Maiami City still took his breath away sometimes.
It sounded kind of sappy, but damn, it was amazing how clean the city was compared to the polluted metropolis he was used to. The place was huge, but there was no smog that hung around, you could actually see the stars in the sky when it got dark, and the water that lined the city was crystal clear. Even places like Hawaii didn't have such scenic water views.
Hell, people actually used trash cans instead of throwing their garbage on the street without a care. It was almost more bizarre than the whole Duel Monsters thing.
Tetsuro wasn't normally the sort of person to think too deeply about matters like that, but ever since he transmigrated here he started noticing them more and more. Whether it was comparisons of technology, wealth, or cleanliness, this world seemed to one-up his at every corner.
It brought him a brief feeling of melancholy, but he tried not to dwell on it.
Closing his eyes, he enjoyed the light breeze that chased away the heat of the sun.
His walk through the city brought him to the riverside that cut a line straight through the cityscape. The banks, covered in green grass, provided plenty of space for the denizens of Maiami to use the river as a place for relaxation.
A few families had set out blankets and picnic baskets to watch their children play along the bank.
Tetsuro's gaze drifted over them for a moment before he continued walking.
While a nap on the riverside sounded good, he was on a mission.
"If I was a dimension-jumping war victim on a path of vengeance, where would I be?" he mumbled, scratching his chin in thought. "A cat cafe, maybe? No, no, Shun's more of a bird guy. But maybe Yuto likes cats, so it's possible…"
His thoughts tapered off as he was once again distracted.
He couldn't for the life of him remember where those two Xyz guys popped up in the timeline of the original Arc V series. Did they show up before or after pendulum summoning was magicked into existence? Before would make more sense, right? It'd give them time to get comfortable with the new dimension before running around and getting in duels to turn people in to cards.
…then again, that kind of hare-brained scheme might show how little planning time they had.
But on the slight chance he'd run into them, he wasn't willing to give up. Plus, hunting was more interesting when you didn't know where exactly the prey was, right?
"Argh! So damn annoying! If only I had an emo radar instead of being a spirit whisperer!"
A phantom sensation made itself known on his ass.
"Hey, hey! Don't you da-"
""Whoa!/Hey, watch it you oaf!""
In his hurry to escape his duel spirit's invisible clutches, Tetsuro had practically jumped into the small figure that was unlucky enough to be passing by at that exact time. A flash of blue caught his eye before he went down. Fortunately, he managed to catch himself before he really smashed down onto them, but it didn't stop either of them from taking a tumble down onto the sidewalk.
"Ow…" the figure, who turned out to be a girl with fluffy, burnt-orange hair, complained from beneath him. Her eyes were scrunched shut in pain as she scrubbed a hand over the back of her head.
"Oops! My bad, sister!" with a quick apology, Tetsuro immediately hopped back up to his feet.
"You okay?" He offered a hand to the fallen girl, "I wasn't lookin' where I was going. Think you can get up, or d'you want me to take you to a doctor or something?"
"I hardly require the assistance of an oaf like you. Why did this have to happen today of all days? I hadn't foreseen such an encounter with…a…handsome bad boy…today…"
Tetsuro could only watch, bemused, as the air around her shifted completely.
Where one second there was haughty indignation, now there was only a gaze that looked at him like he was a particularly fine piece of meat. Which he was, of course, but the sudden change in the situation almost gave him whiplash.
Still, priorities.
"C'mon, let me help you up. We can sit down at one of the outdoor tables at the WcDonald's over there for a bit. Gotta make sure you're feeling alright after a tumble like that."
Not waiting for the flustered girl's response, he hauled her up and led her to one of the seats. Not many customers were around, most likely choosing to eat down closer to the river. If they could even stomach this crap that passed for food, anyway.
Super-processed burgers that were immune to aging also transcended dimensions. Of course.
Sitting the girl down in one of the cheap plastic seats, he walked around beside her. The hand he hadn't been pulling her by was still absentmindedly placed on her head. It didn't look like she was in pain anymore, but he couldn't just jet outta here without making sure she was good.
He wouldn't call himself a good samaritan, necessarily, but he wasn't that bad.
"Here, let me take a look. I may not look it, but I'm a pretty mean hand at first aid. Gotten plenty of scrapes myself, ya know?"
Saying so, he moved her hand out of the way to check her scalp.
"'scuse me for a sec."
His fingers brushed through the girl's orange locks, finally getting a reaction. A shiver ran down her spine and her face reddened into a blush.
"I-I'm fine! Completely fine! You don't need to check any further, I assure you I'm okay! I'll m-make sure that I do a reading for my health later, just to make doubly sure! So you can stop touching me now!"
"Oh?" he questioned, ignoring the girl's assurances as he continued checking her for injuries, "You a fortune-teller or something, little lady?"
She was kind of familiar. A side character or something, right? Damn, he'd only watched like a quarter of Arc V, so he wasn't super in-the-know.
"T-That's right." She confirmed, "You may call me Madame Mieru Hochun, I'm a renowned fortune-teller from the Unno Divination School. An oaf like you should be considered lucky to make my acquaintance."
A little bit of fire made its way back into her tone, but her clear embarrassment took the wind right out of her sails.
"It's my lucky day then," he simply agreed, not willing to get into a scrap with someone he had just run over, "give me just one more sec, and…there! You'll have a pretty good bump on your head for a day or two, but you're not bleeding. Though I'd definitely recommend putting some ice on it once you get home later. Trust me, you'll regret it tomorrow if you don't."
As he stepped back, the girl grew visibly less flustered. The speed with which she gathered herself was pretty impressive considering how red she was a moment ago.
Facing his concerned gaze, she quickly took out a handkerchief and held it to her nose before speaking again.
"Ahem," she fake coughed, "Thank you for your care. Even though you were at fault, I should have been more aware of my surroundings as well. I could have easily avoided you if that were the case."
"Nah, no need to take the fall with me." He denied, "I should at least have jumped into the grass, rather than onto the other side of the sidewalk where someone coulda been walking. It's my bad."
"Very well then." She finally agreed, "Since you seem to be genuinely remorseful, I'll accept your apology."
Although she avoided his eyes, he didn't get the vibe that there was any bad blood between them. She was just shy…sometimes?
She toyed with her fingers for a moment in what looked like an unsure gesture, before her eyes widened and she stood up in a rush.
"Wait! My apple!"
Before Tetsuro could get the question, "what apple?" out of his mouth, she had already taken off in a run back to the sidewalk where they collided. Seeing her state of panic, he followed after her. His long legs made up the distance easily, arriving just a few seconds behind the fortune-teller.
Her eyes were scanning the ground for any sign of her would-be apple, but she wasn't having any luck.
Well, there was nothing to find, after all. He didn't want her to search for nothing.
"Here," Tetsuro pulled the blue object he had grabbed out of the air earlier out of his jacket pocket, "You're lookin' for this, right?"
Mieru lit up as she saw the blue, crystal apple in his hand.
Taking it out of his grasp quickly, she inspected it intensely. Apparently she was happy with what she found, because she let out a sigh of relief a moment later.
"Thank goodness it wasn't damaged."
A frown then overtook her features.
"If you had it the whole time, why didn't you say anything?" her accusing gaze met Tetsuro's.
He held up his hands in defense.
"Hey now, I just happened to see it sailing through the air after our run-in. I grabbed it, but I was more worried about making sure you were okay instead of checking the bauble I caught."
"It's not a bauble, it's a crystal apple that I use for my divination." She frowned at his description, but the accusation left her expression.
"It would have been a big problem if this were broken. Much more-so than a small bump on the head." She complained.
"How come?" Tetsuro asked, "Couldn't you just get a new one? Seems like your head would be more important."
"You wouldn't understand." She shook her head in disagreement. "A tool like this takes years to acclimate to a person, even for someone as skilled as myself."
"Huh, guess I'll take your word for it." He acquiesced.
If this were Earth there's no way he'd even consider something as mumbo-jumbo as fortune telling to have any value, but the fact was that this wasn't Earth. Considering all the hocus pocus that existed behind the scenes of Duel Monsters, fortune telling actually sounded pretty damn reasonable by comparison. Certainly more-so than Egyptian Gods, ancient pharaohs, split dimensions, and so on.
He was still skeptical, but it wasn't outright disbelief like it would have been once upon a time. His world view had really expanded over the past couple months, for better or worse.
The little lady didn't seem to pick up on his thoughts as she settled down.
Actually…come to think of it, wasn't a real fortune-teller exactly what he needed right now?
Mieru must have picked up something from the way he was looking at her with a thoughtful expression on his face.
"What? Why are you looking at me so intensely?" she avoided stuttering this time, but her eyes darted around to avoid meeting his gaze. The crystal apple that had just been returned to her found itself shuffled between her hands.
"This may not be a great time for it considering that I just about ran you over, but are you able to locate someone with your fortune telling?"
"Fortune telling can't just find people, you know? You can gain insight into the situation of their lives, but finding their physical location isn't something fortunes are typically concerned with. The art you're thinking of is scrying." she sounded disappointed, though whether it was because of Tetsuro's ignorance or another reason, she didn't indicate.
"Ah, my bad." Tetsuro wilted. "So, guess it's back to square one for me."
His defeated sigh cause Mieru to return his earlier stare.
"…Scrying isn't my specialty, but as one of the top students of Unno Divination School I'm well-versed in all of the disciplines that are taught there."
Tetsuro's mood bounced back instantly.
Lucky!
"Does that mean you're willing to help out? I've been running myself ragged through the city, so it'd be a huge help to have the best fortune teller around lookin' out for me!"
She practically glowed at his description, although Mieru did her best to hide it. Her success was nil.
"Hmhmm," she hummed, seeming to take the matter seriously, "I suppose it isn't out of the question. I don't normally offer my services to the public, but I'll consider our encounter today as a type of fate. Events that I don't foresee are rare, so I'll make an exception for you. In exchange, allow me to do a reading on you as well."
Not seeing the harm, he agreed with a nod.
Getting Testuro's okay, Mieru went on.
"Do you have a possession or anything related to the person you're looking for?"
"Nah," Tetsuro scratched the back of his head, "I've never even met 'em in person, you see, so I'm just working off of a description. Ah, actually, there are two of them and they usually stick together, in case that helps out."
Mieru's brows scrunched as she nibbled on her lower lip in thought.
"That complicates matters."
"You can't do it?" Tetsuro sighed, preparing himself to resume his trek through the city on foot. He wasn't willing to miss out on a chance to get ahead of the plot he remembered, even if it meant becoming a slum hiker.
"I didn't say that," she denied, "But even my skills have their limits. The process will be far more time consuming than I initially thought."
"Oh!" Tetsuro recovered in a flash, "That's great! Even if it takes a bit of extra time, I don't mind! You're awesome, Mieru!"
"Naturally." she huffed proudly. "However, since that's the case, allow me to conduct my reading on you first."
"Works for me. Do ya need to check my palm or something?"
He agreed without reservation. He'd been wasting his time hoofin' it anyway, so adding a few more minutes didn't even register as an inconvenience.
"No," she denied, shaking her head, "A simple palm reading session is far from adequate to measure someone's fate. I have far more sophisticated means to gaze into your future."
The small, blue screen strapped to her wrist lit up with a hum. A purple blade comprised of solidified light flashed into existence beside it.
"Come!" she declared, "A duel will unveil everything."
…
"I guess I shouldn't be too surprised." Tetsuro mumbled. "It'd be weirder if Duel Monsters - literal cards - weren't involved in fortune-telling."
Locking his gaze with his opponent, he activated his own duel disk. A light construct of garish green and orange burst forth. He'd spent a long time getting it to match the P.U.N.K's colors. A lesser being would have to squint their eyes at its awesomeness.
"You're on. I don't know how losing a duel is going to help you see the future, but I can't just deny the request of someone who's doing me a solid."
"Your confidence is good, at least." Mieru wasn't one to be swayed by mere words, "Lets see how long it takes for me to unravel it."
""DUEL!""
Mieru: 4000 / Tetsuro: 4000
"I'll take the first move!" Mieru declared.
Her face exuded nothing but confidence as she checked her hand.
"I'll start by providing you a brief glimpse of the future - I'll activate Foolish Burial in order to send a card from my deck to the graveyard. The card I'll choose is Prediction Princess Tarotrei!"
"But don't worry, you still have a bit of time before that prediction comes to pass. For the present, I'll set both a monster and another card face-down."
Mieru's cards materialized on the field accompanied by an ominous aura.
"With that, I'll pass the turn. Do your best to hold on as long as you can."
"Don't worry, I'll ride this out without a sweat!" Tetsuro declared, "I draw!"
Tetsuro considered his options for a moment before determining his way forward.
"To kick things off, I'll activate Emergency Teleport to summon a level 3 or lower psychic monster from my deck. And what'dya know, I have just the girl that fits the bill. Come on, Ze Amin! It's time to get to work!"
Noh-P.U.N.K. Ze Amin
LV: 3 / ATK: 600 / DEF: 600
Dressed in her usual neon kimono, Ze Amin took the field with a flurry. Accompanying her was a large lantern shaped like a goldfish, looking far more expressive than the girl beside it.
"While her attack power may not be outta this world, her effect is pretty killer. I'll pay 600 lifepoints in order to search another P.U.N.K. monster from my deck, and I'll choose Noh-P.U.N.K. Foxy Tune!"
-600!
"Using Foxy Tune's effect in my hand, she can discard herself and another card in order to summon a P.U.N.K. monster from my deck! C'mon out, Deer Note!"
Noh-P.U.N.K. Deer Note
LV: 5 / ATK: 2100 / DEF: 1800
His new monster was a bit taller than Ze Amin, though her outfit looked similar. A gentle smile decorated her face as she awaited her instructions, a stark contrast to her sister's expressionless visage.
As Mieru watched Tetsuro's turn play out, her face grew firm. She hadn't expected that this random person who crashed into her on the street would be such a competent duelist.
"All that without a normal summon…" she mumbled, "It seems I'll have to take this seriously after all."
Tetsuro, unaware of her thoughts, continued his turn.
"I hope you're ready!" he shouted, "I'll tune the level 3 Ze Amin with the level 5 Deer Note."
The two monsters shared a look before they each nodded. Eight flashing stars surrounded them, obscuring their figures in bright, neon light of green and orange.
"Luminous souls, set your hearts ablaze! Beat as one! P.U.N.K JAM Dragon Drive!"
Damn, it was a bit embarrassing to actually say that out loud, but it also tickled his inner chuuni.
The cocoon of light surrounding his monsters burst, and two figures stepped forward.
Ze Amin and Deer Note had combined their power, but each still retained their own body. Their looks had changed, however. Ze Amin now sported a blood orange haori decorated with flower patterns, while Deer Note wore a similar haori in mint green. Even more notably, both monsters now had headpieces that each resembled a large eastern dragon's head.
P.U.N.K. JAM Dragon Drive
LV: 8 / ATK: 2700 / DEF: 2400
"Don't get lost now, because with the summon of Dragon Drive we have some effects to activate!" Tetsuro went on.
"I'll build the chain with Dragon Drive first, Deer Note in the grave second, and Ze Amin third. Because she was sent to the graveyard, Ze Amin will give Dragon Drive a permanent 600 attack boost, making for a grand total of 3300!"
ATK: 2700 + 600 = 3300
"Next up, Deer Note's effect allows me to summon another P.U.N.K. from the grave, and I'll choose Foxy Tune!"
The selected monster appeared in a flourish.
In terms of build, she looked identical to Ze Amin, though her face was covered in a fox mask and a white, fluffy tail swayed behind her. A much larger, floating fox mask of a different design from her own also floated in the air beside her, giving off a dangerous air.
Noh-P.U.N.K. Foxy Tune
LV: 8 / ATK: 2300 / DEF: 2600
Tetsuro paused briefly to look between Ze Amin wreathed in Dragon Drive's power and the newly summoned Foxy Tune.
Technically, Foxy Tune really was just Ze Amin in another costume. If she raised the fox mask she was wearing, their faces would be carbon copies of one another. The same applied to Noh-P.U.N.K. Ogre Dance as well. Even though they were separate cards, there was only a single spirit between all three of them.
He'd tried asking Ze Amin what significance the costumes served that their power was so much higher than her base form, but she was tight lipped about it.
Whether it was actually something significant or just her being her usual self…he couldn't tell yet.
But that was something for future him to deal with. Distractions aside, he resolved the last effect in his chain.
"Finally, when Dragon Drive is summoned, I can pay 600 lifepoints to add a level 3 psychic monster from my deck to my hand. I'll add Gagaku-P.U.N.K. Wa Gon!
-600!
"Now, lets get this show on the road! Battle!"
With a swing of his hand, Tetsuro declared his intent.
"Dragon Drive, attack that face-down monster! Lightbreak Burst!"
Two small folding fans appeared in their hands. With a swing, the innocuous fans created a torrential blast of neon-orange energy. As it struck the opposing face-down monster, a burst of symbols flew out from the explosive impact.
Mieru's confident voice came from beyond the smoke.
"You may have destroyed my monster, but its flip effect still activates. When Prediction Princess Coinorma is flipped face-up, I can special summon a level 3 or higher Flip monster from my deck face-down! I'll summon Pot of the Forbidden!"
Tetsuro only managed to catch a glimpse of a single red eye accompanied by razor sharp teeth as the card settled on the field.
The rules here were a bit different when it came to revealing cards and what was considered public knowledge, so Mieru didn't need to do more than declare her monster's name. If the opponent didn't know it, that was too bad.
The holographic display of the duel disk could only show what was currently face-up on the field, so face-downs got an advantage in cases like this.
It was kinda bullshit, but Tetsuro was familiar enough with the card she'd set. Raigeki and Pot of Greed when it flipped or something? Also, it had a big ass.
The 3000 defense of the new monster complicated matters. Foxy Tune didn't have the power to get over it. Perhaps he should have attacked the first face-down with Foxy Tune and saved Dragon Drive's attack for the follow-up.
Yeah, that was definitely the move. It was a lesson for next time.
"I'll end my Battle Phase here." He declared. "However, before I pass it to you, I'll set two cards face-down in the backrow. Your move."
"Draw!" Mieru took the top card of her deck with an elegant motion.
Before she was able to move onto the Standby Phase, however, she was interrupted.
"During your Draw Phase, I'll activate a trap card!" One of Tetsuro's face-downs flipped up, and an yellow-orange mask with wide eyes flew toward Mieru's set monster.
"Joruri-P.U.N.K. Nashiwari Surprise allows me to target a set card on the field and pop it!"
Without being able to reveal itself, Pot of the Forbidden was destroyed.
Mieru frowned at the destruction of her monster. She had wanted to flip summon it immediately in her Main Phase, since Pot of the Forbidden had several strong effects that it could activate as soon as it was flipped face-up.
Unfortunately, it wasn't to be.
"It seems you're familiar with my card's effect, for you to be so eager to destroy it." She fished for information.
"That's right." Tetsuro confirmed, "That thing's like a Pot of Greed on steroids if it gets rolling, so I'd rather not deal with it. Too many bad memories, ya know?"
"Your caution is warranted," Mieru nodded, "but it's not always so easy to escape your destiny. Allow me to show you. I'll activate Pre-Preparation of Rites!"
"With this, I can add Prediction Ritual to my hand from my deck, and then I'll also take back the Prediction Princess Tarotrei that I sent to the graveyard on my first turn."
Meiru smiled confidently before using her newly acquired ritual spell.
"All the requirements have been met! I'll activate Prediction Ritual. By tributing the level 9 Prediction Princess Bibliomuse in my hand, I can summon Prediction Princess Tarotrei!"
A large, stone ritual circle formed on Mieru's side of the field. As Bibliomuse was offered as tribute, nine orange flames poured out of her graveyard and positioned themselves on top of the ritual circle.
As the last flame found its place, a torrent of raging fire shot up from the circle's center straight into the air, heralding the coming of her ace monster.
"The ancient sorceress who sees everything! This ancient, secret spell resurrects you! Ritual Summon! Come forth, Prediction Princess Tarotrei!"
Prediction Princess Tarotrei
LV: 9 / ATK: 2700 / DEF: 1200
Wrapped in a dark robe with her face hidden away, the tall figure of Tarotrei appeared on the field. Six arms spread out from her torso, though only two of them were flesh and blood. The other four were skeletal limbs that reached out from a strange set of pauldrons.
"To accompany Tarotrei's summon, the effect of Bibliomuse activates! Because she was tributed and sent to the graveyard, I can special summon her in face-down defense position!"
"Not so fast!" Tetsuro interrupted Mieru's effect, "Before she comes back, I'll activate my trap, Gold Pride - Start Your Engines! I reveal three Gold Pride monsters from my deck, then my opponent gets to select one of them at random for me to special summon. After that, the monster you summoned on your field will be destroyed."
"Oh?" Mieru's smile took on a smug edge. "You wish for me to pick a card at random? While normally leaving your fate in my hands would be wise, that's not the case in a duel. You're just setting yourself up for defeat."
Heedless of her warning, Tetsuro continued on.
"Then I just have to line things up myself, don't I? I'll reveal three copies of Gold Pride - Captain Carrie! It doesn't matter how you look at it, this future is set in stone."
No matter which option Mieru ended up picking, the result would be the same.
"Not bad" Mieru complimented.
She took a moment to let her eyes wander over the field before making her next move.
"However, your trap won't get you the result that you're looking for. Long ago have I foreseen such a tactic! I'll chain the quick-play spell, Forbidden Lance! By reducing Tarotrei's attack points by 800 for a turn, she becomes immune to all other spell and trap effects!"
The gold and white lance that appeared was grasped in one of Tarotrei's skeletal hands.
Prediction Princess Tarotrei
ATK: 2700 - 800 = 1900
"Tch." Tetsuro clicked his tongue and his trap failed to get rid of his opponent's monster.
"Not so bad yourself," he went on, "however, whether or not Tarotrei is destroyed, Captain Carrie will still be summoned out. Time to shine, Carrie!"
Blasting onto the field thanks to Start Your Engines!, Tetsuro's monster appeared with much fanfare. A massive, blue "START!" sign manifested over Carrie's head as she struck a stylish pose, her pirate hat billowing in the explosion caused by her summoning.
Gold Pride - Captain Carrie
LV: 3 / ATK: 900 / DEF: 1700
Following Carrie's arrival, Mieru's monster effect resolved as well.
The spirit of Prediction Princess Bibliomuse came up from the grave, doing a quick circle around the weakened Tarotrei before disappearing from view. Only a face-down cardback was left in her wake as she settled onto the field.
"Now, since Carrie was summoned, I can add a Gold Pride trap card from my deck to my hand. I'll add another copy of Gold Pride - Start Your Engines!"
Tetsuro's field at this point consisted of Carrie, Foxy Tune, and Dragon Drive, making for a pretty stacked roster. On top of that, he had four cards in his hand with a draw coming next turn.
Mieru's field, consisting of Tarotrei, the set Bibliomuse, and an unkown face-down card still posed a threat, however.
"I'll end my turn here." Mieru declared.
"You won't attack?" Tetsuro questioned.
"There's no need." The orange-haired girl shook her head before making her final move, "During the End Phase, Tarotrei's effect activates. I can special summon a flip monster from my graveyard in face-down defense position. Naturally, I choose Pot of the Forbidden! Be reborn!"
"Aw man, here we go again." Tetsuro groused, though the fierce smile on his face contradicted his complaint.
He drew a card to begin his turn.
"I'll start off by summoning Gagaku-P.U.N.K. Wa Gon."
Gagaku-P.U.N.K. Wa Gon
LV: 3 / ATK: 900 / DEF: 600
Dressed in red and yellow, Wa Gon fit right in with the other excessively colorful cards that Tetsuro played as he joined Dragon Drive, Foxy Tune, and Captain Carrie on the field. A large, feathered headdress sat upon his head, while a series of glowing instruments surrounded him.
"Tarotrei's effect activates!" Mieru barely let Wa Gon hit the field before she responded. "I can target a face-down monster on the field and flip it face-up. I'll flip my Pot of the Forbidden into face-up attack position!"
Clasping her skeletal hands together, a green light emerged from the center of Tarotrei's robe. That light grew in intensity before shooting off in the direction of Mieru's set monster.
With a sinister creak, Pot of the Forbidden flipped up.
Pot of the Forbidden
LV: 9 / ATK: 2000 / DEF: 3000
Perched on a massive stone dais, the pot gave off a dark aura. It was decorated with demonic faces, and within its interior a set of sharp teeth and a single, red eye could be seen for just a moment before the beast in the pot fell silent.
"The event that you tried so desperately to stop has now come to pass." Mieru gleamed with confidence, "When my Pot of the Forbidden is flipped face-up, I can choose to activate one of its four effects. In this case, I'll use the third one to destroy all monsters you control! The darkness of the unknown will drag them down!"
Darkness erupted out of the pot, engulfing Tetsuro's entire field in a wave.
Unable to resist, all three of his P.U.N.K. monsters, along with Carrie, were swallowed in the tide, leaving his field completely barren.
It was like the last turn of effort had been erased.
Tetsuro took a moment to give an apologetic glance toward his graveyard before getting himself back in the game. Whether she knew it or not, that move had saved Mieru's skin, because his field had been set up for one of his strongest monsters to make an appearance.
"That's a good combo. You're one of the best duelists I've faced in a long time." Tetsuro complimented his opponent. Compared to some of the clowns that ran around the city, she was several levels higher.
"Of course! Such tactics are expected from Unno's best." Mieru preened, clearly happy with the praise, before glancing to the side, "Your dueling skills are also adequate."
She was good at receiving compliments, but her giving could use some work.
Although his last move fell short, he wouldn't be finished off that easily.
"Just adequate, eh? We'll see if I can't up that rating a little bit, because my turn's not over yet." He declared, taking a card from his hand and bringing it down onto the field.
"When my lifepoints are lower than my opponent's, I can special summon Gold Pride - Leon from my hand!
Gold Pride - Leon
LV: 3 / ATK: 1500 / DEF: 1200
In a burst of smoke, Leon took the field atop his mechanical horse.
"When Leon's summoned, I can revive a non-warrior Gold Pride monster from my grave. You got rid of her for a moment, but Carrie's coming back with a vengeance. And of course, since she's summoned, she can add a Gold Pride trap card from my deck to my hand."
Gold Pride - Captain Carrie
LV: 3 / ATK: 900 / DEF: 1700
After grabbing a trap from his deck, Tetsuro continued with his main push.
"Tuning! Using the level 3 Leon and level 3 Captain Carrie, I'll synchro summon. Time to shine, Gold Pride - Star Leon!"
Both duelists were forced to cover their eyes as the synchro took place, the light being released from the summon being far more intense than any of the previous summons performed during the duel. It was as if a star was being born.
Slowly, the figure of Star Leon was revealed as the light faded.
Gold Pride - Star Leon
LV: 6 / ATK: 2000 / DEF: 2000
The mechanical horse that Leon had been riding on had shifted into a completely new form, becoming a full set of gleaming yellow and black armor. A large engine was stored on his back, while two jets jutted out from either side of him. Rounding out his new look, Leon's face was covered in a clear visor that would allow him to survive even in the depths of space.
Mieru took a moment to admire Tetsuro's new monster. He looked quite dashing.
"I'll activate Star Leon's effect, targeting your Tarotrei." Tetsuro snapped Mieru out of her daydream, "He can gain the attack points of the targeted monster, and then if my lifepoints are lower than yours, he can destroy that monster. Star Leon - Exceed Limit!"
"No, Tarotrei!"
With a golden glow, Leon powered up. The light danced around him for a moment before launching itself toward Tarotrei. Unable to handle Leon's power, the Fairy-type Prediction Princess was destroyed.
Gold Pride - Star Leon
ATK: 2000 + 2700 = 4700
At a shocking 4700 attack points, his monster had become a major threat.
"Leon, time to put that boost to work!" Tetsuro ordered his attack, "Take out that Pot!"
Revving the jets on his back, Star Leon flew forward at an impressive speed. Before his fist impacted Pot of the Forbidden, however, he was interrupted by Mieru's voice.
"Making a move with excessive haste can easily lead one to ruin." She gave an ominous prediction before activating her face-down card, "Allow me to show you what I mean; I'll activate my trap card, Widespread Ruin! When your monster attacks, I can destroy the one with the highest attack. Since you only have one monster, its fate is sealed."
Widespread Ruin engulfed Star Leon in a massive explosion. The solid vision system in their duel disks even managed to generate an uncomfortable heat as the displaced air gusted past the two duelists.
Mieru, believing in her victory, watched the smoke clear with a smug smile.
Her expression changed to one of shock a mere second later, as Star Leon burst through the cloud of smoke, showing no signs of damage whatsoever. In fact, his attack points had gotten even higher!
Gold Pride - Star Leon
ATK: 5200
His armor encased fist smashed into Pot of the Forbidden with a resounding bang as the large piece of pottery that made up its shell was shattered. With a mere 2000 attack, it had no hope of stopping Leon's charge.
-3200!
On top of losing her monster, Mieru took a significant blow to her lifepoints.
Mieru: 800 / Tetsuro: 2800
"H-How did your monster survive my trap card? It should have been destroyed!" Mieru, frazzled from the unexpected situation, tried to catch up.
Tetsuro revealed a quick-play spell that was now in his graveyard.
"Gold Pride - Pedal to the Metal! This spell gives any Gold Pride monster a 500 attack boost and makes it immune to destruction through battle or card effects. In exchange, it can no longer activate its effect during this turn. A small "price" to pay for keeping Leon around."
"I see," Mieru's lips turned down in a grimace, "That's irritating, but don't think this duel is over yet. You just happened to gain the upper hand briefly."
"'Course not," Tetsuro agreed. "But, if you think that's annoying, wait until you see this."
The smile on her opponent's face made Mieru want to break her lady-like visage, but she managed to keep control of herself. Even if that smile looked incredibly annoying.
"I'll set two face-downs, and then in my End Phase two things will happen. First off, my Pedal to the Metal will re-set itself on the field. This is an effect I can only use when a Gold Pride monster was destroyed this turn. Coincidentally, Captain Carrie was destroyed earlier by your Pot's effect. Tough luck, eh?"
"Secondly," he continued, "When Star Leon uses his effect to gain attack points, he'd normally be returned to the Extra Deck during the End Phase. But since Pedal to the Metal prevents this effect from activating, he'll be sticking around."
The "downside" of Pedal to the Metal was more like a boon in this situation, allowing Tetsuro to keep a strong monster on his field. Mieru caught on to that as well as she made her next move.
"It's my turn, then!" Mieru drew the top card of her deck.
Black Cat-astrophe. A trap card that prevented battle when one controlled two or more face-down monsters. Considering that her field consisted of only a single face-down monster at this point, it initially seemed useless.
However, she had never been satisfied with a mere initial look.
She saw the path to victory.
"I'll flip summon Prediction Princess Bibliomuse!" she declared, "This allows me to add a Prediction Princess monster and a ritual spell from my deck to my hand. I'll choose another copy of Tarotrei and Prediction Ritual!"
After adding the two cards to her hand, she activated another search effect.
"Next, I'll use the effect of the Prediction Ritual that was already in my grave. By banishing it, I can add a Prediction Princess from my deck to my hand. Prediction Princess Petalelf, come to me!"
The requirements were met.
"I'll activate the Prediction Ritual from my hand, tributing Bibliomuse as material in order to ritual summon Prediction Princess Tarotrei!"
Appearing once again in an eruption of light, Tarotrei loomed over the field.
"Because Bibliomuse was tributed, I can summon her back from the graveyard in face-down defense position! On top of that, I'll set a monster from my hand as well."
Her board presence had expanded significantly compared to mere moments ago.
"Not bad." Tetsuro whistled. "You still can't compete with Star Leon's attack, but I bet you have a plan for that, right?"
"Of course." Mieru confirmed, "Allow me to show you! Using Tarotrei's effect, I'll flip the Petalelf I just set to face-up attack position. She'll change all attack position monsters my opponent controls to defense position."
Prediction Princess Petalelf
LV: 3 / ATK: 800 / DEF: 700
Star Leon grimaced behind his visor as he was changed to defense mode.
Gold Pride - Star Leon
LV: 6 / ATK: 5200 / DEF: 2000
His effect only increased his attack, so he wouldn't be able to measure up to Tarotrei like this.
"Battle!" Mieru shouted, "Tarotrei will attack Star Leon! Fated Revelation!"
Green light gathered between Tarotrei's hands as she prepared to launch her spell toward her target.
"You know," Tetsuro's tone was light, "while this duel has shortened the distance between us, what do you think about getting even closer?"
The unexpected comment threw Mieru for a loop.
"Wawawaw-what are you talking about?!" she turned red, "W-We've only just met! It's too soon! I'm not prepared! Ah, not that I'm against it, but I have to do a reading about our shared fate first! I-I-I-"
In the midst of her summoner's stammering, Tarotrei finished charging her attack.
Mieru's embarrassment was briefly drowned out by the roar of spellfire.
Tetsuro's teasing grin turned sharp.
"I'll activate the my trap, Gold Pride - It's Neck and Neck! With this, I can target a Gold Pride monster and return it to my hand! Although Star Leon can't technically go to hand, he'll be returned to the extra deck instead."
After removing his own monster with his trap card, Tetsuro's field was left without a monster, leaving him wide open.
Mieru's expression morphed from embarrassed to one of sheer confusion.
"Why in the world did you do that?!" she cried out, the jarring shift in her mood causing her to lose her usual facade.
"Who knows," Tetsuro shrugged, "why don't you continue that attack and find out?"
She looked conflicted for a moment before re-declaring with Tarotrei, but not before she got another word in.
"If you're just throwing the game, I'll let you know that I won't forgive you! I'm not interested in that kind of "giving!" Tarotrei, attack his lifepoints directly!"
The magic beam, supported by solid vision, pushed Tetsuro back with the impact. It was like suddenly being blasted in the chest with a low pressure fire hose. Not enough to be sent ass over teakettle, but enough to sting for sure.
-2700!
Mieru: 800 / Tetsuro: 100
With only a sliver of his lifepoints remaining, Tetsuro was on the cusp of defeat.
Although she was still conflicted, Mieru ordered her next attack with little delay.
"Petalelf, finish this duel!"
The flower-themed Prediction Princess shot forward.
"That's close enough. Thanks for being a good sport, Mieru." Tetsuro interrupted, "I'll use the effect of Gold Pride - It's Neck and Neck! In the graveyard. Because you control a monster with attack higher than my lifepoints, I can banish Leon from my grave in order to summon a monster that mentions him from my Extra Deck. You can probably predict which one I'm gonna choose."
"Star Leon, the game's still on!"
Gold Pride - Star Leon
LV: 6 / ATK: 2000 / DEF: 2000
With a monster back on Tetsuro's field, Mieru halted Petalelf's attack. Though, she still looked confused at the move he'd just made.
Shaking her head, she continued on.
"I'll set a spell or trap face-down. With that, I'll end my turn, and use Tarotrei to-"
"One sec!" Tetsuro interrupted, "Before you can move to the End Phase, I'll activate Star Leon's effect targeting Tarotrei. Ya see, Star Leon's tough, but that restriction on his effect means I gotta keep my lifepoints lower than yours to destroy monsters, so we had to get a little bit closer in the numbers first. Now that I'm in the red again, here we go - Leon, Exceed Limit!"
Star Leon charged and Tarotrei was once again shattered under the torrent of rising energy.
Gold Pride - Star Leon
ATK: 2000 + 2700 = 4700
"That's what you meant by getting closer?…" Mieru looked as if she had tasted something bitter, and her expression only grew worse as she looked back at the Black Cat-astrophe in her hand.
Without Tarotrei, she wouldn't be able to get a second set monster.
Still, she had no choice at this point. The path to victory she had foreseen was ruined, but she wouldn't give up. Setting her remaining trap face-down, she ended her turn.
"Because Star Leon's effect activated, he'll return to the extra deck. In exchange, I can summon a copy of Gold Pride - Leon from my deck. Same as before, when Leon's summoned he'll bring Carrie back from the graveyard."
Star Leon's armor reverted back into its horse mode, leaving him in his base form. Captain Carrie, fresh from the grave, looked no worse for the wear as they both settled on the field in defense position.
Gold Pride - Leon
LV: 3 / ATK: 1500 / DEF: 1200
Gold Pride - Captain Carrie
LV: 3 / ATK: 900 / DEF: 1700
"This'll be the final stretch." Tetsuro declared as he drew for turn.
"Once more, tuning! Come on out, Star Leon!"
The armored figure of Star Leon hit the field and immediately received his next order from Tetsuro.
"No need to over commit. Go ahead and attack that Petalelf!"
Much to Mieru's disappointment, she didn't have anything left that could stop the attack. If things had been just a little bit different she might have been able to keep herself in the game and even snatch victory from her opponent's hands, but that future wouldn't come to pass in this duel.
With only 800 lifepoints to her name, Star Leon's fist crashed into Prediction Princess Petalelf.
-1200!
Mieru: 0 / Tetsuro: 100
Tetsuro's duel disk flashed for a moment as he was declared the winner. Afterwards, the solid vision system deactivated, causing the holograms to scatter.
The two duelist's gazes locked in the aftermath, one disappointed and the other curious.
Tetsuro was the one to break the brief silence.
"Did ya get what you were looking for?" he asked.
"I suppose." Mieru sighed, before shaking her head and smacking both hands onto her cheeks twice in quick succession. She had to pull herself together! "I may have lost, but I saw enough!"
"Shivers! That was a great duel!"
"Yeah! That was hella awesome!"
"Ah, Ayu. You shouldn't say that word, big sis would get mad."
A trio of voices, along with the clapping of several pairs of hands interrupted the conversation between Tetsuro and Mieru. He hadn't paid it too much mind while they were dueling, but a few of the families who were previously picnicking on the riverside had become their impromptu audience.
Of course, there was only one way he could react.
"Gahaha!" he laughed, "Yeah! Praise me more! Ain't my dueling skills just outta this world? C'mon kids, cheer with me!"
The kids seemed to get a kick out of his attitude as they cheered Testuro on, with their parents sharing a few knowing looks and rolled eyes. Nonetheless, they didn't stop their kids from running around with the delinquent-looking student.
'Maybe I need to reevaluate his cool, bad-boy image' Mieru watched as her initial impression of Tetsuro was turned on its head as he ran around with a bunch of little munchkins chasing him.
She let the kids tire themselves out for a while before she finally interrupted.
Grabbing Tetsuro by a sleeve, she stated her intentions.
"Come, follow me. We'll need to use the school's facilities for me to conduct the scrying session that you requested. Say goodbye to your new friends." The last bit was said in a completely serious fashion, but there was a hidden humor in Mieru's eyes.
Excited to finally progress in his search, Tetsuro agreed.
"Works for me, lets make tracks. See ya later, munchkins! Be good for your parents!"
"Bye bye!/See you!/Hell yeah we'll be good!"
""AYU!""
With a final wave over his shoulder, they went on their way.
The walk toward Unno Divination School only took a quarter hour, despite the fact that Tetsuro had to slow his pace to stick with Mieru. The girl was nearly two full heads shorter than he was; his long legs practically ate up distance in comparison to her stride, so he still ended up a few steps ahead of her when he wasn't paying attention.
He felt Mieru's gaze land on his back a few times when it happened, but she seemed content to keep their companionable silence, so he did the same.
Before long, the black iron gate of the school approached.
The place looked like a fancy, old European mansion. May or may not have been haunted, honestly. It was a far cry from LDS and the other smaller, more modern entertainment-focused duel schools that he'd seen speckled around the city.
As the gate creaked open, they were met by a girl about Tetsuro's height decked out in a long, black cloak and an honest-to-God witch hat. Damn, that was so cool, where could he get one of those?
Before he could ask, the girl spoke up.
"Welcome back, Madame Hochun. I see that you've brought an outsider with you today. As a senior student, you're of course permitted to bring guests, but please remember to have them vacate the campus before nightfall. If you'll come with me briefly, we'll have him sign in at the visitor center and issue him with a pass."
Giving a short bow, the girl turned and headed over to the presumed visitor center.
As Mieru followed, Tetsuro was for once the one who had to catch up to her.
"Only senior students can bring guests?" Tetsuro asked, an odd expression adorning his face.
Mieru blinked at the question before confirming.
"That's right," she stated, "It's easy for those with gifts such as ours to lose their focus when they're younger, so only students in their final year are allowed to bring outsiders as guests. Even then, guests must be escorted and kept away from the lower years. It's for the benefit of the students, even if most of them don't see it that way."
The way she talked made it sound like there were plenty of stories to tell, but Tetsuro only had a single focus on his mind.
"…Their final year." He deadpanned, before giving his companion a long once-over, "You?"
Catching onto his meaning, she responded with heat.
"What do you mean by 'you'?!" Mieru reacted as if she were a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"Nothing," Tetsuro shook his head in disbelief, "But, doesn't that mean you're older than me?"
Mieru gave an exasperated huff, as if she couldn't believe his question.
"Naturally," she acknowledged, "I mean, not to place myself on a pedestal, but there's a pretty clear difference between our maturity levels. It should be apparent to anyone with working eyes who the older party is. Now, come along, we need to sign you in so we can get started."
Having said her piece, Mieru entered the door to the visitor center they had arrived at.
Tetsuro stood back for a moment as he watched the door swing shut with a blank gaze.
"…maturity level…" he mumbled.
His stomach hurt.
This might be a more scarring moment for him than getting hit with the isekai hammer.
What the hell, did she think he was some kinda rowdy kid?!
