Boss Rush

XXX: Swing of Memories

The screams and roars of thousands of spectators echoed in the background.

They were in the middle of the stadium. A young man stood facing him, surrounded by a large Turret Warrior and what he registered as Ivy Tokens. A duel was raging on.

It was his turn; he brought out Rose Tentacles and commanded it to attack... hold on. When did he use Rose Tentacles?

"Thorn Whip One!"

At his command, a green, thorny tentacle unfurled from the rose creature and swept forward like a snake. The tentacle wrapped itself around the young man's arm, wrenching a pained cry from his throat.

"Thorn Whip Two!"

Then one more tentacle shot forth.

"Thorn Whip Three! Last Thorn Whip!"

Another, and another, until the young man was all tangled up in green thorns, like a helpless fly caught in a spider's net. He heard the sound of cloth and flesh ripping open, and saw blood dying those green thorny tentacles red.

A Psychic Duel, he distantly registered. Meant to kill.

The creature whirled its many tentacles, throwing the young man ten feet into the air, before smashing him back down. He could not help but wince at the loud "bang" when the young man crashed into the ground. A few heart-wrenching seconds later, the young man pushed himself back up. He stood trembling, panting, and bleeding from many wounds, yet his cerulean eyes remained resolute and brighter than the morning star...

His own eyes...

"Dad?"

Cerulean eyes awoke to see the white ceiling. His legs were tangled with the bedclothes, and he was lying in cold sweat even for the middle of the July-August vacation.

No one would ever wish to be friends with a witch... Those eyes! Everyone is afraid of those unwavering eyes that gaze hard at others!

Ryuusei placed the back of his hand to his forehead. "Haven't had that dream for a long time."

The house was surprisingly empty as he got out to the main rooms. It took a while, but he got out and went to the garage after having refreshed himself, still wearing the DA Kings blazer though it was a school holiday. There, he paused at a strange sight. "Dad?"

Professor Fudo Yusei was seated cross-legged, perusing a few volumes of old albums, the paper kings that still seemed covered in dust. "Good morning, Ryuusei."

"Good morning," Ryuusei frowned. "M.I.D.S finally gave you that day off?"

"Yes," the Fudo patriarch laughed. "I guess I wanted to clean up, and I got nostalgic."

Ryuusei rubbed the back of his head. "Where's Mum and Seika?"

"Aki's taken the morning shift," Yusei murmured. "Seika's helping out at the Queens' Festival for the morning shift. I was thinking that maybe we could all go, like a family outing."

"Sounds like a plan. Rex and Chase are doing an exhibition Duel there as well," And the hand of Shimotsuki Setsuka strikes again, he mentally added.

The corner's of Yusei's eyes crinkled, as a page was turned. "Just like old times... you know, we never really got to bring you out as much as we liked."

"I've been to many places," Ryuusei defended. True, not many Japanese could say that they had been to America and Geneva, even though he was still a minor then. "It's fine."

"Not like that," the Professor shook his head before his eyes narrowed at his son. "Did you get enough sleep?"

Ryuusei shifted. "I... had a dream. Of... the Witch. No offence."

"No," Yusei nodded. "Not at all. The Witch and Aki are two different things. What was it this time?"

"...you," Ryuusei bluntly answered. "There was the stadium involved."

"Fortune Cup," Yusei recalled. "I see."

"Dad... do you think I'll hurt anyone?" Ryuusei murmured. "That... that one day I might... be like that?"

"That, is your choice," the Professor quietly confessed. "She told you before, right? To be a Duellist, or to be a monster, that is the choice we have. The circumstances between Aki and you are different... yet similar."

Another page was turned, to a younger Ryuusei in a kindergarten hat and uniform. The Professor sighed. "When you were a baby, you were occasionally quiet, but so intelligent. There was hardly any trouble, even I had problems accepting it after Martha's warnings."

Hardly surprising. With Reina's birth, all the adults he knew were once again comparing how model a baby he had been.

"Of course, you made up for that once you were of school age." There was the hint of a joke there, yet the Professor looked weary. "Even Ushio recommended you go to a private school. That teacher, the students, your psychic powers... it was an interesting teenage phase, let's just say it."

"An understatement," the subject muttered as he sat opposite his father. "You forgot to mention the attempted kidnappings, stalkers and attempted..." he swallowed. "I don't get it. Do I attract the wrong type of person or something?"

"No," Yusei shook his head. "Well... Seiran called it je ne sais quoi. How do we say it... your mother, Setsuka, nearly all psychic Duellists, they suffered from a lack of love in their lives. Yours was the opposite, you had too much love from others, and others suffered for it."

"Huh?"

Yusei rubbed the wrinkle on his brow. "It's... difficult to explain. Let's just say that any future girlfriends you have should update their insurance. Or boyfriends."

"Okay..." Ryuusei frowned. "Shimotsuki said that it was the tragedy of my life, but that it was for other people."

"She said it as Seiran would have," Yusei sighed. "It's... not inherently bad. It's not very good either. It just is, okay? You're still my son, even if you have that tendency to attract psychos and police appearances mark the end of any new relationships."

"Hey!" Even despite the reply, Ryuusei was smiling. "So... what happened to cleaning?"

"..."

"..."

"... oh, right."

"Dad...!"

Festivals were a popular occurrence about in Neo Domino, especially with the schools. With three Duel Academias and several high schools in the regions, it was guaranteed that somewhere, somehow, there would be a festival or event at play.

"Jii-chan! Baa-chan! Nii-chan!" Seika ran up to the Fudo family as they entered the campus. "You came!"

"Of course," Aki smiled. "It looks like a wonderful festival."

"Isn't it?" Seika brightened.

On a nearby stage, there were a couple of play-actors re-enacting some iconic Duel. Stalls selling a variety of foods and souvenirs along with game stalls lined the place, and the milling crowds dressed in a mix of casual and traditional looked like they were having fun.

"There's a meteor shower predicted tonight!" Seika pointed to the darkening skies. "Can we see, can we?"

"Ah," Yusei was smiling weakly. "Meteor shower... there was one the day Ryuusei was born, I think."

"There was?" Ryuusei muttered.

The scene as the whole family walked together through the festival, which was crowded, smoky and yet fun was comfortably domestic, familiar, mundanely comforting. The yells of sellers, the choruses of people, perhaps even the smell. How the school had justified a teppanyaki plate that size, he would probably never figure out. Maybe they had Shimotsuki argue for it. That mental image almost made him laugh.

Marguerite's shadow appeared, her face pensive as she looked about. "Your human gatherings... they are like a market."

Ryuusei winched discreetly as they passed a particularly troublesome crowd. "I think there's a local shrine participating, right?"

"Ah, the Duel shrine," Yusei looked amused at the very prospect itself.

A voice hollered. "Oh, Ryuusei!"

"Rex! Chase!" Ryuusei gaped at the two, in their Riding outfits, one of black, and another of black and gold. "You look great!"

"What are you saying?" Rex dismissed. "We always are! Though, as the Captain you'd better be taking notes, dumbass!"

"Ah," Ryuusei looked perplexed. "But... I should..."

"Stay," Chase severely answered. "You're going to be sidelined today. You look horrible."

"Chase..." Ryuusei turned to his father. "Dad?"

"Two out of three, majority wins," Yusei cheerfully answered. "Besides, you do look slightly pale. Everyone thinks you're their ace in the hole, right?"

"Night Rose Dragon can't appear too many times," Rex agreed. "Plus, you don't want to use the other card."

A flush of hotness coursed under his skin. "I'm not using that one."

"That card?" Chase looked confused for a moment before it cleared up. "Oh, that one. Just keep it in mind."

"Everybody listen!" Shirahane's voice spread in over the lines. "Presenting, the exhibition Duels for today! First up, we have Queens' Hinamori Seiran versus Kings' Rex Atlas!"

"Let's go!" Both the Fudo parents, even Seika looked interested.

Ryuusei still frowned. "But, I-"

"We brought Calcifer, just go!" Under their combined will, he was frog-marched the whole way.

"My laptop is not Calcifer!" was the parting shot Ryuusei gave as he left the other two to sit with the rest of the family.

"Calcifer..." the father shook his head as the son began typing.

Aki laughed. "What an adorable name."

"From what I recall, the Stygian Dirge is like the WRGP but on a lower tier," Yusei commented. "So, Kings and Queens are participating... any others?"

"All the Duel Academias are sending their students," Ryuusei answered. "There's no information, other than Team Central, and that's only because I've Duelled Madas before."

"Well, don't take it too seriously," Yusei commented as a familiar figure rode up on a police D-Wheel. "Why is Ushio here...?"

"And, today's volunteer referee, Inspector Ushio Tetsu to judge!" Shirahane's voice provided the convenient answer. "Well, it's time to Duel!"

Duel mode, Speed World Two – Dual Magic, Set, On.
Lane Selection, searching for optimum, usable lane. Submitting duel lane to central.
Authorisation!

The blaring of sirens went off as two D-Wheels hit the asphalt.

"Riding Duel, Acceleration!"

Seiran: LP 8000, SPC: 0

Rex: LP 8000, SPC: 0

"I've heard of her," Aki murmured. "She's the daughter of Commissioner Hinamori, right? We know each other on the board of the Arcadia Movement. Queens' youngest Lady, Hinamori Seiran."

"But, the moniker might be pretty unfair," Yusei noted of the rider of the brown D-Wheel, her ochre suit bearing the insignia of an X.

"It's not," Ryuusei corrected. "Hinamori Seiran is widely regarded as the La Belle Dame Sans Merci."

"I'll begin, draw!" the girl spoke. "I'll summon XX-Saber Fulhelmknight [1300/1000] to the field in attack mode. With that, I'll set two cards and end my turn."

"Pretty smart," Yusei commented.

"My turn, draw!" Rex's bellows were distinctive as to belong to only one known family in existence. "I summon Archfiend Interceptor [1400/1600] to the field in attack mode! Battle! Archfiend Interceptor, attack Fulhelmknight!

"The effect of Fulhelmknight, only once can Fulhelmknight negate an attack from an opponent's monster when it's targeted for an attack," Seiran announced as the fiend was bounced back.

"With that, I set two cards and end my turn," Rex decided.

"Oh! The Merciless Beauty has managed to defend the first attack! But for how long?"

"Draw!" Seiran called as they clocked two Speed Counters each. "I'll summon XX-Saber Boggart Knight [1900/1000] to the field! With his effect, I can special summon another X-Saber monster from my hand, such as the tuner, X-Saber Pashuul [100/0]."

"Two tuners... she's going for a Synchro summon," Ryuusei noted. He was right.

"Tuning, level four Boggart Knight and level three Fulhelmknight to level two Pashuul!" she recited. "Within the deepest darkness, even the sword of justice will spark! Where the scales cannot reach, the sword will! Fight, XX-Saber Gottoms!"

Everyone cheered or stared the huge monster arose from the Synchro gates, holding this huge-ass sword that was doing nothing for compensation and everything to do with cutting with brute force. A red cloak swirled dramatically behind him as he raised his sword in a gesture that was meant to terrify, and it did [3100/2600].

"Trap activate, At One With the Sword!" Seiran continued as a sword shimmered in the warrior's hand. "When activated when the only monster I control is an X-Saber monster, this trap becomes an equip card that increases the attack of Gottoms by eight hundred points [3100/2600 → 3900/2600], and also allows me to draw a card each time he destroys a monster by battle."

"That's way beyond anything..." Rex stared. "Hold on, you used two tuners! Referee!"

"The writing states that Gottoms can be Synchro summoned with one tuner and one or more Earth Attribute monsters," Ushio rumbled over the intercom. "Completely permissible."

"I'm not done!" Seiran continued. "Now, I activate the trap, Gottoms' Emergency Call! I choose two X-Saber monsters in either graveyard and special summon them! Appear now, Boggart Knight, Pashuul! Tuning, level four Boggart Knight to level two Pashuul! Dance, swords! Become the steel which the battles are won with and begin the age of heroes! Waltz, XX-Saber Hyunlei!"

The new X-Saber was a woman with round catty ears worn on her head, robed in plain fighting attire like the rest, and carrying a curved blade [2300/1300].

"When Hyunlei is Synchro summoned, I can select and destroy up to three spells and traps on the field!" Seiran called. "Swallow Trio Reverse!"

"Trap activate, Dark Scheme!" Rex called. "Look, you can discard a card to negate its effect."

She hesitated. "I'd rather not."

"Then, we draw two cards and discard two cards," Rex answered. "Because I discarded Broww, Huntsman of Dark World, I can draw again."

Seiran grimaced. "Fine." Her expression seemed to brighten as she drew and discarded. Rex did not seem too sad that his other card was destroyed as he drew and discarded, and drew.

"Battle!" Seiran called. "Gottoms, attack the Archfiend Interceptor!"

"When he's targeted as an attack target, my opponent takes five hundred damage!" Rex called.

"Small price!" Seiran called as the monster charged. "Ittoryu!"

Rex: LP 8000 → LP 5500, SPC: 3

Seiran: LP 8000 → LP 7500, SPC: 3

"Due to At One With the Sword, I can draw a card," Seiran continued. "Hyunlei, direct attack! Dance of the Swords!"

Rex: LP 5500 → LP 3200, SPC: 3

Seiran: LP 7500, SPC: 3

"And with that, nearly half his life points are gone! Truly the La Belle Dame Sans Merci!"

"Main phase two," Seiran called. "I special summon from my hand XX-Saber Faultroll [2400/1800]!"

"That's cheap!" Rex squawked as the red-armoured monster appeared.

"Faultroll can only be special summoned from my hand by controlling two or more X-Saber monsters," Seiran explained. "Also, it can special summon a level four or lower X-Saber from the graveyard, such as the XX-Saber Emmersblade [1300/800] I discarded earlier in defence mode. Turn end."

"End phase," Rex smirked as a mist descended over the field. "I have my eye on your Gottoms..."

"What?" Seiran blinked, but not as her Gottoms choked, struggled, and shattered into sparkles. "Commander!"

"Silver Sentinel [1500/1300] can be set in the Spell and Trap card zone," Rex smirked as the white-robed monster appeared. "When you destroyed it, at the end phase of the turn it was destroyed, I can target one card you control, special summon this card, and destroy that target. Too bad."

"You... you..." Seiran looked angry beyond measure.

"Draw!" Rex called. "I summon the tuner monster, Dark Resonator [1300/300]! Tuning, level four Silver Sentinel to level three Dark Resonator! The beating pulse of the new ruler, show the chaos inside yourself! Synchro Summon! With pride, Chaos King Archfiend!"

"With the Synchro summon of Chaos King Archfiend, Rex Atlas begins mounting his counter-attack!" Shirahane bellowed as the flaming demonic monster [2600/2600] appeared.

"Chaos King Archfiend's effect!" Rex called. "When it battles, the attack and defence of all monsters on your side of the field are switched!"

"What!" Seiran exclaimed [2300/1300 → 1300/2300] [1300/800 → 800/1300].

"Chaos King, attack Hyunlei!" Rex called. "Chaos Charge!"

Seiran: LP 7500 → LP 6200, SPC: 4

Rex: LP 3200, SPC: 4

"With that, I activate the Speed Spell – Allure of Darkness, to draw two cards and banish a Dark Attribute monster, at the cost of removing three Speed Counters," Rex continued. "Now, I set three cards, turn end."

"It's my turn, draw!" Seiran called as they accelerated. "Faultroll can special summon an X-Saber monster once per turn from the graveyard, such as XX-Saber Darksoul [100/100]. Now, I tribute Darksoul to summon the commander of all swords, Commander Gottoms, Swordmaster [2100/1600]!"

"What?" Rex growled as the monster appeared, slightly less intimidating than in its heyday, but... "That's Gottoms, huh?"

"Right," Seiran seriously agreed. "Due to the effect of Commander Gottoms, all Saber monsters gain four hundred attack [2400/1800 → 2800/1800] [1300/800 → 1700/800]. I move Emmersblade to attack mode. Now, all I have to do is attack and win."

"She's right," Ryuusei murmured. "He's down to the last half, if they connect, he won't make it!"

"Faultroll!" she commanded. "Attack Chaos King Archfiend!"

"Trap card, Dark Mist," Rex called. "I negate the attack of Faultroll and send a Dark Attribute monster with the same level as Faultroll, that is, a level six monster, from my deck to the graveyard. Anything else?"

"Turn end," Seiran muttered. "At the end phase, Darksoul allows me to add an X-Saber monster from deck to hand. I'll end here."

"Draw!" Rex ordered. "Continuous Trap card, Dark Smog! I discard a Fiend to banish the XX-Saber Gottoms in your graveyard!"

"You will pay," Seiran swore as she removed the card.

"Now, the Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World [2300/1400] I discarded is special summoned to the field," Rex declared. "Activate another Trap, Escape from the Dark Dimension! Meet my favourite card, Archfiend Empress [2900/2100]!"

The malevolent spectre giggled as she appeared.

"With that, I summon Clock Resonator [1200/600]!" Rex declared. "Tuning, level five Goldd to level three Clock Resonator! One born from the darkness of the heart, come forth at the price of a good soul! Synchro Summon! Make 'em bleed, Blood Mefist!"

In a roar of flames, the dark monster [2800/1300] appeared.

"Chaos King Archfiend, attack!" Rex called. "Attack Gottoms with Chaos Charge!"

Seiran: LP 6200 → LP 5200, SPC: 5

Rex: LP 3200, SPC: 2

"Blood Mefist, attack Faultroll with Rancid Rush!" Rex continued, glaring at the Fiend monsters. "Archfiend Empress, beloved monarch, attack Emmersblade!"

Seiran: LP 5200 → LP 4200 → LP 2100, SPC: 5

Rex: LP 3200, SPC: 2

"I'll set a card, turn end," Rex declared.

"Draw!" she growled. "Due to Emmersblade, I can special summon XX-Saber Ragigura [200/1000] from my deck, which lets me add an X-Saber from graveyard to hand, such as Faultroll. And, now, I summon another Boggart Knight, which allows me to special summon the tuner, X-Saber Airbellum [1600/200] to the field. I then special summon Faultroll, and use his effect to revive Darksoul. I activate the Speed Spell – Saber Slash!"

"Hold it!" Rex bellowed. "Counter Trap, Dark Bribe!"

Seiran frowned, but did not counter. "Fine. Tuning, level four Boggart Knight to level three Airbellum. For the sake of truth and justice, take up arms! Synchro summon! For our ideals, X-Saber Souza!"

The warrior appeared, grinning like in a slasher film. [2500/1600]

"Main phase, I tribute Darksoul as the cost for Souza's effect," Seiran declared. "Now, at the start of the damage step, Souza will destroy whichever monster he battles with. Battle! Souza, attack Archfiend Empress!"

Rex wordlessly watched the warrior advance. "Hmph."

"What?" Seiran frowned.

Rex just pressed a button. "Trap card, Hate Buster."

Seiran's mouth opened in an O as she was hit.

Seiran: LP 2100 → LP 0

Rex: LP 3200

"And the winner is Rex Atlas! But, his opponent was plenty vicious there! Does Atlas have any words?"

"From first wheeler to first wheeler, I thank you," Rex nodded to the female rider as he walked away towards the stands and the family. "How's it go?"

"It was very narrow," Ryuusei answered. "I estimate you had only that turn before she managed to turn the game around."

Rex smirked. "Good. We'll have to work on it, then."

"Now, for the next duel..."

A black car was parked outside of the Fudo apartment when the family arrived home. Yusei took one look, sighed, and turned to Seika. "Looks like Setsuka is eating over."

"Yay!" was the predictable reaction. Ryuusei tried not to let his displeasure show.

"My apologies, Seika-han," the devil herself murmured by the doorway. "I am here to execute the will of Mother. I will not be staying for dinner, I am afraid."

"Madame Shimotsuki?" Ryuusei blinked as the family gathered in the living room. "About what? I don't think she left anything for me."

Her cold eyes turned to him, intense cerulean with flecks of green. "You left something with the Arcadia Movement. The twin of Night Rose Dragon."

With a crashing clarity, the blood-soaked memory descended. "No." He was shaking, and his parents were already exchanging looks."Not that card. Not... that..."

Setsuka made a show of rummaging through her purse, extracting a small clipboard. "From the last will and testament of Shimotsuki Seiran and Shimotsuki Rafael. The item left in the care of the Arcadia Movement by Fudo Ryuusei, named Regulus of the Arcadia Movement, will be returned forthwith once the named party, Fudo Ryuusei, exhibits certain trends associated with my daughter, Shimotsuki Setsuka."

Ryuusei tried not to gape at her surprisingly businesslike tone. She did use it for every business transaction of the last few years, after all. "The return of this item is to be accompanied with the settlement of any and all debts between the named Fudo Ryuusei and the Arcadia Movement, as well between the named Ryuusei and the Shimotsuki family upon the moment of return, and the summary release of any and all bonds, debts or obligations the Arcadia Movement or the Shimotsuki family may have upon the named Fudo Ryuusei. So mote it be. Sign here."

Ryuusei back-pedalled, or made a game attempt to back-pedal, away from the offered board. "No, no, no."

Setsuka's face communicated her idea of his idiocy at the moment. "I can forge your signature, or you can sign."

With a shaking hand, the characters were scrawled quickly before the clip-board was snatched away and a thick envelope thrust into the young man's hands.

"What?" Ryuusei asked as the girl made no move to leave.

She looked back to the clipboard. "Also from the last will and testament of Mother. I quote: 'I do hereby bequeath all properties, securities, land holdings, furnishings, and other residue of the Shimotsuki estate, both domestic and overseas, to my sole daughter, Shimotsuki Setsuka, with a single exception: that she provide, in either cash or cheque, the single payment of ten million yen in any currency equivalent thereof as she chooses as of the time of execution, to my charge in the Arcadia Movement, Fudo Ryuusei, with the intent that he use the sum for the care of the daughter I never had, and to set himself up in the path he sees fit.'"

Ten. Million.

He ought to have responded, but he seemed to have forgotten the whole of any language apart from the word no. That was the one word he could recall which meant, that isn't possible, stop lying to me, whatever cause could you have to invent such a cruel joke, it cannot be so. So he heard himself breathing, "No."

"No," his father seemed to be echoing him.

"That's a lot," his mother seemed to follow.

Seika was dumbfounded to the point of silence.

"Oh, yes," Setsuka drawled as she extracted a folder from her purse. "The provision of this single payment is to take place at the same time as the return of the item we of the Shimotsuki family have been holding for the named Fudo Ryuusei. As to that payment, I have taken the liberty of investing half of it for you, as well as putting the other half into the bank for Seika. Here are the pertinent details of both accounts, and here is the dividends chart."

The entire family stared at the soaring numbers. Somehow, complete silence seems to have descended over the living room.

"The managers of the bank will call Dr Fudo or Mrs Fudo tomorrow, failing that a personal visit," the head of the Arcadia Movement gave a pleasant smile. "In the case that you prove a wretched manager, I will be looming in the shadows."

Ryuusei swallowed at the implied threat. "You don't look happy."

"Oh, it is a drop in the ocean to me," Setsuka shrugged. "I shall take my leave now."

"I don't want it," Ryuusei stood up, following her into the foyer. "Both the card and the money."

"Then you may leave it to Seika," came the pointed reply. "Or divide it. Security, financial security, is very important in this age."

Setsuka paused on her way out, turning to regard Ryuusei, her eyes back to one part cool indifference and one part merciless predator. "Before you never cash that cheque, or tear apart that card out fear of crossing some quaint moral line you've drawn for yourself, a warning. You will need every resource you can get, or Summer and Winter will crush you. And then, when that happens, you will be discarded, and all those with you will suffer."

So saying, she left. The door closed on a maelstrom of emotions and confusion, as well as old memories.

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