Disclaimer: I will be alternating between anime effects and TCG/OCG effects for some of Naruto's cards, depending on which effect is better. The ones with anime effects will be noted with an *.
Anime effect applies to canon ZEXAL characters.
I will also be using some OCG card names if they sound cooler.
Up above in the evening sky, a solitary cloud drifted away from the full moon that it once obscured.
Luna observed her opponent intently as she stood out in the cold of the night. The jewel on her choker, the reason that she was able to take on a human shape, sparked and gleamed with a mystical shine.
She looked down on her D-Pad. It had an irregular blade, resembling a cluster of stars lined up with one another.
"I will be taking the first turn!" Naruto shouted as he swiped a card from his deck.
T1 Naruto H:5-6 LP: 4000
"I will summon Raidraptor- Vanishing Lanius* from my hand." Naruto placed the card on his D-Pad and called forth his chosen monster.
Spreading its wings amidst a shower of scattered light, Raidraptor- Vanishing Lanius soared to its spot in front of its master. The monster's legs were joined together in the shape of a V, with each leg splitting into two separate metallic claws. As typical of a Raidraptor monster, it's metallic wings were lined with silver afterburner pipes.
"I will use Vanishing Lanius' effect. Since it's successfully summoned, I can Special Summon one Vanishing Lanius from my hand. I will use this effect twice to summon two additional copies of Vanishing Lanius to the field!"
Three identical green mechanical birds appeared in front of Naruto all at once.
Raidraptor - Vanishing Lanius DARK LV 4 Winged-Beast/Effect ATK: 1300
Raidraptor - Vanishing Lanius DARK LV 4 Winged-Beast/Effect DEF: 1600
Raidraptor - Vanishing Lanius DARK LV 4 Winged-Beast/Effect DEF: 1600
Satisfied with the wall of defense that he managed to set up, Naruto held out a card and whipped it into his D-Pad. "I will set one card and end my turn!"
The boy narrowed his eyes as he observed his opponent carefully, curious to what move she would make in response.
"As expected from you, in one turn you summoned 3 monsters to protect your Life Points." Luna praised.
"But now it's my turn!" She slid a card from her deck.
T2 Luna H:5-6 LP: 4000
"I will summon from my hand, Starry Knight Rayel!"
Starry Knight Rayel LIGHT LV 4 Fairy/Effect ATK: 1800
Starry Knight Rayel was a feminine warrior dressed in white armor. Blonde hair danced out in the air from a tiny slit of her silver helmet, while two large angelic wings poked from her back. In her hand, she held a sword with a large emerald embedded in its hilt. An oversized silver gauntlet sat on her left arm, protecting her from harm.
"If Starry Knight Rayel is successfully Normal Summoned, I can add one Starry Knight Spell or Trap Card from my deck to my hand." A single card poked out from Luna's deck of cards, which she accepted into her hands. "I will be adding the Field Spell: Starry Knight Sky! Which I will then activate!"
Instantly, the sky above them warped and looked to be more ethereal than before as the cloud became tinted with the colors of a green aurora. A series of seven bright stars could be seen strung together, piecing together a distant constellation.
"Per Starry Knight Sky's effect, I can Normal Summon one additional Starry Knight monster from my hand! I will Normal Summon Starry Knight Astel!"
A knight fell from the stars above like a streaking comet and landed in front of Luna.
Unlike Starry Knight Rayel, Astel appeared to have a boyish build. His silver helmet was distinctive in its bull-like horns that curved upwards from the side. Underneath the cold metal of his armor, he donned a pinkish shirt. Just like his fellow knights, he was also blessed with a pair of angelic wings. His weapon of choice was a sun-shaped scepter with a hollowed core.
Starry Knight Astel LIGHT LV 4 Fairy/Effect ATK: 500
"Then, I activate Starry Knight Astel's effect. By tributing it, I can Special Summon 1 Level 7 Light-Attributed Dragon monster from my hand."
Starry Knight Astel held his sun scepter into the sky and dissipated in a mist of light.
"I will use Astel's power to summon my ace monster, Starry Night, Starry Dragon!"
Starry Night, Starry Dragon LIGHT LV 7 Dragon/Effect ATK: 2500
In Astel's place, a dragon baptized in white gold emerged. It had large wings that connected to its arm, akin to those of a pterodactyl. The feathers of its wings were numerous and delicate, seemingly crafted by a very patient god. Its tail was long and segmented, with it tapering off in the shape of a rough rhombus.
The dragon stared at Naruto with its deep emerald eyes, before taking off into the sky and flying three loops around them. As it flew, its body cast off a steady stream of yellow glitter.
Naruto was reminded of the ancient card: Seiyaryu.
"Starry Night, Starry Dragon's effect activates! If it is Special Summoned from my hand, I can destroy one card on the field. I will destroy one of your Raidraptor - Vanishing Lanius!"
The dragon unleashed a light stream of destruction that ripped one of Naruto's defensive Vanishing Lanius into pieces.
"That's not all! Now I will banish Astel from my Graveyard to raise Starry Dragon's attack by 1000!"
Starry Night, Starry Dragon ATK: 2500-3500
Luna smiled, feeling that her preparation was apt. "Go, Starry Dragon!" She commanded with her sultry voice. "Attack Raidraptor- Vanishing Lanius!"
Naruto narrowed his eyes as he realized which monster the dragon was lunging towards. It was the one that he Special Summoned in Defense Position. "You powered up your monster yet you choose to attack a Defense Position monster?!"
"Heh. Now I will activate Starry Night, Starry Dragon's other effect. At the start of the damage step, if this card attacks an opponent's monster, it can remove that monster from play! Go, Starlight Exorcism!"
Starry Night, Starry Dragon opened up its mouth and unleashed a blinding flash of light at point-blank range. Naruto was forced to turn away to avoid having his eyes burned up.
When the light faded away, Naruto was short one Raidraptor- Vanishing Lanius.
"And then, Starry Night, Starry Dragon can attack again! Go, destroy Naruto's last Vanishing Lanius! Starstream Destruction!"
Starry Night, Starry Dragon reared back its neck and quickly shot out a concentrated column of light that reduced Vanishing Lanius into atoms. Having summoned that particular Vanishing Lanius in Attack Mode, Naruto was launched back from the massive damage that he just took. The crimson shackles that bound his wrist seemed to have lengthened to allow his body to fly back unimpeded.
(Naruto's LP: 4000-1800)
He managed to land on his feet.
"Not bad…" Naruto mumbled as he dusted off his jacket.
"I wish I could say the same thing about you. But so far you have been a disappointment." Luna sighed to herself. "I have been dueling circles around you."
Naruto shook his shackled arm wildly. "If I have been such a disappointment, then just release the shackles and we'll never have to see each other again!"
"I'm afraid I can't do that. Giving up on my mission midway is not my style. Please do continue to try and impress me."
Having never heard anything more self-centered in his life before, Naruto's eyes twitched with irritation.
"Mission? What mission could you possibly have other than being a pain in my ass?"
She scoffed dismissively at his insult. "I wish to stop my world from heading down the wrong path. But to accomplish it, I will need to find a strong duelist as a partner."
"Spoken like a true alien." Naruto snorted sarcastically. "Why can't you do your oh-so-noble mission by yourself, Miss I-Don't-Give-Up-Midway? It's quite irresponsible of you to try and sling your mission onto someone else, wouldn't you say?"
"It's because my enemy is very strong." Luna closed her eyes, allowing the silhouette of a luminous man to fill her mind. "Unbelievably strong…"
The girl opened her eyes once more, this time shining with a renewed focus. "I will now attack you directly with Starry Knight Rayel! This is the end!"
Naruto quickly ripped a card from his hand and placed it into his D-Pad. "Not so fast, I activate Raidraptor - Avenge Vulture's effect from my hand! When I take damage, I can special summon this card to the field in Defense Mode!"
From behind Naruto, a mono-eyed, long-necked vulture with three engine pipes for feathers surged forward.
Raidraptor - Avenge Vulture DARK LV 4 Winged-Beast/Effect DEF: 100
"Oh?" Luna looked mildly amused at the unexpected defense. "So you have managed to hang on by a thread! Then, I will attack Raidraptor-Avenge Vulture with Starry Knight Rayel instead!"
The knight sprung forth and sliced the vulture of darkness in half.
Luna held out a card and slotted it in her D-Pad. "I will set one card face-down and end my turn! Then, at the End Phase of this turn, the monster banished by Starry Dragon's effect will return to your field!"
Raidraptor - Vanishing Lanius returned to Naruto's field.
Naruto drew a card to start his turn.
T3 Naruto H:1-2 LP: 1800
He quickly swiped the card he just drew onto his D-Pad. "I activate Upstart Goblin! You gain 1000 Life Points and then I get to draw a card!"
"Increasing my Life Points?!" Luna looked surprised.
Luna's LP: 4000-5000
Naruto pressed on without delay."I will now Normal Summon Raidraptor -Tribute Lanius from my hand!"
Just as Naruto's words fell, Raidraptor - Tribute Lanius jetted onto the scene with a swerve. This avian beast was a blue, steely creature with round wings that unfolded into a semi-circle. Flocking around its body were several dozens of tiny energy blades.
Raidraptor - Tribute Lanius DARK LV 4 Winged-Beast/Effect ATK: 1800
"During the turn that Raidraptor-Tribute Lanius is Summoned, I can send one Raidraptor card from my deck to my Graveyard. I will be sending Raidraptor - Readiness!"
A holographic wall of Naruto's Deck appeared in front of Naruto. Tribute Lanius promptly plunged its blades into a Trap Card that depicted a scenic mountain valley.
Increasing my Life Points and then sending a mysterious card to his graveyard. Luna narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Perhaps this guy shouldn't be taken lightly, after all.
"I will use the Level 4 Raidraptor - Vanishing Lanius and the Level 4 Raidraptor - Tribute Lanius to build the overlay network! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Raidraptor - Blade Burner Falcon!"
Raidraptor - Blade Burner Falcon DARK R4 Winged-Beast/Xyz/Effect ATK: 1000 Xyz Materials: 2
From a column of flames, a multicolored machine falcon jetted out and spun in the air. On its silver chest plate, the crimson double R's of the Raidraptor insignia shone brilliantly. At the tips of its metallic, blade-like feathers, one could still see the flickering dance of residual embers.
"Since my Life Point is at least 3000 points lower than your Life Points when I Xyz Summoned Blade Burner Falcon, my Falcon will gain 3000 attack points!"
Raidraptor - Blade Burner Falcon DARK R4 Winged-Beast/Xyz/Effect ATK: 1000-4000 Xyz Materials: 2
"A 4000 Attack Points monster in an instant?!" Luna gasped.
"Battle!" Naruto cried. "I will attack Starry Night, Starry Dragon with Raidraptor - Blade Burner Falcon!"
Blade Burner Falcon opened up its mouth, and let loose a giant sphere of fire. "Go, Fire Bomb!"
Luna regained her composure quickly enough."Starry Night, Starry Dragon cannot be destroyed by battle with a Dark-type monster!"
A spherical shield of light quickly wrapped around Starry Night, Starry Dragon, and blocked Blade Burner Falcon's attack.
"I thought so." Naruto smiled to himself. "Unfortunately for you, I just happen to have spent the past few days thinking of ways to deal with monsters that can't be destroyed by battle!"
He waved a hand and willed his face-down card to flip up.
"I activate Wrath of the Forest! When a monster my opponent controls is not destroyed by battle, you will take damage equal to that monster's attack points! So take 3500 points of damage!"
This time it was Luna who smiled. "I activate my own Trap Card. Go, Counter-Trap: Starry Night Blast! By returning Starry Night, Starry Dragon back to my hand, I negate the activation of your Trap and destroy it!"
On the field, Starry Night, Starry Dragon turned into a beam of light that punched right through Naruto's Trap Card. The dragon then curved backward towards Luna'd hands, where it transformed back into a Duel Monster card.
"Tch!" Naruto glared, annoyed by his foiled attempt to inflict massive damage. He tossed a card into his Spell and Trap card zone. "I end my turn with one card facedown."
Luna allowed herself a moment to assess the situation. For one thing, she knew she had to retract her earlier statement of being disappointed in her opponent's skill.
Though, she still wondered how the blonde in front of her would stack up against him...
She drew a card from her deck. "It's my turn! Draw!"
T4 Luna H:3-4 LP: 4500
"I will Normal Summon another copy of Starry Knight Astel from my hand!"
Naruto stared quietly as the familiar knight made its return.
"I will use Starry Knight Astel and Starry Knight Rayel to build the overlay network! Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 4, the hero designated by the stars, Starring Knight!"
Starring Knight LIGHT R4 Fairy/Xyz/Effect ATK: 1900
From within the galactic portal, a female knight dressed in gold armor emerged. The armored fairy had high cheekbones and a well-defined jawline. Long ashen hair that flowed from her head and ended at her waist. A golden shield could be seen attached to her left forearm, surrounded by a set of crescent wing-like protrusions. Her right hand held a long silver blade with a golden ornamental hilt. A set of small angelic wings poked from her back and radiated a constant stream of pink glitters.
"I will detach one Xyz material from Starring Knight," Luna said as a sphere of light vanished from her knight. "And now I can Special Summon Starry Night, Starry Dragon from my hand to the field!"
Starry Night, Starry Dragon LIGHT LV 7 Dragon/Effect ATK: 2500
Naruto furrowed his brows as he started to lose his patience. "So, that dragon is back…"
"If Starry Night, Starry Dragon is Special Summoned from my hand, I can target and destroy one card that you control!" Luna pointed at Naruto's facedown. "I will remove your face-down card!"
The card that Luna designated quickly exploded into billion pieces of light.
Yet, despite that, Naruto smirked. He sprung his arm up as the shattered fragments pieced themselves together in front of him.
"The card you just destroyed was Waking the Dragon! If this card is destroyed, I can Special Summon a monster from my Extra Deck!" The Extra Deck compartment of Naruto's D-Pad clicked open, allowing the blonde to retrieve the card that he wanted.
"I will Special Summon from my Extra Deck, Superdimensional Robot Giant Destroyer!"
Superdimensional Robot Giant Destroyer LIGHT R10 Machine/Xyz/Effect ATK: 5000 Xyz Material: 0
"Huh. So you have managed to predict that I will destroy your face-down card." Luna looked up at the towering robot, unimpressed despite its gargantuan size. "But without any Xyz Materials, that monster is only a pretty decoration! And I will show you what I mean!"
The girl held out a Spell Card that shone with a great light. One bright enough to light up the street.
"I activate Rank-Up-Magic Astral Force*!"
"Did you say Rank-Up-Magic?!" Naruto exclaimed, having never heard of that card before.
"By using Starring Knight as Xyz material, I can Xyz Summon an Xyz monster that is 2 Ranks higher!"
"Did you say 2 Ranks?!" Naruto exclaimed. This card is stronger than even my Raiders' Knight! Not only can she evolve her Xyz Monster by two Ranks, her Spell Card also doesn't restrict the kind of Xyz Monster that she can Summon!
Starring Knight ascended into a luminous swirling portal that had opened up above them.
"Rank-Up Xyz Change! Appear, Rank 6 Fairy Knight Igunar!"
Fairy Knight Igunar EARTH R6 Plant/Xyz/Effect ATK: 2200 Xyz Materials: 2
From the portal of light, an elfen boy emerged. He had a crimson tuft of hair that stood out amongst a forest of green. On his back, nestled underneath two pieces of leave-like capes, there were a pair of clear, insectoid wings.
Naruto's confidence quickly returned. "Just 2200 attack points?! Your Fairy Knight Igunar doesn't stand a chance against my monsters!"
"I wonder if that's true?" Luna's eyes seemed to gleam.
"What?"
"I will activate Fairy Knight Igunar's effect! By detaching 2 Xyz Materials, I can return all other cards on the field to their owner's hands!"
"What did you say?!" Panic welled up within Naruto as both of his monsters disappeared from sight. However, he was able to find a modicum of solace when he found that Luna's Starry Night, Starry Dragon, had disappeared as well.
"Now, I banish Starry Knight Rayel in my Graveyard to Special Summon Astel from my Graveyard. Whom I will then tribute to Special Summon Starry Night, Starry Dragon back on the field!"
"..." Naruto narrowed his eyes at Starry Night, Starry Dragon's return.
"And since I successfully Summoned a Level 7 from my hand, I will activate the Quick-Play Spell Card: Advanced Summoning Art! You will take 1000 points of damage!"
Naruto groaned as a ray of light lanced through his abdomen. (Naruto's LP: 1800→800)
"This is the end! I will attack you directly with Starry Night, Starry Dragon!"
"Not yet!" Naruto cried as a Trap Card slid out of the Graveyard slot of his D-Pad. "By banishing Raidraptor - Readiness from the graveyard, I won't be taking any damage until the end of this turn!"."
A rainbow-colored barrier wrapped around Naruto and sponged Starry Dragon's attack.
"So you survived by the skin of your teeth again..." Luna noted plainly, her expression was unreadable. She set a card on her field. "I will place this card face-down and end my turn!"
"You have no card in your hand and no monster on your field. You have zero cards in your Spell and Trap card zone. I'm curious how you will turn this around. Or perhaps…" Luna narrowed her eyes. "You will call it quits and surrender?"
Call it quits…
Naruto was sure the choice of words was completely coincidental. Yet, those words stirred up buried emotion within him.
"Perhaps…That's what I would have done in the past." Naruto admitted.
After he got disqualified from the tournament and ruined his reputation, he turned towards a path of petty crimes to numb his spirit.
He thought his life was a dead end and that the only thing that awaited him was a quiet and uneventful death.
That was why he ended up in such a pitiful state.
Yet now, as if the heavens finally decided to toss him a bone. A strange girl with weird powers appeared in front of him and claimed to hold the answer to all of his life's problems.
Although, he was skeptical at first. Now, a little part of him wondered if the girl wasn't lying.
Rank-Up-Magic… Naruto's mind played back to the moment that the Spell Card first made its appearance. The moment that he was caught in the glow of that Spell Card, he immediately knew that its power was not of this world.
"But...I won't do that now! Not when victory is right in front of me!" Naruto placed his fingers atop his Deck and swiped furiously. "It's my turn! Draw!"
T5 Naruto H:0-1 LP: 800
"I will activate Dimension Xyz! If my Life Points are lower than 1000, I can Xyz Summon from my Graveyard using three monsters that have the same name!"
"Xyz Summon from the Graveyard?!"
Naruto nodded. "I will Xyz Summon using the three Raidraptor - Vanishing Lanius resting in my Graveyard!"
In an endless void, the three copies of Raidraptor - Vanishing Lanius turned into a violet light and shot upward onto the Duel Field. A large thundercloud started to gather above them.
"Obscured falcon, raise your sharpened talons in front of adversity, and spread your wings of rebellion!"
Within the cracking mass of darkness, three afterburner pipes flared with blue mystical fire. A three-clawed metal talon that was once limp, sprung to life with a metallic shine. One by one, the creature's six circular eyes lit up with crimson light.
Naruto's eyes blazed with madness as he slammed a card onto his D-Pad.
"Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 4! Raidraptor- Rise Falcon!"
With a loud screech, the thundercloud faded away, and a mechanized bird reared its crane-like neck. The flat circular locks that secured its large mechanical wings spun as the creature rose into the air. Its feathers of afterburner pipes, blasted with a steady stream of black fire as they kept the creature afloat.
Rise Falcon's soul, the three dark spheres of Xyz materials, circled it in an unending cycle.
Raidraptor - Rise Falcon* DARK R4 Winged-Beast/Xyz/Effect ATK: 100 Xyz Materials: 3
Luna stared, stunned at the visual spectacle in front of her. When she recovered, she realized that perhaps she was taking this a bit too seriously.
"Just 100 attack points?" She couldn't help but laugh a little. "For a second there, I thought you were going to summon something amazing."
"Raidraptor - Rise Falcon can attack all Special Summoned monsters you control, once each!"
Luna remained unimpressed. "Even if you attack all of my monsters once each, you still won't be able to do anything with just 100 Attack Points!"
Naruto, however, knew differently. "I will detach 1 Xyz Material from Raidraptor- Rise Falcon to activate its effect! Until the end of this turn, this card gains the combined attack points of all Special Summoned monsters you control!"
Immediately, Luna's eyes went wide with shock. "Every Special Summoned monster that I control?"
One of Rise Falcon's Xyz Materials scattered into tiny powders that seeped into both of Luna's monsters.
A second later, rainbow colored streams of light leaked out from Luna's minions and poured into Rise Falcon's body, empowering the creature.
As Rise Falcon's Attack Points started to rocket upwards, its body became enshrouded by an ever-growing cloak of flames. Until finally, the fire molded itself in the majestic shape of a blazing phoenix.
Raidraptor - Rise Falcon DARK R4 Winged-Beast/Xyz/Effect ATK: 100 Xyz Materials: 3→2
(ATK: 100+2500+2200=4800)
"4800 attack points?!" Luna stared at the fiery monster in awe and fascination.
"Go, Raidraptor - Rise Falcon! Lay waste to our enemies!" Naruto formed a gun with his fingers. "Brave Claw Revolution!"
With one resounding screech, Raidraptor - Rise Falcon swooped downwards and slashed its talons at Luna's monsters. Fairy Knight Ingunar was vanquished in an instant, while Starry Night, Starry Dragon was left howling in pain amongst a sea of flames.
"Starry Night, Starry Dragon won't be destroyed. But you will still take damage!"
"Damn it!" Luna tried to stand her ground but was sent blasting away by the heatwave. "ARRRRRGHHH!"
Luna's LP: 4500-0
Naruto's LP: 800 -WIN!
The moment that her Life Point counter struck zero, the digital world around them disappeared. The monsters were gone, as did their Spell and Trap cards. All that was left was two duelists with words to exchange.
"Not a bad duel," Naruto said as he walked up to Luna. He took down his D-Gazer. "I hope you weren't just messing with me when you said you can help me."
"Yes…" Luna picked herself off the ground. "The world that I came from is quite different from yours. It's a world at war. A world on the brink of extinction."
"There you go again with that alien talk." Naruto rolled his eyes.
"I'm not lying…" Luna held out a card. "This card itself should be more than enough proof for you!"
The card she held out was Rank-Up-Magic Astral Force. And once again Naruto was devoured by the light that the card emitted.
Before the light faded away, he saw a brief glimpse of a world of crystals and the luminous humanoid figure that resided within.
It was like an out-of-body experience. For a moment, he felt he had transcended.
"That card…" Naruto gasped out, breathless. "Just what is it?"
"It's a card that does not exist in this world."
"A card that does not exist in this world..." Naruto found himself reaching towards the Spell Card, pulled by the magnetism of this strange power's allure.
"The power of Rank-Up-Magic is only a small taste of the power that I can give you if you cooperate with me."
"That's only a taste?"
"Yes… The power that I'm hoping to obtain will be enough to rewrite even reality."
"Rewrite reality, you say?"
"The power of the Numeron Code can rewrite both the past and the future. With it, you will even be able to bring back the girl in the hospital."
Rio! Naruto instantly realized what she was referring to. "How do you know about Rio?"
Luna smiled, mysteriously. "I have my ways of gathering information."
"What's the catch?" Naruto narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Why are you willing to give me so much?"
Luna smiled cryptically. "Because there's someone that I need you to kill for me."
"…Who?"
"A guy by the name of Astral."
A/N: I would like to thank the reviewers for so many fascinating card ideas. I will try and work them into the story in the future.
Huge thanks to everyone who has been reading this story.