Dueling life in a futuristic world

 I turn away from the rest of the cheer squad and let go of a deep sigh.

 It’s been two turns since Aya’s little, ‘Excitement Play’ and things are going exactly like you think… That’s saying… Fucking painful to watch.

 I know I can be a judgemental about other people’s duels, but seeing people play badly for show hurts me on so many levels I can’t even begin to explain. For me, it’s a type of cringe paralyzes you.

 Aya’s opponent responded to that little fiasco by setting down a monster and passing, then Aya attacked over that, setting a card down of her own after the battle was over.

 Looking around, the spectator stands. It seems that they share my opinion, barely making any noise through those two turns.

 ‘Really, I wonder, what the fuck was she thinking?’

 ….

 

---

 

 ‘The buzz, the ambient, the atmosphere! It’s everything I wished for and then more! I can’t believe I’m here! I thought that with my technique, I would ever even be in a tournament! Much less one as big as this!’

 Aya raised her arms around, greeting the roaring crowd after her, In her opinion, spectacular XYZ summon, a rank-up no less! An advanced XYZ summon, the thing you had to attend at least a year of the XYZ course to even BEGIN to learn. And she did it for the first time in front of a live audience.

 ‘Thank you Yuumi…’ She looked up to the platform that held the academy cheer squad level with the spectators, just to find Yuumi with a droopy expression, as if disappointed at her actions.

 “Tch, she must think that I’m stalling for two long.” Aya said to herself, making sure the duel announcement was off.

 She turned back to her opponent, whose only counter to her Rank-Up was a face-down frog that she hastily disposed of, but Aya knew she wasn’t out of trouble. It was time to end her turn.

 Aya returned her look to the ADA’s contender, announcing. “End of battle! I end my turn.”

 Her enormous monster floated backwards to her side of the field and the duel notifications told.

 [End Phase, Draw Phase]

 Aya’s opponent, seeing her cheer squad remain silent, twitched and hesitantly drew for turn again.

 ‘Huh, their academy brings them here so that they can cheer for her and they stop when things turn sour? What a bunch of ungrateful bitches.’

 But things seem to get better for barb, that was the nickname that Aya came up for her opponent who refused to give her real name for the duel. Her eyes grew wide as soon as she saw the card that she drew.

 Her mouth moved to a slight grin. “Here I go! I activate the effect of ‘Treeborn Frog’ bringing it back from the grave!”

 

 A small frog with little angel wings and a halo small like a ring hoped into the dueling field.

 [Main Phase 1]

 “Next I activate the field spell ‘Wetlands!’ this adds 1200ATK to ‘Treeborn Frog!’ I then set a monster face-down and end my turn.”

 

 [End Phase]

 Blades of grass grew in the arena once again, and the small frog grew to waist high now, looking like it could actually do some damage.

 But reality said otherwise. Opposite to it was a massive mecha, ready to strike at a moment’s notice.

 “Looks like the ADA is prolonging this duel a few more turns. This is an excellent time to remind you valid viewer that NWDA merch is now available for purchase on the Dragoon City Cross Academy Seasonal Winter Tournament  Global Net Page!” Haruna was now using this lack of action to advertise for merch… The absolute disrespect in that doesn’t need explaining.

 Not like the ADA’s own side was making this any better. The six ADA cheerleaders stood still, glaring at their own contender with resentful eyes instead of trying to even get the members of the audience on their side.

 ‘What a sad position to be in… And to think that only a month ago I would laugh in her face for getting disrespected like this.’

 [Draw Phase]

 Aya drew her turn card.

 

 ‘Huh, one of Yuumi’s additions, let’s try it, I guess.’

 [Standby Phase, Main Phase 1]

 Aya grabbed her only card in her hand and revealed it in the air. “I activate ‘Pot of Prosperity!’ This card allows me to excavate a number of cards in my deck and add them to my hand. To do so, I will banish 3 cards from my extra deck.”

 She banished her two other copies of Evilswarm Ophion as she didn’t have more ‘Infestation’ cards for it to search, and a tech card that Yuumi added called ‘Number 66 Master Key Beetle.’ Then excavated three cards.

 

 It took less than a second for her to grab rescue rabbit; it was a card she was particularly fond of.

 ‘I still remember the day my mom gave me this card… It was the same day Tux passed…’

 Aya smiled, remembering her pet rabbit, and moved on with the duel. “I will normal summon Rescue Rabbit! Then, I will banish it to activate its effect, special summoning two level 4 ‘Evilswarm Heliotrope’s’!”

 A black and white rabbit wearing a hard hat and a walkie-talkie turns into two orbs of blue light that separate and turn into two stone warriors.

 

 “And here we go! With another—” Haruna tried to hype up her summon but got interrupted.

 “I overlay my two level 4 ‘Evilswarm heliotropes’ to XYZ summon! Come out ‘Raider’s Knight!’”

 A Knight shrouded in metal armour rides out of the vortex riding a horse clad in the same dark steel armour as itself, but with beady light blue eyes and flames of the same colour exiting from every gap in the armour.

 

 “I’m not done!” Aya moved in right after the summoned monster stopped in front of her. “I detach an overlay unit to use the effect of ‘Raider’s Knight!’ By doing this I RANK-UP XYZ SUMMON!”

 

 The vortex returns and the Knight rides back into it, causing an explosion of light brighter than anything before, even Zeus.

 The crowd awes at the spectacle and Haruna stays quiet, letting the whole thing happen before giving a comment.

 Then, from the vortex, a familiar dragon emerges.

 ‘I can’t believe she gave this card. I thought it was one of her signatures!’

 It was a dark purple dragon, with wings built out of mental and spheres of crystal, a fusion between mechanical and organic, but its distinguishing feature had to be its red and blue eyes.

 “Emerge! ‘Arc Rebellion XYZ Dragon!’” Aya yelled into her duel gazer’s mic so that the whole arena could ear her.

 The dragon forewent the signature lap around the spectator stands and landed directly in front of Aya, as if questioning its purpose in this duel.

 

 “Incredible! A Rank-Up XYZ Summon right after a XYZ Summon and all in a single turn! Give it up for Aya, the queen of darkness!” Haruna didn’t delay announcing, she couldn’t be interrupted by Aya again.

 It was the correct decision, as still under the thundering roar of the crowd Aya continued her turn. “I activate the effect of Arc Rebellion! Negating the effects of every other monster on the field and adding their combined original attack points to itself, resulting in  6100 ATK, battle!”

 The ADA’s contender palled at this announcement and plead. “Wait! I surrender!”

 …

 The arena went dead silent at her declaration.

 …

 Aya furrowed her brow. “As per WDF tournament courtesy, I have to inform you I cannot finish this duel during this turn. This would be a non-final surrender.”

 There were two kinds of surrender, the final and non-final type. The difference laid in the conditions of the duel. A final surrender was when the surrender was offered, as an attack would cause LP becoming zero. This counted as a traditional defeat. But a non-final surrender was different. It caused the loss of more Elo and in a tournament, may lead to a temporary suspension.

 The blonde girl looked around the arena and only to stop by glaring up to her cheer squad before facing Aya once again and insisting. “Yes, I surrender.”

 Aya shrugged and pressed ‘Yes’ on the surrender request on her duel disk. “I accept then.”

 ….

 “AND THAT’S IT FOR THE ADA! IN A TURN OF EVENTS THAT SURPRISED ABSOLUTELY NO ONE THE NWDA WILL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ROUND!!!!” Haruna yelled from the top of her lungs.

 The audience followed her, chanting “NWDA! NWDA!” as both platforms descended into the back room.

 

---

 

 Thank god this duel is over! No really, thank fucking god! That was painful to watch and if barbie over there didn’t surrender, it would surely have taken at least four if not five turns for something to happen.

 “Well, that was a shit show.” I say to my squad mates, still on the platform, currently descending to the backroom of the arena.

 Haruna shrugs and turns her head. “I’ve seen much worse. One time a duel between two red ranks took 60 turns and guess who had to hype it up the whole time?”

 I shudder. That just sounds like torture.

 The platform finally arrives down in the waiting area, and my eyes immediately fixate on Aya, who was walking over to her defeated opponent.

 Turning to Haruna, I say. “Well, I have some things to say to Aya, you guys go head, I’ll catch up later.”

 The Haruna nods while Naeko and Nanako smile.

 ‘I wonder what they’re thinking about? Oh, well, got something to deal with first.’

 I speedwalk over to the platform with Aya and her opponent.

 “USELESS!” one of her cheerleaders proclaims. “YOU CAN’T EVEN BEAT THAT! HOW ARE YOU EXPECTING TO GET US OUT OF THIS SHIT?!”

 I’m still a good way away from them, but my earbuds pick up on their conversation even here.

 “What a waste of resources. Just know that I’m telling the director to pull your aid!” Another follows.

 Aya confidently walks up to them and demands. “What’s going on here!?”

 They stop hurling insults for just a second, before the one who was doing the announcements for them says. “Oh, look who showed up. Want to rub some more salt on the wound?!”

 “I’m sorry. Who are you? I was talking to the person who actually tried to do something last match. Not the ones who made her surrender a perfectly winnable duel.”

 They recoil at Aya’s words, flabbergasted by her declaration.

 “Why you!” the one who got interrupted yells.

 Abruptly, the downed girl stands up and shouts, “Stop!” She then turns to Aya. “I don’t need your pity. I can deal with this bunch on my own.”

 She turns her back on Aya and walks out alone.

 The cheerleader pouts and says. “Hm! Not that I listen to her, but picking a fight with you would be a waste of time!” and turns her back too, following the duelist.

 Aya remains there, with her mouth hanging.

 I finally arrive behind and place a hand on her shoulder. “Yeah, some people don’t want help.”

 “Was I also that stubborn?” She asks.

 I look back on her activities before revealing. “Yeah, about that level, actually.”

 “My god…” She trails off.

 ….

 ….

 “Okay, seriously Aya, we have something to talk about.” I cut off the awkward silence, leaning in front of her eyes with a fake smile. “How about we go to your room? This might take a while.”

 “Ahh... Sure?” she agrees in a questioning tone.

 ‘Ahh, how naive. Almost reminds me of the time I asked a gimmick puppet player what he was doing playing that deck in 2022…’