YU-GI-OH! NEO

by HighInquisitorN

It was Yumi's dream to enter Alina Duel Academy. Of course, being raised in the slums by a struggling policeman, that dream seemed impossible. That is until, one day, the Headmaster of the Academy personally sponsored their studies. Now, together with her older sister Yuri, she has to face the challenges of education and uncover the cards that will reveal the truths of their lives.

2. Sudden Attack? A Midnight Duel!

Yu-Gi-Oh! NEO

Chapter 2: Sudden Attack! A Midnight Duel!

"Yuri, if you're reading this, then we are no longer in this world. Though I loath for it to be this way, there is nothing I can do about it. As such, I leave to you my most treasured possession, and to your sister your father's. We could only wish to be with you for longer. We love you both…"

"Ah!" Yuri woke up in cold sweat. The moon's light shined through the glass-less window. Though the moon is still bright, there's no way she'll be falling asleep again. Instead, she took out her deck from her drawer and held it near her heart, staring out into the moon as seen from her window. "Mother…"

---

Unable to sleep, Yuri opted to go out for a walk. She put on her usual clothes - a dark green coat worn over a blue blouse and skirt - and went outside.

"Couldn't sleep again?" someone said as she walked out.

Yuri looked towards the person who spoke, only to see that it was their legal guardian, Jonathan Ham. "No…"

Ham has been a friend to both of her parents when they lived, and gladly took them in when their parents died two years ago. Although he wasn't well off on his own, he did his best to scrap up as much as he could to give them a good life. Sadly, an officer's salary isn't worth much at all.

"Same dream?"

"Yes…"

"I can understand that. Wanna join me again tonight?"

"Sure. I doubt I'll be able to go back to sleep, anyways."

"Let's be off, then, or I'll be late for patrol and get another scolding."

The two of them walked out into the night, locking the door behind them to make sure that no one would be able to come in. This part of Alina City isn't known for being safe, after all, which is why Jonathan has to work extra hard every night.

It hasn't been long since they started walking that they came upon their first spat. It was a mugger mugging a young boy at Yumi's age. Jonathan quickly broke them up and the mugger was placed in custody, just like every night.

With the little incident out of the way, the pair continued their walk in the night, encountering a few other incidents here and there, but was nothing that Jonathan couldn't quickly finish.

After a long walk, Jonathan's shift was finally finished, and they're now homeward bound. However, as they were walking home, a rope suddenly attached itself to Yuri's arm.

"Hey! What gives?" she screamed.

Jonathan was quick to get in-between Yuri and her assailant, but the hook was already in place.

"Look what I caught in my hook…" the assailant said. "Such a lovely catch to finish off the evening!"

Jonathan was seething with anger as he looked at the man. "What's this contraption you made, you fiend?"

"Why this?" The man motioned into the rope. "This is a duel hook."
"Well, I don't care what this is! Unhand her in this instant!"

"Well I'm afraid that's impossible! See, this hook is a challenge. It cannot detach unless YOU can beat ME in a duel."

"A duel you say?" Yuri said, preparing her duel disk. "All you have to do is ask, y'know!"

"Excellent!"

'DUEL'

Yuri: 4000

?: 4000

"Yuri, be careful!"

"I know…"

Turn 1: ?

"How sweet, you two! My turn! I'll start off by activating Abyss Playhouse - Fantastic Theater from my hand!"

As soon as he played his card, the very world around them started to shift. Gone are the poorly kept houses and broken street lamps. Now they've been replaced by a colourful theater filled with lights and stuff, and they are currently standing in the center of the stage. The crowd is filled with various creatures, ranging from vaguely cute critters to downright terrifying demons.

"Is this… a field spell?" Yuri asked.

"GAHAHAHAHA! You don't even know what a field spell is? Well of course it is! This field spell allows me to add 1 "Abyss Script" from my deck to my hand every turn!" A card popped out from his deck, which he grabbed. "With it's effect, I add Abyss Script - Abysstainment to my hand! I set three cards and end my turn."

Yuri sneered as she placed her hand on the top of her deck. "After all that bravado, that's all you can manage? Pathetic!"

Turn 2: Yuri

"My turn, then! DRAW! From my hand I summon Exorsister Stella!"

The familiar red-head appeared on the field as the virtual crowd of fiends booed at her.

Exorsister Stella [Level 4/LIGHT/Warrior/300 ATK/800 DEF]

"Next, I activate her effect to special summon a monster from my hand!"

"Ah, ah, ah!" said the man before she could proceed. "Inside this magnificent theater, you should always follow the script!"

"Script?"

"I see you're confused. Let me show you then!"

Suddenly, one of his set cards shattered into nothing.

"What's happening? What did you do?"

"According to the script of the Abyss Playhouse, the first effect you activate every turn would instead destroy a set card I control!"

"But why would you want to destroy a card you control?"

"Yuri, watch out! He's certainly planning something!" said Jonathan.

Yuri was not amused with his comment, though.

"Thanks for the reminder, Mr. Ham. Wouldn't have realized it otherwise."

"Well, you see, according to the effect of the card you destroyed - Abyss Script - Abysstainment - I should be able to summon as much Abyss Actor pendulum monster when it's sent to the graveyard!"

"What!? There's a card that powerful?"

"Why of course! And it's thanks to it that I can summon these monsters to the field! Take the stage, Abyss Actor - Wild Hope, Abyss Actor - Leading Lady, and Abyss Actor - Superstar!"

The crowd roared when the three monsters appeared.

One was a demon wearing cowboy garb, brandishing two revolvers in his hand. Another is a petite girl wearing frilly clothing, winking at the crowd as she took her place. The last one is a humanoid creature with absurdly thin limbs, bordering that of a marionette, a fiery red hair, and a monocle on one eye.

Abyss Actor - Wild Hope [Level 4/DARK/Fiend/1600 ATK/1200 DEF/Scale 2-2]

Abyss Actor - Leading Lady [Level 4/DARK/Fiend/1500 ATK/1000 DEF/Scales 2-2]

Abyss Actor - Superstar [Level 7/DARK/Fiend/2500 ATK/1800 DEF/Scales 3-3]

"Impossible…"

"Three monsters… at once?"

"And that's not all! Thanks to Wild Hope's effect, each Abyss Actor monster I control gains 100 ATK for every Abyss card I control! And I control FOUR! GAHAHAHAHA!"

Abyss Actor - Wild Hope [1600 ATK-2000 ATK]

Abyss Actor - Leading Lady [1500 ATK-1900 ATK]

Abyss Actor - Superstar [2500 ATK-2900 ATK]

"No way…"

"Do you give up now, my prey?"

"Grr… From my hand I activate Exorsister Pax! This card lets me add an Exorsister card from my deck into my hand, and I choose Exorsister Elise! All for a low cost of 800 Life Points!"

Yuri: 3200

"Next, since I control another Exorsister monster on my field, I can special summon Elise from my hand!"

The blonde haired lady appeared on the field, earning another round of boos.

"And since I control Stella when I activated her effect, Elise grants me 800 Life Points!"

Yuri: 4000

"Finally, I activate the continuous spell Exorsister Ascento! As long as I control this card, I can XYZ summon any Exorsister XYZ monster using only one card!"

"I see that you got fangs of your own! Excellent! Now let's see if you can use them well!"

"Oh I can use them alright! I can use them to make you regret ever crossing paths with me! I pay 1600 Life Points to create two overlay networks!"

The two monsters turned into balls of light, eventually being sucked into two different portals.

Yuri: 2400

"O' Holy Mother, I pray to thee to grant me thy sword and spear to help me vanquish the evils that walk off the face of the Earth! XYZ SUMMON! Appear, Exorsister Mikhaelise, Exorsister Caspitelle!"

The portals exploded into various lights, which slowly dissipated to reveal both Mikhaelise and Caspitelle standing with their weapons at the ready.

Exorsister Mikhaelise [Rank 4/LIGHT/Warrior/2500 ATK/1800 DEF/XYZ]

Exorsister Caspitelle [Rank 4/LIGHT/Warrior/2300 ATK/800 DEF/XYZ]

"How'd you like that?"

"GAHAHAHAHA! AFTER ALL THAT BRAVADO, THIS IS ALL THAT YOU CAN SHOW FOR IT? GAHAHAHAHA!"

"What did you say!?"

"Oh, did I struck a nerve? That must've hurt! GAHAHAHAHA!"

"WHY YOU- I activate Mikhaelise's effect, letting me banish one of your cards! I choose Wild Hope! Divine Exorcism!"

Mikhaelise waved her sword, causing a rift in space to appear and suck Wild Hope into it. And just like that, Wild Hope disappeared into nothing.

"Without Wild Hope, your monsters' attacks all go back to normal!"

Abyss Actor - Leading Lady [1900 ATK-1500 ATK]

Abyss Actor - Superstar [2900 ATK-2500 ATK]

"Next, I detach an overlay material from both of my monsters to activate their effects! Caspitelle lets me add an Exorsister monster from my deck to my hand while Mikhaelise lets me add an Exorsister spell or trap! I choose Exorsister Elaine and Exorsister Carpedibel! Then I will equip Exorsister Mikhaelise with Vanquisher's Sword, which grants her 700 ATK!"

Exorsister Mikhaelise [2500 ATK-3200 ATK]

"Finally, I activate Exorsister Carpedibel from my hand and go to battle! Mikhaelise, attack Superstar!" Mikhaelise quickly followed the order, aiming a slash at her target. "At this moment, Carpedibel's effect activates! When an Exorsister monster attacks, it allows me to destroy 1 Spell or Trap card on the field! I destroy one of your face-down cards!"

A great light enveloped one of the face-downs, taking it with it when the light dissipated.

"GAHAHAHA! YOU NEVER LEARN, DO YOU? SINCE YOU DESTROYED MY FACE-DOWN ABYSS SCRIPT - OPENING CEREMONY, I GET TO DRAW CARDS UNTIL I HAVE FIVE!"

"IT DOESN'T MATTER! MIKHAELISE, CONTINUE YOUR ATTACK! HOLY SLASH!"
Mikhaelise's slash went through, cutting Superstar in half.

?: 3300

"Furthermore, since Mikhaelise is equipped with Vanquisher's Sword when she destroyed Superstar, I can deal Superstar's attack as damage!"

?: 800

"NOW IT'S OVER! CASPITELLE, ATTACK LEADING LADY!"

Caspitelle readied her spear, lunging towards the defenseless actress. As expected, the crowd booed at this development, maybe harder than they did before. Doesn't matter, though, as long as the attack goes through. And it did - Caspitelle's attack hit it's mark, causing an intense wave of energy to kick up a dust storm. When the dust finally settled, Leading Lady is gone with Caspitelle standing victorious.

?: 800

"WHAT!? How are you still alive? And without a scratch!?"

"GAHAHAHAHA! That's because I activated my face-down card, Security Orb! This little card changes the battle position of a monster when an attack is declared, so I didn't receive any damage when Leading Lady was destroyed! GAHAHAHAHA!"

"You cheeky- I end my turn here!"

"GAHAHAHAHA!"

Turn 3: ?

He drew his card, laughing maniacally the whole time. "Well, it's about time for the finale! And to help set us up, I place Abyss Actor - Sassy Rookie and Abyss Actor - Twinkle Little Star on my Pendulum Zones!"

Two spotlights appeared, marking the path where two beings descended. One is a creepy looking fiend in worn-out clothes while the other is a little girl wearing a tutu.

Abyss Actor - Sassy Rookie [Level 4/DARK/Fiend/1700 ATK/1000 DEF/Scales 2-2]

Abyss Actor - Twinkle Little Star [Level 4/DARK/Fiend/1000 ATK/1000 DEF/Scales 9-9]

"Pendulum… zones!?"

"With the scales set, it's time for the epic return of our hero! SWING, PENDULUM OF THE STAGE! PENDULUM SUMMON! ENCORE, ABYSS ACTOR - SUPERSTAR!"

The lights of the theater died out, placing them in complete darkness. In this darkness appeared a solitary spotlight from the right stage. Out of the curtains that hides the backstage walked out the familiar fiend Abyss Actor - Superstar, which was met by a wild applause.

"Mikhaelise's attack is still higher, though!"

"That's why I activate this card! Mystical Space Typhoon!" The image of a card depicting a tornado struck by lighting appeared on the field, followed by and actual storm filling it. "This card shall destroy your monster's little toy!"

"Grr…"

Exorsister Mikhaelise [3200 ATK-2500 ATK]

"With our star back in the stage, I activate Twinkle Little Star's effect! I target Superstar, giving him three attacks this turn!" Twinkle Little Star singed a little song, which Superstar copied.

"No way…"

"Superstar, attack Mikhaelise!"

"But he'll destroy himself!" Yuri exclaimed.

"That's why I activate Sassy Rookie's effect! If an Abyss Actor monster I control is going to be destroyed by battle, I can destroy it instead! Dramatic Sacrifice!" With that, Sassy Rookie jumped between the two battling monster, getting stabbed by Mikhaelise's sword, giving Superstar the opportunity to finish her off.

"Mikhaelise!"

"Now to give an encore! Superstar, attack Caspitelle!" Superstar once again jumped into action, getting into a little dance with Caspitelle before finishing her off.

"Caspitelle!"

Yuri: 2200
"GAHAHAHAHA! Superstar, finish it!" In a final attack, Superstar once again stood in a spotlight. Now, his aim is at the player itself. With all his might, Superstar delivered a blow against Yuri, causing another great dust storm. When it settled, it revealed a beaten-down Yuri with a bomb strapped on her chest.

"YURI!" Jonathan called out, reminding the crowd that he's still there. "Are you alright?"

Yuri: 100

"I'm fine! Before your last attack hit, I activated Last Second Chance! Thanks to this card, I can reduce my life to 100 and end your turn! In exchange, I will lose the duel during my end phase!"

"Careful, my prey! Needlessly extending the show can never lead to good things! GAHAHAHAHA! Take your turn! But know that you won't win!"

"We'll see about that! DRAW!"

Turn 4: Yuri

"From my hand, I summon Exorsister Sophia!"

The familiar girl returned the field, illuminating the stage with her flash light, though she recoiled when she saw the various fiends in the crowd.

Exorsister Sophia [Level 4/LIGHT/Warrior/100 ATK/800 DEF]

"Then, since I normal summoned a Level 4 monster, I can special summon Kagetokage from my hand!"

A shadowy lizard walked out into the stage stage, slowly crawling into place.

Kagetokage [Level 4/DARK/Reptile/1100 ATK/1500 DEF]

"I overlay Exorsister Sophia and Kagetokage!"

The two monsters turned into a ball of light and darkness respectively, both being sucked into a black hole.

"O' Holy Mother, I pray unto thee to grant me thy bow to pierce the black hearts of the fiends that walk this earth! XYZ SUMMON!"

The black hole exploded, giving birth to a variety of colors.

"Appear! EXORSISTER USOPHIEL"

Exorsister Usophiel [Rank 4/LIGHT/Warrior/2100 ATK/1800 DEF]

Sophia returned to the field, wearing similar clothes to the other XYZ monsters. Her hair was fluttering wildly as it glows, and in her hand is a bow made out of light.

"Usophiel, activate your effect and return Superstar to the hand! Heart Piercing Arrow!"

Usophiel took her aim, pulling back her bow and firing it. The arrow hit it's mark, causing Superstar to return back to the hand.

"Now, Usophiel, attack directly!"

Once again, the girl took aim before firing her arrow, hitting it's mark.

"How do you like that, freak!?"

The bright produced by the arrow finally disappeared, revealing a new monster in place of Twinkle Little Star, and the man still standing.

?: 800

"WHAT!? HOW!"

"GAHAHAHAHA! You really thought you can defeat me like that!? I activated Abyss Actor - Devious Goon from my hand! I can activate it when you declare a direct attack! I can special summon this card from my hand to take the fall!"

Abyss Actor - Devious Goon [Level 3/DARK/Fiend/300 ATK/0 DEF/Scales 9-9]

"Moreover, when it is about to be destroyed by battle, I can destroy 1 other 'Abyss' card instead!"

"No way…"

"GAHAHAHAHA! NOW! END YOUR TURN!"

"Yuri…"

"There's nothing that can be done now… I've exhausted all of my resources, I literally have no other move I can make…"

"THEN YOU ADMIT DEFEAT?"

"I end my turn…"

As soon as she said those words, the bomb strapped to her chest exploded, sending her back and bringing her life points down to zero.

"GAHAHAHAHA! GAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

---

Thank you again for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed reading it much as I enjoyed writing it - Exorsisters and Abyss Actors, along with Ojamas, are two of my favorite archetypes, so it's a treat writing about them. And yes, Ojamas will be making a brief appearance in the story in the future, though they probably won't participate in many duels. Again thank you for reading this chapter and see you again!