Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc V: The Six Dimensions

by BlaiseCandell

Before the invasion of the Xyz Dimension, scans done by the Fusion Dimension reveal two more dimensions. The Ritual Dimension, and the Link Dimension. Within those two dimensions, Chiaki, Yuji, Miharu and Yuno have their lives turned upside down, and are tossed into a vicious war. Also, why are there five people with the same faces as them?

38. Chapter 38: To Be Free

Starting Notes:

Welcome back! We're back to the Friendship Cup now! We're breezing through the first half of the second day now, so—let's speedrun it! Here we go! (Note: The last duel may have errors. But I'm not correcting it again. More details in the end notes, but this duel killed progress for the chapter for an embarrassingly long time—it was the first duel of the chapter originally, and then I pushed it all the way back, and then I had to actually write it. Ugh.) Anyway, "Blaaise, why did this chapter take so long?"... it's long. Very long. Help. It's almost 30k words, which is pretty funny.

---

Chapter 38: To Be Free

"… they didn't want me. They hit me and they insulted me and I—I don't want to go back to them. But if I don't go back to them, where can I go?"

"Anywhere else. Divine's gone. And they threw themselves out of your life in the first place. You owe them nothing, Aki."

"…"

"Don't define your life by the rejection of others, Aki. You are a strong duelist and an even stronger woman. Anyone of worth knows and recognises you for who you are."

"Well, from you, that carries some weight."

"…"

"Thank you, though."

"You know that you can ask me if you ever need help."

"You already did everything."

"Not necessarily. I defeated Divine, but everything that he broke is still in pieces on the ground. I can't fix all that, no matter how much I want to."

"… then I will."

"Huh?"

"I will help you. The Arcadia Movement needs a leader, or it'll shatter. Until we can put this city together again, I will help you to keep a part of it going."

"… I would never ask that of you."

"And not me of you either, Jack. But you're my friend. No one before us has tried to fix it, and if we don't, no one after us ever will. It starts with us."

"... yes. It will start with us."

---

The sun rose over the city, burning the sky and scorching the stands of the stadium.

And the Friendship Cup began anew.

"Welcome back to the Friendship Cup!" Melissa Claire announced from above the track. "I know that you must be wondering what the first match that we're going to have on this track today is! So! It is my pleasure to announce that one of our first participants today is one of the duelists that has risen to prominence in the last few years—at the same time as our King, Jack Atlas! The youthful leader of the Arcadia Movement—Aki Izayoi!"

The crowd roared. The red-haired woman rode outwards onto the track, her figure striking and collected. The crowd continued cheering her on loudly.

"And on the other side, a member of the Lancers! Noboru Gongenzaka!"

Gongenzaka rode out onto the track, sitting perfectly still—he was using the autopilot function on his D-Wheel, after all. He came to a stop next to Aki, who turned over to him.

"Unable to ride a D-Wheel?"

"It goes against my personal beliefs," Gongenzaka said. "My dueling style is to stand still and steadfast against any opponent that I face! As such, this man, Gongenzaka, will not move this D-Wheel with my own hands!"

"... interesting." Aki hid her smile behind her hand. "You seem committed to those beliefs. Let's test them then."

They both rode forward. From above, Miharu watched curiously.

… this will be the first time that I see Aki Izayoi duel in person.

I know that she is strong. So I want to see her strength with my own eyes. I wonder why.

Perhaps it is because she helped me.

Aki obviously took the first corner, drawing the top five cards of her deck as she did so.

[DUEL!]

Aki Izayoi: 4000LP

Noboru Gongenzaka: 4000LP

[Turn 1: Aki] [H:5]

"I'll start!" She called loudly, as Gongenzaka drew five cards as well. "I'll Normal Summon Lonefire Blossom!" The fiery sapling appeared on her field, embers flying everywhere. It was the same card that Miharu had in her deck.

[Lonefire Blossom (3*/500/1400/FIRE/Plant/Effect)]

"I'll activate Lonefire Blossom's effect. I can tribute a Plant monster I control to Special Summon a Plant monster from my deck. I will tribute Lonefire itself and Special Summon Blood Rose Witch from my deck!" A girl with long red hair appeared, a large rose on the side of her head. She was holding onto a black staff that was tipped with a red gem.

[Blood Rose Witch (1*/800/1700/LIGHT/Plant/Tuner/Effect)]

"I will then Special Summon White Rose Dragon from my hand, since I control a Plant Tuner monster!" A silver dragon with wings of white petals appeared with a quiet growl, looking rather tranquil.

[White Rose Dragon (4*/1200/1000/DARK/Dragon/Effect)]

"I will then tune the Level 1 Blood Rose Witch to the Level 4 White Rose Dragon!"

"A Synchro Summon immediately?" Gongenzaka exclaimed.

Confidently, Aki raised a hand in the air. "Beautiful, lonely maiden in the garden of sleeping thorns. Now, rise up in solidarity with the dragons and bring forth the silent destruction! Synchro Summon! Level 5! Garden Rose Maiden!" A pale maiden appeared, and thorns formed all around her. Her hair was stark white, as were her dress and her skin. The only spots of colour on her were the black roses tucked into her ears, and her coal black eyes. She sat down in Defense Position, rather demure and graceful.

[Garden Rose Maiden (5*/1600/2400/DARK/Plant/Synchro/Effect)]

"When Garden Rose Maiden is Synchro Summoned, I can add a specific Field Spell from my deck to my hand. I will add the Field Spell, Black Garden, to my hand and activate it." Black, creeping thorns spread across the entire field. "I will use the effect of White Rose Dragon. Since it was sent to the graveyard for a Synchro Summon, I can send a Level 4 or higher Plant monster from my deck to the graveyard. I will then set two cards facedown and end my turn."

Gongenzaka frowned, and he drew a card to start his turn.

[Turn 2: Gongenzaka] [H:6]

"This man, Gongenzaka, will Normal Summon Superheavy Samurai Magnet!" A blue robotic warrior appeared, with a large u-shaped magnet on top of its head. It held up two yellow fists, ready for battle.

[Superheavy Samurai Magnet (4*/900/1900/EARTH/Machine/Effect)]

"And with Superheavy Samurai Magnet's effect, when Normal Summoned, I will change it to Defense Position and Special Summon a Level 4 or lower "Superheavy Samurai" monster from my hand!" The warrior got on one knee, defending Gongenzaka proudly. "I will Special Summon Superheavy Samurai Flutist from my hand!" A brown and purple robot appeared, holding a long flute between its mechanical hands.

[Superheavy Samurai Flutist (3*/500/1000/EARTH/Machine/Effect)]

"When either of us summons a monster while I have Black Garden on the field, that monster's attack points are halved, and a Rose Token is Special Summoned to the opposing field. Thus, I will gain two Rose Tokens. They are summoned in Attack Position." Two small saplings of bright red roses appeared on Aki's field, even as Magnet and Flutist were weakened.

[Superheavy Samurai Magnet: 900 / 2 = 450ATK]

[Superheavy Samurai Flutist: 500 / 2 = 250ATK]

[Rose Token (x2) (2*/800/800/DARK/Plant)]

Gongenzaka frowned. Alright. That was fine—it wasn't like it would affect his strongest monsters, who relied on their defense points. "I will use the effect of Superheavy Samurai Flutist! I will tribute it to Special Summon a "Superheavy Samurai" monster from my hand! Come! Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei!" His strongest monster appeared on the field, with orange and white metal forming its body and a thick black border around its body and forming its legs.

[Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei (8*/1000/3500/EARTH/Machine/Effect)]

"Also in Defense Position," Aki noted. Another rose bloomed on her field, and Big Benkei's attack points halved.

[Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei: 1000 / 2 = 500ATK]

"While I control Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei, "Superheavy Samurai" monsters I control can attack while in Defense Position, and their defense points are used for damage calculation! Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei attacks your first Rose Token!"

"I see," Aki said. "I will activate the Trap Card, Negate Attack." A large barrier of light protected her. "I will negate the attack and end the Battle Phase." She protected herself, and Gongenzaka nodded. Since it was a Counter Trap, he could not have negated it with Flutist's effect.

"I end my turn," he said.

[Turn 3: Aki] [H:2]

"Draw," Aki said. "I will activate my set card, the Continuous Trap, Ivy Shackles. On my turn, all monsters you control are treated as Plant monsters." She revealed another card in her hand. "I'll activate the Spell Card, Fragrance Storm. I will destroy a Plant monster on the field to draw a card. I will choose Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei!"

"When you target a "Superheavy Samurai" monster I control with a card or effect, I can banish Flutist from my graveyard to negate the activation and destroy that card!" He protected Big Benkei with the effect, and Aki nodded.

"I will activate the Spell Card, Magic Planter," Aki continued. "I will send a Continuous Trap I control to the graveyard to draw two cards." Ivy Shackles vanished from the field. "And I will Normal Summon Spore!" A white dandelion-like sphere appeared, fuzzy and pale. Blue, crystalline eyes gleamed.

[Spore (1*/400/800/WIND/Plant/Tuner/Effect)]

"Spore's attack points are halved, and a Rose Token is Special Summoned to your field," Aki continued.

[Spore: 400 / 2 = 200ATK]

A small rose appeared on Gongenzaka's field in Attack Position.

"I'll tune the Level 1 Spore to the three Level 2 Rose Tokens I control," Aki called. "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!"

The beautiful red and black dragon appeared, the fiery thorned whips flailing around in the air and striking at everything. Fiery embers flew all around it, and flowers bloomed everywhere. Aki's ace let out a loud roar.

[Black Rose Calamity Dragon (7*/2400/1800/FIRE/Dragon/Synchro/Effect)]

"Black Garden halves my monster's attack points!" Another Rose Token bloomed on Gongenzaka's field.

[Black Rose Calamity Dragon: 2400 / 2 = 1200ATK]

"I can then use the effect of Black Rose Calamity Dragon! I can target and destroy cards on the field, up to the number of Special Summoned monsters you control! You control three, so I'll target Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei, Superheavy Samurai Magnet and one of the Rose Tokens! Black Rose Ceasefire!" The three monsters burst into petals and flames, the flaming petals swirling all around Aki and Gongenzaka as they raced along the track. "Then, all face-up Special Summoned monsters except Black Rose have their attack points become 0 until the End Phase!"

[Rose Token: 800 → 0ATK]

[Garden Rose Maiden: 1600 → 0ATK]

"I'll have Black Rose Calamity Dragon attack your Rose Token!" The dragon charged forward, crushing the fragile flower.

Gongenzaka: 4000 - 1200 = 2800LP

"I'll end my turn," Aki said, tilting her head. "Over to you."

[Turn 4: Gongenzaka] [H:4]

"Draw!" Gongenzaka declared. She had wiped out his entire field immediately… she was no simple opponent, at the very least. "Since you control two or more monsters and I control no monsters, I can Special Summon Superheavy Samurai Scales!" A green robot with a beige head appeared in front of him. "And with the effect of Superheavy Samurai Scales, when it is Normal or Special Summoned, I can revive a Level 4 or lower "Superheavy Samurai" monster! Come back, Superheavy Samurai Magnet!" The blue machine reappeared. Both monsters were surrounded by a black aura, and two roses bloomed on Aki's field.

[Superheavy Samurai Scales (4*/800/1800/EARTH/Machine/Effect)]

[Superheavy Samurai Magnet: 900 / 2 = 450ATK]

[Superheavy Samurai Scales: 800 / 2 = 400ATK]

"Interesting," Aki said. "You have two Level 4 monsters on the field—is this that Xyz Summon that I've heard about?"

"No." Gongenzaka held out a hand sternly. "It's a different path to my comeback! This man, Gongenzaka, will open the circuit of steadfast spirit!" Above him, a circuit made out of bamboo, looking like a bamboo rattan mat, appeared.

"Gongenzaka learned Link Summoning too…" Yuzu smiled, proud of her childhood friend. In his own room, Yuya felt the same way.

"Nice!" Yuno called approvingly.

Hitoda tilted her head, smirking slightly. He's got it.

Down on the track, Gongenzaka steeled himself. I asked Makishima-san to teach me how to Link Summon, and Reiji Akaba gave me this before we left Standard… and I won't disappoint either of them. I will take this new strength that they have helped me attain and use it wisely!

"Arrowhead confirmed! The conditions are a "Superheavy Samurai" monster! I will set Superheavy Samurai Scales in the Link Markers! Come, stationary mechanical puppet! Stand still and drive off the evil forces that would destroy us who fight for justice! Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Link 1! Superheavy Samurai Scarecrow!" A white and green militaristic-looking robot appeared, holding up its arms in a t-pose.

[Superheavy Samurai Scarecrow (L1/0/EARTH/Machine/Link/Effect/↙)]

"Gongenzaka has performed a Link Summon!" Melissa Claire announced. "But it has no attack points, which is interesting! Let's see why he summoned it!"

"Yes, let's see," Aki said. Another Rose Token bloomed on her field, though Scarecrow didn't lose any attack points since it had none to begin with.

"I'll use Scarecrow's effect!" Gongenzaka continued. "If I have no Spells or Traps in my graveyard, I can discard a monster and revive a "Superheavy Samurai" monster from my graveyard to Scarecrow's Link Marker in Defense Position, and I'll Special Summon Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei from my graveyard!" His strongest monster reappeared. A fourth Rose Token bloomed on Aki's field, filling up her Main Monster Zones. Black Rose Calamity Dragon remained in her Extra Monster Zone, and Garden Rose Maiden was behind her.

[Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei: 1000 / 2 = 500ATK]

"Aki's Black Garden does not do anything to hinder his offence at all," Sherry noted. "He's a rare case." However, she was smiling wryly. "But the moment he declares an attack, he loses."

"Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei will declare an attack, using its defense points! It attacks Black Rose Calamity Dragon!"

"Once per turn, if a monster declares an attack, Black Rose Calamity Dragon's effect can be activated!" Aki declared. "I will negate that attack and destroy the monster that declared an attack!"

Gongenzaka's eyes widened.

"No war can be waged by another in the garden of the black rose dragon," Aki declared. "Be struck down—Binding Amity Retribution!"

The roses shot up, tying Big Benkei down and ripping it to shreds in a savage but beautiful display, petals scattering everywhere.

"... I'll end my turn," Gongenzaka said with a grimace. He hadn't expected that—a defensive effect so volatile and powerful…

Aki drew a card wordlessly.

[Turn 5: Aki] [H:3]

"... I'll activate the Spell Card, Frozen Rose," Aki said. "I'll send Black Rose Calamity Dragon from my field to the graveyard to add a Level 4 or lower Plant monster from my deck to my hand!" Surprisingly, she sacrificed her dragon for the card. "And I will use the Spell Card, Fragrance Storm. I will destroy Garden Rose Maiden to draw a card. And since I drew a Plant monster, I can draw again."

She gestured to her Black Garden.

"I will destroy Black Garden and all Plant monsters on the field, and I can revive a monster from my graveyard which is equal to their total attack points." All four Rose Tokens shattered, and then Black Rose Calamity Dragon roared as she reappeared in her full glory, her attack points restored back to normal. "I will Normal Summon Roxrose Dragon." A pink dragon appeared in front of her, letting out a chirp.

[Roxrose Dragon (3*/1600/1200/DARK/Dragon/Tuner/Effect)]

"With Roxrose Dragon's effect, I'll add Basal Rose Shoot from my deck to my hand and activate it. I will Special Summon White Rose Dragon from my graveyard. I will tune the Level 3 Roxrose Dragon to the Level 4 White Rose Dragon! Beautiful young empress of the flowers, emerge now, and strike down my foes with your cruel anger! Synchro Summon! Level 7! Periallis, Empress of Blossoms!" A colourful woman appeared, beautiful summer flowers dancing around her. Her hair was long and verdant green, and flowers trailed behind her, the ends of her gown turning from solid fabric to entwined flowers. She had a rather self-assured look on her face.

[Periallis, Empress of Blossoms (7*/1600/2400/LIGHT/Plant/Synchro/Effect)]

"White Rose Dragon will allow me to send another Level 5 or higher Plant monster from my deck to the graveyard. Once per turn, Periallis lets me revive a Level 5 or higher Plant monster in my graveyard. I will revive Garden Rose Maiden in Defense Position." Aki pointed forward. "Periallis gains 400 attack points for each other Plant monster that I control!"

[Periallis, Empress of Blossoms: 1600 + 400 = 2000ATK]

"I'll have Periallis attack your Defense Position Magnet." The first monster was destroyed. "And Black Rose attacks your Link Monster!"

"Since I have no Spells or Traps in my graveyard, I take no damage from battles involving Scarecrow!" The other robot was destroyed, but Gongenzaka was safe.

"I see." Aki touched her forehead. "Over to you, then."

[Turn 6: Gongenzaka] [H:3]

"Draw!" Gongenzaka said, maintaining his calm. "I'll Normal Summon Superheavy Samurai Battleball!" A large metallic ball with red eyes appeared, holding up a spear in its hands.

[Superheavy Samurai Battleball (2*/100/800/DARK/Machine/Tuner/Effect)]

"And this man, Gongenzaka, shall use the effect of Battleball! By targeting a monster you control that has a Level, I will send both Battleball and that monster from the field to the graveyard and Special Summon a "Superheavy Samurai" Synchro Monster from my Extra Deck with the same Level as the total Levels of those monsters! This is treated as a Synchro Summon! I will target Black Rose Calamity Dragon!" The fiery flower dragon faded from the field. "With your divine fire, let loose a warcry that will break the battlefield! Show yourself! Synchro Summon! Level 9! Superheavy Samurai Beast Kyubi!" In Defense Position, a mechanical machine with silver plating appeared, bright fire blooming all around it.

[Superheavy Samurai Beast Kyubi (9*/1900/2500/EARTH/Machine/Synchro/Effect)]

"Kyubi gains 900 defense points for each Special Summoned monster you control while I have no Spells or Traps in my graveyard!"

[Superheavy Samurai Beast Kyubi: 2500 + 900 = 3400DEF]

"Attack Periallis!"

The Synchro Monster was destroyed, and Aki shielded herself.

Aki: 4000 - 1400 = 2600LP

"I will end my turn!"

"That's fine," Aki said, with boundless confidence. "I'll end this right here."

She was so confident that she was going to break down his wall?

[Turn 7: Aki] [H:4]

"Draw," Aki said. "I'll Normal Summon White Rose Dragon. And with White Rose Dragon's effect, I will revive Roxrose Dragon." The two smaller dragons appeared in front of her. "I will use Roxrose Dragon's effect to add a card that lists "Black Rose Dragon" in its card text from my deck to my hand. And I'll tune the Level 3 Roxrose Dragon to the Level 4 White Rose Dragon! Lofty rose that blooms in a garden of integrity! Watered by blue moonlight, let your petals unfurl in the darkest of night! Synchro Summon! Level 7! Black Rose Moonlight Dragon!"

An alternate version of Black Rose Calamity Dragon appeared, its scales lit up with something luminescent and beautiful, bright moonlight glowing all around it. It was different, but it carried the same radiance.

[Black Rose Moonlight Dragon (7*/2400/1800/LIGHT/Dragon/Synchro/Effect)]

That explained the difference in its Attribute, at the very least.

"When Black Rose Moonlight Dragon is Special Summoned, once per turn, I can return a Level 5 or higher monster you control to the hand! Moonlit Petal Scatter!"

Kyubi was swept off his field.

Gongenzaka stared, and then he closed his eyes in acceptance.

"I will change Garden Rose Maiden to Attack Position. Garden Rose Maiden! Black Rose Moonlight Dragon! Attack directly!"

A sweep of wings, petals through the air—

A photo finish.

Gongenzaka: 2800 - 1600 - 2400 = 0LP

Winner: Aki Izayoi!

They came to a stop.

Aki held out a hand. "You really did stay determined the entire time," she praised. "Not bad, Gongenzaka-san."

And yet—

I still have far to go.

"Thank you," Gongenzaka said solemnly.

I will only get stronger.

---

"For the next round, we're encountering yet another strange lookalike in this tournament!" Melissa Claire said enthusiastically. "It's weird—maybe they're all related? If they're from different worlds, then maybe… but anyway, first, we have the lovely Serena Akaba!" The indigo-haired girl rode out in a dark red driving suit, a determined look on her face. "On the other side—another cute girl! Hitoda Makishima!"

Hitoda's hair was completely covered up by her light grey helmet, her bun stuffed into it tightly. Her suit was a mix of green and grey, and she waved to Serena as she stopped next to her.

From above, Yuno raised an eyebrow. "Hitoda's her opponent?" He said, sounding surprised. "Well, if I remember her dueling style well, this is going to spell a lot of trouble for Serena…"

"Serena's very straightforward," Shun said with a frown. "But that girl she's facing… Nue said that she was a trickster, right? This might be difficult for her then…"

Miharu tilted her head, intrigued. I guess this is a good chance to see if Serena has grown since the last time I faced her? If she's the same as back then, then she's not going to stand a chance against Soothsayer. After all, the only one with a consistent win record against Soothsayer was Blue Angel, who didn't focus on battle at all. Even Yuno struggled a little with her when they were starting out. If it comes to manipulating those who try to attack her, Hitoda Makishima… she is heads and shoulders above most others.

"Hello, Serena," Hitoda said with a wink. "Wasn't expecting to face you, but I guess it'll be fun!"

"You seem surprisingly cavalier about facing a comrade."

Hitoda chuckled. "You're a comrade, but we're not currently in war, are we? So I say we do our best." She shrugged. "May the better duelist win."

"... may the better duelist win," Serena repeated, turning away. "Of course, I'll do my best to make sure that it's me."

Hitoda hid a smile as she turned away. "Heh. You're a determined one."

The two of them took off, leaving a trail of smoke in their wake. Eventually, Hitoda made it past the corner first, taking the first turn. And Serena was fine with that—she preferred the second turn anyway.

She would just have to win.

[DUEL!]

Serena Akaba: 4000LP

Hitoda Makishima: 4000LP

[Turn 1: Hitoda] [H:5]

"I'll start!" Hitoda called. "Though, I suspect that's what you wanted anyway. I'll activate the Continuous Spell, Awakening of the Possessed. And I'll Normal Summon Lyna the Light Charmer!" A white-haired girl appeared, wearing golden-yellow robes.

[Lyna the Light Charmer (3*/500/1500/LIGHT/Spellcaster/Flip/Effect)]

"I'll then Special Summon Jigabyte from my hand, since I control a Spellcaster monster!" The green reptile appeared on the field with a loud hiss.

[Jigabyte (4*/1500/200/WATER/Reptile/Effect)]

"And I'll send both Jigabyte and Lyna to the graveyard to Special Summon Awakening of the Possessed - Gagigobyte from my deck!" A blue form of Jigabyte appeared, water flowing all around it. Hitoda herself was now surrounded by waves of water, and she looked somewhat smug.

[Awakening of the Possessed - Gagigobyte (5*/2000/200/WATER/Reptile/Effect)]

"Since Gagigobyte was Special Summoned with its own effect," Hitoda explained, "both of us can send a card from our hands to the graveyard and draw a card." Serena nodded, following along. "I will set two cards facedown. Over to you."

Serena blinked, before she swiftly drew a card.

A single monster in Attack Position? But those set cards might do something…

[Turn 2: Serena] [H:6]

"Draw!" Serena said. "I'll discard Moonlight Black Sheep from my hand to add Polymerization from my deck to my hand! Then, I'll Normal Summon Moonlight White Rabbit!" The dancer in a white hood with long rabbit ears appeared in front of her.

[Moonlight White Rabbit (2*/800/800/DARK/Beast-Warrior/Effect)]

"I will use White Rabbit's effect. I will revive another "Moonlight" monster from my graveyard in Defense Position! Come back—Moonlight Emerald Bird!" Another dancer with a green cape that resembled feathers appeared on her field.

[Moonlight Emerald Bird (4*/1200/1000/DARK/Beast-Warrior/Effect)]

"And with Emerald Bird's effect, I will discard a "Moonlight" card and draw a card!"

"I will chain my own Trap Card," Hitoda replied with a wink. "Spiritual Water Art - Aoi. I will tribute a WATER monster to look at your hand and discard a card from it!" Gagigobyte vanished from the field, dissolving into a stream of water.

Serena grimaced. She had been planning to return both of Hitoda's set cards to the hand once the effect of Emerald Bird resolved, but Hitoda had been a step ahead. Holograms of the cards in her hand appeared in front of Hitoda, who looked through them swiftly, clearly reading through all of their effects.

"Hitoda never uses that Trap as a simple discard," Yuno said with a sigh. "Once she uses it, she's seen completely through you."

"I see," Hitoda said after a moment. "Well, you have nothing that can retrieve Polymerization from the graveyard right now. So I guess I'll ask you to send that to the graveyard."

Serena nodded, discarding the Spell with a frown. She then resolved Emerald Bird's effect, discarding and drawing a card. However, the card that she had drawn wasn't able to help her get her Polymerization back either.

"And since Gagigobyte was sent to the graveyard, I can add a "Possessed" Spell or Trap or a "Spiritual Water Art" Trap from my deck to my hand," Hitoda said. She picked up a card from her deck with a shrug. "And I will chain my other set card. Possessed Partnerships. I can Special Summon a Spellcaster monster with 1500 defense points from my hand or graveyard. So, come from my graveyard to the field—Familiar-Possessed - Dharc!" A black-haired boy in a long, tattered cloak appeared, a large bat with a single yellow eye floating next to him. He raised a black staff defiantly. That was clearly the monster that Hitoda had discarded for the effect of Gagigobyte.

[Familiar-Possessed - Dharc (4*/1850/1500/DARK/Spellcaster/Effect)]

"And then, with the effect of Awakening of the Possessed, since I summoned a Spellcaster monster with 1850 attack points, once per turn, I can draw a card." Hitoda swiftly picked up a card. Serena felt uneasy. This girl had managed to chain so many effects on her turn, and she had seemed completely in control of the situation the whole time. And now, there was no reason for Serena to return anything to Hitoda's hand—her set cards had both been used, and her monsters couldn't break through Dharc. If she returned Awakening of the Possessed to the hand, then Hitoda would just activate it on the next turn.

"I'll set a card and end my turn," Serena said.

Hitoda drew a card. "That must be your Moonlight Reincarnation Dance," she said, and Serena frowned, because she was right. "Alright then. Here we go."

[Turn 3: Hitoda] [H:3]

Hitoda studied her field. "I will Normal Summon Eda the Sun Magician," she said. In front of her, an orange-haired spellcaster with light green skin appeared, dressed in silver armour and holding onto a long staff, the staff gleaming with a bright light.

[Eda the Sun Magician (4*/1500/1500/EARTH/Spellcaster/Effect)]

"Since Eda the Sun Magician was Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Spellcaster monster with 1500 defense points from my hand or deck to the field in facedown Defense Position." A single, set monster appeared on her field. "And now, I will open the multi-coloured circuit! Arrowhead confirmed! The conditions are two monsters, including a DARK monster! I will set Familiar-Possessed - Dharc and Eda the Sun Magician in the Link Markers! Appear now, ascended figure of the shadows! Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Link 2! Dharc the Dark Charmer, Gloomy!"

A black-haired man in white robes appeared, bearing a significant resemblance to Dharc. A black dragon floated next to him as he raised his staff with a cautious stare. The top of his staff was a beast's skull, which looked rather intimidating.

[Dharc the Dark Charmer, Gloomy (L2/1850/DARK/Spellcaster/Link/Effect/↙, ↘)]

"Since I Special Summoned a Spellcaster monster with 1850 attack points, Awakening of the Possessed lets me draw another card." Her Continuous Spell glowed again, and she swiped up another card. "Dharc's effect. Once per turn, I can revive a DARK monster from your graveyard to a zone that Dharc points to. I will revive Moonlight Black Sheep to his Link Marker."

The short dancer in a black tuxedo appeared to the right of Dharc, slightly behind him.

[Moonlight Black Sheep (2*/100/600/DARK/Beast-Warrior/Effect)]

"And then, I'll set two cards facedown." Hitoda gestured forward. "I control only monsters of one Attribute. Thus, monsters I control gain 300 attack points."

[Dharc the Dark Charmer, Gloomy: 1850 + 300 = 2150ATK]

[Moonlight Black Sheep: 100 + 300 = 400ATK]

"Dharc attacks Moonlight White Rabbit!" Hitoda called. The white-hooded dancer was destroyed by a blast of shadows, and Serena grimaced in annoyance.

Serena: 4000 - 1350 = 2650LP

"I'll activate my set Moonlight Reincarnation Dance!" There was no point in hiding it—Hitoda had already seen right through her. "And I will add two "Moonlight" monsters from my deck to my hand!"

"I will then end my turn," Hitoda said pleasantly. "Over to you."

[Turn 4: Serena] [H:6]

"Draw!" Serena called. She glanced at her hand. "I'll activate the Spell Card, Moon Light Perfume! I'll revive a "Moonlight" monster! Come back—Moonlight White Rabbit!" The hooded dancer reappeared, looking unfazed from her earlier destruction. "And then, with the second effect of Moon Light Perfume, I can banish it from the graveyard and discard a card to add a "Moonlight" monster from my deck to my hand!"

She revealed the card in her hand.

"I will activate the effect of Moonlight Black Sheep in my hand! By discarding it, I can add Polymerization from my deck to my hand!" She picked up the card.

"I will activate my set card, the Trap Card, Dark Spirit Art - Greed," Hitoda called. "I'll tribute a DARK monster—your Black Sheep—to draw two cards. You can negate this by discarding a Spell."

Serena blinked.

"I've been tracking what cards you have in your hand," Hitoda said with a chuckle. "From your playstyle and what I've seen from you, it's likely that the only Spell in your hand is Polymerization. And none of the other cards that you added to your hand are capable of adding Polymerization back to your hand. So? Will you allow me to draw two cards, or will you discard your only way to bring out your stronger monsters?"

Alright…

Oh.

… Serena had never felt like someone was treating her this much like food to be played with, and she had dueled Yuri plenty of times in their childhood. If Hitoda had let her Fusion Summon earlier, she would have brought out Cat Dancer, retrieved Polymerization again, and brought out Panther Dancer. In other words, she would have given Hitoda access to her Cat Dancer. And yet, instead of taking advantage of her Cat Dancer, Hitoda had simply stopped her at the first step. A simple dismissal of Serena's strength—stopping her at the door when she was trying to move past it. And now… Hitoda could have activated that Trap Card before this and drawn the two cards without any worry about negation.

In reality, Hitoda had just wanted to put Serena through this difficult choice.

"Draw your cards," Serena declared.

Hitoda nodded, swiping up two cards from her deck.

"I will activate Polymerization!" Serena declared. "I'll fuse Moonlight Emerald Bird on the field with Moonlight Crimson Fox in my hand! Emerald feathers that shroud the sky! Crimson cunning hiding in the shadows! Spiral into the moon's gravity and become a new power! Fusion Summon! Come to me! Beautiful beast that dances in the moonlight! Moonlight Cat Dancer!" The pink-haired dancer with long bright pink hair appeared, wearing a masquerade half-mask. She spun two knives in her hands, ready for battle.

[Moonlight Cat Dancer (7*/2400/2000/DARK/Beast-Warrior/Fusion/Effect)]

"Emerald Bird will revive a Level 4 or lower "Moonlight" monster that is banished or in my graveyard in Defense Position, but its effects are negated! Come back, Crimson Fox!" The sly, red-themed dancer reappeared, long furry red tail snaking through the air.

[Moonlight Crimson Fox (4*/1800/600/DARK/Beast-Warrior/Effect)]

"Since Crimson Fox was used as Fusion Material, I can also lower your monster's attack points to 0!" Serena pointed to Dharc, who was weakened by the effect.

[Dharc the Dark Charmer, Gloomy: 2150 → 0ATK]

"I will then use Cat Dancer's effect! I will tribute Crimson Fox and grant Cat Dancer the ability to attack each of your monsters twice this turn! Attack Dharc, Cat Dancer! Full Moon Cresta!" Silver knives flashed through the air.

"You get a little too focused," Hitoda called. "You forgot to use White Rabbit's effect to remove my other set card."

Serena's eyes widened.

"You see only victory, which is fine," Hitoda said. "But you walk towards that image that you see in your head, and you forget any other possibility than the one that you look for." Her set card flipped up. "Trap Card, Possessed Partnerships! I will Special Summon a Spellcaster monster with 1500 defense points from my hand or graveyard to the field in face-up Attack Position or facedown Defense Position. Come in Attack Position—Lyna the Light Charmer." The young girl with white hair appeared, nodding to Dharc, who waved a hand to her, looking somewhat tired. "And since I have monsters of two different Attributes on my field, I can destroy a card on the field. I will choose Moonlight Cat Dancer!"

"When you target my monster with an effect, I can banish Crimson Fox—"

"No," Hitoda said. "You can't. Because my Trap does not target."

Serena blinked, and then her monster was blown to pieces.

Hitoda could also have activated that the moment that Serena had brought out Cat Dancer, but she had purposely waited until now… and even if Serena had used White Rabbit's effect, that Trap could still have been chained to it. Serena's actions this turn had not mattered in the slightest.

It felt a lot like baiting. At the very least, it was a familiar feeling of being tossed around that she didn't particularly like. Unlike Miharu Kogami, who had always just been defending herself, but had still fought back directly after defending herself, this was like someone dancing around her, avoiding every blow and not finishing her off despite having the opportunity to.

"I will set another card and end my turn," Serena said with a frown. Dharc regained its attack points seconds later.

[Turn 5: Hitoda] [H:4]

"Draw," Hitoda said. She flipped up her set monster. "I will Flip Summon Wynn the Wind Charmer."

Huh? The girl with messy green hair appeared in front of Hitoda, wearing simple light brown robes.

[Wynn the Wind Charmer (3*/500/1500/WIND/Spellcaster/Flip/Effect)]

Serena had thought that it would be Dharc, since Hitoda had been capable of searching out any of her Charmers.

"I will send Wynn, a WIND monster and Lyna, a Spellcaster monster, from my field to the graveyard," Hitoda explained. Winds swept up around the two of them. "Come from the deck—Awakening of the Possessed - Rasenryu!" A beautiful spring green dragon appeared on her field, winds swirling around it as it let out a loud roar.

[Awakening of the Possessed - Rasenryu (5*/2000/200/WIND/Dragon/Effect)]

"Since Rasenryu was Special Summoned with its own effect, I can return a card you control to the hand," Hitoda continued. "I will return your set card to the hand."

"I will activate it!" Serena called. "Trap Card, Waboku! You can't deal me battle damage this turn, and my monsters can't be destroyed by battle!"

Hitoda nodded. "Rasenryu's effect does not declare a target until it resolves," she said slyly. "So I will return White Rabbit to the hand." The pale dancer vanished from the field, much to Serena's annoyance. "I will use the effect of Dharc again," she said. "Come to my field—Moonlight Cat Dancer!" Serena's Fusion Monster reappeared on her opponent's field. "I will then open my multi-coloured circuit again! Arrowhead confirmed! The conditions are two or more monsters with different names, except Tokens! I will set Dharc the Dark Charmer, Gloomy in the Link Markers, along with Moonlight Cat Dancer and Awakening of the Possessed - Rasenryu!"

The three monsters turned into three streaks of light that spun around in front of her.

"Verdant winds are born as the sands of time fall away!" Hitoda chanted. "An arrow that flies through the eternal gale! Now, huntress with divine power, tamer of every beast beneath the sky! Strike down any who try to pull tricks in your presence! Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Link 4! Apollousa, Bow of the Goddess!" A beautiful white-haired woman appeared, holding onto a longbow that seemed to be made of golden feathers. She had a quiver of red-tinged white arrows behind her back, and she was sitting on a light green beast that roared, loyally carrying her forward.

[Apollousa, Bow of the Goddess (L4/?/WIND/Fairy/Link/Effect/↙, ↑, ↓, ↘)]

"Apollousa…" From above, Yuya blinked. "That was one of Kyorin's monsters, wasn't it?"

"A Link 4 monster," Yuno said, tilting his head. "... has she always had that?"

Below, Hitoda chuckled. "Apollousa's attack points are equal to the number of materials used for its Link Summon times 800. And she gains 300 attack points from Awakening of the Possessed."

[Apollousa, Bow of the Goddess: ? → 2400ATK]

[Apollousa, Bow of the Goddess: 2400 + 300 = 2700ATK]

"Since Rasenryu was sent to the graveyard, I can add a "Spiritual Wind Art" Trap or "Possessed" Spell or Trap from my deck to my hand," Hitoda continued. "I'll set three cards facedown. Over to you."

[Turn 6: Serena] [H:3]

"Draw," Serena said. Honestly, all of this was aggravating. It was just like that duel again—that duel that she had lost, that duel that might have cost them everything, if they were dueling Academia instead of Security. Against that girl with the insects and flowers, and that green tiger that had shut down any attempts that she could make to use Spells at all. She had lost so awfully that just thinking about it made her angry at herself.

By losing, she had failed herself and her comrades.

She wasn't just fighting for herself anymore. Nor was she fighting for some abstract ideal. Just her life and the lives of others.

So she needed to be so much stronger than she was right now.

So that the next time that she met that woman who had crushed her, she would be able to repay the favour.

"I'll set the Scale 1 Moonlight Wolf and the Scale 5 Moonlight Tiger in the Pendulum Scales!" Serena called, and the two pillars of light shot up around her. One of the monsters in the Pendulum Scale had yellow and black hair, with a long sleeved yellow and black tunic. The other one was a girl with dark purple skin and orange hair on the top of her head, along with a long green ponytail and a long grey wolf-like tail.

Hitoda blinked. "Pendulum Monsters," she said. "Nice."

"With this Pendulum Scale, I can Pendulum Summon monsters from Level 2 to Level 4! Pendulum Summon! Moonlight White Rabbit! Moonlight Kaleido Chick!" White Rabbit appeared first. Next to her, a girl in a yellow suit with a reflective cape that was made of transparent material, resembling wings.

[Moonlight Kaleido Chick (4*/1400/800/DARK/Beast-Warrior/Effect)]

"I will use Kaleido Chick's effect!" Serena called. "I'll send Moonlight Panther Dancer from my Extra Deck to the graveyard to have Kaleido Chick copy its name!"

"I will activate Apollousa's effect," Hitoda said with a laugh. "Once per Chain, I'll lower Apollousa's attack points by 800 to negate the activation of your effect! Windblume Arrow!" Apollousa shot out an arrow, and Kaleido Chick was forced back to the ground.

[Apollousa, Bow of the Goddess: 2700 - 800 = 1900ATK]

So she could just negate any monster effects? That was the effect of the card?

Then that was fine!

"I will activate the Pendulum Effect of Moonlight Wolf!" Serena called. "I'll perform a Fusion Summon by banishing monsters from my field and graveyard! I will fuse Moonlight Kaleido Chick and Moonlight White Rabbit on the field with Moonlight Panther Dancer in my graveyard!" She banished all three monsters. Better not to have any monsters on the field other than the one that she was about to summon, considering that those monsters weren't immune to Hitoda's effects. "Elegant beast dancing on the moonlit wilderness! Youthful dancer that reflects the moonlight! The lively white rabbit illuminated by the moonlight! Swarm in a vortex of the moon's gravity and revive with a new power! Fusion Summon! Come forth! The king of beasts dancing atop the summit of the moonlight wilderness! Moonlight Lio Dancer!" The grey-skinned, white-haired dancer appeared, swinging a sword through the air.

[Moonlight Lio Dancer (10*/3500/3000/DARK/Beast-Warrior/Fusion/Effect)]

"I will have Lio Dancer attack your Apollousa!"

"I will activate the Continuous Trap, Unpossessed," Hitoda called. Her monster was destroyed by the attack.

Hitoda: 4000 - 1600 = 2400LP

"And after the first attack, Lio Dancer destroys all monsters you control! You don't have any, but it triggers automatically!"

"It does," Hitoda said cheerfully. "And it can attack twice per turn, can't it?" Hitoda revealed a card in her hand. "Since you destroyed a WIND monster I control by battle, I can Special Summon Wynn the Wind Channeler from my hand." The monster was summoned first, looking incredibly similar to Hitoda but with lighter green hair in a tight hair bun.

[Wynn the Wind Channeler (5*/1850/1500/WIND/Spellcaster/Effect)]

Then, Lio Dancer's effect resolved, but Wynn was not destroyed. "Wynn is treated as a "Charmer" monster," Hitoda explained. "My "Charmer" monsters can't be destroyed by card effects while I control Awakening of the Possessed."

"Lio Dancer attacks!" However, Wynn wasn't destroyed by the attack, and since it was in Defense Position, Hitoda took no damage from it anyway. "But why is it…"

"While I control Unpossessed, "Charmer" monsters I control can't be destroyed by battle," Hitoda said, sounding relaxed.

"... I end my turn," Serena said. With Lio Dancer on the field, she should be safe, huh?

[Turn 7: Hitoda] [H:2]

"Draw," Hitoda said. "It's a powerful monster, and it can only be defeated through battle." She cracked a smile. "Exactly my weakness."

Serena had understood that much.

"So, math," Hitoda raised a finger. "1850 base attack points. 3500 minus 1850 is 1650 attack points. 1650 minus 800 is 850 attack points, which is essentially 900. Alright. Got it!" She hummed. "I'll Special Summon Ranryu from my hand." A smaller version of the green dragon from earlier reappeared.

[Ranryu (4*/1500/200/WIND/Dragon/Effect)]

"And I will now Normal Summon Familiar-Possessed - Hiita." A red-haired girl appeared on her field, grinning maniacally.

[Familiar-Possessed - Hiita (4*/1850/1500/FIRE/Spellcaster/Effect)]

"Since I summoned a Spellcaster monster with 1850 attack points, I can draw a card with Awakening of the Possessed's effect," Hitoda said cheerfully. "I will then open the multi-coloured circuit," Hitoda said cheerfully. "Arrowhead confirmed! The conditions are two monsters, including a FIRE monster! I will set Ranryu and Hiita in the Link Markers! Appear now, ascended figure of the eternal flames! Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Link 2! Hiita the Fire Charmer, Ablaze!"

A stronger, older version of the red-haired girl appeared in front of Hitoda in her Extra Monster Zone.

[Hiita the Fire Charmer, Ablaze (L2/1850/FIRE/Spellcaster/Link/Effect/↙, ↘)]

"I will then Special Summon Nefarious Archfiend Eater of Nefariousness from my hand, since I control a Spellcaster monster." A brown beast with dark, small red wings appeared, letting out a soft growl.

[Nefarious Archfiend Eater of Nefariousness (4*/1500/200/EARTH/Beast/Effect)]

"All my monsters gain 300 attack points for each different Attribute I control," Hitoda repeated.

[Wynn the Wind Channeler: 1850 + 300 x 3 = 2750ATK]

[Nefarious Archfiend Eater of Nefariousness: 1500 + 300 x 3 = 2400ATK]

[Hiita the Fire Charmer, Ablaze: 1850 + 300 x 3 = 2750ATK]

"Now, I could have defeated you just by bringing out Greater Inari Fire," Hitoda continued, speaking more quietly for that sentence—seemingly just so that no one else would hear. Serena froze up. Then, she smiled a little more widely, her voice going louder. "But that's no fun. I want to see if you can shine any brighter." There was nothing condescending to it—just genuine curiosity. "Hiita will attack your monster. And when a "Familiar-Possessed" monster declares an attack, it gains 800 attack points!"

[Hiita the Fire Charmer, Ablaze: 2750 + 800 = 3550ATK]

Fifty attack points over…

Lio Dancer was destroyed so easily, and Serena had no clue what to think about it at all.

Serena: 2650 - 50 = 2600LP

"And will you look at that? Wynn is still in Defense Position, so she can't attack." Hitoda raised a finger. "... Archfiend Eater, if you will."

The small beast dashed forward, bopping itself against Serena's D-Wheel and nearly throwing her off-balance.

Serena: 2600 - 2400 = 200LP

"What a mistake on my part," Hitoda continued. "I guess I'll have to turn the duel back over to you then."

"While she had the possibility to end the duel this turn if her third monster was in Attack Position, unfortunately, Hitoda Makishima missed the chance to win!" Melissa Claire reported. "However, this still means that Serena has the chance to turn things around! We're rooting for you, Serena!"

Serena frowned.

… a completely manufactured situation. This chance had been forced into her hands, and it certainly wasn't out of mercy.

No matter her intentions—

She's still toying with me!

She's a comrade, but I don't understand her in the slightest—no passion, nothing like that, just wild abandon and curiosity over everything. A living wildfire and wildcard that does whatever she wants. If she wanted to win against me, she's had me in the palm of her hand the entire time. Every turn so far, she could have crushed me if she wanted to.

She's like a spider that keeps on spinning its web, but she just doesn't get to the point. She just has me helplessly stuck here…

I hate this.

She drew a card, still bothered by everything.

She had always been rather determined. But it was hard to stay determined in a duel where the opponent was so obviously toying with her.

[Turn 8: Serena] [H:1]

"I don't know why your dueling is so cruel," Serena said, "but I'm going to take my victory here anyway, no matter what."

And Hitoda laughed. "That would be great!" She said, sounding genuinely enthusiastic. "That'd be a new experience too—to lose to someone as simplistic as you."

"Huh?"

"I mean, I know that you had this large revelation about not being strong enough," Hitoda said, waving a hand through the air. "And so you want to get stronger and stronger. You've learned from our comrade, Kurosaki, to find a way to duel with monsters that are less direct. But that doesn't change the fact that you're still lost in your old mindset. Your dueling is a razor sharp blade that only knows how to keep on cutting the same thing. You cannot adapt, you cannot change. You just keep on searching for the image that you think should bring you victory." She tapped her forehead. "It's a problem with your thinking. And I've known that since I saw you duel with Kurosaki in Standard. Of course, I didn't bring it up, because would you have listened to me then, without any evidence that I could back up my words? And Kurosaki would never have been able to bring this flaw of yours to light—because he wouldn't have been able to see it either. His strength is his directness—the same directness that is a weakness in you."

From above, Shun frowned, considering the words. … she's not wrong.

"So I've made it very apparent to you in this duel now." Hitoda reached out her hands. "I will tell you this now. Lio Dancer will not break my field. If you can bring it back, there is no point in doing so. Not a single one of your normal methods, of striking and striking and hoping that something gives—none of it will work against me here. Find something else."

"I don't know what you want from me," Serena said, somewhat frustrated. "You haven't let me play a single card freely. Not a single card has resolved without some issue. Not a single attack has made any impact."

"Because the lesson is simple!" Hitoda turned back towards Serena, smiling brilliantly. "Have fun, Serena!"

And that—

That was not what Serena had expected her to say.

"Loosen up. Try something new. That's the only way that you'll learn new things—through mistakes and through new methods." Hitoda waved out with a hand. "You know that losing doesn't mean to die now, right? So have fun with it! I guarantee you, you'll win more duels by allowing yourself to think and feel for yourself than by following that strict formula in your head. The only reason that I've countered you so well is because I know exactly how boring people think. Efficiency, correctness, logic—all those things are the easiest things to counter. Spontaneity is very different."

Think. Feel.

"... let me confirm," Serena said noncommittally. "Your Unpossessed protects them from battle?"

"Unpossessed protects "Charmer" monsters from battle," Hitoda confirmed. "Awakening of the Possessed protects "Charmer" and "Familiar-Possessed" monsters from destruction by card effects."

… what a tricky effect.

Hitoda had 2400 life points left. Serena could try to break through all those Spells and Traps. In fact, that had been her next instinct—to figure out a way to break through them. However…

That didn't sound very fun.

Instead…

"I will activate the Pendulum Effect of Moonlight Wolf!" Serena called. "I'll fuse by banishing Moonlight Black Sheep, Moonlight Emerald Bird and Moonlight Crimson Fox from my graveyard! The beast lurking in jet-black darkness! Emerald feathers that shroud the sky! Crimson cunning hiding in the shadows! Spiral into the moon's gravity and become a new power! Fusion Summon! Come to me! Blades that shred through the curtains! Moonlight Sabre Dancer!"

A gold-haired, purple-skinned dancer appeared with a smug smile—based on a sabretooth tiger, clearly. She swung two sharp silver blades through the air. Her long pink and gold skirt spread out around her legs, and she took a step forward, her long gold hair held up by many pins in a headdress.

[Moonlight Sabre Dancer (9*/3000/2600/DARK/Beast-Warrior/Fusion/Effect)]

"Now that's new," Hitoda said.

No. It was not. Serena had just been using her to power up Lio Dancer most of the time, and so she had forgotten about this card's other effects until now. However, those same effects that she hadn't used in the name of efficiency…

They might win her the match.

"Sabre Dancer gains 200 attack points for each Beast-Warrior monster that is banished or in the graveyard! That's…"

"Eleven," Hitoda provided immediately. "Five in the graveyard, six banished."

"... um." So Hitoda had kept track of that? "That will be an increase of 2200 attack points!"

[Moonlight Sabre Dancer: 3000 + 2200 = 5200ATK]

"And as far as I'm aware, none of your cards protect you from damage! Sabre Dancer will attack Nefarious Archfiend Eater of Nefariousness! Lunar Crossblades!"

"I will activate my set card," Hitoda called with a sigh. "Spiritual Wind Art - Miyabi. By tributing a WIND monster like Wynn—I will target a card you control and return it to the deck. And you no longer have Crimson Fox's protection in the graveyard."

"That's because I don't need it," Serena said bluntly. "Moonlight Sabre Dancer cannot be targeted by card effects!"

Hitoda's eyes widened. "... I already activated the card," she murmured. "I will return your Moonlight Tiger to your deck." The card slipped out of her Pendulum Scale, but Serena found that it did not matter. With one less Attribute on her field, her monster lost some attack points, not that it mattered.

[Nefarious Archfiend Eater of Nefariousness: 2400 - 300 = 2100ATK]

With adrenaline rushing through her veins, she pointed forward—

And with a single strike, Sabre Dancer cut through the threads trapping her in place.

Hitoda: 2400 - 3100 = 0LP

Winner: Serena Akaba!

Serena came to a stop, slightly out of breath.

This feeling…

"Had fun?" Hitoda teased as she came to a stop.

"... not for most of the duel," Serena said. "I don't enjoy mercy. Nor do I enjoy having no control over my own situation."

"Understandable." The green-haired girl yanked off her helmet. "But I had a point to prove, and I think it came across pretty well."

"It did." Serena cleared her throat. "For that last moment, when I was dueling just based on what I thought would be a good answer, rather than the best answer that I'd come up with before… I enjoyed that."

"For someone so headstrong, you were a little too rigid." Hitoda held out a hand. "I promise that I won't toy with you like that again next time." There was an easygoing smile on her face.

"... next time, if you can win," Serena said, narrowing her eyes, "do not give me any new chances. And don't do that when you fight Academia."

"Academia. Now that's a different beast altogether." Hitoda wiggled her fingers. "Come on!"

Serena shook her hand after a moment.

"I would never slow down for Academia, but I can afford to slow down against a comrade," Hitoda said. "And see? Didn't it help you?"

Serena stayed quiet.

As Hitoda was guided away, Serena glanced at her hands for a moment.

She didn't know what to do. All of this went against what she had been taught—to bring out her strongest monster and use it to win constantly. And yet it had brought her a victory. But was that just another example of Academia teaching her the wrong thing?

… she'd figure it out.

---

Ever since Crow Hogan had been aware of himself and the society that he lived in, he had made one promise to himself—that he would never strike down someone else that was like him. That he would be imprisoned long before he sentenced another innocent Common to that fate. (Innocent, because he had still met enough cruel Commons to know that things weren't that black and white.)

And yet, now, he had been put into a situation that was difficult to handle.

Because…

"You have a thoughtful look on your face," Naoya said, leaning back over his D-Wheel, a sleek black and red model.

"I said that I would never participate in this Cup," Crow muttered. "I wouldn't be a show for the Tops."

"We all have to perform in the end," Naoya pointed out. "What makes you any different from anyone else?"

Crow frowned. "... we were friends for a long time before you and Kiryu were arrested," he pointed out. "Even if we may not know each other anymore, Naoya, you are still a Common. I don't want to send you back to the Facility." After all, while most losers were sent to the Underground, the prisoners that had been extracted from the prison for this would be sent back there when they lost.

"I'll lose eventually," Naoya said dismissively. "It's not a big deal. Let's just have fun."

"I don't know how you can care so little."

"Care so little?" Naoya raised an eyebrow. "I care perfectly enough. I just don't care for the same ideals as you do."

Crow gritted his teeth. He had been thinking about the kids the entire time—and about how much he hated having to put on a performance like this.

"Just don't treat me as a friend," Naoya said, waving a hand through the air. "That's the only way to survive in this city."

The two of them rode outwards, and Crow glared at his back.

That's something that the old you would have never said.

After all, before you abandoned the rest of us for Kiryu, you were far more fiery than you are now. Shinji may have been the most passionate out of all of us, but you were a close second—constantly gnashing your teeth at the unfairness of the world.

Your passion has been drained from you. It's exactly what Roget hopes that he can do to all of us Commons.

So, if I cannot save you—I will at least wake up that flame in the other Commons, the way that Shinji would also want!

The two of them raced for the corner—moving towards the inner lane. At the last moment, as Crow got distracted by the sight of a few moving blurs in the audience, Naoya caught Crow's slipstream and managed to get in front of him.

[DUEL!]

Crow Hogan: 4000LP

Naoya Otobashi: 4000LP

[Turn 1: Naoya] [H:5]

"Let's go!" Naoya called. "I'll Normal Summon Scrap Raptor!" The mechanical dinosaur appeared on its field, long metal claws clicking into place.

[Scrap Raptor (4*/1400/1000/EARTH/Dinosaur/Tuner/Effect)]

"I'll then activate the Field Spell, Scrap Factory!" Around them, the track began to glow like molten metal. "And now, I will activate the effect of Scrap Raptor! By destroying itself, I can perform another Normal Summon or Set of a "Scrap" monster this turn!" The dinosaur shattered into gears that fell to the ground, before scattering into particles. "I will use the effect of Scrap Factory. Since a "Scrap" monster I control was destroyed by a card effect, I can Special Summon a "Scrap" monster from my deck. I can only use this effect once per turn though."

He swiped out a card from his deck.

"Come—Scrap Breaker!" An amalgamation of messy wiring and rusty metal casing appeared, floating in front of Naoya like a droid.

[Scrap Breaker (6*/2100/700/EARTH/Machine/Effect)]

"And then, I'll activate the effect of Scrap Raptor. Since it was destroyed by a "Scrap" card's effect, I can add a "Scrap" non-Tuner from my deck to my hand. And then, I will Normal Summon Scrap Goblin!" A small grey robot appeared on his field, wandering around like a ditz.

[Scrap Goblin (3*/0/500/EARTH/Beast-Warrior/Tuner/Effect)]

"And now, I will Special Summon Scrap Orthros!" The rusty, two-headed dog appeared on his field, racing right next to him. It had a set of eyes on each head—one set green, the other set pink. Twin tails made of wires snapped behind it, electric sparks flying everywhere.

[Scrap Orthros (4*/1700/1100/EARTH/Beast/Tuner/Effect)]

"Scrap Orthros can be Special Summoned while I control a "Scrap" monster," Naoya explained. "And once it is Special Summoned, I must destroy a "Scrap" monster I control. I will destroy Scrap Goblin, naturally." The robot blew up. "And since Scrap Goblin was destroyed, I can add a "Scrap" monster from my graveyard to my hand."

A Tuner and a non-Tuner on the field…

True to what Crow had been thinking, Naoya reached out a hand, and Orthros dissolved into four rings of red light. "I will tune the Level 4 Scrap Orthros to the Level 6 Scrap Breaker! Earth, burst into the nature that covers the world! Guardian of the sacred tree, rise now and defend the world beyond that which you adore! Synchro Summon! Level 10! Leo, the Keeper of the Sacred Tree!" In front of him, a large lion with orange fur appeared, red petals forming its mane. Black and silver armour covered its back and midsection, and it lifted a head, letting out a ferocious roar.

[Leo, the Keeper of the Sacred Tree (10*/3100/1900/EARTH/Beast/Synchro/Effect)]

"Naoya has brought out a Synchro Monster that is very different from his other monsters!" Melissa Claire reported from above. "And—it has a remarkably similar theme to the monsters that our Security's Otobashi-san uses! They share the same last name. Does this mean that Otobashi-san has a relative that was arrested for great crimes against the City? Well, she must be so ashamed by that! There's no need to feel embarrassed, Otobashi-san! We won't judge you by someone so foolish!"

There were some sounds of agreement from the Tops.

Naoya gritted his teeth. "What gives you permission to call me by my first name?" He called, loud enough to be heard even up in the helicopter. "Me, or any of the participants before me? You are not family, nor a friend, nor even an acquaintance. Mind your fucking language—or should I speculate on your past too?" For a moment, Crow saw the fire burning in his old friend's eyes. "Or should I call you Melissa too? Hey, Melissa, how has your day been going? Hey, Melissa, are you still reporting on gossip columns? Have you finished licking their boots today, Melissa?"

Crow could see the blonde announcer's face on the screen above them—she looked surprised and a little shocked—as though being called out was something new for her.

"Exactly. It makes all of us just as uncomfortable when you call us by our first name as when I just called you by yours." Naoya snapped his fingers. "No one gives a shit about what you think about us. If you judge someone based on that, you're the asshole! I will set a card and end my turn."

From above, Shinji nodded approvingly. Let them get away with being able to call us anything that they want so condescendingly, and they will try to get away with more. Do not give them an inch.

[Turn 2: Crow] [H:6]

"Draw." Crow glanced over. "... they haven't fully defanged you, I see." Still rather rude and blunt in his words.

Naoya snorted. "They can try. Come on, Crow. What are you going to do?"

Yes. Leo was one of the most annoying monsters that Naoya had—it almost seemed tailored to counter Crow's deck. It was immune to targeting card effects, except during Naoya's Main Phase 2, meaning that Raikiri's effect couldn't touch it.

However, Crow had a different way to deal with it, which didn't involve targeting.

"I will activate the Continuous Spell, Black Whirlwind! And now, I will Normal Summon Blackwing - Pinaki the Waxing Moon!" A crow wearing a white turban appeared on his field, holding onto a bow.

[Blackwing - Pinaki the Waxing Moon (3*/1200/1000/DARK/Winged Beast/Tuner/Effect)]

"And with the effect of Black Whirlwind, when I Normal Summon a "Blackwing" monster, I can add a "Blackwing" monster with lower attack points from my deck to my hand." Crow searched for a specific card, before placing it down. "Since I control exactly one "Blackwing" monster, I will Special Summon Blackwing - Gladius the Midnight Sun from my hand!" A dark bird dressed in silver knight's armour appeared, holding onto a dagger.

[Blackwing - Gladius the Midnight Sun (3*/800/1500/DARK/Winged Beast/Effect)]

"Three and three," Naoya said, tilting his head. "... as I expected. You're going for Nothung."

"I will tune the Level 3 Blackwing - Pinaki the Waxing Moon to the Level 3 Gladius the Midnight Sun! Dark warrior cloaked in the night, a shadow lingering in the day, take form now, valiant raptor! Synchro Summon! Level 6! Blackwing - Nothung the Starlight!"

A dark-skinned man with a bird's head but human hands appeared, holding a large sword in its right hand. It had long, dark wings, and it stared forward silently.

[Blackwing - Nothung the Starlight (6*/2400/1800/DARK/Winged Beast/Synchro/Effect)]

"Since Nothung was Special Summoned, I can lower the attack points of a monster you control by 800, and inflict 800 damage to you! And this effect does not target your monster, so Leo is not immune to it! Black Stardrain!" Nothung raised its sword, a line of light shooting forward and hitting the lion, causing it to stumble for a moment, and weakening it.

[Leo, the Keeper of the Sacred Tree: 3100 - 800 = 2300ATK]

Then, black feathers flew towards Naoya, pelting him and lowering his life points.

Naoya: 4000 - 800 = 3200LP

"Nothung the Starlight also grants me a second Normal Summon this turn!" Crow called. "So come from my hand—Blackwing - Bora the Spear!" An avian human with orange feathers forming the top of its head and long midnight blue wings appeared, letting out a loud shriek.

[Blackwing - Bora the Spear (4*/1700/800/DARK/Winged Beast/Effect)]

"Black Whirlwind's effect triggers again," Crow called. "I will add another "Blackwing" monster with lower attack points than the monster I just Normal Summoned from my deck to my hand. And since Blackwing - Breeze the Zephyr was added to my hand by a card effect, I can Special Summon it!" An orange bird with long yellow, canary-like wings appeared, soaring through the air.

[Blackwing - Breeze the Zephyr (3*/1100/300/DARK/Winged Beast/Tuner/Effect)]

"I'll tune the Level 3 Blackwing - Breeze the Zephyr to the Level 4 Blackwing - Bora the Spear! Spread your jet-black wings, and storm forth in tandem with the roaring thunder! A slash of lightning! Synchro Summon! Cascade, Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower!" His ace appeared, its wings of different colours—one black, one white, raindrops scattering through the air.

[Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower (7*/2600/2000/DARK/Winged Beast/Synchro/Effect)]

"Battle Phase! I will attack Leo, the Keeper of the Sacred Tree with Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower!"

"Continuous Trap," Naoya replied. The card next to him flipped up. "There Can Only Be One. You can only control one monster of each Type. And if you control more, you must send monsters from your field to the graveyard until you only control one!"

"Why didn't you use that before I Synchro Summoned?" Crow said, sounding surprised. Nothung faded from his field.

"Because then you could have destroyed it before the Battle Phase," Naoya said with a shrug. "Take Leo."

Raikiri attacked the monster, black winds swirling around it.

Naoya: 3200 - 300 = 2900LP

"I'll set a card and end my turn," Crow said after a moment. He couldn't do anything while that floodgate was on the field, so he would have to wait until the next turn. "Pinaki lets me add a "Blackwing" monster from my deck to my hand."

A floodgate that wouldn't affect Naoya himself at all.

[Turn 3: Naoya] [H:3]

"Draw," Naoya said. "I will Normal Summon Scrap Chimera!" The mechanical beast with a lion's head appeared with a roar.

[Scrap Chimera (4*/1700/500/EARTH/Beast/Effect)]

"I will Special Summon a "Scrap" Tuner from my graveyard to the field. Come back—Scrap Raptor." The dinosaur reappeared on the field. "I will tune the Level 4 Raptor to the Level 4 Chimera! Mechanical monstrosity with the glowing eyes, let your metallic wings shear through those who suppress us! Synchro Summon! Level 8—Scrap Dragon!" The purple-tinted metal dragon appeared, red eyes glowing brightly.

[Scrap Dragon (8*/2800/2000/EARTH/Dragon/Synchro/Effect)]

"I will activate the Continuous Spell, Scrap Sabotage. I will then use Scrap Dragon's effect," Naoya declared. "I will target Scrap Dragon itself and Raikiri—and destroy both of them." The two monsters shattered. "Usually, Scrap Dragon's effect upon destruction can only be triggered if it was destroyed by an opponent's card. However, with Scrap Sabotage face-up on the field, Scrap Dragon's effect can trigger if it was destroyed by a "Scrap" card's effect. Thus, I can revive a non-Synchro "Scrap" monster. I will revive Scrap Orthros from my graveyard." The robot monster reappeared on the field. "I will then use Scrap Factory's effect. I will Special Summon a "Scrap" monster from my deck. Come—Scrap Golem!" A grey machine with a red fan as its right arm appeared in front of him.

[Scrap Golem (5*/2300/1400/EARTH/Rock/Effect)]

"With the effect of Scrap Factory, all "Scrap" monsters gain 200 attack and defense points."

[Scrap Golem: 2300 + 200 = 2500ATK; 1400 + 200 = 1600DEF]

[Scrap Orthros: 1700 + 200 = 1900ATK; 1100 + 200 = 1300DEF]

"I will have Scrap Golem attack you directly!"

If both attacks hit, Crow would lose immediately.

"I will activate the Trap Card, Blackwing - Twin Shadow! I will shuffle two "Blackwing" monsters, a Tuner and a non-Tuner, from my graveyard into the deck to Special Summon a "Blackwing" monster or "Black-Winged Dragon" from my Extra Deck with the same total Level as those monsters, treating it as a Synchro Summon!" Crow called. "I will shuffle the Level 3 Pinaki the Waxing Moon and the Level 4 Bora the Spear into the deck! Wet those pitch-black wings. Resonate with the drizzling rain, single strike of lightning! Synchro Summon! Pierce through! Level 7, Assault Blackwing - Chidori the Rain Sprinkling!" A man with black wings appeared, knives and blades floating around his wings.

[Blackwing - Chidori the Rain Sprinkling (7*/2600/2000/DARK/Winged Beast/Synchro/Effect)]

"Chidori gains 300 attack points for each "Blackwing" monster in my graveyard!" Crow declared. "I have Raikiri, Gladius, Nothung and Breeze!"

[Blackwing - Chidori the Rain Sprinkling: 2600 + 300 x 4 = 3800ATK]

"So it's stronger than any of my monsters," Naoya commented. "Sure. Main Phase 2. I will use Scrap Golem's effect. Once per turn, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower "Scrap" monster from my graveyard to either player's field. I will Special Summon Scrap Goblin in Defense Position." The small monster reappeared. "And I will tune the Level 4 Scrap Orthros to the Level 5 Scrap Golem. Twin-headed monstrosity, let your warped wires light up with flickering electricity and blow away all in my path! Synchro Summon! Level 9, cybernetic madness—Scrap Twin Dragon!" The dangerous grey-green dragon appeared on his field as well.

[Scrap Twin Dragon (9*/3000/2200/EARTH/Dragon/Synchro/Effect)]

"I'll set another card and end my turn," he said. "Over to you."

[Turn 4: Crow] [H:4]

"Draw," Crow said. "There Can Only Be One is a very powerful Trap. How did you get it?"

"A gift from Sherry," Naoya said with a chuckle. "It doesn't affect her much either, I do believe. Warriors and Spellcasters and Plants and all those things. But I'm not complaining. It barely changes anything about my strategy."

So, from other friends that Naoya had made in prison… Crow was somewhat glad for him.

"I will activate the Spell Card, Mystical Space Typhoon! I will destroy your Trap!" The Continuous Trap shattered. "Which means that I can now continue with my strategy! I will Normal Summon Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North!" The small blue bird appeared on his field.

[Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North (2*/1300/0/DARK/Winged Beast/Tuner/Effect)]

"And with Blizzard the Far North's effect, I will Special Summon a Level 4 or lower "Blackwing" monster from my graveyard in Defense Position. Return—Blackwing - Gladius the Midnight Sun!" The avian with silver blades all around it reappeared. "Black Whirlwind will let me add another "Blackwing" monster from my deck to my hand. And I'll tune the Level 2 Blizzard the Far North to the Level 3 Gladius the Midnight Sun! Pitch-black gale, become the tailwind that ties our bonds! Synchro Summon! Take flight! Level 5! Assault Blackwing - Sohaya the Rain Storm!" The black and green avian appeared, glowing green wings spreading out like solar panels, golden lightning flying everywhere all around it.

[Assault Blackwing - Sohaya the Rain Storm (5*/1500/1000/DARK/Winged Beast/Synchro/Effect)]

"And when Sohaya is Synchro Summoned, I can revive an "Assault Blackwing" monster! Return! Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower!" Crow's ace reappeared on his field. "And now, I can use Raikiri's effect! I will destroy cards on your field, up to the number of other "Blackwing" monsters I control! I will destroy your set card and Scrap Twin Dragon!"

The two cards shattered.

"So you judged my set card a greater threat than my Field Spell," Naoya said. "Let's see if your choice was right! Scrap Twin Dragon's effect! I can revive a "Scrap" non-Synchro Monster! Return to the field in Defense Position! Scrap Orthros!" The two-headed dog reappeared. "And I'll use the effect of Scrap Factory to Special Summon Scrap Kong!" A robotic muscular monkey appeared on his field.

[Scrap Kong (4*/2000/1000/EARTH/Beast/Effect)]

Three monsters in Defense Position.

"I will have Sohaya the Rain Storm attack Scrap Kong!" The monkey was destroyed. "Raikiri attacks Scrap Orthros." The second monster was destroyed. "I will have Chidori attack your final monster!"

"Scrap Goblin cannot be destroyed by battle," Naoya said.

"I end my turn," Crow said.

"At the end of the Battle Phase, if Goblin was attacked while in Defense Position, it is destroyed," Naoya called. "Then, since Goblin was destroyed by a "Scrap" card's effect, I can add a "Scrap" monster from my graveyard to my hand!"

[Turn 5: Naoya] [H:2]

Naoya drew another card. "I will Normal Summon Scrap Chimera. And return to the field, Scrap Orthros!" He held out his hands, the two monsters flew back together, forming Scrap Dragon. "I will then use the Continuous Spell, Scrap Lube. Revive—Scrap Goblin." He gestured to Scrap Dragon. "I will use Scrap Dragon's effect. I will destroy a card I control and a card you control. I will destroy Assault Blackwing - Sohaya the Rain Storm and Scrap Goblin!"

The two monsters exploded into gears.

"I will then use Scrap Goblin's effect. I will add another "Scrap" monster from my graveyard to my hand." Naoya gestured to his Field Spell, which had begun glowing. "I will use Scrap Factory's effect to Special Summon a "Scrap" monster from my deck, since a "Scrap" monster was destroyed by card effects. Come—Scrap Mind Reader!" A strange spherical metal ball with two green circles on the front of its 'body' appeared.

[Scrap Mind Reader (1*/0/0/EARTH/Machine/Tuner/Effect)]

"I will tune the Level 1 Scrap Mind Reader to the Level 8 Scrap Dragon." Naoya skipped the summoning chant again. "Synchro Summon! Level 9! Scrap Twin Dragon!" Naoya smirked. "I'll send Scrap Sabotage from the field to the graveyard to excavate the top three cards of my deck and add one to my hand." He swept up the first card the moment that he saw it. "Good. I'll activate the Spell Card, Guts of Steel. I'll reveal three "Scrap" monsters from my graveyard. Scrap Orthros, Scrap Raptor and Scrap Goblin. You choose one, it's Special Summoned to my field, and the other two are banished."

"Take back Raptor," Crow said immediately. The dinosaur reappeared on Naoya's field.

"I will use Scrap Twin Dragon's effect," Naoya said. "I will destroy Scrap Raptor, and return two cards you control to the hand. I will return Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower and Assault Blackwing - Chidori the Rain Sprinkling to the hand—and thus, your Extra Deck." His two monsters vanished from the field, turning to dust.

And because they had been returned to the Extra Deck, he couldn't revive them directly.

"Scrap Twin Dragon attacks you directly!"

[Scrap Twin Dragon: 3000 + 200 = 3200ATK; 2200 + 200 = 2400DEF]

The attack hit, and Crow grimaced.

He couldn't quite focus. It was difficult.

Crow: 4000 - 3200 = 800LP

"I'll end my turn," Naoya said. "So?"

[Turn 6: Crow] [H:4]

Damn.

He hadn't expected that. Naoya was the weakest one of them, no matter how much Crow had always avoided saying it. And yet, somehow, he'd caught up in the time that he had been imprisoned…

"It's not like I've just been wasting away, you know," Naoya said after a moment. "You and Shinji seem to see being arrested as the death of our will. As though being caught and imprisoned there would be the worst thing that could happen to us. That's why you didn't want Kiryu and I to risk everything for a statement."

"... Kiryu was grieving," Crow said. "He wasn't thinking clearly. What about you? You had no reason to risk your life and your freedom for his revenge!"

"... who cares if we're arrested?" Naoya replied. "Who cares if they silence us, as long as we refuse to be silenced? There are some things more important than freedom—and that's solidarity. None of us could have stopped Kiryu that day. So, at the very least, if he was going to die, I didn't want him to be alone."

Crow flinched.

"We are Commons," Naoya said. "We bleed and we're wounded every single day of our lives. And thus, the only way to survive is through solidarity. If one of us is wounded, all of us have been wounded. If one of us cries, all of us cry. But a single voice is never enough. Don't you agree, Shinji?" He raised his voice. "They're Tops. They're cruel and selfish and they will never see us even if we toss ourselves against the door over and over, begging to be allowed a scrap. So we just have to keep on going. They can't kill us all if they want to maintain the world that they have, built on our broken bones!"

Crow rubbed his forehead.

But a revolution will change too much—it might mean that it'll take us forever to build a proper society. Is it better to make peace?

"Your thoughts have always been clouded, Crow," Naoya continued. "You've always been afraid of the power that you might have to hold in your hands if we truly end up revolting. You are so afraid that you will be crushed under the weight of holding the responsibility for the people here. And so you let Shinji continue on with his dreams for revolution, unable to speak your doubts, unable to change anything. You are doing the same thing that I did back then, but instead of actively supporting Shinji, you're refusing to commit one way or the other!"

"Then, what do you think I should do?" Crow shouted, losing his temper. "I—I have to take care of the kids! I have to—"

"Don't use children as your excuse!" Naoya pointed out towards Crow. "Shouldn't they be your reason to rebel, in the end?"

And Crow reeled back, as though he had been slapped.

---

Up above, Shinji clenched a fist.

For the children, huh?

For those who should be able to live in a world that did not discriminate against them.

---

"... maybe," Crow said after a moment. "Maybe that's the case. But what do you expect me to do? I've never been a particularly violent person."

"Even so—" Naoya raised a fist. "We cannot hope to wait for peace forever. If peace will not move them, let's break them with war."

"... in that case," Crow said, "I'll prove my resolve to live, instead of dreaming."

Instead of looking up and hating the Tops, without doing anything to change the world…

He would move forward to change it. Alongside Shinji, alongside the rest of the Commons.

He revealed a card in his hand. "I'll Normal Summon Blackwing - Decay the Ill Wind!" A red-feathered bird man appeared, long feathered black wings flapping. He was wearing orange beads around his neck and hips. "I will then use Decay the Ill Wind's effect! I will increase his Level by 1!"

[Blackwing - Decay the Ill Wind (4*/1000/1000/DARK/Winged Beast/Tuner/Effect)]

[Blackwing - Decay the Ill Wind: 4* + 1* = 5*]

"I will use the effect of Black Whirlwind to add a "Blackwing" monster with lower attack points from my deck to my hand! And now, I'll Special Summon Blackwing - Gladius the Midnight Sun from my hand!" The black-feathered bird in silver armour appeared. "And I'll Special Summon Blackwing - Bora the Spear!"

The orange-themed bird with black wings appeared.

"And now, I'll tune the Level 5 Blackwing - Decay the Ill Wind to the Level 3 Blackwing - Gladius the Midnight Sun! Darkened whirlwind, reveal hidden wishes on your wings! Revolutionary spirit, be born again under the crimson sun and fan the flames of revolution! Synchro Summon! Level 8! Soar, Black-Winged Revolution Dragon!" A large black dragon with black and red wings appeared, feathers flaring outwards. Bits of torn fabric flared through the air, the red and white of flags in battle, victory and war and surrender condensed in stream-like bits of fabric. Its feathers were long and full—bird-like wings, instead of being segmented. Its long claws were polished and sharpened like blades. Rusty red gears floated around it, some of them attached to its body near red orbs that blinked like bombs. It had some scars on it—as though it had fought through far more battles than one might expect.

[Black-Winged Revolution Dragon (8*/2800/1600/DARK/Dragon/Synchro/Effect)]

"Your true ace," Naoya noted. "You haven't used that in a long time."

"I will have Black-Winged Revolution Dragon attack your monster! And when a monster I control battles a monster with higher attack points, that monster gains attack points equal to Black-Winged Revolution Dragon's original attack points!" The dragon's feathers flared out, glowing bright red.

No matter how unfair the situation, my Black-Winged Revolution Dragon can always overturn it.

[Black-Winged Revolution Dragon: 2800 + 2800 = 5600ATK]

Scrap Twin Dragon was destroyed by the attack with great force.

Naoya: 2900 - 2400 = 500LP

"And now, for the final attack!" Crow declared. "Attack directly, Bora the Spear!"

Naoya: 500 - 1700 = 0LP

Winner: Crow Hogan!

The attack landed.

Crow came to an abrupt stop at the finish line. He looked back at Naoya.

"And that's your spirit of revolution, Crow Hogan," Naoya said smugly. "Alive and well. Not holding back at all."

"You didn't want me to hold back on you," Crow understood all of a sudden.

"You're stronger than me, Crow," Naoya said. "You might even be stronger than Shinji. You just need to stop hesitating." He didn't seem to care about his loss at all.

"… thanks," Crow said. He cracked a smile. "Friend."

"No, thank you," Naoya said. "I feel alive again, yeah?"

Crow looked at his D-Wheel, considering his own mindset. His own hopes and dreams.

… when I can act, I will act. I refuse to resent others and stop acting any longer.

---

"Why did you and your brother participate in the Cup at the same time?"

Ruka Sagiri looked over. Her eyes were wide and curious. "Huh? Oh! It's because…" She trailed off. "I guess it's because as Tops, we don't have a lot to lose by, well, losing here. Rua and I have a big sister—Mikage! She's a part of Security. And if we're not strong enough to get out of there, we know she'll come and save us." She hid her face for a moment. "But it feels, um, rude to say that to you? I swear that I don't mean anything bad by it! And well, we thought that if both of us were here, we had a higher chance of meeting Jack, which would have been nice.

"It's fine," Shinji said after a moment. They were both sitting on their D-Wheels, waiting to be called out. "What about your parents? Wouldn't they fight for you too?"

"… my mother died when she gave birth to Rua and I," Ruka said, and Shinji flinched. "And my dad, um, was sick, but he's in a better place now too. It's just me, Mikage and Rua."

"… my father too," Shinji said after a moment. "I was mostly on my own for a while as well."

"It must have hurt a lot," Ruka said, and she sounded nothing like a member of the Tops at all. No platitudes, no useless sympathy, just an acknowledgement of Shinji's pain in the same way that he was acknowledging hers. For all that she was a privileged girl—and yes, Shinji had heard of her, even if he had not remembered her name—the prodigal student of Team Unicorn, a child genius and all those things that should have made his hate her.

But he didn't. It was an odd feeling. He looked at her, the definition of all things that had gone wrong in his life, and he did not want to despise her, or be cruel to her.

"May the best duelist win," he said after a pause. "Of course, I hope that's me."

Ruka laughed. "Well, it's a win-win situation for me!" She pressed a hand to her chest. "Either I defeat you and make everyone proud of me, or I lose and I get to go down and see Rua again!"

… if only Shinji could be that carefree.

They both rode out, and Shinji was silent as the crowds above praised Ruka. All the words for revolution and all the vitriol of his anger could not quite make it out of his throat. He had dreamed of it—of standing here and hurling his rage at the Tops—

But doing that to a little girl who loved her brother and missed her father felt wrong.

She should not be in the ceasefire of his actions.

So for once, Shinji remained quiet.

He could always speak another time.

He won the first turn, and he rode in front of her, drawing his five cards to start. He heard sounds of surprise from above—clearly, no one had thought that he would outpace the dueling genius—but he paid them no attention.

[DUEL!]

Ruka Sagiri: 4000LP

Shinji Weber: 4000LP

[Turn 1: Shinji] [H:5]

"I'll start," Shinji said. "I'll Normal Summon Battlewasp - Sting the Poison!" In front of him, a red-pink bee appeared, bright pink wings flitting through the air at quick speeds. The bee flew around him, and Ruka let out a soft sound of wonder.

"It's pink!" She said with a certain level of child-like glee—a reminder that despite her maturity in thinking, she was still ultimately a child.

[Battlewasp - Sting the Poison (2*/400/800/WIND/Insect/Tuner/Effect)]

"When Battlewasp - Sting the Poison is Normal or Special Summoned, I can add a "Battlewasp"monster other than Sting the Poison itself from my deck to my hand!" Battlewasp, Blackwing. When they were kids and Shinji and Crow had met for the first time, they had treated it as a sign that they should be friends. Shinji's view of Crow had not really changed since that day.

He revealed the card that he had added from his deck to his hand. "I will then activate the effect of Battlewasp - Twinbow the Attacker! During my Main Phase, I can Special Summon it from my hand, but I cannot Special Summon monsters from the Extra Deck this turn, except Insect monsters!" The pink and yellow-striped bee appeared, furry legs flicking outwards, flying next to Sting and joining it.

[Battlewasp - Twinbow the Attacker (3*/1000/500/WIND/Insect/Effect)]

"And I will tune the Level 2 Battlewasp - Sting the Poison to the Level 3 Twinbow the Attacker! Come now, ghostly archer who fires off arrows at high velocity! Synchro Summon! Level 5! Battlewasp - Azusa the Ghost Bow!" In front of him, a humanoid archer with a wasp-like face appeared, wearing a white and red gown, a graceful, feminine figure. She held up her bow, ready for battle.

[Battlewasp - Azusa the Ghost Bow (5*/2200/1600/WIND/Insect/Synchro/Tuner/Effect)]

"Since I control an Insect monster, I can Special Summon Battlewasp - Pin the Bullseye from my hand!" A small yellow bee appeared, with a fuzzy white back.

[Battlewasp - Pin the Bullseye (1*/200/300/WIND/Insect/Effect)]

"During my Main Phase, I can use the effect of Pin the Bullseye! I will inflict 200 damage to you for each "Battlewasp - Pin the Bullseye" that I control!" The bee shot forward, flying past Ruka, who ducked with a giggle.

Ruka: 4000 - 200 = 3800LP

"When a "Battlewasp" monster that I control inflicts effect damage to you, other than Azusa itself, once per turn, I can use Azusa the Ghost Bow's effect to inflict damage to you, equal to that monster's attack points!" Azusa fired off an arrow as well, which landed right next to Ruka's D-Wheel.

Ruka: 3800 - 200 = 3600LP

"And I'll tune the Level 5 Battlewasp - Azusa the Ghost Bow to the Level 1 Battlewasp - Pin the Bullseye!"

"Azusa is a Tuner?" Ruka called in surprise.

"Yes," Shinji said. "So—use your wings to make a storm follow your ways, and with your poleaxe, open a way to the truth! Synchro Summon! Come! Level 6! Battlewasp - Halberd the Charge!" A blue and gold humanoid insect with a red halberd appeared, red wings as large as its entire body.

[Battlewasp - Halberd the Charge (6*/2500/800/WIND/Insect/Synchro/Effect)]

"I'll set a card facedown," Shinji said. "Over to you."

Ruka drew a card, balancing perfectly well on her D-Wheel.

[Turn 2: Ruka] [H:6]

"Draw!" Ruka called. "I'll activate the effect of Noble Regulus in my hand! I'll send a monster from my hand to the graveyard to Special Summon it!" In front of her, a silver lion with silky white fur appeared. Its mane was a wreath of orange and vermillion flowers, and it let out a roar.

[Noble Regulus (4*/1700/1000/LIGHT/Beast/Effect)]

"Then, I can send a Level 1 Beast monster from my deck to the graveyard. And once per turn, if you control a monster with higher attack points than Noble Regulus, I can send a Field Spell from my deck to the graveyard and add a Beast, Winged Beast or Plant monster with lower attack points than the monster with the highest attack points that you control from my deck to my hand! Rallying Roar!" She swiped out a card from her deck. There was an air of confidence to her that she seemed to have attained the moment that she had started dueling. "And I will Normal Summon Armored White Bear!"

In front of her, a… well, white bear appeared, wearing… well, green and silver armour. It didn't get much simpler than that.

[Armored White Bear (4*/1800/1400/WATER/Beast/Effect)]

"When Armored White Bear is Normal or Special Summoned while there is a Synchro Monster on the field, I can add a Field Spell from my graveyard to my hand! I will add my Closed Forest to my hand and activate it!" Around them, brown branches spread along the track.

So she had sent the card there with Regulus, and taken it back with Armored White Bear… what a good way of searching it out.

"Then, I'll send a Beast monster from my hand to the graveyard to Special Summon Egotistical Ape from my hand!" What appeared to be a large purple monkey appeared on Ruka's field, but it was revealed to just be a small brown monkey with an enormous indigo shadow.

[Egotistical Ape (5*/1200/1200/EARTH/Beast/Tuner/Effect)]

That must have been the card that she searched out with Regulus's effect…

"I will not activate Egotistical Ape's effect to change its Level!" Ruka continued. "And since I sent Carpiponica, Mystical Beast of the Forest to the graveyard, I can shuffle two other Beast, Winged Beast, Plant, Beast-Warrior or Insect monsters from my graveyard into the deck, and revive it!" A large stone grey bear appeared on her field, with black patterns across its body. Leaves could be seen around its neck and legs, and two trees were blooming from its shoulders, moss running down its arms.

[Carpiponica, Mystical Beast of the Forest (7*/1000/2600/EARTH/Beast/Effect)]

"I will then use the effect of Carpiponica! I will add a "Mystical Beast of the Forest" or "Mystical Spirit of the Forest" monster from my deck to my hand!" Ruka picked up another card from her deck. "And I'll tune the Level 5 Egotistical Ape to the Level 4 Noble Regulus! 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!" A beautiful white and silver unicorn appeared in front of her, a rippling golden mane and tail streaming through the air. Petals and flowers, specifically baby's breath, formed a flower crown around its head.

[Fairy Breath Unicorn (9*/2700/2000/LIGHT/Beast/Synchro/Effect)]

"When Fairy Breath Unicorn is Synchro Summoned while I control a Field Spell, I can banish a Beast monster from my deck." Ruka gestured outwards with her hands. "With Closed Forest's effect, all Beast monsters I control gain 100 attack points for each monster in my graveyard!"

[Fairy Breath Unicorn: 2700 + 100 x 2 = 2900ATK]

[Carpiponica, Mystical Beast of the Forest: 1000 + 100 x 2 = 1200ATK]

[Armored White Bear: 1800 + 100 x 2 = 2000ATK]

She gestured forward. "Fairy Breath Unicorn attacks your Halberd the Charge!"

"I will activate the Continuous Trap, Battlewasp - Nest!" Shinji declared. "I can Special Summon a "Battlewasp" monster from my deck or hand to the field, place a counter on it and end the Battle Phase! Come from the deck—Battlewasp - Sting the Poison!" Another copy of the red-pink bee appeared on his field. "And I will add another "Battlewasp" monster to my hand!"

[Battlewasp - Nest: Counter(s): 1]

"I will end my turn," Ruka said. Her field looked, quite frankly, very powerful. However, with no set cards, it should be fine.

[Turn 3: Shinji] [H:4]

"Draw!" Shinji swiped up the top card of his deck. "I will Normal Summon Battlewasp - Arbalest the Rapidfire!" A purple and yellow bee appeared, red eyes glaring forward, white wings flitting behind it.

[Battlewasp - Arbalest the Rapidfire (4*/1800/800/WIND/Insect/Effect)]

"Arbalest's effect! I can revive a Level 3 or lower Insect monster in my graveyard! Return, Pin the Bullseye!" The small yellow bee reappeared. "I will then Special Summon another Battlewasp - Pin the Bullseye from my hand! And once per turn, Pin the Bullseye will inflict 200 damage to you for each Pin the Bullseye I control!" Both bees flew forward, poking at Ruka.

Ruka: 3600 - 200 x 2 = 3200LP

"And I'll tune the Level 2 Battlewasp - Sting the Poison to the Level 4 Battlewasp - Arbalest the Rapidfire! Powerful swarm that flies through the sandstorm! Rise up now and with the power of the collective! Synchro Summon! Level 6! Desert Locusts!" A group of knights on large locusts appeared, sand floating all around them.

[Desert Locusts (6*/1500/2400/EARTH/Insect/Synchro/Tuner/Effect)]

"With the effect of Desert Locusts, when it's Synchro Summoned, the turn player must discard a card." Shinji dropped a card from his hand. "And I will tune the Level 6 Desert Locusts to the two Level 1 Battlewasp - Pin the Bullseye!" The three monsters shot up, turning into green spheres of light that spun around each other. "Conqueror, champion of the collective, rise up and strike down those who would suppress you! Synchro Summon! Level 8! Battlewasp - Hama the Conquering Bow!" A green and orange humanoid insect appeared, purple electricity flying all around it in thin bolts. He was holding onto a green and yellow bow in his hands.

[Battlewasp - Hama the Conquering Bow (8*/2800/2000/WIND/Insect/Synchro/Effect)]

"Battlewasp - Hama the Conquering Bow will attack your Fairy Breath Unicorn!"

The pale unicorn was destroyed by an arrow that pierced straight through it.

Ruka: 3200 - 100 = 3100LP

"I will activate the effect of Hama! When it inflicts battle damage to you, I can decrease the attack and defense points of all monsters you control by 1000!"

"Since Fairy Breath Unicorn was destroyed by battle, I can revive a Beast monster, other than a Synchro Monster! Come back, Noble Regulus!" The lion reappeared in Defense Position, before all of Ruka's monsters were weakened by Hama's effect.

[Noble Regulus: 1700 - 1000 + 100 x 2 = 900ATK; 1000 - 1000 = 0DEF]

[Carpiponica, Mystical Beast of the Forest: 1200 - 1000 = 200ATK; 2600 - 1000 = 1600DEF]

[Armored White Bear: 2000 - 1000 = 1000ATK; 1400 - 1000 = 400DEF]

"Since my "Battlewasp" monster destroyed a monster you control by battle, Azusa revives itself in Defense Position."

The archer appeared, sitting down in Defense Position.

"Since Hama the Conquering Bow was Synchro Summoned using a Synchro Monster as material, it can attack twice! Hama will attack Armored White Bear!" It was the only monster in Attack Position, after all, so it was the only monster that Shinji could battle to deal her damage. The second attack hit.

Ruka: 3100 - 1800 = 1300LP

"Since Armored White Bear was destroyed by battle, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Beast monster from my deck or graveyard!" Ruka called. She plucked out a card from her deck. "Come—Uni-Horned Familiar!" A blue-green demonic creature with long horns appeared.

[Uni-Horned Familiar (2*/0/1000/LIGHT/Beast/Tuner/Effect)]

It was yet another monster in Defense Position.

"Halberd the Charge will attack your Carpiponica!"

Ruka nodded, not doing anything to protect her monster. It was destroyed.

"I end my turn," Shinji said. "Over to you."

[Turn 4: Ruka] [H:3]

"Draw! During my Standby Phase, the monster that I banished with the effect of Fairy Breath Unicorn will return to the field! Come—Valerifawn, Mystical Beast of the Forest!" A cute, small doe appeared on the field as well, patting the ground nervously with hooves.

[Valerifawn, Mystical Beast of the Forest (2*/400/900/EARTH/Beast/Tuner/Effect)]

"I will then discard a card to revive a Level 2 or lower Beast monster! I will revive the monster that I just discarded—Uniflora, Mystical Beast of the Forest!" A light grey unicorn with black swirls around it appeared, moss growing across its body.

[Uniflora, Mystical Beast of the Forest (1*/700/500/EARTH/Beast/Effect)]

"I will then tune the Level 2 Valerifawn, Mystical Beast of the Forest to the Level 1 Uniflora, Mystical Beast of the Forest and the Level 4 Noble Regulus!" The three monsters vanished into soft light. "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!"

A beautiful, aqua blue serpent-like dragon appeared, a soft green mane threaded with downy chartreuse feathers emerging from its head that ran behind it in the air, catching small clumps of purple mist from the clouds of mist that were floating around it. It had long wings around it, round and shaped like a butterfly's. A flower crown could be seen on the dragon's head, with dangling blue and purple hydrangea on chartreuse stems that trailed down to its chest. The wings themselves were lovely—slightly translucent, almost dream-like in quality, stars and mist shining in the space between red membranes, solid but also ethereal, as though one could reach right through them.

[Ancient Fairy Dreamwave Dragon (7*/2100/3000/LIGHT/Dragon/Synchro/Effect)]

But… it was in Defense Position, huh? And those defense points…

"I will then Normal Summon Lock Cat!" A small white cat appeared on her field, licking at its paw. Its paws, the ends of its ears and tail were all tinged red.

[Lock Cat (3*/1200/1000/EARTH/Beast/Effect)]

"I will use the effect of Lock Cat to revive a Level 1 Beast monster from my graveyard in Defense Position, and its effects are negated! Come back, Uniflora!" The green equine monster reappeared. "And now, I will tune the Level 2 Uni-Horned Familiar to the Level 1 Uniflora, Mystical Beast of the Forest and the Level 3 Lock Cat!"

A second Synchro Summon on the same turn, with both Synchro Summons using three monsters? She really was quite talented.

"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!" A large, bright orange dragon appeared, letting out a roar. Around it, trails of flames and fire-red chrysanthemums could be seen in the air. It had long, furry whiskers that emerged from its snout. A bestial, feathered tail could be seen behind it, giving off a bright gold light. Golden cinquefoil wrapped around long silver horns from the dragon's forehead.

[Ancient Sunshine Wyvern (6*/1000/3000/FIRE/Wyrm/Synchro/Effect)]

When Ruka looked at the dragon, there was something softer to her gaze—something fond.

"This card was the last birthday present that my dad ever gave me," she said. "He got it for me because it reminded him of my ace—Ancient Fairy—" The blue dragon let out a roar of acknowledgement. "And because he loved me. He loved me."

And now he's gone.

Shinji swallowed the lump in his throat. A Top being allowed to die like that… they had access to medicine and hospitals. If that was the case, Ruka's dad must have been really, really sick.

"So that's why I want to become a Pro Duelist! I used to be really shy, you know. But he used to tell me that I had the strength to be a shining star for everyone. So that's exactly what I want to become!"

… only the Tops have the right to dream like that.

But I don't want to take away their dreams. I only want to make ours a reality.

"Then I wish you the best," Shinji said, and he meant it.

Ruka nodded. "Ancient Sunshine Wyvern's effect!" She called. "I can banish a Synchro Monster from my Extra Deck and a monster from my graveyard to inflict 1000 damage to you!" A large golden fireball shot forward, narrowly missing Shinji.

Shinji: 4000 - 1000 = 3000LP

"And I'll set a card and end my turn!"

Two monsters in Defense Position, no attacking… was she intending to burn him down over the course of four turns? How would she even keep that monster on the field for that long?

[Turn 5: Shinji] [H:2]

"Draw," Shinji said. "I will activate the Spell Card, Magic Planter! I will send Battlewasp - Nest from my field to the graveyard to draw two cards!" After all, it didn't seem like Ruka would be attacking him anymore. "I will change Azusa into Attack Position! And now, I'll activate the Spell Card, Summoning Swarm! I can revive Level 4 or lower "Battlewasp" monsters from my graveyard, up to the number of monsters you control!" Sting the Poison and Pin the Bullseye reappeared on his field. "I'll then use Sting the Poison's effect and add another "Battlewasp" monster from my deck to my hand, while Pin the Bullseye will inflict 200 damage to you!" The bee dashed forward, Ruka's life points dropping slightly.

Ruka: 1300 - 200 = 1100LP

"Azusa's effect triggers! You take damage equal to Pin the Bullseye's attack points!"

Ruka: 1100 - 200 = 900LP

He needed to burst through those defences. If it was a monster with high attack points, he could've just used Halberd the Charge, but this was different from what he normally had to deal with.

"Continuous Spell, Solidarity! Since I control only one Type of monster in my graveyard, all monsters I control with the same Type gain 800 attack points!"

[Battlewasp - Halberd the Charge: 2500 + 800 = 3300ATK]

[Battlewasp - Azusa the Ghost Bow: 2200 + 800 = 3000ATK]

[Battlewasp - Hama the Conquering Bow: 2800 + 800 = 3600ATK]

[Battlewasp - Pin the Bullseye: 200 + 800 = 1000ATK]

[Battlewasp - Sting the Poison: 400 + 800 = 1200ATK]

"Hama can still attack twice per turn! So I'll have Halberd attack Ancient Fairy Dreamwave Dragon!"

The bee shot forward, stabbing forward with its polearm—

But the dragon roared, standing up against it defiantly—not striking back, but not falling either.

"While I control a Field Spell, Ancient Fairy Dreamwave Dragon cannot be destroyed by battle!" Ruka declared.

Oh. That explained why she was so confident then, but—

"Does it protect your other monsters from battle destruction?"

"No," Ruka said.

"Then Hama will attack your Ancient Sunshine Wyvern!" Hama shot forth an arrow that pierced straight through the dragon, destroying it. Shinji grimaced. "I end my turn!"

Ruka held out a hand. "During the End Phase of the turn that Ancient Sunshine Wyvern is destroyed by battle, it revives itself in Defense Position, since I controlled a Field Spell when it was destroyed!" The fiery orange dragon reappeared on her field.

So he had to destroy it with a card effect for it to count?

[Turn 6: Ruka] [H:1]

"Draw!" Ruka gestured to her monster. "I will use the effect of Ancient Sunshine Wyvern again!" She banished two more cards, and a ball of golden fire and light was launched towards Shinji.

Shinji: 3000 - 1000 = 2000LP

"I will then end my turn."

Just like that? So she was trying to stall him out then…

And he'd have to break this defensive field of hers to make it out.

[Turn 7: Shinji] [H:3]

"Draw!" If he needed to destroy that monster by a card effect, then…

Alternatively, she had 900 life points left. He could try to defeat her with effect damage. He really wasn't good with defensive monsters. After all, his monsters' effects triggered when he dealt damage to his opponent by battle, which was… not ideal against this. Even Halberd's burn damage effect was locked behind battle damage. And he couldn't even clear her monsters and attack her directly before the wyvern revived, because her ace was invincible in battle.

… alternatively—

"I will use Pin the Bullseye's effect!" He declared. The bee dashed forward, and right afterwards, Azusa shot off an arrow with its own effect as well.

Ruka: 900 - 200 - 200 = 500LP

"I will tune the Level 5 Battlewasp - Azusa the Ghost Bow to the Level 6 Battlewasp - Halberd the Charge and the Level 1 Battlewasp - Pin the Bullseye!" He declared.

Ruka's eyes widened. "A—"

"Level 12 Synchro Summon," Yuto said, somewhat surprised. "That's—"

"Powerful." That was Miharu's only comment on the situation.

"This is my strongest monster," Shinji admitted. "And I didn't expect to have to bring it out so quickly. But you're far more capable than I expected you would be." He said it with a reassuring smile. "Tear down the wall of the haughty villains with the power of our gathered bonds! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Level 12! Battlewasp - Ballista the Armageddon!" His strongest monster appeared in front of him, an armoured red and green bee surrounded by various different sharp stings—some green, some red, some yellow. Some floating around it and attached to its various legs, some attached to its abdomen. Its black mandibles seemed to vibrate as it floated around, almost faster than the eye could see. It let out a sharp buzzing noise as its wings, which resembled blue glass bordered by red metal, carried it higher into the air. It stopped in his Extra Monster Zone.

[Battlewasp - Ballista the Armageddon (12*/3000/800/WIND/Insect/Synchro/Effect)]

"When Ballista the Armageddon is Synchro Summoned, all Insect monsters in my graveyard are banished." Thus, he did not have the boost from Solidarity anymore, as all the monsters in his graveyard filed out of that slot. "Then, all monsters that my opponent currently controls lose 500 attack and defense points for each banished Insect monster!"

"What?"

"I don't need to count them to know that both of your monsters have their stats reduced to zero on both ends!" Both dragons let out pained cries, seeming to be pressed closer to the ground by some kind of pressure.

[Ancient Fairy Dreamwave Dragon: 2100 → 0ATK; 3000 → 0DEF]

[Ancient Sunshine Wyvern: 1000 → 0ATK; 3000 → 0DEF]

"And Ballista the Armageddon deals piercing damage when it attacks a Defense Position monster! Attack Ancient Fairy Dreamwave Dragon and end this!" The large red and green bee charged forward, ready to cut down the dragon. And it didn't matter if it was not destroyed—

The attack hit.

Ruka's life points did not fall.

"While I control a Field Spell," Ruka said, sounding calm—she must have known that she was not in danger at all, then—"I do not take damage from battles involving my monsters with 2100 or less attack points while Ancient Fairy Dreamwave Dragon is face-up on the field."

So Shinji's strongest monster was useless here then?

… damn it.

"I end my turn," he said. Above, the announcer said something about how Shinji had not managed to win yet, but he didn't pay too much attention to it.

[Turn 8: Ruka] [H:2]

"Draw!" Ruka glanced at the card. "… I will use Ancient Sunshine Wyvern's effect!" Two more cards banished, another ball of golden fire flying at him.

Shinji: 2000 - 1000 = 1000LP

"I end my turn," Ruka said.

One more turn before he lost.

"I acknowledge that you're strong," Shinji said aloud. "But I cannot lose to you."

I cannot be so weak that I cannot support my own ideals.

He glanced at the top card of his deck.

Please.

[Turn 9: Shinji] [H:4]

"Draw!"

He glanced at the card.

… it would do.

"I will activate the Spell Card, Burial from a Different Dimension. I will return three banished monsters to my graveyard!" He swiped out three of his banished Insects, placing them back in the slot for his graveyard. "And then, I will activate another copy of the Spell Card, Summoning Swarm!" Two copies of Pin the Bullseye appeared on his field. "And then, since I control an Insect monster, I can Special Summon Battlewasp - Pin the Bullseye from my hand!"

Three of them now.

Shinji raised his hand for the final blow.

"I will use Pin the Bullseye's effect! I will inflict 200 damage to you for every Pin the Bullseye I control! I control three!"

The three bees all flew forward.

That would be 600 damage. That would be enough.

"Trap Card, Damage Eraser!" Ruka called. "I will reduce that damage to 0 and regain life points equal to the damage I should have taken!"

… oh, come on.

A healing green light surrounded Ruka.

Ruka: 500 + 200 x 3 = 1100LP

"… well," Kiryu remarked. "This does look like a helpless situation, doesn't it?"

"Come on, Shinji," Crow murmured. "You can't lose like this. The answer's right there for you. Why aren't you seeing it?"

"The answer is obvious," Shun said, tilting his head. "… perhaps he's too direct to see it."

(Both of them were talking about two obvious answers. Either would work. It just depended on which one Shinji noticed first.)

Below, Shinji assessed the field again. A monster that defended itself from battle, defended its user from battle damage. A monster that revived itself when destroyed by battle. This was troublesome…

Wait.

Wait.

"Oh, I'm an idiot," he said aloud. But if he had used it earlier, he might have made things truly impossible for himself, considering that Damage Eraser had already been set back then. So maybe his idiocy had reaped its own rewards?

"I will tune the Level 2 Sting the Poison to my three Level 1 Pin the Bullseye!" The four monsters flew together, before Azusa appeared to the left of Hama, right behind Ballista. "I will enter my Battle Phase—and end it immediately!"

Ruka blinked. Up above, Crow pumped a fist in the air. "You've remembered, Shinji!"

"To be honest," Shinji said, "it's probably the fact that you're a child that made me forget this. I kept on being impressed, and then I forgot to use my own effects." He gestured to Hama. "During the end of the Battle Phase, if you didn't take battle damage this turn, I inflict 300 damage to you for each "Battlewasp" monster in my graveyard! Currently, I have four!"

"What?" Ruka exclaimed.

"If I had activated it earlier, you would have just used Damage Eraser and gained more than two thousand life points off it," Shinji reflected. "So I guess my own obliviousness served a purpose this time." He pointed forward. "It's an impressive wall, but I do not care about walls! Go, Hama!"

Four arrows flew through the air, and with each arrow, Ruka's life points fell—until the final arrow finally reduced them to zero.

Ruka: 1100 - 300 x 4 = 0LP

Winner: Shinji Weber!

Shinji came to a stop next to her. He opened his mouth to—maybe to apologise, maybe to encourage her, maybe something in between—

He was interrupted by an enthusiastic laugh.

"I've never been defeated by effect damage before!" Ruka said. "It's a new learning experience, at least!" She was beaming at him—not resentful at all. "Thank you!"

… thanking him for defeating her…

"Take care," Shinji said, because any other words would choke in his throat.

Ruka's face dropped slightly. "It's scary," she admitted. "I know Rua will be there, but I—I'm scared."

Shinji looked at her.

He knelt down, meeting her gaze directly. She was just a child, and yet she was forced to be afraid. No one should have to be afraid to lose like this.

"I'll stop this," he vowed to her, and in his mind, the images of all the children in the Commons surfaced. A younger version of himself was also there, punching a wall in anger at everything. "I'll change all of this. You won't have to be scared, and neither will anyone else."

"… really?"

"Yes. I promise."

Ruka nodded, her gaze hopeful. There was no distrust in her eyes, unlike most of the Tops that Shinji had met.

The guards came. Shinji did not stop them, even if he clenched his fists.

I will make this city better.

Just you wait.

---

"I still haven't dueled yet," Yuto murmured. "I wonder why…" And the fact that Shun and Nue were among the seven possible opponents for him was not a good feeling at all. And he didn't exactly want to duel Yugo either, considering what had happened the last time that they had tried to duel each other in a tense situation. No more of that, thank you.

He was thinking to himself so much that he was startled by a knock on his window. He turned over—

On the outside of his window, Sora Shiun'in was knocking on the glass, clinging to the window railing.

Yuto's first reaction was anger, but then, it gave way to surprise when he saw the look on Sora's face—worry.

He walked to the window and opened it. "Give me a good reason to let you in," he said. It felt like that day in the park again—the two of them face to face, each knowing what the other one was. Sora Shiun'in had hurt the people of the Xyz Dimension. He had hurt Shun. He had hurt so many people, and Yuto did not know if he could look past any of that, no matter why Sora was here.

Sora breathed out, clearly having been in a rush. "I thought I should come to you first because you're discreet," he said. "And I can't meet Yuya and Yuzu and Gongenzaka yet, I—" He took a deep breath. "Yuzu's in danger. And Serena and Kogami too, but Yuzu—"

Yuto looked at him.

He moved away from the window. "Tell me," he said after a pause. "And make it fast."

---

Duel 1 Summary: Aki Izayoi vs Noboru Gongenzaka

Duel Format: Normal Duel

Turn 1: Aki Izayoi

Aki Normal Summons Lonefire Blossom. (3*/500/1400) She tributes it to Special Summon Blood Rose Witch (1*/800/1700) from her Deck. She Special Summons White Rose Dragon (4*/1200/1000) from her hand since she controls a Plant Tuner. She tunes the Level 1 Blood Rose Witch to the Level 4 White Rose Dragon, Synchro Summoning Garden Rose Maiden (5*/1600/2400) in Defense Position. She uses Garden Rose Maiden's effect to add Black Garden to her hand. She uses White Rose Dragon's effect to send a Level 4 or higher Plant monster from her Deck to the GY. She sets 2 cards facedown and ends her turn.

Turn 2: Noboru Gongenzaka

Gongenzaka draws. He Normal Summons Superheavy Samurai Magnet. (4*/900/1900) He changes Magnet to Defense Position and Special Summons Superheavy Samurai Flutist (3*/500/1000) from his hand. Black Garden halves Gongenzaka's monsters' ATK and Special Summons a Rose Token (2*/800/800) to Aki's field for each. (SSM: 900 / 2 = 450ATK) (SSF: 500 / 2 = 250ATK) He tributes Flutist to Special Summon Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei (8*/1000/3500) from his hand in Defense Position. (SSBB: 1000 / 2 = 500ATK) Another Rose Token is Special Summoned to Aki's field. Big Benkei allows Gongenzaka's "Superheavy Samurai" monsters to attack in Defense Position. Big Benkei attacks the Rose Token. Aki activates the Counter Trap, Negate Attack, negating the attack and ending the Battle Phase. Gongenzaka ends his turn.

Turn 3: Aki Izayoi

Aki draws. She activates the Continuous Trap, Ivy Shackles, treating all of Gongenzaka's monsters as Plant monsters on her turn. She activates the Spell Card, Fragrance Storm. She targets Big Benkei to destroy it. Gongenzaka banishes Flutist from the GY to negate the activation and destroy Fragrance Storm. Aki activates Magic Planter, sending Ivy Shackles to the GY to draw 2 cards. She Normal Summons Spore. (1*/400/800) A Rose Token is Special Summoned to Gongenzaka's field. (S: 400 / 2 = 200ATK) Aki tunes the Level 1 Spore to the three Level 2 Rose Tokens, Synchro Summoning Black Rose Calamity Dragon. (7*/2400/1800) Black Garden halves Black Rose Calamity Dragon's ATK and Special Summons a Rose Token to Gongenzaka's field. (BRCD: 2400 / 2 = 1200ATK) With Black Rose Calamity Dragon's effect, she targets Big Benkei, Magnet and one Rose Token, destroying the three of them. Then, all face-up Special Summoned monsters except Black Rose Calamity Dragon have their ATK become 0 until the End Phase. (RT: 800 → 0ATK) (GRM: 1600 → 0ATK) Black Rose Calamity Dragon attacks the Rose Token. [NG: 4000 - 1200 = 2800LP]

Turn 4: Noboru Gongenzaka

Gongenzaka draws. Since Aki controls two or more monsters and he controls no monsters, he can Special Summon Superheavy Samurai Scales. (4*/800/1800) from his hand. He uses Scales's effect to Special Summon Superheavy Samurai Magnet from the GY. Two Rose Tokens are Special Summoned to Aki's field. (SSM: 900 / 2 = 450ATK) (SSS: 800 / 2 = 400ATK) Gongenzaka uses Scales to Link Summon Superheavy Samurai Scarecrow. (L1/0/↙) Another Rose Token is Special Summoned to Aki's field. With Scarecrow's effect, Gongenzaka discards a monster to revive Big Benkei to Scarecrow's Link Marker. Another Rose Token appears on Aki's field. (SSBB: 1000 / 2 = 500ATK) Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei attacks Black Rose Calamity Dragon. Aki uses Black Rose Calamity Dragon's effect, negating the attack and destroying Big Benkei. Gongenzaka ends his turn.

Turn 5: Aki Izayoi

Aki draws. She activates the Spell Card, Frozen Rose. She sends Black Rose Calamity Dragon from her field to the GY, adding a Level 4 Plant monster from her Deck to her hand. She activates Fragrance Storm, destroying Garden Rose Maiden to draw a card. Since she drew a Plant monster, she can reveal it to draw another card. She destroys Black Garden and all four Rose Tokens to Special Summon Black Rose Calamity Dragon to her field in Attack Position. She Normal Summons Roxrose Dragon. (3*/1600/1200) She uses Roxrose Dragon's effect to add Basal Rose Shoot from her Deck to her hand. She activates it, reviving White Rose Dragon. She tunes the Level 3 Roxrose Dragon to the Level 4 White Rose Dragon, Synchro Summoning Periallis, Empress of Blossoms. (7*/1600/2400) White Rose Dragon allows Aki to send another Level 4 or higher Plant monster from her Deck to the GY. Periallis lets Aki revive a Level 5 or higher Plant monster. She Special Summons Garden Rose Maiden in Defense Position. Periallis gains 400 ATK for each other Plant monster Aki controls. (PEOB: 1600 + 400 = 2000ATK) Periallis attacks Magnet. Black Rose attacks Scarecrow. Since there are no Spells or Traps in Gongenzaka's GY, he takes no damage from this attack. Aki ends her turn.

Turn 6: Noboru Gongenzaka

Gongenzaka draws. He Normal Summons Superheavy Samurai Battleball. (2*/100/800) With Battleball's effect, he uses it and Black Rose Calamity Dragon to Synchro Summon Superheavy Samurai Beast Kyubi. (9*/1900/2500) Kyubi gains 900 DEF for each Special Summoned monster that Aki controls, and can attack while in Defense Position. (SSBK: 2500 + 900 = 3400DEF) Kyubi attacks Periallis. [AI: 4000 - 1400 = 2600LP] Gongenzaka ends her turn.

Turn 7: Aki Izayoi

Aki draws. Aki Normal Summons White Rose Dragon. She uses its effect to revive Roxrose Dragon. She uses Roxrose Dragon's effect to add Basal Rose Shoot to her hand. She tunes the Level 3 Roxrose Dragon to the Level 4 White Rose Dragon, Synchro Summoning Black Rose Moonlight Dragon. (7*/2400/1800) With Black Rose Moonlight Dragon's effect, she returns Kyubi to the Extra Deck. She changes Garden Rose Maiden to Attack Position. Garden Rose Maiden and Black Rose Moonlight Dragon attack directly. [GN: 2800 - 1600 - 2400 = 0LP] Aki wins!

---

Duel 2 Summary: Serena Akaba vs Hitoda Makishima

Duel Format: Normal Duel

Turn 1: Hitoda Makishima

Hitoda activates the Continuous Spell, Awakening of the Possessed. She Normal Summons Lyna the Light Charmer. (3*/500/1500) She Special Summons Jigabyte (4*/1500/200) from her hand. She sends both of them to the graveyard to Special Summon Awakening of the Possessed - Gagigobyte (5*/2000/200) from her Deck in Attack Position. She sets 2 cards facedown and ends her turn.

Turn 2: Serena Akaba

Serena draws. She discards Moonlight Black Sheep from her hand, adding Polymerization from her Deck to her hand. She Normal Summons Moonlight White Rabbit (2*/800/800) from her hand. She revives Moonlight Emerald Bird (4*/1200/1000) from her graveyard. She uses Emerald Bird's effect to discard a "Moonlight" card and draw a card. Hitoda activates the Trap Card, Spiritual Water Art - Aoi, discarding Polymerization from Serena's hand. Hitoda uses Gagigobyte's effect to add a "Possessed" Spell/Trap from her Deck to her hand. She activates Possessed Partnerships, bringing back Familiar-Possessed - Dharc. (4*/1850/1500) She uses Awakening of the Possessed's effect to draw a card. Serena sets a card and ends her turn.

Turn 3: Hitoda Makishima

Hitoda draws. She Normal Summons Eda the Sun Magician. (4*/1500/1500) She uses Eda's effect to Special Summon a Spellcaster monster with 1500 DEF from her Deck facedown to her field. She uses Dharc and Eda to Link Summon Dharc the Dark Charmer, Gloomy. (L2/1850/↙, ↘) She draws a card from Awakening of the Possessed. She uses Dharc's effect to revive Moonlight Black Sheep to Dharc's Link Marker. She sets 2 cards facedown. Since she controls monsters of one Attribute, her monsters gain 300 ATK. (DTDCG: 1850 + 300 = 2150ATK) Dharc attacks Moonlight White Rabbit. [SA: 4000 - 1350 = 2650LP] Serena activates the Trap Card, Moonlight Reincarnation Dance, adding two "Moonlight" monsters from her Deck to her hand. Hitoda ends her turn.

Turn 4: Serena Akaba

Serena draws. She activates Moon Light Perfume, reviving Moonlight White Rabbit in Defense Position. She banishes Moon Light Perfume from the graveyard and discards a card to add a "Moonlight" monster from her Deck to her hand. She activates the effect of Moonlight Black Sheep, discarding it to add Polymerization from her Deck to her hand. Hitoda activates the Trap Card, Dark Spirit Art - Greed, tributing Moonlight Black Sheep to draw two cards. Serena chooses not to discard a Spell to negate it. Serena activates Polymerization, fusing Moonlight Emerald Bird on the field and Moonlight Crimson Fox in her hand. She Fusion Summons Moonlight Cat Dancer (7*/2400/2000) in Attack Position. Emerald Bird revives Crimson Fox in Defense Position with its effects negated. Crimson Fox's effect as material lowers Dharc's ATK to 0. (DTDCG: 2150 → 0ATK) She uses Cat Dancer's effect to tribute Crimson Fox and grant Cat Dancer the ability to attack each of Hitoda's monsters twice. Cat Dancer attacks Dharc. Hitoda activates Possessed Partnerships, reviving Lyna the Light Charmer in Attack Position. Since she controls two Attributes, she destroys Cat Dancer. Serena sets a card and ends her turn.

Turn 5: Hitoda Makishima

Hitoda draws. Hitoda Flip Summons Wynn the Wind Charmer. She sends Wynn and Lyna from her field to the graveyard to Special Summon Awakening of the Possessed - Rasenryu (5*/2000/200) from her Deck. She uses Rasenryu's effect. Serena activates Waboku. Rasenryu returns White Rabbit to the hand. She uses Dharc's effect to revive Moonlight Cat Dancer to the Link Marker. She uses Dharc, Cat Dancer and Rasenryu to Link Summon Apollousa, Bow of the Goddess. (L4/?/↙, ↑, ↓, ↘) Apollousa's original ATK is equal to the number of materials used for its Link Summon x 800. (ABOTG: ? → 2400ATK) It gains 300 ATK from Awakening of the Possessed. (ABOTG: 2400 + 300 = 2700ATK) Since Rasenryu was sent to the GY, Hitoda adds a "Spiritual Wind Art" Trap from her Deck to her hand. She sets 3 cards facedown and ends her turn.

Turn 6: Serena Akaba

Serena draws. She sets the Scale 1 Moonlight Wolf and the Scale 5 Moonlight Tiger in the Pendulum Scales. She Pendulum Summons Moonlight White Rabbit and Moonlight Kaleido Chick (4*/1400/800) from her hand. She uses Kaleido Chick's effect and sends Moonlight Panther Dancer from her Extra Deck to the GY to have Kaleido Chick copy its name. Hitoda negates it by decreasing Apollousa's ATK by 800. (ABOTG: 2700 - 800 = 1900ATK) Serena uses the Pendulum Effect of Moonlight Wolf to banish Kaleido Chick and White Rabbit from the field and Panther Dancer from the GY to Fusion Summon Moonlight Lio Dancer. (10*/3500/3000) Lio Dancer attacks Apollousa. Hitoda activates the Continuous Trap, Unpossessed. Lio Dancer destroys all monsters that Hitoda controls with its own effect. Hitoda chains Wynn the Wind Channeler's (5*/1850/1500) effect and Special Summons it from the hand in Defense Position. It is not destroyed by Lio Dancer's effect due to Awakening of the Possessed. Lio Dancer attacks Wynn. Unpossessed protects it from destruction by battle. Serena ends her turn.

Note: The anime card text on Lio Dancer's effect is vague, but I'm taking my cue from the TCG, which says that it occurs at the end of the Damage Step. Anime Lio Dancer's effect is compulsory. Thus, it activates simultaneously with effects that occur on battle destruction, and it goes first since it's Serena's turn. Thus, anime Lio Dancer's effect triggers first to destroy her card, and Wynn the Wind Channeler activates as Chain Link 2. Wynn is summoned first, and Lio Dancer's effect destroys it.

Turn 7: Hitoda Makishima

Hitoda draws. She Special Summons Ranryu (4*/1500/200) from her hand while she controls a Spellcaster monster. She Normal Summons Familiar-Possessed - Hiita. (4*/1850/1500) She uses Awakening of the Possessed's effect to draw a card. She uses Ranryu and Hiita to Link Summon Hiita the Fire Charmer, Ablaze. (L2/1850/↙, ↘) She Special Summons Nefarious Archfiend Eater of Nefariousness (4*/1500/200) from her hand since she controls a Spellcaster monster. With the effect of Awakening of the Possessed, all monsters she controls gain 300 ATK x the number of Attributes that she controls. (WTWC: 1850 + 300 x 3 = 2750ATK) (NAEON: 1500 + 300 x 3 = 2400ATK) (HTFCA: 1850 + 300 x 3 = 2750ATK) Hiita attacks Lio Dancer. Unpossessed gives it 800 more ATK. (HTFCA: 2750 + 800 = 3550ATK) [SA: 2650 - 50 = 2600LP] Archfiend Eater attacks directly. [SA: 2600 - 2400 = 200LP] Hitoda ends her turn.

Turn 8: Serena Akaba

Serena draws. She uses Moonlight Wolf's Pendulum Effect to banish Moonlight Black Sheep, Moonlight Emerald Bird and Moonlight Crimson Fox from the GY to Fusion Summon Moonlight Sabre Dancer. (9*/3000/2600) Moonlight Sabre Dancer gains 200 ATK for each Beast-Warrior monster that is banished or in the GY. (MSD: 3000 + 200 x 11 = 5200ATK) Sabre Dancer attacks Nefarious Archfiend Eater of Nefariousness. Hitoda activates Spiritual Wind Art - Miyabi, tributing Wynn to return a card that Serena controls to the deck. Sabre Dancer cannot be targeted by card effects. Hitoda targets Moonlight Tiger. (NAEON: 2400 - 300 = 2100ATK) [HM: 2400 - 3100 = 0LP] Serena wins.

---

Duel 3 Summary: Crow Hogan vs Naoya Otobashi

Duel Format: Normal Duel

Turn 1: Naoya Otobashi

Naoya Normal Summons Scrap Raptor. (4*/1400/1000) He activates the Field Spell, Scrap Factory. He uses Scrap Raptor's effect to destroy itself and give himself another Normal Summon/Set of a "Scrap" monster this turn. He uses Scrap Factory's effect to Special Summon Scrap Breaker (6*/2100/700) from his Deck. He then uses Scrap Raptor's effect to add a "Scrap" non-Tuner from his Deck to his hand. He Normal Summons Scrap Goblin (3*/0/500) and then uses the effect of Scrap Orthros (4*/1700/1100) to Special Summon it and destroy Scrap Goblin. With Scrap Goblin's effect, he adds a "Scrap" monster from his graveyard to his hand. He tunes the Level 4 Scrap Orthros to the Level 6 Scrap Breaker, Synchro Summoning Leo, the Keeper of the Sacred Tree. (10*/3100/1900) Naoya sets a card and ends his turn.

Turn 2: Crow Hogan

Crow draws. He activates the Continuous Spell, Black Whirlwind. He then Normal Summons Blackwing - Pinaki the Waxing Moon. (3*/1200/1000) He uses Black Whirlwind's effect to add a "Blackwing" monster with lower ATK than Pinaki's ATK from his Deck to his hand. He Special Summons Blackwing - Gladius the Midnight Sun (3*/800/1500) from his hand. He tunes the Level 3 Pinaki to the Level 3 Gladius, Synchro Summoning Blackwing - Nothung the Starlight. (6*/2400/1800) He uses Nothung's effect to lower the ATK of Leo by 800 and inflict 800 damage to Naoya. [NO: 4000 - 800 = 3200LP] (LTKOTST: 3100 - 800 = 2300ATK) Nothung the Starlight grants Crow a second Normal Summon of a "Blackwing" monster this turn, so he Normal Summons Blackwing - Bora the Spear. (4*/1700/800) Black Whirlwind's effect triggers, letting Crow add a "Blackwing" monster with less ATK than Bora from his Deck to his hand. Since Blackwing - Breeze the Zephyr (3*/1100/300) was added to his hand by a card effect, he can Special Summon it. He tunes the Level 3 Breeze the Zephyr to the Level 4 Bora the Spear, Synchro Summoning Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower. (7*/2600/2000) Raikiri attacks Leo. Naoya activates the Continuous Trap, There Can Only Be One. Crow is forced to send Nothung to the GY. Raikiri destroys Leo. [NO: 3200 - 300 = 2900LP] Crow sets a card and ends his turn. Pinaki lets him add a "Blackwing" monster from his Deck to his hand.

Turn 3: Naoya Otobashi

Naoya draws. He Normal Summons Scrap Chimera. (4*/1700/500) With its effect, he revives Scrap Raptor. He tunes the Level 4 Scrap Raptor to the Level 4 Scrap Chimera, Synchro Summoning Scrap Dragon. (8*/2800/2000) He activates the Continuous Spell, Scrap Sabotage. He uses Scrap Dragon's effect, destroying itself and Raikiri. With Scrap Sabotage's effect, Scrap Dragon is treated as having been destroyed by an opponent's card effect. With Scrap Dragon's effect, Naoya revives Scrap Orthros. Scrap Factory Special Summons Scrap Golem (5*/2300/1400) from his Deck. Scrap Factory gives all "Scrap" monsters 200 ATK/DEF. (SG: 2300 + 200 = 2500ATK; 1400 + 200 = 1600DEF) (SO: 1700 + 200 = 1900ATK; 1100 + 200 = 1300DEF) Golem attacks directly. Crow activates his Trap Card, Blackwing - Twin Shadow, shuffling the Level 3 Pinaki the Waxing Moon and the Level 4 Bora the Spear into the Deck to Synchro Summon Assault Blackwing - Chidori the Rain Sprinkling (7*/2600/2000) in Attack Position. Chidori the Rain Sprinkling gains 300 ATK for each "Blackwing" monster in Crow's GY. (ABCTRS: 2600 + 300 x 4 = 3800ATK) Naoya moves to his Main Phase 2, using Scrap Golem's effect to revive Scrap Goblin in Defense Position. He tunes the Level 4 Scrap Orthros to the Level 5 Scrap Golem, Synchro Summoning Scrap Twin Dragon. (9*/3000/2200) He sets a card and ends his turn.

Turn 4: Crow Hogan

Crow draws. He activates the Spell Card, Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying There Can Only Be One. He Normal Summons Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North. (2*/1300/0) With Blizzard the Far North's effect, he will revive Gladius the Midnight Sun. With Black Whirlwind's effect, he will add a "Blackwing" monster with less ATK than Blizzard the Far North from his Deck to his hand. He tunes the Level 2 Blizzard the Far North to the Level 3 Gladius the Midnight Sun, Synchro Summoning Assault Blackwing - Sohaya the Rain Storm. (5*/1500/1000) He uses Sohaya the Rain Storm's effect to revive Raikiri the Rain Shower. Since he controls two other "Blackwing" monsters, he uses Raikiri's effect to destroy two cards that Naoya controls—his set card and Scrap Twin Dragon. Since Scrap Twin Dragon was destroyed, he revives Scrap Orthros to the field in Defense Position. With his Field Spell's effect, he Special Summons Scrap Kong (4*/2000/1000) from his Deck in Defense Position. Sohaya attacks Scrap Kong, while Raikiri attacks Scrap Orthros. Chidori attacks Scrap Goblin, but Scrap Goblin cannot be destroyed by battle.

At the end of the Battle Phase, Goblin destroys itself. Since it was destroyed by a "Scrap" card's effect, Naoya adds a "Scrap" monster from his GY to his hand. Crow ends his turn.

Turn 5: Naoya Otobashi

Naoya draws. He Normal Summons Scrap Chimera. He revives Scrap Orthros. He tunes the Level 4 Scrap Orthros to the Level 4 Scrap Chimera, Synchro Summoning Scrap Dragon. He then activates the Continuous Spell, Scrap Lube, reviving Scrap Goblin. With Scrap Dragon's effect, he destroys Scrap Goblin and Sohaya the Rain Storm. Since Scrap Goblin was destroyed by a "Scrap" card's effect, Naoya can add a "Scrap" monster from his graveyard to his hand. With Scrap Factory's effect, he Special Summons Scrap Mind Reader (1*/0/0) from his Deck. He tunes the Level 1 Scrap Mind Reader to the Level 8 Scrap Dragon, Synchro Summoning Scrap Twin Dragon. He sends Scrap Sabotage from the field to the GY, using its effect to excavate the top three cards of his Deck and add one to his hand. He activates the Spell Card, Guts of Steel, revealing Scrap Orthros, Scrap Raptor and Scrap Goblin from his graveyard and allowing Crow to choose one. Crow chooses Scrap Raptor, which is Special Summoned to Naoya's field, while the other two are banished. Naoya uses Scrap Twin Dragon's effect, destroying Scrap Raptor and returning Raikiri and Chidori to Crow's Extra Deck. Scrap Twin Dragon attacks directly. (STD: 3000 + 200 = 3200ATK; 2200 + 200 = 2400DEF) [CH: 4000 - 3200 = 800LP]

Turn 6: Crow Hogan

Crow draws. He Normal Summons Blackwing - Decay the Ill Wind (4*/1000/1000) from his hand. Decay the Ill Wind increases its own Level by 1. (BDTIW: 4* + 1* = 5*) He uses Black Whirlwind's effect to add Blackwing - Gladius the Midnight Sun from his Deck to his hand. He then Special Summons Blackwing - Gladius the Midnight Sun and Blackwing - Bora the Spear from his hand with their effects. He tunes the Level 5 Decay the Ill Wind to the Level 3 Gladius the Midnight Sun, Synchro Summoning Black-Winged Revolution Dragon. (8*/2800/1600) Black-Winged Revolution Dragon attacks Scrap Twin Dragon. With its own effect, it gains ATK equal to its own original ATK. (BWRD: 2800 + 2800 = 5600ATK) [NO: 2900 - 2400 = 500LP] Bora the Spear attacks directly. [NO: 500 - 1700 = 0LP] Crow wins!

---

Duel 4 Summary: Ruka Sagiri vs Shinji Weber

Duel Format: Normal Duel

Turn 1: Shinji Weber

Shinji Normal Summons Battlewasp - Sting the Poison (2*/400/800) from his hand. With Sting the Poison's effect, he can add a "Battlewasp" monster from his Deck to his hand. He adds Battlewasp - Twinbow the Attacker (3*/1000/5000) to his hand and uses its effect to Special Summon it from his hand. He tunes the Level 2 Sting the Poison to the Level 3 Twinbow the Attacker to Synchro Summon Battlewasp - Azusa the Ghost Bow. (5*/2200/1600) Since he controls an Insect monster, he Special Summons Battlewasp - Pin the Bullseye (1*/200/300) from his hand. He uses Pin the Bullseye's effect, inflicting 200 damage to Ruka for each Pin the Bullseye he controls. [RS: 4000 - 200 = 3800LP] Azusa's effect inflicts damage to Ruka equal to Pin the Bullseye's ATK. [RS: 3800 - 200 = 3600LP] He tunes the Level 5 Azusa the Ghost Bow to the Level 1 Pin the Bullseye, Synchro Summoning Battlewasp - Halberd the Charge. (6*/2500/800) He sets 1 card and ends his turn.

Turn 2: Ruka Sagiri

Ruka draws. She sends 1 monster from her hand to the GY to Special Summon Noble Regulus (4*/1700/1000) from her hand. She then sends a Level 1 Beast monster from her Deck to the GY. Then, since Shinji controls a monster with higher ATK than Noble Regulus, she uses its effect, sending the Field Spell, Closed Forest, from her Deck to the GY to add a Beast, Winged Beast or Plant monster with lower ATK than the strongest monster that Shinji controls (Halberd the Charge) from her Deck to her hand. She Normal Summons Armored White Bear. (4*/1800/1400) She uses its effect. Since there is a Synchro Monster on the field, she adds Closed Forest from her graveyard to her hand nad activates it. She sends a Beast from her hand to the GY to Special Summon Egotistical Ape. (5*/1200/1200) Then, since she sent Carpiponica, Mystical Beast of the Forest (7*/1000/2600) from her hand to the GY, she uses its effect, shuffling two Beast, Winged Beast, Plant, Beast-Warrior or Insect monsters from her GY into her Deck to Special Summon it in Defense Position. She uses its effect to add a "Mystical Beast of the Forest" monster from her Deck to her hand. She tunes the Level 5 Egotistical Ape to the Level 4 Noble Regulus, Synchro Summoning Fairy Breath Unicorn. (9*/2700/2000) She then uses Fairy Breath Unicorn's effect. Since it was Synchro Summoned while she controlled a Field Spell, she can banish a Beast monster from her Deck, and Special Summon it during her next Standby Phase. With Closed Forest's effect, all Beast monsters gain 100 ATK for each monster in her GY. (FBU: 2700 + 200 = 2900ATK) (CMBOTF: 1000 + 100 x 2 = 1200ATK) (AWB: 1800 + 100 x 2 = 2000ATK) Fairy Breath Unicorn attacks Halberd the Charge. Shinji activates Battlewasp - Nest, placing a counter on it to Special Summon a "Battlewasp" monster from his deck. He Special Summons Battlewasp - Sting the Poison, and the Battle Phase ends. He uses Sting the Poison's effect to add another "Battlewasp" monster from the Deck to his hand. Ruka ends her turn.

Turn 3: Shinji Weber

Shinji draws. He Normal Summons Battlewasp - Arbalest the Rapidfire. (4*/1800/800) He uses its effect to revive Battlewasp - Pin the Bullseye from his GY. He Special Summons another copy of Pin the Bullseye from his hand with its own effect. He uses Pin the Bullseye's effect to inflict 200 damage to Ruka for each Pin the Bullseye he controls. [RS: 3600 - 200 x 2 = 3200LP] He tunes the Level 2 Sting the Poison to the Level 4 Arbalest the Rapidfire, Synchro Summoning Desert Locusts. (6*/1500/2400) With the effect of Desert Locusts, he is forced to discard a card. He then tunes the Level 6 Desert Locusts to the two Level 1 Pin the Bullseye, Synchro Summoning Battlewasp - Hama the Conquering Bow. (8*/2800/2000) Since Hama the Conquering Bow was Synchro Summoned with a Synchro Monster as material, it can declare two attacks per turn. Hama the Conquering Bow attacks Fairy Breath Unicorn and destroys it. [RS: 3200 - 100 = 3100LP] Hama's effect to decrease all of Ruka's monsters' ATK and DEF by 1000 triggers as Chain Link 1. Fairy Breath Unicorn's effect to revive a non-Synchro Beast monster from Ruka's graveyard triggers as Chain Link 2. Ruka Special Summons Noble Regulus in Defense Position. (NR: 1700 - 1000 + 100 x 2 = 900ATK; 1000 - 1000 = 0DEF) (CMBOTF: 1200 - 1000 = 200ATK; 2600 - 1000 = 1600DEF) (AWB: 2000 - 1000 = 1000ATK; 1400 - 1000 = 400DEF) Since a "Battlewasp" monster Shinji controls destroyed a monster by battle, Azusa revives itself. Hama attacks Armored White Bear with its second attack. [RS: 3100 - 1800 = 1300LP] Ruka uses Armored White Bear's effect to Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Beast monster from her Deck. She Special Summons Uni-Horned Familiar (2*/0/1000) from her Deck. Halberd the Charge destroys Carpiponica. Shinji ends his turn.

Turn 4: Ruka Sagiri

Ruka draws. During her Standby Phase, the monster banished by Fairy Breath Unicorn's effect is Special Summoned to her field. She Special Summons Valerifawn, Mystical Beast of the Forest. (2*/400/900) She discards a card with Valerifawn's effect and revives Uniflora, Mystical Beast of the Forest. (1*/700/500) She tunes the Level 2 Valerifawn to the Level 1 Uniflora and the Level 4 Noble Regulus. She Synchro Summons Ancient Fairy Dreamwave Dragon. (7*/2100/3000) Ruka Normal Summons Lock Cat. (3*/1200/1000) She uses its effect to revive Uniflora. She tunes the Level 2 Uni-Horned Familiar to the Level 1 Uniflora and the Level 3 Lock Cat to Synchro Summon Ancient Sunshine Wyvern (6*/1000/3000) in Defense Position. She uses Ancient Sunshine Wyvern's effect to banish a monster from her graveyard and a Synchro Monster from her Extra Deck to inflict 1000 damage to Shinji. [SW: 4000 - 1000 = 3000LP] Ruka sets a card and ends her turn.

Turn 5: Shinji Weber

Shinji draws. He activates the Spell Card, Magic Planter, sending Battlewasp - Nest from his field to the GY to draw two cards. He changes Azusa the Ghost Bow into Attack Position. He then activates the Spell Card, Summoning Swarm, reviving Sting the Poison and Pin the Bullseye. He uses Sting the Poison's effect to add another "Battlewasp" monster to his hand, and uses Pin the Bullseye's effect to inflict 200 damage to Ruka. Azusa's effect also inflicts 200 damage to Ruka. [RS: 1300 - 200 - 200 = 900LP] Shinji activates the Continuous Spell, Solidarity, granting his monsters 800 attack points since there are only Insect monsters in his GY. I'm not writing these stats out. God free me from this duel. Halberd attacks Ancient Fairy Dreamwave Dragon. While there is a Field Spell on the field, Ancient Fairy Dreamwave Dragon cannot be destroyed by battle. Hama attacks Ancient Sunshine Wyvern. Shinji ends his turn. During the End Phase, since Ancient Sunshine Wyvern was destroyed by battle while there was a Field Spell on the field, it revives itself in Defense Position.

Turn 6: Ruka Sagiri

Ruka draws. She uses Ancient Sunshine Wyvern's effect again. [SW: 3000 - 1000 = 2000LP] Ruka ends her turn.

Turn 7: Shinji Weber

Shinji uses Pin the Bullseye's effect. Azusa's effect triggers. [RS: 900 - 200 - 200 = 500LP] He tunes the Level 5 Azusa the Ghost Bow to the Level 6 Halberd the Charge and the Level 1 Pin the Bullseye to Synchro Summon Battlewasp - Ballista the Armageddon. (12*/3000/800) Since Ballista the Armageddon was Synchro Summoned, all Insect monsters in his graveyard are banished, and all monsters Ruka controls lose 500ATK/DEF for each banished Insect monster. (AFDD: 2100 → 0ATK; 3000 → 0DEF) (ASW: 1000 → 0ATK; 3000 → 0DEF) Ballista the Armageddon attacks Ancient Fairy Dreamwave Dragon. Its effect allows it to deal piercing damage. However, Ancient Fairy Dreamwave Dragon protects Ruka from battle damage in battles involving monsters with 2100 or less ATK while she controls a Field Spell. Shinji ends his turn.

Turn 8: Ruka Sagiri

Ruka draws. She uses Ancient Sunshine Wyvern's effect again. [SW: 2000 - 1000 = 1000LP] Ruka ends her turn.

Turn 9: Shinji Weber

Shinji draws. He activates Burial from a Different Dimension, returning three banished monsters to the graveyard. He returns two copies of Pin the Bullseye and one copy of Azusa the Ghost Bow to the graveyard. He activates the Spell Card, Summoning Swarm, reviving both copies of Pin the Bullseye. He Special Summons Pin the Bullseye from his hand. He uses Pin the Bullseye's effect. Ruka activates Damage Eraser. She negates the damage and gains life points equal to that amount. [RS: 500 + 200 x 3 = 1100LP] He tunes the Level 2 Sting the Poison to the 3 Level 1 Pin the Bullseye, Synchro Summoning Azusa the Ghost Bow. He starts his Battle Phase and ends it immediately. Since Ruka took no battle damage this turn, she takes 300 damage for each "Battlewasp" monster in Shinji's graveyard. [RS: 1100 - 300 x 4 = 0LP] Shinji wins!

---

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.

Scrap Sabotage

(Spell/Continuous)

Once per turn: You can send 1 "Scrap" card from your Deck to the GY, then, if you do, destroy 1 card you control. If a "Scrap" Synchro Monster you control is destroyed by the effect of a "Scrap" card you control, it is also treated as having been destroyed by the effect of an opponent's card. You can send this card from the field to the GY while you control a face-up "Scrap" monster: Excavate the top 3 cards of your Deck, and if you do, add 1 of them to your hand, and place the rest of the excavated cards on top of the Deck.

Black-Winged Revolution Dragon

(8*/2800/1600/DARK/Dragon/Synchro/Effect)

1 Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner monsters

(This card is always treated as "Black-Winged Dragon".)

You do not take effect damage while you control this Synchro Summoned monster on the field. If a monster you control is destroyed or banished by a card effect: You can place 1 Black Feather Counter on this card. Once per turn: You can remove all Black Feather Counters from this card, then target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; that target loses 700 ATK for each Black Feather Counter removed, and if it does, inflict damage to your opponent equal to the ATK lost by this effect. Once per turn, if a monster you control battles an opponent's monster with higher ATK: That monster you control gains ATK equal to this card's original ATK.

Trivia: The fifth of the retrained Signer Dragons. The name was by far the easiest part of making this card. As you can tell, it no longer loses attack points from having Black Feather Counters on it. It also no longer responds to effect damage—instead it flat out negates effect damage while you control it. Let's be real, Black-Winged Dragon was so underpowered that I needed to buff it this much just to get it on the same level as Scarlight. The effect damage negation references how the Commons are usually suppressed through ways that are much more insidious than simple violence, and it shows how Crow is placing himself on the same level as Tops—dismissing their tricks and forcing them to battle him directly instead. The effect damage accumulating over time represents the growing resentment that is not showed immediately, but will explode at the right time. The final effect represents the defeat of a stronger foe by using one's own unique qualities. The design itself, to fit with the whole future-form that I've been using for the rest, is similar to Scarlight—its feathers are longer, it carries fabrics in its feathers of torn flags from battle, etc. It is a dragon that has led rebellions. At the same time, 'Revolution' references the Industrial Revolution, which is what the steampunk aesthetic references.

Noble Regulus

(4*/1700/1000/LIGHT/Beast/Effect)

You can send 1 monster from your hand to the GY; Special Summon this card from your hand in Attack Position, and if you do, send 1 Level 1 Beast monster from your Deck to your GY. Once per turn, if your opponent controls a monster with higher ATK than this card: You can send 1 Field Spell from your Deck to your GY; add 1 Beast, Winged Beast or Plant monster from your Deck to your hand with lower ATK than the monster with the highest ATK that your monster controls. You can only activate each effect of "Noble Regulus" once per turn.

Trivia: Regulus retrain, and way better. Not quite that broken yet though. It's a more organic, flowery version of the original Regulus.

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.

Trivia: Fairy Breath, retrained into a monster. I thought that it would be fitting for Ruka. Also represents her connection to Team Unicorn in this continuity. I basically just took the AFD-specific support and made it into a monster.

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 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.

Trivia: Dreamwave is a genre of music, which matches with Power Tool Soundwave Dragon. This Ancient Fairy is not the peace enforcer that Black Rose is—she has secluded herself completely away from the world and refuses to enter the modern world. Thus, it has taken on some more prehistoric qualities by secluding itself away. The word "dream" is also supposed to align with all the mist and stuff surrounding this dragon. As you'll note, there's no description of the golden armour. This dragon has no wish for battle, and thus, its effects are all completely passive. But yes, that's all six of the Signer Dragons, retrained for Arc-V standards. Yay. It can of course be countered with literally any Spell removal, but that's the point. The revival effect is obviously intended to work with Noble Regulus. Dreams also affect your brainwaves, thus—dreamwave, sleeping, reference to Ruka's connection to the Spirit World. That's not canon here, btw.

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.

Trivia: Based, naturally, on Ancient Sunshine and its burn effects. The name is a reference to Ancient Sacred Wyvern. The symbolism of the flower 'cinquefoil' is 'beloved daughter'. Red chrysanthemums mean love.

---

Different Card Effects from TCG:

Moonlight Cat Dancer - Anime effect.

Moonlight Lio Dancer - Anime effect.

Damage Eraser - Anime-only card. Ruka gets it because Rua had it in 5Ds and I thought that was a cute reference.

---

Chapter 38 Fun Fact:

Out of the first round duels in the Friendship Cup, most of them have changed greatly over time from my first few drafts. Only a few have stayed almost the entire way. Serena vs Hitoda, Mion vs Rua and [REDACTED] have pretty much been the same since the first draft. I honestly think I am still not satisfied with the end result for Round 1, but Round 2 onwards is nothing but great. The reason for that is that I actually went backwards—I planned starting from the final match and ending in Round 1, picking opponents along the way in order of priority, so I would know who had to win. In general, I think that's the best way to plan a tournament, because planning from Round 1 and ending with the final match is bad. 0/10 would not recommend.

Fun fact, the initial plan for Ruka was to have her be Yuno's Round 1 opponent, and to lock down his ability to use his Field Spell with Closed Forest. I hope we all acknowledge how absolutely hellish of an opponent Ruka would have been for Yuno with the cards I gave her, and we can move on from this. :'D

---

End Notes:

Edit: I forgot my shoutouts, oh no. phantomdragons got Hitoda vs Serena, and I think that's it. Feel free to correct me if I was wrong though.

This chapter's duels all had an obvious outcome, which was unfortunate, but can't be helped. I'm satisfied with how it went. I hate Gongenzaka's deck with a burning passion, but I wrote the best duel that I could with my limited idea of how the deck works. Please don't shoot me. :D I'm crying in pain. Anyway, Gongenzaka's cards all use their TCG/OCG version, because I didn't want to mix and match for a deck I was already struggling with. If it messes with canon duels… oh well. Such an interesting character, but his deck pains me on a personal level.

I'm not a fan of slapping random summoning methods onto characters and just saying that's how they have evolved their dueling, since I think that should show more in their playstyle and their ability to build fields rather than just a single summoning method. So my way of introducing summoning methods is more of a 'bonds' thing rather than an 'evolution' thing—every summoning method that any character learns in this story is a direct link to another character. :) E.g. For Yuya, Xyz (Yuto-Shun), Link (Yuno), Synchro (Yugo), Fusion (Yuzu-Sora). In this case, Gongenzaka learns, but he still loses because he's unable to use it to its full potential.

So, Serena vs Hitoda is interesting. To clarify, Hitoda is not actually that much stronger than Serena in my power scaling. However, she is possibly the worst matchup for Serena in this entire tournament, except maybe Miharu. While some might think that Gongenzaka is the shield to Serena's sword, and that's definitely true, Gongenzaka wouldn't actually challenge Serena at all, because Lio Dancer alone would destroy him at this point in time—his 'shield' can't do anything against her sword. To refer to the metaphor in the chapter itself, Hitoda is a spider, and no matter how much Serena tried to cut through the webs, there were always more being built. Ironic, considering that Spider Dance is Shino's theme and not hers, lmao. And yes, Apollousa is Hitoda's actual ace, which is pretty funny to me. I'm not going to update that on the profile for now, but I'll just let that be known here.

Crow's cards all use their TCG effects. Why? Well, his canon duels are all not in this story, so I figured I could get away with using versions that I was personally more familiar with. (Oh, and that's a confirmation that Yuya vs Crow and Crow vs Shun don't happen, huh? I guess I'll keep this in though.) Anyway, so do Shinji's cards, except anime-only cards if they become relevant.

As a note on the narration of Melissa Claire, it admittedly makes me uncomfortable. I've chosen to interpret that the usage of the first name of the participants, which is technically taboo in Japanese society—I think we all know about how last names are used more commonly—is due to a sense that these people in the tournament are inherently under her power. That, because they're in the tournament, they are not viewed as people, but rather as toys putting on a performance, and thus, she feels like she has free reign to call them anything that she wants, such as cutesy nicknames. It's very much reminiscent of the condescending way that lower-class citizens were treated in pretty much any society with nobility in the past. The implication, of course, is that the participants are owed no respect at all. Alright, "Blaise is a nerd and overanalyses scenes" mode over.

So yeah. Naoya, like I said, is a minor character. But since he was in the tournament, I decided to make use of him, since he was in the unique position of being Crow's friend and not needing to win in the first round, unlike Kiryu or Shinji. I actually figured this part out while finalising the Friendship Cup two months ago. Anyway, I decided to use his character to encourage Crow to actually support the revolution, since the anime was rather wishy-washy on it. Anyway, yes—Crow does indeed have a Black-Winged Dragon retrain, which focuses on defeating monsters stronger than it.

And at the same time, the lesson that Crow learns is the opposite of what Shinji learns here, because their flaws are fundamentally different. Shinji is forced to immediately face how far he will go to preach for his revolution—and he immediately rejects the idea of trying to insult a girl whose brother is currently in danger, even if she is the definition of the privilege that he despises. He understands what is too cruel and what should not be done, and at the end, even though he wins, he never once speaks a word of revolution. Crow's moment happens during the duel because that is his catalyst to learn to act. Shinji's moment happens before the duel even begins.

(Also, the fact that there are no announcer bits and the Tops in the audience are never directly given dialogue is symbolic of how Shinji doesn't give Tops a voice in his perception of the world.)

Ruka uses a Beast Synchro deck with retrains of most of the iconic cards of her deck in 5Ds. It's almost completely an OC deck, but I did try to keep faithful to the original cards with the retrains. To be fair though, we've gotten support for all five other Signers already and evolutions. I know Ancient Fairy is currently banned, but I still love it—it's my second-favourite. So she gets Mystical Beasts, etc. She is the student of Team Unicorn in this continuity, after all. The reason why I made her their student was because of Sunlight Unicorn, and because I wanted to justify something about this continuity—Ruka is much stronger than Rua here. Also, who wants to bet that Konami's going to announce Ruka retrains the moment I finish this duel and make that many OC cards? Considering my track record with this story so far, there's a high chance. *sighs* Also, I've been waiting for Kittytale (the Mystical Beast) to get translated for literally forever. In the end, I decided not to and to just finish the duel without it.

Slight disclaimer: I don't rewatch the episodes just for writing duels, so I take most of the summoning chants from the wiki. Thus, if any of the summoning chants here are different from the anime, it's because the wiki doesn't have it.

I'm suing both Shinji and Ruka for being painful to write a duel for here. The other three combined took me half the time that Shinji vs Ruka took me. I messed it up twice and rage-quit immediately after. My notes for this chapter (I take notes of what I'm thinking for each paragraph, move, etc in a 'director's cut', where I leave in the cut portions of duels, etc that get rewritten) at this part are just, in order, 'fuck you, Shinji', 'bees suck', 'fuck you', 'it's 1am i hate you' and 'whywhywhywhy'.

Elise described the four duels in this chapter as 'Aki bullies Gongenzaka', 'Serena gets waterboarded by Hitoda', 'Crow gets radicalised' and 'Shinji has to dismantle a bomb in four turns', and I decided that it was too funny to stay in DMs.

Sora and Yuto meet again! An awkward conversation is about to take place.

So, why four duels here, and why this overly long chapter, if I could have split it up? The answer is simple. I wanted the next two chapters to have only two duels in them, but these four were just a little too difficult to make into two chapters narratively. Why do I want the next two chapters to only have two duels each? Why is it so narratively important that it goes 2-2 for the next two chapters, instead of 4-4 or my original plan of 2-3-3 for these eight duels?

… the participant list for the next four duels—the only duelists left in this round are Shun Kurosaki, Nue Kamisoka, Yuto Kamisoka, Dennis Mackfield, Shingo Sawatari, Misty Lola, Yugo and Kaname Mizuchi. Not in order, of course.

I think we should all understand roughly what the matchups are going to be narratively just from that, but if you don't, you're going to be pleasantly surprised.

Alright, that's it for now! I'm excited to write the next two chapters—I've been waiting forever for this! But for now—review responses. :D In general, thank you to everyone for the archetype recommendations! There are a bit too many for me to address them separately, but I appreciate the enthusiasm. Uh, but quick PSA, please don't negatively talk about other fics in your reviews! I firmly believe that it takes a lot of courage to write a fic in the first place, so I don't want anyone's efforts to be discredited.

To phantomdragons, cool analysis! Thanks for the compliment. Quite frankly, I enjoy writing character interactions the most, and so, that includes both body language and dialogue. On your speculation… well, I can't answer that, unfortunately! Best of luck. ;)

To DSpaceZ, your review made me choke, lmao. I firmly believe that it's almost impossible for anyone to scare Yuri—at most, he would probably laugh off anyone threatening him. However, this is a special case because he has literally never seen Shino angry before, and he didn't know it was possible. :) I will say that if they're not part of the Lancers, it's unlikely that characters will have more cards than just one summoning method, because of narrative issues. There will be exceptions as we go further and further into the story, but I won't elaborate too much on that.

To cardfan135, I will say that it's not impossible for more Synchro decks to show up, but for this arc, I've already introduced most of the characters that will play a role, yes. I hesitate a little to confirm this, but yes, Shino does have a crush on Ryo, and Ryo has a thing for her as well, but well, whether or not they'll actually end up a pairing… well, it depends on your definition of pairing. I really can't be more specific than that. I also won't confirm if there are any other pairings, unless the pairings are obvious like Nue/Shun or Mion/Reiji, since there's a chance that there are spoilers associated with them. Thanks for the question, though.

To ben23ten, those are some interesting recommendations. I can't elaborate on why they're interesting due to spoilers, but thanks for the review anyway!

To the Guest talking about Blue Lock, I know nothing about it, but I'll take your word that it's an interesting dynamic. Anything about Chiaki and Yuji in the immediate future is a big spoiler, so I can't talk about it. I haven't seen Sevens, since I'm not that interested in it. I will say that Chiaki and Yuji's relationship pre-Academia is probably one of the most balanced in this entire story. They balanced each other out quite well, with Chiaki helping Yuji with his people skills and Yuji helping her to moderate her abrasive nature. One thing I will point out that's amusing though is that Nagi's voice actor, from what I found online, is the same voice actor that I assigned to Yuno. Anyway, thanks for the review! I enjoy it.

To EeveeLover42, that's a lot of reviews! Uh, thanks for catching up, I guess? I can't exactly address all of your points here, but thank you for all your reviews. About your joke about Sergey having a crush on Kaname, Elise said the same thing, lmao. It was not intentional, but it's funny that people are reading it as that. Shino/Ryo is Hamartiashipping. Hamartia refers to a fatal flaw that causes a tragedy, and while I can't explain it fully now, Shino's deck is based around theatre, and Ryo's entire GX arc is essentially the structure of a dramatic tragedy. I have a playlist for themes in my profile, though it's not updated to what I currently use. The main themes aren't highlighted though. I'll do that another time. On your note about Shino, Nue, etc… good thought! Hold that thought. :)

To Blink, I definitely agree. Plus, it's easy to mess up plotlines if you're doing multiple fics at once.

To the Guest asking about the length of the fic, because of my own writing weirdness, I sometimes fuse chapters or split chapters. Even I don't know how many chapters are left, only what I have left to do. There are seven 'arcs' to the story, though what you define as an arc may be different from me. I will say that we're roughly under 20% done right now. We have a long way to go, ladies and gentlemen.

To 5thcircuit, thank you for the compliments, but please don't talk negatively about other stories.

To abyssactor, yes, Sawatari and Gongenzaka will get to do some stuff later in the arc, but their main moment to shine likely won't be in the Synchro Arc. Nice speculations about how Academia will play a role though!

To the Guest asking if Shino and Yuri have a ship name, that mildly squicks me out, so no, I don't have one for them.

To Louie the Human, Shino's only loss so far in the story is to Yuno in Chapter 3, although she wasn't able to use Fusions for the entire duel, so it was certainly not a fair fight. Thanks, I definitely want to make my villains strong enough to be credible, which is why I did give them more wins and chances to duel.

To the Guest talking about Magnetic Current, I do acknowledge that I made a bit of a mistake with Magnetic Current's materials making it so hard to summon, but it's a mistake that I'm willing to live with. Plus, the Change of Heart effect is powerful enough on its own.

To kikuruhime, I actually have a whole tier list made up for fun, but it's not feasible to include it here, considering how it's an entire tier list. I will say that the top two on that list actually do duel at some point in the fic though, which is fun. But yes, I do aim to handle power levels well.

To T.V. 2000, I'm glad that you enjoyed both those duels, and the chapter itself. Ryo and Shino is a… complicated case, but I think everyone will enjoy what's in store on that front. All the decks that you mentioned are really interesting, and while I can't confirm anything, I do think you have good taste! :D

To Shiemi Okumura, yes, Mion has a prosthetic arm. She lost her left arm in a car accident.

To the Guest who reviewed literally as I was writing this entire section, I don't quite know if I'm planning to include the Arc evolutions of dragons yet. It would be an interesting idea though.

Question of the Chapter: What are some matchups that you're hoping to see between the cast? Aka within the Lancers, between Lancers and Academia, etc. I know I asked this before, but it's been quite a while since then, I think.

Alright, see you all next time!