Hi, guys! It's been quite a bit since I last updated this, but here we go! This chapter is based off from the Tag Force Story Mode for Gongenzaka, so enjoy!
Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own any Yu-Gi-Oh series, only the OCs!
"I apologize if I called you when you were busy, Mitsumi," apologized Gongenzaka, welcoming his friend as soon as she met him at the entrance of the Gongenzaka Dojo.
"It's really not a big deal, Gongenzaka!" said Mitsumi. "I just returned home from shopping for groceries and I didn't really have much to do anyways. I can help you out for a little while! So, what's wrong?"
Gongenzaka sighed, looking sad. "Well, you see, I have a bit of a problem. It has to do with my father's dojo. Recently, there's been less and less students applying and some of our current students even left the dojo. Of course, this has happened before in the past, but it wasn't anything this bad. In fact, I believe it's worst this time."
Mitsumi took a moment to ponder about the situation. "Hmm...I guess this is similar to the situation You Show Duel School always has. Lack of popularity and lack of inspiration. Is that what's happening?"
"Not...exactly. But, it's really bad this time because some of our students have gotten hurt during dueling. I mean, yes, the Gongenzaka Dojo isn't exactly for the feint of hearts and our Dueling Style, the Steadfast Dueling Style, has severe training that requires you to duel like your life depends on it, but that doesn't mean people should get hurt while training!"
"...Gongenzaka, I'm sorry, but your logic doesn't make any sense," said Mitsumi. "You don't want the students to get hurt, I get that, but the way you described that makes it sound like the life-risking training does involve people getting hurt."
"Well, I-! I...can't argue with that, but this is an entirely different situation! Yes, some of the students are getting hurt, but this time, it's not through the training!" Gongenzaka explained. "Recently, there's been troubling rumors around that our students have been getting injured outside of training. Because of the humiliation and insults from whoever was defeating them, some of them even quit the school! When I tried asking around, it doesn't seem like they're telling the truth, probably because the truth is too humiliating."
'Really should have started with that then instead of confusing me,' Mitsumi thought. "Okay...So basically, you want my help trying to find the culprit hurting the students at your dojo?"
Gongenzaka nodded firmly. "Yes! I cannot disappoint my father! The dojo must remain strong! After all, it's his unwavering desire to pass the Steadfast Dueling Style to others! And, as heir to his dojo, I feel that it is my duty to resolve this situation and restore the dojo's reputation! Mitsumi, I know you're not very strong or skilled in a duel-"
'Oh, shit! Right, I'm supposed to pretend to be feeble and not very good at dueling,' thought Mitsumi, nodding to Gongnenzaka's words. "T-that's right! Um...Why didn't you enlist Yuzu-chan or Yuya's help as well?"
"Well, I really didn't want to trouble them, especially since they seemed pretty busy when last I spoke to them. I didn't want to do the same to you as well, but..."
Mitsumi shook her head. "No, no! I understand! I'll be glad to help out! I mean, I'll do my best! But...I don't think we really have any leads to go to right now. You said you talked to every student who left?"
"Well...perhaps I missed a few, and it's true that I don't really have a lead. Perhaps the best thing would be to wander around a bit and ask questions?"
Mitsumi nodded. "Okay. We don't really have anything else to go by, so let's go with your plan."
"Wonderful! Let us be on our way! All this to restore the dojo's honor and reputation! Let's go!"
Although the progress was slow, Gongenzaka and Mitsumi did gather some information on the situation at hand, finding out that the situation was more serious than they anticipated.
Apparently, the true culprit whose been defeating duelists from the Gongenzaka Dojo was none other than a former dojo student himself, Gen Ankokuji. Whenever he won, he didn't just boast and brag, but he utterly humiliated his opponents further by stating that they should give up, that they were weaklings and no good. It was so bad that many students ended up quitting, hence Ankokuji was the main source.
But, it appears there were a few other factors that caused other students to quit as well, even if they were rather minor. Such factors were things like, the students wanting to advance from one Duel School to a stronger Duel School, or more commonly, they just...didn't like the Steadfast Style of the Gongenzaka Duel School.
"I just don't understand!" said Gongenzaka frustratedly as they were walking down the streets. "How can anyone not like the Steadfast Dueling Style? It's what they signed up for when they joined my father's dojo!"
While they were investigating, Mitsumi did do a lot of thinking about Gongnenzaka's situation. Yes, the fault did lay upon Ankokuji and Mitsumi only met him a few times and he was a nasty piece of work. Definitely someone worth the title of bully. But he wasn't the only main reason for students leaving. If anything, it was the traditional Steadfast Dueling Style that may have possibly made students leave.
Mitsumi opened her mouth to speak up. "Gongenzaka-"
"Hey! You! Tough-looking guy! Are you Noboru Gongenzaka?"
Hearing an unfamiliar voice, both Mitsumi and Gongenzaka turned around to see a young spiky green-haired boy with golden earrings, a large black headband, and a bandage on his nose. Right next to him was a young girl with short, messy auburn-colored hair. Both appeared to be LDS students and they were looking directly at Gongenzaka.
Gongenzaka pointed to himself. "Hmm? Are you talking about me? Yes, I am Noboru Gongenzaka. What's your business with me?"
The green-haired boy spoke up. "Well, we were kinda paid to test you out and see how good you are. Originally, this was going to be some kind of 2v1 Battle Royal Duel, but your friend can join in so this could be a proper Battle Royal Duel!"
"Wait, paid? Who paid you to take on Gongenzaka?" asked Mitsumi curiously.
The auburn-haired girl answered, "Oh, Shingo Sawatari. No idea why he ordered us to do so, but hey, he paid us for something pretty easy, so why not?"
Both Gongenzaka and Mitsumi glanced at each other confusedly. Shingo? Why in the world would he want to test out Gongenzala? If that was the case, why didn't he try and come test out Gongenzaka himself?
"Uh...do you know where Sawatari-san is?" Mitsumi asked.
"Well...he gave us explicit instructions not to say anything until you defeat us, so we can't say anything," said the green-haired boy. "But anyways, let's get ready to duel! I'm Anshi Kurokato!"
"And I'm Nene Koen!" said the auburn-haired girl, readying her duel disk. "Let's do this!"
Gongenzaka turned to Mitsumi. "Mitsumi, will you help me?"
Mitsumi nodded. "Okay, I'll do my best!"
"DUEL!"
- DUEL -
Gongenzaka - 4000 LP
Mitsumi - 4000 LP
VS
Anshi - 4000 LP
Nene - 4000 LP
'It's a good thing this isn't a Tag Duel, otherwise, me and Gongenzaka will have to share both fields and Graveyards, which is disadvantageous for Gongenzaka's deck,' thought Mitsumi. 'Question is...should I win or lose?'
Turn 1: Gongenzaka
Hand: 5
"I, the man Gongenzaka, shall go first!" said Gongenzaka. "First, I summon Superheavy Samurai Magnet to the field in Attack Mode!"
Superheavy Samurai Magnet - (EARTH/Machine) - LV4 - (900/1900)
"And when he's Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Superheavy Samurai from my hand! I choose to Special Summon Superheavy Samurai Kabuto in Attack Mode!"
Superheavy Samurai Kabuto - (EARTH/Machine) - LV4 - (1000/2000)
"I shall end my turn from there!"
"Seriously? And here I thought you were hyped up to use some sort of XYZ Summoning! What a waste!" sighed Nene, shaking her head.
'...Gongenzaka's deck is certainly structured so that it'll be really bad if he has any Spells or Traps in his Graveyard. If anything, maybe he should focus on getting some XYZ Monsters to strengthen his deck. After all, XYZ Materials only count as Monsters in the Graveyard,' Mitsumi thought. 'But of course, he can't because of 'tradition.''
Turn 2: Nene
Hand: 5
"My turn! Time to show you what I mean!" said Nene. "I activate the Spell, Obedience Schooled! If I control no Monsters, I can Special Summon 3 Level 2 or lower Beast Effect Monsters with different names from my deck! But, their effects are negated, and they're destroyed at the end of my turn! And, for the rest of this turn, I can't Special Summon any Monsters except Beast Types!"
"What's she planning...?" muttered Gongenzaka.
'It's pretty clear that she has a Beast-Type deck. Problem is, what's she going to bring out?' thought Mitsumi cautiously.
"Come on out, my cute Monsters!" called out Nene. "Melffy Catty! Melffy Pony! And Melffy Puppy!"
Melffy Catty - (EARTH/Beast) - LV2 - (200/200)
Melffy Pony - (EARTH/Beast) - LV2 - (400/0)
Melffy Puppy - (EARTH/Beast) - LV2 - (300/100)
"...Cute Monsters?" Gongenzaka muttered, dumbfounded.
But Mitsumi still remained silent and cautious. 'A lesson taught to me is that looks aren't everything. Sure, they're cute and adorable, but there's no mistaking that they're all Level 2 Monsters altogether. That means that she's either Synchro Summoning or XYZ Summoning. And judging by what she said earlier...'
"I use all three of my cutie Monsters to build the Overlay Network!" said Nene as the swirling vortex of darkness and light appeared, absorbing her three Monsters. "Appear, the mother of all Melffys! Melffy Mommy!"
Compared to the other smaller Melffy Monsters, a larger, yet fluffier Melffy Monster appeared with a caring and cheerful aura surrounding the Monster.
Melffy Mommy - (EARTH/Beast/ XYZ) - Rank 2 - (1000/1000)
"And, to add more cuteness to her power, I'll be activating her special ability! You see, once per turn, I can attach one Beast Monster from my hand or field to Melffy Mommy as XYZ material! So, I'll be adding my cute Melffy Fenny from my hand to Melffy Mommy!"
'That means 4 XYZ materials,' thought Mitsumi. 'Several XYZ Monsters have various effects depending on how many materials they have. Is this one of those cases?'
"Hmm...I think I'll end my turn for now!"
Turn 3: Mitsumi
Hand: 5
'Honestly, this isn't really that big of an important duel for me, so I would have no problems purposely losing. I could always just try to find Shingo at school and question him why he wants Gongenzaka later. But...this seems really important to him, so yeah, I'll help him win,' Mitsumi thought.
"My turn!" started Mitsumi. "And first, I activate the Ritual Spell, Gishki Aquamirror, and use Gishki Grimness entirely to fulfill the conditions to Ritual Summon my newest Evigishki Monster, Evigishki Neremanas!"
A beautiful, young water sorceress riding on top of a royal-looking sea creature that seemed to be a fused combination of a whale and shark emerged from underneath as though the ground below was underwater itself.
Evigishki Neremanas - (WATER/Spellcaster/Ritual) - LV10 - (3000/1800)
"Amazing! It appears you upgraded your deck, Mitsumi! That's excellent for this duel!" praised Gongenzaka.
"T-thank you, Gongenzaka!" thanked Mitsumi shyly. 'Honestly, I didn't want to bring out the big guns so early, but I do want to help Gongenzaka win. Plus, I never got a chance to test out Neremanas, so now's as good as time as any!'
"When Neremanas is Ritual Summoned, I can target 1 WATER Monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it! I'll bring back the exact Monster I used to Ritual Summon it! Gishki Grimness in Defense Mode!"
Gishki Grimness - (WATER/Fish) - LV2 - (600/700)
"Whenever Grimness is Special or Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Gishki Monster from my deck to the field! I choose Gishki Marker in Defense Mode!"
Gishki Marker - (WATER/Aqua) - LV4 - (1600/1200)
"And, when he's summoned, I can target 1 Gishki Ritual Monster or Spell card in my Graveyard and add that to my hand! I choose Gishki Aquamirror and activate it again! This time, I'm using Grimness' effect again to fulfill the requirements to Ritual Summon a new Monster! I Ritual Summon Evigishki Gustkraken!"
A crimson-haired sorceress donned in a dark gown with golden jewelry attached to an array of large tentacles appeared on the field next to her fellow Ritual Monster.
Evigishki Gustkraken - (WATER/Aqua/Ritual) - LV6 - (2400/1000)
"Gustkraken's ability activates! When she's Ritual Summoned, I can look up to 2 random cards in my opponent's hand and then shuffle 1 of them back into the deck! Um...Kurokato-san! Can I see those two far left cards you have?"
Anshi clicked his tongue, but then revealed them to Mitsumi. And since Gongenzaka was standing next to Mitsumi, he also got the chance to see what Anshi' two mysterious random cards were.
Fabled Kushano and Fabled Lurrie.
Mitsumi narrowed her eyes as she examined the two Monster cards. It appears that Fabled Kushano wasn't just any ordinary Monster, but a Tuner Monster to boot. That meant that Anshi likely uses a Synchro deck. The other Monster, Fabled Lurrie, wasn't a Tuner Monster, so to prevent any chances of her opponent from advancing further, Mitsumi knew her answer was clear.
"I choose Fabled Kushano!"
"Damnit! Alright," sighed Anshi, putting the chosen card back into his deck before his duel disk automatically shuffled his deck.
Mitsumi sighed in relief. She looked at her own field, which had an impressive array of powerful Monsters lined up. So far, she was the only person with such powerful Monsters and if she could, she would have attacked. However, in a Battle Royal, nobody can attack on their first turn, so she just has to hope and pray nothing bad happens.
"I end my turn! Gongenzaka, is this okay?"
Gongenzaka nodded. "Definitely! But we can't let our guard down! Not until the duel is over!"
Turn 4: Anshi
Hand: 5
"Kurokato! You have to make a good move!" urged Nene.
"Hey, I just started! Gimme a break!" argued back Anshi. "Alright, let's see here...I activate the Spell, Dark World Dealings! Everyone has to draw 1 card, and then discard 1 card!"
After everyone did as Anshi told them to do so, he resumed his turn.
"Alright, then I activate the effect of the card I just discarded! The Fabled Ganashia! If he's discarded to the Graveyard, I can Special Summoned him!"
The Fabled Ganashia - (LIGHT/Beast) - LV3 - (1600/1000)
"And, if summoned this way, he gains 200 extra Attack Points! But, I do have to banish him when he leaves the field!"
The Fabled Ganashia - (LIGHT/Beast) - LV3 - (1800/1000)
"Next, I summon the Tuner Monster, Fabled Raven!"
Fabled Raven - (LIGHT/Fiend/Tuner) - LV2 - (1300/1000)
"Once per turn, I can discard any number of cards in my hand and he gains 1 Level and 400 extra Attack Points for each discarded card until the end of this turn! I'll just toss away the last three cards in my hand! Fabled Raven's Level increases by 3 more Levels and he gains 1200 extra Attack Points!"
Fabled Raven - (LIGHT/Fiend/Tuner) - LV5 - (2500/1000)
"The conditions are set! I tune my Level 5 Fabled Raven with my Level 3 Fabled Ganashia in order to Synchro Summon Fabled Valkyrus!"
Fabled Valkyrus, despite his LIGHT Attribute, appeared as a terrifying armored demon with wings, sneering down at his owner's opponents as though they were nothing but bugs to be squashed.
Fabled Valkyrus - (LIGHT/Fiend/Synchro) - LV8 - (2900/1700)
"I end my turn!"
Turn 5: Gongenzaka
Hand: 3
"My turn, draw!" yelled Gongenzaka, unleashing a powerful wind from his draw as per to his Steadfast Dueling Style. "I sacrifice my two Superheavy Samurais in order to Tribute Summon Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei!"
A large mechanized samurai wearing a combination of formal samurai clothing and mechanical armor while wielding a forked spear appeared. He showcased his skills by twirling around his staff and then getting into battle position.
Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei - (EARTH/Machine) - LV8 - (1000/3500)
'Gongenzaka's ace Monster! Nice! The faster we finish this, the better!' thought Mitsumi.
"Big Benkei's effect activates! When he's Tribute Summoned, I can change his battle position!" said Gongenzaka.
"Hmph! What good will that do?" questioned Anshi. "His defenses are crazy strong, but everyone knows you can't attack in Defense Mode!"
"Wrong! Big Benkei's effect allows him to attack even in Defense Mode! His Defense Points will act as though they're his Attack Points! Now, attack Fabled Valkyrus!"
Big Benkei stormed over to Fabled Valkyrus and the two Monsters fought against each other for a while, resembling a warrior facing off against a demon. At long last, the true victor was Big Benkei, who finished off Fabled Valkyrus with a strong thrust through the chest, making the demonic-looking Monster burst apart.
Anshi - 3900 LP
"Gh-! Terrific!" groaned Anshi before glaring at Nene. "Hey! You've got an XYZ Monster! Why didn't you use her to help me?!"
"Uh, I didn't have anything that could help you!" argued Nene. "You had a weaker Monster, that's on you!"
"It doesn't appear as though their teamwork is supreme," sighed Gongenzaka, shaking his head in disappointment. "I end my turn!"
Turn 6: Nene
Hand: 4
"My turn to shine! Draw!" Nene said. "I'll activate Melffy Mommy's effect to attach 1 Beast Monster from my hand or field to her! From my hand, I'll add Melffy Wally to her!"
'That makes it a total of 5 XYZ materials,' thought Mitsumi. 'Adding more materials...there has to be more effects within that XYZ Monster of hers.'
"Now, it's time to attack! Melffy Mommy, attack Neremanas!"
"But why?! She's much more weaker than Mitsumi's Ritual Monster!" exclaimed Gongenzaka.
"Duh! Melffy Mommy's special effect activates!" teased Nene. "You see, she has effects depending on the number of materials attached to her! First, if she has 3 or more materials, she can't be destroyed in battle. 4 or more materials means I don't take any damage from battles involving Melffy Mommy! And finally, 5 or more materials is if an attack is declared involving my cute Monster and another Monster in Attack Mode, then the owner of the latter Monster gets hit damage equal to that Monster's Attack Points!"
"...Then that means I get hit 3000 Points of Damage while nothing happens to you," said Mitsumi.
"That's right! Now, go on, Melffy Mommy! Get to it-!"
"I activate Nermanas' effect! Once per turn, if my opponent activates a Monster effect, I can return 1 Gishki Ritual Monster I control to my hand, and then negate the activation. But that's not all! Then, you have to shuffle Melffy Mommy back to the deck, or should I say, Extra Deck!"
After Mitsuki's explanation, Nermanas raised her aquatic crystal staff high in the air. An illuminating light and an echoing effect resounded in the air as soundwaves before Evigishki Gust Kraken returned to Mitsumi's hand and Melffy Mommy transformed into light, returning to Nene's Extra Deck.
"...Crap!" cursed Nene, realizing that she had no Monsters to defend herself. "I...Uh...I set a Monster and end my turn! Uh...Target Anshi instead! He has no Monsters left!"
"What?! You sellout bitch!" shouted Anshi.
Turn 7: Mitsumi
Hand: 3
"My turn, draw!" said Mitsumi. "I switch Gishki Marker into Attack Mode and summon Gishki Chain in Attack Mode!"
Gishki Chain - (WATER/Sea Serpent) - LV4 - (1800/1000)
"Gishki Chain's effect activates! If he's Normal Summoned, I can look at the top 3 cards of my deck, and then I can reveal 1 Ritual Monster or Ritual Spell card among them and then add them in my hand! But then I can place any other remaining card back on top of my deck in any order!"
Mitsumi drew three more cards...and then shuffled them a bit before placing them back on top of her deck. At the very least, she knew which cards she would draw in her next three turns, assuming there are anymore turns.
The next problem was taking care of one of the two opponents. It was clear that Anshi's field was completely empty of any Monsters and he was vulnerable to any attacks. If Mitsumi struck him, then he'd be out of the picture. But Nene might make a comeback on her next turn. Mitsumi could try to take her out this turn, but after her turn will be Anshi, and he might make a comeback.
But...looking back at Gongenzaka, Mitsumi remembered something crucial. Gongenzaka is her partner. After her turn, it would normally be Anshi's turn, but if he was gone, then the turn would automatically default to Gongenzaka's turn.
Thus, as his partner, Mitsumi should trust in Gongenzka.
"Alright, Gishki Marker! Evigishki Neremanas! Attack Kurokato-san directly!"
Raising their own respective weapons simultaneously, both WATER Attribute Monsters began gathering streams of water before combining their aquatic powers together and sending a large blast of water towards Anshi, who was literally washed away from the torrent of water.
Anshi - 0 LP
Turning her head towards Nene, Mitsumi pointed to her and shouted, "Now, Gishki Chain! Take down her Set Monster!"
Spinning his chained javelin above his head, Gishki Chain then threw the javelin-like chained weapon towards the Set Monster...only to be bounced back by a barrier protecting Nene's Monster while it revealed itself to be Melffy Rabby.
Melffy Rabby - (EARTH/Beast) - LV2 - (0/2100)
Mitsumi - 3700 LP
'Damn! I was hoping that her Monster would have lower Defense Points and I would be able to leave her field empty so that Gongenzaka could finish off that girl!' thought Mitsumi. 'Oh well, I'll just have to rely on Gongenzaka to do something about this on his turn.'
"I end my turn! Gongenzaka, can you take her on?"
"Yes Leave it to me!"
Turn 8: Gongenzaka
Hand: 3
"My turn, DRAW!" Another powerful gust of wind whooshed from the single draw of Gongenzaka before he turned his drawn card around so only he knew what it was. "I summon Superheavy Samurai Soulpiercer from my hand!"
Superheavy Samurai Soulpiercer - (EARTH/Machine) - LV4 - (1200/0)
"Once per turn, I can equip Soulpiercer to another Superheavy Samurai Monster I control! And I choose Benkei! Of course, with Soulpiercer equipped, he can inflict piercing Battle Damage! Go, Benkei! Take down that Monster!"
The crossbow-like Monster, Soulpiercer, was magically equipped with an arrow as soon as it was attached to Benkei. Benkei took aim at Melffy Rabby and fired the arrow, piercing through the rabbit.
Nene - 2600 LP
"I, the man Gongenzaka, shall end my turn from there!"
Gongenzaka couldn't help but feel ashamed of himself. He thought that he would be able to finish off Nene on his turn, but he couldn't even do that. He could rely on Mitsumi to do the job, but she's done so much for him that he felt utterly useless.
Turn 9: Nene
Hand: 3
After drawing her card, Nene knew that she was utterly doomed. She needed time to build up her field and none of her Monsters in her hand could help her out. The best she could do was put up a proper defense and hope for the best.
"I-I end my turn! And here's something neat! At the End Phase, three of the Monsters in my hands activate their abilities! At my End Phase, they can all be Special Summoned from my hand! So, I Special Summon Melffy Fenny, Melffy Wally, and Melffy Puppy in Defense Mode!"
Melffy Fenny - (EARTH/Beast) - LV2 - (100/300)
Melffy Wally - (EARTH/Beast) - LV2 - (0/400)
Melffy Puppy - (EARTH/Beast) - LV2 - (300/100)
Gongenzaka glanced over to Mitsumi worriedly. Mitsumi herself had three Monsters, but it doesn't appear as though she'll be able to take out Nene on her turn unless she manages to summon another Monster. What will be her next move?
Turn 10: Mitsumi
Hand: 3
After drawing her card and seeing how Gongenzaka was upset earlier for failing to take out Nene on his previous turn, Mitsumi knew exactly what to do.
"Marker! Neremanas! Chain! Destroy all three of her Monsters!" commanded Mitsumi.
All three of her WATER Attribute Monsters took out their opponents in various different ways. Neremanas summoned an orb of water that converted into a geyser of water that hit Melffy Fenny. Gishki Chain wrapped his chains around Melffy Wally and then stabbed the Monster with the chain's sharpened spear. Gishki Marker slashed through Melffy Puppy with his own weapon, thus the three accomplished their tasks of defeating their monstrous opponents.
Turn 11: Gongenzaka
Hand: 3
"DRAW!" Gongenzaka yelled, pulling everything he had into drawing his card. It didn't matter which card he drew, though, because it was certain that this would be his last turn, given the conditions and the field shown before their very eyes.
Mitsumi glanced over to Gongenzaka, confident that he would finish everything this turn. After all, she had cleared Nene's entire field for him, which meant that she didn't have any single defenses left to protect her.
So why was it that Gongenzaka still looked unhappy?
"...Benkei! Finish this duel off!"
Benkei twirled his weapon above his head before slashing downwards, sending a powerful gust of wind that was just as strong as Gongenzaka's latest draw towards Nene. Nene shrieked as she was thrown in the air before falling on her bottom in defeat.
Nene: 0 LP
Winners: Gongenzaka and Mitsumi
"Damnit! They're so strong!" whined Nene, getting back up and wiping the dust off her skirt.
"Yeah, no thanks to you! Thanks so much for telling them to attack me, you traitor!" Anshi shouted sarcastically.
'Hmm...I guess this duel wasn't so bad. I wasn't expecting to be forced to reveal my newest strong Monster, but oh well. Time to figure out what the hell is going on and get the info from the two,' thought Mitsumi before coughing and reverting to her shy persona. "U-Um...excuse me, you two? I don't mean to interrupt, but could you please uphold your end of the deal? A-about where Sawatari-san is?"
"Huh? Oh, right. We did say something like that," said Anshi, calming himself. "Well, you can find him in the docks. Uh...Warehouse 52, I think he said?"
Mitsumi did recall a long time before that Shingo did want to hang out with her. And by hanging out, she knew he meant by date. He also mentioned something about hanging out at his favorite spot, a warehouse that his father bought for him for his birthday one day. That must be what he was referring to.
After Anshi and Nene left, it was just Mitsumi and Gongenzaka all alone. Mitsumi was annoyed that Shingo could possibly be behind the entire problem that Gongenzaka was trying to solve, but she was more concerned about her friend, who had grown silent.
"Gongenzaka? Is everything alright?"
"Huh?" Snapping out of it, Gongenzaka turned to Mitsumi and tried smiling at her. "Y-Yes, of course! I, the man, Gongenzaka, am doing fantastic!"
Mitsumi knew fake smiles. After all, she's known to fake emotions ever since she was a little girl and is skilled to make fake facial expressions, so she definitely knew Gongenzaka was doing quite a poor job at faking his smile. And yet, she couldn't be blunt about it, so she decided to ask in her usual, "kind" manner.
Placing a hand on his arm, Mitsumi told him, "Gongenzaka, it's alright if you don't want to tell me, but just know that I'm here. I won't get mad or anything like that, alright?"
Gongenzaka sighed. "Well, it's just...I felt as though I barely did anything. Mitsumi, you handled most of the crisis in that last duel and I felt like I did nothing! I was only able to make it through that duel because of your efforts!"
Mitsumi shook her head. "Please don't say that, Gongenzaka! You did a wonderful job! And besides, if we hadn't beaten them, they wouldn't have given us Sawatari-san's location! And...and you want to figure out what's happening with the dojo situation, right? That's why, we should go to Sawatari-san right now!"
Upon hearing Mitsumi's words, Gongenzaka knew that she was right. Instead of lamenting over his uselessness over the last duel, he should reflect back on the duel to improve himself. Besides, if it weren't for her, it would have been a more difficult challenge taking on 2 duelists at once. Now that they got the information they needed, it was time to confront Shingo Sawatari and figure out the root cause of the dojo situation.
And yet, why does Gongenzaka feel as though there's more to the problem at hand?
Later...
'Never would I have imagined that stupid Shingo getting involved in any of this, but of course, the world loves proving me wrong,' Mitsumi thought as she and Gongenzaka were standing in front of the doors to Warehouse 52.
Placing his large palms onto the doors, Gongenzaka spoke with a stern face. "I'm about to enter, are you ready, Mitsumi?"
Mitsumi nodded, staying close to Gongenzaka. In all honesty, she just wanted this problem to end as soon as possible, especially since it seems Shingo was involved. She had no idea why Shingo was involved in dueling students from Gongenzaka's Dojo and somehow scaring them off, but hopefully, this last confrontation might end everything.
Gongenzaka slammed opened the doors with sheer force and strength, causing quite some loud noise. "WHERE IS SHINGO SAWATARI?! I, THE MAN NOBORU GONGENZAKA, AM FROM THE GONGENZAKA DOJO, AND I WILL NOT HESITATE TO FIGHT FOR WHAT'S RIGHT!"
Shingo, who was sitting down on a couch as though waiting, was so startled by Gongenzaka's loud entrance that he fell to the floor. He quickly got back on his feet and cleared his throat, attempting to keep a calm and coolheaded expression despite being taken aback moments earlier.
"Y-You know, the first thing you can do is stop yelling. It's not attractive, you know."
Gongenzaka growled and took a rather heavy step forward, as though to further intimidate Shingo. "I'm here to put a stop to the evil things you've been doing to my father's dojo!"
'Uh...evil things?"
"Don't play dumb! I'm talking about all the students you hurt from dueling at my father's dojo!"
Recognition finally came across Shingo's features as he now knew what Gongenzaka was talking about. "Ohhhh! That! Right! Well, first of all, I actually wasn't the one who harmed your students."
"Why, you-! Don't lie!"
Shingo shook his head. "No, I'm serious! I actually really didn't duel any of your students. Why would I waste time with such lowlife weaklings anyways?"
'...Honestly, I can believe him, but that idiot really needs to learn when to shut his mouth,' thought Mitsumi, sensing the furious aura emitting from Gongenzaka as the teen was struggling between trying to stay calm or strangling Shingo.
Thinking that she should be the one to soothe things out, Mitsumi asked, "U-Um...Sawatari-san...if you really didn't hurt any of the students, then why did you pay those other two duelists to challenge Gongenzaka?"
"Oh, that's easy!" said Shingo proudly. "I just wanted to test and see if he's strong enough! Well, not me specifically. Someone else wanted to challenge him to see if he was strong enough to take him on!"
"Who...who is this someone?"
"Why, the mastermind behind the whole problem you're struggling with!"
"Enough!" yelled Gongenzaka. "Sawatari, if you're not the one behind all of this, who is? Who wanted to challenge me so badly that they would do something as cowardly as attack the students at my father's dojo? I swear, I will not allow the Steadfast Dueling Style at my father's dojo die out!"
"Ha! Steadfast Dueling is some shit, and everyone knows that, Noboru!"
Emerging from deep within the shadows of the warehouse was someone about Gongenzaka's physique, and yet bore a thuggish appearance about him with a evil smirk on his face.
Gen Ankokuji.
Still smirking, Gen said, "It's been a while, senpai."
Growling, Gongenzaka narrowed his eyes. "Don't call me that, Ankokuji. You left the Gongenzaka Dojo a long time ago!"
Gen Ankokuji was someone that even Mitsumi would consider worst than Shingo. Someone who, like many other duelists, believed in strength alone and especially loved winning above all else, no matter what the methods were, even if it was dishonorable in the eyes of others. He was also a devout follower of the current champion of the Pro League, Strong Ishijima, and heavily bullied Yuya a couple years ago.
Ankokuji didn't bother hiding his confident smirk. "Heh, that was because I was tired of the crap they were teaching us! The teachings of your father were pathetic and only slowing me down! I knew that only Steadfast Dueling could only get me so far! So I decided to abandon that style for something a little more effective! Sure, I'm not in any Dueling School...yet. But Sawatari and I made a deal that he would introduce me to the LDS as a new student if I helped take him ruin your father dojo's reputation!"
"What?!" Gongenzaka and Mitsumi turned to Shingo, whose smirk only confirmed Ankokuji's words. "But why?!"
"Simple! Because you and Mitsumi-chan are far too close with each other!" answered Shingo.
"...What?" deadpanned Mitsumi.
"There's rumors going on that you and Gongenzaka are dating! I even heard Gongenzaka's father murmuring to himself that he wanted Mitsumi to be his daughter-in-law one day! Since that day, I've been plotting with Ankokuji to take down the dojo as revenge for daring to go after my sweet Mitsumi-chan!"
"..."
"..."
Both Gongenzaka and Mitsumi stared at Shingo dumbfounded like he was the stupidest person in the world, which, in their minds, probably was true. What rumors? This was the first they've heard of such things! And Gongenzaka's father was somewhat involved?! What was happening?
"...Yeah, no, you're going to have to explain that to me thoroughly," said Mitsumi. "What are you talking about?"
"Yes, what are you saying?! I, the man, Gongenzaka, have never once thought of Mitsumi that way!" protested Gongenzaka.
"Don't play dumb! People have seen you together! Even my subordinates have seen you two together! Things like carrying her groceries, holding hands, visiting each others' homes! If those aren't indications of you two dating, then what are they?!"
"S-Sawatari-san...you shouldn't refer to your three friends as subordi-Wait a second, HAVE YOU BEEN STALKING ME?!" Mitsumi was putting on her shy and polite act right until Shingo's words caught up to her and she found herself unable to stop her exclamation.
Shingo raised his hands to defend himself. "What?! No, no, no, no! I mean, I kinda ordered my subordinates to follow you around for a little bit after those rumors started up-!"
"That's the same as stalking you, you as-! Y-you...mmgh...! You...should have asked me...!" Mitsumi managed to calm herself and returned to her polite facade, trying to fight the urge to rush over to Shingo and strangle him.
"No way! It was obvious that you would be your cute shy self and deny anything!" said Shingo.
"Hold on! First of all, me and Mitsumi really aren't dating!" said Gongenzaka. "Second, I carry her groceries sometimes because they always seem so heavy! I, the man, Gongenzaka, would be a failure as a friend if I did not help out my friends with tasks like that! Third, you must be referring to the times I hold her hand to help her down some stairs or any troubling obstacle in the road! And finally, it's natural for friends to visit each others' homes!"
"Yeah, we're seriously not dating!" said Mitsumi. "What does this have to do with your sudden invasion towards Gongenzaka's Dojo anyways?"
"Everything! Revenge against Gongenzaka for stealing you from me!"
'Goddamnit, he's really not going to believe we're not dating, no matter what I say!' thought Mitsumi. 'I really, REALLY wanna punch the living daylights out of him! Can time please stop for a minute so that I can punch him?'
"Enough of this! I say we settle this with a duel!" declared Ankokuji. "Noboru, I will show you just how much stronger I've become!"
"I see...so that's how it's going to be, huh?" said Gongenzaka. "Then you never had the right to call me senpai in the first place. I will have to show you the error of your ways, then!"
"Huh? No way! I wanna duel Gongenzaka first!" said Shingo. "I want to crush him for stealing away my Mitsumi-chan!"
'...You know what? I don't mind dueling him just to substitute for a punch to his face,' thought Mitsumi, activating her duel disk. "Alright, how about we just make this into a Tag Duel?"
That perked Ankokuji's attention. "A Tag Duel? Alright, I'll have Sawatari as my partner, then!"
Gongenzaka glanced over to Mitsumi. "Are you sure about this?"
Mitsumi nodded. "Honestly, I just want to get this over with."
"Mitsumi-chan! If I win, you have to break up with Gongenzaka and then be my new girlfriend!" declared Shingo.
'...Yeah, I'm not losing this no matter what,' thought Mitsumi. "Alright, if I-I mean, if we win, then you have to stop attacking Gongenzaka's Dojo, alright?"
Gongenzaka then said, "For the future of the Steadfast Style, we will defeat them, Mitsumi!"
"DUEL!" all four duelists shouted in unison.
Ankokuji - 4000 LP
Shingo - 4000 LP
VS
Gongenzaka - 4000 LP
Mitsumi - 4000 LP
Turn 1: Ankokuji
Hand: 5
"I'll be going first!" said Ankokuji. "I summon from my hand, Granite Battleguard in Attack Mode!"
Granite Battleguard - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV3 - (1000/?)
"When this Monster is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon 1 Boulder Battleguard from my hand!"
Boulder Battleguard - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV4 - (1200/?)
"I set a card and end my turn! Go ahead, Noboru! Show me how much more stronger you've gotten!"
Turn 2: Gongenzaka
Hand: 5
"My turn, DRAW!" yelled Gongenzaka, unleashing a devastating mighty wind from his draw alone. "If my opponent controls 2 or more Monsters, I can Special Summon Superheavy Samurai Big Waraji from my hand!"
Superheavy Samurai Big Waraji - (EARTH/Machine) - LV5 - (800/1800)
"Big Waraji can be treated as 2 Tributes for a Tribute Summon of a Machine-Type Monster! I sacrifice Big Waraji in order to Tribute Summon Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei!"
Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei - (EARTH/Machine) - LV8 - (1000/3500)
"I now activate Big Benkei's effect to change his battle position! And now, I end my turn!"
Mitsumi glanced over at Gongenzaka, knowing full well that the tall and headstrong teen wasn't...fully himself. Sure, he may seem calm in an intimidating way most of the time, but this time, he was hiding a seething anger towards Ankokuji for all of the trouble he's caused towards his father's dojo. Mitsumi can't fault Gongenzaka for being angry, just as she was still pissed at Shingo, but she hopes that his anger wouldn't let him cause any reckless move.
Turn 3: Shingo
Hand: 5
"It's moi turn!" said Shingo, drawing in a seemingly elegant manner. "Don't think that you're the only ones who's gotten stronger! My deck's upgraded as well! I summon Luster Dragon!"
Luster Dragon - (WIND/Dragon) - LV4 - (1900/1600)
"I set a card and end my turn!"
Turn 4: Mitsumi
Hand: 5
"My turn!" said Mitsumi. "First, I activate the Spell, Focused Aquamirror to add 1 Gishki Monster from my deck to my hand! I choose Gishki Abyss! Next, I summon Gishki Abyss!"
Gishki Abyss - (WATER/Fish) - LV2 - (800/500)
"Abyss' effect activates! When he's summoned, I can add 1 Gishki Monster with 1000 or less Defense Points from my deck to my hand! I choose Gishki Noella! And now, I activate the Spell, Gishki Aquamirror! I sacrifice my Level 2 Gishki Abyss and my Level 4 Gishki Noella in order to Ritual Summon Evigishki Tetrogre!"
A powerful-looking purple-like reptile with golden and silver armor emerged from the ground as though submerged from some water-like ground, releasing a roar inciting fear as soon as he appeared.
Evigishki Tetrogre - (WATER/Aqua/Ritual) - LV6 - (2600/2100)
"I activate Tetrogre's effect! Once per turn, I can declare 1 card type, and then both of us can discard 1 card of that declared type from our main deck to the Graveyard! Of course, you can discard 1 card from your hand to negate this effect! I choose Monster Type!"
Because Mitsumi was directly across Shingo, the Tag Team Dueling rules indicated that if an card effect affects their opponent's hand, deck, Extra Deck, Graveyard, or Banished Zone, then the duelist activating the card effect must choose their opponent directly across from them. Gongenzaka was Player 1A, Mitsumi as 1B, Ankokuji as Player 2A, and Shingo as Player 2B, and so, Mitsumi as 1B would have to directly affect Shingo since he's Player 2B.
Shingo had no qualms about discarding 1 Monster Type card from his main deck, because that meant Mitsumi would have to do the same. But Mitsumi wasn't even done with her turn yet. Even though she can't attack yet because this is her first turn and every person in a Tag Duel couldn't attack on their first ever turn, her turn wasn't finished yet.
"I activate Gishki Aquamirror's effect from the Graveyard! I shuffle it back to my deck to target 1 Gishki Ritual Monster in my Graveyard to add it to my hand!"
"Wait, Mitsumi, you don't have any Gishki Ritual Monsters in your Graveyard currently," Gongenzaka reminded.
Mitsumi shook her head. "Wrong. Remember Tetrogre's effect? The Monster I put from my main deck to my Graveyard was specifically one Gishki Ritual Monster." 'Although, i really would have preferred not revealing that so soon, but I guess it doesn't really matter. More importantly, none of those two idiots that we're facing have any clue what sort of Ritual Monster I currently have, so it's fine.'
"Now, it's the end of my turn, but before that, Focused Aquamirror's effect now activates! Because it's the End Phase and I control a WATER Ritual Monster, I can banish Focused Aquamirror to set 1 Aquamirror Spell or Trap directly from either my deck or my Graveyard! And now my turn's done!"
"Incredible, Mitsumi! You've improved a lot!" praised Gongenzaka.
Mitsumi thought, 'Not really! I REFUSE to become that stupid Shingo's girlfriend! How in the world that idiot even believed those rumors about me and Gongenzaka dating, I have no idea.'
Turn 5: Ankokuji
Hand: 3
"My turn, draw!" said Ankokuji. "Heh, lucky! I sacrifice my Granite Bodyguard and my Boulder Battleguard in order to bring out Battleguard King!"
Both of Ankokuji's Bodyguard Monsters' roles were essentially used up and both were mercilessly traded in order to summon Ankokuji's most strongest Monster. A Monster much larger, strongest, and more intimidating than his previous Monsters summoned.
Battleguard King - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV8 - (3000/1100)
"Ah! The signature Monster of Strong Ishijima!" cried out Gongenzaka.
Ankokuji sneered at him. "Of course! You know full well how much I respect and admire him! It was quite difficult getting this card, but Sawatari here was generous to give it to me for my services!"
Mitsumi glared at Shingo, annoyed. 'Of course giving Ankokuji a powerful card would be part of his deal to screw over Gongnenzaka's Dojo. Of course we'll have more disadvantages! Just terrific!'
"But I'm not through yet! Next, I attack!" declared Ankokuji.
"Fool! Did you forget? Big Benkei's Defense Points are much higher than Battleguard King's Attack Points!" reminded Gongenzaka.
Ankokuji smirked...before pointing to Mitsumi's field. "Who said that I was aiming for you first, Noboru? I'll be taking out the weak trash first!"
'Oh, goddamnit! And Tetrogre's much weaker, too!' thought Mitsumi, bracing herself.
"Oi, Sawatari! You don't mind me taking out your little girlfriend, do you?" asked Ankokuji.
"Hmm...I wanted to beat her in a duel, but so long as we win, that's alright," said Shingo nonchalantly.
Ankokuji nodded. "Alright, then! Battleguard King, destroy her Monster!"
Battleguard King leapt up from the ground, raising his gigantic hammer-like weapon before swinging it downwards onto Tetrogre just as he released a painful roar before disappearing into particles of sparkles.
Mitsumi - 3600 LP
"I end my turn!" finished Ankokuji.
"Mitsumi! Are you alright?!" asked Gongenzaka, concerned. Now, Mitsumi has no Monsters to defend herself with, and if Gongenzaka doesn't conjure some defensive strategy soon, Mitsumi would be in huge trouble, especially since after Gongenzaka's turn, it would be Shingo's turn against Mitsumi's defenseless field.
Mitsumi nodded. "Y-Yes, Gongenzaka! P-Please don't worry about me! Thank you, but I think I'll be alright!"
"Well...if you're sure...Alright, my turn!"
Turn 6: Gongenzaka
Hand: 4
'My Big Benkei's currently the strongest Monster on the field right now,' thought Gongenzaka. 'I could use him to take out Battleguard King right now. It's the perfect opportunity. But...Shingo could still attack Mitsumi on his next turn or worst, summon a stronger Monster to wipe out Mitsumi. I want to protect Mitsumi, but I also have to deal with the Battleguard King threat before Ankokuji tries making him stronger...No, I'll just have to do what my heart tells me to do!'
"Alright, I summon Superheavy Samurai Blowtorch!" yelled Gongenzaka.
Superheavy Samurai Blowtorch - (EARTH/Machine) - LV1 - (500/300)
"And now, I, the man Gongenzaka, will now attack Battleguard King! Attack, Big Benkei!" shouted Gongenzaka, turning his attention now on Ankokuji. 'At the very least, I should take out Ankokuji's Monster before he causes trouble to Mitsumi!'
But Ankokuji greeted his approach with a sinister smirk. "Ha! I knew you'd try an all-out attack, Noboru! I activate my Trap, Battleguard Howling! Since you targeted my Battleguard Monster, your attacking Monster is returned to your hand, and best of all, you get hit damage equal to your returned Monster's Attack Points!"
"What?!"
Just as Big Benkei was swinging his weapon down onto Battleguard King, a shield protected the king and deflected Big Benkei's attack, throwing him back before transforming into light that returned back to Gongenzaka's hand. The moment it did, an electrical surge of pain coursed through Gongenzaka, lasting only for a second. Still, the damage to his Life Points was done.
Gongenzaka - 3000 LP
"Tch! I thought his Life Points would have decreased by 3500, but then I remembered that that was only Big Benkei's Defense Points," said Ankokuji. "How unfortunate...you lucked out, Noboru!"
Gongenzaka clenched his fist, sighing in relief. 'Even I, too, thought that I would have suffered a great deal of Life Points. Big Benkei, you truly do have my back-! But, even so, I don't have Big Benkei on my field to protect Mitsumi anymore! I can't make anymore moves, so I'll just have to pray something good happens!'
"I end my turn!"
Turn 7: Shingo
Hand: 5
"My turn, draw!" said Shingo. "I sacrifice my Luster Dragon in order to Tribute Summon Strong Wind Dragon in Attack Mode!"
Strong Wind Dragon - (WIND/Dragon) - LV6 - (2400/1000)
"And when Strong Wind Dragon is Tribute Summoned by Tributing a Dragon-Type Monster, he gains Attack Points equal to half of my Tributed Monster's original Attack Points!"
"Luster Dragon previously had 1900 Attack Points," muttered Gongenzaka. "Half of 1900 is 950...So that makes a total of 3350 Attack Points!"
Strong Wind Dragon - (WIND/Dragon) - LV6 - (3350/1000)
"Normally, I would have been worried about Big Benkei, but he's no longer here right now, is he?" said Shingo smugly. "Strong Wind Dragon, attack that Blowtorch Monster!"
Strong Wind Dragon started gathering strong gusts from the air itself before unleashing them towards Superheavy Samurai Blowtorch, badly damaging the Superheavy Monster but it still remained intact.
"Superheavy Samurai Blowtorch can't be destroyed by battle once per turn!" declared Gongenzaka.
"But you'll still take the damage!" reminded Shingo just as strong gusts of wind blew back Gongenzaka, causing him to crash into the ground on his bottom.
Gongenzaka - 150 LP
"Hey! Are you okay, Gongenzaka?!" exclaimed Mitsumi worriedly. Gongenzaka really, really was low on Life Points and he didn't even have his ace Monster with him, so they're both in a clear disadvantage.
"Ngh...Yes, I'm alright, Mitsumi," Gongenzaka assured, getting back up.
"Hey, moron! Why didn't you try attacking your girlfriend? She had no Monsters on her field!" called out Ankokuji. "Besides, Noboru's mine! I want to be the one to take him out!"
"Hmph! Does it even matter? All we gotta do is win against these two, so it shouldn't matter who gets taken out first!" scoffed Shingo. "Anyways, I end my turn!"
Turn 8: Mitsumi
Hand: 3
"My turn, draw!" Mitsumi knew what to do and said, "I activate my facedown card, the Ritual Spell, Gishki Aquamirror! Then, I'll use Gishki Grimness to fulfill the entire required Tribute for a WATER Ritual Monster! I Ritual Summon Evigishki Neremanas!"
Evigishki Neremanas - (WATER/Spellcaster/Ritual) - LV10 - (3000/1800)
"Heh, so what? You may have summoned a strong Monster, but your Monster pales in comparison to our own!" pointed out Ankokuji.
"I'm not through yet," said Mitsumi. "I activate Neremanas' ability! When Ritual Summoned, she allows me to target 1 WATER Ritual Monster in my Graveyard and then Special Summon it! I Special Summon Evigishki Tetrogre from my Graveyard!"
Evigishki Tetrogre - (WATER/Aqua/Ritual) - LV6 - (2600/2100)
'Mitsumi did well summoning two powerful Monsters, but they still aren't strong enough to beat Ankokuji and Sawatari's Monsters,' Gongenzaka thought. 'I suppose Mitsumi could sacrifice her Neremanas in order to take out Battleguard King, and then use her remaining Monster to attack Ankokuji directly, but even so, that wouldn't be enough to take him down.'
"Next, I'm activating the last card in. my hand, the Equip Spell card, Ritual Weapon!" declared Mitsumi. "I equip Ritual Weapon onto Tetrogre! He now gains 1500 Attack and Defense Points!"
Evigishki Tetrogre - (WATER/Aqua/Ritual) - LV6 - (4100/3600)
Judging from the startled looks that everyone had, it was clear that Mitsumi had turned the tables around now. Mitsumi only had to glance at her two opponents' fields before she made a decision.
"Tetrogre! Take down Battleguard King!" ordered Mitsumi.
Tetrogre, equipped with a crossbow that also functioned as a shield, aimed and fired an arrow at Battleguard King, shooting him right between the eyes and taking him down.
Ankokuji - 2900 LP
"W-Wait!"
But Mitsumi ignored Ankokuji's pleas. "Neremanas, attack him directly now!"
Raising her staff, Neremanas released a tidal wave spell that engulfed Ankokuji entirely, sending him sprawling on the ground in defeat.
Ankokuji - 0 LP
"Ah!" cried out Shingo, panicking now that his partner was taken down. "Crap!"
"I end my turn!" said Mitsumi before letting out a sigh of relief.
The main reason why she chose to take out Ankokuji first was because he seemed to be the most potential threat. It was possible that he could have build up his Monster's strength further or laid down more Trap cards once his next turn arrived. Mitsumi couldn't allow that to happen, so she took the initiative. Besides, it was likely that Ankokuji would have done anything in his power to take out Gongenzaka, seeing as after Mitsumi's turn, it was originally supposed to be Ankokuji's turn.
"Mitsumi...! Thank you so much for your help! I, the man Gongenzaka, shall take it from here!" said Gongenzaka, stepping forward and placing his fingers on the top card of his deck. "My turn...DRAW!"
Turn 9: Gongenzaka
Hand: 5
"Okay! Because I have no Spells or Traps in my Graveyard, this allows me to Special Summon Superheavy Samurai Stealthy from my hand!"
Superheavy Samurai Stealthy - (EARTH/Machine) - LV1 - (200/700)
"And now, I shall bring back Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei by Tributing Stealthy and Blowtorch! Come back, Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei!"
Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei - (EARTH/Machine) - LV8 - (1000/3500)
Gongenzaka glanced down at his cards, wanting to summon another Monster, yet unable to due to having already Normal Summoned, or rather, Tribute Summoned this turn. With Ankokuji gone, Shingo was left to fend for himself and would have considerable difficult facing off against the powerful Monsters that he and Mitsumi have at their disposal. Gongenzaka didn't want to rely on Mitsumi to do all of the work, but he might have to.
"Big Benkei! Destroy Strong Wind Dragon!"
Like a knight destined to slay the almighty dragon, Big Benkei charged forward and struck Strong Wind Dragon apart with various slashes of his weapon before finishing the Dragon-Type off with a stab to the heart, allowing one last roar to be heard from the dragon before it vanished.
Shingo - 3850 LP
"I end my turn!"
Turn 10: Shingo
Hand: 5
"M-My turn, draw!"
Shingo drew his card hesitantly before glancing up at Mitsumi's field. He knew that if he didn't summon a Monster to defend himself, then even someone who wasn't normally good at Dueling, such as Mitsumi, would finish him off next turn. Even so, he had to come up with something, and an idea popped into his head that might potentially grant him more time to strengthen his forces.
"I summon Decoy Dragon in Attack Mode!"
Decoy Dragon - (FIRE/Dragon) - LV2 - (300/200)
Shingo glanced down at his Set card. "And now, I activate my Trap, Dragon's Rebirth! By targeting a Dragon-Type I control, I banish it and then I get to Special Summon 1 Dragon-Type Monster from either my hand or Graveyard! So I banish Decoy Dragon so that I can Special Summon Tyrant Dragon from my hand!"
Tyrant Dragon - (FIRE/Dragon) - LV8 - (2900/2500)
'...Goddamnit,' thought Mitsumi. 'I wonder how much money rich boy here spent for a full set of powerful and rare Dragon-Type decks?'
"Even if you have a strong Monster, he is nothing compared to Big Benkei! Big Benkei will stay strong against your Tyrant Dragon!" declared Gongenzaka.
"Oh, I don't need to attack you to defeat you," said Shingo confidently. "Because now, I activate my Spell, Dragon's Gunfire! Because I control 1 Dragon-Type, I get to choose whether or not to inflict 800 Points of Damage or to target 1 Monster with 800 of less Defense Points and crush it! And I bet you know which option I'm aiming for!"
Gongenzaka's eyes went as wide as dinner plates. "You coward-!"
"Yes! You now take 800 Points of Damage, Gongenzaka! Bye-bye!"
Tyrant Dragon opened his jaws wide, allowing a large fireball to fire out and blast Gongenzaka on his back as his Life Points depleted into nothing.
Gongenzaka - 0 LP
"Gongenzaka!" cried out Mitsumi worriedly. "Are you okay?"
Groaning, Gongenzaka sat up, now in the same position as Ankokuji. Both boys were defeated and left with only their partners to finish the Tag Team Duel themselves, so they have no other choice but to be spectators to watch the rest of the duel.
"Mitsumi...I'll be fine! I believe in you, so finish this duel!" said Gongenzaka.
Shingo thought, 'I really can't do anything against Mitsumi's Monsters! I can try bluffing by making her hesitate if I set my remaining cards!'
"I set two cards facedown and end my turn! Your turn, Mitsumi-chan!"
Turn 11: Mitsumi
Hand: 1
Mitsumi would have attacked immediately, but knew something was up when Shingo laid down the last of his cards on his field. Mitsumi was a rather cautious person, so she wouldn't recklessly attacked without a strategy. Fortunately, she drew a rather excellent card.
"I activate the Continuous Spell, Sea Lord's Amulet!" said Mitsumi. "For until the end of your 3rd End Phase, WATER Monsters I control can't be destroyed by your card effects!"
Shingo gritted his teeth. He knew that Mitsumi would be hesitant, and he hoped that Mitsumi might not attack this turn in fear of any of his facedown cards being traps to do something to her Monsters, when in reality, they were just bluff Set cards. But he didn't account on her using a card to help bypass any card destruction effects.
"Good job, Mitsumi! Now, finish him off!" encouraged Gongenzaka.
Mitsumi nodded. "Neremanas! Destroy Tyrant Dragon!"
Neremanas summoned a large globe of water, swallowing the Dragon-Type whole with it and then water spikes pierced through Tyrant Dragon before an explosion sealed his defeat.
Shingo - 3750 LP
With Tetrogre now being Mitsumi's remaining Monster to attack as well as being high enough to wipe out the rest of Shingo's Life Points, the results afterwards were clear.
"Tetrogre! Attack him directly!"
Tetrogre released a fearsome roar before charging towards Shingo, leaping into the air, and then clawing at him once he came crashing down. Shingo let out a girlish scream as he was "slashed" by the terrifying WATER Monster.
Shingo - 0 LP
Winners: Gongenzaka and Mitsumi
The first thing Mitsumi did was rush up to Gongenzaka and help him up on his feet. Ankokuji simply punched the ground in frustration while Shingo was left gobsmacked.
"What...What just happened?!" exclaimed Shingo, still stunned.
Growling, Ankokuji stood back up, clenching his fists. "We just got our asses handed to us! Unbelievable!"
"Repent for your sins, both of you!" shouted Gongenzaka. "A deal's a deal! You have to stop bothering my father's dojo from now on!"
"Tch...Fine! That dojo's nothing to me anyways!" said Shingo. "But that doesn't mean my love for Mitsumi-chan won't stop! I'm going home!" Having said his piece, Shingo ran away, leaving Ankokuji by himself.
'...One of these days, I'm gonna punch him. I'm really, REALLY gonna punch him!' Mitsumi thought, annoyed.
Gongenzaka walked towards Ankokuji, crossing his arms. "Now, what are you going to do?"
"...Well, I guess I'll have to start all over," said Ankokuji. "I can kiss my application for LDS goodbye, that's for sure."
"Ankokuji...when you put your faith in people who promise you power so easily, you're bound to be betrayed. You couldn't cooperate with Sawatari. Both of you selfishly thought of yourselves instead of teaming up properly like me and Mitsumi did. That's why you lost that Tag Duel. Me and Mitsumi trust each other, protecting and relying on each other to make each other stronger. If you could just understand that-"
"I don't need to be lectured by someone like you!" snapped Ankokuji. "I'll do things my way, like I always have!"
Gongenzaka shook his head. "If you continue down this path, you'll only cause yourself more misery and misfortune."
"And you think you have the answer to all of my problems? You don't know anything about me, Noboru! From now on, I'll make my own path! Noboru, you may have successfully defended your dojo, but don't think that everything will go your way from now on! Steadfast Dueling is and still will be outdated in the future! It's no wonder why you've been getting less and less students every year anyway! I'm outta here!"
Having said his piece, Ankokuji left the warehouse, leaving only Mitsumi and Gongenzaka alone.
Only silence filled the warehouse. Mitsumi waited for Gongenzaka to say something, but a few minutes passed and nothing happened.
Finally, letting out a deep sigh, Gongenzaka said, "...Mitsumi? May I ask you something?"
Mitsumi, having to revert back to her shy self, asked, "Y-Yes? W-What is it? Are you hurt somewhere?"
"No, no, nothing like that. It's just...I've been thinking. Thinking really hard on what Ankokuji said and my father's dojo situation. It's clear as day that someday, I will inherit my father's dojo. Part of those responsibilities include recruiting young, talented students into the dojo and inserting the Steadfast Style into them. But...even I noticed that there are less and less students joining as time passes. In fact, I've sometimes heard of students saying that the Steadfast Style is getting...boring."
Mitsumi couldn't find a proper response to his words. Instead, she just nodded and listened, knowing Gongenzaka might need a friend to vent to.
"I...Even if the truth hurts, it's still the truth regardless. In fact, there are more students quitting than there are more students joining. It makes me feel useless, like I'm unworthy of being the next heir to the Gongenzaka Dojo. And today, without your help, Mitsumi, I wouldn't have managed to win all on my own. In fact, I felt like I least contributed to any of the duels won today. Mitsumi...I...I want to ask you something. Is there something wrong with me? Am I weak? Am I not worthy enough to inherit my father's dojo with the way things are now?"
The first thing Mitsumi wanted to say was something like, "No, Gongenzaka! You're doing alright! It's not your fault! Everything's fine!" Like the shy, naive girl she was meant to impersonate. But deep down, she knew that wouldn't be right. Instead, Gongenzaka might need a reality check, a wake-up call, someone who would tell him the truth; the harsh but honest truth.
Mitsumi sighed and asked, "...Do you really want to know what I think?"
Gongenzaka nodded. "Of course."
"...Okay, the truth is...Ankokuji is right. The Steadfast Style is getting out of date. It's not interesting anymore, it's not...Well, I wouldn't say it wasn't making people happy, but it's really just growing boring," confessed Mitsumi. "Gongenzaka, the reason why that is is because everyone is just aiming for more futuristic things. Like, they want things to be super flashy. They want exciting, new, and rewarding ways. It's like...like they find fireworks better than homework, you know? The Steadfast Style is boring because it's too traditional, it's not futuristic, it's not flashy, and it won't really help them win battles."
Gongenzaka listened carefully to Mitsumi's explanation and slowly started to realize that perhaps she was right. A lot of the students were dissatisfied with the Steadfast Style as it hasn't won them many duels. As a matter of fact, with Action Dueling being the more popular dueling, Steadfast Style was losing its popularity and even some students were resenting the Steadfast Style because it didn't allow the movement of the duelist, especially in an Action Duel. It was like glue being trapped in one's feet and a piece of delicious cake right before their very eyes but they couldn't move or do anything to get the cake.
"People want more flashy things. They want to win duels. They want to be a part of the action. But your Steadfast Style wouldn't help with that. Your Steadfast Style is boring because it just lets you remain in place rather than take action like Action Duels do. I know that it's part of the tradition to simply stand firm and still, but that sort of challenge bores people, like it bores the students. Gongenzaka, if you truly want more students and to improve your dojo's reputation, then you need something flashy, amazing, and rewarding for the students."
Hearing nothing but Gongenzaka's silence, Mitsumi grew worried. Had she said something offensive? Did she make him angry at her?
"...Gongenzaka? Are you alright? Did...I didn't mean to...did I hurt your feelings?"
Gongenzaka shook his head. "No. It's...You've given me much to think about. But you're right. Everything you've told me is right. I..I definitely have a lot to think about. Ways to improve the Steadfast Style, ways to continue my responsibilities, but the situation has definitely opened my eyes that I need to do something as heir to my father's dojo. Thank you, Mitsumi. I appreciate the time and effort you put into helping me solve this issue."
Mitsumi nodded. At least Gongenzaka was being mature and not getting all too emotional about this situation. As sad and harsh as it was, the truth was that everything Mitsumi said was right. If Gongenzaka wanted to improve his father's dojo, there was obviously going to have to be some changes.
Afterwards, Gongenzaka escorted Mitsumi back to her home, saying it was the least he could do for helping her out. After what happened today, it was like their bond had grown stronger after helping each other out and understanding one another. All in all, it wasn't a bad day.
Though Mitsumi dreaded having to meet Shingo again at school later on and struggled really hard internally not to punch him the next few times they met.
Hey, guys! I've never done two duels in one chapter before, so this is a firstie for me! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed! I used the latest and new Gishki cards for the two duels!
Read and review!
