Unable to cope with her feelings, Sakuya takes it upon herself to challenge Kyoko to a duel. The winner is allowed to be Yumi's friend, but the loser must leave. Will her jealousy get the better of her and allow her to go through with this awful plan?
Yumi and Kyoko emerged from the bowling alley, several games in and over an hour past when they'd planned to stop. "Haven't been bowling in forever," Kyoko said as she stretched her arms.
"I've never been bowling!" Yumi added. "What do we do next?" she asked excitedly, hoping to keep the momentum of their 'date' going.
"Sorry, Yumi. Already getting kind of late. You've got to go back to the library so you can finish your homework." She started off down the sidewalk to return to the ramen shop, Yumi keeping pace behind her.
"There's still time!" Yumi said. "It's really not that much homework! We can still do more stuff together right now, right? School doesn't even start again for a few weeks."
"Nope, none of that. I'm a punk, but no one calls me a bad role model."
Seeing as her friend had already made up her mind to do the responsible thing, Yumi could only sigh and hope this wouldn't be the last time they'd see each other. "We can still do this again some other time, right?" she said timidly.
Kyoko chuckled. "Sure thing. You're a pretty cool kid." Yumi walked the rest of the way back to the shop in a daze, overwhelmed by the compliment and the knowledge she'd managed to impress a cute older girl enough that they'd already made plans for another outing at some point in the future.
She gave Haru a wave as they drove off, clinging to Kyoko's waist as the engine roared, leaning her head on her back in blissful euphoria. A disappointingly short time later, the bike came to a stop by curb. "Back at the library." Kyoko sat for a few seconds before looking behind her. "Yumi, ride's over. You can let go."
"Oh, sorry!" She laughed to try and make things seem less award, hopping down from the bike and handing the helmet she'd been wearing back to Kyoko. "Thanks for taking me out. It was a lot of fun." She swallowed hard, trying to keep herself from blushing again now that her face wasn't covered by a visor.
It was a fruitless effort, though, as Yumi's cheeks had already started to turn pink. Kyoko grinned, patting her head. "Same here. I'm usually more up north, so I don't know if we'll see each other around too much. Text me whenever, though. What's your number?"
She froze, trying to process the request. It was something she'd initially thought of, but pushed to the back of her mind. Something to deal with when it came up, she told herself. It certainly came up now and she had no idea how to deal with it.
As ineffectual as it was, Yumi tried laughing again. "I..." She swallowed again. "I don't really...have a cell phone." This would be it, she was sure. What kid didn't have a cell phone? Loser kids, that's who. Did she really expect this girl to give her the time of day after realizing how sucky she was?
Kyoko just gave a small laugh. "No problem. You got a piece of paper I can borrow? I'll just give you my number." Nodding furiously, Yumi scrambled to grab anything suitable to write on from her backpack, shoving things around frantically until she grabbed her homework envelope.
"Cool duel disk," she complimented, taking the folder and printing a few numbers on the side. "Can I see?" Taking back the now precious papers, she traded them for her duel disk. Yumi could practically hear wedding bells now. Strong, funny, pretty, rides a motorcycle, and a duelist. Kyoko was truly the perfect woman.
"Holy crap, this thing ancient! I love it!" She turned it over in her hands, rubbing a spot of rust along the blade. "I think I've seen pictures of ones like these before. Doesn't even fold into the base. Where'd you find this?"
Her heart was thumping. Things were going well and she couldn't afford to blow it. "From my parents," she said, her voice making a small, painful crack at the start. When the hell did that start happening? "T-they left it for me when they went on their trip."
"When did they leave? 1983?" She had a laugh at her own joke, handing the device back to Yumi.
Yumi laughed along with it, not understanding entirely but reading the room well enough to know it was meant to be funny. "No, when I was 6, so...2010? They just weren't really into upgrading and had it for a long time."
"Wait, your parents have been gone for six years?" Suddenly, Kyoko found this a lot less funny, including Yumi's seemingly non-nonchalant nod. "Well, that's...something." There was an uncomfortable pause lasting about three full seconds. "Yeah, but anyway, that's pretty cool. You should come play with me and the girls sometime. Keep trying to figure out some way to duel while riding our bikes, but it hasn't worked yet."
Yumi lit up, hopping up and down with excitement. "That would be great! I've gotten really strong over the summer because I'm training for the tournament, and Sakuya's been teaching me a lot of good tricks and helping me make my deck stronger. She's really strong, too. Probably the strongest duelist I've ever met."
"Right, the grumpy kid. Seems like she doesn't like me too much."
"No, she's okay. She's just a little jealous."
Kyoko chuckled. "Jealous of me? What am I going to do? Snatch you up and take you off to do nothing but eat ramen and play card games together forever?" Her laugh grew stronger, leaving Yumi's quiet 'yes please' to go unnoticed. "Got to save that for later, though. You go get your homework done now. See you around, Yumi." With helmet secured, Kyoko drove off, Yumi trying her hardest not to pass out then and there from her infatuation.
As the sound of the engine faded into the distance, Yumi chose to bypass the library entirely and head straight back to the park. That homework would keep for another day. She had to go tell her friends all the good news. They'd be ecstatic to know she found her soulmate.
Sakuya had also chosen to return, simply going through the motions of her self-declared job as ruler of the children now that she couldn't control the situation. She was in the middle of looking through some kid named Yosuke's deck – a weird, kind of creepy kid around her age perpetually breathing through his mouth – trying to figure out why he was such a bad duelist when Yumi came into view. Immediately, she abandoned her position once more, nearly running off with the deck before handing it back and saying, "You have eight copies of Desertapir. I don't know why you're using it to begin with, but that's illegal regardless."
Bolting to the other side of the park, she intercepted Yumi near the sidewalk. Unsure of what to say, she was held back a sigh of relief after her friend decided to speak first. "Sakuya!" she squealed, hopping over to her. "I had the best day ever! Kyoko is so fun!"
"Oh. Really?" As hard as she tried to sound supportive, Sakuya found it unable to be anything but scared and irritated by this development.
"Yeah! First we got some ramen, then she took me bowling and I've never done that before, and I got to ride her bike, she wants to duel me, and look!" She pulled off her backpack, unzipping it and taking out her homework folder. "She gave me her number! I think that means we're basically engaged now."
Sakuya scanned the number, feeling like she'd taken a punch to the heart at that last (hopefully joking) comment. Kyoko felt so unsafe to her and she couldn't accept Yumi spending time with her. Maybe she really was a little jealous, but it shouldn't matter. That girl was a gang member and probably using Yumi for something. And the thought of if they really did start dating, if she tried to...to...
She coughed, changing the subject. "That's nice, but this packet looks completely unopened. You didn't do any of your homework, did you?" Yumi froze, trying to think of some excuse or explanation and drawing a complete blank. Sakuya took the folder and bopped her friend's head with it. "Go do your homework now before you forget. I don't want to have any blame in you getting bad grades."
Pouting, Yumi took the folder and shoved it into her backpack. She was about to lodge a complaint, but was suddenly struck with a reminder. "Oh, crap, I left my bike at the library!"
"You can get it back when you finish your homework." With a groan, Yumi relented, marching off down the sidewalk. "Are we going to be able to do more of your training tomorrow?" Sakuya asked before she was too far away, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed as the words left her mouth.
"Oh, yeah. Sorry for skipping today! Bye!" Yumi would hopefully do as she said and start work on her summer assignments, meaning the rest of the day was left to Sakuya herself. She took out her phone, dialing the number she'd memorized off that folder, waiting for someone to pick up.
"New number, who this?" Kyoko said brusquely, wasting no time at all.
"Ishikawa Sakuya," she returned in similar fashion.
"Oh, grumpy girl. What's up? Yumi give you my number?"
She paused. "In a way. I'm calling to challenge you to a game of Duel Monsters with the following conditions: Should I-"
"Slow down. What?" Kyoko held back a laugh, not understanding the absurdly formal fashion this girl was calling her out in.
"It's as I said. I'm challenging you to a duel. If I win, you'll leave Yumi alone and won't come near her. If you win, I'll do the same."
So much for holding anything back. With a loud snort, she answered, "Why do I care if you want to hang out with Yumi? She seems pretty cool with you. Hell, why are you so mad at me for hanging out with her? What's your problem?"
Sakuya cleared her throat. "Because you're a bad influence and I don't want you to hurt my friend."
"I'm not hurting anyone who doesn't deserve it." She was honestly a bit offended at the insinuation she or anyone in her gang would harm a small kid like Yumi. "If anyone's a bad influence, it's you for trying to sabotage someone's friendships behind their back." Sakuya had no response to this, getting more and more flustered and upset. With a scoff, Kyoko continued. "But you know what? Fine, sure. Yumi got me in the mood for playing cards, so let's do this. Let's meet at the Costco up north in an hour and we'll settle this. You know how to get there?"
"Yes, I'm well aware," Sakuya snapped. She wasn't entirely sure why.
"Good. Make sure you're ready." Kyoko hung up after that to prepare her deck and make the short ride over to the store. Might pick up a snack while she waited in the parking lot for that salty little girl to show herself.
Sakuya breathed heavily before calming herself. For some reason, that call had distressed her far more than expected. But this was it. She'd show up, beat that woman, and that would be the end of this whole mess. She wouldn't have to worry about Yumi's safety anymore and things could continue like they had been. It would be okay.
"Miyuki, Michiko," she called to the two girls seamlessly running the show during her countless absences that day and previously. "I have more business to take care of. Keep everything under control until I get back."
"Sure thing, ma'am!" Michiko said obediently.
"You won't have to worry about a thing!" Miyuki agreed. With a nod, Sakuya left the park, heading for the train station to begin the journey to her opponent. As soon as she was out of sight, both of them sighed heavily. "You ever get the feeling we're, like, two-dimensional extras in someone else's story?"
"Yeah, sometimes."
Miyuki grunted. "It's so frustrating! I want to be all cool going, 'Watch my stuff, I've got teeth to kick in somewhere else,' too! But I never get to."
Michiko nodded. "I always wanted to be the protagonist of a cooking anime."
"You could totally be the protagonist," she assured her sister. "You made those awesome cupcakes last week. It could be your signature dish, or something." They wandered back to the other kids, never to be heard from again until it was narratively convenient.
As to be expected, Sakuya was early for the meetup, allowing her to wait impatiently while Kyoko emerged from the store with an industrial sized bucket of pretzel bites. How would she get that home with only a motorcycle? That was a question for someone less awesome. Or someone who planned better. Regardless, she was neither.
"You're here early," she greeted the scowling toddler tapping her foot near her bike.
"I figure we both have things to do today, so we should finish this as quickly as possible." They stood around awkwardly as Kyoko tried to figure out what to do with her giant back of snacks. She tried to shove them into one of the bags placed on the side, but it was too large even without anything else she was keeping inside. Leaving it on the seat wasn't an option, since it would likely be stolen. "What are you doing?"
"Making a mistake, apparently. Want one?" She pulled off the lid and pointed the salty snacks at Sakuya who shook her head. "Whatever," she said while shoving a handful into her mouth. "Guess I'm taking these with me." Kyoko slipped a crimson and white duel disk onto her left arm, holding her food under her arm.
"Are we doing this in the parking lot?" Sakuya asked, a bit put off at the notion of interrupting traffic or being run off the property by the store owners.
"There's a park right over there," Kyoko said, pointing a thumb over her shoulder. "Plenty of room." They walked in silence until they reached their destination, selecting a spot near a small lake as their battle ground. Kyoko lowered her pretzels to the ground behind her, raising her arm to the side and activating her duel disk. The blade extended from the base in a hook shape, red along the edge with bubblegum pink zones, as well as her gang's rose painted on the bottom. "We probably could just talk about whatever your problem is," she said, making one last attempt to settle their dispute peacefully.
Sakuya turned up her nose, sliding on her own duel disk and shuffling her deck. "We have nothing to talk about. Just agree to the terms and that will be the end of it."
Kyoko sighed. "Fine, if that's how you want it. Let's do this, I guess." With a quick shuffle, she placed her deck into her wrist holder, raising the disk to chest level and drawing her first five cards at the same time as Sakuya. "Duel!" they both shouted.
"You won't mind if I start this, right? Considering you're the one who called me out, and all." With a slightly condescending smile, Kyoko began her turn. "I Special Summon Stargazer from my hand in Attack Mode!" Placing the card onto the field, a towering, broad-headed brown owl draped in velvet robes appeared on the field. Its black, round eyes were flecked with white, tiny streams of light shining from each one. "If neither of us has a monster on the field, I can summon it from my hand without Release. It can't attack, though, so that's good for you."
Sakuya pursed her lips, puzzled at the card that was just played. "Something wrong?" Kyoko asked.
"No, it's just...I was honestly expecting a motorcycle theme."
"Just because I like riding a motorcycle doesn't mean I don't have other interests. What's your deck, then? Weird, foreign hats?" Sakuya's cheeks flushed, causing her opponent to laugh. "I set one monster and two other cards. Turn end."
As she declared the turn change, Stargazer let out a screech, exploding for seemingly no reason. Kyoko merely chuckled, explaining, "At the end of the turn I use its summoning effect, Stargazer gets destroyed and I can add another Psychic-Type monster to my hand with a Level less than it. Stargazer is Level 8, so I choose my Level 4 Mind Reader." Her turn passed after shuffling her deck.
"Draw!" Sakuya declared, beginning her turn and looking over her options. "I summon Wiener Dragon in Attack Mode and activate its effect to add another copy of itself from my deck to my hand!" She braced for the incoming laughter over her card's name, though was slightly relieved to find her opponent stayed stoic and serious through the exchange. Adding the extra card to her hand, she continued her turn.
"I'll discard the extra copy I added to my hand in order to Special Summon Terrier Dragon in Attack Mode, as well!" A scruffy, long-faced dragon appeared next to her first monster, howling loudly and baring its fangs. "When I summon it this way, though, its ATK and DEF are halved." As she explained, its stats dropped to 1100 and 600, respectively.
"Then, I'll activate the Permanent Magic Card, Poison Fang! Now, whenever a Beast-Type monster inflicts damage to you, this card inflicts another 500."
"Really pulling out all the stops on your first turn," Kyoko observed. It wasn't entirely incorrect, though, as Sakuya hoped to finish things as quickly as possible and be done with it. Expediency shouldn't be taken as recklessness, however. She always had a plan in case things went wrong.
"Wiener Dragon, attack her monster! Overheat!" The dragon launched a stream of fire at the enemy, the card flipping up to reveal a bespectacled man in a lab coat, head covered by a metal helmet with wires coming from it. He screamed as his body was incinerated.
"When it's destroyed, I use the effect of Prophetologist, and I activate my set card Option Hunter!" Her Trap showed itself, showering her in golden light. "This card adds the ATK of a monster you destroy in battle to my Life Points." Kyoko's Life Points, in turn, raised to 5800. "Now, Prophetologist activates! When it's destroyed by battle, I can look at cards on top of my deck equal to the number of Psychic monsters, then add a Psychic-Type monster from those cards to my hand."
She picked up the top two cards of her deck, considering them briefly before holding up one of them to her opponent. "I choose Stargazer." The second card was replaced on the top of her deck afterward.
"Adding cards to your hand will do little to help you," Sakuya said, pointing forward. "Terrier Dragon, attack! Magma Fang!" Her monster lunged forward, biting Kyoko's arm as she raised to guard herself. The attack lowered her Life to 4700, then to 4200 with the effect of Poison Fang. "I set one card and end my turn."
"You're pretty good. I guess Yumi's really getting her money's worth with you as a teacher. I draw!" She smirked, placing down a card. "I activate Thunder Bolt!" Sakuya shielded her face as thunder clapped above them, an enormous lightning strike impacting her side of the field. Both dragons screeched in pain before breaking to pieces.
"Since neither of us have monsters on the field, I Special Summon Stargazer from my hand!" The owl reappeared as before, staring blankly into the sky knowingly. "Then, I Normal Summon Mind Reader in Attack Mode!" A green, reptilian creature with a bulbous cranium appeared, its lack of legs seemingly no issue for it as it floated slightly above the ground. "When I summon Mind Reader, I can look at your hand."
With a frown, Sakuya revealed her two cards. Kyoko hummed over them mockingly. "Looks like you're using Fusion," she deduced. "Now, then. I activate Mind Reader's other effect, letting me Banish a Psychic-Type monster in my Graveyard to add one with a Level less than it to my hand from my deck." Her target was the other Stargazer, taking out her deck and sifting through its contents.
"I'll pick Overmind Prince," she declared confidently, adding the card to her hand and shuffling her deck. "Mind Reader, attack! Brain Invasion!" The creature projected waves of psychic energy from its long, fat fingers towards Sakuya, though she seemed unfazed.
"Trap activate, Reactive Armor." As expected, she had a counter. "When your monster attacks, I can destroy it before it has a chance to damage me." Metal bits blasted out of the card's portrait, wrapping around Mind Reader in a makeshift armor before crushing it.
"Too bad, I guess." Kyoko simply shrugged. "I end my turn, activating Stargazer's effect to add Prophetologist to my hand."
"You've left yourself open now," Sakuya said, beginning her turn and drawing a card. "Knowing my cards won't help you. I activate Pet Cemetery!" A Magic Card rose up on her field, depicting a rounded tombstone with a cartoonish dog's face etched into it against a stormy background, the eyes in the shape of X's. "By Banishing Beast-Type monsters from my Graveyard, I can Fusion Summon a monster with the same number of materials using monsters in my deck!" She chose one of the Wiener Dragons and Terrier Dragon to Banish, sending Emerald Dragon and her final Wiener Dragon to the Graveyard in their place.
"I use my Emerald Dragon and Wiener Dragon from my deck as material! Fusion Summon!" She clasped her hands above her head, bringing them down as a monster began to take shape on her field. "Sad-Eyes Hound Dragon!" Her ace monster appeared, landing on the field with a small grumble.
Kyoko whistled with approval. "Nice card."
Ignoring the compliment, Sakuya charged ahead. "I set one card, then summon Pointer from my hand!" An oddly humanoid monster appeared on the field, sniffing the air with its long snout as it stood on two legs. "Pointer's effect allows me to pick a Level 6 or higher Dragon-Type monster in my deck and place it on top." Seemingly finding a scent, the monster extended its index finger, pointing repeatedly at Sakuya's deck.
"I choose Chow Chow Dragon," she declared, raising her arm. "Attack! Beam Eyes of Destruction!" Two yellow energy beams struck Kyoko, draining her Life Points to 1200, lowering to 700 with Poison Fang's effect.
"Now that you attacked me directly, I activate Psychic Wall!" A Trap flipped up, showing a young man waving his hand and blowing away a group of attackers with mental energy. "This ends the Battle Phase immediately and halves your dragon's ATK." Sad-Eyes ATK fell to 1500 as she explained, Pointer looking almost disappointed it couldn't finish the duel.
Sakuya cursed under her breath, though she was far from discouraged. "I'll end my turn, then," she declared.
"Then I'll start down the path to victory!" Kyoko announced, drawing. "When I have at least three Psychic-Type monsters with 0 DEF in my Graveyard, I can Banish them and summon Overmind Prince from my hand!" Banishing Mind Reader, Prophetologist, and Stargazer, a void opened above her field, a flaming meteor launching into the ground. From out of it, a regal-looking gray alien stood up. Despite its extraterrestrial origins, it looked as though it was dressed in the European Dark Ages.
"When Overmind Prince is summoned while I've got at least three cards in my hand, too, I can discard all of them and add Overmind Invader Dragon to my hand." Kyoko discarded her cards, adding the dragon to her hand. "Now, I'll attack Sad-Eyes Hound Dragon! Overmind Crisis!" Charging a ball of crackling purple energy, the monster launched it towards Sakuya's dragon.
"In that case, I activate Sad-Eyes' effect, as well as my set card. Permanent Trap, Beast Riser!" Sad-Eyes began charging its effect as the cards went on chain, Pointer acting startled at seeing the Trap. "I can Banish a Beast or Beast-Warrior-Type monster I control to add its original ATK to one of my other Beast-Type monsters. In addition, Sad-Eyes' effect makes one of your monsters lose 1000 ATK once per turn."
Overmind Prince's ATK dropped to 1300 while Sad-Eyes grew to 2300. While not as impressive as it used to be, it seemed to be enough to finish the duel conclusively before the arrival of Kyoko's own dragon. However, she only smiled at the revelation, touching the screen on her duel disk.
Her monster was destroyed as planned, though she took no damage. "I Banish Sun Eater from my Graveyard. This means I take no battle damage for the rest of the turn, and any I'd take from this battle just gets taken from your monster's ATK, instead!" Sad-Eyes' ATK dropped to 1300, failing to do damage yet still destroying Overmind Prince. This, however, also seemed agreeable to Kyoko.
"When Prince is destroyed while I control no cards, I can Banish it to summon the Overmind Invader Dragon from my hand!" The ground trembled, thunder and lightning roaring in the sky. From between the clouds descended a jet black dragon, its maw dripping with molten rock the same color as its eyes. Its enlarged brain had several small rocks orbiting it as if it was a planet, as well as a pastel-colored ring spanning the circumference of its head. It landed with a thud, its immense 4000 ATK sending a shiver of fear down even Sakuya's back.
With a smirk, she snapped her fingers. "Now, attack! Creation Stream!" The dragon raised its head, firing a burning spew of lava at Sad-Eyes. Sakuya was pushed back, surviving with only 1300 Life Points left.
"When Sad-Eyes is destroyed, I can add the materials used for summoning it back to my hand from the Graveyard," she explained, taking the Wiener Dragon and Emerald Dragon from before.
"It won't matter," Kyoko said. "When Overmind Invader Dragon inflicts damage, you have to send cards equal to its Level from the top of your deck to the Graveyard." With a scowl, Sakuya followed the instructions, watching ten of her cards feed into her Graveyard slot one by one, including several that could have completely reversed the situation. "Since I don't have anymore cards to play, I'll end my turn with that."
Rather than terror or anger, Sakuya simply moved into calculation. There was only twenty cards left in her deck now, meaning her chance of drawing something that could help were slim, but still fairly high compared to what they would be without that ten card mill. If anything, that only brought her closer to victory. "I made a promise to Yumi," she said. "I promised I would help her achieve her dream. And I can't do that if I never see her again. That means I'm not about to lose to you."
With a cold stare, she drew a card, getting exactly what she needed. "I activate Pot of Avarice, returning five monsters my Graveyard to the deck to draw two cards." She selected her monsters, one being Sad-Eyes, and added them to her deck, shuffling and drawing. "Now, I summon Spirit Dragon in Attack Mode!"
A small, serpentine blue dragon appeared on Sakuya's field, spreading its wings with a screech. "Now, Spirit Dragon, attack! Activate your effect!" The dragon began charging a fireball in its mouth. "While attacking, I can discard Dragon-Type monsters from my hand to raise Spirit Dragon's ATK and DEF by 1000 for each one. I send Emerald Dragon!" The attack crackled inside the monster's mouth, growing larger. "Wiener Dragon!" Again, it grew even larger. "And finally...Chow Chow Dragon!"
Sparking with electricity, the now 4000 ATK Spirit Dragon launched the attack at Kyoko's monster. "Invader Dragon, counterattack!" she commanded, her monster firing a molten blast in retaliation. They met in the middle, battling for dominance and sending shockwaves out in all directions. Both duelists shielded themselves as the blowback became too much for their monsters to handle, destroying them both.
As the dust settled, both women resumed the game. "That was a pretty risky move," Kyoko said, looking across the field at Sakuya.
"I played the odds," she responded.
"Neither of us have monsters now. If I get anything I can summon, you lose. You know that, right?"
"I'll take that chance." The iron-clad determination of this girl was starting to shake her. Whether it was the fire of passion or hatred burning behind those eyes, Kyoko was slowly realizing Sakuya was no joke. Even this move was calculated to a degree. With all of her searching, Kyoko was running low on monsters. She'd been drawing them almost exclusively the entire game. The odds of her drawing one as opposed to a Magic or Trap Card were less now.
Taking the top card of her deck, Kyoko exhaled slowly with a smile. A chill overtook Sakuya. Had she been wrong after all? Suddenly, Kyoko replaced the card back on her deck, setting her hand on top of her duel disk. "I give up," she declared.
"Don't patronize me," she said, fury bubbling beneath her words.
"I'm not," Kyoko defended. "I didn't draw a monster. Chance or not, I've seen enough, too. You're stronger than me. You've won." The card she'd drawn was, in fact, Cyclone. The holograms faded from the field, Kyoko collecting her deck and placing it into a pocket on her jacket. "Besides, I couldn't in good conscience beat you with those stakes. Even if I said they didn't matter, you seem like the kind of person who'd still abide by them."
She sighed, grabbing her pretzels and opening the lid to eat a handful. "Pretty sure she likes you more, anyway."
"What?" she replied in genuine shock.
"I mean, I can't be sure, but if I'm going off the fact half our conversations today seemed like an excuse to talk about you, it kind of seems that way. Pretty sure she has a thing for you, honestly." Sakuya blushed slightly at the news, biting her lower lip. She turned to leave, raising a hand in valediction.
Quickly composing herself, Sakuya cleared her throat. "Hold on," she said, stopping Kyoko from leaving. Clenching her fists, she grunted angrily. "Fine, forget all of this."
"What?" she said, utterly perplexed.
"I take it back. You can do what you want. I won't stop you from being friends with Yumi."
"Why the sudden change of heart?" she asked, raising an eyebrow with a small smirk.
Sakuya sighed. "Because I need to trust her even if I don't like you. And trying to control her like this isn't something a friend should do. Sorry for wasting your time."
"Nobody got hurt, so I guess there's no real trouble. Probably see you around, then." Turning, Kyoko took a few steps before looking back over her shoulder. "By the way, if you feel the same way about her, my advice as an old gay is to get in on that while you've got the chance. Bet there's going to be a lot of girls fighting over her by the time she gets to high school. Just try to work on your jealousy." She chuckled as she made her exit, listening to Sakuya stammer in embarrassment.
She was taken aback by the insinuation she could ever be in a relationship with Yumi. That was absurd, of course. She didn't like girls that way, right? She said that, but if Sakuya was truly honest with herself, she'd never put much thought into it. That just seemed like the way things were to her. Only boys and no one else. It's not like she could like girls, too, obviously.
And yet Yumi seemed to like girls and there wasn't anything wrong with that. If that was true, then was Kyoko actually right? She couldn't be. Yumi had plenty of options, so why would she ever choose her? But, again, in purely hypothetical terms, if she were to like girls and Yumi was to also like girls, and just happened to like her out of all the girls there were, well...maybe she wasn't too opposed to that.
Sakuya was just overthinking things again. That's what she told herself, at least. All of this was just a thought experiment and dwelling on it wouldn't do anyone any good. The sound of Kyoko's motorcycle flying by urged her to leave the unfamiliar area of the city for the train station, traveling back to the park and finally the library.
Finding Yumi inside, she was, amazingly enough, actually doing her homework. Walking up slowly, Sakuya swallowed hard as she rehearsed her apology. Upon seeing her, Yumi leaped out of her chair and pulled her friend into a tight hug. "Did you come to tell me we need to do more training and to forget all this boring school stuff?" she asked excitedly.
"No, Yumi. Do your homework." She grumbled, but ultimately picked up her pencil and continued her studies. Sakuya smiled weakly, gripping the bottom of her dress tightly as she tried to find her words. "Yumi," she said slowly.
"What?"
"I...sorry." She couldn't help but look at the ground.
"Why you sorry?" she replied jokingly.
She swallowed again, her throat closing up. "I wasn't a very good friend earlier." She paused. "I tried to tell you who to spend time with, but I shouldn't do that. I should trust you."
Yumi smiled understandingly, patting Sakuya's hand. "It's okay. I guess it was kind of rude, but it didn't really bother me. It's not like you really did anything." She started to sweat, remembering her numerous attempts to sabotage their friendship over the last few hours. "I know you just worry sometimes."
"That doesn't make it okay, though." Sakuya bit her lip. "I need to trust you, even if I don't think it's right sometimes." She paused again. "Just be safe, okay? And don't join a gang, please."
Yumi laughed. "I will. The being safe part, I mean. I don't think I'm old enough for gangs, anyway."
"You're not," she declared with a smile.
"Does that mean you'll trust me to do my homework later, so we can go back to my house and do stuff and maybe sleep over again?"
"Not on your life," she answered coldly.
"Ugh!" Yumi wailed, getting shushed by a librarian. She repeated herself more quietly. Despite her complaining, Yumi managed to make a sizable dent in her assignments over that afternoon. Returning home in the evening, she really did feel a small sense of accomplishment at having finished some work. Still wasn't as fun as card games, though.
The next day, the four met at the park again as usual. Yumi was testing her deck against a few of the other children, Hideo partnered with her in a tag duel. Kazuhiko had side-eyed Sakuya since the moment they saw each other that morning, and it was no different now that they were forced to be alone.
"You were right," she finally said.
"I know, but what about?"
"About the Kyoko stuff, ass." She sighed, every fiber of her being telling her not to admit wrongdoing to Kazuhiko. "I should have trusted Yumi from the start, and you were right in telling me off like that. I worked something out and apologized after you left and it's okay now. And even if you're a delinquent with a bird's nest for a head, you're still...trustworthy, and I know you wouldn't let something happen to Yumi, either."
He smirked. "Told you so. Maybe next time you should listen to me from the start." After a few seconds, her insult finally registered. "Wait, what the hell did you say about my hair?" He shook his fist, screaming, "That's it! I don't care what lesson you learned, no one talks about my hair without facing the consequences. You're dueling me now!"
"Sakuya's finally going to duel Kazuhiko?" Yumi asked excitedly, overhearing his extremely loud yelling from her own duel. "I want to watch!"
Sakuya rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Let's get this over with."
"That's right. I'll finally get my revenge for the humiliation I suffered before! Face the power of my Neo New Super Mutant Deck!" Needless to say, she won handily.
Cards in Order of Appearance
Desertapir
EARTH
Level 3
Beast/Effect
900 ATK/300 DEF
FLIP: Flip 1 face-up monster on the field into face-down Defense Position. You cannot select "Desertapir".
Stargazer
LIGHT
Level 8
Psychic/Effect
2500 ATK/0 DEF
If neither player controls a monster, you can Special Summon this card in face-up Attack Position (from your hand). This card cannot attack the turn it is summoned this way and is destroyed during the End Phase. When this card is destroyed by a card effect and sent to the Graveyard: You can add 1 Psychic-Type monster from your Deck to your hand with a Level less than this card's Level. You can only use each of these effects of "Stargazer" once per turn.
Mind Reader
LIGHT
Level 4
Psychic/Effect
1600 ATK/0 DEF
When this card is Summoned: Your opponent reveals their hand. Once per turn: You can Banish 1 Psychic-Type monster with 0 DEF in your Graveyard; add 1 Psychic-Type with a Level less than that Banished monster to your hand from 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.
Terrier Dragon
EARTH
Level 6
Dragon/Effect
2200 ATK/1200 DEF
This card is also treated as Beast-Type while on the field or in the Graveyard. You can Special Summon this card from your hand in Attack Position by discarding 1 Level 5 or lower Dragon-Type monster. If this card is Special Summoned by its own effect: Its original ATK and DEF are halved.
Poison Fang (Poison Fangs)
Continuous Spell Card
Each time a Beast-Type monster inflicts Battle Damage to your opponent, inflict 500 damage to your opponent.
Prophetologist
LIGHT
Level 4
Psychic/Effect
1800 ATK/0 DEF
When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard: Look at cards on top of your Deck equal to the number of Psychic-Type monsters in your Graveyard, then add 1 Psychic-Type monster among those cards (if any) to your hand. Place the remaining cards on top of your Deck in any order.
Option Hunter
Normal Trap Card
Activate only when a monster you control is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard. Gain Life Points equal to the original ATK of the destroyed monster.
Thunder Bolt (Raigeki)
Normal Spell Card
Destroy all monsters your opponent controls.
Overmind Prince
LIGHT
Level 7
Psychic/Effect
2300 ATK/0 DEF
You can Special Summon this card from your hand by Banishing 3 Psychic-Type monsters with 0 DEF in your Graveyard. When this card is summoned while you have at least 3 cards in your hand: Add 1 "Overmind Invader Dragon" from your Deck to your hand, then discard every other card in your hand. If this card is in your Graveyard and you control no cards: You can Banish it, then Special Summon 1 "Overmind Invader Dragon" from your hand.
Reactive Armor (Sakuretsu Armor)
Normal Trap Card
When an opponent's monster declares an attack: Target that attacking monster; destroy that target.
Pet Cemetery
Normal Spell Card
Target 1 Fusion Monster in your Extra Deck; Banish any number of Beast-Type monsters from your Graveyard equal to the number of monsters required to Fusion Summon that card, then send the same number of monsters from your Deck to the Graveyard to Special Summon that monster (this Special Summon is treated as a Fusion Summon). You can only activate 1 "Pet Cemetery" per turn.
Emerald Dragon (Luster Dragon #2)
WIND
Level 6
Dragon
2400 ATK/1400 DEF
Sad-Eyes Hound Dragon
EARTH
Level 8
Dragon/Fusion/Effect
3000 ATK/2500 DEF
1 Level 6 or higher Dragon-Type monster + 1 Level 5 or lower Beast-Type monster
This card is also treated as Beast-Type while on the field or in the Graveyard. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can target 1 face-up monster on the field; it loses 1000 ATK until the End Phase. If this Fusion Summoned card is sent to the Graveyard: You can add both cards used as Fusion Material to your hand.
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.
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.
Psychic Wall
Normal Trap Card
When you take damage as the result of a direct attack while you have a Psychic-Type monster in your Graveyard: End the Battle Phase, then halve the ATK of the monster that attacked.
Overmind Invader Dragon
LIGHT
Level 10
Dragon/Effect
4000 ATK/0 DEF
Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must first be Special Summoned (from your hand) with the effect of "Overmind Prince". If this card attacks, it is unaffected by your opponent's card effects until the end of the Damage Step. When this card inflicts damage to your opponent: Your opponent sends cards from the top of their Deck to the Graveyard equal to this card's Level.
Beast Riser (Beast Rising)
Continuous Trap Card
Once per turn, you can remove from play 1 face-up Beast-Type or Beast-Warrior-Type monster you control to select 1 other face-up Beast-Type or Beast-Warrior-Type monster you control. The selected monster gains the original ATK of the monster removed from play for this effect.
Sun Eater
LIGHT
Level 5
Psychic/Effect
2000 ATK/0 DEF
When you would take damage as a result of battle: Banish this card in your Graveyard; for the rest of this turn, you take no battle damage, and any battle damage you would have taken from that battle is deducted from the opponent's monster's ATK.
Pot of Avarice
Normal Spell Card
Target 5 monsters in your Graveyard; shuffle all 5 into the Deck, then draw 2 cards.
Spirit Dragon (Spirit Ryu)
WIND
Level 4
Dragon/Effect
1000 ATK/1000 DEF
You can only activate this effect during your Battle Step, if this card battles this turn. Discard 1 Dragon-Type monster from your hand to the Graveyard to increase the ATK and DEF of this card by 1000 points until the End Step.
Cyclone (Mystical Space Typhoon)
Quick-Play Spell Card
Target 1 Spell/Trap Card on the field; destroy that target.
I don't know what you're talking about. This chapter came out on time. Don't look at the date. Don't do it.
It's been kind of hard to get up to writing lately, given work, chronic illness, the end of the world, etc. In theory, that's why I had some chapters written in advance. In practice, though, I'm an uncoordinated fuck who can't help myself from adding in extra chapters that I didn't originally plan on because I thought of a fun concept for a character or a card or wanted to see Yumi spike herself in the face with a volleyball.
Pretend that's foreshadowing.
I did some rudimentary edits on this one, but it's still not to the extreme most of my chapters get looked over, so sorry if it's kind of lax. You can point out any spelling or grammar errors in comments if anyone feels like it. That goes for any of these.
Honestly, though, no one really reads this at the moment and probably won't until there's a good number of chapters out if/when this ever gets moderate attention. Schedules aren't too important when things are like this. I'll probably just post stuff as it comes from now on without worrying about a set release date for each chapter. Maybe if readership magically picks up after I post this one, but I doubt that'll happen.
In terms of talking about the actual story, Sakuya kind of had a bit of an awakening. She's going to push it down and try to forget, though. Poor kid. Maybe one day she'll accept the spirit of Freddie Mercury into her life.
That's all I really have to report. Next chapter is about plot, so that'll be fun. Thanks for reading. Remember to never count on me being on time. Heroes are always fashionably late.