[color=#ffbae8]"Then... Open."[/color]

With those two words, in a flash, the world changed around Rui and Katsuki. Rather than seated opposite at a two-person table, the two were now standing on opposing ends of the now-familiar battlefield. The thick mist, the floating islands and the humongous clock- all was as it should be. On one side, Rui's yellow; her opponent a soot black. Lumia and Sunako stood attentive on their commanders' tables, the former looking focused and the latter excited. Rui took note of her opponent. [color=#ffbae8]"Hm... black, huh?"[/color] she said loud enough for them to hear. [color=#ffbae8]"Haruto's red, Sora's green and your black... I wonder who's assigning these colours to us?"[/color] Rui flatly stated. Before either had a chance to comment further on it, a loud creaking noise came from up above. The clock had started to spin, slowly, and turned in the direction of Rui's yellow marker. [color=#ffbae8]"The first turn is mine..."[/color] she mused to herself, looking down and hovering her hand over the deck. Five cards slid off the top, nesting themselves in front of Rui.

[color=#FFF83B]"Careful, Nee-chan... I can feel she's unlike the commanders you've seen so far,"[/color] Lumia tried to warn. It wasn't a hollow warning, either. Compared to Rui's three golden coins, four floated above Katsuki. The same amount as Haruto, when he'd preyed on Sora. Rui just put on a confident smirk.
[color=#ffbae8]"If she wasn't strong, then there'd be no point."[/color] Rui responded. She looked her opponent dead in the eyes, then said: [color=#ffbae8]"Make no mistake... I [u]will[/u] win this."[/color]

After Rui's declaration, the battle began proper. She began by setting up a quick defense, which Katsuki didn't break through. Rui combined her attackers and incantations to control the field like she usually would, but it didn't phase her opponent. No, as it turns out, Katsuki's strategy wasn't hindered by Rui's usual playstyle. After a few turns, Rui looked at her deck, having been thinned out considerably since the start. She looked at her opponent, slightly amused.

[color=#ffbae8]"Your cards are pretty impressive, aren't they? They're like a poison, slowly sapping away my strength. Instead of going for my life cards, you'll just make me lose by not having any cards to draw."[/color] Rui commented on it. There was some manner of intonation to it, a mix of mild awe and sarcastic mockery. Whatever it was, it signaled she wasn't scared of Katsuki in the slightest. [color=#ffbae8]"If you're not going after my life cards, then why don't I? Judgement Bolt!"[/color] A bolt of heavenly lightning struck down, hitting both Sunako and Lumia as Rui did not have the needed cost to discard her hand.

[color=#FFF83B]"Nee-cha...? ...Aaaah!"[/color] Lumia cried out in pain. She collapsed onto her knee, both one of Rui and Sunako's cards shattering and going to their hand. Lumia weakly looked back. [color=#FFF83B]"Nee-chan...? Why...?"[/color] she asked, pained and (literally) shocked.

[color=#ffbae8]"I'm sorry Lumia, but..."[/color] Rui cut her answer short, glancing at the incantation that just got added to her hand. [color=#ffbae8]"[i]Like I thought. Most of my incantations are stuck in my life zone. I need to take damage in order to evolve Lumia...[/i]"[/color] she thought to herself. Rui looked through her Trash, seeing only four incantations in it including the Judgement bolt she'd just used. For a deck like hers that relies on them, this was markedly bad luck. [color=#ffbae8]"Hang in there, Lumia. I need your power to win this."[/color] she asked of her Avatar. Lumia just turned her head forwards again.

[color=#FFF83B]"I knew it... you're like a different person on the battlefield..."[/color] she mumbled to herself, pained and betrayed. But Rui knew that even if Lumia hated her for it, she absolutely could not afford to lose. To that end, she looked directly at her opponent.

[color=#ffbae8]"Hey. I want to ask you something,"[/color] Rui said with determination in her voice. [color=#ffbae8]"I won't ask after your wish, or your lost memories. But these battles... why are you fighting them?"[/color] she posed the question. [color=#ffbae8]"Do you want to make something come true? Do you want to get back what you lost? Or... are these fun to you?"[/color] Rui continued to elaborate.

She pulled her scarf up a little, clearly not being done talking just yet. [color=#ffbae8]"My little brother got caught up in this because of me. Because he was [i]concerned[/i] about me. Now I can barely remember his friends, our time spent together, or even a promise I made to him when we were little... when I feel the weight of that bearing down on me, it's almost crushing."[/color] she exposited. Then she grinned. [color=#ffbae8]"But here, on the battlefield...? I feel like I can forget my worries. My heart pounds with each attack, with every card played. Adrenaline rushes through me when I consider the risks of defeat."[/color]

Rui looked skywards. [color=#ffbae8]"It's like I was meant to be here. Like I was [i]meant[/i] to fight this fight. And what about you?"[/color] she asked Katsuki again.[hr]Natsuko's face hadn't changed, but in her mind she was cursing Sora's lack of resolve. She needed to battle him. It couldn't be anyone else. Ema picked up on this, a hint of slight amusement on her face, but she didn't press that topic. No, Ema had someone else to respond to first.

[color=rosybrown]"Do you think warning him is a good idea, nyaa?"[/color] she asked Wolf. [color=rosybrown]"Sora clearly likes Natsuko, you know? He won't want you coming between the two of them."[/color] Ema whispered to him. She then sat upright, speaking up clearly so everyone on the room could and would hear. [color=rosybrown]"Isn't it better for you two to fight a lot, nya? If you're low on coins, you should battle to get more!"[/color] Ema tried egging on the pair of boys.

Natsuko drew Ema closer to herself, clutching the little cat girl to her chest. [color=chocolate]"I get it, Sora-kun... I was scared at first too. I didn't know who to turn to, who to fight. I lost my first time, and it felt like the world would end..."[/color] she explained in an attempt to appeal to Sora's sense of empathy. [color=chocolate]"But... that's why you should battle me! We know each-other, and I'd never hurt you! Even if I lose, I'd never hate you for it! And if you lose, after my wish comes true... I can still help you! We can do this together!"[/color] she pleaded with him, seeming earnest.

Natsuko didn't give him any time to react. She immediately reached out for one of Sora's hands and raised it up between the two of them, tightly clutching it between both of her own. [color=chocolate]"Please, Sora-kun... battle me. I really want to do it with you."[/color]