Hey, guys! I've been trying to think up of ways for Yuya's scenario with Mitsumi! She's had partner scenarios with Yuzu and Gongenzaka, and now it's Yuya's turn! Wish me luck!
Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own any Yu-Gi-Oh series, only the OCs!
"Ahhh! Nothing beats a cold drink after some hard work!" gasped Yuya in relief, sitting down and having drunk his cold juice can. "By the way, thanks for paying, Mitsumi!"
Mitsumi shook her head, sitting down besides him. "It's no trouble at all, Yuya. After all, we did agree that the loser would pay."
It was just another day at the You Show Duel School, where Mitsumi, Yuzu, and Yuya had attended after school as always. Yuzu was busy helping her father that day, which meant training only for Mitsumi and Yuya, in both dueling and Entertainment Dueling. As always, Yuya triumphed over Mitsumi in both dueling and skills, being a far better performer than her.
Though, to be fair, Mitsumi has always allowed her friends and others to win against her, purposely hiding her true skills just to make others happy. It was given that duelists always felt happy whenever they won their duels. Plus, Mitsumi never really felt much motivation in winning unless it was necessary, and if she showcased how strong she truly was and then feigned ignorance later, that would be suspicious.
Yuya being a far better duelist in Entertainment Duelist was also because Mitsumi herself was never interested in Entertainment Dueling to begin with. Oh, she was in awe every time something magical or exciting happened whenever Entertainment Dueling happened, but she was never really the kind of person to really get involved with the huge action, despite her experience as a former Junior Pro Duelist. She was more content on being a...spectator than part of the show itself.
Losing and constantly having a fake front all the time could be considered "part of her act."
Meanwhile, when Yuya had finished his drink, he had calmed himself after the whole adrenaline from his own Entertainment Dueling and victory over Mitsumi. Afterwards, he did feel bad for Mitsumi, glancing at her as she sat down next to him. She always seemed to lose all of the time, and this time wasn't any different. Mitsumi was a gentle and kind person who always gave and rarely ever take anything in return, so he wanted to do something for her at least.
Recalling something, Yuya fished out two tickets, tickets that he received from Yuzu. These were tickets to see the Performing Arts Duel School Event, where a circus show would be hosting as a charity event. It was another school focused on Entertainment Dueling, though because of Yusho's absence and the declining popularity of You Show Duel School, the Performing Arts Duel School was more popular with Entertainment Dueling instead.
Yuzu initially wanted to go with her father, but they were busy fixing up some technical problems at the duel school and since the tickets were only available today, Yuzu reluctantly handed them over to Yuya, advising him to take someone else with him and hope that he gets to enjoy the show. Yuya decided to make it up to Yuzu and her father sometime later.
"Hey, Mitsumi?" called out Yuya before handing her a ticket. "If you're free right now, why don't we go see this show? Yuzu gave me these tickets since she's pretty busy today."
Mitsumi glanced down at the ticket in her hand, before turning back to Yuya with a somewhat awkward expression. "Um...Yuya? I'm sorry, but...I don't really like you in that way."
Yuya's eyes widened as he realized what Mitsumi was talking about, making him frantically shake his head and hands in denial. "What?! No, no, no, no, no! Sorry! I didn't mean it like that! Of course, I don't like you either, Mitsumi! I mean, I do! After all, you're a really nice friend! I mean, like, I don't like you romantically! Yeah, yeah! That's it! I just thought, maybe we should just go to the event together, as friends!"
That, Mitsumi could understand. The awkward expression changed into that of clarity and understanding. "O-Okay! Yeah! We can do that! Just as friends, right?"
"Of course! Ahahaha..."
"..."
"..."
"...Yuya? If we do go, could you promise me one thing?"
"Yeah? Sure, what?"
"...Please don't tell Sawatari-san."
"Oh, absolutely."
Later...
The entire circus tent was completely filled with people itching to see the show hosted by students from the Performing Arts Duel School. And since the circus tent was incredibly large to accommodate the amount of people, it was widely packed. It was quite fortunate that Yuya and Mitsumi were amongst the few to receive front row seats.
Once the show began, it was like an explosion of performances occurred while the audience was managing to keep up with everything. Mini fireworks surrounding the air signaled the start of the circus show before the performers, which were highly trained and skilled students, entered the open stage in a flashy entrance.
The audience watched in awe and joy at the expertise that the performers displayed right before their very eyes. Acrobatics, synchronized singing and dancing, timed movements that was in tune with the background music, the event had everything to wow the audience and more.
The ringleader, also known as the principal of the Performing Arts Duel School, took center stage sometime later. Clearing his throat, the ringleader spoke through a microphone attached to his magician's cane. "Ladies and Gentlemen! We thank you for attending our special charity event today! And now, for the finale of our charity event! We'll be hosting a Tag Team Duel! 2v2, with two special guests from the audience and two of our top students pinned against each other in an Action Duel!"
The crowd gasped and cheered amongst themselves, wondering just who the two special guests could be. Could it be possible for one of them to be honored to take part in an Action Duel against the Performing Arts Duel School?
"Would that be okay? Are they just going to pick random audience people to be the duelists?" wondered Mitsumi.
Yuya nodded. "I think so. I mean, in some amusement park events, the performers often had some volunteers do things on stage to wow the people. I think this is just one of those times."
"Right now, you must be wondering, 'Who could it be? How can we pick amongst the audience?' Well, I'm glad you asked! You must have all received tickets to this charity event, correct? Well, in those tickets, there are random numbers! BEHOLD!"
Snapping his fingers, the ringleader produced a small table with a hat from smoke and thin air.
"Inside this hat are a collection of random numbers! I will list two different numbers, and amongst those two different numbers will be two very lucky duelists within the crowd! They'll face off against our top two performers! Here I go!"
Excitedly, everyone took out their tickets and focused only on their numbers, praying for a chance for a once-in-a-lifetime duel against the Performing Arts Duel School. Yuya himself was just as excited as everyone else, whereas Mitsumi was nonchalant about the whole thing. The chances of her getting picked were very low after all, and she didn't really care about being picked anyways.
"And here are the results! The first number I picked is...0024! The second number I picked is...1023! So, the numbers are 0024 and 1023! Please check your tickets to see if you have these numbers!"
Hearing groans and complaints all around her, Mitsumi could easily assume that many people didn't have their numbers selected. Out of curiosity, she checked her own number, believing that she was amongst the many others whose numbers didn't match.
1023.
"...You gotta be frickin' kidding me."
"Ohh! Mitsumi! I got it! I got 0024! I'm one of the lucky winners!" cheered Yuya standing up. He waved his ticket up in the air and started shouting, "Hey! I got it! I'm Number 0024!"
The spotlight shined down on Yuya as he waved his ticket back and forth excitedly. Sensing it was probably too late to try and trade her own ticket with someone else and seeing that Yuya might not be a bad choice in being Tag Duel partners, Mitsumi sighed and stood up alongside Yuya, raising her own ticket before another spotlight shined down on her as well.
"It looks like we have our two lucky guests! Please come down to the center and present your tickets for verification!"
The audience applauded and cheered as Yuya and Mitsumi started heading straight down, with the two spotlights following their every movement as they made their way down towards the center stage of the entire circus tent.
"Man, how lucky are we? And even luckier is that I have you as my partner, Mitsumi!" complimented Yuya happily.
'I really didn't want to participate, but oh well. If this'll make Yuya happy, I suppose,' Mitsumi thought. "W-Well...even so, I think you deserve a much better and stronger partner, Yuya...You know I'm not that good..."
Yuya shook his head. "Nah! I would rather prefer you! After all, I prefer a partner I can trust than a partner whose really just all strong!"
"...Thank you, Yuya."
After Yuya and Mitsumi presented their tickets to the ringleader, it didn't take long for him to verify that he had the correct numbers and that the two presented before him were indeed going to be the challengers in the finale part of their charity event.
"Well, there you have it, folks! Our honored guests, Yuya Sakaki and Mitsumi Nazuno are going to be facing up against our top two performers! Please welcome our lion tamer apprentice, Komaru Gyoseki! And, our fire dancing apprentice, Hotaru Gyoseki! Twin brothers skilled in the arts of taming animals and fire performances!"
Two more spotlights shined down on the two apprentices that were announced, revealing their appearances to the audience as they cheered loudly for them. The lion tamer twin, Komaru, had wild dark brown hair wearing a traditional red, black, and white lion tamer's outfit accompanied with a black hat and a whip. The other twin, the one that performs with fire, resembled his twin brother, except his hair was bright red and he was shirtless, save for his luau outfit.
"Wow, top performers, huh? Looks like we'll be having an exciting Entertainment Duel going on here!" said Yuya, readying his duel disk. "Let's do this, Mitsumi!"
"A-Alright then..." Mitsumi also activated her duel disk and readied herself. 'Should I just lose on purpose? Well, Yuya seemed eager to win, or rather, he wants an exciting Entertainment Duel, so I might as well make him happy. Even if we lose, I should at least try my best. Plus, if we're going to win, I should look like I'm supporting Yuya with my cards rather than beat those other two myself.'
The ringleader, upon seeing that the two teams were ready to face off each other, announced proudly, "Here we go, then! Action Field, on! Athletic Circus, deploy!"
From a regular circus, the entire dueling field transformed magically into a more widespread circus utopia filled with various obstacles and athletic supplies such as ladders, trampolines, tightropes, bouncing balls, and much more. It was essentially a large playground where all performers could play and act to their heart's content, with the only rule being that their actions entertain the audience.
"Time to start the duel! Duelists locked in battle!"
"Kicking the earth and dancing in the air alongside their Monsters!" shouted Yuya happily while Mitsumi didn't say anything.
"They storm through this field!" Both Hotaru and Komaru spoke in unison. "Behold! This is the newest and greatest evolution of dueling! ACCCTIIIOOOOONNNN-!"
"DUEL!"
- DUEL -
Komaru - 4000 LP
Hotaru - 4000 LP
VS
Yuya - 4000 LP
Mitsumi - 4000 LP
Turn 1: Komaru
Hand: 5
"I believe I should go first!" said Komaru. "Let's start off our performance, shall we? I summon from my hand Zoodiac Thoroughblade!"
The first Monster to emerge onto the field was a humanoid horse-like warrior armored up and geared with a large gauntlet that helped him wield a powerful-looking sword.
Zoodiac Thoroughblade - (EARTH/Beast-Warrior) - LV4 - (1600/0)
"If this card is Normal or Special Summoned, I can discard 1 Zoodiac card and then draw 1 card! I'll send Zoodiac Combo to the graveyard and then draw! I set a card facedown and end my turn! And that's only the beginning of our performance, folks!"
Turn 2: Yuya
Hand: 5
"I'm excited to see what else you've got! My turn!" Yuya said. "I'll begin my own performance by summoning a relative of my Hip Hippo! Please welcome our special guest, Performalpal Flip Hippo!"
Unlike one of Yuya's signature Monsters, Hip Hippo, this version seemed brown in color and carried a slightly mean and smug look of overconfidence in his face.
Performalpal Flip Hippo - (EARTH/Beast) - LV3 - (800/800)
"Flip Hippo's effect activates! When he's Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon 1 Performalpal from my hand! Here's a warm welcome to the fierce and ferocious Performalpal Silver Claw!"
As his name suggested, a wolf-like Performapal brandishing long and sharp silver claws that were his trademark weapon of choice appeared, howling upon his arrival.
Performalpal Silver Claw - (DARK/Beast) - LV4 - (1800/700)
"These two are just the beginning of my own performance! But don't worry, folks! There'll be more coming to take the stage! I end my turn!"
Turn 3: Hotaru
Hand: 5
"Alright, my time! I'm all fired up!" said Hotaru. "My turn! I'll start things off by summoning one of my faithful fire companions! Flamvell Firedog!"
A volcanic-looking dog with red cracks all throughout the rest of his rock-like body signifying as magma appeared and howled just the same as Silver Claw.
Flamvell Firedog - (FIRE/Beast) - LV4 - (1900/200)
"I'll set a card and end my turn!"
Turn 4: Mitsumi
Hand: 5
"My turn!" said Mitsumi, not bothering with a welcoming introduction. "I set a Monster and set one card facedown before ending my turn."
Turn 5: Komaru
Hand: 4
"Well, that's a bit boring, but oh well! We're just getting started, after all!" said Komaru, drawing his card. "I summon Zoodiac Ratpier to the field!"
A rat-like humanoid Monster armored up like a Camelot knight made a sharp and fancy appearance with his rapier.
Zoodiac Ratpier - (EARTH/Beast-Warrior) - LV4 - (0/0)
"When Ratpier's Normal Summoned, I can send 1 Zoodiac card from my deck to the Graveyard! Next, it's time to showoff one of the best animalistic performers my deck has to offer! I Overlay my two Level 4 Zoodiac Monsters to open the Overlay Network! Oh, beast that coexists between the wild and humanity! Reign down your strength to render your enemies useless! XYZ Summon! Rank 4! Charge through, Zoodiac Broadbull!"
A muscular man accompanied with bull horns and a tail garnishing a large gauntlet to accommodate the strength of his large broad axe crashed down in front of his master, ready for battle.
Zoodiac Broadbull - (EARTH/Beast-Warrior/XYZ) - Rank 4 - (?/?) - Overlay Units: 2
"Unknown?" wondered Yuya, confused.
"Not for long!" said Komaru. "For all Zoodiac Monsters attached to him as XYZ Materials, he gains Attack and Defense Points for the combined amount of all their Attack and Defense Points!"
Zoodiac Broadbull - (EARTH/Beast-Warrior/XYZ) - Rank 4 - (1600/0) - Overlay Units: 2
"And now I activate Broadbull's ability! By detaching one of his XYZ Materials, I can add 1 Beast-Warrior-Type Monster that can be Normal Summoned/Set from my deck to my hand! I'll add Zoodiac Whiptail to my hand!"
Zoodiac Broadbull - (EARTH/Beast-Warrior/XYZ) - Rank 4 - (1600/0) - Overlay Units: 1
"...Wait, but if he detaches one of his XYZ Materials, wouldn't that mean his Zoodiac's power would decrease?" wondered Yuya.
'He probably detached Ratpier, seeing as that Monster didn't have a single bit of Attack or Defense Points,' thought Mitsumi.
"Not really! I only detached Ratpier! But if you're lucky, you'll see Ratpier later on!" said Komaru, confirming Mitsumi's thoughts. "Zoodiac Whiptail's effect activates! During either of our turns, I can target 1 Beast-Warrior-Type XYZ Monster I control, and then I can attach Zoodiac Whiptail to that XYZ Monster as an Overlay Unitl!"
Transforming into a bolt of light, Whiptail's light headed towards Zoodiac Broadbull, turning into a slow star surrounding Broadbull in representative of an XYZ Material, or rather, an Overlay Unit.
Zoodiac Broadbull - (EARTH/Beast-Warrior/XYZ) - Rank 4 - (2800/400) - Overlay Units: 2
"Now that Broadbull's all bulked up, it's time for battle!" said Komaru. "Broadbull, go show off your strength against Performalpal Silver Claw!"
Mitsumi knew that since Broadbull was the strongest Monster on the field now, naturally, Komaru would want to go up against the second strongest Monster to prevent said Monster from becoming even more stronger. Glancing around, Mitsumi spotted an Action Card high in the air, above where a large trampoline was. Between her and Yuya, Yuya seemed closer to the Action Card.
"Yuya! An Action Card!" Mitsumi alerted, pointing to where the Action Card was.
Following where Mitsumi was pointing, Yuya nodded in gratitude. "Thanks, Mitsumi! Come on, Silver Claw! Flip Hippo!"
Broadbull had taken a swing towards his target, Silver Claw, but Yuya had jumped onto the faster of his steed-like Duel Monsters, Performalpal Silver Claw, while his other Performalpal Monster, Flip Hippo, trailed from behind. Silver Claw leapt over the axe and bounced off of Broadbull's head with Flip Hippo following his example. A hilarious chase scene ensued with Broadbull continuously swinging his axe and missing each time while Silver Claw and Flip Hippo were acrobatically dodging each blow.
Flip Hippo had stopped Broadbull in his tracks by getting in front of him and making funny faces at him and Broadbull couldn't even attack Flip Hippo since Silver Claw was his target, not Flip Hippo. While laughter burst out from the audience, Yuya and Silver Claw jumped higher and higher using the trampoline until Yuya grabbed the Action Card and activated it.
"Action Card! Evasion! This negates your Monster's attack!" shouted Yuya. He and Silver Claw bounced once more time before performing an aerial somersault and landing perfectly on...well, Silver Claw's feet since Yuya was still riding Silver Claw.
"Nice moves! You really gave my Monster quite the workout! But it's nothing more than an exercise to him!" praised Komaru. "Alright, I end my turn!"
Turn 6: Yuya
Hand: 4
"My turn, draw!" said Yuya, getting off of Silver Claw. "I summon another great companion of mine! Performalpal Whip Snake!"
Joining the fray was a purple snake-like Performapal comically wearing a yellow bowtie with pink polka dots and a top hat with a yellow ribbon that also had a whip handle near the end of his tail.
Performalpal Whip Snake - (EARTH/Reptile) - LV4 - (1700/900)
"I'm activating Whip Snake's ability! Once per turn, I can target 1 face-up Monster you control and then switch its current Attack and Defense Points until the end of this turn! And I choose Zoodiac Broadbull!"
"Not so fast! I activate the Trap, XYZ Block!" said Komaru. "When your Monster activates their effect, I can detach an Overlay Unit from my XYZ Monster, which will negate the activation and then destroy that Monster!"
Whip Snake, who was prepared to hypnotize Zoodiac Broadbull with his eyes and tail, let out a cry of surprise when Broadbull grab by the the tail, spun him around, and then toss him into the air, flying about until he vanished into light. Though the effect was negated, it still left Broadbull weakened.
Zoodiac Broadbull - (EARTH/Beast-Warrior/XYZ) - Rank 4 - (1600/0) - Overlay Units: 1
Despite all that, Broadbull was still weak enough for Yuya to take on and he realized that. "Let's do this! Silver Claw! Attack Zoodiac Broadbull! Silver Claw's effect activates! When he declares an attack, all Performalpal Monsters I currently control gain 300 extra Attack Points until the end of the Battle Phase!"
Performalpal Silver Claw - (DARK/Beast) - LV4 - (2100/700)
Performalpal Flip Hippo - (EARTH/Beast) - LV3 - (1100/800)
Mitsumi noticed from the corner of her eye that Hotaru was sneaking off towards another area within the Action Field, specifically where an obstacle of swirling flames aligned in. Being an apprentice with at least good knowledge of fire tricks, Hotaru had no problem using his acrobatics to avoid the flames from burning his body and even skillfully jumped through a ring of fire just to get an Action Card.
"Action Spell! Big Escape! This ends the Battle Phase!" shouted Hotaru, protecting his twin brother's XYZ Monster from annihilation.
Yuya internally panicked, knowing that he missed his chance to take down the XYZ Monster. Flip Hippo couldn't possibly take out either one of the twins' Monsters, so he couldn't really do anything to attack back this turn. As such, at the end of the Battle Phase, his Silver Claw's effect ended.
Performalpal Silver Claw - (DARK/Beast) - LV4 - (1800/700)
Performalpal Flip Hippo - (EARTH/Beast) - LV3 - (800/800)
"Whew! Thanks for the save, brother!" said Komaru, who was climbing up a ladder halfway and had been trying to find an Action Card all on his own.
"It's no problem! After all, we are both partners and brothers," reminded Hotaru warmly.
Mitsumi felt like she hasn't really done anything much to help Yuya. After all, she could have used the time to search for an Action Card on her own instead of just standing around and doing nothing. She tried to think up of other ways to help Yuya when she remembered something. It could help him at least a little when it was Hotaru's turn next.
"Yuya! Use Flip Hippo's effect!" Mitsumi reminded. "You're vulnerable right now! Just build up some defense for now!"
"Huh?" Snapping out of it and recalling Mitsumi's words, Yuya nodded. "R-Right! I activate Flip Hippo's effect! Once per turn, I can change all Monsters I control to Defense Mode! I set a card and end my turn!"
Turn 7: Hotaru
Hand: 4
"Great! Another chance to shine! My draw!" said Hotaru. "I summon Flamvell Grunika in Attack Mode!"
A winged dragonoid invigorated for battle swooped up into the air, palms bursting with flames that were itching for a fight.
Flamvell Grunika - (FIRE/Dragon) - LV4 - (1700/200)
"Next, I activate Flamvell Baby's effect from my hand! I can send him from my hand to my Graveyard, and if I do, I can target 1 FIRE Attribute Monster I control! That target gains 400 extra Attack Points! I choose Grunika!"
Flamvell Grunika - (FIRE/Dragon) - LV4 - (2100/200)
"Let's battle! Grunika, show everyone your newly obtained strength by burning Silver Claw!"
The wyvern-like flame warrior brought his sharp claws together to form a fiery power burning from within him before sending that fiery power at Silver Claw. Silver Claw let out a howl of pain before vanishing into the flames.
"Grunika's effect activates! When he destroys a Monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard, you get hit with damage equal to the level of the destroyed Monster x 200! Silver Claw was Level 4, so you get hit 800 Points of Damage!"
Yuya cried out in pain as he suddenly burst into flames before falling to his knees. Mitsumi rushed to his side to help him up, but despite that, taking 800 Points of Damage was still pretty bad.
Yuya - 3200 LP
"Flamvell Firedog attacks Flip Hippo next! Chow down, boy!"
Mitsumi tried shaking Yuya to get back on his feet and upon hearing Hotaru's attack declaration, Yuya stood back up and glanced around. "Gotta find an Action Card-!"
Both Yuya and Mitsumi ran around the Action Field to search for an Action Card, whereas Flip Hippo desperately ran around comically to avoid the fiery hot fangs of Flamvell Firedog. Eventually, Flamvell Firedog caught up to Flip Hippo and snagged him from the behind, making Flip Hippo shriek before disappearing in defeat.
"Gh-! My last Monster!" murmured Yuya. Both he and Mitsumi were on the second upper levels of the Action Field, still searching for any Action Cards when Flip Hippo's demising cry alerted them that they were too late.
Komaru and Hotaru tagteamed each other in acrobatics to reach the same upper levels as their opponents in a swift and stylish manner, gaining applause from the audience. Two twin brothers working together in synchronization in both dueling and acrobatics, both which required a high level of skill and trust.
"Thank you! Thank you!" said Hotaru, bowing his head back and forth towards the audience. "But we're far from done here! It's time for Flamvell Firedog's effect to activate! When he destroys a Monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon 1 FIRE Attribute Monster with 200 or less Defense Points from my deck! I Special Summon the Tuner Monster, Neo Flamvell Origin!"
Neo Flamvell Origin - (FIRE/Pyro/Tuner) - LV2 - (500/200)
"Tuner?!" gasped Mitsumi. "Is he going to Synchro Summon now?"
"Don't worry, Mitsumi!" called out Yuya. "Even if he does, his Battle Phase is over! He can't Synchro Summon during a Battle Phase!"
Hotaru smirked. "That's where you're wrong, my friend! I activate my Trap, Urgent Tuning! I can Synchro Summon Monsters that I control even during the Battle Phase!"
"What?!"
"Yuya! Be careful!" Mitsumi warned before running around. 'My guess is, he's going to target Yuya, who's absolutely defenseless, or me, since I still have my Set Monster! Either way, I need to find a way to protect either one of us!'
Hotaru continued, "I tune my Level 4 Flamvell Firedog with my Level 2 Neo Flamvell Origin! Almighty warrior that master even the hottest flames themselves! Emerge from those flames to extinguish your foes! Synchro Summon! Come forth from the flames, Level 6! Flamvell Uruquizas!"
A mighty warrior, forged through the hottest flames themselves, stepped out from the veil of flames and unleashed a loud roar to proclaim his entrance to the field. The audience cheered at the sight of his almighty appearance, sensing his strength even when far out of reach.
Flamvell Uruquizas - (FIRE/Pyro/Synchro) - LV6 - (2100/400)
Hotaru looked back between Mitsumi and Yuya, wondering which one he should target before asking his twin brother. "Brother, which one should I go after? That Yuya boy's completely defenseless and even though my attack won't be enough to take him out, he'll still be at a disadvantage. On the other hand, that other girl still has a Monster, one in Defense Mode at that! Perfect for my Synchro Monster, huh?"
Komaru nodded. "Yes. In my opinion, it's best to attack that girl first. We still have no idea what her deck entails, and if you attack that Yuya, I'm afraid something might happen that'll trigger his Set card."
Hotaru snapped his fingers. "Oh, good call, brother! I completely forgot about his Set card! Yikes, wouldn't want to fall for that! Alright, Flamvell Uruquizas! Destroy that Set Monster!"
'He's targeting me next! Damnit!' thought Mitsumi.
Yuya saw an Action Card laying on one of the floating bubble-like orbs and shouted out, "Mitsumi! Jump onto the orbs! One of them has an Action Card!"
Mitsumi nodded and didn't hesitate in leaping onto orb to orb. Most people would be frightened, given the distance from the orbs down to the floor below, but Mitsumi wasn't afraid one bit. Perhaps that was just an effect from her...past, along with Entertainment Dueling training from You Show Duel School.
Either way, all Mitsumi was focused on was getting to that Action Card before Flamvell Uruquizas reached her Set Monster.
As soon as Mitsumi's fingers touched the surface of the Action Card from the bubble-like orb she jumped onto, Flamvell Uruquizas had caught up and was in the midst of delivering a fiery fist to punch through her Set Monster, revealing it to be Gishki Ariel.
Hastily, Mitsumi activated her Action Card. "Action Card! Choice Choice! I can choose either to halve Battle Damage or that all Monsters aren't destroyed this turn! I choose the latter! Gishki Ariel isn't destroyed!"
Gishki Ariel created her own bubble-like barrier that was strong enough to deflect Flamvell Uruquizas' punch before the FIRE Synchro Monster was forced to retreat back to his master's side.
Gishki Ariel - (WATER/Spellcaster) - LV4 - (1000/1800)
"Ariel's Flip effect activates! I can add 1 Gishki Monster from my deck to my hand!" said Mitsumi.
"And I activate Flamvell Uruquizas' effect!" said Hotaru. "If he attacked a Monster in Defense Mode, you still get hit with Piercing Damage!"
"Nh-!"
Despite Gishki Ariels' protective bubbles, some of the flames still managed to catch up to Mitsumi, inflicting some damage to her.
Mitsumi - 3700 LP
"And there's more! If he manages to inflict Battle Damage, he gains an extra 300 Attack Point bonus! With that, I end my turn! Let's see what you're got, young lady!"
Flamvell Uruquizas - (FIRE/Pyro/Synchro) - LV6 - (2400/400)
Turn 8: Mitsumi
Hand: 5
"Draw!" said Mitsumi. "I activate the Spell, Focused Aquamirror! This adds 1 Gishki Monster from my deck to my hand! I choose Gishki Reliever! Then, from my hand, I activate the Ritual Spell card, Gishki Icemirror! I Tribute my Gishki Ariel and Gishki Reliever in order to Ritual Summon Evigishki Mind Augus!"
A heavy whirlpool swallowed up both Gishki Monsters to be sacrificed for the ritual of a more powerful Monster. Upon the whirlpool being dispersed, a strong water mage riding atop of a majestic fish with rainbow-like fins emerged from the depths of the whirlpool itself.
Evigishki Mind Augus - (WATER/Aqua/Ritual) - LV6 - (2500/2000)
A blast of water had sent Mitsumi flying, crashing her into a nearby pillar in which she fortunately landed on a firm platform. Grunting in pain, Mitsumi stood back up, rubbing her arm.
"Mitsumi! What happened?!" exclaimed Yuya.
"Nh...It's Gishki Icemirror's additional effect," explained Mitsumi. "I lose Life Points equal to the summoned Monster's original Attack Points."
Mitsumi - 1200 LP
'This is bad! I have to help Mitsumi out!' Yuya thought, trying his best to find an Action Card.
'Despite that huge Life Point loss, this is actually good for me,' thought Mitsumi. 'I have the strongest Monster on the field right now, which means those brothers are more likely to focus on me than Yuya. Doesn't matter if I lose or not, as long as their attention isn't on Yuya now.'
"I activate Mind Augus' effect! When she's Ritual Summoned, I can target up to 5 cards in any Graveyard and shuffle those cards back to the deck! I choose to shuffle the remainder of Yuya's cards from his Graveyard back to the deck!" announced Mitsumi, glancing over at Yuya. 'If I chose for either of those brothers, there's a chance that they could take advantage of their cards to summon more unknown XYZ or Synchro Monsters. Not taking that chance. Besides, giving Yuya a chance to shuffle his deck might give him a good chance for some good draws.'
"Let's go, brother!" Hotaru told Komaru, needing his assistance on doing the same thing Yuya was going; finding an Action Card.
"I won't let you! Mind Augus, take out Flamvell Uruquizas!" ordered Mitsumi, not bothering to get an Action Card and choosing to rest her body against the pillar for a bit.
While the other duelists were using their highly trained acrobatics to rush around in search for an Action Card, the audience focused more on the clash between Flamvell Uruquizas and Evigishki Mind Augus. The battle of flames against water as the two powerful Monsters attempted to take out one another was a spectacular sight to behold. The more they clashed, the more they rose to the top, reaching higher and higher while their elemental attacks left trails of fire and water that faded away shortly afterwards.
Finally, to end their clash, Mind Augus got the upper hand of Uruquizas and unleashed a devastating whirlpool spell downwards onto him, engulfing him in water that caused him one last roar in defeat.
Hotaru - 3900 LP
"Gh-! My Synchro Monster!" said Hotaru.
"I end my turn," finished Mitsumi. "At this time, Focused Aquamirror's other effect activates! If I managed to control a WATER Ritual Monster by the End Phase, I can banish Focused Aquamirror from my Graveyard, to Set 1 Aquamirror Spell or Trap directly from either my own Deck or Graveyard!"
Turn 9: Komaru
Hand: 4
"My turn!" said Komaru. 'I have to protect my brother, but also keep a good show for the crowd!' he thought, glancing between the audience and at the cards in his hand. "I summon Zoodiac Bunnyblast in Attack Mode!"
A fluffy pink bunny girl appeared, looking so angelic, one wouldn't think of her as a threat until they bore witness to the huge cannon-like weapon she was placing against her shoulder.
Zoodiac Bunnyblast - (EARTH/Beast-Warrior) - LV4 - (800/800)
"Then, I activate the Continuous Spell, Zoodiac Barrage! With this, I can target 1 face-up card I control, destroy it, and then I can Special Summon 1 Zoodiac Monster from my deck! I destroy my Zoodiac Bunnyblast and then Special Summon Zoodiac Ramram in Defense Mode!"
Zoodiac Bunnyblast burst into gold sparkles, and in her place was a young boy with ram-like features carrying a rather large and heavy shield meant for defense.
Zoodiac Ramram - (EARTH/Beast-Warrior) - LV4 - (400/2000)
"Then, Bunnyblast's effect activates! If she was destroyed by battle or card effect, I can target 1 Zoodiac card in my Graveyard and add it to my hand! I target Zoodiac Whiptail! And, if you recall Whiptail's effect, I can attach it to an XYZ Beast-Warrior-Type I control as another Overlay Unit! I target my Zoodiac Broadbull!"
Zoodiac Broadbull - (EARTH/Beast-Warrior/XYZ) - Rank 4 - (2800/400) - Overlay Units: 2
"He's stronger than Mind Augus now!" gasped Yuya.
"But I'm not through yet! I'll razzle the audience with a brand new XYZ Summon!" announced Komaru. "I use Zoodiac Broadbull and his Overlay Units as XYZ Materials to XYZ Summon a stronger Monster! Draconic warrior amongst the Zoodiacs! Take charge and crush your enemies! XYZ Summon! Rank 4! Come out, Zoodiac Drident!"
A young, handsome man with draconic traits such as his tail and dragon claws clad in large golden gauntlets took over Zoodiac Broadbull's place, ready to take charge.
Zoodiac Drident - (EARTH/Beast-Warrior/XYZ) - Rank 4 - (?/?) - Overlay Units: 3
"But how?! I thought you needed like 2 or more Monsters to properly XYZ Summon! He just used one!" exclaimed Yuya. Even if he wasn't particularly knowledgeable about XYZ Summoning, he at least knew that much.
"It's the power of my Zoodiac deck!" bragged Komaru. "One of their special powers allows them to XYZ Summon each other using even their own XYZ selves along with their own Overlay Units to add as their own! They're all cooperating like one huge family! Just the way I treat both my brother and the animals I care for as family!"
It was no secret to anyone that the twin brothers, Komaru and Hotaru, were both extremely close to each other, not just as performers but as brothers as well. What made their skills incredibly valuable wasn't just their hard work and training, but their familial ties and strong ties within the Performing Arts Duel School. Naturally, that also attributed to their Tag Team Dueling as well.
"Now, Drident gains Attack and Defense Points equal to the combined amount belonging to all XYZ Materials attached to him!" said Komaru.
Zoodiac Drident - (EARTH/Beast-Warrior/XYZ) - Rank 4 - (2800/400) - Overlay Units: 3
"I now activate Drident's effect! Once per turn, during either of our turns, I can detach 1 Overlay Unit to target 1 face-up card on the field and destroy it! I choose Evigishki Mind Augus!"
Zoodiac Drident - (EARTH/Beast-Warrior/XYZ) - Rank 4 - (2800/400) - Overlay Units: 2
The moment Komaru detached Zoodiac Broadbull, Zoodiac Drident swung his three-pronged halberd downwards onto the ground, sending a row of stalagmites to pierce through Mind Augus and destroy her.
"Now you're wide open! Drident, take her out by showcasing your strength! Attack her directly!"
Drident charged towards Mitsumi, raising his halberd before leaping high in the air. Flipping somersaults in the air while swinging around his heavy halberd, Zoodiac proved how agile and strong he was, especially from wielding something as heavy as his weapon. Mitsumi braced herself, ready to activate one of her facedown cards.
"Mitsumi, watch out!" cried out Yuya. "I activate my Continuous Trap, Performalpal Pinch Helper! When you declare a direct attack, I can negate that attack and then Special Summon 1 Performalapal Monster with 800 or less Attack Points from my Deck, but its effects are negated! I Special Summon Performapal Partnaga in Defense Mode!"
Just before Mitsumi could do anything, she was shielded by a barrier that blocked off Drident's attack. Afterwards, in place of the barrier was a red and yellow stripped snake with a top hat, a turquoise-colored star tattooed in one of his eyes, and a hand at the end of its tail.
Performalpal Partnaga - (EARTH/Reptile) - LV5 - (500/2100)
'Well, I was going to use one of my Traps to defend myself, but Yuya beat me to it,' thought Mitsumi. "Yuya...Thank you so much! I-I'm sorry for all of the trouble!"
Yuya shook his head. "No, no! It's alright! We're partners, after all! We gotta look out for each other, after all!"
"Aww, that's so sweet! Kinda reminds us of our own close relationship, huh, brother?" cooed Komaru towards Hotaru.
Hotaru nodded. "Yeah! That's what makes Tag Team Battles my favorite kind of dueling! You create such close and strong bonds with your partner, just like us! You two must be quite the cute couple there, huh?"
Yuya and Mitsumi looked quite surprised and a bit horror-stricken. "What?! Oh, no, no, no, no, no! We're just friends!" said Yuya nervously, hoping that none of this gets to Shingo. He truly does think of Mitsumi as just a friend, but any unnecessary rumors might get him confronted by Shingo, and even Mitsumi doesn't want any sort of trouble either.
"Y-Yeah! That's right! Just friends!" assured Mitsumi, nodding quickly. She really, really didn't want any rumors spreading like crazy! Yuya was just a friend to her! That's all!
Clearly, the coy expressions on both the twin brothers' faces indicated that they didn't believe the two of them one bit.
"Well, whatever. It's none of our business what you two lovebirds do anyways. Just a little bit of harmless teasing doesn't hurt anyone, does it?" Komaru said. "I set a card and end my turn!"
Turn 10: Yuya
Hand: 3
"My turn!" said Yuya. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Super Hippo Carnival! This lets me Special Summon Performapal Hip Hippo from my Deck, hand, or Graveyard! And the remainder of my field is filled up with a bunch of other Hippo Tokens! Come out on stage! Time for your debut, Hip Hippo and the Hippo Ladies!"
Performapal Hip Hippo - (EARTH/Beast) - LV3 - (800/800)
Hippo Token - (EARTH/Beast/Token) - LV1 - (0/0) x3
With the pink gentlemanly-like hippo taking the main center stage, he was accompanied not just by his reptilian Performapal friend, Partnaga, but also surrounded by colorful, lovely female Hippo Tokens to assist Hip Hippo with his dancing performance, though they were all in Defense Mode.
"Everyone! The stage may be full now, but please welcome a brand new cast of Performapals! Watch their debut performance and be dazzled by their entertaining antics! Hit it away!" announced Yuya.
As if on cue, the spotlight focused attention on the main star right now, Hip Hippo, who twirled around and tipped his hat to the audience before beginning a dance routine, with more spotlights shining down on the Hippo Tokens as they joined him to unify their dances. Although his effects were negated and he wasn't necessarily part of the dance routine, Partnaga still contributed to his part in making the dance performance shine by illuminating the stage with sparkles and bright lights, bringing the whole act together as one.
While everyone enjoyed the performance, Mitsumi took the chance to search for an Action Card. If Yuya was going to do something, then he might need her help just in case. She climbed up more and more ladders, being granted time due to the performance taking everyone's attention away until she reached the very top, in which a tightrope was awaiting her. Above the tightrope happened to be an Action Card.
The way Mitsumi figured, yes, in Action Fields, there tended to be Action Cards hidden away elsewhere and in random areas. But another theory was that the more riskier the spot was, the more useful the Action Card could be. In this case, she was risking herself when approaching some spot such as a tightrope, right above who knows who far it was towards the floor way beneath.
"Thank you! Thank you!" said Yuya, bowing his head over and over from the applause of the audience. "Now, I activate Hip Hippo's effect! If I tribute him for a Tribute Summon, he can be treated as 2 Tributes! That's perfect for summoning the main performer of my deck! Come out, Odd-Eyes Dragon!"
Odd-Eyes Dragon - (DARK/Dragon) - LV7 - (2500/2000)
At the sight of Odd-Eyes Dragon and upon hearing his powerful roar, Hotaru commented, "So, that's his ace Monster, huh? I can tell that he's quite strong!"
"Yes, strong and fitting for his main performer. But it'll take more than that to take us down!" said Komaru. "Show us what you've got, Yuya!"
Yuya nodded and managed to search and grabbed an Action Card while riding his trusty Odd-Eyes Dragon. Just when he glanced at it, he when he heard Mitsumi cry out, "YUYA!"
Everyone glanced up and saw Mitsumi dangling on a tightrope with her hands, getting close to the Action Card right above her head. Before Yuya could panic and try to find a way to help her, Mitsumi started swinging back and forth to gain momentum. She continued until she swung high in the air, grabbing the Action Card, though in the process, was falling down incredibly fast, heading for the ground below.
As Yuya hopped onto Odd-Eyes Dragon and had his dragon leap off the platform to catch her mid-way, Mitsumi activated the Action Card. "A-Action Card! Double Attack! I target 1 Monster on the field and its Attack Points become double its current Attack Points during each battle Phase this turn!"
As soon as the Action Card was activated, Odd-Eyes Dragon felt a sudden surge of power flowing inside of him, giving him a boost of power. Yuya managed to catch Mitsumi just as a newly powered-up Odd-Eyes reached another platform safely.
Odd-Eyes Dragon - (DARK/Dragon) - LV7 - (5000/2000)
"5000 Attack Points?! That's crazy!" exclaimed Komaru.
"But it was all thanks to their teamwork that made it happen," commented Hotaru to his brother.
"Mitsumi! Are you okay?! That was really reckless of you, and that's ME saying that!" scolded Yuya, shaking Mitsumi back and forth by the shoulders worriedly.
Mitsumi had to give him a shy smile and shook her head. "I just...I just wanted to help you, that's all..." 'Thank GOD he caught me! I was going to have to use one of my Traps to save me!'
Sighing in relief, Yuya helped Mitsumi up to her feet and said, "Well, you did try your best to help me, so I can't complain about that too much. Thanks, though. Now, just stand back and enjoy the show!"
Mitsumi nodded, stepping back into another platform and allowing Yuya to take back the attention. She preferred not to be the main actor of the show anyways.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! My lovely partner here performed magnificently in my Odd-Eyes Dragon even more powerful! With my Odd-Eyes gleaming with a brand new power, let's show just how mighty his power has gotten! Here we go! Odd-Eyes Dragon! Attack the fire dancer, Hotaru, directly!"
"Gh-! Got no choice! I'm activating Drident's effect! Once per turn, during either of our turns, I can detach 1 Overlay Unit to target 1 face-up card on the field and destroy it! Odd-Eyes Dragon is destroyed!"
Zoodiac Drident - (EARTH/Beast-Warrior/XYZ) - Rank 4 - (1600/400) - Overlay Units: 1
Another Overlay Unit of Drident's was used up instantly before Drident sprung into action, soaring towards Odd-Eyes Dragon with his heavy halbred ready to cleave the dragon in two.
"I'm activating the Action Card I grabbed earlier!" Yuya said. "Detour! This negates the effect of 1 Monster you control, and if I do, inflict 500 Points of Damage to you!"
Drident swung right before Odd-Eyes Dragon leapt high above the XYZ Monster, narrowly dodging his cleave-shattering blow before Drident returned as the effect of Detour took effect onto Hotaru.
Hotaru - 3400 LP
Then, Hotaru and Komaru expertly performed flips and somersaults to bypass other obstacles, swing through rings and tightropes, all performing various acrobatics and tricks while searching for Action Cards. Although initially hasty and panicking on the inside, they tried using their training to mask such emotions to give the audience another awe-filling performance.
Crossing past each other midair, the twin brothers both grabbed an Action Card each and activated them almost simultaneously.
"Action Card! Battle Change!" called out Komaru. "When you declare an attack, I can change the attack target to 1 Monster I control! I choose my Zoodiac Ramram!"
'Damnit, with this, because Ramram is in Defense Mode, Odd-Eyes won't be able to inflict any damage! I am NOT going to stand by and watch my hard work go to waste like this!' thought Mitsumi, trying to find an Action Card.
"In addition, I also activate an Action Card! Deflection! I can choose one Monster and that Monster's destruction through battle is negated! I choose Ramram!" shouted Hotaru. 'That way, Komaru won't receive any Battle Damage nor get his Monster destroyed! A token of thanks for earlier!'
Mitsumi choose to jump off from her platform to crash land onto a trampoline, using the distance between the platform and the floor below to her advantage to leap high in the air, managing to reach one of the Action Cards floating in the air. She landed on a floating bubble that was solid enough for her to stand on without popping and activated her Action Card.
"Action Card! Knife Parol! I can grant 1 Monster on the field Piercing Damage! I choose Odd-Eyes Dragon!" announced Mitsumi as a bright glow filled Odd-Eyes Dragon's body.
"Thanks, Mitsumi!" thanked Yuya. "Okay, since I can't attack Hotaru directly...Odd-Eyes! Take down Ramram, then!"
Despite Ramram having higher Defense Points than his Attack Points and clearly invulnerable this turn, it didn't stop the Zoodiac Monster from being absolutely devoured by the enormous dark blast that felt like a tidal wave of darkness overwhelming him. And because of Knife Parol's effect, despite Ramram protecting his master, he still would take damage.
Komaru - 1000 LP
"I end my turn! And Odd-Eyes Dragon's Attack Points return to normal!"
Odd-Eyes Dragon - (DARK/Dragon) - LV7 - (2500/2000)
Turn 11: Hotaru
Hand: 3
"My draw!" Hotaru said before glancing over to his brother, thinking, 'I have to protect my brother! We're both in a pretty bad predicament, but then again, dealing with bad predicaments has always been our thing together!' "I activate the Spell, Rekindling! This allows me to Special Summon as many FIRE Attribute Monsters from my Graveyard as possible, so long as they have 200 Defense Points! Though in exchange, I have to banish them at the end of my turn! Come forth, Flamvell Dog! Flamvell Grunika! Flamvell Baby! And Neo Flamvell Origin!"
Flamvell Dog - (FIRE/Beast) - LV4 - (1900/200)
Flamvell Grunika - (FIRE/Dragon) - LV4 - (1700/200)
Flamvell Baby - (FIRE/Pyro/Tuner) - LV1 - (800/200)
Neo Flamvell Origin - (FIRE/Pyro/Tuner) - LV2 - (500/200)
"I activate Flamvell Commando's effect from my hand! He cannot be Special Summoned, but he can be Normal Summoned if I Tributed 1 Flamvell Monster I control! I sacrifice Grunika to summon Flamvell Commando to the field!"
Flamvell Commando - (FIRE/Pyro) - LV6 - (2200/200)
"Then, I activate Flamvell Commando's effect! Once per turn, by removing from play 1 Monster in my Graveyard with 200 Defense Points, one of you gets hit with damage equal to that removed Monster's Attack Points! I remove from play Flamvell Grunika and you, young lady, gets hit 1700 Points of Damage!"
Mitsumi was taken aback from Flamvell Commando's effect, knowing that she was pretty low on Life Points due to using her Ritual Spell earlier. "I activate the effect of Guard Penguin from my hand! If I were to take damage from a card effect, I can reduce that to 0 and then Special Summon Guard Penguin from my hand to the field in Attack Mode!"
Guard Penguin - (WATER/Winged Beast) - LV4 - (0/1200)
"Nice reflexes, Mitsumi!" praised Yuya. 'Still, she's summoned Guard Penguin in Attack Mode! That's practically the same as asking someone to attack her directly! I have to protect her!'
"Alright, fine, you managed to avoid that for now, but you can't avoid this!" said Hotaru. "I tune my Level 6 Flamvell Commando with my Level 1 Flamvell Baby! Synchro Summon! Dance in the flames, Ancient Flamvell Deity!"
Ancient Flamvell Deity - (FIRE/Pyro/Synchro) - LV7 - (2500/200)
"When my Monster is Synchro Summoned, I can banish cards from your Graveyard up to the number of cards in your hand! Nazuno, was it? You currently have 2 cards in your hand and while I admit earlier was an excellent move, you still can't stop 2 cards from your Graveyard being banished! I banished your Evigishki Mind Augus and Gishki Icemirror! And in addition, for each card banished, my Ancient Flamvell Deity gains 200 extra Attack Points!"
Ancient Flamvell Deity - (FIRE/Pyro/Synchro) - LV7 - (2900/200)
Mitsumi knew that Ancient Flamvell Deity was way stronger than Yuya's Odd-Eyes Dragon. She kept glancing between the Synchro Monster and Komaru, thinking that was going to happen. Would Hotaru use his Monster to attack Odd-Eyes Dragon? Or would Komaru use the last of his XYZ Monster's Overlay Units to destroy Odd-Eyes?
"Brother! Let me help you!" said Komaru. "I activate the last Overlay Unit that Zoodiac Drident has! His effect will now destroy Odd-Eyes Dragon!"
Zoodiac Drident - (EARTH/Beast-Warrior/XYZ) - Rank 4 - (0/0) - Overlay Units: 0
With one final flash from the last of his Overlay Units gone, Drident was fully powered up to unleash his effect. With one loud cry, Drident swung an arching energy wave from his halberd directly at Odd-Eyes just as the dragon and his rider were rushing around in search of an Action Card. Unfortunately, they wasted too much time and the energy wave blasted Odd-Eyes Dragon, sending Yuya flying in the air.
"Yuya!" cried out Mitsumi.
Yuy's Monster, Partnaga, extended himself towards Yuya, causing him to grab onto him. He began swinging around like Tarzan until he safely landed on another floating platform, breathing in and out to regain himself. Wiping the sweat off his forehead, Yuya maintained a smile on his face to assure the audience he was fine, bowing his head as though to indicate everything had been a stunt act to wow the audience.
"Nice one, brother! Let me take care of the rest!" said Hotaru. "I'm not done yet! I tune my Level 4 Flamvell Dog with my Level 2 Neo Flamvell Origin! Synchro Summon! Arise, my second Flamvell Uruquizas!"
Flamvell Uruquizas - (FIRE/Pyro/Synchro) - LV6 - (2100/400)
"Now the stage is set! Ancient Flamvell Deity! Attack Guard Penguin!"
Yuya gasped before making a run for it. "If that attack hits, Mitsumi will be finished! I gotta find an Action Car-"
"I activate my facedown card! The Trap, Zeus' Breath! When you declare an attack, that attack is negated!" declared Mitsumi. "And, if I control a face-up WATER Attribute Monster, you get hit 800 Points of Damage!"
Guard Penguin was protected entirely by a round bubble-like shield as Ancient Flamvell Deity spread his arms wide before bringing them close to unleash a blazing fire blast. The bubble-like shield successfully deflected the flames before blasting out a rush of water, sending Ancient Flamvell Deity flying back to his owner's side.
Hotaru - 2600 LP
Yuya had stopped, watching the sparkling bubbles protect Mitsumi and her Monster and sighed in relief. They managed to survive this turn thanks to Mitsumi, but now this duel's outcome would suddenly change from being from their favor to their opponent's. But the thrill of Entertainment Dueling was just that. Nobody could predict the outcome and all that matters is having fun.
"I'm not done yet!" said Hotaru. "I've still got Flamvell Uruquizas left! Attack Guard Penguin!"
Ancient Flamvell Deity headed straight towards Mitsumi and her Guard Penguin, who spun around and got into a defensive position to protect his master. Just as Flamvell Uruquizas' flame-like fists were descending towards Guard Penguin, Yuya intervened by jumping from bubble-like orbs in the air, yanking an Action Card and activating it.
"Action Card! Evasion! Your attack is negated!" shouted Yuya.
The flames that were heading towards Mitsumi dispersed instantly right before they were about to hit her, protecting him from any harm. "Yuya! Thank you!" called out Mitsumi.
Yuya nodded, giving her a thumbs-up. "No problem!"
"Wow! You two are good!" complimented Hotaru. "I'll set a card and end my turn!"
Turn 12: Mitsumi
Hand: 4
"Draw!" said Mitsumi. "I activate my Trap, Aquamirror Meditation! By revealing 1 Ritual Spell in my hand, I can target 2 Gishki Monster in my Graveyard and then return them to my hand! I reveal the Ritual Spell, Forbidden Arts of the Gishki, to add Gishki Reliever and Ariel to my hand! Then, I activate that Ritual Spell, Tributing the Guard Penguin on my field and Gishki Ariel in my hand to Ritual Summon Evigishki Soul Ogre to the field!"
Evigishki Soul Ogre - (WATER/Aqua/Ritual) - LV8 - (2800/2800)
Mitsumi thought, 'Honestly, I could have done more. I could have used the Forbidden Arts of the Gishki to also Tribute Monsters from my opponent's side of the field, specifically his Uruquizas. I know I wanted to help Yuya, but I'm not going to make this easy for either of us.'
"At this moment Forbidden Arts of the Gishki's effects activate! The Monster Ritual Summoned by this Ritual Spell is forced to halve its Attack Points! Plus, I can't conduct the Battle Phase on the turn I activated that Spell!"
Evigishki Soul Ogre - (WATER/Aqua/Ritual) - LV8 - (1400/2800)
"A weakened Monster and unable to attack this turn? You should have been smarter and at least placed your Ritual Monster in Defense Mode!" called out Hotaru.
Mitsumi knew that that was true, but she purposely did that of course. She still had to maintain the facade of the "sweet, shy, and kind" Mitsumi that wasn't very good at dueling, yet always tries her best regardless. In reality, she was the very cruel opposite of the "sweet, shy, and kind" Mitsumi that her friends knew, not that she'll ever allow any of the truth to reveal itself.
"E-Even so, I still can activate Soul Ogre! It didn't say I couldn't use his effects!" said Mitsumi. "I activate Evigishki Soul Ogre's effect! Once per turn, I can discard 1 Gishki Monster from my hand to target 1 face-up Monster you control and then shuffle that target back into the deck! I choose Ancient Flamvell Deity!"
"Then, I guess it's time for me to activate my Trap!" declared Hotaru. "The Continuous Trap, Fiendish Chain! By targeting 1 Effect Monster on the field, I can negate the effects of that face-up Monster while it's still on the field! In addition, that Monster cannot attack or be Tributed! Of course, the Monster I'm targeting is Soul Ogre!"
Springing out from the Trap card were green-cladded chains wrapping themselves tightly around the reptilian-like Ritual Monster, who roared and struggled in agony.
Left with no choice, Mitsumi had to concede her turn. "I...I set two cards facedown and end my turn."
Turn 13: Komaru
Hand: 2
"My turn!" said Komaru, drawing his card. "I activate the Spell, Upstart Goblin! I get to draw 1 card, and my opponent gains 1000 Life Points in return! I'll draw 1 card and allow my brother to gain 1000 Life Points!"
Hotaru - 3600 LP
"Draw! I activate the Spell, Monster Reborn, to Special Summon back Zoodiac Ramram to the field!"
Zoodiac Ramram - (EARTH/Beast-Warrior) - LV4 - (400/2000)
"Now, I activate the effect of my Continuous Spell, Zoodiac Barrage! I target 1 face-up card I control and destroy it! I destroy my Zoodiac Drident to Special Summon Zoodiac Thoroughblade from my deck!"
Zoodiac Thoroughblade - (EARTH/Beast-Warrior) - LV4 - (1600/0)
"When Zoodiac Thoroughblade is Normal or Special Summoned, I can discard 1 Zoodiac card and then draw 1 card! I'll discard Zoodiac Ratpier from my hand and draw! Awesome! I summon Zoodiac Kataroost in Attack Mode!"
Zoodiac Kataroost - (EARTH/Beast-Warrior) - LV4 - (800/1200)
Glancing at his whole field, Mitsumi could easily guess that Komaru was going to XYZ Summon yet another one of his Zoodiac Monsters and braced herself.
"Ladies and gentlemen! You'll get to witness not one, but TWO XYZ Summons specially on my turn!" announced Komaru, earning cheers from his fans. "Let's go! I Overlay my 3 Level 4 Zoodiac Monsters! XYZ Summon! Come out, Zoodiac Tigermortar!"
Zoodiac Tigermortar - (EARTH/Beast-Warrior) - Rank 4 - (?/?) - Overlay Units: 3
"She gains Attack and Defense Points from the combined amounts that each of her Overlay Units had!"
Zoodiac Tigermortar - (EARTH/Beast-Warrior) - Rank 4 - (2400/3200) - Overlay Units: 3
"But we're not done yet! Next, once per turn, I can still XYZ Summon using 1 Zoodiac Monster I control with a different name! Using Zoodiac Tigermortar, I rebuilt the Overlay Network! XYZ Summon! Zoodiac Boarbow!"
Zoodiac Boarbow - (EARTH/Beast-Warrior) - Rank 4 - (?/?) - Overlay Units: 4
"And naturally, like Tigermorter, Boarbow gains the combined amount of Attack and Defense Points as the rest of his XYZ Materials attached to him!"
Zoodiac Boarbow - (EARTH/Beast-Warrior) - Rank 4 - (2400/3200) - Overlay Units: 4
"Here we go! I attack with Boarbow! Another effect of Boarbow activates! He can attack directly! And I choose to attack Nazuno!"
Yuya's eyes widened. If Komaru had chosen to attack Mitsumi's weakened Ritual Monster, then she might have survived the round with very few Life Points remaining. But bypassing her Monster and taking out her Life Points, with the way Boarbow was strengthened, it would be more than enough to wipe out her out.
Mitsumi was prepared, however. She originally wanted to use her facedowns to take out Komaru sometime later to protect Yuya, but now might be a good time to use it to protect herself. "I activate my Trap, Diamond Dust! All WATER Monsters on the field are destroyed and for each one, my opponent loses 500 Points of Damage!"
Evigishki Soul Ogre burst apart and from the sparkles that resulted from his destruction, reverted into a strong icy wind that sent Komaru flying back a bit, hitting against a pillar.
Komaru - 500 LP
"Ngh-! I can still fight! Boarbow-!"
"I activate my other Trap!" said Mitsumi. "Torrential Reborn! If a WATER Monster I control is destroyed, I can Special Summon them back, and then you take 500 Points of Damage for each Monster Special Summoned this way!"
"W-What?!" Gritting his teeth, Komaru shouted, "Then, I activate my Trap, Secret Barrel! For each card in your hand and each card you control, you get hit 200 Points of Damage for each! You currently have no cards but you still control 2 cards on your field! If I'm going down, I'm at least going to give my brother a fighting chance! Get hit with 400 Points of Damage!"
When Mitsumi was blasted and fell onto another platform, the card Torrential Reborn blasted a stream of water, crashing into Komaru with the force of a waterfall. Drenched and defeated, this officially made Komaru the first out of the four duelists to lose.
Mitsumi - 800 LP
Komaru - 0 LP
Sighing in relief, Mitsumi stood back up, glad that her chain combo successfully worked without any hindrances. Mitsumi glanced over to Yuya and asked, "Y-Yuya! Is-Is this okay?"
Slightly stunned from the sudden turn of events, Yuya regained his composure and gave her a thumbs-up and a nod. "Yeah! You did great! But are you okay?"
Mitsumi nodded. "Yes! I am!"
Hotaru had rushed over to his brother's side, making sure that he was alright. After some small, quiet talk with him, Hotaru told him, "Don't worry! I'll make sure we win, Komaru!" With fierce determination, Hotaru stood back up, facing his two opponents not with eyes of vengeance, but the desire to win.
Turn 14: Yuya
Hand: 2
"Draw!" said Yuya. He thought, 'I can still defend myself thanks to Super Hippo Carnival's effect and the fact that I have 3 Hippo Tokens and Partnaga on my field, though Partnaga can't use his effect due to Performapal Pinch Helper. But in case Mitsumi is left defenseless, I can always keep using Performapal Pinch Helper to not only defend her, but also get a new Performapal on the field, even if their effects are negated! Okay, I got this!'
"I sacrifice my Performapal Partnaga in order to Tribute Summon another friendly pal to the stage! Performapal Elephammer!"
Performapal Elephammer - (EARTH/Beast) - LV6 - (2600/1800)
"Time to battle! Elephammer! Swing your hammer and attack Flamvell Uruquizas! And another thing you should know is Performapal Elephammer's effect! When he declares an attack, he can return all Spells or Traps that you control back to your hand!"
Hotaru was taken aback. "But if that happens, then that means my Fiendish Chain won't affect Soul Ogre anymore!"
Elephammer let out a squeal as he raised his hammer-like trunk, swinging it downwards onto Flamvell Uruquizas, flattening the bare-fisted fire beast while also shattering the chains binding Soul Ogre.
Hotaru - 3100 LP
"I set a card and end my turn!"
Turn 15: Hotaru
Hand: 2
"Draw!" said Hotaru, drawing his card. "I'm not usually one to seek revenge, but for the sake of my brother, I will avenge him! And I'll start by activating the Quick-Play Spell, Poison of The Old Man! With this card, I can either gain 1200 Life Points, or inflict 800 Points of Damage to you! I choose the latter and target Nazuno!"
Mitsumi realized that with her current amount of Life Points and the fact that Hotaru was targeting her, she was finished. "Wait-!"
BOOM! Without a moment's hesitation, Mitsumi was hit with an minor explosion that didn't cause heavy damage to her, but she was hit with the force of a hard shove in the form of an explosion. She's alright, but her field had vanished and she was officially out.
Mitsumi - 0 LP
"Mitsumi! Are you alright?" called out Yuya worriedly. He was planning on protecting and supporting Mitsumi since she was in a tough situation, but it was too late for her. He didn't take in account Effect Damage taking place.
Mitsumi coughed from the smoke and nodded, standing back up. "I-I'll be alright, Yuya! You just do your best, alright? I'll cheer you on from here!"
As bad as it was Mitsumi losing, Yuya was at least thankful that she was unharmed and nodded back, deciding to win not just for entertaining the audience, but for Mitsumi's sake as well. "Alright, then! Give me your best, Hotaru-san!"
Hotaru nodded. "Alright! I attack with Ancient Flamvell Deity! Take down Performapal Elephammer!"
When Ancient Flamvell Deity's flames were soaring closer towards the elephant-like Performapal, that's when Yuya struck gold.
"I activate my Trap, Wall of Disruption!" shouted Yuya. "This turn, if a Monster you control battles, that Monster loses 800 Attack Points for every Monster you control! You only have 1, so Ancient Flamvell Deity loses 800 Attack Points!"
Ancient Flamvell Deity - (FIRE/Pyro/Synchro) - LV7 - (2100/200)
It was too late to recall Ancient Flamvell Deity's attack, as the flames dispersed from being too weakened and Elephammer counterattacked by smacking the fire deity with his trunk, destroying him in retaliation.
Hotaru - 2600 LP
With no other Monsters, Hotaru knew that he had one move left. "I set a card and end my turn."
Seeing as Mitsumi and Komaru were both defeated, that left the Tag Team Duel down to a 1v1 between Hotaru and Yuya.
Turn 16: Yuya
Hand: 1
"My turn!" said Yuya. "Ladies and Gentlemen! The show may be closing its curtains, but now's the time to go all-out once more and show you a magnificent finale! I summon Performapal Friendonkey to the field!"
Performapal Friendonkey - (EARTH/Beast) - LV3 - (1600/600)
"When Friendonkey is Normal Summon, I can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Performapal Monster from my hand or Graveyard! Springing up from the Graveyard is my Performapal Silver Claw!"
Performalpal Silver Claw - (DARK/Beast) - LV4 - (1800/700)
Realizing Yuya's intent, Hotaru used his acrobatics and speed to maneuver throughout the entire Duel Field easily as though it was a playground. His body gracefully dashed through hoops and rings bursting with fire, amazing the audience as he looked like he was dancing with the flames. Of course, during all this time, his eyes scanned everywhere, trying to find an Action Card.
Of course, the moment Hotaru started moving, Yuya predicted that that's what he might do and also started searching for an Action Card. Swinging from ropes, hopping from platforms and solid-like bubbles, climbing up and sliding down poles, it was a race between the two Entertainment Duelists for victory.
"Battle! Silver Claw attacks you directly! His effect activates! When he declares an attack, all Performapal Monsters I control gain 300 extra Attack Points until the end of the Battle Phase!"
Performapal Friendonkey - (EARTH/Beast) - LV3 - (1900/600)
Performalpal Silver Claw - (DARK/Beast) - LV4 - (2100/700)
Emerging from another ring of fire, Hotaru saw an Action Card right in front of him and leapt with all of his heart. At that moment, Friendonkey, true to his name, allowed Silver Claw to use him as a catapult to launch towards Hotaru. Silver Claw, with the acceleration speed and force from the launch, slashed at Hotaru.
Hotaru - 500 LP
Despite being hit directly, Hotaru successfully managed to grab an Action Card. "A-Action Card! Big Escape! The Battle Phase ends!"
Yuya, who snagged an Action Card right as Hotaru activated his, took the opportunity to activate his own Action Card. "Action Card! No Action! Your Action Card's activation is negated and destroyed! Friendonkey! Attack him directly!"
With the three remaining Hippo Tokens cheering on Friendonkey in the background and Silver Claw howling in approval, that gave Friendonkey just enough encouragement and determination to win. Galloping forward, Friendonkey slammed his head against Hotaru, causing the fire dancer to fall and bounce onto a trampoline that safely caught him.
Hotaru - 0 LP
Winners: Yuya and Mitsumi
Applause and loud cheering echoed all across the entire circus tent as soon as the winners were decided with the finale of the Tag Team Duel. The entire Action Field vanished like magic right after the duel and all participants were back on their feet, safe and sound.
"Yuya! Are you alright?" asked Mitsumi, running up to him before bowing her head. "I-I'm sorry I wasn't that much help during the duel!"
"No, no! What are you saying? You did awesome!" assured Yuya. "In fact, I doubt I would have been able to win without your help, Mitsumi! Don't worry!"
"Wow! You two were awesome! Fantastic, even!" complimented Komaru, clapping his hands as he and his twin brother approaching both Mitsumi and Yuya. "You two make both a good team and a cute couple!"
"W-We're not a couple!" both Yuya and Mitsumi protested together.
Patting Komaru on the shoulder, Hotaru said, "Come on, brother. Stop teasing them so, even if they actually do look like a cute couple. What matters right now is that they both beat us."
"I-I mean, Yuya was the one who beat you. I didn't really do much..." admitted Mitsumi shyly.
Before Yuya could once again defend Mitsumi, Hotaru intervened. "No, both of you definitely beat us. It was a tag team effort after all. Besides, even if your partner was the last man standing, there's no way he could have accomplished beating us both without your assistance."
"Yeah! That's right! Mitsumi, you were a big help in our victory!" supported Yuya, patting her on the back.
"Still, I really thought we had a chance of winning!" complained Komaru, crossing his arms and sighing. "I mean, me and my brother are the best in our duel school! Especially in Tag Team battles! It was definitely a surprise that we lost, but I'm not complaining! Just goes to show that we have a lot to improve!"
"Well, it was a challenge for us too!" said Yuya, holding up his hand for a handshake. "You and your brother did a great job! As fellow Entertainment Duelists, we definitely learned a lot!"
After some brief handshakes amongst the four and congratulating one another, it was the conclusion of the Performing Arts Duel School charity show. Due to Yuya and Mitsumi's unexpected victory, what they received as a reward was...
'A frickin' autograph? I still can't believe this was the prize,' thought Mitsumi as she was walking side-by-side with Yuya; both holding signed autographs from the ringleader/principal of the Performing Arts Duel School. 'Eh, it's fine, though. Not really gonna matter to me anyways, but I'll take it.'
"...Say, Mitsumi?" spoke up Yuya.
"Hmm? Yes, Yuya?"
"...Well, like I said before, you really did do a good job during that duel. Honestly, I wouldn't have won without your help. Heck, I wouldn't have been able to pull off some moves that would have assured my victory without your help."
Mitsumi tried to brush his praise by downplaying herself. "W-What are you talking about, Yuya? I-I mean, you did most of the work...At best, I only helped out a little like grabbing a few Action Cards..."
Yuya shook his head. "Nah, don't think of it like that. You even took out one of those brothers to help me. That was a really huge load off my shoulders, so thanks!"
Mitsumi nodded. "Y-yeah...but you were definitely the star between the both of us! I-I mean, you shined spectacularly during your entertainment! I-I still need some work, of course!"
"Yeah...speaking of which, can I ask something?" asked Yuya.
"Sure...?"
"Well, to be honest, I kinda feel like you don't really give it your all when you do Entertainment Dueling. Ah! Don't get mad! I-I just feel that way, that's all! Like, uh...How do I put this...? Like, you could do more...? Sorry, sorry! I mean, I feel like you do have potential, but maybe bring it out more? Uh...No, that's not it! Uh...what's the right words...?"
Realizing what Yuya was trying to say, Mitsumi looked away, hiding the guilty expression on her face. Ever since meeting and befriending Yuya and the others, she has ALWAYS held back. In her experience, if she always won against friends, they would slowly start to resent her and no longer want to hang out with her. Being granted another chance at being friends, Mitsumi always made sure that she would lose or at least grant her friends the feeling of victory.
Honestly, always being the "weakest" duelist amongst her group of friends never bothered Mitsumi. She would happily be the loser forever if it meant that she could keep her group of friends with her. If making her friends happy by purposely losing and holding back all of the time was the price, she would and has always paid that price repeatedly.
The same went for Entertainment Dueling. Of course, Mitsumi wasn't particularly interested in committing such a dueling style to herself. Entertainment Dueling...always showing off, monologuing, and, in Mitsumi's opinion, constantly wasting time and delaying just to grab Action Cards. Even if it was to grab a chance for victory, Mitsumi still thought it was annoying to waste time, even if she, too, did the same.
She was the type to rely more on skill than luck. Mitsumi's true dueling style relied more on preventing duelists from using their Action Cards, such as stealing them right as they were about to reach for one, or using certain Action Cards such as Action Crush to the usage of Action Cards.
That begged the question that, if Mitsumi disliked Entertainment Dueling, why join You Show Duel School, a school specifically to train Entertainment Duelists? The simple reason was because her friends were there and she wanted to spend more time with them.
Of course, she could have chosen the other option and joined the Gongenzaka Dojo, where her other friend, Gongenzaka, was enlisted at. But, that would mean adapting the Steadfast Style, the traditional style of simply standing still and not getting any Action Cards, into her own dueling style. Out of the two duel schools, she chose the You Show Duel School, because at least then, she would have the chance to grab Action Cards and maneuver around the field.
Perhaps the reason Yuya is sugarcoating his words about Mitsumi not trying hard enough is because he's actually right. Mitsumi hasn't just been purposely losing duels just to make her friends happy; she's also been not putting a lot of effort into the Entertainment Dueling style because it just didn't feel like her right sort of dueling style. But if Yuya was starting to notice that, then maybe she should double her efforts while still maintaining her weak duelist facade.
"I-I'm sorry, Yuya...I just don't feel a lot of confidence in my dueling! I-I promise, it's nobody's fault but mine! I-I can only try harder from now on," apologized Mitsumi.
"Hey, hey, it's alright. You don't need to worry about that. I know you're trying your best all the time," assured Yuya kindly. "Sorry, maybe I was a bit rude? I mean, I know you're hardworking and always trying to improve! Don't worry! You'll get there!"
"...Yeah."
But Mitsumi knew that she was never going to "get there." She was always going to be that one friend who's willing to do anything to make her friends happy, even if it meant hiding her true self from them. Her true strength, her personality, everything. If they knew...Mitsumi just didn't want to be the one to drive away her friends.
Not like the last few times when she actually made friends.
If becoming the "sweet and shy and polite" girl that her friends knew would guarantee her still becoming friends with Yuya, Yuzu, Gongenzaka, and everyone else, she would continue. If losing all of the time and allowing her friends to win all the time would have her still remain friends with them, she would still do it. If...If hiding her true self meant continuing to become friends, she'd still do it.
Despite all this, despite finally having friends, why does Mitsumi still feel empty inside?
"...Yuya? I...uh..."
"Hmm? What's up?"
"Well, I..."
"...?"
"...Just...just don't tell Sawatari-san about today. I REALLY don't want him on my case about our date. Not that we actually did date, we just spent some time together at some charity event."
"Oh, believe me, he's the LAST person I wanna tell. That guy cannot take a hint when it comes to you, seriously!"
"Ahaha...Yeah..."
Hey, guys! We're getting real close to getting to the anime parts! I'm thinking that maybe I should merge a bit of the Arc V manga parts here, but I also know that the manga plot and the anime plot are both entirely different, so I'll have to think about something soon!
I know a bunch of you are all worried and wondering, what's going to happen to Mitsumi? Well, the issues that I'm addressing about her in this fanfic will be brought up later on and necessary for her own character development. Of course, Mitsumi isn't going to be the only person getting character development. I liked the anime Arc V, but I wish there was more stuff, more character development, stuff like that!
Read and review!