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Yu-gi-oh 5Ds: Rise of Darkness and Corruption (Athene/ImaginaryMuse & Razgriz)


Well ... good thing he hadn't set all of traps. Otherwise, Eikichi would be much more annoyed. Still, he couldn't deny that it was nice seeing another Spellcaster deck. Now if only she could lighten up ... or, alternatively, if he found a way to avoid her should Sasaki keeping being pissy, this duel would be perfect. His head bowed lightly in appreciation as she finished all of her turn.

"Not half bad. I don't see many others who use that type anymore. Draw!"

Thankfully, her Synchro had come with a drawback. In truth, that had been a good reason he hadn't bothered with an extra deck. There were few that didn't have a downside, and most were too heavy of a detriment. At least he'd thought as much.

"I'll set another card. I then tribute Blast Magician for Trance Magician. Trance Magician! Attack Arcanite Magician!"

Between willingly sacrificing 1000 life in her turn and this successful assault, Sasaki's life quickly dropped to 5800.

"Turn end!"

Shivini tilted her head as she looked over at Takeshi. "This has been a problem, huh? Shame. I'd say they're also unlucky, but it'd be easier to admit if they truly were blood-related siblings. The sharing of luck - or lack of - would make more sense. Still .... " Her head nodded as she frowned slightly. "Maybe I can have a bit more fortune and not get some emo brat. Not in the mood for it, if possible."
 

"Yeah...Except Hajime's first opponent was a bit of a prick from what he told us. Yamichi even showed him running out of the arena; a real sore loser apparently. So at least Eikichi's lucky that she's quiet...Just wish she would lighten up a little. It's not like this is life and death, right?" he would reply to Shivini. Normally, he would attribute it to the typical Tops attitude...But this seemed less involved, if he had to guess. Almost as if it was only the final outcome that mattered.

Sasaki didn't even seem to flinch as Arcanite Magician was destroyed, the blowback from Solid Vision hardly fazing her as the wind blow her loose sleeves and near floor-length obsidian locks backwards. Should have expected it, truly...But she was careless. And now that her opponent had a powerful monster out, she needed to step it up. Which she planned to do entirely; her opponent likely thought her a pissy bitch. Well, if that made him feel any better, that was fine. She would make her move next turn, she could feel it.

Without even acknowledging her opponent's compliment, she would then declare, "My turn! Draw! I activate the Magic Card, Miracle Synchro Fusion! I can select a Fusion Monster that requires a Synchro Monster as one of its materials, and banish those monsters from the Graveyard to Fusion Summon it! Arcanite Magician and Musician King are removed from the game!" She would then raise her arms up and clasp her hands together in front of her, shouting "Fusion Summon! Unshackle the primordial forces of nature and blaze a path of destruction to victory! Supreme Arcanite Magician!"

And in a powerful gale, her new monster appeared, its form covered in magenta armor and exuding a rather potent aura about its body. "Its effect activates! When this card is Fusion Summoned, I can add two Spell Counters and raise its ATK by 1000 for each!" And what was once only 1400 soon rose to a rather impressive 3400. She then took another card from her hand, showing it to her opponent, "I then activate the effect of this monster! By sending one card from my hand to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon The Tricky from my hand! Then I Normal Summon another Arcane Philo!"

"Ugh...Having to declare these moves is such a pain." Sasaki grumbled haughtily in her mind; their Disks could detect invalid moves, and no one here - hopefully at least - would be stupid enough to play like that. But...Whatever, these were the rules they had to play by. "I tune Arcane Philo with Tricky to Synchro Summon a second Arcanite Magician!" And with that monster appearing, Takeshi would see summon who used a similar tactic to him.

"I then activate my Trap Card, Buster Mode! I release Arcanite Magician to Special Summon its upgraded form from my Deck! Burn it all down, unleash pure devastation and destroy all who stand before you! Rise, Arcanite Magician Slash Buster!" And in a burst of light, a level nine monster appeared in the Synchro Monster's place. "Its effect is the same as Supreme Arcanite. I add two Spell Counters and raise its ATK by 1000 for each!" And just like her Fusion, this new monster rise from paltry 900 ATK to an intimidating 2900.

"Man, this Sasaki's one serious powerhouse! I almost wish I didn't make it the last time, just to get the chance to duel her!" Judai exclaimed excitedly, Takeshi watching this woman very carefully. "She seems to only get animated when she's actually making a play; it's like anything that happens after that doesn't matter to her. But...I'm surprised to see another Buster Mode user; that card's not very common." Takeshi then said; if it was anything like his Deathkaiser's upgraded form, then there was little doubt it had a frightening effect. And not just able to raise its own ATK, either; there was something else. "I think Eikichi's going to feel this one..." Takeshi then muttered, grimacing a little.

And if Eikichi looked, he would see her brilliant sapphire eyes flash more than a little lethally, her voice cold as she declared, "I then activate Arcanite Slash Buster's effect! I remove both Spell Counters and destroy every card on your field! Go, Arcanite! Extinction Ritual!" Her Buster Mode monster raised its staff, the tip glowing a bright red as energy gathered into an orb; moments later, it slammed the end down, washing Eikichi's field in a violent trunade of annihilating energy, his monster and both his set cards shattering before his eyes.

She then pointed right at Eikichi, "Now I'll use both my monsters to attack you directly! Cut him down!" And both of her monsters would gather energy into their respective weapons, and moments later the same violent energy would strike Eikichi again, answering his own ding to her Life with a cut by over fifty percent to his own.

And without any sort of remorse or hurtful taunt, she would then say, "Turn end."

Even Judai was starting to get a little weirded out, his voice low as he whispered to both of his new friends, "You'd think she'd be a little more excited to get such a huge advantage." Takeshi whispered back, "Dude, I don't think the word 'enjoyment' or 'fun' exists for her."
 

"Well ... she's not much better. Seems like a sore winner - or trying to ensure she wins - to me." Shivini frowned, fighting the urge to storm up and get involved in a cat fight with this Sasaki woman. "God. And people think the Satellite's horrible? At least I don't feel urges to beat any opponents I duel into a pulp. Tops is by far worse. All this arrogance .... ugh. It needs to be removed. Somehow."

Considering she didn't really offer any other impression, yes. Eikichi definitely could only view her as a very selfish bitch. All she cared for was herself, it seemed. Granted, this was a tournament. Everyone was fighting for a chance to advance, himself included. But that attitude ... it really was beginning to get under his skin a bit. She wanted to be the quiet, stoic type? Okay. He could play that game also. It wasn't his favorite act to pull off but honestly? At this rate, he was feeling himself ready to have this woman out of his life sooner as opposed to later.

Even if she advances high enough to secure a spot in the Fortune Cup, there is no way she'll survive said event itself. Hell and no.

God help if she went against Shivini or Takeshi; neither would take that crap. She'd definitely get much worse of a reaction from either of those two.

Oddly .... he didn't feel the effects nearly as badly as he should. Whether it was from the brief imprisonment with Divine or something else would be anyone's guess. But she wasn't the only one who kept a calm and collected reaction from being hit with such a huge attack.

"Draw!"

" .... Takeshi, you best hold me back now. I really wanna go at her. Damnit, that's not fair! Look a the shit she's done to Eikichi! his isn't him!"

.. Was this sorta the same thing hat happened with Yuna? Some other force made her ... switch mindsets? Something like that? Okay. Maybe if that were the case, she could have an easier time comprehending what may have happened with Hotsuma. But this? This really was wrong in its own degrees. This was supposed to be a fucking duel. And if it weren't for the fact making such a scene would be bad - plus her own fight was next - Shivini would be seriously tempted to storm off right then and there.

"I summon my Maiden of Macabre and set a card. Maiden! Execute Arcanite Magician Assault Mode!"

While not n early as impressive as the attack Sasaki had successfully pulled off, it was a dent in her life all the same. That was the saving grace; he could leave this duel being the better man ... opponent, really. It would have been very easy to shoot insults on how she was cowardly by getting rid of his back-row cards rather than taking risks. But ... no. Eikichi was - usually - a gentleman. Yesterday had just been a day with far too may negative triggers, hence why he almost broke many of his personal rules. He'd leave this duel - and tournament with how things were going - as such.

"Turn end."

"I don't acknowledge her as the winner," Shivini bitterly muttered. "Don't care if the life points say so. What a grade SS bitch."
 

"Oiii, Shivini, keep it down; I know she's not going to win any popularity contests, but that's no reason to stir up a hornet's nest because of it." Takeshi said patting his friend's shoulders. He'd kind of forgotten how hot-headed Shivini could get...And really, despite her flaws, all Takeshi could be thankful for was that this woman wasn't taunting her opponent. Verbally at least; her attitude definitely screamed to him, 'Just give up, you're pathetic.' And in a way, that was actually worse.

Judai nodded, "And...She's just playing by the rules. Even still, she doesn't need to be so cold about it...Does she even want to enjoy this? Or is this something that she just wanted to check off her bucket list?" "From how she's acting, this is very much an objective to her. And Eikichi's just an obstacle to overcome...In a way, he should be flattered. The fact that she's going at him 100% with such a lead shows she considers him a serious opponent, even if her attitude makes her out to be superior." he then heard Yubel comment; and while Judai didn't really agree with that, he could see where his spirit was coming from.

Sasaki's eyes flicked over to see what she could assume was her other opponents; there was another woman that seemed quite livid. And while she couldn't hear exactly everything that was being said, she had a good idea from the reactions that she didn't care for how she was acting. Tough, she would think to herself; a Duel was about building as much field advantage for yourself as it was decreasing your opponent's.

And even as her Arcanite Magician was destroyed, reducing her Life to an even 5000, she didn't move. "Arcanite Slash Buster's effect! When this card is sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon an Arcanite Magician Synchro Monster from my Graveyard! Break free, my magician!" she declared, her Synchro Monster appearing in Defense mode.

And only when he ended his turn would she speak up again, "My turn, draw!" She would take a moment to study her hand as well as the opponent's field. So far, there was just one monster...But it was the set card that had her attention the most. But...Maiden had 0 DEF, something her new card could very easily help with.

"I switch Arcanite Magician to Attack position, then I activate the effect of my Supreme Arcanite! I remove one Spell Counter to destroy your set card!" she shouted, a dark orb over her Fusion monster vanishing and decreasing its ATK to 2400, a shot of arcane energy blasting his set to pieces. Supreme Arcanite was still powerful enough to take out Maiden...But why waste that ATK taking out a monster?

"I then activate the Quick-Play Magic, Book of Moon! Maiden of Macabre is flipped face-down!" And with his monster in Defense...She would then attack. "Arcanite Magician, destroy his monster!" she declared, her Synchro blasting Maiden into the Graveyard before she then declared, "Supreme Arcanite Magician! Direct Attack!" And just like before, Eikichi would get bombarded by her Fusion's strike, his Life dropping further to 1300.

"Turn end" she then commented, still as flatly as ever.

"Shivini...I get it, but getting upset won't change the position Eikichi's in. If anything, it's empowering her to see you so upset. Like Judai said...She's playing by the rules, even if she's not being very sportsmanlike about it." Takeshi explained; the last thing they needed was her going berserk and assaulting a contestant. "If anything, use that anger against your next opponent, yeah? Show her how you really Duel. Put some excitement into it!"
 

" ..... "

Shivini sighed, finding herself unable to really argue. Unfortunately, both of them were right. But the main thing keeping her quiet was exactly what Judai said. She at least wasn't a cheater which, all things considered, was very much appreciated. Particularly given she saw with the others when Fayth fought that people did and would dare to sink to those sorts of tactics. "Fine," she muttered softly. "For now, I'll shush." It was clear she wouldn't be the happiest about it, but she'd still comply.

To help ensure she kept to her word, Shivini turned around and buried her head on Takeshi's shoulder. Even if it was obvious of its true purpose - to keep her from watching and getting more frustrated - she didn't really care. She could at least pretend to be laying her head own from an abrupt surge of fatigue so ... that was what she'd do.

Eikichi inwardly sighed. Well .... shit. One of these days, he and Hajime would both have better luck with these tournaments. Now just wasn't one of those more fortunate ones, it seemed.

... Then again, this had given him some insight. Changes to consider making with his deck, mainly. Definitely not in the most preferred of ways but ... ah well.

"I suppose congratulations are in order."

He didn't really need to check his hand; however, just to avoid seeming like he was half-assing this duel, he did so anyway. "Yep. Got nothing. Come at me, then. Turn end."
 

Takeshi patted her back as she laid her head on his neck, thankful that she wouldn't raise a fuss. He could see where she was coming from...But just like anything, everyone's personality would be different. And while it wouldn't kill Sasaki to lighten up and not be so tense...They couldn't change who she was.

Sasaki, meanwhile, just stared coldly as her opponent told her to come at him. "Very well...My turn! Draw! Supreme Arcanite Magician attacks you directly!" Sasaki said one last time, her Fusion monster blasting Eikichi one last time, his Life dropping to zero. "In this battle of Magician vs. Magicians, Sasaki Isao has come out the winner!" MC shouted over the microphone, Sasaki turning around tightly and walking off the stage; she didn't imagine he was in any mood to be near her. Not after a defeat like that; a fact that was fine by her. Pleasantries were never her strong suit anyway, and she didn't really want to hear any snide remarks he might throw in there.

Takeshi narrowed his eyes a little, muttering "Least she could have done was say 'Good duel' or something." Judai would then say to Yubel, "You were saying he should be flattered? She just walked right off!" to which his spirit responded "Judai, not everyone wants to do this for fun like you. Like I said, she seemed objective-oriented. Like this was, as you put it, something to check off her bucket list."

Only when Eikichi would come back would Takeshi state, "Uhm....Wow, dude. Sorry you got put up against such a shitty opponent." What else could be said really? She wasn't a cheater, sure...But her demeanor during the entire duel was something that could have been without.

However...Soon, Shivini would get her turn, MC announcing "And next folks, we have another exciting match-up! Will contestants 2 and 8 please make their way to the arena!" Takeshi nodded, giving Shivini's shoulders a squeeze, "Shivini...I know you got upset because of Eikichi's opponent...But for everyone's sake, try not to take it out on your own, alright? At least, give him or her a chance, okay?"

Once both contestants made their way up, MC would continue, "Last match was a duel between Magicians! What kind of monsters will we see here? It's the third fight, folks! Shivini versus her opponent, Finlay Cromwell! Let's get this Duel going!"

The young man definitely seemed intimidated, a far cry from the cold resolution of the previous contestant; Finlay wasn't what many would consider a 'professional' Duelist. Having participated in what most everyone would agree were 'scrub-league' tournaments, he always tried out extremely different deck configurations. Some more successful than others; the one he was using today had mixed results so far. Hopefully it would turn out in his favor.

"And...Coin toss!" MC declared, the screen showing the giant coin once more, Finlay shouting "Tails!" but the coin would show up heads. Giving a snap of his fingers, the young man just said "Oh darn...I thoughts tails never failed." But a quick shrug and friendly smile later, he would turn his attention, "Well, looks like the floor is yours. Let's have a fun Duel, alright?"
 

It wasn't the defeat that bothered Eikichi ... not really. Maybe a small bit, yes. But at least that held a constructive edge and was giving him ideas on how to better his deck. It really was the attitude, and feeling as if - he in turn - had to mimic Sasaki to get anywhere. She gave him the shoulder, ,so he did also. She didn't want any pleasant exchanges, so that was exactly what she got.

Such a sad little girl .... if you do get far enough, you really will get chewed up in the Fortune Cup. Hope you know that.

There were two saving graces; he never had to worry about her again and he left still keeping his otherwise gentleman manners intact. Maybe not existing for Sasaki, but he at least hadn't been a bastard like he very easily could have been.

Offering the exact same as she gave - nothing - he turned and walked back over. "That's fine. I should check if this is even my zodiac year at all. That may be coming into play. Oi. Shivini, you're not crying, are you?"

"Hell no! Just ... keeping myself from storming off and being dumb."

"Heh. Even after I was a jerk to you?"

Shivini pulled her head off and rolled her eyes. "That was a one time thing with you. What just happened? Really was un-fucking-called for; even more so than your own outburst."

Eikichi coyly grinned at that, "Well .... glad we can agree on that much. But umm ... you realize if you win yours, there's a chance you may go against her, right? You'll have to have a more clear and determined head than I did."

Taking heed of both Eikichi and Takeshi's advise, Shivini walked out towards the stage ... and was almost immediately greeted. Not yet with her opponent but ... cat calls.

Guess it worked~ she thought, sneaking a glance down proudly at the outfit she chose to wear. To help look more akin to a card from her deck, she did actually have some more tribal attire. Custom made, of course, by herself. That would have probably gotten her the wrong kinds of looks, especially while being out in the Tops. So, she chose something more ... modern. Much like how people wondered if Ling dressed tot impress - or at least distract - that wasn't the case.

Okay, maybe it had been a very small part of the equation. But Shivini wasn't relying on that.

It was much more for herself. Like Eikichi had said earlier, when was the last time they got out? Too long ago. And if anyone did wanna try anything dumb ... well, she wasn't alone, at least.

"Finlay, huh?" she greeted as she stood across the way from what could easily be assumed - by name and appearance - to be quite the foreigner. She stayed quiet ... and grinned when the MC announced her name. "As he said, I'm Shivini. Nice to meet you."

... Does that mean tails has always worked before? So ... is he a gambling man or something?

She had heard of a few decks that fit such a theme so it wasn't completely out of the question.

"Mhm. Indeed. Draw!"

.... Definitely not her preference for what to summon first. But ... she could make this work. She had to! She refused to have all of them come out here and leave empty handed.

"I'll set three cards and summon Amazoness Spy. Turn end!"

Et tu, eh Shivini? Eikichi mentally wondered, noting she had a rocky start much like he had. "Well ... she can turn this around. Those are no doubt very specific supports to keep the field even."

Shivini was simply fourth-in-command - third now - due to arriving later than Eikichi. But if they had to battle against one another? Even she may surpass him, truthfully. More so since she had an extra deck. Small, yes, but it wasn't zero like him.
 

Finlay was indeed not from here, not originally anyway; he wanted to come see Neo Domino City and all it had to offer and moved here at the first available opportunity as a software research engineer. The place was indeed as close to a utopia as possible: It was so clean, so efficient. He did hear about the Satellite though, and thought it something awful that hardly anyone else seemed to care. How people lived like that, he couldn't possibly; he was thankful enough to havve been born into a well-off middle-class family. He didn't have it as good as the true rich people of the city, but neither was he in grinding poverty like those in the Satellite.

Nope, sometimes it was good to ride the middle ground. "A pleasure as well, ma'am" he replied rather formally; unlike the others, he didn't make any sort of suggestive remarks. Though if she noticed, she would see his cheeks tinging just a bit pink after looking at her. Very much telling what he did think of her.

"Amazoness? Huh, not a common archetype these days...Least, I don't see it too often." he remarked, seeing her summon the tanned-skin robed female. "Interesting, let's see how this plays out! My turn! Draw!"

"Oh dear..."

And while he didn't have the worst hand in the world...This definitely wasn't one of the best either. And his expression would show Shivini that he was either not a gambler or a very poor one at that. But, supposed that came with the deck he made. He always loved tinkering, and being able to do as such with Duel Monster cards was a favorite hobby. Unfortunately, this often led to him having clunky builds, far from the stream-lined deck designs of someone like Sasaki. But...He would try to make this work. "I'll set three cards and a monster face-down. Then I'll activate the Magic Card, Gold Sarcophagus! With it, I can banish one card from my Deck, to be added to my hand two turns after! I'll banish Necroface, and because I did, its effect activates! We both banish the top five cards from our deck!"

Doing as such, he would then say, "And...That's it for now, I suppose. Turn end."

Judai raised a brow; the last time he faced a deck like this was against Daitokuji when the Shadow Riders tried to attack Duel Academy and get the Sacred Beasts freed. If this was anything like that deck, then he was expecting this guy had monsters that could power up through banished cards. "Judai...You alright? You look a little tense." Takeshi then asked, Judai nodding "I'm fine...But if this guy is running what I think he's running, he's playing a dangerous game." Now Takeshi was interested, "What do you think he's using?"

Judai just said, "I don't know for certain...But I think it's a banishment deck. He's going to try and remove cards from the game and summon monsters that can power up through how many are banished."
 

"Ma'am?" Shivini repeated, blushing in return. "I'm still in my teens but umm ... thank you."

Well ... that was new. Eikichi and anyone from the Disciples had been the most generous with her, as far as attitudes went. Hearing someone else take up an otherwise forgotten virtue like chivalry? That was a pleasant surprise. When he noted her deck, she shrugged, smiling softly. "Yeah, well ... not many women embody the concept of an Amazoness, literally or otherwise. I probably do a bit too well sometimes."

More than sometimes, my dear, Eikichi internally quipped. There wasn't much distance from where he and the others were standing. And even with that ... poor Shivini had subconsciously raised her voice. Probably from excitement. So she was rather easy to hear.

"Huh?!"

Oh goddamnit! Really? Had to be one of these?

Mills and anything that otherwise tampered with her deck in any form or fashion; those were Shivini's - and Yuna's - bane. She sighed softly, watching and trying to note what had left. The unfortunate truth, though, was simple. It didn't mater. She had no way to retrieve them. So even if she observed what got lost from the effect, there was no point in trying to come up with a plan. Not for those cards, anyway.

"Hmmm. Very well then. My turn! Draw!"

There it was ... something to easily help make up for what had been a mediocre start to this fight. "I'll summon Amazoness Paladin to the field! Amazoness Paladin will attack your set." And as the monster flipped and shattered, she took advantage and pushed down on her disk. "I'll activate my set trap! Queen's Pawn! When an Amazoness of mine successfully sends any of your monsters to the grave, I can summon a level four or lower Amazoness. Amazoness Swordswoman, I special summon you!"

Good. Keep that momentum up. You're definitely gonna need it if Judai's even somewhat right on this guy's deck. Eikichi inwardly praised and prayed.

"Amazoness Spy and Swordswoman will proceed to directly attack you!"

Just like that, Finlay's life would lower to 5700 faster than he could blink.

"Turn end. Hehe ... if you know half the lore of them, you know they don't play nice. Especially against men. Sorry."
 

At the very least, she didn't freak out on him; most people didn't like having their Decks tampered with directly. Even worse was that this was the tamest thing he could do; if he managed to get the right cards, he could very well turn this into a rather aggravating.

And...Pretty as she was, he also got the distinction that she wasn't the type to shy away from physical confrontation. "When Critter is destroyed, I can add another monster with 1500 or less ATK to my hand. I'll choose Golden Homunculus!" he then said aloud, showing her the level six monster he'd chosen from his deck.

He had to cover himself as she proved this much with her monsters again, the sheer force of the strikes blowing him back a few steps. Brushing his sleeves off, he then said to her "You needn't apologize; you're quite right. The Amazons of lore viewed men as little more than tools for reproduction, and even then they had to do it under the cover of darkness. They knew only war, and nothing else."

And with her turn ended, he would proceed with his own while drawing his card, "Well...This could very well be problematic. Very well played with Queen's Pawn. But sadly for me, it seems my deck is being less than kind. So for now, I'll activate a Trap known as Large Dust Tornado. It destroys one set card on your field and allows me to place one from my hand face-down." A giant column of rapidly whirling air appeared on his field, he then declared "And I'll destroy the set on the right!" And once it did, he would place another card in his Spell/Trap Zone.

"Apologies...But I'm afraid all I can do is set another monster for now. Turn end."

Takeshi just smiled, "Well...I don't know if this guy is going to be much of a challenge for Shivini. All he's doing is setting fodder for her warriors to cut down." Judai shook his head, "No...He's waiting for something. Trying to buy time. That Golden Homunculus card..." The duel with Amnael flashed back again through his mind, all the way up to when he used Macro Cosmos to Summon Helios the Primordial Sun, then through to Helios Trice Megistus. "I've no doubt that's his ace...He's going to try and banish cards to weaken Shivini's options, and strengthen his monster."
 

It was mainly because that had been the first loss. For the time being, she still had options. Time. And - just as importantly - cards tot keep using and playing. Otherwise, Shivini certainly would have had a panic attack. Right now, this was just a nuisance at worst.

Also, she promised herself to walk into this duel and leave with the same dignity Eikichi had kept. She refused to be a sore winner or loser like Sasaki had been.

" ... You sound like you've had a good share of personal experiences with this sorta deck. Am I right, Judai?" Eikichi curiously asked. It had been interesting enough for him to be found, considering he all but appeared from nowhere. Grateful as he was for the aid he'd given thus far, no one had really heard much on his background. Even if it was just something minor, his would be a good enough start.

"Oh wow. You really did do your homework. Not bad! It's sad to say, but few people even know the basics of Amazons."

Even more so considering this applied to a good chunk of people from the Tops, where the resources to find this information was much easier to come by.

Oh shit!

Her eyes widened slightly as she felt her heart pound while waiting to declare which card he'd destroy. Well ... okay. If it had to be any, that would have been her 'lesser of two evils' choice also. Not that it wasn't frustrating, but ... better to have Battleguard Howling destroyed over the other trap.

"Thanks for the praise. You're not doing too bad, either. It's been some time since a deck pushed me this much. There are other ways to go about that aside from life point loss, after all."

And right now, it was in a very mental manner. She had to plan for scenarios that, while Shivini would not be fond of, were very real possibilities. From losing more cards to facing the Golden Homunculus, and everything in between.

For right now, they're just 'what-if's. Don't let them freak you out too much!

Nodding to herself, she pulled the top card off of her deck.

"I'll set a card. Battle! Spy and Swordswoman will go first!" Nothing. So ... were those for other phases of the duel? It almost seemed to be the case. Before she could have her Paladin attack, however, he revealed there had been one he saved.

"Trap card open! Compulsory Evacuation Device!"

... Well, at least her Paladin went back to the hand as opposed to being banished. Still, that was annoying.

You'll live, she convinced herself, blowing a few bangs away from her eyes.

"Fair enough. Then I'll go to Main Phase two and re-summon my Paladin. Now it's your turn!" And hell, two out of three attacks getting through wasn't half bad. Finlay was now down to a dangerous 3400 life. If she could stay more on the offensive, she could secure this win. No matter how irritating the theme for this deck was, she could overcome it.
 

Judai nodded as Eikichi asked his question, "Yeah...One of my old professors at Duel Academy - er, not the one here I mean - ran a Deck much like Finlay's. It was a problematic deck, especially since his cards banished everything that got destroyed or otherwise sent to the Graveyard." Takeshi whistled, "That bad, huh? Well, here's hoping he doesn't have any cards like that."

This Shivini...She was an interesting woman, that much was certain. Finlay just smiled as she affirmed his knowledge, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "I'm probably not the best Duelist out there; frankly, your performance has been far superior compared to my own. But I like to think I'm well-read on many subjects." was his response; and it was true, even if she was partially right about the Life Points not being the only factor in pushing an opponent.

However, when she attacked, the first two went through...Which he had to do, because he didn't want to chance her activating something that would power up her Amazoness warriors. However, when her Paladin did attack, he declared, "Trap Card, Open! Compulsory Evacuation Device! Paladin returns to your hand!" And sure enough, the brave warrior would find herself encapsulated and ejected high into the air, her card going back into Shivini's hand. "Whew...That was a close one. Guess you're not the only one being pushed, hehe." he tried to joke and keep things light-hearted.

"My turn, draw!" he then declared, "At this time, Sarcophagus' effect expires and I return the banished Necroface to my hand. Then I'll go ahead and Normal Summon it!" And when it did appear, its tentacles flailed about, the bulging mass pulsing lewdly from the upper left part of its 'face'. "When this card is Normal Summoned, we each shuffle all of our banished cards back into our Decks, then it gains 100 ATK for each one. And with ten cards being returned, that means its strength rises 2200!"

Sure enough, the change went through, putting his monster ahead of any of hers. "Then I activate the Equipment Magic, Big Bang Shot! This cards gives my Necroface an additional 400 ATK, as well as the ability to inflict piercing damage if it attacks a Defense position monster with lower DEF than its ATK." he clarified; truth be told, he was hoping to use this on his Golden Homunculus; the truth was though, he simply didn't have the banished cards necessary to make it a viable play.

"Once more, I activate the Permanent Trap, Safe Zone! I target Necroface with its effect! While this card is face up, the selected monster cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects!" The Trap Card then expanded to place the weird Undead creature into a bubble. "However, it can't attack directly while under Safe Zone's protection, but it can still attack your monsters! Battle! I attack Amazoness Spy with Necroface!"

"Trap Card, Open! Divided Wall!"

And just like that, Necroface's ATK was lowered to 1800, still more than enough to destroy Spy...But now her Paladin outclassed. Well, at least he would only have to worry about that one monster for now. Still, this was a bad situation, even if he did manage to land a ding on her Life.

"Well...I suppose that's that. Turn end."
 

"Not here? Where then? I'd like to hear that part one of these days, anyway." According ot what Judai was relaying, this deck at least seemed tamer. Still, he could definitely see where this would become a huge issue if things went the way Finlay played them out.

As Necroface was summoned, Shivini knew she had to make some choices pretty damn fast. She'd already seen him get the Golden Homunculus. So would it be for the best to use the trap she'd saved so badly now or later?

Probably now ... sooner than later. It feels like he's trying to rush things along.

"Trap Card Open! Divided Wall!"

Each new card getting attached to Necroface made Shivini's heart sink; Big Bang Shot was ... tolerable. But ... Safe Zone? Then ... it was practically invincible? Granted her Queen easily overpowered it, but ... she didn't have it yet. And the main trouble would be dealing with the equips, anyway. Did she even have anything?! She swallowed, suddenly beginning to feel incredibly overwhelmed.

Don't you even start, Shivini. This duel's far from over, Eikichi inwardly chided, narrowing his eyes slightly. Sure, this was bad ... probably too generous of a term to use. But as someone who had gone against her deck before, he knew she did have the answers as to what she could do; she was obviously having a mini-panic attack. Enough to keep her from thinking straight. "Snap out of it," he muttered softly. "They're there. You just need to get them."

Taking a slight breath, Shivini drew after sending her own silent prayer up. "Hmmm. So .... if Safe Zone works the way I'm understanding .... then this will help confirm it. I activate Raigeki."

Yep. Nothing. No lightning bolt like usual would strike the field.

Shivini sighed, tapping her fingers against her hip. "Those are very problematic cards. Hmm .... " Her hand rose again as she glanced back at her cards. At least for now, Shivini didn't yet have any definite way to get rid of them. And that was making her hands just barely begin to shake. "I'll set a card. I then activate Amazoness Wllpower to bring Amazoness Spy back to my field."

Oh shit!

That had been a horribly hasty choice. Shivini bit her lip, inwardly scolding herself with curses. Were it not for the fact this opponent was much more ... generous, she'd just say them out loud. As it was, her frustration really was with herself more than anything.

"Paladin will attack and, because of how it works, Spy has to also."

Both duelists would lose life, with the score changing from 6000 to 3200.

"Turn end."

Wake the hell up, Shivini. Calm down. Eikichi's boots tapped; now he found himself wanting to go up there. But a least it'd be to shake Shivini and help her stop being so frantic. Compared to why she had admitted wanting to storm up, it would have been more ... civil. But ... no. He was one of the eldest members of Yomi, and largely because of that, he was effectively everyone's aniki. In cases like this, it meant doing everything for the others all the time wouldn't be good. Then they'd never learn. Hence why he was forcing himself to stay still.
 

"Uhm...It's a little hard to explain. Because the Dueling Academy was on an island...And frankly I don't exactly know how to read a map..." Judai replied sheepishly to Eikcihi; inwardly he would hear Yubel sigh before commenting, "You do know how much history we share, right? I could very easily lead you back there, even by sea." Judai mentally slapped his forehead; of course, he thought. "Eh-he...Sorry, Yubel. Sometimes I forget the advantages of being contracted." Judai would then say to Eikichi, "Well...Maybe at some point I can try to find out where it is again. Would probably be one long trip though."

"Yeah...Basically invincible..." Finlay would reply defeatedly after her attempt to use Thunder Bolt failed; he could see she wasn't pleased about this. And frankly? He wasn't either; he didn't want to have to use this card on Necroface. Even worse when she was forced to attack after using her Trap, reducing both of their Life.

"Hey...Uhm, I'm really sorry...But I wasn't sure what else to do." he sheepishly apologized; sure, maybe he hadn't done the pros before but he was hoping to at least try and make a Duel exciting. And one part of that was using an unusual Deck build...But if it led to this, maybe he'd just need to try and streamline his choices more effectively. Because as it was, they were effectively at a standstill.

Unfortunately, there was really one move he could make. Even if it would cost him some Life in the process.

"My turn! Draw!" he declared, adding afterward "Necroface will attack your Amazoness Swordswoman!" At this, the fugly little devil shot its tentacle arms forward, punching right through the muscular woman's body and dropping his Life by another 300...And lowering her Paladin's ATK by 100, their stats now identical with each other. "Uhm...Yeah, I have nothing else. Turn end." he then said.

Takeshi seemed perplexed; why wouldn't he switch his monster into defense mode? "Shivini, be careful..." he warned; what was this guy playing at? He had to be planning something...Right?
 

Well ... that was by far the most interesting answer Eikichi had heard in quite some time. He ... didn't know how to explain where his Academy was? Did he have amnesia or something? He rose an eyebrow ... but opted not to pry any further, at least for the time being. "Well .. when you have the chance, I'll definitely look forward to seeing or learning about it."

As things were, the tournament was still going on. Even though he had been eliminated, he wasn't about to leave. Not when there were others to cheer on. And poor Shivini was barely keeping herself from caving in and having a full-fledged panic attack.

"... Don't be sorry," Shivini replied, wiping her face with a bare shoulder. "I don't have those exact cards, but I do have my own ways to avoid having my own monsters getting killed in combat."

So where the hell are they?!

No. That wasn't the right question. At this point, she needed something to deal with all of those back-row cards. Keeping her monsters alive would be a great bonus; but as things were, she was limited. And yet, that soon seemed to change as she drew her next card. "Like this one, for example."

Thank you, Paladin, for all you've done thus far. Take a rest.

The image of Amazones Paladin began to fade, with a new one quickly coming into view, "Watcher and ruler of all the Amazons, your time to enter the fray has come! Tribute Summon! Amazoness Queen! With this summon being successful, none of my Amazoness monsters can die in battle." While this still didn't fix getting rid of any of the cards attached to Necroface, it did significantly overpower the opposing monster. Enough she could do even more damage this way.

"Amazoness Queen, attack Necroface! Immortal Slash Attack!"

After another few beeps, Shivini and the audience would see Finlay's life decrease even more, stopping at 2300.

"For now ... turn end also."

Maybe someone had been hearing her prayers? Either way, this was definitely a step in the very right direction. She just needed something more to help remove Necroface. But once that arrived, she could win. She had to. She was far too close to fail, and there was more than just her pride on the line.
 

Finlay seemed genuinely concerned; was her facing this kind of opposition really that much for her? He had a friend that could lock down a field in less than three turns, and kill off his opponent only a few turns later. "Even still...It's hard not to feel sorry. I don't mean to make you uncomfortable or anything like that...I'm just bricking so hard it's ridiculous." he replied. If he ever wanted to get serious, he would either need to find a deck and stick with it, or somehow learn more about professional deck-building.

Because, even by his own admission, he was doing pathetically. This was sad, and if anything, he would have surrendered already just to give her the win. But...He also figured that she wouldn't appreciate it being handed to her like that.

Takeshi shook his head, "Looks like this guy didn't have quite the same deck as whatever you were referring to, Judai." Judai shook his head, "No...His deck is close, but it needs refinement. But maybe he couldn't find the cards he needed? Could be some of the cards he wanted to use got put on the forbidden list."

Finlay just sighed; hopefully he could at least buy another turn or two to get the card he needed? "I switch Necroface to Defense position and end my turn." he then said, adding "And...Shivini? For the record, I did want to make this an enjoyable Duel for both of us."
 

"Really .... don't feel sorry for me. Please. That's ... not necessary. I've dueled long enough. If my nerves aren't in control, that's my issue, not yours."

Indeed, surrendering would end as well for him if he succeeded in feeling horrible for Shivini; meaning not at all well. Her tone had stayed civil not just because she was in a very public place, but Finlay was proving to be a more generous opponent than she'd honestly expected to go against. "These kinds of decks have always made me a bit more on edge than most others. It's just a bad history I have. But none of that's your fault. In fact ... "

A smile spread over Shivini's face as her head bowed politely.

"You're the first in a very long time who possess this kind of deck but has kept a more generous attitude. Most others love boasting and seeing the other individual freak out when a card from their deck gets unwillingly sent to the grave or removed from grave pile. You're .... different. Not at all like that, and it's that exact fact which has made this duel a lot better than the others I've had before with similar decks like yours. So ... thank you, Finlay."

Her head nodded in understanding as Finlay vowed his true intentions had been to make this duel a fun one. "I know," she replied, pulling the top card off her deck. "Don't worry. I really can sense that much from you. I activate Reinforcement of the Army!"

But ... what should she get?

Normally, Shivini had an idea or two in her mind. Right then and there, though, she wasn't sure.

Wait a second!

There it was! Her chance to turn this duel around!

"I'll summon Amazoness Sage getting her to my hand! Amazoness Sage will attack Necroface!"

Eikichi grinned, smirking as his arms went over his chest. "Gonna be over very soon," he simply dictated.

Eikichi would likely be one of the few people to understand Shivini's logic, because to most others, it would look stupid to have a weaker monster attack a face-up defense monster it clearly couldn't defeat. But ... there was indeed a point to inflicting some life point loss to herself. "Amazoness Sage's effect activates! Because it's still on the field after attacking, I can choose any of your cards and destroy it! My selection ... is Big Bang Shot!"

And just like that, Necroface, Safe Zone, and all the other cards attached to the monster would disappear. Worse off, they would go to the remove from game pile due to how Big Bang Shot worked.

"And now ... Amazoness Queen will attack directly! Once more, Immortal Slash Attack!"

The last chunk of Finlay's health would vanish, turning to 0 as the ruler got a clean, free hit against him.

"Whew .... good ... good duel, Finlay."
 

"Ah, I see..." Finlay replied...Still he was glad that his honesty finally seemed to be paying off. So that was it; she'd gone against other decks that worked with banishing cards from the game. Well...He'd have tried to use something else if that was the case. But...At least she was taking it in stride.

"Well...It feels good to win, sure, but that's no reason to be rude or condescending about it, right?" he would then add; and it was true he felt that way, probably why he stuck to the 'scrub-league'. People kept the Duels low-key, tried out different decks that probably wouldn't even work in the pro leagues. "But sure...No worries..."

Still, would she get something that would overcome this wall?

The answer came when she managed to draw a card to get another monster in her hand...And she did manage to pick a winner. Sure enough, people were wondering why she would attack...But that answer came when she used her Sage's effect to destroy Big Bang Shot and banish his Necroface. In turn removing 5 cards once more from their deck to the banished pile. Leaving his Life wide open...And the victory to her.

"Incredible folks! Shivini broke the deadlock and came through! A resounding victory for the Queen of the Amazons!" MC announced, Finlay walking forward with a hand proferred, "Good duel to you, Shivini." His cheeks were tinged...Almost like he was embarrassed to be near her. And to be honest, he wasn't believe he was going to be asking this, especially since they had only just met. "So...Uhm...I apologize if this seems...forward, but...would you want to...meet again sometime? Perhaps for a cup of tea or coffee?" his voice low enough to where only she would hear, in fact it was almost like a whisper, his voice even cracking near the end.

Takeshi laughed, "Well...Guess that backfired on him. Running a banishment deck must be harder than I thought. Well, kudos to him for trying I guess." However, when Shivini didn't come back own right away, he would her opponent still talking with her. "Hmm? Wonder what they're talking about though." Judai shrugged, "Don't know...But I think you're just eager to get your turn." adding a small chuckle afterward. Takeshi laughing too, "Hell yeah, with the match you gave me, I'm pumped to throw my hat in the ring again!"
 

Shivini giggled softly, shrugging. "You'd think that, wouldn't you? Alas, not everyone has that train of thought. I'm ... very used to living in an almost literal school of hard-knocks. The more ... virtuous attitudes and mannerisms ... I almost never see save from a few close comrades of mine. Anyone who even has a shred of honor or respect is, as far as I'm concerned, part of a dying breed, more or less."

Hehe ... Queen of the Amazons. That has a nice ring to it~

She'd never really self-assigned herself a nickname, like how Hotsuma became The Fiend of Satellite. But ... sure. She'd take that. Easily, in fact. She blushed slightly, not having expected the nickname from the MC ... but her smile hinted she otherwise appreciated it. Before she could leave the platform, Finlay ... moved forward? That definitely made her stop, no doubt intrigued. Shivini expected - perhaps at most - a handshake. But when he got close - so much that his lips almost looked like they were going to land on her own - her crimson tinges turned even darker. And then, he began to whisper.

Eikichi, meanwhile, smirked. He didn't need to hear he exchange. The sight of Shivini blushing was more than enough. Poor girl; she would be better off running and hiding over returning. Because he was not going to leave her alone once - if - she walked back to the group.

"Umm ... really? I'm ... not the best at this sorta thing but .. if you're willing to be patient with me, sure. I can try. Got a number or some way to get a hold of you?" Only after she got an answer - be it written down on a piece of paper, card of some sort, or anything else, did Shivini walk off. And, against her better judgement, she did slowly rendezvous with the others.

"Soooo? Does this mean Yamichi isn't the only one who found an interesting person at these tournaments?"

Shivini quickly shoved Eikichi by the shoulders, blushing harder. "It -- it's just for a drink! Non-alcoholic! May not mean anything much!"

"I don't know; the fact you were approached at all is pretty significant. Even you've told me at least once you didn't expect it because you embodied your deck so much."

"Significant, yes. Intimate? Not necessarily the same thing."

"But you're kinda hoping, aren't you?"

" .... Good luck, Takeshi. Judai! Get him to shut up, please!"

Even before Takeshi moved away, his opponent was already heading for the platform.

Ugh, Daisuke you idiot! You fucked up at the last tournament! We had her! We fucking had her! And you lost any possible leads that would guide us to her!

The most annoying part? From what she'd seen, Fayth still wasn't here. Granted, with her supposedly securing a spot to the Fortune Cup, that much made sense, she guessed. So it was thus finding who else was around her. She was blind for god's sakes! There was only so much she could do on her own!

Hmmm .... I think Leo-sama is getting the wrong idea. She's too smart to walk out into the open. We need to literally search this dimension for her at this rate.

Nodding to herself, she waited ... knowing her own introduction would be a false one. Not that anyone needed to know nor care about that. She gave her name out as Emiko. Although it was but a mere alias, it at least sounded like a legitimate lie ... something she was rather proud of.
 

Finlay blushed some more as she accepted, "Th-thank you! Y-yeah, here's my mobile number." He would end up writing it on the back of a card from his side deck, one that he had too many copies of, where it would still be visible. "Eh....Don't worry about it, heh. I'm not anything remotely experienced either; I was half-expecting you to say no, haha. But...I'm glad you said yes. I'll see you later" the young man, internally jumping with joy. Maybe it wouldn't go anywhere...But he could at least try, right?

"And there we go folks, and with this we come to the final match up of the first round!" MC declared, adding "Will contestants 4 and 5 please come up to the stage?! Let's give the folks here a real show with this next duel!"

Takeshi was a bit surprised when the revelation came to pass; the guy asked her out? "Well now, indeed; guess Yamichi wasn't the only one who got lucky" he joked, grinning at Shivini as Eikichi teased her. Granted it was all light-hearted, but it seemed that the unexpectedness of it. Judai intervening "Hey, hey...Alright, guys let's not push her too hard. Seriously though, congratulations, Shivini." Takeshi nodded, patting the decorated young woman on the shoulder, "He is right; be happy, Shivini. Just let us know if he does something you don't care for alright..."

Pausing for a second, he then punched an open palm with his fist. "I know you can take care of yourself, but I won't stand for some guy being a jerk to a friend." he then added, giving her a sincere smile. "Oi, Takeshi, it's your turn! Good luck!" Judai declared, the brown-haired Disciple seeming to remember this. "Ah, right! Thanks guys! Wish me luck!"

Running up to the platform, he would see his opponent...Dressed in a black robe. The hell was this about, he wondered; oh well, this wasn't a fashion contest. This was a Duel and he fully intended to win. "Ohaiyo!" he said cheerfully, trying to start things off on a good foot, adding "You heard the MC, let's give these folks a show!"

"Coin toss!" MC declared, Takeshi declaring "Heads!" but the coin landing on Tails. His face fell a little, realizing in his mind the implications of this. "And...So the bad luck begins. Fuck. My. Life." he muttered grumpily but stood up straighter and looked at his opponent to make her decision, thinking "Will she attack first or later?"

Judai sighed, chuckling a little as he commented "Well, Eikichi...I think he's going to be holding on to his superstitions a little longer. Losing that coin toss probably didn't help him." Unaware to Judai that he was about to face another deck from his past, even more familiar than the banishment deck Shivini went up against.
 

For what felt like an eternity, Emiko simply stared at her opponent. She went over Daisuke's words long and hard .. finally nodding. this was definitely the same person Daisuke went against. Which made this new group very interesting. A quick peek with peripheral vision hinted there were quite a few new faces. Even if they really didn't know Fayth Milner, Daisuke had found a jackpot in his own regards. Luckily, she had a way to help gather more information. She'd need tot rely on something -- someone rather. The purple-haired male.

"Hello. Hehe, yes. I'll see what I can do. Even with my own deck though, I've heard you're tough."

Word of mouth went around, an easy enough lie to assume. But honestly, even if he figured out the real reason - that she did know Daisuke - so what? It wasn't like he knew who they really were.

The worst part?

Even as she drew, her words about questioning her deck weren't a lie. These were usually very tough, but .... if everything she'd heard - and seen, courtesy of Daisuke's duel disk - had been true, then even she was way in over her head.

That's why you're going to compensate, she decided, nodding as she finished drawing her starting hand. "I'll go first," she declared ... and almost immediately regretted it. Well, shit. Dark Worlds were always better when set up on the second turn.

Ah well. She'd compensate for what was very likely going to be a brutal loss. She'd make up for where Daisuke royally fucked up and failed to get anything productive out of his loss.

"I activate Dark World Dealings. I'll discard Broww, and because of this, his effect activates. I draw another card. I normal summoni Zure, Knight of a Dark World. For now, that's the end of my turn."

"Dark Worlds?" Shivini repeated, nodding as Eikichi started to explain them to her. But stopped as he noticed Judai very visibly tense; even worse than with Finlay's deck. "Judai?" The two asked, "You okay?"
 

Takeshi raised a brow as she mentioned hearing about him being tough; where the hell did she hear that from? He'd only dueled one other person...Well two. But why would someone mention to her that he was tough? It couldn't have been Judai, as he'd been with them since after the first tournament. "Daisuke..." he muttered, loud enough for her to hear as she declared her first turn.

"Dark World?" Takeshi then pondered; Hotsuma used cards like this. Which meant she was going to try and destroy his field by tossing them to the Graveyard. Thankfully, he did have something that could at least give him one turn of protection. And when she activated her Magic Card, he tossed his second copy of Deathkaiser Dragon Slash Buster; even if he did have Buster Mode in his hand, he couldn't use it as it only summoned from the Deck.

Judai didn't respond at first, his eyes watching the cards as she played them, wide and transfixed as a rush of past experience washed over him and sent a crushing chill down his spine; this brought back all sorts of bad memories. Brron sacrificing his friends to create Super Polymerization, using their emotions to construct the card. His transformation into the Supreme King...His battle with Yubel. It all brought back that horrible feeling of seeing his friends perish at Brron's hand. "Judai...Judai!" Yubel called out, snapping him from his trance, "That time is over...Brron isn't here to hurt anyone you care about anymore. And even if he did return...We'd crush him".

Judai took a deep breath, comforted a little by Yubel's words. And he would end up just nodding and replying to Eikichi, "Y-yeah...Just another deck I had some bad experiences with." He didn't want to really bother them with his past; like Yubel said that was over. "Besides...If Takeshi's deck works as well as it did against me, then this woman has no chance of winning!" he then declared with his usual happy smile; and it was true, especially since she had gone first. She'd set herself up for a bad situation...Now was the time to see if she could make it work.

"My turn, draw!" Takeshi noted the strength of her monster...But thankfully, he did draw a monster that could help. "I'll set one card face-down, then I'll Normal Summon Shiranui Samurai in Attack mode!" With its ATK at 1800, he had no chance at beating Zure without it being a simultaneous kill...Not at this time.

"I activate Samurai's effect! I banish the Deathkaiser Slash Buster I discarded last turn and raise his strength by 600!" And with that, the display would show Takeshi's monster rising to 2400 ATK. "Battle! Samurai, destroy Zure!" And just like that his monster disappeared; only thing that would be noticeable would be several streaks of light that appeared through Zure's form, before long the wicked knight shattering and lowering Emiko's life to 7400. "And because I raised Samurai's power, by its effect, Zure is removed from the game!"

Giving a small smile, he then said, "Samurai's strength returns to normal...And with that, I end my turn." his monster dropping back to 1800 ATK.
 

Smarter than he looks, Emiko mused, casually shrugging as she heard her comrade's name uttered. "It could have been almost anyone else but ... I suppose that is one of the few logical answers that actually makes sense. Yeah, you're right."

No point in hiding that part. Everything else about them, sure. But revealing she did know Daisuke wouldn't ruin any plans Leo-sama was working on.

Only bad? Eikichi thought. It seemed like that was far too generous of a term to use. But ... Judai actually looked a bit pale. This was obviously one of those stories that could wait for a much more appropriate time to bring up. It was painfully obvious now wasn't that time. "Heh. Very true. She's gonna have to swarm him in order to even have a chance."

Helping Shivini move aside, he began whispering and explaining the Dark Worlds to her.

"Ohhhh," she replied after thinking for a moment, slowly nodding. "Seems like they're similar to the Infernity deck. In fact ... with all the discarding required, you could easily put yourself at that sorta risk if you're not careful."

"Exactly," Eikichi replied, smiling proudly as he heard Shivini catch onto the most noticeable weakness of this specific archetype.

Hmmm ....

This was why she hadn't been overly content with her beginning hand. It would have been much better if she could have saved Zure, somehow. As it was? She offered a fake smile. She'd already taken up and chosen her 'role' in this duel; no sense in breaking character. "Hmm. Quite the troublesome deck you have there. Guess I'm gonna have to step it up. Draw!"

You fuckers better prove I'm right. Ugh! Can't believe I'm having to degrade myself like this ...

But ... if her guess was anything close to correct, then they could be as useful as Fayth. Perhaps a bit more so.

All in due time, Yurie; all in due time .... she repeated to herself, as if it were a war mantra.

"I'll activate the Cheerful Coffin and discard two -- ahhh!"

She honestly hadn't meant to put Renge into the grave. Alas, it slipped from between her fingers as she put Grapha and Gren into her grave.

" .... Well, that was embarrassing. Anyway, Gren's effect activates! When he's discarded, I can destroy any spell or trap on the field. I choose your set card. Furthermore, I'll activate Grapha's effect and use it to destroy your Shiranui Samurai. I was going to set something in defense but ... well ... that slipped between my fingers. So .... I'll set another card and end."
 

Takeshi watched with narrowed eyes; she openly admitted to knowing him, so he was at least right in that. But...Why? The fact that he was facing two people in two separate tournaments that knew each other was already a bad enough sign...But her suggestion that they were working in concert?

That was unsettling, for a variety of reasons. Especially with the fact that Aki stole a friend of his from here, he was more than a little concerned about safety. But then again...Everything was in plain view.

But regardless...He knew he was going to be in for a very painful Duel if he let her toss her cards too much. Even if his deck needed cards in the Graveyard to truly work, he still needed monsters on the field to actually do anything. "Well...I'm not entirely sure why Daisuke would mention me at all; in fact, he seemed pretty disinterested in the Duel in general. Talk about a guy who has his head in the clouds."

Judai heard Takeshi's comment; seemed there was the fair amount of odd opponents in this world. "I'll have to ask Takeshi more about this Daisuke guy; wonder if he was anything like Sasaki, especially with how he's talking about him."

Of course, no one had any real idea what her deal was...Or where she was even from, for that matter. Her manner of dress was certainly odd, but that was about the only thing. Even so, Judai couldn't help chuckling as she accidentally tossed a third card that apparently she hadn't wanted to throw away. "Well...That's one way to do it, I suppose." Judai said, feeling a good bit calmer now; maybe this wasn't anything like Brron's deck.

And as she would try to use her monster's effects, much like Takeshi had anticipated, he would make his own move. "Sorry...But I can't let you do that. Trap Card, Open! Shiranui Style - Samsara Formation! I banish Samurai and take no damage this turn!" This would make her do what he hoped she would: End her turn. Even with his Trap destroyed by Gren's effect, he didn't have to worry about any massive battle damage.

But she did have a backrow card...Even so, he couldn't be afraid. "My turn, draw!" he declared, pulling a card from his deck and going right into his next move. "I summon Mezuki in Attack Mode! Battle! Mezuki, Direct Attack!" And he was more than surprised that it went through, the giant horse-like Undead cleaving the giant axe right through her and shaving her Life down to 5700; was her set not something that could stop a battle?

"What are you planning...." Takeshi mused, adding afterwards, "I end my turn with this".
 

"Heh, yeah. That's Daisuke, alright. A bit too laissez-faire for his own good."

"Or lack of his own good," she inwardly added, fighting off the urge to roll her eyes.

"I don't think he was intending to insult you or anything, if that was how he came off. It's just how he is." Oddly, that would be the completely honest truth. If he had wanted to be rude, he could have done so as easily as any other member of Arcadia. It was a very small olive branch, but hopefully one that would make Takeshi just a bit less concerned. She was being somewhat honest with him, after all. Or ... if that failed, then hopefully the duel would keep him from piecing too much together. Alternatively, if he did figure out so quickly who she really was?

Well ... she'd have to personally deal with that.

So don't get too smart on me, boy. I don't like resorting to those measures, but I sure as shit will if needed.

Unfortunately, the set card was Fine; not at all meant for preventing damage. If she could have hacked and altered her starting hand, she easily would have done so. This duel was, without a doubt in Yurie's mind, the worst and most embarrassing she'd had to endure. Even against brats like Daisuke or Sora, she'd had far better fortune ... and that was saying something.

The again, Daisuke didn't even use his real deck - dumbass - ... so no one knows his true strength ...

Her eyes shut as she prepared for the direct attack, mentally curing herself all the while. She was livid ... but merely hiding it. If Renge hadn't fallen out of her grasp, she would have had a chance to turn this damn duel around! Goddamn it all! This was not her day.

But that was exactly why he was determined to succeed in her contingency plan.

A low wince of pain resounded before she regained her composure and drew her top card. Well .... not her preference, but it would have to do. "I normal summon Scar. I then return him to my hand in order to activate Grapha's effect and special summon him to the field. Grapha! Attack Meizuki!"

There. Surely now she'd helped herself out. Right? For god's sakes, Grapha had 2700 attack! Nothing at all to sneeze at!

"Whew, well .... with this, I have to end my turn here."

If nothing else ... at least she put a dent in this boy's life points. Had Daisuke even done that much? She couldn't recall. Either way, she didn't put the Academia at as much of a risk as he could have - and almost did - had he been foolish enough to utter certain wrong words. Or names, even.
 
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