"This should be where I collided with Zwijo. Here goes!"
The spaceship accelerates towards the faraway stars and vanishes from the orbit. A blinding light shines brilliantly in the sky, as Mitsuko stares at it curiously. Her night shift is finished, but as always, it is tough to handle everything by herself. If only he is there for her, she thought.
"For three years, the maiden enjoys her three lonely dango. Has it been three years, or I am lost in the sea of love thoughts. Zwijo-sama, you heartless bastard. How dare you hurt the weak heart inside me."
Mitsuko finishes her dango in sadness. Ever since Zwijo left her not long after they opened their bakery - Boiled Bagel Requiem, he hasn't returned ever since. Yudias told her that he was caught up with the wars in Velgear, facing Phaser and fighting Kuaidul. There was almost no time to reconcile with her. Yet, now that all have been done, he still hasn't bothered paying her a private visit. "Damn you, Zwijo-sama. Curse you for your next three generations!" Mitsuko growls furious, but her cries are lost in the void of emptiness.
"Phew. I have done it!"
"Wow... So this is a hyperspace. Incredible!"
"Yuna is fine. How about you two?" Yuga asks the twins.
"..."
"Ahahaha... Feeling dizzy?"
"That was such a high-speed travel."
"Yuamu, it wasn't just high. It was unmeasurable."
"It is a taxing travel, indeed. Well, maybe Yuga and me have better endurability than you weaklings."
Yuhi is preparing to throw hands in unmesurable rage, while Yuamu is quickly trying to calm him down, "Ok, chill. We are almost there. Brace ourselves for the landing."
The spaceship approaches the Moon. There is still quite a distance away, but everyone knows the Earth is near. Yuga halts the acceleration of the spaceship temporarily, however, saying that there is something he has to do first.
"Rush Duel Installation Road! Activate!"
"Installation!?"
"In the future, a huge Duel Server is built on the Moon. Duel formats are installed there. I have learnt how to install a Duel format there from a certain distance. By the time we reach the orbit, the installation should be successful. Amazing?" Yuga smiles pridefully.
"Wow... So that's how Dueling is sustained in the future." Yuamu is impressed by the technology advancement.
"Holy—!" Yuhi is completely stunned.
"Gahhh! You are so amazing!" Yuna hastily hugs Yuga out of excitement.
"Hey! I'm still driving! We can hug at my home. OK?"
"Hmmmm~" Yuhi and Yuamu stare at Yuga with funny thoughts.
"Ahahahaha..."
It's early noon in Goha City. Every student is at school and adults are working. Some are taking their lunch breaks. Some are still working of their own will, and there is someone that is always busy in Development Department.
"There's a lot of interesting card ideas. Kids nowadays are creative." The girl with reddish brown bangs and blonde tips usually works the most here, but she seems to be really into her job.
"Setsuko!"
"Nail-neesan!"
"Mutsuba Proto-Spaceship RUSH is landing on Goha Bay soon. Yuga is going to return. I'm sure of that."
"Are you sure it isn't someone else or a hallucination?"
"Nekoyama sent me a report. I won't go into details here, but it is providence for Yuga to return. Perhaps them too."
"Interesting. I will arrive there soon."
"Take care, Setsuko."
As Nail ends his call, Setsuko stands up. Her green eyes are filled with excitement.
Mutsuba Proto-Spaceship RUSH lands on the ocean. Water splashes around the bay as the ship slowly opens its entrance.
"Hop down, Luke!" Romin points at the spaceship, "This is your chance!"
A familiar figure appears. He seems to be at a similar height as Luke. From the top of the spaceship, he lands a spectacular jump to the ground, looking at his rival. Luke approaches him. He throws a card that he has been holding for two years. The one facing in front of Luke catches the card. Both raise their Duel Disk under the shape of a stylized "7". The smokes caused by the landing evaporates, revealing the face of a friend...
Before Yuga and everyone else land on Goha Bay, he tells everyone to focus their eyes on three certain cats. As the spaceship reaches closer to the ocean, Yuga opens the window. As expected, he, Yuhi and Yuamu see the cats face-to-face. Before anyone can comprehend anything, a flashbang sunders the whole area.
"Yuga! Show up and give your King of Duels title to me!" Luke's voice echoes through the smokes. And his prayers have been answered. For the last two years, he didn't feel fulfillment in doing anything. His life was boring and dull. Only Rush Duel could make his blood boil again, the powerful instinct of a Duelist can now be finally awakened.
"I'm home, Luke!" Yuga takes off his helmet with his signature grin.
"Ta-da!" Yuhi and Yuna show up behind Yuga too.
"Wow! So many people! Yuga is so famous." Yuamu can clearly see a sea of people waiting for the King of Duels' arrival.
"Who are these people!?" Gakuto bluntly shows his confusion.
"Are these... your friends?"
"That's right, Romin. I've met new friends over the last 2 years. That aside, let's Duel!" Yuga raises his Duel Disk towards Luke.
"RUSH DUEL!"
Luke lays down on the concrete, "I lost. Yuga's strong. I have been throughly defeated."
"Maybe you should practice more then, lazy-gias!" Romin pinches the loser's cheek.
"It hurts!"
"Oh-la-la. Yuga wins, is that a surprise, I wonder? Nope. He's just that strong!"
"Yuga sure is seriously skilled, Yuna. He really does go all-out."
"We still have a long way to learn, right? Yuhi."
"That was a nice Duel, Yuga Ohdo. Or should I say, King of Duels." Setsuko shows her liking to the legendary rematch between two strongest Duelists in Goha City. She encounters Yuga face-to-face on her elevator, "That was incredible. I liked it."
"Thanks. I haven't met you before. What's your name?"
"Setsuko Saionji. Goha City's lead card designer."
"You are Nail's sister!?"
"My adopted sister, in fact." Nail appears, sitting on Sebastian. "She has done an incredible job in making enjoyable cards for Dueling. Her intelligence rivals you."
"Children have enjoyed Dueling more because of you, Yuga. They have a lot of cool ideas, and it's always a pleasure to make them a reality. By the way, there's something I want to show you. This will surprised everyone here."
Multiple screens appear around the city as Setsuko is about to give a speech, "I hope everyone is satisfied after witnessing the first Rush Duel after two years since the incident with Otes. It is, indeed, a satisfactory Duel that will be talked about for months, or even years. But now, there's something I am eager to announce. For the last 2 years, ever since I became a card designer, a particular idea has dwelled inside me. I couldn't describe it when I applied for the job, so I spent time gaining experiences. It is until now that I finally know what I wanted to truly make all the way back then. Let me introduce... Equip Spells!"
Crowds erupt in cheers upon a new addition to Dueling. With the revival of Rush Duel, all the children in the city are more hyped up than ever to engage in heated Duels.
"Here's an example. Protection of Arthenée. Shuffle 1 monster from your GY into the Deck to equip it to 1 face-up monster on your field. By equipping, the card stays in the Spell & Trap Zone instead of being sent to the GY, and it is linked to the monster it is equipped into - if that monster leaves the field or is flipped face-down, the Equip Spell is sent to the GY. With the introduction of Equip Spells, monsters can be powered up in a more flexible way. As the strength of Equip Spells is continuous, it makes for unpredictable Duels and also requires more skills to overcome equipped monsters. In this case, the equipped monster cannot be destroyed by your opponent's card effects, also it gains 300 ATK if there is another Equip Spell in your GY. Equip Spells dedicated to a specific Type of monster can be stronger, but having Equip Spells for universal types of monsters allows flexibility, too. Have fun, Duelists. I hope you have an amazing day!"
"And that's it?" Yuhi is holding himself from yawning.
"Hmm?"
"Equip Spell is already a thing. What's up with this—?"
"Yuhi Ohdo. Duel me, and providence will give you the answer you desire."
"Hey! How do you know my name? Who are you to know that?"
"Nail Saionji. You had meet Kit Schrödinger before. Am I wrong?"
"That cat guy... You know him?"
"He works for me. I'm sure you know this too. Something is not in providence."
"Just say right or wrong instead of this providence crap! Anyway, fine. Let's Duel! I want to see how strong Duelists in the future are anyway."
RUSH DUEL - Yuhi vs Nail
"I go first. Draw! I activate Power Bond! I fuse Spike Centipede and Arc Scorpio from my hand! A joined fusion, and joined darkness! Doom them to ruin! Fusion Summon! Jointech Killer Stinger! Due to Power Bond, its ATK is doubled!" (Killer Stinger: 3000 → 6000 ATK)
"Damn! Fusion Summon from the hand, and doubling its ATK right away. This rocks!"
"There has to be a drawback from this permanent power boost."
"Sharp as always, Asana-chan."
"Never change, Roa. Never change."
Yuhi raises his Equip Spell. Shuffling Arc Scorpio from his GY back into the Deck, he activates... "Protection of the holy warrior, bestowed upon Yuhi Ohdo's Killer Stinger. Equip Spell: Protection of Arthenée!"
Everyone is shocked over Yuhi's Equip Spell. Goha has just only introduced this mechanic, they haven't even distributed the cards yet. How does this boy have his hands on an Equip Spell?
"I Set 1 card and end my turn. Ack!" Yuhi receivies 3000 damage because of Power Bond (Yuhi: 4000 → 1000 LP)
"My turn. Draw! I Summon Femtron and Tributes it for Picotron. I send it to the GY to send the top 2 cards of my Deck and draw 2 cards." Nail draws Berceptacle Mani, Sigilstate Sol.
"As a card is sent from your Deck to the GY, I activate Power Return! By placing Spike Centipede and Power Bond on the top of my Deck, I gain 1400 LP! How's that? An indestructible joint, and my LP is also replenished." (Yuhi: 1000 → 2400 LP)
"I Summon Attron to send itself and draw 1 card." Nail draws and immediately activates, "Heavenly Invitation! I send the top 3 cards of my Deck, then I can add a Level 10 monster from my GY to my hand!"
"Level 10... Crap!"
"Nail-kun, don't tell me... A Maximum!" Yuamu is immensely worried about what's next.
Nail glances at the milled cards. Heavenly Gift, Connector Dog, and...
"This is providence." Nail reveals the added card. A Maximum Monster - Baneclipse Auf
"Even if you have Maximum, you still have to draw 2 other pieces. Seeing how hard you dig through your Deck, I bet that you can't assemble your Maximum this turn."
"What's your name?"
"Yuna. Yuna Goha of the famous Goha Company."
Nail raises his glasses, "Yuna. This is an unseen providence!" He raises these three cards: Berceptacle Mani, Baneclipse Auf, Sigilstate Sol
"The left and right pieces aren't Maximum Monsters! How?"
"Yuga. This is an evolution of Maximum Summoning. It is not necessarily for the pieces to all be Maximum Monster. What matters is the stabilizer - the centerpiece of the Maximum. I will show you, and to everyone here. A new providence dawns from the heavenly eclipse!"
"A cycle of eternity permeates with no end in sight. As the moon and sun abandon the will of heaven, the eclipse brings cataclysm upon the world, only to be born anew. Maximum Summon!"
A sphere of converging black and white descends upon the field. From it emerges the two embodiments of moon and sun - Berceptacle Mani and Sigilstate Sol. Mani's sickle and Sol's sword are linked with the sphere of chaos, signaling the end of the world, and the Duel.
Yuhi can only gulp before this terrifying power. But soon after the Maximum Summon, Yuamu and Yuna rush in front of Yuhi.
"If you defeat Yuhi with your Maximum Monster, he will get carded!"
"Carded?"
"The Relic. Whoever loses to a Maximum Monster in Maximum Mode will turn into a card and get trapped within the Relic. End the Duel, Nail Saionji!"
Nail takes a deep breath, "Only in Maximum Mode?"
"Yeah. You can just tell me the effects of that thing. If you attack me, I will..."
"I have experimented with Maximum Monster's unique characteristic. Maximum Mode is a part of my providence, and I will show that. Baneclipse Auf's effect activates!"
"Are you serious?"
"Don't worry, Yuhi. I won't lay an attack on you, nor use an effect from a monster in Maximum Mode to win this Duel."
"Be prepared to turn into a card instead of me if you break that promise."
"Providence is absolute. By revealing Seedchrotron and Highdron, you take 600 damage!"
"600! Wait... This is the effect of Sigilstate Sol, right?" (Yuhi: 2400 → 1800 LP)
"Maximum Monster in Maximum Mode is treated as 1 singular monster with the effects of all pieces forming it. This means I can use the effect of both Sigilstate Sol and Berceptacle Mani. Now, Auf's own effect activates! While in Maximum Mode, I add 2 Cyberse monsters with the same Level from my GY to my hand (Picotron), then I can return this card to my hand. Then, I Special Summon the three monsters that form the Maximum Monster in Attack Position!"
"This means..."
"Sigilstate Sol's effect activates!"
"Another 600!" (Yuhi: 1800 → 1200 LP)
"While not in Maximum Mode, Auf can send up to 3 cards from my hand to the GY to return the same number of cards on my field or in my GY to my hand. Then I Maximum Summon again with the same cards I have returned!"
"This is a loop! An eternal cycle!" Yuhi finally realizes the true power of Auf.
"Auf adds back 2 Picotron, then I can return this card to Summon these three monsters again! Sigilstate Sol's effect activates! Inflict 600 damage! Auf sends 3 remaining cards from my hand to the GY to return Mani, Sol and Auf to my hand. Maximum Summon!" (Yuhi: 1200 → 600 LP)
"How terrifying..."
"A vicious cycle that your opponent can only watch in terror. This is Nail Saionji's power."
"How can Nail come up with this? This is... His new Providence!" Yuga is mesmerized.
"Auf can use the effect of Sigilstate Sol. If he adds back 2 Picotron and uses the effect of Auf, I'm finished." Yuhi clenches his fist, "Has Dueling progressed this far in the future?"
"I add back 2 Picotron using Auf's effect. Then... I return Mani, Sol, Auf to my hand and Special Summon them. Yuhi, you are finished!" Sigilstate Sol's effect activates, inflicting the last 600 damage needed to end the Duel.
"600! Aaaahh!" (Yuhi: 600 → 0 LP)
"That was a good Duel. Do you want a handshake?" Nail approaches Yuhi with a smile of a gentle boy.
"Sure. The choice to return Auf to your hand after adding back your Cyberse monsters is optional, right?"
"It is optinal, per providence."
"So that's your providence. Let's be friends."
"Incredible, Duelists. That was a spectacular showcase of my brother's research of Maximum Summon - an enigma in the world of Dueling. Our card designers have also been working on fully understanding Maximum Summon, and there will be updates on that progress soon. Nonetheless, Yuhi has shown us how to use Equip Spell to give your monsters beneficial power-up. It's a mystery for how he acquires a pre-release Equip, but the Duel is legal, so let it be. Everyone will get some free card packs including exclusively Equip Spells, and also other bonuses related to the usage of Equip Spells in your Duels. Enjoy to your heart content, Duelists!"
It seems like today is a successful day for Setsuko and Nail - the talented Saionji siblings.
It's quickly evening. Yuhi and Yuamu stay in Roa's apartment, Damamu stick with Nail.
"For now, just treat this as your home." Yuga's mother introduces herself to Yuna, "I'm Yuga's mother. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you, too. I'm Yuna Goha. Yuga's unofficial girlfriend~"
Yuga flushes upon Yuna's statement. "Unofficial girlfriend"...
"Is this what you are thinking right now?"
"I'm introducing myself to my future mother-in-law. Fufufu."
"You two seem to be really close together. Yuga doesn't hang out with girls much, so it's surprising that he may have a girlfriend."
"Come on, Mom!"
The house is filled with laughters as Yuna talks about her daily life with Yuga in Goha Company with some "romantic undertones" which are deemed overblown by Yuga himself.
"You really blushed a lot, didn't you?"
"I mean... It's not like what you told wasn't the truth. It's just... You are overblowing things, you know."
"Right, right. Let me sort your bags for you."
"Okay, okay."
As Yuna is dealing with Yuga's luggage, a deck case drops from Yuga's bag.
"Hmm? Is this a new deck of his?" Yuna looks at the content of the deck. "This Sevens Road Magician... doesn't look so right? Yuga!"
"Yuna? Ah! Oh no..."
"No what? Why are these cards look so eldritch. These eyes drive me sick!" (Darkness Rogue, Darkness Zerorogue, Magician of Dark Sevens)
"Um... It's a what-if take on Sevens Road Magician."
"An alternative story?"
"Mhmm. Sevens Road Magician might have betrayed his comrades to gain power of evil. These Darkness monsters are such creatures. Well, this is just my imagination. Sometimes things run wild, ahaha."
"Interesting. Wanna mix it with my Celeb Rose cards?"
"What do you mean?"
"This deck focuses on Fusion Summon. This ace - Magician of Dark Sevens, is a powerful Fusion Monster. My deck is also about Fusion Summon too? You could add some Equip Spells if you like."
Yuga calmly smiles, "Let's try it."
At Nanahoshi Insect Ninja Village. Nanaho is standing on a peak, watching the full moon among the bright stars.
"Nanaho."
"You're here, Setsuko."
"The moon is beautiful."
"Indeed. How's the development of that going on?"
"Going well. Otes was such a bother back then. He ruined our entire progress with his six merchants."
"It sucks. Anyway. Do you agree that this world is boring and dull?"
"Indeed. Everything is so peaceful, there's no excitement in life anymore."
"Nanaho. I am blessed to being adopted. Life in orphanage is cool, and I'm glad Saionji family treats me well. Yet, nothing in the world gives me fulfillment."
"Do you want a turbulent world too?"
"Perhaps. It's something I haven't seen yet. Maybe it will give me fulfillment in this imperfect world. I yearn for perfection. I have everything, a stable career and a caring family, yet I feel empty. For me, it's perfect or imperfect. I'm lacking something that I can't tell. I'm imperfect. Don't get the wrong idea, I don't entirely like turmoil. However, I am willing to do anything for perfection. This imperfect world has to change, and I have to make myself perfect."
"Deep words from my second-in-command."
"If that's what you take from my words, go ahead. I probably ramble a lot anyway."
"So. What're you going to do? Thanks for helping me recovering the lost progress over the last two years, though it would be better if we take a break for a few days. The project is almost complete. I'm just letting my underlings do the final check-ups."
"Actually, I've been working on new mechanics for Rush Duel behind-the-scenes. Equip Spell is just one of them. Maybe I will just stroll around the streets and find some Duelists to have fun with."
"I pray for your opponent in behalf of you then."
"Am I that dangerous as a Duelist?"
"There's a reason you are the second-in-command. I have taken a liking of that nihilistic aura of yours since the day we first met."
P.S. Yuga and everyone has arrived at the future. There's a new character - Setsuko Saionji, who is the lead card designer of Goha (Filling in Otes' place). She used to be an orphan kid until the Saionji family adopted her when she's three years old, and apparently for her "the world is boring and dull" and that she lacks "fulfillment" in her life. She is obsessed with the idea of perfection, but what is perfection for her? What's the relationship between her and Nanaho? What's Nanaho scheming for the last two years?