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


Well...That was a start at least; it seemed like this Daisuke guy was the same with her. "Well...I don't quite know what 'laissez-faire' means, but I'll take it." he replied, her explanation seeming to have put him at ease...For the most part anyway. It still unsettled him that this guy even bothered mentioning him to her; who did that, even? Regardless, he was definitely going to let the others know that these two were clearly in concert with each other.

However...He would get his own surprise when she summoned a weaker monster at first. Then bounced it right back and got out her Dragon Lord; damn it that was right. That was a monster that could be summoned from the Graveyard like that.

"Well...This is gonna hurt."

And he had to cover himself as Grapha's fire broke through Mezuki, bringing the Disciple's Life to 7000. "I forgot about that card's effect; that ugly mother's a dangerous one. Had a friend who used to run those cards, so I should have expected that play. Nice work." he said, smiling all the while; and at the very least she seemed to actually want to participate in this Duel. Something he was grateful for.

"Well...At least you seem to actually want to be here. And you actually dinged me; Daisuke couldn't even touch me." he replied confidently, hoping to bolster his opponent's spirit to fight. "But I'm going to go all out from here! My turn, draw!" he declared...And with what he just drew, he was going to go full power for sure. But...For certain people, maybe that would be too much.

"First, I'll summon Shiranui Spiritmaster in Attack Mode! Then I activate its effect and Special Summon another Shiranui monster from my hand! Come forth, Shiranui Hermit!" And with that first move, he would have two monsters, still not enough to beat Grapha by a long shot. But he wasn't planning on using them. "Next, I'll activate Hermit's effect and release it to summon an Undead with 0 Defense from my Deck! But it gets banished because I used Spiritmaster's effect to bring it out! Sing loudly, Uni-Zombie!"

And with that, Hermit was replaced by a two-man, three-legged zombie that seemed to be trying - and failing - to sing in harmony. "And because Hermit was banished, I can summon a banished Shiranui monster from my banish zone! Return, Samurai!" And with three monsters out, he was building quite the field. "Next, I activate Uni-Zombie's effect! I can send an Undead monster from my deck to the Graveyard to target one monster I control and raise its level by one! I'll target Uni-Zombie and raise it to Level 4, sending Zombie Carrier to the Graveyard in the process!"

Giving her a slight grin as his eyes flashed with energy, Judai would feel his friend's energy rise. Very much similar to how he dueled in that first tournament. "Oh dear...I think he's getting excited!" Judai laughed; what was Takeshi going to do, he wondered?

"I tune my Uni-Zombie with my Spiritmaster! Legendary blade, rise once more and lead your clan to battle and glory! Synchro Summon! War God - Shiranui!" he declared, the robed and armored warrior with 3000 ATK appearing before her dragon. "I'm not done yet! War God's effect! I banish one Undead from my Graveyard and raise its power by that monster's own until the end of this turn! I banish Spiritmaster!" And with that, an already powerful monster rose to 4500 ATK, its two katanas coating themselves in silvery fire. "And when Spiritmaster gets banished, I can destroy one card you control! Which means Grapha goes to the Graveyard!"

Spiritmaster returned from a portal, throwing an ofuda at the demonic beast and breaking it apart. Leaving her wide open...But there was still that set card. "And don't think I'm going to let you resummon it either, because I activate Book of Life - Forbidden Magic - ! I banish one monster from your Grave and Special Summon one from my own! Revive, Uni-Zombie!"

But as if to make an already hopeless situation even more so, he would still go on. "I activate Mezuki's effect! I banish it to Special Summon Zombie Carrier from my Graveyard! Now I tune Zombie Carrier to my War God! Overseer of the afterlife, light the path and carry your clansmen to their final resting place! Synchro Summon! Flame God - Shiranui!" War God was summon replaced by a magnificent steed, its billowing mane of fire flitting about as an armored warrior sat atop it. Staring down Emiko as Takeshi's turn continued, "Flame God's effect activates, and I chain Samurai's with it! I first banish War God to raise Samurai's ATK by 600, then Flame God returns it to my Extra Deck! And I can destroy one card on your field! Which means your face-down is history!"

Flame God's sword would become alight in bright orange fire, before the monster swung it and shattered her Fine Trap Card. "And finally, I place the Dragon Zombie back on top of my deck and Special Summon Zombie Carrier once more! And then...I tune once more Zombie Carrier to Shiranui Samurai! Noble warrior, bear of the torch of your ancestors and rise from beyond to strike against darkness! Synchro Summon! Blade God - Shiranui!"

And with three decently powered monsters now facing her completely empty field...Most would agree that was a little bit overkill. But Takeshi didn't seem to mind the overwhelming advantage. "Knowing my luck, you could have a Battle Fader or something in your hand...But here it goes! Uni-Zombie! Direct Attack!" And at this, the odd duo seemed to finally harmonize...A loud yodel filling the air and bombarding her with sound, dropping her life to 4400. "You're up next, Flame God! Direct Attack!" he declared, that attack going through no problem as well and slicing her Life to a dangerous low of 900.

"Lastly, Blade God! Finish this! Direct Attack!" And with that...The Duel was over, Takeshi bringing the last of her Life to zero. But...When he saw what happened after Blade God launched that final brutal attack, he felt compelled to run over. "Oi, shit! I'm sorry about that! You alright?" he asked her, clearly concerned that he might have actually hurt the girl.
 

"Yeah. Sadly, they've been drastically weakened. I have contemplated making a secondary deck just because of that .... and I likely will in the future. Right now? Well ... I've had an attachment to them, just as you have - I'm assuming, anyway - with your Shiranui deck."

In fact, when this was over, that was exactly what she'd intend to do.

"Well ... free lesson for the day. Laissez-faire means 'let it be'; essentially, a fancy way of saying someone or something is easy-going or carefree. Typically to a fault. So ... that's probably why Daisuke didn't get a hit off you. One of the reasons, anyway."

So, she did the only thing Yurie could and watched Takeshi play out his turn. Holy shit, the boy hadn't been joking. He was going all out.

For Eikichi, it would be when his synchro evolved from a 7 star to the 10 star version.

Really, Takeshi? Fucking really?!

Getting excited was one thing. But this? This was overkill. And if that wasn't bad enough, this was an easy way to come off as a very, very sore winner. Those were worse than sore losers, as far as Eikichi was concerned.

Dude, that's enough! You already got your win!

" ... Eikichi?" Shivini asked, noting he was already beginning to look less than happy about how the match was going.

Oh dear ... she thought, mentally sighing. Today was one of those days, huh? The kind with good and bad moments. This was one that seriously fell under the latter. Not that she couldn't overly blame him. But she wouldn't react quite as strongly as Eikichi was no doubt going to.

Oh sweet gods ...

More and more, Yurie was finding additional reasons o be so very glad she came up with a back-up plan. This tun proved she had direly needed it. No amount of acting was needed for the cry that passed her lips as the last of the attacks landed against her.

YOU FUCKER! Wait till I get my proper revenge on you!

Definitely no today. But someday, oh yes. Sh fully intended to make Takeshi be in her place; in a world of pain.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

She rolled once, twice .... and damn well nearly fell off the platform. The only thing that kept herself from actually landing on the ground was holding herself still with one hand.

The other, meanwhile, gripped tightly at her ankle.

"Jesus!" Eikichi hissed through gritted teeth, running up on the other side of Yurie. "Dude! What in the literal hell, huh?! You seriously went overboard!"

"I-It's fine. Really .... " she managed to weakly whimper out in response.

"No. Clearly, it isn't. Listen to yourself. Is your ankle okay?"

"I-I don't know .... "

Flashing a very displeased and none-too-happy glare at Takeshi, Eikichi sighed. "I'm going to be lenient on you if only because you also came over an checked up on her. Really, though .... if I weren't chewing you out, Yuna or Hotsuma definitely would be right now. I don't care who your next fight is against; you better not do this exact stunt again. If you've got enough attack and power to end the duel, just leave it at that. But do not go this overboard ever again. Especially not in front of me."

His attention then turned to Emiko as he carefully tucked his hands under her body and hoisted her up into his arms.

"You're going to be needed in the next round, so .... I'll get her to a medic. I should be nearby enough to watch and cheer you and Shivini on. I mean it though ... please. Don't repeat that last turn unless it is absolutely needed."

"Y-You don' have to ... " Emiko started to protest, stopping as Eikichi swiftly interrupted her.

"Yes, I do. If you're having problems moving it, we need to see just how bad the damage is."

Well ... at least something went right ... Yurie thought, hiding a proud smirk. This honestly went almost too perfectly, if she had to be brutally honest. But hey, it was well worth the sacrifice. Now Eikichi was taking her away from the group.

All she'd need was to be alone and voila. She'd have access to who these people were within mere minutes.

Slowly but surely, Eikichi would disappear from sight, leaving Shivini alone with Judai and Takeshi when the latter returned.

"Wow .... umm, congrats. Quite the summonings you pulled off there," Shivini stated, rubbing the back of her head as she continued, "I knew your deck was scary but ... heh. That's a whole new level of horrifying."
 

"Oi, oi, it wasn't like I was mad at her on purpose or anything! She summoned something strong, so I just wanted to bring my A-game!" Takeshi whined; he honestly hadn't meant to go that far...But so many people ran decks with great backrow support, and knowing how Hotsuma's deck played he couldn't take any chances! Overkill? No, Hotsuma's deck was overkill...His was...Well, alright, it had the potential to be overkill but it wasn't like he intended to get that much off on her.

"Emiko...I am really am sorry..." Takeshi said once more, watching as Eikichi would help her over to the medical tent before rejoining his comrades. "Whoa, Takeshi...That was seriously insane! You gave even Sasaki a run for her money! I had no idea your deck could do that!" Judai declared excitedly, Takeshi grinning sheepishly as Shivini too would compliment him. "Yeah...I swear, I wasn't trying to hurt her...But when I face an opponent that actually tries, I can't help but want to bring my all you know? No holding back, right?" Judai shrugged, "Well....To be fair, it was clearly over when you summoned...what was that, War God? I mean, 4500 ATK? And if she didn't activate her set before, it was doubtful it was anything that could have harmed you. Otherwise she would have protected herself when Mezuki attacked."

Takeshi face reddened, "Well...I guess when you put it that way...I did goof, didn't I?" He'd have to go over and apologize to her again after this was over, maybe offer her a ride back to her place as a token of good faith.

However, MC would then come out, already working on stirring up the crowd, "Wow, folks, now was that a way to end the first round or what? Takeshi certainly didn't hesitate to give us a show! Now listen, we're going into the Final Four of the very last Selection Tournament! So we have four incredible powerhouses ready to duke it, and while all will go home with something, only the top two will get a coveted spot in the Fortune Cup! Now then, let's see who's being matched against who!"

And just like that, the screen would start spinning names, the first two shown would go first and the bottom two second, with the winners fighting for the grand prize. But when the names came up...Takeshi was all too shocked.

"Oh....Crap...."

That was all he said when he saw the names of the second semi-finals battle, right under Sasaki Isao vs. Ling:

Takeshi Yamaguchi vs. Shivini.

Chuckling weakly, Takeshi said as he rubbed the back of his head, "Well...It's official. I did something to piss off Kami-sama in a past life." Really, he had to go against her?! Really?

Judai would then come up and pat them both on the shoulders, "Hey, don't think about it that way! You guys are both gonna win something, and one of you is going to the Fortune Cup! No matter who wins, right?" Takeshi just nodded, "Yeah...Just kind of wish we could both have a chance to go together, you know? Really represent Yomi and all that."

Judai then said, "And hey, we got Sasaki and that one woman Ling! Magicians vs. Dragons...Who's going to win this one?" Now that was a good question...And as the two ladies would make their decision on who would go first...The next battle would get underway.
 

"Bringing your A-game is fine but seriously ... you had her with your first Synchro." Hoping he'd understand - be it from his words or an epiphany of some kind later on - Eikichi wandered off towards the medic tent. He knelt slowly down, cautiously placing Emiko atop the cot. "While the doctors look you over, you want anything?"

"Maybe some water. And ... if you wouldn't mind ... mind if I see your deck?"

That definitely made Eikichi cautious. However, her next words made it hard to say no.

"We both had our matches cut really short. Besides, it'd take some weight off your arm, wouldn't it?"

... Well, he couldn't deny she was right. While on both parts, the first was what he opted to favor. Eikichi thought on this ... and finally nodded after a bit. "Alright. Sure. I don't see the harm in that much, especially since we're both eliminated." The purple-haired lieutenant would carefully pull his duel disk off, making certain his deck stayed in place. He then set it on the mantle beside the cot. "I'll be back soon. No moving that ankle around, okay?"

"I won't, I won't," Emiko vowed. And right after the tent flap fell down, she went to work. Best to do so now rather than when a doctor walked in. A small chip was pulled out of her robe pocket. With it easily appearing to simply be a part of any duel disk, even a scan wouldn't immediately reveal this to actually be a tracker with GPS and geoforcing capabilities. With this, she'd be able to see and hear - from her own duel disk - who these people truly were.

I almost pity you, boy. Almost ....

With her primary task done and out of the way, she pulled the deck out and began slowly going through it. She had been curious about that portion of the request. This way, it'd remove the suspicion off of her.

Shivini, meanwhile, felt her face pale as the results for round two came up. "Oh god," she muttered, looking nervously over to the other Disciple. "W-Well ... I mean, you are right Judai. And I will admit, there won't be any hard feelings this way. Still though ... I feel very inferior right now."

And with a very fair set of reasons. His deck was better at almost everything; swarming, using the extra deck, overall destruction. Even with the cards she had ... was there seriously a chance for her to beat Takeshi? Maybe 5% ... definitely less than 10. Not at all the best. "Heh, yeah ... what Takeshi said. It'd be more fun if we both had a chance instead of having to be forced to remove that opportunity away."

Ling, meanwhile, was honestly a bit nervous. She wasn't showing it, but that was how she felt. With how quick Sasaki's deck had been against Eikichi ... how would she even fare?

Offering a small, sincere smile and bow of her head, she called "Heads!" for the coin toss. Lo and behold, there it was; her designated call. "I'll go first. Duel!"

Hmmm. A much more defensive start, to be sure. But she'd make this work out.

"I'll set two cards plus a monster and end. Your turn."
 

Takeshi just laughed, "Well...In any event, Shivini, may the best Duelist win." He meant that too; while his deck might be stronger, hers was no slouch either. She could be downright scary if she wanted to get serious. But...Remembering Eikichi's words, he would definitely not go overboard. But it wasn't like he had done what he did out of malice; he just wanted to give people a show, to really demonstrate what he could do even being from the Satellite (even if no one else knew it).

You didn't have to be the King to be strong, as far as Takeshi was concerned.

But...It seemed like this next match was underway. "Hopefully Eikichi comes back soon; he'll want to see how this turns out!" Judai exclaimed excitedly, Takeshi nodding "He'll be right back; once the docs have Emiko looked at, he'll come back. He's just the type to make sure everyone's alright."

And sure enough, Sasaki held that same uninterested expression, watching as Ling completed her turn. "My turn! Draw!" she declared, looking at her hand. Well...Certainly better cards to be played, but she could make this work.

"I Normal Summon Magical Conductor in Attack Mode, then set two cards face-down!" was her next move, adding "Battle! Conductor will attack your face-down monster!" And as the sorceress powered up a sphere of arcane energy and shot at it the monster, Sasaki would see that it wasn't enough. The draconic humanoid reflecting the energy right back and nailing her Conductor, not destroying it but lowering Life by 400.

Even with this...She said nothing. Her eyes resolute as she then said plainly, "Turn end."
 

Eikichi returned to hear a low whistle from Emiko. "You've got a strong deck. Just had a really bad set of draws and opponent."

The purple-haired male smirked as he handed Emiko a bottle of water, picking up his duel disk and retrieving his deck. "Yeah ... it's unfortunate. But a lot of people are horrible in that regard. Just not used to wannabe ice queens. Has anyone -- ??"

Before he could finish, a medic hurried inside. The panting indicated the poor woman had ran, likely to grab some supplies first. Fair enough; it'd be more embarrassing to come over empty-handed, after all. "S-So sorry, miss. Umm ... are you two together or something?"

"I wish," Emiko swiftly replied, causing Eikichi to blush a bit and shake his head.

"My friend who went against her is partaking in the next round, so I got her over here to ensure he wouldn't risk being late. We're acquaintances if that's what you're trying to ask."

"I see. Okay, so ... ankle, correct? Which one?"

"My left," Emiko replied, wincing as it was lifted gently up and massaged. The doctor even removed her left shoe and sock, confirming a large bruise had formed and wrapped around her ankle.

"Well, the good news is it's only sprained. But .... as you can see, pretty badly. Did you come with anyone else, Emiko?"

"I can figure something out if needed. I do have people I can call and inform. Stuff like that."

Eikichi only felt somewhat satisfied with hearing that. But it was enough to make him nod and flash Emiko a small smile. "Well ... you gonna be fine if I head back?"

"Of course. Yeah. Looks like you've got a decent group of friends with you. Don't let me separate ya from them."

That was all he needed to hear. Offering the two women a polite bow of his head and wave, he left the tent, hurrying back over to Takeshi --- wait. Him and Shivini were both here? Then ... did that mean? Apparently so. He chuckled softly as he noticed the listings for the second round and looked back to his comrades, namely eyeing Takeshi. "Maybe you are onto something with that curse of yours, huh? Ouch. Well ... I'm not picking sides with that match. We're gonna have a guarantee either way, though ... I can understand if you were both hoping to advance."

Seeing poor Shivini look more nervous than eager, he gently rubbed her shoulder. "You've been in tough matches before. Don't look lke that."

"Not against him, though. He's gonna be the worst."

Eikichi fought off the urge to laugh. He knew what she meant ... and definitely understood - to an extent - this was indeed going to be one of her hardest fights. Instead, he opted to reply with, "What is it Yuna's always told us? A duel's never over until someone's life hits zero."

Well, shit ...

Okay. That was his bad. He should have thought twice before mentioning Yuna. Shivini buried her head quickly in Eikichi's chest, slapping his back in annoyance. "It'd be better hearing that from her herself." Shivini would reply, albeit muffled.

"Yeah," Eikichi sighed softly, nodding in agreement. The past near week had been tough, particularly with no one knowing exactly where either Yuna or Hotsuma were. This was now the second - no, no third - time they had been without their leaders. "We're going to find her, okay? But until then .... go on and get your frustrations out. May as well now before your turn arrives." Though neither Judai nor Takeshi could see his shirt beginning to get a bit damp, the sobs were soft ... and audible enough to hear if one paid ample attention to the noises.

What a day with women, Eikichi mused, gently wrapping his arms around Shivini, slowly rubbing her back.

"I think I'm going to stay here," Shivini weakly muttered, "Just ... as a precaution. Since she's up there and all. Anyone told you your chest is comfy?"

"... No. No, I haven't been told that. Umm ... fair enough, Shivini. Also, Takeshi, I thought you'd wanna know. She's ... not in the worst of states. Sprained ankle, but only that. She's otherwise fine." The topic shift had mainly been to get attention off himself and the flattering but embarrassing words Shivini had uttered. Partly, anyway. He also figured Takeshi would want to hear that for himself.

... Am I really facing another chick? Or is this some robot in disguise?

With how monotone her voice sounded and automatic her moves were, it was easy to question the identity of her opponent. Not that there would be anything wrong, per se, with the latter being possible. But it was a bit ... disheartening. It was like staring at a soldier who only knew how to obey orders rather than think for themselves. Surely she knew there were chances of losing when it came to dueling. Didn't she?

Well ... if Ling had her way, she'd show that. Maybe get an actual emotion from her.

A sly grin spread over her face as the set was revealed to be a much stronger than expected monster; her Keeper of the Shrine to be precise. "Nice try. My turn! Draw! I activate Stamping Destruction! And I'll pick the one on my right ... your left, I believe."

Ling's heart stopped as, for a few seconds, it looked like she negated the effect. Must not have, given she still lost the 500 life.

"Next, I summon Bright Star Dragon! Bright Star will attack your Magical Conductor!"

While the difference wasn't huge by itself, combined with the 500 from mere seconds ago, Sasaki's life would lower to 6900.

"Turn end! Your go!" Ling officially declared after looking back over her hand.
 

Takeshi turned his head and saw that Eikichi had come back, instantly hiding his face as he again remarked on his 'curse'. "Oii, man, why do you gotta harp on me? It's bad enough I got this number, it's bad enough I have to face Shivini. Just...Don't rub it in, man."

But he did narrow his eyes at Eikichi when he stupidly brought up Yuna, however well intentioned that might have been. It was a look that said, "And you were getting on ME about being overboard? Over the line, man." And it was true; the purple-haired male should have known better than to mention their bosses. They were here to take some stress off, not make it worse. Even so, he just sighed and looked back at the match, seeing that Ling had destroyed Sasaki's Spell Card, but not before she activated it, making her Magical Conductor immune to Magic Effects this turn. But that didn't help her avoid the damage, her Life dropping to 7100.

Speaking of which, Ling would get a similar degree of reaction when she would launch a counter-attack against Sasaki. Which to say was virtually nothing, even as her life was reduced further and her Conductor was destroyed. "Hmph." she uttered, apparently not fazed by the largely insignificant loss. And while she was far from popular, even Eikichi would agree that she embodied what Yuna said: A Duel wasn't over until the Duelist's Life was at 0. And there was still plenty of time and Life left for her to use.

But...Honestly? Ling wasn't who she wanted to face. She wanted to face someone else, and frankly Ling's stalling was boring her. So she decided to go for the kill now. "Takeshi..." she would finally say aloud, enough that the brown-haired Disciple took notice; why the hell did she call his name? "Apologies this is taking so long. You and I will have our Duel soon enough. A Duel between two decks focused on destruction." she declared, turning her head...And actually smiling at him, before long returning her attention back to her current opponent.

Takeshi's face flushed beet red; was she....No, no no no no! Why him?! Now he was convinced more than ever that Kami was hating on him hard...But why? What did he do wrong in this life? Judai's eyes widened as the raven-haired woman spoke to so directly, grinning a bit as he realized why Takeshi was so embarrassed. "Hey...Even if she's not your favorite person, that's a hell of a compliment!" Takehsi shook his head, "That's not the point! Shivini hasn't even gone yet! Who says you and I are going to fight, eh?!"

And it was here that he would shoot at Ling, "Ling! I swear to God, you better kick her ass!" Sasaki meanwhile, would just go ahead with her turn, her face resuming that stoic expression "No disrespect meant, Ling...But I'm not a fan of decks that stall. And honestly? After Takeshi's performance, I wish to face that powerful Deck for myself to see who is the more powerful destructor. My turn! Draw!" And she would go here again, "I discard Apprentice Magician to Special Summon the Tricky! Then I'll Normal Summon Arcane Philo and tune it with Tricky! Release naught but destruction! Synchro Summon! Arcanite Magician!"

And with that Synchro Summon, her white-robed arcana master would appear, its effect raising its ATK to 2400 as two black orbs would appear over its head. "I'll use Arcanite's effect! I remove one Spell Counter and destroy your Keeper! Destruction Wave!" And with its ATK reduced to 1400, Keeper was annihilated...A bad move, little did she know, considering its effect.

"Next I activate my face-down! Buster Mode! I release Arcanite Magician! Burn it all down, unleash pure devastation and destroy all who stand before you! Rise, Arcanite Magician Slash Buster!" And in a blaze of fire, a re-armored version would appear once more, two Spell Counters appearing over its head and raising its ATK to 2900; Takeshi's brow beaded in sweat. "Oh shit..." he breathed, knowing what was coming next.

"I remove both Spell Counters and destroy your whole field! Go, Arcanite Slash Buster! Extinction Ritual!" And just like before, her magician would unleash a brutal wave of annihilation, leaving a thick haze in the aftermath...But as it started to clear, everyone would notice that one monster was still on Ling's field. And it wasn't her Bright Star.

"Wha...What?"

That was all Sasaki could say at first, her eyes widened as Keeper of the Shrine sat so peacefully, legs crossed and hands held together in prayer...What manner of card was this? "But how? I destroyed it....How did it come back?" Not many monster she knew of could instantly revive themselves, and she hadn't heard of this one...And at 2100 DEF, her weakened Arcanite Slash Buster had no chance of breaking through this wall. She was well and truly stuck, for now at least.

And for the first time, Ling would also see a hint of frustration on her face...But not for very long, soon afterward resuming that stoic expression as she brushed a stray lock of hair back over her shoulder. "Well....Suffice to say, I hadn't expected that. Turn end." she would then say, waiting for Ling to take her turn.
 

Ling raised an eyebrow, as did Eikichi when Takeshi's name was called out by Sasaki. Eikichi would scoff, pressing his hands just a bit tighter against Shivini's back to help keep her from reacting.

Although, with the reaction that soon followed, maybe he should have let her?

Nah. Not worth the risk.

To say Ling was offended was an understatement. Her fists clenched as she found a spare rock down on the platform. Hoisting it up with her shoe, she flicked it across the platform, purposely allowing it to miss Sasaki, though barely. It landed loudly, echoing as it slammed right next to her left foot. "Oi, oi, oi! Who do you think you are, huh?! If you paid enough attention in the first round, you'd know this isn't a stall deck. I just happened to get a hand that leads to it. Also - hate to burst your bubble - but you're not the only one who has goals here! We're all fighting to advance! I have someone I want to fight again! This world does not simply revolve around you and only you!"

... That was what Eikichi should have done. Been firm, but civil. Ah well; the words made him smirk and, even though he couldn't see it directly, he felt Shivini reply with a similar response.

Taking a breath as Sasaki began her turn, she gave Takeshi a firm nod. "I came in here with full intentions of getting to the top two. Yamichi didn't see me at full strength. This is ... a better display. What I should have been able to give him. I'm not losing easily, so don't worry. I'll definitely beat her!"

Even as her set cards vanished, she didn't look panicked nor annoyed. Okay ... maybe a bit of the latter, but not enough to make it obvious. Her Spirit Barrier flipped, but disappeared soon after being activated. Ling was relatively sure that had been part of the reason she failed to do decently against Yamichi; she let her anxiety overpower her. This time, however, things would be different. And should Sasaki not believe this to be the case, she'd see within seconds. Ling's smirk returned as her Keeper reappeared on the field.

"Of course you didn't expect it. You focus far too much on yourself. You look down on your opponents and refuse to acknowledge what their decks may be capable of. That is exactly why and how I'll defeat you, Sasaki. Plus ... dragons have their own lore. They're not easy to kill, for an array of reasons."

Shivini elicited a soft 'Hmph', glad to hear someone else appreciating the lore of their deck.

"My turn! Draw!" With a very strengthened look of resolve and determination, she scanned her hand. "I summon another Bright Star Dragon. Since all of your counters on your Arcanite Magician are gone, it can easily destroy it! Brilliant Flash attack!"

Again, her life would drop, stopping this time at 5900.

"If you can turn this around, then you may freely talk down at me. But not before then! I suggest you start taking me more seriously than viewing me as a nuisance."

Of course, it was her call in the end. If she wanted to be stupid and stubborn enough to let her arrogance drag her down, that was more than fine with Ling. It'd make achieving her dream of seeing Yamichi again that much easier.

"Turn end!"
 

Sasaki just gave a small snort of disapproval; this was why she had forsaken most contact with others. People were too driven by emotion, too eager to self-contradict. Too eager to 'take it easy' on some, and 'go all out' on others. Just as Ling was proving now. She never claimed the world revolved around her; she was merely looking at the probability of her being victorious. If that came across as 'arrogant', then really that was on her.

"Look down?" she repeated, watching as she would take her turn and destroy her Arcanite Slash Buster, reducing her Life even further. "When Arcanite Slash Buster is destroyed, I can Special Summon its Synchro Variant from the Graveyard! Return, Arcanite Magician!" And with that, as Ling would end her turn, her monster would be in Defense Mode.

"You can say I look down or I talk down, all you like...But I based my conclusion on the data available to me. I watched you Duel the first time, but I did not see you play this Keeper card, nor have I heard. It was an unexpected variable." she would then reply unapologetically, adding "My turn, draw!" She looked down at her hand, then said, "And frankly, you bothering to respond to me at all only proves that you are a nuisance."

Her eyes hardened at Ling, "When two Duelists enter combat, it is a battle of strategy. Of tactics. I realize my demeanor comes across as that of a bitch, or cold, to many. But frankly...I do not care." She then pointed right at Takeshi, "That man, right there...So far I've seen he is the only one that has earned my admiration. He duels to his fullest, regardless of the opponent. He overwhelms and destroys...And yet you and so many others would scorn him for 'going too far'. The reason I 'look down' as you incorrectly put it, is for one simple reason: Most duelists are hypocrites and often take things to be the reverse of what they are. You would call for mercy when one is ahead by a large margin, yet condone overwhelming force against another you dislike even if they are in the former's position. There is only the battle, the clash of minds and spirits...Mercy is just a construct of our morality, a crutch for those that cannot handle being faced with a superior adversary."

Takeshi just groaned and hid his face in his hands; granted he was somewhat happy that another got where he was coming from....But why her?! Why did he have to have such a bitch basically rooting for him to win and publicly declare to fight him?

"I fully expect you to come at me with everything you have, and use anything you must to defeat me. Just know that I will not hold back if given the chance, regardless of how far ahead or behind you end up being. But for now...I freely admit I have no cards I can feasibly play at this time. Turn end." she then said, not playing anything at all.

Judai looked up at this, raising a brow, "All of that and she didn't make a single play? She has to have something, right?" At this Takeshi looked over and said to Eikichi, "Bro...If you could please forget that I'm even here right now...That would be much appreciated. Shivini, you can have the win...I just want to disappear."
 

Ling rolled her eyes, shaking her head slightly. "Don't get me wrong. Gathering data's fine. But there is no way you're going to learn everything from just one duel. A lot of these cards in my deck aren't even the same from the last tournament I entered. I changed it in some regards." Her head tilted and eyes softened slightly. "Is this all dueling is to you? Win, win, win? That's honestly pretty pathetic in its own rights. I've grown and improved because of someone who beat me. There is zero shame in losing every now and again. No one is perfect, nor invincible. Either way .... I'm sure you've heard the proverb. Actions speak so much louder than words. And right now? That is exactly what you're all but conveying to me; that winning is one of the primary things on your mind and, even if unintentionally, you are pretty selfish and think for only yourself."

Although Ling technically wasn't done, she doubted Sasaki would have heeded the next part.

She doesn't simply act like a soldier, but uses her damn deck like one. Does she not know what 'nakama' are? Sad ...

Hopefully that plus a bit of luck was why her deck wasn't responding.

"One last thing ... I never scorned him. Perhaps others, yes. But when did I do so? Don't try to accuse me of things I haven't done."

Shivini almost immediately lifted her head as Takeshi insisted she take the win. "Absolutely not!" she replied, narrowing her eyes dangerously. "I won't lie; I considered running myself. I chose not to though because .... it'd be an insult to you. The same is true vice versa, you know? Don't get me wrong, I am very scared about going against your deck. But .... " Her head shook adamantly. "I'm still going to give it a shot. If you run ... I'm dragging your ass back."

Meanwhile, on the platform, Ling drew her next card.

Slow doesn't mean stalling, she thought in annoyance, nodding as she found few things to do. But few wasn't equal to zero, thankfully.

"I'll set a card. Bright Star Dragon will attack your face up Arcanite Magician. Turn end!"
 

"Hmph. Who said it was just one Duel? I also studied your one here as well, including your ability to Summon Five God Dragon." she would replied at first. And when Ling still seemed to miss what she said, Sasaki just shook her head, "Name one time where I said defeat was anything remotely negative. Success is built on thousands of failures; all my point was that I fight for myself because that is my reason to fight. To win, to get stronger and destroy all who stand before me."

And only after her Arcanite Magician would be destroyed, still impassive despite the increasingly dire situation she was in, would she reply flatly "You might not have directly scorned him, but I could see you wanted to. The outrage of almost everyone here when he managed to overpower her...You probably guessed me the type that behaves like a machine, but that was the closest to feeling physically ill I've been in a long while."

Takeshi jumped as she all but shouted at him that if he ran, she was going to drag him kicking and screaming. "O-okay, okay! I'll fight...But shit, just...Do I really need to have her of all people supporting me? Can you blame me for wanting to just vanish on the spot?" And he knew she would easily be able to drag him even if he was made of lead. Despite her stature she was freakish strong, making her connection with her deck all the more relevant.

"But I suppose we'll remain firmly divided on that issue...My turn, draw!" Sasaki continued. True, maybe she wasn't going to face Takeshi...But she would still face her opponent with unflinching resolve. "I summon Arcane Philo in Attack Mode! Then I activate the Magic Card, Spellbook of Hygro! I target Arcane Philo and raise its strength by 1000!" And with this, her monster would rise to 2000 ATK, more than enough to destroy her Bright Star Dragon. "Philo! Destroy her monster! Destruction Enchantment!" she then declared, her monster raising its staff and sending a bolt of energy at her monster...But it was not to be.

"Trap Card, Open! Drain Shield!"

And with that, a move that was supposed to destroy and weaken her defenses instead bolstered her life, Ling's total shooting up to 10000 as the translucent barrier protected her dragon from destruction. Well...It was worth a shot, at least. "Can't say I didn't at least try...Turn end. At this time, Spellbook of Hygro's effect is complete and Philo's power returns to normal." Sasaki then said, face still as stone as the turn then went over to Ling.

Takeshi's hands clenched, an uneasy smile on his face; Ling seemed to be pulling ahead. Which meant this bitch would lose! "Fuck yeah! Bring it to her, Ling!" he shouted.
 

Ling quickly shook her head.

"Wrong!" she stated, feeling her calm demeanor steadily getting replaced with pure disdain and dislike or this ... no. She wasn't even a woman. She was a brat. At leas tone that didn't cheat, maybe. But otherwise one who cared little else for much more than herself. "I had zero intentions of lashing out at Takeshi. I will admit that, yes, the display did take me aback. Those kinds of sights are far and few in between. Still, I wasn't otherwise going to storm up to him and chastise him. It's not my business. You, however, have blatantly tried to ignore me and talked as if you have this duel fully in control. So with you? Oh yes; I do have business with you, Sasaki-chan."

Wanna act that way? Fine. You'll get treated like the brat you are being.

"Ignore her!" Shivini quickly quipped. "You obviously don't want her support. So don't pay heed to it. Plain and simple." Her voice lowered as she added, "Like I said earlier, it's why I'd been keeping my head buried in Eikichi's chest; to help make it simpler to block her out."

A sly smirk crossed her face as an idea came to her. "Would it help if you buried your head in my chest?"

Now Eikichi couldn't hold back ... but damn did he try. When he failed, however, he busted out laughing. Regardless of the answer, the expression would be absolutely priceless -- and that was exactly what he intended to focus on; how Takeshi would look, or how he'd speak. If he could muster any words to respond, for that matter. "Sooo? Would that help, Takeshi?" he jested, almost seeming to help Shivini with her dare to get him to accept.

Yamichi has good friends, Ling thought, grinning as she caught brief snippets of the teasing. She honestly envied him. Ling had some close comrades ... but they were often busy with their life in the Tops. All were in the highest social standings .... and, unfortunately, took that position rather seriously. Many times, she had convinced them to not fret so badly. But ... convincing was much easier said than done.

... She hadn't intended to go over and speak with them. But now that the young tech had come to her mind once again, there was something she needed to speak with them about.

"Trap Card, Open! Drain Shield!"

Thankfully, she had multiple copies of certain cards. So, even though her first had been destroyed earlier, she had a back-up.

I'm gonna, Takeshi .... don't worry.

It was definitely nice to have some back-up. It made he feel better about being just a bit selfish in hoping she could take this unruly woman down.

"Draw! I'll set a monster! Bright Star will attack your Philo!"

5900 turned to an even 5000; so close. She was almost down to half her life being removed away. "Turn end!"
 

Sasaki's witnessing of Ling using bratty language like attaching the 'chan' suffix to her name only made it more clear that this wasn't an opponent worthy of her time. If she was going to start this kind of trouble over a perceived slight, then she could have this win as far as she cared. "Hmph, supposed I should have expected a response like that. You only prove my points with each breath you take and every move you make." Sasaki stated plainly; yes, only Takeshi would do by this point. That much was certain; even if it wasn't in here, then she would seek him out afterwards.

"Ignore her?! When she's making those statements clear as day for everyone to hear?" he whined; how could he ignore it? She was saying it so loudly....But that would quickly turn into the least of his worries. Especially when it came to Shivini making what had to be the most embarrassing and random offer he had to offer.

"Sh-Shivini! Eikichi! Come on, that's not funny!" the brown-haired Disciple said exasperatedly; where the hell was this coming from? Judai just laughed a little; he couldn't help it, but this was like a bad comedy. "Hey, hey, guys, I think we should take it easy. I don't Takeshi is used to this much teasing." he would reply, Takeshi nodding in thanks.

Sasaki meanwhile, just shook her head and would take her turn. "My turn! Draw!" And looking at her hand, she was seeing that she was quickly running out of moves. The truth was, Ling had the better field this time...And her able to summon Keeper in Defense mode had been a great boon to her.

"Well played, Ling...I set one monster face down. Turn end." she would then say, and if Ling could see her face and read it...She would notice hints of disappointment crossing her features, but otherwise her resolve to see this Duel through the end would remain unchanged.
 

"I'm not joking," Shivini bluntly stated. "This is a serious offer." When he didn't make a move, her head tilted slightly ... wow. Well .... that would be his bad. For now, there was a more pressing matter, and it came from Bitchahontas up on the platform. "Seriously. If you can't ignore her, tell her to leave you be. That you want nothing to do with her. Better you than me. You know I will. Gladly, in fact."

And with that, she finally gave Takeshi her ultimatum. It was odd to to see one single woman make him this hesitant on what to do.

The sight honestly irked her even more.

First she makes Eikichi lose his spirit and now she's getting Takeshi unnecessarily flustered?

Partly, anyway. Sure some of the latter was her doing. But at least it wasn't filled with the same emotions Sasaki was using. "Anyway," Shivini finally chimed up after a bit, "She really is the least of your worries. She's not going to win this, as far as I can see. So forget of her."

As Ling drew, her pulse increased! Good, good! She could easily pull ahead further with this! She tried to remove just one Keeper and tribute it for the card in her head ... but felt so very confused. It wasn't ... working? She tred again .... again .... and yet a third time.

Shit. Is my disk broken?

Well ... at least she had the 'normal' way to summon this, though it sincerely irritated her knowing she should have only needed to use one Keeper to get this one the field.

"I release both my Keepers! Rabidragon! I summon you to the field!"

With the new dragon at 2950, even her re-summoning her Arcanite Magician/Assault Mode wouldn't be enough to get rid of this new creature.

"Bright Star Dragon will attack!"

Ling would have eagerly made the next attack a direct one, but some ability she barely caught sight of went off. Well, whatever.

Who's stalling now? she thought, smirking slightly at the thought.

"Rabidragon will attacky your other set! Turn end!"
 

Takeshi shook his head, "I appreciate it, Shivini...But it's fine. You're right, I just need to tell her to fuck off. Yeah, she'll leave me alone after that; I don't know why she made those remarks about me, but I'm not cool with her treating an opponent like that. She was still in the fight, and you and I still need to Duel ourselves." He would do it after the match was done, though; last thing he needed was to be a hypocrite and interrupt Sasaki while she dueled Ling.

Sasaki didn't blink as she would tribute both her monsters to Summon a powerful level eight, its snowball-like body almost completely blocking her from view. So...This was what she was planning on defeating her with. She could have activated her face-down...But what would have that have done except prolong the inevitable? Maybe she could draw Miracle Synchro Fusion...Or just as easily draw Breaker or Defender. Too much risk...Best to get this over with.

"Well...I can safely say that I was wrong, Ling. This match is yours...But don't think I'll tuck tail and run. Just as I deal out destruction, I must also take it. So by all means...End it." she would declare after setting her Frequency Magician due to Apprentice Magician's effect, watching as Rabidragon would destroy it almost immediately afterward. She even said nothing after drawing her card. And...Yes, there was nothing she could do. All she had left was another Spellbook of Hygro and Spell Power Grasp. Nothing that could help in this situation. "But...If I may request, I sense you have a stronger monster in your deck, alongside that of your Rabidragon. Summon it, and use that to defeat me. Turn end" she then asked, still as flat as ever. Something that probably made the already strange request even stranger.

Takeshi raised a brow; the hell was wrong with this girl? She was asking for an overkill monster? "Oi, Eikichi...I better not hear anything. She's asking for it, literally, alright? Of course, we'll see if Ling actually goes through. But this is all her." Honestly, he just wanted to go home now. This Sasaki bitch had killed his mood to even want to Duel.

Judai stepped up, "Oi, Takeshi...No one's going to say anything alright? You're not dueling her, Ling is. So...Just hang in there alright? Like Shivini said, block her out...Besides, you need to keep your head in the game. You and Shivini are up next, and I know I want to see you guys go at it!" Honestly, Judai was just trying to keep everyone's spirits up, something that made Yubel sigh, "Judai, ever think you try TOO hard sometimes? It will work out, these two will battle."
 

Someone's never heard of the 'be careful what you wish for' proverb, Eikichi mused, fighting off the urge to roll his eyes at Sasaki's request. Goddamn, who did she think she was? If ruining his mood hadn't been disrespectful enough, now trying to tell Ling how to use her deck?

Well, whatever. She was going to get her Karma, no matter whether Ling complied or not.

Ling, meanwhile, just sighed, tilting her head to the side. "Did you think I wouldn't use something stronger? I kinda have to if I wanna end this duel in my next turn. Simple math basically gives that much away."

And while she was correct that the card in her hand was pretty damn strong, she had much more intimidating monsters. It'd been slightly annoying they hadn't been able to be used in this duel. But that was fine; at least her deck responded to her far better than Sasaki's had. That more than made up for not being able to summon Five God Dragon, or anything else from her extra deck.

"But ... since you so politely asked, then here you go. I tribute Bright Star Dragon to summon Strong Wind Dragon! His effect activates! When a dragon is tributed to summon him, he takes half the attack of the dragon used."

Which thus helped boost him past 3000 attack. With this layout, Ling had more than enough power to end the duel .... just as she wanted, much more than Sasaki begged for.

"Strong Wind Dragon and Rabidragon! Direct attack!"

I'll see you soon, Yamichi!

The thought of her inner wishes becoming a very real possibility made her smile, even more so as the tell-tale buzz from Sasaki's disk indicated her life had hit zero. Her mouth opened as she paused ... would these words even matter? Not likely. But she'd still try to leave the - mostly - better duelist here.

"I hope this has taught you something. Whatever that may or may not be ... well, that's up to you. But you definitely needed a few lessons. May they help you improve yourself in the future, just like it did me."

Giving one last bow of her head, she stepped down ... and smiled as she walked over to Eikichi and the others. "So ... thanks for the support. But that isn't the only reason I'm here."

Reaching down, she pulled a folded-up sheet of paper from an inside pocket concealed in her dress. "Since you two are about to go fight, can you," she had turned to Eikichi, helping indicate whom she was speaking directly to, "Give this to Yamichi when you see him next?"

It was ... small. Far too much for a note. So ... what was it? Shivini was very curious, revealed when she whined as Eikichi tucked the parchment away into his pocket. "Not gonna tell us what it is?"

"No. I think we've all had enough poking fun at one another for now. Yes, Ling, I will give this to him. Congrats, by the way. A very well earned and deserved win."

"Thanks," Ling replied, smiling as she turned to both Shivini and Takeshi. "Whomever wins, I'll make sure to give you the best possible duel between the winner. Good luck!"

" .... Alright. No more stalling. Let's go do this, Takeshi." Taking a deep, very anxious breath, Shivini began walking up, knowing her and Takeshi's name would be announced soon enough. The same words she'd told Judai were very much true, more so than ever now. There would be no hard feelings no matter what; but it really did suck they had to be paired up like this. It definitely would have been so much more rewarding if both herself and Takeshi could secure a spot.

.... Buuut .... no matter what, there was potential to win as much as - or even more - than what Yamichi had earned on his own. And considering their new 'home', any and all funds would be appreciated. Poor Yamichi shouldn't be the only one forced to help out financially. This was their chance to make life even sweeter for everyone back at the Facility.

"Heads!" Shivini called, giggling as it turned out to be what she dictated. "Ladies first, so I'll get this duel started. Duel!"

... Well, damn. This was an even better starting hand than what she had against Finlay. Mostly, anyway. the lack of spells and traps was a bit nerve-wracking. But she could otherwise work much easier with this.

"I summon Amazoness Trainee and set a card. Turn end!"
 

And with that, Sasaki would feel the wind blow past her as the combined might of Ling's dragons nearly toppled her over, a hand raising up to shield herself from the force of the gale. Her Life dropping to zero as it finally died down. Hearing Ling's words, Sasaki just seemed to stare blankly at her...But there was definitely a hint of disappointment in her eyes. Even still...She could try to have him Duel her outside of the tournament too. He was indeed a strong Duelist, one who embodied the true meaning of 'giving it his all'.

And she wanted to test herself against him. He would be a worthy benchmark, something that went through her head as Ling would take her leave...Herself doing so afterward, MC coming to excite the crowd for the next round to come.

"No worries; congrats on the Fortune Cup entry by the way. Yamichi will be excited to see you there." Takeshi replied, Judai speaking up, "Your deck seems really strong; I hope I get a chance to face it!" Something that made Takeshi shake his head, "Judai, I bet if you had your way, you would Duel everyone here you could find." Something that made the extra-dimensional brunette rub the back of his head as he grinned, "Well, there's so many strong Duelists here, I can't help myself!"

However, both of would notice as Eikichi was given a small package. What could it be? "If it's anything showing her in sexy underwear, Yamichi...You just know I'm going to never let you live it down." Takeshi thought to himself; though he was more than certain Ling wasn't the type of girl to do that sort of thing. She was classier than that, of that he was certain. "Alright, Shivini, give the guy some room...It's going to be our turn here in a second." he then replied. And sure enough both of them would be called up.

"Yeah...Let's do this..." he then said; he could practically feel the stares as he walked up there, barely hearing Judai shout "Good luck, guys!" as he made his way to the center stage. Both he and Shivini's faces on the screens as the Duel was started. Eikichi's words ringing in his ears about not going overboard. But with a deck like Shivini's...He couldn't exactly afford to go easy, even more so considering she'd probably kick his ass if he looked like he was holding back in the slightest. But worst of all...There was Sasaki's words.

Did he go too far that often? No...He wasn't an asshole like that, was he?

"Duel!" he would declare right with her, their respective meters reading '8000'. And with Shivini making the first move, he still seemed a bit out of it. This was going to be a hard line to toe, especially since she was a rather good friend of his.

"Hmmm...." he mused, placing a hand on top of his deck before announcing, "My turn! Draw!" However...It was here that he felt a rather strange pressure around him. Like the air had gotten heavier or something, but it didn't seem to impede his movements in the slightest. Not even create a sense of foreboding; it was more like someone turned up the gravity just a little. "The hell..." he muttered, eyes looking around as he tried to figure out what was going on. But....There was nothing that he could see, so he went on after getting his focus back.

"I summon Mezuki in Attack mode!" was his move, the horse Undead appearing before her trainee with giant axe in hand; and at 1700 it seemed like he could get a small but early lead. "Attack her Trainee!" he then declared...Only to run right into one of Shivini's traps, one that Yuna herself used.

"Trap Card, Open! Barbarian Howling!"

And with its effect, he felt a rather harsh gust and loud roar blow him back a few feet, his Life dropping to 6300 as his monster was also returned to the hand, his ears ringing slightly from the volume. He breathed a little more heavily than usual, his clothes a little scuffed and now having some minor tears. Standing up a little straighter, he then brushed off the sleeves of his shirt, "Well...That was fun. I'll set one card face-down and end my turn. Your go, Shivini."
 

Ling chuckled upon hearing Judai's enthusiasm. "Oh wow. So that energetic mood of yours isn't an act. That's ... kinda reassuring, actually. It's hard to find people genuinely eager to just have fun and enjoy the game like it was meant to be." Hell, they'd all just watched that in her last fight. But that was what made her victory all the more sweeter. Someone like Sasaki could have easily gotten chewed out had she gotten through and secured a spot in the Fortune Cup. As far as Ling was concerned, she'd just done the girl a favor.

... No matter. That was done and over with.

"I don't think I've seen you around. Judai, from what I remember, yes? Nice to meet you more officially."

Shivini felt the changes also. She glanced around, wearing an expression that all but mirrored what Takeshi was wondering; what the hell indeed?

"Hey ... did you .... feel something? Uh-uh, nope! Trap Card Open, Barbarian Howling!"

What started as a proud smile turned into a shocked expression. From the heavy breathing to Takeshi's clothes being ripped. This ... was looking a bit more real. That had only been seventeen-hundred points and damage ... and yet he looked as if he just survived a weak tornado or something.

"Different for sure," Shivini muttered in agreement. "Well ... draw! I tribute my Trainee to summon Amazoness Queen to the field! I then activate Reinforcement of the Army and get my Amazoness Sage to my hand!"

Good, good. Remember things like that from previous fights. Smart move.

Eikichi grinned, knowing she'd very likely gotten it to deal with Takeshi's back-row. A wise counter plan.

"Amazoness Queen! Direct attack!"

And if either of the two had thought they were perhaps imagining things, the next sight made Shivini cover her mouth to muffle a shocked gasp. "Oh my god! I ... I didn't mean to ... Takeshi?! Are you okay?!"

What had just happened? She literally watched her Queen's sword draw blood. Why though? The technology wasn't supposed to be this powerful. She'd dueled enough times to know that was the case.

"H-Hey! What's going on?!" Shivini anxiously asked, feeling hesitant about continuing the duel, let alone ending her turn. Now this was seeming less like what it was supposed to be and slowly becoming a blood bath. "T-Takeshi. I don't know if I can keep doing this. This isn't what I wanted .... something's really wrong. We should stop."
 

"Heh, nope. It's all me; I guess you can call me a hopeless case. But that's alright; we might even get the chance to fight in the Fortune Cup, so let's just hope you can do what you did here today!" JUdai replied excitedly. "But yeah, name's Judai! Ling, nice to meet you officially too!" he then added on, that silly grin plastered on his face.

"Yeah...We should probably be careful..." Takeshi replied...Except he would then have those words blown back in his face as she released Trainee to Advance Summon of the boss monsters in her deck. And at 2400 ATK...This would hurt, but much more than he would have thought.

"AHHHHHHH!"

That was the loud cry he emitted as his head threw itself back in agony, a streak of light running over his chest and the sounds of tearing fabric as his shirt was ripped cleanly along the direction of her Queen's blow. The flesh splitting just as cleanly and leaving a neat line of crimson behind it, the statuesque woman jumping back, her blade-edge now lined in a thin film of his own life-force. A hand came up to grip at the long but thankfully shallow incision, himself falling to a knee as his Life dropped to 3900. "Hell if I know, Shivini..." he grunted, one eye open as the other was squinched shut from pain; damn that hurt. What the hell was going on? Solid Vision never did anything like this before...At least, not that he'd seen.

"Whoa..." Judai said, taking his eyes back to the fight, yelling "Oi, Takeshi?! You alright?!" but hearing no response...Thankfully, medical staff were already on the scene, having seen what had happened. "Young man, you should forfeit...No one will think less of you, and we need to get that wound examined." one of the medics said, Takeshi shaking his head at both him and his opponent. "N-no! I can fight, damn it!" The other medic tried to calm him down, "Listen to me! The Solid Vision system must be having a bug or something! Until then, I can't advise you continue this match!"

Takeshi would still be adamant, shaking his head again. He'd seen Hotsuma take a lot worse...And he'd gotten hurt worse than this. This was just a flesh wound, for crying out loud. "Trust me...I'm fine, just...Wrap it up. I'll be alright." The two medics looked at each other, but Takeshi said "Oi, I said I'll be fine! Just stop the bleeding with some gauze; we'll get this sorted out afterwards!" The two men just sighed, "Fine...But if this happens again, we'll be inclined to stop the fight. These tournaments have seen enough people get hurt. Shirt off...And we are postponing the Duel!"

Takeshi shook his head, "No, damn it! I said I can fight!" The second medic just shouted, "Look with everything that's happened, they're having techs look into the Solid Vision system! So just set tight; think of it as a way to have your bandages stabilize."

And a quick few moments later, he would have a compression wrap around his stomach and chest, the main wound cleaned and slathered with antimicrobial cream and covered with a dual layer wet-dry gauze bandage. And since he was already undressed, he decided to leave it off. "Now then...Shivini...I'll say to you what you said to me. No quitting, alright?! We didn't get this far by letting some baby scrapes stop us!" Judai seemed a bit nervous, his hands clenched as he shouted "Hey, Takeshi! Just be careful alright!" Of course, as it was, the Solid Vision system had been shut off for inspection.

"Well...This is a hell of a way for us to spend a match where we can finally fight, eh Shivini?" he would joke, sitting down as he waited for the system to come back online.
 

"Oh my god .... " Ling suddenly looked a bit more pale herself. Was this what would end up happening in her final duel? Even she didn't know about continuing, no matter who the winner was. If it put either of those two at such a huge risk .... no. Absolutely not. She'd rather forfeit than get through all because of drawing blood in such an unnecessarily brutal way.

"Shivini?! Takeshi?!" Eikichi looked between Judai and Ling, focusing a bit more on the male. "I'm sorry, but please keep Ling company for me."

Tears that Shivini had been holding back since learning she'd have to go against Takeshi were falling. But now they were fueled from pure fear. What would happen to her? To Takeshi? Would they really die? It certainly seemed like a very grim and real possibility, seemingly from nowhere. If just her Queen's attack had done as much as it had .... what would happen when he got an attack on her? Not if, when. His deck was too good. She wouldn't get out of this without any wounds; she knew that much for sure. Shivini covered her mouth, falling to her own knees as medics - thankfully - rushed out and began helping patch Takeshi up.

"T-Takeshi .... " she shakily replied, "This isn't considered giving up! This .. gods! We don't need to risk literally killing one another for a spot! This isn't worth it! I'm with them! We should stop if this gets any worse."

"Shhhh. Shivini, calm down. This isn't your fault." Eikichi murmured reassuringly, gently holding the Amazoness user.

"That's not --- I know it's not! But ... how do you find it in you to keep going? Could you even? Or is it just me who doesn't wanna do this?"

Eikichi gripped his lower lip. Even against Sasaki ... no. This would be too unnecessary. Sure, he'd get lip for seeming too cowardly. But this really was a whole different degree of brutality. "I doubt it," he finally replied. "But --- "

"But nothing! This isn't worth it!"

Her head shook adamantly, eyes looking straight at Takeshi. "Baby scrapes? Don't bullshit me! That was a sword! An actual sword cutting you! And your own cards ... they have similar weapons ... " Shivini gulped. With her outfit - lack of, more like - she was in an even more vulnerable state than Takeshi. At least he'd had some fabric that needed to be cut before his flesh. She .. wouldn't have that luxury. And that applied to anywhere she would or wouldn't get hit.

Her arms crossed over her chest as Shivini grimaced. "Honestly? I'm sorry, but I am hoping they'll stop this duel. I ... I'm not bold like Yuna, who could probably keep dueling you with every ounce of strength. This really is too much .... maybe ... please. Let's walk while we still can."
 

Takeshi just laughed as Shivini voiced her concerns, valid as they were "We've gotten worse, Shivini; besides, this cut is shallow. I'll live through it...And once this mess with Solid Vision gets cleared up, we can get started again." Of course he was just trying to keep up the facade that everything was alright. Internally he was freaking out too, because really, who expected a card game to deal out this kind of injury?

Regardless, there would be another test run where their monsters would appear, the techs seeming to have tested out the digitization matrix. Takeshi and Shivini, as well as Eikichi, were asked to step back to the very edges of the arena while they would force a battle between their monsters. Sure enough, they collided, but they detected no more capacity for injury. They also triggered destruction events, as well as a few more tests before finally giving the all-clear.

Judai just crossed his arms as the Duel seemed ready to resume, eyes scanning the area as he asked his contract "Yubel...Did you feel anything weird when Takeshi got hit? Anything that could have intentionally" There was a moment of silence, but then he heard his spirit reply, "I thought I felt...another energy, per se. I'm not entirely sure how to describe. Not just one particular individual...It was more like, thousands of foreign energies fluctuating through. But it's gone for now...Whatever it was must have interfered with the technology behind Solid Vision. Seems like it was a fluke. A very dangerous fluke, but one all the same."

And with that, the Duel was allowed to resume; anyone who bothered to look around would see more than one member of the audience was worried about the safety of the contestants. This wasn't supposed to be a bloodsport, this was just for fun. An act of entertainment, right? But...Takeshi definitely seemed ready to go, despite the grievous injury he'd sustained.

"Alright....Shivini, you good?" he would ask; only when he got an affirmative nod back would he take his turn. The system now fully reinitialized, they would see his one set card, as well as Shivini's Queen before him. The blood from her sword now gone, standing regally before him. Chuckling a bit, he just said "You know, you made a comment to Finlay about your deck not playing nice. Guess you were even more right than usual, huh? But anyway...My turn! Draw!"

Yeah...He had a plan with this. Granted it wouldn't look like much at first, but he had something in mind. "First, I Normal Summon Shiranui Hermit in Attack Mode! Then I activate its effect! I release Hermit to Special Summon Shiranui Spectralsword from my Deck in Defense mode." Giving his friend a smile, "But...That's it for now. Turn end."
 

"Worse?!" Shivini repeated, shuddering slightly. "Nu-uh! No we haven't! Not yet! There's a higher chance of that happening if we keep going ... "

Eikichi was basically the only reason Shivini was able to properly move away while all the tests were being done. Although she normally followed the 'seeing is believing' policy, she couldn't. Not this time. That odd sensation she felt from when the duel began .. it had literally come from nowhere. What if it returned? Sure, she was getting paranoid. But she had as much reason to be as Takeshi. Eikichi remained behind a bit longer, saying and doing everything he could to help his imouto calm down.

"See? It's fine now."

Was it really though? Solid Vision was easily some of the more complicated technology that existed nowadays. Granted, she wasn't any female Yamichi, but .... were these people completely sure that they'd fixed whatever had happened?

Those were the main thoughts making her tremble as she got up to her feet.

"I'll be nearby, okay? You two finish up."

"But I --- "

It was clear that as Eikichi stepped away, Shivini still didn't want to resume this duel. But if she had to try and resume ... she bowed her head and sent up a silent prayer.

Please, Kami-sama .... don't let me kill Takeshi, nor vice versa. Not from some freak event. This is too fucked up. At least let us leave this fight alive ...

"I .... guess so. As much as I'll ever be. Not really, if I had to be completely honest. But ... I'll try." Her eyes weakly rolled as she chuckled. "Well, duh. Of course I meant that much. Just ... not to that degree. I guess ... I'll end."

Is he trying to build a wall?

No. Maybe that was part of the plan, but it wasn't that simple. That wasn't Takeshi's style nor deck; to be an easy thing to read. Even as she heard her friend end his turn, she didn't immediately draw. In fact, after studying his field and gazing down at her deck, she looked even more hesitant to move. "I still don't know about this, but .... draw!"

With that, her fate had been sealed. She agreed by pulling her top card to at least resume over quitting like part of her desperately wanted to.

"I activate Gaia Power! I then summon Amazoness Sage!"

Before she could go into the battle phase though ...

"Trap Card, Open! Shiranui Ryū Tsubakuro no Tachi!"

And just like that, Shivini's field was wide open. With her having failed to draw any traps ... there would be literally nothing to stop any attacks come next turn.

God ... seriously. Please let me be fine .....

"That wasn't overly nice," she teased -- tried to, anyway. Her shaking hands ad voice, however, indicated deep down, she was actually terrified. And just like before, she even less so wanted to utter the words that came next. But ... obligation made them pass her lips. "Turn end ... "
 

And once the Duel was back underway, everything seemed normal at first. Even the strange energy that had created the pressure around the two of them was gone for now; still, Takeshi as well couldn't help wondering what had caused that to happen. And the damage...He was still in shock that her Queen had actually cut him. Who knew Duel Monsters could be so freaking dangerous?

Then again...Given the fact their bosses could literally turn into them, maybe this shouldn't have come across as such a surprise. But that was because that fuckhead Divine screwed with them, did twisted and crazy shit while they were captive. This was supposed to be normal, wasn't it? Just holograms to make the Duels even more exciting, with slight physics tweaks to help make the experience even more immersive.

Regardless, as she would summon her Sage, that's when he knew to spring his trap. "Trap Card, Open! Shiranui Ryū Tsubakuro no Tachi!" he declared, adding "I release one Shiranui monster on my field to destroy two cards you control!" And just like that, a barrage of destructive sword swing pressure waves erupted outward, shattering Sage and Queen and leaving both their fields empty for the moment.

"Considering your monster's love tap earlier...I'd say that's fair, hehe." he teased her right back; still, he was worried. With what he could do...He could score a huge lead here, but would he hurt Shivini?

"Kami-sama...Please, just this once...don't let my bad luck get her hurt..." he inwardly prayed...No, he could only go as hard as he could. She didn't hold back despite her own reservations, so he wouldn't either.

"My turn! Draw! I activate Spectralsword's effect in the Graveyard! I banish it and Shiranui Hermit to perform a Synchro Summon! Noble warrior, bear of the torch of your ancestors and rise from beyond to strike against darkness! Synchro Summon! Blade God - Shiranui!"

And there it was...The first Synchro Summon he would perform. But he wasn't finished yet, adding "Next, because Hermit was banished, I can Special Summon another banished Shiranui monster...Return, Spectralsword!" And with the spectral warrior's reappearance, he would have his materials to Synchro Summon yet again. "I tune Spectralsword once more with Blade God! Legendary blade, rise once more and lead your clan to battle and glory! Synchro Summon! War God - Shiranui!"

He then raised a hand, "I activate War God's effect! I banish Blade God from my Graveyard and give War God its strength until the end of this turn!" And with this, War God readied both of its katanas, its ATK rising from a not-unimpressive to a frightening 5500. "Next, I summon a second Mezuki!" he then shouted, another of the horse-like Undead appearing...But what made him pause was when he saw its ATK also rise, but to 2200. "The hell..." Takeshi muttered, confused...But when he checked Shivini's Field Spell, he realized why his own monster had gotten stronger.

"Well...I wasn't expecting that but I'll take it!" he declared happily; this wouldn't end the Duel per se, but she'd be pretty damn close. "Kami-sama....I beg you...Don't let this kill her..." he prayed once more, declaring "Battle! War God and Mezuki! Direct Attack!" And at this, both of his monsters rushed Shivini, Mezuki raising its axe high overhead and War God bringing its blades before itself in an X-pattern...

And all Takeshi could do was hope and pray, head bowed and his hands clasped in prayer.
 

And thus it began. The series of summons, including Synchros. Poor Shivini shook harder, watching in sheer terror as his Blade God evolved to War God.

Oh god, oh god, oh god ...

With or without damage, this was going to be painful. All she could pray was whatever had happened at the beginning wouldn't return. Because ... she didn't know if she could afford taking that huge of a hit. Not if the damage became real again, anyway.

As if seeing his War God wasn't intimidating enough, he managed to get a second monster out.

"Why .. ??" When her gaze followed Takeshi's, she felt her heart sink. "Really? Of all the cards in your deck, yu summon one of the few non-fires huh? Well ... shit." Not only was Meizuki a non-fire, but it was Earth; the very element her Gaia Power boosted. "Well ... kudos to you, I suppose."

Her eyes shut as she could only wait.

There was a loud ripping sound. And when Shivini's eyes opened, her top was still barely intact. Her cheeks flushed as she covered the barely one-piece up, though not before Takeshi would get an even better shot of her cleavage. "Geez. I did give you ha offer earlier for a reason. Idiot." Yet even as she stuck her tongue out, she couldn't deny a large sense of relief swam through her. No blood, at least. That was good. So ... that had to mean, at least as far as she was concerned, whatever had happened earlier was done and over with. The trembling finally began to slow as her mind convinced itself the danger was over. Gone, seeming to have all but vanished into the very air itself.

"Draw!"

This was definitely a dire situation. But certainly not impossible, as proven from the card she drew.

"I'll set a card and summon Amazoness Archer. Your turn."
 

When he didn't hear the bloodcurdling scream of pain, Takeshi was still hesitant to open his eyes; he would then open his left one first, peeking out from under barely-opened lids to see that Shivini was unharmed. Maybe more exposed...But unhurt. Something that made the growing tension in his gut finally be lifted, a loud breath of relief coming from him as he realized the danger was over. "Ah...Haha...Thank you, Kami-sama..." he said aloud, more than grateful that she wasn't lying on the floor nearly dead.

Though he just laughed as she teased him about her previous offer, teasing right back "You did...But trust me, I didn't expect my monsters to want to catch a glimpse of you. Heh, just shows they've got good taste." Standing up straighter he then said, "War God's power returns to normal. Turn end."

Judai too, breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness...I honestly didn't know what to expect. Glad they're alright, that's definitely reassuring." He'd honestly had enough of Duels where people legitimately got hurt, having gone through more of those than any one person should have.

And with Takeshi...He had a good feeling this was going to be game. "My turn, draw! I set one card-face down, then I'll go right into my Battle Phase! Mezuki! Destroy Amazoness Archer!" However, as his monster moved in for the strike, he would find himself on the receiving end of yet another Trap.

"Trap Card, Open! Divided Wall!"

And with that, both his monsters would lose 1600 ATK, Archer dodging Mezuki's strike and firing a rapid volley of arrows into the horse Undead's abdomen, its image shattering and Takeshi raising an arm to shield himself as his Life was reduced down to 2600. "Damn...Heh, well played, Shivini. Guess that's my payback for the Trap I played earlier? Won't lie, thought I had you there. But...Now that War God's weakened, I can't exactly attack you. So I'll end my turn there." he then replied, smiling at his opponent.
 
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