view the upcoming game. Some even watched from inside through the windows. Even with a chunk having left after the announcement, there were still a good few hundred hanging around.
Yumi activated her duel disk after taking it from her backpack, shuffling her deck. "Are you sure you want to do this? There's still time for me to take over." Sakuya was wringing her hands to try and relieve some stress.
"It's fine, I've got this." She placed her deck into the holder and readied herself across from Rio. Hideo unenthusiastically held up a sign reading "Go Yumi!" they'd made earlier.
Every second of anticipation was torture for Rio. The shabby clothes, that ancienty duel disk, that adorable little bounce in her step as she walked out here; it was all too precious. Beating her might even make her cry. She wanted so badly to shout at the slow bodyguards as they unpacked her own device from its suitcase. It was a sleep, teardrop-shaped custom model in a deep violet, featuring one of the newest and clearest touch screens still in the testing phase at her parents' company.
After they finished strapping it to her left arm for her, one of the men presented her with her deck, which she quickly shuffled and placed into the holder. She couldn't wait much longer for the humiliation to begin. Activating the disk, one side of the device unlocked from the main body, springing forward as five glistening white card zones ejected from it to form the blade and ending without an edge. "Duel!" they said in unison, drawing their cards and beginning the game.
"Thank you for sticking around to see the show!" Rio told the crowd, her words met with thunderous applause loud enough to make Hideo cover their ears. "I hope everyone enjoys the show we're about to put on!" She turned towards Yumi and gave a theatrical bow complete with hand flourish. "As always, I'll let the challenger take the first move. I can't wait to see what you can do!" That wasn't even a lie; she was dying to know what terrible cards this girl would throw at her.
"My turn!" Yumi declared, searching through her hand and taking a monster. "I summon-"
"Yumi, I swear to God, if you summon Flame Viper again, I'm going to to talk to you for a whole week!" Sakuya was genuinely upset while saying this, still worried over what this duel could mean.
With a pout, Yumi put the card back in her hand. "Another time, friend," she said to the snake. "I summon Scaredy Lion in Attack Mode and equip it with Expert Heart!" A shivering lion man appeared on the field, looking side to side for an threats. Its demeanor quickly changed, though,as a bright red heart appeared in the center of its chest, its muscles expanding as it flexed and roared. "Turn end," she declared.
Rio was ecstatic. It was better than she ever could have hoped. Worthless common cards with no effects and her skills were so poor she had to be coached from the sidelines. She could practically taste the despair coming after this duel. "I'll start my turn, draw!" She made sure to strike as cute a pose as possible while doing it, eliciting more applause from the audience. Given her hand, she could easily go in for the kill right now and end the duel on her first turn, but she wanted to play a bit first.
"I'll start by playing Girzerker Grumpy Dinosaur in Attack Mode!" she declared, placing a card onto the board. In front of her appeared a small, green Tyrannosaurus Rex, crossing its tiny arms and pouting. The crowd immediately began to coo over how cute it was. "Grumpy Dinosaur, attack Scaredy Lion, please!"
The monster gave a weak roar, then ran forward, bashing its skull into Scaredy Lion. With its arms raised, it blocked the attack and stayed on the field. Yumi's Life Points fell to 3700 at the same time as she explained, "Expert Heart lets the monster equipped with it resist destruction by battle once per turn, and whenever I take damage from an attack with that monster, it gains ATK and DEF equal to the damage." Lion gave another roar, its ATK matching Grumpy Dinosaur's at 1600.
"Oh no!" Rio wailed in fake concern, all the while thinking how pointless the struggle would be for her opponent. "I didn't plan for that!" With an exaggerated sigh, she placed two cards face-down. "I set two cards and end my turn."
"Don't let her fool you," Sakuya said from the sidelines. "She didn't make that move by mistake. She's planning something." The two set cards were obviously Traps, Sakuya hoping Yumi could figure out a way to work around whatever was coming. For the time being, at least, the field was in her favor.
Yumi nodded, drawing to start her turn. Wasting no time, she moved to the Battle Phase. "I attack with Scaredy Lion! Because of Expert Heart, Lion won't be hurt by this battle, but now that our monsters have the same ATK, Grumpy Dinosaur is going to be destroyed!" The lion man rushed forward, clawing at the dinosaur as it headbutted. The opposing monster shattered into pieces, leaving the lion victorious.
"No!" Rio screamed, eliciting a chorus of boos from the crowd aimed at a confused Yumi. Switching reactions quickly, Rio chuckled. "Just kidding! I activate Grumpy Dinosaur's effect and my Trap Card, Telepathic Power!" From her field, one of the two set cards flipped up, revealing the Trap. "With Telepathic Power, I an destroy a monster that's beaten one of my Psychic-Type monsters in battle, then gain Life Points equal to its ATK."
The ghost of the dinosaur appeared from the Graveyard. Its eyes took on a glossy white color, a third eye appearing on its head to emit waves of green energy around Scaredy Lion. Yumi's monster struggled against their influence, crying out in pain as it was torn apart. Rio's Life swelled to 5600 as a result. "Grumpy Dinosaur's effect goes off now when I pay 800 Life Points to activate it," she continued, her Life Points being lowered to a still impressive 4800.
"When Grumpy Dinosaur goes to the Graveyard, I can add a Girzerker Ritual Monster to my hand from my deck." She fanned out her deck, selecting a blue-bordered card and holding it up for everyone to see. "I'll start with one of my favorite cards, Girzerker Bronze Tiger." Shuffling, she returned her deck to the duel disk and added her card to her hand.
Despite losing her monster, Yumi had actually planned for this to happen. Her strategizing had surprised even herself, frankly. With nothing to get rid of either of the set cards, the best move at the time seemed to be to bait them out with Scaredy Lion. Even with the pluses given to Rio, it was still worth it not to run into Telepathic Power with something stronger.
"I summon Big Bat Knight!" she declared, a small baseball batter with a knight's breastplate appearing on the field, tapping an aluminum bat against its cleats. "Next, I equip it with Broken Wand, increasing its original ATK by 500!" In an instant, the batter's sports equipment was replaced with a very dissonant magic wand, taped together in the middle and sparking, increasing the very irritated monster's strength to 1600.
"When a monster on my field is targeted by an Equip Magic, I can activate the effect of Komboriboh from my hand." She held up a monster, the card glowing and producing a small, spherical creature that let out a tiny "Boo!" noise as it ruffled its black fur. As with Grumpy Dinosaur before it, the crowd was immediately overcome by how adorable it was, Yumi sticking up her fingers in a V shape with a smile.
"I can discard Komboriboh to target another Equip Magic in my Graveyard that would have a target on the field and add it to my hand. I return Expert Heart!" The monster began to spin faster and faster, stopping abrupl while holding the hand of an identical copy of itself. The two monsters moved apart, Expert Heart's card materializing between their tiny clawed fingers. Yumi retrieved the card from her Graveyard as it happened. "I'll end my turn with that."
"Wow, great move!" Rio complemented. It was a lie, obviously. A child could have done all that, she thought. More trash cards for a trash duelist trying to pick up the pieces after a mistake.
Sakuya, however, was much more optimistic. "It's true. You baited a Trap Card and recovered your losses well. You played cautiously and have another monster on the field to protect you as a result. Well done." Hideo gave a thumbs up, as well, approving of the strategic use of resources.
"Oh, it was nothing!" Yumi said with a blush. "I just learned from you." Rio's eye twitched slightly, being careful not to broadcast her annoyance to the fans. She couldn't very well make her turn while her opponent wasn't even paying attention, so their antics were slowing down the game. Look at that annoying, blushing, taller than her and not at all attractive failure of a duelist. No serious player would turn their back to the enemy like that.
Finally, their banter was finished and the duel could continue. "Time to show you what my deck can really do!" she announced, drawing her card. "I activate the Ritual Magic Girzerker Ascending Ceremony!" Fog spread across the ground, four golden pots rising in a circle in the middle of the field. "By releasing monsters with Levels equal to the Level of a Girzerker Ritual Monster in my hand, I can Ritual Summon it to my field. But Girzerker Ascending Ceremony isn't a normal Ritual Magic." Rio's Life Points quickly began to drop. "I can substitute for Levels when summoning my monsters at the cost of 500 Life Points for each one." Eventually, it settled on 2800, meaning four Level stars. Each of the pots produced a crimson flame as Rio raised her arms into the air, a six pointed star drawing between them in green energy. "At the cost of four Levels, I call out my monster!" The flames rose higher as a monster began to materialize in the center. "Ritual Summon! Level 4, Girzerker Bronze Tiger!"
Appearing on Rio's field was a hulking, brown tiger beast, its brain exposed out of the top of its skull with various electrodes sticking into it. It roared at the knight across from it. Even so, it had only 1700 ATK; just 100 more than Big Bat Knight itself.
"Rio Ritual Summoned!" one excited crowd member exclaimed. "It's over now!"
"Bronze Tiger, attack Big Bat Knight! Brain Claw!" The monster roared again, sending out shockwaves in the shape of a giant claw towards Yumi's monster. Upon impact, a cloud of smoke obscured her field from sight.
"Because of Broken Wand's effect, I can return Big Bat Knight to my hand if it's being attacked by a monster with higher ATK and end the Battle Phase."
"What?" Rio exclaimed, quickly correcting herself. "I mean...wow, what a good move!" Had to stay positive. Couldn't let these failures learn the truth. "I'll set another card and end my turn."
Yumi was excited to see her next draw. She'd been waiting to use this card ever since she got it yesterday. "I summon Big Bat Knight again!" she declared, the monster reappearing on her field. "I'll equip it with Expert Heart now!" Like the lion before it, a large heart appeared on the monster's chest, covering it in an orange glow and increasing its strength and bravery.
"Attack Bronze Tiger!" she commanded. It would cost her some Life Points, but building up ATK again was crucial. 600 points was a small price to pay for tying their monsters once again. She noticed too late that Rio was completely unfazed by the attack and remained smiling.
"I guess I'll have to use this card," she said, tapping an icon on her duel disk's touchpad. "Permanent Trap, Imperial Order of the Royal Palace, activate!" Yumi actually knew what that card was from all her studying, which only made her horror all the more intense. "This card negates the effects of all Magic Cards on the field forever!" Rio explained happily. "So now your Equip Cards are completely useless."
In the middle of its attack, Big Bat Knight suddenly began to droop. Its run quickly turned into a hobble. It was panting intensely as it reached Rio's monster, tapping it lightly with its bat. "Bronze Tiger, counter attack!" Yumi's card was blasted away immediately, bringing her Life Points down to 3100 with no benefit to herself.
With a grimace, Yumi placed another card onto the field. "I set one card. Turn end." In an instant, her lead had vanished. She was down to a single card in her hand with only one on the field. Depending on the next draw, it was entirely possible she could lose next turn. Was this the power of a real duelist?
"At the end of your turn, I activate my Trap Card! Life Absorbing Machine!" Rio's second set card activated, revealing a gruesome mechanical parasite siphoning the energy from an old man. "During each of my Standby Phases, I'll gain half the Life Points I paid during my last turn back from now on." To demonstrate, she began her turn, her Life restoring to 3800 because of the 2000 she paid for the Ritual Summon the turn before. "Imperial Order of the Royal Palace forces e to pay 700 Life Points to stay on the field, otherwise it's destroyed." 3100, but even that wouldn't stay for long.
"I summon Girzerker Tiny Panda!" she declared, materializing a miniature black and white bear onto the field. It sat quietly for a few seconds, then sneezed loudly, sending the crowd into an uproar. "Now, I pay 1000 Life Points to activate its effect!" Rio's Life Points dropped to 2100 as the panda yawned.
Yumi wasn't prepared to let it happen, though. "I activate my Trap Card, God's Providence!" Rio was in utter shock. How could such a weak duelist have a card that rare? "When you activate a card effect, I can discard the same kind of card and negate it! Then, your card gets destroyed!" Flame Viper appeared in the air above Yumi, engulfing itself in fire and plummeting towards the panda. They smashed into each other, exploding on the field. "Thank you, Flame Viper," she said with a dramatic salute.
Rio's patience was wearing thin now. How dare such a pathetic duelist destroy her monster. Even the fact she had such a rare card was almost insulting. "Bronze Tiger," she began, "direct attack! Brain Claw!" Psychic energy blasted Yumi to the ground, reducing her Life Points to 1400.
"Are you okay?" Sakuya asked while she and Hideo helped Yumi to her feet.
Yumi just laughed, nodding. "Your cards are really strong," she said to Rio. There wasn't any indication of how to escape this situation, but that only made her more excited. Her next draw could easily lose her the game. Slowly, she pulled the top card of her deck. With a smile, she placed it on the field. "I set one monster and end my turn."
The duel was all but over. It was obvious that set card was nothing more than a wall. All Rio had to do was draw a sufficiently strong monster and it would be the end. "Draw!" Rio said, striking another pose. "Standby Phase. I'll gain back 450 Life Points, and I choose not to pay the 700 Life Point cost for Imperial Order of the Royal Palace." Rio's Life Points increased to 2550 as her Trap shattered.
"I activate Girzerker Ascending Ceremony from my hand!" she announced, playing a second Ritual Magic onto the field. Nine pots appeared onto the field this time, the fog returning. "When I Ritual Summon a Girzerker monster, I can Release Girzerker Jump Puppy as the entire cost for the summon!" From her hand, a brown puppy with floppy ears bounced into the air to the adoration of the spectators. It was quickly swept up by the fog, being used to light the fires.
"Ritual Summon! Level 9, Girzerker Killer Crocodile!" From out of the fires appeared a hulking, green lizard creature, its head similarly opened up to a throbbing brain. It roared, boasting its massive 3000 ATK. "I guess this is the end now," she said with a smile. "It was a whole lot of fun, so I hope you aren't too sad!" Pointing forward, she commanded her monsters to attack. "Crocodile, destroy that face-down monster! Devil Press!"
With another roar, the monster sent out waves of energy to pelt the card before it. The card was turned face-up to commence battle, revealing a large, brown insect with sharp teeth and claws. "Reverse Monster, Man-Eater Bug!" Yumi announced. "Effect activate!" Resisting the attack, the bug charged forward, lunging at Bronze Tiger and swallowing its entire head. "When my monster gets flipped, its effect allows me to destroy one monster on your field!"
Both players' monsters were destroyed, leaving only Killer Crocodile on the field next to Life Absorbing Machine. Yumi had bought herself another turn, much to Rio's continued annoyance. She couldn't even use Killer Crocodile's search effect, since Man-Eater Bug's ATK was lower than anything in her deck. "Turn end," she said, uncharacteristically irritated.
Yumi's hand quivered as she drew her next card – not out of fear, but excitement. There was nothing on the line in this duel, so she could enjoy it to the fullest. Rio was such a strong opponent; it was clear she earned her position at the regional tournament. Win or lose, she was having so much fun.
"Yumi! You can do it!" Without any warning, a boy in the crowd started to call out to her. He was one of the frequent park-goers she'd gotten to know over the summer.
"Do your best!" another called out. The sentiment began to spread, the children of Chiba rallying behind their friend despite their admiration for Rio. Even a number of unrelated people began to join in, won over by her incredible survival skills and plucky demeanor.
Finally, Sakuya joined in. With a smile, she said, "You really might be able to win. Do it." To both her and Yumi's surprise, Hideo's phone suddenly made the sound of a train whistle, which they pumped their arm to; a message of encouragement, obviously.
"Draw!" she declared, glancing at her card and starting to smile even harder. Pulling down her goggles over her eyes, she slid the Magic Card into her duel disk. "I activate Pot of Greed! This card lets me draw two new cards from my deck!" Placing her hand back on her deck, she took a deep breath. There were people really, genuinely rooting for her now. She couldn't disappoint them with a loss, at least without putting on a good show first.
"I'm betting everything on this next draw!" she announced, Rio suddenly becoming a bit worried. Yumi had stayed in the game this long against her Ritual Monsters, so could she manage to reverse the situation, too? Logically, it was extremely unlikely, but something about this girl and the feeling she gave off said logic wasn't a very important part of the equation.
Beaming, Yumi played one of the cars she'd just drawn. "I summon Wallrus in Attack Mode!" A brown walrus creature made f bricks appeared on her field slapping its blocky fins together. It was a very unimpressive card with only 400 ATK. Had she given up and this was her way of taking herself out quickly?
Not in the slightest, of course. "I equip Wallrus with Necklace of Supplantation!" she declared, a golden, star-shaped necklace with a large eye materializing around the monster's neck, causing it to pose and show off its new jewelry. "When the equipped monster battles something with a higher Level than it, it'll gain ATK equal to 500 points for each Level lower than the other monster it is." She pointed to Killer Crocodile. "Your monster is Level 9, and Wallrus is only Level 2, meaning there's a difference of 7 between them."
Rio was baffled by this girl. How was someone this weak, this uncoordinated, with such worthless cards making such a dramatic comeback? It was unthinkable, but it was happening right in front of her. What's worse, she was even winning the crowd to her side. No one was allowed to do that to her.
"Wallrus, attack Killer Crocodile! Armageddon Crusher!" As if responding to the completely inappropriate attack name, the monster began to wale loudly, bouncing on its stomach to reach its opponent. The much larger beast lunged to bite it, but was struck in the chest by an immensely powerful headbutt, shattering to pieces after Wallrus' ATK increased to 3900.
Rio's Life Points fell to 1650, leaving her and her supporters at a loss for words. Yumi's fans, however, exploded into a chorus of applause, managing to sway a few more into clapping for her impressive showings. Starting to sweat, Rio tried to play it cool for the time being. "Wow, what a strong attack. I wasn't expecting that." It was the first honest reaction she'd had all day. "I'll draw!" she said with slightly less enthusiasm than previously.
"I activate Resurrection of the Dead," she announced. "I revive Girzerker Bronze Tiger from my Graveyard." The previously devoured monster appeared back to the field with a roar. "Since Bronze Tiger is only two Levels above your monster, it still has enough ATK to destroy it!" she explained with a smug smile. "Mind Claw!"
Yumi wasn't fazed in the slightest. A wall of black, hairy monsters appeared, exploding as the psychic energy bombarded them, but leaving Wallrus unharmed. "What happened?" Rio questioned, demanding an explanation.
"When you attack one of my monsters that's equipped with an Equip Magic, I can banish Komboriboh from my Graveyard to make the damage 0 and negate destruction until the end of the turn."
Rio couldn't do anything. If this continued much longer, her facade would be at risk of breaking. She couldn't afford to let this go on much longer. "I pay 1000 Life Points to activate Girzerker Jump Puppy's effect in my Graveyard." Her Life dropped to a dangerous 650, but it would restore come next turn. "I can add another copy of Jump Puppy to my hand now." Completing the effect, she ended her turn.
Much of the audience was confused by Rio's decision to purposefully lower her Life Points only to add a card that couldn't be used that turn. Sakuya was well aware of the reason, though. "That being: She was desperate. Yumi controlled the game right now, even if Bronze Tiger overtook Wallrus' boosted ATK. Neither of them had a hand, and being able to stall for the turn put Yumi into a much better situation. She'd get to draw this turn, which could potentially give her the card she needed to win the duel. Rio's only course of action was to thin her deck in the only way she could to hope for something better come next turn, even if it cost a substantial chunk of her Life Points.
Yumi began her turn, immediately summoning her newest card. "I play Sunlight Unicorn in Attack Mode!" The majestic beast of legend appearing on the field with a loud whinny. "Once per turn, Sunlight Unicorn lets me excavate the top card of my deck and add it to my hand as long as it's an Equip Magic. Otherwise, it goes to the bottom of my deck. Everyone needs to believe in me so I can get a good card!" To both girls' surprise, a large portion of the audience began to clap and give their support in response to Yumi's jest.
While it might have been a joke at first, she really did feel emboldened right now. Taking the top card of her deck, Yumi revealed it. "Fighting Spirits! Equip Magic!" Immediately, she placed it onto her duel disk. "I equip it to Wallrus, giving it 300 more ATK for every monster you control. Now it can match your Bronze Tiger again! Attack!"
As the walrus bounced forward, Rio grit her teeth and raised her hand. "I activate Bronze Tiger's effect! By paying my Life Points 100 at a time, I can reduce one of your monster's ATK by that much until the end of the turn. Wallrus loses 100 ATK, putting it just below my monster!" At 550, Rio was in dire straights, but her defense held strong.
"Crap! Then I'll have to use Fighting Spirits' other effect! If the monster it's equipped to would be destroyed by battle, I can destroy it, instead!" Her Life Points were hit, but not by much. She was now at 1300; still far above Rio's. Wallrus survived the encounter its ATK falling to 400 now that it was out of battle.
"Sunlight Unicorn, attack!" Unlike its companion, the unicorn's horn pierced the tiger's body, destroying it and lowering Rio's Life Points to 450. She was left with no monsters now, facing down two decently powerful cards on Yumi's side of the field. "Turn end," she declared with a smile.
Rio added her card to her hand, smiling in relief and gaining back 500 Life Points, putting her at 950. "I activate Pot of Greed to draw two cards from my deck!" Her luck was turning now, having drawn exactly what she needed. "I activate my Ritual Magic, Revealed Girzerker!" Appearing on her field was a new Ritual Card, showcasing a large ape-like monster presiding over a legion of brainwashed human servants. "I discard Girzerker Ascending Ceremony in my hand to Ritual Summon a Gizerker Ritual Monster from my deck, and I use Girzerker Jump Puppy for the Release!"
"A Ritual Summon from the deck?" Yumi exclaimed. "You never told me they could do that!" she said, turning back to Sakuya.
"Even I didn't know!" she shot back as the fog rolled in once more. Jump Puppy was drawn into the circle, ten fires being lit in the circle around the hexagram.
"There it is," Rio said. "It's been a long wait," she announced to the crowd, "but now it's time to present my most powerful monster! Let's show everyone what you can do!" The flames erupted into the sky after she said that. "Ritual Summon! Level 10, Girzerker Grodd Ape!"
Cards Used in Order of Appearance
Scaredy Lion
EARTH
Level 4
Beast
1300 ATK/ 1000 DEF
Expert Heart
Equip Spell
You can only equip this card to a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster with 1500 or less ATK and DEF. The equipped monster gains these effects: Cannot be destroyed by battle once per turn. When you take damage from an attack involving this card: This card gains ATK and DEF equal to the damage you took.
Girzerker Grumpy Dinosaur
EARTH
Level 4
Psychic/Effect
1600 ATK/1000 DEF
When this card is sent to the Graveyard: Pay 800 LP to add 1 "Girzerker" Ritual Monster from your Deck to your hand. You can only use this effect of "Girzerker Grumpy Dinosaur" once per turn.
Telepathic Power
Normal Trap Card
When a Psychic-Type monster you control is destroyed by battle with an opponent's attacking monster: Target the opponent's monster; destroy that target, and if you do, gain LP equal to the destroyed monster's ATK on the field.
Girzerker Bronze Tiger
EARTH
Level 4
Psychic/Ritual/Effect
1700 ATK/1000 DEF
You can Ritual Summon this card with any "Girzerker" Ritual Spell Card. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can target 1 face-up monster on the field and pay LP in multiples of 100; that monster loses ATK and DEF equal to LP paid until the End Phase.
Big Bat Knight
EARTH
Level 3
Warrior
1100 ATK/500 DEF
Broken Wand
Equip Spell
You can only equip this card to a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster with 1500 or less ATK and 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.
Komboriboh
DARK
Level 1
Fiend/Effect
300 ATK/ 200 DEF
When a monster is targeted by an Equip Spell Card: You can discard this card and target 1 Equip Spell Card in your Graveyard that could be equipped to an appropriate monster on the field; add that target to your hand. When a monster you control is targeted for an attack while it it equipped with an Equip Spell Card: You can banish this card from your Graveyard to target that monster; this turn, that target cannot be destroyed by battle and you take no battle damage from attacks involving that target.
Girzerker Ascending Ceremony
Ritual Spell Card
This card can be used to Ritual Summon any "Girzerker" Ritual Monster. You must also Tribute monsters from the field or your hand whose total Levels equal the Level of the Ritual Monster you Ritual Summon. You can also pay LP equal to any number of Levels x 500, in addition to any Tributes used to equal the Level of the Ritual Monster. While this card is in your Graveyard, except the turn it is sent there: Pay 1000 LP; shuffle this card into your Deck and draw 1 card.
Imperial Order of the Royal Palace (Imperial Order)
Continuous Trap Card
Negate all Spell Card effects on the field. During each of your Standby Phases, pay 700 Life Points or destroy this card.
Life Absorbing Machine
Continuous Trap Card
During your Standby Phase, gain Life Points equal to half the Life Points you paid during your last turn.
Girzerker Tiny Panda
EARTH
Level 3
Psychic/Effect
900 ATK/500 DEF
This card cannot be targeted for an attack while you control another face-up monster. Pay 1000 LP; add 1 "Girzerker" Ritual Spell Card from your Deck to your hand. You can only use this effect of "Girzerker Tiny Panda" once per turn.
God's Providence (Ultimate Providence)
Counter Trap Card
When a Spell/Trap Card or monster effect is activated: Discard the same type of card (Monster, Spell, or Trap); negate the activation, and if you do, destroy that card.
Flame Viper
EARTH
Level 2
Pyro
400 ATK/ 450 DEF
Girzerker Jump Puppy
EARTH
Level 2
Psychic/Effect
500 ATK/300 DEF
When you Ritual Summon a "Girzerker" Ritual Monster using this card as a Tribute; this card can be used as the entire Tribute. While this card is in your Graveyard, you can pay 1000 LP; add 1 "Girzerker Jump Puppy" from your Deck to your hand.
Girzerker Killer Crocodile
EARTH
Level 9
Psychic/Ritual/Effect
3000 ATK/3000 DEF
You can Ritual Summon this card with any "Girzerker" Ritual Spell Card. Once per turn, when this card is targeted by your opponent's card effect: You can pay 1000 LP; change the target to another appropriate card on the field. When this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard: You can add 1 "Girzerker" monster from your Deck to your hand with ATK less than or equal to the destroyed monster's original ATK.
Man-Eater Bug
EARTH
Level 2
Insect/Flip/Effect
450 ATK/600 DEF
FLIP: Target 1 monster on the field; destroy that target.
Pot of Greed
Normal Spell Card
Draw 2 cards.
Wallrus
WATER
Level 2
Beast
400 ATK/800 DEF
Necklace of Supplantation (Amulet of Ambition)
Equip Spell Card
Equip only to a Normal Monster. If it battles a monster with a higher Level, the equipped monster gains 500 ATK x the difference in Levels (during that battle only). When this card is sent to the Graveyard, you can return it to the top of your Deck.
Resurrection of the Dead (Monster Reborn)
Normal Spell Card
Target 1 monster in either player's Graveyard; Special Summon it.
Sunlight Unicorn
LIGHT
Level 4
Beast/Effect
1800 ATK/1000 DEF
Once per turn: You can excavate the top card of your Deck, and if it is an Equip Spell Card, add it to your hand. Otherwise, place it on the bottom of your Deck.
Fighting Spirits (Fighting Spirit)
Equip Spell Card
The equipped monster gains 300 ATK for each monster your opponent controls. If it would be destroyed by battle, you can destroy this card instead.
Revealed Girzerker
Ritual Spell Card
Discard 1 "Girzerker" Ritual Spell Card in your hand; you can Special Summon 1 "Girzerker" Ritual Monster from your Deck (this Special Summon is treated as a Ritual Summon). You must also Tribute monsters from the field or your hand whose total Levels equal the Level of the Ritual Monster you Ritual Summon.
Girzerker Grodd Ape
EARTH
Level 10
Psychic/Ritual/Effect
2000 ATK/2800 DEF
?
Told you it would come out early. I wasn't lying this time. With all that cleared up and a little bit extra for interest, we'll finally be able to get back on schedule. The next chapter will be out on September 14, two Wednesdays from now. Barring anymore misfortune, the regular schedule of every two weeks should be the standard from now on.
For those curious, Kazuhiko's almost entirely done with his summer homework. He's a lot more dedicated in school than people assume, and he doesn't like to let on because he thinks it makes him seem uncool. In addition, if anyone's wondering about what kind of music Hideo was listening to, it was some Earth, Wind & Fire. They're really into disco, of all things. September is one of the greatest pieces of music ever composed, though, so there's that.
From the way Rio's internal monologue is talking, it almost sounds like she really is into Yumi. "But that can't be, it's forbidden love!" She's got some feelings to process, if we're being honest. And I'm sure she'll handle them like a responsible person and not try to kill anyone or break plates.
That's all I've got here. I'll start work on 7 immediately so there's no chance of lateness this time. Thanks for reading, and remember to brace for the inevitable disappointment when I miss out on a posting date again.