Darkness.
An entity of emptiness that one cannot see, feel, smell, or taste. Hearing within the void is limited, as sound can come from anywhere. This space of nothingness is a place of uncertainty and the unknown, where everything around seems virtually endless. If one were to be confined in this prison of negativity, their senses would be overwhelmed and amplified a hundredfold, losing their sanity lost in the process.
For Kuromu, that was only temporary.
"Ungh…" Kuromu groaned, slowly opening his eyes. The light entering blinded him briefly, but his vision eventually refocused. He looked around to see his surroundings, coming to the conclusion that he was back in the school infirmary.
However, what he also noticed was Asuka being on one side of his bed, while his parents were on the other. All three of them were sleeping at his bedside. He looked around and noticed that the rest of his friends were sleeping in various parts of the infirmary themselves, like Koji holding his girls close to him, or the Osiris quartet huddled together like penguins. They've been waiting for him to wake up.
He let out a weak chuckle. He wouldn't trade this feeling for anything else.
A soft moan escaped the Obelisk Queen's lips as she slowly opened her eyes. When she lifted her head and looked towards the Rider Duelist, she softly gasped in surprise. "Kuromu…!"
"Hey…" Kuromu smiled weakly.
She then hugged him tight, "You dummy, don't scare me like that,"
"Itetetetete, Asuka… too tight…" Kuromu winced.
"S-Sorry," She apologized, before letting go. "How are you feeling?"
"Tired." Kuromu said, as he slowly sat up with a soft grunt. "All that fighting tuckered me out… how long was I…"
"Three days." She told him, "You really scared us there."
"Three days I've been out cold…?" Kuromu said surprised.
"Yes. Luckily, Haruto-san was able to help cover up the war." The Obelisk Queen added.
"I see." Kuromu sighed, but then noticed Asuka's expression. One that was of a relief, but also of worry. He saw her hands trembling, as she did her best to hold back her tears. "Hey now…" He whispered, slowly reaching out with his hand, to caress Asuka's cheek, wiping away the tear in the corner of one of her eyes. "It's alright, I'm right here…"
"Kuro…" Asuka whispered softly, holding his hand with her own, as she smiled. "I'm so happy you're okay."
It was Asuka's soft sobbing that woke the Kururugi parents first.
"Kuromu… You're awake…" Yukina gasped.
"Son…" Kyoshiro hushed out.
"Kaa-san… Tou-chan…" Kuromu muttered, before his mother embraced him.
"Thank goodness you're alive…" she muttered between sobs.
"Kaa-san…" Kuromu muttered, before hugging her back, "Sumanakatta…" Yukina then let go of the embrace as she held her son's face with a hand.
"Thank you, Kuromu…" Yukina smiled softly, tears still in her eyes. "I'm so proud of you. You've grown into a fine young man. And yet for you to grow, you covered yourself with those wounds and pushed yourself so hard to rescue me this whole year."
"Kaa… san…" Kuromu muttered, his lips trembling as tears streamed down his face. He closed his eyes, head down as he leaned into his mother's hand holding it.
"You've been through so much to get here…" Yukina sobbed softly. "And thanks to you, we're now a family again."
"Y-Yeah…" Kuromu got out, as he opened his eyes and Yukina wiped his tears. "And that family's a whole lot bigger." He affirmed as he looked over to all of his friends, before he quickly realized that they now had woken up. Kuromu paled when Judai, Sho, and Rex were going to jump onto the bed.
"YOU'RE OKAY!"
"No no no no!"
*BING! BANG! BONG!*
"Knock it off, you morons!" Rika roared, cast iron in hand as she had whacked their heads before they could reach the bed.
"Ow…" They groaned in pain.
"Idiots…" Jun deadpanned irritably.
"Thanks Rika." Kuromu sighed in relief, before the Foodon Duelist dropped the cast iron to the floor and threw herself into his arms. "O-Oi Rika!"
"Baka! We thought you weren't gonna wake up!" Rika cried out, before she started sobbing.
"Yeah man! You scared the heebie jeebies out of us!" Koji affirmed.
Kuromu sighed at this, "I'm sorry, really I am." He apologized sincerely.
"You better be, you stupid best friend!" Rika cried again. Kuromu could only smile sadly, petting Rika's hair.
"There there, it's alright." He told her.
"We're glad you're alright, Kuromu." Ryo smirked.
"Yeah, things wouldn't be the same without you." Fubuki added.
"Indeed. It would truly be a shame if we couldn't thank the hero that saved Academia island single-handedly." Misawa nodded in agreement.
"But I didn't do it alone." Kuromu said, stopping his petting on Rika, and looking at each and every one of them. "I had all of you and the Riders that supported me throughout that battle. In fact, I should be thanking you for supporting me all this time. I know… that this is far from over, but… can I ask you all for your continued support?"
"No shit dude." Rex chuckled, "Mess with one of us, mess with all of us."
"Yeah, what are friends for?" Sho smiled.
"All for one and one for all." Judai added.
"Besides, you don't even need to ask that." Junko smirked.
"Where Koji goes, we go too." Momoe said. "And that means we're supporting you."
"Don't forget me." Annette chimed in. "I'm sure my fiancé will have no problem supporting you in the foreseeable future, isn't that right, mon ami?" She asked Jun.
"That bastard will regret messing with us."
"Thank you… all of you…" Kuromu smiled gratefully. Just then the doors slid open to reveal Tsukasa, Hongo, Woz, Ryotaro, Instructor Chronos, and Principal Samejima entering the infirmary.
"Bellissimo, you're well!" Instructor Chronos said.
"Oya oya, the awakening of the newly full-fledged Rider." Woz smirked.
"Kuromu-san, thank goodness you're alright." Ryotaro said relieved.
"Glad to see you're still kicking, rookie." The dimensional Rider chuckled.
"Kadoya-sensei. Everyone." Kuromu acknowledged.
"We thought the worst had befallen you. Glad to know that we were wrong." Samejima chuckled.
"How are you feeling, shonen?" Hongo asked.
"Better, with everyone here." Kuromu answered before looking towards the Duel Driver, sitting on the nightstand. "I can't believe I'm a Rider too."
"I didn't believe it either, and yet here you are, shonen." Hongo said, approaching his bedside, placing a hand on the young boy's shoulder. "The Will of the True Kamen Rider is strong within you. Your words in the face of evil symbolized the very essence of who we are." He said with a closed yet proud smile. "You may be starting on this journey now, but it is with hope that you will always stand as a beacon for others and continue to honor the Will of our legacy, so you can pass it on."
"Hongo-san…" Kuromu muttered, before nodding with a proud smile. "Hai! I won't let all of you down!"
The remaining days of the school year began dwindling down. Slowly but surely, the mundane peaceful days crept its way back into the routine of the students. This was especially so; for those who were involved in the Battle of Academia Island three days ago. There had been no word of the whereabouts of Oogumo, most likely from the fact that he had to retreat indefinitely due to his injuries.
But there was one agenda that still needed to be addressed.
"Has it been cleaned out?" Samejima asked the dimension Rider as they waited.
"All of the Osiris Red students have already claimed all of Daitokuji-sensei's belongings in the laboratory, while the missing students were given a chance to collect whatever belongings they had from the Abandoned Dorm." Tsukasa said. "At least things that are still intact anyway. Plus, their records are going back to the office."
"What about the basement below?"
"Kyoshiro is having Wizard and Ghost both purify and exorcise the place. We don't want any sort of curses lingering afterwards."
"…And Darkness?" Samejima frowned.
"Sealed in a stainless steel box and thrown into the abyss." Tsukasa finished, "It'll take a lot to get him unsealed. And even then, when that box he's in reaches the sea floor, he'll be crushed from the pressure. I don't think his card will even survive if it gets out. You know what happens to cards when they touch water."
"I see."
"Speaking of… The Three Phantom Demons, are they…"
"They're sealed back into their proper place."
Tsukasa nodded at this, "What will you do once we tear this place apart and the demo team clears the rubble?"
"A common house will take its place." the principal revealed, "It will serve as neutral ground for the dorms to meet up and mingle outside of class and the cafeteria."
"I see. Have you also considered upgrading the Osiris and Ra Dorms as well?"
"We're in the process of that." Samejima said, "Although it will take a while before the building permits come in. They should be done before the next school year begins."
"I'm surprised Kaiba even approved of it." Tsukasa commented. "And even then, buildings like those would take at least several months to a year, at minimum."
"I suppose with the recent issues that Oogumo has caused, it must have spooked him to improve those dorms." The principal guessed.
"I'm sure he's more annoyed than spooked." Tsukasa pointed out in good fun, "Must have killed him to improve the dorm most associated with his rival."
Just then they saw Kyoshiro coming out of the Abandoned Dorm, with Duel Disk in hand, followed by Wizard and Ghost who followed him out. He approached the two, approval etched onto his face. "It's done."
"Good. I don't want to end up with an angry demon popping up. We already have enough trouble to deal with." the dimensional Rider breathed a sigh of relief.
"No need to worry. The dorm is spiritually cleansed of whatever remaining bad omens were lingering." Ghost assured him.
"And whatever remaining small demons that popped up, I took care of." Wizard added.
"And?" Tsukasa prompted.
"Huh? Oh, right. The charges are set." Kyoshiro said before looking towards the dorm. "Stand clear please." he told them before taking out two open wires. "CONTACT!"
The moment he connected the wires, the charges underground blew up, as well as the charges that were up top. A brief flash from the windows, followed by a loud boom echoed. Smoke billowed from the broken windows, and before long, the dorm collapsed in on itself, dust and smoke billowing into one column as it caved in, creating an artificial sinkhole.
"Finally…" Samejima breathed a sigh of relief.
"Now all that's left is getting the demo team to clean up, then we gotta fill in the sinkhole we made." Tsukasa said.
"Indeed…" the principal agreed as the two, alongside Kyoshiro, Wizard and Ghost, left to allow the arriving demolition team to do their work.
"Ugh, I wish I could join you guys in summer freedom." The mutt grumbled as he looked at the mountain of summer homework he's obligated to finish if he wants to both still attend Duel Academia, but also remain a free man given it was either summer school or serve juvenile prison for his time as the Yellow Comet.
"Hey, don't be sour Rex! If you do well, maybe you'll get let off early?" Sho said.
"That is if he does well." Misawa pointed out, to Rex's chagrin.
"Well geez, way to kick a guy while he's down…" the mutt groaned.
"Sucks to be you." Jun smirked.
"You wanna say that again, lightning rod?!" Rex snarled, "You're stuck with me too, pal!"
The ace however smirked, "Except I'm already done with my summer homework."
"What?! Already?!" Rex gasped.
"Hehehe… Annette? Show 'em." Jun chuckled smugly, a toothy grin on his face.
The thief, always up to rib her former rival, showed him proof. Rex banged his head on the desk in defeat.
'I should have chosen juvie over this…' the mutt thought to himself.
"Welp, things are back to normal." Judai commented, "Or at least, as normal as it could get."
"Kuri, Kuri!" Winged Kuriboh nodded in agreement.
"I wonder how Kuro and the others are doing?" The Elemental HERO Duelist pondered.
"Knowing him, he and Kyoshiro-san want to catch up with Yukina-san." Sho said. "They've been apart from each other for almost a whole year."
"Fair point." Judai said.
"Actually… aniki, where's your summer homework?"
Suddenly Judai was walking away a little bit faster than normal.
"Oh, not on my watch!" Rex shouted, as he got up from his seat and started running. Judai noticed him and tried to get away, but the mutt was the faster of the two, "You're gonna suffer with me!" Rex snarled, preventing Judai from escaping.
"No! Please! Wait! I got so much to live for!" The Elemental HERO Duelist wailed in panic, "There's a new booster pack in the store with my name on it! It's got new HEROes!"
"Sorry pal, you ain't weaseling out of this one!" Rex refuted.
"Kuriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii…" Winged Kuriboh deadpanned at the scene with a sweat drop.
"You said it." Ojama Yellow and Dicaerii agreed.
"Here we are, dears." Yukina smiled as she brought over a large tray of her cooking over to the table. She, Kyoshiro, and Kuromu were at the Ra Yellow cafeteria and she wanted to cook for the two again; a nice change of pace after spending sleepless hours in the lab. Kuromu and his father had been separated from the matriarch for so long, it didn't feel real that she was really back. They definitely needed to make up for lost time.
The Rider Duelist gulped at the sight of her cooking. "Kaa-san's cooking… in almost a year…"
"And I haven't missed a step." Yukina said.
"I-Itadakimasu!" Kuromu said, clapping his hands together, before digging in. His eyes widened at the taste, before taking the chopsticks out of his mouth. Tears started falling from his eyes, before covering them with his hand, trying to wipe them away. "It's been so long… since I ate your food…"
"Oh Kuromu…" Yukina smiled sadly, rubbing her son's back.
As the three continued their family dinner, Koji and Misawa were watching from afar from a corner table behind them.
"It's like she never boogied on out." Koji smiled.
"Yes, it makes you forget the hellacious year everyone has been through." Misawa nodded. "Hopefully, these next two years won't be worse than this one. We only experienced a taste of what Oogumo is capable of."
"Right. Sooner or later, it's gonna be a full-on invasion, and we gotta be prepared for that." Koji added.
Just then, the doors to the cafeteria opened to reveal Takeshi and Tsukasa, approaching the Kururugi family.
"Whew, glad things are alright here." The dimensional Rider sighed in relief.
"Tsukasa-kun." Yukina acknowledged, looking up at him with a smile. "We're… doing some catching up."
"I don't blame you, especially since you've been gone for almost a year." Tsukasa chuckled as he and Hongo sat down.
"It's good that the three of you are back together again, as a family." Takeshi smiled. "It's been long overdue."
"Definitely. No offense to Rika, but I missed this." Kuromu said, having now calmed down as he continued eating his mother's food.
"So what's been going on?" Kyoshiro asked. "Any updates with the aftermath?"
"So far? Nobody suspects a thing." Tsukasa answered. "Though we're still combing the island for Oogumo's whereabouts."
"Given that he's retreated, it would stand to reason that he has a hidden base somewhere." Takeshi said. "And with the massive injury the shonen has given him, Oogumo won't act right away. He needs time to heal. As do we."
"We're not going after him?" Kuromu asked, mildly surprised.
"You've dealt a huge blow to the enemy, that much is certain," Takeshi said. "However, you've just become a Kamen Rider. While your fighting skills prior to your transformation have indeed done much to mitigate your inexperience, you still have much to learn."
"Oh… well I guess that makes sense. Speaking of… what are these things?" Kuromu asked, putting his utensils down and taking out his new deck, "These look like Duel Monsters, but… don't at the same time."
"Well your father didn't have time to copy the Kamen Riders' artwork for the Duel Deck, so he drew the Rider Aides instead."
"Rider Aides?" Kuromu parroted, looking at a few cards. "That's what they're called?"
Kyoshiro nodded, "Given Hongo-san and the others are still needed back in their world, I drew these guys up to help keep our world safe. Maybe one day, I'll try and bring them into the game proper as their own archetype."
"So… I can summon these guys out to help me in battle?"
"Yep, and I'm even working on more cards for that Driver. Just waiting for someone to serve as a catalyst." Kyoshiro revealed.
"That's neat." Kuromu chuckled before looking back over his first year in this school, from the highs to the lows. One could say that at least it wasn't boring for this past year. Something told him that these next two years will be even crazier than this year. But… with his friends and family, he wouldn't have it any other way.
"Ah, that's right." Yukina remembered, "Now that everything's been resolved, there's one more thing you have to do."
"Eh?" Kuromu blinked, "One more thing? Is it about the Transformation Summoning?"
"No no, that will come later. I mean-" Yukina stopped when Kuromu nearly did a spit take of his food upon realizing what his mother was asking him about.
"O-Oh, that…" Kuromu blushed, "I mean. I-well uh-you see…"
"Ah, young love." Takeshi sighed wistfully while Kuromu metaphorically dug his own grave.
"Come on dear, nothing's stopping you now~." Yukina giggled into her hand.
"Mmmmm…" Kuromu looked nervous and worried. "Are you sure? I mean- what if there's the off chance that-"
"Oh stop overthinking it dear. Nothing will get in the way this time. We'll make sure of it." Yukina smiled brighter. "Isn't that right, anata?" She asked Kyoshiro.
"I'm sure your friends will say the same." The Kururugi patriarch agreed.
"I sure hope so…"
Ryo and Fubuki walked down the halls, knowing that this will be the last day they'll spend as students of Central Duel Academia. They reminisce about their three years at this school, and now they're going to be graduating. For Ryo, he hopes to make it as a Pro Duelist. And while Fubuki plans on going pro as well, Reggie's return was his first priority.
"This feels different, if I'm being honest." The elder Tenjoin admitted.
"It certainly does." Ryo nodded in agreement. "I hear your parents went back to the mainland."
"Yeah, Okaa-san and Otou-san are gonna be dealing with the news about the missing students and the fallout. Hopefully, there won't be any backlash to the whole incident."
"I see." Ryo said, but then frowned in concern, "Are you sure about staying here until Reggie is rescued?"
"Pretty much. I'm planning on becoming a teaching assistant for Kyoshiro-san."
"Is that so," Ryo raised an eyebrow. "Speaking of, I'm surprised that Daitokuji-sensei named Kyoshiro-san as his successor."
"Not just. I heard someone else will be popping in to help me and Kyoshiro-san."
"Oh? Who would that be?" Ryo asked.
Fubuki whispered the second person's name, which surprised the Kaiser.
"You're joking…" he said, to which the elder Tenjoin shook his head. "Well then, it seems next year will be quite different."
"Yeah… pretty interesting." Fubuki chuckled.
"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…" Rika sighed as she and the girls were bathing in the Obelisk Blue Girls bath. "This is gonna be the last time we bathe in here. So we better soak it up while we can."
"We have two more years for that." Asuka pointed out.
"Well for a while obviously. I don't mean forever… yet." Rika didn't like the idea of never coming back to her special home-away-from-home.
"But can you believe it? Next year, we're gonna officially be high school senpais!" Momoe gushed out excitedly.
"And if I remember correctly, there's a chance that girl you told us about might be the first girl to go to Osiris Red, given who currently is there." Junko added.
This made Annette curious, "Tell me, who are you talking about?"
"Rex's cousin, Rei." Rika shrugged. "She snuck onto the island because she was in love with Marufuji-senpai."
"Really?" Annette looked surprised.
"But trust me. That ship's likely long since sailed." Rika recalled, "Too bad for the mutt he got his ass kicked when her lady friend came to pick Rei up."
"And he soon did the same to Jun. How ironic…" the thief could see the irony. "Despite that, I am looking forward to being an upperclass student with you all."
"Same here." Asuka said.
"Oh by the way, I just realized something." Rika chimed in. "Now that's everything taken care of, isn't there a certain promise you need to fulfill with a certain someone, hm, Asuka-cha~n?" She wiggled her eyebrows with half-lidded eyes and a smirk.
Asuka sank a bit, refusing to answer and instead blew bubbles into the water.
"Oh that's right, you and Kuromu are gonna be an official couple!" Momoe squealed.
"Don't be shy now." Junko smirked.
"If you're not going to tell us then…" Rika soon made that gesture, which made the Obelisk Queen flinch.
"R-Rika, don't, please." Asuka pleaded as she backed away.
"Oh don't worry, I promise this will be the last time before you and Kuro make it official." Rika giggled, approaching the Obelisk Queen with a knowing smirk before pouncing her.
"Aaaaahhh! Rika!"
"Hehe~ I'm gonna enjoy every bit of this!" Rika smiled impishly as she massaged the Obelisk Queen's chest.
"Ah, mou~!" Asuka complained. "I told you I don't want my chest any bigger!"
However, Rika ignored her pleas. "Haaaaa… so soft and squishy~!"
Junko, Momoe, and Annette collectively let out a giggle and watched the chaos unfold.
A few days later…
Kuromu woke up at the crack of dawn, sitting up in his bed as he stretched out to loosen up. He didn't know why, but he felt strangely refreshed. Perhaps he had slept in early after that Graduation Duel between Judai and Ryo yesterday. It was nothing short of intense and epic.
After all, what can one say about a battle that ended in a complete tie despite both Duelists' strength?
Not only that, Takeshi and Ryotaro had to return back to the Rider World after that Duel via the Aurora Curtain that Tsukasa provided. They were certain that much had happened in their absence. So it was best that they check on things over there and keep fighting the good fight.
After the graduation party with the third years, Kuromu was so tuckered out that as soon as he got in his room, he plopped straight on the bed and went straight to sleep.
*BEEP-BEEP! BEEP-BEEP!*
"Hm?" Kuromu grabbed his PDA and looked to see that there was a message from Asuka. "Meet me at the school rooftop."
It didn't take him that long to know what she meant. He knew that it was time. With a sigh to calm himself down, he straightened himself out, then grabbed his Duel Disk and Deck before heading out.
It was early in the morning, and the sun hadn't risen just yet. But he could see the night sky slowly turning purple with a hint of orange, meaning the sun was about to rise soon.
Surprisingly enough, when he arrived at the school, the doors of the school were still open. No doubt that somehow Asuka made sure that this was going to happen one way or another. So he made his way up the stairs and towards the staircase that led to the roof. Upon arriving at the roof, he saw the familiar blonde standing there.
"Asuka…" Kuromu murmured.
He saw her standing there, almost mirroring that fateful day when they had that Duel… only this time it was reversed.
The Obelisk Queen felt his presence as she turned around with a serene smile, her hand having tucked a few strands of her hair as the soft breeze blew past her.
"Kuromu, you made it." Asuka greeted him.
"Y-Yeah…" Kuromu said, as he approached and the two stood side-by-side, looking over the horizon. "…what a year, right?" Kuromu said.
"Yes… it's been an eventful one." Asuka nodded. "Hard to believe it went by so fast."
"I never even thought I'd become a Kamen Rider." Kuromu noted, "Kaa-san's safe, the world isn't in the crosshairs of some evil organization, now we can just… deal with the stuff kids like us should face."
"Rather ironic of you to say that." Asuka giggled.
"Eh? Why?" Kuromu blinked in surprise, "Is S.H.O.C.K.E.R still out there?" he muttered, looking around out of fear.
"Who knows?" Asuka shrugged. "But… even if they did come back, we'll find a way to beat them for good, or at the very least, make sure they stay out of our world permanently."
"Yeah, I guess there's that." Kuromu sighed.
"So let's not worry about that for now." Asuka smiled softly, facing him. "We have some unfinished business to resolve, don't we?"
The Rider Duelist blushed, despite knowing what was happening.
"It's time that we fulfilled that promise." she stated before putting on her Duel Disk.
"Yeah, you're right." Kuromu nodded with a soft smile, putting on his own and the two took their respective places. As they did, the sun slowly rose into the sky, the light shining on the roof, not only signaling the start of a new day, but the start of the true last Duel for this year. "Nothing's stopping us from having this Duel."
Asuka then prepared her Duel Disk one more time, "Alright, show me how much you've learned Kuro!"
"With pleasure!" Kuromu grinned, before the two drew their starting Hands.
"DUEL!"
Kuromu: 8000
Asuka: 8000
Unbeknownst to them, their friends and even the Kururugi parents had just arrived at the rooftop. Though they kept themselves hidden to make sure they didn't notice. They came to know that via Koji, who was the first to hear and watch him leave since he was next door to Kuromu's room, then contacted everyone else via PDA.
"I hope you guys know what you're doing…" the mutt whispered.
"Shhh… it's starting." Rika hushed.
"Alright, so do you want to flip a coin this time?" Kuromu offered.
"No." Asuka shook her hand. "Since I went first in our last Duel, it's only fair that you went."
"Alright then. O-re no ta-n! Draw!" Kuromu drew his sixth card. He then looked towards his starting hand and took a deep breath. He needed to get this Duel right. "I summon Kamen Rider OOO in ATK mode!"
TAKA!
TORA!
BATTA!
Images of three animals in the form of symbols appeared. A red hawk was on the top, a yellow tiger was in the middle, and a green grasshopper was at the bottom.
TA-TO-BA! TATOBA! TA-TO-BA!
The three images then combined into one large crest which flew backwards and into his chest. His body then became enveloped in energy which swiftly hardened into solid armor. (4/ATK: 2000/DEF: 0)
"Kuromu-san? What's going on?" OOO asked, before noticing Asuka. "And why are we Dueling Asuka-san this early in the morning?"
"Cause it's finally time." Kuromu answered.
"Eh?" OOO asked, before looking between the two, and then the gears started turning in his head. "Moushikashite…" He said, before his hands made a heart symbol? "Love Combo?!"
LOVE!
LOVE!
LOVE!
Koji and Rika had to slap their hands over Judai and Rex's mouths before they could laugh their location away.
'Shut up, you idiots!' the two thought to themselves.
"Yes, Eiji-san." Kuromu chuckled, before looking back to Asuka. "Moving on, since I control a Kamen Rider on my side of the field, I can Special Summon these two from my Hand! Kamen Rider Faiz and Kamen Rider Gaim 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. (4/ATK: 1500/DEF: 1500)
ORANGE!
LOCK ON!
SOIYA! ORANGE ARMS! HANAMICHI ON STAGE!
The zipper portal opened up, revealing the metallic orange which then dropped down and energy materialized the body and bodysuit, before the metallic orange unlocked itself and disassembled to form the armor and reveal the helmet inside (4/ATK: 1700/DEF: 1500)
"Koko kara ga o-re tachi no suteji da!" Gaim quoted before looking at Kuromu and then to Asuka and then back to Kuromu. "Yeesh, and people thought I was the slow one…"
"With two different Kamen Riders on my field, Gaim gains 800 ATK! And you can only target him for attacks!"
Kamen Rider Gaim (ATK: 1700-2500)
"But I'm not done yet, next I activate these two cards! Both of them are Final Henshin!" Kuromu then drew out the two cards from his Extra Deck while OOO and Faiz prepared to power up.
"No way, two Final Henshin at the start?" Sho gasped in hushed surprise.
"He's pulling all the stops on this Duel." Misawa commented.
"It's his last chance after all." Rex argued, "Plus this is the first proper Duel where he's using Transformation Monsters. Might as well try them out, right?"
Just then a silver suitcase-like device with a large gun handle and circular number pad appeared at Faiz's feet. Picking it up, his fingers dialed up the familiar code.
5-5-5
STANDING BY
Faiz then took off the Faiz Phone from his belt and inserted it into one corner of the suitcase gun-like device.
AWAKENING
A red beam of light shot down from the sky and hit Faiz. His suit changed color from black to red while the red line became yellow.
Meanwhile, The OOO Driver went parallel on its own and the traffic lights Core Medals were immediately ejected out. Three purple Core Medals then came out of Eiji's body, one with the etching of a pterodactyl, one of a triceratops, and the last with a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Once the Core Medals were in, the OOO Driver tilted, and O-Scanner scanned them on its own.
PTERA!
TRICERA!
TYRANNO!
Images of three dinosaurs mentioned appeared. A pterodactyl on the top, a triceratops was in the middle, and a Tyrannosaurus Rex at the bottom.
PU-TO-TYRANNOSAURUS!
The three images then combined into one large crest which flew backwards and into his chest. His body then became enveloped in energy which swiftly hardened into solid armor.
"Henshin Shōkan! Kamen Rider Faiz - Blaster Form (8/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000) and Kamen Rider OOO - PuToTyra Form (8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 1500)!"
"Not bad, flexing your new Extra Deck Summon on me already." Asuka complimented him.
"I'm just getting started." Kuromu grinned. "Finally, I activate my last card in my hand! Treasure Cards from the Heavens! We each draw until we have six cards in our hand! Unfortunately while you draw one, I draw the full six!"
"He reset his entire hand, just like that time against Kagurazaka." Ryo said as both players drew.
"I'll place two cards face-down… Ta-n endo." Kuromu concluded as the two reversed cards appeared on the field, reducing his hand to four. "So, how am I doing so far?"
"Don't get cocky. Remember the last time." she pointed out.
"Oh trust me, I'm tempering my expectations." Kuromu smirked. "Now come at me with everything you got, Asuka!"
She nodded before her turn began, "Watashi no ta-n! Draw!" Now with a seventh card in hand, she smirked, "I'll start by summoning Manju God!"
The multi-armed monster emerged (4/ATK: 1400/DEF: 1000).
"Manju God's effect activates! When he's either Normal Summoned or Flipped Summoned, I can add either one Ritual Monster or one Ritual Spell from my deck to my hand!" she then searched her deck, "I'll be adding one Machine Angel Ritual which I'll use right away to sacrifice Cyber Tutubon and Cyber Tutu for a Ritual Summon!"
The girl wearing the green and pink futuristic bodysuit with the skirt, a visor, and two floating bells by her ankles (5/ATK: 1800/DEF: 1600) and the pink haired girl with the blue visor wearing a ballerina bodysuit of red and baby blue with a light blue frill for a skirt (3/ATK: 1000/DEF: 800) jumped into the altar of fire, that unleashed a pillar of flames
"Angel of light hiding eternal power! Cut down those who hide in darkness!"
Soon, after the pillar died down, the four-armed Cyber Angel appeared with an orange chest plate, a golden hat to cover her red hair, two blades in her extra hands, and finally a monk's rod in her primary hands.
"Ritual Summon! Cyber Angel - Dakini (8/ATK: 2700/DEF: 2400)!"
"Ritual Summoning on Turn 1. Not bad, Asuka." Kuromu chuckled.
"When she's Ritual Summoned, you need to choose which Monster goes to the Graveyard."
"That's good and all, except I had this waiting. I activate my Counter Trap! Danger Sense!" Kuromu said, revealing the card. "If a card or effect is activated that targets a "Kamen Rider" monster I control, I can negate the activation, and destroy it! Meaning Dakini is no more!"
On cue, Dakini was destroyed into pixels.
"No way, just like that?" Momoe gasped in shock.
"He's not playing around, that's for sure." Junko added.
"Heh, not bad." Asuka giggled. "But I knew you were going to do that."
"You were?" Kuromu said wide-eyed before realizing, "Crap!"
"I play Resurrection of the Dead! That means Cyber Angel - Dakini is revived!" She said as the female asura warrior returned (8/ATK: 2700/DEF: 2400)
"You can only target Gaim when you attack though." Kuromu pointed out.
"I know, which is why I'm playing this! "Attack" Sealing!" Asuka said, playing the card, "This switches one of your monsters from ATK to DEF, and when she attacks a DEF position monster, you take Piercing Damage."
"Aw crap. Asuka ain't playing around." Koji observed.
"As expected of the Obelisk Queen." Annette said.
"So I'll switch Kamen Rider Gaim to DEF mode." Asuka said, as Gaim was forced to take a knee. "And now it's time to battle! Cyber Angel - Dakini attacks Kamen Rider Gaim!"
The six-armed samurai angel dashed forward and quickly clashed blades with the samurai Rider. However, Dakini's naginata was stronger than Gaim's Daidaimaru and so, he was cut in two; the force of the attack sending a gust of wind to push Kuromu back.
Kuromu: 6800
Asuka: 8000
"Next I activate my own Treasure Cards from the Heavens!" Asuka said, drawing her full six, while Kuromu drew two. "I'll place one card face-down. Ta-n shuuryou." Asuka finished, placing the reversed card down.
"Whew, they ain't holding anything back." Judai observed.
"Here's hoping Kuromu can pull it off." Fubuki hoped.
"He has to." Kyoshiro chuckled. "Otherwise, those two won't get together."
"O-re no ta-n! Draw!" Kuromu declared, drawing his seventh card. 'Alright, she has that one card face-down, and if I'm right…' He said, before eyeing the card he drew. He smiled at what he got. "I activate Bait Doll! This forces the activation of one of your face-downs and if the timing is wrong, it's destroyed!"
Asuka gasped at this.
"Damn, he stopped her cold before she could implement anything." Jun said wide-eyed.
Soon, the facedown card revealed itself to be Doblé Passe which was quickly destroyed.
"Heh, I figured you had that face-down." Kuromu smirked.
"Not bad Kuro." she said with a smile.
"Now that that's over with, I summon Kamen Rider Decade in ATK mode!"
KAMEN RIDE! DECADE!
The symbols of the Heisei Riders appeared around the monster zone before forming into silhouettes that converged onto his body, forming into the suit. (4/ATK: 2000/DEF: 2000)
"Finally knocking this loose thread down, huh?" Decade mused, "I think I got the gist."
"Right on the nose, Kadoya-sensei." Kuromu smirked. "Kamen Rider Decade's effect activates! By banishing a Kamen Rider in my Graveyard, he takes on that card's name and effects! Effective until the end of my turn, Kadoya-sensei becomes Gaim!"
After pocketing the card, Decade opened up the DecaDriver and pulled out Gaim's card.
*VROOM! SHING!*
KAMEN RIDE! GAIM!
The metal orange appeared in mid-air before dropping on Decade's head, the energy forming Gaim's bodysuit then the metal orange unlocking and disassembling itself to fold into the armor.
ORANGE ARMS! HANAMACHI ON STAGE!
"And with Gaim's effect also added, since there's two Kamen Riders, Decade-Gaim gains an extra 800 ATK and you can only target him! Though lucky for you, that's only until the end of my turn."
Kamen Rider Decade (ATK: 2000-2800)
"Now it's to battle!" Kuromu declared. "Kamen Rider Decade-Gaim attacks Cyber Angel - Dakini! Decade Burai Kick!"
After drawing out Gaim's Final Attack Ride card, Decade-Gaim activated it before leaping into the air.
FINAL ATTACK RIDE: G-G-G-GAIM!
Decade-Gaim dived down towards Dakini for the kick, kicking through holographic orange slices in front of him. Dakini blocked with her weapons, but it was too much as Decade-Gaim broke through, destroying her swords into pieces and her being destroyed into pixels.
Kuromu: 6800
Asuka: 7900
"Next battle! Kamen Rider Faiz - Blaster Form attacks Manju God! Super Strengthen Crimson Smash!"
Faiz first entered a sequence.
1-0-3
BLASTER MODE
He then pivoted the handle in a slant and unlocked the suitcase-like device into its gun mode. Afterwards, he entered another sequence of numbers.
5-5-3-2
FAIZ POINTER: EXCEED CHARGE
Once he was ready, Faiz leaped into the air to deliver his Rider Kick to the thousand armed monster. A larger cone than the usual appeared, pinning the monster in place before Faiz kicked through it, disappearing briefly before reappearing on the other side. Manju roared before exploding blue flames, turning into ash as the Phi symbol appeared.
Kuromu: 6800
Asuka: 6800
"Now they're tied," Rika said.
"But not for long." Ryo added. "He still has one more attack."
"Before I continue, Kamen Rider Faiz - Blaster Form's effect activates! Since I destroyed a Monster in battle, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower "Kamen Rider" monster from my Hand or Deck, but they can't attack upon being summoned, plus if they're summoned this way while a Warrior Transformation Monster is on the Field, as long as Kamen Rider Faiz - Blaster Form is on the field, the special summoned monster can't be destroyed."
"He's doubling his advantage." Misawa observed.
"Oui, he's certainly covering his bases." Annette added.
"I special summon Kamen Rider Kabuto from my Deck!"
The red mechanical rhino beetle appeared, flying in and circling around the Field, before it stopped in midair.
HENSHIN!
Hexagon-shaped panels materialized, spreading out to become the armored warrior. Kabuto then flipped the horn slightly and the sound of a charging noise echoed. Blue electricity crackled as the armor spread out, letting off steam.
"Cast off." He said, 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 and the orn appendage rose from their chest armor and locked in place (4/ATK: 1900/DEF: 1200)
CHANGE: BEETLE!
"Hm… so we're really doing this." Kabuto noticed.
"Yes, we are, Tendou-san." Kuromu nodded.
"Very well." Kabuto said, before pointing up in the air, "Obaa-chan ga itte ita: 'If you wish it to be so, luck will always be on your side'."
"I'm gonna need all the luck I can get." Kuromu smirked. "Alright, Asuka, here comes the last attack! Kamen Rider OOO - PuToTyra Form attacks you directly! Strain Doom!"
OOO dug into the ground with a thud, before pulling out a dinosaur-themed axe with a canister for Cell Medals that connected to the coin slot in the purple blade dubbed the Medagabryu. He then inserted Cell Medals into the slot, filling it up before closing the 'mouth' with a handle that pivoted it to close.
GOKKUN!
He then pivoted another handle to convert it to its Bazooka Mode and aimed it at Asuka.
PU-TO-TYRANNO HISSA~TSU!
A spiral beam of violent energy exploded out of the barrel and hit Asuka, who blocked it with her Duel Disk and skid back from the force of the blast.
Kuromu: 6800
Asuka: 3800
"Incroyable, he took her down to just below half her Life Points." Annette said wide-eyed.
"Dude's got a fire lit in him." Rex chuckled.
"Wow, you really are putting that new Extra Deck type to good use." Asuka remarked.
"I might as well have to. This is a new type so I gotta see what it can really do." Kuromu chuckled. "I'll place one card face-down. Ta-n endo." He concluded, his face-downs now having two again and Decade returned to his main form and his ATK returned to normal.
"Watashi no ta-n! Draw!" Asuka declared, drawing her sixth card. "I activate Supremacy Berry! Since my Life Points are lower than yours, I gain 2000 Life Points!"
After letting the dove rest on her arm, she got the berry from the branch, and regained some Life Points by eating it.
Kuromu: 6800
Asuka: 5800
"Next, I use my second copy of Machine Angel Ritual to sacrifice Etoile Cyber and Cyber Prima to perform a Ritual Summon!" she declared. The red-haired, baby blue skinned ballerina (4/ATK: 1200/DEF: 1600) and a woman with long grey dreadlocks, wearing a red theater mask with blue and white frills around sad mask, wearing a grey bodysuit and blue boots (6/ATK: 2300/DEF: 1600) appeared, before jumping into the flames on the torch stand, a pillar of fire erupting from it afterwards.
"Angel of light hiding eternal power! Show your form to this vast world and illuminate all creation!"
Coming out of the flames, was Asuka's strongest monster.
"Ritual Summon! Descend, Cyber Angel - Vishnu (10/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2000)!"
"Uh-oh, not good for Kuro." Sho muttered.
"Yeah, new Extra Deck type, same issues as other Extra Deck monsters." Rex confirmed.
"I'm sure you know her effect, right?" Asuka asked wickedly, taking in Kuromu's face faulting reaction.
"Crap…" Kuromu muttered. "I special summoned Faiz and OOO's final forms, as well as special summoning Kabuto. Those three will be destroyed. And I'll take 1000 points of Damage for each."
"That's right." Asuka chuckled, "Blast them, Vishnu! Ascension Burst!"
On cue, Vishnu's eyes were covered by her visor and unleashed three powerful bursts of light from the halos that were attached behind her. Each one of them striking Faiz, Kabuto, and OOO respectively, as all of them were seared by the light, before all of them exploded into pixels. Kuromu braced himself from the impact, as a gust of wind blew against him.
Kuromu: 3800
Asuka: 5800
"Now he's below 4000 Life Points." Ryo said wide-eyed.
"Incredible… a huge reversal in one move." Misawa said impressed.
The Obelisk Queen smirked, "Battle! Cyber Angel - Vishnu attacks Kamen Rider Decade!"
"Ah piss…" Decade grumbled before he stared up and saw the energy blasts shatter him and return the dimensional Rider back to his Spirit form.
Kuromu: 2800
Asuka: 5800
"And don't forget that since I activated Vishnu's effect earlier this turn, I can do a second attack!" Asuka grinned.
"No way, he's gonna lose…!" Rika squealed with panic.
"Aw man… this ain't groovy." Koji groaned.
"I wouldn't count him out just yet." Judai said, confusing the group. "Trust me, he's got something planned."
"Got anything else?" Asuka teased.
"Why don't you go ahead and find out." Kuromu challenged.
Asuka was mildly surprised, but nonetheless accepted the challenge. "Battle! Cyber Angel - Vishnu, end this!" She called out, knowing she's got no choice but to spring the trap.
"I activate one of my face-downs!" Kuromu said, activating one of them. "Holy Barrier - Mirror Force! This reflects the attack right back at you!"
"Not this time, I activate Vishnu's second effect!" Asuka called out. "If a card or effect is activated that would destroy a card on the field, I can shuffle 1 Ritual Monster from my Graveyard into the Deck, in order to negate the activation, and destroy that card! I send Cyber Angel - Dakini back to my Deck!" She said, taking the card out of the Graveyard, and inserting it back, before shuffling. "Now Vishnu's attack will go unimpeded! Ascension Burst!"
Once again. Vishnu's eyes were covered by her visor and unleashed a powerful burst of light from the halos that were attached behind her.
"Heh, not this time, Asuka." Kuromu grinned, much to her shock. "My other face-down has something to say about that! Go! Kamen Riders' Dramatic Entry! Since you're attacking me directly, I get to special summon a Kamen Rider from my Deck and negate the attack! I choose Kamen Rider W!"
CYCLONE-JOKER!
W quickly flew in and deflected the light burst away (4/ATK: 1900/DEF: 1000)
"Mattaku… why are we fighting first thing in the morning?" Shotaro groaned, after landing safely.
"You didn't get the memo?" Philip asked, the lens on his right flashing. "This is his last chance for these two to become a couple."
"Haaaah?! I didn't hear about this!" Shotaro cried out.
"You're starting to become like Aki-chan." Philip sighed, "Then again, you and Kuromu are similar in one fact."
"Don't you dare say it!"
Koji, Rika, Judai, Jun, and Rex looked at each other with confusion or surprise.
"Shotaro got a lady friend?" The mutt asked.
"First I've heard of it." Judai shrugged.
"Philip?" Shotaro growled.
"Both of you have trouble with women." Philip chuckled.
"Oi!" Shotaro snapped.
"He's not wrong… for me at least." Kuromu admitted, scratching the back of his head, looking away while gazing at the sunrise, with a tilt of his head. "I'm not gonna deny it. It's something that I need to work on." He then looked back at the Obelisk Queen with a soft smile. "And what better way to fix that problem than being around Asuka."
"Hey now, don't count your chickens, remember?" Asuka reminded him.
"Right, my bad." Kuromu chuckled. "Still, I'm not so sure about Shotaro-san not having trouble with Tokime-san."
"Hey now!"
"Tokime?" Asuka, Judai, Rex, Jun, Koji, and Rika all parroted, though the others were more hush-hush about their question.
"No one important right now!" Shotaro cried out, frantically waving his arms, flailing about. "Come on, we have a Duel to finish, don't we?!" He said, trying to get them to focus back.
"Uh, okay then." Kuromu chuckled before returning his gaze towards the Duel. "So Asuka, anything else from you?"
"I'll set my last card face-down. Ta-n shuuryou." Asuka said, as she placed her last card down.
"Then comes mine. O-re no ta-n! Draw!" Kuromu declared, drawing his next card to increase his hand to five before looking to Asuka's field, then back to his hand. "First I activate Pot of Greed to draw two extra cards!" He said, playing the card and drawing the two cards to increase his hand to six. "Then I activate my last Final Henshin!"
"One more Final Form." Asuka muttered, "And it's his ace."
"This allows me to upgrade Kamen Rider W to his final form!"
*WHOOOOOOT! WHOOOT! ERRR-EEEEE!*
Everyone looked up to see the large silver and gold and black bird-like Memory fly in and head towards W.
*WHOOOOOOT! WHOOOT! ERRR-EEEEE! FERRRRRWEEEEE!*
The Double Driver buckle straightened and energy streams from the Cyclone and Joker Memories shot skyward, connecting with the Extreme Memory. It flew downward and connected with the Double Driver before spreading apart revealing an 'X' emblem.
XTREME!
The silver stripe going down Double's body lit up as holographic numbers and letters gathered towards the Rider which then W used his hands to pull apart the line of light in between his body and expanded said line into a wide iridescent band. All of this while the epic music played.
"Henshin Shōkan! Kamen Rider W - Xtreme Form (8/ATK: 2900/DEF: 2400)!"
"Feels fitting that Kuromu uses his last one on W." Misawa observed.
"Of course it is, it's his ace after all." Judai remarked.
"Alright Shotaro-san, Phillip-san, time to work your magic!" The Rider Duelist declared as he discarded a card, leaving his hand at four. "I activate Kamen Rider W - Xtreme Form's first effect! By discarding a card, I can target a Level 5 or higher monster you control; halve that monster's ATK, and then add it to him! So say goodbye to half of Cyber Angel - Vishnu's ATK!"
Suddenly, the queen of the Cyber Angels felt her power get sliced in two by the incoming wind storm.
Cyber Angel - Vishnu (ATK: 3000-1500)
Kamen Rider W - Xtreme Form (ATK: 2900-4400)
"Battle! Kamen Rider W - Xtreme Form attacks Cyber Angel - Vishnu! Double Xtreme!"
W quickly closed and reopened the Xtreme Memory, activating its finisher as the turbine spun.
XTREME: MAXIMUM DRIVE!
The combined two-in-one Rider started floating upward, a wind gathering around them, but then a strange thing happened as the turbine spun faster than normal, the wind picking up speed as the iridescent white on Double started glowing golden.
"Holy crap! These winds are insane!" Judai gasped as everyone could feel that power.
"Uhhhhh… you guys, what's going on?!" Kuromu called out to W.
"We're using an old trick we picked up from our old adventure." Shotaro explained. Soon, the white that was in between the green and black sides of W turned gold. Not only that, he sprouted ribbon-like wings out of his back. In a way, it gave W the same powerful aura many of the ace monster's strongest forms took on.
"Behold our evolved form. CycloneJokerGoldExtreme." Philip said.
"Wow…" Asuka and Kuromu muttered.
"Shotaro, let's do this." Philip said.
"Aa! Time to bring her down!" Shotaro said, before W dived down. "Golden Xtreme!"
The evolved two-in-one Rider quickly landed his Rider Kick on Vishnu, shattering her and leaving heavy winds to hit Asuka.
Kuromu: 2800
Asuka: 2900
"Wow, now it's only a 100 point difference." Sho realized.
"It's anyone's game at this point." Rika added.
"Then Kuro better pull a clincher next turn." Koji said.
"Ta-n endo." Kuromu concluded.
"Not bad Kuromu." Asuka chuckled.
"It's down to the wire, Asuka." Kuromu smirked. "I can't afford to lose this Duel after all."
"Then let's see if I can pull off a win. Watashi no ta-n! Draw!" Asuka soon drew her lone card. "I play my own Pot of Greed to draw two cards." She said, before drawing them. "This will do." She smirked.
"Uh-oh, she's got something planned." Momoe said.
"Whatever it is, Kuro better brace himself." Junko added. "She's not called the Obelisk Queen for nothing."
"I activate Double Magic! By discarding a Spell Card in my hand, I can choose a Spell Card in your Graveyard and use it as my own." Asuka said, before discarding the Spell card. "I use your Treasure Cards from the Heavens!"
"Crap!" Kuromu panicked as he and Asuka gained six cards.
"Now, I activate my final Machine Angel Ritual to sacrifice my second copy of Etoile Cyber and Blade Skater!" She declared.
Kuromu stepped back, it looks like the Obelisk Queen was summoning her ace as well.
"Skater of the digital realm, be reborn as an angel flying under the stars!"
Soon, the two components flew into the altar as the pillar of flames erupted. What emerged from the flames was the upgraded Cyber Blader.
"Ritual Summon! Cyber Angel Blader - Konohana (8/ATK: 2100/DEF: 800)!"
"Not to be that guy, but Konohana is weaker than W." Jun pointed out.
"I'm sure she has something planned." Fubuki added.
"Now I activate my face-down! Call of the Living Dead! This brings back one of my monsters back from the Graveyard and I choose… Cyber Angel - Vishnu!"
Suddenly, the queen of the Cyber Angels reappeared on her side of the field. (10/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2000)
"She's back again." Annette said.
"This doesn't look good…" Philip muttered.
"Relax, we got this." Shotaro said. "What's the worst that could happen?"
"Shotaro… don't tell me you just jinxed it?" Kuromu reminded him, already prepared for what was coming.
"He sure did. Because I activate this. Forbidden Holy Scriptures! During the Battle Phase, all other card effects on the field are negated until the end of the Damage Step, and damage calculation for this battle uses each monster's original ATK and DEF."
"Crap. That's like Nerokius' negate." Rex realized.
As the scroll opened, a flash of light opened and shined on W.
"Gahhh, too bright! Too bright!"
W afterwards felt GoldExtreme leave him.
"Battle! Cyber Angel - Vishnu attacks Kamen Rider W - Xtreme Form! Ascension Burst!"
Kamen Rider W - Xtreme Form (ATK: 4400-2900)
The two-in-one Rider soon felt Vishnu's wrath as she vaporized him with her beams of light.
Kuromu: 2700
Asuka: 2900
"Now Cyber Angel Blader - Konohana will attack you directly!"
Kuromu quickly took a step back before getting hit with several spinning roundhouse kicks.
Kuromu: 600
Asuka: 2900
"Ta-n shuuryou." Asuka smirked in satisfaction.
"Oh man, this is nerve wracking…" Rika whimpered in frustration at the suspense.
"Yeah, no kidding. This is anyone's game." Kyoshiro said, before looking towards Yukina, "Are you alright, Yukina? You've been quiet this whole Duel." He said, prompting everyone to look at the Kururugi matriarch. Indeed, she had been mostly studying this Duel without any kind of commentary. "Yukina? Yukina-cha~n~" He said, waving his hand in front of her face.
"A-Ara?" Yukina snapped out of it. "Doushita, anata?"
"You've been quiet the whole time. Everything alright?" Kyoshiro tilted his head.
"Oh, s-sorry. I was just…" Yukina didn't know how to explain it.
"Just what?" Rika looked at the matriarch with slight worry.
Kyoshiro smiled before giving his wife a nod, "I get it. Don't worry, I'm worried about him too."
As Kuromu looked at the field, he knew he had to pull out some kind of win. He needed to. It was his last chance. He then looked at his hand of six cards. The cards he needed weren't there. Two of Asuka's strongest monsters stared him down. He has no face-downs, and no monsters. The only hope he ever has of winning, was summoning them. One of them being the key to his victory. Everything rests on this last turn.
"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…" Kuromu breathed slowly to calm his nerves and racing heart. He knows he can do this. Everything he had been through, every Duel he's fought, the wins and losses that shaped him this year, all led up to this moment. "Asuka…"
"Hm?"
"This turn will decide whether or not we'll be together." Kuromu trailed off. "I don't want to lose everything we've gained thus far. You and I have been through so much, and…" He trailed off, feeling silent. "No matter what happens… win or lose… I'll always love you…"
"I know…" she said as, to Kuromu's surprise, it seemed like she was worried too.
"Asuka… were you… hoping for me to win?" Kuromu asked, much to the others' surprise.
"W-What?! No, I'm not thinking of throwing! That would be unfair to you!" Asuka stammered. "It's just…"
"Asuka…?"
"I know that you want to do this because you want to be my equal. But the truth is that you've always been my equal. You never needed this Duel to prove that." The Obelisk Queen admitted.
This floored Kuromu.
"Is she serious?" Annette looked at Junko, Momoe, and Rika in surprise.
"Kuro's basically won her over this whole time." Rex guessed.
"But this Duel can't end like this," Judai said. "It's gotta have a finish,"
Meanwhile, Kuromu was left speechless. "Asuka… you…"
Asuka smiled sadly, "Somewhere along the way… I don't know where, but someway, somehow… I've also fallen in love with you."
Koji, Rex, Judai, and Jun all had to keep their hands on Rika's mouth to avoid her squealing from giving them away.
"Still… This Duel needs to have a conclusion." Asuka said.
Kuromu took this time to snap out of his stupor and calm himself, "Yeah… yeah, you're right, so let's see if I can pull it off. O-re no ta-n! Draw!" Kuromu declared, drawing his seventh card. "Alright, it's all or nothing on this turn! I activate the effect of the three Final Henshin cards in my Graveyard! I shuffle them back into the Deck and draw a card. Since there's three, I draw three!"
The cards came out of the compartment, then he shuffled them back into his Deck. He then placed his two fingers on the top card. 'Please… give me what I need…' He thought.
*WOOSH! WOOSH! WOOSH!*
Kuromu drew his three cards, increasing his hand to ten. When he looked at them, his eyes lit up. The Obelisk Queen knew what was up, after seeing that expression show up so many times through the year.
"I… I got it." Kuromu said, stunned, trying hard to not break down. But then he started laughing out loud and crying, throwing his head back in laughter, while covering his eyes with his hand. "I can't believe that I got it! Hahahahahahahahahahaha!"
Asuka smiled as she prepared herself for Kuromu's upcoming turn.
"And here I thought I laugh crazy when I win," Rex chuckled as the Rider Duelist uncovered his eyes and looked back at Asuka with a wide smile.
"Get ready, Asuka! I'm fulfilling that promise right now! First I summon Kamen Rider Wizard in ATK mode!"
Asuka realized what, or who, he just drew.
SHABADOOBIE, TOUCH TO HENSHIN! SHABADOOBIE, TOUCH TO HENSHIN!
FLAME! PLEASE! HII! HII! HII, HII, HII!
The magic rune soon appeared as the ring Wizard appeared (4/ATK: 1700/DEF: 1100).
"Kuromu? What-" Wizard then looked towards him and Asuka, putting two and two together. "It's finally happening, isn't it."
"Yeah, I've drawn my Final Hope, Haruto-san!" Kuromu smiled wider. "So please, make way for her!"
"Got it!" Wizard declared as he disappeared and Kuromu began to chant.
"Mage of unspoken magic, unleash the power of the arcane arts and render your foes speechless with awe and splendor!"
Wizard then changed into motes of blue light, which then formed a magic circle, and stepping out of it was the mature silver-haired female mage, staff at the ready.
"Mystify, Magician of Silence - Silent Magician (4/ATK: 1000/DEF: 1000)!"
"Apprentice?" Shizuka said, before looking at the situation and gasped softly, "Is this?"
"Hai, it is Shizuka-sensei." Kuromu nodded. "I'm fulfilling that promise. I've won Asuka's heart."
That made the silent mage smile with pride. This was a moment she was waiting for since she had become Asuka's ace monster after serving the Duel King, and later was passed down to Kuromu.
At the same time, Sho began counting, to his fellow Osiris dormmates' surprise.
"Whatcha doin' there, bud?" Judai asked.
"Silent Magician gains 500 ATK for each card in Kuromu's hand… look how many he has!"
Rex's eyes widened, "He has eight cards…"
"That's a 4000 Point boost to her attack!" That outburst from the Elemental HERO Duelist was thankfully quelled by Jun and Sho before it could get loud enough to alert the pair.
"And if she attacks Konohana, then regardless of her effect-" Jun started as the implication dawned on him and everyone else.
"Exact game." Sho finished.
"Magician of Silence - Silent Magician's effect activates!" Kuromu declared with gusto, a boost of extra determination filling his soul. "She gains 500 ATK for each card in my hand! I'm holding eight! Meaning!"
Asuka gasped, "It can't be!"
"This Duel is over! Silent Magician can pick up where she left off two years ago!" Kuromu said, as the silver-haired magician powered up, glowing a blue aura.
Magician of Silence - Silent Magician (ATK: 1000-5000)
"Battle! Magician of Silence - Silent Magician attacks Cyber Angel Blader - Konohana!"
With determination, Shizuka prepared her attack, leading Konohana to try and dash in to stop the incoming spell. Yet it was too late.
"SILENT BURN!"
An orb of blue energy formed from her staff before it enlarged, to which she pulled her arm back and threw the ball of energy across the Field and towards Konohana and Asuka.
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*
Everyone protected themselves from the explosion that occurred. Smoke billowing from the impact. Moments later, when the dust finally settled, Asuka stood there with a smile on her face.
Kuromu: 600
Asuka: 0
As the Solid Vision dissipated, Kuromu couldn't believe what just happened. He… actually defeated Asuka in a Duel. He had won. Asuka couldn't help but shake her head with the same smile on her face.
"It was a close one, but… you did it." Asuka said, approaching the boy. "You've won against me."
"I… yeah, I did." Kuromu got out.
"And about time too. I was starting to get tired of waiting." Asuka joked.
"Sho, shield your eyes!" Rex yelped in a hushed tone, covering the Roid Duelist's eyes.
"Rex, I can't see…!" Sho cried out.
"Good!" Both the mutt and surprisingly Ryo said in unison.
Asuka then leaned in, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissed Kuromu on the lips lovingly, shocking the Rider Duelist. This couldn't be real! This was impossible! But it's happening to him. Asuka was kissing him!
Her lips were so soft, and the way it gently meshed with his own, made his chest feel light. Her mouth parted his lips, sending tremors along his nerves, evoking sensations he had never known he was capable of feeling. And before long, he knew that he was kissing her back. Moments later, they gently parted.
"I love you, Kuromu…" Asuka smiled.
"Asuka…" Kuromu muttered, before smiling and leaning in to kiss Asuka again, but this time with more passion and vigor to which the Obelisk Queen reciprocated.
After what seemed like an eternity, they parted their lips, their foreheads pressed together as Kuromu held Asuka's face tenderly, as their eyes were half-way open.
"I'll do everything to make you happy…" he promised.
"Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…" Rika squealed softly, shaking the poor, currently speechless disco boy.
"Sistah, take a chill pill. I know you're happy. I am too. But please stop shakin' me…!" Koji pleaded.
"Ara… they did it." Yukina smiled happily, head tilted with hands together.
Kyoshiro couldn't help but smile as well, 'At least we know Kuromu will be taken care of if we ever vanish…' he thought to himself.
"Well whaddya know?" Ryo smirked with arms crossed.
"Yes… their love has finally come to fruition." Misawa agreed with a smirk of his own.
Jun couldn't help but look proud at Kuromu. He then ended up pulling Annette closer to him, wanting to make the same promise to her.
"Kyaa, they're a couple now." Junko and Momoe gushed.
"Yes they are, now let's leave the lovebirds alone." Yukina said, gesturing to them to move the group along and away. "Go on. Shoo shoo."
"It's my nap anyways," Rex said before letting out a yawn, "Night, ni-" he was caught off-guard by a tickle in his nose. "Ah… ah…"
Judai then managed to bring a finger to his nostrils to stop the sneeze, much to everyone's relief…
…
…
…
"AAAAACHOO!"
Kuromu and Asuka flinched and heard the sneeze. They looked to see everyone trying to sneak away. The moment they did, Kuromu looked embarrassed as he blushed heavily while shouting, "WHAT ARE YOU ALL DOING?!"
"Gotta run!" Rex yelped as he made a mad dash for his life, using his new boosted speed to good use.
"H-Hey, wait for us!" Judai gasped before he, Sho, Jun, and Annette ran after the mutt.
"Oh, would you look at the time! I need to pack up my belongings!" Misawa yelped.
"Yeah, I'm needed uh… anywhere but here!" Fubuki agreed before the two made a break for it as well.
"Least it's not just us, right-" Koji blinked and saw that Ryo, Junko, Momoe, and both of Kuromu's parents were gone too, leaving him, and Rika alone to face their friends' wrath.
"Koji… Rika…"
*C-R-R-R-R-ACK! C-R-R-R-R-ACK!*
Koji and Rika flinched as they ratcheted their bodies and looked to see a furious Kuromu standing in front of them, while Asuka stood by his side with a similarly vengeful expression.
"U-Uh, K-Kuro? There's a perfectly good explanation for all this!" The disco fan panicked.
"Hoho~? An explanation he says," Kuromu said to the Obelisk Queen, disturbingly calm.
"L-Look, Rika dragged me into this! I-I'm innocent!" Koji wailed.
"Traitor!" Rika cried out.
*SNAP!*
The two clung onto each other for dear life as the new couple flashed a predatory grin.
"Omaetachi…" Kuromu growled.
Koji soon whimpered, "Momma…"
"TEN! BATSU! DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
"HAVE MERCYYYYYYYYYY!"