[A/N]
Another Number has appeared at Beacon!
In other news, this is officially both the longest duel in terms of word count (and I believe turn count as well, the fic doc i'm using has gotten so big that it's lagging my laptop. It is, at the time of writing down a custom card's effect, 232 pages (that master dock doesn include the [A/N], by the way).
Uh… that's it, really. I've got nothing insightful to add. So, let's open the game right now.
Duel 12
Blooming Villain - No. 47
"Blake!"
The cat faunus' ear twitched when she heard Yang calling her. She turned around and frowned as Yang walked towards her with a big friendly smile. Blake slid the back into the shelf.
"We're in the library," Blake huffed. Yang's smile didn't waver in the slightest.
"Sorry! I just wanted to make sure I could find you in this big place," She responded, and gestured to the wide open space around them; two floors of nothing but bookshelves, tables and playmats for practice and study.
Blake sighed and turned around. As she walked off, she slapped Yang's thigh with her tail. "Hey!" She huffed.
"You do know that I heard you the moment you walked in, right?" Blake said as she walked forwards, a point she emphasized by wiggling the triangular ears on her head.
"I mean, you could've texted me where you were, but you didn't pick up your scroll," Yang said. Blake reached into her pocket and took out her scroll. It was on silent.
"Oh," Blake murmured.
"You should at least put it on vibrate, don't y'think? In case we need help with a Number," Yang suggested to her.
Blake nodded, though, she hesitated for a moment. "Whenever we're off campus. I doubt a Number is going to show up while we're in classes," She said. Yang placed a hand on her hip.
"I was possessed by a Number," Yang reminded her.
"Well, yes, but you got possessed outside campus, not in it," Blake argued. Yang still didn't look convinced.
"Oh, before I forget!" Yang reached into her Side Deck and presented Blake with two copies of Xyz Encore. "A little something the Headmaster gave us to fight off Numbers. They remove the units first, making it vulnerable to removal!"
Blake took the cards and examined them for a moment. The effect reminded her of 'De-Fusion' and 'De-Synchro'. "Oh, it's unreactable, too," Blake commented.
"Pretty sweet, right?" Yang laughed, to which Blake nodded.
"Give my thanks to Ozpin next time you see him," Blake said. Yang nodded, but then frowned. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"
"What do you think I meant?" Blake flashed her a smirk and continued to walk deeper into the library. Yang grumbled half-heartedly, but she continued to follow the faunus regardless.
Yang shook her head. "Whatever…" she sighed. Her face brightened a moment after. "So, did you read what Copper sent in the group chat last night?" She asked Blake excitedly.
Blake nodded. "I did. They've written the ending of the campaign. Nora and Fox are saying they're good to finish in half an hour. I can too."
"Really? Then, I'm game too! We ended right at the good part!" Yang said excitedly. "Let's go to their room right now!"
"Okay, then. Let's head over to their dorm, then. Once I'm done checking out these books," Blake said, lifting the novels in her arms. Yang blinked, and then smirked.
"Sorry, but I don't think any of these books in this library are going to suit your… tastes," Yang teased Blake. Her tail and ears shot up, and her cheeks quickly changed to a bright shade of red.
"Oh, shut it, Yang…!" Blake hissed.
About an hour later, the pair made their way to the west side of the Beacon campus, and into one of the many repurposed towers. After they climbed up two flights of stairs, they entered a hallway of dorm rooms meant for male second years.
"Copper is in Room 14, right?" Yang asked.
Blake nodded. "It's not, it'll take any trouble to find it, though," She said as she pointed forwards to a mop of orange hair.
"Isn't that… Hey! Nora!" Yangs calls out. In a moment, an excitable ginger dashes towards and grabs both girl's shoulders.
"Oh, it's you two!" Nora says as she shakes both of them lightly. "I was wondering when you'd show up!"
"Oh, like I'd miss this! I'm so excited to see what you and Copper have been cooking all break!" Yang said excitedly as she pumped fists with her.
"Oh believe me, I have plenty cooked up! Not just for classes, but for this campaign too!" Nora exclaimed with loud enthusiasm.
Blake winced at the volume of both girl's voices, and her ears flattened against her head to keep herself from going deaf. She was about to say something, but somebody already beat her to the punch.
"Nora, you might want to tone it down. There might be some people trying to sleep," Behind the girls, a dark-skinned boy wearing an orange vest and black pants. His eyes were also pure white.
"It's the middle of the day, Fox!" Nora brushed him off. "Who would be sleeping at this time of day?"
"Cats," Yang said with a smirk. Blake sighed.
"I bet you think you're funny," She grumbled.
"Oh, I know I am. Right Nora?"
"Hell yeah!" Nora and Yang shared a high five. "Anyways, who's excited for the ending to our 'Dungeons and Duel Monsters' campaign?"
"I am, I think we left off at a particularly intriguing spot," Fox said, straightening up a little as he talked. "I didn't expect that the 'Atlanteans' would ever consider coming to us for help."
"I mean, we did save the world from the 'Worms', if I remember correctly," Blake commented. The other girls started to walk, so Blake tapped Fox's shoulder to let him as they had started to move.
"I mean, it's not like the 'Worms' are all that threatening. Have you seen their cards?" Yang joked. "I bit if I decided to play as any of my 'Mikankos' I could have wiped the floor with them!"
"Well, it's good thing we only make use of the cards' lore on our D sessions," Fox said. "Starting with fighting the 'Melffy's' and working their way down to 'Worms' would be an… odd difficulty curve."
"More than odd, in all honesty," Blake said. The group stopped in front of Copper's room (Nora tugged on the collar of Fox's vest before he could walk off).
"Copper?" Blake raised her hand and gently knocked on the door.
"Come in," A vaguely feminine voice called out.
The group entered the room. The beds on the side had already shifted for a large table in the center. There was also someone standing by the window and looking out of it; a tall person with gray hair and wearing a denim jacket over a tank top with an atomic symbol in the center. They also wore a gray skirt with knee-high white socks.
"Copper!" Nora jumped over the chair and wrapped them in a tight hug, which was nearly enough to crack their poor back.
"Ah, Nora…!" Copper gasped at both Nora's strength and her enthusiasm. "I missed you too… please let go of me…!"
"Oh, right!" Nora hopped off them and immediately jumped into the closest seat she could find. She was practically vibrating in place as the others sat down.
"I see you're all excited to hear what I've written, yes?" Copper asked. They reached underneath the desk to pull out a thick binder and a handful of books. "You guys have your character sheets, right?" They all nodded.
As Blake took out hers, her ear flicked.
…Must be the wind.
"So, where did we leave off…" Copper murmured to themself as they flipped through pages. "Ah, right…" They reached into the binder and pulled out a few Duel Monsters cards; namely, 'Pacifis, the Phantasm City', 'Atlantean Dragoons', and 'Water Enchantress of the Temple'.
"Alright!" Copper cleared their throat and began to talk in an overly dramatic, more masculine voice. "When last time we ended our journey…"
The Atlantean Dragoons gave you special charms protected you from the harsh conditions of the sea. They dropped you off at the entrance of the Pacifis, the Phantasm City. Already, just outside the city walls, you can feel an eerie, ghost-like chill which emanated from the town square.
"Wait, is this place haunted?" Lady Labrynth asked with a stunned elegant voice which carried a hint of fear. "Wait a–! I'm not scared of ghosts!"
"What do the ruins look like?" Beast of Talwar asks the rest of the party to begin to grow accustomed to the water pressure and the temperature.
The Phantasm City is a large, decrepit place. Light barely reached the city. While Beast of Talware and Lady Labrynth are accustomed to low light environments on account of being Fiends, the others struggle to see anything past seven feet. "Hah," Beast of Talware snickered.
"Urgh… it's too dark!" Water Enchantress of the Temple huffs. She raised her wooden staff and murmured something quickly under her breath. Three spheres of light burst out and illuminate the area.
The glowing lights reveal weathered marble pillars that stuck out of the ground. The bases were covered in many generations of barnacles. A forest of kelp surrounded the area, but there wasn't even a vine floated by the path that led to the city, nor inside the city walls.
The walls–
"I wanna blow them up," Black Salvo suddenly said with a malicious grin on her face. Slowly, the rest of the party turned to the floating bomb in disbelief.
"I-I'm sorry?" Water Enchantress stammered. "You can't destroy the castle walls!"
"Why not? If I blast 'em, that'll get the attention of the Phantasm Spiral Dragon, right?" Black Salvo asked with an eager grin. Her fuse was lit.
"...Well, she has a point," S:P Little Knight said. "This might be easier than going through a dungeon."
"Guys!" Water Enchantress stomped her foot on the ground with a huff. "You can't just blow up the walls. Not only the Atlanteans want to reclaim this city so that they can use this as a place of worship for the newly ascended god, Poseidra!" The other party members remained silent as they considered their options to move forwards.
"So… you're saying we can't blow this place up?" Black Salvo asked.
"If you do, the Atlanteans are going to hunt you down for the rest of our lives," Water Enchantress said in a deadpan voice.
"Fine! No explosions!" The floating bomb pouted.
"I don't think we'd need bombs, anyways," S:P Little Knight said. She reached behind her and pulled out a kunai and a rope. "I'm going to attach this rope to the dagger, and toss it up. That way, we can climb up the walls and enter the city," She announces.
…
S:P Little Knight throws the kunai with considerable strength. The blade flies upwards and embeds itself into the wall. She then tugs on the rope, and finds that the kunai is somewhat loose.
"Oof… it looks like only light people like S:P and I can climb up," Water Enchantress states with a frown on her face. "Anybody else will be too heavy?"
"Really? Damn…" Lady Labrynth glances at her twin swords. "Can I use my blades to make my tits smaller?"
Water Enchantress whirls around and lets out a baffled gasp. "H-huh? What the– how!?"
"By… slicing them off?" Lady Labrynth says as if her line of thinking was completely reasonable and not at all stupid. "Eh!? Run that by me again!?"
"Wouldn't it be more reasonable to take off your armor?" Beast of Talwar commented. He then placed his hand on his chin. "...You do have armor, right?"
"Yeah?" Lady Labrynth responded with a shrug. Her smile brightened as another idea came to her mind. "Wait, why don't you fly me up over the walls! I can carry Nora, and you can carry both of us! I don't think she's that heavy, anyways."
"I have wings?" Beast of Talwar blinked. "Well… I guess I'll go with the plan Yang suggested."
…
Beast of Talwar spread their wings and slung Lady Labrynth of his shoulder. With Black Salvo in her arms, Beast of Talware flew upwards. The water made it difficult to fly, but they managed to scale over the wall and enter Pacifis. Meanwhile, S:P Little Knight first climbs up the wall using the rope and kunai she threw into it. Once she made it over, she tossed another rope to Water Enchantress, and allowed her to climb afterwards.
Now that the party has entered the city, they were able to see more of the landscape. Some buildings had been crushed by the weight of the water. The only things that remained were houses made of stone and the occasional skeleton. The streets were completely barren.
"What do the skeletons look like?" S:P Little Knight asked.
Water Enchantress walks towards one of the many skeletons that littered the floor. She kneels down and removes the skull from the spin. "It looks like a race of humanoids once lived here," She comments as she examines the skull. "They might be the descendents of the Mermail clan…"
"That could be another reason why they want to reclaim this city," S:P Little Knight comments under their breath. "They want to reclaim their history from the elements… before it's washed away entirely."
"In that case, the sooner we kick Phantasm Dragon's ass, the better!" Black Salvo floated out of Lady Labrynth's arms and started to float away.
"Hey!" Lady Labrynth tries to catch Black Salvo, but the tiny black bomb is a slippery beast; it swerves out of the way and cackles as it disappears into the city. "Oh, that little…!" Water Enchantress let out a panicked whine as the bomb began to fly away, so she gave chase.
"Why you–! Vandal! Get back here!" The Spellcaster cried out as both she and the bomb disappeared from view.
"Don't worry." Beast of Talwar places his hand on Lady Labrynth's shoulder. "I'm sure she can't cause that much property damage."
"Well, we should get her and blow out her fuse, regardless," Lady Labyrnth said. "I do not want the Atlanteans on my ass."
Beast of Talwar shrugged. "Fair enough." He started to jog after the flying bomb. Lady Labrynth was about to chase after him, but she paused and looked back at her. "Hey, Blake, you coming?" Lady Labyrinth looks over her shoulder to see the yellow ninja with a frown on her face.
"Hm?" She straightens when she realizes her name had been called. "It's nothing, I just thought I heard something…" Blake mumbled to herself. "Let's Nora before she does something stupid." S:P Little Knight dashed away, and Lady Labrynth followed after her.
—
The group descends deeper and deeper into the hidden bowels of Pacifis. The city is wrought with strange beasts and spirits of the dead. They press on, slaying whatever opponent comes their way. But as they do, the pressure of the water becomes more intense.
In the center of the city lies a broken and crumbling amphitheatre. "By careful guys… I can sense a strange power coming there," Water Enchantress says as they step onto the main stage of the structure.
"Gee, I wonder why…" Lady Labynth sighs. In the middle of the stage was a large whirlpool that seemed to stretch upwards to the surface of the ocean. The vortex was also glowing; a mystical bright light streamed through the rippling, spinning water.
"I see…" Beast of Talwar comments. "There must be away to get rid of the vortex. Perhaps Water Enchantress," He begins, pointing away from the group, "can use her water magic to get rid of it?"
"I'm not sure… I think we might have to find some other way to disable it…" Water Enchantress says. She has Black Salvo in her arms, with the bombs mouth taped shut. Once she noticed the vortex, Black Salvo began to shake and tremble to free herself, to say that she can explode to bring down the vortex.
"Nora, an explosion can't solve all of our problems," Lady Labrnyth sighed tiredly. S:P Little Knight nods beside her.
"I think there might be another way to disable it," Water Enchantress says. She raises her staff and digs it into the water weakened marble floor. Once she managed to dig it down enough so that the staff didn't tip over. She turns to the group and places her hands behind her back.
"There is… one spell I know. But it's ancient magic, and its study is outlawed," They continue. "With it, I can take control of the ocean for moment and let you inside."
As Copper talked, Blake's ear twitched once more. She looked around the room with furrowed brows, which caught Yang's attention. "Something wrong?" She asked quietly as Copper's words enthralled Nora and Fox.
"Nothing," Blake whispered back. Her amber eyes flitted across the room. "I think I can hear something…?"
"Must be a fly, then," Yang said nonchalantly. Blake looked away from the ceiling to turn her amber gaze on Yang.
"...Maybe," She sighed, but the faunus sounded unconvinced. "Or maybe I'm going crazy."
"Blake, we're at a school that teaches how to play a card game. I think we're all a little crazy here," Yang laughed quietly. Blake rolled her eyes. She couldn't find the sound after a few moments, so she returned her attention to the D campaign.
"...There we go!" Water Enchantress finished drawing a sigil on the floor. It looked like a collection of gears and mechanical pieces, while the outside had oddly-designed numbers lining the circumference. "Now, place your hand on this card," Copper says. She tapped the face-down on the center of the table.
With Water Enchantress' hand outstretched, the four other party members moved closer. They each placed their palm on top of the witch's (though for Black Salvo, Lady Labynrth simply placed her on top of all the hands.
"Now what!?" Black Salvo asked eagerly, her voice muffled by the tape over her mouth.
"Patience…" Copper said. They reached towards the face-down card in the center of the. "Now, in a few moments, I'll cast the spell. Ready…?"
The four party members nodded and stepped inside the circle. Water Enchantress grinned as they flipped over the card.
"Yang!" Blake shouted.
The Number 47 appeared on the ceiling.
—
Yang never should have done this. Yang never should've thought of this.
Ruby was in her arms, crying and wailing as Yang did her best to carry across the forest. But she was heavy. So heavy for these tiny, stick-like arms and this small chubby body. But she couldn't stop now. Her entire body ached, but she couldn't stop. Her chest was crying desperately for air, but Yang wouldn't stop.
A Grimm was behind them. Chasing them. Tearing through trees so it can eat them. Its limbs were long and lanky, covered in armor made of bones. It reeked of death. Yang could hear its high-pitched shrieks of rage. It mixed with the sound of baby Ruby's crying to nearly burst her eardrums.
It had already ripped through the wagon with ease Yang pulled Ruby along with earlier. Nothing would be able to stop its rampage.
Yang kept running until she tripped on a root. Her heart dropped as the crying Ruby fell from her hand and hit the floor with a thunk. She went silent."Ruby!" She tried to crawl over to her, but her face was pushed to the ground.
Slowly, Yang managed to turn her head. And she wished she hadn't; the demented face of the grimm leered down at her, its jaw open to reveal several sets of sharp teeth. Yang whimpered as the horrid smell of death from the Grimm's mouth invaded her nostrils.
Why? Yang just wanted to find her mom. Any mom. Why did this have to happen? She squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the Grimm to lean down and bite her head off.
Instead, she heard a whine and a roar. The pressure pinning her body disappeared in an instant. Still, just to be safe, Yang kept her eyes shut for a few more moments. Once nothing happened, she slowly peeled her eyes open.
Her jaw dropped slowly as beautiful with black hair and red dress ran up to her. "Yang! You're okay!"
"S… Summer…?" Yang breathed out quietly. Summer Rose smiled warmly at Yang, and cupped her cheeks.
"I'm here. I'm back." She whispered softly. Summer gave Yang a tight hug. "Let me go help your sister, okay?" Yang remained frozen in place as Summer broke the hug. Her warm, comforting hands remained on Yang's shoulder until she left to ensure Ruby's safety.
Yang half expected Summer to disappear, but instead, with Ruby in one arm and Yang in the other, they went back home.
"Summer!" The door burst open before she even reached the front yard. Taiyang ran out and embraced the girls, holding them all tightly with his strong arms. "You're all okay!"
Yang blinks. The next few moments pass by in a blur. Summer and Taiyang fuss over her, and after a moment, they did something to baby Ruby. "She has a bump on her head…" Summer pointed out.
"I can take her to the clinic," Taiyang offered. Summer nodded and handed Ruby to him.
"Right, I'll stay here with Yang, then. She still looks like she's in shock…" Yang blinks, and manually closes her mouth.
As Taiyang disappears out the door with Ruby in his arms, Summer walks towards Yang and kneels down to look her in the eyes. She smiles warmly at her, and raises a hand to ruffle Yang's hair.
"I'm sorry. For scaring you," Summer spoke softly. She giggled quietly, but it was a hollow, clear sound. "I didn't mean to be gone for so long. It's been… what, 14 years at this point? But I'm back now."
Yang furrowed her brows, which Summer took note of. "Come here, my Sunny Little Dragon…" Summer leaned forward and hugged Yang tightly. "I'll never leave you again…!"
Yang exhaled softly as her mother embraced her. She was warm and soft. Yang wanted to hug her back… but something kept her from doing so. Her chin rested on Summer's shoulder, and her purple eyes flitted about curiously.
Something was off. At this point, Summer had been confirmed dead only two weeks ago. The funeral was two days ago. Yet, Summer claimed to be back after 14 years…?
Today was fourteen years later. Yang shouldn't be in a child's body.
"I can't believe I've missed so many years," Summer whispered, her distorted voice breaking slightly. Yang blinked. She was 19 years old again, wearing her RA uniform. She was also taller than Summer. "I knew you would grow up to become an excellent Duelist."
And that nickname… Sunny Little Dragon… How did Summer know about it? She was already dead when her dad came up with the name.
"...Yang? Is something wrong?" Summer asked. Yang was too lost in her thoughts to listen.
…Why was she outside in the first place? Summer was presumed dead, and Taiyang had sunk into despair. Ruby couldn't take care of herself, so Yang grabbed that wagon. And… they went to look for their mother? No, that couldn't be, Summer is right here, alive and well.
"Argh…!" Yang hissed and raked a hand through her messy blonde locks. Summer looked even more confused.
"Is something troubling you?" Yang's biological mother asked. "I can help. I'm here now."
Yang frowned, and pushed Summer away. "Yang!" The blonde didn't listen. She walked towards the bookshelf.
On the bookshelf, there was always that picture. Her Dad, Mom, and Uncle Qrow. Dad, Mom, and Uncle Qrow.
Taiyang.
Summer.
Qrow…
"Wait…" Yang grabbed the picture from the bookshelf. There's something wrong. Didn't… Didn't Qrow have a sister? He mentioned her from time to time… how come their aunt wasn't in this picture?
"Yang," Summer called out in her distorted voice again. Yang turned around and looked Summer in the eyes with such intensity that it nearly made the woman jump back.
"Yang…?" Yang's mother called out.
Summer… is dead. Yet, she's here.
That's impossible. Summer might be Yang's mother, but not by blood. She was…
Yang looked back at the picture. Taiyang had both his hands out. One was on Summer's shoulder, the other was looped around nothing. Qrow looked like we were leaning against the air. Yang's eyes widened in realization.
Raven returned to the photo. Yang's biological mother. Yang shot her head up, and looked at Summer. She was smiling softly.
"...Copper!" Yang hissed. They did something to her. Blake tried to warn her, but whatever trick Copper pulled still managed to trap her. "Mom–!"
"You have to go," Summer murmured softly. She nodded slowly. "It's okay. I knew you were going to figure it out sooner or later…" Yang's expression softened, and for a moment, she regretted even thinking about lashing out at her Mom, even if it was just a… dream? Memory? Something like that.
"Still… you've grown into a fine young woman," Summer said. She walked up to Yang and cupped her cheek. "I'm glad to have been your mother, even if it was only for a short while…"
Yang looked away. "Yeah, that's what she would've said…" She takes a breath to steal herself. "Number 17!" The dragon emerges from the back and howls. The sound caused the wooden roof to shatter.
"Rest in peace…" Yang murmured solemnly. Her eyes turned red. "Vice Stream!"
The dragon opened his mouth and blasted everything with its powerful, swirling beam. As the dreamscape crumbled around her, Summer continued to smile.
—
Copper blinked. Then, they received a face-full of fist. Blood spewed out from their nose as they were launched from their seat to the wall.
As they struggled to pick themself up, Yang stood up from her seat and examined the room. Nora, Fox, and Blake had slumped forwards, each with blank looks on their face and glazed over-eyes. Yang's eyes turn red as she glares at Copper.
"What the heck did you do?" Yang demanded to know. Copper wiped the blood off their noses as they stood back up.
"I figured I'd do something to lighten their loads…" Copper murmured rather cryptically.
"You're stealing their memories," Yang hissed, remembering her own time in the dreamscape.
"And…?" Copper asked Yang with a raised eyebrow. "Aren't there some things you'd like to forget? Something embarrassing, something sad, cringy, or even traumatic?" They leaned against the wall to support themself.
"I'd still be pissed if it was something minor. You can't just go through someone's memories like that, asshat!" Yang scowled at the other student.
Copper scoffed. "Please… I was doing you a favor, wasn't I? Those memories I was going to take from you only caused you harm and grief."
"Yeah, they did. But, you know what it also did? It made me a better person. A stronger person!" Yang shouted. "Return them to normal. Now."
"Pfft. You know I won't do that…" Copper said in a smug tone. A smirk crossed their lips as they made their way back to their seat. They carelessly swept their hands across the table. Yang winced as the D set up clattered against the floor.
Copper then reached under the table, and grabbed a thick glass playmat. Yang raised an eyebrow.
"You can sense it, right?" Copper asked. They raised their arm, and on the back of the hand was the Number 47. "This Number is the thing that granted me the ability to see into your dreams. Take it away, and they should return to normal."
"Should?" Yang's eyes turned red.
"I've only had this thing for like, what, three days? A week? Most I've done is take memories away and store them away in blank cards. I've never restored them," Copper said with a roll of their eyes. "Defeating 47 might place all the memories back, or it might destroy them. Are you willing to take that–"
"That's not even a question." Copper blinked as Yang dropped back into her seat and crossed her arms. She glared at Copper.
"If I stay with 47, I could figure out a way to return those memories?" Copper suggested.
"Or, you could become even more dangerous and start taking more than just memories."
"Ah, fair enough," Copper shrugged. They took out there deck and placed ni the designated area; so did Yang. "But… this place seems a little small, doens't it? If the Numbers were to be summoned here, it might cause more damage than necessary."
Yang watched as Copper raised their hand. "So, let's change the scenery real quick." They snapped their fingers.
—
Yang first heard the crackle of lightning, and then rain beating down on her. "What the–! Shit!" She turned around and nearly slipped on the wet, metal floor. She grabbed the railing of the ship before she could faceplant.
"How the hell!?" Once Yang steadied herself, she found her Duel Disk, with her deck already loaded. She then looked across, and found Copper, an aircraft carrier just like she was. Somehow, they were both in a swirling vortex in the middle of a stormy night.
"There. Now, we won't have to hold!" Copper said. They raised their arm and activated the Duel Disk strapped to it. "So, let's do it then!"
Yang let out a snarl. "Fine!" Her Duel Disk turned on as well, with sparks flying as the blades slammed together.
Copper Augustus (4000 LP) VS Yang Xiao Long (4000 LP)
DUEL!
"I'll begin! I activate the effect of 'Icejade Ran Aegirine' from my hand! By discarding 'Nopenguin', I can summon it from my hand and an 'Icejade Token'!" Yang watched as the water between the carrier rippled and bulged. Something lunged from the water; a woman made of clear, colorless water and wearing a dress made of crystal (LV 7 Tuner / 2500 DEF). She was accompanied by a crystalline butterfly that landed on her finger (LV 3 / 0 ATK).
"I tune my Level 7 'Ran Aegirine' to my Level 3 Token!" Copper shouted. The woman stood up from her seat and the butterfly fluttered into the sky. "I Synchro Summon Level 10 'Icejad Gymir Aegirine'!" The beam of light that came forth parted the waters. The woman grew larger, her body became more opaque, the twintails became longer, and red lines of cybernetic energy flowed through the hair clips and on her horns (LV 10 / 3000 ATK).
"Now, I activate the spell card 'Rite of Aremesire'! This card summons an 'Adventurer Token', and then, since I can activate the Continuous Spell 'Fateful Adventure' directly from my deck!" Yang couldn't help but groan as Generic Harem Anime Protagonist #42069 appeared on the field, complete with black hair and a bland face (2000 ATK). In addition to that, a beam of light came from the storm clouds.
"I activate 'Fateful Adventure's' effect! I'll add 'Wandering Gryphon Rider' to my hand, and then discard 'Ice Barrier'. Also, because I control the 'Token', I can summon it!" Behind 'Aegirine', a purple griffin with a purple body and dark brown feathers landed. A small cat-like rider (like, it looked as big as Zwei) propped itself on the head and smiled smugly at Yang (LV 7 / 2800 DEF).
"I then set a monster." Copper gently placed the card sideways on the Monster Zone. It appeared in the center of the ocean, and from the back a spiked purple sphere with angry red eyes and spikes over it appeared. "That ends my turn," They said.
"Right. I draw!" Yang shouted. She glanced down. "First things first, let's get rid of that griffin. I equip 'Mikanko Water Arabesque' onto your 'Aegirine'!" Copper blinked, and they turned to look at the watery tendrils that appeared around their Synchro Monster.
"What…?"
"Confused?" Yang asked with a smirk. "'Arabesque' doesn't care which monster is returned to the hand, y'know, which means your monsters are fair game too! I activate 'Arabesque's' effect again to Special Summon!"
"Argh…! In response, I'll activate 'Gryphon's' effect! By shuffling it back into my deck, it'll negate and destroy 'Arabesque'!" The large beast cawed and reared back on its hind legs. The rider fired an arrow at the tendrils, and then flew away, giggling 'Adventurer Token' tossed a bag of money at it."
"Now, I summon 'Ni-Ni the Mirror Mikanko', and equip 'Mikanko Purification Dance' and 'Mikanko Dance - Mayowashidori' onto it!" From the turbulent ocean, the young girl with watery cat ears leapt out and landed with audible thud next to Yang (LV 3 / 0 ATK). Once she inserted the Equip Spells, a green rooster spirit appeared behind her, and the mirrors that 'Ni-Ni' used as her weapons grew larger.
"Now! 'Ni-Ni', attack 'Gymir'!" The girl made of water twirled above the raging sea water, slowly approaching the 'Icejade'. 'Aegirine's' hair began to glow as it charged a ball of energy between its hand and released it. With a giggle, 'Ni-Ni' used her tendrils to maneuver the mirrors in front of the blast, which caused it to split into multiple beams and strike Copper.
"Shit–!" The small lasers knocked them back and sent them skidding across the runway (4000 LP to 1000 LP).
"After the battle, 'Mayowashidori' activates! It'll return your Token to the hand!" The swordsman blinked, and looked up as the rooster spirit flapped its wings. It was launched off the carrier and drowned at sea. "I never liked isekai, anyways," Yang huffed.
"You just haven't watched any good ones," Copper snarked as they stood back up. Yang rolled her eyes at their comment.
"Ah, yes! I would love to sift through hours of harem slop before I find one that looks even remotely interesting," Yang shot back sarcastically. "Anyways, I set two cards face-down and end my turn."
"Aye-aye, Cap'n Joy Kill," Copper sighed. "But, during your End Phase, I activate the graveyard effect of 'Ice Barrier'. I will send 'Icejade Creation Aegirocassis' to my graveyard, in order to add 'The Great Emperor Penguin' from my deck to my hand. And, once per turn, I can equip 'Aegirocassis' to 'Gymir' from my graveyard!"
The carrier Yang was on began to shift and tremble chaotically. "Woah, woah!" Luckily, 'Ni-Ni' placed her arms on Yang's shoulder to keep her steady. On the other side of the field, the water exploded outwards, and 'Gymir' now stood on a massive vehicle made of ice and crystal. The sharp edges were blackened and had red lines running along them. 'Gymir's' own dark pieces turned darker as well (3000 ATK to 3400 ATK).
"Now it's my turn. I draw!" Instead of reaching for any of the cards in their hand, they instead grabbed the face-down monster. "I Flip Summon 'Penguin Ninja'!" On the field, the spiked sphere sank back into the card, which turned over. A penguin in a purple gi jumped out from it, carrying with a scroll and two throwing stars (LV 3 / 1400 ATK). Yang scoffed. "When it's Flip Summoned, 'Penguin Ninja' can target two of Spell/Traps and return them to the hand! I choose both of your 'Mikanko' Equip Spells." Yang yelped. "In addition, the 'Nopenguin' in my graveyard can special summon itself, since the effect of a Penguin monster has activated! Also, the effects of my 'Penguin' monsters now banish instead of bounce!" Copper explained.
"I activate the effect of my 'Ni-Ni'! It can gain control of one Monster you control! I'm targeting Gymir'!" Yang explained as she Chained the effect of her monster to 'Nopenguin'. Copper didn't even flinch as it happened.
'Ni-Ni's' tendrils rushed towards 'Gymir' and wrapped around her limbs. The monster tried to pull away, but 'Ni-Ni' proved herself to be deceptively powerful as she dragged the crystal woman away. Afterwards, a black portal to the graveyard opened, and a small cartoon penguin carrying a white sign with a big red X appeared next to it (LV 3 / 1600 ATK). Both it and 'Penguin Ninja' tossed their weapons, which knocked away the rooster spirit and made 'Ni-Ni's mirrors smaller.
"Alright! That gets your annoying spells outta the way," Copper smirked. Yang snarled. "Next, I'll unequip my 'Icejade Creation' from 'Gymir' in order to Special Summon it!" 'Gymir' jumped off from the large vehicle and slowly floated down in front of Yang. Meanwhile, the 'Creation' dragged itself across the water and turned around. The sharp edges became less intense and duller (LV 7 Tuner / 2000 ATK).
"I will tribute 'Icejade Creation' to summon 'The Great Emperor Penguin'!" The monster began to crack and shatter apart, and the shards were blown away by the loud trill of a monstrously size Penguin that was twice the size of a human (LV 5 / 1800 ATK). "I will tribute 'Emperor Penguin' to summon two more Penguins from my Deck! Appear, 'Glacial Beast Polar Penguin', and 'Penguin Soldier'!"
The first new monster was a much meaner looking flightless bird that was not only a little chubbier, but also in thick ice armor (LV 3 Tuner / 1000 DEF). The next penguin looked more like its contemporaries, with purple feathers and a light pink belly. It also had red pauldrons and small and flat short sword (LV 2 / 500 DEF).
"When 'Polar Penguin' is Special Summoned, I can bounce your 'Ni-Ni'. But remember, my penguins banish instead with 'Nopenguin' on the field!" The armored penguin flapped its wings, jumped into the air, and 'Nopenguin' batted 'Polar Penguin' into 'Ni-Ni'. The girl fell overboard.
"Now, I activate 'Penguin Ninja's' effect! It can change 'Penguin Soldier' to defense mode!" The 'Ninja' tossed the scroll towards the 'Soldier', who quickly and then sank into the water. A face-down monster appeared in its place.
"Since I control a face-down monster, I can summon 'Penguin Squire' from my hand, and then reduce it's level by 2!" Yang let out a snarl as Copper raised a card from their hand and flipped it over to reveal a knightly light-blue penguin with bushy yellow eyebrows. The same monster appeared on the field, and raised its sword to the sky in a heroic fashion (LV 5 Tuner to LV 3 Tuner / 1800 ATK).
As soon as they do, Copper stumbles. Yang watched as they placed a hand on the railing to support themself. Yang realised that she did something similar when she dueled Ruby. "It's coming…!"
Copper looks up and smirks. "I…! Overlay Level 3! Go, Nopenguin and Polar Penguin!" The two flightless birds trill and fly into the air as twin balls of light energy. In the center of the sea, an Overlay Network made of twinkling stars opens, and as the penguins fall inside, it implodes in a bright blast of multicolored stardust.
"Let me introduce you to my greatest weapon! From the blackened depths of the ocean emerges the most terrifying predator! Surface, Number 47! Dream Eating Hound - Nightmare Shark!"
The storm around them only becomes stronger as water bubbles and explodes from the center. Number 47's dormant state resembles a blue cone with sharp metal spirals moving up the cylindrical object. The metal becomes to move and wire, almost like a drill as something within it begins to thrash. A tail bursts out from the bottom, and the metal spiral separates to form two bladed arms. A shark's head comes from the top, and the rest of the egg shifts to form a sharp humanoid-like body without any legs.
The shark flies in the air with its wings and roars at Yang with enough force to blow away the rain and even dry her clothes. The Number 47 is branded at the base of the monster's dorsal fin.
[Number 47: Dream Eating Hound - Nightmare Shark]
[WATER / Sea Serpent / Xyz / Effect]
[2000 ATK / 2000 DEF]
(AKA "Number 47: Nightmare Shark")
(WATER & DIVINE)
"'Dream Eating'...?" Yang murmured to herself. She turned her head away from the Number and glanced at Copper. They raised their hand and clenched it tightly, which caused the Number 47 to appear, branded on the back of their hand.
"And I'll Synchro Summon again! This time, I'll tune my Level 3 'Penguin Squire' to my Level 3 'Penguin Ninja'!" Instead of disappearing as normal, the 'Squire' raised their sword into the air. The light from 'Fateful Adventure' turned and landed on the 'Squire's' blade, which made it glow. 'Penguin Ninja' stood beside the 'Squire' as their allies appeared from the sky, including a priest, a wizard, and a fighter.
"Summoned from another world, 'Penguin Brave' emerges!" Copper shouted. The five penguin heroes trilled and raised their weapons into the air (LV 6 / 2400 ATK).
"Of course the 'Penguins' are isekai heroes…!" Yang groaned to herself.
"I actually have no idea if that's true…" Copper huffed as they scratched the back of their head. "However, I do know that Nightmare Shark's first effect activates here!" They pointed to imposing the beast that stood next to the goofy RPG team. "So does 'Penguin Brave's'. When 'Penguin Brave' is summoned, I can also summon a 'Penguin' monster in face-down defense mode." Copper reached for their deck and pulled out a card. Yang didn't get to see what it wwas before it appeared on the field.
"Since a WATER monster was summoned, I can attach a WATER monster from my hand or Graveyard to Nightmare Shark as material!" A dark portal opened. The ghostly form of 'Penguin Ninja' floated out of it, and then began to orbit the Number (2 OU to 3 OU).
"And now, I'll activate Nightmare Shark's!" Copper shouted. The first Overlay Unit fell into the monster's metal chestplate. That power surged through it's body, and Nightmare Shark swung its bladed arm down. Yang's eyes widened as a beam of light parted the ocean and crashed into… something. A wall of light appeared in front of her, with a large hole in the center. There was a similar looking hole in front of Copper as well.
"What the…?" Yang muttered. She stepped back. "Hey! What did that do!?"
"Wouldn't you like to know? Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough," Copper teased. They swung their hand forwards. "Now, It's the Battle Phase! Nightmare Shark attacks!"
That made Yang raise an eyebrow. "What the–! Even if Nightmare Shark is indestructible, 'Gymir' is stronger than it!" She said as the Number flapped its wings and flew towards 'Gymir'.
No, it didn't. It flew over 'Gymir'.
"Direct Dream Feast!" Yang raised her arms to defend herself, but she was far too slow. Nightmare Shark pulled back one arm and thrust it forward with unnatural speed. Yang screamed in pain as more than half of the metal arm pierced through her body. Briefly, her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she coughed up blood from her mouth and fell down as the Number drew back its arm.
"Hm…?" Once Number 47 returned to them, Copper waited for Yang to move. She was on her hands and knees, breath ragged blood dripped from the new hole in her stomach and her gaping mouth. "She's not standing… but she hasn't collapsed, either…"
Yang's mind was running at a mile a minute. She reached for the hole in her stomach and winced. She could reach inside and feel her intestines, her own bones. She would've said that the sensation made her sick to her stomach, but she's not sure if it had been torn out.
But… she's not dead. It hurts, it hurts so badly she can barely think, but logically speaking, she should be very dead right now.
Yang shook her head. She can't worry about that right now. Despite the fact that her spinal cord no longer connected to her legs, Yang found the strength to push herself and stagger on her own two feet. She fought the urge to gag, and wiped the blood off her lips with her fist.
"Is… that the… th-the best you got… asshat!?" She yelled. Copper took a step back, both out of fear and respect. They chuckled and shook their head.
"No, not at all. That might not have killed, but this certainly will!" Copper snapped their fingers and pointed to Yang again. "'Penguin Brave'! Attack Yang directly! Direct Combined Heroics!" The five heroes let out a cry, and aggressively waddled their way towards Yang with weapons in flippers.
"I'm not letting you do that again! I activate the Continuous Trap 'Spirit Barrier'!" Before the 'Penguins' could beat her to pulp, the shield around her closed and crystallized. The weapons of the incoming party bounced away. They dejectedly walked back to their spot on the field.
"That's ingenious, really. 'Spirit Barrier' prevents battle damage if you control a monster," Copper complimented. "Though, given you run a Deck based around damage reflection, I suppose it makes sense. It's insurance in case someone negates their effects."
Yang coughed. The red liquid was washed away by the rain. "I know. It's my deck."
"And something I should have accounted for… Oh, woe is me, I suppose. I set a card face-down, and end my turn." Copper sighed.
"'Ni-Ni's' effect wears off, and 'Gymir' returns to you," Yang grumbled. Copper nodded enthusiastically.
"That means I can also equip 'Creation Aegirocassis' back onto it as well!" They added. The tendrils released 'Gymir', and as she floated back, the crystalline vehicle emerged from the sea again (3000 ATK to 3400 ATK).
"That's not all. I also activate my second set card, 'Mikanko Promise'!" Yang said. "Now, I can summon 'Ha-Re the Sword Mikanko' from my deck, and equip 'Mikanko Water Arabesque' from my graveyard to it!" Water splashed and parted, and the red dancer with fiery mouse ears (LV 3 / 0 ATK). The water tendrils appeared around her a moment later.
"And, when 'Ha-Re' is equipped, it can add a 'Mikanko Fire Dance' from my deck to my hand," Yang then said. That 'Mayowashidori' was the only copy I had…! Yang thought to herself. "I add 'Fire Dance'.
"Fine by me. I pass the turn to you, now," Copper said.
"Draw…" Yang grunted in a shaky voice. She was starting to get light-headed from the bloodloss. "I activate 'Water Arabesque's' effect…! I Special Summon 'Hu-Li' from my deck and equip 'Water Arabesque' onto it… and return 'Ha-Re' to my hand…" The tendrils turned into a torrent that spiralled around the monster, and when it died down, 'Ha-Re' had taken 'Hu-Li's' place (LV 3 / 0 ATK).
"And when 'Hu-Li' has a card equipped to it, it will add an 'Mikanko' Trap from the deck, right?" Copper teased. With gritted teeth, Yang nodded.
And I can't just choose anything willy-nilly either… When chained, 'Gymir's' first effect also banishes every copy of the card it's chained to from the field and graveyard. Yang thought to herself. "I add 'Spiritwalk'. Then, I activate the Spell Card, 'Hidden Armory'. I can't Normal Summon this turn, but I can add an Equip Spell from my deck to my hand, and afterwards, I mill a card."
Yang took the deck out of its slot and sifted through the contents. "I add 'Mikanko Reflection Rondo'!" She says. Once she slots the deck back inside, the Disk shuffles it automatically, and ejects the top card. "And, the card that's milled is… 'Friller Rabca'!" Copper raised an eyebrow.
"I activate 'Fire Dance', to Special Summon 'Ha-Re' from my hand and add a second 'Water Arabesque'!" Yang grabbed the cards from her deck and placed them in her hand.
"Now, I equip 'Reflection Rondo' onto Nightmare Shark!" Copper didn't even flinch as the shark was taken away from him. Nightmare Shark shook its head and cried as it pulled into a large mirror and trapped its spirit inside it. Yang hissed as she the Number's spirit tried to bond itself into her soul, but Levice Dragon was already wrapped tightly around her, preventing taking control.
"Now, I enter the Battle Phase! Nightmare Shark attacks you directly!" Yang shouts, her voice raspy from the effort of maintaining her own sanity.
"I'll stop you with this: the Continuous Trap 'DNA Transplant'!" Copper shouted. A doctor and his two assistants appeared from the card's artwork. "With this, I can change the Attribute of all monsters on the field to DARK!"
Before the blade arm could reach Copper, it stopped inches away from their nose. They let out a shaky sigh of relief, while Yang grunted in annoyance.
"What the hell!?" Yang shouted.
"I suppose I should fully explain what Nightmare Shark can do," Copper sighed dramatically. "You see, when it uses an Overlay Unit, it prevents monsters from attacking other monsters for two turns. But, if they're WATER Attribute, then they can attack directly!" Yang snarled.
"Did you really have to wait to say that until now?" Yang snarled.
"Well, Public Knowledge is off in impromptu Duels, and despite you controlling the card, you haven't asked." Copper shrugged.
Yang narrowed her eyes, which made them wince. "Fine… I enter my Main Phase 2… and Overlay Rank 3 Dream Eating Hound - Nightmare Shark!" Copper's eyes bulged out of their head as Nightmare Shark collapsed in on itself, returning to its dormant state, and fell into the red Overlay Network. "I Summon Rank 5 'Xyz Armor Fortress'!"
Copper hissed and took a step back as large mecha blue appeared and hurled its launcher around its body as a show of strength (Rk 5 / 2500 ATK / 3 OU). Yang snapped her fingers. "I activate 'Fortress'' effect! I can detach all three Materials from it, then, I can add three 'Armored Xyz' Cards to my hand!" Said material flew into the
"I chain 'Penguin Brave's' effect! When you activate a Monster's effect, I can flip over one of my face-down WATER monsters! Inspire them with your courage, great heroes! I flip summon 'Penguin Soldier'!" The five penguin heroes raised their weapons and trilled. 'Penguin Soldier' timidly flipped itself and joined the others' valiant warcry (LV 2 / 300 ATK).
Yang nodded. "I'll add 'Armored Xyz', 'Full-Armored Xyz', and 'Reincarnation Unveiling Mail' from my deck to my hand!"
"'Penguin Soldier's' flip effect activates'! It will return your 'Armor Fortress' to the graveyard!" The monster valiantly waddled its way to the hulking mecha, and slapped its blade against 'Armor Fortress' foot. Somehow, that was enough to send the robot overboard and make it sink to the bottom of the ocean.
"That's fine by me pal, because now I can do this! I overlay Level 3 'Hu-Li' and 'Ha-Re' to Xyz Summon!" The equip spells they had were destroyed, now that the pair had left the field. They both flew into the spiralling red Network, which exploded a moment later. "I Summon Rank 3 'Xyz Armor Torpedo'!" The next mecha appeared, orange and white instead of black, and it came with missile launchers attached to its wrists (Rk 3 / 2500 ATK / 2 OU).
"Now, by detaching both it's Materials, I get to draw a card'!" (2 OU to 0 OU). Yang pulled out the card with such force that it stung the hole in her body, and made her stagger backwards. She coughed up blood and examined her card.
"Now, I rebuild the Overlay Network with Rank 3 'Armor Torpedo', and summon Rank 5 'Xyz Armor Fortress'!" The monster that was just returned reappeared with a heavy, mighty grunt. The Penguins let out a small, disgruntled sigh when it did (Rk 5 / 2500 ATK / 1 OU). "And, since its effect is a soft Once per Turn, I'll activate it again, and add 'Armored Shark' from my deck to my hand!"
Copper sighed, but couldn't do anything as Yang searched yet again. "Now, I Overlay again! I use Rank 5 'Xyz Armor Fortress' to Xyz Summon Rank 7 'Full Armored Dark Knight Lancer'!"
For a moment, the turbulent sea calmed down. Then, the center of the vortex split open, pushing out the carriers and launching water into the sky. A large warrior with dark armor pulled itself out of the sea, carrying with it a large red lance (Rk 7 / 2800 ATK to 3100 ATK / 1 OU).
"I activate the effect of 'Armored Shark' in my hand! I can send the WATER Xyz Monster 'Tri-Edge Levia' from my Extra Deck to the graveyard, to summon both it and 'Friller Rabca' from my graveyard!" A thin shark covered in orange armor jumped out of the water (LV 3 / 2000 DEF), followed by a frilled shark with a head wider than its long body (LV 3 / 1500 DEF).
"I overlay Level 3 'Armored Shark' and 'Friller Rabca'!" Yang shouted. She grit her teeth tightly, and her hair started to glow and crackled like a burning pyre. Her hair flowed more like light blue fire as the Number 17 projected itself from her scalp and onto the storm clouds. "I Xyz Summon Number 17: Levice Dragon!"
A spiny purple cocoon emerges from the sea, and begins to uncurl. A long and purple dragon roars as its thin and sharp legs settle on the carrier's runway, behind Yang.
Number 17: Levice Dragon
[WATER / Dragon / Xyz / Effect]
[2000 ATK / 0 DEF]
(AKA "Number 17: Leviathan Dragon")
(WATER & DIVINE)
"I activate the Spell Card 'Armored Xyz'! I take 'Xyz Armor Torpedo', and equip it onto my Levice Dragon! That changes Levice's ATK to match 'Armor Torpedo's'! And, Levice gets a boost of its own when for every Equip Card on my field!" The orange mecha came out of the sea, and began to break apart. The pieces covered Number 17's long body with bright orange armor. Two thin metal arms sprouted from the neck of the dragon, and connected to the two torpedo launchers positioned on either side of Levice's head (2000 ATK to 3000 ATK).
"Then, I equip Reincarnation Unveiling Mail to 'Dark Knight Lancer'!" Yang continued. The monster roared and raised its spear into the sky, which caused its armor to go from black white and purple (3100 ATK to 3400 ATK), (3000 ATK to 3500 ATK).
"Ssince a card was equipped, 'Dark Knight Lancer' can attach 'Gymir' to it as material!" Copper eyes widened as the red spear fired a beam at the crystalline woman, which caused her body to dissolve into an orb that orbited around the Xyz Monster (1 OU to 2 OU, 3400 ATK to 3700 ATK). "I activate 'Dark Knight Lancer's', which returns 'Armor Fortress' to the Extra Deck. I set two cards and end my turn," Yang finally concluded with a hiss of annoyance. "So, hurry up and go so I can kick the crap out of you next turn!"
Copper examined the field, eyes wide with amusement "Oh, ho ho ho…! It's really cute that you think that you can defeat something like a Number that easily!" Copper raised the hand they just drew and turned it around. "I activate the spell card Numbers' Reincarnation!"
"What…!?" The ocean began to swirl chaotically. The dormant Number on 'Hu-Li's' twitched and shivered, and suddenly snapped away from her.
"Numbers' Reincarnation takes a Number Xyz Monster that I own from anywhere and returns it to the Extra Deck! Then, I can Special Summon the monsters from my Graveyard necessary to summon it, and immediately Xyz Summon the Number I just returned!"
Yang snarled angrily as the Overlay Network formed once more. 'Polar Penguin' and 'Penguin Ninja' flew out. Both of them and the dormant Number 47 fell inside, and once it exploded. The Nightmare Shark flew out and howled loudly again, this time shaking the carrier Yang stood on (RK 3 / 2000 ATK / 2 OU).
"Now, I flip over my set 'Puny Penguin'!" In another time, Yang might have marvelled at how cute the monster was – two small penguin babies, with one hiding behind the other (LV 1 / 200 ATK). But right now, she can only think of how such a thing might try to screw her over.
"I activate the effect of my 'Ret-Time Revive Emit-ter' from my hand! I'll flip my 'Penguin Soldier' face-down, then summon it!" The small swordsman trilled and cowered again, and then a pale girl in a white dress that carried a brown appeared, sweeping away the water on the floor (LV 2 Tuner / 800 ATK). "Now, I flip summon my 'Penguin Soldier'!"
"Oh, you won't be able to get rid of my monsters like that!" Yang snarked, which made Copper pause. See, 'Unveiling Mail' and 'Armor Torpedo' both grant targeting protection to my monsters, which means that you won't be able to bounce them away."
Copper snarled lightly, but didn't they appear to be that frustrated. "Fine, then. I'll take back 'Ret-Time', and then activate Nightmare Shark's effect…!" Copper said, detaching 'Penguin Ninja' from it. The shark howled, and the barriers around both players cracked. "Now, I'll use 'Puny Penguin' and 'Penguin Soldier' to Link Summon 'Marincess Coral Anemone'!" Both monsters turned into code, and merged together to form a ginger woman dressed in an anemone themed dress (Link-2 / 2000 ATK).
"Since a WATER monster was Special Summoned, Nightmare Shark attaches 'Emperor Penguin' to it as Material. And, since 'Puny Penguin' was flipped face-up before it hit the field, I can summon back my 'Penguin Ninja', face-down!" Yang winced once the spiked sphere appeared on the field.
"Oh crap…!" Yang hissed.
"That means, on my next turn, Spirit Barrier will be banished and I'll get to attack you directly!" Copper exclaimed eagerly. "Nightmare Shark!" The monster roared and ate a Unit, and with a swing of its arms both to crack the shields that surrounded both of them once more. "Can you manage to win at that time…?"
"Well…" Yang narrowed her eyes, and lips slowly turned upwards in a wide smirk. To be honest, I've already won a loooong time ago."
Copper blinked in surprise, and scoffed. "Really? You've got to be bluffing," They scowled. "With 'DNA Transplant', none of your monsters can attack me! I end my turn."
"That's what you think," Yang said as she drew her card. "But, I've been hiding something from you. Think of it as payback for when you hid Nightmare Shark's effect from me!"
"Oh, and what's that? Number 47's effect lingers on the field, you can't get rid of it!" Copper snapped back.
"Oh…? I'm not fighting its effects… I'm using it to my advantage!" Yang pointed to her armored dragon. "See, 'Armored Xyz' does more than just change my dragon's power! It also… gains 'Armor Torpedo's' Attribute back to WATER!"
"What!?" Copper stepped back, and nearly slipped on the wet floor.
"That's right! 3500 ATK coming up, directly to your Life Points!" Yang said. "Levice Dragon!" In response to her command, the launchers began to hum as spiralling dark energy crackled around the torpedoes.
"Give it everything you've got! Armored Vice Launcher!" With a roar, Levice Dragon fired the torpedoes. They spiralled in the air, flying higher and higher until they rocketed back down, each one exploding right next to Copper.
"Yang…! Youuuu…! GWAAAAAAAARGH!"
The carrier Copper was on exploded and began to sink. Nightmare Shark howled in anger as it began to disappear. Without its bond to Copper's soul severed, it lost the ability to maintain the dream world they were.
"I did it…?" Yang murmured to herself as the world around her cracked and dissolved. Number 17 hissed in her mind. Gently, it used its mouth to raise Yang's clenched fist and open it. A phantom hand shot out from her real one, and travelled towards the wreckage. She grasped something, and pulled back on her arm.
Number 47 was between her fingers, the spirit within it dormant.
Slowly, Yang pried her eyes open. "Agh… what the heck was that?" She pushed herself out of her seat and stood up. "Did… that all really happen?" She looked around, and found Fox, Blake, Nora, and Copper all in their seats with eyes shut.
Yang stuffed her hands inside her pockets and searched for something. After a moment, she found what she was looking for. A black bordered card which had the name Number 47. "I… won it?"
Number 17 said that, had Ruby not been knocked out by Hope's effect, 39 would've done the same to it. Yang pursed her lips. "So… what's the deal? Is it dead, or–!" Yang flinched as an ear-grating roar, which she could only assume was some sort of laugh, echoed in her mind. 17 taunted Yang for assuming that she could kill a Number.
"Well, sorry for asking…!" She grumbled. 17 informed her that 47 was simply unconscious, in human terms. It will awaken again at some point in the future, completely loyal to her. She nodded. "And what about Copper? What'll happen to them?"
On cue, Copper began to stir in their seat. "Woah, Copper!" Yang quickly rushed to their side and placed her arms on their shoulders to help them up. "You okay, buddy?"
"Yang…?" Copper murmured, their voice shaky and eyes unsteady. "My head, ow…!"
"Careful, buddy. I did hit you pretty hard back there, huh?" Yang chuckled awkwardly, and the sound quickly trailed off when Copper gave her a deadpan stare. For a moment, Yang wondered if they didn't remember.
"You shot me with torpedoes…" They grumbled.
"...Well, it was either that or you beat me and steal who knows how many memories from who knows how many people," She countered. Copper raised their hand to speak, but they shrugged instead.
"Okay, fair enough…" They sighed and sunk back into their seats with a heavy groan. "Sorry… about all that. I wasn't really in the greatest headspace at the moment."
Yang patted their shoulders. "Believe me, I know the feeling." 17 snorted. "...Can I ask what happened? Or, at least, how you got that Number?"
Copper's side-eyed Yang for a moment. "Ah… All you need to is shit went downhill," They sighed. They pulled their legs up onto their seat and hugged their knees tightly. "I went to clear my head, and… I found it. 47."
"And 47 made you forget. It… ate your dreams, or something?" Yang asked. Copper let out a low scoff.
"No, nothing like that. Lemme show you." Copper jumped off and led Yang to their bed. They knelt down, and pulled out a heavy four inch binder. Yang whistled at the sight of it.
"You were busy, huh?" She commented.
"I did feel better after I made Nightmare Shark seal away my memories. I thought… I could make other people feel the same." Copper closed their eyes shut and opened the binder. Inside were pages and pages of sleeved Duel Monsters cards; while the backs were normal, the fronts were completely white.
"They're gone?"
"Because you took 47, I think," Copper reasoned. "Its power was a result of my own desires. And now that I don't have it, its effect on the world is gone, alongside my connection to it."
Slowly, Yang nodded. "That means…?"
"Yeah, I remember," Copper murmured quietly. They pushed the binder back under the bed and squeezed their eyes shut.
"Hey…" Yang murmured softly. Copper flinched as she placed a hand on their shoulder. "I think you should remember." They didn't respond immediately, but they tilt their head a little to the side. "It'll… give you strength, y'know? Sure, something bad happened… but you're still you. You're still here, fighting the good fight."
Copper stood up straight. While their face was passive, Yang smiled. "And that means you'll keep fighting, won't you? Even if it feels like the whole world is going against you, you'll keep going, because you want what's best for you, and to spite whoever told you to get screwed!"
Copper snickered. "That last part doesn't sound too much like me," They laughed quietly, a genuine smile forming on their face. "But I like it. I've never been spiteful to anyone before, but now I know a handful of people I want to personally annoy with my existence!"
"That's the spirit!" Yang cheered. Then she heard Blake snore.
"Oh, right, them," Copper murmured as they and Yang glanced at their D group.
"Well, this is going to be a mess and a half to explain…" Yang awkwardly said.
However, Copper smiled. "I have a few ideas, actually. Sit down and follow me lead," They said.
Yang saluted. "Aye-aye, Cap'n Killjoy!" She jumped back into her seat. She watched Copper disappear into their walk-in closet and come out with an airhorn. Yang's smile dropped.
"They had a Number?" Blake asked as she and Yang walked into the mess hall for dinner. She spoke a little louder than normal to hear herself.
Yang nodded. "Yeah. Copper got it sometime during the break, and basically went ham with it."
"Well… that's concerning," Blake murmured to herself, which confused Yang.
"Ah, concerning how?" Yang asked. "I saved the day, didn't I."
Blake paused and looked up at Yang, her amber eyes meeting with lilac ones. "Yang, the summer vacation was three months. That's three months to get to know their Numbers, possibly collect other Numbers, figure out duel strategies surrounding their Numbers, and use their powers for who knows what."
Yang blinked. "Oh shit we're screwed."
[Number 47: Dream Eating Hound - Nightmare Shark]
[WATER / Rank 3]
[Sea Serpent / Xyz / Effect]
[2000 ATK / 2000 DEF]
2 Level 3 WATER monsters
[Numbers' Divinity]
Once per turn: if a WATER monster is Special Summoned to your field; you can attach 1 WATER monster from your hand or GY to this card as Xyz Material. You can detach one material from this card; until the end of the next turn (even if this card leaves the field), neither player can declare an attack, except with WATER monsters also, WATER monsters cannot attack other monsters and must attack directly. You can only activate this effect of "Number 47: Dream Eating Hound - Nightmare Shark" if it has not been activated last turn.
[Numbers' Reincarnation]
Quick-Play Spell
Target 1 "Number" Xyz Monster card that you own on either player's field, GY, or banishment; return that target to the Extra Deck, then, Special Summon from your GY the minimum amount of materials listed in it's card text with their effects negated. Immediately after this effect resolves, Xyz Summon the returned monster using the Special Summoned Monsters as Xyz Material.
[A/N]
So, the first that's clearly on your mind is… if the girls are going to be collecting numbers, will they also gain the powers that are associated with them? No. …Maybe.
Yuma never gained the Numbers' supernatural powers, so RWBY shouldn't either. After all, their abilities didn't come from their troubled souls. The only time I MIGHT consider them using is if the Numbers' allowed them to do so. And that's a big IF.
Second, Copper's deck is pretty obviously themed around escapism. The 'Adventurer' cards are based off isekai / portal fantasy. You guys read fanfiction, you should know what these terms mean. While the 'Penguins' aren't themselves based on isekai, the modern 'Penguin' cards are RPG party classes, and too many isekai (especially ones of the unoriginal slop variety), use RPG elements as an excuse to justify poor or nonexistent world building.
Did I mention that I don't like isekai that much?
Now, to be clear, this isn't exactly a condemnation of escapism. We all do it, to some extent. Hell, some of you reading this might be here to escape. I do it as I write. Sometimes, the world just gets chaotic, and we need to take a break. But, we shouldn't be doing it for our every waking breath. If we simply stay in our dream world for the rest of time, not only will we not grow as people, but we will be unable to positively help the world around us. That's what I'm trying to get at in this chapter.
Also, Yang does have some lv 3 fish, specifically to enable Armored Shark. By some level 3 fish, I mean 3 copies of armored shark and 1 friller rabca.
And, how come Fox can play cards games? Uh... his cards are written in braille.
K bye.