Starting Notes:
Welcome back! One interesting thing that I noticed was that ffnet wasn't loading my reviews or the views of the story properly, so I'm sorry if I miss any reviews in the replies. Let's get going!
Chapter 33: Seeing Red
This was a tournament that was only supposed to have sixteen duelists in it. However, Roget now had to fit in several more duelists, and so he was furiously sending acceptance letters to duelists that he had previously deemed as not interesting enough to participate.
"Send a messenger to the Facility to inform Chojiro Tokumatsu that his last minute application for participation has been approved," he ordered. "At the same time, prepare our political prisoners in maximum security to take part in the tournament. I want them to look presentable." The officer in the room nodded and quickly fled the room. The engineer still in the room gulped. "Well? How is Sergey going?"
"We've got him docile," the engineer explained. "But for the deck that you wanted us to make, we need more time."
"Irrelevant," Roget cut him off. "Have it done in three days. While my daughter can fill in for the earlier rounds, for my plan to work perfectly, Sergey must be seen defeating several important duelists to earn legitimacy."
"Y-yes, sir." The engineer left after trying to speak and stuttering throughout. Roget sighed, massaging his forehead again. This year had been intended to be the moment that he seized full control, and yet all these uncontrolled factors had popped up only to complicate things.
It did not matter. Things were still under control. There was a different side now, and this side was the only one that he needed to focus on. Academia was still a distant threat, and as long as Mackfield did not report back to Academia, nothing would go wrong. Reiji Akaba and his ragtag group would fall before him—all just pawns to his greater scheme.
Nothing would go wrong. He would make sure of it.
That morning, the Lancers had mostly been surprised to find Yuzu and Miharu there. Reiji had asked if they had been filled in about what was going on, and then questioned if they would agree to be Lancers, since they had survived the Maiami Championship.
"Of course," Yuzu said, sticking to Yuya's side. Gongenzaka was sitting right next to them, seeming glad to have his childhood friends back with him.
"… didn't I already agree?" Miharu asked, and Reiji sighed. "I have not changed my mind—I will fight Academia with you all, yes."
"Sorry, I don't know who you are," Dennis said, holding up some finger guns. "You are Yuno's Miharu-san, correct?"
"... we have not met," Miharu said. She stood up, politely curtsying. "I am Miharu Kogami of the Link Dimension. I hope that we can work together." Next to her, Yuno looked at her with a smile of clear adoration—Yuto couldn't help but smile at how goofy the redhead looked, despite the fact that it also made him a little sad. (It made him think about Ruri, and that was a road to other thoughts that he tried to ignore.)
"We've met, Dennis," Yuzu said with a smile. "But uh, I'm Yuzu Hiiragi of… Standard, I guess?"
Reiji nodded. "I will leave you all to get acquainted," he said, and he was about to exit before Mion grabbed his arm.
"Socialise," she said with a frown.
"... I have things to do," Reiji said, clearly hedging. However, at Mion's slightly annoyed look, he finally settled down. Next to Mion, Kyorin spoke up shyly, clearly trying to help to pull him into the conversation.
Yuto laid back and took a deep breath. It was all a little overwhelming.
"Hey." Nue leaned over. "Are you alright?"
He nodded. His sister looked him over, and then she slid a card into his open palm. "I figured that I'd give that to you once you entered your first official competition back home, but… well, we know that never happened." She smiled. "Good luck, yeah?"
Yuto glanced at the card, and then he couldn't help but smile.
"I have like seven copies of it," Nue continued. "One is no big deal. I—"
"Thank you," Yuto said.
Nue looked at him, and the look in her eyes softened.
"I just keep worrying that you're going to get in trouble," she confessed. "And I won't be around to get you out of it."
"Shouldn't I be the one worrying about you?" Yuto muttered. "You're the reckless one."
"No," Nue said. "It's my right to worry over you. Just… be more selfish, alright?"
Yuto once again wondered what he had done to deserve such good people in his life. Ruri, whose compassion extended to everyone and anyone, who could make anyone smile with how kind that she was. Shun, who was brave and righteous and strong and the exact kind of person that most people wanted to be. And Nue, who was so fiercely protective in a way that Yuto could never be.
"It's just a tournament. We'll be fine." Yuto passed her a card too. "Here. Trade for trade?"
"... you're an idiot, my little brother," Nue murmured. Still though, she took the card without objecting. "But you've grown stronger too, from what I've heard. Tell me about your duel against that prisoner."
"Miharu Kogami-san. Yuzu Hiiragi-san. Can I talk to both of you?"
Serena stood there, looking very awkward. Miharu stood up. Yuzu smiled, looking very friendly. "No need to be so formal!" She said. "We're friends, aren't we?"
Serena blinked. "Um." She fidgeted, before psyching herself up and speaking stoically. "I wanted to thank the two of you for helping me realise my mistakes," she said. "You called me out and forced me to face reality. So I owe my current clarity to you."
"You owe us nothing," Miharu said.
"She's right!" Yuzu reached out, taking Serena's hands. "We're friends, alright? And I want to get to know you, Serena, so please don't be so overly polite!"
"... alright." Serena took a deep breath. "I can do that, I think. I've never really made friends on my own before…"
"Well, I want to be your friend," Yuzu said fiercely. Serena looked at Miharu, who shrugged, and thus, the matter was settled.
Yugo arrived a bit later in the day, along with several other strangers that none of them recognised. However, Yugo was certainly the most obvious arrival, considering that he nearly broke the sofa as he rushed forward. "Riiiii—"
He came to a stop in front of Serena.
"Uh. You are… not Rin?"
"You've learned!" Yuzu called, and Yugo pulled a face. After the number of times that Yugo had woken up in the orphanage and mistaken Yuzu or Miharu for Rin in his morning stupor, Yuzu had taken to smacking him with her fan until he got the hint.
"I'm Serena," the indigo-haired girl said curtly. "And you?"
"I'm Yugo," the blue and yellow-haired boy said with a bright smile. "Nice to meet you!"
"... it's so weird to see that face in such a wide grin," Serena muttered.
"I smile," Yuno quipped from nearby. Miharu had wandered off somewhere else, and the red-haired boy was currently reorganising his deck.
"But not like that," Serena said. "You and Yuto and Yuya have moderate smiles. This is sunshine."
"Rin said my smile was nice too!" Yugo said loudly, clearly misinterpreting Serena's words. He reached forward, clearly going to hug her on instinct. Serena kneed him directly in the stomach, sending him back.
"... he'll learn delicacy eventually," Yuno said with a laugh. He packed up his cards, before reaching out and grabbing Yugo by the back of his shirt. "Alright. We need to talk about something. We'll leave you all to it." He dragged Yugo out, and Yuzu and Serena looked at each other for a moment.
Well, that wasn't suspicious at all.
Before they could pursue the two boys and figure out what they were doing though, a pair of figures came into the kitchen, one of them tripping at the doorway and falling down. The two of them had bright turquoise green hair, though one of them had let it down with only two buns tied up on both sides, and the other had tied the hair up completely in a short bun. They were clearly twins.
"Hey!" One of them called. "Is there food here?"
"Rua!" The one next to him chided. "That's rude!"
"You're hungry, Ruka! I don't care if I'm being rude! You have to be in tip top shape for the tournament, and show everyone what the student of Team Unicorn can do!" The boy turned back to them, and Yuzu shrugged.
"Can't cook," she said.
"I can't cook either," Serena admitted bluntly.
"Oh no…" the girl murmured, and the boy puffed up. Just because they could get in an argument with a literal child, however, their saviour appeared.
"Do you need food?" Gongenzaka asked, happening to pass by at that time. He walked towards the counter, reaching for an apron. "The man, Gongenzaka, will not allow others to go hungry."
"Great! You hear that, Ruka?" Rua turned to the girl, who sighed and turned to Gongenzaka, bowing politely.
"Greetings, Gongenzaka-san," she said. "I am Ruka Sagiri. This is my twin brother, Rua Sagiri. I don't want to bother you, but…"
"It is not a bother. This man, Gongenzaka, would be less of a man for not doing such a small thing." Gongenzaka reached for the frying pan with determination. Rua and Ruka watched him with fascination. "The food shall be prepared well!"
"Izayoi-san."
"Kogami-san." Aki looked at the blonde girl. "I heard about the arrest. While I'm not sure how it could have happened, I apologise—the information could only have leaked from within the Arcadia Movement. When I gave you Sherry's schematics of the inside of the prison, someone must have been spying on us."
"It's not your fault, Izayoi-san." Miharu glanced away, clearly still somewhat awkward around her. "I should… thank you, actually. After what you told me, I decided to have a talk with Yuno…"
Aki smiled. "That's great," she said warmly. This 'Yuno' was probably as important to Miharu as Sherry was to her, after all. "There's no need to thank me. If we meet each other in this tournament, I just hope that you perform at your best."
"You're in this tournament?"
"My first time participating, but yes." Aki rubbed the back of her neck. "I kind of avoided it like the plague, but well, Jack and I are old friends, and he's been checking in on me ever since I took on the role of leading the Arcadia Movement. He asked me if I wanted to participate, and promised that nothing would happen. And well, that also gives me the chance of dueling Sherry."
"How did you and Sherry-san meet?" Miharu said, showing the faintest hint of curiosity in her eyes.
Aki chuckled. She leaned back against the wall, and Miharu moved over next to her. "… it's nothing much," she said. "Back when I was a teenager, I was still a bit rebellious—leftovers from my childhood. So one day, when I got sick and tired of training, I snuck out to watch a Turbo Duel. That was when I first saw Sherry. She was training with someone else at the track, and she looked so… vibrant, you know?" She hummed contentedly. "I was kind of hiding in the stands as I was watching, and then she turned towards me and asked if I was going to come down and try dueling as well. I said that I didn't want to interrupt, and that I might accidentally injure her. She rolled her eyes and told me that she trusted her own riding skills, and well, something about her confidence got me to give it a go. She won. I came back the next day, and she was there as well. I quietly left her a flower and hid again, and at the end of the duel, she climbed up the stands to where I was and asked me on a date. The rest is history."
Miharu nodded. "She's the friend that helped you?"
"She and Jack both helped me get back on my feet after everything," Aki agreed. "I love her, and he's like a brother to me."
"… I apologise if I knock you out of the tournament before you meet them then."
Aki laughed. "I'd be proud of you, if that was the case! If it comes down to you and me—well, I'll fight you with my full strength, and I hope that you'll strive to step over me with all the strength you have."
"Reira's willing to duel in this tournament?" Mion asked, and Reiji nodded. "... he's really grown."
"They say that they want to fight to save others," Reiji agreed. "They were very passionate about trying to find and save you all." After all, they had known that Yuno and Mion had been arrested, but not where they had been sent to—once they had found out that so many Lancers had been captured and sent to the Facility, Reiji had acted immediately.
"I'm proud of them, then." There was an awkward silence between the two of them.
Reiji broke it first. "I am glad that you are safe," he said after a moment. "I feared the worst, when I heard about what happened from Reira."
"It's not a big deal," Mion said, waving a hand through the air. "After all, I knew that you would—" She stopped herself, and then, under Reiji's curious look, she completed the sentence. "I knew that you would figure out a way to get us out of there, if we didn't escape by ourselves."
"That's a lot of confidence in my power, in a dimension that is not our own."
Mion met his gaze. "Yes," she said. "But to you, we are not pawns. You certainly pretend that we are, but the truth is, deep down, you do want to be a good leader. A kind leader. So you would never throw any of us away, unless it would threaten the safety of the rest."
"Do you think I am a good person then, Mion?"
Mion looked at him, and she sighed. "Yes," she said. "No matter how ruthless you try to be, I think that deep down, there's a good person there. You're just afraid of letting it show, because you feel that you need to be a good leader."
Reiji looked at her. Not for the first time, he wondered how someone with such clear maturity could look at him with rose-tinted goggles like this. He could understand Reira thinking that he was a good person, because she hadn't had the chance to meet too many kind people before, and he could understand Tsukikage, since the young man was driven by duty, but Mion wasn't like either of them. She had travelled, met many other people, and she had a practical point of view—and yet, she could still look at him and judge him as kind.
"I need coffee," he said after a moment. "If you come with me, I'll buy you some tea too."
"Deal," Mion said easily, and if he was a little more relaxed having her there, neither of them commented on it.
"Sherry!" Aki, who had been waiting by the door, cheerfully greeted her girlfriend as she walked through the door. Sherry cracked a smile, swiftly walking forward and leaning down, kissing Aki's cheek.
"Aki, mon trésor," she greeted, tucking a flower into Aki's hair. Behind her, Kiryu Kyosuke nodded to Aki, hanging back. They both knew of each other's existence, but they had never properly met before this. Even so, from Sherry's descriptions of him, Aki could definitely make a guess as to his identity. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"
"Yes." Aki raised an eyebrow. "Though I did hear that someone tried to get you to execute a few kids."
"Oh?" Sherry tilted her head. "Did Yuno-kun make it out then?"
"Yes," Aki said. "I've been talking to his girlfriend. The two of them are rather adorable together."
"Oh, that explains a little about him." Sherry said. She took Aki's hand. "Come along. Misty and Naoya have settled in already, and I'm sure Kiryu needs to go and catch up with some old friends."
Kiryu grimaced.
"So we'll be just fine on our own," Sherry concluded. "Come, we haven't had the chance to talk in a while."
"Naoya!"
"Yo, Crow, Shinji," Naoya said with a small smirk. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd refuse to participate in something like this."
"We were forced into this," Crow said. "But you and Kiryu agreed to participate this year? I thought that it was usually just LeBlanc who entered the tournament…"
"Eh, I thought it might be interesting." Naoya shrugged. "It's not like I care too much about all that revolution stuff that you guys always talk about anyway."
Right. Shinji had always been the most passionate one.
"Then why are you here?" Shinji said.
"Well, when I was dueling in the Facility, it was fun," Naoya said. He cracked a smile. "I felt alive."
Shinji and Crow exchanged a look. There was a level of life to the orange-haired man's eyes that hadn't been there before.
"And besides," Naoya said, as though it was an afterthought, "if Chino sees me, it'll annoy her. And that's what I really want to see."
"Oh," Yugo said.
There was an awkward moment when all four boys with the same face didn't quite know what to say. After all, they all knew about how they had been possessed and nearly killed each other at this point, even if they didn't know what had caused it.
"I thought that we should clear things up—"
"If it's about fighting with you guys," Yugo said cheerfully, "I already agreed to do that back in Standard, and Yuzu and Miharu already filled me in on it! We're good." He held up a fist towards Yuto, who returned the fistbump. "And I want to duel you guys normally, yeah?"
"I would like that too," Yuto said politely. "Anyway, I'd like for us to all know a little more about each other as comrades? So, uh, proper introductions?"
"Sure," Yugo said with a chuckle. "Nothing much to say about me, really. I just grew up in an orphanage, and I want to become the King of the City!"
"Oh, why's that?" Yuno said curiously.
"Well," Yugo said, no hesitation in his voice. "I want to make life better for everyone. I want to make things change, and everyone always listens to Jack! So I figured that if I won everything and became the King, the whole city would listen to me as well, and I would be able to change those things." He shrugged. "And something about being the King just feels right to me, you know? So even though Jack Atlas is my idol, I'm going to knock him down and make him acknowledge me, for my own sake."
"… then even though we have to win for our own pride and goals, I wish you nothing but the best," Yuto said.
"Thanks!" Yugo shook his hand enthusiastically. "Anyway! I heard that you're facing the King, right, Yuya?"
"Yeah," Yuya said. "I'm facing him tonight…" He sounded a little nervous.
"I thought so!" Yugo nodded. "So, I thought, as a sign of our new friendship, I could lend you this, just for tonight!" He passed Yuya a white-bordered card. Yuya touched it, and for a moment, all four of them froze, though none of them seemed aware of it.
The moment passed.
Yuya lifted the card. "Clear Wing Synchro Dragon," he read off the card's name. "Yugo, I appreciate it, but… I can't Synchro Summon."
"Right!" Yugo smacked his own forehead. "You're from a different world! Geez, that's still a weird thought. Oh well, that's easy enough! I'll teach you!"
Yuya blinked.
"It's really easy," Yugo said reassuringly. "Just math, really."
"I'm bad at math," Yuya pointed out, but he moved next to Yugo as the other boy took out more cards from his deck anyway. Yuto and Yuno were watching intently as well.
(If two more dragons slipped into his Extra Deck before he left for his duel later, that was between the three other boys at the table, who all exchanged a look.)
(Because Jack Atlas was strong. Because Yuya was intended as a sacrifice to show how strong he was.)
(But none of them wanted Yuya to be humiliated. They wanted him to fight tooth and nail, and to be acknowledged.)
(To be able to look at this city and its arrogance and prove them wrong.)
Yuya took another deep breath, before he started up the D-Wheel, setting it to autopilot mode.
It was time.
He was going to face against the strongest duelist of the Synchro Dimension.
He didn't feel ready, but…
If not now, then when? How long would it take for him to be ready? Would he just keep on hesitating, over and over?
It might be better just to take the plunge into the unknown.
Yugo. "Now, take my power and defeat the King!"
Yuno. "Your Pendulum has the potential to become all kinds of things. As do you. And personally, I can't wait to see how you grow. Fusion is just the start. I believe in you. You just need to have more confidence in yourself, and in your beliefs."
Yuto. "I want Dark Rebellion to have a chance to duel in the way that Ruri wanted us to duel, but I… no longer know how to duel to make another person smile. I am too angry on the inside to do that. So will you do it in my place?" And then… "There is… some strength that's earned in sorrow and despair. Strength to face certain things… and I don't mean this as an insult, Yuya, but I don't think that you've properly understood the magnitude of despair that we have."
Dennis. "Your father, Yusho Sakaki, is my inspiration."
Reiji. "If you call yourself a duelist, express your anger not through your fists, but through your duels."
Mion. "Maybe you'll figure it out someday," she said. "Be patient. Don't try to grow up too quickly. When you find a chance to grow, then take a moment to consider yourself. And become a person that isn't here to cater to anyone's expectations. Become yourself."
Gongenzaka. "Have you forgotten how your father, Yusho Sakaki, always made other people smile with his dueling?"
And finally, Yuzu, whose words would always be important to him. "I believe in you, Yuya. Do your best, win, and after this war, we'll go home together to our hometown.
He drove out, and the feeling of the crowd roaring from above him filled him with some anxiety. He took a deep breath—
And then, the crowd got louder as Jack Atlas burst forth from behind him, on the classic white D-Wheel, blond hair striking and bright.
"Jack! Jack!" The crowds chanted.
"There is only one king!" Jack Atlas shouted. "And that is me!"
Yuya took a deep breath. Jack came to a stop right beside him, sizing him up. He turned to the crowd, and Yuya frowned as the man announced his plan—namely, to win in three turns, after Yuya showed off his best.
"The challenger will be allowed to take the first turn," Jack said. He folded his arms, turning towards Yuya. "To show off their strength. Do not disappoint me."
Yuya swallowed down his anger.
They took off.
I'll win!
[DUEL!]
Jack Atlas: 4000LP
Yuya Sakaki: 4000LP
[Turn 1: Yuya] [H:5]
"I'll start!" Yuya called, the spotlight shining onto him. He glanced at the cards in his hand. Alright. He had one of Yugo's cards in his hand already. In the end, it had been difficult to cram Synchro Summoning into his head in a few hours, so Yugo had simply shown him how to repeat the same combination of two cards over and over again, just to bring out Clear Wing. He held out a card. "I'll Special Summon Speedroid Terrortop from my hand!" The set of tops appeared, all spinning in front of him as they floated on the field.
[Speedroid Terrortop (3*/1200/600/WIND/Machine/Effect)]
"And with Terrortop's effect, I can add a "Speedroid" monster to my hand!" Yuya declared. He only had one other Speedroid in his deck—both of them were Yugo's monsters, meant to be used together. "I will then Normal Summon Performapal Skullcrobat Joker!" The blond spellcaster in purple and black striped clothing appeared.
[Performapal Skullcrobat Joker (4*/S8/1800/100/DARK/Spellcaster/Effect)]
"And with Skullcrobat Joker's effect, I'll add a "Performapal" monster to my hand." Yuya revealed the card in his hand. "I will set the Scale 1 Performapal Monkeyboard in the Pendulum Scale! And with Monkeyboard's Pendulum Effect, I will add a Level 4 or lower "Performapal" monster from my deck to my hand! I will add the Scale 8 Performapal Odd-Eyes Unicorn to my hand and set it in the other Pendulum Scale, completing the Pendulum Scale!" The two pillars of light shot up around him. "With this Pendulum Scale, I can Pendulum Summon monsters from Level 2 to Level 7! Swing, pendulum! Cast your light across the aether! Come, my monsters!"
Two streaks of light shot down.
"First, the dragon with the wondrous and beautiful dichromatic eyes! Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" His ace appeared right in front of him. "And next, Speedroid Fuki-Modoshi Piper!" A green-haired mechanical boy appeared in front of him as well.
[Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon (7*/S4/2500/2000/DARK/Dragon/Pendulum/Effect)]
[Speedroid Fuki-Modoshi Piper (4*/1000/1000/WIND/Machine/Tuner/Effect)]
"Since I control another WIND monster, I can reveal the top card of my deck with Fuki-Modoshi Piper's effect, and add it to my hand!" Yuya swiped the top card off his deck. Pinch Helper. Good. "I'll then tune the Level 4 Fuki-Modoshi Piper to the Level 3 Terrortop!" His last words came out in a shout. Jack rode ahead of him, turning his head back slightly, looking a little surprised at Yuya's words.
Up in the stands, Yugo pumped a fist into the air with a wide grin.
At this point, just like with Yuto, Yuya had heard Yugo's summoning chant enough times while being taught how to Synchro Summon. Therefore, he could recite it practically from memory.
"Spread those wondrous and beautiful wings, and strike down your enemies at the speed of light! Synchro Summon! Appear now! Level 7! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"
Yugo's dragon appeared on his field, and for a moment, Yuya felt his heart skip a beat. It felt right, to see Clear Wing and Odd-Eyes next to each other, just like it had felt right with Dark Rebellion and Odd-Eyes next to each other. There was something about all of these dragons together, side by side, that just felt right.
(Like a second heartbeat, dancing next to his own.)
[Clear Wing Synchro Dragon (7*/2500/2000/WIND/Dragon/Synchro/Effect)]
Go get him, Yuya, the voice of Yugo said in his head. Uh, Yuya imagined that he said that, at least. The mini Yugo in his brain laughed loudly. Show the King of this city what we're all about!
"I'll set a card and end my turn!" Yuya declared.
Jack looked back at him. "A dragon that isn't yours," he said after a moment. "Standing side by side with your own… borrowed strength that stands above your own!"
"What?" Yuya said, flinching.
What did he just say? Yugo's voice in his brain demanded.
"Even your best is wasteful," Jack declared with no hesitation. "It's my turn!"
He went even faster, a white blur along the track.
[Turn 2: Jack] [H:6]
"Draw! I will Normal Summon Red Sprinter!" In front of Jack, a dark red horse surrounded by bright flames appeared. However, instead of hooves, it had human-like hands, and the front of its head had two demonic horns.
[Red Sprinter (4*/1700/1200/FIRE/Fiend/Effect)]
"Once per turn, if Red Sprinter is the only monster on the field, I can Special Summon a Level 3 or lower Tuner monster from my hand!" Jack declared. For a moment, Yuya could see it—boundless confidence that felt almost familiar, for some reason. "So come, Red Resonator!" A grinning monster with an iron helmet appeared, holding onto a golden tuning fork and with vermillion flames flowing around it.
[Red Resonator (2*/600/200/FIRE/Fiend/Tuner/Effect)]
"Tuner…" Yuya muttered, hearing the echo of another voice in his head as well.
"When Red Resonator is Special Summoned, once per turn, I can target a Synchro Monster on the field, and gain life points equal to its attack points!" Red Resonator pointed its tuning fork towards Clear Wing. "I will target Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, since it is the only Synchro Monster on the field!"
"As if I'd allow that!" Yuya shouted, the words half his own and half not—a little more brash than how he would usually be. "Clear Wing's effect activates! Since you targeted a Level 5 or higher monster with an effect—"
Since you targeted a Level 5 or higher monster with an effect—
"We can negate the effect of the monster that activated the effect," Yuya nodded, shaking his head for a moment as he suddenly felt dizzy. "Destroy that monster, and Clear Wing's attack points increase by the attack points of the destroyed monster! Dichroic Mirror!"
"As if I would allow you to interfere with my dueling so easily!" Jack shouted, revealing a card in his hand. "I will send Red Gardna to the graveyard to negate the destruction of Red Resonator!"
Damn it, Mind-Yugo said, and Yuya found that he agreed very much with the sentiment. Now he's got a Tuner and a non-Tuner… and those Levels mean that he's definitely going for Red Wyvern.
Red Wyvern? How could his inner voice know what Jack was going to use?
"Now, I will tune the Level 2 Red Resonator to the Level 4 Red Sprinter! The crimson souls shall become one. All shall tremble before the king's might! Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 6—Red Wyvern!" A dark red dragon appeared, the tips of its wings lit up with bright red flames as well.
[Red Wyvern (6*/2400/2000/FIRE/Dragon/Synchro/Effect)]
"You're impulsive," Jack said. "And it will cost you. Once while Red Wyvern is face-up on the field, if there is a monster with higher attack points than it, I can destroy the face-up monster on the field that has the highest attack points! Crimson Flare!" The red dragon roared out a blast of flame. "And since Clear Wing Synchro Dragon and Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon are tied in terms of attack points, I will choose!" He whirled around, pointing out with a finger. "The King decrees that your borrowed strength should be eliminated! Destroy Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"
Yugo's dragon was destroyed with a sharp blast of flames. Yuya felt a sharp spike of pain in his head, and a moment of annoyance at the loss of the dragon. He should've been more careful, but… he didn't know about this effect.
"Red Wyvern attacks your Performapal Skullcrobat Joker!"
Yuya shielded himself as his monster was destroyed.
Yuya: 4000 - 600 = 3400LP
"I will set two cards and end my turn!"
[Turn 3: Yuya] [H:3]
"Draw!" Yuya called. "I'll use Monkeyboard's Pendulum Effect! I'll add another Level 4 or lower "Performapal" monster to my hand!" He swiped up Trump Girl from his deck. "With my current Pendulum Scale, I can Pendulum Summon monsters from Level 2 to 7 again!" He hadn't lost his nerve, despite the efficiency of Jack's last turn. "Come from my hand, Performapal Trump Girl!" A smiling, pink-skinned witch appeared on the field. "And from the Extra Deck, Performapal Skullcrobat Joker!" The jester-like monster reappeared.
[Performapal Trump Girl (2*/S4/200/2000/DARK/Spellcaster/Pendulum/Effect)]
"Trump Girl's effect! I can perform a Fusion Summon using monsters I control! I'll fuse Performapal Trump Girl and Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon on the field! Wielder of mysterious powers, become dazzling light and dwell in the eyes of the dragon! Fusion Summon! Come forth! Arcane dragon wielder of ancient magic! Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" His first Fusion Monster appeared on his field with a loud roar. I'll defeat him this turn!
[Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon (8*/3000/2000/DARK/Dragon/Fusion/Effect)]
"Since Rune-Eyes was Fusion Summoned with a Level 4 or lower Spellcaster monster, I can make two attacks with it during each Battle Phase!" Yuya declared. "Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon attacks Red Wyvern!"
"Naive," Jack said. "Trap Card, King's Synchro. I will negate the attack." Rune-Eyes's attack collided with a bright red barrier. "And then, by banishing Red Resonator from the graveyard and Red Wyvern from the field, I will perform another Synchro Summon!"
"On my turn?" Yuya exclaimed in shock.
"The heaven and earth shall tremble before the king's might. Let the power of the one and only supreme ruler be carved into your soul! Synchro Summon! The savage soul, Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend!"
And—
Yuya's heart skipped a beat as a large red dragon appeared in front of Jack, covered in scars. It let out a loud, proud roar, and flames shot out everywhere.
Yuya faced that dragon and forgot to breathe.
[Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend (8*/3000/2500/DARK/Dragon/Synchro/Effect)]
Rune-Eyes roared loudly, snapping Yuya out of it.
He gritted his teeth. "Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon attacks Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend!" He shouted.
"Attempting to swap your monster for mine?" Jack remarked. "I would never allow Scarlight such a disgraceful end! Trap Card, Reject Reborn! I will negate the attack and end the Battle Phase! Then, I must destroy all monsters I control!" Scarlight burst into flames. "And then, I will revive monsters up to the number of attacks that I negated during this Battle Phase! I will revive my very soul, Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend, and Red Sprinter!" The two monsters reappeared on his field.
Yuya gritted his teeth. "I end my turn," he said.
[Turn 4: Jack] [H:2]
"This is my second turn," Jack informed as he drew a card. "I predicted that you would only survive three turns. However, if you constantly rely on the strength of others and throw it away like nothing, this duel will end far quicker than I expected! Scarlight's effect! Once per turn, I can destroy every other Special Summoned monster on the field with equal or lower attack points! Absolute Powerflame!" The dragon roared loudly. "That means your Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, Performapal Skullcrobat Joker and my Red Sprinter!" All three monsters burst into flames that shot towards Yuya, who winced.
Yuya: 3400 - 500 x 3 = 1900LP
"Scarlight attacks directly!"
Yuya flipped over his set card immediately. "Performapal Pinch Helper!" He called, the Continuous Trap showing itself. "I will negate your attack and Special Summon a "Performapal" monster from my deck with its effects negated! Come, Performapal Fireflux!" The small firefly appeared in front of him, and Jack nodded—not scoffing at Yuya for once.
[Performapal Fireflux (4*/S5/1200/1600/LIGHT/Insect/Pendulum/Effect)]
"Very well," he said. "I will set a card facedown. Take your final turn."
And—
Yuya was annoyed.
He was going to win—he was going to take Jack Atlas down this turn. Either that, or he would at the very least last longer, out of sheer spite.
[Turn 5: Yuya] [H:4]
"Draw!" Yuya declared. He glanced at the card. "I will activate Monkeyboard's Pendulum Effect! I'll add a Level 4 or lower "Performapal" monster from my deck to my hand. I'll Normal Summon Performapal Cheermole!" The silver wolf appeared in front of him, stars on its fur.
[Performapal Cheermole (2*/S5/600/1000/EARTH/Beast/Pendulum/Effect)]
"Open, circuit of the world of smiles!" Yuya called. "Arrowhead confirmed! The conditions are two monsters with different Levels, including a Pendulum Monster! I will set Performapal Cheermole and Performapal Fireflux in the Link Markers! Silver silks that dance through the moonlit waters! Now, rise up, colourful performer, and aid in setting up the stage! Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Link 2! Performapal Odd-Eyes Silver Selkie!" The seal-human hybrid woman appeared, braided silver hair trailing over a blue and white dress. She winked.
[Performapal Odd-Eyes Silver Selkie (L2/1700/WATER/Cyberse/Link/Effect/↙, ↘)]
"So you can use four summoning methods," Jack noted. "Synchro, of course, but Pendulum, Fusion and Link too…"
"And I'm about to show you one more!" Yuya declared. "With Silver Selkie's effect, I will place another "Performapal" or "Odd-Eyes" Pendulum Monster in my Extra Deck! Marine Excavation! Then, I can Special Summon a Pendulum Monster from my Extra Deck with a different name, but I'm not going to." His pendulum pendant swayed side to side, and he held out a hand. "With the same Pendulum Scales, I'll Pendulum Summon! Come! Performapal Fireflux! Performapal Skullcrobat Joker! Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" The three monsters appeared—Yuya would have brought back Cheermole too, but he was worried about having too many monsters on the field, since it would cause him to take far more damage from Scarlight's effect.
But he would take Scarlight down this turn!
"I'll overlay the Level 4 Fireflux and the Level 4 Skullcrobat Joker! Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Now, descend! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" Yuto's dark dragon appeared, and Yuya felt a sharp pang in his heart.
[Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon (R4/2500/2000/DARK/Dragon/Xyz/Effect) (OU:2)]
"I'll use Dark Rebellion's effect and target Scarlight!" Yuya called. "By detaching an Overlay Unit, I'll halve the attack points of a Level 5 or higher monster and Dark Rebellion gains that amount! Treason Discharge!" The lightning exploded between both of them.
[Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend: 3000 / 2 = 1500ATK]
[Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon: OU:2 - 1 = OU:1; 2500 + 1500 = 4000ATK]
"And then," Yuya started to say.
Again! Yuto's voice called in his head.
"I will target Scarlight and use the effect again!" Yuya shouted. Again. "Treason Discharge!"
[Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend: 1500 / 2 = 750ATK]
[Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon: OU:1 - 1 = OU:0; 4000 + 750 = 4750ATK]
"Attack Scarlight, Dark Rebellion! Rebellious Lightning Disobey!"
"Impulsive," Jack said. "I'll activate the Counter Trap, Negate Attack. I'll negate the attack and end the Battle Phase!"
Yuya blinked. He grimaced.
"I'll end my turn," he muttered.
[Turn 6: Jack] [H:2]
"Draw!" Jack shouted. "And now, your fate is sealed! Scarlight's effect! I will destroy all Special Summoned monsters on the field with lower attack points than it! Absolute Powerflame!" Flames swarmed Yuya's field. Dark Rebellion let out a pained roar.
"I will use Odd-Eyes Silver Selkie's effect!" Yuya shouted. "By sending a card from my hand to the graveyard, I will negate the destruction of her and Odd-Eyes! Merciful Swaying Heart!" Water surrounded herself and the red dragon, protecting them, even as Dark Rebellion was destroyed.
Yuya: 1900 - 500 = 1400LP
"You disgust me," Jack murmured. "To borrow the strength of others, and yet to use it so performatively. Without fully acknowledging the strength that has been given to you, simply bringing them out as an attempt to prove your own strength, instead of acknowledging theirs. Self-centred, naive and not worthy to call yourself an entertainer!" He held up a card. "Red Dragon Vase! Since I control "Red Dragon Archfiend", which Scarlight is treated as, I can draw two cards." He then revealed two monsters in his hand. "Since I control a Synchro Monster, I can Special Summon Creation Resonator!" A silver monster with bright red eyes and a blue flower blooming behind it like a spinning pinwheel appeared. "And since I control a Fiend monster with 1500 or less attack points, I can Special Summon Wandering King Wildwind!" A mammalian canine-like humanoid appeared, wearing a green cloak.
[Creation Resonator (3*/800/600/WIND/Fiend/Tuner/Effect)]
[Wandering King Wildwind (4*/1700/1300/DARK/Fiend/Effect)]
"I will tune the Level 3 Creation Resonator to the Level 4 Wandering King Wildwind! The star of death that shines at the zenith of the heavens! Descend to the Earth and make judgment upon the living! Synchro Summon! Descend, The King of Divine Punishment, Dark Highlander!" A white-themed fiend dressed in black and gold metal, with silver chains over its chest appeared. He was holding onto a thick black and silver scythe.
[Dark Highlander (7*/2800/2300/DARK/Fiend/Synchro/Effect)]
"Dark Highlander," Jack said. "Attack his Silver Selkie." The scythe slammed down, and the seal woman shrieked as she was cut in half. Yuya winced, his life points falling.
Yuya: 1400 - 1100 = 300LP
Yuya was distracted, admittedly—a part of him burning red hot with shame. It was true. He hadn't protected Yugo or Yuto's intentions at all.
Yuya. Don't lose focus.
Yuya revealed a card in his hand, spurred on by the new voice in his head. "I'll survive past this turn!" He shouted. "I will activate the effect of Performapal Barokuriboh in my hand! Since you destroyed one of my monsters by battle, I can Special Summon Performapal Barokuriboh from my hand!" A brown puffball with a purple cloak and with blond locks around its head appeared.
[Performapal Barokuriboh (8*/S1/300/3000/DARK/Fiend/Pendulum/Effect)]
"Barokuriboh is the only monster you can target for attacks," Yuya continued. "And since it's in Defense Position, Scarlight cannot overcome it!"
Jack looked at him. "... passable," he said. "I'll concede—you have surpassed what I expected of you. Spell Card, Scarlet Security! I will destroy all Spells and Traps you control!" Yuya's Pinch Helper and the two Pendulum Scales shattered. I end my turn."
Yuya gritted his teeth. "It's true that you're stronger than me," he said. "But—"
I'll ask you not to—
"Don't look down on me!"
—look down on him!
[Turn 7: Yuya] [H:3]
"Draw!" Yuya called. He glanced at his hand, blinking in surprise.
Do it, Yuya.
I don't care what he says. He may say that you haven't used our cards to their full potential, and he might be right. But who cares?
Prove your existence to him! Prove that you are strong, prove that you will not go down without a fight. Prove that you will struggle, and force him to recognise you!
"... you're weirdly demanding for a voice in my head," Yuya muttered. "But you're right… Yuno." He revealed the card in his hand. "Spell Card, Monster Reborn! Revive, Performapal Odd-Eyes Silver Selkie!" The Link Monster reappeared on his field. His current hand could not Pendulum Summon, but Yuno was right. It was time to prove a point. "Open, circuit of the world of smiles!" Yuya said determinedly. "Arrowhead confirmed! The conditions are three monsters, including at least one Link Monster! I will set Performapal Odd-Eyes Silver Selkie, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Performapal Barokuriboh in the Link Markers! Cybernetic dragon that crosses into reality! Now, infuse yourself with the ocean waves that crash against the shore, and pull the world into your magnetic field! Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Link 3! Magnetic Current Link Dragon!"
Yuno's ace appeared in front of him, wings flaring out, wires sparking dangerously.
[Magnetic Current Link Dragon (L3/2500/WATER/Dragon/Link/Effect/←, ↓, →)]
Another sharp pain struck at Yuya's skull, but he pointed forward.
"Magnetic Current Link Dragon's effect!" He shouted. "I will take control of Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend until your next End Phase, place it in a zone that Magnetic Current points to, and have you gain life points equal to its original attack points! Magnetism Drive!"
And the crowd went wild as wires shot out towards Scarlight. And the dragon was ripped off Jack's field, dragged over to Yuya's own.
Jack: 4000 + 3000 = 7000LP
"Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend attacks Dark Highlander!" The dragon dashed forward, breathing out some flames, though it seemed rather hesitant.
Jack: 7000 - 200 = 6800LP
"I will have Magnetic Current attack you directly! Circuit Breaker!"
Another chunk of Jack's life points were ripped from him—and at least this time, Scarlight was no longer as present of a threat as it had been before.
Jack: 6800 - 2500 = 4300LP
Of course not, Mind-Yuno said. My dragon is the very definition of diplomacy.
Yuya snorted. "I end my turn," he said.
[Turn 8: Jack] [H:1]
"My very soul," Jack said after a moment, drawing a card. "To think that you would steal him from me like this… but even so, I will reclaim my own pride! I will Normal Summon Malicious Resonator!" A strange fiend appeared, holding onto two black bells in its hands. It danced around, letting out a cheery laugh.
[Malicious Resonator (1*/300/200/DARK/Fiend/Tuner/Effect)]
"And with Malicious Resonator's effect, I can target a monster you control and perform a Synchro Summon using itself and that monster," Jack declared. Yuya blanched. "I will take back my very soul, which you have stolen!" Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend dissolved into red light. "I will tune the Level 1 Malicious Resonator to the Level 8 Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend! Demon King unleashed from the darkness of the abyss! Let your rage explode with the power of my very soul! Synchro Summon! Level 9! Hot Red Dragon Archfiend Abyss!"
A large black dragon with slightly red-tinted scales appeared, bloody red light swarming all around it, its demonic wings spreading out widely.
[Hot Red Dragon Archfiend Abyss (9*/3200/2500/DARK/Dragon/Synchro/Effect)]
Unbelievable, Yuno murmured in his head. So this is the power of Jack Atlas…
"Borrowed ideals, borrowed words, everything about you is a copy of someone else's conviction!" Jack declared.
Yuya flinched.
"Hot Red Dragon Archfiend Abyss will attack your monster," Jack said. "You will not be able to hide behind the strength of others. So grow strong enough, Yuya Sakaki. Or stay forever in anonymity."
The dragon charged forward—
And Yuya's life points finally fell to zero.
Yuya: 300 - 700 = 0LP
Winner: Jack Atlas!
He came to a stop, his face burning with shame.
Jack got off the D-Wheel, not looking at him and turning to the crowd instead.
Yuya didn't have the heart to listen to what he was saying. He just slunk off, and he didn't look back.
Maybe his face would stop burning with embarrassment soon… but the shame would still last.
"You were a little harsh," Carly said when Jack got back to his spectator's box. "He's just a boy."
"He's a boy trying to do things that a child should not have to do," Jack said with a shrug. "If he wants to cling to those ideals, it'll be better to wake him up now, instead of allowing him to dwell in dreams."
"If you say so," Carly said. "He was strong though! I hope that I don't face him in the first round."
Jack looked at her fondly. "I'm sure that you'll put up a good performance," he said. "And no matter whether you win or lose, it'll be a step forward for you."
A step forward for her to become as strong as he always knew she could be.
Duel 1 Summary: Yuya Sakaki vs Jack Atlas
Duel Format: Normal Duel
Turn 1: Yuya Sakaki
Yuya starts. He Special Summons Speedroid Terrortop (3*/1200/600) from his hand since he controls no monsters. He then adds Speedroid Fuki-Modoshi Piper (4*/1000/1000) from his Deck to his hand. He Normal Summons Performapal Skullcrobat Joker. (4*/S8/1800/100) With Skullcrobat Joker, he adds Performapal Monkeyboard to his hand. He sets the Scale 1 Monkeyboard in the Pendulum Scale. With Monkeyboard's effect, he adds a Level 4 or lower "Performapal" monster from his Deck to his hand. He sets the Scale 8 Performapal Odd-Eyes Unicorn in the other Pendulum Scale. He Pendulum Summons Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon (7*/2500/2000) and Speedroid Fuki-Modoshi Piper from his hand. He uses Fuki-Modoshi Piper's effect. Since he controls one other WIND monster, he reveals the top card of his deck and adds it to his hand. He tunes the Level 4 Fuki-Modoshi Piper to the Level 3 Terrortop to Synchro Summon Clear Wing Synchro Dragon. (7*/2500/2000) He sets a card and ends his turn.
Turn 2: Jack Atlas
Jack draws. He Normal Summons Red Sprinter. (4*/1700/1200) He uses its effect to Special Summon Red Resonator. (2*/600/200) He uses Red Resonator's effect to target Clear Wing, gaining LP equal to its ATK. Clear Wing uses its effect, negating the effect of Red Resonator and destroying it. Jack sends Red Gardna to the GY to protect Red Resonator from being destroyed. He tunes the Level 2 Red Resonator to the Level 4 Red Sprinter, Synchro Summoning Red Wyvern. (6*/2400/2000) He uses Red Wyvern's effect to destroy Clear Wing Synchro Dragon. Red Wyvern attacks Skullcrobat Joker. [YS: 4000 - 600 = 3400LP] He then sets two cards and ends his turn.
Turn 3: Yuya Sakaki [H:3]
Yuya draws. He uses Monkeyboard's Pendulum Effect to add another Level 4 or lower "Performapal" monster to his hand. He Pendulum Summons Performapal Trump Girl (2*/S4/200/2000) from his hand, as well as Skullcrobat Joker from his Extra Deck. He uses Trump Girl and Odd-Eyes to Fusion Summon Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon. (8*/3000/2000) Rune-Eyes attacks Red Wyvern. Jack activates the Trap Card, King's Synchro, negating the attack and using Red Resonator in the GY and Red Wyvern on the field to Synchro Summon Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend (8*/3000/2500) in Attack Position. Yuya attacks with Rune-Eyes again to destroy Scarlight. Jack activates Reject Reborn, negating the attack and ending the Battle Phase. He destroys Scarlight, and then he brings back Scarlight and Red Sprinter in Attack Position. Yuya ends his turn.
Turn 4: Jack Atlas [H:2]
Jack draws. He activates Scarlight's effect, destroying as many Special Summoned monsters with ATK less than or equal to Scarlight. He destroys all of Yuya's monsters and also his own Red Sprinter. He inflicts 500 damage to Yuya for each. [YS: 3400 - 500 x 3 = 1900LP] Scarlight attacks directly. Yuya activates Performapal Pinch Helper, negating the attack and Special Summoning a "Performapal" monster from his Deck with its effects negated. He Special Summons Performapal Fireflux (4*/S5/1200/1600). Jack sets a card and ends his turn.
Turn 5: Yuya Sakaki [H:4]
Yuya draws. He activates Monkeyboard's Pendulum Effect, adding another Level 4 or lower "Performapal" monster from his Deck to his hand. He Normal Summons Performapal Cheermole. (2*/S5/600/1000) He then uses Cheermole and Fireflux to Link Summon Performapal Odd-Eyes Silver Selkie (L2/1700/↙, ↘) in the Extra Monster Zone. He uses its effect to place a "Odd-Eyes" or "Performapal" Pendulum Monster face-up in the Extra Deck, and he does not Special Summon a monster. He Pendulum Summons Fireflux, Skullcrobat Joker and Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon. He overlays the Level 4 Skullcrobat Joker and Fireflux to Xyz Summon Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon (R4/2500/2000/OU:2) in Attack Position. He uses Dark Rebellion's effect twice on Scarlight. (SRDA: 3000 / 2 / 2 = 750ATK) (DRXD: 2500 + 1500 + 750 = 4750ATK; OU:2 - 2 = OU:0) Dark Rebellion attacks Scarlight. Jack activates Negate Attack. Yuya ends his turn.
Turn 6: Jack Atlas [H:2]
Jack draws. He activates Scarlight's effect. Yuya discards a card to use Silver Selkie's effect to protect itself and Odd-Eyes. Dark Rebellion is destroyed. [YS: 1900 - 500 = 1400LP] Jack activates Red Dragon Vase to draw two cards since he controls "Red Dragon Archfiend". He then Special Summons Creation Resonator (3*/800/600) from his hand since he controls a Synchro Monster. Then, he Special Summons Wandering King Wildwind (4*/1700/1300) from his hand. He tunes the Level 3 Creation Resonator to the Level 4 Wandering King Wildwind, Synchro Summoning Dark Highlander. (7*/2800/2300) Dark Highlander attacks Performapal Odd-Eyes Silver Selkie. [YS: 1400 - 1100 = 300LP] Yuya activates the effect of Performapal Barokuriboh (8*/S1/300/3000) in his hand, Special Summoning it to the field in Defense Position. Jack activates Scarlet Security, destroying Yuya's backrow. He ends his turn.
Turn 7: Yuya Sakaki [H:3]
Yuya draws. He activates the Spell Card, Monster Reborn, reviving Performapal Odd-Eyes Silver Selkie. Using Odd-Eyes Silver Selkie, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Performapal Barokuriboh as material, he Link Summons Magnetic Current Link Dragon. (L3/2500/←, ↓, →) With Magnetic Current's effect, he takes control of Scarlight. [JA: 4000 + 3000 = 7000LP] Scarlight destroys Highlander, and Magnetic Current attacks directly. [JA: 7000 - 200 - 2500 = 4300LP] Yuya ends his turn.
Turn 8: Jack Atlas [H:1]
Jack draws. He Normal Summons Malicious Resonator. (1*/300/200) He uses its effect and tunes it to Scarlight, which Yuya currently controls. He Synchro Summons Hot Red Dragon Archfiend Abyss. (9*/3200/2500) Abyss attacks Magnetic Current. [YS: 300 - 700 = 0LP] Jack wins!
Different Card Effects From TCG:
Performapal Monkeyboard - Anime effect
Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon - Anime effect
Clear Wing Synchro Dragon - Anime effect
Red Sprinter - Anime effect
Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon - Anime effect
Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon - Anime effect
King's Synchro - Anime effect
Red Dragon Vase - Anime effect.
Creation Resonator - Anime effect.
OC Cards:
Performapal Odd-Eyes Silver Selkie
(L2/1700/WATER/Cyberse/Link/Effect/↙, ↘)
2 monsters with different Levels, including a Pendulum Monster
If this card is Link Summoned: You can place 1 "Odd-Eyes" or "Performapal" Pendulum Monster from your Deck in your Extra Deck face-up, and if you do, you can Special Summon 1 Pendulum Monster face-up in your Extra Deck with a different Pendulum Scale from the monster placed in the Extra Deck by this effect. Once per turn, if this card and/or an "Odd-Eyes" monster(s) this card points to would be destroyed by battle or card effect: You can send 1 card from your hand to the GY instead. You can only control 1 "Performapal Odd-Eyes Silver Selkie". You can only Link Summon "Performapal Odd-Eyes Silver Selkie" once per turn.
Note: It has gotten a slight errata since I phrased the protection effect wrongly.
Magnetic Current Link Dragon
(L3/2500/WATER/Dragon/Link/Effect/←, ↓, →)
3 monsters with different names, including a Link Monster
Once per turn: You can target 1 Level 5 or higher monster your opponent controls; negate its effects, then, place that opponent's monster in a Main Monster Zone this card points to and take control of it until your opponent's next End Phase, and if you do, your opponent gains LP equal to the original ATK of the targeted monster. If this card is sent to the GY: You can Set 1 Trap from your GY to your field. It can be activated this turn.
Malicious Resonator
(1*/300/200/DARK/Fiend/Tuner/Effect)
During your Main Phase, if this card was Normal or Special Summoned this turn: You can target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; immediately after this effect resolves, Synchro Summon 1 DARK Dragon or DARK Fiend Synchro Monster using only this card you control and that monster. You can only activate this effect of "Malicious Resonator" once per turn.
Trivia: Malicious Resonator is my answer to how Jack deals with people taking control of his monsters, and out of universe, it's meant to share a similar name to Speedroid Maliciousmagnet, who its effect is based on.
End Notes:
Here's a list of the revealed participants:
- Lancers: Yuya Sakaki, Yuzu Hiiragi, Noboru Gongenzaka, Shingo Sawatari, Yuno Sugisaki, Miharu Kogami, Hitoda Makishima, Yuto Kamisoka, Shun Kurosaki, Nue Kamisoka, Kyorin Rinsoka, Dennis Mackfield, Serena Akaba, Reira Akaba, Tsukikage Fuuma
- Synchro residents: Aki Izayoi, Kiryu Kyosuke, Sherry Leblanc, Naoya Otobashi, Misty Lola, Ruka Sagiri, Rua Sagiri, Crow Hogan, Shinji Weber, Tony Simmons, Damon Lopez, Carly Nagisa, Yugo, Chojiro Tokumatsu, Kaname Mizuchi
Now, you may notice a very, very important person missing from this list. And yes, I will confirm that this person is not here in the first round. :) Don't worry about it. Anyway, on the other hand, Greiger/Bommer has already been used by everyone, and I'm a bit tired of his deck, so I'm not going to be having him in the Friendship Cup. Nothing against the character, I just want to write decks that I'm more interested in. I'll give a freebie and say that Carly is participating too, and the last character is not a legacy character—it's a minor OC created so that I can write one of my favourite decks of all time. So that's the cast of thirty-two. The thirty above plus these two.
Also yes, here we have Yugo teaching Yuya how to Synchro Summon. So far, that makes three for three with counterparts teaching Yuya how to use their summoning methods. (Yuno, Yuto and Yugo.) If Fusion Summoning wasn't such a large part of Yuya and Yuzu's growth together, I would have saved it for later too, maybe in a match against Yuri. Eh. I do like the idea of Zarc's counterparts growing through their bonds with each other, as I've already mentioned.
Anyway, I did say that I would keep the Yuya vs Jack duel, but I decided to give Yuya a bit of a leg up, because this is a Yuya that already knows his own limits alone, and already knows that there are holes in his ideals. Instead, Jack shows Yuya how far he has to go to be strong enough to even be able to decide his own ideals. And also, yes, unreliable narrator is fully in use here. Yuya is absolutely synchronising with the other Yu boys, but since the duel is from his perspective, he just thinks that he's imagining their voices in his head.
(Also, of course, the Jack Atlas structure deck gets announced the day after I finish my duel outlines. Ugh. It's Traptrix all over again.)
But anyway, what I will confirm is that this will never happen again. The four dragons being used together here is a one-time deal because of the three other Yu boys wanting to help Yuya, but after this? Well, the dragons will go back to being used by the Yu boys themselves.
Jack does get the other Red Dragon Archfiends, yes. However, he doesn't get base Red Dragon Archfiend, since base Black Rose Dragon and base Stardust, etc aren't going to be showing up.
Next chapter, the Friendship Cup's first few matches start.
Review responses!
To naminexriku2468, I don't know if you mistook what you were reading, but Misty is already in this fic. Sorry, but no comment on the cards this time. I feel like if I keep answering I'll feel pressured to spoil things.
To Unlucky-Fausto, I do love fluff. Thanks for the comment on Carly's duel—a lot of the mistakes there were based on myself when I was first learning to play through Fortune Ladies. The idea for Expiation is that for Yusei, it was symbolic of his wish to alleviate the pain and guilt of others, but that when it was inherited by Kiryu, it took a very different meaning to him. Thanks for the comment on the retrain though! Glad you're looking forward to the Friendship Cup!
To DSpaceZ, Yuji and Chiaki are going to have a far more complicated reunion compared to the rest, and that's all I'll say on that. Sawatari and Gongenzaka will get to do stuff… whether or not they get to do stuff in the Friendship Cup is a different story though. :) Glad you liked the reunion scenes!
To T.V. 2000, thanks for the review! I kind of just wanted them to escape logically, so that's why I cut out the complications involved.
To LHOCIN, I do agree that the Facility dragged on too long. Yup, no Action Cards, so if any canon duels appear, they will be rewritten. For Hydrostatic Current's first effect, it was a Level 5 or higher effect because anime versions of Crystal Wing and Dark Requiem had a Level 5 or higher effect too. (The battle effect and the attack points drain respectively.) As for Greedy Venom, I suppose it's a good time to say that I'm probably nerfing its negation and attack changing effect to Level 5 or higher too, to make it match with the rest.
Thanks for the read, everyone! While ffnet continues to malfunction, I'd appreciate if you all dropped a review, even if it's short, so that I can tell that people are reading this. :) See you next chapter!