Hey, everyone. Here's Chapter 26 of the Synchro Arc. We begin the second part of the Team Taiyo Duel and I hope that you all enjoy it.
Now let's get to it.
Chapter 26: Vs Team Taiyo! Face Your Fears!
Dimension Highway
"Welcome back to the first Quarterfinal Match of the Friendship Cup! We've just had an exciting Duel between the First Wheelers, Yoshizo and Asuka with both of them knocking each other out and now we're beginning the next Duel between the Second Wheelers, Jinbei and Ruri!" Melissa announced.
Dennis watched Ruri on the screen. "You can do it, Ruri."
"You're wasting your time…" Dennis turned to see Shun. "…she'll never use that card. Never."
"It's her choice whether or not to use it." Dennis said. "If she doesn't want to use it, then she can use it as a cost. But you can't win with the same strategies every time."
"You can bring on all of your crazy summons, Team Taiyo won't lose!" Jinbei declared.
Ruri looked at the Fusion card in her hand. "I'll come at you with full power!" Ruri answered back.
"Duel!" Ruri and Jinbei declared.
"My turn! Draw!" Jinbei drew his card.
Jinbei LP: 4000, Hand: 6, SC: 7→8
Field: Key Mace (DEF: 300, LV: 1), Dark Sword (ATK: 1800, LV: 4), Giant Soldier of Stone (DEF: 2000, LV: 3), 1 set card.
Ruri LP: 4000, Hand: 5, SC: 6→7
Field: Cyber Angel Magician (ATK: 2800, LV: 8)
"I activate Dimension Highway's effect! By removing 4 Speed Counters, you take 800 points of damage for every Magic Card in my hand! I have two!" Jinbei showed his cards. "Therefore, you take 1600 points of damage!"
Jinbei SC: 8→4
A bolt of lightning fired at Ruri and she took the damage, causing her to swerve for a bit before regaining balance.
Ruri LP: 4000→2400
"Jinbei begins his relentless attack already!" Melissa commentated.
"Next, I summon Hand-Holding Djinn (DEF: 1600, LV: 4) in Defense Position!" Jinbei summoned another Hand-Holding Djinn.
"Another one…" Ruri looked at the monster.
"This card gains the Defense Points of all monsters that are in Defense Position on my field!" Jinbei added and Hand-Holding Djinn took Key Mace and Giant Soldier of Stone's hands.
Hand-Holding Djinn (DEF: 1600→3900)
"I set one card and end my turn!" Jinbei finished.
"Looks like he strengthened up the defense once again." Rin said.
"Yeah, even though Ruri has a strong monster, it can't attack any of the monsters other than Hand-Holding Djinn." Yuya nodded.
"Dark Sword is still in Attack Position, looks like they want to keep up their Offense and Defense Balance strategy." Asuka said.
"That formation won't work on Ruri. She'll break through it easily." Shun had faith in his sister.
"My turn! Draw!" Ruri drew her card.
Jinbei LP: 4000, Hand: 4, SC: 4→5
Ruri LP: 2400, Hand: 6, SC: 7→8
"I can't attack any other monster, but there is still another target I can attack other than Hand-Holding Djinn." Ruri grabbed two cards from her hand.
"Using the Scale 0 Lyrical Luscinia – Gray Albatross and the Scale 4 Lyrical Luscinia – Scarlet Woodpecker, I set the Pendulum Scale!" Ruri set her Pendulum Scale with her new Pendulum cards she got before leaving Standard for Synchro.
"With this, I can simultaneously summon monsters from Levels 1 to 3!" Ruri revealed. Appearing in columns of blue light was a large female albatross and a slender scarlet woodpecker. "Birds that soar through the endless sky, flock together and come to my aid! Pendulum Summon! Appear! My monsters!" The portal opened and two monsters appeared.
"Lyrical Luscinia – Turquoise Warbler (ATK: 100, LV: 1)! And Lyrical Luscinia – Cobalt Sparrow (ATK: 0, LV: 1)!" Ruri summoned her two little birds.
"Level 1 monsters…" Jinbei looked back.
"When Cobalt Sparrow is Special Summoned, I can add another Cobalt Sparrow from my deck to my hand! And when Turquoise Warbler is Special Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 1 Lyrical Luscinia from my hand! Appear! Cobalt Sparrow (ATK: 0, LV: 1)!" Ruri summoned another Cobalt Sparrow. "And this Cobalt Sparrow's effect lets me add another one to my hand!" Ruri added another Cobalt Sparrow from her deck to her hand. "Now I…"
"I activate my Trap Card: Just Desserts! This card inflicts 500 points of damage for every monster on your side of the field!" Jinbei revealed. "There are four, therefore you take 2000 points of damage!"
"What?!" Ruri gasped. She then felt pain her Life Points decreased.
Ruri LP: 2400→400
"Whoa! Jinbei knocked a huge chuck of Life Points off a Ruri on her own turn!" Melissa shouted.
"So, this guy uses effect damage." Sawatari noted.
"It's only two turns and he basically eliminated most of Ruri's Life Points." Crow looked at the stats.
"This isn't rare card, but it's helped us get through the tough battles. So, bring on your Xyz Monster, I'll take it out!" Jinbei shouted.
"I Overlay my 2 Level 1 Cobalt Sparrows and Turquoise Warbler!" The two monsters turned into green lights and entered the spacelike portal in front of her. "Birds with beautiful wings, gather on the battlefield and take brilliant flight! Xyz Summon! Dance in the sky! Rank 1! Lyrical Luscinia - Assembly Nightingale (ATK: 0, RNK: 1, OVU: 3)!"
"And Ruri performs an Xyz Summon! But it doesn't have any Attack Points." Melissa noticed.
"Assembly Nightingale gains 100 Attack Points for every Overlay Unit that it possesses! With three, she gains 300 Attack Points!" Ruri revealed and Assembly Nightingale gained power.
Assembly Nightingale (ATK: 0→300)
"Also, she can attack the player directly as many times as Overlay Units that she has!" Ruri added.
"It can go around Hand-Holding Djinn's Defense?!" Jinbei's eyes widened.
"Go! Assembly Nightingale! Triple Attack!" Assembly Nightingale attacked Jinbei three times, reducing his Life Points.
Jinbei LP: 4000→3700→3400→3100
"And Ruri begins her counterattack, she may have a few Life Points, but she has the 2800 Attack Point Fusion Monster, Cyber Angel Magician and her swift Assembly Nightingale to inflict the damage." Melissa commentated.
"I end my turn!" Ruri finished.
"Not bad…" Jinbei said. "But I…no, we won't lose! As long as we believe in our friends and our power, we'll always win! Because that is how Team Taiyo Duels!"
"Friends…" Ruri perked up.
"My turn! Draw!" Jinbei drew his card.
Jinbei LP: 3100, Hand: 5, SC: 5→6
Ruri LP: 400, Hand: 3, SC: 8→9
"I release Dark Sword to Advance Summon Frostosaurus (ATK: 2600, LV: 6)!" A large dinosaur made of ice appeared on the field.
"And Team Taiyo summons a powerhouse!" Melissa shouted.
"Next, I use a Speed Counter to activate the Magic Card: Fissure! This card destroys one monster on your field that has the lowest Attack Points! I destroy Assembly Nightingale!" Jinbei ordered and a hand reached out from the ground to drag Assembly Nightingale to the ground.
Jinbei SC: 6→5
"That won't work! Gray Albatross's Pendulum Effect! As long as this card is in my Pendulum Zone, all Lyrical Luscinia Xyz Monsters cannot be destroyed by card effects!" Albatross flapped its wings and the hand retracted back to the ground.
"Alright, with this, Ruri didn't have to use Overlay Units to protect Assembly Nightingale!" Shun smiled.
"But that other monster isn't a Lyrical Luscinia monster! I play another Magic Card from my hand! The Magic Card: Hammer Shoot! This card destroys one monster in Attack Position that has the highest Attack Points! I destroy Cyber Angel Magician!" A large hammer slammed on the magician, destroying her.
Jinbei SC: 5→4
"Sorry, Asuka." Ruri apologized.
"Battle! Frostosaurus, attack Assembly Nightingale!" Frostosaurus charged towards Assembly Nightingale.
"Assembly Nightingale's effect activates! By using one Overlay Unit, it negates destruction and battle damage is reduced to 0!" Ruri played her monster's effect. Assembly Nightingale consumed an Overlay Unit and pushed back Frostosaurus.
Assembly Nightingale (OVU: 3→2, ATK: 300→200)
"Damn it, but at least I got rid of one monster. I end my turn!" Jinbei finished his turn.
"My turn! Draw!" Ruri drew her card.
Jinbei LP: 3100, Hand: 2, SC: 4→5
Ruri LP: 400, Hand: 4, SC: 9→10
"I have 10 Speed Counters. I can use Dimension Highway's effect to destroy Hand-Holding Djinn, but then I can't use any Magic Cards…it's too risky." Ruri thought. "Besides…something's bothering me."
"Hm…" Yuya looked at the field.
"What's wrong, Yuya?" Yuzu asked.
"This formation…something in my gut is telling me there's more to Team Taiyo's strategy then creating a balance of Attack and Defense." Yuya answered.
"You think there's something else involved in their plan?" Rua asked.
"Yeah, but…I just can't put my finger on it." Yuya tried to find something, a hint at least to what Team Taiyo's aim for using this formation.
"I activate Dimension Highway's effect! By removing 7 Speed Counters, I draw one card!" Ruri drew another card.
Ruri SC: 10→3
"With my current scale…Pendulum Summon! Lyrical Luscinia – Blackbird (ATK: 300, LV: 2)! Lyrical Luscinia – Rainbow Peacock (ATK: 400, LV: 2)!" Ruri summoned her two monsters.
"Next, by sending a Lyrical Luscinia monster from my hand to the Graveyard and using a Speed Counter, I can activate the Magic Card: Lyrical Luscinia – Flock Pack! This card doubles the Levels of all Lyrical Luscinia monsters on my field!"
Ruri SC: 3→2
Blackbird (LV: 2→4)
Rainbow Peacock (LV: 2→4)
"I Overlay my now Level 4 Blackbird and Rainbow Peacock!" Both birds turned into green lights and entered the spacelike portal.
"Wings of the ancients! Erase the darkness of the battlefield and bring back the light! Descend now! Xyz Summon! Come forth! Rank 4! The mighty leader of the Lyrical Luscinia! Lyrical Eagle Dragon (ATK: 2500, RNK: 4, OVU: 2)!" Ruri summoned her dragon.
"Another Xyz monster…I activate my Trap Card: Threatening Roar! This card prevents my opponent from making an attack this turn!" Jinbei revealed.
Ruri clicked her tongue. "I end my turn."
"My turn!" Jinbei drew his card.
Jinbei LP: 3100, Hand: 3, SC: 5→6
Ruri LP: 400, Hand: 1, SC: 2→3
"My turn! Draw!" Jinbei drew his card. "Battle! Frostosaurus, attack Assembly Nightingale!" Frostosaurus charged once more. "Now, make your monster weaker!"
"I don't have to!" Ruri smiled.
"What?!" Jinbei raised an eyebrow.
"Scarlet Woodpecker's Pendulum Effect activates! When an Xyz Monster is targeted by an attack when I have another Xyz Monster on my field, the monster that is being attacked will gain the Attack Points of the Xyz Monster not battling!" Ruri revealed.
Scarlet Woodpecker's beak lit up and Assembly Nightingale gained Lyrical Eagle Dragon's Attack Points.
Assembly Nightingale (ATK: 200→2700)
"Counterattack! Assembly Nightingale!" Ruri shouted and Assembly Nightingale destroyed Frostosaurus.
Jinbei LP: 3100→3000
"Damn it, but I still have a Normal Summon! I Normal Summon The Dragon Dwelling in the Cave (DEF: 2000, LV: 4) in Defense Position!" Jinbei summoned a dragon. "Due to Hand-Holding Djinn's effect, it gains the Defense Points of all Defense Position monsters on the field.
Hand-Holding Djinn (DEF: 3900→5900)
"I end my turn!" Jinbei finished.
"Oh, even though they lost their Offense, Team Taiyo has fortified their defenses! Ruri is well below the safety line of Dimension Highway's effect, if Jinbei gets a Magic Card in his hand, then it's over!" Melissa shouted.
"Just four more turns." Taro uttered.
"My turn! Draw!" Ruri drew her card.
Jinbei LP: 3000, Hand: 2, SC: 6→7
Ruri LP: 400, Hand: 2, SC: 3→4
"Assembly Nightingale! Direct Attack!" Assembly Nightingale attacked Jinbei twice, damaging him.
Jinbei LP: 3000→2600
"I set one card and end my turn!" Ruri finished.
"I guess there's nothing else Ruri can do! If Jinbei gets a Magic Card in his hand, it's over!" Melissa shouted.
"My turn! Draw!" Jinbei drew his card.
Jinbei LP: 2600, Hand: 3, SC: 7→8
Ruri LP: 400, Hand: 1, SC: 4→5
"It's not a Magic Card…" Jinbei stated. "I summon Drake in Defense Position (DEF: 800, LV: 2)! And Hand-Holding Djinn's effect has it gain its Defense Points!"
Hand-Holding Djinn (DEF: 5900→6700)
"I end my turn!" Jinbei finished.
"Four more turns." Taro said.
"My turn! Draw!" Ruri drew her card.
Jinbei LP: 2600, Hand: 2, SC: 8→9
Ruri LP: 400, Hand: 2, SC: 5→6
"Yes! From my hand, I activate the effect of Lyrical Luscinia – Skull Crow! By sending this card from my hand to the Graveyard, I can switch the battle position of one of my opponent's monsters and reduce its Attack and Defense Points to 0!"
"What?!" Jinbei gasped.
"I switch Hand-Holding Djinn to Attack Position!" Ruri pointed to Hand-Holding Djinn.
Hand-Holding Djinn (DEF: 6700→ATK: 1000→0)
"Amazing! Ruri was able to instantly crush the defense of Hand-Holding Djinn!" Melissa smiled.
"Battle! Lyrical Eagle Dragon, attack Hand-Holding Djinn! Golden Sky Drill!" Lyrical Eagle Dragon dived towards Hand-Holding Djinn and destroyed it.
Jinbei LP: 2600→100
"Now it's over! Go! Assembly Nightingale!" Assembly Nightingale attacked Jinbei.
Jinbei LP: 100→0
"And that does it! Ruri was able to defeat the Jinbei despite being heavily damage very early in the Duel! Now that's what I call a comeback victory!" Melissa cheered and so did the audience.
"There wasn't any doubt." Shun smiled. "She can win without that card you gave her." Shun stated to Dennis.
Jinbei pulled into the team pit and got off the D-Wheel. "I'm sorry, Taro." Jinbei apologized.
"Don't worry. We just have three more turns." Taro stated. "Don't worry, we will win this!" Taro took the team sticker and got on the D-Wheel and zoomed off.
"Go!" Yoshizo cheered.
"We're counting on you Taro!" Jinbei cheered.
"Man, they have spirit. They still think they can win this." Sawatari saw.
"We basically crushed their offense and defense. Even if they use the same strategy, we know how to beat them now." Jonouchi said.
"Is this really all they have?" Yuya thought. "No, they wouldn't be this confident if this was everything they could do. What are they planning?"
Taro caught up to Ruri. "I'm ready for anything you have for me!" Ruri declared. "Give me everything you've got!"
"Duel!" Ruri and Taro declared.
"Here I come! My turn! Draw!" Taro drew his card.
Taro LP: 4000, Hand: 6, SC: 9→10
Ruri LP: 400, Hand: 1, SC: 6→7
"I activate Dimension Highway's effect!" Taro shouted.
"I knew it." Ruri narrowed her eyes.
"By removing 4 Speed Counters, you take 800 points of damage for every Magic Card in my hand!" Taro showed one Magic Card.
Taro SC: 10→6
A lighting bolt headed for Ruri. "I was prepared for that! Continuous Trap: Phoenix Wing! When I have a Winged-Beast type monster on my field, any effect damage is negated and I gain Life Points equal to the damage inflicted!" The lightning bolt disappeared and Ruri gained Life Points.
Ruri LP: 400→1200
"I've seen through your strategy! Now I can launch my—" Ruri's eyes widened as she saw Taro smiling.
"Wh-What? He's smiling…" Ruri then saw fire in Taro's eyes, it was the eyes of someone who wasn't gonna give up.
"Did you really think you've won?"
Ruri then felt a chill as she heard a voice.
"That's what makes you so fun to hunt!"
"You guys are so gullible! I was literally holding back just to have fun!"
Ruri heard the words of Academia soldiers, taunting her comrades before mercilessly defeating them and turning them into cards. Their smiles…their eyes…even though it probably wasn't his intention, Taro's expression was the same as Academia's, when they pulled off an upset.
"I set three cards and end my turn!" Taro finished. "On my next turn…our strategy will be complete and I can bring out our strongest monster."
"Something hasn't been right this entire Duel." Yuya thought. "I thought their intention was to use a solid Offense and Defense formation to damage us and protect themselves. It's a basic strategy that almost everyone does. It's been working so far, but we managed to find their weakness, yet they still haven't given up."
"We destroyed Hand-Holding Djinn, the key card to their Defense and we destroyed most of their high-level Offensive Normal Monsters using card combinations." Yuya thought. "Wait…Monsters with high Defense Points, high-level monsters with high Attack Points, of the cards they used, most of them fit that bill except…"
"Oh no…" Yuya said, getting everyone's attention.
"Yuya…" Rin questioned.
Yuya quickly grabbed a headset. "Ruri, listen to me!"
"Yuya?" Ruri listened into her communication.
"Ruri, listen to me! You have to destroy Key Mace! You can't let Taro have it on the field for another turn! You have to destroy it now!" Yuya shouted.
Team Taiyo heard Yuya and they cringed.
"Key Mace?" Ruri looked behind her. "Oh, I forgot about that monster. I was so focused on Hand-Holding Djinn and those other strong Normal Monsters. But wait, why do I have to destroy it first?"
"Team Taiyo's true goal was to keep a Level 1 Normal Monster on their field for 10 of their turns! By doing that, they complete the requirement to summon a powerful monster!" Yuya revealed.
"AH!" Sawatari shouted. "You're right! I have that card! Hang on!" Sawatari started going through his cards. "Here it is!" Sawatari showed the card.
"Are you kidding me?!" Yuzu was shocked.
"They want to summon that card! But that's way too hard!" Jonouchi stated.
"Anyone wants to tell me what monster?!" Ruri was starting to sweat.
"It's Zushin the Sleeping Giant!" Dennis shouted.
"What did you say?! Zushin!" Ruri exclaimed.
"They figured it out…" Taro uttered.
"Wait, did I hear right?"
"Did they say Zushin?"
"But that card is hard to summon."
The audience heard the conversation.
"Big Scoop!" Melissa shouted. "Ladies and gentlemen, Team Taiyo's strategy was to summon this powerful monster! Zushin the Sleeping Giant!" Melissa showed the card to the crowd. Jack raised an eyebrow as he heard this.
"The conditions to summon Zushin the Sleeping Giant is to release a Level 1 Normal Monster that has been on your field for at least 10 turns! Team Taiyo summoned the Level 1 Key Mace on their first turn and it is currently Turn 19!"
"Zushin isn't a rare card. Everybody has it. But its power is said to rival the legendary Egyptian God Cards. But Zushin's summoning conditions are more severe than even theirs. But since we don't have any rare cards, Zushin is the only card that we can trust to pull off a reversal." Taro thought.
"That's why we came up with Offense and Defense formation to have our opponents forget about Key Mace and focus on defeating those monsters while our turns calmly pass by. It's not the most glorious way to win, but this was the only plan we can come up with." Taro prepared himself. "Yoshi and Jinbei were able to get me this far, I won't let them down!"
"Zushin the Sleeping Giant." Bruno pulled up the card's data.
"We were so focused on their formation that Key Mace completely slipped through our minds." Serena looked upset.
"This card is very common, but it's hard to bring it out in a one-on-one Duel." Sawatari looked at his copy.
"But this isn't a one-on-one Duel. This is team battle. And if we don't stop them, then they make history by pulling off the impossible." Yuya pointed out.
"As far as I know, no one has ever been able to summon Zushin in an official match! If Taro can get through this turn with Key Mace, then a miracle will be performed!" Melissa shouted and the audience cheered.
"I want to see Zushin!"
"Perform a miracle!"
"You can win this, Team Taiyo!"
"Taiyo! Taiyo! Taiyo!" All of Neo Domino City started cheering for Team Taiyo.
"Well, there goes our fanbase." Sawatari pouted.
"Everyone's instantly happy and excited." Yuzu was surprised that the audience was cheering excitingly, completely forgetting about the destruction caused by Zero Reverse.
"Wow, they love us! They really love us!" Jinbei smiled.
"I can get used to this!" Yoshizo agreed.
"If Zushin is being summoned…I can't let that happen!" Ruri narrowed her eyes. "My turn! Draw!"
Taro LP: 4000, Hand: 3, SC: 6→7
Ruri LP: 1200, Hand: 2, SC: 7→8
"Battle! Lyrical Eagle Dragon, attack Key Mace! Golden Sky Drill!" Lyrical Eagle Dragon dived towards Key Mace.
"Oh no!"
"Don't do it!"
The audience panicked.
"I activate the Trap Card: Two-Pronged Attack! I select and destroy two monsters on my field and one monster on your field! I destroy Giant Soldier of Stone and The Dragon Dwelling in the Cave and your Lyrical Eagle Dragon!" Both defense monsters charged towards Lyrical Eagle Dragon.
"From my hand, I activate the Quick-Play Magic: Spiral Form! This card protects Lyrical Eagle Dragon from being destroyed by battle or card effects this turn!" Lyrical Eagle Dragon spun like a spiral and avoided the two monsters as they were destroyed.
"She dodged it!"
"Her attack is still gonna go through!"
"Aw man, I wanted to see Zushin!"
"Go, Lyrical Eagle Dragon! Stop them!" Ruri shouted.
"At this moment, I activate the Continuous Trap: Dragon-Tribe Seal Jar! As long as this card is on the field, all Dragon-type monsters are switched to Defense Position and they cannot change their battle positions!" Taro revealed.
"What?!" Ruri gasped.
The Seal Jar appeared and fired a blast at Lyrical Eagle Dragon and forced it to go to Defense Position.
Lyrical Eagle Dragon (ATK: 2500→DEF: 2000)
"But I can still attack! Assembly Nightingale! Double Direct Attack!" Assembly Nightingale attacked Taro but he shrugged it off.
Taro LP: 4000→3800→3600
Ruri looked at the Fusion Card in her hand. "I can't do anything else…he's gonna summon Zushin…I'm sorry everyone."
"I end my turn!" Ruri cried out.
"It's time…" Taro smiled. "We did it! We were able to survive!"
"All right! Show them our true power!" Yoshizo cheered.
"Beat their rare cards to the ground!" Jinbei shouted.
"My turn! Draw!" Taro drew his card.
Taro LP: 3600, Hand: 4, SC: 7→8
Ruri LP: 1200, Hand: 1, SC: 8→9
Everyone tensed up as they prepared for the inevitable. Taro grabbed the Zushin card. "This card cannot be Normal Summoned, but it can be Special Summoned by releasing a Level 1 Normal Monster that has been on my field for at least 10 of my turns!"
"This is the culmination of Team Taiyo's bond! Our hope! I release Key Mace!" Taro put Key Mace in the Graveyard. "Appear! Zushin the Sleeping Giant (ATK: 0, LV: 10)!"
Taro put the card on his Duel Disk and the sky turned dark and lightning hit the track and the road behind Ruri and Taro broke apart and a hand emerged from it and soon enough Zushin appeared with his staff and he let out a roar that shattered the glass near him.
Everyone was shocked by how powerful Zushin was just form being summoned, it then started following above Taro. "We finally meet, Zushin! Now fight with us!" Taro smiled.
Ruri's eyes trembled as she looked at Zushin. It was huge and powerful, and then, to Ruri, it changed into Antique Gear Chaos Giant. She could hear the screams of the people of Heartland and the laughter of Academia soldiers.
"Ladies and gentlemen! A miracle has been performed! For the first time in history, Zushin has appeared in an official match! No one ever saw this coming, and what makes it more exciting was that this feat was accomplished by an unknown team, who will now go down in history in performing the impossible! Team Taiyo!"
"Taiyo! Taiyo! Taiyo!" The audience cheered for Team Taiyo.
"We did it!" Jinbei cried.
"We did it, Taro!" Yoshizo cried as well.
"Here I come, Ruri! I activate the Speed Spell: Explosion! When I have two or more Speed Counters, I can destroy one Magic and Trap Card on my field and switch the battle position of one monster on my opponent's field! I destroy Dragon-Tribe Seal Jar! Now Lyrical Eagle Dragon changes to Attack Position!"
Lyrical Eagle Dragon (DEF: 2000→ATK: 2500)
"Battle! Zushin, attack Lyrical Eagle Dragon! When Zushin battles an opponent's monster, its Attack Points are equal to the opponent's monsters plus 1000 points!"
Zushin (ATK: 0→3500)
"3500 Attack Points!" Ruri sweated.
"Zushin Punch!" Zushin reared its fist back and punched Lyrical Eagle Dragon and destroyed her instantly and making Ruri lose balance.
Ruri LP: 1200→200
"Lyrical Eagle Dragon…" Ruri sadly looked down.
"I can't use Power Throw since she still has that Continuous Trap on her field." Taro grabbed a card from his hand. "I set one card and end my turn!"
"This looks like the end for Ruri." Melissa commentated. "With only Assembly Nightingale left and only a few cards left in her hand, she's no match against the powerful Zushin."
"That can't…" Ruri looked at her deck. "Please…give me something to turn this around. My turn! Draw!" Ruri drew her card.
Taro LP: 3600, Hand: 2, SC: 8→9
Ruri LP: 200, Hand: 2, SC: 9→10
"I activate the Trap Card: Battle Mania! With this card, you must attack this turn!" Taro revealed.
Ruri looked at the card that she drew. "Resurrection of the Dead. This card could be useful…if I was facing a different monster. But Zushin is too powerful and it'll be stronger if I attack it…there's nothing I can do…I lost…"
"Do you trust me?" Dennis's words echoed in her head.
"I do…but…" Ruri looked at Fusion.
"Fusion Summon! Fusion Summon! Fusion Summon!" Ruri kept hearing those words and the screams of the people of her hometown.
"I'm sorry." Ruri heard Yuya's voice. "I Fusion Summoned…despite knowing how you feel about it."
"It's okay. I've realized that just because Fusion Summon destroyed my home, it doesn't mean that it's bad. It's the ones who misuse it. You're the proof, Yuya." Ruri heard her own voice.
"Did I…Did I really say that?" Ruri thought.
"What are you afraid of, Ruri?" Ruri turned around to see Lyrical Eagle Dragon looking down at her. "You've already said it yourself. Fusion Summon isn't bad. It's the ones who misuse it."
"Lyrical Eagle Dragon…I know that…I know that, but…the scenes won't go away. I just want to forget them." Ruri admitted.
"Ruri, we can't change the past, but we can change the future." Lyrical Eagle Dragon suggested. "But remember, the future can't exist without the past. It's painful, but you can't keep running away from Fusion, it's a part of your life now."
"And besides, even if you lose, you have friends that you can help out. You don't have to try and face everything by yourself."
"Friends…" Ruri uttered. That's right, Ruri had friends and even if she lost, they still had Crow to continue the Duel. She might not win, but she can still do something for their team, just as Yoshizo and Jinbei did for Taro to bring out Zushin.
"I use a Speed Counter to activate the Magic Card: Resurrection of the Dead! I Special Summon Lyrical Eagle Dragon (ATK: 2500, RNK: 4) from the Graveyard!" Lyrical Eagle Dragon came back.
Ruri SC: 10→9
"You brought back your dragon, but it can't use its effect since it doesn't have Overlay Units!" Taro pointed out.
"From my hand…" Ruri grabbed the Fusion card. "Accept it. Embrace it. It's a part of you now." Ruri held the card up in the air. "I activate the Magic Card: Fusion!"
"What?!" Shun gasped.
"Ruri is gonna…" Yuzu exclaimed.
"Fusion Summon!" Serena's eyes widened.
Ruri SC: 9→8
"The monsters that I'm gonna fuse are Lyrical Eagle Dragon and Lyrical Luscinia Assembly Nightingale!" A spiraling vortex appeared and both Xyz Monsters entered the portal.
"Dragon of the birds! Twitter of the songbird that resounds in the dark night! Become one and give birth to a majestic creature! Fusion Summon!" Ruri put her hands together. "Fly down! Dragon with the power of sapphire! Lyrical Sapphire Dragon (ATK: 3000, LV: 7)!"
Appearing was a new version of Lyrical Eagle Dragon but with the feathers of sapphire and it release sapphire flames from its mouth.
"She did it…" Serena was amazed by Ruri's Fusion Summon.
"Wow, that dragon is pretty." Rio was amazed.
Shun was absolutely shocked that his sister did a Fusion Summon.
"I know that I'll lose, but there is still something that I can do for my friends! Battle! Lyrical Sapphire Dragon, attack Zushin!" Lyrical Sapphire Dragon unleashed sapphire flames.
"When Zushin battles an opponent's monster, it's Attack Points are the same as the attacking monsters plus 1000! Counterattack! Zushin Punch!" Taro shouted and Zushin punched through the flames and destroyed Lyrical Sapphire Dragon and eliminated Ruri from the Duel.
Ruri LP: 200→0
"At this moment, Lyrical Sapphire Dragon's effect activates!" Ruri winced.
"What?" Taro's eyes widened.
A ring of sapphire flames wrapped itself around Zushin, making it cry in pain. "When Lyrical Sapphire Dragon is destroyed in battle, all monsters on the opponent's field have their effects negated." Ruri smiled before she headed back to the pits.
"I see…even though she lost the Duel, she used everything she had to negate Zushin's effect! Since Lyrical Sapphire Dragon's effect doesn't target Zushin, that effect will still go through and Zushin's Attack Points won't go up." Taro thought. "Well done, Ruri Kurosaki. You're a good friend."
Ruri was back at the pit and stopped next to Crow. "Sorry, I couldn't stop Zushin from being summoned." Ruri apologized as she took off the sticker.
"What are you saying?" Crow smiled as he took the sticker and placed it on his arm. "You gave me a chance to wipe out Zushin. I won't let your efforts be for nothing. After all, we're friends." Crow put his fist out.
"Crow…" Ruri smiled and she put her fist out and they bumped.
"Wish me luck, kiddos!" Crow zoomed off onto the track.
"We're now down to the last Duel!" Melissa shouted. "Everything will be determined by the last Wheelers!"
"Crow Hogan, the Black Feather Duelist." Taro looked at Crow as he caught up.
"You guys are something else." Crow smiled. "Your bonds are powerful in order to summon Zushin."
"Of course, we all worked hard on this strategy. This is the proof that our bonds are strong!" Taro smiled back.
"Well, then. Let me show the power of the bonds that the Guardians have!" Crow declared.
"Bring it on!" Taro accepted the challenge. "The bond with Team Taiyo is much stronger than Zushin." Taro looked at the set card that had yet to be activated.
The last Duel of the Quarterfinal match was about to begin.
And done. So, what do you guys think. Let me know your thoughts in the reviews and if you have a question, feel free to PM me and I will answer you all as soon as I can.
Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time.
Preview: The last Wheelers, Crow and Taro face each other head-on, with both sides trying to showcase the power of the bonds that they have with their friends. With the audience all excited for the climax of the Duel, both teams begin forging the road to the future!
Next time: Vs Team Taiyo! Clash of Bonds!
