With Yumi's drive to win back in full force, Kazuhiko is ready to prove his worth as a duelist. Can he possibly defeat his strange opponent and her bizarre strategy?
The fifth round had just begun. Yumi was feeling confident once more, rushing off to face her next opponent. Kazuhiko, as well, was riding high on his winning streak. The improvement he'd made over the summer was finally paying off. For the most part, he had Hideo to thank for that. Unbeknownst to their friends, they'd actually been undergoing rigorous training together whenever they stepped out of the group. Real "sitting under a rushing waterfall and pushing rocks up hills" kind of stuff, but for a card game.
He was confident he was as strong as he'd ever been today. No matter what his next opponent threw at him, he knew he could take it and toss it right back. Approaching the table, he was surprised to find someone else young sitting in the spot across from him.
The first thing he noticed was how plain her field looked (and her brown skin, though he tried not to make a big deal out of that). With all the extravagant mats and other trinkets he'd seen today, it was almost startling to see someone just place a deck and Extra Deck down and be done with it. The next was that hand, dull and metallic and hard to explain. He wrote it off as being some kind of fancy glove, though what purpose it had wasn't clear.
"Yo," he greeted, unrolling his simple yellow mat and shuffling his cards. "Maybe you've heard of me. Name's Kazuhiko Mitsuru. Kind of a big deal in this town, you know?" He got no response. "No need to be intimidated. You made it this far, so I bet you're strong, too."
The fact she wouldn't speak to him and gave up the option for the first turn like it was nothing started to bug him. "Have it your way. If you want to skip the small talk and get right to the main event, that's fine by me." Drawing their cards, the duel began. Kazuhiko started things off, taking a card from his hand and laying it on the table. "I summon New Mutant Acidic Slug!" he declared.
He was still thankful new support had come out for his favorite cards not long before the tournament. He'd been enjoying showing them off all day, and now was no different. The blue slug creature with multiple legs (sort of defeating the purpose of being a slug if the card was being honest with itself) was one of the cornerstones of his new strategy, and he was ready to show his opponent what it could do. "When I Normal Summon this card, I get to Special Summon another Mutant monster from my hand with its second effect already active."
It was an easy selection. "I'm picking my Mutant Bite Hound!" Though it was only at 1500 ATK for now, its immunity to destruction would allow it to sit and grow stronger and stronger with each of his turns, more than making up for his inability to Synchro Summon for the time being. "I'll set a card and end my turn."
Despite his excitement to see what his opponent had in store, Kazuhiko was beginning to feel a small sense of dread building in the pit of his stomach. He couldn't place why, but something felt off about this kid's play style right from the start. Even her completely unenthusiastic draw seemed bizarre. Something wasn't right here.
"Summon MD Base Unit," she said, placing a card on the table. It was a serpentine machine in the image of a dragon, two mechanical wings on its back in place of limbs. "Effect activate. Add two MD Base Unit to hand."
"Not bad," he said, impressed with her speedy hand improvement. Though her monster had nothing in the way of ATK or DEF, its effect was certainly helpful at deck thinning. He spotted its status as a Tuner, as well, pegging her for a kindred spirit in the way of Synchro.
She had no response prepared for the compliment, simply continuing with her turn. "Activate Pot of Greed to draw two cards," she said in monotone. Immediately upon completing its effect, she played another card. "Activate Angel's Chairty to draw three cards, discarding two." After taking her three cards, she dropped two copies of Mecha Hunter into the Graveyard. No mystery on what he deck was about anymore.
"Setting four cards. Turn End." Kazuhiko was taken aback at this. All that drawing and searching just to set a bunch of cards? Seemed like a bunch of wasted effort to him, especially given the pitiful monster left to defend her.
He couldn't help but laugh. "Guess all your drawing turned up nothing. Sorry, but I'm not going to be taking it easy on you just because you made a mistake!" As he took his turn, his Hound grew stronger. With 2000 ATK, he'd make sure she regretted leaving her monster out in the open like that.
Even so, he had to play carefully. He couldn't charge in without thinking when there were four set cards waiting for him. With an almost full backrow, it was highly unlikely they'd all turn out to be feints. Switching his Slug to Defense Position, he went on the offensive with an unkillable monster. "Bite Hound, attack!"
His opponent didn't react, simply placing the card into the Graveyard as her Life Points were halved. Kazuhiko's smile soon dropped, though, as she turned over one of her set cards. "Activate Damage Condenser. Discard one card to summon a monster with ATK less than or equal to damage." She fanned out her deck after discarding a Card Gunner.
"Summon MD Support Unit," she declared, placing down another card showing the imagine a serpentine metal dragon, this one with rib-like metal claws on its abdomen. Though it lacked any ATK or DEF, too, it obviously had some sort of powerful effect for her to bother with playing it out of the blue, especially since her Trap would allow her a vast amount of potential options given the damage he just inflicted.
Through gritted teeth, he reluctantly ended his turn without doing anything beyond setting a second card. Whatever that thing did, it sure wouldn't be pleasant come the next turn. He'd hoped to have at least something to counter it and get it off the field, but he wasn't that lucky.
She took her turn, playing yet another draw card. "Activate Pot of Greed and Avarice. Banish ten cards from top of deck to draw two cards."
"What the hell?" he exclaimed. "You'll trash your deck like that just to draw more cards?" It was inconceivable. Maybe in certain decks, but was this really one that could work with that kind of drawback? What was she trying to go for?
She fulfilled the conditions, drawing her two cards. By his count, this left her with just 13 cards in deck. Was it confidence or arrogance that allowed her to recklessly waste cards like that? He'd likely find out in a few moments.
"Activate MD Support Unit. Banish MD Base Unit from Graveyard to summon MD Base Unit from deck." 12 cards. Could he deck her out? Maybe, but that was a risk in and of itself. More importantly, what was the point of summoning another 0 ATK monster?
Now there were two identical cards on the field. He knew already that she held another two copies of her Tuner, though the next three cards were a mystery, same as her face-downs. "Summon MD Base Unit and activate effect. Adding MD Base Unit to hand."
Her ability to manage her hand was both amazing and appalling. She'd used so many cards yet still managed to hold five cards after so many plays. The ability to recycle MD Base Unit was likely going to be a real pain in the ass if this duel kept going, he could feel it. More importantly, though, she'd assembled three monsters, one of which was a Tuner.
Like he'd let her have the chance. "When you summon that monster, I'll activate this card!" He revealed his Trap, "Mischief of the Yokai!" He smiled, letting out a bit too much of his antagonistic persona than he'd intended. "Every monster on the field loses 2 Levels until the end of this turn, which means you're not going to be able to Synchro Summon like you wanted to."
His celebration was over as soon as it began, however, as she revealed her own Trap Card. "God's Pronouncement. Negate your activated card by paying half my Life Points."
"No way!" That card was impossibly rare. Not only did she have it, but she was callously using it against a card that, frankly, was just a temporary setback for her. This kid was starting to piss him off. "Take this seriously," he told her with a frown.
She ignored him, of course, proceeding with her move undeterred. "Synchro Summon, Level 9," she declared, her voice keeping the same disinterested tone as it always had. "Machine God Dragon – Synchro." Despite its high Level, the multi-headed and gnarly-looking mechanical monster wasn't all that strong. A DEF of 3000 was pretty impressive, but it wasn't in Defense Position. It was in Attack Position with a whopping 0 ATK, just like its materials.
Normally, it would gain the ATK of the non-Tuners used for its summon, but zero plus zero still equals zero. She didn't seem concerned about this, though. "Activate Machine God Dragon – Synchro effect. Banish MD Base Unit to banish Mutant Bite Hound. Gain Life Points equal to ATK and increase monster's ATK by the same amount."
To Kazuhiko's shock and horror, his nearly indestructible monster was just destroyed. On top of that, his opponent was only 1000 shy of full Life Points once more, with a 2000 ATK monster staring him down. "Guess I've accidentally underestimated you. Sorry, I didn't intend to. But if this is what you can really do, then I'm for sure not going to hold back anymore! Bring it on!"
In truth, she couldn't care less about whether he held back or not. All she was concerned with was winning. Ordering an attack, she made short work of Kazuhiko's slug monster, ending her turn after that. "Now you've really fired me up! I'll summon New Mutant Dive Hawk and use its effect!" Irony represented in the form of a card (a bird said to be diving in its name despite the rock-like growth on its body preventing it from taking flight) took the field, allowing Kazuhiko to send a Mutant from his deck to the Graveyard and summon one of the same Level.
"Come out, New Mutant Tricky Armadillo!" he ordered, sending the new monster in order to revive it once more. With a smile, he took both cards in hand. "Won't stay for long, though. Synchro Summon, Level 7! Show her what real power's like, Super Mutant Butcher!" His Synchro Monster hit the field, though what it intended to do with matching ATK wasn't yet clear.
Seemingly without thinking, Kazuhiko immediately began an attack. "Don't think I'd just try to beat down both our cards. Because I used Tricky Armadillo as material to Synchro Summon Butcher, it can't be destroyed by battle or targeted by your effects! So even if we've got the same ATK, your dragon is the only thing that's about to be destroyed!"
Though she felt no such emotion, it almost seemed she played her next card wordlessly out of spite. Metalization – Magic-Reflection Armor revealed itself. Targeting her Machine God Dragon, Kazuhiko's Butcher didn't manage to inflict any damage to its target, instead costing its owner 300 Life Points. Even so, it remained on the field and would be immune to the dragon's effect.
"Damn," he cursed, setting a card before ending his turn. Despite the setback, he'd actually accounted for this possibility. The bigger concern would be whether or not he could pull off his next trick. If it worked, her ace monster would be destroyed and he'd have a clear path to victory.
She began her turn by drawing a card. Seemingly wasting no time, she attacked Super Mutant Butcher. Because of her Trap's effect, Machine God Dragon's ATK grew further to 3300 during that battle, though Kazuhiko seemed to have gotten exactly what he wanted. "I activate Evolution's Folly!"
The Trap featured an army of Mutant monsters, all swollen to incredibly size despite the obvious pain they seemed to be feeling. "Until the end of the turn, one of my Mutants gains ATK equal to what it would get for making it to another of my turns, and all your monsters lose the same amount!" In the middle of the Damage Step, Machine God Dragon's ATK would fall to 2500, while Super Mutant Butcher's ATK rose to 2800. In a stunning turnaround, he actually managed to defeat the enemy's overpowered card, even managing to return the 300 damage.
Despite less than a second's hesitation, she wordlessly moved her card to the Graveyard. "Summon Necroface, effect activate. Return all banished cards to the deck and gain 100 ATK for each returned to the Main Deck."
"Looks like you've got more than just Machines in there after all," Kazuhiko commented while shuffling his deck. It was a good card to have in a deck like that, though only managing to rise to 2400 ATK wouldn't do it much good. He figured she considered the damage taken next turn to be worth adding back the cards she'd lost.
"Draw!" he declared. Butcher's 2800 ATK became permanent, with its Level increasing to 8. "I'll activate Dark Zone to boost the ATK of every DARK monster on the field by 500." Though it would momentarily benefit her, he wasn't worried. Up until now, every monster in her deck had been EARTH. Necroface was likely an outlier, meaning he should be safe to play his Field Card without fear.
"I'll summon Mutant Venom Cobra, too! Attack, Butcher! Cobra!" Butcher would hit first, destroying Necroface and dropping his opponent's Life Points to 2300. Cobra was next, inflicting a hearty 1700 to leave her with only 600. "But I'm not done yet. While I'm still in the Battle Phase, I activate my Instant Magic Card, Mutagen!"
That card would let him activate a Mutant monster's secondary effect until the End Phase of the turn. He selected Butcher, obviously. Now that it destroyed a monster, he'd get to use its effect and summon out his true ace monster, practically winning the duel then and there. He had this game in the bag now.
Unfortunately, his plans weren't quite as airtight as he wished. His opponent's final Trap revealed itself to be Magic Jammer. "Damn it!" he shouted as she discarded a third Mecha Hunter to negate his Mutagen card. He was forced to end what he didn't yet realize was his final turn.
She drew a card, then summoned MD Base Unit. Predictable at this point, letting her search the one returned to the deck previously. What happened next, though, was truly unexpected and made his blood run cold. "Activate Fusion," she declared.
Kazuhiko could only watch as she used all three MD Base Units as material to summon out another powerful monster. "Fusion Summon, Level 9. Machine God Dragon – Fusion." Unlike the one that came before, this monster was prepared to do battle. Taking on the form of a mechanized European dragon, its 3000 ATK was only going to grow further.
"Effect activate. When summoned, banish all monsters in both Graveyards and gain 100 ATK for each." Its ATK grew to 4300, Necroface banishing another five cards from the top of each of their decks to go along with it. It hardly mattered, though.
Despite Kazuhiko's assurance that he'd manage to scrape by until next turn, his opponent had no intention of letting there be another turn to this duel. She attacked Super Mutant Butcher strangely, activating another card during the Damage Step. "Activate Limiter Removal. Doubles the ATK of all Machine monsters."
And with that her dragon's ATK soared to 8600, completely obliterating Kazuhiko's remaining Life. Had he not been playing while sitting in a seat, he'd likely have been flung across the room by the force of the attack in a typical game. But this was a low-tech version of Duel Monsters where the only force that hit him now was the overwhelming sense of power this child several years younger than him exuded. He realized now that his bad feelings about her weren't simply because of her strange mannerisms but the unmistakable sense of danger she exuded.
"Not bad, kid," he said, trying to remain nonchalant despite a hint of legitimate fear growing inside him. "You really got me. Good luck in the rest of the tournament." She packed up wordlessly and began to leave, Kazuhiko taking hold of her left hand from across the table before she could turn away. "Wait," he said, feeling the strange sensation of metal between his fingers. That hand was artificial?
Seeing her eyes go wide and body tense at being grabbed, he released immediately. "Sorry. I just wanted to know if you'd tell me your name now. Not like I'm your opponent anymore." He could have easily looked at the display on the table during their duel, but he felt like it was best for her to be the one to say it. He also forgot to do that before that information disappeared.
She stood frozen for several seconds, her mouth beginning to slightly open before spotting the woman who had taken her to this tournament. Any desire she might have had to speak to Kazuhiko vanished instantly, nearly causing her to run away from the table towards the woman, leaving him extremely confused.
He found his way back to the group's meeting point, Yumi already excitedly telling Hideo (who'd gone off to explore with Sachi to allow Yumi's grandmother a chance to watch her duel) how she'd defeated her opponent with a massive Xyz combo play. "Yo," he called out, starting to feel a bit down now that the reality of losing began to set in.
"Did you hear? I won!" Yumi didn't even bother to acknowledge his greeting, too excited to obey social convention. "You won, too, right?" She'd already begun hopping.
"Not exactly," he said, combing through his pompadour. Everyone's faces took on either a look of shock or confusion, all except for Sachi who grumpily drank from a cup of water (she wasn't happy her sugar was being restricted now).
"Do you mean actual loss or 'I forgot how to play Duel Monsters and attacked without thinking' loss?" Sakuya asked. Even she was surprised by this turn of events.
"Actual loss," he said with an eye roll. "My opponent was just...oppressively strong. I thought I had her a couple times, but by the end I realized she wasn't even playing seriously the entire time."
"She was toying with you?" Sakuya asked, tapping a finger against her lips.
"Not even that. It was like she was looking past me the whole game. Like she barely even registered me as an opponent." The more he thought about the duel, the worse he started to feel. Chills ran down his spine remembering her gaze and the uncaring way she commanded her cards. There was no love or passion for the game, no enjoyment whatsoever. She seemed as much like a machine as the monsters in her deck.
"Who did you play?" Yumi asked having long since stopped hopping. Hideo pulled out their phone to search for the name after Kazuhiko admitted he never found out. They all peered at the screen at once. "Kasuga Yuu," she read for the group. All four silently committed it to memory.
Kazuhiko sighed. "For your sake, I hope she loses the next two rounds." Despite giving a laugh, there a part of Yumi, however small, that agreed with him. If everything he'd told her was true, this player didn't seem like an ordinary opponent. She feared a match against her might even draw out that card. Izar would certainly be intrigued by someone like that. She could feel it.
"Well done, Yuu," the woman told her, nails stabbing into her shoulder as she stroked her hair. "You only have two more round before the finals, and I know you wouldn't disappoint me by losing even one of them." She shook her head silently. "Good. Keep performing like this and I might even give you a reward when we return home."
This was hardly motivating for her. None of her handler's rewards were ever something to look forward to. They were just uncomfortable and painful in more ways than one, some of them indescribably awful from an emotional level. She'd never been taught the kind of words she'd need to talk about that pain, regardless. And, regardless, she would continue to perform just as she was now. It was her duty whether she liked it or not.
"Take care of anything you need to before the start of the next round. I'll be reporting our progress until then. Don't speak to anyone unless absolutely necessary." Though Yuu nodded in obedience to these commands, the woman felt it necessary to take a small silver bell from her pocket, ringing it once in front of her. Yuu shuddered and closed her eyes in response, feeling absolutely down to the core of her being that she must obey after hearing that noise.
"Good girl," the woman told her, patting her head once before leaving to contact someone. Yuu merely pulled the hood attached to her jacket over her head and clutched her knees to her chest, sitting against the wall in the same spot until the next round began.
Cards Used in Order of Appearance
New Mutant Acidic Slug
DARK
Level 3
Sea Serpent/Tuner/Effect
1000 ATK/700 DEF
When this card is Normal Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 "Mutant" monster from your hand. A monster summoned by this effect is treated as having been face-up on the field for 3 of your Standby Phases. You cannot Synchro Summon using this card the turn you activate this effect.
Mutant Bite Hound
DARK
Level 4
Reptile/Effect
1500 ATK/1200 DEF
During your Standby Phase: Increase this card's ATK 500 and Level by 1. If this effect is activated 3 times while this card remains face-up on the field: This card cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects.
MD Base Unit
EARTH
Level 3
Machine/Tuner/Effect
0 ATK/0 DEF
When this card is Summoned: Add up to 2 "MD Base Unit" cards from your Deck or Graveyard or that are banished to your hand. While this card is in your Graveyard, you can return 1 of your banished Machine-Type monsters to the Graveyard; add this card to your hand. You can only use each effect of "MD Base Unit" once per turn.
Pot of Greed
Normal Spell Card
Draw 2 cards.
Angel's Charity (Graceful Charity)
Normal Spell Card
Draw 3 cards, then discard 2.
Mecha Hunter (Mechanicalchaser)
Dark
Level 4
Machine
1850 ATK/800 DEF
Damage Condenser
Normal Trap Card
When you take battle damage: Discard 1 card; Special Summon 1 monster from your Deck with ATK less than or equal to the battle damage you took, in face-up Attack Position.
Card Gunner (Card Trooper)
EARTH
Level 3
Machine/Effect
400 ATK/400 DEF
Once per turn: You can choose a number from 1 to 3, then send that many cards from the top of your Deck to the Graveyard; this card gains 500 ATK for each card sent to the Graveyard this way, until the end of this turn. If this card you control is destroyed and sent to your Graveyard: Draw 1 card.
MD Support Unit
EARTH
Level 3
Machine/Effect
0 ATK/0 DEF
You can banish 1 Machine-Type monster from your Graveyard; Special Summon 1 "MD Support Unit" from your hand or Deck in face-up Attack Position. This effect of "MD Support Unit" can only be used once per turn. Banish the monster summoned by this effect at the End Phase of this turn.
Pot of Greed and Avarice (Pot of Desires)
Normal Spell Card
Banish 10 cards from the top of your Deck, face-down; draw 2 cards. You can only activate 1 "Pot of Desires" per turn.
Mischief of the Yokai
Normal Trap Card
Each face-up monster on the field loses 2 Levels, until the End Phase. You can remove from play this card from your Graveyard to select 1 face-up monster and reduce its Level by 1, until the End Phase. This effect cannot be activated the same turn this card is sent to the Graveyard.
God's Pronouncement (Solemn Judgment)
Counter Trap Card
When a monster would be Summoned, OR a Spell/Trap Card is activated: Pay half your Life Points; negate the Summon or activation, and if you do, destroy that card.
Machine God Dragon – Synchro
EARTH
Level 9
Machine/Synchro/Effect
? ATK/3000 DEF
MD Base Unit + 2 non-Tuner Machine-Type monsters
Must be Synchro Summoned, and cannot be Special Summed by other ways. The ATK of this card is equal to the combined ATK of all non-Tuner monsters used to summon it. Once per turn: You can return 1 banished Machine-Type monster to your Graveyard; banish 1 face-up monster on your opponent's side of the field, and if you do, gain Life Points equal to half its ATK on the field. This monster gains ATK equal to the ATK of monsters it banishes.
New Mutant Dive Hawk
DARK
Level 3
Rock/Tuner/Effect
700 ATK/500 DEF
When this card is Normal Summoned: You can send 1 "Mutant" monster from your Deck to the Graveyard; Special Summon 1 "Mutant" monster from your Graveyard with the same Level.
New Mutant Tricky Armadillo
DARK
Level 4
Wyrm/Effect
1700 ATK/1000 DEF
If this card is Normal Summoned: Add 1 "Mutant" Spell/Trap Card from your Deck to your hand. If this card is used as Synchro Material for the Synchro Summon of a "Mutant" monster, it cannot be targeted or destroyed by your opponent's card effects or destroyed by battle.
Super Mutant Butcher
DARK
Level 7
Psychic/Synchro/Effect
2000 ATK/500 DEF
1 "Mutant" Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner "Mutant" monsters
During your Standby Phase: Increase this card's ATK by 800 and Level by 1. If this effect is activated 4 times while this card remains face-up on the field: You can Tribute this face-up card at the end of your Battle Phase after this card destroys another monster by battle; Special Summon 1 "Mutant" Synchro Monster from your Extra Deck that has a higher Level than this card. The monster summoned by this effect can activate its second effect.
Metalization – Magic-Reflection Armor (Metalmorph)
Normal Trap Card
Target 1 face-up monster on the field; equip this card to that target. It gains 300 ATK and DEF. If it attacks, it gains ATK equal to half the ATK of the attack target, during damage calculation only.
Evolution's Folly
Normal Trap Card
Target 1 "Mutant" monster you control; it gains ATK equal to the ATK it would gain for being on the field for an additional Standby Phase until the End Phase. Your opponent's face-up monsters lose the same amount of ATK and DEF until the End Phase.
Necroface
DARK
Level 4
Zombie/Effect
1200 ATK/1800 DEF
If this card is Normal Summoned: Shuffle all banished cards into the Deck. This card gains 100 ATK for each card shuffled into the Main Deck by this effect. If this card is banished: Each player banishes 5 cards from the top of their Deck (or their entire Deck, if less than 5).
Dark Zone (Mystic Plasma Zone)
Field Spell Card
Increase the ATK of all DARK monsters by 500 points and decreases their DEF by 400 points.
Mutant Venom Cobra
DARK
Level 3
Fairy/Effect
1200 ATK/800 DEF
During your Standby Phase: Increase this card's ATK by 300 and Level by 1. If this effect is activated 3 times while this card remains face-up on the field: When this card inflicts battle damage; inflict 300 damage to your opponent.
Mutagen
Quick-Play Spell Card
Target 1 "Mutant" monster on your side of the field; apply its second effect until the End Phase.
Magic Jammer
Counter Trap Card
When a Spell Card is activated: Discard 1 card; negate the activation, and if you do, destroy it.
Fusion (Polymerization)
Normal Spell Card
Fusion Summon 1 Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck, using monsters from your hand or field as Fusion Materials.
Machine God Dragon – Fusion
EARTH
Level 9
Machine/Fusion/Effect
3000 ATK/2100 DEF
MD Base Unit + 2 Machine-Type monsters with the same level
Must be Fusion Summoned with the above monsters, and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. When this card is Fusion Summoned: Banish all monsters in both player's Graveyards, then increase this card's ATK by 100 for each card banished by this effect. When this card attacks, it is unaffected by the effects of opponent's Spell Cards until the end of the Damage Step. This attacking card cannot be destroyed.
Limiter Removal
Quick-Play Spell Card
Double the ATK of all Machine-Type monsters you currently control, until the end of this turn. During the End Phase of this turn, destroy those monsters.
Two stories in one day. I must be a fucking wizard. If you don't know what I'm talking about, check my page. Posted a little JoJo's thing I'd been working on for a while. Turned out okay.
But no one cares about that. People are here for those card games. And I delivered on that front. Kazuhiko's got some new cards that I finalized literally as I was writing this at 4:00 AM. Still can't win a fucking duel, though. Maybe one day I'll let him have it, but not today.
And then there's Yuu. Like I said before (Did I? It's fucking 10:00 AM and I've been up for close to 24 hours now and can't remember a goddamn shit.), she's kind of the entire reason this story exists in the first place. She as a character has existed in stuff I've written for years now and I've been using a different version of her with different tweaks to her overall concept in lots of different things because I love her. And in every single one of those stories she's had a rough life. I feel bad for her and I should probably let her finally rest after she's completed her purpose in here.
No one's mentioned it yet, but I figured I'd preempt and say I don't have any plans to update the card text to reflect the VRAINS-era changes made recently. I started this in Arc-V time and I figure I'll see it through like that. I'll wait on changing all that until the sequel.
Also I'm planning a sequel after I 100% Reda. First time I've mentioned that publicly. Since we're only about 1/4 of the way through this one, though, don't expect to be seeing it within the next few years. Let's hope I don't die before then.
Speaking of changes, I feel like I should also mention I'll be updating certain cards to reflect current errata text by that time, too. Some of it's due to cards changing after I already used them in the story or me wanting to use a particular anime version more than the sucky real version, but we'll be putting things back on the rails by our next outing. Honestly, the only thing I could actually see making a second appearance in this category would be Sangan, since I'm planning to phase out stuff like anime!Virus and Pot of Greed as things go on. They work here because I'm directly comparing the beginning of this series to the beginning of DM when balance wasn't a thing that anyone even considered for the game, and to hit home that banlists and playstyles are different in this world compared to our own.
But I'm starting to ramble now, so that's probably all I'm going to say for now. Thanks for reading. Always remember to not abuse kids, you fucking animals.