Yumi fights hard to get through to Sakuya.
Sakuya's newest monster was a terrifying sight to behold. Not only did it dwarf the field and cast the entire duel in shadows, its massive 4500 ATK only grew larger as the Field Magic regrew around it. Stopping at 5300, a single attack could blow away anything else on the field and end the duel.
It wasn't done, though. "Rage-Eyes' effect activates," Sakuya said, pointing to Majesty Magician. "Your monster has its ATK halved." The second mouth of the monster opened again, blasting Yumi's monster with a sonic howl. This reduced its ATK to 2250 even with the Equip Magic.
"So that's what you were planning," Yumi muttered, realizing now why it was so important to remove Majesty Magician's protection on all fronts.
"Battle," Sakuya declared, voice barely above a whisper. "Destroy Majesty Magician and finish this."
Her monster complied, charging a ball of blue fire inside its lower jaw. After several seconds of buildup, a loud crack came from inside its mouth, flames exploding out to engulf Majesty Magician. It did its best to resist the attack, but having already been brought to its knees by the earlier effect, this was a losing battle in every sense.
"Butter Fly's effect!" Yumi said. "I send Leaky Umbrella to the Graveyard to stop destruction!"
"It's useless," Sakuya said, disappointment shooting from her glare. "Majesty Magician was played from the hand, not the Extra Deck. You can't save it or your Life Points."
"I'm not targeting Majesty Magician," Yumi corrected, Butter Fly's protection falling around Helpful. "I still have a monster I can protect. But more importantly, I've protected myself." To demonstrate this, the top of the umbrella sprouted out of Majesty Magician's staff, Rusty Sword having reverted to this form moments earlier.
"What?" This wasn't a move Sakuya had seen her do before. How was protecting another monster going to stop her from taking all of this damage?
"Leaky Umbrella has an effect when it's sent to the Graveyard," she explained. "It stops the next instance of damage I take, meaning I won't lose any Life Points when this attack goes through." As she finished explaining, Majesty Magician's strength finally gave out, the monster being blown away by the fire and sent back to the Extra Deck. No damage was inflicted.
"You dodged it," Sakuya said, voice raising just a bit. "And saved yourself from Rage-Eyes' second effect.
"I did?" Yumi asked, viewing the card now that things weren't quite so life-threatening.
"If I destroy a monster with it, it takes all of your other monsters with it and deals 500 damage for each."
That chilled Yumi to her core, forcing a nervous laugh. "Right, exactly as planned…" she mumbled.
Sakuya clicked her tongue. "You've survived another turn. Now make your move." As the turn ended, her monster perched back at the top of the trees, roaring down at the field.
Yumi took a breath before drawing a card. Rage-Eyes was going to be a major problem if she didn't deal with it soon. Halving her ATK and being able to destroy en masse like that was never good, but it was made even worse by her fairly low Life Points. Even just one or two of those effects slipping through could mean the end.
Weighing her options, she decided that bolstering her defense was the best move right now. If she could just bide her time, she could reverse this. "I activate Pot of Avarice," she declared, placing a card on the field. "I return five monsters from my Graveyard to my deck, then draw two new cards."
She returned the second copy of Violentist, the two Wallruses, Enchanter Ballantine, and Big Bat Knight with this. Ballantine was an especially good hit, given that it meant the total of cards that went back to her deck was only four instead of five, making her odds of drawing what she needed even better.
However, after betting on those two cards, she was devastated to find that neither of them would do anything for her right now. Even so, she kept her best poker face, nodding at them as if they could actually accomplish something.
"I Pendulum Summon to return Majesty Magician to the field in Defense Mode," she said, her monster returning yet again in a beam of light.
"I'll just destroy it again," Sakuya said. "Play as many monsters as you want. You're just making it easier to win." Then, Rage-Eyes' second mouth opened again. "Rage-Eyes' effect activates. In addition to its own Summon, I can activate the effect again when you Summon from the Extra Deck."
That wasn't good. Worse yet, the effect wasn't locked to just the monster that was Summoned; she could target whatever she wanted. This meant that Helpful suffered this time, lowered to 1900 ATK.
Even so, Yumi wouldn't be deterred. "Violentist's effect equips Leaky Umbrella to Majesty Magician, so now I'll take half the damage I would otherwise." It wasn't much defense, but it would do for now. Switching Helpful to Defense Position, as well, she set one of her cards as a bluff and ended her turn. Hopefully, this would be enough to get her through to her next draw unharmed.
Sakuya wasn't interested in abiding by Yumi's plans, though, activating her next card and wrecking her entire field in the process. "Beast Breaker, activate!" she called, the image of the monster Berserk Gorilla cracking a warrior's back over its knee flashing up beside her. "I banish Beast monsters from my Graveyard to destroy the same number of your Magic and Trap Cards, then inflict 100 damage for each one."
Pointer, Chow Chow Dragon, and Greatest Dane were all sucked into the card's image, three fireballs shooting out a moment later. She was going to eradicate Yumi's entire backrow, Pendulum Scales included.
"Butter Fly, use your effect!" Yumi said. "I send Burning Slugger to the Graveyard to protect Helpful from destruction once this turn!" It managed to go off just in time, her monster safe. Butter Fly, Violentist, and her set card weren't quite as lucky. Both Pendulum Cards were blown away, as was the face-down Common Fusion. It served no purpose now given that she only had one target for it, only useful to increase her odds of drawing a single copy throughout the duel. Acting as a feint was about all it could do now.
Yumi's Life Points ticked down to 1450, the 300 that should have been inflicted being cut in half by Leaky Umbrella. Halved or not, though, she was officially more than 1000 points behind Sakuya. Then there was her lack of Pendulum Scales, a fact that would no doubt come back to plague her very soon.
"Battle! Rage-Eyes, destroy Majesty Magician!" Even at 5000, it was still more than strong enough to get over everything else. The monster let loose another blast of blue fire, Majesty Magician disappearing within moments. Once again, no damage was inflicted, though this was simply because it was in Defense Position. Helpful was again saved from destruction, as well, though this would be the final time Yumi could skate around that with Butter Fly's help.
"I end my turn," she said after that, Yumi once again scraping by. Helpful's DEF was just slightly too high for the Wiener Dragon in Sakuya's hand to overcome, even with what was essentially a double dose of its effect.
Beginning her turn, Yumi's hand was finally starting to come together. "I activate Pendulum Halt," she said while placing the card into her duel disk. "If I have three or more Pendulum Monsters in my Extra Deck, I can draw two cards." As of last turn, she had exactly three.
This meant two more cards, but they were still unusable. Gritting her teeth, she resolved to hold out for at least one more turn. She had to bet on that hope.
"I end my turn," she said simply.
"That's all you can do?" Sakuya asked. "I'm disappointed. I would have thought you'd improved more."
"I'm biding my time," she replied. "When you give me an opening, I'll turn things around in a second."
"Then keep waiting forever," she spat, drawing her card. "I play my second Wiener Dragon, adding my third to my hand with its effect." Her monster's ATK rose to 2200, set to go up another 500 once it attacked. Not that it would need it, since clearing the hurdle that was Helpful left Yumi with no monsters and too few Life Points to survive a direct attack.
"Rage-Eyes, destroy Helpful!" After so long, the attack finally took, Yumi's monster being burned up by the blue flames. Now there were no monsters left to protect her. "Wiener Dragon, finish this. Set Yumi free."
Sakuya looked to the ground, her monster readying its attack. From the looks of things, it would be impossible to guess that she was about to win this duel, standing there like she might start crying again. This was how it had to be, though. That's what she thought, at least.
Wiener Dragon launched its attack, more fire hurtling towards Yumi. Without set cards or a monster to protect her, there was nothing to stop the attack from connecting. This was a killing blow for sure.
That is, unless one was paying attention. Yumi shrugged off the attack just fine, a tattered umbrella opening in front of her at the last moment and absorbing the flames. She sighed, nearly falling over from relief. "I almost forgot about that, too," she said, wiping some sweat from her forehead.
"Careless," Sakuya muttered, mostly at herself. She had, in fact, forgotten about Leaky Umbrella. It was sent to the Graveyard, but nothing had done damage to Yumi up until this moment. That effect simply hung there waiting to be used. She should have calculated for that.
"You've survived for one more turn, but that's it. Make your move so I can win already." Sakuya ended her turn after that, not expecting much from Yumi's next draw.
Yumi didn't begin her turn, though. She stood there with a troubled expression, trying to think of what to say.
"Are you so desperate to not lose that you'll just stall?" Sakuya finally asked.
"I'm not trying to," Yumi said. Turning over her thoughts, she worked up the courage and the articulation to ask her, "Before, what did you mean by that?" Though she didn't answer, this clearly had an affect on Sakuya, as she shrank back at the question. "You said it would 'set me free' before you attacked."
"It doesn't matter," she mumbled, grabbing her arm and looking away. "Just draw your card.
"It does matter," Yumi told her. "What do you mean? I don't understand."
"It doesn't mean anything," Sakuya insisted. "Just...just stop."
"Do you think I'm being forced to be here?" Yumi asked. "Am I...forced to be with you?"
Sakuya bit her lower lip, completely failing to stay composed. "Just...go…"
Yumi stood in silence for several seconds, finally asking, "Why would you ever think that?"
After a long pause, Sakuya forced the words out, each syllable clearly paining her to say. "I don't know why else you would." Swallowing hard, she wiped her eyes again. "I'm a mean, spiteful liar. I'm judgmental and picky and ruin everyone's fun. I get mad too easily and hold grudges. I don't even know why I do things like this. I don't know how to stop. I'm not…" Inhaling sharply, she choked out, "I'm not good enough for you."
"Says who?" Yumi countered immediately. "I've never said you weren't good enough. That isn't true at all, and I'm not going to let you say that." She pursed her lips, growing more upset by the second.
"It's true," she argued. "I'm not good enough. The most I could ever do for you is help you to improve your dueling, and now that's over. You don't need me anymore."
"It's not!" Yumi shouted.
"When we met, I stole from you, and I lied to you, and I kept lying for so long, and then I...k...kissed you and ran, and I can't stop running. I wanted to fix myself, but I don't know how. I don't know what to do. I just know I can't keep hurting you."
"You're hurting yourself," she told Sakuya. "You're carrying so much hurt all by yourself." She sighed, feeling ashamed. "I'm sorry I didn't notice more, and I'm sorry you felt like you had to do this all by yourself."
"Stop," Sakuya said, shaking her head. "I'm doing everything wrong. I need to fix myself on my own."
"You don't," Yumi said. "You don't have to keep doing this by yourself. I want to help you. Everyone wants to help you. Please, let us help. You're not a burden." After struggling with feeling that way herself, Yumi understood just how awful that belief made someone's life. "I promise you're not a burden."
Sakuya gripped her chest, feeling it tighten up. "I just hurt people," she whispered.
"But you help people, too," Yumi said. "You help me. You've done things for me you probably don't even realize." As Sakuya remained silent, she realized she'd have to explain that. In truth, it was something of a secret that she'd intended to keep, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
Yumi took a long breath before she spoke. "I've thanked you so much for all the other things you've done for me. You've helped train me to be a better duelist, you've been there when I've been hurting and afraid, you let me talk and talk even when I know it's annoying." She sighed, then took another breath. "But I never thank you for something else."
Swallowing hard, she continued. "You know how I am. With, you know...other girls. I've never thought it was wrong. It was always just how I was, even before I knew there was a word for it. But I also knew that a lot of people did think it was wrong. And I think that made me think that I'd always just have to be by myself."
She forced a small laugh. "What I mean is, I didn't think I'd ever find someone who felt the same, at least not about me. It just didn't seem like it was possible. But...I met you." Scratching her head, she braced for the most important part. "And the more time we spent together, the more it felt like...you felt this way about me, too." She laughed again, though it quickly died out. "It's stupid, right? But even though it is, I just...thank you."
Yumi smiled, reaching under one of the lenses on her goggles to wipe at the corner of her eye. "Thank you. Thank you for letting me pretend, at least for a little bit."
Sakuya's lip quivered for a moment before she fell to her knees. Choking down a sob, she shook her head violently. "It's not," she whispered. "It's not," she repeated, louder. "It's not!"
Words began falling out of her mouth. The part of her that desperately wanted to make her stay silent was forced away, drowned out by her true feelings erupting from where she'd buried them. "It's not stupid. I'm the same. I've always been the same. I felt the same and I still do. I've wanted to say it for so long. So, so long. And it's hurt so much keeping it in, and I've been so scared to say it, and I kept pretending it was fine, but I'm so, so scared. I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to be hurt."
She barely took a breath before she started again. "I was afraid that you wouldn't feel the same, but I was afraid that you might, too. I was afraid you'd start to hate me, or that I'd hurt you even worse, or that you would just pretend to spare my feelings, or...or...or…" Tongue tied and sobbing, she could only cough as she tried to continue.
Yumi lifted up her goggles, laughing as two puddles of tears fell out of them. "I can't believe we wasted so much time," she said, wiping her eyes with a smile. "I'm so stupid."
Sakuya shook her head, trying and failing to get herself under control. The dam had broken, all of the feelings she'd kept trapped inside her pouring out whether she wanted them to or not. "We're stupid," she said, still crying but managing to hiccup a laugh in between.
She breathed slowly, covering her face with her hands to force her body to calm down. "I'm still afraid," she muttered through her gradually decreasing tears.
"I am, too," Yumi admitted. "This is a lot, right?"
"I'm still afraid I'll hurt you again," she said.
"We'll work through it," she assured her.
"But what if it's really bad?" she asked.
"Then we'll still find a way to fix it," Yumi said.
"But what if I can't be fixed?" Sakuya looked up from the ground, meeting Yumi's eyes again.
"Then we'll just have to find a way to make it work," she told her. "We've both made mistakes and bad decision. I know we're going to in the future, too. But we can make it work as long as we're together."
Sakuya was still crying, but she'd regained enough sense and composure to stand back up. "Are you sure?" she asked.
"I am." Yumi nodded. "I know you're worth it." She smiled even wider, launching her own kind of direct attack. "Because I love you."
Smiling through her tears, Sakuya nodded slowly, still wiping at her eyes. "Me, too," she replied.
This new sensation of freedom left both of them feeling lighter than air. Though they weren't entirely free of worries, it certainly seemed that way for the time being. After so long, they'd finally been able to communicate their true feelings.
After taking a second to finally pull herself together, Sakuya blotted her eyes and blew her nose into a handkerchief. After a long and much-needed sigh, she asked, "Do you want to continue the duel, or should we stop?"
"Right now, I just really want to hug you," Yumi said with a giggle. "But, still, I think I need to beat you first."
"You didn't give up yet?" Sakuya asked. "If you still think you can, then just try."
Yumi smiled, already drawing a card. "I will!" Thankfully, her deck was starting to cooperate again, so her words weren't all for show. Finally, she had just what she needed to start her counterattack.
"I activate Heavy Storm," she said. "This should take care of Closer Field." While hitting more than a single card would have been preferable, it got the job done just fine. As the card materialized, a massive gust of wind blasted out of it, the trees surrounding them being ripped from the ground until only the ones that existed in reality remained.
Without the artificial forest trapping them inside its tangled branches, sunlight once again shone over the field. Sakuya's monsters returned to their original ATK, as well. It wasn't a certain path to victory, but it was definitely a start.
"Then, I activate Unexpected Guy, letting me play a Normal Monster from my deck since I control no monsters." From the image of the card, something new started to form. "Come out, the Tuner monster Takotaco!"
"Tuner?" Sakuya wasn't sure what to think of that. Was it just a Tuner for the sake of it, or was there more there? Why play a card like this if there wasn't a purpose to it? But it's not like Yumi was planning to…
On her field, a miniature octopus sitting inside a cartoonish taco shell squeaked and squished about. Waving its little tentacles in the air, Yumi suppressed her instinctive reaction to scream or hit it with a stick to continue playing. "I use the Scale 6 Wallrus and the Scale 1 Big Bat Knight to set the Pendulum Scale."
Raising a hand, she called out, "I Pendulum Summon! Violentist, Butter Fly, let's go!" With her Scales the way they were, all Yumi could do was bring out her weaker monsters. Majesty Magician had to remain in the Extra Deck for the time being.
That wouldn't be a problem, though. "I equip Takotaco with Multi-Tool!" Yumi declared, cringing as it wrapped a tentacle around the small device that appeared in front of it. "With this, I raise my monster's Level by 1.
"You're actually doing it," Sakuya said, complete disbelief overtaken by pride within mere moments.
"That's right! I'm tuning my Level 3 non-Tuners, Violentist and Butter Fly, with my Level 4 Tuner, Takotaco!" Pumping her fists in the air, she called out, "Let's go!" as they flew through the sky.
Takotaco's body disappeared, four Level stars transforming into green, glowing rings. Her next two monsters flew through them, disappearing just as the Tuner had and leaving their stars behind. "My red-hot resolve lets me take the next step forward! Climb up higher and higher until we reach the top! I'm burning up! Synchro Summon, Level 10! Zenkai Fire Dragoon!"
In a flash of light, her new monster appeared in a vortex of orange flames. Cutting through the sky with a shrill roar and a pair of slashes from its claws, a gold and white dragon swooped down to the field to stand on its hind legs, arms crossed in front of its chest.
"I guess I kept this a secret from you, too," Yumi said. "But this seems like as good a time as any to show it off."
Sakuya smiled, then scoffed. "I'm impressed you learned how to Synchro Summon all on your own, but it's useless." She raised a hand. "Rage-Eyes, halve its ATK!" A few seconds passed, then a few more, then a few more after that. Her monster wasn't responding.
"That's not going to work," Yumi said. "Zenkai Fire Dragoon is immune from your effects that target it!"
"That's clever," Sakuya admitted, "but that doesn't change the fact my monster is still 1500 ATK stronger than yours."
"Are you sure about that?" Yumi asked in a way that could only mean she'd already accounted for that. "First, I draw due to the effect of Multi-Tool, then I attack!" Her monster gave another roar, a pair of booster rockets positioned between its wings charging up. "Zenkai Fire Dragoon, attack Wiener Dragon! Full Throttle Burning Storm!"
With another roar, the monster blasted forward, sights set on Sakuya's monster. "You'll have to try harder than that," she responded, revealing a card in her hand. "I discard Chihuahua Knucker to use its effect to halve the damage!"
A tiny, yapping dragon without wings sprung up to gnaw at Zenkai Fire Dragoon's ankle. Dragoon successfully flung its passenger off by rolling into a spiral of flames, crashing straight through Wiener Dragon as it did.
However, the damage was done – or rather, wasn't done. Sakuya's Life Points were now at 1850 as she turned up her nose at the seemingly pointless card's pointless attack. In reality, though, she fully expected this monster to have something else to offer.
"Both effects go off!" Yumi said. "Big Bat Knight activates when my Pendulum Monster destroys one of yours. I can send a Normal Monster to the Graveyard to inflict 800 more damage!" Ditching a second copy of Butter Fly, her card geared up for the attack.
However, this was only the first chain link. She'd mentioned two effects, after all. "Zenkai Fire Dragoon's own effect activates," she repeated. "I banish a Normal Monster in my Graveyard to gain its ATK, then I can attack again!"
With a mischievous smile, she held up her target. "And what I'm banishing is...Rusty Swordsman!"
"From back then?" The only reason that monster made it to the Graveyard was because of Common Fusion multiple turns ago. "You planned this far ahead?"
"I was improvising a little, but this is where I was hoping to go," Yumi explained with a grin. "You told me to play seriously, right?" With a roar, her monster readied for another battle. Its ATK grew to 4500, now exactly matched with its enemy. "Zenkai Fire Dragoon, attack Rage-Eyes Bone Crush Dragon! Super Full Throttle Burning Storm!"
Its boosters firing, Zenkai Fire Dragoon shot forward at breakneck speed. Rage-Eyes gave a roar of its own, blasting its flames as it flew backwards to gain some distance. Dragoon wasn't having it, though, spinning like a drill and blowing away the attack aimed at it. More than that, it managed to trap the fire around itself, adding them to its own mass.
Moments before impact, Rage-Eyes dove in and slashed at Dragoon. Judging by the gash going down Dragoon's front, it was a mortal wound, but that didn't stop it from completing the mission. Blasting a hole straight through Rage-Eyes, both monsters exploded overhead.
"I think that was the coolest thing I've ever seen," Yumi said, simply too impressed to hop or flap or do anything besides stare slack-jawed into the sky. As she said this, Sakuya's Life Points decreased again for Big Bat Knight's effect, dropping her to 1050. "Anyway, I'll set a card and end my turn."
"Seriously?" Sakuya laughed. "All of that, and then you just end your turn with nothing left?"
"Who knows?" Yumi shrugged. "I guess we'll find out when you attack me."
"You better not be bluffing," she said, drawing a card. Glancing at her hand briefly, she moved in for the kill. "Chihuahua Knucker has another effect," Sakuya explained, the card appearing beside her. "I can banish it to add Pet Cemetery from my deck to my hand, but I have to discard after that."
In exchange for giving her a means of Fusion, she discard the last Wiener Dragon. It seemed she was fully intent on ending things with that monster again. "I'll now activate it! First, I banish Shiny-Eyes Dingo Dragon and one Wiener Dragon, then I send Sharpei Wyvern and Terrier Dragon from my deck to the Graveyard."
"Here it comes," Yumi said, bouncing on her feet in anticipation.
Bringing her hands together, Sakuya brought them back down while declaring, "Fusion Summon, Level 8! Sad-Eyes Hound Dragon!" The fluffy and fearsome monster plopped down on the field, giving a lazy gurgle in place of a roar.
"This is the end!" Sakuya declared. "Sad-Eyes, finish it! Beam Eyes of Destruction!" Raising its head up, her monster let loose a pair of yellow beams from its eyes. 3000 was far more than would be necessary to take out Yumi's Life Points, and unless her Set card could change things, this would be the end.
It wasn't, of course. "Wallrus, use your effect!" Yumi's creature let out a wail, flopping onto the field in front of her and putting up its flippers in front of itself. That did little to stop the attack from destroying it, though it did succeed in protecting its owner. "For direct attacks," Yumi explained, "Wallrus can destroy itself and stop any battle damage this turn."
"You keep hanging on," Sakuya said. "I'll set a card and end my turn, but you should know it's useless now. Sad-Eyes will lower your monster's ATK even if you can get something out. It's impossible for you to win now." She cracked a smile, adding, "So prove what I just said wrong."
"Gladly!" Drawing, Yumi placed the card on the field. "I activate the Magic Card, Pendulum Paradox! With this, I can take two different monsters with the same Pendulum Scale from my Extra Deck and add them to my hand."
She grabbed two, holding them up. "Butter Fly and Taktaco both have a 9," Yumi noted, pointing out another benefit of her unusual cards. "Now, I reset the Pendulum Scale with my Scale 9 Takotaco!" With that, she could now play monsters with Levels from 2 to 8. There was only one monster she needed now, though.
"Time for your encore, Majesty Magician!" The wizard returned to the field more energized than ever, spinning its cane and tossing it into the air before catching it again.
Unfortunately, Sad-Eyes had no time for these theatrics. "Draining Eyes!" Sakuya declared, crackling energy stumbling Majesty Magician as its ATK lowered to 1500. "Now what will you do?"
"The same thing I was planning to – battle!" Pointing straight ahead, Yumi called out, "Let's finish this! Majesty Burst!"
Sakuya was taken aback, wracking her brain for an explanation. Attacking into her monster would just mean death, so what was Yumi doing? What was the point?
It was the Set card. It had to be at this point. She wasn't sure what it might be about to do, but it must be what Yumi was counting on if she was willing to risk it all like this. Thinking back through all the cards available, her best guess was something like Concentrate. Adding Majesty Magician's DEF to its ATK would put it at 3500.
"You won't succeed!" Sakuya exclaimed, her own Set card flipping up. "I activate Castle of Dragon Souls and banish Rage-Eyes Bone Crush Dragon! Now, Sad-Eyes gains another 700 ATK!"
That should have sealed the deal, but Yumi only smiled. "This is exactly what I was hoping for," she said, further confusing Sakuya. "Now I use my Trap, Amanojaku's Curse!" As her card flipped up, Majesty Magician's attack came to a halt. Spinning its cane, a purple aura overtook it.
"For the rest of the turn, any effect that adds or subtracts from our monster's ATK is reversed." Majesty Magician's ATK grew to 3500, while Sad-Eyes' fell to 2300, all of it because of Sakuya's own actions.
She was dumbstruck for a moment, then shook her head. "I should have known it was something old and weird like that," Sakuya said.
"I put this in here just for you," Yumi told her. "It would have been nice if one showed up earlier, but this will do." Clenching her fist, she threw it forward and commanded, "Again, Majesty Magician! Majesty Burst Finale!"
Twirling its cane overhead one last time, Yumi's monster unleashed a crackling, jagged beam of energy at Sakuya's. With no way to defend itself, it was forced to take the attack in full, groaning as it was blasted apart.
With a full 1200 damage, the remainder of Sakuya's Life Points ticked away to 0. No more Set cards or Graveyard effects or hand traps to give her one last chance at survival. For the first time, Yumi had really beaten her in Duel Monsters.
"Finally!" Yumi screamed into the air. "I won! I won! I beat Sakuya and won!"
With a sigh, Sakuya rubbed her eyes. "This was exhausting," she said, though her smile betrayed how she really felt.
"You know," Yumi said, still flapping her hands unconsciously. "You made a mistake at the end."
"What?" How could she make a mistake in dueling?
"At the end," Yumi repeated. "Castle of Dragon Souls modifies ATK directly, so you could have used it in the Damage Step. My Trap doesn't, though, so I had to play it before then. If you just waited a minute, you could have avoided that and survived another turn."
Sakuya blinked several times, finally saying, "I guess...that's...right." After a short pause, both of them burst out laughing. So much for Yumi not taking things seriously, both thought.
Crossing the distance that made up the field, they fell into each other's arms, falling to the ground and laughing all the way. Stopping to catch their breath, they locked eyes again, Yumi quickly moving her face forward from where she was on top of Sakuya.
For the second time, the two kissed.
Cards Used in Order of Appearance
Rage-Eyes Bone Crush Dragon
DARK
Level 12
Dragon/Synchro/Effect
4500 ATK/3500 DEF
1 Beast Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner Dragon monsters
This card is also treated as a Beast monster while on the field or in the Graveyard. Cannot be destroyed by card effects. Your opponent cannot target this card with card effects. If this card is Synchro Summoned, or a monster is Special Summoned from your opponent's Extra Deck: Target 1 monster your opponent controls; halve its ATK. If this attacking card destroys an opponent's monster by battle: You can destroy all monsters your opponent controls, and if you do, inflict 500 damage for each card destroyed by this effect. You can only use each effect of "Rage-Eyes Bone Crush Dragon" once per turn.
Butter Fly
WIND
Level 3
Insect/Pendulum/Normal
4/9
900 ATK/700 DEF
P: Once per turn (Quick Effect): You can send 1 Equip Spell from your hand or Deck to the GY, then target 1 monster you control that was Special Summoned from the Extra Deck; the first time that target would be destroyed this turn, it is not destroyed (even if this card leaves the field).
Leaky Umbrella
Equip Spell Card
Equip only to a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster with 1500 or less ATK/DEF. If this card is sent to the GY: Reduce the next instance of damage you take to 0. The equipped monster gains this effect: Halve all damage you take.
Helpful, Knight of Commons
EARTH
Level 10
Warrior/Fusion
3800 ATK/3050 DEF
4 Level 4 or lower Normal Monsters
Pot of Avarice
Normal Spell Card
Target 5 monsters in your Graveyard; shuffle all 5 into the Deck, then draw 2 cards.
Violentist
LIGHT
Level 3
Fiend/Pendulum/Normal
1/7
650 ATK/1300 DEF
P: Once per turn: You can target 1 Equip Spell in your GY; equip it to an appropriate monster on the field, but destroy it during the next turn's End Phase.
Wallrus
WATER
Level 2
Beast/Pendulum/Normal
6/5
400 ATK/800 DEF
P: Halve any battle damage you take from battles involving Normal Monsters you control. When an opponent's monster declares a direct attack: You can activate this effect; destroy this card, and if you do, you take no further battle damage this turn.
Enchanter Ballantine
LIGHT
Rank 2
Spellcaster/Xyz/Effect
1500 ATK/1000 DEF
2 Level 2 monsters
(Quick Effect) Detach 1 Xyz Material from this card and target 1 monster your opponent controls; this card gains 500 ATK, also your opponent's monster loses 500 ATK. These changes last until the End Phase. If this effect is activated, this card loses DEF equal to the ATK it gained this turn. If this card attacks, it is changed to Defense Position at the end of the Damage Step.
Big Bat Knight
EARTH
Level 3
Warrior/Pendulum/Normal
7/1
1100 ATK/500 DEF
P: Once per turn, when a Pendulum Monster you control destroys an opponent's monster, after damage calculation: You can send 1 Level 4 or lower Normal Monster from your Deck to the GY; inflict 800 damage to your opponent.
Majesty Magician
DARK
Level 8
Spellcaster/Pendulum/Effect
6/4
2500 ATK/2000 DEF
P: When you Normal Summon a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster with 1500 or less ATK/DEF: You can add 1 Equip Spell from your Deck or GY to your hand. Once per turn, if you activate an Equip Spell: Draw 1 card.
M: 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/DEF while face-up on the field or in the Graveyard (its Level and ATK/DEF do not change).
Beast Breaker
Normal Spell Card
Target any number of Spell/Trap Cards your opponent controls, then banish the same number of Beast monsters from your GY; destroy those targets, and if you do, inflict 100 damage to your opponent for each card destroyed by this effect.
Pointer
FIRE
Level 2
Dragon/Effect
800 ATK/500 DEF
This card is also treated as Beast-Type while on the field or in the Graveyard. When this card is Normal Summoned: Choose 1 Level 6 or higher Dragon-Type monster from your Deck, and place it on top of your Deck.
Chow Chow Dragon
WIND
Level 6
Dragon/Effect
900 ATK/2500 DEF
This card is also treated as Beast-Type while on the field or in the Graveyard. You can Tribute Summon this card in face-up Defense Position. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can discard 1 Dragon-Type monster from your hand; this card gains DEF equal to that card's level x 100 until the End Phase.
Greatest Dane
EARTH
Level 4
Dragon/Effect
1800 ATK/1200 DEF
This card is also treated as a Beast monster while on the field or in the GY. If this card is sent to the GY as material for the Fusion Summon of a monster that is both Dragon and Beast-Type: You can target face-up Spell/Trap Cards your opponent controls equal to the number of other cards used for this Fusion Summon; negate their effects until the end of this turn. Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response to this effect's activation.
Burning Slugger
Equip Spell Card
Equip only to a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster with 1500 or less ATK/DEF. The equipped monster gains these effects: Once per turn: You can target 1 monster your opponent controls, then send cards from the top of your Deck to the Graveyard equal to its Level/Rank; destroy it, and if you do, inflict damage equal to its Level/Rank x 100. This monster cannot attack the turn you activate this effect.
Common Fusion
Normal Spell Card
Fusion Summon 1 non-Effect Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck, using Normal Monsters from your hand, field, or Deck as Fusion Material. When the card Fusion Summoned by this effect battles an opponent's monster: You can banish this card in your Graveyard; negate that monster's effects and apply its original ATK and DEF when calculating damage until the end of the Battle Phase.
Pendulum Halt
Normal Spell Card
If you have 3 or more face-up Pendulum Monsters with different names in your Extra Deck: Draw 2 cards. You cannot add cards from the Deck to your hand for the rest of this turn after this card resolves.
Heavy Storm
Normal Spell Card
Destroy all Spell and Trap Cards on the field.
Unexpected Guy (Unexpected Dai)
Normal Spell Card
If you control no monsters: Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Normal Monster from the Deck.
Takotaco
WATER
Level 3
Fish/Pendulum/Tuner/Normal
9/2
800 ATK/800 DEF
P: Once per turn: You can target 1 Level 4 or lower Normal Monster with 1500 or less ATK/DEF you control; this turn, that face-up monster is treated as a Tuner (even if this card leaves the field).
Multi-Tool
Equip Spell Card
Equip only to a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster with 1500 or less ATK/DEF. If this card is sent to the GY because the equipped monster was Tributed or used as material for a Fusion, Synchro, or Xyz Summon; draw 1 card. The equipped monster gains this effect: Once per turn, you can increase or decrease this monster's Level by 1, or treat this monster as a Tuner, until the End Phase of this turn.
Zenkai Fire Dragoon
FIRE
Level 10
Dragon/Synchro/Pendulum/Effect
4/9
3000 ATK/2000 DEF
P: Double all battle damage inflicted by Normal Monsters you control. If a Normal Monster you control inflicts 1500 or more battle damage: You can Tribute that monster; Special Summon this card from your Pendulum Zone, but banish it when it leaves the field.
M: 1 Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner monsters
If you can Pendulum Summon Level 10, you can Pendulum Summon this face-up card in your Extra Deck. If this card in the Monster Zone is destroyed: You can place this card in your Pendulum Zone. Your opponent cannot target this card with card effects. You take no effect damage. Up to twice per turn, when this attacking card destroys a monster by battle: You can banish 1 Normal Monster from your GY; this card gains ATK equal to the banished monster's ATK until the end of the Battle Phase, then this card can attack again in a row.
Mage Power
Equip Spell Card
The equipped monster gains 500 ATK and DEF for each Spell/Trap Card you control.
Chihuahua Knucker
WATER
Level 1
Dragon/Effect
0 ATK/0 DEF
This card is also treated as a Beast monster while on the field or in the GY. When your monster that is both a Dragon and Beast-Type is attacked by an opponent's monster (Quick Effect): You can discard this card; any damage you take from this battle is halved. You can banish this card from your GY; Add 1 "Pet Cemetery" from your Deck to your hand, then discard 1 card. You can only use each effect of "Chihuahua Knucker" once per turn.
Rusty Swordsman
EARTH
Level 4
Warrior/Pendulum/Normal
5/9
1500 ATK/1000 DEF
P: Once per turn, if you Pendulum Summon a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster(s): You can draw cards equal to the number of Level 4 or lower Normal Monsters Pendulum Summoned +1, then shuffle cards from your hand into the Deck equal to the number of Level 4 or lower Normal Monsters you control.
Pet Cemetery
Normal Spell Card
Target 1 Fusion Monster in your Extra Deck; Banish any number of Beast-Type monsters from your Graveyard equal to the number of monsters required to Fusion Summon that card, then send the same number of monsters from your Deck to the Graveyard to Special Summon that monster (this Special Summon is treated as a Fusion Summon). You can only activate 1 "Pet Cemetery" per turn.
Shiny-Eyes Dingo Dragon
LIGHT
Rank 4
Dragon/Xyz/Effect
2500 ATK/1500 DEF
3 Level 4 monsters that are both Dragon-Type and Beast-Type
This card is also treated as Beast-Type while on the field or in the Graveyard. You can target 1 monster in your Graveyard that is both Dragon-Type and Beast-Type; attach it to this card as an Xyz Material. You can detach any number of Xyz Material from this card (minimum 3) to inflict 300 damage x the number detached. You can only use each effect of "Shiny-Eyes Dingo Dragon" once per turn. If this face-up card would be destroyed, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card instead.
Terrier Dragon
EARTH
Level 6
Dragon/Effect
2200 ATK/1200 DEF
This card is also treated as Beast-Type while on the field or in the Graveyard. You can Special Summon this card from your hand in Attack Position by discarding 1 Level 5 or lower Dragon-Type monster. If this card is Special Summoned by its own effect: Its original ATK and DEF are halved.
Sharpei Wyvern
WIND
Level 4
Dragon/Effect
1500 ATK/1000 DEF
This card is also treated as Beast-Type while on the field or in the Graveyard. When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard: Target 1 Dragon-Type monster in your Graveyard besides "Sharpei Wyvern"; add it to your hand.
Sad-Eyes Hound Dragon
EARTH
Level 8
Dragon/Fusion/Effect
3000 ATK/2500 DEF
1 Level 6 or higher Dragon-Type monster + 1 Level 5 or lower Beast-Type monster
This card is also treated as Beast-Type while on the field or in the Graveyard. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can target 1 face-up monster on the field; it loses 1000 ATK until the End Phase. If this Fusion Summoned card is sent to the Graveyard: You can add both cards used as Fusion Material to your hand.
Pendulum Paradox
Normal Spell Card
Add 2 face-up Pendulum Monsters with the same Pendulum Scale, but different names, from your Extra Deck to your hand. You can only activate 1 "Pendulum Paradox" per turn.
Castle of Dragon Souls
Continuous Trap Card
Once per turn: You can banish 1 Dragon-Type monster from your Graveyard, then target 1 monster you control; it gains 700 ATK, until the End Phase (even after this card leaves the field or the monster becomes unaffected by card effects). When this face-up card on the field is sent to the Graveyard: You can target 1 of your banished Dragon-Type monsters; Special Summon that target. You can only control 1 "Castle of Dragon Souls".
Amanojaku's Curse (Reverse Trap)
Normal Trap Card
Until the End Phase, all effects that add or subtract ATK or DEF are reversed. (Additions now subtract, and subtractions now add, instead. Multiplications and divisions, including halving/doubling, are not affected.)
Another big one. Looks like things finally worked out for those two crazy kids.
Laid the symbolism on really thick this time between the forest, Rage-Eyes, and the constant Pendulum Summoning to return Majesty Magician. Zenkai, too.
It's always a big day when people overcome the sheep effect and finally get together. They've always been too preoccupied with chasing each other, but now they can build a relationship going forward on more equal footing. A very productive therapy session in the form of a card game.
There's something a little extra coming soon, so wait for that. Otherwise, that's all I have to say. Thanks for reading. Share if you're enjoying. Always remember to practice open and honest communication before you spiral into a mental health crisis.