Foreword: It's been a year since my last chapter, but here goes. Hopefully I can get my motivation back and all. Anyways, on to the chapter!
Touhou Duel Masters Cafe Chapter 31
Rehabilitation
The red-white shrine maiden's eyelids opened as she gazed at her surroundings. She was standing in front of the torii, the entrance to the divine grounds. She looked back. It was the same run-down shrine as usual, the azure sky littered with clouds here and there as a breeze picked up, scattering a clump of leaves into the air.
…What was it again? Reimu pondered, cocking her head. Surely something had happened, but she can't seem to recall exactly. Her memory was fuzzy; something seemed to be walling her attempts to reach into the near past.
I guess stuff happens. She shrugged it off. It wasn't the first time something like this has occurred, she thought as she started back into the Hakurei Shrine. Memories are a funny thing.
Michael was still tucked inside his futon, with no signs of waking up in the meantime. Figuring she'd have to make breakfast herself, Reimu trudged into the kitchen to prepare some food, and took some sausages from the self-powered fridge the kappas had invented. Igniting some logs, she sizzled the sausages on the pan as their aroma filled the air.
Today is a good day as usual.
A sharp sting in his head woke Jonathan up as he sprang up from his position. The lingering pain resonating, he tried to make sense of what had happened. Seiga apparently accessed the Akashic Record…using the souls of the people she gathered during the tournament to prevent the collapse of this world. There was a bright light...and that was where his memory was cut off. Massaging his forehead, he stared at the forest he around him. None of the girls were in sight. The chirps of birds echoed between the trees, and the rustling of bushes as animals scrambled through them. Everything looked normal…or so it seems. How much had Seiga changed during her contact with the Akashic Record? He had no idea. Although he knew of its existence as an idea that Madam Blavatsky had proposed, the unfathomable amount of knowledge it possessed was not something a mere mortal like him could imagine nor comprehend, nor could he dream of tapping into its resources and altering it.
Did she succeed in diverting the world from destruction? Jonathan got off the ground and brushed the leaves off his garments. It's probably better if he started looking for answers, he figured, and started to head out of the forest.
The former Leo duelist sighed a breath of relief as Satori came to answer the door and invited him in. It seemed that those who have been turned into cards have returned…thanks of Seiga altering the Akashic Record, but at the same time, not a single person seemed to remember her deeds regarding carding people and attacking the Moriya shrine. It seemed she had wiped those memories off too…but the lingering question is why Jonathan remembers. Could it be because he was an otherworlder and thus outside of this world's Akashic Record? It was only a guess as far as it goes until he meets Seiga and demands answers from her. It was true that she had turned residents into cards and attacked the shrines…but now everything had returned to normal; with no one else having recollections of Seiga's actions, and this world apparently averted from destruction. Jonathan wondered if he should continue pursuing the evil hermit as he took a sip of red tea that Satori had brewed. He had not been able to come to a conclusion even as he bid the satori youkai goodbye and left the Underground.
Michael let what Jonathan told him sink in. All of it was hard to believe; the Akashic Record was not just an idea, but an actual astral plane that controlled reality, Seiga was actually trying to prevent to world from spiraling into its destructive destiny, and that he and Jonathan were the only ones who could remember what Seiga did. As he munched on the sausages Reimu had left him before flying off somewhere, he sighed and massaged his aching temples. It seems that the fatigue from using his powers had still not worn off, so despite memories being rewritten, the past had still occurred without people remembering them. He has the same doubts as Jonathan; to continue hunting down Seiga or not. It was true that she had caused major trouble, but at the same time she apparently saved the world and turned everyone back. There was, theoretically speaking, no reason to do so anymore, but something still nagged at his mind. It might just be his ego in the end. Shaking his head, he finished the last of his sausages. Telling the others would just complicate matters now that memories have been rewritten, so in the end, they decided to keep their mouths shut and let the matter slide for now. They still, however, intend on getting some answers from Seiga if they met up with her. The tournament had been written so that it had already ended and Reimu had won, like every year before. Everything returned to normal…at least on the apparent side. That's what they wanted to believe for now, and wondered what Yukari was up to in all this business.
BGM: Maiden's Capriccio ~ Dream Battle ~ (Touhou Project – Imperishable Night)
"I cast Aquan Jr.'s Delivery." Michael announced, revealing the top 3 cards of his deck, those being Dragon's Sign, Heaven's Rosia and Rainbow Spark, all of those added to his hand as those were Light cards. "Turn End."
"I cast Faerie Fire Festival." Reimu charged a mana and cast the green spell. "I look at the top 2 cards of my deck...and put Misurugi Boost into my mana tapped. Fire Festival returns to my hand. Turn End." Reimu announed and put the other card under the bottom of her deck.
...Next turn Reimu will have 6 mana... Even though Mendelssohn dropped Faerie Gift into Reimu's grave, she might still have Scramble Change. Can only hope to have triggers then. Michael mused to himself and drew a card. "I charge Wisdompheus and cast Rainbow Spark. Since I have 2 multicolored cards in my mana I draw 2 cards. Turn End."
"My turn. I charge mana and cast Fire Festival again. I boost Batocross battle into my mana and return Fire Festival to my hand. Turn end."
Yosh... "My turn. I cast Dragon's Sign and cost trample Heaven's Rosia, and bring out Heaven's Heaven with his effect." The white Draguner materialized on Michael's side of the field, and from the Hyperspace summoned forth the holy Dragheart Fortress. "End phase. I trample Emeralda with Heaven's Heaven, and switch a shield with his effect. Turn End."
"My turn." Reimu drew a card and charged Ryuusei the Earth into her mana. "...I summon Molt NEXT!" The heroic Draguner burst out from a tornado of searing flame, and gathering energy in his palms, opened a hole to the Hyperspace, bringing forth Batorai Kaku, the Dragheart Fortress that brings forth even more dragons as Reimu's dragons attack. "As I summoned a cost 5 or more red command, I take off the first seal off Forbidden Star!" The sign of the first seal burned on Forbidden Star, and dropped it into Reimu's graveyard. "Turn End!"
This isn't really good... Michael drew a card. There's Diehard and Eternal Ryuusei in Reimu's deck, so Miradante 12 isn't going to help too much right now. Thankfully I put a trigger with Emeralda... There's no duel without risks! "My turn! I charge a mana and cast Heaven's Gate! I trample Wisdompheus and Miracle Star!" From the glorious gate of Heaven stormed forth the 2 dragons as he activated their abilities. "Miracle Star's ability! I return Dragon's Sign, Aquan Jr., Rainbow Spark and Heaven's Gate to my hand! Wisdompheus' effect! I cast Rainbow Spark for no cost from my hand to tap Molt NEXT and draw 2 cards, then with Wisdompheus' second ability I look at the top 2 cards of my deck and take add Arcadia Spark to my hand, and the rest goes to my deck bottom."
"Battle phase! I attack Molt NEXT with Emeralda, and Revolution Change! Mirandate 12!" The Time Pope descended upon the field as Emeralda returned to Michael's hand, and he announced the activation of Miradante's ability. "I cast Dragon's Sign...and cost trample Savaak!"
"...!" Reimu stared at the new Master Dragon, with a thin silhouette, an asymmetrical crest and wielding a twin-headed lance, along with sword bits protruding from its 2 wings.
"Savaak's ability! I choose a card from Reimu's field and send it to your shield zone! I choose Batorai Kaku!" Michael pointed at the gigantic fortress in the air. "Elision Exaltation!" Savaak hurled its lance at Batorai Kaku, and subsequently fired all its sword bits at the Dragheart Fortress, piercing it and sending it back to the Hyperspatial Zone. "End phase! I trample Emeralda again and switch another shield! Turn end!"
"Heh, not bad for a sick man's rehabilitation duel." Reimu smiled as she drew a card and charged a mana.
"No thanks to you, Reimu." Michael retorted.
"2 mana. I cast Faerie Gift." Reimu brandished the shining spell in her hand. "My next creature costs 3 less to summon."
"Gift here...? ...Masaka!"
"Sono masaka yo! I summon Glenmolt King with my remaining 7 mana!" The Humanoid crashed onto the field upon his summon. "I take off another seal off Forbidden Star and give Glenmolt King Power Attacker +2222! Then Mana Arms 7! I equip him with Gigaheart and Gaiohburn! With Gaiohburn's ability, I battle King with Savaak!"
"Kuh..." Michael watched as his Master Dragon was sliced in half with a single stroke and vanished in a large explosion.
"Battle phase! I attack Miradante with Glenmolt King! King gets +3000 power from Gaiohburn and +2222 power from Power Attacker, so he wins the battle!" With another slice, the Angel Command Dragon disappeared from Michael's field. "Since I've won 2 battles this turn...Gaiohburn! Ryukai! Gairaioh!" Throwing the Dragheart weapon into the heavens, the transformed Dragheart creature flew down straight at Michael's shields. "Double Break 2 shields that aren't set with Emeralda!"
Catching the splintered shields in his hand, Michael winced as they revealed themselves as non-triggers.
"...No trigger."
"Then since that's the second Dragon attack, Gigaheart, Ryukai!" The second Dragheart weapon transformed into Ohginga, and like wise it charged straight at Michael's shields. "Ohginga's ability! I bring out Batorai Bushin and give him Speed Attacker! Triple Break!" The last of Michael's shields cracked and broke as Oginga brought down a ground-splitting strike.
BGM: Step Ahead! (Sen no Kiseki 3 OST)
"Such a strong Duel Feel... but Shield Trigger!" Michael shielded himself from the impact, and announced as he caught the 3 broken shields. "Arcadia Spark and Novalty Amaze! With Arcadia Spark's effect I tap all of Reimu's creatures and send Batorai Bushin to the bottom of Reimu's deck, and with Novalty Amaze's effect and first draw a card and cost trample a cost 8 or less creature from my hand with Super Shield Trigger! Come! Savaak!" The second copy of the Metallica/Master Dragon hybrid descended upon the field, sealing Glenmolt King into Reimu's shields face up.
"Yarune. Turn End." Reimu announced the end of her turn.
"Saa... Ore no turn! Draw! Since I have 3 Blockers in the battle zone, Heaven's Heaven Ryukai! Neverlast!" It was Michael's turn for his Dragheart Fortress to Ryukai, turning into the Angel Command Dragon wielding a giant spear. "I summon another Heaven's Rosia and bring out D'Arc-en-Ciel! Now I have 5 Angel Commands in my battle zone! Gravity Zero! I evolve the Heaven's Rosia I summoned just now into Lord of Spirits Alpharion!" Surrounded in blinding glorious light, Rosia broke free from the symbol of evolution, becoming the newest Lord of Spirits armed with 4 swords. "Saa ikuze! I attack Ohginga with my first Heaven's Rosia and he wins with Neverlast's ability! Then Alpharion, Triple Break!"
Reimu caught the 3 shields shattered by the Angel Command's attack, one of them bathed in a red aura. "Shield Trigger. I summon Batocross Battle and remove the third seal from Forbidden Star to give him Slayer, and battle him with Alpharion!"
"Savaak's ablity! I peel off Molt King off your shields and Alpharion stays! Savaak, Dragon Double Break! I add two shields to my shield zone face down from my deck!"
"Kuh...No trigger." The last of Reimu's shields were added to her hand, and she shook her head as she admitted defeat.
"Phew... Neverlast, direct attack!"
Both duelists packed up their decks as the creatures, shields and duel pads dissipated into thin air, leaving the shrine grounds empty as always.
So creatures still materialise after Seiga's interference with the Akashic Record of this world...I still wonder why this sudden influx of the power of souls and Duel Feels could manage this all of a sudden, the former Cancer duelist wondered. Seiga might know why now that she's accessed it... There's too much questions to ask.
"Alright, since it's Michael's win, you have to treat me to some hot chocalate." Reimu decided as she tugged on Michael's sleeve, bringing him back from his questioning.
"Ehh..."
"Don't be such meanie. Let's go!"
"Alright, alright... I'll go contact Jonathan and we'll get to the store after that."
Decks:
Michael: Blue White Rosia Dante （青白ロージアダンテ）
Reimu: Red Green Molt NEXT （赤緑モルネク）