Boss Rush
XXI: Unification
It might be difficult to imagine, but Fudo Ryuusei, ridiculously skilled motorcycle rider, wonder mechanic and teen Duelling genius according to many, actually enjoyed hiking. Sure, it may have something he picked up from his parents, but he grew to love the activity. Feeling the wind in your hair – more like helmet – while speeding down the highway was thrilling, but there was no way to smell the flowers or appreciate anything on a motorcycle – except if said thing was run over.
His walk took him through a large forest, filled with flowers and teeming wildlife that included everything from blackbirds to weasels... as wild as anything could get on Academy Island. The weather was good enough to sit and appreciate the coming summer, crisp and just that side of warm, the presence of squirrels and ducks glaring at him notwithstanding.
Still, the local fauna should not include a dragon, like the one standing in front of his path right now. Black Rose Dragon's wings spread out wide like an impenetrable wall, the black, serpentine neck curve low, and a pair of sinister golden eyes stared at him from a space too close for comfort.
Giving it a stoic poker face, Ryuusei sighed internally. "Black Rose, you are not allowed to stab students because they're persistent. Or eat them."
The dragon gave a low harrumph, or snort, which Ryuusei suspected was its version of a whine. The large, serpentine black head was inches away from his shoulder, and a pair of big golden eyes was staring at him intently. That bony face was wearing an expression usually termed 'puppy-dog eyes', if the term could really be applied to essentially a giant lizard with wings.
Ryuusei sighed imperceptibly and slowly sat up. With all the bustle and chaos of the trip, barely even into the first day, he really could use some peace and quiet, without the Black Rose Dragon acting essentially like a toddler. If the Black Rose Dragon's ultimate goal was to give him a lesson in dealing with unreasonable and obstinate children even before the thought of marriage had even come into play, then the overgrown lizard was succeeding.
"Oh, you're there!" Chase and Rex found him, both staunchly ignoring the black dragon. "Ryuusei, why did you leave?"
"Come on," Rex offered. "It's our graduation trip to Academy Island!"
It had been three hours before. One of three graduating classes had been packed onto a ferry bound for Academy Island. Another had been pushed onto a bullet train, and the last bound for a coach headed to the neighbouring Heartland City.
Ryuusei, Rex and Chase were now seated on the outside deck of the ferry heading for Academy Island, wondering exactly why Tenjouin-sensei had been so adamant about Central Duel Academia.
"I smell a rat," Rex muttered.
"Why would any sane person pack off Kings' admittedly best class onto this boat, you mean," Chase muttered, sneaking covert glances at the dark-haired girl seated with her legs between railings over the deck, her hair floating in the winds. "Or why is Shimotsuki here...?"
"You're not the only one!" Kujaku Satsuki booted him. Like the namesake of her last name, Satsuki had long blonde ringlets, but honey-coloured eyes. She was also the student of Crow Hogan, having perfected the Black Harpies style. "We don't know why, but Queens also sent their best students along with Shirahane and Ishihara."
"Don't ask me," Takeshi was sitting cross-legged beside Satsuki, Alexianna on the other side of him. "Sanctuary's best is also coming along."
"Chase~!" Misawa Youkai was greeted with a punch to the head.
"So, how was Queen of Queens?" Rex asked, referring to the school's own bi-annual tournament.
"I won," Setsuka shortly answered.
"We thought so..." was the general consensus.
"Anyway, this is suspicious," Setsuka indicated. "For one thing, all of Duel Academia's best students in Neo Domino are being shipped to Academy Island. Be it from Queens, Kings or even Sanctuary, or even across the world, there is great movement. You were told to bring all your cards along, right?"
"Ah, right," Ryuusei nodded.
"For a Duellist to bring their decks and DuelDisks is almost natural," Setsuka reasoned. "But, why else bring a side deck than for..."
"A tournament!" the trio of Team Black Knights realised.
"No way..." Chase looked green. "And I thought this would be a relaxing graduation trip... Duel Academia Central..."
"Since its inception, the GeneX tournament has been growing in importance," Setsuka answered. "Held only once every ten or so years, that tournament decides the best of the new generation amongst the younger pros and the best students of the Duel Academias worldwide."
"Then Cook-san would be here, right?" Ryuusei pointed out. "Is that bad?"
"They'll be facing each other as opponents," Chase scowled.
"Shimotsuki-san..." Hazuki mumbled.
"Hang on, Kisara isn't with you?" Rex asked.
"Kaiba-san arranged for a helicopter transport," Setsuka answered.
"What?" Rex grumbled. "So we're all stuck on a ferry as she's being flown over? Well, it's to be expected..."
"You are representing Duel Academia Kings," Setsuka answered. "I do not need to emphasise on the importance of this tournament for you all. However... here is a very risky battlefield."
"Because outsiders will get to enter Duel Academia for once," Michiru understood. "Including our enemies."
"Yo!" a voice greeted them when the ferry stopped.
"Ayame-san!" Ryuusei greeted the enthusiastic brown-haired girl.
"Oh, it's you," Rex acknowledged. "True, it's a graduation trip..."
"There are a lot of students there," Ayame warned, smiling as she indicated the crowd of red, yellow and blue. "Because Academy Island is the only place large enough to hold something on the scale of the GeneX tournament, the entire student body of Central is participating as the right of the host. Therefore, if we work according to probability, Central has the home advantage."
"But, we're not Kings and Queens for nothing," Rex growled as the disembarked, all students forming an orderly line behind Dunames-sensei.
"Kyaa! Ryuusei-sama!"
Ryuusei blanched. "Kobayakawa... crap."
"Looks like you have fans here as well," Chase commented.
"That guy looks a lot like Manjoume Jun, doesn't he?"
"You're not going to escape flack here either," Rex pointed.
"What's with the Jack Atlas cosplayer?"
"This is natural!" Rex bellowed back.
"Be quiet," Setsuka ordered as Marufuji-sensei greeted the elderly man in a purple blazer.
"Samejima-kochou," Dunames-sensei nodded, along with Kageyama-sensei of Queens. "Duel Academia Kings and Queens proudly present our best students. We bring greetings from Chancellors Tenjouin and Fujiwara."
Samejima beamed. "You've entered teaching, Fubuki... I'm proud of you. Is Asuka well?"
"Yes, she's well. Well, I even have a daughter," Tenjouin-sensei answered sheepishly. "Heh-heh... erm, we sort of tricked our graduating class into coming."
"We thought so!" the Kings and Queens students bellowed. "What kind of irresponsible teacher are you?"
"As usual..." Samejima muttered. "He became a teacher pushed around by his own students, like I envisioned..."
His eyes lingered over the students of Kings and Queens, lingering on Team Black Knights and Team Night Sky. "Looks like Kings and Queens have their own jewels as well. Come, follow me."
"Ryuusei-kun!" Madas Elvin acknowledged from the sidelines. Madas Elvin was a light-skinned third-year with blue eyes and green hair. A black trench coat with coattails that extend only by his legs with a red in-seam, black pants with matching boots, and white gloves were worn with his Obelisk blazer. A fedora, along with a magic-themed DuelDisk completed it. "You're here!"
"Madas-san," Ryuusei greeted the other. "You look well."
"Well, the same back to you," Madas lightly greeted.
"What, Madas, you know someone from Kings?" A teacher wearing a Red blazer drawled.
"Yes, Sensei," Madas answered. "Ryuusei, this is Tyranno-sensei. Tyranno-sensei, this is Fudo Ryuusei, my opponent on that last trip we had to Neo Domino.
"Not the Prince of Duel?" Tyranno answered, his eyes wide. "I've heard only good things about Team Black Knights! Looks like there are quite a number of interesting opponents here too. And this year's Queen of Queens as well..."
"Allow me to show you all to the grand auditorium," Samejima nodded. There were quite a few looks cast at the famous students, but most ignored it.
"Welcome, students of Duel Academia," Samejima was announcing to students gathered from across the globe. "Duelling to determine the number one amongst the world's next generation! I now declare the commencement of the third GeneX Tournament!"
There was a collective hiss at Tenjouin Fubuki from Kings at the cheer sounded in general.
"All students of the Duel Academias are qualified to participate in this tournament," Samejima elaborated. "It is also open to representatives from other Duel Academias here, as you can tell from the multitude of the best students from our sister schools across the globe. Furthermore, Duellists in the Pro Leagues who wish to participate are also welcome. This will be a tournament open to pros and amateurs alike!"
A collective cheer arose.
"The entire island will serve as your Duel arena, and all participants will receive these qualifying medals!" Samejima continued, holding one up. "Participants are obliged to Duel once a day and they are unable to decline the first duel they are challenged to. The winner will obtain all of their opponent's medals. The final two medal-holders will compete in the finals. The best veteran Duellists of the generation around the world will each be landing here shortly. And so, I wish for you to all do your best. We will have a very special prize prepared for the victor."
"Interesting," Ryuusei considered. "If you consider the format of the tournament, basically it's a single-elimination, sudden death format with winner takes all."
"It depends on stamina and how often the deck can change," Rex considered. "And considering the multitude of Duellists on this island... we have two weeks."
"Two weeks straight of Duelling... well, half will be dropped at the first round," Chase calculated. "From the twenty or so in our class, three hundred of Central's students, and who knows how many pros... assuming that everyone duels once a day, we'll be finished once the week is up. It'd be quite the battle of attrition, this one."
"So, why are you really here?" Ryuusei turned to Setsuka. "There's no way the implications of this escaped you."
"This Duel Academia is one of the places where the veils between worlds are the shortest," Setsuka answered. "Even more so, this century the Luminous Spark touches on this area as well."
Ryuusei gaped at her for a moment, before... "Oh, right. I forgot. The armistice."
"During these two weeks, we will be Duelling in the day and negotiating at night," Setsuka murmured. "Be prepared. Of course, I came for another reason than those two as well..."
Ryuusei swallowed at the prospect.
Therefore, it was after collecting his own medal, that he had taken a look at the milling crowds and hid until he was found.
"Besides, haven't you even found an opponent yet?" Chase muttered. "More than this Dark Lord and Knight of Zero, you're the Prince of Duel! You're obviously going to be a target!"
"Chase, do you realise something about this island?" Ryuusei asked.
"I?" Chase blinked. "Erm, something strange..." Chase's eyes widened and he swallowed. "I can hear something underground."
"The Three Phantom Beasts were once stored here," Setsuka's voice gave them all pause as the woman herself appeared. "It would not be strange if you could hear the echoes of darkness till now."
"The Three Phantom Beasts?" all of them swallowed.
"Anyway, Ryuusei," Setsuka slyly added. "The third reason I was dragged along onto this island. You know, that at my coronation as Queen Winter, I received a few presents."
"Yeah," Ryuusei stoically muttered.
"From the Phantom Beasts, I received the spirit of the last vampire, Carmilla or Camula," Setsuka continued blithely, as if they were discussing the weather. "Somehow, Camula had escaped, and she is on this island right now."
"V- Vampire?" Chase stared. "Y- You're not serious, right...?"
"Unfortunately," Setsuka's face lost any and all semblance of a smile. "Of course, Camula lacks a solid form right now, so it's most likely that she's possessed some helpless girl and is currently going about accumulating Duel energy from Duellists on the island. And... how hungry do you think a millennia-old vampire would be?"
Rex and Chase swallowed nervously.
"However, we are lucky that she has a fixed type," Setsuka continued. "Tall, moody, strapping, and stoic in the face, preferably dark of hair."
"Rex in a wig?" Chase suggested.
"Who knows," Setsuka murmured. "We will have to wait until sundown, anyway. Have you found your opponent?"
"No," Ryuusei answered.
"I suggest you find one," Setsuka whispered as she walked off. "I shall send a messenger to you once I have affirmed a fact."
"What do you think, Marguerite?" Ryuusei murmured as he followed Rex and Chase through the forest.
The shadow of the Sorciere de Fleur appeared. "It is very likely. I too feel the darkness of the Three Phantom Beasts and the thin veils. It will be much easier if we could have notified the Charmers within."
"Ah. Right," Ryuusei muttered. "Where are they, anyway?"
"They will probably find a way to cross the water," Marguerite assured. "Aussa and Hiita will be here, as will Eria and Wynn. Whether Dharc will make it remains to be seen."
"You're right," Ryuusei nodded.
"Oh, will you be my opponent?" a feminine voice whispered as all three boys turned to regard the blonde student wearing an Alice band. "You, with the red hair."
"Fine," Ryuusei sighed internally. "How should I address you?"
"My name is Carmilla," the woman answered, smiling. "And you, good sir?"
Alarm bells were beginning to ring. "Fudo Ryuusei."
"An excellent name," Carmilla acknowledged.
"Duel!"
Carmilla: LP 8000
Ryuusei: LP 8000
"Draw," Carmilla indicated. "I'll summon Vampire Lady [1550/1550] to the field in attack mode. Then, I set a card and end my turn."
"My turn, draw!" Ryuusei announced. "I summon the tuner monster, Twilight Rose Knight [1000/1000] in attack mode! This allows me to special summon Botanical Lion [1600/2000] to the field! Tuning, level four Lion to level three Knight! Chilling flames engulf the entire world! Pitch-dark flower, set in bloom! Synchro summon! Appear now, Black Rose Dragon!"
"What?" Carmilla looked taken aback as the monster appeared [2400/1800].
"Black Rose Dragon's effect, I can destroy all cards on the field!" Ryuusei called. "Black Rose Gale!"
"My cards...!" Carmilla hissed.
"Now, I activate the Spell, Miracle Synchro Fusion," Ryuusei indicated. "By banishing Twilight Rose Knight and Black Rose Dragon from the graveyard, I can fusion summon Dragon Knight Draco-Equiste [3200/2000]! Now, Draco-Equiste, direct attack with Spiral Javelin!"
Carmilla: LP 8000 → LP 4800
Ryuusei: LP 8000
Chase rubbed his chin. "A vampire-themes Duellist coming up to us at the same time we were told a vampire escaped..."
"What are the odds...?" Rex agreed.
"I'll then set a card and end my turn," Ryuusei announced.
"Draw!" Carmilla hissed, incensed. "I'll play the Spell, The Shallow Grave to special summon Vampire Lady."
"Due to the Shallow Grave, I can special summon Botanical Lion [1600/2000 → 1900/2000] in defence mode," Ryuusei added.
"I tribute Vampire Lady to special summon Vampire Lord [2000/1500]!" Carmilla laughed as the lord appeared. "Now, I play the Spell, Overpowering Eye. This allows Vampire Lord to attack you directly!"
"Ah!" Ryuusei flinched as the attack hit.
Ryuusei: LP 8000 → LP 6000
Carmilla: LP 4800
"I declare monster," Carmilla announced. "Hence you must send a card of the declared type from your deck to the grave."
"Okay," Ryuusei chose. "Activate trap, Dimensional Regression. Now all banished cards are returned to the owner's deck."
"I'll set a card, turn end," Carmilla decided.
"My turn, draw!" Ryuusei called. "I'll play the Spell, Angel Baton, and draw two cards at the cost of discarding one. I summon Junk Synchron [1300/500]! Now, Junk Synchro can special summon Tuningware [100/300] from the grave. Tuningware can be treated as a level two monster in a Synchro summon. Activate the Spell, Machine Duplication, special summon two more Tuningware from my deck. Tuning, two level two Tuningware, level one Tuningware and level three Junk Synchron. Gathering fighting souls will awaken the raging wicked god! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Obliterate, Junk Destroyer!"
In a flash, the Asura-like monster [2600/2500] appeared, wielding blades.
"When Junk Destroyer is Synchro summoned, I can choose to destroy as many cards up to the number of non-tuner monsters used for the Synchro summon of him," Ryuusei announced. "Destroy Vampire Lord and the set card!"
"What?" Carmilla snarled as her vampire was destroyed.
"Vampire Lord might return next turn, if there was one to begin with!" Chase hooted.
"Battle!" Ryuusei called. "Junk Destroyer, Draco-Equiste, direct attack!"
Carmilla: LP 4800 → LP 0
Ryuusei: LP 6000
"You have done very well," Carmilla praised, holding out her three medals. She dropped them into Ryuusei's offered hand, before grabbing his wrist, turning it up with supernatural strength. Her hair lengthened and faded to green, her clothes changed into a long gown, and her mouth opened to show long fangs and drool dribbling down a long tongue-
The sun's rays died, over the horizon.
"Stop!"
The cup of tea Setsuka was about to reach for subtly tilted and broke, the dark liquid spilling onto the tablecloth of the dining table of the Obelisk dorm. Of course, their hosts were very obliging, but Setsuka frowned. Bone china was not supposed to shatter at a touch...
Her cellphone vibrated.
"Excuse me." She clicked it open once she got to a private area. "Shimotsuki."
"Shimotsuki!" Ryuusei's voice poured in. "I- there was a Duellist, Carmilla, she was a vampire and I turned her into stone!"
A moment of silence. "Where are you?"
Getting to the described area would have been a hassle for the normal student of Duel Academia, necessitating a trek through the forest that isolated the dorms so. Setsuka merely summoned a dragon and soon enough she was at the clearing where the young adult was waiting.
"Quite a neat work," Setsuka murmured as she considered the stone masterpiece of Camula the vampire, petrified and frozen into solid granite, her tongue still lolling out and one hand outstretched. "What happened?"
"S- She tried to drink Ryuusei's blood," Chase stuttered slightly. "He yelled 'stop', and there was this flash of fire and then... well, instant statue."
"A petrification curse," Setsuka observed. "Like the sheer cold employed by Winter, the bonds between particles are solidified between particles to the extent of causing petrification into stone. An endothermic process with positive enthalpy change."
"Enough with the science!" Rex yelled. "Can you fix this?"
"If created by Summer, obviously its polar opposite will be able to unmake it," Shimotsuki answered. "However... the price required is not cheap."
"You owe me," Ryuusei reminded her.
"I do," Setsuka acknowledged. "If I do this, all debts are settled between us."
Ryuusei nodded. "Do it."
Strands in her hand solidified into a woven wrap, threads hanging loosely as she held it up and began to pull the strands apart. Some dark gravity washed over, raking and clawing at senses as it came apart, strand by strand and line by line.
Rex harrumphed. "Erm, I don't dare to ask, but... what does the Unravelling do?"
"What is the price you are willing to pay for such information?" Setsuka murmured.
"It's an unmaking," Chase whispered. "Bound within those threads is the power to undo any enchantment done. Touch the cloth to that which must be undone. Unravel the threads. It will be so. Even that which anchors us to life."
It exploded into cold white light. The light washed over the statue in a wave, and as it passed, granite warmed into flesh, tresses into blonde locks. Carmilla, or Camula, gasped and blinked dazedly.
The three boys stiffened as Setsuka's hand clasped over the vampire's throat, the other hand grabbing onto the long sticky tongue as she purred, "Hello, Camula. We should have a talk."
Carmilla, or Camula widened her eyes, struggling, little puffing noises made without the use of the articulator currently captured. Gone was the little girl, and in her place the inhuman beauty with the gentle smile this side of sinister.
"Gwyneira," Setsuka gestured, as the solid-formed pig-tailed princess bearing a large ice-ball staff appeared. "Princess of the blizzards, see this runaway back to the garden of Lia Fáil. I wish for her to grace my flora once more."
The princess did a bob and nodded as it grabbed onto the tongue and disappeared. "My work is done," Setsuka waved as she left as quickly as she had come.
Camula's screams lingered behind her.
Natashi Kiyomi was reclining, stretching his legs from planning. Hakuro's backing had meant that he had been taken seriously and was well on the way to getting what he needed. A bit of charm here and there did not hurt either.
"The news?" Lilith, who looked way younger than her age, asked.
"We wait until Shinamori sets out for the GeneX," Kiyomi answered. "With Shimotsuki out at the same time, the Movement will have only a skeleton staff. We can thus begin phase one, setting up traps in the Movement itself. Then, once the runner work is done we can plan for the real assault."
"Heh," Lilith sniffed. "Why not just intrude and lie in wait?"
"The Arcadia Movement itself numbers in the hundreds," Kiyomi gritted his teeth. "Let's not forget support staff, crew, and unofficial members, and we have a spider-web of powerful psychics. If we're caught, then Shimotsuki can leisurely take her time with the GeneX and still come back to make us disappear from the face of the earth."
"Not me," Lilith sniffed. "I was killed once by her. You can't kill a person twice."
To that, Kiyomi merely fixed a look at her. "I can imagine worse things than death," he simply answered.
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