Starting Notes:
Welcome back! This took a while—mostly because both this chapter and the next one are a pain, and I needed to take a break from this chapter halfway through because it was kind of a pain. I'm glad to finally get it out though.
Chapter 60: Antiquity and Revolution
Rin looked around. The entire stadium seemed to have fallen silent—people were afraid of this person, who had just carded someone without any hesitation.
… screw that.
She was about to step forward and challenge the woman, but someone got there first—or rather, two 'someones'.
"We'll do it," Ruka Sagiri said determinedly. "We'll take you down!"
"Yeah!" Rua Sagiri scowled, though it wasn't very intimidating on his face. "You won't get away with hurting Crow!"
"Wait," Shinji croaked out. "You're… just kids…" His hands were shaking as he stood up though.
"Do you remember when Rua lost and was sent to the Underground?" Ruka said, turning to Shinji. "You and Crow-san didn't have to, but you comforted me. You can't fight after losing someone so important to you." She clenched a fist. "Take a moment, Shinji-san. We'll defend you!"
Rin was unsure—these were children. Just as she was about to call out though, Aki stopped her.
"It's their decision," she said gently. "Come, Rin. They've got an area to treat the wounded at the back. I have some healing spells—I always carry them on me. It'll tire both of us out, but we can do our best in other ways, while they fight."
And that was something that Psychic duelists could do well…
Damn it.
"Fine," Rin said, though she cast a concerned look at the two green-haired kids.
Would they really be fine?
Kisara glanced at the girl as she turned away. Hmm. That girl had to be Rin. And the other one, the one currently being pulled to safety by her brother—that was Ruri Kurosaki.
… what were they doing here? If they had escaped Academia… how was that possible? Someone had to have helped them out. And it couldn't be Shino, since she had come to Synchro with them, before those girls had escaped in the first place…
Still, this was excellent news. If Yuri had Serena Akaba, and Ryo was going to take Miharu Kogami from Roget's base, that only left Yuzu Hiiragi. And in the worst case scenario, Chiaki Katsuya, if she had escaped too. Kisara simply had to win and take the two girls back to Academia.
… so it was simple, then.
Most of the stadium was still dueling—after all, it was undeniable that Academia still had the numbers. While it might seem logical to try to overwhelm Kisara with numbers, if they did that, more of the Obelisk Force might intrude, and it would turn into a whole mess.
So for now, they just had to try and beat her in an even fight, without wasting their numbers and resources.
Finally, Shinji stepped back, under Ruka's concerned chiding. He still looked a mix of grieving and furious, but he seemed to acknowledge that on his own, he might meet the same fate as Crow.
So Ruka and Rua turned to face the scary woman.
"It's you two? You were giving a lot of trouble to the Obelisk Force earlier." Kisara nodded, acknowledging them. "Let us see how you do then."
"We'll make you pay for doing that to him!" Rua shouted.
"... you're very emotional," Kisara said. "Here's how we'll do this—you'll share a field and life points, and we'll alternate turns on each side."
"Sure!" Rua declared.
Ruka, being slightly more level-headed, said: "Let's have 8000 life points on each side then."
[DUEL!]
Kisara Tsutsuji: 8000LP
Rua Sagiri & Ruka Sagiri: 8000LP
[Turn 1: Ruka] [H:5]
"I'll start!" Ruka declared confidently. "I will activate the Spell Card, Terraforming. I will add the Field Spell, Ancient Forest, from my deck to my hand. Then, I'll activate it!" Tall, old trees shot up around them, along with a soft glow that bathed the battlefield.
It was rather peaceful in appearance.
"Then, I will activate the Spell Card, Obedience Schooled! Since I control no monsters, I can Special Summon three Level 2 or lower Beast monsters from my deck. But their effects are negated and they're destroyed during the End Phase! However, for the rest of this turn after this card resolves—I cannot Special Summon monsters, except Beast monsters! Come—Kalantosa, Mystical Beast of the Forest. Valerifawn, Mystical Beast of the Forest. And Kittytail, Mystical Beast of the Forest!"
Three small beasts appeared on her field. The first, Kalantosa, was a tiny, pale bunny, with bright ferns growing out of its back. The second, Valerifawn, was a small brown deer, with green moss and white flowers growing all over its body. Finally, the third, Kittytail, was a brown kitten, with red reed-like structures growing out of green leaves.
[Kalantosa, Mystical Beast of the Forest (2*/200/1400/EARTH/Beast/Effect)]
[Valerifawn, Mystical Beast of the Forest (2*/400/900/EARTH/Beast/Tuner/Effect)]
[Kittytail, Mystical Beast of the Forest (2*/200/200/EARTH/Beast/Effect)]
"Then," Ruka continued, "I'll Normal Summon Mine Mole." A grey mole with a pink flower on its nose and a pickaxe in its hands appeared.
[Mine Mole (3*/1000/1200/EARTH/Beast/Effect)]
"I'll tune the Level 2 Valerifawn to the Level 2 Kalantosa, the Level 2 Kittytail and the Level 3 Mine Mole!" The four monsters all turned into streaks of light. Kisara raised an eyebrow.
"A four monster Synchro Summon? Interesting."
"Beautiful beast dancing in the stardust and the moonlit mist! Come forth now and protect the peace of the world! Synchro Summon! Level 9! Fairy Breath Unicorn!" The lovely, shining white and silver unicorn appeared, stomping a hoof on the ground, her golden mane shining with angelic light. She lowered her head for a brief moment, adjusting the flower crown around her head, covered in pale blossoms of baby's breath.
[Fairy Breath Unicorn (9*/2700/2000/LIGHT/Beast/Synchro/Effect)]
"Since Fairy Breath Unicorn was Synchro Summoned while I control a Field Spell, I can banish a Beast monster from my deck." She picked up a card from her deck, sliding it in a different slot in her duel disk. "Then, since Mine Mole was used as Synchro Material for a Beast Synchro Monster, I can also draw a card. I'll end my turn."
[Turn 2: Kisara] [H:6]
"Draw," Kisara said. "I'll activate the Spell Card, Dragon Shrine. I can send a Dragon monster from my deck to the graveyard, and then, if I sent a Normal Dragon Monster, I can send yet another Dragon monster to the graveyard." The two monsters slipped from her deck into the graveyard. "I'll now Normal Summon Nurse Dragonmaid." The pale girl appeared, smiling as she ruffled up her pink and white maid's outfit.
[Nurse Dragonmaid (2*/500/1600/EARTH/Dragon/Effect)]
"I will activate the effect of Nurse Dragonmaid. I will Special Summon a Level 4 or lower "Dragonmaid" monster from my graveyard. Come—Kitchen Dragonmaid!" A woman with long, bright red hair appeared, wearing a dark outfit, with a white apron on the front of it.
[Kitchen Dragonmaid (3*/500/1700/FIRE/Dragon/Effect)]
"When Kitchen Dragonmaid is Normal or Special Summoned, I can add a "Dragonmaid" monster from my deck to my hand, and then, I must send a "Dragonmaid" monster from my hand to the graveyard." She cycled out a card in her hand. "I'll activate the Continuous Spell, Dragonmaid Welcome. Then, I will enter my Battle Phase. I'll activate the effect of Kitchen Dragonmaid. By returning her from the field to my hand, I will Special Summon a Level 8 "Dragonmaid" monster from my hand or graveyard. Come back to the field, Dragonmaid Tinkhec!" The large dark red dragon appeared, a knowing look on her face.
[Dragonmaid Tinkhec (8*/2700/1700/FIRE/Dragon/Effect)]
"With the effect of Dragonmaid Welcome, all monsters I control gain 100 attack and defense points times the number of "Dragonmaid" monsters I control."
[Nurse Dragonmaid: 500 + 100 x 2 = 700ATK; 1600 + 100 x 2 = 1800DEF]
[Dragonmaid Tinkhec: 2700 + 100 x 2 = 2900ATK; 1700 + 100 x 2 = 1900DEF]
"Dragonmaid Tinkhec will attack Fairy Breath Unicorn!"
The monster was destroyed, but Ruka wasn't fazed. She gestured forward to her field.
"When Fairy Breath Unicorn is destroyed by battle or by an opponent's card effect, I can target a Beast monster in my graveyard, except a Synchro Monster, and Special Summon that monster back to the field! Return to the field in Defense Position, Kalantosa, Mystical Beast of the Forest!" The small white rabbit appeared on the field. "And since Kalantosa was Special Summoned by a Beast monster's effect, I can target a card on the field and destroy it! I will choose Dragonmaid Welcome!" The Continuous Spell was shredded by small green particles.
"... I see. Good choice," Kisara complimented. Ruka frowned—unable to react. She was still upset at this woman for what she had done, but she couldn't detect anything mocking to her voice either.
"Ruka always makes good choices!" Rua retorted, and Ruka side-eyed him—was now really the time to take the opportunity to praise her?
"Nurse Dragonmaid cannot currently exceed your monster's defense points," Kisara continued. "I will—"
"At the end of your Battle Phase, any monster that declared an attack is destroyed!" Tinkhec blew up, leaving Nurse Dragonmaid as the only monster left on Kisara's field. Kisara arched an eyebrow.
"I will set a card and end my turn."
Really?
"Rua," Ruka said, turning to him. "Be careful…"
"Huh?"
"She hasn't shown off the same skill level that she did in her duel against him just now…" Ruka shook her head. "Maybe I'm overthinking, but…"
"You always overthink, but you're usually right," Rua said cheerfully.
[Turn 3: Rua] [H:6]
He drew a card.
"I'll keep what you said in mind! Promise. During the Standby Phase, the monster that Ruka banished from the deck for Fairy Breath Unicorn's effect is Special Summoned back to the field! That will be Ancient Crimson Ape!" A large, red-skinned monkey with dirty blonde hair appeared.
[Ancient Crimson Ape (7*/2600/1800/LIGHT/Beast/Effect)]
"Then, I'll Normal Summon Gadget Gamer!" A strange purple and black robot that seemed to be made of power plugs appeared, the keys of a keyboard flying around it.
[Gadget Gamer (3*/300/300/EARTH/Machine/Effect)]
"When Gadget Gamer is Normal Summoned, I can add a Level 1 Machine monster from my deck to my hand!" Rua grinned. "And then, by tributing Gadget Gamer, I can Special Summon a "Morphtronic" monster from my hand, as well as Gadget Hauler from my deck! Come! Morphtronic Celfon! Gadget Hauler!" The two monsters appeared on his field. Celfon was, naturally, a bright yellow phone transformed into what Rua had called a 'super cool robot', while Hauler was a white and blue machine that resembled a tank in shape.
[Morphtronic Celfon (1*/100/100/EARTH/Machine/Effect)]
[Gadget Hauler (6*/1300/0/EARTH/Machine/Effect)]
"Since Celfon is in Attack Position, once per turn, I can roll a die and reveal cards from the top of my deck, up to the number that I rolled!" A dice flew through the air in front of him. "... three! So I'll reveal three cards!" He picked up the three cards. "And then, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower "Morphtronic" monster from among them to the field! Come—Morphtronic Lantron!" A blue robot with a large, glowing light in the middle of its chest appeared.
[Morphtronic Lantron (1*/200/200/LIGHT/Machine/Tuner/Effect)]
"I will tune the Level 1 Morphtronic Lantron to the Level 6 Gadget Hauler and the Level 1 Morphtronic Celfon! The green lines run across the screen. Now, rise up, detector of danger! Synchro Summon! Level 8! My one and only, ultra cool Morphtronic Radaron!" The large rectangular radar with an antenna on the top of it appeared, sparking with electricity. Dark lines ran across the screen. Its robotic arms and legs flicked outwards, wires completely exposed.
[Morphtronic Radaron (8*/2500/2000/EARTH/Machine/Synchro/Effect)]
"Then, I can use Radaron's effect! I will reveal the top three cards of my deck, and add an Equip Spell from among them to my hand. All other Spells among them are sent to the graveyard, and any other cards are returned to the top of the deck." Rua picked out one of the cards, sending another to the graveyard, and then returning the last one to the top of his deck. "And I'll activate the Equip Spell, Morphtronic Repair Unit! By sending a "Morphtronic" monster from my hand to the graveyard, I can Special Summon a "Morphtronic" monster from my graveyard and Special Summon another "Morphtronic" monster from the graveyard! Return! Morphtronic Telefon!" A rather cute silver box with a black screen appeared, two thin blue lines forming its 'eyes'. It had limbs made of phone keypads. It was holding onto a literal gun in one hand.
[Morphtronic Telefon (1*/100/100/EARTH/Machine/Tuner/Effect)]
"I will activate the effect of Morphtronic Telefon! Since it's in Attack Position, I can roll a dice, gain life points equal to the result times 100, and Special Summon a "Morphtronic" monster from my graveyard with an equal or lower Level to the number rolled!" The dice shot out again, landing with two dots on the top. "Two!"
Rua & Ruka: 8000 + 100 x 2 = 8200LP
"So return to the field! Morphtronic Celfon!" The yellow cell phone robot appeared yet again. "And Celfon's effect can be activated again!" The dice rolled forward again. "Five!" The top five cards of his deck revealed themselves. "I'll Special Summon Morphtronic Boomboxen in Defense Position!" A red robot with a round inner body appeared.
[Morphtronic Boomboxen (4*/1200/400/EARTH/Machine/Effect)]
"And then, I'll tune the Level 1 Morphtronic Telefon to the Level 1 Morphtronic Celfon and the Level 2 Kalantosa, Mystical Beast of the Forest! Appear now, pale, small enigma! Synchro Summon! Level 4! The dazzling pair of music-themed internet stars! Morphtronic Earfon!" The two white fairy-like monsters appeared, one blue and the other pink. Earphones floated behind both of them, translucent like spirits.
[Morphtronic Earfon (4*/1200/1800/EARTH/Machine/Synchro/Effect)]
"Battle Phase!" Rua called. "Radaron will attack your Nurse Dragonmaid!"
"Set card, activate," Kisara said. "Quickplay Spell, Dragonmaid Send-Off. I will target a "Dragonmaid" monster I control. I can Special Summon a "Dragonmaid" monster with a different name from my hand, and I'll return the originally targeted monster to my hand. I will return Nurse Dragonmaid to my hand and Special Summon Kitchen Dragonmaid in Defense Position!" The red-haired woman appeared, resting with a calm look on her face. "Kitchen Dragonmaid's effect. I will add a "Dragonmaid" monster from my deck to my hand, and send a "Dragonmaid" monster from my hand to the graveyard."
"Well, Radaron will shift targets to your new monster!"
"The monster Special Summoned by the effect of Dragonmaid Send-Off cannot be destroyed by battle or by card effects." Kitchen Dragonmaid dodged the attack, and Rua gasped.
"... I'll end my Battle Phase," Rua muttered after a moment. "During the end of the Battle Phase, any monster that declared an attack while Ancient Forest is face-up is destroyed." Radaron exploded. "When Morphtronic Radaron is sent to the graveyard, I can Special Summon a Machine monster from the graveyard, except a Synchro Monster! Return, Morphtronic Telefon!" The rather cute bronze and white robot reappeared.
"My card, Rua," Ruka reminded, and Rua nodded enthusiastically.
"Right! While I control Ancient Crimson Ape, when a monster I control is destroyed and sent to the graveyard, we gain 1000 life points!" Their life points shot up again.
Rua & Ruka: 8200 + 1000 = 9200LP
"With Telefon's effect, since it's in Defense Position, I can roll a dice, excavate cards equal to the number rolled, send a "Morphtronic" card from among them to the graveyard, and place the rest on the top or bottom of my deck in any order!"
Rua ended up rolling four, so he sent a card to the graveyard, swiftly rearranging the rest of the cards, before he ended his turn. He now had Ancient Crimson Ape in Attack Position, while Morphtronic Earfon, Morphtronic Telefon and Morphtronic Boomboxen in Defense Position.
[Turn 4: Kisara] [H:4]
"Draw," Kisara said. "I will Normal Summon Nurse Dragonmaid again. And with her effect, I will Special Summon Chamber Dragonmaid from my graveyard." The white-haired maid appeared, a passive look on her face.
[Chamber Dragonmaid (4*/500/1800/DARK/Dragon/Effect)]
"I will use the effect of Chamber Dragonmaid to add a "Dragonmaid" Spell or Trap from my deck to my hand." Kisara didn't bother disguising what she had added to her hand. "I'll activate the Spell Card, Dragonmaid Changeover. I will fuse Nurse Dragonmaid and Chamber Dragonmaid." The two monsters turned into streaks that spun around above her. "Beautiful lady that rules over the household. Now, with your welcoming smile, invite friend and foe alike into your domain! Fusion Summon! House Dragonmaid!" The dark-haired woman appeared on the field, much to the surprise of both Ruka and Rua.
[House Dragonmaid (9*/3000/2000/LIGHT/Dragon/Fusion/Effect)]
"Battle Phase," Kisara said nonchalantly. "I will activate the effect of Kitchen Dragonmaid. She will return herself to my hand, and I will Special Summon a Level 8 "Dragonmaid" monster from my graveyard. Come back—Dragonmaid Tinkhec!" The bright red dragon appeared on her field. "And with House Dragonmaid's effect, when a "Dragonmaid" monster I control returns to the hand, I can target a monster my opponent controls and destroy it! I will target Ancient Crimson Ape."
"Argh…" Rua grimaced as Ruka's monster was destroyed. "Sorry, Ruka…"
"It's fine." Ruka didn't blame him. They were facing against someone who was at least as strong as Shinji and Crow. Ruka had lost to Shinji. Ergo, it was likely that she wasn't as strong as this woman—but at the very least, Rua was there.
"Dragonmaid Tinkhec will attack your Morphtronic Telefon!"
"Once per turn, when an attack is declared on a "Morphtronic" monster I control while Boomboxen is in Defense Position, I can negate that attack!" Rua declared. Boomboxen smashed itself against the ground, sending out sound waves that stopped Tinkhec in its tracks.
"Very well," Kisara said. "I will not attack with House Dragonmaid, for obvious reasons." Namely, the Field Spell that was still surrounding them. "I will end my Battle Phase."
"Hah! That means Ancient Forest is going to destroy your monster!"
"Incorrect," Kisara said calmly. "While I control a Fusion Monster, Dragonmaid Tinkhec cannot be destroyed by card effects. And—at the end of the Battle Phase, she returns to my hand, and I can Special Summon Kitchen Dragonmaid from my hand again." The dragon transformed back into the woman in the apron. "And I get to activate two effects. First, Kitchen Dragonmaid's effect will let me add a "Dragonmaid" monster to my hand, and send another from my hand to the graveyard." She gestured forward. "And House Dragonmaid's effect activates as well. I will target and destroy Morphtronic Telefon."
The small robot was destroyed by a sparkling blast of light.
"I'll set a card once again and end my turn."
[Turn 5: Ruka] [H:4]
Ruka drew a card, still slightly wary.
"During the Standby Phase, House Dragonmaid's effect activates," Kisara said. "I can Special Summon a "Dragonmaid" monster from my graveyard that is one Level higher or lower than a "Dragonmaid" monster I control." Nurse Dragonmaid reappeared in Defense Position. "And Nurse Dragonmaid's effect will bring back Chamber Dragonmaid, who will give me another "Dragonmaid" Spell or Trap."
So, four monsters now…
"I'll be using your monster, Rua," she said.
Rua saluted. "Fine with me!"
"I'll Normal Summon Uni-Horned Familiar!" Ruka declared. The green, fiendish monster with a brown horn on its forehead appeared in front of her.
[Uni-Horned Familiar (2*/0/1000/LIGHT/Beast/Tuner/Effect)]
"And I'll tune the Level 2 Uni-Horned Familiar to the Level 4 Morphtronic Boomboxen!" The two monsters shot up. "Dreams blur, the sun of the prehistoric world dawns upon us now! Burn forth! Synchro Summon! Level 6! The embodiment of the sun in the tranquil forest—Ancient Sunshine Wyvern!" The bright orange dragon appeared, surrounded by flames and crimson chrysanthemums, bright cinquefoil wrapped around its long horns and drooping down to its furry whiskers.
[Ancient Sunshine Wyvern (6*/1000/3000/FIRE/Wyrm/Synchro/Effect)]
The dragon settled down, forming a strong defensive wall between them and Kisara.
"Sunshine Wyvern's effect. Once per turn, I can banish a monster from my graveyard and a Synchro Monster from my Extra Deck to inflict 1000 damage to you!" She picked up Uni-Horned Familiar from her graveyard, banishing the monster, before taking out a copy of Voltic Bicorn from her deck and banishing it as well.
(She always kept a copy of each of the three unicorns that her mentors used. After all, her Extra Deck had no limit. And even though Andre, Breo and Jean were currently out of the city, it was nice to have those cards there, just for sentimental value.)
The golden fireball shot forward, flying past Kisara.
Kisara: 8000 - 1000 = 7000LP
"I'll then activate the Continuous Spell, Synchro Seclusion!" Ruka declared. "And then I'll set a card and end my turn!"
"... you're the defensive one, while your brother is the aggressive one," Kisara noted. "Interesting. But ultimately fruitless."
[Turn 6: Kisara] [H:5]
"Draw," Kisara said. She glanced at the field. "... very well. I'll activate the Trap Card, Dragonmaid Tidying. I will target my Nurse Dragonmaid and your Ancient Sunshine Wyvern—"
"When I control Synchro Seclusion, Synchro Monsters that I control cannot be targeted by my opponent's card effects!" Ruka retorted. "You won't touch Earfon or Sunshine Wyvern!"
"... hmm. Interesting." Kisara flicked a hand outwards. "I'll choose Ancient Forest."
Ruka's eyes widened. Her Field Spell vanished from the field.
"And thus, there is no longer a penalty to battling." Kisara revealed a card in her hand. "Ritual Spell, activate. Advanced Ritual Art."
"Crap!" Rua exclaimed, and Ruka grimaced. They both remembered the last monster that she had brought out with that.
"I will send the Level 8 Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my deck to the graveyard as tribute! Accept my sacrifice, and pull open the gates to the land where dragons are born! Gaze upon us with eyes of arrogant divinity! Ritual Summon! Level 8! Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon!" The steely blue dragon appeared in front of her, and it let out a sharp, wild roar.
[Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon (8*/3000/0/DARK/Dragon/Ritual/Effect)]
On Kisara's field, Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon, Kitchen Dragonmaid, Chamber Dragonmaid and House Dragonmaid were all standing ready. Meanwhile, on Ruka and Rua's field, Ancient Sunshine Wyvern and Morphtronic Earfon were guarding their life points.
A complete offence against a complete defence.
"Battle Phase," Kisara said. "Kitchen Dragonmaid will return to my hand, and I will Special Summon Dragonmaid Tinkhec from my hand. Chamber Dragonmaid will also return to my hand—and Dragonmaid Nudyarl will return from the graveyard!" The blue and purple dragon appeared alongside her bright red counterpart.
[Dragonmaid Nudyarl (7*/2600/1600/WATER/Dragon/Effect)]
"Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon will attack Ancient Sunshine Wyvern." Kisara snapped her fingers. "When a Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon that was Ritual Summoned using Blue-Eyes White Dragon declares an attack, I can activate its effect. All your monsters' battle positions change, their attack and defense points are permanently changed to 0, and this turn, Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon deals piercing damage! Azure Roaring Overwhelm!" The dragon roared, and both Ancient Sunshine Wyvern and Morphtronic Earfon were forced into Attack Position, much to Ruka's discomfort.
[Ancient Sunshine Wyvern: 1000 → 0ATK; 3000 → 0DEF]
[Morphtronic Earfon: 1200 → 0ATK; 1800 → 0DEF]
"And for your information, in case it's relevant for that set card of yours—Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon can't be targeted or destroyed by card effects." Ruka's hand twitched away from her set card.
Chaos Dragon's attack hit, and Rua and Ruka's life points plummeted. Ancient Sunshine Wyvern was also destroyed.
Rua & Ruka: 9200 - 3000 = 6200LP
"House Dragonmaid will attack Morphtronic Earfon!"
"Trap Card, Draining Shield!" Ruka declared. "I'll negate the attack, and gain life points equal to the attacking monster's attack points!" Their life points shot up again, and she managed to protect Earfon—albeit temporarily.
Rua & Ruka: 6200 + 3000 = 9200LP
Kisara nodded. "Nudyarl will attack your monster, and Tinkhec will attack directly." The two dragons swooped forward, cutting down Earfon, along with most of their remaining life points.
Rua & Ruka: 9200 - 2600 - 2700 = 3900LP
"I'll end my Battle Phase," Kisara continued. "I'll return both Nudyarl and Tinkhec to my hand, and Special Summon Nurse Dragonmaid and Kitchen Dragonmaid from my hand in Defense Position." She arched an eyebrow. "Your turn."
"And since you got rid of my Field Spell," Ruka muttered, "Ancient Sunshine Wyvern doesn't come back…"
"It's fine, Ruka!" Rua called reassuringly. "You don't have to worry about anything—ever!"
[Turn 7: Rua] [H:5]
"Because without Ancient Forest…" Rua drew a card swiftly. "I can attack you without any fear either! Come! Morphtronic Scopen!" A strange, living microscope appeared in front of him.
[Morphtronic Scopen (3*/800/1400/EARTH/Machine/Tuner/Effect)]
"With Scopen's effect, once per turn, I can Special Summon a Level 4 "Morphtronic" monster from my hand, but it's destroyed during the End Phase! Come—Morphtronic Staplen!" A red and silver set of staplers appeared in front of him, glowing slightly.
[Morphtronic Staplen (4*/1400/1000/EARTH/Machine/Effect)]
"I'll tune the Level 3 Morphtronic Scopen to the Level 4 Morphtronic Staplen! Docking strength with courage to protect the earth's peace! Dragon with the potential to open up the world of the future, open up the world that I want to reach! Synchro Summon! Level 7! Envoy of love and justice, Power Tool Soundwave Dragon!" Rua's ace appeared in front of him, bright golden metal gleaming brightly. Neon lights shone from all around it, forming its wings, with curling wires forming its limbs. Around it, sparks of electricity danced.
[Power Tool Soundwave Dragon (7*/2300/2500/EARTH/Machine/Synchro/Effect)]
"And then, Continuous Spell, Tool Box! Once per turn, if I control a monster, I can reveal two Equip Spells with different names from my deck, and you choose one for me to add to my hand! I will reveal Double Tool C&D and Supermagic Sword of Raptinus!" The two cards appeared above him, before shuffling themselves around facedown.
"The one on the left," Kisara said.
Rua picked up the card. "I will equip the Equip Spell, Double Tool C&D, to Power Tool Soundwave Dragon! And once per turn, when an Equip Spell is activated, Power Tool Soundwave Dragon lets me Special Summon a Level 4 or lower monster from my graveyard! I'll Special Summon Morphtronic Telefon! Reverberation Revival!" The small white robot appeared in front of him. "Telefon's effect! I'll roll the dice!" It flew through the air, landing on three. "So I'll gain 300 life points, and Special Summon Morphtronic Celfon from the graveyard!"
The yellow phone appeared as well.
Rua & Ruka: 3900 + 100 x 3 = 4200LP
"Celfon's effect!" The dice rolled again. "Two! I will Special Summon Morphtronic Slingen!" A strange purple robot that resembled a slingshot appeared.
[Morphtronic Slingen (4*/1200/800/WIND/Machine/Effect)]
"While Slingen is in Attack Position, once per turn, I can tribute a "Morphtronic" monster I control to destroy a card on the field! I will tribute Morphtronic Celfon and destroy House Dragonmaid!" The woman was destroyed. Thus, Kitchen and Nurse Dragonmaid remained on the field, along with Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon. Meanwhile, Rua now had Power Tool Soundwave Dragon, Morphtronic Slingen and Morphtronic Telefon, and they had Synchro Seclusion, Tool Box and Double Tool C&D in their backrow.
"Interesting," Kisara murmured.
"On my turn, Double Tool C&D gives Power Tool Soundwave Dragon 1000 more attack points!" Rua declared.
[Power Tool Soundwave Dragon: 2300 + 1000 = 3300ATK]
"Power Tool Soundwave Dragon attacks your Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon! Neon Reverberation!"
Blue-Eyes was blown away by the attack. However, Kisara didn't seem fazed. She hadn't even used Nurse or Kitchen Dragonmaid's effect to swap them out for their stronger counterparts.
Kisara: 7000 - 300 = 6700LP
"I'll set a card!" Rua called. "I'll end my turn!"
[Turn 8: Kisara] [H:6]
"Draw," Kisara said. "Your teamwork is remarkable—it's unsurprising that you're twins, all things considered. You're… a troublesome duo to deal with." She shook her head. "... it seems that you're one of our largest threats in this dimension."
Was that… a compliment?
"Those dragons of yours… one of them is troublesome enough. If the other comes out too, it's far more difficult to deal with." She held out a card. "Spell Card, Trade-In. By discarding a Level 8 monster, such as Dragonmaid Tinkhec, I will draw two cards." She glanced at the new cards. "... mm. I will activate the effect of Dragonmaid Changeover in my graveyard. I will return Nurse Dragonmaid from my field to my hand to add Changeover from my graveyard to my hand. Then, I'll activate the Spell Card, Graceful Charity. I will draw three cards and discard two cards."
She placed down a Spell Card.
"Quickplay Spell, Silver's Cry. I will Special Summon Blue-Eyes White Dragon from the graveyard!" The white dragon appeared, and both Rua and Ruka tensed up.
[Blue-Eyes White Dragon (8*/3000/2500/LIGHT/Dragon)]
"I will Normal Summon The White Stone of Legend," Kisara continued. The small, glowing white stone appeared in front of her.
[The White Stone of Legend (1*/300/250/LIGHT/Dragon/Tuner/Effect)]
"I suppose that Double Tool C&D likely has a different effect on my turn instead of yours, but we'll cross that line when we get there." She gestured forward. "I'll tune the Level 1 White Stone of Legend to the Level 8 Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Immortal spirit that dwells in the noble heavens! Now, descend and cast your glorious light on those that dare to oppose us! Synchro Summon! Level 9! Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon!" A bright… well, silver dragon appeared, looking rather solid and menacing—its scales shone like moonlight, and there was something sharp to its eyes. Its claws raked the air.
[Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon (9*/2500/3000/LIGHT/Dragon/Synchro/Effect)]
"If Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon is Special Summoned, until the end of the next turn, neither player can target Dragon monsters I control with card effects, and they cannot be destroyed by card effects," Kisara said.
"What?" Rua exclaimed. "Then, my Double Tool…"
"Furthermore, with the effect of The White Stone of Legend, I will add a Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my deck to my hand. Spell Card, Dragonmaid Changeover." Kisara held up two cards in her hand. "I will fuse Dragonmaid Nudyarl and Nurse Dragonmaid in my hand. Dragon that rules over the well-meaning mansion. Glitter with the light of the transforming dream and crush intruders with your powerful form! Fusion Summon! Dragonmaid Sheou!" The dark dragon from earlier appeared again, a rather amused look on her face.
[Dragonmaid Sheou (10*/3500/2000/LIGHT/Dragon/Fusion/Effect)]
"Battle Phase."
"Continuous Trap, Morphtronic Bind!"
"Rua, no!" Ruka bit her lip.
"Your sister is correct," Kisara said. A strange look flickered in her eyes. "... you misplayed, Rua Sagiri."
"Huh?"
"You should have played that card before I Fusion Summoned Sheou," Kisara said. "Or have you forgotten what this card did to Crow Hogan? Allow me to remind you." Sheou roared, sounding amused. "When my opponent activates a card or effect, I can return Dragonmaid Sheou to the Extra Deck to negate that effect and Special Summon House Dragonmaid from the Extra Deck to my field!" Sheou destroyed the Trap with a swipe of her hand, before transforming back into her human form.
Rua paled.
"And during the Battle Phase, Kitchen Dragonmaid will return to my hand, and I can Special Summon Dragonmaid Tinkhec from the graveyard." The red dragon reappeared. "All your monsters are in Attack Position. With your own hands and unclear judgement, you razed the field that your sister set up to protect you! House Dragonmaid's effect! I will target and destroy Morphtronic Slingen, since your Synchro Monsters are protected by your sister's Synchro Seclusion!"
The slingshot robot was destroyed. However, Kisara didn't cut him any slack.
"House Dragonmaid attacks Power Tool Soundwave Dragon!"
His monster was destroyed, and Rua shielded himself, feeling a bitter sense of disappointment in himself. Double Tool C&D would have destroyed House Dragonmaid, if not for Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon's effect…
Rua & Ruka: 4200 - 700 = 3500LP
"Dragonmaid Tinkhec will attack Morphtronic Telefon!"
Telefon was destroyed; Rua was tossed back onto the ground.
Rua & Ruka: 3500 - 2600 = 900LP
"Rua!" Ruka ran over to him, helping him up as he groaned. "Rua, are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Rua breathed out. "And… she messed up too."
Kisara arched an eyebrow.
"During either player's turn, if Power Tool Soundwave Dragon is in the graveyard, once per turn, I can banish an Equip Spell from the graveyard to Special Summon it from the graveyard! Reboot Remake!" He picked up Double Tool C&D, banishing it. Power Tool rose up in front of them in Defense Position. "Your Azure-Eyes is the weakest monster you have, and its attack points are the same as Power Tool's defense points, so… suck on it! You can't take out Power Tool with an attack! We're safe!"
"... so it seems you are." Kisara hummed. "I will end my Battle Phase. Dragonmaid Tinkhec returns to my hand, and I will Special Summon Kitchen Dragonmaid from my hand. I will use her effect too." She added a card to her hand and sent another from her hand to the graveyard. "I will end my turn."
Rua turned to her. Ruka helped him to stand up. "Sorry that I messed up, Ruka," he said sheepishly. "But… giving you Power Tool is the best that I can do, okay?"
"I don't care that you messed up. You kept us safe." Ruka turned back to Kisara. "So—I'll keep us safe too. Don't you worry!"
[Turn 9: Ruka] [H:3]
"Draw," Ruka said. She glanced across the field.
Kisara gestured to House Dragonmaid. "I will use her effect to Special Summon Nurse Dragonmaid from the graveyard, and with Nurse Dragonmaid's effect, I will Special Summon Chamber Dragonmaid." The white-haired maid appeared on the field again, and Kisara added another card from her deck to her hand.
That was fine. As long as Ruka had Synchro Seclusion, the transformations of those monsters wouldn't matter. "I will activate the Spell Card, Monster Reborn! Return to the field, Ancient Sunshine Wyvern!" The fiery dragon reappeared on their field. "I will use Ancient Sunshine Wyvern's effect! By banishing Thunder Unicorn from my Extra Deck and Rua's Morphtronic Slingen from the graveyard, I will inflict another 1000 damage to you!" The golden fireball shot forward, hitting Kisara.
Kisara: 6700 - 1000 = 5700LP
"You're just burning me down then, I see."
"I will then activate the effect of the Continuous Spell, Tool Box!" Ruka plucked out two cards from her deck. "You choose one of these Equip Spells, and I add it to my hand!"
"The one on the left," Kisara said. Ruka nodded.
"What you gave me was the Equip Spell, Living Fossil! I will Special Summon the Level 1 Morphtronic Lantron from my graveyard, but its effects are negated, and it is banished when it leaves the field!" The robot with the bright light in the middle of its chest appeared on the field. Ruka turned to Power Tool, nodding at her brother's dragon. "When an Equip Spell is activated, the effect of Power Tool Soundwave Dragon activates! Once per turn, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower monster from my graveyard! Reverberation Revival! Come back! Morphtronic Telefon!"
Kisara let out a sigh as the white robot reappeared on the field. "I'm rather tired of that monster," she said.
Ruka ended up speaking before running her words through a filter. "You've summoned your Dragonmaids about once every turn this duel," she murmured. "How do you think we feel?"
Kisara was silent, but Rua, ever the supportive brother, let out a loud cheer. "Get her, Ruka!"
"... ahem." Ruka cleared her throat. "I will activate the effect of Morphtronic Telefon! I will roll a dice!" It flew through the air—and landed on exactly one. Ruka sighed. "I will Special Summon the Level 1 Morphtronic Celfon from the graveyard, and gain 100 life points!"
Rua & Ruka: 900 + 100 = 1000LP
She now had all her Main Monster Zones filled. But it was fine.
"I will tune the Level 1 Morphtronic Telefon to the Level 6 Ancient Sunshine Wyvern!" The two monsters shot up. "I agree with you—Rua and I are unstoppable with our aces together! The holy light of protection, now cross and become eternal life! Sleeping within the ancient forest, let flesh become spirit and spirit become flesh, such that none can be destroyed in your presence! Synchro Summon! Level 7! A regal birth, Ancient Fairy Dreamwave Dragon!" Ruka's graceful, mystical ace appeared. The blue dragon immediately flew to the Extra Monster Zone, turning around and roaring a welcome to Power Tool, who roared in return. Some of the stars around Ancient Fairy seemed to catch one of its blue hydrangea stems, floating over to Power Tool and draping the flower around its head.
Of course it made sense. Why wouldn't their dragons get along so well?
[Ancient Fairy Dreamwave Dragon (7*/2100/3000/LIGHT/Dragon/Synchro/Effect)]
"Placing that monster in Defense Position…"
"It's not because I can't do anything but defend myself," Ruka murmured. "It's because no matter what, I'll always defend Rua. That's my promise to myself." She held out a card. "Field Spell, Ancient Forest!" The Field Spell that Kisara had returned to her hand now made itself seen. Of course, since Ancient Forest had been activated, any monsters in Defense Position changed to Attack Position, and thus, Ancient Fairy Dreamwave Dragon returned to Attack Position. "And with the effect of Ancient Fairy Dreamwave Dragon, when a Field Spell is activated, once per turn, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower monster from my graveyard!"
"You don't mean…"
"I do," Ruka said calmly. "Return! Morphtronic Telefon!" The white robot reappeared. "Then, Morphtronic Telefon's effect!" The dice rolled again. "Four. Return to the field in Defense Position, Morphtronic Boomboxen!"
Now, she had filled up all six Monster Zones that she and Rua controlled. She also gained 400 more life points.
Rua & Ruka: 1000 + 100 x 4 = 1400LP
"Synchro Seclusion's effect. While I control a Field Spell, I can target two Synchro Monsters I control, and their attack points become their total original attack points until the End Phase, but only one monster I control can attack this turn!" Both Power Tool and Ancient Fairy roared, lending their power to each other.
[Power Tool Soundwave Dragon: 2300 + 2100 = 4400ATK]
[Ancient Fairy Dreamwave Dragon: 2100 + 2300 = 4400ATK]
"I'll start my Battle Phase!"
"... ah, I see," Kisara said. "And you have forced all my monsters into Attack Position." She raised a hand. "Very well. I will activate the effects of Chamber Dragonmaid, Nurse Dragonmaid and Kitchen Dragonmaid once more!" The three monsters all transformed. "I will Special Summon House Dragonmaid and Dragonmaid Nudyarl from the graveyard and Dragonmaid Tinkhec from my hand." The three monsters appeared on the field. "I cannot target Synchro Monsters you control because of Synchro Seclusion. However—everything else is fair game. I will destroy Morphtronic Lantron, Morphtronic Boomboxen and Morphtronic Telefon!" The three monsters all exploded, leaving Ancient Fairy, Power Tool and Celfon on the field.
(Of course Kisara had left Celfon on the field. It was in Attack Position with no attack points to speak of.)
"That's alright," Ruka said. It would have been nice to still have those monsters, but well, she had mostly brought them back as options just in case Kisara was going to interfere with her during the Main Phase, before she had Ancient Fairy. (Ancient Fairy mostly protected against destruction effects in the Main Phase, whereas Kisara's main destruction effect was… well, in the Battle Phase. It was kind of awkward for Ruka as a result.)
"Power Tool Soundwave Dragon attacks House Dragonmaid!" Of course she ceded the right to attack to Power Tool. She had always preferred playing the support rather than an actual attacker. "Neon Reverberation!"
The first House Dragonmaid was destroyed.
Kisara: 5700 - 1400 = 4300LP
"And when one of the monsters that I targeted for Synchro Seclusion's effect destroys a monster by battle, it can declare a second attack this turn!"
Rua grinned. "Synchro Seclusion only restricts you to attacking with one monster, not one attack! Therefore, my Power Tool can attack once for Ancient Fairy's sake too! Attack the other House Dragonmaid! Neon Reverberation!" Power Tool rushed forward again, crushing the other copy of House Dragonmaid and finally getting rid of both of them.
Kisara: 4300 - 1400 = 2900LP
"I'll end my turn with one final set card," Ruka murmured. At the end of her Battle Phase, Kisara swapped out the remaining Nudyarl and Tinkhec for Kitchen Dragonmaid and Nurse Dragonmaid yet again. Meanwhile, Power Tool was destroyed by the effect of Ancient Forest, though Rua and Ruka weren't bothered.
They could bring it back later, after all.
[Turn 10: Kisara] [H:9]
"Draw," Kisara said, her hand size having truly reached a ridiculous level at this point. "... during the Standby Phase, Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon's effect activates. I can Special Summon a Normal Monster from the graveyard." Blue-Eyes White Dragon rose up again.
Ruka wasn't too worried. While she controlled a Field Spell, Ancient Fairy couldn't be destroyed by battle, and she wouldn't take damage from battles involving monsters she controlled with 2100 or less attack points. Thus, she wouldn't take damage from battles with Celfon or Ancient Fairy. And just in case that didn't work, she had a Defense Draw ready to go, so that she could reduce damage to zero, just once.
They were perfectly safe.
… so why was Kisara so calm?
"I will return Nurse Dragonmaid to my hand to add Dragonmaid Changeover from my graveyard to my hand," Kisara explained. "And I'll enter my Battle Phase." She placed down a card. "Quickplay Spell, Dragonmaid Spring Cleaning. During the Battle Phase, if I control at least two Level 7 or higher Dragon monsters, I can discard a "Dragonmaid" card to destroy all Spells and Traps on the field!"
"What?" Ruka exclaimed.
"Your Equip Spells, your Field Spell, your set card—all those things that you're hoping will protect you." Kisara stared at them calmly. "This field will be cleansed of them." Sharp winds blew through the field, destroying all of the Spells and Traps on the field at once. "... there. Now, there's no chance. I do not know what protection effects your monster has, nor do I care to know. Your life points are low enough that a single attack from Blue-Eyes will finish you off." She pointed to Celfon. "Your own Field Spell, which forced every monster on the field into Attack Position, will be your undoing. Attack Morphtronic Celfon, Blue-Eyes, and end this!"
Blue-Eyes roared, and at the last moment, Ruka felt Rua push himself in front of her as the attack hit. Both of them were flung back by the force.
Rua & Ruka: 1400 - 2900 = 0LP
Winner: Kisara Tsutsuji!
They landed, Rua clearly trying to shield her from the impact. However, even as Ruka turned to look at Kisara—
A D-Wheel skidded forward, straight in front of them. The person on it stood up and got off the D-Wheel—frankly, a marvel considering that this person was rarely seen without a D-Wheel at all.
"Surely someone with your strength would not stoop so low as to hurt innocent children," Jack Atlas said, narrowing his eyes. "There are very few whose strength I recognise. I hope that you do not become one that disappoints me with your morality."
"And what do you mean by that, Jack Atlas, King of the City?"
"Oh? So my appearance has been described to you?"
"... no," Kisara said. She pointed behind him, to the gigantic billboard above the stadium, which currently had his face and title on it. Ruka almost laughed. Almost.
She was scared. That woman had killed Crow, right? So if Jack hadn't shown up, Ruka would have lost… she would have lost Rua.
No, no, no, that couldn't happen…
She and Rua had been defeating the soldiers easily together—and they had never lost when they were together.
At the same time…
Rua pulled her up, and the two of them retreated slightly.
"Regardless, this city and its people are under my protection." Jack glared at her, and his gaze could have pierced metal with its sharpness. "You've gotten away with enough. No one should use power such as that of your dragons—something that should be noble—for such a terrible end."
"And do you speak from experience, Jack Atlas?" Kisara shrugged. "Have you never felt tempted to let your dragon bury its fangs into this rotting city? Have you never buckled against the feeling that you must use your power for good?"
"Not once have I ever done so," Jack replied without any hesitation. "Power is to protect the weak."
Kisara's look was searching. As though she was trying to prove that Jack was lying.
Ruka didn't think that she would be able to, because Ruka believed Jack when he said that he had never considered abusing his power to hurt others.
That wasn't the kind of person that she thought Jack Atlas was.
"Children like you shouldn't be wandering around in such a dangerous place," the man who could only be Jack Atlas said. Rua and Ruka, who had just nearly avoided being robbed, couldn't argue with him. "Where do you live? I'll escort you back."
"Really?" Rua, who had always been a big fan of the Duel King, blurted out.
"The King never breaks his promises," Jack declared.
Ruka watched Rua stare at Jack with that awestruck look on his face—and maybe Ruka felt the same way, just a little.
It was hard not to think that Jack Atlas was the coolest person ever.
Part of the reason that they had wanted to participate in the Friendship Cup was the chance to face Jack too. After all, Jack had saved them back then, even though he hadn't known who they were.
The two of them really, really respected Jack Atlas.
And that was why, even as Kisara's eyes widened—she had clearly been unable to find any falsehood in Jack's words—Ruka just took a step back.
It was terrible to lose, but…
"You can do it, Jack!" Rua called out from next to her. Jack tilted his head backwards to look at them, and then, his lips twitched upwards slightly—it could easily be missed.
"Sit down and rest," he said. "I will defeat her."
"The King never breaks his promises," Ruka called out—her own form of encouragement.
Jack nodded. "It is a promise," he replied. The entire stadium seemed to have their eyes on him right now, despite all the duels that were going on. "I will not allow this woman to claim any more lives in this city!"
Kisara tilted her head. "... alright then, King," she said. "Let's hope you don't fail when your people need you the most."
OC Cards:
Fairy Breath Unicorn
(9*/2700/2000/LIGHT/Beast/Synchro/Effect)
1 Beast Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner monsters
If this card is Synchro Summoned while you control a Field Spell: You can banish 1 Beast monster from your Deck; Special Summon it to your field during your next Standby Phase. This card cannot be targeted by card effects while you control a Field Spell. If this card is destroyed by battle, or another monster you control is destroyed by battle or card effect: You can target 1 non-Synchro Beast monster in your GY; Special Summon it. You can only activate each effect of "Fairy Breath Unicorn" once per turn.
Morphtronic Radaron
(8*/2500/2000/EARTH/Machine/Synchro/Effect)
1 Machine Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner monsters
While you control this face-up card, Machine monsters you control cannot be targeted for attacks or effects, except this one. Once per turn: You can reveal the top 3 cards of your Deck, and if there are any Equip Spells among them, add 1 Equip Spell from among them to your hand, send any other Spells revealed to the GY, and return the other cards to the top of the Deck. If this card is sent to the GY: You can Special Summon 1 Machine monster from your GY, except a Synchro Monster.
Ancient Sunshine Wyvern
(6*/1000/3000/FIRE/Wyrm/Synchro/Effect)
1 LIGHT Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner monsters
You can banish 1 Synchro Monster from your Extra Deck and 1 monster from your GY; inflict 1000 damage to your opponent. During the End Phase, if this card was destroyed by battle while you controlled a face-up Field Spell and sent to the GY: You can Special Summon this card from your GY in Defense Position. You can only activate each effect of "Ancient Sunshine Wyvern" once per turn.
Synchro Seclusion
(Spell/Continuous)
Synchro Monsters you control cannot be targeted by your opponent's card effects. Once per turn, if you control a Field Spell: You can target 2 Synchro Monsters you control; until the End Phase, their ATK becomes their total original ATK, and if either of the targeted monsters destroys an opponent's monster by battle, that monster can declare a second attack during that Battle Phase. You can only attack with 1 monster during the turn you activate this effect of "Synchro Seclusion".
Power Tool Soundwave Dragon
(7*/2300/2500/EARTH/Machine/Synchro/Effect)
1 Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner monsters
This card is treated as "Power Tool Dragon" while on the field and in the GY. If this card is equipped with an Equip Spell, it cannot be targeted by your opponent's Spell/Trap effects. Once per turn, if an Equip Spell is activated: You can target 1 Level 4 or lower monster in your GY; Special Summon it. During either player's turn, if this card is in the GY: You can banish 1 Equip Spell from the GY; Special Summon this card from the GY. You can only activate this effect of "Power Tool Soundwave Dragon" once per turn.
Note: This card got errataed in the 'targeted' immunity, because originally with the way that I phrased it, you couldn't equip it with more than one Equip Spell. It has been changed to stopping the targeting of the opponent's card effects, not just your own.
Ancient Fairy Dreamwave Dragon
(7*/2100/3000/LIGHT/Dragon/Synchro/Effect)
1 Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner monsters
(This card is always treated as "Ancient Fairy Dragon".) While you control a Field Spell, you take no damage from battles involving monsters you control with 2100 or less ATK, and this card you control cannot be destroyed by battle. During the Main Phase, while you control a Field Spell, monsters you control cannot be targeted or destroyed by your opponent's card effects. If you activate a Field Spell: You can target 1 Level 4 or lower monster in your GY; Special Summon it in Defense Position. You can only activate this effect of "Ancient Fairy Dreamwave Dragon" once per turn.
Note: Errataed because of the same issue as Soundwave.
Dragonmaid Spring Cleaning
(Spell/Quickplay)
If you control 2 or more Level 7 or higher Dragon monsters, during the Battle Phase: Discard 1 "Dragonmaid" card; destroy all Spell/Traps on the field, and if you do, all "Dragonmaid" monsters you control cannot be targeted by card effects until the end of the Battle Phase.
End Notes:
Fun fact, last chapter, this chapter and the following chapter are just called the 'Kisara trilogy' in my outlines, lmao. I thought about combining them all into one, but I decided that I prefer the cliffhangers. :) Plus, it doesn't really work to cut to anything else in the middle of this. That's why 59, 60 and 61 are all single duel chapters. Next chapter, though… well, let's just say that it only escalates from there.
Actually having Rua and Ruka Tag Duel for once in this fic on screen is so important to me. It was something that I wanted to happen the moment I decided to include them in the story. It's a pity that they had to lose, but oh well. Also, yes, Rua and Ruka losing, and Jack coming in at the last moment—it's not exactly the same, but there is a very specific duel that I was thinking about when I first plotted this part. :D You get a virtual cookie if you point it out!
Fun fact—all of Rua's dice rolls are random number generated. No rigging on my end—I just rolled them and dealt with whatever the result was, since it didn't matter—most of the monsters that are Special Summoned are Level 1.
Also, Kisara complaining about Morphtronic Telefon being too good and Ruka complaining about the Dragonmaid loop are just reflections of my own feelings about writing this duel, because jeez Telefon is actually broken. If I was writing any character that was less level-headed than Kisara, they probably would have started swearing halfway through that turn where Ruka summons like 10000 monsters. And yes, with the effects of the Ancient Fairy and Power Tool retrains of this story, it is very possible to make a ridiculous turn.
Also, yes, confession time. The reason why I refused to write pure Dragonmaids was also because they're essentially a loop with only two Extra Deck monsters, and once you write the first turn, it's pretty much the same every turn. So splashing in Blue-Eyes, even if it's not nearly as optimal, helps me to at least make some slightly different turns and duels.
I swear I'm not trying to make Kisara too overpowered either. She is probably going to still have to be an antagonist in later arcs though, which is why I want to at least make sure that she's shown to be competent now—otherwise, no one will be able to take her seriously later on. That's why certain monsters haven't shown up either—and probably won't show up for a bit. Ryo is getting a similar treatment, though I can't spoil that for now.
… what's that shouting in the distance? Ah, what about Shino, who hasn't done much yet in the invasion? Sorry, I can't hear you over the pained shrieks coming from my throat when I think about her actual main duel in this dimension. (Ok, that's an exaggeration. But yeah. That's coming too, I just, uh… am mildly dying right now just thinking about writing it.)
Review responses!
To ben23ten, thanks for pointing that out! My explanation for the issue with the age is quite simple, haha—the chapter went through two rewrites before I posted it, and in the second rewrite, I decided to cut two scenes from it. I had to shuffle around some lines, and honestly speaking, because it was like 3a.m., I fudged up what time it was in the timeline, haha. And yeah, while Academia is going to have a few villains that are hate sinks in a sense, I did want a few that were a little more sympathetic than others. And if you want to see Blue-Eyes, you're very much in luck, lmao. As for your mention on how certain stories can get 'darker', I'd like to mention that this story is probably going to be one of those, because a lot of the narrative is built around the characters' personal struggles, and well, that's the reason why the Synchro Arc has inherently tackled a lot of heavier topics than the arc before it. (To the point where I raised the rating, haha.) A lot of the fic is structured around "how would the worlds we see in Arc-V affect the people who live in them", and as a result, while the fic will never be 'grimdark', there will be a lot of heavy topics that are brought up, especially in later arcs.
To NightWingBOI, Yuri and Kisara's dynamic in the future is probably one of my favourite dynamics with non-OCs that I've planned, haha. I'll acknowledge that before I started Six Dimensions seriously (aka not just writing excerpts from it without posting it), I had three ideas that I was planning on writing. One of them was a SI OC, which I still might do in the future, if I feel like it. This fic still isn't the longest fic yet though—that title still belongs to Fifth Factor :D I hope that I'll be able to keep the commitment to steal that title though ;)
To Bryz0n, haha, I'm used to rewriting stuff that I've already written. A lot of the time, I get stuck in the middle of chapters and think "no, this isn't really reading how I want it to", and then I just scrap the whole chapter by tossing it into my 'forbidden' folder. It's more that feeling that I can totally write a better chapter which always slows me down. I also do a lot of fluid ad-libs on the go when it comes to stuff—it's part of the writing process. So a lot of the time, I have to go through again and cut stuff as I go, if I think that it messes with the overall chapter. Most chapters that I post are probably much shorter that they were originally. Those character interactions sometimes get recycled into later chapters, when the context calls for it, but usually, I just discard them and make a note of what I've cut, so that I hopefully don't get confused. As an example, the current longest chapter in the story is Chapter 49, aka the chapter giving Tag Duels to the Lancers in the Underground, at 36k words. Its first draft was 45k, and included some other things that were cut. That's why I sometimes forget when certain things have been cut too, haha. As for the Big Five, tbh, I genuinely forgot that they used FGD, lmao, but if I use them, I probably won't have them play the FGD.
To PhilJS89, mm, I was one of the people who traumatised people with Dragonmaids too, so I'm throwing stones at a glass house, haha. I bought three copies of that Structure Deck and proceeded to ruin people's lives until I reached Platinum. Just from your deck preferences, I can tell that you're a fan of the rival-type characters, haha. Mm, I would have to agree with what you said about meta decks. It's why I feel like sometimes, we do have to suspend our disbelief if a character doesn't play 100% optimally—for the sake of the story that's being told :D As for relationship-building, this fic was meant to have two primary pairings (and everything else somehow sprung up as I went along, which is a feature of my writing process, lmao) of Yuno/Miharu and Yuji/Chiaki. I can say that both of those pairings are a slow burn in very different ways. For Yuji/Chiaki, they genuinely just think of the other as their best friend—it'll take them a long time to transition to thinking of the other person as even a potential romantic partner. Meanwhile, Yuno/Miharu… *inhales* well, let's just say that the slow burn is for a very different reason.
To T.V. 2000, no need to apologise for not reviewing! I understand that everyone's busy, and I'm always happy to receive a review regardless :D Especially a long one like yours! And I'll agree that I have a soft spot for fics with additional dimensions too, whether it's a Ritual Dimension or a Link Dimension. (That is self-evident though, considering that this fic exists.) For Heroic monsters, I grew a little fond of them because of the Rental Decks in Master Duel a few months back :)
To Unlucky-Fausto, thanks for pointing the timeline mistake out. It's fixed now, but I'll refer you to the reply I gave to Ben23ten. In general though—I was just tired when editing. :D And I really thought about having her Link Summon Heavenly Spheres, but I already gave her a hybrid of Blue-Eyes and Dragonmaid, and giving her Hieratic as well felt a bit like I was pushing it. Lmao, the "thanks for the reminder" moment was absolutely me lampshading YGO characters and their tendency to tell their opponent what they're doing—something that Kisara herself is pretty guilty of as well. As for Shinji, I'll also point out that Ryo already carded two of his other friends (Tony, Damon) and thus, that's his closest friends excluding Kiryu/Naoya who have all been carded. Hell yeah, Gishki's great! :)
To phantomdragons, I feel like I know exactly which fic you're talking about, and I do like it quite a bit too! I'm probably pausing Twin Dragons for now—rewriting all those chapters is taking me a while. As for Kisara, she (and Ryo) are my answer to canon Academia having barely any notable duelists. Seriously, Yuri did all the heavy lifting. So yeah, Kisara and Ryo are the antagonists that are introduced early, will take a pretty large role in countering the Lancers, and make it so that things aren't quite as smooth-sailing as they would otherwise be.
To cardfan135, I'm flattered. On your note about not liking Nue at the start, while I won't say that's intentional, it's very understandable! I don't expect people to like all my characters—in fact, I'm always genuinely surprised when people do like them. And well, it's good that you like the Security Quartet, because… hmm… :)
To LHOCIN, hmm, I will say that as a hopeless romantic, I do enjoy writing relationships, especially ones that build over a long time. (Which is how I ended up with so many background relationships in this fic, haha.) And yup, I enjoyed writing Kaiba too.
To kikuruhime, yes, I probably will use both legacy characters and OC antagonists. Why? Because I have more decks that I want to use, which mostly wouldn't suit canon characters. *thumbs up* That's really it. I don't really understand your question though, so could you clarify it for me? :)
Anyway, I'm going to be quite busy over the next few months, so updates might slow down. I will try my best to get an update out once per week, but that's probably going to slip. It does kinda suck, since we're in a more tense part of the arc right now (literally in the finale!) But it's a timing limitation, more than anything. Without giving away too much real world context, most of my life is reading and writing—all my academic qualifications involve writing, my part-time job of sorts is a writing-related one, and most of my passions also involve, well, creating stories/characters. So sometimes, especially because of my health-related issues, I do need a break from the keyboard, haha. I also have some things that I'm prepping for the later arcs in the background as well, so that's… all taking a while, haha.
I think we all know what the next chapter is, so I'll leave it at that.