DGG: A longer one this time! And what happens when people disapprove of Yusho's dueling style? Yoko is there to defend it!
"My, my. There's certainly a lot of negativity here today. Maybe this will help turn those frowns upside down! I now use Sky Magician's effect to activate Magician's Right Hand from my hand! Not only does this card destroy your magic card, but since I used Sky Magician's effect to activate it, my monster now gains three hundred additional attack points!" Yusho announced while standing high above the field amidst the acrobat rings his monster held in its hands.
"Yes!" Yoko clapped in her seat, her grin wide, her heart racing; however, her admiration for the man was, unfortunately, not universally shared with the rest of the crowd.
Yoko pursed her lips with a wince as she was drowned out by everyone else's cries of disapproval. The debut of Yusho's new dueling style –Entertainment Dueling – was not going over well tonight. But despite being in the minority, Yoko was thoroughly and earnestly enjoying the duel. She whooped and hollered in support, despite feeling the angry and confused looks of many other spectators boring into her from all sides.
"You're actually enjoying this debacle?"
Yoko stopped mid clap and turned toward the woman sitting to her left.
"Are you saying that you're not?" Yoko countered.
"No! Of course not!" the other woman regarded Yoko with offense.
"I don't see why not," Yoko remained calm while offering a shrug. "This is a duel for the history books, I'd say," she smiled as Yusho countered his opponent's attack.
"Ha! This is no duel. This is a travesty. And the only thing here that'll be history is that Yusho."
Yoko could feel her lips thinning at the insult and inhaled slowly through her nose. There were many things she felt like saying to this woman right now. But rather than make a scene – which was clearly what this woman wanted, especially judging by the smug smirk on her face from getting just the tiniest rise out of her – Yoko simply smiled instead.
"I suppose that's one person's opinion," Yoko spoke, her words spoken with so much sweetness that she thought she might actually gag.
"It's everybody's opinion," the woman creased her brow, her tone full of contempt. "Or can you not hear the booing over your deafening adoration for that clown down there?"
Yoko bit down on her lip. It was becoming increasingly harder for her to keep Shooting Star Yoko at bay the more this woman badmouthed Yusho. But Yoko took a deep breath and bit her tongue. This woman was trying to goad her into something more than just an argument. But she wasn't going to give this lady the satisfaction.
"I fail to see yours and everybody else's problem with this duel," Yoko spoke tersely.
"Look at it! It's ridiculous! Yusho's down there flying around the field on his monster."
"So what?" Yoko raised an eyebrow.
"So look at his opponent. He's on the ground where he should be. That's how a duel is conducted."
"Hm. Two people standing around idly as their monsters do all the work? Sounds kinda boring if you ask me," Yoko smirked.
"Excuse me?" the woman guffawed. "That's how duels have been played since the inception of Solid Vision."
"Yeah. I'm aware of Duel Monsters history. But are you aware that just solid vision holograms are now a thing of the past? The holograms out there now possess actual mass. You can actually interact with your monsters now, which is exactly what Yusho is demonstrating. It's amazing. What's the point of using Real Solid Vision if it's not going to be utilized for something?"
"But for this?" the woman sneered as she gestured toward the field. "A duel is all about showcasing your strength. It's not about flashy tricks or acrobatics. That sort of thing belongs in a circus ring, not a dueling arena."
"Dueling is still about showcasing one's strength and skills. That's the very definition of a duel. But why not showcase your skills with death defying feats and show stopping action that keeps people on the edge of their seats? Why not make a duel even more interesting by introducing new ideas like Real Solid Vision? And now Entertainment Dueling?"
"Hmph," the woman turned up her nose. "There's a time and a place for nonsense like that, and, like I said before, it's not on a dueling field. And I'm clearly not the only one who thinks that either."
Yoko peered around at the other spectators as their jeering continued.
"Maybe in time you'll all stop being so myopic," Yoko shrugged.
"What?" the woman demanded.
"Look it up later, honey," Yoko smirked.
"Look, lady," the woman's face flushed red. "You can like this trash if you want, but I prefer my duels without all this flashy extra nonsense. I'm surprised Yusho hasn't been disqualified yet!"
"Doubt he will be either," Yoko smiled as she watched more of Yusho's duel. "He worked alongside Leo Akaba to develop this field. You know who Leo Akaba is, right?" Yoko peered at the other woman out of the corner of her eye, a haughty smirk twitching at her lips at the woman's clear frustration. "Yeah. So I doubt anyone is going to stop Yusho's duels unless Yusho, himself, decides to stop."
"With any luck this crowd's reaction will make him see that – "
"He's having the time of his life," Yoko interrupted. "I can guarantee that he isn't going to give up his new style of dueling quite so easily."
The woman huffed.
"Well…he should," she crossed her arms. "Because it's stupid."
Yoko rolled her eyes.
"He's very courageous actually. He's daring to do something different. That's more than a lot of people can claim. It's easy to go with the flow and just follow suit. It's even easier to let others be the ones to try their hand at something edgy and controversial. But Yusho wasn't content with that. He was born to stand out. He was born to go against the grain. He's doing something big here today. I can feel it. Maybe this crowd doesn't see it yet, but I can. There are all sorts of ways to duel. And Yusho is just opening the door to that fact."
Yoko winced as the crowd's jeers boomed through out the stadium due to Yusho snatching up an Action Card to avoid damage.
"The only doorway he's opening is one to the hospital. These people came for a duel not a sideshow attraction," the woman snipped.
"Anyone who tries to lay a hand on my boyfriend will evoke the entirety of my wrath. They'll end up in the hospital long before Yusho does," Yoko's eyes glinted.
"Your boyfriend…?" the woman's jaw dropped.
"Yes. My boyfriend," Yoko smiled as she watched Yusho gracefully deliver the final blow of the duel. "Would you look at that? He won. I guess Yusho's not all flash and no skill, after all."
Yoko stood up, ready to exit the stands.
"If what you said is true, then tell your boyfriend he was better before."
Yoko raised an eyebrow.
"But he won," Yoko pointed out. "And I know that he used to win before without Entertainment Dueling as well. So your logic doesn't really make sense, does it?"
"His so-called entertainment is the worst thing to ever happen to dueling. His career definitely ended here."
"No. I don't think so," Yoko narrowed her eyes. "You don't have to like it, but I saw a lot of potential here tonight. People are such creatures of habit. They try to resist change, but change is inevitable. Everything changes eventually. Dueling is no exception. And what Yusho accomplished tonight, he'll keep accomplishing. His career is far from over. It's just beginning."
"We'll see about that," the woman muttered.
Yoko smirked as she began to make her way toward the aisle way.
"Yes. We will."