Starting Notes:
Welcome back! Hope you enjoyed the last chapter! :D Three chapters in three days? Yep. This is the shortest chapter in the entire story, purely because it's… well, I'll explain more later. :) Anyway, this chapter and last chapter should have been combined, but because of narrative breaks, I kind of had no choice. That's why they're published so quickly after each other though.
Chapter 25: Angel of Roses
"Big sister Rin!"
Miharu, who was currently looking at a few apples, glanced down at a pair of kids who were there. One of them grabbed her hand.
"Let's go! We haven't seen you in a while!"
There was silence in the room. Two people stared intensely at each other. Two children glanced between the two of them, and then they fled the room.
One of them tilted their head. The other one did the same.
"You," the red-haired woman said, "are not Rin."
"I understand the confusion," Miharu said. "Though it usually takes people a bit longer to figure that out."
The red-haired woman cracked a smile. "Well, you are a dead ringer for her in a lot of ways. The kids dragged you here?"
"I was out trying to find some snacks," Miharu said. She had left the orphanage to head to a convenience store. And then, two kids had grabbed her hands and pulled her along here, calling her 'big sister Rin' the entire time. Being curious, Miharu had let them lead her here. "I'm sorry. I'm not Rin."
"What's your story then, stranger?"
"I'm not sure you would believe me."
"I've heard of a lot of odd things in my time." The red-haired woman placed two teacups on the table. "Welcome to the Arcadia Movement. My name is Aki Izayoi. I am the current leader of the Arcadia Movement—mostly because it's a thankless job, and no one really wants to do it, but I care a little too much." The woman seemed a little older than Miharu herself, which made sense. How else would she be able to take care of a place like this by herself? Miharu could also certainly tell that the woman cared—because in the midst of the Commons, which was a large city filled with broken-down facilities, the Arcadia Movement stood tall as a large facility that was clean and safe, without any pollution, litter or violence. Miharu herself had been surprised to see it.
"I'm from out of town," Miharu said after a moment. "I don't know what the Arcadia Movement is."
"I see." Aki pressed her hands to the sides of her warm teacup. Both she and Miharu enjoyed the tea before she spoke up again. "You see—sorry, what's your name?"
"Miharu Kogami," Miharu said.
"Kogami-san, then. There is a small subset of duelists who can summon Duel Monster Spirits directly from the Duel Monster Spirit World, when they play their cards. And I mean that they summon the spirits' physical bodies, not just a hologram." Aki cleared her throat. "We call this subset of people 'Psychic Duelists'. Many of them don't understand their own powers. That's what the Arcadia Movement is for. To help people control their powers in a safe environment so that they don't have to worry about hurting others."
"That sounds like a noble goal," Miharu said. "No wonder you love this place so much, then."
Aki hesitated. "... well, it wasn't always good," she said after a moment. "Before I took over… well, I don't think you'd be interested in that old history."
… alright, Miharu was extremely socially inept, but even she wasn't antisocial enough to not notice the obvious cue that Aki did want to talk about said 'old history'.
"Go on," she said. "I don't know much about this city, after all…"
"Well, I'm just surprised that you don't know," Aki said. "Everyone in Neo Domino seems to know, and considering how much of a spectacle it was… well, I only became the leader of the Arcadia Movement last year. My predecessor was my adoptive brother, Divine."
"... was his name literally Divine?" Miharu asked, unable to hold back her curiosity.
Aki cracked a smile. "Yes," she said. Miharu lifted her tea to her lips to continue drinking, as Aki continued talking. "He was the one to help me with my powers, but eventually, I found out that he was planning on eradicating all non-psychics in the world—committing genocide, essentially. And he wanted to use my powers for it—mine, Rin's and Kaname's, I believe, since the three of us were the most powerful psychics in the Arcadia Movement at the time."
While Miharu didn't know the other name, she did mentally note down that Rin had apparently been a Psychic Duelist. Interesting.
Interesting.
Int—
"Energy levels measured are high. Proceed with the next test."
"Energy spike has been observed. Subject seems to respond to the pain of the other subjects. Test more."
"Subject does not respond to own pain. I suggest that to control this power and use it for the good of the city, we should—"
"—ey! Hey, are you alright?"
Miharu blinked. She had clearly zoned out.
The similarity of those words to what she had heard back then…
Never mind.
"I was reminded of something awful," she said calmly. Aki's face fell slightly—there was an odd look in her eyes. Empathy, perhaps? "I'm sorry. Please continue?"
Aki eyed her for a moment, before continuing with her story. "I tried to stop him, but he ended up going through the Friendship Cup in an attempt to gain visibility for the Arcadia Movement. He fought his way to the top, where he faced against the Duel King, and in a rage, he revealed his plans on national television to the entire City. He's been imprisoned ever since."
… ah. Miharu could see why that was a spectacle.
"So I took over, and I tried to make things more genuine." Aki smiled kindly. "And since you're here, and I feel bad that the kids pulled you out of your way—is there anything you need?"
Miharu looked at Aki Izayoi, before she closed her eyes. "Could you tell me about Rin?" She asked after a moment. After all, at this point, she had heard about all of her counterparts except this girl.
And there was a part of her that longed to know—to figure out what it meant for there to be so many people that shared her face. To see the similarities beyond just an appearance.
Aki blinked, and then she chuckled. "Sure," she said. "Rin's one of my closer friends, actually—I don't have a lot of friends outside of the Arcadia Movement, but she's one of them. I suppose I'll tell you about how we first met then. Despite everything that has happened since then in my life, I still hold it as a precious memory."
Six years ago:
"Ah, Aki. Perfect timing."
"Divine!" Aki smiled when she saw her brother. However, she was admittedly curious about the green-haired girl standing next to him. "This is…"
"This is Rin," Divine said, introducing the girl. "She's a Psychic Duelist from the same orphanage as Mizuchi—she came here to check out what we were doing."
"Just to check out," Rin said curtly, clearly not trusting Divine, though Aki had no clue why. "Kaname spends a lot of time here now, and I want to know what she finds so cool about this place."
"Actually, now that Aki is here, I have a proposal for you, Rin," Divine said. Both of the girls frowned. "How would you like to duel against another Psychic Duelist? It might help your powers develop."
"I don't need that," Rin said. She folded her arms. "How about if I win against her, you tell Kaname to stop coming here?"
"Why do you care about that?"
"It's upsetting my best friend," Rin said. "No one's allowed to do that. Well?"
Aki looked to Divine for guidance, slightly unsure.
"And if Aki wins," Divine said after a moment, "you'll come here once per week to train your abilities. After all, it's a waste of them otherwise. You'll hurt someone accidentally if you're not careful."
"Deal," Rin said. Aki saw Divine turn to her with a nod—clearly, he wanted her to win. Was Rin really that powerful of a psychic?... well, Aki certainly knew that Kaname was, so she still wanted to win, so that her friend wouldn't have to leave. Rin raised her duel disk, and Aki raised hers in turn. "I'm going to defeat you!"
[DUEL!]
Rin: 4000LP
Aki Izayoi: 4000LP
[Turn 1: Rin] [H:5]
"Draw!" Rin glanced at her hand. "I will Special Summon Wind Witch - Ice Bell from my hand, since I control no monsters!" A blue-haired witch sitting on a broom made of ice appeared, wearing a purple hat and a pink suit. She was smirking.
[Wind Witch - Ice Bell (3*/1000/1000/WIND/Spellcaster/Effect)]
"I can simultaneously Special Summon another "Wind Witch" monster from my deck! Meet Wind Witch - Glass Bell!" A witch with light green hair appeared, a wind chime echoing through the air.
[Wind Witch - Glass Bell (4*/1500/1500/WIND/Spellcaster/Tuner/Effect)]
"Glass Bell's effect will let me add a "Wind Witch" monster from my deck to my hand!" Rin declared fiercely. "And Ice Bell will inflict 500 damage to you!"
Already?
Aki shielded herself from the cold winds—and there it was, the heartbeat of a real monster. Yes. Rin was definitely a Psychic Duelist. Aki herself would have to be careful.
Aki: 4000 - 500 = 3500LP
"And then, I'll tune the Level 4 Glass Bell to the Level 3 Ice Bell!" The winds swept up around her—for a moment, Aki felt a spike of power from the other girl. "Midwinter wind. Make ice and snow my power and blow through! Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 7! Wind Witch - Winter Bell!"
Rin's ace monster appeared in front of her, sapphire like the sky.
[Wind Witch - Winter Bell (7*/2400/2000/WIND/Spellcaster/Synchro/Effect)]
"Winter Bell's effect!" Rin called. "I'll target Glass Bell in my graveyard and inflict 200 damage to you times her Level! Hypothermic Subzero!" Icy wind swept Aki off her feet for a moment, before she managed to stabilise herself, her life points falling by another chunk.
Aki: 3500 - 200 x 4 = 2700LP
"I'll set a card facedown and end my turn!"
"You're good," Aki praised shyly. "But it's my turn!"
[Turn 2: Aki] [H:6]
"Draw!" Aki glanced at her hand. "I will start off my turn by Normal Summoning Blood Rose Witch!" A girl wearing a fanciful red and white dress appeared, with long red hair that was curled into a rose at the top of her head. She was holding onto a staff made of black wood, with a red gem on the top of her staff.
[Blood Rose Witch (1*/800/1700/LIGHT/Plant/Tuner/Effect)]
"I will then tribute Blood Rose Witch to use her effect! I can add Witch of the Black Rose from my deck to my hand, and place a Level 3 or lower Plant monster on top of the deck. Then, I can Normal Summon Witch of the Black Rose from my hand!" A girl with purple hair appeared, green eyes peering curiously at Rin. She was holding onto a similar staff to Blood Rose Witch, except that it looked like normal brown wood, with a blue gem at the top.
[Witch of the Black Rose (4*/1700/1200/DARK/Spellcaster/Effect)]
"I will activate Witch of the Black Rose's effect! Since I control no cards, I can draw a card. Then, if it isn't a monster, she's destroyed." Aki swept off the top card of her deck and placed it down immediately. "I drew the monster, Rose Fairy. And since she was added to my hand, I can Special Summon her!" A pink spirit with a red rose on her head appeared, floating next to the Witch of the Black Rose. Her four sparkling pink wings fluttered, keeping her in the air.
[Rose Fairy (3*/600/1200/WIND/Plant/Effect)]
"I will then tune the Level 4 Witch of the Black Rose to the Level 3 Rose Fairy!" Witch of the Black Rose turned to four rings that Rose Fairy dissolved into. Rin watched, seeming almost curious about Aki's monsters. "Pacifistic flames burn in the depths of the peaceful forest. Pitch-dark flower, set into bloom! Rain calamity upon those who threaten the amity of this sacred rose cloister! Synchro Summon! Level 7! Black Rose Calamity Dragon!"
In front of her, red petals shot out of the ground—they spun around, multiplying and growing in size—and then, a dragon burst forth from inside them. The dragon had wings of bright red petals, with thorny whips forming a headdress on the top of its head. At the same time, there were embers spilling forth from the wings, reflecting off the petals, falling on the ground and leaving small black burn marks. The whips around the dragon also seemed to be lit on fire—like the wick of a candle that was slowly burning—not quite obviously on fire, but still carrying a dim light from within a streak of thin black. The dragon roared, its black body twirling through the air as flowers bloomed from the cracks in the ground around it. Those weren't holograms either—it was just a consequence of Aki's dueling, one which she didn't really mind.
She did love roses, after all.
[Black Rose Calamity Dragon (7*/2400/1800/FIRE/Dragon/Synchro/Effect)]
"... beautiful," Rin said, and her voice sounded completely genuine—any signs of hostility had faded for a brief moment, before this field of flowers.
"Thank you," Aki said warmly. "Black Rose Calamity Dragon's effect. When she is Synchro Summoned, I can destroy cards on the field, up to the number of Special Summoned monsters you control! I will choose to destroy your set card! Black Rose Ceasefire!"
Black Rose Calamity Dragon howled, flames and petals swirling around her, before they all flew towards the set card.
"I am ninety percent sure that's not what a ceasefire is!" Rin yelped.
"It's a fire that causes your cards to cease to exist," Aki said, unable to stop herself from grinning. "I'd say that sounds like a ceasefire to me."
"I—ah, you're not wrong, but that's such a bad pun! It's a Yugo-level pun!" Rin reached out a hand. "Trap Card, Icy Breeze Refrain! I can revive a "Wind Witch" monster—come back in Defense Position! Wind Witch - Ice Bell!" The witch with dark blue hair reappeared on the field.
Aki sighed—the number of targets she was allowed to choose had been decided when the effect was activated. Even though Ice Bell was also a Special Summoned monster, Calamity Dragon's effect could still only destroy one card. The Trap Card was destroyed.
At the same time…
"Then, after I destroy the cards," she continued, "all face-up Special Summoned monsters other than Black Rose herself have their attack points become 0 until the End Phase. I don't control any other monsters, so I don't suffer from this effect—but both of your monsters do!" Winter Bell and Ice Bell both drooped towards the ground, flaming petals covering them and smouldering.
[Wind Witch - Winter Bell: 2400 → 0ATK]
[Wind Witch - Ice Bell: 1000 → 0ATK]
"Well," Rin said in reply, "I don't exactly have something as flashy as… whatever just happened. But Ice Bell's effect now triggers! I inflict another 500 damage to you!" Ice Bell shook off some of the flames, managing to move freely and send some more cold wind flying towards Aki, who shielded herself with an arm once again. It was starting to get unbearably cold here.
Aki: 2700 - 500 = 2200LP
"That's fine," Aki said calmly. "I will have Black Rose Calamity Dragon attack your Wind Witch - Winter Bell!"
"During the Battle Phase, Wind Witch - Winter Bell lets me Special Summon a "Wind Witch" monster from my hand with a lower Level than a "Wind Witch" monster I control—so Winter Bell herself—but that monster cannot attack this turn!"
Aki pinched her nose. "... not that that's a problem, considering it's my turn."
"Exactly! So come on out—Wind Witch - Tear Bell!" Another one of the cheerful witches appeared, floating next to Winter Bell, though she seemed distressed by the state of her friends—namely, the fact that they were all on fire. "And on the turn that Tear Bell is Special Summoned by a "Wind Witch" monster's effect, she can't be destroyed by battle!"
[Wind Witch - Tear Bell (3*/900/900/WIND/Spellcaster/Tuner/Effect)]
"Well, I'm sorry, but I'm not targeting her for this attack!" Aki gestured to Winter Bell again. "Black Rose Flare!"
"When another "Wind Witch" monster I control is targeted for an attack, Tear Bell can inflict 200 damage to you!" The nervous witch quickly sent forth another gust of wind, lowering Aki's life points by another small amount, before Black Rose Calamity Dragon literally set the blue bell on fire, destroying it and lowering Rin's life points as well.
Rin: 4000 - 2400 = 1600LP
Aki: 2200 - 200 = 2000LP
"I will set a card and end my turn as well," Aki said.
Rin glanced at her field, before she drew.
[Turn 3: Rin] [H:4]
"Draw! Since I control at least 2 WIND monsters and no non-WIND monsters, I can Special Summon Wind Witch - Snow Bell from my hand!" In front of Rin, a white sphere appeared, clearly intended to resemble a bell.
… Aki saw no such resemblance, but who was she to argue with cards?
[Wind Witch - Snow Bell (1*/100/100/WIND/Spellcaster/Tuner/Effect)]
"I will tune the Level 3 Tear Bell to the Level 3 Ice Bell! The ice, the snow, absorb everything into the chilling wind! Synchro Summon! Level 6! Wind Witch - Chill Bell!"
The translucent bell appeared on Rin's field, and both Divine and Aki shivered—it was getting colder in the area around them. Even the flowers that Aki's powers had grown were beginning to wilt slightly under the force of the cold winds.
[Wind Witch - Chill Bell (6*/1400/1000/WIND/Spellcaster/Synchro/Effect)]
"Since Wind Witch - Chill Bell was Synchro Summoned while I controlled no non-WIND monsters, I can add a "Wind Witch" monster from my deck to my hand," Rin explained. "And then, once per duel, by banishing Wind Witch - Winter Bell from my graveyard, I will inflict 200 damage to you times her Level!" Another sharper gale hit her—and this was stronger than before. Perhaps it was because Rin's ace was 'fueling' the wind, in a sense?
Aki: 2000 - 200 x 7 = 600LP
"That's great!" Aki praised. Rin paused, seeming surprised.
"Thanks. I'll tune the Level 1 Snow Bell to the Level 6 Chill Bell!"
"You have another Level 7 Synchro Monster?" Aki smiled.
If she attacks, I win.
"I do," Rin said. She held up the card. "Not my ace in the same way that Winter Bell is, but I trust each and every single one of my monsters! And I especially trust those monsters that others gave me. After all, as children in the Commons, we have to struggle for even scraps—and thus, for someone to give something to us means the world." She placed down the card. "My deck was a gift from a friend. So, I treasure it! Light glints off the surface of the light. Quiet, unseen sprite of the winter ice, come forth now! Synchro Summon! Level 7! Wind Witch - Sheen Bell!"
Another one of the strange bell women appeared—she was a crystalline, silver bell, with a humanoid top half that was similar to both Diamond Bell and Winter Bell. There was a tinkling sound in the air. Its stats were lacking, which was likely why Rin had summoned it in Defense Position.
[Wind Witch - Sheen Bell (7*/1000/1000/WIND/Spellcaster/Synchro/Effect)]
"Sheen Bell's effect! I can banish 3 "Wind Witch" monsters from my graveyard—Ice Bell, Tear Bell and Snow Bell, and I'll draw a card!" Rin revealed the card that she drew. "Since I drew a "Wind Witch" monster, I can reveal it and inflict 400 damage to you!" Another blast of icy wind shot towards Aki.
Aki: 600 - 400 = 200LP
"I will end my turn!"
So Rin was hoping to defend herself and make a comeback the next turn?
Aki wouldn't let that happen.
[Turn 4: Aki] [H:5]
"Draw!" Aki drew a card. "I'll Normal Summon Rose Girl!" A girl with pale skin appeared, with a red rose serving as her hair.
[Rose Girl (3*/800/600/EARTH/Plant/Tuner/Effect)]
"And then, by returning Rose Girl back to my hand, I will Special Summon Fallen Angel of Roses!" A purple-haired woman with a dark, malicious-looking mask appeared, wearing rather skimpy clothing, with dark thorn whips in her hands.
[Fallen Angel of Roses (7*/2400/1300/EARTH/Plant/Effect)]
"Attack Sheen Bell!" Fallen Angel of Roses destroyed the bell, before Black Rose Calamity Dragon closed in and took Rin out.
Rin: 1600 - 2400 = 0LP
Winner: Aki Izayoi!
Rin glared at the ground.
"You're good," Aki said, "but you play a little too much on the offence." She held out a hand. "I'd like to train with you—if you'd let me."
Rin stared at her, and then she reached up a hand. "I don't have anything against you," she said. "Even if I don't like this place of yours... I don't think I dislike you. Deal."
In the present:
"She sounds like a very… reckless and aggressive person."
"She was!" Aki chuckled. "I never met her friend, Yugo, but she was definitely just as reckless as he was, for all that she complained about him. It's one of the reasons that I recognised that you weren't Rin immediately—you lack the spirit that she had."
Spirit?
Was that something that all of her counterparts had? Miharu didn't quite understand the description, but the way that Aki was describing it… was it that determination of theirs?
"Anyway, I hope that helped you, for whatever reason that you wanted to know about that."
Miharu nodded.
"... hmm. You remind me of someone." Aki shrugged. "Anyway… what are you planning on doing in the City, if you don't belong here?"
"... I don't know," Miharu admitted. "I didn't want to come here… and there's someone that I have to find."
Aki looked her over. "Someone you love?" She asked. "I've seen that distance before, you know. Putting distance between yourself and someone else because you think that all you will do is hurt them. Because you think that they deserve better."
She reached out, gently patting Miharu's head.
"It's a trauma response, you know."
Miharu blinked, confused but unable to express it.
"That feeling that you're not enough for someone else. That feeling that someone else should deserve something better, that you yourself don't deserve anything. And most importantly, the attempt to withdraw into yourself, so that you don't connect with anyone else, because you're afraid to be hurt too, if you actually do want someone by your side." Aki poured another cup of tea. She gently pushed it towards Miharu. "Someone hurt you a lot when you were younger, didn't they?"
"... people say that I was hurt," Miharu said. "... I don't know if I was hurt. I don't know what it means to hurt… or to suffer… or anything like that. So I can't say if someone hurt me."
"I see," Aki said. "And the opinions of others?"
"My father said that it was experimentation and torture," Miharu said.
"Oh." Aki looked at her. "So that's your 'gap'?"
"... gap?"
"A friend of mine came up with the term." Aki pressed her hands to the sides of the warm teacup. "I have it too. It takes a lot of different forms. Sometimes, you close yourself off. Sometimes, you can only interact with people in the most shallow way—you try to talk to people but you can never trust them. Either way, that 'gap' is how we protect ourselves from the most awful things that happen to us, when we can't control our circumstances. It takes a lot to heal from that gap—to begin to trust and connect to other people properly again."
"I do have people that I care about," Miharu said after a brief moment. "And they care about me…"
"But do they understand you?" Aki asked.
Miharu remained silent.
Aki smiled. Her brown eyes were rather warm. "It's one thing to be cared about," she said. "But if we are not understood, all the care in the world can only soothe us on the surface. It will never allow us to move on. The gash remains unhealed."
"... and what about you?" Miharu replied, her heart feeling odd—a complicated feeling tangling it up. "You said 'we'."
"I did, huh?" Aki sighed. "My parents were Tops. Let's just say that when I awakened my powers, I ended up being rejected and isolated by others. I hurt my father in a tantrum, and he called me a monster and hit me… and I never really forgot that. They sent me away to boarding school and I kept hurting people who insulted me. I spiralled until I met Divine, and then I ran away to join him because he was the first person to accept me in my life."
"... it must have hurt to see him hurt others," Miharu said.
"Yes." Aki smiled. "Thank you for your sympathy." She had clearly understood the words that Miharu hadn't spoken. "But I found others who could accept me. I was never truly alone. In a way, I hope that you can find peace in the way that I have. But it starts by opening up—by being willing to breach the gap."
"... even if I tell people," Miharu said, "the gap is within me. So sharing things with others won't make me 'normal'."
"Of course not. What is normal, anyway?" Aki smiled. "It's not to make you the same as everyone else. It's to help you find a happier place for yourself to be."
"... thank you," Miharu said. "I will… remember what you said." She hesitated. "Do you think that… people like me can really be loved by others, for who we are?..."
"... Miharu Kogami," Aki said, with a tone of finality. "There is a person I love. She sometimes has the same look in her eyes too, that look that you seem to always have. Yes. No matter what kind of person you are, you always deserve to be loved. And even without me telling you that… you must already know that someone loves you, don't you?"
Back at the orphanage, Yuzu watched Yugo in surprise as the blue and yellow-haired boy expertly finished the soup that he had been working on.
"What?" Yugo complained. "I'm perfectly good at cooking!"
"Sorry! I just didn't expect…" Yuzu shrugged. "You don't seem like the type, that's all."
"I'm one of the oldest kids still in the orphanage," Yugo pointed out. "I want to make it a bit easier on her." It was an earnestness that made Yuzu somewhat impressed with him—there was some level of maturity below all of that.
"Yeah, I can understand that." She thought about Ayu, Futoshi and Tatsuya, all the way back at You Show.
She thought about how she had wanted to protect everyone too.
What was a step forward to that?
"Yugo," she said after a moment. "Will you teach me how to Synchro Summon?" It was the same question that she had asked Sora once, but now, she had proper knowledge of exactly what she was asking for.
Yugo blinked. "Sure?" He said.
Yuzu nodded.
This would be her path forward too.
She walked over. "I'm a disaster in the kitchen," she admitted. "But… I feel bad just being here and not helping with anything. Especially because it seems that you have barely enough to live on… is there anything I can do to help?"
Yugo grinned. "Nah," he said. "Don't worry about it. Our orphanage is actually the best off—we get two donations every month that help Martha to keep running it." He shrugged. "Growing up here is probably the best way to grow up in the Commons! And Martha's great too!"
"Donations? From what you say, it doesn't seem like the Tops would be that nice, or that willing to help with this kind of stuff…"
"One of them is from Arisu. She donates her salary to the orphanage when she can." Yugo grinned. "The other's from Jack Atlas. He hasn't ever come back to visit in person, but he still tries to support Martha! Isn't he cool?"
Yuzu blinked. To care enough to keep on sending money back, but not to visit…
Was there a degree of separation that had been born from becoming a Top? That was rather sad…
She didn't say it aloud though, simply nodding along as Yugo chatted on.
In the Standard Dimension:
"So," Nue said, tilting her head. "When we get there, what's the plan?" Currently, all of the Lancers were standing in the same room, all preparing to leave.
"We're going to head straight to the governing body of the Synchro Dimension."
"What if we get separated?" Nue folded her arms. "Dimensional travel technology is unreliable—Shun, Yuto and I were separated when we teleported here."
"We will improvise. Besides, if we are seen by more people, then it will better our reputation among the Synchro Dimension residents."
"... whatever."
The door opened. Nakajima, Reiji's assistant, walked in with a few envelopes. Reiji opened them swiftly, before he began to pass out certain cards to everyone there. Yuno caught the sight of some Pendulum Monsters, as well as some white-bordered cards.
"Be careful. Attempt not to get in trouble." Reiji said calmly. "We do not want to appear as invaders."
Yuno took a deep breath.
Yeah.
It was time to go.
And finally, in a flash of light, they left.
OC Cards:
Black Rose Calamity Dragon
(7*/2400/1800/FIRE/Dragon/Synchro/Effect)
1 Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner monsters
(This card is always treated as a "Rose Dragon" monster.) This card's name becomes "Black Rose Dragon" while on the field or in the GY. If this card is Synchro Summoned: You can target cards on the field, up to the number of Special Summoned monsters your opponent controls; destroy them, and then, all face-up Special Summoned monsters except this card have their ATK become 0 until the End Phase. Once per turn, if a monster declares an attack: You can negate that attack, and if you do, destroy that attacking monster.
Trivia: A pun on calamity and 'amity', this form of Black Rose Dragon is intended to be a much older version, who has retreated from battles to live peacefully in a forest, never disturbing others. While the name sounds extremely aggressive, it's actually more based on 'amity' than calamity. If she was a card with flavour text, her text would be "The dragon that dwells within the white rose cloister. Wars cannot be waged in her presence. If a single drop of blood stains the ground, the peace-loving dragon will awaken and tear all asunder, restoring her world to equilibrium. Peace cannot exist without calamity." And wow, that looks like a Pokedex entry—but yeah! The card is entirely themed around retribution. The effect of reducing all monsters' ATK, even one's own, indiscriminately highlights how this dragon doesn't take sides—it's entirely a peacekeeper, similar to the Arcadia Movement's neutral role in this story between Tops and Commons. There was an alternative name I was going to use for her, but I'm saving it, since she gets a unique evolution that isn't Blood Rose Dragon too, heh. I don't think that's a spoiler—Aki is the best character. If I'm bringing her in, I'm going to treat her well. I drew inspiration from Lonefire Blossom and Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis for the design. Also, why do I specifically have a clause saying that she's always treated as a "Rose Dragon" monster? Practical reasons. If I ever need to make more support, I don't want to struggle from any problems that Black Rose Moonlight Dragon suffers. You can think about it as the OCG name being "Black Rose Dragon Calamity", but the name being stylised like this, since Jack's dragon is named Red Daemon's Dragon Scarlight.
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.
Trivia: Showed up in Chapter 7, is of course based on tears. Fun fact, this card is around eight years old. I made it for a fic that I wrote all the way back in 2015. It's updated to be less overpowered.
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.
Trivia: Also showed up in Chapter 7, based on 'chill', obviously.
Wind Witch - Sheen Bell
(7*/1000/1000/WIND/Spellcaster/Synchro/Effect)
1 Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner monsters
If this card is Synchro Summoned while you control the monster with the highest ATK on the field: Destroy it, and if you do, take 2000 damage. While you control another "Wind Witch" Synchro Monster, this card cannot be targeted for attacks. Once per turn: You can banish 3 "Wind Witch" monsters from your GY; draw 1 card, and if that card is a "Wind Witch" monster, you can reveal it, and if you do, inflict 400 damage to your opponent. You can only activate this effect of "Wind Witch - Sheen Bell" once per turn.
Trivia: Sheen, based on something reflective.
End Notes:
Remember me saying that my favourite deck in this story without spoiling anything is Speedroids? My favourite deck overall is Rose. Rose Dragons, my beloved. I have never loved a deck more. Also, Blood Rose Witch and Blood Rose Dragon (eventually) use their OCG names because screw the name Ruddy Rose Dragon. :D I couldn't figure out if Arc-V had any proper naming scheme for Red Dragon Archfiend when they retrained it—personally, I even considered not bothering to retrain Black Rose, because she's still an insane card even by modern standards, while original RDA was so bad. I'm sorry! It was cool, but it was bad. However, I figured that even if in terms of practical use, Black Rose made sense, I should still give her an AU counterpart. So there it is. Since Scarlight is supposedly an aged version of RDA that has been through a lot of battles, I thought of making a version of Black Rose that had retreated from battle to live peacefully. Thus—what I came up with above. You'll note that there's no Duel Summary. Why? It's such a straightforward duel that I don't think I need to summarise it, and I hate the Duel Summaries. Also, I want to put some more energy into Chapter 27.
Anyway, yeah! Giving Rin more screentime, in the form of flashbacks! Because Rin deserves to have some friends that aren't Yugo, just like how Yugo deserves to have some friends that aren't Rin—oh my god, just in general, the Synchro counterparts needed to have more interaction with people in their society instead of each other. Another big problem with the Synchro Dimension was that everyone was so disconnected from each other. No one reacted to other people's actions like an actual human being, and interactions that should have happened (aka Jack talking to literally one Common would have been nice) not happening at all. So yeah, I'm trying to align these people in the same universe.
Also, Aki and Miharu's interaction has been planned from the start. Here's the thing. I despise the idea of not addressing the fact that Aki's parents were awful. Her father neglected her, physically abused her and verbally accused her. While she hurt him, she was a child who felt abandoned and neglected and struck out, and because of her parents' lack of care for her, her self-hatred only got worse because everyone around her rejected her. But I'm not a fan of gratuitous revenge either. So in this fic, Aki has just made friends and made a life for herself far away from her parents. She does not wish for their approval, nor does she care about revenge—she really just doesn't care about them anymore, and she's happy living her own life now, away from people that had never cared for her.
I want to clarify that the Arcadia Movement under Divine is not inherently different from the Arcadia Movement under Aki. It's still the same organisation, just with a different leader. An 'evil' leader does not make an evil organisation. It's the same organisation—both Aki and Divine had a focus on protecting and nurturing psychics, just for different reasons. :)
Lancers next chapter! This chapter was short because the natural narrative break for Chapter 24 fell halfway through what I expected so I separated it out to two chapters, making both unnaturally short for this story, though not actually that short. I was going to add in a duel here for Miharu, but it was useless, and I dislike narratively useless duels, so I cut it so that I could spend less time on this chapter and get to the next one. :)
To phantomdragons, good analysis on what the deck could be. I'll say that you'll see her duel soon, so I won't reveal what the deck is for now. Also, hell yes, biker sisters! I think it would be a huge spoiler to reveal exactly what Kaname's power level is, and really, when you see Security properly in action, you'll get your answer.
To DSpaceZ, I don't plan on giving all characters Link Monsters, so Arisu won't be getting Needlefiber right now. (Halqifibrax just doesn't roll off the tongue as well, huh?)
To naminexriku2468, here's Aki! She's 20, similar to the age of Crow, Jack, etc in Arc-V, so she's a bit older than the protagonists. This won't be the last we see of her either! Unfortunately, Yugo will be the last one to get other summoning methods, since he's technically the only one that's not backed by Academia or the Lancers. Not replying for the first two cards, but yes, eventually Yugo will get Link and Pendulum Monsters. I don't intend to reply to card questions that often though.
To Findarato, I like Aki as much as any other person. She's great. Her duel in this chapter with Rin isn't that long, but she'll get some better duels later on. As for what kinds of cards she'll get, no comment on that.
That should be it. See you with the next chapter! Promise that it'll be longer. Feel free to leave a review to let me know what you think! :)