Yu-gi-oh/RWBY Season 2 Chapter 21
The Next Stage
Ruby rode through the ruins, marveling at what she saw. Is this really what Neo Domino City and Satellite will become? She shook her head. No, I can't believe that. This is only a possible future, one I intend to change. As she thought this, another portal appeared in front of her, this time stationary. Seeing no other options, Ruby rode inside the portal.
On the other side, Ruby found a clear white room with a massive gear inside it. At the center was Penny, standing next to her duel runner and facing away from Ruby. "Penny!" Ruby cried as she stopped her own duel runner. "Boy, am I glad to see you! Where are the others?" Penny didn't respond, only lifting her head. "Penny?" Ruby repeated.
"I've fully recovered my memories now." Penny stated. She fired an energy beam from her hand, which transformed her duel runner into one that Ruby recognized. "It can't be…" Penny turned around and her clothing transformed as well, into the outfit when she first met Ruby. "I am Visor, the fourth herald of Zone, sent to eliminate Neo Domino City." She turned and got on her duel runner. "If you wish to stop me, you must beat me in a turbo duel."
Ruby didn't answer at first, unable to believe what was happening. But she regained her senses, and readied her duel disk. "Well met, Ruby Rose." Penny activated her duel disk in turn. "Show me what you have learned." All around them, the surroundings darkened, with only a strip of white underneath them. Ruby looks underneath the strip to see what looked like a star, spewing out flames.
"This is a specially prepared death course." Penny explained. "The loser will fall into the flames, and the only means of escape is victory." She and Ruby both started their race, activating Speed World 2. Penny suddenly lurches forward ahead of Ruby. "The time for holding back is over. I draw! I summon Tech Genus Catapult Dragon!" A dragon with a snout like a rail flew in. (Level 2/900)
"I activate the effect of Catapult Dragon, summoning a level 3 or lower tuner monster from my hand. Appear, Tech Genus Jet Falcon!" An energy orb appeared at the base of Catapult Dragon's snout, before being fired out and exploding, revealing a falcon with a jet pack on it. (Level 3/1400) "I tune my level 2 Catapult Dragon with my level 3 Jet Falcon! Limiter Removal, Level Five! Regulator Open! Thruster Warm up, OK! Up Link All Clear! Go! Synchro Summon! Come on! Tech Genus Hyper Librarian!" A lanky man in white robes carrying a futuristic-looking book appears. (Level 5/2400)
"The effect of Jet Falcon activates. Since it was used for a synchro summon, you take 500 damage." Jet Falcon appears to fire a sonic screech at Ruby, pushing her back a little. (Ruby 4000-3500) "I set a card and end my turn." "Penny, if you were really here to help Zone destroy the city, why teach me Accel Synchro? Why give me a fighting chance?" "Because it increased your chances of completing the Divine Circuit. And I wouldn't be so certain of your chances of victory."
Ruby glared as she drew her card. (Penny 0-1, Ruby 0-1) "I summon Crimson Thorn!" (Level 4/0) "Then, since I control a plant-type monster, I can summon Off Shoot from my hand." (Level 3/300) "I tune my level 4 Crimson Thorn with my level 3 Off Shoot! Appear, Thorn Crusader!" (Level 7/2500) "Predictable." Penny taunted. "Whenever a synchro summon is performed, Hyper Librarian lets me draw a card."
"Thorn Crusader is still stronger! Attack with Thorn Crusade!" The knight charges forward to skewer the librarian, but Penny is unconvinced. "Again, predictable. I activate my face-down Sonic Stun, negating your attack!" Hyper Librarian raises his hand and a barrier appears to block the attack. "Then, Sonic Stun lets me summon a level 4 or lower tuner from my hand. I summon Tech Genus Hyper Magician." (Level 1/0) Ruby cursed under her breath. "I set a card face-down and end my turn."
Penny looked upwards, thoughtful. "You know, back when I was human, not just a machine, I was so like you. A turbo duelist who so wished to push her limits, win just to prove she could. The machines taught me the price for that hubris." She tightens her grip on the handle of her duel runner. "Now I teach you that lesson. I draw!" (Penny 1-2, Ruby 1-2) "I summon Tech Genus Rush Rhino." (Level 4/1600)
"I tune my level 4 Rush Rhino with my level 1 Hyper Magician! Limit release, Level 5! Booster launch, OK! In-creation, OK! Ground support, all clear! Go! Synchro Summon! Come on! Tech Genus Wonder Magician!" (Level 5/1900) "Again, the effect of Hyper Librarian will let me draw a card upon a synchro summon." Ruby braced herself, ready for what comes next. "I now tune my level 5 Hyper Librarian with my level 5 Wonder Magician! Limiter Removal Level 10! Main Bass Booster Control! All Clear! Infinite Power, unleashed here and now, break through this very dimension and beyond! Go! Accel Synchro! Come on, Tech Genus Blade Blaster!" (Level 10/3300) Ruby marveled at the Accel Synchro monster, remembering the first time she saw it weeks ago.
"Blade Blaster, attack her Thorn Crusader with Shoot Blade!" Blade Blaster fired a green blast of energy from its handgun, destroying Thorn Crusader. (Ruby 3500-2700) "When a synchro monster is destroyed, I can summon Tech Genus Metal Skeleton from my hand!" A green skeleton appears where Thorn Crusader was. (Level 2/1100) "Metal Skeleton, attack directly!" The skeleton spins around, kicking Ruby's duel runner near to the edge of the strip. (Ruby 2700-1600) "I set a card and end my turn."
Ruby recovers and pulls back onto the course. "I draw!" (Penny 2-3, Ruby 2-3) "Since you control a monster and I don't, I can summon Dryadic Destroyer from my hand." (Level 6/1800) "I send one plant from my hand to the graveyard to summon Rose Synchron!" (Level 2/100) "I then summon Kurithorn from my hand." (Level 1/300) "I now tune my level 1 Kurithorn with my level 2 Rose Synchron! Jewel of my eye, soar into the unknown and provide the path of evolution! Synchro Summon! Appear, the tuner monster, Ruby Dragon!" (Level 3/1300)
"I then send a card from the top of my deck to the graveyard to summon Glow-up Bulb from my graveyard." (Level 1/100) "I then tune my level 6 Dryadic Destroyer with my level 1 Glow-up Bulb! The bloom of evolution blazes forth. Grow and grow ever stronger! I synchro summon Crescent Rose Dragon!" (Level 7/2400) "Since I just summoned Crescent Rose, I use its effect to destroy one card you control! I choose your face-down! Crescent Shot!"
Before Crescent Rose can fire, Penny is quick to act. "I activate my face-down, Magnetic Storm! Since it is the only spell or trap I control, I can destroy one spell or trap on your side of the field. I choose your face-down!" Ruby's own face-down is destroyed. "Guess we both had the same idea." Ruby noted. "I banish Dryadic Destroyer to power up Crescent Rose." (Crescent Rose 2400-4200) "Crescent Rose, attack Metal Skeleton with Red Rose Flare!" The dragon fires a devastating shot at Metal Skeleton, blasting it to smithereens. (Penny 4000-900) Ruby closed her eyes. Red lightning crackled off her duel runner as she started to gain speed. "The next branch of evolution appears! Blaze forth, my greatest power! Accel Synchro! Be Born, Silver Eyes Rose Dragon!" Ruby disappears only to reappear behind Penny with her new monster. (Level 10/3500)
"Silver Eyes, destroy her Blade Blaster with Silver Burning!" Like before, if she uses the effect of Blade Blaster to save her synchro monster, she'll be wide open and lose. But somehow I doubt she will. As Ruby predicted, Penny let the attack through, and Blade Blaster was ripped apart. (Penny 900-700) "When Blade Blaster is destroyed by battle, I can re-summon its synchro materials." Hyper Librarian and Wonder Magician reappear from the graveyard. Ruby, satisfied, declares "I end my turn."
"I bet you're feeling pretty confident right now, since your Accel Synchro monster just beat mine. But Accel Synchro is only a taste, the surface of what lies beyond. Let me show you just how out of your depth you really are. I draw!" (Penny 3-4, Ruby 3-4) "I reduce the attack of Hyper Librarian by 1000," (Hyper Librarian 2400-1400) "in order to summon Tech Genus Gear Zombie from my hand." A shambling corpse covered in cybernetic parts appears. (Level 1/600) "I then summon Tech Genus Drill Fish." A fish like a manta ray with a large drill at its snout swims in. (Level 1/100)
"I now tune my level 1 Drill Fish with my level 1 Gear Zombie! Limiter Removal Level Two! Regulator open! Navigation, All Clear! Go! Synchro Summon! Come on, Recipro Dragonfly!" A large red metallic dragonfly flies in. (Level 2/300) "I tune my level 5 Hyper Librarian and my level 2 Recipro Dragonfly with my level 5 Wonder Magician! Top Clear Mind! Limiter Removal Level MAX! Regulator open! All Clear! Infinite Power! Piercing through Time and Space, open to a World Unknown! Go! Delta Accel! Come on, Tech Genus Halberd Cannon!" A black and orange version of Blade Blaster appears carrying a large halberd. (Level 12/4000)
"Delta Accel?" Ruby wonders as below them, the star performed a supernova before collapsing in on itself, creating a black hole. Part of the track behind them starts getting sucked in. "The stakes have been raised, Ruby. Now, instead of only burning to death, the loser will be crushed by the intense gravitational force of the black hole. Such is the power of Top Clear Mind, achieved only by surpassing one's own limits, and is a power you will not live to achieve. Halberd Cannon! Attack Silver Eyes!"
"Silver Eyes, escape!" Ruby replies as Silver Eyes opens a portal to fly out. "Do you really think that will work?" Penny taunts. "If a monster you control would be banished by a card effect, I can negate that effect and make your monster lose 800 attack instead." Halberd Cannon flies into the portal and drags Silver Eyes out. (Silver Eyes 3500-2700) Halberd Cannon then continues its attack, firing a beam from its halberd that obliterates Silver Eyes. (Ruby 1600-300) "We're both at the edges of our lives. Who will be the first to fall? I end my turn."
Ruby catches her breath, overwhelmed by the shockwave from the attack. She wonders just how she'll take down such a behemoth. "I draw!" (Penny 4-5, Ruby 4-5) "I activate the effect of Crimson Thorn in my graveyard. Since I control no monsters, I can banish it to summon a Fire synchro monster from my graveyard. I choose Silver Eyes." Silver Eyes resurrects in a blaze of fire. "I activate the effect of Halberd Cannon. A number of times equal to its synchro materials, I can negate your summon and destroy your monster. Summon Close!" Halberd Cannon fires a missile from its back that destroys Silver Eyes again. "This is your ultimate test, Ruby Rose. Can you bring back your monster enough times to actually win?"
Ruby looks at the card in her hand and her graveyard before nodding. "I activate my speed spell Pull Back! By removing 4 Speed counters," (Ruby 4-0) "I can summon a monster that was just destroyed this turn. I bring back Silver Eyes." Silver Eyes is resurrected again. "Summon Close!" Penny declares as Halberd Cannon fires another missile, destroying Silver Eyes again. "I activate the effect of my Sonic Echo in my graveyard, banishing it to summon a synchro monster from my graveyard. Appear again, Silver Eyes!" Silver Eyes is once again returned to the battlefield.
"Summon Close!" Penny repeats as Halberd Cannon fires the last missile from its back, destroying Silver Eyes for the third time. "That was my last Summon Close. Can you perform a hat trick, and win this duel?" Ruby smiles. "You know it. I activate the effect of Off Shoot in my graveyard, banishing it to summon a level 4 or lower plant or Rose dragon from my graveyard. I choose Ruby Dragon." Ruby Dragon is returned to the field. "And of course, I can use the effect of Ruby Dragon to return Silver Eyes." The gem on Ruby Dragon's head glows, and Silver Eyes flies out of the glow.
"I activate the effect of Silver Eyes, revealing the top 5 cards of my deck, and destroying cards you control up to the number of tuner monster among them." Ruby flips over the cards one by one, revealing Power Wall, Revival Rose, Ghost Leaf Shield, and Petal Shooter. Ruby's heart races as her hand reaches over for the last card. It is...Red Lotus. "Rose Barrage!" Ruby declares as Silver Eyes fires a blast of energy from its wings, destroying Halberd Cannon. "Silver Eyes, attack directly with Silver Burning!" Silver Eyes fires on Penny, who takes the attack with a smile. (Penny 700-0)
Ruby has little time to celebrate her victory, however, as she feels a sudden pull on her body. The black hole is gaining on them. Penny, feeling something she knows shouldn't exist, and yet it does anyway, pulls back to ram into Ruby's duel runner, pushing it out of the way. "You have proven yourself, Ruby. Thank you." With that, Penny falls into the black hole, and Ruby, unable to even look back, swears to herself that she'll make Zone pay as she escapes the black hole and reenters the temple.
...
Aporia leads the Schnee twins into what seems to be a junkyard where a large spherical metal structure is in the middle. The structure floats into the air and a section retracts, revealing a person in robes wearing a mask. "Zone." Aporia called out. "Stop this madness. The signers have shown me that there is a way to save the future without giving into despair." "Is that so?" Zone replies, her voice raspy and metallic. Suddenly, the ground around them shakes as several giant cards fly out of the rubble around them to be inserted into Zone's duel disk. "Then prove to me the power of Hope."