Blake

As the dust settled on the first snake's successful slaying at the hands of Sarashina and Kiyoko, the second of the train-beasts began its own assault on the duo that had overcome its companion. As Sarashina charged forward to meet the beast, the air beside her sang as something flew past her, spearing the roof of the snake's mouth and knocking it back. "There's nothing left to fear! I am here!" -33- With the snake attempting to rise back up, a woman appeared pinning it down with the object that had been embedded in its head. Her mouth curled in a huge grin as she looked back to the others who had not been fighting the first serpent, giving them a thumbs up before turning back to the serpent. With a herculean effort, she roared as she hoisted the snaked up, slamming the other end of the destroyed sign into the ground to immobilize the beast. "You guys may wanna back up, because... 3, 2..." She began, her voice trailing off as a shadow began to fall over her, looking up with that same grin, "Well, there you go." As a piece of a nearby building fell down towards the snake, the woman dashed away with inhuman speed, snatching Kiyoko from her spot and running with the girl over her shoulder, even as the building crashed into the snake, decimating the serpent. Setting Kiyoko down, she gave the girl's head a pat as she turned to face the third serpent. With a crack of her knuckles, she looked over her shoulder at Kiyoko with her right eye. "Think you can pull a building down on this thing with that book? Doing it by hand is pretty tough, even for me!"

Number 39: Fount of Espère

Feel free not to answer if it's too personal or you simply don't want to go into it, but... As my fellow they/X, I'm very curious about your experience, rather than mine, and would just like to listen to you explain a bit about yourself in that regard, so that I can expand my horizons a bit. What led to you being... you, i suppose?

I do not play shoot game and lack context so I wouldn’t play hm Depends on where the girls would like to go as well? Scotland and Japan both seem like great answers for different reasons. Not Akibahara tho

whatever sounds good to you no, do not skip meals

the fuck does that mean

not much coming up? digimon survive i guess?

then idk what to say

can i get more specifics?

abridged version i realized it sounded close to black, ended up using it as a name in games and stuff for a while, as well as a character i was writing, and ended up taking it as my own name

ask me things, peasants

nerd

i tested it all different ways and told cow about them as he asked scenarios, so idek what it is HELLO HELLO HELLO oh shit it's working now

yes i did that hello it still is not working

testing EDIT: it did not work what am i fucking up testing

i wanted to dunk on joseph but every time i try to use it it just

Since the events with Morgan and Melissa, Devin had never managed to leave their room. No reason in particular, beyond fixating on their desire to find something. Aside form thanking Melissa for putting up with them, they also wanted to contribute... something to the communal spaces. But with half their budget so far burned on food, they couldn't think of anything that would be cheap enough for that... Sighing, Devin left their room, walking down the dorm hallways to look for inspiration, before their search took them downstairs. They didn't really see anybody as they wandered around, taking it in. Come to think of it... they hadn't really seen much at all, had they? They cuddled up in the corner, ran upstairs... twice, and otherwise had not looked around. How did they think they were going to manage ordering a gift for the living space that they had never even paid any mind to? Looking at the device they had been given, then back to the walls and floorspace, a frown formed on their hooded face. Nothing seemed to fit what they wanted, least of all a gift.,, then they saw the sign. "CAUTION: SLAKOTH SLACKING OFF" ... Slakoth? Like, the Pokémon? Their face flattened as memories of the creature rushed back, both those believing it a game... and a small set of others telling them it was a real creature. The former seemed to be right, if the sign was anything to go by, yet it was the only one that said such. The memories of a faker musician... That could be correct, all things considered. Peeking inside, there was, indeed, the slothful Pokémon. Doing exactly what the sign said. With some of the others pestering it. They closed the door gently before stepping away, pulling out the device again. Why, if these memories were to believe, they may be able to to garner some good will tout suite! It didn't fulfill the Melissa idea, but at least it solved one of the two problems, expensive though it would be. With the first idea in their cart, they scrolled through, absentmindedly taking a seat in one of the rec room armchairs, absently humming a tune to themself.

Aside from the core being interesting upon entry, Eden sat with a confused, mouth-agape expression for most of the ride and the following conflict... Not that anyone could see it through the scarf. They were just bewildered by the group of ruffians that they and Lusine had landed in. Sure, the town had some people who was less than savory, but this was beyond the pale. A murderbird, a "zombie" that they would need to study, the extortionist, not to mention Alliyma, who kept shooting them dirty looks, even when Lusine left their side. What was her deal, anyway? Once it slowed a bit, Lusine tugged them close and whispered, earning a nod from Eden. As the elderly woman wandered off, Eden took a deep breath. This was not a great place to be, but maybe once everything was said and done it would be worth it. Besides, they had their cores back, Eden just had to retrieve them. But first... "Let's see, should be... ah, here we go." they muttered to themselves as they ripped the core from the ruined rig of the blue-eyes player, examining it. A second ritual core. Perhaps this would be able to accelerate their research. Of course, the rest of the rig was... below average. This was a regular core thief in the area? And they had all been fooled by it? Preposterous. Hopping down with the core in tow, seemingly no one paying them much mind, they wandered off, just before the barbaric girl with the spear began to brag about the rig. "Beautiful." Grabbing his collar and straightening it out, Sid gestured toward Ida in the distance, "Ay! Glasses! Use that ugly hunk of junk of yours to haul this thing into Behemoth!" Pausing, he amended his statement, "if the core looks to still be working, leave it out here. I don't need more of that nonsense." With a roll of their eyes, they headed back into the rig. They still had to pay a ransom, and this core sure wasn't that according to what he said. All the better for them. However, as they headed in, their ear caught a conversation between the barbarian and Alliyma. "Whomever can put these back in my rig can share my dinner. It's red meat." People still ate red meat? Even with how scarce animals were in this day and age? Insect meat was one thing, they were a menace, but... There were so many more efficient ways to use animals than that. Eden began to turn to avoid them entirely, as getting that woman's rig working was none of their concern. But... if the animal was already dead... "I can fix it easily. But... can I get you to share the meat with someone else?" Alliyma frowned slightly harder than her default, her eyebrows raised, "You're a curiosity. Why would you want to give away something so valuable?" There it was, that scowl again. Well, they had expected it. "My master was a young adult when the world became... this. She probably has nostalgia for red meat, so I am sure she would enjoy it more than I would. After all, I don't think she's had any since then." As if by cue, Alliyma's frown was replaced by a gentle smile, "Of course. Those who come before us are deserving of reverence. Get my ride working and your master will have my portion as well." "Excellent, I am sure she'll be pleased. Hand me the core, and I will get right on that."

After helping Morgan back to the car, the shifter's form reverted ever back into its more reclusive appearance. They seemed to be getting a better grasp on their shifting than even back home, with how they had been able to move in that last battle... But what if they did more? Would they lose control again? Would those other personalities in their memories take hold? Were they... even Devin? They still didn't know. The answer was beyond them, but their body certainly seemed to think so. Well, if not for borrowing power from their memories for that last fight. With a nearly silent sigh, they leaned back in their seat, their gaze drifting over to Melissa, who had dozed off instantly. Or maybe she was just communing with those stands of hers again? In that case, did she know they... Their eyes shot to the side instantly, occasionally peeking back, but never holding a solid stare. Last thing they needed was for Melissa to think of them as an even bigger creep. Not that they were staring at her for that reason, just... She didn't seem suited to this. Was she from a world where fighting didn't happen? No, that wouldn't make sense with her power... But then, why was she so unadjusted to it? It was strange... But thy still owed her. They couldn't turn their back on her after what they put her through. After what she had tried to do for them. Looking over to make sure their other companion was alright, Devin let their own eyes close, not losing consciousness, but detaching a bit, until the ride was over. ----- Upon arriving back, the shifter swiftly slithered back to their room like normal, but... unlike normal, they looked about the plain room. With a lack of materials to work with they sighed, their form dropping to a bare form, humanoid as they extended a hand. As it became like a canvas, their other hand producing a pen, still attached, they began to write, sky-blue hair falling around their head. Get comfortable. Think clearly. Find a way to show appreciation... The mall, maybe? Would a gift do? Buying things was kinda cheap, but in a world where they were far from home, maybe, just maybe...

“So… What was it we’re coming here for again, master? Olafoil?” The two rode across the wastes in the upsized D-Rig Eden had designed, complete with their master's golf cart attached to the back. The road was overall bumpy, but the work the young scientist had put into the suspension seemed to pay off and make it a mostly smooth ride. Good, their master was getting up in years and didn't need the stress. Lusine tapped her finger against the window for a moment, “Close enough. It’s a rarity these days, useful in cooking. Times may be rough, but we still deserve nice things.” “Mm, I suppose that’s fair enough. Still, seems a bit out of our way for it… Who even told you that Sandy Grove has any?” There was a brief pause after that, a little cackle escaping her, “Told me? Call it a hunch, even if we don’t find any there, who knows what we might find?” A small sigh escaped the scientist as they drove towards the town, placing their chin on their left hand as they leaned against the window. Their master was usually right with these ‘hunches’, but they still didn’t sit quite right. The superstition was one thing, but this was another that they couldn’t even begin to process. “And the reason we brought your rig as well?” She raised an eyebrow towards them briefly, glancing over as she tapped her walking stick against the floor of the vehicle, “Do you think I lived this long not being careful, child?” “I’m not a child anymore, master!” Eden pouted, their cheeks puffing out, “I’ve been with you for nearly a decade and a half, you don’t have to keep calling me that.” Their hand tightened a bit on the wheel as the town came into sight, with the much larger rig on the distance drawing the driver’s eye, their head slooowly turning to look and stare at it. “Woooow… I wonder how many cores that baby takes…” Lusine tossed her walking stick up a bit, catching it by the other end to give Eden a quick, though gentle, swat on the hand, “Pay attention to where you’re going. You can marvel at the sights once we’re parked.” Eden snapped back to the… road? Ahead of them, training their eyes forward at the smack, grumbling ever so softly. After clearing their voice, they spoke up again. ”Well, do you want to stick together or split up, once we get to town?” Another brief pause as she dropped the stick back down against her seat, a small hum escaping her, “Wait and see how busy it is once we’re closer. If there are too many people around, stick close. This sort of place can be dangerous when you aren’t mindful of a crowd, child.” “I told you… Ugh, nevermind.” ----- Upon arriving at Sandy Grove, Eden quickly wrapped their scarf around their face, then hopped out of the rig to help their master out. They grabbed the box of goods that Lucine had brought to trade, then followed the older woman through the market, looking around through the crowd at all the stalls, but they didn't see anything too out of the ordinary. After a while, they spoke up, “Sooo… What kind of vendor would have this Olafoil? Someone with vegetables and fruit, someone with meat, or?” She leaned against her walking stick as she took a small glance around, her eyes closing for a moment as she let out a tiny sigh, “There isn’t any here… We’ll just have to look elsewhere. It’s fine, it’s fine.” She waved her hand as she continued walking, motioning for Eden to follow, “We can stop around some stalls, find some scrap so we can have extra for repairs. Anywhere you need to stop too.” “... but I came all this way cause you had your hunch. I was just planning to explore near the house today.” “Child, the hunch will lead us in the right direction. That doesn’t mean it’s here.” She waved her hand in the air again, humming lightly as she wiggled a finger, “Come along, we do need the materials anyway.” Eden shot the older woman a look, but with the scarf over their mouth, she could only see so much of the younger person’s expression. However, from experience, she knew exactly what look she was given, before the youngster huffed and looked forward, adjusting the box in their arms. “Fine. Lead the way, master.”

"Draw! Well, remember that Swap Frog I searched? I discard Nimble Angler in order to summon it from my hand!" When Adrian placed the card on her disk, a yellow frog appeared, with red horns and markings on it, letting out a croak, and her graveyard lit up. "Both Nimble Angler, as Chain Link 1, and Swap Frog, CL2, activate! First, I'll send another Swap Frog from my deck to the grave... then I'll summon Nimble Manta and Nimble Sunfish from my deck in defense!" The echoing croak ended as the card was milled, shortly followed by a rather small manta ray and sunfish appearing on either side of the frog, However, the two quickly turned into little blue lights, descending into a galaxy-like vortex opening in the middle of the board. "I then overlay the 2 Nimbles in order to Xyz Summon! Gallop Forth, Sky Cavalry Centaurea!" The vortex bursed with energy, the sound of a powerful wingbeat and hooves filling the air as the shining centaur-like being rode from it, taking its place in the Extra Monster Zone with 2000 ATK. "Ah, that's new!" Vega laughed and rubbed at the back of her neck, "But I had no idea you added that in. Make some edits just for today, Adri?" "Sure did. After all, it's not as exciting if we know everything that's going to happen. Our audience will get bored!" Adrian turned and gave a wink to the audience, before picking up Swap Frog from her disk. "Then I activate Swap Frog's effect. This turn, I can normal summon an additional Frog monster, other than Swap Frog, but Swap Frog returns to hand... Which I'll then NS, as I haven't used any yet." The frog appeared again, its croak sending a third copy of itself from deck to grave. And then... "Battle! Swap Frog, destroy Linguriboh!" "In response, I activate Wall of Disruption! When you attack, all monsters you control lose 800 ATK!" "From the grave, I activate my Canadia! It'll special summon itself as a 1200 ATK monster!" The slinking insectoid rose from the grave with its ATK displaying as 1200, before Vega's trap resolved, lowering it to 400, along with Swap Frog's fall to 200 and Centaurea's to 1200. As Swap Frog leapt towards Linguriboh, it ended up impaled on the little creature's tail, only to swiftly find itself being itself impaled by Canadia. (Adrian: 1400 -> 1300 - Vega: 4000 -> 3900). "With Canadia's attack finished, Centaurea attacks Fire Phoenix!" "Just a moment!" Vega held up her hand, before removing a card from her grave, causing her own monster to explode, "At the start of damage between my Cyberse and an opponent's monster, I can blow my monster up by banishing Achichi from the grave! No bouncing Phoenix today!" "Sadly... with that, I'll move to main 2 and... Tribute both of my monsters!" With a whinny and a hiss, the two monsters on the field were wrapped up in swirling energy, before scattering across the field. When Adrian placed her last card onto the disk, a sound that could only be described as a heavenly host of croaks rang out. "By using two monsters as tribute, I can special summon Amphibian Angel - Frog-Hael! Which, when summoned this way..." She snapped her fingers, causing 3 Swaps and 1 Dupe Frog to rise from the grave in defense, all croaking loudly, She revealed 2 copies of Ronintoadin and 1 Dupe Frog from her deck and sent them to the grave with the effect of the three Swaps, Almost instantly, two of the swaps turned into blue energy, flying into another galaxy vortex as it formed. "Allows me to revive as many frogs from my grave as possible, and then I'll Xyz Summon! Hopping into the new year, let's go Toadally Awesome!" As the vortex burst forth, a rather large, off-white frog plopped onto the field, facing Vega... followed by a much smaller off-white frog plopping on top of it, with a yuzu landing on top at the end. It let out a rather sweet ribbit as Adrian nodded. 0 DEF. "Next, I'll banish the other Dupe Frog in my grave to summon Ronintoadin from the grave! Again, I'll Xyz Summon using that and the other Swap Frog!" "Oh boy, here's comes the lockout," Vega muttered a bit as the cyan toad appeared on the board, letting out a small rumble before the Xyz Vortex opened again, this time revealing... a rather muscular looking humanoid with stony skin. "Eh? That's not what I normally expect to see here. Unless..." A wicked grin covered Vega's face, as if realization dawned to the redhead. "Did you really cut the second copy? What a weird choice~" "Shush. I was testing things. Is that really so strange?" She huffed as Gachi Gachi Gantetsu's stats appeared as 1800 DEF, which quickly rose to 2200 with its effect. "Mm, I suppose not, but cutting a copy of your ace? Tut tut!" "With that, I end my turn. See if you can break through after Toadally Awesome resolves." "Alright, draw!" Vega stared at the card for a moment before taking a deep breath, phase moving to standby. "Well, you already know I have You and A.I., so I activate Fire Phoenix @Ignister! The turn after its Link Summoned copy is destroyed and sent to the grave, I can revive it!" "Then I activate Toadally Awesome! By sending my Frog-Hael to the grave, I can negate that effect!" "And then I activate Forbidden Chalice, targeting your Toadally Awesome!" Adrian froze in place, eyes widening, before a deep sigh escaped her lips. She raised a hand up and motioned for Vega to continue, then crossed her arms and looked away from the spectators with a pout. "Resolving, Toadally Awesome is negated by Chalice and gains 400 ATK for the turn... And Fire Phoenix is reborn from the ashes!" The pillar of flame erupted as Vega spoke, smirking as the bird appeared once more, flames forming its armor. Pointing towards Dupe Frog, the bird attacked it, and... "My bird's effect activates at the start of damage, dealing 2300 directly!" Adrian: 1300 -> 0 "Gaaah, that's so anti-climactic!" The blue hair girl puffed her cheeks out as the holograms faded, "I didn't even have any action cards to help me out! Not that I do at home on the table, anyway, but..." "Ah, come on, you had me on the ropes! Though, a second Toada-" "Hush!" ----- Back upstairs, Vega was at the whiteboard again, with information about their opponents for the coming weekend; Team Shining. "With the fun out of the way, we do have a little to discuss! Team Shining has been around for a while, and doesn't have a terrible record. They just, uh..." Vega's face scrunched up as she fished for the right words, before Adrian cut in. "They're well known for being pricks." "Adriii, you don't have to put it like that." "I'm not wrong and you know it." "Anyway, they do have a bit of a sour reputation. In fact, the action duelist Lance Sheridan is known for being quite rough in action duels to prevent opponents from finding action cards. So then, who will be the best matchup... Daichi. Kendra. Falisha. Are you three up to it this week?" ----- After the team's replies and discussion, they were set on their ways. Vega once again implored them to spend time with their fellow teammates, insisting that it was in their best interest, as well as telling them they could reach her any time. After everyone was gone except for Vega and Adrian, the latter walked over and rubbed the tall girl's back. "You're doing good here. It seems like they all like you a lot." "Yeah, well... Doing what I can. Honestly, they mostly take care of themselves! I'm just here to give pointers and manage things... Like telling you to add back Toa- mmph!"

Seeker of Forbidden Fruit

The battle ended with another vortex sucking away their enemy, leaving Devin brushing themselves off as they stood back up and looked to the other two. “I- Sandalphon -- that’s the ophan -- can help heal if either of you need it, just say the word. Or if you need anything else, too. Besides that, I guess, thank you, both of you.” "We're teammates now; it's what we do. I don't think you'll be able to heal me, but if you could help me find some sort of crutch, that would be helpful." "Y-yeah... besides, I didn't do too much of anything." They replied, before realizing they were still in the battle body. Their form quickly shifted back to the hoodie over their fact, form shrinking down to be a bit less tall and lanky as they shrunk away, before speaking in a softer voice, "I can help you walk back if you need... I'm not advanced enough to be able to make something, s-sadly." Awkward. They still barely knew Morgan, and they hadn't really done a lot beyond taking hits... and taking more hits. They tripped the woman up at the end, but that didn't really account for much, did it?

"Sorry to keep you waiting, guys!" Once everyone had gotten down to the training room, which was just a repurposed mid-sized basketball court, complete with a small set of auditorium bleachers,, Adrian walked in from the stairwell, boisterous coach in tow with a smile on her face. "I know this last match was a bit rough on you, so I asked Adri- you all met her now, yeah- anyway, I asked if... she wouldn't mind giving a bit of an exhibition match? At least, if you guys don't mind staying here a bit longer than normal that is? I, uh..." "You forgot to clear that with them, yes." Adrian giggled before shooting a knowing look and smirk up at her partner, "I'm sure that they're already used to that... aren't you guys?" Kendra felt the corner of her lips tug downwards, a small hum escaping her. She pulled her phone from her bag to idly tapping at it, "...If the others are fine with it, I can push things back a bit and make the time to stick around..." She glanced towards the others gathered, raising an eyebrow, "Any objections?" "Perfect! With that said... I warn you all that I won't be using my normal deck, instead opting for something a bit more 'fun', like Vega... and I'm not used to standard duels. I participated in mooostly action duels, so I feel like I'm at a bit of a disadvantage against miss jack of all trades, so I apologize if it's not the best show you've ever seen." "Hey, don't be like that, you'll do fine!" Vega grinned, suddenly lifting the shorter girl up to hug her tight, before putting her back down, "I told her not to pull punches, but she insisted. So, give us a couple minutes and we'll be ready to go!" ----- "Seems I'm up first... Good luck, sweetheart~" Adrian called out as she drew her hand, almost instantly placing a monster and 2 more cards face-down on her field, "And with that, it'll be your turn." Kendra let out a soft chuckle, rubbing at her neck for a moment as she sighed, “Not the best opening, maybe? Looks like a bad turn for my deck.” "Don't count her out just based on that," Vega laughed as she drew for turn, looking over her hand for a moment, before placing a card on her disk. A yellow blob with 1200 ATK appeared on the field, wuickly forming markings across it, as well as a hat and hands, ending with a stylized blue @ symbol appearing on its hat, "I normal summon Pikari @Ignister and activate its effect." As the mage-like blob began to wave its hands, it was set upon by an otherworldly creature biting into it, long and scaled with multiple green eyes and tendrils. Its long form began to coil around it as Adrian announced its presence. "I activate Paleozoic Canadia, targeting Pikari!" As Pikari began to shudder, a spear flew from Vega's hand, slicing into the main 5 eyes of the creature, causing it to fall down and disintegrate while Pikari's ATK dropped to 400, followed by Vega pulling a card from her deck. "Heh, figured. Then I chain Forbidden Lance! With that, I add Ignister A.I.Land from my deck to my hand." “Er… wasn’t this supposed to be a learning experience? Dunno if seeing a blazing fast duel where I can’t even process cards is going to help learn anything…” Falisha’s words would hang in the air for a moment. "Eh? Are we going too fast? Sorry about that," Vega laughed a bit. grinning wide, "We play with each other a lot, though usually just on a kitchen table. We know how each other's plays in and out, so..." "We can get a bit carried away with it. I'll do my best to slow it down a bit for now." "Yepyep. Anyway, before anything else, I use Pikari @Ignister as material for a Link 1!" The blob cooed out as it lost even more of its form, reverting back to sheer energy as it moved from its spot to the Extra Monster Zone, pointing down towards the center monster zone, before a mechanical-looking creature appeared from the arrow, its jagged tail wagging as its screen-like face lit up to reveal some angry looking eyes... earning a "Tch" from Adrian as its 300 ATK displayed. "I Link Summon Linguriboh, which can tribute itself to negate a trap card... and banish it. Next, I'll activate the field spell I searched for, Ignister A.I.Land!" The entire training room seemed to transform as the field was placed, moving the battlefield to a wide path near a technicolor ferris wheel, the sun shining bright in the sky above, with the sounds of rides and enjoyment echoing about as Vega looked to her team. "While I control no monsters in my Main Monster Zone, I can special summon a Level 4 or lower @Ignister monster from my hand, but I can't do this with the same attribute more than once per turn. Then I'll activate it to summon the WIND monster, Bururu @Ignister!" A green blob appeared on the field, formless like Pikari before it... then began to take a shape not unlike a doll, with wing-like protrusions from tis head as the markings appeared across its body, culminating in white tips to the wings, along with the same stylized @ symbol appearing on its left wing along with its 600 ATK. "When it's summoned, I can send an @Ignister from my deck to the grave, and I'll seeend... Achichi @Ignister. Once that resolves, let's see... next, I'll summon Backup Secretary from my hand." Data began to coalesce next to Bururu, a woman with deep purple hair stepped through, her left arm holding what looked to be a digital tablet as her right hand adjusted the dark glasses on her face. She clicked her heels as she stood up perfectly straight, her ATK showing as 1200. "Any time I control a Cyberse, I can summon her from hand... but only one per turn. So next, I'll Link the two of them off!" The pair of cyberse in the Main Monster Zones reverted into data, soaring into the middle monster zone, with one of them pointing up and right, while the other pointed down and right. The sound of waves could be heard, quickly followed by a pillar of water shooting out from the Monster Zone, spooking Linguriboh in the process, as a wizard-like person in white robes, adorned with blue and blue orbs, stepped from the pillar, brandishing a staff, which lit up instantly as its 1100 was shown. "Splash Mage! And then, once per turn, it can revive a Cyberse from my grave in defense with its effects negated. So I'll bring back Pikari, as well as activate the continuous spell You and A.I. It has many effects, so we'll get to those as they come." The yellow blob magician returned with a coo, and Vega placed the spell she mentioned into her disk... Her face growing wide as she pointed at Adrian. "I know that's gotta be a trap, knowing that deck, so I can't very well use Linguriboh... And I'm pretty sure I know what that monster is, too." "Oh, do you now?" Adrian smirked back, "So what, going into the bird?" "You know it! I use Splash Mage and Pikari as material, I link summon one more time! Bird of blazing passion, link together your allies and burn away your foes!" The two monsters turned into energy once again, with Splash Mage turning into two bits, rather than one. They culminated back into the same zone that Splash Mage had been in, pointing to the left, the right, and straight down, followed by a pillar of flame bursting forth into the sky, causing shadows to be cast by the park's attractions that had been brightly lit. "Fire Phoenix @Ignister!" The flames began to take the form of a bird with multiple sharp-edged wings, still roaring, before armor began to form, containing and shaping the flames further into the avian form. A long, multi-feathered tail grew out behind it, while its wings began to shoot out flames like rockets, all as its shrill cry echoed. Finally, the same insignia that the others of its archetype had appeared on its chest, just a bit left of center. "Now, since I summoned a FIRE Cyberse with 2300 ATK, You and A.I. procs, summoning 1 @Ignister Token to my board. I'll place it far left, and in defense. Then to battle! Fire Phoenix, attack her set monster!" Adrian sighed lightly as the attack was declared, her lack of response causing the monster to flip face-up and reveal itself as the 2000 DEF Dupe Frog. "I was right! Alright, in damage calculation, I activate the effect of Fire Phoenix! Instead of inflicting battle damage to you, I instead inflict Fire Phoenix's attack to you as effect damage!" The bird cried out loudly, its flames intensifying to burn the frog monster to bits, Adrian's life falling to 1700 as she braced herself against the heat, smiling all the while, "Well, you know what that means! Dupe Frog activates its effect, meaning I get to search Swap Frog from my deck!" "That's fine, you'll still take the damage from Linguriboh!" The little angry cyberse gave out a small cry before tackling Adrian, barely managing to knock her out of perfect balance as her life dropped to 1400. "With that, I'll go to Main Phase 2... set 1... and pass. Your go, Adri."

As the day came to an end, Vega found her way home, after running into Rosalia. After a brief conversation, Vega gave her blessing for the captain to miss the next meeting, and wished her well. After settling in for the night at home, she pulled out a binder and flipped through it, glancing at the cards and photographs throughout with a sigh. "Now, what can I do to cheer them up...?" ----- Tuesday, February 2:15 PM When the team arrived to the meeting, the team would find a fairly short girl with long, sky-blue hair falling straight to her hips at the whiteboard, humming to herself as she looked over all the doodles that Vega had made during meetings, giggling at them. When the first of the team approached, she turned around with a smile, nodding her head ever so slightly. "Ah, nice to meet you! I'm Adrian, Vega's girlfriend. Y'know, she talks about you guys quite a bit." "Oh, she talks about the rest of the team, too?" Rather than boastful, Sai appeared genuinely surprised, "and I know who you are, I did some cursory research on your old team." "Of course she talks about all of you! This team means a lot to her, y'know? As for knowing me, well... I suppose that was to be expected, even if I haven't been relevant in years," the girl hummed as she smiled, her pink eyes flitting about, as if taking the room in for the first time, "Well, she asked me to come here ahead of her so that I could inform you that she has a surprise... aaand to inform you all that your captain will be absent. She had matters to attend to otherwise. If there's anything you guys normally do to prep, I haven't the foggiest, so would you mind handling that? I'd appreciate it a lot!"