Starting Notes:
Welcome back! This chapter is… interesting, because it's best experienced completely blind, but there's also some potentially triggering stuff within it. As such, after some thought, I've placed a list of trigger warnings at the start of the end notes. If you're concerned, you can scroll down to check, but once again, the chapter… really is best experienced if you aren't spoiled for it :) Let's go!
Chapter 90: Trickster Prince with a Thousand Enemies
When Nue was four and her name wasn't yet Nue, she found out about rabbits for the first time. It wasn't through going to a zoo or a pet shop or anything like that though. Rather, it was through a book that they picked up at a garage sale. To keep her occupied, her mother passed her the book to read while they were talking to the teacher at the kindergarten.
On the surface, it was one of those books about personified animals, those that were usually meant to teach morals through vague analogies. However, this specific book showed rabbits as something more than just cute animals—it showed them as smart creatures aware of their own weakness, it showed that their strength was not in their capability to fight head-on, but in their capability to escape, no matter what—to not dwell on pride, but to simply stay alive and to stay united.
To never, ever stop coming up with plans to live.
Outsmart, not outmuscle.
That book would remain Nue's favourite book. She'd sometimes reread it, or look at those passages she really loved again. When she bought shirts with rabbits on them, like the one that she wore most commonly, it was a hidden joke to herself—a reference to something that no one else would know about.
Of course, there was one part of it that resonated with her, long before she would get her Traptrix monsters and long before she would grow to be more comfortable in her own skin. Within the book, there was a single character, folklore in folklore, fictional even to the characters in the novel, a story passed down through hearsay. An avaricious, clever, brave prince, who earned advantages for his people through all his tricks, who was honoured for all the adventures that he went on to protect them.
That's me, Nue would think. I'll see everything with these eyes of mine, and I'll protect everything, no matter what. Because even then, even in the delirium of her nightmares, she saw something horrible—something that she had to stop.
She didn't yet know how.
But she still had time to figure it out—and during that time, she could just be normal. And then, when she wasn't normal anymore, when she was picking up the pieces, she could do her best to heal herself.
But then that time ended.
(And the Nue Kamisoka that had the time to figure herself out, to fix herself, ended with it, too.)
In the end, Nue followed Ryoma to the top floor of the building. He was fidgeting, and if he thought that he was able to hide how nervous he was from her, then he was absolutely wrong. They'd blown off the top of the building, and the exterior walls had fallen—in essence, the top floor of the building was the roof now.
From here…
They could see everything.
"So, uh, Nue-senpai…" Ryoma turned to look at her. "It's sure been a while, huh?"
Nue arched an eyebrow. "It's been a while," she acknowledged. She stretched out an arm, gesturing to the school—empty of anyone except the two of them. "Mind filling me in on what happened here?"
And Ryoma winced.
In that single, brief reaction, Nue understood everything.
"... you did this," Nue said, her suspicions confirmed. "All of you."
"No, we—"
"Don't lie to me, Ryoma." Nue gestured towards the destroyed school. "I can see it. Those—" She gestured to a trail of holes in the ground. "Are the footprints of Thomas's monsters! And the cracked pillar over there was struck down by Machu Mach! And of course, the scorch marks and the cracks—this entire place is a tombstone for the Resistance, and I can see the way that you all wrecked this place from the ground up—I know who did this! I've known from the start, the moment that I walked in here!"
Her voice rang through the silent school—an echo of condemnation, when no one else involved in this could speak for themselves. Ryoma stared at her with complete shock. Nue wanted to scoff. Had he assumed that he could win her over with pretty words and lies? Had he thought that she wouldn't be able to see the scars that had so clearly been left on the school, dark fingerprints that showed her who the perpetrators were, without any doubt?
Nue knew these people. She had watched over these people, more than anyone else, because they were her people. Of course she would recognise their handiwork.
"Let's stick to the facts," she finally said.
After a moment, Ryoma found his voice. "Okay, fine," he said, and he sounded like he was trying to placate her. "Okay, fine—I won't lie, okay? I just thought—I just wanted to make it easier—"
Easier for you or for me?
Easier for you, so that you can save face in front of me?
Don't pretend that this is for me.
A crow landed on a nearby pillar, watching them. It tilted its head.
"So like… a while after you left with the other two, you know, one of the Academia officers approached us," Ryoma said. "So, she and Tatsuya discussed some stuff, and… he came back and told the rest of us about it, you know? Just us, 'cause we're a group and all, 'cause we're the ones that have to take care of each other—isn't that what you said? And like, if he'd told all the rest, it would have caused a lot of issues, because if it got out that we'd been talking to Academia, that'd be bad, y'know."
That'd be bad, he'd said. An understatement beyond anything.
"And like, we want the best outcome, right? But anyway, according to what Tatsuya said…" Ryoma gulped. "... there's no reversing the carding process. Not unless Academia wins. Which means my parents, everyone's parents… your parents, Nue-senpai… none of them can come back if Academia doesn't win."
And then, there was something spiteful to his eyes.
"And we all thought—that's just so unfair! It could have been any other branch! Any other branch could have had all the parents there on that day, but it just happened to be us, so we lost everything!" He gestured outwards. "But if—if Academia wins, everyone comes back. If they win, then everyone that's gone will come back."
Nue thought about the three cards that she'd kept with her this entire time. The three people who she'd been unable to leave behind.
"So, Academia made us a promise. If we promised to help them win, then everyone would come back, and they wouldn't fight us as long as the invasion was going on."
"Help them win," Nue repeated. Shadows crept in on the corner of her vision.
"Yes… but Nue-senpai, you have to think about it! Even if the Resistance wins, even if we drive them out of Academia, it won't bring them back! It won't bring anyone back!" Ryoma clenched his fists. "This is the only way that we can actually win—otherwise, we still just lose everything!" He reached out a hand. "But no matter what, Nue-senpai, you're one of us! You're not like the rest of them—you would understand, right? And you're smart, right? You know that in the long run, the Resistance can't do anything—it can't fix anything that we've lost! So the only option is to act for ourselves—they can hate us, but we're going to win! So, that's why we wanted to bring you back to us once you came back! Because you agree with us, right? We have to get back our people first—that's what you always said."
Silence greeted his words. Another bird landed on the building nearby, pecking at the stones. Wind blew past their faces—a single strong gale might knock them both down.
Ryoma had initially looked confident, but as Nue remained silent, his expression shifted to confusion. "Nue-senpai?" He said after a moment. "I mean… what you always say is that you want to take care of your people, right? And we're your—"
"Remind me, Ryoma," Nue said quietly. "It seems that you may have forgotten. Who killed our parents?"
Ryoma frowned. "I know Academia did it, but…"
"But for the greater good, you would rather work with them to get back the same people they killed," Nue said slowly.
"Because there's no better option! Look, we've tried and we've tried, but—" Ryoma waved out a hand. "Look at this! Basically no progress has been made since you left, and it's been months—surely, surely by now, if it was possible—"
His voice broke for a moment with confusion and anger.
"You left! You don't understand at all how we felt! We're doing what's best—we lost everything! You should understand! We saw how devastated you looked when you first found out that we'd lost our parents—you can't say that you're okay that you're leaving it like this! And there is… there is no other option but to give in. At least, if it's the truth, then… sacrificing a couple of people doesn't matter, if we protect our own people—"
"I have one question, Ryoma," Nue said, keeping her voice level. (It took a lot of effort to suppress it—that feeling of something boiling over.) "Do you speak for everyone there right now?"
Ryoma blinked. "What?..."
Nue didn't explain. She just watched him.
"Well, I do! It was going to be Vector coming to talk to you, actually, but he and Tatsuya were discussing something, so—"
"So you speak for everyone," Nue confirmed.
"Yeah," Ryoma said. "We all want everything back, no matter what."
Nue slowly nodded.
Alright then.
You were sent here to talk to me.
There was a certain echo to his words, though not literally—more in the sense that she could tell that he was repeating the words of someone else.
I can hear how rehearsed this is. Tatsuya told you to say all of this to me, in that exact order, to manipulate me again.
She clenched her fists slowly—it took a moment for the tension to drain again, replaced with frustration and grief.
… I suppose I should have expected it all along.
… these things always happen when I forget to look in their direction. To suspect, to believe…
And of course, Ryoma was telling the truth this time. The desperate truth—just a wish to reclaim what they'd lost.
… that made it harder. But making hard decisions was pretty much how she'd been living her life for a long time now.
Nue reached into her pocket and picked out a single object, her fingernails scraping against the metal. She then flung it across the ground. It skidded to a stop at Ryoma's feet—only a few inches from the edge of the roof.
A collar pin with a diamond on it. The standard pin that substituted for a 'school uniform' of sorts—the ones that they'd stopped wearing once they'd started the Resistance, but that most of them hadn't thrown away, Nue included.
Ryoma's eyes widened the moment that he recognised it. However, Nue spoke up before he could say anything in his shock.
"If you speak for Diamond Branch by saying that," she started saying, "then…"
Say it.
Just say it, you know they're in the wrong—
"You don't speak for me," she said, with a sense of painful finality.
It hurt her far more than it should to say those words.
"Then—then, are you making us your enemies? You wouldn't, right?"
"Just us, 'cause we're a group and all, 'cause we're the ones that have to take care of each other—isn't that what you said?"
"No matter what, Nue-senpai, you're one of us! You're not like the rest of them—you would understand, right?"
"Because you agree with us, right? We have to get back our people first—that's what you always said."
"Stop trying to use my words against me," Nue said. "Stop trying to use them to convince me—and stop twisting them to justify any of this. Look at this, Ryoma." She gestured towards the city. "Look at this wasteland. Look at this school. Look at how many people have died because of all of your actions—resentment? Anger? Who do you think I am? Do you think that I'm the kind of person who will ever—who has ever wished harm on someone else who's done nothing wrong, just because I was hurt? That's not who I am—and when you do that, you're condoning what Academia has done to us, and I will never, ever allow that! What the hell made you think I would agree with you?"
"I won't forget this. For daring to hurt what's mine, I will strike back against Academia with all my might."
"Academia is the enemy," Nue said, and she meant it, more than she had ever meant anything. "And you helped them to kill people. Our friends. Our schoolmates." If only she could speak to all of them right now—if only she could be heard. But there was just Ryoma, and he could speak for all of them but he could not hear for all of them, and—
(What is a single blade of grass without the forest?)
(The only thing hard enough to pierce a diamond is another diamond.)
"I won't ever work with Academia," Nue finally said. "So… I'm not with you. I'm with the Resistance. And if you're against the Resistance…" She clenched her fist, forcing herself to get the words out. "I'm against you all. That's all."
"Even if it means we can't get everyone back?"
"Does it lessen Academia's crimes just because they promised that they were reversible?" Nue retorted. "If you stabbed me right now, would the fact that I could heal from it change the fact that you hurt me in the first place? Fixing what they broke doesn't make things equal at all!"
No excuses greeted her—she had silenced him with her words.
"I'm going to find the Resistance now," Nue said. "You can go where you need to."
She took a step away.
"No," Ryoma finally said. "No, you can't."
Nue didn't even turn around. She… desperately needed to disengage from the situation.
(It all tasted like failure.)
"You can't just go!" Ryoma took a step forward. "Because…" He inhaled sharply. "Because Tatsuya said that if we can't get you to join us, then we'd have to treat you like an enemy. And I can't do that, Nue-senpai—so you have to come with us, no matter what."
"... you're not going to stop me," Nue said.
"Yes, but—I just want you to be safe, you know? And I know that Tatsuya feels the same too!"
Crack. The rubble crunched under her feet.
"I mean, I still don't know why you two broke up, but he really still has been worried sick over you, you know—"
"Don't speak of things you don't understand," Nue snapped. "I'd be happy never seeing him again—"
But I thought that we needed his strength to protect the Resistance, so I just didn't say anything. And now we're here, and he's convinced all of you to do this horrible thing—
If I had just said what happened to me, none of you would have ever trusted him. But—
But I can't. I can never—
"And anyway, interpersonal things like that are irrelevant to war. I don't care if you want to protect me—"
"But I'm going to do it anyway!"
Nue tilted her head back to look at him—
And he raised his duel disk.
"I'm not good with words, Nue-senpai," Ryoma said, "But I—I want to protect you! So, if I win—you have to come back with me!"
Nue stared at him.
… of all the times for that crush of his to be inconvenient.
She pinched her nose.
(If she told him about Shun now, how would he react?... how would Tatsuya? Would it only make things worse—only agitate him more? She had to figure things out first, before revealing anything new.)
Then again, no matter what had happened with his deck since she'd left Heartland to go to Standard, it couldn't have changed that much. And she couldn't imagine herself losing to Ryoma. (Even if she lost, she would just follow him back, find where they were currently staying, and take the opportunity to speak to the rest.)
Essentially, no matter the result, it'd be a win for her.
Fine. If it would get him to give up this hopeless attempt to change her mind, she'd indulge him. And…
"Then, if I win," Nue said, "no more talk of me defecting. Deal?"
"... deal," Ryoma muttered. "But the Resistance won't ever take us back, you know. No matter what you try to do, we're done."
"I'll work it out." For a moment, they didn't sound like enemies—more like a senior and a junior in school again, her promising to figure out something for a younger student, her promising to help—
… I've made a lot of promises to myself in this life.
I'm not going to let it be too late.
"Let's go," Nue said. She raised her duel disk.
"I'm going to defeat you," Ryoma vowed. "It's for your own good, even if you don't understand it yet!"
[DUEL!]
Nue Kamisoka: 4000LP
Ryoma Miyama: 4000LP
[Turn 1: Ryoma] [H:5]
Ryoma was randomly given the first turn, but Nue was more distracted by the metal bracelet he was wearing, which had a red light that blinked when the duel started.
"What's that?" Nue asked.
Ryoma glanced at the bracelet. "This? Well, they wanted to make sure that we were keeping to our word, so it detects when a duel starts with a nearby duel disk—our duel disks—and records the duel for Academia to see it."
… surveillance. And Ryoma didn't see anything wrong with it.
… there were so many of you here. How did you let it get this bad? Why didn't any of you speak out against it?
"I'll set four cards and end my turn!" Ryoma declared.
… mm. Classic play, coming from him. Naturally, the decision to keep one card in hand was because one of his set cards was Pikaia or Dinomischus.
… she'd have to play with both those possibilities in mind.
[Turn 2: Nue] [H:6]
"Draw." Nue glanced at the card that she'd drawn, before placing it down. "Activating the Field Spell, Traptrip Garden. While I control this card, I can Normal Summon an additional time each turn, as long as it's a "Traptrix" monster. So I'll—"
"Trap Card, Paleozoic Olenoides!" Ryoma declared. "I'll destroy your Field Spell when it's activated!" With a determined look on his face, he gestured forward. Nue's card exploded.
"... sure. I'll Normal Summon Traptrix Mantis." The girl with pink and orange hair appeared on the field, a cheerful grin on her face—completely at odds with the expression on Nue's own face.
[Traptrix Mantis (4*/1500/1300/EARTH/Insect/Effect)]
"Mantis's effect. When she is Normal Summoned, I can add a "Traptrix" monster from my deck to my hand." Nue picked up another card. "I'll add Traptrix Myrmeleo to my hand, and—"
"Trap Card, Paleozoic Canadia!" Ryoma retorted. "I'll flip Mantis into facedown Defense Position!" Mantis immediately vanished from sight, replaced by a single set card. "And that way, you can't use Arachnocampa's effect! And you can't Xyz Summon with a facedown monster either, Nue-senpai!"
Yeah, Arachnocampa could only Special Summon herself from the hand if Nue controlled a Traptrix monster, which Mantis technically no longer counted as, since she was facedown. And technically, her Traptrix monsters did not swarm as fast as most of her comrades—she would never match up to Shun's speed of Special Summoning, after all, nor did she need to. It wasn't the way that her playstyle worked.
… and of course, she didn't have Arachnocampa in hand right now. Still, there was no need for him to know that.
"Then, since a Trap Card was activated, I can Special Summon Paleozoic Olenoides from the graveyard as a monster!" The bright pink, glowing sea creature appeared on the field, floating in the air, orange fangs and horns littered around the sides of its body. Whisker-like structures drifted through the air around it. Naturally, it was in Defense Position to protect Ryoma from any attacks.
[Paleozoic Olenoides (2*/1200/0/WATER/Aqua)]
"Sure," Nue said. She raised another card. "The Spell Card, Traptantalizing Tune. I'll discard a Level 4 Insect or Plant monster, or a Normal Trap, to draw two cards. I'll discard my Traptrix Myrmeleo." She drew the two cards, glancing between them. "I'll set three cards facedown. Your turn, Ryoma."
"Yes!" Ryoma pumped his fist in the air. "I stopped you!"
Nue raised an eyebrow.
That was one way to put it. But she hadn't really been slowed down—
It was hard to slow down a person whose main dueling style was as reactive as hers. It just meant that she was now waiting for an opportunity—
But it didn't mean that the duel had slipped from her grasp.
[Turn 3: Ryoma] [H:2]
"Draw!" Ryoma declared. "I'll activate the Trap Card, Paleozoic Pikaia! I'll discard a "Paleozoic" card and draw two cards!" He plucked up the two cards from his deck, refreshing his hand. "And then, I'll activate the effect of Paleozoic Canadia! I'll Special Summon it from the graveyard as a monster too!" Next to Olenoides, Canadia appeared, the thin yellow worm-like monster squirming around on the field, its blue tendrils shimmering in the air as it swam around.
[Paleozoic Canadia (2*/1200/0/WATER/Aqua)]
Ryoma then glanced at her expectantly.
"I've played against you enough, Ryoma," Nue said with an arched eyebrow. "I know very well that activating any of my traps here just means giving you Pikaia as well."
"... well, you don't know this trick," Ryoma muttered. "Continuous Trap, activate! Imperial Iron Wall! While this card is face-up on the field, neither of us can banish monsters!" The card flipped over, and Nue nodded—it was a good card for his deck, because it meant that his monsters would never be banished. "Then, I activated another Trap! Come back to the field, Paleozoic Pikaia!" The orange eel-like monster with a pinkish mane appeared, slithering next to Canadia.
[Paleozoic Pikaia (2*/1200/0/WATER/Aqua)]
"Then, I'll overlay the Level 2 Paleozoic Pikaia and the Level 2 Paleozoic Canadia!" The two monsters turned into blue streaks, as per normal, streaming into the ground. "Frog of desserts with the power to overwhelm! Appear on my field now!"
… that was not the summoning chant for Opabinia or Anomalocaris. What on earth…?
"Xyz Summon! Rank 2! Toadally Awesome!"
A large white toad appeared on the field, the size of a boulder—a smaller white frog was riding on top of it, with an orange balancing on its back. It looked completely ridiculous, but it was also completely foreign to Nue. The toad's tongue slowly lolled out of its mouth, catching a holographic fly in the air.
[Toadally Awesome (R2/2200/0/WATER/Aqua/Xyz/Effect) (OU:2)]
"... I suppose that's something that Academia's given you?" Nue said, folding her arms. Before Ryoma could even nod, she flipped up one of her set cards. "Trap Card, Treacherous Trap Hole. Since I have no Traps in my graveyard, I can target two monsters on the field and destroy them—I will choose Paleozoic Olenoides and Toadally Awesome!"
"Well, since you used a Trap, Paleozoic Marrella is going to come back!" Ryoma declared, chaining the effect of the Trap in the graveyard—he must have sent it there with Pikaia. "And Toadally Awesome's effect! Once per turn, when you activate a Spell or Trap Card, or a monster effect, I can send an Aqua monster from my hand or field to the graveyard, negate that card's activation, destroy it and set it to my field!"
Oh, he actually had something to negate effects with now?
"I'll send Olenoides from my field to the graveyard for the cost!"
… but that wasn't enough to counter her, and she'd prove that what Academia had given him wouldn't help him against her in the slightest.
"Trap Card, Titanocider," Nue countered—the fourth effect in the chain. "I'll negate the effects of Toadally Awesome and change its attack points to zero!" Ryoma's eyes widened, before he grimaced and gestured forward.
"You activated another Trap. So Olenoides comes back!"
The effects stopped there. First, Olenoides and Marrella came back, the green creature made of several wavy, rippling segments floating next to the purple shelled creature.
[Paleozoic Marrella (2*/1200/0/WATER/Aqua)]
However, Toadally Awesome (and really? Its name was Toadally Awesome? Had a toddler designed the card?) had its effects negated, and it was subsequently destroyed by her Treacherous Trap Hole.
"Since Toadally Awesome was sent to the graveyard, I can add a WATER monster from the graveyard to my hand!" Ryoma retorted. "I'll choose Toadally Awesome itself—and because of that, it returns to the Extra Deck!" He slotted the card into his Extra Deck.
"... I see," Nue finally said. "So your Imperial Iron Wall isn't just to stop your Traps from banishing themselves. It's to protect your new monster from being banished with any of my Trap Holes, so that you can keep on recycling it."
"Is it that obvious?" Ryoma said with a frown.
"It is," Nue said bluntly. "Keep going, then."
"Well…" Ryoma gestured forward. "I'll overlay the Level 2 Paleozoic Marrella and the Level 2 Paleozoic Olenoides! Come forth, five eyes that glow within the depths of the ocean! Xyz Summon! Rank 2! Paleozoic Opabinia!" The large orange sea creature appeared, its twin legs scuttling across the ground, silver fangs and blue mandibles clicking as they faced directly towards her field—despite the fact that the monster was in Defense Position, of course.
[Paleozoic Opabinia (R2/0/2400/WATER/Aqua/Xyz/Effect) (OU:2)]
"I'll activate Opabinia's effect! Once per turn, I can detach an Overlay Unit from it to add a "Paleozoic" Trap from my deck to my hand! I'll add Paleozoic Pikaia to my hand!" Ryoma flipped over the card, revealing it briefly, before slotting it back into the cards in her hand.
[Paleozoic Opabinia: OU:2 - 1 = OU:1]
"I'll then activate Paleozoic Pikaia from my hand with Opabinia's effect—while I control it, I can activate "Paleozoic" Traps from my hand! I'll discard a "Paleozoic" card and draw two cards again—and then, I will Special Summon Marrella from the graveyard again, since a Trap Card was activated!" The green Trap reappeared on the field. "And I'll activate the Trap Card, Paleozoic Olenoides from my hand! I'll destroy your final set card!"
"Trap Card, The Black Goat Laughs." Nue raised a single finger. "I declare one card name, and this turn, neither of us can Special Summon monsters with that name, except from the graveyard. I will declare 'Toadally Awesome'."
Ryoma's eyes widened. Pikaia resurfaced on the field next to him, almost like an afterthought.
"That's all," Nue said, as though she hadn't just cut off his attempt at bringing back his negation card. "So?"
Ryoma glanced at his field, seeming lost for words. "I… uh, I'll…"
He hesitated, and then he gestured forward. The familiar sight of a Link Summoning circuit formed above him.
"Open, circuit!"
… Link Monsters. Was that another thing that Academia had given them—something new to use against the others?
"Arrowhead confirmed! The conditions are two "Paleozoic" monsters! I'll set Paleozoic Pikaia and Paleozoic Marrella in the Link Markers!" The two monsters flew into the circuit, forming two red arrows. "Dark sea creature like a spaceship, descend into the void! Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Link 2! Paleozoic Cambroraster!" A large purple and blue creature appeared on the field, its body appearing to glow with a neon aura. A black carapace covered the top part of its body, even as the thin frills and fins forming its body overlaid on each other below it. Red fangs struck the air as it slid around aimlessly.
[Paleozoic Cambroraster (L2/1200/WATER/Aqua/Link/Effect/↓, ↑)]
"I'll set three cards and… end my turn," Ryoma said, glancing at Nue's set monster.
So he remembered that Mantis had 1300 defense points, but…
"I don't understand," Nue said. "You're so focused on this—on the new things that Academia has given you. You're so sure that those things are better that you default to using them even when your own cards would have solved the problem far more easily."
Ryoma frowned. "I—it's not like—"
"Anomalocaris, Ryoma," Nue said. He looked like he'd been slapped in the face. "Destroy a card I control and move forward—that's all you needed to do. I even left my field mostly open." Putting The Black Goat Laughs in her graveyard had been a deliberate move to ward off Anomalocaris, after all.
She drew the next card of her deck before he had the chance to respond.
[Turn 4: Nue] [H:2]
"Draw," Nue said. "Flip Summoning Traptrix Mantis. Do you respond?"
"Canadia!" Ryoma flipped up one of his set cards, and he pinned down her monster again. Meanwhile, Pikaia resurfaced on the field.
"Alright," Nue said. "I'll Normal Summon Traptrix Dionaea!" The dark-haired girl appeared on the field, a tranquil look on her face as green leaves floated around her. Skulls littered the ground around her, but she didn't seem bothered by them.
[Traptrix Dionaea (4*/1700/1100/EARTH/Plant/Effect)]
"When Dionaea is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a "Traptrix" monster from the graveyard. I'll choose Myrmeleo."
"Trap Card, Ballista Squad! I'll tribute Pikaia and destroy your monster!" The dark-haired girl vanished from the field—and Marrella reappeared on the field too.
Still, Dionaea's effect resolved, and Myrmeleo reappeared on the field, nervously brushing at her ashen grey hair. Around her, spikes covered the ground.
[Traptrix Myrmeleo (4*/1600/1200/EARTH/Insect/Effect)]
"And I'll activate the Trap Card, Paleozoic Hallucigenia!" Pikaia reappeared on the field, even as Myrmeleo's attack and defense points were halved—clearly he didn't want to take any damage whatsoever, and he thought that with only one monster, she couldn't do anything.
"You know, Ryoma," Nue said, "you challenged me so much back in the day that I could have probably written out your entire decklist from memory. And at the same time, I wanted to help you. I could tell that you genuinely wanted to impress me, and… well, I didn't want to let you down if I thought that I could help you get stronger."
Ryoma frowned.
"But that also means that your moves are utterly transparent to me, no matter how many new cards you have," Nue continued. "Because even if the cards change—the person behind them is still the same. You still think in the same way. And if I know how you think, I can see through everything. And I'll show that to you right now."
(Of course, there was the more horrible implication to that—the idea that perhaps, all along, if they had not changed as people, then they were always capable of doing such horrible things.)
"You're destroying all my monsters or cutting them off because you don't want to risk letting me summon any of my Xyz Monsters," Nue continued. "Because you know that they are unaffected by Trap effects. Because you remember how it feels like to duel me and for your deck to do nothing to me, don't you?"
She took a step forward.
"But I was always nice to you," Nue said. "Because you were someone I wanted to teach, I treated you more kindly. I didn't quite trap you in the way that I do most of my opponents. And in a way, maybe when I started this duel… I was still thinking in that way. Thinking of you as someone who I needed to treat with care, treating you as though you were fragile…"
She scoffed to herself.
"You're a killer now. Then again, so am I. Maybe it's because I shouldered all those burdens and treated you too kindly that you all ended up this way. So… I'm going to treat you how you deserve. Myrmeleo's effect! I'll tear down your Imperial Iron Wall!"
Ryoma reacted with shock as his card burst to dust, a spike driving straight through it. "Huh?"
"And now, your Paleozoics banish themselves when they leave the field, as they should," Nue said. "And you no longer have Trap cards in hand or on the field—meaning that now, you can't rely on yourself to Special Summon more monsters. Your capability to Special Summon monsters… is entirely under my control. Open, circuit of the entrapping flowers!" She gestured forward, and Myrmeleo vanished into the circuit above her.
"You can Link Summon too?" Ryoma said, eyes wide with surprise.
"You don't think that I would have learned a little from leaving this world?" Nue said. "I've never been content to stay still for long. Arrowhead confirmed! The conditions are a "Traptrix" monster that isn't a Link Monster! I'll set Myrmeleo in the Link Markers! Now, cute girl in the beautiful meadow! Rise up with the sunshine over your hair and trap the world in your shadow! Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Link 1! Traptrix Sera!" The green-haired girl emerged on her field, white bubbles floating around her as she laughed.
[Traptrix Sera (L1/800/EARTH/Plant/Link/Effect/↓)]
"Since I control a "Traptrix" monster, I can Special Summon Traptrix Arachnocampa from my hand!" The white-haired girl appeared, the familiar light green globules floating around her. She and Sera exchanged a high five.
[Traptrix Arachnocampa (4*/1300/1500/EARTH/Insect/Effect)]
"Since a "Traptrix" monster activated her effect," Nue continued, "Sera's effect activates. I can set a "Hole" Normal Trap from my deck. I'll set Terrifying Trap Hole Nightmare to my field." The single set card appeared on the field behind Mantis's card. "Open again, circuit. Arrowhead confirmed. The conditions are two Insect or Plant monsters. I will set Traptrix Sera and Traptrix Arachnocampa in the Link Markers. Beautiful white flower dripping with dew! Form the idyllic creature sleeping in the dark swamp! Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Link 2! Traptrix Cularia!" The young woman with white and purple hair appeared, leaves and moss threaded through her hair and clothes.
[Traptrix Cularia (L2/1800/EARTH/Plant/Link/Effect/↓, →)]
"Cularia attacks Cambroraster." The Link Monster was destroyed by the Trap, vanishing from the field.
Ryoma: 4000 - 600 = 3400LP
"Is… is that it?"
Nue spared him a smile.
… he didn't understand what had just happened yet, did he?
"During the End Phase, I will activate the effect of Traptrix Cularia," Nue said simply. "I can Special Summon a "Traptrix" monster from my graveyard in Defense Position. I will choose Traptrix Dionaea." The dark-haired girl reappeared on the field. "I'll use Dionaea's effect. When Special Summoned, I can target a "Hole" Normal Trap in my graveyard and set it to my field, but it is banished during the End Phase of my next turn if it is still on the field. I'll choose the Trap Card, Treacherous Trap Hole!" The card appeared on her field, facedown. "Why don't you make your move?"
There was no friendliness in the last part of those words.
"I don't…" Ryoma frowned. "I don't understand, Nue-senpai… Treacherous Trap Hole can only be activated while you have no Traps in the graveyard, right? But… you clearly do."
Nue shrugged.
Ryoma grimaced, before he determinedly reached out for the top card of his deck. "Even if I don't understand…"
[Turn 5: Ryoma] [H:1]
"I'm still going to win! Draw!" He gestured forward. "Opabinia's effect! I'll detach its other Overlay Unit and add a "Paleozoic" Trap from my deck to my hand!" He picked up the card. "Then, from my hand, I'll activate the Trap Card, Paleozoic Dinomischus! I'll activate it and discard a card to target and banish your Link Monster!"
"No," Nue said. "You can target it… but your effect doesn't do anything to Cularia." As though to accentuate that, the white-haired woman let out a yawn. "Since Cularia was Link Summoned, she is unaffected by card effects."
"But—I still get back Canadia!" The orange-yellow monster reappeared on the field.
"I suppose you do. On Canadia's summon, I will banish The Black Goat Laughs from my graveyard." Nue looked directly at him. "With its effect, I will declare the name 'Toadally Awesome'. This turn, neither player can activate the monster effects of cards with that name."
"What?" Ryoma yelped. After a moment though, he seemed to recover his composure. "In that case—I'll overlay the Level 2 Paleozoic Canadia, the Level 2 Paleozoic Pikaia and the Level 2 Paleozoic Marrella!"
Nue nodded.
… all according to plan.
"Abnormal dark creature that lingers under the waters. Rise, and bring a tide unlike any other! Xyz Summon! Rank 2! Paleozoic Anomalocaris!" The large purple creature that could technically be called Ryoma's ace appeared on the field, floating silently.
[Paleozoic Anomalocaris (R2/2400/0/WATER/Aqua/Xyz/Effect) (OU:3)]
"Since my opponent Special Summoned a card from the Extra Deck, I can set Titanocider from my graveyard," Nue said, the card appearing on her field. "And Ryoma—that means that I have no Traps in my graveyard any longer." She gestured forward. "Trap Card, Treacherous Trap Hole. I can destroy two monsters on the field! I will destroy Paleozoic Anomalocaris and Paleozoic Opabinia!"
"What?" Ryoma glanced across the field, before his eyes lit up with realisation and horror. "So, you…"
"I knew that your only way to defeat my field was to go to Anomalocaris or Toadally Awesome," Nue said. "I knew that if I eliminated that new monster from the picture, you would use as many monsters as possible to Xyz Summon Anomalocaris. And because of that, you would give me back Titanocider, and thus, remove the last Trap from my graveyard for me."
"And so, you went from having three Traps in the graveyard last turn to having none," Ryoma concluded. "You had all of that planned from the start?"
"Like I said, I know you," Nue said. "I know all of you. Your monsters being immune to monster effects has always helped you against everyone else—but not against me, Ryoma."
"Then, I…" Ryoma gestured forward. "Olenoides Special Summons itself. And, Paleozoic Anomalocaris's effect! I will detach an Overlay Unit to destroy your Traptrix Cularia!"
[Paleozoic Anomalocaris: OU:3 - 1 = OU:2]
"That's fine with me," Nue said.
"Then, is this fine?" Ryoma gritted his teeth. "I'll banish the Trap Card, Xyz Revive Splash from my graveyard! I'll banish it and target Anomalocaris—and I'll Rank Up Anomalocaris by one Rank!"
… Rank Up, huh?
Escaping Nue's Trap in the nick of time, the purple creature floated upwards, before dissolving into light. Its two remaining Overlay Units flew down into the Overlay Network as well.
"Scythe of dawn that rests on the glowing seabed, leave scars in the sand that mark your arrival! Rank-Up-Xyz-Change! Rank 3! Paleozoic Orthrozanclus!"
In front of him, a glowing green creature appeared—in general shape, it resembled those green bacteria emojis in chatrooms. Its body was long and ovular—a long green shell covered a softer body that was made entirely out of tendrils that slid around each other, thin and slimy. Around it, thinner, spine-like legs flicked through the air, sharp and unnatural movements slashing against the air. At the tips of the spines and tendrils, the colour of the creature's flesh changed from green to neon blue.
[Paleozoic Orthrozanclus (R3/2400/2400/WATER/Aqua/Xyz/Effect) (OU:3)]
"... that's new," Nue said. "But before your monster can do anything, everything else still has to resolve." So Cularia and Opabinia were both destroyed.
"If Orthrozanclus is Xyz Summoned using only "Paleozoic" monsters as material, it is unaffected by the effects of your Spells and Traps!" Ryoma retorted. "So your Terrifying Trap Hole Nightmare won't work on it! And while I control it, Aqua monsters can't be destroyed by the effects of non-WATER monsters!"
He clenched a fist, gesturing forward.
"So guess what, Nue-senpai? Your only way to beat me is through battle now! Orthrozanclus attacks Traptrix Dionaea!"
Her monster was destroyed by the attack, but she didn't take any damage.
"I'll end my turn!"
[Turn 6: Nue] [H:1]
"Draw," Nue said. She glanced at the Rank 3 monster.
… hmm. In that case, if he was so confident that she couldn't destroy it by battle, then that meant that it probably had an effect that affected battles that it participated in too.
"I'll Flip Summon Traptrix Mantis," Nue said, folding her arms. "... now, do I get to keep her?" Ryoma nodded. "Good. I'll Normal Summon Traptrix Myrmeleo." Another copy of the white-haired monster appeared on the field. "When Normal Summoned, Myrmeleo lets me add a "Hole" Normal Trap from my deck to my hand."
Nue picked up the card, before gesturing forward.
"I'll overlay the Level 4 Traptrix Mantis and the Level 4 Traptrix Myrmeleo! Beautiful plant overflowing with wool, share in the lifeforce of all nature around you. Grow bright, and in your grazing dream, bring forth a new world. Xyz Summon. Rank 4. Baromet the Sacred Sheep Shrub!" The half-plant, half-sheep monster appeared, letting out a quiet yawn. Yuto had given it to her for her last birthday, almost eleven months ago now, and it still felt a little too cute for her.
[Baromet the Sacred Sheep Shrub (R4/1900/2000/EARTH/Plant/Xyz/Effect) (OU:2)]
"Baromet's effect," Nue continued. "I will detach an Overlay Unit and shuffle a Trap from my graveyard into the deck to draw a card." She revealed Treacherous Trap Hole, shuffling it back into the deck, before she drew the next card from her deck and glanced at it.
[Baromet the Sacred Sheep Shrub: OU:2 - 1 = OU:1]
"Spell Card, Graceful Charity. I will draw three cards and discard two."
… sometimes, some coincidences were just too obvious to overlook.
"You know, the last time that we dueled, neither of us knew Rank Up," Nue said. "Then again, I suppose it was a long time ago now—before this entire war, before any of this."
"I learned it from Tatsuya," Ryoma said. "Because he said—"
"Yes," Nue said. "I guessed as much. For me, I learned it from Shun."
It took a moment for the words to hit, but when they did, Nue played the next card.
"So I can do it just as well as you can, Ryoma—Spell Card, Rank-Up-Magic Tantalizing Force!" She gestured forward. "I will target a Plant or Insect Xyz Monster I control—my Baromet—and Rank it up by one Rank." Baromet sneezed, before turning into a single streak that moved into the ground. "Tricksters, let your mind bloom with the brightness of the deceiving flower, and evolve into the hungry devil that longs for chaos! Rank-Up-Xyz-Change! Rank 5! Traptrix Cephalotus!" Nue's only Rank 5 monster appeared, brushing at her dark green hair as she held up her two lighter green fans, smiling menacingly.
[Traptrix Cephalotus (R5/2800/0/EARTH/Plant/Xyz/Effect) (OU:2)]
"Tantalizing Force attaches itself to Cephalotus as an Overlay Unit," Nue explained.
[Traptrix Cephalotus: OU:2 + 1 = OU:3]
"Then, when Traptrix Cephalotus is Xyz Summoned, I can send cards from the top of my deck to the graveyard, up to the number of Overlay Units she has." Three cards dropped from the top of Nue's deck into the graveyard. "And then, I can Special Summon a "Traptrix"monster from my graveyard. Return to the field—Traptrix Cularia." The Link 2 monster reappeared on the field. "And I will banish the Trap Card, Traptrix Holeutea from my graveyard to activate its effect."
Ryoma opened his mouth.
"Cephalotus milled three cards from my deck," Nue said flatly.
He shut his mouth.
"I can Special Summon a "Traptrix" monster from my graveyard. Come back—Traptrix Sundew!" The red-haired girl appeared, ferns and leaves messily mixed with the strands.
[Traptrix Sundew (4*/1000/1800/EARTH/Plant/Effect)]
"When Sundew is Special Summoned, I can add a "Traptrix" monster from my deck to my hand." Nue gestured forward. "Open for the third time, circuit! Arrowhead confirmed. The conditions are at least two monsters, including a Plant or Insect monster. I will set Traptrix Cularia and Traptrix Sundew in the Link Markers! Cunning cruelty that weaves the web of destruction. Atypical anomaly that tugs on the strings of all that pity her. Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Link 3! Cursed cunning—Traptrix Atypus!" The brown-haired girl appeared, flicking her fingers through the air—webs spun out from around her feet and arms, drifting around the field.
[Traptrix Atypus (L3/1800/EARTH/Insect/Link/Effect/←, ↓, →)]
"Traptrix Atypus's effect," Nue continued. "If I have a Trap in my graveyard, all "Traptrix" monsters gain 1000 attack points."
[Traptrix Atypus: 1800 + 1000 = 2800ATK]
[Traptrix Cephalotus: 2800 + 1000 = 3800ATK]
"Wait, your monsters actually have attack points now?" Ryoma exclaimed.
Nue smiled curtly. "Cephalotus." The green-haired girl gestured forward, her razor sharp fans cutting through the air—
"I'll use Orthrozanclus's effect!" Ryoma retorted. "If it would be destroyed by battle, I can banish a Trap from my graveyard instead—I'll choose my Imperial Iron Wall!"
But he still took the damage anyway—though Nue might have chosen differently if she had known the full scope of that monster's abilities.
Ryoma: 3400 - 1400 = 2000LP
"Then, Atypus destroys your Olenoides." The other Trap Monster was destroyed and banished—just in case Ryoma was still aiming to bring out Toadally Awesome, he'd need to start from scratch. "I'll set a card and end my turn."
And now, she still had Titanocider and her Terrifying Trap Hole Nightmare, and two monsters that Ryoma's monster couldn't defeat.
… she was fine.
[Turn 7: Ryoma] [H:1]
"Draw!" Ryoma glanced at his next card desperately, before sighing in relief. "Spell Card, Card of Demise!"
"Luckiest draw I've seen," Nue commented.
"You milled the Trap that banishes itself to summon a monster, I don't want to hear it."
"... fair enough."
"I'll draw cards until I have three cards in hand—so, three cards—but you take no damage this turn, I cannot Special Summon this turn, and during the End Phase, I have to send every card in my hand to the graveyard." He swiped up those three cards. "I'll activate the Continuous Spell, Solidarity! And since I only have Aqua monsters in my graveyard, all Aqua monsters I control gain 800 attack points!"
[Paleozoic Orthrozanclus: 2400 + 800 = 3200ATK]
"I'll then set two cards facedown! Orthrozanclus attacks your Traptrix Atypus!"
"Trap Card, Metaverse," Nue said. "I'll activate a Field Spell from my deck." A second copy of Traptrip Garden reappeared on the field. "While I control Traptrip Garden, the first time each of my Insect or Plant monsters would be destroyed by battle, they aren't destroyed."
So it was her turn to take the damage without losing her monster.
Nue: 4000 - 400 = 3600LP
… was that really the first hit he'd landed on her this entire time? It made sense, considering the relatively slower speed of both of their decks, but even so…
"I end my turn," Ryoma said, sounding frustrated.
That, more than anything, made Nue bristle.
"This duel is only happening because you won't respect the fact that I want nothing to do with your side," she said. "You have no right to be frustrated at my decisions."
"No right?" Ryoma shook his head. "I… it's not like… it's because I know you're making the wrong choice. You know that I don't want to hurt you, Nue-senpai, I just…"
And then, as though wrestling with some great secret, he finished the sentence.
"I just really, really like you," he said, ears turning red. "So, I—"
"I've never liked anyone as much as I like you, you know."
"I just want to look out for you, you know? Because you always look out for other people, and—you can trust me, you know?"
"I'm the one that you can trust the most in the world."
"I'm not gonna like… lead you to make choices that are bad for you or anything. I just—"
"I'm seventeen," Nue said—almost a snarl. "Going to be eighteen in two months. I'm older than you. And the one thing that you're failing to see is that having good intentions doesn't mean that you can take the choices out of other people's hands."
She was shaking with so much fury that her vision was blurring again. She forced herself to calm down after a moment.
"When you say that I'm making the wrong decision like that, when you have no better excuse for going against my personal choices other than the fact that you know better than me about what's best for me, all you're telling me is that you think that I'm not capable of thinking of myself. You're telling me that you don't think of me as a person, or an equal at all—and it's really sad, if that's what you think liking someone is. If that's what you think it means to do something for someone else. I don't have the right to tell you that you can't like me. But you're not entitled to have me listen to you just because you like me, either."
"That's not what I'm saying," Ryoma protested weakly.
"But it's what you mean," Nue said. A little softer, she asked: "Don't you see? If it's so dangerous for me, then that means that I'm facing the right enemy. Come on, Ryoma."
"You just don't understand—you—"
But I do, Nue thought. I understand all too well. Isn't that why I haven't told you to stop? I've condemned you and made it clear that I think this is wrong—
But I've respected your choices, in the way you haven't respected mine.
[Turn 8: Nue] [H:1]
She drew a card, hoping that it would be enough to just… end things. (To win.)
Unaffected by Spells and Traps. Unable to be destroyed by monster effects.
… alright.
Maybe she had known the answer since last turn. Maybe she'd already seen her way out.
Maybe she had wanted to give Ryoma Miyama a chance to try and defeat her, despite everything. Maybe leaving Heartland really had made her heart so much softer than it had any right to be.
"Traptrix Atypus's effect," Nue said. "I'll target face-up cards you control, up to the number of Insect and Plant monsters I control. I will target Solidarity and Paleozoic Orthrozanclus." The two cards shimmered.
"I'll activate the Trap Card, Paleozoic Eldonia!" Ryoma called out. "I'll increase Orthrozanclus's attack and defense points by 500—and then, I can Special Summon Hallucigenia in Defense Position!" The green, skull-like monster appeared, just as horrific as it always was.
[Paleozoic Hallucigenia (2*/1200/0/WATER/Aqua)]
[Paleozoic Orthrozanclus: 3200 - 800 + 500 = 2900ATK; 2400 + 500 = 2900DEF]
"It doesn't matter," Nue said. "Atypus's effect resolves. Your cards have their effects negated—and then, I can banish a Trap from the graveyard to destroy one of the targeted face-up cards. And now that your monster has had its effects negated, there is no longer anything stopping me from doing this." She banished Metaverse from the graveyard, and watched as Ryoma's monster was strung up by Atypus's webs, before being torn apart.
His plan had been to boost Orthrozanclus's attack points so that Nue would be forced to attack it with Cephalotus, the monster with higher attack points, and then Atypus's attack would be absorbed by Hallucigenia. But she'd been expecting that.
… like she'd said, the cards had changed, but the person sure hadn't. And if there was one thing about Ryoma's dueling that had remained constant throughout their time of knowing each other, it was that he was very good at stalling by summoning monsters over and over again.
One more set card on his side of the field. Assuming that he activated it, there would be two monsters on his field, but…
In any case, she only needed one more monster. That was it.
"Normal Summoning Traptrix Genlisea." The girl with long white hair appeared on the field, standing up straight and ready for battle.
[Traptrix Genlisea (4*/1200/1600/EARTH/Plant/Effect)]
Nue looked at Ryoma.
"I think that's it," she said. "And I think you know it too."
"I knew it from the start," Ryoma said, letting out a weak laugh. "But what was I supposed to do? Just let you walk away?"
And Nue looked at him, at that fruitless struggle…
For a brief moment, she regretted her own harsh words. (She did not think that they were wrong—but at the same time, there were some terrible truths that perhaps shouldn't be spoken.)
"You could have trusted me," she said.
"But you don't trust me," he protested.
Of course she didn't. "Because you've already betrayed me."
"So it doesn't matter why?"
"It always matters why," Nue said, the words bitter on her tongue. "... it just doesn't matter enough to make a difference this time. I'm sorry, Ryoma."
She gestured forward. Genlisea struck down Hallucigenia—Ryoma didn't bother to activate his other set card.
One last attack.
She gestured forward.
Cephalotus moved, and—
As though she was cutting strings, the fan sliced through the air.
Ryoma: 2000 - 3800 = 0LP
Winner: Nue Kamisoka!
And Nue searched for words to say—
Only to see Ryoma's expression of confusion as he raised his arm. And that single metal bracelet—supposedly there to record the duel—
Was beeping and flickering.
"What's…" Ryoma touched the bracelet, only to jerk his hand away. "Ouch!"
Nue lunged forward. She grabbed onto his wrist, trying to pull the bracelet off—she didn't know what it was going to do, but whatever it was, it was bad news. The metal was so hot that it was burning her skin to touch it, but she had to—
"Nue-senpai!" Ryoma's voice broke in confusion and fright. "Nue-senpai—Nue, Nue, help me—"
Nue pulled and pulled and pulled—
Click.
And—
And then, in the blink of an eye, before she could react—
She toppled to the ground suddenly, as the figure that she'd been pulling on vanished. She was so off-centre that she just… couldn't stop. She fell forward, towards the edge of the roof, her fingers scrabbling against the floor. Next to her, a metal bracelet fell to the ground, clanking against the floor and bouncing across it. Slightly slower, a single card fluttered to the ground—the face of a frightened pink-haired boy on it.
No.
No, no, no—
(Within her mind, something cracked—something that she'd only barely managed to glue together, something fragile.)
She reached out towards the card, but all of a sudden, her body felt far weaker—her hand barely fell short.
That bracelet had carded him because he'd lost. Because he'd lost to her.
In other words, Ryoma Miyama had been carded because Nue Kamisoka had won against him.
In other words, she had killed him. On accident, but she had defeated him, and his duel disk had carded him for it. She might as well have carded him herself—
No no no—
He was hers, and she had killed him.
He was hers! One of her people, one of the people that she was supposed to protect, and she may not have cared for him in the same way that he'd cared for her, but she had cared in her own way, and—
There was no one else to blame for this. Maybe if she'd persisted in insisting that she wouldn't fight him, maybe if she hadn't given in to what he wanted…
She leaned down, her head facing directly towards the ground—
It's my fault.
It's my fault, it's my fault, it's all my fault—
This always happens, this always happens, I can see so much but I never see the most important things, why can I never protect what's important to me, just kill me—
Just kill me, before I hurt anyone else!
… just kill me, so this curse stops destroying everything I touch.
There was something disquiet to the area around him as Shun rushed towards Spade Branch, and then, there was something like an echo of a scream.
It shouldn't be possible. No one's voice could be loud enough to travel this far.
But it was a scream, nonetheless. A scream of misery and grief, one that couldn't be ignored, even though it was still quiet from this far away.
And it was—
Please.
Please be alright. Please.
Shun ran.
She didn't know how long she was screaming for. She only knew that her throat was hoarse and she felt like she couldn't breathe.
Her fingers slowly pushed across the ground, towards the card—
Footsteps, and then, another hand lifted up the card from the ground before she could touch it.
Nue looked up.
Dark green hair fell over the figure's face as he stood up, holding the card in his left hand—so casually that it looked like he might drop it at any moment. Two streaks of lighter green could be seen at the front. Nue's heart stopped for a brief moment in sheer, painful recognition. He was wearing the same red biker jacket that he always wore, coupled with the grey silk shirt that probably cost half a house, and long dark pants and casual sneakers—an appearance of complete contradiction.
When he looked at her, his red eyes gleamed like blood.
"... you know, little blackbird," Tatsuya Izumi said idly, "that was harsh, even for you."
Nue glared at him. But she—
She couldn't speak. Her voice felt like it had died—her mind was still reeling from what had just happened.
"I didn't think you would go through with dueling him," Tatsuya said, tilting his head. "You killed him, didn't you?"
"... did you just watch?" Nue said slowly. "Did you know?" He was wearing the same bracelet. Would he wear it if he knew that losing would get him carded?
Tatsuya looked at her—
And he smirked.
"Mine's just aesthetic," he said.
And that was a clear answer.
"You—"
"In my defence, I did tell him to just talk to you. He was the one who liked you so much that he couldn't let things go." He shrugged. "He's the one that disobeyed me. What was I supposed to do, my little blackbird?"
"And you didn't stop us?" Nue glared at him—she was still unable to get up. Her legs were numb. (And wasn't that an unpleasant feeling, specifically around him.) "And you didn't say—you let that happen! Neither he or I knew, but you did! You could have stopped us—you could have stopped me from—"
"Oh, are you blaming me now?" He reached down, pressing his thumb to her chin—Nue flinched, trying to shove his arm away, but physically, he had always been stronger than her. "After all, all of this is because of you."
The words themselves burned, but then, his fingers scraped across her neck, and—
She was fifteen again, bruises covering half her body, the taste of her own blood on her lips.
She was sixteen again, struggling to escape, running down a corridor and barely conscious of herself.
She was seventeen again, and the whispered threat that 'you still need me' was making her so nauseous that she wanted to throw up.
"You always say that you'll protect that which is yours," Tatsuya said—just as smug as ever. "And you killed him yourself. That's a part of your world, carved out by your own hands."
Nue could barely hear him over the sudden roar in her ears, something screaming at her. And his fingers on her throat, as always kept her silent, and she hated it—she was so pathetic even now, just like back then—
No.
She raised her hand, prying his fingers off her neck. Only then could she breathe again. She stood up.
"I know that you don't care about your father," she said. The mayor of Heartland had not been a particularly pleasant person, and the person who knew that best was likely his own son. "So why—"
Why did he do this, why did he make us kill our friend, why did he just watch, maybe we should just kill him too?
"Why did you sell everyone out for this?" She asked. "Not just the Resistance—you've also put a timer on the lives of the people that you promised me you would protect!"
"Oh, I have plenty of reasons." Tatsuya smirked. "Not ones that you would understand though. But really, Nue… even if I made the offer, they're the ones that accepted it. Desperate as they were, no solution in sight, no friendly voice to talk them down and make them see sense. Isn't it your fault for not being there?"
"You don't get to—"
"Don't get to blame you?" He tilted his head. On another person, it might have looked innocent. "But, little blackbird, aren't you blaming yourself right now?"
Then, his smile went razor sharp, and he took a step forward. Nue took a step away from him—and hated herself for it.
"Tell me, darling," he practically purred. "How are the voices in your head treating you?"
Ignore them. Ignore them, they'll go away, he's trying to trigger one of your episodes on purpose, he knows what will do it, you've been doing so well, just don't—
And who was the idiot that told him?
It's my fault, but he doesn't get to say it—
Your fault, your fault, your fault—
Another step. "I still have more power over you than anyone else, you know," he mused. "I know what makes you tick, I know what makes you break. Can anyone else say the same?"
Nue's shoe scraped against the concrete. Your fault. Your fault. You deserve to die.
"So, darling—"
And maybe he had been too focused on taunting her. Maybe he had been too focused on her.
"I still don't understand why you can't tell that it's because I love you," he said.
"That's a pity," Nue spat out. "Because I hate you. And I'll never stop hating you."
"That works for me too," he said, and the worst part was that he sounded like he meant it. "Then you'll never forget me."
And he shoved her back slightly, even as she flinched—
(A long time later, when it was all over, Nue would realise that he'd never intended to seriously hurt her. He'd only intended to scare her.)
But then again, they were on a roof.
They were on a roof, and the winds were strong, and when a person lost their balance, they fell backwards.
And behind Nue was the edge of the roof. It was empty air.
So Nue tipped back, her foot catching the edge of the roof—
And before she could catch anything, she fell.
(Around her, the birds scattered.)
… she thought that she might have heard a scream, as she did.
Shun saw the figure falling before he properly processed who it was—she was so far in the distance that he could barely see her, but the moment that it clicked, his heart felt like it'd stopped.
He placed Vanishing Lanius's card on his duel disk—Solid Vision could only summon monsters outside of a duel for a short amount of time—but even so—even so—
The green bird formed, and Shun gestured forward. Vanishing Lanius dove towards her, but—
Immediately, Shun knew that it was too late.
He ran as fast as he could, desperation in each of his footsteps, but he knew, he just knew—
Vanishing Lanius's claws barely missed her, and Shun was too far away—
(He was always too late, wasn't he?)
And so—
She hit the ground.
A thousand things came to mind at that moment—rage, worry, fear, all those different things, all the things that he still owed her—
But only one word left his lips.
He screamed her name like a prayer, to a world that was silent in answer.
"Nue!"
"And [his god] called after him, '[Trickster], your people cannot rule the world, for I will not have it so. All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand Enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.'"
But forget your tricks, let things slip, and you fall just the same.
OC Cards:
Paleozoic Orthrozanclus
(R3/2400/2400/WATER/Aqua/Xyz/Effect)
4 Level 3 Aqua monsters
If this card was Xyz Summoned using only "Paleozoic" monster(s) as Xyz Material, it is unaffected by the effects of your opponent's Spells and Traps. While this card is face-up on the field, all Aqua monsters you control cannot be destroyed by the effects of non-WATER monsters. If this card would be destroyed by battle, you can banish 1 Trap from the GY instead.
Trivia: Meet a card that would be absolutely busted if it belonged to literally any archetype except for Paleozoics, which suck. Orthrozanclus is a prehistoric creature from the Burgess Shale Formation, same as the rest of the creatures that the Paleozoics are named after. Xyz Revive Splash is a reference to Shark's deck, naturally, because the main character fighting a person who is influenced by an external force as a part of the first arc in the story… sometimes, I'm subtle, sometimes I hit you in the face with a truck.
Rank-Up-Magic Tantalizing Force
(Spell)
Target 1 Plant or Insect Xyz Monster you control; Special Summon from your Extra Deck, 1 Plant or Insect Xyz Monster that is 1 Rank higher than that monster you control, by using it as the Xyz Material, and if you do, attach this card to it as Xyz Material. (This Special Summon is treated as an Xyz Summon. Xyz Materials attached to it also become Xyz Materials on the Summoned monster.) If you control a "Traptrix" Xyz Monster: You can banish this card and 2 Normal Traps from your GY; draw 2 cards. You can only activate this effect of "Rank-Up-Magic Tantalizing Force" once per turn.
Traptrix Cephalotus
(R5/2800/0/EARTH/Plant/Xyz/Effect)
2 Level 5 monsters
If this card is Xyz Summoned: You can send cards from the top of your Deck to the GY, up to the number of Xyz Materials this card has, and if you do, Special Summon 1 "Traptrix" monster from your GY. All "Traptrix" monsters you control cannot be targeted by card effects. (Quick Effect) You can detach 2 Xyz Materials from this card; banish 1 "Hole" Normal Trap from your GY which meets its activation conditions, and if you do, this effect becomes that Trap Card's effect when that card is activated. You can only Xyz Summon "Traptrix Cephalotus" once per turn.
Traptantalizing Planning
(Trap)
Tribute 1 Insect or Plant monster; Special Summon 1 "Traptrix" monster from the Deck, and if you do, you can add 1 "Hole" Normal Trap from your GY to your hand. You can banish this card from your GY; Special Summon 1 "Traptrix" monster from your GY, and if you do, that monster cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects this turn. You can only activate each effect of "Traptantalizing Planning" once per turn.
Traptrix Sundew
(4*/1000/1800/EARTH/Plant/Effect)
You can discard this card from your hand; Special Summon 1 "Traptrix" monster from your hand. If this card is Special Summoned: You can add 1 "Traptrix" monster from your Deck or GY to your hand. You can only activate each effect of "Traptrix Sundew" once per turn.
End Notes:
Trigger warnings: Suicidal ideation, derealisation, delirium, hallucinations, physical violence, reference to past dating abuse. Yes, starting from here is where 6ARC goes straight from 'explores darker implications of canon' to just straight-up… being its own level of fucked up. Just be warned! :)
I've been looking forward to this chapter for a long time. :) I love this duel precisely because there is no suspense at all. You know that Nue is going to win this. Nue knows that she's going to win this. And her opponent is pretty sure about the same thing too. I'm sure that we all knew it—and that's the point. The impact doesn't come from any kind of surprise at who wins. The impact comes from the fact that because Nue 'wins', everybody involved loses. As Academia planned, of course. The moment that the duel started, she had already lost.
The ending quote is from Watership Down, though the names have been edited for clarity, and the last line does not come from the book. :) That's also the book that's referenced in the starting part of the chapter. It's a book that actually played a pretty large role in the reason why I associated Nue with those two different things in the first place—rabbits and birds. :)
And yes, Nue is technically on the protagonists' side, but she is not perfect. None of them are. She says hurtful things because she's been hurt, and… yeah. It's just a shitty situation all around in this chapter.
Review responses!
To TheRealD3lph0xL0v3r, yup, agree to disagree! :)
To the anonymous Guest, I don't talk about future plot points!
To CruelDiamond422, Yuji will get stronger eventually! Unfortunately, he is missing the two arcs of development that the other Yu-boys all already got, so he's catching up right now. Thanks for the review!
To Bryz0n, glad you enjoyed it! Yeah, I was never going to make an entire Ritual Spell that only summoned Empty Abyss, just because that card would be a brick in every other circumstance. That being said... hope you enjoyed this chapter. :)
To phantomdragons, yep, a nice break from the angst! Nothing to see here! (I'm so sorry. No, I'm not. :))
To cardfan135, you totally nailed it, yeah! Language, man. It's fun to play around with :)
Now, I don't want to talk about these events too much... see you next chapter. :)