I wrote two versions of the Duel between Aki and Estelle, so I had a hard time choosing which one I should use. Therefore, I asked a very good friend of mine which version to use. Also, I noticed as I kept writing the chapter became too long, over 20! pages, so I divided this Duel into two chapters.
We have our next review shout-out winner! It's SyrusAndZaneLover24680! Congratulations! The next shout-out will be by the 550th review!
With that said, enjoy the first part of the catfight! Or should I say dragonfight?
The chapter begins in Estelle's point of view.
Disclaimer: I do not own any Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's characters! I only own my OCs!
Chapter 11: VS. Aki – Part 1
As predicted, Yusei won the first semi-final, but Greiger revealed the truth about his village before trying to assassinate Goodwin in front of million eyes. Luckily, Yusei stopped him before someone could get hurt. However, both Duel Runners crashed on the course, so the staff of the Fortune Cup had to halt the tournament for fifteen minutes to clean up the mess and make sure the Duel Runner course was okay to use for the next Turbo Duel. Greiger got arrested while his Duel Runner was confiscated by Sector Security. Yusei was able to roll his Duel Runner from the course to his assigned garage before the Fortune Cup staff took over the rest of the clean-up.
I ran to Yusei's garage to make sure he was okay. He had no injuries, but his Duel Runner had taken a big hit from Greiger's Duel Runner when they collided, so I left him alone to fix it while I mentally prepared myself for my Duel.
Fifteen minutes later, it was time for me to Duel Aki. To be honest, I was getting a bit nervous. I didn't know how I upset Aki before, so I was worried that she would try to go loose. Tanner appeared in the lounge shortly before the second semi-final Duel to wish me good luck before he hurried to check on Yusei.
I stood on a platform underneath the Duel field and waited to be elevated to the surface. The ceiling opened as I heard the MC introducing me while the platform lifted me up.
"Welcome back to our second semi-final Duel! We apologize for the wait, but we will give you one big knuckle-sandwich of excitement in compensation when it comes to this particular catfight! Now, entering the arena, the unknown star; Estelle Malmström!"
People cheered and chanted my name as I looked around in the stadium. Some of the audience was already telling me to kick Aki's butt and show who the real boss was.
"And her opponent, the magician with the green thumbs; the Black Rose Witch!"
I felt an eyebrow twitching when the MC introduced Aki in her alter ego's name as she was elevated to the Duel field. My patience grew short when people started booing Aki. Some of them already ran away from the arena because they were afraid to get hurt by Aki's psychic powers. I could see how some seats got empty in the last ten seconds, and the Duel hadn't even started yet.
"Get ready to Duel!"
XXXXXXXXXX – Tanner's POV
I found Yusei in his assigned garage fixing his Duel Runner. The television screen in the garage was showing the Duel field where the girls prepared themselves for the Duel, but the young man had his full attention on his ride.
"Yusei, the next match's about to start," I called.
"Sorry, fixing my Runner comes first", Yusei replied, never looking up.
I turned to the television and saw how the broadcast camera shifted from the Witch to Estelle. The Witch had a poker face while Estelle seemed to look concerned.
"But Estelle's goin' against the Black Rose! You really think the Black Rose's a witch?" I asked in slight disbelief that Yusei showed no concern about this Duel, especially now that Estelle was Dueling.
"No, she's more dangerous than that."
"You think Estelle can win this?" I questioned as I leaned against a pile of crate.
I quickly recalled the Duel I had with Estelle the other day. I got stunned when I saw her summoning the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon and how she literally destroyed me in the Duel which I first thought that I would win. She was certainly full of surprises, but could she use those surprise combos to defeat the Witch?
"She can…", Yusei replied a bit hesitantly. "But knowing Estelle, she will try to reach out to Aki."
"Reach out to the Witch?" I raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
Yusei looked up from his Duel Runner and turned around to look at the television just as the girls activated their Duel Disks. "She's the type who can't leave those who suffer alone."
XXXXXXXXXX – Estelle's POV
"Are you feeling better now, Aki?" I asked.
Aki's poker face never changed, as if she didn't hear my question, while she activated her Duel Disk. I sighed inwardly before activating my Duel Disk.
"Let's get this match started!"
"Let's Duel!" Aki and I shouted, commencing the Duel.
Aki: 4000 LP
Estelle: 4000 LP
I drew the first five cards from my Deck. I got Supay, Call of the Haunted, Breakthrough Skill, Oracle of the Sun, and Enemy Controller. A good start, if I could go second.
"You can go first, Aki", I told her.
"You will regret that decision", Aki glared as she drew her sixth card. "I summon Wall of Ivy in defense mode!"
Wall of Ivy, Level 2: DEF 1200
I raised an eyebrow in confusion when I saw Wall of Ivy. Aki didn't summon Violet Witch as in the Duel her anime self had against Commander Koda. Was she going to play in the same way as in the Fortune Cup final Duel in the anime? That must mean she would go all ballistic on me if she summoned Rose Tentacles later. I had to be extra careful now, even if I had some powers of the Crimson Dragon.
"Next, I place one card facedown and end my turn", Aki called as a facedown Trap card appeared on her side of the field.
"Then it's my turn", I said as I drew my sixth card.
The card was Blue-Eyes White Dragon, but I couldn't summon it at the moment. However, I could now initiate my plan.
"Because you have a Monster on your side of the field and I don't, I can Special summon Oracle of the Sun in attack mode!" I shouted.
Oracle of the Sun, Level 5: ATK 1000
"Next, I summon the Tuner Monster, Supay, in attack mode!"
Supay, Level 1, Tuner: ATK 300
"Supay and Oracle of the Sun, join together and make way for the queen of the sky!"
Supay turned into a level star and flew up as Oracle of the Sun followed it. The level star transformed into a tuning ring which surrounded the spellcaster Monster before they shone brightly and became one.
"When the moon is full in the darkness, the whispering of the Devil will be heard! Entice them over to death! Synchro summon! Show yourself, Moon Dragon Quilla!"
A stone carved as the moon with a face with closed eyes appeared on the field before four blue necks grew out and revealed four dragon heads. The four heads roared to the sky as I heard a choir of gasps from the audience.
Moon Dragon Quilla, Level 6: ATK 2500
"Whoa! Estelle managed to Synchro summon on her first turn! Now I wonder what kind of power we might witness from her dragon that shines like the moon!"
Aki showed no emotions as she stared at the Synchro dragon. It was like she didn't notice it was there in the first place.
"Moon Dragon Quilla, clip Wall of Ivy into pieces with Moonlight Blaster!" I shouted.
Moon Dragon Quilla opened her four mouths and collected dark night-colored energy before releasing four beams at the same time at Wall of Ivy. The plant Monster was shattered into pieces.
"You had better been careful, Estelle, because when my Wall of Ivy is destroyed, one of my Ivy Tokens takes root on your side of the field!" Aki told me.
The remains of Wall of Ivy traveled over to my side of the field before forming itself into an Ivy Token.
Ivy Token, Level 1: DEF 0
"We've seen the Witch use this strategy before. It really created problems for Sir Randsborg. What kind of havoc will she wreck on Estelle?"
"I end my turn", I nodded. "Go on, Aki."
"You're too kind", Aki said sarcastically as she drew a card from her Deck. "Now then, remember that last round when I summoned Wall of Ivy, only to have you tear it down with your Moon Dragon Quilla? Well, I'm playing the Cursed Ivy Trap card to bring my Wall of Ivy back!"
Aki's facedown Trap card flipped up to reveal Cursed Ivy. Two vines with thorns came out from the Cursed Ivy card and went through Aki's Duel Disk without damaging it before shooting down to the ground. Seconds later, Wall of Ivy returned to the field in defense mode.
Wall of Ivy, Level 2: DEF 1200
"In case you can't tell, I've got a green thumb", Aki commented sarcastically once again. "Oh, and by the way, I really should thank you, 'cause Wall of Ivy gets powered up by my Cursed Ivy. So now it's stronger than it was before."
This was just like the final Fortune Cup Duel in the anime. Soon, Rose Tentacles would come out and cause lots of damage to me by destroying the Ivy Tokens and deal 600 points of damage for each Token plus Rose Tentacles' effect. Real damage, which scared me a bit, but I wasn't going to turn around and run away with my tail between the legs.
"You gonna stand around and think or are you gonna Duel?" Aki taunted me when I didn't make a move.
"It's been a relatively mellow Duel so far. Even the crowd seems to have simmered down a bit, but could we simply be experiencing the calm before the storm?"
"Patience, Aki", I told her with a small smile. "A Duel is just like art." I drew the top card of my Deck, seeing it was Trade-In. "I start my turn by playing the Trade-In Spell card! By sending a Level 8 dragon-type Monster from my hand to the Graveyard, I can draw two more cards." I sent Blue-Eyes White Dragon to the Graveyard, without revealing its identity to everyone in Japan and drew two more cards; Vice Dragon and Silver's Cry. "Now, Aki, it's my turn to say thank you."
"For what?" Aki raised an eyebrow.
"I release the Ivy Token you kindly planted on my side of the field to Tribute summon Vice Dragon in attack mode!"
Vice Dragon, Level 5: ATK 2000
"Moon Dragon Quilla, let's try to clip Wall of Ivy one more time!" I shouted.
"And it looks like another Ivy Token's about to shoot up on your side of the field", Aki declared.
Moon Dragon Quilla used her Moonlight Blaster attack and destroyed Wall of Ivy, but I got a new Ivy Token as a present on my side of the field.
Ivy Token, Level 1: DEF 0
"By destroying my Wall of Ivy, you've also taken out the Cursed Ivy Trap card", Aki spoke as her Trap card's shattered pieces spread around on the Duel field like seeds, planting themselves into the ground. "And when my Cursed Ivy is sent to the Graveyard, it summons two more Ivy Tokens to your side of the field."
Ivy Token, Level 1: DEF 0
Ivy Token, Level 1: DEF 0
"Vice Dragon, attack Aki directly!" I shouted.
Vice Dragon roared as he flew towards the Signer with both his clawed paws stretched out. Aki watched the dragon with no interest as he hovered above her. Vice Dragon slashed his claws in an X shape, delivering a direct hit at Aki without hurting her. She didn't even flinch or blink when Vice Dragon attacked her.
Aki: 4000 LP – 2000 LP
Estelle: 4000 LP
The audience cheered loudly now when there was finally some real action. I caught the words of nasty comments about Aki like "That witch deserved it!" and "She's defenseless now! She'll lose on the next turn!".
"You got anything else for me?" Aki questioned as if nothing had happened.
I checked my hand and decided to plant a few traps for her. "I place three cards facedown and end my turn."
"I draw", Aki called as she drew a new card. "And from my hand, I'm activating the Seed of Deception Spell card! So, with the power of the Spell card, I Special summon Dark Verger in attack mode!"
Dark Verger, Level 2: ATK 0
"But now, I'm gonna do a little landscaping to make room for something stronger. I release Dark Verger and Tribute summon Rose Tentacles in attack mode!"
Rose Tentacles, Level 6: ATK 2200
"The best thing about roses is that their thorns are as dangerous as their petals are beautiful! And you're about to experience that firsthand! Go, Rose Retaliation!"
Rose Tentacles wrapped two of its vines around Vice Dragon's arms and crushed him into pieces. The explosion caused a powerful wind that ruffled my hair while I used my right arm to shield my face from the flying dirt. The wind was almost as strong as a tornado and even affected the audience, throwing dirt around in the air until it calmed down.
Aki: 2000 LP
Estelle: 4000 LP – 3800 LP
"Estelle only took 200 points of damage from that attack, but I've got a feeling the Witch's strategy is about to blossom into something far more terrifying."
"That attack was just the beginning, so get ready for my Rose Tentacles' effect to squeeze you into submission", Aki declared as her expression grew maddening serious. "Now, you take damage for the three Ivy Tokens on your field." For a second, I swore I saw the corner of her lips twitch upward into a sadistic smile. "This might hurt!"
XXXXXXXXXX – Yusei's POV
"This is gettin' bad!" Tanner exclaimed as he watched the Duel. "I'd better get back to gramps and the kids and make sure they're safe!"
I looked up from my Duel Runner to see him run out of the garage. Even while I had been working on the Runner, I had listened to the Duel the whole time. I looked at the television, seeing Aki's Rose Tentacles was getting ready to attack Estelle.
I may have a stern and emotionless expression all the time, but I was worried inside. Aki's psychic powers were nothing to play with, so Estelle could get seriously hurt. It almost felt like Aki was upset about something and she wanted to take it out on Estelle. The question was why. Did Estelle upset her? But it wasn't her style to make people angry at her. If she did, then it was an accident and she always apologized afterward.
I did notice something weird with Estelle's gameplay. Why did she order Moon Dragon Quilla to attack Wall of Ivy instead of letting Vice Dragon do that? She could have dealt 500 more points of damage if Moon Dragon Quilla had attacked Aki directly. It also felt like Estelle was playing around, as if she was expecting things from Aki. Could she foresee the Duel or something?
XXXXXXXXXX – Estelle's POV
"This is the part of the battle that I enjoy the most, because now I get to watch the power of my Rose Tentacles and Ivy Tokens bleed your Life Points dry!" Aki shouted.
"Incredible! Aki's managed to plant three Ivy Tokens on Estelle's field, which means she can unleash a triple dose of destruction, and with each attack, Estelle's gonna take 600 points of damage."
I saw how many people got up from their seats in the stands and ran away to avoid Aki's psychic powers after tasting the tornado wind from before.
"Whoa! It looks like the fans are running for the exits, and who could blame them, especially after witnessing the Witch's destructive powers in her first Duel. I wouldn't wanna be in Estelle's boots right now."
"Aki. Don't do this…", I mumbled quietly, not really fearing for the pain from Rose Tentacles' assault, but I was worried about Aki's mental state.
"Let's see if people keep picking on me after this!" Aki snarled. "Get ready, Estelle!"
Rose Tentacles swung one of its vines and destroyed the first Ivy Token. The impact caused another tornado wind again that affected everyone in the Kaiba Dome. Once the wind calmed down, the plant Monster wrapped its vine around my right arm.
Aki: 2000 LP
Estelle: 3800 LP – 3200 LP
I instinctively fought against the vine to get it off me as it squeezed my arm, but not hard to my surprise. Not even the tiny thorns hurt or made holes in my clothes.
"Forgive me, Priestess", I heard Rose Tentacles' feminine voice in my head. "But I must follow my mistress' orders."
"Ingen fara… Jag förstår… (No worries… I understand…)", I whispered quietly, relaxing my body.
Aki noticed I wasn't in pain nor did I struggle against her plant Monster's vines. "You're not giving in yet? Well, maybe this'll change your mind!"
Rose Tentacles destroyed another Ivy Token and caused a whirlwind again before she wrapped her second vine around my right leg. That didn't hurt either.
Aki: 2000 LP
Estelle: 3200 LP – 2600 LP
Aki suddenly looked like as if she was out of breath, like the Duel was draining her energy, but I knew it was the storm of her emotions that was driving her mad, and I was part of the reason because of my approach earlier.
"I'm gonna enjoy this", Aki panted before giving me a piercing glare. "NOW, ATTACK!"
Rose Tentacles swung her third vine and smashed the last Ivy Token on my side of the field. Another tornado wind broke out as the plant Monster wrapped her vine around my abdomen and lifted me up to the air. Rose Tentacles did squeeze me, but very lightly to make me grunt.
"Look at you up there, hopeless and alone! No one can help you and no one wants to!" Aki shouted loudly. "Now you know what it feels like to be me in this cruel, cold world!"
I glanced down and saw Aki had finally allowed her sadistic smile be displayed on her lips. It saddened me knowing she thought that hurting the people that hurt her was the answer, but it wasn't. I knew myself that causing pain for bullies as revenge didn't make things better; in fact, it only made things worse.
Rose Tentacles moved her vines and prepared to throw me down on the stage. I braced myself as I felt the plant Monster move me as if she was throwing me. But just before impact, Rose Tentacles removed the vines on my arm and leg and used them to hit the ground, wiping up a cloud of dust around me before letting go of me just centimeters above the ground, making it look like she really had thrown me hard.
Aki: 2000 LP
Estelle: 2600 LP – 2000 LP
"Whoa! Aki's attack has the stadium in panic! The place is in complete chaos! Just like we thought, Aki is-"
"A witch!" several voices yelled from the stands.
I heard those angry voices throwing profanities at Aki and all kinds of words. Some even had the nerve to use the F-bomb and they didn't care if there were children in Kaiba Dome or watching the Fortune Cup live at home.
The dust was still around me as I got up on my feet, feeling relieved that Rose Tentacles took it easy on me. Apparently, Aki didn't have full control over her Duel Monsters because my Priestess powers were stronger than her Signer powers. The dust finally faded, revealing my unharmed body, except for a little dirt that I brushed off.
"I know what it's like to be in your world, Aki", I told her as I drew a card, starting my turn. "Because I told you before; I am a freak just like you and I've been hurt by other people too. But that doesn't mean you can hurt those who hurt you in revenge." I set my new card, my second Breakthrough Skill, facedown among my other three facedown cards. "Revenge can never solve things, but you like how it makes people feel. Sadly, you like how it makes you feel. You enjoy people's misery."
While I was talking, I switched Moon Dragon Quilla to defense mode as she lowered her heads down to defend her moon stone.
Moon Dragon Quilla, Level 6: ATK 2500 – DEF 2000
Aki was quiet for a second as her sadistic smile remained on her lips with a madman expression. "You're right. And for the rest of this Duel, I really plan on enjoying myself." She drew a card from her Deck, commencing her turn. "It's my turn, and I activate Ivy Shackles! With this Spell, I can now turn your Moon Dragon Quilla into a plant-type Monster. Before you know it, Estelle, your entire field is going to look like one giant greenhouse."
Green vines sprouted from underneath Moon Dragon Quilla and wrapped themselves around her. Her blue and purple scales got a slight greenish tone to show her type had changed from dragon to plant.
"So, with your dragon now under the control of my Rose Tentacles, she can now attack you an extra time this round", Aki continued. "You said I enjoy other people's misery. Well, then I guess I should really enjoy this, shouldn't I?! Now, Rose Tentacles, attack! Trash her dragon! Go, Rose Retaliation!"
Rose Tentacles raised two of her vines before throwing them at Moon Dragon Quilla like whips.
"Not so fast, Aki!" I shouted. "When Moon Dragon Quilla is targeted for an attack, I gain Life Points equal to half the attacking Monster's attack points!"
When Rose Tentacles destroyed Moon Dragon Quilla, the remains of my dragon surrounded me in a gentle blue aura as my Life Points were restored. I noticed the whirlwind that was usually created by Rose Tentacles never blew around. Was it because Moon Dragon Quilla's healing effect had stopped it?
Aki: 2000 LP
Estelle: 2000 LP – 3100 LP
"That doesn't matter", Aki snorted. "My Rose Tentacles' power doesn't stop there. Since your dragon is under her control, you now take 300 points of direct damage."
Rose Tentacles sneaked one of her vines around me and gave me a slap on my back without tearing my clothes apart. I flinched by the slap, but it didn't hurt me. Aki haven't noticed her Monster's gentle behavior yet because she had been deeply absorbed into her madness.
Aki: 2000 LP
Estelle: 3100 LP – 2800 LP
"Aki, don't do the next move", I warned her.
"Huh? Don't do what? Attack you directly?! Well, I don't do charity!" Aki snarled like a wild animal.
Rose Tentacles raised all of her vines and whipped them toward me. I could hear Leo, Luna, Dexter, Yanagi, and Tanner yell my name in fear from the stands as I watched the incoming vines that were ready to tear me apart.
"I activate my facedown Quick-Play Spell card; Silver's Cry!" I flipped up said card. "With this card, I can Special summon one Normal dragon-type Monster from my Graveyard." My Duel Disk pulled out the Blue-Eyes White Dragon card. "Remember the card I sent when I played the Spell, Trade-In? Well, here comes the mysterious dragon! Come forth, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
The second I slammed the legendary dragon card on the Duel Disk, a gate opened on the field and a dragon's cry followed as Blue-Eyes White Dragon flew out from it and took a turn in the air before landing behind me. The vines from Aki's Ivy Shackles sprouted once again and wrapped themselves around the dragon, giving its white and light blue scales a greenish tone.
Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Level 8: ATK 3000
Everyone in the Kaiba Dome released huge gasps that blended into one when they saw Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Aki's eyes widened for a second as she eyed the dragon in disbelief.
"Are my eyes playing tricks on me or did Estelle just summon Kaiba Seto's most precious dragon out there?! It's the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"