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"What's wrong? Surely your heart is strong enough to fight isn't it?" Before Ari could even react to Zekrom's taunt, the legendary had already shot a bright, blinding blue orb of electricity at him. Hurrying to dodge it, the Litleo took a page from Kazo's book and leapt to the side in an impressive swan dive...and then bashed his face against the ground. "Ugh, maybe I'll leave that to the ground types from now on..." the cub rubbed his nose. At least he got out of the way in time. Zekrom wasn't satisfied with just that attack. A fearsome roar split the air, louder even than the one his father made that one time defending him against the Mightyena in the Donphan graveyard. Still, Ari was a lion. He wouldn't let a roar shake him. Lions had made roars what they were, and no dragon, not even a legendary, would bring him down like that. "Your roar doesn't scare me!" Ari shouted back, opening his mouth to release his own Noble Roar. It was...not very impressive. But it was something. -- The Sylveon had managed to stabilize his aim, and blast the Carvanha away. Wiping at his brow, he frowned when it came back smelling of salt. "I didn't think that would've caused me to break a sweat, but..." his face turned thunderous as he remembered. "Oh. That Brine attack. What a boorish move." Water types might just end up moving right behind poison and steel types for his "least favorite type to fight." Especially after this. Hiking up his skirt and gingerly feeling his leg, the fairy type frowned as it came away covered in blood. "I might need to do something about that soon. But that can wait." At the moment, there was something more pressing that needed his attention. The Water Pulse he could see heading toward Dora. Gritting his teeth, the Sylveon ran forward, sliding to a stop in front of the Wooper. He then activated the move that he usually never used, except against strong opponents. He didn't even have to think twice about using it. Immediately, a glowing pink shield appeared between him, Dora, and the oncoming Water Pulse. -- BGM "This is a mess," Keanu stared out at the port city, his usual lidded eyes slightly wider than usual. "Come back from training with Puka to find my hometown like this. Is this what happens when I'm away for a while? Can't do anything without me?" he shook his head. "Terrible." Despite his lighthearted words, his actual heart was beating a mile a minute. The screaming coming from down below weren't the playful screams of people swimming in the water, or the wild screams from tests of courage, but terrified, despairing screams coming from people who knew they were about to die. The Pikachu ran a hand through his hair in agitation. "What do I even do? I'm not a fighter. Sure, if you need somebody to surf the waves, I'm your bruddah, but..." he bit his lip. "I dunno." Still, that was a thought. He wasn't any good at fighting, but speed, that was something. He was good at it, at running away. That might actually be my best bet here. From what he could see, there were choke, or a vast amount of gijinka headed toward the docks, where various watercraft were waiting for them. With any luck, he could slip among them. If he did it though, he'd have to be quick about it. Whatever was causing this was already in the city. But I'm not, he thought. I could just turn around now, and avoid this altogether. It was tempting, so so tempting, but he also had family down there. Ohana. Gritting his teeth, the Pikachu took the plunge, and ran into the city. It was to his advantage that he was light on his feet. With his sensitive hearing, speed, and careful use of Substitute, he was able to avoid actually having to come face to face with these...well, from what he was hearing being screamed, "Beasts." Just gotta find my folks and my little braddah, and then we can go. Not much farther to our house. Continuing to run, Keanu glanced from side to side periodically. He never saw the Beasts, but he did hear them fighting sometimes, and saw the results of that as well. Injured gijinka lying alongside other gijinka that stared sightlessly up at the blue sky above. He recognized some of them, too. There was Old Man Ernest the fisherman. He used to be quite the fisher in his days, but nowadays he didn't get much more than the odd sea bass or two. Still, once, Keanu had saw him bring back an entire marlin skeleton, the actual meat long since been eaten by sharks. Now, Ernest wouldn't be much more than fish bait himself. To the side, wasn't that Moana? She was always talking about taking a boat out to sea, even though her father didn't approve. Now she would never be able to do that. And there was Akoni. He was usually only here during the summer, but he was a bright and cheerful boy. With every familiar face he saw, Keanu's heart sank. He wondered, if maybe, he would see more faces he recognized, and if the next ones would be-- No, I can't think that way. He shook his head. Just gotta make it to the house. Still, he had a ways to go. Their house was actually right on the beach, not too far from the port either. At the moment, he was still running down the main street, the ocean in view, but still too far away. And it was here, still so far, that he saw them. "Mom? Dad?" he shouted in disbelief. "Li'l Brah? What're you doing here?" Why weren't they trying to escape with the others? Why were they standing there? And why, by all that was sacred, were they covered in injuries? The three turned their heads in unison. "Keanu!" his mother, an Alolan Raichu, shouted, tearing up. "I'm so glad to see you're safe, dear." His father, a Lapras, nodded at him, "Me too. Though I am sorry our reunion had to be like this." "Heh, late as usual," his Lapras brother shook his head. "How come I'm not surprised?" "And you're just as sassy as usual," Keanu bopped the other on the head. "Ten years since I've seen you, and you haven't changed a bit." No, that was a lie. His brother had originally looked pretty lanky like Keanu, but he had since filled out. His shoulders had broadened, and his build had turned into that of a wrestler, his arms bulging with muscles. "An den? Wassup?" "Well, I've gotten into wrestling, ya see. There's this one gijinka I'm looking forward to facing sometime. He's not been in the scene for very long, but he's pretty good. He's an Incineroar Heel and his name's--" "Kay, kay," Keanu waved his hands. "I see you're just as much of a fighting freak as ever." "And you're probably just as much of a surfing freak." "Ehh, ya got me there." The electric type grinned. "While this is very heartwarming and all, we need to be on guard against the Beasts." "Oh yeah!" Keanu jerked his head up. "You didn't answer me before. Why are you all here?" They all looked at each other. "Now, dear, don't be too angry," his mother said. "We decided to stand and fight against the Beasts!" his brother forged ahead. The Pikachu's eyes felt as if they'd pop out of their sockets. "You what?!" "Originally, it was just going to be me," his mother explained apologetically. "You know I used to be quite the fighter back in my days. None of those thugs from the Skull could touch me. But your father here," at this, she turned to smile lovingly at her husband, "couldn't let me go alone, and then Kai decided to come with." "And you let him?! Wait, no, why don't you guys just run away? I saw a bunch of gijinka headed toward the docks. You can still make it!" Keanu's voice had gone a pitch higher. BGM "Keanu," his father grasped his shoulders firmly, staring into his eyes. "You know why. Most of the people here, they can't fight. Well, I can't fight very well either, but my wife can." He sighed. "Still, we have to do what we have to do." "No, you don't, you're just idiots," Keanu spat. "Buncha lolo buggahs." "Keanu!" "If you want to throw your lives away," the Pikachu shouted, turning away, "then go ahead and do it! But I'm not. I'm gonna make for the docks, leave, and live. That's the akamai, or smart thing to do." "Stupid braddah," Kai got into his face. "That's where you're wrong. It's not always about what's the smart thing to do, innit? It's about going with your gut, even if it's not akamai. That's what Sol Mask said once." "This isn't your lolo wrestling ring!" The electric type exploded. "This is life and death. Did you know? I saw Lilo and Mertle on the way here. Both of them dead. And that's what's gonna happen to you bumbye if you stick around any longer!" Dead silence. I went too far. But, maybe, he didn't? He had to let his brother know that fighting wasn't all dreams and heroics. It's been ten years, but he still hasn't grown past those childhood ideals, has he? There wasn't much he could do about his parents. They were adults, older and wiser than him, and they knew exactly what they were giving up. But his brother wasn't even of age, and still had so much left to do. Keanu had never been more furious with his parents than he was at this moment. Why didn't they stop him? By the Tapu, even hogtieing him and tossing him on one of the boats would've been more humane than this. BGM He didn't know what they would've said in response. He saw his brother screwing up his face and opening his mouth, but in the next second, a large explosion rocked the group. Thrown off his feet, Keanu rolled and sat up, blinking stars away from his eyes. His parents and brother were already on their feet and running past him. Soon, he could hear them shouting, along with the sounds of fighting. "It's been a long time, but I haven't quite lost my edge!" That was his mother. "Urgh! I'll show you...how a man of the sea fights." That was his father. "A true fighter never backs down!" That was Kai. His little brother. More screaming. It sounded like the crowd, that he'd managed to stay one step ahead of, was right behind him, and his family was caught up in that mess. If Keanu wanted to make it to the boats on time, he had to leave. There was no more time to be had convincing his family. They had made their choice, and he had made his. Still, he looked back, even as he was running. He almost stopped after seeing what was behind him, but he continued to run. His father was the first to go down. He had thrown himself in the way of an attack meant for his mother. The woman, screaming with anguish and rage, threw herself at something he couldn't see from this angle. Probably one of those Beasts. She went down, and didn't get back up. "Mom! Dad!" Kai shouted, firing off a Hydro Pump. The Lapras caught sight of Keanu's running form, shooting him a wild-eyed grin and wave before returning his attention to his opponent...or multiple opponents. Keanu was too far away to tell now. As he rounded the corner of a building, he glanced back one more time. For some reason, he could see through his brother. No, he could see through the gaping cavity in his body where once a perfectly fine and healthy chest had been. Now, it was gone, along with the rest of his upper torso. The Pikachu froze, watching his baby brother go down in a spray of blood. BGM He wasn't sure if he screamed after that. He thinks he might have. Another explosion shot him off his feet, but he quickly got back up and continued to run, not looking back the whole time. He had to make it to the boats. He just had to. There was no time. If he wanted to survive, wanted to live, then he had to continue to run. But it was difficult. He wanted to stop, he wanted to just stop and lie down, give up. He was tired. It'd been a while since he had had a good nap, and he really did need one after today. After...everything. It was difficult to see too. For some reason, his surroundings were blurred. Probably because he was going so fast. There wasn't any other thing it could be. His eyes burned, which was probably also because of his speed. His cheeks were wet, but it might've just started to rain. That would be fitting. Keanu's throat hurt, but he continued to run, and scream. Until his voice died, and he regained some semblance of control. He couldn't afford to think too much about what just happened. No, that was a luxury he just didn't have. The docks were just in front of him, and there were even boats still moored there. But at this rate, he wouldn't be fast enough. So he did what he did best. Summoned a wave, and let it take him onward. And when that wasn't enough, he ran. As long as he could keep moving, his grief would trail behind him like seaweed. And if he stopped, he knew that it would catch up to him as well, entangling his limbs in the dark, clingy mess of it. So he didn't stop. He had never stopped running. Not until today. I have to get up. I've outrun death so far. I can fight it off now. I can't die yet. Not when I...finally know why. Why you didn't run away, but...stayed and fought. Oh, I hear a voice...that Godslayer... "I...battle. Now...execution. Recover...strength. Next time...fight...me. Meet...death...quickly..." And then silence. Now, there was no trace of him, or his terrifying presence. Keanu opened his eyes. It was time to rise up.

People have sent this to me, so I figured I'd share it with all of you in case you haven't seen it yet! Really cool!

Link could hear hoofbeats from the house, and the sound of voices, though they were too quiet to discern what was being said. That had to be Ciela and her horse though. Or possibly the town guard’s horse? She had been on the back of a sturdy looking beast when he had met her. Still. What if it was someone else? Caution never hurt anyone, so he put a bit more pep in his step as they traveled back towards the house. The badger stopped to taste the air and then waddled faster too. Maybe he smelled something he didn’t like. Placing his hand on the hilt of his sword, Link broke into a trot, sense of dread rising in the pit of his stomach. Rohns, seemingly done pouting, chased after him. “Rryip!” The wolf cub barked. His small limbs struggled to keep pace with the soldier; Link was just short of a full-tilt sprint by the time he rounded the corner of the house. “. . . .” It was Ciela and Licorice. They were headed off toward the center of town. Link sighed, letting go of his sword and looking behind him for Rohns and the badger. The human-badger was still a couple dozen yards away. Rohns, however, finally caught up to the soldier now that he had stopped running. “False alar--hrngh!” Link snapped his mouth shut hard enough that it hurt his teeth, swallowing a cry of pain; Rohns had attacked his ankle. “. . . !” He kicked the cub off him, and spun around when the wolf tried to pounce again, circling to youth at his twelve. “Rryip!” If Link didn’t know better he would have thought the wolf was grinning. It was a game to him.

Sure! I have to admit, I was never super good at praying -- that's just one of the problems of people saying you don't have a soul -- but I can definitely try. It can't hurt, can it? *Ahem* OH, Saint James the Apostle, Patron of Laborers, I ask you now for an intercession on behalf of my friend who I only know by the internet handle MetalSonic but love and respect all the same I ask that you and our Father above you help and guide MetalSonic as they seek the job they desire And bless them on any endeavors they embark on in the future If they encounter obstacles, guide them through And let them revel in their successes In our Lord Jesus' name we pray, Amen I do want to stress that these are never guarantees. Prayer seldomly does things by itself. Having to do hard work to reach your goals is still going to be hard work, prayer or no prayer. But I hope you find it comforting that somebody is thinking good thoughts about you, and I really hope you get that job you're chasing.

“Joy. Another one.” “And he’s just getting started.” Yushiro replied as he stared down the newest monstrosity before him. “And I’m just getting started,” Hiraku said with a sneer. “I activate the effect of The Will of Daedalus. By detaching a material that’s a Level 5 monster, I get to destroy 2 cards on your field. So let’s get rid of those bothersome facedown cards.” “Guess I’ll just have to play these a little earlier than expected! I chain both of my set traps: Graceful Skull Dice and then Re-dyce-cle! The latter lets me bring a Speedroid tuner back from the grave, and as for the former…” As Yushiro spoke, Daiko Duke returned to the field in defense mode. “I roll a die, and the ATK of all your monsters gets decreased by 100 times the result, while the ATK of mine gets raised by an equal amount. Roll it you two!” The cherub and gremlin from graceful skull dice hefted a giant die above their heads and dropped it. It bounced across an invisible floor, spun on a corner for a moment, and landed on 5. “Nice! A delta of 500 for both sides. That means change by the way, just in case you thought you were the only one who was going to do some schooling this game.” “I need to teach you some better lines kid.” Hiraku stood there silently for a moment. His expression remained unchanged but his eyes darted from his hand to the field a few times. “Fine then. I suppose this will just be drawn out a little longer,” he said. “I’ll set one more card and end my turn. You know I was hoping this duel would be more interesting, but I’m afraid that if you can’t liven things up I might just cut it short. We do have a party to attend to, after all!” “He says, as he ends his turn. Would be a little bit more intimidating if you actually managed to do something that round.” Yushiro drew his next card, and looked at the board. For whatever reason, Hiraku had neglected to attack Den-Den Daiko Duke, leaving Yushiro with two monsters on the field this time. Misplay or not, he had to seize the opportunity. “You want action? Fine. I normal Summon Nitro Synchron, and next, I’ll activate panchingo-kart’s effect. I discard a machine-type and destroy one monster on the field. Guess who.” “Sorry, but I’m not so sure about that one,” Hiraku said with a smile. “I activate the trap card Dark Sacrifice. It negates that effect and lets me send a level 3 or lower DARK monster from my Deck to the Graveyard. I’ll be sending another Khalko.” “Great. Guess that one fizzled. Well, go-kart’s still got some usefulness in him! I tune it with Nitro Synchron for a level six synchro summon!” The familiar stars and synchro rings appeared, and out of the flash of light, Yushiro’s old ace appeared. “Place your bets everyone, because here comes Nitro Booster!” ATK: 2300 “And because I used nitro synchron to summon him, I get to draw another card.” Yushiro looked at it, then set it on the field. “And next, I’ll discard Speed Recovery from my hand to increase Nitro Booster’s ATK by 500!” ATK: 2800 “Now punch Will of Daedalus in his ugly face! Nitro Bullet Burst!” Nitro Booster gave Yushiro a thumbs up, then hit the invisible floor at top speed, gliding across the field with the wheels on his feet. The hubcaps on the top of his hands burst loose as a torrent of blue flames shot out from them, and he spun around and jumped for the monster before him, fist outstretched. The Will of Deadalus took the fist directly to the face, clutching it before shattering into a cloud of triangles. But behind him, was Hiraku’s second trap turned face up. “When you destroyed him, you let me activate Reformation of the Crucible, which lets me summon a Crucible monster from my Graveyard and draw one card. I’ll bring back Talos, Giant of the Crucible in defense position.” Hiraku then drew his card as the giant was revived into the centre of the field. “As well, when Will of Deadalus is destroyed, I get to add a Crucible monster to my hand from my Deck. So I add Kabeiriko to my hand.” DEF: 2300 “You just keep on coming, don't you? Well, enjoy Talos while he lasts, because Nitro booster’s second attack is up next! Or did you forget that my buddy here can knock out two monsters per battle phase?” “Why do you think I put him in Defense Position?” “Good call. This would hurt a lot more otherwise. Take him out Nitro Booster!” Not missing a beat, Nitro Booster landed back in front of Yushiro, and leapt up again, though this time he made a lap along the walls of Maiden hall, giving everyone present an up-close view of his polished chrome (And making sure to give Elizabeth Hall a personal thumbs-up from his duelist as he passed her) before kicking off of a support beam and landing a wicked uppercut on Talos, sending the giant flying. Talos shattered as he hit the skylight, raining smoke and virtual debris down on the field. “It may only have been for 1000 damage, but at least I put a dent in him. And it didn’t blow up in my face this time.” Yushiro wiped a bit of sweat from his brow as his synchro monster returned to his side of the field. “That’s it for me this turn. You’re up!” “And that’s your ace?” Hiraku said. “That’s all you got when I give you a chance to turn this around? Pity. Well, I guess playtime’s over.” Yushiro took a glance down at the Nitro Booster card on his duel disk, the scratches from its run-in with the pavement the other week were clearly visible. “Got a problem with my choice of monsters, do ya? You know Nitro Booster’s a heck of a lot less ugly than the freakshows you’ve got over there!” It was kind of lame, sure, but Yushiro felt the need to defend one of his favorite cards. “Oh no, no problem on my end. It’s yourself that you should be worried about. First, I Normal Summon Kabeiriko, Mount of the Crucible and activate his effect. I can send a LIGHT Crucible monster from my Deck to my grave and inflict 800 damage. I choose to send a second Talos from my Deck.” ATK: 1500 The muscle-bound demon that stood on the field with its shoulders hunched took a deep breath through its toothy maw and let out a mouthful of rancid, purple smoke in Yushiro’s direction. He choked and coughed- the stuff wasn’t entirely fake this time. LP: 7200 “Next, because I control a Crucible monster, I can summon Kuanos from my hand.” ATK: 1500 “Finally, I activate Forged in the Crucible, which lets me banish two fiend monsters from my grave for a Fusion Summon. So, let’s welcome back a dear friend who’s just -dying- to see you again! I banish one of my Talos and my Keledones from my Graveyard to fusion summon the Fury of Daedalus!” A portal opened on the ground and one by one not one, not two, but four dragon heads rose from the portal, connected to a central, four-legged eldritch body. Once the creature managed to pull itself from the portal, all four heads let out a deafening roar. ATK: 2800 “Not this thing again!” “You’ve seen it before?” “I almost lost to it last time.” “Now then! Once per turn ol’ Fury here gets to return up to four of my banished fiends and gain 800 attack for each, but while I say there’s no kill like overkill, I’m afraid it will be an underkill either way. I return my banished Khalko to my deck for Fury to gain 800 ATK until the end of your next turn.” ATK: 3600 “Now that’s how you do a stat boost! Now can you see why your Nitro isn’t enough? Actually, why not a demonstration?” It was obvious by this point that Hiraku simply enjoyed listening to himself talk. “Fury? Why don’t you teach that Nitro Booster a lesson.” One of the four heads inhaled as a ball of energy collected in its mouth, while simultaneously the humanoid body on the central mass gathered its own orb of energy. At once, both volleys of energy were unleashed in the direction of Nitro Booster, who turned around and gave Yushiro a reassuring nod before disappearing into the light. LP: 6700 “Now, I’ll let my other two monsters have their way. Kabeiriko? Take care of that stupid tuner, then Kuanos can attack directly.” One by one the monsters leapt at Yushiro, first Kabeiriko taking a flying leap attack at Den-Den Daiko Duke, then Kuanos lunging at Yushiro with a swipe. “Not so fast! Activate trap! Magical arm shield!” When the trap activated, the shield appeared on Yushiro’s left arm. As Kuanos lunged, a spring arm shot out from the shield, grabbing Kaberiko and pulling it to Yushiro’s side of the field. “Kuanos’s attack target now becomes kaberiko!” “Hey, you didn’t… you know, lock your card out, did you?” “What? No, I didn’t, but it's not even your turn, what are going to-” Soundtrack- Yushiro's Theme “Or at least, it would be! I banish Re-dyce-cle from my GY, which lets me synchro summon using a speedroid tuner I control, and a monster on my field, and guess where Kaberiko is!” Before Hiraku could answer, Kaberiko disappeared, becoming four stars surrounded by the synchro rings created by Den-Den Daiko Duke. “A little luck, and a lot of will! Carry these wishes on your shimmering wings, and slash through the skies! Synchro Summon! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!” A massive burst of light shot out from within the rings, and out of it flew the sleek, serpentine form of Yushiro’s new dragon, rivaling Fury of Daedalus in size. “What?!” Hiraku cried out, his facade finally cracking. “Where does a player like YOU get a card that rare?!” “A good friend gave it to me, and I’ve been saving it just for this match!” Clear Wing let out a roar, loud enough to make the building shake. The dragon was ready to fight, and it was then that Yushiro noticed the lack of Zetsuei’s voice in his head. He smiled; his new companion must be out on the field in a body of his own. “Now, because all of that went down while you were declaring an attack, you get yourself a replay. So whaddya say, wanna try your luck?” Hiraku looked at Yushiro stupefied, then laughed. “You really think one disturbed battle is going to be enough? Fine, whatever. I can just end you next turn. You’ve got one card in your hand and a monster too weak to destroy mine. I’ll set one card and end my turn.” "This Duel's far from over, Hiraku! Draw!"

Citron winced as she waited on a reply; her stomach having definitely given away her desperation. However, despite her stomach’s rudeness, and much to her surprise, the woman actually said yes, offering Citron a portion of a ration. “Thank you so, so much.” She smiled, taking what she was offered while giving a polite, tiny bow, like one would give to someone who had done them a favor. “I’ll pay you back eventually, I swear.” She gave a quick nod, as she rose up, and glanced around. “Now, where should I explore…? I should make myself useful, after all…” She mumbled to herself, while absent-indedly munching on the food she was given. Glancing at the others who were all moving around, she surmised that the basement was probably her best bet. Penelope had gone down, and she thought she had seen someone else head that way too. She could have gone up-stairs, but, having seen the house from the outside, she figured the basement was probably bigger, and needed more people. Nodding to herself, she resolved to follow the others into the basement, or cellar or whatever they called it. And when she got there… Well, that was a sight to behold. It was fairly large, at least in comparison to what she was used to, just like she had assumed, and… There was a girl, under a net, with several of the others trying to help her. If she recalled, it was the same girl who had made rude comments about both herself, and Peaches, so it’s no surprise that Citron found herself creeping around the group to examine the rest of the room; telling herself that she was ‘just doing her best to stay out of their way’. And, as she ‘stayed out of their way’, she found herself at a cluster of crates and a barrel in the corner of the room; after having done her best to carefully avoid the stains on the floor, and the ants that she hoped-to-god weren’t people, seeing as she didn’t want to trip and be arrested for mass-murder. Back in reality, at the cluster of crates, she was initially drawn by the barrels, hoping to find them full of fruits or, really, anything familiar to her, and when she arrived, she was, in fact, half correct. “Hm… Liquid?” She lightly knocked on the barrel, to confirm her thoughts. And, with the knock, it was confirmed; the barrel was full, but not with grain or food, a subtle slosh of its contents in response to the knock bing all that she needed to feel to answer her questions. However, another barrel gave away it’s contents before she even had to pay attention to the results of her knock; a sweet, yet slightly sour smell grabbing her attention better than anything she could have purposefully looked for. Glancing at the barrel beside the one she had approached, she dared not open it, as she brought a hand up to rub at her nose. “Ah… They must’ve been making some sort of wine here…” She coughed lightly, taking a step or two back to examine the area completely. “Eugh, I'm glad we don’t make anything fermented… Smells awful…” She glanced around, staring at the cluster of crates and barrels, looking for anything that could concievably be out of place, whilst cupping a hand around her nose and mouth.

Favorite: Blue-Eyes White Dragon candy bar Least Favorite: Candy Corn