Author's Notes; While I'm still not happy with how I did that last duel, hopefully this one won't be so overkill lol. I guess I had it in my head that Shu pulled out a bunch of high level defense monsters such as Millennium Golem, Big Shield Gardna, and others like them, so Yu needed to hit them with everything he had to make sure he got through. While I know I didn't describe that part as such, by the time I got to that point, my brain was fried. That's my own fault though, and hopefully I've learned my lesson not to rush these lol. At any rate, I am glad you guys enjoyed the show regardless of my own stupidity. Anyway, on with the duels!
P.S. If you can guess what's coming just from the chapter title, my hat's off to you for knowing your Persona. Hehe. Adios!
"Whoa! What kind of monster was that thing?!" Joey shouted and pointed at Yugi's TV, his mouth open wide enough to run a bus through. "You ever hear of a Persona watcha callit?!"
"No, it's the first I've seen a card like that before! It was amazingly powerful though!" Yugi replied, his purple eyes about as wide as his best friend's mouth had been a moment ago.
"I think it was kinda pretty. Suzuka Gongen moved with a grace of a dancer, yet she struck like her namesake suggested." Tea was just as riveted to the action as the rest of them, and she let out a sigh of disappointment when the Persona of the Chariot disappeared, along with the rest of the monsters the winner had summoned. "At least that Yu guy has a good heart behind him. Look at him, shaking hands with his opponent as if neither of them had lost."
"He's a cool guy, kinda like you Yugi." Tristan chimed in, nodding his head in agreement with Tea's assessment. "I bet he'd even be a match for you."
"You think so Tristan? I wouldn't mind seeing those Personas of his up close. I guess it goes to show I'm not as knowledgeable about the game as I thought if I've never heard of a deck like his, but that's alright." Yugi replied, lost in thought as his mind raced with the possibilities. Yu Narukami, he'd look for him in the duel circuit if he ever came across the sea.
"Well I say bring him on! With your grandpa's lessons, I'd totally cream those monsters of his!" Joey shouted, and then immediately paled when a shadow fell over him from behind the couch. Turning towards the figure behind them, Joey about fell off the couch when he saw his words had summoned Solomon Moto, Yugi's grandfather. "Ah boy. Hey Gramps….what's up?"
"Joseph, it's time for your lesson. Quit slacking and pick up your deck!" The old man seemed almost giddy by the thought of putting Joey through his paces, and Joey paled at the thought of how hard Solomon would run him before the day was over. On the other hand, Solomon couldn't stop his smile of approval as Joey sighed in defeat, knowing there was no way out of his promise to do everything the old man asked if he wanted to become a better duelist.
Once he and Joey disappeared to another part of the house, Yugi was brought out of his thoughts when Tea put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, the next duel's about the start. Nanako Dojima and Yuuta Minami? Huh, they barely look old enough to have started grade school."
"I was about that age when I picked up my first deck. It's not so surprising to me Tea." Yugi replied, folding his arms over his chest as he leaned back into the couch. "I think it's good they're willing to put their hearts out there for the world to see."
"Yeah." Tea and Tristan said together, nodding their agreement as they too settled in to watch the duel.
Inaba Duel Stadium.
"Ya did good up there, although ya didn't have to ground Shu's rock golems into fine powder while you was at it." Labrys's tone didn't contain a shred of disapproval despite her words, and the amused gleam in her red eyes said as much. "So, how do ya think she'll do Yu?" Labrys asked the moment Yu had sat down where Nanako had just been.
Looking up at the red platform his cousin now stood upon, Yu couldn't be sure, but he thought she was entirely too still. Either she was rooted to the spot from fear despite her earlier excitement, or she was going through a mental list of her deck, preparing herself for the duel that was about to start. When she looked up into the young boy's face that was on the other end of the field, Yu had his answer from the determined set of her jaw and the way her brown eyes focused solely on Yuuta's face. "I think she's going to be just fine Labrys." While the kind of determination he saw was different from what he was used to seeing on her face, Yu knew that she'd give it her all just as she did everything else. Her piano lessons, her school work, anything she set her mind to, Nanako poured her heart and soul into the endeavor.
"You're really into this huh Nana-chan? Well I can't lose, I have to win this for my mom!" Yuuta shouted, but not before looking towards the crowd. There, he met his stepmother's gaze, and she offered him a small smile of encouragement. It was all he needed as he set his deck down and pulled his first five cards.
Nanako followed suit, before drawing her first card of the match once their life point readers had hit 2000. "You're not the only one fighting for family Yuuta." Looking towards her father who was on one side of the stadium before looking towards her friends and her 'Big Brother', Nanako returned her gaze to the front as she set a magic card face down. "I also summon a monster card, in defense mode!" There, Marshmallon will protect me while I put a plan in place. Four cards in hand and two on the field, it wasn't a bad way to start in Nanako's opinion.
BGM, Power Rangers Mystic Force intro. (Although any PR theme music would work. D)
"Alright Nanako, prepare to meet my unstoppable team! Go! Feather Hawk, Phoenix Ranger!" 1300 / 1000 A young man in a red and white skin tight suit of armor appeared, jumping from his summoning circle before landing on his feet at the edge of his side of the field. When he landed, the red warrior struck a pose and waves of fire surrounded him before dying down, leaving him untouched. "Oh yeah, the leader of the Phoenix Ranger gets an effect when he's summoned to the field! He can summon another of his allies to the field if one of my Rangers are in my hand! Come out and play, Feather Swan, Phoenix Ranger!" 1100 / 500 Yuuta slammed his second card on the field, and a similar summoning monster and animation followed as a blue ranger flipped backward, showing off his moves as he kicked, punched, and then finally stopped by his red counterpart. When they were side by side, a blue shower of sparks and electrical energy erupted around the warrior. "And because they're part of the same team, they get a power bonus of a 100 points!" Feather Hawk 1400 / 1100. Feather Swan 1200 / 600. "Now go, Feather Swan, take that face down monster to the edge! Swan Beam Shot!"
The blue Phoenix Ranger materialized a tech bow between his hands and pulled the blue energy stream back to his visor covered right eye. When he released the taut 'string', the blue beam that shot forth took the shape of a swan with its wings stretched wide before returning to its original arrow head shape.
"I don't think so!" Nanako declared as she flipped over her face down card. "I flip summon Marshmallon!" 300 / 500
"Oh crud." Yuuta blanched when the blue energy beam hit the cute pink marshmallow creature. Instead of shattering it into a thousand different pixels, the doe eyed pink ball like creature merely puffed itself back into its original shape before revealing a mouthful of razor sharp teeth. Beneath that cute mask lied a monster that could tear a man's arm off with ease.
"And because you activated him when he was face down, I can now take down half of your life points! Go, Marshmallon!" Nanako pointed at Yuuta, and the small creature shot off of her side of the field and made a beeline for Yuuta himself. "He can't be destroyed in battle either, so my life points are safe!" Nanako declared as the pink creature slammed into Yuuta, stripping him of half of his life points at the same time before reforming in front of Nanako. The monster returned to its cute veneer, concealing the inherent danger of attacking it. "Heehee. Thanks Marshmallon!" Yuuta 2000 LP - 1000 LP
"Way to go Nanako! Take that kid down!" Kanji shouted from the stands, pumping his fist into the air as Yuuta's points dropped from Nanako's well executed move.
"Booyah! Another hit like that and this duel's over!" Yosuke agreed, grinning from ear to ear until he caught sight of the grin on Yuuta's face. "Um, he just lost half of his life points. Why isn't he worried?"
"Because he has a plan already in motion. He might have wasted his attack against Nanako's Marshmallon, but there is always a way around it." Naoto stated softly, more than a little worried at where this duel might end up going.
"I had a feeling you had a Marshmallon in your deck Nana-chan, but I'll admit you caught me off guard. But now, this duel's mine! During my second Standby phase, I can activate this if I lost a 1000 Life Points due to an effect! Gather the Team!" Slapping a card down on his side of the field, the card Yuuta played materialized beside his two Rangers, depicting the rest of his Phoenix Rangers gathered in front of their base of operations, the Phoenix Tower. The magic card gave off a pink light, and moments later, another winged Ranger stepped out of the card and stood next to her compatriots. "You remember that bonus I mentioned? Now I get a 100 life points for every Ranger on the field, on top of the power bonus! Thanks Feather Argus!" 900 / 1200. 300 Power Bonus. 1200 / 1500 1000 LP - 1300 LP. Feather Hawk, 1500 / 1200. Feather Swan, 1300 / 700.
Despite being outnumbered three to one, Nanako didn't appeared worried as she drew another card. Considering Yuuta had used up most of his hand for that single play, that meant he didn't have a lot of options left to him. Even so, she didn't fall into a false sense of security as she looked through her own hand, and the hidden card behind her Marshmallon. I don't want to use The Sanctuary in the Sky until I get Nova Summoner. With a silent nod of her head, Nanako put down a Trap Card before deciding on an appropriate monster for the situation at hand. "I summon Shining Angel, in attack mode!" 1400 / 800. "Now go, take down Feather Argus!"
"Oh no! I didn't put her in Defense Mode!" Yuuta watched in horror as the four golden wings of Nanako's Shining Angel took the angelic warrior to the sky above their dueling fields before he came down fast, like a hawk diving in for the kill, a glowing golden sword appearing in his hands which he used to cut Feather Argus down to size. The pink Ranger disappeared in a flash of light, never to be seen again. "And with one of their team gone, I lose a hundred points from my two remaining monsters." Feather Hawk, 1400, 1100 and Feather Swan, 1200 / 600. 1100 LP
"Yep. Your move Yuuta." Nakao exclaimed, her brown eyes alight with joy at coming so close to winning in only a few moves. This was the best duel she had ever played, and she couldn't remember a time she had had so much fun, even with her Big Bro, his friends, and her daddy.
"I have to win!" Yuuta drew his next card, and perked up immediately at what he saw. "Yes! I think I can pull this around! I play the Field Spell, Phoenix Tower!" Yuuta's half of the playing field started to glow around the borders of the rectangles before the ground 'split', opening a fissure before something started to rise out of the ground. Amidst a storm of multicolor lights and arcs of mystical energy, a tower started to form. The base contained a giant orb above the massive metal doors that changed colors from red, to blue, black, yellow, pink, green, and finally white before going back to red. The tower itself had a pair of similarly colored wings sticking out of the back that changed colors as the orb did, mesmerizing everyone in the crowd at the beautiful light show. "Now, with Phoenix Tower in play, it doesn't matter if they're in my field or in the graveyard, I can still use it to summon my ultimate monster, Neo Featherman! I only need to draw them and summon them to the field. Before that though, I think I'll take out your Shining Angel. Go Feather Hawk! Red Talon Slash!"
A talon like claw weapon appeared on the red ranger's hands before he charged forward, leaving a trail of fire behind him wherever he went. With a roar of defiance, Shining Angel met the talon with his sword, but something was wrong as the red ranger disappeared and reappeared behind Nanako's monster. "I forgot to mention, but so long as Phoenix Tower is on the field, if our monsters have equal attack points, only yours are destroyed." Shining Angel's sword was shattered, and the angelic warrior soon followed as three smoldering slashes across his chest appeared. The explosion that followed had Nanako's pigtails flying back over her shoulders as she shielded her eyes from the bright light.
"Nanako-chan! Are you alright?!" Teddie shouted, worried for her safety despite the purely digital nature of the game. He wasn't the only one as Yu and the rest of her friends looked up towards her with concern and worry.
When the explosion finally disappeared, Nanako pulled her arms away and looked towards where her Shining Angel once stood. The happy smile on her face was the last thing Yuuta expected as a white light started to rain down on her side of the playing field. "While the loss of my only attacking monster wasn't what I wanted to occur, you've done me a favor by allowing me to special summon something else that has 1500 attack points or less. And I choose Nova Summoner from my deck!" A new angelic being appeared on Nanako's side of the field where her Shining Angel once stood. Nova Summoner. 1400 / 800.
"Fine. I put another Ranger face down and end my turn." Yuuta replied, gritting his teeth even as his rangers gained back the hundred points they had lost from Feather Argus's destruction earlier. Feather Hawk, 1500 /1200, Feather Swan 1300 / 700, and a face down.
"Um, what just happened?" Chie asked, confused as to why Nanako seemed so happy despite the loss of her power house. "Does it have something to do with her two face downs?"
"I believe so. If Nova Summoner's destroyed in battle, she can summon another 1500 or lower monster, unless one of those cards is a special Field Spell for her Fairy type monsters. Then she can summon a monster that can take out Yuuta's Phoenix Rangers one by one, even with their ability to power up with their leader on the field." Yukiko replied, but she wasn't entirely certain that would be enough. "That's assuming Yuuta doesn't pull anymore of his Rangers first and isn't able to summon his Neo Featherman. If he does that, then this duel could go to him."
"Here goes. First, I play The Sanctuary in the Sky Field Spell card!" One of the cards Nanako had put down earlier flipped over, revealing the magic card for what it was. Divine light parted a swarm of dark storm clouds that had formed over Nanako's field area, and a floating stone city in the sky started to descend. Dozens of small and large fairy type creatures flew through the city, their wings carrying them on invisible air currents to one part of the heavenly city to the next. "With this card, I can use Nova Summoner's ability to special summon Airknight Parshath the same way Shining Angel allowed me to summon my current monster. Go, attack Feather Hawk!" Once again, her monster didn't survive the encounter as her Nova Summoner was cut down to size, but Nanako didn't suffer any damage whatsoever. "With the Sanctuary on the field, I don't take any Battle Damage so long as I use a Fairy type monster to fight. So my life points are safe, and I get to special summon Airknight Parshath thanks to Nova's special ability!" Airknight Parshath 1900 / 1400
The stone doors at the back of the floating city opened wide, emitting a light of its own from the back of the temple until a monster started to take shape. Once it was at the edge of the city, it dove off the edge, arms out wide as the armored centaur came to a running stop in front of Nanako's side of the field. The knight's light blue helmet, chest, and his waist had white angel wings attached to the similarly blue and green armor underneath. A majestic, jewel encrusted sword was in his left hand, while a similarly jewel encrusted shield rested in his right. He brought them together across his chest before swinging his arms out wide, as if saying no one would be allowed past him. "I also put another magic card face down and end my turn."
"She threw her monster at that Red Phoenix Ranger, but she was able to summon that thing?!" Chie exclaimed, admiring the centaur like being as he stood before Nanako's field. "What other tricks does she have up her sleeve?!" With Marshmallon and now Airknight Parshath on her field, she didn't see how Nanako could lose as it was.
"Archlord Kristya." Yukiko stated softly, almost too soft to be heard by her friend over the roar of the crowd.
"Archlord Kristya?! What the heck is that thing?!" Chie asked, turning to her best friend before immediately turning back to the dueling arena.
"I'm surprised you don't remember it. It was in her deck when Rise dueled her. But anyway, if she's able to summon it, you'll see for yourself Chie. But like that Neo Featherman Yuuta's trying to get, he requires his own elements to be brought to the field." With that said, both young women looked to the field, sharing a similar hope that Nanako could pull off the power play she was going for.
"My turn then." Yuuta's grim visage melted away when he saw the card he had been waiting for. "YES! I did it! This game is mine!" Slapping the magic card onto the field, Yuuta's ecstatic grin seemed to consume his entire face as his Red Ranger held up his hand to the sky until something started to form in his open hand. "Neo Featherman's Summoning Flute! Normally, White Horned Owl would use the Flute to summon Neo Featherman in this way, but by sacrificing half of my remaining life points, I can circumvent that requirement with Phoenix Tower on the field. And because I have four Rangers, either on my field or in the graveyard, it's possible for me to do this after I banish them all to the Discard Pile!" 1100 - 650 LP.
"Oh great, this doesn't look good." Kanji growled as the three Rangers on Yuuta's field disappeared one after the other as the orb's lightning touched them. The Phoenix Tower glowed brighter than ever until the wings folded over the building, concealing the orb yet still generating enough light to blind Nanako, who was the closest to the Field Spell.
"This is beary bad! I can sense a powerful presence coming out of that Tower!" Teddie shouted, waving his arms frantically in alarm as a massive silhouette started to form behind the protective wings of the Phoenix Tower. When it seemed the light being generated by both the tower and the massive creature taking shape behind its winged protector couldn't get any brighter, the light suddenly cut out, and the wings pulled away. "It's-it's ginormous! How is Nanako-chan supposed to beat that thing?!"
Neo Featherman. 2600 / 3000. The robotic warrior that now stood in front of Yuuta's side of the field was a giant colossus of several smaller robotic vehicles. As was to be expected given the Phoenix Ranger theme, their gigantic assault vehicle was also configured after their unique armor. Wings, talons on both its feet and hands, and a head piece that looked like the beak of a majestic bird were quite prominent, as was the similarly shaped shield and sword it swung about much like Airknight Parshath had swung his own weapons. "Neo Featherman, take down her Airknight Parshath with Phoenix Saber Strike!"
Neo Featherman took one step forward before swinging his massive blade which had become covered in blue flames the moment he started to move. Blue flame wings sprouted from his back at the same time, and despite his massive size, Neo Featherman blew right past Airknight Parshath and Marshmallon, destroying them both with one swing of his sword. "The reason why it took so much to summon Neo Featherman is because he has two unique abilities to his name. He can negate enemy Field Spell Card Effects, and if a monster, like Marshmallon, can't be destroyed by Battle, he can negate that effect and deduct the defense points right from your Life Points. So your Field Spell is useless with him on the field!" Nanako's LP. 2000 - (700 from Battle with Airknight Parshath and 500 from Marshmallon Effect destruction,) 1200 = 800
BGM. Persona 4 Golden, I'll Face Myself. (Reincarnation.)
The backwash from the blue inferno once again had Nanako shielding her face as the raging inferno consumed everything but her face down magic cards. In a single move, Yuuta had shattered her defenses and had taken her completely by surprise. So much so she hadn't even played her Waboku that she had put on the field near the start of the duel. Looking up at the enormous Phoenix Zord, she wasn't sure she had it in her to take that thing down. "Big Bro….I don't know if I can do it." Nanako whispered, fear having found its way into her small frame at the seemingly unstoppable monster staring her down.
"Nanako!" Yu shouted, snapping her out of her daze. "I might seem tough now, but I know you can do it! I know you can win! You have the cards to take that scrap heap apart!" His own animosity aside towards anything Featherman related, Yu knew that Nanako could pull out of this situation. He didn't know how, but his heart shouted that it was true. It had not failed him yet, and he believed it now, more than ever.
"Yeah Nanako-chan, show that thing who's boss!" Chie shouted next, standing to her feet as she danced on the balls of her feet. "Hit it good and hard!"
"Don't let your Big Sis down Nanako, I know you can win this!" Yukiko said after putting her hands over her mouth in a crude megaphone shape. "You can do it!"
"Make me proud Nanako!" Ryotaro shouted as loud as he could, having stood to his feet the moment the giant robot had returned to Yuuta's side of the field. "Even if you don't win, you've made me the happiest father on the planet! Now come on Nanako, show that thing why you're a Dojima!"
"We're all right here with you Nana-chan!" Yosuke cried out as the others did the same in their own fashion, offering their own words of encouragement.
They're right. I CAN do this! And I know how! Nanako reached towards her deck to draw her next card, her fighting spirit back with a vengeance as she remembered the special ability that came with her best monster. It was time to end this duel. Mommy, help me draw the card I need. Slowly pulling the card off the deck, Nanako couldn't at first look at the card in her hand, but she mustered up her courage and finally opened her eyes. She couldn't believe it, and held the card in front of her face as her mind tried to comprehend what had happened. When it clicked, a single tear rolled down her face as she looked towards Yuuta. "You've been an amazing opponent Yuuta, but I can't lose now, not with mommy helping me to draw the one card I needed. With exactly four Fairy monsters in the Graveyard, I can summon this card to the field! Archlord Kristya!" Marshmallon, Shining Angel, Nova Summoner, and Airknight Parshath appeared in front of the Sanctuary in the Sky's main temple gate before shrinking down into four balls of golden light, which were sucked into the temple. The doors slammed shut, but they were shattered when a new beast emerged with a beat of fiery red angel wings. Archlord Kristya. 2800 / 2300
"She did it, she actually did it!" Naoto exclaimed, her calm demeanor forgotten at the sight that was coming down to rest before Nanako.
"I knew she could do it!" Kanji shouted, once again pumping his fist into the air as the new monster settled before the little girl, his white armored gauntlets clenched into fists in what Kanji figured was rage for his fallen comrades. "You're in trouble now! Show that robot who's in charge!"
"I'm not done yet. I also play the magic card, Silver bow and Arrow!" Nanako shouted before slapping the card onto the game board. "With this card, my Archlord Kristya gains another 300 points to his Attack and Defense!" Archlord Kristya, 3100 / 2600
"No, it can't be! I can't lose, not with Neo Featherman on the field!" The armored giant angelic warrior pulled back on his new bow and let fly a silver enchanted arrow, which slammed into Neo Featherman's armored chest. It didn't stop there as the arrow passed through the machine, leaving a smoldering hole in its wake, causing the creature to bend at the waist as if doubling over in pain. The robot then exploded, throwing multicolored sparks and electrical arcs in every direction.
"And because you sacrificed four of your Rangers, one of which was the traitorous Feather Hawk, you take a hit to your Life Points equal to half of his original Attack Points!" Nanako shouted as she pointed her finger at Yuuta, who looked stunned at having forgotten the price of using his favorite of the bunch to summon his Neo Featherman to the field in the first place. Feather Hawk was quick to remind him as the Red Phoenix Ranger materialized in front of him, and took a swing at Yuuta, taking his measly 150 life points, and ending the duel in Nanako's favor.
Yuuta could only stare off into space, his hope of winning the match shattered at his own mistake as his platform began its descent. "Yuuta! Yuuta!" Looking up, the young boy had to blink past his tears until his vision cleared, and he was able to focus on the face of his mother. "Don't cry Yuuta, you have nothing to be ashamed of. You fought your hardest, that's all I care about, and that you had fun doing it." Eri stated softly as she knelt down to his level before pulling him into her arms.
"I wanted to win for you." Yuuta said between his sobs, but Eri merely shook her head and wiped at his eyes with a white handkerchief she had pulled from around her neck.
"I don't care if you win or lose Yuuta. You don't have to prove anything to me." Eri stated in the same soothing tone, and it seemed to finally get through as Yuuta wiped at his own eyes with the back of his arm, a small smile returning to his face. It was only then they noticed Nanako standing next to them, and she wasn't alone since Yu was standing right beside her.
"Thank you for the match Yuuta. It was the most fun I've ever had!" Bowing her head to the watery eyed boy, Nanako grabbed his hand before he could begin to process what was going on, and slipped a ring of beads into his hand. "It's something I made at school. Big Bro has one, and I wanted you to have one too! I hope we can...still be friends after this."
"Thank you Nanako." Yuuta slowly closed his fist over the ring before looking up into the girl's face, newfound determination appearing in his eyes as he nodded his head. "Yeah, we're still friends. But the next time we duel, you won't be so lucky!"
"Thank you for attending the event with her Yu." Eri said, smiling down at the two children at their feet. "This is exactly what we needed after being in that empty house for so long."
"It was my pleasure Eri. Yuuta's quite an accomplished duelist, and a good friend for Nanako. Don't let anyone tell you different." Yu stated before they parted ways amidst the cheers of the crowd.
"Another duel for the record books folks! Nanako Dojima stood her ground against the one and only Neo Featherman and won the day thanks to a combo finish from her Archlord Kristya! What other surprises are in store for us?! Only one way to find out, after this commercial break!" Rise took the time between breaks to run downstairs to the dueling arena and make a beeline for the competitor's row. There was no way she was sitting in that booth after that near miraculous recovery.
Ending Notes; I loved Power Rangers as a kid, and I still watch the occasional episode on Netflix or Youtube, and I'm well past my childhood years lol. When I remembered there were multiple references for a new series of 'Phoenix Rangers' in the Persona games, I knew I had to somehow incorporate that theme into a deck, and with Yuuta's fascination with the series, I had my excuse to run it. Needless to say, it was a blast! As for the end effect that had the Featherman Hawk turning on Yuuta, there's an episode listed in the Persona wiki that reads Hawk's Betrayal or something along those lines, so it made sense to end the duel that way.
As for the change of BGM, that scene without the music had me near tears as it was. Playing that music though nearly broke that final barrier, so trust me, play it and you won't regret it lol. At any rate, I hope this is a step up from my last duel. Adios and have a good night!