"Duel!"
Yuzu Kurosaki: 4000LP
Blaze: 4000LP
"Blaze?" She said, glancing at the name that had shown on her duel disk.
"You can call me that, I guess." The figure glanced at their hand. "I shall begin, then. I will set the Scale 1 Metalfoes Goldriver (4*/S1/1900/500/FIRE/Psychic/Pendulum) and the Scale 8 Metalfoes Steelen (2*/S8/0/2100/FIRE/Psychic/Pendulum) in the Pendulum Scales!"
Pendulum…
Yuzu looked at her hand, thinking about how to fight a Pendulum deck of all things… at least this was a Master Duel, so Blaze couldn't just revive all her monsters over and over.
"With this scale, I can Pendulum Summon monsters from Level 2 to Level 7! Pendulum Summon! Come, two Raremetalfoes Bismugear! (1*/S8/0/0/FIRE/Psychic/Pendulum/Effect) And a Goldriver! Now, I will activate the effect of Metalfoes Goldriver! I will destroy one of the Bismugear I control to set a "Metalfoes" Spell or Trap from the deck! I will set Metalfoes Fusion!"
A Fusion user as well? That was… intriguing, to say the least. So around the same Summoning Mechanics as her deck.
"And when Bismugear is destroyed, once per turn I can add a "Metalfoes: monster to my hand from my deck! Come to me, a third Raremetalfoes Bismugear!" Blaze shook their head. "You seem like a nice girl, but I have more important things to attend to. I will Normal Summon yet another Bismugear. Next, I will set my two "Metalfoes" monsters in the Link Markers!"
Link Summoning too… hmm… this might be harder than she had thought. She would still try her best though.
"Burning, melting metal! Reshape yourself in the flames of purgatory—and create a new power! Link Summon!" The girl snapped her fingers as flames appeared around them. One of the sparks of flame touched Yuzu—and it actually burned her. Her eyes widened. "The avatar of metal, Heavymetalfoes Electrumite!" (L2/1800/FIRE/Psychic/Link/Effect/↙, ↘)
Blaze sighed. "Electrumite's Effect. I destroy a face-up card I control and add a Pendulum Monster from face-up in my Extra Deck to my hand. I'll destroy my Steelen and add Bismugear to my hand. Then, since a card left my Pendulum Scale, I draw one card. I'll set one card and end my turn."
"Draw!" Yuzu glanced at her hand. "I will activate the spell card Polymerization! I will fuse the Solo the Melodious Songstress (4*/1600/1000/LIGHT/Fairy/Effect) and the Shopina the Melodious Maestra (7*/2300/1700/LIGHT/Fairy/Effect) in my hand!" She couldn't afford to not go all out from the start. She had to win, for everyone's sake, for the friends that she had made here. "Angel's song! Supreme genius! With the guidance of the baton, gather your power! Fusion Summon! Now come here to the stage! Sing the song of victory! Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir!" (6*/1000/2000/LIGHT/Fairy/Fusion/Effect)
Her ace appeared on the field in a shower of petals and gave a bow. Blaze snorted. "Performers? How childish."
Yuzu bristled.
"Don't judge my deck before you face it! Now, I'll have Bloom Diva attack your monster!" The monster shot out a storm of petals with a smile. "Bloom Diva cannot be destroyed by battle, and I take no damage from battles involving it. Now, at the end of the battle, her effect activates! If she battled a Special Summoned monster, I can deal you damage equal to the difference between their attack! Reflect Shout!"
"... how nonsensical. Trap card, Pendulum Defence. Since I have a card in the Pendulum Scale, I can negate a destruction effect and Special Summon a Pendulum monster from my deck." Blaze looked at her, and she felt her breath catch—strange, almost pulsing cat eyes.
"... I cannot deal you damage, then. But I'll activate the effect of Ash Blossom and Joyous Spring (3*/0/1800/FIRE/Zombie/Tuner/Effect) in my hand! I discard it to prevent you from Special Summoning a monster!" She sighed. She didn't manage to get rid of the Link Monster this turn… that honestly sucked. "I set a card and end."
"That's it? You may have some courage, but courage is useless without power or drive!" Blaze drew a card. "I have to resurrect my king and serve my master! I could never lose to you!"
King? Master? What on earth was she talking about? Blaze's smile became far more ferocious at her confused look.
"So you don't know what I'm talking about—why are you getting in my way then? You know nothing!" The girl held out her hand. "Pendulum Summon! Return from the Extra Deck, Steelen, Bismugear! And now—I will Normal Summon a Goldriver from my hand! I will set all four monsters in the Link Markers!"
Four?
"Demon king who rises from the depths of hell! Ravage and destroy with your cruel power! Link Summon! Link 4! Saryuja Skull Dread!" (L4/2800/EARTH/Dragon/Link/Effect/↙, ↑, ↘, ↓) A monstrous creature with long draconian wings of red and purple and an almost skeletal white body appeared.
Breathe, she told herself. Don't panic. She had always hated dragons… yet when she was watching the Sakakis, she hadn't hated their dragons at all. She dismissed the thought with a sigh. Nothing important…
"When Saryuja Skull Dread is summoned with four or more materials, I draw four cards and place three back on the bottom of the deck." A feminine sigh. "And then with its effect, I will Special Summon Metalfoes Titania (7*/S4/2500/1500/FIRE/Psychic/Pendulum/Effect) from my hand since I used three or more materials to summon it." A woman in a metal suit of armour appeared, before glowing. "And since I used two or more materials to Link Summon Skull Dread, any monster summoned to its Link Markers gains 300 attack and defence points."
Blaze took a deep breath. "And now, I will activate the spell card Lightning Vortex from my hand. I discard a card to destroy all monsters on your field." Lightning flew down towards Bloom Diva—only for the monster to yawn and bat the lightning away with a flourish.
She felt a smile grow on her face. "Sorry, but Bloom Diva won't be leaving the stage so early! Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir cannot be destroyed by card effects!"
"What?" Blaze looked taken aback. "Ugh… I'll have Metalfoes Titania activate its effect. At the end of my turn, I can destroy it to draw a card. I end my turn."
"My turn! Draw!" She glanced at her hand. Hmm… "I'll activate the spell card Melodious Underworld Fusion!" A portal appeared next to her, dark black. "I can banish materials from my field and graveyard to Fusion Summon a "Melodious" monster, and this turn it cannot be destroyed by card effects! I will banish Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir, Solo the Melodious Songstress and Shopina the Melodious Maestra from my field and graveyard!" The three monsters were sucked into the vortex.
Blaze's eyes narrowed.
"Underworld songstress who wanders the world with your dark voice! Appear now, and aid me! Fusion Summon!" She took the card out of her duel disk. She rarely used this card, since it didn't really fit the theme of her performers… but she had to do the best she could.
And that includes not hesitating anymore!
"Level 9! The dark melodious angel—Farsa Flora the Melodious Angel Choir!" (9*/S10/3000/2000/DARK/Fairy/Fusion/Pendulum/Effect) A woman in a long dark dress who looked like an older Bloom Diva appeared. Around her, will o' wisps danced, hauntingly reflected in the flames around them. Blue, purple, a murky dark green. Each wisp seemed to be connected to Farsa Flora by extremely thin threads of light, that floated in the air, creating a mystical aura to her. At the same time, that aura seemed darker, more mature, as though she was peering in the abyss.
Whatever that was, it was her monster. She would work with it now.
She nodded to the monster. "Farsa Flora will attack your Saryuja Skull Dread!"
"I will activate the effect of the card I discarded just now!" Blaze held out her hand. "When an attack is declared while Metalfoes Germanium (4*/S4/0/0/FIRE/Psychic/Pendulum/Effect) is in my graveyard, I can Special Summon it from the graveyard and end the Battle Phase, but it is banished the next time it leaves the field!" A monster with rusty green armour appeared on the field. "Well?" She sounded flustered, and her eyes were wild. A far cry from how collected she had been at the start of the duel. Afraid to lose then?
Yuzu glanced at the other girl. There was something afraid to her, something terribly vulnerable, though she couldn't really tell what it was. "I'll end my turn. Over to you… Blaze."
"About time!" The girl drew a card as well. Yuzu flinched. There was something not right… as though something had been disturbed. The air seemed to burn hotter and hotter as the girl raised the card in the air. "This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only be Special Summoned from my hand by meeting the following conditions. I must have two cards in my Pendulum Scales, at least two FIRE monsters face-up in my Extra Deck, and at least one FIRE Link Monster in my graveyard. All the conditions are met!" As she said the words, an inferno erupted. As the fire seared at her, she raised her hands. It hurt, it burned and—
She felt the fire all move away, congregating at one spot in the medical bay. Blaze smiled—a relieved smile. "Overscale Pendulum! Level 12–Blaze Matrix the Mythic God Knight!" (12*/S0/4000/3000/FIRE/Psychic/Pendulum/Effect)
Fire hardened, solidified into a figure in a long scarlet cloak, a roar emerging from the flame. Yuzu felt like she was staring into an abyss, something that was threatening to destroy her and everything she loved. Something sinister.
"Blaze Matrix's effect! Your monster effects are all negated this turn! On the turn it is summoned, no other monsters on my field can attack!" Blaze shook her head. "Blaze Matrix will attack your Fusion Monster! Get rid of that abominable monster!"
An alarm rang. Reiji sat straight up in his office.
One of the cards had been used.
He picked up his duel disk, checking the location of the card that had been used. The sick bay… where Yuya Sakaki would be.
One of the Sakakis, who reminded him so much of himself that it hurt to see them.
He hurried out of his office, dialling a number on his phone along the way.
"Yuto?"
It hurt it hurt it hurt and why did it hurt so much—it felt like something was burning him up from the inside. He held a hand on his heart, desperately trying to keep himself steady.
"Yuto!" Ruri's concerned eyes found his, but some reason just seeing her made the pain worse. He turned away, trying to move towards where he knew Yuya was.
He glanced towards the sick bay. Yuya… he needed to find Yuya… he needed to…
The pain grew to be too much. Nearby, he could feel Yugo and Yuri in the same pain somehow. His legs gave way and he fell to the ground.
Everything went black.
Yuzu gulped, looking at the flame coming towards her.
It made contact. Farsa Flora tried to stop it from fully hitting her, protecting her with its body, trying to shield her. But the flames still burned at her skin.
She screamed.
Yuzu Kurosaki: 4000 - 1000 = 3000LP
She fell to the ground when the attack was over, panting. That had been painful. More painful than the time she had scalded her skin trying to cook for her sisters. More painful than the time she had fallen off the playground and gotten hurt.
It hurt her to admit it, but it was the most physically painful thing she had ever had to go through in her life.
"I end my turn." Blaze called. "Well? Get up!"
She pulled herself to her feet. "Not over… not over yet!" She pulled herself to her feet, reaching out her hand to draw a card—but her arm hurt too much.
She had to… take it! She felt her hand fall limply, even as she tried to lift it again—and then another hand reached out, pulling hers towards the deck box.
Yuya Sakaki looked at her, his dark red eyes worried. Despite his injuries, he moved her hand too, helping her. There was a determination in his eyes, a need to not lose no matter what. To protect everything. They mirrored her eyes so much that it was scary. "Thank you, Yuzu." He said softly. "You tried to help me… let me help you." He pulled her hand backwards. "Draw!"
She wanted to protect Yuya. She wanted to protect everyone from whatever was happening, no matter what… that was right. Most physically painful. There had been things far more terrifying and far more painful than that in her life… and she refused to let this destroy her when she had survived everything else.
The card she drew was not anything she recognised. Not what she had put into her deck.
Even though she didn't recognise it, it felt like hope.
She placed it on her duel disk. "I Normal Summon Chord the Melodious Diva from my hand!" (4*/1200/700/LIGHT/Fairy/Effect) A singer with ruby coloured eyes and green hair appeared. She smiled wearily—it looked like a female Yuya. "Chord's effect! I special summon a "Melodious" monster that was banished back to the field! Return—Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir!" Her signature monster reappeared in a flourish of flower petals.
Blaze paled. Yuya smiled, looking tired all of a sudden and fell back onto the bed.
"Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir will attack your Mythic God!" Yuzu reached out her hand. "Continuous Trap Card—Melodious Reactions! All battles involving a "Melodious" monster have the damage doubled! Now, Bloom Diva—Reflect Shout! Take her out!"
"No!" Blaze looked frantic. "I can't lose, I can't, I can't!"
The attack hit.
Blaze: 4000 - 3000x2 = 0LP
Yuzu fell backwards, exhausted. When had the world started spinning again? She closed her eyes.
She'd just rest for a while…
She heard the sound of frantic footsteps. "Yuzu!" She heard Rin's frantic scream before she passed out.
Reiji found himself being glared at by three girls with the same face. He had run into the infirmary after hearing Yuzu Kurosaki's scream, only to find both her and Yuya passed out on the bed, looking burned and tired. Only a moment later, the three other Kurosaki girls had run into the room, pulling the three Sakaki boys behind them. (Privately, Reiji wondered how they had managed that; but decided not to ask. The looks they were shooting him were already venomous enough.)
Four girls with the same face, and four boys with the same face. It was almost like a joke. And then as though things couldn't get any worse, the Kaiser had walked into the sick bay.
The Kaiser, Third Year Shun Kurosaki. Namely, the older brother of the girl who had just been hospitalised.
It just kept getting worse, didn't it? He glanced at the five teens currently unconscious in the infirmary. Serena Kurosaki let out a cough. "Do you know what happened to our sister, Headmaster?" She asked, her emerald eyes looking at him with a stern edge to them. "How could this have happened?"
"My apologies," he began. "This should not have happened." He glanced at the Sakakis. Why had they gotten hurt when they were nowhere near the fire? A mystery to solve later, perhaps. "There was something stolen from the lab on this island last week. Twelve cards with the power to manipulate Real Solid Vision."
"Is that what hurt Yuzu?" At his nod, Rin Kurosaki shook her head, looking irritated. There was nothing of the desperate and frantic girl who had screamed Yuzu's name earlier. replaced by a cold veneer that was now directed at him. "I swear, I'm going to sue whoever did this."
He felt a slight bit of amusement at the words.
Shun Kurosaki's eyes were narrowed, even as he looked behind Reiji. First at Yuzu, then at—
Yuto shifted in the bed, his eyebrows furrowed. "Where are you?" There was a strange tone to the whisper, darker and more angry. "Stop hiding! Come out! Get out of the shadows and show yourself!" The last words were almost spat out, completely different from the cool and collected Yuto that he had seen interacting with his brothers and the Kurosakis.
He heard another sound, a scream. Yugo had his hands over his ears and his face was twisted in a strange show of agony. Rin and Ruri rushed over to the boys' bedsides—and Serena shot a worried look towards Yuri, who hadn't moved. The strangest part of the whole situation was that the moment the girls got close to the boys, their pain actually seemed to intensify, the screams louder. No one else seemed to notice; even Shun Kurosaki was more concerned with watching the boys warily, like they would all snap or something.
Something strange was going on in his school, and he would figure out what it was.
He dialled a number on his phone. It rung, before Reira answered. "Big brother."
"Reira. Arrange for a team of security to be on high alert, and stay out of danger." He ordered. "I don't want you going against anyone with those cards."
"Yes, brother." Reira sounded nervous. "Please be careful, too…"
He glanced towards the Sakaki brothers. "I will."
Another thing they had in common, it seemed. "I will explain as much as I can when your friends wake up."
Ruri Kurosaki glanced at him, but unlike her sisters, she didn't seem overly hostile. "Alright." She went back to watching over Yuto, who was still writhing in his sleep.
Reiji closed his eyes and left.
Yuto woke up in a dark arena. There was loud chanting, and someone was standing in the middle of it. A figure, cloaked in darkness and watching him. He sighed.
"Get out of my head," he muttered, before walking into the arena.
"So we duel and if I win, you let me leave?" Yugo nodded. "Alright! I'll take you on."
The figure let out a rattling sound of laughter.
Yuri frowned. " Now you've got me mad. I'll punish you for that."
The figure smirked. "You can try."
"Duel!" They shouted.
A/N: This chapter ended up being a bit shorter than I intended… oh well. Real life stuff got in the way, but I promise next chapter will be way longer! Anyway, so Yuzu duelled! I'll probably come back and revise the duel again at some point, but for now this is it!
Thanks for the reviews, follows and so on! It really makes me feel more motivated :D
Chapter Preview: Chapter 9–Nightmare World
Yuto, Yuri, Yugo and Yuya are trapped in their dreams by a malevolent force who threatens to take their souls, and they must duel to make their way out.
See you guys next time! I hope you enjoyed :) And before I forget, here's Farsa Flora's card details.
Farsa Flora the Melodious Angel Choir (9*/S10/3000/2000/DARK/Fairy/Fusion/Pendulum/Effect)
(3 "Melodious" monsters)
Pendulum Effect:
Once per turn, during either player's turn, you may tribute one "Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir" you control: Special Summon this monster from your Pendulum Scale, and if you do it loses 500ATK until the end of this turn.
Monster Effect:
This monster cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects. If this monster deals battle damage to your opponent, you may gain life points equal to that amount. You may banish one "Melodious" monster from your graveyard; this monster gains attack equal to the banished monster's attack until the End Phase.
If this monster would leave the field, you may place it in your Pendulum Scale.
Bye!
-Blaise
Edit: (8/7/19) Life points centralised and a bit more description for Rin's reaction.
Edit: (17/10/20) Duel format edits, a bit more dialogue. Furthermore, as a bonus, while the card has some important details that I can't reveal yet, enjoy this ;3
Blaze Matrix the Mythic God Knight (12*/S0/4000/3000/FIRE/Psychic/Pendulum/Effect)
(Pendulum Effects unrevealed)
Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must first be Special Summoned (from your hand) by its own effect. If you have 2 cards in your Pendulum Scales, 2+ monsters face-up in the Extra Deck, and 1+ FIRE Link Monster(s) in your GY: You may Special Summon this card from your hand. If this card is Special Summoned: This turn, other monsters you control cannot attack, also, until the End Phase, the effects of all monsters your opponent controls are negated, and your opponent cannot activate monster effects. Once per turn (Quick Effect): You may target 1 FIRE monster on the field; destroy it, and if you do, add 1 FIRE monster from your Deck to your hand, and this turn, your opponent cannot destroy monsters by battle, and if a monster your opponent controls is destroyed, they take damage equal to its ATK. (Unrevealed effects.)
Thank you for reading to this point ;3 As a prior warning, the lore does start to get a bit less heavy after this, with characters settling in more and interacting with other characters. The lore starts picking up a while later, when we reach this story's equivalent of the second half of GX. So look forward to that! Hope you enjoyed so far!