Yumi begins her duel with Megumi. She must overcome the stress of the crowd and the overwhelming strength of her opponent at once. Can she succeed?
Now that things had really begun and reality was setting in, Yumi realized she was more than a bit nervous. Performing in front of a room full of people next to an incredibly pretty opponent was nothing like playing off her friends at the park for a crowd of kids her own age. Megumi was being more than encouraging, though, despite the situation. Sakuya was watching, too. She'd work through it no matter what.
Taking a quick breath through her nose, Yumi drew her hand and began the duel. "I summon Scaredy Lion in Attack Mode!" she declared, doing an unnecessary flourish while playing her card. She positioned her duel disk parallel to the ground, running her hand along the board and placing her monster into the second to last zone before withdrawing her arm, surprising even herself at how well she pulled off that maneuver. As a reward for her efforts, the lion appeared on the field, shivering and covering its face in fear after looking around at the crowd.
"I'll set two more cards and end my turn," she finished, sliding her backrow into place to prepare for whatever the singer would be using. The first time she'd seen Megumi, she didn't really seem like a duelist, but standing in front of her on stage, obviously custom-made duel disk on her arm and radiating a confidence in her skills that outshone the sun, more than sold her on the claims she'd made and the crush she had.
As the turn shifted, the music did, as well. The band had played a light, slow arrangement throughout Yumi's moves, but quickly picked up into something much bigger and faster as Megumi placed a hand on her deck. "I'll draw," she said calmly, taking a much more relaxed approach to their duel than the nervous, hyperactive twelve year old. "I begin my turn by playing Cyclone to destroy your set card on the right," she declared, pointing to her left at one of the cards on Yumi's field.
It was a shot in the dark, but it proved effective nonetheless as the windstorm tore through the Attack Nullification on the girl's field. It was a troublesome loss, but it was far from game ending. "I hope you won't think bad of me for going all out right at the start," she said to Yumi.
"I want to see how strong you are, do it!" Yumi replied while hopping up and down, smile plastered across her face.
Megumi chuckled to herself. Out of practice or not, she couldn't hold back against her. It was sad they had to meet like this, since she really seemed to love this game. If this was how it ended, she'd make it a match worth remembering. "I'll set my Pendulum Scale with Funki Cornet, Scale 1!" An extra zone popped out of the left side of the ring made by Megumi's field, allowing her to place the orange and green card into its place before retreating into the disk.
The crowd rabbled to themselves upon seeing the anthropomorphic instrument appearing behind the singer with a large number 1 in a column of light. It was the first time any of them had seen Pendulum cards, as well. "I've always wanted to duel against a Pendulum user!" Yumi squealed excitedly. Despite sharing the sentiment, Sakuya was nothing but terrified backstage. Her fears had come true and now there didn't seem to be any way for Yumi to win. Those cards were just too strong.
"Then I'm glad I made your wish come true," Megumi answered with a smile. Her expression became more stern suddenly, the bands urgency switching to match. "I activate Funki Cornet's Pendulum effect. Once per turn, I can destroy it to add a Funki monster to my hand with a different Pendulum Scale than itself, but any of its Pendulum effects will be negated until the end of my turn." The trumpet-like instrument used its arms to play a few notes before disappearing with the blue light surrounding it.
As per the rules, its card was placed into the Extra Deck within a slot at the back of its owner's duel disk. Megumi fanned out her deck, eventually picking a monster and revealing it to Yumi and the crowd. "I choose Funki Trombone to add to my hand." With a quick shuffle, she was ready to play once more.
"I'll reset the Pendulum Scales with Funki Trombone, Scale 2." The monster appeared behind her, moving its slide in time with some of the actual trombone players in the band upon its arrival. "By targetting a card in my Pendulum Zone, I can activate Chromatic Scale, allowing me to take a Funki monster from my deck with a different Scale and add it to my hand."
"I was waiting for that!" Yumi declared, pressing a button. "When you activate Chromatic Scale's effect, I play Friendly Fire!" Her Trap revealed itself, eliciting a few quiet compliments from audience members at her strategic thinking at such a young age. "If you activate a card's effect, this card lets me destroy a card on the field besides the one being activated. So I'll destroy Funki Trombone!" A few stray fireballs blasted from the card, impacting into the trombone monster and destroying it while Megumi shielded herself from the explosion.
"With how much searching you've been doing, I don't think you actually have the right cards to Pendulum Summon right now. You were trying to find something to complete the Scale, but now that Trombone is gone, too, you won't be able to play until your next draw!" Even Sakuya was a bit impressed by what was actually some fairly sound reasoning. They'd only briefly touched on Pendulum cards during the training, but even with the little exposure she'd gotten, Yumi was already creating countermeasures for them. It hadn't occurred to her until now just how fast a learner Yumi was (or how good a teacher she was?).
Megumi nodded. "That would certainly seem to be the case, but I'm afraid you've made a mistake." Her satisfied smile dropped, as did Sakuya's hopes for a win against all odds. "Even without Trombone on the field, I can still add another card to my hand. I'll select a second Cornet." It was seemingly her plan all along to bait Yumi's second Trap before truly beginning her attack. "I set the Pendulum Scales with Funki Cornet, Scale 1, and Funki Trumpet, Scale 7."
Her monsters appeared behind her in two columns of light, the numbers 1 and 7 underneath them. "This allows me to Pendulum Summon monsters with Levels 2 through 6 to my field. Take the stage, my monsters!" A portal appeared between the lights, two beams emerging from it and landing on her field, materializing into her summoned cards. "Time for an encore, Funki Trombone! Funki Cornet!
"Funki Trombone, attack Scaredy Lion!" The band quieted somewhat, allowing the trombone to solo as it blasted musical notes at the enemy monster, the cowardly lion covering its ears before being destroyed. Yumi's Life Points fell to 3100, soon dropping even further. "Funki Cornet, attack directly!" With another blast of sound, Yumi was knocked over and left with only 1200 Life Points by the end of her opponent's first turn.
"You're even stronger than I thought you'd be," Yumi complimented, jumping to her feet and preparing for her turn. "But I'm not ready to lose yet! I'll show you what I can really do next turn!"
"I hope you will," Megumi said with a smile. "I'll end my Battle Phase and activate Funki Trumpet's Pendulum effect. By destroying another face-up card on my field, I can make you send the same type of card from your deck to the Graveyard." She chose Funki Trombone, meaning Yumi would be forced to send a monster. Given that Pendulum cards went to the Extra Deck upon being destroyed on the field, this strategy didn't hurt her in the least.
After a few moments of consideration, Yumi selected her card. "I'll send Butter Fly to the Graveyard," she declared, dropping it into the slot and returning her deck.
"Then I'll set a card and end my turn here." The string section played on urgently as Yumi began her turn. It was certainly a bad situation she'd found herself in, with no field and dwindling Life Points. Her hand was fairly small, too, so she'd have to rely on drawing to have a chance at turning things around.
Running her finger across the faces of the few cards in her hand, Yumi started to consider her plays. No equip cards in hand and nothing to destroy either of the cards in the Pendulum Zones. Things weren't looking good, so she'd have to try a different approach for the time being. "I would have hoped I could wait for his big moment, but you're really pushing me. I'll have to use my best cards or I won't even make it to my next turn!"
Without the flourish from before, Yumi summoned a monster to the field. "I play Crane Crane and activate its effect!" she declared, the mechanical bird creature appearing before her. "When I summon Crane Crane, it can revive a Level 3 monster from my Graveyard, so I pick Butter Fly." Dipping its head forward, the monster lowered its head into the ground, pulling up the flying stick of butter. "Now, I Xyz Summon!"
Megumi was intrigued as the vortex opened to pull in the two monsters. Kids these days were always getting better than the generation before. And to do this so fluidly showed she'd already become an experienced Xyz Duelist. "Xyz Summon, Rank 3! Illusion King Robbins!" The black-clad magician appeared on her field with the cringiest of hat tips toward the opponent.
There was another reason she didn't want to use this card yet besides presentation. Pendulum cards were tricky creatures. Without any in the Graveyard, Yumi had no way to use Robbins' effect. All it could do now was fend off attacks by overpowering what was on Megumi's field, hoping the opponent wouldn't be able to find a way around it until she had the opportunity to fortify her field.
It wouldn't do to wait around, though. "Robbins, attack! Sleight of Hand!" The monster began its attack, only to realize too late it was all for nothing.
"My Trap activates, Backbeat!" Megumi's card flipped up, spelling doom for the Xyz Monster. "When you declare an attack on my monster, I can negate it. Then, it allows me to declare an attack of my own." The cornet began to play, stopping Robbins in its tracks and growing louder for its counter.
"But your monster has less ATK points, so it won't matter," Yumi contested, unsure of the goal in reversing battle.
"During the Damage Step, Backbeat switches the ATK of the monsters battling, so Funki Cornet overtakes Illusion King for this battle." Yumi shielded herself as Robbins yelled, exploding after another barrage of musical notes attacked it. Her Life Points fell again to 800, Megumi remaining untouched. "I'm sorry you went through all that trouble for nothing, but I told you I wouldn't be holding back."
Yumi smiled despite her disadvantage. "I'd be upset if you did," she said, still remaining determined. "I use Resurrection of the Dead to bring Robbins back to my field, then I play Dark Factory of Mass Production to add two Normal Monsters, Scaredy Lion and Butter Fly, back to my hand!" She ended her turn after that, nothing but her monster to protect her remaining Life Points.
Megumi began her turn as music swelled, seemingly expecting her victory. Murmurs in the crowd indicating a few people had started to doubt Yumi's skills, deciding that putting a little kid up against someone as strong as her was some kind of mean-spirited joke. Sakuya, meanwhile, shook her head and blamed herself for this situation. She should have taken Yumi's place. She didn't teach her well enough to handle someone this good. Her friend was going to lose her deck and it was all her fault.
"I activate Funki Cornet's Pendulum effect," Megumi declared, destroying the card. "I add Funki Trombone from my Extra Deck to my hand, then I activate it." The Scales were now set at 2 and 7, still a large enough difference to summon anything she'd shown so far. "I'll use Trumpet's effect to destroy my second Cornet and force you to send another monster to the Graveyard." Yumi did as instructed, dropping Komboriboh and shuffling her deck.
"Next, I Pendulum Summon both my Funki Cornets from my Extra Deck in Defense Mode!" Both monsters reappeared onto the field, defending against Robbins and whatever else Yumi would find next turn. "Sorry to disappoint you if you thought I was about to win. There's only one way to finish a duel like this, but you'll have to wait a few more turns to see. I won't settle for anything less than the best against someone like you." Yumi was confused by this, but thankful for the extra time to put together a strategy. "I'll set one card and end my turn."
Truth be told, Megumi was a bit out of practice after her retirement. She was sure she'd make a few misplays here and there and wasn't using her deck to its full capacity, even though she was in the lead. It wasn't a lie, though, that she wanted to use a strong monster to defeat Yumi. The girl deserved that much in what would be her last duel. Her set card would speed up the process quite a bit, too, and her field was content to stay as is for the moment, so she had plenty of time to get back into the mindset of a former Regional Champion.
"I draw!" Yumi declared, hoping for something that would get her out of this situation. It was promising, to say the least. "I play Arms Hole!" The card appeared on her field to activate its effect. "I send the top card of my deck to the Graveyard and add an Equip Magic from my deck or Graveyard to my hand." The unfortunate sacrifice for this effect would be her loyal Flame Viper. Her choice was Necklace of Supplantation, seemingly to reinforce the two Normal Monsters in her hand. Given that her summon was sealed this turn, she couldn't afford to run into another Trap and lose Robbins. She'd be left with nothing, thus ending her turn without an attack.
"During your End Phase, I use my Permanent Trap Card, Perpetual Oscillation." A large, swaying pendulum appeared between the two columns of light, moving back and forth between the monsters. "I can destroy a card in my Pendulum Zone once per turn to draw a card," she explained, pointing a finger at one of them. "I choose Funki Trumpet." As if waiting for it, the pendulum obliterated the trumpet card, allowing Megumi to draw.
"I'll play another Funki Cornet to start my turn, then destroy it to activate its effect." The monster was gone as soon as it appeared, giving Megumi the option to search once more. "I'll add Funki Bazooka from my deck to my hand, then use it to set the Pendulum Scales." Despite what many may have thought, the card was not, in fact, a large weapon that fired rockets, but the instrument with a similar name. Its Scale was also 7, meaning her strategy hadn't changed. "Its effect is negated this turn because of Cornet, but I'll let you know what it is in advance. Whenever I Pendulum Summon from my Extra Deck, Bazooka allows me to return a face-up card on your field to your hand. You won't have a defense next turn, which is when I plan to summon my strongest monster."
She ended her turn after summoning the third Cornet in Defense Mode to fortify herself once more, Yumi apprehensively drawing. To her surprise, it was just the kind of card she needed right now. "Instant Magic, Twister!" she declared, a vortex of wind erupting from her card and destroying Bazooka in the Pendulum Zone. "With this card, I can destroy a face-up Magic or Trap Card, so now your Pendulum Summon is sealed!"
Megumi was happy to see the duel carry on, but wasn't quite as confident in the lucky draw as Yumi seemed to be. "Pay attention to your Life Points, though. You had to pay 500 to activate it, so now you're left with 300. Even just a small amount of damage will end this duel."
"Then all I need to do is not take anymore damage," Yumi said with a defiant smile, her confidence pushing back the fear creeping in just moments ago. "I'll play Butter Fly, then equip it with Necklace of Supplantation!" Though it was weaker, Butter Fly's lower Level would allow it to more thoroughly use the Necklace over Scaredy Lion. The only problem would come if another Level 5 monster showed up.
Yumi attacked with both her monsters, destroying two copies of Cornet and leaving the third to fend for itself on the field. Yumi ended her turn after that, no cards left to play. "It's been awfully exciting getting to duel you," Megumi said. "I haven't been pushed like this in a long time."
She drew the top card of her deck, placing it into the right Pendulum Zone after doing so. "I set the Pendulum Scale with Funki Key, Scale 5." The card that appeared to complete the arc of light was different from the normal Funki cards she'd used so far. Rather than an instrument, it was simply a key that you'd press to play different notes on a brass instrument. It was also the awkward Scale 5, breaking up the cohesion of Megumi's Pendulum Summoning strategy. "I Pendulum Summon Funki Trumpet to my field!" she declared, the monster appearing in Defense Mode, Key exploding immediately after.
"As soon as I Pendulum Summon," she began explaining to the confused spectators and Yumi, "Key is destroyed and sent to my Extra Deck." She pointed to the trumpet, which began playing. "When it's Pendulum Summoned, Funki Trumpet's effect can be activated. It lets me add a Funki card in Extra Deck to my hand. I choose Bazooka. Now, I end my turn."
Yumi wasn't certain what Key was all about. It seemed to have come and gone like it was nothing, but it was just so out of line with the rest of her strategy that she couldn't help but take pause at it. It's Level was 3, so with Bazooka in hand, the Pendulum Scale would be completed next turn and it could come back to the field. Not only that, but everything she'd put in the Extra Deck previously. Regardless of how strong Yumi's monsters were, a full field would be nearly impossible to overcome in a timely manner, and Bazooka's effect meant anything worthwhile she played would be sent back to the hand. It was troublesome, to say the least.
Regardless, she had to try and put in as much damage as she could with the time she had. "I activate Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two cards." If nothing else, Yumi was lucky as hell, though neither card she was able to draw helped her too much in the current situation. "I set one card, then summon Scaredy Lion in Attack Mode."
Making a return to the field, the monster was no less cowardly than before even with the presence of others beside it. "Battle! Butter Fly, attack Cornet! Robbins, attack Trumpet!" Both monsters did as commanded, overpowering Megumi's instruments and leaving her field open. "Scaredy Lion, direct attack!" For the first time in the duel, Megumi's Life Points took a hit, falling to 2700. It was still far superior to Yumi's 300, but it was progress. "Turn end," she declared with a smile.
The band emphasized their trombones, playing long, low notes as the duel seemed to shift in Yumi's favor. Megumi was unconcerned, though. In fact, she was smiling. "I set the Pendulum Scale with Funki Bazooka, Scale 7!" The monster appeared back on the field in a column of light, effect finally being allowed to activate. "Time for an encore, my monsters!" Four cards appeared from the portal: Three Funki Cornets and one Funki Key, all in Attack Position.
"Funki Bazooka, activate your effect." The slide on the underside of the instrument pulled back, a missile emerging from inside it. Apparently, the similar naming wasn't an accident, after all. With a blast of sound, the rocket fired, spiraling in the air searching for a target. "My target is..." she began, building suspense for longer than necessary. She pointed upwards. "Funki Bazooka!"
To everyone's surprise, the card returned itself to the hand, rather than the more obvious choices of Butter Fly or Robbins. "I told you I wouldn't finish this with anything but my strongest monster. It took longer than I thought to prepare for it, but that's only because you've done so well."
Yumi couldn't be happier after receiving praise from her opponent. "Summon it!" she said, resisting the urge to hop up and down.
"Then prepare yourself! I summon Funki Bazooka to my field!" Appearing as a monster this time, the bazooka materialized next to the other instruments. "From my hand, I activate the Magic Card, Microtones! This card increases the Level of a Pendulum Monster that I've Pendulum Summoned equal to half its Pendulum Scale rounded down to the nearest whole number."
The target was Key, increasing its Level to 5. "Now, I tune my Level 5 Pendulum Tuner Monster, Funki Key, to my Level 3 Pendulum non-Tuner Monster, Funki Bazooka! Pendulum Synchro Summon!" That's what Key's significance was; it was a Tuner all along. Just as Sakuya had feared, this deck wasn't simply Pendulum Monsters, but Synchro, as well. And this was Megumi's ace card that she intended to win with.
"Take the stage! Funki Brass Leader King!" A beam of light struck the field, a dark skinned human monster walking out. Dressed in a black suit vest and pinstripe pants, it matched perfectly with the club's aesthetic, as well as providing an answer to any potential question as to who was actually playing the instruments in Megumi's deck. Carrying its own silver trumpet, it adjusted a pair of dark sunglasses and took its place in front of the other instruments to lead them into battle.
"When I Synchro Summon this card with a monster that was Pendulum Summoned on the same turn, its ATK is doubled until the End Phase." The trumpeter's ATK rose to a massive 5000, enough to obliterate anything on Yumi's field. "Now, I activate the second effect of King to return Trumpet and Trombone to my hand."
The monster began to play its instrument, both Pendulum cards returning to the hand. "By returning every card in my Pendulum Zones to my hand, I can return the same number of face-up cards on your field to your deck, then make you send the same type of cards to the Graveyard." She pointed towards the Normal Monsters. "Return Butter Fly and Scaredy Lion."
Though it would likely have been a better decision to simply return Necklace of Supplantation, Megumi was adamant in finishing the duel between her and Yumi's strongest monsters. It was the only real way to do things, and would definitely make the best show for the crowd. Robbins would be the monster she attacked to end the game.
"I send Wallrus and Rock Warrior to the Graveyard," she declared, "and the effect of Necklace of Supplantation lets me add it to the top of my deck when it's sent to the Graveyard."
"Tricky card," Megumi said, though she wasn't too worried about it at the moment. "King, attack Illusion King Robbins! Solo Death Wind!" The monster began to play on its trumpet, doing a quick turn before blasting a cyclone of air at the Xyz Monster.
"Trap activate, Intrigue Shield! I equip it to Illusion King Robbins to make it unable to be destroyed by the first instance of battle every turn, and I won't take any damage from attacks with it!" Seemingly from up its sleeve despite the physical impossibility, the monster produced the shield pictured on the Trap, resisting the air attack to survive another turn.
Megumi was a bit upset that she couldn't end the duel in such a flashy manner. She'd focused more on entertainment than defeating her opponent, a bad habit of hers even in her prime. Regardless, the field was unmistakably in her favor. Next turn, she'd be able to return one or both cards to Yumi's hand and attack for the win.
"I'll set the Pendulum Scales with Funki Trombone and Funki Trumpet, then activate Funki Trumpet's Pendulum effect." Both cards appeared back on the field, completing the Scale once more. "I destroy my Perpetual Oscillation, meaning you have to send a Trap Card from your deck to the Graveyard." A Trap would be much more troublesome to get rid of. Yumi had a good number of monsters that weren't particularly useful at this moment, but removing a Trap from her deck could spell the end if it had the chance of turning the situation around. She settled on Magic Capture and Megumi ended her turn.
King's ATK returned to its normal 2500, but that was the less than comforting right now. The only card Yumi had in her hand was Restraint Release Wave with no targets or purpose. Intrigue Shield had bought her a turn, but it would be gone the second the Synchro activated its effect again. Even Necklace of Supplantation, while not particularly useful now, was shuffled back into her deck.
The rest of the duel, as well as her life as a duelist, was dependent upon the next card she was able to draw. "This card is what's going to decide the duel," she declared, pulling the card with a dramatic flair before turning it to see who fate had chosen as the winner. With a smile, Yumi placed her card on the field. "I equip Illusion King Robbins with Fighting Spirits!"
With a yell, the magician became imbued with a fiery aura, its ATK beginning to rise. "When Fighting Spirits is equipped to a monster, it gains 300 ATK for every monster you have on the field, meaning 1200 ATK points!" With 3500 ATK, it was 1000 ahead of King. Just enough to turn the duel around.
"Attack Funki Brass Leader King! Sleight of Hand!" Robbins tossed playing cards from its sleeves one after the other, hitting the musician over and over, eventually blowing it back and destroying it. Megumi's Life was reduced to 1700, the victorious monster's ATK falling to 3200 now that there was one less enemy on the field.
"That was a skillful attack," Megumi said with a smile after recovering from the damage. "You might have defeated my card, but I'll still be the one to win this duel."
"What makes you say that?" Yumi asked, putting her hands on her hips. "Robbins has more ATK than anything you've played so far. Just try to beat it in battle!"
Megumi chuckled. "Look at your deck," she said simply. "I haven't been forcing you to discard without a plan. By my count, you've only got 24 cards left. That would be plenty normally, but you've got no way to bypass my defenses." She flourished her hand across the field, making note of her trio of Cornets and two active Pendulum cards. "My monsters will never go to the Graveyard and I can summon them again every single turn. Trumpet's effect will let me take another card from your deck every turn in addition to your draw. And if you play recklessly and try to attack me, there's always a chance you'll find one of my remaining Trap Cards waiting for you in the next few turns. I suppose it's just a matter of how I'll be able to defeat you first, though it is a shame we couldn't finish this with our two strongest cards going head to head."
She was right. Yumi hadn't even noticed it between the incredible beatdown early game and the desperate survival during the middle. She'd fallen into what seemed like an endless, unstoppable loop with no option but to wait to die. There didn't seem to be any way to damage her further and she couldn't wait out the game. It wasn't a clean win, but it would be a win all the same.
Megumi began her turn, activating Trumpet's effect. "I destroy Cornet to force you to send a monster to the Graveyard." Yumi chose Critter, figuring that searching would be the last thing she should do at this point in time. "Pendulum Summon! Funki Trumpet, Funki Cornet, Funki Bazooka!" All her monsters returned to the field in Defense Position, the other two Cornets soon to join them to become something of an impenetrable wall. "Trumpet's effect allows me to return Key to my hand, as well." She set one card before ending her turn. In truth, it was nothing but a feint, but it would certainly make her opponent sweat after the threat of more Traps like Backbeat was introduced.
Yumi's turn had started, but she couldn't bring herself to draw. It was hopeless. There was one card that could give her a chance at a comeback, but the odds were anything but in her favor, even with her deck dwindling. That set card would still be a problem, and there'd only be more to come.
Her hand began to move. Not to her deck, but to the top of her duel disk – the sign of surrender. She bit her lip, trying not to cry in front of everyone. Despite everything, she didn't hate Megumi. She was only doing what she'd been hired to do and was still a fantastic person. As far as last duels went, this was probably the best she could ever hope for, too. There was nothing she could do about it anymore. The music playing now sounded almost like some kind of funeral dirge. Fitting, she thought.
"Don't you dare give up, Yumi!" Sakuya screamed from the back of the stage. Everything went silent, even the band, as all eyes turned to the girl who'd appeared from behind the curtain. "I know you can win! You have to! You promised me you'd win and become the World Champion! You promised! If you lose here, how are you going to do that? You...you have to win!" She looked to be on the verge of tears herself, heart about to break seeing her friend in pain like this.
Several tense moments of silence passed, no one entirely sure how to react to the screaming child interrupting the show. Near the staircase came the sound of clapping. Slowly at first, then picking up speed. Koichi's efforts spread to the crowd, the club's patrons joining in the show of support for the girls. Soon, the whole room erupted in applause, urging Yumi forward. Even Megumi joined in with a smile. Cliche as it might be, it was magical to see in person.
Yumi's hand dropped to her side, the frown on her lips fighting to keep its place as a smile took over. She started to laugh, even. "Of course I'm going to win," she said plainly.
"Then hurry up and do it, you dork." Sakuya wiped at the corners of her eyes, trying to keep from blushing any harder. Making such a dramatic speech in front of so many people was a little embarrassing, to say the least.
"Is that the truth?" Megumi asked. "Can you really win?"
"Let's find out," she answered, pulling her goggles down over her eyes. "I'm betting everything on this next draw!" Taking the card, she immediately set it face-down into her backrow. The duel disk registered it as a legal move, meaning it truly was a Magic or Trap Card. Whatever the card turned out to be, it would decide the duel.
Megumi wouldn't play recklessly this time, even if it would be more dramatic and a quicker win to Synchro Summon another monster. She'd wait this out patiently. Or, as she really, truly hoped, be shown Yumi's path to victory. "I tribute Funki Trumpet to activate the effect of the one in my Pendulum Zone, so send a monster to your Graveyard." Yumi quickly sent Hat-Trick Magician, not looking to confirm her set as what she hoped it was.
"I set a monster and three cards face-down to end my turn." It was possible Yumi's card would activate on summon, so she couldn't afford to return cards to her field with a Pendulum Summon. Setting Key was the safest move.
"Draw!" Yumi declared. Her newest card only confirmed to her that this was her time to win. "I play Restraint Release Wave!" The card appeared on her field, the band having completely traded sides at this point as the music rose to match Yumi's courage. "I destroy my Fighting Spirits card to destroy all your set Magic and Trap Cards!" Megumi shielded her face as all her set cards were blown away. A few were feints, but one would have truly decimated Yumi's monster if she charged in.
"Illusion King Robbins, attack the face-down Funki Key! Sleight of Hand!" It was obvious what she'd set, confirmed as the monster materialized out of the back of its card. "This is it! The last attack! Reverse Card, open!" To her own amazement, the card she activated was exactly what she hoped it would be. "Strike Shot!"
Robbins took a single playing card in its hand, leaping back and charging forward, a mach cone developing around it as it homed in on the Key. "Strike Shot increases an attacking monster's ATK by 700 and lets it inflict piercing battle damage until the end of this turn!" For the first time all duel, Megumi was truly caught off guard by this play. A total leap of faith had paid off in spades. It was genuinely amazing.
With a swift motion, the magician stopped right behind the opponent's monster and tipped its hat over its eyes. Suddenly, Funki Key collapsed into two even pieces. The resulting damage was more than enough to deplete Megumi's Life Points to 0. Yumi had won just like she promised.
The holograms faded from the field, the crowd applauding and cheering much louder than a typical jazz club would tolerate. Rather than celebrate, Yumi was preoccupied with not falling over from all the stress that had accumulated during the last attack. Taking the initiative, Megumi walked to Yumi's side of the stage, holding her hand in the air. "This is Takano Yumi, the future World Duel Monsters Champion! Remember her name, everyone!"
After the crowd quieted, the two of them returned to backstage where Sakuya had collapsed on the couch from embarrassment. "I can't believe I said all that in front of all those people," she said, covering her face with her hands as Yumi pet her head.
"Shiro Sakuya is so cute and innocent," Yumi crooned, hugging her friend and rubbing her face against her.
"I hate you and everyone in this building," she said.
"Kuro is fine, too." She laughed, looking at her feet. "You really helped me, though. I thought it was over, but you actually inspired me to keep going. I'm not even sure how everything worked out like it did, but I think it was because you were here."
Sakuya scoffed, trying to hide any further embarrassment behind aloofness. "You won on your own. I can't change fate, or anything."
"Imagine if you could, though," Yumi said, a dreamy expression on her face. "That'd be so cool." Sakuya sighed, smiling. Everything had worked out in the end. They'd avoided catastrophe once more and could head home after a long day.
Megumi approached the two of them, wiping her face and neck with a towel and handing Yumi a tall glass of ice water. "That was the most fun I've had dueling in years," she said as Yumi began noisily chugging the drink, Sakuya still distrustful and frowning. "I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused you two, but I hope at least something good came out of all of this."
Yumi inhaled loudly, setting the glass of ice on a coffee table in front of the couch. "Did you mean that stuff at the end?" she asked hopefully. "You think I can be the World Champion?"
"I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it. You have more talent than most people I've ever met during my career. More than me, even. If you keep improving, I have no doubt you'll have your shot at the title." Yumi beamed, hopping up and down in excitement.
"I believed in her first," Sakuya grumbled to herself, arms crossed and pouting.
Megumi smiled at the two of them. "You're always welcome to come back here. The door's always open, especially for you two."
Yumi jumped from her seat and hugged Megumi in delight. Sakuya wouldn't have it, though. "If you really want to do something to make up for all this, why don't you tell us who keeps sending you people after Yumi?"
"That would actually be really helpful, yeah. If I could just talk to whoever this is, maybe we could work things out."
Megumi sighed, looking disappointed. "The truth is, I'm not entirely sure who they are. An elderly man approached me a few days ago with a bunch of money and pictures of the both of you and said I'd get it if I defeated you with the stipulations. Just an...actual briefcase full of money. It was really contrived, honestly."
"Do you think it was that man who's behind this?" Sakuya asked her.
Megumi shook her head. "I doubt it. He specifically mentioned he was hiring me on behalf of someone else, but I don't know who that would be. Someone with the resources to put together a bunch of money and find me after retiring and hiding my real name."
"Tenmei Megumi," she interjected. "Kanto Regional Champion from three years ago."
"Is that true?" Yumi shouted, excitement building once again.
Megumi laughed. "Yes, it's very true. You're very observant, Sakuya."
"I remember watching you on TV when I was little! You were so good and so pretty, and you're still so good and so pretty! I wanted to be just like you, but I could never get any Synchro Monsters."
"It seems like it was for the better. You're quite the expert when it comes to Xyz."
Sakuya cleared her throat impatiently. "So what you're saying is you have no idea who it was that wanted you to act as an assassin."
"I'm afraid not. Sorry."
"Then I guess this was a waste of time. Come on, Yumi. We've got other stuff to do today."
"Like what?" she asked innocently.
"Just...stuff. Let's go."
"Actually, wait." Megumi walked away from the two and went through a door, returning shortly after with a cell phone. "I just remembered that the man gave me a number to call when I'd finished my duel with you. Honestly, you saved me a whole lot of trouble just wandering in here on your own. This would have taken much longer otherwise."
"Dial it and see who picks up," Yumi suggested. She did just that, putting the call on speaker so all three of them could listen in. It started to ring as they waited for an answer. The phone continued buzzing for almost an entire minute, the group losing more and more patience with every one. Suddenly, their call picked up.
"Is it done?" a strangely girlish voice said from the other end. Maybe that's just how old men speak these days, though. It wasn't their place to judge.
"I was afraid you wouldn't answer," Megumi said, trying to hide her confusion at what seemed like a completely different (and much younger person) talking to her. "Can I ask who it is who hired me now?"
"No," the person said flatly. "Is it done?" They repeated.
"Not quite," she replied. "It turns out she was just too good and ended up beating me."
"How is that possible?" The voice asked, starting to raise higher.
"Ask her yourself," Megumi told her.
"Hello!" Yumi greeted. "I don't know why you keep getting people to duel me for you. I'll duel you whenever you want if you just ask." A few seconds passed in total silence before the call ended abruptly from the other side. "That was weird."
"Guess I won't be getting paid," Megumi said cheerfully. They tried to call again a few more times, but it never connect. "Seems like we won't get another chance to talk."
Sakuya sighed. "Then we're not any closer to finding out who that person is. Wonderful."
"Sounded kind of familiar, though, don't you think?" Yumi asked.
"I might be wrong, but I doubt I'm the last person they'll send for you. You two take care of each other." The girls left the building shortly after to continue the day and decompress after everything that happened, alerting their friends that another person had been hired to battle Yumi.
There was plenty of time before the next show, Megumi thought as she poured some alcohol into a glass in the storage area. She wasn't really a drinker, so she had no idea what this actually was, just that it burned going down and would hopefully help her get through the rest of the day. As soon as she saw those two, she knew she couldn't tell them the truth.
There was no money. What kind of old man walks into a place like this holding a big briefcase full of bills? All he had was a letter from whoever it was pulling the strings in this whole affair, apparently doing more thorough research than even Sakuya about her past and secrets she'd rather remain hidden. Given that she'd lost and probably pissed that person off over the phone, there wasn't much doubt Aragawa would be receiving something incriminating in the mail.
She'd done so well to hide things up until now, too. She'd moved across the country, had her information legally changed, and even reregistered with the pro leagues when she was a duelist. The version of her standing as the Regional Champion of Kanto was truly who she was, but would saying anything like that matter anymore?
How would everyone react? Would they fire her? She'd only seen Koichi become physical with someone once before; would this be the second time? Rumors would spread quickly, so what about her fans? No doubt her address would be leaked sooner or later, and when that happened...
She capped the bottle after finishing the last of the beverage, replacing it and taking the glass to the kitchen. Right now, she still had a job, still had friends, still had a reputation and safety. Right now, she'd prepare for the worst, but today wasn't even over yet. There were more songs to sing, so that's all she'd focus on for right now. She almost felt bad for that old man, given how unhappy he'd looked when he arrived here before. Anyone who worked for that heartless master probably didn't have much reason to be happy, though.
In her study, Rio had just finished demolishing her cellphone after hanging up on Megumi. "Did they just become best friends during the whole fight to the death thing?" she yelled, kicking the broken bits of plastic circuitry across the floor. Storming out of the room, she looked side to side down either end of the hallway. "Fukuro!" she screamed.
The gray haired butler quickly approached the sounds of screaming. "Yes, Miss Rio?" he said to her, bowing respectfully.
"I just broke another phone," she told him, anger clearly in her voice despite its level tone. "Why do you think that is?"
"Perhaps it did not meet your standards of performance?"
"No, you brainless old man. I just finished a call with the Regional Champion telling me she'd been beaten. The same person you hand picked for me – insisted could never lose and would get this job done in a week's time – has been beaten."
"I apolo-"
"The Regional. Champion. Was beaten by a twelve year old." She paused for an uncomfortably long amount of time. "Care to explain how that happened?"
He cleared his throat apprehensively. "Well, in her defense, Miss Rio, it was three years ago. She'd since retired, and that likely affected her skills."
"Oh, well that just makes everything okay," she replied mockingly. "I don't care if she just woke up from a coma in all that time! If you picked her, she should get the job done!"
"Yes, Miss Rio. I'm very sorry. It is entirely my fault for selecting such a lacking candidate."
"You're just lucky my parents want you here, otherwise I'd have you thrown out onto the streets already."
"And I thank you for your generosity and understanding, Miss Rio. I accept full responsibility for this failure and beg your forgiveness once more." He bowed low, trying to calm her fury so she wouldn't end up taking out her anger on any of the other staff again.
"Fukuro, how old are you?" She asked.
"76, Miss Rio. Why do you ask?"
She scoffed. "And you still don't know how to properly beg for forgiveness? Is my father just keeping you here out of pity?"
He hesitated for a moment, then slowly got to his knees and touched his forehead to the ground. "Please forgive me, Miss Rio. Our next candidate will surely be better." He felt her foot begin to press into the back of his skull.
"That's much better," she told him. "I'll let you off for this one, but I'm losing my patience." She moved her foot, only to spit on him before turning to leave.
Slowly, he stood back up, wiping his head with a handkerchief. "Miss Rio, I had a thought earlier regarding the skill of the card professors."
"I'm listening intently for a reason why I should care about your opinions."
"Have you considered that perhaps your...methods may be disrupting their will to fight?" Immediately, he could tell she was getting upset again for having her blackmail questioned. "I simply mean that it's possible these people can't play to their fullest capacity with such heavy stipulations in mind. I may not have any experience with this game, but I am a 4-dan in Go, as you're aware. During my brief career as a professional, I'd seen time and time again that those who play unwillingly or for causes other than their own can never fully utilize their ability. I only suggest that you try a different approach if you continue this endeavor."
This gave Rio pause. She hummed, touching her lip in thought. "That's actually not a completely uneducated observation." She nodded. "You're right, Fukuro. No matter how strong these people you choose are, they all see so reluctant to go after a little girl, even one as completely unappealing and stupid as that one. We'll need a different kind of person to do this job."
She chuckled to herself, pacing back and forth. "Yes, someone who would do this kind of thing on their own without us even needing to ask. A real lowlife, even. And any kind of incentive we give them would just motivate them even more to do the job."
Rio left for her room, telling Fukuro over her shoulder to order her a new phone and start putting together a list of the seediest duelists he can find in the city. He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the door slam, trying to look on the bright side in that no one but him would have to deal with that anger for the rest of the day.
Not much of a bright side, but it was the most he could expect anymore. He blamed himself for this behavior and everything the young lady had turned into. The first signs of this were clear as day looking back on it, but he let it continue. It seemed like nothing but a reaction to the loneliness that came with having her parents so absent as they were, but if he'd only known what this would turn into, he'd have put a stop to it immediately.
Maybe one day she'd see what she's doing and reconsider her choices. Reevaluate how her actions affect others. He hoped for that greatly, and for her to return to being the girl he'd known years before. But until then, he'd have to do as she instructed, lest she bring about even more turmoil to the household. For now, it meant making another list.
Cards Used in Order of Appearance
Scaredy Lion
EARTH
Level 4
Beast
1300 ATK/ 1000 DEF
Cyclone (Mystical Space Typhoon)
Quick-Play Spell Card
Target 1 Spell/Trap Card on the field; destroy that target.
Attack Nullification
Counter Trap Card
When an opponent's monster declares an attack: Target the attacking monster; negate the attack, then end the Battle Phase.
Funki Cornet
WIND
Level 6
1/1
Machine/Pendulum/Effect
1900 ATK/1800 DEF
Pendulum – You can destroy this face-up card in your Pendulum Zone; add 1 "Funki" Pendulum Monster from your Deck or face-up in your Extra Deck to your hand with a different Pendulum Scale than this card. Negate that card and any cards with the same name's Pendulum Effect until the End Phase. You can only use this effect of "Funki Saxophone" once per turn.
Monster – Once per turn: You can discard 1 "Funki" Pendulum Monster in your hand to add 1 face-up "Funki" Pendulum Monster in your Extra Deck to your hand. If you summon that monster this turn, or a card with the same name, its effects are negated until the End Phase.
Funki Trombone
WIND
Level 5
2/2
Machine/Pendulum/Effect
2200 ATK/1800 DEF
Pendulum – Once per turn, when a Pendulum Monster you control inflicts battle damage to your opponent: Declare 1 card type (Monster, Spell, or Trap); your opponent sends 1 card of that type from their Deck to the Graveyard.
Monster – If this card inflicts battle damage to your opponent; you can add 1 face-up "Funki" Pendulum Monster in your Extra Deck to your hand with a different Pendulum Scale than any card on your side of the field.
Chromatic Scale
Normal Spell Card
Target 1 Pendulum Monster activated in your Pendulum Zone; add 1 "Funki" Pendulum Monster from your Deck to your hand with a different Pendulum Scale than the target. You can only activate 1 "Chromatic Scale" per turn.
Friendly Fire (Bad Aim)
Normal Trap Card
When your opponent's card or effect is activated: Target 1 card on the field (other than that card); destroy it.
Funki Trumpet
WIND
Level 4
7/7
Machine/Pendulum/Effect
1900 ATK/1500 DEF
Pendulum – This card's Pendulum Scale becomes 4 if you do not have a "Funki" Pendulum Monster in your other Pendulum Zone. Target 1 face-up card on your side of the field, except this card; destroy it, and if you do, your opponent sends 1 card of the same type (Monster, Spell, or Trap) from their Deck to the Graveyard. You can only use this effect of "Funki Trumpet" once per turn. You cannot Special Summon monsters for the rest of the turn after you activate this effect, except by Pendulum Summon.
Monster – If this card was Pendulum Summoned this turn: You can add 1 face-up "Funki" Pendulum Monster in your Extra Deck to your hand with a different Level from this card.
Butter Fly
WIND
Level 3
Insect
900 ATK/700 DEF
Crane Crane
EARTH
Level 3
Winged Beast/Effect
300 ATK/900 DEF
When this card is Normal Summoned: You can target 1 Level 3 monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon that target, but its effects are negated. You can only use this effect of "Crane Crane" once per turn.
Illusion King Robbins
LIGHT
Rank 3
Spellcaster/Xyz/Effect
2300 ATK/1500 DEF
2 Level 3 monsters
Once per turn: You can detach 2 Xyz Material from this card and target 1 monster in your opponent's Graveyard; equip that target to this card. When a monster is equipped to this card by its own effect, it gains ATK equal to half the ATK of the equipped monster. While this card is equipped with an opponent's monster: You can Tribute this card; Special Summon 1 monster from your hand, Deck, or Graveyard with ATK equal to or less than this card's ATK on the field.
Backbeat
Normal Trap Card
Activate when an opponent's monster declares an attack against 1 monster you control: Target that monster; negate that target's attack, and if you do, you can declare an attack with 1 monster you control in Attack Position. If you declare an attack on an opponent's monster with this effect: Switch the ATK of the battling monsters in the Damage Step only.
Resurrection of the Dead (Monster Reborn)
Normal Spell Card
Target 1 monster in either player's Graveyard; Special Summon it.
Dark Factory of Mass Production
Normal Spell Card
Target 2 Normal Monsters in your Graveyard; add those targets to your hand.
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.
Arms Hole (Hidden Armory)
Normal Spell Card
Send the top card of your Deck to the Graveyard; add 1 Equip Spell Card from your Deck or Graveyard to your hand. You cannot Normal Summon/Set during the turn you activate this card.
Flame Viper
EARTH
Level 2
Pyro
400 ATK/450 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.
Perpetual Oscillation (Echo Oscillation)
Continuous Trap Card
You can target 1 card in your Pendulum Zone; destroy it, then draw 1 card. You can only use this effect of "Echo Oscillation" once per turn.
Funki Bazooka
WIND
Level 3
7/7
Machine/Pendulum/Effect
1200 ATK/1000 DEF
Pendulum – This card's Pendulum Scale becomes 4 if you do not have a "Funki" Pendulum Monster in your other Pendulum Zone. When a monster is successfully Pendulum Summoned from your Extra Deck: You can target 1 face-up card on the field; return it to its owner's hand. This effect of "Funki Bazooka" can only be activated once per turn.
Monster – When a card is sent to your opponent's Graveyard from their Deck this turn: This card gains 500 ATK and DEF until the End Phase.
Twister
Quick-Play Spell Card
Pay 500 LP, then target 1 face-up Spell/Trap Card on the field; destroy that target.
Funki Key
WIND
Level 3
5/5
Machine/Pendulum/Tuner/Effect
900 ATK/700 DEF
Pendulum – If you Pendulum Summon while this card is activated in your Pendulum Zone, destroy this card.
Monster – If this card's Level in the Graveyard is between (exclusive) the Pendulum Scales of 2 cards in your Pendulum Zones: You can Special Summon it. You cannot Pendulum Summon during the turn you activate this effect. When using this card as Synchro Material for the Synchro Summon of a monster other than a "Funki" Synchro Monster, this card's Level becomes 6.
Restraint Release Wave (Release Restraint Wave)
Normal Spell Card
Target 1 face-up Equip Spell Card you control; destroy that Equip Spell Card and all face-down Spell and Trap Cards your opponent controls.
Microtones
Normal Spell Card
Target 1 Pendulum Summoned Pendulum Monster; this turn, increase its Level equal to half its Pendulum Scale (round down to the nearest whole number if necessary).
Funki Brass Leader King
WIND
Level 8
Warrior/Synchro/Effect
2500 ATK/2000 DEF
1 "Funki" Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner Monsters
If this card was Synchro Summoned using a monster that was Pendulum Summoned: Double its ATK until the End Phase. Return any number of cards activated in your Pendulum Zones to your hand; return the same number of face-up cards your opponent controls to their Deck, and if you do, your opponent must send the same type of card (Monster, Spell, or Trap) from their Deck to the Graveyard equal to the number of cards returned by this effect. You can only use this effect of "Funki Brass Leader King" once per turn.
Wallrus
WATER
Level 2
Beast
400 ATK/800 DEF
Rock Warrior (Minomushi Warrior)
EARTH
Level 4
Rock
1300 ATK/1200 DEF
Intrigue Shield
Normal Trap Card
Target 1 face-up monster you control; equip this card to that target. Once per turn, while the equipped monster is in Attack Position, it cannot be destroyed by battle. You take no battle damage from attacks involving it.
Magic Capture (Spell Reclamation)
Normal Trap Card
Discard 1 card and chain this card to a Spell Card you activated. Whenever that Spell Card is sent to the Graveyard, return it to its owner's hand.
Fighting Spirits (Fighting Spirit)
Equip Spell Card
The equipped monster gains 300 ATK for each monster your opponent controls. If it would be destroyed in battle, you can destroy this card instead.
Critter (Sangan)
DARK
Level 3
Fiend/Effect
1000 ATK/ 600 DEF
When this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard: Add 1 monster monster with 1500 or less ATK from your Deck to your hand.
Hat-Trick Magician
DARK
Level 4
Spellcaster
1200 ATK/1500 DEF
Strike Shot (Strike Slash)
Normal Trap Card
When a monster you controls declares an attack: Until the End Phase, that monster gains 700 ATK, also, if it attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing battle damage to your opponent.
Posted this one a week or so early since I have a very bad habit of getting excited and burning through a backlog without regard for having anything waiting to post after. Always works out (it does not work out).
I broke my rule a bit on not mixing words without a character actually speaking another language. I hate myself for it, but there's not really a way I can think of to communicate that sentiment in plain English. Speaking of language, Megumi's monsters aren't "Funki" just because poor literacy is kewl, but so they actually don't cross over into other archetypes that use the word "Funky" in a card's name (which logically means they'd be spelled with different katakana or maybe just in English on the Japanese cards). I know off the top of my head there's a few Entermates like that, and since they're also Pendulums, that could get messy. This is me pretending these intricacies actually matter, given Yuya doesn't exist in this world and neither do his main cards.
Really hope I didn't do a Medusa stepping on Eruka scene at the end. I even thought about taking out most of that last exchange for that reason, but figured it was ultimately important for her character and the progression of the story. Please just don't. She's twelve.
You know, I was thinking on it about a week ago, and I just realized how many Rios there are in this franchise. Bakura, Marufuji, Kamishiro, that kid from Tag Force. I almost feel bad for not thinking while I was making my trash daughter. Almost.
Some of you probably already know what was in the letter by context alone. If you don't, go donate to the Trevor Project or similar group to make up for it, or your country's equivalent.
Not much left to say now, except the next chapter is coming when it comes. Hopefully that won't be months from now. Remember to egao. Because of the Pendulums. Get it?