Foreword: Alas, a new chapter! It's still not really long, but please bear with me. Now the Gensokyou Tournament Arc officially begins!
"A tournament huh…?" Jonathan murmured to himself while picking up the piece of paper. "And our jobs?"
"Annual tournament..." Michael pondered.
Reimu nodded at that. "We have that every year...since around 7 years ago. Alas, no one has bested me in each and every one of them." She boasted.
"Heh… This is a good timing. About time I can test my deck alterations." Marisa combed through her long blonde hair with one hand, as she took out a deck with her other. The duel orb attached to her mini-Hakkero shimmered, eventually casting off a bright white light as a semi transparent duel orb materialized in front of her, and 5 crystalline shields started to rotate around the ordinary magician in slow motion. "Let's do this, ze!"
"Ahh… Nozomi douri!" Reimu responded with equal confidence and vigor, and taking out her deck, the duel orb on the wristband she is wearing on her right hand shone the same fantastical glare like Marisa's. As her deck was placed on the duel pad, 5 shields placed themselves in place, materializing and swirling around their owner. "I suppose it would be nice for some heat-up around this time, eh?"
"Yareyare… Getting fired up so fast huh." Michael commented as he sipped his new brewed tea. The sun cast its rays onto the shrine grounds, unhindered by clouds that glide idly across the delftware sky. He shifted a little more into the shrine, preferring to stay away from the glaring sunlight.
"Ha…" Jonathan let off a small chuckle, and poured himself some hot tea and sat across his companion. "It's just another usual day for the two incident solvers."
A test play between the two duelists, one that would make them reconsider their decks, weaving their structures and reflect upon their playing. Picking out the flaws little by little in every deck, that is how the incident solvers become stronger and stronger.
"Ikuze, Reimu!"
"Anytime, Marisa!"
""Duema, Start!""
BGM: The Bridge People No Longer Cross (Subterranean Animism ~ dBu Arrange)
Marisa was the first to move, after taking first turn.
"I cast Emergency Typhoon!" The black-white declared, as a small whirlwind whipped up two cards from her deck to her hand. "I draw 2 cards, then discard 1."
She thought for a short moment, and subsequently sent Ultramotion Rage Crystal from her hand to her graveyard. "Turn End."
"Already fattening that grave eh…?" Reimu stroked her chin. So it's her usual Danmaku Fernando huh….
Danmaku Fernando has a strong removal spell, and good resistance to beatdown due to various Shield Triggers… Drawing while fattening the grave to bring out a variety of Psychic Creatures, then Fernando and Duranzames for the win. It would not be a very nice situation for a normal beat…but this deck isn't one of those.
"Watashi no turn, draw." Reimu started her turn, and charging Batocross Battle into her mana zone, she tapped both the Gaial Command Dragon, and Mitsurugi Boost she charged during the earlier turn. "I cast Mendelssohn."
"Geh…" Marisa winced as she saw the spell. "Mendelssohn…"
"…Mendel ka…" Michael mumbled. A Red/Green spell, allowing the caster to look at the top 2 cards of their deck, and putting all dragons revealed to the mana zone, while the rest goes to the graveyard. Its sheer bursting power in dragon heavy decks, despite leaning slightly on the luck side, has been considered overpowered by some.
"…Heh." Revealing Molt NEXT and Mega Magma Dragon, Reimu charged them both into her mana zone tapped with a satisfied smile. "Turn End."
"Chi…Sasuga Reimu daze." Marisa commented with an annoyed click of her tongue.
Next turn Reimu will have 5 mana… Her deck is Molt NEXT, so the best flow would be Faerie Gift or Dogiragon Entry into Molt NEXT or Manalock… Chi, no use thinking about it now. I can only do what I can…!
"Draw, charge. I cast Bone Dance Charger." The top 2 cards of her deck dropped into her grave, being Hyperdimensional Romanov Hole and Fernando the 7th, one of the core cards of her deck. "Good… Bone Dance Charger is a Charger, so it goes to my mana zone after charging. Turn End."
"Marisa… Her flow is going good too." Jonathan observed. "She's fattening her grave pretty nicely…and thanks to Bone Dance Charger, she could cast some nice spells next turn."
"...Watashi no turn, draw." Reimu untapped her mana and drew a card. "…I charge Molt Head into my mana, then I cast Dogiragon Entry!"
"Yahari…!"
Dogiragon Entry, a red spell that recovers one of the caster's shield, and cost tramples a Fire Command Dragon that costs 7 or less. A very effective spell in Molt NEXT, and to a lesser extent, red Revolution decks.
"I take back one of my shields…" One of the crystalline shields disappeared as a shield was returned to Reimu's hand. "Then I cost trample Molt NEXT from my hand!"
"…Chi…"
"The ultimate Draguner, with your power over Dragheart, lead me to victory! Ultra War Dragon Power Molt NEXT!"
A whirlwind of flame whipped up, pouring a wave of heat over the shrine, and as it subsided, the Draguner clad in red and blue appeared on the battle zone, spreading his crimson wings behind his back.
"Heh, Reimu, let's do this!" Molt NEXT gave Reimu a thumbs up.
"Of course." Reimu replied, and gave her next command. "Molt NEXT's Mana Arms 5! I have 5 red cards in my mana zone, so I bring out a Fire Dragheart that costs 5 or less! I bring out Heart Burn!"
Slamming the ground and releasing a wild pulse of energy, Molt opened a hole to the Hyperdimension, and the Galaxy Fortress that is the fusion of Ohginga and Gairaioh rumbled out of the hole, towering over the shrine and the duelists.
"Heart Burn…"
"Now all my dragons gain Speed Attacker!" Reimu announced triumphantly.
"One of the main combos for Molt NEXT… Break all shields and go for a direct attack using Molt NEXT's untap ability to Ryuukai Heart Burn. Sasuga Reimu…it's such a beautiful flow it's terrifying." The ex-Cancer duelist explained to no one in particular. "Danmaku Fernando has almost no Shield Triggers to get rid of Molt NEXT and Guy NEXT… It might be game set."
"Battle!" Reimu's turn entered the battle phase. "Molt NEXT, Double Break!"
Responding to her command, Molt NEXT focused an energy sphere, and launched it at Reimu's opponent, shattering two shields.
"…No trigger." Marisa stated, as she looked at her two broken shields.
"Heh…Then Molt NEXT's Dragon Mana Arms 5! I untap…" Reimu started, but was cut off abruptly.
BGM: Magus Night (Fairy Wars ~ dBu arrange)
"But I have this! Strike Back-Darkness!" Marisa declared as she discarded one of the broken shields, revealed to be Continuous Chant Hanzo Ninpo. "Phantasm Clutch!"
"Phantasm Clutch…dato!" Clearly surprised, Reimu repeated the card's name.
"Heh…A rare choice…but definitely effective." Jonathan smiled.
Strike Back. By discarding a shield returned to the hand of a certain civilization, it is possible to summon creatures or cast spells with this ability for no cost.
"Ah…" Marisa smiled. "Considering the amount of beats and rushes these days, Phantasm Clutch sure comes in handy. Especially against Molt users like you, Reimu!"
"Geh…"
"With Phantasm Clutch's effect, I destroy one of your tapped creatures. Needless to say, I destroy Molt NEXT!"
"Uh…I'm sorry, Reimu…" A ghostly hand materialized, grabbing the tapped Draguner and crushing him in an explosion, sending him to Reimu's graveyard.
"Since your dragon didn't untap, Heart Burn of course doesn't Ryuukai." Marisa grinned.
"Chi…Turn End." Reimu signaled the end of her turn.
"Watashi no turn, draw!" Marisa started her turn. "Mana Charge. I cast Hyperdimensional Revive Hole! I return Fernando to my hand!" The magician caught the Demon Command as he bounced up from her graveyard, and adding him to her hand, she used Revive Hole's next effect. "I put a cost 7 or less black Psychic Creature into the battle zone. Come, Victorious Ryuusei Kaiser!"
The quadrapedal Red Command Dragon with a blue body and a clutching a flaming sword bounded out of a wormhole, giving out a large cry.
"…Victorious Ryuusei at this moment…!" Reimu looked at her hand and muttered. "Now all my cards put into my mana zone will be tapped…!"
"That's some good playing from Marisa…" Jonathan nodded. "This should stop Reimu from doing any major actions next turn. One turn can make all the difference after all."
"Heh…Whether it be Manalock or Jackpot Entry, you won't be able to use them next turn!" Marisa grinned. "He'll buy me one more turn even if you destroy him with Mitsurugi Boost…I don't suppose you have another Dogiragon Entry either eh? Turn End."
Reimu's gaze shifted to the Hunter dragon, then back to her hand.
She's right, I don't have another Dogiragon Entry on hand right now…I don't even have Mitsurugi Boost either… I'll just have to think after this draw.
"Watashi no turn." Peeking at her drawn card, Reimu's brows furrowed together, and she charged her draw, Batocross Battle, into her mana zone. "I cast Child Festival of Faerie Fire."
Faerie Fire, allowing the caster to look at the top 2 cards of their deck, and by choosing a Fire card and charging into their mana zone tapped, this card can be returned to the caster's hand, making it a very useful card in decks such as Molt King and Molt NEXT, two of Reimu's preferred decks.
"…I charge Mendelssohn into my mana, and since it's a Red card, I return Faerie Fire to my hand." Reimu announced, taking back the mana boosting spell to her hand from the field.
There was nothing more she could do, so she passed on the turn to Marisa.
"Heheh, seems that Ryuusei did his work well enough." The blonde complimented her dragon. "Watashi no turn. Draw."
"I cast Energy Light and draw cards." She tapped 3 mana and cast the staple draw source of the game. Tapping another 3 mana, she cast another spell. "I cast Dragon Pulse Technique – Dragon Pulse Destroyer to send a cost 6 or less card from the battle zone back to it's owner's hand. Needless to say, I choose Heart Burn!"
A strong spiral of water washed up from beneath the Dragheart Fortress, pulling it into its grasp, and into an unknown abyss.
"Geh…Heart Burn gets returned to the Hyperdimensional Zone when it leaves the battle zone." The card bounced from the battle zone on Reimu's duel pad and landed back onto her Hyperdimensional Zone.
"Now Manalock won't be that much of a problem…hopefully." Marisa started to ponder.
Reimu has 7 mana now… Not considering the 8th mana she would be charging into her mana zone, which would likely be Faerie Fire, it would be enough to help her bring out a variety of dangerous finishers… Even Manalock would render 3 of her mana useless. Just considering the deck theme, it was a very disadvantageous duel for Marisa right from the start.
"…Turn End."
BGM: Touhou Yourendan (Phantasmagoria of ~ mocchie arrange)
"My turn, draw. I charge Faerie Fire into my mana zone tapped." Reimu declared.
…As expected.
"Then I summon Glenmolt Head!" Molt, in another form, materialized from a pillar of flame, standing on top of the head of Gaiginga.
"Heh…! I'm back again!" Molt jumped down from Gaiginga's head and stretched his limbs. Glenmolt Head, the time when he reached into the depths of the Hyperdimension, calling out even the heroes of the Super Creature World. That's what the story says. In a universe without connection to that creature world, creatures and spells are but manifestations of people's beliefs and souls.
This Glenmolt is particularly useful in bringing about a variety of Draghearts, regarding of civilization, and in rare cases, Psychic Creatures, that can change the entire tide of the battle to his controller's favor.
"Battle!" The shrine maiden ordered as she tapped the Draguner. "Molt Head's Mana Arms 7! Since I have 7 Red cards in my mana, I bring out a cost 6 or less non-weapon card from my Hyperdimensional zone! I bring out Endless Heaven!"
"Geh…Endless Heaven now…" The black-white winced.
Molt released a pulse of energy to the heaven's, once again opening a portal to the Hyperdimension. This is time, a white and gold Dragheart Fortress levitated out of the hole, gleaming a bright light under the solar rays. It's Ryuukai condition, having more shields than the opponent at the end of the turn, has excellent synergy with Glenmolt Head, arguably even more so than Heaven's Rosia or Saint Rose.
"Molt Head! Double Break!"
The Humanoid Baku dashed at Marisa, and throwing a flurry of quick punches, shattered two more of the magician's shields, leaving the sole one left rotating alone. Checking her shield's, a glint appeared in Marisa's eyes.
"Shield Trigger! Unindentified Objective!
"…!"
"Ho…that's some luck Marisa got there." Michael had another sip of his tea. "This game could work in her favor if she's lucky…"
"Unidentified Objective's effect. I can cast a cost 7 or less spell from my graveyard and put it under the bottom of my deck." Marisa explained.
It was a very handy spell indeed. Not considering the artwork.
"I cast Romanov Hole!" Marisa chose the spell that was milled into her grave with Bonce Dance Charger. "Reimu, you'll have to choose and destroy one of your creatures!"
"Chi…Not that I have a choice. Sorry, Molt." Reimu shook her head in annoyance. A string of yellow energy stretched out from a smog of darkness, binding the Draguner and destroying him.
"Then Romanov Hole's second effect! I put Romanov Zeta into the battle zone!" The Magician Knight with the blood of Romanov, revived with the power of Zeta and attaining it, clad in black armor and a red cap, and wielding the trademark gunblade of the Romanovs, appeared on Marisa's battle zone.
"Guh…Endless Heaven's ablity. I add a card from my deck to my shield zone as a new shield." One more crystalline shield appeared, joining the other 5 rotating around the brown haired girl.
"Then Shield Trigger. Emergency Typhoon. I draw two cards…then discard one." Marisa dropped Ifreet Hand from her hand into her grave.
"…End Phase. Since I have more shields than Marisa, Endless Heaven Ryuukai's into Neverend!" The Dragheart Fortress let off a stunning glare, and after it faded, the last form of Everlast, wielding a spear as tall as himself and covered in gold armor, stood in its place. "Turn End."
"Heh…My turn. Starting Phase. Since I have 10 spells in my graveyard…I shuffle my graveyard into my deck, and Romanov Zeta awakens into Romanov Zeta Wizard!" Marisa let out a laugh, barely suppressing the smile on her face as her graveyard shuffled itself into her deck.
The Knight let out a pulse of dark energy, surrounding himself with it and growing larger. After a moment, the awakened psychic creature revealed his new form. Multiple arms, wielding swords instead of gunblades, and an unbelievably long chin, resembling nothing like his previous form, or any of the others in the Romanov or Zeta clan.
"…" Reimu bit her lip at the sight of Romanov Zeta Wizard.
"Then Romanov Zeta's pending effect. I put the top card of my deck into my graveyard." Her deck did so, revealing the milled card as Hyperdimensional Emperor Hole.
"Untap and Draw. I cast Energy Light and draw 2 cards. Then I cast Secret Clocktower." Marisa untapped 5 cards in her mana zone and cast the 2 spells. With Secret Clocktower's effect, she looked at the top 3 cards of her deck, added 1 to her hand, 1 to her deck top and the last to her deck bottom. "Let's go on the offense then!"
At that moment, Romanov Zeta Wizard spoke up.
"Marisa-dono. Let's grasp this victory!" The Knight rumbled. "It would have been good if Fernando was here too…but sadly the compatibility between our abilities is not desirable."
"…Hah, it seems you can talk too now huh?" Marisa, not hiding her joy, gave the creature a bright thumbs up. "Don't worry. I'll get Fernando out when I can!"
"Battle!" Marisa ordered. "I attack with Zeta Wizard! His attack trigger ability!"
Romanov Zeta Wizard's attack trigger, is to mill his controller's deck's top 2 cards, and casting a Darkness spell from the grave for no cost, and then putting the cast spell under the bottom of their deck. This ability works excellently with Alexander the 3rd, another Knight, although he is not a part of Marisa's deck. Swiping one of his large swords at Marisa's library, Zeta Wizard milled her top 2 cards, being Romanov Hole and Danmaku.
"Ah…so Marisa controlled her deck top with Secret Clocktower to make full use of Zeta Wizard's ability… As expected of Marisa." Jonathan said. "Let's see how Reimu will respond to this."
"I cast Romanov Hole!"
"…I use Neverend's True Escape! I return two shields to my hand and he stays in the battle zone instead!" Activating the Angel Command Dragon's removal substitution effect, Reimu caught the two shields that bounced back to her hand.
"…" She used Neverend's True Escape…so it means she might have Bolshack Dogiragon in her hand as a last resort. If I bring out Gaial Kaiser for a Just Kill…that might backfire in my face. …Then. "I bring out Victorious Gaial Kaiser!" The Hunter Dragon that forms a Psychic Link with Victorious Ryuusei and Prin flew out of the wormhole, sliding to a stop in front of Marisa, and readying a stance for battle.
"…"
"…So she's going to aim for a Just Kill…" Michael thought to himself. "She's betting that Reimu has got no BolDogi in her hands or her shields, and that she has no triggers too huh… Considering the there's only 2 copies of BolDogi and 1 copy of Batocross Battle to save Reimu, Marisa is having a relatively safe bet. That said…Reimu has a large dragon with a freeze ability for his attack trigger…and most certainly a dragon with speed attacker in her hand. Marisa's deck does not have Ninjas, so it's her only chance of winning when she can't take care of Neverend huh…"
"…Romanov Zeta, Triple Break!"
Upon the command, the Knight swung his multiple arms, shattering 3 of the semi-…
transparent shields that protected Reimu.
"…" Bracing herself against the impact, Reimu checked the broken shields. "…No trigger."
"Ma…sounaru na…" Jonathan sat back. Molt NEXT is not famous for its defences. The only shield trigger Reimu used in this deck was Batocross Battle…and already 2 copies of him are in Reimu's mana zone. The only other defense option is Bolshack Dogiragon, which might lie in Reimu's hand now…or not.
"…Ryuusei! Final Break!" Upon a small moment of hesitation, Marisa gave the dragon her next order.
"…Rev 0 Trigger. Bolshack Dogiragon!" Reimu announced, revealing the Mega Command Dragon in her hand, the red frame of the card glowing under the sunlight.
"…" An annoyed tongue click came from Marisa. No…There's still a chance her deck top isn't a creature…! Mendelssohn, Jackpot Entry, Dogiragon Entry…even another Bolshack Dogiragon. I haven't given up yet!
"…Ike! Gaial!" The Red Command Dragon flew towards Reimu, his swords of searing heat on his arms, stemming from the scar on his chest, poised for the final strike.
Reimu looked straight at the creature, and flipped her deck top open with a flick of her wrist.
The next moment, just before Gaial's blades reached Reimu, a large fist smashed down, rocking the shrine and crushing Marisa's dragon. A red fist with the symbol of the Revolutionaries. One that belonged to Bolshack Dogiragon.
"…Chikusyou!" Marisa muttered, not hiding her frustration.
"…Fuu." Reimu breathed a sigh of relief, and looked at the card under Bolshack Dogiragon. Forever Princess. The card that is the combination of both Ryuusei and Prin during the last stages of E2.
"Turn End…" Marisa shook her head in disbelief.
BGM: A New Duel Legend (YGO ZeXal Sound Duel 1)
"Watashi no turn! Draw!" Reimu charged a card into her mana zone, she summoned another dragon. "Come! Eternal Ryuusei Kaiser!"
"…I guess that's it for Marisa this time huh." Jonathan noted, and gave a small chuckle.
"Can't blame her." Michael agreed. "It's Reimu after all…the beloved Shrine Maiden of Gensokyo. She's a true prodigy in every sense."
"Battle! Neverend, Final Break and freeze Zeta Wizard!" Reimu ordered. Neverend obeyed, casting a shackle of chains at the Demon Command and restricting his movement, binding him to the ground. The Angel Command Dragon then twirled his enormous lance, shooting a golden beam from it at Marisa and shattering her final defense.
"…Shield Trigger. Ifrit Hand. I destroy Ryuusei!" An infernal hand materialized from a storm of flames, destroying the Hunter.
"…But there's nothing left to protect you now, Marisa!" Reimu gave her final command. "Bolshack Dogiragon, todome!"
Marisa sighed in defeat, as the dragon brought down his fists on her, stopping right before they made impact, signaling the end of the duel.
"…Maitta na…" Marisa shook her head, her blonde hair waving in response to the gesture. "As expected of Reimu."
The shrine maiden smiled brightly in response. "Of course. You wouldn't expect less from me."
As the duel pads and the creatures faded away, a small gust blew up.
"…?"
"Hihi~!" A cheerful voice chirped up, the gust fading away as a figure landed in front of the shrine.
"You are…" It took a moment for Michael to register the identity of the newcomer.
"…Aya." Reimu eyes narrowed at the Tengu with semi-long black hair, who was folding up her black wings behind her back. She didn't mean good news most of the time. Just like the race she is part of. The Crow Tengus.
"Ayaya…" Aya twirled her pen in one hand while fixing up her white blouse with the other. "I don't sense a very welcoming tone. But nevertheless, the honest Shameimaru Aya, the fastest in Gensokyou, at your service." She gave a small bow to everyone present.
"Aya… It's been some time." Jonathan started.
"Has it? 10 years is just an instant to us youkai." Aya smiled, her red eyes fixated at the young man. "But yes, it has been some time since we've met."
"So? What's your business here? To spread some more gossip or get interviews?" Reimu crossed her arms, apparently not very pleased at the crow tengu's presence. It was understandable, considering all the exaggerated gossip she spread all the time. Her absolute strength in both dueling and fighting didn't help the people who wanted to settle scores with her too.
"I've heard that the annual tournament is coming up soon. I've thought about helping spread the news around." Aya explained. "The wind picks up every piece of news around, as you can see." She flicked her hand casually, and a small breeze blew around the Hakurei Shrine.
"Heh. I'll be sure to win again this time." The red white smirked, and the magician beside her clicked her tongue.
"And you'll blow all of your earnings away in an instant again eh?" Marisa retorted.
"Chi…mind your business."
"That's not good, Reimu. You should be more responsible for your income. Whether it be tournament earnings or osaisen." Michael scolded, and Reimu gave him a sour glare in return.
"Anyways," Aya continued. "I guess my newspaper can spread the news of the annual competition then? It'd be fast, considering my speed." She boasted while twirling her pen again.
"Ma… As long as you don't add redundant stuff…again." Jonathan agreed, to which Aya stuck out her tongue playfully.
"All right then, I'll be sure to get this around quick!" Aya spread her black wings as a gust started up again. "But this tournament…I won't be going down easily!"
With that, she was gone, leaving an empty space where she was an instant earlier.
"…She's definitely using rush again." Marisa massaged her temples. "What's it gonna be this time? Dokindam Redzone?"
"Well, it's better you have some form of defense against that, Marisa." Jonathan told her. "Considering Invaders, especially Redzone has been getting quite popular these days from what I see."
"Che…I'll go visit Kourin and see what stuff he has then." The magician rode on her broom. "Reimu, you coming?"
Reimu nodded, and took off into the air with Marisa.
"…Well then, it's time to discuss our work then, I suppose." Michael turned around to see Yukari, in her purple dress, sitting behind them at the round table.
The gap youkai smiled. "I like it when people get to the point fast. Let's get to business, shall we?"
Decks:
Reimu: Steroid Molt NEXT (ステロイドモルネク)
Marisa: Crosis Danmaku Fernando (弾幕フェルナンド)