"So, what are the rules?" Chris asked.
"Uh, let's see." Miku pulled out the pamphlet for the duel. "It says it has the same rules as a normal Master Duel."
"Lame." Chris said.
"But it says here that these are gonna be more entertaining?" Hibiki said, looking at it. "I guess it's a surprise."
"Wait… what?" Miku looked closer. "It says they're starting at 8000 life points?!"
"Double the amount?!" Hibiki said. "Why?!"
"I actually remember hearing about this." Chris said. "Something about with all the new cards, it makes it too easy for duelists to win in one turn or something. It was like how they changed the total from 2000 to 4000 when Battle City happened. Guess this duel is also to test out how it goes."
"Well, considering our duel against Finé, it makes sense." Miku said. "We were lucky she didn't have any one turn kill strategies."
"So I guess this means this'll be a pretty long and fun one!" Hibiki said before cheering. "Do your best, both of you!"
(Play: Yuma's Theme II - Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL)
"Since you were the one that rudely intruded, I'll go first!" Tsubasa shouted.
"Fine by me." Kanade said. "You'll never beat me anyways."
"We'll see about that!" Tsubasa said. "I'll start by summoning The Six Samurai - Irou!"
The samurai in black and green robes with purple highlighted armor landed on the field.
"And since I control a Six Samurai monster, I can special summon Legendary Six Samurai - Kizan from my hand!"
A samurai in pure black armor stood next to her.
"Wait…" Chris widened her eyes. "They're both level 4!"
"With my two level 4 monsters, I build the overlay network!" Tsubasa shouted.
Irou and Kizan entered a swirling portal on the floor, before bursting with power.
"Two samurai, combine your blades into one and become a mighty swordsman that will rule all! Xyz Summon! Appear now, Rank 4! Shadow of the Six Samurai - Shien!"
The light faded to reveal Tsubasa's new monster. It was a samurai garbed in purple haori, with red oni-like armor, with equally red hair done in a ponytail. The katana in his hand was sharpened to a deadly edge.
"Turn end." Tsubasa said.
Kanade chuckled. "Like that, huh? This is why I'm gonna win, Tsubasa."
"What do you mean?" Tsubasa demanded.
"You're still a bit short sighted if you think an Xyz Summon will throw me off my game." Kanade said. "I've changed things up a bit. I'm not the same Kanade that you remember."
"I'm not sure about that." Tsubasa smirked. "You still can't seem to shut up."
The crowd laughed and "oooh'd" at Tsubasa's insult. Kanade acted like she had just been shot.
"O-Okay. Wow. I see how it is. You've picked up my snark, huh?" Kanade said. "Anyways, my turn now. I draw!"
She looked at the card she had drawn, smiling.
"And I meant it that I changed things up!" Kanade said. "Starting with this! I'll summon Raidraptor - Vanishing Lanius!"
A mechanical green bird swooped onto the battlefield.
"And with his ability, I can special summon Raidraptor- Mimicry Lanius from my hand!"
A mechanical yellow bird swooped down next to Vanishing Lanius.
"And since I control a Raidraptor monster, I can special summon Raidraptor - Fuzzy Lanius from my hand!"
A mechanical purple bird joined the other two.
"Three level 4 monsters!" Chris realized.
"With my level 4 Vanishing Lanius, Mimicry Lanius and Fuzzy Lanius, I build the overlay network!"
All three of the birds entered a swirling portal on the floor.
"Obscured falcon, raise your sharpened talons in front of adversity, spread your wings of rebellion!" Kanade chanted. "Xyz Summon! Appear!"
She jumped over the portal as it exploded with power. She landed on the back of the monster as it took off.
"Rank 4! Raidraptor - Rise Falcon!"
The light cleared to reveal Kanade was riding on a huge mechanical falcon that was indigo and teal. It had wings that resembled jet boosters, and a sharp black visor.
"That's new!" Hibiki said.
"So she mastered Xyz Summoning too?" Chris said.
Rise Falcon took off, flying around the arena at an incredible speed. Kanade backflipped off the monster, landing on an elevated platform.
"I activate Rise Falcon's ability!" Kanade shouted. "By detaching one overlay unit, Rise Falcon gains attack equal to the attack points of one special summoned monster you control! And I target Shadow of the Six Samurai - Shien!"
Rise Falcon absorbed one an overlay unit, before becoming wreathed in flames as its attack points jumped to 2600.
"And now, Raidraptor - Rise Falcon! Attack Six Samurai - Shien! Brave Claw Revolution!"
Rise Falcon flew upwards, before aiming its talons.
"Smile for the birdie! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Kanade cackled.
"Are… are we sure she's okay?" Miku asked.
"She was stuck in the Shadow Realm for over 2 years." Chris said. "I don't think everything's all there."
Rise Falcon tore through Shien, sending the monster up in flames. Tsubasa's life points fell by 100, but she still was at a healthy 7900.
"I set one card and end my turn." Kanade said. "Your move, Tsubasa!"
"With pleasure! Draw!" Tsubasa drew a card. "I activate the Ritual spell card, Super Soldier Synthesis! With this, I'll send The Six Samurai - Zanji from my hand and Secret Six Samurai - Doji from my deck to the graveyard for a Ritual summon!"
The two samurai disappeared into blue flames.
"Twin Samurai charging towards a new future, bathe in the flames of chaos and become one mighty soldier!" Tsubasa chanted. "I Ritual Summon, Black Luster Soldier - Super Soldier!"
The evolved version of the monster descended on the field, aiming his blade.
"Attack Rise Falcon! Super Chaos Blade!"
The monster slashed his blade, shooting a sword beam and tearing Rise Falcon in half. Kanade winced as her life points fell to 7600.
"And Super Soldier's ability causes you to take damage equal to the attack points of the monster destroyed when it's in the graveyard!" Tsubasa said.
Kanade's life points fell by 100 to 7500. Tsubasa was in the lead now.
"Not bad, Tsubasa! But now I activate my quick-play spell, Rank-Up-Magic Raptor's Force!" Kanade shouted.
The face down spell turned up, glowing.
"When a Raidraptor Xyz monster I control is destroyed and sent to the graveyard, I can bring it back, before Xyz summoning another Raidraptor that's a rank higher!" Kanade declared. "Return, Rise Falcon!"
Rise Falcon returned from the grave. The mechanical bird turned into energy and fell back into a swirling portal on the floor.
"Ferocious falcon, break through this fierce battle and spread your wings! Destroy our gathering foes!" Kanade chanted. "Go, Rank-Up Xyz Evolution! Appear! Rank 5! Raidraptor - Blaze Falcon!"
A larger mechanical falcon swooped onto the scene. This one had red armor instead of indigo. Kanade hopped onto the back of the falcon as it hovered. It had 1000 attack points, so it wasn't much stronger than Rise Falcon.
"I'll set a monster and end my turn." Tsubasa said.
"Even when Tsubasa deals damage and destroys a card, Kanade-san came back with another monster." Hibiki said.
"It just shows you what level of skill they're on compared to us." Miku said.
"Skill, huh." Chris said.
"Alright, my turn! I draw!" Kanade said, drawing a card. "Here we go! I activate Foolish Burial to send Infernity Conjurer from my deck to the graveyard!"
She ejected the card, slotting it into the graveyard.
"And now that since this is the only card in my hand, I can special summon Infernity Patriarch!" Kanade said, placing the card on her Duel Disk.
A tall man dressed in blue and orange armor kneeled in defense mode with 2000 defense points.
"Since I have no cards in my hand, I can special summon Infernity Conjurer from my graveyard!" Kanade said.
A skeletal fiend in red robes and wild feathers for hair descended, carrying a staff.
"Infernity Conjurer's ability activates!" Kanade said. "As long as I have no cards, all your monsters lose 800 attack points!"
Infernity Conjurer aimed his staff, as waves of energy resonated from it. Super Soldier's attack points fell to 2200.
"That's not enough to destroy it." Hibiki frowned.
"You're underestimating an Xyz monster's power, dummy." Chris said.
"When Blaze Falcon has an overlay unit, he can attack your life points directly!" Kanade revealed.
"What?!"
"Go, Blaze Falcon! Attack Tsubasa directly!" Kanade called, pointing. "Raptor's Break of Thunderclap!"
Blaze Falcon hovered above Tsubasa, before shooting a bolt of lightning from its beak. Tsubasa was knocked back by the shock, as her life points fell to 6900.
"Heh heh, nice." Kanade chuckled, before focusing back on the duel. "When Blaze Falcon deals battle damage, I can destroy one of your monsters! And I think you know what I'm choosing!"
An array of missiles opened up at Blaze Falcon's sides, spewing out and sending Black Luster Soldier - Super Soldier up in an explosion.
"...I like that birdie." Chris said.
"Huh?" Hibiki looked at her friend.
"Nothing!"
"When Black Luster Soldier - Super Soldier is destroyed, I can special summon one Gaia the Fierce Knight monster!" Tsubasa said. "From my deck, I special summon Gaia the Fierce Knight Origin!"
A knight in blue armor on a red horse galloped to Tsubasa's side. The lance shone with 1600 attack points.
"I end my turn." Kanade said. "Show me what you got, Tsubasa!"
"Wow, Kanade-san is not letting up in this." Hibiki said.
"I thought Tsubasa-san would be safe for a bit with Super Soldier on her field, but she overcame that with monsters not even half as strong as it." Miku said.
Chris raised a brow. "Why would she summon something with only 1600 attack points though? I know she has stronger options in her deck."
"I draw!" Tsubasa said. "I flip up my monster, Secret Six Samurai - Genba!"
"That's why!" Hibiki realized, recognizing Genba was a tuner monster.
"Kanade… so you said this duel was to entertain, correct?" Tsubasa asked.
"Yeah that's right."
"Then I suppose you won't mind if I steer the spotlight to my side." Tsubasa said.
"What are you-?"
(Play: Yusei's Theme - Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds)
Tsubasa snapped her fingers, and the stage shifted slightly. The sides of the arena sloped a bit, as a track formed around them. Soon after came the rev of a motorcycle, as Tsubasa's D-Wheel ramped off next to Kanade and towards Tsubasa. The girl hopped onto her D-Wheel, landing perfectly before tapping her D-Gazer. The earpiece morphed until it formed a helmet and visor.
"Whoa!" Hibiki said in awe, as the crowd cheered. "Tsubasa-san's in her element now!"
"This is my road now!" Tsubasa shouted. "Let's rev it up!"
"...you're not still salty about us not letting you use your D-Wheel in our last concert, are you?" Kanade asked.
"I'll tune my level 2 Genba with my level 4 Gaia Knight!" Tsubasa said.
"Okay. Ignore me. That just tells me you're still salty." Kanade shrugged.
"Go beyond the limits of speed, and become a knight strong enough to protect the planet!" Tsubasa chanted. "I Synchro Summon, Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth!"
A mechanical blue horse galloped alongside Tsubasa as she drove. A robotic knight was grafted from the torso up on its back. It had two massive lances that showed off 2600 attack points.
"I still have no cards, so Infernity Conjurer lowers your monster's attack points!" Kanade said.
The fiend held out his staff again, as the Synchro Knight lost 800 attack points, now only at 1800.
"Battle!" Tsubasa shouted. "Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth will attack Raidraptor - Blaze Falcon! Spiral Spear Shatter!"
Gaia Knight jumped off the track and straight at Blaze Falcon, piercing the bird in the stomach. Making a perfect arc with his jump, Gaia Knight landed as Blaze Falcon exploded. Kanade winced as her life points fell to 6700.
"I'll set one card. Turn end!" Tsubasa said.
"Why didn't she attack Infernity Conjurer?" Hibiki asked. "It has less attack points and was weakening her monsters."
"Did you already forget? Blaze Falcon can attack directly, and then destroy one monster after dealing damage." Chris reminded her. "You're so shortsighted."
"Who won between the two of you again?" Miku asked Chris, shutting the silver-haired duelist up.
"I draw!" Kanade shouted, looking at the card in her hand. "Heh! I summon Infernity Avenger!"
A small, almost chibi fiend dressed like a cowboy hopped onto the battlefield. It held up two toy guns, though it was likely they were real.
"Synchro Summon for a Synchro Summon!" Kanade grinned. "I'll tune my level 1 Infernity Avenger, with my level 3 Infernity Conjurer and level 4 Infernity Patriarch!"
"Here it comes." Miku said.
"When the curtain of darkness comes down, the eyes of the underworld will open!" Kanade chanted. "Swoop down, darkness! Synchro Summon! Show yourself, Hundred Eyes Dragon!"
Kanade's dragon of a hundred eyes descended, letting out a resonant howl as all of its eyes opened. They all closed soon after, leaving only one eye left.
"Alright, Hundred Eyes Dragon!" Kanade pointed dramatically at the galloping knight. "Attack Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth! Infinity Sight Stream!"
Hundred Eyes Dragon took off, chasing after its prey. Tsubasa looked up to see the dragon flying above her, preparing for a blast of energy.
"I activate my trap card, Negate Attack!" Tsubasa shouted. "This negates your attack and ends the battle phase!"
Hundred Eyes Dragon unleashed a stream of energy, which was absorbed into a vortex.
"Damn." Kanade frowned. "I gotta end my turn there."
"So close." Hibiki said.
"My turn! Draw!" Tsubasa said. "I activate the spell card, Polymerization!"
(Play: Jaden's Theme - Yu-Gi-Oh! GX)
"Polymerization?!" Miku said. "That means…"
"Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz…" Hibiki counted off her fingers. "Tsubasa-san's mastered all 4 of the special summoning methods!"
"I'll fuse the Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth on my field, with the King of the Swamp from my hand!" Tsubasa shouted.
A mass of green slime fell onto Gaia Knight as he galloped even faster into a swirling portal.
"The legendary knight empowered by the Earth! Charge beyond your limits to become the force of the universe!" Tsubasa chanted. "Fusion Summon! Appear now, Level 10! Gaia Drake, the Universal Force!"
Rushing out of the portal was a purified version of her monster, with silver armor and a set of majestic mechanical wings. It had an impressive 3500 attack points.
"Oh boy." Kanade said, realizing where this was going to go.
"Battle! Gaia Drake, attack Hundred Eyes Dragon!" Tsubasa ordered. "Spiral Strike of The World!"
Instead of galloping, Gaia Drake flew at the dragon, stabbing it through the chest. The horse hooves kicked it away, causing it to crash into the base of a pillar and explode. Kanade stood as the pillar smashed into the ground behind her, and her life points fell to 6200.
"Heh… heh heh…" Kanade threw back her head and laughed. "AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"Okay, she's starting to scare me." Chris admitted.
"You've grown so strong, Tsubasa!" Kanade grinned. "Years ago, you'd have stubbornly refused to use any of the Extra Deck summoning methods, yet here you are! Fusion, Synchro and Xyz!"
Tsubasa smiled. "A certain someone showed me that I can't stay buried in the past, or else I can never reach my true potential."
Hibiki smiled at those words.
"I'm hella proud of you, but I'm still winning this duel!" Kanade said. "I draw!"
"She only has one card now." Chris said, watching as Kanade drew a card. "If she wants to turn this around, she'd probably need something like Red-Eyes Fusion. But the odds of her drawing that are-"
"I activate Red-Eyes Fusion!" Kanade shouted.
"ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!" Chris screamed.
"That's Kanade-san for you!" Hibiki whooped. "When she's backed into a corner, her belief in the Heart of the Cards comes in!"
"Heart of the Cards?! More like Heart of my Ass!" Chris yelled.
Huh, deja vu. Kanade thought, hearing Chris's yells even over the crowd's cheers. "I fuse Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Meteor Dragon Red-Eyes Impact from my deck, to summon my most trusted partner!"
The two dragons entered a swirling portal behind Kanade, as the girl started to chant.
"Falling from Heaven, rising from Hell! Nothing will stand in the way of my partner and I!" Kanade clasped her hands together. "Fusion Summon! Blaze on! Level 8! Meteor Black Comet Dragon!"
Kanade's signature monster descended in a fiery explosion, roaring so loud it shook the arena they stood in. It matched Gaia Drake with its own 3500 attack points.
"Been a while since we've been in a proper duel." Kanade said. "Meteor Black Comet Dragon's ability activates! Now I can send one Red-Eyes monster from my deck and deal half of its attack points as effect damage! And I choose Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon!"
A more sinister and fiery version of Red-Eyes Black Dragon appeared, before blasting Tsubasa for 1200 points of damage. She fell to 5700.
"And now, the battle phase!" Kanade declared, shocking the crowd. "Sorry about this, buddy! Attack Gaia Drake, the Universal Force! Meteor Flame of Destruction!"
"Wait, but they both have the same amount of attack points!" Chris said.
"Destruction is what triggers Meteor Black Comet Dragon's ability." Hibiki said.
The two monsters charged at each other. Gaia Drake stabbed the dragon in the chest with both of his lances. At the same moment, the dragon blasted streams of fire from both of its heads, sending both of the monsters up in a fiery explosion. It practically shook the stadium, creating an amazing show that awed the audience.
"When Meteor Black Comet Dragon is sent from the monster zone to the graveyard, I can special summon a normal monster from my graveyard." Kanade said. "And I choose Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"
The original dragon descended onto the field with a roar.
"And since it's still the battle phase, I can attack with it!" Kanade said. "Go, Red-Eyes Black Dragon! Black Fire Bullet!"
Red-Eyes Black Dragon unleashed a blast of flames, striking Tsubasa in the back. Her D-Wheel started to lose a bit of control, but Tsubasa managed to jump off it before it crashed. Thankfully, the damage seemed to be minimal to the D-Wheel, and Tsubasa was unharmed. Her life points, on the other hand, had dropped to 3300.
"You're paying for that." Tsubasa told Kanade as she rejoined her on the main stage.
"Tsubasa, it's not a big deal. Plus, you're rich." Kanade reminded her as the D-Wheel track folded back into the walls.
"You're still paying for it. I hand-painted it myself." Tsubasa said. "I draw."
"...I think Tsubasa-san just won." Hibiki said.
"She only has one card though." Chris said.
"And who had one card the previous turn?" Miku reminded her.
"...fair enough."
(Play: incandescent battle - Yu-Gi-Oh! SEVENS)
"I activate the spell card, Pot of Avarice!" Tsubasa said. "I'll shuffle 5 monsters from my graveyard to my deck! I choose The Six Samurai - Irou, Legendary Six Samurai - Kizan, Secret Six Samurai - Genba, Gaia the Fierce Knight Origin and Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth!"
She ejected the 5 cards from her graveyard. She slot Gaia Knight into her extra deck, while Irou, Genba, Kizan and Gaia Origin went into her deck. Her Duel Disk auto shuffled them.
"And now, I draw two cards!"
Tsubasa drew them both out dramatically.
"It's over, Kanade." Tsubasa smiled.
Kanade smiled as well. "Go on then."
"I activate Monster Reborn to bring back Gaia Drake, the Universal Force!" Tsubasa shouted.
Rising from a portal on the ground, her most mighty knight stood next to her once more.
"And then, I'll banish Secret Six Samurai - Doji and The Six Samurai - Zanji from my graveyard!" Tsubasa said. "With this, I special summon Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning!"
The identical monster to Black Luster Soldier landed on the field.
"Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning! Attack Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" Tsubasa said. "Double-Destruction Slash of Creation!"
Black Luster Soldier slashed apart the dragon, lowering Kanade's life points to 5600.
"And since he destroyed a monster, he can attack again." Tsubasa said. "Space-Time Breakthrough - Double-Destruction Slash of Creation!"
Black Luster Soldier slashed his blade down, unleashing a blade beam that struck Kanade. She stumbled as her life points dropped to 2600.
"And this is the finale!" Tsubasa declared. "Gaia Drake, the Universal Force! Attack Kanade directly and end this duel! Spiral Strike of The World!"
You did it, Tsubasa.
Gaia Drake flew forward, striking Kanade in the chest and knocking her off her feet. Her life points fell to zero.
The crowd erupted into cheers, as they clapped and whistled. Tsubasa walked over to Kanade and held out a hand.
"Thank you for the duel, Kanade." Tsubasa said.
"Don't thank me yet." Kanade grinned, as her eyes turned back to normal. "I didn't give you your victory prize."
"What would that be?" Tsubasa raised a brow.
"Oh, this."
Kanade proceeded to freeze the blue-haired duelist's brain by kissing her onstage. And this wasn't a peck on the cheek. This was a full on kiss on the lips. Some of the audience went wild, others "oooh'd", and a good chunk of them wished they were in Tsubasa's place.
"...is… is Kanade-san using her tongue?" Hibiki stammered.
"Oh wow…" Miku couldn't look away.
"DO THAT STUFF AT HOME!" Chris yelled, a blushing mess.
Kanade finally broke the kiss with a grin. "You like that?"
"Uh… kah… nah… day…" Tsubasa was stammering.
"I'll take that as a yes." Kanade said, before turning to the crowd. "Y'all better back off! Tsubasa is my woman!"
"Th-Thank you for coming!" Tsubasa said to the crowd, with as straight of a face as she possibly could make.
The claps and cheers were loud, but they could hear their three friends above them all.
"So you made your mark, huh?"
Chris was sitting on the grass, looking at an article on her phone. Miku was spoonfeeding Hibiki some rice, while Kanade was leaning against a tree, with Tsubasa leaning on her. Both Hibiki and Tsubasa were going through their decks.
"It says you started a new trend with your Entertainment Duels." Chris said, reading through it. "And not only that, but the 8000 life point counter is gonna be the new standard going forward, since it helps keep things fun and fair."
"What can I say?" Kanade grinned.
"The article also says that a lot of the attention could be from you kissing your partner onstage like that." Chris said, rolling her eyes.
"Details, details." Kanade said with the wave of her hand.
"Hey, do you think that'll be the last time we have to duel someone like that?" Hibiki asked.
"What do you mean?" Miku asked.
"I mean… do you think we'll have to duel anyone else that's using the cards for evil?" Hibiki clarified.
"Knowing our luck, probably." Chris shrugged.
"Regardless of whatever our future holds, I'm sure that we'll be able to handle it." Tsubasa said. "We'll work together as one."
"Yeah, what Tsubasa said." Kanade pulled out Meteor Black Comet Dragon from her deck. "Cards out, girls."
Hibiki pulled out Junk Warrior, Miku pulled out Destiny HERO - Dystopia and Tsubasa pulled out Black Luster Soldier - Super Soldier. Chris rolled her eyes, but pulled out Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon. They all held their cards together.
"Yeah." Hibiki smiled. "Together."
A young woman with pink hair was alone in a room. She ran a hand across the glass cover of a stasis pod, which contained a girl younger than her in a comatose state.
"Serena… I'll carry on your legacy."
She looked out the window, staring at the sun. In her hand was a card, shining with a sparkle pattern.
The Red-Eyes Black Dragon.
A/N: And thus, we bring the first arc of Song of the Cards to a close.
I had always planned to do a rematch between Tsubasa and Kanade, with their new upgraded decks. This was a fun one to plan out, considering the various archetypes they're using.
This has been a fun ride so far, and we've only just begun.
Song of the Cards will take a brief break, and will be back soon in time for the G arc.
Feel free to leave a review. See you all next time.