[A/N]
Waiter! Waiter! Slice of life, please!
This chapter focuses on Blake, and an intro to the White Fang subplot. I've changed a few things, be warned. But uh, she doesn't duel today. So sorry!
Speaking of Dueling, Ruby hasn't won once yet. She currently has 1 DNF, one draw, and one loss. Next chapter, we're going to be bumping up her win/loss ratio! In the form of a salty runback, hehehe…
Anyways, let's open the game.
Duel 10
Keys the Ruin
Another day, another set of notes to drill into her mind.
Blake was under no illusion that the classes at Beacon would be easy. She would know; even in her first year, the midterm season was enough to get her addicted to coffee, sadly. Who knew explaining the different conjunctions in card text would take an entire essay question. And her frustrations grew steadily.
For example; Weiss. Also, Numbers.
Blake could deal with Weiss and her bad attitude. She's a faunus; she's dealt with people trying to grab her tail, kick her out of bookstores and just be assholes towards her because her dad, according to them, mingled with a cat. It's the same song and dance whenever she leaves campus. She can deal with all that nonsense.
When Ruby dueled Yang earlier this week, she felt helpless. It's a feeling she despises to her very core. When Blake joined him on his folly, bloody crusade, it was because she didn't want anyone else to feel that way, herself especially. It felt good… for a while. Then, everything started to feel wrong. 'Bystial Dis Pater's' yells of rage no longer brought her satisfaction. Watching guards cower from the sharp thorns of her 'Rose Dragon' didn't feel empowering.
Watching his 'Bystials' rip and tear through metal and secure supplies for their less fortunate friends and family back home didn't bring her the same sense of comfort as before. The more she and the rest of the White Fang ventured further from Kua Kuana (FUCK whoever decided to call it "Menagerie"), the more… uglier it became.
She thought by coming to Beacon, Blake would be able to rest. Find her own way to help way everyone back home. And maybe… maybe even find someway to calm the ever burning rage in Adam's heart. Maybe it's all a Numbers' doing? If one can warp Yang's protectiveness of Ruby into something darker, then perhaps the same can be said for other desires and emotions
Something to think about later. Especially with the other factoid that their lives are in danger now, and Blake's as well, by mere association. She's no stranger to life-threatening danger. Wandering the countryside with everyone else, had come into contact with Grimm, mercenaries, and traffickers of all kinds.
But she's not dealing with mere humans anymore. These Numbers are more than just a terrible person, or a soulless monster.
Blake shook her head. "I'll have the mac & cheese, please, two of them," She told the poor, underpaid chef working at Beacon's lunchroom, who had been waiting for Blake to say her order for the past five minutes. The wrinkly lady grunted and plopped two bowls onto Blake's tray.
Her tail twitched as she walked out of the line, hearing the disgruntled whispers of the others in line. Maybe I shouldn't have gone existential in line… Blake sighed as she began to walk back to the nurses office.
On the way there, her amber eyes blinked as she saw a brown pair of bunny ears walking away between the crowd of people in the cafeteria. "Isn't that…?" Blake muttered to herself. Out of curiosity, she decided to make a small detour.
As she suspected, the person she was following was Velvet Scarlatina, Ruby's friend. "Hey!" She called out to the rabbit faunus, startling her.
"Waaaah!" Velvet whirled around and held out a card in front of her, 'Grandpa Gepetto'. Once she realized she wasn't in danger yet, Velvet slowly opened her eyes and breathed out a sigh of relief when she saw Blake. "Oh, it's just you, ha haaaa…" She laughed awkwardly. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
"Sorry about that…" Blake said with a shrug. Velvet, unlike Ruby, was wearing an OSIRIS Red uniform. "You have classes with Ruby, right?" She asked, and Velvet nodded. "Good. I wanted to ask if you delivered her homework to her yet?"
This time, Velvet shook her head. "I-I have it with me right now, but…" Velvet's voice trailed off as she put over her mouth. Blake's tail twitched.
"Something wrong?" The cat faunus asked.
"Yeah… I have a friend in my Arithmetic class. We went to the same highschool," Velvet began to explain, looking around the room to make sure that no one else was listening. "He's been acting weird these last two days." That caused Blake's eyes to widen.
"How so?" Blake asked, her cat ears pointing straight up. Velvet noticed this, but didn't say anything about it.
"Well… he's acting less invested than normal. That's the best way to describe it," Velvet said, making Blake raise an eyebrow. "Well, he's not very emotional, and he's kind of deadpan, but you can usually tell there's a sincerity from him." She let out a sigh and looked at her feet. "That sincerity… I can feel it dwindling."
"I see…" Blake murmured slowly. "Well, we should go to Ruby and Yang first. Then, I'll help you with your friend, okay?" She suggested, making Velvet smile.
"Really? You mean it?" The rabbit asked hopefully. Blake nodded and smiled.
"Definitely. Let's go."
After bringing Yang and Ruby their food and work, Velvet led Blake down the first-years' male dorm building. "Over here. His roommate should've left by now," Velvet said. Blake followed her, eventually reaching a door at the end of the hall.
"Excuse me…?" Timidly, Velvet knocked on the door and waited for a response. "Alister? Are you in there?" Blake's ears twitched when she heard a soft grunt coming from the other side of the door, a sound so faint that had she not been a Faunus, she might not have heard. "Okay, we're coming in."
Velvet pushed the door open. Laying on their bed was a boy with short gray hair and intense yellow eyes staring at the ceiling. Their RA Yellow uniform was unbuttoned, revealing a brown shirt underneath. Interestingly, he had dark grey, almost black markings running from the bottom eyelids to the bottom of his chin.
"Alister?" Velvet murmured as the pair walked inside the room. The boy on the bed barely reacted to them. He wordlessly watched them. "Hi… I'm not bothering you, am I?" Velvet asked.
Alister shook his head. "No. You're good," he muttered. He sounded quiet, downcast. Velvet just nodded.
"Right…" She turned around to Blake. "This is Alister Nero. Alister, this is–!" She tried to say.
"Blake Belladonna," he interrupted. Blake flinched slightly at the sound of his voice.
"Oh! You two already know each other?" Velvet asked.
"No," Alister shook his head, though he kept his eyes on Blake. "I saw her at a tournament once. Managed to catch her name tag," Was all he said. He then smiled lazily at her. "Did I scare ya?"
"A-a little, yes," Blake nodded. "Sorry, but I don't remember you. Uh, did we Duel against each other at some point?" She asked, and Alister shook his head.
"I was on the other side of the venue, actually," He said, and then he pointed to his eyes and the black stripes under them. "I'm a falcon faunus, a peregrine falcon if I'm going to be specific. Instead of getting anything cool, like talons or feathers… I got these things. Makes my vision really good, and cuts back on sun glare," he explained quickly.
"Really?" Blake asked, almost impressed if it weren't for one simple fact; she's been to tournaments, yes, but not in Vale. Not anywhere near this city. Good eyesight or not, she hasn't written her name on anything during her time with the White Fang either. He shouldn't know who she is.
His face returned to that impassive, flat expression "Makes for cool party tricks, sometimes," Alister shrugged. "So, did you girls need anything, or…?" He then asked.
Blake nodded. "Alister, you've been acting odd lately," Velvet said. "I'm getting worried."
Alister's expression didn't change. "I think I'm fine," he murmured. Blake frowned.
"Did you… meet with someone a few days ago?" She asked, to which Alister shook his head.
"Unless you mean anyone aside from Velvet or my roommate, no," Alister said. He crossed his arms and said, "Talking to people… is scary," before nodding. "I just went to class, talked to Velvet in the hallways, then came right back here."
"Fair enough," Blake said, raising her arms in defeat, unsatisfied with his answer.
"Is that all?" He asked Blake and Velvet.
"What about group chats?" Velvet asked. That got a reaction from Alister, a miniscule one, his eyes twitched. He seemed to notice, as he sat straight on the mattress, posture defensive.
"No," He said after a second. "Is that all? Or, are you going to ask if some notes were passed to me during class or something," he chuckled.
"Who passes notes these days? I don't even think that's something our parents did," Velvet muttered. She shook her head to rid herself of that thought before continuing. "So, you're absolutely sure nothing happened?"
"Positive," Alister nodded.
"Okay… if you say so," Velvet sighed. "We'll get out of your hair, then. Bye, Alister," She said as she turned around and left the room.
"It was nice meeting you, Alister," Blake said, waving at him half heartedly as she followed Velvet out.
"You too, Belladonna," Alister says. Blake doesn't say anything as she shuts the door behind her.
"So, now what?" Velvet asked, getting Blake's attention away from Alister's words. "Clearly, somebody has to have been talking about him behind his back… but how're we supposed to figure who's doing so?"
"I've got some ideas," Blake said. "Have you ever been to the Game Room before?"
"Woah…" Velvet gasped softly as Blake pushed the glass sliding doors apart for them.
They entered a large room hidden in one of the many corners of the Beacon campus. There were some people already inside; near the entrance were a few tables set for pool and table tennis. A closet off to the side was filled with all sorts of boardgames, ranging from Battleship to Connect 4. Near the back, however, were two rows of PC monitors hooked up to towers glowing with neon RGB lights.
"Since when did this place exist…?" Velvet asked. Blake shrugged.
"Not sure; apparently, some other students got tired and set up this place in one of the empty rooms between classes," Blake started to explain as she pulled Velvet along to the back. "The school found it, shut it down, but after grades started to decline, they officially reinstated it."
Velvet blinked. "Like, did their grades actually fall, or did they stop doing work?"
"Good question," Blake unhelpfully answered. "Point is, there's PCs. And where there's PCs, there's Discord."
"Y-you're going to hack into someone's Discord…?" Velvet asked, sounding almost offended by the comment.
"No, not that," Blake reassured her. She reached one unoccupied monitor and turned it on. "A lot of people can't be bothered to remember their usernames or passwords, so they're saved onto the monitor instead."
Velvet blinked. "Really…?"
Blake nodded. "So technically, it's not hacking." She turned the computer, humming to herself as typed 'Discord' into the search bar. "See, look at all these saved usernames and passwords."
"This still feels wrong…" Blake just shrugged.
"Not my problem that they saved their accounts here." Blake moved around so that Velvet could see the screen. "Even more embarrassing is that some people used their school emails… Does anyone's names look familiar here?"
Blake scrolled down the list of emails, and Velvet took a step closer to examine the names. "Nope. Not him, no, that looks like a pseudonym… wait! Hit up twice." Blake did so, and Velvet pointed to the screen.
"Whose that?" Blake asked. The email highlighted had the name 'Alya Phoenix'.
"I don't know her personally… but she's in my and Alister's class. A second-year. I've seen her take her phone out in class, sometimes," Velvet said. "She sits in front of us
"Then… I suppose it's important to ask how good his eyesight is, then," Blake asked. She looked at Velvet expectantly.
"He said that he focuses, he can spot things up to one or two miles away," Velvet told Blake, which made the cat faunus' tail stiffen.
"Ah…" Blake shook her head. "'Alya Phoenix', hmm…?" She hit the enter key and logged into the girls Discord account. "Doesn't look like there's anything damning here…" Blake murmured as she scrolled through DMs and other channels. "Probably on another platform, then. Do you know where Alya hangs out, or any other socials she has?"
"No, not really…" Velvet shook her head. "I don't spend much time on social media."
"Good," Blake stood up and turned off the monitor. "About the social media thing, not this," She quickly clarified. "Guess the only thing to do is to look her up online and see what pops up."
"She's probably going to have her accounts private," Velvet asked, as Blake typed into the search engine once more. "And… honestly, this feels like we've been digging too much into this–"
"Found her. Everything unprivated," Blake said. Velvet let out a small groan as Blake began to look through the posts "Nothing, just replays and combos, like most Beacon Students…"
"She's a faunus," Velvet said. From the photos, they learned Alya had blonde hair and red eyes. Also, coming out of her lower back was a long, leather tail with green scales with two sets of spikes running up it and her lower back. Her teeth also looked sharper.
"A crocodile, by the looks of it," Blake hummed.
"What if she's an alligator?"
"No, alligators don't have tails that wide," Blake said.
"Okay." As Blake continued to go through the photos, Velvet watched from behind. She idly tapped her fingers on the top of Blake's seat, hoping that they wouldn't get in trouble from doing this. However, after a moment of search, her eyes widened.
"Oh… no…" Velvet whispered.
Blake's ear twitched. Velvet swallowed, and instinctively reached up to grab her ears defensively. "Him…" She pointed to a boy with a mohawk next to Alya, his arm wrapped around another boy; they were all smiling.
"He pulled on my ears. Called them gross," Velvet hissed angrily. Blake placed a hand on her shoulder and looked up at her with sympathy in her eyes. "He hung out with Cardin. What's he doing with her…?"
"Not sure. It doesn't look photoshopped, or like he's forcing her to do anything…" Blake murmured. She hummed and placed a hand on her chin. "When do you have your next class with her?"
"Uh… I think in fifteen minutes." Blake nodded.
"I don't have my next class for a while. I'll follow you there, and talk to Alya in the hallway. Got it?"
"Oh, okay…" Velvet nodded. "Follow me, then. It's a bit of a long walk from here, so we should go now."
Blake nodded. She shut off the monitor and followed Velvet out of the room.
Blake awkwardly waited outside the lecture hall. Thankfully, there was nobody present in the halls just yet, so she's not embarrassed yet. She crosses her arms over her chest, fingers idly tapping on her bicep as she waits.
She doesn't wait long, as only a few moments when her inner thoughts are scattered by the door opening beside her. Students, young and slightly less young, walked out, some with bored expressions and others that looked exhausted and tired. There were a few faunus in the mix, some with animal-like ears, others with odd eyes or teeth.
The one Blake was most interested in, however, had walked out with Velvet. She and Alya were muttering to each other, both with placid expressions on their faces. Alya's long tail swished against the ground audible as she walked.
"Hey," Blake said, walking up to the faunus pair. Alya blinked slightly.
"Alya, this is who I wanted you to meet," Velvet said, presenting the cat to the crocodile. "This is Blake Belladonna, a second year."
Blake offered the other faunus a nod and her hand. "It's nice to meet you." Alya flinched slightly, but shook it. Her grip was strong. Blake almost grits her teeth
"Hey," Alya says simply, gazing at Blake with slitted eyes. "You guys… wanted to talk about something?"
"That's right. See, a friend of ours has been acting off lately. They haven't been to classes since the second day of the term," Blake lied. Velvet looked at her with a bewildered expression, but Blake didn't comment on it. She was more focused on the way Alya stiffened. "So, we were asking around if you might know… what might have happened?"
Alya turned to Velvet, then Blake. She blinked before coughing into her fist. "Uh… no, not really. I don't even know who you're talking about."
"Alister Nero. The guy with markings on his face," Velvet clarified, pointing under her own eyelids. Alya didn't stiffen this time, but it's clear she's on edge.
"Him…" She murmured under her breath. "I don't know who you're talking about. I've never seen the guy before…" Alya let out a grunt and wiped her mouth with her arm. "I don't know about people talking about him. So…" She just shrugged. "Sorry."
"Oh…" Velvet muttered. "That's okay."
Blake nodded. "If you learn something, can you make sure to tell us?" She asked.
Alya nodded, but the movement was stinted. "Sure. I'll tell you." The three faunus awkwardly stood together for a moment before Alya pointed her thumb before her. "Welp… I'm going now, bye."
As Alya walked away, Blake and Velvet glanced at each other. For a moment, their combined brain cells sparked to life.
"Follow her?" Velvet asked.
"Follow her," Blake nodded. Once Alya rounded the corner, the two faunus followed after her.
After making sure nobody had been following, Alya quickly made her way towards an unoccupied Duel Field. She swipes her scroll against the reader, unlocking the door. She pushes it open and walks inside.
In the middle of the arena was Russel Thrush. With a grunt, Alya walks up the steps, her frowning deepening the closer she got it.
"Wah, who the heck are–!" Russel said once he heard the door open. Before it could audibly close, Blake shoots out her hand and keeps it open, allowing her and Velvet to squeeze inside before it could close. "Oh… it's Lizard Breath, ha ha!" Velvet opens her Scroll, turns on the camera feature, and begins recording.
"Funny…" Alya grumbles. "Look, Russel… I think we need to stop this," She says, making the human grunt.
"Eh, why?" Russel grunts. "Everybody needs to know there's a cheater in our midst! I'm not stopping 'till he's kicked out."
"Cheater…?" Blake whispers. She looks down at Velvet, and she shrugs.
"Russel…" Alya mutters briefly, but the boy doesn't let her argue.
"'Sides…" He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "I said I'd lend you the money to buy that drawing tablet, right?" Alya hisses at the contact, and looks away.
"Well…!" Alya's large tail slaps against the ground, making Russel flinch.
"I know you and your family aren't that well off," Russel continues, saying nothing as Alya pushes him away. "They spent a fortune just to send you here, right? It's better this way. With my help, now you don't have to inconvenience them."
Blake's eyes become slitted. She's about to march off and pummel Russel, but Velvet holds her back. The rabbit faunus brings a finger to her lips. Blake snarls but nods.
"I guess… you're right…" Alya says defeatedly.
"And besides, the 'Alister' guy? Hah, with eyes that good, there's no way he doesn't cheat!" Russel says, clenching his fist. "It's better this way. We can't have someone like him sullying our school's good name, right?"
Alya doesn't respond immediately, which makes Russel frown. "Hey, don't give me that look. I just want this school free of blemishes! Alister just happens to be a faunus, so don't take this personally okay?"
"Easy for you to say," Alya hisses, narrowing her eyes at the boy. "You didn't go around starting rumors and group chats to slander him."
"What does that have to do with anything? He was going to cheat eventually, it's only a matter of time!" Russel huffs in annoyance. "Really, you're making this seem like a big deal than it really is."
"Who is going to do what, exactly?" Russel lets out a shriek as Blake and Velvet make themselves known, fully stepping into the room. Blake looks furious, her tail swishing dangerously and ears pinned down on her as Velvet follows behind her.
"Oh, you…!" Russel realizes when Velvet glares at him.
"We heard everything," Blake hissed, staring at both Alya and Russel with contempt. "You're a real piece of shit, you know that? Bribing Alya, slandering Alister, trying to make people turn against him when he hasn't done jack shit!"
"What are…?" Russel seethes and grabs Alya by the collar. "Did you tell them!? Tell me!?"
"I-I didn't!" Alya said, grabbing Russel's arm and squeezing. He whines and pulls his hand away. "They probably followed me or something, I dunno!"
"Why are you two being so secretive?" Velvet asked, sounding angrier than ever before. "Talking about something we shouldn't be hearing?" Russel hisses and shakes his head.
"N-no, of course not!" He tries to say. So, Velvet raises her scroll, a bored expression on her face and presses the play button. Russel's face turns red as he hears his own voice come from the scroll.
"Oh no, we've been caught…" Alya grunted, making Russel seethe.
"Oh, don't act so nonchalant! You lizard ass on the line too!" Russel said, making the crocodile faunus flinch. "Go ahead. Show that video to the Headmaster. Post that video for all I care." Russel crossed his arms and smirked. "At least, I won't go down alone, right?"
Blake grit her teeth. "You scumbag…" She began to pull out her Duel Disk, but before she did, she heard Velvet gasp. Turning around, she saw Alister walk into the room with a flat expression on his face.
"Alister! What are you doing here?" Velvet asked in disbelief.
"I wondered why you two were following her," He said, nodding his head to Alya.
"I knew it!" Russel shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at Alister. "Your eyesight is way too good! You could spy on others' hands, can't you!"
Alister shrugged. "If I felt like it, I guess I could," He muttered, which made Russel laugh.
"He's not even trying to deny it!" Russel shouted. "Ohhhh, ho ho, you are so going to get it!"
"Now, hold on a moment," Alister then said, reaching into his pockets. "Really, even if I did cheat… would it matter?" A small smirk crossed his lips as Russel raised an eyebrow.
"Surely, a dirty cheater like myself would stand no chance against someone with your skill, right…?"
"O-Of course!" Russel huffed. Alya stepped away from him. "A dirty cheater like you has no chance against raw talent!"
Alister huffed. Blake's eyes widened as he took out a pair of odd-looking glasses, one with dark lens and a beak-shaped bridge. "Yeah, some people thought I would cheat. I got these when I first started school, y'know. All the way in first grade."
Blake shuddered. "Those glasses… restrict your vision, don't they." Velvet bit her lip. Slowly, Alister nodded.
Still, the falcon faunus put them on, grimacing to himself as darkness clouded his vision. Everything nearly turned pitch-black; he had to focus hard just to see Blake standing beside him, and it was starting to strain his eyes. "Let's go a round, huh? The playing field is even now."
"Alister, wait!" Blake said, placing her hand on faunus' shoulder. "You don't have to put those on! I can tell how much you hate them, how much you want to take them off. Forget about this. We can just take the video to Ozpin and explain everything…!"
Alister regarded her briefly, but shook his head. "No. That asshat didn't just insult me, he insulted my pride as a Duelist. I can't let that slide," He whispered in a deadpan voice.
"So, here's the deal," Alister said, taking a step away from Blake. "You win, I'll wear these glasses everyday during class. I won't take them off until I return to my dorm room."
"And if you win…?" Russel asked. Alister shrugged.
"Do a funny dance in the middle of the cafeteria, I don't care." At his nonchalant answer, Alya bit her lip.
"Why don't you make him tell the truth instead…" She suggested. "Maybe…"
"The damage has already been done," Alister shrugged. "Nothing will change people's opinion of me. I'd rather embarrass him then go for some petty revenge, y'know."
"That… is petty revenge, though," Velvet murmured.
"Anyways!" Alister looked up at Russel. "Do we have a deal?"
"Yes, we do!" Russel took out his Duel Disk and strapped it to his arm. With a smirk, Alister walked up the stairs, expression flat. "I can't wait to kick your teeth in!"
Alister didn't respond as he put his own Duel Disk on. From the sidelines, Blake, Velvet, and Alya all watched as pushed his deck inside. Blake grit her teeth in annoyance, wishing she could do more to help than just watch idly by the sidelines.
She looked to the ground in shame as the Duel began.
Alister Nero (4000 LP) VS Russel Thrush (4000 LP)
DUEL!
"Since it's my vision that's impaired, I'll be the one going first, 'kay?" Alister said as he drew his hand. "Now…" He glanced at his hand, tapping his arm against his thigh as he struggled to read the cards. "I summon 'Time Thief Winder'!" He said. The Disk flared to life, and the monster that appeared was some sort of an old phone-like device in the shape of a dog (LV 4 / 600 ATK).
"Alister, you summoned 'Regulator'!" Velvet called out. Russel blinked, and Alister slapped his hand against his face.
"Really…? I guess I must've misread the card…" He bemoaned.
"Ha! This is easier than I thought it would be!" Russel said.
"What are you talking about! This isn't fair!" Blake shouted angrily, clenching her fist. "Cancel this Duel! Alister's practically blind!"
"No, we're going!" Alister said. "I can work with this, anyways. I activate 'Regulator's' effect by tributing it!" The buttons on the phone pressed inwards, and the machine disappeared in a sparkle of lights.
"As if! I activate the effect of 'Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring' from my hand!" Russel said. As he discarded the card, an apparition of a small girl surrounded by pink petals appeared. The petals swiftly moved towards Alister, but he smirked.
"In that case… I chain 'PSY-Framegear Gamma' from my hand!" Alister said, raising a card in his hand. Russel gasped and took a step back. "I don't control monster, so, I can use 'Gamma' to summon itself and a 'PSY-Frame Driver' from my Hand, Deck or GY, and then negate 'Ash Blossom's' effect."
"Shit…!" The storm of petals was blocked by a green shield. With a snap of finger, green electricity fried the petals and the girl, revealing a man with green skin and a dark blue and white jumpsuit (LV 6 / 2500 ATK), and a white and gold helmet with two large horns on either side of the head (LV 2 Tuner / 0 DEF).
"And then, with 'Regulator's' effect, I can summon 'Time Thief Winder' and 'Time Thief Adjuster' from my deck!" Alister continued. Multiple spectral clocks appeared next to the newly summoned Psychic monsters, which opened portals to allow female scientist with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a pink bow (LV 4 / 1800 DEF) to appear alongside a man with grey hair and a blue scarf (LV 4 / 1800 ATK).
"When 'Winder' is summoned," Alister said, pointing to the man, "I can search another 'Time Thief' monster from my deck, and when 'Adjuster' is summoned, I can mill a 'Time Thief' monster. I add another 'Adjuster', and mill 'Time Thief Bezel Ship'." His deck shuffled automatically, and he placed one card in the graveyard and revealed the other.
"Now, I build the Overlay Network with 'Time Thief Winder' and 'Time Thief Perpetua'!" The two humans smirked and activated a device built into their gloves. Multiple holographic clocks appeared around them as they transformed into twin orbs of dark energy. "I Xyz Summon 'Time Thief Redoer'!"
As the Network exploded, it somehow paused, and then began to go reverse. It imploded, and from the ashes, a tall, well-dressed man with white hair in a black and purple coat, with a large black cape that was red on the inside, a monocle over it's right eye, and a glowing light blue orb on the mechanical glove on it's left hand appeared (RK 4 / 2000 ATK / 2 OU).
"When a 'Time Thief' monster is summoned, I can summon 'Time Thief Adjuster' from my hand," Alister said, bringing out a second copy of the female scientist in pink (LV 4 / 1800 DEF). "From my grave, 'Bezel Ship's' effect activates. I can detach one material from 'Redoer' to Special Summon it." 'Redoer' raised his hand, which caused one Overlay Unit to fall into the orb on his glove (2 OU to 1 OU). He swiped his hand, creating a portal next to that allowed a thin, silver ship with large yellow thrusters to land next to him. (LV 4 / 2000 DEF).
"Now, I'll Link Summon by using 'Time Thief Adjuster' and 'PSY-Framegear Gamma'. The Link Materials required are simply two monsters, so long as they aren't Tokens." 'Adjuster' raised her gloved hand, and green electricity began to spark from underneath 'Gamma's' headpiece. Both monsters turned into code, and flew into the circuit board. "I Link Summon 'PSY-Framelord Lambda'!"
Like 'Driver', 'Lambda' was a green skin humanoid, however, it looked smaller and thinner, and didn't have as much of a wide smirk. It wore pieces of the 'Framegear' armor, most notably having 'Gamma's' mask on top of its head (LINK-2 / 1700 ATK).
"Normally, the 'Framegears' can't activate their effects unless my Monster Zones are empty. However, 'Lambda' circumvents that restriction, so I can use them whenever I want," Alister explained, making Russel grit his teeth.
"I enter the End Phase." Alister says. "Due to 'Gamma's' effect, 'Driver' is banished." The Psychic monster disappears, the green sparks fading away weakly. "However, since a monster was banished, and it's now my End Phase, 'Lambda's' effect activates, letting me add a 'PSY-Frame' card from my deck to my hand. I choose 'Framegear Beta'. I set 1 card. I end my turn."
Russel lets out an annoyed grunt. "Haaa…"
"So, he can effectively use the 'Framegears' anytime he wants?" Alya whispers to Velvet, which makes the girl shake her head.
"In order for them to negate, they need to summon 'Driver'," Velvet explains quietly so that Russel couldn't hear them. "They can't bring it back from the banishment, though, so he can only use two more."
Blake lets out a silent hiss.
"Alright, it's my turn. Draw!" Russel says. Alister snaps his fingers.
"During the Standby Phase, 'Redoer' can take the top card of your Deck and attach it to itself as Material." Russel grunts, but he takes the top card and places it away. A holographic copy of the card he took appeared in Alister's hand, which he placed under 'Redoer' (1 OU to 2 OU). "'Machina Gearframe'...?"
"Is that all? Good. Now, I activate the Quick-Play Spell 'Urgent Schedule'! With this, I can summon a Level 4 or Lower and a Level 5 or Higher EARTH Machine my deck in defense mode, but their effects are negated. I summon 'Machina Citadel' and 'Machina Gearframe'!" Alister grunted as he heard the loud blare of a train's whistle. As the sound ends, to mechanical figures appear on Russel's field; one is an thin and orange humanoid robot with thin limbs (LV 4 / 0 DEF), and a much larger, more imposing light-blue robot with four legs with tank treads, a chainsaw on the right arm, and a rail cannon on the left (LV 10 / 2500 DEF).
Alister grunted. "I activate the effect of 'Time Thief Bezel Ship!" He interrupted. "By tributing it, I can attach your 'Urgent Schedule' to 'Redoer' as Material!" Russel grunted. Again, he took away the card, and watched as Alister placed a hologram copy under 'Redoer' (2 OU to 3 OU).
"And, now that I control only EARTH Machine monsters, I can bring out this monster! 'Super Express Bullet Train'!" Russel says. A portal opens up, revealing a slim and fast moving express train with two large thrusters on each side (LV 10 / 3000 ATK).
"Now, I overlay my Level 10 'Citadel' and 'Bullet Train'!" Russel exclaimed, raising his hand to the sky. I Xyz Summon 'Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Gustav Max'!"As the network exploded, the harsh sound of steel-on-steel pierced the room, nearly damaging each of the faunus ears.
Alister looked up and narrowed his eyes to see through the constant darkness his glasses assaulted him with. Above him loomed a massive green train (to Blake, it rivaled the sheer size of the Numbers) that was nearly the size of the room they were in. It was big and so large, the hologram couldn't even fit completely, causing most of the upper half and the sides to awkwardly clip through the walls (Rk 10 / 3000 ATK / 2 OU).
"I activate 'Gustav Max's' effect! By detaching a Unit, I can inflict 2000 damage to you!"
"Alister!" Velvet cried out, worried. The green parts of 'Gustav Max' began to hiss as they slid apart and opened apart. A few seconds later, a large cannon barrel pointed down at the falcon faunus, and an Overlay Unit flew inside (2 OU to 1 OU). Alister crossed his arms and yelled as the cannon fired, the bullet crashing into the ground and exploding (4000 LP to 2000 LP).
"How do you like that, huh?" Russel asked as the digital smoke fizzled away. Alister grunted and pushed himself back onto his knees, smoke rising from his clothes.
"That tickled," Alister grunted.
Russel let out an annoyed grunt. "You're so annoying! I summon 'Infinitrack Harvester'!" His next machine was a large farm machine made of yellow metal and glowing with light blue lines of energy running up and down its body (LV 2 / 0 ATK). "When 'Harvester' is summoned, I can search for an 'Infinitrack' monster from my deck, 'Brutal Dozer'. And, I can then summon it by tributing 'Gearframe'!" The humanoid orange robot disappeared, and taking its place was a weaponized bulldozer made of black steel and glowing purple lights (LV 5 / 2100 DEF).
"When 'Brutal Dozer' is summoned, I can also summon 'Infinitrack Trencher' from my deck!" The bulldozer surged forwards and scooped up pieces of the floor, allowing 'Trencher' to break through the ground and place itself next to 'Dozer' (LV 5 / 2400 DEF).
"And now, I'll use my two 'Infinitracks' to Link Summon! This monster uses two EARTH Machines, and 'Dozer' and 'Trencher' are well worth the price! I Link Summon 'Double Headed Anger Knuckle'!" Another large train appeared on the field, one made of bronze and with two mechanical arms coming out of the sides (LINK-2 / 1500 ATK).
"I activate 'Anger Knuckles' effect by discarding my 'Machina Ruinforce'!" Russel continues. "Now, I can revive my 'Machina Citadel'!" The large, armed train slams its hand into the ground, bringing back the large robot from earlier, the one used to Xyz Summon 'Gustav Max' and fuel its effect (LV 10 / 3000 ATK).
"Now, I'll activate 'Citadel's' effect! I target my 'Gustav Max', then every monster you control with less than ATK then it will be blown up!" Russel laughs. Alister eyes' widens beneath his glasses as 'Citadel' raised its gun arm, placing the barrel on 'Gustav Max's' frame.
"I activate 'Time Thief Redoer's' effect! Now, I can detach one material for each of the three main card types! Your 'Urgent Schedule' and 'Machina Gearframe'!" As 'Citadel' began to surge with power, 'Redoer' raised his hand, and the two units fell into the orb on his glove (3 OU to 1 OU). "Now, since I detached a Spell and Monster Card, 'Redoer' will banish itself, and let me draw a card!"
As he did, Alister glanced at the card and let out a sigh. 'Redoer' disappeared, and 'Citadel' pointed its gun forehead. 'Gustav Max' dissolved and flowed into the large gun. 'Citadel' then aimed at Alister's field and fired, releasing a massive yellow energy beam at 'Lambda'.
"Yes, alright!" Nero says as the thick cloud envelops 'Alister's' side of the field. "With that, your Life Points are wide open!"
"Alister!" Velvet cries once more as the blast covers him completely.
"Dammit! 'Lambda' was the only monster on his field!" Alya hisses as the fireball begins to die out. "Unless he has another trick up his sleeve, he's done for!"
"Please! There's no way he was anything else!" Russel jeers. "He's got nothing! No monster's to protect him anymore! So now, I'll… Wh-WHAAAAAT!?"
Blake's eyes turn to where Russel was looking at. Her eyes widen as 'Lambda's form peaks out from the veil of smoke, unharmed. Alister, meanwhile, is smirking. "The card I drew with 'Redoer's' effect… was 'PSY-Frame Multi-Threader'!" Alister reveals, discarding the card from his hand. "I can discard it to prevent 'Lambda's' destruction…!"
Russel lets out a scoff. "Also, since a 'Redoer' is a Psychic monster, 'Lambda's' effect activates, letting me add a 'PSY-Frame' Monster to my hand during the End Phase," Alister continues, smirking at his opponent's growing frustration.
"Well… So what!? You're still going to lose this turn! Want to know why? Well…!" Russel took three cards from his graveyard. "By banishing my two 'Machina Gearframes' and my 'Infinitrack Brutal Dozer' to summon 'Machina Ruinforce'!"
Alister hissed as the ground began to shake and crack. Next to 'Citadel', the ground caved, and two large claws made of black steel grabbed the edges. A large, monstrous tank pulled itself out, one covered in a ferocious black aura and illuminated by gleaming red lights. The claws had turrets underneath them, and lower arms had a sniper rifle and a serrated blade. Above those was a long cannon, which slowly lowered and pointed directly at Alister's head (LV 10 / 4600 ATK).
"W-wait, how much attack does that thing have…!?" Alya gasped as the informational blurb disappeared. "That's enough to take him out four times over!"
"Forget that, it's enough to win a Duel on its own!" Blake said. She looked, worried as the mechanical menace rolled forwards.
"Let's end this!" Russel shouted, his declaration causing his monsters to rise and power up. "I enter the Battle Phase! 'Machina Ruinforce', attack 'PSY-Framelord Lambda'!" The oppressive aura around Ruinforce heightened as its weapons began to glow. Alister flinched, but remained calm.
"In that case, I'll activate 'Honest's' effect," Alister grunted. "I discard it to increase 'Lambda's' ATK by 1500 points!"
"It won't save you! I'll show you how hopeless it is by activating 'Ruinforce's' effect! Since it's the Battle Phase, by halving my own LP, I can negate 'Honest's' effect!" As Russel shouts, an angel appeared over 'Lambda's' form, but the central cannon on top of 'Ruinforce' took aim at it and began to glow (4000 LP to 2000 LP). "And even better, this effect also halves your LP too!" The blast continues to travel through the air, piercing through Alister's chest, but he just smirks.
"Thanks," He says, making Russel raise an eyebrow. "Because now, I can do this without worrying about anything else anymore! I activate the effect of 'PSY-Framegear Beta' from my hand! Since you declared an attack, I can summon it to my field alongside a 'PSY-Frame Driver' from my Deck! Then, Reinforce is destroyed and the Battle Phase ends!"
"Wh-what!?" Russel shouted, bringing his hand to his head as his previously assured victory crumbled before his eyes.
In a flash, another piece of armor appeared, a pelvic guard with a plating for the legs and thighs (LV 2 Tuner / 0 DEF), and the same green-skinned man from earlier (LV 6 / 0 DEF). With a wild grin, 'Driver' blasts 'Ruinforce' with a psychic electricity, making the large machine halt its attack. As it explodes, it manages to fire its cannon at 'Honest', piercing through the monster and Alister's chest (2000 LP to 1000 LP).
"Also," Alister continues, "since a Psychic Tuner was summoned, 'Multi-Threader' can revive itself!" Another bright spark of green electricity brightened the room, and the thinner monster that protected 'Lambda' earlier reappeared (LV 6 / 2500 DEF).
"You…!" Russel grinds his teeth in anger as he's forced to enter his Main Phase 2. "Argh…! When Ruinforce is destroyed, I can summon back the two 'Gearframe's' used to bring it back!" The orange, humanoid robots return, digging themselves out of the wreckage of the blackened tank ((LV 4 / 1800) x2). "Now, I overlay my two Gearframes to Xyz Summon Gear Gigant X!"
In contrast to the imposing form of 'Ruinforce', 'Gigant' was a sillier looking machine that looked like like a superhero made out of colorful toy gears; in its just there were even small gear-shaped robots driving the mecha (Rk 4 / 2300 ATK / 2 OU). "Now, I will use 'Gear Gigant's' effect to add a Machine monster to my hand!" The gears cheer as one of the Overlay Units falls into 'Gigant's' gear shield on its left arm (2 OU to 1 OU).
"I'll add 'Machina Unclaspare', which automatically summons itself when added to my hand!" Russel says as he slaps a card onto the card reader. Like 'Ruinforce', this monster had a dark aura and was made of black metal; it was tall and lanky, with a deadly looking sniper rifle attached to its left arm (LV 4 / 1800 ATK).
"'Unclaspare' sends a 'Machina' card from my deck to the grave when it's summoned, so I'm binning 'Machina Overdrive', which I'm activating right now! By banishing 'Overdrive' I can shuffle my 'Gearframe', 'Gustav Max', and 'Doom Dozer' into my deck to draw a card!" Russel hissed. He glanced at the card he drew, and smirked.
"Well…! I discard 'Ancient Gear Box' and 'Machina Fortress'! Then, I can summon the 'Machina Fortress' I just discarded!" From the ground, another tank appeared, one with the same general body shape as 'Ruinforce' but with the cannon over the robot's left arm (LV 7 / 2500 ATK).
"After that, I'll use my 'Harvester' to Link Summon! I only need a non-LINK 'Infinitrack' Monster, which it fulfills easily! I Link Summon 'Infinitrack Goliath'!" This large monster had the body of an excavator, however, the shovel was on the side rather than in front of it, and it had a power drill as a right arm (LINK-1 / 1000 ATK).
"Now, I banish my 'Infinitrack Trencher' to activate it's effect!" Russel continued. "Now, I can summon back my 'Infinitrack Harvester'!" The large blade of 'Trencher' made a gouge that allowed 'Harvester' to slip through (LV 2 / 2100 DEF).
"And then, I activate the effect of my 'Harvester'! I can target my newly summoned 'Fortress', then, both it and my 'Havester' have their levels changed to become the total!" The smaller machine glowed, making the tank raise its arms as a show of strength (LV 2 to LV 9, LV 7 to LV 9).
"And now, I'll Overlay my Level 9 'Harvester' and 'Fortress'! I Xyz Summon Rank 9! 'Infinitrack Earth Slicer'!" The ground shook and trembled; a massive buzzsaw cut through the floor like butter, causing rubble to fly over. The rest of the machine pushed through the gouge, a behemoth made of shiny light brown metal and embedded with light blue lights displaying multiple interlocking infinity symbols along the arm (LV 9 / 3100 ATK / 2 OU).
"I activate 'Earth Slicer's effect! By detaching its two materials, I can destroy your 'Lambda' and my 'Goliath'!" Russel said. 'Earth Slicer' raised its buzzsaw arm, making both Unit's collide into it (2 OU to 0 OU). It then slammed the saw into the ground and began to spin, launching boulders into both the excavator and the armor-wearing psychic.
"And then, since 'Goliath' left the field, it can attach itself to 'Earth Slicer' as Material!" Alister hissed in annoyance as a purple purple opened up, allowing a glowing yellow sphere to start orbiting around the large machine. "And, don't go thinking you can stop this with one of your 'PSY-Frames'! My 'Goliath' grants monsters destruction protection when it's an Overlay Unit!"
Alister grunted at the size of Russel's field. There's only one point of interaction, 'Citadel' board wipe being a quick effect, but in addition to that, his monsters are big. Two 3000 ATK beatsticks, one of which is indestructible, and 'Gear Gigant' was also there. It would be a pain for him to deal with. Especially since the 'PSY-Framegears' can't be summoned normally. That's the problem with running a reactionary deck. He can't really be proactive.
Thankfully, he already has a way to circumvent that one weakness. "It's the End Phase now," Russel announces. "Now, since 'Super Express Bullet Train' is in my Graveyard, I can use its effect to add an EARTH Machine monster from my deck to my hand. I chose 'Ancient Gear Box'. And now that I have, 'Ancient Gear Box' lets me add an EARTH Machine with 500 ATK or DEF to my deck. So, I'll add 'Infinitrack Trencher' to my hand."
"'Lambda's' effect also lets me add a card, a 'PSY-Framegear Alpha'," Alister adds. "In addition, 'Driver' and 'Framegear Beta' are banished as well." The monsters fizzle out, green electricity crackling from their bodies as they disappear. "Also, 'Time Thief Redoer' returns to the field!" A holographic clock appears, and 'Time Thief Redoer' returns to the field, next to 'Lambda' (Rk 4 / 2000 ATK).
"So, my turn finally ends. Not that it matters," Russel grunts. "Go on and draw, even if it won't do you much good!"
"Keep talking, it certainly won't come back to bite you in the ass," Alister grunted as he drew. "First thing's first, 'Redoer' takes the top card of your deck and attaches it to itself as material during the Standby Phase!" Again, the monster raises its hand and causes a holographic card to appear in Alister's hand. (0 OU to 1 OU) "Infinite Impermanence', huh?'" He whispers.
"Now that it's the Main Phase, I activate 'Psychic Feel Zone'! Now, I can send a Psychic Tuner and a non-Psychic Tuner from my banishment into the grave in order to Special Summon a Psychic Synchro Monster from my Extra Deck! I return 'PSY-Frame Driver' and 'PSY-Framegear Beta' to summon 'PSY-Framelord Zeta'!"
Green electricity crackles in the air as the monsters appear. 'Driver' laughs maniacally as 'Beta' splits apart, light beams onto 'Driver's' body, forming into thick leather with plenty of spikes sprouting out of it. 'Driver's' laugh becomes deeper as 'Framegear' mask covers its face. 'Framelord Zeta' yells, releasing waves of psychic electricity (LV 7 / 2500 ATK).
"Now, 'Zeta's' effect activates!" Alister declares. "Once per turn, it targets one Attack Position Monster you control, and then, both 'Zeta' and that monster will be banished until the End Phase! The card I choose is 'Machina Citadel'!"
"You think that trick can work on me? As if! 'Machina Citadel's' effect activates. This time, I'm targeting 'Citadel' itself!" Russel laughs as his large monster begins to rev up it's chainsaw.
"In that case, I'll chain 'Redoer's' effect right now! I'll detach 'Impermanence', and since it's a Trap Card, I can return 'Citadel' to the top of your deck!" Alister responded in kind, making Russel grunt. 'Redoer' raises its hand, allowing the Overlay Unit to fall into the orb on its glove (1 OU to 0 OU).
The chain resolves. 'Redoer' snaps its fingers at 'Citadel'. The machine grunts as time begins to distort around it, moving backwards until it the monster disappears. Then, since both 'Citadel' and 'Zeta' lost their targets, both of their effects fizzled out, which meant 'Zeta' remains on the field.
"Damn it…!" Russel hissed in annoyance. "I can't even use 'Anger Knuckle's' effect now… 'Ruinforce' can only be summoned using its own effect. However…!" Russel laughs. "If you hadn't used your honest last turn… you might've been able to win! You could've boost 'Zeta' and attacked into 'Anger Knuckle' for the game! But without it, you're a sitting duck! Ha ha ha!"
"You're right… and you're wrong," Alister said, making Russel step back. "I needed 'Honest' to survive. And, it's a damn shame I didn't get to. But right now, I don't need it. Your only point of interaction is 'Citadel'. With it gone, I've won."
"Huh? And how's that?"
"It starts with 'Time Thief Power Reserve'. This Trap Card Special Summons itself from the backrow as a Level 4 monster," Alister began. He flipped over the card, and it slid from the Spell/Trap Zone to the monster zone, appearing as a 'Adjuster' riding on top of a high-tech hover-bike (LV 4 / 2500 DEF). "And then, I'll Normal Summon 'Psychic Processor'!" This monster was a large computer chip, with a solid gray body and two claw-like hands and a square face with rectangular eyes (LV 3 / 0 ATK).
"'Psychic Processor' will now banish itself, which allows me to summon up to 2 Psychic, Cyberse, or Machine monster from my hand. However, I'll only need one; 'PSY-Framegear Alpha'!" The computer chip disappeared, and was replaced by a thin helmer piece with leather straps hovering all over it. (LV 1 / 0 DEF)
"Now, I'll tune my Level 1 'Alpha' to my Level 4 'Power Reserve' and my Level 6 'Multi-Threader'!" Alister shouts. The headpiece of 'Alpha' begins to release powerful sparks of electricity, forming into one green ring. 'Power Reserve' and 'Muilt-Threader' dissolve into starts and fly inside it as a large green beam envelopes all of them.
"I Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 11 'Psychic End Punisher'!"
Wide, leather wings spread out from the light green glow. They flap powerfully, scattering the dust in an instant. This monster, more dragon-like and demonic in nature, howls as it hovers over the field. Its body is a cruel amalgamation of flesh and machine, with high-tech armor covering its legs and attached to its two arms. It's body is covered in sharp, serrated spikes, each one releasing bolts of dark electricity.
It's green eyes shine brightly as it releases 'Punisher' howls into the, it's own energy shooting out of its body as its mechanical parts click and slide into place (LV 11 / 3500 ATK).
"Battle," Alister says simply. "During the Battle Phase, 'Psychic End Punisher' gains attack equal to the difference in our LP." Russel whines and grabs his head, as the monster roars, it's ATK skyrocketing to obscene heights (3500 ATK to 4500 ATK).
"'Psychic End Punisher' attacks 'Anger Knuckle'!" The large monster roars and raises its arm, channeling all of its energy to form a dark green sphere of pure malice and anger. With a powerful swing, the orb crashes into the armed train, destroying it and the other monsters on Russel's field."
"This can't be happeniiiiiiiiiiiing!" Russel shouts as the blast consumes him too.
(2000 ATK to 0 LP)
GAME!
Alister sighed and finally took off his glances. He winced as light flooded into his eyes, making him wince in pain.
"Alister!" He turned around, still narrowing his eyes as Velvet ran up to him, alongside Blake and Alya.
"Heya," he grunted. The holograms disappeared, and Russel was on his knees in defeat.
"N-no…! I lost! I lost to a cheater like him…!?" He hissed in anger. He let out a shout and punched the floor.
"Hey!" He looked up and saw Blake glaring down at him. He sneered at first, but then yelped as she picked him up by the collar and off the floor. Her slitted eyes blazed with fury. "The only cheater I see here is you. Alister won fair and square, while you tried to use tricks to kick him out!"
Blake tossed him into the ground, making Russel grunt. "If I ever see you pull anything like this again, will I make your life a living hell? Understand?" Russel, paralyzed by fear, only nodded. "Good. Now get out of my sight."
Russel scrambled to his feet and fled the scene. As he left the arena, Blake sighed and relaxed, pupils becoming circular once more. "We still have that video, y'know." She said, turning back to the other faunus in the room. "We could kick him out if we wanted."
"I already told you, I'm not interested," Alister grunted. He stuffed his glasses and stuffed them into his pockets, which Blake sneered at.
"You're going to keep them?" Alya asked.
"...At some point, it became habitual," Alister muttered. Both Alya and Blake recoiled at his words.
"Shit…" Alya whispered. "Dude… I'm so sorry about all this," she whispered, her tail swishing behind her anxiously. "Russel… h-he was friendly at first. Let me borrow some money. I didn't realize how he was… like that until he wanted me to kick you out."
Alister grunted. "Yeah, most asshats are like that, aren't they?" He shrugged, glancing down at his glasses.
"Russel mentioned your family had money problems?" Velvet whispered softly. Alya nodded.
"My old man… got arrested once, a while back. And, because of his record, nobody wants to hire him," Alya murmured softly, looking away as she scratched the back of her head. "He can barely keep a steady job, and all the ones he managed to find are all low paying. So… we're not exactly that well off."
"And your mom?" Blake asked.
"Not around," Alya whispered, intentionally leaving her fate vague.
"Sounds like a shit family life," Alister murmured, which got him an elbow to the side, courtesy of Velvet. He grunted in pain as Velvet chided him.
"Alister, you can't just say things like that!" She hissed.
"Well, I wasn't done!" Alister waved her off and stood back up. "But that means you care for your dad, don't you? Since you wanted to find other ways of paying for that drawing tablet." Alya glared at Alister for a moment, but chuckled.
"Yeah… I want to become an artist for Industrial Illusions. The income is more stable than trying to be a full-time Pro Duelist," She said. "Dad needs help to make ends meet. I've got to help him!"
Blake smiled at Alya's determination. She can't help but see a little bit of herself in the crocodile faunus. "I'm sure you will sometime. Alya. Just, next time… try not to kick anybody out of school, okay?"
"I'll keep that in mind," She says awkwardly. "I'm gonna go back to my dorm now. See ya."
As she leaves, the door quietly shuts behind her. "Alister, can I see your glasses?" Blake asks. He blinks but nods, handing them over Blake. She drops them, and smashes her heel into them, making them shatter.
"There," she says with a nod. "Now, you don't have to worry about them anymore," She says. She looks up at them, expecting to see a smile on Alister's face, but he just shrugs.
"Cool. Thanks for that," he says. "I never liked those, anyways."
"I can imagine…" Blake said. "Did your parents ever file a complaint to the school because of them?"
"No, the school kept turning them down because…" Velvet's voice trailed off, and she pointed to Alister's malar strips.
"We didn't grow up in a very friendly piece of Vale, to put it bluntly," He said, which made Blake clench her fist.
"I see…" She set her jaw. "Well, if something like this happens again, you two can always come to me for support, okay? I'll help you in any way I can."
"Thank you, Blake. We appreciate it!" Velvet then walked up to the cat faunus and gave her a hug. She froze, tail sticking up and arms limp at her sides, unsure of what to do. Thankfully, Velvet pulled away before she assumed she had to reciprocate.
"We'll be going now. By!" Velvet said, grabbing Alister by the arm and pulling him out of the room. He simply waved over his shoulder as the rabbit dragged him away. Blake smiled and waved as well.
Back in her dorm, Blake flinched when she felt her scroll buzz. "A text…?" She picked it up and read it.
Unknown ID:
It's Alister
Thanks for today
You're white fang, right?
Blake flinched slightly at the sudden accusation. She tried to text back an answer, an excuse, something, but Alister kept typing.
Unknown ID:
You have the same hair and eye color as Ghira
The recordings released to public of SDC raids also had you in them
One of the girls had the same body type as you
And the same face structure.
Blake, for a moment, didn't respond. She knew Alister had good eyes, but she didn't expect him to able to figure out her past with a simple glance. Is that why he smirked when they first met.
Unknown ID:
I wont tell, honest
I think what you did back then is cool.
Why'dya leave?
Blake:
Ideological differences
Unknown ID:
K
Well, its good to know
You didn't give up.
Gonna go to sleep now.
He didn't text after that. Blake set her scroll onto the mattress. She let out a sigh and took out 'Bystial Dis Pater' from her deck.
"I told you," Blake whispered, watching the foil on the card glitter as she turned the card in her hand. "We can do more than just take. I've seen that. I hope I can make you see."
She placed the card back into her deck and laid down on the mattress. "I will make you see."
[A/N]
Did I scare you with those OCs? Well, you shouldn't be. Aside from brief cameos I don't plan on them returning. Decks, however, can return. Really, I've only locked the Numbers and their support, God Cards, Sacred Beasts, the 'Crimson Dragon' card, and Evilswarms out from everyone's decklists, so there's a chance for PSY-Frame, Time Thief, and EARTH Machine to return at some point.
So, I decided to give Alister some pretty fucked up glasses. This goes to show that yes, there are institutions, government institutions, not just some jerks owning business, that try to keep the faunus from succeeding. Alister was designed purely to showcase this fact. Simply having a few assholes is not enough to show that racism is a problem in this world.
Anyways, here we have our first fodder villain; you know, the guys made purely to doll out wins. Something funny I find about fodder villains is that; especially in self-insert fanfics, most of the time the fodder play horrible, clunky decks. However, the guys at Beacon are supposed to be the best of the best. Even the fodder should pose a threat to our main characters. And I don't mean like 'oh, they have a big ass monster' I want people to go 'holy shit, they have an actual chance of winning'. The decklist I used for Russel had Therion "King" Regulex. Had he drawn that, Russel could've summoned it, made both 'Harvester' and 'Regulex' lv 10, and summon 'Gustav Max' again for game, because that effect is a soft once per turn.
TL;DR, expect the fodder to bring a couple hydrogen bombs in their duels.
K bye.