Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V, VRAINS, nor am I the creator of the Infinite Loops.
Special credit to spacebattles user KettouRyuujin for the original duel outline and input in card making, and Crossoverpairinglover for his own advice in the card making.
Author notes at the bottom.
CHAPTER 2
As usual, the world was screaming.
The ground was shaking, and the land was torn open, revealing the flames of hell that burned beneath. The sky was covered in ash and smoke and the light of the sun would never shine through again.
The shards of glass were shining like tiny stars against the flames, dozens of colours glittering in the dark. Odd how the human mind could find beauty in anything.
"Maybe it's a coping mechanism?"
He ran as fast as he could, staying low, half-hidden behind the wrecks of the once gorgeous buildings. He caught sight of a sign with an ice cream on it. Was that the place they used to hang out in? He couldn't remember.
"That's to be expected. Don't get sentimental over ice cream now, you have a job to do."
A shard of glass was caught in his hand, but he removed it with practiced ease. A mere thought was all it took for it to be healed – he could not afford to shed blood on his cards.
"The wonders of Real Solid Vision."
Indeed… Telling what was real and what was Real Solid Vision was hard… especially when thinking of himself.
"Interesting line of thought but pretty useless."
He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts.
"Yuto."
The Anchor of the Xyz Dimension turned to his best friend. Shun's face was hidden beneath his sunglasses and his mask, but then again, so was his.
A flash of light, different than the flames, caught their attention. Just a couple of blocks away, a cold and harsh explosion in the colours of the rainbow was followed by the roar of a dragon.
Kaito was always going for his Cipher deck in these loops. He said that his Photon deck was too specialized to deal with the Academia, designed to fight against the Numbers as it was. That was true, but it was only half the reason. This baseline had done weird things in Kaito's head, though they'd rarely talk about it.
Kaito was currently standing vanguard against a small army of Obelisk Force soldiers. Yuto was not worried about him. Even in baseline, Kaito had proven more than capable of taking them on. With the loops, and his previous experience in the ZEXAL branch, these guys were a joke.
Besides, Kaito was only here as a distraction. Shun and Yuto had another job.
"Are you there yet?"
"In a few."
With the light show before them, no soldier noticed the two dark figures sneaking behind the shadows.
Finally their destination came in sight. Now it was time for the hard part.
Yuto and Shun had been tasked with locating the main Academia base, and doing as much damage as possible.
Razing the place to the ground would be child's play for a fragment of a self-made god of destruction and the walking armory. Really, that was all that their mission entailed – destroy the base so that Academia cannot deploy more soldiers.
The loopers had something more complicated in mind.
Shun carefully scanned the area with his Duel Disk. "Lots of security here. There is camera coverage in full range around the compound, overseeing both the inner and outer sides of the deploying grounds. There is also some coverage over the building, probably for aerial attacks. I'm pretty sure those are missiles…"
Sure enough, a long row of missiles generated by the Antique Gear cards were placed in the rooftop of the dome-like base.
That was to be expected. Normally, the Fusion Dimension did not go that far in terms of surveillance, but thanks to the combined efforts of the local loopers, the Resistance still held too strong for their liking.
Yuto smiled, though there was only but the tiniest sliver of humour in it. "Preparation for aerial attacks and missiles? Looks like your reputation precedes you, Shun."
Shun scowled at him. "You'll never let me live that down, will you?"
"Shun, you blew up a stadium from orbit in baseline."
"It's the only way to be sure."
Yuto did not have anything to say to that. This time, Shun was told to go overboard, and for the sake of their plan, Yuto had agreed to it. Besides, Shun's coping mechanism was by no means the worst he's heard of.
"Kurosaki's coping mechanism consists of mass destruction and sometimes lots of irrational screaming."
"The screaming is fun though."
"That's not what you usually say."
"At any rate, an aerial infiltration is not an option."
Shun nodded, annoyance clear as day on his face. "Cards?"
Yuto knew what his friend was thinking. They could use Phantom Fog Blade to fill the whole area with mist and sneak in with that. Normally that would work – the wind combined with the dust and the ash made for horrendous visibility, so freakish mists were pretty common.
The birds that died from the ash… Ruri had cherished them…
"Around here, if we play any card, they'll detect it. Better go with another option."
"Camouflage spell then."
"On it."
Yuto reached for his Pocket and pulled his wand – ebony and, unsurprisingly, dragon heartstring. Hogwarts loops always had something useful to offer. "It's not true invisibility" he warned Shun, even though he already knew the drill. "We have to walk slowly and steadily so that the cameras won't pick any anomalies."
"I know" said Shun, but he did not call out Yuto on the reminder. Instead, he turned off the scanner and made a call.
"We're going in. Get ready."
A female voice replied. "Alright, brother. Please be careful."
"We will."
Ruri readied her duel disk, once again inspecting it for damage. Other than the typical scratches on the paint here and there it was spotless. Good. Once again, she inspected her deck, before pulling out a single card.
Getting new cards in the loops – specialized, overpowered cards – was far from a problem. However, making a new card the traditional way…
Well, as traditional as Akaba Reiji can get, at any rate.
Well, making cards the traditional way required a lot of attention to detail. There was the problem of what kind of card you wanted it to be, in what situations it's applicable, and whether you want it to be balanced or not. And then there was testing. Lots and lots of testing.
She had been asked to test this card. In fact, just about every ARC-V looper had been given a copy of this card along with a checklist of what tests are to be performed. She did not know if she would actually use it – her brother definitely wouldn't, seeing how badly it clashed with his strategy – but adding it in… That wouldn't be such a bad idea.
Once again she inspected her deck, deciding it was good enough.
There was more to this than testing a card. She had another mission to carry out.
Dodging Sayaka and Allen was easy – all she had to do was pretend that she would go refill the water. It was not even a lie, she really did have to refill the water.
Canteen in hand, she stood in line waiting. There she saw him by the corner of her eye. He was waiting just like she was.
The one he was waiting for would never arrive.
Instead Ruri turned around and waved at him. Startled, he waved back. She chuckled under her breath. You didn't expect to be spotted, did you?
She jogged to the spot he was standing, bucket forgotten. Somebody would pick it up later. This was more important.
"Hello, Dennis."
The tall entertainer blinked at her and smiled. "Ruri! I didn't expect to see you today! I thought you'd be out there fighting?"
Dennis, what a charming liar. Good enough to lie to himself and believe it.
"No, we never send everyone! Someone has to stay behind and guard the camp, right?" That was true. Divide and conquer was one thing, but leaving the base unguarded was suicide. Even with their three strongest duelists out, the refugee camp was filled to the brim with teens and young adults carrying battered duel disks and wearing red scarves.
"I guess that's true…" said Dennis. He hid it well – very well – but he was sweating a little. Now was the time.
"Dennis, can I talk to you a little? Elsewhere?"
"Huh?"
The sky was dark but clear, the moonlight shining through the curtains of his window – the stars were invisible though, hidden as they were by the city lights. The house was eerily quiet save for the soft snores coming from the bedrooms and the ever present buzzing of the fridge.
No sane person would make a phone call at this hour.
But Sakaki Yuya was used to keeping busy at odd hours.
Taking care not to wake up his many pets, he opened his window as silently as he could and climbed out of the window, up to the roof of his house. With his acrobatic skills it was easy.
Making sure that nobody was around to wonder what in the world was Sakaki Yuya doing in his pajamas on a roof in the middle of the night, he took out his duel disk and waited for the call to connect.
Come on, pick up… I know you're not sleeping…
"Yuya. What happened?"
Yuya nearly collapsed with relief. He got straight to the point. "I heard from Yugo and Rin a few hours ago – we're in a Fused Loop with VRAINS. SOL Technologies appeared in the Synchro Dimension."
Reiji was silent for a moment. "So that's what the two extra Pings were… They must belong to Fujiki Yusaku and Ai."
"That's what we figured" said Yuya. "But we didn't find any sign of them. Yugo said that SOL Technologies is doing something with virtual reality technology, but he doesn't know anything more than that. They're looking into it now."
"I see. Keep me updated on that."
"I will. Oh, and Yugo said that the surveillance in the City is even more thorough than usual. We think that SOL Technologies may have something to do with it."
"That would be the logical conclusion. However, if there is such a connection, it would mean that the Security Bureau is connected with SOL Technologies."
Yuya shivered, and it was not from the late night chill. Roger and SOL working together… "If they look into this too deeply, the Security will probably go after them…"
"We cannot afford to have any loopers in the City captured. Tell them to proceed with outmost caution."
"Will do. But Yugo says he can now teleport out of there…"
"Oh? So he finally mastered Clear Wing's power?"
"That's what he said. He still has a few hiccups though…"
"I see. That would be beneficial. I'll have him on call from now on."
In another life, a long time ago, Yuya would have argued against this. Strongly. However, a lot of stuff had happened since then. "I'll tell him when he's up."
"Anything else?"
Yuya thought about it for a moment. "I think… the loopers in Fusion and Xyz are planning something big, but I have no idea what. Yuto and Yuri sounded like they've been planning it for a while now."
Reiji was silent for a while. "Yet they did not share the details with you?"
"No… Yugo doesn't know either. I don't think he realized there is a plan. But he's pretty rattled by the SOL thing, so…"
"Be sure to find out as soon as possible."
He did not have to be ordered. "Got it."
"By the way, Yuya…"
"Yes?"
"Are you planning on revealing Pendulum to the general public?"
Yuya scowled. That conversation… "Yuto and Yuri told me to hold it off for this loop."
"…Interesting…"
"Yeah, that's one way of putting it." In fact, that was what first clued him that his two fellow co-anchors were up to something.
"Perhaps they wish to withhold the existence of Pendulum from the Academia?"
"Could be…" Yuya shook his head. He almost forgot to ask. "Do you think we can go to Synchro early?"
"To deal with SOL Technologies? At this stage, we do not have enough information, and we're hardly prepared."
"So that's a no…" Yuya stifled a yawn.
"It's late. I assume you have shared all this with Hiiragi Yuzu and Gongenzaka?"
A dismissal, if he ever heard one. But it was pretty late. "Yeah, as soon as I heard. I just – you know, I can't call you out in the open." After all, Yuya and Reiji were not supposed to know each other this early in baseline.
"Understood. Goodnight then."
"Yeah, goodnight."
The call disconnected. Yuya felt exhausted but somehow he felt better too.
Ever since Reiji stopped his Stealth Looping, their lives got so much easier. He could act in the open now. Sure, he was not always Awake, and half the Lancers were not even loopers to begin with, but being completely honest with at least one person in the group was a huge improvement.
And Reiji was a man of many means, and a man of his word. If he promised something, it was as good as done. With all those insane loops they had over time, Yuya could do with a little stability. They all could.
His thoughts went back to his counterparts. They more than anyone could use some stability right now.
Be careful, guys.
He climbed back into his room, uncertain if he would be able to sleep.
Reaching the main gate was easy. Getting in the base was another thing entirely.
They were partially prepared; several loops ago, Yuya had used the technical skill he had acquired as Phantom to make a device that could trick surveillance systems. Yuya called it a "simple" gadget that made the cameras record looping footage, but honestly? Yuto did not understand that stuff.
Prior to the loops, Allen was their tech guy. After the loops, Yugo and Yuya became their tech guys. Akaba Reiji was a recent addition. Yuto was by no means hopeless with tech but he simply was not at that level.
The point was, with the cameras successfully jammed, Yuto and Shun could talk freely.
They had done such things so many times already that they no longer needed signals. Shun activated his duel disk again, this time switching to thermal vision. Yuto peeped over his shoulder. Several people, sitting.
"Scientists."
"Yeah."
Nothing out of the ordinary. Academia always had anywhere between twenty and fifty scientists working on various things in their bases at all times. With a passing glance Yuto could tell that this time there were around thirty people in there.
And of course, patrols.
"Three on ground level… Two standing guard in the main generator room… Two more to Edo's office, nobody inside… The rest are at random spots, I guess doors. Three squads on standby… Can't spot anyone else."
Yuto scowled. Edo Phoenix. Originally from the GX branch, made several connections and close friends in both branches… And somehow, he was still not looping.
Yuma complained about it too – the guy who was his closest friend before the loops never started looping. Several other loopers from all their branches made similar complaints. Just- why?
"Stop thinking about these things, Yuto. If Edo opposes you, you deal with it. Plain and simple, no? Stick to the plan."
Yuto took a deep breath. Right. They had a plan.
"Thanks, Yuri."
He could feel the smugness radiating from the other in waves. "Oh~? That's very sweet of you, Yuto-chan~"
"Don't you have a job to do?"
"Yes. Wait for you to do yours."
Yuto sighed. He had a point.
"Yuto?" The black-haired anchor was startled back to reality.
"Yeah, sorry. Just-"
Shun nodded, effectively dropping the subject before they even picked it up. "Anyway, if we burst in from here, we'll get spotted."
"True. Did you find any air ducts?"
Shun shook his head. "Even if there are any, they'll probably have air filtering systems in place. We'll have to get through those."
Another standard practice during the war – get to the place with the least ash and dust. The Resistance would always set camp either at the central dueling stadium which was protected by its glass dome, or in the shrine up the mountain that was simply too high for the destruction to reach it. In this loop they had a secondary base there, mostly to manage communications and hide resources.
Wait…
"Maybe we could… smoke them out…"
Shun caught on to his meaning quickly. "Cause a malfunction in the air ducts and force everyone out of the base? It could work."
"Just don't make the smoke too lethal."
Yuto could not hold back the sarcastic response. "Only enough to make them suffer like a thousand knives are stabbed in their chests?"
"You're learning!" Typical Yuri.
So now they had a plan in place. Good. "Yuri, your turn."
"Understood. Then I'll tell the others. See ya."
To say that they were winging it would be an understatement. Okay, so Sora understood the general concept of the plan. It was a good concept, all things considered and if it succeeded, they would get rid of some major pains in the ass for everyone.
Except that this was a very big "if".
Because, well, the "plan" was more like "general outline of a plan that starts with the problem and ends with potentially solving it, with a rather vague in-between stage". To be fair, Sora had previously rushed into situations with even less of a plan than that – his old baseline idea to stalk Akaba Reiji by hanging around LDS came to mind – but here there was the very real risk that he and everyone involved would get caught.
Not to mention that the overall plan was very dependent on timing and so the lack of a precise outline was even more of a risk factor.
Sora was not in the mood to get turned into a card, thank you very much.
A message came to his duel disk. His real duel disk. A while back, everyone had gotten You Show Fusion-style duel disks, which he was told looked a lot like the ones the GX loopers used. Sora found that he quite liked the design.
The pony-tailed looper pulled it out of his pocket and checked it.
"Get into position."
Yuri. Great.
Sora's job was essentially to clear the way for the others to come through, while making it look like Yuri was uninvolved. Eventually Yuri would get ordered to go after them, at which point the pink-haired anchor would grab the chance to bail it.
The inevitable fallout of all that… Best case scenario, Academia was crippled. Worst case scenario, they would tear apart the rest of the dimensions to find them.
However, that is a risk I must be prepared to take!
Sora put the disk back in his Pocket, prepared for the worst and headed to the central building.
They were finally secluded enough. Once upon a time, this place was tiny park in between some tiny houses each with their own garden – a tiny taste of the suburbs in the middle of Heartland.
Nothing lived now. Just some wild weeds and moss were growing through the concrete and the debris. Overall, it made for a decent dueling area; hidden from outside, but with enough space.
Ruri wondered if Dennis could tell what was on her mind.
"So, Ruri, what did you want to talk about?"
He's definitely panicking now… She wondered how she should approach this. "Dennis, you are a pretty good duelist… Why aren't you fighting with the Resistance?"
Dennis raised his hands defensively in what would otherwise be a disarming gesture. "Oh, I couldn't! Fighting seriously like that is not my style at all. You can't do entertainment when nobody's having fun!"
"But you can make them have fun, can't you?"
"Huh?"
Ruri looked at his straight in the eye. "If the Academia duelists never see what a true duel looks like, how will they learn that it's not a weapon?"
Dennis looked at her incredulously. "Not a weapon? But… there's a lot of damage in the city…"
"That's because they're using it wrong. Dueling is not a tool for destruction."
"Maybe you should try telling that to your brother? I heard he carpet-bombed about four different Academia bases the other day."
There was an entirely different nervous hinge here. Shun had gone above and beyond in this loop with the "absolute annihilation" aspect of his deck. It was part of their plan – cripple Academia as much as possible by cutting them off their resources. It did not hurt that Shun had displayed his ability to fight those Chaos Giants by himself. As a result, Dennis, along with several other people, was a lot more afraid of her brother than in baseline.
"He's only cutting off Academia's resources the only way he can. Before the war, he truly enjoyed dueling." And thanks to their friends across the dimensions and the branches, he still did. But it was not the same as before.
Dennis was still disbelieving. "He really doesn't look like the type… But, that's not all you wanted to say, was it?" He wants to leave…
"No." I'm sorry, Dennis.
She took a deep breath.
"Dennis, do you know what the Academia says about the war?" She did not give him time to answer. "They say that they'll fuse the four dimensions together to create Utopia. But Utopia… Utopia is supposed to be a world without suffering, where everyone will be able to smile freely and have a bright future. How can they make such a world when they bring so much destruction?"
She looked at his straight in the eye. Much to his astonishment, she took out her duel disk and strapped it to her arm.
"Destruction only brings forth despair, and despair brings forth more destruction. But Dennis, your duels can bring smiles to people. They can make the others truly happy! Even if I lost, when we dueled each other in the park that day, I had a lot of fun!"
Dennis stepped back. "Ruri, what are you saying!?"
"Duel me, please. I want to show you that you can still make people smile."
Inwardly, Dennis was panicking. This was not according to plan. This was not according to plan at all.
What he was supposed to do tonight was meet up with Yuri, lure Ruri away from the Resistance base, and then leave this dimension.
Instead, Yuri was seriously pushing the limits of "fashionably late" and now Ruri had lured him away from the base. She started to talk and then…
He loved the days before the invasion. He truly did. Seeing Sakaki Yusho in action, meeting him in person, it was like a revelation to him. It was a duel unlike anything he had seen and experienced before, and it filled his heart with light.
Before he knew it, Dennis along with countless others was completely absorbed by the fireworks and the lights and the tricks and how the man seemed to dance with his own monsters, cheering and yelling with the crowd, at the edge of his seat waiting for the next move.
Sakaki Yusho was more than just a duelist. He was the greatest showman. He was a true master, a figure larger than life. And Dennis wanted to reach that. He wanted to get close to that.
He was told to get a Xyz deck as part of his cover. Dennis hated the prospect. After all, Xyz users would soon be hunted down like animals and war would start. However, he saw it as a necessity, not only to hide more effectively but also to learn their methods.
Then he saw Sakaki Yusho. And suddenly Dennis knew exactly what deck he should get. So he bought his Entermages and never looked back. He almost forgot he had a mission. Almost.
Ruri's words brought back all that.
But the thing she was suggesting…! Use Entertainment dueling to aid the Resistance? Show the Academia that dueling is not a tool for conflict!?
That's… just like Ruri…
And now she demanded a duel… How to deal with this…
Yuri still was not showing up. However, they were far away from any prying eyes. Ruri had backed herself into a corner by bringing him here. If I win and knock her out, I can then take her to the Professor myself… It'll make for a black spot in both my and Yuri's record, but the mission will be completed!
He brought out his own duel disk – Xyz style, obviously – and readied it.
"Alright then, Ruri! Let's duel!"
(Ruri: LP – 4000, Hand 5 / Dennis: LP – 4000, Hand 5)
"I'm going first!" said Ruri.
(Turn 1 – Ruri)
She quickly examined her hand.
"When there are no monsters on my field, I can special summon Lyrical Luscinia – Turquoise Warbler from my hand."
(Ruri – Hand 4)
A tiny form made of light fluttered on the field, which soon revealed itself to be a small girl dressed in what appeared to be a green bird costume, if not for her avian legs. Two large but cracked bright blue gemstones decorated her head.
(LV: 1 / ATK: 100)
She took another card from her hand. "When Turquoise Warbler is successfully special summoned, I can special summon another Lyrical Luscinia monster from my hand. I special summon Apatite Dove!"
(Ruri – Hand 3)
Much like the previous monster, the next one was also a tiny girl with bird-like legs, this one in a costume made of soft grey feathers, with her winged hands and forehead decorated in different gemstones, these one transparent but darker with several cracks.
(LV: 1 / ATK: 100)
I've never seen this card before… Then again, he had only dueled Ruri once quite a while ago, so it made sense that he would not know all the cards in her deck.
By now, Ruri was on a roll. "With Apatite Dove's effect, I add another Apatite Dove to my hand."
Yep. Typical Lyrical Luscinia. Nothing to worry about here.
(Ruri – Hand 4)
The looping duelist plucked another card from her hand. "Next, since I control Lyrical Luscinia monsters other than Sapphire Swallow, I can special summon it from my hand!"
(Ruri – Hand 3)
The new card was familiar to Dennis. It was a girl in a tuxedo-like bird costume with dark blue wings for arms and bird-like legs, with clear crystals of matching shade.
(LV: 1 / ATK: 100)
"With the same effect, I can special summon another Lyrical Luscinia monster from my hand. I special summon Cobalt Sparrow!"
(Ruri – Hand 2)
The new girl followed the same pattern as before. She was in a brown and beige fluffy bird costume, with tiny dark blue opaque gemstones forming a necklace and the eyes on her head piece.
(LV: 1 / ATK: 0)
"With Cobalt Sparrow's effect, I can add another Cobalt Sparrow to my hand."
(Ruri – Hand 3)
As Ruri added yet another card to her hand, Dennis started thinking. It was clear as day that she was going for an Xyz summoning, but by now she had four monsters on her field, and had added another two in her hand. And she still had not used her normal summoning. This is nothing like last time we dueled. She is far more aggressive. Is this the result of the invasion?
"Finally, I normal summon Zircon Cuckoo!"
And there it is.
(Ruri – Hand 2)
It was another card that Dennis did not know. This one was a noticeably larger girl in a striped grey bird costume decorated with an incredibly bright and clear blue gemstone.
(LV: 1 / ATK: 0)
At this point Ruri had ran out of zones to summon her monsters. On the other hand, an Assembly Nightingale with five materials would be a pain to deal with.
"I overlay Turquoise Warbler, Apatite Dove and Cobalt Sparrow!"
"Huh?" Just three of them?
The three winged girls transformed into masses of solid light in different shades of green to represent their attribute. Simultaneously, a galaxy of golden stars and dark nebulas formed on the broken ground before them.
"Birds with beautiful wings! Gather on the battlefield and take brilliant flight!"
The materials were sucked into the galaxy's black hole, and it exploded in a pillar of light like a pulsar.
"Xyz Summoning! Dance in the sky! Rank 1; Lyrical Luscinia – Assembly Nightingale!"
Ruri's ace monster; a beautiful young woman with bird-like legs, and large wings for hands with brilliant feathers in the hues of sunrise, a matching feathered skirt and golden rings on her shoulders that gave her a regal air. The three Overlay Units circled her like green stars.
(RK: 1 / ATK: 0 / OU: 3)
Under the light of her favourite monster, Ruri recited her effects. "Assembly Nightingale gets 100 attack points for every Overlay Unit attached to her, and can attack directly just as many times! Right now I have three, so Assembly Nightingale gets 300 attack points!"
(Assembly Nightingale – ATK: 0 – 300)
Good thing she can't attack this turn… But why hasn't she used her other monsters?
"Next, I overlay Sapphire Swallow and Zircon Cockoo!"
"Eh!?"
Just like before, the two monsters turned into orbs of pulsing green light, and the galaxy formed at Ruri's feet.
"Bird with wings of the starlit sky, sing a recital of courage for those struggling on the battlefield!"
The pulsar light once again exploded, and a bird spread its wings.
"Xyz Summoning! Dance in the sky! Rank 1; Lyrical Luscinia – Recite Starling!"
"Bird with wings of starlit sky" was an apt description. The new young woman – more like a girl in her late teens, really – had purple skin, and wings and clothes of dark blue feathers with stars etched all over them. Even the golden decorations all over her body and feathers were shaped like stars. Her green Overlay Units almost made for a jarring contrast.
(RK: 1 / ATK: 0 / OU: 2)
Dennis could only watch numb from shock. In all his records of her, Ruri had never summoned two Xyz monsters in one turn. Ever. Not even against Academia. Her deck allowed it, sure, but… This was not in the data.
And neither was this card.
Ruri… what's happening?
Ruri appeared ignorant to Dennis's thoughts. "When Recite Starling is Xyz summoned, I can choose one monster on my field, and that monster gets 300 attack points for every Overlay Unit Recite Starling has attached on her. I choose Recite Starling!"
(Recite Starling – OU: 2 – 1, ATK: 0 – 600)
She could have given that boost to Assembly Nightingale… If she did so, she could potentially deal 2700 points of damage with only three attacks. On the other hand, leaving a monster with no ATK on the field was suicide, so giving it the boost was the logical move. But then again, why summon it in the first place?
"I activate Recite Starling's second effect! By detaching one Overlay Unit, I can add a level 1 Winged Beast-type monster from my deck to my hand. I add Lyrical Luscinia – Kyanite Finch."
(Ruri – Hand 3)
Oh. That's why. Was she going for a third Xyz summoning? For all he knew, she could be. He had never seen Kyanite Finch before either, so he had no idea what its effect was.
"I end my turn."
Dennis inwardly let a sigh of relief. He had been seriously thinking he would have to deal with three Xyz monsters at once. Ruri is very aggressive today…!
"It's my turn! Draw!"
(Turn 2 – Dennis: Hand 6)
"And I'll start things off by special summoning Entermage Wind Sucker!"
(Dennis – Hand 5)
The monster that appeared was a small toy clown with a blue magician's hat, a frilly collar and golden stars all over. It was riding a spherical purple device – also dotted with stars – with a tube like a vacuum cleaner that ended in a trumpet of sorts.
(LV: 5 / ATK: 2100)
Dennis winked. "I can special summon this monster when you have monsters on the field and I don't. But! When special summoned this way, Wind Sucker looses one of its levels!"
The poor kid clown looked devastated as its level was reduced.
(LV: 5 – 4)
Dennis immediately apologized. "Sorry, sorry!"
Dennis picked another card from his hand. "Since I summoned or special summoned an Entermage monster, I can also summon THIS amazing performer! Come out, Entermage Flimsy Slimmer!"
(Dennis – Hand 4)
It was another clown-like magician, like all Entermage Monsters were, but this one looked like it was made entirely of film reel, and carried a magical staff in its hands. The outfit was completed with a mask and a purple suit jacket, all dotted with stars.
(LV: 4 / ATK: 100)
Ruri braced herself.
"I overlay my level 4 Wind Sucker and my level 4 Flimsy Slimmer!"
Much like Ruri earlier, his monsters turned into masses of light made of green and orange light respectively, and the galaxy formed at his feet. His Xyz energy was nowhere as strong as a duelist's from the Xyz Dimension, but nobody could tell from the visual effects.
Dennis spread his hands wide, taking in the brilliant display. "SHOW MUST GO ON! Sky magician, travel around the stage magnificently!"
A sharp and elated laugh echoed through the light and tore the gloomy air.
"Xyz Summoning! Appear! Rank 4; Entermage Trapeze Magician!"
What a sight for sore eyes! The mere sight of his magician filled Dennis's heart with joy. The galaxy erupted and revealed this magnificent acrobat's form, laughing as he swung in the stage that was this duel, his long red cape fluttering in the wind, and his white suit with its golden stars shining in the non-existent light. The golden Overlay Units only added to its brilliance.
(RK: 4 / ATK: 2500 / OU: 2)
"I activate Trapeze Magician's effect! During this turn, I can choose one monster on the field, and it can attack twice! I choose Trapeze Magician!"
It was a risky move, especially since Assembly Nightingale would stop one of these attacks, but Dennis didn't want Recite Starling on the field for much longer. Who knew what other effects that card had in store?
(Trapeze Magician – OU: 2 – 1)
"Battle! Trapeze Magician, attack Recite Starling!"
And so the Magician danced on the swing hanging from the sky, and with a flourish landed on the dark-feathered lady, shattering her in fragments of light. But right before that…
"Recite Starling's effect!"
"Huh?" An effect now?
"All battle damage I take involving Recite Starling is also dealt to my opponent!"
"What!?"
(Ruri: 4000 – 2100)
(Dennis: 4000 – 2100)
Crap! 1900 points of damage! "That was quite the twist, Ruri! You got me pretty well there! But I still have one more attack left! Trapeze Magician, attack Assembly Nightingale!"
Of course, that's going to be blocked, but the less Overlay Units it has the better.
Just as expected, Ruri activated her monster's effect. "Did you forget, Dennis? By detaching one Overlay Unit, Assembly Nightingale cannot be destroyed by battle, and any battle damage I would take becomes zero!"
(Assembly Nightingale – OU: 3 – 2)
"Yes, but now Assembly Nightingale loses attack!" reminded her Dennis.
(Assembly Nightingale – ATK: 300 – 200)
And with that, the Battle Phase is over. Dennis looked at the remaining cards in his hand. Two stood out; Attack Nullification and Trick Box.
"I set two cards face-down and end my turn!"
(Dennis – Hand 2)
Now Ruri, how will you deal with this?
Ruri was unfazed. "My turn. I draw!"
(Turn 3 – Ruri: Hand 4)
She took one glance at her card and smiled. Did she draw something to deal with my Traps? "Oh! Nice reaction! Did you draw something to help you in a pinch?"
Ruri looked at him straight in the eye, smile firmly in place and confident. "Yes, I did! I activate Rank-Up-Magic Luscinia Force!"
(Ruri – Hand 3)
"WHAT!?" Since when-!?
Ruri smiled even wider. "When I control a Lyrical Luscinia Xyz monster, I can use it as material, and Xyz summon a Lyrical Luscinia monster that's one rank higher!"
You don't have to explain THAT!
Assembly Nightingale turned into a green mass of light like the rest, and once again the Xyz galaxy took shape on the ground, sucking the light in.
"Birds with beautiful wings! Gather on the battlefield and sing your cries of indignation!"
Through the pillar of light, a pair of wings unfurled.
"Rank-Up, Xyz Change! Dance in the sky! Rank 2; Lyrical Luscinia – Protest Nightingale!"
The new monster was Assembly Nightingale, but there was something off that only became obvious with closer examination. The smile was wiped from her lips. The golden wings on her shoulders were duller, smaller and thicker, with deeper engravings. The pinks and blues of her feathers turned darker, and they looked pointier, and a bit unfurled. Overall, she looked weary, like she had come upon hard times recently. The bright green Overlay Units seemingly restored its previous glow, if only temporarily.
(RK: 2 / ATK: 0 / OU: 3)
"Protest Nightingale…" Since when did Ruri have that?
"When an Xyz monster is successfully summoned with the effect of Luscinia Force, it's attached as an Overlay Unit to it."
(Protest Nightingale – OU: 3 – 4)
"Then, from my graveyard I activate Zircon Cuckoo's effect! When I successfully special summon a Lyrical Luscinia Xyz monster, I can attach it from the graveyard!"
"Say what!?" Cards that attach themselves to an Xyz monster? In a Lyrical Luscinia deck, this sort of effect could be deadly!
(Protest Nightingale – OU: 4 – 5)
"Next, Protest Nightingale's effect! When she's summoned with an Xyz monster as material, she destroys one Spell or Trap on the field!"
Dennis watched in shock as Trick Box was destroyed. To think she could Rank-Up her monster, fill it up with Overlay Units, and destroy one of my face-downs in a single move! But I still have Attack Nullification. And knowing Assembly Nightingale, he would really need it right now.
"Protest Nightingale gains 200 attack points for every Overlay Unit attached to her, and can attack directly just as many times!"
(Protest Nightingale – ATK: 0 – 1000)
5000 points of direct damage!
"Battle! Protest Nightingale, attack Dennis directly! The first!" With a mighty flap of her wings, the weary songbird raised a powerful gust of wind, dragging the ash and dust that had littered the ground, creating thick smog.
Like hell! Dennis activated Attack Nullification, but did not announce it. That would only ruin the tension. Instead, he waited until the pollution settled and visibility was restored.
The look on Ruri's face was priceless.
"Oh, what's this? Looks like your attack didn't land! What a shame!"
Ruri's smiled was restored, though it was a little forced. "Attack Nullification. It ends the Battle Phase. You're as full of tricks as always, Dennis."
He winked. "Yes! As an entertainer, I always have a trick up my sleeve!" Phew! That was close! If Ruri had destroyed that card instead of Trick Box, the duel would be over this turn.
That Protest Nightingale really came out of nowhere… Fortunately, Ruri's hand still compromised of three monsters, so he didn't have any facedowns to worry about. He just hoped that Apatite Dove and Kyanite Finch did not have any hidden nasty effects like that Cuckoo just now.
Ruri looked a bit displeased, though she hid it well. "I end my turn."
"Thank you~! Now it's my turn! Draw!"
(Turn 4 – Dennis: Hand 3)
He looked at his drawn card. Perfect. "First, I set a card face-down."
(Dennis – Hand 2)
"Battle! Trapeze Magician, attack Protest Nightingale!" It probably would not do anything, but he had to get rid of those Overlay Units.
"I activate Protest Nightingale's effect! By detaching one Overlay Unit, I can negate both battle damage and destruction!" Dennis opened his mouth to reply, but the girl was not done. "And then! Half of the negated damage is dealt to you as effect damage!"
(Protest Nightingale – OU: 5 – 4)
Oh! That would have been nasty, but… "Trapeze Magician's effect negates all effect damage less than its attack!" And the effect damage just now would have been 750 points, which was way below Trapeze's 2500 ATK. "Nice try, but too bad!"
Ruri was not happy. "Since Protest has one less Overlay Unit, her attack drops."
(Protest Nightingale – ATK: 1000 – 800)
I wasn't able to deal any damage, but not too bad.
"I end my turn."
Ruri steeled herself. It really comes down to luck of the draw, doesn't it? "It's my turn. Draw!"
(Turn 4 – Ruri: Hand 4)
She placed the card in her hand. "Battle!"
Nope. Dennis revealed the card he had drawn earlier. "I activate my face-down! Continuous Trap, Magical Fortress!"
The card art revealed an ominous black castle with clawed hands emerging from its gates and spiky vines all over, with the sky overcast by thick purple clouds.
Ruri took a step back in shock. "What!?"
"When I control a Spellcaster-type monster, you cannot declare an attack. Safe again!"
"Bag full of tricks indeed… I place one card face-down and end my turn."
(Ruri – Hand 3)
"A face-down when you're stuck! Let's see if it'll be the magic trick you need to turn this around! It's my turn! I draw!"
(Turn 5 – Dennis: Hand 3)
Just what he needed! "I activate the Continuous Spell, Burn Gift!" Before Dennis appeared a metallic box with a golden skull etched on it.
(Dennis – Hand 2)
"Allow me to explain! With its effect, I can special summon a level four or below FIRE attribute monster on your side of the field!"
Ruri's reaction was exactly what he hoped it'd be. "My side!?"
"Please make way for my dear little friend; Entermage Plushfire!"
(Dennis – Hand 1)
The box opened and with a dance of sparks emerged one of the most adorable cards in Dennis's deck, according to his totally unbiased opinion. Plushfire was literally a flame-shaped plush toy with button eyes and large stitches coming out of a wizard hat decorated with stars, munching on a multicoloured fuse like a lollipop. It even had huge pink cheeks sewed in.
The monster hoped over next to Protest Nightingale and made itself comfortable.
(LV: 4 / ATK: 1000)
Ruri was stunned. She kept glancing between Dennis and the monster on her field, not knowing what to make out of this. Even Protest seemed confused.
"Cute, isn't it?"
"H-huh? Y-yes."
Plushfire preened under all the attention. Dennis giggled. This was so cute. Too bad he would have to cut it short.
"Battle! Trapeze Magician, attack Plushfire!"
The plush toy freaked out. And so did Ruri.
"You only summoned it on my field to have an attack target!?"
The sight was comical; Trapeze Magician performed his majestic routine, only to land on a panicking plush toy with a squeak. However, any amusement he may have drawn from it was wiped an instant later. Plushfire exploded with a burst of fire, catching Ruri in the blast. Protest instantly kneeled down and hugged her controller, shielding her from the worst of it, and saving her from any nasty burns.
"Thank you, Protest…"
(Ruri: 2100 – 600)
"Next, I activate Burn Gift's effect!"
Ruri peeped out of her monster's wings. "Eh?"
It would be rude to keep her waiting. "When the monster summoned by its effect leaves the field, this card gets destroyed, and deals you 400 points of damage!"
The flaming box exploded, shrapnel flying high.
"I won't let you! I activate my face-down! Continuous Trap, Lyrical Luscinia – Flock Cloud!"
Flock Cloud?
Ruri fully revealed herself from her Protest's wings, proudly displaying the trap depicting a giant flock of birds in the sky.
"When I'm about to take either effect damage, or damage from a direct attack, I can detach an Overlay Unit from a Lyrical Luscinia monster I control, and that damage becomes zero!"
(Protest Nightingale – OU: 4 – 3)
Much like the card art, a gigantic flock of songbirds materialized and hid Ruri completely from view, shielding her against the explosion.
"But Protest loses attack" reminded her Dennis.
(Protest Nightingale – ATK: 800 – 600)
A trap that protects her from damage, huh? With Nightingale's effect – both of them – Ruri was protected from battle involving her monsters. This trap made sure that she covered her other areas as well, stopping the opponent dead in their tracks, as long as she had Overlay Units to spare.
Unfortunately, I can't use Plushfire's effect to my advantage, but I still dealt a fair bit of damage.
"I end my turn."
Ruri's face was glistening with sweat – was it from the exertion, the sudden heat, or the nerves?
"It's my turn. I draw!"
(Turn 6 – Ruri: Hand 4)
She took a long look at the card she drew. "I activate the Spell card Jammed Reload."
(Ruri – Hand 3)
Dennis stared in confusion. The card depicted someone loading bullets on a gun with the safety still turned on.
"With this effect, I can discard up to three level 1 monsters, and draw the same number of cards from my deck. However, I can't activate the effects of any of the cards I draw during this turn."
Normally, this would be pretty powerful card, but in this situation, it was a huge gamble. Ruri sent all three of her cards in her graveyard, and placed her hand on her deck. She closed her eyes.
She's… really praying…
Praying to their decks… Academia did not do that. Their decks were specifically constructed for optimal chances at drawing the necessary cards. It was a mechanical approach necessary for an army.
Here in the Xyz Dimension, Dennis had learned that decks had a life of their own. When he picked up Trapeze Magician, something answered back. He was sure of it. His deck was always trying to tell him something. It would always give back. And after the invasion, Dennis would see countless duelists silently praying for a card that would save the day, the light of hope in their eyes when their decks gave them exactly what they needed.
"I draw!"
And by that exact light, Dennis knew that Ruri had drawn exactly what she needed.
"With the effect of Magical Fortress, I can't attack, so I set two cards face-down and end my turn."
(Ruri – Hand 1)
Dennis now was far more troubled. Two face-downs? What in the world did she draw? Well, he would not get that answer if he did nothing.
"My turn. I draw!"
(Turn 7 – Dennis: Hand 2)
Not much he could do. Still, I should try to wear down Protest as much as possible. If she blocks this attack, Protest will be left with only two Overlay Units. "Battle! Trapeze Magician, attack Protest Nightingale!"
Instead of grabbing the card beneath her monster, Ruri pressed an icon on her duel disk, and one of her face-down cards revealed itself. "Quick-play Spell, Rank-Up-Magic Escape Force!"
Dennis stumbled. "Another Rank-Up!?"
"When an Xyz monster I control is targeted for an attack, I can negate it, and then I can use the targeted monster as material to Xyz summon a monster that's one rank higher!"
Trapeze Magician was stopped in his tracks, and Protest Nightingale turned into a comet of green light diving straight into the galaxy of the Xyz Dimension.
"Birds with beautiful wings! Gather and with your cries raise a storm against oppression!"
And so a mighty cry from a beautiful voice rang clear through the air, and Dennis could do nothing but admire it.
"Rank-Up, Xyz Change! Dance in the sky! Rank 3; Lyrical Luscinia – Riot Nightingale!"
She was harder. Darker. The gold had dulled even further. The beak of her headpiece and her talons were sharper. The pinks and blues were now of a very dark shade that reflected no light, and the peach shades had nearly whitened out. Her feathers were even more ruffled, and the shoulder pieces were now angled in shape and narrower. Not even the light from her Overlay Units could salvage her lost beauty. She had been in a fight, a nasty one.
(RK: 3 / ATK: 0 / OU: 4)
"From my hand, Zircon Cuckoo's effect. It attaches itself to summoned Xyz monster." Dennis blinked. That effect activates from the hand too!?
(Ruri – Hand 0)
(Riot Nightingale – OU: 4 – 5)
"Riot's effect. When summoned using an Xyz monster as material, she destroys two Spells or Traps on the field."
"Magical Fortress… Wait, that's the only card in my Spell and Trap zone!" Ruri did not blink even as Flock Cloud on her side was destroyed.
"Finally, Riot Nightingale gets 300 attack points for every Overlay Unit attached to her."
(Riot Nightingale – ATK: 0 – 1500)
Dennis was astonished. She even destroyed her own card… And she barely even flinched. Ruri, what's wrong with you?
"Assembly… Protest… Now Riot…" It was like watching Kurosaki Shun all over again.
She can't possibly know… can she?
Dennis shook his head. He could not let the sudden appearance of a monster he did not know shake him.
"I activate Trapeze Magician's effect! By detaching one Overlay Unit, I can target a monster and that monster can attack twice this turn!"
(Trapeze Magician – OU: 1 – 0)
"Even if you do, Riot Nightingale can stop that attack" replied Ruri.
"I suspected as much" admitted Dennis. "That's why I'm targeting Riot Nightingale!"
Ruri blinked in surprise. "Why would you target her?"
Dennis smiled grimly. He did not like relying on this effect of his Magician, as it took away from the spectacle, but… "If the monster targeted by Trapeze Magician's effect cannot attack this turn, it gets destroyed at the end of the Battle Phase."
"Oh. Well, anyway, it won't work."
Huh? "It won't work…?"
"When Zircon Cuckoo is attached as an Overlay Unit to an Xyz monster, that monster cannot be targeted by my opponent's card effects."
"What!? In that case…"
Ruri smiled, but there was nothing happy about that. "You just wasted an Overlay Unit."
That was the least of it. The last remaining cards on Dennis's hand were Entermage Reversal Dancer and Pinch Breaker. He could have summoned Reversal Dancer and set Pinch Breaker, so that next turn he could reduce Riot's ATK to a mere 100 points. However, if she could not be targeted by effects, that combo would not work.
In other words… there was nothing he could do.
"I end my turn."
And with that, he knew he lost.
And so did Ruri.
"It's my turn. I draw."
(Turn 8 – Ruri: Hand 1)
She did not even look at the card she drew.
She took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry, Dennis. But this is for you."
For me?
"Riot Nightingale…"
The young woman raised her wings, and powerful gusts of wind started to gather beneath, raising a cloud of ash and shrapnel. Dennis could feel it making tiny cuts all over his exposed skin.
"Direct attack!"
An impact. Powerful. Crushing. It blew him back. He knocked his head against something. It was cold. Then hot. Then wet.
I lost…
Then dark.
Yuto heard a sharp whistle coming from another spot on the dome. Shun found another hatch.
They should have seen this coming. Instead of having a few large hatches that could possibly fit a person, the base had multiple tiny hatches that could only fit a bird. They could still use them for their plan to smoke out the people inside, but they did not help with the "get in" part in the slightest.
Yuto crawled over to where Shun was and cast another Reducto at the mechanism inside. It worked instantly.
The Phantom Knights user did not really need his wand for this; he could easily call his power and everything he chose would disintegrate. But that would be detected, and they could not afford that.
In fact, even now there was a huge risk of detection. If Shun and Yuto were reckless, somebody inside would notice that all their air ducts stopped working all of a sudden. Then they would send somebody outside to check and they'd be screwed. They had to make it look like technical damage than an assault.
A message came to his duel disk. Yuto opened it, with Shun peeping over his shoulder.
"I won. He's out. Be there in three."
The two duelists exchanged a glance. "Roger."
They had to get this done quickly. Shun turned to Yuto. "I'll set the Traps. You do the rest."
Yuto stared at him. "We're supposed to make it look like an accident."
"We don't have time."
Yuto did not like this, but his friend was right. "Okay."
By "Traps" Shun meant Omnipotent Landmine Glaymore, more widely known as Widespread Ruin. He heard it was this Trap that took out Barrett's eye in baseline and killed all his men. He could not deny its effectiveness.
Still…
"Edo can take it. He's the Commander-in-Chief for a reason."
He knew that, it was the foot soldiers he was worried about.
"Really? You should be used to this by now."
Yuto did NOT want to start that conversation. Instead he kept on working.
In the distance, he spotted Ruri on Assembly Nightingale flying at top speed. They were out of time.
"You know what, Yuto? Forget subtlety. Just get this done."
"You tell the others."
Yuto called upon his power. The blue aura surrounded his body, the evil black miasma long gone. He heard Dark Rebellion's roar in his mind, the lightning build up at his fingertips. The Xyz energy readings inside were probably off the charts.
Shun was yelling at him. "YUTO, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"
"RURI IS HERE! GET ON HIGH GROUND!"
Ruri was yelling in the distance, he could hear her. Shun summoned Rise Falcon and jumped on its back.
NOW!
"Revolt of Lightning, DISOBEY!"
If one was observing from a distance, they would probably see the entire dome of steel glowing purple as if from an inner light before lightning overtook everything and the area filled with smoke.
"Please don't tell me you ruined the equipment."
"I didn't." He was sure of it. And his proof were the blaring alarms immediately afterwards. "I only destroyed the ventilation systems and the lights."
Yuto activated his duel disk and turned on a heat detector again, and scanned the ground through the smoke. It appeared that the soldiers came out of the base first. Much to Yuto's satisfaction, there were far less than they normally would be. Kaito's distraction was working as intended. Those were shortly followed by the yelling scientists.
In the chaos, nobody noticed Ruri arriving. She dismissed her monsters, gently laying the unconscious Dennis on the cold metal. Shun landed right next to them. He only spared a glance to the unconscious spy.
"He has a concussion" reported Ruri. "He also scrapped his head pretty badly, but nothing lasting." Yuto repeated all this to Yuri.
"It better not be lasting" came Yuri's response through the mind link. "We didn't go through all that effort just for Dennis to end up with brain damage."
Yuto agreed, but his co-anchor could have phrased that a little better. Ruri tried her best. He could feel Yuri trying very hard not to say something snarky in response.
Shun snapped him out of it, as always. "Get in now, before they find the mines and rush back in."
The three nodded in agreement. With the smoke as a cover, and the gates wide open, sneaking in the base was easy. Shun set a few more Trap-mines behind them just in case. He then activated the heat-seeking program again.
"Somebody's in here." The message was unspoken. One of them should go ahead. They exchanged a few glances. Eventually, Shun nodded and rushed in.
Ruri could not go because she was supposed to be uninvolved in all this. Yuto could not go because he was the only line of communication with the guys on the other side. Which left Shun.
The two slung Dennis over their shoulders and rushed to the basement.
Eating digital food was weird.
Even in baseline, SOL Technologies had tried their very best to make all senses as accurate as possible, taste included. After the reboot, many cafés and restaurants had opened in VRAINS, and many duelists loved to hang out there.
Playmaker had not had many chances to sit down and try them, but the few times he did he found that he did not like it very much. Sure, the taste of the ice cream or the coffee was what he'd expect ice cream or coffee to taste like. However it was exactly that; predictable. Not to mention, in more recent loops he could also taste the programming that went into making these, which made the experience far more jarring.
Of course, he could not begrudge Ai for grabbing every chance he could get to eat something. So when Ai offered to discuss their current situation over dessert, Playmaker could not refuse him.
It was another surreal experience for him. Sitting out in the open like he was a nobody. Not that he was worried about being watched. Ai had taken care of that.
He was in human form. Perhaps to make it easier to blend in with the crowd. But Ai would never do something for a reason as mechanic as that. That was Playmaker's way of thinking. Playmaker had no idea what Ai was thinking about this. Perhaps not even Ai knew.
"Did you hear? There are two Charisma Duels scheduled today. But, who's going to duel is a surprise."
Playmaker flashed back to a memory from just earlier today. "I heard."
"Hm? Something wrong?"
Playmaker took a deep breath. "I found Jin."
Ai blinked in surprise. "Huh? Kusanagi Jin? Here?"
Playmaker shook his head. "He was manning Café Nagi. Kusanagi-san was not there. And I ran into this old man while here…"
"An old man in VRAINS? Oh well, we can talk about that stuff later."
Playmaker was caught off-guard. "Later?"
Ai pointed to the screen outside. "Look, it's starting."
Playmaker looked at the screen and saw an announcer shouting something about the Charisma Duelists. Playmaker was annoyed. "That's not important right now."
"Oh, but it is!"
"How."
"Well, I found out who the surprise Charisma duelists are. I think you'll find it interesting too."
Playmaker decided to indulge his companion, so he took a sip of his coffee and turned to the screen again.
"Hello, my blue fans! Are you all tuned in?"
"Hope your hearts are all fired up! Because this match is going to get WHITE HOT!"
He stared. "This can't…"
"It is."
The duel was Blue Angel versus Soul Burner.
Author notes:
Hoo boy. Where do I even start with this chapter. First, at over 9.800 words, it's the longest I've ever written. Second, it was completely unplanned. Initially I wanted to pick up from where I left the previous chapter, but then that first line kind of wrote itself.
The duel was another massive headache.
First, I had to make a whole bunch of original cards for Ruri, because there are simply not enough cards for a Lyrical Luscinia deck. The full list is posted on spacebattles along with their full effects. Listing the whole thing here would take way too long, and some of these cards didn't show up anyway. Kettou and kr (that's Crossoverpairinglover) helped a lot there. For the record, all the original main deck monsters are named after blue gemstones. As for the Rank-Up chain, it had been in my mind for a while. There's also a Rank 4... which I hope you get to see in the future.
Dennis's deck was an even bigger challenge. Performage without using Pendulum? I asked in the YGO wikia and got laughed at. The eventual deck is... interesting, but this chapter doesn't show the exact reasons why, so I won't bother you with it. The point is, it worked, and I had to resist from going back to that wiki and rub it to their faces.
Then was the duel itself. By the time I completed the decks, I was too drained to write the duel so Kettou offered, and being the incredibly fast worker that he is, he presented a full duel in under two hours. However in his hurry he misread several card effects and stats, both original and existing, so we spend the next three or so days fixing one mistake and finding another. We ran into a few roadblocks, but I think the eventual result was satisfactory for both of us.
And the ending! At first it was supposed to be the start of the new chapter, but oh well. I hope you liked the little twist in the end!
Please, read and review!