Yumi is forced to confront her fears when the next round lineup places her in a rematch with Taniguchi. But is he the only thing she should be afraid of in this duel?
Yumi spent the next match (Yuu versus Kyo) sound asleep in a chair, snot bubble hanging from her nose. She'd expended quite a bit of energy during the duel with Shigeo after an unexpectedly high-intensity match from someone who seemed so tired himself before it began. Given who her next opponent would be, though, this was probably a good move on her part.
By the time she woke up, the fourth match had already started, Kaori facing off against Shoji. Before she could even have the chance to look around at who was left in the room, Yumi was met with the sight of Yuu sitting in front of her on the other side of the table. Given the intense look she had on her face, it almost seemed like she'd been watching her sleep.
"Hi," Yumi mumbled, stretching her arms and shaking the sleepiness out of her head. "I guess you won if you're sitting there," she said, receiving a nod in reply. "I'm glad. Maybe we'll get to play each other in the finals after all." Remembering who she'd be dueling next, a weak laugh couldn't help but escape her lips. "Maybe."
Other than Taniguchi who occupied himself looking at his cards with only the occasional dismissive glance in their direction, they were the only two left in the room. The current duel was being played on the screen, but neither of them was all that interested in it at the moment. "You dueled my friend earlier in the tournament. He said you were really strong. But don't worry, he didn't tell me about your deck very much so I won't know what you're going to use."
Yuu suddenly produced her cards from her jacket pocket and held them out to Yumi. "N-no, you don't have to show me. I like the surprise, and it's not fair if you let me know what you'll be using ahead of time." Stern faced as always, Yuu quickly put her deck away once more. Was it confidence that let her so brazenly offer up the contents of her deck or did she just not care? Either way, it was kind of weird, yet oddly a bit endearing. She wanted to try and find an excuse to pet her on the head again.
"I'm a little nervous," she finally admitted. "I lost the last time I dueled my opponent, and I don't know if I'll be able to do any better this time. Kind of feels like a waste of time, you know?" Without any warning at all, Yuu reached across the table and placed a hand on Yumi's head, rubbing from side to side to imitate what had been done to her earlier.
After the initial moment of shock passed, Yumi couldn't help but smile. "Thanks." The petting continued until she was forced to touch Yuu's hand, causing her to withdraw it. Not that it wasn't pleasant, but she'd be going out in front of the crowd soon and her hair was already messy enough just by nature.
As soon as she thought that, Kaori returned to the room after having won her match. "Guess I'm up next," Yumi said with a small sigh. "I'll do my best," she told Yuu. "Let's see each other in the finals, okay?" Yuu nodded in response.
Just as last time, she was led around to the other side of the arena. Her heart was beating quicker than she would have liked as she walked out onto the field, forced to meet her opponent in the middle. It actually would have been less stressful if he'd looked at her with anger or contempt, since all her opponent's expression showed was total indifference.
After cutting each others decks, they took their places at opposite ends of the field. He didn't offer the same dismissive chance at surrender as before, though Yumi doubted it was out of newfound respect for her skills. More likely, it would just look bad to the judge standing next to them at the time.
"Duel!" they shouted in unison as was the custom. Taniguchi would be going first this time. Though the chance for him to set up a field was frankly terrifying, Yumi was somewhat relieved she'd be able to dodge any one turn kills for the moment. And, if his previous hand was any indication, his deck was mostly monster, so there wasn't too much to fear when it came to anything set.
That was entirely speculation, though. It would be foolish to bank all her hopes on a single turn in a duel from several rounds back, and she neglected to watch any of his match from earlier in the finals. She couldn't afford to become too sure of herself before he'd even played a card.
Now was no time for daydreaming, though, as he was about to make his incredibly fast move. "Activating Supply Squad. Activating True Dragon Heritage." As soon as the cards appeared on his field, one of them was already about to disappearing, shimmering away to nothing in golden light. "Release Supply Squad to Advance Summon Draius III, the True Dragon Cavalry General."
She didn't really understand how he could do that, but Yumi decided not to question it. He might not be nice, but she doubted he'd try to cheat in front of a huge audience full of people. The MC only seemed impressed by the maneuver, too, and there were no alarms going off on his duel disk, so she just had to accept it as a legal move.
"Destroying Draius III and Bi'an, Dracomet of Earth to summon True Dragon King Lithosazim, the Disaster," he continued. Yumi was at least familiar with the way this card worked, though its effect activating was still pretty bad for her. Her Extra Deck wasn't exactly overflowing to begin with, so the loss of Pragtical, Robbins, and Kachi Kochi Dragon before she even started her first turn was just awful.
"Draius III's effect," he declared, his deck ejecting a monster which he quickly summoned. "Dinomight Knuckle, the True Dragon Fist Fighter." He wasn't ready to stop there, though, Heritage beginning to glow as its effect activated and let him draw a new card.
He seemed pleased with this card, letting Heritage go off once more. "When Heritage's effect happens, I Advance Summon Majesty Maiden, the True Dragon Mage." The sacrifice was Dinomight Knuckle, though that wasn't much of a loss given its lack of effect.
This was, thankfully, the end of his turn. Yumi's normal enthusiasm she'd be feeling at seeing a monster whose name was so complimentary to one of her own simply wasn't there right now. It was silly to think it, but she almost wished she was dueling Rio again. At least she had some kind of passion for the game. Taniguchi just seemed to be on autopilot.
"Now it's my turn!" Yumi declared as she drew her card. It felt gross to have to feign optimism like that, but she hoped pretending would put her back into a state of enjoyment. If nothing else, it was a sign to her opponent that he wouldn't intimidate her into hating this game. Enough people had already tried to do that this summer and she wasn't about to let him be another.
Upon inspecting the card she'd just drawn, Yumi's expression changed to one of pure delight. After a series of short, quiet giggles into her cards, she picked one and slapped it down onto her duel disk. "I summon Flame Viper in Attack Mode!" she declared, the very much outmatched reptile confidently hissing as it appeared on the field.
The reaction from the crowd was a mixture of laughter and applause, overall just amused by the fact she played such a bizarre little card while facing down such strong monsters. Of course, Yumi didn't really intend to send Flame Viper into battle all on its own. That would be irresponsible.
"I equip Flame Viper with Necklace of Supplantation, meaning it gains ATK when it battles a monster with a higher Level equal to the difference between our two cards." Pleased with herself, she pointed towards Lithosazim. "Your monsters might look big and dangerous, but all you've done is set yourself up for an even bigger fall!"
Seemingly unconcerned, Taniguchi simply activated Majesty Maiden's effect, allowing him to add Ignis Heat, the True Dragon Warrior to his hand. "Battle! Flame Viper, attack True Dragon King Lithosazim, the Disaster! That's a difference of 7 Levels, so Flame Viper's ATK will grow to 3900 for this battle!" Just as she explained, Flame Viper's normally puny flames shot forth in a torrent of explosive power, utterly obliterating Lithosazim and taking with it 1400 of Taniguchi's Life Points.
"Amazing! Yumi's taken first blood in this duel! Despite his strong start, Hiroshi's being pushed back! What is he going to do now?" To say he thought the commentary was inane would be an understatement. Despite managing to last more than a single turn this duel, Taniguchi still refused to view Yumi as an actual challenge. All she was to him was a child playing at being a duelist.
Though all of Taniguchi's monsters he had on hand would have more ATK than Flame Viper were they to battle, his position was overall worse than his opponent. Regardless, he didn't expect it to last for much longer. His biggest problem was a lack of cards in hand, which would be mitigated next turn shortly.
Yumi ended her turn by setting two cards, confident in her monster despite its disadvantages. Taniguchi began his turn after that, preparing to do as much damage as possible to cement his superiority. "Activating Disciples of the True Dragon Phoenix, returning Dinomight Knuckle, Lithosazim, and Draius III to the deck to draw a card." His selection shuffling itself back into his deck, he took a new card from the top, giving a quiet hum of affirmation upon seeing it. "After using Disciples of the True Dragon Phoenix, I can Advance Summon a True Dragon. Releasing Disciples of the True Dragon Phoenix and Majesty Maiden to Advance Summon Master Peace, the True Dragonsword King."
This was only the start of his turn, though, Yumi's situation growing more dire by the second. "Disciples effect. Destroy your card." The image of Taniguchi's spent Magic Card appeared behind him, shimmering before shooting out a red blast of energy to shatter one of Yumi's set cards. Majesty Sanction was a rather unfortunate loss, though she would be fine so long as he didn't get rid of her oth-
"Master Peace effect. Banish Disciples to destroy your card." Things were just as bad as they seemed now that Justi-Break had been cleaved in half by that monster's sword. She'd survive the turn assuming nothing else cataclysmic happened, though not by much. "True Dragon Heritage effect, draw two cards." Just as before with Disciples, Heritage's second effect kicked in after that, releasing itself so Taniguchi could summon Ignis Heat, the True Dragon Warrior.
He moved to the Battle Phase after that. Ignis Heat went first, destroying Flame Viper and costing Yumi 500 Life Points in the process. With no monsters in hand, she chose not to return the necklace to the top of her deck given it would be equivalent to suicide. "Attack," he called unenthusiastically, waving a hand forward as Master Peace slashed across Yumi to claim 2950 of her Life in one go.
Despite being blown back, Yumi refused to lose her footing. Gritting her teeth through the attack, she hung on with just 550 Life Points left. Taniguchi set a single card before ending his turn, leaving her with no cards on the field staring down two incredibly powerful monsters. Worse than raw strength, though, was Master Peace's immunity to both monster and Magic effects, as well as its destruction ability.
"Draw!" she declared. No matter what she did, Ignis Heat's effect would have to go off this turn. Most important was eliminating Master Peace, though, as there was still another two cards it could banish. The only problem was that her current hand just wouldn't cut it. At best, she could only buy herself another turn.
"I summon Hat-Trick Magician!" The cartoonish wizard appeared on her field, ready to be of service however it could. "Then, I'll equip it with Rusty Sword, which gives it the effect to increase its own ATK by its DEF." The large weapon appeared to replace the monster's original wand, Hat-Trick Magician having difficulty lifting it as the two of them hit the ground with a thud.
"Ignis Heat effect, adding Disciples of the True Dragon Phoenix." Just as she'd expected, Taniguchi managed to take advantage of her turn once again and add another card to his hand. If nothing else, it was at least a card she'd seen before and, knowing that, she was aware it wouldn't be of much use at the moment.
She'd push through regardless. "Battle! Hat-Trick Magician, attack Ignis Heat!" Mustering up all its strength, Hat-Trick Magician floated forward, spinning like a deadly top towards Ignis Heat.
"Master Peace, banish Supply Squad, destroy Hat-Trick Magician." As always, Taniguchi had a counter. Master Peace rushed to intercept Yumi's attack, planning to cut straight through the magician as it did a turn earlier with her Trap. Fortunately, this was all according to plan.
Yumi extended a hand, revealing her counter. "Armored Block, activate!" As Master Peace took its swing, Hat-Trick Magician stopped its rotation to intercept and cross swords. "For the rest of the turn, none of my monsters equipped with Equip Cards can be destroyed."
For the first time all duel, Taniguchi's composure broke. He grit his teeth at being denied his victory. His intent was to wipe her field and leave her powerless before his cards just as he'd done in their last duel, but the fact he planned that was why she knew her strategy would work, and that didn't sit right with him.
"Keep going!" Yumi commanded. Hat-Trick Magician nodded, continuing on its path to destroy Ignis Heat. "During the Damage Step, I can pay up to 500 Life Points to increase Hat-Trick Magician's ATK by the same amount. I'll do 300!" Now doing a solid 500 damage to Taniguchi, Hat-Trick Magician managed to destroy Ignis Heat without issue. Despite now being at 2100, it still far surpassed Yumi's 250 Life Points.
Of course, just taking a few extra Life Points wasn't her intention. With 50 more ATK than Master Peace now, Hat-Trick would be safe from attacks. Obviously, he'd try to use its effect, but she already had a way to deal with that. "I'll end my turn," Yumi declared, confident in her ability to make it through the next turn despite the tenuous situation she was in.
"Activate True Dragon King's Return," Taniguchi declared, the card flipping up as Yumi's turn drew to a close. "Summoning Majesty Maiden in Defense Mode." Though seemingly nothing more than a way to bolster his defenses, the fact he'd used it on her turn meant he could dodge the card's own limitation of preventing Special Summoning the rest of the turn.
"Banish Heritage, destroy monster." Just like before he went for her monster, and just like before he'd find himself stopped in his tracks.
"If one of my monsters equipped with an Equip Card is going to be destroyed, I can banish Armored Block from my Graveyard to stop its destruction." Master Peace's strike was deflected once more, Taniguchi's overconfidence proving to be a greater enemy than any of Yumi's cards at the moment. With disdain, he switched his monster to Defense Position, set a card in the backrow, and summoned Ignis Heat again with True Dragon King's Return before ending.
Yumi began her turn positively elated upon seeing what she'd just drawn. "I activate Pot of Greed, letting me draw two cards!" Though the cards she got out of it wouldn't exactly help her win the duel there and then, they'd at least help her accomplish what she needed to this turn. "I use the card Poltergeist, returning True Dragon King's Return to your hand." It didn't exactly fit with her style, but it was a pretty helpful card from time to time, and the fact she found it in the literal trash still made her laugh.
With the Trap Card out of the way, Taniguchi would be unable to immediately return whatever Yumi chose to destroy, nor Advance Summon during her turn. "Hat-Trick Magician, destroy Master Peace!" Overcoming what was once her biggest obstacle in the duel, she breathed a sigh of relief as the game finally seemed to be tilting in her favor. Setting a card, she ended her turn.
Unfortunately, her opponent was nowhere near finished. "Activate Secluded Ethereal Waterfall. Second effect, adding Dozen Metatron, the True Dragon Machine Combatant to hand." While she didn't recognize that card (she expected one of the Kings, if anything), it was obviously bad news if he wanted it in his hand right now. And by using his search card on her turn, his deck would be one card smaller by the time he got to draw.
And draw he did, shoving the card into his duel disk with the force of his disdain for Yumi behind it. "Thunderbolt!" he declared, his voice finally breaking its normal disinterested monotone as if to assert dominance through more than swarming the field.
"That card!" the MC yelled. "That's a super rare, super powerful card Hiroshi's got there! With that, all of Yumi's monsters are destroyed in an instant!" Just as he explained, Hat-Trick Magician would finally be bested, not benefiting from any kind of immunity like Master Peace or another shield like Armored Block.
Storm clouds hung above her field, a sharp bolt of lightning raining down to electrify her monster until it was thoroughly destroyed. Then, suddenly, she froze. The crackle of the electricity rung in her ears just as it had that day, bringing her back to the burning pain and forcing the scent of singed flesh and clothing into her nose.
Yumi stood frozen with her arms in front of her chest, shaking while trapped in the memory of her trauma all over again. All the feelings and memories she tried hard to push below the surface since then came back in force, refusing to let her escape them any longer.
"Hey, kid, what are you doing?" The judge stationed on the field approached her, confused as to why she'd only been standing in place since Taniguchi's play. He called to her two more times but couldn't seem to get through to her, Yumi lost in her own mind for the time being.
"Something's wrong," her grandmother said from the stands, almost prepared to jump out of her seat and vault onto the field.
"It's..." Kazuhiko looked to Hideo, then Sakuya to confirm. "It's like the warehouse," they realized in unison.
"What warehouse?" Kyoko asked, eyes fixed on the field as she bit her thumbnail.
Sakuya took a breath, gripping her hat with one hand. "Earlier in the year, we were taken to a warehouse where Yumi was forced to duel on an electrified platform. I think that card reminded her too much of it, and now..."
"I'm going down there," Yumi's grandmother said as she stood up.
"Wait!" Sakuya called, tensing up in her seat and wringing her hands together. "Just...please. Give her a chance."
"She's having a panic attack in the middle of a duel," Kazuhiko said. "She can't continue like that."
"I know. I know..." Sakuya grabbed her hat in both hands and held it against her chest. "She'd feel even worse if someone stopped this duel. Give her a chance to keep going."
After several tense seconds of deliberation, she reluctantly sat back down. "I'll trust you," she said firmly, all eyes now on Yumi as she stood motionless on her side of the arena. A clock had begun to count down to her disqualification for refusing to make a move, though it was obviously not without some sympathy. Both the MC and most of the audience were encouraging her to get back in the game, Taniguchi simply looking at his watch to ensure there weren't any extra seconds tacked onto the time limit.
Second after agonizing second passed, Yumi unable to move. Her brain kept replaying those awful moments for her on repeat, up to and including the deal with Izar. Even beyond the flashbacks, she could feel the pull inside her chest once more. "Use it," she could hear. She didn't know how or why, but that card was back and he wanted her to summon it again.
"Don't let the pressure get to you, Yumi!" the MC called. "Things look dire, but you have to carry on with pride as a duelist! Win or lose, we want to see you make it to the end!" His words, as well as the roar of the crowd, simply passed through her skull unheard, too busy focusing on the flood of emotions the card brought back and fighting back the grip of Izar wanting to take control again.
She could feel him creeping closer in an almost literal sense. A heavy, suffocating aura growing larger behind her with each passing moment. She could feel his influence taking hold of her heart, pain growing in her chest as it felt like something was bearing down on her. Just like before, he promised to make the pain go away, to let her win, to give her the strength to keep moving forward. Whether it was him or her who played the card didn't seem to matter, just as long as it was played.
Summoning every ounce of willpower she still had, Yumi drew her right hand close and bit hard at the space between her thumb and index finger. Her teeth sunk in, a few small trickles of blood running into her mouth. It hurt like hell, but that was the point.
The sudden jolt of pain drew her back to reality, Izar's influences staved off for the time being as her panic began to quiet. Her eyes turned down to look at her hand first, finally opening her mouth as letting a few drops of blood hit the floor. Next, they turned to the countdown, seeing just twenty seconds left before she'd lose. Then it was the field, a shock all on its own considering the entire landscape of the duel had changed since the last time she saw it.
Taniguchi had apparently activated the Disciples of the True Dragon Phoenix he'd searched for earlier, releasing it and his monsters to summon out the Dozen Metatron card, too, taking the form of a glowing golden warrior standing behind him. He'd also set something, no doubt the Trap she'd returned to his hand just a turn prior.
The only reason he hadn't yet mowed her down with such a colossal monster was, in the strangest twist of fate yet, she'd activated her set Emissaries of Reconciliation entirely by accident when her panic attack first started. Surviving the turn like that wouldn't mean much if she was disqualified via time, though.
"S-sorry!" she said to the judge, finally ready to continue.
"Don't worry about it, just start your turn before you run out of time!"
She nodded quickly. "R-right! Draw!" Seeing her officially back in action urged the crowd into a cheer, her friends finally breathing a sigh of relief to see that she was able to function again. Despite having the will to fight once more, though, there wasn't much she could do right now. Her field was empty and the card she'd just drawn was all she could use. She had no choice but to set it and end her turn unceremoniously.
"Activate True Dragon King's Return," Taniguchi declared. The choice was obvious, Master Peace appearing on the field beside Dozen Metatron. After beginning his turn, the next obvious action was to switch it to Attack Position. "Battle," he declared, the blue flames emitted from Dozen Metatron's wings turning white as it moved forward.
"Attack Nullification!" Yumi declared, the card revealing itself to end the Battle Phase. As the only kind of card left that could affect Taniguchi's ace, her Traps were now more valuable than ever. Despite this, there wasn't much she could do with this one besides buy time.
"Set monster. Summoning Majesty Maiden in Defense Mode. Pass turn." The situation was looking more grim by the second. He just continued to build his forces while Yumi scrambled to stay alive. If her next draw couldn't turn the situation around, she'd lose for sure.
In an instant, she found herself inside her head once more. Not in the same way as her panic attack, but in a more literal sense. The white expanse from before surrounded her, Izar sticking out immediately like a stain. "You're being really stubborn lately."
She took a step back, though distance didn't seem to matter to him. Izar seemed both near and far at the same time without moving an inch, almost like he was the void itself. "We agreed, didn't we? Why won't you use my card anymore? Kind of hurting my feelings, Yumi."
"You're not a good person," she said finally. "You want me to hurt people."
"So?" He said it with the kind of disregard that indicated he genuinely wasn't sure what the issue was meant to be. "I haven't hurt you, have I? No, all I've done is make you stronger. And now you want to stab me in the back like this." He shook his head. "You're not a good friend, Yumi."
"We aren't friends!" Running would be useless, so she stood her ground no matter how much she wanted to get away.
He scoffed. "Then what are you going to do? Lose like you would have before without my help?"
"Better than winning if it means no one has to die!" This was apparently hilarious to him, as Izar broke into a shrill laugh. His head bobbed in all directions, hair flying all over as if it was an entity unto itself. He even held his stomach as if he was about to collapse.
Then, suddenly, he stopped. His hair grew to fill the entire area, turning it from a stark white to an unrelenting black. Yumi couldn't tell up from down, left from right, or even where her body parts where in relation to herself any longer. But among it all, Izar still stood out just as clearly.
"You should know by now that losing means death." White eye-like symbols began to take shape around them now, looking as if they were drawn in chalk as they constantly shifted in size and consistency. "If not for your opponent than for you. Without me, you'd be rotting in the ground now like any other piece of trash. That man would have killed you, and so would that child."
He was standing behind her now, his hands resting on her shoulders. "They both understood, so why don't you?" He spoke directly into her ear, his face mere centimeters away from her. She couldn't think to try to escape or shake him off, as her body refused to move. Whether it was from his influence or her own fear was hard to tell.
"You're as worthless as the rest of the humans on this planet, but I've given you a chance to be more than that. You could actually matter. I might have picked you at random, but I stuck by it because you were interesting. Almost the most worthless piece of trash among all these other pieces of trash, but you were still able to delude yourself into thinking you had a chance to make something of yourself. It was pure madness, and I loved it!"
He gripped her around her neck, squeezing tightly. "You got so far, but in the end you were going to fail, and you knew that. You accepted this deal because you knew you would lose without me! You can't go back to losing, and you know that, too! Do you think any of those other pathetic humans would accept you after losing here? Have you bought into the delusion that you're worth something when you can't win now, too?
"Are you this much of a fool? You can win right now, save yourself and everything you've worked for and have a chance to be something bigger than you could ever imagine, but you resist because you can't handle the reality of the power I'm giving you? What more do you need before you understand? Do you have to lose and lose and lose over and over again until you finally get it? You're too weak to make any kind of difference on your own. Let me help you, Yumi."
Yumi felt like she was drowning, being pulled deeper and deeper into an inky darkness below the surface of an oily, thick ocean. Every breath was like filling her lungs with boiling water, simultaneously setting her insides on fire as it suffocated her. It was impossible to tell whether the feeling of falling was real or imagined at this point, the whole world seeming to spin out of control as it centered itself around the demon who'd taken her here. This was no longer her mind, if it even had been to begin with - this was Izar's world.
She tried to cry, but no tears fell. She tried to scream, but no sound came. She tried to run, but no steps were taken. "Do you understand now?" she heard. She couldn't even think anymore without hearing his voice, everything bending to his will as she was reshaped to fit his ends. The light was drifting further away if such a thing even existed anymore, everything that defined her slowly being ripped apart and devoured by Izar.
One last thought. In a single instant, she realized that's all she'd have left. She was losing her will to fight, giving herself over to Izar just as he'd wanted. And it was in that instant she realized there was only time for one last thought to define her. A single chance for rebellion before it was too late, to scream with her entire heart and soul that she was still there, that he couldn't take her.
And in that instant, she thought of the only thing she could. She thought of Sakuya. A single image of her friend burned into the core of her being that refused to be erased. It stayed there, defiant against Izar's absolute control, not budging no matter how much of her he'd already taken.
That thought soon led to another about how blue her hat was. Then another about the dresses she liked to wear. Then another about her duel disk and the way it was meant for her left handedness. Then another about her deck and how it was made up of cute dogs.
Thoughts came one after the other, spinning out from that one single starting point into a vast web. She thought of herself, her cards, the tournament she was in, her goggles. She thought of her friends, of Kazuhiko, Hideo, Kyoko, Megumi, the kids at the park, Ami from school. She thought of her parents still out there somewhere in the world, poised to return home one day whenever their work was complete.
She could recognize herself again. No longer was she drowning in a pit of nothingness, but standing on what could maybe be described as a floor. The darkness around her began to recede, pulled to some kind of singularity slowly forming itself into the shape of a person.
Izar stood before her once more against the white background, smiling happily like nothing had happened. "You certainly are interesting," he said without a single hint of a negative emotion.
Yumi took several deep breaths now that she'd regained the ability to do so, shouting, "You're not going to win! I won't ever make another deal with you, so just give up! There are too many important things in my life to just turn myself over!"
His expression remained unchanging. "From now on, I'll move forward with my own strength! Win or lose, it'll be up to me to make it happen! Not you or anyone else!" Yumi felt a reverberation in her chest, like a warm pulse spreading out from her core and rapidly expanding beyond it. Where it came from was unknown, but an instant later, she was back at her duel with no time seeming to have passed at all.
Taking a moment to reorient herself with existing on the physical plain, she finally peaked at the card she'd drawn. Luck, fate, or even her own determination managing to influence the world around her, a miracle appeared in her hand.
Before she could continue, she had to do one thing first. She took her hand and placed it onto the bridge of her goggles, pulling them down over her eyes. No more fear now. Win or lose, it would be through her power. That's what she said and she meant every word of it.
"Treasure Cards from the Heavens, activate!" If she was going to turn this duel around, now would be the time to do it. "Now we can both draw until we have six cards in our hands." The natural drawback of this strong card was immediately apparent here, as Taniguchi was gifted five new cards for nothing even if she had a full hand of six.
"I'll start by activating Resurrection of the Dead, summoning back Flame Viper!" Her monster made its triumphant return, curling into a defensive position yet refusing to be frightened by the towering Master Peace and Dozen Metatron before it. "Now, I'll release it to Advance Summon! My favorite monster, Majesty Magician!"
Majesty Magician appeared on the field with a tip of the hat and a wide bow, the audience reacting positively remembering its strong performance in Yumi's last duel. "This is the card that's going to beat you," she declared confidently. "I won't let myself lose here, so get ready!"
Placing another card into her duel disk, she made her move. "I activate Golden Fiddle, equipping it to Majesty Magician. And when I target a monster with an Equip Card, I can discard Komboriboh to add another Equip Card that would be a valid target in my Graveyard to my hand." Her selection was Rusty Sword, which she promptly activated.
"Majesty Magician's effect means it can always be a target for one of my cards that works on a low level Normal Monster, meaning I can double up on my Equip Cards!" Using its magic, her monster combined the two cards into a single weapon with a burst of light, creating a long golden sword with several grooves mirroring strings running the length of the thin blade. From the two effects they granted, its ATK grew to 6100 after taking hold.
"True Dragon King's Return," Taniguchi declared, contempt in his voice. "I release it to Advance Summon Draius III, the True Dragon Cavalry General during your Main Phase." After its short appearances before, Draius III was finally on the field to stay. "True Dragon King's Return destroys a monster when it goes to the Graveyard."
Several red beams of energy shot out of his card as it appeared behind him, all headed for Majesty Magician. Unfortunately for him, though, he'd sealed his fate several turns ago. "I'll use the Majesty Sanction in my Graveyard to stop destruction!" With a simple wave of the hand, Yumi's monster stopped the blasts in mid-air just a few centimeters from impact, forcing each of them to pop into harmless confetti sprays a moment later.
"Let's finish this! Majesty Magician, attack Dozen Metatron, the True Dragon Machine Combatant! Burning Concerto!" Her monster's sword took on a blazing golden hue, brighter than it had ever been before. Charging forward, it deftly cut the hulking machine monster in two, Taniguchi unable to do anything but watch in dismay as his card was destroyed.
Hitting for 3100 damage, Yumi was the decisive victor of the duel. Coming back from the brink as she did, the crowd completely lost any sense of composure they might have had earlier and exploded into cheers, her loved ones simply relieved she managed to pull herself together and finish strong.
Before she thought to celebrate, Yumi approached her opponent. "You're not very nice," she told him, "but you really are pretty strong. I kind of hope we get to duel again one day. Maybe it doesn't have to be so serious next time?"
She tried to smile, but it faded quickly as his look of true hatred for her refused to change. Without a single word, he turned and left the arena. It was hard for her to understand someone like that who didn't seem to find any enjoyment in Duel Monsters despite playing it so intensely. Even in her darkest moments, Yumi's love for the game still stayed true. It grounded her, even. But with Taniguchi, she couldn't feel any genuine passion left in him at all.
Regardless, she didn't plan to lose sleep over it. You can't please everyone, and neither can you understand everyone. They'd likely never meet again, and though she wished him the best, she felt like that was probably a good thing. For now, though, she'd take in the feeling of victory knowing that the next time she walked out here, it would be as a participant in the final round.
Cards Used in Order of Appearance
Supply Squad
Continuous Spell Card
Once per turn, if a monster(s) you control is destroyed by battle or card effect: Draw 1 card.
True Dragon Heritage (True Draco Heritage)
Continuous Spell Card
During your Main Phase: You can draw cards equal to the number of "True Draco" and "True King" card types (Monster, Spell, and Trap) sent from the field to the Graveyard this turn. During your Main Phase, you can: Immediately after this effect resolves, Tribute Summon 1 "True Draco" or "True King" monster face-up. If this card is sent from the Spell & Trap Zone to the Graveyard: You can target 1 Spell/Trap Card on the field; destroy it. You can only use each effect of "True Draco Heritage" once per turn.
Draius III, the True Dragon Cavalry General (Dreiath III, the True Dracocavalry General)
EARTH
Level 6
Wyrm/Effect
2100 ATK/2800 DEF
To Tribute Summon this card face-up, you can Tribute a Continuous Spell/Trap Card you control, instead of a monster. Your opponent cannot target face-up "True Draco" or "True King" monsters on the field with card effects, except this one, also they cannot be destroyed by your opponent's card effects. If this face-up Tribute Summoned monster leaves the field: You can Special Summon 1 "True Draco" or "True King" monster from your Deck in Defense Position.
Bi'an, Dracomet of Earth (Bi'an, Earth of the Yang Zing)
EARTH
Level 3
Wyrm/Effect
1600 ATK/0 DEF
When this card you control is destroyed by battle or card effect and sent to your Graveyard: You can Special Summon 1 "Yang Zing" monster from your Deck in Defense Position, except "Bi'an, Earth of the Yang Zing". You can only use this effect of "Bi'an, Earth of the Yang Zing" once per turn. Once per turn, during your opponent's Main Phase or Battle Phase, you can: Immediately after this effect resolves, Synchro Summon 1 Synchro Monster, using only "Yang Zing" monsters you control (this is a Quick Effect). A Synchro Monster that used this card as a Synchro Material cannot be destroyed by battle.
True Dragon King Lithosazim, the Disaster (True King Lithosagym, the Disaster)
EARTH
Level 9
Wyrm/Effect
2500 ATK/2300 DEF
If this card is in your hand: You can destroy 2 other monsters in your hand and/or face-up on your field, including an EARTH monster, and if you do, Special Summon this card, and if you do that, and both destroyed monsters were EARTH, you can also look at your opponent's Extra Deck and banish up to 3 monsters from it with different names. If this card is destroyed by card effect: You can Special Summon 1 non-EARTH Wyrm-Type monster from your Graveyard. You can only use each effect of "True King Lithosagym, the Disaster" once per turn.
Pragtical
EARTH
Level 5
Dinosaur/Fusion
1900 ATK/1500 DEF
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.
Kachi Kochi Dragon
EARTH
Rank 4
Dragon/Xyz/Effect
2100 ATK/1300 DEF
2 Level 4 monsters
Once per turn, when this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; it can can make a second attack in a row.
Dinomight Knuckle, the True Dragon Fist Fighter (Dinomight Knight, the True Dracofighter)
WATER
Level 6
Wyrm/Effect
2500 ATK/1200 DEF
To Tribute Summon this card face-up, you can Tribute a Continuous Spell/Trap Card you control, instead of a monster. Once per turn, during either player's turn, when your opponent activates a card or effect while you control this Tribute Summoned monster: You can take 1 "True Draco" or "True King" Continuous Trap Card from your Deck, and either activate it or add it to your hand.
Majesty Maiden, the True Dragon Mage (Majesty Maiden, the True Dracocaster)
WIND
Level 5
Wyrm/Effect
2300 ATK/1500 DEF
To Tribute Summon this card face-up, you can Tribute a Continuous Spell/Trap Card you control, instead of a monster. Once per turn, during either player's turn, when your opponent activates a card or effect while you control this Tribute Summoned monster: You can add 1 "True Draco" or "True King" monster from your Deck to your hand.
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.
Ignis Heat, the True Dragon Warrior (Ignis Heat, the True Dracowarrior)
FIRE
Level 5
Wyrm/Effect
2400 ATK/1000 DEF
To Tribute Summon this card face-up, you can Tribute a Continuous Spell/Trap Card you control, instead of a monster. Once per turn, during either player's turn, when your opponent activates a card or effect while you control this Tribute Summoned monster: You can take 1 "True Draco" or "True King" Continuous Spell Card from your Deck, and either activate it or add it to your hand.
Disciples of the True Dragon Phoenix (Disciples of the True Dracophoenix)
Continuous Spell Card
You can target 3 "True Draco" and/or "True King" cards in your GY; shuffle them into the Deck, then draw 1 card. During your Main Phase, you can: Immediately after this effect resolves, Tribute Summon 1 "True Draco" or "True King" monster face-up. If this card is sent from the Spell & Trap Zone to the GY: You can target 1 Spell/Trap on the field; destroy it. You can only use each effect of "Disciples of the True Dracophoenix" once per turn.
Master Peace, the True Dragonsword King (Master Peace, the True Dracoslaying King)
LIGHT
Level 8
Wyrm/Effect
2950 ATK/2950 DEF
To Tribute Summon this card face-up, you can Tribute Continuous Spell/Trap Card(s) you control, as well as monsters. Unaffected by the effects of cards with the same card type (Monster, Spell, and/or Trap) as the original card type of the cards Tributed for its Tribute Summon. Once per turn, during either player's turn, if you control this Tribute Summoned monster: You can banish 1 Continuous Spell/Trap Card from your Graveyard, then target 1 other card on the field; destroy it.
Majesty Sanction
Normal Trap Card
Discard 1 card; monsters you control cannot be destroyed by a Spell/Trap effect (once each) until the End Phase. During either player's turn, except the turn this card was sent to the Graveyard: You can banish this card from your Graveyard and target 1 monster you control; once this turn, if it would be destroyed by an opponent's Spell/Trap effect, it is not destroyed.
Justi-Break
Normal Trap Card
Activate only when your opponent declares an attack against a face-up Normal Monster you control. Destroy all monsters on the field, except face-up Attack Position Normal Monsters.
Hat-Trick Magician
DARK
Level 4
Spellcaster
1200 ATK/1500 DEF
Rusty Sword
Equip Spell Card
You can only equip this card to a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster with 1500 or less ATK and DEF. The equipped monster gains these effects: This card's original ATK increases equal to its DEF. When this card attacks, during the Damage Step: You can pay Life Points in multiples of 100 (maximum 500); this card gains ATK equal to that amount.
Armored Block
Quick-Play Spell Card
Target 1 monster you control equipped with an Equip Spell Card; it cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects this turn. If a monster you control equipped with an Equip Spell Card would be destroyed, you can banish this card from your Graveyard instead.
True Dragon King's Return (True King's Return)
Continuous Trap Card
If this card is sent from the Spell & Trap Zone to the Graveyard: You can target 1 monster on the field; destroy it. You cannot activate the following effects of "True King's Return" in the same Chain.
● You can target 1 "True Draco" or "True King" monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon it in Defense Position, also for the rest of this turn, you cannot Special Summon.
● During your opponent's Main Phase, you can: Immediately after this effect resolves, Tribute Summon 1 "True Draco" or "True King" monster face-up.
You can only use each effect of "True King's Return" once per turn.
Pot of Greed
Normal Spell Card
Draw 2 cards.
Poltergeist (Spiritualism)
Normal Spell Card
Return 1 Spell/Trap Card your opponent controls to the hand. This card's activation and effect cannot be negated.
Secluded Ethereal Waterfall (Waterfall of Dragon Souls)
Normal Trap Card
Activate 1 of these effects;
● Add 1 Wyrm-Type monster from your Deck to your hand.
● Send any number of Wyrm-Type monsters from your hand and/or face-up from your field to the Graveyard; draw cards equal to the number of monsters you sent to the Graveyard +1.
Dozen Metatron, the True Dragon Machine Combatant (Metaltron XII, the True Dracombatant)
LIGHT
Level 9
Wyrm/Effect
3000 ATK/3000 DEF
Requires 3 Tributes to Normal Summon (cannot be Normal Set). To Tribute Summon this card face-up, you can Tribute Continuous Spell/Trap Card(s) you control, as well as monsters. Unaffected by the effects of cards with the same card type (Monster, Spell, and/or Trap) as the original card type of the cards Tributed for its Tribute Summon. If this Tribute Summoned monster in its owner's control is destroyed by an opponent's card (by battle or card effect): You can Special Summon 1 Fusion, Synchro, or Xyz Monster that is EARTH, WATER, FIRE, or WIND from your Extra Deck.
Thunder Bolt (Raigeki)
Normal Spell Card
Destroy all monsters your opponent controls.
Emissaries of Reconciliation (Waboku)
Normal Trap Card
You take no battle damage from your opponent's monsters this turn. Your monsters cannot be destroyed by battle this turn.
Attack Nullification (Negate Attack)
Counter Trap Card
When an opponent's monster declares an attack: Target the attacking monster; negate the attack, then end the Battle Phase.
Treasure Cards from the Heavens (Card of Sanctity)
Normal Spell Card
Each player draws until they have 6 cards in their hand.
Resurrection of the Dead (Monster Reborn)
Normal Spell Card
Target 1 monster in either player's Graveyard; Special Summon it.
Majesty Magician
DARK
Level 8
Spellcaster/Effect
2500 ATK/2000 DEF
You can Tribute Summon this card by Tributing 1 monster that was originally a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster with 1500 or less ATK and DEF. This card is treated as an appropriate target for a card that specifically designates a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster with 1500 or less ATK and DEF while face-up on the field or in the Graveyard (its Level and ATK/DEF do not change).
Golden Fiddle
Equip Spell Card
You can only equip this card to a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster with 1500 or less ATK and DEF. The equipped monster gains these effects: This card gains ATK equal to its Level x 200 while in Attack Position and DEF equal to its Level x 300 while in Defense Position. If this card is selected as an attack target while in Attack Position: You can switch this card to Defense Position.
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.
Seems like I'm getting about one of these out every month now, give or take. That's not so bad. Took me a little while on this one, though, since Taniguchi's deck is just so no fun allowed tryhard mode where everything had an effect a mile long. Actually misread one thing in an early turn of the duel and almost had to rewrite about five turns worth of stuff before I figured out a workaround. Kind of ended up better for it, too, since it tied up a loose end I wasn't sure how to get rid of prior.
Yumi had a tough time getting through this duel being having a panic attack and almost being completely swallowed up by Izar. When I first imagined him, I thought he'd be more of a Vector-like goofy yet threatening villain, and while there's still a lot of that, he can switch gears real quick. Going to be fun moving forward like that. Still wish ZEXAL didn't ruin Vector in the end, though.
Try not biting yourself so hard you draw blood if any of you have a panic attack. Not really a guarantee it'll help you and it's still hurting yourself even if it does. Practice doing things like grounding and regulated breathing exercises instead, which are something Yumi might know about if she ever went to therapy after being traumatized like that.
At least we can all be sure that, with such an eventful second round, nothing could possibly happen in the third that would be out of the ordinary. Just a friendly, fair duel between traumatized children. That's about all I have to say on the matter, though. Thanks for reading. Always remember to beat up those nerds who take things way too seriously to the point of bullying children for enjoying stuff meant for them. You all know at least one of them.