Domino City was the hub for the popular card game, Duel Monsters. Here, nearly everyone was involved in the game. It would have been rarer if someone who lived here had nothing to do with the game, given its popularity as a world sport. The game became such a phenomena overnight the moment it was released. Created by CEO of Industrial Illusions, Pegasus J. Crawford, it was a game that unleashed monsters, spells and traps into an elegant formula that captivated the hearts of both young and old. Like magic, it spread throughout the world. Soon, dueling tournaments were created. People who could call themselves experts in the game began to arise left and right in various ages, genders, and types. These Pro Duelists won tournament after tournament, but only one stood above them all.
The Duel King, the title given to the one who defeated the very creator himself.
Since that legendary duel, multiple tournaments arose, and soon, the game began weaving itself into the very lifestyle of the people. It was deemed necessary to finally involve it in the curriculum. A certain company, Kaiba Corporation, invested in creating schools meant to raise future duelists, to keep the game at its peak. Competition became the driving force of humanity, and served as a way to further human progress. The schools became the center hub for recommendations, and students were scouted from the institutions themselves. The Duel Academias became the center of attention of the Pro Duel League, and each year there was always that one exemplary student that would excel.
Within the span of ten years, the game became a choice of life, or a hobby associated with other professions.
…Though, the tale of that, who sought to retrieve his most precious thing, was already woven. Let us tell a different tale. But this particular one is within the tale of the student who sought out to become the next Duel King.
This tale is about another boy who, while a student, sought out a truth he never knew and would go on to become the hero his world needed…
The sea was a vast hue of cerulean that mirrored the color of the sky. The waves softly rolled over each other as the palpitating pulse of the sea was steady and peaceful. And while the ocean is known for being gentle, it is also known for being violent. Since time immemorial, humanity sailed across her waters with their ships, be it for discovering new lands or conquering them for their own glory. And while some have succeeded, others have perished and sunk into the abyss.
But on this day, Mother Nature decided to be generous, allowing a ship to sail across her pond that was the ocean, towards an island. An island where Duelists are nurtured to become Pro, by attending the prestigious Duel Academia.
The ship in question was a mid-tier cruise ship that carried the passengers towards the tropical island that will house these aspiring Duelists for the next three years. Like most cruise ships, it had several facilities for eating, exercising, gaming, and even cabins for resting. But on the top deck was a space for Duelists to have Duels.
One passenger leaned against the bow of the ship, feeling the wind rush past his medium-length brown hair. His fringe that fanned out front swept to and fro as his blue eyes focused on the horizon. He wore a light gray t-shirt with an elbow lengthened, short-sleeved dark gray dress shirt that was unbuttoned, while wearing a pair of denim jeans that are dark blue and a pair of black sneakers with ankle-length white socks underneath.
This was Kuromu Kururugi, a soon-to-be student at Duel Academia.
He placed 24th in his Written Exam and passed his Practical with flying colors. All thanks to a new batch of Monsters no one's ever seen before. At first, the spectators thought the deck was illegal. But given that it registered with his Duel Disk, all doubts were laid to rest. The same rang true for two other Duelists who happen to be close friends with him.
Kuromu reached into his pocket and pulled out his Duel Monsters Deck. It still hadn't hit him that he was really going to Duel Academia, where it will be his home away from home for the next three years.
'It's strange… I should be happy that I'm going to Duel Academia, but… why do I feel anxious?' He thought to himself. 'I know I'm supposed to be focusing on my studies, but… I can't hold off on that either…'
"Yo, Kuro." An unfamiliar voice called out. Kuromu turned around and saw two other people that approached him.
One was a girl with brown eyes as her burgundy hair reached a little past the shoulder blades, which was pulled back into a high ponytail. She had a denim jacket she had over her white spaghetti strap tank top, and a pair of white shoes finished off her looks that went with her white hot shorts.
Standing next to the young woman was a tall gentleman who seemed to have stepped out from the 1970's. Given by the plain stylish platform shoes he wore, he stood about at six feet. His light tan skin wasn't from a suntan gone bad as he combed his dark brown hair worn usually in a surfer cut halfway down his neck. Given his love for the 1970s, he wore retro styled red bell bottoms with a white wide collared shirt, exposing a gold male medallion symbol.
"Rika. Koji." Kuromu muttered.
"You okay?" Rika asked, a look of concern on her face.
"I'd be lying if I said I was." Kuromu smiled sadly, before looking at his deck.
"Still thinkin' about that, huh?" Koji guessed.
"Nothing gets by you, does it?"
Koji then placed an arm around his friend's shoulder with a wide grin. "Relax, Daddy-O. No need to be a worrywart."
"I know, but I can't help but worry."
"We are too, but your dad's doing all he can on his end." Rika tried to reassure. "So you need to do your best over here."
"Sistah Rika's right. After what happened to ya last month, taking' a chill pill at school will get you back all the good vibes, ya feel me?"
Kuromu chuckled at this, "Yeah, I guess so. Sorry for worrying you both. And thanks…"
"Hey, what are friends for?" Koji grinned wider.
"C'mon, let's go topside and check out the Duels over there." Rika said excitedly, before running off.
"Hey Rika, wait up!" Kuromu called out, running after her.
"Don't leave me behind!" Koji said, following them.
It wasn't long after going inside the ship and taking an elevator to the top deck that they arrived there. It was a decent sized open area for a mid-tier cruise ship. They had four Duel Fields, all currently occupied, but each were at a different stage of their Duel. One was about to win, while another was just starting out, a third saw a Duelist admitting defeat, while the last was about to pull off a power combo. And like all Duels, they were being watched by spectators, making comments of the play-by-plays.
"Whew… check out this party of Duels!" Koji whistled in amazement, looking at how many Duels were already taking place.
"Probably more before we arrived," a soft mutter escaped Rika as she looked around the deck. Truly the open seas and blue skies offered a great canopy to duel under.
Kuromu looked around, watching these Duels take place until his eyes focused on a particular passenger of the cruise. Her long, dark blonde hair was arranged sporadically, with a large portion trailing the upper part of the nape of her neck and had hazel eyes. Her attire consisted of the Obelisk Girl's uniform, which was a white sleeveless top with blue trimming, a blue miniskirt, and royal blue boots. She also had on blue fingerless gauntlet-like gloves that covered her wrists.
It had been so long since they had last met. And yet he could still spot her from miles away.
"Hey, isn't that Asuka?" Rika pointed out, to which Koji also noticed.
"Yeah, you're right, it is her." Koji said, before grinning mischievously and elbowing Kuromu's gut. "Now's your chance, Daddy-O."
"Huh? What?" Kuromu snapped out of his thoughts to look at his disco friend. "What are you talking about?"
"Your Foxy Mama's over there. Strut your stuff and show her your moves." Koji grinned.
"C'mon guys, it's not like that," Kuromu sighed as he gazed over at the girl once more. She had yet to realize he was there, and he was debating if he should even tell her.
"Oh? So what you told us about what happened two years ago wasn't like that?" Koji wiggled his eyebrows with half-lidded eyes and a sly smirk.
"Why you little…" Kuromu growled, with a twitching eyebrow while having a strain smile and a balled up fist. "It sounds like you wanna get your jive-ass kicked…"
"Sounds like a dance off later~"
"I'll bring the camera to take some good pics!" Rika smiled impishly.
"Whose side are you on, Rika?!" Kuromu cried out.
"The moolah of course!"
Kuromu deadpanned at her answer, "You're gonna be a scary business woman someday…"
"Never mind the soul sistah, hurry up and go say hi to her already!" Koji grinned, pushing his friend along. "Don't be shy now."
"Alright alright…" Kuromu grumbled, before taking a deep breath to calm himself down. He then steeled his nerves, by smacking his cheeks with his hands before approaching the blonde. "Asuka! Is that you?"
The dark blonde heard his voice and turned towards the sound of his voice. Upon making eye contact, her eyes lit up and her smile became bright. "Kuromu?"
"Heya." Kuromu waved to her. "It's… been a while."
"You seem to be doing okay."
"Yeah, I, uh… got settled in at my aunt and uncle's place so…"
"Right…"
Though it was a meeting that barely started, Koji and Rika both could slice the air with a knife. Tension wasn't the issue here. It could never be between these two. The problem laid in a single fact.
"So… you've been at junior high for two years now, right?"
"That's right, and because of that I ended up in Obelisk Blue."
Kuromu smiled at this. "Congrats! You were the best duelist at school so you deserve it! Fubuki must be proud!"
"…Yeah… he is." Asuka trailed off, looking away.
He couldn't help but tilt his head at her response. "What's wrong? Did… something happen between you and your brother?"
"Huh?" Asuka looked surprised at his question, before waving it off. "Oh, no. Nothing like that at all, really."
"You sure?" Kuromu inquired, to which the girl nodded, "Okay then. Just making sure. I know we haven't seen each other in a while, but… if there's something bothering you, you can always talk to me and I'll lend an ear."
"Same with you…" She repeated his words back, and paused before saying, "I have to admit, I am happy to see you here. The last time we spoke, it sounded like you gave up on dueling."
"…For a time, I almost did."
This surprised Asuka. It certainly wasn't like Kuromu to give up so easily. "What? Why?"
Kuromu was silent, pondering his next words, before mustering up the courage to say them, "It's… complicated. I'm not quite ready to tell just yet. But I can say now that dueling is helping me with everything. So I decided to fulfill my wish."
"I see." Asuka nodded. "Well, I'm happy knowing that you haven't given up. Otherwise…" She trailed off with a shy smile, tucking a few strands of her hair behind her ear.
Kuromu uttered a soft noise of surprise, "You… still remember that?"
"Of course I did. I know it's been two years, but I'd never forget a promise. And I certainly won't break it either."
"Asuka…" Kuromu then chuckled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "Sorry, I guess it'd be really bad if I actually did give up."
"Well, it's a good thing you didn't." Asuka giggled. "And I wouldn't have seen that new Deck of yours."
"Ah, right, about that…" Kuromu trailed off. "That was… it was its debut. Though, I didn't think it would cause that much of a commotion."
Asuka chuckled wryly. "Who wouldn't? It's not everyday someone shows off new cards, let alone a whole new archetype."
"I guess that's fair." Kuromu said sheepishly. He then reached over to his Deck Box and pulled it out. "Still, I'll be able to get used to them sooner or later. I just need to Duel with them more often."
"Then I suppose you wouldn't mind if I'd help you test them?" An unknown voice said, causing Kuromu and Asuka to turn towards the source. Approaching them was a young man with black hair neatly arranged, a large portion flushed back and slightly to his left, featuring different layers where the sloping changes direction. His attire at the moment was a white jacket of a school uniform with gray pants and black shoes. "My apologies, I didn't mean to interrupt your conversation. I just happened to overhear that last part." He said sincerely.
"Oh, no, it's fine." Kuromu waved off. "And you are?"
"Misawa Daichi." He introduced.
"Nice to meet then, Misawa-san. I'm Kururugi Kuromu,"
"And I'm Tenjouin Asuka." The sandy blonde haired girl greeted.
"Asuka-san and Kuromu-san." Misawa nodded, committing it to memory, before turning his attention back to Kuromu. "Now then, you said earlier that you needed to Duel with your Deck more often, correct?"
"Yeah, that's… right." Kuromu blinked.
"Then how about a Duel against me?" Misawa suggested. "To be quite frank, I'm curious about your Deck and want to learn about its mechanics and gameplay. I think it will be beneficial for both of us. You get more experience of playing your Deck and I get to learn more about it. What do you say?"
Kuromu pondered on this in thought. It didn't seem like a bad deal to him. He looked towards Asuka, who gave a subtle encouraging smile, which told him, "Go for it."
Looking back at Misawa, he nodded with a smirk. "You got a deal."
"Excellent. Follow me over there." Misawa gestured to a Duel Field that just cleared out. Both Duelists walked over to the empty Duel Field and took their respective places while Asuka stood on the sideline. Once there, they took out their standard Kaiba Corp. Duel Disk. Misawa looked towards his belt, seeing that he had six Deck Boxes. He looked them over before selecting one of them. "You'll do nicely." He said, taking the Deck out of its box.
Meanwhile, Kuromu was focused on his own Deck as he was ready to place it in the Disk. "Please… lend me your strength…" He said, before looking at Misawa. "I'm ready when you are!"
"As am I! Here's to a good Duel!" Misawa smirked competitively.
"Back at you! And I don't intend to lose!" Kuromu smirked back. Both Duelists then inserted their Decks into their Duel Disks, bringing them to life, as they went from Standby to Active Mode. Once the halves of the duel tray were locked in place and their Life Point meters went online, both Duelists drew their starting Hand.
"DUEL!"
Kuromu: 4000
Misawa: 4000
"I'll start this Duel! Draw!" Kuromu declared, drawing his card. He looked at his Hand to consider his options. He'd only just gotten the deck recently, so he barely knew how they worked, which didn't help his situation. He looked at them for a second before deciding to pluck a Monster from his Hand. "I summon Kamen Rider Kuuga in ATK mode!" He declared, slapping the card onto the tray.
A sound akin to a turbine running echoed as slowly, a man began appearing on the field from the holographic card. There stood a man covered from head to toe in a black bodysuit. His red chest plate displays a muscular build with odd, ancient scripture around the gold collar. Gold bands encased his wrists and ankles, with similar color knee pads. In a way he seemed almost like a warrior, but what was the most unusual was the shape of the helmet. Large, red compound eyes that seemed to be able to pierce through a soul, a silver mouthplate with mandible-like markings, and gold horns protruding from the top were similar to those of a stag beetle. The entire helmet was themed off of an insect. But perhaps the most striking of the outfit was the silver belt linked across the waste. Red, blue, green, and purple squares were along the sides of the large, red jewel in the middle, and large round silver buttons on each of the sides. (4/ATK: 1500/DEF: 1200).
The moment Kuuga took the Field, several spectators turned their attention towards the Duel. Even those currently Dueling stopped what they're doing and focused their attention on Kuromu and his new Monster, going so far as to end their Duels in a draw before going over to watch.
Kuromu sighed at this. It really shouldn't be that big of a deal. But now wasn't the time to dwell on it. He has a Duel to focus on.
"I'll place one card face-down. Ta-n endo." Kuromu slid one of the cards into one of the slots just below the tray and a holographic reversed card appeared on the Field.
"Very well. O-re no t-an. Draw!" Misawa drew his sixth card and looked at his current Hand. "Hm, yes, this should work." He took one of the cards from his Hand and played it. "I summon Newt in ATK Mode." Appearing on Misawa's Field is a blue-skinned humanoid dressed in a golden chest plate with long green sleeves, red-orange pants, a golden ring belt, and shin-length gold boots while a slated staff with a blue crystal orb floated beside it. (4/ATK: 1900/DEF: 400).
"Hoho~? Looks like the dance-off's starting already." Koji grinned as he and Rika walked up towards the edge of the Duel Field, next to Asuka.
"Koji. Rika." Asuka uttered in mild surprise.
"Yo!" Koji waved with a two-finger salute.
"Heya, Asuka-chan!" Rika waved at the blonde with a grin. "Long time no see! You look well!"
"Yeah, same to you." Asuka smiled back. "Somehow I figured you two wouldn't be far behind."
"Of course, would you expect otherwise?" Rika winked as Asuka giggled.
"No, but you did make good time."
"I'll say! Kick his butt Kuro! You got this!"
"Battle! Newt attacks Kamen Rider Kuuga!" Misawa declared as his monster threw back its fist as it charged at the red Rider. "Gravity Punch!"
"Counterattack! Mighty Kick!" Kuromu declared. The stag-beetle Rider got into a crouching stance, his arms spread out, as the jewels on the side of his ankles burned briefly, before running towards his opponent. He then jumped up and flipped forward twice before righting himself up and diving down with his left leg tucked in and his right leg sticking out, as the kick and punch connected, resulting in an explosion upon contact.
When the dust cleared, both Monsters were nowhere to be found. This confused the spectators as was Misawa who frowned.
"What happened? Why are both of our Monsters gone?" He pondered in confusion.
Kuromu chuckled at this, being half sorry and not sorry for withholding the information he was about to disclose. "Sorry, I forgot to mention. When Kuuga battles a Monster whose Level is 4 or higher, he gains 400 ATK until the end of the Damage Step, regardless of whose Battle Phase it is." (ATK: 1500-1900)
"So, rather than risk losing Life, you had both our monsters ensure a mutual defeat. Impressive." Misawa praised his opponent.
"Well, technically only your Monster's defeat, thanks to this!" Kuromu declared, pressing a button on his disk and the face-down card he had on the Field, rose up, depicting an image of a different kind of beetle warrior, that was blue with silver armor with a spade etched onto the chest. He was holding a sword face-down with cards that fanned out at the hilt, having pulled out three cards. "Continuous Trap, activate! Trump Card of Hope! Think of it as a Rider version of Call of the Living Dead. So now I'll bring Kamen Rider Kuuga back from the Graveyard!"
The card shined and an orb of light shot out of the card before shaping and molding itself into the shape of the fallen warrior before fading to reveal said warrior.
"Then I play Resurrection of the Dead to bring back Newt from my Graveyard." Misawa said, playing the card and his Monster returned. "It looks like we're back to square one. I set one card face-down. Ta-n endo." Misawa finished off his turn by playing his last card.
"O-re no ta-n! Draw!" Kuromu declared, drawing his next card. He looked at the card he drew. "Alright, here goes! I summon Kamen Rider Agito in ATK mode!" He said, slapping the card onto the tray.
Two sounds that overlapped each other echoed, one being a low humming sound while the other was a high-pitched pulsing sound. Moments later, there was a sound of a revving engine as a bright light shone in the middle of the Field before dimming down. Standing in the middle of the field was a man in a black bodysuit, his helmet being mostly black, with compound eyes large and red. The silver mouthpiece was insect-like with the edges gold and was connected between their eyes to rise up and spread into a set of horns cresting on their forehead. (4/ATK: 1400/DEF: 1000)
"Kamen Rider Agito's effect activates! Since I have another Kamen Rider on my side of the Field, I can send your face-down straight to the bottom of your Deck!" Kuromu stated.
"I counter that effect by activating my Set Card!" Misawa countered, pressing a button on his Duel Disk. "Large Dust Tornado! I will use this card to destroy your Trump Card of Hope and with it, Kamen Rider Kuuga!"
A tornado suddenly burst out of the card, sweeping towards Kuuga and the trap card, before lifting them up into the air, shattering into pixels in the process.
"Trump Card of Hope's second effect activates! When it's destroyed with a Kamen Rider equipped to it, I can draw one card!" He said, doing as the card instructed. He looked at the card and smirked. "And what a card I drew. Spell Card, activate! Pride of Kamen Rider!" He inserts the card into one of the compartments beneath the tray and the card shows an image of a group of armored warriors in different costumes and motifs, standing there proudly.
"And what does that do?" Misawa inquired.
"Pride of Kamen Rider will give Agito a 1000 ATK point boost!" Kuromu said, as Agito's body glowed with light. (ATK: 1400-2400) "Normally, if there are other Kamen Riders on the Field, they can't attack, except the Kamen Rider that was given this power. But since Agito's the only one on my Field, there's no need to worry about it. Also, in exchange for this ATK point boost, Agito is destroyed at the End Phase."
"I see." Misawa nodded.
"But until then, it's best that I put this power to good use! Battle! Kamen Rider Agito attacks Newt! Ground Kick!"
Agito's crest on his head folded outwards, folding out into six horns instead of two. Crouching down, he got into a combat stance as a symbol appeared beneath his feet. It was then absorbed into their feet and they ran towards Newt. Jumping up, he tucked his left leg in, with his right leg sticking out as the bottom of the right foot shined brightly, while diving down.
The kick connected square on the chest, making Newt slide backwards while Agito landed on his feet in a stance. After coming to a stop, Newt looked at itself, thinking that nothing happened. As Agito slowly turned around while still in a stance, cracks appeared on Newt's body and light seeped out of it, making the Monster roar in pain before exploding into pixels and Agito's crest receded back from six horns to two.
Kuromu: 4000
Misawa: 3500
"I place one card face-down. Ta-n endo." Kuromu finished setting the card down as a hologram of it appeared on his Field. "Now that it's the End Phase, Agito is destroyed." He said, as the golden armored warrior faded into motes of light. "Your move."
"O-re no ta-n. Draw!" Misawa looked at his newly drawn card and played it. "I activate Pot of Greed. This allows me to draw two new cards." He drew his next two cards and looked at them. "Next, I shall summon Little-Winguard in ATK mode!"
Appearing on the Field was a short and stubby warrior in blue armor with a pointy helmet, a blue shield, and short-winged sword while having a blue cape and stubby angel wings (4/ATK: 1400/DEF: 1800).
"Battle! Little-Winguard will directly attack the player!" Misawa ordered his Monster, which followed the command as it flew towards Kuromu with its sword raised to strike.
"Sorry, but I'm gonna have to stop you there! Trap activate!" Kuromu declared, pressing a button on his disk and the face-down rose up, revealing the image of two grasshopper-themed warriors diving downwards from the sky. "Riders' Dramatic Entry! Whenever I'm attacked directly and I have no Monsters on my Field, I can Special Summon a Kamen Rider Deck and end the Battle Phase right there!"
"What?!" Misawa gasped as Kuromu picked out a card from his Deck and slapped it onto the tray.
"Hoo boy, this is gonna be interesting!" Rika chuckled.
"I wonder which Rider he'll pick?" Asuka pondered in curiosity.
Granted, his Rider deck is fairly new and debuted at the Practical Exam. But it's the fact the Kamen Rider Deck is so new, there's no telling what it could do. That alone, excited Asuka of what new surprises were in store.
"Either way, he should have this dance down pat." Koji affirmed.
"I Special Summon Kamen Rider Ryuki in ATK mode!"
Three transparent gray mirror-like images of an armored warrior merged together, forming into one. He wore a red bodysuit with black boots and black armbands, having black shoulder pads, all of which have silver sockets attached to them. Their torso armor is black with silver pectorals and abdomen. On their left arm was a gauntlet shaped like a red dragon's head with yellow eyes and a black and silver snout, the DragVisor and a handle extended from the front to fit in their hand. The helmet was black with a silver faceplate with a grill over two large red eyes and on the forehead is a dragon head-like symbol. (4/ATK: 1800/DEF: 1200)
The new warrior then reached towards his belt and pulled out what appeared to be a card. He then pushed the top of the dragon's gauntlet head downward, inserting the card in before pushing it back up.
GUARD VENT
In a flash of light, shield-like pauldrons appeared on Ryuki's shoulders modeled after the underbelly of a Chinese dragon. Little-Winguard's sword made contact with the shield but it did nothing as the Kamen Rider pushed the small monster back.
"You managed to escape damage once again." Misawa frowned for a second before it split into a grin. "I must say, your Deck's archetype is quite unique and a challenge to overcome."
"And there will be a lot more where that came from." Kuromu grinned back. "So anything else?"
"I set one card face-down. Ta-n endo." Misawa played his face-down then looked at Kuromu. "During the End Phase, I can switch Little-Winguard into DEF mode." He turned the card on his Duel Disk and his monster crouched down, holding up its shield in defense.
"O-re no ta-n! Draw!" Kuromu declared, drawing his next card. "Yosh…" He smiled at what he drew. "Get ready, Misawa! Because you're about to be in for a world of hurt with what I drew. Equip Spell, activate! Kamen Rider Machine - Dragreder!" He said, inserting the card, revealing an image of a long red Chinese dragon made out of pure metal. "I equip Dragreder to Ryuki!"
The Dragon Rider pulled out another card from his belt, revealing the same image as the spell card in question, and pushed the head of the dragon gauntlet down before inserting the card and pulling it back up.
ADVENT
Kuromu quickly covered his ears, to Misawa's confusion. Then the sound of a metallic screech echoed, causing the spectators to cover their ears as it came down, descending from the sky.
"Ah not groovy, it's like scratching nails on a chalkboard x1000!" Koji shouted.
"AHH, the heck was that?!" A rather loud mouthed voice growled, "Sounded like someone skinning a cat while unicycling on pop rocks!"
"Moving on, they both have nifty effects. Ryuki can deal Piercing Damage and when he's equipped with Dragredder, the difference in Damage is doubled!"
"What a truly devastating effect." Misawa complimented his opponent.
"Battle! Kamen Rider Ryuki attacks Little-Winguard! Dragon Rider Kick!"
Ryuki pulled out yet another card from his belt, this time, having a symbol of the dragon, before putting it into the gauntlet.
FINAL VENT
Ryuki got into a stance of spreading his legs out while having his Drag Visor arm pulled back and his other arm across his body to complete the circle. Dragredder then flew down and surrounded him before both jumped up high. Everyone looked up to see them fly up as Ryuki did a corkscrew spin before pivoting his body to a slant, tucking the left leg in while sticking the right leg out. Dragredder was right behind him as it spewed out flames at his body, but didn't burn him while diving down for the attack.
"Trap activate! Wind Spirit Art - Elegance!" Misawa declared, playing his face-down. "By Tributing one WIND-attribute Monster I control, I can send one card on your Field to the bottom of your Deck. I tribute my Little-Winguard to send your Kamen Rider Ryuki to the bottom of your Deck!"
"No way!" Kuromu cried out, as a girl with green hair in a ponytail, with a tan coat over it, wearing a loose shirt with a black shorts and brown boots while wielding a staff of silver and having a dragon molded on top appeared.
She chanted a spell before a magic circle appeared below her feet. She then pointed her staff at the incoming Ryuki and a tornado burst out from the tip of her staff, putting out the flames and sending Ryuki and Dragreder flying, before disappearing.
Kuromu growled at this as he sent Dragreder's card into the Graveyard while sending Ryuki's card back to the bottom of his Deck. He mentally berated himself for getting overconfident. He didn't even consider the face-down card that Misawa had laid out before him.
"Oh Kuro…" Rika facepalmed.
"Relax sistah, it ain't the end of the world." Koji pointed out.
"Yeah, but he shouldn't have called his bluff like that."
"A rather rookie mistake on your end, Kuromu-san." Misawa commented. "You disregarded my defense that was my face-down, but you're not the first to call out an opponent's bluff, so it's nothing to beat yourself up over."
"Yeah, I guess so." Kuromu sighed, before focusing again. "Just a minor setback. I'll turn this back around somehow. Just you wait!"
"Good. I won't accept anything less." Misawa smirked.
"Now then, moving onto Main Phase 2! I'll summon Kamen Rider Faiz in ATK mode!"
There was the sound of three beeping noises, each frequency higher than the last before another beeping noise was heard.
STANDING BY
Another sound in the form of a pulsing power up noise was heard before there was another announcement.
COMPLETE
Red lines appeared in thin air forming a frame, then glowed briefly before the light dimmed, revealing the Rider. They wore a black bodysuit with red lines running along the arms and legs. The torso armor is silver and rounded with more red lines running through it to connect to a silver belt which has a rectangular cellular phone with a phi symbol on the front. Their hands have metal tips with bands on the wrists and near the elbow, and the helmet is black with large yellow eyes and a pair of antennae which split the eyes to make it look like a phi symbol on the face and a silver mouthpiece. On the sides of the belt are what initially looked like a telescope on the left and a camera on the right. His left leg from the knee down has a metal brace on it. (4/ATK: 1500/DEF: 1500)
"Then I'll place one card face-down." Kuromu stated, inserting the card into a compartment under the tray and a holographic card showing the reversed side appeared. "Ta-n endo."
"O-re no ta-n. Draw!" Misawa drew his fifth card and gave it a look before taking another card from his hand and playing it. "I activate, Cyclone! With its effect, I shall destroy your face-down card!" He declared as a typhoon of wind ripped through Kuromu's Field until his face-down vanished into data particles.
"Tch…" Kuromu gritted his teeth.
"Next, I activate Pillage! By equipping this card with Kamen Rider Faiz, I can take control of him!" Misawa said.
"Shimatta!" Kuromu panicked as a rugged thief came out of the card and rushed towards Kuromu, snatching Kamen Rider Faiz's card, much to his dismay, before the rugged thief ran back to Misawa to give it to him.
"Hmm… quite the effect this one has." Misawa mused, after reading the card's text, as he placed it on his tray and Faiz transported from Kuromu's side of the Field to Misawa's. "But don't worry. In exchange for allowing me to borrow your Monster, you gain 1000 Life Points on each of your Standby Phases." He then looked at his Hand to select a card. "Now then, where were we? Ah yes, I'm about to summon a Monster. I'll summon Storm Kid in ATK mode!"
Appearing beside Faiz is a young boy dressed in a dark green tunic with a matching hat, white baggy pants, and pointy forest green shoes. (4/ATK: 1500/DEF: 1600).
"Battle! Both my monsters will attack you directly! Go, Kamen Rider Faiz, Storm Kid!" Misawa commanded.
Faiz went first as he took out what appeared to be a laser pointer off one side of his belt then slid a small metallic card out of the phone before sliding it into a slot on the laser pointer.
READY
With that, he attached the laser pointer to the right side of his leg, attaching it horizontally first before turning it so that it was parallel and facing downwards. Then he opened up his phone and pressed the 'ENTER' button before closing it.
EXCEED CHARGE
The phone glowed briefly before a red light traveled from the phone down his right leg, activating it. Faiz then sprinted forward towards Kuromu, leaping up in the air, while flipping forward and slanted his body straight before a laser shot out of the pointer turning into a huge red holographic cone and it slammed into the Kuromu's chest, stunning him.
Faiz then bent his left leg and dashed downward towards the cone to perform his attack known as Crimson Smash. He hit the cone and its target before disappearing momentarily.
Moments later, Faiz appeared behind Kuromu in a red blur and landed on his feet in a crouching position, before blue flames surrounded Kuromu, resulting in him yelling as a red thin light resembling the Phi symbol appeared, before the blue flames eventually died down.
Kuromu: 2500
Misawa: 3500
Storm Kid went next. A cocky grin was present on his face as he summoned a tornado and sent it right at Kuromu, knocking him onto his butt.
Kuromu: 1000
Misawa: 3500
"Ow…" Kuromu groaned in pain, reeling from the two attacks.
"Oooooh, yeah, he's gonna feel that in the morning." Koji winced.
"You think?" Asuka agreed.
"Are you alright over there?" Misawa asked.
"Yeah, I'll be fine." Kuromu groaned again, as he managed to get up on his feet. "Ugh… I'm gonna be sore when we get to the island…"
Misawa grinned. "I hope you manage to turn this around. Ta-n endo."
"Oh, don't worry. I plan on it. O-re no ta-n! Draw!" Kuromu said, drawing his next card. "Thanks to Pillage, I gain 1000 Life Points at my Standby Phase!"
Kuromu: 2000
Misawa: 3500
"I activate Life-Shaving Treasure Cards!" Kuromu said, activating the card. "This lets me draw until I have five cards in my Hand. If I don't use them in five turns, I lose them in five turns!" He said, doing as the card instructed. "Now I'll activate the Spell Card, Dual Summon, allow me to Normal Summon twice this turn! So now I'll summon Kamen Rider Blade and Kamen Rider Hibiki in ATK mode!"
There was a pulsating noise that echoed before a clunk sound was heard, as if someone pulled a lever.
TURN UP
A blue rectangle of energy with the symbol of a rhinoceros beetle appeared, before someone emerged out of the energy rectangle. It was a warrior with a pure blue bodysuit with a rectangular silver box that had a red rectangle with a gold chromed suit of Spade at his waist. The torso armor was silver with a spade in the center and the shoulder pads were flat with gold decorations on the arms and spades on the top. It had a gold band around the wrists and crisscrossed strips of metal on the boots. The helmet was blue with a silver face and a single horn rising up, emulating a European Rhinoceros beetle and the large round eye holes were tinted red. At his side was a uniquely shaped sword, that despite its looks, was sharp and deadly enough to cut down anything. (4/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1400)
A ringing noise was heard and small soundwaves appeared in thin air as a small golden head of an oni appeared. The space being occupied suddenly burst into purple flames that raged briefly for a few seconds, before the embers dispersed, revealing a warrior with a muscular flesh-like body. The hands are gloves that are red with metal bands on the wrists, same for the feet. The chest has a bandoleer-like covering and the waist holds a metal belt with a circular buckle that has three tomoe in the center. The face is blank save for a red framing that looks similar to a kabuki player with horns rising on the forehead and a gold demon face between them. On the back of the belt is a pair of red drumsticks with crystal oni heads on the top, one smiling and one frowning. (4/ATK: 1800/DEF: 1400)
"Battle! Kamen Rider Blade attacks Kamen Rider Faiz! Lightning Blast!" Kuromu declared.
"Huh?" Asuka asked, confused. "What is he doing?"
"Hold on, let him cook," Rika told her.
"You do realize what you're doing right?" Misawa asked. "Because the moment you attack Kamen Rider Faiz, his effect activates."
"Oh, I'm quite aware. If Faiz battles a Monster whose original ATK is higher than his own, he gains 500 ATK!" Kuromu said, as Blade fanned out his card from the blade and plucked out two. He then scanned them on the side of the blade.
KICK
THUNDER
Hologram images of a locust and a deer appeared in midair, before entering Blade's body. He then stabbed the blade into the ground before jumping up high and diving down for his kick, electricity crackling at the kicking foot.
LIGHTNING BLAST
Meanwhile, Faiz took out a camera and took out a metallic card from the laser pointer before sliding onto the camera, covering the lens, and a handle popped out.
READY
He then clasped the handle then opened up the phone on his belt and pressed the Enter button.
EXCEED CHARGE
The phone glowed briefly before a red light traveled from the phone towards a red streamline that was on his left arm which traveled into the camera's flashing light, powering up (ATK: 1500-2000). Faiz then pulled back and punched Blade's kicking foot with the camera knuckleduster, placing them in deadlock. It was only for a brief moment, before Kamen Rider Blade was sent flying back, destroyed into data particles.
Kuromu: 1600
Misawa: 3500
"But I don't understand. Why would you do that?" Misawa asked in confusion.
"I'll tell you." Kuromu smirked. "Because that specific effect only lasts until the end of the Damage Step of that battle, and can only be activated once per turn."
Misawa's eyes widened, "You were expecting this." He said in realization.
"Correct, and I plan to capitalize on that! Second battle! Kamen Rider Hibiki attacks Kamen Rider Faiz! Takeshi Shiki Onigeri!"
Hibiki got into a stance as his symbol of three tomoe with two tails appeared below his feet, surrounded by purple flames, which then spun around and was absorbed into his feet, before jumping up high and diving down for the kick, destroying Faiz in the process. The force of the explosion forced Faiz's card to blow off of Misawa's duel tray and went back to Kuromu's hand for him to send to the Graveyard.
Kuromu: 1600
Misawa: 3200
"Ta-n endo." Kuromu finished.
"Alriiiight, Kuro getting some Damage in." Koji nodded in approval.
"This Duel could still be anyone's game." Asuka pointed out. "That will depend on these next turns."
"I guess, everything can change on the next draw." Rika noted.
"O-re no ta-n. Draw." Misawa drew his next card. "Storm Kid counts as two Tributes for the Advance Summon of a WIND-attribute Monster. I Tribute him in order to Advance Summon Simorgh, Divine Bird in ATK mode!"
Storm Kid smirked as he raised his arm in the air and a large green-tornado enveloped him. The wind was so strong that people had to stand their ground, the ladies having a more difficult time as they tried to keep their skirts from flipping upwards and revealing their… unmentionables to any boy in the vicinity. Hibiki, strangely enough, seemed to watch this and even released a quiet chuckle that only Kuromu could hear. He must be hearing things.
Emerging from the tornado is a new beast. A giant cool green bird with gilded wings lined with gold and jewels as well as a crown on its avian head. (7/ATK: 2700/DEF: 1000)
"Uh-oh…" Kuromu gulped.
"Not groovy…" Koji said. "That birdbrain is gonna blow him away."
"Battle! Simorgh attacks Kamen Rider Hibiki!" Misawa ordered his monster. "God Tornado!"
With a loud shriek from the green-feathered divine bird, it flapped its wings violently, producing devastating wings and eventually sending a large green tornado towards Hibiki, who unfortunately got sucked into the vortex until he was destroyed into pixels.
Kuromu: 700
Misawa: 3200
"Ta-n endo. At the End Phase, I take 1000 damage due to Simorgh's effect." Misawa explained before wincing when a brief gust of wind struck him.
Kuromu: 700
Misawa: 2200
"Come on, Kuromu! You can win this!" Rika cheered.
"The only thing that can save him now is a Destiny Draw." Koji said.
"That's just an urban legend, isn't it?" Asuka asked.
"Not to us. We've seen it happen." Koji said. "I mean if the Duel King himself can pull something off like that, I'm sure others will too."
Asuka said nothing as she turned her attention back to the Duel.
"It's your move, but I doubt you can turn this Duel around at this point." Misawa said.
"You'd be surprised at what can happen at the 11th hour." Kuromu chuckled, drawing his card. "I activate my own Pot of Greed!" He said, as he placed the card in an empty slot.
"Do you really believe you could pull off a miracle draw?"
"Who knows? After all, it's not over until that last card is drawn and I intend to draw it!"
"The possibility of you drawing a card to help you is abysmal." Misawa pointed out.
"Maybe so, but it's all the more reason to believe! DRAW!"
*WOOSH!*
…
…
…
…
"Hehehehe…" Kuromu chuckled, as he looked at the two cards he drew, before looking at Misawa with a satisfied grin on his face. "I got it."
Asuka's eyes widened in shock. "Uso da…"
"Ha ha! It's on now!" Koji laughed.
"Impossible." Misawa had the gall to look incredulous.
"Oh, but it is, and I'm gonna show it to you now! Get ready, Misawa!" Kuromu said. "First, I'll do this! Spell Card, activate! Magical Stone Excavation!" He said, slotting the card into an empty compartment. "By discarding the remaining two cards in my Hand, I can retrieve a Spell Card in my Graveyard!" He said, doing as the card instructed and one card popped out. "And the card I choose… is Pride of Kamen Rider!" He said.
"Why would you choose that?"
"That's where this card comes into play." Kuromu smirked, holding it out, showing the reverse side, before flipping it over. "This card will win me this Duel! I summon Kamen Rider Kabuto in ATK mode!"
A red mechanical rhino beetle suddenly appeared, flying in and circling around the Field, before it suddenly stopped in midair.
HENSHIN!
Hexagon-shaped panels materialized, spreading out to become an armored warrior. They were concealed in a black bodysuit, but on top of that was heavy steel armor. The arms were layered with round metal segments protecting the arms, and the helmet was a piece of thick steel complete with a rounded blue visor and a crest of rhino beetle horns on the forehead. The armored warrior then flipped the horn slightly and the sound of a charging noise echoed. Blue electricity crackled as the armor spread out, letting off steam, before flipping the horn to the other side letting the gold underside show and the back slid open.
CAST OFF!
The pieces of armor then went flying off in little parts in all directions, to reveal the armor underneath.
The armor was noticeably smaller and looked more maneuverable. The arms were now only protected by single sheets of steel running the length. The shoulder pads were red with a silver trim, and the torso armor was completely crimson, looking like the back of a beetle's shell. The helmet was also red, and a horn appendage looking like a Japanese rhino beetle's horn rose from their chest armor and locked in place in the middle, bisecting the visor to give the appearance of two large blue eyes instead of the earlier single visor. (4/ATK: 1900/DEF: 1200)
CHANGE: BEETLE!
"Now I'll activate, Pride of Kamen Rider! Which increases Kabuto's ATK by 1000!" Slotting the card into the compartment, Kabuto's body glowed in a red aura. (ATK: 1900-2900) "Battle! Kamen Rider Kabuto attacks Simorgh, Divine Bird!"
"No matter. I'll still have Life by the end of this turn." Misawa said with a confident grin.
"That's where you're wrong." Kuromu said, confusing Misawa as the beetle-themed Rider pressed a square button on the side of his belt.
CLOCK UP!
In a red blur, Kabuto disappeared much to the large bird's surprise, looking around to see where the red beetle warrior had gone, only for it to reappear in the front of it again.
CLOCK OVER!
"Hm? What just-"
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*
To Misawa's shock, Simorgh was destroyed in an explosion nearly instantly.
Kuromu: 700
Misawa: 2000
"How in the world? Your Monster attacks by stopping time?" Misawa questioned.
"In a sense. From your perspective, he moved at a speed of Mach-3. That's equivalent to the speed of a traveling bullet fired from a gun." Kuromu explained. "Clock Up 'accelerates one's own time flow' by compressing the tachyon particles circulating around them. In layman's terms, Clock Up slows down time in the perspective of the user."
"I see…" Misawa nodded in interest. "But you've wasted your attack. On my next turn-"
"Hehehehe… Who said there was a next turn, Misawa?" Kuromu chuckled. "I told you, Kamen Rider Kabuto is going to help me win this Duel. Because if he successfully attacks and destroys a Monster by battle, he gets to make a second attack!"
"What?!" Misawa's eyes widened in surprise.
"Ha, looks like it's curtains for him now!" Koji laughed.
"He did it." Asuka got out.
"Finish him off, Kuro!" Rika cheered.
"His current ATK is 2900. My Life Points are at 2000. That means-"
"That's right, Misawa! You're finished!" Kuromu grinned savagely. "Kamen Rider Kabuto attacks the Player Directly! Rider Kick!"
Kabuto moved his hand towards the mechanical beetle's feet that were sideways and pressed three buttons from left to right.
1!
2!
3!
The red beetle themed warrior pushed the back of the beetle closed and flipped the horn back to its original position, letting it charge. Then he pressed the button on the side once more.
CLOCK UP!
Kabuto disappeared in a blur, much to Misawa's shock, as he looked around wildly as to where he could be. He then felt a presence, turning around behind him, but there was no one. And then…
CLOCK OVER!
Misawa's eyes widened turning back towards the front and to his shock, he saw Kabuto right in front of him as he already flipped the horn back to where it showed golden underside once more.
RIDER KICK!
Electricity from the mechanical beetle traveled to the beetle horn of Kabuto's helmet before it traveled down his body and to his right foot, and with an unseen signal, the red beetle-themed warrior did a smoothly executed roundhouse kick on Misawa's face, sending him flying back before hitting the ground just as Kabuto turned his back on Misawa from said roundhouse kick. An "explosion" followed after, as Kabuto merely stood there, his left hand on the belt, while slowly raising his right arm in the air, pointing upward.
Kuromu: 700
Misawa: 0
The Solid Vision disappeared as some of the spectators clapped at what they just witnessed. Kuromu uttered a noise of surprise, caught off guard by the applause and some praise being thrown at him. He looked all around, then looked towards his friends who smiled in approval, Rika jumping up and down in cheer, Koji giving the thumbs-up, and Asuka merely nodding in satisfaction of how great the Duel went. Kuromu could only wave back with a sheepish smile. "Uh… thanks everyone…" He chuckled weakly, before approaching Misawa who managed to sit up. "You alright, Misawa? I hope I didn't hurt you too badly." He said, offering his hand to him.
"Not at all, in fact you did quite the opposite. I haven't felt this rejuvenated in a few days! I must say dueling you was certainly a wondrous experience and an eye-opener!" Misawa said, extended his arm to him, and Kuromu pulled him up.
"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it." Kuromu said. "I wouldn't mind Dueling you again in the near future."
"The feeling's mutual. And next time, I don't intend to lose." Misawa smirked.
"I'll be waiting." Kuromu returned the same gesture. With a thank you and a wave goodbye to a new friend and rival, Misawa took his leave and the crowd dispersed. Koji, Rika, and Asuka then approached him.
"Dyn-o-mite, brotha! That was far outta sight!" Koji praised with a wide grin.
"Yeah, you totally kicked butt!" Rika agreed.
"Eh, I just got lucky, that's all." Kuromu shrugged helplessly.
"I wouldn't just call it just luck." Asuka shook her head. "While you still need to master that Deck, there's a lot of potential for it to become something great."
"Really? You think so?" Kuromu asked.
"Hoho~ getting praise from your Foxy Mama? Better keep it up," Koji teased.
"Oi…" Kuromu deadpanned at his disco friend with a twitching eyebrow and a strained smile while balling up his fist. "Are you asking for that dance-off now, disco maniac?"
"I don't know, am I?" Koji asked rhetorically with a toothy grin.
"Hai, hai. Sokko ma-de da futari tomo." Rika clapped her hands twice, then got in between the two, pushing them away from each other. "You can dance-off all you want, after we arrive at the island and have Orientation. Do not make me pull out the cast iron." She glared at the both of them with an ominous gleam to her eyes.
Kuromu and Koji sweat flinched and paled at the threat. They knew she had a mean streak when it comes to nonsense. The last time they felt her wrath was… well, it shouldn't be spoken of. So it was best for the boys to just nod and agree to get along like good little children.
"Good boys." Rika smiled.
Asuka giggled at this, "Even now, you still have those two wrapped around your fingers."
"Well, someone has to keep these boys in line." Rika smirked.
["Attention new students, this is your Captain speaking."] A voice rang throughout the ship, indicating that the person was talking through the PA. ["If you look out towards the horizon, we are now approaching Duel Academia."]
No sooner did those words leave the Captain's mouth that most of the ship's passengers rushed towards the bow of the ship while others went to either the port or starboard part of the ship to get a closer look at what their new home away from home would look like. The more sane people, namely Kuromu, Koji, Rika, Asuka and a few others decided not to go to the bunched up crowd as they walked towards the railing of the top deck to save the island that was on the horizon.
Far away, the island itself was mainly green, because of its heavily forested areas and there was a dormant volcano that sat at the back end of the island. There were even two helicopter pads and a port off to the side, and a bridge that connected to the island. But the main attraction was the building in the island's center.
"Whew… check it out." Koji whistled in amazement.
"So that's it. Duel Academia." Rika said.
"Our home away from home for the next three years." Asuka added.
"Yeah." Kuromu nodded as the gentle breeze blew past the four of them. "It all begins from here."
Little did he know that his words would trigger a chain of events fate had in store for him and everyone else that sets foot on Duel Academia.
This is the tale of a boy who sought out a truth he never knew and would go on become the hero his world need...