RUSH DUEL - Yuka vs Setsuko

"During the End Phase. I draw 6 cards and send 1 card from my hand to the GY. Thanks to Extender Shrimp, I add back Darkness Approaches and Giant Tortoise of Greed to my hand. May I ask you a question, Yuka?"

"Hmm?"

"It's a bit boring without audience, isn't it?"

"Maybe. But this is no an official baseball match. This is our, and only our, conversation."

"Just what is bothering you anyway?"

"Asana told me about how you viewed her. It's eerily similar to how Nanaho thinks about her."

"I just said that her resolve is fragile. That's just my opinion."

"Like I thought, you absolutely know nothing about her. It is not easy to forgive the corporation that drove her family's business to the ground. But she forgave us, and we have become friends since then. That's why... And for Yuga's sake too. I will teach you a lesson you won't ever forget! Draw!"

"Lecture me after you defeat me then. When you draw for your normal draw, I am permitted to Maximum Summon this card. I give you my blessing, O symbol of perfection!"

"This feeling... Something is not right!"

"The realm of perfection is unattainable. Is that true? Is it possible to transcend the world of thought and enter the world of enlightenment? Only the malice draconic tree knows, for it to be the vanguard of this universe! Maximum! Malice Dragon of Perfection, Nidhoggr Nysa!"

"The malice serpent that gnaws upon the sacred tree. I've heard about this myth before, but is it really a true? That serpent, is it Nidhoggr? And Yggdrago is that tree?"

"At the start of your Main Phase, I stack 1 card from my hand underneath Nysa. Because Nidhoggr is underneath Nysa, the latter gains all the effects of the former."

"Otes mentioned that he created Dueling way before Goha Duel was developed. Did Dueling exist back then? And were monsters real? Darn it! I have to focus on the Duel. I activate Cat-trois Choice. I send the top 3 cards of my Deck and add this. Feverous Spirit Stadium! Burn, the arena fits for the king of sports! I Normal Summon Dododo Second!"

"Because there are 2 or more face-up monsters on your field, I can activate 1 Trap Card from my hand per turn. Giant Tortoise of Greed. When you Normal Summon a monster, I draw 2 cards."

"Strengthening your hand advantage, I guess? But there won't be a next turn. By paying 500 LP, Dododo Second is treated as 2 Tributes. I tribute Dododo Second. The heart and brain of the team, Gagaga Coach!" (Yuka: 4000 → 3500 LP)

"Bring it on. Give me more. Show me your full strength!"

"Gagaga Coach lets me Special Summon 1 Level 8 FIRE monster from my hand. Grand Slam Dragon! If there is a Field Spell on the field, I draw 1, then Feverous Spirit Stadium gains an effect."

"Oh?"

"By shuffling 3 FIRE monsters back to my Deck, Grand Slam Dragon revives the shining star of the baseball team, the hope of all fans. Home Run Hitter!" (Grand Slam Dragon: 2000 → 2400 → 4400 ATK)

"Incredible. Is this really all you have, though?"

"No. I will show you what Yuga believes in. Hope!"

"Hope, you say..."

"When a person embraces a dream that exists beyond hope, a new future appears far off in the distance! Go beyond the limits and seize that future in your own hands! Home Run Beyond!"

"Transcend Summon... It's beautiful. What a gallant warrior, the shining pads and the bright armor!"

"Heheh. While Rush Duel is not something that can be easily created, us Goha Siblings have tried our best to bring enjoyment to Dueling while Yuga was away. To go beyond his expectations, that's what Goha Siblings desire. This is my answer to your worries!"

"Well. Part of me wants to believe in the future, to trust in the potential of Goha, Transcend Summon and such. It's just that I believe in myself more."

"So you have a plan of your own?"

"Yep. And I won't tell this to anyone, of course."

"Oh well. If you feel troubled, put your faith on Yuga and us Goha Siblings."

"Do I look like a friend to you all?"

Yuka doesn't feel pleasant with how Setsuko has been responding, "You are an aloof employee, it seems. There's no further need to talk. Home Run Beyond's effect activates. By detaching a material, Home Run Beyond gains 500 ATK and cannot be destroyed by card effects until the end of your next turn. Also, you cannot activate Traps this turn! Then, I place Gagaga Coach on the bottom of my Deck to revive Home Run Hitter and gain LP equal to its ATK!" (Home Run Beyond: 2500 → 2900 → 3400 ATK) (Home Run Hitter: 2500 → 2900 ATK) (Yuka: 3500 → 6400 LP)

Setsuko can't resist smiling, fawning over the spectacle Yuka has shown her. It's so cute, so cute, so cute. Amazing, she thought to herself.

"I Set 1 card. Battle! Home Run Hitter: Rising Slam Slash!"

"Nysa cannot be destroyed once per turn, and you took all battle damage involving it that I would have taken!"

"Gahhh!" (Yuka: 6400 → 3500 LP) "But now Nysa is defenseless. All the talk about being alone and dooming over the tomorrow, you are just drowning in your own delusions! I swear by heaven and earth that I will keep on fighting to make sure that tomorrow comes. Shine forth, o ray of hope. Rising Slam Beyond Slash!"

The dark branches of the malice tree were slashed away by the fiery sword of hope. The energy radiated from the armor purges away the shadow of the dragon, rendering it powerless against the armor of future.

"Is this what you call hope?" Setsuko closes her eyes just as Nysa is about to clash with Home Run Beyond.

Does the attack land?

"Now all I have to do is attacking you directly with Grand Slam Dragon. Then I will win, and I will try to open your heart... NO!?"

Setsuko stands confidently with Nysa by her side, still.

"Home Run Beyond? Ahhhh!" Yuka notices that her ace is flipped face-down. But how? "I have prevented your Traps from activating. There should be nothing you can do."

"It's just all the same. Lecture this, act the other way around instead. Your words can't reach me! While there are 4 or more face-up monsters on the field, when Nysa is attacked, I can activate 1 Spell/Trap from my hand per turn!"

"A Spell from your hand. It's—"

"Impossible is what you are going to say! I knew it! From the very beginning, you people just pretend to be my seniors, then you nosedive in the ocean of your beliefs. Frustrating! Though (smirk) your performance was slightly better than Yuga's, I would say. By discarding 2 cards, I had activated Darkness Approaches when you declared your attack."

"Grand Slam Dragon has 4400 ATK. If I attack now, I will lose."

"Correct. Now end your turn already!"

"Damn you..."

"At the start of your End Phase, I stack 1 card from my hand underneath Nysa. I will show you, the true power of Nidhoggr. Draw!"

"I activate King Shift of Fire! Nysa cannot attack my FIRE monsters this turn!"

"I can still attack you directly!"

"Not so fast! Feverous Spirit Stadium has gained an additional effect from Gagaga Coach! Until the end of this turn, Stadium cannot be destroyed by your card effects, and your monsters can only attack FIRE monsters."

"So it's a lock."

"Precisely. You won't know what will happen in Rush Duel. There's always a chance for comeback."

"Those that deny inevitability at their lowest won't know true happiness. At the start of my Main Phase, I add 1 card underneath Nysa to my hand."

"Darkness Approaches..."

"Activate!"

"Even then, I still have—"

"I have another Darkness Approaches!"

"No... NO!"

"It's all over, Yuka. Nysa gains 700 ATK for each card on the field. And because all 3 monsters on your field are flipped face-down, Nysa can now attack directly. This is the end! Transcendental Malice Strike!" (Nysa: 0 → 3500 ATK)

"Arghhhhh!" (Yuka: 3500 → 0 LP)

"It seems like we can't see eye-to-eye. How disappointing."

Yuka clenches in her fist in anger. Though, what can she possibly say after having to kneel upon her defeat?

"See you later, Yuka."

Yuka doesn't respond. The shock of losing puts a serious toll on her mental. Her sweats fall to the ground profusely.

::::::::::::

"YUGA!"

Luke rushes to the nursery immediately after hearing the news from Yuo. Romin and Tiger barely catch up to him, but they are also worried for Yuga too.

"Yuga... Are you feeling unwell? How high was your temperature? Do you feel nauseous? Any headache? Are you hungry? What do you want to eat? Where and when do you want to sleep?"

"I got a huge fever. Maybe I was pushing myself too much. Should have called off the interviews, ahahaha."

"You can tell me to take your place. I know everything about you, even if we aren't here physically. Our minds are linked, so when you are in pain, I'm in pain too!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

"It's alright. I will take care of you. You deserve the best in this world. I will be by your side 24/24."

"About that..." Tiger looks at Luke menacingly.

"Sorry to break your bubbles, but now that Yuga is back home, you know what do to do, right?" Romin reminds Luke about something.

"Who cares? Yuga is not feeling well, so I—"

"I'm fine, Luke. By that, I mean I have someone that is taking care of me at the moment. She's adorable and trustworthy."

At the same time, Yuna has just finished going to the restroom. She hears what Yuga says about her clearly.

"Yuna?" Yuhi questions why Yuna is standing like a charcoal.

"He calls me adorable and trustworthy..."

"That's love, Nail."

"I see. It's another unseen providence."

"Yuga. I'm back."

"Sweet, Yuna."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Haruka Kamijo. I prefer being called Tiger, though."

"I'm Romin Kirishima. Hey, greet people properly!"

"Hi. I'm Tatsuhisa. Tiger's little brother. Nice to meet you."

"So these people are Yuga's friends. He usually talks about them. I'm Yuna. Yuna Goha."

"The name Goha may sound prestigious, but trust me, Yuna is a sensitive girl."

"I have to agree with you on this one, Yuhi. Nice to meet you all. I'm Yuamu Ohdo. He is Yuhi Ohdo, my twin brother."

"Ohdo... Yuga, are they your siblings?"

"They are his ancestors, Luke."

"R—Really, Nail?"

"They are. And Yuna is the founder of Goha Corporation."

"Woah!" Luke, Romin and Tiger are all surprised. This young lady creates the foundation for the Goha they know in the present.

"Umm... I got a lot of help from Yuga too. It's not just only me."

"Still, that's impressive."

"I can't even dream of being a worksmith for my gear company."

"Just try to be one, Luke. Act like a real man."

"It's not your business, Tiger-onee-san!"

"Speaking of, where's Gakuto and Roa?"

"Gakuto is at a tea ceremony, and Roa is busy with his band. He is already generous enough to let me visit you." Romin explains to Yuga.

"Tiger... Is Asana busy today?"

"She is more quiet at school than normal. I haven't heard anything from her after school is over. Asacchi may actually be busy, considering she hasn't replied to my message."

"I see."

::::::::::::

"Yuga is having a high fever. He didn't feel well at all during the interviews. Are you busy today? I'm visiting him at the moment."

"Leaving Harucchi on-read doesn't sit right. But..."

Asana lies down on her bed. It has been hours since she came home after school. Her mind was clouded with what happened between Yuga and Setsuko this morning, and she couldn't concentrate on anything else.

"Yuga may not want to see me like this anyway."

::::::::::::

Setsuko is sitting at her office. Even if it's evening, she still wants to spend time on her work. The smell of her coffee keeps her focused.

"Setsuko." Yuo comes to her office.

"Anything?"

"Are you free at the moment?"

"I prefer working, but I'm fine doing anything at your request."

"Duel me, Setsuko."

"Okay. Any particular reason? I'm not in the mood for a moral lecture."

"The power of Nidhoggr. There's something dodgy about it, but I can't really know why. Perhaps it is my best interest to Duel you and understand Nidhoggr myself."

"Sure."

Both of them head towards the Duel Area. They raise their Duel Disks, preparing to Duel.

RUSH DUEL - Yuo vs Setsuko

"I go first. I Summon Imaginary Actor and Arithmetic Ringmaster. Fusion! This is... an intertwined fate! A forbidden existence born from joining! Fusion Summon! Metarion Pleiadestar! By shuffling 1 card from my GY into my Deck (Fusion), until the end of your next turn, you can't draw via the effects of your Cyberse monsters. I Set 2 cards. Turn ends."

"Limiting my options, right?"

"The less options you have, the more chances I can defeat Nidhoggr."

"Let's see. Draw! I discard 2 cards to activate Darkness Approaches. Pleiadestar is flipped face-down."

"Pleiadestar's effect only lingers if it is face-up. Damn!"

"I activate Perfect Providence Fusion. By fusing Dark Femtron and a Level 10 or higher DARK Cyberse (Nidhoggr Nysa)... The unknown horizon to an unseen world manifests itself in the form of the malice draconic tree. Show us true perfection. Unseen Malice Dragon, Nidhoggr Unknown!"

"When a Fusion Monster is Summoned, I activate Imaginary Arc Turing. I change Nidhoggr Unknown's battle position."

"Guess I can't attack with a monster in Defense Position. I Set 1 card. During the End Phase, because we have the same number of Spells/Traps, I Special Summon another Nidhoggr Unknown and draw 3 cards, but I can't draw for the rest of this turn and for my next normal draw. Nidhoggr Unknown restores 1000 LP for every time I drew during this End Phase." (Setsuko: 4000 → 5000 LP)

"My turn! Draw!"

"Be careful with how you deal with Nidhoggr Unknown. Thanks to it, you take double battle damage between 2 Fusion Monsters, so I hope you are prepared."

"Don't tell me what to do. I will force you to bring your true power. You will regret it if you underestimate me. I Summon Imaginary Actor, Sword Dancer."

"Because you Normal Summon, I activate Giant Tortoise of Greed. I draw 2."

"Fusion! Be born, the forbidden existence. Metarion Ashurastar! I activate Pleiadestar's effect. I can Fusion Summon a Cyborg monster using materials from my hand and field. I fuse Imaginary Actor and Serpainter from my hand. Fusion Sumon! Metarion Vritrastar! Because a Fusion Monster is Summoned, I activate Imaginary Arc Turing!"

"The same Trap as before."

"Correct. But there's more to it. If a Cyborg monster is Summoned, I gain 700 LP and increase the ATK of 1 Cyborg monster on my field by 700 for each Cyborg monster I control." (Yuo: 4000 → 4700 LP) (Ashurastar: 2800 → 4900 ATK)

"No matter how high your Cyborgs' ATK can reach, Nidhoggr Unknown can't be destroyed once per turn. And I have two of them!"

"That won't apply once the monster is face-down. Vritrastar and Ashurastar's effects activate, in conjunction. I flip the Nidhoggr Unknown in Attack Position face-down, then destroy it! Battle! Pleiadestar and Vritrastar attack the other Nidhoggr Unknown."

"Because it is in Defense Position, you take no battle damage. Clever."

"Ashurastar! Close the curtain of the stage! Fall Into Shining!"

"Ouch!" (Setsuko: 5000 → 100 LP)

"I have 4700 LP and three powerful Cyborg monsters. How will you deal with this predicament?"

"My turn. I don't draw. I Summon Dark Cycliptron. By revealing 2 Level 5 or higher Cyberse monsters with different Levels, Dark Cycliptron is treated as 2 Tributes. I reveal these!"

"Nidhoggr the Malice Dragon, and... Mutated Malice Serpent, Nidhoggr Ormr. Blue border!?"

"I'll show you. What lies beyond common sense. Tribute Summon. Nidhoggr the Malice Dragon!"

"A Level 11 monster. And that type of monster. I've never seen it before!"

"Ritual Spell: Malice Mutation! The hour of perfection is ticking. When matters and antimatters collide, purity resonates with the will of heaven to bring forth a new world! Ritual Summon! Mutated Malice Serpent, Nidhoggr Ormr!"

"Ritual Summon, you say?"

"To perform a Ritual Summon, you send monsters with the total Level equal or exceed the Level of the Ritual Monster. To the heaven, I offer Nidhoggr on my field and Dark Yggdrago from my hand."

"Dark... Yggdrago?"

"At the moment, Dark Yggdrago is still a harmless Normal Monster. But soon, I will complete its development. Another perfect being will soon be born."

"Ritual Summon, and now that? Just... who are you?"

"I am Setsuko Saionji. The vanguard that will lead this universe to true perfection. No one can stop me! Malice Mutation lets me stack Nidhoggr from my GY underneath Ormr, and because that Nidhoggr was sent there from my field, I also stack Dark Yggdrago underneath. It's time to end this. Ormr's effect activates! I stack all of the cards in your hand and field underneath it!"

"Everything!?" Yuo is stunned as he hopelessly watches his Cyborg monsters get absorbed into the devouring serpent. It looks hideous, a miscellaneous of rotting tree branches and its root. "But... It has 0 ATK! You can't defeat me this turn!"

"I'm not done yet. After that, Ormr can send any number of stacked cards to the GY, and if Nidhoggr is among them, you take 100 damage per Level of the sent monsters."

"My Cyborgs have the total Level of 27. Nidhoggr is 10. Oh no..."

"(smile) Dark Yggdrago's Level is 10. Hence, the total damage you will take is 4700!"

Yuo closes his eyes in defeated acceptance. The overwhelming strength of Nidhoggr is too much for him to handle. Has he underestimated Setsuko, or her skills are unrivaled in the end?

"When one's heart is truly in despair, they can't help but tell themselves to not give up, that everything's going to be alright. It's fascinating, but not perfect. Their hearts are weak and fragile. They have to change. That's why I need to guide them. Venom of Metamorphosis!"

"Impossible! Nooo!" (Yuo: 4700 → 0 LP)

"That was quick. How do you feel, Yuo?"

"Ritual? I've never heard about it. We don't know about its existence, unlike Transcend. And that deck of yours. It's unorthodox, it's..."

Yuo faints on the ground, feeling completely exhausted. "Damn it." cursed him.

"You should take a break. A well-needed rest, like Yuka."

"Yuka? She might be tired after a long day of working, probably. Today was a heavy day..."

"Yeah. It's bedtime. Time for children to rest~"

::::::::::::

"Do you think you can sleep? It must feel like crap having such a high fever."

"Maybe. Sorry, Yuna. I was planning for us to have a trip around the city. This sucks."

"We can do that once you feel better~" Yuna gives Yuga a consoling kiss on the cheek.

Yuga nods in agreement. His body has already felt numb. It desparately begs him to sleep soon. "Can you turn the lights off for me, Yuna?"

"Sure! Goodnight, Yuga."

The lights in Yuga's bedroom are now turned off. Hopefully, deciding to sleep in his home for comfort would be a good idea. They have left the window open so the night breezes can cool down Yuga's fever a bit while he's sleeping, but what both of them haven't expected is the shadow lurking on them.

The dark mask of calamity. Nanaho Nanahoshi.

When Yuna has completely fallen to sleep, the shadow ninja snatches Yuga away from her.

That innocent smile doesn't yet know that her lover has been kidnapped.

"I need Yuga to do me a favour." Nanaho grins devilishly.

::::::::::::

Yuga finds himself in the Garden of Providence. "Nanaho!? Why?"

"Keep your mouth shut. I know you don't feel good, but I have the cure for your fever." Nanaho shows Yuga a bundle of leaves, "These are harvested in Nanahoshi Village. Very strong herbs. Eat these."

"You sure?"

"Depends. Regardless, help me unlock this door."

"This door. I know how to unlock it. Moreover, this door is the same as in Val-Valvelgear cockpit."

"Val-Valvelgear?"

"Ah! Tch! I blurted it out. With how dizzy I am, I might accidentally tell her things she shouldn't hear..."

"Just get these herbs. And do me a favour."

Yuga relunctantly consumes the herbs, knowing he would owe Nanaho a favour and he has to pay her back. But if he doesn't, Nanaho would subject him to torture and his dizzy mind will just speak things that he wants to keep secret.

"You're right. I feel much better."

"What kind of spaceship is Val-Valvelgear?"

"It is as big as a town. It can travel at a speed faster than light consistently. Alright."

The door opens, leading them to the control room. What they didn't expect is...

"Hi there!" Damamu greets the arrival of Nanaho and Yuga, while Nail is flabbergasted.

"Nail... I—"

"Why are you here?" Nanaho is puzzled about how Nail can access this place, when even her cannot after so many infiltration attempts.

"It's a bit long to explain. Regardless, you have breached my providence. Forcing Yuga to do your biddings doesn't do you anything good in the name of justice, too."

"And? Like I care?"

"You can have the rights to learn the secret of Garden of Providence. It's indeed a fact that you manage to reach this place and learn the providence beyond the surface knowledge. But you have to prove that you are worthy in front of providence." Nail raises his Duel Disk, ready to challenge Nanaho.

"Talking big for someone that has just discovered a major breakthrough minutes ago."

"Are you worthy for me to share the newfound providence with?"

Yuga awkwardly apologises Damamu, "Sorry. I should have been careful. I got allured by her herbs, so it's all my fault."

Damamu pats Yuga's head, "It's fine, it's fine."

"An alien?" Nanaho questions Damamu's existence.

"Boo! I'm not an alien. I'm—"

"Damamu!"

"Okay, Nail." Damamu covers his mouth from blurting out his origin.

"Thanks, Dama..." Yuga collapses. He is unresponsive.

"Yuga!" Nail and Damamu grow worried.

"Oopsie. I might have given him some sleeping herbs by mistake."

Nail bites his lips in response, "Enough with the chit-chat. Let's Duel."

"I accept your challenge. May the darkness shroud the clouds of providence, na."

P.S. The surprise of Transcend Summoning has been revealed. It's Goha Siblings' attempt in revitalizing the fun of Dueling while Yuga was not around. To go beyond his expectations and make more children smile, that's exactly what Yuga wants from them. Although, Setsuko has another trick up her sleeve - Ritual Summoning!? Even Yuo doesn't know about its existence, and he is forced to succumb to Setsuko's Dueling. Meanwhile, Yuga is feeling unwell from the fever, though he is visited and taken care of by his friends from the past and from the present. Asana is still feeling conflicted about Yuga and what Setsuko said to her. Would Asana be able to solve her turmoil soon? Nanaho has also starting to make a move too. For what reason does she need to open the door of secrets in the Garden of Providence? Is Yuga right in saying that the place may be a part of Val-Valvelgear, a spaceship that should belong in the past? How does Nail manage to get there before Yuga and why does he seek the knowledge inside the control room? Those questions will be solved throughout the Duel between Nail and Nanaho. Let's find out!