Flowers, Moon, Winds, Birds. Four wonders of nature, gentle and pure, and four matching bracelets around the wrists of one girl each. For the first time in too long, today's show stars our very own quartet of Bracelet Girls, so be sure to celebrate those beautiful sweethearts!
First of all: Yes, it's the 16th for me right now. I am OK with posting this and I wanted to right away.
Quick word of warning before the fanfic in question. This is a continuation of my Spinoff Series, Arias of Florescence, taking place after a certain event of A Blossoming Legato. HOWEVER, the spinoff series is composed of a series of scattered stories which can be read in any order without any problems. This chapter in particular also serves as a presentation of what I want to offer, and what the Fic is ultimately about. There will be some mentions of late events, but they're merely mentions and quite vague, so I'm sure you'll be fine with reading this Chapter.
Anyway: Have fun!
Comments and Criticisms are appreciated as always!
Arias of Florescence Chapter 5 - Leisurely Legato
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
Rating: GA
Type of relationships: F/F, platonic
Characters and relationships: Yuzu Hiiragi | Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir, Ruri Kurosaki | Lyrilusc - Assembled Nightingale, Rin | Windwitch Winter Bell - Serena | Lunalight Cat Dancer
Other tags: Fluff, Friendship, Post-Canon(but not actual Canon), Duel Monsters, Duel Spirits
Yuzu is a girl who has gone through quite a lot, to say the least. Getting flung through dimensions by various means, being captured over and over, and fighting the interdimensional war and saving the world would be a summary, but hardly comprehensive of what happened to her in these last weeks. It was unlikely she would come out as well as she could have if it were not for the help of her friends and their motivations to finally reunite as Yuzu was stranded more and more, and also the one who could almost always stand by her side, Bloom Diva.
Ever since they first talked to each other after Yuzu’s rematch with Masumi, Bloom Diva has always been inside her mind, and they would console each other, as well as push each other forward to brave this journey. Now that Z-ARC had been placated for some days now, Yuzu decided, amidst the work she had yet to do, to spend some leisure time with Bloom Diva. That was definitely a first for the two, as their journey was constantly keeping them on their toes, so Yuzu decided to spend it by showing some music of her own: her playing with the transverse flute, a delicate and soothing instrument that was the one of choice for her ever since she was a kid. She hadn’t undertaken a specialistic course for that, but she practiced fairly consistently with soothing and light songs.
She had played it for a bit to show it off to Bloom Diva, manifested thanks to Academia’s Duel Disk… And she seemed to struggle with it. She had to take a little time adjusting her breath to properly play the thing, but she seemed to flub some notes in songs she was familiar with. This… Frustrated her more than anything.
“Ugh… Of course I’ve gotten rusty!” The pinkette lamented, putting the transverse flute on her desk in a huff. “Sorry, Bloom Diva… I swear, I played this much better before.”
Bloom Diva had listened to Yuzu’s tunes for a bit now, sitting on a chair Yuzu offered, and decided to give her honest critique through her mind.
“I cannot compare this to your previous experiences, unfortunately, but I can say that while your movements and breathing are somewhat imperfect and rigid now, I wholly understand why. You were afflicted by a significant amount of stress these past weeks, and quite frankly, I believe you about your previous experiences. Such ordeals greatly affect one’s mind, and it is difficult to attune your mindset to before all of your troubles happened. Especially as you have offered to work still.”
“Yeah… That has to be it.” Yuzu then continued talking with Bloom Diva. “With so much I had on my mind, I guess I just fell behind. It’s not that big of a deal, since there’s much left to do, but it’s still embarrassing that-”
The Choir promptly shut her up by gently patting the pinkette’s shoulder, who turned around. She then reassured her: “It is not embarrassing to confide your feelings to your friends, be it via your song or by your words. I recognized your poorer performance also stems from exhaustion, as you had communicated it to me as you played, albeit unknowingly. While your skill may have plateaued, your passion has not.”
The girl gave a warm smile to the Monster as she listened to her words, then returned with: “You have a good point, Bloom Diva. Still, I’ll take some more time to practice with it, so I can get where I used to be, or better! I can afford some more time off, after all.”
“While I am glad you want to pursue the delightful art of music once more, do not take this step back as a failure on your part. Furthermore, you have learned and grown elsewhere in our journey.”
“Heh… But that’s also because of your guidance. Even you have grown really well, Mozarta!” Yuzu referring to Bloom Diva’s original form did lead to a chuckle from both sides, as well as some more thoughts from the pinkette.
“Hm… Now I wonder how the others are doing.”
“The others?”
“Serena and Cat Dancer, Ruri and Assembled Nightingale, and Rin and Winter Bell.” Yuzu then elaborated due to the Fairy’s curiosity. “Sure, Serena and Cat Dancer know each other for almost as long as we do, but Ruri and Rin have a new world ahead of them… I imagine it’d be weird for them to have a partner in their mind at all times. But at the same time, it’s one they’ve always had with them, one that always accompanied them...”
“Indeed, it is quite strange. Yet, with them standing by each other’s side, and them knowing how much their Ace Monsters have truly done, is enough for all to trust one another. That is enough for a strong bond to start, then slowly build up to be everlasting, both parties ever learning something new from one another.”
“I bet they’d have quite a bit to learn… After all, we all have.” Yuzu then got a lamp in her head, which led her to a quirky idea. “Speaking of learning… Have you ever known how to play a transverse flute, Bloom Diva?”
“Perhaps… I had never done it before, but my knowledge of the arts should allow me to get used to it quickly.”
“Care to try?”
Yuzu then handed the flute over to Bloom Diva, encouraging her to play it. It was a little out of left field for Bloom Diva, as the Melodious Monsters were composed primarily of songstresses, and she, as Mozarta, was a conductor. Shopina was extremely proficient in piano, however, and Mozarta was quite good too, so she felt that she could try a different instrument.
And so she played, quickly adjusting her breath to make the flute sing nicely, then trying out the different combinations of keys needed for notes. With just that alone, she was able to create a simple, slow, yet soothing melody after a bit, impressing the pinkette a bit. It seemed weird for a Monster to learn a new skill like this, but it seemed they had found a new leisure activity, and Yuzu could get to be a teacher for once.
XYZ DIMENSION - HEARTLAND CITY
Around the same time, Ruri had returned to her home, Heartland City, some days ago; seeing how in ruins it all was, but seeing the efforts the Resistance and Academia put in order to restore it goaded her to give it her all. Her Lyriluscs had done some work to transport resources and removing obstacles, but Ruri didn’t feel like she did much, despite trying her best.
Unlike Yuzu, Ruri wasn’t able to talk to Assembled Nightingale until recently, and thus they had spent some time knowing each other better… But the brunette immediately understood that the Lyrilusc shared that same desire of rebuilding she did, and demonstrated to be able to do more than her part in order to do so, and Ruri felt that she needed to properly support her, as well as everyone else.
One morning, Ruri decided to wake up earlier than usual, and isolated herself from the group in order to see if she can learn to do as well as Nightingale does… By directly calling her. While they had talked to each other in their minds for a few days, she had a feeling that in order to learn the most she had to see her in person. As such, she activated her Academia Duel Disk and played Nightingale, who gently opened her wings to greet Ruri, being quite surprised.
“My… I didn’t expect you to call me this early, Ruri. Good Morning!”
“G…Good morning.” Ruri’s weak response did concern Nightingale a bit, but it took just a bit before the brunette breathed in deeply… And knelt, pleading with her: “Please… You are doing so much that I just can’t do… But I want to help as well as you do! This city is my home, my life, my friends… And I don’t want to give it less than my all for it!”
“But… You are doing enough, Ruri!” The XYZ responded. “Not only are you incapable of flight, but you’re also still tired and stressed from all that happened to you! And yet you still pressed on and fought! Do you really want to tire yourself out for this?!”
“I… I don’t know. I don’t know how I can help, but if I can do something, anything, to help you all… I really want to. You’ve done so much for me…”
Ruri’s speech went quieter and quieter as she grew sadder. Nightingale tried as best as she could to think of something; after all, there might be something Ruri doesn’t know about them yet. But no solution came across her mind that didn’t involve her Master getting tired further, thus ironically doing less by doing more, wasting all her efforts…
…So she decided to approach it from a different angle.
“Ruri! ATTENTION!” This order from Nightingale snapped Ruri up in confusion, as the Avian stood firm in a classic sergeant pose, chest up and firm stance. The brunette swiftly followed in kind after snapping out of it, and then Nightingale elaborated:
“Now listen… If you want to help us, with all your heart, then there is one way for you to do it! You’ll become one of us: a Lyrilusc Scout!”
“I’ll… Become one of you?”
“As much as you can be! You may not be able to take our appearance, but you will learn our code!”
“Oh, right… Your scout code. I remember you-” After that train of thought distracted her, Ruri stood ready and relayed to her companion: “Roger! I will listen carefully!”
“That’s the spirit! Now then, there are 10 rules a Lyrilusc always follows!
Rule #1: A Lyrilusc Scout is to be attentive!
Rule #2: A Lyrilusc Scout is to be ever helpful!
Rule #3: A Lyrilusc Scout never goes alone without permission!
Rule #4: A Lyrilusc Scout always respects themselves, others, nature, and air currents!
Rule #5: A Lyrilusc Scout frequently practices their chirps!
Rule #6: A Lyrilusc Scout doesn’t hesitate to ask for clarification!
Rule #7: A Lyrilusc Scout always keeps themselves and their possessions clean!
Rule #8: A Lyrilusc Scout is courageous, but not reckless!
Rule #9: A Lyrilusc Scout always takes care of their w-”
The Rule listing was so captivating to Ruri that she started to imitate her firmness and behavior. It came to this point, which involved Assembled Nightingale showing off her wings to indicate what one needs to take care of… And the Duelist imitated that, even down to the light flaps to simulate hers. That marked the end of that listing as Nightingale started breaking down laughing from it, concerning Ruri and breaking her out of the immersion.
“Um… Hello? Is everything alright?”
“Haha…Hah… Yes, everything’s OK now.” The XYZ calmed down shortly after. “I just… Don’t see Rule #9 concerning you."
“Well, I always dreamed of soaring through the sky. Since you coming to this world and even dueling already happened… Who knows what crazy thing could happen? Maybe I could fully join you some day!”
As she talked, Ruri looked visibly happier and lighter than she was before meeting her companion, and just… Seemed more at ease for herself, yet still eager to work more and know more.
“Say… Rule #9 is about taking care of the wings, right?”
“Yes, it is.” The XYZ responded, not long before Ruri asked:
“Then we’re still missing Rule #10, right? What’s it about?”
“This rule is the most important one, Ruri.” Nightingale then explained that much more softly than the others:
“Rule #10: A Lyrilusc always works in unison with others, flies in unison with others, and sings in unison with others.”
“Oh… I see now why it’s so important!” Ruri commented. “It somewhat emulates how I gather you all when I duel, really quickly. And also singing in unison… Is that for XYZ Summoning?”
“Right it is, but so much more!”
“Well, about these… They do seem to overlap somewhat.”
“Hehe… Quite frankly, it’s more about the spirit than the rules themselves.” Nightingale admitted, a bit flustered. “We’re a close enough group after all, and we can look to help one another really easily. Plus, making up the rules and being all orderly about it isn’t even my thing! It’s Promenade Thrush who’s all about them! But it’s just to motivate the others…”
“Well, I did feel pretty motivated myself!
…
Waitaminute.” Ruri stopped upon hearing Nightingale chuckle.
“See, Ruri, motivation is the core of our conduct! It’s the motivation to help those in need that keeps us going. And you know this too. Thanks to Yusho’s motivation, you became motivated to make people smile. To contrast Academia, you became motivated to protect the others from them! From seeing the people needing help to rebuild the city, you became motivated to assist them!
You are already one of us, Ruri! You’ve been one of us for a while!”
“Uh… Am I?” Ruri then tried to compare this thought with her previous one. “Despite me not being nearly as capable as you… Despite me not being able to do that much… I am one of you. Motivation… To help others… Is all that matters to keep pushing myself forward!” Ruri then clapped her cheeks and stood firm, before declaring:
“Lyrilusc Scout, Opal Raven, at your service!”
This stunned both of them, before they both had a hearty giggle at that.
“Alright, I don’t think I’ll go that far, but… Thank you! I know what to do now!” Ruri then declared serenely: “I’ll keep going until this city is restored. I’ll give aid anyone, no matter how little it might be. As long as I made people smile, and as long as I keep pushing forward, we’ll all eventually reach our goal. I trust you to do much more, as I know you can do it… But I’ll do my part as well, and I’ll give it all I’ve got!”
“That’s the spirit!” Nightingale exclaimed, with a tear of joy down her cheeks. “See… This attitude, this… Everything, suits you so much more! I’m glad to have you back, Ruri!”
“And I’m glad you’ll all join me, especially you, Nightingale!” Ruri and Nightingale then traded warm smiles and patted each other’s shoulders, before the brunette relayed: “OK… I’ll go have breakfast now. I’ll be sure to be fully ready when I call you!”
“Then I’ll ensure you that all the Lyriluscs will be as ready as you are!” And with Nightingale’s last promise, the two finally separated for the time being, both having their resolve renewed so they would restore their home to full. No matter how long it took.
SYNCHRO DIMENSION - CITY
Likewise, Rin was also one who recently returned to her home City of… City. She came out of that whole ordeal… Largely confused, but ultimately delighted that she was finally free to return to her home. Now, what remained was to explore more of this City, apparently one that turned a new leaf towards unity rather than division. She had to understand that… But moreover, she felt the need to understand her newfound companion, the Windwitch, Winter Bell.
She was a particular one: Whereas the other Ace Monsters could communicate through their minds via voices similar to people’s, Winter Bell communicated through chimes, whistles, and ding dongs produced by her body and magic. As such, it was tough, almost impossible, for Rin to understand her beyond a very basic level, in the few days they actually communicated with each other.
While the bike was in repairs and was needed to fully explore City, Rin was allowed some time to rest alone… Or rather, of studying with her new companion. She brought out her Duel Disk from Academia and played Winter Bell so she could join her in person, who associated chimes with movements, simply nodding or shaking her head part for a high whistle and a low whistle respectively.
“Alright so… The high whistle means “Yes”, while the low whistle means “No”, right? Can we start off with that?” Rin asked, for the Windwitch to reply with a high whistle, which encouraged the green haired to go further.
“OK! First that, then we can finally understand one another! Hmm… How do we continue though… I know! You can understand me, right? So, why not just repeat what I say, in your own language?”
Winter Bell excitedly whistled high to confirm Rin’s proposition and promptly shined to signal that she was ready.
“OK! Let’s start off with a few simple things! But first, I wanna ask you… Does the tingling you do when you first enter my mind after a while mean “Hi!”?”
Winter Bell gave her “No” whistle as a response, thus Rin went rapidfire with guesses.
“Hey?” That prompted a negative response.
“What’s up?” The Windwitch declared that as wrong, but not without a bit of hesitation.
“Everything OK?” And here, Winter Bell replied “yes” with her chimes, which warmed Rin somewhat.
“Aww… Well… If you want to know, I’m OK now. Surely much more than before, and it was also because of you.”
Winter Bell made herself heard with a low chime, very reminiscent in tone of the “aww” one usually utters.
“OK… That means “Aww”, right?” The Windwitch confirmed Rin’s question, and this excited the green haired more and more.
“All right! I bet we can clear this easily! After all, we’ve known each other for quite a bit, right?” And so came the lesson, as proposed by Rin: a word or phrase from her, and Winter Bell’s translation.
“Hi!” Winter Bell rang in response, with the same tone as one the green haired heard before.
“Thanks!” The Windwitch rang twice, a succession of two dings each.
“See you!” A swift downwards chime was the translation.
“Sorry…” A much slower, low tone whistle this time.
“Wait!” Three consecutive bell dongs, swiftly interrupted, were the response.
All the while, Rin took notes as best as she could, and made a little chart for all the translations. Many more examples were given as she studied…
…
After a bit, Rin felt particularly confident, and decided to jump ahead to directly translate phrases Winter Bell gave her. Maybe though she went a little ahead, and after a few… Poor attempts, it came to this attempt by the green haired.
“Hey there, this is a nice place! Wanna… Uhm…” She then tried to look at the notes, prompting a glare and a “no” whistle from the Windwitch, and tried to complete the phrase herself.
“...Hang out here?”
At that, the Synchro fired a small icy breeze to Rin, prompting her to panic:
"Ah, Chill here! Chill here! That’s the one, right?” Upon that, Winter Bell replied with a yes chime, and Rin sighed and sat down on her desk, proposing:
“All right… Can we call it here now? I probably went a little ahead of myself.”
The Windwitch responded with a calm “Yes” and went to join her Master beside her, who turned around to look at the numerous pages of notes she had made.
“Dang… I think I’ve learned more here than I’ve ever done at the orphanage class.” Rin mused, feeling tired yet serene. “But we’ve only scratched the surface here! I’ll admit, I’ve never learned another language before. Now I imagine all the things I said… How would YOU say them exactly? There’s too much for me to even comprehend… But I want to go further. I want to hear what you have to say about City. I want to hear all of your stories about the Windwitches! I want… To truly understand you.”
This last remark made Winter Bell come closer with a low descending chime, and Rin further reflected upon these last words.
“Understand you… Y'know, it's weird for me to even say this. After all, we've been here together for a long time now. Back then, I thought of having Monster friends as merely children's tales, but it turns out… Each time you dueled alongside me, each time you helped me, each time you let me ride you like a surfboard… It wasn't just the wonders of technology! You really wanted to help me as best as you could, didn't you?"
Winter Bell simply nodded, gently chiming before Rin continued with her thoughts.
“I also thought of the time I actually met the other Windwitches, or rather I watched them from a distance before joining you for our final battle. And… While I understood you little, I did get this from all of you.
Ice Bell is quirky, but prepared.
Glass Bell is a little bit silly.
Freeze Bell… Has shown herself to be incredibly blunt. And kinda rude.” This prompted a little laugh from Winter Bell that even Rin could understand. However, that would soon turn as she ended talking:
“But I’ve got one thing from all of you. You all are very dependable friends, who have gone through a lot with me and want to help in anyway you can. And that, for me, is enough to fully trust you!
I trust we’ll help each other through everything. I’ll give it my all for you, because you’ve done so much for me!”
It was lucky that Winter Bell could fully understand Rin. The human-looking witches do speak as she would, but the Synchros can’t quite do that. To repay her Master, the Windwitch had to communicate her feelings as best as she could… And that was by floating up to Rin and nuzzling her, and the green haired hugged her back. Logically, how Rin felt was all kinds of weird. Despite the Windwitches being specialized in ice and wind magic,and the Synchro being crystalized beings of ice magic, this moment felt really warm for both of them. By Winter Bell’s twitching, Rin could also guess that she was crying tears of joy, despite being technically unable to do so.
“Hehe… I guess there is such a thing as universal language!”
FUSION DIMENSION - YOU SHOW DUEL SCHOOL
While the others came back to their homes, Serena’s home was Academia, the faction who had caused so many people so much grief. Yet, the people there were to atone for all they’ve done, and were assisting the inhabitants of the XYZ Dimension, and she felt right to assist them as well. Seeing all the destruction wrought upon that land, that she indirectly wanted to participate in by proving herself to be worthy to the Professor, greatly weighed on her, and made her feel an impending sense of guilt… Which her partner, Cat Dancer, was quick to shrug off and console Serena through.
The Fusion Lunalight had been inside Serena’s mind for almost as long as Yuzu and Bloom Diva were. Having Serena come out of the shell Academia put her in, and joining the Lancers to end the war, built the bridge that allowed the two to talk to each other, and they went through their perilous journey together since. Cat Dancer’s chippy behavior was one Serena was baffled by, but that, coupled with the Dancer’s fiery spirit, made the blunette warm up to her considerably.
By Cat Dancer’s suggestion, Serena had taken a day off Academia, and ultimately accepted in a practice she was somewhat confused by: dancing alongside her Monster. Knowing that Academia set up flying drone cameras to monitor its students, Serena had asked Asuka for help after stumbling upon her by mistake, and the blonde allowed her a place in the Fusion Dimension’s You Show School, or rather the desolate church that preceeded it. It proved to be quite the ideal setting for them, having a circular window somewhat emulating moonlight.
And so, Serena called out Cat Dancer via her Duel Disk, and they started practicing right after some stretches and warmup exercises, not unlike those done as Serena’s training regimen. The girl simply had to follow the Lunalight’s movements, and while she shockingly didn’t to half bad on the more acrobatic moves, as her training as Duel Warrior allowed for quite the athleticism, there was something both noticed that Serena struggled with. It was more evident in the calmer movements that Cat Dancer flawlessly pulled off that Serena couldn’t keep up. She trembled and struggled to keep her balance, and it was more pronounced as it was noticed more and more by both. This quickly weighed on the blue haired and somewhat discouraged her.
“Sorry to disappoint you, Cat Dancer… I thought I could do something different for once for you, but I think I can’t cut it here.”
“Darling… Don’t worry about it!” Cat Dancer replied calmly. “I know full well that you can do it, Serena… But I know you’re not used to this yet.”
“Well, yes. That’s part of it. I’ve seen Yuzu have fun with her Duel in her Friendship Cup debut, and I asked her to teach me how to Duel like that, to have fun… And I thought I got that as I dueled against Yugo… But I just can’t seem to get into it.”
“I don’t think it’s just that, Serena. I think you’re not so used to have periods of peace and rest… Because you keep working so hard!”
“Well… I have to. This way, I can finally prove myself after spending my entire life being denied that!... And I can’t just sit by while there’s so much to be done.”
“I know, I know… But you’ll only tire yourself out when you keep at it! This is why I suggested dancing, Serena! It’s not just about working on your body, but also your mind!”
“Also my mind?” Serena then stopped and listened closely to what Cat Dancer had to say about that.
“I haven’t really told you what the Lunalights’ dancing is all about, did I? Well, now’s the perfect time!
It’s all about expression and release, Serena!
Any performance is a form of expression, and dancing is no different, especially what ours was conceived as! It’s like you tell the body what you’re feeling, and then convey it! Even if you don’t fully think about it, you always express something when you perform! Dueling, singing, and dancing! Even back then, you showed me that you really want to get out there and finally express yourself… But you’re just too burdened by all that happened, and all that you feel you need to do.
So here comes the release part! When you really get into your performance, it’s like everything else doesn’t exist for that moment. And that’s when you release it all. You’ll feel everything that isn’t relevant slowly fade, and you’ll finally feel free!”
“Huh… Is there a specific way to go about this?” Serena asked, intrigued by the Lunalight’s discourse.
“Well… Yes, but it needs to be very little. You know all these thoughts that clog your mind? Just imagine them all, but slowly dripping out of your body, like dewdrops. It’s like your whole body and mind will be washed off of them! Other than that, dance however you feel like it! You’re not imitating me for this one… But I’ll provide you some music!”
Without Serena being able to ask another question, Cat Dancer started playing music with her body. The girl was already familiar with the rings worn on her hips producing limited, yet rhythmically sound music. The Lunalight merely added gentle tingling thanks to bumping her knives into the rings on her arms, and whooshing sounds thanks to her veil. It made for a piece that was limited and simple to follow, yet did its job of Serena finding the right rhythm.
That was only the start of Serena’s dances, however. Slow steps at a steady rhythm led to her stretching with some effort. She tried to think of exactly what pose to strike or if doing a pirouette would help, but that only made her heavier.
And then, after realizing that, and stopping thinking about it… She felt a sensation coursing through her body, traveling down her limbs to reach her hands and feet to then disappear. With Cat Dancer steadily and unflinchingly continuing to play, she simply had to keep that up.
One at a time, her worries and burdens would be pushed forward, to then melt into sensations that left her body, like dewdrops…
Her long time at Academia, spent unproven and caged… Was now a thing of the past.
Her guilt for potentially dooming Yuzu, more than once… Washed away, knowing of Yuzu’s happiness returned.
Her time spent incapacitated and captured in Synchro… Simply returned there, and out of the girl’s thoughts.
Her prison as a Parasite Host… Eradicated.
Her dread as she was absorbed into ARC-V… Liquefied, coursing through her to then leave her.
Her movements became smoother and smoother as she felt these sensations, and let to slow, yet graceful and somewhat steady. However not fully, as something else was hard to quite remove…
There were still all these people left in ruin by the faction she swore to join. All the other things were in the past, but not this one. She just couldn’t shake them off… So for that one, she had to dissect it piece by piece.
While the people of Academia had ruined Heartland… They were more than willing to help out and restore it.
While the citizens were terrified and skeptical at first, they became more trusting and relieved.
All because everyone was ready and willing to help. Helping other people shouldn’t be a burden, rather an act to make people happy, or at least relieved. This was also how her closest friends performed and acted. Making people smile will fulfill their lives just a bit further, and also hers.
At this point, she was stunned at herself. She snapped back to reality and out of her thoughts to find out she was completely steady as her hand was reaching out to the sunlit glass, and she felt light as a feather, and finally free… Free to dance to her heart’s content. And Cat Dancer would fully support her, with her steady rhythm and her growing excitement and gladness.
Maybe those old burdens will come to haunt her again, every so often… But now they both knew how to wash them away, like dewdrops.
Serena ended her number with a graceful twirl and bow towards Cat Dancer. While not overly flashy, it felt like an immense accomplishment for both of them, as Serena finally smiled and the Lunalight clapped with tears in her eyes.
“THAT’S MY SERENA! I knew you could do it! I KNEW YOU COULD!”
“Thank you, Cat Dancer…” The blunette responded serenely. “Now I understand what my friends told me when I was stranded in Synchro: ultimately, giving others relief and feeling better yourself are intertwined. If you feel heavy, it’s hard to actually put in the effort to help the others. If people around you feel unsatisfied, it’s easy for that to rub off on you, and you become sad.
“Learning to enjoy Duels, as well as other things, and doing them for fun can bring out a lot more in you than you realize!”
That’s what Yuzu told me as you and Bloom Diva awkwardly passed the baton to each other, because we couldn’t communicate… And I know she also Duels for helping people in that same style.”
“Oh, dearie… You’re finally getting it, I just know it!” Cat Dancer felt greatly warmed by her speech.
“But I know it’s not just her. I have a lot of people to thank for this, actually… Including you!” Serena then smiled warmly at her companion, who paid her back in kind without hesitation. After a slight pause, Serena came down with this proposition:
“I feel much better now. I first need to thank Asuka for this. And also I’ll stay in her You Show for a bit, while we’re at it. But since we have the whole day off… How about we explore more of the city here in the evening? I’ve heard it has a beautiful night, it should be full moon, and I know you wouldn’t miss it!”
“Aw, you KNOW ME, dear! Of course we will!” Cat Dancer excitedly responded. “If we find a good place in private, we can show how the Lunalights really do their rituals when under the full moon!”
“Well, we don’t have exactly a well, but we do have a coursing river. And sea of course.”
Serena and Cat Dancer kept openly talking about their plans for later on the day, now with tragedies finally in the past, and a future open, and hopefully brighter.
Yuzu, Ruri, Rin and Serena had all tough and tumultous adventures they could finally leave behind. Some were involved than others, but in the end, they came out stronger and more determined to explore and restore what the worlds have to offer. There is still much work to do, but it is still fundamental to restore yourself, to have leisure activities to free your mind, and these will not stop you from learning, only enhance it. All of this was done thanks to the help of their wonderful friends, especially Bloom Diva, Assembled Nightingale, Winter Bell, and Cat Dancer, who had stayed by each girl’s side respectively, and were always ready to aid them as best as they could.
However, for the girls, there was a thought in their mind when they spent this quality time together with their Monsters… Z-ARC was the one that originally could talk to his Monsters, yet Yuya, Yuto, Yugo and Yuri cannot. The girls, and their Ace Monsters, all wished that in some way, they could reunite with their Dragons in full, just to they would be happier and more fulfilled, by having your Ace Monster be so much more…They were convinced that some time, this WILL happen.
Except for Serena. She just couldn’t be bothered thinking about Yuri.
Windwitch - Crystal Bell
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"Windwitch - Winter Bell" + 1 "Windwitch" monster
You can target 1 monster in either player's Graveyard; until the End Phase, this card's name becomes that target's original name, and replace this effect with that target's original effects. If this card in your possession is destroyed by your opponent's card (by battle or card effect) and sent to your Graveyard: You can target 1 "Windwitch - Winter Bell" and 1 Level 4 or lower "Windwitch" monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon them. You can only use each effect of "Windwitch - Crystal Bell" once per turn.
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Can Be Found In: Raging Tempest (RATE-EN040)
Windwitch is a small archetype consisiting of a very reduced number of monsters to play with, yet capable of all sorts of preparatives as soon they get some momentum. Despite their limited options, Windwitch setups combines both Synchro and Fusion Summons on their goals and are able to do so in no more than two turns. Along with some Burn damage to keep the pressure as they work summoning their ace monsters, Windwitch stays in a solid position where they can perfectly fit in mixed themes until future releases provides them more cards to obtain a Deck of their own.
"Windwitch - Crystal Bell" is the ace monster of this archetype, and slightly expensive as requires a Synchro Monster as one of its materials. "Crystal Bell" is capable to replicate the name and effects of a monster in any player's Graveyard until the end of the turn, having all sorts of possibilities by coping either our own monsters' effects or taking advantage from the opponent's. If "Crystal Bell" is taken down by a destructive source (Battle or effect) will revive the Synchro Monster "Windwitch - Winter Bell" along another Level 4 or below Windwitch, pretty much retrieving its own materials if we're capable of another Fusion Summon. Overall, "Crystal Bell" flexibility on the field along a strong backup effect if defeated makes it a Fusion Monster worth summoning, with all sorts of possibilities depending of the situation on the Graveyards.
Requiring a Synchro Monster as one of the materials can seem that "Crystal Bell" is too much hassle to work with, but is actually simpler than might look. The Windwitch archetype might be small but has powerful effects to gather the required materials, with "Windwitch - Ice Bell" bringing another member from the Deck and "Windwitch - Glass Bell" adding it to our hand instead. In combination with off-theme materials like "Speedroid Terrortop" and "Speedroid Taketomborg", it shouldn't take too much time or resources to summon "Winter Bell". However, since the goal is to Fusion Summon "Crystal Bell" there are some options that allows us to skip ahead and no need to bring out "Winter Bell" whatsoever, as monsters like "King of the Swamp" and "Fusion Parasite" can take over its role as material. Alternatively, we can focus on the archetype's Synchro Summons to then rely on "Miracle Synchro Fusion" in mid to late game as uses "Winter Bell" from the Graveyard to summon "Crystal Bell".
The possibilities arround "Crystal Bell" will vary of the condition in the players' Graveyards, having all sorts of uses from one Duel to another. By default we want to replicate the effect of "Windwitch - Winter Bell" to deal damage equal to a monster's Level in the Graveyard, and since "Winter Bell" might come back by this monster's revival effect will do the same by targetting the defeated "Crystal Bell" (Keep on mind that since "Crystal Bell" also copies names, the once per turn clause applies). Since Windwitch mainly focuses arround the WIND Attribute it can also let "Crystal Bell" copy some powerful effects as the Duel progresses, like "Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon" ATK boost and negation effects or "Stardust Charge Warrior" ability to attack all Special Summoned monsters. Otherwise is completely up to what strategies we fit Windwitch with that will give "Crystal Bell" all sorts of roles along the right Graveyard, like copying "High Priestess of Prophecy" or "Judgment Dragon" among others to potentially wipe out entire fields, or playing along Majespecters to gain their invulnerabilities. The alternative is to be more greedy and try to dispose certain monsters in the Graveyard to setup devastating effects for "Crystal Bell" to copy, like "Zaborg the Mega Monarch" milling our Extra Deck or "Instant Fusion" giving us Fusion Monsters as materials instead. Doing so, we can aim for the various effects of cards such as "Lyrilusc - Independent Nightingale" or "Thousand-Eyes Restrict" to benefit "Crystal Bell" under the proper scenario. Obviously we cannot ignore the opponent's Graveyard, potentially offering us powerful monsters to use their effects against them. Finally, the defeat of "Crystal Bell" doesn't simply retrieve (pretty much) its materials, but also trigger the effect of "Windwitch - Glass Bell" so we obtain another Windwitch to our hand.
Like many other monsters with copycat abilities, "Windwitch - Crystal Bell" has all sorts of possibilities depending of the circumstances on a Duel as well the Deck itself. From the default goal of cycling the effect of "Windwitch - Winter Bell" to aiming towards more devastating effects like "Lyrilusc - Independent Nightingale" and "Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon", "Crystal Bell" has a variety of purposes to the point that can take advantage of the opponent's Graveyard if we have to. Despite being a Fusion Monsters requiring a Synchro Monster is not that tough to summon, not only because of substitute materials but also its retrieval effect as well the archetype options quickly gathering the needed monsters in no time. Unfortunately, despite "Crystal Bell" being in a solid position to lead the archetype as intended, players might prefer to skip the Fusion preparatives and just focus on Synchro Summons thanks to the strong effects of both "Windwitch - Ice Bell" and "Windwitch - Glass Bell" working together. But although might've become an optional member of its own build, the high potential of "Crystal Bell" under the right build and Graveyard makes it a fearsome monster in all sorts of situations.
Personal Rating: A-
+ Copies the name and effects of a monster in any Graveyard
+ If destroyed will summon "Windwitch - Winter Bell" and a Windwitch from our Graveyard
+ Greatly supported in both summon and effects
+ Flexible uses and goals
- Players might prefer to just focus on the archetype's Synchro Summons
- Might rely on the players' Graveyards and the build itself
