Cinder Fall: 4000 Life Points
Ushio Trudge: 2400 Life Points
"I activate Inferno Fire Blast. By its effect, you take damage equal to my dragon's attack points," Cinder yawned, sliding the spell card into her duel disk as the two Dragon's Gunfire she'd activated previously zipped into her graveyard slot. "Which is all the life points you have left."
Her Red-Eyes Black Dragon reeled its head back and launched a dark fireball straight at the muscular student from Vacuo.
"Intrusion Penalty! Two thousand life points!"
"Intrusion Penalty! Two thousand life points!"
"Intrusion Penalty! Two thousand life points!"
"Intrusion Penalty! Two thousand life points!"
The scarred Ushio Trudge was sent flying and crashed down into the broken alley of the urban biome. He hadn't even gotten a turn before his Star Chips zipped into his opponent's outstretched palm.
Ushio Trudge: 0 Life Points
Cinder nonchalantly caught the chips, her own still floating in the energy ante sphere between her and her original opponent. They were soon joined by eight more chips, two from each of her four new foes.
They had hidden themselves when she had first engaged Ushio, now springing up like rabbits from behind the urban ruins' many broken walls and crevices. The seeming leader, a shaggy boy in a Shade Academy Obelisk Blue coat over another punkish green jacket, stepped forward, a large red beanie over his shaggy brown hair.
"Cinder Fall! I hear you're Haven's strongest first year. Of course, being the strongest of anything at Haven is like saying you're the strongest mouse," the boy mocked. "And no mouse can hope to beat a dinosaur!"
"And you are?" Cinder queried without real interest.
"Rex Raptor!" the Shade student laughed. "The one who's going to prove who the real Red-Eyes master is between us in front of the entire world!"
Cinder glanced at the three other thuggish-looking men, also wearing eclectic Shade uniforms. "And them?"
"Bonz and the boys wanted a shot at your Star Chips," Rex smirked. "Not that they'll get the chance. This duel will be over before you get another turn!"
That was the reason they'd chosen to take an intrusion penalty and technically continue her duel with Ushio instead of letting it end and starting a new duel with her. In theory, their ambush put them in a better position, since she'd have used up all her resources crushing Ushio, though she doubted they'd expected her to win so quickly. Still, enough Beowolves without end could smother even the mightiest of huntsmen.
Fortunately, Cinder was far beyond any mere huntsmen.
"I lay two cards facedown," she declared, the fruits of her Pot of Greed appearing beside her continuous spell, Primitive Lordly Lode. "I end my turn."
Rex Raptor: 2000 Life Points
Bonz Kozuka: 2000 Life Points
Sid Takaido: 2000 Life Points
Zygor Satake: 2000 Life Points
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"Synchro Summon! Level Ten! Swordsoul Supreme Sovereign - Chengying!"
"Woah!" Nora gasped, watching one of the giant viewscreens projected over Amity as Arslan Altan summoned a massively powerful Synchro Monster on her first turn. Even her skilled opponent from Beacon would have trouble handling a monster like that. "Was she always this good, Pyrrha?"
"Huh?" Pyrrha's head whipped up from a note she'd been discreetly glancing at. She stuffed the paper scrap into her pocket and followed Nora's gaze. "Oh, yes. By the looks of it, she may have gotten even stronger while at Haven."
"Now if we can only find some good seats to observe her progress from," Weiss groaned.
The Heroes of The Breach and the NPR of Team JNPR had trickled through the seating section reserved for academy students. Unfortunately, the time it had taken to console Nora and Weiss about the money they'd lost to Qrow Branwen's drunken tomfoolery had prevented them from getting to the pews before they were mostly full. There were one or two open seats scattered about, but finding a group of five to sit together might not have been possible.
"Salutations, my friends! Come sit with me and my team."
As always, the goddess provided. Penny stood and waved the five of them over, the seats surrounding her surprisingly bare save for two other Atlas students, one Ra Yellow and one Obelisk Blue.
The Obelisk Blue was a woman, her navy jacket fully buttoned and her skirt without a single crease. She sat alert with perfect posture, a military beret elegantly sat on her head.
"Greetings," she said, her voice nearly monotone. She gave Weiss an extra nod. "Ms. Schnee."
"Ms. Soliel," Weiss nodded back.
Blake leaned into her ear. "Old military family?"
"Yup," Weiss whispered back.
Old enough military family that her parents moved in similar circles to the Schnees. They were nowhere near as wealthy or powerful, but they had a pedigree of continuous service dating back before the Great War. Weiss had met Ciel at parties they'd both been dragged to, but they'd never exchanged more than pleasantries.
"And of course you remember me, Ms. Schnee!" the Ra Yellow boy hopped up, posing dramatically with his squat form. "Your old friend has returned as your bravest, most dedicated rival!"
Blake, Nora, Ren, and Pyrrha all turned to Weiss. The SDC heiress could only shrug.
"Haha, you do well to hide your trepidation," the Ra Yellow chortled, smugly pressing his finger to his forehead. "But you cannot bury it for long! The Lonely Brave is lonely no longer! Now, he is brave… to the max!"
"Brave Max!" Penny cheered.
"Yeah!" The Ra Yellow chorused. He and Penny smacked their palms together in a double high-five.
Again, everyone looked to Weiss. Again, she could only shrug. "I have no idea who this is."
The Ra Yellow fell flat on his face.
Nora winced. "The Ice Queen strikes again."
"How was that being an Ice Queen?! I was just stating a fact!" Weiss protested. "I really don't know who this guy is!"
"Naoki Shima. Age seventeen. Hails from Atlas," Ciel rattled off like a robot, never deviating her gaze from the dueling action in the arena. "Biological son of the late Chumley and Blair Shima. Adopted son of Colonel and Professor Thelonious Vi–"
"Ah, ah, ah, no need to mention that last part," Naoki shushed his partner, nervously glancing back at Weiss and Blake.
Specifically at Blake.
The cat faunus blinked in surprise at the bumbling boy, several conflicting emotions flashing over her face.
"Professor?" Nora remarked. "Your dad's a professor?"
"Professor Thelonious Viper," Weiss quickly explained. "He's Atlas Academy's combat instructor and deputy headmaster. Think of him as their version of Professor Goodwitch."
And also the military officer responsible for driving the White Fang out of Atlas when it turned to violence.
Colonel Thelonious Viper had served in the Atlas Military since the Faunus Rights Revolution, a drill sergeant's drill sergeant. Loyal to the chain of command above all, his ruthless efficiency made him a useful subordinate to both the conservative generals of the past and Ironwood in the present. He was a lauded instructor but brutally venomous even in situations that did not personally motivate him.
And the White Fang had motivated him greatly. To the great sorrow of the faunus of Mantle.
"Hey, look, our team leaders are dueling! Let's see which one of our teams will survive to the next round!" Naoki jittered, pointing into the arena. "Go Aoi! You can do this!"
"Go Aoi… oh," Penny murmured. "Aoi is dueling Ruby?"
Weiss turned towards the Amity battlefield, spotting Ruby and Aoi facing off amidst the spewing torrents of the geyser biome. A quintet of facedowns manifested in front of Team RWBY's leader as she confidently grinned at her opponent.
"I place five cards facedown and end my turn!" she shouted.
"I see she's going full trickster to start the festival," Blake observed.
"Maybe her uncle's underhandedness inspired her," Weiss groaned. She glanced toward the other Atlesians. "So, Ms. Zaizen… how strong is she?"
"Atlas Academy has the highest percentage of Obelisk Blue students of the four academies," Ciel noted. "Of those students, Aoi has consistently ranked in the top five percent in academics and the top three percent in practical dueling."
"Cool!" Nora exclaimed. "What about the rest of you?"
"The Second Coming of the Kaiserin is the top-performing Atlas student in both academics and dueling," Ciel revealed. "I have most recently ranked in the top percent of academics and the top ten percent of practical dueling. Meanwhile, Mr. Shima ranks–"
"At the top too!" Naoki shouted, puffing out his chest.
Ciel blinked, quirking her head to the side. "That is incorrect based on the last published rankings–"
"I'm sure you're just remembering wrong," Naoki speedily said. "Anyway, you guys wanted to know about Zaizen, right? I don't know what Penny's girlfriend is packing, but she's got an uphill battle against our leader's Trickstars."
Penny blushed, whipping her face away from the others. "I did not fully understand the definition of that word until I got back from the party."
Naoki winced. "Ah, yeah. Sorry about that. Would not have told you to use tongue if I knew you didn't–"
"Let's keep this to dueling!" Weiss insisted. "You're saying Aoi plays Trickstars? As in Blue Angel's Trickstars?"
"Blue Angel? The singer?" Nora queried. "As in 'With The Wind' Blue Angel?"
"The Entertainment Duelist?" Blake clarified. "I know she sponsored Councilman Zaizen's election campaign, but still. That archetype is still really new, right?"
"Yup! Just hit the market a few months ago," Naoki confirmed. "And our team leader's already an ace with it!"
"Crush that Branwen bastard's niece, Zaizen!"
"You're a councilman's sister, right? Do your job and get that riffraff out of here!"
"Show her she doesn't deserve to lead the Heroes of the Breach!"
Weiss and the rest of her Beacon friends scowled at the crowd's yells.
The target on Ruby's back was twofold. The crowd's distaste carried over from her uncle, with their favor clearly being the prize for whoever defeated her. But from a strategic standpoint, no team wanted to have to face The Heroes of The Breach in the later rounds. Defeating a mere Slifer Red to avoid having to face the Schnee heiress and Odd-Eyed Bandit? That was a bargain few would pass on, especially when she was already occupied with another opponent. Already Brawnz of Team BRNZ and Nebula of Team NDGO, along with one other, were rushing toward the in-progress match.
Naoki winced and offered them an apologetic look. "Sorry about that. Her uncle's a jerk, but you guys don't deserve all this."
"Please, you think this is bad?" Weiss chuckled. "This is nothing compared to what Jaune will have to deal with."
Nora nodded sagely. "They will eat him alive to keep from facing Pyrrha."
Pyrrha flinched. "Unfortunately."
"A sensible strategy," Ciel remarked. "Statistically speaking, only Penny rivals your dueling record, and yours is far more extensive due to your tournament experience."
Strangely, Pyrrha scowled at the factual praise. "If they're scared of me, then challenging Ruby is a mistake."
Ciel quirked her head to the side. "Is she your equal? Her official record contains losses to both Penny and Cinder Fall."
"Those are the best first-years of Atlas and Haven," Blake argued. "She's nearly at the top."
"There are many who are 'nearly at the top'," Ciel reasoned. "The world is a big place, and dueling is unpredictable. Those who would challenge it must stand at the top if they hope to survive."
Weiss frowned, unable to dispute the logical girl's reasoning. All she had was her friendship and faith in her partner.
"Ruby is as passionate and crafty as a duelist can be," she declared, focusing on her leader's bright and confident grin. "Five facedowns? With that smile? Ms. Zaizen is stepping into a minefield."
Meanwhile, Penny stared out into the stadium, the bubbly girl uncharacteristically unsure as her team leader and her crush duked it out on the world stage.
Across Amity, Aoi drew for her turn.
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'Please brick, please brick, please brick!'
"I special summon Trickstar Corobane!"
'Crud!'
Ruby struggled to keep her poker face up as a muscular winged fairy sparkled to life in front of her opponent. The pixie beamed with a popstar's charisma, her puffy dress spinning like lavender flower petals as she twirled her mage's staff (ATK 2000/DEF 1000).
"Battle! For hopes and dreams–I mean… uh… grr…" Aoi said, catching her arm about to fly into some sort of flamboyant idol pose. She growled at herself, awkwardly shuffling her feet. "Just… just attack her directly."
Trickstar Corobane thrust its staff forward, the chimes in its crook beautifully ringing as a silver mist streaked through the spraying geysers and slammed into Ruby, her hood fluttering behind her.
Ruby Rose: 2000 Life Points
"Okay, not a great start," Ruby muttered under her breath. "But, at least she only drew one monster to attack with–"
"I activate the effect of Trickstar Lycoris in my hand!"
"Oh right, that."
A rosy aura engulfed Trickstar Corobane, morphing its form into a slighter shape, a new fairy emerging when the glow faded. The pixie brandished an elegant dueling saber, her scarlet dress fashioned after a red spider lily flower, a plant that grew near cemeteries and symbolized death in some cultures (ATK 1600/DEF 1200).
Thanks to her extracurricular research on the new Link archetype, Ruby knew just how well that association fit the new monster. More than any other creature in the archetype, even its Link Monsters, the fairy in the red dress was death to foes.
"When Trickstar Lycoris is in my hand, I can use its quick effect to return a Trickstar monster to my hand to special summon it," Aoi explained, the brunette angrily snagging her arm to keep from instinctually snapping into another pose. "She attacks directly too."
Trickstar Lycoris gracefully lunged across the field and thrust her blade toward the opponent. Ruby darted away, but still got swatted to the ground when the pixie lashed out with a follow-up slash. Team RWBY gritted her teeth as her aura crackled.
Ruby Rose: 400 Life Points
"I lay four cards facedown and end my turn," Aoi announced, her back row nearly filling up with down cards. Ruby's stomach churned at the thought of facing what was hidden beneath them, especially when one certain Trickstar trap card would wipe her out before she got the chance to do anything.
And the crowd was out for her blood.
"That's it, Zaizen! Show that Slifer Slacker what real Obelisk Blue power is like!"
"Put that Branwen scum down!"
"Aren't you a councilman's sister? She had an open field! Why didn't you finish her already?!"
Ruby welched at the first to the shouts, but found her eyes glaring at the insult to her opponent. Trickstars were incredibly effective field swarmers and dangerous when it came to effect damage, but the tradeoff was that there weren't many with attack points much higher than two thousand. Aoi was dueling her with everything she had. They didn't get to insult her for not finishing the match fast enough.
The Atlas girl's eyes glanced toward the direction of the insult to her, but she hid her wince so well Ruby wouldn't have seen it if she wasn't right in front of her. Instead, the Obelisk Blue's hazel eyes narrowed at her opponent's back row, glaring at the five facedowns with suspicion.
"Nothing? Five facedowns and you didn't activate anything? Penny wouldn't shut up about how far you pushed her when you two dueled. I know you're stronger than that red jacket!" Aoi incredulously remarked. "Are you toying with me? Like your uncle did with the Kaiserin?"
"No! N-No, I'm not doing that," Ruby insisted, scrambling up to her feet. Once she was standing though, she realized her statement could reveal her bricked hand, coughing into her fist to regain her poker face. "But you can't set a trap without laying down a little bait. Any huntress worth their salt would know they can't hunt you without their best traps."
Aoi scowled. "Hunt a councilman's sister?"
"No, hunt you–okay, the hunt analogy is getting weird," Ruby shook her head. "I'm here to duel you. The real you."
"The 'real' me, huh?" Aoi mused, glancing forlornly at her Trickstar Lycoris and its elegant popstar dress. "Not sure I know who that is anymore. Let alone if they're strong enough to be a team leader."
Ruby couldn't help a wince of sympathy. "Penny's never had anything bad to say about your leadership."
"Penny isn't there half the time! Either flying off to another school or holing up in a forge doing secret research. And when she is there, she's oblivious! It's like she's off in some fantasy world where everything's sunshine and rainbows and everyone's friends," Aoi groaned. "Not that I don't get how that's preferable. Ciel speaks in status reports, and Naoki is… Naoki. I'm supposed to lead them, but I have no idea what I'm doing."
Ruby's eyes drifted toward her sleeve, her Signer Mark buried beneath it. "Preaching to the choir there."
"No offense, I know dealing with the Schnee heiress and the Odd-Eyed Bandit all in one can't have been easy, but you pulled through to save the kingdom," Aoi replied. "I'm Councilman Zaizen's sister. I'm Blu… I'm not allowed to let everyone down."
"Because you're the bee's knees?"
"Huh?"
"You're special. Even if you never wanted to be. Even if you never asked for it," Ruby said, glaring at the crowd that still chanted for her blood, that still stacked weight after weight on her opponent's shoulders when she was already doing her best. "Well, tough cookies. We signed up to be hunting duelists. The people want us to lead, we lead. We're all not allowed to fail. We push through no matter what they say about us. That's what it means to be strong."
"Nah. To be strong means to win, Slifer Slacker."
Ruby and Aoi's eyes widened at the new voice, both girls scanning the pillars of water shooting up all around them. Only for a stoic mechanical warning to fill their ears.
"Intrusion Penalty! Two thousand life points!"
"Intrusion Penalty! Two thousand life points!"
"Intrusion Penalty! Two thousand life points!"
"Oh, not good," Ruby murmured, six new Star Chips flying into the energy orb that contained her and Aoi's wagers.
She whirled around just as two of the geysers' exploding water descended, revealing a girl with purple hair and a tan guy with a black combover hair. Their eclectic outfits marked them as Shade Academy students, their duel disks extended and ready for action.
"Mind if we cut in, ladies?" the girl sarcastically asked.
"Dragunity and Battlin' Boxers," Ruby fearfully identified them, remembering Sun's intel from the locker room.
The guy cocked an eyebrow. "Huh?"
"Uh, I mean Nebula Violette and Brawnz… something… I'm better with decks than names, alright!"
"My last name is Ni. It's only two letters," Brawnz frowned, clearly insulted. "Whatever, we'll be taking your Star Chips soon anyway."
Aoi hummed, eyeing the intruding pair in consideration. "Are you now?"
"Better beating you both now than trying to take on the Second Coming of the Kaiserin or The Heroes of The Breach later," Nebula smugly grinned. "It's just good strategy to take out a team by smashing its weakest links. Plus, the crowd will thank us for getting rid of this silver-eyed eyesore in particular."
"I mean, sure, but can you really brag about it this way?" Ruby argued, hoping to awaken some inkling of fairplay to keep herself alive.
But Nebula just laughed at her. "Only the strong survive, Slifer Slacker. You should have known better than to expect a fair fight. The desert claims all who let their guard down."
"Funny. I haven't been in the desert in a minute, but I don't remember there being so much water."
A geyser's pillar was smashed apart, water spraying everywhere as sunlight glinted off a head of gold and a winning smile. And most noticeably, a six-pack of rock-solid, toned abs.
"Sun! Oh, you are a sight for sore eyes," Ruby cheered, she and her blonde friend slamming back-to-back with each other. "What are you doing here?"
"You want in on this, Wukong?" Nebula challenged, making to draw a card. Only to find her duel disk wouldn't release it. "Why can't I draw? I entered first!"
"Hehehe, actually, that was me," Sun revealed with a giggle. "I saw you two making for Ruby and thought, 'Wow. I think I should give my friend some backup.' A better show for the people and all."
Nebula snarled. "You little…"
"What?" Sun taunted her. "Did you expect a fair fight?"
Sun Wukong: 2000 Life Points
Nebula Violette: 2000 Life Points
Brawnz Ni: 2000 Life Points
"Seriously, I am so glad you're here," Ruby whispered, leaning in so only her friend could hear.
"Don't mention it," Sun winked at her. "I know you were probably about to spring your super awesome trap on Zaizen, but I figured you could use the backup for the ambush."
Ruby flinched. "Uh, yeah, about that whole 'trap' thing–"
BOOM!
"Oh, what now?!" Ruby whined, a huge fireball rising into the sky from the urban biome.
"Oh my goodness! This might be a new Vytal Festival record!" Professor Oobleck's shocked voice sounded throughout the arena, the viewscreens all flickering to show the explosion site. "Ladies and gentlemen, the first team leader has collected ten Star Chips!"
Ruby's eyes widened. Already?! Would could have possibly won all ten so quickly?
Alas, the viewscreens soon flashed to the same dark-haired woman standing amongst four defeated opponents.
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"You were right," Cinder remarked, her foes smoking on the ground, their auras and their spirits shattered as their clothes smoked. "The duel ended before I got another turn."
Rex Raptor: 0 Life Points
Bonz Kozuka: 0 Life Points
Sid Takaido: 0 Life Points
Zygor Satake: 0 Life Points
Winner: Cinder Fall
One Destruct Potion to destroy her Red-Eyes Black Dragon and grow her life points by its attack points. Then one Red-Eyes Burn to respond to the destruction and deal those attack points to every duelist. With just those two trap cards, the remaining ten Star Chips from the ante orb flew into her palm, joining the two she already claimed from Ushio to make twelve.
"Cinder Fall, Leader of Team CMEN of Haven, has claimed ten Star Chips!" Oobleck announced as the crowd of rabble went wild. "Now, all she has to do is leave the arena, and her team will advance to the next round!"
Cinder took a moment to savor her elegant form plastered across the stadium's giant viewscreens, the peons screaming her name in worship of her strength and all the victory it had brought her. The little orphan girl tortured in the bowels of the Glass Unicorn was nowhere to be seen.
But a shark that did not swim forward drowned, and she played a larger game than this little royale. And to win it, she needed three specific teams to advance to the next round too, three pieces to stay on the board.
One of the viewscreens floating high in the stadium sky stayed fixed on her, but the others flashed to different duels. Arslan Atlan weathered a bombardment of fire monsters in the forest biome, flames spreading through the tree tops. Flynt Coal of Atlas swarmed several opponents around the desert biome's red Star Chip with his Symphonic Warriors. He conjured Link Monsters and musical Djinn Xyz Monsters to overwhelm the other duelists, only a bulky boy with Battleguards holding out.
And most importantly to Cinder's eyes, Ruby Rose and Aoi Zaizen were involved in a mess of a royale amidst a graveyard of spewing geysers. The Ignis girl's leader seemed to be doing alright, but Team RWBY's leader had unacceptably low life points. She would have to tail her and make sure she didn't screw this up somehow. Hopefully, Nikos's leader next to her would be able to back her up until the Haven Obelisk Blue arrived.
Wait, no, the boy next to Ruby was blonde, but he was a monkey faunus. Cinder was pretty sure Nikos's leader was a human. Probably? Probably.
But as she scanned the rest of the viewscreens as she strode out of the urban biome, she couldn't spot a single glimpse of a blonde human in any of the ongoing duels.
Where was the leader of Team JNPR?
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"I think he went that way!"
"Into the forest fires? Are you crazy?"
"We've got aura! Or do you think your scout can beat The Invincible Girl in a turbo duel?"
A hodgepodge of Shade and Haven students scrambled into the depths of the forest biome, braving the blaze of Swordsoul Tenyi's clash with a fire deck to hunt the infamous leader of Pyrrha Nikos.
"I must say, those stealth pointers Ren gave you are quite effective."
"I like to think I already had a good foundation from hiding from bullies back in the day."
Emerging from the underbrush as soon as the last of his pursuers darted deeper into the forest, Jaune darted out of the burning woods and into the desert biome.
He'd hoped to take advantage of Arslan and her opponent distracting each other to snatch the forest biome's red Star Chip. Unfortunately, somebody else had thought of the idea first, and they'd brought a hunting party dedicated to making sure they didn't have to deal with Pyrrha in future rounds. Maybe he could beat one of them, but half a dozen duelists at once? At that point, it was time to tell his pride to shut up and embrace the power of running away.
Fortunately, none of his opponents had duel anchors, and the forest fires had given him an opening to escape. But as he tiptoed across the sands of the desert biome, darting behind rock outcroppings to keep the stadium's cameras from showing him as much as possible, he recognized his situation was still dire if Team JNPR hoped to advance in the tournament.
"I can't just wait this out," he angrily grumbled. "Every second I spend hiding is another second everyone else is getting Star Chips. If sixteen leaders finish, it won't matter if I still have my starting chips. I've got to start dueling!"
"Your logic is sound, but your conclusion is flawed," Astral advised him. "If you start a duel, your status as Pyrrha's leader will cause the viewscreen cameras to focus on you, revealing your location to your pursuers. Unless you can finish the duel quickly, they will have the time to catch up to you and ambush you while you're still vulnerable in your match."
"And finishing duels quickly is not my specialty," Jaune groaned. "Original plan then. Wait until everyone around a red Star Chip's pedestal is dueling each other and snatch it while their back is turned."
Astral glanced into the sky, noting which biomes' giant holographic red stars were still glowing. "The desert biome's Star Chip is still vulnerable."
"Flynt Coal of Atlas defeats one of his opponents!" Professor Oobleck's voice shouted. "He claims his foe's Star Chips as he bears down on his two remaining adversaries!"
Jaune smirked at his ghostly partner. "They do seem distracted."
He dashed out from his rocky hiding place and made his way toward the giant star above the sand. He hoped Ruby and Sun were having an easier time than him.
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"Oh yeah! This is going to be easy!" Sun grinned, flashing his starting hand toward Ruby. "Take a look at this!"
For a second, the silver-eyed girl was worried that he was bluffing as much to Nebula and Brawnz as she had to Aoi. But nope!
A huge smile spread over Ruby's face at the sight of Sun's cards. Faultroll, Boggart Knight, Fulhelmknight, and two Saber Reflections? It was as good a hand as an X-Saber deck could ask for. As soon as he got a monster out, he'd be safe from any damage the interlopers could throw at him. Heck, the intrusion penalty brought them down to two thousand life points, so he could easily swarm the field and take them out before they even got a turn.
"You guys are about to get your butts kicked!" Ruby gloated with a massive grin, pointing at a cringing Nebula and Brawnz.
"We'll see," Nebula ground her teeth together, glancing at her hand with the slightest smirk. "You don't go into a battle royale without at least one hand trap for situations like this."
"Well, yeah, duh," Ruby shrugged. Aside from her usual Infinite Impermanences, she'd sided in one of her dad and Yang's Battle Faders and even a super rare Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring old man shopkeep had loaned her (it was a special treat for accepting his sponsorship deal… it wasn't a bribe! It wasn't pre-discussed!). Different formats required different cards to handle different situations.
"You're going to need more than one hand trap to deal with me!" Sun declared, grabbing the top card of his deck. "My move! I draw–"
"Trap card open!"
Ruby's heart froze. She'd been so distracted by Sun coming to her aid, by Nebula and Brawnz's invasion of the duel, that she'd momentarily forgotten her original opponent.
And the reason why, even when she'd bricked and knew she had nothing, she'd set all five of her facedowns on the field.
She and the Vacuo-born duelists all whirled around toward Aoi, Sun drawing for his turn in the same motion. And the moment the card left his deck, Trickstar Lycoris raised its saber into the air, electricity crackling out towards the monkey faunus.
Sun Wukong: 1800 Life Points
"Ow!" Sun yipped, shaking his hand out. "What was that?"
"Having a hand against a Trickstar duelist is a death sentence," Ruby murmured with terror.
"What?" Sun inquired. "Come on, it was just two hundred points of damage. Nothing to worry about."
"Two hundred points of damage this time," Aoi ominously announced, pointing to her revealed trap card, Trickstar Reincarnation. "So long as Trickstar Lycoris is on the field, each time an opponent of mine adds a card or cards, they take two hundred points of damage for each card they gain."
Brawnz shrugged. "I mean, that's more annoying than scary. You've got to draw for turn, but two hundred damage isn't anything to panic over."
"That's what my trap card is for," Aoi revealed, still pointing to her arisen back row. "Trickstar Reincarnation. Each of my opponents has their hands banished. Then, they draw the same number of cards they had."
Sun paled. "But if I draw six new cards, that means I take–"
"Twelve hundred points of damage."
Ruby winced, wishing she'd had some way to warn her friend of why she'd laid her entire hand facedown before he'd leapt to her defense. Now, she could only watch as his great hand was thrown away, replaced with six new cards while Nebula and Brawnz did the same with their starting hands.
As soon as they replaced their cards, a tempest spewed from Trickstar Lycoris's saber, far fiercer than the sparks that'd zapped Sun before.
Sun Wukong: 600 Life Points
Nebula Violette: 1000 Life Points
Brawnz Ni: 1000 Life Points
"That's a nasty trick, I'll give you that," Nebula growled. "But we can handle one measly trap."
"It seems you can," Aoi concurred. "But what are you going to do about the second one?"
"Second one?!"
Ruby watched with bated breath as another of Aoi's facedowns rose up, revealing, indeed, a second Trickstar Reincarnation.
"Oh man," Sun gulped. "Scarlet's gonna kill me."
The trap card lit up with a brilliant shine, the Vacuo-born duelists losing their hands and forced to draw new cards. The moment they took hold of their new arsenal, Trickstar Lycoris's saber rose as an executioner's blade.
Lightning spewed forth from the fairy's steel, the three duelists of the desert smashed down to the ground. The geysers sprayed thick mist over the trio as their auras shattered.
Sun Wukong: 0 Life Points
Nebula Violette: 0 Life Points
Brawnz Ni: 0 Life Points
Six stars streaked out of the ante orb and soared into the waiting hand of the Atlas Obelisk Blue.
"In a stunning move, three prominent favorites of the tournament have been eliminated in a single stunning combo!" Professor Oobleck announced. "Aoi Zaizen takes the Star Chips!"
The crowd had not yet stopped cheering after witnessing Cinder's dominating conquest. But Aoi's triumph over some of the favorites for the tournament renewed their thunderous roar.
Ruby dashed down to Sun's side to make sure he was okay. But she found her mind occupied with dread, a suffocating smog that formed into two separate monsters in her mind's eye: Trickstar Lycoris and Red-Eyes Black Dragon.
Like Cinder, Aoi was just better at using effect damage than Ruby was. The Haven Obelisk Blue had already cleared the exit requirements to the next round, while Penny's team leader was only four hundred life points from doing the same. Two hundred, as soon as Ruby drew for her turn and Lycoris's saber lit her up with lightning.
Sun had been knocked out of the tournament because he'd come to her aid. Weiss and Blake were counting on her to get them to the next round of the tournament, or at least not lose in the very first duel without even playing a single card! The whole world was watching her!
Yang was watching her. Her sister may have been back on Patch instead of in the stands with the rest of their friends, but she wouldn't miss the Vytal Festival for the world. She was already dealing with so much after Mt. Glenn. Ruby had to at least show her that she could take all the time she needed to get better. That Team RWBY was in good hands until its ace got back on her feet.
Still, Ruby wondered if the shaking in her legs would have still been there if she could hear Yang's cheering in the crowd.
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"That's showing them, Zaizen!"
"Swat that pipsqueak like you did those Vacuo punks!"
"She hasn't played a single card! She must have bricked like an amateur!"
"Don't lose heart, Ruby! A duel isn't over until the last card is played!" Kali called out, her voice a surprisingly potent shout amidst the sea of Team RWBY hecklers in the crowd.
"W–What are you doing?" Yang inquired, peeking out from where she'd wrapped herself in her hooded coat since Qrow's duel.
"I'm a fan of the underdog. Besides, she doesn't deserve to deal with all this pressure just because of her uncle," Kali explained, shooting the blonde a reassuring smile. "Besides, she's the one you're rooting for, right? You're both Beacon students."
"I… I mean, yea, but, well…" Yang stammered, glancing away. "It's complicated."
Complicated in that she couldn't look at Ruby down in the arena or up on the viewscreens without her sole remaining hand shaking. She hadn't full-on flashed back to the tunnel yet, no panic attacks from seeing her twisted sister and Starving Venom looming over her. But her body became tense, her muscles surging with a fearful instinct as unwanted adrenaline tried to engage her fight-or-flight instincts.
She'd planned to reveal herself to her teammates, but with that fantasy of everything going swimmingly had been derailed before she'd even gotten a chance to do it. She couldn't help but be even more terrified of something else going wrong. What if she stood up to cheer for Ruby, only to embarrass her and the others by breaking down in public, with the entire world watching?
She… she couldn't risk that. She was humiliated enough without being a sideshow.
Besides, it wasn't as if Ruby needed her.
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"Why isn't that dolt playing anything?" Weiss worriedly exclaimed. "She has five facedowns and couldn't use one of them to stop Sun from being knocked out when he came to save her?"
"Scarlet is not going to be happy with him," Nora tutted.
"He was a cool guy jumping in there," Naoki said. "But not cool enough to survive Zaizen's signature combo! You should see how killer that thing is when she combines it with Droll & Lock Bird."
"I can imagine," Blake shuddered. "Why do you call her 'Zaizen' and not Aoi?"
Naoki paled. "Well, uh, you see… as Atlas Academy students, we must maintain professional decorum at all times."
Ren and Nora shared a disbelieving glance.
"Atlas students invited us to seven different dorm parties since they arrived at the start of the semester," Ren said.
"And Neon only organized three of them," Nora added. "Pretty sure Atlas kids are still kids."
"Well, we are teammates," Naoki said. "But… well…"
"It may be an overstatement to categorize us as 'friends," Ciel explained, though even her stoic face frowned a bit when she spoke.
"What? That's ridiculous," Nora waved off. "How can you be on a team and not be friends?"
Weiss pursed her lips together. "It's not as uncommon as you'd think."
Teamwork between hunting duelists was a tenet of each academy's curriculum, but how each school interpreted that was shaped by their kingdom's values. Shade prized individual power, the strength to survive regardless of circumstance. Haven saw presence as paramount, the ability to make a big enough splash to be felt across the vastness of the largest territory. Beacon let its students play to what they saw as their strengths, indulging in what Ozpin saw as freedom, and many others called isolationism.
Of the other academics, Atlas's interpretation of teamwork was probably closest to Vacuo's. Ironic given those two kingdoms looked down on each other more than any other. But a weak hunting duelist could not survive the tundra any more than they could the desert.
What made them different, however, was the mechanism of Atlas's mindset. No matter how strong anyone was, they had a role on the team and they were required to play that part. Or else everything broke down and everyone died.
But as Weiss knew from first-hand experience, sometimes people weren't able to pick the parts they were 'supposed' to play. How many friends had been left unmade because she had been cast as the perfect little heiress?
"We are friends," Penny spoke up. "We've spent more than enough time together."
Naoki winced. "No offense, Penny. But… well…"
"Of the two semesters we have been a team, you have spent seventy percent separated from us," Ciel bluntly stated.
Pyrrha glared. "She was selected for the Exchange Program. It was an honor."
"And the research she's done with her father during her labwork sabbaticals is of paramount importance," Ciel clarified. "I do not mean any offense. I simply state the facts of the matter."
Penny looked away, glancing back toward Ruby and Aoi's duel. Her team leader was looking into the palm of her hand, pondering the six Star Chips she'd just won.
Eventually, though, Aoi closed her hand into a fist and thrust her arm into the sky.
"Aoi Zaizen has raised her fist! A preemptive declaration of victory!" Doctor Oobleck announced. "Truly, the leader of the new Kaiserin cuts the very image of a hunting duelist!"
"And sort of a Blue Angel pose?" Naoki mumbled.
"Inaccurate," Ciel stated. "The arm pose is identical, and their facial features have some similarities. But Blue Angel does a peace sign, not a fist."
"Oh yeah, you're right," Naoki nodded. "Think that was why she stopped herself from posing before? She was afraid she'd do it wrong?"
"Our leader is aware of the high standards demanded of her," Ciel remarked.
"And she has never failed to reach them. Or go beyond them," Penny declared, tightening her fist with determination. "No matter how late I was up at the dance, or the lab, or the forge, she was always up to make sure I got back to the room safe."
"I mean, she did help me study when I was failing Advanced Spell Card mechanics," Naoki nervously rubbed his head. "I would not have passed with that seventy without her."
Weiss choked in horror. "A seventy?! That is not passing!"
"Forgive her," Blake cut in. "She still freaks out when she gets a ninety-four."
"Precisely!" Penny said to Naoki, ignoring Team RWBY's interruption. "And what about that signed limited edition Blue Angel figurine she got you?"
Naoki tilted his head in confusion. "She didn't get me a figurine."
"She didn't?" Penny replied, befuddled. "But I saw the record of her having it delivered to the room and then signing it herself. If she didn't give it to you, and she didn't keep it, what did she do with it?"
"Perhaps she resold it," Ciel offered. "Zaizen is a sensible woman, and a limited edition Election Day Concert figurine could be flipped for quite a price if she got Blue Angel to sign it."
Naoki's brow narrowed in thought, fervently nodding. "An excellent idea, partner! We just need to figure out who she sold it to so I can see such a magnificent piece of merch–"
"How did you know it was an Election Day Concert figurine?" Ren inquired.
"Huh? Of course, she'd know. Penny said…" Naoki's voice trailed off, realization coming to his face as he processed that the second Kaiserin had in fact not been that specific on what kind of figurine it was.
He, Penny, and the rest of the kids swiveled toward the stoic Ciel Soleil. The prim and proper girl awkwardly glanced to her side and coughed.
Naoki raced up to her and manically shook her shoulders. "You're a Blue Angel superfan too! You've got to tell me these things, partner!"
"Her music helps make drawing exercises… more efficient," Ciel coughed again, unable to keep a rosy tint from her cheeks. "The tempo of her work is far superior to Ms. Schnee's."
"Hey!" Weiss whined. "I'm not some popstar hack!"
"Why didn't you tell me?" Naoki demanded again, tears welling in his eyes. "I've been dying to talk to another Angel Host member in person. This hiatus of hers hasn't even been a year, and I'm starving for good stuff! My dad just doesn't understand!"
Ciel blinked. "I… do not volunteer information unrelated to mission parameters. I am still unsure how Zaizen was able to learn of my… fandom."
"Because Aoi is our leader," Penny insisted. "Even if we're not much of a team, she's made us however much we are. Even if we're not all friends yet, she's been a friend to each of us."
Ciel bit her lip. "That is… a reasonable hypothesis to draw."
Penny looked down at her hand, her face flickering with internal debate for a moment before resolve washed over her. She turned to Weiss and Blake.
"Please give Ruby my most sincere apologies," she bowed to the Team RWBY pair. "But though I treasure her friendship and feel… other things for her, I cannot cheer for her. My leader needs my support."
"Oh," Weiss replied, her face growing pink herself. To put aside one's love for their duty to their teammates. The Goddess of Notetaking was even more mature than she'd thought.
"Don't worry about it," Blake waved off. "Ruby will understand."
"Thank you," Penny said, rising up and turning toward the arena. "Let's go, team! Our leader is about to eliminate Team RWBY from the tournament!"
"Yeah!" Naoki shrieked, bending into cheerleading poses in front of the railing. "You can do it, Zai–Aoi! You can do it, Aoi! Blast that pipsqueak into the dirt with Blue Angel's aces!"
Ciel gulped, suddenly very nervous as she struggled to join her teammates on the bleachers' front lines. "Death to the opposition!"
A bead of sweat slipped down Weiss and Blake's foreheads.
"I'm glad they started working their stuff out," Blake said. "But I don't think this is going to help Ruby."
"We'll just have to back her up like they are Zaizen!" Weiss declared with determination. "Team RWBY will not lose at cheering!"
"Go, go, Aoi, you're our gal!" Penny roared, her voice somehow booming like someone had suddenly turned a sound system up to its maximum. "Win the Star Chips! Win, win, win!"
Blake winced, clutching at both sets of her ears. "How is she so loud without a loudspeaker?"
"Nora!" Weiss shouted, whirling to her friend. "As of this moment, you are a deputized Team RWBY member! Cheer with everything you've got!"
"Let's go!"
They would not lose this war of escalation. Even if the whole stadium was against Ruby, even if Yang was trapped back on Patch, Team RWBY's leader would know her team was behind her.
She would know that she had their absolute faith that she could lead them. If there was a way to victory to be found, Weiss firmly believed that Ruby Rose would find it.
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Ruby wished she could see a way to victory. Alas, it alluded her sight, her nerves keeping her fingers stuck atop her deck.
"I know how it looks, but the two hundred bit isn't really that bad," Sun joked, still smoking as he knelt next to her. "Nothing to be nervous about."
"I don't know how to beat her. Not with what I've got," Ruby confessed to him, the crowd's calls for her blood hammering down on her as Aoi's fist remained high in the air. "And you… your team got knocked out of the tournament because you tried to help me."
"Ugh. Don't remind me. Scarlet's going to kill me. Hopefully, Neptune will think I was trying to play knight in shining armor, or he might join in," Sun groaned, a bit of anger flashing over his usual chipper face. Still, even if the smile he shot up at her wasn't beaming, it was sincere. "But I made my call to help a friend. Just because it didn't work out doesn't mean it was the wrong call."
"And if I lose? If my luck runs out?" Ruby asked, nervously eyeing her opponent's two remaining facedown cards. "If she had a third Trickstar Reincarnation ready to finish me?"
"What are the odds of that?" Sun laughed. "Luck's a part of dueling. But it sure isn't all of dueling. What's that saying? Luck is when preparedness meets opportunity?"
"I think Uncle Qrow said luck was invented by whiners to explain why they lose and blondes who don't want to look like the bad guy for stealing all the ladies."
"Well, your uncle is crazy. I mean, probably? Neptune's never pulled a lady enough for me to 'steal' them," Sun shrugged. "But assuming my definition is the real one, if you've already prepared as much as you can, all that's left is to see what opportunities you can make, right? You really want to surrender your first duel on the world stage instead of seeing it through?"
Ruby finally managed a smirk. "That's not what a real hunting duelist would do."
Sun's smile grew. "Atta girl."
Aoi pulled down her fist, pensively glancing at one of the stadium walls as Penny and Nora's voices howled about the rest of the audience's clamor. "I've got six Star Chips now. Once I take yours and reclaim my ante, my team will be advancing to the next round."
"If you win," Ruby reminded her, clenching the top of her deck. Time to be strong and push through. "I draw!"
Trickstar Lycoris raised its saber, lightning crackling over the silver-eyed Slifer Red.
Ruby Rose: 200 Life Points
"Trap card open!" Aoi announced, a familiar image rising before her. "Trickstar Reincarnation!"
"Oh, come on!" Sun whined. "You pulled all three of those and Lycoris in your starting hand? Talk about good luck."
"Luck or not, this duel is over," Aoi countered. Her trap card began to glow with a blinding white light.
Only for a ghostly girl in a pink dress to manifest in front of it. The spectral young lady glowed with an unnatural inner flame, conjuring a field of joyful white flowers all around her. The blossom sprouted all over even Trickstar Reincarnation, burning the trap to cinders.
"What?!" Aoi exclaimed, her eyes wide as the bright ghost crumbled away to ashes to be washed away by the geysers. "That was…"
"Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring," Ruby confirmed, discarding that very card from her hand as she glanced up at the viewscreens broadcasting the duel across Remnant. "To explain to any folks at home who haven't run into hand traps yet, Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring is a monster that can be discarded from my hand to negate a card or effect that would add a card or cards from the deck to the hand, send them to the graveyard from the deck, or special summon from the deck. It's one of the rarer hand traps out there. Very tricky to forge and takes a ton of dust even if you do it right."
"Which makes what copies do exist insanely expensive," Aoi growled, her eyes narrowing. "A gift from the Schnee? Didn't expect to duel her money."
"You're not. You're dueling me. The leader of Team RWBY," Ruby defiantly proclaimed, pointing a finger at her unsure foe. "Just like I'm dueling you. Not your brother, not what everyone here thinks you should be, not any other stuff you're dealing with, you. You, as the leader of your team."
Aoi blinked, clearly taken aback by the other girl's words. She glanced at the direction of Penny's cheering again, two other voices faintly under it. The brunette nervously rubbed her duel disk arm. "What… what if I let them down?"
"Speaking as someone whose butt you just kicked without even trying, I don't think that's something you need to worry about right now," Sun spoke up. "At least give her the chance to bust out her crazy comeback combo before you get all mopey about it."
"Y–Yeah. Crazy comeback combo," Ruby murmured.
She appreciated Sun's pep talk, but his hype was really unwarranted. Ash Blossom was a great draw, but it meant she still had the exact same brick hand she'd started with. She couldn't pull off a comeback when nothing had changed from her first turn.
"She won't get the chance. I'm ending this now!"
Oh great! Even worse!
"As Chain Link Three, I activate my final facedown, Chain Strike!" Aoi yelled, the Quick-Play Spell revealing itself. "This card can only be activated as Chain Link Two or higher. When it is, it deals damage to my opponent equal to its current Chain Link number times four hundred. So, twelve hundred points of damage are coming your way to finish this duel!"
Three chains coated in blazing fire erupted from the spell card, streaking through the geyser blasts. The iron serpents steamed as the water dosed them, but their speed only grew as they charged to finish off the effect damage using Slifer Red with effect damage. Just like Cinder would have done.
Except, Ruby had prepared for Cinder.
"I activate my trap card!" Ruby shouted. "Energy-Absorbing Monolith!"
A giant black monolith spawned in front of her, the steaming chains sucked in and transformed into glittering, restorative sparkles.
Ruby Rose: 1400 Life Points
"You had a counter for effect damage in place?" Aoi gasped.
"Something like that," Ruby replied, a bit of hope sparking up as her life points rose. To think after her duel with Pyrrha, she'd considered removing that trap to double the Nature's Reflections in her deck. But since she didn't, she now had some badly needed breathing room after the Trickstars' damage potential.
More than that, she was reminded that something had changed since her first turn: her opponent.
Maybe that comeback combo wasn't too far off after all. After all, a brick one turn could be a winning hand on another.
"I activate my continuous trap card, Ivy Shackles!" Ruby announced, her facedown rising and throwing out thick vines to wrap up Trickstar Lycoris. "So long as this card is on the field, your monsters are all Plant-Types during my turn. Which means I can destroy Trickstar Lycoris with my Fragrance Storm spell!"
Her spell card rose and spat a cyclone of petals across the field, tearing Trickstar Lycoris to shreds.
"Since a plant monster was destroyed, I draw one card. And if it's a Plant-Type monster, I can reveal it to draw another card," Ruby explained, pulling out the top card of her deck. She grinned at the sight of it, flipping the monster around. "I drew Rose Tentacles! So I get another card. And that card is… Graceful Charity!"
"I chain the graveyard effect of one of my Trickstar Reincarnations!" Aoi called out, Lycoris floating into existence sideways, her arms crossed over her chest as if she slept in a seethrough coffin. "I banish it from the grave and revive a Trickstar monster."
Trickstar Lycoris's eyes snapped open, the fairy shooting up into a battle stance as Ivy Shackles wrapped around it once more as she drew her sword. Sparks crackled over the stainless steel as Ruby prepared to draw for Graceful Charity's effect.
It was going to hurt, but she couldn't win without drawing. She needed to keep moving forward!
"I draw three and discard two by Graceful Charity's effect!" Ruby yelled, yanking her cards from her deck, glaring ahead as lightning bloomed from the red fairy's saber and crashed against her aura.
Ruby Rose: 800 Life Points
The silver-eyed girl took a breath and glanced over what she'd pulled. Glow-Up Bulb, Predaplant Banksiogre, and Battle Tuned. Combined with what she already had, she had a chance to create an opportunity for victory.
She just had to make sure she was prepared for it when it came.
"I activate my continuous spell Seed Cannon," she said, discarding Glow-Up Bulb and Banksiogre before flipping up her faithful giant cactus artillery. "Every time I summon a Plant-Type monster, this card gains a counter. I can send it to the graveyard to deal you five hundred points of damage for each counter on it."
"That mean you're finally going to summon something?" Aoi challenged. "Bring it."
Ruby flashed a smirk to feign confidence she wasn't sure she felt. Whether she knew it or not, how her next move turned out would decide the duel.
"I send the top card of my deck to the grave to use Glow-Up Bulb's effect to summon itself from there," she declared, glancing at which card entered her graveyard as the tiny flower with an eye in its bulb cracked up from the rocky landscape (ATK 100/DEF 100). "Then, I tribute Glow-Up for my Rose Tentacles."
The flower bulb sprouted into a giant rose squid, numerous thorny stems flailing about, ready to strike like stinging whips (ATK 2200/DEF 1200).
"At the start of the Battle Phase, Rose Tentacles' effect lets it gain an extra attack for every Plant-Type monster on your field. And thanks to Ivy Shackles, you've got one," Ruby pointed out, her confidence true at last as her monster raised two of its spiky vines. "Battle! Thorn Whip One!"
Rose Tentacles wound up the first of its ivy limbs, snapping it toward Trickstar Lycoris with vibrant ferocity.
"Bad move. I activate the effect of Trickstar Corobane in my hand!" Aoi shouted. "When one of my Trickstars battles your monster, I can discard Corobane to make that Trickstar gain attack points equal to its original attack points!"
Silver mist from Corobane's staff sprinkled over Trickstar Lycoris, giving the sword-wielding fairy an extra lavender glow (ATK 3200). As Rose Tentacles' strike smashed against her side, the spritely pixie wrapped her arm around the stem and stopped it cold.
"I activate Battle Tuned!" Ruby yelled, slamming her Quick-Play Spell into Crescent Rose. "I banish a Tuner from my graveyard, and one monster on my field gains its attack points. I boost Rose Tentacles by the attack points of Predaplant Banksiogre!"
Rose Tentalces' vines bulged (ATK 4200), spikes sprouting from its side and stabbing Trickstar Lycoris to death.
Aoi Zaizen: 3000 Life Points
"You had a Tuner in your graveyard with two thousand attack points?" Aoi queried. "Don't see that every day. Not many break fifteen hundred."
"My deck's full of surprises," Ruby grinned, her final facedown card flipping up and spewing rose blossoms all around her opponent. "I activate my trap card, Blossom Bombardment! When my Plant-Type destroys your monster in battle and sends it to the graveyard, you take damage equal to that monster's attack."
Aoi's eyes widened, throwing up her arms to shield herself as the blossoms all exploded.
Aoi Zaizen: 1400 Life Points
Yet, when the smoke from the blasts cleared, Trickstar Lycoris was back on the field, this time kneeling on a defense position card.
"I still have more Trickstar Reincarnations in my graveyard," Aoi reminded her, pulling one from her graveyard slot. "By banishing one, Lycoris returns in defense mode. Your Rose Tentacles only has one extra attack, so you won't be able to attack me directly. You'll destroy my monster, and I'll just bring it back again."
"No. I don't need to destroy your monster," Ruby said, Rose Tentacles relaxing as the Battle Phase ended. "This duel is already over."
"What?" Aoi stammered, her eyes frantically scanning her opponent's backrow, empty save for Seed Cannon and Ivy Shackles. "How? You don't have any facedowns left."
"She doesn't need them," Sun boasted. "She's got Seed Cannon loaded and ready to go."
"It only has two counters, it won't do enough damage. She's only summoned two plant monsters, Rose Tentacles and Glow-Up Bulb–" Aoi's face froze, realization widening her eyes. "... what card was sent to the grave for Glow-Up Bulb's revival effect?"
Ruby shot her opponent a sympathetic smile, but she didn't stop herself from hitting the button on her duel disk that she needed to. It was time to be a bit ruthless. Both to her opponent and her monster.
"I said Rose Tentacles to the graveyard," she commanded, the monster that saved her butt disintegrating to fertilizer by her own hand. "This activates the effect of World Carrotweight Champion in my graveyard, letting it summon itself to the field."
Her martial artist made of carrots (ATK 1900/DEF 0) sprouted up from the fertilizer of Rose Tentacles. The moment it appeared on the field, Seed Canno bloated to tremendous size with its third counter, the geysers below beginning to rumble.
"Like I said, this duel is over," Ruby declared, the crowd quiet just for a second as she thrust out her arm. "Seed Cannon! Fire!"
The giant cactus exploded, spikes the size of scythes streaking toward Aoi. Once more, the Atlas girl threw her arms in front of her face, hunkering down as the bombardment tore through her aura, the geysers around her erupting from the impact.
Aoi Zaizen: 0 Life Points
Winner: Ruby Rose
The ante orb shattered, the four Star Chips flying into Ruby's outstretched hand. She let out a sigh of relief as the stadium viewscreens updated with her victory. Team RWBY was still in the tournament. She hadn't completely failed as her friends' leader.
Yet, as she placed her new tokens in the special wristband provided for the royale, she couldn't help a returning pang of unease.
"That was awesome!" Sun exclaimed, staggering to his feet and patting her on the back. "Told them you'd pull off an awesome comeback–"
"Don't get a big head, Slifer Slacker!"
"You just got lucky! You wouldn't last a second with a real strong duelist!"
"Count yourself lucky you caught a weak one for your first opponent!"
"Weak?" Ruby snarled, glaring out at the audience, her patience with their heckling spent.
Aoi had fought an efficient, immaculate duel. She'd taken advantage of every opportunity, only losing because she'd had to use her first two Trickstar Reincarnations on the invading duelists. She would have beaten Ruby handily if she'd still had all three. Heck, even though she'd lost, she'd come out better than the victor, still in the tournament with six Star Chips instead of four. And the audience dared call her "weak"?
Ruby did her best to block it out and push through like General Ironwood advised her. But it was hard, her self-doubt mixing with new, scalding rage.
She dashed over to Aoi, offering the other girl a hand up to try and do something constructive. "That was a great duel."
Aoi blinked, confused for a moment, but in the end, she did take Ruby's hand. "I should be telling you that. Penny wasn't kidding about your skills. I've never seen someone go from bricking to winning like that before."
"I got lucky," Ruby deflected. "If Sun and the others hadn't shown up, you would have crushed me. I guess my uncle putting a target on my back… actually that still sucked. It got Sun eliminated."
"He came to back you up because he wanted to help you. Only a real friend could inspire that kind of loyalty," Aoi pointed out. "I'd say it was just you preparing for the duel in a way you didn't realize. Not… not everyone can do that."
"Go, go, Aoi! Go, go, Aoi!"
"Death to the next opposition!"
For a moment, Penny and two other people's voices rang out above the crowd, their cheers cutting through the stadium's vitriol. Aoi stared toward their source, seemingly shocked by what she was hearing.
Ruby smirked. "Sometimes, we're better at things than we think. Better than other people think we are when comparing us to our family."
Aoi let out a morose chuckle. "I love my brother. I'm grateful for everything he's done for me. Sometimes, when I'm being especially childish, I want him to pay more attention to me than his work."
"Nothing wrong with wanting to spend time with your family," Ruby shrugged.
"But you have to be able to stand on your own two feet from them too," Aoi pointed out, clenching a fist. "My brother has a friend, a huntress he worked with in his mercenary days. She's able to take on the most dangerous missions, and he never worries about her. If I can learn to be strong like that, to be a real hunting duelist and not just some idol Entertainment Duelist, he won't have to worry about me. Maybe I can even help other people the way he's helped me."
"I mean, I grew up watching cool Entertainment Duelists, so I don't think there's anything wrong with that," Ruby shrugged. "Dealing with heavy stuff all the time would make people exhausted. Helping them take a break seems like something worthwhile."
Aoi managed to crack a small smile. "Never thought of it like that. Guess it's one way a blue angel's tears can redeem evil."
"Oh! You know that book too!" Ruby grinned, recalling the children's book that had long predated the popstar.
Aoi beamed at the recognition. "My brother used to read it to me all the time. I always wanted to be like the heroine in the book."
"Same! That was one of my favorite bedtime stories my sister read me," Ruby raved. "Do you think that Blue Angel lady was inspired by it?"
"Maybe," Aoi laughed. "With how much Naoki and Ciel fangirl over her, she hopefully has some taste."
Ruby was glad to see the Atlas girl smile. Every time she'd seen Penny's leader before, the other girl had been moody and struggling to deal with everything on her shoulders. But it seemed the duel had helped lift a bit of those burdens. It was the first time she'd ever seen the brunette give a happy smile.
Actually, there was something familiar about her face when she was smiling. Especially when she thought about Entertainment Duelists. Why had she been worried about becoming one of those in the first place?
Wait, that face when she was smiling really was familiar. Was it–
"And the incendiary duel in the first biome reaches its fiery conclusion! Arslan Altan has been defeated!"
"What?!" Ruby exclaimed, both she and Aoi whipping their gazes up to the viewscreens, all other thoughts banished from their heads as they watched the Golden Lion of Haven take a knee as her aura broke. "She's Pyrrha's old rival! Who could have beaten her?"
The viewscreen shifted to the forest fire blazing around Arslan, the blaze casting shadows over the victorious figure and her volcanic monstrosity.
Fortunately, the theme song roared by a familiar fanbase in the crowd cleared up the mystery duelist's identity rather quickly.
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Arslan Altan: 0 Life Points
Arslan was disappointed that she wouldn't get to duel Pyrrha in the Vytal Festival.
"She's a cheetah on the plains, she's a highway star!"
But as a duelist, she had no regrets about her defeat. She'd given it everything she had against a most worthy opponent.
"Supersonic princess in a million lien car!"
She looked up from her kneeling position, watching her opponent stride out of the flames.
"Blood on fire pumpin' through her veins! Weavin' in and out while I'm boltin' through the lanes!"
Volcanic Emperor faded from her side, her exquisite black and gold duel disk transforming back into a purse.
"I'm hyperdrive, overdrive, hit the gas at fifty-five! Break neck, trainwreck, in my presence, genuflect!"
The blaze glittered off her dark mocha sunglasses, her hand gracefully accepting Arslan's Star Chips from the ante sphere.
"Track roundin', speed-a-soundin', 'lectrifyin', pulse-poundin', heart-pumpin', brain-thumpin', watch me get the party jumpin'!"
Amidst the flames, she fixed her beret atop her head, flashing a charismatic grin down at her best foe. "Now, that was a duel, beautiful."
Arslan would later insist the heat that rose to her cheeks was from the flames.
"CAFFEINE!"
Winner: Coco Adel
"I… I ask you not to lose, if you can," Arslan coughed. "I would rather lose to the champion."
"Wasn't planning on it," Coco smirked.
She glanced up at the stadium's viewscreens. The pack leaders were starting to near ten Star Chips, with only the volcano biome and the desert biomes still having their red Star Chips. But only one duelist had already gotten the ten needed to advance.
Strangely, Cinder Fall showed no interest in leaving the arena and qualifying for the next round.
Even more so, Coco grinned at her name in the viewscreen's stats.
"Looks like I'll be getting a rematch with Team CMEN even sooner than I thought," the leader of Team CFVY declared, marching off through the flames.
RWBYRWBYRWBYRWBYYUGIOHYUGIOH
"All clear?"
Flynt Coal: 2100 Life Points
Cardin Winchester: 1200 Life Points
"Clear."
Flynt and Cardin were distracted by their duel, the Beacon student panting on one knee as his battleguards faced down a pair of powerful Djinn Xyz monsters from the Atlas duelist. Given two other duelists were already laid out unconscious over the sand, their Star Chips on the Mantle native's wristband, the odds were that the leader of Team CRDL would not last much longer.
Which meant it was the perfect chance for Jaune to leap out from behind a rock, dash over to the podium behind Flynt, and grab the red Star Chip from where it floated in the air.
"Huh?" Flynt gasped, glancing behind him. "Who the heck are you?"
"Arc?" Cardin exclaimed, a smile spreading over his lips. "Finally. Just stay there and I'll be right with you–"
"Running away now!" Jaune yelled, doing just what he said.
"Damn, dude's got some fancy feet," Flynt whistled, watching the Ra Yellow bolt across the desert, sand flying everywhere from his rapid steps. "But I'll catch up with him later to get those chips back–"
"Get back here, you blonde jackass!" Cardin screamed. "We're settling up here! Lava Battleguard! Swamp Battleguard! We're going for it! Overlay Network!"
Jaune did not look back as he heard the familiar noise of an Xyz Summon occurring, heat flaring on his back. Astral floated beside him, observing the duel as his partner fled.
"His Xyz Summoning is much better than during our previous match with him."
"I'm aware!"
"He's just summoned a Number. He has turned the duel around."
"Not looking for color commentary!"
"And Cardin Winchester of Team CRNL pulls off a comeback victory against Flynt Coal of Team FNKI!" Professor Oobleck announced. "But Jaune Arc of Team JNPR snatches the red Star Chip from under their noses. Just goes to show that a hunting duelist must always be mindful of what they have to protect."
"Not helpful, doc!" Jaune panted, pausing to lean against a rock cliff to catch his breath.
Since the red Star Chip was worth five regular ones, and he still had his starting two, he had seven chips to work with. If he could sneak over to the volcano biome without anyone scared of facing Pyrrha in future rounds noticing him, he could grab that red Star Chip too and then he'd be good to escape the arena so his team could advance. He just needed to lie low–
"There he is! It's Nikos' leader!"
Oh, come on! Stupid Doctor Oobleck and his viewscreens showing him stealing the red Star Chip and giving away his location!
Jaune raised Crocea Mors, the duelists who'd been after him in the forest biome charging across the sand. He was still winded from his run before and his back was to the cliffside. Escape was unlikely at best. But he didn't like his odds of surviving them all at once–what was that whistling sound?
"You may wish to hug the cliff," Astral suggested.
Hug the cliff? Why would be–oh shit, flaming rocks! Flaming rocks were falling from the sky!
"Scatter!" the leader of the anti-Pyrrha hunting group shrieked, giant volcanoic boulders smashing down around them.
Jaune pressed himself against the cliffside, squeezing his eyes as molten rocks crashed into the desert, turning the sand to glass with each crash. The anti-Pyrrha party fled the bombardment, the falling rocks building up into a giant wall that separated them from Team JNPR's leader.
When Jaune cracked his eyes open again, a big grin split his amazed face. Talk about a stroke of luck! He could escape to the volcano biome and grab its red Star Chip–
"ARC!"
Cardin stomped into the crevice created by the cliffside and his new molten wall. The monster that had created that wall, that had rained down the lava boulder bombardment and probably defeated Flynt, faded away as the Ra Yellow stalked toward Jaune, his duel disk raised and ready.
Astral's eyes narrowed. "Jaune, that was a Number."
"Good to know, but way ahead of you," Jaune replied, already turning to rush away.
Until…
"So that's it, huh? You're still the same yellowbelly you were last semester?" Cardin spat, venom clear in his voice as soon as the other leader turned his back to flee. "You gonna take the coward's way out? Run away to another red chip? Or are you gonna fight?!"
Jaune paused, his feet suddenly feeling like lead in the sand. He knew the other boy hadn't mastered a duel anchor yet. He could be forced into this match. And yet, he couldn't make himself advance.
"Astral. I need you to double-check my logic."
The spirit nodded. "Of course."
"I've been avoiding duels so I don't get swarmed, so I can make sure Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora make it to the next round, so they can show the world what they're made of. But I don't think this is a duel I can run from. Is that just my stupid pride, or is it a good instinct?"
"It is not without tactical merit," Astral assessed. "Cardin is an opponent you know. You have experience with his tactics and knowledge of most of his deck. In addition, his personal stake in this duel may cause him to ally with you if any interlopers make it past this new wall."
Jaune nodded. Whoever was left in the royale was sure to be going after the volcano biome's red Star Chip. Meanwhile, if he beat Cardin, he could get the remaining Star Chips he needed for his full ten. Cinder already had hers already, so it was only a matter of time before the other frontrunners got theirs and filled the sixteen slots for the next round. If Team JNPR's leader was going to keep pace with his more experienced, more skilled competition, he couldn't just run.
More than that, he was Team JNPR's leader. He had been blessed with amazing teammates who had helped him rise to the level he needed to be at. Now, it was his responsibility to lead them. That meant hiding when the necessary move was to hide… and fighting when the necessary was to fight.
Like Ruby had told him, he had to put everything into being enough.
Jaune turned around and met Cardin's eyes, raising the red Star Chip. "Three Star Chips."
Cardin grinned, pulling three of his tokens from his wristband. "Done. Three chips."
Both men's bets flew across the field and met in a crackling ante sphere. They raised their duel disks, ready for action under the eyes of the world.
Jaune Arc: 4000 Life Points
Cardin Winchester: 4000 Life Points
"Let's duel!"
I'm not sure how effective this chapter is. I tried to do a lot that may just work better in the TV medium rather than the literary medium, along with a wide focus trying to keep track of a lot of characters. I hope that the chapter was able to sell the grand and chaotic feeling of the battle royale.
Next Time on Cards of Remnant!
"Bring it out! Bring out your Number!"
"Mind if I watch with you kids?"
"Jaune is the leader of Team JNPR. He can handle a Number."
"I'm dueling you with the strategy best suited to beat you."
"I'm not weak!"
"No wonder your sister can't look you in the eye."
Next Time on Cards of Remnant: Leader Royale: Lessons Learned
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Go Forth and Conquer!