Cards of Remnant

by TheMaster4444

Ruby Rose has wanted to be a Hunting Duelist all her life, to train her aura to manifest the monsters in her deck to fight the Grimm. So when she gets an invitation to join her sister at Beacon Duel Academy, she jumps at the chance. But old powers are stirring, and ancient summoning methods not seen in eons are about to clash, with the fate of Remnant in the balance.

48. Happy Birthday, Ruby Rose! - Part 2

Author's Note before we start.

Thank you SO MUCH to every reviewer who takes the time to alert me to errors in the duels of this story! I truly mean that. My game plan for this story has always been for the rules and cards of this story to, with only a few minor exceptions, be as close to the real-life TCG/OCG as possible. Despite my best efforts, I am very human and fallible and can miss stuff in the mapping stage of each duel or my effect planning. Alerting me to the mistakes I've made helps me recognize and, in the best-case scenario like Adam's Shien combo, build something good upon them. Worst case scenario when they're too woven into the duel to edit out and replace after the chapter is posted, I at least know to never make that mistake again.

To that end, thank you to the Guest reviewer who alerted me to the error I made in the Aromaseraphy Jasmine and Predaplant Sarraceniant interaction. That is 100% my fault and I deeply apologize to everyone for it. Alas, that interaction is too woven into the duel to fix without a ripple effect that would basically need to have those turns completely overhauled (that section of the duel was VERY difficult to figure out). I am sorry for the quirk of the duel, but please consider it an anime-only slip-up. One that will not be repeated.

However, to that same Guest reviewer, I wish to clarify why I deleted the reviews you left about the activation timings on Starving Venom and Predaplanning's effects (my deepest apologies for any anxiety that caused, I wanted to communicate with you to explain, but didn't have an effective manner of doing so until the new chapter was ready). While I have zero objections to being alerted to the mistakes I make in the duel writing, that interaction was not a mistake and it's perfectly legal, so I didn't want it confusing anyone reading the Review Section. Starving Venom Fusion Dragon and Predaplanning effects are both triggered by Starving Venom's fusion summon and therefore form a Simultaneous Effect Go On Chain, the only time a Spell Speed 1 effect can activate as a higher Chain Link than a Spell Speed 2 effect. I have tested this in EDOPro and confirmed through there that it works that way (I found out it was possible when I was testing possible combos for an earlier portion of the duel and was curious if Starving Venom's effect could be put after other card effects in the chain of its summoning).

Once again though, I am IMMENSELY grateful that you guys doublecheck my duels and help me recognize and improve upon my mistakes in the duels. It means the world to me! :D

Now then, on with the show! :D

Beta-ed by xenosaiyan

---

She'd waited until everyone left for Ruby's birthday duel. She didn't want to bring down the mood for her sister's long-awaited match with Pyrrha.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Besides, if her new arm had arrived, she might as well give it another go.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

She'd tried as soon as she'd been able to move without her muscles screaming in agony. Once that was the case, she'd set up the same dust formula she'd used years ago, added in the last shard of her lost ace, and got to work.

BANG! BANG! BAN–BEEP!

Only to fail. As she always did.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Yang slumped down in front of the family forge, her aura failing to solidify the dust she'd tried to bind to the last piece of Hot Red Dragon Archfiend. The attempted repairs to the card shard crumbled away in rainbow sparks, their power spent before it could become a self-sustaining whole.

"Well, that didn't work."

Yang scowled at the wry observation, turning to spot Mercury at the open entrance to the forge, two slices of cake on a plate in his hand.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"I came here to laugh at you," he bluntly replied, scooping up another forkful of food.

Yang wanted to growl at him but found it only came out as a winded sigh. Ever since she'd woken up at the hospital, she'd felt so… lethargic. Even when she wasn't tired, it felt like she had no energy. Like her Burning Soul had run out of fuel to blaze with. Or even ignite.

She glanced down at the last shard of Hot Red Dragon Archfiend, held in her left hand. Because she no longer had a right hand. Because while the rest of her team was proving their mettle and saving the kingdom against impossible odds, she was abandoning the position Ruby told her to keep and getting crushed by a cartoon-loving gremlin.

Because she was weak.

She collapsed back against the side of the forge, lamely staring at the floor, littered with the ash of her failed forge job. "Well, there's plenty to laugh at. Go on ahead."

For the first time since she'd known him, Mercury held his tongue. The silver-haired smartmouth just grabbed another forkful of cake and gobbled it up. His chewing was like pounding drums to Yang's ears.

"You want to stare instead? Stare at the freak? The broken dragon that pretended she was strong?" Yang challenged, partly just to fill the silence. Neo had left her wary of silence. "What? Do you want me to say you were right? You were right! I'm nothing compared to what's out there. Clear Wing didn't choose me, no Signer Dragon chose me, and they were right not to. Hot Red Dragon Archfiend is gone and I can't bring him back!"

She was supposed to have been the team ace, the one who looked after the others when they needed help. But on her first real hunting duelist mission, she hadn't even been able to scratch her enemy. Neo had toyed with her the entire duel, picked her apart, and laughed at her every step of the way. Now, she was forcefully lefthanded, her beloved duel runner was barely better than junkyard scrap, and her ace, her pride and power that she'd forged with her own hands, had been torn apart while she couldn't do anything to protect him.

Not to mention after that last illusion the pink and brown-eyed bitch had pulled, she could barely look at her sister. Ruby had stopped rushing into rooms in the house with her semblance because the first few times she'd done it when Yang got home, it'd triggered panic attacks in her sister. She'd taken to announcing when she was entering a room to make sure she didn't startle the blonde.

But no matter how much she tried to be accommodating, no matter how much she tried to hide it behind that bright smile and bury herself in training, Yang could see the pain it caused Ruby. The pain she was causing her little sister with her weakness.

"I'm unworthy," she mumbled, her head hanging low.

Unworthy of Clear Wing or a Signer Dragon. Unworthy of Hot Red, who she failed. Unworthy of her friends, who'd risen above the odds to save so many lives. Unworthy of her father, who'd cared for such a useless wreck. Unworthy of both mothers who'd left her behind.

Unworthy of her sister, who'd bloomed so beautifully into the leader and hero she was born to be.

"You unworthy of cake?"

Yang's head whipped up to see Mercury now close, holding down his plate with a single slice of cake remaining. Knowing what food meant to the glutton, her eyes narrowed.

"I don't need your pity," she scoffed.

"Just take the cake, blondie," he chuckled, paraphrasing her words from the dance. "You got, what, three kilograms to replace?"

Yang gaped at him, her eyes darting to the empty space her arm used to occupy. Her gaze whipped back up to his face, his cocky smirk in place as always.

She burst out laughing, the full, hearty kind she thought only her dad could still get out of her. No one else would stop pitying her or looking away awkwardly long enough to joke around and trade barbs like before Mt. Glenn.

Damn did she miss it.

"You are an asshole, handsome," she giggled.

He smirked back. "Hey, if you really are unworthy of cake, I'm not going to turn down your slice."

She shoved Hot Red Dragon Archfiend's shard in her pocket and snatched the plate from his grip before he could even think of making good on that taunt.

Of course, once she had it, she was reminded that she no longer possessed the two hands necessary to both hold the plate and grab the cake off it. At least, so long as she wasn't wearing the gift from Atlas up in her room.

But if she put that on, everyone would just expect her to be back to 'normal'. Or, what she'd claimed was her normal before, the unstoppable badass of Burning Soul who could incinerate any opponent that threatened her or her friends. Her dad said that losing an arm didn't have to stop her from being what she wanted to be and he was right.

She was the thing stopping her from being what she wanted to be.

She wanted to be a hunting duelist, to experience the praise Summer had given her when she'd won her first duel all over again. She wanted to feel like she was worthy of her super mom who chose to love her even if she wasn't hers. Apparently, Raven had even dropped in to give Ruby a few tips at The Breach before ducking out but still didn't deem Yang worthy to receive a word from her.

She wanted to be able to feel good about herself. But apart from being a hunting duelist, apart from being strong, she didn't know how. She didn't know if she could.

Without her arm, without her archfiend, without a friend in need of protecting, what the hell was the point of Yang Xiao-Long?

"You're supposed to eat it, not stare at it," Mercury teased her as her gaze was frozen on the cake plate. "Come on. There are tables for you to put it on inside. Plus your own fork. You can stare at that while you mope all you want."

Once again, Yang found herself chuckling at the barb. It was nice to fall back into their usual repartee, like he still felt she could take it. Didn't hurt that he was the first person to see her since Mt. Glenn whose eyes didn't instantly stare at her stump or conspicuously look anywhere but at it. Even her dad had taken a few weeks to get that down.

"I am not moping," she sarcastically pouted, picking up her plate as she stood. "I am ruminating on my failed, but valiant efforts."

"You got your butt kicked and you were moping about it. Now let's get inside so I can read your sister's X-Ray & Vav comics while you do."

Once again, Yang found herself genuinely laughing as she followed her favorite asshole out of the forge littered with her failures.

---

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"I activate Pot of Greed and draw two cards!" Ruby called out, doing just so. Her silver eyes scanned the new acquisitions, her brow furrowed in contemplation before she slid them both into Crescent Rose. "I lay two cards facedown and end my turn."

"No monsters," Weiss noted, Pyrrha's mighty Shark Drake looming over her partner's empty field with nearly eight thousand attack points. "Not good."

"Trap cards can be just as useful in the right situation," Blake pointed out. "And since Shark Drake doesn't have any effects to take them out, it's probably better for Ruby."

"Probably," Sun nodded. "Plus, Pyrrha's only got one draw. Even if she gets Mystical Space Typhoon, she can't take out both the facedowns. And she's got no discard for Twin Twisters–"

"I activate Pot of Desires! I banish the top ten cards of my deck to then draw two cards!" Pyrrha announced, excitedly smashing the spell into her bronze duel disk.

"You were saying?" Emerald snarked as the Invincible Girl pulled her two extra cards.

"Okay, not great," Sun admitted. "But hey, what are the chances she pulled exactly what she needed on just those two extra draws–"

"I activate Pot of Avarice!"

"Oh, come on!" Sun whined, Blake and Emerald chuckling at his exasperation as Pyrrha returned her Isolde, Morning Star, Assault Halberd, and two Double Lances to her deck in order to draw two additional cards. "What? Is she going to draw the Pot of Jackpot next?"

Nora snorted. "There's no Pot of Jackpot, silly. And if there was, Pyrrha would have already drawn it. Because she's awesome."

"Definitely awesome," Jaune concurred, his smile exceedingly affectionate towards his partner. "But maybe a bit too excited. I mean, she shuffled Heroic Challenger - Morning Star back into her deck. Since her life points are less than five hundred, she could have summoned it back to the field. Heck, she could have done it last turn and finished Ruby off then."

"She's not used to her opponents being able to get her life points below even half," Taiyang reminded them. "I can't imagine she's had many opportunities to even think about using that effect in her career."

"True, but Pyrrha's… Pyrrha!" Weiss argued as if that explained everything. "She wouldn't just forget something crucial like that."

"She might," Jaune chuckled. "If she was having enough fun."

"I activate Monster Reborn!" Pyrrha called, the spell flashing its unmistakable symbol over her field. "I special summon one monster to my field from either of our graveyards."

"She just returned most of her graveyard to her deck," Blake mewled, her eyes narrowed at the Monster Reborn symbol. "Is she going Jarngreipr?"

"I mean, she's gotta be," Nora shrugged. "What else is there to summon–Not Jarngreipr! That's not Jarngreipr!"

Weiss' eyes widened as a thin form of violet and ivy green slithered out from the glowing emblem of Monster Reborn. Most definitely not the composed red and silver of Heroic Champion - Jarngreipr, the jaws of Pyrrha's new monster dripped with acid as it took a knee on a sideways defense position card (ATK 2800/DEF 2000).

The Invincible Girl grinned. "I summon Starving Venom Fusion Dragon in defense mode–Oh!"

Her exclamation was cut off as Starving Venom quirked its head at the sight of Ruby on the opposite field and whipped its head around to the new duelist who'd summoned it from the grave. The dragon's yellow eyes narrowed at the Argus girl, its barbed tail circling around towards the redhead.

Everyone on the sidelines, even Nora, paled at the looming creature.

"Has somebody other than Ruby ever summoned that thing before?" Emerald worriedly queried. "Or, has somebody whose not the one who made it ever had one of your dragons on the field."

"Nope," Blake shook her head, Taiyang drawing his duel disk and readying Red Dragon Archfiend just in case things got out of hand. "But… uh… Monster Reborn should mitigate any issues with summoning an opponent's picky monster."

"Should," Weiss quietly murmured.

Jaune's fingers tightened in fists, terrified for his partner. "He's not actually going to eat her, right?"

Weiss dearly hoped not.

---

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Pyrrha felt it the moment that Starving Venom Fusion Dragon hit her field. A rush of power, a power she now recognized as magic, danced throughout the Fusion Monster. It felt different from the flavors of Order and Chaos that glimmered from her Numbers, even the wellspring of power held within Silent Honor Ark. She suspected what she was feeling was the dragon's sheer might with Creation and Destruction Magic. While the Pillar Dragon and its reservoir was still bound to Ruby, she also received some of its bounty with her move.

It was… honestly intoxicating. She hadn't thought much about the two types of magic that surged through her when she brought forth her Over-One Hundred Number against Ilia. But with her body already in the throes of euphoria from the duel's excitement, filling her with four different types of magic made her feel like she was flying, like Emerald in the bouncy house.

She was surprised when Starving Venom turned toward her, its eyes narrowed in suspicion and its tail ready to gut her. Shark Drake swooped in between the Fusion Monster and his mistress, its ravenous throat rumbling with a warning.

But Pyrrha held up her palm, waving her Xyz Monster off as she beamed at the Pillar Dragon of Fusion.

"You've still got plenty of hunger for this duel, right?" she questioned. "Think you can keep up with ours?"

Starving Venom blinked, clearly surprised by her challenge. Its yellow eyes flickered between her and Shark Drake, the Number shooting it a cocky smirk.

Slowly, Starving Venom's jaws split into a wide, dripping grin. Its claw came up and clasped Shark Drake's own, the two roaring in camaraderie as they did a 'bro handshake'.

"Did they just become best friends?" Nora queried from the sidelines.

Pyrrha chuckled, falling into a ready stance. "I wanted to give you the worthiest opponents I could, Ruby. What do you think?"

Starving Venom happily waved at his original duelist, salivating more and more as he stared down the person he admired most as a temporary adversary.

Meanwhile, Ruby's eyes had glassed over, staring at her Pillar Dragon on Pyrrha's field. Her body shook under her hood and Slifer Red jacket.

No, not shook. Jittered. Jittered with excitement.

"This…" Ruby grinned, beaming with shining light. "This is a duel."

Pyrrha mirrored her opponent's excited grin. "There's the Ruby I know. Battle!"

Number 32: Shark Drake frothed seawater from its jaws, shaping the ocean around itself like a bullet casing. With a thunderous crack, the leviathan rocketed across the field.

"Trap card open!" Ruby called, one of her facedowns flipping up and flashing an energy shield around her. "Defense Draw! I take no damage from this battle and draw one card."

Shark Drake smashed against the trap card's barrier, flipping from the force of its deflection and landing back at Pyrrha's side. The champion smirked at Ruby's only remaining facedown, hoping her deduction of its identity was true. She'd summoned Starving Venom in defense mode in hopes of outfoxing it.

"I lay two cards facedown and end my turn," the redhead said, sliding the last two cards in her hand into her duel disk.

Her blood felt like it was on fire, flowing through her with luminous excitement. The chaotic power that filled her when she summoned Shark Drake danced around her, red and blue light flickering across her skin, gifting it a purple sheen.

And it was only growing brighter as she watched Ruby draw for her turn, her excitement at an all-time peak.

"I activate Basal Rose Shoot!" Ruby called out, sliding a spell into Crescent Rose. A whirlwind of rose petals swirled around her, glowing with a cheerful pink shine as Black Rose Dragon reformed on a sideways card (ATK 2400/DEF 1800). "I summon a Rose Dragon from my hand or grave in defense mode."

Pyrrha smirked, her emerald eyes sparkling at Ruby's last remaining facedown. "I take it that's what I think it is? Or did I summon Starving Venom in defense mode for no reason?"

Ruby smiled right back, her trap card rising. "I activate Zero Gravity! Every monster on the field changes battle position."

The wave of green flooded out from the revealed facedown, Black Rose Dragon and Starving Venom Fusion Dragon wrenched up from their sideways cards. Meanwhile, Shark Drake was shoved down into defense position, where it was fully vulnerable to Ruby's ace.

"Rose Restriction!" Ruby called, removing Glow-Up Bulb from Crescent Rose. "I banish one Plant-Type in my graveyard, and Black Rose Dragon changes one of your monsters to attack position and reduces its attack points to zero!"

The Signer Dragon thrust out thorny tendrils of black vines, ferociously wrapping around Shark Drake's fins and wrenching it back to its feet (ATK 0).

"Good! Good, Ruby!" Pyrrha complimented. "Now you're getting into it!"

Yet, if this was all her friend had to offer, it would not be enough. The two cards Pyrrha had set at the end of her last turn were the traps Chaos Burst and Poseidon Wave. If Black Rose Dragon attacked the defenseless Shark Drake, either of them would stop the battle cold and obliterate the Slifer Red's scant remaining life points.

But Pyrrha wasn't worried. After all, her opponent still had one card left in her hand. And only a fool underestimated Ruby Rose when she still had a card left to play.

"I normal summon Rose Girl," the silver-eyed Signer announced, the spritely flower pixie taking shape before her (ATK 800/DEF 600).

A spritely flower pixie that was also a Level Three Tuner.

"Yes! Yes! Don't hold back! Show me everything you've got!" Pyrrha laughed, Starving Venom and Shark Drake both grinning at her side. "Bring it out!"

Bring out the monster not even The Second Coming of The Kaiserin could beat in a straight-up battle.

"I tune Level Three Rose Girl with my Level Seven Black Rose Dragon!"

The spritely flower fairy broke up into three swirling tuner rings, Ruby's majestic Signer Dragon dissolving into seven twinkling stars that soon lined up within them.

"Body born from the speed of light! It's time for revolution! Ride forth into a world of bloody evolution!" the silver-eyed Signer chanted, her mark blazing crimson on her arm as a pillar of light erupted through her tuner rings. "Synchro Summon! Level Ten! Baronne de Fleur!"

An armored warhorse stampeded onto the cliffside, stampeding around Summer Rose's grave with a cyclone of pink flower petals swirling in its wake. The rider ended its gallop in front of Ruby, hunkering behind its tower shield as its lance was raised toward Pyrrha's monsters (ATK 3000/DEF 2400).

"Once per turn, Baronne de Fleur can destroy one card on the field," Ruby reminded everyone, vigorously pointing at one of her opponent's three back-row cards. "And I think you have too many facedowns, my friend."

Baronne de Fleur's lance followed its duelist's finger, a bolt of pink lightning blasting out of its tip and incinerating the hidden Chaos Burst.

"Battle!" Ruby called. "Baronne de Fleur attacks Number 32: Shark Drake! Storm Flower Stampede!"

The noble knight readied its shield and aimed its lance atop it, straight at the powerless sea serpent. For a moment, all was still on the Patch cliffside, only the faintest breeze of autumn stirring the errant orange leaves.

Then the warhorse erupted forth and thunder split the air, its hooves hammering atop the grass to slay its monstrous foe.

"I activate my trap card! Poseidon Wave!" Pyrrha yelled, her pink-bordered trick flying up and conjuring a tsunami to tower over Ruby's calvery. "This card targets your monster and negates its attack. And then, it deals you eight hundred points of damage for every Fish, Sea Serpent, or Aqua-Type monster I have on the field–"

She didn't even finish speaking before Baronne de Fleur raised its tower shield, calling its trailing flower petals to coalesce at the barrier's tip. The flora blazed, becoming a blinding pillar of pink light that reached up to the heavens.

Only to be brought down in a calamitous slash that sliced the colossal wave of water and the trap card that spawned it in two.

"Baronne de Fleur's other effect! Once while it's face-up on the field, it can negate a card or effect and destroy it!" Ruby roared. "I got you, Pyrrha!"

Baronne de Fleur stampeded through the parted sea, its lance sharp and ready to strike. It was smaller than the leviathan that was Shark Drake, yet somehow it still managed to eclipse it. The brave knight would slay the monster and win the day, just like a fairy tale.

"You are magnificent, Ruby," Pyrrha declared. "You wanted to know if you had the power to face what's to come, if you had what it took to claim the destiny you seek. I will tell you this: your potential is unlimited. And Team RWBY could not ask for a finer leader."

Baronne de Fleur's lance neared Shark Drake's eye, ready to spear the beast from head to stern. By all conventional wisdom, all the perfect dueling training that had created The Invincible Girl, Pyrrha had lost this duel.

Yet, through her friends and the chaotic magic they'd led her to manifest, she had far surpassed convention.

"Trap card open!" Pyrrha screamed, her old favorite from her mother's archetype finally revealing itself. "Full-Armored Xyz!"

A pillar of bright purple light radiated out from her trap, growing to massive size in the blink of an eye. Pyrrha and Shark Drake were swallowed by the violet column, Baronne de Fleur's lance deflected by the sudden shine.

Bellowing wind surged forth from the sudden expansion, wiping away the remnants of the tidal wave and forcing Ruby and the spectators to hunker down amidst the storm. Pyrrha knew she was glowing for real now, the magic of chaos and order dancing across her body in a harmonious purple firework. A firework that flooded into a card in her Extra Deck, a blank card she'd taken as a misstep in her morning forging experiments.

Yet as Shark Drake howled with triumph and words she'd never spoken bubbled up in her throat, she was able to glimpse the joy to come.

Dueling couldn't always be fun. But when it was, it was the best thing in the world.

---

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"Aaaaaahhhh!" Nora howled, the muscular girl grabbing hold of Jaune and Ren to keep them from being blown away by the whirlwind rushing out from the duel. "How the heck is Pyrrha doing this?!"

Weiss had no idea, though she hadn't really had the time to notice. Only Mr. Xiao-Long had been able to summon monsters to help fast enough to beat the racing winds, a pair of Red Gardna shielding the students from the worst of the blowback. But the Schnee heiress had still been quick enough to conjure gravity glyphs to ground the spectators that didn't have a pancake-fueled berserker to keep them from flying off.

"That trap card did all this!" Emerald squawked, the green-haired girl raising a hand to shield her eyes from the blinding pillar of purple light blasting away the clouds in the sky. "What the hell does it do?!"

"Ice Queen?!" Sun queried, everyone's eyes save Taiyang's instantly whirling on the heiress.

"I saved the whole kingdom and still that nickname endures?" Weiss complained under her breath. "Full-Armored Xyz has a powerful graveyard effect, especially when used in conjunction with the rest of its archetype! But when it's activated on the field, it just allows its duelist to instantly Xyz Summon if there's already an Xyz Monster on the field!"

"But that doesn't make any sense!" Jaune shouted, his scraggly body flapping in the hurricane-force winds as Nora used all her strength to keep him from flying off. "Even putting aside this storm, Pyrrha can't Xyz Summon now! She's only got one monster with a level on the field! How's she gonna Xyz Summon, when she's got nothing to build the Overlay Network–"

"Shark Drake! The time has come!" Pyrrha's voice called out with the wind, pressing down on Ruby and her mighty knight as her Number rose into the pillar of purple light. "Merge with your material and evolve! Rebuild the Overlay Network!"

"Rebuild the Overlay Network?!" Blake exclaimed. "Since when does Pyrrha know Rank-Up Xyz Evolution?"

But the Odd-Eyed Bandit missed how Odd-Eyes glowed from her deck box, too focused on keeping her feet on the ground as most of the group were. She missed how Taiyang's Signer Mark blazed crimson, his face fixed on Pyrrha's effulgence form with grave concern. She missed how Starving Venom threw back his neck and roared with excitement as the spiral galaxy of an Overlay Network spawned in the heavens above his ally.

Truthfully, the magic didn't feel like it spread far, concentrated as it was. It was clear whatever Pyrrha was doing, her power was still nascent. No one beyond Patch, likely no one beyond the cliffside would be able to sense it even if they were looking for it.

But Weiss felt Dark Rebellion's warning, his reminder of a duel she'd fought not long ago in that same spot. She turned towards Jaune, Astral's blue and red irises flashing through his eyes as he meant the SDC heiress' gaze, both of them realizing that this was most definitely not Rank-Up Xyz Evolution.

Even then, they had no idea how The Invincible Girl could suddenly do it.

"Chaos Xyz Evolution!"

Shark Drake's body folded in on itself, transfiguring into a spikey maroon capsule floating high into the heavens. When its peak touched the swirling stars of the Overlay Network, a blood-red supernova exploded above the grave of Summer Rose.

"Swim up from the abyss with the radiant shine of chaos and order! With your virtue and glory, make your kingdom of dreams come true!" Pyrrha cackled, her entire body ablaze with blazing violet light. Her hair tie was snapped off and blown away by the power it sought to contain, the champion's scarlet mane fluttering behind her like the flag of a long-forgotten goddess. "Number C32: Shark Drake Veiss!"

The hurricane winds were all sucked back in to shape an artillery strike of water that soared out of the blood-red supernova. The raging sea crashed down into the Invincible Girl's Extra Monster Zone, a thunderous splash unveiling an even sleeker Shark Drake, its body now white with red orbs implanted in its joints and three purple Overlay Units circling its form (ATK 2800/DEF 2100).

"She did it," Taiyang muttered under his breath, so quiet Weiss was likely the only one who overheard it. "But how did she do it without a Rank-Up Magic?"

"That is so cool!" Ruby squealed, the hooded girl bouncing with excitement as her silver eyes gleamed at her opponent's new monster. "Also, really nice of you to name it after Weiss."

"Named it after–" Weiss sputtered, an embarrassed blush lighting up her cheeks. "Don't spread such scandalous rumors, you dolt!"

Ruby tilted her head in confusion. "What are you talking about? She said it was Shark Drake Weiss."

"Yeah, Weiss. No need to be modest," Nora beamed, flashing a thumbs-up while Ren and Jaune panted for breath on either side of her now that they weren't flying off. "We all heard the name."

"Veiss! Shark Drake Veiss!" Weiss corrected.

"That's what she said," Sun shrugged. "Shark Drake Weiss."

"Veiss! Not Weiss!" Weiss screamed. "There's a 'v' at the start, not a 'w'! It's a completely different word!"

"Is it though?" Blake mischievously taunted, slipping in to plant a sly elbow on her teammate's shoulder. "And would you really be disappointed if a 'mature, muscular redhead' named her new monster after you?"

Weiss' heart nearly stopped at the thought, her cheeks a scandalous crimson as she glared at the cat faunus. "You are dangerous when you're not depressed."

"Hahahahahaha!" Pyrrha laughed, everyone's attention drawn back to the duel as the usually focused, respectful Argus champion cackled like a madwoman at the sight of her new monster. "Thank you, Ruby! Thank you so much! Thank you for this wonderful duel!"

"You're welcome!" the leader of Team RWBY beamed back. "I've gotta admit, as much as I was trying to think this through with my head, I'm really glad it's ended up being so much fun."

"There's nothing wrong with thinking things through or logically planning, Ruby. Sometimes duels require us to be invincible," Pyrrha consoled. "But no one can wear a crown of thorns forever. If all you do is beat yourself up every time things don't go according to plan, you'll shatter yourself before your enemy ever has to bother."

The champion from Mistral raised her hand, folding her fingers back in a 'bring-it' gesture as her wild hair fluttered about her smiling face.

"Just keep moving forward. And come clash your Burning Soul with mine."

Ruby's lips broke into a clever smirk. "You want my Baronne to take on your new Chaos Number?"

"It would win you the duel," Pyrrha taunted.

"Yeah, it would. Except you've got Full-Armored Xyz in your graveyard. And you can banish it to equip Shark Drake Veiss with an Xyz Monster on your field or in your graveyard, boosting its attack points," Ruby countered. "I attack it, and I lose."

"And yet if you don't attack, you still lose," Pyrrha teased. "If it becomes my turn again, Starving Venom will simply copy Baronne de Fleur's abilities and blow it away with its own destruction effect."

"Oh, I know," Ruby coyly replied, pointing a finger at Shark Drake Veiss. "Like I said, if I attack it, then I lose."

The Si;ver-Eyed Signer's pointer finger slid to the left… right at her own Pillar Dragon.

Starving Venom Fusion Dragon licked its lips in anticipation.

"Full-Armored Xyz's graveyard effect can only equip an Xyz Monster with another Xyz Monster. It can't do anything to boost a Fusion Monster. And thanks to Zero Gravity, Starving Venom is no longer in defense mode," Ruby declared. "Barrone de Fleur! Attack! Storm Flower Stampede!"

Once more the trumpet sounded, the armored knight leveling its lance at the ferocious dragon like a hero out of the storybook. With pink petals swirling behind it, the warhorse stormed across the battlefield to turn the final page.

Starving Venom, in his glee, charged right back, acid flying from his fangs as his talons lunged for mount and rider both. Yet, for all his power, he was outmatched by his champion's boss monster. No matter how great the titan, some obstacles simply could not be felled alone.

But evolution was not a power obtained alone. And it took strength to endure long enough to find those who could help you achieve it.

"I active Shark Drake Veiss's special ability!" Pyrrha called, the Chaos Number flicking one of its Overlay Units into its teeth-filled maw. "By using one Overlay Unit when I have one thousand or fewer life points, I can banish a monster from my graveyard to reduce one monster's attack and defense to zero until the end of the turn."

"What?!" Ruby gasped.

Shark Drake Veiss let loose a ghastly wail, a stream of seawater shooting from its mouth and forming a whirlpool blacker than the afterlife. From the hellish chasm, the ghost of the original Shark Drake was summoned up, ravenous as ever.

"Shark Drake! Starving Venom Fusion Dragon! Let us unite our hunger and devour Baronne de Fleur!" Pyrrha called out. "Drag her to the depths!"

Number and Pillar Dragon roared as one with The Invincible Girl. The spectral Shark Drake launched itself like a bullet, its intangible form flooding into Ruby's knight and arresting the horse's charge (ATK 0/DEF 0).

With Baronne de Fleur's momentum robbed, Starving Venom Fusion Dragon was easily able to swoop in and slice its warhorse in two, the botanical dragon's jaws chomping down on the fairy tale knight with a heavy crunch.

The Synchro Monster's body exploded, the shockwaves echoing back to her duelist as her aura shattered.

Ruby Rose: 0 Life Points

Winner: Pyrrha Nikos

Starving Venom hollered with triumph, already rushing further across the battlefield to devour the defeated.

"Ruby!" Tai shouted, already rushing for his daughter. Weiss and Blake bolted after and then outpaced him with their speed, their minds racing with stories about how Perry had been temporarily swallowed.

Only Ruby's command of her Pillar Dragon had kept the platypus faunus from being digested then. But would she have any authority over him now? He'd just been bested by him, like any other foe. Would his champion have any more worth to him now that he'd seen others could wield him just as well–

"Wait!"

To Weiss' shock, Ruby's shout was not meant for the dragon towering over her, but for them! The red-hooded girl held out a palm to keep her friend and father at a distance, extending another across the field to Pyrrha, who was already moving to remove the Pillar Dragon's card from her duel disk.

"Are you crazy, you dolt?!" Weiss shrieked. "He's going to… to…"

Actually, shouldn't he have eaten her by now? They'd all seen how fast the green and purple dragon could move and he'd so close to Ruby already. Even now, his shadow fell over the Slifer Red like a Goliath eclipsing a Creeper.

Yet, Starving Venom Fusion Dragon's expression was pensive as he looked down at her. Yellow eyes so used to stalking prey were instead scrunched up, conflicted.

"And now the bouncy house does its work," Ruby preened, smirking up at the terrifying dragon with a gloating smugness. "You can eat me if you want. Gobble me whole, take your time chewing, so many options. I know I taste sweet with all the cookies I wolf down. But if you eat me, I'm gone."

"Yes! You will be!" Weiss panicked. "What is she doing?!"

Taiyang, his fear somehow washed away, came up beside her with a warm chuckle. "If all we do is work or fight, even if we love doing it, eventually we'll give out."

Blake wistfully smiled, her concern gone as well. "She showed him there was more than the battlefield. Just a bit."

"What?" Weiss squawked. "I don't think Ruby knows there's more than battlefields in life."

Starving Venom pouted, conflict clear on its lips as it mewled.

"You're not disrespecting me by not eating me," Ruby assured him. "And if you are, so what? Maybe it's okay to be a little rude?"

Starving Venom snapped back, its eyes wide and aghast.

"I don't mean be a complete jerk," Ruby clarified. "But maybe some duels aren't huge battles of ancient honor and unending respect for your worthiest of opponents. I mean, some people are jerks and you don't really want to duel them more than you have to. But others are so awesome that you've just got to duel them again, to see what they'll become the next time you face off. And maybe it's okay to be a little selfish and not eat them so that can happen."

The fusion dragon pursed its jaws, considering but conflicted with guilt.

Ruby sighed, glancing toward her mother's gravestone with a resigned expression on her face. "Look at it this way, isn't keeping people around more important than being perfectly respectful of them? No one can be replaced. You could duel with Pyrrha as your new duelist if you ate me, but you'd never be able to duel with me again. Maybe you'd like Pyrrha even better. You probably would, she's awesome. But all the experiences you might have had with me, all the duels, all the fun, it'd be gone forever. Maybe it's selfish to want to protect people to preserve those experiences, but do you really think it's wrong?"

Starving Venom's eyes widened. The eldritch yellow orbs suddenly looked skittish and scared, darting across the duel field between Ruby and Pyrrha.

Weiss watched the entire affair with a completely flummoxed expression. The only one more shocked was Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon. Even in spirit form, its lightning fangs were slackjawed at the sight of its sibling.

'She's actually getting through that thick skull of his? She's a miracle worker.'

"Miracle worker, huh?" Weiss remarked. "No arguments there."

Starving Venom's tail suddenly whipped back, snapping around Pyrrha from across the field.

"That idiot dolt!" Weiss shrieked.

The green and ivy dragon wrenched The Invincible Girl, now free of whatever purple sheen had glowed around her in the duel, back to himself. He dropped her into one of his claws, scooping a finally panicking Ruby up in the other. And then…

… he pressed the two against each other.

Weiss cocked an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"Hi, Pyrrha," Ruby squeaked, her cheeks squished against Pyrrha's.

"Hello again, Ruby," the Argus girl replied, her face equally squashed against Team RWBY's leader. "Great duel."

"Thanks. You too."

Starving Venom frowned, pulling the two duelists apart a bit only to smush them back together while the crowd watched on in confusion.

"Is he trying to make them kiss?" Nora pondered.

"He better not be," Weiss grumbled, not appreciating Blake slipping in to pat her on the shoulder in 'comfort'.

Ruby's brow furrowed as she stared up at her monster. "Starving Venom, are you trying to smush us together so that we fuse into one duelist so you don't have to miss out on the experience of dueling with either of us?"

Starving Venom nodded, pulling the pair apart to try for a third time while everyone else present facepalmed. Weiss felt Dark Rebellion send her a mental apology for his sibling being… his sibling.

"I'm no fusion expert, I don't think this is how it works," Pyrrha winced in sympathy.

"Yeah, you'd need a duelist to manifest a Polymerization's effect outside a duel," Ruby said, only for her face to become unsure. "Right, Blake? You're the fusion expert."

"It can't be done," Blake shook her head. "You all know what it's like trying to manifest a spell or trap outside a duel. If you're lucky you'll use half your aura to get a tenth of the effect. There's a reason we're not raining down Raigekis on the Grimm nonstop."

"Yeah, but if someone could find a way to fully manifest a Polymerization outside a duel, couldn't they merge two people together?"

"No! Well… uh…" Blake stammered, the cat faunus faunus scratching her chin. "I mean… I've never really thought about it–"

"No," Taiyang answered far more certain. "Not with a Polymerization card."

"What do you mean?" Weiss inquired.

"Polymerization's effect fusion summons a monster using monsters from a duelist's hand or field as material," Taiyang explained. "Even outside a duel, it can only combine creatures made of the aura of the duelist using it, not other people. Doesn't matter if you could find a way to manifest it effectively."

"Not with a Polymerization card," Ruby mumbled her father's previous words. "Does that mean there's some other card that can–"

"I'm going to stop you right there, Ruby," Tai spoke up, his fatherly authority in full force. "I know the way your mind works. I know you're already thinking of 'wouldn't it be cool if it could do this' possibilities. But really think about what it would mean to fuse two people together. Sure, it could in theory be a wonderful expression of love, fusing two souls that adore each other together. But it could also wreak horror the likes of which Remnant has never known. Power like that is best left undiscovered."

Ruby took a moment to process her dad's seriousness, then nodded in understanding. She pivoted into an apologetic smile up at Starving Venom. "Sorry, buddy. You're out of luck."

Starving Venom mewled in disappointment, but it gently placed Ruby and Pyrrha back on the ground. Both duelists came forward to his legs, the Silver-Eyed Signer wrapping one in a hug while The Invincible Girl placed a fond palm on the other.

"It was a privilege to be able to duel against you and with you," Pyrrha warmly said. "I looked forward to the next occasion I may indulge in either."

Starving Venom bowed his head to her. He may not have eaten her, but there was no doubt in Weiss' mind that he was nearly as fond of the Argus girl as he was of Ruby.

Yet, when Pyrrha stepped back, it was Ruby he reached his claws around, returning her embrace with unsure whimpers.

"I get it. I'm scared too. Changing who you are is scary, but it's how you become the person you're destined to be. The person you choose to be," Ruby declared. "But if you're with me, then I'm with you. We gotta keep moving forward. The hunger never ends."

Starving Venom mewled in solidarity, his aura body fading soon after.

Ruby turned to the one who'd bested her. "Thank you for the present, Pyrrha."

"Happy birthday, Ruby," the champion smiled. "You were magnificent. I can't remember the last time anyone but Professor Ozpin got my life points down to a hundred."

Ruby pursed her lips. "Would you say I'm on par with Ilia? I'm not trying to be hard on myself, but I do want to know where I stand, how much of a gap there is between me and the people I've got to stop."

"No need to be concerned. As long as you're being fair to yourself, I'd say your new ambition to improve is a virtue," Pyrrha reassured her. "As for how your skills compare to Ilia's, I'd say you've gotten onto her level, at least from when I dueled her. In some ways, you may be even stronger."

"Good to know," Ruby nodded, a flicker of relief passing over her face. "Still wasn't enough to beat you though. When did you learn Chaos Xyz Evolution?"

"Also, what is Chaos Xyz Evolution?!" Sun shouted.

"I second that question," Emerald numbly nodded. "That light show was not normal aura manifestation."

Pyrrha nervously chuckled at her friends, rubbing the back of her free-flowing hair. Perhaps strategically, she kept her focus on Ruby and her question. "Uh, just now, actually. I've never done it before. I think I could only do it now because you pushed me to evolve."

"But what is it?!" Sun asked again, pointing to himself and Emerald. "Does everyone know except us two?"

"It's a long story," Nora told him. "Confidential Team JNPR stuff."

Emerald pointed to the Team RWBY members. "But they're not–"

"Confidential!" Nora yelled.

Ruby and Pyrrha laughed at the other redhead's enthusiasm. But then, The Invincible Girl placed a firm, comforting hand on the shorter girl's shoulder.

"I can tell you from experience that standing on a pedestal is not easy. But there is power in it. Power that can help others, as we both desire," Pyrrha comforted the younger duelist. "In time, you may have to claim your own pedestal as high as mine. But rushing it won't help you or anyone else. Take the time you need to grow into your power. I promise I will use all my strength as 'The Invincible Girl' to protect everyone until you're ready. Until everyone has reached my heights."

Ruby nervously chuckled. "I mean, those heights are pretty high, Pyrrha."

"That's putting it lightly," Weiss murmured. "Do you really expect any of us to be able to rival your power?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if all of you surpassed me," Pyrrha beamed. "After all, you're all so amazing."

Weiss half expected Blake to start teasing her again with how deeply she blushed. However, The Invincible Girl's loving sincerity had somehow turned the cat faunus' cheeks red with embarrassment too. Mr. Xiao-Long cackled at how off-guard they'd been thrown, Team JNPR grinning at their ace.

Then a mechanical droning boomed through the forest, like an aircraft passing overhead. Everyone looked up to find that such was exactly the case, a grand metal stadium soaring through the clouds above, escorted by Atlas Military manta rays and Vale government bullheads.

"Amity Colosseum," Ruby muttered in awe. "It's going to Beacon."

"And we're going to be competing in it," Weiss grinned. "We're actually going to be dueling in the Vytal Festival!"

"Did not expect my life to ever turn out this way when I was a kid. Especially with these out in the open," Blake said, purposefully twitching her cat ears. "But I can't say I'm sad about it."

"Tell me about it, sister," Nora sagely nodded. "One day you're living out of a dumpster, the next you're fighting in the biggest tournament in the world on live CCT. Dreams can come true."

Pyrrha furrowed her brow in thought, her battle lust reigniting across her face. "Then how about we make a new dream. A destiny to work toward for this festival in particular."

"What'd you mean, Pyr?" Jaune inquired.

"The final round is a full team relay duel. One duelist takes on another until only one side has duelists remaining," Pyrrha said. "How about we set about making it a Team RWBY vs. Team JNPR finale?"

"Yeah!" Nora hollered. "We know all their weak spots! We'll break their legs!"

"Not if we break yours first," Blake teased back.

"Precisely," Weiss backed up her teammate. "After all, I don't recall you all saving the entire kingdom a month ago."

"That was a month ago. You're old news now, ladies!"

"How dare you?" Weiss shot back, playing up the insulted aristocrat for the fun byplay. "Ruby, do you have any japes you'd like to exchange with these hooligans?"

"Eh, I'm not sure I can do it," Ruby winced. "The finals idea, I mean. Not the… japping."

"Ha! See! You fools have already lost–what?!" Weiss exclaimed, whirling on her partner in shock.

Pyrrha blinked in surprise. "Really? Why?"

"It's not that I'm against it. It sounds epic! It's just, well, me and Yang have already made some challenge promises," Ruby explained. "I need to show Cinder everything I've got. Yang has to show Mercury how fun a duel can be. The only way we can both keep those promises is if the final round is Team RWBY vs. Team CMEN."

"Heresy!" Nora shouted.

"You and…" Pyrrha's face fell. "Forgive me for asking this, but… will Yang be able to keep that promise?"

"What do you mean? You think she won't be able to compete?" Ruby queried. "Of… of course she will. It's Yang!"

Weiss wished she could have spoken up to support her partner's insistence. But given the shape their team's blonde scout had been in after Mt. Glenn, there was no guarantee that she'd be recovered enough to compete in the Vytal Festival. There was no guarantee that she'd be recovered enough to even attend the Vytal Festival. Realistically, their best option was to field Blake or Ruby for the Turbo Duel round, especially if the Odd-Eyed Bandit was able to get her runner back from the police impound.

But everyone's knowledge of that realistic situation in the face of Ruby's hope caused a dour mood to settle over the grave of Summer Rose.

"Okay, let's not get too down, everyone. This is still a party," Taiyang clapped, pulling the surrounding teenagers out of their miasma. "There's still a bounce house back at the cabin. And, ice cream."

"Yeeeeessssss!" Nora, Jaune, and Sun cheered, their arms shooting up in celebration. Even Ren's smile got wider at the mention of the frozen treat. Pyrrha regrouped with her team, Emerald coming up beside her to ask again what the heck a Chaos Xyz Evolution was.

Leaving Weiss and Blake with the chance to flag down their team leader.

"Are you sure you're okay, Ruby?" Blake inquired. "How you were acting during the duel was very uncharacteristic."

"I was being a bit hard on myself. Not sure how to stop exactly," the Slifer Red nervously laughed. "But Pyrrha helped me out. I'm fine now."

"You said you were fine when we messaged you over the last month," Weiss scolded. "You didn't mention you were dealing with any of this while you were 'fine'."

"I didn't want to bother you guys while you were busy with the PR tour. Blake could have gotten thrown in jail if that went wrong," Ruby argued, leafing around in her pocket and pulling out her scroll. "Though while you're here, I've been getting a lot of sponsor offer messages for the team and I need your thoughts on them."

Weiss sighed, her worry that her partner was slipping down the slippery slope of overworking herself increasing. "Ruby, it's your birthday. We can save researching sponsors for another time–"

"Oh, I already did the research."

"What?!"

"Yup. During my off-time in-between training and forging and that stuff," Ruby shrugged. "Did you know that corporations are all, as a rule, super evil?"

Weiss, the heiress of an amoral billionaire, shared a sarcastic look with Blake, a lifelong civil rights activist and freedom fighter.

"Yes."

"Guess I walked into that one," Ruby admitted, passing her scroll to Weiss. "I've tried to weed out the worst ones, but even the best ones are mostly pretty bad. The more I looked into it, the more it turned out that most places were price-gorging like crazy during the dust shortage. Wanted to double-check with you guys since you probably know stuff about my short list that I don't."

Weiss dove through the research her friend had pulled together. It wasn't as well-organized as her or Penny's notes, but it was thorough, Ruby applying the same obsessive intelligence she did to the task as she did dueling and forging.

The SDC heiress remembered back to her first duel with her partner, how she'd been concerned that the carefree red-hooded girl wouldn't be up to the tasks demanded of a leader. She was certain that Ruby before Mt. Glenn would never have been able to pull off something like this on her own. She probably would have 'delegated' the task solely to Weiss and just gone with whatever she said while she merrily snacked on cookies and adjusted her deck.

"You put this together?" the white-haired incredulously inquired.

"It's just another battlefield," Ruby shrugged. "My job, even if I don't enjoy it."

Huh. Maybe there were upsides to the Mt. Glenn mission's consequences.

Blake glanced over Weiss' shoulder at the short list of possible ethical companies. "From Dust 'Till Dawn?"

"Admittedly, I owe the owner of that one a favor. He got robbed like three times because I met Torchwick there," Ruby said. "His offer isn't much compared to the bigger businesses, but he also hasn't done anything really bad from what I've been able to find out."

"Price gouging, price gouging, exploiting their employees, unethical animal experimentation," Weiss flipped through the shortlist, a bit depressed that Ruby was right about such places being the best of what they had to work with, morally speaking. At least until she stopped at one name. "This one looks good. Coal Family Dust & Card Shop. That name rings a bell for some reason."

"You might have heard of them back home. We got an offer from the one in Vale, but the main one was a family business for generations in Mantle," Ruby explained. "Apparently, a brother from the last owner moved down here to start up his own place."

"That's nice," Weiss smiled, liking the idea of supporting someone who broke off from the family legacy to build their own. "Maybe we can accept their offer and see if the Mantle store wants to get in on the deal."

"We can totally take their offer, but the Mantle store went out of business a few months ago."

"What? Why?"

"According to the CCT forums?" Ruby nervously replied. "Um… aggressive market influences applied by… uh… a larger competitor."

Weiss' eyes narrowed. "Which larger competitor?"

Ruby sighed. "Your dad."

Weiss took a deep, furious breath. "We're accepting Coal Family Dust & Card Shop's sponsorship offer. And turning down any that the SDC attempts to extend."

Blake worriedly frowned. "Uh, Weiss, I am all for helping small businesses that don't suck, but the money they're offering is a pittance."

"So?" Weiss snorted.

"So, it won't be enough to cover your Beacon tuition if we need to," the cat faunus pointed out.

Weiss paled. "Oh… right, that."

"Beacon tuition? Why would that be a problem?" Ruby asked. "Weiss is rich."

Blake shook her head. "Her dad–"

"Does not control me," Weiss insisted. "And I will not let him compromise me in fear of him. We take the Dust 'Till Dawn and Coal Family sponsorships. No one gets the support of our names if they're not willing to do the right thing."

"Uh, okay?" Ruby said, cocking an eyebrow. "So, I'll let them know we accept?"

Weiss nodded, accelerating her walking speed slightly ahead of her teammates. She needed a moment to calm down from her heated moment.

Though, she was surprised to spot Jaune glancing back at her. Or rather, she was surprised to spot Jaune glancing back at her with red and blue eyes.

"Oh, right," Weiss remembered, ducking back to Ruby and Blake. "Ruby, Astral told Blake about him."

"What?!" Ruby exclaimed, whirling on the cat faunus with an excited grin. "Why didn't you tell me? That's awesome! I'm glad he's getting more comfortable with everyone."

"He is. Based on the Xyz expertise he mentioned, I'm thinking of asking him for help researching how to make Pendulum Xyz other than Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon," Blake smirked. "He also gave me some very useful information for my fanfic."

"Ugh. The filth."

"Not filth. Art."

"Filthy art."

Weiss smiled as she watched her teammates banter. Perhaps they were in better shape after their mission than she'd been worried about.

---

RWBYRWBYRWBYRWBYYUGIOHYUGIOH

Cinder frowned as she watched Amity Coliseum fly into Beacon airspace, its engines deafening until they cut out for the gravity dust hover systems to take control. Surrounding it was Ironwood's escort squadron of Atlas battleships, each of them filled with hundreds of Atlesian Knights just waiting to conjure Cyber Dragons in the cannon ports. Meanwhile, on the ground, the scores of hunting duelists Ozpin had hired from throughout Vale for festival security had begun to trickle into the academy.

Against either force, even the mightiest foes could be broken. Against both, covering each other's weaknesses and further amplified by the kingdom's regular fortifications? It'd be suicide for any enemy to move against them.

Yet, Cinder planned to do just that. She had no choice. She had not been lucky enough to be born where she deserved in life, so her only choices were to take what she desired or consign herself to starve in powerlessness as she had for so many years at The Glass Unicorn. And she refused to starve. No matter how Rhodes or any other hunting duelist tried to convince her that the right thing to do was to put herself at others' mercy to be slaughtered.

Even so, she had a hard time conceiving of a way to avoid being slaughtered when she saw all the forces arrayed against her. She had Emerald, Mercury, and Neo, but Amitola and the White Fang had been dark since The Breach. The Black Queen Virus was still lying in wait within Beacon Tower and it'd infect Amity's systems as soon as they connected for the worldwide broadcast, but its search had revealed no hint of Amber's location and being able to control the randomized duels of the later Vytal Festival rounds would do her little good.

She couldn't return to The Queen with nothing. She refused to limp back to Evernight empty-handed for Watts and Tyrian to mock! But she was also having a hard time imagining an actionable path to victory.

BUZZ!

The half-maiden was distracted when her scroll buzzed with a notification, a text message from Emerald.

"Have you ever heard of something called Chaos Xyz Evolution?"

Cinder's eyes went wide. She immediately began typing her response.

"Where did you hear that term?"

"Nikos. It was what she called something she did to a Number in a duel."

"What Rank-Up-Magic did she use?!"

"Rank-Up-Magic?"

"The spell card she used to rank up the Number! What was it called?"

"She didn't use a spell card. She just did it. Like Rank-Up Xyz Evolution."

"Like Rank-Up-Xyz Evolution… nevermind," Cinder shook her head.

The Queen had been very clear that only an Emperor could perform Chaos Xyz Evolution. And if Pyrrha Nikos had done so, that meant she was…

Slowly, a sly smirk spread over Cinder's lips. She may not have known where Ozpin was hiding Amber, but if she was him, she'd have been trying to find a new vessel for the half of the Fall Maiden's power he still had some control over. And assuming he wanted to keep that seasonal maiden tied to Beacon and its vault, the obvious choice for that role was The Invincible Girl.

Ozpin might unknowingly offer the power he'd crippled himself creating to an Emperor. It was deliciously ironic. More importantly, a potentially useful card, if played at the proper moment.

She typed a new message to Emerald. "Collect all the information you can. We'll speak more when you return."

The half-maiden turned her smirk up to Amity Coliseum. Perhaps the slaughter would not be of her after all.

---

RWBYRWBYRWBYRWBYYUGIOHYUGIOH

"You know, those things are more entertaining when you read them in order."

"I like the pictures," Mercury shrugged, scooping another spoonful of strawberry ice cream into his mouth. He smiled. "You are right about strawberry ice cream though. Way better than chocolate."

"Right? Sweet and fruity," Yang grinned, devouring a spoonful from her own bowl on the coffee table. "If I could laze about eating ice cream, cake, and strawberry sunrises all day, I think I would."

Mercury hummed in agreement. The pair of them laid about on the living room couch, diving into ice cream after polishing off the cake. He read Ruby's X-Ray and Vav comics while she coaxed his thoughts about the issues out so they could banter about it.

Like their time eating together on the balcony at the dance, it was… nice.

"Can't argue with that," he merrily mused. "Knock over a bank, get enough money for life, retire to eat good food and read comics forever. That sounds like fun. We'd never have to duel again."

It was impossible of course. Cinder, let alone the big bad Grimm Queen, would have his head on a pike if he bailed. Still, if he helped them remake the world, he'd be a top dog in that new order. Getting some vacation days would finally be in the cards then.

"Never duel again?" Yang murmured, her face twisted with conflict. "I'm not sure I would want that."

Mercury cocked an incredulous eyebrow at her. "Seriously? You had fun becoming left-handed?"

"No. Of course that sucked," Yang rolled her eyes. "But, I don't know. There were so many duels before then that I enjoyed so much. That couldn't have all been just in my head, right?"

"Yes, it could," Mercury insisted. "It was."

Yang chuckled, fiddling with her spoon in a bowl empty of ice cream. "Doesn't matter one way or another, I guess. Can't duel again like this."

She lifted the stump of her absent right arm. Mercury's fingers angrily clenched his comic book, setting down the issue as phantom pain throbbed from where his lower legs should have been.

"All that pity you've been getting must've gone to your head if you think losing a limb means you can't duel," he spat, defending himself as much as rebuking her.

"Did you not hear me say 'You were right' earlier?" Yang groaned. "I was weak. I was weak before I lost my arm, my runner, my ace, everything. And if I was weak then–"

"You were weak then. You're clearly weak today," Mercury snapped. "Will you be weak tomorrow?"

"What will you be tomorrow…" Yang murmured, her eyes widening at him with realization. Soon after, a grateful, teasing smirk spread over her lips. "You liar. You said we weren't friends."

"We're not."

"Really? Ruby and Dad said you came to visit me in the hospital."

"Cinder ordered me to."

"Did she order you to talk to me when I was under?" Yang chortled. "I don't remember all of it, but now I totally remember it was your voice."

"You were hopped up on morphine," Mercury scoffed, turning away from her. He didn't know why he said that to her at the hospital.

And wasn't that terrifying? He did the job, got paid, and didn't give a shit when it wasn't his turn to give a shit. That was how he survived. That was what it meant to be a professional.

But Cinder hadn't ordered him to talk to Yang while she was unconscious at the hospital. Hell, she hadn't ordered him to come to this stupid birthday party, only Emerald was supposed to accept Ruby's invitation to Team CMEN. But he'd tagged along anyway instead of lazing about or studying potential obstacles for the Vytal Festival operation. He told himself it was because he didn't have anything better to do and might as well finally taste some birthday cake in his life.

What the hell was wrong with him?! What were these… things that were infecting him, making him give a shit when it wasn't his turn to give a shit? He was already a killer and about to be party to whatever Cinder was planning for the Vytal Festival. He knew how the world worked. There was no turning back at this point! There was no other fairy tale path for him to walk! He could not afford to be so weak!

He wanted to rip his own heart out for being stupid enough to be glad Yang wouldn't be at Amity when things went down at the tournament.

"No worries, Mr. Xiao-Long! We'll get the ice cream out for everyone–Yang!"

Mercury and Yang whirled toward the door to the patio, Nikos and Arc both entering the house. Soon, squeals of fun and excitement blasted back into the cabin atop waves of stretching elastic.

"Bouncy house!" was hollered by several voices outside. Emerald included, amusingly enough.

But Nikos and Arc, predictably, instantly had their eyes drawn to Yang's stump. Verdant and sapphire orbs widened as one, seeing for the first time the price of the real world. The price that had been extracted even from the friend they'd considered the strongest.

Surprisingly, the blue ghost floating next to Arc looked Yang straight in the face, mourning but not shocked.

Even more surprisingly, the blue ghost floating next to Arc was still there.

What the hell?! Emerald was outside in the bouncy house, she couldn't prank him with her semblance! Which meant this was something else. Something he knew nothing about.

Which meant it was dangerous.

"P-Money. Vomit Boy," Yang greeted her friends, attempting to keep a cheerful smile despite noticing where they were looking. "You know, my eyes are up here"

Nikos and Arc looked up, suitably chastised.

"I'm sorry," Nikos said.

"No worries. I know it's incredible how much I've slimmed down," Yang joked.

Mercury chuckled, earning him a reproachful glare from The Invincible Girl.

"Hey, uh, Mercury," Jaune spoke up. "You clearly know where the ice cream is. Can you show me?"

The silver-haired assassin shrugged. It was clearly a ploy to give the girls some alone time to talk, but he didn't have any objections. None he could raise without rousing that blue ghost's suspicions at least. He'd just have to risk time in the specter's company.

Yet, as he and Arc were leaving the living room for the kitchen, the other blonde spoke up again.

"Mercury."

He turned around at Yang's call, only to be greeted by the back of her blonde mane.

"I don't know if you're right about dueling. I don't know which of us is right about me. But I made you a promise," she confessed, keeping herself turned away. "The Vytal Festival. Your spirit is going to clash with mine with everything we've got. And then… then we'll both find out if dueling can be fun."

And she'd be at Amity when all hell broke loose.

"If you're done, you're done," he scoffed, hoping it'd break her spirit so she stayed home. "Don't waste my time."

"Hey!" Arc protested. "She's not a waste–"

"Ice cream's this way, idiot," he hustled along, barging past the scraggly Ra Yellow.

He led Arc to the kitchen but left him to figure out the lock on the dessert freezer himself (apparently it was both complex and heavy-duty to ward off Ruby's late-night cookie raids). His goal was just to ditch out of the house to get away from the blue ghost, but instead found himself ducking back to the living room.

He pressed himself against the wall of the hallway, just out of sight of Yang and Nikos. He inched his head out just slightly to spy on them. Yang eyed her friend's flowing crimson hair, a wild mane instead of the Invincible Girl's usual orderly ponytail. The blonde grinned approvingly at the fashion choice.

But that smile faded when she noticed that Nikos's eyes had once again fallen to her arm stump. When she caught the redhead's gaze with her hurt expression, the Argus girl's emerald orbs darted away in shame, desperately trying not to look at her friend's dismembered state.

"We both know it's here, P-Money," Yang sighed, trying to collect herself and comfort her friend. "Just… it's not all that's here. You know?"

"I know," Nikos assured her. "I'm sorry."

The redhead dashed over and engulfed her blonde friend in a hug, tight and terrified. Yang nearly lost her balance from the other girl's ferocity, barely managing to return the embrace with her left arm.

Mercury supposed it wasn't too surprising that Nikos was so rattled. According to Emerald, Yang was her closest friend outside her team, maybe even only outside Arc. He'd first met them when the blonde was protecting her from getting in trouble. The ace of Team RWBY had been the first peer to take her life points below half. The Argus champion no doubt cherished all her friends, but, even if only subconsciously, she valued Yang as her rival and equal, the strongest of her friends and the closest to her level.

And now she saw what the real world had done to even the strongest of her beloved friends. Chewed her up and spat her out without remorse.

"Hey, hey, ease up, girl," Yang chuckled, gently patting her friend's side to end the hug. "You'll make the Ice Queen jealous if she sees us like this."

Nikos managed a tiny smile as she pulled out of the embrace. "I'm sorry. It's just… really good to see you."

"I get that feeling. It's really good to see you, especially with this new hairstyle," Yang praised, twirling the redhead free locks between her fingers. "Dang, girl! Ilia's Amazonesses had even more of an impact than I thought if you're trying out the wild warrior queen look. It suits you."

"Oh, this? This wasn't planned, it just kind of happened during the duel with Ruby," Nikos giggled. "Turns out an Emperor's Burning Soul can be quite bombastic."

Mercury cocked an eyebrow. What the heck was an Emperor?

Whatever it was, Yang's smile was briefly unsure at the mention of Burning Soul, only to brighten fully as she took in her friend's joy. "Sounds like you two had a blast. Did Ruby dethrone you?"

"No, but she came close. Just like… just like you," Nikos said, only for her smile to dim with her words.

She reached forward to take Yang's hand in her own. There was an awkward beat where she attempted to grab the blonde's absent right hand on instinct as well, but she adjusted quickly.

Though Yang didn't miss it.

"I can't imagine what you're going through, Yang," Pyrrha said. "But whatever you're dealing with, I want you to know I'm here for you."

"O–Oh," Yang stammered, a light blush dusting her cheeks as she began to beam. "Thanks, Pyr–"

"I swear, I'll protect you."

Yang's smile shattered. "What?"

Mercury clenched his jaw. That was the wrong thing to say to someone who'd defined themselves by their power. If they needed to be protected, that meant they couldn't cut it, meant that they were weak. It meant that they were nothing. Thinking it herself was one thing. Hearing it as a challenge from him was one thing, just a taunt to be riposted. Hearing it from her best friend, desperate to coddle her?

That was another thing entirely.

"I'll protect you. I promise," Nikos lovingly declared, oblivious to the sledgehammer she was taking to her friend's self-esteem. "I'll make sure everything's okay–"

Yang ripped her hand out of the redhead's, staggering back as if she'd been punched in the gut. "No."

"No, what? Oh! You're worried about everyone else. Don't be," Nikos reassured her. "I'll take care of them just like you would, for as long as you need me to–"

"I don't need you to!" Yang shouted. "I don't need you!"

Nikos took a step back, startled. And Yang, as always, rushed into the fight.

"What? You think this makes me helpless?" the blonde challenged, raising her stump with fiery pride. "You think one loss means you've got to baby me? Don't waste your time!"

"I–I'm not trying to baby you. But for however long it takes you to get back to normal–"

"This is normal now!" Yang barked. "My arm's not going to suddenly grow back! I'm not suddenly going to be strong enough to make your invincible highness break a sweat. If you're beyond Ruby, you're far beyond me, so stop rubbing it in my face by oh-so-humbly stooping to slumming. I'm not going to yip at your heels begging for your scraps!"

Mercury turned away, rubbing his temples in annoyance at the trainwreck. Fortunately, it allowed him to spot Arc marching down from the kitchen with ghosty floating beside him.

"Are you sure we shouldn't just ask Mr. Xiao-Long for the lock code?" the blue specter inquired.

Arc opened his mouth to respond, but Mercury put his finger to his lips to command his silence. The leader of Team JNPR, likely livid about the other boy ditching him without the dessert lock code, stomped up to him, only to pause when he heard Nikos take an audible deep breath.

Peeking around the hall corner, Mercury was surprised to find the Argus champion standing firm against her friend's furious tirade. Oh sure, her eyes were glistening with encroaching tears, but those emerald eyes were also firmly staring down Yang's own livid lilacs. The Invincible Girl took another deep breath, steadying herself without giving a centimeter.

"I know what you're doing," she calmly revealed. "And you can shoot the messenger if you like. Just know that I am here for you."

Yang's first clenched, her hair a second away from lighting ablaze. "Worry about your own house, Invincible Girl. Unless you've finally grown a spine and told Jaune you want him to drill you 'till your legs give out."

"Wait? What?!" Arc exclaimed, leaping back and accidentally smacking against the opposite wall in shock.

Unfortunately, the noise he'd made and the fact that he'd hopped straight into the girls' line of sight meant there was no way to disguise that he'd heard what was said.

Nikos' face went pale, her breath hitched in her throat. Her body, normally so light and agile, locked up in terror.

Yang's eyes widened, her anger evaporated by horror. "Jaune? When… when did you… oh gods."

"Hey, Jaune! Pyrrha! Just realized dad didn't give you the dessert lock combination," Rose jogged in. "He thinks I don't know it, but I do–Yang! Entering! I am entering–"

Too late. Already frazzled, Yang whirled at Ruby's entrance and looked right into her eyes.

The moment she saw her sister's silver orbs, she crumbled. She flailed backward, shaking and spasming as she knocked over a framed photo of Team RWBY. All the anger she'd spat at Pyrrha, all the teasing mirth she'd shared with him, even the self-pity she'd splashed in at the forge, all of it was swallowed by a great ocean of fear.

Arc froze, watching his friend like a deer in headlights. Mercury wanted to mock him for it, but he found himself similarly paralyzed, like he was an observer in his own body, unable to do anything but watch as Yang was consumed by the same phenomenon that'd gripped him right after the tag duel with Team CFVY.

He knew how to duel. He knew how to kill. He knew how to eat. He could make something like this happen easily. But what the hell did he do to stop it?!

Fortunately, the other two in the room weren't as debilitated. Nikos dashed over to Yang, holding up her duel disk to give the blonde something to focus on, guiding her over to the couch. Rose darted throughout the house, rose petals filling the air before she appeared with Zwei, placing the corgi atop her sister as he lit up with his semblance. As soon as the therapy dog was being petted and his glow was slowing the golden-haired girl's panicked panting, Team RWBY's leader bolted from the room. Mercury vaguely heard her summoning Taiyang for further help.

Nikos tended to Yang in the meantime, ensuring Zwei was secure under her friend's petting arm. She glanced up mostly on instinct, her gaze finding Arc's still bamboozled face.

The Invincible Girl's once more looked very vincible under her leader's ocean-blue eyes.

"Did you really not know?" ghosty inquired with glum resignation.

Arc numbly shook his head. Pyrrha looked away, steeling her face as she returned her focus to Yang.

Mercury seized the moment to slink away into the shadows.

Coming to the party was a mistake.

---

RWBYRWBYRWBYRWBYYUGIOHYUGIOH

Everything blurred in Yang's mind after the panic attack. She saw Ruby's face, those silver eyes. Then she was back in that tunnel, her head ringing from the crash, those same silver eyes looking down on her with such mocking, casual dismissal, Starving Venom looming above.

Then she was on the couch, Zwei on her chest, her dad and Pyrrha at her side.

Pyrrha.

Oh gods.

Yang staggered up as soon as her lungs could bear it, fleeing upstairs as fast as her stumbling legs could carry her. She vaguely heard Pyrrha call out after her, but shame kept her from turning around, kept her doing anything but escaping up to her room and slamming the door behind her.

She sank back against the wood, collapsed in a heap as her sobs bent her over.

"Why did you do that?" she demanded of herself. "Why did you do that?! Why?"

So what if Pyrrha thought she was weak? She was, wasn't she?! She certainly couldn't protect herself at Mt. Glenn. It was because she'd been weak that she'd lost her arm, her runner, her ace.

And now it was because she was weak that she'd lashed out at her friend. She'd said what she'd said to hurt her friend. She outed her friend to her crush because she'd wanted to feel powerful, to shove off the coddling Pyrrha wanted to gift her. She couldn't take that back!

Yet, Pyrrha had still helped her when her panic attack struck. Because she was truly strong, truly a huntress. Like Summer.

Like Ruby.

Not like Yang.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Yang, are you in there?" Blake's voice came through the door, her feet and Weiss's under the floor slit. "Your dad told us what happened."

"We came to see how you're doing," Weiss softly said. "Open the door? Please?"

"No," Yang sniffled.

Weiss and Blake were heroes. They'd saved the whole kingdom. When push came to shove, they hadn't let their crabbiness or their fear control them. Not like Yang. They'd done what they were supposed to do.

Which meant if she opened the door and let them in, they'd do what kind, compassionate people were supposed to do, like what Pyrrha had done. And she didn't trust herself not to lash out at them for it like she had with The Invincible Girl.

"Just go back to the party. I've brought down the mood enough," the blonde mewled. "I couldn't help you at Mt. Glenn. I don't want to hurt you now."

"You did help us at Mt. Glenn," Blake insisted. "You gave us the dance. You helped us take a breath and be at our best."

Yang scoffed. What the hell was that worth when she was useless when it counted?

"Remembering your words let me move forward when things were at their darkest during our duel with Adam and Torchwick," Blake told her. "You were there for us. Let us be here for you now."

"You've got more important things to do," Yang spat.

She'd watched TV in the month since The Breach, she'd seen the pair interviews and PR appearances. They needed to keep those up to make sure the council couldn't throw Blake in jail now that her identity was public knowledge. They didn't have time to waste on garbage like her.

"Help her get her head on straight, Ice Queen," Yang growled. "You wanted to slug me after The Club. You know I'm not worth it. Or have you suddenly forgiven me for that just because I slimmed down a bit on my right side?"

There was silence from behind the door. She liked to imagine her teammates were having some sort of conversation in wordless glances.

"I have not forgiven you yet," Weiss finally confessed, her voice even with plain fact rather than venom or sweetness. "Especially not this version of you. Self-pity doesn't suit you."

Yang clenched her jaw, her teammate's frankness the cool bucket of water she needed to dose her instinctive, bubbling anger. But that just made her keel over further, her energy spent as she sighed. "Sorry I can't be more fashionable. Look, just… leave me alone right now. Please."

There was another pause, probably another silent conversation. A pair of disappointed acknowledgments of her wishes came through and their feet shuffled away.

Only for a new pair of boots to step into place before they'd even left. Yang's breath hitched in her throat, recognizing the footwear she used to help tie the laces up for.

"Yang…" Ruby's voice murmured through the door. "... I love you."

'But you shouldn't,' was the only thing Yang could think, tears pricking out from her violet eyes.

Her team's feet shuffled down the hall, finally leaving the broken blonde alone in her room. Boy bands and Blue Angel posters plastered the walls, boxes of her card collection scattered across half the floor.

It was the room of a child. A weak child that didn't deserve the friends she surrounded herself with. They wanted to support her at her worst, and all she could do was try to make them feel as alone as she did.

"Why haven't they given up on me?" Yang whimpered. "Can't they see what a joke I am? A matchstick pretending to be a sun dragon."

But they hadn't. Their love pressed down on her shoulders, crushing her like a falling sky. To live up to it, to prove she was more than Raven's bastard… it was like trying to lift all of Atlas. And she only had one arm.

She needed more. She needed to be more! Alone she wasn't enough, she needed…

'Mom! Mom! Did you see that? I won!'

'I saw, firecracker! You dueled your heart out! I am so proud of you!'

'Yeah!'

'Come on! I think Stardust Dragon wants to give our little champion a personal ride back to the house.'

'Yay! Stardust!'

"Stardust," Yang murmured, her eyes rising to her bedside drawer.

She needed magic. Her attempt to recreate her dad's Signer Dragon had burned. But she still had her attempt to recreate her mom's. Magic was still within her grasp. Power was still within her grasp.

Worthiness was still within her grasp.

She scampered across the room and yanked open the drawer. She pulled out her deck like a nugget of gold, her Resonators, fiends, and dark dragons crumbling from her hands and splattering over the floor in a careless, disorganized heap.

But when she found Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, she reverently placed its card atop her bed. She was already on her knees, so it was an easy trip to bend over completely and bow with her head on the floor.

"Please," she begged, tears streaming down her face. "Please, let me be your Pillar. Let me be your champion."

She sensed the Synchro Monster's spirit stirring atop the bed. But she also sensed its displeasure at the sight of how carelessly tossed aside her deck was.

"I'll remake it. I'll remake my deck, just for you. Everything for you!" Yang pleaded. "Speedroids are best for getting out wind synchros fast, right? Or would you prefer Windwitches? I don't have as many of those, but I can get some! I'll get you whatever you need! Whatever you want!"

The Synchro Monster's gaze shifted as she continued to supplicate herself before it. The silver dragon's concern bled down from the bed, worriedly asking the blonde duelist to calm down.

"Please!" Yang sobbed, unable to keep her tears from raining onto her bedroom floor. "Without you, I am nothing."

"I'm sorry," the dragon replied, its sympathy unable to disguise its rejection. "I am not your answer."

There was no answer then. She could either be a strong hunting duelist, someone worthy to stand behind her friends, or she could keep being what she was. Keep being nothing.

She didn't want to be nothing.

She felt something surround her, a gentle presence wrapping her in an unsure hug. There was nothing truly there, but Yang felt the dragon's spirit trying to comfort her.

"I am not your answer," Clear Wing repeated, even as she sighed and resolved herself to a decision. "But if you seek to move forward, I will help you as much as I can."

Yang's head whipped up, her eyes glimmering with tears and hope. "You'll let me summon you? For real this time?"

"I will support you as I can," the dragon warned. "But our connection is not whole like that of my siblings' synchronization with your teammates."

"It will be," Yang promised. "It will be, I promise. I won't let this chance go to waste. I'll be the perfect pillar for you."

She'd burn it all away, all she was, all her weakness. She would build a deck to maximize Clear Wing's power and become as fit a duelist for her as her mother had been to Stardust Dragon. She would be a hunting duelist worthy to stand alongside her team, her sister. It was the only path forward.

And she would show she could walk it when she kept her promise at the Vytal Festival.

---

Well, so much for my twenty-seven-chapter plan for Volume 3. This chapter just got hugely long (would have been 23K+ words if I'd stuck with my original plan). Fortunately, it's got some juicy stuff in the first half with Ruby, Pyrrha, Yang, and Mercury

Next Time on Cards of Remnant!

"What… what are you doing here?"

"Nice to see you again, Ms. Nikos."

"No way. She never mentioned she was going to be here."

"Did you buy every fried fish on the festival grounds?"

"Please give a warm welcome to the first Vytal Festival champion competing in this duel! The Kaiserin!"

"Kuriboh! Hey, little buddy, I haven't seen you in forever! What you doing here... oh... oh no."

Next Time on Cards of Remnant: New Challengers

... for real this time!

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Go Forth and Conquer!