Chapter 7: In the Predator's Fangs.(2)

Despite it being his turn, Yuri stayed in his guarded position with his arms crossed over his face. He stood frozen in place, apparently needing time to process that he'd just taken damage after so long. All the while, Triphyovertum beat its wings and screeched into the air, seeming to express the anger its owner felt at this transgression.

Then, he began to laugh. It started as a low chuckle, slowly building and building in volume and intensity until his entire body began to shake. His arms lowering to his sides, Yuri tilted his head back and cackled, his monsters multiple heads letting out a roar in unison with him to shake the arena once again.

"Yes, that's it! More!" His demeanor had shifted now, eyes wide and fist clenched. "It's no fun if you can't hurt me, too! Show me more of your power! That's the only way breaking you will be fun!" He let out another shrill, disturbing laugh, unsettling Yuzu and the others even more.

"It's my turn!" he declared, placing a finger on top of his deck. "Draw!" As soon as he added the card to his hand, he took off in a sprint, arms dangling behind him. "Those Action Cards seem like fun!" he shouted. "I think I'll use some, too!"

In an instant, he scaled the rocks leading up to Yuzu without any assistance from his monsters, stopping in front of her with as foreboding a smile as she'd ever seen. This seemed to be a successful attempt at distracting her, Yuri then jumping clean over her and running a short ways away to retrieve an Action Card she'd missed not far behind her.

"Drosophyllum Hydra, activate!" he declared, Yuzu still reeling from this bizarre personality change. Was this still the same person? "I'll use Dragostapelia as fodder to lower Pendulum King's ATK once more!"

Pendulum King of Justice ATK: 2000 - 500=1500

"I'll then get rid of my Spino Dionaea in order to summon Predator Plants Banksia Ogre from my hand!" he declared, the dinosaur-like creature fading away as it was replaced by the seed-shaped monstrosity.

Predaplant Banksiogre: 2000 ATK /100 DEF

"Now, let's battle! Banksia Ogre, attack Pendulum King of Justice!" The monster began to rotate around, slowly picking up speed before it began to fire the tiny needles that covered its body like a gatling gun.

"Endure it!" Yuzu commanded, her monster crossing its arms as the attack connected. Despite the buffeting it took from this attack, her monster continued standing tall after the needles ceased.

"That's right!" Futoshi said in the crowd. "That monster won't be destroyed once each turn!"

"Thank goodness," Tatsuya sighed.

Masumi, on the other hand, scoffed at this. "He isn't done," she said, finally seeing fit to directly interact with the children.

Yuzu's LP: 4800 -500= 4300

As if to prove her right, Yuri then revealed the card he'd collected earlier. "And now I activate my own Action Magic, Wonder Chance!"

Yuzu grit her teeth at this. "So you get a second attack," she murmured, already beginning the search for another Action Card of her own. It seemed like Yuri wasn't playing seriously before, so there was no more room for error now.

"Exactly!" Yuri said. "Banksia Ogre, attack again!" It fired its needles once more, though this time they wouldn't have the luxury of even connecting with her monster.

"Floral Princess' effect will negate that attack," Yuzu said, jumping into her monster's outstretched hand as it began to walk away from the enemy.

"But I still have another attack," Yuri reminded her, deciding to follow her example and take up a spot in Triphyovertum's palm. "Attack! Destroy Pendulum King for good this time!"

As energy crackled around Yuri's dragon, Yuzu managed to spot a card not too far from where she'd gone. Jumping down, she retrieved it from where it was stuck to the side of the castle and played it immediately. "Evasion!" she declared. "This stops your attack!"

"Not this time!" Yuri said, activating another card of his own. "Action Magic, Over Sword!"

"When did he get that?" Yuya exclaimed, accidentally pressing against the intercom button as he did.

"A good question," Yuri sneered. "There are plenty of Action Cards to go around. You just have to know where to look." As if to demonstrate his point, he, too, reached for the side of the castle, plunging his hand into the shadow and retrieving another Action Card.

"But first, Over Sword," he continued. "This increases Triphyovertum's ATK by 500, as well as preventing you from negating its attacks this turn. The attack continues!"

Triphyoverutum ATK: 3000+500= 3500

Yuzu's eyes widened, unable to do anything but watch as the trio of blasts came screaming across the field to annihilate her monster, the damage hitting her hard and throwing her up against the side of the castle.

Yuzu's LP: 4300 -2000= 2300

"Action Magic!" he declared right after, allowing her no time to recover. "Flame Ball will inflict 200 more damage to you! Taste the fires of Hell firsthand, Juno!"

Yuzu's LP: 2300 - 200= 2100

Still recovering from the damage inflicted by the attack, Yuzu was unable to dodge the flames as they shot straight into her chest. Yelping in pain, she was tossed across the ground, leaving her in a heap on the floor.

"Come now," Yuri said, hands on his hips and pout on his lips. "You can't be finished yet. Aren't you a hero? I thought heroes were supposed to defeat evil, not roll over and die at their feet!"

"You're right," she coughed, standing back up and dusting herself off. "And you won't get away with this much longer." She took a deep breath, exhaling slowly to calm her nerves and think over what she could do once her turn came around.

"That's more like it," he said, smile widening. "Show me your strength! I want to truly enjoy grinding every last scrap of hope you and the rest of these peons have underneath my heel! Fight until your last breath!" He slapped a set card into his duel disk and ended his turn.

"You've gone unpunished long enough!" Yuzu declared. "I'm going to stop you right here with this card! Draw!" She wasn't entirely sure whether or not what was happening was meant to be an act anymore, the line between whatever reality Yuri lived in and what she hoped to be performance having blurred and sucked her in with him. If he was going to be the villain, though, she'd just have to play the hero as he wanted.

"Time for you to pay for your crimes! Count up your sins!" She said that, yet her actual draw was far less decisive than she made it out to be. What she'd gotten was an Equip Magic, a card she was currently unable to use given the lack of monsters on her field. This was made all the worse by the fact it was now the only card in her hand.

"In my Standby Phase, Cauldron of the Old Man gains a second counter, doubling its effects."

Cauldron's Counters: 1 - 2

"Do you think you'll be able to gain back enough Life Points for that to matter?" he scoffed. "Raise them as high as you like! That just gives me more time to make you suffer!"

He was right, at least with regards to it not being enough to simply gain more Life Points. She needed a way to respond offensively, and that meant finding another Action Card. Her best bet would be to try what Yuri did, running inside the castle to look for something of use. Thankfully, she didn't have to go far before a card presented itself tucked away on a windowsill a few floors up.

"Perfect," she said. "Action Magic, Big Dominoes!" Seconds before she could slide the card inside her duel disk, a shot rang out. Before she even realized what had happened, Big Dominoes was torn to shreds, her fingers stinging from whatever had impacted it.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," Yuri said. "My Action Card, Action Crush, destroys the Action Card in your hand," he explained. "After that, any Action Cards we add to our hands this turn will be similarly destroyed."

"That's...that can't…" She was at a loss for words. Such a powerful card coming at just the right time for him. It all but sealed her defeat.

"I'm afraid that's the end of this duel," he gloated. Triphyovertum let him off in front of the castle, the monster flying up to perch atop it and roar. "You have no options left, dear Juno. It seems evil was just too powerful for our hero this day."

She still had a chance, though. She could still turn this around. Jumping from the window, she rolled along the ground before standing up across from Yuri. "Amaryllis, use your effect!" she declared. "I'll excavate the top five cards of my deck and summon a monster with a Level between my Pendulum Scales!" She didn't have as wide a range as before, but she had to bet on her cards coming through for her.

But they did not. None of the monsters she revealed was Level 4 or below, meaning the effect fizzled out. "That's too bad," Yuri said, shaking his head. "Your last gasps couldn't even amount to memorable parting words. How sad."

Yuzu fell to her knees. That was her only hope at turning things around. Her hand exhausted, effects spent, and Action Cards sealed, there was no longer a path to victory. Ending her turn meant accepting that, but how could she? There had to be something. Any last chance she could take to pull off a miracle.

Wait, there was a chance. It almost seemed impossible, but it might just be what she would need. The odds of that card generating onto this field were slim, but that was good enough. Action Crush being here made it all the more likely, too.

Yuzu scoured the field for any remaining Action Cards, grabbing the first she saw off the ground only for it to break apart moments later. "Were you not paying attention?" Yuri asked her, genuinely confused by her current decision. "Action Cards are automatically destroyed in the hand for the rest of the turn. At least wait until my turn comes to struggle."

She didn't listen. Continuing on a mad dash for Action Cards like a woman possessed, Yuzu came upon another, the process repeating. Then she tried again, this one also destroyed. She kept going with no signs of slowing down, saying nothing as she did.

"What's she doing?" Yuya finally asked. "They just keep getting destroyed. And if she doesn't do anything, she's going to lose to the time limit."

"She's up to something," Yuzu's father said, smile proudly spread across his face.

"But this strategy…"

"I know," he said. "It's...it's just...so hot-blooded!" He slammed the intercom button, shouting, "Yuzu, you can do it! Keep going!"

"Hey, he's right!" Tatsuya said. "We have to cheer her on! We can't just sit here and watch!"

"Yeah, let's show Yuzu we believe in her!" Ayu agreed.

Futoshi nodded, then began to shake. "Thinking about how she's planning to win is giving me shivers!"

Everyone sans Masumi was cheering her on now, giving Yuzu pause as she stood a few steps away from the latest card. Even Yuri watched her expectantly, still trying to parse what she might be trying to do. With so much support, how could she lose now? That wouldn't be very fitting for a hero.

"This will be the one," she said, reaching out to take the Action Card before her. For the brief moment she was able to glimpse it, she knew she was right. Then the card was blown away an instant later.

Yuzu turned back to face her opponent, proclaiming, "Now I've got everything I need to win."

"Are you sure?" Yuri asked. "I just saw the card you worked so hard to find destroyed. Isn't that a bad thing?"

"It's exactly as planned," she said, raising a hand to call out the image of what had just been destroyed. "Action Magic, Reaction Draw!"

"What?" Yuri stammered. "A card like that exists?"

"It sure does," Yuzu replied. "When this card is destroyed, I'm able to draw a new card. Normally, an Action Card like this would be dead weight in the hand, but Action Crush just enabled me to use it."

This would be what really decided the match. If she got another unusable card, the duel would be over. As she took the top of her deck, she bet on her cards responding to the effort she'd put in to make this play and the hopes of her friends and family supporting her in this moment.

And they didn't disappoint. "That's it!" she said. "I activate Angel's Reinforcement! By paying 2000 Life Points while I have no face-up monsters, I can summon a Majestic Knight straight from my deck. Come out, Stardust Eagle!"

Majestic Knight Stardust Eagle, 1200 ATK/ 500 DEF

Yuzu's LP: 2100 - 2000= 100

A brilliant white eagle screeched into the sky, its feathers shimmering like stars in the light. Circling overhead briefly, it landed in front of Yuzu, curling up in a defensive posture.

She'd have to act fast, already seeing Yuri begin a slow creep along the ground. She was almost certain she'd expended every Action Card the field had available, but if one managed to slip through, it might end her right here. "I activate Cauldron's effect," Yuzu declared. "I'll gain 500 Life Points for each counter on it, which is then doubled by Amaryllis' effect."

Yuzu's LP: 100 + 2000=2100

Just like that, she was back to where she was before Stardust Eagle touched the field. Seemed like a good time to truly take things back, but with a bit of a twist. "Stardust Eagle, effect activate! I tribute this card, then use its effect. This lets me draw cards equal to the number of times I gained Life Points this turn, but then I need to discard the same amount minus one. Since I'm only drawing a single card, though, I won't have to discard at all."

Her monster screeched before bursting into a shower of glittering energy. One last time, she had to rely on her deck to come through for her. "Draw!" She held her breath, everyone else doing the same.

Turning the card over, she called out, "Pendulum Summon!" The portal opened behind her once more. "Come out, Majestic Knight Percival the Brave!"

Majestic Knight Percival the Brave 1600 ATK/ 1000 DEF

As her monster clanked to the field, Yuzu activated the last card in her hand. "Equip Magic, Sword of Hope! From now on, Percival will double any damage you take and halve any damage I take when he's battling." Nodding to her monster as it took its new golden weapon in hand, she declared, "Let's demonstrate! Attack Predator Plants Banksia Ogre!"

"I don't know what you're planning," Yuri said, "but I hope it wasn't to come out of this with minimal damage. Drosophyllum Hydra will banish Spino Dionaea to lower your monster's ATK by 500!"

Percival's ATK: 1600 - 500= 1100

Its power lowered even further below Yuri's monster, Percival's sword bounced off Banksia Ogre without issue. Yuzu's Life Points fell after that, typically the opposite of what one would want out of attacking in this game.

Yuzu's LP: 2100 -450= 1650

However, her monster remained. "Percival is able to withstand destruction by battle once each turn. Then, you take damage equal to the amount of Life Points I gained this turn when that happens!" The knight slashed with its sword at this declaration, a sweeping golden crescent flying through the sky to blast Yuri back.

Yuri's LP: 5000 - 2000= 3000

"Not too bad," he said while shaking off the damage. "You almost managed to turn things around. But with no hand, no set cards, and a weak monster like that, I doubt you'll be making it through the next turn."

"Then prove it," she told him. "Turn end."

"Gladly," he replied, drawing a card. In this situation, he wanted nothing more than to activate his Fusion card again and win as decisively as possible. But he couldn't do that. It was too early and would make too big a splash. He'd just have to make do with what he had with him now. That would be more than enough, anyway.

"I summon Predator Plants Sarraceniant," he declared, the ant creature blooming into a flower next to his feet, utterly dwarfed by the rest of the cards on the field. "This monster may not be strong, but I think you'll find it's more than enough to destroy your monster."

Predator plant Sarraceniant 100 ATK/ 600 DEF

"That effect," Yuzu said. "It's going to destroy Percival?"

"Indeed!" Yuri declared. "Battle! Sarraceniant, attack that monster! Just so you know, Predator Plants Sarraceniant's effect will destroy any monster it battles after damage calculation. That's an effect, not battle!"

Yuzu had to act fast, though it was most definitely not the ideal play. "Floral Princess' Pendulum Effect," she began, "will negate your attack!" Sarraceniant pounced at Percival, bouncing off a yellow barrier created by the Pendulum Monster.

This was just as Yuri intended, though. "So sad," he shrugged. "If that's the case, I'll just have to win with battle damage. First, Drosophyllum Hydra's effect activates again. I banish Predator Plants Cordyceps to lower your monster's ATK by 500 more."

Percival's ATK: 1100-500= 600

"Now, Banksia Ogre, attack!" Yuri's monster began to turn as it had before, blasting at Percival as the knight tried to guard itself. While it wouldn't be able to destroy it, the damage would still be devastating.

However, Yuzu hadn't simply been standing around as this happened. Against all odds, she'd managed to find an Action Card stuck in the shadow of the castle. "Action Magic, Restore!" she declared. "This will return Percival's ATK to its original values for the rest of the turn," she explained, her monster growing in strength by a full 1000.

Percival ATK: 1600

"But that doesn't spare you from damage," Yuri identified, the attack connecting and battering the enemy's monster.

"But it's less damage," she countered. "And with Sword of Hope, that damage is halved."

Yuzu LP 2000-550= 1450

Yuri nodded with a smile, unfazed by this change. "It's irrelevant," he said. "The next attack will be the end."

"Sword of Hope will halve the damage," Yuzu repeated. "Triphyovertum only has 3000 ATK, so there's no way you'll be able to beat me this turn." Even if Percival was destroyed, she was confident it wouldn't be the end for her just yet.

In response, Yuri raised his hand. "Trap activate, Predator Planning." Several of the green plant buds shot out of the card's image, attaching to every monster on the field. "Every monster gains a Predator Counter when this card is used," Yuri confirmed, "changing them all to Level 1."

Counters on them

Adding counters for the sake of it wasn't his main objective, though. "This means that Predator Plants Triphyovertum will gain the original ATK of all other monsters with Predator Counters."

Predaplant TriphyoverutumATK = 3000+3700 6700

Yuri's monster screeched into the air, bulging and pulsating as it grew even larger from the collected power of the other cards. "It's over! Triphyovertum, attack!" On his command, all three of the creature's heads began charging the attack.

Triphyovertum's power was once again surpassing what should have been the bounds of Real Solid Vision. The arena shook as its collected energy, the holograms making up the environment shimmering a bit as the projectors were jostled around. Even the glass in the monitor room cracked after enduring enough stress, Shuzo crying out in anguish at how much it would cost to replace it.

It was do or die time. As unprecedented as a monster being able to disrupt the Solid Vision creating it was, it had had the unintentional effect of revealing where what seemed to be the last Action Card left on the field was hidden thanks to different constructs fading in and out of view. That was her only chance.

Yuzu had only seen it for a split second, but the moment she did, she'd taken off running. Yuri had, as well, right as he finished calling the attack. While he hadn't seen the card himself, he was smart enough to infer that his opponent wouldn't be running around randomly in the hopes of finding something at this stage. There had to be a reason.

The winner of the duel would be decided by who grabbed this next card. Both were headed for an unassuming rock near the center of the field, conveniently overlooked given that the card had landed just out of view from both of them when the duel began. Yuzu was the closest, though Yuri's inexplicable speed and agility meant he was bridging that gap without much effort.

"You won't win!" Yuri said, diving forward right as Triphyovertum launched its attack. Wild grin across his face, he was sure he would be the winner with or without another Fusion. Yuzu was still halfway across the field from him. There was no possible way she could ever catch up in any conceivable way.

And then she did the unthinkable. Despite the disturbing reality that Yuri's monsters' attacks had carried up to this point, Yuzu leaped into the air directly into the path of Triphyovertum's energy stream.

"Yuzu!" Masumi shouted, vocalizing the shock each of the spectators felt at this decision.

The reasoning behind this seemingly suicidal play quickly revealed itself, Yuzu being blasted by the attack and flung forward. Tumbling through the sky like a ragdoll, even Yuri couldn't help but stand there and gawk at what she'd just done.

As hoped, this provided the perfect distraction. Yuzu slammed into the ground hard enough to break the rocks below, rolling over herself as the attack finally connected with her monster. Percival struggled to keep from being swept up in the blast, seeming to sense that it needed to hold out just a bit longer.

"Action Magic," they all heard, attention once again directed towards Yuzu. Blood pouring from her nose, she snorted out a glob of it and continued, "Miracle! When a monster battles, this card means it won't be destroyed. And on top of that, all battle damage will be halved."

Damage halved on top of halved, Triphyovertum's attack finally exploded on top of Percival, once again rocking the arena. As the dust cleared, though, Yuzu's monster stood tall while enveloped in a shining aura. True to its name, the Action Card had allowed a miraculous survival for both the monster and its owner.

Yuzu LP = 175

Everyone, Yuri included, stood dumbfounded at what had just happened. Despite having her dead to rights by all earthly forms of measurements, Yuzu had escaped yet again by the skin of her teeth. And there she stood, battered and bloody but still very much standing.

Wiping her face off on her sleeve, she finally said, "So, you end your turn?"

Yuri's eyes darted between his opponent and the Fusion card in his hand. He reached for it instinctively, gripping the top edge of the card with shaking fingers. Holding back from it was painful at this point. He couldn't show his full power right now, though. It wasn't the right time. This was just a duel for fun to enter this school.

His hand steadied in seconds, falling to his side. Standing up straight, Yuri took a flourish bow. "Why, yes, I do end my turn," he said, pompous demeanor returning. "I'll commend you on surviving like that, but I can't imagine what that monster will be able to accomplish the way it is now." As he said this, Restore's effect came to an end, punctuating his remark with Percival's return to a hobbled state.

Percival ATK 1000-1600= 600

"We'll see," Yuzu said, drawing her card. "No matter how many times a hero gets beaten down, they always come back even stronger! Get ready, because all you did is make me even more determined to win!"

The Standby Phase came, adding another counter to the Cauldron. "I activate the Pendulum Effect of Majestic Knight EN-Angel Amaryllis," Yuzu declared, five cards revealing themselves from the top of her deck. "With this, I can bring out EN-Angel Statice!"

En-Angel Statice: 0ATK / 0 DEF

As her monster appeared beside her, she then moved to use another effect. "Cauldron will activate, increasing my Life Points again by 1500, which is doubled to 3000 because of Amaryllis."

Yuzu LP 175+3000= 3175

Whether it was the restorative powers of placebo in action or simply too much adrenaline to worry about her exhaustion and real life injuries, Yuzu instantly felt better after regaining so many Life Points. "Much better," she said, shaking out her hair in relief.

"Now, I activate the Equip Magic, Majestic Heart!" A thick golden sword descended from up above, Percival gripping it just below the heart-shaped guard and brandishing it in front of itself. "And with that, I'll enter my Battle Phase. Statice, attack Predator Plants Triphyovertum!"

After so many suicide runs this game, Yuri knew better than to think this was a pointless move. He also knew for a fact there was nothing he could do at this point. That last Miracle was the final Action Card left on this stage. He had no more effects or set cards to work with and his hand contained a monster unable to assist him. All he could do now was watch the climax of the show.

As expected, Statice's attack had no effect on the enemy, merely destroying itself. However, the explosive cloud of damage that shot out towards Yuzu was drawn into the image of her monster above her head, transforming it from a dark gray maelstrom into glittering golden light. "Thanks to Statice, any damage I take from battles with her is turned into Life Points. That's 3000, which Amaryllis doubles to 6000!"

Yuzu LP 3175 +6000= 9175

In the course of a turn, Yuzu had gone from barely surviving to surpassing her starting Life Points. But she wasn't done yet. "This activates Majestic Heart's effect!" she declared. "Once per turn, I can use the Life Points I gain to increase the equipped monster's ATK by the same amount!"

Percival ATK 6000+600= 6600

Percival now surpassed every monster on the field save for Triphyovertum. "Percival, attack Triphyovertum!" Yuzu commanded, seeming to do the only possible thing that could lose her the game at this point.

Yuzu's monster slashed through the air with both its weapons, gold and silver swipes forming an X-shape as they shot into the plant dragon. Yuzu paid the price of 100 Life Points for this, though Percival's effect prevented its destruction as always.

Yuzu LP 9175-100= 9075

"Percival's effect activates," Yuzu stated, her monster grunting as it seemed to grow even more powerful. "Now you take damage equal to all the Life Points I gained this turn. That's 9000!" As Yuri's eyes widened, Percival readied its finishing blow. Rushing up to Triphyovertum a second time, it cleaved through the monster's central head and slashed all the way down.

His monster destroyed, a flood of damage erased the remainder of Yuri's Life Points in an instant, throwing him back as trumpets sounded in recognition of Yuzu's victory.

Yuri LP 3000-9000= 0

"She did it!" the three children shouted in unison.

The Action Field faded from view now that the duel was complete, Yuya wasting no time in hopping out of the now open window into the arena. "That was great!" he said, running up to Yuzu with a goofy smile on his face. "My heart was pounding out of my chest the whole time! And that last move you used to get the Action Card was just too cool!"

Yuzu replied with a weak thumbs up. Truth be told, she was pretty close to dropping down on the ground for a nap now that the adrenaline was rapidly wearing off. Some aches and pains after an intense duel were to be expected, but this one was a little more intense than normal. Something about those monsters, she had to guess.

"It was an unforgettable experience," Yuri said, taking a bow. "You truly are deserving of your reputation, Juno the hero."

"You were pretty cool, too," Yuya told him, having a laugh. "You really freaked me out when you started talking all crazy. I thought you were really evil."

"Oh, I'm not that good," he said, waving his hand. "Especially not compared to her." He then gave a smile, directing a glance to Yuzu. "Then again, I might be one day now that I'm learning from the best.

"That's right!" Yuya realized. "You had that bet. So now you're joining the school, I guess."

"I guess," Yuzu sighed, still unsure as to whether or not they wanted someone like him. Still, he had skill, and if he was as dedicated as he seemed during that heel routine, he definitely had the potential to become a hell of an entertainer to go along with it.

Next came the clatter of many small feet running up from behind the group, the youngest You Show students arriving on the field. "That was amazing!" Ayu said, hugging Yuzu around the waist.

"Your tactics were incredible!" Tatsuya praised. "Pendulum Summoning just keeps looking better and better!"

"And all those exciting battles for Action Cards made me shiver!" Futoshi added.

"It really was incredible," her father said as he walked up. "The both of you. That was some of the finest dueling I've seen in my entire career." He turned to Yuri now, extending his hand. "I heard you wanted to join our school, young man. Well, with your talent, we'd be happy to have you."

"Thank you, sir," he said, happily returning the gesture.

"We'll get you squared away with the registration forms. And the matter of…" He rubbed his hands together, "the student fee, of course. Preferably in cash if possible."

"Oh, of course," Yuri agreed, reaching into his pocket and pulling out of a wad of bills. "However many classes this will cover, sign me up for them."

"Right away, kid!" Shuzo shouted, dancing for joy as he held the hefty sum of money in his hands while blatantly ignoring where a person his age would get all of this or why he had it with him at this point.

"If you're all done celebrating that mediocre show of force," Masumi said, having entered the field without their notice, "I'd like to complete my business."

This snapped everyone out of the happily ever after ending to the day, reminding them of what was going on before the duel interrupted it. "Right," Shuzo said, stepping forward to meet his former student. "So, what did you come here to ask me?" He felt like he already knew what she would say.

As always, Masumi could sense this realization in him, so she got straight to the point. "My employer wishes to buy your school." This was met with the predictable sounds of shock from the assembled students and teachers.

Shuzo sighed, merely replying with an, "Again?" He shook his head. "Sorry, but my answer is the same as always. We won't accept offers of that nature."

"I thought you might say that," Masumi frowned. "I'd like to stress that you won't be undercut by this. The history of this institution alone would let you name virtually whatever price you wanted. You'd never have to worry about money again."

"Sorry, no," he repeated.

"I'm urging you to reconsider, sir," she stressed. "Don't allow personal feelings towards the company or your pride to cloud your judgment on these matters. You know that there's only so much time left before the school closes on its own."

"Masumi," he began, only to be interrupted.

"But to include personal feelings into this," she said, looking away. "My own personal feelings are that I wouldn't want to see that happen. There's no reason to let the school shutter in an unceremonious way like that. Take the deal and ensure it survives in some form."

"He said no," Yuzu said sternly, Masumi's head whipping around to glare back at her. "We don't need LDS or your money. In fact, we have a sponsor now, so money isn't anything to worry about."

"We're sponsored?" Yuya questioned.

Her father glanced between Yuya's confused expression and his daughter. "Yuzu, that's-"

"Excuse me?" Masumi asked.

"That's right," Yuzu continued, ignoring the others. "So get lost. We don't sell out our values as easily as some people."

Masumi's face was one of silent fury, less so at the rejected deal (she'd expected as much before coming) but at the past being dug up like that. As if any of them understood her actions like they thought. As if they could ever hope to understand what she had to do.

Slowly, her anger abated. Flipping her hair, she said, "I see. Then I'll take my leave." She gave a proper bow to Shuzo before turning to leave. "I'm sure you'll hear from us again soon."

As she walked away, Shuzo called out to her one last time. "It was nice seeing you today, Masumi. You're welcome to come back anytime you like. The door's always open for former students." She didn't reply, exiting the arena and walking through the halls until exiting the building.

Oc cards:

Majestic Heart

Equip Spell Card

Equip only to a "Majestic Knight" monster you control. Once per turn, when you gain LP: Increase the equipped monster's ATK by the same amount. When this equipped monster inflicts battle damage to your opponent: Your opponent discards 1 card.

Grace: Someone is attacking the LDS schools.

Reiji: Some strange duelist is doing it, Masumi it's your job to stop him.

Masumi: I'll take care of the work. in the next episode of Yugioh Arc v Lost Pendulum: Duel against the rebellion duelist.