On Archive of Our Own (under Kamen_Rider_Dimension), I'm experimenting with using furigana and images to enhance this story. If you think that might interest you, please check out this story there.
"The battle to take back the future has now begun."
"Please watch me, Master!"
"So, she's a promotional character, huh?" Ritsuka muttered as the YouTube video gave way to gratuitous levels of violence, a pink-haired figure front and centre fending off any attacks that dared come her way. "I don't remember seeing her in any of the promos you showed me Gudako. What, did they just randomly cut her or something?"
"Well, not randomly," Gudako replied, a finger to her chin. "Apparently, there were plans to keep Mashu on with extended lore, but the team behind her decided that the focus on historical figures meant that she didn't really fit in with their visions. If I remember right, she never got past a few early alpha trailers and a prototype move set."
"Which means we have something that company's gonna want back." With his words stuck somewhere between a growl and a sigh, Kiritsugu was already making to grab the figure of Mashu from Ritsuka when his hands were met with empty air. Seeing how Ritsuka didn't exactly seem too fussed about the situation, that could only mean one thing. "Illya, this isn't the time for playing around. If the guys in charge of this game of yours are doing their job right, they'll be here sooner rather than later. I don't want to have to deal with any trouble they cause just because you wanted to keep a toy you shouldn't have in the first place."
"But this is, like, an ultra-ultra-rare figure! We can't just immediately give it up!" Illya immediately rebutted, cradling the figure to her bosom. "Getting something like this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! And if they want it back, we can give it back when they ask for it – why can't we keep it just for a little bit?"
"Illya, there's a difference between a rare item and one you were never meant to see." Came the answer from Irisviel, Illya jumping slightly as her mother's arms caught her in a hug. Well, what should have been a hug, at any rate. Given how Illya's moment of shock was just enough for Irisviel to pluck the Mashu figure for herself, it was hard to tell whether the hug was intentional. For all the ditziness that Irisviel displayed, Ritsuka and the others had seen far too many times how skilled she was at keeping her family under control. "Besides, it's not up to you, remember? The person who actually received the figure should get to decide what happens to it, don't you think?"
Thrown under the bus, a dilemma Ritsuka hoped that he wouldn't have to handle was born. Did he go down the right route and deal with the irritation of a disappointed Gudako-Illya combo? Or did he bow to their whims and undoubtedly make them even more attached to the figure? With both leading to an undoubtedly troublesome scenario, it wasn't as if an answer came easily. No wonder Ritsuka found a nervous chuckle escaping his lips as he pondered.
"I mean… Illya does have a point." Luckily for him though, it seemed as if Hakuno was willing to bear the grudge in his stead. Well, what little grudge there would be now that she had spoken up. God knows neither Gudako nor Illya would be able to keep it up for long considering Hakuno's disposition. Honestly, that combination of innocence and modesty could've been classed as a deadly weapon. God knows people could use it as such, consciously or otherwise if Shirou's tales about one of his other friends meant anything. "We have the undamaged box. We could pack it away at any time without issue. There shouldn't be anything wrong with enjoying it for a bit, right?"
Kiritsugu didn't even bother with a reply. A low groan was more than enough, Now that they had logic beyond just 'but it's cool and rare', the two troublemakers would be practically unstoppable. Expending the effort would just be a waste of energy. Such was why Ritsuka responded with little more than an apologetic grin as he received Mashu's figure from Irisviel - a grin that lasted a second before it was changed for surprise as four arms started dragging him away.
Faced with such a scene, it was up to Shirou to turn to his adoptive father, the boy scratching the back of his head as he answered.
"Don't worry. Hakuno and I'll do our best to make sure everything stays in one piece."
"Please."
"Have fun! I'll have Sella and Liz bring some drinks over in a bit!"
A blaze tore through the battlefield, building and body alike consumed by flame as a foul odour permeated the air. Humanity had no home in such a hellscape – any who were unfortunate enough to survive could only find themselves wishing otherwise. Without food, without shelter, those poor remnants of those who had resided there could do nothing but watch their hometown be swallowed by magics beyond their understanding. Such was the stage in which six souls would soon meet in combat, destined to continue until only one side remained.
At least, that was if you believed Illya's speech, eagerly extolled while she downloaded and printed the necessary materials from the internet. For Ritsuka, it was kind of hard to connect such an illustrious tale to the piece of card that would serve as their game map. Certainly, the design it bore was worthy of praise with the amount of detail the creators poured into it, but an untrained mind like Ritsuka's wasn't exactly quick to be so immersed. Then again, if the amount of attention his sister and Illya poured into the game was required to reach that stage, he was pretty happy with staying the way he was.
"So, you place the figures in front of you, place their status cards at the top of the play sheet and…"
"Command Cards go into the Command Deck, bottom right of the play sheet." Having been the first to grab the rule sheet so easily discarded by their sisters, it fell to Shirou to direct their first game set-up. With a flurry of rock-paper-scissors games determining the players' destinies, that meant guiding Ritsuka against Hakuno while Gudako and Illya prepared their duel beside them. "You'll also want to pick one Skill Card for each Servant you have, face down."
"Only one, huh?" Ritsuka mused as three cards immediately dropped onto the table. Admittedly, a smarter mind would've spent a bit more time actually planning their choices – probably reading them as well – but let it be known that Ritsuka never claimed himself to be clever. Given their nonsensical names and their ability to manipulate rules Ritsuka barely knew at that point, who was he to pretend he could make genuine strategic decisions? Might as well leave it to the fates. "Cool. Anything else?"
"Nope. It's time." Came Hakuno's answer, the conviction dripping from those words earning her a double take from both boys. Perhaps Shirou had been a little hasty to assume her interest from how she reacted in front of his parents; if the light in Hakuno's eyes meant anything, she was ready for war. "Let's duel."
"… If you say so. Remember, it's just a game, yeah? And if you need any rule explanations, just ask." was all Shirou could muster as a response before a coin flew into the air. For all his casual mannerisms, however, he couldn't ignore the renewed tension that saturated the air the moment that coin left his fingers. After all, even if they weren't going to treat this like the life-or-death battle their younger sisters seemed to view it as, nobody like to lose. If Hakuno was going to be taking this more seriously than they expected, then Ritsuka had no other choice but to step up. "Heads, Ritsuka goes first!"
And as metal met wood, the destinies of two combatants were set in stone.
"Duel, go!"
DUEL: GO
MASTER: HAKUNO KISHINAMI
NERO (SABER), GILGAMESH (ARCHER), TAMAMO NO MAE (CASTER)
VS.
MASTER: RITSUKA FUJIMARU
EDMOND DANTES (AVENGER), MASHU KYRIELIGHT (SHIELDER), USHIWAKAMARU (RIDER)
BATTLEFIELD: NAMELESS CITY
READY?
FIGHT!
"Now, let's draw!" Hakuno called as five of their fifteen Command Cards entered both competitors' hands. Seeing how that left her with a Quick, Arts, and Buster card bearing Tamamo's face alongside a Quick and Buster Card bearing Nero's, that meant Hakuno had little reason to complain. Sure, she may not have been able to get Gilgamesh moving across the field, but it gave her leeway to start down several paths depending on her decisions. When barely into the first turn, that was a luxurious position to be in for sure. "Alright, I'll use my Quick-4 card to move Nero forward. Then I'll end my turn."
Nero didn't hesitate to answer her Master's call. With not an ounce of worry in her posture, the emperor strode forward, a firm thrust planting her sword into ashen earth. After all, what reason had she for concern? Any who dared challenge her head-on were already stupid enough to place their necks at her blade's edge. No, it was a relaxed stance that Nero held as she stared towards her opponents, her teasing smile nearly enough to make one forget the strength of her Saint Graph.
"Leave it to me! Let's show them how we dance!"
"In that case, you don't mind if I start my turn with this?" came Ritsuka's retort, a simple gesture towards his side of the play sheet sending a card flying up from its position. Manipulated by a hand nurtured by too much boredom and too many YouTube Videos, it didn't take long before that very same card landed, its face laid bare for all to see. "Skill Card, set! Transient Wall of Snowflakes! Hope you weren't planning on getting too aggressive Hakuno, 'cause Mashu's going to be ready for you."
SKILL CARD: SET
TRANSIENT WALL OF SNOWFLAKES
[CONTINUOUS]
DURING YOUR OPPONENT'S TURN, ALL OF YOUR CONTROLLED SERVANTS GAIN POWER +1
"As for me though…" a moment passed before Ritsuka rid himself of thoughts of defence. With Mashu's Skill bulking his team up against Hakuno's attacks, after all, it wasn't as if a more hesitant strategy couldn't work. Letting Hakuno guide the flow of battle while he sat back, however, was bound to end up in an unfavourable situation before long. Taking the initiative, even if it put Ritsuka at greater risk to begin with, offered to make the future easier to handle. Call him impulsive, but that didn't sound like a bad idea. "I'll throw down Mashu's Arts-3 Card so she can challenge Nero head-on!"
"Understood! Equipped and ready!"
A youthful voice rang out through the air as a glimmering shield hid a warrior's charge. Though she was loathed to admit it, her lacking combat experience meant there was no other way for her to muster the courage to fight. Defending her comrades? Yeah, that was easy – who wanted their friends to get hurt? Actually taking the offensive against figures who ascended beyond humanity, though, now that was a completely different story.
Regardless of Mashu's fears, however, her body would not allow her to back down. Her comrades were already safe from attack thanks to whatever mysterious powers imbued her with the strength she held. Relenting now would be practically inviting the enemy to throw everything they had at her and the others. Sure, Mashu's defence might have been able to hold up for a bit, but even a fool wouldn't place their hope in an amateur's strength. Though her heart may have screamed otherwise, her instincts were all too aware that the only path to victory lay in moving forward.
Thus, Mashu only briefly hesitated before her body shifted and a blunt edge flew forth.
"If you say so…" Hakuno muttered, a fierce glance affixed to her cards as she tried to figure which three would be most appropriate to fight off. Considering that Ritsuka had nothing to lose as the attacker while failure would mean the loss of her Servant, the act of selection demanded nothing less.
"Hey, nothing wrong with testing the waters." Said Ritsuka in return, his shrug punctuated by three cards hitting the table face down. It was just a shame that the action resulted in nothing more than the slightest twitch from his opponent; had Hakuno been a less composed girl, Ritsuka was sure he could drive them into a more impulsive playstyle. "Ready to reveal?"
"Let's do this. Command Card, set! Buster Chain, open!"
"Command Card, set! Art's Chain, open!"
MASTER: HAKUNO KISHINAMI
NERO B3 + GILGAMESH B2 + TAMAMO B3 = 8 POWER
BUSTER CHAIN ACTIVATE
8 + CHAIN B3 = 11 POWER
VS.
MASTER: RITSUKA FUJIMARU
DANTES A3 + MASHU A3 + USHIWAKAMARU A3 = 9 POWER
ARTS CHAIN ACTIVATE
VICTOR: HAKUNO KISHINAMI
For all of Mashu's bluster, the might of an emperor was never to be denied. Though life may not have granted her much skill with the sword, Nero's rebirth as a Heroic Spirit had granted her bluster a power more than equivalent. Thanks to that, the truth mattered not; so long that she retained her delusions of being a skilled warrior, her sword would never waver.
Thus, when Mashu lashed at the Saber with her shield, there was barely a moment before the armament was thrown back. Flicked aside with all the effort of killing a bug, Mashu's face could scarcely contain her surprise before a shoulder to her stomach quickly had it replaced with pain. Certainly, her defensive preparations may have mitigated the damages somewhat, yet the strength of even the weakest Heroic Spirit wasn't to be underestimated. Without the physical barrier provided by her shield, the attack was more than adequate to send Mashu flying back, the back of her head leaving a dent in the ground as she tumbled to a stop.
Not that it would be enough to bring Mashu down. She had faced down an entire room full of bombs and… well okay, maybe she didn't come out of it unscathed. Compared to the pain of suffering through that explosion though, this was just a minor setback. While there was still someone to defend behind her back, Mashu wouldn't – couldn't – allow a single blow to debilitate her.
"A Buster Chain, huh? Figured you would've held that back until you had something to gain." Shirou said, shuffling into a more comfortable position as he watched his friends throw their used Command Cards away.
"It stopped Ritsuka, didn't it?" replied Hakuno, only for another voice to intervene.
"Eh, I wouldn't say that," Ritsuka said, absently playing with a counter before it was placed down onto the play sheet. "Sure, I might not have been able to eliminate a Servant on my first turn, but I still managed to get an Arts Chain off. You saved your Servant, but now I can utilise the extra three Power points from the chain in my attacks for the next two turns. If you're the one to attack, then I also get to add on the additional Power Point from Mashu's Skill. Add in the fact that I have three Arts cards in my Trash Zone for my Skills and I'd say that leaves me in a pretty decent spot, wouldn't you?"
Words briefly evaded Hakuno, her mind far more preoccupied with puzzling out the field in front of her. An additional four Power Points was hardly a small amount; with the brute force of a Buster Chain already spent, she'd have to get a little creative if she planned to survive these next two turns.
"Then it's my turn to use a wildcard." She eventually decided, the gears turning in her head near audible as she drew her next set of Command Cards. "Skill Card, set! Fox's Wedding!"
SKILL CARD: SET
FOX'S WEDDING EX
[CONTINUOUS]
SELECT ONE SERVANT THAT YOU CONTROL. THE SELECTED SERVANT'S ARTS CARD(S) GAIN POWER +1 IF THE SERVANT IS USED IN COMBAT.
"If I use this on Nero, then I should be able to at least negate your Skill's Power Point as she attacks Mashu!"
The move couldn't have been any more decisive. In fact, Hakuno hadn't even finished her sentence before she was already moving her figurine forward, her chosen three Command Cards ready to be set down at a moment's notice. It was no wonder that Ritsuka let out a subconscious chuckle.
"Nice to know you really are intent on ignoring my warnings." The boy said around his laughter, absently plucking out his own Command Card selection. "If you're just gonna keep rushing in like that, then I might as well take advantage of it!
Having already struck, Nero didn't wait to continue her assault. From the moment that Mashu regained her bearings, a flash of red within her vision was all the warning that she would receive. Not a second later, the air would be filled with a cacophony of clashing metal, a desperate shield working against a relentless sword.
Both sides' fighting styles were sloppy indeed, but the knowledge passed through neither combatant's mind. How could it, when their lives and those of their allies lay in the outcome of their fight? So long as it kept them alive, that was all they could ask for. Despite that, though, they couldn't ignore the consequences of their uncontrolled combat. Excessive flamboyance and amateur parries soon sapped the stamina from them until silence fell once more. No matter how much they wanted to deny it, neither combatant could deny the truth.
"Command Card, set! Open!"
MASTER: HAKUNO KISHINAMI
NERO (A3 + A1) + GILGAMESH B5 + GILGAMESH A4 = 13 POWER
VS.
MASTER: RITSUKA FUJIMARU
EDMOND DANTES B3 + MASHU (Q2+ 1) + USHIWAKAMARU Q4 = 10 POWER
ARTS CHAIN ACTIVATE
10 + A3 = 13 POWER
VICTOR: TIE
For a moment, silence prevailed between Ritsuka and Hakuno, their meeting glances saying far more than their mouths ever could. After all, spoken flatteries could easily be faked or forced. The genuine respect reflected in their eyes though, even the most stoic faces couldn't hope to hide that. Consequently, it would take a hearty sigh from Shirou before the silence was broken, accentuating the noise of his palm hitting his forehead.
"And I thought Illya and Gudako were the ones who were taking this too seriously…"