Yu-Gi-Oh GX: The American Duelists
Chapter 13 - The Dueling Queen's Rebirth
Asuka Tenjoin sits on the window ledge inside her bedroom. Gazing vacantly out the large window, the sandy blonde haired girl recounts the events of the day before.
"How naive can you be? I can't believe the legendary Duel Queen of Duel Academia could be such a hopelessly foolish child!" Hannah shouts heatedly.
Even though Asuka opens her mouth to fire back, she can't produce a definitive syllable before Hannah comments harshly. "Look! You're an attractive young girl with a body to kill for. That factor alone makes you popular. It's enough to make even an average no talent girl into a celebrity in the real world. But you're not an average normal girl: You're a girl at an elite school for dueling. Dueling," She reiterates, "A predominantly male past time! For any girl, no matter how undesirable physically, to participate where women don't tread, this is also enough to give you celebrity status." Asuka's body shakes in response to Hannah's harsh critique. "Put them together, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out what is so appealing about you to the guys here. With looks like yours and a similar interest as them... It's also quite obvious why girls are so strongly drawn to you here. You're a rallying point for them, a symbol of strength and beauty, even if you aren't all that talented." She further assaults Asuka, not sparing her a chance to defend herself. "You actually believe you're hot shit? That people have elevated you to the level of an idol just because you're so talented? Oh please! How full of yourself can you be?"
Letting her eyes drift down the window to where several DA girls walk into the woods, Asuka asks herself, "Am I full of myself? I never meant to come off in that way."
Again, she hears Hannah's voice ringing in her head. "Look Duel Queen, I did my homework, and I've seen your records. You're overall wins to losses ratio is strikingly average for a girl that has been elevated on a pedestal by the majority of the student body since arriving. The number of duels you've had since arriving at the academy is laughable as well. Even the quality of the opponents you've faced hasn't been on par with the image you've been given. Frankly, if students really were ranked here by performance, like you say, I doubt anybody here would even take the time to remember your name."
"Y, you, you're wrong..." Asuka breaths softy in her memory, but at the same time, she is confronted by images from her past: A large muscular man in a dark trench coat attempts to seize her in the forbidden dorm. Asuka ducks out of his immense arms just in time. After her narrow escape, the man chuckles. The heavy mumbler entices her into a duel, so she can be bait. On her first turn, she takes a fierce blow from the man's Shadow Knight Demon, squealing as the demon runs its sword down her face and chest. Even before the duel is 3 turns in, she blacks out. The cloaked man in black is promptly replaced by a new figure cloaked in a red and khaki robe. Asuka's Cyber Blader is destroyed in a rain of meteors, opening the way for Golden Homunculus to take the field and deliver a decisive final blow. Her life points fall from 1000 to 0. She didn't realize the identity of the cloaked man before passing out, but later, Judai told her it was Daitokuji-Sensei. "Judai?" Asuka utters softly. Judai's image takes the place of the cloaked Daitokuji. His features are more vivid than any of the others, as Judai smiles at her upon defeating her Blade Skater with his Elemental Hero Thunder Giant. "Titan, Daitokuji-Sensei, and Judai..." Each was an important duel to her, as well as a duel she lost. "Titan and Daitokuji-Sensei, neither was officially recorded in my records..." Once more she replays Hannah's words.
"You're overall wins to losses ratio is strikingly average for a girl that has been elevated on a pedestal by the majority of the student body since arriving. The number of duels you've had since arriving at the academy is laughable as well. Even the quality of the opponents you've faced hasn't been on par with the image you've been given."
"And even without them, my record... is only average?" In her head, and in her heart, Asuka can already feel the words forming, "It's a lie." But, she can't believe it. "Why would she lie to me? She has no reason to, and she's not the kind of person who'd hold back the truth." Again, Hannah's words haunt her.
"I've heard your deck's are nothing but a jumble of unreliable and unrealistic combos; decks built on a foundation of hopeless idealism and relying on good fortune and the generosity of your opponents to give you opportunities to exploit in order to achieve victory."
Asuka glances at her deck box on her desk top. Once more she recounts her victories, but she can't see her small victories, only her greater victories. Her rematch with Titan. When almost defeated, Asuka draws Pot of Greed, which gives her Fusion Recovery and The Warrior Returning Alive. Using the two, she recovers the components she needs to summon Cyber Blader once more. "Cyber Blader won't lose light to a Shadow Duel! A real prima lights up her own stage and keeps dancing." Her words sting as they echo in her head, and her eyes waver as she recalls Titan's response.
"What good is one prima against 3 monsters?" His words squeeze the air out of Asuka, as she utters to her reflection in the window.
"Cyber Blader's effect depends on the number of monsters on the field. You had 3 monsters, so Cyber Blader negates all card effects other than her own." Asuka can still see Dark Arena vanish and Demon Matador's stats fall to 0, allowing her to attack through Demon Matador to inflict 2100 points of damage; 100 points more than Titan had. "It was..." She painfully admits, "An opportunity, and... I seized it." She doesn't sound convinced. "No..." She breaths. "It was dumb luck. Even that time..." She sees herself dueling the Love Duel forced on her by Fubuki and Manjyome. Cyber Benten slaps Ojama King around, and she finishes Manjyome with her effect. "His deck... He held back that entire duel..." Asuka's fist shakes in her lap. "If he really wanted to duel me seriously, he wouldn't have used that non-sensical deck. It was as good as him letting me win."
Asuka falls still, as she lets her bangs cover her eyes. Resting her head against the window and wrapping her arms around her legs, she utters softly, "I have to know, the truth. Am I really so weak? Do people really only see me as an idol to be looked at? How much of what Hannah told me is a lie, and how much, is the reality I've refused to face?" She suddenly peers up with her eyes firm. "I have to know." With her decision made, she stands, grabs her belt and deck box from her desk, and straps them around her waste. As the door swings open, she tells herself, "I have to know, so I can become stronger."
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Asuka finds Junko and Momoe finalizing their preparations in the girl's bathroom. The lovely marble room looks more like an art museum or a spa than a bathroom. Approaching the two at the sinks and vanity counters, Asuka finds that they are both still openly hostile towards each other, but they have begun talking to one another once more. Unfortunately, it is only them talking nasty to each other.
"The American's have a saying: Redheads have more fun." Junko boasts while wagging her finger. She gives her short red hair a light flick.
Momoe blows off her friends comment. "They also say that redheads have fiery tempers." Her comment visibly irks Junko. Seeing that she hit a nerve, Momoe moves for the kill. "You know, Ash is very even tempered and logical. A hot blooded girl who's always overly emotional is no good for him."
"And how would you know what's good for a guy? Listening to their voices through cracks in the walls doesn't make you an expert at men, only an expert at eavesdropping." Junko fires back.
Momoe slams her hands down on the sink counter, knocking her make-up case over as she rises. She turns sharply on her friend and retaliates. "At least I don't try and sneak peaks of the boys while they play sports after class!"
Junko turns on her friend as well, sending her chair flying as she stands. "HA! As if I didn't know about your picture collection!" Momoe reels back. "Yeah, that's right! I know you keep a box full of pictures of boys you've had a crush on but never had a chance with." Seeing Momoe distressed, Junko digs her claws deeper. "So how full is it now? Has it overflowed yet? You must be pretty close to the guys in the photo club by now. Maybe one of them will go for you."
"That, that's... That has nothing to do with you!" Momoe shouts back in retaliation. She quickly adds, "Besides, it's better to keep photos of boys I could never have than to keep photos of boys who broke my heart!" This time, Junko shrinks back. Her eyes waver as she stammers for words. Asuka quickly forces herself between them before they can say anything more.
"Enough of this!" She shouts. With both of their eyes locked fiercely on one another, Asuka shouts louder. "Look at you two... You're both acting like fools!"
"Fools huh?" Junko fumes. "There's only one fool her, and she's a bowl headed knit wit who couldn't get a man to love her if her life depended on it!"
Momoe leans into Asuka, and she shouts furiously over the sandy blonde haired girl's shoulder, "If I'm the fool, then why is it that I'm the one who doesn't cry for a week straight every time one of my exes hooks up with a new girl?"
"You'd have to have a boyfriend before you ever have an ex!" Junko shrieks back.
Asuka screams at the top of her lungs, "STOP IT!" Her cry echos through the massive marble room. Having silenced a retaliatory strike briefly, Asuka quickly makes her argument. "Look at you two. You're best friends, and your fighting..." She searches quickly for the words, and uses the first thing that comes to her mind. "Like cats in heat; And for what?" She asks incredulously. "A boy you both just met?"
"What would you know about it, Asuka!" Junko hisses at her friend. "It's not like you'd ever understand."
"Understand what?" Asuka asks out of disbelief. "There's nothing to understand. You're both fighting with each other over non-sense. You're making yourselves look like tools."
"You're far too childish, Asuka." Momoe retorts. "Love is a battle, and only the most determined girl will win." Her eyes shift to Junko once more. "Handsome talented men are few and far between. If you don't do your best, you'll lose out to a more aggressive girl."
"First intelligent thing she's said all day." Junko quips while staring down Momoe.
"What are you two talking about? A battle over a guy? You two are tearing yourselves apart for that?"
"Let's put it in terms you can understand, Asuka. Love's like a duel. It doesn't matter how your cards are stacked. If you don't take it seriously, you will lose." Junko explains.
Asuka is baffled. "How can you even compare the two things?"
"No." Momoe interjects in Asuka's argument. "She's right. Love is like a duel." Staring down Junko, Momoe states, "And at Duel Academia, it is only fitting it is treated that way."
"You really want that!" Junko asks harshly.
"Are you afraid?"
"Of how badly you're going to regret this when it's over."
Asuka backs away from the two. "I can't believe this. You two are going to duel over..." She can't even say the words. "A boy?" Asuka runs her fingers through her hair. "How are you two going to even do that? You're both tag duelists. You specialize in tag team duels, or have you forgotten? You can't duel each other without partners!"
Both girls glance sharply to Asuka, who takes another step backwards. Her face goes blank. Momoe bounds forward first. "Asuka please, you have to partner up with me. I deserve this more than her!"
"Yeah right!" Junko counters. "Just because you always strike out doesn't mean you deserve him more."
"Yes it does! You'd only fail with him the way all your relationships fail!"
Momoe's words takes the air right out of Junko's mouth. After mouthing silent words, Junko shouts furiously at her friends. "Asuka, you have to choose one of us!"
"NO!" Asuka shouts back. "I DON'T! I don't have to choose anyone!" Backing away from the two, Asuka shouts angrily at them, "And I can't believe how childish and selfish you could both be; making me choose between my best friends?" Asuka shakes her head. "I defend you when others say bad things about you, but all you do is go and put yourselves in the same kinds of situations over and over to justify the things they say." Still shaking her head, Asuka utters, "No, I won't defend you this time. Not either of you." Having said all she can say, Asuka turns her back on her friends and stomps out of the girl's bathroom.
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"I can't believe them." Asuka keeps repeating to herself, as she marches down the dirt path away from the girl's dorm. "I can't believe they'd try and make me choose between them." Through her anger, Asuka can hear her subtle words ringing in her ears once more.
"You're no loner by choice. You're a loner because others don't want to stay by your side. They'd rather watch you from a distance, from the shadows. You're better to them as an untouchable idol than as a real person with flaws."
"That is not true!" Asuka hears herself shout back furiously in retaliation. "My friends..."
"Aren't here." Hannah points out bluntly. "If I was lying, then why are you here talking with me, instead of out there talking with them? Your friends insisted you be here with them, which is how I knew where to find you, and yet they turned their backs on you as soon as Ash showed up, didn't they? And what about your other friends? The other clique's you hang out with? Why aren't you with them?"
"Junko and Momoe, they didn't force me to come here... And the others..." Asuka can feel the struggle once more. For the second time, her strength of will to defend her friends behavior is too shaken to stand up for them.
"You're a good friend to your friends Asuka, but your friends aren't good friends to you." Hannah's words ring through Asuka's head and down her spine, spreading across every inch of her body.
Asuka utters a small cry, and she silences it in a gasp. She can't defend them this time or doubt Hannah's words. "They tried to turn me against each other... Good friends aren't suppose to do those kinds of things." With each second she lingers on that thought, the pain fills her deeper. "It's, not even the first time." She admits to herself. "Even before him, before the American Duelists came, Junko and Momoe put boy chasing over me." The words empty her stomach, leaving only a hollow hurting void. "But never like this..." Feeling the trembling run through her body, she hastens her pace through the woods.
It doesn't take long for her to reach the shabby Osiris Red hostel. Even before she reaches the base of the steps, she calls out, "Judai-Kun! Sho-Kun! Kenzan-Kun!" Her words fall on silence. Still very upset, Asuka kicks the dirt and starts up the steps. But, less than a quarter of the way up, she is stopped by an opening door on the first floor. Another Osiris Red boy steps out of his room.
"You're, Asuka Tenjoin-Sama?" He asks cautiously. Asuka is ready to turn on him and yell at him for stating the obvious, but he adds, "Those others, your friends, Judai-San, and those guys... They're not here. They went out earlier."
Asuka turns back down the steps and approaches the boy. "Where are they?" Asuka asks a bit more forcefully than she intends.
The boy answers, "I heard Judai-San and his friend got a lead on one of the American Duelists. So, they went to find him to duel. And I think, I heard them saying that Manjyome-San, he hasn't been around much. They don't know where he's been going." Asuka stamps her foot on the ground, causing the younger boy to jump slightly.
Asuka fumes as she imagines where the rest are. She pictures Misawa sitting alone in his room, and she knows Sho is under Hannah's slave service, while Manjyome is probably off brooding somewhere in self imposed exile. Turning her head down, Asuka jokes, "I'm such a popular girl, I have no friends to rely on, and even my own brother only pressures me to do things to benefit him." She exhales a pitiful laugh as her vision blurs.
Without thanking the boy, Asuka sets off up the dirt trail once again. The boy watches the lone girl uncertainly.
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Asuka following the trail around the island with no particular destination in mind. She lets her long sand colored hair fall over her eyes. As she silently presses on, voices from somewhere nearby draws her gaze up from the ground. The natural parts between her bangs allow her eyes to see past her hair even with her head lowered. She spies a group of 6 Obelisk Blue girls sitting on a grass island in the woods along the dirt path. "They're... from my year, I think?" Asuka asks herself uncertainly.
Almost as if in response to her question, one of the girls bursts out into a fit of laughter. However, she remains unaware of Asuka and actually laughs at a joke her friend told. The other girls laugh at her outrageous boisterous laughter. Asuka watches them, each of their smiling faces, and her heart feels heavier in her chest. Feeling the weight crushing her, Asuka presses her palm to her heart and forces herself to take a few deep calming breaths. When the pain subsides some, she adjusts her bangs and hair, using her fingers in place of a comb. Then, she takes a large hesitant step towards the girls. After such a large step, each smaller step after comes easier.
"Hey, look." One of the girls points out, interrupting one of the girl's anecdotes. The six girls become silent, except for a bit of exchanged gossip about Asuka's status.
As Asuka draws nearer, one of the girls looks uncertainly to another and asks, "So, should we take our Duel Disks out?" The girl's whisper hits Asuka like an arrow in the heart. But despite it, she doesn't let herself deflate so easily. She forces the best smile she can muster, given her mood.
"Hi." She comments cheerily. The simple friendly greeting is met by the most baffled expressions she has ever seen. She continues before losing her drive. "We haven't spoken before, and I don't think we've ever been properly introduced. My name is Asuka Tenjoin." She considers extending her hand, but she decides against it. "I believe we're in the same grade, are we not?"
The girls look to each other uncertainly, in a kind of muffled group conference. Eventually, one of the girls answers, "Yes, we're all second years." She responds in a very dull tone for a girl who a second ago was brimming with life and energy.
Asuka freezes up. Watching the six, not a single one of them wishes to make eye contact with her or talk with her. It's as though she's a monster. She tells herself, "I'm not a monster. I'm carrying some kind of contagious disease. There's no reason for this." But as she tells herself that, she hears Hannah's voice once more; one more bad memory haunting her.
"I'm sorry, Asuka, but your shadow has outgrown your comprehension."
"Is that why?" Asuka questions herself. Again, Hannah's voice answers.
"They'd rather watch you from a distance, from the shadows. You're better to them as an untouchable idol than as a real person with flaws." Her words cut deeply.
Asuka is snapped back to reality by one of the girls' unexpected voices. Asuka looks to the girl who is obviously uncomfortable. "Did you, come to duel us?" She asks. "We're not very good. Not in your league, at least."
Asuka's smile vanishes, as she lets the girl's words settle in. Without trying to fake a smile again, Asuka answers softly. "No. I didn't." She takes a small step back, and lowers her head to let her bangs fall over her eyes once more. "I wanted... It was my, mistake... I'm sorry for disturbing you." Without explaining herself, Asuka turns her back on the girls and marches back up the dirt trail.
As she leaves, she can hear the girls discussing her appearance behind her. "That was really weird." One of them states.
"I can't believe the school idol came to talk to us." Another adds with a hint of excitement.
"Yeah, but... Didn't she seem, I don't know... Lonely?" A third girl asks. The girls discuss the other girls observation, until one of them admits.
"She's not the girl I imagined. She's actually, quite pathetic... I kind of feel sorry for her."
The girls words are the last straw. Before she can hear another word, Asuka begins running with all her heart, and she doesn't look back.
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At the Duel Academia main building, Lilica knocks on the headmaster's door before hopping in. She quickly snaps to attention, melodramatically slamming her heels together and drawing her hand to her forehead. "I've come to report, sir!"
Situated at the base of a massive multistory window, the headmaster's chair swivels around, revealing James, rather than the chair's true master. "Well, then report." He replies casually.
"Yes sir!" Lilica shouts before tittering lightly. "It seems two others have begun to shift. They haven't shown any susceptibility thus far, but their hearts are showing definitive changes. Not only that, but the overall mood on the island has also experienced a tiny shift in our favor. It doesn't look like anything will happen in the immediate present, but with the introduction of a catalyst, we may have another test subject before the week's end."
"Is that right?" James ponders the update. Biting his thumb, he curses. "Shit! Its too fast. First things were moving too slow, and now they're moving too fast." He grumbles as he slides the chair up to the desk. "Your pick has proven to be a real pain in my ass, you know that?"
"My Michael?" Lilica asks as innocently.
James gives her a cross look. "I'm not going to dignify that with a response." Again, Lilica titters and sticks her tongue out with a guilty smile. James ignores her antics. He instead rests his head in his hands as he thinks it over. After a minute, he explains, "Each investment was suppose to submit, peek once, then burn out, but yours hasn't." Rubbing his chin, he admits, "And I still can't figure out why."
"But, this is what you wanted." Lilica points out. "You wanted them to show you things you've never seen before and things you haven't thought of."
"I did, but I hadn't expected any of them to throw me a freaking curve ball like this! One shot, one kill. Your fluke should have died twice."
"You don't have any idea why?" Lilica asks out of genuine concern.
James scoffs at the notion. "Oh no, I have plenty of ideas why. In fact, I have several pretty solid hypotheses, which I've narrowed down into three extremely probable theories."
"Oh? Like what?" Lilica asks curiously.
"The one I'm most confident of at the moment is why that boy Ramirez didn't burn out entirely after his little night escapade." James explains. "One shot, one kill: Tension, catalyst, submission, climax, and then they are suppose to burn out. That boy was already fragile, so it didn't take much to pressure him and stress him. I personally added the catalyst to ensure he was pushed beyond the limits of his tolerance. He submitted, and he peeked that night. After he lost his hatefilled game, he should have met his end on the rocks below. But, knowing he didn't, it means he did something to prevent his end there. Something saved him, beyond my generosity." Lilica nods intently.
"Do you think it was Michael?" She asks.
"No. I don't. I know your pick got involved in it, since Ramirez reemerged using him as a kind of life line, but I don't think your pick had anything to do with that." Rubbing his chin again, James states, "I'm almost certain Ramirez leached onto Michael sometime before falling, which is how his soul became bonded to Michael." He draws his hand away from his chin as he glares at Lilica. "My theory is that Ramirez's mental state made it impossible for him to pay the penalty of his punishment game, and further, a conflicting force in Ramirez was stronger than the level of weak magical power involved in their little game of darkness ."
"You mean, his hatred?" Lilica asks with a sad expression across her usually cheery face.
"Partially, but also, he still had hope in his heart. He must have seen something of himself in Michael, and that hope linked them together. He must have thought, they were kindred spirits; that they shared something in common, which is why neither has burnt out." Seeing the question fill Lilica's eyes, James explains, "They're both already dead. Their hearts and souls died long ago, so there's nothing for the darkness to take?" Glaring firmly at Lilica, James states, "You can't punish or kill a dead man? At least not with that level of weak magic."
Lilica looks sadly at the desk, but she doesn't say anything. James goes ahead and finishes, "That's my jumbled disorganized theory, at least."
"Are you sure?" She asks softly without meeting him face to face.
James hesitates momentarily, but he finally answers, "Let me put it this way. I wouldn't go out and try offering my soul to the shadows just yet. There is still too much uncertainty, and their's no gauge for how intense each feeling would have to be to stave off death from the darkness." Still watching her sulk, James sighs and tells her, "Don't relate to them. Even if you see similarities there, trust me, you're not alike. You'd have to fall much farther than you could ever tolerate to reach that level of despair."
Lilica looks up and smiles. "I know. But, it's just so sad."
"That's life, kid. Either deal with it, or accept the alternative."
"You're right. Still cruel, but still right." She admits softly.
James turns his back on her. "Look, there's still too many unknowns to be sure. I'm going to keep working on this as best I can. There's no way to set up tests for this. Even if I tortured rats for years, it doesn't mean they'd feel despair or build bonds of hope strong enough to stave off spiritual death. Just give me some more time to think. Let the wheels spin on their own for the time being. We won't get involved until we have to. If I can't figure it out by then, I'll set it aside, and we can proceed."
"Right." Lilica barks cheerfully. "I'll continue living the life of a normal everyday high school transfer student while secretly keeping an eye on the guinea pigs, nya."
Glancing over the headmaster's chair, James casts Lilica a disapproving eye. "Normal? I wouldn't go that far." Lilica blows him a raspberry before she skips out of the headmaster's office.
With Lilica gone, James once more peers out the large window. His serious face doesn't soften. "Dead men walking; a lingering soul that cannot truly live but refuses to pass on... Who would choose such a life?"
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Asuka finally comes to a stop near an abandoned tool shed near the gym. She hunches over, gasping for her breath. Her long bangs and hair puff out with each heavy breath. A glance through her bangs reveals a connection for a water hose on the shed. Still hunching over, she makes her way to the faucet and fights to turn it. The old faucet head is secured tightly; too tightly for a girl her size to budge, and it refuses to give. She fights with it crying out, "I can do this, on my own! I don't need friends, to do it, for me!" It still refuses to budge. She cries softly through her gasping breaths. "Please! I don't have anyone else!" With another intense effort, it finally budges. She gives it one more forceful turn, and the faucet gives way, spinning freely. Asuka's excess efforts send her hand gliding over the side of the faucet head, slicing her finger. She winces and holds her hand, as the water pours out of the faucet.
Asuka curses softly, before running her finger under the water. She winces again as the icy cold water stings the wound. After treating the cut under the water, she runs her head and face under the faucet and takes a long drink. Satisfied, she sets to work wringing out the water from her hair, before her shirt is soaked completely. The process is time consuming with her long hair, and it gives her plenty of time to think; the last thing she wants to do right now. No matter the distance she ran, she can't escape the girls' reactions. "They didn't see me as a person at all." She stares vacantly at the running water. "I've always wanted to be taken seriously as a duelist, but have I really been handed such a reputation that people only see me as being good for nothing but dueling and being watched from afar?" Asuka squeezes the faucet off tightly, yet it continues to drip.
Asuka hunches over once more, holding her stomach, where a cramp sends waves of pain through her body. She leans against the shed, with an arm propping her up. As she hunches over there, she thinks about her reputation and her dueling records. Having always thought of herself as not accepting of idol fandom, now, she can't help the feeling that she has done nothing to lessen it. "All I've done is ignore it." She admits. She thinks of her friends, Judai and Manjyome, who both have dueled so much and built such exceptional records for themselves. She however has been like Kaiser Ryo Marufugi, not dueling nearly as much as them, only she hasn't had as successful a career as him.
"Why didn't I see it before?" She asks. "I really am naive."
A young Osiris Red boy suddenly hops out from around the shed. The short boy with wispy brown hair freezes in his track, stunned to find Asuka in front of him, and alone. "You, you're the Duel Queen of Duel Academia!" He recites excitedly. His words hit her hard, bringing her frustration to a boil. "Wow, Asuka Tenjoin-Sempai! Alone, out here... this is so incredible! I can't wait til my friends hear about this." He prattles on excitedly.
Despite the pain in her gut, Asuka draws herself to her full height. "What's your name?" She asks harshly.
The boy is stunned. "You want to know my name?" He asks; his voice brimming with awe struck astonishment. He anxiously gives it to her. "My name's Takahashi Hikaru." Laughing, he explains, "My parents wanted a girl." After mussing his hair, he explains confidently, "but all my friends call me Cyber!"
The boy's lighthearted response only irritates Asuka more. "Takahashi-Kohai, I challenge you to a duel!" She demands forcefully. Once more, the boy is left speechless.
"You, you really want to duel me? Me, Cyber, Takahashi Hikaru? You, Duel Queen of all Duel Academia, Asuka Tenjoin-Sempai?" The boy's mouth curls open into a wild dreamy smile that stretches from ear to ear. "You better believe I do! It's an honor, or it will be an honor... I mean, I'm honored!" He bows deeply, then pulls his duel disk from his back pack.
As he prepares his deck in his duel disk, Asuka realizes, she doesn't even have her duel disk. The small boy asks, "What's wrong?" Seeing Asuka has nothing on her, he asks stupidly, "Don't you have your duel disk?" Asuka's face reddens. She can feel her heart surrendering to the days unrelenting events, but he quickly states, "No problem! They keep extra duel disks in here. You can borrow one of the schools." Hearing his own words, he quickly slaps his hand to his mouth. "Oh, but you're here, so you must already know that. You must have come here for a new duel disk. I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking." He bows deeply once more.
His placing the blame on himself only bothers Asuka more. "I didn't know." She tells herself. But she says nothing to him. Instead, she takes a duel disk from the shed, and returns. Shuffling her deck, she declares, "I won't hold back."
He nods excitedly. "That's fine, that's fine. I promise, I'll do my best not to disappoint you. I'll keep up for as long as I can."
"Duel." They both declare, as Asuka slaps her deck into her disk.
As the boy draws out his opening hand, he looks to Asuka, offering her, "Please Tenjoin-Sempai, you go first."
Not wanting to argue with him, Asuka draws her sixth card. She spreads her hand out, revealing all of the options at her disposal: Stray Lambs, Allegro Tool, Cyber Gymnast, Ritual of Machine Angel, Etoile Cyber, and Doble Passe. Without hesitation, she activates Stray Lambs. Two cute fluff balls with horns descend to the field; one landing on its head. They both cry cutely.
"Is this, a softer side of Tenjoin-Sempai I've never seen before?" The short clueless boy asks. "Could she be..." The young boy, Hikaru, contemplates to himself. "Could this be a side of her she's only showing me?" He squeals to himself. "I'm so lucky!"
Asuka sets 1 s/t card, then ends her turn.
"That was a brilliant play Tenjoin-Sempai!" Hikaru cheers. "To summon two monsters in your first round to defend your life points, and to create a passive defense to wait and see my strategies shows why you're Duel Queen."
His compliment irritates Asuka, who does her best to suppress her annoyance as she retorts, "You should concentrate on your own strategies."
Hikaru quickly agrees. "Tenjoin-Sempai, you're right! I must do my best to be a worthy opponent for you." He draws. After combining his newly drawn card to his hand, sets 1 monster card. "I end my turn."
Asuka draws Scapegoat. She adds it to her hand, while taking another card form her hand. "I summon Etoile Cyber." Her cyber dancer takes the field, striking a dynamic pose. "Etoile Cyber, avant kick!" Etoile Cyber swiftly launches herself across the field in a graceful twirling leap. She gives the impression that she is floating in air. Reaching the concealed monster, she dusts off the ground, barely landing down, before leaping in the air once more and launching a forward kick that sweeps the set card from the ground and flips it over. A metal pod appears.
"Cyber Jar will counter your careful planning, Tenjoin-Sempai." Hikaru remarks. The Cyber Jar explodes, destroying all monsters on the field. "I don't suppose I need to explain my monster's effect?" Hikaru questions. Asuka answers by picking up the top 5 cards of her deck and revealing them. The boy does the same with a quiet nod. Asuka reveals her Blade Skater, Cyber Acrobat, Cyber Prima, Prima's Light, and Ritual Weapon. Hikaru reveals 2 Giant Rats, a Cybernetic Cyclopean, Machine Duplication, and Claymore Mine. Asuka summons both of her level 4 monsters in attack position, while the boy sets his 2 Giant Rats and Cybernetic Cyclopean randomly on the field. The rest of the cards are added to their hands. She attacks with Blade Skater. The graceful woman glides across the field and delivers a punishing tornado spin kick on the boy's concealed Cybernetic Cyclopean.
"Fantastic insight!" Hikaru compliments. Asuka ignores him and launches an attack with her Cyber Acrobat. The petite green eyed girl charges forward in a routine of flips and somersaults. Her blue and white lycra bodysuit blurs into a rapidly spinning wheel of white and blue, while her metal wrist and shinguards gleam, adding a sparkling trail effect. Reaching the set monster, she leaps into an aerial back flip and lands with a fierce drop kick, crushing the Giant Rat's skull. The rat's eyes go blank, as its teeth bit down on its tongue. It staggers for a moment before exploding. With her mission complete, the girl flips back to her side of the field. Once she's landed down, she gives her blonde hair a tentative fluff, to ensure it is still secure in a bun.
Hikaru applauds her efforts. "Another fantastic attack, but this time Tenjoin-Sempai, it will cost you." The boy plays a monster from his deck. "Kinetic Soldier specializes in dealing with warrior heavy decks." The cybernetic soldier takes the field. He breaths calmly through a breathing mask, as he awaits his orders. Asuka sets 1 s/t card. Then, she ends her turn.
"Here we go!" Hikaru shouts. "Draw!" After adding his new card to his hand, he flip summons his Giant Rat, then orders Kinetic Soldier to attack. The cybernetic solider attacks Cyber Acrobat, but Asuka responds.
"Trap card, activate. Doble Passe." She declares. "The attack of your monster against 1 of my monsters becomes a direct attack, and you'll take damage from my monster as a direct attack!" Cyber Acrobat flips, evading Kinetic Soldier's attack, and letting Asuka take his attack directly for 1350 points of damage. Her Cyber Acrobat counters with her own attack, landing a flip kick on Hikaru, for 1500 damage, before bounding back to her side of the field and cartwheeling over Kinetic Soldier as he returns to his field.
"Another skillful and knowledgeable play." He cheers. "Giant Rat, attack!" Giant Rat charges into Blade Skater. He sinks his teeth into her as she launches a high kick into Giant Rat's throat. Both explode. "Come out, Kinetic Soldier. A second Kinetic Soldier takes the field. "Attack, Cyber Acrobat with kinetic fist!" Cyber Acrobat is destroyed as Kinetic Soldier delivers a swift haymaker. Asuka takes 1850 points of damage, knocking her life points down to 800. Hikaru leaves his battle phase and summons Mighty Guard in defense position. The green gear soldier takes the field with a defense of 1200. "You're not the only one who can strengthen their defenses." He comments, as he plays Machine Duplication from his hand. 2 more Mighty Guards take the field beside his two Kinetic Soldiers. "Turn end."
Asuka draws Cyber Tutu. She worriedly adds the cute dancer to her hand. Then, Asuka summons Cyber Gymnast to defense position and discards Ritual Weapon to let Cyber Gymnast launch a special attack. The woman tackles Kinetic Soldier and slams him into the ground with a suplex, destroying him. After settign 1 more 1 s/t card, she ends her turn.
Hikaru draws. Seeing Asuka retreat to defense position, he worries aloud, "Is Tenjoin-Sempai trying to deceive me? Is this another of her skillful traps to bait me into attacking recklessly? It must be, or else she'd lose." The boy decides to accept her invitation to attack and learn the lesson she intends to teach him. He tributes 1 Mighty Guard to summon Cybernetic Magician. Hikaru discards 2 cards to boost each Mighty Guard to 2000 attack each. After shifting both to attack position, he launches his attack. Kinetic Soldier decimates Cyber Gymnast with a shoulder charge. Asuka responds with Scapegoat.
"So that's what she was plotting!" Hikaru states in surprise. Tenjoin-Sempai is defending her precious life points for a counter offensive." He destroys 3 goat tokens, then sets 1 s/t card and ends his turn.
Asuka draws Hallowed Life Barrier. All she has left is 1 goat token, Cyber Tutu and Cyber Prima. She decides to go for it. "I summon Cyber Tutu". The cute dancer takes the field, striking her dynamic pose on her toes. "Activate, Allegro Tool!" She adds. Her quickplay spell destroys the boy's set Claymore Mine. "Now Cyber Tutu, attack Mighty Guard." The cute dancer springs across the field and destroys an attack position Mighty Guard with a spinning kick. Hikaru's life points drop another 500 points, leaving him with 2000 life points left. "Now, Prima's Light! By sending 1 Cyber Tutu to the Graveyard, I can special summon 1 Cyber Prima from my hand." The powerful experienced ballerina takes the field. "Cyber Prima, attack!" Cyber Prima unleashes a fierce kick on Mighty Guard, destroying it. Hikaru's life points fall to 200.
Hikaru laughs. "I left myself open for that." Asuka sets her Hallowed Life Barrier, then ends her turn once more. Hikaru draws. He activates the drawn card. "Deal of Dark World! We both draw 1 card, then I discard 1." Asuka draws Polymerization. The boy draws his card, then discards another from his hand. "That's better." He tells himself. I summon, Cybernetic Cyclopean." His cybernetic cyclops takes the field. It's lone eye can't keep focused on the cards in his hand. He discards 2 cards to boost it and Kinetic Soldier and Cybernetic Cyclopean to 2000. Then he sets his last card in his s/t card zone, boosting Cybernetic Cyclopean to 3000. It's lone eye finaly focuses. "Cyberization is so next generation!" With a hardy semi-embarrassed laugh, he jokes, "I guess my deck is something of a fad, but I still like it." He laughs. "Your deck Tenjoin-Sempai, is so cool, the way you use cyber athlete warriors. It almost feels like we're kindred spirits." He laughs again.
His comment hurts Asuka. "Is my deck nothing but a modern fad?" She asks herself. Her eyes fall on her graveyard, where all of her Cyber Athletes have been sent. "But, I never meant for it to be... when I built it. When I built it?" Asuka thinks back to when she was just a kid, not even 10 years old yet. "Why did I choose this deck?" She asks herself. Then she remembers. "That's right. It was... the Olympics." She sees herself as a tiny girl, pestering her brother to duel with her, while he sits on the couch watching TV.
"Come one big brother. Play with me." The small girl pleads.
Fubuki laughs as she tugs on the sleeve of his school uniform. "Asuka-Chan... You know I can't say no to a pretty girl."
"Good, then play with me." Asuka holds up a deck. "I just built this new one, all for you big brother."
Again, Fubuki laughs. But, his smile fades as he looks to the other side of the couch. A stern looking man sits silently on the other side of the sofa. Little Asuka looks at him too, but she can't recall his features anymore. Fubuki turns back to her wearing a serious and firm expression. "Asuka-Chan..." He starts. But as he looks at her, he can't continue. Once more, he lets the seriousness melt from his face and laughs slightly with a goofy expression. "Hey, Asuka-Chan, I want to show you something."
"Me?" Little Asuka asks. Fubuki nods and points at the TV. She glances at the TV where a bunch of people stand around and make a big deal while waving various flags. She turns back to Fubuki with her cheeks puffed up. "Big brother, that's boring."
Fubuki doesn't argue. Rather, he shakes his head slightly while wearing a quiet serious smile. "You need to look closer. Go ahead, look again."
Asuka turns and looks at the TV screen again. This time, Fubuki leans over her shoulder and asks, "See?" But she doesn't see anything.
"Big bro..." Fubuki cuts her off and points. A moment later, several little girls fill the screen.
"What's this?" She asks curiously, seeing the girls, some not much older than her, and a few look even younger.
"Those girls, are competing to be world champions." Asuka's large round eyes light up, widening even wider.
"World champions?"
"Yep. They are competing at such a high level of competitiveness, that they have earned the right to compete on the world stage to see who is the best." Fubuki explains. Asuka is awed.
"That's right..." Asuka remembers, as she watches the memory replay. "That's where it started." Her memory becomes hazy, all except 1 detail: The TV screen stands out vividly. "I remember, I watched the Olympics every chance I could get." Asuka remembers the young girls competing in various floor routines and bar routines. "I was so inspired by them. For young girls to do such extraordinary things alone. To be strong, to move with confidence, to act with style and grace, to be the best they can be..." Asuka recalls the grace of the skaters, the strength and discipline of the gymnasts, and the passion of the dancers. "They were all so incredible. I remember thinking, it wasn't humanly possible. Humans can't fly, but they did."
She remembers watching a young female ice skater try so hard and take only a bronze in figure skating. She turns to Fubuki excitedly. "She got a medal! She won!"
Fubuki laughs slightly and contradicts her. "Actually, she only got third place, which is still really good at that level."
"Third place?" Asuka asks. She watches the girl cry in joy. Another girl is given a silver medal, and another a gold. The girl with the silver medal cries into her hands and collapses to her knees outside of the rink. "Why? Why is she so upset? She won second place. That's really really good, isn't it?" Asuka asks.
Fubuki looks to Asuka with a quiet smile. "She wanted first place. She wanted to be the best." Asuka doesn't understand.
"But, she got second place." Again, Fubuki shakes his head.
"It's not good enough, for some. She's dedicated her whole life to skating, and nothing but first place will satisfy her."
"But that's," Asuka watches the silver medal winning girl shove her parent's hand away, as he tries to console her. While the bronze winning girl cries and smiles, hugging her family. "That's stupid. She only got third, and she's happy." Turning to Fubuki once more, she shouts, "So why isn't the other girl happy?"
Fubuki's smile disappears briefly. The young boy hesitates, then he responds seriously, "That girl who won the bronze broke her personal best. She may never win another medal again here. But that other girl was expected to take gold with ease. She's disappointed in herself. She'll get more shots to get a gold medal probably, maybe even a few, but right now, she feels like a failure. It's a long time, before she'll have another chance to prove what she can really do."
"I didn't fully understand, then." Asuka recalls. "But, I remember how I felt, watching the girls cry. Especially when the crowd exploded in cheers for all of the winners. I wanted to be like her, the girl who only took a bronze medal." Looking at her graveyard, Asuka utters, "That's why. That's why I made this deck. It was my desire to be as strong and courageous as that girl, and all those girls from around the world. I wanted a deck that would let me be my personal best." Asuka's eyes waver. "But this deck... It doesn't truly match that girl's spirit at all. My deck's monsters aren't strong or independent. I'm not strong and independent. My deck's like me. It needs others to function, and without constant support, we fail." Asuka lets a tear fall on her graveyard cards. "My deck, is all wrong. My monsters look like those girls' outfits, but their souls are very different. In the end, my deck is weak and childish... Like me."
Hikaru attacks, snapping Asuka back to the here and now. His Kinetic Soldier destroys her final Scapegoat Token. Asuka swiftly activates Hallowed Life Barrier by discarding her Polymerization. Cybernetic Magician's attack hits the barrier. Once more, Hikaru applauds her evasion technique. "Fantastic!" He ends his turn.
Asuka draws. Her heart skips a beat as she sees she has drawn Pot of Greed. The situation is the same as her duel with Titan. Once more, her fate is in the hand of the next 2 cards she draws. Asuka's only other hand card is Ritual of Machine Angel. "If this was it, I'd lose." She tells herself.
Hikaru calls her, "Tenjoin-Sempai." Once he has her attention, he tells her, "Thank you." Asuka doesn't understand, but he explains. "I know you've been holding back for my sake, and if you weren't, I'd be defeated already. You're as kind as the rumors stated. I've learned very much by your plays, and I'll remember them. Thank you." He bows deeply. "Please, don't hold back for my sake any longer. Show me your incredible power." He requests.
His words shake Asuka's already shaky heart. She can hear Hannah's antagonism about her cards despite her not knowing her deck. She shakes her words away. Titan's deep mumbling voice antagonizes her as well. "What good is one prima against three monsters?"
"Shut up!" Asuka finally explodes against the bad memories. "I accept it. I accept that my victory or defeat depends on a lucky draw in the end. And I probably deserve the loss. But," She activates Pot of Greed. "If I win without cheating, it's still a win I earned!" Asuka draws her 2 cards. As she spreads them out, she sees two blue backgrounds. She holds the level 6, Cyber Angel Idaten and the level 6, Cyber Angel Benten. Despite her words, her lucky draw fills her with guilt. "That's right. As long as I win by playing fair and doing my best, it's a win I earned, even if I deserve to lose." She activates her Ritual of Machine Angel by offering Cyber Angel Benten. The graceful lovely woman descends form the sky. Cyber Angel Idaten takes the field, casting a radiant light over the field.
"Incredible!" Hikaru comments.
"When Cyber Angel Idaten is summoned," Asuka explains with no pleasure, "I can retrieve 1 spell card from my graveyard." She reveals Ritual Weapon from her graveyard and equips it to Idaten, boosting Idaten from 1600 to 3100. She hesitates momentarily. Then, she closes her eyes and orders her attack. Idaten attacks, hitting Cybernetic Magician with a gut shattering uppercut, destroying him. Hikaru's life points fall from 200 to 0.
Hikaru is blown back by his monster's explosion, but he recovers with a smile. "Thank you, Tenjoin-Sempai. I'm grateful to you for giving me this opportunity. You were too kind and merciful to me. Had you have gone all out, it would have been embarrassing." Once more, the young Osiris Red boy bows to her. "Please excuse me, Tenjoin-Sempai. I'd like to tell my friends about this miraculous experience." Hikaru quickly runs off into the woods.
Even before he has vanished from sight, Asuka falls to her knees. "I'm everything Hannah accused me of being." Her deck spills across the ground. "I only won by a lucky break, and yet I'm still worshiped. If I hadn't held back..." She repeats. "I didn't hold back. I had nothing more to give. I'm a fraud." As the first tears fall over her cards, she catches herself and yells, "Stop this! This is something a child does! I'm not a child anymore, and I'm not this weak!" Asuka takes a deep breath and reasserts herself. "I'm Asuka Tenjoin, The Duel Queen of Duel Academia. Whether I like it or not, this is the person they've made me, and all I can do is be like Hannah and change the image I was given. I have to evolve above this deck and this fad of machines and cyberization to return to the basics I left behind." Asuka sees the bronze winning girl smiling so proudly. "I have to find the true spirit I've been striving to emulate. I'm not a normal girl, and I'm not like Ryo. I'm me." She glares through the parts in her bangs. "I'll give it my best and learn from my failures. I'll become strong on my own and make myself worthy of the title they've given me." With her harsh gaze softening, she tells herself, "Things will be alright."
As she calms herself, several voices call to her from down the path. "Hey, Asuka!"
"Yo, Asuka-San!"
"Judai?" She asks with surprise. Glancing over her shoulder, she spots Judai and Kenzan running towards her. Manjyome follows close behind.
"Tenjoin-Kun!"
Reaching her, the three guys all hunch over and gasp. "Everyone?" She asks, fighting back tears.
"Sorry we left without you." Judai apologizes.
Kenzan admits, "As soon as we heard you were looking for us, we stopped hunting for Kyle and went looking for you." Manjyome stands at the back. He tries to act cool like he was just passing by, but she can tell he was looking for her too.
"Thank you, everyone." She sniffles.
"Asuka-San, you're bleeding!" Kenzan states. Manjyome lunges forward smacking Kenzan out of the way. Kenzan screams as he goes flying into the nearby bushes.
"Tenjoin-Kun, are you alright?" He asks as he examines her finger died red with blood. His eyes shift to Cyber Tutu with a blood drop on her. "Arghhh! Who did this to you?" He shouts furiously. "I'll make them suffer a thousand deaths! They'll feel the wrath of Thunder!"
Asuka admits with a soft smile, "I accidently did it to myself."
"Oh?" Manjyome responds anti-climatically. With that resolved, he kneels beside Asuka and rips a small piece off of his trench coat. "He quickly sets to work wrapping her finger with it."
"Hey, don't wrap her finger with that dirty thing, Manjyome." Judai interjects.
Kenzan agrees, as he crawls out of the bushes. "Yeah, Manjyome-San. It may be coated in pathogenic bacterium, and it could get infectasurus... ed, er, infected... Don?" Kenzan is baffled by his own words.
Asuka cries softly. All three ask, "What's wrong?"
Shaking her head, she admits, "Nothing." She glances up at them all with a teary eyes smile. "I'm not alone." None of the boys understands, but she continues to smile, telling herself, I can be strong and independent and still not be alone."
Chapter 13 - End
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Author Notes
I only used 1 CAC card, and it was made by Asuka Tenjoin from the pojo boards. She made it for her fanfic, and I got permission from her to use it.
This chapter's duel was tough, as the anime Asuka Tenjoin's deck is simply horrendous. I couldn't script the duel for the life of me. Her deck honestly cannot defeat a 1400 ATK non-effect monster without a several card investment. When a Cybernetic Cyclopean and Giant Rat are impenetrable walls against your deck, unless you invest 3 cards, you know you're deck has issues. Thankfully, it illustrates the point I wanted to illustrate in the chapter, which is, it's a horrible deck. I'm happy to say, I won't be using it ever again in my fanfic, thank goodness. If you liked Cyber Angels and Cyber Athletes, sorry to disappoint you, but I hate them, and I'm not using them anymore. I like Asuka Tenjoin very much, so she'll duel again and be used to her full potential, but her failed decks aren't coming along for the ride. She's decided, it's time she finally grow up.
Cyber
Acrobat
Earth, Warrior, LV 4, 1500/1000
Effect: This card is
unaffected by the effect of Spell Cards.
(Artwork: A cute and
petite young girl in a blue and white lycra bodysuit with metal wrist
and shinguards, with green eyes and blonde hair pinned into a bun.)
As for cards in the chapter, every card (except Acrobat) is a real card in the TCG, OCG, or anime, and you can go to Janime to see her entire deck list with effects. I'd post them here, but I don't feel like it, lol.
