Opening A/N: It's been a long time. How have you all been?
Needless to say, I have been quite busy with life, and unfortunately, even during the times where I could have spared a few seconds to write, I had not the sufficient self-mastery to discipline myself. Nevertheless, the urge to be a creator was still there, and though I dropped the fanfic writing hobby for a while, I did continue to work on more original concepts, including a novel I hope to publish one day. Still, even with these projects occupying more of my time, I couldn't completely shake off my enjoyment of writing fan-fiction.
I can't quite remember what triggered this bit of inspiration, but I got to thinking about Yu-Gi-Oh again, and about the fanfics I had written, particularly the ones about Arc-V. When the backstory of Leo Akaba was revealed, I remember being somewhat…disappointed, not to mention confused. I remember writing some joke fanfics addressing some of Leo Akaba's contradictory actions, such as employing Yuri when (in Leo's mind) he was the reincarnation of his most dreaded foe. "What if," I asked, "he had chosen a different agent? What if, given what we now know about his past, he had acted in a way that made…just a little more sense."
And just like that, I was off to the races once again.
Yu-Gi-Oh Arc-V: Daughters of the Professor
Chapter 1: Sisters
"Someone…is watching me."
Rin's single friend, Yugo, looked at her with concern.
"I'm not crazy, Yugo!" Rin huffed, rubbing her forehead with exasperation.
"I didn't say you were crazy!" Yugo hastily protested, glancing down at Rin's knee as if wondering if he should preemptively lower his hands in a defensive stance. "But…" he hesitantly continued after a few moments had passed.
"When you add "but" to a sentence, it negates everything you said before." Rin sighed, unable to blame Yugo for his reaction. Sure, there were enough muggers, gangsters, and creeps wandering the Commons district to force them to practically glue their backs together when they walked the streets, but an invisible stalker ghost? If she had heard it from someone else, she would have thought that person was either on drugs or looking for attention. There was just nobody worth stalking in the Commons, much less a moneyless, unattractive orphan like her.
And yet, she was telling the truth. And if Yugo didn't believe her, who would?
"Look, I know it's weird, but I can't shake the feeling. I get this tingling in the back of my neck, like someone is staring at me from the alley, but when I turn around? Zip. And I know I have no evidence, and I know it's just my stupid feelings, and I know it makes no sense, but I…I…"
Rin felt herself choking, her throat clenching as she fought back the tears that had begun to burn her eyes.
Instantly, Yugo had wrapped his arms around Rin, holding her in a tight embrace.
"Hey, it's okay." He whispered. "I believe you. I may not be that smart, but I know you'd never lie. Just tell me what I can do to help, and I'll do it."
Rin squeezed her friend back, smiling as she let the tears trickle down her cheeks.
"Thank you." She whispered, feeling immense relief. "Thank you."
After a moment, she wiped her eyes, breaking the embrace before continuing.
"I don't know if it's actually that serious." She explained. "But it's driving me crazy. Honestly, you just listening is doing a lot more for me than you know. Still…maybe if you could just…watch my back? I know you already do when we're out on the street but…maybe just keep an extra eye peeled?"
"But I only have two eyes!" Yugo complained.
"It's a figure of speech, Yugo." Rin explained.
"What did you figure?" Yugo asked.
"Nevermind." Rin sighed. "Just, you know, watch out for anything, or anybody, weird."
"Excluding us, right?" Yugo clarified with a grin.
"You're the only weird one." Rin corrected with a wry smile. "I'm as plain as whipped cream."
"Speaking of whipped cream…" Yugo continued, barely managing to contain his excitement. "Guess what I bought!?"
He quickly threw off the cover of a basket affixed to his D-wheel before presenting the contents to Rin.
"An expired banana crème pie?" Rin asked, feeling just a tad queasy.
"Someone had just thrown it out, can you believe it!?" Yugo asked.
"Yes…" Rin replied, reviewing the date again. "And the rest of the money we had for groceries?"
Yugo whipped out a canister of whipped topping, a buffoonish grin on his face.
An entire catalog of ready-made lectures sprang immediately to Rin's mind, but she decided to brush those aside. Yugo tried hard for her, and did much more than "try" nine times out of ten. The least she could do was reciprocate those feelings. Besides, it wasn't like this was the first time they had eaten rotten food. Practically all of the Commons had developed immunity from the stomach flu through sheer repetition.
Rin almost changed her mind and threw up right then and there when she cut open the pie to expose it's gooey brownish-yellow interior.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand DONE!" Yugo gleefully exclaimed, dousing the slice in a mountain of whipped cream, managing to cover up the rot.
"Now open up!" Yugo teased, lifting a plastic spoonful of the glop to Rin's face.
"Oh no, Yugo, please, don't, you can have the first bite, no, seriously, I…ULP!"
She swallowed the sickly sweet bite before she knew it, brain debating with her mouth and stomach over whether she had just swallowed dessert or poison.
"And now to give this baby a try." Yugo continued, shoveling a huge spoonful into his mouth before slowly chewing with a contemplative expression on his face. Chomp by chomp, his mouth slowed down as his face twisted from hungry delight to disgust.
"PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFTTTTTT! BLAUGH! That's awful! And…and I made you…OH NO!" Yugo moaned, looking both guilty and terrified.
Rin burst out laughing, unable to help herself. It was just too ridiculous. Seeing Yugo's sudden concern, she picked up the whipped cream cannister before pouring a dollop on her hand.
"Come on, Yugo." She invited. "The topping is the best part anyway."
Laughing, the two took turns passing the whipped cream back and forth, enjoying the best dessert they had ever had.
Five days later
He was coming for her. She could feel it. The prickling at the back of her neck had become a vice, threatening to close around her windpipe and squeeze. She still could not see where her pursuer was, but she knew she had to run!
She dashed through the maze of dark alleyway, even daring to duck inside known gangster territory, anything to escape the shadow that had haunted her nonstop since she had first sensed it. But it didn't matter where she ran. The noose continued to tighten around her neck, and there was nobody around to help her.
"Yugo, where are you!?"
SLAM!
Rin's palms slammed against a brick wall, just barely preventing her from smashing her head in the dark alleyway. Hastily she leaped up, scrambling with her gloved hands in order to scale the wall.
"There's nowhere to run now. You might as well save your energy. I just want to talk." A calm feminine voice called from behind Rin.
Heart trembling, Rin slowly turned around to face her pursuer. Approaching her from the end of the shadowed alleyway was a cloaked figure dimly illuminated by the full moon up above.
"Who are you!?" Rin demanded, mustering up enough courage to talk.
"See for yourself." The figure replied, pulling down her hood to reveal her face.
Rin stared open-mouthed, unable to believe what she was seeing. It was as if she were staring into a mirror. Reflecting her in all but her clothing, Rin's twin stared back at her, an amused smile on the doppelganger's face.
"You're…who're…this isn't…this isn't funny!" Rin stammered, unable to comprehend what she was saying. "Wait…are you…do I…do I have a twin!?"
The thought did make sense. After all, she had been raised an orphan her entire life. Who knew what other family she had?
The clone, on the other hand, only laughed at this.
"I guess that's sort of close, though, it's a bit more complicated. Names Selena, by the way. It's nice to finally be able to talk with you. I was wanting to earlier, but it's like you've been glued to your boyfriend's bike this entire time."
"Boyfriend's bike?" Rin sputtered, suddenly feeling embarrassed once she realized who Selena was referring to. "No, no, no, he's not…I mean…we're not…hold on!"
"And I've already broken her." Selena sighed. "Here, let me start over. Hi Rin, it's nice to meet you. I'm Selena and you and I, well, there's no easier way to explain this but…we're sort of the same person, there are multiple dimensions, and existence as you know it is fake."
Rin stared dumbfounded at Selena, now thoroughly convinced that her twin had grown up in an insane asylum and had only just broken free from solitary confinement.
"Listen, Selena, I don't know who you are, or why you're interested in me, but if you'll just calm down, then I think I can get you some help. There's an orphanage not far from here, and-…"
"Oh, for the love of!" Selena groused. "I'm never gonna convince you at this rate. Look, I'm not the best at talking, and I can see you think I'm crazy, so why don't I just show you what I'm talking about?"
"Show me?" Rin asked uneasily, not sure what Selena was getting at.
"A duel." Selena proposed. "If you beat me, I disappear from your life, never to be seen again. If I win, you hear me out."
Rin considered, weighing the risks. She and Yugo had both done their fair amount of dueling, enough that they had both even considered entering the Friendship Cup…though neither of them had managed to win a single local tournament. Still, whoever her twin was, she didn't look like a professional duelist. This was probably her best chance to put some distance between herself and this apparent lunatic.
"Alright. Fine." Rin agreed, activating her duel disk. "I accept your terms, and expect you to do the same, one duelist to another."
"That's what I like to hear." Selena replied with a grin, throwing off her cloak to flourish her own uniquely designed duel disk shaped like a shield with a solid-vision blade actually shaped like a sword rather than the standard "V". Rin paused for a moment, wondering if she had made a mistake, before shaking her head and pressing forward. She had given her word as a duelist. She would not turn back.
DUEL!
Rin vs. Selena
"I'll start things off." Selena proposed, drawing her opening hand. "Come forth, Moonlight Blue Cat!"
Appearing to the girl's field was a slender anthropomorphic cat girl with blue fur, a ballerina dress, and a moon-shaped crest over her left eye.
Moonlight Blue Cat / DARK / Level 4 / Beast-Warrior / Effect / ATK 1600 / DEF 1200
Rin had never heard of this card before, but that wasn't too concerning. The Tops threw all sorts of obscure cards into the trash for the Commons to find later on. It was very rare for anyone at the bottom to find something truly top tier, and aside from the Selena's somewhat fancy duel disk, Rin doubted that she was upper class.
"Setting two cards face-down." Selena declared, slotting two more cards into her duel disk before looking back at Rin with a taunting grin.
"Is that it?" Rin asked.
"Maybe I had a bad draw, maybe I'm going easy on you." Selena shrugged. "Either way, it's your turn to show me what you've got! And DON'T disappoint me." She warned, wagging her finger.
Rin frowned at this. Whoever this Selena was, she was awfully full of herself, as if "Normal Summon, set two backrow, pass" was meta-breaking. Still, an arrogant opponent was much easier to deal with than a calm, calculating one.
"My move, draw!" Rin declared, beginning her turn. "Since I control no monsters I Special Summon Windwitch Ice Bell from my hand! Come on out!"
In a gust of wind, a petit blue-haired witch riding a broomstick with a bell-shaped end appeared to Rin's field, the little witch on top giggling before pulling out a wand shaped like an icicle.
Windwitch Ice Bell / WIND / Level 3 / Spellcaster / Effect / ATK 1000 / DEF 1000
"The rest of Ice Bell's effect now resolves." Rin continued. "I inflict five-hundred damage to your life points and Special Summon one 'Windwitch' from my deck. Come forth, Windwitch Icicle Bell!"
Appearing alongside Ice Bell was a tiny witch with short red hair, a hobbyhorse broomstick with bell-decorated reigns, and a lance made out of one gigantic icicle.
Windwitch Icicle Bell / WIND / Level 2 / Spellcaster / Tuner / Effect / ATK 300 / DEF 300
Once the second witch had appeared, Ice Bell pointed her wand at Selena before blasting her with a gust of cold wind, which Selena deflected using her shield.
Selena: 4000 – 500 = 3500 LP
"Burn strategy." Selena mused. "Ironic given your deck's apparent theme, but effective. You'll fit right in with us."
"I am NOT doing this to fit in with…whoever the heck you're talking about." Rin groused.
"Academia." Selena explained. "It's where I come from."
Rin nearly choked.
"You come from THE Academia!? But…that's a Tops only institution for professional duelists!" Rin sputtered.
"No, not that Academia." Selena scoffed. "The one you're familiar with is just a cheap copy Jean made. I'm talking about the REAL Academia."
"…what?" Rin buzzed, feeling absolutely befuddled. Was this what it felt like to be Yugo?
"Oh nevermind." Selena sighed. "You'll see it soon anyway once I beat you."
"Oh you are NOT beating me!" Rin growled, snapping back to reality. "I'm not even close to done with my turn, and thanks to your dueling, you left yourself wide open! Windwitch Icicle Bell's effect! If she is Special Summoned, I can target one monster you control in order to negate its effects, decrease its ATK by 500, and inflict 500 damage to your life points! Go! Chilling Lance!"
Hurling her weapon with a high-pitched "KYAA!" Icicle Bell impaled Cat Dancer with the icicle, chunks of the weapon flying off to hit Selena, who managed to back flip out of the way.
Moonlight Blue Cat: 1600 – 500 = 1100 ATK / Effects Negated
Selena: 3500 – 500 = 3000 LP
"A non-tuner and a tuner." Selena mused. "I can see where this is going."
"You thought right." Rin agreed, before stretching her hand towards her monsters. "I tune the level two Icicle Bell with the Level three Ice Bell!"
On command, Icicle Bell morphed into a pair of green rings before encircling her sister windwitch in her light, Ice Bell turning translucent before her body disappeared, replaced with three glowing white orbs, which aligned in the center of the green disks. Synchro Summoning, the highest summoning method in duel monsters, created when two or more monsters synched their wills with one another through the guidance of a powerful tuner. With it, even low-rank Commons cards could accomplish great things.
"Winds of the far north, converge together and become my power! Synchro Shoukan! Appear! Level 5! Windwitch Polar Bell!"
Appearing through a column of white light in a gust of freezing wind was a large white monster shaped vaguely like a snowmobile with a pair of bladed ice skates on the bottom and an upper hood-ornament body shaped like a slender woman with broad fins for arms and a snowmobile helmet for a head with bright fog-piercing lights for eyes. Hopping on top of the monster, Rin rode Polar Bell like a surfboard as the monster swooshed through the air.
Windwitch Polar Bell / WIND / Level 5 / Spellcaster / Synchro / Tuner / Effect / ATK 1600 / DEF 1200
"Not bad for a start." Selena mused. "But I'm hoping this isn't all you've got."
"Windwitch Polar Bell's effect activates when she is Synchro Summoned!" Rin declared. "I inflict five-hundred damage to your life points. Furthermore, if Icicle Bell is used as a Synchro Material, any effect and battle damage Polar Bell inflicts is doubled! Go! Polar Vortex!"
Roaring like an engine, Polar Bell clapped her fins together, generating a blast of icy wind which knocked Selena flat on her back.
Selena: 3000 – 1000 = 2000 LP
"Okay, that's getting a little annoying." Selena grunted, rubbing her back as she staggered back to her feet.
"I'm not done yet!" Rin continued, revealing another card in her hand. "By discarding a card while I control another Windwitch monster, I can Special Summon Windwitch Snowflake Bell! Come forth!"
Descending from the sky on a hovering platform shaped like a snowflake was a petit white-haired witch wearing a red hat, a black veil over her pink eyes, a grey-and-white body suit with a tutu, and snowflake shaped earrings. Spreading out her hands, the witch conjured a pair of magic circles designed like stylized snowflakes, which hovered over her palms.
Windwitch Snowflake Bell / WIND / Level 3 / Spellcaster / Tuner / Effect / ATK 600 / DEF 600
When Snowflake Bell is summoned with her own effect, I can target one Windwitch monster in my graveyard in order to Special Summon her. Return, Ice Bell!"
Raising her hands into the air, Snowflake Bell conjured a black graveyard portal shaped like a snowflake in the ground through which Ice Bell rose into the air once more.
Windwitch Ice Bell / WIND / Level 3 / Spellcaster / Effect / ATK 1000 / DEF 1000
"You've already set up for a second Synchro Summon, and a Level six Synchro too." Selena whistled. "Pretty good."
Rin blushed a little at this. She actually didn't have a level six synchro. Not that Selena needed to know that, or what her true strategy was.
"Polar Bell's second effect!" Rin declared, "By discarding one card from my hand, I can increase or decrease the level of Polar Bell by one. I choose the latter effect, changing Polar Bell's level from five to four!"
Windwitch Polar Bell: 5 – 1 = Level 4
"Interesting choice." Selena mused. "You've got yourself set up for a Level seven Synchro and even a level ten!"
"How rich do you think I am? Level ten!?" Rin exclaimed in her head, "You're pretty much considered the king of games in the commons if you can scrounge up a Level eight! But you are right about level seven, though I'm not going to show her to you just yet!"
"Battle!" Rin declared, "I attack your Blue Cat with Windwitch Polar Bell!"
Rising into the air on the back of her monster, Rin prepared to wipe away Selena's only monster, when her twin extended her hand towards one of her face-downs.
"Trap activate!" Selena declared, "Moonlight Battle Dance! Until the end of this turn's Battle Phase, 'Moonlight' monsters I control are unaffected by my opponent's monster effects and cannot be destroyed by battle!"
Hissing, Blue Cat leaped into the air just as Polar Bell unleashed a blast of frigid wind her direction. Meeting in mid-air Blue Cat's claws scratched at the surface of Rin's monster before the agile cat was knocked back by the roaring wind.
"The damage still goes through!" Rin declared, "And thanks to Icicle Bell's effect, it is doubled!"
Selena: 2000 – (500 X 2) = 1000 LP
"Not a bad first turn." Selena complimented. "You knocked me three-quarters of the way down and significantly weakened my defenses. But the duel's still far from over."
"This battle phase is far from over!" Rin countered. "This isn't the only trick I have up my sleeve. Windwitch Polar Bell's final effect! I can Synchro Summon using monsters I control, including Polar Bell!"
"A Synchro Summon during the battle phase?" Selena exclaimed in delight. "Now that's some next-level playing! Bring it on!"
"With pleasure." Rin replied, leaping off her monsters back as it morphed into a quartet of green rings. "I tune the now level four Polar Bell with the Level three Ice Bell! Midwinter winds, make ice and snow my power and blow through! Synchro Shoukan! Come forth my ace! Level seven! Windwitch Winter Bell!"
Roaring onto the field in a gale of snowy wind was Rin's ace monster, a sleek wind sprite shaped like a feminine hood ornament with a narrow head, elongated fins, and a single ice-skate like blade beneath a rounded bell-like body. Catching hold of her monster's back, Rin leaped onto the blade before riding her new monster through the air.
Windwitch Winter Bell / WIND / Level 7 / Spellcaster / Synchro / Effect / ATK 2400 / DEF 2000
"Since the battle phase isn't over, Windwitch Winter Bell can attack immediately!" Rin declared. "And with just one-thousand life points left, this is it for you! Go, Windwitch Winter Bell! Winter's Veil!"
"Moonlight Battle Dance's second effect!" Selena declared. "By banishing this card from my graveyard, I can increase the ATK of one 'Moonlight' monster I control by one-thousand!"
Moonlight Blue Cat: 1100 + 1000 = 2100 ATK
Rin's Winter Bell fired a blast of cold air into Selena's monster, but just before the gust connected, Blue Cat danced away, leaving a small trickle of icy wind to slam into Selena, who covered her face with her shield.
Selena: 1000 – 300 = 700 LP
Rin paused open-mouthed, processing what had just happened. It was not the fact that Selena had managed to survive her attack, she would have been astounded if the strange girl didn't have at least one out, but the way she did just now…something didn't make sense!
"That second effect…" Rin pondered aloud. "…you could have used it earlier when Polar Bell attacked, and actually beaten my monster with it. But you only just used that effect now, when it could only reduce your damage a bit. Why?"
"Maybe it's a unique strategy, maybe I'm just dumb." Selena nonchalantly shrugged. "Maybe I'm just going easy on you. Either way, free bit of advice, don't help your opponent with tactics in the middle of a duel."
Rin grit her teeth. This girl was so…condescending! She was almost ashamed to share the same face as her. But as annoying as Selena was acting, that didn't mean that the duel was in her favor.
"Regardless of what that just was, that misplay is going to cost you!" Rin declared. "I move on to my Main Phase 2 in order to activate Windwitch Winter Bell's first effect! I target the level five Polar Bell in my graveyard in order to inflict damage to your lifepoints equal to her level times two-hundred! Game over, Selena!"
A ghostly image of Polar Bell appeared before Winter Bell absorbed it into her spherical center. Charging up with green light, Winter Bell let out a gust of frigid air, preparing to destroy the rest of Selena's life points.
"Counter trap!" Selena declared. "Moonlight Ambush Dance! By discarding a card while I control a 'Moonlight' monster, I can negate the effect of your monster and destroy it!"
Blue Cat suddenly vanished in a blur of blue light just as the gust of wind slammed into the pavement. To Rin's surprise, the agile cat girl suddenly reappeared in the air, the moon up above silhouetting her form, before she brought down her claws against Winter Bell, raking deep gashes against the wind sprite before destroying it. Still dazed, Rin tumbled to the ground, only rescued from hitting the pavement at the last second when Selena caught her in her arms.
"Maybe next time don't ride what I'm about to destroy? Kay?" Selena advised before dropping a stunned Rin to the ground and walking back to her side of the field.
"It isn't exactly like you're winning." Rin groused, pulling herself off the ground before brushing off her suit. "Your back row is gone, you only have one weakened monster, and I'm still way ahead of you in life points. Setting two cards face-down. Turn end!"
"A duel is only over when someone's life points reach zero, and I'm plenty far from that." Selena proudly countered. "But I am happy with what I'm seeing. Even without anyone to really teach you, you've figured out a lot. Now let me show you what I can do. My turn! Draw!"
"I'll start by discarding Moonlight Black Sheep in order to add the magic card, Fusion, to my hand." Selena declared, revealing a card depicting a sheep girl in a butler outfit before discarding it and extracting a magic card displaying a swirling pattern of orange and blue.
"Fusion?" Rin asked, yet again completely unfamiliar with Selena's cards.
"Oh sis, I am going to broaden your horizons in more ways than you can comprehend." Selena promised. "But first, I activate the effect of the Moonlight Yellow Marten in my graveyard, by Special Summoning this card, I can return Blue Cat to my hand! Appear now!"
A playful anthropomorphic gold-furred marten wearing a pink ballerina outfit appeared to Selena's field before cupping her hands to let Blue Cat leap onto her palms before tossing her into the air like a cheerleader. Twirling in the air, Blue Cat transformed into a card before Selena snatched it and added it to her hand.
Moonlight Yellow Marten / DARK / Level 4 / Beast-Warrior / Effect / ATK 800 / DEF 2000
"Good defense." Rin thought, "But not enough to defeat Winter Bell."
"Next," Selena continued, "I Normal Summon Moonlight Emerald Bird. Come on out!"
Appearing next to the marten was an anthropomorphic bird girl with emerald-feathered wings stylized like a carnival outfit and a blue-and-orange ballerina outfit.
Moonlight Emerald Bird / DARK / Level 4 / Beast-Warrior / Effect / ATK 1200 / DEF 1000
"Another monster, but not very good ATK or DEF. It's not even a tuner. She can't be planning to tribute summon since she's already normal summoned, so what is she planning?" Rin pondered as Selena continued her turn.
"Emerald Bird's effect." Selena continued, "Since she was summoned, I discard Blue Cat in order to draw one card."
Rin watched as Selena deposited Blue Cat into her graveyard before placing the tips of her fingers on top of her deck. A strange tingling sensation like what she had experienced when Selena had stalked her suddenly pricked the back of her neck as Selena drew her card. It was only momentary, but for a moment, Rin could have sworn the moon up above had glowed just a bit brighter as Selena added the new card to her hand.
Selena regarded Rin with a grin.
"Did you feel it?"
"What?" Rin asked.
"Did you feel it?" Selena repeated more earnestly.
"I don't…I don't know what you're talking about." Rin replied, nervously taking a step back.
Selena sighed.
"Well, I suppose I can't hope for everything. Ah well, you'll understand soon enough."
She revealed the magic card she had added to her hand earlier.
"Magic Card, Fusion!" Selena declared. "With this card, I can perform a Fusion Summon!"
"Fusion Summon!?" Rin exclaimed, "But there's no such thing as-…!"
But Selena's duel disk accepted the card. It ACCEPTED the card!
Above Selena's head, a swirling blue and orange portal appeared before Yellow Marten and Emerald Bird rose into the air to hover in the center of the maelstrom as Selena began a summoning chant.
"Whimsical beast frolicking through the golden moonlit fields, elegant bird gliding through the emerald night sky, in the vortex of the moon's gravity merge together into a new power! Yuugo Shoukan! Come to me! Beautiful beast that dances in the moonlight! Moonlight Cat Dancer!"
The two monsters changed into yellow and green light before their forms swirled together in the portal. Mouth still agape, Rin watched as Selena pulled a purple card from her Extra Deck before slamming it onto her duel disk. From the center of the fusion portal, a new creature, a tall cat-girl wearing elegant carnival clothing and a moon-shaped mask over her face, danced onto Selena's field before posing.
Moonlight Cat Dancer / DARK / Level 7 / Beast-Warrior / Fusion / Effect / ATK 2400 / DEF 2000
How was this possible? It was a well-known fact from every duelist that the duel disk, and the complex system it was tied to, WOULD NOT accept a card unless it was legal. Hackers had tried for years to implement illegal cards, but all of them had been roundly rejected. But this girl, with what should have been, by all accounts, some wacky made-up fan card, had just implemented a new mechanic, a new summoning method, into the system!
"How…how did you!?" Rin stuttered, still unable to comprehend what she was seeing.
"Look, if this surprises you, then we're going to have a very long night." Selena sighed. "Emerald Bird's effect activates since she was sent to the graveyard by a card effect. I Special Summon Blue Cat from my graveyard with her effects negated!"
Appearing next to Cat Dancer, the smaller Blue Cat emerged from a graveyard portal, claws outstretched in a defensive stance.
Moonlight Blue Cat / DARK / Level 4 / Beast-Warrior / Effect / ATK 1600 / DEF 1200
Rin manged to shake her head and return to the duel. New summoning method or not, it had to still follow the other rules of the game. As far as she could tell, Cat Dancer was just like a Synchro Monster, except it apparently didn't need the levels of its materials to match. This was utterly cheap and game-breaking in Rin's opinion, but if the system didn't reject it outright, that had to mean it had legitimate weaknesses to go along with its strengths. If she could figure those out, she could beat it.
"Trap activate!" Rin declared, "Icy Breeze Refrain! I Special Summon Winter Bell from my graveyard in defense position!"
In front of Rin, Winter Bell reappeared, fins folded over her chest in a defensive pose.
Windwitch Winter Bell / WIND / Level 7 / Spellcaster / Synchro / Effect / ATK 2400 / DEF 2000
"Furthermore," Rin continued, "since a 'Windwitch' monster was Special Summoned, I can activate my other face-down, Vortex Wind Bell Chimes! With this card, I add two 'Windwtich' monsters from my deck to my hand!"
A pair of cards popped out of Rin's deck, which she hastily added to her hand.
"Blizzard Bell and Glacier Bell." Rin mused. "Even if Selena has found a way to game the system, her life points are still low."
"Windwitch Blizzard Bell's effect!" Rin declared. "Since I control a Windwitch, I can discard this card in order to inflict five-hundred damage to your life points!"
A monster that looked like a crystalline angel wearing a bell-shaped dress appeared to Rin's field, bell-shaped dress ringing as it let out an immense gust of wind, blasting Selena back and nearly taking her down right then and there.
Selena: 700 – 500 = 200 LP
"Not giving me a break, even during my turn." Selena grinned. "Good. It's nice to see you still have some fight left in you. But let's see how you do against this! Continuous Magic card activate! Full Moon Cresta!"
A pair of moon-shaped cestus appeared in Cat Dancer's hands before Cat Dancer purred in approval as if eager to use them.
"And what does that do?" Rin asked.
"Well first, when it is activated, it switches all monsters on the field to attack position." Selena began as Rin's defense-position monsters and Blue Cat suddenly assumed more aggressive stances, much to Rin's discomfort.
Winter Bell: 2400 ATK
Snowflake Bell: 600 ATK
Blue Cat: 1600 ATK
"Full Moon Cresta has other effects, but those will be revealed in good time." Selena promised. "Next, I activate the effect of Cat Dancer. By tributing Blue Cat, Cat Dancer can attack each monster you control, twice each!"
"TWICE each?" Rin gaped.
"But they aren't destroyed by the first battle." Selena clarified.
"Not good! If she can attack Snowflake Bell twice, I'll be taking thirty-six hundred damage. I've got to stop this!"
"Battle!" Selena declared, "Moonlight Cat Dancer attacks-…!"
"Windwitch Winter Bell's effect!" Rin interrupted. "During the battle phase, I can Special Summon a monster from my hand whose Level is equal to or lower than the level of Winter Bell! Come forth! Windwitch Glacier Bell!"
A large crystal witch encased in a gigantic snow-globe made of ice appeared to Rin's field, the bottom of the snow-globe supported by a bell-shaped base. Spreading out her arms, the ornamental witch created a wall of ice in front of herself and Rin's other monsters.
Windwitch Glacier Bell / WIND / Level 6 / Spellcaster / Tuner / Effect / ATK 2000 / DEF 2000
"Nice wall." Selena congratulated with a sarcastic clap. "Do you plan to hide out the rest of the duel?"
"I'm not planning on hiding. I'm finishing this!" Rin declared. "Windwitch Glacier Bell's effect! By tributing two WIND monsters I control, I can halve the ATK of all monsters you control and inflict five-hundred damage to your life points! I tribute Glacier Bell and Snowflake Bell! Go! Glacial Winds!"
On command, Glacier Bell and Snowflake Bell disintegrated into puffs of swirling snow, which Winter Bell began gathering into the center of her body, charging up to deliver the finishing blow against Selena. Selena, however, did not look the least bit perturbed.
"Full Moon Cresta's effect!" Selena declared. "If a monster effect is activated during the Battle Phase, I can negate the effect and increase both our life points by one-thousand!"
Before either Rin or Winter Bell could react, Cat Dancer leapt forward, before slashing both of Winter Bell's fins with the blades of her cestus and stopping the attack dead in its tracks. Leaping into the air, Cat Dancer reflected a beam of moonlight into Selena and Rin with each of her blades, the calm light increasing both Rin and Selena's life points.
Rin: 4000 + 1000 = 5000 LP
Selena: 200 + 1000 = 1200 LP
"As I was saying." Selena smirked. "BATTLE! Moonlight Cat Dancer, attack Windwitch Winter Bell!"
"You're still attacking!?" Rin gaped. "But our monsters have the same ATK! You'll just end up destroying both of them!"
"Under normal circumstances." Selena agreed. "But Moonlight Cat Dancer has another ability. She cannot be destroyed by battle!"
"Woah!" Rin reflexively exclaimed.
"And that's not all," Selena continued, "Each time Cat Dancer attacks, I get to inflict one-hundred damage to my opponent's life points! And thanks to Full Moon Cresta, any battle or effect damage my Moonlight Monsters inflict is doubled! Show her what we're made of, Moonlight Cat Dancer!"
Leaping into the air, Cat Dancer threw a small knife at Rin, brushing just past her ear as her life points took a small hit, before clashing against Winter Bell, who managed to fend off the violent cat girl before they disengaged.
Rin: 5000 – 200 = 4800 LP
"The second attack!" Selena declared as Cat Dancer charged forward yet again, this time delivering a fatal blow to Winter Bell with her cestus before following up with a slash to Rin.
Rin: 4800 – 200 = 4600 LP
"Turn end." Selena triumphantly declared. "It was a nice try, Rin. You have the power, I can sense it, but unlike you, I actually know how to use it."
"Power?" Rin grunted, brushing herself off. "What the heck are you talking about?"
"You're wearing a bracelet similar to mine." Selena replied, lifting her arm to show an elegant silver bracelet with a circular ring attachment containing a silver ball with a purple gem in its center. "Did you ever wonder what it was for?"
Rin looked down at her own bracelet, a silver ring designed with wind patterns and a green gem in the center. As far as she knew, it was not for anything. Just a piece of jewelry left over from when she was delivered to the orphanage.
"It's pretty nice, you know." Selena continued. "I imagine it could fetch a fair price at a local pawn shop. Goodness knows, a girl like you could use the extra cash."
Rin instinctively clutched the bracelet, horrified by the thought of just pawning it away.
"Don't like that idea, do you?" Selena continued with a smirk. "I bet you never leave your room without it. Even if you're not thinking about it, you find it on your arm after you've finished dressing, and then you go about your day like normal, never even thinking about it until someone mentions it. Just a part of you, like your hair or fingernails."
"What are you getting at?" Rin asked, not for the first time questioning the sanity of this mysterious girl.
"I'm trying to help you remember, Rin." Selena insisted, sounding almost desperate, "But it's hard. I remember reacting the same way you are now when I was told. But you've got to be feeling something."
"Like what?" Rin snapped, growing annoyed. Honestly, what was she supposed to feel? Okay, so Selena's description of Rin's habits when it came to her bracelet were…accurate, but what was special about that? It was a valuable piece of jewelry. Of course she wouldn't just leave it lying around! Yeah, she almost always wore it without even thinking, but what was special about that? She didn't pause to marvel how wonderful her socks were every time she slipped them on. Heck, Yugo once spent half a day searching for his helmet only to realize, once she had pointed it out, that he had been wearing it the entire time! And as for not selling it, well…she had had the bracelet since she was baby. It was the only connection she had to her parents. Some things were just more valuable than money.
"Look," Rin continued, "I don't know who you think I am, or what you think my bracelet is, and I don't really care. You clearly need help, and I don't think I'm the one who can help you."
"So you really think I'm just crazy?" Selena asked, looking offended. "That a girl who looks EXACTLY like you, has managed to pull off a summoning method which, until know, you didn't even know existed, and who, just recently, managed to pull off a pretty miraculous draw for the exact kind of equip spell she needed, is just a complete crackpot who belongs in an asylum?"
"What's more logical!?" Rin protested. "That I have a twin whose good at hacking and dueling, and who, unfortunately, has developed some weird ideas, or that my bracelet is some kind of…magical object, your me but from…what was it…another planet?"
"Dimension." Selena clarified.
"Right. Dimension." Rin sarcastically corrected, "That. I don't know about you, Selena, but I think this is a good example of Occam's Razor."
Selena looked down at the ground, looking genuinely hurt.
"You really don't believe me." Selena muttered. "It's just like dad said, there's no convincing you unless I can show you."
"Look, I don't want to hurt your feelings, or anything." Rin apologized. "But it's just…I can't, well yeah. I can't believe anything you're saying. So yes, if you actually showed me this…other dimension…or…or my bracelet firing a magical laser beam, then I'd probably believe you. But until then…it's just too much."
Selena paused, seeming to consider this.
"Okay. Let me prove it then."
"What?" Rin asked, taken aback.
"Let me prove something to you." Selena insisted. "I think you can pull this off. It won't be like showing you the Fusion Dimension or Academia, but it should be a good start. Maybe you'll even begin to trust me."
"What are you planning?" Rin asked, feeling not a little suspicious.
"It's nothing weir-…or…well, it's nothing bad." Selena clarified. "Just. Try this."
"Okay?" Rin hesitantly replied. "What exactly am I trying?"
Selena's lips curled.
"Okay, so, I'll remind you Rin, even if I am mad-hatter crazy, we still made an agreement, and I hate to say it, but right now, even with your life point advantage, you are clearly losing this game."
"Thanks for the reminder." Rin huffed.
"But it's not too late!" Selena hastily added. "You have the ability to turn this around. All you have to do, is draw the right card."
Rin rolled her eyes.
"Of course I have to draw the right card! I know that. Every duelist knows that! That doesn't mean it's just going to happen!"
"But what if…and hear me out on this one…what if you could…make it happen?" Selena prompted.
"You mean cheat." Rin scoffed. "is that what you've been doing this entire time?"
"I've not been-!" Selena growled, before managing to compose herself, "What I mean to say is…this isn't cheating. This is…beyond the rules in way…and yet…always been part of the game in one sense."
"You're not making any sense at all." Rin replied, shaking her head in frustration.
"Look, just…follow my directions and you'll see." Selena reassured her. "You with me so far?"
"Okay…" Rin sighed. "…I'll humor you. What do I have to do? And if the first instruction is 'disable my auto-shuffle,' I'm quitting this duel!"
"Close your eyes." Selena instructed, ignoring the last comment. "Close your eyes and picture the card you need to win. Don't draw yet, just picture it for a moment."
Rolling her eyes before closing them, Rin took a deep breath before going through her deck list and considering each option.
"I could top-deck an Ice Bell. I have one extra copy, so that's a…what? One in thirty chance? Regardless, that's probably my better option. I'd inflict five-hundred damage and I could summon another Windwitch. I wish I had another Blizzard Bell. That would let me inflict another five-hundred damage, which, combined with Glacier Bell's last effect, would let me win. But…that's not going to happen, so let's see…Snow Bell is a no, Glass Bell is a no, Freeze Bell is a no, Lucky Pied Piper is basically filler until I can replace it…"
"Okay, you're doing it wrong." Selena sighed.
Rin opened her eyes, a scowl coming to her face.
"Excuse me?" She snapped.
"You're overthinking it." Selena explained. "I could tell, you were muttering to yourself."
"I don't mutter." Rin retorted, feeling her cheeks burn. "And what do you mean I'm doing it wrong? I'm doing exactly what you said, I'm trying to figure out what card will let me win!"
"No, that's not what I said at all!" Selena groaned. "I said to picture the card you need to win, not perform mental calculus to determine the probability of drawing every different card in your deck!"
"Well what's the difference!?" Rin complained. "If I can't consider each card in my deck, how am I supposed to picture what I need to win…as if it even matters?"
"It DOES matter!" Selena insisted. "This isn't just wishful thinking. This is something more deliberate. You can't just say to yourself, 'Gee, I sure hope I draw what I need!' it has to be from the heart. There has to be WILL behind it. You've got to know what you need and then know that it will come to you."
"And you've lost me again." Rin groaned, covering her eyes with her hands. "Why did I even agree to this? We'll just be going around in circles forever!"
"That's it!" Selena suddenly exclaimed.
Rin slowly parted two of her fingers to look through her hands.
"What you said, 'going around in circles,' that's it, that's what will help you! It's how I learned!" Selena explained.
"You ran around in circles." Rin mumbled. "Somehow I'm not surprised."
"No, I'm talking about what goes around in circles." Selena explained, "It's the wind! The wind is your aesthetic, just like the moon is mine. It's where your power comes from! If you can tap into that, then you'll be able to do this!"
Rin's hands flopped to her side.
"I'm talking to a lunatic." She muttered. "All this time I was worried that someone dangerous was stalking me, and it turns out she's just insane. Or am I insane for talking to her?"
"Just do this one thing!" Selena growled. "REALLY do it, and if nothing happens, I swear, I'll forfeit this duel and leave you alone forever."
Rin glared at Selena.
"Fine." She huffed. "I do this one thing, really do it, as you put it, then that's it."
"But if something happens, we continue this duel." Selena clarified.
"Fine, fine." Rin sighed. "So what do I do?"
"Close your eyes like before." Selena instructed. "Only this time, feel the wind around you. Don't think about anything else, just focus on feeling the wind."
Rin closed her eyes, attempting to concentrate on the air touching her skin. There was not much wind in this alleyway, but she could some slight gusts here and there as the air circulated around her.
"Okay." Selena continued. "Now, I want you to lose yourself in the wind. Feel it curling around a finger. Just one finger. Keep breathing. In and out. Now move on to the next finger. Feel the air as it wraps around the finger. Keep doing this until you can feel the wind around each finger. Now feel it on your hands. Feel it curling around your arms. Your body. Your legs. Your feet. Feel it caressing your neck. Feel it on your face."
Selena's voice slowly became more dream-like as Rin concentrated on each part of her body, sensing the air currents around her body as they spun round and round in a never-ending cycle. When Selena mentioned the face, Rin was suddenly transported to the back of her and Yugo's D-wheel. The wind was whipping against her face as they accelerated through the city, free to move where they wished. Free to live. Free to be. Wherever they went, the wind went with them. She breathed it in her lungs, felt it on her skin, and rode it on the back of her monsters. It was her companion, her guide, an inextricable part of her existence.
Suddenly, she felt something. There was a way to win. She could feel the answer in her mind.
"You're doing it!" Selena exclaimed, "Now go for it! Reach out, and draw it!"
"Atashi no turn! DRAW!" Rin exclaimed, a shockwave of wind bursting from her as she whipped her arm forward and tore the top card from her deck. Slowly opening her eyes, Rin dared to look at the card she had drawn.
Just like that, she felt as if the wind had been knocked from her. It was there! She had drawn it! But how!? The chances of her top-decking this particular card were one in thirty! But still, it was there. She had drawn it. Despite the odds, she had drawn it. Faintly, she could feel a slight burning sensation from her eyes, but not like when she was tearing up. Glancing down, she could almost swear her bracelet was glowing.
A blink, and it was all gone. Had Selena hypnotized her? She checked the card again, but it was still there.
"This is…" Rin gaped.
"Crazy?" Selena finished. "No. But it sure feels that way the first time. Now, I believe it's your turn."
Rin nodded her head. "Yes, I mean, right. Windwitch Glacier Bell's effect! By banishing this card from my graveyard, I can Special Summon one Windwitch from my graveyard with her effects negated. Return! Windwitch Winter Bell!"
Emerging from a graveyard portal in a gust of wind, Winter Bell returned, the wind sprite rising into the air to fly once more.
Windwitch Winter Bell / WIND / Level 7 / Spellcaster / Synchro / Effect / ATK 2400 / DEF 2000 / Effects Negated
"When this effect of Glacier Bell is used, I also get to inflict five-hundred damage to my opponent!" Rin continued, stretching out her hand as Winter Bell fired a gust of freezing air into Selena.
Selena: 1200 – 500 = 700 LP
"An impressive start." Selena complimented. "You managed to revive your ace monster and inflict some damage to me. But you were going to do that regardless. What exactly did you draw?"
"It's like you said, Selena." Rin replied. "I got exactly what I needed! Continuous magic card activate! Midnight Wind Bell Chimes! 'Windwitch' monsters I control gain ATK equal to their respective level times one-hundred!"
Windwitch Winter Bell: 2400 + (100 X 7) = 3100 ATK
"Thirty-one hundred attack!" Selena exclaimed. "That's exactly enough to beat me! You actually did it!"
"I don't know what happened, I still don't know if I believe you." Rin admitted. "It still could have just been chance. But…I can't believe I'm saying this, but I don't think you're crazy. That being said, I am winning this duel! BATTLE! Windwitch Winter Bell, attack Moonlight Cat Dancer!"
Leaping onto the back of her monster, Rin joined Winter Bell as the wind sprite soared through the air before swooping down to deliver the finishing strike. Down below, Selena looked up in awe, before stretching out her hand, a determined look on her face.
"Sorry, Rin, but as happy as I am for you, I have no intention of losing this duel! Full Moon Cresta's final effect! By tributing this card, I can Fusion Summon using monsters I control or in my graveyard as material!"
"Another Fusion Summon, and during the battle phase!?" Rin exclaimed.
"I couldn't let you one-up me, now could I?" Selena teased. "Time to show you what I'm actually capable of! Using the equipped Moonlight Cat Dancer, and the Black Sheep and Emerald Bird in my graveyard as Material, I fusion summon!"
Cat Dancer threw her moon-shaped Cestus into the air, where the weapons rapidly spun around until a fusion portal appeared, into which Cat Dancer, Black Sheep, and Emerald Bird emerged before swirling together in a vortex of red, black, and green light.
"The beautiful beast dancing in the moonlight, the beast lurking in jet-black darkness, elegant bird gliding through the emerald night sky, through the passage of the lunar cycle, let your instincts combine to revive an ancient power! YUUGO SHOUKAN! Awaken! Spectacular beast dancing through the ancient moonlit wilds! Level nine! Moonlight Sabre Dancer!"
Emerging from the fusion portal was a flamboyant and muscular cat girl with purple skin, tiger-like feet, a much more revealing gold-colored carnival dancer dress complete with a gaudy headdress, and a razor-sharp sabre in each hand. Small fangs poked out of either side of the grinning cat girl's lips and a stripe, whether a scar or war-paint, Rin couldn't tell, adorned her left cheek. Spinning the swords through the air in an intricate dance, Sabre Dancer came to a stop, baring her fangs and swords as if daring Rin and her ace monster to come closer.
Moonlight Sabre Dancer / DARK / Level 9 / Beast-Warrior / Fusion / Effect / ATK 3000 / DEF 2600
Rin and Winter Bell glided away from the monster as Rin studied its stats. Right now, if she attacked, she wouldn't win, but Winter Bell was still just barely strong enough to beat this new monster.
"I know what you're thinking." Selena called. "And it's not going to work. Sabre Dancer's effect! For every Beast-Warrior in the graveyard or banished, she gains two-hundred ATK! I currently have Blue Cat and Cat Dancer in the Graveyad while Yellow Marten, Emerald Bird, and Black Sheep are banished!"
Raising her blades into the air, Sabre Dancer seemed to absorb the ghosts of the monsters Selena mentioned, body glowing with golden light as her ATK rose.
Moonlight Sabre Dancer: 3000 + (200 X 5) = 4000 ATK
"Four-thousand ATK!?" Rin exclaimed, unable to believe what she was seeing.
"You're welcome to still attack me." Selena invited. "But I don't think it'll go well for you if you do."
Rin and Winter Bell glided to the other side of the duel field.
"I won't attack." Rin sighed. "But that doesn't mean I'm giving up! Midnight Wind Bell Chime's second effect! I tribute this card to add another 'Bell Chime' magic or trap card from my deck to my hand. I use this effect to add Storm Wind Bell Chime to my hand before setting it. Turn end!"
"Then it's my turn." Selena declared, stepping forward with a look of beaming pride on her face. "You've done well, Rin. Now let me show you what more you can do with the right training!"
Raising her arm with the bracelet into the air, Selena stood directly under the moonlight before beginning her turn.
"Kachou Fuugetsu Aesthetic Four! Selena declared in an oddly echoing voice, her bracelet lighting up like a lamp with blue light while her eyes suddenly glowed a deep green. "Moonlit Destiny Draw!"
Rin nearly fell off Winter Bell's back as she shielded her eyes from the sudden surge of moonlight emanating from Selena as she held her card aloft. Was this some kind of solid vision effect?
Grinning Selena revealed her card before placing it on her duel disk.
"Magic card activate, Moon Light Perfume! I Special Summon Blue Cat from my graveyard, return now!"
A fragrant blue mist spread over the duel field before Blue Cat arose from the mist, grinning as she bared her claws at Rin.
Moonlight Blue Cat / DARK / Level 4 / Beast-Warrior / Effect / ATK 1600 / DEF 1200
Moonlight Sabre Dancer: 3800 ATK
"Blue Cat's effect activates since she was Special Summoned!" Selena continued. "I target Sabre Dancer in order to make her ATK become double her original ATK!"
Moonlight Sabre Dancer: 3800 + 3000 = 6800 ATK
"You're kidding me!" Rin exclaimed.
"No, I'm dueling." Selena corrected. "BATTLE! Moonlight Sabre Dancer, attack Windwitch Winter Bell! Primal Sabre Flash!"
Sprinting forward, Sabre Dancer leaped impossibly high into the air, sabres drawn and ready to deliver the finishing blow.
"Counter Trap!" Rin declared, revealing her face-down. "Storm Wind Bell Chimes! By reducing the ATK of one Windwitch I control by five-hundred, I can target one card you control in order to destroy it and inflict five-hundred damage to your life points! I choose to target Sabre Dancer!"
"Not going to happen!" Selena countered. "Moonlight Sabre Dancer cannot be targeted by my opponent's card effects, so you'll have to choose something else!"
"It had that effect?" Rin gaped, before quickly returning to the duel. "In that case, I choose to destroy Moonlight Cat Dancer! Go! Storm Wind Destruction!"
Windwitch Winter Bell: 2400 – 500 = 1900 ATK
Gathering energy to her center, Winter Bell fired a blast of cold wind into Blue Cat, obliterating the small monster and knocking back both Selena and Sabre Dancer.
Selena: 700 – 500 = 200 LP
"You almost got me." Selena grinned, "But close doesn't cut it here! First, if Blue Cat is destroyed, I can Special Summon a second Blue Cat from my deck! Return now!"
Moonlight Blue Cat / DARK / Level 4 / Beast-Warrior / ATK 1600 / DEF 1200
"But sadly, you don't have enough life points to enjoy her performance, since I'll be finishing you off in one blow!" Selena gloated. "Sabre Dancer's effect! Since Blue Cat entered the graveyard, that's two-hundred more ATK for Sabre Dancer!"
Moonlight Sabre Dancer: 6800 + 200 = 7000 ATK
"Seven-thousand ATK!? No! It can't, be over yet!" Rin gasped.
"You did well, Rin." Selena complimented. "You should be proud of yourself. I'm just a little more proud than you are. Continue the attack! Moonlight Sabre Dancer!"
Dashing forward with the force of a coiled spring, Sabre Dancer crashed into Winter Bell, sabres impaling Rin's ace monster as Rin flew off her back.
Rin: 4600 – 5100 = 0 LP (Lose)
Selena WINS!
Selena walked towards where Rin lay on the ground, offering her hand to the one she had defeated. Accepting Selena's hand, Rin pulled herself off the ground before sighing.
"I'm a duelist bound by my word." Rin accepted. "I'll hear what you have to say. No interruptions, no calling you crazy, just listening."
"It's…it's still complicated." Selena admitted, running her hand through her hair. "Sometimes even I still struggle to comprehend it all. Really, it's too much to explain, but I was serious about being able to show you…so…"
Selena's eyes lit up as she grinned.
"Ready to meet Dad?"
…
"Dad?" Rin exclaimed, completely shellshocked. "I have…you don't mean-! I have a father!?"
"Yes." Selena nodded, eyes becoming a little misty. "And he loves you, just like he loves me. It's complicated, really really really complicated, but, he's been searching for us for a long time. I was so happy to finally learn where one of my sisters was, so I begged him for the chance to retrieve you myself."
"Sisters." Rin gulped, slowly coming to terms with her new reality. "I have a sister…and a father! This is…this is too much! I can't…I can't believe! All this time!"
"Alright, don't cry on me, sis. My uniform's dirty enough without your snot staining it. Now give me just a sec to calibrate…"
"Calibrate?" Rin asked.
"Teleportation." Selena explained. "I just need to set the vector right and…"
The sudden roar of a motorcycle startled the both of them.
"RIN!" Yugo called. "RIN, WHERE ARE YOU!?"
"Oh great." Selena huffed, furiously typing on her duel disk.
"Yugo!?" Rin exclaimed. "Oh no! He must be so worried. I'll be right back, I just need to let Yugo know-…"
"No." Selena firmly replied, grabbing Rin's arm.
"What are you-!? Let go of me!" Rin protested, trying to wrench herself free.
"Just trust me, sis! You are better off as far away from that guy as possible!" Selena growled, wrestling Rin into a headlock before managing to press a button on her duel disk.
"But he's…wait! No! YUGO!" Rin managed to scream before vanishing in a blinding flash of light.
"RIIIIIIIIIIN!" Yugo screamed, D-wheel pulling up just in time for him to see his childhood friend disappear, screaming in the arms of the person she'd been warning him about for days.
"NO!" Yugo roared, scrambling from his bike to feel the cobblestones she had stood on just seconds ago. "NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!"
He screamed into the moonlit sky, cursing himself for his stupidity. Cursing himself for his weakness. Cursing himself for not being there when she had needed him the most. Clutching his helmet in agony, the very depths of his heart cried out, wishing for the power to avenge her!
At that moment, as if in answer, a single card in his deck began glowing.
FEATURED FAN CARDS
Selena's Spell
Full Moon Cresta / Spell / Continuous / When this card is activated, change all defense position monsters on the field to face-up attack position. Any battle and effect damage your "Moonlight" monsters inflict is doubled. If a Monster effect is activated during the Battle Phase: You can negate the activation of that effect, and if you do, increase you and your opponent's LP by 1000. You can only use this effect of "Full Moon Cresta" once per turn. During the Battle Phase: You can tribute this card; Fusion Summon 1 "Moonlight" Monster using Monsters you control or in your GY. (Materials from the GY are banished).
Selena's Traps
Moonlight Battle Dance / Trap / Normal / Activate only during the Battle Phase. Until the end of this turn's Battle Phase, "Moonlight" monsters you control are unaffected by your opponent's monster effects and cannot be destroyed by battle. You can banish this card from your GY; Increase the ATK of 1 "Moonlight" monster you control by 1000 until the end of this turn.
Moonlight Ambush Dance / Trap / Counter / If your opponent activates a card or effect while you control a "Moonlight" monster: You can discard 1 "Moonlight" monster; Negate the activation of that card or effect, and if you do, destroy it. If you control a "Moonlight" Fusion Monster, you can activate this card without discarding.
Rin's Monsters
Windwitch - Icicle Bell / WIND / Level 2 / Spellcaster / Tuner / Effect / ATK 300 / DEF 300 / If this card is Special Summoned: You can target 1 monster your opponent controls; Negate that target's effects, decrease its ATK by 500, and if you do, inflict 500 damage to your opponent's LP. You can only use this effect of "Windwitch – Icicle Bell" once per turn. A "Windwitch" monster Synchro Summoned using this card as a Material gains this effect.
If it is summoned, any effect and battle damage it inflicts is doubled.
Windwitch – Snowflake Bell / WIND / Level 3 / Spellcaster / Tuner / Effect / ATK 600 / DEF 600 / You can discard 1 card; Special Summon this card (from your hand), and if you do and you control another "Windwitch" monster, you can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Windwitch" monster from your GY. You cannot Special Summon monsters the turn you activate this effect except "Windwitch" monsters. You can only use this effect of "Windwitch – Snowflake Bell" once per turn.
Windwitch Glacier Bell / WIND / Level 6 / Spellcaster / Tuner / Effect / ATK 2000 / DEF 2000 / (Quick Effect): You can tribute 2 WIND monsters you control; Inflict 500 damage to your opponent's LP, also, halve the ATK and DEF of all monsters they control. You can banish this card from your GY; Special Summon 1 "Windwitch" Monster from your GY with its effects negated, and if you do, inflict 500 damage to your opponent's LP. You can only use each effect of "Windwitch Glacier Bell" once per turn.
Windwitch – Polar Bell / WIND / Level 5 / Spellcaster / Synchro / Tuner / Effect / ATK 1600 / DEF 1200 / 1 Tuner + 1+ Non-Tuner WIND monsters
If this card is Synchro Summoned: You can Inflict 500 damage to your opponent's LP. You can discard 1 WIND monster: Increase or Decrease the Level of this card by 1. (Quick Effect): You can Synchro Summon 1 "Windwitch" monster from your Extra Deck using monsters you control. (Cards and effects cannot be activated in response to this effect). You can only use each effect of "Windwitch – Arctic Bell" once per turn.
Rin's Spell
Midnight Wind Bell Chimes / Spell / Continuous / Increase the ATK of all WIND monsters you control by their respective Levels X 100. If a WIND Spellcaster monster you owned inflicted battle or effect damage to your opponent's LP this turn: You can tribute this card; Add 1 "Bell Chime" Spell/Trap Card from your deck to your hand.
Rin's Traps
Vortex Wind Bell Chimes / Trap / Normal / If a "Windwitch" Monster is Special Summoned: You can add 2 "Windwitch" Monsters from your deck to your hand. You can only activate 1 "Vortex Wind Bell Chimes" per turn.
Storm Wind Bell Chimes / Trap / Counter / If you control a "Windwitch" Synchro Monster: You can target that monster and 1 other card on the field; Reduce the ATK of your "Windwitch" Synchro Monster by 500, and if you do, destroy the other target and inflict 500 damage to your opponent's LP.
Ending A/N: Thank you, EpsilonTarantula, for beta reading. And thank you all for sticking with me, even during my periods of deep dormancy. I hope you have enjoyed the first chapter of what I hope will be an intriguing "what if" exploration. To those new to my stories, welcome! There's a lot of my stuff to read…much of it still unfinished, but I hope to make some more progress on those series.
Question of the Chapter (QOTC): What did you think of Selena showing up to retrieve Rin instead of Yuri? What do you most look forward to with Selena and Rin's relationship moving forward?
I look forward to seeing your answers to this question and your reviews. Thank you for reading!