Dueling life in a futuristic world

 Arvin was hunched over his duel disk while trying to ignore the pain of the hole left on his left shoulder, his arm swaying side by side as he lacked any strength to steady it. He was miserable in a public setting, with everyone looking at him expectantly, and he couldn’t muster the strength to give them what they wanted.

 But he couldn’t give up. Just like Mia before him, he’d been dealt an impossible task: win this duel.

 He looked up at the monsters facing him. Two imposing monarchs which reigned over the Underworld. Each with almost enough attack points to make him expire with a single attack.

 Arvin drew in deep breaths, psyching himself up for the task head.

 Above him stood a group of five girls who had a similar impossible objective: cheer him up.

 “THE NWDA HAS TURNED THIS DUEL AROUND! BUT WILL IT LAST? ARVIN MAY BE INJURED BUT DON’T UNDERESTIMATE HIS FIGHTING SPIRIT! GO ARVIN! WE BELIEVE IN YOU!!!!” the designated announcer screamed at the top of her lungs. Followed by a chant which emphasised how much they believed in him. Personalised with his name.

 This elicited a small smirk from him. He’d been told he was a genius every day since his tryout a month and a half ago. They assured him he would end any opposition he could find in this specific Elo bracket. But here was a girl which, going by public stats, held an Elo rating even lower than his. And she was kicking his butt.

 Did the professors and advisors at the Spring Forest Institute lie to him? ‘Fat chance,’ he thought. They hadn’t been kind to any of the supposed ‘Hot Shots’ from rich families.

 [Draw Phase]

 Arvin went to grab his turn card, only to find his duel disk, giving him none. Only then did he remember he had activated ‘Reckless Greed,’ which had given him two cards at the cost of not drawing for 2 turns.

 [Standby Phase, Main Phase 1]

 The cheer team above him continued their dances and chants. Trying to draw attention away from him, who was injured and in a terrible state.

 He looked at his hand, trying to find a way out.

 

 It wasn’t a hard choice. There was a single card which he could activate.

 He grabbed the card with his free, and capable right hand, then tried to declare. “I-I Activate the effect OO-OF…”

 He could barely speak, the pain in his left shoulder making it almost impossible.

 But then he heard over the speakers. “Arvin has activated the effect of Impcantation Talismandra! This screeching creature allows him to reveal a ritual monster to special summon Talismandra and another Impcantation monster directly from his deck! Seems with only two cards, he will make his recovery!” The announcer of his cheer squad, having realized he was having problems announcing his effects, had taken over that job for him.

 He nodded at her up in the air and continued. “I special summon Candoll from deck… In addition to Talismandra…” he weakly announced.

 

 Two small monsters emerged on his field, a mandragora with a talisman attached to their chest and a dripping candle with a sad face and a creepy fire elemental above the wick. Both were in defense position.

 “It looks like Arvin plans to return with another Ritual Summon! Impcantation Candoll will allow him to search for a ritual spell!”

 Arvin nodded again. “I add ‘Chaos Form’ with Candoll’s effect. Next I activate the spell ‘Chaos form… Ahhh…’”

 He regained composure after a few deep breaths. “Ritual summon… Emerge! From my hand… Blue-Eyes Chaos Max Dragoon!—*Cough*, *Cough.*”

 He was clearly in pain, but he didn’t allow himself to surrender just yet. At the same time, a majestic dragon rose from a ball of darkness. Shinning brightly enough to catch the attention of everyone in the arena again.

 “Battle!” He did his best to yell.

 [Battle Phase]

 Both platforms above the field retreated, leaving him alone with his opponent once again.

 The dark-haired boy lifted his right arms as far as he could and announced. “Blue-Eyes! Attack ‘The Prime Monarch.’ because of Chaos Max’s effect. You take double piercing damage!”

 “The effect of Chaos Max makes defense position monster vulnerable! This means when the 4000ATK attack Blue-Eyes attacks over the 2400 defense Prime Monarch, it will deliver 1600 points of damage to its controller! But that’s not all! Blue eyes DOUBLES PIERCING! Meaning it will deliver 3200 points of damage!”

 The dragon readied up to send its attack. Ready to leave the NWDA barely 2000LP.

 Mia saw this from the other side of the field. She was feeling bad for Arvin, but there was nothing she could really do to make it better. Expect, maybe, make him surrender already.

 “I’m sorry, Arvin. You deserved a win here, but this is dueling, and you know how much luck plays a part. I activate my trap card. ‘The Monarchs Erupt.’ This will negate the effects of every face-up non-tribute summoned monster on the field. Including the piercing damage from Chaos Max.”

 Blue-Eyes shot a beam of white lighting over to the curtains on Mia’s side of the field, but the only thing he did was destroy the monster. Blue-Eyes’ effect was negated by Mia’s trap.

 He closed his eyes tightly… This was his last chance for victory. The best-case scenario for Arvin after that was hoping Mia wouldn’t be able to get over his 4000ATK point body and would deck out. But with its effect negated, Blue-Eyes Chaos, Max was as vulnerable as a vanilla.

 He begrudgingly said. “Fine, I end my turn.”

 [

 End of Battle:

 NWDA: 5600LP

 SFI: 3000LP

 ]

 [End Phase]

 The platforms returned with the dispirited elves in the Spring Forest’s institute cheer team.

 [Draw Phase]

 Mia sighed and drew for turn. “Draw.” not even shouting out loud and progressed the turn state.

 [Standby Phase, Main Phase 1]

 Now, while Arvin and their team might have already accepted, this would most likely end in their defeat. The problem of how Mia would lower Arvin’s life points to zero remained. He had two defense position monsters and an enormous 4000ATK beat stick. For Mia, she already had a better solution in mind.

 “By banishing ‘The Monarchs Stormforth’ from the grave, I special summon ‘The Prime Monarch’ back to the field. Next I will tribute Prime Monarch to tribute summon…”

 A pair of curtains returns to the arena, only to turn into a beam of light that collides with Mia’s card.

 “Emerge! Kuraz The Light Monarch!” she declared as she lay out the card on her duel disk.

 “Here is the response everyone was waiting for! Kuraz will destroy two monsters on the field when summoned!” Haruna explains over the mic.

 A golden figure with a long cape appears next to the two Underworld Rulers. Raising its hands with mystifying light.

 Mia nods. “That’s right! Kuraz, destroy Chaos Max and Candoll!”

 The figure charged two orbs of golden light into its hands. A golden aura shined around the Blue-Eyes Dragon and the living candle. Not long after, both disappeared into a golden mist.

 Following this development, Mia quickly announces. “Battle!”

 But before Mia’s monsters have time to do their work. Arvin declares. “Well, this is it. I surrender.”

 Mia doesn’t miss a beat to accept it.

---

 The duel is over. That was a show to remember and in the first round of the intermediary bracket, no less. This duel was a blast to cheer for, especially when I performed with the solid vision monsters. ‘I have to give something to Nanako for lending me her deck. I might just make a magician deck cause of that. For me, of course, her deck is good enough for her rank and I don’t want to “power level” another duelist.’

 Though the reasons for Nanako being absent left a sour note in my mouth. That was dick move, no matter how you present it. I’m pretty sure they did it on purpose. Judging by their reactions, they at least knew we would have trouble dealing with that effect.

 ‘Actually, I need to check on her after we get back. Thank Solus that was the last duel of tonight. It was exhausting.’

 Never underestimate the effort it takes to hold on while swinging from person to person or duel monsters in this case. My arms are on fire and if not for the preparation on the beams during the last few days, my palms would be flaking. Circus gymnastics is no joke.

 With the duel being finished, the platform holding us up above the arena descended with me and Haruna on it.

 “You think Mia’s going to feel bad for hurting that guy?” Haruna asks in a breathy tone.

 “Hurting?” I quizzically say. “Why would she feel bad for him? It was just a duel.”

 Haruna crosses her arms and tilts her head. “Yeah, but he seemed pretty hurt by that attack. Didn’t you see his arm?”

 Right on queue, the platform arrives at the arena backroom where a couple of duelists are still waiting to get called. We walk off the platform and make our way to the zone where the central platform is still descending.

 “I saw it, but that’s a night at the infirmary at worse.” I finally respond. Having seen some of the miracles performed by “Modern” medicine over here in Yuumi’s memories, I’m surprised they’d even consider a hole through the shoulder as an “Emergency.” There was this guy who span out on his bike in the middle of the projected highway because he was on manual mode. Well, he had his entire bottom half torn off. One year later, and you couldn’t tell he’d ever been in an accident.

 ‘Anyway, that injury isn’t that big of a deal, and I’m sure Mia won’t be beating herself over it. She’s a duelist, for Christ’s sake! That’s what we do.’

 The platform finally arrives with the two duelists and contrary to the last time I saw the aftermath of a bloody duel, Mia’s kneeling close to the guy applying first aid.

 ‘Huh, so maybe she actually cares… Welp, gogo gatchet earpod sensitivity.’

 “Holy shit! Did you tear something?” Mia asks in an elevated tone of voice.

 Arvin just stays there sitting on the floor holding on to his bandaged shoulder. “Yeah… Don’t worry Mia, I’m fine. Come on, celebrate your win here.” He advised.

 The paramedics rush into the arena and rapidly take over the scene from Mia. She notices this quickly and backs off, letting the professionals do their work.

 We finally reach her and the first thing I do is lift a hand, signaling her to wait while me and Haruna go confront their cheer squad.

 They’re sitting on a bench nearby, also resting.

 “Well, well, well. Look who it is.” Asks one of them, pretty sure it’s the same one which did the announcements.

 I turn to Haruna and give a big confident smile before turning to the elf chick once again and saying. “Hello there. Now that was a match to see. My favorite part was when one of our teammates got hit by lightning. Do you by any chance have an idea who’s fault that was?”

 She shrugs and nonchalantly declares. “Couldn’t say, maybe tell her to move out of the way next time she sees a solid vision effect. Though, going by your performance, you’re all duelists.” She stands up, squaring up with me before continuing. “Which, one means you’re not good duelists, and two, you're inclined to get touchy with solid vision.”

 …

 …

 “I’m sorry. What did you just fucking say to me?” I plainly seek fuming.

 She shrugs and continues. “Oh, come on. We all know what you duelists do in the bedroom. I don’t blame you. If my day job included maiming people in disgusting sadistic games you people call ‘duels,’ I also would have trouble with personal relationships.”

 …

 …

 ‘Oh, hell no.’

 I prepare myself to knock this bitch out, but before I have the chance to do that, I feel Haruna grab both my wrists. “It’s not worth it Yuumi. Let’s just get out of here.”

 She scoffs. “Hah, I knew it. Now if you don’t mind, I have a boyfriend, just waiting to make me forget about this terrible match.”

 I eye her as she turns her back and walks out of the backstage with the rest of her squad. 'Right, run away bitch.'

 “Come on. Let’s get out of here.” Urges Haruna.