Happy April Fools, everyone! HAH, did you think that my long hiatus was going to prevent this year's upload?! Think again!
To be 100% honest, though, it almost happened, this being uploaded so 'late' should say it, as I usually upload these first thing in the morning (For me) or as early as I can, but this is mostly a silly idea that I partially wrote recently to try and get out of my Block in a much more basic format, so most of the editing to make it 'publishable' had to be done last night and this morning, as actually finishing OverGamer's update took priority.
If you're someone who reads some of my other works but doesn't read that one, in the author's notes of the latest update you can read more about the reasons behind my massive 'hiatus' in uploads. I could copy/paste it here, but I don't really think repeating it like 4 times across all my uploads benefits anyone, and you're here to read some SAO fun rather than my rants about my life, aren't you?
Now then, today's idea is all about…CARD GAMES! Surprised? Well, be ready to have your mind blown (Or not), whether you know about any card games' series or not, I tried to make this as 'noob-friendly' as possible for everyone to read, so I hope you enjoy it!
Let's go with it!
Disclaimer: Sword Art Online does not belong to me, I just play around with its plot and characters in wacky ways. Also, any similarities with any other card games-related series is because it's almost impossible to not make things take inspiration from others for this particular subject :P
Prologue: Draw your First Card!
July 31st, 2024. Kawagoe, Saitama. Kirigaya Household, 17:35…
Kirigaya Kazuto only knew one thing for sure...well, aside from how discovering he was adopted had messed him up a bit: He didn't like card games.
It wasn't something he properly could explain or quantify, really, he just...never had quite liked them, even back before he got into videogames. When he sometimes would see other kids playing with them as a child, he would just shake his head and move on. He just had never quite seen the appeal. He had just thought it would be something he would live with without much care, a fad that would go away in time as most other things.
Of course, that had been when Kayaba Akihiko had decided to release a new card game, one that had taken the world by storm, and shit had changed massively.
That had been just 2 years, but it felt like an entire other age, truly. And now, things were...a lot more different than he ever thought.
Like watching his little sister currently sitting at their kitchen table with one of her classmates clearly proved...
"I summon Fairy of the Wind! And because you have a monster on your side and I didn't, I can chain-summon another card this same round!" grinning, the young kendoka slammed a card showing a small blonde pixie clad in a green tunic, with glowing fairy wings, onto the table, before casually pointing towards her surprised classmate while grabbing a certain card directly from her deck. "Swap out! Fairy of the Wind, give your power to...Sylph, Wind Spirit!"
With that declaration, the card depicting a blonde and busty girl with wings and a katana was put on the field, atop the previous one, causing the other schoolgirl to recoil
"N-no way! That's a 'mon' with 15 Atk. Points!"
"Yep! And if I swapped it out for Fairy of the Wind, it can attack twice! GO!" dramatically proclaimed Suguha before chuckling with a small smile. "I win!"
"Ah, dammit, I lost again! Your Elemental Fairies are too strong, Suguha!" complained the other girl while grabbing her deck with a pout.
"Heh, it's more than that, I have been playing with them tirelessly for almost two years." explained the young kendoka while proudly raising the deck. "There is a special bond between me and these cards."
"…that sounded SO corny…"
"He-hey, don't say it like that!"
"Pfft, so-Sorry, Suguha, it just sometimes feels like the only thing that has grown from you in these past years is your chest." chuckled the schoolgirl towards her pouting friend before blinking at noticing their onlooker. "Oh, hiiyah, Kazuto-kun!"
"Eh?! Onii-chan?!" turning around in surprise, Suguha seemed slightly panicked at noticing her brother's presence. "Si-since when have you been there?!"
"Just now, really, came back from buying some pasta for tonight." explained the black-haired boy while raising the bag with the groceries. "…playing some Centoria Legends again, huh?"
"You betcha! Hey, how about you go a few rounds with me instead?" the schoolgirl's sudden question caused the boy to stiffen a bit, his little sister suddenly gaining an awkward look. "Suguha is one thing, but maybe with you I will have a chance!"
"Ah, no, yo-you see, Onii-chan..."
"Sorry, I don't have a CL Deck." Interrupted Kazuto with dry finality, prompting her to stare at him in shock while Suguha awkwardly shifted in place. "Anyway, I gotta leave this at the kitchen then go check things in my room...today I will be making dinner, okay, Sugu?"
"...kay."
Without saying much more, the boy left the groceries on the table and walked upstairs, barely suppressing a sigh at feeling the way in which his little sister's friend had been staring at him.
Centoria Legends...Kayaba Akihiko's civilization-shaking lovechild that had taken the world by storm. A card game that was apparently so addictive and easy to play that everyone around had started playing it all of a sudden. Even beyond that, in less than a year it had become a worldwide phenomenon and even professional tournaments were being organized constantly now.
Even his little sister, the kendoka, had taken to the game after some people at her school showed it to her. And now he felt like the odd one who didn't play it because he didn't like card games...hell, even their MOM had a few cards, from what he had seen! But he preferred his videogames still...
...that may very well change soon, though, at least in a certain way. After all...Kayaba Akihiko was not only the father of the (Apparently) greatest card game in history but, now, also of virtual reality. FullDive Techology had started taking root...and the cards' creator had finally shown the world WHY last month.
Centoria Legends Online...a virtual world with fully simulated 5 senses...to play card games.
Kazuto had wanted to scream at the unfairness of it all, before seeing that the features of this 'world ruled by cards' were kinda incredible, and the experience even permitted the cards to come to life when 2 players 'dueled' within it.
It certainly promised to be quite the unique experience…which was why he had applied for the Beta Test without telling either his mom or Sugu (Who was also hyped for trying out the full game).
Maybe this would be his chance to see the game differently and…experience unique things, who knows?
Either way, we would find out tomorrow, one way or another…
Not having been in this virtual world for even 2 hours, 'Kirito' (As he usually named himself online) was already quite aware of a fatal mistake he had made when he had been considering things yesterday and that was making his experience quite a bit…unpleasant.
"Gods, I fucking suck at this game!"
As he walked through the woods outside Centoria City, the 'global spot' city that was the center of this world, the boy couldn't help but complain out loud with another groan. Even his avatar's new and fancy black jacket and pants (Plus an equally black hat to better hide his eyes from the distance), weren't enough to prevent the black-haired from sighing again.
In his 'determination' to see if this world could show him how to enjoy that damned card game while also experiencing the full scope of FullDive technology firsthand…he hadn't taken into account the fact that he really had next to no experience with the card game it completely revolved around.
Sure, he knew the basic rules, even most children nowadays did, but beyond that his aversion to card games had always kept him from delving deeply into the game…so he was completely ignorant about strategies, combos, good cards, etc.
Hell, he barely had even talked with Suguha about the game itself, for crying out loud! And not only was she a great player, but they also lived in the same home!
So, after a little more than an hour of his Starting Deck (Provided as part of the Tutorial) getting him kicked around for almost every other Beta Tester he had found willing to duel him, and failing to get good advice from anyone around, he had opted for exiting the city and going around, not willing to use the little currency he had on new cards if he didn't really properly know what to do.
Still, at least these forests were beautiful, and it helped him take his mind off cards and things he sucked at. In fact, he could almost swear he felt the vegetation around him alive in some almost magical wa-
"YOU THERE!"
"Huh?" blinking in confusion, the boy turned around, only to be greeted by a very…unusual visage.
A little girl with long black hair in a simple white dress standing there, looking around and then at him with seeming urgency, despite having apparently showed up from nowhere.
"Why would anyone make their avatar look like a little girl…?" mentally wondered the black-haired boy while adjusting his cap. "Oh Gods, I hope it's not a weirdo creep in disguise or-"
"There is no time to explain, take this card!" cutting off his mental rambling before it could even finish, the mysterious girl surprised him by handing him what clearly was a Centoria Legends' card, almost forcing it into his hands. "Don't let it fall in the wrong hands, everything depends on it!"
Before Kirito could even ask what the hell she was talking about, the little girl…vanished in a burst of white light.
Utterly confused, the boy turned the card around…and deadpanned at seeing how it was completely blank.
"Great, I just got trolled by a weird random…"sighing as he put the card alongside his deck, the young duelist was unaware of the unnatural glow covering them all for a moment as he closed the holder. "Well, that finished killing my mood…better get back to the city and log out for to-"
"KYAAA!" came a sudden scream from deeper within the forest, making the boy freeze. "Ple-please, this is unfair!"
"You should have thought about unfairness before challenging us, girlie! Now get ready to be owned!"
"Like my bro said, you messed with the wrong crowd, babe! You will be begging for mercy in no ti-!"
"Hey…what's going on here?"
Eyes narrowed, Kirito darkly raised that question as he walked into the small clearing where the noise had come from, seeing a cute and curvy girl with twintails looking about to cry, her holographic 'duel disk' out and seemingly ready to face off against a pair of…well, he could only call them 'Thugs', honestly. They had made their avatars look, with quite the effort probably, as much as 'generic gang members' as they could, it seemed.
Even with Mohawks and all.
And both had their own disks out, menacingly towering over the girl.
"Ah! Ple-please, help! M-my name is Silica, these two are bullying me!"
"Wha?! Hell no, we aren't!" the one that Kirito's mind had already dubbed as 'Bully 1' declared fervently while waving his arms 'menacingly' in the twintailed girl's direction. "We are just gonna teach you a lesson!"
"That sounds totally like bullying…also, are you really gonna duel her 2 vs 1? How is THAT fair"
"Don't get in the way, pretty boy! This gal here is gonna pay for making fun of our looks!" 'Bully 2' proclaimed while completely ignoring half of what the black-clad boy had said. "The wrath of our Biker monsters will crush her!"
"…yeah, screw that." declared Kirito as he walked forward while Silica, almost instinctively, walked backwards until she's at his side, the boy activating his duel disk with narrowed eyes. "How about we make this fairer with a 2 vs 2?"
"Fine by us! Get ready to get wrecked, you shitty bishonen!"
"Yeah! Die in a fire!"
[DUEL!]
[Kirito&Silica]: 20 Incarnation Points
[Bully1&Bully 2]: 20 Incarnation Points
"Tha-thanks a lot, uhm…!"
"Name is Kirito." softly replied the duelist while looking at his impromptu 'partner' with a smile that made her blush.
"Kirito-san, then! I-I won't let you down!" promised Silica while drawing a card and nodding to herself. "Let's do our best! I summon Cutegirl Idol in Defense! And when I do, I can summon from my deck Cutegirl Cheerleader! Also in defense! I end my turn!"
A cute 'chibi' anime girl with red hair and an idol outfit appearing, hands in the air and winking at nobody, wasn't what anyone was expecting, apparently, and the following appearance of a twin-tailed blonde chibi in a generic American cheerleader outfit, raising her pom-poms cheerfully, didn't really seem to help matters, even as both adopted a 'defensive' pose.
CG Idol: 0 Def. Points
CG Cheerleader: 1 Def. Point
A quite awkward silence followed Silica's 'first play', with Kirito and 'Bully 2' having very different reactions to it…though 'Bully 1' didn't seem as willing to be silent about his opinion on the whole thing.
"…are you mocking us?!"
"E-eh?!"
"What's with that pathetic first turn and those pathetic cards?!" demanded the generic-looking 'gang member' while stomping on the ground, as if his pride had been somehow further insulted, causing the only female present to recoil, clearly offended.
"The-they're not pathetic! The Cutegirls are m-my best and only friends! Whe-when my whole family treated me like a kid, they were always there for me!" even as she declared such in a very heartfelt way, Silica raised her duel disk lovingly while staring at her deck with evident nostalgia. "Sure, their powers may suck and their stats may not be that great, bu-but they're cute so that doesn't matter! Because Cute is Justice!"
"...that would have felt a lot more touching if we WEREN'T UTTERLY SCREWED!" mentally screamed the black-haired boy while doing his best for his face to betray nothing "I'm a noob at this game and this girl is a casual shitty player who chose her deck for the cards' art! Ugh…we-well…maybe these guys aren't very good players ei-?"
"I discard all other cards in my hand to special summon Biker Metal Murderer!" angrily roared Bully 1 while throwing several cards on the grave slot of his duel disk and slamming the last one on the field, an explosion of light and smoke making a car-sized bike with a demon's face sculpted at the front and burning red eyes to appear. "And if I activate this power, it can attack all monsters on my enemy's field!"
Biker Metal Murderer: 6 Atk. Points
"...well fuck."
"Well done bro!" ignorant of Kirito's despairing thoughts, Bully 2 praised his partner while raising a closed fist. "Make that girl eat shit for disrespecting our Biker spirit!"
"You know it, bro! Metal Murderer, attack! Highway-Murder!"
"O-oh no!" Silica cried out as the bike rolled over and brutally crushed her screaming Cutegirls without mercy. "I-if Cutegirl Cheerleader is destroyed, I can add a Cutegirl from my deck t-to my hand! Uuuuh…so-sorry about that, Kirito-san…"
"It's okay, Silica-chan. Your monsters are important to you, and that's what matters." the boy declared with confidence he didn't really feel, putting on all his online skills to pretend to be someone else at play while he drew his cards while giving her an 'eyes-closed smile'. "Leave this to me!"
"S-so cool!" thought the twintailed girl while her heart skipped a beat, feeling she could fully trust he black-clad boy.
"Man, we're so fucked is not even funny…oh well." finally opening his eyes while having such thoughts, Kirito got ready to make a fool of himself. "May as well go out with a…what the hell?! Whe-where did these cards come from?!"
Shocked, the young duelist stared at the cards in his hand, which he was pretty sure were not anywhere in his Starter Deck when he last checked it 10 minutes ago.
Hell, he hadn't seen anyone else today play any of these cards during his many defeats…
"What's wrong, pretty boy? Can't back up all your big talk?!" taunted Bully 2 with a sneer, causing Kirito to shake his head and come back to the game.
"I-I was just thinking on how to start things out…and I will do it by summoning Integrity Knight Synthesis 7!"
A burning inferno exploded before the boy, shocking the other 3 duelists as a figure in red armor wielding a massive bow emerged, pointing it menacingly at the giant demon bike.
Integrity Knight Synthesis 7: 3 Atk. Points
"I-I have never seen that card…but it matters not, it can't do shit to my Metal Mur-!"
"S7's power activates! If he's the only card on my field when I summon him, I can summon another I. Knight directly from my deck!" declared the black-clad boy while an holographic screen appeared before him, his eyes widening at all the cards he clearly had never seen. "It's like my whole deck changed…but no time to complain, first I gotta teach these punks to not mess with hopeless girls!" "Come forth! Synthesis 30!"
Golden petals danced forward.
In a similar to the previous one, yet clearly female, armor, this one a rich gold in color, the new figure appeared, her helmet betraying nothing even as her blue cape and the cloth under her armor billowed slightly as the petals somehow solidified into a sword in her hands, standing at the ready.
For some reason, Kirito almost felt as if the imposing figure had a weight of her own, like no other card he had seen that day did…
IK Synthesis 30: 9 Atk. Points
"Oh nuts!"
"Tha-that card…a monster so strong shouldn't be able to come to the field so fast!"
"S30's power activates!" continued a suddenly much more confident Kirito, completely ignoring the Bikers' distressed cries. "If my opponent controls a monster weaker than her when she's summoned, she can immediately destroy it! GO!"
"Release Recollection!" cried out the Knight, to everyone's utter shock, even as her golden sword exploded forward into petals once again, which destroyed the suddenly screaming giant bike before reforming into a blade, which the female knight sheathed once more. "...done."
"It can talk?!" screamed both the boy's partner and their opponents, clearly not having seen such a thing at all before.
"…ehem, S7! S30! Attack them directly!" shouted Kirito while trying to pretend he wasn't as shocked at them, causing both knights to nod and bring their weapons to bear against the suddenly panicking Bullies.
"Burning Arrow!"
"Golden Wave!"
Both the fire arrow and the slash of golden energy exploded forward, crashing into the duo of weirdos and making them fall on their asses while twisting in apparent pain, surprising Kirito and making Silica barely stifle a giggle.
Were…were monsters' attacks supposed to be that realistic in this world?
"GAAAH!"
[Bully1&Bully 2]: 20 Incarnation Points - 3 - 9 = 10 IP Remaining
Standing there in awe between both cool-looking 'knights', his opponents groaning on the ground and Silica staring at him in awe, Kirito…suddenly felt a grin appear on his face.
Perhaps there WAS something fun about this game, after all!
Ayano Keiko hadn't exactly had a 'harsh' life but, like any other (Almost!) 15 years-old girl, she wished lots of it could have gone better.
She hadn't filled up as much as most of her classmates even after hitting a growth spurt, so she had been teased as the class' 'mascot' for quite a bit. Amongst her many cousins, she was always treated like the 'baby one' just because she wasn't as tall or bu-busty as others!
And even when the new thing that had seemingly revolutionized the world, Centoria Legends, had come out, she had found herself laughed at for her choice in favorite cards.
She co-couldn't help it, though! Sure, she was just 12 (And 2 months!) at the time, but when she had passed by that old shop with her parents and seen the deck hanging there on display, seemingly forgotten and at an absurdly low price because nobody wanted it, she had instantly fallen in love with the cards' designs.
They were all just SO cute, after all!
That was how, despite the seller's pitiful looks, she had been overjoyed when her hands closed around her beloved Cutegirls cards for the first time, her parents smiling at her enthusiasm.
Even when she couldn't win a single duel at school. Even when she was made fun of by using such 'pathetic' cards. Even when she became the de facto 'easy win to pass time'-duelist amongst her cousins whenever they had a family gathering.
She didn't care, because her Cutegirls were with her. While most would have said that they had made things worse than they were before, seeing their cute smiles and their pretty clothes, she could almost imagine them talking to her, telling her their stories. About how despite all adversity in life, they managed to get through it all just by being cute and supporting each other with their cuteness!
Because Cute was Justice!
Still, a small part of her still had felt sad at how almost nobody around her seemed to realize this in the real world…so when the news about Centoria Legends Online had come out, and the lottery for a place in the Beta Test went online, she applied, hoping against hope that maybe she would get a spot and, if not, at least later convince her parents to let her try out the full release.
But, against all odds, she had done it! She won a Nerve Gear and a place in CLO's Beta! And with the card-scanner they had included, she had been able to bring her precious Cutegirls along to this amazing world…and it truly was amazing, Centoria was a place of dreams come true!
What else could she call such an amazing world where her cards could come alive to fight right alongside her, after all? She had spent hours just losing duels all over the main city, not even caring for her defeats, too busy squealing in glee upon seeing the Cutegirls materialize and do their signature cute poses, as great…no, even better than she had ever imagined!
…of course, then her day had been kinda ruined when, trying to see some more of the world outside the city alongside her faithfully cute cards, she had stumbled upon those 2 weirdoes that looked like they came straight out of some generic gang cliché. And, when she had apologized for getting in the way before, accidentally, mumbling about how strange their hairstyles were, they had exploded into some mad rage.
She knew that was a bit rude, but there was no need to start harassing her and telling her they were gonna crush her (In a card game!) just because of that!
And then, just when she thought she was going to have a particularly harsh defeat (With some unneeded insults thrown her way too)...HE had appeared.
That mysterious boy, clad almost all in black, with that hat hiding his heroic eyes that gave him an air of mystery. He had heroically faced up against her strange bullies, taken her side in the unexpected fight, and even praised her love for her Cutegirls! It was like something straight out from her old Shoujo Mangas!
He had even heroically summoned some amazing monsters she had never heard of before to beat the bullies' terrifying bike-abomination! Truly, Kirito-san was amazing! He must be some kinda expert in the game!
"Holy shit, I have no idea where those cards came from or what most of them do, but that was a sick combo!" confidently thought said 'amazing boy' while nodding on the outside, even as his Knights returned to his side, standing ready for the fight to continue. "That ends my turn. Still thinking you should bully innocent people for no reason?"
"Yo-you…you will pay for that, bastard!" roared Bully 2 while drawing a card. "I shall avenge my bro's monster with this! Just like him, I will discard my whole hand to special summon another Biker Metal Murderer…BUT! If this particular card gets discarded into the Grave by the effect of another Biker Monster, I can special summon it! So emerge forward too, Biker Road-Burner!"
With a manic roar, the same demonic biker as before materialized menacingly…before an explosion of fire made a more 'normal-sized' (If still overly muscled) biker appear, riding into a flaming bike that had way too many sharp angles to be really comfortable to drive, but that the goat-headed (For some reason) rider didn't seem to mind.
B. Metal Murderer: 6 AP
B. Road-Burner: 4 AP
"Kuh…not a bad play, but even if you bring S7 down, S30 is still-!"
"FOOL! You don't understand how our biker spirit is immortal and so your fancy knights are doomed!" even as the Biker-man said those words with a creepy smile, his duel disk's Grave Area shone, making his friend grin and their opponents' eyes to widen. "If I have 2 Biker monsters on my field, I can sacrifice them to special summon this baby straight from the Grave! Behold, our strongest monster…BIKER LEGENDARY OUTLAW!"
An explosion of demonic fire consumed the 2 monsters on the field, though both seemed to be laughing rather than being in pain, even as, emerging from where they had stood, a bizarre hybrid between man and bike, like some demented robot from hell wearing biker clothes, rose up, its sinister face opening to show its sharp metallic teeth as it laughed to the heavens, blue fire exploding from inside its body and giving it a truly infernal look.
Biker Legendary Outlaw: 11 Attack Points
"N-no way…" backing away, Silica couldn't help but whimper in the presence of such a terrifying beast. "A mo-monster with over 10 AP!"
" That's right, girlie! This is my and my bro's trump card! And he's gonna crush your boyfriend's pathetic knights right away!"
"Bo-boyfriend?!" squealed the twintailed girl with clear embarrassment, though the aforementioned boy seemed too busy staring at the incoming attack to react.
"Hell yeah! And given even his stronger knight girl there can't hold a candle to it, we're gonna start doing some big damage!" completely ignoring Silica's reaction, Bully 2 dramatically pointing forward straight towards Synthesis 7's suddenly wary form. "Legendary Outlaw, take out that red fucker! Biker Murder-Flame!"
"Why does everything have to be murder with your biker things?!
Kirito's words fell on deaf ears as the powerful biker creature attacked and destroyed Synthesis 7, a regretful snarl escaping the knight as he shattered into polygons. Standing to the side, S30 seemed to seethe in anger (Even if the helmet hid it), somehow reacting at the loss of her comrade.
[Kirito&Silica]: 20 Incarnation Points - 8 (11-3) = 12 IP Remaining
"O-oh no!"
"Kuh…"
"Hah, this is your end, you fools!" grinned the amused biker while dramatically pointing forward. "I end my turn! Play your last pathetic card, girlie!"
"M-my cards aren't pathetic! Dra-draw!" denied the girl before looking at her quite, actually, pathetic hand, then at the field, quickly wilting under the terrifying gaze of the Legendary Outlaw. "The-there is nothing I can do…nothing in my deck can do anything to that thing…lo-losing was never a problem for me, bu-but…I don't wanna let Kirito-san down! Ma…maybe everyone was right about how much my cards su-?"
"Silica."
Hearing her name being called out caused her to look to the side in surprise, seeing her partner smiling at her with a soothing look.
"Kirito-san…?"
"It's fine, you can do this. I believe in you. No matter what kinda cards you use, as long as you do your best, they will answer to you!" passionately declared Kirito…while his thoughts were a completely different matter. "So please, for the love of God, put down something that can defend us from that thing long enough for me to see if this deck can save our asses!"
"Kirito-san…*slapping her own cheeks, eyes bright* Yes…you're right! Even if they don't have power, even if they're not impressive…my Cutegirls can still do this!" replied Silica while slapping her own cheeks, eyes now bright as she dramatically pointed at the field. "I change Kirito-san's S30 into Defense! And then I summon Cutegirl High-Schooler in Defense Mode!"
The golden knight kneeled, obeying the command even as she gave Silica a silently judgmental gaze, as if gauging what she would do.
Then, with a bright explosion of cute sparks, a young girl of dark hair appeared, wearing a school uniform, carrying a schoolbag over her shoulder…and a half-eaten piece of toast in her mouth.
I. Knight Synthesis 7: 9 Defense Points
CG High-Schooler: 2 DP
"…we're doomed." was all that the black-clad boy could think at the display.
"I end my turn!" Silica declared with confidence meanwhile, ignorant of it all.
"…BWHAHAHAH! Oh Gods, that was a good one…draw! Heh, this is gonna be easy…Come, Biker Bad Wheel!" once his laughter seemed to have calmed down, Bully 1 proceeded to summon what looked like an oversized bike wheel with an angry face on its side, boasting 3 Attack Points. "Time to wipe out your field…so let's start with the biggest threat! My bro's Legendary Outlaw will take out that fancy knight! Go, Biker Murder-!"
" High-Schooler's power activates!" interrupted Silica as her monster's eyes shone while she started to…run towards the incoming attack aimed for S30, while looking at her clock as if she was late for something?! "Once per turn, if another monster on the field would be destroyed by an attack, she can deny that destruction!"
At the declaration, the Cutegirl gasped while looking up, as if just noticing the attack about to end her…before tripping over herself, falling flat on her face and causing her toast to fly away and smack Outlaw in the face, the robot-from-hell crying out in surprise and canceling his attack to remove the toast, causing everyone to sweatdrop…even S30.
"…well…that's one way of stopping an attack." weakly thought the young duelist while giving his partner a weak smile.
"And with that, Kirito-san's knight is safe!"
"…but your stupid Shoujo anime girl isn't! BAD WHEEL, CRUSH HER!"
Standing up, the Cutegirl dusted off her skirt while doing a 'Tehee!' sound and sticking out her tongue to Synthesis 30…just in time for the angry-looking wheel to descend and crush her into a polygonal paste, making Silica cry out and wince even as S30 STARED intensely, somehow seeming to shake in her Defense stance, glaring murder at the enemy monster who had destroyed her savior.
"That lucky shot may have bought you a turn, but it doesn't matter!" boasted the first of the biker pair even as a silent Kirito drew one card, staring at it intensely. "During my bro's next turn, your defeat will be-!"
"No…there isn't gonna be a next turn." the black-clad boy's words made everyone look at him in surprise, even as he raised his newly drawn card with a determine look. "Silica's sacrifice…no, the efforts of her Cutegirl High-Schooler have brought about our victory!"
"What?!"
"Kirito-san…do-does that mean…?"
"Behold, Silica! This is for your Cutegirl! If I have an Integrity Knight on the field, I can immediately summon Underworldian Dragon the moment I draw him, in Attack Mode!"
The card was slammed down and, with an otherworldly roar, a car-sized silverish dragon with armor emerged, flying around the field and landing on S30's side, who looked at the creature with apparent relief.
Underworldian Dragon: 6 AP
"…hah! I was worried for a second, but that thing can't even hold a candle to our Legen-!"
"Underworldian Dragon's second ability activates!" mercilessly interrupted Kirito with a fierce grin.
"What?! A card with TWO powers?! Aren't those, like, super-rare?!"
"If there is an Integrity Knight on the field, during the battle phase of the turn it was summoned upon draw, I can forego it attacking this turn…to add its attack points to one of my I. Knights!" everyone's eyes widen at the implications of the young duelist's words, even as he pointed forward with his card-filled hand, his grin never once falling. "And when that happens, if a monster gets destroyed by the Knight in question, their Attack Points are also reduced from your Incarnation Points whether you get damaged or not!"
"WHAT?!" repeated the suddenly horrified pair of Bullies, no longer confident at all.
IK Synthesis 30+UW Dragon: 9+6=15 Attack Points
"Ki-Kirito-san! You did it!" happily cried Silica with tears in her eyes.
"No, Silica, WE did it! If S30 had been destroyed, this wouldn't have been possible! So this victory…is for you! Go, Integrity Knight Synthesis 30! UW Dragon! Inferno Element Breath!"
"That girl…will be avenged! Let's go, Amayori!" shouted the golden knight while standing up and jumping on the dragon's back, which roared as they flew high into the air, the dragon's mouth shining as its rider glared down at the suddenly terrified Legendary Outlaw. "Begone, foul creature! BURST ELEMENT!"
With a mighty explosive roar, the beam of raw power shot forward, consuming the robotic biker from hell and tearing the battlefield asunder, the following explosion engulfing the biker duo and, to everyone's surprise, sending them flying away while smoke trailed from them.
"GAAAAAH!"
" This isn't the last you see of the bikerssssss!" cried out Bully 2 for the last time as they vanished away in the distance, crashing somewhere in the forest, defeated.
Bully1&Bully 2: 10 IP - 4 - 11 = 0 Incarnation Points Remaining.
Winners: [Kirito&Silica]
"And that's game." whispered Kirito while lowering his duel disk, looking up and giving a thumbs-up to the armored girl and the dragon…only being slightly surprised when the female knight nodded back at him as they vanished. "Man…my first victory, and that was ultra-cool! I really wonder where these cards came from, though. Did it have something to do with that weird little girl giving me that blank-?"
" KIRITO-SAN!" happily cried out Silica as she practically 'glomped' the pensive boy, making him stagger a bit at the unexpected gesture. "Tha-thank you so much, that was the best duel I have ever had!"
"Li-like I said, it was nothing Silica, you pulled your weight as much as I did during that fight." answered the black-clad boy while only slightly lying with his words, patting the girl's head with a smile as he idly how this was the first time he was this close with a girl that wasn't his sister…not that he and Suguha had been particularly affectionate in years, though. "Say, wanna go grab a bite back in Centoria? We won quite a few Credits with that duel, so it's my treat!"
"A-ah, yeah, I would love to!" quickly replied the twintailed girl with a blush, even as she mentally panicked. "Wa-wait, is this a date!"
And even as the curious pair of new friends walked away from the damaged clearing…they never noticed a certain little girl in a white dress sitting on the branch of a nearby tree, staring at the former battlefield with a pondering look.
"He was able to activate and somewhat use the power of the Underworld Deck…even if he clearly has no idea how to really use it. He has potential, but I don't know if that will be enough to protect things from HIM…" mumbling even as she stood up, the mysterious little girl crossed her arms. "I hope Strea has better luck with whoever she gives the Aincrad Deck to…time is running out. We must do our best. Teleport! Hall of Secrets!"
There was a small pause.
"…ah…teleportation is still in cooldown." The white-clad girl spoke to nobody before looking down, small tears in her eyes upon noticing the height.. "...why did I choose such a high tree to watch them from again?"
With that not-so-amazing declaration, a legendary journey to decide the future through the power of Card Games had begun…
Author's Notes: And so, Yui does a very bad job at the role of the 'mysterious card game-related ancient being' XP
Seriously, though, I hope you had a good enough time reading this silly little idea :3 Anyone familiar with this particular brand of things, aka card games, probably may have noticed the main inspiration for it was Yu-Gi-Oh!, one of the (If not THE) most popular card games' anime around, and one I dutifully followed during my childhood. Also the only series that got me into its actual card game, even if I fell out of it for years, but recently the release of 'YGO Master Duel' made me get right back into it, and was also the main reason behind this year's April Fools' idea.
In fact, originally this was going to be a full-on SAO x YGO crossover…before I realized the issue of how that would make a lot of my readers that weren't familiar with the series/game to be very confused…the idea got reworked in my head a few times and we ended up with what you see now! Essentially, the main idea of this story is to be a 'KonoSuba of Card Games-series', to put it bluntly. Basically, a semi-parody of most of the Tropes usually used in shows like that, lampshading them while also still following a somewhat real plot based on them to a degree.
Kirito, for example, is the Chosen MC with the cool/unique cards…but has next to no idea of how to play the game. Silica is an extra-hard parody of the kinda-useless-female duelists a lot of anime series go with (Hell, even if they can play well, at least as far as YGO go, they usually end up relegated to very minor roles or plot-devices more often than not, sadly, even when they're meant to be main characters). Yui is the supernatural/odd/unique companion/benefactor who looks after/aids the main character/s, whose abilities/powers usually grant them special card-game-related powers or help, etc.
The card game shown here, Centoria Legends, is basically an extremely simplified version of YGO's Card Game, made to be a lot easier for people not familiar with card games like these in general to understand, and so they can focus more on the plot/jokes without being too distracted by overly complex rules. Essentially, monsters have attack and defense, each player has 'Incarnation Points' that if they get to 0 causes them to lose, cards have effects that affect the duel/turn depending on what they do, and so and so on.
Once again, there are no plans to continue this story at all at the moment, even more so as I'm still not 100% recovered from my crazy writer block and I gotta worry about OPG's update next, which is arguably my hardest-to-write fic right now. Also…even with the much simpler/dumber card game, writing a fanfic centered around a card game requires A LOT of text, details, and focus, never mind planning the duels in advance so they don't turn into nothing but narrative tools (Especially when they kind of ARE mostly that as far as the story is concerned), and I probably would end up getting overwhelmed very fast…like, that duel here was technically short and it still took over half the chapter's word-count XD!
Either way, once again, hope you had fun with my silly idea, and that you're having a good time :3 Seeya all in my next update, hopefully soon!
Until then, this is Saint, signing off!
