[A/N]
So, Aura, huh? It's kinda goofy and inconsistent in canon RWBY. At first, it's just thing all characters have to tank blows that would otherwise kill them and also heals them, and then later it fuels Semblances, and then it's not a passive ability and has to be activated... It's not confusing, but it does get retconned enough that I'm not sure that the writers knew what they wanted Aura to be. So, I decided to give it an actual defined set of rules, and special format that specifically includes Aura.
As for semblances... yeah, they don't exist in this series. For one, in Zexal, becoming possessed by Number cards tends to give people some supernatural abilities. For example, Number 7 enhances luck, and Number 25 lets you look into and manipulate the future. And also, this world has been summoning Duel Monsters ever since before the Great World, so aura was developed to focused on summoning cards instead of using pseudo magic powers.
Also, rolling into battle with Apollousa, Borreload Savage with Knightmare Unicorn equipped, S:P, Baronne, Veiler and Ghost Ogre in hand, and with Evenly and Imperm set seems a lot better, and a lot more effective, than a handful of warriors with a variety of wonky super powers than aren't necessarily combat based. And would probably be negated almost immediately.
What does banishing do outside of the context of a duel? o_0
I did try to make the rules regarding Aura easy to understand, and I do think I covered everything that could be asked, so if you have questions regardless, don't hesitate to ask.
Anyways, let's open the game.
Duel 5
Passionate Duelist
When Ruby opened her eyes, she was back in the dark palace.
"Wha…? What am I doing…?" She stammered. Ruby placed a hand on her chest, and felt something sticky. She shivered and pulled her hand away to wipe her own blood on the palace walls.
"Hello…? Is anybody there?" Ruby asked, her voice echoing through the empty halls. "I'm sorry for sitting on your throne… I won't do it again!" However, like last time, Ruby received no response.
Ruby continued to walk until she found a pile of rubble on the floor. Looking up, she saw a large collapsed room, with smoke steaming from the cracks between the rocks. "Oh," She blinked in realization. "This must be where I fought that…"
Before she could finish her thought. The ground began to rumble. "O-oh no, not again…!"
In the sky, darkened blood red clouds began to part, but because of the blazing light of the sun, she could only see shadowy figures hovering ominously over her. She could not make out anything of the appearance, aside from the Numbers 101, 103, 104, 105, 106, and 107 emblazoned on their bodies.
"Wait… Then where's…!" Ruby's eye itched. She turned around, and saw Glorious Lightning, its large form casting a shadow over her. One hand was outstretched, with its palm open. Weiss, now wearing a militaristic uniform with snowflake designs on the sleeves, a cap, and sunglasses, stood in the middle.
Slowly, Glorious Halo lowered its hand to the ground. Weiss, with the Number 102 burning on the back of her neck (evident by the glow partially obscured by the collar), stood on its palm.
Ruby swallowed thickly and took a step back. Weiss quickly caught up with, and when she did, grabbed Ruby's chin and pulled her close.
"Agh, hey–!" Ruby tried to say, but one glare from Weiss shut her up immediately. She let the ice cold heiress move her head around, her critical eye scanning every pore and crease on her skin.
"Wh-what are you doing…!?" She tried to say, however, Weiss silenced her by brushing her thumb against Ruby's lips.
"Yes… you'll do nicely…" Weiss spoke in an ominous tone. Over her left eye, where a thin scar normally is, there is instead a strange symbol. The same symbol that the 'Evilswarm' bore.
"I… what?"
Weiss pushed Ruby to the floor. "Yes, you'll do nicely…"
Ruby grunted her back and hit the floor. She pushed herself up with her elbows and frowned up at Weiss. "Hey! Who said you could push me around like that–!" She flinched when a riding crop whizzed past her face.
"Quiet, bad dog! Don't speak out against your master!" Weiss shouted, pointing the crop at Ruby's nose. The girl blinked, her silver eyes glowing in confusion. Next thing she knew, she could feel something soft and warm covering her body.
"Huh– wha…!? When did I put on a dog onesie!?" Ruby shouted in surprise. And, there was something else too. Around her neck. Ruby reached up and managed to latch her fingers around something leathery and smooth, with cold studs.
"I-is this… a leash!?" When Ruby shouted, Weiss narrowed her eyes and pulled. With an undignified squawk, she fell to her hands and knees and looked up at her new owner. Weiss looked severely unamused.
"Bad dog! I said you mustn't speak!" Weiss said, more forceful than last time. It made Ruby flinch and stumble backwards. She tried to speak out again, but an intense glow from Number 102 shuts her up immediately.
"Do you really think you deserve to be here?" Weiss asked ominously. Her prissy voice was mixed with something darker, something ancient, before returning to normal. "You're just a sad little puppy trying to make it big as a Duelist, with none of the skills or the deck, to back it up," she taunts.
Ruby narrows her eyes as Weiss leans down, her sclera turning black. "Don't talk about my mom's deck like that…!"
"Your mom…?"
"Your mother's deck is pathetic," Weiss growls. Ruby's eyes widened. The Number 39 in her left eye shines.
"Shut up!" Ruby shouts, raising her fist to punch Weiss.
"And now you're fighting back? How insolent!" Weiss yells. She tugs on the leash again, making Ruby choke as she lands on her knees. "Sit! Now! Bad dog! Bad dog!"
"I-I'm not a dog…!" Ruby whines. Despite that, she sits on her haunches and looks down in embarrassment. The only response she gets is an ojou-sama styled haughty chortle, with something corrupted just barely audible underneath it.
Slowly, Ruby opens her eyes. Her face is bright red. "What… the he– heck…?" She stammers sleepily. The first thing she realizes is that she's not in her own room anymore. It's much smaller, with only two beds, and a desk at the end. Behind each one, there's a small closet.
"Beacon…" Ruby mutters. She made it. She reached under the desk and pulled out a shelf from underneath. Inside was a standard issue Academia Duel Disk. The core of the Disk was bright yellow. "I made it!"
Sure, she wasn't OBELISK Blue like she wanted to be, but at the very least she's in the most populated Dorm of the school. With Velvet, Yang, and others, she could probably make her way to the top in no time flat.
"But then, who's my…" Ruby turned her head to the other bed and the ruffled blankets. There's a head with a distinct shade of white hair.
"Oh fuuuuuuu…" Ruby breathed in complete and utter shock. She shook her head and looked straight ahead. "No. Absolutely not. Not a chance." Ruby looks straight ahead and tries to ignore the blatant white elephant in the room.
It's the weekend. No classes today, but despite that, Ruby still elects to put on her new uniform. Unlike Yang, Ruby decided to order the coat instead of the sleeveless shirt. The skirt was way too short for her taste.
She leaves it buttoned, and wears her red sweater underneath. Instead of the white pants, she opts for black leggings instead. After folding the collar, Ruby looks into the mirror at the side of the dorm room and smoothes out the wrinkles. "I made it…" She said to no one in particular.
As she admired herself in the mirror, there's a soft knock coming from the door. Ruby turns out and opens it, and smiles at the sight of her sister.
"Yang!"
"Rubes!" The pair hugged each other tightly before pulling away. "Nice outfit. It suits you."
"Thanks! I worked really hard for it!" Ruby says excitedly. "What are you doing here, though? It's really early in the morning."
"Well, I need to take you to the card shop I talked about, remember?" Yang says with a playful wink.
"Wait, really!?" Ruby's eyes sparkle for a moment before she hesitates. "Wait, you said you'd only take me there if I made it to the OBELISK dorm, though."
Yang let out an amused snort. "Man, you actually believed that?" Ruby nodded. "Nah, that was just to encourage you to bring your a-game to the Placement Tests! I was going to take you there no matter what happened, even if you somehow managed to get into OSIRIS!"
"Hey, I'm not that bad at the game!" Ruby squawked. From her voice, Weiss shifted on the mattress slightly and mumbled something under her breath, making both girls freeze.
"Oh. That's the worst thing I've ever seen," Yang quips. She pats Ruby on the shoulder to urge her to come with. "C'mon, let's get out of here before Ms. Bitches-a-lot starts bitching." Normally, Ruby would chide Yang for her coarse language, but she didn't feel like it right now.
"Yeah," Ruby nodded. She gently closed the door, covering the room in darkness once more.
Weiss shivered. The Number 102 glowed warmly.
A short ride from Beacon into Vale later, Yang parks her bike next to the sidewalk. She and Ruby jump off, and the younger girl glances at the small sign next to the building. It read "Kame Game Store", and it had a sea turtle as the logo.
"This is the OTS?" Ruby asked. "Not to be rude, It looks kinda…"
"Rustic?" Yang suggested. "I know! And everything's at a great price, too! C'mon, let's go in!" She placed a hand on Ruby's and led her inside.
She pushed the door open with a soft jingle. The Game Store was a rather small store, with only shelves on the left and right walls filled with booster packs and boxes, and some other board games. In front, there was a small counter with a few select powerful singles. Cards such as 'S:P Little Knight', 'Nibiru, the Primal Being', 'Nadir Servant', 'Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring', and 'Ground Xeno' are all displayed in a custom Kame Game Store card sleeve.
"Ooooo…!" Ruby breathes, her eyes lighting up with excitement from the cards. "Yang, they're shiny!" She says excitedly.
"They are?" Yang leaned down next to see the star-studded foil that the cards had. "Shiny…!"
"If you want it, you could always buy it," A kind voice said from above them. Ruby blinked and looked up at the man now standing behind the counter.
"Hey there," A man with large, spiky black hair with a magenta sheen, and multiple dangling locks of blonde and crooked hair. "Yang, this must be your sister, right?"
"Yep! This is Ruby!" Yang said, hauling Ruby up to her feet. "Ruby, this guy owns the store. His name's Yugi Muto."
"Um, hi…" Ruby said, extending her hand.
"It's nice to meet you, Ruby," Yugi said, shaking it.
Ruby's eye twitched.
"So, have any cards caught your eye?" Yugi asked, taking a step back. Ruby nodded, and she pointed 'Ground Xeno'.
"I, uh, noticed this card mentions Normal Monsters," Ruby commented. "So, I was wondering what deck it belongs to?"
"The archetype's called 'Transcendosaurus', but those cards mainly serve as boss monsters for the Dinosaur Pile," Yugi explained. He took the card in question out so that Ruby could examine it more closely. "This card mainly serves as a combo-starter, since it destroys a card once it searchers."
"Oh, okay…" Ruby read the card more carefully, and she got an idea. "Can I see the Tuner associated with it?"
"Of course! Lemme go check if I have it in the back," Yugi said.
As he walked away, Yang placed a hand on the counter. "You never upgrade Mom's deck," She comments.
"I know, I know," She sighed, raising her arms in defeat. "The artwork looks really cool though. And, I do have Dinosaurs in my deck. They might synergize well."
Yang nodded. Yugi came out from the back of the shop afterwards. "Here's the card you'll mainly be searching for, 'Xeno Meteorus'," Yugi said, placing the card on the counter. "Not only will it Special Summon itself once 'Ground Xeno' destroys one of your cards, it can also destroy one other Dinosaur to Special Summon a level 6 Normal Dinosaur. However, it does lock you into only summoning Dragons, Sea Serpents, Wyrms, and Reptiles from the Extra Deck for the rest of the turn."
"Really?" Ruby murmured. "That's not as bad as I thought it would."
"You play a lot of those monsters?" Yugi asked.
"Not necessarily, but my stronger boss monsters, and one of my extenders, are of those types."
"Ah. I knew I should take these out as well," Yugi said. He placed another set of monsters on the counter: the Extra Deck 'Trancendosaurus' monsters, one for each Extra Deck Type. "'Transcedosaurus Gigantozowler' is actually a retrain of 'Megazowler', one of the first Dinosaurs ever printed. You can even use the original to make it!"
"Oh, wow, that's so cool!" Ruby exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Can you make the other Extra Deck monsters with the originals as well."
"Yes, actually! You can use 'Frostosaurus' and 'Lancephornychus' for 'Glaciasaurus' and 'Drillygnathus' respectively. Though, 'Exaraptor's' unevolved form hasn't been released yet, as far as I know," Yugi said.
Off to the side, Yang placed a hand over her mouth and looked to the side. "Saurus, saurus, saur… Boy, that word's losing all meaning to me," she mutters.
Ruby and Yugi continue to chat about the 'Trancedosaurus' cards, Yang leans against one of the shelves. She looks down at her boots, her smile dropping for a moment.
Why is she so beat up about losing the match to Pyrrha…?
Yang sighed and shook her head. She's just being petty; salty that she lost a game because of a giant 'fuck-you' monster that she couldn't have predicted. That happens all the time in Duel Monsters.
Yang stiffened and scratched the back of her head. "Huh, did I use the wrong shampoo…?" She asked as an itchy sensation irritated her scalp.
She forgets about it once she hears the cash register ding. "Yang, look!" Ruby says excitedly. She now has two copies of 'Xeno Meteorus', two 'Petiteranodon', one 'Ground Xeno', one 'Glaciasarurus', and one 'Frostosaurus'.
"Are you sure you have space in your Deck for those?" Yang asked, with a raised eyebrow.
"I could always take out some of my extra Normals for them!" Ruby argued with slight huff. Yang shrugged.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," She sighed. "So, you ready to head out?"
"You're not going to buy any cards, Yang?" Yugi asked from the counter.
"Eh, maybe next time." Yugi's smile dropped slightly before nodding.
"If you say so. Either way, thanks for the business!" He says, giving the girls a slight bow of thanks.
"No problem!" Ruby said.
"Anytime, Yugi," Yang says, waving as she and Ruby turn around. "Told you he sells cards at a good price."
"He seems nice, too!" Ruby whispered. Yang ruffled Ruby's hair playfully as they pushed open the door.
Once Ruby took a step outside the store, she felt the ground rumble. "Huh…?" She muttered. Yang paused when Ruby did.
"Something wrong?" She asked. Both Ruby's hair and Yang's calp began to itch.
"Nothing, I just thought I felt an earthqu–!" She tries to say, however, an explosion cuts her off.
Yang and Ruby looked south, and they saw a large cloud of smoke rising over the buildings. Ruby winced as she felt a burning sensation in her eye.
Yugi runs out of his shop. "What's happened!? What's going on!?" He asks. Yang is about to speak, but before she does, all three Duelists notice something coming out of the smoke.
A gigantic monster. A large marionette made from black metal rises from the smoke, lifting itself up using the nearby buildings as leverage. It has red hair, and a golden circlet around its forehead with the Number 15 in the center.
"That monster…!" Yugi gasped once he saw the Number. "You two, get back to Beacon right now!"
"Right!" Yang quickly wraps her arms around Ruby's waist and yanks her back. She lets out a squawk as Yang leads her back to her motorcycle.
"Urgh–! Yang, wait–!" Ruby says, eventually releasing her way of her older sister's grasp. Ruby stumbled to the ground.
"What are you doing, Ruby!?" Yang says, grabbing her by the shoulders and trying to drag her away. Ruby, somehow, manages to pull herself free once more.
"That monster!" Ruby said, pointing Number 15 in the distance. "That monster, there's something… off about it!" She exclaimed. When Weiss and Pyrrha summoned their Numbers, there was an aura to them, but they didn't feel oppressive. Ruby has only come face to face with a Grimm once before, a long time ago, and right now, Number 15 was letting out that same sense of unease and fear, even from miles away.
"Okay, and? I'm not putting you in danger again! We're going back to Beacon, and that's final!" Yang says loudly, her voice almost rising to a shout.
"No, you don't understand! Nobody's going to be able to beat that thing!" Ruby exclaims urgently, making Yang step back. "That… thing…! It's too strong for anybody to take down. And, even if the Duel Force gets here in time, they won't be able to save anyone if they're too focused on a monster that they can't destroy!"
Yang frowns. She looks into Ruby's shining eyes, and she can't find it in herself to argue against her. Yang bites her lip before letting out an annoyed grunt. Her scalp itches.
"Alright, fine!" Yang says. Ruby is about to cheer, but Yang interrupts her. "But, if anything happens, we're leaving immediately. Got it?"
"Fine," Ruby agrees with a nod. Yang, with a frown, tosses Ruby's helmet at her.
"C'mon then. Let's go," Yang said. She turned back to the game store. "Hey, Yugi, are you…"
But he's already gone.
Roman Torchwick sighs as he watches Number 15 walk towards him. The oversized puppet placed its hand down on the floor and revealed a crate. Cautiously, one of the goons he hired from Junior's bar approached it, cautiously eyeing the giant monster before opening it.
"Well?" Roman asks impatiently adjusting his orange-lensed glasses. One of the goons turned around and nodded.
"Boss! We've got it!" He turns around and presents the crate to Roman. "20000 Liens' worth of Dust of varying elements, just as we were promised!"
"Finally…" Roman sighed. He glanced to his side and glanced at the building Number 15 destroyed with its whip. The entire thing was caved in, aside from the left and right walls and some parts of the ceiling as well.
"Alright boys, we're done here!" Multiple other gangsters, each with their own Duel Disks, and some with more crates of Dust, turned around to face Roman. "Now, let's get out of here before anything else happens," He says with a slight huff, tapping the earpiece. He gets a scratchy, yet playful giggle in response.
The gangsters and the monsters standing by them nodded. One by one, they each made their way to the white van parked on the vacant street. Everybody in this commercial district fled once Number 15 made it's appearance.
"Finally… Now I can go back home and drink a nice, big bottle of booze once I–" He pauses when he hears a huff from his earpiece. "I mean we obviously. We can both enjoy a nice bottle of booze."
His plans would have to wait, however. Once he reaches for the handle on the passenger's side, the entire vehicle crumples, and Roman is knocked back from the force of something landing. Once he collects himself, Roman looks up to see 'Gandora-G the Dragon of Destruction' on his ruined rental.
"You've got to be…! We've got a Duelist from the Force!" Roman yells. He jumps to the side, and his hired guns all command their monsters to attack. In a fit of rage, 'Gandora-G' roars, and the lights from the many glowing orbs all over its body shoots out multiple lasers, uprooting the street in the process. Their monsters are immediately destroyed, and their Duelists were blown backwards as well.
All that's left afterwards is a crater, steaming rock and thick clouds of smoke coming from them. Roman sighs. "So much for them…!" He groans.
Above them, Number 15 raises its whip to attack 'Gandora-G', but it pauses mid-swing. Roman lets out a grunt of confusion, and taps his earpiece. "Hey, what's going on?" He whispers into it. He only gets morse code in response.
"What do you think you're doing with that Dust?" Roman turns back around. In front of him, Yugi Muto now stands on the opposite side of the street, with 'Gandora-G'. Instead of a standard, mass-produced Duel Disk, there's a tablet-like device strapped to his wrist, with his deck slotted inside and black blade with a purple border.
"Eh, a kid…?" Roman mutters. He hears more morse code from his earpiece. He puts on a smile and twirls his cane around his wrist. "It's a bit early for you to be out of school, isn't it?" Roman taunts, poking fun at Yugi's height.
"...I'm twenty-two," Yugi blankly responds. Roman frowns at his response.
"C'mon, kid! What's a little banter between fellow Duelists, eh?" Roman asks with a playful smile.
"This is no time for banter," Yugi says. He raises his Duel Disk over his chest, and 'Gandora-G' growls at the Number looming over them. "Return that crate to its rightful owner and surrender."
"Trying to play the big hero, are ya…" Roman drawled in a bored voice. "Listen kid, there's no chance you can beat me, not with this monster on my side," he says with an eerie smile, pointing up to his Number 15. "So, why don't you skedaddle on home? I'll pretend I didn't see you, and if you do the same, nothing will happen to you. How does that sound?"
"Not a chance," Yugi says defiantly. "Your Number might seem powerful, but just like any card in Duel Monsters, it has its weakness." Roman frowns at Yugi's phrasing.
"Oh, and you think you can find my monster's weakness…?" Roman asks cautiously. To his annoyance Yugi nods. "Fine then… I suppose I'll have to wipe the floor with you first! It's your funeral kid!"
'Gandora-G' and Number 15 both disappear in a flash of light. Yugi shuffles the card into his deck, meanwhile, Roman simply places his cane on the floor and places both hands on the hook. He smiles as Yugi draws his starting hand.
Yugi Muto (4000 LP / 747 AP) VS Roman Torchwick (4000 LP / ? ? ? AP)
DUEL!
"You don't have your own deck," Yugi mentions before either of them makes a move.
"Worry about your own cards, kid," Roman says, adjusting the glasses on his nose. "Listen, since I'm so nice, why don't you start first, eh? You're going to need all the help you can get."
After a moment, Yugi nods. "Fine then. I summon 'Celtic Guard of Noble Arms'!" Yugi starts. He places the card on his Duel Disk and focuses his Aura. A bright purple glow envelops him, and then rushes into the Disk itself. It feeds the device energy, and the card reader projects the monster he just placed on the field.
An elf warrior wearing green armor and dual wielding swords appears on the field, letting out a brief shout as it lands on the ground with a very audible thud (LV 4 / 2100 ATK / 21 AP, 747 AP to 726 AP). "Once per turn, 'Celtic Guard' can summon 'Celtic Guard' monster from my hand. Come forth, 'Celtic Guardian'!" Another elf warrior, a younger one with brown sleeves and only one sword appears (21 AP to 16 AP, LV 4 / 1400 ATK).
"Now, by tribute 'Celtic Guardian', I can summon 'Silent Swordsman' from my hand!" Yugi exclaims. The elf warrior disappears, and is replaced by a light green-skinned man wearing blue and carrying a large claymore in his hand (LV 4 / 1000 ATK / 10 AP, 726 AP to 716 AP).
"I set one card face-down," Yugi says. Once he reached the end of his turn, he used more of his Aura to maintain the physical forms of his monsters (716 to 708 AP). "That ends my turn. It's your move."
"Really, that's all you can muster?" Roman taunts. "You've practically used your entire hand, and for what? Two monsters and a set? I've seen better in GOAT Format!"
"If you think my field is weak, I'd like to see you try and beat it," Yugi said calmly, not rising to meet Roman's retorts in the slightest.
"Argh, fine… I draw!" He shouts, but he doesn't even make the motion with his hands.
"During each of our Standby Phases, 'Silent Swordsman' gains 500 ATK!" Yugi quickly interrupts. The monster in question glows, and Roman initially frowns at the sight of it (10 AP to 5 AP / 1000 ATK to 1500 ATK).
"Thanks for making my job easier, punk…" Roman whispers under his breath before continuing his turn. "Once per turn, I can summon 'Gimmick Puppet Babyface' from my hand if I control no monsters!" Despite his lack of a Duel Disk, Roman smirks as a toy doll the size of a small child appears in front of him, wearing a pink frilly dress (LV 4 / 0 ATK). "Next, 'Gimmick Puppet Humpty Dumpty' will take the stage!" Another wooden doll, this time a suit-wearing man with a big red head and a small hat appears next to the one in the dress (LV 4 / 0 ATK).
"Well, that looks nothing like an egg…" Yugi quips.
"When 'Humpty Dumpty' is summoned, it can also bring along a friend to join him. So, I summon 'Gimmick Puppet Gear Changer' from my hand!" The oddest monster so far, 'Gear Changer' was nothing but a pair of blue legs and a large rotary lock with a large lever coming out of it (0 ATK / LV 1)
"Now, I will Overlay my Level 4 'Gimmick Puppets' together!" Roman says. Yugi squints, and notices that Roman doesn't even seem to be using his own Aura to create the Overlay Network. In fact, he doubts Roman has used his Aura at all. "I summon Rank 4, 'Gimmick Puppet Shattered Illusionist'!"
This new monster, unlike the others, was made of paper. It was a Mistrali-styled shadow puppet depicting a maiden sitting on the floor with a parasol over her head. The shadow extended, and with glowing red eyes, it took the form of a massive clawed figure on the wall (Rk 4 / 2000 ATK).
"When my dear 'Illusionist' is summoned, I can add a 'Puppet' Spell or Trap card from my deck or Graveyard to my hand," Roman explained. "I'll choose my 'Puppet Glass Figure'," He says. "I think I'll activate it right now!"
Yugi lets out a gasp as shattered glass begins to appear around him. "You see, for this spell to work, I have to send a 'Gimmick Puppet' monster from my deck to my hand to activate it. When I do, I can summon a 'Gimmick Puppet Glass Token' to your field. Aren't I so helpful?" Roman asks as a small glass figure of a man sitting in a chair appears between 'Celtic Guard' and 'Silent Swordsman'.
"Concerningly so," Yugi comments.
"Well, you'd be right. The card I sent was 'Rouge Doll', which returns itself to my hand when it's sent to the graveyard," Roman says. "Next, 'Rouge Doll's' effect activates. I can show you a 'Gimmick Puppet' Monster in my Extra Deck, and then, I can summon both this card, and a card whose Level is equal to that monster's rank from my deck. Now, take a gander at my 'Gigantes Doll', and come forth, 'Rouge Doll' and 'Terror Baby'!"
The outline of a conglomeration of multiple puppet bodies appeared over Roman, and when it disappeared, a doll in blood red dress coming out of a mirror (LV 8 / 400 ATK) and a dark blue baby in a monstrous stroller with arms instead of wheels (LV 4 / 500 ATK) took its place.
"And now, we're approaching the finale!" Roman chortled. "'Gear Changer' activates its effect to match the Level of 'Rouge Doll'!" The monster raises its head and pulls on the lever on the lock, causing it to shift and creak (LV 1 to LV 8). "Now… I overlay my Level 8 'Rouge Doll' and 'Gear Changer'!"
"This is it…!" Yugi takes a step back, as do his monsters when the galactic Overlay Network appears before them.
"Ruby?" Yang asks when her sister taps her shoulder.
"I can feel something… coming from over there," Ruby says. Instead of pointing to the cloud of smoke, where the bright light is coming from, she points to a construction site on the other side of the street.
"You've gotta be…!" Despite that, Yang pushes her body and her bike towards their new destination.
Yugi does not flinch as a massive pile of black limbs, pulsating a beating like a heart, appears in front of him. Slowly, they begin to untangle themselves. Roman shivers as the monster is summoned.
"Appear before us, Number 15!" He begins to chant, perfectly, her voice moving in time with the sudden twitches of the limbs. "The messenger of Hell, the puppet who controls the strings of fate!" Gears and strings snap into place, forming into a large black marionette sitting on a throne, with arms connected to strings.
"Bear witness to… Gimmick Puppet - Giant Killer!" Its emotionless face lets out a loud, low groan as it looms over Yugi and his monsters.
[Number 15: Gimmick Puppet - Giant Killer]
[Machine / Xyz / Effect]
[1500 ATK / 2500 DEF / 2 OU]
"And now… it's time to end this!" Roman shouted, his smile growing wide. "I activate Giant Killer's effect! I activate it by detaching an Overlay Unit, and targeting my 'Shattered Illusionist'!" A loud hiss came from Giant Killer's chest, and it split open, revealing a wide array of sharp buzzsaws and gears hidden inside. "Now, Giant Killer will destroy 'Illusionist', every monster you control, and then you'll take damage equal to combined ATK of destroyed monsters!"
"That's over 4000 damage…!" Yugi breathed. Roman only smirked and raised his finger to his Giant.
"That's right! Now, watch as Number 15 makes your monsters, and your Life Points, disappear!" The Overlay Unit flew into Giant Killer's circlet, spurring the monstrous puppet to action (2 OU to 1 OU). It raised it's hand and outstretched its fingers too–
"I activate 'Clear Kuriboh's effect!" Yugi said. Roman let out a choked sound as his monsters was suddenly encapsulated by a 'Kuriboh'-shaped bubble (708 to 703 AP). "It can negate your Number's effect since it would deal damage to me!"
"Oh, you little…!" Roman growled. Strings shot out from Giant Killer's fingers, but because of the bubble, they hit that and pooled on the ground uselessly. Roman adjusted his glasses, and his lips curled into a strained smile.
"Well, that's a neat trick, I suppose…" He began, voice laced with annoyance. "But you're not the only one with a few nasty surprises! Namely, I can activate Giant Killer's effect again!" Giant Killer's remaining Overlay Unit flies above its head and pops (1 OU to 0 OU / DARK).
"You may, but it won't resolve! I activate 'Fiendish Chain'!" Yugi interrupts again. As the chest begins to open, multiple black and purple chains fly out from under the monster and wrap around its body, ensnaring its arms and forcing its chest shut.
"'Fiendish Chain' not only prevents your monster from attacking, but it also negates it's effects!" Yugi explained. "But that's not all! Your Number no longer has its Overlay Units, meaning on my next turn, I can destroy it!"
"No, what…!" Roman gasped. "That's…! Why didn't you use 'Fiendish Chain' to start with!?"
"Isn't it obvious? I wanted you to use all of your Number's Overlay Units, leaving it vulnerable to me and my cards!" Roman seethed at Yugi's confidence, at his strategy.
"Oh, you little…! Getting rid of my monster will be a lot trickier than you think! 'Illusionist's' effect activates! I detach a Unit to Special Summon 'Gear Changer' to your field!" The shadowy body extended to Yugi's body, and the oddly shaped monster appeared next to the glass figure (2 OU to 1 OU, LV 1 / 0 ATK).
"Now, 'Illusionist' attacks 'Gear Changer'!" The shadow puppet's shadow became darker, and black shards of glass shot out from it that tore the monster to shreds. The explosion's shockwaves caused Yugi to skid backwards; he hissed in pain as a wave of heat pulsed through him (4000 LP to 2000 LP, 703 AP to 352 AP). His Aura shined brightly to protect him, tanking the brunt of the monster's blow to save Yugi the energy to play.
"Now, since your monster was destroyed, 'Babyface's' effect activates! 'Gear Changer' returns to your field, and then, 'Babyface' will attach itself to 'Giant Killer' as an Overlay Unit!" A dark portal appeared in front of them, and as 'Gear Changer' returned to Yugi's field, 'Babyface' flew to 'Giant Killer' and began to orbit around it. The giant monster began to shake as its divinity returned to it (0 OU to 1 OU / DIVINE & DARK).
"That's the end of my turn…!" Roman shouted in annoyance. "'Illusionist's' effect destroys 'Gear Changer'." The monster explodes, its parts scattering all over the field. Yugi nods and grabs the top card of his deck.
"Very well… I draw!" Yugi exclaimed. "Now, 'Silent Swordsman' becomes even stronger!" Yugi's monster yells, and drives its sword into the ground (1500 ATK to 2000 ATK / 5 AP to 0 AP).
"I set one card! Now, since my hand is empty, 'Celtic Guard of Noble Arms' can attack 'Terror Baby'!" The elf swordsman slides its swords against each other, causing sparks to fly, before it lunges at the monster and cuts through the stroller. Roman hisses as his Aura sparks to protect him (4000 LP to 1900 LP).
"When 'Celtic Guard' deals damage, I can draw a card for every 'Celtic Guard' monster I control!" When he glances at the card, it's as though a flip switches in his mind. "'Silent Swordsman' attacks 'Shattered Illusionist'!"
Wordlessly, the monster lunges at the shadow puppet. In retaliation, Roman's monster shoots out glass shards from its body, which 'Silent Swordsman' deflects with ease. One, whoever, manages to hit it in the shoulder. Despite that, 'Yugi's' monster still finds the strength to slash at the opposing puppet, causing both to explode.
"When 'Silent Swordsman' is destroyed, I can summon any 'Silent Swordsman' monster from my deck, ignoring its summoning conditions! Come to me, 'Silent Swordsman Zero'!" (352 AP to 347 AP). A smaller, younger, almost chibi-like version of the monster that was just destroyed appears on the field, though the sword now had a golden edge to it (LV 4 / 1000 ATK).
"Really? You went and destroyed your own monster, even though it gets stronger every turn?" Roman scoffed. "Wait a waste! You're a joke of a Duelist."
"That would be you, actually," Yugi snapped back, making Roman flinch. "Or, more accurately, you and whoever is Dueling for you. I hear no voice coming from you, or your cards. You're just lashing out; there's no nuance to your Duel, to your words, only anger and rage."
"'Voice…' Oh, don't tell me the Academies have brainwashed you with that crap about 'voice' and 'willpower'... it's all pointless dribble!" Roman groaned in annoyance. He slapped his hand over his face before continuing. "Cards can't speak, and nobody can speak for me! I can see the writing on the wall, kid."
Roman looked up at the Number, watching it struggle against the chains that held its power in check. "Tides are shifting. Soon, a whole new status quo will shift the landscape of the world… and I intend to be at the top of it!"
[A/N: This the part where you play 'Passionate Duelist'.]
"Is that what you think?" Yugi asked, before tapping a button to enter his Main Phase 2. "In that case, show me how much you believe in those hollow words! I activate the Continuous Spell, 'Shining Sarcophagus'!"
"'Shining'… what?" Roman gasped, taking a step back. Behind Yugi, a large and ornate box appears behind him, shimmering, shining as the lid opens just a crack to cause light to fly out of it (347 AP to 342 AP).
"Once per turn, 'Shining Sarcophagus' lets me add a card that specifically names it to my hand!" Yugi says. The lid opens further, and reveals a glowing demon made of bones and purple flesh (342 AP to 337 AP). "I choose 'Archfiend's Advent'! Then, since I control 'Sarcophagus', I can summon 'Archfiend' without tributing!"
Bolts of lightning strike the ground, each one blinding Roman until they stop, revealing a monster made of gold bone and with large dark blue wings (LV 6 / 2500 ATK / 25 AP, 337 AP to 312 AP).
"When it's summoned, 'Archfiend's Advent' can take control of one of your monsters!" Yugi's monster opened its mouth and howled. Roman scowled as the force shook Giant Killer, causing its massive throne to slide over to Yugi's field (25 AP to 20 AP)
"Bah, your funeral kid…" Roman scowled. He's seen what happens to people possessed by the Numbers, without something to contain its dark powers.
However, nothing happened to Yugi. Roman blinked in surprise, and even lowered his glasses. Yugi raised one hand, and for a moment, the Number 15 shone on the back of it. However, after with the low growl of a dragon, it disappeared from his hand.
"I activate my set 'Mystical Space Typhoon'! This card destroys any Spell or Trap on the field, and so it releases your Number from the chains it's bound to!" Roman cursed as a whirlwind enveloped his own monster (312 AP to 307 AP). The chain started to rust, and from that point of weakness, Giant Killer suddenly burst to life, flexing its arms and destroying them completely.
"Is there something wrong?" Yugi comments as Roman takes a step back, in fear of his own card. "Based on your wording, you seem to believe that you were going to end up at the top this 'new status quo' you proposed. Where's that confidence now?"
"You're so annoying…!" Roman hissed in annoyance. "Who says I'm not as confident as before!? So, you may be immune to the Numbers' corruption, but that doesn't mean squat if you can't use its effect."
"Really? Then let's test that theory. I activate Gimmick Puppet - Giant Killer's effect!" The Overlay Unit flew over the monster's forehead and popped, causing the chest to hiss open (1 OU to 0 OU / DARK). "I target my 'Celtic Guard of Noble Arms'! That monster alone will deal you enough damage to end this duel."
"Nice try! But it won't work, because I discard 'Effect Veiler' to negate its effect!" Roman shouted. But nothing happened. Yugi placed a hand on his hip and smirked.
"I said… I discard 'Effect Veiler' to negate it's effect!" Roman hissed, pressing his finger against the earpiece. Instead of morse code however, he received nothing but static.
"It seems your confidence just left," Yugi smirks. "Now, Giant Killer! 'Celtic Guard'!" The elf warrior nodded and jumped into the air. The chest of the Number opened completely, revealing a chest filled with buzzsaws and gears. 'Celtic Guard' transformed into energy and flew inside the chest cavity, and from it, a large cannon sprouted and took aim at Roman.
"Oh shit…" Roman muttered.
"I'm telling you, I sensed something up here!" Ruby argued as she and Yang walked over the caution tape and entered the construction site.
"You 'sensed' something, what does that even mean?" Yang hissed quietly. Despite her concerns, she followed Ruby deeper into the unfinished facility, their boots squeaking against the floor with each step they took.
"It means… I don't think that monster is actually there on the field, or– no, that doesn't make sense…!" As Ruby stumbled over her own words, Yang couldn't help but groan and slap her own face at Ruby's lack of an explanation.
"What, so you think somebody connected their Aura to a projector far away from them?" Yang asked, and Ruby turned around and nodded.
"Yes, that's exactly what I meant!" Ruby said. "And I think that someone is right here."
"Yang, that's not how Aura works…" Yang groaned. Granted, it's not like Ruby would know; as a second year, they barely got into the basics of learning how to infuse their Aura into their Duel Disks.
"But it's what I felt…! And that feeling is getting stronger!" Ruby said. She grabbed Yang's wrist and pulled her sister with her. "C'mon, it's close by!"
"What is…!?" Yang whispered again as they ran up a set of stairs. On the opposite side of the room they entered, on a window overlooking the Duel between Yugi and Roman. In front of the window was a small woman with pink and brown hair, wearing a coat and leotard and white pants. She had an illegally modified Duel Disk, and in the center Monster Zone was Number 15: Gimmick Puppet - Giant Killer.
"See, I told you!" Ruby shouted loudly, getting the attention of the small woman. Immediately, she snarls silently and tosses a throwing knife at Ruby's head.
"RUBY!" Yang pushed her out of the way, making the knife dig into her shoulder instead of through Ruby's skull. Her Aura flickered, keeping the knife from burying itself completely.
Ruby gasped as she and Yang fell to the floor. Yang quickly pushed herself up, her lilac eyes red with rage. "Oh, you BITCH!" She shouts, and pulls the knife out of her shoulder and throws it right back.
She misses, and the knife clatters uselessly almost five feet away from the small pink woman. She giggles behind her hand before slapping two cards onto her Duel Disk.
Two human-sized monsters appeared in front of Yang; both of them were black, puppet-like robots with a wide, twisted grins and right hands which had been replaced by a wickedly sharp scythe. Ruby let out a quiet 'eep!' as the two 'Gimmick Puppet Twilight Jokers' lunged at the pair.
One raised its arms and swung downwards, nearly cleaving Yang in half. The other moved behind her and slammed its non-scythe into her side and knocked her onto the ground. Before it could deal the killing blow, Ruby tackled the 'Puppet' into the ground, startling the other one.
It tried to help its brethren, but after hearing a loud shout, Yang's fist punched through the wooden puppet, which made it shatter. Once Ruby got off the second 'Twilight Joker', Yang kicked its skull in.
"Hey, don't do that again," Yang chided her sister, to which Ruby pouted.
"That thing was going to gut you! If I didn't do anything, you would've died!"
"I had everything taken care of!" Yang hissed, her eyes glowing slightly red. "I don't need anyone to protect me–!"
Before she could finish, they both heard the sound of an Overlay Network exploding behind them. The sister whirled around to see 'Gimmick Puppet Gigantes Doll' and two 'Gimmick Puppet Eggheads' staring down at them.
The pink woman smiled, and gave the girls a thumbs down. The two 'Eggheads'' mouths split open, and 'Gigantes Doll' raised its own scythe arm.
Ruby pushed herself in front of Yang, making the older girl shout. She raised her arms to protect her older sister.
A moment before the opposing Duelist snapped her fingers, a red blast of light followed by an earthquake got her attention. She turned back to her screen on the Duel Disk, and her face became pale.
Roman.
"Go, Giant Killer! Destruction Cannon!"
Red energy begins to pool in front of the cannon, forming into a large energy ball. Roman only has a moment to cross his arms over his chest before it shoots out. A red laser crashes into Roman 's chest, and he gasps in pain at the power of Neo's own Number (1900 LP to 0 LP).
His groan turns into a shout as his Aura finally gives in, shattering under the weight of Giant Killer's effect. He's launched backwards and crashes into a wall with enough force to cave it in, burying half his body in rubble and shattering his glasses.
GAME!
The monsters disappear from the field shortly thereafter, Yugi's fading away while Number 15 flickers and disappears suddenly. Yugi deactivated his Duel Disk and moved closer to apprehend him, but paused when he noticed a spark from underneath his clothing. He removed Roman's white coat, and found a mechanical vest underneath with multiple projectors on it.
"This must be how he summoned those monsters without a Disk," Yugi muttered. He undid the latches and pulled it off. "I can't have you running around with this, can I?" The metal sparked as he pried it off Roman's unconscious body. "I've already contacted the authorities, so they should be coming…!"
Yugi flinched when he heard glass shattering from above him. He looked up to see a pink and white woman falling rapidly towards him. Yugi activates his Duel Disk, and the blades clash, creating beams of light that fly off from the force of the impact. The smaller woman raises her legs and kicks Yugi in the side, making him stumble backwards.
The woman raises the card 'Violet Flash' and inserts it into her Disk. A bright violet flash fills his vision, and once it returns, Roman and the woman had disappeared.
"Oh great…" Yugi mumbled. "I just know Glynda's going to give me an earful for this one… Still, it looks like they didn't get away with the Dust."
As walked over to the crates to make sure they weren't damaged from the Duel, another thought crossed Yugi's mind. "He wanted to activate 'Effect Veiler'... she must've had it in her hands, so why didn't she play it?"
Looking over the edge of the window the small woman shattered, Ruby let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness! Yugi won!"
"Damn, I knew he was good, but good enough to avoid getting OTK'd twice?" Yang let out a low and somewhat shaky whistle. "I think he might even give Pyrrha a run for her money."
"Yeah. no kidding…" Ruby said with a nod. "In any case, let's get out of here."
"Right." Yang turned around and followed Ruby out of the room. As she did, she felt unsteady. Her legs were wobbly, hands twitchy. A-am I… shaking? Why? They got out of there okay… but…
Distracted, she bumped into something. Yang looked up, and saw the frowning face of Glynda Goodwitch staring down at the two sisters.
"Her idea, not mine," Yang said instantly, pointing to Ruby, who let out a squawk of surprise.
THE RULES OF AN ACTION DUEL
These rules apply to all cards, except "Number" Xyz Monsters, DIVINE monsters, and cards empowered by the Numeron Code.
1) AP stands for Aura Points. Summoning monsters, activating cards and their effects, and taking damage deducts AP. (AP does not actually exist as an in-universe game mechanic, it's just a way for me as a writer and to allow you the reader to quickly understand how much Aura a Duelist has left. No cards interact with AP, and AP will never be mentioned by anyone). When a person's AP reaches 0, they lose the Duel. When LP is reduced to 0, AP is automatically reduced to 0. Unlike LP, AP cannot be restored. AP will never go over 1000.
2) When a monster is Normal Summoned, or Special Summons itself without starting a Chain, the user must deduct AP equal to that monster's Original ATK/100. EX: Celtic Guard of Noble Arms has 2100 ATK. Summoning it costs 21 AP.
3) To Special Summon a monster from the Extra Deck properly (except Fusion), the user must pay AP equal to the combined Levels/Ranks/Link Ratings of the Monsters used as Material, in addition to AP equal to the monster's Original ATK/100. EX: If Spright Elf (LINK-2) and Spright Blue (LV 2) are used to Xyz Summon Gigantic Spright (1600 ATK normally, but 3200 ATK in this case since a LINK-2 was used as Material), it will cost 36 AP to do so.
4) Activating a Ritual or Fusion Spell, or effects that would Ritual or Fusion summon, costs 5 AP to activate, and then deducts 5 more AP for each monster tributed or used material. EX: It costs 5 AP to activate Mikanko Kagura. Ha-Re the Sword Mikanko and Hu-Li the Jewel Mikanko are tributed to summon Ohime the Manifested Mikanko, which costs an additional 10 AP.
5) After a monster is summoned, the AP used to summon it is transferred to that Monster.
6) Activating a card's effects costs 5 AP, regardless of what it does. When a monster would activate its effect (that starts a Chain), it will instead use the AP granted to it by the summoner to do so. However, once that monster no longer has AP, it will instead use the activator's AP. EX1: Celtic Guard of Noble Arms was summoned with 21 AP. It activates its effect to summon Celtic Guardian, so it will have 16 remaining. If Celtic Guard of Noble Arms uses its effect while it has 1 AP, it will drain 4 AP from the activator to do so. EX2: Link Spider was summoned, using Clavykis the Magikey Skyblaster as Material, with 14 AP. If Link Spider uses it's effect, it will have 9 AP remaining. EX3: Magikey Beast - Anysalabolas was summoned by activating Magikey Maftea, and using Calvykis and Magnificent Magikey Mafteal as Fusion Material, so it's summoned with 15 AP. If it uses its effect to add Maftea back to the hand, it will have 10 AP remaining
7) At the end of the turn, the turn Player must deduct AP equal to the combined Levels/Ranks/Link Ratings of all monsters they control, and an additional 5 AP for each Field Spell/Continuous Spell/Trap they control. EX: A duelist has Link Spider (LINK-1), Full Armored Black Knight Lancer (Rank 7), Ruddy Rose Dragon (Level 10), Shining Sarcophagus, and Mausoleum of White, so they must pay 28 AP during the end of their turn (there is a difference between the end of a turn and the End Phase).
8) Opponents that lose LP will have their AP be reduced by an equivalent amount. EX: A duelist has their LP reduced from 4000 to 2000. 2000 is half of 4000, so the Duelist will lose 50% of their AP (to avoid decimals, all values are rounded up).
[Number 15: Gimmick Puppet - Giant Killer]
[DARK / Rank 8]
[Machine / Xyz / Effect]
[1500 ATK / 2500 DEF]
(This card's name is also always treated as "Number 15: Gimmick Puppet Giant Grinder".)
2 Level 8 Monsters
While this Xyz Summoned card from the Extra Deck has Xyz Material, it's attribute is also always treated as DIVINE, and your opponent cannot remove this card from the field (by battle or card effect), except by "Number" Xyz monsters, DIVINE monsters, or cards empowered by the Numeron Code, also, your opponent cannot tribute this card. This effect cannot be negated. Twice per turn, during the Main Phase (Quick Effect): you can detach one material from this card, then target 1 monster in either player's field or GY; destroy that target and as many monsters your opponent controls as possible, then, inflict damage to your opponent equal to the combined ATK of all monsters destroyed by this effect. Monsters destroyed by this effect, and Xyz Materials attached to an Xyz Monster(s), do not activate their effects.
[Gimmick Puppet Babyface]
[DARK / Level 4]
[Machine / Effect]
[0 ATK / 0 DEF]
If you control no monsters, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). You can only Special Summon "Gimmick Puppet Babyface" once per turn this way. If a monster your opponent controls is destroyed: target that destroyed monster in the GY or Banishment; Special Summon that card to your opponent's field with its effects negated, and if you do, attach this card to a "Gimmick Puppet" Xyz Monster you control as Material (from your GY). You can only activate each effect of "Gimmick Puppet Babyface" once per turn.
[Gimmick Puppet Shattered Illusionist]
[DARK / Rank 4]
[Machine / Xyz / Effect]
[2000 ATK / 0 DEF]
2 Level 4 Machine Monsters, including a "Gimmick Puppet" Monster
If this card is Xyz Summoned: you can add 1 "Puppet" Spell/Trap from your deck or GY to your hand. You can detach one Xyz Material from this card to target 1 monster in either player's GY; Special Summon it to your opponent's field with its effects negated. Cards with the same name as the summoned monster are destroyed during the End Phase. You can banish this card from your GY, then target one monster you control; return it to the hand. You can only activate each effect of "Gimmick Puppet Shattered Illusionist" once per turn.
[Puppet Glass Figure]
Normal Spell
If you control an Xyz Monster: send 1 "Gimmick Puppet" card from your deck to the GY; Special Summon 1 "Gimmick Puppet Glass Token" (DARK / LV 1 / Illusion / 1000 ATK / 0 DEF) to your opponent's field in Attack Position with the following effects:
(Neither player's monsters are destroyed in battles involving this card.)
(This monster cannot be used as Fusion, Synchro, or Link material, also, it cannot be tributed.)
[Violet Flash]
Normal Spell
Apply these effects until the end of the turn. You can only activate "Violet Flash" once per turn.
(Your opponent cannot activate Spell/Traps in response to the activation of effects that would Fusion Summon a monster(s).)
(Once per turn, if you Fusion Summon a monster: you can draw 1 card.)
[A/N]
I'm pretty sure that the opening scene of RWBY is supposed to be a reference to Cowboy Bebop? that scene where spike casually walks into a liquor store being held up by thugs. But... it's cute reference, and does very little to actually to introduce Ruby as a character.
For one, if Roman's goons ignored Ruby, they would've taken off with the dust without issue. Yes, it makes sense that they did try to hold her, but if they didn't, RWBY as we know it would not have happened, but it's weird that if you just change one tiny little thing about the opening scene, the entire series doesn't happen. If anything, it does little to show how heroic Ruby is because she's not fighting the gangsters off to stop a crime; Roman instigates the conflict, so Ruby's fighting to defend herself. What sort of saves this scene is Ruby chasing after Roman, but it's still soured by the fact that Roman instigates the conflict.
Something else that kind of sours the first episode of RWBY is... why does Ruby get accepted into Beacon early? She's a decent fighter, as shown in the first fight seen, but it's vague whether or not Ruby actually stopped the robbery. Hell, the stolen dust in that scene is never referenced again. For all we know, a few goons could've carried a few crates away while she was busy defending herself.
Even if she did stop the robbery, wouldn't be a lot safer for everyone is Ruby didn't go to Beacon immediately? In canon, she's going into Beacon with two years less experience than every other character. You could argue that Taiyang, who we know works at Signal, has nothing else to teach her... but there has to be other teachers at Signal, right? There's never just one PE teacher at a school, and since training huntsmen is kind of very important, there should be more teachers to teach more advanced more combat techniques to younger students.
Hopefully, with these oddities ironed out, it will make sense as to why Ozpin will allow Ruby to tag along in adventures that she's not at all remotely prepared for.
As for the decks:
Gimmick Puppet OTK Gimmick Puppet OTK
I have an honestly no idea what deck to give Roman. I do know what to give Neo, however: Gimmick Puppets. In Zexal, they were piloted by IV who was introduced as a suave, confident yet sadistic duelist who enjoys bringing pain to the people he duels against. Sounds like a more talkative pint of ice cream, doesn't it? I also wanted to give somebody a creepier Deck, one that would more intimidate the heroes by not just the end board, but also by the uncomfortable feeling one would get by simply glancing at these twisted monsters.
Also, Neo's semblance is illusions, messing with people's heads while dealing swift blows for a quick kill. Sounds a lot similar to how Gimmick Puppet's play IRL, doesn't it? And, to play into the illusion gimmick, and because Roman doesn't have a deck yet (and also because Neo is mute) Roman effectively Duels for her while she's playing her cards somewhere else.
Her ace monster is Number 15: Gimmick Puppet - Giant Killer. Whether she has Number 40 or Number 88 is up to your own interpretation, but needless to say she will be using those down the line.
Predictably, Yugi plays 'Shining Sarcaphogus', a series of retrained cards that he used during the ceremonial duel against Atem, as well as cards both he and the Atem hologram plays during DSOD. Also, because Yugi is Yugi, he has incredible top-decking ability. While he's not so powerful that he can effectively will any cards he needs, Yugi will have the tendency to top-deck the right card at the right time.
Yugi's ace is Gandora-G the Dragon of Destruction, and he also runs a copy of Gandora-X the Dragon of Demolition.
K bye.