Starting Notes:

Welcome back! It was fast, because well... This chapter is… hmm. Shall we say, shorter. It serves its purpose though, and it's something that has to be gotten through before we get to all the duels in the next few chapters! Let's get to it.

Chapter 108: On The Rocks

One year ago:

Eri approached the beach. Sitting on the rocks was a single girl, watching the waves. She was holding onto a single card between her fingers, casually twisting them back and forth to turn it through the air.

Eri focused her gaze on it, before she blinked.

That was…

"Can you see them too?" The girl asked, turning to look at her.

"… I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that the famous Albion can see Duel Spirits," Eri said. The girl who went by the name 'Shino' smiled at that. Next to her, the boy in a mask turned away, his translucent body fading from sight immediately. "You have one then…"

"... well, don't refer to him like he's just a pet," Shino said, shrugging. Eri accepted the point—she had a feeling that her own duel spirit wouldn't like being referred to that way. "It's nice to meet you, Eri Phoenix. I've heard a thing or two about you."

Eri tensed up.

Shino watched her, and then she sighed, putting her hands on the rocks behind her and leaning back. Her fingers swept up small clumps of sand. "Whatever she told you about me, it's not true, you know."

"I'm not sure I believe you," Eri said curtly. "Your reputation precedes you."

Shino patted the ground next to her. Eri raised an eyebrow, and the purple-haired girl laughed. "I can't exactly look at you properly from there," she said. "The sun's behind you, you know!"

Eri eyed her suspiciously, but didn't see any possible threat, so she sat down next to the girl, though she left some distance between them. "Why did you get out of the wheelchair in the first place?" She asked. "Doesn't it leave you vulnerable?"

"Vulnerable to what?" Shino asked cheerfully. "You're the one who said it, after all. I'm Albion. If you think I'm dangerous, what do I have to fear?"

"… you're weird." Eri had heard all the stories. Albion, a figure dressed in white who'd cut down fighters on both sides of the war in the Outer Islands, who'd been spotted on island after island until she'd vanished from reports. It wasn't even well-known that this girl was Albion, or at least, most people hadn't heard about it yet—Eri only knew about it because her mentor had told her.

"So I've been told," Shino said. "So? Is there something you want from me?"

"… Eve-san says you'll be a threat," Eri said. The girl didn't look surprised at all—which was weird. Considering what Eri knew, she'd expected this girl to be upset about the statement. "And everyone says you're strong."

"I might be," Shino said with a wink. "So? What's your point?"

The strangest part about this girl, Eri thought, was that she was likeable. It was impossible to reconcile those two different images of her. One a merciless, bloodthirsty monster. The other, this smiling sweetness.

It was almost impressive.

For a moment, Eri envied her. That 'likeability'… if only Eri herself had the capability to be that way. Instead of being so endlessly calm…

… no. Eve had already told her how she should behave. She should stick to it.

"Well, that's no good!" Shino said—Eri snapped back to reality, looking over. The girl was smiling at her. "Sorry if I intimidated you. I guess you don't need to be making a point at all."

"... I want a duel," Eri said.

"… a duel?"

"Eve-san always talks about how my skills have to match up to yours, to be useful to her." Eri narrowed her eyes. "I don't know why she holds you in such high regard. But I want to figure it out. Duel me, Empress of Dragons."

" … now, I much prefer that title to Albion!" Shino shook her head. "But… that woman never fails to upset me." She braced herself against the side of the wheelchair, and then carefully pulled herself up. Eri watched as she balanced herself, managing to make it back into the wheelchair after a while. "Did she really say that to you?"

"... yes?"

"Well, that just sucks." Shino looked at her—there was something gentle to her expression. Eri wasn't sure why. Wasn't she competition for Eri? Shouldn't she be raring up for a challenge?

Who really was this girl?

"No one should have to become someone else to be useful," Shino concluded. "I'll duel you, but just… think on it, okay?"

"... whatever," Eri said, standing up and trekking away, across the rocks—putting just enough distance between them for the duel.

No one else was around this side of the island, which was fine.

She'd crush this girl and prove herself.

"Dogmatika Fleurdelis, the Knighted attacks you directly." The silver knight cut down the rest of Eri's life points. Eri frowned, even as Shino leaned on the side of her wheelchair. "And that's the end of the duel."

"... again," Eri said.

Shino watched her, and then her smile widened. "Sure!"

So Eri threw herself forward over and over again, only to lose each time—Shino changed her deck each time, each one using a different set of Main Deck monsters, though the Extra Deck monsters were the same. Still, by the time that the sun was setting, Eri hadn't taken a single win against her.

It was… humbling.

"... we should go for dinner, Eri-chan." Shino said.

"You can go," Eri said shortly. "I'll stay here a bit longer."

"Well, alright." Shino turned her head away. "... hey, Phoenix." Her voice had changed in tone—to something less playful, more serious. "I know what that woman wants you to become. She'll make you change yourself to become someone useful to her. But she'll never appreciate it. She's too caught up in herself to care about anyone around her."

"... you know nothing about Eve-san."

"... I guess not. Just don't regret it, okay? If you throw away things important to you, just to satisfy her…" Shino shook her head. "It's just a waste."

What…?

Well, it didn't matter.

Eve's approval was more important to her than anything else.

In the present:

Once Eri had gathered her nerve again, she left the base to find a place that was more secluded. Eventually, she settled on the old museum. Eri had visited this a few times—she found it a bit of a pity that most of its exhibits had been destroyed by the war. So many years of history, destroyed without anyone getting the chance to save them.

She entered it, placed down a small device and a card, clicked a button and waited.

A few minutes later, the golden-haired figure of Eve Misogi appeared—she'd teleported directly here, with the help of the machine to focus the signal. It wouldn't work for a large group of people, but it would work for Eve's specific duel disk—they'd made sure of that.

Eri bowed swiftly. "Eve-san," she greeted. "Welcome."

"I assume that you sent that message because you've found it," Eve said. "You've taken longer than I expected you to."

Eri closed her eyes. "I… apologise," she said quietly. "It was more than just infiltration—I needed to clear out a route so that we could easily go in and out."

What had happened was that Eve had handed her one of the cards that belonged to her—a card that apparently had a Duel Spirit in it. Despite having one, Eri knew very little about them—she only knew that Eve's Duel Spirit would inform her when Eri was ready with what she needed. It was, according to Eve, one of the only forms of communication that could go across dimensions—one that she had not shared with anyone else, except Eri.

"... I suppose that you've completed your mission, so I cannot be upset with you." Eve picked up the card from the ground. "Now. Your reports stated that what we're looking for is in the ruins?"

"Yes," Eri said. "Shall we go, Eve-san…?"

"... yes. We shall." Eve gestured forward. "Lead the way, Eri Phoenix. Prove to me that you've done well."

Eri took a deep breath and nodded. They made their way to the ruins—and she gestured to the door there. "I got the passcode ready ahead of time," she said. "522513."

Eve typed in the passcode on the door. "Is this a straight passage all the way down?"

"No," Eri said. "But the Resistance has some… less populated areas. I secretly placed white ribbons as markers at the paths where you should be going."

"... good foresight."

Was…that a compliment? "Thank you, Eve-san," Eri said cautiously—but her heart had lit up with joy at the words.

"... I would prefer to do this alone from here," Eve said. "I will make my own way back as well. Meet me at the docks in an hour."

"Yes, Eve-san," Eri said. "Please… be careful."

"… I don't need you to be worried for me, Phoenix." Eve turned back to the door. "But I suppose you'll deserve a reward when we return to Academia."

With those words, she left. Eri stared after her for a moment.

She'd succeeded… so why did she feel so strange about it? Was it because of what that person had said to her?

… forget it.

Eve stood in front of the mural, looking at it.

… this was the hundredth ruin, it seemed. Then, it made sense why something so important was all the way down here—even if no one knew that it existed in the first place.

She looked at the mural.

… no mistaking it, then. The image of that dragon… it was exactly what she had been looking for. She recognised the exact mural.

Nothing in these worlds are where they're supposed to be. It's as though time and space has warped so much that 'relation' no longer exists.

These worlds that we live in are far too distorted.

But if time itself was distorted, then…

Eve recalled a certain moment, all of a sudden. She remembered a woman with golden hair, just like hers, looking like she was in her twenties. She remembered this exact set of ruins, though they were connected to a very different set of buildings above ground.

"You said that there's a deck in these ruins?" Eve said, looking around them at the walls. "This place… it's holy, isn't it?"

The young woman nodded, shooting her a smile. "Mm! It was left here by the dragon, some say. I've already checked, and as long as it's eventually returned, it shouldn't be a problem for you to use it."

"... if you say so. I've already got a deck though."

"I know, but I really do think you'd like it…" The young woman carried on walking through the ruins. "If you don't like it, we can just return it later, alright?"

Eve sighed, but she couldn't help but smile. "Sure," she said. "Let's get going quickly then."

Eve pressed her fingers to a specific spot on the mural—right under the dragon's right wing. The panel slid in, revealing a set of cards inside.

Just like back then.

She touched it—then paused, as though expecting something to happen.

… because it had happened the last time that she was here.

"Some kind of test, huh…"

"Didn't you say the dragon was fine with this?"

The young woman nodded, her eyebrows creased. "I asked," she said. "They said it was fine… maybe this test was left here a long time ago? No one's ever made it all the way down in these ruins."

"... I hate to point out the obvious, but I'm a researcher," Eve said. "Even if this is related to the dragon, I don't have a deck to use."

"I guess not." The young woman shot her a smile. "Relax, Misogi-san." She was still so formal, despite the fact that they'd known each other for a while now. "I would never bring you down here and make you do all the work."

She turned back towards the guardian of the ruins.

"... and, you know my abilities."

Eve couldn't help but sigh. It was on the brink of being boastful—but this woman had always skirted the line well. And very few people could claim to be as good at dueling as her—it would almost be sacrilegious to say it.

After all, this woman could be considered a 'chosen one', for all that her monsters were innocent-looking. She was—

Eve shook her head.

No need for these memories right now. She just had to do what needed to be done.

In front of her, red energy stirred. It spun around—she knew that only she could see it. Then, it returned to the deck, and Eve heard a voice speak up—there was a rough cadence to it. Oh. It's you.

"It's been a while," Eve said, picking up the deck. She slid it into a box in the pouch by her side. "How have you been?"

Simply existing here. There's not much else we do. There was a strange feeling, like something brushing past her. Oh. I see Reinoheart, that foolish idiot, is here as well. You know you can only use one of us at a time, correct? Your soul can't take the strain.

"Spare me the arguments," Eve said curtly. "You've been in this world for the entire time it's existed, then."

You could say that.

"Then you know where she is. Her scattered fragment in this world." Eve spun around, ready to leave the ruin. "Go ahead and tell me. Who is it I have to find?"

Didn't Reinoheart tell you? The scattered fragments all have one thing in common.

"... what do you mean?"

No matter how small the fragment is, on some unconscious level, it remembers the greatest wish of the whole. If you're looking for her fragment, you search for the one who's fulfilling her wish even now.

Think about the one that you do know. What has she been so determined to do? Something that she's done so naturally, as though she was born to fit into that mold?

A lot of things, but…

"I see," Eve said. She began her walk back up. "I suppose I should ask Phoenix who that man's fragment in this world is protected by."

After all, from what I know, she was very fond of him.

But Eve very much had what she wanted now.

… she always did.

"... the boy with the same face as Yuri?" Eri blinked, not knowing why Eve was asking the question. "That would be Yuto Kamisoka… he was a first-year in Spade Branch when the invasion started."

"Is there someone who's particularly protective of him?"

… why was she asking? Eri felt a little uneasy—for a moment, the thought crossed her mind to say a different name. However…

… it's not like there's a reason for me to try to protect that person from the one that I'm loyal to, right?

"If you're asking who's the most protective of him," Eri said, "it would be his older sister, Nue Kamisoka."

"Nue," Eve repeated. Then, with a cold scoff, she said, "Nogitsune. Are they all like that?"

"Huh?"

"... forget it. You've done well." Eve glanced at her duel disk. "... I will stay around the area for now. I have one more thing I need to complete before I return."

Eri thought for a moment. "Are you looking for the people that are most connected to them?" She hesitantly offered. "Because I've been observing what I can of them… and the Professor's priority targets too. When I get the chance between everything else."

"… if you have that information, I'll take it, I suppose." Bright green eyes looked back at her. "… who are you referring to?"

Kaname sneezed—only her quick reflexes stopped the bowl of beans from slipping. Yugo perked up from next to her.

"I never hear you get sick," he said. "Man, is the world ending?"

Kaname briefly shook her head, before she raised her hand and flicked him in the forehead with a finger. 'Eat.'

"Okay, okay!" Yugo scooped up the beans with some gusto. Watching him, Kaname couldn't help but feel nostalgic. It had been like this when they were kids too—her making sure the younger kids ate first, even as Martha chided them for talking with their mouths full.

Even in another world, this still felt the same. There was nothing more tender than eating with another person.

Yugo looked up a moment later, still chewing. "So, Kaname," he said, his words horribly muffled.

'Chew.'

"Okay, okay…" Yugo finished the mouthful of food. "How are you feeling?"

… huh?

"I mean, you had a rough time of it when we were still home," Yugo said. "And I mean… you were leaning on that Makoto guy a lot, right? Rin said that it was probably tough for you to be here without them around, when they were the only ones you could count on for a while."

Kaname blinked once.

"... ah, I just wanna know if there's something I can do!" Yugo smiled at her determinedly. "You get what I mean?"

… ha.

Kaname reached out, gently patting Yugo's head with one hand—her dark glove sank beneath the blue and yellow curls. She thought about smiling for a moment, but it wouldn't be visible with the mask on anyway—and she wasn't sure she knew how to.

But she was happy about it. That was enough. She signed swiftly. If I need anything, I'll let you know.

"Well, okay!" Yugo grinned."It feels great, doesn't it? Once we win this, Yuto's home is free. Then we can deal with the other three worlds, until we beat Academia!"

Once they won this…

"... are you upset, nee-san?" Yugo said, his grin fading.

Kaname waved a hand. 'Complicated.'

"So you are…?"

Kaname struggled to figure out how to explain. In the end, she signed out a single word. 'Nue.'

"Nue-san…? Right, you've been worried about her the whole time, huh?" Yugo pumped a fist in the air. "Well, I'm sure she'll be okay! There's so many things in the world, there has to be a way for her to get back her eyesight, right?"

Kaname shrugged. She reached up, her fingers pressing to her eyepatch.

… losing part of her sight had been horrible. She could not imagine what it felt like to lose all of it. But…

Once again, Nue had helped her. Kaname wanted to help her in return.

… it was a little selfish of her, wasn't it? She had no selfless goals in this war. She was here to avenge herself, and to try to take a step towards being a good person. That was what she'd said.

She ruffled his hair again, deciding not to explain anymore.

And obviously, to protect him too. What else mattered?

Back at the docks, Eri was done explaining what she knew.

"Jean's daughter, you say." Eve placed a strange emphasis on Roget's first name—Eri wondered if it was her way of insulting him, of refusing him any forms of formality or respect. It seemed like odd behaviour for her—maybe Roget had wronged her in some way before? None of it was Eri's business though. "... interesting. I wonder just how many similarities there are between them."

"Eve-san?"

"... you've done well," Eve said. Eri briefly twitched—it was something like 'perking up'. "The girl's name?"

"... Kaname Mizuchi?"

"Mizuchi," Eve repeated.

… now that Eve had pointed it out, there was a strange theme to those names, wasn't there? Especially considering that 'Shino Gitsune' was in itself a chosen alias… had she knowingly chosen it to fit with the theme?

"Understood," Eve said. "Nue Kamisoka, and Kaname Mizuchi... tell me, Eri Phoenix. If I remember correctly, there was a talented student who was dispatched here as a punishment, correct? For stealing and impersonation?"

"Yes. Kagurazaka Misawa." Eri frowned. "From what I've heard from Edo, he tends to keep to himself and out of trouble—I suppose that he doesn't want to end up like his cousin." After all, Daichi Misawa had defected from Academia a year ago, and he'd joined the rebellion against Academia, from what later reports had suggested.

"Yes, I do know about his cousin," Eve said offhandedly. "That boy was very determined to stop me from getting to his teachers." She began to walk again—Eri followed behind her. "Very well. I have something in mind. I believe it should provide an interesting set of resources for this battle as well."

"… just say the word," Eri said. "As usual, I'm at your disposal."

"What did you have to talk to me about?"

Allen gulped, nearly turning away from those dark brown eyes. Remember why you came here, he reminded himself. He couldn't get cold feet here—it'd be too embarrassing. "I heard from Kaito back then that you…" He cleared his throat. "Were the last one to see Yusho-sensei before he disappeared, right?"

Tsubaki raised an eyebrow. "I was," she acknowledged. "Is something wrong?"

I'm not obligated to do this, I just…

"I think you should tell Yuya Sakaki about it," Allen said. "What you saw, I mean. It might… help him."

"... you were the one getting upset about us trusting them," Tsubaki said. "Hisako told me about it." Her gaze was sharp. "The next time you have a problem with my decisions, don't try to circumvent them by going for the kindest of my friends."

"... I'm sorry," Allen muttered.

"... I'll think about what you're saying," she said after a pause. "... it's good that you're trying to work with them now, Allen. I hope it works out for you."

Allen grimaced. It felt like a cruel comment on how the one person that he'd been working with had been a traitor this entire time. "I didn't know about Sayaka," he muttered.

"... that's not really what I'm talking about." Tsubaki glanced at him. "I don't think you were. Both of you have no subtlety. I just think that it's good that you've found some closure in all this."

She strode off.

Allen paced on the spot.

… closure, huh…

All this time, and I still don't have closure.

It didn't take a genius to know that things were coming to their end.

Unfortunately, no matter how intelligent someone was, it didn't matter if they had bloodthirst in the place of common sense.

"What do you mean we're pulling back and retreating?" Grace Tyler said with a pout. "We just got here! We can't just give up and go back because a few Resistance rats managed to pull something like that out of nowhere!"

Not out of nowhere, Edo thought. There's something more going on. And I'm probably one of the only people with even an inkling about the lynchpin of all of this.

"The Resistance is planning on attacking us here," he explained, narrowing his eyes coldly. "... this entire time, the only reason that we have remained in Heartland is because we don't want the Resistance to be able to properly regroup and try to take revenge—it would delay the Arc Area Project too much. But like this? We've lost all resources, and we have the information that the Resistance and the Lancers will be coming for us tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Gloria Tyler said. "You haven't told us about this yet."

"... regardless. This is a waste of lives and nothing more—I do not want this to devolve into nothing but fighting. What do we gain other than taking a few of them down with us? We're better served back at Academia."

Dennis Mackfield raised a hand—far more polite than the Tyler Sisters. Despite his usual pleasant and entertaining demeanour, he seemed serious now. "Can we charge down their base?" He asked. "We have a way to get inside, right? If we attack them first—"

"That's a good idea!" Mamoru Noro said, grinning nervously and smacking his hand on the table. "There's plenty of civilians still down there. We won't go back to Academia empty-handed—"

"We do not target civilians when there are already those willing to fight!" Saki Garam stood up abruptly. "... we shouldn't. Right, Commander Phoenix?" Dennis reached out a hand for her arm, before clearly reconsidering and pulling it back. Noro flinched.

… that was an interesting reaction from the girl that only wanted to impress others. Edo wondered if it had something to do with her relationship to her brother, Amon Garam—after all, the older Garam sibling was well-known for his insistence on diplomacy being the key to things. A mercilessly utilitarian man—only a few years Edo's senior, but well-established as one of the top negotiators that Academia had at its disposal, even if he was still acting in the interest of the Garam Group.

Still…

"Correct," Edo said. "We took down civilians in the past because it was necessary. Now, we have enemies who have been honed in the battlefield we created—it is a disservice to them if we circumvent this battle."

"But—"

"Silence, Noro." Edo glared at him. "... it is not a completely impossible idea, Mackfield. But there are far too many entrances and exits into the Resistance for us to block them all. The mouse always has another hole to escape from."

"Understood," Dennis said, looking nervous.

"So," Edo said with an air of finality, "we retreat, and we fight for Academia at a moment when it is necessary—"

"... sorry, brother. If that's your intended outcome… that's not in the cards for us."

Edo spun around. Eri was at the window.

A moment passed. (They'd argued the last time they'd met, after all. Even though she'd been right that they hadn't actually lost anyone, it didn't stop him from being infuriated.)

"Is this necessary?" He said, raising an eyebrow. "There are stairs coming up to this office."

"It's a waste of the time I spent scouting if I can't scale back up the side of this building," Eri said, confirming his assumption that she had, in fact, entered through the window. Apparently, no one else had noticed her coming in through the window, which did not give Edo the greatest confidence about the observation skills of the people in this room. (He was at least facing away from the window. No one here had any excuse.)

At the table, Dennis sputtered, eyes widening. "You—"

Eri curled a short streak of hair, stained white with moonlight, behind her ear. "We've met," she said without much preamble. "We were assigned to investigate different things though."

"Y-yeah… sorry. I didn't connect the dots that you were sent here too." Dennis slowly swallowed. "... yeah."

Eri turned back to Edo. "... Eve-san got back to me," she said. "According to her, the Professor's new instructions are to keep fighting until we lose. To take back as many of the priority targets as possible. And to not back down without giving it our all to take them back—to fight until we lose."

Edo narrowed his eyes.

… were those really the Professor's orders?

Gloria broke the silence—she smirked, pressing her duel disk against the table. "Now that's more like it! We can't let this Xyz scum get away with opposing us so easily, can we? And if the Lancers are so strong, I'd like to clash against them and crush them!"

"Well said, sister," Grace said, smiling to herself.

Sitting nearby, Hachio Kawasaki glanced around, as though unsure of what was happening. "So we're fighting?" He said after a moment, grinning. "I can get behind that!" Saki looked like she had some choice words for him, but she was clearly holding them in.

Edo looked at Eri with some unease.

I still trust her, he realised a moment later.

Perhaps that was the most unfortunate part of all this.

"The priority targets?" He repeated.

"Yes." Eri looked towards him—calm, as usual. "... that's what's most important to Academia right now."

"... fine," Edo said.

"Commander!" Saki protested. "I thought—"

"... I still think that it is better to retreat," Edo said. His fists were clenched by his sides. "But, if the Professor wishes for us to keep on fighting to the end… as people who owe our loyalty to Academia, we owe it to him to keep fighting. Perhaps… that is our role in this war. Our destiny."

… it didn't mean that he had to be happy about it though.

After they all dispersed, Eri stayed in the room. Edo looked at her.

"You don't normally let yourself look so… relaxed," he said. Her usual cloak was off, for one, despite how paranoid she was about being caught without it. Her face was uncovered, and—

It was a weird feeling. She looked so much more… open than usual. Nothing like the dark figure that she made herself appear to be.

"... it's about time that everything falls apart anyway," Eri murmured. She turned to look at him, blue eyes glittering with… concern? "... I'm sorry for last time, little brother. How are you doing?"

Edo looked away. "... I'm fine," he said, silently accepting her apology.

"... I know you've been tormented by it for a year now," Eri said. "He keeps coming up, doesn't he? Yusho Sakaki?"

Edo's fists were squeezed so tightly that they hurt. He snapped his head over to look at her.

There was a strange sorrow to her gaze. "... how long will you hold onto that?"

"... you were there."

"But I didn't hear what he said." Eri took a step forward. She raised a hand, touching her earring—then, she breathed out slowly. "... I only cared about saving you, at the time. So, brother… if you hate him, let's hunt him once we return to Academia. But for now, let's stay alive."

"Fine." Edo rubbed his forehead. "Are you lying to me, Eri?"

"... remember when we were kids and I told you stories before bed?" Eri said. "About the heroes that you liked? To be honest, I always thought they were too idealistic, but I bit my tongue for you. It's something like that. It's true that the Professor wants us to fight. Anything else… is something that shouldn't stain your eyes."

Edo glanced out of the window. "... then, for loyalty," he said. "One more time."

Miharu took the earpiece out of her ear, wiping it down with sanitiser before passing it to Nue. "Should be adjusted," she said. "Anything else you need?"

"No." Nue put the earpiece back in her own ear. "Thanks. I know this is all short notice…"

"It's fine." Miharu turned back to her laptop. "It's just something small." Nue had come to her asking to adjust some parts of the program that she'd made linking the cane to the earpiece and the duel disk, to fix some mobility issues that she'd noticed. Miharu had noticed some of the dirt on Nue's shirt, but hadn't pointed it out. There was no reason to.

Nue leaned back against the wall. "... if I gave you someone's duel disk number in this world," she said, "would you be able to add a tracker to my duel disk that would help me locate that person no matter where they were?"

… that sounded dangerously non-hypothetical. "I might be able to," Miharu said. "But 'can' doesn't mean 'should'. Why do you want it?"

Nue shrugged. "Thought it might be useful to have."

"... when I first began to show how good I was at coding, my father told me to be careful about what I use my talents for," Miharu said. "I would prefer not to invent things to be used as weapons."

"... my intentions are that obvious?"

"I cannot empathise with it." The idea of always knowing where one's tormentors were, unable to escape them mentally… "I don't think it's good for you."

"... I guess I'll trust you on that." Nue turned to leave. "... you know. The first time we met, I thought that you were a shrinking violet. But… you remember what you said to me that day?"

"My entire life, I was searching for a purpose. I started off lost. I didn't know what was 'good', or what was 'evil'. I didn't know that the situation I was in was 'cruel', or 'immoral'. I never lost myself, because I never had a sense of self in the first place. I had to learn how to be a human, step by step. Even now, I'm still not sure of what 'right and wrong' is. The thing I call my own justice was born of a desire to do something with my life. I cannot feel in the way that some other people feel… but it doesn't stop me from wanting to save others. Even now, I just want to do what I can. I don't think we can quantify suffering, but I still don't know if I truly suffered. I can only acknowledge that situation as 'evil' because Ryoken told me that it was so. Nevertheless, must I truly have suffered to become your comrade? Shouldn't we work to ensure that no one has to suffer?"

"... I said that we shouldn't say that someone has suffered more than another," Miharu said. Her memory of the exact moment was blurry at this point, but…

"... I think you're kinder than you give yourself credit for," Nue said. "But that… you're also more like me than you think. Were you angry at me for the things I said to you?"

"... I knew you were hurting. You were all hurting." Miharu looked at her, blinking. "... why would I ever hold that against you?"

Shun sighed. "Give her time," he advised.

Yuto, who had just finished relaying his weird conversation with Ruri, covered his face. "... is it pathetic that even though there's so much stuff going on," he said, "I'm worried that she might be breaking up with me?"

"No." Shun clasped his shoulder reassuringly. "It's not pathetic at all. But you know Ruri. You know how much she likes you. Right now… all we can do is let her sort out her feelings."

"Did you know she felt that way?"

"Of course not." Otherwise, he'd have sat down with her and talked things through with her—not let her suffer with her own doubts for so long. "But… I guess I get it."

With a calmer mind now, he could see how they had raised Ruri on a pedestal. 'Things are horrible, because Ruri is gone.' That was a simple enough thought, but that meant that once Ruri was back, she had to deal with the idea that she was what was making things better—all of that responsibility on her shoulders.

"... I want to make her worries go away," Yuto said, folding his legs inwards. "... but if she doesn't want to be with me now… I can't stop her…"

"... well," Shun said, "it's you guys' decision, in the end. You're old enough to decide. But Yuto… trust me. I know my sister. If anything, she feels guilty over everything… and she needs to feel secure in her own strength again. But you two will be alright. And if not… well. I'll continue to be there for both of you."

"Even if your sister isn't dating me?"

Shun smirked—trying to keep things light-hearted. "You serious? I met you before you and Ruri ever met. You were my best friend before then too." He held up a fist. "Yuto. Our friendship is completely separate from anything that goes on between you and Ruri. As long as you don't mistreat her, I'm always going to be your friend, even if you two part ways."

Yuto stared at him, before he let out a half-hearted chuckle. He raised his fist as well, and returned the fistbump. "Thanks."

"What are you doing?"

Yuno glanced up from where he was organising his cards. "Just preparing for tomorrow," he said. "I'm sorry we haven't really gotten that much time to hang out."

"I know that both you and mother are busy." Pandor's small holographic figure floated up from his duel disk. "It's no bother. But mother taught me to read physiological signs, and… father, you seem upset."

It was still kinda weird to be called 'father', but…

Yuno laughed. "I'm not really that upset," he said. "Just… I guess, less relaxed now."

"Why? With the dueling data that mother gave me, you're more than a match for most members of Academia."

"Well, it's not that I'm worried about my victory. I'm just worried about…" He tapped his temple. "Whatever's going on up here."

"Mother already programmed me to help you with that."

"I know I can rely on you." Yuno shot her a smile. "I just haven't had to duel seriously in a while." He adjusted the chain links around his wrists. "... there's a part of me that's a little excited for it too."

Pandor shot him an unimpressed look. "... impulsive, father."

Yuya had not known what to expect when the Resistance's leader had asked to talk to him. He certainly had not expected her to mention—

"My father?"

Tsubaki nodded. "Allen came and petitioned me to tell you about the last time we saw your father. The last person to see him, you see, was me."

Yuya's eyes widened.

"The reason why I hesitated to tell you this information is because… well. I knew it would create more questions than it would answer."

Yuya nodded, not trusting his voice.

"You see, I was looking around the area for the commander of the invasion, to try and stop things early. And when I arrived, I saw him talking to your father."

His father… had spoken to Edo Phoenix?

"Edo Phoenix was yelling at him for being a coward, about how he was the Professor's friend but didn't have the loyalty or courage to see things through." Tsubaki brushed her fringe out of her eyes. "... Yusho Sakaki specifically responded: "I still have loyalty to him as my friend, and if there is a way to see him and speak to him, I would do so now". And then he teleported away immediately after that. I then fought Edo Phoenix, set the building on fire, and Kaito evacuated me, while Edo Phoenix was helped by a figure that I didn't see. That's all I really have for you."

Yuya took a moment to think about it all.

"... my father was always bad at talking when he wasn't putting up a performance," he said. "... he left Standard in the first place to stop Academia. I don't think he would… side with them. I think it was just bad timing that… that's all you heard."

Tsubaki glanced away. "... I suppose so. But that's what we heard."

"Did… my father look hurt?"

"I couldn't tell."

That… wasn't the answer that Yuya had wanted to hear. Still, he forced a smile on his face and nodded. "Thanks."

Tsubaki watched him, and then sighed. "... I am sorry," she said. "Not having a father around… is not easy."

Was she… trying to comfort him, in her own way? "... I'm sorry about your father too," Yuya said.

"... thank you," Tsubaki said. She did not smile, but… there was something about her that seemed like it had defrosted.

On impulse, Yuya spoke up before she left. "Tsubaki-san. Could you give me some pointers?"

Tsubaki turned her head, and then—she nodded.

"Shun said you beat him," she said. "Even if it's a one-time thing, that's interesting. Let's duel, and I'll see if there's anything I can do."

… well, Yuya wasn't passing up that offer!

They ended up dueling for a short while, with Tsubaki pointing out some minor things that he could work on. By the time that she left, Yuya was almost certain that at the very least, it might be possible for them to be friends at some point? Maybe?

As he was about to leave, he was jumpscared by a certain counterpart of his, who had apparently been hanging out near the exit to the corridor without him noticing. "Ah! Uh, Yuji…?"

Yuji Fujita nodded. There was something focused to his eyes, in a way that Yuya had never quite seen him. He turned to leave—

"Uh, wait?"

Yuji turned his head back, looking at Yuya. "Yes?" He said shortly.

Yuya swallowed. "I was actually going to ask you for something," he said. "You see… the only summoning method that I don't know is Ritual Summoning…"

He'd been determined to try and get along with Yuji this entire time, but there just hadn't been enough time.

Yuji watched him, and then shrugged. "Are you tired?" He asked, his tone still rather flat.

"Huh? Uh, no…"

Yuji sat down on the ground of the corridor, taking out a few cards from his duel disk. "Do you have a Ritual Monster?"

"I do," Yuya admitted. He'd gotten it in the same strange incident that had given him his set of Odd-Eyes Extra Deck monsters—Dispersion, Vortex, Meteorburst and Absolute. "I just… don't know how to use it."

Yuji eyed him. "... show me," he said.

"Hey, big guy."

Gongenzaka turned his head—just as Sora plopped down on the ground next to him, kicking his feet in the air. "Hello," he said—somewhat stiff. After all, the last time they'd talked, Sora had blown up at him. "Is something wrong?"

"... Reiji Akaba says to meet in the cafeteria in an hour," Sora said. "But uh." Gongenzaka saw him hesitate, before swallowing slowly and speaking up. "I'm here to apologise, I guess."

"You guess?" That wasn't particularly reassuring.

Sora gritted his teeth. "I'm here to apologise," he repeated, clearly embarrassed by his own struggle with saying the words. "Because—I was rude to you, okay?"

"Did Makishima-san—" Gongenzaka caught himself. "Hitoda-san put you up to this?"

"No? I just… was too embarrassed to come and talk to you." Sora wasn't making eye contact with him. "... I just realised that I've always been kind of an asshole to you. And you don't deserve that."

"... I do not resent you for it."

"Yeah. 'Cause you're great." Sora muttered. "You're great. Only an idiot would look down on you when you're good to everyone and literally never rude to anyone who doesn't deserve it."

Was he being sarcastic?

"An idiot like me," Sora finally said. "Sorry, big guy. You deserve better."

"... if the man, Gongenzaka, may be so blunt, he did not like you at the start either." Sora turned to look at him, clearly surprised. "... he thought you were irresponsible at best, and yet… because you were so strong, he was also somewhat jealous. He was… almost relieved when you turned out to be a traitor. It wasn't that he was weak, he thought. It was that villains would always have cheap ways to become stronger. His training had not been wasted. His discipline would triumph the next time he saw you."

He turned back to Sora.

"And yet, when you came back, he realised that all along, he had been terribly wrong about you. That you had tried just as hard, that you were strong because of talent, yes, but that talent alone did not make a fierce warrior like you. That you were conflicted, but that all along, you had been trying your best. That you have more loyalty in your heart than ten men combined, and that was had made you cruel—and yet, what had made you wise."

He offered a smile.

"... so, you see, there is nothing to apologise for. I, too, have had the same ugly thoughts as you. Will you forgive me too, my friend?"

Sora's mouth opened and closed—he looked like he had no clue how to say anything. Finally, he sighed. "God damn it, big guy," he said. "You're going to make me cry."

"All men have to cry sometimes."

"Yeah, but. Ugh. Yeah. Friends." Sora sighed. "We're good?"

Gongenzaka nodded.

"Okay. That's good." He stood up. "Gotta go tell more people about the meeting. See you later, big guy."

"Naturally."

"Hey. You probably shouldn't be out here on your own, priority target."

Serena looked up—she'd just been wandering the surface, restless despite the fact that she knew they'd finally be fighting tomorrow. From the second floor of the nearby building, Mariko Ejiri watched her. The look in her eyes couldn't quite be considered amusement—in fact, it was closer to something like… well, 'consideration'. Analytical. "What are you doing out here?"

"I was scouting out things, obviously!" Mariko leaned over the railing, cheeks slightly flushed. "Are you doing the same? So much discipline from the ex-Academia student…"

"... are you trying to pick a fight?"

"Not now." Mariko gestured for Serena to come up—reluctantly, Serena stepped into the building, climbing the stairs to the second floor. Once she was up there though, it immediately became obvious why the girl was so… weirdly unfiltered right now. Namely, the half-empty wine bottle on the ground.

"Are you… drinking?" Serena said. "The Resistance has alcohol?"

"... well, obviously not! It's my stash, not theirs." Mariko leaned back against the railing—for a moment, Serena thought that she was going to tip over it.

"Isn't it irresponsible of the second-in-command to be drinking the day before an invasion?"

"Please, I've been drinking for like…" Mariko waved a hand. "Years now. Not a big deal. It's just a really… shitty day. Trust Tsuba to make me think about things that I don't wanna think about when shit's about to hit the fan…"

"Did you two have an argument or something?" An argument between them… couldn't be good.

"An argument?" Mariko laughed, waving her hands. "No, no. She's the best. If there's an issue, it's all my fault, I know, so it's not an argument. Don't be silly."

Serena twitched in annoyance. "You should get away from the railing."

Mariko took a few steps forward. "Satisfied?" She said with a wink. "Anyway, you're just the girl I was looking for. Got orders~!"

"Orders?"

"Tomorrow, Tsubaki and that guy… ah, Reiji Akaba, want people to pair up as they fight and approach the base. Obviously split up for duels if we wanna, but like. That way we have an idea of where everyone goes." Mariko shrugged. "Far as I know, most of the girls with your face have someone who's really invested in keeping them safe, huh?"

Serena flinched—for a moment, Yuri's face came to mind.

"Since Academia wants you, the Resistance is invested in you too." Mariko shrugged. "Call me your bodyguard."

"... I don't need someone to protect me. But fine." Serena glanced at Mariko. "Then stop drinking. I don't want you to slow me down."

"Geez." Mariko turned back to the railing. "Sure, why not… I'm just taking my mind off all of this anyway."

Once all the Lancers gathered back in the cafeteria, it became clear that most of the Resistance had been asked to gather there as well. Reiji and Tsubaki were clearly speaking to each other near the front of the cafeteria, before Tsubaki walked up to the front.

"Everyone," she said—there was nothing dramatic to her voice. Instead, it was just commanding. "As you have all heard, Academia has retreated and taken control of Spade Branch's campus." There were a few hisses from the crowd. "Yes. It is yet another important symbol of our city that they have chosen to defile with their presence. Regardless, this shows their desperation. There is no retreat for them if we charge—only fighting. And if we are tired of fighting, if we wish for victory—we must attain victory here. We will move towards Spade Branch, fight their commanders and take them all out—and then, the rest of them will retreat. And we can reclaim our homeland and move towards rebuilding it all—even as our allies will stomp out Academia at the root. We are at the end of this long battle. All we have to do is make our struggle count. Will you all fight with me one more time?"

The Resistance cheered—Ruri glanced around her. Some of them were still people she recognised, some of them were younger (people that had grown up in this war), some of them were older (still doing their best for each other).

It gave her a strong feeling of pride, even if she knew that she couldn't share in this victory.

She hadn't suffered, after all.

"Everyone knows that anywhere is better than here!"

She shook her head, dismissing the voice.

Reiji Akaba stepped up a moment later. "People of the Xyz Dimension," he said. "No, shall I call you what you are? People of Heartland, who have been hurt by Academia and yet refused to become the victims that they sought to make you. I, and my Lancers, have seen your suffering—and we will help you to get the justice you deserve! Together, we will drive away Academia, and continue our quest to defeat the tyrants of Academia!"

People roared even more loudly in approval. A moment later, Tsubaki began to briskly give out orders. Essentially, they would be approaching Spade Branch from all around it—leaving no room for the Academia agents to escape without confronting them, so that they wouldn't be able to retaliate by attacking the Resistance's base. The base itself would be completely locked down so that no matter what, the civilians would be kept out of it.

("We do not trust Academia to not be cruel," Tsubaki did not say, but everyone seemed to get the point.)

People would move in groups—fighting together, so that no one would be unaccounted for. That way, they could all keep each other safe, and—

"No one will die unrecognised and unseen," Reiji said. Despite the man's usual calmness, there was steel to his gaze when he said the words—a reminder that the Lancers had already lost a comrade.

Ruri took a deep breath.

When she saw Yuto approaching her after the speech, she prepared herself for the conversation.

"... you're not coming with me," Yuto said, instead of what she'd expected him to say. There was something resigned to his expression.

"... you want to find Edo Phoenix," Ruri responded. She pressed her hand to her chest. "He's the opponent you're hoping to find, right?"

"Yes," Yuto said. "And you…"

"... I know it'll sound cruel," Ruri said quietly, "but the one I'm looking for…" She shook her head. "... if you want to find Edo Phoenix, you must find him first, so that he doesn't hurt too many other people. So… I think it's best if we don't go together."

"Are you that angry with me?" Yuto asked.

Ruri's eyes widened. "No! Of course not!" She reached out, taking his hand. "I'm not angry with you at all… but I have something I must do, and you have something you must do." She leaned her head into his chest, hearing his breath hitch. "Yuto, I already proved that I can fight alongside you, right? Back in the Synchro Dimension, I proved that I could help you… so now, I need to prove that I can fight for things that I want, not things that other people want. Is that alright?"

Yuto raised his hand, gently patting her shoulder.

"Is that alright?" Ruri repeated.

"... just stay safe," Yuto said. "... I'll ask Yuya. From what I heard, he has questions for Edo Phoenix too." When she drew away, he was smiling at her, despite his clear worry. "Are you fine with asking Yuzu?"

"If she's fine with me," Ruri said, smiling back despite her own worry. "Thanks, Yuto."

"No need to thank me. I love you."

"I love you too." She wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.

She loved him so much it hurt.

Most people went to sleep early that night. Ruri, however, took the chance to find a certain someone—after all, that person was known for being up late.

After a bit of asking around, she found Nue sitting in a room alone, her eyes closed. She clearly wasn't asleep though.

Ruri cleared her throat. "Nue," she said. "I wanted to ask—"

"Hold on," Nue said. One of her hands was absentmindedly scratching at her left ear. "You're getting mixed in."

"... huh?"

"... I guess you're Shun's sister. I don't mind you knowing." Nue waved a hand. "Auditory hallucinations."

"… oh." Ruri gulped. "Can I help…?"

"Nothing against you, but no. It'll pass." Nue cracked an eye open—though obviously, it was more for Ruri's benefit than her own. "I stopped taking my medicine a year back too… so I've just kind of dealt with it as it comes and goes."

"Why not?"

"… it's not really practical to keep raiding pharmacies for a limited supply. There's people in the Resistance in worse condition than me, and we only have so much clozapine." She hesitated. "And it has pretty bad physical side effects for me. I didn't want to render myself more incapable of helping with the Resistance's affairs."

… every time Ruri talked to this woman, she was even more awestruck by just how much she was willing to give up for other people.

"Anyway, what do you need, Ruri? It's late."

"… we're fighting your old classmates tomorrow," Ruri said. "I just wanted to know… if you're okay."

Nue sighed. "It's at times like this that I wish I had some kind of unhealthy coping mechanism like the rest of them," she murmured. Then, slightly louder, she said: "You can be honest about it. Yuto told me about what happened at Diamond Branch—Sachi blew up on you, didn't she?"

"… yeah."

"I love Sachi." Nue said the words without any hesitation. "In another life, she might have been my sister too—I would have liked her to be my sister, the same way I wanted Yuto to be my brother." She shrugged. "It's a weird thought, but sometimes I think—if only. If only I could have helped her. If only…"

Ruri stayed quiet—she had a feeling that there was something that Nue needed to say. That perhaps she couldn't voice to Shun.

"If only," Nue finally said, "any of them were ever willing to accept that our world isn't one of miracles."

"I mean, there are miracles, aren't there?" Ruri sat down next to her. "... like you living, when you fell?"

"... I guess so. But…" Nue held out a hand. Ruri took it—she guessed that Nue had wanted to pat her hand, but hadn't wanted to risk looking like a fool if she missed. "Not this one. Ruri, I…" She hesitated. "... she won't stop. She won't change her mind. And… I accept it." She pressed her hands against Ruri's. "... thank you for asking. It's more than I expected."

She's comforting herself, not me. With the idea that I'm going to be…

Nue let go of her hands a moment later. "I love them," she repeated, "but they spat on my ideals first. That's all there is to it."

The tone of her voice…

"I'll probably stay out here a bit longer," Nue said.

"I won't tell big brother," Ruri said cautiously, "but… you're going to do something reckless, aren't you?"

"... when do I not?"

"You're finally back, huh?" Tatsuya glanced over. "Sure been out for a while…"

Rui smirked, all teeth. "Got a problem with that?" He'd stayed out the whole day yesterday just because he didn't trust that he wouldn't punch this guy in the face, after all.

"... you're getting too confident in your invincibility, Rui," Tatsuya said, eyes narrowed. "Watch it."

Rui didn't stop smirking.

"Don't think you're that special to me. You dirty traitor."

"I'll be sure to," he said. "After all, I have good eyes."

Tatsuya narrowed his eyes. "... what does that mean?"

Rui strode forward, still smirking. I could rip this man's eyes out. "Oh. nothing." Just a threat, though you don't know it yet.

She should get to tell you herself.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he added, relishing in the slight wariness on Tatsuya's face. "Good night, Izumi."

Meanwhile, on Academia's side, people were mostly resting. Mamoru Noro had been doing paperwork (in an attempt to escape being delegated any position on the battlefield) when the woman entered the room.

"You're… Misogi-san?"

Eve nodded curtly. Mamoru gulped—it wasn't often that someone as high up in Academia as this woman showed up, and he didn't know what she was doing here.

"Uh. Greetings!" He saluted sharply. "Is there something that you require? How did you get here?"

"You have no need to be concerned with that." Eve stepped forward. "Vice-Commander. A new deck was developed by the scientists of Academia recently—I came here to ask if you would be willing to use it."

"Huh?" A deck developed by the scientists… then it had to be strong, right? "Why did you pick me…?"

"... speaking frankly, the deck comes with a specific piece of technology that should boost the abilities of any duelist," Eve said. "I chose you because you have the lowest dueling ability here, amongst your comrades." Mamoru winced. "As such, I decided that boosting your abilities has the greatest chance of improving the power of our forces here."

"How… strong will this make me?"

"Possibly as strong as your commander," Eve said neutrally. "It depends on you. Well? I can always give this to someone else."

Mamoru swallowed. Stronger than Edo Phoenix… then he'd have nothing to fear.

"I'll do it," he said.

Eve nodded, holding out the deck. "Very well," she said, seeming… pleased. "And the earpiece will help you learn how to use the deck immediately."

Mamoru picked up the deck, determination in his eyes.

If he was stronger, then he'd be more important…

(He didn't see the way that Eve's lips briefly curled upwards in satisfaction.)

End Notes:

This chapter runs at a really fast speed, since everything here is just quick scenes. We're very ready to go. :3 Just a reminder that temporally, this takes place a while after Chapter 105.

… Kagurazaka is the Japanese name of an actual GX character. :) I don't know where my headcanon that he and Bastion are cousins came from. But I guess it's canon now in the fic.

It's funny to me that in-universe, the only ones that are explicitly known as older sibling figures to their respective Yu-boys are Nue and Kaname. All four of the others are either 'ambiguous-ish' or are just chill friends.

Sigh. I'm not a fan of bashing, as it were—but I am a fan of realism. And I've said this a few times, but Grace and Gloria's turnaround is simply not done well considering what kind of people they're implied to be. So regrettably, in order to stay accurate to the kind of characters I think they are, they'd come in conflict with the others here.

Sora-Gongenzaka have some of the most potential in the whole franchise, and I think it's a huge missed opportunity for them not to have interacted more after Standard.

Once again, Sachi is based on an old concept of an OC that was Yuto and Nue's younger sister. :) Obviously the dynamic is different here but it's sweet.

Review responses!

To TornadoXz825, yeah, there's the slight joke of Shino believing that the Sacred Beasts are really strong and that Daitokuji must be hiding something and then just. No. They're just bad, and she never finds out.

To Bryz0n, Shino never catches a break in this story, huh. :) But yeah, we're back to Xyz now!

To Ben23ten, nah, it's not... horribly sad, but it's just still not very cheerful. Got some fluff though! :) But yeah, the worldbuilding in the Fusion Dimension is the kind of stuff I like doing, even if it mostly serves as background detail.

To maryyassa523, the fic does tend to try to dig deeper into psychology and emotional complexities, just because it's the kind of human detail that I'm interested in :)

To Candy Mix-Up, glad to hear it! She's a character with... very interesting motivations, and I always enjoy writing her and seeing people's reactions to her.

To Infernal Enby, yes! I'm so glad that you noticed that :) I specifically wrote his words in a way that would call himself out as well.

Alright, we're done! Don't expect the next chapter to come out so fast too, I just had most of this one done already and didn't see a reason to hold onto it. Thank you for all the reviews, and if you would like, review, favourite and follow! :3