Starting Notes:
Welcome back! I actually accidentally wrote this chapter before Chapter 36, lmao—I was just feeling more like writing Albaz Dragons at the time. We're back though! Disclaimer, the duels aren't long in the slightest. Like I said, this arc is going to have to cover a lot of stuff in a chronologically short timeframe, by necessity of how close the events of the Synchro Arc are to each other. (The Friendship Cup in this story takes place in a five day time period.) It won't be this way for later arcs, when I have more room to let the timeline be slightly more spread out. Disclaimer, this chapter is only out so soon because most of it was pre-written (the dialogue parts, not the duels), around Chapter 20, lmao.
But the first half of the chapter is a flashback, so enjoy! Overall, this chapter is a shorter one again—just another cut off piece. It's important for context-setting of later arcs, and I can't include it later for… reasons.
Chapter 37: Self-Reflection
Three years ago, in the Fusion Dimension:
"Fubu-king! Fubu-king!"
Ryo Marufuji glanced at his best friend, somewhat exasperated. It was the start of their second year at Academia, and yet Fubuki's ever-present fanclub only seemed to have grown since the previous year. It had only been two weeks into the second year and it seemed that the fanclub had already assimilated several blushing first years. And the brunet was revelling in it too—signing autographs and flirting with every person that came his way. At this point, Ryo usually sat to the side while Fubuki was in his 'Fubu-king' mode.
And Asuka wasn't here to rein in her brother either, which was unfortunate. The blonde would only be able to officially enrol in Academia in a year.
… maybe he'd return his book to the library. Fubuki would most likely be there when he came back, after all.
Making up his mind, Ryo headed towards the library. As he walked towards it, his mind drifted off slightly to the newest strategy that he was trying out with his deck. The Professor had been hinting at some kind of important battle that might be coming up in the future, and he wanted to make sure that he was sufficiently prepared. It wouldn't do to not maintain his position at the top of Academia, after all.
He was thinking so much that as he walked towards the library, he didn't spot the person that was walking out at the same time. The two of them slammed into each other at the same time, both stumbling back. Ryo managed to catch himself in time, but the person that he had bumped into fell to the ground. Ryo glanced at her, taken aback. She was a diminutive figure, a girl with short magenta hair, a Ra Yellow's jacket draped lazily over her shoulders and slightly oversized for her. She didn't look up at him, simply leaning down and picking up the things that she had dropped. One of them was a card of a rather fiery-looking red dragon, which caught Ryo's attention briefly.
Finally seeming to remember that he was there, the girl finally looked up at him, interrupting Ryo's contemplation. "Sorry!" She said cheerfully, her emerald green eyes sparkling with mischief. "I was looking through my deck."
"Why?" Ryo found himself asking. He really didn't know why—normally, he would have just nodded and carried on towards the library. However, there was something about the affectionate way that the girl was looking at her cards that intrigued him—something inherently emotional to her playstyle, in comparison to his own dueling style that was built on respect and calm logic.
"Huh?" The girl giggled. "Well, the Professor decided to let me duel in an exam to become an Honor Student!" She placed her deck back in her duel disk. "Speaking of which, I do have to prepare some more! Sorry for bumping into you! See you!"
Ryo watched the girl run off, slightly baffled, because—
Well, he was a Honor Student. So was Fubuki. But they had only become Honor Students near the end of their first year. For this girl to be offered the role when becoming a first year meant that the school had specially scouted her out and tested her.
And that was intriguing.
He went into the library, returning the book, before he course-corrected towards the Professor's office.
Fubuki could handle himself. Currently, there was something more interesting for him to investigate.
After politely requesting to watch the duel, Ryo ended up pulling up a chair and sitting by the side of the Professor's throne room, which was the site of every Honor Student's exam to prove their own worth.
What exactly was that examination?
Dueling a student that was already an Honor Student, on even ground.
The door opened five minutes before the match was supposed to start, with the magenta-haired girl walking in. She curtsied in front of the Professor, but despite how dainty the action was, the sheer mischief and glee on her face made it impossible to call her polite.
"Shino Gitsune, Ra Yellow," she introduced herself. "Attending for the Honor Student duel test."
"Acknowledged," the Professor said. Ryo tilted his head, having not been noticed by the girl yet. For someone to supposedly be skilled enough for this but still be in Ra Yellow… that meant that she had no formal Duel School education before Academia then—meaning that she was raised in the Outer Islands, rather than Domino City. Interesting. The Professor had continued to talk as Ryo was thinking. "Your opponent should already be here, but it seems that he's been caught up somewhere."
Ryo pinched his nose, understanding who her opponent was.
… oh no.
Ten minutes later and five minutes late, Fubuki Tenjoin arrived in the room, beaming brightly. "Hello! Fubuki Tenjoin, Honor Student, reporting for duty—and oh wow, you're short."
There was a moment of silence. Shino folded her arms. "... rude," she said. "Watch, someday I'll grow to be taller than you!"
Fubuki winked. "It's the truth though! So you're the one trying to become an Honor Student, huh? Shall we then?" He then spotted Ryo in the corner, and he waved to him. "Hey, Ryo! You're spectating, huh?"
Ryo nodded. Shino swerved her head over, spotting him and blinking. "Oh, you're…" She winked as well. "I see! Alright then!" She faced Fubuki, raising her duel disk. "I know that I don't technically have to defeat you to show that I'm strong. I just have to prove that I can stand on the same level as you—but for my own pride, I will win anyway!"
"Bold! I like that in a girl!" Fubuki held up his right hand in a peace sign. "Let's go!"
[DUEL!]
Shino Gitsune: 4000LP
Fubuki Tenjoin: 4000LP
[Turn 1: Fubuki] [H:5]
Fubuki drew the top five cards of his deck. "I'll start!" He called, his face not getting any more serious—he had always been unable to take anything seriously, after all. "I'll activate the Spell Card, Cards of the Red Stone! I can send a Level 7 "Red-Eyes" monster from my hand to the graveyard to draw two cards, and then, I can send a Level 7 "Red-Eyes" monster from my deck to the graveyard!"
When he saw one of the cards that he had drawn, he grinned.
"Spell Card, activate! Red-Eyes Fusion!" He called. "I can't summon monsters for the rest of this turn, except for the monster that I'm about to summon by this effect! I can Fusion Summon a monster that lists a "Red-Eyes" monster as material from my Extra Deck using monsters from my hand, deck or field!" Two cards slipped out of his deck, and he revealed them. "I will fuse Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Meteor Dragon Red-Eyes Impact!" Two black swirls appeared above him, spinning around and turning a bright, glaring red. "The skies burn with your rage! Land on the earth and scorch it black, dragon of the sky! Fusion Summon! Level 8! Meteor Black Comet Dragon!" A large dragon appeared. Its physical shape and form could not quite be perceived—it was entirely swallowed up in bright red flames, wreathing its entire body. The black scales could only barely be seen, a shadow within flames.
[Meteor Black Comet Dragon (8*/3500/2000/DARK/Dragon/Fusion/Effect)]
Shino grinned. "Already?" She didn't seem bothered by it at all—just taking the presence of the monster as a challenge.
"When Meteor Black Comet Dragon is Fusion Summoned, I can send a "Red-Eyes" monster from my hand or deck to the graveyard, and inflict damage to you equal to half its attack points! I'll send Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon from my deck to the graveyard! Blazing Red Comet!" A streak of dark red flames shot down towards Shino, taking the first hit of the duel.
Shino: 4000 - 2400 / 2 = 2800LP
"I will set a card facedown," Fubuki concluded. "Over to you."
"Thanks." Shino drew a card from the top of her deck with a flourish. However, Ryo detected a short hesitation between her actions—as though she had been slowed down by something.
[Turn 2: Shino] [H:6]
"Draw!" Shino immediately placed down a card. "I will activate the Spell Card, Terraforming! I will add a Field Spell to my hand! I will add and activate Despia, Theater of the Branded!" The Field Spell appeared on the field, a large fortress on the image surrounded by bright red lightning. The same red lightning and swirling vortex surrounded the field as well.
"... sinister-looking," Fubuki commented. "Not something that I'd expect from a cute girl like you!"
Shino blinked, tilting her head. "... wow, that's just how you normally are, huh? I thought that it was a front that you had for your fanclub, but you really are just like that."
Ryo swallowed down a sudden laugh at the unexpected comment.
"I will activate the effect of Despia, Theater of the Branded! I can perform a Fusion Summon of a Level 8 or higher Fusion Monster using monsters in my hand and on my field!" She cast two cards from her hand into the graveyard. "I will fuse Despian Tragedy and Albion the Shrouded Dragon! Darkness sealed within a suit of holy armour, emerge now in the flurry of the rising curtains, and crush them in the emptiness of destruction. Whom do you seek?" She flashed a peace sign. "Fusion Summon! Level 8—Despian Quaeritis!" A black, armoured humanoid creature appeared, grey and red spikes stabbing out of its armour. Devil-like wings made of red spheres and metallic bronze lines spread out behind it. A cape of red-purple fabric was split in half as it drifted through the air behind it. A long red and black lance spun through the air as Quaeritis caught it again.
All in all, for such a cheerful girl, the monster was an oddly terrifying creature.
[Despian Quaeritis (8*/2500/2500/LIGHT/Fiend/Fusion/Effect)]
"Wait, that's a LIGHT monster?" Fubuki said, sounding mildly baffled.
"Isn't he handsome?" Shino said, oblivious to Fubuki's confusion. "Since Despian Tragedy was sent to the graveyard by a card effect, I can add a "Despia" monster from my deck to my hand! I'll then Normal Summon Fallen of Albaz!" A white-haired boy appeared, his eyes glowing slightly red. "I'll discard a card to perform a Fusion Summon using monsters on the field!"
"So you're fusing your own Fusion Monster?"
"Why bother?" Shino said. "No, Fallen of Albaz cannot use other monsters I control as Fusion Material. I'll be taking yours!" With a wide grin, she pointed directly at Meteor Black Comet Dragon. "I will fuse Fallen of Albaz with Meteor Black Comet Dragon!"
"You're stealing my monster?" Fubuki exclaimed.
And fusing it, Ryo thought. Now that was an interesting playstyle. One that he hadn't seen before. (And one that he wouldn't see in another person until he was introduced to a short boy with violet hair, who would never meet his gaze—out of his fear to be judged.)
"Bestial dragon with wings of magma," Shino chanted. "Rip and tear the world asunder to protect that which you cherish! Fusion Summon! Level 8! Brigrand the Glory Dragon!" A quadrupedal, beast-like dragon appeared—its body was covered in brown skin as opposed to the scales or even feathers of other dragons, with black fur covering its chest and legs. Two bright gold antlers stuck out from its head, glowing eerily. A thin, glowing red horn that resembled a unicorn's could be seen on the front of its head. Two long wings that resembled a bird in shape and yet had no feathers on them spread out from behind the dragon, brown skin melding into hot magma.
[Brigrand the Glory Dragon (8*/2500/2000/DARK/Beast/Fusion/Effect)]
"... ok, now that being a DARK Beast makes more sense than the other one," Fubuki joked.
"I guess so. " Shino pointed forward. "Despian Quaeritis attacks directly!"
"Uh oh!" Fubuki smirked. "That's not going to work! Trap Card, Magic Cylinder!"
"Uh oh!" Shino mimicked, before she gestured to Fubuki's card. "See how it's not flipping itself face-up? You can't activate it."
Fubuki glanced at his set card, which was indeed not allowing him to flip it up. "Huh?"
"While I control a Fusion Summoned Brigrand the Glory Dragon, you cannot target other monsters I control with card effects," she said. "To activate Magic Cylinder, you must target the attacking monster—and thus, you can't do anything about this."
The attack hit, and Fubuki shielded himself from the impact.
Fubuki: 4000 - 2500 = 1500LP
"Then, I'll move to my Main Phase 2." Fubuki's eyes widened, and Shino giggled. "What? You already exposed your set card to me, and you're playing a burn deck. I'd prefer not to take a Magic Cylinder to the face, thank you."
"... man, I'm dumb," Fubuki said after a moment, laughing in a rather carefree manner.
"Maybe!" Shino didn't even bother to shield his feelings. "I'll set a card and end my turn there!"
[Turn 3: Fubuki] [H:4]
"Draw!" Fubuki glanced at the cards in his hand. "I'll activate the Spell Card, Red-Eyes Insight! I can send a "Red-Eyes" monster from my hand or deck to the graveyard, and then add a "Red-Eyes" Spell to my hand! I will add the Spell Card, Red-Eyes Fusion to my hand! And then I'll activate it!"
"Counter Trap, Branded Retribution!" Shino called. "I'll return a Fusion Monster I control to the Extra Deck to negate a card or effect that would Special Summon a monster, and destroy it! I will send Despian Quaeritis back to the Extra Deck!" Fubuki's card shattered.
Ryo raised an eyebrow. On the turn that Fubuki used Red-Eyes Fusion, even if it didn't resolve, he still couldn't summon any other monsters this turn.
"I'll set a monster, set a card and end my turn," Fubuki said with a sigh. "You're really odd."
"Thank you!" Shino said, beaming. "I do enjoy messing with others, after all."
[Turn 4: Shino] [H:2]
"Draw," Shino said. "I'll Normal Summon Aluber the Jester of Despia!" She cheerfully waved to the monster that appeared, who had a rather roguish smile on his face. "Hi, Aluber! Let's make the most of it!"
[Aluber the Jester of Despia (4*/1800/0/DARK/Fairy/Effect)]
"I'll use the effect of Aluber to add a "Branded" Spell or Trap from my deck to my hand." She revealed a card. "I will activate the Spell Card, Branded Bond! I'll Special Summon Fallen of Albaz from my graveyard!" The white-haired boy reappeared. "And I will use the effect of Despia, Theater of the Branded! I will perform a Fusion Summon using Aluber and Albaz! You who mock the light and deceive the darkness. With the power that you crave, turn into the beastly demon that melts even the firmest of glaciers! Fusion Summon! Level 8! Lubellion the Searing Dragon!" The bright silver dragon with dark wings surrounded by flames appeared with a loud roar.
[Lubellion the Searing Dragon (8*/2500/3000/LIGHT/Dragon/Fusion/Effect)]
Shino glanced at her hand. "... well, no point using Lubellion's effect. Attack his set monster, Lubellion!" The silver dragon roared, shredding Fubuki's set monster. "And I'll end my turn!"
Ryo tilted his head. So she hadn't forgotten Fubuki's Magic Cylinder, and it was somehow keeping her at bay for now.
[Turn 5: Fubuki] [H:2]
"Draw!" Fubuki called. "I'll activate the Trap Card, Red-Eyes Spirit! I can revive a "Red-Eyes" monster! Return to the field—Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" The dark dragon with red eyes appeared in front of him.
[Red-Eyes Black Dragon (7*/2400/2000/DARK/Dragon)]
"And I'll activate the Spell Card, Polymerization! I'll fuse Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Summoned Skull in my hand! Dragon of darkness, join with the fiend slumbering within the depths of hell, and bring forth the dragon that embodies absolute anarchy! Fusion Summon! Archfiend Black Skull Dragon!" A black and red dragon with an exposed ribcage appeared, red wings surrounded by blossoming orange flames. It let out a roar, leathery red and black skin and scales contrasting with each other to make a truly hellish-looking dragon.
[Archfiend Black Skull Dragon (9*/3200/2500/DARK/Dragon/Fusion/Effect)]
"And Archfiend Black Skull Dragon attacks Brigrand! And when my monster battles, you can't activate cards or effects until the end of the Damage Step!"
The beastly dragon was blown away by the dragon's bright flames, and Shino winced.
Shino: 2800 - 700 = 2100LP
"I will activate the effect of Aluber the Jester of Despia in my graveyard!" She called. "Since a Fusion Monster I control was destroyed by battle, I can target an Effect Monster you control, negate its effects until the End Phase, and revive Aluber!" The jester with the checkerboard scarf reappeared on her field in Defense Position.
"Negate its effects…" Fubuki repeated.
Ryo understood his slight dismay. If not for that, Archfiend Black Skull Dragon's effect would have finished Shino off immediately.
Interesting. And intuitive as well.
"I'll end my turn," Fubuki said again.
[Turn 6: Shino] [H:2]
"Draw!" Shino revealed a card in her hand. "I'll Special Summon Blazing Cartesia, the Virtuous from my hand, since I have Fallen of Albaz in my graveyard!" A white-haired girl with eerie red eyes appeared, a small smirk on her face.
[Blazing Cartesia, the Virtuous (4*/1500/1500/LIGHT/Spellcaster/Effect)]
"I'll then perform a Fusion Summon using monsters I control and monsters in my hand with her effect! I will fuse Blazing Cartesia, the Virtuous with Ad Libitum of Despia in my hand! Lawful dragon born of the stoic judgement of the land of cruel dogma! With your ruthlessness, reduce this world to ashes. Fusion Summon—Level 8, Titaniklad the Ash Dragon!" A stern silver dragon appeared in front of her, letting out a ferocious roar.
[Titaniklad the Ash Dragon (8*/2500/2000/DARK/Dragon/Fusion/Effect)]
"Titaniklad gains 100 attack points times the total Levels of its Fusion Materials!"
[Titaniklad the Ash Dragon: 2500 + 100 x 12 = 3700ATK]
"And since Ad Libitum of Despia was used as Fusion Material, I can Special Summon a "Despia" monster or Level 8 or higher Fusion Monster from my graveyard or banished cards. Return—Brigrand the Glory Dragon!" The beastly dragon reappeared on her field. "And with Brigrand on the field, you can no longer use your Magic Cylinder again!"
She pointed forward.
"Titaniklad takes out Archfiend Black Skull Dragon!" The dragon slashed forward, crushing the large red and black dragon.
Fubuki: 1500 - 500 = 1000LP
"Attack directly, Lubellion!"
The dragon let out a roar, charging forward, the flames consuming Fubuki's side of the field.
Fubuki: 1000 - 2500 = 0LP
Winner: Shino Gitsune!
… very impressive showing, all things considered.
She certainly was a talent. No wonder the Professor wanted to recruit her.
Ryo got up and left, not staying to hear the result.
It was obvious, after all.
"Ryo-san!"
Ryo tilted his head. Shino caught up to him, a sunny smile on her face. It had been a week since the magenta-haired girl had become the newest Honor Student of Academia. Ryo hadn't exactly forgotten her—not after the impressive performance that she had put up against Fubuki, who also seemed to have taken a shine to her. "You don't need to be so formal with me," he said after a moment. "We are on the same ranking now, after all."
Shino winked. "No one in this academy is on the same level as you, Hell Kaiser Ryo! And I mean that as a compliment. You're both strong and fascinating."
"Fascinating?"
"I mean, I watched you duel the other day! I just didn't recognise you when I bumped into you, which, well, whoops." She smiled widely. "Your Fusion Summons are a treat to watch!"
"You could duel me," Ryo said neutrally. "If you're so interested in them. I'm interested in your strength too."
"Oh. Uh, I would lose! Very badly, in fact." Shino waved a hand through the air. "Titaniklad's the only monster I have that could even touch any of your monsters—my deck struggles a bit against high-Level Fusion Monsters."
Really? Interesting. "I suppose that if someday, we go to those other worlds that the Professor talks about, you would defeat everyone there."
"I could certainly try!" Shino kept pace with him—it was rather odd. Other than Fubuki, the other students at Academia had always been too intimidated by him to hold a proper conversation like this. "I still don't know if I would be stronger than you then though, Ryo-kun." She had swapped out the honorific for something far less respectful, and it had decreased that feeling of distance between them. "And what was that summoning method that you used—Contact Fusion? Could you teach me about that?"
"... I could," Ryo said. Even though he wasn't normally open to teaching others, there was something charming about the gall that this girl had, to just ask him about it outright.
"Great!" Shino waved to him. "I need to get to class, but I like you, Ryo-kun! Let's talk more!"
She ran off, and Ryo watched after her, slightly perplexed and stunned. Well, obviously, that wasn't a love confession or anything like that. They barely knew each other, after all. Even so, that phrasing…
Well, no use thinking about it now.
In the present:
"So you're here as well, Yuri."
Yuri frowned as he glanced to the other corridor. Also approaching the Professor's throne room was Ryo Marufuji, the young man with dark blue hair nodding to him. There had always been something a little too formal about Ryo—something regal, which had made the students and alumni of Academia give him the nickname of the Kaiser in the first place. Ryo had been a mentor for him, in a sense—while he hadn't directly taught him, he had definitely given Yuri some tips back when he had been starting out as a soldier.
There wasn't a single person in Academia that didn't admire Ryo Marufuji.
"Did the Professor call you over too?"
Yuri nodded. He and Ryo walked into the room, where the Professor was waiting, studying a file.
Yuri felt a rush of adrenaline—was he about to be sent out on another mission?
"... Marufuji-kun. Yuri-kun. Thank you for coming." The Professor placed the file down. "My apologies for calling both of you here so suddenly. To be honest, your missions have very little to do with each other, but it was more convenient to do so." He tapped the side of the throne with his fingers. "Marufuji-kun. You will be leading the invasion of Synchro in a few days' time."
"So suddenly?" Ryo said in surprise.
"I understand your confusion. But my son's group, the Lancers, have arrived in Synchro now. If we do nothing, they will gain the strongest allies they can obtain from there." The Professor looked directly at Ryo. "And Roget has had quite enough time to fulfil his role. If he has still been unable to set things up after three years, we shall have to resort to less subtle methods."
"… understandable. I shall prepare for that, then."
"And Yuri. You will be heading over before the main invasion starts. Your mission is the same as before, with one exception."
Yuri frowned.
"Your only target to focus on this time," the Professor continued. "Is Serena's Link Dimension counterpart. Miharu Kogami."
Oh, her. The blonde girl with the plants. His previous duel with her had been inconclusive. But…
"Why not Serena or Yuzu Hiiragi?" He asked.
"That brings me to my other point. Sora Shiun'in has asked to be sent to the Synchro Dimension to pick up those three girls," the Professor said. "However, it has come to my attention that he may not be as reliable as I had previously thought. And if he ends up turning against Academia, Mackfield's identity may be compromised as well."
Yuri didn't let himself tense up. He kept his face bored and neutral.
"Yuzu Hiiragi and Serena are not as strong, and thus, we can afford to prioritise them after her," the Professor continued. "Head there today, and if Shiun'in betrays us, he'll have no information on the upcoming invasion to provide to the Lancers. We will dispose of him alongside the others if he betrays us."
… so it had come to this.
"As you say, Professor," Yuri said. "I'll prepare then. Is Yuji coming along?"
"... yes," the Professor said after a moment. "He will be. He seems to have mellowed out more—and I do not think that he will have the guts to betray us, unlike Shiun'in, considering how docile he has been the entire time."
Yuri fought back the urge to raise an eyebrow.
You know nothing about Yuji Fujita, do you?
"Have we considered the worst case scenario, where Roget has turned against us and the Synchro Dimension may be prepared for us?" Ryo asked. "I may be strong, but if he's prepared an army, we may need stronger students than just the Obelisk Force."
"Who do you intend to bring along?"
Ryo met the Professor's gaze directly. "I would say Fubuki, but he's not currently doing well," he said. Yuri finally winced—letting some emotion seep through his nonchalant expression. Everyone in Academia knew about the large number of Honor Students that had defected from Academia, going somewhere that they didn't know at all. They had scoured the city, but they couldn't find the rebels.
Those rebels included Asuka Tenjoin, the younger sister of Fubuki Tenjoin, and Sho Marufuji, the younger brother of Ryo Marufuji.
The Kaiser, however, seemed quite unfazed compared to his best friend, who had grown rather withdrawn ever since then.
"... Manjoume," Ryo said. "And Shino, of course."
"... if her cousin is a traitor, it may not be wise to allow her to be there," the Professor said. "And her unique mobility issues may cause issues in an invasion. It's the reason why I did not permit her to join the invasion of the Xyz Dimension, despite her skills."
"But regardless, it is undeniable that she is skilled. And I can work well with her." Ryo sounded extremely calm and composed in making his argument—not insisting on having his way, but logically trying to convince the Professor of the merits to his decision. "If not Fubuki, she would be my next choice. And Shino knows the consequences of betraying Academia. She would never choose to do so."
Yuri barely held back his incredulity at the sentence.
As they were dismissed, Yuri walked out beside Ryo. The door shut behind them, and Yuri immediately stared at him.
"Talk," Ryo said, sounding wryly amused. "I know what you want to say, but do go on."
"You'd have to be very naive, or a fool, to think that Shino is loyal to Academia," Yuri said, arching an eyebrow. "And Ryo-san, I know that you are neither. You have your own agenda here."
"I am neither," Ryo agreed. "But you do know that if Shiun'in goes, you're the only one keeping her here, Yuri. I am simply making my own attempt to keep her alive, when I've let my brother—and others slip away. Academia is going to win this war. There is no other outcome."
Yuri blinked. He was the only one keeping her here? What did Ryo mean by that?
Ryo patted him on the head. "You still don't quite see things that are right in front of you," he said. "Come on. I've heard that Manjoume challenged her to a duel. If we get there fast enough, we may be able to see it."
Yuri did not speed up at that. He did not peer over the railing immediately as they walked into the higher-up stands of the Duel Field for Obelisk-ranked students and above.
(The power of denial was very strong.)
Jun Manjoume was a tall, black-haired, proud boy—the same age as Yuri himself. He was one of the strongest Honor Students in the entirety of Academia, despite being somewhat young. He had always carried himself with a sense of confidence, if not arrogance—such was the attitude of a boy who had been raised in one of Domino City's richest families.
(If not for them, if not for how they had slaughtered his family, Yuri might have grown up with Manjoume as a friend. As it was, now they just hung around each other in uneasy recognition.)
It seemed that they had arrived just in time, because the duel was starting below. Ryo leaned on the railing to watch, and Yuri did the same.
[DUEL!]
Jun Manjoume: 4000LP
Shino Gitsune: 4000LP
[Turn 1: Jun] [H:5]
"You said that you wanted the first turn, right?" Shino asked. She smiled, tilting her head.
"Don't look at me with that sweet smile," Jun said, grimacing. "Yes. I know about the stampede that you set up—but I won't let that happen to me."
"Sure," Shino said.
"W-what do you mean by sure?" Jun immediately baulked. "I'm going to activate the Quickplay Spell, Ojamatch! By discarding an "Ojama" card, I can add a "Ojama" card and a "Armed Dragon" monster from my deck to my hand!" He revealed the card that he had discarded immediately. "And guess what? I discarded Ojama Pink! And when Ojama Pink is discarded, we each discard and draw a card!"
"Ok!" Shino cycled out a card immediately.
"Since I discarded an "Ojama" card for the effect of Ojama Pink, I can seal off one of your unused Monster Zones until your next End Phase!" A large red cross appeared on Shino's leftmost Main Monster Zone. "Ojamatch's effect resolves next—I can Normal Summon one of the added cards from my hand. I will Normal Summon Armed Dragon Thunder LV3!" A bright orange dragon surrounded by electricity appeared in front of him, letting out a quiet snort.
[Armed Dragon Thunder LV3 (3*/1200/900/WIND/Dragon/Effect)]
"And then, since I discarded Ojamagic, I can add Ojama Green, Ojama Yellow and Ojama Black to my hand!" He revealed the three cards in his hand.
"A remarkable amount of card advantage," Shino said cheerily.
"I will activate the Spell Card, Polymerization! I will fuse Ojama Green, Ojama Yellow and Ojama Black! Appear now, pale, grotesque king—Fusion Summon! Ojama King!" A white, round monster with multiple eyes and wide lips appeared on his field in Defense Position. Both Yuri and Ryo grimaced at the appearance of the monster.
[Ojama King (8*/0/3000/LIGHT/Fiend/Fusion/Effect)]
"And with Ojama King's effect, I will select your centre three Monster Zones, and you can't use them while Ojama King is face-up on the field!"
"Leaving her with one Main Monster Zone," Ryo noted. Ojamas could not lock off the Extra Monster Zones, since they specifically only locked off the opponent's unused Monster Zones, and an Extra Monster Zone did not have a controller while they were not in use. Even so….
"Doesn't matter," Yuri said with a shrug. "She can just bring out Fallen of Albaz in the last Main Monster Zone and use his monsters as Fusion Materials."
"I will discard a monster to use the effect of Armed Dragon Thunder LV3," Jun continued. "I can send it to the graveyard and Special Summon a Level 5 or lower "Armed Dragon" monster from my deck! Come—Armed Dragon Thunder LV5!" A larger version of the dragon with redder scales appeared, letting out a ferocious roar. It raised its 'fists' confidently in the air.
[Armed Dragon Thunder LV5 (5*/2400/1700/WIND/Dragon/Effect)]
"And I will activate the effect of Armed Dragon LV7, which I sent to the graveyard as the cost for Armed Dragon LV3's effect! I'll add a "Armed Dragon" card from my deck to my hand!" He revealed the card. "I will activate the Continuous Spell, Armed Dragon Lightning! I will use its first effect, granting Armed Dragon Thunder LV5 a permanent increase of 100 attack points times its Level!"
[Armed Dragon Thunder LV5: 2400 + 100 x 5 = 2900ATK]
"I'll set a card and end my turn!"
[Turn 2: Shino] [H:6]
"Draw," Shino said. Her eyes flashed across her cards, before she swiftly placed down a card. "You've done a good job by sealing off my Main Monster Zones, Manjoume, but leaving me even one was a mistake. I'll Normal Summon Fallen of Albaz!"
"Called it," Yuri muttered as the white-haired boy appeared on Shino's field.
[Fallen of Albaz (4*/1800/0/DARK/Dragon/Effect)]
"And I'll activate its effect, discarding a card from my hand!"
"Trap Card, Breakthrough Skill!" Manjoume called. "I'll negate your monster's effects!" Fallen of Albaz glowed, and then he slumped down slightly. "Don't take me for a fool, Gitsune—as if I wouldn't consider that thief on legs that you call a playmaker!"
Shino tilted her head, grinning. "Fair enough," she said. "Is that all?"
"H-huh? I have your zones locked down!"
"Quickplay Spell, Light of the Branded. I'll target a Fusion Monster on the field or in either graveyard, and I can return it to the Extra Deck." She pointed to Ojama King, who vanished from the field with a groan.
"Huh? An anti-Fusion card?"
"Well, I'd call it a resource builder, but against a Fusion duelist? Yes, absolutely."
"Resource…"
"The effect is not over," Shino continued. "I can Special Summon "Fallen of Albaz" from my graveyard to my field and a monster from your graveyard to your field. I will Special Summon Ojama Pink in Attack Position to your field and Albion the Shrouded Dragon to mine!" She seemed to predict Jun's next question, raising a finger. "And the reason why I can bring back Albion is because it's treated as Fallen of Albaz on the field and in the graveyard." In front of her, the large black dragon with a white mane and lava-like wings appeared.
[Albion the Shrouded Dragon (8*/2500/2000/DARK/Dragon/Effect)]
"And to defeat you, Manjoume," Shino continued, "I don't need to interact with your field at all. All I need is to attack Ojama Pink with a monster that has at least 4000 attack points." Jun blanched, his eyes widening in surprise. "Sorry! But if you challenge me, expect me to circumvent you." She winked. "Or maybe I'll defeat you another way?... I guess I don't want to be disrespectful to you. I'll activate the Spell Card, Branded Fusion!"
"... god, it's that ridiculous omni-fusion again," Jun said, sounding annoyed.
"If you mean that I can use materials from almost anywhere, then you'd be right!" Shino plucked out two cards from her deck. "I will fuse The Iris Swordsoul and Fallen of Albaz from my deck! Lawful dragon born of the stoic judgement of the land of cruel dogma! With your ruthlessness, reduce this world to ashes. Fusion Summon—Level 8, Titaniklad the Ash Dragon!" The stern metallic dragon appeared in front of her—one of Shino's most commonly used dragons, if only because it was immensely powerful in its ability to execute one turn kills.
[Titaniklad the Ash Dragon (8*/2500/2000/DARK/Dragon/Fusion/Effect)]
"Titaniklad gains 100 attack points times the total Levels of its materials," Shino continued.
[Titaniklad the Ash Dragon: 2500 + 100 x 12 = 3700ATK]
"Attack Armed Dragon Thunder LV5!" Titaniklad dashed forward, crushing the dragon with a deadly claw.
Jun: 4000 - 800 = 3200LP
"Attack directly, Albion, Albaz," Shino concluded. "See? That's a more fitting end—at least I acknowledged you."
The two forms of Fallen of Albaz charged forward.
Jun: 3200 - 2500 - 1800 = 0LP
Winner: Shino Gitsune!
"Well, that concluded quickly. Not that I expected any less from her."
"She'd wipe the floor with most of these weaklings." Yuri scoffed. "Are you going to tell her that you've volunteered her to go and watch her cousin's execution then? I'm sure that'll go down well, Ryo-san. I'll sit back and watch the fireworks."
"... you're cruel today, Yuri." Ryo gestured for him to follow. "Let's go and tell her the news then. I'm sure that you want to tell her that you're going to Synchro too."
"I—what?" Yuri held himself back from sputtering. "I—"
Ryo walked towards the staircase down, and Yuri had no choice but to follow him down. They managed to catch up to Shino as she was leaving, and the magenta-haired girl smiled as she saw them.
"Hey!" She looked at the two of them. "Were you looking for me?"
"Yes. We both had something to tell you." Ryo put his hands on the back of her wheelchair, pushing her along. Shino smiled. Yuri scoffed to himself. "Shall we head to Yuri's garden?"
"What?" Yuri scowled. Why should his garden have to suffer from Shino's wrath once she heard what Ryo was going to tell her? Still though, he didn't object anymore, and they headed there. After all, it was one of the only truly private places that they could find in Academia.
Ryo and Yuri exchanged a look, before Yuri decided to speak up first.
Shino tilted her head cheerfully. "So? What is it?"
"I'm going to be dispatched today to the Synchro Dimension," Yuri said. "To hunt the girl from the Link Dimension who shares Serena's face. Yuji's coming with me."
And perhaps, it was more terrifying that Shino remained completely silent. No reaction, no laugh, no smile, not even any sarcasm.
Ryo decided to immediately continue, which was, with all due respect, one of the stupidest decisions that Yuri had ever seen in his life. "And the Professor has ordered an invasion of the Synchro Dimension. I've requested that you and Manjoume come with me, since I'm leading the invasion."
Silence. No movement at all. A tension to the atmosphere that felt like crackling lightning—silent in itself, but creating an expectation of something to come after.
It was the first time that Yuri had ever considered Shino as terrifying.
When Shino spoke up again, her voice sounded completely flat—none of the energy that it normally had. "Yuri. Sorry, but could you leave?"
Yuri blinked.
"I'll come and talk to you later—" And at that, Shino managed a reassuring smile. "But I need to talk to him first."
And well—
Yuri did not want to know what it looked like to see Shino angry.
So he bowed out of the conversation, and when he glanced back one he had reached the edge of the garden, he saw Shino slam her fist directly into Ryo's face.
"... this is the cruellest thing you have ever done to me, Ryo-san," Shino said. Her voice sounded slightly tight—emotionless in a way that wasn't quite apathetic, but rather suppressed. There was a seething rage that she was purposely not letting through right now.
Ryo watched her quietly.
"If Yuri is being sent to the Synchro Dimension so quickly after Sora was dispatched, it's because the Professor no longer has faith in my cousin," Shino said. "Yuri isn't just being sent there for the targets. He's also being sent there to take care of Sora if he becomes a problem."
And then, the anger broke through.
"You're making me go there to watch my little brother kill my cousin, and I won't be able to do anything. How dare you."
"... yes," Ryo said after a moment. "Because it will happen anyway, regardless of whether or not you are there. And if you are there and you do not do anything, it will make you look more loyal to Academia. It may not look like it, Shino, but I am trying to protect you from the consequences of your own actions."
"Consequences." It wasn't even a question, but Ryo felt the need to explain it anyway..
"We both know that Sora would never make the choice to defect against Academia unless you encouraged him to do what he wanted," Ryo said. "In essence, if anything happens, you will have caused his—"
"Ryo." Shino had dropped the honorific completely. "Lean down."
Ryo frowned. He leaned down—
And Shino punched him in the face, with enough force to shove him backwards. He hadn't been expecting it, and so he nearly fell down.
"My compassion for the people I love," Shino said, each word purposeful and cold, "has never been a mistake. If Academia is against Sora—then I am against Academia. And, Ryo-san, if you think that this is going to stop me from getting myself killed, you're absolutely wrong. You're making the same mistake with me that you made with Sho, Asuka and Johan. And it leads to the same consequences." The last word was twisted like an ugly noose in her voice. "I'd like for you to never talk to me again, unless necessary."
When Shino finally found Yuri, the first thing that she said was: "I didn't hurt your garden."
"Good," Yuri said after a moment. He was sitting by the sea. "... are you angry with me?"
All of the tension and anger seemed to drain from Shino, and she sighed, reaching out and patting his shoulder gently. "No," she said. "Not you at all, Yuri. Just… everything that has led us to this point. I promised that I would understand if you had to be the one to defeat Sora. I'm not taking that back."
"But why are you less angry at me than at Ryo-san?"
… Yuri must have seen her punch Ryo in the face then. She had hoped that he hadn't.
… she was so tired.
"It's unfair to him," Shino admitted. "He's doing what he thinks is best. But he didn't ask at all. And he's only made things worse in his attempts to help." She glanced out at the ocean too. "... but you're important to me, Yuri. And you've been put in a situation that I don't envy. If you card Sora, even if I don't hate you for it… I don't know if you'll ever be able to look me in the eyes again."
Yuri didn't respond for a moment. "... and why am I important to you?"
Shino thought about it, and then she shook her head for a moment, shaking distracting thoughts out of her head. "I was born having dreams every day of my life," she said after a moment. "My modafinil helps me with my narcolepsy now, but I didn't have access to it when I was a kid. I think I dream a lot more than most other people." She folded her legs, leaning over and smiling at Yuri. "And all my dreams were of a past that was very different from our world now. A world that is not our world."
"Another dimension?"
Shino cracked a smile. "No," she said. "I think it's the world that the Professor says that he wants to create."
She hummed. Then, unsure of how to continue, she stole the words from a book that she had once read, years ago.
"I have dreamt in my life, dreams that have stayed with me ever after, and changed my ideas; they have gone through and through me, like wine through water, and altered the color of my mind. And this is one: I'm going to tell it - but take care not to smile at any part of it." She smiled. "In those dreams… there was a man that looked like you. You, and Yuji-kun, and all of those boys that look like you."
She reached out, ruffling his hair. Yuri blinked in surprise.
"I think that world was a past life," she confided in him—something that she had never told anyone. "A memory. And in that world, you were my brother, I think. I certainly called you that. And when I met you for the first time, you were so different and yet so similar to the person that I dreamed of."
"So do you only care about me because of those dreams?" Yuri seemed to cringe at his own words—at the idea of someone caring for him in the first place.
"Absolutely not," Shino replied immediately. "I care for you, Yuri, not some dream that no longer has any bearing on our world today. But what I wanted to say is that if that was truly a past life, then you were my brother there, and I loved you. And it is the same here in this world today. And it will be the same if we are reborn again into another world. The day that I met you, I wanted to learn more about you. The more I learned about you, the more I wanted to protect you. That's just how it is. I'll be unfair to all six dimensions, but never to you."
"... but I am unfair to you," Yuri muttered. "I'm a parasite. I'll just keep on taking and taking and then you'll die. Just like my brother did." The last time he'd had an older sibling, he'd watched Seto die in front of him.
Shino laughed. "Most definitely," she said gently. "I don't think I'll survive you. But I'd happily die if it meant that you were safe. It's like I said. We're both monsters, Yuri. Whatever our souls are made of, yours and mine are the same. No matter what you choose, I love you. I always will."
And—
Yuri had no idea what to do with this unconditional affection. This compassion that he did not feel like he deserved.
"You still don't quite see things that are right in front of you."
Was he the only one that had never seen Shino's intentions at all? Had everyone around him seen this?
He struggled with the words. It felt like a disease—like something clogging up his throat, thick and nauseous. And yet, when he forced them out, it was as though he could breathe again. He said them—those three words in reply to hers, for no one's ears but hers, and Shino chuckled.
"Good to hear," she said. "Stay safe. Don't get in trouble."
"Don't treat me like a kid," Yuri muttered. "Whatever."
"You're going to Synchro with me," Yuri said.
Yuji raised his head. He made direct eye contact with Yuri.
"... you're doing all the work," he said after a moment.
"Sure," Yuri said, deciding not to argue. "We'll leave in an hour. Pack up."
Chapter 37 Fun Fact:
So. I talk a lot about how much time it took for me to plan out and create certain OCs in this fic. Aka Kaname being the oldest one, Nue and Mion being created together, etc, and the original decks of these characters being the antagonists' decks from the other series. (So Kaname using Meklords/Timelords, Shino using Dark World/Evil HEROes, Hitoda using Hydradrives, Nue using Heraldic Beasts, Kyorin using Toons. I don't think I ever decided on what to give that version of Mion.) Disclaimer, their names came after I decided on their decks. However, I want to say that after I decided to avoid that idea and just give them decks I liked, Shino's deck took me forever to figure out, because there were too many Fusion archetypes that I wanted to use. I was juggling the ideas of Witchcrafters, Dragonmaids or Darklords for Shino, and then the Albaz Strike Structure Deck dropped and I was like yes, this is a sign. But yeah, originally, the plan for Shino was Dragonmaids, which is arguably hellish in a very different way from Albaz Dragons.
End Notes:
If Shino and Fubuki seem underpowered in the first duel, that is very much on purpose, to contrast with the second duel. After all, they're still younger students in the flashback, no matter how skilled they are. For example, Shino doesn't have Mirrorjade. I had to rewrite this duel because I used the V Jump promotional card (Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon) for this, and I do have a policy of not using cards before their TCG name is released. And yes, past Shino saying that Fubuki's Red-Eyes Fusion is overpowered when she has Branded Fusion in the present amuses me to an unprecedented level.
Anyway, this chapter is Shino-central, huh? Sorry about that! This was actually the ending of last chapter, but I ended up having to split it up for tonal issues. And yes, I realise that me, being an absolute dumbass, planned four duels for last chapter before I split them up. *sigh* Thank goodness I realised that and split it. No duel summaries for this chapter—they're short and simple enough to not require them. Sorry, Manjoume fans. He'll get a bit more screentime in the future, but I don't really have large plot plans for him—he's just here as another Honor Student and opponent for the Lancers.
The two quotes are from Wuthering Heights. I won't go into detail on it, but the novel itself is about two horrible, broken people who create their own tragedy and hopelessness because they love each other. I couldn't stop thinking about it as I was writing the Shino and Yuri scene. Because this story is not that black and white, and neither Shino nor Yuri are well-adjusted people. The last time that they talked in this story, Shino essentially told Yuri to do whatever he wanted, as long as he stayed alive. They're not kind at all. And yes, the three words that Yuri says are indeed 'I love you', but for stylistic choices, I didn't have him directly say it.
… I am never beating the Yuri/Shino allegations, huh? But yeah, I wanted to take the typical reincarnation romance trope and attach it to a sense of family instead. Neither Yuri nor Shino have feelings for each other in that way, but they understand each other better than anyone else.
Review responses!
To phantomdragons, I'm glad that you liked the Nue/Shun moment! I was quite nervous about it. And yes, I'll point out that the narration changed from Kurosaki to Shun in its reference to him at a very specific moment—namely, when he started to get along with the Lancers better and trust them. My own interpretation is that without losing Yuto here, he has a greater ability to trust others—and it helps that he gets along with Yuya quite well. I'm glad that you enjoyed Kyorin vs Yuji as much as I enjoyed writing it, haha. And thanks for the lovely compliment!
To DSpaceZ, I forgot to describe the riding suits and D-Wheels, lmao. Uh, Miharu's is essentially the same as Rin's, with green and yellow instead of pink. Yuzu in this story isn't using Rin's riding suit since she's considered a Lancer, so her riding suit was provided to her by the Council—so it's just pink all over. Mion's is brown and orange. The D-Wheels are all pretty standard Security-issue D-Wheels, since the Council has no reason to provide them with special ones. So they're all white and grey. I do have plans for Ruka's deck, but what I will say is that it includes a lot of cards that are different from canon. Thanks for the review! Glad that you like Miharu :D
To the Guest talking about Transformers, I only know it very briefly through my brother, but yeah, you're right! It was a reference, haha.
To the Guest that said that Yuji vs Kyorin was their favourite duel, thanks a lot! It was one of my favourite duels to write in this fic too.
To the Guest who mentioned that they enjoyed the duel between Yuzu and Yuri, I'm glad!
To LilStephanie21, I don't intend to have the same ending as Arc V, don't worry.
To cardfan135, I'm glad that you enjoyed Miharu vs Yuri that much! Yeah, Chapter 36 was definitely slightly filler, but to be fair, there were quite a lot of filler characters introduced just for this round. Like I said, Round 2 onwards will be better.
To the Guest asking about the Yuji/Yuno ship name, Elise called it Electrumshipping, since electrum is the alloy of gold and silver, and Yuji and Yuno have silver and gold eyes respectively. She's a huge shipper, so she's come up with basically a whole list. Nue/Shun is ParadiseBirdshipping, after the bird of paradise flower. Mion/Reiji is Chequebookshipping because both of them duel by managing a large amount of resources on the field at the same time, Mion uses cards based on Spell books and Reiji uses cards based on CEOs and contracts, etc.
To lmao, that is actually exactly the line that scene stopped on originally, with nothing before being altered, and the next line immediately just being Shun nodding and neither of them saying anything more. I think we can all understand Mist's distress.
To T.V. 2000, thanks for the review! Glad that you enjoyed the interactions!
To LHOCIN, yup, I'm still busy! But 36 and 37 were both mostly written except the duels, so I figured I'd put them out there anyway. And yeah, I loved Yuri vs Miharu so much too. Glad that you enjoyed all the character interactions—they're all characters that I wanted to interact more in Arc-V proper, and took the opportunity to let them do so here.
To the Guest asking about who the first Yu Boy to defeat Miharu is, that will definitely be a huge spoiler. I will say that Miharu currently has a perfect record, but that is about to break by the end of the arc. Or not? It depends on how you interpret what happens.
Question of the Chapter: I asked this near the start of the story, but I figured that I'd ask it again, since we're quite a lot of chapters in at this point. What decks do you hope will show up? This doesn't guarantee that they will, but I'm pretty curious.
Thanks for reading/reviewing/favoriting/following! See you next time!
