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
III: You Show Duel
I sat with Yuto, Ruri, and Shun during lunch. The teacher- who's name I still didn't care about- didn't call me out in class again, though he was clearly frustrated with me. Yeah, he was definitely a Doctor Crowler- or Professor Cronos if you watched the sub- type of character.
"So, what's up with that Synchro Summoning stuff?" Yuto asked. "Just like Fusion Summoning, I've never heard of it. Nor have I heard of Tuner Monsters."
I responded by pulling Cyberdark Synchron out of my deck and showing it to him. "Tuner monsters are special monsters needed for Synchro summoning," I told him. "Synchro Summoning works by taking a Tuner, and 'tuning' it to another monster you control, adding up their levels and Synchro Summoning a Synchro monster with the total of their combined levels. So, if I want to Synchro Level Seven and have a Level 3 Tuner monster, I need a Level four, 2 Level 2s, a Level 3 and a Level 1, or any combination as long as the total amount of Levels equals 7."
"Basic math then," Shun nodded. "The Tuner is always needed?"
I nodded. "Yes. You must always use the Tuner monster. There are some cards that turn monsters into tuners, and there are some Synchro Monsters that let you bypass the requirement, to an extent, but you will almost always need the Tuner."
"I don't mean to sound offensive, but both Synchro and Fusion sound a bit inferior compared to Xyz," Ruri chirped. "Maybe it's personal bias… But both those methods require extra sources in Tuner monsters or a Fusion Spell Card. Whereas Xyz you just need monsters of the same level."
"Ah, not necessarily," I told Ruri. "There is a version of Fusion called Contact Fusion. It's where, instead of using Polymerisation, you instead just either send the material monsters to your Graveyard from your field, banish them or- in some cases- shuffle them back into the Deck. The usual requirement for these Fusions, however, is banishment to make up for the fact that you don't need Polymerization. Still though, it's another form of Fusion."
"Oh, I see," Ruri nodded thoughtfully at that.
"On top of that, some monsters have effects that let you fuse, no need for polymerisation," I told her. "Basically, there's a lot of ways to Fusion Summon, more advanced ways… On another note, if memory serves, I think there's even a Spell Card that lets you use an Xyz Monster's Rank and treat it as a Level for an Xyz summon. I think it's called Cross Xyz."
"Oh, I should look into getting that card," all three of them said at the same time, before they all looked at each other.
I snorted in amusement, before mentally opening up my stats and checking out my DP.
DP: 10,381
I was originally at 5,381 but Shun and Yuto both transferred 2.5k DP to me so I could pick up extra copies of Polymerisation for them. I did feel kind of shitty since I knew the price would reduce with every copy I got, but I couldn't exactly tell one of them that the price would drop after I bought it.
Uu… I'd give Yuto some Phantom Knights' cards he was missing to make it up to him. Or Arc Rebellion Xyz Dragon.
Oh, or maybe Dark Anthelion Dragon that I'd gotten earlier…
… Okay no, I think I'd keep that one for myself. If I was going to be Zarc's Rival, then I'd have the Counterparts to his monsters thank you very much.
I quickly went ahead and purchased two copies of Polymerisation while the three were talking. The price dropped down to 1.5k after buying one, and then it dropped down to a simple 500 DP after buying a third copy. I'd have to make sure to give these to Yuto and Shun… And also create a couple of Raidraptor and Phantom Knights Fusion cards for the both of them to actually use the spells. I'd help them out with Fusion first, then we could move onto Synchro.
Yuto honestly should need the least help. He was one of Zarc's incarnations, so he should have the power to create monsters and cards, just like Yuya.
I was going to do my best to make sure that we could save as many people as possible when the Academia came, and that we could hopefully drive them back. My first step of that was to make sure Fusion summoning became widespread, so that people wouldn't become afraid of it, or discriminate against it.
This would, hopefully, make sure Shun didn't card random people who used Fusion summoning in Standard.
"… Itch… Glitch… Oi, Glitch!"
I was snapped out of my thoughts by Shun shaking me. "Huh, what?"
"I was asking you if you wanted to come to our after-school club with Yusho-sensei," Shun told me. "Are you okay? You were kind of out of it."
"Oh, yeah, I was just thinking about how to get my hands on the cards for you," I lied. "Not the Polymerisation card, but the Fusion monsters. Might take a bit of work, but don't worry about giving me money, I can get them cheap."
"Cool, thanks man," Yuto nodded. "Must have some DP stored in your savings if you can afford to spend so much."
'… Savings?'
Oh, of course! If DP was currency, then there must be some kind of savings account to put DP in! Okay, from now on, I'd be storing half my DP in my savings after every duel… I'd have to check out the memories first to see if I had one set up, though I probably did, and it was probably empty.
Still, just knowing that DP could be put into a savings account was good. That would likely be how I purchased the way more expensive cards since, if it was anything like a normal savings account, it would gain interest over time.
I'd focus on that later though. For now, I opened up 4 Trap Booster packs, and focused the rest of my DP on seeing if I could get an Independent Nightingale.
I got relatively lucky on the Nightingale front; in that it only took 7 packs. I called that a win.
My traps were also rather decent traps, I managed to pick up a Dimensional Prison, a Nutrient Z- very useful since anime dealt so much damage- and also picked up a couple of other stalling traps.
I held my hands under the table, the new cards appearing in my Deck Box, before I made a show of taking my Deck out of my Duel Disk and taking the cards out of my Deck Box.
"Hm, what are you doing?" Yuto asked.
"Little deck tuning," I told Yuto, showing him my cards. "I don't have much in the way of Traps that actually stall the opponent when I need it, so I'm gonna try and do a little deck balancing. I'd rather not go up to 60 cards, but I'm willing to settle at 50 if it means I get a bit more long-term staying power."
Yuto nodded in understanding. "Mind if I take a look through your cards? I'll trade you something if I find something I like or want."
"Go ahead," I told him, and Ruri and Shun took that as a sign to join us in helping me tune my deck.
It was about 5 minutes later I heard Yuto exclaim in shock, "Woah! What is this!? This thing is like an upgraded Dark Rebellion!"
"Ah, you mean Dark Anthelion," I told Yuto. "Sorry, I'm gonna be keeping that one, it's very important to me."
"Really? Damn shame, but I get it," he nodded, setting the card down.
"Mind if I take a look?" Ruri asked. Yuto handed it over without question and looked at it. "Let's see… Rank 7 DARK Dragon Xyz monster that needs 2 materials. Once per turn, as a quick effect, you can detach 1 material and target 1 monster your opponent controls; Until the end of this turn, you halve that monsters ATK this card gets that ATK… And you gain Life Points equal to the amount of ATK that your monster gained, plus it can't be destroyed the turn you use this effect!? What the heck, this thing is so good!"
"I know, right?" Yuto lamented. "It really plays into Dark Rebellion's theme, the only thing is that it's not a Dark Rebellion card, since it's lacking the 'Xyz Dragon' from its name."
Shun snorted. "Yeah, lord knows you need more Dark Rebellion Cards… Dark Rebellion is powerful enough as is, and don't get me started on Dark Requiem… Huh?" Shun blinked as he picked up a card. "Wait, is this a Lyrical Luscinia Fusion monster?"
"Eh!?" Ruri snatched the card away. "Lyrical Luscinia – Independent Nightingale?"
"Oh, I must have forgotten I had that card," I lied. "Go ahead and keep it, I don't really use Lyrical Luscinias."
"Really? Thank you!" She smiled widely, before reading the card. "Let's see, it needs Assembly Nightingale and 1 Lyrical Luscinia monster. When she's Fusion Summoned using an Xyz monster on the field as material who's name includes 'Lyrical Luscinia,' her Level increases by the amount of Xyz Material attached to that monster. She gains ATK equal to her level x500. She's unaffected by other card effects and, once per turn, you can inflict damage to your opponents Life Points equal to her Level x500!?"
"That can't be real," Shun said resolutely, jaw dropping. "You could potentially end a duel on the first turn of the game if you get the right hand! Your opponent wouldn't even get a turn!"
"Getting scared, Shun?" Ruri asked teasingly.
"Honestly? Yes," Shun groaned. "I know how many materials you can get on your Lyrical Luscinias. Heck, in your duel against Glitch you managed to get 6. And I know you deliberately didn't make it seven so you could Xyz into another monster. That means on turn 1, you could get 7 material on Assembly Nightingale, then fuse into Independent Nightingale, then she'd go to Level 8, and you could just use her effect to deal 4000 points of burn damage straight on for game."
Ruri blinked and then grinned evilly as she quickly slipped Nightingale and Polymerization into her deck.
"You've created a monster," Shun bemoaned.
I only laughed at his misery. "Well, you better hope the Raidraptor Fusion monster I find can help you out against her then."
"I hope and I pray," he sighed, looking through my cards once again to help me tune my deck.
I chuckled as I focused up too… Still, it was hard to deny that I was having fun.
It took all of lunch from there, but eventually we managed to put together a deck that had a bit more staying power. It did lose a bit of its OTK consistency, but I thought that was worth it in order to let me survive more effectively in duels.
"Thanks for the help," I told them as I gathered the cards, before the bell rang and we had to hurry it up. I ended up dropping a couple cards, quickly picking up and slipping them back in my Deck and Extra Deck, before we hurried off to class.
"Hurry it up, I don't want detention," Ruri called back at me as I had to pick up the pace.
"I'm a duellist, not a sprinter!"
"Then be both!"
-Line Break-
I let out a yawn as school ended for the day, leaving the classroom with Ruri and Yuto.
"That tired after class?" Yuto asked.
"Kinda," I told him. "Nothing some duelling won't fix, I just find the classes boring for the most part," I offered a shrug. History was a bit more annoying to work with, even with my memories, but my past life and the memories from the original dimension made school incredibly easy for me.
At least I had made class productive by going through my memories. My savings account was empty, yes, but it seemed that the standard savings account worked on 10% a week. So, basically, you received 10% of what was in your savings every week. That was really good, it meant if I hit 100k DP, I'd make 10k a week. That roughly £1000, or $1368 dollars.
Well worth it, if you asked me. After all, more money was more money. I immediately put all my current DP in my savings account, because even an extra 400 DP a week would be valuable.
"Well, look on the bright side," Yuto spoke up. "Now we get to go have fun at Duel School with Yusho-sensei."
"You mentioned the Duel School before, what is it?"
"It's really fun," Ruri smiled. "Sakaki Yusho runs it, it's called 'You Show Duel.' It's all about thrilling the crowd with Duelling, using surprising monster effects and tactics with stunning visuals to spread smiles with duelling."
"Spreading smiles with duelling, huh?" I smiled. "That's a nice sentiment, I guess I'll be going with you then."
"You already said you would yesterday. If you refused today, Ruri would never let you forget it," Yuto told me. "God knows she hasn't let me forget things either. It's why I never make promises to her anymore."
"Yuto! You aren't supposed to tell him that!" Ruri complained, making me snort in amusement. "Ash, it isn't funny!"
"We will have to agree to disagree," I shot back. "Is Shun going to be joining us?"
"He usually goes on ahead; he does have friends outside of us. He and Kaito- a really strong duellist we know- are pretty much best friends."
Kaito Tenjo… The user of Galaxy-Eyes, one of my favourite decks to run. The OTK potential with a well build Galaxy-Eyes Deck, especially if you were running Neo Galaxy-Eyes and could get 3 Level 8s on the field including Galaxy-Eyes in a single turn… Which, if you were running Nebula Dragon and Afterglow Dragon, was VERY easy.
I was also the prick who ran Tachyon and Neo Tachyon in the same deck, along with one copy of The Seventh One just to be an asshole.
"What kind of deck does Kaito use, if you don't mind me asking?" I asked Yuto.
"He's all about his Ciphers," Yuto told me. "Watch out for his ace monster, Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon. It can use an Overlay unit to take one of your monsters and treat it as Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon on his field under the end of his turn."
I gave a nod, mentally lamenting that Kaito's deck got nerfed. Oh, don't get me wrong, Ciphers were cool for sure. But when you compared it to his original Galaxy/Photon Deck… Well, his original deck was vastly superior. I'd seen some amazing plays with Cipher decks before, but it just felt lacking compared to the original Galaxy Decks to me.
And considering just how powerful Afterglow Dragon was when paired with Number 62… Yeah, it sucked Kaito didn't have his old Galaxy/Photon Deck…
That was fine though, I'd just use it instead. One man's trash is another man's treasure, and Galaxy is one of the greatest treasures the world gave us.
[Side Quest Issued: Galaxy Master]
Objective: Defeat Kaito Tenjo with a Photon/Galaxy Deck
Reward: Cipher Strike Structure Deck, 'Cipher Evolution' Booster Pack Unlocked
Ah, a Side Quest. I was fine with this, I would show Kaito the power of the Galaxy Deck another him used to great effect. I could hardly wait.
It took us awhile, but eventually we arrived at You Show Duel, where I saw a bunch of people all duelling. All kinds of archetypes were being used, and a lot of duels were fierce… But more than anything, I saw everyone was smiling.
I saw Shark duelling against Rio, I saw Kite duelling against Shun, I saw Allen and Sayaka both duelling… I spotted many more people I simply didn't recognise since Zexal was the series that I'd poured the least amount of time into.
I cast my gaze all over the area, before it finally landed on one man, I knew very well from my time watching the anime. The man who was effectively the embodiment and culmination of Yuya's journey across dimensions, and who was his ultimate motivation and inspiration.
Yusho Sakaki, the world's greatest entertainer. And standing by him, having a chat, was Anna Kozuki- also known as Anna Kaboom in the English Dub of Zexal.
"Sensei!" Ruri called out. "We've got a new recruit!"
Yusho turned to look at the three of us, a warm smile lighting his face. "Ah, Ruri-chan, Yuto-kun! A pleasure to see you again!" He looked at me. "And this is Ash-kun, yes?"
"Yes sir," I nodded. "Nice to meet you."
He laughed. "Please, there's no need to be so formal! Just call me Yusho-sensei. I'm always happy to welcome a new member to our little club!" He gently pat Anna on the back. "Anna-chan, why don't you introduce yourself?"
"Sure, Sensei," she nodded, looking at me… Damn, she was cute. "Nice to meet you, I'm Anna Kozuki. I attend this club with my little brother, Allen. Nice to meet you… Ash, was it?"
"Yeah," I nodded. "Ash Crestfall, but people call me Glitch."
"Glitch?" She tilted her head. "Why?"
"Because I swear his duel disk is glitching sometimes," Yuto told her. "Why don't you duel him and see?"
"A splendid idea!" Yusho clapped his hands. "Go ahead, Anna! Let's see if he's really as good as Ruri and Yuto have been saying!"
"Did you two overhype me?" I demanded of the two, who put innocent looks on their faces.
"We just chatted you up a bit," Ruri told me. "Now come on, duel!"
"Well, a duel is always fun," Anna nodded. "Okay, I'm in!"
[Side Quest Issued: Kaboom!]
Objective: Defeat Anna Kozuki
Reward: 'Train Wreck' Booster Pack Unlocked, Unlock all female members of Xyz Dimension 'You Show Duel' as Romantic Interest
Well, with a quest like that, I can't exactly turn that down, can I…?
"Well, okay," I nodded as I expanded my Duel Disk. "No harm turning down a duel."
"Wonderful!" Yusho clapped, leading us over to a bit more of an empty area. Anna and I both took one side of the area, duel disks at the ready.
"Well then!" Anna grinned. "Let's-!"
"DUEL!"
Anna LP: 4000
Ash LP: 4000
"I'll take the first move!" Anna declared. "While I control no cards on my field, I can Special Summon Rocket Arrow Express from my hand!" She said, slapping the card on the field in attack mode. It unveiled a huge machine in the shape of a train, with a very sleek looking plane attacked to the top.
Rocket Arrow Express (EATH/Machine/Effect/ATK: 5000/DEF: 0/LV: 10)
"5000 ATK right at the start," Yuto muttered. "Anna's favourite one turn stalling tactic."
"Yeah," Ruri nodded. "Anna's deck is terrifying if you aren't prepared for it."
"In order to keep Rocket Arrow Express on my field, I must discard my entire hand during each of my standby phases," Anna told me. "If I do not, it is destroyed. I set one card face-down and I end my turn."
Anna Hand: 3
"Then it's my turn," I told her, drawing a card from my deck and looking down.
Cyber Dragon Herz, Cyberdark Claw, Overload Fusion, Negate Attack, Cyberdark Realm, Cyber Dragon Drei.
'Okay, I can definitely make this work…!'
"I'll start my turn by activating Cyberdark Realm," I told her, placing the card onto the field, making orbs of green light form all over my field. "When I activate this card, I can search my Deck for one 'Cyberdark' monster and add it to my hand! The card I'm choosing is Cyberdark Cannon!" I tugged the card from my deck, revealing it before I put it in my hand.
Cyberdark Cannon (DARK/Dragon/Effect/ATK: 1600/DEF: 800/LV: 3)
"Neck, I activate the effect of Cyberdark Claw! By sending it to my Graveyard, I can add 1 'Cyberdark' Spell or Trap from deck to hand! The card I'm adding is my Cybernetic Horizon!"
Cyberdark Claw (DARK/Dragon/Effect/ATK: 1600/DEF: 800/LV 3)
"Cybernetic Horizon?" Anna questioned. "That doesn't…"
"Cybernetic Horizon is always treated as a Cyberdark card," I told her. "Next, I'll activate it! I send 2 Dragon or Machine 'Cyber' monsters with different attributes to my Graveyard, one from my hand and one from my deck, and then I add a Dragon or Machine 'Cyber' monster from my deck to my hand, and then I can send 1 'Cyber' Fusion monster from my Extra Deck to my Graveyard!"
"Fusion Monster?" Anna stared.
"Fusion Monster…" Yusho said, his voice low as he kept his eyes on me.
"I'll send Cyber Dragon Herz and Cyberdark Chimera from my hand deck to my Graveyard," I told her.
Cyber Dragon Herz (LIGHT/Machine/Effect/ATK: 100/DEF: 100/LV: 1)
Cyberdark Chimera (DARK/Machine/Effect/ATK: 800/DEF: 2100/LV: 4)
"Then, I'll add Cyberdark Chimera to my hand, and send my Cyber End Dragon to my Graveyard," I slipped all three cards into the graveyard as I added Chimera to my hand.
Cyber End Dragon (LIGHT/Machine/Fusion/Effect/ATK: 4000/DEF: 2800/LV: 10)
"Next, I activate the effects of both Herz and Chimera! First Chimera resolves, and I send one Cyberdark Monster with a different name than cards in my Graveyard to my Grave! I send Cyberdark Horn!" The card slipped out of my deck, and I slipped it into the Graveyard.
Cyberdark Horn (DARK/Machine/Effect/ATK: 800/DEF: 800/LV: 4)
"Next, Herz allows me to add 1 'Cyber Dragon' from my Deck or Graveyard to my hand!" A card poked out of my deck, and I revealed it. "And the one I'm adding is none other than my regular Cyber Dragon!"
Cyber Dragon (LIGHT/Machine/Effect/ATK: 2100/DEF: 1600/LV: 5)
"You've played all these cards, but you don't have a single monster on the field," Anna pointed out.
"Don't worry, that's coming soon. But first, I'll activate the effect of Cyberdark Cannon in my hand! By sending it to the Graveyard, I can add 1 Level 4 Machine 'Cyberdark' monster from my Deck to my hand! And I add Cyberdark Edge!" I revealed the card before I put it in my hand.
Cyberdark Edge (DARK/Machine/Effect/ATK: 800/DEF: 800/LV: 4)
"Now, let's get going! While you control monsters and I have none, I can Special Summon my Cyber Dragon from my hand!"
I slammed the card onto the field, the mechanical dragon roaring to life on my field and staring down Anna's monster.
"Next, I'll normal summon my Cyber Dragon Zwei!" I placed the card onto the field, the smaller monster letting out a small screech as it appeared beside my Cyber Dragon.
Cyber Dragon Drei (LIGHT/Machine/Effect/ATK: 1800/DEF: 800/LV: 4)
"Drei's effect activates! When he's normal summoned, I can make all Cyber Dragons on my field Level 5! And lucky me, while on the field, Drei is treated as Cyber Dragon!"
Cyber Dragon Drei LV: 4 – 5
"Two Level 5 monsters," Anna noted, tensing up.
"And Xyz Summon?" Ruri exclaimed in surprise.
"That's right," I smirked. "I overlay my Level 5 Cyber Dragon and Cyber Dragon Drei!" I lifted up my hand as the two monsters turned into glowing lights, a portal appearing in front of me. "With these two monsters, I build the overlay network!"
The two monsters soared into the portal in front of me, causing a massive explosion of light as my Extra Deck opened and I grabbed the card. "Mechanical Dragon sleeping in the darkness! Bathe in the light of the sun and unleash an inferno upon this world!" I smirked as I put the card on my Duel Disk. "Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 5! Cyber Dragon Nova!"
With a mighty roar the pierced the air, causing several people to look over, my monster appeared, glaring down at Anna.
Cyber Dragon Nova (LIGHT/Machine/Xyz/Effect/ATK: 2100/DEF: 1600/RNK: 5/OU: 2)
"Impressive," Anna told me. "But that's not enough to beat my Rocket Arrow Express!"
"I'm not done," I told her. "I rebuild the overlay network with Cyber Dragon Nova!"
"You what-!?"
My monster screeched as it turned into light, shooting into the sky before slamming down into another portal. "Mechanical Dragon who has inherited the power of the sun! Push beyond your limits and devastate my enemies with your endless strength!" My purple eye glowed brightly. "Rank Up Xyz Change! Appear before us! Rank 6! Cyber Dragon Infinity!"
Out of the portal emerged infinity, letting out another screech as it stared down Anna herself, beating its mighty wings.
Cyber Dragon Infinity (LIGHT/Machine/Xyz/Effect/ATK: 2100/DEF: 1600/RNK: 6/OU: 3)
"Amazing…" Yuto said in awe.
"So, this is his Xyz monster," Ruri smiled. "It's amazing!"
Anna gulped but stood her ground, deadly serious.
"Cyber Dragon Infinity gains 200 ATK for each material attached. There are three, so therefore his ATK raises to 2700!"
Cyber Dragon Infinity ATK: 2100 – 2700
"Then, I activate Infinity's effect!" I told her. "I target 1 Attack Position monster on the field and attach it to Infinity as material! The card I'm, of course, targeting is your Rocket Arrow Express!"
"Not so fast!" She told me. "I activate my Quick-Play Spell: Forbidden Droplet!"
I felt my eyes widen in pure shock as the card was flipped up. 'Forbidden Droplet!? Why the fuck does she have that card!? Progressively hard fights my ass!"
"I send cards from my hand or field to the Graveyard, and target that many monsters you control, and I negate their effects and halve their attack points! And you can't activate the effects of the type of cards I send to the Graveyard in response!" She revealed a card in her hand. "So, by sending by Night Express Knight to the Graveyard, I negate the effect of your Cyber Dragon Infinity, and you can't use monster effects to respond to this card!"
Night Express Knight (EARTH/Machine/Effect/ATK: 3000/DEF: 3000/LV: 10)
I couldn't help but scowl as a chalice appeared, covering my Cyber Dragon Infinity in a liquid that made it rust slightly, its effects negated and its attack points dropping.
Cyber Dragon Infinity ATK: 2700 – 1350
"In that case, I activate the effect of Cyberdark Realm! Once per turn, when this effect resolves, I can Normal Summon a Cyberdark monster from my hand! Appear now, Cyberdark Edge!" I placed the card on the field, and it screeched into life. "Edge's effect! I target a Level 3 or lower Dragon-Type monster and quip it to Edge, and he gains its ATK as his own! I'll attach Cyberdark Claw!"
Cyberdark Claw appeared from my Graveyard, attaching itself to Edge's back.
Cyberdark Edge ATK: 800 – 2400
"Battle!" I declared. "Cyberdark Edge attacks!"
"What!?" Anna exclaimed in shock. "But my monster has more ATK! You're going to self-destruct!"
"Guess again, because my Edge lets him bypass your monster and attack you, in exchange for halving his attack during the battle!"
Cyberdark Edge ATK: 2400 – 1200
"Next, the effect of Cyberdark Claw in my Spell and Trap zone activates! If he's equipped to a monster that battles, then I can send a monster from my Extra Deck to the Graveyard! I'll send my Cyberdark Dragon!" I pulled the card out of my Extra deck and slipped it away.
Cyberdark Dragon (DARK/Machine/Effect/ATK: 1000/DEF: 1000/LV: 8)
Edge let out a screech as it fired electricity at Anna, who blocked it as best she could with her Duel Disk.
Anna LP: 4000 – 2800
Cyberdark Edge ATK: 1200 – 2400
"I set one card face down," I slipped a card down. "And I end my turn."
Ash Hand: 2
Anna Hand: 3
"Then it's my move!" She tugged a card from her deck. "I draw!" During my standby phase, I refuse to pay the cost and my Rocket Arrow Express is destroyed!" The monster in front of her glowed before exploding, leaving the field.
"I'll summon out my Flying Pegasus Railroad Stampede!" She grinned as she placed the card on the field, the Mechanical Pegasus pulling a train neighing into life.
Flying Pegasus Railroad Stampede (EARTH/Machine/Effect/ATK: 1800/DEF: 1000/LV: 4)
"Pegasus activates his effect!" She declared. "When it's summoned, I can target 1 EARTH Machine monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it with its effects negated in Defence Mode!" She grinned and lifted a card from her hand. "Then, I'll chain my Heavy Freight Train Derricrane! When I normal or special summon an Earth Machine monster, I can Special Summon it from my hand with its ATK and DEF halved!"
A loud chugging sound was heard as the orange train with a crank zoomed onto the field.
Heavy Freight Train Derricrane (EARTH/Machine/Effect/ATK: 2000/DEF: 2000/LV: 10)
"Then with Pegasus, I Special Summon Night Express Knight!" She pulled the card from her grave and placed it on the field, the knight of the train hefting its sword and shield, ready for battle.
"Two Level 10 monsters," I whispered softly, gulping as I knew the card that she could bring out right now.
"Not yet," she smirked. "I activate the effect of Super Express Bullet Train in my hand! If I control only EARTH Machine monsters, I can Special Summon it to my field! Come on out!" She placed the card on the field, the massive, spiked train coming to life on the field.
Super Express Bullet Train (EARTH/Machine/Effect/ATK: 3000/DEF: 0/LV: 10)
"Next, Pegasus activates his effect! I target 1 other face-up monster I control, and he gains that monsters level! And in exchange, only my Xyz Monsters can attack this turn! By targeting Super Express Bullet Train, Pegasus becomes Level 10!"
Flying Pegasus Railroad Stampede LV 4 – 10
"Now here it comes!" She grinned. "I overlay my Level 10 Flying Pegasus, and my Level 10 Night Express Knight!" Both monsters turned into orange lights that shot into the sky before crashing into a portal in front of her. Her Extra Deck opened, and she grabbed a card, "From beyond the railway, the supreme weapon arrives alongside the tremors of the earth! Appear before us, Rank 10! Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Gustav Max!"
The gargantuan monster appeared, and I felt a shudder run through my spine… If she had a second one of those in her deck, I was not gonna have a good time.
Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Gustav Max (EARTH/Machine/Xyz/Effect/ATK: 3000/DEF: 3000/RNK: 10/OU: 2)
"Next, I'll overlay my Level 10 Bullet Train and Freight Train!" Those monsters both surged into lights, fusing together as they caused an explosion of light, soaring into the portal in front of Anna. "Carry us beyond the limits of the Earth! Rank 10! Skypalace Gangaridai!"
The huge carrier soared above us, casting a huge shadow over the battlefield. But honestly? I just felt relief it wasn't a second Gustav Max!
Skypalace Gangaridai (WIND/Machine/Xyz/Effect/ATK: 3400/DEF: 3000/RNK: 10/OU: 2)
"It's coming," Ruri said. "Anna's OTK combo. She's planning to end this right now. I don't know if Ash can survive this."
"Yeah," Yuto gulped. "Oi, Ash! Don't you dare give up! Figure a way out of this!"
"I'm trying!" I snapped back at him.
"Well, you can try all you like, but there's no way you're getting out of this!" Anna smirked. "First, I activate Skypalace Gangaridai's effect! I use one Overlay unit to target 1 card on your field and destroy it, and then you'll take 1000 points of damage! In exchange, Skypalace can't attack this turn! I target your Cyber Dragon Infinity!"
Skypalace Gangaridai OU: 2 – 1
I gulped as the palace took aim at my infinity, and I looked at him… No, not yet…
"Next, Freight Train's effect chains!" She grinned. "Since I sent to the Graveyard as Xyz Material to activate an effect of my monster, I can target 1 card on your field and destroy it! I target your face-down card!"
A silhouette of Freight train appeared, heading straight for my face-down card.
'Now!'
"I chain my Cyber Dragon Infinity!" I told her. "By using one Overlay Unit, I negate your Freight Train's effect!"
Cyber Dragon Infinity OU: 3 – 2
Cyber Dragon Infinity ATK: 2700 – 2500
Cyber Dragon Infinity let out a screech that dispersed the silhouette of Freight train, before it was bombarded by cannons from Gangaridai, destroying it.
Ash LP: 4000 – 3000
"Next, I activate the effect of my Gustav Max!" She told me. "I use one Overlay unit, and you take 2000 points of damage!"
I gulped as the cannon pointed straight at me, bracing myself…
BOOOM!
I was sent flying off my feet, landing on the ground hard as I skid to a halt. Holy fuck, woman!
Superdradnought Rail Cannon Gustav Max OU: 2 – 1
Ash LP: 3000 – 1000
"Now, I rebuild the Overlay Network with Gustav Max!" She declared, the card glimmering as it soared straight up before crashing back down. "From beyond the railway, the ultimate weapon appears! Shake the Earth with your arrival, and blast everything in your sight apart! Rank-Up Xyz Change!" She slammed the card down. "Speed In! Rank 11! Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Juggernaut Liebe!"
I shakily got up from the ground as the monster appeared in front of me, that god massive cannon and body ready to tear me apart at the first chance it got.
Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Juggernaut Liebe (EARTH/Machine/Xyz/Effect/ATK: 4000/DEF: 4000/RNK: 11/OU: 2)
"It's here," Yuto gulped. "Her ace monster!"
"Ash, do something!" Ruri yelled at me.
'Of course, I've got something, Ruri!' I yelled in my mind, 'I have to wait for her attack first though!'
"Juggernaut Liebe now activates his effect! I use one Overlay Unit, and he gains 2000 ATK and DEF! I can only attack with him this turn too. But that doesn't matter since he can attack your monsters for every Overlay unit that he has plus one! So, he can attack your Edge Twice! There's no way that monster doesn't have some kind of effect to let it survive by getting rid of its equipment!"
'Oh, of course she guesses that right! Granted, kinda obvious…'
"Battle!" She declared. "Go, Juggernaut Liebe! Attack his Cyberdark Edge and end this duel! Super Juggernaut Blast!"
I watched on as the cannon charged up, sparking blue energy pointed straight at my monster, before I tapped my Duel Disk. "Trap Card activate! Negate Attack!"
The card flipped up, a spiralling portal forming as Juggernaut Liebe unleashed its blast, but it was sucked into the portal almost greedily before the attack stopped.
"W- What the heck?" Anna exclaimed. "No matter, attack again!"
Juggernaut Liebe didn't move so much as a nut nor bolt.
"H- Huh!? Why isn't my monster attacking!"
"Negate attack does exactly what it says," I told her. "It negates your attack, and then it brings an end to your battle phase!"
"Alright!" Yuto pumped his fist. "Ash is still in this!"
"But it won't be easy," Ruri told him. "Look at her field! She's got two insane monsters, both with over 3000 ATK! It's gonna be rough on him!"
"Hmph… You're pretty good, being able to survive," Anna told me. "But you're only delaying the inevitable. I end my turn. At this moment, Super Express Bullet Train activates its effect. During the end phase of the turn it was sent there, I can add a Machine monster from my Graveyard to my hand. I add Heavy Freight Train Derricrane back to my hand."
Anna Hand: 1
I took a breath and looked down at the two cards in my hand. 'Sorry Anna, but with these alone… My victory has already been secured! However…' I looked down at my deck and smirked. 'A little insurance never hurt anyone, right?''
I placed my hand on my deck. 'Destiny…' "Draw!" I tugged a card from my Deck, before I looked down at what I drew… And my eyes widened. 'What!? How did you get in my Deck…? … Wait, was it back when I was collecting my cards after lunch!? Did you slip in somehow!?'
I clicked my tongue. 'Crap… I can still win, but I wanted some insurance…!'
Use me.
"Huh?" I blinked as I looked around in confusion after hearing a voice.
"Oi, what's wrong Ash?" Ruri called out. "It's your turn!"
"Hmph, he's probably just debating on surrendering," Anna bragged with a cheeky smirk. "Come on, surrender or make your move!"
I looked at them before I cast my gaze down to the card in my hand. 'Was it…?'
She smiled at me warmly. Use me, Ash.
I felt my eyes widen… And then I smiled. 'Alright… I'll use you!'
"I Normal Summon Solstar Pollux to my field!" I declared, placing the card down on my field, unveiling as scantily clad blonde in Greek style robes, wielding a sword in hand, her eyes narrowed at my opponent.
SolStar Pollux (LIGHT/Warrior/Effect/ATK: 1800/DEF: 500/LV: 4)
"SolStar…?" Ruri questioned. "I don't recognise that card…"
"Maybe it got slipped into his deck when we were gathering his cards during lunch," Yuto told her. "But still…" He blushed and looked away. "A bit uh, risqué, isn't it…?"
"Don't let her looks deceive you, Yuto," I told him. "This lady has some bite to her! SolStar Pollux activates her effect! When she is normal or special summoned, I can add 1 Level 4 or lower SolStar monster from my Deck to my hand!" A card slid out of my deck, and I revealed it. "The card I'm adding is my SolStar Castor! Then, Castor activates his effect! While I control his sister, Pollux, I can Special Summon him to my field!"
With a mighty roar, a young man who looked very similar to Pollux appeared, clad in the same type of robes but covering up more of his body, a circular disk floating around him.
SolStar Castor (DARK/Warrior/Effect/ATK: 1800/DEF: 500/LV: 4)
"Three Level 4 monsters," Anna's eyes narrowed. "You're going to Xyz Summon?"
"That's right, but not Level 4!" I told her. "When I Xyz, Fusion, or Synchro Summon using SolStar monsters while I control Castor, I'm able to treat him and up to one other SolStar on my field as Level 7! I overlay my Level 7 SolStar Castor and Pollux!"
Castor and Pollux touched their weapons together before turning into purple and yellow lights respectively, spiralling up and spinning around one another, before they shot down into the vortex in front of me, a massive explosion of light coming from within.
My Extra Deck opened up, and from it I pulled out a card. "Dragon sleeping within the depths of Darkness! Awaken from your deep slumber and sink your fangs into all that opposes you!" My purple eye began to glow enough that it illuminated my surroundings slightly. "Xyz Summon! Rise Up! Rank 7! Dark Anthelion Dragon!"
With a mighty roar, my dragon soared out of the portal, roaring into life. It was certainly similar to Dark Rebellion, but much bulkier with massive, sharp wings, and wore white armour on its upper body. Its yellow eyes gleamed at Anna and her monsters, ready to battle.
Dark Anthelion Dragon (DARK/Dragon/Xyz/Effect/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500/RNK: 7/OU: 2)
"Dark Anthelion Dragon…" Anna gulped. "It's… It looks so much like Yuto's Dark Rebellion!"
"Alright!" Yuto cheered. "It's that monster! It looks awesome!"
"Yeah, take her out, Ash!" Ruri agreed.
I looked down at my hand and decided to save Chimera just in case. "Pollux's effect! I draw one card from my Deck when she's used as material to summon a monster from the Extra Deck!" I tugged a card from my deck and looked it at. Cyberdark Synchron. A good back up too, in Anthelion failed for whatever reason. "At this moment, I activate Dark Anthelion's effect! I use one overlay unit and target your Juggernaut Liebe! Your monster's ATK is cut in half!"
Her eyes widened in shock. "What!?"
"That's not all!" I told her. "Dark Anthelion gains ATK equal to the ATK your monster lost, and I gain life equal to the amount that Dark Anthelion gained! Go, Dark Anthelion! Halo Charge!"
My Dragon let out a mighty roar as black energy gathered around its wings before surging towards Juggernaut Liebe, wrapping around, and restraining the monster, even forcing that gargantuan gun down on its body. A black halo then formed over Dark Anthelion's head, making its body glow with energy that shone onto me.
Juggernaut Liebe ATK: 6000 – 3000
Dark Anthelion Dragon ATK: 3000 – 6000
Ash LP: 1000 – 4000
"No way!" Anna exclaimed. "You're monster is at 6000 ATK, and you got back all your life points!?"
"I WANT THAT!" Yuto exclaimed.
"Yuto!" Ruri hit him over the head, but had an amused smirk on his face, while Yusho chuckled softly.
"Battle!" I declared. "Dark Anthelion Dragon attacks Juggernaut Liebe! Nightfall Disobey!"
Dark Anthelion roared as it soared up into the sky, black energy gathering into its mouth, before it unleashed a vicious beam of light down at Juggernaut Liebe, completely destroying the monster and causing a shockwave that sent our clothes rustling, though everyone managed to stay on their feet.
Anna LP: 2800 – 0
WINNER: Ash Crestfall
I took a breath as my legs finally gave out and I fell back, sitting on the ground. I lifted a hand to my forehead, wiping away the sweat… Who the hell said duelling wasn't stressful? Because it was sure stressful when literal guns were pointed at you in the form of monsters!
"Alright!" Ruri cheered. "Good job, Ash! Great turn around!"
"Yeah!" Yuto nodded in agreement. "That was amazing!"
Yusho smiled and clapped. "A wonderful duel, from both of you! You truly gave it your all, I could see both of you enjoying the duel with all you had!"
"Forget enjoyment, those cannons were scary as heck!" I called back. "Don't even get me started when Gustav Max hit me with a damned blast, that was bloody frightening!"
Yusho only laughed in soft amusement at my antics, while I pouted.
"I… Lost…" Anna said as she stared at me… And then she threw her head back and laughed. "Hahaha! I lost! But it was so much fun, I've never seen someone turn the tables on me so brutally like that! You're amazing, Ash!"
"Thank you, Anna," I told her, very slowly getting up. "You almost had me… If I didn't start with Negate Attack in my hand, you're Juggernaut Liebe would have taken me out."
"Speaking of actually, why did you wait to use your Cyber Dragon Infinity's effect until I targeted your face-down?" Anna asked. "Wouldn't it have been better to chain it to my Skypalace?"
"No," I shook my head. "Cyber Dragon Infinity's effect is once per turn. I could ask you why you didn't summon a second Gustav Max?"
"I figured you might have something going on with your face-down," she admitted. "That's why I tried to destroy it with my Skypalace and Heavy Freight train combo."
"In future, don't be afraid to double up on my card," I told her. "If you'd done that I would have lost, hands down," I revealed the cards in my hand. "I didn't have anything else to stop you."
"Aww man!" She huffed. "I'll keep that in mind though, thank you," she smiled. "Do you mind if I get your number?"
"… My… Number?" I questioned.
"Yeah, to call you," she smiled. "I'd like to be your friend, if that's okay?"
"Of course, it's okay," I told her, handing over my number without issue, and she gave me hers in turn with a smile.
"Wonderful!" Yusho clapped. "That's the true essence of Duelling! To have fun, to enjoy yourself, and to make new friends! That was a splendid duel, Anna-chan, Ash-kun!"
"Thank you, Sensei!" Anna smiled happily.
"Yeah, thank you," I responded to his words.
"Alright, I'm all fired up now!" Yuto smiled. "Oi, Ruri, let's duel!"
Ruri giggled as she readied her Duel Disk. "You're on, Yuto!"
Yusho laughed, leaving them both to duel, while Anna and I moved on to the side to watch.
You have defeated Anna Kozuki!
2372 DP obtained.
[Kaboom!] has been cleared.
'Train Wreck' Booster Pack unlocked, all female members of Xyz Dimension 'You Show Duel' have been unlocked as romantic interest.
Anna Kozuki's affection points have risen!
Anna Kozuki Affection: 4/10
Anna Kozuki now considers you a friend.
… When the hell did I get an affection system!?
"I don't know, but it sure looks neat!" I heard a female voice say.
I looked behind me, and my eyes widened at the sight of Pollux standing there, a warm smile on her face. "Nice to meet you, Ash! Let's get along, okay?"
'… Huh?'
Solstar Pollux Affection: 9/10
SolStar Pollux is deeply in love with you.
'HUH!?'
Created Cards
SolStar Castor (DARK/Warrior/Effect/ATK: 1800/DEF: 500/LV: 4)
While you control "Solstar Pollux," you may Special Summon this card from your hand in Defence Position. You may tribute both this card and 1 other face-up "Solstar" monster you control; Special Summon "XXXXXX XXXX, XXXXX" from your Hand, Deck, or Graveyard. When performing a summoning from the Extra Deck, you may treat this card and up to one other "SolStar" monster you control as being Level 7 monster.
Adjusted Cards
Dark Anthelion Dragon (DARK/Dragon/Effect/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500/RNK: 7)
2 Level 7 monsters
Once per turn (Quick Effect): You can detach 1 material from this card, then target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; until the end of this turn, its ATK becomes half its current ATK, and if it does, this card gains that lost ATK, and you gain LP equal to the ATK this card gained.