Starting Notes:
Welcome back! This chapter is pretty fun and duel-focused—pretty standard, nothing to worry about. :) Let's get going! (Also, ffnet is kinda busted on notifs right now, so it might take me a while to see anything :))
Chapter 92: A Hope Woven Through Stars
Every step that he took in the city was both a dream and a nightmare. It was one of those things where everything was painfully familiar, in so many different ways.
For example, the staircase in front of him.
It was where his brother had skipped up towards the shrine, laughing, holding onto a piece of candy and waving it in the air.
It was also where Academia had sent down a laser that cleaved straight through an altar, destroying the offerings and casting them across the ground.
Every single place in this city was a living hallucination. It was hard to look at, because he both recognised every part of it and yet couldn't see anything but difference.
And in that case… there was only a single thing that was real, in a city that he struggled to look at. A single thing that he could focus on.
… there.
The enemy.
The three soldiers looked up as he lunged forward, and they all went pale. One of them managed to stammer out his name, though all of them were equally horrified. "K-k-kaito… Kaito Tenjo!"
Kaito glared, raising his duel disk.
This. This much was easy to do.
Defeat the enemy.
"Are you ready to repent?" He asked, and within him, that rage that would not subside flared up again, just as deadly as ever.
[DUEL!]
Kaito Tenjo: 4000LP
Obelisk Force Red: 4000LP
Obelisk Force Green: 4000LP
Obelisk Force Yellow: 4000LP
[Turn 1: Kaito] [H:5]
Kaito placed a card down immediately—his stormy gaze cut through the field, and his opponents looked like they were ready to run—though Kaito would still have hunted them down anyway.
"Spell Card, Accellight," Kaito said sharply. "While I control no monsters, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower "Photon" or "Galaxy" monster from my deck, but I cannot Normal Summon this turn. Come—Galaxy Wizard." A bright white mechanical wizard appeared through a bright white portal, with some segmented black pieces of metal forming robe-like structures around it. Stars scattered around him as he stood in front of Kaito.
[Galaxy Wizard (4*/0/1800/LIGHT/Spellcaster/Effect)]
Kaito gestured forward with his hand, fingers splayed out. "Galaxy Wizard's effect. I will increase its Level by 4!"
[Galaxy Wizard: 4* + 4* = 8*]
"I'll then activate the Spell Card, Galaxy Expedition. Since I control a Level 5 or higher "Photon" or "Galaxy" monster, I can Special Summon another Level 5 or higher "Photon" or "Galaxy" monster from my deck in Defense Position."
He plucked out a card, gesturing forward—his field exploded with the light of a shining star.
"The galaxy that shines in the darkness. Become the light of hope and my very servant. The incarnation of light, descend here! Appear now, Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!" His strongest Main Deck monster appeared on the field—a dragon shining with bright blue light and a similar colour scheme to both of the warriors from earlier—darker blue spikes and jagged scales forming a sharp outline along its wings and chest. There were some red accents—its tail, mostly darker blue, ended in a sharp, bright red point. Bright red highlights could be seen on the top of its wings and head in thin lines as well.
[Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon (8*/3000/2500/LIGHT/Dragon/Effect)]
"Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon—pretty much the cornerstone of Kaito Tenjo's dueling. There's no Kaito Tenjo without Galaxy-Eyes." That was what she had said about his dueling once, when she was explaining it to some of the other students. He did not know why he was suddenly thinking about her, but the point still stood.
Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon, his ace. In its light, his enemies could only shatter to dust.
"I will overlay the Level 8 Galaxy Wizard and the Level 8 Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon," Kaito said. He picked up a card from his deck, flipping it over.
"That's… not his ace…"
If he wasn't choking on his own fury, Kaito might have laughed at how stupid that sentiment was. As if. Maybe in another world, he might have been self-absorbed enough to rely on his ace and nothing else, but these were his monsters. They all belonged to him. Half of them had been crafted for his deck by his—
Father—
—and he couldn't throw these cards away. How could he?
He'd use all of them and crush these murderers with them.
"Dark dragon god that slumbers within the starlit void of space!" Kaito spread out his arms. "With the power of genesis and the wisdom of eternity, call forth the other stars that slumber in the shadows! Xyz Summon! Rank 8! Number 97: Dragon Shadow God - Dragravion!"
And in front of Kaito, an enormous silver dragon appeared, its golden underbelly shining like the sun. Around it, black fur and feathers formed tufts around its body, as well as a mane that went along the back of its serpent-like body. Two thicker tufts went up in large, curly horn-like structures around its head. Wings spread around it, silver muscle tensing and relaxing as black feathers scattered stars in the sky.
[Number 97: Dragon Shadow God - Dragravion (R8/3000/3000/DARK/Dragon/Xyz/Effect) (OU:2)]
"I will activate the effect of Dragravion," Kaito continued, his voice cold. "I cannot Special Summon any monsters for the rest of this turn, nor can I attack with any monster this turn other than the one I am about to summon by its effect. Not that it matters, since it's the first turn—no matter how much I want to, I cannot have my dragons sink their teeth into you yet. By detaching an Overlay Unit…"
One of Dragravion's Overlay Units flew in front of it. The large dragon crushed it with a single dark claw, letting out a roar.
"I will take two Dragon monsters from my Extra Deck with "Number" in their names," Kaito said. He revealed the two cards swiftly. "I'll reveal Number 17: Leviathan Dragon and Number 38: Hope Harbinger Dragon Titanic Galaxy from my Extra Deck. Then, I can Special Summon one of them and attach the other to it as material. Dragon God's Summoning Call!"
Next to Dragravion, out of a portal of shadows, a bright white dragon emerged—its sleek, mechanical-looking body was white in appearance, but there were some lighter blue lines and segments on it as well. Its fists were shining with the same blue, crystalline light. Under the white shell, darker blue metal formed the inside of its body, along with its head and legs. Wings made of bright blue spikes jutted out sharply, and the dragon let out a loud roar—behind it, the spirit of a white dragon appeared briefly, before transforming into a single orb that floated around the dragon. Bright spheres of light spun around it as well—not symbolising Overlay Units, but rather, simply light.
Spinning stars, like galaxies.
"Twin hopes sleep in my memory! Pierce the rivers of darkness separating those hopes and make them one! Come! Number 38: Hope Harbinger Dragon Titanic Galaxy!"
The dragon roared at the same time as Dragravion, and his three opponents collectively cringed.
[Number 38: Hope Harbinger Dragon Titanic Galaxy (R8/3000/2500/LIGHT/Dragon/Xyz/Effect) (OU:1)]
"I will set a card and end my turn," Kaito declared sharply. "Your move, Academia scum—make it count."
[Turn 2: Obelisk Force Red] [H:5]
"I… I will activate the Field Spell, Geartown!" The Obelisk Force member raised another card. "Spell Card, Antique Gear Catapult! I'll—"
"Hope Harbinger Dragon Titanic Galaxy's effect!" Kaito snapped back. "Collapse into the cycle of gravity and despair! Once per turn, when my opponent activates a Spell Card or effect, I can negate that effect and attach that card to Titanic Galaxy as material!"
"What?" His opponent exclaimed.
"You won't get one of those golems, and you certainly won't crush me beneath their feet," Kaito said roughly. "Scale Storm of Annihilation!"
Titanic Galaxy roared, and the card was sucked up, turning into another orb of bright light that began to orbit the dragon.
[Hope Harbinger Dragon Titanic Galaxy: OU:1 + 1 = OU:2]
"... I'll Normal Summon Antique Gear Hound Dog!" The single small dog appeared on the field, much to Kaito's annoyance.
[Antique Gear Hound Dog (3*/1000/1000/EARTH/Machine/Effect)]
"I'll activate Hound Dog's effect! I'll inflict 600 damage to you!"
"Continuous Trap, Photon Silencer," Kaito countered, the set card flipping up. "The first time I would take battle or effect damage while I control a Dragon Xyz Monster, that damage becomes 0." He glared forward coldly as his opponent reeled in shock. "Do you have anything original to show me, other than your kind's usual tricks?"
"... I'll activate Antique Gear Hound Dog's effect! I'll fuse it with another Antique Gear Hound Dog in my hand! Uh—Antique Gear Double Bite Hound Dog!" The dog appeared in Defense Position on his field—Kaito let out a scoff. Naturally, that was the best they could do.
… ridiculous.
[Antique Gear Double Bite Hound Dog (5*/1400/1000/EARTH/Machine/Fusion/Effect)]
The boy ended his turn, passing it over to Kaito's next opponent, who was already shaking.
[Turn 3: Obelisk Force Green] [H:5]
He looked at one of the cards in his hand, before turning away. Kaito scoffed—so old dogs could still learn old tricks, huh? It was probably a Spell that would trigger Titanic Galaxy's effect again.
"I'll Normal Summon Antique Gear Hound Dog! I'll inflict 600 damage to you!"
… really?
Kaito's Continuous Trap absorbed the damage, and he stood there, completely untouched.
The dog reappeared on the field, and predictably fused with two more dogs to become a—
"Appear now, automaton of destructive agony! Fusion Summon! Antique Gear Megaton Golem!" The tall, silver mechanical golem appeared on the field.
[Antique Gear Megaton Golem (9*/3300/3300/EARTH/Machine/Fusion/Effect)]
Huh.
A large golem that towered over the field.
Alright. So it was not Triple Bite Hound Dog.
"Megaton Golem attacks your Dragravion!"
… did he think that Dragravion was the threat here, just because it could summon more monsters? How short-sighted.
Kaito let the attack pass, destroying the Number.
Kaito: 4000 - 300 = 3700LP
Then, he struck.
"Number 38: Hope Harbinger Dragon Titanic Galaxy's effect," Kaito said. A bright light emanated from the dragon. "When another Xyz Monster I control is destroyed by battle or a card effect, I can target a Xyz Monster I control—and that monster's attack points increase by the destroyed monster's attack points—"
His eyes narrowed even more, and he clenched his fist.
"And this change is permanent. I will target Titanic Galaxy with its own effect. Absorb the power of the shadow god of dragons, and crush our enemies beneath your claws! Hypernova Absorption!"
Titanic Galaxy's glow grew so bright that everyone else had to look away.
[Number 38: Hope Harbinger Dragon Titanic Galaxy: 3000 + 3000 = 6000ATK]
"What?"
"Is that the best you can do?" Kaito said coldly.
The third opponent picked up a card in his hand, staring at Titanic Galaxy, before he swallowed slowly. "We can't beat 6000 attack points," he muttered. "We… we can't… I'll set a monster facedown and end my turn."
"Pathetic," Kaito said. "Then I'll finish you off now."
[Turn 5: Kaito] [H:3]
"Draw! Since I control a "Photon" or "Galaxy" monster, I can Normal Summon Galaxy Knight without tributing a monster!" A knight dressed entirely in silver armour appeared, holding onto a long sword, slashing it through the air. Light blue light burst forth, cutting through the space in front of him in an arc too—like an afterimage of the blade.
[Galaxy Knight (8*/2800/2600/LIGHT/Warrior/Effect)]
"And with his effect, I can lower his attack points by 1000 until the End Phase," Kaito continued. "And I can Special Summon a "Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon" from the graveyard!" The bright blue and red dragon reappeared with a loud roar.
[Galaxy Knight: 2800 - 1000 = 1800ATK]
"He has two Level 8 monsters again!"
Kaito gestured forward. "I'll overlay the Level 8 Galaxy Knight and the Level 8 Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!" The last words came out in a bellow—the two dragons turned into streaks of light. "Galaxy shining in the darkness, dwell in the demonic god of revenge and become my very servant! Xyz Summon! Descend, Rank 8! Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon!"
In front of him, an evolved form of Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon appeared, the red highlights having spread over more of its body. Its wings were made of iridescent, rainbow-like, flickering light—overpowering, bright and iridescent.
A creature of destruction.
[Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon (R8/3000/2500/LIGHT/Dragon/Xyz/Effect) (OU:2)]
"Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon's effect!" Kaito gestured forward. "I'll detach an Overlay Unit to target your Antique Gear Double Bite Hound Dog. It cannot attack directly this turn and its effects are negated—and I take control of it."
"No!" The boy reacted with horror. "Why would you take my monster instead of his Megaton Golem?"
"They're both equally as disgusting, but those that hide are worse than those who try," Kaito scoffed. "Cipher Projection!"
The twin-headed dog was pulled over to his field—and then, Cipher Dragon roared at it defiantly. A holographic projection cast itself over the disgusting Fusion Monster, turning it into an exact, flickering copy of Cipher Dragon.
"Your monster's name becomes "Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon", and its attack points become 3000 until the End Phase," Kaito said—finishing the explanation of the effect.
[Antique Gear Double Bite Hound Dog: 1400 → 3000ATK]
[Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon: OU:2 - 1 = OU:1]
"I will change Double Bite Hound Dog to Attack Position. Spell Card, Photon Trance," Kaito said. "I will play 2000 life points to Special Summon a "Photon" monster from my graveyard, and a "Galaxy" monster from my deck. Those two monsters must have the same Level." His life points sank down—not that he cared at all.
Kaito: 3700 - 2000 = 1700LP
"Come from the graveyard, Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon. And from my deck, Galaxy-Eyes Afterglow Dragon!" The large dragon reappeared on the field, and next to it, a dragon with a similar body structure appeared, its entire body glowing with the same colour of bright blue light.
[Galaxy-Eyes Afterglow Dragon (8*/3000/2500/LIGHT/Dragon/Effect)]
"Both monsters are summoned in Defense Position, their attack points become 2000 and their effects are negated."
[Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon: 3000 → 2000ATK]
[Galaxy-Eyes Afterglow Dragon: 3000 → 2000ATK]
"I'll overlay the Level 8 Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon and the Level 8 Galaxy-Eyes Afterglow Dragon!" Kaito gestured forward. "The thunder roars, the lightning flashes! Manifest yourself, golden dragon that glides through the ethereal flow of time and space! Xyz Summon! Descend! Rank 8! Number 46: Dragon Ethereal God - Dragluon!" A mystical-looking serpent-like dragon appeared, its scales mostly white, with some sky blue scales on its chest and the underside of its tail. It had wings made of fibres and fur—and it carried a strong resemblance to Dragravion, though they were opposites in colour scheme and… atmosphere. It floated into the Extra Monster Zone—leaving two monster zones empty and open for more monsters.
[Number 46: Dragon Ethereal God - Dragluon (R8/3000/3000/LIGHT/Dragon/Xyz/Effect) (OU:2)]
"Battle Phase," Kaito said. "Dragluon's effect. During either player's Battle Phase, I can detach an Overlay Unit from it and choose one of three effects. I will choose the effect that allows me to Special Summon a Dragon monster from my hand—come, Galaxy-Eyes Cloudragon." A tiny, smaller version of Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon appeared, floating to the left of Cipher Dragon.
[Galaxy-Eyes Cloudragon (1*/300/250/LIGHT/Dragon/Effect)]
"I'll activate Afterglow Dragon's effect," Kaito continued. "Since it was detached from an Xyz Monster to activate the effect of that monster, I can Special Summon a "Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon" from my deck. Come!" The bright dragon appeared, landing in the final Main Monster Zone—and then, Dragluon and Titanic Galaxy glowed. "Then, since this effect was activated during the Battle Phase—all "Number" monsters have their attack points doubled."
"What?"
"Tremble," Kaito said. "Cast your glow!"
[Number 46: Dragon Ethereal God - Dragluon: 3000 x 2 = 6000ATK]
[Number 38: Hope Harbinger Dragon Titanic Galaxy: 6000 x 2 = 12000ATK]
"T-twelve thousand attack points?"
"Fall to ruin and despair—and be ready to repent." Kaito gestured forward. "Dragluon attacks the first of you directly. Titanic Galaxy will crush your Megaton Golem. The monster that Cipher Dragon stole attacks your set monster—and Cipher Dragon and Photon Dragon will finish you off." All six dragons on his field glowed—despite the fact that Cloudragon wasn't even attacking, it carried the same glow. "Fall apart and burn to ash!"
And they roared, and then—
The field was consumed by nothing but bright, destructive light.
Obelisk Force Red: 4000 - 6000 = 0LP
Obelisk Force Green: 4000 - 8700 = 0LP
Obelisk Force Yellow: 4000 - 3000 - 3000 = 0LP
Winner: Kaito Tenjo!
"Please… please don't…"
"... my father would have told me to be merciful," Kaito said. "But, because of you—" And that word carried all the hatred of the last few months, his hatred for Academia, for those traitors at Diamond Branch, for Thomas Arclight and Tatsuya Izumi, the monsters that they were, for everything—
His fingers pressed the button to card them before he said anything else.
The three cards scattered on the ground.
He…
To be honest, now that he'd seen Shun, now that he'd argued with him, now that he'd learned about supposed allies coming back to Heartland…
There was a part of him that was wondering why that person hadn't come to look for him yet. He knew her better than anyone else, after all—and if she'd found out about what had happened, she would come to search for him. She would have come to find him, no matter what—that was the kind of stubborn person that she was. She and Tsubaki shared that in common, at least.
Not that he would accept anything she said. Of course not. And if she'd given up on him and chosen not to come and find him…
He would have rejected her anyway. He had to believe that. He had to believe that this solitary existence was worth it, that he did not need anyone else—
Fine. He did not need anyone else.
(... he should still check. Just in case. And if the other two had allowed any harm to come to her while she was out of Heartland…)
(... it wasn't like he cared.)
"Are you sure you should be here?" Gongenzaka said disapprovingly.
Hitoda smiled at him, the personification of the sun. "If you ask again, do you think I'll faint on the spot?"
Miharu sighed. They'd agreed to meet up to discuss their plans now that they had more context about what was going on right now—nineteen Lancers in the same room, plus one Resistance member that was obviously there as a chaperone, even if no one was acknowledging it. (Kaede was sitting in the corner of the room, tinkering with something in his hands.)
In the end, Yuya surprised all of them by standing up first.
"I heard…" He grimaced. "I heard from the Resistance that my father, Yusho Sakaki, was living in this dimension for most of the three years that he's been missing, that he was teaching at Clover Branch."
Yuto and Ruri both reacted with surprise, exchanging looks. "We didn't know anything about this," Yuto said.
"... he might have been the teacher that Sayaka admired so much," Ruri said with a frown. "But… I'm sorry, Yuya. If we'd known…"
"It's fine." Yuya put a hand over his heart. "But—Kozuki and Sasayama-san won't tell me anything. And apparently, everyone thinks that my father is an enemy, so if I ask around, it might hurt the Lancers…"
There was a conflicted expression on his face, before he shook his head, looking determined again.
"I won't hurt the group just for my own goals. So I figured out that there's two other ways that I can try and find out about what happened to my father before and after the invasion of this place. First, I want to go to Clover Branch. I know that place was already destroyed, but if my father lived near there and worked there, if my father taught other people…"
For a moment, a shadow crossed his face.
"... well. I want to see. Maybe there's a clue there, a hint about something… I want to know what happened to him, no matter what, even if it's the smallest thing…"
"Well, that would work!" Yuno tilted his head. "So, what's the other method?"
"Huh?"
"Well, you said there were two, right?" Yuno winked. "What's the other one?"
Yuya grimaced. "Well… they were talking about Clover Branch, right? And the rest of the Clover Branch students, like Kamishiro-san, probably won't talk to me either. So, I was thinking that I could talk to that one member that left the Resistance."
"You want to talk to that Kaito Tenjo guy?" Yugo asked. "That's a great idea!"
Rin blinked. "Is it?" She muttered.
Miharu glanced over at Kaede, who had briefly lifted his head to look at them, before turning back to what he was doing. Yuto was the one to speak up against the idea. "Kaito's pretty wild right now, according to Shun," he said with a grimace. "So… that might not be the best idea. If he thinks that you're a traitor, then he won't stop."
"He's still your comrade," Yuya said. "I believe in him… anyway, so I want to go to Clover Branch."
There was something uncomfortable to the group's atmosphere right now—a lot of people all opposing the same idea, but hesitant about bringing up their own opposition. In the end, the one to speak up was Sora. "That's… not a good idea," he commented. "We just split up, and… well, we all know what happened after that."
"So we just don't go alone," Kyorin said timidly—to Miharu's surprise. Of all the people that she would have expected to support Yuya against the group, it was not her. "I think… it's important to you, right? To find your father. So I think that you should."
"It's dangerous," Gongenzaka said. "We have no clue what to expect."
"Yeah, but…" Yuya clenched his fists. "I just have to… it's been three years…"
Yuno looked like he wanted to speak up—ready to support his friend. Yuzu looked ready to say something too. However, the one that raised a hand and patted Yuya's shoulder was Mion Myojin, who looked at him briefly, before she turned to the group. "We've always been an individualistic group," she pointed out, standing up. "Just let him go—we'll just stick in groups. Not groups large enough to slow us down or to make ourselves too noticeable, but if he wants to go and find clues, that's his business, isn't it?"
"Mion?" Sawatari muttered.
"... it sucks, when you're left only with questions," Mion said. "I know this. I'm pretty sure most of us know what it feels like to have someone disappear on us, with no clue why."
(Miharu quietly reached out, touching Yuno's hand. His fingers had tensed up at the words, but slowly relaxed as she gently gripped onto them.)
"In this world, no one has the right to tell someone else that they don't have the right to search for answers," Mion said. She pressed a hand against the table. "We're a group. But I personally think that if we don't endanger each other, then there's no reason to stop us from doing the things that we need to do in order to heal, don't you think?"
Yuya turned to her, blinking. He seemed… touched.
Reiji looked at Yuya, before nodding. "Go in a group of three or four," he said. "Whenever you leave the Resistance—or even when you stay here. Make sure that you are not alone, no matter where you go."
… that was surprisingly easy. Even with Reiji Akaba's known soft spot for Mion Myojin in mind…
Right.
Reiji had known Yuya's father, hadn't he? Perhaps Yuya hadn't been the only person affected by Yusho Sakaki's disappearance—even though he had been hurt the most, he might not have been the only person who had been looking for answers about that man, this entire time.
Yuya nodded. "... thanks, Reiji Akaba."
Reiji turned to the rest. "Does anyone else have something to bring up?"
Kyorin carefully, meekly raised her hand. Everyone in the room turned to look at her—she let out a squeak, covering her face, before she spoke up. "... I want to go and search the area that I was at yesterday," she said shyly. "When we found him, Edo Phoenix was… a bit disoriented, and clearly injured. He might have dropped something around there… and that's pretty close to where Tsukikage was carded too. I wanted to search for clues too, if that's fine…"
If it was anyone else at the table who said that, then Miharu would have disagreed—just on the basis that while she would understand wanting to take revenge, it was far too reckless to go out searching for someone who had apparently dispatched a comrade so easily, without collecting more data first. However, if it was Kyorin, then this likely didn't have anything to do with revenge.
… it was probably genuine.
"Yeah, okay," Chiaki said, shrugging. "We'll go." Yuji glanced at her, the two of them exchanging a look. Chiaki's eyebrow briefly flicked upwards, and Yuji sighed.
"... I'll go," he said, sounding completely unenthusiastic.
"Great!" Hitoda clapped her hands together. "So they're going to Clover Branch, and you're heading to… alright, I'll come along with you then, Kyorin!"
"No," Mion said, eyebrow raised.
"No," Gongenzaka said, looking unamused.
"No," Serena said, glaring at her.
"You're staying right here," Reiji said, dispelling any hopes for arguments. "In fact, I'd argue that you should stay with Kurosaki and Kamisoka-san in the infirmary—safety in numbers."
"I will be around," Gongenzaka said, shooting Hitoda a glare. Miharu glanced away—he still hadn't forgiven Hitoda for the lie she'd told about her condition, huh? "I will guard my comrades and ensure that they get the rest they deserve, the rest that they should have."
Hitoda glanced at him, before leaning back in her seat. "Sure," she said with a grin. "In your care then, Nurse Gongenzaka."
"I—"
As Gongenzaka sputtered, Reiji turned to Mion. "You should stay with them."
"Huh?" Mion blinked. "I'm going with Yuya Sakaki and Yuzu Hiiragi."
"... you're what now."
"I never said that I was going along," Yuzu objected, even as Reiji and Mion dipped into whispers and Reira watched from next to them, clearly confused.
Ruri reached over, patting her shoulder. "We all knew you were," she said, though there was something impish to her smile.
"I thought you were," Yuya said obliviously. Nearby, Yugo burst into laughter, and Rin smacked his shoulder. Nearby, Sora rolled his eyes, exchanging a look with Serena that seemed to say 'these two'.
"I mean, I am," Yuzu said, rushing to reassure him. "I'm sorry, I just—"
Sawatari and Sora were both laughing too now. Yuzu scowled and smacked Sawatari across the top of his head, folding her arms.
"Ugh! You all are the worst!"
"Lancers, huh?" Yuno said, shooting her a fond smile.
Yeah. Even after that tragedy…
It seemed that with time, they could pick themselves up and move forward.
Miharu glanced over.
Sitting in his chair, Yuto Kamisoka was turned away from the group. One of his hands was clenched tightly into a fist.
She considered saying something.
… never mind.
"By the way," Yugo said, "has anyone seen Kaname? I assumed she was just hiding somewhere in the room, but…" This caused all the conversations to pause as everyone glanced around the room once—and then twice, considering that with Kaname Mizuchi, one could never be too sure.
"Your sister was in the foyer the last time I saw her," Kaede said unexpectedly—most of the Lancers seemed to have forgotten that he was there, though Miharu herself had been aware the whole time. "I've been told that Rio challenged her to a duel."
Yugo blinked. "... her, huh…"
"Isn't a meeting going on right now for you Lancers?"
Kaname shrugged. It wasn't like she would have much to contribute right now, anyway—she was the kind of person who liked to have all the information before she acted. (It was what Nue had criticised her for in her dueling—the idea that she had grown so reliant on her father and the information he gave her that she was far too cautious in most things that she did.)
It was part of the reason why she didn't object to Rio's challenge.
You're trying to figure me out in a single duel. But it's taken most people I know over the decade, and they still barely scratched the surface before I told them everything else.
I'll learn more about you in a duel than you'll learn by knowing me for a year.
She raised her duel disk slowly—she didn't want to trigger some kind of unknown fight-or-flight response.
"Let's go," Rio said, and Kaname nodded.
If there was one thing she could most certainly do, it was duel.
[DUEL!]
Rio Kamishiro: 4000LP
Kaname Mizuchi: 4000LP
[Turn 1: Kaname] [H:5]
Kaname glanced at her hand, slowly tilting her head.
… Yugo had lost against this girl by starting simple, right? Alright. She just had to not do that.
She raised two cards from her hand—her duel disk spoke for her. "The player activates the effect of Fishborg Harpooner in their hand. By revealing Fishborg Harpooner itself and another WATER monster, the player can Special Summon one of them and discard the other. The player will reveal Psiics, Moonlight of the Ghoti and Special Summon it." She dropped Harpooner in the graveyard.
In front of her, a skeletal white fish appeared—along its long, jagged fins and body was a tinge of bloody red. It glowed in an eerie manner—as it opened its mouth, a bright light shone from within it. From the top of its head, a long, thin filament extended outwards, connecting to a glowing white light.
[Psiics, Moonlight of the Ghoti (6*/2400/0/WATER/Fish/Effect)]
Rio stared at the monster. "... fitting," she said.
"The effect of Psiics, Moonlight of the Ghoti triggers. Since it was Special Summoned, the player can add a Fish monster from their deck to their hand, and then banish a Fish monster from their hand or field." Kaname picked up a card, before picking up Paces from her hand and banishing it. "The player will then activate the Field Spell, The Most Distant, Deepest Depths. By banishing a Fish monster from the graveyard, the player can add a "Ghoti" monster from their deck to their hand."
She picked up Harpooner, banishing it before adding another card to her hand.
"Since a Fish monster was banished, the player can Special Summon Ixeep, Omen of the Ghoti from their hand." The blue guppy surrounded by thin veil-like fins appeared, red orbs swirling around it.
[Ixeep, Omen of the Ghoti (4*/1500/0/WATER/Fish/Effect)]
"Then, the player will Normal Summon Zep, Ruby of the Ghoti." The small white fish with bright red and yellow fins appeared, swimming next to Ixeep.
[Zep, Ruby of the Ghoti (2*/0/1000/WATER/Fish/Tuner/Effect)]
"The player tunes the Level 2 Zep, Ruby of the Ghoti to the Level 4 Ixeep, Omen of the Ghoti." Zep turned into the two delicate rings of light, before Ixeep flew through them, dissolving into light. "Slumbering, glowing moray sliding through the darkness of the distant, deepest abyss. Now, as the world falls into your grasp, bare your fangs and show off your luminous glow. Synchro Summon. Level 6. Arionpos, Serpent of the Ghoti." The blue serpent appeared on the field, the purple shimmer from within its body as eye-catching as ever. Its wide, hollow eyes glowed as it stared at Rio, who seemed… surprised.
[Arionpos, Serpent of the Ghoti (6*/2100/0/WATER/Fish/Synchro/Effect)]
"You might get along with my brother," she commented.
… her brother, huh? A brother that wasn't around…
Kaname gestured forward. "The player activates the effect of Arionpos, Serpent of the Ghoti. The player can banish a Level 6 or lower Fish monster from their deck." She revealed the card. "The player banishes Snopios, Shade of the Ghoti. With the effect of Snopios, Shade of the Ghoti, the player banishes a Fish monster from the graveyard to add it back to their hand." She slipped Ixeep out of the graveyard. "The player sets a card and ends their turn." That left her with just Snopios in hand.
"A single Synchro Monster and a set card on the field, though you do have a second monster," Rio said. "... you're not that different from your brother after all, are you?" She almost seemed disappointed.
Test it. Kaname didn't speak the defiant thought aloud.
"Well, let's hope that I don't draw the combo again this turn."
[Turn 2: Rio] [H:6]
"Draw. I will—"
On Kaname's field, the small white jellyfish reappeared. "During the Standby Phase after it was banished, Paces, Light of the Ghoti Special Summons itself back to the field."
[Paces, Light of the Ghoti (2*/0/0/WATER/Fish/Tuner/Effect)]
"Monsters that Special Summon themselves when they are banished," Rio said thoughtfully. "Interesting. Well, I will Normal Summon Aurora Wing." A single blue and green bird appeared on the field, its wings wavy and graceful.
[Aurora Wing (4*/1200/1600/WATER/Winged Beast/Effect)]
"I'll then activate the effect of Abyss Shark. I will Special Summon it from my hand since I control a WATER monster, and then I can add a Level 3, 4 or 5 Fish monster from my deck to my hand!" In front of her, a shark with dark blue scales appeared, golden armour covering some parts of its body.
[Abyss Shark (5*/1200/700/WATER/Fish/Effect)]
Fish monsters, huh? Interesting…
For a brief moment, Rio glanced at her. Kaname furrowed her brow—that single look had given something away. Was there some kind of additional effect that she was not being told?
"I'll activate Crystal Shark's effect." Rio revealed the card in her hand—for a moment, she seemed… amused? "While it is in my hand or graveyard, I can halve the attack points of a WATER monster on the field to Special Summon it from my hand!"
… ah.
"Usually, this would mean nothing, since I'd target one of my monsters and use it as material," Rio said. "But in this case, it's fitting that my opponent uses the same Attribute as me, don't you think? I target Psiics, Moonlight of the Ghoti!" The ghostly fish dipped closer to the ground as it was weakened by the effect, before a ghastly grey shark appeared, surrounded by an eerie purple glow.
[Crystal Shark (5*/1100/800/WATER/Fish/Effect)]
[Psiics, Moonlight of the Ghoti: 2400 / 2 = 1200ATK]
"Since I control both Fish and Winged Beast monsters, I can Special Summon Spiritual Water Bird - Sirène Orca from my hand!" A woman with both aquatic and avian features appeared on the field, green feathers wings fluttering around her as she floated downwards, staring forward.
[Spiritual Water Bird - Sirène Orca (5*/2200/1000/WATER/Winged Beast/Effect)]
"Sirène Orca's effect! I can change the Levels of all monsters I control to a Level from 3 to 5, but I can't activate monster effects this turn, except the effects of WATER monsters! I'll choose Level 5!" All the monsters glowed, though only Aurora Wing's stats actually changed.
[Aurora Wing: 4* → 5*]
"I'll overlay the Level 5 Aurora Wing and the Level 5 Crystal Shark. Priestess of the spirit world with a heart of ice, show that clear and bright soul! Xyz Summon! Rank 5! Number 94: Crystal Zero, the Princess of Polar Ice!" A woman formed from ice appeared, dressed in regal blue attire, purple crystals floating around her.
[Number 94: Crystal Zero, the Princess of Polar Ice (R5/2200/1600/WATER/Beast-Warrior/Xyz/Effect) (OU:2)]
"But I'm not done," Rio said. "I'll then overlay the Level 5 Sirène Orca and the Level 5 Abyss Shark! The holy drop falls into the waters of endless chaos. Show your power and purify this chaotic world! Xyz Summon! Rank 5! Number 73: Abyss Splash, the Roaring Waterfall Deity!" A tall warrior with blue skin appeared, water splashing out around him to signal his arrival. Several cerulean orbs were embedded on his chest. Gold accentuated every part of his armour, including the long staff that he was holding. Behind him, a white cape billowed outwards as he stood next to Crystal Zero majestically—perhaps even protectively.
[Number 73: Abyss Splash, the Roaring Waterfall Deity (R5/2400/1400/WATER/Warrior/Xyz/Effect) (OU:2)]
"Battle Phase," Rio declared.
Kaname gestured forward. "... the player responds to the action of ending your Main Phase. Paces, Light of the Ghoti's effect. Since it was Special Summoned on the opponent's turn, the player can immediately perform a Synchro Summon using monsters they control."
"A Synchro Summon on my turn?" Rio said, sounding surprised. "... well, that's interesting, at least. Go ahead."
"The player tunes the Level 2 Paces, Light of the Ghoti to the Level 6 Psiics, Moonlight of the Ghoti." Waves crashed against the ground. Kaname breathed in, and the pressure in the room lessened. The water faded. Good. She didn't want to destroy these underground ruins. "Beautiful flying fish floating in the reaches of the extraterrestrial oceans, crush the universe beneath your beautiful, pale power. Synchro Summon. Level 8. Askaan, the Bicorned Ghoti." One of her favourite monsters appeared—the ghastly, elegant and slender horned fish.
[Askaan, the Bicorned Ghoti (8*/2700/0/WATER/Fish/Synchro/Effect)]
"Askaan, the Bicorned Ghoti's effect. When Synchro Summoned, the player can target a Fish monster they control and a card the opponent controls. Both cards are banished. The player targets Askaan, the Bicorned Ghoti and—"
It was only the briefest moment of hesitation, as she studied her opponent.
"... Number 94: Crystal Zero, the Princess of Polar Ice."
"What?" Rio frowned. "You're banishing your own monster after summoning it…? Crystal Zero's effect is a Quick Effect. By detaching an Overlay Unit from her, I will halve your Arionpos's attack points! Polarising Freeze!"
Fine.
Rio's effect resolved first, freezing the serpent in place.
[Number 94: Crystal Zero, the Princess of Polar Ice: OU:2 - 1 = OU:1]
[Arionpos, Serpent of the Ghoti: 2100 / 2 = 1050ATK]
Afterwards, both Askaan and Crystal Zero vanished from the field.
"Askaan, the Bicorned Ghoti's effect. When it is banished, the player can banish a Fish monster from their graveyard to Special Summon it to the field."
"... so it was never going to leave…" Rio shook her head. "What a tricky strategy…"
"The player banishes Psiics, Moonlight of the Ghoti from the graveyard." Askaan reappeared on the field, just as sinister as before. "When Psiics, Moonlight of the Ghoti is banished, the player can banish a Fish monster from their hand, graveyard or field to Special Summon it. The player banishes Zep, Ruby of the Ghoti." Psiics reappeared on the field as well—now no longer weakened by Crystal Shark's effect.
"... I'm sensing a pattern here."
Then she was at least smarter than most of Kaname's previous opponents. "When Zep, Ruby of the Ghoti is banished during the opponent's turn, the player can immediately Special Summon it. Furthermore, Psiics, Moonlight of the Ghoti's effect. The player can add a Fish monster from their deck to their hand—and banish a Fish monster from their hand or field."
She added the card to her hand, before casting the same card that she had just added to her hand into the zone for banished cards.
Zep reappeared at the same time, glowing brightly.
"When Zep, Ruby of the Ghoti is Special Summoned, the player can immediately perform a Synchro Summon using monsters they control. The player tunes the Level 2 Zep, Ruby of the Ghoti to the Level 6 Arionpos, Serpent of the Ghoti." Rendering Rio's earlier effect useless, she dropped both monsters into the graveyard. "Most powerful creature of the deepest, most distant depths of the ocean. Bear your heart on your sleeve, your merciless weapons as your limbs, every part of you crashing into opponents that you can swat aside. Synchro Summon. Level 8. Guoglim, Spear of the Ghoti." The large, spiked creature appeared, just as ghastly white as Askaan but far more dangerous-looking on first glance. Each tip of its spikes was bloody red.
[Guoglim, Spear of the Ghoti (8*/2700/0/WATER/Fish/Synchro/Effect)]
"Since Arionpos, Serpent of the Ghoti was used as material for this Synchro Summon, the player can activate its effect. By banishing a Fish monster from the graveyard, the player can add a Fish monster with a lower Level from their deck to their hand." Kaname revealed the card. "The player banishes the Level 2 Paces, Light of the Ghoti from the graveyard to add the Level 2 White Sardine to their hand."
"... fair," Rio said. "Is that it?"
Kaname nodded.
"... geez. And I thought that Mariko had long chains when it came to interference." Rio gestured forward. "Well, that's a worrying amount of attack points… but it's not that big of a deal. Since you did all of that at the end of my Main Phase, I can continue it. I will activate the Spell Card, Salvage. I will add Aurora Wing and Abyss Shark from my graveyard to my hand. Then, the Spell Card, Moray of Greed. I will shuffle Aurora Wing and another WATER monster from my hand into the deck to draw three cards."
She cycled out the cards in her hand, before picking up one of the cards she had drawn.
"... you'll do. Spell Card, Frozen Takedown! I'll detach an Overlay Unit from Abyss Splash and inflict 400 damage to you for each card in my hand!" She held out the three cards in her hand, and three bursts of water shot towards Kaname.
[Number 73: Abyss Splash, the Roaring Waterfall Deity: OU:2 - 1 = OU:1]
Kaname: 4000 - 400 x 3 = 2800LP
"Then, the next time Abyss Splash is targeted by a card effect, that effect is negated!"
... targeted, huh?
"I'll activate the effect of Abyss Splash. By detaching one Overlay Unit, I will double its attack points, but all damage it inflicts this turn is halved!" The kingly warrior rose up, holding out the spear-like staff in his hands as he glowed.
[Number 73: Abyss Splash, the Roaring Waterfall Deity: 2400 x 2 = 4800ATK; OU:1 - 1 = OU:0]
"However, Abyss Shark's effect doubles the first battle damage you take from a "Number" monster this turn," Rio continued. "So there's no difference."
Kaname blinked. So, Crystalzero halving her monster's attack points… probably attacking by itself, inflicting around 2000 damage to her, and then Abyss Splash hitting… alright. If Yugo had taken it easy on the first turn, Kaname could see how he'd lost, especially if Rio had another monster that reduced attack points.
"Abyss Splash attacks Askaan!"
… hmm.
Sure.
Askaan was destroyed, and Kaname took another small amount of damage.
Kaname: 2800 - 2100 = 700LP
Another one of those Frozen Takedowns would… take her down, but Kaname didn't think that Rio had one of those.
"Main Phase 2," Rio said. "Since all monsters I control are WATER monsters, I will Special Summon Dream Shark from my hand." A purple shark with pink patterns around its body appeared, swimming around in Defense Position.
[Dream Shark (5*/0/2600/WATER/Fish/Effect)]
"I'll activate the Spell Card, Fury of Kairyu-Shin. I will add the Trap Card, Torrential Tribute to my hand. Then, I will set a card and end my turn." Rio shrugged. "You already survived one turn. Congrats—you lasted longer than your brother."
Kaname glanced at her silently, before picking up a card from her deck.
[Turn 3: Kaname] [H:3]
"Draw. During the Standby Phase, Paces, Light of the Ghoti Special Summons itself back to the field with its own effect." The small octopus appeared on the field again. "Spell Card, Graceful Charity. The player draws three cards and discards two cards. Then, with the effect of White Sardine, the player can send another copy of White Sardine from the deck to the graveyard to Special Summon it." A tiny white fish appeared, beady blue eyes staring forward at Rio.
[White Sardine (2*/800/0/WATER/Fish/Effect)]
"Spell Card, White Circle Reef. The player targets White Sardine and destroys it. Then, they can take a Fish monster with the same name from their deck. If they control a Synchro Monster, they can Special Summon that monster." Another copy of White Sardine appeared on the field. "Then, the player banishes White Circle Reef from the graveyard to activate its effect. The player targets two Fish monsters with the same name in the graveyard. One of those cards is returned to the bottom of the deck, while the other is Special Summoned." White Sardine reappeared on the field, while the other one returned to the deck.
"So, you did all of that to bring out a second copy of that fish," Rio noted.
Kaname nodded.
"Well," Rio said, "it won't work. Trap Card, Torrential Tribute! Since you summoned a monster, I destroy all monsters on the field!"
The entire field was swept away—ice crystals that jutted out and crushed all of Kaname's monsters.
"I'll banish Fury of Kairyu-Shin from the graveyard to protect my monsters!" Rio continued.
… of course Kaname knew that. She owned a copy of both Kairyu-Shin and Torrential Tribute, after all. However, she needed to get that card out of the way first.
And now that it was out of the way… she would rebuild.
"The player activates the effect of Snopios, Shade of the Ghoti in their hand." Kaname revealed the last card in her hand. "The player can banish two Fish monsters from the hand or graveyard to Special Summon this card. The player banishes Askaan, the Bicorned Ghoti and Psiics, Moonlight of the Ghoti." The large ghostly octopus appeared on the field, a golden glow coming from the tendrils on the inside of its body.
[Snopios, Shade of the Ghoti (6*/2100/0/WATER/Fish/Effect)]
"... oh, you banished both those monsters again," Rio said with a sigh.
"The player activates the effects of Snopios, Shade of the Ghoti, Askaan, the Bicorned Ghoti and Psiics, Moonlight of the Ghoti. The player banishes a Fish monster to Special Summon Askaan back to the field. The player banishes a Fish monster to Special Summon Psiics back to the field." Kaname picked up Paces and one of the White Sardines, removing both of them from her graveyard. Both of the higher-Leveled Fish monsters appeared on the field. "Finally, Snopios's effect. The player targets Askaan. When Askaan leaves the field, it is banished. The player then activates the effect of Psiics, Moonlight of the Ghoti. The player can add a Fish monster from their deck to their hand."
She picked up the card, revealing it.
"Ixeep, Omen of the Ghoti. Then, the player must banish one Fish monster from their hand or field. The player banishes Snopios, Shade of the Ghoti." The octopus vanished. "When Snopios is banished, the player will banish Guoglim, Spear of the Ghoti from the graveyard to add it back to their hand."
"So you've rebuilt everything from scratch," Rio said. "Still… none of your monsters can hurt Abyss Splash. What is your plan?"
Just wait and see.
Rio must have read at least some of her intentions from the way that she reached for her next card, because the other girl chuckled. "I guess if you look that confident, I'm missing something, huh…?"
"Since a Fish monster was banished, the player Special Summons Ixeep, Omen of the Ghoti from their hand." The smaller fish appeared again. "The player activates their set card, the Trap Card, Ghoti Chain. The player banishes a Fish monster they control to Special Summon a "Ghoti" monster from the hand, deck, graveyard or banished cards, but that monster is banished when it leaves the field."
"So from anywhere?" Rio narrowed her eyes. "... interesting…"
"The player banishes Ixeep, Omen of the Ghoti to Special Summon the banished Guoglim, Spear of the Ghoti." The spiked sea creature reappeared—others found it sinister, but to Kaname, its presence was rather calming. "Battle Phase. Guoglim attacks Abyss Splash."
Rio narrowed her eyes. "... I'm not sure I understand. Keep going, then."
"At the start of the Damage Step, when Guoglim, Spear of the Ghoti battles a monster, the opposing monster is banished." Kaname gestured forward—Guoglim lashed out, its tentacles wrapping around Abyss Splash and rending the warrior immediately.
"So you've banished both of my Extra Deck monsters…" Rio shook her head. "What an unreasonable woman."
… Kaname was around eighty percent sure that was a compliment. "Askaan, the Bicorned Ghoti attacks Dream Shark." The monster lashed out, but the shark… didn't move?
"The first time that Dream Shark would be destroyed by battle each turn, it is not destroyed," Rio explained. She hadn't looked afraid at all during that attack. "Is that it?"
Kaname glanced at her hand and field, before nodding.
[Turn 4: Rio] [H:2]
"Good. That's my turn then." Rio drew a card. "Your monsters?"
"Ixeep, Omen of the Ghoti's effect. During the Standby Phase after the turn it was banished, the player can set a "Ghoti" Trap from their banished cards or graveyard to their field." Kaname set Ghoti Chain back to her field swiftly. "Paces, Light of the Ghoti's effect. The player will Special Summon it to the field." The small white octopus appeared yet again in Defense Position.
"... good," Rio said. "Crystal Shark's effect activates in the graveyard. I'll permanently halve…" She glanced across the field. "... you'll just banish Askaan, and Guoglim doesn't need attack points. In truth, this doesn't affect you in the slightest, does it?"
Kaname shrugged.
"Very well. I'll halve Guoglim's attack points!"
[Guoglim, Spear of the Ghoti: 2700 / 2 = 1350ATK]
Crystal Shark reappeared on the field.
"It's banished when it leaves the field," Rio said, though her lip curled, showing how useless of a restriction that was. "Then, Abyss Shark's effect in my hand. I will Special Summon it and add a Level 3, 4 or 5 Fish monster from my deck to my hand."
Abyss Shark and Crystal Shark, huh…
"Abyss Shark and Crystal Shark can both be treated as Level 3 or 4 monsters if used as material for a "Number" monster's Xyz Summon," Rio said.
Kaname raised a hand silently.
"... yeah?"
Kaname typed down her question in her duel disk. "How much of your deck is focused around Numbers?"
"... it's a fair question," Rio said. "Not that much, to be honest… my brother, Ryoga, was a pretty good friend of one of the Arclights. As a result, Dr. Arclight made quite a lot of Numbers for him specifically as well, and there were a few for me too… most of the cards in my deck that specifically support "Numbers" come from him."
Kaname nodded.
"... you really did just stop me mid-duel to ask a question, huh." Rio let out a snort. "Sure. I'll overlay Abyss Shark and Crystal Shark, treating them as Level 4 monsters! When slumbering powers of sea and earth weave, the light of new life bursts forth! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Number 37: Hope Woven Dragon Spider Shark!" A brilliantly white monster appeared, its slender shark-like body cutting through the air like moonlight. Its fins seemed to ripple like a wave of water. Its tail was purple on the bottom, like a shadow cast on the pale.
[Number 37: Hope Woven Dragon Spider Shark (R4/2600/2100/WATER/Fish/Xyz/Effect) (OU:2)]
… that monster, huh.
"I end my Main Phase," Rio said, looking directly at her.
… for a moment, Kaname was reminded of dueling Nue. That feeling of being forced to make a decision of her own, not one in response to actions. Her opponent forcing her action through moving to the Battle Phase.
Still…
What do I have to lose right now?
"Tuning the Level 2 Paces, Light of the Ghoti to the Level 6 Psiics, Moonlight of the Ghoti. Spinning around, descend now with high velocity and rend this field like the waves you create. Synchro Summon. Level 8. White Aura Whale." Her monster nuke appeared, the white whale's body slamming against the ground and creating a minor shockwave.
[White Aura Whale (8*/2800/2000/WATER/Fish/Synchro/Effect)]
"The player will activate White Aura Whale's effect. When Synchro Summoned, all monsters in Attack Position that the opponent controls are destroyed."
The bright white shark was destroyed by the sharp wave, but Rio didn't seem fazed.
"When Hope Woven Dragon Spider Shark is destroyed by battle or card effect and sent to the graveyard, I can Special Summon any other monster from my graveyard," she explained. "Return to the field, Abyss Shark!" The purple shark reappeared. "And I'll continue my Main Phase now. I'll overlay the Level 5 Abyss Shark and the Level 5 Dream Shark. Frozen beast suspended in time, lend your strength to the frozen beasts! Xyz Summon! Rank 5! Number 19: Freezadon!" A large blue dinosaur appeared, some parts of its body having a crystalline sheen to it.
[Number 19: Freezadon (R5/2000/2500/WATER/Dinosaur/Xyz/Effect) (OU:2)]
"You're very tough," Rio admitted. "And you're far too calm right now."
Was she?
"So I'll have to test out those three Synchro Monsters on your field. I suppose that if you've met Shun, you already know about how his specialty works, right?"
Shun Kurosaki's specialty?
… that would be Rank Up.
"My ace is one of those monsters that requires Rank Up, so I'll show it to you now—the power of an inherent Rank Up condition. I'll overlay Freezadon on itself!" Rio declared. The monster turned into a blue streak, flying into the ground. "Frozen to the point of absolute zero, pierce the air with your crystalline spear and carve open the path of sacrifice! Rank-Up-Xyz-Change! Rank 6! Full Armored Crystal Zero Lancer!" A monster that looked very similar to the Number monster from earlier appeared—the graceful blue dress now seemed far more deadly, sharp spear-like points emerging from the bottom of the dress like spikes. She held up a shield and long spear with red highlights on them. As she raised her spear, she shot a cold, distant look at Kaname.
[Full Armored Crystal Zero Lancer (R6/2200/1600/WATER/Warrior/Xyz/Effect) (OU:3)]
"Crystal Zero Lancer gains 500 attack points for each of her Overlay Units," Rio explained.
[Full Armored Crystal Zero Lancer: 2200 + 500 x 3 = 3700ATK]
"And no matter what, you still take the damage from battle," Rio said. "Even if your monsters always come back, you'll still lose. Battle Phase—"
"Ace?"
Rio's eyes widened. That made sense.
No one was ever ready to hear that terrible, monstrous voice. The words spoken from a human throat and not a duel disk.
Ace? So that's your favourite move?
Don't make me laugh. I was waiting for you to pull your trick—to see what makes you tick.
"The player activates the effect of Snopios, Shade of the Ghoti at the end of the Main Phase. The player banishes Zep, Ruby of the Ghoti and Psiics, Moonlight of the Ghoti from the graveyard to Special Summon it." The large octopus appeared in Defense Position. "Zep's effect. It comes back to the field." A fourth monster appeared on her field. "Psiics's effect. The player banishes another copy of White Sardine from the graveyard to Special Summon it." The fish from earlier reappeared. "Zep's effect, Snopios's effect and Psiics's effect activate. Snopios will banish itself when it leaves the field. Psiics will let the player add a Fish monster from their deck to their hand, and then banish a Fish monster from their hand or field." She picked up a card, and then Psiics itself vanished. "Zep's effect. The player immediately performs a Synchro Summon."
"You have a Level 10 Synchro Monster?" Rio gasped.
"The player tunes the Level 2 Zep, Ruby of the Ghoti to the Level 8 White Aura Whale. Glistening light sleeping in the depths below. Mythical creature with galaxies and emptiness within your frame. With those eyes that see and comprehend the start and the end, rule over the deepest, most distant depths with the power of the Big Freeze of the universe, where all is silent. Synchro Summon. Level 10—Ghoti of the Deep Beyond." The serpent surrounded by multi-coloured space clouds and debris appeared—one of Kaname's strongest monsters.
[Ghoti of the Deep Beyond (10*/?/0/WATER/Fish/Synchro/Effect)]
"Unknown attack points…"
Kaname gestured forward. "When Synchro Summoned on the opponent's turn, Ghoti of the Deep Beyond banishes all cards on the field."
"All cards…"
A large whirlpool appeared. Every single monster on the field vanished into the void, both of theirs, along with Kaname's set card—the only card that survived was her Field Spell, with its own immunity.
A silent, empty field.
"Snopios's effect. The player banishes White Aura Whale from the graveyard to add it to their hand." She picked up the card. "Askaan, the Bicorned Ghoti's effect. The player banishes Paces from the graveyard to Special Summon it back to the field." Askaan reappeared in Defense Position on the field. "Since a Fish monster was banished, Ixeep, Omen of the Ghoti is Special Summoned to the field from the hand."
Two monsters in Defense Position on the field.
"Another field wipe," Rio said. "What are you, some kind of video game boss? You have too many stages."
… well, she wasn't wrong, but…
"… you know, I don't get to use my ace much. Most Academia soldiers are too weak for me to bother. So, the fact that now, I'm fighting someone who I can actually bother to use it against, and they just stopped me from even attempting to use it…"
Rio raised a hand to her lips and laughed—a genuine laugh.
"You really are strong, huh? Kaname Mizuchi."
I hope I am.
"Then again," Rio said, "I still have cards left in hand, you know. And I haven't Normal Summoned yet. So let's try one more. I'll banish Freezadon and my Frozen Takedown from my graveyard to draw two cards." She swiped up both cards. "... right. I'll Normal Summon Blizzard Falcon!" A bright blue bird with a body of ice appeared on the field, letting out a cry.
[Blizzard Falcon (4*/1500/1500/WATER/Winged Beast/Effect)]
"Then, the Spell Card, Armored Xyz!" She revealed the card deftly. "I will target Number 37: Hope Woven Dragon Spider Shark in my graveyard and equip it to Blizzard Falcon as an Equip Spell. And Blizzard Falcon's attack points become the same as Hope Woven Dragon Spider Shark's attack points!" The bird glowed, the white fish from earlier briefly appearing as a floating spirit behind it.
[Blizzard Falcon: 1500 → 2600ATK]
"And once while it is face-up on the field, if Blizzard Falcon's attack points are higher than its original attack points, I can inflict 1500 damage to you—which is more life points than you have to spare!"
… hmm.
No choice.
"The player activates the effect of White Whelp in the graveyard. By discarding a card and banishing it, they negate a monster effect. The player negates the effect of Blizzard Falcon" A cold, white aura surrounded the blue bird, before fading.
"... you discarded that with Graceful Charity," Rio guessed. "Well, can I finally enter my Battle Phase?"
Kaname nodded.
"Good. Blizzard Falcon attacks Askaan, the Bicorned Ghoti." Kaname's monster was destroyed. "Then, by sending the card equipped by Armored Xyz to the graveyard, I will allow Blizzard Falcon to attack again. Attack Ixeep!" The small fish was destroyed as well, leaving Kaname's field empty. "I'll set a card and end my turn."
[Turn 5: Kaname] [H:2]
"Draw." Kaname gestured forward. "On the turn after Ghoti of the Deep Beyond was banished from a Monster Zone, it returns to the field." The enormous serpent reappeared. "White Whelp and Paces also return to the field." The two monsters appeared on either side of the monster in Defense Position. White Whelp was a small white armoured dragon, holding up its claws and glaring forward. In a way, it was… just something that made her feel the briefest urge to smile.
[White Whelp (2*/400/1200/WATER/Dragon/Tuner/Effect)]
"You put that monster in Attack Position?"
"Ghoti of the Deep Beyond gains 500 attack points for each banished monster."
"Each," Rio repeated. "... god. Alright. So this entire duel, when you've been banishing my monsters…"
Kaname had nine. Rio had four. A total of thirteen.
[Ghoti of the Deep Beyond: 0 + 500 x 13 = 6500ATK]
And yet, that set card…
"Normal Summoning White Sardine." The single White Sardine that she'd returned to the deck had come back to her, technically a brick, but…
She could use it.
"The player tunes the Level 2 Paces, Light of the Ghoti to the Level 2 White Sardine. Fiery fish that slumbers in the festival light. Emerge now and submerge into the ocean. Synchro Summon. Level 4. Fish Lamp." A purple fish surrounded by bright orange flames appeared on the field in Defense Position.
[Fish Lamp (4*/1200/400/FIRE/Fish/Synchro/Tuner/Effect)]
"White Whelp can be treated as a non-Tuner monster for the Synchro Summon of a Dragon Synchro Monster. The player tunes the Level 4 Fish Lamp to the Level 2 White Whelp. From the water, emerge with your true strength and make the world bow down before your regality. Synchro Summon. Level 6. Coral Dragon." The most colourful monster in her deck appeared on the field, letting out a loud roar.
[Coral Dragon (6*/2400/500/WATER/Dragon/Synchro/Tuner/Effect)]
"Fish Lamp's effect. When used as Synchro Material, two Level 2 Lamp Tokens are Special Summoned to the player's field." Two smaller versions of the fiery fish appeared on each side of the dragon.
[Lamp Token (x2) (2*/0/0/FIRE/Fish)]
"The player activates Coral Dragon's effect. By discarding a card, they can destroy a card on the field. The player targets and destroys your set card."
Rio gestured forward. "Trap Card, Xyz Revive Splash. I'll Special Summon a Rank 4 or lower Xyz Monster from my graveyard! Return, Hope Woven Dragon Spider Shark!" The single white shark with large fins appeared in front of her in Defense Position.
And Spider Shark floated into yet another monster. So Kaname needed to have at least four attacks to inflict damage.
… that was, if her plan had ever been to attack those monsters at all.
"Fish Lamp's effect. By banishing it from the graveyard, the player can target and destroy a card on the field. The player chooses Number 37: Hope Woven Dragon Spider Shark." The Xyz Monster vanished from the field in a single blast of flames.
"... huh." Rio gestured forward. "Spider Shark's effect. The player can Special Summon another monster from the graveyard. The player Special Summons Dream Shark in Defense Position."
The one that could survive two attacks, huh?
"The player tunes the Level 6 Coral Dragon to the two Level 2 Lamp Tokens."
"A third Synchro Summon in a row?" Rio said, eyes widening.
"Arise now, sealed demon that rules over the holy creatures of the sea with an iron will. Synchro Summon. Level 10. White Aura Bihamut." The beautiful white serpent appeared on the field.
[White Aura Bihamut (10*/3300/3000/WATER/Fish/Synchro/Effect)]
"When Coral Dragon is sent to the graveyard from the field after being Synchro Summoned, the player can draw one card. White Aura Bihamut's effect. The player Special Summons a Divine Dragon Token in Defense Position." The Token with identical stats appeared to the right of White Aura Bihamut.
[Divine Dragon Token (10*/3300/3000/WATER/Fish)]
Kaname glanced at the card in her hand. "The effect of the Field Spell, The Most Distant, Deepest Depths. The player banishes Askaan, the Bicorned Ghoti from the graveyard to add a "Ghoti" monster from their deck to their hand. Askaan's effect. The player banishes White Sardine from the graveyard to Special Summon Askaan, the Bicorned Ghoti back to the field." The serpent-like fish reappeared on the field.
Two attacks for Dream Shark…
Wait.
… Kaname had really overcomplicated this. What had she gone to all this effort for?
"Battle Phase."
Rio laughed. "You figured it out?"
Kaname covered her face, slightly embarrassed. "Ghoti of the Deep Beyond attacks Blizzard Falcon."
[Ghoti of the Deep Beyond: 6500 + 500 x 2 = 7500LP
The bird was destroyed. That was it.
That was all she had to do.
Rio: 4000 - 6000 = 0LP
Winner: Kaname Mizuchi!
She'd been so rude.
She'd—
Rio walked over to her.
Kaname carefully typed in the duel disk. "I apologise for dragging it on. I—"
"It's fine," Rio said. "I get caught up in the moment too." She raised a fist—Kaname briefly flinched. Rio blinked, before slowly lowering her first, opening it to slowly reach out with a palm instead.
… oh.
Kaname took the hand, though she still shivered. She didn't like it—she didn't like touching people, still. Even with that, she shook Rio's hand.
"Good duel," Rio said. She glanced away. "… you're really not that bad, huh. Maybe…" She shook her head. "No, never mind."
Kaname nodded. She didn't know what to do—most duels usually ended with her arresting her opponent, but that was obviously not what she should be doing now.
"Well," Rio said, "you should get back to the rest. I was supposed to do a final check of the perimeter."
Kaname raised a hand, gesturing briefly. Rio clearly had no clue what she was trying to communicate—but the other girl made a guess anyway.
"You want to come along?"
Kaname shrugged.
"Sure," Rio finally said. "Let's go."
Nearby, Sayaka Sasayama slowly peeked her head out, a nervous look on her face.
That girl… had beaten Rio? No way. Rio was one of the strongest members of Clover Branch! And that meant… if the girl could beat Rio, didn't that mean that she could defeat Sayaka too? And Allen? Then that meant that if the Lancers really wanted to hurt them, there was nothing they could do about it…
And there were so many of them, too… more of them than the number of actual duelists in the Resistance. Why had Tsubaki let them in if they were going to outnumber them? What if they just wanted to defeat every dimension, including Academia? They would be doomed, if that was the case…
She was just so scared. The base was supposed to be safe, but it didn't feel safe anymore.
… what could they do? She wanted to believe in Tsubaki and the others, but…
Kaito.
Kaito, who had yelled at them and left. Kaito, whose last words before he'd left had been a stream of vitriol towards the girl that they called the leader of the Resistance.
Most people thought that Kaito was being unreasonable, but she and Allen had looked up to him for so long… pretty much even before they'd come to Clover Branch…
"Don't be ridiculous. You promised to protect everyone. You promised to protect my brother. Where were you? Why weren't you there when they attacked us?"
Their leader was still an Arclight…
What if it was all just a trick? What if Kaito had been right?
She just didn't know, and…
There was also this other ugly feeling. That feeling that she wished she didn't have. That feeling that she hated herself for…
That feeling that had come back again when she'd seen Shun Kurosaki sitting next to Nue Kamisoka in the infirmary, his head in his hands. That ugly feeling, that would make Ruri and Allen and everyone else abandon her if she ever spoke it about, but she couldn't help feeling that way…
And then, that secret about Ruri. The secret that no one knew. The secret of what she'd done, the secret that she'd been so scared to tell Shun because she didn't want to be hated… she was so guilty, but she couldn't be hated by her best friend, and she couldn't be hated by the man that she—
She pressed her hands to her face.
I wish they never came back. It was a disgusting thought, but she couldn't help it. She'd been so scared the entire time that someone was going to find out, and no one had, but now that they were back, she was even more scared than before. I wish they never came back, so I wouldn't have to feel this way…
She hated herself. She hated herself so much…
But she was most scared of what would happen if she had to fight.
Help me.
OC Cards:
Number 46: Dragon Ethereal God - Dragluon
(R8/3000/3000/LIGHT/Dragon/Xyz/Effect)
2 Level 8 Dragon-Type monsters
Your opponent cannot target Dragon monsters you control for card effects, except this one. Once per turn, during either player's Battle Phase: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card, then activate 1 of these effects.
● Special Summon 1 Dragon-Type monster from your hand.
● Target 1 Dragon-Type monster your opponent controls; take control of that target.
● Dragon-Type monsters your opponent controls cannot activate their effects until the end of your opponent's turn.
Trivia: So I retrained Dragluon because its conditions are so terrible that I needed to make it better if I didn't want Kaito to run a dead card in his deck. Titanic Galaxy is better in every way though. Battle Phase only was a slight nerf, but look at this card's original conditions. Trust me, you weren't using it anyway.
Photon Silencer
(Trap/Continuous)
While you control a Dragon Xyz Monster, the first time that you would take battle or effect damage each turn, that damage becomes 0. You can banish 1 "Photon" or "Galaxy" monster from your GY; add 1 "Photon" or "Galaxy" monster from your Deck to your hand. If you Special Summon a Dragon Xyz Monster: You can target 1 LIGHT or DARK monster in your GY; add it to your hand. You can only activate each effect of "Photon Silencer" once per turn.
Trivia: Definitely a card that was in-universe made by the Resistance to help Kaito deal with Hound Dog spam.
Frozen Takedown
(Spell)
Target 1 WATER Xyz Monster you control; detach 1 material from it, inflict 400 damage to your opponent for each card in your hand, and if you do, the next time that monster is targeted by your opponent's card effect, negate that effect. You can banish this card and 1 WATER Xyz Monster from your GY; draw 2 cards. You can only use 1 "Frozen Takedown" effect per turn, and only once that turn.
Trivia: Shoutout to flameaceso, who pointed out a pivotal error in the duel that forced me to make this card and replace Torpedo Takedown :)
White Whelp
(2*/400/1200/WATER/Dragon/Tuner/Effect)
This card can be treated as a non-Tuner if used as Synchro Material for a Dragon Synchro Monster. You can Tribute this card; add 1 "Miracle Synchro Fusion" or "White" Spell/Trap from your Deck to your hand. During the Standby Phase of the next turn after this card was banished: You can Special Summon this banished card. If your opponent activates a monster effect while this card is in the GY: You can discard 1 card and banish this card from the GY; negate that effect. You can only activate each effect of "White Whelp" once per turn.
Trivia: I doubt I need to explain this card any more than Kaname does in the chapter itself.
Different Card Effects from TCG:
Antique Gear Hound Dog - Modified effect, can inflict effect damage without opponent controlling a monster.
Antique Gear dogs - Anime-only.
Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon - Anime effect.
End Notes:
Funnily enough, while 6ARC's Resistance has way more emotional troubles than canon, they are also more held together by virtue of feeling some actual security in their position + just having more fighters that can lean on each other.
"Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon—pretty much the cornerstone of Kaito Tenjo's dueling. There's no Kaito Tenjo without Galaxy-Eyes." - Me towards canon Arc-V: "You cannot expect me to write a deck with just the Cipher monsters. Nope." Funnily enough, I have more experience with Ciphers than actual Galaxy/Photon cards, but yeah, 6ARC!Kaito uses Galaxy/Photon instead of Ciphers, just because it's easier to write even duels between him and other characters like that. Yes, I acknowledge the symbolism of his only boss monster in canon being Cipher Dragon, aka himself. However, the number of OC cards I would have to make for him just to make the deck realistically stand a chance against the 6ARC versions of characters just isn't worth it. Give him more boss monsters, Konami. So yeah, retconning that.
That being said, I'm not even gonna pretend that Kaito isn't getting most of the Numbers that you'd expect him to get. Yes, Kaito's deck is absolutely filthy in a 4k LP format.
And remember, Kaname is a mini-boss that got recruited through the power of kindness, but she is still the Synchro Arc's mini-boss. Her power level has not changed. That being said, I waited months for the Ghotis' officially translated names to come out, so I will indulge.
That being said, I would like to take this moment to once again thank Konami for Phantom Nightmare.
To be clear, Sayaka and Allen aren't villains, but they are unfortunately not unscathed by the usual 6ARC trauma train, and have a lot of shit to work through too. So yeah. :)
Review responses!
To TheRealD3lph0xL0v3r, yeah, he really deserves to get destroyed...
To Jorge44, I did originally consider doing a special chapter, but ultimately, I thought that it would break the flow.
To Bryzon, I'm not quite sure what you mean about sharing more about the OCs? Feel free to clarify that though! :) And I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter and the characters :)
To phantomdragons, nice guesses! I... can't respond to them, haha, but we'll get there eventually. I do appreciate them though! And judging from the characters you like... I think you will like Sachi. :)
To T.V. 2000, I assume you mean Allen, and... yeah, I do plan to give him a bit of an arc! Good guesses too :)
Alright, see you next time!
