Starting Notes:

Welcome back! This chapter… lets you relax a bit. :) Have fun, settle in… and chill with the characters! It's very much a transition chapter… and there's a lot of talking. But it does set up the rest of the arc, so it's necessary. Enjoy. Oh, and… no duel this chapter. You'll get enough of them soon :)


Chapter 91: The Ruins Beneath The City

Most of the school buildings had not survived the lasers and the explosions. There had been a joke about Diamond Branch once, though it now felt like it was in poor taste. 'Diamonds only care about appearances.' Without a doubt, Diamond Branch had been the most visually stunning of the branches of Heartland Duel School—lush with greenery, flower pots along corridors, ponds and stepping stones bordered by tall stalks of bamboo. Birds would nest everywhere in the school, but they weren't too much of a bother. Butterflies had danced around the walls and bushes.

Now, most of it was gone.

The auditorium was still somewhat intact—well, relatively speaking, considering that at least half the roof hadn't caved in yet. They'd strung up long swathes of fabric to make hammocks and generally gathered whatever resources that they could once they had left the Resistance. They only ever had their own goals, after all.

The first person to react when Tatsuya walked into the room was a boy that was quite a bit shorter than him, with dark skin and hair, dressed in a red dress shirt and white pants. "Tatsuya. You're back."

"I am," Tatsuya said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "It's bad news all around."

Alito Kiraku blinked, messing with his curls for a moment. "Bad news? In what way?" From around the room, the rest of Diamond Branch's members were slowly beginning to pay attention as well. "Weren't you going to talk to Nue?"

"It's a long story, but she rejected my proposal," Tatsuya lied with a blasé shrug. "Seems that she's planning on eradicating us all if we get in the way—she's allied herself with the rest of the Resistance."

"Eradicating us all?" From near the curtains, Rui Shingetsu repeated, narrowing his eyes. "Where's Ryoma?"

"… I think that you've already guessed, Vector," Tatsuya said with a smirk. "She's frightening, isn't she?"

"Nue would never kill Ryoma," Alito shot back. "Not in a million years."

"But I'm not lying," Tatsuya shot back. He took a step forward. Alito and Rui tensed up simultaneously. "I watched Ryoma turn into a card and get picked up by her right in front of me," he said coldly—projecting just the right amount of indignance. "There is—"

Immediately, the others broke out into noise. From across the room from where he'd been sitting on the stage, Rui glanced over at him, before scoffing and standing up. He disappeared behind the curtains quickly. Tatsuya glanced after him.

He probably knows. If there's one person in this world I've never been able to fool, it's that man—still, he probably won't get in my way.

as long as I don't let him know that I shoved her off. He's always been protective over her, though I'm not sure why…

She'll be fine.

Meanwhile, the only adult in the room walked forward swiftly. His green hair was styled in a mohawk. He was wearing a brown coat, white shirt and long brown pants, along with suspenders. He was by far the tallest person there, with only Tatsuya even coming close to his height—and rather well-built, relatively speaking. Not surprising, considering that he'd been a coach for most of Heartland's best athletes, in addition to being a teacher at Diamond Branch. (Their only surviving teacher.) Souhachi Kiraku had a concerned look on his face. "Ryoma…" He sounded surprised. "Ryoma got carded? By the Resistance?"

"By Nue," Tatsuya said, folding his arms. "Specifically her." Because it seemed that the people here were still unable to process what he'd just said. Not surprising.

"She wouldn't do that," Alito objected. "Maybe she wouldn't agree with us, but she wouldn't hurt us anyway—"

Tatsuya held out Ryoma's card. "We have the card analysis machine that Eri-san gave us," he said lightly. "Want to test it and see for yourself?"

Alito stared at the card, a look of disbelief on his face. Tatsuya knew that he wouldn't take it—but he knew that someone else would accept the dare. The blond figure of Thomas Arclight walked across the room, grabbing the card and stalking his way over to the machine. Sitting by the machine, Michael Arclight frowned—he looked uncomfortable with the situation, but he didn't say anything.

After a brief moment, Thomas nodded curtly. "Carded after his last duel against Nue," he said tensely. "That's what it says." He cracked a smile, but there was no humour to it. "... that's a surprise. Turns out, she still has as much backbone as ever, huh? Must she always be so difficult to handle?"

"We're only trying to do what's best," Michael murmured, his pink hair drifting over his eyes. "For our father's sake, too…"

And then, there was the last member of their group—the youngest member of their group, a short, green-haired girl, who had nested herself in the hanging rafters. Red eyes, the same colour as Tatsuya's, looked down at them. They were filled with surprise and hurt.

"Nue-onee-san betrayed us?" She said, looking at him. "Nue-onee-san carded Ryoma?"

Tatsuya hid his smirk. There. The last piece on this game board.

If there was one person that always trusted his word over anyone else, it would be her, wouldn't it?

He kept his voice gentle. "Yeah, Sachi," he said. "She did. She's not on our side."

"... she wasn't like that before she left," Three of Diamonds, Sachi Izumi said, hugging her knees to herself. "She wasn't like that, right?"

"Does it matter?" Tatsuya said flippantly. "A traitor's a traitor. Besides, she'll take a while to recover—she freaked out when I called her out for it."

"Freaked out?" Michael said. "In what way?"

Tatsuya shrugged. "She just fell."


One of Yuto's comrades had been carded, another was currently sick to the bone with no clear reason why, and Yuto's sister was lying unconscious in the infirmary, after apparently falling three stories from the sky and hitting the ground. There were no real doctors alive in the Resistance, but according to Mariko, the situation was not good. Yuto could believe that much—the look on Shun's face when he'd carried her all the way back, the blood everywhere on his clothes, the way that he'd clearly done his best to treat what he could on the spot, his noticeably more torn coat from where he'd ripped off some of the fabric to wrap her wounds…

"We can't help her. If anything, it's a miracle that she's even alive right now."

And of course, there was Edo Phoenix.

So Yuto was doing fine, thanks for asking. Just fucking fine.

He was currently in a room by himself, drinking from a metal cup of water. He'd excused himself after a moment of being in the infirmary, because… seeing Nue like that was just…

"Yuto."

Yuto looked up. Ruri was standing there—she must have come to find him.

"We're meeting up now to discuss things," she said. "... to explain things so that we all know exactly what happened."

"... got it." Yuto stood up, trying to stifle his rage. He shot her a smile that he hoped was reassuring. "Let's go."


OP: again

(During the dramatic music build in, on a background that shows glimpses of the events of the two previous arcs, the Lancers swiftly move by in groups based on the dimension that they come from, alternating direction—so the first group comes from left to right, the second from right to left, etc. It starts with Standard (Yuya, Yuzu, Sawatari and Gongenzaka as one group. Reiji, Reira, Mion and Tsukikage as the second).

Yuji, Chiaki and Kyorin then walk by, with Chiaki and Kyorin talking while Yuji watches them from the corner of his eye. Serena and Sora race by, both looking rather determined, though Serena is a step ahead of Sora. Passing them as they leave the frame, Yugo and Rin walk by with Rin fussing over him, while Kaname quietly follows behind them. Yuno, Miharu and Hitoda are casually discussing something as they walk by each other as well. Finally, Ruri, Shun, Nue and Yuto walk by from right to left, and the camera zooms in on Yuto as it transitions to the first lyrics.)

We try chasing down ways to further our dream,

but then we trip over people on the narrow path that winds.

(The camera moves past Yuto's face, panning over to reveal the destroyed landscape of Heartland from the sky. Yuto lets out a sigh, before raising his duel disk and leaping down to the streets, even as a translucent, younger version of himself runs by.)

It's nothing like wanting to go back to those days.

I'm searching for a sky that doesn't exist anymore.

(Camera pans over to a scene cast in brighter lighting, where Ruri searches through the streets, a younger version of herself slipping through the destroyed alleyways as well. She glances up at the sky, and for a moment, the sky's colour flashes between grey and bright blue, before fading back to grey again. She looks down, seeming dismayed.)

Don't give me that sad face like I've become the victim,

like you understand.

(Scene shifts—Shun walks to the top of a pile of rubble. He glances to the side and sees Kaito, and when he takes a step towards Kaito, the rubble collapses. Both Shun and Kaito's images flicker in and out of existence—for a moment, they're both dressed in their pre-invasion clothes. Shun's hand swings through the air as rocks fly out around him—the camera tilts and suddenly, the background shifts. Rubble is now falling from the sky, rather than sideways.)

Tears aren't the end of sin. You carry it heavy on your back forever.

(For a brief moment, a dark shadow in the shape of wings swipes across the rocks, before a bird plummets from the sky, hitting the ground. Nue turns her head sharply, staring at the bird on the blood-covered ground. She turns away, glancing across the streets.)

Who is it you're waiting for in this maze of emotion you can't find your way out of?

(The camera pans over—she's looking at the Diamond Branch campus. The campus, for a moment, looks completely whole and beautiful, before it explodes and falls apart around her. Nue covers her face, turning away from the sight and grimacing.)

I want to let it all spill already like I was writing in a blank notebook.

(A shadow in the smoke is buried under rubble. Seven streaks of light shoot out from the smoke, bombarding the ground around Nue, who dodges and turns her head.)

What're you're trying to get away from, this thing we call reality?

(Behind her, Eri pulls her cloak around her, stepping away, the moon shining down on both of them. Nue lets out a shout and steps forward—before the entire screen seems to fall apart.)

We live for each other, or have you forgotten in the middle of the night?

(As the glass falls away, it reveals Chiaki adjusting the metal ring around her finger, even as she jumps across roofs, glancing around. Below, Serena clutches the part of her arm where her bracelet used to be, a troubled expression on her face.)

Because we can't play it safe or sound anymore, and we don't have a place to go home to.

(Sora dodges into an alleyway, looking dismayed. He sinks to his knees, covering his face with his hands. From nearby, Gongenzaka watches him, arms folded. Behind Sora, there are strange white particles swirling through the air, and they stream out of frame, moving to the right.)

What, you don't got enough life left to wipe these feelings out?

(Pan over to Hitoda, who raises a fist towards the white particles, as though fistbumping them. She is on her knees in the middle of a burning building, beads of sweat going down the side of her face. In the distance, Miharu blinks and turns around, seeming surprised, though she doesn't seem to see Hitoda at all.

Just like old times. this is the kind of pain I love.

(The camera pans over to the figure of Edo in the distance, though his face is not looking towards the camera.)

(Short instrumental. Streaks of lightning shoot through the sky, illuminating the destroyed structures in the distance (The Duel Lodge, Spade Branch, Clover Branch, Diamond Branch, the tower.)

It'd be a shame if I didn't apologize, wouldn't it? Ah, so sorry.

(Pan over to Kyorin, her hair let down. She presses a hand to her chest, looking up at the destroyed form of Heartland Tower with a pained expression on her face. Around her, raindrops are starting to fall.

Going out of your way not to say it so I don't worry about you.

(Yuzu glancing after Yuya as he frantically searches the area. Around them, the translucent symbols of Smile World spin, distort and fade.)

All we took with us that day, all we'll carry with us tomorrow.

Because we're never gonna get our turn.

(Cut to an image of waves hitting the concrete walls of the port, before the camera moves to directly face the water, showing Yuno's reflection distorted in the dark waters. Then, the water shakes, and Yuno glances up, smiling in surprise as Reira glances at him, waving towards her. Reira looks surprised but also troubled.)

Softly closing your eyes like you understand

just so you don't have to see what you don't want to.

(Reiji and Tsukikage talking, before Tsukikage leaps off, disappearing into fog and smoke. A lightning bolt strikes, and Reiji folds his arms, clearly troubled.)

Out of all the rumors we don't need, which ones are new today?

Friends standing face to face don't tell lies.

(Kaname running through the streets, adjusting her mask. She is clearly in a rush, and she crosses a corner, finding Mion sitting in a park. Mion's prosthetic arm is on the ground, and the brown-haired girl turns to look at Kaname. The camera shows the side view of both of them staring at each other—there is something tense in the air.)

They burn in your body like a heart red with irritation.

Does it really give you hope, this thing we call reality?

(Yuji stands in a destroyed church, glass scattered around his feet. In front of him, Empty Abyss floats, and he presses his head to his dragon's forehead, a faint glow surrounding both of them. Yuji turns his head to look at Rin, who is standing in the doorway. Rin glances away, letting out a scoff—snowflakes drift around her as she walks away.)

We live for each other, can you hear me starting to scream?

Because we can't play it safe or sound anymore, and we don't have a place to go home to.

(Cut to Yugo running through the streets, Sawatari yelling as he follows along. Sawatari is grinning, but at the same time, his gaze is drawn away towards something else in the distance—a strangely beautiful flower floating through the air.)

You're always thanking me for being kind. That's why I want to get stronger.

I'll take on both friends and enemies if it helps me move forward.

(All four of the Hearts Branch members show up one by one on the screen in black silhouettes on differently coloured backgrounds—white, black, blue and red. A crack builds across the screen, and then, a wisp of smoke shoots up, before the background fades into the image of Tsubaki dropping a single cigarette on the ground. The cigarette lands on a photograph on the ground, which for a brief second, reveals that it's an image of her, Kaito, Haruto and Dr. Tenjo.)

I've been thinking on what we do to open the next door.

(We roughly cut to Yuto slamming his fist into a wall, turning his head. Dark Rebellion rises up behind him. Letting out a roar.)

We can't retrace our steps anymore. The story's already begun.

Open your eyes. Open your eyes.

(He charges forward, with several of the other Lancers there as well, their ace monsters behind them. The camera briefly refocuses on Shun, who has Ultimate Falcon behind him and looks absolutely furious. As the instrumental continues, more of the monsters show up and attack swiftly.)

What, you don't got enough life left to wipe these feelings out?

(The camera pans over to Tatsuya and Edo standing side by side in the highest part of Heartland Tower that is still standing. Tatsuya is smirking as he shakes Edo's hand, while Edo looks slightly disgusted. Tatsuya steps away, gesturing for certain figures in the shadows to follow him.)

To try to make right the things you left undone.

(Edo sees a snowflake land on the window, before Eri taps his shoulder, drawing him out of it.)

Let's go one more time.

(Academia leaves the tower as well, charging onto the battlefield.)

We live for each other, can you hear me starting to scream?

Because we can't play it safe or sound anymore, and we don't have a place to go home to.

You're always thanking me for being kind. That's why I want to get stronger.

(General chaos, basically all the named characters in the arc summoning monsters and fighting against each other.)

Just like old times. This is the kind of pain I love.

(At this line, the camera cuts to the ruins, moving through passages carved in rock and occasionally showing the flashes of murals. There is a shadow crossing through the passages, before the shadow stops in front of an altar. As the instrumental continues, the figure, still cast in a cloak and shadows, sits down on the altar irreverently. At the last moment, they get up, and with a single kick, they topple the altar to the ground. The ending roughly cuts to black there, before stopping.


And so, the leaders of the Resistance and all the members of the Lancers—sans three—assembled in a single room.

It had ended up being far less of a surprise when Allen and Sayaka had brought them to one of the entrances to Heartland's ancient ruins. The ruins under the ground were all interconnected, after all—in fact, even over the last few decades, the archaeologists still hadn't managed to fully map out the connecting tunnels between all the ruins and all the rooms that lay between them. That was where the Resistance had set up their current base—at least a hundred different exits, easy ways to lose their foes in the tunnels, and an assurance that it was a space that they would know better than their enemies.

And…

"The architecture of the ruins is relatively solid," Chris explained. "We don't know how the ancestral people did it, but the ruins here were built so sturdily that my father…" He stopped briefly, a look of pain crossing his face, before he continued talking. "My father said that it would take a literal nuke to even make a dent in the ceiling. So if they want us, they'll have to come down here."

"Doesn't that mean that there's a hundred different entrances too?" Reiji asked, being one of the most composed members of the Lancers at the moment.

"That would be the case, but unfortunately for them, there are number combination locks on each of the doors," Mariko piped up. "And yours truly set unique combinations for every single one of them, and every single member of the Resistance only knows five each! So they have options if they want to escape, and they can help each other—but capturing one of them won't let Academia know every single combination."

"And if they capture you?" Sora asked, sounding annoyed.

Mariko laughed, shooting him a smirk. "They can certainly try!"

"... introductions, and then explanations." Tsubaki put her hands on the table—it seemed to be a silent signal, and Mariko leaned back, nodding towards her, not fanning the flames any longer. "I go by Tsubaki Nagare. I'm… technically the leader of the Resistance. I delegate and generally make calls as needed, though we tend to decide on things as a collective, rather than individually."

"There is nothing technical about it," Kaede muttered from next to her. His blue eyes scanned the table, before he introduced himself next, leaning back—as he did so, his dark hair brushed back, revealing the blue pin on the collar of his shirt. "Kaede Higuchi. I tend to handle technology and communications alongside Chris, but I tend to stay on standby at the base, just in case someone needs treatment."

"As such, he's the main guard of the Resistance!" Mariko said cheerily. "Most of us actually leave the base for what we do, but thanks to him, not a single member of Academia has managed to actually enter our base so far." She leaned forward on the table. "Mariko Ejiri here, at your service~! Technically, I'm younger than the rest of them, but—"

"Stick to the basics, Mariko," Tsubaki said. Mariko grinned, leaning on her shoulder.

"Sure, Tsubaki-sama!" Her voice was still playful—the two of them still seemed rather relaxed around each other. "Alright. I'm technically the Resistance's scout and emergency field medic—I pick up injured people and get them back to base, and as I mentioned earlier, I play around with machinery sometimes!" She winked. "Not as good of a support player as Kaede though—but my memory's never failed me once, so tell me to go anywhere or find anything, I'll manage. So that's my role in all of this."

"Don't call me a support player," Kaede said with a sigh.

"Oh, we all are," Mariko said, sticking out her tongue. "Anyway, what's with you guys and being all formal like this? Aren't we all used to throwing our titles out there?" She gestured towards herself. "Yours truly is—"

"Later," Tsubaki said. Mariko glanced at her, before grinning.

"Fine. Hisako~! All yours!"

The final member of Hearts Branch, who had been carefully chewing her way through a biscuit, looked up. "Oh, is it my turn?" She said, her tone rather soft and delicate. "My apologies, I wasn't quite following the conversation, as it were."

Yuto knew that much was a lie—Hisako was always paying attention to everything that she could hear. She was just buying time to figure out exactly what to say.

"My name is Hisako Fuyumori. I manage food supplies and general logistics."

Finally, there was just one more person in the room. (Rio, Allen and Sayaka were noticeably not present, though Rio had hugged Ruri before vanishing into the passages of the ruins.) Chris pressed a hand to his chest. "Chris Arclight," he said. "I used to be a teacher at Spade Branch. I also help with managing general logistics and machinery, though on a different scale from the two of them—I manage the distribution of battle-related resources, while Hisako manages general living needs. I believe we're done with introductions on our side, so, it's your turn."

They ran through introductions. Yuto desperately tried not to fidget. He could tell that Shun felt the same way.

The urge to be somewhere else, to just know what had happened already.

And then, they began running through the stories of what had happened since they had entered this dimension. Some of them hadn't encountered much, but those that had encountered enemies… had really suffered for it. Rin explained how they had met the Commander-in-Chief of Academia and how they'd only barely escaped, Sawatari explained how they had lost one of their comrades, some of the others shared their first meetings with the Resistance…

And when Shun Kurosaki, fists clenched, explained what he'd seen…

Yuto's temper boiled over.

When he was fifteen, he hadn't understood. He wasn't even in Heartland Duel School yet. He'd met Tatsuya a few times, but the time that he and Nue had been dating had coincided with Nue's more rebellious phase, and she'd spent most of her time out of the house. So when the two of them had broken up, Yuto had just been glad that his sister was going to be spending more time at home.

Still…

After Nue had won her ranking match against Tatsuya, come to think of it, Kaito had spent the night at their house, and Nue hadn't really talked to anyone that day.

If he'd known…

If he'd known, he'd have done something. He should have seen it.

Shun hadn't been around to see the duel itself, if one had happened at all—but he knew who the perpetrator was, and that was enough.

… Yuto was going to destroy that man. He was barely holding himself back from exploding—and that was just because he didn't want to scare the rest.

Tsubaki briefly glanced at him, before she turned away. "I suppose," she said briskly, "it is time to explain what happened with regards to that incident." She glanced away. "It's no secret that the students of Diamond Branch happened to suffer the most from the original invasion. What were the statistics again, Chris?"

"Out of two hundred and fourteen students, only twenty-six survived the original attack," Chris said.

Tsubaki nodded. "Most of their families were carded as well," she explained. "Despite their best efforts, their numbers also started to fall over time—and they began to group together more and more, convinced that they needed to depend on each other and only each other. And…" She glanced away. "Izumi particularly distrusted me, for reasons that I myself am not clear about, at this point… Nue was the only one who really managed to keep them in check and convince them to cooperate with the rest, but they had a very strong 'us versus them' mentality that not even she could shake. Still, I believe that at some point, Izumi got in touch with Academia and made a deal with them."

"And then, they betrayed the Resistance?"

"They knew our schedules and things," Mariko said. Her tone was deceptively light, and it occurred to Yuto that the Resistance's current insistence that each individual could only know a certain amount of information might have been because of that exact betrayal.

"So when we were on patrol, they split into two groups and tore their way through the bases," Tsubaki said. "They had some other members of Academia alongside them, such as these two sisters who used decks with female warriors, I believe." She pressed her hands to her lap. "There were… a lot of casualties from that attack. And that is the story of it."

"And that's why Kaito split from the Resistance?" Shun said. "Because…"

Yuto noticed how Kaede, Mariko and Hisako all tensed up at the question—Chris didn't, though maybe that was because he was just controlling his reactions better. None of them were able to stop themselves from shooting Tsubaki concerned looks though.

Tsubaki sighed. Her fingers slipped into her pocket, fidgeting with something.

"Kaito Tenjo left the Resistance because he resents us for not protecting his family. He resents Tatsuya Izumi for carding his father. And he resents me because he believes that it was because I let my guard down that his younger brother, Haruto Tenjo, was carded," she finally said. "And afterwards, he could no longer trust me or work with me. That's all." Next to her, Chris visibly winced.

Shun narrowed his eyes. "So that's it," he muttered. "I was wondering why…"

Tsubaki stood up. "Take some time to prepare yourselves, drink some water and in general, settle in—the rest of the Resistance has been permitted to answer your questions and to explain things to you as they see fit. We'll meet up and discuss plans once you've been given a moment to breathe." She paused. "... but don't run out on your own. Diamond Branch is everyone's problem, and has been everyone's problem since the start. Things won't be solved so quickly. If you need anything… feel free to ask for us."

For all that her tone was rather neutral, her words dripped of something sardonic.

"After all, there's no shame in asking for help if you need it."

She left the room—Yuto saw a faint glimpse of white between her fingers, the telltale shape of a cigarette. Chris grimaced and followed after her. The Lancers exchanged looks.

Yuto stood up, ready to leave and go to his sister's side—

"Shun, Yuto," Kaede said. "Could you stay for a while longer? There's something that we need to discuss."


Miharu was back in the small area that the Resistance called the 'infirmary' rather quickly—if only because she needed to settle her mind, and the 'infirmary' was the best place to do so. It was a small section of ruins that had been closed off with old curtains. Each person was given some privacy by old, tattered curtains, hung from the ceiling—separated from each other.

However, she was not the first one there.

Yuno was sitting next to Hitoda, a worried look on his face. And Miharu understood his worry.

Maybe a part of her felt… genuinely taken aback too. To lose so much in so little time…

Maybe it also troubled her.

Because… the truth was that Miharu was not really that close to any of the three people that had been hurt. Yes, they were comrades, but she'd hardly spoken to Tsukikage, and while Nue was a reassuring figure to have around, they hadn't really talked that much. And Hitoda had always been closer to Yuno, for obvious reasons.

Even so…

None of them were permanently dead, Miharu reminded herself. It was alright—this could be fixed.

… she had to believe it.

Still, it felt like a private thing—and she knew that if she was there, Yuno would be trying to cheer her up instead of taking care of himself.

… she'd go and grab him a cup of water.

She turned to walk down the corridor—and then, she came face to face with Rin, who looked rather nervous.

"... can we talk?" The green-haired girl asked.

Miharu shrugged. "Sure," she said. It wasn't like they had much to do until they all grouped up together again, after all.


"... so your bracelet did something," Miharu said. "And Yuto acted out… even though none of the others were nearby. I don't think Yuno reacted in any way like that either…" She pondered the different things that the incident implied. "... I don't like this. But thanks for telling me."

"It makes me think," Rin said hesitantly. "If the bracelets help to stop… whatever that is, is it a bad thing that Serena and Yuzu broke theirs?"

And that was a loaded question. Because Miharu knew Yuzu and Serena's opinions on the topic—that the choice to break the bracelets was one of emancipation, of choosing to deny what Academia saw in them. And she didn't want to deny that. She didn't want to deny the emotions and will that they had shown through that one action, but at the same time, logically…

Logically, what Academia wants is us and not the bracelets… or perhaps us and the bracelets. Either way, destroying the bracelets may have given them new power, but I do not think it was worth it… that is just my opinion, though.

"I think that it was the best choice for them," Miharu said. "... but I don't really agree with it."

Rin nodded. "I just needed to talk to someone about it," she said. "Rinsoka-san saw it too, I think… and the Commander-in-Chief that we met too. But no one else. Should we tell them?"

Miharu considered it. "... maybe not for now," she said. "That might cause the Resistance to be more wary of us… I don't want that." And it would put Yuno in more danger. "We can take a while to think more about it."

Rin glanced at her. "Are… you alright?"

And well… out of all the girls that shared the same face as her, Rin was probably the one that Miharu was the least close to. She'd at least talked to both Ruri and Chiaki a few times, but she only really knew about Rin through all of Yugo's enthusiastic monologues about her.

Miharu didn't mean that in a distrustful way—more in the sense that she didn't want to burden a practical stranger with her feelings, especially when they didn't really feel deserved. Even if they were comrades.

"I'm fine," she said, and she continued walking through the corridors. Rin went another way, and that was that.

… maybe Miharu should look for that man from earlier. His name was… Kaede, correct? The one that had been mentioned as someone who worked on machinery.

… maybe she could check on something with him, while she was here.


Ruri had always seen Kaede Higuchi as one of the most rational members of Heartland Duel School—no, the Resistance. Not that the rest were illogical by any means, but rather that Hisako was flighty on her best days, and Mariko seemed incapable of ever keeping a sombre tone for longer than a few minutes. Tsubaki, while rather calm and gentle, also carried an intensity that made it hard to think of her as grounded.

Then again, it might just have been because he wore glasses.

Anyway, Ruri had not been asked to stay behind, but considering how upset both her brother and her boyfriend were, she wasn't going to just… leave, so she conspicuously hung out in the corridor next to the room, listening in.

Once the rest of the Lancers and Resistance members left, Shun turned to Kaede. "What's this about?" He said roughly.

"Yuto. Shun." Kaede turned to look at the two of them. "... I wanted to reiterate this. Don't go off on your own." His voice was completely serious—but both Yuto and Shun bristled.

"She's my sister," Yuto said. "And she was hurt."

Two simple statements, boiling with rage.

"I want to make him pay," Yuto said, and he sounded like he was seething. Maybe he had been holding in his anger the whole time, only able to let it out now that it was just him and Shun and Kaede there…

(Could he not trust her with his anger? The thought hurt. Ruri didn't want him to pretend that he was fine in front of her when he wasn't, and she didn't know why he was doing that.)

"I want to make all of them pay. I want them to suffer the consequences of their actions for once. I—"

Kaede drew himself up to his full height—he was just barely shorter than Shun, and still imposingly tall. "You haven't changed, have you?" He asked.

Ruri saw Yuto's eyes widen.

"You're both always so angry," Kaede said after a brief pause. "Assuming that your anger can solve your problems. But it won't. You rush out there, you'll get yourself carded, and you'll drag some of us down with you. Is that what you want? Is that what the people that you're so angry for would want?"

No response, except quiet breathing.

"Fine," Shun said. "But… Yuto's right. We have to make them pay."

"What do you think we've been working towards?" Kaede said. "Welcome back to the Resistance."

A bit more talking, and then Yuto walked out into the corridor. The two of them locked eyes.

Be brave, Ruri told herself. Don't look away from these things any longer.

"Yuto," Ruri said. She could hear how her brother went silent inside the room—sound carried, in ruins as old as these. "... can we talk?"

She didn't want to lose him to himself. Maybe some part of that desperation showed—there was something horribly sad to Yuto's eyes as he glanced away. Ruri couldn't imagine how she would feel if Shun was injured and hurt in such a horrible way…

"Okay," Yuto said. "... let's do that."


"I can see you there, you know." Rio tilted her head towards the corridor, narrowing her eyes. "I thought that the Lancers were meeting up or something like that. What are you doing here? You're the one that came in with Chris, right?"

Kaname nodded. She held out a cup of water towards the girl—a pathetic attempt at a peace offering. Rio arched an eyebrow.

Kaname gestured to her throat, hoping that the other girl understood.

"Oh, you're the mute one," Rio said. She took the cup of water. "What's this for, then?"

Kaname's fingers flicked across the keyboard nested at the bottom of her duel disk, and the text-to-speech spoke up for her. (Rio jumped when it first spoke.) "You sounded hoarse."

"When did you…" Rio blinked. "Right, you were there. How do you fade like that?"

A shrug.

"Well, it's not like I was hoarse over…" Rio shook her head. "I've drunk enough water today, but thanks anyway."

… oh. Had she been hoarse because she was emotional over seeing her close friend come back to the Resistance? (That was probably it. Well, it wasn't the first time that Kaname had misunderstood something so simple.)

"You're not from Link or Fusion, are you?" Rio asked, even as she turned back to the cards on the table—she was clearly organising her deck. Kaname had never seen so many black-bordered cards in one place—she was only really close to Nue, who used only a select few Xyz Monsters. (And put them to good use, too.)

Kaname nodded. She lifted up one of her cards, revealing its bright white border. Rio cast a look back at her, before she raised an eyebrow, clearly realising something.

"Synchro then. By any chance, are you here because of that boy?"

Another nod.

Rio snorted. "I won't apologise for defeating him. Besides, he got bailed out by his comrades, didn't he? Or, I guess the better way to describe it would be 'your comrades'. If you're just here to argue with me, I'm not interested in talking to you."

Kaname shook her head. Despite knowing the risk, she took off her duel disk, putting it on the table next to her—just enough of an obvious, foolish move that it would hopefully prove that she didn't mean any harm. As expected, Rio's gaze was immediately drawn to it, before the blue-haired girl turned to look at her.

"Naive move," Rio said, but there was something more relaxed to her posture now. "So, are you just going to hang around?"

Kaname's next thoughts could nor possibly be explained silently to a person who didn't know sign language, so she typed out the words again. "I want to understand the people in this place."

This place of devastation and cruelty. Torn apart by war and yet only kept alive by its people's hatred and their will to live. It was…

It was so painfully sad.

This was not a city that had broken itself and its people over slow decades of apathy and unfairness. This was a city that had probably been beautiful—which had not rotted away under its own wickedness, but had cracked under the brutality of another.

And so, Kaname couldn't say it, but she felt it as much as she could—curiosity and maybe even… compassion?

She hoped so.

And Nue. Nue, that girl that had been harsh when Kaname had needed someone to be harsh, that person who had heard Kaname's silent pleas and understood them…

If not for the fact that she had decided to try to be a good person, she would already be hunting down the culprit herself.

But good people focused on solutions that soothed people first, instead of hurting them, right…? She was still new to this.

"You want to understand," Rio repeated. She raised an eyebrow. "... weird. For a moment there, you reminded me of Nue, even if you two couldn't be more different from each other. She's a lot more threatening than you, too."

… threatening, huh?

Kaname sincerely doubted that. For a moment, she stood there, a ghost serpent that had lost the venom in her fangs.

Rio stared at her a while longer. "Well," she said, "just don't be a nuisance."

She returned to her work.

Kaname leaned back.

… Yugo wasn't in danger. This woman had spared him.

So for now, Kaname'd keep an eye on her… but she would not act.

Not yet.


"Damn it, Yuto," Yugo muttered, after he finished explaining to yet another person that no, he was not an Academia agent who had gotten into the Resistance, no, Yuto had been so colourblind that he'd thought that yellow and blue were the same as violet and pink.

(Then again, Yugo had mistaken black and purple for white and blue, so maybe he was being a bit of a hypocrite by saying that…)

Still, food! He should grab some for him and Rin!

(Anyone who saw him would wonder why he wasn't stressed. Well… while he was still upset, it wouldn't get him down for a long time.)

(Losing just meant that he had to be more careful next time!)


"... you're serious," Chiaki said, folding her arms. "What a bastard."

"That's what happened anyway," Rin said—the other girl had come over to find her, just to talk. It made sense—Chiaki did get along way better with Ruri and Rin, for obvious reasons. "I'm gonna go find Yugo now, just to make sure that he's not getting into trouble… but I thought you should know. You two are friends, right?"

Chiaki thought about a blue-haired girl on her first day of school, clutching onto her bag with a nervous look. The girl that had called her 'Katsuya-san' for a week before Chiaki had told her to knock it off. That girl.

"We are," Chiaki agreed. "Don't let this spread though—if some idiots think that she helped him because she's on their side or something, then they might go after her."

Like hell that's going to happen, she thought with a protectiveness that surprised herself. I won't let it happen.

"Yeah," Rin agreed. "I get it. I wouldn't want something bad to happen to your friend either."

Chiaki smirked.

Rin then seemed to remember something else. "Oh, and… I don't know if it's my place to mention it, but he called her by another name?" She said the name, and for a brief moment, Chiaki froze on the spot. It was only for a moment though.

"Good to know," she said. "If you see my idiot… I know you don't like him, but just look out for him for me." The two of them exchanged fistbumps, before Rin carried on walking.

After that conversation though, Chiaki had one thing in mind. (Well, she had a lot of things in mind, but she had specifically one thing that she wanted to do right now. And when Chiaki Katsuya put her mind to something, she would just do it—no other motivation needed other than wanting.)

(While she'd wanted to fight against that other person earlier, right now, it felt far more important to resolve things first. Even she knew that her aggression wasn't likely to help things, not right now. And well, people were mourning.)

Where would a nervous girl go, when she wanted to avoid questions and felt guilty for things that weren't her fault in the slightest…?

Right.

The easy answer for that was 'wherever there are the least people'. There really were too many introverts in the Lancers, come to think about it…

Anyway, Chiaki brute-forced her way through the problem—as she moved around the base, she asked if anyone had seen a blue-haired girl with pigtails. Once she got a 'yes', she kept heading in that direction and asking around—

Eventually, she found her answer.

for being so timid, sometimes, you make the most reckless decisions ever, Kyorin Rinsoka…

What else could explain the fact that Kyorin was sitting by the entrance to the base, staring at the metal door?

"If you say that you're going to leave, I'm going to be very upset with you," Chiaki said. Kyorin glanced up, her blue pigtails flicking through the air as she let out a yelp—she clearly hadn't noticed Chiaki approaching in the midst of her moping. Chiaki took the initiative and sat down right next to her on the ground. "And if anyone's upset you enough that you want to leave, I'll hit them, fuck it. Give me a name. Is it just that Edo Phoenix guy? I'll stomp him into the curb."

"No!" Kyorin waved her hands. "I mean, we're in the middle of a war, aren't we? I'm not just going to leave. That'd be too irresponsible…" She then blinked. "Wait… you know about that?"

"Rin told me," Chiaki said. She glanced over at Kyorin. "They purposely said that the three of you came up to Edo Phoenix together, so that you wouldn't get blamed for anything…"

"... I just feel so stupid," Kyorin muttered. "And… it shouldn't matter, right? I don't get to feel upset about something like this when it's my fault that he was in a state to duel Yuto in the first place… especially when there's so many more things that went wrong, things that are worse… I shouldn't be upset about something so small when Nue-san's barely clinging onto life, when Hitoda's still sick, when—"

Chiaki reached out and firmly patted her shoulder. Kyorin stopped talking for a moment.

Chiaki shot her a smile—it was still rough, but the intent got across.

After a moment, Kyorin smiled tentatively too.

"... so, should I call you hime-sama?" Chiaki finally said. "A bit too formal for me, to be honest."

"No!" Kyorin looked genuinely horrified at the thought. "I… um, no. Please don't?"

"Good." Chiaki snorted. "I should have known you were a princess—you act like you came out of a fairy tale, sometimes." She shrugged. "Makes sense that you didn't tell us too, so don't think we'll hold it against you. Your father must have wanted you to keep it secret."

"It's… more complicated than that," Kyorin said. She frowned. "It was just… easier for everyone involved, if I vanished."

And that carried… troubling implications.

"My parents are good people," Kyorin murmured. "So when… that incident happened, after I was found, they decided that I would be safer outside of Atlantis, somewhere else. They do love me—I live with two of their good friends now, but they always send me letters and they… they just want the best for me." There was something melancholic to her expression. "If Academia caught me, my parents would do anything for me… all four of them. Not to mention my older brother. And if they do that, then there's no way that our world stands a chance… so I just have to keep on running."

… that hit too close to home. The things that Yuji had done because Academia had captured her… maybe Chiaki understood that, just a bit.

"... hey, Kyorin," Chiaki said after a moment. "You still haven't explained. How did you get to Standard in the first place? Was it because you were running?"

Kyorin slowly breathed in. "No," she said. "No, it wasn't…" She covered her face. "... I mean, I didn't know about the invasion until Yuji and I met in Standard! Before that… my guardian was helping me look for the two of you too. And… we came up with a prototype for dimensional travel. But I got overexcited, and, um…"

Chiaki laughed.

To reiterate from earlier, for someone so nervous… Kyorin Rinsoka was really the most reckless person she knew. (The hypocrisy of that statement was not lost on her, thank you very much.)

"You accidentally teleported because you were too excited to come and find us," Chiaki said. "And then you just… stayed."

"My guardian definitely would have understood," Kyorin said. "He's… well! He's the type that would encourage me to go off on my own, you know?" She was smiling, though. "So, yeah. That's why I'm here."

Chiaki nodded. "Guess so. Just checking to make sure, but which name do you prefer?"

"Definitely Kyorin."

"Good. It'd be weird to change things around now." Chiaki pressed her hands together. "Kyorin. You're strong, you know. And if you don't believe that, I do, so tough luck."

"... if only I could be smarter," Kyorin murmured. "Maybe then…"

"There's different kinds of 'smart'," Chiaki said. "You're better with emotions than most of us, after all." She glanced towards the door, away from Kyorin. "... sometimes, I'd like to be more like you."

It was an embarrassing admission. One that belonged in fairy tales and stories of friendship and victory.

"... I want to be like you too," Kyorin said, tucking her head in her knees. "I'm not brave like you are. I can't fight like you do. To be honest… I don't know what I've even been able to accomplish."

"... that's just…" Chiaki shook her head. "You don't need to be useful to anyone to be someone of worth." She raised her fist towards Kyorin. "You don't need to be me, I don't need to be you. Enough of those thoughts. I'll be there for those situations that require someone like me, you'll be there for those that require a person like you—as long as we stick together, we cover both, don't we?"

Kyorin let out a sniff, rubbing at her eyes. "... mm. We do. So you still want me around, even when I messed up?"

"Being mad at you for being too kind is like being mad at rain for being wet," Chiaki said, rolling her eyes. "Pointless and petty. Yes, I still want you around. Nothing to be mad about with you—if people don't appreciate your kindness, then that's on them. You don't have to change—in fact, it'd be a shame if you did."

"... but he did," Kyorin said, barely a whisper. "He did return it, didn't he?"

"Huh?"

"... is it really okay if I carry on being a fool?" Kyorin said, looking at her.

Chiaki frowned—

(The implication flew over her head.)

"Obviously it's fine," Chiaki said. "Just trust who you want to trust."

"... okay," Kyorin said. "... I think, maybe, there's a chance."


"... nngh."

Yuno turned his head, smile widening as he saw Hitoda shifting. "Hey! You're awake!"

Hitoda didn't seem to hear him though. Instead, her blue eyes glanced at him blearily, and as she spoke, her voice was tired but content.

She only said one word—it came out in a slurred manner—but just the word brought Yuno's brain cells to a complete stop.

"Ryoken?" She murmured.

Okay. Brain stopped. Brain reboot.

It could be a different Ryoken.

Yuno immediately wanted to smack himself in the head for that thought. Yes, it was technically possible, but…

Wouldn't that be too much of a coincidence?

And she hadn't called him by his last name either, the way that one would an acquaintance. No honorifics or anything like that—just a single fond, casual acknowledgement. Not to mention the very important fact that she'd assumed that the person sitting next to her when she woke up was Miharu's brother.

Oh, Miharu is never going to believe this.

In the time that it'd taken Yuno's brain to reboot, Hitoda seemed to have gained some level of comprehension. She coughed, reaching for the cup of water next to her and draining it.

"... did you just say—"

"You were hearing things," Hitoda said automatically.

Yuno snorted. "Is that the best you can do?"

Hitoda laughed—it was a little off in how it sounded, but it was still her laugh. "Sorry. Just returned from the dead and all—it's harder to hide things like this." She rubbed her forehead. "Why'd I have to go and talk… I was doing so well too."

Yuno looked at her. "You know I'm not going to ask, right?"

"Yeah. You're too good of a person and all." Hitoda hummed. "Tell you what. When we get home, I'll tell you everything about that. How's that for your silence?"

Yuno blinked. "... you don't need to buy my silence with anything," he said. "It's none of my business, really…" He adjusted the chain links of his bracelet. "It's fine."

"... you're the best, aren't you?" Hitoda leaned against the wall. She still looked feverish. "Fill me in. Someone die or something?"

Yuno shot her a shocked look—she chuckled, despite the dark topic.

"Please, you're so depressed compared to your normal self that it feels like it's about to storm in here." Hitoda met his eyes. Despite her playful tone, her next words were serious. "Catch me up on it, Yuno."

"Don't you need to rest? If you're sick…"

"Pffttt… don't you worry about me. I've endured worse." Hitoda glanced away, her gaze suddenly faraway. "... there's nothing that can keep me down for long. So let's get back to work."


My father once told me something, when I was very young. It was back when I was first beginning to show interest in business—when I had already begun to show that I was a prodigy.

"Do you know what war and business have in common, Reiji?"

I shook my head, of course. And so, he explained himself.

"There are always acceptable losses that you must take in both, in order to gain greater profits. Remember this, son—"

And I remembered, of course, because back then, I would have listened to anything that he said to me.

"You always remember your first loss, no matter how small it is. The losses get easier to bear with time—and as you gain that experience, life becomes easier to bear."

… of course, Leo Akaba had been a lying bastard, but Reiji had hoped that what he'd said was true.

He had resigned himself to losing people a long time ago. (He had lost one person, and then he'd distanced himself from the world.) He'd lost Hikage Fuuma, and it had been a tough blow to handle, but…

If the first loss should hurt the most, then it made no sense that the news of Tsukikage Fuuma still left him feeling… adrift.

Maybe that was why he had chosen to go off alone for a while. He'd made sure that Reira was sticking with Yuya and Yuzu before he'd left though.

He was just…

"Talk to me."

"I don't feel like talking right now," Reiji said frostily.

Mion settled next to him, leaning on the wall and looking up at the lamp hanging from the rocky ceiling. Her gaze was not on him, but her words were still obviously directed towards him. "... but you shouldn't be alone right now," she said.

"I need to think," he said. To think more about everything, about how he wanted to handle all of this…

"No matter how much we thought, we could never have predicted where we would all end up," Mion said. "It's not your fault, Reiji. No one thinks it's your fault either. It's our own personal responsibility to keep ourselves safe—"

Would you be saying that if you were the one who was carded because you were cornered by an enemy? Would you be saying that if you were the one pushed off a building?

Reiji didn't say either of those things. He simply stared at her, his expression nothing but stone. She looked back at him, unrelenting.

"... if you stay, don't expect me to be talkative," he finally said.

"That's fine. I'm here to talk your ear off anyway."

… that was surprisingly open from her.

"Say, Reiji…" Mion raised her prosthetic arm, staring at her hand. "If someone you knew… let's say a friend… was suffering from a specific problem, and you had a way to help them… but there was a chance that it would hurt you, what would you do?"

That sounded dangerously non-hypothetical. And maybe Reiji's reply was too absentminded or too selfish, but he genuinely meant it. "I would consider the advantages and disadvantages of such a choice."

"Spoken like a true businessman," Mion said.

"If you wanted anything else, you shouldn't have asked me," Reiji said. "Is that all?"

Mion looked at him. For a moment, it seemed like she might reach out—

But Reiji's tone had already placed an unbreachable gap between them.

She turned and walked off. Reiji turned back to the wall.

It didn't feel like a victory.


Mion didn't understand her own mind right now. She didn't understand the question she had asked, and most importantly, she didn't understand why she was hesitating.

Her hands felt awfully stiff, all of a sudden—both the prosthetic and the real one.

Because these hands…

These hands had healed Reira's injuries, hadn't they? Even if Mion had felt light-headed afterwards, it was an undeniably valuable resource…

A resource that Mion had not told anyone about.

After all… normal people couldn't do what she'd done there. How was she supposed to explain this?

To hide this was to stop herself from taking the opportunity to help other people.

(Even if helping other people apparently meant hurting herself.)

Maybe she was just a coward, after all…

If necessary. She'd do it if necessary…

(But there was something in the back of her head that was stopping her from fully committing to it. A part of her that was telling her that Nue Kamisoka would be fine…)

(She wasn't sure if she believed it.)


In the end, Reira had separated from Yuya and Yuzu to go and look for Miharu. She ended up finding her, but as she peeked through the door, she saw the blonde girl locked in conversation with one of the Resistance members from earlier.

"I never properly analysed their duel disks," Miharu said. "But I suppose it would make sense that your Solid Vision program would still be a bit different from Academia—their duel disks were clearly built with Solid Vision in mind, while yours weren't."

"It was a lot of staring at code and bashing my head against the wall—Dr Tenjo did a lot of the work," Kaede said. "You said that your code was entirely different though?"

"... we essentially made Solid Vision on our own, but it had a different basis," Miharu said. She just happened to turn her head and see Reira at the door at that moment—she beckoned for Reira to come in, and Reira sat down next to her. "Our world started focusing on VR a long time ago, after all… almost a decade ago then. Academia's Solid Vision, and so, yours and that of Standard, is based on DE particles. Den City's Solid Vision… or well, the prototype that we were developing… was focused on the interaction between HH particles and IM particles."

"I see," Kaede said, seeming genuinely intrigued. "That's an interesting premise. Who came up with it?"

Miharu quietly cleared her throat.

"... what's a HH particle?" Reira spoke up.

"Hologram Helper Particles," Miharu said. "What do you know about holograms, Reira?"

Reira shook her head—she didn't know anything. She just wanted to understand what Miharu was talking about. Miharu didn't seem to mind though—she launched into an explanation immediately.

"So, it's important to note that Duel Monsters have been classified as a strange source of energy for a long time," she said. "Duel disks are an invention from a long time ago—I'd say seven decades or so? They are specifically capable of running and generating high quality holograms because the cards themselves provide a certain level of energy. That energy is emitted through DE particles—Duel Emission Particles. DE particles are interesting because they are specifically produced when a card is played, and they seem to latch onto specific other particles around them. On their own, they decompose quickly and don't really affect the world around them in any meaningful way."

"So… one of those specific particles is the HH particle?"

Miharu nodded. "The HH particle is a synthetic particle," she explained. "It can be produced through… well, it's a known process, but it's a little too complicated to explain here. I'll show you one day. Anyway, about nine decades ago, a computer scientist and engineer, Hitose Harukawa, invented the hologram technology that is now used for dueling and other sectors, such as advertising, along with the HH particle, that they definitely didn't name after themselves. It makes holograms using synthetic particles and sending out waves to change the appearances of those particles. That's how they look so real—they can be manipulated down to that granular level. At that point in time, the construction of 3D models and the translation of cards to traditional holograms was already rather well-known and replicated, so they used…"

Reira leaned her head on the wall. It was… comforting, to listen to Miharu go on and on about something that she was actually rather knowledgeable about, even if Reira didn't know anything about it—it took her mind off those things.

"... finally, there's IM particles. IM particles are Imagination Manifestation Particles. They're the particles that make all of this stuff… work. Colloquially, people call them 'knowledge particles', because that's basically what they are—they're converted versions of DE particles that are capable of picking up thoughts and information from the human brain and helping to manipulate other particles. It's part of the reason why the duel disk can respond to you activating effects. So all three particles work in Duel Disks—but since we had to work with VR in Den City, we had far more focus on IM particles, for realism."

Kaede let out a surprised sound. "You are rather knowledgeable about this. I assume you know how to work with dueling and coding then?"

Den City's most prodigious hacker looked at him. "... you can assume that."

"I see." Kaede shrugged. "I wouldn't mind exchanging some theories with you about this."

Miharu glanced at Reira, before she stood up. "I'll be getting a bit of food with my friend first," she said. "We can talk later?"

Kaede shot her a nod. Miharu and Reira walked out of the room.

"Food?" Reira asked.

"You, in particular, need to eat," Miharu said. There was something gentle to her eyes—concern. "You've been running around, and you need more food for that."

… and well, if she said it…

(It was nice to feel taken care of.)

"Okay," Reira said. She clung onto Miharu's hand, and the two of them continued walking together—away from the lab.


"Hey, Fujita-kun," Hisako said delicately. Yuji watched her—she was currently kneeling down in front of several long planters, watering the plants. "Is there something I can do for you?"

Yuji had just been looking for Chiaki, but…

"What are you doing?" He asked neutrally.

"... right, you're not from this world, are you? That's discourteous of me, I think…" Hisako gestured to the planters on the other side of the room, which had far larger plants growing from them. "Well, we may be at war, but dueling's hardly the only thing that we require to fight back—food is a rather important part of it all, don't you think?" She stood up. "I've taught some of the others the basics of caring for the plants, but I do handle it myself most of the time…"

She pressed a hand to her chest. "'Fuyumori', you see, is the name of our world's… I suppose 'megacorporation' would be the word that most use to describe it. My family's company is one of the largest food distributors in the world. As for me, I always intended to take over the agricultural side of things, so I've been studying horticulture and agricultural engineering for years. It was a skill that I didn't think I'd have to use… but well, this is the third farm that I've set up for the Resistance at this point."

Third, because their last two bases were destroyed, right?

"But anyway, what can I do for you? Is there something that you perhaps required?"

Yuji looked at her.

"... what did I lack when I lost to you?" He asked.

Hisako blinked. "... huh. I was not expecting you to ask that…"

… Yuji didn't care about shame. He just didn't want to lose like that again.

Hisako finally shrugged. "I don't think you did anything wrong. And I don't think I know you well enough to have the authority to say that there was something you should have done better. Really… the only thing that happened in that duel was that we dueled, and I proved myself better. That's all."

Yuji couldn't even deny that.

"Then, how can I become… stronger?"

"Coming to me for that?" Hisako sighed. "... I'm the weakest member of Hearts Branch, you know. I don't teach people things."

"... but you won against me. So tell me."

"... to you, is it really that simple?" Hisako rubbed her forehead. For a brief moment, she seemed tired. "Maybe that's it, then… Fujita-kun, how much do you really think about what you do?"

Think? What did she mean by that?

"Maybe it's because your deck is so versatile," Hisako said. "But you seem to make up every move as you go—instead of really having a definitive strategy in place. It might work against people in the short term—but once I've seen one of your turns, I've seen them all." She tapped her cheek. "Maybe, if you had a reliable way to interfere with your opponent's board without relying on the chance that you'll send Farfa to the graveyard with one of your monsters' effects?"

That was… genuine advice, huh?

Yuji nodded.

"Just an idea." Hisako held up a shovel. "Now, would you like to help me plant some more potatoes? I think we could fill two more rooms with these today, if we do well!"

Yuji took three steps back immediately.

Menial labour was not for him.

Still, watching her lift up the shovel in the air… there was something strangely undignified to it.

… it was… amusing, in its own way.


If asked to point out a single thing that had drawn her to Yuto Kamisoka in the first place, Ruri wouldn't be able to name it. There was something about him that was just comfortable—when she'd first seen him, she'd felt it too.

The two of them stood in a room together.

Yuto broke his silence first—the words came out like a confession. "Shun and I… we caused a lot of problems when you were gone. Not that we wanted to make things difficult for everyone… we were just reckless."

Ruri knew that much. But she also knew now that the anger that Yuto felt was something that he'd been struggling to keep inside. Something that he'd been trying to hide from her—to be more like the person he was before the war.

To be less like the person that everyone knew, except her.

"You're hurting," Ruri said softly. "Don't hide it from me anymore, Yuto. Let me help you."

"... it's an ugly side of me," Yuto admitted. "One that I didn't know I had. I—"

"Nothing about you is ugly!" Ruri wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly—his arms slowly moved up on both sides of her, holding her as well. "Don't—it's all you, Yuto. I'm not going to be scared off by your feelings. We all feel that way, so much of the time. And you're always there for me, so… I know you're strong, Yuto. No matter what, I believe that… so don't hide your sadness, your anger or your resentment from me. I want to understand."

"... okay," Yuto said. "Okay, I trust you."

The words carried such force that Ruri held onto him more tightly—unwilling to let him go.

"I just don't know why things have to happen like this," Yuto said, pressing his head into her shoulder. "Why do we have to suffer and suffer—and then even when we come back with more strength than ever, when we've gone through so much to come back… why do we still have to lose anyway?"

… Ruri did want to cry a little. Not just from the unfairness, but from the fact that she could finally hear the pain in his voice.

She patted his shoulder. After a moment, he sank his head into her shoulder.

"She'll be okay," Ruri said, "you'll be okay. So will my brother." And she promised herself that no matter what…

She had to make it true.


Yuzu had pointed out that asking around about his father would only cause people to be suspicious of him, so Yuya had held things in and decided to just look for Allen.

… Allen had refused to talk to him about anything, and just spat out more angry words at Yuya. Sayaka had shot him an apologetic look, but hadn't seemed keen on talking either.

And while there were a few scattered members of Clover Branch around the Resistance, Yuya didn't just want to go up to them either.

(He didn't think that he would be able to bear it if they just insulted his father too.)

He had still tried, but Yuzu had pulled him back.

"Hey," she had said. "Let's get Yuto or Ruri to ask for us."

Yuya had looked at her.

… he felt… listless. He didn't understand why.

"Okay," he said.


"There you are. The man, Gongenzaka, has been searching all over for you."

Sora lifted his head irritably. "I'm not interested in talking to you, big man. Go bother someone else."

Gongenzaka stared at him, arms folded. There was something imperious to his expression. "I cannot do that," he said. "I must know."

Know…?

Gongenzaka pressed a fist to his chest solemnly. "I must know more about the foe that took Tsukikage's life," he said. "To avenge our comrade. Please tell me as much as you can."

Sora felt like he'd been punched in the gut. Here he was, trying so hard to not think about it, and…

"Go ask Sawatari," he snapped. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Sawatari has already explained those events," Gongenzaka said, narrowing his eyes. "Should he be forced to bear the burden of telling it over and over again?"

"It's Baka-tari, I doubt he minds."

"Don't be so callous, Sora."

"I said I don't want to talk about it!" Sora waved a hand forward angrily—

Gongenzaka caught it, before he swiftly knocked their foreheads together. Sora winced. "Do you think this is what Tsukikage would have wanted?" Gongenzaka demanded. "For you to just sulk constantly and waste away by yourself? Don't be a fool!"

"Don't tell me what to do!" Sora shouted. "You don't know anything! I carded his brother, and I'll never, ever get to make it up to him…"

Gongenzaka let go of him. "And Tsukikage and I trained together," he said. "Every morning, we exercised together and talked. He was a good man, and we both know that. And that is exactly why we should be working together to avenge him."

Sora remained silent.

"I told Kurosaki that while I could not condone his actions in the past, I respected the person he was trying to be," Gongenzaka said. "It's the same for you, Sora. You were not a good person in the past—you hurt a lot of people. But even so, you are someone that I consider a friend—even then, even now!" He raised his fist. "Sora, people die! Of course they do! Back during the Maiami Championship, I watched several other contestants be carded in front of me. I didn't break then, and you don't get to break now."

Sora stared at him.

"Once," he said, before swallowing slowly. "Once, I…"

He wrapped his arms around himself.

Once, I was garbage, buried in a dumpster, begging that no one would try to dispose of me.

I hate feeling helpless.

He couldn't say it. Even if Gongenzaka was his friend, he couldn't say it…

He couldn't talk about it.

"Stay behind me, and I'll protect you from everything. That is my promise to you."

"Her name is Eri Phoenix," Sora finally said. "She's one of the top-ranking students of Academia, along with her twin brother, the Commander-in-Chief of the Occupation Force. I heard rumours that she was here, but I didn't think that she would come after us so quickly—she and her mentor are known for waiting until they have to strike."

"Mentor?" Gongenzaka murmured.

"Her mentor, the Professor's second-in-command, Eve Misogi," Sora clarified. "I don't know anything about her—I just know that Shino told me to never go near her unless necessary—"

"She's not the kind of person that you want to be around. You're lucky if she never takes interest in you."

"But she's a dangerous person." Sora clenched his fists. "... and more importantly, she's the one who helps to search for things without lethal measures."

That's why the fact that she carded Tsukikage still confuses me… why would she have gotten into a fight or revealed herself in the first place?

"A foe like that," Gongenzaka murmured. "... but even so. She must be defeated. Not simply to avenge our comrade, but to avenge all the fallen as well."

"You can't beat her," Sora said. "I can't beat her." The words tasted like despair. "It's hopeless. I—"

"Even if we feel it is impossible, do we not march on forward anyway?" Gongenzaka clenched a fist. "Sora, what are you so afraid of?"

And the thing was—it was such a simple answer.

He was afraid of war. That was it.

Back in Standard, it hadn't been war to him, as callous as that sounded. It had been a mission, yes, but there had also been a certain excitement to it for him.

But here, in the brutal reality of war…

He couldn't distract himself from it, or he would lose people.

… he was afraid… but he also never wanted to feel this way again. He never wanted to lose anyone again…

There was no real answer to this. So he'd just have to choose his own.

"Nothing," Sora decided. "I'm not scared of anything at all."

Gongenzaka stared at him, before sighing. "... the man, Gongenzaka, will never understand why his comrades choose to lie to themselves and others," he muttered.

He turned and walked off. Sora watched him go.

He clenched his fists, and then slapped himself in the face—and then again, for good measure.

Focus.

… he'd take some time to himself. Maybe apologise to Gongenzaka later. (That was a hard 'maybe'.)


Sawatari had officially exhausted the emotional brain cell, thank you. He'd been explaining and explaining as Sora sulked, and really—he'd just had enough. So the moment that he could, he'd gone off on his own to get water, because that was something that no one would ask him questions about.

"Don't spill the water, dumbass. We might be able to purify it, but it still takes time."

Sawatari blinked—a hand pushed slightly against him, guiding the metal cup to under the water dispenser. (Apparently, they had a functioning water purifier here, which… okay. Sure.) He turned his head.

Oh.

"Your name was…" Sawatari searched his memory, quickly fishing out her name. "Ejiri…?"

The silver-haired girl nodded. "Everyone calls me Mariko—my last name sounds a bit weird now. Just call me that too, I'm not particularly formal. And you're Sawatari," she said. "One of the ones that met that specific lieutenant… right?" She tapped her cheek. "Hmm. You got anything going on right now?"

"... no?" It came out like a question.

Mariko nodded. "Come with me for a bit?" She said, gesturing with a hand.

"W-what?"

"Well, otherwise you're just gonna hang around here looking like a sad puppy, aren't you?" She put her hands on her hips, still smiling. "Which, don't get me wrong, is kind of funny, but also kinda pathetic."

Sawatari's mouth hung open.

"Luckily for you, you're kind of cute," Mariko continued cheerfully. "In that pathetic, scraggly wet cat kinda way. So come on! I've got some time to kill, you might as well come along."

"What makes you think I want to come with you?" Sawatari said with a huff. "I might be busy, you know!"

"Uh huh," Mariko said, sounding amused. "And tell me, Shingo Sawatari, what are you busy with right now, and how is it that the second-in-command of the Resistance doesn't know what you're doing?"

Sawatari grimaced. Right. This girl was one of that group that had been hyped up so much… though to be honest, he didn't know how good they were, except that one of them had apparently defeated Fujita.

"Come on," Mariko said. "I'm guessing you don't get to hang out with girls that often?"

… Sawatari felt like he was being insulted, but he couldn't really pick up on how.

He did end up following her, albeit complaining the entire time.

They ended up in a room filled with hand-drawn maps and diagrams, with coins scattered over a single large map on the table. There were bits and bobs thrown around the room—in general, it looked like an actual living space. There was a plate with a metal fork and spoon on it, with the trace of something crumbly on it—boiled potatoes, maybe?—absentmindedly left on the table—clearly, someone hadn't returned their utensils yet today.

"Play a round with me," Mariko said cheerfully. She sat at one side of the table, looking at him expectantly.

"Huh?" Sawatari blinked.

"It's a small game we made," Mariko said. "Usually, it's just those of us in leadership roles who do it… Hisako's my most common opponent." She gestured forward. "This map is Heartland. The ten yen coins are your people, the one yen coins are mine. You have to try and defeat my forces through coming up with plans. Go ahead—there's no rules other than realism."

… what was she even asking him to do? That made no sense at all…

… well. He'd give it a try. What could go wrong?


"... wow. You're really bad at this."

Sawatari, who had just led the Resistance to absolute doom and demise, scowled. "W-well, you didn't tell me that some of those things were possible!"

"It's all about creativity," Mariko said. She flicked a coin across the table. "You take what you know about them, and what you know about us… and you figure them out. Usually Hisako and I alternate who plays this side. The one playing Academia has to put themselves in Academia's shoes and ask 'how would I destroy the Resistance?' And that way, we learn about what contingencies we have to make."

"Huh. So what did you learn from that last match?"

"... nothing, you died without a single struggle," Mariko said dryly. "For the record, we're way more competent than that."

"I—I mean—"

You died without a single struggle.

"... hey." Mariko reached out, plucking him up from where he was sitting on the ground. She briefly held him by the collar of his shirt, spinning him around to look at her. Sawatari blinked at her. "... sorry, my bad. Didn't think you'd react badly to that."

"I'm fine," Sawatari muttered.

Mariko shrugged. "We can play chess instead, if you want. I need to take my mind off things anyway."

"You'll just win again!"

"Maybe I will," Mariko said with a smirk. "But you're a little too nervous right now, aren't you? Where's the arrogant guy I heard about? Come on."

Sawatari blinked. "You… want me to be arrogant?"

"Please, the arrogant ones are the funniest," Mariko said with a wink. "Shall we?" She put a chessboard on the table—it was clearly old and somewhat cracked, just like the rest of the room.

Sawatari lifted up a pawn. "Alright! Watch as the Great Neo New Shingo Sawatari dominates the field with this one move!"

Mariko giggled. "Yes. That's what I wanted to see."

Sawatari's smile became slightly more genuine at that too.

(He lost the chess game very badly, but… it didn't feel half bad.)


"It's too convenient, isn't it?" Allen muttered. "Way too convenient that they just… saved everyone, no cost at all, whatever, and that they only lost a single person once they came here—and it's even the guy who intentionally separated from Nue! And then, the fact that Edo Phoenix, that Edo Phoenix, didn't card Yuto after winning against him…"

He turned to Sayaka.

"There's clearly something going on! It's too lucky."

(Literally none of the Lancers would agree with that, but for the people who had lost far too much, it wasn't enough suffering to be 'realistic'. Maybe that was the problem.)

Sayaka frowned. "But Ruri wouldn't…"

"But Shun and Yuto would do anything to get her back, so who's to say that they haven't made some shady deal with Academia?" Allen demanded. "They're led by the Professor's son! They have supposedly ex-Academia members with them! Half their members can use Link Summoning, and they have an additional summoning method that supposedly came out of nowhere! One of them is Yusho fucking Sakaki's son! Literally everything about them is suspicious!"

"... I am worried about that one," Sayaka murmured, clearly thinking about the boy with red and green hair too. "It seems strange that he just showed up after all this time…"

"Yeah, right!" Allen clenched his fists. "So I'll be keeping an eye on them. They're definitely hiding something—I know it. We just have to figure out what it is…"


"Don't," Chris said.

Tsubaki's fingers twitched on the lighter, before she put it away and kept the cigarette back in the box. "... fine," she said. "Do we already have space for them to sleep?"

"We do," Chris said. "I arranged it earlier."

"Good." Tsubaki covered her face briefly, before she stood up. "... we keep them away from the docks."

Chris stared at her, but he didn't argue. "... it would be for the best," he said. "We're lucky that the three who ended up there didn't stumble across what Mariko was working on."

Tsubaki nodded. "But other than that…" She shrugged. "We let them do what they want, I think, as long as they don't endanger us. They clearly share the same goal as us—but the ones with the right to drive Academia out of this world are us. Not them."

Chris glanced at her.

"... do you disapprove?" Tsubaki asked.

"No," Chris said.

Tsubaki nodded. "I'm going to go to the altar," she said—referring to an area that had been set up in the ruins, for people to do whatever religious things they needed—a small thing, entirely for comfort. "... I'll offer up a prayer or two for this to go well, I think."

"... you can just admit it, Melia," Chris said as Tsubaki stepped away. "... she'll be fine."

"... forgive me if I'm furious," Tsubaki said—the same anger that had been thrumming in her blood the entire time that she'd been talking to the Lancers, which she'd held in so well that unlike Yuto and Shun, she'd shown no cracks through that neutral look. "Forgive me if the fact that those traitors continue to make victims out of people under my protection—"

She stopped. Took a deep breath. Spoke slowly.

"I really wanted Nue to come back," she said. "Not because we were close—she was always closer to Mariko, anyway. Only because she and I have always been… similar, and as a result, we shared a lot of the same burdens of just trying to keep everyone here sane. I think a part of me was waiting for her. But she's been hurt. And she's been put through more, and—I cannot lay down my burden and give it to someone who will collapse under its weight. So… we'll handle this ourselves. And then, they'll help us take the fight to Academia—that is what we should be looking towards."

For a brief moment, she remembered the shame again, that feeling of having been betrayed and outsmarted in a way that she had never expected.

"We don't need the Lancers," she finally said. "But they're not our enemies either. That's all there is to it."


From the teleporter, a boy with dark blue hair fell out, tripping on his own feet. He was wearing a cloak that had clearly caused the accident. Despite that, the boy didn't seem embarrassed as he stood back up—nearly tripping on his own cloak again.

Edo Phoenix raised an eyebrow. He cut a commanding figure—ah, maybe that was a weird thought. Great job, Saki scolded herself. The Commander-in-Chief looks commanding today. You're the new Shakespeare. Still, Edo did really look far more confident and elegant in comparison to the boy that had just left the teleporter, with his pale, silver-white hair and thick cloak—covered in symbols of his rank. Meanwhile, the boy that had showed up was dressed in the typical blue uniform of an Obelisk, but the uniform was crumpled and not ironed properly. His boots were unpolished too. How undisciplined.

(Saki herself had carefully taken care of every aspect of her appearance before she had come here. After all, she didn't intend to be a sacrificial pawn for anyone—and coming here was a good opportunity for her.)

"Sorry," the boy said sheepishly. Then, he seemed to remember his own position and immediately bowed his head. "Greetings, Commander Edo!"

"... you're the other new lieutenant?" Edo said, arching an eyebrow.

"Yes sir!" The boy saluted swiftly, getting on one knee. "Kawasaki, sir! Lieutenant Hachio Kawasaki! I'm looking forward to working with you!"

Saki audibly scoffed. This was the other person sent here? Edo turned to glance at her, and Saki frantically hoped that it wasn't obvious that the scoff had come from her. Still, he eventually held out a hand, helping Hachio to his feet.

"I'm not high enough rank for that," he said. "You only kneel to the Professor. Come. Follow me—and you too." He gestured to Saki as he spoke the last words, and the two of them followed behind him, even as Saki kept a respectful distance (he was her commander, after all. She had to be formal!) Hachio turned to her with that bright, goofy smile. Saki scowled—but it didn't seem to throw him off his game.

"Hi! I guess we're gonna be working together, huh? Hachio Kawasaki, at 'cha service!"

"I heard," Saki snapped, before she shook her head and reluctantly introduced herself too. "Saki Garam."

"Ooh, Garam? As in that wealthy company that sells oil and energy?" Hachio whistled. "Man, that makes your older brother Amon Garam, right? The one asked to spearhead negotiations with Link! That's impressive!" Saki rolled her eyes, but his next words immediately put her on edge. "Though I thought I heard that the two heirs to the company were both sons. So do you have two brothers, or—"

"You talk too much," Saki snapped. "I'm a girl."

Because he clearly didn't know when to shut up, Hachio carried on chatting obliviously. "Well yeah, I wasn't saying that you weren't! What does that have to do with how many brothers you have—"

"Because I only have one brother," Saki said irritably. "And my parents only have one son."

"How does that work—" Hachio's eyes then went wide. "Oh, you're—"

"Yes, I am. Do you have a problem with that?"

"Nah, I have a cousin who's both at once," Hachio said with a shrug. "So I just needed to ask! I'm fine now."

Edo turned to look at them. Was that amusement? It was gone in an instant. They entered a meeting room, and Edo gestured for them to sit down. There was something uneasy to the room, and it had nothing to do with the fact that Deputy Commander Mamoru Noro was pacing around in the background. (That guy's neurotic nature was well-known even to students, and it didn't really faze anyone anymore.)

"I won't coddle you," he warned. "If you're not strong enough, you should go home right now. The people in this world are a different breed—and there's a reason why I keep having to request new lieutenants from Academia. They will hunt you down and card you without any hesitation."

"Kaito Tenjo and Tsubaki Nagare, right?" Saki saluted. "It will be my honour to help to get rid of those two thorns in Academia's side."

"No," Edo said. Saki facefaulted. "If you see them out in the open, you go the other way. You're just a lieutenant—you're hardly on their level. In the time that it takes for you to lose to one of them, you can defeat several other members of the Resistance, I'm sure."

Saki gritted her teeth. Was he condescending to them?

"Got it!" Hachio said obliviously. "We'll be careful!"

Saki nearly snarled.

"It is also worth letting you know that we have a much larger list of dangerous targets now," Edo continued. "The Lancers arrived in this dimension this morning."

The Lancers… that group from Standard, right?

"And that group also includes some of the Xyz Dimension's own strongest," Edo continued. "Of course, you are on probation—any other important information will only be told to you once you've proven that you won't be easily defeated. Do that by bringing me the head of one of the Lancers or Resistance members."

"... can I do it by winning against you?" Saki said, breaking her polite image in an instant. Edo shot her a surprised look. "Because I don't like that you're treating us like we're useless."

"You—" Mamoru Noro stepped forward. "You do not get to challenge your superior, Saki Garam—"

"Leave it be, Noro."

All three of them whirled around to look at Edo.

"Edo Phoenix! You cannot accept this blatant insubordination—"

"I appreciate initiative," Edo said. However, his eyes were cold, despite the words. "But only to a certain extent. This is the only time I will allow your insubordination—I will not punish you for challenging me, but if you ever get in the way of Academia's goals or interfere with its destiny, you will answer to me. Do you understand me?"

"... yes, sir," Saki muttered, slightly intimidated.

Edo turned his head. "I will accept your challenge once we have a more secure base, and if you survive long enough," he said. "For now, settle in. We will give orders once we are done regrouping from this morning."

Hachio jumped in at that moment, ignoring all the tension in the room. "Hey, Commander! Aren't there supposed to be three Lieutenants or similarly-ranked positions on every different mission? Do we have a third comrade?"

Edo shrugged. "You'll meet Eri eventually, I'm sure," he said. "She only looks for people that are useful to her though—so if you're really so interested, make yourself useful."

Saki looked at him, brushing her light brown hair behind the back of her ear.

What a cold sentiment. 'Make yourself useful.'

… she didn't know how comfortable she felt with this anymore. But better here than back in Academia.

And they just had to defeat the Lancers, right? How hard could it be?


Shun sat still in the infirmary, his fists clenched.

Every time he closed his eyes, he could see. He could see the way that her body had crumpled across the ground, like a soda can that had crumpled under pressure.

(Once, when they were kids, Shun's father had taken him and Ruri birdwatching. They had found a bird on the ground. Its legs were broken—a cat had gotten to it, from what they could see. It couldn't walk, it was in too much pain to eat, and Ruri had insisted on taking it back to care for it, even though their father had warned that there was nothing that they could do for it—it was far too late.)

(The bird had died in the end, Ruri had cried and buried it, and Shun had chalked it down as something that was inevitable—he hadn't been too bothered by it.)

But…

Please. Don't let it be far too late for me to do something for you.

This can't be the fate that was decided for you.

He wanted to grip onto her hand, but it was so mangled that he was afraid that just touching her would make it worse, somehow. Just from looking at her, he could already see how bad it was. There wasn't as much blood as one might expect—only a little.

And that was a bad sign.

It meant that most of the bleeding was likely internal.

Both of her legs were bent at awkward angles, and her left arm was not much better.

And Shun didn't know what to do. He didn't know—this was so far beyond dueling and anything like that—


Footsteps echoed. Shun looked up—

He made eye contact, and he snarled.

"You did this. You did this, didn't you?"

"Are you sure you want to waste time arguing with me?" Tatsuya leaned back against the wall. "She's not doing so well right now, I reckon."

"You sick bastard! I'll kill you! I'll—"

"Time's ticking, Kurosaki." Tatsuya turned his head. "Chase after me if that's what you want, but are you going to risk losing her?" There was a smirk on his face. "Have fun."


He had walked away, and Shun had been forced to let him go.

Because there was someone more important.

I won't lose you. I won't lose you…

He'd brought her all the way to the Resistance—normally, they were told not to move something who was injured, and to leave it to the professionals, but what professionals were there to consult right now? The hopelessness of standing in a warzone, of standing in front of someone so important to you and not having a single reliable place to go to, a single way to ask what to do…

There was no one else to save them. The idea of an ambulance coming to pick her up was laughable—so Shun just had to handle it himself.

And there were no doctors or surgeons in the Resistance, obviously. Mariko had done her best to help with splints and other things, but she'd confided in him that all they could do was pray that she'd even wake up—all of this was far beyond the expertise of someone who was only trained in basic emergency first aid.

And it wasn't Mariko's fault that she couldn't do anything, but a part of Shun had been irrationally furious anyway.

He used to think that the worst feeling might be to lose to the enemy that had taken so much from him—to have his pride broken, to be forced to accept defeat. It was why he'd struck out so violently when he was dueling Sora back then.

However…

It might be a worse feeling to be helpless to save someone.

To sit here now, only able to pray. Only able to hope.

"I dreamed once that I was helpless. That everyone was slaughtered in front of me, and all I could do was watch. That I would know and still be unable to step in. A part of me wants to stay away so that I don't have to watch more people die. And still another part of me tells me that protecting everyone that matters to me has been my duty from the start. That if anyone else dies now, it's my responsibility… I can't live with that weight. I'd rather die."

"Don't say that," Shun said sharply. "You're not allowed to—"

"... I mean, I don't intend to," Nue said, shrugging. "I'm going to keep on living, no matter what. I was just saying that sometimes, I do feel like running away. But that's pointless. I can't afford to be so selfish. And besides, thinking too much about myself has only caused me more problems."

"You're the one who said that you were going to keep on living," he said. "So you can't leave me now. I'll be there when you wake up—so come back."

Please.

And, unseen by him…

Nue's fingers briefly twitched.


End Notes:

Miharu going on about all the pseudoscience and Reira just tuning it out is great. Don't worry, you will not be quizzed on Miharu's pseudoscience. Miharu's pseudoscience is in fact written by a humanities major.

('Hitose' is 'Seto' with the characters swapped. Seto is "瀬人", Hitose is "人瀬". Because of Seto Kaiba's role in this universe, he realistically cannot be the inventor of certain technology that exists in this universe, so we just swapped the characters in his name around, made a character that supposedly invented holograms and called it a day. Don't worry, this name definitely won't show up again. :) Six Dimensions has definitely never thrown in random names in chapters and then brought them up as a plot point later.)

This chapter is very much a bunch of different scenes tossed in one chapter—that's a transition chapter for you.

Alright, we've gotten to this point. If you've survived this arc so far, congrats! You've earned the right to one of the most helpful things you'll get—the cheat sheet. Congratulations. I can do this because I think every non-canon character who is going to play a role in this arc has already shown up, even if only briefly, on screen. (With the exception of the Tyler Sisters, who will be here eventually, just haven't shown them on screen yet.) So, if you need a refresher on basic details (ages are based on the year, so Kurosaki would be 19, Yuto would be 17, etc), here it is. Decks and stuff like that aren't revealed yet though, so I'll probably update it in a future chapter.

Resistance

- Tsubaki Nagare/Melia Arclight (19) (Deck: ?) - The unofficial leader of the Resistance, who is considered one of the strongest duelists ever seen in Heartland. Taken in and fostered by the Arclights a while prior to her official admission into Hearts Branch. Has a strange dynamic with Kaito Tenjo that most people are unclear about.

- Mariko Ejiri (18) (Deck: ?) - Second-in-command, a cheerful and bright girl that serves as the emergency medic of the Resistance, often out scouting for and retrieving injured members of the Resistance.

- Kaede Higuchi (19) (Deck: ?) - The mechanic of the Resistance, and also the one who usually remains on standby at the base all the time. Rather skilled at managing electronics, though crucially not to Miharu's level.

- Hisako Fuyumori (19) (Deck: Sylvan) - A calm and gentle woman who is the heir to the most pervasive food corporation in the world, and the Resistance's crop-growing expert. Also metaphorically beat up Yuji.

- Chris Arclight (25) (Deck: High Rank Machine Xyz/Machina) - An ex-teacher at Spade Branch who advised Ruri, Yuto and Shun. Currently helping to manage the logistics of the Resistance, including its resources, etc.

- Rio Kamishiro (19) (Deck; WATER Fish/Winged Beasts) - Ruri and Shun's childhood friend, she is a rather fierce girl who is still wary of the Lancers, despite her tentative acceptance of them.

- Allen Kozuki (17) (Deck: Trains) - An impulsive boy who is highly suspicious of and critical of the Lancers.

- Sayaka Sasayama (17) (Deck: Holy Nights) - A close friend of Ruri, a sweet if shy girl who, while happy to see her friend back, seems rather guarded.

- Kaito Tenjo (19) (Deck: ?) - While he has technically left the Resistance, this is the best section to place him in. The Ace of Spades, he is indisputably one of the strongest duelists in Heartland. After an incident involving the betrayal of Diamond Branch, which caused the deaths of his family, he abandoned the Resistance.

Diamond Branch

- Tatsuya Izumi (19) (Deck: ?) - Scumbag extraordinaire. The second strongest member of Diamond Branch. Seems to know more than the rest about what's going on. Also threw Nue off a building.

- Ryoma Miyama (17) (Deck: Paleozoic) - A first-year at Diamond Branch with a crush on Nue. Presently carded, due to the events of the last chapter.

- Thomas Arclight (19) (Deck: ?) - The middle Arclight brother, who betrayed the Resistance alongside his younger brother.

- Michael Arclight (18) (Deck: ?) - The youngest Arclight brother, a rather quiet and compassionate young man who seems awkward in his current position.

- Rui "Vector" Shingetsu (18) (Deck: ?) - One of Nue's friends at Diamond Branch, though he has not done much on screen so far.

- Alito Kiraku (18) (Deck: ?) - An athlete at Diamond Branch who is also a rather skilled duelist.

- Souhachi Kiraku (26) (Deck: ?) - An ex-teacher at Diamond Branch, Alito's older cousin, who has also defected alongside the rest.

- Sachi Izumi (15) (Deck: ?) - A girl referred to as the Three of Diamonds, supposedly second only to Nue and Tatsuya in the school, despite her young age.

Academia

- Edo Phoenix (18) (Deck: Destiny HERO) - The Commander-in-Chief of the Heartland Occupation Force, who spared Yuto's life after a duel due to feeling indebted to Kyorin Rinsoka.

- Eri Phoenix (18) (Deck: Dark World) - First Lieutenant of the Heartland Occupation Force, the one who carded Tsukikage. An enigmatic young woman who was supposedly taught by Eve Misogi.

- Mamoru Noro (21) (Deck: Worm) - Second-in-command and beleaguered paperwork expert of the Heartland Occupation Force, the token adult among the group who deals with everyone else's shit way too much.

- Saki Garam (17) (Deck: ?) - Amon Garam's little sister, a new lieutenant of the Heartland Occupation Force.

- Hachio Kawasaki (17) (Deck: ?) - A new lieutenant of the Heartland Occupation Force, a rather oblivious idiot.

A lot of GX characters make me go ? with their age. I seriously don't think characters like Edo Phoenix/Amon Garam are the same age as the cast, tbh, just because of their backstory and how it works into the GX plot. So in this AU, Amon Garam is alumni just like Ryo/Fubuki, and a year older than them (so right now, he's 21). As such, his younger sibling, the only biological child of his parents, is a few years younger—16. (Side note, I do acknowledge that canon!Shido Garam is probably like eight to ten years younger than Amon Garam, but well… well. :))

You'll get a few more deck reveals too soon. :)

Review responses!

To T.V. 2000, can confirm that Tatsuya's father is the mayor of Heartland in this universe, yes, it is mentioned in the chapter itself :) And it's totally understandable that you don't like Chiaki's reaction, because the truth is that while she's protective over him, everyone there understands the situation a bit better than her. And Sora is a year younger than Yuya/Yuzu in canon, so currently, Yuya/Yuzu are sixteen going on seventeen, while Sora is fifteen going on sixteen.

To cardfan135, there are mostly no direct parallels to Watership Down character-wise... but Nue is definitely the closest thing to Hazel that we have here, haha. And of course not, I would never be so cruel! :)

To Meowscarada, I don't answer on possible future plot points, or most of those things. Yuji and Kyorin will definitely get way more interactions eventually.

To Bryz0n, nah, she's alive. It's more heartbreaking if she has to live knowing it than if she dies after it, right? :) And yes, the bracelet is definitely there just to say 'fuck you'.

To the unknown guest who said that they would never recover... :D I'm glad!

To Egduardiazsluber, nah, you're fine, I wasn't really that offended, more that I don't like PMs that much. :)

To TheRealD3lph0xL0v3r, well, one of them was certainly stupid. The other one is more malicious :)

To CruelDiamond422, mm, the way that the interaction is written is not exact to the way that the effects were chained, I mostly wrote it that way to make it a bit more... comprehensible in certain other ways when reading it. Paleos are a pain to explain :)

Alright, that's it. See you next time!