#I might bring her in and put her on my team for Indigo Disk but we’ll see

[squidkidcelebi]

I rarely ever talk about my actual Pokemon here but you know what? Boom:

This is Lotus, AKA my Little Lotus Blossom :3

She’s been with me ever since my very first playthrough of Pokemon X and she was my first non-legendary Level 100 mon. I’ve brought her into pretty much every game since (except Violet, I’ve been kinda hesitant ever since that save wipe bug got found).

I am very attached to her and if anything happened to her I would be incredibly devistated /gen :)

[jadeazora]

A bit of review/overall thoughts for the Teal Mask.

Overall, a much better attempt compared to DLC1 of SwSh. The Isle of Armor was pretty cool, but the storyline was pretty bland overall. I found the story much more engaging here, especially when we get the true story of what happened between the "Loyal" Three and Ogerpon.

Speaking of the new Legendaries, the L3 are interesting with how much intelligence they show (from knowing how valuable the masks are and traveling across regions to get to Kitakami to clearly planning their revenge on Ogerpon right in front of you and Carmine) and how they might have been corrupted by the Toxic Chain. Ogerpon is also really cute with how much personality she shows. I feel SV really did a great job with bonding us with our Legendary partners overall.

Also with the Loyal Three, there's a number of interesting guesses about how they came back to life. My initial assumption was that it was something like them feeding on Kieran's anger and resentment to reawaken themselves, but there's also the theories that he was possessed by the Toxic Chain (we do see a purple glow travel up his arm during the scene if you pay very close attention, so it's possible this is where he would be possessed) and the rumors of the crystals from the Crystal Pool possibly bringing the dead back to life, since Carmine mentions a rumor where people have met those who have passed away there, and Kieran was hanging around with the Mask that had been imbued with those crystals.

(As an aside, SV has very much of a corrupted wishes vibe, from the Professor and their vision of a utopia would cause an ecological disaster to Paldea, to the Loyal Three wishing for beauty/power/intelligence when they made contact with the Toxic Chain at the possible cost of their morality, and how Kieran wishes to become stronger than the player but falls into his obsession at the end.)

Honestly, Kieran's launched himself into being one of my favorite rivals with the game seemingly building him up as a problem for the Indigo Disk storyline, but it's neat how the siblings undergo a complete reversal with how they view the protagonist. He's also a pretty decent challenge, with a fully-evolved team of six in the low-mid Lv70s all packing held items. (If you're doing this after you completed the main story of SV.) He puts up a much better fight than Geeta does, for sure, and I hope he gets to meet your base-game rivals in the next storyline.

Carmine is also really fun, especially when she starts warming up to us, but I do hope she gets called out for her earlier treatment of her brother, and how she started this whole mess by lying to him. Like, I don't think he would have felt left out by us just randomly running into Ogerpon. We thought it was a child until it dropped its mask, we could have just explained that to him. We're the new kid, how would we know any better or what the ogre looks like? I guess she might have been worried that two little kids would just climb up this dangerous mountain at night, but it still lead to more problems.

I loved Perrin's sidequest too, and hope we see her again in the Indigo Disk! Bloodmoon Ursaluna is so cool (already one of my fave Gen9 Pokemon and regional variants), and can actually give you a pretty fierce battle if you go in with a new team.

Kitakami still feels a little empty imo, just like the base game, but there's a good amount of small caves that sometimes have rare Pokemon inside, and places like the Chilling Waterhead that I wouldn't even know was there if not for Fezandipiti. Some other areas are also visually cool, like the Crystal Pool (interesting to see those crystals from Area Zero are showing up in other regions as well) and the Fellhorn Gorge.

I'm really excited for the Indigo Disk now, like full-on brainrot mode rn, and feel the Teal Mask really does a pretty good job of building up the second part of the DLC with all the little teasers we get. (In comparison, SwSh's DLC felt more separate between the two halves.) I feel they haven't shown much of the story aside (from the BB League/battling stuff), so things are probably going to get pretty crazy, especially with certain things the datamine has given us, in Pt2, and I really can't wait to see what happens next!

[real-life-pine-tree]

Arc-V Aftermath: Lunalight Serenade (15/26)

When all is said and done, things have quickly recovered in the four dimensions. But when weird things start happening, the Yu-Salad Boys and the Bracelet Girls quickly realize they have some loose ends to fix. Co-written with @violetganache42​.

WARNING: Dub names will be featured in the story.

"Why, Miss Celina, is that you?" Yuri asked, holding an invisible hand. "Or am I speaking to a disguised angel who became a prettier version of the woman I love?"

Dennis chuckled. "That's your best line?" he asked. "That sounds like something Yuto would say."

Yuri let out a frustrated sound. "You are quite right," he said, flopping onto his bed. "Not even I could make that line sound perfect!"

You know how, on the day Yuri got his hair cut and new clothes, he'll put his plan into motion the next day? Yeah, about that. It never happened…yet.

For a while now, he has been practicing his butt off in his and Dennis' shared dorm, trying to be charming while retaining his usual traits. Why else would his new shirt say "I WISH YOU WERE AS INTERESTING AS MY PLANTS" on it? The key factor to this issue is the complimenting one-liners. It has been frustrating him because he can't seem to find the perfect lines to say to Celina. He's got the looks and the personality, but why can't he come up with what to say? If he was trying to be like Yuto, then he was definitely succeeding at doing that.

"What's wrong with being more like Yuto?" Dennis asked. "He is rather good with the ladies."

"Except I refuse to stoop to his level!" Yuri explained. "I want to be more like my true self, not some old-fashioned knight!" He groaned. "If only Leo Akaba taught me how to treat ladies with high respect!"

"Why don't you ask him?" Dennis realized. "He did get married."

Why didn't he think about that earlier in the first place? He was so caught up in his frustration that he never bothered asking the one person who taught him how to use etiquette. He bolted up from his bed and turned to face Dennis, telling him that he is a genius; of course, the Shaddoll user replied it is a smart move he came up. With this in mind, the two left their dorm and headed out the male Obelisk Blue dorm building before running towards Leo's office.

Meanwhile, Leo was staring at ARC-V, thinking about something. He was most likely considering about destroying it after almost fusing the four dimensions back into one just to get Ray back. At the same time, however, he also wanted to reprogram it to use it for a different yet helpful purpose; after all, he did prevent the Yu-Salad and Energy Girls from being erased from existence, with some help from Yugi and Téa. He knows how the machine works by heart and still has the blueprints to make any adjustments if he did want to keep it. This may be his toughest decision yet.

What isn't a tough decision is helping Yuri out as he heard a knock on the door and a voice saying he and Dennis wanted to talk to him. He walked towards the double doors and opened them, letting the Fusion duo into his office.

"Hello Yuri and Dennis," Leo said. "What brings you here?"

"I wish to learn how to charm a girl," Yuri answered. "Since my trusted friend here informed me that you were once married, perhaps you can teach me your ways."

"You fell for a girl?" Leo asked. "I'm rather surprised. I didn't know you were interested in dating."

"I thought so too," Yuri agreed. "But I recently discovered I have feelings for Miss Celina. I know she is part of your daughter, but-"

"It's okay," Leo interrupted. "I have come to accept that Celina and the other three girls are not Ray, so you do not need my blessing."

"But sir, Yuri only wishes to learn how to make girls fall for him," Dennis clarified.

It was true. When the two and Sora left the barber shop, a lot of girls were attracted to him. Yuri wished to be a charming and gorgeous individual—obviously not being just like his XYZ counterpart—and maintain those qualities to develop the ability to woo girls based on his personality and looks, especially Celina.

"Very well, Yuri," Leo said. "I did teach you all about etiquette when you were younger. I suppose it's time you learn how to properly talk to girls."

"Thank you, Professor," Yuri said.

Later that evening, Team Lancer had just finished their training session for the day. Sylvio, Celina, and Aura have all gotten along pretty well throughout the past few days. Their developing bond with each other proved to be useful in establishing teamwork, which will be essential for the tournament.

"I must say, Celina, you're an amazing team leader," Sylvio said.

"Yeah," Aura agreed. "With your help, we might be able to win the whole tournament!"

On the first day of training, Celina agreed to be the team's leader as part of a decision. She has shown to be useful with her leadership skills ever since, helping out her teammates with determining strategies by utilizing their respective special summoning techniques and using their monsters' effects to aid one another for battle. She was also a headstrong individual, showing that Team Lancer will never give up and not back down from a challenge. Aura was right; with Celina's determined and loyal leadership, they may have a chance in claiming victory.

"Thanks, you guys," Celina happily said, happy to be her real self around true friends.

Just then, a notification alarm went off from Celina's Duel Disk. She checked it and on the screen showed a text from Yuri, much to her annoyance.

Meet me at Heartland Park tonight for a duel you certainly won't forget. -💜

"Seriously?" Celina asked. "He's signing his messages through hearts now?"

"But Celina, I think he's asking you out on a date," Sylvio guessed.

"Yeah right," Celina said. "He probably just wants to annoy me again."

"But if it is a date, you can't go looking like that," Aura said.

When Aura stated that, it was clear she had an outfit for Celina. She invited the Lunalight user to her house to show her what she can wear for the date with Yuri. She browsed through her closet in search for the clothes she had in mind while her friend looked around the bedroom, noticing how nice it was. About a minute later, the Ritual user found the clothes still nicely hung up; she placed it on her bed to see that it is a modified version of Celina's Duel Academy uniform.

"Where did you get this?" Celina asked, picking up her now-plain uniform jacket.

"Yugo gave it to me," Aura explained. "He figured you might need it again, so I changed it so it doesn't look like a uniform anymore."

This was actually nice of Yugo and Aura to do this for Celina. She hasn't worn her old uniform since she first met Zuzu. Seeing that her jacket no longer has the designs on it, it will fit her idea of starting a new life rather well. She took her uniform off the bed and headed to the bathroom to get changed. Once it was on, she looked in the mirror to see her reflection; it corresponded with her shoulder-length, bob-shaped hair, basically helping emphasize her new life. She grabbed her usual clothes and headed back to Aura's bedroom to see what her companion thinks.

"You look absolutely amazing," Aura said. "But that's not saying much because you always look amazing."

Celina smiled at that compliment. "Thanks Aura," she said. Aura felt like a younger sister to her, especially during moments like this.

Celina was wished good luck on the date as she headed out the door and started walking to Heartland Park. While heading there, she couldn't stop thinking about what Yuri was scheming this time. How he is going to annoy her this evening? She knows he'll try to tick her off again, like he always does: setting her up to "lose", bragging about his Predaplants, engaging in yet another heated argument, and teleporting with his Violet Flash Spell card. It never ends; she wants this cycle of madness to stop because she has found a better dueling rival and wants to inform him about it, but knowing Yuri, anything troublesome was bound to happen.

Eventually, Celina entered through the front gate of Heartland Park, trying to find him. With his cabbage-shaped hairstyle and tacky attire, it should be easy for her to find him from a mile away. She strolled down the pathway to look for him, but surprisingly, he wasn't there. That's strange; she knows what he looks like and must know where he is. Then again, he didn't specify a specific location in the park in the sent text. An annoyed groan escaped her mouth as she continued walking. She soon spotted a figure from afar; it must be Yuri. She picked up the pace a little to ask him what this ordeal is really about.

"There you are!" Celina exclaimed. "You better have a reason for bringing me out...here..."

She noticed Yuri's haircut looks different from his cabbage style; it was more pushed back with a few stray streaks and even had bangs. His clothes were also more causal than his regular uniform. There was no way this was the same Yuri… Was it?

"Hello Miss Celina," Yuri said. "I'm glad you could make it this lovely evening."

Celina snapped out of her trance. "Don't try to sway me with sweet talk!" she said, taking out her Duel Disk. "I came here to duel you!"

"Well what a pity," Yuri said. "It seems I forgot my deck and Duel Disk."

Sylvio and Aura guessed correctly; this was going to be a date and Yuri practically tricked her. If he specified this in the text, she wouldn't have brought her deck and Duel Disk with her. However, for a tomboy who grew up in Duel Academy, she was confused on what was he pulling.

"You brought me all the way over here to trick me into dating you?!" Celina asked. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't strangle you right now!"

"Of course," Yuri said. With the wave of his hand, he materialized a single rose. "But for now, you should enjoy this peaceful night." As he said that, he placed the rose in Celina's hair.

Celina blushed a tiny bit as the rose was placed through her indigo hair strands while still upset at the fact she was tricked by Yuri. She should have known something this would happen, but she reluctantly agreed to go on this date despite the appearance and apparent personality change.

"Fine," Celina said. "But if you pull any funny business, I'm bringing out Cat Dancer!"

"Don't worry, Miss Celina," Yuri said. "You won't have to resort to such plans."

Speaking of plans, Yuri mentioned that he made reservations at a restaurant. Their table was outside, so they were going to have a moonlit dinner. Although it was temptingly interesting, Celina knew what moonlit dinners always meant. Correction: everyone knows this cliché. My god, if spaghetti's involved, there better not be a kiss while we're eating it, she complained in her head.

As the two walked over to the restaurant, Yuri tried to reach for Celina's hand. "What are you doing?" she asked, pulling her hand back.

Yuri was surprised by the reaction. "Goodness, Miss Celina," he said. "I only want to hold your hand."

"What for?" Celina asked. "Are you trying to copy my fingerprints?"

Yuri chuckled a bit. "Of course not," he answered. "Are you not aware of basic dating knowledge?"

Of course she doesn't. Most of Celina's life was spent at Duel Academy, proving her strength to Leo. She developed no social skills at that time aside from being more open to Sylvio, Aura, her counterparts, and the other Lancers. And for that matter, she hardly has the proper skills to go out on a date. This is a girl who doesn't know how to act like one, and Yuri decided to trick her into a date.

Celina's silence pretty much answered Yuri's question. "You must learn how to relax," he said. He held Celina's hand, intertwining his fingers with hers. "I would say you should let your hair down, but it seems you already have."

She asked to herself, It took him this long to realize I cut my hair? It was clear she still wasn't buying what Yuri was doing. He was attempting to be funny while mixing in some flirting, but it wasn't working.

"So you finally noticed my new hairstyle," Celina said.

"That is incorrect," Yuri said. "I noticed it during the festival a few days ago. It certainly is a better fit for you. Much better than that ponytail you initially had."

Celina sighed, half tempted to roll her eyes, when she notices two people driving. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was Yugo and Rin who were driving on their now-completed Duel Runners. From the looks of things, they were driving by the restaurant when they spotted their Fusion counterparts.

"Hi Celina!" Yugo called out as he and Rin zoomed by. "Just going on a date with my amazing and beautiful girlfriend!"

The customers sitting outside of the restaurant stared at Yugo as he and Rin drove by. His voice was loud enough to attract a few indoor customers too. Celina was happy to spot him yet she was wondering if he does this all the time. Yuri explained that the first time he shouted to the world about his girlfriend was a few days ago during the festival and tournament sign-ups. It was actually a good thing he explained this because she, Sylvio, and Aura arrived a bit later than the others to register their team. Suddenly, he almost forgot about their dinner plans, so it was good timing of the Synchro duo to zoom by on their Duel Runners.

"So what are your dinner plans?" Celina asked.

"Nothing special," Yuri answered. "Only the finest salads the restaurant has to offer."

Salads?… Just…… Salads?…… Celina knew there has to be other meals Yuri got, but as long as spaghetti isn't part of the plan, she was relieved to hear that. Don't get her wrong, she does enjoy having spaghetti, but on a night like this, the last thing she needed was a Lady and the Tramp cliché being pulled, especially with him of all people. The two entered the restaurant and approached its host and hostess, with Yuri telling them about the reservations he made.

"Of course, sir," the host said. "Right this way."

The two followed the host to a reserved table outside of the restaurant. They were handed their menus and told their waitress will be on her way. As they looked over the different drinks, appetizers, entrées, sides, and desserts, Celina gazed upon the layout of how the restaurant looked. It was well decorated with plants and paintings to help give an Italian feel to it. Even the food and drinks were Italian-based: pizza, pasta, endless soup, salad, and breadsticks, chicken meatballs, Italian soda, etc. She wasn't sure why this place felt familiar to her; did Yuya and Zuzu went there with their families for dinner one night while the Fusion duo was still fused with their counterparts? She's been so caught up in her new life that she honestly doesn't remember.

"Yuri, does this restaurant seem familiar?" Celina asked.

"Of course it is," Yuri answered. "The Sakakis and Boyles came here to celebrate the return of Yuya's father."

Now it was becoming clearer and easier for her to remember. She recognized the details she just saw and knew she had seen them before when she was in Zuzu's shared mind. A minute later, their waitress showed up.

"What can I get you tonight?" the waitress asked.

"One of your legendary salads," Yuri answered. "What would you like to have, Miss Celina?"

"Uh..." Celina said. "Just a slice of pizza." She quickly glanced at Yuri. "And a small salad."

"Very well," the waitress said. "Your meal will be available in a few minutes."

As the waitress went to the kitchen to place their orders, Celina couldn't help but wonder why Yuri looked and acted different. He still called her "Miss Celina", so at least there was something that was still the same. Based on the shirt he was wearing, she can tell he still has his Predaplants back at Duel Academy. Another unchanged trait. However, his tone sounded more polite than what she was used to. As a matter of fact, a huge portion of Yuri transformed, from his fashion sense to his…questionable gentlemanly charm. She can't stop thinking about why he was doing this or what his intention was.

"Hmm?" Yuri mused, noticing Celina was staring at him. "What is it, Miss Celina?"

"Why are you doing this?" Celina asked.

"Doing what?" Yuri asked.

"This," Celina repeated, gesturing to Yuri. "With your even-layered haircut, plant shirt, and weird behavior. This isn't like you."

"Perhaps this is the me I wish to be," Yuri said. "I feel terrible with what had occurred and I wish to redeem myself. In fact, I don't even think Yuya's father completely trusts me."

Yuri wasn't wrong about what he was saying. Although Zarc's darkness that once clouded his judgement was gone and had a change of heart when Yuya was revived, he hasn't been fully redeemed. Heck, he hasn't gotten an opportunity to make amends for his past actions until today. He wants to be a better person and he figured this evening was a good time to start.

"But then I saw you, Miss Celina," Yuri continued. "You have been changing your image as a way to figure out who you really are. You even got rid of that rather unnecessary ponytail. So I realized that if you're changing yourself for the better, I should do the same thing."

What Celina doesn't know is the true reason why Yuri was doing this, so it was very smart of him to not mention it to her. Deep down, he had a feeling his new persona will leave an effect on her and win her heart from Sylvio in no time. No doubt this plan will start working its charm shortly.

Several minutes later, the waitress brought out their dinner: two salads and a slice of pizza. Yuri thanked her before he and his date began eating their meals.

As the two ate, Celina glanced at Yuri. "You think I look better like this?" she asked.

"Certainly," Yuri answered once he swallowed a forkful of salad. "Why else would I untie your hair?"

"To annoy me," Celina guessed.

"True, but I always did find that ponytail distracting," Yuri said. "So when I found out you cut it off, it was such a relief. Your new hair frames your face beautifully."

Celina blushed at his comment. She never expected Yuri to compliment her new hairstyle, so this was saying something. Her main goal was to restart her life anew after she was separated back into her own body, not to flatter boys. With this still in her head, she quickly regained her composure and snapped out of her brief trance, keeping her claim about focusing on her fresh beginning. Unfortunately, Yuri noticed her reaction; this was a sign that his plan may be starting to work.

"What's wrong, Miss Celina?" Yuri asked. "Are you not used to people saying how beautiful you are?"

At this point, this may be the first time Celina agreed with him, but she was obviously trying not to show it. Certain people usually compliment her on her dueling skills, so hearing this coming out from Yuri was something that doesn't happen everyday.

"No..." Celina admitted, glancing down.

"But you are beautiful," Yuri said, reaching over to cup Celina's chin and make her look at him. "And a beautiful creature such as yourself should never be so tense."

Why should she not be tense? Celina wasn't like most girls her age because of her old lifestyle. She was still getting adjusted to living a simple teenage life and she needed some time to adapt herself into this. A realization soon surfaced in her head; she didn't want to admit this to Yuri, but she may be thinking that he looked rather handsome. She actually liked how his hair came out. Wait... If Zuzu, Rin, and Lulu loved Yuya, Yugo, and Yuto's hair, that means she is too. That could only mean one thing: Ray also must have secretly liked Zarc's hair as well. Does that mean Celina is starting to fall for Yuri?

Yuri noticed Celina's dazed expression. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"You really think I'm beautiful?" Celina asked, noting that she didn't feel like this when Sylvio called her by that word. She tried her hardest to maintain herself, but a tiny amount of daze kept slipping out onto her face.

"Of course," Yuri answered. He retreated his hand. "But we must not let this lovely meal go to waste."

Celina obliged and the two continued eating their dinner. Hopefully, the salad and pizza can help her try to keep her mind off this discussion; nevertheless, she can't stop feeling this unusual emotion. She found Sylvio to be a better dueling rival than Yuri, but the Predaplant user was proving himself to be a charming individual… Much like Yuto, but with his own quirks? She can't even think straight anymore; she notified him that she'll be using the bathroom, with him responding with an "Okay". She hussled her way through the crowded restaurant to the female restrooms, where she splashed some water on her face to try and wake herself up from her delusional state.

"What is wrong with me?!" Celina asked aloud. "How can I let myself fall for that guy?! He's still that same cabbage-haired psycho who carded a lot of people!"

She instantly remembered that his hair no longer resembled a cabbage, the same hair that temporarily attracted her. Fortunately, there was no one in the bathroom, so she cupped her hands over her mouth to let out the biggest scream she can conjure up without having the employees and customers hear it through the wall. Once that was out of her system, she and her reflection stared at each other, baffled at the situation she was in. She wasn't sure how to get out of it; this may be a rare moment where she may need help.

Back outside at the table, Yuri let out a bit of glee, obviously not going overboard with it like Yugo. He talked to himself about how his plan was truly coming along. "Goodness, Miss Celina," he said. "You must learn how to control that temper."

With a slightly cunning tone as he spoke, he schemed about how her temper will soon be her own undoing once she falls for him, officially proving that he will be the one for her and not Sylvio. Never in his life has he had to deal with someone who shared the same romantic interests as him; it was practically criminal! Surely, Celina's reaction to this before using the bathroom would be strong evidence to use once his plan succeeds.

Meanwhile, in the ladies room, Celina had contacted Aura through her Duel Disk. "And then he started calling me beautiful!" the indigo-haired girl said. "Now he's making me feel weird!"

"Oh, relax," Aura reassured. "You're in love. You should embrace it, especially since your past lives were destined to meet again."

"But I don't love Yuri!" Celina insisted. "He might have changed his hair into a more attractive style, but he's still the same flamboyant psycho!"

"Sounds like you really are falling for him," Aura said. "Don't fight fate. If you two were meant to be together, go for it."

But how can Celina fight fate if she knows it's greatly contradicting what Aura said? This was overwhelmingly stressful and frustrating for Celina to cope with. Just then, an idea popped into her head, one that suggested her try something out.

"Thanks Aura," Celina said. "I'll keep that in mind."

The two ended the webcam chat on their Duel Disks before Celina sighed. She couldn't believe she was actually considering to do this. There was only one way for her to truly know if she is in love with Yuri…and that is to kiss him. She did whatever she could to not throw up from the sheer thought of it. Her plan was to take him back to Heartland Park and find a spot where they can be alone and kiss him; if she feels sparks, she let Aura know she was right. It was basically a battle of fate vs. choice as of now. There was no way to know for sure if this was real love or not until she finds out for herself.

She exited the bathroom and made her way back to the outside table where she and Yuri were sitting at. At the same time, the Predaplant user had already put back on his façade, one that Celina was oblivious about. "Shall we continue our dinner?" he asked.

"Of course," Celina answered.

The two progressed with their dinner now that Celina was slightly calmer. As she took a bite of her pizza, she seemed more rational with her thoughts and could think clear than she did earlier. All she has to do is endure this date so that she can initiate her plan. All she has to do is trust her instincts and make sure she doesn't fall for any of his flattery. Then again, what will Sylvio say about what happened tonight? He didn't seem to mind her being asked out by Yuri, so who knows.

Some time later, the two finished their meal. "So how much was my dinner?" Celina asked, about to take out her wallet.

"It's okay," Yuri said, taking out his Duel Academy student card. "Dinner is on me."

Celina completely forgot that Duel Academy students have cards and can earn points throughout their curricular, which can be used instead of regular money. Her arms went back to their original position after Yuri said he'll pay for dinner.

"Right..." Celina said. "I forgot about that."

"It's alright," Yuri said. "After all, a true gentleman always pays for the full meal."

A true gentleman? Sounds more like an exaggeration, she thought to herself as the waitress came by with the bill. After she placed it on the table, Yuri handed her his student card to pay for their meals. She then headed to the restaurant's debit/credit/student card scanner to print out his receipt.

"So, Miss Celina, are you looking forward to the upcoming tournament?" Yuri asked.

That was a question Celina could answer. "Of course I am," she answered. "Team Lancer is gonna kick some butt."

Yuri chuckled in response. "Oh, I wouldn't be sure about that," he said. "Team Obelisk is training hard for our debut, especially with our new idea of entertainment."

"Are you going to scare the crowd with your creepy plants?" Celina jokingly asked.

Yuri knows a sarcastic tone when he hears one and simply replied that it was going to be a surprise, so that means she was going to wait until the day of the tournament to find out what the surprise is.

"Alright," Celina said. "But you better not pull any funny business."

The waitress returned with Yuri's card, his receipt, and a pen to sign it and tip her. After putting his card away and looking at the total amount for the Fusion duo's dinner, Yuri gave her an 18% tip before exiting the restaurant with Celina to carry on with their date.

Celina let out a sigh. "Are you feeling alright?" Yuri asked.

"We should head back to Heartland Park," Celina suggested.

"What for...?" Yuri asked.

"It's a rare peaceful night," Celina explained. "I want to enjoy it."

"Very well," Yuri said. "We can spend some time there."

The two made their back to Heartland Park to spend the rest of their date there. Celina wasn't kidding when she said this night was rarely peaceful; there wasn't a single cloud in the sky as the sun nearly done setting, with the full moon beginning to rise, casting its luminescence all over the city. While walking down the park's pathway, Celina spotted a hill with a tree on top of it, saying that they should hang out underneath the tree for a while. Yuri agreed and the two traveled up the hill, making themselves comfortable in the tree's shade.

"You certainly know a lot about the sky," Yuri commented.

"I did some astronomy classes back in Duel Academy," Celina recalled. "As a Duelist who uses Lunalights, I wanted to learn about the night sky so I can bring out the best in my duels."

"How interesting," Yuri said. "And this evening does seem lovely."

"That's nothing," Celina said. "Check this out." She lightly touched her forehead. "I activate my Skill: Natural Energy Burst."

Celina's En Moons marking began to glow cyan beneath her bangs, causing the moon to look brighter. During the past few days, she and her counterparts recently discovered that they can utilize their Skills outside of a duel by harnessing the energy of their respective symbols; in Celina's case, she can channel lunar energy.

"So you learned to master your new power," Yuri said. "How impressive."

"Zuzu and Rin can do the same thing with their markings," Celina explained. "Zuzu can make flowers bloom in her presence, while Rin conquers windstorms."

"What about Lulu?" Yuri asked.

"I'm not really sure," Celina admitted. "But songbirds seem to fly near her whenever she sings."

Celina never got the chance to fully see Lulu's power because she heard she had to get her spinal plates surgically and has to be in a wheelchair once she recovers. However, she did remember seeing the songbirds fly around in this vicinity earlier this week. It also reminded her of the sleepover at her XYZ counterpart's house where she, Zuzu, and Rin heard her sing a melody back when they were just learning of what their markings can do. She also admitted that she has a nice singing voice.

"Lulu really is a beautiful singer," Celina recalled. "Almost like a siren."

"A siren?" Yuri asked. "That must sound annoying."

"Not that siren!" Celina corrected, turning her head to face Yuri. "A siren from Greek myth..."

As Celina's looked at Yuri's face, her eyes were glued onto the him, stuck in a really strong stare. The two soon realize that they are starting to fall for each other, with the brighter moon helping to bring out their best features. Celina developed thoughts in her head that maybe she was wrong about Yuri; sure, he may have carded so many people, but that was because he was given orders by Leo to do so. With the Interdimensional War over and the incarnations officially separated, it was actually nice to know he was seeking redemption. He obviously wasn't the best dueling rival, but he might as well be suitable enough to be a romantic interest.

In Celina's point-of-view, not only was she drawn by his new hairstyle, but also his eyes. Originally fuchsia, they were now neon green to match Starving Venom's eyes. She also noticed his slitted pupils; they usually don't resemble a dragon or a snake's pupils, but Yuri seemed to be genuinely in love with her. It was nice to see her in her old Duel Academy uniform, albeit the plain red jacket, and admired her new hairstyle too, but he can't keep his mind off of the glowing marking on her forehead. The cyan luminosity went rather well with her indigo hair and the moon's brightness strengthened her beauty.

"My god..." Yuri said, placing his hand on Celina's cheek. "I never noticed how lovely and elegant you can be."

"And... I guess you're not as bad as I thought," Celina replied as she leaned in.

Were they going to kiss? It definitely looks like it, but since it was their first one, they felt nervous about it. They weren't sure who was going to make the first move until—out of desperation—Celina ultimately locked lips with Yuri, catching him off guard. He was in the middle of preparing himself to kiss her, so it was quite startling to see her pull something like that. Wait, startling is longer becoming the right word to describe this scenario. It became more astounding, more satisfying, more pleasing. He then caved in and the duo ended up exchanging kisses.

Celina moaned slightly as Yuri started stroking her spine. She responded by reaching up to caress his hair with one hand, tugging lightly on the carefully-layered purple and pink locks. He must have enjoyed this feeling because he nipped on her lower lip. The kiss was slow and gentle, the two savoring every minute of it.

They separated the kiss to get some breath, knowing their plans have backfired. Celina wanted to prove she doesn't harbor feelings for Yuri when learning she does. Looks like fate wins this round, but what about him? Wasn't his intention to win her heart? Yes, but it was because he was jealous of Sylvio, believing he was in a relationship with her, but during their kiss, he came to see that the two developed a great friendship with each other, meaning his jealousy got the best of him over nothing. It was kind of embarrassing when you consider the crazy stuff people do for love, but it doesn't matter to him right now.

Yuri was about to say something, but he couldn't speak, only blushing heavily. "What's wrong?" Celina asked.

Yuri cleared his throat. "N-Nothing," he stammered. "You're just..." He cleared his throat again. "...an amazing kisser."

Something about him was peculiar, but in a good way. His nervousness was growing by the second, giving him a seemingly dorky personality. In truth, he was always this way ever since he was a kid. He embraced his strong talent and skills, but his façade of not minding the loneliness was just a mask to hide the fact he never had real friends. Everyone used to fear him as they watched him walk down the halls, unaware that he was incredibly lonesome and wanted some company. This was the first time he not only got to truly connect with someone, but also reveal his real self. Celina noted on how cute his sudden personality change was.

"So this is the real you," Celina said.

Yuri simply turned his head away, too shy to even speak. "Oh, come on," Celina said. "What happened to that guy who always praised Leo Akaba?"

Yuri remembered that time back at Duel Academy when he talked to Celina about Leo, rambling on how he idolizes him, only for him to almost get sliced by her Duel Disk, leaving him with a stoic expression as he ducked. He smiled softly at the fond memory.

"I...only made friends with people through Leo," Yuri admitted. "Thanks to him, I met Dennis and Sora. I always felt comfortable around them, but..."

"Not like this?" Celina asked.

He shook his head "No" and explained how growing up friendless forced him to make it look like he was okay and didn't mind the loneliness when, in reality, it didn't.

"So you're an insecure young teen who hides his tears through smiles," Celina commented. "Kind of like a certain tomato-haired performer."

Is she referring to Yuya? Well, aside from him being a lot goofier, friendlier, and more of a performer than Yuri, it appears that she was right about this comparison. Perhaps the two boys aren't so different after all and he never knew all this time until this very moment

"You're right," Yuri realized. "I really am a lot like Yuya Sakaki."

"And you saw how he was able to overcome his issues," Celina said. "Maybe you can do the same."

"I'll try," Yuri said, his gaze focused on the ground. "But I'm not sure if people would actually like me."

Celina placed her hand on Yuri's cheek, making him look at her. "You'll do great," she said. "People might actually like this new, undiscovered side of you."

This was the first time Yuri was flattered by her compliment. All his life, he grew up from a disguised insecure boy to a former Obelisk Force soldier with high nobility, but now that everything is peaceful, he should also engage in a new lifestyle, one that makes him comfortable. He'll still have his etiquette, although it did sound relieving to break free from his shell and begin a fresh start. Yuri rarely had a naturally calm smile, so seeing him form a small grin on his face made Celina happy. For the rest of their date, the two stayed snuggled up next to each other, watching the brighter-than-usual moon ascend into the clear and cloudless night sky with stars appearing in scattered places. It was a rarely peaceful night indeed. A night that the Fusion duo will never forget.