Remnant: Time to Duel
Chapter 8
*Please note the rating change. There will be some more mature scenes coming soon.*
Two Weeks Later
"My turn. I draw. I activate Fusion Gate. And with it, I'll summon Elemental Hero Grandmerge by banishing Clayman and Sparkman. Then, I'll use my set card, Mask Hero, on Grandmerge to special summon Masked HERO Koga. And it gains 500 attack because you have a monster." Ruby said as she activated her cards. Fusion Gate moved to the center of the field while 'swallowing' Clayman and Sparkman. Elemental Hero Grandmerge appeared a second later from the purple vortex. However, as soon as it was on the field, it took out a mask and placed it on to transform into Masked Hero Koga, who flourished his arm blades.
'This is interesting.' Jaune thought, patiently waiting for Ruby to continue her play.
"Next, I'll activate Contact Gate from my hand. By banishing two Neo-Spacian monsters from my graveyard, I can special summon two from my deck or graveyard as long as they have different names. So, I'll banish Neo-Spacian Flare Scarab and Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird to summon Neo-Spacian Dark Panther and Neo-Spacian Grand Mole. Now, I'll activate Monster Reborn to bring back Elemental Hero Neos. Next, I'll shuffle them back into my deck to bring out Elemental HERO Nebula Neos."
A portal appeared above Ruby's head, and from it came Dark Panther Grand Mole while Scarab and Hummingbird went into. Then a coffin appeared on Ruby's side of the field, with it opening to reveal Elemental Hero Neos, who stepped out and got ready. They then looked at each other as a light appeared above them. It got so bright that neither duelist could make them out. But once it died down, they saw that they merged into Elemental HERO Nebula Neos.
"And because you control two monsters and a set card, Jaune, Elemental HERO Nebula Neos allows me to draw three cards. And because of this, I can negate your Infernoble Knight Emperor Charles."
"Alright."
"And thanks to the cards I drew, I can fusion summon one last time. I active Polymerization spell card and use it with Blazeman and Shadow Mist to fusion summon Elemental HERO Sunrise. And when special summoned, he allows me to add one Miracle Fusion card from my deck to my hand. So, I'll add my last one. And I'll immediately activate it on Blazeman and Elemental Hero Prisma to summon Elemental Hero The Shining."
The symbol of Polymerization appeared on the field, with Blazeman and Shadow Mist appearing before it a second later. They then merged to turn into Elemental HERO Sunrise. Sunrise then raised his left hand with a ball of light forming in it. He then threw it to the ground on his left, with the ball of light transforming into Elemental HERO The Shining.
'And she forgot about the special condition of the Neo Spacian monsters and their fusion counterparts.' Jaune thought when he realized that Ruby had no other cards in her hand.
"Now, Sunrise grants my Heroes 200 extra attack points for each different attribute monster I control. I have two, so that's four hundred. The Shining also gains 300 attack points for each banished Hero I have. I could eight, so that's 2400. Next, I will activate Koga's effect. By banishing one Hero monster from my graveyard, I lower one monster's attack points by that much. I'll banish Honest Neos, who has 2500 attack points."
"Which of my knights are you going to choose? Infernoble Knight Emperor Charles or Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus." Jaune asked.
"Since Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorgius has a lower attack, I'll choose him."
"Alright. Since this is going to hurt, I'll activate my set card, which you should have gotten rid of."
"What is it?" Ruby asked, curious.
"Damage Diet. This turn, I halve all damage I would take, whether it be Battle or Effect damage."
"No offense, Jaune. But I don't think halving the damage will save you this turn." Ruby said before smiling. "And I finally have my first victory against you."
'We'll see.' Jaune thought, chuckling.
"Now. I will attack Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus with Elemental HERO The Shining. And because a HERO monster is attacking, Sunrise allows me to target a card on the field and destroy it. I'll choose Infernoble Knight Emperor Charles."
"Alright. Thank you for your service, Infernoble Knight Emperor Charles." Jaune said as the knight went to the graveyard.
"Do you have any response, Jaune?"
"Nope." Jaune answered as The Shining punched Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus back, destroying him and sending him to the graveyard.
"And because of the attack and your monster having zero attack, you take 5400 points of damage."
"Which is halved due to Damage Diet, so I take 2700 points of damage, bringing me down to 2400."
"Now, I will attack with the rest of my monsters for a -"
"Hold on, Ruby. I have a response."
"What response?" Ruby nervously asked.
"Because you declared a direct attack, I activate my hand trap: Battle Fader. I special summon it and end the battle phase, saving me." Jaune answered as Battle Fader appeared on the field and waved its lantern, forcing the HERO monsters back to Ruby's side of the field.
"Damn. Well, since I got nothing else, I end my turn. It's your turn, Jaune."
"Not so fast, young one." Elemental Hero The Shining said. "You forgot something."
"Wait. I did?" Ruby asked, confused.
"Yes. Remember, Ruby. All Neo Spacian monsters and their fusion counterparts have an effect that shuffles them back into the extra deck at the end of the turn if Neo Space isn't on the field." Jaune answered while pointing to Elemental HERO Nebula Neos.
"Oh, so he goes back."
"And he has another effect, one that is not so good for you right now."
"Let me see." Ruby said, looking over Elemental HERO Nebula Neos's effect. And she felt her stomach drop when she realized what it was. "Oh. That's not good."
"Yeah." Jaune agreed.
"So, Nebula Neos's effect activates. It goes back to the extra deck and banishes all cards on the field face down."
"At least because you used Contact Gate, Ruby, you get to bring back one of your banished Neo-Spacian monsters."
"Right. Um. I'll choose Neo-Spacian Flare Scarab." Ruby said as Neo-Spacian Flare Scarab appeared on the field.
"Is that it?"
"Yes." Ruby sighed.
"My turn. I draw. First, I will activate the Last Chapter of The Noble Knights spell card. Now I get to special summon Noble Knight Iyvanne and equip it with Noble Arms of Destiny. And because it was equipped with an equip spell card, I get to summon a token." Jaune said.
A lake suddenly appeared on the field. And from it, Noble Knight Iyvanne emerged with his lion from the water while wielding Noble Arms of Destiny. Once on dry land, he petted his lion before using the Noble arms to summon the token.
"Now, because I control a Noble Arms equip spell, I can special summon Noble Knight Custennin from my hand. Next, I will activate the Overlay Network to bring out Sacred Noble Knight of King Custennin."
Landing on the field, Noble Knight Custennin unsheathed his sword. He and Noble Knight Iyvanne looked at each other before bringing their swords together. They then turned to stars that flew into the sky before exploding. A new, brighter star appeared a second later and quickly went back to the ground. And once the light died down, Sacred Noble Knight of King Custennin stood in its place and then pulled out his sword.
"Now I will activate Sacred Noble Knight of King Custennin's effect to return Neo-Spacian Flare Scarab to the hand." Jaune said with King Custennin using his sword to toss an XYZ material to Spacian Flare Scarab to the hand.
"Uh, yeah." Ruby said as she returned her Neo-Spacian monster card to her hand.
"Now, I will move to the Battle Phase and have Sacred Noble Knight of King Custennin attack you directly, bringing your life points from 750 to 0."
"And that means you won, Jaune." Ruby said after Sacred Noble Knight of King Custennin attacked her. They then powered down their duel disks. "Again."
"Don't be too down about it, Ruby. You nearly had me a few times there. And if it weren't for Battle Fader, you would have won." Jaune said before mentally adding. 'Even though I was holding back.'
"I know. But I should have remembered my Neo-Spacian's effects."
"Don't beat yourself up over it, Ruby. You're still new to the game. Yet, despite that, you got almost all the rules down and most of your deck's effects memorized. It took me a few months to remember my Noble Knights' effects and another to remember Infernoble Knights' effects. And even more when I started using them together. I'm sure you'll get it down soon."
"Thanks, Jaune." Ruby said, smiling. "So, do you want to go again?"
"Let's take a break, Ruby. We've been practicing for the past four hours."
"I know. But we have to practice for the tournament."
"Ruby. The tournament isn't for another two weeks. We have time."
"Still. We need all the practice we can get. After all, you did say that some others might use meta decks."
"Might, Ruby. The keyword there was might. Yes, the more competitive players will be using top-tier meta decks. But the rest will be using 'normal' decks. So, there is little to no chance of you running into them."
"But still. You also said that my decks have a lot of weaknesses to hand traps and common staples like Niberu."
"That's why I gave you some common cards to counter them. Not to mention, there is that new wave of HERO support cards that came out that we ordered. They should help you deal with the rest."
"True. But aside from me forgetting my Neo-Spacian's effects, were there any other mistakes I made?"
"Yes. But the main one you made was going all out and not waiting for the best moment to stop my setup."
"What do you mean?" Ruby asked, curious, as they sat on a nearby bench.
"Unless you have all your bases covered, you shouldn't go all out since your opponent could easily stop you. And if you do go all out and your opponent stops you, then you will have nothing to fall back on."
"Makes sense since you just did that." Ruby said. "So, what now?"
"Well, I have to head back to the lounge, help Weiss finish making her Ice Barrier/Nekroz deck, and then watch over her duel with her sister, Winter."
"If Weiss's stories are true, then it's nice seeing her spend more time with her sister. But that reminds me, don't you have a date with Velvet and Pyrrha later?"
"Yup. I still can't believe I'm in a relationship with the both of them." Jaune said, chuckling. "But is it true?"
"That they have been pinning after you hard for a while, yes. No offense, Jaune, but you are a bit dense-headed since it was pretty obvious to everyone except you."
"None taken. My sisters used to tell me that all the time."
"So, do you have any idea about what you're going to do?"
"Well, first, I'm taking them to grab something to eat. Then, we're going to the card shop since their duel disks arrived." Jaune answered.
"It's great that a company was willing to mass produce your sister-in-law's duel disks. I know I am since I get to have one." Ruby said, admiring her duel disk. And while not as stylish or sleek as Jaune's, it did stand out as it was red like a rose and had Ruby's emblem on it. "Anyway. After that?"
"We head to the theater and watch a movie. Then we return to Beacon since it will be late."
"That's nice. And I'm glad you're in a relationship, Jaune."
"Thanks, Ruby." Jaune said before getting up. "Anyway. I better get going. I need to see how the others are doing before going to the lounge."
"Alright. See you later, Jaune."
"See you, Ruby. Oh, don't forget to clean your duel disk later."
"Don't worry; I will." Ruby said as she hugged it.
Chuckling, Jaune smiled as he left and headed across the schoolyard. However, he did have to go around others dueling quite a bit, so he didn't get in the middle of their match. It honestly astounded Jaune just how many people got into the game because of his duel with Flynt, Arlsan, and Miltia going viral. But he wasn't complaining since it was nice seeing others getting into the game. And it made Jaune even happier seeing that everyone was using Terra's invention to play the game.
Yet, Jaune couldn't help but let out a groan at how many misplays and 'rule breaks' some of them did. But he didn't blame them since most of them were still learning and understanding the rules. It just meant that he knew they would come and ask him for help, which would take up a lot of his time and cause him to have a headache.
"DAMN IT!" Two voices shouted nearby. Turning to where it came from, Jaune couldn't help but chuckle.
'Looks like the Brick Eyes and Monarch players are dueling each other again. They better get used to those kinds of opening hands.' Jaune said, mentally laughing. While he did sometimes get a dead hand, it was nowhere near as often as those two decks did. Deciding he didn't want to be dragged into it, Jaune continued forward. And after another couple of minutes, he made it to where Yang was dueling with Emerald.
"My turn. I draw. I activate my field spell card: Fire Fortress atop Liang Peak. And since I have ten counters on it, I can remove all of them to special summon Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Kirin from my extra deck while ignoring its summoning condition in Attack Position." Yang said as Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Kirin appeared on the field, twirled its staff, and got into a fighting stance as a dragon made out of fire circled the staff.
"How's it going?" Jaune asked, moving to stand beside Emerald.
"It's going fine. Yang's getting the hang of her deck's effects." Emerald answered.
"But?"
"She keeps forgetting that her deck is more of a battle-focused deck with an overreliance on its spell and trap cards. Yang just needs to remember to protect them a bit more, and I feel like she would be ready for the tournament."
"That's good. Hopefully, once Brotherhood of the Fire Fist-Eagle arrives in the mail, that should alleviate some of the problems. Either way, thanks for helping me out, Emerald."
"No problem. Plus, it lets me practice a bit."
"Next, I will summon Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Spirit. And her effect allows me to special summon Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Rooster from my graveyard. And because it was special summoned, I get to add Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Panda to my hand. Now, I activate Fire Formation - Ingen to bring out Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swan by using Spirit and Rooster. And because I activated a Fire Formation spell card, I can special summon Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Panda from my hand. And Panda's effect lets me bring out Brotherhood of the First Fist - Rhino." Yang said.
Fire erupted from the ground in the form of a pillar that quickly took the shape of Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Spirit. She then had another pillar emerge next to her to bring out Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Rooster. But the remains of the fire went to Yang's hand and gave her Panda's card. Then Spirit and Rooster performed a fire dance, with the fire engulfing them. And once they died down, it revealed Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swan. He then used his fire swan to bring out Panda next to him, who then brought out Rhino.
"And because Swan is out while I have two Fire Formation cards, you take 400 points."
"Alright." Emerald said as her life points dropped from 2100 to 1700. But she then pressed the button on her duel disk to activate her spell/trap cards. "And because I took damage, Mulitple Guy and Minimum Ray return to my field as trap cards. But now, I activate my trap card: Threatening Roar. Now, you cannot attack this turn."
"Dammit." Yang muttered. "Well, just to be safe, I'll set two cards face down and end my turn."
"Alright. My turn. I draw." Emerald said as she drew a card.
"How many life points does she have?" Jaune asked.
"2500 life points."
"Alright. She's in the lead."
"For now."
"Don't get your hopes up. Next turn, I'm winning this." Yang said, smirking.
"We'll see." Emerald said.
"Imagine her reaction if she had to face off against someone who uses Very Fun Dragon." Jaune said.
"I'm pretty sure she would rage quit."
"I know I did twice."
"Anyway. I will tribute Mulitple Guy and Minimum Ray from my Spell and Trap card zone to bring out Vision HERO Witch Raider. And her effect destroys all Spells and Traps you control, Yang." Emerald said as Witch Rider appeared on the field.
"Not so fast. I activate my counter... why isn't it working?" Yang asked, confused, as she repeatedly pressed the button.
"Something wrong, Yang?" Jaune asked.
"I'm trying to activate my counter trap card, but it's not working."
"Not working." Jaune said, surprised, as he mulled over why Yang's countertrap wasn't working. "Is it by chance the archetypes's countertrap card?"
"Yes."
"Oh, that's why. Ultimate Fire Formation - Sinto only works on spells and traps, not monsters."
"Oh. This isn't good."
"Yeah."
"But, uh, by chance. Do they have a counter trap card for monster effects?"
"No, but they should, honestly."
"Fine. All my spells and cards go to the graveyard." Yang muttered as Fire Fortress atop Liang Peak vanished.
"Now, I will banish Vision Release from my graveyard to add Vision HERO Faris to my hand from my graveyard. Next, I will activate Vision Hero Fusion on Gravito and Poisoner, who are acting as trap cards, and Faris to bring out Vision HERO Trinity from my extra deck." Emerald said as Vision HERO Trinity erupted from the ground and struck a pose. "And when Vision HERO Trinity is summoned, his attack becomes double. So he now has 5000 attack points and can attack up to three times during each battle phase."
"Yeah, you win, Emerald. Let's not let my monsters get hurt." Yang said as she powered down her Duel Disk.
"They don't get hurt during duels, Yang. But yeah, Emerald won." Jaune said.
"But it was really close. You almost had me if I didn't draw into that Threatening Roar." Emerald added.
"True. But now I am realizing I could have won if I brought out Raven instead of Rhino, as I'm just now remembering his effect."
"What was his effect?"
"Raven protects Yang's Fire Formation cards from destruction." Jaune answered.
"So, a misplay. That happens. But you are getting a lot better."
"Thanks. Now, if you will excuse me, I'm going to go take a break." Yang said, rubbing her head.
"Everything alright, Yang?" Jaune asked, worried.
"Yeah, everything's fine, Jaune. I just have a headache from reading so much small text."
"That happens a lot. There are many cards with so small text that you need a magnifying glass to read the effect." Emerald said.
"But just lie down and close your eyes for a bit, and you'll be fine." Jaune said.
"Alright. See you later." Yang said before leaving.
"Hopefully, she doesn't play against some heavy back row remover deck." Emerald said.
"Hopefully. Anyway, do you know where the others are?" Jaune asked.
"No. Most of them finished dueling and are taking a break. But I think Neo and Blake are still dueling."
"Do you know who is winning or what's the score?"
"They were playing to five. And I think the current score is 2-2, and they are on the final match."
"That's good since Blake won a few matches."
"Especially since she's playing against Ghostricks."
"Are they still an OTK deck that relies on slowly climbing the ladder until they reach Lunalight Leo Dancer?"
"Yes, they are still an OTK deck. But they no longer have to rely on climbing the ladder. They also don't need to rely only on Leo Dancer since Lunalight Sabre Dancer came out, which gives them another option to end the game."
"That's good, so they are not as slow as before."
"But they are still vulnerable to their usual counters and hard disruptions."
"But doesn't that apply for any deck?"
"True." Emerald said, chuckling.
"Anyway. I'm heading to the lounge to help Weiss and Winter. See you later." Jaune said.
"Alright. See you." Emerald said as Jaune left.
Twenty Minutes Later
"Alright. I'm here. Sorry for the wait. I had to help a few others with understanding that MST does not negate cards, but it can stop them from activating properly." Jaune said as he arrived in the lounge with his case containing some of his cards.
"It's fine, Jaune." Weiss said as she placed her two decks on the table.
"Thanks again for introducing my sister to this game, Mr. Arc." Winter said, smiling.
"You're welcome." Jaune said as he sat on the couch. "So, do you want to do the duel first or build your new deck?"
"build the deck first." Weiss answered.
"Alright. So the deck is going to be primarily Nekroz since Ice Barriers don't have too much synergy with other archetypes."
"What are Ice Barriers and Nekroz about, Mr. Arc?" Winter asked.
"Ice Barriers are about having field presence to have several of their effects going off at once to gain the advantage. And Nekroz is all about Ritual Summoning."
"Are there any Ice Barriers that don't require other members to activate their effects?"
"Some." Jaune answered as Weiss finished separating her Ice Barrier deck into spells, traps, and monsters.
"Oh, Jaune." Weiss said.
"Yes?" Jaune asked, looking through the Ice Barrier cards that could work with the Nekroz archetype.
But it was proving difficult since neither archetype really meshed with the other well. Thankfully, some Ice Barrier cards could work independently as long as there were other water attribute monsters in the deck, which Nekroz monsters were. Additionally, the Ice Barrier synchro monsters only required generic water monsters instead of specific named and typed monsters. Unfortunately, Nekroz primarily revolved around each other, with Nekroz Mirror having an effect that you can only banish Nekroz monsters if you choose monsters from the graveyard as material. Luckily, aside from that one OPTIONAL way to ritual summon using that specific card, there was no restriction on what monsters Weiss could use to ritual summon them. So, theoretically, Ice Barriers and Nekroz could work together. Theoretically.
"I saw this term recently, and it didn't make too much sense on the website." Weiss said.
"What is the term?" Jaune asked.
"Lingering effect."
"Oh." Jaune said, putting the cards down and rubbing his head at that term.
"Is everything okay, Mr. Arc?" Winter asked.
"Yes, I'm fine. It's just that the term Lingering Effect is one of the reasons why Yu-Gi-Oh is so confusing."
"Why's that?" Weiss asked, curious.
"To keep it simple, a Lingering Effect is when a card effect is still present on the field despite the card not being there. And even if the effects of the card that caused the lingering effect are later negated, any lingering effects it has already applied are unaffected. However, there is no official way to determine whether a card has a lingering effect or not." Jaune explained. "And while some are obvious, like Gold Sarcophagus, others, not so much."
"Do you know how many there could be?" Winter asked.
"Hundreds, if not thousands." Jaune said as he finished setting up Weiss's deck as best he could. It was a bit crude, but he knew that Weiss would be able to fine-tune it to her liking after a few duels. "Alright, I'm done. Here's the deck, Weiss."
"Thanks, Jaune." Weiss said, smiling.
"Do you need any help with your deck, Winter?"
"No. I believe it is good." Winter answered.
"Okay. So, do you two still want me to watch over your duel?"
"Yes." Winter and Weiss answered.
"Alright." Jaune said as he sat on the couch. "Then shall we begin?"
"How do you want to decide, Winter? Die or coin flip?" Weiss asked as they pulled out their duel templates. They would have used their duel disk but chose not to since they were inside.
"Die. And high roll." Winter answered.
"Alright." Wiess said as she pressed the button on the template to roll a die, which landed on a two. Winter did the same with her dice, landing on one. "I'll let you go first, Winter."
"Thank you, Weiss." Winter said as she drew five cards. She almost drew a sixth card but remembered how players that go first didn't draw. "Alright. I will start by activating my field spell: Icejade Cenote Enion Cradle. However, none of its effects are beneficial at the moment. Next, I will activate my... Pardon. But the cards with the infinity symbol are continuous, right, Mr. Arc?"
"Yes. That symbol means that it is a continuous spell or trap card." Jaune said as Winter's template changed to appear like a cave filled with beautiful crystals. Yet, if one were to look closely, one would notice the crystals were in the shape of feminine humanoids.
"Thank you. I will activate Icejade Curse. Its effect prevents you from activating your monsters' effects the turn they are summoned."
"You need to control an Icejade in addition to the field spell for the effect to go through, Winter."
"I am aware. Next, by discarding one water monster, which will be Crystal Girl, I can special summon Icejade Ran Aegirine from my hand in defense position. And her effect grants me a token."
A small rock formation appeared on Winter's template, with a girl comprised entirely of crystal appearing and sitting on it before inspecting her arm. She then chipped off a loose piece before tossing it to the side, which then took on the shape of an infant girl.
"Since I control a level 5 monster, I can special summon Crystal Girl from my graveyard. And her effect allows me to add a level 5 or higher water monster from my deck to my hand during the end phase."
A girl with blue hair, green eyes, and crystals surrounding it appeared on Winter's template. She then broke a piece off her crystal weapon and blew on it before tossing it toward the deck.
"Mr. Arc. It is possible to synchro summon using tokens, right?"
"Yes. But you still need a tuner, and tokens don't count as tuners." Jaune answered.
"Alright. I will now use my level three token and Icejade Ran Aegirine to synchro summon Icejade Gymir Aegirine."
The water beneath Icejade Ran Aegirine and the token began to ripple while the 'cave' started to 'tremble.' Soon, both monsters disappeared underneath the water, with Icejade Gymir Aegirine emerging a second later. She raised her hands and had multiple dark ice spikes appear around her.
"I will end my turn." Winter said, setting one card.
"Don't forget about Crystal Girl's effect." Jaune said.
"Right. I will add Icejade Creation Kingfisher to my hand. Your turn, Weiss."
"My turn. I draw. Hmm. Jaune?" Weiss asked.
"Yes?"
"Icejade Curse prevents me from using my monsters' effects the turn they are summoned. But can I still activate them if they are in my hand?"
"Yes, you can."
"Alright. Since Icejade Curse does that, I will need to adjust my strategy. First, I will activate Soul Exchange on Icejade Gymir Aegirine."
"Wait. Before you do that, Weiss. Re-read your card's effect." Jaune interjected.
"Why?"
"Just do it."
"I don't see... Oh. Wow. I hadn't noticed that before."
"Notice what?" Winter asked, curious.
"Most ritual spell cards don't have that many restrictions. And when they do, it is generally what type of monster you can use or from where. Only a select handful require the total levels to be specific to the ritual monster's level. And Nekroz rituals are one of those. Moreover, some Nekroz ritual monsters don't allow you to use other monsters as tribute that have the same level as them." Jaune explained.
"Interesting. But why such a restriction?"
"That's because of, coincidentally, Ice Barriers and a few other decks at the time."
"How so?" Weiss asked.
"Ice Barriers were weak in the main deck but nearly overpowered in the Extra Deck monsters. They wanted to make an improved version of them without breaking the game like Trishula initially did. And with some cards going around in the meta at the time, they didn't want another powerhouse deck that would force them to release an emergency ban list. So, they did their best to balance the archetype to avoid that, but they kind of went overboard a bit."
"That makes sense." Winter said.
"Well, that plan is out the window. Alright, I planned on saving this for later. But now will do. I activate Lightning Storm to destroy all your Spell and Trap cards." Weiss said as a giant lightning bolt struck Winter's cards.
"Very well."
"Now, I will activate Medallion of the Ice Barrier to add Revealer of the Ice Barrier to my hand. Then, I will summon Revealer and activate her effect. By discarding one card, I can special summon one Ice Barrier Tuner monster from my deck, which will be Defender of the Ice Barrier in face-up defense position."
A chunk of ice appeared on Weiss's template that soon melted to reveal an Ice Barrier medallion. The medallion began to glow, with Revealer appearing a second later. She then used her staff to call Defender of the Ice Barrier and have him kneel beside her.
"However, I won't Synchro summon yet." Weiss said, surprising Jaune. "You're turn, Winter."
"Alright. I draw. Hmm. Since I can not attack, I will set one card and end my turn." Winter said after setting her card.
"I draw."
"I activate my trap card: Needle Nest. I send the top five cards of my deck to the graveyard." Winter said, surprising Jaune even more.
'Okay. Maybe to get some Icejades in the graveyard so she could use their effects later on.' Jaune thought.
"I activate my ritual card: Nekroz Cycle. And I will bring out Nekroz of Unicorn by tributing Shurit, Strategist of the Nekroz. Now, because I tributed him, I get to add Nekroz of Areadbhair from my deck to my hand." Weiss said.
A giant mirror appeared on Weiss's template beside her other monsters. Soon, Shurit appeared and began chanting something to cause a diamond to come out of the mirror. He then dove into it, with Nekroz of Unicorn coming out a second later. Unicorn then tossed something to Weiss to give her the other ritual monster.
"Because of Unicorn, I don't have to worry about your Extra Deck monsters' effects. However, none of my monsters have the necessary attack points to defeat Icejade Gymir Aegirine. So I will end my turn."
"My turn. I activate the card: Reasoning. Choose a number from one to twelve, Weiss."
'Reasoning? How did she get that card? Why does she have that card?' Jaune wondered.
"Five." Weiss said. Nodding, Winter excavated the top of her deck until she reached a monster, which happened to be level four. But this meant that Winter had to send all six cards that she excavated to the graveyard.
"Your turn." Winter said.
"I draw. Alright. I don't have the right amount of stars for this. I could synchro summon, but Icejade would just gain her effect again. But I can do this. I summon Zefrasaber, Swordmaster of the Nekroz. Now I use Zefrasaber, Defender, and Revealer to synchro summon Trishula, Zero Dragon of the Ice Barrier. And his effect lets me banish up to three monsters you control, Winter.
Ice mountains formed on Weiss's template. Soon, a roar was heard as Trishula, Zero Dragon of the Ice Barrier, landed on the mountains. It then let out another roar before shooting ice beams from its mouths toward Icejade Gymir Aegirine. And because her effect was negated, she could do nothing but accept the attack, causing her to disappear.
"In response to my Icejade leaving the field, I activate Icejade Manifestation from my graveyard." Winter said, banishing the card.
'Oh, that's why. I forgot about that card.' Jaune thought.
"What does that card do?" Weiss asked.
"If an Icejade monster leaves the field by an opponent's card effect, except for destruction, Winter can banish Manifestation to banish one card you control." Jaune answered.
"I will choose Trishula." Winter answered. A crystal appeared on her template that shot a beam at Trishula, who let out a roar of pain before transforming into a crystal and exploding.
"Okay. I'm down to one monster. I will now attack Crystal Girl with Nekroz of Unicorn." Weiss said. Unicorn twirled its spear before lunging at Crystal Girl, who braced herself for the attack. But it didn't matter as it sent her flying before being sent to the graveyard as Winter's life points dropped to 5900.
"And because you destroyed a Water monster I control, my monsters' effects activate. I activate Acti's, Tinola's, and Tremora's effects to bring out Kosmochlor in defense position, Creation Kingfisher, and Creation Aegirocassis from my graveyard." Winter said as her monsters reappeared on the field.
"Shoot. I thought it had to be Icejade monsters. Oh, well. I set my last card and end my turn."
"My turn. I draw. I activate Mystical Space Typhoon to get rid of your set card."
"Alright." A typhoon appeared on Winter's template that struck Weiss's set card, destroying and sending it to the graveyard.
'So that was the other card in her hand. But at least Nekroz ritual cards have effects in the graveyard.' Jaune thought as Weiss placed Nekroz Mirror in the grave.
"Now, I will activate Kingfisher's effect to equip it to Kosmochlor." Winter said.
"Hold on, Winter. In response, I banish Breakthrough Skill from my graveyard to negate its effect." Weiss said, moving the card.
"Okay. That means Kosmochlor cannot attack this turn since she is in defense position, and I do not want to risk her destruction by switching her to attack position. But Kingfisher and Aegirocassis can still attack. I will enter my battle phase and attack your Nekroz of Unicorn with my Aegirocassis."
"Wait. My monster has 300 more attack points."
"It does. But Kosmochlor lets Winter lower one of your monster's attack points when it is battling an Icejade monster. Now, you Unicorn has 1300 attack points." Jaune explained as Unicorn gained a pained expression before taking a knee. However, it didn't last for long as Aegirocassis moved and struck Unicorn with one of her ice claws, defeating him and sending him to the graveyard, causing Weiss's life points to go down to 6300.
"Not too bad." Weiss said.
"Now Kingfisher will attack you directly for 2500, bringing your life points down to 3800. Your move, Weiss." Winter said.
"My turn. I draw. Alright. I banish Nekroz Mirror and Nekroz of Unicorn to add Nekroz Kaleidoscope from my deck to my hand. Now, I will activate Nekroz Kaleidoscope and use Shurit's effect to count as the entire requirement to bring out Nekroz of Areadbhair."
Once Weiss activated her cards, Shurit appeared on her field with a sword before him. He then grabbed the hilt and gained a thoughtful expression before pulling it out off the ground. And as he did, Shurit gained armor that transformed him into Nekroz of Areadbhair. Once the transformation was complete, he twirled his staff before taking a stance.
'Not the best move, but all she can do at the moment.' Jaune thought. 'Maybe I should give her some generic ritual support? That could offset some drawbacks to the Nekroz Ritual cards.'
"Okay. I will attack Aegirocassis with Areadbhair." Weiss said.
"Kosmochlor's effect activates, bringing your monster down from 3300 to 2300 attack points." Winter said as Kosmochlor threw a crystal toward Areadbhair, weakening him. However, he still had enough strength to shatter Aegirocassis and reduce Winter's life points by 300.
"Why didn't you activate his effect, Weiss?" Jaune asked.
"I need to tribute another monster to activate it." Weiss explained.
"Ah."
"And because I can activate my second Icejade Tinola's effect to bring back Icejade Creation Aegirocassis." Winter said as she banished Tinola.
"Well." Wiess sighed. "I end my turn."
"My turn. I draw. I will summon Icejade Aegirine." Winter said as a small white, transparent crystal girl formed on Winter's template. "Aegirine's effect lets me add an Icejade spell or trap from my deck to my hand. I will add Icejade Cenote Enion Cradle, which I will activate immediately."
"Which means I cannot activate Nekroz of Areadbhair's effect since this isn't the turn I summoned him."
"And upon activation, Winter gets to add one monster that is banished or in the graveyard to her hand." Jaune said.
"I will bring back Icejade Gymir Aegirine." Winter said.
"And it goes to the Extra Deck since it's an extra deck monster."
"Right. Next, I will activate Kingfisher's effect to equip it to Kosmochlor. Now, I will enter the battle phase. First, I will attack with Kosmochlor, with her effect bringing Areadbhair's attack down to 2300, meaning you take 700 points of damage."
Once united with Kingfisher, Kosmochlor flew to Areadbhair and attacked him. He tried to counter it but failed, resulting in his destruction.
"Now, the rest of my monsters will attack, winning me the game." Winter said as the templates deactivated themselves.
"Good job. That was a close match." Jaune said as Weiss and Winter gathered their cards.
"Too bad I couldn't bring out more of my monsters." Weiss said.
"Honestly, Weiss. You could have won this match had it not been for Winter's opening hand, which forced you to use resources to get rid of it."
"True."
"Thanks again, Mr. Arc, for overseeing this duel." Winter said.
"You're welcome. But I have to ask, how did you get Reasoning?" Jaune asked, curious.
"I went to one of the local card shops in search of a few more cards. But once I got there, I learned there was a tournament happening and decided to join. While I didn't win, the organizers offered consolation prizes to everyone who participated. They gave me some booster packs, and Reasoning was in one of them."
"Is Reasoning good since it seems like a big gamble as you could send some needed cards to the graveyard?" Weiss asked, curious.
"Reasoning is one of the older cards that didn't see much play back then. But that changed when the new wave of card effects arrived, especially ones that activate in the graveyard. Now decks that want their cards in the graveyard can use Reasoning as an easy way to get them there."
"Oh, okay. I get it now."
"Well, in that case, I better get going now." Jaune said as he stood up and got his case.
"Where are you going?" Winter asked.
"He has to get ready for his date, Winter." Wiess answered. "
"Oh, that's nice. I do wish you luck on your date with your girlfriend, Mr. Arc."
"Not girlfriend, but girlfriends, Winter. Jaune is going on a date with his two girlfriends."
"Two." Winter said, surprised. "You must tell me the details."
"Well, it was painfully obvious for a while..."
Chuckling and rolling his eyes, Jaune left the lounge and headed toward his team's dorm. Once there, he entered and prepared for his date with Velvet and Pyrrha. But despite it already being two weeks, he still could hardly believe they were his girlfriends. It felt surreal, especially since he had long since doubted he would ever be in a relationship. After about ten minutes and needlessly double-checking to ensure he had everything, Jaune was ready. While it wasn't that cold out, he had decided to wear something slightly heavier. Giving himself one last look over in the mirror, Jaune nodded before exiting the dorm, where he saw Pyrrha and Velvet waiting for him.
"Wow. You two look beautiful." Jaune said, causing them to blush.
"Thanks, Jaune." Pyrrha said before pulling Jaune into a loving kiss. She moved her hands to the back of his head while Jaune's hands moved to her lower back. Pyrrha started combing her hands through his hair, enjoying the feeling of kissing her lover while he moved his hands to rest on her hips. After a moment, they separated. "I love doing that."
"Me too."
"My turn." Velvet impatiently said before grabbing Jaune by his shirt.
But unlike Pyrrha's kiss, which was sweet, Velvet mashed her lips with Jaune's while shoving her tongue into his mouth. Instantly, their tongues started coiling around each other. While Jaune tried his best to stifle his moans, Velvet was unashamedly mewling loudly, as if wanting everyone who was nearby to hear them. But as the kiss continued to grow more erotic as they swapped tongues, Velvet became annoyed at not hearing her lover's moans. She moved her leg to rub against Jaune's crotch and pressed her body against his while making sure her chest grinded against his.
Not wanting to be outdone, Jaune moved his right hand toward Velvet's ass and gave her cheeks a firm slap followed by a gentle squeeze. This earned a deliciously loud, erotic moan from the faunus that was music to Jaune's ears, as he knew Velvelt loved it when he got slightly rough. But speaking of ears, Jaune had his other hand move to grab and gently massage her faunus ears, causing Velvet to bounce her foot on the floor wildly. Yet, despite the arousing pleasure he was receiving, Jaune couldn't help but let out a small groan of pain as his pants became increasingly tight. And the sensation of Velvet's legs rubbing against it and her diamond-hard tits grinding on his chest was not helping, as it only made it tighter. After a couple of minutes, they finally separated, with Velvet licking up the saliva that was connecting their lips.
"I was waiting all day to do that." Velvet said, leaning into Jaune romantically and enjoying his warmth as he hugged her.
"I can tell." Jaune said, chuckling.
"So, shall we go?" Pyrrha asked, smiling.
"Yes." Velvet and Jaune said as they separated. Jaune then grabbed their hands as they made their way to the bullheads.
One Hour Later
"Alright. Where to first?" Pyrrha asked as they exited the bullhead.
"Let's get something light to eat since we have the reservations later." Jaune said.
"What do you have in mind?" Velvet asked, wrapping her arms around Jaune's left arm.
"And you have yet to tell us where you made the reservations." Pyrrha said, doing the same as Velvet to Jaune's right arm.
"That is a surprise. Jaune said, causing Pyrrha and Velvet to roll their eyes. "But there's this cafe that opened up recently called Cafe la Geen."
"Sounds nice. Let's go." Velvet said as Jaune guided them to the place.
Half an Hour Later
"So that was the earthquake we felt a while ago." Velvet said as she had some coffee.
"Yup. That's why we have a no-caffeine rule for the dorm." Jaune said, taking a bite out of his croissant.
"And why Ren limits how much sweets she has." Pyrrha added before taking a sip of her tea.
"Celebrations like Halloween must be a chore." Velvet said, chuckling.
"It is." Jaune and Pyrrha said.
"But what about that cursing we heard a few days later that had Ozpin making an announcement afterward?" Pyrrha asked.
"Oh, Coco cursed up a storm when we saw the prices for the bullets and dust she needs for Gianduja went up." Velvet answered.
"Really? That doesn't seem like something she would do." Jaune said.
"Yeah. I thought so, too. But that changed when I saw the prices. And yikes."
"Yeah, things have been going up like crazy."
"But speaking of crazy, Jaune." Pyrrha began, leaning into him while Velvet did the same.
"When are we going to meet the rest of your family?" Velvet asked.
"Soon. Autumn break is coming soon. We can go then to meet my family. Although, two of them won't be there since they would still be working." Jaune answered.
"Do you think your family will accept our relationship?" Pyrrha worriedly asked.
"I'm sure they will. My family is pretty open-minded. But what about your families?"
"My mother won't mind it. Mistral has pretty lax standards when it comes to relationships. Although, she would need a bit to get used to it." Pyrrha answered.
"And my mom would just be glad I'm in a loving relationship. But she would also need time to get used to this kind of relationship." Velvet answered.
"That's good since it means we don't have to worry about anyone trying to break us up." Jaune said, wrapping his arms around Pyrrha and Velvet.
"At least anyone close to us." Pyrrha said.
"Anyone else can try and talk until they lose consciousness, but they won't break us up." Velvet added as they separated with smiles on their faces.
"Is everything alright?" A waiter asked, approaching them.
"Yes. Everything is alright." Jaune answered.
"Can you bring us the check?" Pyrrha asked. Nodding, the waiter headed inside before turning a second later.
"Here you go." The waiter answered, handing them the check. Taking it, they looked over the price before paying, with the waiter taking the lien and leaving.
"So, where to now?" Velvet asked.
"Let's head to the card shop to pick up your duel disks." Jaune answered.
"Alright." Pyrrha said as she and Velvet grabbed Jaune's hands as they made their way to the card shop.
Twenty Minutes Later
"Okay. And here are your custom Duel Disks." The shop owner said, handing Pyrrha and Velvet their Duel Disks.
"Thanks." They said, inspecting their Duel Disks, as the owner nodded before leaving.
"So, how do you like them?" Jaune asked.
"They're great." Velvet said, admiring her Duel Disk.
"But how did he know what our emblems and color schemes are?" Pyrrha asked, confused.
"Oh. I called in ahead to see if they could add them." Jaune explained.
"Thanks, Jaune." Velvet and Pyrrha said before kissing him on his cheeks.
"You're welcome."
"Now, how about we try them out?" Velvet asked.
"Well, I don't have my Duel Disk or deck on me. And you two already duel each other so much, I think it would be best if you face off against a different deck."
"Uh, are you going to grab a different deck?" Pyrrha asked.
"No. But there are a lot of people. I'm sure two of them would be willing to duel the both of you in a tag duel or separately." Jaune said, motioning to everyone in the store. "Especially since everyone now has a Duel Disk and wants to use them as much as they can."
"Alright."
"So, look over the Duel Disk and get it on while I find someone." Jaune said before leaving.
Ten Minutes Later
"Alright. I found someone." Jaune said as he returned with a female squirrel Faunus, who was munching on hickory nuts, pecans, and black walnuts.
"Hello. I'm Luna." The Faunus said with a mouth full of pecans.
"Hi. I'm Pyrrha."
"And I'm Velvet."
"So, these are your friends that you want me to duel?" Luna asked, turning to Jaune.
"Yes." Jaune answered.
"Alright." Luna said, turning back to Pyrrha and Velvet. "Do you want to do here with the templates or in the nearby park with the Duel Disks?"
"In the park. We want to try the Duel Disks." Pyrrha answered.
"Alright. Let's get going then." Luna said.
Five Minutes Later
"Alright. Are you two ready?" Luna asked as she put on her Duel Disk.
"Wait. Is this going to be a 2v2?" Velvet asked, looking toward Jaune, who was sitting on a nearby bench.
"No. It's going to be a 2v1." Jaune answered.
"Are you sure that's fair?" Pyrrha asked.
"And I don't recall seeing anything about 2v1s in the rulebook." Velvet added.
"There are no official rules about 2v1s. But it is similar in a lot of ways to 2v2s. The main difference is just that it's one person instead of two, and the turn order." Luna explained.
"Still."
"Don't worry; my deck can more than hold its own."
"What deck do you use?" Pyrrha asked.
"I have a few iterations of my deck since I use two archtypes and some non-archtype cards. But for this duel, I'm using a Machina/Gadget deck."
"What kind of decks are those, Jaune?" Velvet asked.
"Without giving too much away, they are machine types." Jaune answered.
"So, how do we decide the turn order?" Pyrrha asked.
"Since this will be a 2v1 duel, we're going to have to do it somewhat differently to make it fair. It will be me, next one of you, then the other, and afterward back to me." Luna answered.
"What about life points?" Velvet asked.
"We'll have 16000 life points. Oh, and before I forget. Since I'm going first, I don't get to draw, but whoever goes next gets to draw. And it's only the one afterward that gets to attack first."
"Sounds fair." Velvet and Pyrrha said.
"Alright. Now decide which one of you goes first."
"Rock, Paper, Scissors?" Pyrrha asked Velvet.
"Sure."
"Rock."
"Paper."
"Scissors"
"Shoot."
"I'll go first." Velvet said.
"Okay." Pyrrha said.
"Alright. Ready?" Luna asked, munching on some cashews.
"Yes." Pyrrha and Velvet answered.
"Alright. Let's Duel!" Luna said as everyone's Duel Disks activated. They then drew their cards.
"Good luck." Jaune said, smiling. However, he was slightly worried. While there were plenty of people willing to duel, most of them had decks that would obliterate Pyrrha and Velvet in a single turn or two. And others did not want to hold back and wanted to go all out, even though Pyrrha and Velvet were nowhere near as experienced as them. Thankfully, Luna was willing and kind enough to agree to hold back slightly.
"My turn." Luna said as she looked over her hand. "Alright. First, I will activate Clockwork Night. This card turns all monsters on the field into machine-type. And all monsters I control gain 500 attack and defense while my opponents lose 500 attack and defense. Next, I activate Pot Of Extravagance. By banishing six cards from my Extra Deck, I get to draw two cards."
A massive factory with an uncountable amount of cogs emerged behind Luna. The cogs started spinning as smoke escaped the exhaust pipes. Then, an extravagant pot with two faces appeared before Luna. One face laughed while the other snickered as two cards came out the top and went to Luna's hand.
'I wonder what that card does.' Jaune thought, chuckling at Pot of Greed's face on Pot of Extravagance.
"Now, I will activate Machina Redeployment's first effect. By discarding one card, which will be Machine Duplication, I get to add two Machina monsters with different names from my deck to my hand. They will be Machina Gearframe and Machina Unclaspare. And because Machina Unclaspare was added to my hand by an effect, I get to special summon it. Since it was special summoned, I get to send one Machina monster from my deck to the graveyard, which will be Machina Megaform."
A line of Machina Fortresses appeared behind Luna. They slowly moved to be beside her, with one of them extending its 'arm' toward her. And in it were two Machina cards, which she took. The Machina Fortresses then disappeared and were replaced by Machina Unclaspare, who used its weapon to send Machina Megaform to the graveyard.
"Now, I will summon Machina Gearframe in Attack Position. And his effect lets me add one Machina monster from my deck to my hand. I choose Machina Fortress. Next, I will activate Iron Draw. When I have exactly 2 Machine Effect Monsters and no other monsters, I get to draw two cards. But it restricts me to only one more special summon."
Machina Gearframe appeared on the field and raised its arm to its head as if calling someone or something. But it was to call for support as Machina Fortress appeared in its free hand. Gearframe then changed its hand to one comprised of pure iron to have two more cards appear in its hand. He then turned and gave Luna the cards.
"Next, I will activate Machina Fortress's effect. By discarding Citadel, I get to special summon it. Then, I will activate Gearframe's other effect to equip it to Fortress. And I will end my turn by setting two cards." Luna said as Machina Fortress reappeared next to Gearframe, with Gearframe climbing on top.
"My turn. I draw. Hmm. I will set five cards and end my turn." Velvet said as five face-down cards appeared on the field before her. "Your move, Pyrrha."
"Okay. I draw. First, I will activate my field spell, Sogen. Because I have no monsters, but Luna does, I get to special summon Heroic Challenger - Assault Halberd. Next, I will summon Heroic Challenger - Thousand Blades. And activating his effect, I can discard one Heroic card, which will be Heroic Gift, to special summon Heroic Challenger - Morning Star. When Morning Star is special summoned, I get to add one Heroic spell/trap card to my hand, which will be Heroic Retribution Sword." Pyrrha said.
The ordinarily pale green grass of the park suddenly turned a luscious green with a gentle breeze moving them. Then, out of nowhere, a Halberd suddenly appeared before Pyrrha, with the Heroic Challenger monster appearing a second later. But he wasn't alone for long as Thousand Blades walked up beside him. He then grabbed one of his blades and tossed it into the air, where it was caught by Morning Star, who landed beside Halberd. Morning Star then reached into a pocket to pull out a card, which he then gave to Pyrrha. However, what everyone noticed was that her monsters seemed more machine-like than usual.
"Now, I will activate Mystical Space Typhoon to get rid of Clockwork Night." A massive tornado with lightning appeared from Pyrrha's side of the field, headed toward Clockwork Night, and destroyed it. Once it was gone, the Heroic Challengers relaxed when the metal vanished from their bodies.
"Not bad." Luna said as her monsters lost 500 attack and defense.
"Next, I will build the overlay network. Come Challengers, bring together your skills. I XYZ summoned Heroic Champion - Kusanagi." Pyrrha said. Halberd, Morning Star, and Thousand Blade grabbed their weapons before leaping into the air, where they turned into bright stars that fused together. But that star quickly turned orange like the sun. And a second later, a flaming sword landed on the ground, with Heroic Champion - Kusanagi landing beside it.
'Alright. A temporary trap negator, not bad. It will help.' Jaune thought.
"I will set one card and move to the battle phase. Your Machina Fortress seems tempting, but I will attack Machina Unclaspare instead. Go Heroic Champion - Kusanagi, attack with Swift Flaming Sword Strike."
Grabbing the sword, Kusangi twirled it in his hand before getting into a fighting stance. He then charged at Machina Unclaspare, with the sword getting bigger and brighter with each step he took. And once he was close enough, he jumped into the air and performed a landing strike against Unclaspare, destroying him. However, to Pyrrha's and Velvet's confusion, while Luna's life points went down by 700, they felt the ground shake once Unclaspare vanished from the field. But their confusion changed to horror when they saw a massive machine about three stories tall coming their way.
"Um. How did you get a new monster?" Pyrrha asked as Heroic Champion - Kusanagi slowly moved back to its side of the field.
"When an Earth-Machine-type monster I control is destroyed by battle or card effect, I get to special summon Machina Citadel from the graveyard." Luna explained.
"Okay. This might be a problem." Velvet said when she saw that Citadel had 3000 attack.
"I, um, I end my turn." Pyrrha said.
"My turn. I draw." Luna said as she drew a card.
"Hold on. I activate my trap card: Heavy Storm Duster." Velvet said, activating her card.
"Alright. What cards are you destroying?"
"I will destroy your middle set card and one of my set cards." As soon as she said this, two twisters appeared from the card, with one going to Luna's card in the center column while the other struck Velvet's card that was on the far right.
"Well, you destroyed my Boot-Up Order - Gear Force trap card. But it wasn't that useful at the moment since Heroic Champion - Kusanagi is on the field."
"Maybe. But the card I destroyed is. I destroyed Artifact Beagalltach. And because I did so during your turn, I get to special summon him and destroy up to two spell/trap cards I control."
A giant Beagalltach appeared before Velvet, with the spirit appearing a second later. It then lifted the weapon and struck Velvet's cards that were on the left. But, as with Beagalltach, Artifact Moralltach and Artifact Scythe appeared right after the cards were destroyed.
"Now, Artifact Scyth's and Artifact Moralltach's effects activate. Scythe locks down your Extra Deck, while Moralltach lets me destroy one face-up card my opponent controls. I'll choose Gearframe since it's protecting your Fortress."
Artifact Scythe flew to Luna's side of the field and used its weapon to create chains around her Extra Deck while Moralltach attacked Gearframe, turning it into scrap metal.
"Alright. That's a good move. Now, Fortress can be destroyed." Luna said.
"But that's not all. I activate my other face down: Artifacts Unleashed. This card lets me XYZ summon on your turn with my Artifact monsters."
"Yeah, I'm stopping you right there. I activate my counter trap card: Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell. By discarding one spell card, which will be Machina Armored Unit, I can negate your spell card and make it so that you cannot use cards with that name for the rest of the duel." Pressing the button on her Duel Disk, Luna activated Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell, which created a symbol on Velvet's Artifact Unleashed Spell Card. It shook for a few seconds, with the color fading before shattering to pieces.
"Wait. Quick question. I cannot use Artifacts Unleashed anymore, but I can still XYZ summon, right?"
"Yes. You still can XYZ summon. You just can't use Artifacts Unleashed for the remainder of the duel."
"Okay. I'm just making sure."
"Alright. Now, I will activate Citadel's effect. By targeting and destroying one machine monster I control, which will be Fortress, I get to destroy all monsters my opponents control with less attack than Fortress."
Machina Citadel grabbed Fortress and used one of its lasers to destroy it, creating a shockwave that headed toward Velvet's and Pyrrha's monsters. But while Kusanagi would remain due to having high enough attack points courtesy of Sogen, Velvet's Artifact monsters were not so lucky. However, a yellow shield appeared on all of them, protecting them.
"What?" Luna asked, surprised. But her surprise turned to understanding when Artifact Aegis appeared.
"Not so fast. I activated my trap card: Artifact Sanctum. It allows me to special summon an Artifact monster from my deck. And because I chose to special summon Aegis, she granted my other Artifact monsters protection." Velvet explained.
'Good move, Velvet. Now you just need to keep it up.' Jaune thought.
"Nice move. But Machina Fortress's sacrifice was not in vain, as it allowed me to gain a new machine. Although, I would have to banish it." Luna said, impressed.
The scraps of Machina Fortress began to shake as another Machina Fortress moved onto the field. But once it did, it stopped and began to transform into Machina Megadform.
"Next, I will set one card and enter the battle phase. Now, because I don't know what you have set, I will end my turn." Luna said.
"My turn. I draw. Hmm. Okay, I set one card. Now, I will build the Overlay Network. Artifact Scythe and Artifact Moralltach, merge together to create Artifact Durendal." The spirits of the Artifacts moved toward each other and fused their deactivated weapons to create a new one. They then disappeared, with the spirit of Durendal taking their place. "Okay. That's all I can do now. Your turn, Pyrrha."
"My turn. I draw. Alright. I activate my Trap Card: Final Attack Orders. This card makes it so that every monster changes into attack position." Pyrrha said.
'Why did she activate that card?' Jaune thought.
"But upon activation, I activate Heroic Champion - Kusanagi's effect to negate it." Kusanagi turned around and used his sword to destroy Final Attack Orders. But it was when his sword grew brighter that Jaune realized what Pyrrha was doing.
'Right. Kusanagi gains 500 permanent attack points each time he negates a trap card. He's now stronger than Machina Citadel.'
"Now, I will set one card and move to the battle phase. Heroic Champion - Kusanagi, attack Machina Citadel with all your might." Kusanagi let out a battle cry before charging Citadel, jumping into the air, and striking it with his sword, destroying it.
"Alright. Citadel is gone, and I can't bring it back yet." Luna said as her life points dropped to 15,100.
"I end my turn."
"My turn. I draw. Alright. This will do. I activate my trap card: Powerhold the Moving Battery. And since it's a continuous trap card, Artifact Durendal can't change it's effect. Now, Powerhold the Moving Battery lets me equip one machine monster from my deck to it. And Powerhold gains double the attack points of the monster equipped to it. I choose Green Gadget."
A massive machine with a cannon on its shoulder slowly moved onto the field. However, once there, it mysteriously powered down. Then, to Pyrrha's and Velvet's surprise, Green Gadget suddenly appeared. It scratched its head before entering Powerhold. After a second, Powerhold seemed to regain energy and stood up straight.
"Next, I will activate my quick play spell card, Shrink, to reduce Kusanagi's attack by half, meaning he's now at 1600. Now, I will move to the battle phase. Powerhold the Moving Battery will attack Artifact Durendal while Machina Megaform attacks Heroic Champion - Kusanagi."
Powerhold the Moving Battery seemed to power up before turning to look at Durendal. It then flipped up the reticle on its cannon before taking aim and firing at Durendal, blowing it to pieces. Meanwhile, Machina Megaform aimed its chest cannon at a weakened Kusanagi.
"I activate Heroic Retribution Sword and target Kusanagi. You also take all battle damage I would take, and Machina Megaform is destroyed in the end." Pyrrha said, activating her trap card.
Machina Megaform fired its cannon with Kusanagi using his sword to reflect the blast. Unfortunately, it still destroyed him. But Machine Megaform was also destroyed by its own reflected attack. However, the pieces were ultimately crushed when Machina Citadel appeared again.
"Right. I forgot about its effect."
"Well, it's the first time you're facing him. So, don't be too hard on yourself. Anyway. The Main Phase 2 now. I set one card and end my turn."
"My turn. I draw. I end my turn." Velvet said, not happy with the card she drew.
"My turn. I draw. Okay, this should help. I activate my spell card, Heroic Call, to bring out Morning Star from my graveyard. And when he's special summoned, I get to add one Heroic card from my deck. I choose Heroic Envoy. Then, I will activate Heroic Envoy to add Heroic Challenger - Watchman to my hand. I will then summon him and build the overlay network to bring out Heroic Champion - Excalibur."
A morning star reappeared on the field again, followed by its owner, who seemed tired. But he then used his morning star to grab Heroic Envoy to give it to Pyrrha, who used it to add Watchman to her hand. And once she activated it, a guard holding a lantern appeared beside Morning Star. They looked at each other before becoming stars to build the overlay network. Once the process was complete, Heroic Champion - Excalibur appeared.
"Now, I will activate Heroic Champion - Excalibur's effect. By using two of its overlay units, I get to double its original attack from 2,000 to 4,000 thousand. Now attack Excalibur with righteous blades strike!" Picking up both of his swords, Excalibur rushed to attack Machina Citadel.
"I activate my trap card: Covering Fire." Luna said, activating her trap. Powerhold the Moving Battery immediately moved to Machina Citadel's side to boost its attack power. And with their combined attack of 5,800, they were able to stop Pyrrha's Heroic Champion - Excalibur, in its tracks and destroy it.
"Sorry, Heroics. I end my turn." Pyrrha said as their life points went down to 15,000.
'This isn't good. Pyrrha only has a field spell, and Velvet has a single set card and Artifact Beagalltach and Artifact Aegis, both of whom have already used up their effects.' Jaune thought.
"My turn. I draw. I summon Gold Gadget. Then, I will activate Citadel's effect on Gold Gadget to destroy the Artifacts since they have fewer attack points than Gold Gadget." Luna said as Citadel picked up Gold Gadet and crushed it, which created another shock wave that took out both artifacts. "Now, the battle phase. Both my monsters will attack directly for 5,800 points of damage."
"Ow." Pyrrha and Velvet said as their life points dropped to 9200.
"I end my turn."
"My turn. I draw. I set one card and end my turn." Velvet said.
"My turn. I draw." Pyrrha said before sighing. "I end my turn."
"My turn. I draw. I activate my spell card: Limiter Removal. This spell card doubles the attack of all my machine monsters until the end of the turn." Luna said as a physical limiter fell out of Powerhold and Citadel. However, steam started coming out of them soon after. "Now Citadel and Powerhold will attack directly for a total of 11,600 points of damage."
'And that's game.' Jaune thought as Lina's monsters attacked Pyrrha and Velvet, bringing their life points down to zero. Getting up, he walked over to them as they turned off the duel disks. "You two did amazing."
"Thanks." Pyrrha and Velvet said, slightly disappointed that they lost.
"Don't be upset. You two did pretty damn well. Both of you lasted far longer than some others I have faced before." Luna said, mouth already full of hickory nuts.
"Thanks."
"Thanks for agreeing to duel with them, Luna." Jaune said.
"No problem. It was fun. Also, are you three competing in the tournament?"
"Yup. We're all competing. Are you?"
"Of course. What deck do you use?"
"Nible Knights and Infernoble Knights."
"Oh, if we get a chance, we have to duel."
"Sure." Jaune said, chuckling.
"Oh, before I forget." Luna said, turning back to Pyrrha and Velvet. "What were your last cards?"
"Heroic Advance. And I needed two Heoric monsters on the field for it to work." Pyrrha answered.
"Artifact Caduceus and Artifact Labrys. Their effects wouldn't have helped me." Velvet answered.
"Don't Artifacts have a link monster?"
"They do. But its attack is too low, and Citadel's effect would have destroyed it. Plus, while Dagda's effect does allow me to destroy the set Artifact card, it's only until after my opponent's next end phase. You would have defeated us before that would have happened."
"Ah. That makes sense. Anyway, I have to go. See you guys." Luna said before leaving.
"Well, she was nice." Pyrrha said.
"She is." Jaune agreed.
"Did you know her before?" Velvet asked.
"Nope."
"Is it true she has different variations of her deck?" Pyrrha asked.
"Yes. Well, at least from what I've seen. Machina and Gadgets are often seen together and work well off each other. But you can make it where the deck focuses more on one than the other."
"So, what now?" Velvet asked, curious.
"Now we have to head to the restaurant. It's almost time."
"Alright." Pyrrha said as she and Velvet moved to be next to Jaune, grabbed his hands, and laid their heads on his shoulders. Smiling, Jaune kissed their heads before they headed to the restaurant.
Notes:
The Tournament will begin in the next chapter. Here is what it looks like so far. Should any part change?
Location: Vacuo in a city near the coast. (Not sure if it should be 'abandoned' or not.) 60 contestants (Not all will appear. This will just give the characters to duel others instead of the ones they already know, and let other archetypes appear.) Battle City Style. 3 locator cards to find the finals. Lasts 24 hours. Finals: Either in Amity Colosseum or some other place. (Still need to decide.)
Wanted to get this chapter out earlier, but I had to rewrite Weiss's and Winter's duel when I found out about the restriction of Nekroz cards.