3 Years Ago-Kurosaki Ruri's Residence-Unknown City-Xyz Dimension

Shun: 300-0 LP

"Alright, big brother, I won again!" A young Ruri at the age of 11 exclaimed out of joy as she wobbled over to a board she had up in her room. On the board was two was a tally chart marking the amount of wins between two people.

In her childhood, Ruri had quite a bit of trouble making friends, so her parents made her move to a different place away from her brother in attempt to get her friends.

It's been about 4-5 years (from the time of this flashback) since Ruri first moved away. For the first 4 years, Ruri would visit Heartland occasionally, but the past year she has not made one visit.

Shun, whenever Ruri wouldn't visit, would sometimes visit her, and he's been doing this for all of the 5 years. So really, Shun and Ruri didn't feel that far away from each other despite being so physically. They still got to see each other, so they had to take what they could get. Plus, the entire idea of Ruri getting moved was for her benefit.

Now, one time when Shun visit his sister, he taught her how to Duel. After that, when Shun would visit Ruri, they would sometimes have a Duel against each other.

Not long ago, they had started to put up a tally chart for the amount of wins they had against each other.

This is what was written on the chart.

Ruri: 49 (It's a tally chart, and I cannot draw proper tally's on here)

Ni-san: 30

Ruri took a chalk stick and drew another dash mark under her name, bringing her total count up to 50.

"Hey, ni-san, it looks like I'm much better than you! This is my 20th win in a row!" Ruri gloated with a wide grin holding up two fingers to her brother.

Her brother, 13-year old Kurosaki Shun, closed his eyes and gave her a warm genuine smile. "Yeah, I guess you have surpassed me long ago, Ruri."

"That's what you had said back then, brother. But I know that it wasn't the truth. I had seen you Duel others before, and I've seen how you acted in your Duels with me. Most of the time...you would hold back against me, especially when we started to Duel using Solid Vision. And you would have won all of our Duels had you not been holding back. You would always treat me like a little girl. At the time, I guess that was okay, I was only 11 years old after all."


Later That Day

"Are you feeling okay?" Shun asked his sister, there didn't seem to be anything wrong with her at the moment, but it didn't hurt to check.

"Brooootheeeeer! This is like the 10th time you've asked me this today! You are really overprotective!" Ruri puffed her cheeks out of annoyance, swinging her legs as she gazed out into the beautiful sunlight.

"Well, of course I am going to be overprotective." Shun said as he walked over to her side, sitting down next to her.

"But ni-saaaaan, that doesn't mean you have to worry about me for every little thing!" Ruri pouted.

Shun chuckled to himself when he saw Ruri's little face, her little cheeks puffed out like a baby.

His baby sister.

Shun smiled as he began to speak.

"No matter how hard you will want me to stop being protective of you, I won't. You are my only sibling, and us siblings got to look out for each other, and as the older one of the two, that goes for me especially." Shun informed his younger sister as he looked out at the sun.

"I will always watch over and protect you, no matter how far away from each other we are. Even if we have to end up against one another, even if you end up fearing me, even if I end up dying in the end, I will protect you. That's because it's what older siblings are for."

"Brother…" The young Ruri whispered in awe as she looked at her brother's smiling face.

"Ruri, just know that no matter how much you or I change, no matter how low we may stumble, my love for you will never die." Shun stated with a firm voice to strengthen his point. "You know, there's this new friend I met not too long ago, his name is Yuto, you wanna to meet him some day? I think you two could get along well."

"Hmm...I'll think about it! Ooh, what's he like, what's he like?!" Ruri asked her older brother.

"That's for you to find out when you meet him."

Suddenly, Shun's ears perked up as he heard a male voice call his name. He looked to the driveway of their house to see his father at the car.

It was time to go.

"Until next time, Ruri." Shun said goodbye as he stood up from his spot, only for Ruri's small hands to latch onto his right arm.

"Nooooooo! Brooootheeeer, stay here a little long, pleeeeeaaaaaaaase!" Ruri clapped her hands together with a persuasive look on her face, eyes closed.

"Sorry, Ruri, I have to go now." Shun told his sister as he put his hands on her shoulders, gently pushing her back before walking away. "Stay safe, Ruri, and don't get into any trouble!"

"Niiiiii-saaaaan!" Ruri cried, trying to put her fake tears into her eyes in an attempt to make Shun think that she was crying, but to no avail, she wasn't able to succeed.

"You always said you would protect me, but now, I need to show you that I can protect myself, so that I won't always need your protection! And I'll prove that during this Duel!"


Now

"My turn!"

Ruri dove back into reality as she heard the voice of her brother, realizing that while in her trance, she had not been paying attention, which gave Shun the opportunity to pass her and get the first move.

This is going to ruin my strategy a bit, especially since brother knows my Deck form the back of his hand. Ruri thought to herself, choosing to approach her brother cautiously in this Duel.

Ruri, you are my sister, and it's for that reason that I'm going to hate every second of this Duel! And it's also the reason why I will end it quickly! Shun took a Card from his Hand and swiped it across his Duel Disk.

"I Summon Raid Raptors - King's Lanius from my Hand!"

King's Lanius: Level 4, 1300 Atk, 650 Def

"Next, I activate his effect, once per turn, I am allowed to Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Raid Raptors Monster from my Hand, and that will be Raid Raptors - Vanishing Lanius!" Shun exclaimed as he Summoned his Monster, who appeared on his left.

Vanishing Lanius: Level 4, 1300 Atk, 1600 Def

"If Vanishing Lanius was Summoned this turn, I can Special Summon another copy from my Hand!" Shun took out another Monster Card, who flew above him when Summoned.

"Kurosaki Shun already has 3 Level 4 Monsters! Will we see an Xyz Summon?!" Melissa questioned, although from the set up it seemed fairly obvious.

Shun took another Card from his Hand and inserted it into the Magic and Trap Card Zone, "Magic Card, Raid Raptors - Sanctuary! If I control 3 or more Raid Raptors Monsters, I can draw 2 Cards!"

Shun did what his effect had stated, glancing at his drawn Cards, he made his next move, grabbing the last Card he got from his starting 5 Cards.

She doesn't know about this Card yet! Shun thought in his head as he played the Card.

"Continuous Magic Card, Raptor's Intercept Form, activate! Next, using the Level 4 Raid Raptors - King's Lanius and the two Vanishing Lanius, I overlay!" The three Monsters turned into Materials, flying into the portal that opened in front of Shun's d-wheel, exploding when they entered.

"Obscured falcon, raise your sharpened talons in front of adversity, spread your wings of rebellion! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 4! Raid Raptors - Rise Falcon!" Shun chanted as his ace Monster glared down at Ruri with burning eyes of fire.

Rise Falcon: Rank 4, 100 Atk, 2000 Def

"I set a Card and end my turn." Shun closed his eyes as he inserted a Card into his Duel Disk facedown. "Now, it's your turn, Ruri!"

"Yes, brother, it is!" Ruri retorted as she drew a Card from her Deck, signaling the beginning of her turn. "I Summon Lyrical Luscinia - Cobalt Sparrow!"

Cobalt Sparrow: Level 1, 0 Atk, 100 Def

"If I control a Lyrical Luscinia Monster other than this Card, I can Special Summon this Card from my Hand along with another Level 1 Monster! Come, Lyrical Luscinia - Sapphire Swallow, and following her, another copy of Cobalt Sparrow!" Ruri called out to her Monsters as both flew in onto the Field next to each other.

Sapphire Swallow: Level 1, 100 Atk, 0 Def

"Cobalt Sparrow's effect allows me to add another copy of the Monster when Special Summoned!" Ruri revealed as she added said a Card from her Deck to her Hand. "Now, with these three Level 1 Monsters, I overlay! Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 1, Lyrical Luscinia - Aggressive Nightingale!"

Aggressive Nightingale: Rank 1, 500 Atk, 0 Def

A Monster dressed practically the same as Assembly Nightingale appeared, the difference being that yellow was replaced by orange while the blue was replaced by red.

Shun narrowed his at the sight of the Monster, knowing exactly what it did.

"For every overlay unit this Card has attached to it, it gains 400 Attack! There are three overlay units attached to this Card, so Aggressive Nightingale gains 1200 Attack!" Ruri explained as her Monster gained a red fiery aura.

Aggressive Nightingale: 500-1700 Atk

"Battle! Go, Aggressive Nightingale, attack Raid Raptors - Rise Falcon!"' Ruri commanded as her Monster took off heading straight for Rise Falcon, however, the falcon avoid the oncoming attack Shun revealed a facedown Card.

"I activate the Quick-Play Magic Card Rank-Up-Magic Escape Force! If an Xyz Monster I control is targeted for an attack, I can target that Monster, negate the attack, and Xyz Summon a Monster whose Rank is 1 higher than the targeted Monster by using it as Material! Ferocious falcon. Break through this fierce battle and spread your wings! Destroy our gathering foes! Rank Up Xyz Change! Appear! Rank 5! Raid Raptors - Blaze Falcon!" Shun Xyz Summoned his ranked up Monster.

Blaze Falcon: Rank 5, 1000 Atk, 2000 Def

"I'm not done yet!" Ruri exclaimed as she lifted a hand to her Xyz Monster, "Aggressive Nightingale, activate your effect!"

An overlay unit orbiting said Monster was crushed into its mouth.

"Once during either player's turn, I can target a Monster on my Field, until the end of the turn, that Monster cannot be destroyed by battle and it can attack a second time!" After that statement, Shun reminded Ruri about the 400 Attack decrease her Monster would receive.

Aggressive Nightingale: 1700-1300 Atk

"Attack once again!" Ruri yelled at the top of her lungs, her Monster reeling back around to attack Blaze Falcon from behind.

"I activate the effect of Raptor's Intercept Form! If an Xyz Summoned Raid Raptors Monster I control is attacked, I can switch the Attack and Defense of that Monster during damage calculation only!" Shun explained as his Magic Card glowed white, with his Monster glowing the same color.

Blaze Falcon: 1000-2000 Atk, 2000-1000 Def

"And the attack still continues!" Shun added as Blaze Falcon's body burned and rose to high temperatures.

"Remember, since I used Aggressive Nightingale's effect, she can't be destroyed by battle until the end of the turn!" Ruri reminded her brother as Nightingale scratched Blaze Falcon's back, or at least attempted to. When she was burned as she let out a scream of pain, retracting her hand immediately.

However, Ruri didn't take damage, the next thing Shun saw, was a new overlay unit orbiting Ruri's Monster, raising the Attack back up to 1700. He closed his eyes with a neutral expression on his face.

"I see, you used the effect of Lyrical Luscinia - Coat Pecker. When you would take damage, you could send a Card to the Grave excluding that one, negate the damage, and attach the Monster as an overlay unit to an Xyz Monster you control. Furthermore, as long as that Card is attached to an Xyz Monster, you take no effect damage. And you also discarded the copy of Cobalt Sparrow you got." Shun summarized Ruri's move, knowing her sisters Deck from the back of his hand.

"Kurosaki Ruri has managed to keep her Monster safe on the Field!" Melissa exclaimed out of joy, secretly hoping that Ruri would come out on top and win the Duel instead of Shun. After all, Yuzu and Ruri were the only two females left in the tournament.

Ruri glanced at her Cards, nodding her head as she held up a Card with two fingers.

"I activate the Magic Card Lyrical Luscinia - Bird Strike! If I control a Lyrical Luscinia Monster, I can negate the effects of all Monsters you control!" Ruri revealed to Shun, who clicked his tongue out of annoyance, as Ruri's recent move had just toyed with his plan to get a lot of damage in next turn.

Shun's bird grayed out, meaning that it lost its effects.

"I set a Card and end my turn." Ruri concluded as she looked at her brother, who had a hand on the top of his Deck. "Brother…"


Meanwhile-Roget's Office-Security Building

"We have brought contestant Yuto with us." A voice reported.

"Please enter." Roget replied to the voice, one slide of the door later, and Yuto was inside the office. "Let us talk alone, the two of us, the others, please leave."

"Right." The men obeyed, turned around and left the room. For some reason, they had left Yuto unrestrained.

"I'm not going to ally myself with scum like you." Yuto got straight to the point. "You who manipulates others, you who controls others like weapons."

"Hoh? And what proof do you have?" Roget asked in a false curious manner.

"Izayoi Aki, I know you manipulated her. No, she didn't tell me, at least not directly, I just know you did it. During that Duel, I swear I could feel a large amount of regret pouring out of her, she didn't want to act as she did. So tell me, what did you do to her?" Yuto countered with a question.

"That is none of your business. We merely set up a negotiation, she worked for me...and she got something in return." Roget stated simply, not wanting to mention the details of the deal.

"If you are trying to recruit me like you did to Aki, then forget. There is absolutely nothing you can bribe me with!" Yuto bellowed as he threw his arm to the side.

"Are you sure about that?" Roget sharpened his gaze at the spiky haired Xyz Duelist standing in front of him. Yuto firmly nodded his head. "Well, I did have information about Academia that you could use…"

Yuto froze in his tracks. All this time, and it was true. "I knew it, you really are from Academia. How else could Aki have gotten her hands on Fusion, Sergey too."

"Fear not, I am not of Academia anymore. I defected 3 years ago and came over to this dimension to build my kingdom." Roget informed Yuto quickly. "Which is another reason I want us to work together. I have reason to believe that Academia is going to send soldiers over here. In fact, some people are already here, like that blue haired boy you were talking to. So tell me, how would your friends react if I told them you were planning something with a soldier of Academia, the same people you are trying to beat?"

Yuto growled in response to this, truly stumped on what he could say next.

"We can work together. To beat Academia. Peace will be restored, you can return home, and I can remain here to work on my kingdom." Roget proposed with a smirk as he held out his hand. When he was greeted with silence from Yuto along with no movements at all, he put the hand down, with a smirk still glued onto his face. "I'll give you time to think about it. Come, I think this next match will interest you."

The screen behind Roget showed two faces with names below them. And Yuto immediately recognized the names and faces.

"Shun! Ruri!" Yuto recited the names of his comrades.

"You three are comrades, are you not? Watch closely, the victor of the Duel may just become your next opponent."

Yuto didn't respond as he stared at the screen. But inwardly, he was fuming with rage at the fact that they were forcing Shun and Ruri to Duel, and then most likely one of the two against him.

They really knew how to push his buttons, didn't they? He could just send his comrades to the underground, especially two of the closest people he has in his life.

He just couldn't.

He closed his eyes and relayed a thought to himself.

Shun, are you really okay with Dueling Ruri like this? Are you really going to go through with it?


Back at the Duel

"My turn, draw! I've been put through desperate situations, surviving one hellish day after another. And now the world wants to put me in another one by putting me against my sister." Shun held out his left hand, before crumpling it into a tight fist, letting a hot aura of rage flow around him.

Ruri could feel this aura radiate in the air around her, and she knew it was from her brother.

"Ni-san…"

"I activate the Magic Card Rank-Up-Magic Skip Force, targeting Raid Raptors - Blaze Falcon! With this, I am allowed to Xyz Summon a Monster whose Rank is 2 higher than the chosen Monster! Rank Up Xyz Change! Appear, Rank 7, Raid Raptors - Arsenal Falcon!" Shun lifted his fist up as a wall of flames erupted behind it, with his bird emerging flying high into the air with an ear-piercing screech.

Arsenal Falcon: Rank 7, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def

"If this Card has a Raid Raptors Monster attached to it as Material, it can attack the amount of overlay units it has attached! Arsenal Falcon has 5 overlay units, so, it can attack 5 times!" Shun revealed as a Ruri let out a gasp of shock. Shun thrusted his hand forward, "Battle! Raid Raptors - Arsenal Falcon…"

Shun froze at the second part of the statement.

Come on, Shun! Just say the word! The one word that can end this! Shun scolded himself inwardly.

But he couldn't. And he knew why.

It's because his opponent was Ruri, his sister, the one whom he was forced to Duel.

He could not allow himself to see his sister being taken to the underground, especially with it being because of him.

Shun has sworn back to Ruri that he would always protect her, and this is one of the many ways on how he would do it.

He would take on the hell known as the underground himself.

He drew his hand over to his Deck, it froze for a moment, to show Shun's slight hesitation.

"What is Kurosaki Shun doing?!" Melissa shirked, grabbing one side of her head. "He looks like he's about to surrender the Duel!"

This got many boos and jeers from the audience at Shun's hesitance to continue the Duel. Especially since this battle of siblings was one they were awaiting for.

"I don't care what you people think of me. I never did. In fact, nowadays, there are very few people that I care about. And should I take the mantle of coward to protect one of those people, then so be it." Shun stated calmly, before the voice of his sister stopped him.

"No, brother! Don't do this! Don't surrender!" Ruri pleaded with her brother as she sped up her d-wheel so they were practically neck and neck. She turned her head to face her brother, staring at him with pleading eyes.

"Ruri…" Shun mused.

"I know how you've always held back in all of our previous Duels! But that was back then, I'm not the same little girl I used to be, brother! I can fend for myself, without your help, so you won't have to worry about me as much! Please, don't surrender, brother, so I can prove my worth to you!"

"Ruri…" Shun repeated the name of his sister as he found himself thinking back to their childhood.

You are my only sibling, and as of right now, one of the only people I trust. All my life, I put upon myself the strict job of keeping you safe. After we got separated, I felt alone outside of my small group of friends. I...didn't have very many people to fill the gap in my life...because Ruri, you were that person.

I swore to protect you, because if I lost you, a hole would open up in my heart. And the wound in my heart would never close. Because, after all, everyone knows that the wounds inflicted upon the heart are the worst wounds. Those wounds...can never be healed.

And Ruri, when you were taken away from me by Academia, the hole in my heart opened. A wound was formed, and no one could fill it, not Kaito, not Allen, not Sayaka, not Ryoga, or Rio, and not even Yuto, my best friend. I felt isolated again, I felt like the only light left in my world was gone, and that I was left to wander the darkness again for the rest of my life.

Which is why I've always been so protective of you, Ruri. I don't want to lose you, and I don't want to see you sad.

Hah, I remember the first time we Dueled, when I first taught you the game…


Flashback-8 Years Ago-Kurosaki Residence

It was 1 or 2 months before Ruri had moved.

Shun decided to teach his sister how to play Duel Monsters, to see if she would get interested in it. Maybe she could make friends that way, through Dueling.

After teaching her the basics, they had a Duel, with Shun not holding back, obviously.

At the time, Shun didn't have his Raid Raptors Deck, and Ruri didn't have her Deck that she used today.

The Deck Ruri used was just a bunch of Cards stacked up into a Deck with little synergy at all.

Ruri was beaten on the second turn of the Duel, Shun's turn.

His first, and his only.

"NOOOO!" Ruri whined as she flailed her arms around angrily. Due to her age of 6, it was merely a temper tantrum and it was actually pretty funny, Shun had thought. "That is not fair, brother, you cheated!"

"Huh? How in the world did I cheat?" Her brother asked in response.

"You cannot just Summon a Monster from the Deck like that!" Ruri pointed a finger of accusation at Shun.

"Sure I can. The effect says so." Shun held up his Xyz Monster M-X Saber Invoker.

"Well, why didn't you tell me!?" Ruri demanded for an answer as she slammed the table with her two small hands, the impact barely making a sound.

"I told you to read the effects of my Monster…" Shun shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't like you, brother! Hmph!" Ruri turned around, crossed her arms and puffed her cheeks out.

Shun let out a small smile at the sight of his sister. She was just so cute.

He wished she could stay like this forever.

But that's the wish of almost every older sibling, isn't it, so it's cliche coming from Shun.

But it was still true regardless.

However, when Shun took another close look at Ruri, he could tell by the way her body had slumped down that she was actually bummed about losing.

There it was. The look Ruri's body, face, or anything made that made a Shun feel guilty.

That made him feel like he smacked a bird with a stone…

And then clipped its wings off slowly and painfully.

It just wasn't fair, how younger siblings always had that advantage over the bigger ones. The bigger sibling can be used to the younger siblings' advantage, just by giving a sad look.

But that was the rules of having a sibling.

Or...that's what Shun thought, at least.


Now

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, taking a moment to think over his decision.

Alright, Ruri. It seems as if I can't keep escaping from the reality that I've wanted to avoid for so long. You're growing up. And as such, I need to treat you the way you should be treated, and that means, out of respect for you, as siblings, as family…

"I won't hold back!" Shun declared as he commanded an attack, with Arsenal Falcon flying out into the air all the while opening its compartments, releasing multiple sets of rockets while they tumbled toward the enemy Monster.

"I activate Lyrical Luscinia - Aggressive Nightingale's effect! Once again, by detaching an overlay unit, this Card can't be destroyed by battle for the rest of the turn! Next!" Ruri continued as she clicked a button her Duel Disk, revealing a Trap Card, "I'm going to activate this Card, Lyrical Luscinia - Defense! When a Lyrical Luscinia Monster I control is attacked, I can switch its battle position!"

After her explanation, Aggressive Nightingale took a defensive stance as the rockets closed in. They hit the ground, exploding right on Aggressive Nightingale, who let out a gasp as she was enveloped in smoke.

Aggressive Nightingale swiped the smoke cloud away with her hands, before putting them back in front of her. Arsenal Falcon flew back next to Shun.

"Ruri managed to protect her Monster, but it loses another 400 Attack due to the loss of another overlay unit." Melissa announced to the audience.

Aggressive Nightingale: 1700-1300 Atk

"My money's on Kurosaki Shun." Someone from the audience said to himself.

"Yeah." The person next to him agreed.

"It's still too early to draw a conclusion from this." Someone said wisely.

"I activate Arsenal Falcon's effect! Once per turn, by detaching an overlay unit, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Winged-Beast Type Monster from my Deck! Appear, Raid Raptors - Necro Vulture!" Shun slammed the Monster onto the Jdel Disk as his desired Monster soared on in right next to him.

Necro Vulture: Level 4, 1000 Atk, 1600 Def

"I activate Necro Vulture's effect, by releasing this Card, I get to add a Rank-Up-Magic Card from my Graveyard back into my Hand! I return Escape Force!" Shun spoke aloud as he took the Card out of the Graveyard compartment, showing it to back at Ruri before putting it in his Hand. "I set this Card and end my turn."

"My turn, draw! Brother, I will prove to you just how strong I can be during this Duel! I activate the Magic Card Lyrical Luscinia - Flight! Using this Card, I can double the Attack of all Winged-Beast Monsters I control until the end of the turn!" Ruri revealed as the Attack of her Monster grew.

Aggressive Nightingale: 1300-2600 Atk

"Ruri managed to surpass the Attack of Kurosaki Shun's Monster, but he still had that facedown Card as backup!" Melissa reported to the audience, many of whom watched with interested eyes.

"Battle! Aggressive Nightingale, brother's Raid Raptors - Arsenal Falcon!" Ruri spoke, knowing what Shun was going to do. The opening of his set Card all but proved her point.

He had activated Escape Force, ranking up Arsenal Falcon into a much stronger bird.

"Dauntless falcon. Hoist up the flame of anger, become the flash of light that burns the land to ash! Rank Up Xyz Change! Soar! Rank 8! Raid Raptors - Satellite Cannon Falcon!" Shun chanted as he lifted his fist into the air, his bird soaring from the above with a powerful cry of fury.

Satellite Cannon Falcon: Rank 8, 3000 Atk, 2000 Def

"It's the Monster Kurosaki Shun used to defeat Dennis!" Melissa realized at first sight of the Monster.

Ruri shivered on her d-wheel at the statement as she remembered the Duel between Shun and Dennis. A truly fearsome Duel. Dennis wasn't who she thought he was.

It was a lie.

A big, fat, lie.

But that wasn't the only thing about the Duel that made Ruri upset. It was Shun's rashness, anger, and everything about how he acted. While his attitude is justified since he was facing an Academia soldier, Ruri still couldn't help but feel…

Afraid.

Not just from Dennis and the Ancient Gear Chaos Giant.

But from her brother as well.

He was not the kind older brother she used to know. That person that she loved with her heart is a mere shadow of who Shun is now.

Academia...took my brother away from me.

It was funny, because it was actually the other way around realistically. Ruri was the one who was kidnapped and taken to the Fusion Dimension, not Shun.

But Academia shred the old Shun to pieces, and pieced them back together…

The pieces didn't fit. And the result was the Shun she was currently Dueling at the moment. This...violent...battle hardened man that was once the complete kind brother. The one who cared for Ruri with the utmost love and warmth.

He still loved her.

But the warmth was gone.

"I end my turn." Ruri spoke finally as her Monster lost the boost she had received.

Aggressive Nightingale: 2600-1300 Atk

"My turn!" Shun roared, drawing the top Card of his Deck. "I activate the effect of Raid Raptors - Satellite Cannon Falcon! Once per turn, by detaching an overlay unit, I can decrease the Attack of a Monster you control by 800 for each Raid Raptors Monster in my Graveyard!"

Since there were more than 2 in his Grave, Aggressive Nightingale's Attack dropped down to 0 Attack.

Aggressive Nightingale: 1300-0 Atk

"Battle! Attack, Satellite Cannon Falcon!" Shun shouted, thrusting his hand forward as his ascended higher and higher, before stopping, it glared down at Ruri's Monster from above and pointed it guns, ready to strike.

Multiple bullets flew out of the Monster's guns. Aggressive Nightingale took the brunt of all the bullets, getting destroyed in the process while a shock wave ensued from the collision of the bullets, causing a Ruri to cry out in pain, tightening the grip on her d-wheel so she wouldn't fall, swerving from left to right to stay in balance.

Ruri: 4000-1000 LP

"Ruri!" Shun bellowed out of worry as he hit the brakes on his d-wheel, slowing down to his sister's speed, wanting to make sure she was ok.

"It's okay brother, I'm fine. Please, let's continue!" Ruri face her brother a nod of assurance that there was nothing to worry about and no harm was done.

Shun...Ruri…Yuto thought to himself from Roget's office. One of them is going to end up in the underground. And Yuto didn't want that happening. Why, out of all matchups, did it have to be Shun against Ruri?! It just wasn't fair.

"I end my turn." Shun concluded, glancing at Ruri with worried eyes, his usual stoic mask crumbling apart.

"I activate the Graveyard effect of Lyrical Luscinia - Aggressive Nightingale! During the End Phase of the turn in which this Card was sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon any Lyrical Luscinia Xyz Monster from my Extra Deck except this Card! I Special Summon Lyrical Luscinia - Assembly Nightingale!" Ruri exclaimed as she brought out her ace Monster.

Assembly Nightingale: Rank 1, 0 Atk, 0 Def

"Also, I can attach up to 5 Lyrical Luscinia Monsters in my Graveyard to the Summoned Card as Material! I attach Lyrical Luscinia - Coat Pecker, the three copies of Lyrical Luscinia - Cobalt Sparrow, and finally Lyrical Luscinia - Sapphire Swallow!" Ruri listed the names as 5 overlay units appeared and began to orbit around Assembly Nightingale. "Assembly Nightingale gains 100 Attack for each overlay unit attached to it!"

Assembly Nightingale: 0-500 Atk

"An amazing play from Ruri!" Melissa cheered with a raise of her hand.

"That Kurosaki Ruri's quite the contender." A female Tops said.

"Yeah, but Kurosaki Shun isn't a pushover either." The male Tops member next to her spoke.

"I don't like him very much, he's very...uncivilized and wild, like the Commons…" The woman responded with a frown on her face.

"That is true." The man nodded his head out of agreement.

"My turn, draw!" Ruri glanced at her Card, nodding as she turned her head to her brother. "Prepare yourself, my brother! After all, you should know that since Assembly Nightingale has 5 overlay units, she can attack 5 times! Assembly Nightingale, attack him directly!"

Assembly Nightingale jumped over Shun's Monster, kicking him 5 times in the back, causing him wince and grimace out of pain for all of the kicks.

Shun: 4000-1500 LP

"Both players have dished out a huge amount of damage to each other!" Melissa spectated. "So far, the game has been pretty even! Which Duelist will outwit the other and take the lead?!"

"I'm not finished, I activate the Quick-Play Magic Card Rank-Up-Magic Sprouted Winged Force! Using Assembly Nightingale as Material, I can Xyz Summon a Monster whose Rank is 1 higher than Assembly Nightingale's! Bird with wondrous and beautiful wings! Evolve into a new bird and go on the path to victory! Rank Up Xyz Change! Fly before us, Lyrical Luscinia - Evolved Nightingale!"

Evolved Nightingale: Rank 2, 0 Atk, 100 Def

"Evolved Nightingale gains 200 Attack for each overlay unit!" Ruri revealed to Shun, who grit his teeth, knowing how much Attack Ruri's Monster would gain.

"6 overlay units." He muttered loud enough for Ruri to hear.

"Yes, and that means 1200 Attack!"

Evolved Nightingale: 0-1200 Atk

"Like Assembly Nightingale, Evolved Nightingale can attack you directly! Go, my Monster!" Ruri held her hand out forward, with her Monster releasing a gust of wind at Shun's back, causing him to flinch from the sudden impact on his back.

Shun: 1500-300 LP

"I'm sorry...brother. But, this is the end. Evolved Nightingale's effect activates, when this Card inflicts damage to you by a direct attack, I can detach an overlay unit from this Card to destroy a Monster you control! Then, I deal damage to you equal to the destroyed Monster's Attack!" Ruri exclaimed as an overlay unit orbiting her Monster dispersed.

Evolved Nightingale: 1200-1000 Atk

"I don't think so!" Shun retorted as he pointed to his Continuous Magic Card. "I activate the additional effect of Raptors's Intercept Form now! Once, during either player's turn, when a Card or effect targets an Xyz Summoned Raid Raptors Monster I control, I can negate that effect!"

Evolved Nightingale had leaped into the air, but she had immediately dropped back down next to Ruri after Shun's statement.

"That's the end of my turn." Ruri concluded as she once again took a look at her brother and saw the look on his face.

It was the face of wanting to stop and give up.

Ruri could tell, that this was too much for him. It was too much for her too. At this point, she doesn't even know how she can still keep going with this.

She guessed it was because of the restraints keeping her locked onto her d-wheel. But then again, Shun also had those restraining him.

No, the real reason why she continued was to proof herself that she could be strong. So Yuto could see. So Ryoga could see, wherever he was.

And so her brother could see also...

That she wasn't a little girl anymore.

"Kgh!" Shun grunted as he placed his quivering hand on top of his Deck, a lone tear rolling down his face as it fell down onto his hand, something Ruri noticed.

Brother...is crying…

In all of her life, Ruri had never seen her brother once she'd a tear. The closest to a tear that Shun had was when something had gotten into his eye.

But here, he was crying. This situation was hitting him this much, that he shed a tear. Even if it was only one, he still shed a tear.

Ruri felt guilty. After all, she is the one who told Shun to keep Dueling even though he didn't want to. And it was for a selfish reason to. To prove her own worth.

She hadn't taken into account that even people like her brother can get emotional...it's what makes humans...human.

Now she knew why she thought Shun wouldn't care.

Ruri had thought Shun had only felt anger in his heart. The hole in his heart had removed all of the positive emotions he once had. And all that was left in the shell of the old Shun…

Was a monster.

An uncooperative, dangerous, monster.

That's how Ruri had viewed the way Shun was currently deep down in her heart.

That's why she had been so selfish, not taking Shun's feelings into account. It's because it was as if she had forgotten that her own brother was human!

What a horrible sister she was! Did she...did she even have a right to continue on with this Duel, despite knowing that it's taking its toll on Shun?

"Ruri. Don't make a face like that...for someone like me." Ruri lifted her head at the sound of her brother's voice, she saw his head down, the visor of his helmet covering his eyes. "You wanted to prove yourself. To prove your worth. If I get sent to the hell known as the underground, then it will be where I belong. I am already like a monster as it is anyway. Most people fear my rage and fury."

He lifted his head.

"I will carry out your wishes, Ruri! No matter what the toll is! My turn!" Shun ripped off the top Card of his Deck as he held it in the air, glancing at it. "By sending this Card to the Graveyard, I am allowed to add a Rank-Up-Magic Card in my Grave to my Hand! I send Rank-Up-Magic Raid Force to the Grave, and add Skip Force to my Hand!"

Shun sent the Card he drew to the Grave, trading it for the Card he sent to the Grave long time earlier in the Duel. He inserted into his Magic and Trap Card Zone, activating it, using Satellite a Cannon Falcon as Material.

"Supreme falcon. Carry on the wishes of your fallen friends, and fly off to the sky of victory! Rank Up Xyz Change! Appear, Rank 10! Raid Raptors - Ultimate Falcon!" Shun shouted as loud as he could, his Monster rising from the ashes of the burning fire behind him.

Ultimate Falcon: Rank 10, 3500 Atk, 2000 Def

I don't have a Monster that can overpower Ultimate Falcon! Ruri thought to herself as she glanced at her Graveyard slot. All I have left is…

"I activate Ultimate Falcon's effect! By detaching an overlay unit, I can negate the effects of as many faceup Cards you control, and have all of your Monsters lose 1000 Attack until the end of the turn!" Shun explained as his dragon let out a purple field of energy out of its wings, heading right for Evolved Nightingale, weakening it and negating the effects.

Evolved Nightingale: 1000-0 Atk

Shun held up his hand, narrowing his eyes as he made a frustrated sound.

He was going to hate every second of this.

"Ultimate Falcon, end this Duel!" Shun proclaimed with a roar, with his bird screeching above, its mouth wide open, charging up an attack.

"From the Graveyard, Rank-Up-Magic Sprouted Winged Force!" Ruri countered, "When the Monster Xyz Summoned using this Card is attacked while this Card is in the Grave, I can end the Battle Phase by detaching an overlay unit from the Monster and by banishing this Card from the Graveyard!"

The amount of overlay units Evolved Nightingale had reduced from 5 to 4.

"Damn it." Shun cursed under his breath, however relieved that Ruri managed to stop his attack. "I end my turn. Now, come, Ruri. End this Duel."

He had said that in a pleading manner to Ruri.

Evolved Nightingale: 0-800 Atk

"Very well." Ruri nodded solemnly as she drew her Card. "Battle! Evolved Nightingale, attack my brother directly and finish this!"

Her Monster let out a 'hmph' in response as she jumped into the air, flying over Shun's Monster, kicking him on top of the head, causing him to cry out in pain as he lost the rest of his life points.

Shun: 300-0 LP

Steam flew out of the back of Shun's d-wheel as the vehicle slowed down to a sputtering pace.

You did it Ruri...you beat me fair and square...you've gotten very close to my Level now...I gave it all I had with what I had…I'm sorry for being a terrible brother…You've grown so much since the war started…Shun thought to himself as he let out a small smile.

I'm proud of you…

Meanwhile, Yuto, who was watching the Duel finish, saw Shun getting defeated.

And only one thought was running through his head.

Shun...Ruri…

"Why?"


Card Catalog

Lyrical Luscinia - Aggressive Nightingale, Wind, Winged-Beast: 3 or more Level 1 Monsters; This Card gains 400 Attack for each overlay unit attached to it. Once during either player's turn, you can detach an overlay unit from this Card, select a Monster on your Field, that Monster cannot be destroyed by battle for the rest of the turn and it can attack twice during this Battle Phase. During the End Phase of the turn this Card was sent to the Graveyard, you can Special Summon a Lyrical Luscinia Xyz Monster from your Extra Deck, except 'Lyrical Luscinia - Aggressive Nightingale'. When the Monster is Summoned, you can attach up to 5 Lyrical Luscinia Monsters in your Graveyard to the Monster.

Rank-Up-Magic Sprouted Winged Force, Quick-Play, Magic: Target a Winged-Beast Xyz Monster you control, Special Summon an Xyz Monster whose Rank is 1 higher than the selected Monster. When an Xyz Monster you control is targeted for attack while this Card is in the Grave, banish this Card and detach an overlay, end the Battle Phase.


Finally done with the Duel!

I hope you enjoyed the Duel. I've noticed that I've barely put any flashbacks in the story so far, so here were two in this chapter right now, hopefully you guys liked them.

So, with the Shun and Ruri Duel done and out of the way, it should be obvious what the next Duel is, unless you haven't been keeping up so far.

Yugo VS Yuzu, coming up next chapter...hopefully.

Ethan Kironus: Academia also needs to Card people to fuel the reactor. It also disposed of any potential threats, so yes, an attack is needed, because they need to Card A LOT of people, there is no way it is going to go unnoticed. Plus, Akaba Leo is in no means the smartest person alive when it comes to making decisions.

Neonecrodarkman: Yeah, I don't ever remember anyone addressing his Shun's overprotectiveness of Ruri. It was only hinted through his actions, and I think MAYBE someone from Academia taunted Shun about his sister...Dennis I think.

Skadi: Darkness is the codename for the 'mysterious' character, not the name for the actual character from Gx.

Bridgey: In my defense for having Ruri win, Shun is literally one of the perfect obstacles for Ruri to overcome, and plus, Shun didn't bring out Final Fortress and he only had Ultimate Falcon our for one turn. Ruri's Deck can dish out more direct damage than Shun's, and it also has crazy defense capabilities. I think that if the anime showed more of Ruri instead of controlling her for both of her only Duels and only showing three Monsters and an ace, she could have shown more than just direct attack damage and maybe a strong beat stick Monster.

Thetiger39: While I like Go's new transitions between personas and all, I cannot help but feel that they wasted this new one (that is if they kill him off after the Duel with Yusaku, which I really hope they don't, cause this new concept for Go is actually really cool).

That is all for this chapter, hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Take care, goodbye!