Cards of Remnant

by TheMaster4444

Ruby Rose has wanted to be a Hunting Duelist all her life, to train her aura to manifest the monsters in her deck to fight the Grimm. So when she gets an invitation to join her sister at Beacon Duel Academy, she jumps at the chance. But old powers are stirring, and ancient summoning methods not seen in eons are about to clash, with the fate of Remnant in the balance.

36. The Innocence of Youth - Part 2

"Clustering wishes will become a new indomitable star! Become the path I wouldn't change even if I could, the light shining down upon it! Synchro Summon!-"

"Stardust Dragon," Yang whispered, her mouth finishing her mother's chant as the memory jingled through her head. Misty tears glistened down from her violet eyes, a euphoric cacophony of emotions replacing the trepidation that had been building within her just a moment before.

So many years, so many striving, desperation to forge a monster of magic, like her dad, like Ruby, like her mom. To finally succeed, to be worthy to wield a creature of such majesty as Stardust Dragon–

"Grrrgghhh!"

Clear Wing Synchro Dragon turned back at her, the shining silver dragon sneering at her. Its displeased growl echoed down to the blonde duelist, as if responding to her thoughts.

"What? You don't like being compared to Stardust Dragon? That's why you freaked out back at The Club?" Yang queried. She chuckled, flashing a warm smile up at the majesty dragon. "It's a compliment, dude. Stardust Dragon was mom's dragon, the most incredible monster I ever saw. I've been trying to be like her for years–"

"Rargh!" Clear Wing snarled, frustrated as it whipped back toward the battlefield in a huff. Yang could only groan. Hardlight manifestation didn't normally bring a monster's spirit to life the same way aura manifestation did, you couldn't have civilians enjoy an arcade experience if they needed obscene skills to bring out Extra Deck monsters, but it seemed like magical monsters were the exception. They maintained their sentience, as well as the requisite difficulty to summon out in the first place.

Ruby had told her that Clear Wing had allowed her to partially forge it because of some part of her, but it looked like her admiration for her mom wasn't it. If Clear Wing Synchro Dragon wasn't only letting Yang summon her as a favor to Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, the silver dragon might have already shattered her manifestation. Darn it.

But, that was a matter to deal with another time. The tag duel wasn't supposed to be a training session for her, it was meant to help Blake. Yang had Clear Wing's cooperation for the moment (even if she had no clue how this was supposed to let Odd-Eyes participate without blowing Blake's true identity). She had to use it to make the duel as fun as possible. She was pretty sure Ren had already gone the extra mile to help on that count.

"Since Vision Resonator was sent to the graveyard, I can add a spell or trap that mentions Red Dragon Archfiend from my deck to my hand. I choose Crimson Gaia!" Yang announced, snatching up her continuous spell and then sliding it into Ember Celica. "Then by Crimson Gaia's effect, once per turn, I can add a card that mentions Red Dragon Archfiend from my deck or graveyard to my hand. So I'm going to nab another Soul Resonator. Then, I'm going to send it from my hand to my graveyard so I can special summon Bone Archfiend from my hand."

A cackling skeleton demon in baggy yellow pants danced onto the trapeze platforms (ATK 1800/DEF 0).

"Then, I'll activate Bone Archfiend's effect," Yang said. "I target one monster on my field that has a level and send a Fiend-Type tuner from my hand or deck to my graveyard. In exchange, that monster's level is raised or lowered by one."

"Woah! That's– actually not that game-changing," Nora exclaimed, hopping off Herald of Perfection and rubbing her chin in puzzled thought as she paced through Ritual Sancutary's pews. "You've already Synchro Summoned. What's the point of level fixing now?"

"The important part isn't the level fixing. It's that the effect targets Clear Wing Synchro Dragon. Because now I can activate its effect in response!" Yang declared. "Once per turn, when a monster effect targets a Level Five or higher monster on the field, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon can negate the activation and destroy it."

Nora's brow furrowed, her befuddlement growing. "But, Bone Archfiend is your monster. What's the point of just activating its effect to blow it up?"

Yang's smile grew into an incorrigible smirk. "Because Clear Wing Synchro Dragon gains the attack points of any monster destroyed by its effects."

"What?!" Nora exclaimed.

The crowd was equally shocked, the students of the four academies excitedly muttering amongst themselves at the approaching turnaround. Nora's Black Luster Soldiers were strong, but she and Ren only had two hundred life points left. Yang only needed to land one blow to win the duel.

"I activate Herald of Perfection's effect," Ren interceded, discarding the last normal card in his hand to Stormflower's graveyard, leaving only the Action Card he'd snatched up during the last turn. "I discard a Fairy-Type monster to negate the activation of your monster's effect and destroy–"

Clear Wing Synchro Dragon interrupted with a thunderous roar, its body blazing an effulgent silver. The majestic dragon whipped its crystalline wings around, glittering turquoise light streaming out and slicing both Herald of Perfection and Bone Archifend to ribbons. The shattered remnants of their hardlight bodies were sucked back into the beautiful beast's form, its white aura only growing brighter and brighter (ATK 6100).

Nora, Blake, the audience, and even Ren's jaws dropped at the sudden, focused destruction.

"You activated your second negate on your own?! Ugh, maybe the part of me you like is my recklessness," Yang moaned before putting on a confident mask to face the crowd. "Clear Wing Synchro Dragon has a second negation effect. Once per turn, when a Level Five or higher monster on the field activates its effect, it can negate the activation and destroy it."

"That thing's got two negation effects?"

"And it can supercharge its attack at the same time?!"

"That thing is insane! Where'd she get it?"

Yang winced. Probably best to give the audience something else cool to focus on before anyone figured out that there might be more awkward questions to ask.

"Clear Wing Synchro Dragon! Attack Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning!" she yelled, thrusting her arm toward Nora's field. "Hell Dive Whirlwind Slasher!"

Clear Wing's wings lit up with sharp sapphire lines. The silver dragon soared high above the Acrobatic Circus, scraping the roof of the dance hall. With a feral shriek, the magnificent beast curved downward, conjuring a cyclone of sparkling light as it charged.

"Nora!" Ren called, raising his voice for the first time in the match.

The pink-eyed Mistralian boy grabbed the Action Card in his hand and launched it to Nora like a bullet. The bubbly redhead easily claimed it and slapped into Magnhild.

"I activate Evasion!" she hollered, the Action Spell flashing to life before her. A fervent wind rushed out from the manifested card, gracefully shoving Nora's monsters out of the way of the oncoming dragon missile. "Your attack is negated–"

"Yang!"

Yang, Ren, and Nora whipped their heads toward the base of the action field, where Blake had twirled through the circus' rings to reach the floor. Once there, the secret cat faunus grabbed an Action Card, one of the Action Cards she'd grabbed and discarded with her Shadow Clone during the rush of Nora's last attack. But now, she seized the spell and hurled it up to her partner.

"What the…?" Yang stammered as she caught it, only for her violet eyes to widen as she saw it. An ecstatic grin spread over the blonde's lips. "Nice, partner! I can see why you didn't take this one last turn. I activate my new Action Spell: Battle Afterburner!"

A spell with the image of a grenade with a fire spout atop it manifested in front of Yang. And from that card spewed a bazooka's worth of scorching flames that rolled over Nora's monsters, incinerating them and the wind that shielded them.

"Woah!" Nora yelled. "What was that?!"

"Battle Afterburner can only be activated in response to one of my monsters having their attack negated," Yang explained. "In response, all your monsters are destroyed, and the monster that had its attack negated can attack again, though the Battle Phase ends immediately after that."

"Sweet! That's one powerful Action Spell!" Nora cheered. "But this ain't over yet. When Black Luster Soldier - Super Soldier is destroyed by your card, I can summon a 'Gaia The Fierce Knight' monster from my hand, deck, or graveyard. So come on out, Arisen Gaia The Fierce Knight!"

A blue-skinned knight riding a purple horse with a yellow mane burst onto the Action Field. The armored warrior brought his lances up in a defense mode stance, a manifested sideways card appearing under his mount's hooves (ATK 2300/DEF 2100).

"Awesome! I was hoping it wouldn't be that easy!" Yang laughed. "Keep up the attack, Clear Wing! Hell Dive Whirlwind–"

BOOM!

Clear Wing Synchro Dragon sheered down before Yang even finished her sentence, the hardlight barrier crackling in the wake of its supersonic stampede. The blonde and Blake were blown into the wall of their trapeze platforms, Ren barely able to keep from being thrown away by hunkering down and desperately clutching at the edge of his ledge.

Arisen Gaia The Fierce Dragon was obliterated in a flash of light, the silver dragon of starlight returning to its duelist's side of the field. The elegant creature bowed to where its defeated foe had stood, clearly having more respect for its opponent than it did for Yang.

"Would it really kill you to let me finish a sentence?" Yang coughed, rising to her feet as she slid the last card in her hand into Ember Celica. The shining white glow faded from Clear Wing Synchro Dragon (ATK 2500). "I lay one card facedown and end my turn."

Maybe she should have expected a dragon forged in part from her soul to be so headstrong, but this was ridiculous! The last time she'd seen a monster so rebellious had been when Blake's Performapal Gatling Ghoul had blown the docks to smithereens, and that was only because she'd had her Fusion Monster issues at the time. Meanwhile, Yang had no idea why Clear Wing Synchro Dragon didn't think she was good enough to be its partner.

Even now, the silver dragon didn't deen to glance Yang's way, instead looking to Blake and bowing to her, before lovingly cooing at something to the cat faunus' side. Probably Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon secreted away in the dark-haired duelist's side deck. If nothing else, Yang and her unruly monster had their love for their siblings in common.

Though whatever scheme the two dragons had in mind to let the pendulum dragon join the duel without compromising Blake as the Odd-Eyed Bandit, there was one big potential roadblock in its path.

"I activate Pot of Greed," Ren announced, drawing two more cards from his deck. "Then, I'll use the effect of Ritual Sanctuary to return spell cards from my graveyard to my deck. In exchange, I get to summon a Fairy-Type monster from my graveyard with a level equal to the number of spells returned. I will return two in order to revive Cyber Petit Angel."

Yang watched excitedly as the spherical baby angel (ATK 300/DEF 200) sparkled back into being in the center aisle of the wedding chapel, Ren making use of the search it afforded him.

The flaw in Odd-Eyes and Clear Wing's plan, whatever it may have been, was quite clear. The Team RWBY team needed to survive a very skilled Obelisk Blue's turn to put it into action.

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Ren pulled his chosen Cyber Angel monster from his Petit Angel's search into his hand, examining the limited options of the three cards at his disposal. For not the first time since Nora had launched her all-out assault on her turn, he wondered if he'd made the right choice holding back as he had in that moment. He knew there was nothing really riding on the outcome of the duel, but years of fighting for his life whenever he and Nora dueled against a foe still left him uneasy even though he logically understood the current situation.

"Go Ren! You can do it, brother!"

"Put everything you've got into this duel and have fun!"

"I am not strictly rooting for you, but I implore you to do your best nonetheless!"

Ren's pink eyes flickered up to the second-floor railing, spotting Jaune, Pyrrha, and Weiss all cheering for him. Aside from people who'd bet on them when they'd fought for money in various gambling dens, he and Nora had never had anyone in their corner when they'd dueled before they came to Beacon.

A small, grateful smile inched over the quiet boy's mouth. You'd think after so many months, he would have learned that was no longer the case. When Yang and Jaune had gone to such lengths to help Pyrrha, Weiss, and Blake's mental states in the aftermath of their chaotic investigation, when they'd all kept quiet about Nora's secret God Card, he really should have felt his caution satisfied by that point.

Live and learn, he supposed. Live and learn, and have fun.

When he couldn't spot a close enough Action Card, Ren sent the Magnificent Machine Angel spell card in his hand to his graveyard. "I activate Ritual Sancutary's effect. I discard a spell from my hand to search a Ritual Monster or Ritual Spell from my deck to my hand. I choose Machine Angel Absolute Ritual! Then, I activate Machine Angel Absolute Ritual!"

Ten ornate columns with unlit braziers on top sprouted up through the pews of Ritual Sanctuary. At the apex of the formation's arch, an enormous elegant torchbearer rose, a wealth of coal ready to be ignited.

Cyber Petit Angel dispersed into twinkling sparkles, its essence flowing into two of the surrounding columns, their braziers lit with brilliant flames.

"With Machine Angel Absolute Ritual, I Ritual Summon any Cyber Angel Ritual Monster, so long as I tribute monsters with a total level equally exactly that of the monster I wish to summon," Ren said, his thin smile growing. "However, in addition to normal tributes from my hand or field, I can also shuffle Fairy-Type or Warrior-Type monsters from my graveyard back into my deck. So I shall return Cyber Angel Idaten and Cyber Egg Angel back to my deck to complete the ten levels of tribute."

Idaten and Cyber Egg Angel's spirits floated up from Stormflower's graveyard slot, the former flowing into six columns while the latter illuminated two braziers.

"Ooo! Level Ten! Someone's excited!" Nora giggled, cackling at Blake and Yang as the ten braziers' flames flowed into the central torch, the celestial heat compressing the coal into the most brilliant of diamonds. "You guys are so screwed now!"

"Ritual Summon," Ren proclaimed, placing his mightiest main deck monster onto his duel disk. "Cyber Angel Vrash!"

With the central torch's blaze shining like a brilliant sun, a white-skinned woman with an elegant pink dress and four arms descended from the diamond glow (ATK 3000/DEF 2000). Celestial wings of heavenly light blossomed from her sides, a golden ring surrounding her back. Ren's expression grew warmer than most but Nora had ever seen, memories of his mother's ace playing with him in the better days of Kuroyuri filling his mind.

Who would have thought he'd know days so joyous again?

"Ascension Burst," Ren called, Cyber Angel Vrash conjuring orbs of heavenly judgment from its wings. "When Cyber Angel Vrash is Ritual Summoned, it can destroy as many monsters on your field that were special summoned from the Extra Deck as possible and deal you a thousand points of damage for each of them."

"Woah! Quite the powerhouse," Yang grinned at him from above in the trapeze. "But if it's a Level Ten, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to counter with Clear Wing Synchro Dragon's special ability!"

Ren smirked. "Then I'll counter with Cyber Angel Vrash's other effect. Once per turn, when an effect is activated that would destroy a card on the field, I can shuffle a Ritual Monster from the graveyard back into my deck. In exchange, the effect that would destroy a card on the field has its activation negated, and it's destroyed. I return Cyber Angel Natasha to my deck!"

Cyber Angel Vrash's orbs of energy vanished. Just in time for its wings of golden light to sprout to triple their former size and slice Clear Wing Synchro Dragon to ribbons.

"But on the bright side, you guys don't take any damage!" Nora comforted them before her pearly teeth glittered in a hungry grin. "That comes later."

"Cyber Angel Vrash attacks directly now," Ren said.

"Oh, my mistake," Nora cheered, her wolflike grin quickly reasserting itself over its brief bubbliness. "That comes now."

"Then I better get prepared. I activate my trap card Back to the Front! One monster from my graveyard is revived in defense mode. And I pick Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" Yang declared, her trap card flipping over as her majestic silver dragon roared back to the field, a sideways defense position card beneath it.

The beautiful blonde leaped over her resurrected monster, jumping off its back to grab onto one of the upper hoops of the circus. With her sculpted, well-trained muscles barely breaking a sweat, the ace of Team RWBY yanked herself up to the ring's center and claimed the Action Card floating within it. All in high heels too (Ren honestly had no idea how the girls fought in those. They were truly extraordinary).

"I activate the Action Spell Tenacity!" Yang exclaimed, slamming her Action Card into Ember Celica. "If I control only one monster, which I do, that monster can't be destroyed by battle this turn!"

The crowd let out awed gasps of amazement as a protective aura formed over Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, the white dragon swatting away Cyber Angel Vrash's luminous lunge.

"Tenacity," Ren wryly observed. "A fitting card for Yang."

Nora cackled with joy, ecstaticly leaping over Ritual Sancutary's austere pews. She clenched her fist in a challenge to Blake and Yang high in the circus. "Awesome! Let's keep going, girls! Give us your best shot! Let's make this a duel to remember!"

A duel to remember. There was a time when any Action Duel would have been a duel to remember for Ren and Nora. They could so seldom sneak into an Action Duel Arcade to play one, they could ill afford to forget between those rare opportunities. Unless it was a training match with each other, dueling was rarely something they could do for fun before they came to Beacon. And yet now, among friends, it felt like they'd done little else for months.

Yang had asked for their help to give Blake a duel where she could truly have fun, just like Jaune had asked for their help in making sure Pyrrha would be able to relax without dueling. They'd gladly agreed to assist, but was it really assistance when it was so much fun for them? Fun enough that the Nuckelavee's shrieks never even entered his mind.

"I lay one card facedown and end my turn," Ren announced, his pink eyes darting towards an Action Card that suddenly appeared atop one of the highest trapezes. "Nora. Above."

Nora followed his gaze and beamed. For the first time, his gorgeous partner bounded onto a trampoline and launched herself onto the circus' platforms, her bright pink dress flowing around her like the wings of a valkyrie from legend. "On it!"

Ren smiled after her with all his adoration as he got in position himself. All the while, he keenly observed Blake as she drew for her turn. She didn't have any monsters on her field, but Camelump was still in her Pendulum Zone and Duelist Extraordinaire remained in her hand.

"I activate Pot of Acquisitiveness!" Blake yelled, inserting the card she'd drawn into Gambol Shroud. "I return three banished monsters to their owners' decks and draw one card in exchange. I return Xiangke Magician to my deck and Chaos Valkyria and Evening Twilight Knight to yours."

Cards shot from Nora's banished slot and into Ren's deck, as he was the current active turn player for their team. It was why he hadn't used one of the Black Luster Soldiers in their shared graveyard for Machine Angel Absolute Ritual. Similar to why he hadn't risked leaving Cyber Petit Angel on the field when Blake still had Camelump. He had not put up a weak defense in his first turn, but the Odd-Eyed Bandit had broken through it to the point that, if the match had not been an Action Duel, she would have won.

He had prepared as best he could for such an eventuality again.

"I activate Pendulum Halt!" Blake announced, quickly inserting her new card into her duel disk. "Since I have three or more Pendulum Monsters face-up in my Extra Deck with different names, I can draw two cards. But I can't add cards from my deck to my hand for the rest of the turn."

The tips of Ren's mouth perked up. He couldn't wait to see what she did to try to push through anyway.

Though he was curious why there was suddenly a brilliant glow illuminating from the cat faunus' side deck.

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Blake had no idea why Odd-Eyes' spirit was suddenly making its card glow like the shattered moon, but she really hoped it was like when Nora tried summoning her God Card back during the Promotion Exams and only certain people could see it. Or maybe they'd dismiss it as the hardlight system going crazy with the presentation. So far the audience didn't seem to be reacting to it, just leaning forward to see what she'd do with the cards in her hand now that Pendulum Halt ensured they'd be the only cards at her disposal before Nora's turn.

Which was… unfortunate.

Performapal Skullcrobat Joker. Performapal Odd-Eyes Synchron. Performapal Duelist Extraordinarie. The first of those would have been able to snag her a more powerful card from her deck, but Pendulum Halt prevented her from increasing her hand any further. And what she had at her disposal wasn't enough to win for sure. She could Pendulum Summon Performapal Laugh Maker from her Extra Deck. It'd have more attack points than Cyber Angel Vrash, just barely, but with Ren and Nora already maneuvering for an Action Card, would that be enough?

"Mmm! Mmm!"

Blake's gaze drifted to her side, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon's spirit insistently pleading at her hand.

"I don't know what you want me to do," the disguised cat faunus whispered. "I know you want to take part, but you're not even in my deck. There's nothing I can do–"

"Rargh!"

Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon squeed with elation at the new roar, both he and Blake looking over at Clear Wing Synchro Dragon. The elegant silver creature grinned fondly at her brother and his mistress, her yellow eyes suddenly blazing with light and power. Even in its spirit form that none but Blake could see, Odd-Eyes' dual-colored eyes began to do the same.

Blake's hands began to move of their own will, like when Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon's presence on the field during her duel with Weiss last semester had beckoned her to summon Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon. For reasons she didn't understand, she took hold of Performapal Odd-Eyes Synchron, a card she'd only included in her deck to serve as support for Yang in this match. And yet, with her body filled with unnatural adrenaline and her vision tinged with red…

"I place Performapal Odd-Eyes Synchron in my open Pendulum Zone," she spoke, almost in a trance as the miniature man in a top hat with wings and a star on it rose up in a pillar of light across from Camelump. Afterward, she placed another monster on Gambol Shroud, a manic clown with a patchwork pink top hat manifesting before her (ATK 1800/DEF 100). "Then I normal summon Performapal Skullcrobat Joker."

"But your Pendulum Halt means you can't use its search effect!" Nora pointed out, spreading her legs in a solid stance on one of the trapeze platforms, threading her fingers together as Ren approached.

Blake nodded If only she'd been able to get a monster to her hand. But Pendulum Halt was always a risk. She'd just have to pay it off the best she could.

"Unite… " she whispered, eerily familiar with the phrase that her dragon and his sibling were spreading through her mind, like honey seeping over craggy bread. "Unite… as one…"

"Huh? You say something, partner–" Yang began, only for the blonde's voice to dim as a white glow began to tint her violet eyes. Then, in a voice not entirely her own… "Unite… unite as one…"

"Unite as one," Blake continued, her vision suddenly a blazing red. "I activate Performapal Odd-Eyes Synchron's Pendulum Effect!"

"Oh, I remember that tone," Nora worriedly said, the audience probably thinking that she was talking about the effect rather than the booming timbre that had infected the Team RWBY members' voices. "Is this good or not good?"

"Once per turn, I can target one 'Performapal' or 'Odd-Eyes' monster on my field!" Blake announced, her Pendulum monster tossing its star and wing-coated top hat onto Skullcrobat Joker's own headwear. "That monster becomes a Level One Tuner for the rest of this turn!"

"Tuner?!" Nora exclaimed.

Ren's eyes widened, his running speed doubling as he raced up to his partner's location. Meanwhile, the crowd began to murmur amongst themselves, students from other academies inquiring to Beacon students whether Blake had any Synchro Monsters.

Such was a query that the Odd-Eyed Bandit had herself, cocking an eyebrow at her ace monster's spirit. Yet, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon only smiled at her, its spirit flowing from its own card into another residing in Blake's Extra Deck, Clear Wing casting some of its energy into the same vessel.

"The fun has just begun."

Blake blinked, reaching into her Extra Deck to withdraw a card that crystalized with power she had never dreamt of before. She surveyed the Acrobatic Circus, the home of comfort where she'd once danced with such joy with her mother and Aunt Sienna. Now, Nora and Ren dashed through it, while Ruby, Weiss, Pyrrha, Jaune, and Sun, watched over her with smiles from the stands.

And standing with her was a friend no less dear, her partner, who'd opened up to her to give her the courage to attend this night of stars.

Yang's eyes blazed white as Blake's own burned crimson, the magic within them not just connecting them, but synchronizing them closer than ever before. Where her duel with Weiss had caused that power to warp itself thanks to their wrathful emotions and Clear Wing and Starving Venom not being fully crystalized at the time, now it was joyful and triumphant.

Elation like never before filled Blake from head to toe. And when she next opened her mouth to speak, she and Yang pronounced their words together.

"Level One Performapal Skullcrobat Joker tunes Level Seven Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"

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"Weiss? Weiss, are you okay?" Jaune whispered, gently shaking his friend's shoulder.

"Unite… as one…" the white-haired heiress muttered, far too soft but any but her friends who were close to her to hear. Yet, such quiet was a small blessing when she seemed to be in some sort of trance, her eyes tinged with a black aura. "Unite… as one…"

"Their dragons' link has been activated. Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon is pumping large quantities of Creation and Destruction Magic through her," Astral reported.

"Like it did during her duel with Blake?" Jaune clarified. "What could have triggered that?"

"Likely whatever Blake's Odd-Eyes' spirit is doing," Pyrrha said. "Glowing like it is now isn't exactly normal."

"Glowing?" Jaune said, squinting down below, but unable to see any such glow emanating next to the secret cat faunus. "What are you talking about?"

"You can't see it?" Pyrrha asked, surprised.

"Subtle magical phenomena like that are usually only visible to those who possess magic themselves," Astral explained. The spirit looked over Weiss with fervent concern. "Regardless, it seems that unlike before, this mystical surge is not harmful. I hypothesize that Clear Wing Synchro Dragon and Starving Venom Fusion Dragon crystalizing their cards since then has perfected the link's transmission system. We only need shield Weiss from view until the phenomenon concludes."

"That's good news at least," Jaune said, he and Pyrrha taking positions on either side of the heiress to do just that.

Truthfully, it didn't seem entirely necessary. As Skullcrobat Joker broke into an emerald tuner ring and Clear Wing Synchro Dragon morphed into a column of seven stars that ran through it, none of the hunting duelists in the crowd could tear their eyes away from the action enough to catch the glows in Blake and Yang's eyes, let alone Weiss's.

Jaune could only hope Ruby was similarly protected wherever she was in the crowd.

"Dragon with different-colored eyes! Gain shining wings and fly to the summit's garden of ecstasy! Synchro Summon!"

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Timaeus restrained itself from glowing in abundance. Ozpin was grateful for the prudence given Penny's presence, but he also felt it was unnecessary. After all, this time he did not need to be alerted that there was magic afoot in his school.

Though he found his curiosity and concern fell with Ms. Rose's reaction to mystical events at play more than anything.

"Woah! This is awesome!" Ruby laughed, whipping her head all about the dance hall, as if seeing her location for the very first time and finding herself dazzled.

Ozpin frowned at the changes to the first-year student, shining yellow suns blazing out from behind her eyes, triggering her silver orbs to burn fervently in their own regard. He suspected her Fusion Dragon was currently flooding her with Creation and Destruction Magic. If she was a normal person, she'd be lost in a trance like her sister and Ms. Belladonna below, but the Silver-Eyed Warriors were designed for sterner sorcery. They had their own limits, they had to learn to gradually channel the magic they could call upon given the nature of its source, but it was likely Ruby would get a handle on the weight of such power faster than her team.

Which gave the headmaster the opportunity to learn if this truly was the situation he feared it was.

"Ruby? Are you alright?" Penny inquired to her friend. "Your energ–"

"Your eyes!" James interrupted, grabbing his student's shoulder and protectively holding her back from the other girl. "Ms. Rose, your eyes are glowing."

"They are?" Ruby inquired, her smile growing as she continued to look about. "Cool! It's like a whole different world laid over with the real world!"

A whole different world? Not quite. More likely, Ruby was just able to see what was occurring to her teammates down below on both the real world and the mystical spectrum.

"What do you see, Ms. Rose?" Ozpin inquired. "What is happening down there? What's connected to the dragons?"

"Connected? Well, now that you mention it, Starving Venom's here, he's pumping something into me. Dark Rebellion's doing the same to Weiss. And man, Odd-Eyes and Clear Wing are amping up Blake and Yang. They're going towards each other, and their dragons are mixing together all cool-like. Ooo, there's some other stuff around us too!" Ruby excitedly observed, whirling around, desperate to see it all. "These different power spheres of different magics, all connected to this glittering foil card in the middle of a galaxy–"

Ozpin's widened in horror just as a blinding pillar of light rammed through the tuner ring in the circus below.

"The dragon with joyous eyes shining with furious destruction! Level Eight! Odd-Eyes Wing Dragon!"

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Cinder leaned back in her seat at the peak of Beacon Tower, a pleased smirk blooming over her lips as the loading bar on the CCT's screen hit one hundred percent, the black queen chess piece sigil fading away.

Emerald's advice to accelerate the plan before she and Mercury dueled had proved prudent. No sign of Ozpin, Ironwood, or Goodwitch. The Atlesian guards had been unexpected, but it was a simple enough task to ambush those who stood in her way before they got a good look at her.

Now, the Black Queen Virus was inserted in the CCT's servers, searching for any hint of Amber's location and giving Cinder access to any server she needed. She doubted The Breach would prove insufficient to scare Ozpin into revealing the Fall Maiden's location, but on the off chance it did somehow, she always had the Vytal Festival as a backup. After all, Watts may have been a frustrating ass, but he knew his technology. Unless Pietro Polendina himself was brought in from Atlas to check the systems, unlikely given Ozpin's arrogance and Ironwood's craving for more Link and Fusion toys, no one would be able to detect the virus before it was too late–

"Rrraagghhh!"

Cinder glanced down at her deck box, spying Hermos' card glowing with intense, burning power.

The half-maiden cocked an eyebrow under her black domino mask. It seemed Emerald had been more right about the effectiveness of the current distraction than she'd known. No wonder Ozpin and Ironwood hadn't come calling.

Cinder stalked off into the darkness, ready to sneak back out and change for the dance, no one the wiser that she'd ever been elsewhere.

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"Rrrraaagggghhhhh!"

Far away from Beacon, beyond an ocean and across a continent of dark soil and a blood-red sky, an elegant woman with skin like ash held aloft a shining card with the image of a dark purple dragon.

"Three down. And one to go," the woman grinned. "And then the Card of the King to merge them all. The Brothers' remains shall a new, more perfect god create."

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When Blake blinked away the haze of awe and red light from her vision, she was relieved to find that her body was her own again. The usual adrenaline boost from one of her friends' dragons being out was still there, but they weren't puppeteering or guiding her actions anymore. As euphoric as the most recent experience had been, she much preferred being in complete control of herself.

Though, she found that the result of her brief synchronization with Yang was well worth the momentary loss of control.

"Ugh, what was that…" Yang muttered, apparently having just reclaimed control of her own faculties before spotting what their loss had brought about. Her purely violet eyes widened in rapturous awe. "Holy moly!"

A grand dragon of white, blue, and gray commanded the sky of the Acrobatic Circus, its armored scales glittering with radiant starlight. Its colors were that of Clear Wing, an azure jewel in the center of its chest with a sapphire horn crowning its head. But there was a segmentation to its armor that was wholly Odd-Eyes, one of its eyes now a burning red while the other was stained a majestic dark blue. Behind it, four wings of silver glistened as its tail whipped around for battle (ATK 3000/DEF 2500).

"Did… did you know they could do that?" Yang inquired to her partner, her gaze never leaving their new monster.

Blake shook her head, utterly stupefied herself. She sensed them both, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, within the new monster, their spirits temporarily bonded.

This was the favor that Odd-Eyes had called in to be able to join the duel?! Well, Blake had to give it to him. She didn't think anyone was deducing her true identity as the Odd-Eyed Bandit from the new Synchro Monster.

"O–Okay. That's freaking awesome!" Nora finally cheered, everyone else in the crowd stunned into silence for several long seconds, even Ren frozen in his scrambling across the trapeze platforms. "But, it's not quite enough. Cyber Angel Vrash has three thousand attack points too, so right now, we're batting even–"

Blake's Soul Pendulum Continuous Spell Card lit up. A beam of light flared from its form on the field and smashed into Odd-Eyes Wing Dragon, the silver dragon flexing its muscles and letting out a thunderous roar (ATK 3300).

Nora's face froze in befuddlement. "...huh?"

Blake herself had no idea what was going on, looking down to Gambol Shroud to try to rectify her confusion. Only for the sight of the fully crystalized version of her new card to cause her amazement to skyrocket even further.

"It's… It's a Pendulum Monster," she gasped. "Odd-Eyes Wing Dragon is a Pendulum Monster!"

"Uh, not it isn't. It's a Synchro Monster," Nora pointed out, still perplexed. "We just saw you Synchro Summon it. Speaking of, can you do that without hardlight projectors, or–"

"It's a Synchro Monster and a Pendulum Monster!" Blake announced, still not believing the words that were coming out of her mouth. "It's a Pendulum Synchro!"

The crowd was stunned into too much silence to gasp in shock, so the few spectators that could move their lips past their frozen bamboozlement like Ozpin and Pyrrha had to suffice for everyone. Well, their shock and Ruby's squeals of euphoric adoration.

"Pendulum Synchro?!" Nora repeated, her energetic face warped with uncomprehending confusion. "That's… that's not a thing! Is that a thing?"

Ren shrugged. "Evidentally."

"In hindsight, I should have Pendulum Summoned Skullcrobat Joker and Duelist Extraordinaire to put another counter on Soul Pendulum," Blake mumbled, a bit embarrassed. Despite how much everyone was in awe of her, she didn't feel she was completely dueling at a hundred percent. She really did need a relaxing night to recover from her previous mindset.

And maybe… she could give such fun to everyone else too.

"Here goes nothing," the cat faunus muttered. She took a deep breath, straightened her back, and spread a sparkling smile over her lips.

"Woah," Yang remarked at seeing her expression, more amazed than even when Odd-Eyes Wing Dragon had appeared. "I don't think I've seen you smile like that since break."

"Be ready to go for an Action Card," Blake said, before clapping her hands and turning her shining smile to the audience. "Ladies and gentlemen!"

Everyone's eyes turned onto her, every hunting duelist from each of the four academies. Oh dear God Cards, why had she decided to do this? People were looking at her? She wanted people to pay attention when she had a meaningful cause to speak on, but she didn't want them to be focused on her?!

No, no, no, take deep breaths. Deep breaths. She could do this. She'd grown up around some of the greatest orators of the modern era. She could kick her anxiety down for one short performance.

"Our Odd-Eyes Wing Dragon has thirty-three hundred attack points! Our opponent's Cyber Angel Vrash has three thousand attack points! Since they have only two hundred life points remaining, this next attack could decide it all!" Blake proclaimed to the crowd, channeling her mother's showmanship and her father and Aunt Sienna's public speaking skills to enrapture their minds. "But will it be enough? In an Action Duel, a turnabout can come at any time, from anywhere! Are you ready to find out if our show has reached its climax?!"

"Yes!" Ruby cheered from her perch on the second floor. "Do it, Blake! Duel like never before and win this!"

"Don't listen to them, Ren and Nora!" Pyrrha called out. "Pendulum Synchro or not, you're not out of this yet!"

"Take it home, Blake!" Weiss yelled.

"You just need one Action Card to change the game!" Jaune cheered to his teammates.

Soon enough, the audience was galvanized by Blake's monologue and her friends' injections of support. Every student chanting for Team RWBY, Team JNPR, or even both, ravenous for the most exciting conclusion possible to a duel that had already been resplendent with spectacle. The primary aim of Blake's showmanship had been achieved.

The secondary purpose had also been achieved. Where before Ren and Nora had been too stunned first with concern by Blake and Yang being influenced by their dragons and then awe at Odd-Eyes Wing Dragon's appearance, now their opponent's bombastic outline of the duel and the crowd's electric energy had given the Team JNPR pair time to recover themselves and resume their move for an Action Card.

Honestly, it wasn't a good tactical move on Blake's part. The smarter course of action to win would have been to attack and destroy Cyber Angel Vrash while Ren and Nora were to bamboozled to go for an Action Card. Now, they were back at play, just as Yang was nearing an Action Card of her own. Victory was in doubt.

But this wasn't a duel where life or death depended on victory. This was a duel for fun. And Blake wanted to enjoy it to its fullest with her friends.

Odd-Eyes Wing Dragon crooned with joy, a wide grin on its face that Blake recognized from Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon's most excited moments.

Blake mirrored the grand smile and leapt on top of the majestic beast's head. Riding the manifestation of her bond with the partner that helped save her from herself, the cat faunus, outstretched her arm towards Cyber Angel Vrash. As her violet dress and jet-black hair billowed behind her. she snapped her fingers. "Battle!"

With a roar of jubilation, Odd-Eyes Wing Dragon flexed its wings and raced down toward Cyber Angel Vrash.

"Vrash!" Ren called, leaping his foot into Nora's hands and rocketing towards an Action Card on one of the highest trapeze. "To me!"

Only in an Action Duel could Cyber Angel Vrash conjure its glowing golden wings and dodge out of the way of Odd-Eyes Wing Dragon's initial charge. The resplendent mechanical angel soared up across the trapeze platforms, floating in front of Ren as he rose to the top and claimed his Action Card.

"Action Spell! Extreme Sword!" Ren hollered, slamming the card into Stormflower. "Cyber Angel Vrash gains one thousand attack points!"

Cyber Angel Vrash flexed its four arms out before bringing them back together at its center, an enormous greatsword manifesting in its palms (ATK 4000). From high above, it now held the advantage. And since the number of monsters on either field hadn't changed, no replay occurred. Blake's attack had to continue even though her monster was now weaker.

Odd-Eyes Wing Dragon hung the tightest turn possible as it swerved up from the floor. Blake riding atop it as the silver and blue beast soared back into the air.

"Blake!" Yang called, securing her own Action Card with the extra time Ren's maneuver had bought her. The blonde hurled the spell to her partner with all her strength as the faunus girl's mount blazed past.

Blake snatched the new card out of the sky and flicked it into Gambol Shroud. "Action Spell! Single Distraction! Since you control only one monster, I can target it and destroy it!"

"Cyber Angel Vrash defends with its ability!" Ren called, a card firing from Nora's Megnhild's graveyard slot and shooting into his deck. "I return Black Luster Soldier - Super Soldier from the graveyard to the deck and negate your spell's destruction effect!"

"But that's only once per turn," Blake smirked, her amber eyes flicking down to her duel disk and quickly reading her monster's effects. "I activate Odd-Eyes Wing Dragon's special ability! Once per turn, it can activate one of two effects! I choose the second one!"

Odd-Eyes Wing Dragon roared, its four beautiful wings spreading wide and lighting up with a sparkling silver glow. Its maw opened wide and the quartet of beams fired into its mouth, coalescing into a crackling surge of building power.

"During the Battle Phase, if this monster was Synchro Summoned, all Level Five or higher monsters on the opponent's field are destroyed!"

"What?!" Nora exclaimed.

Odd-Eyes Wing Dragon shrieked as the majestic beam erupted forth from its mouth. The silver stream of light tore upward at supersonic speed. Cyber Angel Vrash swung its Extreme Sword down on the oncoming attack with all its heavenly strength, but the mighty warrior could not hold back the cosmic blast and was shattered by starlight glow.

Leaving Ren wide open as Odd-Eyes Wing Dragon continued to climb, its assault now a direct attack.

"Ren!" Jaune called out from the audience. "Get down to a lower platform! Hardlight projections don't hurt as much as aura bodies, but they can still hurt! Get lower!"

Ren smirked. Without a monster to his name, he dove off the trapeze platform.

"That's not what I meant!" Jaune wailed.

Blake mirrored her opponent's cheeky smile, sweeping her arm forward as her mount continued its climb. "Go, Odd-Eyes Wing Dragon! Direct attack!"

Odd-Eyes Wing Dragon blazed into the heavens, a stream of bright blue light trailing behind it. Waiting for it at the top was Ren. No monster, no Action Card.

But one facedown up his sleeve.

"Trap card open!" Ren roared. "Fairy Wind!"

The Obelisk Blue's final card flipped open as he dove through the air. A hurricane of mystical sapphire winds burst forth from the trap, the billowing force stunning Odd-Eyes Wing Dragon in its tracks. Blake hunkered down and grabbed her mount's horn tight, holding her arm up to shield her face from the harsh gale.

"W–What?" Blake grunted.

The hurricane of magical winds expanded all over the Acrobatic Circus, forcing Nora and Yang to their knees on their trapeze platforms. The shrieking gale shredded through Blake's Soul Pendulum, Performapal Odd-Eyes Synchron, and Performapal Camelump, even obliterating Ren's own Ritual Sanctuary.

"What's going on?" Yang exclaimed.

"Fairy Wind destroys every other spell and trap card on the field!" Ren proclaimed, the racing hurricane suspending him in midair as it held back Odd-Eyes Wing Dragon. "And both duelists take three hundred points of damage for each card destroyed."

"Wait, three hundred for each?!" Blake yelled, her amber eyes widening. "But there were four and spell and trap cards on the field! That's–"

"Twelve hundred," Ren gloatingly smirked.

The mystic hurricane folded back in on itself and crashed into all four duelists, a massive explosion of smoke as the audience gasped.

Blake & Yang: 0 Life Points

Nora & Ren: 0 Life Points

Duel Result: Draw

The Acrobatic Circus evaporated, the Action Field's safety settings taking effect. It was meant to ensure civilians with no aura wouldn't sustain serious injury using the system, so the hunting duelist students were perfectly fine even as they tumbled through the open air. Even as Odd-Eyes Wing Dragon disappeared into twinkling nodes of dust projection, that same energy subtly manifested energy slides to cushion their falls. Even in high heels, Yang and Nora were able to twist themselves to land on their feet.

Tumbling out from the cloud of smoke, Blake and Ren did not fall so gracefully. The two normally agile duelists clattered down onto the ground, their backs softly smacking the marble floor. Their heads leaned against each other as they stared up at the dazzling lights above.

"What an incredible showdown!" Sun cheered from his position on stage, his microphone broadcasting his narration throughout the ballroom. "In this incredible duel between the representatives of Beacon's top two first-year teams, we've witnessed a clash of the ancient tradition of Ritual Monsters with the awe-inspiring next evolution of the Pendulum Synchro! And in a stunning conclusion, the first match of the Tag-Duel Showcase is a tie!"

Conclusion? It was over? Why was her body still so warm then, filled with so much energy? Blake's mouth was spread into a beaming grin, her muscles aching to duel so much more. By the God Cards, this must have been how Ruby felt all the time, immersed in the pure fun of dueling and craving the next match. It was euphoric!

How had she ever thought that dueling was merely a means to an end? Hahaha!

"Hahaha!" Blake broke out into a pounding stampede of laughter, howling like a hyena. "Hahahahahaha!"

Yang smiled. "Well, looks like this duel did its job–"

"Hahahahahaha!" Ren cackled, joining Blake in rolling on the floor in a jubilant celebration. "Hahahahahahahaha!"

Yang's lips pursed, suddenly very confused and very concerned. "Okay, now I'm scared. Nora, is this bad? This seems like it could be bad."

"Nah! It's not bad," Nora looking over her partner with an expression of utter adoration. "Rare. But not bad at all."

The rest of the audience didn't disagree, but they were particularly stunned at witnessing two of Beacon Academy's most stoic and quiet students break out in a chorus of runaway laughter that showed no signs of stopping soon.

"Uh… okay," Sun spoke, obviously feeling very awkward to have to narrate such a moment. "We're gonna have a short fifteen-minute break and start the second duel. Make sure to enjoy the dance to the fullest and have your fill of the refreshments! I have it on good authority that the cookies will go fast."

"Eep!" Ruby's high-pitched squeak cut through the air, the familiar sound of an explosion of rose petals reaching Blake and Ren's ears down on the ballroom floor.

It just made the both of them laugh all the harder.

---

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Ozpin remembered both Summer and Taiyang being quite the social butterflies back when they were at Beacon (they had to be to drag Raven and Qrow kicking and screaming out of their shells). So he found it a bit of a surprise when he had to trail Ruby to the refreshments table, the silver-eyed girl frantically shoveling cookies onto a plate.

"That is an impressive amount of chocolate chip cookies you are collecting, Ruby," Penny cheerfully stated, having also followed her friend to the food (and James having followed her). "It will exceed the recommended caloric intake for a woman of your age by a hundred and ten percent."

"I'm sure she's getting enough to share with you, Ms. Polendina," Ozpin chuckled.

Penny's emerald eyes nervously skittered around the ballroom. "Oh, to share with me? To share with me the consumption of cookies? The consumption of food? Um, thank you, Ruby, my friend, but no thank you."

Ozpin morosely shook his head. How sad. He'd had more than one reincarnation whose taste buds for some reason couldn't comprehend the delectability of chocolate chip cookies. It was a trial to reach the end of those lives every time. This poor girl wouldn't get another lifetime to acquire a more sensible pallet.

"Cookies, cookies, cookies–oh, wait!" Ruby leapt back from the table, shoving three cookies into her mouth as she balanced her plate in her opposite hand. She chewed them with rapturous joy for several moments before swallowing and turning to face her headmaster. "Professor Ozpin, I was actually hoping to talk to you about something. Do you think you could teach me how to use my Silver Eyes?"

"Your eyes?" Ozpin cautiously said, eying Penny, who was likely confused given she had no knowledge of magic. "That shouldn't be any trouble. I will be happy to instruct you in what you want to know tomorrow before you leave for Mt. Glenn."

"What? Tomorrow? Why not now–wait, Mt. Glenn?" Ruby began to whine, only for her eyes to widen in shock. "You're giving us permission to take the third-year mission?"

"Ozpin," James began, worried. "I know this is your business, but as your friend, I strongly caution against this."

"And I lost the bet!" Ruby added, with equal if squeakier fervor. "Blake and Yang didn't win."

"That has no bearing on our arrangement. As I recall, the terms of our wager were that you could go on the Mt. Glenn mission if Ms. Belladonna and Ms. Xiao-Long 'didn't lose'," Ozpin pointed out, manufacturing that twinkle in his eyes that made many think he had mysterious reasons for whatever he did. "A draw is not a victory, but it is not a loss either. You have earned the opportunity should you desire it."

"Really?" Ruby said, her eyes hopeful and excited. "Thank you, headmaster!"

Ozpin raised his hand, sternness seeping into his face. "I told you last time, Ms. Rose. Do not thank me for this. Just like then, if you choose to take on this risk, you must be ready to reckon with the reality of that choice. General Ironwood was not exaggerating the dangers of a third-year mission. There is no shame in taking a more cautious, conservative path instead."

Ruby's smile didn't flag. "Don't worry, sir. You gave us this chance. Team RWBY won't let you down!"

"Hear! Hear!" Penny cheered, racing over to her friend. "Congratulations, Ruby!"

"Wait, wait! No hugs! I'm holding cookies!" Ruby squealed.

Ironwood frowned, saddling up next to Ozpin. "Your talent for that never ceases to amaze me."

"Talent for what?" the Beacon headmaster inquired.

"The way you make them want to impress you," the Atlas hunting duelist replied.

Ozpin's smile dimmed. He wasn't sure if James intended the comment as an insult, but he took it as one. If only because it was one he'd given to himself many times over the years. Oh sure, he was giving Ms. Rose 'a choice' about whether or not to go on the Mt. Glenn mission, but he was oh so carefully stacking the deck to influence her to set out on that dangerous excursion.

But if Team RWBY were so determined to venture to Mt. Glenn, it was likely to do with the White Fang. The White Fang, who were acting quite unusually and likely under the command of The Queen. Marshaling an assault force of hunting duelists would take time and would be difficult to conceal from the eyes she doubtlessly had watching his academy. Relying on the cover of the regular away missions to send a single team in to investigate was not ideal, but it was the best option.

And with those four dragons at their command, dragons that The Queen had succeeded at long last to bring about, it was likely that Team RWBY was more dangerous than any third-year team. It would be best to see their full potential in action so that he could have an idea of what countermeasures might be necessary for them. He did not want to have to take the same approach with them as he did with The Emperors.

"Hey, professor," Ruby said, rousing Ozpin from his contemplation. "Why can't you teach me how to use my eyes now? I mean, we've got time before the next duel and I really, really want to be able to shoot lasers from my eyeballs!"

"Oh? Not enjoying the rest of the party, Ms. Rose?" the headmaster queried, his twinkling smirk restored. "I'm sure you and Ms. Polendina could have an excellent time on the dance floor."

Penny's face lit up like a firework just as Ruby's wilted like a cut flower stem.

"No thank you," the leader of Team RWBy shivered. "I may not be in lady death stilts, but I'm not a dancey pantsy… dancey girl. I'm just here to support Yang and watch the duels."

Ozpin chuckled. "You can't live your entire life on the battlefield, Ms. Rose. Even if you may want to."

"Girls with normal knees can use them to kick bad guy butt and dance with friends!" Penny beamed.

Ozpin couldn't help but notice that Ruby was frowning at the wisdom he'd tried to share. As was James, though his old friend seemed more reluctantly dismissive of the Beacon headmaster's ideas.

"It's not every day that friends are able to come together like this," Ozpin cautioned, hoping to reach the both of them. "Time has a way of testing our bonds. But it's nights like these that can help keep them stronger than ever. Nights like these are ones we'll never forget."

"Well, yeah," Ruby shrugged. "Who could forget that awesome duel Blake, Yang, Ren, and Nora just had?"

Ozpin groaned as James let out a rare giggle.

"It was certainly an exceptional showcase," Ironwood admitted.

"Totally! I mean Blake crystalizing a freaking Pendulum Synchro?! How awesome can you get? I don't even think she knows how to Synchro Summon with aura bodies!" Ruby gushed. "But Ren just kept his cool the entire time! I always need he was a great duelist, but he always seemed to find a way out of every corner no matter how much Blake and Yang pushed him–"

"Ahem," Ozpin interrupted. He cut through Ruby's excited rambling and pointed The Long Memory to her side. "Ms. Rose."

Ruby turned to where his cane was pointing, right to Penny. Ms. Polendina's palms were pressed together in a silent plea, the sunny girl excitedly hopping on her feet, jittery with excitement.

With the look of a convict walking to the gallows, Ruby passed her plate of cookies to James. "Please keep these safe."

Ironwood raised an eyebrow at his new charge. "I shall guard them with my life."

Ruby teared up as if she was leaving behind her dearest friend, but she held out her arm to Penny. The Second Coming of The Kaiserin squeed with delight, grabbing her friend tight and racing off to the dance floor. With the leader of Team RWBY squealing with terror in her wake, the redhead dashed passed a pair of Atlas soldiers, the armored men nearly keeling over as they panted for breath.

"Darn… it…" one of them gasped. "How do… such small girls… move so fast?"

"I've got… a little sister. You'd be… surprised–General Ironwood!" the other one began, frantically snapping into a salute. "S–Si—Sir! We're sorry! We'll catch up to Ms. Polendina and resume acting as her escort–"

"It's fine. At ease," James reassured them with a genial smile, his gaze fondly trailing after Penny and Ruby. "I seem to have underestimated our young charge's youthful exuberance. I'll take over from you. You two… enjoy the party."

"Really? Thank you, sir!" the two soldiers saluted. The armored men eyed the refreshment table and quickly began piling plates of food for themselves.

Ozpin could only hope that Ms. Rose would come to enjoy the festivities so much. The rest of her friends certainly had.

---

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Weiss had been thrown quite out of sorts by the trance Dark Rebellion had pulled her into when Odd-Eyes Wing Dragon was being summoned. But even that disorientation did not compare to her shock and surprise when a laughing Blake ran up to her and picked the SDC heiress up, spinning her around in a jubilant hug.

"Hahaha! Did you see that, Weiss? Did you see that final clash?" Blake cackled to her teammate. "Did you see it?"

"Y–yes. Yes! I saw it!" Weiss frantically assured her, the four duelists who'd been in the tag match having joined her, Jaune, and Pyrrha in an alcove on the second floor. "I also saw you laughing. A lot. Which is… new? Are you okay?"

"Better than okay!" Blake gasped, setting the startled heiress down before running her hands through her long black locks, her eyes wide and alight like she was high. "I… I haven't felt this good in… in years."

Weiss' eyes narrowed in concern, suspicion in her gaze as she looked toward Yang. "Did… did you drug her or something?"

Yang sighed, actually looking quite insulted at the situation but unable to deny it in the face of her partner's current state. "No, no I did not. Though, I admit, I was not expecting this level of duel euphoria. Seriously, this is Ruby levels. 'Ruby who got to eat cookies during the duel' levels."

"It's always the quiet ones," Jaune murmured.

"I don't need to eat. I need to move. Anyone up to dance?" Blake queried. "Nora? You got the energy?"

"Do I?" Nora cheered. "This. Is. Happening!"

"Wait? What's happening?" Ren asked, his own laughter having faded since the end of the duel. He could only look befuddled as Blake grabbed Nora and the two girls stampeded off to the dance floor.

Yang clapped him on the back. "You can always chase after her?"

"No thank you," Ren declined, leaning back against the second-floor railing with a weary sigh. "I enjoyed our duel greatly, but I admit it was quite tiring."

"Thank you for pulling through to help with it," Yang teased, with a coy smirk. "Though, when I asked you to help make sure Blake had fun, I didn't mean to take it easy on us."

Ren smirked back at her, the stoic boy looking quite incorrigible. "I don't know what you mean."

Weiss cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Yes, I concur," Pyrrha said, just as confused. "I don't recall any moment when Ren took it easy on you."

"It was only one moment in particular," Yang said, coyly eyeing Ren. "When Nora's Black Luster Soldiers attacked? You let Blake stave it off with Zero Penalty."

"Because he couldn't stop it," Weiss reasoned. "She activated it during the Damage Step specifically to avoid Herald of Perfection's negation."

Ren furrowed his brow, befuddled at her and Pyrrha's confusion. "There are few types of effects that can be activated during the Damage Step. Effects that affect attack and defense points are one kind. But another kind is effects that negate a card or effect's activation. Like–"

"Herald of Perfection's," Pyrrha finished, her emerald eyes widening in realization. The Invincible Girl pressed her palm against her forehead, teetering on her high heels as Jaune moved to balance her. "I… I knew that…"

"I knew that," Weiss echoed, grabbing the railing to keep herself from falling to one knee as her mind reeled. "Why… why didn't I remember that? I've been taught that since I was seven."

"And you've both been stretching yourselves thin as a wire for weeks now. Blake too. Doubt she remembered that detail during the duel either," Yang reminded them with a sigh. "You guys have been running yourselves ragged. A night of crazy fun is just what you need to recharge your batteries. Jaune, toss the backpack to Ren. Give P-Money's fancy feet a workout."

Weiss' crystal eyes narrowed. "I'm not sure that's a good idea–"

"Sure. Sounds like fun," Jaune shrugged, tossing the backpack containing Pyrrha's duel disk to Ren while the redheaded girl's cheeks burned scarlet all of a sudden.

"Uh, Jaune," Weiss spoke up, her brow creased. "Forgive me, but you're not the most… coordinated."

"In a fight? Not at all. But on the dance floor?" Jaune laughed. "Don't worry, Weiss. I grew up with seven sisters. You up for it, Pyrrha?"

"Up… t-to dance? W-With you?" the champion stammered, for some reason off-balance. The redheaded girl looked to Yang, only to receive a reassuring wink from the confident blonde. That surety seemed to flow from her into Pyrrha, the Mistral girl's stance becoming stable as she smiled at her partner. "Yes. I would love to, Jaune."

Jaune offered Pyrrha his arm, which she gladly accepted. Team JNPR's leader and ace strode off to the active ballroom, joining Blake and Nora in their wild joy on the dance floor.

"What was that about?" Weiss pondered.

Yang sighed. "You really are not an expert in flirting."

Ren smirked. "A true shame."

Yang sagged, muttering under breath. "You don't have much room to talk."

"What was that?"

"Nothing!" Yang chimed, plastering a wide grin over her lips. Though as she turned to the pink-eyed Obelisk Blue, her smile faded to something more genuine. "I mean it though. Thank you. I wanted us to duel you and Nora because I knew Blake could really have fun facing you guys. And you exceeded all expectations."

Ren shot her a soft smile. "You know, I didn't just let Blake use Zero Penalty for her sake. In a non-Action Duel, she would have beaten me during her first turn, so I thought it only right to let her get an Action Card save too."

Yang cocked a taunting eyebrow. "That all?"

"Well, that, and I didn't want the duel to end so soon. I wanted to keep playing with my friends," Ren confessed, staring after Nora, Jaune, Pyrrha, and Blake. "I haven't had that much fun in a long time."

"Glad to hear it," Yang smiled before she sighed and brushed her hair. "But, darn, dude, you are scary. I finally bust out Clear Wing, Blake goes a step further and makes a freaking Synchro Pendulum, and you still force things to a draw. If Pyrrha wasn't Pyrrha, you'd be the team ace for sure."

"Don't count on it," Ren shook his head. "I'm only strong because I have Nora. Without her, without everyone… well, I do what I can."

The suited boy slung Jaune's backpack over his shoulder and strode off to watch his teammates on the dance floor.

Leaving Weiss alone with a teammate she had yet to forgive. Yet, she struggled to reconcile that the woman she'd just witnessed going above and beyond to help Blake recover, who seemed to have laid seeds to aid both her and Pyrrha as well, was the same rampaging beast that had nearly burned Junior's club to the ground in her fiery rage.

And yet she knew she was. And that just left the SDC heiress even more conflicted as she glared at the gorgeous golden-haired duelist.

"Ask, Weiss," Yang offered, feeling her teammate's harsh gaze on her. "Whatever you want to ask, go right ahead."

Weiss pouted, turning away from the golden dragon's calm violet eyes. "You sent Ruby to me. You told her to show me that disgrace of an 'outfit' she was going to wear before I took her to get her suit. Why?"

"To give you someone to help."

"What?"

"I mean, I was hoping your superior fashion sense could convince Ruby to pick a dance outfit with fewer bulletholes," Yang shrugged. "But mostly, I wanted to give you someone to help. You like helping people, Weiss. Figured the boost of helping someone successfully would help you stop beating yourself up. Remind you that you're not your dad."

"Not my… what do you know about that?!" Weiss demanded.

Yang sighed. "You've seen what I know about that. My dad's recklessness and rage. My 'mom's ruthlessness. I've got the worst parts of my parents in me and I'm not always as good at keeping them as under control as I need to be."

"I'm aware," Weiss growled. "What's your point?"

"That I know how to recognize when someone, like me, struggles with their parents' worst aspects," Yang said. "You don't. Everything you've told us about your old man makes me think he doesn't give two whits about anyone but himself. As opposed to you, who can't stop caring about people."

"... oh," Weiss mumbled, her voice suddenly so small after being so full of bite before.

She stood there in the midst of the sparkling ballroom, feeling alone as other students from around the world strode around her, happily chatting amongst each other, excited and lively after such an enthralling duel. With all her friends off having fun, even a panicking Ruby having been dragged onto the dance floor by a beaming Penny, it felt like she was back home in Atlas. A porcelain doll alone and isolated at a fancy party.

Except she wasn't alone. Yang was right by her, smiling at her with love as they stood together in companionable silence, a warm fire easing her cold fears.

"I… don't forgive you. I can't. Not yet," Weiss declared.

"That's fine," Yang shrugged. "I didn't do all this to get you to."

"I know. And what you did for Blake…" Weiss said, struggling to find the words to convey what she wanted to communicate. "... I like that side of you. Much more than what you were like at The Club."

Yang cracked a smile. She strode forward and gave a soft pat to her teammate's shoulder. "Go hang out with Ren until a dance partner opens up. Then, have all the fun you can get your hands on. Don't let yourself be alone on a night like this."

As the golden-haired duelist sauntered past her, Weiss turned to watch her go. "And where are you going?"

Yang turned back, the energetic blonde flashing a bright, beaming grin. "I'm in charge of this shindig, remember? Gotta relieve Sun of emcee duties. Besides…"

Her amethyst eyes fell down to Mercury and Emerald on the first floor, Cinder joining her teammates in an utterly stunning black gown, glittering with inlaid diamonds like Weiss' own high-quality dress.

"... I'm really looking forward to this next match," Yang confessed, her smile only growing as the three members of Team CMEN began a hushed conversation.

---

RWBYRWBYRWBYRWBYYUIGOHYUGIOH

"Alright everyone! May I have your attention please? The second round of the Tag-Duel Showcase is about to begin! So get pumped!"

"Do we really have to do this?" Mercury asked, letting out a sigh even as he made sure his duel disk was strapped to his arm and feet. "You made the right call before. Ozpin and Ironwood were completely distracted. Mission success."

"Cinder says we still do it according to the plan," Emerald snapped at him, the randomizer's screens spinning for the next round. "So we still do it."

"Well, specifically, she said 'put on a show' all ominous-like as she loves to do," Mercury snarked tugging at his suit's tight collar. Seriously, why would anyone wear these monkey suits?

"Look, we already invested effort making Yang believe this was going to be the match we finally strut our stuff in," Emerald argued. "No reason to raise questions from the bimbo by suddenly wimping out."

"Round Two! Team CFVY vs. Team CMEN!" Yang announced from the stage, the randomizer's screens having stopped to reveal the combatants.

"Yyyyyeeeeessssss!"

"Team CFVY! Team CFVY! Team CFVY!"

"Go Yatsuhashi! Show us your strong style!"

"We love you, Coco! Kill it, supersonic sky queen!"

"She's a cheetah on the plains, she's a highway star!"

Mercury's face twisted in confoundment as the crowd went completely ballistic as soon as the second-year Beacon team was announced to be dueling. Coco Adel sashayed onto the dueling field in her beret, sunglasses, and stunning chocolate dress that paired perfectly with her bandolier of deck boxes and black and gold duel disk. The team leader waved and kissed at her ecstatic fans as her teammate marched out at her side, Yatsuhashi Daichi looking dashing, dapper, and surprisingly comfortable in his gentleman's tuxedo. The hulking Mistralian boy lifted his giant orange duel disk, and the rabid fans in the audience just screamed louder, some shrieking pleas for the two teammates to both marry them.

"What the actual hell is going on?" Mercury muttered, he and Emerald striding out to the main floor to meet their opponents. "Is there something in the punch or something?"

"They're the favorites to win the Vytal Festival," his partner shrugged. "We were going to use them to help with the distraction for a reason."

"Well, no reason to drag it out anymore," Mercury shrugged, interweaving his fingers and stretching his arms behind his back. He glanced towards the stands, Cinder smugly drinking a flute of punch (where did she get a flute?) as she smirked down on her minions. On principle, it made him want to put as little effort into the duel as possible without getting a fireball up his butt for his troubles. "Hey, having to try doesn't mean having to go all out, right?"

Emerald deployed her dark green Thief's Respite duel disk. "I mean, it's not like we'll need to go all out–"

"Hey! You!"

"Huh?" Emerald squeaked, surprised that Coco had addressed her directly.

The second-year fashionista slid down her sunglasses and smiled at her green-haired opponent. "I love your outfit! You gotta tell me where you found it."

"Oh… uh…" Emerald stammered. "Thanks… Cinder picked it out for me."

"Your team leader?" Coco coyly replied. Her coffee brown eyes flicked up to where Cinder confidently relaxed amongst the crowd. "Mmm, I will gladly ask her then."

Mercury shivered. He wasn't blind, he knew Cinder was hot as hell. But he pitied anyone who got suckered in by her looks and had to deal with the steaming pile of shit that was her. "Her funeral."

"Yes. Her funeral." Emerald growled, her crimson eyes narrowing.

Mercury groaned. He knew that tone. Looked like the leader of Team CFVY had triggered Emerald's 'prove how useful I am to Cinder so I'm not abandoned by the bitch I've been gaslit into thinking cares about me' mode.

"The pride of Beacon vs. the team of one of Haven's Exchange Program members!" Yang proclaimed, hyping up the crowd (as if they needed it with how much they were drooling over Coco and Yatsuhashi). The stage's hardlight projector blazed with energy, its reflectors beam into the dust's power all over the dueling area.

Contained within the surrounding hardlight barrier, the two tag-duel teams were suddenly contained in a barren plain of withering trees, piles of skeletons, and scores of katana sticking out of the ground. Compared to the dazzling lights and rainbow colors of the Acrobatic Circus, this new field was much more Mercury's speed.

"The Sword Cemetary! Looks like we're in for an incredible match this round–"

"Wait!" Emerald shouted, stepping forward and interrupting Yang's narration.

"Huh?" the blonde ace of Team RWBY stumbled, whipping her gaze toward the one she thought was her friend. "Emerald?"

Coco and Yatsuhashi appeared equally puzzled. The crowd hushed from its previous clamor, confused mutterings filling the air as the dark-skinned girl enraptured everyone's attention.

"What are you doing?" Mercury inquired, already able to tell that he wasn't gonna like the answer.

Emerald smirked back at him. "Putting on a show."

Her gaze lifted up to Cinder in the stands. She was probably using her semblance to create an illusion to ask their prick of a team leader for permission for whatever her scheme was.

After a few moments, the ambitious half-maiden let her confident smirk grow. She nodded.

Emerald's face lit up like her birthday had come early and she got to eat real food for it instead of scraps from dumpster diving. It was actually quite disturbing to Mercury given how used to her normal, surly self he was. But it was probably for the best that she addressed the audience with the closest equivalent she had to Team RWBY's peppy spirit.

"I'm sorry, but after that last duel and its sheer awesomeness, I just can't hold myself back! I don't know what I would have done if we hadn't gotten to duel next! But I… I want to take it even further! So I want to make a promise to everyone here, an extra handicap for me and Mercury!" the green-haired thief expunged. She raised her arm to the sky of the barren sword graveyard, a single finger pointed to the ashen clouds. "We'll win. We'll win without losing a single life point."

Aside from the music playing on the dance floor, the entire ballroom went silent. Every single hunting duelist student from the four academies stared down at Emerald, completely slackjawed. If a Grimm suddenly burst into the ballroom, it'd probably have time to kill everyone before anyone recovered from their shock enough to do anything about it. Even Yang was utterly flummoxed by the ludicrous declaration.

Of course, as Mercury had experienced during Jaune Arc's promotion exam duel, a crowd of teenagers and young adults was quite changeable.

"Hahahaha! Is she serious?"

"Taking on Team CFVY's strongest and winning is already impossible for some first-years, but without taking any damage?"

"Someone should check if she's added anything 'special' to her punch! Hahaha!"

Mercury rolled his eyes as Emerald sauntered back in line with him. "Do you enjoy making my life more annoying, or is that just a side effect you stoking Cinder's ego?"

"Oh, shut up," Emerald retorted. "Doesn't change the situation. We just need to put in sixty percent effort instead of fifty."

Mercury sigh. "Fair."

"Hey! Freshie!" Coco called over to them. The second-year favorite pulled a deck from her bandolier, choosing a deck box that was labeled with an Earth Attribute symbol. "I like your moxie!"

"But do not think it will be an easy standard to keep," Yatsuhashi warned as his leader slid her deck into her duel disk. "You may win, but I doubt you will leave this duel without a scratch."

"Oh, we won't be the ones bleeding," Emerald warned, raising Thief's Respite.

"Woohoo! Man, oh man! There are sparks flying in this matchup! Let's see what fire they lit!" Yang excitedly declared. "The duelists kick their way across the ground and fly across the air with their monsters! Fix your eyes upon the newest evolution of Entertainment Dueling! Ladies and gentlemen…"

"Action duel!" Emerald, Coco, and Yatushashi called along with Yang.

Mercury didn't bother. He stamped his foot five times, Talaria firing five cards up into his hands.

Mercury & Emerald: 8000 Life Points

Coco & Yatsuhashi: 8000 Life Points

"Okay, let's get this over with," Mercury said, smacking a card onto the duel disk section on his arm. "I normal summon Battlin' Boxer Uppercutter. When he's summoned, I can add a 'Ballin' Boxer' monster or a 'Counter' Counter Trap from my deck to my hand. I'll pick Battlin' Boxer Sparrer. And since I already have a Battlin' Boxer out, I can special summon him by his own effect. I mean, I have to give up my Battle Phase, but hey, first turn. I don't have one anyway."

A boxer in black and yellow armor with thick boxing gloves (ATK 1600/DEF 200) sprang onto his field and shadowboxed among the graveyard of swords. Not long afterward, a skinner fighter with red pads on his arms (ATK 1200/DEF 1400) appeared to serve as his practice partner.

"Alright, time to take advantage of this hardlight body stuff," Mercury yawned. It'd be nice not to have to go through the effort of what would come next if they were using aura bodies. "I overlay Battlin' Boxer Uppercutter and Battlin' Boxer Sparrer to Xyz Summon Battlin' Boxer King Dempsey–Ow!"

"Can you at least pretend to care about this?" Emerald growled at him, removing her elbow from his stomach as his monsters became energy nodes and swarmed into the spiral galaxy of the Overlay Network generated by the Action Field's hardlight projector.

"So sorry, but no," Mercury quipped back, a crouched boxer wearing a red jetpack with four black turbines (ATK 2300/DEF 1800) shooting in front of the silver-haired boy from the cosmic gateway, two Overlay Units circling it. "When Battlin' Boxer King Dempsey is special summoned, I can take a Level Four or lower Fire-Attribute Warrior monster or a Battlin' Boxing spell or trap card and either add it to my hand or send it to my graveyard. I'll pick Battlin' Boxing Cross Counter, and then lay two cards facedown to end my turn."

He didn't think there were any crickets in the ballroom, but their chirping could still be heard as the audience stared blankly at his complete lack of enthusiasm. He took pride in shutting them up so thoroughly.

"An Xyz Summon and two facedowns! A solid opening move!" Yang announced from onstage, using her boisterous spirit to keep the match's energy from completely extinguishing. "Will the supersonic sky queen be able to break through his 'mercurial' defenses?"

"Mercurial?" Mercury groaned. "Was that really the best pun you could think of for my name?"

"Well to be fair, calling you a pancake would be a bit preemptive," Coco chuckled, drawing for her turn. "I activate my field spell, Revolving Switchyard!"

It said something about the sheer variety of Duel Monster spirits and their associated spell and trap cards that a gigantic industrial trainyard spawning around the Team CFVY members and supplanting a cemetery of ancient swords was one of the least crazy scenarios that Mercury had ever seen.

"Thanks to this field spell, I can send a card from my hand to my graveyard and add a Level Ten Earth Machine-Type monster from my deck to my hand. So I'll ditch Night Express Knight to grab Super Express Bullet Train," Coco explained, the switchyard's tracks turning as she put one monster in Gianduja's graveyard slot and snagged another from her deck. "Then, I'll normal summon Flying Pegasus Railroad Stampede!"

A train whistle blew through the ballroom, tainted by the living neigh of a horse. A mechanical pegasus (ATK 1800/DEF 1000) thundered out of Revolving Switchyard's track, pulling a line of train cars as long as the eye could see. A line of train cars that for some reason included a giant mechanical knight that was attached to another enormous train (ATK 3000/DEF 3000).

"Does the horse come with a rider?" Emerald joked.

"Kind of. When Flying Pegasus Railroad Stampede is summoned, it can special summon another Earth Machine monster from my graveyard in defense mode with its effects negated. So that Night Express Knight I discarded is now back on the field," Coco revealed, dramatically withdrawing another card from her hand. "And since an Earth-Attribute Machine Monster was normal or special summoned to my field, I can special summon Heavy Freight Train Derricrane from my hand with its original attack and defense points halved."

Another train whistle, this one even shrilled without the mask of a horse's neigh to cut it. A bright yellow industrial freight train barreled out from the Revolving Switchyard, a giant crane connected to its linked car (ATK 1400/DEF 1000).

"I activate Battlin' Boxer King Dempsey's effect," Mercury announced, one of his Xyz Monster's orbiting Overlay Units zipping into its body as its jetpack flared. "I use one Overlay Unit, and you can't target Battlin' Boxer monsters with card effects for the rest of the turn."

"Ooo, someone's been doing research," Coco teased, referring to him fortifying his field against her Heavy Fright Train Derricrane. "Mayhaps you share more of your partner's excitement than you let on?"

"No. No, I do not," Mercury smirked back at her.

He and Emerald had watched what Team CFVY duels they could find after confirming with Yang that they could duel them. Doing reconnaissance was basic common sense. Though Coco in particular made it an annoying job with her multiple decks. They guessed she'd probably use her Earth deck due to it being the best synergy choice for a tag duel with Yatsuhashi, but they had to analyze all of them just to be sure.

Mercury didn't care about the duel overall, but he might enjoy inflicting a fraction of the irritation Team CFVY's leader had unintentionally put him through back on her.

"Really? Well, let's see if this gets you more hype!" Coco challenged, dramatically throwing her hand to the sky. "I build the Overlay Network with my Level Ten Night Express Knight and Heavy Freight Train Derricrane!"

"Wah-hoo! Go Coco! Go Coco!"

"Show those Haven jerks to know their place!"

"Gustav Max to the max! Gustav Max to the max! Gustav Max to the max!"

With the crowd's wild excitement backing her, Coco transformed both her enormous trains into shining nodes of orange energy. As a giant galaxy spiraled beneath her feet, the fashionista plunged her powerful wisps of light into the swirl of the cosmos.

"Hyperdrive, overdrive, hit the gas, and say goodbye! A thundering behemoth, the harbinger of destruction that's not afraid–" Coco threw her arm around to the audience, their cry completing her chant.

"-Not afraid to take you out!" they roared.

"Xyz Summon!" Coco celebrated, ravishingly framed by the dazzling lights of the erupting nova. "Rank Ten! Superdreadnaught Rail Cannon Gustav Max!"

A gargantuan camouflage green block of pure, solid steel churned out of the volcanic starlight, two shining Overall Units circling around it. Revolving Switchyard scrambled to shift every rail track it had to support the new mechanical Goliath, the new machine towering so high that the hardlight projector struggled to manifest it entirely in the ballroom's limited space (ATK 3000/DEF 3000).

"Hm, it's bigger in person," Mercury noted. "Don't you think it looks bigger in person?"

"Most things do," Emerald nodded.

"Especially the important stuff. Like cannons!" Coco howled. "Once per turn, I can use one Overlay Unit and Gustav Max deals you two thousand points of damage!"

The crowd cheered as Superdreadnaught Rail Cannon Gustav Max's dark green blocks split apart to unveil the 'rail cannon' part. A gun barrel half the size of Beacon Tower extended from the gargantuan machine, a volcanic light steadily growing brighter, never more ominous than when it began to shine like a second sun.

"You might want to make a go for an Action Card, freshie. Otherwise, your partner ain't keeping that promise she made to the crowd," Coco smirked before thrusting her elegant arm forward. "Gustav Max! Fire!"

The rail cannon shrieked and a blinding star shrieked towards Mercury and Emerald.

---

And like that, one epic tag duel of fun and friendship ends in an epic finish of glorious wonder. While another begins that may prove less so for some of the combatants. Mercury & Emerald vs. Coco & Yatsuhashi is one of my favorite fights in canon, so I hope I can translate its awesome action, kickass song, and clean and effective Worf Effect sledgehammer to some enthralling card game action. :)

Also, I am so glad I was able to turn that mistake I made about the Damage Step last chapter into a potent character moment for Ren. While I am annoyed that my initial research into the Damage Step missed that negate the activation effects could be activated during it (thank you to the Guest reviewer that alerted me to the issue! I would not have known I'd made the error and been able to correct it if you hadn't informed me), I am happy with the extra emphasis it gives to Ren's development affirmation at the end there. Still, I am sorry I slipped up there. While I am not trying to make the duels as complex as the modern meta, I do want to make sure they are consistently solid Yu-Gi-Oh! anime duels.

Remember to check out and add to this story's TVTROPES PAGE! I check my stories' pages often and I always enjoy it when they grow. :)

Thank you for Reading! I hope you enjoy what comes next!

Go Forth and Conquer!