Starting Notes:
Welcome back! This chapter was originally a part of last chapter, but then it got too long and I decided to cut it out. That's why the Link Dimension got pushed back to Chapter 8 for now. Now, in this chapter… well, I don't think there's a point in pretending that I don't know what's happening here. Yes, the Ruri vs Yuri duel I mentioned is happening in this chapter, and Rin is also going to get a duel. Even if the Bracelet Girls are going to get kidnapped, I don't want them to just be damsels in distress, so I'm going to at least give the two neglected Bracelet Girls a duel in this chapter, so that it feels more realistic and understandable when they [REDACTED] during the [REDACTED] Arc. For the sake of giving Rin a chance to fight back, I've decided that she and Yugo both have individual Duel Disks, but they just share the same D-Wheel. *thumbs up* Thanks for hearing me out. Let's get going! This isn't as long of a chapter as the last one, since I needed a bit of a break from that—and technically, this is part of the last chapter, just cut out.
Chapter 7: Trapped Winds
In the Xyz Dimension:
Ruri had run in the direction that Dennis had pointed out for about a minute when someone showed up.
"You must be Ruri Kurosaki," a boy in a hood and cloak said. Ruri couldn't even respond for a moment, because he looked exactly like Yuto—he looked exactly like her boyfriend, but with different eyes and hair. The boy was still smiling. Ruri took a step back.
"Who are you?"
"I'm the one that Dennis was running from," he said. "My name is Yuri."
"Um." Ruri felt nervous. "So you're the one that…"
Yuri walked forward, raising his duel disk. Alright.
If it was just dueling, Ruri could face him directly.
"Do entertain me, Kurosaki-san," Yuri requested. "After all, the last time I dueled a girl with a bracelet, she was the most fun opponent I've had in a while."
Ruri bit her lip, very nervous.
She couldn't lose—not to one of these invaders!
[DUEL!]
Ruri Kurosaki: 4000LP
Yuri: 4000LP
[Turn 1: Yuri] [H:5]
"I'll start," Yuri said. Ruri didn't object, looking at her own hand. If she could OTK Yuri next turn, then she could escape quickly and get the rest to help—this guy felt like bad news. Yuri placed down a card from his hand. "I will Normal Summon Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio." A creepy-looking scorpion appeared, made of dark brown bark, with a plant bulb for a sting.
[Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio (3*/1200/800/DARK/Plant/Effect)]
That… wasn't an Antique Gear monster. So he was running a different deck from the rest?
"I'll use Ophrys Scorpio's effect," Yuri declared. "I can send a monster from my hand to the graveyard, and Special Summon any "Predaplant" monster from my deck. I will Special Summon Predaplant Darlingtonia Cobra." A green snake slid onto the field, a purple flower acting as its tail and opening up.
[Predaplant Darlingtonia Cobra (3*/1000/1500/DARK/Plant/Effect)]
"With the effect of Darlingtonia Cobra, I can add a "Fusion" or "Polymerization" Spell card from my deck to my hand," Yuri continued. He smirked. "Now, I will activate Polymerization."
Ruri grimaced. So he was about to Fusion Summon?
"I will fuse Ophrys Scorpio and Darlingtonia Cobra!" Yuri clapped his hands together. "Well, I suppose that I can use this one until I figure out what level you're at… bloom, parasitic dark flower! With the rolling of your carrion-like petals, let the force of your scent overpower the world! Fusion Summon! Level 7! Predaplant Chimerafflesia!" An enormous pink and red flower with a terrible stench appeared on Yuri's field. The teeth in its core made Ruri wince.
[Predaplant Chimerafflesia (7*/2500/2000/DARK/Plant/Fusion/Effect)]
"I'll set one card facedown and end my turn." Yuri gestured forward. "It's your turn."
Ruri nervously drew a card, staring at the large flower.
[Turn 2: Ruri] [H:6]
She didn't have her usual starting play of Turquoise Warbler in her hand. In that case, she couldn't pull off an OTK this turn… but she could prepare for that next turn. Ruri placed down another card instead, because she really just needed a Winged Beast on the field or in the graveyard for this. "I'll Normal Summon Slower Swallow!" The blue and white bird appeared, soaring into the sky in front of her.
[Slower Swallow (1*/100/100/WIND/Winged Beast/Effect)]
"And since I control a Winged Beast monster, I can use the effect of Lyrical Luscinia - Sapphire Swallow in my hand. I will Special Summon her and Lyrical Luscinia - Cobalt Sparrow from my hand!" The blue and brown-winged girls appeared on her field as well, giving her three monsters to work with immediately.
[Lyrical Luscinia - Sapphire Swallow (1*/100/0/WIND/Winged Beast/Effect)]
[Lyrical Luscinia - Cobalt Sparrow (1*/0/100/WIND/Winged Beast/Effect)]
"And since Cobalt Sparrow was Special Summoned, I can add another Level 1 Winged Beast monster from my deck to my hand!" Ruri added the card to her hand, and then she nodded to her monsters. "I will overlay the Level 1 Cobalt Sparrow, Sapphire Swallow and Slower Swallow!" The three monsters turned into green streaks, flowing into the Overlay Network. Birds with beautiful wings! Gatherer on the battlefield and take brilliant flight! Xyz Summon! Dance in the sky! Rank 1! Lyrical Luscinia - Assembly Nightingale!"
Ruri brought out her ace in the Extra Monster Zone. Assembly Nightingale let out a loud cry, flying around through the air, protectively reaching her wings out, as though to shield Ruri from Yuri's gaze.
[Lyrical Luscinia - Assembly Nightingale (R1/0/0/WIND/Winged Beast/Xyz/Effect) (OU:3)]
"Oh, not bad." Yuri chuckled. "Her effect must be rather powerful, if she starts with no attack points."
"Assembly Nightingale gains 200 attack points for every Overlay Unit she has!" Ruri declared.
[Lyrical Luscinia - Assembly Nightingale: 0 + 200 x 3 = 600ATK]
"I will then activate the Spell Card, Lyrical Luscinia - Bird Call!" Ruri continued. "I'll add a "Lyrical Luscinia" monster from my deck to my hand, and then Special Summon a "Lyrical Luscinia" monster with a different name from my hand!" She added Turquoise Warbler to her hand. "And now, come out, Lyrical Luscinia - Celeste Wagtail!" A grey-winged girl appeared, flying next to Assembly Nightingale.
[Lyrical Luscinia - Celeste Wagtail (1*/200/0/WIND/Winged Beast/Effect)]
"And since Celeste Wagtail was Special Summoned, I can add a "Lyrical Luscinia" Spell or Trap from my deck to my hand." Ruri set the card facedown immediately. "I'll set a card. Now, Assembly Nightingale can attack once for each of her Overlay Units, and she can attack directly! Avian Gale!"
Yuri raised an eyebrow, but he didn't make a move to stop the three direct attacks that flew his way.
Yuri: 4000 - 600 x 3 = 2200LP
"I'll end my turn," Ruri said.
[Turn 3: Yuri] [H:3]
"Oh? You're leaving that monster in Attack Position?" Yuri hummed as he drew a card. "Interesting. So is it as good on defense as it is on offense?"
Ruri didn't reply, still somewhat afraid of him. Yuri's smile grew—it seemed that he understood what Ruri was thinking.
"I guess I'll have to see for myself," he said. "I will activate the effect of Predaplant Cordyceps in the graveyard. By banishing it, I will revive two Level 4 or lower "Predaplant" monsters in the graveyard. So come back, Darlingtonia Cobra and Ophrys Scorpio." The two Plant monsters revived onto his field, on both sides of Chimerafflesia. "First, I will activate the effect of Darlingtonia Cobra. I will add another "Fusion" or "Polymerization" card from my deck to my hand." He picked up another card, before nodding to Ophrys Scorpio. "Then, by sending a monster from my hand to the graveyard, Ophrys Scorpio will let me Special Summon another "Predaplant" monster from my deck."
So his deck recycled and kept on searching out more and more monsters, huh?
"I will Special Summon Predaplant Flytrap." A small, verdant green flytrap appeared next to Ophrys Scorpio.
[Predaplant Flytrap (2*/400/800/DARK/Plant/Effect)]
"And I will activate Flytrap's effect. Once per turn, I can place a Predator Counter on a monster you control!"
"Since Assembly Nightingale was Xyz Summoned using Cobalt Sparrow as an Overlay Unit," Ruri replied, even as Assembly Nightingale's feathers shone with brown light for a moment, "she cannot be targeted by your card effects!"
Yuri grinned. "Interesting! In that case, I will target Lyrical Luscinia - Celeste Wagtail." A dark seed shot out from the flytrap, landing on Celeste Wagtail, who let out a whimper.
[Lyrical Luscinia - Celeste Wagtail: Predator Counter(s): 1]
"And I'll now activate the Spell Card, Polymerization again. Considering the effect that you've said that monster has, I think I need to get a little more serious." Yuri gestured to Flytrap and Darlingtonia Cobra, who both dissolved into dark energy, which swirled around behind him in a vortex. "Two beautiful flowers with an insect-alluring fragrance! Now become one, and form the ancient creature slumbering beneath nature's bounty! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 5! Ancient cetacean—Predaplant Ambulomelides!"
A large reptilian creature appeared, lush green plants growing all over its body.
[Predaplant Ambulomelides (5*/1000/2500/DARK/Plant/Fusion/Effect)]
"When Ambulomelides is Fusion Summoned, I can add a "Predaplant" monster or a "Predap" Spell or Trap from my deck or graveyard to my hand." Yuri shrugged. "The card also says 'face-up in my Extra Deck', which is odd. It's a card that only I have, but even I don't understand what that phrase means… but that's enough distraction." He pointed to Celeste Wagtail. "I will activate the effect of Ambulomelides. By tributing a monster my opponent controls with a Predator Counter, I can Special Summon a "Predaplant" monster from my deck. Predator Farming!"
Celeste Wagtail was consumed by a gruesome dark plant that grew out of the seed. The plant then dissolved into dark particles that flew to Yuri's field.
"I'll Special Summon Predaplant Stapeliaworm in Defense Position," he continued. A rather disgusting-looking purple worm appeared, covered in tendrils, and with a large flower forming its head.
[Predaplant Stapeliaworm (4*/100/2000/DARK/Plant/Effect)]
Huh? He was building up a shield? Hadn't he realised that no shield could stop Assembly Nightingale?
"I will then activate my Trap Card," Yuri continued. "Predapetrification." He smirked. "You know, when I was tasked to come to the Xyz Dimension and capture you, the Professor had the scientists make this card for me. A card to guarantee that I would never have to suffer from debilitating effects like your monster's. After all, I'm one of his most valued soldiers." He smirked. "Xyz Monsters' effects cannot be activated in response to this card, or to effects chained to this card!"
Ruri felt a feeling of dread in her heart.
"Then, since I control at least two "Predaplant" monsters that were Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, I can pay 1000 life points and tribute a Fusion Monster I control." Ambulomelides dissolved into sparks of light. "Then, all Xyz Monsters on the field lose all their Overlay Units!"
What?
Assembly Nightingale let out a pained cry, her Overlay Units being stripped from her as her attack points plummeted.
[Lyrical Luscinia - Assembly Nightingale: OU:3 - OU:0; 600 - 0ATK]
"And now, let's see." Yuri playfully pointed to each of his monsters one by one. "Chimerafflesia, 2500 attack points. Ophrys Scorpio. 1200 attack points. Stapeliaworm is in Defense Position. I guess I need one more monster." He placed another card on his duel disk. "I will activate the Continuous Spell, Predaponics! I can revive a Level 4 or lower "Predaplant" monster! Meet Predaplant Cephalotusnail." A pale green pitcher plant appeared on his field.
[Predaplant Cephalotusnail (4*/1300/1200/DARK/Plant/Effect)]
Yuri had a rather annoyed look on his face, glancing off into the distance. "I do have to make sure. After all, if I don't defeat you in a turn, you'll drag things out like the last one did."
"Now, Chimerafflesia will attack your monster."
"I will activate my Trap Card!" Ruri replied, trying to maintain her calm. "Lyrical Luscinia - Birds of a Feather! I can target a "Lyrical Luscinia" monster I control, and change all your monsters' attack points to be equal to that monster's attack points! I will target Lyrical Luscinia - Assembly Nightingale!"
She had been planning to use it while targeting Celeste Wagtail instead, but this way, she could still last—
Yuri's grin widened. "When my opponent activates an effect that would change the attack points of a monster, I can tribute Predaplant Stapeliaworm to negate that effect and destroy that card! The attack goes through!"
Chimerafflesia crushed Assembly Nightingale, and Ruri had to avert her eyes from the sight as her ace shrieked in pain—this was just too cruel.
Ruri: 4000 - 2500 = 1500LP
Yuri smiled, a twisted look on his face. "Cephalotusnail and Ophrys Scorpio attack directly!"
Ruri: 1500 - 1300 - 1200 = 0LP
Winner: Yuri!
As the last monster—the scorpion—attacked Ruri directly, she felt a prick on the place where Ophrys Scorpio's stinger had hit her. Then, all of a sudden, her vision grew blurry, and she felt herself collapsing to the ground. The last thing that she heard before she passed out was a sigh from Yuri.
He almost sounded bored.
Meanwhile, in another world:
In the City, unless you were a Tops member, it was rare for a person to have a Duel Runner that was all their own. Rin certainly didn't have one—she and Yugo had built a Duel Runner together, and that was already a pretty impressive achievement.
However, at this moment, she certainly wished that she had a Duel Runner of her own. It would have made escaping this creep far easier.
Rin fled around a corner, and she spun around, putting her hands on her hips, an annoyed look on her face. "Listen, I can hear you walking behind me, alright?" Her green fringe fell around her face as she stared at the corner that she had just crossed. "If there's something you want, then just spit it out!"
Seconds later, a hooded figure walked around the corner. Their face was completely covered by the hood, which did not help Rin's opinion that this guy was a certified creep. "Duel me," they said, their voice clearly that of a boy's.
"Oh?" Rin narrowed her eyes. "Fine. You'll learn that we Commons aren't that easy to bully!" She raised her duel disk, and her opponent raised his duel disk as well, though they still didn't expose themselves.
[DUEL!]
Rin: 4000LP
Obelisk Force: 4000LP
[Turn 1: Rin] [H:5]
"What kind of name is 'Obelisk Force'?" Rin scoffed. To her surprise, her opponent didn't react to that at all. Instead, he just let out a quiet sigh.
"It's a borrowed duel disk," he said. "Please take your turn."
"Don't rush me!" Rin shook her head for a moment. Yugo, that dummy, had gone off riding somewhere, and now she was alone dealing with this strange guy! She was going to kick Yugo when he got back here. "I'll activate the Spell Card, Chime of the Bell Announcing Wind! By revealing a Level 4 or lower "Wind Witch" monster in my hand, I'll Special Summon a monster with the same name from my deck!" A card slid out of her deck, and she placed it on the field. "I'll Special Summon Wind Witch - Glass Bell!"
A witch with cyan hair appeared—her hair was curly but short, with a longer curl at the front of her fringe, curling upwards like a cowlick. She was wearing a large blue hat, with a pink ribbon tied around it. She was sitting on a broom, with the handle of the broom being made of blue tinted glass, and the end of the broom being a golden bell instead of any bristles.
[Wind Witch - Glass Bell (4*/1500/1500/WIND/Spellcaster/Tuner/Effect)]
"And when Glass Bell is Normal or Special Summoned, I can add a "Wind Witch" monster from my deck to my hand!" She added a monster to her hand, before placing it down. "I will then Special Summon her, since all monsters I control are "Wind Witch" monsters! Come—Wind Witch - Freeze Bell!"
This witch had pale white hair. Half of her face was covered with red fabric and the other half was covered in blue fabric, but both fabrics were see-through, allowing her eyes to still be seen, along with the rest of her facial features. She was wearing a dark green hat, with a pink ribbon tied on it in a bow, similar to Glass Bell's hat. She was wearing a pink, white and lilac dress, along with white stockings. She was also sitting on a golden bell that served as a broom.
[Wind Witch - Freeze Bell (3*/1200/1200/WIND/Spellcaster/Effect)]
"And now, I'll tune the Level 4 Glass Bell to the Level 3 Freeze Bell!" While she couldn't see her opponent's face, she could see her opponent flinch for a moment—had something that she said bothered him? Rin shook her head after a moment—she couldn't be distracted right now, or she'd pull a Yugo and do something stupid. "Midwinter wind. Make ice and snow my power and blow through! Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 7! Wind Witch - Winter Bell!"
A mesmerising sapphire blue monster appeared—unlike the previous two monsters, it wasn't human, but its body was somewhat humanoid. The top of its body was a long and pointed blue cone—similar to a witch's hat. Meanwhile, the middle part of her body was a large sphere, which looked similar to a bell, being cobalt with gold designs all over it. Then, there were wing-like structures that swept through the air by the sides of the monster, as well as a large wing-like structure jutting out from the bottom of her body. This was Rin's ace monster—Winter Bell.
[Wind Witch - Winter Bell (7*/2400/2000/WIND/Spellcaster/Synchro/Effect)]
"A Synchro Summon…" Her opponent sounded… confused?
"Yes, a Synchro Summon," Rin said. "You know, adding up Levels with a Tuner and non-Tuner?" She crossed her arms. "Oi, did you knock your head against something? Is that why you're stalking me? Is that why you don't know the basic Extra Deck summoning method?"
Her opponent didn't answer her.
Rin, slightly fed-up, nodded to Winter Bell. "Once per turn, Winter Bell can inflict 200 damage to you, times the Level of a "Wind Witch" monster in the graveyard! I will target Glass Bell for this effect! Hypothermic Subzero!" A blizzard stirred up around Winter Bell, before flying forward, hitting her opponent.
Obelisk Force: 4000 - 200 x 4 = 3200LP
"I'll set one card facedown and end my turn," Rin concluded. The monster that was Synchro Summoned with Freeze Bell couldn't be destroyed by battle, so she could just use Winter Bell's effect again next turn as well.
[Turn 2: Obelisk Force] [H:6]
"... your resemblance is uncanny." The hooded boy sounded… angry. He drew a card from his deck, clearly tense. "I'll Normal Summon Armageddon Knight." Rin frowned as a dark-haired man appeared, wearing a red scarf. That was a card that she did recognise, though it told her nothing about the kind of deck that her opponent was playing.
[Armageddon Knight (4*/1400/1200/DARK/Warrior/Effect)]
"I can send a DARK monster from my deck to the graveyard," he said. "... I sent Calcab, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss to the graveyard. With its effect, I will return your Set card to your hand."
Rin picked up her set card. Burning Abyss… what kind of archetype was that?
"I will activate the Ritual Spell, Sins Cast into the Burning Abyss."
"Huh?" Rin blinked. "Ritual Spell? What's that?"
Her opponent shrugged. "I can Ritual Summon any DARK Ritual Monster with this card's effect, by tributing monsters with an exact total Level, equal to the Level of the Ritual Monster I'm summoning. If my opponent controls a Special Summoned monster, and the monster that I am Ritual Summoning is a "Burning Abyss" monster, I can also tribute a "Burning Abyss" monster in my deck."
Rin frowned. What on earth was a Ritual Summon? Was this a new Summoning Method that the Tops had created? Why hadn't she seen it around though?
"I will tribute the Level 4 Armageddon Knight on the field, and the Level 3 Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss in my deck." The hooded boy raised a card in the air. "I am the way into the city of woe, I am the way into eternal pain, I am the way to go among the lost." He placed the card down. His voice was still just as quiet as before, but there was a certain cold resolution to the way that he was standing. "Arrive now, the one who bridges the gap. Ritual Summon—Level 7. Charon, Ferry Boatman of the Burning Abyss!"
A dark, skeletal demon appeared, with leathery red wings. The demon was wearing a dark fedora, and a pressed suit. His hands were skeletal, ghost-white claws, and in his right hand, he was holding onto a long oar. A few sets of chains were attached to his wrists, clanking against the ground. He was missing his entire bottom half, with the tattered dark legs of the suit drifting through the air.
[Charon, Ferry Boatman of the Burning Abyss (7*/2400/2600/DARK/Fiend/Ritual/Effect)]
"Since Graff was sent to the graveyard," her opponent continued, "I'll Special Summon a "Burning Abyss" monster from my deck. Come—Alich, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss." A dusty white-haired demon with two tusk-like bits of hair on both sides of its head. It was wearing dark armour, and it was one of the more humanoid of the monsters so far. This monster held up a hand, blue fire floating around its hand.
[Alich, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss (3*/1200/0/DARK/Fiend/Effect)]
"And with Charon's effect, when he is Ritual Summoned, I can revive a "Burning Abyss" monster in Defense Position," he said. "Return—Graff." A canine demon appeared, wide and bloody red wings spreading out in an imposing manner.
[Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss (3*/1000/1500/DARK/Fiend/Effect)]
"Charon will attack Wind Witch - Winter Bell!"
Rin couldn't help but smile. Just as she had expected. "The monster that is Synchro Summoned with Freeze Bell cannot be destroyed by battle!" She called. "So if you just wanted to crash our monsters into each other, that's not going to work!"
"That was never my intention." The hooded figure flung out a hand. "When Charon battles a Special Summoned monster, I can pay 500 life points. Then, I can send both that monster and Charon himself to the graveyard. Death Sermon." An electric shock hit him as he paid the life points, but he didn't seem to care.
Obelisk Force: 3200 - 500 = 2700LP
So he put that many materials into a monster, just to throw it away?
Charon begun to sing, a low-pitched song that seemed to lull Winter Bell into a slumber. Then, dark energy consumed both of them, eating both of them to nothing. Rin frowned. So he had done all of that just to wipe out Winter Bell…
"When Charon is sent to the graveyard," the hooded boy continued. "I can add a "Burning Abyss" Spell or Trap from my deck to my hand. I will add the Trap Card, Fire Lake in the Burning Abyss. I'll have Alich attack you directly now."
The humanoid demon tossed out a blue fireball at Rin, who winced but carried on glaring at him.
Rin: 4000 - 1200 = 2800LP
"I'll set a card and end my turn."
[Turn 3: Rin] [H:5]
"Draw!" Rin glanced at the card. "Since I control no monsters, I can Special Summon Wind Witch - Ice Bell from my hand!" A witch with dark blue hair appeared, with two long strands of light blue hair at the front of her face, dipping down. She was wearing a purple witch's hat, with the same pink ribbons as the rest of the Wind Witches around her hat and her body. She was also sitting on the same bell-like broom as the rest of the witches.
[Wind Witch - Ice Bell (3*/1000/1000/WIND/Spellcaster/Effect)]
"Then, Ice Bell lets me Special Summon a "Wind Witch" monster from my deck!" Rin took another card from her deck, placing it down. "Meet Wind Witch - Tear Bell!" Tear Bell was yet another witch—this one with a green hat, and a cheerful smile on her face. She did a twirl through the air, her white hair tied up in cute braids, with a bow at the top of her hat and tied around her left wrist, the ribbon trailing through the air.
[Wind Witch - Tear Bell (3*/900/900/WIND/Spellcaster/Tuner/Effect)]
"Since Ice Bell was summoned, I can inflict 500 damage to you!" Ice Bell fired off a shot of ice at her opponent, but he didn't seem fazed.
Obelisk Force: 2700 - 500 = 2200LP
"Also, if Tear Bell is Special Summoned by the effect of a "Wind Witch" monster," Rin declared, "she cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects until the End Phase. Not that it matters, because I'm going to tune her to the Level 3 Ice Bell and perform another Synchro Summon. The ice, the snow, absorb everything into the chilling wind! Synchro Summon! Level 6! Wind Witch - Chill Bell!"
Chill Bell was a practically translucent bell woman, made out of what seemed to be clear ice. She had pale blue swirls that were forming intricate patterns all over the surface of the ice. She had two large wings made out of purple-tinted ice, though the wings weren't actually attached to her—she was just floating in place.
[Wind Witch - Chill Bell (6*/1400/1000/WIND/Spellcaster/Synchro/Effect)]
"Since Chill Bell was Synchro Summoned," Rin continued, "I'll activate her effect! Since I control no non-WIND monsters, I can add another "Wind Witch" monster from my deck to my hand!" She swiped up a card from her deck. "I'll then activate Chill Bell's effect! By removing a "Wind Witch" monster in my graveyard from play, I can inflict 200 damage to you, times the banished monster's Level! However, I can only activate this effect once per duel!" She took out Winter Bell from her graveyard. Chill Bell's wings seemed to close in on itself—and then, purple shards of ice pelted her opponent over and over.
To her surprise, the ice actually cut at her opponent—she had never seen something like that before. There were some tears in his cloak, and he let out a gasp of actual pain.
Obelisk Force: 2200 - 200 x 7 = 800LP
Now, Rin was angry that this person had stalked her here, but at the same time, she couldn't help but call out in concern. "Hey, are you alright—"
"Don't pity me," her opponent said, seeming to regain his composure. "It'll only make me feel… worse."
Rin put her hands on her hips. "Hey, that sounds like an attitude problem rather than anything else! How can concern make you feel worse?" This guy didn't seem that malicious anymore, he just sounded like an idiot! "Who are you, anyway—"
"If you're not going to do anything else, then end your turn already." The response was curt and cold. "I don't have time to waste on this."
Rin narrowed her eyes. "Then here and now, I'll defeat you! Since I control only "Wind Witch" monsters, I can Normal Summon Wind Witch - Blizzard Bell from my hand without tributing a monster!"
This monster wasn't humanoid in the slightest—she took on the form of a snow-coloured bell, with blue and gold crystals and metal all over it. Then, there was an angel-like sculpture made of ice on top of it.
[Wind Witch - Blizzard Bell (5*/1800/1800/WIND/Spellcaster/Effect)]
"Attack Alich, Blizzard Bell!" Then, afterwards, she could send Blizzard Bell from the field to the graveyard and finish him off—
"Trap Card," her opponent said. "Fire Lake of the Burning Abyss. By sending two "Burning Abyss" monsters I control to the graveyard, I can destroy up to three cards on the field. I will send Alich and Graff to the graveyard and destroy both of your monsters." The entire field was consumed by dark flames, and Rin flinched. "Graff's effect. When sent to the graveyard, I will Special Summon a "Burning Abyss" monster from my deck. Come—Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss." A purple-skinned ogre appeared on his field, crouched in Defense Position.
[Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss (3*/1600/1200/DARK/Fiend/Effect)]
Rin grimaced. "I'll set a card facedown. Over to you."
[Turn 4: Obelisk Force] [H:4]
"Draw," her opponent said calmly. "I will activate the effect of Sins Cast into the Burning Abyss in my graveyard. By banishing it from the graveyard, I can add a "Burning Abyss" monster from my graveyard to my hand. I will add Calcab back to my hand. I will then activate the Ritual Spell, Good & Evil in the Burning Abyss. I'll tribute the Level 3 Calcab in my hand and the Level 3 Cir on my field."
Another one of those… Ritual Summons?
"For the providence that gave them the fifth pit to govern as the ministers of its will takes from their souls the power of leaving it! Appear now, leader of the Malebranche! Rule over this world with your heart of fire and brimstone! Ritual Summon! Level 6! Malacoda, Netherlord of the Burning Abyss!"
A rather terrifying, tall demon appeared, far more demonic than the previous Ritual Monster.
[Malacoda, Netherlord of the Burning Abyss (6*/2700/2200/DARK/Fiend/Ritual/Effect)]
"Calcab's effect," he continued. "I will return a set card to your hand." He swept Rin's set card off the field again—Rin's set card was Draining Shield, which could only react to an actual attack. "Cir's effect. I will revive Alich."
Rin took a step back.
Her opponent raised a hand, sounding rather reluctant.
"I'm sorry," he said. "But no matter how much you look like her, I cannot falter. Attack directly, Malacoda, Alich."
The two monsters rushed towards Rin—who immediately started running away, even as her life points fell.
Rin: 2800 - 2700 - 1200 = 0LP
Winner: Obelisk Force!
She could tell from the boy's tone of voice that there was something terribly wrong—something else that was going to happen, besides her losing a duel.
"Yugo!" She shouted as she ran. "Yugo! Where are you?"
She had to get—
She ran into a dead end. No—it seemed that her pursuer had directed her here on purpose.
"I'm sorry."
The hooded figure showed up then.
"But for her sake, I cannot afford to back down." The hooded boy reached out a hand, grabbing Rin's wrist—and then Rin heard that voice that immediately gave her hope.
"Rin!"
The last thing that she saw was the panicked look on Yugo's face, before there was a flash of light, and then she was in a different place altogether.
"Oh?" A slightly more playful voice called. "It seems that you've arrived at the same time as me."
Rin turned over, though her wrist was still in the vice grip of her captor. She immediately felt shocked—there was a boy with violet hair there, with the same face as Yugo! What? Then, her gaze was drawn to the face of the girl that the other boy was carrying. It was a girl with the same face as her, just with dark hair.
… Rin didn't understand.
"You didn't knock her out?"
"I'm not a brute like you," the person that had captured her said curtly. "I've done what was asked of me."
"Oh?" The boy with the same face as Yugo grinned widely. "So you're not going to help me bring her down?"
"No." The boy let go of Rin's wrist, before turning around and walking away. Rin realised that his hood had fallen off during the moment that he had… what, teleported here with her? However, he was shielding his own face from her gaze.
The other boy sighed. "You must be Rin," he said. "There's no way out for you. And I don't want to have to carry two unconscious people at once. So?"
Rin turned around, ready to run away.
Yuri sighed, and Rin glanced back to see an innocent-looking frown on his face. "Well, if you're going to make things that difficult… Ophrys Scorpio."
A scorpion-like plant appeared next to him.
"We'll just do this then."
Ruri slowly regained consciousness, glancing up at a grey ceiling.
What had happened?
"Yo. You're awake?"
Ruri looked over across the room, and then she blinked, as she saw a red-haired girl with the same face as her. They were in what appeared to be a room in a tower, judging from how she could see no buildings outside the window. She had been lying on an extremely soft bed, and—was there another girl with the same face as her on the other bed?
What had happened—
A boy with the same face as Yuto. Smoke everywhere.
"Hey!" The red-haired girl lunged forward, catching Ruri as she tried and failed to get out of bed immediately. "Apparently, you and her were both stung with the same paralytic poison. You can't really move right now."
"Where… are we?"
"Good question." The red-haired girl with Ruri's face glanced away. "I know how nice this place looks, but it's a prison for the three of us, it seems." She bit her tongue. "According to what I've heard, this is the Fusion Dimension."
Fusion Dimension… implying that there were different worlds, and the invaders that they had faced were from a different world altogether?
"Who are you?"
"Also a good question. Looks like you're pretty smart." The redhead stepped towards the window. She had a frown on her face—she didn't look like a very friendly person, but Ruri had felt the other girl's concern when she had caught her. "Chiaki Katsuya. I'm from… I guess my home would be the Ritual Dimension. And you? That bastard, Yuri, kind of just threw you two in here, so…"
"That's the guy that dueled me and kidnapped me," Ruri said. Chiaki raised an eyebrow.
"Same," she said.
Ruri cleared her throat. Even though she was very nervous and afraid, she would still try to introduce herself well. "Ruri Kurosaki," she said. "I guess I'm from the Xyz Dimension?"
"Great. Another summoning method that I have no clue about." Chiaki gestured to the green-haired girl. "She woke up before you. You should probably introduce yourself to her too, but her name's Rin. She's from the Synchro Dimension."
Synchro and Ritual? Those sounded like odd terms for summoning methods, but considering that Ruri was already struggling with the idea of multiple worlds, she let it pass.
"Why do we all have the same face?'
"I have no clue," Chiaki said bluntly. "But apparently we're all important for some bullshit that this dimension wants to do. Us girls with the same face, and the boys with the same face."
Yuto.
"... so he's in danger too…" Ruri pressed her hands together, praying for Yuto's safety for a brief moment. She didn't want anything to happen to him while she wasn't by his side.
"If he's anything like my idiot," Chiaki said, pressing her hand to the window frame, a scowl on her face, "he'll do anything for you."
"I don't want him to be in danger while looking for me though! Especially if they want to capture him too!" Ruri walked over to her side. There was something about Chiaki's rude tone that made Ruri feel concerned for her—something vulnerable beneath the rough voice. "Is something wrong? Did something happen to… um, your version of Yuto?"
"So yours is called Yuto," Chiaki said. She glanced back at the unconscious Rin. "... Yuji's just an idiot."
"An idiot?"
Chiaki didn't speak up. After a moment, Ruri simply patted her on the back, trying to comfort her, even though she didn't understand.
If something had happened to Yuto, she would be distraught too.
Right now, all she hoped was that they would make it out of this.
"Well done, Yuri," the Professor said. Yuri tried his best to suppress how pleased he was by the praise, but he still smiled. "Your partner…"
"He's gone off on his own," Yuri said. The lackadaisical boy had been heading towards the Doktor's lab when Yuri had last seen him, and the furious look in his eyes, for all that his expression was unemotional, implied that he was about to do something interesting. (Others would probably say that he was about to do something terrible, but really, the two things were one and the same.) Either way, Yuri wasn't sure why he covered for that guy, but he wanted to see what would happen if he did.
That guy was interesting. It was an odd feeling.
"Alright." The Professor nodded slowly. "You may go. If you have thought of any interesting new cards that you would like, you may talk to the head designer."
Yuri nodded. After a moment, he walked out of the room, simply walking around, not really having a place in mind.
He wasn't sure where he wanted to go to.
Then, after a while of wandering around, he realised where he had walked to, subconsciously. He was now right outside the Western Tower. All of the girls that he had captured had been sent to the Eastern Tower, but this tower—this tower was the residence of a certain person that he didn't want to see.
Not now.
And yet, just like fate, she happened to walk out of her tower at that exact time.
"... Yuri," Serena Akaba said, her purple hair tied in its usual ponytail by a yellow ribbon. That yellow ribbon caught Yuri's gaze for a moment. After all, he was the one that had given her that ribbon, years ago, when they had first met. "What are you doing here?"
Yuri forced a smile on his face. "I was just walking around," he said casually. "And since I'm just walking around, I'll be leaving." He turned to continue walking.
"Won't you even talk to me anymore?" The professor's adoptive daughter said. Yuri kept that painfully neutral smile on his face.
"Aren't I talking to you now?"
"You're not!" Serena shouted. "Yuri… why do you keep on distancing yourself from me?"
Yuri shook his head. He carried on walking.
"Duel me, Yuri!"
"If you want to become the person that I trust the most, you must separate yourself from all others. Become my loyal soldier."
"There is no room for childhood sentimentality in your life."
"I don't have the time for you right now, Serena," Yuri said condescendingly, and Serena seemed to falter for a moment, clearly hurt. Then, she narrowed her eyes, angrily glaring at him.
"Fine! Go! I don't ever want to see you again!"
Yuri thought about all the girls that shared the same face as Serena, who had all cried out for the ones that shared the same face as him. The clear bond that they all shared.
He kept on smiling.
There was no room for his childhood best friend in his life anymore. Not if he wanted to be the strongest.
He didn't apologise. He didn't respond. He simply walked away. He didn't want to see her any longer either.
Today had given him enough reminders of what he had given up.
Duel 1 Summary: Ruri Kurosaki vs Yuri
Duel Format: Normal Duel
Turn 1: Yuri
Yuri Normal Summons Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio (3*/1200/800) from his hand. He sends Predaplant Cordyceps (1*/0/0) from his hand to the graveyard to Special Summon Predaplant Darlingtonia Cobra (3*/1000/1500) from his deck. With Darlingtonia Cobra's effect, he adds Polymerization to his hand. He activates it, fusing Ophrys Scorpio and Darlingtonia Cobra to Fusion Summon Predaplant Chimerafflesia. (7*/2500/2000) in Attack Position to the field. Yuri sets 1 card and ends his turn.
Turn 2: Ruri Kurosaki
Ruri Normal Summons Slower Swallow (1*/0/0) from her hand. She then Special Summons Lyrical Luscinia - Sapphire Swallow (1*/100/0) and Lyrical Luscinia - Cobalt Sparrow (1*/0/100) from her hand. She uses the three of them to Xyz Summon Lyrical Luscinia - Assembly Nightingale (R1/0/0/OU:3) in Attack Position, who gains 200ATK for each Overlay Unit. (LLAN: 0 + 600 = 600ATK) With the Spell Card, Lyrical Luscinia - Bird Call, Ruri adds Lyrical Luscinia - Beryl Canary (1*/0/200) to her hand and Special Summons Lyrical Luscinia - Celeste Wagtail (1*/200/0) to her field in Attack Position. She adds Lyrical Luscinia - Birds of a Feather from her deck to her hand with Celeste Wagtail's effect. She sets it, and has Assembly Nightingale attack Yuri directly thrice. [Y: 4000 - 1800 = 2200LP] She ends her turn.
Turn 3: Yuri
Yuri draws. He banishes Cordyceps from the graveyard to revive Darlingtonia Cobra and Ophrys Scorpio. Darlingtonia Cobra lets him add another Polymerization to his hand. With Ophrys Scorpio, he sends a monster from his hand to the graveyard to Special Summon Predaplant Flytrap (2*/400/800) in Attack Position. He places a Predator Counter on Celeste Wagtail. (LLCW: PC1) He activates Polymerization, fusing Flytrap and Darlingtonia Cobra to Fusion Summon Predaplant Ambulomelides (5*/1000/2500) in Defense Position. He then uses Ambulomelides's effect to add a "Predap" card to his hand. Using Ambulomelides's effect, he tributes Celeste Wagtail from Ruri's field to Special Summon Predaplant Stapeliaworm (4*/100/2000) in Attack Position. By tributing Ambulomelides, he removes all of Assembly Nightingale's Overlay Units with Predapetrification. He then activates Predaponics and Special Summons Predaplant Cephalotusnail. (4*/1300/1200) He attacks with Chimerafflesia. Ruri activates Birds of a Feather. Yuri tributes Stapeliaworm and negates that Trap. Chimerafflesia destroys Assembly Nightingale, and Ophrys Scorpio and Cephalotusnail attack directly. [RK: 4000 - 2500 - 1200 - 1300 = 0LP] Yuri wins.
Duel 2 Summary: Rin vs "Obelisk Force"
Turn 1: Rin
Rin activates the Spell Card, Chime of the Bell Announcing Wind. She reveals Wind Witch - Glass Bell (4*/1500/1500) in her hand to Special Summon another copy of Glass Bell from her Deck. She then uses Glass Bell's effect to add Wind Witch - Freeze Bell (3*/1200/1200) to her hand. She Special Summons Freeze Bell to her field with its own effect, and uses Freeze Bell and Glass Bell to Synchro Summon Wind Witch - Winter Bell. (7*/2400/2000) With Winter Bell's effect, Rin targets Glass Bell in her graveyard to inflict 800 damage to "Obelisk Force". [OF: 4000 - 800 = 3200LP] Rin sets 1 card and ends her turn.
Turn 2: "Obelisk Force"
He draws. He Normal Summons Armageddon Knight. (4*/1400/1200) With its effect, he sends a DARK monster from his Deck to the GY. He sends Calcab, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss (3*/1400/0) to the GY. With Calcab's effect, he returns Rin's set card to her hand. He activates the Ritual Spell, Sins Cast into the Burning Abyss. By tributing Armageddon Knight on the field and Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss (3*/1000/1500) in his Deck, he Ritual Summons Charon, Ferry Boatman of the Burning Abyss. (7*/2400/2600) With Graff's effect, he Special Summons Alich, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss (3*/1200/0) from his Deck in Attack Position. With Charon's effect, he revives Graff in Defense Position. Charon attacks Winter Bell. By paying 500LP, he sends both of them to the GY. [OF: 3200 - 500 = 2700LP] With Charon's effect, he adds Fire Lake in the Burning Abyss to his hand. He has Alich attack Rin directly. [R: 4000 - 1200 = 2800LP] He sets 1 card and ends his turn.
Turn 3: Rin
Rin draws. She Special Summons Wind Witch - Ice Bell (3*/1000/1000) from her hand with its own effect, along with Special Summoning Wind Witch - Tear Bell (3*/900/900) from her Deck. With Ice Bell's effect, she inflicts 500 damage to her opponent. [OF: 2700 - 500 = 2200LP] She tunes Tear Bell to Ice Bell to Synchro Summon Wind Witch - Chill Bell (6*/1400/1000) in Attack Position. She uses Chill Bell's effect to add another "Wind Witch" monster from her Deck to her hand. She uses Chill Bell's effect to banish Winter Bell from the GY and inflict 1400 damage to him. [OF: 2800 - 1400 = 1400LP] She Normal Summons Wind Witch - Blizzard Bell (5*/1800/1800) without a tribute. Blizzard Bell attacks Alich. "Obelisk Force" activates Fire Lake of the Burning Abyss. He sends Alich and Graff to the graveyard to destroy Chill Bell and Blizzard Bell. Graff Special Summons Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss (3*/1600/1200 from the Deck. Rin sets 1 card and ends her turn.
Turn 4: "Obelisk Force"
He draws. He activates Good & Evil in the Burning Abyss, tributing Cir on the field and Calcab in his hand to Ritual Summon Malacoda, Netherlord of the Burning Abyss (6*/2700/2200) from his hand in Attack Position. Cir revives Alich. Calcab returns Rin's set card to her hand. Malacoda and Alich attack directly. [R: 2800 - 2700 - 1200 = 0LP] "Obelisk Force" wins.
OC Cards:
Predapetrification
(Trap)
If you control at least 2 "Predaplant" monsters that were Special Summoned from the Extra Deck: Pay 1000LP and Tribute 1 Fusion Monster you control; detach all Xyz Materials from Xyz Monsters on the field. Your opponent cannot activate the effects of Xyz Monsters in response to this card, or in response to card effects activated in the same Chain as this card.
Sins Cast into the Burning Abyss
(Spell/Ritual)
This card can be used to Ritual Summon any DARK Ritual Monster, or a "Burning Abyss" Ritual Monster. You must also Tribute monsters from your hand or field whose total Levels exactly equal the Level of the Ritual Monster you Ritual Summon. If your opponent controls a monster Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, and the monster that you are Ritual Summoning with this card's effect is a "Burning Abyss" monster, you can also Tribute 1 "Burning Abyss" monster in your Deck. During the Main Phase, except the turn that this card was sent to the GY: You can banish this card from your GY; add 1 "Burning Abyss" monster from your GY to your hand.
Charon, Ferry Boatman of the Burning Abyss
(7*/2400/2600/DARK/Fiend/Ritual/Effect)
You can Ritual Summon this card with "Sins Cast into the Burning Abyss". If this card is Ritual Summoned: You can target 1 "Burning Abyss" monster in your GY; Special Summon it in Defense Position. If this card battles a Special Summoned monster, during the start of the Damage Step: You can pay 500LP; Send both this card and the monster it is battling to the GY. If this card is sent to the GY: You can add 1 "Burning Abyss" Spell/Trap from your Deck to your hand. You can only activate each effect of "Charon, Ferry Boatman of the Burning Abyss" once per turn.
Wind Witch – Tear Bell
(3*/900/900/WIND/Spellcaster/Tuner/Effect)
If this card is Special Summoned by the effect of a "Wind Witch" monster: For the rest of this turn, this card you control cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects. If a "Wind Witch" monster is targeted for an attack while this card is in face-up Defence Position: Your opponent takes 200 damage. This effect can be activated once per turn for every "Wind Witch" monster you control.
Wind Witch - Chill Bell
(6*/1400/1000/WIND/Spellcaster/Synchro/Effect)
1 Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner monsters
If this card is Synchro Summoned while you control no non-WIND monsters: You can add 1 "Wind Witch" monster from your Deck to your hand. You can only activate this effect of "Wind Witch - Chill Bell" once per turn. Once per turn: You can banish 1 "Wind Witch" monster from your GY; inflict damage to your opponent equal to that monster's Level x 200. You can only activate this effect of "Wind Witch - Chill Bell" once per Duel.
Different Card Effects from TCG:
[Mentioned in Chapter 5] Darlingtonia Cobra, Cordyceps, Cephalotusnail
Predaplant Stapeliaworm - Anime-only card
Chime of the Bell Announcing Wind - Anime-only card.
End Notes:
Well… how about that? Wonder who the person using Burning Abyss cards is—*gets hit with tomatoes from the audience*—ok, ok, I'll cut the crap! Is there seriously a single person reading this chapter who doesn't know who that is?
So yep, Yuji may or may not currently be on Academia's side. Currently. I cannot stress this enough. Yuji isn't going to be Yuri 2.0—I think that's clear just from his personality. While I cannot spoil things, I will say that Yuji and Chiaki are not the type to let themselves be forced to fight for someone else for very long. :D They'll need some help, but they're still dimensional counterparts—they'll be fine for now. Some of you may be questioning why I'm taking so long to show off Yuji's dragon… and to be honest, the dragon was going to debut here! However, I ended up writing the duel between Ruri and Yuri to show Yuri learning from his duel with Chiaki to deal with monsters that are as annoying as hers, and since Yuri didn't bring out Starving Venom, I thought that Yuji's duel should mirror his and not use the dragon either. I swear that I'll show the dragon soon. :)
Some of you might complain about the OC Ritual Monster, but before I can rationalise Yuji learning more summoning methods, I'll need to give him a few more Ritual Monsters first. He does have Garlandolf and Demise—I don't think that's a surprise to you all—but he only uses them when in Tag Duels. And the Ritual Spell is a way to avoid giving Yuji an overly bricky deck—because otherwise, he'd need different Ritual Spells for his dragon as well and any evolutions that the dragon might get. This way, I don't need to give him a ton of different Ritual Spells. Also, Charon is deliberately an extender and a type of removal that isn't the same as any of the other "Burning Abyss" Extra Deck monsters, so that I can phase him out somewhat once the rest of the monsters are available. Rin also got a few more Wind Witches, purely because most of the anime characters seem to have only one copy of their ace monster, and I don't want to give her Diamond Bell so early. The problem with OC cards that deal burn damage is that they can occasionally get too overpowered though, so… I hope the cards were balanced enough!
Hope you enjoyed the duels in this chapter though! I haven't spent this long playing Windwitches and Lyriluscs to not be able to write a proper duel with them in any situation. Like I said, Wind Witches use their TCG effects, since the canon duels with Rin aren't going to happen anyway. Admittedly though, I've gotten too comfortable with Windwitch decks just turboing out Crystal Wing, which obviously wasn't possible here. I'll also confirm that all four Bracelet Girls' decks use their OCG names, purely because the OCG names are better. That's all, really, they're just better.
Ruri doesn't have Ensemble Robin right now, since it's a little too overpowered in early Arc V. She'll have it later though. Also, Yuri could have won just by increasing Chimerafflesia's attack points by 1000 with its effect, but I had an issue with rulings for it, so I just treated it as him wanting to rub things in a little more, to avoid writing in a dueling mistake. In terms of the OC card that is effective against Xyz Monsters… yeah, I don't think that its existence is unrealistic, considering that Academia has a lot of resources and is actively raging war against the Xyz Dimension.
I apologise to those that wanted me to avoid the kidnapping of the Bracelet Girls altogether, but unfortunately, as much as I'm rewriting the latter half of the plot, I do need to at least set up certain situations properly first. Call it *snaps fingers* for character development.
Manga!Yuri and all the fanfics on this site have certainly shaped how I write Yuri. Don't get me wrong, he's an unrepentant bastard in canon, but considering that he gets redeemed in that terrible ending of Arc-V, I want him to earn it. Yuri is not going to have a good time in this fic at all, but I do at least intend for him to be a bit more akin to manga!Yuri, purely because I think that provides a more interesting character to work with. Oh, and I do have a fic recommendation! Laiyuu's Family from another universe series is so good for manga fans. It doesn't have dueling, but it's very character focused.
To the Guest review that asked about an evolution for Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon—I'm not answering that for now. To T.V. 2000—we'll see Yuno and Miharu next chapter, so you'll get your answer there. Also, for those asking about voice actors, etc, I do have OC profiles on my author page!
I think that's all. Thank you for all the support and reviews, and for reading as well! As I mentioned, I'll begin posting the next few chapters once I'm done with all of them. The week after Christmas is one that I'm very busy in, so I likely won't be able to write then, but I'll certainly come back after that!