Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh Arc V
Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I was busy with college and exams not to mention other story's. I'm happy I was able to upload this chapter though.
This chapter was recently changed a little because I made a mistake with Lost Vambrace where it's effect involves it not being destroyed by battle. That has been corrected now.
Yuzu scribbled down the notes on the board while the teacher talked on. Yesterday had been a bit hectic for her and she just wanted to get back on track with her life.
Meeting Tea again had been a nice experience, though Sawatari did sour it a bit. When she told her dad about Tea he was ecstatic about her back. He asked if she was coming over sometime, but Yuzu admitted she didn't know, much to his disappointment. He was delighted to hear about the others as well as being able to see Tea at the tournament. He was a little surprised with Tristan considering his stance on duelling before. While he wasn't as close to him as Yusho was he still considered him his student.
"I wonder what type of deck uses now though. I'd like to try my luck against it myself. Hopefully it'll be something hot-blooded!" her father's words echoed in her ears.
Yuzu had to admit she herself was curious as to how Tristan now duelled. He didn't have any particular favourite archetype, though he did have an interest in warrior types at one point. Maybe his deck revolved around them? She didn't know, and probably wouldn't unless she or someone else duelled him.
Her thoughts then wandered to Yuto and where he was now. The Tag Tournament would be starting soon and given his situation he would be partnered with someone he didn't know.
Who that was she wouldn't find out until much later, though she would be very surprised by him.
Underground Parking Lot
Following the directions on the poster, Yuto arrived at the tournament's destination. He was a little surprised it was in a parking lot but wasn't complaining. It was only a small tournament after all.
He was surprised at the crowd. There were maybe fifty people here, though it was obvious they were mostly spectators. There was also some security as well, albeit not much.
Heading to entrance table, he met with the administrators to sign up. Not wanting anyone to know he was here, he put his name down as Kaito Kozuki. It was then he was given a ball with the number six written on it. Apparently because he wasn't partnered with anyone he would be randomly paired via a lottery.
'Wonder who my partner will be?' Yuto silently thought. 'Will I be able to work with them properly?'
While he knew he would be paired with a random duellist, that fact alone irked at him because he didn't know what sort of deck they used. In a tag duel, while it wasn't uncommon for team members to use different decks, it was well known that teammates worked better if their decks complimented each other or used a similar strategy.
Since he didn't know a thing about his partner he had no idea how well he could utilize his deck with them. Worst case scenario, their decks were a terrible match up and they would have to do whatever they could to win. He just hoped they didn't use Fusion. He understood that this dimension used all summoning methods and they weren't Academia, that didn't mean he was comfortable with others using it.
Yuto's thoughts were interrupted by a message coming through on his duel disk. The tournament hosts were requesting all duellists without tag partners to the floor below. It took him less than two minutes to arrive and notice that there were only five other competitors here, or at least five without a partner.
'If I got a six then I must have been the last person to apply,' Yuto realized.
"Okay everyone, thank you for coming," a female administrator greeted. "The tournament will be starting shortly, which is why we need to pair you up now." The participants just listened with absolute focus, never once interrupting. "Each of you have been given a number which will be drawn from this box along with another. Whatever number comes out afterwards, that will be partner."
Yuto watched intently as numbers were drawn. The first pair didn't have anything to do with him so he didn't care.
"Number six," the woman called out. "And number one."
Yuto walked up to the judges as did another young man.
"You my partner?" the man asked.
The man had tanned skin, cyan blue eyes, and messy light blue hair in the form of an undercut. He was taller than Yuto and possessed a muscular physique. In addition, he wore a sleeveless blue jacket with white fleece inside it, navy blue sleeveless t-shirt, black trousers, and blue boots.
"It looks that way," Yuto confirmed. "I look forward to working with you."
The man raised an eyebrow.
"No need to be so stiff you know," he grunted. "It's just a regular tournament after all."
"Right," Yuto responded sheepishly. 'Do I really seem stiff? I haven't actually done something like this in a while so it's a bit strange.'
The man seemed to have noticed Yuto's reaction.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to be so blunt. It's just a habit," he apologised. "I don't usually socialise and whenever I do it usually ends badly."
"It's alright," Yuto replied. "I haven't done something like this in a while so."
"No harm done," the man assured. "I'm Necro by the way. And you are?"
"Kaito," Yuto responded.
Necro narrowed his eyes. Approximately 5% of people who took part these tournaments used their real name, and he was not one of them. He seriously doubted Kaito was one either. That wasn't important right now though.
"Now if you'll please head upstairs, the match-ups will be decided," the administrator requested.
At the floor above, there was a commentary table with a large monitor located right next to it. in the centre of the duel arena was a four-screen monitor hanging above that showed the participants LP.
"Can I have your attention please?" the announcer requested. "We will be starting the matches soon. Before then we shall explain the rules." Yuto listened quietly for this. "First off, we will be invoking the original tag duel settings where partners share the same amount of LP, in this case 8000. Secondly, you will both share the same field, meaning you can use each other's monsters for summoning, except ordering an attack, and whatever spells and traps they have laid out. Thirdly, these will be action duels and for each player you will only be allowed to hold one action card at a time."
Yuto was a little surprised by this. He had only learned about action duels recently he hadn't expected to be thrown right into one.
"Ugh, I wish it could be a regular duel but whatever," Necro complained. "Let's get started already."
As if on cue, the monitor started to flip through images of competitors until it stopped on two.
Match 1: Yami and Hikari vs Kaito and Necro
Yuto was stunned that he was in the first match. He and Necro hadn't even had any time to strategize yet.
"Would our competitors please head to the arena?" one of the announcers requested. "Failure to do so will result in an immediate disqualification."
"Let's go!" Necro murmured.
He wasn't any happier about the situation, but he also didn't want to be disqualified.
Duel Arena
Yuto and Necro stood across from their opponents with neutral expressions. Yami and Hikari were both girls at least the same age as them, though their appearances differed greatly.
Yami's eyes were violet, her raven black hair short with a bang covering her left eye. She dressed in a goth style fashion by wearing a black leather jacket, black shorts, t-shirt, and high-heel boots.
Hikari's eyes were yellow, her white hair flowed down her back. She wore a white sleeved mini dress covered in floral patterns, and white high heel boots.
"Enough games," Yami ordered. "Let's get this started already!"
"Indeed," Hikari agreed.
Yuto and Necro didn't say anything, not that they needed to.
"Action Field on! Pseudo Space!" the announcer shouted as the field came to life.
These days there weren't many things that could surprise Yuto, however, hr could help but be a little mesmerized as the field came to life. It wasn't like activating a field spell, this was something much more altogether.
The area itself had transformed into a blue city with a yellow sky. Yuto could even see as the action cards dispersed above.
"If it's not too much to ask, can we just skip the chant?" Necro asked. "I never really liked it all that much."
"There are no issues with that request," the two girls responded at the same time while activating their duel disks.
The boys did the same.
Kaito and Necro LP: 8000 Cards in Hand: Both 5
Yami and Hikari LP: 8000 Cards in Hand: Both 5
"DUEL!" they all shouted.
"Ladies first!" Yami declared. "To start I summon Ebon Magician Curran (Dark/Level 2/Spellcaster/1200 ATK/0 DEF)." A girl wearing a black dress with bunny ears and a pink whip appeared on the field. "Next I activate a continuous spell Dark Room of Nightmare. Now whenever you take damage from an effect this card deals you 300 damage. Finally, I set two cards and end my turn."
Necro raised an eyebrow. So that was her strategy, to wear them down through burn tactics. And with Curran's effect it would be extremely troublesome. They would need to get rid of it as soon as possible.
"My turn! To start I activate the spell Foolish Burial and send Phantom Knights Spear from my deck to the grave," Yuto declared.
"Trap activate!" Yami interrupted. "Gem Flash Energy! While this card is on the field during each standby phase you take 300 damage for every continuous spell on the field."
Yuto inwardly sighed. It seemed they were going all the way with this burn strategy.
"I set four cards and end my turn," Yuto finished.
The others were surprised he hadn't drawn a single monster. They were concerned about the face-downs though.
"My turn! The effects of Gem Flash Energy and Dark Room of Nightmare now activate," Hikari said.
Kaito and Necro LP: 7400 Cards in Hand: Kaito 0 Necro 5
"Next I summon White Magician Pikeru (Light/Level 2/Spellcaster/1200 ATK/0 DEF)." A girl wearing a white and pink dress with a ram hood and gold sceptre. "Next I activate the continuous spell Level Limit – Area B. From this point on all level four and higher monsters are changed to defence position."
Necro and Yuto eyed Hikari. It was pretty clear she was trying to halt their movements and prevent them from attacking while dealing them damage. While it was not a bad strategy it was not one that would work on Yuto.
"Now I activate the field spell Village of Spellcasters. While this card is on the field as long as we have a spellcaster neither of you can activate spell cards. However, it's the reverse if we don't have a spellcaster."
Necro scowled. His deck relied on spell cards a lot.
"Finally, I end my turn with a face-down," Hikari finished.
"My turn! I set one monster and one card end it with that," Necro declared.
Frankly it was the only move he could make. the only cards in his hand were monster and spell cards. Nothing he could use here. Right now, it was all up to Kaito.
"My turn! Draw! The effects of my trap and spell activate," Yami said.
Kaito and Necro LP: 6500 Cards in Hand: Kaito 0 Necro 3
"Curran's effect also activates. For each monster you control you take 300 damage combined with my spell."
Kaito and Necro LP: 5900 Cards in Hand: Kaito 0 Necro 3
"Next is Pikeru's effect which increases our LP for every monster we control."
Yami and Hikari LP: 8800 Cards in Hand: Yami 2 Hikari 0
Yuto and Necro both frowned. Already that card was proving to be quite a nuisance. So far no one had attacked and they were already down a quarter of their life while their opponents increased theirs.
Neither said it out loud, but it was a pretty sound strategy. Yami focused on whittling away their LP while Hikari defended and increased their own. It was a difficult strategy to pull off, but very effective nonetheless.
"I equip Curran with the spell Trial of the Princesses, increasing her ATK by 800," she continued.
Ebon Magician Curran (ATK1200-2000).
"Battle Phase! Curran attack the face-down," Yami commanded.
As her monster moved to strike, Yuto swung into action.
"Traps activate! The Phantom Knights of Lost Vambrace!" Yuto shouted as two traps of a similar design activated. "I target Curran and she loses 600ATK from both. In addition, these traps are summoned to the field as monsters in attack mode, and canot be destroyed this turn as a result of battle."
No sooner had he said it did two monsters (Dark/Level 2/Warrior/600 ATK/0 DEF) made of blue flames covered armour appeared.
Ebon Magician Curran (ATK2000-800).
"Tch," Yami scowled. "Weakening my monster while summoning out two at the same time, not bad."
"Unfortunately, it's not enough," Hikari added. "Trap activate! Destiny of the Princesses! This card can only be activated when there is a face-up Trial of the Princesses on the field. As long as this card is on the field, Princess monsters and their counterparts cannot be destroyed by battle. Furthermore, all opponent's monsters are treated as level 5 while face-up."
Yuto's eyes narrowed at the new information. Did their strategy require that they have high level monsters out on the field like his did with Dark Rebellion?
Necro's eyes widened. He'd heard of their evolved form before but he'd never seen it. It was even more deadly than what they were currently dealing with.
"Curran attack one of the Vambraces instead," Yami ordered as her monster blasted Yuto's monster.
"Did you forget? They can't be destroyed," Yuto reminded her.
"Destiny of the Princesses final effect activates. When a monster is destroyed by battle, this card automatically destroys it and treats it as though it were," Hikari countered as the Vambrace disappeared from the field.
Kaito and Necro LP: 5700 Cards in Hand: Kaito 0 Necro 3
'Crap. Since it was level 5 that means she's,' Necro realized.
"Now, Trial of the Princesses effect activates. When the monster equipped with this card destroys a level five or higher monster I can tribute that Ebon Magician Curran and summon Princess Curran (Dark/Level 4/Spellcaster/2000 ATK/O DEF) from my deck," Yami explained.
Curran disappeared and, in her place, came an evolved form. She wore a black and purple gothic dress and hat, carried a gold sceptre with a crystal ball. Standing behind her was a rabbit butler holding her cape.
"Due to Level Limit it switches to defence mode," Yami continued. "But I can live with that."
Yuto internally groaned. With that trap of theirs out they wouldn't be able to do any proper damage.
"I set one card and end my turn," Yami finished.
Yuto stared down at his deck. They had been backed into a corner, and they hadn't even attacked yet. Whatever he drew, he hoped it would be enough to turn things around.
"My turn! Draw!" he shouted. He let out a small smirk at what he drew. "I summon Phantom Knights: Hollow Cloak (Dark/Level 1/Warrior/0 ATK/0 DEF)." A blue flamed being wrapped in a torn cloak appeared on the field. "Next I activate its effect. Once per turn I can target of Dark attribute monster on the field and change all other monsters on the field to the same level."
Yami blinked confused. What was the point of that?
Necro narrowed his eyes at Kaito's tactic. If he was changing monster levels, did that mean he was going for that method.
"Just so we're clear, it can be any Dark monster, including yours," Yami's eyes widened. "I activate Hollow Cloak's effect and target Princess Curran. Now all monsters become level 4."
Hollow Cloak spread out and covered the entire field. When it retracted, Yuto's monster's levels had changed.
Hollow Cloak (Level 1-4).
Lost vambrace (Level 2-4).
"What good will that do you?" Yami questioned. "Thanks to Level Limit, they both switch to defence mode now."
"That hardly matters," Yuto retorted. "Now that the pieces are in place my deck's true evolution manifests. Using level 4 Hollow Cloak and Lost Vambrace, I build the overlay network!" Everyone's eyes widened at what they were seeing. "Fallen warrior who rides through battlefield piercing through the enemy's defences! XYZ Summon! Appear before us! Rank 4, Phantom Knights: Shattered Lance (Dark/Rank 4/Warrior/XYZ/2600 ATK/1500 DEF)."
A warrior made of blue flames wearing a helmet, gauntlets, and breast plate armour riding a horse with broken armour appeared on the field. It was holding a lance that was broken in several but was being held together by the blue fire.
The participants and audience were stunned into silence.
'I had my suspicions, but I couldn't be sure,' Necro thought as his facial expression morphed into a grin. 'We really need to discuss our decks after this.'
"He was an XYZ user all this time!" Hikari exclaimed.
"Tch," Yami scowled. "Doesn't matter. Our spell will keep him from attacking." However, much to her surprise, Yuto's monster remained in the exact same position. "What the?"
Yuto rolled his eyes. How many people didn't know this, he wasn't sure, but right now he didn't care.
"XYZ monsters don't have levels, they have ranks," he explained. "Therefore, this effect is negated."
The two girls eyes widened. With their spell useless now there was nothing to stop him from attacking. There was one thing bothering them though. Kaito knew their monsters couldn't be destroyed so why would he attack.
"I activate Shattered Lance's effect. By detaching one overlay unit I can target one monster on the field, and for this turn that monster can inflict piercing damage," Yuto explained. "Obviously I target Shattered Lance."
"WHAT!" the girls shouted while Necro's grin became even bigger.
"Battle Phase! Shattered Lance, attack Princess Curran," Yuto commanded.
The revived warrior charged at its enemy with full speed, its lance igniting with blue fury.
Both opponents changed tactics and looked for action cards to defend themselves. Unbeknownst to them, Necro had done the exact same.
Hikari found an action card, unfortunately, it was one for increasing attack points. Yami was less lucky and found nothing. Well, actually she did only it was too far up for her to reach in time. With no other options she activated her face-down.
"Trap activate! Magic Cylinder! With this I target the attacking monster and stop its attack. Then as an added bonus, you take damage equal to your monsters ATK!" she declared.
Necro felt his insides freeze. With their current LP, combined with the constant effect damage, they couldn't afford to lose any more than they had.
"When my opponent activates a trap card I can banish Phantom Knights Spear from my grave to negate it and inflict 100 damage to you," Yuto explained.
"Hold on, Secret Village of Spellcasters is in play you can't just," Yami argued.
"I can't activate spells I know," Yuto cut off. "But I'm activating a spell, I'm activating it's effect. Therefore, your field spell can't stop it."
Yami cursed as her trap failed.
Yami and Hikari LP: 8700 Cards in Hand: Yami 0 Hikari 1
Then Shattered Lance's spear collided with Curran, and even though she was in defence mode, blue flames surged past her causing wind to blow as well.
Yami and Hikari LP: 6100 Cards in Hand: Yami 0 Hikari 1
"With that I end my turn," Yuto finished.
Yami glared at them both. Their strategy was normally solid but he had found a loophole in it all. They would need a way to deal with XYZ monsters if something like this every came up again.
Luckily for her, Hikari had such a card.
"My turn! Draw!" she shouted. "Pikeru's effect now activates granting us LP."
Yami and Hikari LP: 6900 Cards in Hand: Yami 0 Hikari 2
"Now Gem Flash Energy and Dark Room of Nightmare effects activate."
Kaito and Necro LP: 4800 Cards in Hand: Kaito 0 Necro 4
"Next up is Princess Curran who deals you 600 damage for each monster you control followed by Dark Room's effect."
Kaito and Necro LP: 3300 Cards in Hand: Kaito 0 Necro 4
"Okay seriously those cards are starting to piss me off," Necro growled.
"That makes two of us," Yuto added.
They really needed to deal with those cards, and soon.
"I activate Pot of Greed and draw two cards. Next, I'll equip Pikeru with the spell Trial of the Princesses and you know what that means," she continued as Pikeru (ATK1200-2000) powered up. "I set one card. Battle Phase! Pikeru attack Necro's face-down monster."
Pikeru blasted the face-down which revealed a large green warrior dressed in gold and blue armour wielding a rapier. The card was known as Djinn Presider of Rituals (Dark/Level 4/Warrior/1800 ATK/1400 DEF).
"And because of Destiny of the Princesses, your monster is treated as a level 5, thus allowing for Trial of the Princesses other effect to activate," Hikari declared. "I release White Magician Pikeru in order to summon Princess Pikeru (Light/Level 4/Spellcaster/2000 ATK/0 DEF)."
Pikeru disappeared, and in her place a more powerful version appeared. She wore a white and pink dress with sneakers and a hat and carried a gold sceptre with a crystal ball. In addition, she had a sheep butler to aid her.
Pikeru had been summoned in defence mode, not that there was any other option.
"I activate the continuous spell Messenger od Peace. As long as this card remains on the field monsters with 1500 or more ATK cannot declare an attack. However, during each standby phase we must pay 100LP to keep it active," Hikari explained. "With that I end my turn."
Yuto growled in frustration. Not only had she topped them from attacking again, it added another continuous spell for Gem Flash Energy to use as firing power. They needed to finish this and fast. That was easier said than done though because they couldn't use spells, or attack with high powered monsters. He looked towards his partner and to his surprise he was smiling.
"Oi, Kaito," Necro grinned at him. "What's say we end it this round. Will you help me?"
Yuto felt a strange sensation coursing through his body. Wait, not strange, familiar.
All of a sudden, he was back in Heartland. It was before the invasion and everything was peaceful. People were smiling and living harmony. His friends were there smiling. Shun and Ruri were smiling. They duelled together, showing no fear, merely enjoying the challenge and thrill of the duel. The fun it contained.
And then it suddenly clicked with Yuto. He was enjoying the duel.
For the first time in a long time, he was having fun duelling, nothing on the line, nobody trying to card him, with a partner he barely knew trusting him to help them win.
'Funny, I can't remember the last time I felt this way,' he thought sadly. 'Doesn't mean I'm unhappy about it though.'
"You can count on me," Yuto returned with a smile. "What do you need?"
"An action card and your monster's ability, not your face-downs though, not yet at least," Necro explained.
No sooner had he said it did Yuto take off on Shattered Lance to find an action card.
"Do you really think that will help you?" Yami sneered.
"One more turn with us and this duel will be ours," Hikari added.
Necro raised an eyebrow at their arrogance. Their strategy was amazing, and their defence was powerful, but that wouldn't protect them.
"Guess there's only one way to find out. Draw!" Necro smirked at the monster he drew. "From my hand I activate the effect of Nekroz of Clausolas, by discarding it I can add one Nekroz spell or trap from my deck to my hand, and I choose the Ritual Spell Nekroz Mirror."
His decision earned him surprised looks not just from his opponents, but the entire audience in general. Ritual wasn't exactly a popular summoning method. These days hardly anyone used it because of other summoning methods. So, to see someone else using it was a surprise.
Yuto found what he was looking for in one of the windows. However, he could still hear the others talking. He had never heard of a Ritual Spell card before, at least not in his dimension, and Academia hadn't used them before.
"I summon Ariel, Priestess of Nekroz (Water/Level 4/Psychic/1000 ATK/1800 DEF), and thanks to Level Limit she's switched to defence mode, not that it actually matters because I activate her effect. I can reveal any number of Nekroz cards in my hand to increase or decrease her level by that amount. I reveal Nekroz Mirror and boost her level by one." Ariel (Level4-5). The look in Necro's eyes turned serious. "Now, here comes the beginning of the end. I activate my trap Urgent Ritual Art. If I control no Ritual monsters, I can banish one Ritual Spell from my hand or GY and have it treated as it for this turn. And since this isn't a spell, Secret Village of Spellcasters is useless." Yami and Hikari's eyes widened. "I banish Nekroz Mirror. I also activate the effect Djinn Presider of Rituals in the GY. When Ritual Summoning a monster, I can banish this card from the graveyard as one of the tributes. I banish Djinn, and tribute Ariel to Ritual Summon!"
Insert theme: Arc V Sound Duel 4: #6 Fighting Bravely
At the centre of the field, an altar with a magical mirror appeared. Surrounding it were nine blue flames that corresponded with the offered monster's levels.
Then, without warning, the flames were absorbed into the mirror and an explosion of blinding blue light took place.
"Oh mighty dragon of the Ice Barrier! Through this ritual be reborn once again as warrior and cut down your enemies with your blade of ice! Ritual Summon! Come forth! Level 9! Nekroz of Trishula (Water/Level 9/Warrior/Ritual/2700 ATK/2000 DEF)," Necro chanted.
From the mirror, emerged a man clad in silver and ice blue armour, with dragon like wings, and holding a large sword made of ice."
Yuto watched with curious eyes.
'Ritual Summon? I've heard of that. Perhaps it's a summoning method unique to Standard,' he pondered. 'It's strange though. It's not an extra deck method.'
"Now Nekroz of Trishula's effect activates. When Ritual summoned, I can banish up to three cards, one from the field, hand, and GY. From the field I banish Secret Village of Spellcasters giving us our spells back," the field instantly disappeared leaving only the Action Field. "From the GY I banish Ebon Magician Curran, and since Hikari is the only one with a card in her hand, it's gone. Furthermore, since Ariel was tributed, I can add one Nekroz monster from my deck to my hand except Ritual monsters."
"What good will that do you?" Yami yelled. "You still can't attack."
"You would think so," Necro replied slyly. "I activate the spell Nekroz Revival. By banishing one monster from my field or GY, I can target one Nekroz monster in GY and special summon it. Fortunately, this is also treated as a Ritual Summon. I banish Ariel from my grave to bring back Nekroz of Clausolas (Water/Level 3/Warrior/Ritual/1200 ATK/2300 DEF)."
A boy wearing green and gold hawk like armour and a feather blade appeared.
"Since he's level 3, he isn't submissive to Level Limit," Necro pointed out. "Now I use Phantom Knights: Shattered Lance effect. I detach one overlay unit and target Clausolas so that he can inflict piercing damage this turn. Next I activate the spell Nekroz Draw. If I control a Nekroz Ritual monster, I can draw two cards. And would you look at that, one of them was Pot of Greed, meaning I draw two more cards. But I'm done. I activate Double Attack. By discarding Level 5 Exa, Enforcer of the Nekroz, Clausolas can attack twice this turn."
It became apparent to Yuto what Necro was planning, as it did with their opponents. Hikari wasn't too worried since her trap would defend them, however, Yami wasn't as confident and started looking for the action card she saw before.
"Necro, would like Messenger of Peace gone?" Yuto asked.
He didn't have to wait long for an answer.
"If you wouldn't mind, it's interfering with what I need to do," Necro answered as he kept his eyes on the opponent.
With that confirmation, Yuto played his spell.
"Quick-play Magic activate! Mystical Space Typhoon! With this I can target one spell or trap on the field and destroy it, and I choose Messenger of Peace!" Yuto declared.
Hikari winced as her spell was destroyed, taking them down one more shield. However, Necro revelled in her displeasure because now it meant he could go all out.
"I equip Clausolas with the spell Ritual Weapon which gives him a 1500 power boost," he stated.
Nekroz of Clausolas (ATK1200-2700, DEF2300-3800).
In place of the feather blade came a golden bow and arrow that covered his entire arm. The arrows themselves were made out of energy.
"Trap activate! Phantom Knights Sword! I target Clausolas and equip him with it. As a result, he gains 800ATK," Yuto intervened.
Nekroz of Clausolas (ATK2700-3500).
Ritual Weapon suddenly darkened, and a purple sword emerged from where the arrows would be fired.
"Action Magic – Full Turn!" Necro continued to add fire to the fuel. "This turn all battle damage between monsters is doubled."
Yami and Hikari both paled at that information. With their LP and Clausolas's ATK, if either of those attacks went through, they were finished. Suddenly, Yami was moving much faster to find that action card.
"Battle Phase! Clausolas attack Princess Pikeru!" Necro shouted.
"Trap activate! Draining Shield! Your attack is negated, and we gain LP equal to your monsters ATK," Hikari countered.
Yami and Hikari LP: 10400 Cards in Hand: Yami 0 Hikari 0
Yuto's eyes widened. They had over 10000LP! There was no way they could take down in one attack. He noticed Necro wasn't even the slightest bit deterred. Glancing down at the Action card he picked up he decided to let it play out first. They were partners after all, if they couldn't trust one another then what was the point of even being a team.
"Clausolas, for your second attack, go after Princess Curran," Necro commanded.
As the winged warrior neared Yami just barely grabbed an Action card.
"Action Magic – Evasion! Your attack is negated," Yami shouted. "Now you have no more ways of attacking. What'll you do now?"
To her surprise Necro was smiling at them both, with an aura of confidence just radiating from him.
"Okay, I'll admit, you two are good," Necro said. "Your burn/shield strategy is definitely a winner. Not to mention you use cards that haven't been used in years to make it work. Very impressive."
"Thank you," Hikari said while Yami glared. "Most people don't realize that the most basic cards with the simplest of effects can be the most effective in a duel."
"No they don't," Necro seemingly agreed. "It's all about complex strategies these days and special summoning methods. Classic cards like yours have been forgotten in favour of the new, much like mine. It's a shame really since the effects are really powerful."
"Is there a point to this or are you actually getting at something?" Yami questioned irritatingly.
Necro raised an eyebrow. Was he getting at something? Perhaps he was. That wasn't important right now.
"Oh no, I'm just complimenting you on your duel style," Necro admitted. "Unfortunately, this duel needs to end, and I'm about to do it."
The girls just stared at him as though he was insane. He had just used up his last attack, and he had the gall to say he was going to win.
Yuto, who had been watching the exchange, finally decided to act.
"Action Magic – End of Reality! When a monster fails to attack or destroy an opponent's monster this turn, this card gives that monster 1000ATK and allows it to attack once more," Yuto shouted.
"WHAT?!" the girls shouted.
"And that's not all, from my hand I activate the effect of Nekroz of Decisive Armour! By discarding this card, I can target one Nekroz monster on the field and boost it's ATK and DEF by 1000 until the end of the turn," Necro added.
Nekroz of Clausolas (ATK3500-4500-5500, DEF3800-4800).
Both women were speechless. They had blocked all their attacks, repeatedly burned away their LP, pushed them into a corner, and yet they still found a way to press forward against them.
An ATK of 5500 with double damage was more than enough to finish them.
"Clausolas attack Princess Curran once more, this time with full force and no mercy!" Necro commanded.
Hearing his masters desire Clausolas sprung into action. He dashed towards his enemy with full force swing his blade.
The opponents looked for an action card to help them. However, when they saw how close Clausolas was, they both stopped. It was too late to do anything now.
Clausolas slashed straight by Curran causing a tornado to erupt from where she was sitting. Curran screamed along with her masters as the tornado tore through the field.
Yami and Hikari LP: 0 Cards in Hand: Yami 0 Hikari 0
The tornado died down, as did the Action Field. And all of a sudden, the spectators erupted into cheers for both teams.
To them the duel had been exciting and full of twists.
Other competitors looked on with interest, while some menacingly.
Yuto listened with interest. It had been a long time since he had heard cheers like those, a very long time. Then again, it had been a long time since he enjoyed duelling. From coming here with an important mission, to finding someone who looked like his friend and teaching her XYZ, to this, having fun duelling again. This dimension was turning out to be full of surprises.
"Well, we lost," Hikari sighed.
"I can't believe it," Yami scowled. "And after all the planning we did."
"Don't beat yourself over it," Necro said. "So, you lost. Are planning on quitting for good?"
Yami gave him a look that would kill.
"Is Kuriboh used an ace monster in decks?" she asked incredulously.
"Then there you have it," Necro replied dryly. "Don't give up. You lose get back up and try again."
Before Yami could retort Hikari intervened.
"Those are wise words," she said softly. "And we shall do our best to heed them."
"It's no problem. If I had ten yen for every person who told me to give up because Ritual Summon was, in their words, a weak summoning method I would be a very wealthy man," Necro stated.
Yuto was a little confused by that statement. Weak? How could it be weak?
"Is that why you duel then? To show that Ritual is strong?" Hikari asked generally curious.
"It's a reason yeah, but not the only one," Necro answered.
Their conversation was interrupted by the announcer asking them to move off the field for the next duel.
As they got off, Yami and Hikari turned to leave. Hikari wished them well in the tournament but Yami warned them if they lost, she would return and kick their asses.
Necro and Yuto headed to a secluded area where they actually talked for a bit. Yuto explained about his deck as Necro did the same. He was absolutely heartbroken though when Yuto said he had never heard of Ritual before.
"I told you, where I'm from is very far away and almost everyone uses XYZ so," he tried to defend.
That only caused Necro to sulk.
"Well, at least your reason is better than most," he admitted. "It is bad enough people look down on the summoning method, but to start forgetting it exists is just awful."
"Why do they look down on it?" Yuto frowned. "From what I saw in that duel it's strong."
Necro gazed at Yuto surprised. The last time he had heard that was from his friend Mieru. He hadn't heard it since then.
"Ritual was one of the original summoning methods alongside Advanced Summon. However, after the other summoning methods came in, people stopped using it and started to look down on it," Necro explained. "Unlike the other methods, Ritual doesn't have as much support. In fact, Nekroz along with Gishiki are the only Ritual focused archetypes."
Yuto frowned at that information. If it was before the other summoning methods it would make sense why it lost popularity, but that didn't explain why it had so little support. Perhaps cards were still developing at the time. Either way, he didn't agree with it.
"You want to prove it's not as weak as everyone says it is, is that right?" Yuto enquired.
Necro nodded.
"Well, then you've got a way to go," Necro stared at him. "Take my deck for example, using low level monsters and relying on spells and traps might seem weak, but I make the most of it in order to come out strong." He briefly stopped before staring again. "People may look down on you now, but if you show them how strong your deck is, how strong you are then they will see that they are wrong. No card is useless. And your deck, Ritual Summon, they are only weak if you decide they are. How far you go is up to you."
Necro stared at him in awe. No one had ever thought of it like that before.
"You're right," he finally said. "That is how it is. So I will."
Both men smiled as they heard the crowd outside. Realizing they were missing the duels they returned to see who they would be facing.
LDS Headquarters
"You're certain Nakajima?" Reiji asked with utmost seriousness.
"Yes President," Nakajima confirmed. "An XYZ Summon, a powerful one was conducted not too long ago at a parking lot. What's more a tag tournament is being held there?"
Reiji turned his chair to face the window. Why would someone from the XYZ Dimension take part in a small tournament? It couldn't be to get their attention, that contradicted their previous behaviour.
"Send one of our people to investigate, but do not engage," Reiji ordered.
"Most are busy preparing for the tournament and dealing with the assaults. Shall I go instead?" Nakajima offered.
Reiji nodded. "Maintain contact with me at all times though."
He didn't usually send Nakajima out in the field, though this was one of the exceptions. And he needed information about the potential threat.
These things were common in war after all.
Hi there. Well, what did you think of that?
Yuto's partner Necro (real name will be revealed later) is a ritual user. When considering OC's for this story I wanted someone who was proficient in Ritual Summon because it did not get much representation in the anime. I know it's not overly popular, but I know some people like it and I've had fun with it in duel links.
The duel went on longer than I expected since there was originally supposed to be two duels. Speaking of which how did you like it? Sometimes the most original cards can be the most effective.
Next chapter will hopefully see the end of the Tag Tournament.
Hope you enjoyed! Please review!
OC Cards
Destiny of the Princesses (Continuous Trap)
This card can only be activated when there is a face-up Trial of the Princesses on the field. While this card remains on the field, monsters with "Curran" and "Pikeru" cannot be destroyed by battle. Furthermore, all opponent's monsters are treated as level 5 while face-up.
Additionally, if a monster is not destroyed by battle (one your monster battled with) this turn, the monster is automatically destroyed and treated as though it were destroyed by battle.
Nekroz Draw (Normal Spell)
If you control a face-up Nekroz Ritual Monster, you can draw two cards from your deck.
Nekroz Revival (Normal Spell)
By banishing one monster from your field or GY, you can special summon one Nekroz monster from your GY. This is also treated as a Ritual Summon.
Phantom Knights Hollow Cloak
Level 1 Dark Warrior 0ATK/0DEF
Effect: Once per turn, you can target one Dark monster on the field and have all other monsters become the same level.
Phantom Knights Shattered Lance
Rank 4 Dark Warrior 2600ATK/1500DEF
Effect: Once per turn you can detach one XYZ material from this card and target one monster on the field. This turn that monster can inflict piercing damage to your opponent.
As long as this card has an XYZ material, Phantom Knights monsters you control cannot be targeted by card effects.