Chapter 10 - Conversations and Candy?
The Current Objective: With the Maiami Championship starting to rapidly approach, Joseph takes some time off to duel Yuya, which results in him obtaining his first loss to the Pendulum Duelist. Heading home afterwards, Joseph considers his next moves.
Arriving back at the apartment, I noticed how drained I was. Despite having not participated an Action Duel, I felt considerably tired, which on a second thought I did think made sense considering how much rapid strategizing I'd had to do, taking into account the rapidly devolving duel state I'd been faced with. Letting out a deep sigh, I twisted my key in the lock, and the door swung open. "I'm back." I announced, and upon not hearing a response, I noticed a small piece of paper on the coffee table, which I glanced over, learning that Ruri had gone to meet with Shun for some lunch, and a small smile graced my lips as I vaguely imagined the siblings returning to a small sense of normalcy, although I did know that that would be a long time off.
As I sat down, I saw my duel disk flash with a received message.
Messaging with Akaba Reiji:
Akaba Reiji: You might want to check the news. Any channel.
Joseph: Huh, where's this coming from?
Akaba Reiji: I think you might appreciate it.
Slightly confused, I flicked the TV on and changed it to one of the various news stations where I was met with "Breaking news: Akaba Reiji has just announced a major format change for the Maiami Championship! In a press release earlier today, the city was informed of these changes just mere weeks out from the tournament itself." The presenter read off his teleprompter, before the footage flicked to Reiji standing at a podium in front of a crowd of reporters and paparazzi.
"For the upcoming Maiami Championship, the following changes will be made to the format. All divisions will now be conducting standard duels, not Action Duels. Furthermore, as a result of this change, in the Youth and Senior divisions, the time limit between actions will be reduced from thirty seconds, to account for potential searching for Action Cards, to ten seconds. This will apply across all the tournament branches. Duelists, please prepare your decks and strategies around this change. There will be no time for questions." The footage cut away as Reiji moved away from the podium and the roar of the reporters started. My jaw dropped as I heard the announcement, and I thought back to a comment that I'd made in my meeting with Reiji the other day.
"Y'know, I would personally shift away from Action Cards." I'd said,
"And why is that?" Reiji's tone had been icy, his eyes hidden with the slight glare of his glasses,
"The Lancers are supposed to be the best of the best, correct? In that case, they should be able to win without relying on the chance of an Action Card to save them if they misplay. Plus, Fusion could easily catch on and start using them against us."
"I do see your point. Decks are also slightly too tuned to relying on them for the entertainment factor, not a dueling factor." Reiji had mused, and I'd been able to practically see his mind at work, "Thank you for that insight."
The rest of what we'd discussed had been more to the effect of strategies, not format changes so I'd kinda forgot I'd mentioned that until I was reminded of it. I immediately opened my messaging app and flicked it to Yuya's tab.
Messaging with Sakaki Yuya
Joseph: Yo, you seen the news?
Sakaki Yuya: what news?
Joseph: I imagine it'd be everywhere.
It took about two minutes for Yuya to reply, but when she did, it was fairly obvious what she thought.
Sakaki Yuya: No Action Duels?! WHAT?
Joseph: I was very surprised as well. You think you'll be able to adapt?
Sakaki Yuya: I dunno. My whole playstyle focuses on Action Dueling.
Joseph: I can see how that's an issue.
Sakaki Yuya: Well I gotta go prepare my deck.
Joseph: See ya.
Flicking off my duel disk, I sat back, wondering what exactly this would mean for the upcoming tournament. This world was certainly more used to Action Dueling and as such a complete change away from that was probably going to annoy many schools and people alike.
It wasn't until that evening that Ruri returned. When the door opened, I asked her "How was it?"
"Ah, Joseph! It was good. It's been too long since I've caught up with my brother."
"How's he doing? I'm sure that this whole thing is rather strange to him."
"Well, he's glad that I'm safe. Plus, when we heard that Action Duels were being removed from the tournament, I think we both sighed in relief!" She laughed, "I don't think Shun would have adapted to them very well."
"I was wondering if you two knew," I replied, "It certainly helps us."
"Why do you think Reiji changed it?"
"Probably because I mentioned to him that Fusion would likely catch on and then use the Action Cards against us, assuming we brought Action Duels against them, and I think this is to build strategies among the potentials."
"Ah. That would be bad." Ruri solemnly nodded,
"Indeed. Besides, can't exactly call yourself the greatest fighting force in the dimension if half your fighting is done via sheer luck beyond the draw." I swung my arms behind my head, sitting back on the couch. I thought about what the change would mean, especially since that would mean that certain schools which had certain focuses would be allowed to get away with less, given the fact that duelists wouldn't be expected to really move.
"Shall we get our final qualification duel done tomorrow?" I asked,
"Sounds like a plan." Ruri smiled.
The next morning, it was like any other. The birds were chirping and the sun was shining, but there was also the sounds of what seemed to be a small mob in the streets. Looking out, I saw that they were protesting the changes made to the tournament, especially since it was rather last minute; most participants had already qualified after all. Preparing a cup of coffee for myself and for Ruri when she would join me, I decided to sit by the window and watch the procession. It wasn't ten minutes later that she did, and pulling the just reheated mug into her hand and taking a seat we watched the crowd go by together.
"Seems like the change is slightly unpopular." Ruri quipped,
"Slightly, you say? I suppose when it is announced that the dueling style your whole dimension uses is going to be invalidated for the biggest tournament around, it would be pretty disheartening." I replied,
"Yeah. If I were in a tournament where Xyz Summoning wasn't allowed back home, I'd feel fairly annoyed, so I can see where they're coming from."
"Back in my world there would be changes in formats all the time. Y'know how I play Purrely?"
"Yeah?"
"Well, back home, there would be 'metas', or the 'most effective tactic available', and for a time Purrely was pretty close to that. Constant representation at tournaments, but there were some others that were stronger. We even had what we call 'Tier 0' formats, based on a tier list that went from 1 to 3 from strongest to weakest." I smiled in slight fondness and nostalgia at the system I'd left behind,
"Tier 0?" Ruri was seemingly confused,
"The exact definition varies based on who you ask, but the consensus is that it's a format where there is a specific deck that is so good at what it does that it's the only deck that can reasonably beat itself, typically seeing like sixty-five percent or more of play in any given scene. It would not be uncommon for the top eight or even sixteen to be entirely composed of that one deck."
"I imagine that would be pretty boring to watch. Just the same over and over again, no variety based on an individual duelist."
"Well, we also didn't take it as seriously as you do. It's not televised as a sporting event, hell we don't even have duel disks. We just settle for a good ol' table with a rubber mat to protect the cards. It was a fairly niche hobby at most."
"Seriously?" Ruri was incredulous at my statement,
"Yep." I confirmed, and she looked slightly appalled,
"You know, of all the things that I expected to happen today, finding this out was not part of that."
"To be honest, I didn't think I'd be sharing this ever." I confessed, "Unlike you, whatever it may be for you at the moment that is, I don't have a home to return to. It's not one of the dimensions, and while I do miss the family I left behind, to be honest, I'd rather be here. Dimensional War and all."
"Never thought I'd hear someone say something like that," Ruri sadly smiled, "How did you even end up here, I wonder?"
"Let's just say that it was some kind of accident, which granted me a… beneficiary, you could say." Suddenly, the ever quite System spoke up,
WARNING: Revealing the existence of the System to a native will have disastrous consequences. Do not reveal any more. You will not be warned again.
"A beneficiary?"
"All I can say."
"Is that how you got your knowledge of the War?"
"No. That's something else that would require a very different conversation that I don't even know if I am allowed to have at this point."
You are not.
The System kindly informed me. I let out a small sigh. "In any case, that's enough moping from me."
"In that case, are we going to do our duel?"
"I'm really sorry, but I don't think I have it in me today. I dunno, just feeling a little too drained after yesterday and this morning." A small smile graced Ruri's lips,
"Then we'll do so another day. We do have a fair length of time left until qualification ends."
"Thanks. I'm gonna go on a walk. Get some air."
"In that case, have a good walk." Ruri smiled, and I got up, heading grabbing my duel disk, as it is like a phone after all, and headed out.
Walking along the streets, it was indeed rather relaxing. It also allowed me to think clearly about the situation I'd found myself in. While yes, I had come to terms with it, to say that it was in any way considered normal or fine… that was another story. It was rare to see this sort of thing covered in isekai, the isekai'd thinking about their situation with any real seriousness. It was usually just a 'Oh woe, I left behind my family. ANYWAY, time to be all special and introduce something like mayonnaise to this world!', unless it is specifically part of the plot. You'd think more people would be more concerned about leaving behind every single thing they've ever known, even if it is to lead an ideal life.
Are you OK?
I was surprised by the System's question. It had mostly been silent since I'd arrived, barring tutorials and objectives, and of course, just earlier. What does it look like? I thought back at it,
While we cannot relate to your experience, it is in our best interest to make sure that you are fine. After all, we did select you for a reason.
And what reason is that? I'm not exactly the best duelist. I never even competed in a tournament in my previous life. So why me?
We cannot elaborate as to the reason, but know that if you did not fit it, you would not be here today.
So I would have just died that day?
Perhaps, perhaps not. Medical care may have saved your life, and you would have gone on with it. We cannot see the future of those potential timelines.
Well that's just great, isn't it? My internal debate with the System was interrupted by my realisation that I seemed to have turned down an alley at some point and had hit the dead end. Huh. I simply thought to myself and made to turn around, but I heard an almost shrill voice call out.
"You finally walked into a corner, Xyz scum." The voice I recognised rang through my ears, and I turned to see pastel blue hair tied into a very short ponytail, and a lollypop imitating a toothpick or a cigarette between the young boy's teeth.
"Shiun'in Sora? Can't say I expected to see you here." I replied, catching the Fusion duelist somewhat off guard,
"You… know of me?"
"Yes. And I also do wonder, why do you call me Xyz scum? It's almost as if you're prejudiced against me for an arbitrary reason."
"Because you use Xyz Summoning, duh. And prejudiced? Please!" Sora responded, as if it were obvious and that explained everything.
"So you're behind some of those disappearances?"
"They were clearly inferior Fusion Summoners. They were a blight on the Summoning Method."
"And you weren't targeting Xyz Summoners? Wouldn't that make more sense?"
"Hmm," Sora thought for a second, "Nah, it's more fun this way!"
"How does that make sense?" I questioned to myself, but I held up my arm in any case,
"Ah, so you won't come easy?"
"Well, I would never surrender. Plus, I'm not actually from Xyz. Will you believe me if I win?"
"Yeah right." Sora scoffed, readying his own duel disk,
"Let's get this out of the way then."
"LET'S DUEL!" We both shouted, the blades of Solid Vision igniting and for the first time, I physically saw the sword-like blade of the Fusion Dimension.
Joseph: 4000 LP
Vs
Shiun'in Sora: 4000 LP
Objective gained: Defeat Shiun'in Sora in a duel. Rewards: 250 XP, 1000 Duel Credits. Bonus Objectives Gained: Do not have any monster leave your GY except by your own effects, Win with effect damage, Win without taking damage (Perk: No Cost in effect). Rewards: 50 XP and 150 Duel Credits per.
Turn 1: Joseph (5 in hand)
"I'll take the first turn," I declared, sliding the cards that made up my starting hand out from my duel disk, "And with it, I'll open with the Continuous Spell, My Friend Purrely! Then, using its effect, I pay 500 life points to reveal three cards with 'Purrely' in their names for you to randomly select one. I then add that card to my hand and shuffle the rest back." [Joseph: 4000 LP – 500 = 3500 LP] "I reveal three copies of Purrely Happy Memory, so I'll just add this one."
"That's quite a good effect!" Sora commented,
"Yeah, but don't lose track of what I'm about to do now. I activate a Field Spell, Stray Purrely Street, and then on a new chain activate Purrely Sleepy Memory. This one allows me to negate the next instance of damage I would take this turn, but I can also discard one card to summon Purrelyly from my deck." [Purrelyly: Level 1, 100 ATK]
"I've seen some of your duels. You're gonna summon something using that little cutie's effect, right?"
"Heh, I guess you know more about my deck than I thought. But in any case, you're forgetting one thing, Purrelyly's on summon effect. This one allows me to add a copy of Purrelyeap?! to my hand. Then I use Purrelyly's effect to target Sleepy Memory in my graveyard and use it as Xyz Material."
"I'll activate the effect of Edge Imp Scythe here!" Sora cheered as he slammed a card into his duel disk, "I can now Fusion Summon using monsters in my hand and on my field so long as Scythe is one of them. Now, fluffy feathers of the penguin, be torn apart by the blades of a scythe! I Fusion Summon. Frightfur Cruel Whale!" As Sora brought his hands together, the holographic image of Fluffal Penguin and Edge Imp Scythe turned into red and blue energy respectively, merging together in a purple swirl. Emerging from the portal was a twisted plush version of an orca, its fabric skin ripped apart and stuffing spilling out and exposing the malevolent spirit within it. [Frightfur Cruel Whale: Level 9, 2600 ATK]
"A Fusion Summon on my turn? Quite impressive. But now Purrelyly will resolve. Using it and Sleepy Memory, I'm allowed to summon a monster who would much rather stay asleep in my Extra Deck, but will join this battle at my call. I Xyz Summon! Epurrely Noir!" In stark contrast to the clear disrepair Sora's whale, the dark fur of my sleepiest companion shined with care as it let out a small yawn. [Epurrely Noir: Rank 2, 2000 DEF, 2 ORU]
"After your summon finishes, two effects activate! I use Frightfur Cruel Whale's effect and then Fluffal Penguin's." Knowing what came next, I slotted a card into my duel disk,
"And in response, I chain Purrely Happy Memory and then Epurrely Noir's effect. Resolve?" I asked,
"Yeah." Sora replied,
"In that case then, Epurrely Noir will attach Happy Memory as material, and then set a copy of Purrelyeap?! to my field. Happy Memory then allows me to target Noir and the next time it would be destroyed this turn, it is not." [Epurrely Noir: 2 ORU 1 = 3 ORU]
"Ah damn. Fluffal Penguin now allows me to draw two cards since it was sent to the graveyard as Fusion Material, but I must then discard one card. I draw!" Sora's smirk at seeing his cards did not go unnoticed, "And then I discard Toy Vendor." As he said that, I let out a small internal sigh. Of course he had that.
"Cruel Whale will then go. Since it was Fusion Summoned, I can destroy one card on each field. And since your Noir is immune to this attempt, Cruel Whale will destroy itself and your Field Spell. Terrifying Splashing Impact!" Letting out a bellow, the possessed orca plush reared back and slammed down, sending out a wave of water which washed itself and the background provided by Stray Purrely Street away. "And now, since it was sent to the graveyard, Toy Vendor allows me to add any 'Fluffal' to my hand from my deck."
"I'll discard Ash Blossom to use her effect, negating yours because it would add a card to your hand."
"Oof, that's annoying." Sora dismayed,
"That's kinda the point," I deadpanned, "In any case, with one face-down, I now end my turn."
Turn 2: Shiun'in Sora (5 in hand)
"Looks like I don't have as many resources as I'd like." Sora lamented, seemingly trying to gain a small bit of sympathy with me, "But in any case, I draw."
"As we move through the Standby Phase, I will use Sleepy Memory's effect when it is attached to a 'Purrely' Xyz Monster, allowing me to draw a card, chaining Purrelyeap?! to it."
"Ah, that resets that effect, doesn't it?"
"Yeah, the effect can activate once per copy per Xyz Monster it is attached to each turn. So now, using Epurrely Noir, I give it even more care and nourishment, allowing it to reach its apex! I Xyz Summon. Rank 7, Expurrely Noir!" As Noir let out yet another yawn, it swelled with energy, growing larger and bathing the field in light. When the light cleared, it was perhaps twice as large, its face now more owl-like than cat-like, and an additional orb surrounded it. [Expurrely Noir: Rank 7, 2600 DEF, 4 ORU]
"And now I will draw, and then apply Sleepy Memory's effect again, drawing another."
"And so it becomes my Main Phase," Sora announced, "I activate the effect of Fluffal Bear! This cute little one allows me to set a copy of Toy Vendor from my deck so long as I discard it. I then activate Toy Vendor!" As Sora slotted a card into his graveyard, a large stylised gachapon machine appeared on the field, giving a sinister vibe despite its relatively cutesy appearance.
"I activate Toy Vendor! I discard Fluffal Wings to draw one card. If it's a Fluffal monster I can then Special Summon it, but otherwise I must discard it."
"I chain Maxx "C". For the rest of the turn, whenever you Special Summon, I immediately draw one card." I responded,
"Ah well. I draw!" Sora shouted, "And would you look at that! It's Fluffal Owl!" [Fluffal Owl: Level 2, 1000 DEF]
"As a result of your Special Summon, I draw a card." Sora was smirking, but I knew I had the proper response.
"After it's Special Summoned, Fluffal Owl allows me to add a copy of Polymerisation to my hand, and then Fluffal Wings activates. Since I control Toy Vendor while it is sent to the graveyard, I can draw one card, then send Toy Vendor to the graveyard to draw one more!"
"Not so fast!" I discarded a card,
"Another Ash Blossom?!" Sora shouted,
"Nope. Droll and Lock Bird! Since a card was added to your hand, I can discard Droll, and for the rest of the turn, neither of us can add cards to our hands."
"What?! But doesn't that turn off your Maxx "C"?"
"Yep, but now both your effects will be unable to resolve, and that Toy Vendor will still be sent to the graveyard, but without the ability to use its effect." Sora's eyes narrowed as I explained the card's effect,
"That doesn't sound fair!"
"Welcome to pseudo-floodgates! Cards that prevent a certain playstyle but only for a certain duration. Be happy this isn't Skill Drain or Imperial Order." A thought then came to my head, "Actually, I think you should be familiar with a pseudo-floodgate already."
"Huh?" Sora looked slightly confused,
"A certain plant, I think you could call it. But its shape is like none other; more draconic than flowery." A look of panic shot across Sora's face, genuine terror in his cerulean eyes,
"H-How do you know of her?!"
"Same way I know of you. And no, I won't elaborate."
"Ugh. I-In any case, I activate Polymerisation! This is-"
"Yeah, yeah. It's Polymerisation. I think everyone and their grandmother knows what it does. Just go ahead and Fusion Summon." I interrupted,
"Rgh. In that case, I shall use the Edge Imp Sabres and a second Fluffal Bear in my hand as Fusion Material. Demonic possessed shears, combine with the presence of the fluffy bear! I Fusion Summon! Behold, the fearsome Frightfur Bear!" [Frightfur Bear: Level 8, 1800 DEF]
"I think that's still weaker than Noir."
"In terms of attack points versus your defence points, yeah, but Noir can't hope to beat over Bear if you change it to attack position!" Sora confidently declared, "I end my turn."
Turn 3: Joseph (2 in hand)
"If that's so, I draw! Moving through my Standby Phase to my Main Phase, I use My Friend Purrely's effect. Paying five hundred life points once again allows me to reveal three 'Purrely' Quick-Plays and then you pick one for me to add. Once again, I reveal three copies of the same, in this case, Purrely Delicious Memory!" [Joseph: 3500 LP – 500 = 3000 LP]
"You only have three cards! I don't think you can do much!" Sora cockily declared,
"Yeah? That's all I need. I activate a second copy of Purrelyeap?! Targeting Noir, I'm allowed to use it as material for a 'Purrely' Xyz Monster with a different rank. In this case, please welcome a gluttonous little fellow who would like nothing more than to devour everything it can, Epurrely Plump!" [Epurrely Plump: Rank 2, 2000 DEF, 5 ORU] A small brown and green creature emerged from the Xyz portal, licking a paw as it looked at the deformed bear and the cute owl across from it.
"Huh? Why'd you go for something weaker?" Sora asked,
"I have three cards in my hand. Do you remember Epurrely Noir's effect?"
"Yeah. To attach any 'Memory' Quick-Play you use." A look of realisation overtook Sora's face as the lollypop sucking tween's eyes widened,
"Yep. Plump shares that effect. But first, I use its other effect. This one allows me to attach the two Toy Vendors in your grave as its own materials. Then, I activate the following effects in chain. Delicious Memory, Plump, Delicious Memory two, Plump, Happy Memory, Plump!" I roared,
"Uagh!" Sora cried as I rapidly slammed cards on my duel disk,
"All the Plump effects will attach materials, and then Happy Memory will prevent the next destruction attempt made on My Friend Purrely until the end of this turn, then one Delicious Memory will target Plump itself, and then the other Delicious Memory will target your Fluffal Owl!"
"Huh? Why my monster?"
"You're about to see! Since Plump has at least five materials, I'm allowed to use it as all the material for this next summon!" I shouted, throwing my hand forward, "Now, filled with joyous memories of a youth well spent, come out and play! I Xyz Summon! Rank 7, Expurrely Happiness. Happiness will then gain three hundred attack point for each material attached to it, per Delicious Memory attached to it." I declared as the fluffy white creature bounded out of the Xyz portal, standing proudly as the eleven orbs surrounding it glowed, giving it strength. [Expurrely Happiness: Rank 7, 2500 ATK (600*11) = 9100 ATK, 2000 DEF (600*11) = 8600 DEF, 11 ORU]
"W-What?!" Sora's eyes widened as he took in the strength of my monster.
"And since it has two Happy Memories as material, Happiness can attack that many additional times, but only onto monsters."
"But you've made Owl immune to destruction! I can't lose this turn!"
"That's what you think. You claimed to have been observing some duels of mine, correct?"
"Yeah, and?"
"Well now I know you haven't been paying much attention. If you had, you'd know that Happiness has a different effect that will allow me to win. Perhaps a demonstration is necessary. Happiness! Attack Fluffal Owl!"
"That won't do a thing!" Sora laughed, but I simply smirked in response,
"When Happiness has at least five materials and declares an attack, you automatically take fifteen hundred damage." I revealed,
"A-And with three attacks…" Sora's eyes widened as he realised what a situation he was in,
"Yep. Happiness! Keep pouncing on that bird! And aim for that!" I roared, hoping that the pseudo-sentience that Real Solid Vision would be granting Happiness, thanks to Sora's duel disk, would be enough for the big cat to get what I meant, and with three quick strikes, Sora's life points started to drop rapidly, but with the final strike, Happiness lashed out a paw at Sora's arm, hitting the duel disk that sat there as Sora was blown away by the force of the impacts. [Shiun'in Sora: 4000 LP – (1500*3) = 0 LP]
Joseph Wins!
Objective Complete: Defeat Shiun'in Sora in a duel. Rewards: 250 XP, 1000 Duel Credits.
Bonus Objective Complete x3. Rewards: 150 XP, 450 Duel Credits.
50 XP and 145 Duel Credits gained due to Title bonuses.
As Sora hit the ground, he quickly jumped back up, with moves befitting a gymnast, not a teen seemingly with a sugar addiction, and he just stood there for a second obviously expecting something, then he looked down at his duel disk, which was emitting some sparks, its screen cracked and some circuitry showing.
"W-What did you do?!"
"You seriously think I didn't know about the emergency recall function? I know about her, as you put it."
"It's only a matter of time before she arrives with the rest of them. Do you think you can stand against them?"
"Not alone, no. My deck is pretty damn strong, I know that, but against a virtually limitless army, I know I stand no chance. Although, there is another deck that could make that issue moot, but that's besides the point. I have allies, and we're not like Xyz or Synchro who are, or were in the former's case, unaware of Fusion's existence. We have plans. We have prepared. And we will be taking the fight to Akaba Leo."
"Well, I guess I can't prevent you from going on a death march, but whatever works for you. What's going to happen to me?" Sora inquired,
"I think I'll take you to Akaba Reiji; the man in charge here can decide what we do to you. Although I don't think that you'll get off lightly given what you've admitted to me." I said, pulling the phone app up. I clicked 'call' on a number that had been given to me, Ruri and Shun with explicit instructions that this number could give us a direct line with Reiji, but we should only use it in emergency situations.
After it rang for a few seconds, my eyes never leaving Sora, who all things considered seemed to be taking his capture pretty well, especially since I hadn't been able to bind his wrists or anything, the voice of Reiji's personal assistant, Nakajima answered,
"If a monster stolen via Snatch Steal is flipped face down, what happens?" He asked, initiating the protocol that we had to confirm identities,
"It can join the fight properly, on the side of those more worthy." I replied with the question's passphrase,
"Mr. Joseph, what is the purpose of this call?"
"I've captured a Fusion agent. Requesting pick up."
"Getting your location now. A vehicle is on its way."
"Thank you."
"No, thank you. I'm sure Mr. Akaba will be very pleased with this news." And with that the call cut.
"So, now we wait. Anything you want to tell me before you sit in front of the most powerful man in this dimension?"
"Nope." Sora replied,
"Well, just don't try anything." I said, as the squeal of a car coming to a sharp stop sounded out, Nakajima approaching us,
"This is the Fusion agent?" He asked me,
"Yep. His duel disk is disabled, but should be salvageable from a technological point of view."
"Right. Now if you would follow me." And Nakajima led us to the car, where I was whisked away to my third meeting with Akaba Reiji in as many days.
Hey everyone! Sorry for taking so long on this one, life just kept getting in the way and this chapter was also surprisingly hard for me to figure out how to write it. I think I went through like 10 iterations before I decided upon this one.
So, in this chapter we see Joseph have a heart-to-heart with Ruri, but also a surprise rule change for the tournament: No Action Cards! This was a change that was going to happen from the start. To me, Action Cards just felt like they were a bit too sackey, providing a convenient excuse for allowing a duel to continue on, and while they did lead to some good moments in canon, such as Yuya being forced to discard Smile World vs Yuri after Yuri used No Action and Action Crush to prevent Yuya from discarding an Action Card for a spell, they ultimately are just 'get out of jail free' cards that I just don't like from a writing perspective. So I've cut them. Plus it gives me a reason for like Yuya's deck to be better, as can you all believe that in canon Yuya only has one Spell and two Traps in his deck during the Championship? Like, it gets better, but c'mon!
In any case, we have Joseph also talk with Ruri, as I mentioned before, and he opens up a bit about his origin to Ruri before the System decided that he couldn't share any more. As for why I did this? That's just simply because I feel as though it would be weird if Joseph didn't talk about anything to anyone, as he has been vastly removed from the context of the world he knew and shoved into what would be a stressful situation at best. Plus, he can somewhat relate to Ruri in that sense of losing your home and not knowing what the future holds exactly.
Then we had the duel against Sora. And yeah, it was a bit of a slaughter on Joseph's part, but part of that is that Fluffal, at least as far as I can research, is a deck that requires some very specific circumstances to pop off, plus cards like Droll kill it instantly since so many of its cards search and add to hand. If you are a fan of Sora's though, please don't worry. He will have some opportunities for some good moments.
And for as to why I have Sora be deathly afraid of Yuri, I do want to ask who wouldn't? Based on Yuri's canon personality, he's a sadistic duelist who takes joy in crushing hope and just absolutely flexing on all his opponents (see th he wins in one turn). How much of that will persist in this story? Well, you'll have to wait for Yuri's appearance, but I will say that she is closer than you'd think. We are rapidly moving towards the Maiami Championship after all.
Review Time:
Sleepmat10: Thank you for the review! Trust me when I do say that I do try to update when I can, but yeah, life just gets in the way sometimes. But as to Joseph misplaying, don't worry about that! He will be having some moments like that coming up relatively soon, perhaps even against a certain duelist, but I won't say any more. And yeah, Visas decks are just very interesting personally and like challenge decks are also very fun, especially when their win condition is not just battle.
Gregory776: Thanks for the question. I think I already have answered this, but in any case, no Link Monsters will not be appearing in any way, shape or form beyond Joseph maybe alluding to another Summoning Method.
Yann0406: Thank you for your review!
Peter Kim: Thank you for the review. And yeah Purrely, while semi-linear as in that you have an ideal combo that you should be getting to, it is rather complex at a high level, especially when you start considering all the card advantage that you can gain or even lose, especially if you discard one too many times off a Memory.
Teri998: That is an explicit aim of this fic. While Joseph may be the main protagonist, that doesn't mean that Yuya, Yuto and Yugo especially won't be seeing some heroism especially since the latter two were rather shafted by the anime.
Eseer: Thank you for your thoughts, but uhm, while yeah that would be a solution it's probably not exactly the one anyone would go with.
Peter Kim: Yeah that is kinda the plan. Purrely will always be Joseph's main deck, but as the fic goes on, he will gain more!
AdrianEzequielGarrido: Thanks for the review! With Joseph's loss to Yuya I just kinda wanted to show that I'm not going for the 'can't lose' sub-brand of Yu-Gi-Oh! Protags, plus if he can lose in a casual duel, maybe Joseph will stuff up in a more important duel, especially a more stressful one. And while I won't elaborate, I can say you may be onto something with your comment about Zarc.
Jayasooryaon: Hey, don't worry about venting. I do understand that frustration. Since Joseph is a pseudo-SI (while he's not fully based on me, my profile of him does share some key thought process similarities with me), I can give a bit of insight. When I was writing the prologue, I first thought of 'What would be an interesting scenario for each dimension?', and then after I did that, I started to think 'Assuming it was just straight up me in that situation, what would I pick?' While yes, I did end up choosing the typical option, it reflects my thought process with the scenario: Xyz wouldn't leave enough time to properly prepare, plus Joseph could have been taken for a weird conspiracy theorist and not taken seriously, Synchro is just a bit too far removed from the plot at the point where Joseph would have been dropped off (Standard's portion of the story probably takes place over close to two months I want to say in canon) and Fusion, while it could have been very interesting (I will admit that, and I do kinda want to explore what would have happened had he picked that, maybe as an AU side-fic) it was ultimately like Synchro: A bit too far removed from the plot for the Joseph I am writing in this fic to want to go for it.
In any case, thank you everyone for reading and being patient with me. I know that I took a really long time that I really shouldn't have with this one, but hopefully moving forwards I will be able to get you all more chapters sooner. See you all next time - NightWingBOI