Chapter Text
Yumi was facing down yet another Ritual Monster from Rio's deck. She could pop them out like it was nothing, which only confirmed the level of skill she'd need to be at if she hoped to win the prefectural tournament on her own next month. As daunting as it was, she was oddly inspired to train even harder. Far from her intention, but it seemed like the other girl had ended up becoming a motivator for her.
The ape monster from the Revealed Girzerker card appeared on the field, pounding its chest as lightning shot out of its exposed brain. Compared to the Killer Crocodile from before, its 2000 ATK was a bit underwhelming, especially for a Level 10. “This is a really special monster,” Rio explained. “Battle! Grodd Ape, attack Sunlight Unicorn! God Crusher!”
Unlike the other Girzerkers, the ape charged forward, drawing lightning into its right hand and slamming it into Sunlight Unicorn, destroying it and lowering Yumi's Life Points to 1200. “Now, Grodd Ape's special ability activates. Whenever it destroys a monster and sends it to the Graveyard, it increases its own ATK by that monster's!” Any doubts over the card's power disappeared as it grew to 3800 ATK in an instant, pounding its chest and screeching. “Turn end! Don't give up just yet! Keep fighting!”
As impressive as the monster was, it was still underpowered compared to a Necklace-enhanced Wallrus. “Draw!” Yumi declared, adding a new card to her nonexistent hand. It was Rusty Swordsman. Destroying Grodd Ape with Wallrus, then attacking with it would win her the duel. She couldn't be that careless, though. Rio was too confident in that card to overlook such a glaring flaw in her plan. “I set a monster,” she said, placing Rusty Swordsman in Defense Position for the time being.
“Wallrus, attack Grodd Ape! Majestic Tornado Cutter!” With a deficit of eight Levels, Wallrus' ATK climbed to 4400, obliterating Grodd Ape and lowering Rio's Life Points to 350. She shielded herself from the backlash. Rather than upset, she looked positively happy. She was even laughing.
“Now, Grodd Ape's true effect can activate!” She raised her arms into the air as a shower of golden particles rained down. “When Grodd Ape is destroyed, I gain Life Points equal to its ATK while it was on the field!”
“That's impossible!” Yumi exclaimed, watching Rio's Life Points restore themselves to 4150. After all this time and coming so close, her opponent had just put herself back to the starting point while she was barely keeping her head above water.
“That's how she did it,” Sakuya said to Hideo, who nodded in response. “That's how she kept her Life Points from dropping below 4000 at the end of all her duels. It was true.”
“My monsters don't like it that I have to sacrifice my Life Points to use their effects, so they want me to have it all back!” With Yumi's turn at an end, she began her own. “I activate Jump Puppy's effect to add another copy to my hand.” Rio's Life fell to 3350 as a result, but it was far from a problem at this point.
“Now, I summon Girzerker Little Bear from my hand!” A tiny brown bear appeared on the field, giving a weak growl and clawing at the air, only to fall over. “When I summon Little Bear, I can pay 1000 Life Points to add a Girzerker Ritual Monster to my hand from my deck.” Her Life Points were now 2350 as she sorted through her deck. “I choose Girzerker Queen Bee,” she said, adding the card to her hand.
With a playful giggle, she pointed towards Wallrus. “Attack, Little Bear!” The bear charged, biting into Wallrus and destroying it, taking Yumi to 1100 Life Points. “Turn end,” she declared, passing to Yumi as the crowd cheered.
Yumi began her turn, put at ease by her newest draw. “I release my face-down Rusty Swordsman to Advance Summon Majesty Magician!” The swordsman was swept up in a column of wind, the magician appearing out of it. It tossed its cane into the air and took a bow, raising up just in time to catch it.
“Normally, I'd need to Release two monsters to summon a Level 8, but Majesty Magician only needs one if it's a Normal Monster with 1500 or less ATK and DEF. But that's enough introduction. Majesty Magician, attack Girzerker Little Bear!” Spinning its cane, the monster pointed towards the bear, firing a jagged burst of blue electricity to destroy the monster. Rio's Life Points were reduced to 1350 from that attack. “That ends my turn.”
Why wouldn't she just go down? Most trash duelists would have just given up after her Life Points reset, and the rest would surrender after the monster that had carried them through half the game was destroyed. Why did she keep fighting? It was infuriating by this point.
Rio's Life Points returned to 2350 after her draw. With a satisfied smirk, she set one single card in her backrow. “That'll be all.” Nothing about the move made Yumi comfortable. “I guess this is the end of my winning streak,” she said with a smile, horrified gasps coming from several members of the crowd. “Come attack me now, since I'm defenseless.”
umi's draw showed her only a Trap Card that would be no use without something on the opponent's field. She couldn't afford to wait another turn, though. She knew for a fact Rio's hand had a Ritual Monster and the fodder to summon it. If the game was waiting for her to draw some new Ritual Magic or a way to recycle the ones in her Graveyard, she'd lose this eventually. Attacking was the best option, even if she couldn't tell whether that face-down was a bluff or not.
Pushed on by the cheers of encouragement from several audience members, Yumi decided to go for it. “Majesty Magician, direct attack!” The spellcaster twirled its cane, dashing forward to jab at Rio. Unexpectedly, she stuck her tongue out.
“Just kidding!” she said, activating her set card. “Trap activate, Urgent Ritual Art!” The trap was sprung, revealing itself to the world. “I can banish a Ritual Magic from my hand or Graveyard to use this card in its place for the turn. Naturally, I'll pick Girzerker Ascending Ceremony, Releasing the Girzerker Jump Puppy in my hand as the cost!”
Seven flames this time. “Ritual Summon! Level 7, Girzerker Queen Bee!” At first glance, the statuesque bee woman wasn't very impressive. With only 2200 ATK, Majesty Magician could plow right through it. At least, if one only looked at Queen Bee.
“Stop the attack!” Yumi commanded, taking advantage of the battle reply to end her action. Majesty Magician's cane produced a white parachute out of the end, slowing it down and allowing it to jump back to her field.
“Great call!” Rio said in complete mockery. “Queen Bee's effect reduces the ATK and DEF of all monsters that aren't Psychic-Type by 100 points for every Level they have, so your Magician only has 1700 ATK now. It's a little sad, honestly.” With no other options, Yumi set her card and ended her turn.
Rio's turn began with her smiling at the card she'd just drawn. “Lucky draw!” she proclaimed. “I activate Cyclone to destroy your set card!” A vortex of wind emerged from the card face, spiraling towards Yumi's field.
“I'll activate it! Trap Card, Unbreakable Spirit!” Her card opened, imbuing Majesty Magician with new strength. “Until the end of the turn, Majesty Magician gains ATK equal to Queen Bee's. Now you can't touch him.”
Rio tutted at Yumi. “You're delaying the end of the duel. That's bad form!” She very much wanted to say numerous more violent things to her opponent, but scolding was all she could get away with for now. “I'll just activate the effect of my Girzerker Ascending Ceremonies, then.” Her Life Points took a startling drop to 350. “By paying 1000 Life Points, I can return one to my deck to draw a card. I'll do it twice, just for fun.” Seemingly pleased with her two new cards, she set both of them and passed turn.
“Draw!” Yumi's hand wouldn't help her much in overcoming Queen Bee. “I'll set one card and end my turn.” A trap would hopefully deter any attacks, but she could never be too sure. There was no telling which direction this duel would go next.
“At your End Phase, I'll activate one of my cards. Permanent Trap Card, Life Absorbing Machine!” A second copy of her irritating Trap appeared on the field. “Now, I'll get twice the benefits back from my effects!”
Moving to her turn, Rio's Standby Phase appeared. First, 1000 Life Points. Then, another 1000. Finally another set of 1000 Life Points, leaving her with 3350. “What happened?” Yumi asked. “You've only got two of those on the field. Why did you get another 1000?”
“Did I forget to mention Queen Bee's other effect? It's pretty familiar, so you should be able to understand. She gives me half of what I paid as cost during my last turn, just like Life Absorbing Machine. That gives me three ways to replenish my Life Points, so from now on, I'll be gaining every time I pay!”
“Queen Bee, attack Majesty Magician! Death Swarm!” Thousands of bees began to fly towards Yumi's monster, preparing to sting it until it was destroyed, taking a hefty chunk of her Life Points with it.
“Attack Nullification!” she declared, activating her Trap and stopping the bees' advance. Safe for another turn, Yumi only grew more anxious and excited, enough so to begin a small hop as she waited for her turn. “Now your Battle Phase is over!” she added as the card resolved.
Rio didn't let herself become annoyed by this. The game was hers for the taking. These were just the last struggles of a dying animal. “I'll end my turn, then,” she said with an exaggerated pout.
Yumi's next draw would decide the entire duel. Taking her card, it was exactly what she was looking for. “I activate Grandeur!” she declared, the card appearing on the field. “This lets me equip an Equip Magic from my Graveyard to a monster on the field, but its gets destroyed at the end of this turn. I'll use this ti equip Majesty Magician with Broken Wand!”
Rather than a simple wand, Majesty Magician's cane transformed into an elegant wooden staff, its ATK increasing to 2200. Now it was on the same level as Queen Bee. “Attack, Majesty Bolt!” she commanded, capitalizing on the momentary equality to take out Queen Bee. She'd be vulnerable, but if she did nothing, she'd lose for sure. Like this, she'd have a shot. Her card sent out a blast of red energy directed at its screeching opponent.
“Looks like you made the wrong choice,” Rio said. “Trap activate, Holy Barrier – Mirror Force!” The familiar shield was disheartening, to say the least. Yumi was out of tricks this time. All she could do was watch as Majesty Magician's attack was sent back at it, destroying it alone and leaving Queen Bee on the field.
Yumi sighed, still smiling. “Turn end,” she declared, ready to face defeat.
“Thanks for watching, everyone!” Rio said to the crowd. “I hope everyone had fun during the duel! Now it's time for it to end!” She pointed forward. “Death Swarm!” The insects emerged from their leader, flying into Yumi with thousands of tiny explosions. She was knocked back as her Life Points dwindled to 0, caught by Hideo before she could fall to the ground. “Happy win!” Rio proclaimed, winking and striking a victory pose.
“Yumi!” Sakuya shouted, rushing to her side. “Are you okay?”
Yumi laughed as she regained her footing. “That was so much fun!” she said, catching Rio off guard. Normally, people were sad when they lost, but even the common courtesy of falling into despair was lost on this girl. “You're really strong, Rio. I hope we get to duel again someday. “I'll be even better next time, I promise!”
And it was at that moment she realized she had a problem. This incompetent, annoying, terrible duelist was making her blush. Not the forced kind she usually had, but an actual blush. That optimism and joy was making her feel...weird.
She had to get out of this situation. “Thanks for coming!” she said, turning to address the crowd and ignoring Yumi. “I've got to go home now. It was a lot of fun getting to meet everyone! Goodbye!”She handed off her duel disk to one of her bodyguards and walked to a black limousine parked within a few meters of her, leaving Yumi behind and pushing down any more uncomfortable thoughts.
“Well, that happened,” Sakuya said, patting Yumi's shoulder. “Sorry you lost.”
“It's okay,” Yumi assured her. “It was still a lot of fun.” She put her cards away and stored her duel disk into her backpack. “Ready to go back to the park?”
“Sure, but...” Sakuya hesitated slightly. “Can we walk this time?”
“Knew you were scared,” Yumi mumbled. “Hideo, do you want to come? We're going to be doing some more training and going to try to find a food truck Sakuya said was around here. They declined, though, citing their homework as a priority now. “Too bad. If you get done early, we'll still be there, so come find us.”
“Don't you think you should start working on that homework, too?” Sakuya asked with a raised eyebrow.
Yumi forced out a wave of laughter. “I'm choosing to ignore that until the last minute!” she declared. With a sigh, the girls began down the sidewalk to return to the park, Yumi changing the subject over to her amazing musical skills on the triangle.
Hideo, however, was already hard at work scribbling into a notepad. Since meeting those three they could not call friends, they'd been collecting notes on their dueling skills and decks. Sakuya still remained the greatest mystery of all of them, though. She held herself back for some unknown reason, even past the normal point of the practice duels from the other evening.
With the data they'd collected so far, they were all but certain that a serious duel against her, even at this level of restraint, would end in their defeat. Whatever the truth to this girl was, she was an amazingly, absurdly talented duelist; possibly the best they'd ever seen. Now, based on the notes taken from watching Mabuchi Rio duel firsthand, could she possibly defeat her? Those were questions for another day, though. Now was homework time.
Elsewhere, Yumi and Sakuya made it back to the park after a short walk, sliding down the hill and laying on the grass. There were still none of the regular kids these, some likely going home after a long day, others simply milling about the library checking out books and the like. Either way, there was no pressure to perform for anyone and the two of them could relax as their selves for the time being. “I'm proud of you,” Sakuya said, watching a cucumber-shaped cloud float across the sky.
“What for?” Yumi asked in confusion. “I still lost.”
“Winning and losing aren't the most important things. You fought well and played like a true duelist to the very end. You almost had her a few times, too. So, I'm proud of you.” It was a bit embarrassing to heap praise onto her, but it was well-deserved after such an exciting game. In the short time since their first duel, she'd watched Yumi's skills improve dramatically. With cards others would dismiss as nothing but trash, she was fighting on the level of tournament winners and even catching up to Sakuya herself.
Yumi grinned, jumping on top of Sakuya and giving her an uncomfortably tight hug. “I only got so good because you're my teacher, so be proud of yourself.”
“You're always so physical,” Sakuya complained, blushing as Yumi rubbed her face against her.
As soon as she said that, Yumi let go and moved away. “Oh. I forget that you really don't like it when I do that. Sorry.” She took her index finger from her right hand and gripped it tightly in her left. “If I noticed sooner, I would have stopped. I'm sorry. I won't anymore.” She assumed Sakuya was just playing along with the joke when she acted annoyed, but that didn't seem to be the case. Yumi had always had trouble reading inflection, so it was a mistake easy for her to make.
With a sigh, Sakuya pulled her towards her, being the initiator for a change. “I don't mind it,” she said truthfully. “It's just a little sudden sometimes. It's okay, though.” No one in her home had been very much for hugs for quite some time. The sensation of being touched or held in any of the ways Yumi was comfortable doing were overwhelming at times, but not all that unpleasant.
Pulling Yumi's goggles down over her eyes after she'd previously moved them back, she added, “So stop being sad. You can't train if you're sad.
Yumi's smile returned, hugging Sakuya as tightly as she could and nearly lifting her off the ground. “Let's do it, then,” she said. And so they did, burning through the hours together without a care, even after the other children finally began to arrive and congratulate Yumi on her performance against Rio. They had no idea what the future had in store, but that wasn't really a concern at the moment. Not even the homework. They were happy just like this.
Across the city was a different story, though. Within the Critical Games skyscraper lived Rio, currently screaming and throwing plates against a wall. Fukuro, the aging family butler, stood outside the room, sighing in dismay at the destruction of property. Two other members of the family's staff began to walk by the unused guest room, but promptly turned around after hearing the noises coming from within.
“Another tantrum?” the maid asked listlessly as they fled. The cook nodded, only hoping to make it another day in this household. Nearly everyone in the Mabuchi family's employ despised Rio. Without her parents around (and that was quite often, given their busy work schedules), she was given free reign of the building and could wreak havoc in whatever way she saw fit. Even if her parents were there, it was unlikely to change anything.
“I don't know how the old guy puts up with it,” the cook said, helping the maid tidy a few things that had been shoved over after their employers' child returned home. “She treats us like dirt, but him...I can't even imagine half the stuff she's done to that guy that we don't even know about. Why hasn't he quit yet?”
“Who knows?” she answered. “He's been here longer than the rest of us. Maybe he's got some huge salary.”
“Or what if they have some blackmail on him and they're forcing him to stay?” They both had a chuckle at inventing the butler's backstory, though whatever joy they could feel quickly faded as they finished up their tasks and returned to the normal routine of counting down until the were allowed to leave for the day.
Another plate shattered against the wall, Rio panting in rage from across the room. Breathing deeply, she exhaled slowly and closed her eyes. Fixing her hair, she walked towards the door. “I'm done with this,” she said bluntly, leaving the butler to clean up after her.
Ever since the duel this afternoon, she couldn't get Yumi out of her head. Why couldn't she stop thinking about her? She was a trash duelist like all the rest. No amount of lucky draws changed that. Neither did how tall she was compared to Rio, or how soft her skin seemed to be, or the way she looked when she smiled. None of that mattered, especially the last parts.
So why couldn't she stop? It made her angry, and when she got angry, she broke plates. Whatever nonsense was going through her head right now, it all led to one thing: Yumi must be utterly destroyed for her to find peace. She'd beat her so badly she'd never want to pick up a card again. She'd prove to herself there was nothing more to that girl than any other worthless peon out there.
She went to the family's lounge with its fake fireplace roaring on a screen, sitting in a gilded, plush chair in front of it to contemplate her next move. Clapping her hands lazily, the maid appeared after a few second with a glass of orange juice, a straw inserted and bent. “Leave me,” she ordered after taking it.
How could she best humiliate Yumi? It was a tough question to answer. Anyone who used a deck that pathetic obviously had no shame, so it would be hard to pull off. Slurping down juice, she looked around the room at all the different mementos from various companies and publishers her family had teamed with or bought out in the past, along with some of their more famous investments in the way of professional game players. They all represented the work her family had done and the power they possessed. At the very least, she had many options.
\Next: The Biker Duelist – Is This What Love Feels Like?/
Cards Used in Order of Appearance
Revealed Girzerker
Ritual Magic Card
Discard 1 “Girzerker” Ritual Spell Card in your hand; you can Special Summon 1 “Girzerker” Ritual Monster from your Deck (this Special Summon is treated as a Ritual Summon). You must also Tribute monsters from the field or your hand whose total Levels equal the Level of the Ritual Monster you Special Summon.
Girzerker Grodd Ape
EARTH
Level 10
Psychic/Ritual/Effect
2000 ATK/2800 DEF
You can Ritual Summon this card with any “Girzerker” Ritual Spell Card. If this card destroys a monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard: This card gains ATK equal to that monster's ATK on the field. When this card is removed from the field: Gain LP equal to its ATK on the field.
Rusty Swordsman
EARTH
Level 4
Warrior
1500 ATK/1000 DEF
Sunlight Unicorn
LIGHT
Level 4
Beast/Effect
1800 ATK/1000 DEF
Once per turn: You can excavate the top card of your Deck, and if it is an Equip Spell Card, add it to your hand. Otherwise, place it on the bottom of your Deck.
Wallrus
WATER
Level 2
Beast
400 ATK/800 DEF
Necklace of Supplantation (Amulet of Ambition)
Equip Spell Card
Equip only to a Normal Monster. If it battles a monster with a higher Level, the equipped monster gains 500 ATK x the difference in Levels (during that battle only). When this card is sent to the Graveyard, you can return it to the top of your Deck.
Rusty Swordsman
EARTH
Level 4
Warrior
1500 ATK/1000 DEF
Girzerker Jump Puppy
EARTH
Level 2
Psychic/Effect
500 ATK/300 DEF
When you Ritual Summon a “Girzerker” Ritual Monster using this card as a Tribute; this card can be used as the entire Tribute. While this card is in your Graveyard, you can pay 1000 LP; add 1 “Girzerker Jump Puppy” from your Deck to your hand.
Girzerker Little Bear
EARTH
Level 4
Psychic/Effect
1500 ATK/900 DEF
When this card is Normal Summoned: You can add 1 “Girzerker” Ritual Monster from your Deck to your hand. You can discard this card; add 1 “Girzerker” Ritual Spell Card from your Graveyard to your hand. You can only use each effect of “Girzerker Little Bear” once per turn, and only once per turn. To activate these effects, pay 1000 LP.
Girzerker Queen Bee
EARTH
Level 7
Psychic/Ritual/Effect
2200 ATK/1100 DEF
You can Ritual Summon this card with any “Girzerker” Ritual Spell Card. All monsters on the field lose ATK and DEF equal to their Level, except Psychic-Type monsters. During your Standby Phase: Gain LP equal to half of any LP paid during your last turn.
Life Absorbing Machine
Continuous Trap Card
During your Standby Phase, gain Life Points equal to half the Life Points you paid during your last turn.
Majesty Magician
DARK
Level 8
Spellcaster/Effect
2500 ATK/2000 DEF
You can Tribute Summon this card by Tributing 1 monster that was originally a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster with 1500 or less ATK and DEF. This card is treated as an appropriate target for a card that specifically designates a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster with 1500 or less ATK and DEF while face-up on the field or in the Graveyard (its Level and ATK/DEF do not change).
Urgent Ritual Art
Normal Trap Card
If you control no Ritual Monsters: Banish 1 Ritual Spell Card from your hand or Graveyard; this card's effect becomes that card's effect that Ritual Summons a monster when the card is activated.
Girzerker Ascending Ceremony
Ritual Spell Card
This card can be used to Ritual Summon any “Girzerker” Ritual Monster. You must also Tribute monsters from the field or your hand whose total Levels equal the Level of the Ritual Monster you Ritual Summon. You can also pay LP equal to any number of Levels x 500, in addition to any Tributes used to equal the Level of the Ritual Monster. While this card is in your Graveyard, except the turn it is sent there: Pay 1000 LP; shuffle this card into your Deck and draw 1 card.
Cyclone (Mystical Space Typhoon)
Quick-Play Spell Card
Target 1 Spell/Trap Card on the field; destroy that target.
Unbreakable Spirit
Normal Trap Card
If you control only 1 face-up monster: Target that monster; until the end of this turn, it gains ATK equal to the ATK of the monster your opponent currently controls with the lowest ATK (your choice, if tied).
Attack Nullification
Counter Trap Card
When an opponent's monster declares an attack: Target the attacking monster; negate the attack, then end the Battle Phase.
Grandeur (Swords at Dawn)
Quick-Play Spell
Target 1 Equip Spell Card in your Graveyard and 1 appropriate monster on the field, equip the Equip Spell Card to that monster. Destroy that Equip Spell Card during the End Phase. If you activate this card, you cannot Special Summon for the rest of this turn. You can only activate 1 "Swords at Dawn" per turn.
Holy Barrier – Mirror Force
Normal Trap Card
When an opponent's monster declares an attack: Destroy all Attack Position monsters your opponent controls.