Dueling life in a futuristic world

 This was going to be an unnerving day. It already started off badly when we got here late for our performance and had to hold up the event, but there was something that for me personally was going to make today nail bitting. And it obviously had to do with the duel.

 I’ll admit something… I’m a sucker for a good revenge story. Especially when that revenge involves sticking it to a higher authority. Prime example, Aya’s father, from what I could understand by talking with her, she had spent the best part of her life trying to make him proud. But the only thing she got in return was indifference and more unreasonable expectations. I wanted to tell her to ignore his threats, maybe even call him out, but she was so deep in this rabbit hole that the notion of not following his orders didn’t even register in her mind.

 When she came to me for advice on how to win this tournament, I thought that simply putting her deck into a playable state could be enough, but I didn’t consider opponents like Anna existed on this level. I mean… they don’t, but the CSG is not playing fair.

 I let Aya watch the replay of my duel with Anna, and that’s when she realized her even her enhanced deck couldn’t compete with Anna. This was a day after her first duel, meaning we had a week at most to come up with something.

 In my mind, there were two options: get her a numeron deck, or teach her a meta deck.

 Numeron is a deck that’s extremely easy to learn. Basically, just know the effects of five cards and with a bit of luck and approximately 30 million hand traps and anyone could take down a well built meta deck piloted by a decent player. But that also posed a problem. This is a tournament, meaning the matches are public and broadcast to a wide audience. It wouldn’t take a trained duelist to work out how the deck worked, and considering that special summoning from the extra deck by card effect didn’t even require the training a normal XYZ summon did, it would be like giving a fully automatic AK47 with unlimited ammo to every person watching the duel. Just what everyone needs with a full scale war going on.

 The other option was the meta deck. The question of what meta deck quickly got answered by my tendencies for ironic revenge and with Aya knowing XYZ and link it was a no-brainer.

 So that’s what I did. I built Aya a tournament winning meta deck, she bought the cards in record time, and I spent every second I wasn’t with my cheer team instructing her how it worked. I’m aware I just gave someone whom I originally met terrorizing defenseless freshmen a deck which could technically take down academy directors, and if she reverts... Well, I'll be the one responsible for dealing with it... However that would end.

 My purpose for building her that deck didn’t end with just winning the tournament. No, I was looking further than that. I reasoned that if she experienced how a duel at this level was, and that she could compete, even win, it would do wonders for her ability to stand up to her father.

 The semantics of even trying to help someone so delusional were questionable, but I gave in... Maybe I've been doing too much of that recently...

 Anyway, I'm not sure of the future, but I played my hand and all that remains is discovering how this gamble of mine will play out.

 

---

 

 Aya stood in the middle of the arena once again, surrounded by people cheering and shouting while a strange song played over the NWDA’s introduction.

 “LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!” Shouted Haruna, up on the platform. “FROM THE DEPTHS OF HELL ARIVING TO TAKE ANOTHER SOUL! Queen OF DARKNESS AYA OHAYASHI!!!!”

 ‘My cue I guess.’ Aya thought as she placed down a card on her duel disk and a familiar dark dragon floated up into audience stands, hugging the glass cupula.

 The spectators responded like they always did: by shouting louder.

 “OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!”

 Unbeknownst to the audience, the card she placed down wasn’t even on the deck she would play tonight. But they had grown used to seeing this card associated with her, so it was a great showpiece for her introduction.

 This was went Aya heard a voice from her duel gazer she put on before rising into the arena. < “Well, your friend sure knows how to get the crowd going.” >

 It was Anna, and unlike her opponents, which didn’t really use the communicator, she was talking to her, so Aya decided it was only fair she responded. < “What can I say, right? Their performances at the NWDA gather a lot of attention.” >

 The three cheerleaders clung onto the dragon's wing, feeling the wind whip against their faces as the beast soared up into the sky, then, one by one, they jumped. Haruna clung to Trickstar Corobane, who suddenly appeared in the air, followed by Yuumi tumbling crouch first onto Dark Magician Girl's staff. Naeko bounded onto an enormous trampoline, the sound of her feet thumping against the projected fabric echoing in the air, completed by a midair backflip to the platform. With the three back where they started, the cheerleaders and their supporting monsters took a bow, the sound of the crowd’s cheers filling the space.

 < “Did Yuumi just fumble her way through that performance? That looked like it hurt.” > Asked Anna with a tint of concern in her voice.

 < “No, I’ve seen her do that before. She’s the goof ball of the three.” > Aya explained.

 After this introduction, it was time for the CSG to do their own.

 A prelude to a to a dubstep tune started playing, followed by acrobatics of their own. They focused on dances, with a couple of backflips and towers in the middle. While in the middle of the dance, one member stepped forward and yelled into the mic.

 “YOU KNOW HER! THE QUEEN OF CLOCKWORK MECHANICUS! THE PLIGHT FROM THE CSG! ANNA ‘THE FIELDBRAKER!’”

 Then the beat dropped.

 < “‘The FieldBraker?’ Well that’s one hell of a nickname.” >

 < “Thank you, I came up with it myself.” >

 After sharing a nod, both duelists waited anxiously to see who would have the first turn.

 Meanwhile, Aya picked up the card she had placed on her duel disk for the introduction and placed it on a deck box on her hip.

 Anna saw this and furrowed her brown. Like any good duelist preparing for a match, she had studied her opponent’s play style, and she knew Ophion was a core part of her deck. The tournament also had a 15 card extra deck limit, which meant that using an external deck box was completely unnecessary. This all pointed to one thing: she was going to be facing a different deck from what she had seen before.

 With the CSG’s routine coming to an end, they called up the die, ending their routine with a massive tower up to it, and finishing it with the dice throw.

 The NWDA sent their two headline monster, Trickstar Candina and Dark Magician Girl, to do the same for them.

 The dice landed between the two duelists and bounced around, ending with the blue die showing a 5, but the red one showed a 6.

 Anna smiled and announced. “I’ll be going first!”

 [Draw Phase.]

 Both duelists drew their hands, but Anna stopped the turn progression. “In the draw phase, I activate the card ‘Sky Striker Mecha - Hornet Drones.’ This little piece of work allows me to place a ‘Sky Striker Ace Token’ in defense position.”

 

 “Not even out of the draw phase and Anna is already summoning! With what will she do with this token?!”

 [Standby Phase, Main Phase 1]

 After checking her hand once again, Anna raised her arm. “I will set my token as a link material. Link Summon! Come out! ‘Sky Striker Ace - Kagari’!”

 

 The transparent figure on the field flew into the link circuit. Coming out as Human Warior equipped with a complex armored flight suit. Ace climbed high into the sky using the thrust pack on her back, showing a mischievous smile to the NWDA cheer team as it fell back down into the arena.

 Anna didn’t miss a beat. “Using the on-summon effect of Ace - Kagari, I add the spell card I just used back to my hand.”

 Ace formed an orb of light between her hands and passed it over to Anna.

 She grabbed the card and raised it up. “By activating Hornet Drones again, I summon another token to my field.”

 “With a token and a link monster, Anna will be able to Link Summon a Link-2! What will she bring out of her extra deck!?”

 “Thanks for asking.” Anna sarcastically commented. “I will set Link - 1 Ace - Kagari and the Ace token for link arrows! Link Summon ‘Knightmare Phoenix’!”

 Even though a flaming bird exited the link circuit, Anna continued going. “Now! I set Phoenix for a link arrow! Link Summon! Link - 1 ‘Knightmare Mermaid!’”

 “AND HERE IT IS! Let’s go Anna! Show the NWDA how the CSG handles its duels!”

 ‘By cheating and lying…’ Though Aya, she had heard about what the CSG was doing to win from Yuumi, it made little sense that someone so miss ranked that could sweep everyone in the tournament with little issue would only receive a slap on the wrist AFTER they crowned her champion. But she had studied Anna’s deck almost as much as she did her own, and until now, everything was going like she expected.

 Anna noticed the frown on Aya's face and to that, all she could do was shrug. “Using the effect of mermaid, I discard Orcust Knightmare from my hand, summoning another copy of Knightmare to the field in defense position. But before we get to the main event, I will set both Orcust Knightmare and Knightmare mermaid for link arrows! I link summon, ‘Galatea, The Orcust Automaton!’”

 Orcust Knightmare doesn’t even fully materialise before joining Mermaid at the link circuit, coming out as a short female figure with pure white skin, wielding a massive Scythe.

 Seeing one of Anna’s signatures, the audience cheered, but the CSG’s cheer team only waved around their now gray pompons in the air. They were waiting for something else.

 “I activate the graveyard effect of Orcust Knightmare. By banishing it, I target Galatea and send ‘Orcust Harp Horror’ to the grave, raising Galatea’s attack to 2200ATK. Next Harp Horror’s effect from the grave activates, by banishing it, I special summon ‘Orcust Cymbal Skeleton.’ Next I’ll set Galatea and Cymbal skeleton as Link materials. Link Summon! Arise! ‘Phantom Knights of Rusty Bardiche!’”

 Once again, the giant cymbal skeleton doesn’t fully materialize before getting sucked into another link circuit with Galatea. The monster that comes out is a tall ghostly warrior with blue flames exiting every opening in its dark purple armor.

 The CSG cheer team’s clothes change color to match the monster, followed by a sinister tune which plays throughout the arena. They follow that up with a lively routine.

 “Here’s the big evil monster! The knight which covers the world with darkness! RUSTY BARDICHE!”

 Anna doesn’t stop. “By banishing Cymbal skeleton from the GY, I special summon Galatea back to the field! Next I activate her effect! By returning Orcust Knightmare from the banish pile, I set an Orcust spell card from the deck.”

 She placed the card face-down on her field spell zone, giving Aya a good idea what spell it was.

 With a deep smile, Anna raised her hand once again. “I overlay Link-1 ‘Galatea’ to XYZ summon!”

 Aya closed her eyes. ‘This is it.’ She thought. The monster which had given Yuumi trouble was now about to be her problem.

 The Automaton raised into a whirlpool of purple energy. Energy swirled and mixed in the massive hole above the arena, followed by an enormous flash of bright purple light. The dome separating the arena and spectator stands from the empty black groaned, small fractures appearing in the reinforced crystalline glass composite, before finally bursting with a deafening shatter.

 Various barriers became visible as the air rushed out. One massive donut shaped dome above the audience stands glowed a deep crimson, while a traditional blue one surrounded the CSG’s cheer team. A kaleidoscope of colors illuminated the air while independently colored force fields clung to the skin and clothes of Anna, Aya, and the three NWDA cheerleaders.

 Seemingly unphased by the whole event, Anna declared. “Emerge! Dingirsu, The Orcust of the Evening Star!”

 Space itself crunched under the pressure exerted by the summoning of the enormous creature, with a crack splitting the supposedly empty vacuum. The crack widened with a sound akin to a thousand fog horns, and the full skyscraper sized automaton exited through the crack, towering over everything built by humans.

 Although the creature seemed to be unstoppable, Anna quickly reminded everyone that it had a master. “On-Summon of Dingirsu. His effect activates, attaching Galatea from the grave. I’ll chain Bardiche’s effect, targeting Dingirsu for destruction.”

 The spectacular summoning distracted everyone except the most keen eyed viewers from the nonsensical chain of events. Bardiche raised his axe, pointing at the giant.

 “I’ll detach Galatea from Dingirsu to negate its destruction.”

 A shower of blue flame surrounded the giant, but it was unphased by it. The demonstration of immortality left all those that looked upon the automaton awestruck.

 Up on the platform, Yuumi was just thinking. ‘The bastard looks taller than last time. Is Anna compensating for something?’