KS: Hey, folks. Did you miss me? I know I did. And I also know that you missed some of this. Well, I've kept you waiting long enough. Here we are with more Despair Revolt. Makoto has met with a certain girl who wishes to fight him. On top of that, I know just the world for her to fight for. Enjoy~.
(Theme: "Mighty Long Fall" by ONE OK ROCK)
(Intsrumental) The screen opens to Makoto standing in a empty landscape, then zooms in on his face, then switches to Slash, who is in a similar landscape, but in all black.
(When we met, the pain stood still, it was us) Cuts to Sayaka standing with her arms behind her back, then to Leon, sitting on the ground, and finally to Mondo, is standing in with his hands in his pockets while Chihiro stands behind him, looking up.
(Then suddenly it's where you go) Cuts to Taka standing while looking down on the ground, then cuts to Celeste standing with her hands pressed together, eyes closed.
(The system blew, I knew) Cuts to Hina laying on the ground and circling it with her finger, then to Sakura, who stands with her arms crossed.
(This side of me, I want a little more) Cuts to Byakuya and Toko standing back to back, the former with his arms crossed and the latter looking down, then to Hiro, who looks at his crystal ball and ends with Hifumi sitting down, holding his sketchboard.
(But inside it seems, I'm just a little boy) Cuts to Kyoko standing with her arms crossed, then the screen glitches out to reveal Junko and Mukuro standing over a button. Junko presses it with a deranged look.
(Nothing else!) The ground beneath Makoto crumbles, causing him to fall into the abyss.
(Don't go! It's a mighty long fall when you thought love was the top (Whoa)) The scene shifts to Makoto running in the empty landscape, with Slash doing the same in the alternate plane.
(Oh no, it's a wake up call when your life went into shock (Whoa, whoa)) The scene moves to the the others with their respective buddy monsters staring at the crumbling walls.
(It seems like gravity keeps pulling us back down) Rewinds to when Makoto is about to fall, when Slash grabs his hand, saving him.
(Don't go! It's a mighty long fall when you know time is up) Slash pulls Makoto to the edge, where his classmates stand before him. He gives them a smile of determination.
(Don't go) Makoto takes a card from his pocket and raises it in the air.
(D-D-D-D-Don't go) Scene shifts to members of Ultimate Despair, then to Makoto, who lowers the card to his chest.
(D-D-D-D-Don't go) Makoto closes his eyes, then the scene shifts to Monokuma, standing behind a purple crystal.
(Don't go) The card glows and covers Makoto, turning him into Excalibur as the screen fades to white.
(Closing intstrumental) The screen stops glowing to reveal the various world flags on the ground.
Chapter 8: Here Comes a New Challenger
Makoto stared at the girl who had challenged him out of the blue. He had no idea what her intentions were, or what her fighting capabilities are. On top of that, he didn't get the name of his would-be challenger. He figured he could get an answer to one of those questions.
"I don't think we've met before. Could you tell us your name?" he asked.
The girl gasped and blushed in embarrassment. "Oh my God. I was so excited to fight you that I forgot to introduce myself." Taking a breath, she composed herself. "My name is Chiaki Nanami, the Ultimate Gamer."
This was interesting news to Makoto. "You're a gamer? What kind of genres do you play?"
"Oh, I play a lot of them," Chiaki answered with a gleam in her eye. "In fact, I've had a knack for playing them since I was eight years old."
"Really?" Makoto was amazed to hear that. "What was the first system you played?"
Chiaki thought for a moment before answering. "I played with Nintendo Entertainment System."
"Original or Super?" Makoto pressed.
"Definitely the original," Chiaki answered. "I played Metroid, Master Blaster and Contra on it."
"That's amazing," Makoto said. "I played on Sega Genesis when I was young. Me and my sister loved playing Super Street Fighter II on it."
"Really?!" Chiaki explained, getting up in Makoto's face with a gleam in her eye. "What's your favorite character?"
"Uh…" Makoto turned away, taken aback from how close the gamer was standing next to him. "I like… Chun-Li."
As if it were removed by an eraser, Chiaki's smile vanished from her features, replaced by a look of distain and disapproval. Makoto was clueless as to what could have caused the change in expression, but Slash and Leon had a good idea what it was.
"He doesn't realize it, but just broke one of the taboos of man," the baseball star whispered.
"You mind filling me in?" the hunter whispered back. "I'm getting a general idea of what's happening, but I could use some extra info."
"Okay, here's the rundown," Leon said. "There are certain things we men should ever say to a girl. Actually, there are a lot things men can't every say to girl, but three in particular stand at the top. The first: a girl's bra size. There will always be a girl who feel envious about other girl's chest, either because their's is smaller than the other's."
Slash nodded. "Interesting. Could you provide an example of that?"
"I'd be happy to," Leon answered. "Let's say that one girl is a C-cup. Not too small, but not too big either. Call it a middle ground, if you will. Now we bring in another girl, only she's rocking G-cups. That's sure to bring the envy out of any girl."
Slash widened his eyes in shock. "G-cups? I imagine that'll be murder on that girl's back."
"Yeah, I can imagine," Leon responded. "But we're getting off topic. The next thing a man should never say to a girl is their attitude."
"I can see that as a legit taboo," Slash said. "Lay it on me."
"With pleasure. It's a known fact that one out of five men will encounter a girl who is, for a lack of a better word, a total bitch. There's plenty of girls who have attitude, but the last thing you want to do is call her out on it. You'll be lucky if she slaps you so hard, you hit the ground."
"A slap is nothing," Slash scoffed. "The last time I called out a girl on her attitude, I got stabbed."
"What the f- you got stabbed?!" Leon exclaimed in shock, gaining everyone's attention, which included Mondo and Byakuya who were arguing earlier.
"Slash… you were stabbed?" Makoto asked with concern.
"I was lightly stabbed," Slash replied. "The girl couldn't wield a knife to save her damn life. I wanted to kill her, but decided she wasn't worth the effort."
"Jesus… what kind of fucked-up world were you living in?" Mondo asked.
"Virtual World," the hunter answered.
Chiaki stared at him with confusion. "Wait, don't you mean Digi-"
"No, I do not," Slash interrupted. "It is called Virtual World."
"Oh. Well, back to what I was getting at…" Chiaki turned to Makoto, her distainful look returning to her face. "You said you play as Chun-Li, correct."
"Y-Yeah, I did," Makoto said.
Chiaki leaned closer towards him. "Tell what exactly do you like about her."
Makoto racked his brain for a good answer. He needed to give a reason as to why Chun-Li was his favorite character in Street Fighter, but he also had to make sure it was a reason that Chiaki wouldn't shun him over.
"Um… well, I like how fast her kicks are," he said sheepishly.
Chiaki raised an eyebrow. "Her kicks?"
Makoto nodded. "Yeah, they're really fast. And they can knock people into a wall… or so I've heard."
Chiaki stared at him for a few seconds, taking in what he said. Makoto began to sweat bullets, wondering if the gamer thought he was lying about Chun-Li being his favorite character in Street Fighter.
"Hey, are you going to fill me in on that third thing guys should never mention?" Slash whispered to Leon.
"The third thing is mentioning any girl characters from video games that look more attractive than a real girl," Leon whispered back. "This is mostly towards those more… developments."
It didn't take long for Slash to pick up what he meant. "T and A?"
"Well, some go for A more than T, but I digress," Leon replied. "The point is, out of all the three taboos, that one stands at the top. I think Makoto was just lucky enough to avoid it."
"I don't think it was luck," Slash replied. "It looked more like a spur of the moment."
Makoto continued sweating under Chiaki's scrutinizing gaze, hoping she would accept his answer. However…
"Chiaki, are you seriously doing this again? You're gonna give him a heart attack."
The gamer flinched at the
"Huh?" Makoto was snapped out of his sweating session when he heard a voice from thin air. He immediately knew what it was. "It's like when I first heard Leblanc."
Chiaki reached into her uniform pocked and took out her Core Deck Case, which was bright pink.
"Yuno, I'm kind of in the middle of something," she said. "Could you please wait until I'm done?"
"I'm only getting a glimpse of who we'll be fighting. There's no harm in that."
Before she could protest even further, a huge gust of wind came out of her case. Everyone in the vicinity braced themselves from the sudden storm.
"Where the hell is that wind coming from?" Mondo yelled.
"Isn't it obvious?" Byakuya shot back. "Or are your eyes as effective as your brain?"
"I'd kick your ass for that remark, but this wind is crazy!" Mondo yelled again.
A column of wind appeared beside Chiaki, and it its place was a young man with mess black hair and amber eyes. He wore a pitch-black shirt with a high collar and long sleeves, which had brown leather that covers the wrists and upper arms, light brown pants that are cut below his knees with a pair of brown belts that cross each other around his waist and brown boots. On the right side of his waist was gold-colored book that was held in a pouch.
"Whoa… that's one way to make an entrance," Leon said in awe.
Byakuya scoffed and adjusted his glasses. "If you ask me, he's just showing off."
"Somehow, I doubt you're one to talk about showing off," Mondo grumbled.
Slash stared intensely at the young man standing beside Chiaki, who looked flustered from his appearance. He felt an urge to fight him on the spot, as he sensed that the gamer's buddy was quite powerful.
"Is that your buddy?" Makoto asked.
Chiaki nodded, all of the tension from earlier faded away. "Yes, he is. This is Wind Mage, Yuno."
Yuno waved his hand. "Nice to meet you all."
Makoto nodded. "Same here. I'm Makoto Naegi, the Ultimate Lucky Student."
Hearing his title made Yuno flinch. "Did you say you are the Ultimate Lucky Student?"
Makoto blinked at his reaction. "I did say that. Why do you ask?"
Yuno turned away and sighed. "Chiaki and I have a classmate with that similar title. I just find him, for a lack of a better word, disturbing."
Chiaki frowned. "Oh Yuno, don't say that about Nagito. Ms. Yukizome doesn't like it when we say bad things about our classmates."
"Well, if there was anything positive to say about Nagito, I would have said it by now," Yuno protested. "But so far, I just find his preaching about hope more than a little unnerving. Not to mention his phases of self-deprication, which I can barely tolerate. On that note, I'm sure Ms. Yukizome won't know about me saying these things about Nagito… huh?"
Yuno noticed that the boys had various reactions while he spoke ill of his classmate. Makoto's eyes widened in shock, Leon looked to the side while scratching his head, Mondo sighed while lowering his head and Byakuya stared at him distainfully. However, it was Slash that got his attention, pointing right behind him.
"What is up with you people?" he asked. "Do I have something on my face?"
Chiaki looked beside him and flinched. "Um, Yuno…"
"What is it?" he asked.
Chiaki gulped. "Ms. Yukizome wants a word with you."
"Don't be ridiculous," Yuno replied. "She's not even here- ow."
Yuno felt his cheek being pulled lightly, but it still hurt. The one responsible was none other than Chisa, who had a disapproving look on her face.
"Yuno, what did I tell you about saying bad things about your classmates?" she said with a stern tone.
"I can make an exception for Nagito," Yuno replied blankly. "As a matter of fact, I can also make an exception with Hiyoko because she's an annoying little cu-"
Chisa pulled his cheek harder. "Don't say that about Hiyoko. And don't use such a rude word to describe her."
"Would you rather I call her a female dog?" Yuno asked.
"Yuno," Chisa said in a warning tone. "Don't make me take confiscate your 3DS again."
The threat did nothing to deter Yuno. "You know, I wouldn't have to speak ill of her if you did your job as a teacher."
Chisa looked at him with annoyance, then pulled his other cheek. Yuno once again looked indifferent to the ordeal.
"Ms. Yukizome, could you please let go of his cheeks now?" Chiaki pleaded. "I was challenging Makoto to a Buddyfight."
Chisa let go of Yuno's cheeks upon hearing the words from the gamer's mouth. "You challenged someone to a Buddyfight and I wasn't around to see it?" She slumps down in depression. "Oh, what kind of teacher am I to not keep tabs on my students' affairs?"
Everyone sweatdropped at the woman's melodrama.
"Okay, ignoring the crazy woman for the time being," Slash said. "How about we get on with the fight?"
"You mean, right now?" Yuno asked.
Slash scoffed. "No, not right now. We gotta get prepared first. We should set up a time and place to do it."
"We could meet in the courtyard," Makoto proposed.
Slash grinned widely hearing that. "Oh, I love it. The very place we defeated that elitest prick sounds like a badass spot to battle."
Byakuya's eyebrow twitched at being called an elitist prick.
"It's settled then," Chiaki said. "We'll meet you in the courtyard at… is noon okay for you?"
"Yeah, we can see you at that time," Makoto said.
"Definitely," Slash added. "Noon is good."
Chiaki smiled. "Great. We'll see you then. Come on, Yuno. Let's prepare for our fight."
Yuno turned to the still-despondent Chisa. "What about her?"
"She'll be fine," the gamer replied. "We need to get set up. It's 11:45."
Yuno shrugged. "If you say so."
The two walked away with Chiaki waving to Makoto, who returned the gesture.
"Hey Makoto," Slash said. "We should give your new deck a thorough look over if we're gonna beat those two."
"Quite the big 'if' there," Byakuya snarked. "Maybe your luck will run out once you face them in battle. If that happens, I wish to have a front row seat to your downfall."
"Um… didn't you get your ass kicked by them a few weeks back?" Leon asked, trying to hold back a grin.
Byakuya swiftly turned around and glared at the baseball star. "It was luck and nothing more, you fool. The imbecile stated it himself near the end of the fight."
"Right before he proceeded to kick your ass in said fight," Mondo added, not bothing to hide his grin.
Byakuya shifted his hateful gaze towards the biker. "Does everyone know that I lost to this unremarkable commoner?"
"Are you kidding? The fight was talked about on every social media platform," Leon said. "Well, except Tumblr. It's practically desolate over there."
"Enough talk!" Slash announced. "We gotta get prepared! Let's go, Makoto! Back to our classroom!"
"What?"
Makoto had no time to react as he was carried against his will and rushed off to the classroom in Slash's arms, leaving the others gobsmacked.
"Well, that was random," Leon said.
-Back at the classroom-
Makoto was at his desk, looking over his cards carefully with Slash sitting next to him.
"Don't think about it too hard, man," the hunter said. "This is literally all I came with when I arrived in this world. There's not a lot of options for you."
"I know," Makoto replied. "But there's still a lot I don't know about this deck and I wish to learn about it."
"Well, I had no idea that trial by fire was so popular among humans," Slash chuckled. "But seriously, though, we should stay on our toes. We don't have any idea of what Chiaki is capable of. It's very likely she'll throw us off guard."
Makoto shuffled through his deck some more. "If that happens, we'll deal with it together."
Slash let out a deep sigh. "Kid, you are way too optimistic for your own good."
As the two conversed with each other, Sayaka watched Makoto with a longing look in her eye.
"Oh, how I wish I could tell him how I feel~ But I'm such a timid little maiden that I'll probably trip on my words if I talk to him."
Sayaka flinched at the perfect imitation of her voice and swiftly turned to whoever was responsible. It was none other than LeBlanc.
"Makoto, I want you to hold me in your arms and swing me around," the deceiver continued, mimicking her buddy's voice. "I just feel so empty without-"
Sayaka threw her pencil at LeBlanc, cutting her off.
"Hey, that could have taken out my eye," she said.
Sayaka ignored her and continued to watch Makoto. "Look at him, so focused. I really want to encourage him, but I feel like I'll just distract him."
"What makes you say that?" LeBlanc asked.
The idol let out a sigh. "We haven't really talked in a long time apart from us reuiniting here. But it looks like he's preparing for a buddyfight with someone. I just don't want to get in the way."
LeBlanc shook her head and began to pat Sayaka's. "Come on, Saya. There's no sense in thinking like that. You've known Makoto since middle school and he's always looked out for you. Even at times when others were against you, he would stand by you no matter what. Maybe it's time you did the same."
Sayaka looked at the mage for a few seconds, then began to laugh, much to her confusion.
"What? What did I say?"
"Of all the times to be encouraging, and you choose do it now," Sayaka said between laughs. "Why is it that you're a troll in one moment and heartwarming in another."
LeBlanc shrugged and smiled. "It's all part of my charm. Anyway, you should check up on Makoto. He's gonna need some positive reinforcent before he goes up against Chiaki."
Sayaka stopped laughing when she heard the name. "Wait, Chiaki? As in, Chiaki Nanami?"
"Yeah, her," LeBlanc replied. "Why, have you heard of her?"
"She's widely renowned in the gaming community," Sayaka said. "And her abilities as a fighter are nothing short of legendary. I need to let Makoto know about what she's capable."
The pop sensation jumped out of her seat and headed off to Makoto's desk, leaving LeBlanc bewildered.
"I swear, that girl is a handful."
The time has finally arrive. Makoto and Slash walked over to the courtyard where Chiaki and Yuno stood, waiting for the two to arrive.
"You made it," the gamer said excitedly.
"We've been waiting for you," the wizard added.
"Come on, as if we'd miss out on an opportunity like this," Slash said. "Especially now that we've gotten a better idea of who we're dealing with."
"And we've made sure to prepare accordingly," Makoto said, bringing his case out. "This won't be an easy fight for you."
Chiaki smiled and brought out her case. "Good. I like a challenge." She tossed her case in the air and spun around.
"One life is all that needed, because like this fight, you're bound to lose it!" Chiaki brought her case to her head and it transformed into a pink and white helmet/VR headset with the blue gem placed on top. "Luminize, L33T Roster!"
Yuno let out a sigh. "I keep telling you that name is stupid. Why not change it?"
"Because I like to think that all my cards are elite," Chiaki replied. "Now hush up and get ready to fight."
Yuno brought out his book and opened it, causing wind to form around him. "Very well. Shall we raise the flag?"
"With pleasure," Chiaki replied. "I fight for Magic World!"
"And I fight for Virtual World!" Makoto called out as Slash lifted the flag while letting out a battle cry.
Makoto: Life 10, Gauge 3
Chiaki: Life 10, Gauge 3
"I'll go first," Makoto said, drawing a card from his deck, putting into his gauge and drawing another card.
Makoto's Gauge: 4
"For my first move, I call Viral Dragon Rogue, Sasser to the center position."
Makoto threw a card to the center, and its place appeared a thin dragon covered from head to toe in black and green armor with many scratches on the chest plate. On the dragon's arms were mounted guns.
Viral Dragon Rogue, Sasser
Size: 2
Type: Monster
Power: 3000
Critical: 2
Defense 2000
World: Virtual World
Attribute: Viral Dragon
"Nice monster," Yuno called out. "Do you think it will make a dent?"
"You'll see soon enough," Makoto replied. "Sasser, attack the fighter!"
The dragon let out a roar as it charged towards towards Chiaki, aiming its guns and firing directly at her, damaging her.
Chiaki's Life: 8
Makoto: End of Move
"That was good," Chiaki said with a smirk. "But I will do you one better."
Chiaki: Your Move
"I draw," Chiaki said, drawing a card from her gadget. She added a card to the gauge and added another to her hand from the deck.
Chiaki's Gauge: 4
"To kick things off, I'll cast Key of Solomon: First Volume." Chiaki uses a spell and two more cards are added to her gauge.
Chiaki's Gauge: 6
"Next, I call Sealed Master, Zustein to the right."
Chiaki threw a card to the right position, causing a man with white hair and red eyes to appear. He wore a dark blue bodysuit under a blue coat and had his hands and feet shackled.
Sealed Master, Zustein
Size: 2
Type: Monster
Power: 4000
Critical: 2
Defense 2000
World: Magic World
Attribute: Wizard/Hundred Demons
Makoto widened his eyes in shock. "She has a Hundred Demon in her deck. There's no way we can underestimate her."
Slash looked at him. "Why, is a Hundred Demon powerful?"
"They are," Makoto replied. "They're strong on their own, but if you have a deck that's solely composed of Hundred Demons, you could be unstoppable… at least, that's what I heard."
Stretching his bound arms, Zustein turned to Chiaki. "Unlike those before, you had the courtesy to summon me first. I am grateful, but you still must pay the toll."
Chiaki nodded. "I know."
Zustein extended his hand towards Chiaki, draining some of her life.
Chiaki's Life: 7
"Hey, what gives?" Slash called out. "Why is that dude taking your life right after you summoned him?"
"It's his condition of his call," Chiaki answered. "Anytime I bring Zustein out, I need to give up a life. But that's not all."
She took out two cards from her deck and added them to the gauge, increasing her total.
Chiaki's Gauge: 8
Slash widened his eyes in shock. "Oh my sweet fuck. Your gauge gets a boost in addition to summoning him?"
Chiaki smiled. "That's right. I give a little, and I get a lot. It's what I like about Zustein."
The Hundred Demon turned to her and let out a rare smile. "At least you have the courtesy to appreciate what I do for you."
"I always have. Next, I call Dragowizard, Burning Wand to the left."
Chiaki threw a card to the left position, and in its place appeared a red dragon wearing a blue cloak with green lines and a matching hat.
Dragowizard, Burning Wand
Size: 1
Type: Monster
Power: 3000
Critical: 1
Defense: 2000
World: Magic World
Attribute: Wizard/Fire Power
"I'm ready to light 'em up!" he said enthusiastically.
"Finally, I equip Tome of Sorcery, Almandel."
Chiaki holds up a card that quickly turns into a white and gold book.
Tome of Sorcery, Almandel
Type: Item
Power: 1000
Critical: 2
World: Magic World
Attribute: 72 Pillars/Weapon
Makoto narrowed his eyes at the book. "I should be careful. If she summoned that item, then it's like she has a monster with the 72 Pillars attribute."
"Now, Zustein, attack Sasser!"
Letting out a mighty battle cry, the wizard charged towards the mechanical dragon and and wrapped it in his chains. Once it was bound, he channeled dark magic into it, destroying it.
"Burning Wand, you're up!"
The Dragowizard jumped with excitement and lobbed a fire ball at Makoto, slightly damaging him.
Makoto's Life: 9
"And now, I attack with Almandel!"
Chiaki channeled the magic energy from the tome and fired it at Makoto, dealing additional damage to him
Makoto's Life: 7
Chiaki: End of Move
"She's just warming up," Makoto said to himself. "I better not let her rattle me."
Class 77-B walked around the school for some fresh air, engaing in idle conversation.
"I have a question," Akane said. "What's the required amount of hot sauce you should put on meat?"
"Ugh, don't you ever think about anything aside from food?" Hiyoko groaned. "We don't have your demon metabolism."
Akane smirked. "Well, if you ate as much as I did, you wouldn't be so scrawny."
"Hmph! If I ate as much as you, I'll get fat," Hiyoko shot back. "Or worse, I'll get huge tits like yours."
"And what's wrong with getting a rack like mine?" Akane asked defensively, crossing her arms under her bust.
"Two things," Hiyoko said. "They're murder on your back and it'll give gross pervs more incentive to leer at you. Luckily, I don't need cow fat on my chest to get attention."
"Bold of you to assume anyone would wanna look at your ugly mug," Fuyuhiko deadpanned.
A tick appeared on Hiyoko's head upon hearing the gangster's insult. "Say that to my face, punk!"
"I would, but I'm not in the mood to gouge my eyes out," Fuyuhiko replied with a chuckle. "Maybe you should check the mirror."
"Don't tease her like that," Mahiru chided. "Hiyoko's sensitive about these kinds of things."
"Yeah, as a rash!" Ibuki laughed.
Mahiru shot a stern glare at the musician. "Don't encourage him."
They made their way to the courtyard, where they immediately saw Makoto fighting Chiaki.
"Hey, didn't they visit our classroom a few hours ago?" Akane asked.
"It would appear so," Gundam replied. "Our esteemed gamer and her turbulent companion has engaged in combat with the unremarkable boy and his violent ally."
"You know, with the way you talk, you ought to be in a play or something," Kazuchi said dryly.
Sonia smiled. "I think the way he talks his mysterious, yet poetic."
Kazuchi turned away. "Anyone could be mysterious and poetic if they wanted to…"
"Someone sure is jealous," Akane snickered. "But anyway, it looks like Chiaki's gonna grind him into dust."
"We shouldn't be so quick to write him off," Nekomaru advised. "Perhaps he has some potential we do not know about."
"I suppose the only way of knowing is to see where this fight goes," Peko said.
Makoto: Your Move
Makoto repeated the process of drawing a card from his deck, adding a card to his gauge and drawing another card.
Makoto's Gauge: 5
"What should I use next?" Makoto wondered. "Zustein isn't much of a threat at the moment, Burning Wand has an ability that can reduce my life by one point."
"If that's the case, then we should take out that lizard first," Slash suggested. "But what about the book she's holding? Is that special?"
"That's Tome of Sorcery, Almandel," Makoto said. "It will allow her to call a monster with the 72 Pillars attribute. There's no telling what she'll do if she does that."
"Hmm. That does sound bad," Slash replied. "Any chance you've got a card that can destroy items in your deck?"
Makoto looked at his current hand, scanning for a card that could do what his buddy suggested. He continued looking until his eyes widened at delight. "I call Digital Paladin, Sophos to the right, Digital Lancer, Comodo to the center and Data Druid, McAfee to the left.
Makoto placed three cards in all the spots in front of him. One the left was a young man with short black and gray eyes wearing orange-colored armor and wielded a short sword.
Digital Paladin, Sophos
Size: 1
Type: Monster
Power: 3000
Critical: 2
Defense: 3000
World: Virtual World
Attributes: Anti-Virus
At the center and another young man with green hair tied in a ponytail and blue eyes wearing black and gold armor that left his forearms exposed. In his hands was a long spear with a curved blade at the end.
Digital Lancer, Comodo
Size: 1
Type: Monster
Power: 3000
Critical: 2
Defense: 2000
World: Virtual World
Attributes: Anti-Virus
Finally, at the left position, there was a pale woman with red hair and purple eyes, wearing gray bikini armor and holding a black sphere in her hand, looking at it with a bored expression.
Data Druid, McAfee
Size: 1
Type: Monster
Power: 3000
Critical: 1
Defense: 1000
World: Virtual World
Attributes: Anti-Virus
"I'll start by activating McAfee's skill," Makoto said. "My giving up one life, she can immediately destroy an item you are currently using. Which means your tome is going to be scrap paper."
Chiaki visibly flinched at the threat. "Uh-oh."
McAfee took some of Makoto's life and channelled it into her sphere.
Makoto's Life: 6
"Wow, he's clearly shaken up," Hiyoko snickered. "He's so intimidated by Chiaki's power, he's giving up his own life points."
"Are you hard of hearing?" Fuyuhiko shot back. "He's giving up a life to destroy that book Chiaki's holding."
"So she loses her book," Hiyoko replied nonchalently. "It's not like it will be her downfall."
Now that the sphere was powered up, McAfee fired the energy at Chiaki's tome, destroying it completely.
"Aw man," the gamer sighed. "Well, it's no big loss since I don't have a 72 Pillars monster in my hand."
"Is that something you really should be mentioning in front of your opponent?" Yuno asked.
Chiaki pouted towards him. "It's not like it really matters."
Makoto pointed towards Burning Wand. "Sophos, attack Burning Wand."
The knight dashed towards the Dragowizard, deflecting all of the fireballs it shot at him. Once he reached him, he cut the dragon in half, destroying him.
"Now McAfee, attack Zustein."
The druid charged energy into her ball, then fired a linear beam of black energy towards the wizard, destroying him.
"Next, I pay two of my gauge and cast Data Boost on Comodo."
Makoto threw a card towards the Lancer and green data lines surrounded him, increasing his strength.
"This spell allows me to add 2000 power and two critical points to a monster with the Anti-Virus attribute, bring his total to 4000 power and 4 critical. Now Comodo, attack the fighter!"
The lancer dashed towards Chiaki and threw his spear at her, causing moderate damage.
Chiaki's Life: 3
"Holy crap, he brought her to 3 life points!" Kazuichi exclaimed. "I think he'll actually beat her!"
"Maybe we were too quick to write him off," Akane said. "This fight looks as good as done, and the odds are in Makoto's favor."
"Oh, I honestly doubt it's that black and white."
The group's attention was drawn to a lanky boy with pale skin, gray-green eyes and wavy white hair. He wears the school uniform, but underneath the jacket was a red and green vest.
"Nagito, what the hell are you doing here?" Fuyuhiko asked.
The now-named Nagito let out a small grin. "I'm sure we've all known Chiaki long enough to know that she wouldn't allow herself to be backed into a corner like this. She always has trick or more up her sleeve, as we've all experienced battling her."
An air of depression hung over the group upon hearing his words.
"We don't need a freakin' reminder, man," Kazuichi groaned. "We know we got beaten by her."
"Also, why are you looking so smug?" Hiyoko asked with a scathing tone and glare to match. "If I remember correctly, you got your ass kicked by Chiaki in a fight just like the rest of us."
Nagito simply chuckled. "Oh, I haven't forgotten. In fact, I relish that someone as skilled as her even bothered to battle a waste of skin such as myself."
Fuyuhiko sighed and facepalmed. "And there he goes with the casual self-deprecation. Why the hell do we put up with him?"
"We've been in the same class as him and you're asking that now?" Mahiru said with exasperation.
Fuyuhiko shrugged. "I just felt like it. Anyway, what are you rambling about this time, Nagito?"
"Oh, I really don't need to explain myself," Nagito said. "I'll just allow you to see for yourself and remind yourself of why- ugh."
Nagito was cut off when a foreign object hit him in the head. Specifically, a baseball.
"Where the hell did that come from?" Kazuichi asked.
"My bad! I'm still working on my pitching!"
Everyone turned to Leon, who stood a few feet away from them with an awkward grin. Standing next to him was Sayaka and LeBlanc.
"Hey, it's that porcupine-looking prick from earlier," Hiyoko said. "And who's the blue bimbo next to him?"
"That's not a bimbo," Ibuki said. "That's Sayaka Maizono. She's a very popular idol."
"Good to know, but I was referring to the other bimbo," Hiyoko replied, point to LeBlanc.
"Is everything that comes out of your mouth an insult?" Akane asked.
Hiyoko shot a dry look at the gymnast. "What do you think, meat lover?"
The trio walked over where Class 77-B stood. Sayaka and LeBlanc immediately introduced themselves, and the others did the same, even though Hiyoko added a snide comment to her introduction.
"So, might I ask what's the occasion for this get together?" LeBlanc asked.
"One of your comrades is engaged in a fierce battle of wits with one of our own," Gundam said. "The young boy has whittled her life to but three points. Victory is surely within his grasp, but this ivory naysayer believes that the young maiden is merely biding her time for a counterattack."
Naturally, the three new arrivals had no idea what they just heard.
"Uh… anyone wanna translate all that?" Leon asked.
"He's saying that your boy brought Chiaki down to three life points and appear to have this match in the bag, but this schmuck over here thinks otherwise," Kazuichi said in summary.
Sayaka turned to Makoto with concern. "I hope my advice works for him."
Slash was grinning widely as he saw Chiaki meager life point count. "We've got this in the bag, man. All we need to do is knock out those last points and we're golden!" He pumped his fist into the air, but quickly noticed Makoto still had a serious expression. "Hey Makoto, drop the stone face, man. We're gonna win this-"
"It's too early to celebrate," Makoto said bluntly. "She's got something planned. I can feel it."
Slash blinked. "You feel it? What's there to feel?"
Makoto narrowed his eyes. "She's going to hit us with everything she's got."
Makoto: End of Move
Chiaki: Your Move
"Draw." Chiaki repeated the process as she did before, adding a card to her gauge after drawing a new card, then drew another.
Chiaki's Gauge: 9
"It looks like this has gone on long enough," Chiaki said. "Makoto, I have to say. It's been fun battling you, but I'm going to have to pull the plug on you."
"Pull the plug? What the hell is she going on about?" Slash asked.
"We're about to find out," Makoto replied.
Chiaki raised her hand up in the air. "Now, without further ado, I buddy call to the center, Wind Mage, Yuno!"
Upon hearing his name, Yuno used the wind to launch himself into the air, slowly decending onto the center position as the wind slowed his fall.
Wind Mage, Yuno
Size: 2
Type: Monster
Power: 5000
Critical: 4
Defense: 4000
World: Magic World
Attributes: Wizard/Wind
Chiaki's Life: 4
"That windy guy is her buddy?" Leon asked. "He looks tough, but that lancer on Makoto's center can easily take him down."
"Don't be so sure," LeBlanc said. "Take a look at the lancer's defense and compare it to that wizard's power."
Leon brought out his phone and pressed on an application and showed him the layout of the field. Immediately he saw the difference between Comodo's defense and Yuno's power.
"Oh, that's bad. The difference is about 1000. He's going to make mincemeat out the lancer."
Nagito chuckled. "Oh, I believe the spear wielder is the least of your friend's worries at the moment."
Leon turned to him. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Nagito pointed at Yuno. "Just watch. You'll soon see what I mean."
Makoto endured the increasing gusts of wind, feeling like he could be blown away like a sheet of paper. "This power… this is nothing like any other wizard I've seen before!"
"Somehow, I doubt this is him at a hundred percent," Slash said. "Whoever's in charge of predicting the weather should re-evaluate their analysis."
Chiaki grinned as the wind blew around. "Yuno is quite the sight, isn't he? Me and him have won fights left and right. It was good for a while…" Chiaki smile faded. "But it soon dulled. Winning doesn't feel as great as it used to. I guess this is another victory I pull out of the hat."
Yuno turned back to his buddy. "Chiaki, are you sure?"
The gamer nodded. "I'm sure." She turned her gaze towards Makoto. "I bet you feel safe having three monsters to protect you, but I'm afraid that they won't do you any good."
"What are you talking about?" Makoto called out, trying to make himself heard despite the heavy winds.
Chiaki extended an arm towards her gauge. "Makoto, I'm sure you're aware that Magic World users don't rely on brute force to win their fights. We use the effects of our monsters and spells to get the win we desire. And you are about to see how I've won all of mine."
Chiaki snapped her fingers, and four of her gauge flew into Yuno, adding more strength to the winds.
"By paying four of my gauge, I activate Yuno's skill," Chiaki said. "This allows him to take out every monster on my opponent's field."
Yuno lifted his grimoire, making the pages flip on their own. The wind grew stronger as the monsters on Makoto's field braced themselves but to no avail. The harsh winds soon began to surround them, causing massive damage to all of them.
Sophos was the first to go, letting out a howl of anguish as he was destroyed.
"No! Sophos!" Makoto cried out.
Comodo was next, but he did not allow himself to go out without a fight. Driving his spear into the ground, he held on for dear life, but the winds claimed him as well.
"Comodo!" Makoto yelled.
McAfee attempted to use her orb's power to protect her from the wind, but it was all for naught as the deadly gusts did away with her as well.
Makoto's heart sank as his last monster was destroyed. "McAfee…"
Chiaki let out a sigh. "It's a shame, really. I was hoping to have a good fight… but it looks like history has a way of repeating itself. Yuno, attack the fighter."
Using his magic, Yuno created a dagger with the wind he wielded and shot it towards Makoto, hitting him in his chest. He staggered for a bit, but he quickly regained his footing.
Makoto's Life: 2
Chiaki: End of Move
"Dear God," Leon gasped. "That was one hell of a storm."
"It was," Peko mused grimly. "And it was one we were ill-prepared for when we faced off against Chiaki."
Leon turned to her. "You mean she mopped the floor with all of you too?"
"Oh, she did more than mop," Kazuichi said. "She buffed, polished and shined the floor with us. She's that good."
Leon looked at the field once more. "Man, talk about a wolf in sheep's clothing. I had no idea Magic World could be this… savage."
"That's what set my world from others," LeBlanc said matter-of-factly. "Like that girl said, we use our abilities to outmanouver our enemies when they think they have the upper hand and pull the rug from under them afterwards. What you witnessed here is the frightening power of Magic World."
Everyone stared at Makoto, who is down to his last two life points.
"I'm telling you," Fuyuhiko said. "Your friend made one hell of a mistake fighting her."
"Why would you say that?" Leon asked.
"When it comes to gaming, she is on another level," Sonia answered. "I fear the worst for your friend."
LeBlanc frowned at the two. "You're selling him a bit short."
Sonia looked in shame away while Fuyuhiko gave off a shrug of indifference. LeBlanc would have chewed them off further had she not felt an intense aura radiating from her own buddy.
"Sayaka, are you doing alright?"
The idol focused on the her childhood friend, knowing that he would pull through.
"I'm fine."
Makoto: Your Move
Makoto repeated the process like before, adding onto his gauge.
Makoto's Gauge: 6
"Okay, it's high enough," Makoto said. "I'm probably making a big risk by doing this. I think it's time we used it."
Slash turned to his buddy. "Are you sure, man?"
Makoto looked the hunter directly in the eyes. "I am certain. I have the card and the gauge. Now, all I need is your knives."
Slash widened his eyes and followed it up by widening his grin. "Makoto… let's give this gamer a match she'll never forget."
"With pleasure!" Makoto pointed towards the gamer. "Chiaki Nanami!"
"Huh? What's he trying to do?" the gamer asked.
Yuno smiled. "It looks like he's going to do something unexpected."
(Play Kotoko: TRUE-BLUE- Opening version)
"I am going to give you the fight you desire!" Makoto declared. "I promise you that this event will burn like a bonfire in your memory!"
Leon blinked. "Burn like a bonfire? What the hell is he going on about?"
"He's gone nuts," Hiyoko snickered. "The thought of losing to Chiaki has driven him insane and now he's spouting off nonsense."
"He's not spouting nonsense," Sayaka said. "He's going to give Chiaki a fight she'll remember."
Makoto lowered his arm. "Now, I buddy call to the center Virus Hunter, Slash."
The person in question leaped into the air and did a flip before landing on the ground. "Yeah! It's time to tear some shit up!"
Makoto took another card from his hand and threw it to the right position. "Next, I call to the right Macro Dragon!"
A small, white snake-like dragon with rockets on its sides appeared, growling lowly at Yuno.
Macro Dragon
Size: 1
Type: Monster
Power: 2000
Critical: 2
Defense: 3000
World: Virtual World
Attributes: Viral Dragon
"Finally, I pay three of my gauge to activate Slash's skill," Makoto said. "This allows him to penetrate through a monster and attack the fighter directly."
Three of the gauge went into Slash and he immediately felt the power rushing
"Even if you were to do that, you wouldn't be able to deplete my life," Chiaki stated. "And Yuno's defense is the same as Slash's attack, making the effort useless."
Makoto smiled. "That would be true… that is, unless I did a link attack."
Chiaki gasped. "You mean… you summoned another monster just to perform a link attack? And you added the penetrate skill for your buddy-"
"That's right," Makoto answered. "With this, my victory is assured. Now, Slash, Macro!"
"You got it, boss!"
Slash and Macro rushed towards Yuno, braving past the gusts of wind that he sent their way. Using their combined power, they strike him with a knife stab and bite, respectively.
"Huh… I guess this is how it ends," Yuno said as he was destroyed. But that wasn't the end. Slash jumped on Macro's back and the two charged towards Chiaki, preparing to end the fight. Knowing what would happen, she took off her helmet and smiled.
"This was fun… but it looks like it's game over for me."
The two monster struck her, taking every last life point she had.
Final Results
Makoto – Life: 2
Chiaki – Life: 0
Game Over
Winner: Makoto Naegi
Makoto let out a sigh of relief. "That was a close one."
The class of 77-B couldn't believe it. This unremarkable boy, the one who they thought had no chance, defeated their classmate even when defeat was all but inevitable. Truly, this was a fight worth remembering.
"I can't believe it," Fuyuhiko said, trying hard to keep his jaw from gaping. "That little bastard actually beat her.
Akane scratched the back of her head. "He succeeded where the rest of us failed. Who would've thought?"
Sayaka smiled as Makoto went over to Chiaki and shook her hand. "I knew he would win. He always finds a way to push through."
-Inside the main building-
Celeste and Valkor watch as Makoto talked with Chiaki, having witnessed the fight from start to finish.
(Persona 5 OST: Blood of Villain)
"You were right to show an interest in him madam," the black knight said. "Despite his appearance, he has potential."
The gambler let out a grin. "Indeed he does. It's often said that appearances can be deceiving. I say that Makoto is one of many embodiments of that old idiom."
Valkor nodded. "I suppose you wish to battle him as well."
"I would be lying if I said I didn't want to see his prowess myself," Celeste said. "He has gained my interest for quite sometime. I assume you wish to battle him as well?"
"But of course," Valkor replied, placing his fist over his chest. "I have long awaited to do away with that blue-haired cur that dared speak with you in such a manner."
Celeste giggled once more, her crimson eyes shining. "Don't worry, my dear knight. We shall soon teach those two how we differ in power."
KS: Oh boy. Makoto had one yet another Buddyfight, but it looks like another one is up on the horizon. Let's hope he and Slash have what it takes to brave the horrors that lie ahead with Celeste and her dark knight. On another note, I have selected Yuno from Black Clover as Chiaki's buddy. I'm sure he's a perfect fit for a girl like her. Anyway, I wish the best of you all. Make sure to comment, follow and fave this fic. Have a good one. Peace.
Preview of Next Chapter
Vladimir: Be silent... can you feel it?
Hina: Feel what?
Vladimir: The atmosphere has changed. (chuckles) There's going to be some blood spilt.
Toko: B-Blood?
Lala: I sense it as well. This fight will be one of great brutality.
Toyohisa: The scars are sure to be plentiful.
Sobek: And the violence will be at an all-time high.
Kyoko: ...Someone please explain why I was dragged here.
To be continued in Chapter 9: The Wicked March of the Black Queen