RWBY X Yugioh

Chapter 7: Heart of the Matter

PREVIOUSLY, ON RWBY X YUGIOH!

Ruby's team and Jaune had fallen in between dimensions at the battle of Atlas, believed to have been banished to the shadow realm. Rather, they ended up in the duel monsters spirit worlds, but have found some dangers still lie in this fairy tale like world. First, duelists and spirits who are defeated or die in this realm have their souls taken to a great tree that lies in the epicenter of this world as its core. There you are reshaped into a new life form, or rarely return as yourself. Second, and this was even more a concern for our heroes…

"Neo fell in with me. She'll be hunting us down." Ruby coldly said to her team after she awoke from her coma, a direct result of learning of the loss of Penny from Weiss and Jaune.

Soon they found a guide for this world, a curious cat who offered to take them to the Great Tree in exchange for information on Remnant. Though the cat proved to be a misleading guide as it took them around in circles, soon getting lost from them itself to their concern.

But rather than by getting lost, Ruby's team grew even more worried as the days past for their leader and sister's state. Ruby had grown more sullen and distant from them, rarely shedding a smile. She barely even lifted a finger to offer aide to the spirits struggling in this world from dark fiend monsters that often attacked them, lest it was to protect herself or her team. It was so unlike her, especially as she kept ignoring a small fiery rat with lava for teeth they nicknamed "Little" despite wanting to be named Volcanic Rat. Yang knew her sister loved animals, especially duel monster ones as she many times caught her ogling her winged Kuriboh cards from childhood. Yet now all she saw was a shell of her former self, a shell that soon cracked one day when she blew up at them for asking to comfort Jaune when he went through a trauma induced nightmare over killing Penny.

"Why are you asking me!? Because I'm the leader!? Because I gotta always help Jaune and everyone else but me even when I'm hurting!?" Ruby yelled indignantly. To her, this had been the ultimate insult, years of putting others first for the mission, for her teams sake, and not one of them could take the time to lend her a shoulder to cry on? They all had to help Jaune, the one who killed the girl who meant everything to Ruby, over her? Well she had it, she remembered blowing up at them after finally letting her built up fury fly out.

"Never enough time right? Gotta help everyone else! Gotta get home! Gotta be someone who won't screw up everything for everyone!" She yelled at Weiss, a girl whom she always felt pressured to meet her expectations as a strong leader. She then turned her attention to Yang and Blake, the former giving her a glare for her outburst while Blake just let her cat ears fold in fear, but Ruby wasn't done with them. She was going all out in this to finally let her stress go.

"Oh right! Never a good time for me to be unhappy. Gotta stay positive and lovey dovey like you two, so happy for you by the way you get to live happily ever after unlike those people I got killed in Atlas right Yang!? Jaune!" Ruby bitterly yelled at them, making them recoil except for Jaune, who just got in her face with his own filled with rage.

"Help everyone else? When have you EVER helped anyone else!? It was your plan that didn't work, YOUR PLAN! PENNY DIED BECAUSE OF YOU! IT'S ALWAYS BECAUSE OF YOU!" Jaune screamed, tears soon coming from both his and Ruby's eyes to WBY's horror.

"Jaune…Ruby…I know things went bad but we still have-" Blake said trying to perk them up but winced as she was cut off by a cold retort.

"Shut. Up." Ruby coldly said, shocking everyone, especially Volcanic Rat as is buried into her hood, afraid to say anything as she tearfully flew away on a mechanical dragon she summoned from her duel disk.

Ruby soon found herself ambushed by Neo herself, having summoned a Chimera Monster to slash her back while her guard was down crying in remorse and grief, pinning her bloody back down as Neo smirked watching it's drooling mouth go near her head. Just as the beast was about to bit down and end her, a flash blue and purple destroyed the beast and blasted Neo unconscious, it's source petting Ruby's head soothingly as she weakly rolled over onto her back and met its eyes.

"It's alright Ruby. It's over now." The curious cat said with a smile. But Ruby just kept crying with a somber face. It wasn't over, it would never be over for her. The pain, the weight suffocating her chest, she didn't know if she could go on anymore with all she lost; lost because of her actions she thought doomed those she cared about. She didn't feel worthy of being a leader, a duelist, or even family to those she cared for. Maybe they'd be better off without her she thought.

"I-I'm sorry. *Sniffle*I don't want to be me anymore" Ruby cried into her hands, ignoring the cat playfully jumping onto her chest and shushed her quietly…with a devilish grin.

"It's okay…I can be YOU instead." They whispered to her confusion.

"Wha-" She began asking confused before a sharp pain stabbed into her chest like a thousand knives jabbing her heart as it burned.

"GAAAAAAH! What are you doing?! *gasp*!" Ruby cried out as she felt something perverse invade her chest then seep into her spasming body that soon grew limp, helpless to stop this dreadful feeling of another presence touch and consume her body's strength. All she could do was watch the frightening fangs protrude from this monster cat as it grinned at her in response.

"My purpose. When a poor heart breaks like yours…I can replace it with mine! I have been waiting for you to crack for so long now, but now I can finally leave this world with a host and explore new ones untethered by the laws of this realm." The cat said gleefully as its eyes glowed blue along with ruby's to her shock, feeling it harder to breath let alone stay awake.

"No. Stop. P-Please." She whispered. Soon her prayers were answered as the monster cried out in pain and retracted its claws from her chest, leaving a small puddle of blood as she gasped for air, but found it difficult. She wanted 2 things right now, to cry in pain that consumed her and to thank Little as the volcanic rat bit The Cat's tail and flung him over to Neo.

"Your no friend. Ruby!" He said bitterly before climbing onto Ruby's chest after hearing her choked sobs. They could tell, even not being an expert in what humans were, that her wounds were bad. Her heart had stopped and she was bleeding out.

"Don't worry! I'll do what I can!" He said, but what little Little could do wasn't much. All he could do was patch up the wound by cauterizing it closed and pooling a bit of magma energy from his fangs to encase the heart and restart it with his own life force, but he knew it was only temporary, sensing the severe damage to Ruby's heart. Ruby felt it too, beyond the pain melting with the heat that enveloped her heart, as she weakly got to her feet, struggling for an easy breath.

"T-Thank…you little." She weakly said to his concern.

Soon more trouble ensued as they both heard a cackle from nearby, and Neo's body arose.

"My. My. It seems she wasn't the only one broken was she?" The cat sang as Neo's face soon bore it's face with hers to Ruby's shock.

"Neo." She whispered before clutching her chest in pain to NeoCat's amusement.

"Well. If your in pain, I can put you in the ground!" Neocat said with a vicious smirk. Ruby huffed at the threat, if she was going down she wasn't going down without a fight, especially until she made this perverse monster pay for defiling her body like that.

"The do it, like a duelist would!" Ruby cried out as she armed her duel disk, making NeoCat chuckle.

"Oh very well. I guess it would be fair to grant you your…DYING WISH!" NeoCat said with a crazy grin as he took out Neo's umbrella, which soon detached from the handle and landed its left arm, the shoot glowing as 5 zones appeared on its duel disk function.

"Lets Duel!" They yelled as their aura shined to 4000 each.

"Since your not looking to good, Beauty before Ugly Rose! I draw!" Neocat chuckled to Ruby's annoyance.

"I summon out Mirror Swordsman in attack mode!" NeoCat declared as it summoned the beast with 1900 ATK. "Then I'll sacrifice him to help me fuse Gazelle and Berfomet with Chimera Fusion to create Chimera, King of Mythical Beasts!" They declare as the beast with 2100 ATK is formed and snarls at Ruby, making her wince.

"Gah! I don't know what stinks more, looking at you or smelling that things breath!" She groaned, making Neocat growl at her.

"Once I place 2 face-downs to help me gut you later you'll be sorry for that insult. Especially as my beasts special ability wipes out a random card in your hand." Neocat threatened as chimera roars, sending a card from Ruby's hand to the graveyard.

We see a silhouette of a robotic red cartoonish dragon crying in pain as it's destroyed from the hand to Ruby's dismay.

"Doubt it I dra-" Ruby countered before gasping for air as she struggled to draw her first card to Neocat's amusement.

"Ooooh! Looks like someone's a bit…under the weather. Need a nap Little Red?" Neocat mockingly asked before Ruby groaned and shook her head.

"I'm going to enjoy wiping that smirk of both your faces, and your Aura!" Ruby thought bitterly as she unclenched her chest and drew, taking a deep breath.

"Time for a fresh hand, I play graceful charity. This spell lets me draw 3 new cards and then ditch 2. Next I play Cyber Dragon Core who lets me add a cyber spell or trap to my hand from the deck!" Ruby declares, but pauses as she hears a laugh from Neocat as a result before she draws her hand near her deck to search.

"Normally yes, but if I banish Mirror Swordsman from my grave, that effects canceled out." Neocat counters.

(GX ost) watch?v=di469ikRDpo

"Fine, but it can't stop THIS special ability, my Core become Cyber Dragon when it's one the field." Ruby retorts as core transitions from a black robotic serpent into the image of a black cyber dragon. "Which lets me do a bit of fusing as I activate OVERLOAD FUSION! Now I remove core with Cyber Phoenix and Cyber Ouraboros in my grave to fusion summon CHIMERATECH OVERDRAGON!" Ruby yells as she summons the 6 headed robotic dragon with "?" ATK.

"Where's it's ATK?" Neocat asked confused.

"I was just getting to that, so shut up already. My dragon gets 800 ATK and DEF for each Machine monster I fused. Since I fused 3 it gets 2400, plus thanks to Cyber Ouraboros I can now discard a card and draw. Next I play FUTURE FUSION, now by sending to my graveyard from deck fusion material monsters, when I am in my 2nd standby phase you'll be dealing with MY CYBER END DRAGON!" Ruby yells as she sends 3 cyber dragons to the grave, making NeoCat sweat nervously.

"Really going overkill right?" Neocat asked.

"Emphasis on the KILL! Now go Overdragon get me some revenge! Attack her chimera!" Ruby orders her dragon who fires a laser from one of its head that destroys the beast, dropping Neo's aura to 3700.

"Nice ability now I get to use mine, when Chimera is destroyed, I can bring back Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts in Defense mode. Then I play Chimera Fusion agai-" Neocat said smugly before being cut off.

"Not yet, when Cyber Reaper is in my graveyard during the turn I fusion summon, it can banish itself to negate a spell card and destroy it, like my dragon will when IT'S ability lets it blast gazelle!" Ruby counters.

We see a specter of a mechanical red and white reaper wielding a robotic scythe that cleaved into the spell before vanishing.

"I'll end with this." Ruby declares as she sets a card.

"Fine which means I get to do this, use my trap Illusion destruction to add Stray cat to my hand since a beast or illusion monster was destroyed." Neocat counters, not that ruby cares about that card as she clenches her chest, feeling the burning return.

"Gotta finish this fast" She whispers.

On the next turn though, Neocat doesn't make that easy, as they summon 2 Stray Cat monsters with a spell and point out Ruby can't attack any other monsters so she's in a lock now. Ruby begins feeling even more pressure as she eyes her team enter the manor, eying her with eyes of pity and concern that infuriated her. She didn't want to see them yet after blowing up at them.

"RUBY!" They cried out.

"Later. I gotta *sigh* finish this monster off." Ruby retorts as the group gasp upon noticing Neo.

"What happened to her!?" Blake asked in shock.

"I knew she was ugly on the inside, but now the outside?" Yang quipped, making Neocat snarl.

"I see your like your sister, a jokester. Well I'll have the last laugh when I send her to oblivion with Dark Cat. You see when this crystal beast is in play, I can half her ATK points and allow her to attack you directly, SICK EM GIRL!" They order as the purple gem cat snarls and slashes at Ruby's chest, eliciting painful groans as she sweats nervously and wobbles and clutches her chest, despite only losing 600 Aura to her teams concern.

We see am image of Ruby's heart, with 2 holes covered with molten rock, pounding slightly and unevenly.

"What's wrong Ruby!?" Yang cries out.

"That wasn't much damage but she took it hard." Jaune says concerned.

"Why?" Weiss asked. Then little walks up to her and cries, drawing her attention as she sees its sadness.

"Because the cat hurt Ruby already. She's in really bad shape." Little replied, explaining what the Cat did to Ruby earlier, making the others double back.

"It did what to my little sister!?" Yang growled, eyes red with fury, but son her fiery rage was frozen solid as she gasped in horror by what Volcanic rat said next.

"Her heart already stopped once before I sealed it." They said sadly.

"No way! Then-" Weiss gasped as she covered her mouth, already knowing the answer as little nodded.

"Even if Ruby wins…this could be her last duel." Little said sadly making them gasp.

"T-Then we need to stop this and get her help!" Blake cried out but Ruby did so as well.

"STAY OUT OF THIS!" Ruby yelled before wheezing to her friends confusion.

"A-Are you crazy Rubes? You need help!" yang cried out.

"And who can give it to me?" Ruby asked coldly. Yang winced as she heard this, and jaune averted his gaze solemnly. He knew as did Yang deep down that there wasn't anything to be done about a heart problem. They had no doctors, or duel monsters that could heal. Jaune grit his teeth in frustration, they couldn't save Ruby, just like he couldn't save Penny that day, something Ruby saw etched onto his face.

"That's right. No one could ever help me. Well If I'm a goner…then *wheeze* then I'm at least taking this monster with me to the great beyond. I need to make it pay for doing this to me." Ruby demanded making the cat beast chuckle.

"And how you gonna do that? You look like your about to kill over and I don't even have to do anything thanks to my stray cats." Neocat countered.

"I can still do this, It's DE-FUSION, so my dragon splits up into 3 Cyber Dragons, next I play Evolution burst to blast one of those kittens into next week at the cost of not attacking this turn!" Ruby retorts as her dragon splits into 3 and one blasts a blue laser, killing one of the cat monsters, thus returning attacks to Ruby now as she sets a card and ends.

"Fine then. I switch Stray cat to defense, then sick my Dark Cat on you again!" Neocat groans but Ruby replies with a face-down.

"I reveal my trap! Attack Reflector Unit to trade in a Cyber Dragon for Cyber Barrier Dragon. Then I use my beasts ability to stop this attack!" Ruby counters as a red and purple cyber dragon appears in place of one and forms a green force field from its head, stopping dark cat.

"Now it's my move I…draw." Ruby sighs as she takes a deep breath to her teams concern before shaking her head.

"Now future fusion lets me bring out the beast of your demise. MY CYBER END DRAGON!" Ruby cries as a three headed mechanical dragon appears with 4000 ATK that ripples the field with a roar.

"Ruby's best card!" Yang yells proudly.

"And when it blasts Stray Cat, it's effect will deal Neo 4000 points of piercing damage!" Blake explains.

"Right you are kitty, now I'm going to put this one down. Attack with Super Strident Blaze!" Ruby orders.

"Ruby's gonna win!" Jaune and Weiss cheer, but their expressions along with Ruby's pale as Neocat snickers.

"Never trust what your eyes tell you, it may yet be an illusion like that deluded idea of defeating me." Neocat sings to Ruby's confusion before she notices a face-down in play.

"You caught on? Nice…but too late. I reveal my own trap MIRROR FORCE. It shatters your attacking beast and its fellow comrades in attack mode, sorry not sorry!" They cheered as Cyber End's attack bounces back and incinerates all Ruby's monsters to her horror.

"Again….I failed my friends again." Ruby gasps softly, as the memory of Pyrrah and Penny dying flashes in her mind as the dragons melt. All she finds the strength to do beyond setting a card is take a weak breath as her heart aches, though she isn't sure if its physical or grief pain that torments her now.

Neocat snickers as it sees her despair and eyes the next card they draw intently, forming a devilish grin.

(ost) watch?v=T0NB4-SGT8o

"Indeed. You failed then and you'll fail now when I take my turn and activate Advanced Dark Rainbow to rid the field of all my monsters, so I can bring out my ultimate dragon, THE RAINBOW DARK DRAGON!" Neocat cries out as they summon a black dragon with a variety of different covered gems on its neck that glow brightly as it bears down on Ruby with 4000 ATK.

"Scared Little Red? Don't worry, I'll put you in the ground for good and put an end to that fear like I promised. Rainbow Dark Dragon, guide her to her doom! RAINBOW DARK REFRACTION!" Neocat orders as the dragon blasts a mix of black flames and a rainbow laser at Ruby.

(GX OST) watch?v=j4Sj4XW8WJs

"NO! If she takes this, she'll lose! RUBY!" Yang cries out as she sees the look of terror on Ruby's face, forming on herself as an explosion rips through the air with a huge cloud of fiery ashes where her sister stood.

TO BE CONTINUED….

Featured Duel: Ruby Rose vs NeoCat

Duel is conducted under GX rules where both duelists have 4000 Aura and can draw on their first turn and can normal summon monsters in face-up defense position.

Turn 1: NeoCat

NeoCat draws. Neocat normal summons Mirror Swordsman (Star 4/1900 ATK). They then tribute it to add Chimera Fusion to their hand and activates it, fusing Gazelle and Berfomet to fusion summon Chimera King of Mythical Beasts (Star 6/2100 ATK). They then add Chimera Fusion back to their hand via its effect. NeoCat sets 2 cards and end, activating Chimera's effect to force Ruby to discard a random card from her hand. Ruby discards Dragonroid.

(Cards in hand 2)

Turn 2: Ruby

Ruby draws. Ruby activates Graceful Charity to draw 3 new cards and discard 2 after. She discards Cyber Ouraboros and Cyber Phoenix. Ruby normal summons Cyber Core (Star 1/0 ATK). Since it was summoned it lets her add a card from her deck to her hand that lists "Cyber Dragon" in its name, but NeoCat banishes Mirror Swordsman from their graveyard to negate the effect since they control a fusion or illusion monster. Ruby then plays Overload Fusion to banish Cyber Core (as its effect treats it as Cyber Dragon) along with Cyber Phoenix and Ouraboros in her graveyard, to fusion summon Chimeratech Overdragon (Star 9/? ATK) whose ATK and DEF are equal to the number of Materials used to fuse it x800 (Overdragon ? - 2400 ATK), plus it gets 3 attacks on monsters since 3 monsters were fused. Furthermore, since Cyber Ouraboros was banished from the graveyard, Ruby can discard 1 card and draw. Ruby then plays Future Fusion, which lets her send 3 Cyber Dragon's from her deck to the graveyard to summon Cyber End Dragon during her 2nd standby phase after this card activates.

Overdragon attacks Chimera and destroys it (NeoCat 4000 – 3700 Aura), which triggers its effect to summon Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts from her graveyard in DEF (Star 4/1200 DEF). They then activate Chimera Fusion in an attempt to fusion summon again, but Ruby activates Cyber Reapers effect from her field or graveyard to banish it during the turn she fusion summoned to negate a spell or monster effects activation and destroy it. Overdragon attacks and destroys Gazelle, but NeoCat activates the trap Illusion Destruction to let her add a Beast, Fiend or Illusion monster from the deck to their hand the turn a Fusion monster listing one of those materials is destroyed. They add Stray Cat, furthermore, Gazelle is then special summoned from the graveyard in defense move. Overdragon attacks Gazelle again and destroys it.

Ruby sets a card and ends.

(Cards in hand 1)

Turn 3: NeoCat

NeoCat Draws and summons Stray Cat (Star 1/0 DEF) in Defense mode. As long as Stray Cat is in play, Ruby is forbidden from attacking any other monster. NeoCat then activates the spell Monster Illusion to target Stray Cat and play this card as a monster with the same Level, ATK, DEF, and Abilities (Star 1/0 DEF) in defense mode.

Since NeoCat controls 2 "Cat" or Illusion monsters, NeoCat can play Cat Calling to send Monster Cat from her deck to the graveyard and special summon a different "Cat" Monster from her deck and draw a card. They special summon Advanced Crystal Beast Amethyst Dark Cat (Star 3/1200 ATK).

Dark Cat attacks directly via it's effect, but loses half it's ATK due to the effect (Dark Cat 1200 – 600 ATK)(Ruby 4000 – 3400 Aura).

NeoCat ends

(Cards in hand 1).

Turn 4: Ruby

Ruby draws. She activates De-Fusion to return Overdragon to her Extra deck and special summon the materials listed on its text from the graveyard. Ruby then special summons 3 copies of Cyber Dragon (star 5/2100 ATK). Ruby then activates Evolution Burst, since she controls Cyber Dragon she can destroy 1 card on the field, but cannot attack with Cyber Dragon this turn. Ruby destroys Stray Cat.

Ruby ends. (Cards in hand 0).

Turn 5: NeoCat

NeoCat draws. She attacks with Dark Cat but Ruby chains with her trap Attack Reflector Unit to tribute a Cyber Dragon and special summon Cyber Barrier Dragon in attack mode (Star 6/800 ATK). Ruby activates Barrier Dragon's effect to negate the attack once per turn.

NeoCat sets a card and ends.

(Cards in hand 1)

Turn 6: Ruby.

Ruby draws. At this point, Future Fusion's effect resolves so Ruby Fusion summons Cyber End Dragon (Star 10/4000 ATK).

Ruby attempts to attack Stray Cat with Cyber End Dragon to deal 4000 piercing damage, but NeoCat activates the trap Mirror Force to destroy all Attack Position monsters Ruby controls.

Ruby sets 1 card and ends.

Turn 7: NeoCat.

NeoCat draws and activates the spell Advanced Dark Rainbow to tribute Dark Cat and all other monsters they controls. During this turn all monsters in her graveyard will count as Dark Monsters and they take no effect damage. Since they possess at least 7 dark monsters on the field or graveyard, NeoCat special summons Rainbow Dark Dragon in attack mode (Star 10/4000 ATK).

Rainbow Dark Dragon attacks Ruby directly.

Duel continues in next episode….