Dealt a New Hand
Summary: Duel Monsters. A children's card game that kids and adults alike can enjoy, even if the anime premise is silly. My problem? I just got Isekai'd into Yu-Gi-Oh Arc-V, and I'm going to have to get involved in a dimensional war. "Well, might as well make every deck that was too expensive to be made in my original world!" Gamer! OC Fanfiction
IV: Boss Battle
I let out a soft groan as I flopped onto my bed. I didn't duel any more after my Duel with Anna… Frankly, I couldn't muster up the motivation to do so after I realised that Pollux had developed as a Duel Spirit… And that she was deeply in love with me.
I did get acquainted with everyone else there… Nobody I actually recognised from the show, I wasn't the biggest fan of Zexal, admittedly. I did see Ryuga and Rio while I was there though, so that was nice. I didn't see anyone from other anime besides Lisanna and Mirajane.
I wasn't really able to focus though, given Pollux had been floating around and smiling at me the entire time. After spending long enough there, I eventually packed up and came back home, where I was now.
"I'm glad that we can finally have a proper talk now, Ash," Pollux told me with a happy smile as she stared down at me.
"Yeah, it's nice to see you too, I think…" He responded to her, which made her giggle. "Something funny?"
"You think it's nice to see me?" She asked. "Considering how much you were checking me out during the time you summoned me, I thought you'd be much happier~" She turned around, showing me that plush behind and wiggled her cheeks for me. "Don't think I didn't catch you staring~"
Ohhh, this bitch…
"Must you tease me this way?"
"Depends, are you gonna man up and take me?~""
"Am I even able to touch you?"
She paused and turned around, looking as if she were debating. "That's a rather good question… Maybe you should ask that System of yours."
"… You can… See the System?"
"Of course," she smiled and nodded. "Don't worry, nobody else is able to perceive the System except for you and your Duel Spirits. And we aren't even able to talk about it, if we talk about it then they'll just hear a garbled mess."
Ah, well… That was a relief, at least.
"So… You uh… Know that I know how you feel?"
"Yes," she gave me a smile that could only be described as loving. The way she looked at me was as if I was the most important thing in the world to her. "I'm not expecting you to respond to my feelings right away, but I'm hoping that you do."
"Do I, uh… Have to worry about your brother interfering?" I asked her.
She giggled in amusement and shook her head. "No. While all cards you create will be Duel Spirits, they don't all have the ability to… Manifest, so to speak. Duel Spirits must obtain a minimum threshold of power in order to manifest. I was the first card you ever created, the Origin if you will. That makes me incredibly special and affords me certain bonuses, like being able to manifest like this where other cards won't."
"Interesting…" I tapped my chin. "Are you afforded other benefits?"
"Why yes," she smiled. "But these benefits are more with all Duel Spirits. All Duel Spirits have the capability to… Evolve."
I sat up at her words, now very interested, and she could see that.
"You're familiar with Arc-V," she spoke, which told me she had some knowledge of my world too. Likely thanks to me creating her. "Ever notice how Yuya pulls the cards literally out of nowhere, sort of like you do? When Duel Spirits resonate with their creator, a reaction can occur that will enable Duel Spirits to undergo changes and evolutions, depending on the stimuli. Yuya is the best example of this, Odd-Eyes' spirit resonated with him after he drew Polymerisation and thus, Rune-Eyes was born. Same with Beast-Eyes."
Huh… So, that was the in-universe reason that Yuya's cards were able to be created. His soul resonated with his Duel Spirits, allowing him to create new cards.
But that meant…
"That's right," she nodded, as if she could read my thoughts. "If exposed to darker stimuli, a more twisted evolution can occur, such as with Raging Dragon or Greedy Venom. And while you don't have the 'Berserker Mode' Skill, you are still prone to rage and anger. Just like Yugi, just like Jaden, just like Yusei, just like Yuma and Astral, and just like Yuya. If Rage overcomes your heart, I will undergo a darker evolution."
"Does it hurt?" I asked her, concerned.
"No," she shook her head. "Not physically, but… Well, nobody wants to feel such rage, such anger. It… Can mess you up a bit if you aren't properly prepared for it."
"… That explains so much," I exclaimed. That explained why the Four Heavenly Dragons went crazy around each other. Their transformation into Z-Arc really messed up their heads, resulting in them going crazy whenever they met each other and driving their users crazy too!
"Exactly," she nodded once again. "Another benefit I'm afforded is that, despite my look, I'm actually a fairly powerful Duel Spirit. I'm not on the level of someone like Dark Magician or Blue-Eyes, or even one of the Four Heavenly Dragons. But I'm still a relatively strong Duel Spirit with potential to get a lot stronger."
"Is there something to equate your strength to?" I asked her, not really having a good measure on duel spirit strength since it was left intentionally vague, and they sort of completely abandoned the Duel Spirit plotline after GX.
"Not off the top of my head," she shook her head. "But I have the potential to become a Legendary Class Spirit, like Dark Magician or Blue-Eyes! But, anyway, since I'm fairly strong with a lot of potential, I'm able to slip in and out of the Spirit World. Thanks to that, it means I might be able to convince certain monsters to follow me out of the Spirit World and join your Deck, maybe even conscript them into the Archetype."
"… A- Are you serious?" I asked her, my jaw dropping a bit.
"Yes," she nodded. "I can also learn techniques that will manifest as Spell and Trap Cards or collect artifacts. You know, like Monster Reborn, Raigeki, Kunai with Chain, Pot of Greed, Polymerization, things like that. And if I get strong enough, I'll even be able to modify the artifacts or techniques into things that can be used as an archetype card-!"
"Meaning that I won't have to waste my one card a day on every single spell and trap for my personal Archetype Deck," I said with realisation and relief in my voice.
The System has undergone an update due to new information. You may now access the [Exploration] Menu.
Both Pollux and I blinked at each other before looking at the screen.
Due to having manifest a Duel Spirit of considerable power, you may now send your Duel Spirit into the Spirit World to explore. By doing so, your Duel Spirit may potentially recruit other spirits, maybe even conscripting them into the Archetype. They can also learn techniques and collect artifacts, which will manifest as Spell and Trap Cards (except for the Artifact monsters, of course). Should they grow powerful and skilled enough, they may modify the techniques and artifacts into Archetype Specific versions. You may send up to 3 Duel Spirits at a time. The higher your Affection with your Duel Spirits and their strength, the higher the chances of them recruiting others, learning techniques and spells, and collecting artifacts.
Eligible Duel Spirits: SolStar Pollux
"… Well, damn," I mumbled.
"Ehh? How mean of this System," she pouted. "It's practically telling you to send me away right now, I only just came into being!"
"Don't worry, I have no intentions of sending you away right away," I told her.
"Well, that's great," she smiled widely.
"What else can you do?"
"Well, the last thing we can do is stack your deck," she told me, and I blinked.
"Pardon?"
"That's almost the entire purpose of Duel Spirits," she giggled. "That Heart of the Cards stuff? So long as you treat your cards well and have faith in your deck, your cards will respond. That's Duel Spirits literally stacking the deck in your favour, so you will always draw the card you need."
Oh my god, even Plot Armor had an explanation!?
"But wait, my deck was being stacked by the power of the System, not a Duel Spirit," I told her.
"And now it's being stacked by both," she smiled.
… Oh, dear god, I was never gonna lose.
"Anything else I should know?"
She tapped her chin, looking considerate, before she smiled. "I looooove you~"
I felt my face burn red as I tossed my pillow at her face, which passed right through her as she laughed.
Looked like I had a new roommate…
.
.
.
I groaned as I stretched my body after class, feeling all tense from having been sat down so long, Yuto doing the same nearby as Ruri began to pack up her things.
About a week had passed since Pollux gained full sentience and the two of us began to bond. I started to head to You Show Duel every day with everyone and got into some pretty crazy duels once word of my skills and unique deck got out amongst the crowd.
Kind of made me lament I didn't build a Branded Deck, that would have probably lasted me all the way to Z-Arc, but I could always build it later and I did plan to.
I had no complaints about all the Duels thought. Progressive difficulty seemed to finally start kicking in as the duels were pretty easy. Even Lisanna who had Zoodiac wasn't as big of a threat as she should have been since I turboed out my Cyberdark End Dragon, and for some reason she didn't have a good array of spells to go with her Zoodiac monsters, so I managed to win against her.
Plus, with all those duels, I got so much sweet, sweet DP that I was getting that sweet interest on.
During the week I'd also taken the time to learn about just how my Card Creation powers worked, as they did have restrictions on them.
Firstly, I wasn't able to create cards that already existed. So, I wasn't able to create Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon or anything, the cards I created had to be entirely new, or had to be adjusted versions of future cards.
A good example of that was Phantom Knights of Rusty Bardiche that I'd tried to create on a whim. It was now a Rank 4 Xyz Monster that required 2 DARK monsters as material. To use its destruction effect, you now had to detach Xyz Material, however it's first effect to pitch a The Phantom Knights monster to grave then set a Phantom Knights Spell/Trap from Deck was entirely unrestricted.
Wise Strix had been another one I'd tested out, coming out as a Rank 4 Xyz Monster that required Xyz Material to be used for it's Rank Up Magic setting effect, but not for its on summon Special Summoning Effect.
For another, created cards were then added to the singles shop where I could buy more copies of them at a discounted price since I'd created them. I immediately purchased 2 more copies of Pollux; she was obviously a card meant to be run 3 of.
Anyway, another restriction was that I was unable to create card 'evolutions.' So, things like Arc Rebellion Xyz Dragon, Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon – Overlord, all those kinds of things were out. I tried to create an Evolution card for Pollux, but I was unable to.
Evolutions of cards had to be naturally occurring by the Duel Spirit and its user resonating to unleash a new form, or by the power of my Card Creation ability from the System. Though I hadn't used the Card Creation ability in a duel yet.
The last restriction was that, if I didn't have a clear effect in mind for the card (such as being the start of a combo like Pollux, or having a specific purpose), then the effect of the card would just be random but supporting of the Archetype.
Over the last week, I'd made 7 cards, none of them for me but for my friends. I was preparing them for the inevitable arrival of the Academia, so I was willing to give up some cards since I was pretty sure I had plenty of time to work on my deck. Beside, I did want to build other decks too so there was no real issue for me.
For Ruri, I'd created two cards. Lyrical Luscinia Xyz Monsters that existed in the future but didn't exist now. First was Ensemblue Robin, which could shuffle Special Summoned monsters back into the deck on Summon and add back an LL on destruction. The second was Promenade Thrush, which could shuffle back a Spell/Trap Card, and also buff the attack of other LL monsters on the field during battle.
For Yuuto, I had made three cards. The first was the previously mentioned Phantom Knights of Rusty Bardiche, an Xyz Monster. The second was a Fusion Monster that helped cycle banished Phantom Knights back into the deck, and also milled the deck. The third was a Specialised Phantom Knights fusion Spell.
And for Shun, I'd created two cards. The previously mentioned Wise Strix, and a Fusion Monster that got stronger for every Raidraptor in the Graveyard, could banish a Raidraptor in Grave to gain that card's name and effect and- if the card banished was an Xyz Monster- could use its effect without detaching Xyz Material. Plus, if it was Fusion Summoned using an Xyz Monster, then it could attack all monsters the opponent controlled.
"Ahh~" Yuto groaned. "Glad class is over, I wanna get into some serious duels."
"Well, I think you'll be happy," I smirked at him as Ruri look over in curiosity. "I finally managed to get my hands on that Phantom Knights Fusion monster, and even some extra stuff for all of you."
His eyes widened. "Holy- you serious!? Dude, that's awesome!" He laughed. "Can't wait to see what you managed to find!"
"Nor can I," Ruri said with a smile. "Any other fusions for me?"
"No, but you don't really need them," I told Ruri drily.
Ever since Ruri had picked up Independent Nightingale, she had been destroying people in Duels. Usually it became a 4-5k beat stick that was unaffected by card effects and could deal damage every turn equal to its level x500. The only reason I was able to beat her was because I went first, and I had counter measures for effect damage since I was running Power Bond.
"No, but I did pick you up two more Xyz cards I don't think you have," I told her. "Let's go meet up with Shun, and I'll hand over to all of you what I managed to get."
Both of them smiled and nodded in agreement and, soon enough, the four of us were at You Show Duel, sitting down while the duels went on around us, even Kaito had decided to skip out on Duelling for now to hang around.
"You wanna see my new cards so you don't get caught off guard, that about right, Kaito?" Shun asked in an amused voice.
"I can neither confirm nor deny that," he responded with a smirk.
"Well then, since Kaito is so eager to learn, let's start with Shun," I told them as I pulled out three cards for Shun. "Here, one Polymerization, one Xyz Monster, and one Fusion monster."
"Thanks," he smiled as he took them, looking down. "Let's check out this Xyz First… Raidraptor – Wise Strix. 1400 ATK and DEF. Requires 2 Level 4 DARK Winged-Beasts. Yep, that's a Raidraptor alright," everyone gave a chuckle. "Let's see… When it's Xyz Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 4 DARK Winged Beast from my deck in Defence Position, but its effects are negated. If my "Raidraptor" Xyz Monster activates its effect besides this card, I can detach 1 Overlay Unit to…" His eyes widened. "Set a Rank-Up-Magic from my deck and, if it's a quick play, activate it that turn!?"
"What!?" Yuto's jaw dropped. "What the hell, that's so good! Please tell me that's a hard once per turn effect!"
"Both effects are," Shun confirmed.
"Thank god," Kaito muttered. "That card is insane, searching out a Rank-Up-Magic just for using another Raidraptor Xyz Effect? I know you can Xyz Summon like crazy already, so that's a minor condition!"
"This is gonna make my Deck even better, thank you Ash!"
"No problem," I told him. "But you might wanna read the Fusion Monster's effect too, it's pretty good."
He gave a nod and turned his gaze. "Raidraptor – Savage Vulture. Level 6 DARK Winged-Beast with 2600 ATK and 1800 DEF. Requires 2 Raidraptor monsters as fusion material. If it's fusion summoned using a Raidraptor Xyz Monster as material, it can attack all monsters my opponent controls. It gains 200 ATK for each Raidraptor monster in my Graveyard."
"Broken already," Ruri shook her head. "If you were to use Rise Falcon, that's immediately 5 Raidraptor monsters in grave thanks to the Overlay units."
"Not done yet," he chuckled in amusement. "Let's see… During my Main Phase, I can pay 400 Life Points and banish a Raidraptor monster from my Graveyard and, until the end phase, this cards name and effect become the same as that monster… Oh, the name and effect are layered on top of this one. If the monster banished was an Xyz Monster, I can activate the effect without detaching Xyz Material. Hard once per turn."
"That's crazy good," Yuto shook his head in disbelief. "Sure, you lose 200 ATK since you banish something, but if you have something like Revolution Falcon or your Ultimate Falcon in the Graveyard…"
"That might as well be game," Kaito gulped. "I'm not looking forward to duelling you as much now, Shun…"
"Be afraid, be very afraid," Shun grinned. "Thank you, Ash. This is definitely gonna give me an edge."
"Glad to help," I nodded. "Let's move onto Ruri next," I pulled out two cards. "Like I said, I was unable to find any Fusion Monsters, but I did manage to pick up a pair of Xyz Monsters that I don't think you have, and I think will be great additions to your deck," I handed them over.
She smiled as she took them and began to read through them. "Let's see here… Lyrical Luscinia – Ensemblue Robin. 2 or more Level 1 monsters, of course. Gains 500 ATK for each material, of course. If your opponent Special Summons a monster, detach 1 Overlay Unit, target that monster and… Return it to the hand!?"
"What!?" Yuto gasped. "That's so cracked! That basically shuts down every deck and disrupts our combos unless we can negate the effect!"
"Seriously…?" Kaito was stunned. Somehow, Kaito had never lost to Ruri. That probably wouldn't hold true any more when she could just bounce back his Galaxy-Eyes.
"Oh, there's more," she grinned. "If this card in my possession is sent to the Graveyard by an opponent's card, I can target another Lyrical Luscinia in my Graveyard and add it to my hand."
"Oh great, so even if we do destroy it, you get things back," Yuto bemoaned. "Please tell me the other card isn't that good."
"Sorry, I don't like to lie," I told Yuto with amusement.
He groaned as Ruri quickly began to read the other card. "Lyrical Luscinia, Promenade Thrush. Once per turn, I can detach an Overlay Unit, then target a spell or trap my opponent controls and shuffle it back into the deck!"
"Oh great, now you're coming after SPECIFICALLY my deck!" Yuto threw his arms into the air.
She giggled and kept reading. "At the start of the Damage Step, if another monster I control battles, I can detach any number of Overlay Units to have that monster gain 300 ATK for each Overlay Unit detached until the end of the turn."
"That effect is more of a bonus effect," I admitted. "Given your deck, you're not hugely fussed about attack points, but it does provide a nice little bonus if needed."
"Yeah," she smiled widely. "I'm gonna add these to my deck right away. Thank you so much, Ash."
Ruri Kurosaki's Affection Points have risen.
Ruri Kurosaki Affection: 6/10.
Ruri is obtaining a crush on you.
Ah, yes. Give girl trading cards and she starts to like you more. Classic Yu-Gi-Oh.
"And last but not least, we have Yuto," I spoke up as I pulled out four cards. "You got lucky, Yuto. I managed to find you an Xyz Monster, a Fusion Monster, a Polymerisation Spell Card, and a Phantom Knights Specific Fusion Spell."
"Hell yeah," he grinned as he gladly took them. "Let's start with this Spell first… The Phantom Knights Fusion. Fusion Summon 1 DARK monster using monsters from my hand and field as Fusion Material. If I'm Fusion Summoning a monster that has the name "The Phantom Knights" or uses an Xyz monster as Material, I'm allowed to send monsters from my deck to the Graveyard as Material instead!" His grin widened. "Yes! That's so great, it helps me set up my Graveyard even better! There are so many cards better in my Grave than on the field or in my hand, so this is a big help!"
"Tch," Shun clicked his tongue in jealousy while Ruri giggled.
"Right, next up is The Phantom Knights of Bloody Scythe," he lifted up the Fusion Monster. "Oo, nice design…" He grinned. "2300 ATK, 2100 DEF. Must first be Fusion Summoned… What does that mean?" He tilted his head in confusion.
"Basically, it's a line that prevents you from cheating it out of the Extra Deck and summoning it in other ways," I told him. "There are some cards that let you Special Summon straight from the Extra Deck without needing to Fusion Summon. That line basically means 'you can't cheat this out.'"
"Got it," he nodded. "Requires 2 "The Phantom Knights" as materials, nice and easy. During your Main Phase, you may shuffle 1 of your banished "The Phantom Knights" cards into your Deck."
"You can what?" Shun's jaw dropped. "That means that you can cycle your deck infinitely! What the actual fuck!? That just made your deck so much better!"
"I know!" Yuto laughed. "If this card battles an opponent's monster, you can send the top card of your deck to the Graveyard and, if it was a DARK monster, it gains ATK equal to that monster's ATK until the end phase… Hard once per turn for both effects."
"Oh my god," Kaito groaned. "It sets up your Graveyard too?"
"You didn't even need more Graveyard set up, and yet here you are," Ruri shook her head in disbelief.
Yuto just had a wide, happy grin on his face. "Right, last one… The Phantom Knights of Rusty Bardiche. 2100 ATK and 1300 DEF. Requires 2 Level 4 DARK monsters. During my Main Phase, I can send 1 "The Phantom Knights" monster from my Deck to the Graveyard, and then directly Set 1 "The Phantom Knights" Spell/Trap from my deck!"
"Oh my god," Shun covered his face. "Bullshit, that's so bullshit! That doesn't even use an Overlay unit!?"
"Nope!" Yuto grinned and kept reading. "If a DARK Xyz Monster is Special Summoned while he's on the field, I can detach 1 Overlay Unit and target 1 card on the field and destroy it. Once again, both effects are hard once per turn."
"I hope all those cards really help your decks shine," I told them with a kind smile.
"Thank you," Ruri told them on behalf of all of them. "So, how much do we owe you?"
"What now?"
"Ash," Yuto spoke, exasperated. "You don't really expect us to just take these cards for free?"
"I mean, we're friends. Sure, it took some work to search them out, but it's not a big deal," I told them. After all, I created the cards just for them, it didn't cost me a thing.
The four of them look between one another before Shun, Yuto, and Ruri all tapped on their Duel Disks.
I checked my own Duel Disk as it pinged.
+60,000 DP
My eyes widened as I looked at them. "Guys, this is way too much," I tried to convince them. I mean, money but at the same time I didn't need THAT much DP for these cards, even half of that would have been fine!
"Take it," Shun said firmly. "You did something for us, and it's only right we pay you back. End of discussion."
I let out a sigh but didn't complain. Honestly, I was happy they were so willing to hand over their DP, it would help with buying cards from the shop. Though some were… More out of reach than others. However, with the massive amount of DP I now had, I was going to be able to start buying some hefty and powerful cards.
Future Fusion (Anime) (30,000 DP)
Super Polymerization (60,000 DP)
However, my eyes were on certain cards in particular…
Number 62: Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon (Anime) (200,000 DP)
Chaos Number 62: Neo Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon (Anime) (200,000 DP)
Structure Deck: Albaz Strike (10,000 DP)
To make a deck cantered around Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon as the ultimate star, it would serve as my main Xyz Deck. Cyberdark Invasion was currently my 'mixed' deck, while Branded would serve as my Fusion Deck. I still wasn't decided on a Synchro Deck, I was torn between Ice Barrier, Aesir, or even Yusei's Junk Deck.
"It's not like you have to pick," Pollux reminded me as she floated beside me. "And besides, who said you only have to have one special archetype?"
Hm, that was true… But I'd also need to decide what to base the Archetype off of. Like my SolStar cards were intended to be based off the constellations, just like Constellars. And the Aesir were based off the Norse Gods…
Hm, I'd think of something later.
There was one more card I wanted to collect though…
Non-Fusion Area (500 DP)
This card would be a staple in the deck of all resistance members. Crushing the Xyz Dimension? With this trap card, we would make Academia regret ever stepping foot in Xyz.
.
.
.
Two more months passed within the Xyz Dimension. After buying 3 copies of Non-Fusion Area, the price of the card had dropped to 100 DP. I dedicated at least 2000DP a day to buying more copies (about 20 copies a day.) I would go to You Show Duel every day and duel regularly, accumulating a MASSIVE amount of points. Roughly ten duels a day, 7 days a week, for two months?
DP: 192,500
DP Savings: 1,081,500
Yeah… I had been saving up, slowly creating cards for everyone- not just myself- and also sending Pollux on expeditions so I'd managed to gather quite a large number of cards. Pollux hadn't gathered any major cards, nor had she recruited any into the SolStars, but she had picked up some hidden gems like White Moray and White Stingray.
I'd also created quite a few SolStar cards, mostly monsters, and had a rudimentary deck constructed. With Pollux having picked up numerous techniques over the last two months, I also had a decent array of Spell and Trap Cards. I also had some generic Extra Deck monsters like Dark Anthelion and Time Thief Redoer, the latter of which I got from opening MANY booster packs.
Booster Pack openings were a nightmare, but I had opened a huge amount… Roughly 2,000 in total across all the packs accessible to me. I have a huge amount of Xyz, some good Synchros and some decent generic fusions.
I'd also built my Branded Deck. I bought multiple copies of Albaz Strike, some side quests over the years gave me access to more cards. On top of that, I'd also picked up some cards that I wanted to add to my decks that I just wasn't able to pull when pulling from packs.
And finally, I'd also ended up raising my affection with many of the girls. Lisanna, Mirajane, Rio and Anna now all considered me as close friends, though my 'score' with Ruri hadn't increased at all. Which I was fine with, it wasn't like I was actively trying to raise it.
I stretched as I was in the middle of walking around town, with Pollux floating over my shoulder. "What to do, what to do…"
"What are you in the mood for?" She asked. "And don't say a duel, you do that all the time."
"Duelling is fun," I shrugged shamelessly. Somehow, the holograms never got old.
As I was walking, I heard a familiar voice… "Astral, can't you give good advice outside of duelling!?"
"It's hardly my fault if you can't handle good advice when you hear it, Yuma."
I froze in place and snapped around to the sounds of the voices, and saw two figures standing there, being ignored by everyone else as the area was starting to file out and become surprisingly empty…
Yuma Tsukumo, the protagonist of Zexal, along with his companion Astral…
But how? I'd been here for ages, and I didn't remember ever seeing or hearing about them! With their skill, there would be no way they wouldn't go unknow!
A Rare Event has Occurred!
Optional Boss: Yuma Tsukumo & Astral
Reward: 100,000 DP, Complete Set of Utopia Cards and Support, Significantly Increase Chances of Repelling Xyz Invasion
Failure: -200,000 DP, Utopia Cards become locked, Significantly Decrease Chances of Repelling Xyz Invasion
I gulped, loudly… This… This was huge… If I won against Yuma, my chances of stopping the invasion would increase but… Those were hefty penalties if I lost…
"Why are you hesitating?" Pollux smiled at me kindly. "You should go for it… You miss all the shots you don't take, right?"
I looked at Pollux before I took a deep breath and nodded, making my way over. "Excuse me! You, in the red jacket!"
Yuma looked back at me. "Hm? Oh, hi! Can I help you?"
"Yes," I nodded, readying my Duel Disk. "Please duel me!"
"A Duel!?" His eyes lit up and he grinned, readying his disk right away… If I needed any more proof he was made by the system, it was in his Duel Disk being the same as in Zexal. "You're on buddy!"
Astral let out a sigh. "Well, I suppose duelling wouldn't be the worst thing in the world," he nodded. "You won't need me to tell you how to do anything this time, right?"
"Pft, I got this," Yuma waved him off.
I acted like I hadn't noticed as I readied my Duel Disk and narrowed my eyes at him… The Deck I was using right now was my SolStar Deck. This deck would be what I'd use to take him on, for better or worse.
"DUEL!"
Yuma: 4000 LP
Ash: 4000 LP
"I'll be taking the first move," Yuma grinned. "And I'll start with the Continuous Spell Card: Onomatopickup!" He placed the card onto the field. "When I use this card, I'm able to add any "Onomat" card from my Deck to my hand, except Onomatopickup! The card I'm adding is Onomatopaira!" He revealed the card to me. "And I'll activate it too! I discard Zubaba Knight from my hand, and I can add two cards to my hand that aren't of the same category of Zubaba, Gagaga, Gogogo, or a Dododo monster!"
I focused up immediately… He was playing a future version of the Utopia Deck. This just got even more dangerous.
"I add Zubababancho Gagagacoat and Dodododwarf Gogogolove!" He revealed both cards to me. "Next, I summon Dodododwarf Gogogolove!" He slammed the card onto the field, revealing the armoured warrior. "Now I'll use his effect! During my Main Phase, I can Special Summon 1 Zubaba or Gagaga monster from my hand! And, of course, the card I'm summoning is Zubababancho Gagagacoat!"
Zubababancho Gagagacoat (EARTH/Warrior/Effect/ATK: 1800/DEF: 100/LV: 4)
Dodododwarf Gogogolove (EARTH/Rock/Effect/ATK: 0/DEF: 1800/LV: 4)
Another monster appeared on the field alongside the first and Yuma grinned. "Now, I use my two Level 4 monsters and Overlay!" He lifted a hand to the sky as a dark portal appeared, both monsters turning into lights that shot into the portal.
I felt a bead of sweat run down the side of my face. 'Is it coming?'
"Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Zexal Servant – Hope Sage!"
Zexal Servant (ZS) – Hope Sage (LIGHT/Warrior/Xyz/Effect/ATK: 2000/DEF: 2000/RNK: 4/ OU: 2)
From the portal came a monster with an appearance reminiscent of Utopia but wearing a black body suit with golden armour and wings wielding a Staff.
'Oh… God damn it.'
"Next, I activate Hope Sage's effect!" Yuma grinned happily. "I detach 2 Overlay units in order to Special Summon 1 Zexal Weapon or Zexal Servant from my Deck! And, for the rest of this turn, I can only attack with "Number" monsters, and I can only Special Summon Xyz Monsters from my Extra Deck! I Special Summon Zexal Servant – Ascended Sage!"
Hope Sage OU: 2 - 0
From the deck came a new monster, once again reminiscent of Utopia, but having some more Neos colouration with more purple and wielding a golden staff.
Zexal Servant – Ascended Sage (LIGHT/Warrior/Effect/ATK: 900/DEF: 300/LV: 4)
"Then, from my hand, I activate the effect of Astral Hope!" He revealed the card to me. "If there's an Xyz Monster on the Field, I can Summon him!" He placed the card down, unveiling a ghostly, glimmering version of Number 39 once again.
Astral Hope (LIGHT/Warrior/Effect/ATK: 0/DEF: 0/LV: 4)
"Now, Astral Hope activates his effect! I can send 1 other card from my hand or field to the Graveyard, to add 1 "Xyz", "Onomat", "Zexal", or "Number" Spell or Trap from my Deck to my hand! I send Onotomatopickup to my Graveyard to add Zexal Construction to my hand!"
The card shattered before gathering as light on Yuma's deck, adding a new card to his hand.
"Now, using my Level 4 Ascendant Sage and Astral Hope I build the Overlay Network!" He lifted his hand to the sky as the two monsters turned into light, shooting into a new portal.
This time, I felt a thrum ring through my body, feeling the Number cards reacting as even Pollux grew serious.
"It's here!"
"Almighty King who safeguards Utopia!" Yuma chanted. "Descend from your throne and protect my fervent wishes!" He aimed a finger at me with a grin. "Xyz Summon! Come! Rank 4! Number 39: King of Wishes, Hope!"
Out of the portal descended a monolith of a creature, looking more machine than man before it began to fan out and spread, its body re-configuring and re-organising itself before I was staring upon a white and gold clad warrior, wielding a massive sword with the number '39' on its left shoulder.
Number 39: King of Wishes, Hope (LIGHT/Warrior/Xyz/Effect/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000/RNK: 4/OU: 2)
I gulped loudly. 'This is it… Yuma's ace monster!'
"Ascended Sage's effect," Yuma declared. "A 'Hope' Xyz Monster that was Summoned using him as Xyz Material while he was on the field gains an effect! When it is Xyz Summoned, I can add 1 "Rank-Up" Spell from my Deck to my hand!"
'Now!'
"As if I'd let you," I told him, pulling a card out of my own hand and revealing it. "I activate the effect of Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring!" The mischievous little creature appeared on the field and giggled. "When you activate an effect that would add a card to your hand, Special Summon a card from the Deck, or send a card from the Deck to the Graveyard, I can discard this card to negate that effect!"
I moved Ash Blossom into the Graveyard and Petal Blossoms swirled around Hope, negating his effect.
"Heh, not bad," he told me. "But that won't stop me!" He lifted one of the three cards left in his hand. "I activate Zexal Construction!" He lifted another card in his hand. "I reveal Gagaga Magician! And now, I can add one of either a Zexal Weapon, Zexal Servant, Zexal Spell or Trap, Rank-Up-Magic, or Rank-Down-Magic from my deck to my hand!"
I cursed. I should have used it so much sooner, but I was watching in such awe that I hadn't activated it sooner, which was really coming back to bite me right about now.
"I'll be adding my Hyper Rank-Up-Magic Hope Force to my hand!" He revealed the card to me. "Then, Gagaga Magician is shuffled into the deck," he slipped the card into his deck which shuffled itself. "Then, I rebuild the Overlay Network with Hope!" He lifted his hand. "Chaos Xyz Change!"
Hope soared into the portal, and it exploded in light violently.
"Descend! Chaos Number 39! Hope Ray!"
Soaring out of the portal came Hope Ray, now with a more defined face and wearing black armour with golden accents, staring down at me with a firm look in his eyes.
Number C39: Hope Ray (LIGHT/Warrior/Xyz/Effect/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000/RNK: 4/OU: 3)
"And then, I'll activate my Spell Card! Hyper Rank-Up-Magic Hope Force! This card lets me Rank up 1 Rank 9 or lower Xyz Monster with "Hope" in its name and Rank it up into a Rank 10 or higher "Hope" monster!" He grinned and lifted his hand once more. "I rebuild the Overlay Network with Hope Ray!"
Hope Ray's eyes glowed as he soared up into a new portal, and light exploded violently, raining down everyone.
"Great King of Wishes! Embrace the power of the Numeron Code and bring swift judgement onto this battlefield! Hyper Rank-Up Xyz Change!"
Soaring down out of the portal came a massive monster clad in white with red and gold accents, with two massive blades attached to his forearms and a pair of intimidating and mighty wings… The Ultimate Form of the King of Wishes.
"Rank 12! Number 99: King of Wishes, Hope Dragner!"
Number 99: King of Wishes, Hope Dragner (LIGHT/Warrior/Xyz/Effect/ATK: 3000/DEF: 3000/RNK: 12/OU: 4)
"Hope Dragner's effect!" Yuma declared. "I use 2 Overlay Units and Special Summon a "Number" monster from my Extra Deck that has a number between 1 to 100 in its name!" He grinned. "Appear before us once again! Beast-Equipped Union – Leo Hope Ray!"
Hope Dragner OU: 4 - 2
A portal formed beneath Yuma, and out of it came Hope Ray, clad in the armour of the Ultimate Zexal Weapon: Lion Arms.
Beast-Equipped Union – Leo Hope Ray (LIGHT/Warrior/Effect/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000/RNK: 5/OU: 0)
"Next, Hope Force's effect! When I Special Summon an Xyz Monster through the effect of a Rank 10 or higher "Hope" monster, I can attach it to that monster as an Overlay Unit!"
Leo Hope Ray OU: 0 – 1
"Now, I'll use Leo Hope Ray's effect! By using one Overlay Unit, I can equip one Zexal Weapon from my Deck or Extra Deck to Hope Ray! The card I'm equipping is my Zexal Weapon – Tornado Bringer!"
Out of his deck leapt a long, crimson mechanical dragon that latched onto Leo Hope Ray.
Zexal Weapon – Tornado Bringer (WIND/Dragon/Effect/ATK: 1300/DEF: 1800/LV: 5)
"When Tornado Bringer is equipped, Leo Hope Ray gains 1300 ATK! Furthermore, you cannot target him with your card effects!"
Leo Hope Ray ATK: 2500 – 3800
"I set one card face-down," he set down the last card in his hand. "And end my turn!"
Yuma Hand: 0
I stared at Yuma's field… It was incredible to see just how far Yuma went in his set up… And he still had one more Special Summon to go with Hope Dragner.
I took a breath. "It's my turn! I draw!" I pulled a card from my deck.
"At this moment, Hope Dragner activates his effect!" Yuma declared. "I use two overlay units to Special Summon another Number monster from my Extra Deck!"
Hope Dragner OU: 2 – 0
"Appear before us! Number 38: Hope Harbinger Dragon Titanic Galaxy!"
Out of the portal emerged a massive dragon, easily the biggest thing now on the field, with azure lights coming from its body as it stared down at me menacingly.
Number 38: Hope Harbinger Dragon Titanic Galaxy (LIGHT/Dragon/Xyz/Effect/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500/RNK: 8)
"And then my Hope Force attaches to Hope Harbinger!"
Hope Harbinger OU: 0 – 1
"Well done, Yuma," Astral spoke. "You actually pulled off that combo without fumbling, I am sufficiently impressed."
"Hehe, I am pretty great, aren't I?" Yuma grinned, not realising the back-handed compliment.
"I'll start my turn with the Continuous Spell Card, The Night's Guide to Victory!" I placed it onto the field. "With this-!"
"I activate Hope Harbinger's effect!" Yuma declared. "When you activate a Spell Card, I can negate that Spell, and then attach it to Hope Harbinger as an Overlay Unit! Spell Sublimation!"
The dragon let out a roar that slammed into my card before dragging it over as it turned into a green light that floated around the monster.
Hope Baringer OU: 1 – 2
Not deterred since I expected him to do that, I kept going. "I activate Pot of Greed!" I revealed it to him. "This lets me draw two cards," I tugged two cards from my deck and looked down at my hand before I nodded.
"While I control no monsters on my field, I can Special Summon SolStar Pollux to my field!" I lifted the card and slammed it down as Pollux vanished from beside me, appearing on my field and doing a little twirl before she winked at me and then grew serious as she focused on the Duel.
"W- where are her clothes!?" Yuma exclaimed, flustered.
"No time to be bewitched by my monster's beauty, Yuma," I told him. "When I Normal or Special Summon Pollux, I can search my Deck for 1 Level 4 or lower "SolStar" monster and add it to my hand!"
"I activate Leo Hope Ray's effect! While my monster is equipped with a Zexal Weapon, I can target 1 Effect monster you control and negate its effect, as well as halve its ATK!" Yuma didn't hesitate in trying to break my combo, but I wouldn't let him.
"I activate the effect of SolStar Orion from my hand!" I told him, revealing the card. "When you activate an effect that targets 1 of my SolStar monsters, I can negate your effect and destroy your card! Then, I can Special Summon Orion in Defence Mode!"
A burly man appeared in front of Artemis and blocked the dark energy unleashing from Hope Ray, before he roared and the energy rebounded, slamming into Hope Ray and causing him to explode violently.
"Hope Ray!" Yuma called out in shock, and then watched as the Burly man appeared on the field on one knee.
SolStar Orion (LIGHT/Warrior/Tuner/Effect/ATK: 1100/DEF: 800/LV: 3)
"With Hope Ray gone, Pollux's effect resolves," I told him. "I add SolStar Castor to my hand," I revealed the card. "And now, since I control Pollux, I can Special Summon Castor to my field!"
Castor let out a roar as he appeared on the field and gave me a small glare which made me look away slightly… Dude definitely knew his sister had the hots for me. Luckily, Pollux stepped on his foot and gave him a warning glare which made him turn away.
"Now, I'm tuning my Level 3 SolStar Orion to my Level 4 SolStar Pollux!" I told him as Orion let out a roar before his body burst into three green rings and Pollux jumped up, entering the rings.
"What the hell!?" Yuma exclaimed. "Tuning!?"
"Tuning… Synchro…" Astral murmured before his eyes widened. "This is-!"
"Shining wings!" I roared out. "Deliver divine speed and illuminate Heaven and Earth! Synchro Summon! Come Forth! Level 7! Clear Wing Fast Dragon!"
A beam of light shot down and out of it soared a dead ringer for Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, however it looked sleeker and had more of a silvery tint to its body. It let out a growl as it glared down at Yuma and Astral.
Clear Wing Fast Dragon (WIND/Dragon/Synchro/Effect/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000/LV: 7)
"Amazing!" Yuma's eyes lit up as he stared at the monster. "I've never seen this before! So… This is… Synchro!"
I felt proud for pulling out Clear Wing… This card alone had cost me 100,000 DP.
"Pollux's effect activates! Since I used her to summon a monster from my Extra Deck, I draw one card!" I pulled a card free from my deck and looked at it. "And now, I'll use it! I Normal Summon my SolStar Karkinos!"
Appearing on my field was a large white crab monster, which menacingly clicked its pincers.
SolStar Karkinos (WATER/Aqua/Effect/ATK: 500/DEF: 2000/LV: 4)
"Karkinos activates his effect on! When I successfully Normal or Special Summon Karkinos, I can search my Deck for 1 SolStar Spell or Trap and add it to my hand," I pulled a card free from my Deck. "However, I don't have to reveal it. Now, Castor has his own effect! When I'm summoning a monster from the Extra Deck using Castor, I'm allowed to treat him and one other SolStar monster I control as being Level 7! I overlay my Level 7 Castor and my Level 7 Karkinos!"
Both monsters turned into light that swirled around rapidly before shooting into the ground in front of me. "With these two monsters I build the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!"
Light burst from the portal, a loud roar reverberating throughout the area.
"Dragon sleeping within the depths of Darkness! Awaken from your deep slumber and sink your fangs into all that opposes you! Rise Up! Rank 7! Dark Anthelion Dragon!"
Dark Anthelion emerged from the portal, letting out another loud roar that reverberated through the area. At the same time, Clear Wing also let out a roar that harmonized with Dark Anthelion's, as if the two were rivals and trying to outdo one another.
"Let's kick things off!" I told Yuma. "Dark Anthelion's effect activates first! I use one Overlay Unit and target Hope Dragner! I half his ATK, and then not only does Dark Anthelion gain that ATK, but I gain it as Life Points! Halo Charge!"
Yuma clicked his tongue as black energy tightened around Hope Dragner and flowed into a Halo that formed above Dark Anthelion, shining onto both him and me.
Dark Anthelion OU: 2 - 1
Hope Dragner ATK: 4000 – 2000
Dark Anthelion ATK: 3000 – 5000
Ash LP: 4000 - 6000
"Now, I activate Clear Wing Fast Dragon's effect! Once per turn, I can target 1 monster you control, and reduce its ATK to 0 and negate its effect!"
Yuma's eyes widened. "Say what!?"
"The card I'm targeting…" I pointed. "Is your Hope Harbinger! Phosphor Mirror!"
Light erupted from Clear Wing's body that slammed into Hope Harbinger, making the blue glow it was giving off lose its light.
Hope Harbinger ATK: 3000 – 0
"Oh no, this isn't good!"
"It's time to battle!" I told Yuma. "Clear Wing attacks your Hope Sage!"
Clear Wing roared as he blitzed across the battlefield, glowing with light as he crashed into Hope Sage, causing the monster to explode violently.
Yuma LP: 4000 - 3500
"Now, Dark Anthelion! Attack Hope Harbinger and end this duel!"
"I won't let you," Yuma called back. "I activate my Trap! Hope Unbroken! This redirects your attack to one of my monsters with "Hope" in its name! That monster cannot be destroyed by battle, and damage I take from battle with that monster is now halved! I re-direct your attack to Hope Dragner!"
Dark Anthelion's gaze shifted to Hope Dragner as it unleashed a beam of black lightning straight at the monster, causing an explosion, but the dust settled to revealed he was unharmed, still very much okay.
Yuma LP: 3500 - 2000
I clicked my tongue… Damn… I looked down at my hand and nodded. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn!"
Ash Hand: 2
Hope Dragner ATK: 2000 - 4000
Hope Harbinger ATK: 0 - 3000
"Haha! Amazing!" Yuma grinned. "You're amazing, Ash! What a combo, I'm impressed! I'm really gonna bring it to you now, with the most powerful card I have!"
I gulped… Most powerful? Off the top of my head, that must be Beyond the Hope or Hope Ray Victory… But…
"You're using that, Yuma?"
"Yeah," he nodded. "Let's go, Astral!"
Astral smiled and glowed before he melded into Yuma's body, causing one of Yuma's eyes to turn gold.
'Is this… A Zexal merge? These two have advanced to the point they don't even need to perform that silly transformation sequence!?'
"It's my turn!" Yuma placed his hand on the top of his deck, his top card glowing. "Shining…!" He drew the card in a glowing arc. "Draw!"
'It's coming…! Something is coming…!'
Yuma looked down at his card and grinned. "It's here!" He lifted it up. "I activate Rank-Down-Magic Origin of Hope!"
"Rank-Down!?" My eyes widened; I hadn't expected that!
"Using this card, I can target 1 "Hope" monster I control, and then use it to Xyz Summon a "Hope" Xyz Monster that is of a lower Rank! I rebuild the Overlay Network with Hope Dragner!"
A portal spiralled into life in front of him and Hope Dragner turned into light before spiralling around and shooting down and causing a massive explosion of light that caused my body to tremble.
"Great King of Wishes! Look back on the distant past and recall the origin that gives you purpose! Rank-Down Xyz Change!" Yuma threw his hand into the air. "Manifest before us! Number 39! Hope Origin!"
Out of the portal emerged a monster that looked vaguely similar to Hope Roots, but its body was pure white, even its armour was pure white, as if it was a blank slate, with glowing blue eyes and wielding a single sword in its hand, staring me down.
Number 39: Hope Origin (LIGHT/Warrior/Xyz/Effect/ATK: 0/DEF: 0/RNK: 1/OU: 1)
"Zero ATK… Is what I'd like to say but somehow, I get the feeling that won't matter," I told Yuma.
He grinned. "You'd be right! Origin of Hope's second effect! I can target 1 Xyz Monster I control, and then attach it and all of its overlay units to a 'Hope' monster I control! I attach Hope Harbinger to Hope Origin!"
Hope Harbinger let out a roar as its body was turned into golden lights, three lights now joining the first and becoming four orbs that swirled around Hope Origin.
Hope Origin OU: 1 - 4
"It's time to battle!" Yuma told me. "Hope Origin attacks Dark Anthelion Dragon!"
"I activate Clear Wing's effect!" I told Yuma. "I reduce Hope Origin's ATK to 0 and negate its effect!"
"It's no use!" Yuma told me. "Hope Origin cannot be targeted with card effects if it was summoned by a Rank-Down-Magic!"
I grit my teeth as Clear Wing's lights bounced off of Hope Origin like it wasn't even there.
"Hope Origin's effect activates!" Yuma declared. "By removing one Overlay Unit, Hope Origin's ATK becomes double that of the monster its battling! Origin Pulse!"
One of Hope Origin's overlay units surged into his chest, causing him to glow brightly as a silhouette of Dark Anthelion appeared behind his body.
Hope Origin OU: 4 - 3
Hope Origin ATK: 0 - 6000
My eyes widened and I lifted my arms as Hope Origin's swords sliced Dark Anthelion in two, causing him to explode violently.
Ash LP: 6000 - 3000
"At the end of the battle, Hope Origin's ATK returns to 0," Yuma told me. "However, Hope Origin can attack once more in a row!" Yuma declared. "Hope Origin, attack Clear Wing Fast Dragon! Origin Pulse!"
Hope Origin OU: 3 - 2
Hop Origin ATK: 0 - 5000
I grit my teeth as Clear Wing was bisected and destroyed, another shockwave rippling through my clothes as I felt the power within that monster as it loomed over me.
Ash LP: 3000 - 500
Hope Origin ATK: 5000 - 0
"Hope Origin can attack once again!" Yuma told me. "Hope Origin has another effect! When declaring a direct attack, I can detach 1 Overlay Unit to have Hope Origin gain ATK equal to the number of 'Hope' Xyz Monsters in my Graveyard times 1000! There's Hope Sage, Hope Dragner, Leo Arms Hope Ray, Hope Ray, Hope Harbinger, and Hope! That brings Hope Origin to a total of 6000 ATK!"
Hope Origin OU: 2 - 1
Hope Origin ATK: 0 - 6000
"End this, Hope Origin!" Yuma declared. "Hope Sword Origin Slash!"
"I activate my Trap card!" I told Yuma. "SolStar Convergence! With this card, I'm allowed to immediately perform a Fusion, Synchro, or Xyz Summon using SolStar monsters on my field!"
"Eh?" Yuma blinked. "But you don't have any monsters on your field!"
"If I have less Life Points than my opponent, I'm able to Summon by using monsters in my Graveyard, however any effects they have will not be activated, and the monster summoned is destroyed at the end of my turn!"
"From your Graveyard!?" Yuma exclaimed in shock.
"From my Graveyard, I overlay my Level 4 Castor, Pollux, and Karkinos!" A portal appeared in front of me as three lights emerged from the graveyard before slamming into the portal. "Xyz Summon!"
I felt my violet eye glow as I heard a call from my Extra Deck.
'You're coming out right now!'
"Star shining in the night sky! Become a bow in the hands of the Goddess and bring judgement upon my enemies!" I lifted the card and slammed it down. "Rank 4! SolStar Maiden, Appollousa!"
Appearing on my field was beautiful woman with long blue hair and a pair of ears atop her head. She was dressed in hunting gear, holding a beautiful bow in her hands that glimmered and shined with the radiance of the stars.
SolStar Maiden, Appollousa (LIGHT/Fairy/Xyz/Effect/ATK: ?/DEF: ?)
"Eh!? It has 0 ATK!" Yuma noticed.
"Appollousa's ATK and DEF is equal to the number of Overlay Units she has, times 800! Since she has three, her ATK is at 2400!"
Appollousa ATK: 2400
"Since you are no longer a viable target as a direct attack, Hope Origin's ATK returns to 0," Yuma told me.
Hope Origin ATK: 6000 - 0
"However, I will replay the attack and aim for your Appollousa!" Yuma declared. "Origin Pulse!"
Hope Origin OU: 1 - 0
"I chain Appollousa's effect!" I shot right back. "When you activate a monster's effect, I can remove one Overlay Unit from Appollousa, and negate your effect's activation!"
Appollousa OU: 3 - 2
Appollousa ATK: 2400 - 1600
Appollousa lifted her bow and unleashed an arrow at Hope Origin, who blocked it, but the arrow dispersed into starlight that clung to his body, causing the glow around him to die down.
"Appollousa's ATK has dropped, but we're in battle! Say goodbye to Hope Origin, Yuma!" I told him.
"I won't let that happen," he told me. "I activate the final effect of Origin of Hope in my Graveyard! When my monster battles an opponent's monster, I can negate that attack and attach this card to a 'Hope' monster I control as an Overlay Unit!"
Hope Origin halted in place right before Appollousa could aim another shot at him and he leapt back to Yuma's field as another Overlay Unit joined him.
Hope Origin OU: 0 - 1
"I end my turn," Yuma told me.
"During the End Phase, Appollousa is destroyed," I told Yuma, as she let out a scream before she blew up. "I activate my Trap! SolStar Resurgence! This lets me Special Summon 1 SolStar monster from my Graveyard with its effects negated! Return to me, Pollux!"
Pollux leapt out of a portal, standing at the ready to continue the good fight.
Yuma Hand: 0
Ash LP: 500
I took a breath and looked down at my deck, placing my hand on top of it. 'This is it,' I thought to myself. 'I have to take down Hope Origin this turn, or else Yuma will win…'
"You can do it," Pollux looked back at me. "Believe in yourself and believe in me."
"… Yeah," I smiled at her warmly… Over the last two months, Pollux and I had been through a lot together. We spoke, we got angry at each other, we bonded, we teased one another… We hadn't taken the step into a relationship yet, but we were friends. The best of friends.
That was why, I had faith in her.
And at that moment, our souls resonated.
"Destiny…! DRAW!" I drew a card from my deck, and then looked at the card in my hand with wide eyes. "This is…"
"Use me."
I smiled widely and nodded. "I activate the Spell, Guidance of the SolStar!" I placed the card down. "This nifty card lets me Special Summon a SolStar monster from my Graveyard, and then I can shuffle a card in my hand back into my deck to add 1 SolStar monster to my hand! Return, Castor!"
Castor returned from the Graveyard, with a determined look on his face, while I put the card that I drew for that turn back into my deck and then pulled out another copy of Pollux from my Deck, revealing it to Yuma before I put it back in my hand.
"Now, I activate SolStar Castor's effect!" I told Yuma. "I can tribute both Castor and one other "SolStar" monster I control, in order to Special Summon my Ace Monster from my Hand, Deck, or Graveyard!"
Yuma's eyes widened. "Your Ace monster!?"
I grinned. "I tribute Pollux and Castor!"
The siblings lifted their weapons pressing them together before they both shattered into particles of light that began to rapidly coalesce into a single form.
"Star shining in the sky! Break the shackles binding you and ascend into the very heavens themselves!" My violet eye glowed brighter than it ever had before. "Ascendant SolStar, Pollux!"
The light shattered as it unveiled Pollux's new form. Before she looked like a teenager, but now she was clearly an adult, wearing much finger robes with a larger chest and more curves. Though now, her clothing was covering more of her body. In her hand she held her sword, lifting it up and glaring at Hope Origin.
Ascendant SolStar, Pollux (LIGHT/Warrior/Effect/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000/LV: 7)
"Pollux… Evolved?" Yuma gasped.
"Pollux activates her effect! Once per turn, I can Special Summon a SolStar monster from my Graveyard! Return to us, Apollousa!"
Pollux stabbed her sword into the ground, causing a pillar of light to form that Appollousa stepped out of, bow in hand and ready to fight.
"Then I activate the Spell Overlay Regen! Upon activation, I target an Xyz Monster I control and attach this card to it as an Overlay Unit!" The card manifest before turning into light that began to fly around Appollousa.
Appollousa OU: 0 - 1
Appollousa ATK: 0 - 800
"Now, battle!" I declared. "Pollux attacks Hope Origin! At this moment, Pollux activates her effect! I send the Castor in my hand to the Graveyard, and Pollux gains his ATK until the end of this turn! Blessing of the Stars!"
"I chain Hope Origin's effect!" Yuma declared. "When Hope Origin battles, I use one Overlay Unit, and Hope Origin gains ATK equal to double your monster's ATK!"
Hope Origin OU: 1 - 0
"I won't let you! I chain Appollousa's effect! By using one Overlay Unit, I negate Hope Origin's effect!"
Appollousa OU: 1 - 0
Appollousa ATK: 800 - 0
Appollousa aimed her bow and let the arrow fly, showering Hope Origin in stardust, his body losing its golden glow as he fell to one knee, weak and powerless.
As Appollousa did that, Pollux lifted her sword to the heavens as light began to shine down on her body, the glow around her becoming even more intense.
Pollux ATK: 2500 - 4300
"Finish this duel, Pollux!" I told her. "Holy Star Blaster!"
She didn't hesitate as she jumped into the air, letting out a battle cry as her sword glowed with shining light and she surged forwards, bisecting Hope Origin in two and causing him to explode violently, the shockwave rippling both mine and Yuma's clothes…
But Yuma just smiled and closed his eyes, accepting his defeat.
Yuma LP: 2000 - 0
Ash WIN
I took deep, heavy breaths as I fell on one knee as the holograms faded… That duel had been intense, more intense than anything I'd experienced in a long time. And now, my legs felt like jelly…
Optional Boss Battle: Yuma Tsukumo Cleared!
Reward: 100,000 DP, Significantly Increase Chances of Repelling Xyz Invasion
"That was an amazing Duel," Yuma told me as he walked over to me with a smile, Astral still within his body as his eyes stayed the same. "Honestly, that was tense. I really thought I had you, but pulling out that Xyz Summon in the middle of my turn was amazing. Congratulations," he offered his hand to me.
"Yeah… Thanks," I told him as I took his hand, accepting his help in standing up before we had a proper handshake.
"Here," Yuma told me, taking out his deck and offering it to me.
My eyes widened. "Dude… You serious? This is your deck, isn't it? You're really just giving it to me?"
"Yeah," he nodded, gently placing it in my hands as he slimed. "I'm retired from Duelling anyway. This way, at least, I know my Deck is in good hands. Take good care of it for me, you hear?"
"… Yeah," I nodded in agreement. "I hear you."
He smiled and nodded. "Hopefully we'll meet again someday," he turned and walked away, Astral coming out of his body before the two of them vanished into light.
You have obtained Yuma Tsukumo's Utopia Deck!
I looked down at the Deck in my hands, able to feel the power crawling off of it. This was the Deck of one of the most powerful people in Yu-Gi-Oh, Yuma Tsukumo who defeated Don Thousand, the God of Chaos.
And now… It was mine.
'Academia… I won't let you take Xyz. And Leo… I'll make sure your plan never succeeds.'
Created Cards
Raidraptor – Savage Vulture (DARK/Winged-Beast/Fusion/Effect/ATK: 2600/DEF: 1800/LV: 6)
2 "Raidraptor" monsters
If this card is Fusion Summoned using a "Raidraptor" Xyz Monster as Material, it can attack all monsters your opponent controls. This card gains 200 ATK for every "Raidraptor" monster in your Graveyard. During your main phase, you may pay 400 LP and target 1 Raidraptor monster in your Graveyard: Banish that target and, until the End Phase of this turn, this cards name and effect become the same as the banished monster (this name and effect are layered on top of this card's own). If the monster banished was an Xyz Monster, you may activate this card's effects without detaching any Xyz Material. You may only use this effect of "Raidraptor – Savage Vulture" once per turn.
The Phantom Knights of Bloody Scythe (DARK/Warrior/Fusion/Effect/ATK: 2300/DEF: 2100/LV: 6)
2 "The Phantom Knights" monsters
Must first be Fusion Summoned. During your Main Phase, you may shuffle 1 of your banished "The Phantom Knights" cards into your Deck. If this card battles an opponent's monster; you may send the top card of your deck to the Graveyard and, if that card was a DARK monster, this card gains ATK equal to the ATK of that monster until the End Phase. You may only use each effect of "The Phantom Knights of Bloody Scythe" once per turn.
The Phantom Knights Fusion
Spell
Fusion Summon 1 DARK monster using monsters on your hand and field as Fusion Material. If you are Fusion Summoning a "The Phantom Knights" monster or a monster that uses an Xyz monster as material, you may send "The Phantom Knights" monsters from your deck to the Graveyard as material instead. You may only use 1 "The Phantom Knights Fusion" per turn.
The Night's Guide to Victory
Continuous Spell
(This card is always treated as a "SolStar" card.)
When this card is activated, you may add 1 "SolStar" monster from your Deck to your hand. Once per turn, when a "SolStar" monster you control would be destroyed (by battle or card effect), you may banish 1 "SolStar" monster in your Graveyard to prevent that monster's destruction. When a SolStar monsters deals Battle Damage to your opponent, you may Special Summon a Level 4 or lower "SolStar" monster from your Graveyard with its effects negated. You may only use each effect of "The Night's Guide to Victory" once per turn.
SolStar Orion (LIGHT/Warrior/Tuner/ATK: 1100/DEF: 800/LV: 3)
When your opponent activates an effect that targets a "SolStar" monster you control, you can negate that effect and destroy that monster. Then, Special Summon this card from your hand in Defence Position.
SolStar Karkinos (WATER/Aqua/Effect/ATK: 500/DEF: 2000/LV: 4)
When this monster is Normal or Special Summoned, you may add 1 "SolStar" Spell or Trap from your Deck to your hand. You may only use this effect of "SolStar Karkinos" once per turn. Once per turn, if this card would be destroyed by battle, it is not.
Hope Unbroken
Trap
Activate when your opponent declares an attack on a monster you control while you control a face-up Xyz Monster with "Hope" in its name; Target 1 Xyz Monster with "Hope" in its name that you control, and redirect the attack to that target. Your opponent may only attack the targeted monster this turn, the targeted monster cannot be destroyed this turn, and all battle damage taken involving it is halved.
Rank-Down-Magic Origin of Hope
Spell
Target 1 "Hope" Xyz Monster you control; Special Summon 1 "Hope" Xyz monster from your Extra Deck that is a lower rank using that monster as material (this is treated as an Xyz Summon. Any Xyz Material attached to the monster become attached to the Special Summoned monster.) Then, you may target 1 other Xyz Monster you control; attach it and all of its Xyz Material to the Special Summoned monster. If your "Hope" monster battles an opponent's monster, you may banish this card from the Graveyard: Negate that attack, and attach this card to a face-up Xyz Monster you control as Xyz Material. You may only use this effect of "Rank-Down-Magic Origin of Hope" once per duel.
Number 39: Hope Origin (LIGHT/Warrior/Xyz/Effect/ATK: 0/DEF: 0/RNK: 1)
2 Level 1 Monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle except by "Number" monsters. If this card was Xyz Summoned using a "Rank-Down-Magic" Spell Card, then it cannot be targeted by your opponent's card effects. When this monster battles and opponent's monster, you may detach 1 Xyz Material; this card's ATK becomes double the ATK of the battling monster until the end of the battle, and may then attack once again in a row. If this card attacks your opponent directly, you may detach 1 Xyz Material: this monster gains ATK equal to the number of Xyz Monsters with "Hope" in their card name x1000.
SolStar Convergence
Trap
Immediately on resolution of this effect, you may Fusion, Xyz, or Synchro Summon 1 monster from your Extra Deck using "SolStar" monsters you control. If your LP are lower than your opponent's, you may use SolStar monsters in your Graveyard. The monster Special Summoned by this effect is destroyed during the End Phase.
SolStar Maiden, Appollousa (WIND/Fairy/Xyz/Effect/ATK: ?/DEF: ?/RNK: 4)
2+ Level 4 monsters
You can only control 1 "SolStar Maiden, Appollousa". The original ATK of this card becomes 800 x the number of Xyz Materials attached to it. Once per Chain, when your opponent activates a monster effect (Quick Effect): You may detach 1 Xyz Material from this card, and if you do, negate the activation.
SolStar Resurgence
Trap
Special Summon 1 "SolStar" monster from your Graveyard with its effects negated. You may banish this card from the Graveyard (except the turn it was sent there); add 1 "SolStar" monster from your Graveyard to your hand. You may not summon that monster this turn.
Guidance of the SolStar
Spell
Special Summon 1 "SolStar" monster from your Graveyard, then shuffle 1 card from your hand back into your Deck, and add 1 SolStar monster from your deck to your hand.
Ascendant SolStar, Pollux (LIGHT/Warrior/ Effect/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000/LV: 7)
During your Main Phase, you may Special Summon a "SolStar" monster from your Graveyard. During your opponent's turn, when a monster battles this monster (during the Damage Step), you can send 1 "SolStar" monster from your hand to the Graveyard: This card gains ATK equal to the ATK of the discarded monster until the End Phase. If this card is in your Graveyard, you may shuffle 1 "SolStar" monster from your Graveyard back into your Deck: Special Summon this monster to your field in Attack Position. You may only use each effect of "Ascendant SolStar, Pollux" once per turn.
Adjusted Cards
Clear Wing Fast Dragon (WIND/Dragon/Synchro/Effect/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000/LV: 7)
1 Tuner + 1 or more non-tuners
(Quick Effect): You can target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; until the end of this turn, change its ATK to 0, also negate that face-up monster's effects. You can only use this effect of "Clear Wing Fast Dragon" once per turn.
All Number Monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle except by "Number" monsters.
Raidraptor - Wise Strix (DARK/Winged-Beast/Xyz/Effect/ATK: 1400/DEF: 1400/RNK: 4)
If this card is Xyz Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 Level 4 DARK Winged Beast monster from your Deck in Defense Position, but negate its effects. If your "Raidraptor" Xyz Monster's effect is activated (besides this card): Set 1 "Rank-Up-Magic" Spell directly from your Deck, and if it is a Quick-Play Spell, it can be activated this turn. You can only use each effect of "Raidraptor - Wise Strix" once per turn.
The Phantom Knights of Rusty Bardiche (DARK/Warrior/Xyz/Effect/ATK: 2100/DEF: 1300 DEF/RNK: 4)
2 Level 4 monsters
During your Main Phase: You can send 1 "The Phantom Knights" monster from your Deck to the GY, Set 1 "Phantom Knights" Spell/Trap directly from your Deck in your Spell & Trap Zone. If a DARK Xyz Monster(s) is Special Summoned while this card is on the field, except during the Damage Step: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card and target 1 card on the field; destroy it. You can only use each effect of "The Phantom Knights of Rusty Bardiche" once per turn.
