Chapter Text
“You’ve put up a good fight, Asaka. Don’t blame yourself. You found yourself up against destiny, after all. Now, Dark Matter Galaxy Dragon, bury her Maximum! Starlight Erasure!”
Yuamu watched as the roar of stardust overtook Asaka’s monster before enveloping the girl herself. The sound of grit teeth giving way to a shriek of anguish ushered the dissolution of the holograms as Asaka’s LP dropped to 0.
“Now then, after so long... Monster Reborn.” A surge of an unknown emotion flooded Yuamu. With every clangorous step she took towards the downed girl, it felt as though her own absolution and goal were coming closer. It was as though she – as though Otes – was but moments away from finally coming to life.
She grabbed Asaka’s duel disk and thumbed through the graveyard. As she began to withdraw the green card that had become, to her, such a potent object of obsession, she felt her hand pull bank with nothing but a speck of ash between her fingers.
“Oyo? What’s this?”
With a shake of the disk, the crumbling, ashen form of Monster Reborn tumbled to the ground. Slow waves of orange lightning crested over the card, leaving black ash in their trail to be scattered by the winds.
“I knew... I knew having only one copy of Monster Reborn would mean it was over for us if you could defeat me. And I knew that printing more copies of the card would only further risk one falling into your hands.”
Asaka rose to her feet as Yuamu’s mind raced to keep up with what the girl was suggesting.
“The card printer... it’s a finicky machine.”
Finally, Yuamu smiled before tapping the side of her glasses. “You really have managed to surprise me, Asaka. In none of my calculations did I ever expect you to take any path but that of martyrdom.”
“Hmmph. Maybe so, if I had been the one to fall to the realm of Dark Matter...”
Yuamu ignored her as she connected with Valvelgear. “CPT. I need you to relay a message to the others. Asaka has made copies of Monster Reborn. No doubt she’s given these copies to strong duellists throughout Mutsuba Town. I trust Yuhi and Zwijo to be able to identify these duellists, however, for the others I need you to send the ID info and Duellist profiles of...”
***
“So we were only able to print 8 copies, in the end.”
Asaka tightened her fist into a ball as she surveyed the skies above Mutsuba town, anxious for some sign of the coming invasion.
“Monster Reborn is a particularly thirsty card when it comes to resources. Frankly, it’s a miracle we were able to squeeze out as many as 8 copies – even unstable copies such as these – without drawing the attention of Goha Yuna.”
A shiver of pain passed through Asaka. Yuna... The card printer was operated and managed by Mutsuba Heavy Industries but any expenses and orders for parts and ink required the authorization of Goha Company. If only it were so easy as to ask for her help... if only she could trust that Yuna wouldn’t...
***
“The Darkman Zwijo, reporting in. I have located two priority targets in The Luge and Zaion. Preparing to engage.”
“Grrr, that Zwijo... thinks he can do better than me... The Darkman Yuhi, reporting in! I have located the priority target Ryugu Phaser! Preparing to engage.”
A smile crept to Yuamu’s face as she listened to the radio chatter. She raised her finger to her Gavel Charger before pausing. Twice now she had let Asaka gain the best of her. It would be foolish to think she could turn the tide of their game without any change of strategy.
“CPT, change earpiece broadcast from call to speaker.”
Yuamu turned to see Asaka’s face as the girl struggled to her feet on the ground of the echoing rooftop. With all the effort of grabbing an empty mug off a nearby table, Yuamu reached for the underside of the girl’s chin and held her face tight.
“Zwijo, proceed with engagement of The Luge and Zaion. Yuhi, proceed with engagement of Ryugu Phaser.”
A shock ran across Asaka’s face as she recognized what Yuamu was doing. Her neck writhed and her limbs squirmed as she tried to free herself, while her face twisted and contorted through various shapes and feigned emotions. Yuamu couldn’t help but to give a sing-song laugh in response. She took a seat, cross-legged on the rooftop as she focused herself on Asaka’s face.
“You know, Asaka, I don’t know if you and I ever had the chance to be friends. Each of us locked away in our prospective towers, working diligently for the sake of some family legacy. Perhaps the blame falls on my shoulders. After all, you’ve opened up and shared some secrets of the complicated love life between yourself, Yuna, and Yuga. Why don’t I return the favour?”
Asaka relaxed ever so slightly, with her gaze narrowing to meet Yuamu. Yuamu felt her grin expand, satisfied to have hooked her opponent’s curiosity.
“The truth is, Yuga knew about your feelings the whole time. Yuna’s too. I’ll allow you to speculate as to his silence.”
The frame of Asaka’s face stiffened in Yuamu’s hand, and she saw as the purple eyes before her took on a glassy shade.
“It’s all thanks to Monster Reborn. I was given all of Yuga’s memories to witness firsthand.” She didn’t think Asaka needed any explanation, but she would need to practice her villainous gloating if she wished to step into the role of Otes. “I must say, Asaka, you have a terrible poker face.”
“The Darkman Sabyuas, reporting in! Priority target Kawai Tell located. Prepared to engage!”
What was that expression on Asaka’s face just now? A little shock, but no definitive secret. Oh well.
“Proceed with engagement of Kawai Tell, Sabyuas.”
Yuamu let out a sigh as she felt Asaka struggle against her. Tightening her grip on the girl’s face felt like an act of formality that had been rudely requested of her.
“You know, this could all just end if you told me where the real Monster Reborn was, Asaka.”
Silence.
“The Darkman Bluayre, reporting in, Mama! I have located a high-priority Mama, Energy Copyko. Prepared to engage!”
No reaction from Asaka this time. So she thought she may in fact be able to bluff her way through this...
“Proceed with engagement of Energy Copyko, Bluayre.”
A moment of further silence passed. Yuamu began to turn her wrist in order to examine Asaka from a different set of angles.
“Heh... and how sure are you that you’re not wasting your time? For all you know, the real copy of Monster Reborn is still locked away safe underground?” Asaka’s eyes retained their stain of dim glass as she narrowed her brow and spat the taunt out towards Yuamu.
“Oh my, Asaka, just where is your sense of sportsmanship? We only just concluded a Rush Duel and you’re already insulting my intelligence.”
If it was a game of bluffing Asaka wanted, Yuamu was happy to meet her there, returning every plea and feint the girl could throw her way with an innocent, inevitable smile.
“The Darkman Zeyet, osh! I have located the high-priority target Rovian Kirishima! Prepared to engage!”
She felt Asaka’s face tremble slightly in her hand. A shimmer of light passed across her eyes before a forceful blink. When Asaka opened her eyes, she turned her gaze to the side, refusing to meet Yuamu’s eyeline.
“Oh, what have we here? Zeyet, proceed with engagement.”
With her free hand, Yuamu reached for her earbud and messaged for CPT.
“CPT, change the earbud back to call mode. Speaker function won’t be necessary any further.”
Yuamu loosened her grip around Asaka’s face. As she began to do so, an instinctive sigh escaped from the Mutsuba president. Yuamu engaged her Gavel Charger before taking to the skies. “Now, to find Rovian, and Monster Reborn.”
Yuamu descended and then waited a moment as she clung to the wall of the tower, still under construction. She then engaged the Charger’s stealth function to quiet the engines and slowly ascend around the corner of the rooftop. She was able to spy as Asaka picked herself up to her feet and turned her attention towards a certain building.
And even after Yuamu had gone to the trouble of telling her she had such a bad poker face...