"You're an older brother, so you'll have to take good care of your younger brothers, alright? Yuto?"
"Ah!" Yuto shot up from the tree, eyes wide as he took a deep breath, trying to erase that man's voice from his head. Hmm… he sighed, leaning back, heart still pounding.
Taking care of his younger brothers… huh?
He glanced at his deck.
He wouldn't stoop low enough to wish for approval from the man who abandoned them, but he still wanted to know. Had he done enough? Had he done too little? Had he done too much? What kind of balance did he actually need to be considered a good 'older brother'?
"That's a weird look on your face," he heard someone say. He glanced up to see a certain green-haired girl looking at him, arms folded, a stern look on her face. "Contemplative, I mean. Normally you just look emo, but this is a complicated kind of emo."
"Is that your final verdict, Miss Duel Academy?" He said in the driest way possible. Rin rolled her eyes.
"Don't remind me. It's been a week and I'm sick of that title already."
"Shouldn't have won it then."
"Are you kidding? Who wouldn't want to face off with Tenjoin-sensei, even if it meant having this kind of title? She's cool."
Yuto laughed. "I guess. Though, Rin, I'd just like to point out that normally, that duel should be an additional reward, not a compensation for the actual prize."
"Too bad," Rin said, shaking her head. "I'd love to face off against Tenjoin-sensei when she's using that other deck of hers, though. You know, those Ritual Monsters? I swear, we don't see Ritual as much as we should." She raised a hand before Yuto could speak up, waving it in his face. "If you cough behind your arm and obnoxiously say 'Yuya', I will hit you, Yuto Sakaki."
Yuto proceeded to cough in front of his arm and say his brother's name in a slightly less obnoxious way. Rin hit him anyway.
"Your brother practically knows all the summoning methods, he does not count." Rin sighed. "Say… any of you three actually know more than your specialised summoning method?"
"Well, sort of, sort of not. I'll show you what else I can do at some point."
"Yeah, sure. Now get up. You've missed all the morning classes already."
Yuto's eyes widened as he checked his watch, before letting out a loud string of curses that caused Rin to look at him, lips slightly quirked and a quiet snort leaving her lips. "Wait, when the hell…"
"Relax, Yugo and Yuya pretended to be you throughout some of the classes. It actually worked. God forbid any of the teachers stop buying the fact that they're just you with a wig."
The sheer 'doneness' of Rin's voice made Yuto shut down all snarky comments he could make, standing up. "So, uh… what do I do now then?"
"Well," Rin said, "you only have morning classes today, so aren't you kind of done anyway?"
He blinked. "Why did you wake me up then?"
Rin smiled at him and he immediately held up his hands.
"Oh no, not the ice queen smile. Anything but that," he said flatly.
"I really don't appreciate the edgelord hitting me with sarcasm."
"I am not an edgelord."
"Congrats, you have reached petulant elementary school student levels of genius. Please forward all resulting responses to the office of those who actually care."
"Oh my god," Yugo called from the side, hand on his face. "Will you two just move already? At this rate, we're just not going to be moving all day."
"Anyway," Yugo said, raising a fork in the air, cake still in his mouth, "I thwink that—"
"Chew your food," Yuto said absentmindedly. The only ones that were there were the three of them, since the rest had afternoon additional activities. Yuri, Sora, their other roommate and surprisingly, Serena had all headed off to do something that sounded like it would be rather dubious. (Yuto had long adopted a don't-ask policy when it came to Yuri, one that had extended to several of their other friends.) Ruri and Yuya were binge-watching web-videos together, with Yuzu joining them later. It was honestly kind of cute. So out of their main group, that left Yugo, Yuto and Rin, who were now awkwardly eating in the school's main cafeteria.
"Yuto Sakaki!"
"Rin Kurosaki!"
Emphasis on were.
Yuto and Rin glanced around, with equally deadpan looks on their faces.
The two people who had called out their names were looking at each other now, realising that someone else had been walking towards the trio at the table.
"I was just going to challenge them!"
"Alright, alright," Gloria Tyler said, grinning at the dark-haired girl. Masumi Kotsu rolled her eyes. "Anyway, can't we both do that?"
"Sure." Masumi turned to them. "You two free? We can have a duel. Two on two."
"I'm not interested," Rin said bluntly.
Yuto shrugged. "Sure," he said. "Come on, Rin. It'll be fun."
"What is your definition of fun?"
"Clearly not yours," Yuto returned. "I mean, dueling alongside you sounds insanely fun."
Rin paused. "Yeah," she admitted. "Yugo, you want to watch?"
"Sounds gud."
"You still have food in your mouth."
"Yeah. Yugo, I'm not sure that I want you watching."
Yugo finished chewing. "You kidding? You and Rin dueling together sounds like an absolute blast!"
"It does, doesn't it?" Yuto gave Rin a slight smirk. "Let's go, then."
"You really are more like Yuri than you let on," she said in a snarky tone. "Sure."
"Alright, you ready?"
"Let's just get started before the banter takes over our lives," Rin said, clicking her tongue.
"Sure. Let's go!"
Rin Kurosaki/Yuto Sakaki: 8000LP
Gloria Tyler/Masumi Kotsu: 8000LP
"I'll start," Yuto said, taking three cards from his hand. "I'm setting all three of these cards facedown. Over to you."
"Leaving yourself open?"
"Have you heard anything about Yuto Sakaki?" Rin said in that "I know something that you don't" tone.
"I don't mind not knowing much for now," Masumi said. "Prepare yourself, I suppose. Activating the Continuous Spell, Brilliant Fusion!" The swirling vortex appeared behind her. "I'm fusing with monsters from my deck! So I will fuse Gem-Knight Lazuli (2*/600/100/EARTH/Rock/Effect) and Gem-Knight Lapis!" (3*/1200/100/EARTH/Rock) The two cards glowed, before swirling together. "The blue and green stones that hides mysterious power. Now, become light and appear! Fusion Summon! Level 5! Gem-Knight Lady Lapis Lazuli!" (5*/2400/1000/EARTH/Rock/Fusion/Effect) The same monster that she used against Yuri on the first day of the exam (oh hell, had it been more than a month already? He had gotten way more used to school than he cared to admit now) appeared on the field, solemnly looking at them as gems floated around her. "Lazuli's effect adds a Normal Monster from my graveyard to my hand, so I will return Lapis to my hand. I'll discard a "Gem-Knight" monster to return Lapis Lazuli to her original attack and defence points until your next End Phase. Now, I'll have her attack you directly!"
"Trap card, activate," he said calmly. "Phantom Knights' Fog Blade. I'll equip it to your monster and while it is equipped, your monster's effects are negated, it cannot attack, and it cannot be selected as an attack target!" A strange blade appeared in the blue-skinned woman's hands, before purple fog enveloped her and forced her to the ground.
"You'd think that would work, but I'm going to activate Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your card! And since it's a Continuous Trap, being destroyed gets rid of its effects, and I can continue attacking directly! Go, Lady Lapis Lazuli! Lapis Strike!"
"Activating The Phantom Knights of Wrong Magnetring. I will Special Summon it as a monster in Attack Position (2*/0/0/DARK/Warrior/Effect) and negate your attack!" A metallic ring appeared, glowing purple and sparking with bright electricity that ran over its metal, gleaming brightly. It emitted a dark barrier that stopped Lapis Lazuli in its tracks, the normally refined woman seeming to pout as she floated back to her position.
"Then I'll activate the effect of Lady Lapis Lazuli! By sending a "Gem-Knight" monster from my deck or Extra Deck to the graveyard—like Gem-Knight Garnet, (4*/1900/0/EARTH/Pyro) I can burn you for 500 damage for each Special Summoned monster on the field! Lazuli Blast!"
Yuto raised an eyebrow as the Fusion Monster shot out two blue orbs, both colliding against him.
Rin Kurosaki/Yuto Sakaki: 8000 – 500 x 2 = 7000LP
"Alright then. I'll set a card and end my turn."
Rin glanced at the ring's effect, before glancing at Yuto, who nodded. "Draw," she said. "Activating Yuto's set Phantom Knights Spear. It has no effect that actually matters at this time, but that doesn't matter. With Wrong Magnetring's effect, I'll send it and another face-up "Phantom Knights" card from my field to the graveyard to draw two cards!"
I gain card advantage with my cards in the graveyard. Better for me to help Rin recoup her hand advantage first and gain back other cards later.
Rin knew that too. That was why she gladly took the offer.
"Eight cards in hand?" Gloria commented. "Damn."
"And now," Rin said, "that I control no monsters, I can Special Summon Wind Witch – Ice Bell!" (3*/1000/1000/WIND/Spellcaster/Effect) The blue-haired mage appears in front of Rin, letting out a cheerful laugh. "And I can also bring out a "Wind Witch" monster from my deck, so come on out, Wind Witch – Blizzard Bell!" (5*/1800/1800/WIND/Spellcaster/Tuner/Effect) The angelic-looking bell appeared on the field, a small sprite with twin wings on top of a gigantic bell. "Ice Bell's effect! I deal you 500 damage when she is Normal or Special Summoned! Icy Wind!" The spellcaster pointed out her staff, and shot out a blast of ice and wind that hit Masumi.
Gloria Tyler/Masumi Kotsu: 8000 – 500 = 7500LP
"And next, I'm going to Normal Summon Wind Witch – Glass Bell!" (4*/1500/1500/WIND/Spellcaster/Tuner/Effect) She took another card from her deck. "I'll add a "Windwitch" monster from my deck to my hand. Next, I will tune the Level 4 Wind Witch – Glass Bell to the Level 3 Wind Witch – Ice Bell! Midwinter wind. Make ice and snow my power and blow through! Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 7! Wind Witch - Winter Bell!" (7*/2400/2000/WIND/Spellcaster/Synchro/Effect) Her ace emerged with a sharp ringing sound that seemed to echo through the area.
Yugo was cheering for them from the side, though what he was actually saying was actually lost to Yuto, since his mouth was full with Yuto's lunch. (He was still slightly offended that he didn't get to finish, but it would be a waste if he just tossed it away, so enter their family waste machine.)
"I will have Winter Bell activate her effect to burn you for 200 damage times the Level of a "Windwitch" monster in my graveyard! I will choose Glass Bell and deal you 800 damage! Hypothermic Subzero!"
Gloria Tyler/Masumi Kotsu: 7500 – 200 x 4 = 6700LP
"And next, I'll Special Summon Wind Witch – Freeze Bell (3*/1000/1000/WIND/Spellcaster/Effect) from my hand since all cards I control are "Wind Witch" monsters!" Rin raised a finger. "Now, I will open the circuit of flowing winds!"
Synchro, Fusion and now Link Summoning? Yugo said it best, which was good because Yuto was too shocked to actually say something. "Holy fuck, Rin!"
Rin gave that small smile that meant that she was pleased with their reaction, and she gestured to Blizzard Bell and Freeze Bell. "Arrowhead confirmed! The conditions are two WIND monsters! I'll set Blizzard Bell and Freeze Bell in the Link Markers! Appear, spirit of wind! Link Summon! Link 2! Greatfly!" (L2/1400/WIND/Insect/Link/Effect/↙, ↘)
A… well, for lack of a better term to use (and Yuto really, really tried to look for a better term, but he couldn't find one) a great fly appeared next to them, letting out a loud buzz.
"Isn't that one of the Link Attribute Boosters?" He said mildly.
"Amazoness and Gem-Knight monsters are all EARTH Attribute," Rin explained. "And other than that Lapis Lazuli, she has no way of burning us. Most of their good effects come by battle, which means that as long as we weaken them and strengthen ourselves… look, Greatfly makes a gap of one thousand attack points between them and my monsters. That's all."
"I think that's a good idea," Yuto said. "Nice."
Rin paused, seemingly surprised by his honesty. "Huh. Yeah, ok." She turned back to Masumi. "Greatfly gives all WIND monsters 500 attack and defence points, and makes all EARTH monsters lose 500 attack and defence points. (Wind Witch – Winter Bell: 2400 + 500 = 2900ATK; 2000 + 500 = 2500DEF) (Greatfly: 1400 + 500 = 1900ATK) (Gem-Knight Lady Lapis Lazuli: 2400 – 500 = 1900ATK; 1000 – 500 = 500DEF) So now, I will enter my Battle Phase! With the effect of Wind Witch – Winter Bell, I will Special Summon a monster from my hand with a lower Level than a "Wind Witch" monster I control, just like Winter Bell herself! So come on out, strongest wind! Wind Witch – Gale Bell!" (6*/2000/1000/WIND/Spellcaster/Effect) The tinkling silver witch appeared, bronze and silver bells all over her broom, a calm smile on her face. "And now, take this! Gale Bell deals you 500 damage for each "Wind Witch" monster on the field when she is summoned, and I have two! Freezing Gale!"
Gloria Tyler/Masumi Kotsu: 6700 – 500 x 2 = 5700LP
"I can see why my little sister likes you so much," Gloria said with a grin, though she still sounded incredibly competitive. Not ready to lay down and lose.
"Sure, I guess." Rin brushed it off. "Gale Bell gains the boost from Greatfly too, so I'll have her attack your monster!" (Wind Witch – Gale Bell: 2000 + 500 = 2500ATK; 1000 + 500 = 1500DEF)
"Activating the Trap, Pyroxene Fusion!" Masumi declared. "I can fuse using monsters in my hand and on my field! I will fuse Gem-Knight Sapphire (4*/0/2100/EARTH/Aqua) and Gem-Knight Obsidian (3*/1500/1200/EARTH/Rock/Effect) in my hand!" The two monsters swirled around in front of her, and she gave them a confident smile. "Defensive waves, form the gem that shines with the light of the ocean! Fusion Summon! Level 6! Gem-Knight Aquamarine!" (6*/1400/2600/EARTH/Aqua/Fusion/Effect) The blue knight appeared in front of her, in Defence Position, poised on one knee. "And Obsidian will return a Normal Monster in my graveyard to the field, so come back in Attack Position, Gem-Knight Garnet!" (Gem-Knight Aquamarine: 1400 – 500 = 900ATK; 2600 – 500 = 2100ATK) (Gem-Knight Garnet: 1900 – 500 = 1400ATK)
Yuto raised an eyebrow. Why bother?
"Then I'll have Gale Bell redirect her attack to your newer monster."
Masumi smiled. "Which one?"
Rin paused. "Sorry, yeah… probably should have said that more clearly. Wind Witch – Gale Bell obliterates your Gem-Knight Aquamarine."
Yuto glanced at her. Petty much, Rin?
The blue knight was destroyed by the strong gale, and Masumi let out a loud laugh. "When Aquamarine is sent to the graveyard, I can return a card on the field to the hand. I'll return your Greatfly!"
Both Yuto and Rin facepalmed, before Rin gave a quiet sigh. "I will have Wind Witch – Winter Bell attack Gem-Knight Garnet." (Wind Witch – Winter Bell: 2900 – 500 = 2400ATK; 2500 – 500 = 2000DEF) (Wind Witch – Gale Bell: 2500 – 500 = 2000ATK; 1500 – 500 = 1000DEF) (Gem-Knight Lady Lapis Lazuli: 1900 + 500 = 2400ATK; 500 + 500 = 1000DEF) (Gem-Knight Garnet: 1400 + 500 = 1900ATK)
Gloria Tyler/Masumi Kotsu: 5700 – 500 = 5200LP
"I end my turn with a pair of set cards as well." That left her with three cards in hand.
"Geez, you kids don't hold back," Gloria commented. "We're already down by quite a bit. Anyway, draw! I'll be activating Polymerization."
"Bringing out the same card you used against my sister?" Rin said.
"Exactly."
"Kind of repetitive."
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?" Gloria said with a wink. "I will fuse Amazoness Queen (6*/2400/1800/EARTH/Warrior/Effect) in my hand with Amazoness Paladin!" (4*/1700/300/EARTH/Warrior/Effect) The two cards slid into her graveyard as a portal appeared above her. "Queen of the jungle. Receive the power of the honourable warrior, and build an empire that rules over everything! Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 8! Amazoness Empress!" (8*/2800/2400/EARTH/Warrior/Fusion/Effect) Her ace appeared in front of her, a cold look on the tribal woman's face as she looked at Rin and Yuto. "And now I'll Normal Summon Amazoness Swords Woman!" (4*/1500/1600/EARTH/Warrior/Effect)
Oh, that was new.
"I'll have her attack Wind Witch – Winter Bell!" The warrior lunged forward.
"What," Rin said, before a shockwave hit both of them.
Rin Kurosaki/Yuto Sakaki: 7000 – 900 = 6100LP
"Empress stops my other "Amazoness" monsters from being destroyed by battle or by card effects. Meanwhile, Swords Woman deals all damage I would take from a battle involving her to you," Gloria pointed out. "And now, I will have Empress destroy Winter Bell!"
Rin turned to him. "I'm not doing anything now," she said.
"Yeah," Yuto said. "Leave it to me."
Rin Kurosaki/Yuto Sakaki: 6100 – 400 = 5700LP
"Ending my turn!"
Yuto reached out his hand. "Draw." He glances at the three cards. "I'll Normal Summon The Phantom Knights of Ancient Cloak (3*/800/1000/DARK/Warrior/Effect) from my hand." As the red-cloaked warrior appeared, he took another card from his hand. "And since I control a "The Phantom Knights" monster, I can Special Summon The Phantom Knights of Silent Boots (3*/200/1200/DARK/Warrior/Effect) from my hand." He nodded to both of them. "I will overlay the Level 3 Ancient Cloak and Silent Boots! Souls of knights who fell on the battlefield. Revive here and now, and become the light that breaks the darkness! Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 3, The Phantom Knights of Break Sword!" (R3/2000/1000/DARK/Warrior/Xyz/Effect/OU:2) His usual Xyz Monster appeared in front of him. "Next, I will activate Break Sword's effect. By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can destroy a card on my field and one on yours. I'll destroy Break Sword and your Gem-Knight Lady Lapis Lazuli!" The two monsters exploded.
"Huh?" Gloria said with a frown.
"He revives his materials when he does that," Masumi explained simply.
"Ah, I see."
"So I'll revive Silent Boots and Ancient Cloak." Yuto declared. "And their Levels both increase by 1. (The Phantom Knights of Ancient Cloak: 3* + 1* = 4*) (The Phantom Knights of Silent Boots: 3* + 1* = 4*) Now, I'll overlay the two of them!"
He glanced at the card in the Extra Deck, before glancing back up.
"Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Now, descend! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" (R4/2500/2000/DARK/Dragon/Xyz/Effect/OU:2) His ace appeared on the field as well.
"Is that it?" Gloria said. "Doesn't match up."
"You're going to get burned," Rin said, almost in a cheerful manner.
"Literally," Yuto said. "Trap card, Ice Wind's Refrain!" Around them, a hurricane blew. "I can revive a "Wind Witch" monster in my graveyard! Emerge, midsummer wind! Ice, snow, catch the chimes in your revelry! Rise again, Wind Witch – Winter Bell!"
A portal appeared, before Rin's ace emerged from it with a sharp chime that caused every other monster on the field to shy away.
"Damn," Gloria said.
"Winter Bell's effect," Yuto said. "I'll target Wind Witch – Blizzard Bell in our graveyard. Now, take 1000 damage. Hypothermic Subzero!"
Gloria Tyler/Masumi Kotsu: 5200 – 200 x 5 = 4200LP
"Next, by detaching two Overlay Units from Dark Rebellion, I will activate his effect to halve your monster's attack points and add them to his! I will choose Amazoness Empress! Treason Discharge!"
Dark Rebellion let out a loud roar as the empress fell off her throne, weakened by the electricity all around them. (Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon: 2500 + 2800 / 2 = 3900ATK) (Amazoness Empress: 2800 / 2 = 1400ATK)
"I will activate the effects of Silent Boots and Ancient Cloak. By banishing them from my graveyard, I can add a "Phantom Knights" Spell or Trap from my deck to my hand, and a "The Phantom Knights" card to my hand from my deck respectively."
"Did you seriously just switch the position of hand and deck in that sentence for no reason?" Rin said.
"Look, I… didn't want to sound repetitive."
"A bit hard when you're saying Phantom Knights every two seconds."
"Says the Wind Witch user. Now let me carry on." He turned back to the field. "I'll enter my Battle Phase. Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon attacks Amazoness Empress! Rebellious Lightning Disobey!"
The monster was destroyed, and some of the remaining electricity flew past Gloria and Masumi as well, as their life points fell.
Gloria Tyler/Masumi Kotsu: 4200 – 2500 = 1700LP
"When Empress is destroyed, I can pass on the line of succession to the next ruler! Arise now, and come from my deck! Amazoness Queen!"
As the monster appeared, Yuto paused to analyse the field.
Ok. Queen likely had an effect rather similar to that of Empress's, since it was a specific Fusion Material. So protection? From battle, most likely. Maybe card effects too.
"I'll set two cards," he said simply. "Over to you."
Masumi drew her next card. "I'll Normal Summon Rescue Rabbit," (4*/300/100/EARTH/Beast/Effect) she uttered with a tone of exasperation as a tiny bunny appeared in front of her.
There was a moment of complete silence. It lasted both between the opponents, and the spectators, as everyone watched the bunny scamper around, before cuddling against Masumi's leg. Masumi finally broke and said, "look, it fits in my deck, ok?"
Yugo fell to the ground laughing. Luckily, his food was already finished.
So did Yaiba. And—oh. There were a lot of people watching.
When did this become a public match?
Since you literally started dueling outside the cafeteria, dumbass, his inner Yuri said.
Ah.
"A—anyway!" Masumi swept her hand through the air. "By tributing Rescue Rabbit, I can Special Summon two Level 4 or lower Normal Monsters from my deck! I will bring out Gem-Knight Sapphire and Gem-Knight Garnet! Now, I will open the circuit of gems! Then, I'll set them both in the Link Markers! Gem of ghostly white, send the world to its spiralling doom! Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Link 2! Gem-Knight Phantom Quartz!" (L2/1450/EARTH/Rock/Link/Effect/↙, ↘)
A ghostly pale monster appeared on the field, twirling a weapon and a silver light gleaming and shining over the field.
"With its effect, I will add a "Gem-Knight" card to my hand. By paying 1000 life points, I can Fusion Summon using materials in my graveyard and that are banished, by shuffling them into the deck. I will fuse Gem-Knight Lapis and Gem-Knight Lazuli!"
Gloria Tyler/Masumi Kotsu: 1700 – 1000 = 700LP
"Again?" Rin mutters.
"Appear once again, my ace! Gem-Knight Lady Lapis Lazuli!"
Wait.
How many Special Summoned monsters—
"Gem-Knight Phantom Quartz, Amazoness Queen, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, Wind Witch – Winter Bell, Wind Witch – Gale Bell and Gem-Knight Lady Lapis Lazuli herself. That's six Special Summoned monsters." Masumi said with a wry smile, as though she had already guessed exactly what he was thinking. "Lazuli Blast!"
The blue woman shot out a blast that vaporised half of their remaining life points.
Rin Kurosaki/Yuto Sakaki: 5700 – 500 x 6 = 2700LP
"And now, I will have Amazoness Swords Woman attack Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon! It's over!"
"As if," Yuto said. "I'll activate Phantom Knights Fog Blade and target Amazoness Swords Woman!"
Masumi's eyes widened.
"You can attack us with everything else, but without your Swords Woman, you won't finish us off this turn," Yuto said. If my math is correct. If it's not, maybe I'll fool her into thinking that I'm correct. Either way, the poker face is the right way to go. "And with my Dark Rebellion, Rin will finish you off next turn!"
Masumi shrugged. "Sure," she said. "Gem-Knight Lady Lapis Lazuli will attack your Wind Witch – Gale Bell, Amazoness Queen will attack Wind Witch – Winter Bell! Lapis Strike! Queen's Decree!"
Rin Kurosaki/Yuto Sakaki: 2700 – 400 = 2300LP
Masumi sighed. "I'll set my final card and end my turn. Take the win, if you can."
Rin glanced at him. He shrugged. "You have Dark Rebellion. Are you asking me for more? Win already."
She actually laughed at that. "Yeah, ok. Draw!"
They probably had some kind of protection from battle, maybe something in the graveyard. So the easiest way to finish them off was likely through burn damage. And…
Come on. It was Rin.
There was no way she wouldn't be able to do that.
"I will Normal Summon Wind Witch – Freeze Bell." She held up a card with a green border. "Activating Chime of the Windwitches. I'll target Freeze Bell and Special Summon a "Wind Witch" monster from my deck with a different name. I will Special Summon Wind Witch – Gale Bell!" She held out her hand. "You already know the drill. I have two "Wind Witch" monsters, so take 1000 damage! Freezing Gale!"
"Energy-Absorbing Monolith!" Masumi declared. "I'll gain life points equal to the damage I would have taken!" A rock jutted out of the ground, and the wind smashed into it, ice and rubble floating all around them.
Gloria Tyler/Masumi Kotsu: 700 + 500 x 2 = 1700LP
"Now, even if you attack with Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, it won't work," Masumi noted. "Since it'll deal a maximum of 1500 damage. We win."
"Nope," Rin said. "We do."
Yuto allowed himself to smirk. Then, together, they reached out their hands to his final set card. "Activating Phantom Knights Sword!" They both declared. "By equipping it, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon gains 800 attack points!"
There it was. (Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon: 3900 + 800 = 4700ATK)
Rin glanced at him. "Since you stole my catchphrase, I'll steal yours too," she commented.
"By all means," he offered. "I don't mind."
Rin shook her head. "Attack Gem-Knight Lady Lapis Lazuli, Dark Rebellion! Rebellious Lightning Disobey!"
Dark Rebellion flew up, and with a mighty roar, the clouds around it turned grey. Ice floated in the winds around it, before it shot out a bolt of pure electricity, hitting the blue woman and destroying her, draining out the rest of Masumi and Gloria's life points with a triumphant beat of its wings, before it landed again.
Gloria Tyler/Masumi Kotsu: 1700 – 2300 = 0LP
The holograms faded, and Yuto allowed himself to breathe again.
Holy shit.
That was probably the closest that he had ever come to losing. Also, that match was probably a testament to how terrifying burn damage was in this game. Because… god damn, were Masumi and Rin scary in that match.
Rin glanced at him. "What's wrong?" She said, with a smirk. "We won, didn't we?"
They exchange a high five, and no other words.
"Is that seriously the first time that you two dueled together?" Masumi said. "You're not bad."
"Compliment beyond compliments," Rin said. "Yeah."
Yugo moved forward. "Not bad is an understatement! Man, if there ever was a demonstration of why older siblings are the strongest, this is it!"
"Does that mean you're admitting that I'm stronger than you, Fusion-kun?" Yuri quipped from the crowd.
"As if!"
I think I understand a bit more about Rin now. She's… very similar to me, yet different in her own way. I'm quieter, I try not to stand out, and I only strike when others make the move against me first. Rin takes the initiative in everything and can be overly harsh and direct. By right, our two playstyles and our personalities shouldn't be able to mesh well at all, and yet she's one of my best friends.
He glanced at the Kurosakis, who were now talking to Gloria and Masumi and discussing their strategies. Serena and Yuzu, especially, were badgering the two second-year students about how they used Fusion, while Ruri and Rin were quietly discussing something… else.
That made sense, didn't it?
They could mesh well because of their motivations. In the end, all they wanted was to protect and yet to stand out on their own.
The plight of the older sibling, right? To want to protect and yet to be something other than an older sibling.
"Yuto!"
He turned to the side, where Yuya was standing, looking at him with a smile.
Yuto smiled as well.
He really did like being an older brother.
"I have your homework," he said, holding out the stack.
What.
He heard Yuri and Yugo snickering in the back of the crowd and glanced at the worksheets. Yup, there were three copies of each worksheet. (Only three, because Yuya was nice and clearly had kept his own homework.)
"Excuse me," he said. "I'm going to kill Yuri and Yugo, so hold onto these for now."
He took off running. "Come back here, you—"
He heard Yuya's laughter as he ran.
Rin glanced back as she saw Yuto taking off.
She sighed, but smiled too.
I bet that felt somewhat satisfying, didn't it? Getting to lie down and sleep through half a day and be taken care of by other people. Then getting to enjoy yourself for the sake of it, not to protect anyone. We need to be taken care of sometimes too… Yuto.
She glanced back to where Yuzu and Serena were still talking to their seniors about their Summoning Methods. Ruri gave her a soft smile. "Was it fun?" She said, seeming to read Rin's mind. Out of all her sisters, Ruri had always been the one that understood her the best, saw past her exterior.
Rin shrugged. "I approve of him," she said. "Though Shun might not."
Ruri's cheeks went pink. "What? It's nothing like that!"
"And cows are flying in the sky," Rin said, even more dryly than earlier. She patted her sister's shoulder. "Just accept it and move on."
Internally, she was grinning.
Though I want to see Shun finally realise what's going on between you and Yuto. It'll be amusing.
He is my friend, but seeing him squirm might also be fun.
Let's see how it goes.
She looked upwards.
She never really had many friends, but now…
Now, she had so many.
She could admit when she was happy, at least.
A/N: Oh, this chapter fought me the entire way. So much for weekly updates, huh? I normally keep a few chapters written in reserve, but I burned through the two chapters in reserve that I had while trying to write this. (I think part of me just really wants to get to Chapter 17 already, but I actually have to set up some stuff first, and I'm also just really drained from uh emotional stress.) But I'm going to try my best to finish up Chapter 16 (which I already outlined, thankfully) so that we can finally get to one of the first major arcs in this story. :)
Also fun fact—I was so fed up with Master Rule 4 and how ARC-V would work in it that I made up my own Master Rule in the past for this story that only Link Monsters needed to go in the Extra Monster Zone. I promptly mentioned the existence of Link Monsters and tried to avoid their usage unless absolutely necessary. We're, however, moving into a point where it is convenient to show off more Summoning Methods, so I wanted to show off how common Link Summoning was in this universe. They're amazed at Rin for knowing so many Summoning Methods, but not for knowing Link Summoning in particular since that's so common and normal. So uh… expect to see more Link Monsters show up in the future, I guess. Though since this is an ARC-V story, I do want characters to continue focusing on methods that they were canonically experienced in.
One more thing before I bring out the previews—I have to admit that my absolute favourite parts of this duel were when Yuto and Rin used Winter Bell and Dark Rebellion respectively. Something about characters using each other's aces is just something that I love, even if it is a bit cliched. Also, imagining Rin using Dark Rebellion and ice floating everywhere from the remnants of Gale Bell and Winter Bell's effects is… *grins madly*
Ok, anyway, the previews! There aren't any new ones this time, but I think that the next chapters should be interesting enough anyway ;3 16 is one more Rin & Yuto chapter, because I like that dynamic, and it's also intended to bring in Sawatari and Gongenzaka as more than just periphery characters. 17 is obviously the most epic one and doesn't need to be explained :p 18-21 can be summarised as counterpart fluff, basically.
Chapter Preview: Chapter 16—Wind and Steel
Rin doesn't particularly like it when people insult the way her sisters duel. Sawatari is prone to putting his foot in his mouth. And Yuto and Gongenzaka are just here to watch with popcorn.
Chapter Preview: Chapter 17–Will of the Brother
After spotting them hanging out with Rin and Yuzu, the Kaiser challenges Yuto to a duel. What occurs next horrifies the entire crowd as the two overprotective brothers face off, and Xyz Monsters flood the sky!
Chapter Preview: Chapter 18—Going Toe to Toe
Neither Yuri nor Serena planned to actually cut loose during this carnival, but then they bumped into two of their professors having a completely platonic outing at a stall. Serena challenges the HERO duelist of the academy, while an entertained Yuri lets himself be pulled into her pace.
Chapter Preview: Chapter 19—Wings in the Sky
Ruri and Yuto are walking around the carnival together, participating in games. Eventually, someone tries to ask Ruri out, and gets aggressive when she refuses. Yuto intends to step in, but Ruri is more than capable of handling things herself…
Chapter Preview: Chapter 20—Ice Ladies
Rin isn't sure how she got stuck with Yugo, but she supposes that it's not that bad. Either way, she ends up bumping into the previous Miss Duel Academy, Olga, who decided not to run that year. While she originally intends to challenge her predecessor, Yugo ends up jumping the gun and challenging her first…
Chapter Preview: Chapter 21—Carnival Fun
The start of the Duel Monster Spirit Day is bright and happy, and Yuzu and Yuya are just having fun going around. Then, all of a sudden, Yuzu challenges Yuya to a duel...
In the end, Yuto and Rin are really not good at talking things out. I really tried, but every time I was trying to make up a conversation, one of them would completely fail to communicate. In the end, I decided to just let them Tag Duel, because hey, that's a way for these two dueling-obsessed idiots to communicate, right? Worked a bit better than I thought, honestly.
Ok, I think that's it. I feel like this is one of my best duels in this story so far, purely on symbolic value, but I also want to improve on like trying to write longer duels as well. We'll see how that goes. For now, I'm signing out :D
~ Blaise :3