Starting Notes:
Welcome back! This chapter is a transition chapter—it has a short duel in it, but it's a lot more focused on… shall we say… context-setting for the rest of the arc. Enjoy :)
Chapter 52: Exhausted
When the call ended, Makoto tossed his radio onto the box next to him with a disgusted look on his face—his previous carefree attitude gone.
"He's sick in the head."
"Don't we already know that?" Chino frowned. "What has he done to make you upset?" She had seen it, after all—despite the false cheerfulness to Makoto's voice, the dark-haired man's fists had been clenched the entire time.
"He's purposely been avoiding telling us what's been happening above in the Friendship Cup," Makoto said. "I got a report from another officer. He got his pet monster to fling a twelve-year-old off a highway." He had been seething internally ever since he'd heard about how easily Roget had disposed of Kaname as a pawn, but this seemed to be the straw that broke the camel's back—Chino had never heard him be quite so direct with his resentment towards the Director. "That's inhuman."
"... agreed," Chino said after she digested the statement and the horror that it carried.
Makoto whirled over towards her. "If he wasn't holding my sister over my head, I'd ruin him," he said bitterly.
Chino went still.
That was a taboo topic between all of them, no? They all knew not to bring it up—the fact that while they worked for Roget now, their 'loyalty' had not been secured through respect or willing subservience. It had been forced from them through the dirtiest tricks that Roget could employ.
And while they had sunk into their bitterness and frustration initially, eventually, they had become complacent. They had begun to accept their situation and simply make the best of it, instead of thinking of changing it.
It had been three years.
During those three years, they had been like dogs, hunting when told to hunt, without any true will of their own.
And yet, it was still an existence that they had to grit their teeth and accept.
"... Makoto," Chino muttered. It was a warning. It was a reminder not to overstep. Just like how they never asked Arisu about what happened to her parents, about why she was always rebelling in every way that she could, as long as it didn't defy orders. They never talked about how they ended up in Security.
"... fine." Makoto gritted his teeth. "But ordering me to stop a desperate brother from finding his younger sibling? That's fucking inexcusable. I wouldn't have done it, even if he went through with the order."
Right. Hurting children was the line that none of them could cross.
"At least he changed it though." Makoto rubbed his forehead. "Those old fogeys in the High Council… I'd much rather go after them. At least they deserve it for everything."
"Arisu would disagree with you."
"Arisu is kinder than all of us combined. That doesn't say much." Makoto raised a hand, glancing at it. "Roget may have made things worse, but we've been living in this city long before he came. The rot existed before he did. It won't be fixed even if the Lancers get rid of Roget."
"You think that they can do it?" Chino raised an eyebrow. "They aren't that impressive."
"But they've got the spirit for it." Makoto hummed. "But that's not the point. The problem isn't any one group in the city, or any one person. It's all of us who get complacent. At this point, it's so rotten that it's spread to all of us as well. You and I, for example, are so rotten that we'll never be redeemed. We'll just keep sinking, because what else can we do?"
"... I'm supposed to be the pessimistic one. Don't get gloomy on me now."
"I'm not being pessimistic." Makoto smirked. "I'm being very optimistic. Someday, this city will be fixed. It won't be us that will do it, because we're part of the problem. We'll have to be removed too. But doesn't that ending feel too unfulfilling to you? Shouldn't we take advantage of the time that we still have power to strike back? Take advantage of this shitty situation of ours and all that…"
"... you're telling me to come after the High Council with you?"
"The Lancers and the Commons? They're too good. They'll forgive them. But those five are inexcusable. They've been doing this for far longer than we've been alive." Makoto's indigo eyes glanced back at her. "Yes. Let's kill them all."
"... you know that's disobeying orders, right?"
Makoto's smirk widened. "You can't tell me that you give a shit about that."
"... you're right. I don't." Chino stood up. Her eyes, for all that they were usually unemotional, carried a steely glint. A hatred that she had been nursing since her childhood—one that she shared with most other Commons. "Let's kill them all."
"Thank you."
"No need to thank me. It was a dick move from all of them."
Reiji Akaba glanced at the woman on the D-Wheel in front of him. When he had charged his way through all of the officers, some of them had chased after him, but Reiji had continued to run. Then, a D-Wheel had driven right in front of him and the person on it had helped him escape.
"To the Commons?" Arisu Kirijo had asked, as though she wasn't a part of the same group that had been chasing Reiji. Reiji had nodded. Clearly, Arisu had seen the duel above—there was no need to add anything to that—they rode off, and the people who were on foot behind them were forced to give up.
Now, Reiji spoke up, slightly curious. "... aren't you afraid to lose your job?"
Arisu snorted. "He'd never fire me after so much effort to get me under his thumb in the first place. You don't need to worry about me—everyone already knows that I'm not the kind that blindly obeys orders."
"... you were the one that arrested Mion, correct?"
"I like that girl," Arisu said, clearly knowing who he was talking about. "Before even agreeing to a duel, no matter what—your brother was her first priority. She put all her focus into protecting him. Come to think of it, it was the same during the Friendship Cup, no? She's a very good person." She tilted her head towards him. "More protective of your brother than you are, at the very least."
Reiji didn't show any external reaction—it was very valid criticism.
What had caused him to not demand that the match be stopped immediately? Was it his own confidence that no one would dare to pull anything while he was watching? That was true in Standard, but he should have lost that mindset the moment that he came to an unfamiliar environment, one where his influence was not as strong.
… it was complacency then. He had gotten used to having things in control, and so he hadn't thought about things going wrong at all. He played like the mastermind when he should have played like an underdog.
They came to the area that they had seen Reira fall from. As they turned the corner—
Oh, thank goodness.
Reira was clearly unconscious, but she was breathing, and she was not injured in any obvious way that Reiji could tell. She had a large brown jacket wrapped around her like a blanket to keep her warm—had she been shivering that much, then?
Mion glanced up at Reiji from where she was sitting next to Reira. She had clearly taken off her own jacket and wrapped it around Reira. "They're alright," she said—clearly to reassure him. Her gaze turned to Arisu and she frowned. "Physically, at least… unless you want to do something."
Arisu raised her hands. "I'm not here to do anything, no." She took a step forward, looking genuinely concerned. "... it was a high fall. Is she really alright? Does she need anything? I have some basic supplies with me, though it wouldn't do much if…"
"She's fine." Mion clearly took Arisu's words in good faith, but she was still somewhat positioning herself between Reira and the purple-haired woman. Neither Reiji nor Arisu missed that fact—Mion had never been the type to hide her feelings or to try and conceal her intentions. Reiji thought about Arisu's words again.
"More protective of your brother than you are, at the very least."
"How did they escape the fall?" Reiji asked, his voice slightly hoarse. He walked forward and lifted Reira into his arms. She had a pulse. She was breathing. She was alive—
… had Mion just referred to Reira with female pronouns?
He couldn't look away from Reira, but even so, Mion must have seen the surprise on his face, because she sighed. "Yes, Reira's a girl, and I know that now," she said. "You really should have told me earlier. I don't want to imagine what it would have been like for her to deal with puberty once she got older, if the only older woman or girl that could give her advice was your mother."
Maybe. In the end, their mother had ordered it, and Reiji had tried to encourage Reira to be honest about herself, but out of fear of their mother, Reira had never acted on her own.
"As for how she survived…" Mion shrugged. "I saw the duel on the screen when we escaped the Underground. I… we were separated into groups for easier movement, but I told the others that I would find them once I got Reira out of there and catch up. It was… hard to watch. I wanted to get her out of there immediately, but it was hard… in the end, at the last moment, when she fell, I summoned one of my monsters to catch her when she fell."
"... thank you."
"I did it for Reira." Mion turned to him. "... Reiji, what…"
"It was my fault," Reiji said, before she called him out for it directly. "I… will never make this mistake again. I got overconfident. Never again—"
In an uncharacteristic show of emotion—because he had thought that she might be dead this entire time—he hugged Reira tightly.
"… then I guess there is nothing left for me to say."
Reiji finally turned to look at her.
Mion's eyes were gentle. When she reached out and placed a hand on his knee, it wasn't chastising—she was offering him what little comfort that she could right now.
"What? Did you expect me to rage at you? To scold you and get mad at you?" Mion shook her head. "What could I say to you that you aren't already telling yourself on the inside? That wouldn't change anything. The mistake has been made. If you understand it and you know what to do to make up for it, well… I trust that you will. There's no point in kicking you when you're down, Reiji. I'm just as much at fault as you are for this."
She…
What?
"It was because I refused to take that final step and defeat her that this happened too." Mion glanced away. "If anything, I should have listened to you. I should have taken the chance when the situation was under control to defeat Reira and send her over to you, where she would have been safer. Instead, I did what I thought was right, and this happened… it would have been better if it happened to me instead of her."
"Don't ever say that again," Reiji said, his voice sharp. Mion frowned in surprise. "You didn't know it would happen. You are not a sacrifice for anyone else."
"... even so, she became the sacrifice for my self-righteousness," Mion replied. She glanced at Reira. "... it is my fault for not listening to you, in the end. More than it is yours."
And Reiji could not disagree more with that.
"Don't be foolish," he said. "If I wanted people who would blindly follow my orders, I would have waited and trained up more students from LDS. I don't want that. You all—the Lancers—I do not expect blind obedience. I do not expect you to always think that I am correct. I may be our leader, but we are comrades. We are far too different to all agree on the same thing. Questioning each other and providing new perspectives for each other is the only way that we will grow and survive."
He lifted Reira up, and carefully adjusted so that she was on his back, so that he could move more easily. He extended a hand to Mion, who was still sitting on the ground.
"You are my second-in-command," he said. "There is no one whose opinion I trust in more than yours. I know that you want to defend these six dimensions as much as I do. I know that you want to protect the other Lancers. You have the compassion and empathy that I lack, and at the same time, you are unable to make the callous and logical decisions that I make. The Lancers need both of us, Mion Myojin. And I need you to temper me so that I never make the wrong decision either. I need you to trust me, too. It was because we both acted on our own that it came to this."
Mion looked at him. Her eyes were determined when she reached out and took his hand, and he pulled her to her feet.
"We'll start by getting rid of Sergey and that man behind him—Roget," Mion said, and while it was a statement entirely based on emotion, Reiji found that he could not agree more.
Arisu cleared her throat awkwardly. "You know that I'm here and that he's my boss, right?"
Mion shrugged. She let go of Reiji's hand, much to his disappointment. "We can go at each other right now if you'd like," she said. "I'm not the same person that I was when I lost to your sister."
"I'd have to see it to believe it." Arisu smiled. "I see that you're still just as protective of her as the last time that we met though." She waved a hand. "I'll probably be called for duty in a moment, but for now, I just had to make sure that the kid was alright."
"Appreciated," Mion said. "You're not too bad of a person either. I can see how someone like you is Yugo's older sister."
Arisu's smile grew larger. "I appreciate the compliment," she said. "I—" Then, her phone rung. "... hmm. I turned off my radio so they wouldn't bother me, so this is Makoto or Chino…" She raised the phone to listen, before her eyes narrowed for a brief moment. "... well, you're getting to the point right away. Yes, I'm in the Commons' area. No, I haven't seen any of the Lancers. I wasn't aware that they were people that we were supposed to be keeping an eye on. Remember, you all haven't exactly been the most forthcoming with information. I'll let you know if I see any of them. Alright."
She hung up, and she raised an eyebrow at them.
"Well, hurry up and go."
"... are you dissatisfied with Roget or something?" Reiji asked.
"Huh?" Arisu looked at him, and when she laughed, there was something dangerous to it. "You could say that. No matter how much he's holding above my head, he's already crossed too many lines for me to listen to him. Get going."
… what a strange woman.
Reiji was walking in front of her, in the direction that Mion had seen Yuzu and Sawatari head towards..
Mion took a moment to take a deep breath.
… I want to wipe that sight from my brain. I'm never going to stop thinking about it.
That scene had burned itself straight into her irises. And this was how she knew something that she would never tell anyone else.
The reason that she had rushed off from her group wasn't to follow Reira and Sergey's duel. That was a ridiculous idea. No one could catch up to a D-Wheel on foot. It was because she had felt something awful in her heart.
She had seen Reira fall, and she had summoned Jackal King to catch Reira. That was true.
However, Reira had not been unscathed. That violent attack from Sergey had flung her off the road, but she had scraped her side against the side of the track before she fell. She had been a bloody mess when she had fallen. And the attacks from Sergey had left wounds that would not have healed so easily, if not for…
Are you still there?
I am. Is there something you needed?
For a moment, unseen by anyone else, Mion's eyes glowed slightly. It vanished a moment later. She responded to the presence that had emerged earlier, which had patched up Reira's wounds.
No. I just wanted to thank you.
… there's no need for that. In the end, it was your own will that saved her life. I didn't do anything but lend you my hands.
Even so.
Reira would have died if not for you.
I can't say that I understand what you are, or how you're speaking to me like this.
But even so, thank you.
… it's the least I can do. I don't think that I can interfere anymore though.
Mion felt the presence fade. She exhaled.
That was fine.
That much had been a miracle. For anything else, she would have to work for it with her own hands.
When Yuno Sugisaki had woken up, his head felt like someone had hit it with a hammer.
Then, someone knocked him to the floor. He blinked, his vision blurry. What had just happened?... He looked down at the figure that had knocked him to the ground, before his eyes widened. Miharu was lying there, her arms wrapped around him in a tight hug. She looked… exhausted. Her hair was more messy than Yuno had ever seen it before—the clip that he had given her had fallen off as she pressed her head against his chest. He grabbed it, slightly confused. She was trembling.
"Miharu…?" He didn't dare to believe it, because in his eyes, Miharu Kogami had always been invincible. That calm, unflappable person. What had happened? They had been preparing to duel, and then his head had hurt, and then he had blacked out…
And now he was here.
"You're safe," Miharu muttered. "Thank goodness…"
And that knocked the wind out of him.
He was safe? She was saying that to him when she looked like that, like she had been through something horrible, like she was barely holding herself back from falling apart? She was worried about him even when she was hurt? And what had happened anyway?
He reached out a hand, touching Miharu's shoulder—
Her clothes were soaked through, as though she had been stuck in the rain.
Water—
Yuno realised that his clothes were soaked as well, and with that came a horrific realisation.
Did he… hurt Miharu?
No—he wouldn't, right?
In that case… had they been dueling? But Yuno remembered none of it.
Who had been dueling in his place, then?
Even as he sat there, horrified, Miharu's hand pressed something tightly into his. Her eyes shut, and she passed out, still leaning on him. Yuno immediately pressed a hand to her forehead. She felt… feverish. This was—
Then, Security arrived. Two officers grabbed Yuno's arms and dragged him back.
"Hey—" Yuno tried to pull himself away. "Hold on, I need to check if she's—"
Obviously, they didn't care, and they began to drag him away. However, at the same time, two of the other officers lifted up Miharu as well, and carried her in the opposite direction. Seeing that, Yuno immediately struggled against the officers that were holding him. "Let go of me!" However, they were both two adult men, and Yuno was, despite everything, still just a sixteen-year-old boy. He considered trying to trip one of them, but then, he remembered the thing that Miharu had pushed into his left hand. As they pulled him away, he ran his fingers over the cold metal.
… it's one of her jammers.
Yuno understood immediately—intuitively. Even though Miharu had mentioned that she had to win for… reasons, she had never intended for Yuno to be sent to the Underground.
This jammer… he had asked her about it idly once, since it was one of the gadgets that the Knights of Hanoi used, and she had actually explained what it did to him, since it wasn't company property—it was something that she had made on her own.
This cut off all wireless connections of a device it infected, so to speak.
In that case, if he got to a D-Wheel…
Just wait, Miharu. I know what you were planning. You were going to win, but I was going to escape. That's what should have happened, but I don't know how or why I—
For a moment, he was drowning in guilt, before he forced himself to focus.
But I'll come search for you. I promised! So I'll keep you safe. No matter what…
I'll figure out what happened back there. And it'll never happen again. I'll never let it happen again…
"Participants, please note that because of technical difficulties, the Friendship Cup is momentarily stopping. Participants, please note that—" The announcement had been looping for the last five minutes, and it was starting to get on Serena's nerves.
"It's not like it could continue anyway," Shun muttered. "Those two are out like a light."
The ending of the duel had left both Shun and Serena somewhat annoyed and disturbed. At the same time, the technical difficulty had given them ample time to plan out their escape from the building.
Before they could escape though—
A bunch of Security officers came into the building.
"For confidential reasons, we need to take you in for questioning," one of them said, pointing to Serena.
"Absolutely fucking not," Shun replied, which encapsulated Serena's feelings on the idea perfectly. "Get out."
"This is not intended to harm you," the officer said, but he sounded like he was just reading off a script. "Come quietly or we'll have to use force."
"Then do it," Serena replied. "I'm not coming with you. Not after what your boss just did to my comrades…"
"This is your final warning—"
"This is your final warning," Serena shot back. "Fuck. Off." She and Shun glanced at each other, and she nodded slightly. Then, without giving any prior notice—both of them turned to run towards the back door. Shun had scooped up both Yugo and Yuya with a surprising amount of strength, and was now carrying both of them. Both of them exited the building, running off. At the same time, the officers were following behind them.
"Just like we said then," Serena said. Their plan was simple. Get as far away from the Security HQ as possible—thus, all the way into the Commons. To do that, they were going to split up. Shun was going to be slower, because he was carrying Yuya and Yugo. Thus, to allow him more free reign to escape, they would split up and Serena would take an alternate path from him to draw more attention. Since she was just a single person, she would be able to shake off her pursuers more quickly.
That was a surprisingly coherent plan for the two most impulsive Lancers.
"See you," Shun said. "Be careful."
"Yes." Serena raised a hand. They high-fived, and then they separated.
Yuno was pulled towards a car instead of towards the place where the rest of the participants had been sent to. He gritted his teeth. If he was inside the car, it would be far harder to escape. There were three people there, so it would be hard for him to escape though…
Then, a sharp flash blinded everyone in the area for a brief moment. The guards let go of him for a moment—they were all shouting about things, but Yuno couldn't see them, and they couldn't see Yuno. Someone grabbed Yuno's arm, pulling him along. "Just follow me." The voice was familiar, but Yuno couldn't quite place it. It was quiet and calm, but it didn't seem hostile.
When they were out of the area, suddenly, Yuno could see again. He glanced at the person who had guided him out.
"The effect will last for a while there, so they shouldn't catch up. That should help you get away."
"I appreciate it, Fujita," Yuno replied, smiling. "Might not be the best situation, but… it's been a while."
"It has," Yuji Fujita said. They slipped into an alleyway. "... you're injured."
"Huh?" Yuno glanced at himself. "I feel… fine?"
"That's adrenaline and stress muffling it." Yuji sounded rather matter-of-fact. "... look at your leg."
Yuno lifted his leg, and immediately, he felt a jolt of pain. He looked it over—he had scraped his leg completely along the side. It was bleeding. What exactly had happened to him while he was blacked out?
"It'll get infected," Yuji said neutrally.
Yeah. Yuno knew very well about what to do with wounds, but… "I have to find Miharu," he said. "I can't slow down."
"... Chiaki would get mad at me if I did that."
Yuno grimaced. "True. But unless I somehow get access to a first aid kit out here—"
Yuji tossed one at him. It smacked him directly in the chest, and Yuno barely caught it.
"You're really not giving me an excuse, huh?"
"I'll help you escape if they find you," Yuji said. "Just this once." He stopped talking then—simply having nothing else to say. His silver eyes watched Yuno, but Yuno couldn't quite understand his intentions. Yuno, however, opened up the box. He cleaned the wound with saline solution, wincing at the pain, before he began to dress the wound. At first, he was rushing through it—but then Yuji cleared his throat very slightly, and Yuno ended up doing it properly. He got up.
(And while bandaging his wounds, he had time to force himself to calm down and think.)
"Thanks," Yuno said. "I know we're still on opposite sides, but… do you know what happened just now? I lost consciousness."
"... I lost consciousness too," Yuji admitted. Yuno blinked.
So, in that case, all of them, the boys with the same face…
"But I saw what happened on a replay above the stadium." Yuji didn't show any visible expression. He didn't bother to soften the blow either—he simply said the truth as it was. "The two of you dueled. You taunted her, insulted her and got defeated by her."
… what?
Yuno raised Miharu's hairpin. He turned it over in his hands slowly.
"... but, logically." Yuji pressed his hands against the wall behind him. "... you wouldn't. So…" He was clearly struggling for words. "She knows you."
The words would make no sense if they were taken with their literal meaning. Yuno, however, could hear the pauses, the attempts at getting the words to work. He could tell what Yuji actually meant, and so, he answered Yuji's intentions instead of the words that he actually said.
"Yeah, she probably wouldn't get mad at me. She would know that it wasn't me." Yuno took a deep breath. "... if you're here, Academia's here, right?"
"Yes."
"Academia sent you and the Fusion one—Yuri—after Miharu, Serena and Yuzu."
"Sora Shiun'in was supposed to bring Serena and Yuzu back," Yuji replied. He still sounded rather nonchalant.
"... so you're only after Miharu."
"Yes."
Yuno nodded.
… in that case, this might work out.
"Then, do you want to ally with me?" Yuno offered.
Slowly, Yuji tilted his head. He didn't look confused, but he was certainly trying to understand and failing.
"I'm assuming that Roget's split off from Academia." He had connected the dots of his limited knowledge fairly easily. If Yuji was here to get Miharu, and Roget was still a part of Academia, then Roget wouldn't have sent Miharu off to a different place.
"... that is what Yuri said, yes."
Yuno nodded. "I want to find Miharu and get her away from Roget," he said. "So do you. So our first priority is to find Miharu, right?"
Yuji nodded.
"So, we have the same goal." Yuno smiled from ear to ear. He was still worried about Miharu, but he forced it down quickly, to avoid making impulsive decisions. "Roget wants to stop both of us. Is there any reason for us to not team up? We can talk again once we're done and settle things—but shall we go after our common enemy first?"
"... you're…" Yuji stopped. He looked away. He didn't sound annoyed when he continued. "If I refuse?"
"Then that's fine too! I'm not trying to force you to do anything." Yuno didn't stop smiling. "We're not friends, after all. You don't owe me anything. Honestly, it's just me being selfish. It'll be easier for me if you're around."
"That's…"
Yuji lapsed into silence. Just when Yuno thought he was going to reject him, he nodded.
"Really?" Yuno's eyes widened.
"They're trying to control me, and you're trying to use me," Yuji said, glancing into the distance. "At least you're honest about it. And if Chiaki was…" He stopped. "Just this once."
"Thank you." Yuno nodded. "Let's go!"
"Ouch." Yuri rubbed his forehead. "What happened there anyway…" Despite the pain in his head, he swiftly got back on track. "How much time did I miss?" He looked back at the Friendship Cup, seeing the replay of the final turn of the duel. "Alright, so Roget took her away, but he's a traitorous bastard, right? So he's probably planning on imprisoning her… I should go after her now, maybe?"
His head was killing him.
And where was Yuji, anyway…
Yuri began to travel across the city towards the Security building, before he spotted something.
… hmm.
Below, Serena was surrounded by a bunch of those plain-dressed officers. Her duel disk was raised as she was determinedly about to take them all on—classic Serena, really. However, before she could do anything, one of the officers tossed something at her—
A smoke grenade?
However, Serena breathed in the smoke and collapsed.
… tch.
(Yuri put aside all thoughts of chasing after his original target.)
He leapt down, his cape flowing behind him dramatically. He was already holding his sleeve in front of his face—and anyway, considering that the rest of the guards weren't collapsing, it was clearly a fast-acting nerve gas that temporarily paralysed the limbs and induced tiredness. It was also one that dissipated quickly—the kind of gas used to quickly incapacitate a group that was to be taken in for questioning.
(Was it any surprise that a Kaiba would know how weapons like that worked?)
The three guards looked at him.
"You useless gorilla girl," Yuri said, rolling his eyes. He did his best to smother his fury at the sight of her prone figure, channelling it into snideness towards her instead. (He didn't want to be seen through.) "What if that was a real grenade? You can really tell that you know nothing about war just from that—any idiot from our hometown would have seen a grenade and run like hell." He completely ignored the fact that both he and Serena were technically from Domino City, which had never seen war, and thus, his statement was completely wrong.
But really, what little common sense did she have? How had she survived on her own for so long?
… oh, that was right. She wasn't on her own. She had been with the Lancers. Her new 'comrades'.
"… Yuri?"
Yuri… was not quite as unfeeling as he would have liked, now that he was meeting her again. For a moment, he wished that he had Yuji's nonchalance to cover up any signs that he might care at all.
Back in Standard, the two of them had not encountered each other. It was completely on purpose. Yuri had chosen to let Yuji go after her and he had gone after Yuzu Hiiragi and Miharu Kogami instead.
He had not wanted to face her. He had hoped that Yuji would capture her and he could go back to never seeing her.
But…
Seeing her like this was wrong.
Serena was a stubborn idiot, someone who never knew when to stop fighting. Disposing of her like this…
It was something that would only work against her, this girl who would never run from anything, not even danger.
"… is Academia here?"
"I know you're currently paralysed, but you can't be that dense," Yuri snarked. "Obviously. I'm standing right here, aren't I?" He turned towards the three officers, stretching his arms and smiling at them tauntingly. "Hello, gentlemen. Were you sent by Roget to retrieve her? Unfortunately, I have the same mission, and I'm far scarier than your boss."
Of course, that was just an excuse. Yuri could easily have grabbed Serena and run. They'd have caught up, but it was not necessary to fight. However…
Where else would this frustration go?
No one's allowed to hurt her. She was supposed to be safely staying in Academia. This girl knows no pain, no suffering. She's a bird that has never left the nest. She's absolutely useless in non-combat situations because she never had to learn any practical skills. She's useless in combat because she's romanticised it to the point where she thinks that everyone fights with the same honour as her. She's useless, she's so useless that she can't even protect herself no matter how strong she is—
But she's still Serena. She's still more than all of you combined and especially more than your boss.
I don't give a shit. I don't give a shit.
… I don't care.
I don't care about her, but don't you dare change her! She's fine the way that she is. She should be allowed to carry on with her naive courage and her stupid honour. There's no one else like her. She's—she's interesting, that's the thought, that's all. Not that I care about her, because I don't, but don't make her aware of how ugly war is. She'll lose that determination that makes her so special—
No.
No, she's not special at all.
"Ah, fuck it," Yuri said aloud, doing his best to ignore the tangled emotions that were trying to mess with his head. "You three versus me, for miss 'can't run from a grenade here'. I need to let off some steam, anyway." He smiled maniacally. "Things haven't been fun for a while, but at the very least, I'll add you to my collection!"
[DUEL!]
Yuri Kaiba: 4000LP
Security 1: 4000LP
Security 2: 4000LP
Security 3: 4000LP
[Turn 1: Yuri] [H:5]
"You're… dueling them?"
"Well, obviously," Yuri said, rolling his eyes again. "I can't drag you back to Academia if they drag you to Roget."
"Isn't Roget part of Academia?"
"Well, considering that he's fighting me right now through these guys, probably not." Yuri drew his starting hand. "Anyway, quiet down, will you? You're distracting me." He placed down a card. "I'll Normal Summon Evil Thorn." The small black sapling appeared in front of him, pink flower and black fruit drooping from it.
[Evil Thorn (1*/100/300/DARK/Plant/Effect)]
"By tributing it, I can Special Summon two more copies of it from my deck and inflict 300 damage to you." A seed shot out, pelting the first officer in the face.
Security 1: 4000 - 300 = 3700LP
"Continuous Spell, Super Solar Nutrient," Yuri continued. "By tributing one of the Evil Thorns, I can Special Summon a Plant monster from my deck whose Level is equal to or less than Evil Thorn's Level plus three. So a Level 4 or lower Plant monster. Come from the deck—Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio!" The scorpion made of bark appeared on his field.
[Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio (3*/1200/800/DARK/Plant/Effect)]
"Ophrys Scorpio's effect. I will send a monster from my hand to the graveyard to Special Summon a "Predaplant" monster from my deck! Come—Predaplant Darlingtonia Cobra." The thin green snake with a purple flower for a tail appeared as well.
[Predaplant Darlingtonia Cobra (3*/1000/1500/DARK/Plant/Effect)]
"Darlingtonia Cobra's effect. When Special Summoned, I can add a "Polymerization" or "Fusion" card from my deck to my hand." Yuri picked up the card. "I will activate the Spell Card, Polymerization. I will fuse Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio and Predaplant Darlingtonia Cobra. Two beautiful flowers with an insect-alluring fragrance! Now become one, and form the ancient creature slumbering beneath nature's bounty! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 5! Ancient cetacean—Predaplant Ambulomelides!" The large green crocodile-like monster appeared in front of him, lush forest plants growing over it like an overgrown tree stump.
[Predaplant Ambulomelides (5*/1000/2500/DARK/Plant/Fusion/Effect)]
"Ambulomelides's effect. When Fusion Summoned, I can add a "Predaplant" monster or a "Predap" Spell or Trap from my deck to my hand. Then, I will use its other effect. By tributing my other Evil Thorn, I can Special Summon a "Predaplant" monster from my deck. Predator Farming!" Evil Thorn dissolved into dark seeds that scattered around the field. "Come—Predaplant Drosophyllum Hydra!" A strange green plant creature with multiple heads appeared.
[Predaplant Drosophyllum Hydra (5*/500/2500/DARK/Plant/Effect)]
Both monsters were currently in Defense Position—defensive walls for him to probe out his opponents.
"I'll set a card and end my turn," Yuri said.
[Turn 2: Security 1] [H:5]
"I will Normal Summon Jutte Lord!" The first officer declared. A strange samurai figure in black and blue clothes appeared.
[Jutte Lord (4*/1600/1200/EARTH/Warrior/Effect)]
"When Jutte Lord is Normal or Special Summoned, I can Special Summon a "Jutte" monster from my hand. Come—Jutte Fighter!" A short man in yellow clothes appeared, wearing glasses and holding up a sharp and thin dagger.
[Jutte Fighter (2*/700/900/EARTH/Warrior/Tuner/Effect)]
"I will tune the Level 2 Jutte Fighter to the Level 4 Jutte Lord! Come forth! Synchro Summon! Level 6! Goyo Catapult!" A green and blue robotic warrior appeared, a large blue cannon on its back.
[Goyo Catapult (6*/800/2800/EARTH/Warrior/Synchro/Effect)]
Unexpectedly, his opponent had also brought out a defensive monster.
"I will send a monster from my hand to the graveyard with Goyo Catapult's effect. I will inflict 600 damage to you!"
… well, sure, why not?
Yuri: 4000 - 600 = 3400LP
"I end my turn!"
… seriously?
The other two took their turns and played the exact same cards, causing Yuri to suspect for a moment that they were hacking. Even so, it was all just so…
Boring.
Yuri: 3400 - 600 - 600 = 2200LP
He really couldn't care less.
It was his turn again.
[Turn 5: Yuri] [H:3]
"Draw," Yuri said with a yawn. "Could Roget seriously not train up any better officers? You're boring me to tears. I'll banish Predaplant Cordyceps from the graveyard to Special Summon Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio and Predaplant Darlingtonia Cobra from my graveyard, but I can't Normal Summon this turn." The two monsters reappeared. "Darlingtonia Cobra's effect. I will add another copy of Polymerization to my hand. And Ophrys Scorpio's effect. By sending a monster from my hand to the graveyard, I will Special Summon Predaplant Spinodionaea from my deck." A large, gaping and verdant green flytrap appeared, its 'jaw' snapping wide open.
[Predaplant Spinodionaea (4*/1800/0/DARK/Plant/Effect)]
"Spinodionaea's effect. I'll put a Predator Counter on your monster, Number 2."
[Goyo Catapult: Predator Counter(s): 1]
"And then, I will activate the Spell Card, Polymerization. I'll fuse Darlingtonia Cobra and Ophrys Scorpio. Two beautiful flowers with an insect-alluring fragrance! Now become one, and from the hell beneath your petals, give birth to a new terror! Fusion Summon! Appear! Poisonous dragon with hungry fangs. Level 8! Starving Venom Fusion Dragon!"
And Yuri's ace descended, a savage shadow made by plants that seemed sinister in nature—wings streaking through the air as they unfurled.
[Starving Venom Fusion Dragon (8*/2800/2000/DARK/Dragon/Fusion/Effect)]
"Starving Venom Fusion Dragon will gain attack points equal to the total attack points of all Special Summoned monsters you currently control," Yuri continued, smiling maliciously. "Hungry Fang!" Streaks of green and violet energy surrounded Starving Venom as it roared.
[Starving Venom Fusion Dragon: 2800 + 800 x 3 = 5200ATK]
"Then, Ambulomelides's effect. I can tribute a monster my opponent controls with a Predator Counter instead of my own monster for the cost." Yuri waved a hand, and the second officer's Goyo Catapult dissolved into thin air. "Boring. Get it out of my sight. Predator Farming! Come from the deck—Predaplant Flytrap!" A thin, smaller version of Spinodionaea appeared on his field alongside the rest of the monsters.
[Predaplant Flytrap (2*/400/800/DARK/Plant/Effect)]
Now, he had Ambulomelides, Drosophyllum Hydra, Starving Venom, Flytrap and Spinodionaea on the field. Starving Venom was in the Extra Monster Zone, while four of Yuri's five Main Monster Zones were taken up.
Even so, Yuri wasn't done yet.
He didn't have time to watch these robots make their slow and pointless moves.
"Flytrap's effect. I will place a Predator Counter on your monster, three."
[Goyo Catapult: Predator Counter(s): 1]
"I'll then use the Spell Card, Fusion Recovery. I will add Ophrys Scorpio and Polymerization back to my hand. And I'll activate the Spell Card, Polymerization. I will fuse Predaplant Drosophyllum Hydra and Predaplant Flytrap. Bloom, parasitic dark flower! With the rolling of your carrion-like petals, let the force of your scent overpower the world! Fusion Summon! Level 7! Predaplant Chimerafflesia!" The large white-spotted pink flower bloomed on his field.
Alright. The preparations were… mostly complete.
[Predaplant Chimerafflesia (7*/2500/2000/DARK/Plant/Fusion/Effect)]
"Drosophyllum Hydra's effect. By tributing a monster on either field with a Predator Counter, I can Special Summon it back to the field." The dark hydra reappeared on the field, while the second Goyo Catapult was removed from the field. "Chimerafflesia's effect. Once per turn, I can banish a monster on the field with a lower Level than it. Naturally, I will choose the third Goyo Catapult! Venomous Captivity!" Vines dragged the mechanical warrior into the ground.
And with that, the field was completely empty.
"Now, I'll change Ambulomelides to Attack Position. Battle Phase. Starving Venom attacks you directly, Number 3. Toxic Spore!" His ace shot forward, blasting the man back and taking him out in a single shot.
Security 3: 4000 - 5200 = 0LP
"Chimerafflesia, Ambulomelides, Drosophyllum Hydra, attack Number 2."
Security 2: 4000 - 2500 - 1000 - 500 = 0LP
"And Spinodionaea attacks you, Number 1."
Security 1: 3700 - 1800 = 1900LP
"There it is. I've left you some life points to spare, and I've removed your two parroting robots." Yuri sighed, taking on a rather affronted expression. "Please do something important next turn—"
His grin returned full force.
"Or at least, that's what I would say if you hadn't already lost. Set card, Quickplay Spell, Predaprime Fusion! I will fuse Predaplant Drosophyllum Hydra and Predaplant Ambulomelides. Beautiful dark flowers, form a new creature who could never bend to the will of another! Wipe out all those that would threaten my will! Fusion Summon! Level 8! Predaplant Dragostapelia!" The beautiful dragon made of plants appeared.
[Predaplant Dragostapelia (8*/2700/1900/DARK/Plant/Fusion/Effect)]
And wasn't that the ending?
Dragostapelia roared, and it blasted away his final opponent.
Security 1: 1900 - 2500 = 0LP
Winner: Yuri Kaiba!
A quick, decisive victory.
Yuri yawned again.
No need for bullshit like taking it easy, no need to pretend like every duel needed to be balanced or competitive or some crap like that.
He was stronger. That was it. He stepped forward, carding all three of his opponents. Then, he turned to Serena again.
… tch.
He really didn't like seeing her like this.
Then, he heard ringing. He walked over to the car nearby—the one that the three had clearly been planning to take Serena away in. He reached through the window, picking up the radio.
"—hey, what's going on? Have you guys managed to capture Serena?"
"What do you think?" Yuri replied smugly.
Roget stopped talking for a moment. Then, when he spoke up again, it was with a cajoling tone. "Yuri? So Academia is already here? I see, I didn't realise. Please bring Serena over, she'll be more easily guarded where I am—"
"As much as I'd love to watch you flounder, it's pointless," Yuri replied. "We all already know that you're a traitor." He grinned. "It's over for you."
"... who does 'we all' refer to then? You and that partner of yours?"
"Oh, so you did already know that we were in the city! So you were lying about not realising as well." Yuri was essentially playing with his food now, twisting Roget's words against him. "Us, of course. And everyone else. Do you really think that you have any time left?"
He raised the radio to his lips. "Now, listen here. Serena is never going to fall into your hands. She is under my protection, every step of the way. She will return to Academia with me. I will not hand her over to you, and obviously, the same goes for the Lancers. I'll card anyone that tries to—"
I'll card anyone that makes her stay in an unsafe environment. No matter how miserable she is at Academia, at the very least, she's not in a warzone.
… I know how bad war can get. I know that it'll break people. That won't ever fucking happen to her, not if I can help it!...
"Take her away," Yuri said, raising his head. He kept his tone bored. "This useless girl is important to Academia, and that's the only reason that I care about what happens to her, but that's all, really."
"You, alone, in a city where I control everything? I'll remind you that there's nothing you can do. You don't want to make an enemy out of me, Yuri."
"Oh, are you threatening me now?" Yuri laughed. "You're saying that I shouldn't want to be your enemy? Isn't it the other way round? Who in Academia isn't scared of me? I'm Academia's Monster, Jean Michel Roget. You're the one that should be afraid to be my enemy—though it's too late for you now."
He raised the radio, and then he tossed it against the wall. Bits of metal and small nodes flew everywhere around it—it was shattered. It let out a buzzing sound—its antenna had broken off, so it could no longer receive a signal.
That was that.
"... what do you mean?"
Right. Serena.
She was still awake after being blasted point blank with that paralytic?
"What do you mean?" Serena repeated. "Academia… is Academia already here?"
Yuri put his hands in his pockets, looking down on her. "Surely you don't think that we're the kind not to learn from our mistakes," he replied. "Standard already proved that simply charging in won't work, since we don't have as many soldiers as we did in the Xyz Dimension or Ritual Dimension." Many of the invaders had stayed behind to occupy those two dimensions, meaning that they had less manpower for the invasion of the other dimensions. It was a recognised problem—they only had so many people. They could not fight five battles at once with the same number of people—they would be spreading themselves too thin.
(Or at least, that was what the Professor had said. Yuri personally thought that the more opponents, the better! It meant that he could defeat more people!)
"Preparation is key. Preparation is victory." Yuri looked at her. "We're done. The Lancers will all perish here, you and the other two will be taken back to Academia, and it'll all be over."
"... no."
Yuri's eyes widened.
Serena placed a hand on the ground. She was still shaking—her strength hadn't quite returned to her yet—
But her eyes burned with unmistakable determination.
"You said that…" Serena's arm slipped, and she fell down again. Yuri grimaced, though he hid it well. However, the indigo-haired girl didn't stop trying to stand up. "You said that you wouldn't hand me over to anyone, but I am not a prize to be won!..."
Her arm was shaking. However, she managed to get onto her knees, before bracing herself to try to straighten her legs and stand up.
"You don't have the right to say that you won't hand me over, because I'm not a pawn in your hands!"
Yuri watched, somewhat surprised, as Serena stood up. She was shaking from the exertion—her muscles were still unable to properly lift her up because of the nerve gas—
But there she was anyway.
"I'm not defeated yet," Serena said.
Yuri recovered a second later—for a moment, he had simply been staring at her. "Then will I have to do it myself?" He replied. "You've never beaten me, after all." They looked at each other—completely tense.
"That bastard…" Roget gritted his teeth. "Fine." He didn't need all the girls as bargaining chips anyway, and he wasn't insane enough to think that he could take on the entirety of Academia just to retrieve Serena. He would have to give up on her—and if Yuzu Hiiragi was outside, there was no chance that the Lancers were going to be able to protect her either.
So he would have to hold the fort here.
Besides, Miharu Kogami had already been brought over. He was fine.
"... Sergey!" He ordered, the moment that the call connected. "Hunt them all down! Academia and the Lancers—kill them all!"
"You're awake."
Yuya blinked, his eyes feeling weirdly heavy.
"You two passed out. You were acting weird." Shun Kurosaki looked at him. Yuya glanced over to see Yugo, who looked as confused as him. "... if you're fine, we need to go and look for Serena."
"Huh?"
"We were supposed to rendezvous around here, but she hasn't shown up." Shun folded his arms. "... Security probably caught her and took her to Roget."
"Why would Roget want to catch her?" Yugo said cluelessly. On the other hand, Yuya caught on.
"Roget's from Academia!"
"Yes." Shun glanced around. "And that's not all… we need to find the rest of our comrades."
Yugo and Yuya exchanged a look. Somehow, they understood each other intuitively.
"Go and find the rest, and then catch up with us," Yuya said. "We'll find Serena… right, Yugo—"
Before Yugo could agree though, Shun went unnaturally still. He was looking at the sky. Yuya looked up too. Even with his slightly disoriented mind, he could still tell that there were shadows in the sky—people flying over the city?
He spotted blue uniforms—that specific shade of blue—and he froze.
"Academia," Yuya muttered.
"Academia!" Shun's voice was far louder, almost a growl.
"The first wave has headed out. Good."
"Is it about time for us to make our move as well, Marufuji-san?" Barrett said respectfully. Even though the man was older than the Kaiser, he was still deferring to Ryo, since he was the commander of the operation. Ryo nodded after a moment.
"We have gotten no news from the others. At this point, we must retrieve the targets and remove the primary elimination targets as well." There were several important goals that they had been set by the Professor. "Tsutsuji-san, have you infiltrated their communication network?"
Kisara looked up. Despite her being one of Academia's most important resources, and thus, common sense dictating that she should never be in enemy territory, she had asked to join the invasion. When Ryo had asked why, her response had been simple.
"Roget may be a traitor and a disgusting man, but he had some interesting ideas for inventions three years ago. I want to take all of his research data before we get rid of him."
Which was very practical, if merciless. Essentially, she wanted to interrogate Roget for all of his secrets and research before he was executed for being a traitor.
"Roget is currently delegating his officers around. There's someone named Sergey that he's currently sending out, but he seems frazzled. Apparently…" Kisara stopped for a moment, before continuing in a nonchalant tone. "Yuri has already secured Serena, and Roget's given up on retrieving her."
That was one of the girls then…
"Regardless, he also has Miharu Kogami in custody."
"Whoa, they managed to get Kogami-chan?" Dennis blinked from next to Ryo. "That's…"
"So we do have to send someone after him then." Ryo tapped a finger on his knee. "For now, we'll scout out and see what parts of the city can actually fight back against the Obelisk Force. You all will be sent out once I get a feel for what areas in the city will require your expertise."
Barrett cleared his throat. "I would like to go out immediately," he said. "While Yuri…" He found it hard to use any honorifics for the boy. "While he may have retrieved Serena-sama, this means that Yuzu Hiiragi is still outside. I would like to look for her."
"That's fine." Ryo agreed. It wouldn't do to curb the man's enthusiasm, and Barrett was at the very least not the kind to go off on his own without coordinating with the rest. If there was anyone out of the people here that wouldn't go off the rails, it was him.
… speaking of going off the rails…
Ryo looked over at Shino, who was smiling rather sunnily, as though she wasn't in a warzone. She was chatting with Manjoume about something—a strategy of some kind. She didn't seem suited to a place like this at all…
And yet, when Shino glanced over and saw him looking at her, for a brief moment, her expression changed. There was something cold to her eyes. Do you really dare to give me orders? She was asking silently.
Ryo breathed in slowly. "We'll wait and see," he said. "We will have to step in when the others falter—we are the elites, after all."
And with the Lancers here, it was a battle on two fronts.
Who dared to predict what might happen here?
Duel 1 Summary: Yuri Kaiba vs Security
Duel Format: Battle Royale
Turn 1: Yuri Kaiba
Yuri Normal Summons Evil Thorn. (1*/100/300) By tributing it, he inflicts 300 damage to Security 1 and Special Summons 2 copies of Evil Thorn in Attack Position from his Deck. [S1: 4000 - 300 = 3700LP] He activates the Continuous Spell, Super Solar Nutrient, tributing one of the Evil Thorns to Special Summon Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio (3*/1200/800) from his Deck. He uses Ophrys Scorpio's effect to send Predaplant Cordyceps from his hand to the GY to Special Summon Predaplant Darlingtonia Cobra (3*/1000/1500) from the Deck. He uses Darlingtonia Cobra's effect to add Polymerization from his Deck to his hand. He activates it, fusing Ophrys Scorpio and Darlingtonia Cobra to Fusion Summon Predaplant Ambulomelides (5*/1000/2500) in Defense Position. He uses Ambulomelides's effect to add Predaprime Fusion to his hand, and then uses its other effect to tribute Evil Thorn and Special Summon Predaplant Drosophyllum Hydra (5*/500/2500) from the Deck in Defense Position. He sets Predaprime Fusion and ends his turn.
Turn 2: Security 1
Security 1 Normal Summons Jutte Lord. (4*/1600/1200) He uses its effect to Special Summon Jutte Fighter (2*/700/900) from his hand. He tunes the Level 2 Jutte Fighter to the Level 4 Jutte Lord. He Synchro Summons Goyo Catapult (6*/800/2800) in Defense Position. He sends a monster from his hand to the GY to inflict 600 damage to Yuri. [YK: 4000 - 600 = 3400LP] He ends his turn.
Turn 3: Security 2
A repeat of the turn above. [YK: 3400 - 600 = 2800LP]
Turn 4: Security 3
A repeat of the turn above. [YK: 2800 - 600 = 2200LP]
Turn 5: Yuri Kaiba
Yuri draws. He banishes Cordyceps from the GY to Special Summon Ophrys Scorpio and Darlingtonia Cobra from the GY. Darlingtonia Cobra's effect lets him add Polymerization from his Deck to his hand. He uses Ophrys Scorpio's effect to send a monster from his hand to the GY and Special Summon Predaplant Spinodionaea (4*/1800/0) from the Deck. He uses Spinodionaea's effect to place a Predator Counter on Security 2's Goyo Catapult. He activates Polymerization, fusing Ophrys Scorpio and Darlingtonia Cobra to Fusion Summon Starving Venom Fusion Dragon. (8*/2800/2000) Starving Venom gains ATK equal to the total ATK of all opposing Special Summoned monsters. (SVFD: 2800 + 800 x 3 = 5200ATK) He uses Ambulomelides's effect to tribute Security 2's Goyo Catapult and Special Summon Predaplant Flytrap (2*/400/800) from the Deck. He uses Flytrap's effect to place a Predator Counter on Security 3's Goyo Catapult. He uses the Spell Card, Fusion Recovery, adding Ophrys Scorpio and Polymerization back to his hand. He activates Polymerization, fusing Drosophyllum Hydra and Flytrap to Fusion Summon Predaplant Chimerafflesia. With Drosophyllum Hydra's effect, he tributes Security 3's Goyo Catapult to Special Summon it from the GY. He then uses Chimerafflesia's effect to banish Security 1's Goyo Catapult. Starving Venom attacks Security 3 directly, Chimerafflesia, Ambulomelides and Drosophyllum Hydra attack Security 2 directly, and Spinodionaea attacks Security 1 directly. [S3: 4000 - 5200 = 0LP] [S2: 4000 - 2500 - 1000 - 500 = 0LP] [S1: 3700 - 1800 = 1900LP] Yuri activates his set Predaprime Fusion, fusing Drosophyllum Hydra and Ambulomelides to Fusion Summon Predaplant Dragostapelia. [S1: 2200 - 2500 = 0LP] Yuri wins!
Different Card Effects from TCG:
Predaplant Darlingtonia Cobra - Uses its OCG effect, which allows the user to add any "Fusion" or "Polymerization" Spell card instead of just "Polymerization". However, uses its anime condition, which lets it use its effect when Special Summoned in any way, not just by a "Predaplant" monster.
Predaplant Drosophyllum Hydra - Has both its anime effects and its TCG Special Summoning effect. However, I did put its anime damage reduction effect at once per turn, because what the fuck is that effect.
Jutte Lord - Anime-only card.
Goyo Catapult - Anime-only card.
Predaplant Cordyceps - Uses its anime effect, which restricts Normal Summons/Sets, but doesn't restrict Special Summons like the TCG effect.
Starving Venom Fusion Dragon - Uses its anime effect.
End Notes:
So, yep! I think a lot of you guessed this, but the Friendship Cup is stopping here for now. I do intend to let it continue, but it was always intended to pause halfway like this. :) The Lancers are really getting into it now! For a quick status update on all of them and where they are right now, see below!
- Miharu: Already in the Security building after passing out after her duel with Yuno.
- Yuno: With Yuji, heading towards Security.
- Yuya, Yugo, Shun: Currently together in the Commons, debating whether to split up.
- Reiji, Mion, Reira: Looking for the other Lancers, Reira is unconscious.
- Sawatari, Yuzu: Currently together.
- Hitoda, Kyorin, Yuto: Currently together.
- Nue, Sora: Still in the Underground.
- Tsukikage, Gongenzaka: Currently together.
- Serena: With Yuri, arguing with him.
I feel like this and some of the clues in this chapter make it clear what duels are going to happen, but I'll just hope that I managed to hide some stuff! Some of you are really astute. :D But anyway, the invasion's starting with a lot of characters still out of commission. :) Let's see how that goes.
For Reiji's scene, I wanted to make it clear that while Reiji's not going to get away with everything, he's also still just a person. He can and probably will make mistakes, and he still needs to grow. I always thought that there was a missed opportunity to give Reiji character development, since he and Roget could easily have been written as foils and it would have been a good way to show how Reiji might end up like Roget if he doesn't try to understand the emotional side of things. Also, my friend pointed out that Reiji and Mion are 100% the Team Dad and Team Mom of the Lancers, and that made me laugh.
As for Serena, though it might be obvious already, I don't intend to have her participation in the arc stop because she was gassed. She has far more to do. So this is a spoiler, but just to stop everyone from yelling at me, yes, I'm not just kicking her out of relevancy.
Meanwhile, Yuri's perspective in this chapter… I think we can all tell that he's pretty biased and unreliable in terms of how he's portraying his thoughts. He's totally furious at Roget because of Serena, but trying to pretend that he's not. Originally, Yuri's duel was going to happen offscreen, but I miss Predaplants. So I let myself indulge in writing a nice curbstomp for them. If Yuri's OTK of all three opponents feels familiar (aka the comboing and constant Fusion Summons, making the opponent think they can only take out two of the three opponents), it's because it was written to give off the same vibe as Shino's 1v3 in Chapter 17. If the scene where Yuri talks to Roget is familiar—it's because it's based off the scene where Tsukikage and Reira originally rescue Serena—except that this time, it's not a moment where the Lancers have rescued Serena. It's a moment when Academia has captured her. A flip of circumstances. :) Why doesn't Reiji give that same speech in this story? Because he's already abandoned the High Council completely, to go after Reira, who is more important to him than them. Thus, Roget doesn't call in to check on the High Council, and Reiji does not respond. In essence, if the High Council had stopped the match, Roget would have sent Security after them, but Reiji would have defended them. Them losing Reiji as a protector is entirely because of their own actions. :D
"I'm Academia's Monster" is a reference to his Chapter 34 conversation with Shino. … also RIP to Yuri not knowing that the Bracelet Girls are supposed to be sacrificed, and thinking that Serena is safer at Academia, lmao. There's also a contrast between Roget giving up on getting Serena despite all his resources vs Serena refusing to give up on herself despite being alone.
Alright, that's it! Nothing else to talk about *gets hit with a tomato* ok, ok! We'll go back. Yuno and Yuji's scene has a special place in my heart. As much as I won't deny that Yuno and Miharu's dynamic is my favourite, I also just like writing attempts made to connect two characters that are so different. Yuji helps Yuno out because he has a slight soft spot for Yuno after the duel in Standard. At the same time, he also doesn't understand that soft spot, which is why he's surprised at his own willingness to help. In the end, Yuno's willingness to accept Yuji completely as he is without forcing him to do anything or seeing something else is what convinces Yuji to help him. (And it helps that technically, Yuji is also supposed to go after Miharu, so he doesn't actually have to choose to fight Academia—he can just go along with it.)
(There is something else that I'm not talking about, but that's because I can't touch it without spoilers exploding everywhere. If you haven't noticed it, that's okay. We'll get there.)
Review responses! (I was very entertained by everyone getting mad at Roget, ngl.)
To DSpaceZ, hey! I'm assuming that by the alternate forms of dragons, you mean the Pendulum hybrids? I guess you'll have to wait and see. :) Honestly, I did think about using a few references to water gods in the design, but in the end, I thought that keeping it pure Zarc references worked better. Having Leafking Seadragon be male was also because I wanted to make it feel very different and intrusive to the archetype—to make it obvious that it really doesn't belong. It's to Marincess what Tearlaments Reinoheart is to the Tearlaments. And yeah, lmao, I actually agree with that assessment—everyone needs therapy except Gongenzaka. And honestly, having Roget and Sergey duel would be pretty ironic! :) Thanks for the review!
To Unlucky-Fausto, yeah, I think it would have felt very odd if Miharu had stepped down and let Ray do it instead, because Miharu is the kind to do things herself. Yeah, I can see how you would feel like we were reaching the end of the arc, but nope! There's quite a bit left. I know the combo that you mean! Haha, that's pretty funny. Yeah, when I made the Pendulums, I already knew that they were realistically never going to Pendulum Summon, because that's just not how their decks work. :D
To phantomdragons, aww, thank you. Yeah, Miharu definitely could tell immediately that Yuno was not himself, and she also knew that she had to get the helmet off. That's such a sweet review. And believe me, no one is a bigger shipper of Yuno and Miharu than me, the writer :D
To naminexriku2468, ah, that's absolutely karma for what he did to Yuno and Miharu, huh? Oof.
To the Guest wondering about why Miharu said that Yuno has zero chance to defeat her, it's a reference to the start of the chapter! Miharu already expressed at the start of the chapter that just counting raw numbers and data, Yuno actually has a slight advantage (52%), but that data cannot substitute for emotional weight. It's a comment on their own personalities—that because Yuno (as himself, not as Berserk!Yuno) can never bring himself to put his emotions down, no matter how serious the duel gets, the winner in any duel between them would be Miharu, because Miharu cannot bring herself to lose against someone else on purpose. It's just how she works. In every duel, Yuno always duels with emotion, while Miharu duels with intention—I think that's the best way to put it, anyway! Ultimately, the two of them have always dueled for their own personal reasons, but their bond was born entirely outside of dueling, and thus, they will never compromise it to duel each other. Arguably, neither of them are really that much stronger than the other. Thank you for your review.
To NightWingBOI, thanks for the review! 50 and 51 were definitely a one-two punch, haha. Yeah, I really wanted to sell it—this is Yuno, who is probably the friendliest character in the entire story, being so cruel to the person who he's closest to in the story. I wanted to sell that contrast :D Roget is certainly going to get taken down.
To LHOCIN, yes! I wondered how many would catch it—Berserk!Yuno acting differently towards Miharu as opposed to the other Yu-boys in Chapter 13 is very intentional. Haha, I didn't consider that Miharu was the first Bracelet Girl to win against a Yu-boy, but that's very true. As for what you said about Hitoda… *whistles* :)
To T.V. 2000, yeah, I totally get why it would be a bit of a confusing duel to read through. I tried to have moments where I sort of described the entire field state (aka what monsters either player had), but there's a reason it's the longest duel in the story. :) Like I mentioned to DSpaceZ earlier, the monster being male (and a Dragon, as opposed to a Cyberse), is meant to make it obvious that it's an invader—it's not actually part of the Marincess monsters, in a way.
To cardfan135, that's a pretty funny image.
To kikuruhime, firstly, don't apologise for long reviews. I do enjoy reading them. Firstly, I think that what you're saying about pairings in YGO fics comes a lot from how YGO itself is written. I have never actually enjoyed or shipped anything in YGO itself—rather, I come to enjoy character dynamics through fanfics, which do it better. YGO is very good at writing specific kinds of friendships, but quite plainly, YGO cannot write women for shit, which is the main reason why most of its pairings are so painful to consider. :D (I accidentally wrote a whole essay here about how absolutely awful YGO is in terms of female characters specifically, but I deleted it because it was too long and didn't answer your actual review, lmao. Gist of it is that the only good female character that YGO has ever written is Asuka Tenjoin. I love Aki and Sherry because I know what they were intended to be, but the actual execution of the writing was… highly questionable.) Like I said in response to an earlier review, Yuno and Miharu are my favourite dynamic in this story, and honestly, I'm glad that people like them as much as I do. I actually feel like the best way to write a pairing is to not start by thinking about it. I made both Yuno and Miharu as completely separate characters before deciding how they would interact with each other, so that their dynamic wouldn't feel forced.
And as for the duels, writing them based on the characters is something that I always have to do! I always write them in a way that's fun for me to write, so I'm just glad that it's fun to read too. Duels are tough to write.
And while I do appreciate the compliments, I'd like to reinforce that I don't want anyone to put down other fics, even if they're trying to compliment me. Writers always put a lot of effort into their fics that readers don't often see, so it makes me feel a bit awkward when others say that other fics aren't good. I know that you have good intentions, but yeah… not my thing. While you're fine—I'd class most of what you said as concrit (constructive criticism) of that other fic rather than malice—there are some times when I've opened up the review page for certain fics and just seen people insulting the author for their choices in writing, and I do get mad on the author's behalf. While I'm never opposed to constructive criticism, a lot of people don't quite know how to draw the line between that and personal attacks.
Moving on to a more general opinion on concrit (so not centered on your review, but on fics in general, I'm not attacking you, you're fine :)), a lot of the time, the difference between it and attacking the author is just tone. For example, saying that 'Character X doesn't seem to have as much relevance, so her presence doesn't feel necessary when you already have a lot of characters" is concrit, but saying that 'What the hell is Character X's purpose in this story, you're clogging up the cast with a useless character" is most definitely not. In general, while I do always accept criticism (except for my update schedule, lmao) and I'll usually address it down here, I'd just encourage people to be… well, kinder to writers. There's no reason to be so hostile to people just because they make decisions that you might not have liked. They can't please everyone, and they're writing for themselves, so their decisions aren't always going to make you happy, but it'll make them happy.
And at the same time, I'd also like other writers to be more willing to engage with genuine constructive criticism! People pointing out mistakes in your duels (and god knows I've made a lot of mistakes that people have helped me see, and I'm very appreciative of :)) or mentioning that certain things don't feel quite as good as they could be means that they care enough to have carefully read and express an opinion on your story. Even if you're busy and don't really want to rewrite the duel immediately, just point out that you've seen it and will work on it later. They'll understand that—it's not like they're telling you to change it immediately, just that they cared enough to see that there was something that you might not have seen. Let's all be kinder to each other :D It'll make fics better too!
QOTC: Which Arc-V characters are your favourites, and why?
The next chapter will 100% take longer because we're getting to the point where I need to double check and pre-write some stuff in the later chapters before I can write the next one. As a slight peek behind the curtain, I'll have to plan scene-by-scene for the next six chapters before I can even start to write the next chapter. It's complicated, but yeah! In order to not mess up specific things, it's important to make sure everything's fine. It'll be a very interesting one. See you then!